The Lord, it is said, works in mysterious ways. And on this Easter Sunday, many are wondering what in the heck is going on with the big guy/gal upstairs. But here on terra firma, real-time ministers are pivoting to provide virtual comfort to their flocks in this global health pandemic.

For the last few Sundays of Lent, Fr. Brendan McBride, founder of the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center, has been streaming Mass from St. Philip the Apostle Church in Noe Valley.

There, safely socially distanced, he is joined by a technician, a lector, a pianist and Celine Kennelly, executive director of the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs and beloved in San Franciscos Irish community for her heavenly voice.

Easter Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. and remains available for later viewing on the offices YouTube channel.

At 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday, Grace Cathedral streams its Easter Sunday Choral Eucharist led by the Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, presiding cathedral dean, and the Episcopal Bishop of California, the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, who will be joined by a safely distanced quartet from the renowned Grace Cathedral Choir. And viewers are invited to sing along as loudly, or off-key, as they like from the comfort of their own couch.

St. Ignatius Church on the University of San Francisco campus is not only streaming its 10 a.m. Sunday Mass via YouTube but also offers a daily 9 a.m. Mass via Facebook Live as well as a 24/7 live feed of the interior of this historic Italian Renaissance beauty to assist worshipers with devotionals, prayers and comfort.

Fr. Greg Bonfiglio, S.J., the tech-savvy St. Ignatius pastor, also records a weekly message, where he recently shared that hes spending much of his day in the church, praying for the congregation. The streams have attracted viewers from around the world. So Bonfiglio invited interested spectators to email selfies  that he prints out and pastes on the pews to enhance this virtual sense of community.

Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle 2020M

CV-19 cancellations: Its really dispiriting to type up this roundup but, in case youre not sure, heres the latest spring fundraiser cancellations.

The Blue Ribbon Luncheon (April 16) benefiting the child-safety advocacy nonprofit Safe and Sound is asking supporters to save the new date of Sept. 30.

The hands-on neighborhood program North Beach Citizens that provides housing and job training to its vulnerable neighbors, is postponing its annual Spring Dinner (April 18).

Circles of Light (April 22) benefiting the United Religions Initiative will celebrate this organizations 20th anniversary at a later date.

The annual Our House fundraiser (May 9) benefiting the Homeless Prenatal Program led by the mighty Martha Ryan will be virtual. However, this nonprofit that provides housing, wellness programs and practical guidance to homeless pregnant mothers has enacted a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that provides clients with emergency kits. Until supplies last. So donations of specific supplies such as food, diapers, wipes and baby formula are gratefully accepted on Fridays (10 a.m.-noon) at the garage entrance of its 2500 18th St. HQ.

SFMOMA, which painfully had to cut or furlough hundreds of devoted staffers, has put its major Art Bash fundraiser (May 20) on pause until 2021. But an artful P.S.: While the museum remains closed, its heart-lifting artwork is available 24/7 online here and on Twitter at #museumfromhome.

The Goldman Environmental Prize that had previously planned a virtual ceremony (April 20) is now pausing its award announcements to a later date. However, the Goldman family shared a note of encouragement from one of their yet-to-be-announced winners: I am writing to you from my homeland, where the coronavirus disease that endangers our grandparents is now attacking us. We have seen how this virus is spreading worldwide. Hopefully, as humans and as societies, we can finally learn that the path to well-being lies in restoring the balance with the land, with the water, with traditional wisdom.

Good-ish news: Kim Scurr, VP of operations at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in San Francisco, emailed that the Cabaret for Connoisseurs fundraiser benefiting Family House was canceled, creating a million-dollar shortfall. However this nonprofit remains open in a limited capacity with a small crew to continue providing physical and emotional support to families of children being treated at the hospital.

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.

Pretty great news, considering: Since its launch just two weeks ago, Matthew Goudeau, director of philanthropy for the citys Give2SF relief fund updates that the effort quickly received $10 million from more major philanthropists, including Workday co-founder-CEO Aneel Bhusri ($1 million), John Pritzker Family Fund ($100K); Theresa and Tom Preston-Werner ($250K); Dede Wilsey ($110K); Nion McEvoy ($100K); Zynga founder Mark Pincus ($100K) and the Lisa Stone Pritzker Family Foundation ($100K).

And in just one week, Tipping Point Community raised a hefty $12 million (of its $30 million goal) for its COVID-19 Emergency Response fund. Just as quickly, CEO Sam Cobbs released the first round of grants (including groceries and cash assistance) to 13 nonprofits within the Tipping Point network already assisting vulnerable families.

Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle 2017

Amazing news: Gallerst John Berggruen has announced something that rarely happens in the rarified art world: a sale! From April 6-15, online-only, this renowned EssEff gallery is offering 30% off its stable of exemplary artists, including Jenny Sharaf, Christopher Brown, Lucy Williams, Paul Kremer and John Alexander.

Berggruen will donate a portion of all profits to Frontline Foods COVID Clinician Meal Support Program that feeds local hospital staff working tirelessly to stem the tide of this pandemic.

Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicles society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow
opinion

President Uhuru Kenyatta has suspended listings by credit reference bureaus as part of measures the Jubilee administration has rolled out to cushion borrowers and small-scale businesses from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

That makes sense. In the first place, millions of these traders, whose businesses have been disrupted by the pandemic, risked defaulting on their loans, consequently being listed by CRBs and hence, locked out of credit.

Indeed, the decision came in the backdrop of publication of statistics showing that the number of borrowers blacklisted by CRBs has been growing by leaps and bounds.

According to a front-page splash in Business Daily on Monday this week, the number of borrowers blacklisted by CRBs stand at 3.2 million. These are mainly small-scale traders who have defaulted on small loans borrowed through their mobile telephones and stand locked out from credit.

Without the suspension, and in view of the fact that many citizens are jobless, the number of individuals and small-scale traders at risk of being blocked from accessing credit was going to balloon into tens of millions.

The most important source of credit to small-scale traders today, and to informal sector workers such as the vegetable hawker, the waiter, the hairdresser, the driver of a delivery van and the matatu tout is the mobile loan.

There is another reason why I find the suspension of CRB listings sensible: I see an opportunity of looking at our CRB framework afresh.

I think that the reason we have ended up with too many of our people being listed and, hence, cut off from credit for long periods is because the drafters of the legal framework wrote the law with only the formal sector in mind.

In 2009, when the framework was drafted, explosion of the mobile loans had not happened. We did not know that small loans repayable on a weekly basis and lent to small business owners and the informal sector would be a big factor.

Does it surprise anyone that CRB regulations stipulate that the name of a defaulter remains on the listing register of the CRB for seven years? That is why CRB databases are clogged with listings of small amounts.

What is the value of keeping the name of a mama mboga who has defaulted on a seven-day-Sh3,000 Tala loan, for instance, on the blacklist for a whole seven years? When this pandemic is over, we will need to consider introducing a threshold of amounts which the CRB system cannot list a borrower as a defaulter.

And there are many consumer protection and customer service issues which need to be looked at afresh.

Woe unto thee if you find yourself in the list of defaulters of a CRB. It does not matter whether it is a technical default or a mistake that is not of your making.

CRBs will not call you to verify a claim by a lender that you have, indeed, defaulted.

And when, as a borrower, you complain about wrongful listing as defaulter, the standard response is to refer you to the lender who reported you in the first place!

When you clear the loan for which you were listed, your removal from listing does not happen automatically.

We have totally bastardised the whole concept of sharing credit information and turned what was supposed to help and give consumers better access to credit into a sword that banks and mobile lenders hold over the heads of our people all the time.

When this pandemic is over, we will need to go back to the reason why we introduced CRBs in the first place.

In the build-up to the 2017 General Election, the front offices of most CRBs looked like marketplaces, bursting with political aspirants seeking to be given a clean bill of health.

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The truth of the matter is that CRBs were not created to vet political candidates. They were created to facilitate the sharing of credit information between licensed financial institutions.

Today, they ask you to table your credit score before you can be considered for some key job in the public sector. Yet what we wanted was credible information that banks and lenders could use to price risk. The objective was not to lock the consumer out of the credit market.

And isn't it time we started looking at the viability of CRBs as a business?

Since CRBs are an integral part of the credit market and an important plank in our financial market infrastructure, there is a strong case, indeed, for them to be subjected to some form of prudential regulations as happens with banks.

I say so because the evidence in the public domain appears to point to cases where CRBs are proving to be quite poor at settling their own debts.

We can't afford to have insolvent CRBs.
Walter Ogrod has insisted for decades that he did not kill 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn in Northeast Philadelphia in 1992, and the District Attorneys Office  which prosecuted him for murder and sought to have him executed  said last month that it now believes he is innocent as well.

With the 55-year-old awaiting a court ruling on his latest bid for freedom, another voice has joined the chorus. Barbara Jeans mother, Sharon Fahy, said in a sworn statement this week that she no longer believes Ogrod murdered her daughter, and said keeping him on death row does nothing to accomplish my goal of bringing the person that killed my Barbara Jean to justice.

There is no question in my mind that Mr. Ogrod is innocent and that he should be released from prison immediately, the childs mother wrote.

The declaration from Fahy, who declined to comment outside of her court filings, marks the first time that a relative of Barbara Jean has weighed in on Ogrods rejuvenated attempt to prove his innocence. Last month, District Attorney Larry Krasners office said that Ogrod was "likely innocent, and that his conviction was based on a coerced confession, unreliable witness testimony, and other flawed or hidden evidence.

Fahys support comes as Ogrods legal proceedings have been disrupted by the coronavirus. Courts have largely shut down amid the pandemic, and Ogrods lawyers say he has fallen ill in prison with symptoms they fear make him vulnerable to contracting the virus.

Fahy, in her declaration, said Ogrods precarious health added urgency to the situation.

The possibility that an innocent man might die in jail would only serve to multiply the pain Barbara Jeans family has suffered, she said.

Ogrod cannot be released without a judge agreeing to vacate his conviction. Before the pandemic, Common Pleas Court Judge Shelley Robbins New canceled a March 27 hearing without explanation; lawyers said it seemed unlikely she would rule on the district attorneys new filings before June.

On Monday, Ogrods attorneys and the District Attorneys Office filed an emergency petition asking for a hearing as soon as possible. They asked that it take place by phone or video conference if needed, saying, There is simply no reason to further delay this matter."

Ogrod has not tested positive for the coronavirus, and last month prison officials defied a court order to have him tested, saying there was absolutely no indication" he needed one.

Since then, seven inmates and four guards have tested positive for the coronavirus at State Correctional Institute Phoenix, where Ogrod is housed. The entire state prison system has been placed under quarantine, as advocates and corrections officers worry about the virus spreading rapidly behind bars.
Authorities in Peru sprayed down a group of American tourists and other foreigners trying to evacuate the country with an unknown chemical after imposing a mandatory coronavirus quarantine on their hostel, according to several of the evacuees and video footage obtained by The Washington Post.

The substance discolored the Americans' clothing and smelled like bleach, but authorities would not tell them what it was, said the evacuees, who shared photos of their stained garments.

"We were shocked," said Daniel Voznyarskiy, a 22-year-old student at the University of Washington who returned to the United States last week after an involuntary two-week quarantine in southern Peru. "We had no warning whatsoever. They made us do a 360, sprayed us with bleach and sprayed our bags. I closed my eyes and plugged my nose."

The Peruvian government did not respond to a request for comment.

The use of bleach to disinfect suspected carriers of the rapidly spreading virus has prompted outrage in other parts of the world. In India, where authorities recently sprayed scores of migrants in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh with bleach, officials halted the practice and vowed to discipline those who carried it out.

The World Health Organization has warned that spraying people with chlorine and other powerful disinfectants can harm their eyes and mouths and "will not kill viruses that have already entered" the body. Bleach and alcohol can disinfect hard surfaces.

A State Department representative said "we have been in touch with local authorities in Cusco on this incident and will continue discussions with our Peruvian counterparts to ensure that health care practices comply with international standards."

The department has been under pressure to return tens of thousands of Americans to the United States who, like Voznyarskiy, were stranded when foreign governments closed borders and canceled flights in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

The department faced early criticism on its response time and coordination with embassies but has received praise in recent days for streamlining the evacuation process. As of Tuesday, the department had repatriated more than 45,000 citizens from 75 countries.

The dousing marked a low point for Voznyarskiy and dozens of other tourists who were quarantined at the Pariwana hostel in Cusco for two weeks after the government identified two hostel guests as carriers of the novel coronavirus and prevented anyone from leaving.

Instead of removing the guests who tested positive for the virus, local authorities ordered a mandatory quarantine of at least 28 days for all of the guests, telling some they may have to stay several months.

The more than 120 hostel guests, including several Americans, struggled to practice social distancing in cramped quarters with bunk beds. Many of the guests kept in communication through a group-messaging service, which lit up on the night of March 29 when guests began alerting one another that they were being lined up outside and sprayed with a mystery chemical.

"We were all pretty scared in the group chat," said Patrick Beach, a 27-year-old Orlando resident who traveled to Cusco on vacation with his girlfriend. "You hear chlorine or bleach, and you know you're not supposed to touch it. So the idea of being sprayed with it is very scary."

The Americans trapped in the hostel enlisted their representatives in Congress for help, drawing in concerned lawmakers.

"This alarming situation required urgent attention, and I repeatedly brought it to the attention of the highest levels of the U.S. and Peruvian governments," said Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat whose constituent Kacie Brandenburg was quarantined at the hostel.

Hostel guests complained of confusing and insufficient information from the Peruvian government and meager food offerings in the hostel during their quarantine. Being whisked out of their rooms with no warning about a chemical treatment exacerbated the situation.

"Ultimately it just ruined peoples' clothes and everyone was pretty much OK, but the surprise of it all was the worst thing," Beach said.

The Americans were told by authorities that they could be shot on sight if they left the hostel, even if they had documentation showing that they had a repatriation flight arranged by the U.S. government, Beach said.

Eventually, the Peruvian government, which had suspended international flights last month with 24 hours' notice, approved chartered flights by the U.S. government and allowed the Americans to leave the hostel.

"I went to Peru to see Machu Picchu," Voznyarskiy said. "I didn't expect to be bleached."

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
Each Spring, the Queen takes up residence at Windsor Castle for about a month, in a tradition known as Easter Court.

The monarch is particularly fond of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, because she spent so much of her childhood there.

Its also where she spends most of her weekends, having worked in Buckingham Palace through the week.

As Easter is not a set date, the timings of Easter Court vary, but are around March to April every year.

Yahoo UK looks at what the Queen does each year during Easter Court  and how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted 2020s events.

Maundy Thursday

Each year, the Queen attends a service on Maundy Thursday, and has travelled to every cathedral in the country for the tradition over the years.

Maundy Thursday is the Christian celebration marking the day Jesus shared the final passover with his disciples before he was crucified on Good Friday.

Read more: Coronavirus: Queen says 'better days will return' as she addresses nation and Commonwealth

The Queen and Prince Philip in Rochester, in 1961, the first time the Maundy service was held there. (Getty)

The Queen distributes Maundy money on this day, a tradition which dates back to the reign of Charles II in the 1660s.

According to the palace website: The Queen travels to a different cathedral across the country to hand out special coins to men and women in recognition for their contribution to their community and church.

She decided early in her reign to ensure the money went further than London, so has travelled frequently for the service.

In 2017, she went to Leicester Cathedral, the final cathedral she had to go to. Since then, its been held in Windsor.

The coins are legal tender but dont enter circulation, because of their silver content.

According to the Royal Mint: Todays recipients of Royal Maundy are elderly men and women, chosen because of the Christian service they have given to the Church and the community.

There are as many recipients as there are years in the sovereigns age.

The Queen with the Yeoman of the Guard in Windsor after the 2018 Maundy service. (Getty Images)

The Queen and Prince Philip went to Leicester in 2017, the last cathedral they had to visit. (Getty Images)

Read more: Coronavirus: Royal Family postpones more engagements as UK enters effective lockdown

Story continues

The coronavirus pandemic has meant the 2020 service wont be held, so instead the Queen posted the money to the 188 recipients.

She gave 94 men and 94 women 94 coins each.

Dine and sleep events

One of the events the Queen hosts in Windsor over Easter Court is the dine and sleep nights.

Celebrities are invited to have dinner and stay the night in the castle, and previous guests have included Tim Peake, Daniel Craig, and Rachel Weisz. Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter have also attended them in the past.

In 2012, they went to York with Princess Beatrice, and Archbishop of York John Sentamu. (Getty Images)

There are also public figures invited, including people like the head of Eton College.

Bonham Carter recalled the event she attended in the Radio Times. She said: Its fun! Rachel Weisz was there with James Bond. I stayed in Prince Charless rooms.

We had supper and the Queen and Prince Philip gave us a tour.

The events usually appear in the Court Circular. While the Palace hasnt issued a comment on them for 2020, as they are irregular events, its incredibly unlikely the Queen would be inviting anyone around as she shields to ensure she protects her health.

Read more: Coronavirus: Queen urges people to play their part in period of 'concern and uncertainty'

Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh and Zoe Wanamaker speak to the Queen at Windsor Castle. (Getty Images)

Easter Sunday  her first day off of the year

The Queen receives her red box of government papers every day, no matter where in the world she is.

The only exceptions to this are Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.

So Easter brings one of the two days Her Majesty can have a bit of a break.

The Queen attends the Easter Sunday service at St Georges Chapel, the only public appearance she usually makes over the weekend.

The Prince of Wales with the Queen Mother, Princes William and Harry and Princess Margaret on Easter Sunday. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Mike Tindall, Kate and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel in 2019. (Getty Images)

She often spends the weekend in private celebration with her family.

After Church, she is given a bouquet of flowers from local children who attended the service.

Royal watchers will know the chapel well as the venue for several royal weddings - including the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank.

Is there an Easter egg hunt?

The Queen doesnt take part in an Easter Egg hunt, but there are some held at the palaces by the Royal Collections Trust (RCT).

They have in the past held egg hunt trails in the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace and at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The 2020 event had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but RCT had planned an annual treasure trail around the Royal Mews to win a chocolate prize, and enjoy making sparkling springtime arts and crafts as a family, creating jewel covered Easter egg decorations to take home.

Read more: The Royal Family's most feminist moments

The Queen attends Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel in Windsor last year. (Getty)

A monarchs work

The Queen doesnt take the month off during Easter Court  she continues with much of her work.

She also continues with investitures ceremonies, so some people who are receiving honours will get them in Windsor Castle instead of Buckingham Palace.

Some who have been honoured there include Martin Clunes and Sir Lenny Henry.

Both Martin Clunes received his OBE and Sir Lenny Henry his knighthood during an investiture at Windsor Castle. (Getty)

Family time

Usually Easter marks a private time for the Queen to celebrate with her family. In 2019, her granddaughter Princess Eugenie attended church with her on Maundy Thursday. Prince Philip attended when he was still carrying out royal duties.

Various family members will usually be with her over the course of the weekend. In 2019, Easter Sunday also coincided with her birthday, making it extra special.

But this year will be much quieter, because of coronavirus. The Queen wont be able to see any of her grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, because everyone will be keeping their distance to protect themselves, and the monarch, from COVID-19.

While the Queen would usually go back to London about a month after she starts Easter Court, she is likely to stay much longer as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

She left London a week earlier than originally planned and her return date is not set. Prince Philip, her husband, was flown down from Sandringham to join her, and he is unlikely to return as quickly either.

Coronavirus: what happened today

---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK---
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore.  Douglas County Public Health Officer Bob Dannenhoffer is one of eight who make up the states COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel.

The panel met for the first time on Tuesday to discuss the status of the pandemic and make recommendations to Gov. Kate Brown.

Brown said she brought together experts from around the state to serve on the panel in hopes of covering the crisis from every possible angle.

Dannenhoffer said it's an honor to advise the governor during this time.

I think Oregon is doing OK with this, but were still worried that if we relax restrictions too soon, it could roar back," said Dannenhoffer.

The panel is set to meet twice a week.

Below are the other members:
By Akbar Mammadov

Today Azerbaijanis mourn the 28th anniversary of Aghdaban genocide committed by occupying Armenian forces in Kalbajars Aghdaban village.

On the night of April 7-8, 1992, Armenian armed forces, with the help of separatist Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, attacked the villages of Aghdaban and Chaygovushan.

Inhuman consequences of Aghdaban genocide

The Aghdaban tragedy committed by Armenian armed forces a year before the occupation of Kalbajar is one of the bloodiest pages of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.

Armenian Dashnaks broke into the village of Aghdaban and burned more than 130 houses, killing 779 civilians, including elderly, women and children.

During the attack, 32 people were killed with specialty cruelty, eight people aged 90-100, two children and seven women were burnt alive. Two people went missing, 12 people were seriously injured and five people were taken hostage.

Unaware of the attack, the villagers scattered barefoot in the snow-covered forests and mountains. The civilians was left defenseless as a small group defending the villages was destroyed by the Armenians.

Historical and cultural importance of Aghdaban

Aghdaban village is located in Kalbajar region, on the right bank of Aghdaban river, on the slope of Aghdaban mountain, at the southern foot of Murovdag range, 36 km north-east of the district center.

The Aghdabanli Gurban brought up by this village was a descendant of Miskin Abdal, a comrade-in-arms of the great commander Shah Ismail Khatai, the Shah of Azerbaijani Safavids empire. Armenians burned the manuscripts of Aghdaban poet Gurban and his son Dada Shamshir, one of the masters of classical ashug poetry, who made unprecedented contributions to Azerbaijani literature and were an invaluable spiritual treasure of our people, and destroyed the artistic heritage of this great genius.

Fifteen residents of Dada Shamshir were also victims of this tragedy. Armenian executioners burned Dada Shamshir's 28-year-old grandson Gurbanov Gulu Shaber alive in a bonfire, shot her father Jamal in front of 8-year-old Ulviya's eyes, and buried him alive in a potato well.

Endless Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan in the example of Aghdaban

Armenian separatists, who were not punished for the Aghdaban tragedy, were preparing plans for the occupation of Kalbajar as a whole.

The people of Aghdaban, whose homes were devastated by the tragedy, did not leave their native villages.

On March 27, 1993, when Armenian separatists attacked the Kalbajar region, the occupation resumed in the village of Aghdaban. Armenian militants attacked the village again and destroyed it. Thus, they committed the second tragedy in the village of Aghdaban. The second occupation of Aghdaban meant the complete occupation of Kalbajar by Armenia.

After that, Kalbajar was besieged on all sides and completely occupied by Armenian armed forces until April 2, 1993. Armenians have long targeted Aghdaban not only because it is a strategic place, but also as the cradle of the literary environment of Kalbajar. They did not just commit genocide in Aghdaban. Historical, architectural and cultural monuments were destroyed by Armenian bandits, as well as sacred shrines and cemeteries were desecrated and destroyed.

As a result of the occupation, 220 people (our civilians) were killed, 321 people went missing or were taken hostage. The worst casualties were in the village of Bashlibel, 64 km from Kalbajar: 28 were killed overnight by Armenians, 18 were taken hostage or taken prisoner, and 17 returned to Ganja with a thousand afflictions after a four-month siege.

As a result of the Armenian occupation, 707 settlements in 56 districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan became temporary settlements of Kalbajar people.

Why should Aghdaban tragedy be recognized as a genocide?

Due to the specifics and nature of the Aghdaban tragedy, it fully complies with the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1948. Therefore, this tragedy is an act of genocide under international law. This massacre against the civilian population of the village of Aghdaban should be recognized by the world community as a crime of genocide.

On April 30, 1993, a newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan won a major recognition of its case by the international community. On that date, the UN Security Council finally passed first of four resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian troops and return of the displaced population.

While the true racist and extremist nature of Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan became clearly already in 26 February of 1992 during the large-scale massacre of Khojaly, it was the annexation of the Azerbaijani region of Kalbajar in early April that eventually led to Resolution 822 being adopted. Three subsequent UN Security Council resolutions (853, 874, 884) followed further advances of the Armenian forces emboldened by their impunity.

However, Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
UPDATE 9:09 p.m.: Portland police said they have arrested all suspects involved, and they will be charged on Wednesday. Lt. Tina Jones said they had not found any weapons.

----

Police are searching for multiple suspects who fled a traffic stop in Southeast Portland, and have asked residents of that neighborhood to stay inside while they search for the suspects, whom police believe may be armed.

Portland police said suspects fled on foot after being stopped in the Richmond neighborhood around 4:20 p.m. Lt. Tina Jones said police were in the area investigating a shooting that happened Monday, when they stopped a vehicle they believed may have been related to the shooting. Six people who were in the vehicle fled, and four were arrested.

Jones said the two who are still at large are men in their late teens or early 20s. One is wearing a red sweatshirt and has what Jones described as a mushroom-style haircut, and the other is wearing a red sweatshirt, has long hair and was wearing a Los Angeles Angels cap.

Jones would not say what shooting the suspects are connected to. Officers also would not say whether the suspects were connected to a shooting that happened around the same time in Clark County, where a suspect also fled.

Nearly 60 officers have responded to the scene to search, including officers from the Special Emergency Response Team and the Crisis Negotiation Team.

Officers have closed roads between Southeast 31st and 35th Avenues and Tibbets and Brooklyn streets to search for the suspects.

This story will be updated.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
(EMBARGO: No electronic distribution, Web posting or street sales before 3:00 a.m. ET Wednesday. No exceptions for any reasons.); (A shorter version of this article, NY-VIRUS-ABRIDGED, will also move tonight.); (ART ADV: With photo.); (With: NY-HOSPITAL-SHIP, NY-PATIENT-SEARCH, NY-VIRUS-GENDER); Reporting was contributed by Jesse Drucker, Luis Ferre Sadurni, Joseph Goldstein, Jeffery C. Mays, Jesse McKinley, Brian M. Rosenthal and Michael Rothfeld.

A 39-year-old woman took Flight 701 from Doha, Qatar, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in late February, the final leg of her trip home to New York City from Iran.

A week later, on March 1, she tested positive for the coronavirus, the first confirmed case in New York City of an outbreak that had already devastated China and parts of Europe. The next day, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, appearing with Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference, promised that health investigators would track down every person on the womans flight. But no one did.

A day later, a lawyer from New Rochelle, a New York City suburb, tested positive for the virus  an alarming sign because he had not traveled to any affected country, suggesting community spread was already taking place.

Although city investigators had traced the lawyers whereabouts and connections to the most crowded corridors of Manhattan, the states efforts focused on the suburb, not the city, and de Blasio urged the public not to worry. Well tell you the second we think you should change your behavior, the mayor said March 5.

For many days after the first positive test, as the coronavirus silently spread throughout the New York region, Cuomo, de Blasio and their top aides projected an unswerving confidence that the outbreak would be readily contained.

There would be cases, they repeatedly said, but New Yorks hospitals were some of the best in the world. Plans were in place. Responses had been rehearsed during tabletop exercises. After all, the city had been here before  Ebola, Zika, the H1N1 virus, even Sept. 11.

Excuse our arrogance as New Yorkers  I speak for the mayor also on this one  we think we have the best health care system on the planet right here in New York, Cuomo said on March 2. So, when youre saying, what happened in other countries versus what happened here, we dont even think its going to be as bad as it was in other countries.

But now, New York City and the surrounding suburbs have become the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, with far more cases than many countries have. More than 138,000 people in the state have tested positive for the virus, with nearly all of them in the city and nearby suburbs.

On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that 731 more people had died of the virus, the states highest one-day total yet. The overall death toll in New York is 5,489 people.

Epidemiologists have pointed to New York Citys density and its role as an international hub of commerce and tourism to explain why the coronavirus has spread so rapidly. And it seems highly unlikely that any response by the state or city could have fully stopped it.

From the earliest days of the crisis, state and city officials were also hampered by a chaotic and often dysfunctional federal response, including significant problems with the expansion of testing, which made it far harder to gauge the scope of the outbreak.

Normally, New York would get help from Washington in such a time, as it did after Sept. 11. But President Donald Trump in February and early March minimized the coronavirus threat, clashing with his own medical experts and failing to marshal the might of the federal government soon after cases emerged in the United States.

As a result, state and city officials often had to make decisions early on without full assistance from the federal government.

Even so, the initial efforts by New York officials to stem the outbreak were hampered by their own confused guidance, unheeded warnings, delayed decisions and political infighting, The New York Times found.

Flu was coming down, and then you saw this new ominous spike. And it was COVID. And it was spreading widely in New York City before anyone knew it, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the citys Health Department. You have to move really fast. Hours and days. Not weeks. Once it gets a head of steam, there is no way to stop it.

Frieden said that if the state and city had adopted widespread social-distancing measures a week or two earlier, including closing schools, stores and restaurants, then the estimated death toll from the outbreak might have been reduced by 50% to 80%.

But New York mandated those measures after localities in states including California and Washington had done so.

San Francisco, for example, closed schools on March 12 when that city had 18 confirmed cases; Ohio also closed its schools the same day, with five confirmed cases. De Blasio ordered schools in New York to close three days later when the city had 329 cases.

Then seven Bay Area counties imposed stay-at-home rules on March 17. Two days later, the entire state of California ordered the same. New York states stay-at-home order came on the 20th, and went into effect on March 22.

New York City as a whole was late in social measures, said Isaac B. Weisfuse, a former New York City deputy health commissioner. Any after-action review of the pandemic in New York City will focus on that issue. It has become the major issue in the transmission of the virus.

Interviews with more than 60 people on the front-lines of the unfolding crisis  city and state officials, hospital executives, health care workers, union leaders and emergency medical workers  revealed how the virus overwhelmed the citys long-standing preparations, leaving officials to improvise. Many spoke on the record; others spoke anonymously to describe private meetings and conversations without fear of losing their jobs.

Everything was slow, said Councilman Stephen T. Levin, D-Brooklyn, who had called for City Hall to take swifter action as the outbreak spread. You have to adapt really quickly, and nothing we were doing was adapting quickly.

Both Cuomo and de Blasio have focused intensely in recent days on vastly expanding the ability of the health care system to treat coronavirus patients as the outbreak nears its peak. The state and city have set up new hospital wards, scoured the world for ventilators and protective gear, and aggressively recruited doctors and nurses around the country.

Cuomo has been praised for his informative daily news conferences, where he not only focuses on the facts of the pandemic but also seeks to rally the publics support for efforts to curb the spread. De Blasio has also made outreach a priority.

Still, Cuomo has at times acknowledged the difficulties in fighting the outbreak. I am tired of being behind this virus, he said March 31. Weve been playing catch-up. You dont win playing catch-up.

The governors aides said he was referring to the country as a whole, not New York.

The governor and the mayor emphasized that they had no misgivings about their initial handling of their response. They said that their efforts spurred the Trump administration to act more decisively to curb the outbreak. New York was the first state to obtain federal approval for its own coronavirus testing.

Every action I took was criticized at the time as premature, Cuomo said in an interview. The facts have proven my decisions correct.

De Blasio said in a statement, Were dealing with a virus thats only months old and science that changes by the day, adding that hindsight is a luxury none of us have in the heat of battle.

Confidence and Confusion

From the start, de Blasio and Cuomo projected as much concern about panic as they did about the virus.

We can really keep this thing contained, de Blasio said at a news conference about virus preparations in late February.

That tone continued even after the first positive case was announced March 1.

Everybody is doing exactly what we need to do, said Cuomo, seated with de Blasio, at a news conference on March 2. We have been ahead of this from day one.

Hospitals also expressed confidence in their plans for responding to a pandemic, with the Healthcare Association of New York State declaring on March 2 that its members were prepared for an influx of patients caused by COVID-19.

But few, if any, appeared to have made significant efforts before the virus hit to greatly increase supplies of ventilators or protective gear, looking instead to draw on emergency government stockpiles.

Officials seemed to speak and act based on the assumption that the virus had not arrived in the state until that first case  the woman traveling from Iran. State and local officials now acknowledge that the virus was almost certainly in New York much earlier.

Infectious disease specialists had known for weeks before any positive test had occurred that many of the early cases would be missed because of significant flaws in federal testing.

Bruce Farber, the chief of infectious diseases for two hospitals within Northwell Health, the largest hospital system in New York, said that by late January, it was apparent that cases would soon begin appearing in the United States. He said he and his colleagues realized, as they reviewed the strictly limited federal testing criteria during a Feb. 7 meeting, that many infected people would not be identified.

Only those with a fever severe enough to require hospitalization and who had traveled to China in the previous 14 days could get tested, Farber told them, reading from the CDC guidelines.

It was that moment that I think everybody in the room realized, were dead, Farber said.

For both city and state, the initial plan was to trace, isolate and contain each case. Cuomo promised that they would go further than necessary to find every connection to the woman who arrived from Iran.

Out of an abundance of caution we will be contacting the people who were on the flight with her from Iran to New York, he said.

But no one ever did that work. Local officials could only request an investigation from the CDC, and the agency did not perform one because they believed at the time she had not been contagious during the flight, officials said. Neither Cuomo nor de Blasio publicly mentioned finding the plane passengers again.

Thats because new cases in the area kept emerging: the lawyer in New Rochelle who worked in Manhattan but had no connection to the first case and had not traveled to countries affected by the virus. Then two more people in New York City tested positive, also unconnected to the affected countries and, more ominously, to each other.

New York City, at the start of the outbreak, relied on 50 disease detectives to trace the rapidly rising cases of unconnected infected people, city officials said.

By comparison, in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, more than 9,000 such workers were deployed. New York City added to its original 50 only after the outbreak began to accelerate.

Because of the limits on testing, said the mayors press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, all the detectives in the world would have been useless.

By March 5, de Blasio seemed to acknowledge the virus had spread beyond control. You have to assume it could be anywhere in the city, he said.

Still, not wanting to cause undue alarm, he told New Yorkers to go on with their normal lives, which left many confused about the danger they faced.

The citys health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, had sought to reassure commuters, in early February, that this is not something that youre going to contract in the subway or on the bus. The mayor reiterated the point several times in early March.

But there seemed to be little basis for that confidence.

The CDC in early February said it was unclear if the virus could be transferred on surfaces and, by March, said that it might be possible for someone to get infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face.

State and city officials blamed the confusing messages on shifting guidance from the federal government.

But by the second week in March, as the virus continued to spread widely, de Blasio also clashed over messaging with his own Health Department.

The mayor wanted widespread testing, but senior Health Department officials believed it was a waste of limited resources. They urged instead a public awareness campaign to tell people with mild symptoms to stay home and not infect others, or themselves, by going to testing centers.

City Hall blocked the department from releasing that message to the public, until the mayor eventually backed down in the third week in March.

Alarm Behind the Scenes

New York Citys system for detecting infectious diseases was flashing danger.

While only about 100 cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed in the whole state, the citys surveillance system was, by the end of the first week in March, signaling a spike in influenza-like illnesses at emergency rooms. A few days later, the number of police officers calling out sick jumped noticeably, as did calls to 911 for fever and cough.

The governor and the mayor began taking limited steps to restrict peoples activities, but even those were met with resistance.

Locals complained when the governor ordered a porous containment area for New Rochelle, where a cluster had emerged. It meant closing schools and gathering places in a 1-mile radius of a synagogue at the center of the outbreak, while allowing movement in and out.

But the biggest and most prolonged battle centered on closing the citys school system, with its 1.1 million students. Doing so would amount to a virtual shutdown of the city.

The mayor and his aides worried about the effect on the poorest and most vulnerable New Yorkers. For de Blasio, whose progressive political identity has been defined by his attention to the citys have-nots, the crisis presented a stark and unwelcome choice to harm some New Yorkers in order to save others.

If you suddenly in one day close down the schools, how do you make sure that you are providing for these kids and their parents? said Emma Wolfe, a top aide to de Blasio. Were not in the suburbs. We cant tell people to stay at home and play around in your yard.

Behind the scenes, top health officials were growing increasingly alarmed. Demetre Daskalakis, the citys head of disease control, threatened to quit if the schools were not closed, a city official said.

And Barbot  who at the start of the outbreak had insisted that New Yorkers remain at low risk  gave a far scarier assessment to a closed-door meeting of business executives in City Hall on March 12: Up to 70% of city residents could become infected.

The time for containment was over, she added. De Blasio, seated beside her at the meeting, stared daggers as she spoke.

Why dont you shut down restaurants now? a chief executive who attended the meeting recalled someone asking the mayor.

Im really concerned about restaurateurs; Im really concerned about jobs, the mayor responded, the executive recalled. De Blasio had urged New Yorkers to start social distancing and work from home where possible.

The following weekend, even though de Blasio and Cuomo had ordered occupancy limits for restaurants and bars, much of the citys nightlife appeared to continue apace.

Governor vs. Mayor, Again

State and city officials believed they were doing everything possible to confront the outbreak, moving from big decision to big decision so quickly that each day, they said, felt like a year. They blamed the spread in New York on the federal government, which they say dragged its feet on testing. For weeks, Trump brushed aside concerns that the outbreak would damage the country.

We have it totally under control, Trump said in late January. A month later, he advised Americans to view this the same as the flu.

But local officials did have control over closing schools and businesses. While they waited on making a decision, other major cities were moving toward shutdowns.

In California, Los Angeles followed San Franciscos lead and closed its schools on March 13, after 40 cases of the virus had been confirmed. On that same day, there were nearly four times as many confirmed cases in New York, but the citys schools remained open.

Even as aides to the mayor and governor, both Democrats, worked closely together on the response, old rivalries crept in. Though the two leaders put up a unified front at the outset of the outbreak, it was clear by the middle of March that a high-stakes version of their long-standing political battles was playing out. The March 2 news conference has been their only appearance together.

First, Cuomo sought to force the mayors hand on the schools, state officials said.

In a series of calls during the second weekend in March, the governor worked with the Greater New York Hospital Association, a powerful hospital lobby, to address the question of child care for health care workers in the event that schools closed. That had been a sticking point for those workers union, 1199 SEIU, which has deep ties to City Hall. The hospital association volunteered to raise funds.

The union, which had questioned the need to close schools on that Friday, was by Sunday calling for closure.

That Sunday morning, March 15, Health Department officials gave de Blasio some chilling forecasts of the number of possible dead if more restrictions were not imposed. Closing schools was necessary, and most businesses too. By then, the city had a plan to create centers for the children of health care workers, as well as emergency medical workers.

Finally, de Blasio was persuaded.

As the city prepared an announcement to close the schools, Cuomo announced the shutdown during a television appearance. De Blasio made it official that evening, and then announced restaurants and bars would be closed for everything but takeout and delivery.

After the decision on schools, the mayor became more assertive in suggesting major changes in daily life.

New Yorkers would probably soon have to be kept at home for all but the most necessary needs, he said on March 17  a shelter-in-place order similar to what had already been implemented in the Bay Area of California.

This time, Cuomo was the one who resisted. He favored a more gradual shutdown.

Im as afraid of the fear and the panic as I am of the virus, and I think that the fear is more contagious than the virus right now, the governor said when asked two days later about the mayors comments.

He chastised the mayor for a poor communication strategy.

But then California moved first: Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order for residents to stay at home. The state had 675 confirmed cases of the virus.

That same day, March 19, New York had more than 4,152.

That night, roughly 20 prominent New York leaders  including local members of Congress, two borough presidents, City Council members and civic and religious figures  joined a conference call convened by the state attorney general, Letitia James.

I was growing very frustrated over the schism between the mayor and the governor, said one person on the call, who captured the sentiment. After the call, a participant conveyed those feelings to the governors office.

Melissa DeRosa, the governors top aide, said Cuomo decided on his plan to pause New York during an afternoon meeting with his health commissioner, before the call or Newsoms order.

The governor had been reviewing disturbing projections about the spread of the virus since 4:30 a.m., she said.

OK, lets shut it down, she recalled the governor saying. He announced it the next day.

By that point, March 20, the state had more than 7,000 confirmed cases.

The City Reels

Leaders of the New York Police Department now start each day with a review of how many of its 36,000 uniformed officers are sick. By early April, it was around 19%.

Its been a struggle, said the police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea. Only the fact of a shutdown city has helped.

No parades or protests. No calls to schools. Fewer calls for police in general. The calls to 911, instead, are mostly for ambulances. First it was 5,000 a day. Then 6,000. A record almost daily.

That New York City, mammoth and interconnected, would be hit hard by the pandemic may have been inevitable. But Washington, and then New York, had options. The states leaders had power over key decisions.

Their aides argue they moved as fast as possible given the flawed information they had from the federal government and in the midst of a fast-moving crisis on a scale none had seen before.

This is an enemy that we have underestimated from day one, Cuomo said Monday. And we have paid the price dearly.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
As the coronavirus continues to spread across Massachusetts and the nation, priorities regarding COVID-19 supplies have evolved from testing kits to personal protective equipment.

However, Worcester Director of Public Health Dr. Michael Hirsh doesnt believe the issue with test kits are completely resolved.

Rather than quantity, Hirsh is more concerned with the data provided by the current testing, which only confirms the presence of a virus. New antibody testing offers more information and can be more important in fighting the virus, Hirsh said.

Now were testing for the presence of the virus by looking at its DNA, Hirsh said. The antibody test is going to stay if you were exposed to it at some point. If you have antibodies to it, we know you had it.

Antibody testing is being used, but isnt widely available yet, Hirsh said. The test can show if the coronavirus has ever been present in a person. Under the current tests, a person, who was asymptomatic, but had the virus a month ago wouldnt test positive. Antibody testing would show that the person had the virus and recovered.

This is important because it allows doctors the opportunity to see how the disease evolves and affects people.

Examples Hirsh cited were out of New York City. Some cases are showing a greater likelihood that younger people could develop blood clots in their legs or chest. Hirsh said the scenarios are mostly anecdotal, though.

Antibody testing could draw a more clear line for doctors. About 20% to 25% of patients are asymptomatic. If the same issues develop in patients not reporting symptoms, an antibody test would show if the virus was every present and could draw that parallel.

Until we have that antibody test where we can really see whos got it and who doesnt, theres probably a lot of non-COVID patients that are being brought into the hospital that may have had their non-COVID thing - heart attack, or stroke - initiated by COVID, Hirsh said. We just dont test automatically."

Hirsh also said the antibody tests provide results in less than an hour. During Tuesdays news briefing at Worcester City Hall, Hirsh said the lag time between positive cases and confirmed reporting is about a week.

The antibody testing may also be able provide better answers on quarantining.

Antibody testing reveals if a person has developed antibodies to the virus. With that knowledge, doctors can also predict if a person is immune to the coronavirus, which would obviously help when lifting social distancing guidelines.

Some people could return to work, while others recovered.

All of these things will be a lot more clear once we have that antibody test and its coming, Hirsh said.

Related Content:
(Newser)  Visiting or working at an essential business in Los Angeles? You'll probably need to be wearing a face covering. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the order Tuesday night, explaining, "Cover up, save a lifeits that simple." Starting Friday, residents must wear a mask, bandanna, or something else that covers their noses and mouths when they're in a number of essential businesses including grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, laundromats, restaurants, hotels, taxis, and rideshare vehicles, the Los Angeles Times reports. The idea is to protect workers at those businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. No one is required to wear a face covering while exercising outside, where it is easier to maintain social distancing guidelines of at least six feet.

story continues below

Also Friday, workers at most essential businesses must also have their noses and mouths covered; Garcetti said business owners need to either provide facial coverings or reimburse employees for them. Garcetti is, at least so far, not picturing a world in which police patrol supermarkets and cite anyone who is maskless: "This is about self-enforcement mostly," he says. "Our idea is not to be arresting and fining people for the face coverings." But, he added, per LAist, "If you're not covering your face by Friday morning, an essential business can refuse you service." Other cities and counties around California have introduced similar orders. Also in Los Angeles, a "massive and unprecedented" effort is underway to move the city's homeless population into hotels, the AP reports. (More on that here.)
Italians will live and work differently when lockdown measures are eased, but the threat of COVID-19 remains.

Nearly a month after a nationwide lockdown was implemented to prevent the spread of the virus that was ravaging through Italys north, there are government discussions and public debate about moving to phase two  a period during which citizens will have to learn to live with the virus and one which could risk another outbreak.

Italy is in the unfortunate position of being two to three weeks ahead of other European countries in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

As the country with the most fatalities  more than 17,000 recorded coronavirus deaths, Italys next moves will be closely watched.

The country has been reviewing its lockdown measures every two weeks by presidential decree; the next time they will be revisited will be April 13.





While figures suggest that the measures have achieved some level of success in slowing the rate of infection, it is likely they will remain in place over the coming Easter period, usually a time for gathering and celebration.

More than 135,000 people in Italy are reported to have contracted coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University a number that is known to be only the tip of the iceberg.

The number of victims is also believed to be unreliable as it does not indicate the actual cause of death for those who tested positive, or include those who died at home or in care homes without being tested.

The government has yet to announce any dates or official measures relating to the second phase, but discussions have so far focused on reopening some factories and businesses where workers can maintain social distancing.

Easing some restrictions on citizens movement is also being considered.

We are working on hypotheses for politicians to take into account, Roberto Bernabei, who is part of the scientific-technical committee advising the government, told Al Jazeera. Options that are credible and, as far as possible, supported by scientific analysis.

Comforting data

Early signs that Italys outbreak was stabilising began to appear last week.

The Italian civil protection agency said the number of new infections had begun to decrease. But the daily recorded death toll remains high, 604 on Tuesday.

Comforting data include the number of people who are admitted to hospital, which gives us a more accurate indication of how the epidemic is evolving compared with other data, Matteo Villa, who has been crunching statistics for the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, told Al Jazeera.

The number of people admitted to hospital has stopped growing in nearly all regions [of Italy], despite them having started the lockdown at different stages of the epidemic, Villa said, adding that this was a sign that the lockdown measures have worked.

Several Italian medical workers have become infected with coronavirus as they attempt to support patients with the contagious disease [File: Reuters]

Hospitals in badly hit areas that were overstretched at the height of the emergency are beginning to see a manageable caseload.

We can breathe again, said Michele Tempesta, head of intensive care at a hospital in Pesaro, a city in the central Italian region of Le Marche, where ICU capacity was increased from seven beds to 40 at the height of the crisis.

During the peak, almost all of the hospitals departments were shut except for emergency procedures, and an entire building was converted to care for COVID-19 patients.

We currently have 25 beds in intensive care, but we remain on the alert for a second wave. We cant go back to normal yet, Tempesta said, We fear what could happen when they reopen.

Italys health minister Roberto Speranza said the government is looking at establishing COVID-19-only hospitals to avoid others facilitating the virus spread.

Living apart

In phase two, Italians will have to learn to live with the coronavirus as they return to some normality, but extra care will still be needed.

Pier Luigi Lopalco, professor of hygiene and preventive medicine at the University of Pisa, told Al Jazeera: First of all, we will need to keep in mind the continued possibility of contagion within the community.

For that, we will need to continue respecting social distancing, avoiding crowded places and wear protective masks.

But along with other European countries, Italy has been struggling to provide its medical staff with protective equipment, including masks.

Some manufacturers have offered to transform their operations to produce them, but bureaucracy is burdensome and with each person needing two masks a day for safety, demand is extremely high.

We also need to equip the health service with an efficient monitoring method, so that as soon as there is a new suspected outbreak, the system as a whole can react immediately, Lopalco added.





New solutions

While epidemiologists have long used contact tracing to control the spread of infectious diseases, researchers are rushing to develop apps using mobile phone data to track if a person has been in close contact with someone who is infected.

Concerns about surveillance and privacy have prompted researchers to develop apps that avoid using GPS location or other sensitive data.

An Oxford University study, for instance, bases its model on logging all users a person has been in contact with via low-energy Bluetooth technology.

Italy wants to increase its testing rate.

It is only behind Germany in Europe in the number of tests it has carried out, but these have remained largely limited to those admitted to hospital.

Scientists are also rushing to develop antibody tests, which would allow the government to identify asymptomatic cases and therefore establish how widespread the infection really has been. These could also determine how many people may have developed some immunity.

These tests are still undergoing trials, but, according to Lopalco, are unlikely to influence decision-making at the national level.

Other than in hardly hit areas such as Wuhan [in China] and Codogno [in Italy], where the virus saw a very high circulation, the rest of the population is unlikely to have developed antibodies, and looking for them isnt of much use, Lopalco argued.

It also remains unclear whether the antibodies these tests detect really shield those who have them.

Any measure we implement going forwards should work on the assumption that the whole population remains vulnerable, Lopalco said.
Published: 8 April 2020

Re-exports accounted for seven per cent of Finlands total exports in 2016

According to Statistics Finland's input-output statistics, the share of re-exports in the total value of exports of goods and services at purchasers prices was seven per cent in 2016. The value of re-exports was biggest in exports of computers, electronic and optical products.

In addition to goods manufactured in Finland, exports of goods from Finland include goods imported to Finland that are produced abroad. According to the definition of national accounts, imports are recorded when economic ownership of goods changes from a foreign economic unit to a domestic economic unit. Exports are recorded when economic ownership changes from a domestic economic unit to a foreign economic unit.

Re-exports refer to goods whose imports are followed by exports without change of ownership in Finland and without significant change to the product. However, the packaging of products can be changed or products can be stored in Finland. Re-exports do not include transit nor return of products to the original importing country.

Biggest product groups of re-exports at purchaser's prices in 2016, EUR mil.

The use table of imports included in the input-output statistics describes the distribution of use of imports by product into intermediate consumption of different industries, consumption expenditure, gross fixed capital formation and imports-based exports, that is, re-exports. The use table of imports presents imports at basic prices, that is, without taxes on products but with regard to subsidies. The supply is typically presented at basic prices.

The use table included in input-output statistics describes the distribution of the supply of products (domestic output and imports) into industries intermediate consumption, domestic final use and exports by area. The use is typically presented at purchasers prices or prices that the purchaser actually pays for the products. It does not include subsidies received by the producer, but it contains trade and transport margins and all other taxes on products except deductible value added tax. The use table is available at both purchasers prices and basic prices. Being at basic prices, re-exports presented in the use table of imports are not directly comparable to export sources that are typically at purchasers prices.

Particularly in national economies where the share of re-exports is big in exports, it is useful to examine separately exports adjusted for re-exports, because the effect of re-exports on the domestic economy is different compared to exports generated from domestic production.

Statistics Finland publishes annually the supply and use tables describing product flows in the national economy, and the input-output and analysis tables derived from them. The data published now concern the year 2016. Tables concerning 2017 will be published in November 2020.

Source: Input-output 2016, Statistics Finland.

Inquiries: Markku Raty 029 551 2647, Ville Lindroos 029 551 3323, Merja Myllymaki 029 551 3533, kansantalous@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jan Nokkala

Publication in pdf-format (166.6 kB)

Updated 8.4.2020

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Input-output [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-201X. 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 11.1.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/pt/2016/pt_2016_2020-04-08_tie_001_en.html
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Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday after he called Captain Brett Crozier, who was fired last week, stupid in a speech to the USS Theodore Roosevelts crew on Monday.

Modly faced swift backlash for his remarks, including calls by lawmakers for his resignation, which led to his public apology on Monday night after asserting earlier that he meant every word.

Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid, he said in a statement. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care.

Modly submitted his resignation letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who confirmed in a statement that he has accepted it. Modly is also resigning from his role as permanent undersecretary of the Navy.

He resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward, Esper wrote. His care for the sailors was genuine.

Esper said that he is appointing James McPherson, acting undersecretary of the Army, as a replacement for Modly, which President Trump has approved.

Capt. Brett Crozier Tests Positive for Coronavirus: NYT

Capt. Crozier was fired last week after a letter was published in The San Francisco Chronicle in which he pleaded with the U.S. Navy for resources to isolate more than 100 sailors infected with the novel coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier.

This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do, Crozier, who later tested positive for the virus, wrote in the stunning letter. 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.

Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. ... This is a necessary risk, Crozier continued. 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.

Story continues

After the letter was published last Tuesday, Modly said that the U.S. Navy would evacuate the majority of the crew and the warship would be disinfected. At least 230 crew members have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday.

Modly flew 8,000 miles to the island of Guam to visit the ship on Monday, but sailors told The New York Times he didnt take a tour of the vessel and instead addressed them over an intercom, blasting their fired commander. He told the crew of the virus-stricken ship that Crozier was either too naive or too stupid to be a leader and claimed that the commander intentionally leaked the letter to the media, which he condemned as a betrayal.

His handling of the alarming letter, the subsequent firing of the captain, and his profane rant, eventually prompted President Trump to consider intervening. I may look into it, said Trump, who said he supported Croziers removal, from the standpoint that something should be resolved.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday called for the removal of Modly, saying that he showed a serious lack of the sound judgment and strong leadership in ousting Crozier and that his actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritize the force protection of our troops.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A number of cell towers have been torched in the United Kingdom due to the widely circulated conspiracy theories linking the 5G technology with coronavirus.

Many engineers have also been harassed due to the supposition linking the disease and cell technology, according to NBC news.

Four masts of telecom company Vodafone's were attacked over the last 24 hours, CNBC quoted their spokesperson as saying on Sunday. However, it is not certain if the said sites were used for 5G.

A clip circulated online last week showed a cell mast being burnt in Birmingham which the carrier EE said was "likely" caused by arson. While the tower was not 5G, EE said they will work with police to identify perpetrators.

"We will try to restore full coverage as quickly as possible, but the damage caused by the fire is significant," an EE representative told CNBC. The site provided 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity to thousands of people in Birmingham, the spokesperson added.

Another clip circulated on Twitter shows a lady claiming that "technology kills people" as she harasses and questions telecom engineers deputed for laying 5G fibre-optic cables.

A number of posts on Facebook claim that coronavirus outbreak was caused by the fifth generation of mobile internet. Many of these assumptions are based on the fact that China's Wuhan, where the virus is known to have originated, had deployed 5G networks last year.

Despite no evidence to back these claims, many celebrities have jumped the gun only to invite criticism. In a now-deleted tweet, U.K. talent show judge Amanda Holden shared a petition calling for 5G network to be banned.

US actor Woody Harrelson posted about the conspiracy theory on Instagram, claiming a "lot of my friends have been talking about the negative effects of 5G."

On the contrary, a British fact-checking website Full Fact said in a report that many places affected by the highly contagious disease have no deployment of 5G networks. Iran, for instance, is one of the worst affected with over 60,000 cases but has no fifth-generation coverage.

British minister Michael Gove on Saturday termed the conspiracy theories as "dangerous nonsense" while Stephen Powis, national medical director for England, said they were "the worst kind of fake news," according to NBC's report.

"It is absolute and utter rubbish," remarked Powis.

Britain's culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, is set to meet social media companies this week to discuss the spread of disinformation about 5G and COVID-19, a government spokesperson told CNBC.

"We have received several reports of criminal damage to phone masts and abuse of telecoms engineers apparently inspired by crackpot conspiracy theories circulating online. Those responsible for criminal acts will face the full force of the law," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by NBC news.

Vodafone's UK chief, Nick Jeffery, has called the linking of coronavirus to 5G "utterly baseless" and has also condemned the attacks on telecoms infrastructure and staff.

The fifth standard of mobile networks was termed safe by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection earlier this year, NBC said in its report.

5G, just like previous cellular networks, depends on signals carried by radio waves, which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. There have been fears that this electromagnetic radiation could result in health risks.

But the radio waves used for mobile networks are non-ionizing, meaning they don't have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms or molecules, the report suggested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As soon as shelter-in-place orders took effect across the Bay Area, schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco shifted their classrooms online. Hows that transition going? Emily Storms, who teaches fifth grade at St. Peters School in the Mission District, shares a typical morning from her distance-teaching life.

8:10 a.m.: The workday starts at my kitchen table. Im already dressed in my quarantine-chic uniform: sweatpants and a presentable-enough-for-Zoom blouse. My partner brews the coffee (freshly ground beans, pour-over; were not in a hurry to get anywhere) and I open my laptop, bracing myself for another day of tech support for 24 10-year-olds.

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of lost passwords, mistyped urls, issues checking email, issues sending email, missing Google Forms, browsers that block Flash, computer settings that block everything, restricted settings on YouTube videos, spotty internet connections, overloaded school communications apps, late-breaking changes in Zoom security settings, muting problems, umuting problems ...

And this morning, like every morning since our school building closed, I have a handful of plz help idk my password messages in my inbox. I drink my coffee (while its still hot, something that never happened when I was teaching in the classroom) and resend the passwords and login instructions. Its almost rote at this point.

This morning, I remember to be grateful. My students are safe with their families. I still have a job. Deep down, Im even grateful for the tech problems. Many schools are still struggling to provide equitable access to remote learning tools. My small neighborhood school was able to quickly loan out Chromebooks and spread the word about free internet services. All of my fifth-graders have been able to log into the daily Zoom meetings we started last week.

8:40 a.m: I respond to more tech support emails and review student homework from the day before. For now, my students are sending in (blurry, grainy, semilegible at best) pictures of their handwritten work. Giving feedback involves some zooming in and squinting, but it looks like most of my class did yesterdays math homework correctly.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

9:57 a.m: I review my notes for the days math lesson and open our Zoom meeting room.

One by one, my fifth-graders trickle in. One is eager to show me her newest piece of sidewalk chalk art. Another comes clutching a book hes just finished. Another comes in a minute late, still in her pajamas, texting a classmate to make sure shes up, too.

We take attendance by answering a question of the day: What was the best thing youve eaten this week? Pancakes, waffles, Takis, burritos, Top Ramen, and funfetti cupcakes all receive enthusiastic mentions. By the time weve finished discussing whether plain or chocolate-chip waffles are better, theres a neat 25-square grid on my screen.

One student raises her hand, fumbling to unmute herself as she asks, I know we only use pencils for math, but I couldnt find any. Is a black pen OK? Of course, I say, whatever you have is great.

Todays lesson: Multiplying fractions, part one. The fifth-graders hold up their math workbooks and something to write with, giving me the double thumbs-up that shows theyre ready to start. I use my partners iPad and an Apple pencil with Zooms whiteboard feature, trying to engage the class even though our regularly animated banter feels stilted over video conference. When I call on one student, he unmutes himself, shouts the answer, then promptly goes back to arguing with his little brother, forgetting we can all still hear him. Theres a 50-second bout of rustling as another student searches for her dropped pencil.

Its clunky, but were learning.

After our first Zoom meeting, one mom told me, He was so excited! Seeing his face light up at the image of you all on the screen made me so happy and so sad at the same time.

We practice a few more fraction problems, sing Happy Birthday to a classmate we wish we could celebrate with in person, and review their other assignments for the day. Logging off is a noisy affair, where everybody waves and shouts goodbye at the same time.

10:50 a.m: The apartment is quiet after I hang up. I record attendance in the online school gradebook and message two parents to let them know Im missing assignments from their child.

One student is having a recurring issue logging into our reading program, so I do something that goes against every fiber of my Millennial being: I pick up the phone. I used to hate phone calls, and still kind of do, but my options are limited. Her mom answers and passes me over to my fifth-grader, who is both excited and surprised that I have the ability to call her on a cell phone. (You know my number?!)

We discuss her computer troubles, and I determine that yes, the app version is probably missing an update, but she should still be able to access the program on the web. I only know this because eight (I wish this number were hyperbole, but alas, it is not) other fifth-graders have had this same issue.

OK start by opening an internet browser, I say. Right, a place that will take you to websites. Yours is probably Chrome. Do you see something like that? Yeah, the colorful circle thing.

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.

My partner, on the other side of the table, laughs. Hes a software engineer, and hes heard me say this before. I wave my hand to shush him as I spell out the url for her. No, not the Google search. The top part. Dot is the same thing as a period. Yes, same password. Did it let you in?

Eventually, signaled by an it worked! yelp, she logs in, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Another problem solved.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

11:35 a.m: I respond to my students math questions as they work through the homework.

Noon: Distance teaching involves far less movement than classroom teaching, so Ive started going for a socially distanced run on my lunch break. The streets of Potrero Hill are empty today, just me and a few construction workers.

12:55 p.m: Three miles of hills and a quick shower leave me feeling ready to tackle the rest of the school day. I munch on the salad my partner made for me as I log back into my email. One of my fifth-graders immediately sends a Gchat message.

Ms. Storms, when will we go back? Math was easier together.

Before I can respond, another message comes: I miss school.

I miss school, too.

Email comments to culture@sfchronicle.com
Two people were arrested for allegedly verbally abusing and manhandling an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker in Takiya area in Bhauri Ganj

Gonda: Two people were arrested for allegedly verbally abusing and manhandling an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker in Takiya area in Bhauri Ganj, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on 6 April when ASHA worker, Beena Yadav, arrived at the Takiya area to collect data and make a list of people who had recently returned from other states and countries in view of combating COVID-19.

Speaking to ANI, the woman said that while people were sharing their information calmly, a few resisted and abused her verbally and tore the documents she was carrying.

"I went for a survey to make a list of the people returning from other states and abroad. Some people gave me the information peacefully. But some others verbally abused me, tore my register and manhandled me," the ASHA worker said.

On the basis of her complaint, police have registered an FIR against five people. "Two have been arrested. Rest of the arrests will be made soon and action will be taken against all of them," said Circle Officer Kripa Shankar Kanaujiya.
The brain is permanently exposed to new impressions. Even when sleeping, it does not rest and processes recent experiences. In very early childhood, it has been thought that sleep primarily promotes semantic memory. This includes general knowledge such as the meaning of words. However, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) Leipzig and the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, together with researchers from Lubeck and Tubingen, have now shown for the first time in their study published in Nature Communications that babies also build their episodic memory when they nap. This enables them to remember the details of their individual experiences after napping.

The scientists examined this relationship using a three-phase study. During the learning phase, the 14 to 17-month-old children were shown pictures of objects whose names they already knew, containing different cars, balls or dogs. They then heard the appropriate name for each picture. One group of the children spent the following one to two hours sleeping, while a second group stayed awake. In the subsequent test phase, the researchers showed the young participants different pictures again, including those that they had already seen in the learning phase as well as new cars, balls and dogs. Each object was once named correctly and once incorrectly. During all phases of the experiment, the researchers recorded the baby's brain activity using the electroencephalogram (EEG).

The analysis of the EEG activity made it clear: The brain of the children who had slept responded differently in the memory test than that of those who stayed awake - but only in certain cases. If the researchers presented the babies with a ball that they had never seen before and called it a car, the brain responses initially did not differ. In both groups, the so-called N400 component appeared, which occurs when the brain processes inappropriate meanings. The children obviously knew that a ball is not a car.

It was different, however, when the babies viewed a ball from the learning phase and it was called a car. The group that had stayed awake again showed the N400 component, while the group that had slept did not. In the children who had napped, the researchers observed a brain response that was triggered when a ball from the learning phase was again correctly named as such. However, this response did not occur when a new ball was called a ball. The researchers concluded: After sleep, the babies no longer understood the object-word pairs they had previously experienced as naming a meaning. Rather, they recognized them as individual episodes. Object and word were thus merged into a unified event in the memory.

The results show that sleep not only enables the infant brain to generalize individual experiences, but also to preserve individual experiences in detail and to differentiate them from existing general knowledge. The fact that a recognized object-word episode is not understood as referring to general knowledge means that its details can be protected from mixing with existing memory." Manuela Friedrich, first author, researcher at the MPI CBS and HU Berlin

The results are also interesting with respect to the so-called infantile amnesia, i.e. the phenomenon of not being able to remember one's own early childhood experiences. It has often been assumed that very young children are not yet capable of forming longer-term episodic knowledge. However, the current findings clearly show that even babies can remember events in detail - and sleep contributes significantly to this.
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The global organic feed market size is estimated to be valued at USD 6.8 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2019 to reach a value of USD 10.1 billion by 2025. The increasing instances of animal product contamination due to pesticides and insecticides, rising demand for organic food products, growing organic livestock farming, and adaption of organic farming practices by farmers due to the increasing health concerns among consumers are some of the key factors that are projected to drive the growth of the global organic feed market. Developing countries in Asia Pacific and South American regions are projected to create lucrative growth opportunities for organic feed manufacturers in the coming years.





By type, the cereal & grains segment is projected to dominate the organic feed market during the forecast period.

The cereals & grains segment is estimated to account for the largest share, on the basis of type, in the organic feed market in 2019. Cereals and grains include wheat, corn, and barley. The high growth in the Asia Pacific region is attributed to the increasing awareness about the benefits of feeding organic cereals and grains to livestock, to maintain their nutrient requirements and enhance their growth, and fulfill the rising demand for organic food. High availability of cereals and grain crops in Europe and Asia Pacific due to the increasing organic farmland practices in most of the countries in the region is also one of the key factors driving the growth of the segment.

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By livestock, the poultry segment is projected to dominate the organic feed market during the forecast period.

The poultry segment, on the basis of livestock, is estimated to account for the largest share in the organic feed market in 2019. The poultry industry is the largest and also the fastest-growing sector that witnesses high organic production. Poultry meat is consumed across regions, and unlike beef and swine, it does not have any religious constraints. The increasing concerns about animal health and the rising awareness pertaining to the benefits of organic feed feedstuffs have contributed to the growth of this market. Due to the increase in organic poultry production and the rise in demand for organic meat, the meat producers are focusing on investing in organic rearing of livestock to produce meat, dairy, and other by-products from animals.

North America is projected to be the largest market during the forecast period.

North America is projected to be a key revenue generator for organic feed manufacturers due to the increased demand in the US. North America witnesses various key players operating in the organic feed market. These include Cargill (US), SunOpta (Canada), and Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (US). The demand for organic feed products remains high in the poultry segment in the region. The US is among the largest producers and consumers of corn, wheat, and soybean at a global level. These ingredients are majorly used in the feed industry, as they increase their nutrient quotient. Due to the rising consumer preferences for natural ingredients, the demand for these ingredients is projected to increase in the coming years.

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In Canada, some of the small scale players are focusing on offering organic feed for poultry, swine, and ruminants. In Mexico, the demand for organic poultry products, such as eggs and poultry meat, is projected to create lucrative opportunities for organic feed manufacturers. Milk is also projected to increase the demand for organic feed products among ruminant livestock, as consumers opt for organic dairy products in the region. Thus, North America is projected to offer high growth prospects for organic feed manufacturers in the coming years.

This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of leading companies, in the organic feed market. It consists of the profiles of leading companies, such as Cargill (US), BernAqua (Belgium), Country Heritage Feeds (Australia), ForFarmers (Netherlands), SunOpta (Canada), Ranch-Way Feeds (US), Aller Aqua (Denmark), Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (US), Scratch and Peck Feeds (US), Cargill (US), K-Much Feed Industry Co., Ltd (Thailand), The Organic Feed Company (UK), B&W Feeds (UK), Feeddex Compaies (US), Country Junction feed (US), Green Mountian Feeds (US), Unique Organic (US), Kreamer Feed (US), Yorktown Organics, LLC (US), and Hi Peak Feeds (UK).
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(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are trading modestly down in early U.S. trading Wednesday, on normal corrective pullbacks in uptrends after gold hit a 7.5-year high of $1,742.60 on Tuesday, basis June Comex futures. Silver prices on Tuesday pushed to a three-week high of $15.93, basis May Comex futures. The charts are fully bullish for gold, and for silver they have turned bullish this week. June gold futures were last down $5.90 an ounce at $1,677.70. May Comex silver prices were last down $0.175 at $15.305 an ounce.

Global stock markets were mixed to weaker in overnight trading. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward narrowly mixed openings when the New York day session begins. This week, as global stock markets have rebounded, its becoming more apparent to more than a few veteran traders/analysts that many markets are close to, or already have, factored into their prices the general economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, nobody ever knows for sure on calling market bottoms or tops, or knowing the ultimate economic impact of major shock events. Still, there are emerging technical signals in several major markets that do suggest they have put in near-term bottoms, if not major bottoms. The U.S. stock indexes are in this category.

At mid-week on this holiday-shortened week (Markets are closed for Good Friday.) traders and investors are seeing their risk appetite wane as the Covid-19 continues its destructive human toll. The U.S. saw 50% more citizens die from the coronavirus Tuesday than any other day. The U.S. and Europe are hoping the models suggesting the next week will be the worst, regarding new virus infections, are correct, and that the curve will have then peaked for them.

In overnight news, European stocks were pressured by a survey that suggested Germanys gross domestic product would decline by nearly 10% in the second quarter.

The important outside markets today see Nymex crude oil prices higher and trading around $24.35 a barrel. There are reports Russia and Saudi Arabia are close to a deal to cut their crude oil production levels. OPEC officials will meet via a conference call on Thursday to discuss production cuts. An agreement is not a certainty and now the amount of production cuts is in question. The U.S. dollar index is higher this morning. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield is trading around 0.72% Wednesday morning.

U.S. economic data due for release Wednesday includes the weekly MBA mortgage applications survey, the weekly DOE liquid energy stocks report and the FOMC minutes from the last Fed meeting.

Technically, the gold bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage amid a price uptrend in place on the daily, weekly and monthly charts. That strongly suggests the path of least resistance for prices will remain sideways to higher for at least the near term and probably longer. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in June futures above solid resistance at $1,750.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,650.00. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,692.40 and then at $1,700.00. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,670.70 and then at $1,650.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0

May silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage and prices are trending higher on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $16.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $14.00. First resistance is seen at $15.50 and then at this weeks high of $15.93. Next support is seen at $15.00 and then at $14.75. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.
Drug firm Boehringer Ingelheim on Wednesday said it has significantly stepped up its support to the fight against Covid-19 and has set up a programme to bring more financial relief, protective materials and medicine donations to healthcare institutions and communities in need around the world.

The company has made available 5.8 million euros for financial and in-kind donations for local emergency aid across its markets. This includes protective masks, disinfectants, inhalers and medicines, Boehringer Ingelheim said in a statement.

It is also working with local organisations that use financial and medicine donations to organize help for patients in their communities, it added.

Many of our employees want to participate in the program(Global Support Program): we offer support through donations and paid-leave volunteering, engage in significant scientific projects and bring relief to communities in developing regions in Kenya and India, with whom we have a decade-long relationship," Boehringer Ingelheim Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors Hubertus von Baumbach said.

Boehringer Ingelheim India MD Sharad Tyagi said during this unprecedented crisis, the company joins hand for helping in the common cause, by extending aid for local initiatives.

"We have presently made a contribution of around 150,000 euros supporting various local initiatives. This includes aid via Americares India Foundation to support Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for setting up COVID-19 quarantine centers and donation of 1,000 PPE's, procuring N95 masks from China for distribution to hospitals and providing 5,000 3 ply masks for HCP's to BMC", he added.

The company has also made a significant contribution to the PM CARES Fund, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux has confirmed that the major event won't take the virtual route if it can't be hosted as a physical event.

Fremaux told Variety,"(For) Cannes, its soul, its history, its efficiency, it's a model that wouldn't work. What is a digital festival? A digital competition? We should start by asking rights holders if they agree."

While teasing some titles that have been in the mix for the upcoming edition, Fremaux said, "Films by Wes Anderson or Paul Verhoeven on a computer? Discovering 'Top Gun 2' or (Pixar's) 'Soul' elsewhere than in (a) theatre? These films have been postponed to be shown on a big screen; why would we want to show them before, on a digital device?"

Since early March when the coronavirus outbreak became a global issue, there has been a giant question mark around the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. After weeks of speculation, organisers postponed the event on March 19 from its initial May unspooling to possibly late June or early July -- firm dates still have yet to be set.

Fremaux also asserted that the 'directors' of films are driven by the idea of showing their movies on a big screen and sharing them with others at events like festivals, not for their works to end up on an iPhone.

He further added that "If all the festivals are cancelled, we will have to think of a way to showcase films, to avoid wasting a year, but I don't think a precarious and improvised alternative of Cannes or Venice -- no sooner done than forgotten -- would be the solution."

Concerns surrounding rights and windowing due to the risk of piracy and other issues are likely to emerge when the planned digital festival initiatives start rolling out later this year.

Fremaux's declaration echoes Venice's topper Alberto Barbera's comments over the weekend, which threw cold water on the prospect of a digital element to Venice and distinguished that fest from the digital-savvy Toronto International Film Festival, which is "a different type of festival," according to Barbera.

Of course, the Cannes' refusal to go digital isn't surprising. Fremaux is a die-hard lover of the big screen, he even hosts Lyon's annual Lumiere Festival in homage to the French cinema pioneers, the Lumiere brothers.

Over the years, the Cannes Film Festival has built its reputation as a launchpad for movies from around the world ahead of their theatrical bows in France and abroad -- a model that has successfully worked for decades, as it did last year with Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite,' which went on to be a commercial hit and scoop four Oscars after winning the Palme d'Or.

The film festival also works hand in hand with French distributors and exhibitors who are well represented on the board of the festival.

Despite France's three-week lockdown, Fremaux maintains that the festival is carrying on with the selection of films while monitoring the evolution of the pandemic.

The festival recently stated that the key sales agents who represent the majority of titles in the competition have been submitting their films to Cannes' selection committee, and the dates for registration have been extended by a month and a half.

Also, the French culture ministry and the city's mayor are backing the Cannes, and they have announced the launch of a support cell for festivals scheduled for 2020.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jewish holiday of Passover begins at sundown tonight, but the traditional gathering of extended family and friends for a ritual Seder meal will look much different amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

For a lot of people, its unthinkable to have a Seder without their family, said Rabbi Stephen Slater of Temple Beth-El in Birmingham. It really is American Judaisms favorite holiday. This is hard for people. We shouldnt have guests from out of town. It should be just your household. No one will go on with business as usual.

Passover is celebrated with a ritual meal recalling the Exodus from Egypt, and the Seder is almost like a reunion of family and friends  less so, this time.

I know its not what were expecting, said Rabbi Moshe Rube of Knesseth Israel Congregation in Birmingham, who has encouraged people to observe the holiday however they can. We do our best with whatever we have. In Gods eyes, its precious.

One aspect of the Passover story is about surviving a plague. It does hit home when theres a plague outside, Rube said. We hope that once this actual plague is done, we can go back to normal next year.

In the 10th plague, the one that finally convinced the Egyptian Pharoah to let the Israelites go, God killed the firstborn male of every household in Egypt. In order to be spared, the Israelites were instructed to kill a Passover lamb and smear its blood on the door posts so the angel of death would pass over.

Certainly, were never excited about a plague, Slater said. We express our sorrow about what had to happen so that Pharoah would finally let our people go.

As part of the Seder ritual, participants dip a finger in the wine and touch a plate to show sorrow for each plague. We symbolically reduce our joy, Slater said. Others died, and were aware of that. We keep the memory of the plagues alive in the Seder.

Temple Beth-El delivered Seder in a box to about two dozen homes of people who are unable to go out and shop for themselves. It includes the basic elements used in a Seder, such as wine or grape juice, matzah, maror, charoset and a Haggadah prayer book for home celebration.

Synagogues are encouraging families to use online resources for Passover and video conferencing.

Many of us are celebrating Passover without our family and friends, said Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Adam Wright in a message to the Birmingham congregation. Some of us will experience a Passover Seder through electronic conferencing programs. Still, even with the advancement of technologies, our Seders will look and feel differently. But, perhaps, this can be the year where we experience something new in Judaism.

Many are using a video-conferencing tool such as Zoom to bring family together.

There is an ancient Hasidic teaching that the slavery of Egypt can be symbolic of any type of physical and spiritual restriction that people experience. In that sense, COVID-19 could have the same spiritual role as a biblical plague.

Theres an opportunity, when we feel fear, to awaken to our spiritual lives, Slater said. Fear can wake us up, awaken us to the freedoms we have. That tightening in the chest is really tightening of the soul. We need to break free of that. We need to experience the miracle of redemption from our own fears. Fear can help. It awakens the urgency. This could be a time of real spiritual awakening.
Josh Shaul is the new CEO for anti-phishing solutions provider Allure Security Joshs impressive background in building profitable businesses and his in-depth knowledge of web security will help position Allure for continued excellence in these rapidly changing times." - Rick Grinnell, Glasswing Ventures

Allure Security, provider of patented anti-phishing technology that protects enterprise customers and helps online businesses build and retain digital trust, today announced the appointment of Josh Shaul as the companys new chief executive officer (CEO). Shaul will lead Allure through its next major growth and development phase. Jack Hembrough, who had served as interim CEO, will now become the companys executive chairman of the board. Both will be based out of Allures Boston-area headquarters.

As CEO, Shauls core objective is to shape and execute Allure Securitys vision and aggressive growth strategy. Shaul brings more than 20 years of information security experience to this role, including senior leadership positions at Akamai, Singtel/Trustwave, Application Security, and SafeNet. He has a proven track record of building teams, creating impactful strategy, and driving growth for security companies of varying sizes. Prior to joining Allure, Shaul was vice president of Web Security at Akamai Technologies, where he spent four years leading its security business team through explosive growth, guiding the business from a base of nearly $300M to nearly $1B in annual revenue. In addition to being a sought-after speaker at security conferences such as RSA, Shaul is also the author of the acclaimed book, Practical Oracle Security: Your Unauthorized Guide To Relational Database Security.

Joshs impressive background in building profitable businesses and his in-depth knowledge of web security will help position Allure for continued excellence in these rapidly changing times, said Rick Grinnell, founder and managing partner of Glasswing Ventures and member of the Board of Directors at Allure Security. We are grateful for Jacks leadership as interim CEO and look forward to working with him and Josh as the company continues its important work in an ever-increasing cyber threat landscape.

Built on patented beacon technology, Allures Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) alerts companies in real-time when cybercriminals build malicious spoof versions of their customer-facing websites as part of an orchestrated phishing attack. Allure empowers organizations to be more proactive before a phishing scheme has the chance to succeed, protecting the private credentials of customers and keeping the companys brand reputation intact.

As we head into a completely new paradigm in which global economic and public health events have forced more transactions to be made online, enterprises and their customers face even more threats from phishing scams, noted Josh Shaul, CEO of Allure Security. I am looking forward to leading Allure as we help companies every step of the way in these challenging times. Now more than ever, its vital to detect and shut down phishing threats, preserving that important trust relationship between companies and their end-users.

About Allure Security

Allure Securitys mission is to improve early detection of web spoofing as part of an orchestrated phishing attack, protecting customers from fraud and preserving the enterprises brand reputation. Using its patented, award-winning beacon and deception technologies, Allure Securitys SaaS platform empowers enterprise security teams to detect and fight back against web spoofing in real-time. Organizations can proactively protect customer data and preserve brand reputation using a modern, easy-to-deploy solution. Allure Security is a Glasswing Ventures portfolio company. For more information, visit http://www.alluresecurity.com.

Allure blog: https://www.alluresecurity.com/blog

Allure on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllureSecurity

Allure on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alluresecurity/

Press contact:

Michelle Barry

Chameleon Collective for Allure Security

michelle.barry@chameleon.co

(603) 809-2748
Graffiti calling for a rent strike is pictured on a corner store that closed long before the coronavirus pandemic in West Philadelphia on Wednesday. Read more

A month and a half ago, Daniel OHearn and his housemates in West Philadelphia could see the financial crisis of the coronavirus rolling toward them like a slow-moving tsunami. They used the time to get prepared, trading phone numbers, sharing resources, and organizing for what they believed would become an inevitability: a rent strike.

We as renters were already struggling, he said. When we see an impending crisis, we start thinking, How is this going to affect us?

By April 1, all three had lost their jobs. So they joined with a dozen other households that rent from the same landlord, Constellar Corp., in demanding rent relief, at least for April if not for the duration of the unfolding financial crisis.

We cant pay this month, let alone May," said OHearn, who works in an office mail room. The rent is $1,200. We made it clear we needed to open up a conversation about rent forgiveness. They did not respond to that request.

 READ MORE: The rent is due, and many cant pay. Heres what some Philadelphians are doing in the meantime.

The same conversation has been percolating around the country, as tenants have organized rent strikes from Oakland, Calif., to suburban Virginia. In Philadelphia, courts have been closed since March 16, and any evictions or lockouts during the shutdown would be illegal. The state Supreme Court has banned evictions through April 30.

In Philadelphia, where 48% of residents are renters, the need for relief is particularly high. More than half of renters in the city are considered rent-burdened, meaning that at least 30% of their incomes go to cover their rent.

Judith Johnson, vice president of the Philadelphia Tenants Union, said more people are talking about rent strikes every day as the hardships of job losses mount.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered.

My advice to people has been from the beginning: Talk to your landlord, and try to come to an understanding with your landlord. If that doesnt work, put pressure on City Council, the mayor, state government. We want rent strikes to be a last resort  but it may be that were coming down to that last resort.

In this case, Constellar president Guy Laren said a rent strike is not necessary.

There have been a few tenants that called and asked for adjustments and help, and every one of those have been accommodated, said George Bochetto, a lawyer representing Constellar.

These people never called," he added.

He said that out of about 400 tenants, only 25 had not paid rent for April in full or on time. If they inform the landlord that theyre unemployed and genuinely unable to pay, were not going to penalize them for that.

OHearn declined to say whether the tenants had reached out to Constellar individually. He said they have more faith in the power of collective action.

Other tenants involved in the rent strike declined to be named, fearing retaliation or future housing discrimination. Naborly, a service that provides background checks for landlords, is asking for information about whether tenants withheld April rent in order to retrain our AI systems, sparking fears of a blacklist for those who participate in rent strikes.

Still, Johnson, of the Tenants Union, said she expects more to come. These are people who just cant pay their rent, she said. Shes encouraging them to band together.

If theyre going to rent strike, theyre going to need to organize and be part of a collective, she said. The people on their own are the people who are going to fall through the cracks when this moratorium is lifted.

 READ MORE: Rent strike idea gaining steam during coronavirus crisis
Humanitarian Flight Underway for Stranded Australians on CCP Virus Ship

Two more passengers evacuated to hospital in Uruguay

Australian and New Zealand passengers stranded on the Aurora Expeditions vessel Greg Mortimer will be evacuated on a humanitarian flight on April 9. Ernesto Talvi Uruguays foreign minister announced that the flight will retrieve 112 Australian and New Zealand passengers from the stricken ship.

Almost 60 percent of the people onboard Greg Mortimeror 128 out of the 217 passengers and crewhave now tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The situation on board the ship is said to be dire, with elderly medical practitioners being asked to help treat those who are ill. On April 2, Margaret Zacharin from Melbourne told the Herald that her husband John Clifford, 71, an orthopedic surgeon, was among those being asked to step in and treat the sick.

Hes not the right person to go and run around a ship tending to COVID-positive passengers. This is not actually very sensible, but thats the option, said Zacharin.

The government of Uruguay also announced that two more passengers have now been evacuated from the ship for medical care, making a total of eight passengers who were taken to Montevideo, the capital and largest city in Uruguay, according to local media El Observador. Those at less risk or who are younger will shelter on board until they are better.

AHORA: Tercer pasajera britanica con sintomas de COVID-19 es embarcada en Lancha Isla de Flores  pic.twitter.com/Rzgl5Q3Xbo  Armada Uruguay (@Armada_Uruguay) April 4, 2020

In a media release, Aurora Expeditions explained that they have arranged a specially outfitted, medically-equipped Airbus 340 for the flight so that those who do not have the virus can travel separately to those who are currently symptomatic. It will cost an estimated $15,000 per passenger for the evacuation, the company said. They have reached out to the Australian government to help with this expense.

The notice to passengers from the company also explained that Australian Border Force requested the flight land in Melbourne, and for all passengers to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine there at a not-yet named facility.

A sick 75-year-old Australian passenger is evacuated from the Greg Mortimer cruise ship in Montevideo, Uruguay, on April 3, 2020. (Martin Silva Rey/Getty Images)

The New Zealand citizens on the flight are expected to be allowed ashore for their 14-day quarantine before returning home. Passengers from the United States and Europe will be forced to remain on the ship until they return a negative test result.

Before the nightmare outbreak, the ship set sail from Ushuaia, Argentinathe southern-most city in the worldfor a two-week cruise. It was billed as following the footsteps of Ernest Shackleton, an Irish polar explorer who was integral to Australias exploration of Antarctica. Passengers first became aware something was wrong on April 1 when a man was airlifted off the vessel.

There is currently a 30-day ban on all cruise ships entering Australian waters, however, four cruise shipsincluding Ruby Princesswere allowed to dock during this time.
Tuesday night's meeting for the Mason City Council got off to a bumpy start. In order to observe social distancing guidelines and obey the local public gathering ordinance proclaimed by Mayor Bill Schickel, all of six of the City Council's members stayed home. That meant that things had to be conducted via teleconferencing and new technology can be uncooperative upon introduction.

But if things started off muddled, they ended far more clearly with both the transmitter and the transmission: Local government would do as much as it could to protect small businesses and health workers alike during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist the latter, the Council unanimously approved a lease agreement between the City and Tierney Holdings to provide facilities for at least four first responders from the Mason City Fire Department.

According to Mason City Fire Chief Erik Bullinger, the move is being made to help minimize the possibility of cross-contamination between such personnel and other workers since they are typically all together in much closer quarters.

"One of the best things we can do is isolate some of our personnel," Bullinger said. He added that the facility, which Tierney is leasing to the City for $2,500 a month, is just across the corner from the department's main building and is big enough that equipment can be stored there along with the first responders.

As for small businesses, the Council voted 6-0 to set an April 21 hearing date to finalize a funding plan from the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation that would provide up to $5,000 in financial assistance to small businesses impacted by the closures and revenue downturns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

That move follows similar actions from the Clear Lake City Council on Monday night and the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning. Each of them will contribute $100,000 to the North Iowa Corridor's fund while Mason City is putting in $300,000. Full applications for it will be available on the North Iowa Corridor's website on Friday and it will begin giving out funding as early as April 24.

According to North Iowa Corridor President and CEO Chad Schreck, there is a balancing act that has to happen with such a program. Local businesses that have been around for a year or more will receive stronger considerations as will those with 25 employees or less.

"Well look at time and actual need," Schreck added.

Instead of working as a loan, the money will be in the form of a grant which means that officials won't be looking for repayment at some latter day. It's a matter of trust.

City officials recognized at the meeting that, while the multi-government, countywide plan is an ambitious start to address the financial turmoil that local businesses have been put in, such funding won't be nearly enough. Needs will be even greater than means. So future considerations are already being made.

"This is a huge priority and it will be popular enough that there wont be enough money," City Administrator Aaron Burnett said. "If there needs to be another phase, we can identify those funds...Give us two months and well have a lot more answers at that point."

Reach Reporter Jared McNett at 641-421-0527. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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Residents wait at a rest area after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mobile station in Hong Kong on Sunday. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Few of the citys older residents have been fully inoculated, leaving them highly vulnerable as the city battles an outbreak of the new variant.
In an apparent attack on the BJP government at the Centre over the action against foreign Tablighi Jamaat members, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said it should also be probed "when, why and who" gave visas to them.

"Those probing should also voluntarily probe that when, why and who gave visas to those who are being caught. How many tests of coronavirus are being done? And what arrangement is being made for the treatment of other diseases and also for those who are hungry," Akhilesh said in a tweet in Hindi.

Over 900 Tablighi Jamaat members, who had come to India on tourist visas, have been blacklisted by the government for allegedly violating visa conditions for participating in religious activities.

Action was taken against them after over 2,300 Jamaat activists were found to be living at the the organisation's headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin despite the 21-day lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus.

"Please also review the transparency in relief funds," Yadav said.

So far, Uttar Pradesh has reported 332 coronavirus cases, of which 176 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month.

The state authorities have identified around 1,600 people associated with the Jamaat and 1,200 among them have been quarantined.

BSP supremo Mayawati in a tweet suggested better coordination between the Centre and states over the coronavirus issue.

"Due to rising cases of coronavirus, the Centre and state governments should act with better coordination and take decisions keeping in mind the interest of 130 crore people of the country. The BSP will welcome such decisions based on 'Sarvjan Hitay'," Maywati said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
B oris Johnson is responding to treatment as he remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit where he is being treated for coronavirus, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister continued to be in good spirits on Wednesday after spending his third night in St Thomass Hospital in London, his official spokesman said.

Mr Johnson was said to be no longer working while following the advice of doctors and receiving just the standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance.

When asked about further specifics about his condition or treatment, the spokesman said the update includes all the information the PMs medical team considers to be clinically relevant.

Boris Johnson stable and comfortable' and not on a ventilator, health minister Edward Argar confirms

Mr Johnson was moved to the critical care unit on Monday evening after his symptoms of the virus worsened.

He was originally admitted to St Thomas on Sunday on the advice of his doctor after continuing to display symptoms of cough and high temperature ten days after testing positive for the virus.

Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Edward Argar said: Although he had oxygen when he was admitted, he hasnt needed mechanical ventilation.

"And I think, judging by the emails Im getting from around the country and indeed right across the political spectrum, the message is everybody sends him and Carrie their very best wishes and wishes him a very full and very speedy recovery.

UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus 1 /25 UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus The Shard in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting against coronavirus Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS Reuters London's Piccadilly Circus saluting local heroes during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers NHS initiative to applaud NHS workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic PA Selfridges lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline PA Fulwell Windmill in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus PA MediaCityUK in Manchester lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Belfast City Hall is lit up in support of the NHS Reuters The SSE Arena, Wembley, is seen with a lit up sign for the Clap For Our Carers campaign REUTERS Tawstock Court in Barnstaple lit up in blue PA Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City FC is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks PA Wembley stadium is seen lit up blue REUTERS Wembley Arch in London is lit up in blue PA The Lowry lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle coronavirus. PA The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff PA People applaud infront of big screen in Piccadilly Circus during the Clap For Our Carers campaign Reuters The Shard in London is lit up blue

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab again chaired the daily Covid-19 meeting on Wednesday morning as he deputises for Mr Johnson.

Asked if anyone has been in contact with the Prime Minister, his spokesman said: The PM is not working, hes in intensive care, he has the ability to contact those that he needs to, hes following the advice of his doctors at all times.

He added that Downing Street was hugely grateful for the messages of support that Mr Johnson has received as he undergoes treatment.

A woman in London shows her support for the Prime Minister as he remains in intensive care / AP

The hashtag #ClapforBoris started trending on Twitter in the UK, with some users calling on people to clap "whatever your political views are" and regardless of whether they "love him or hate him".

It comes as Downing Street said the three-week review of the coronavirus lockdown will go ahead as planned, but that the public needed to stick with it at a critical time in the epidemic.

The Prime Ministers spokesman said the review would take place on or around the three-week mark on Monday.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

Dominic Raab says Boris Johnson is 'a fighter' and 'our friend'

At the same time, he said the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, had both made it clear that it was too early to say when the coronavirus pandemic would reach its peak and it would be safe to ease the restrictions.

Our focus for now needs to be relentlessly upon stopping the transmission of this disease while building capacity in the NHS. That is how we will save lives, the spokesman said.

We need to keep delivering a very clear message to the public that while this is difficult we need to stick with it.
During the weekend of March 13-15, the Pasadena event venue Silver Sycamore hosted a wedding and a farmers market. That now seems like long ago to owner Jackie Spigener as Harris Country hunkers down to ride out the effects of novel coronavirus pandemic.

We had a fairly good turnout for the farmers market, all the vendors had hand sanitizers and people were really buying the items, especially fresh foods. But from that point on, everything came to a stop, Jackie Spigener said of her venue, 5111 Pine St., which also includes a restaurant, a bed-and-breakfast and replica Old West Main Street.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Cornyn goes after China, Texans cheerleaders shows stay-at-home workout

The pandemic led to cancellation of reservations for school banquets, company awards dinners, bridal showers and weddings, luncheons and an art walk.

We had all types of events scheduled, Spigener said.

MORE FROM CARISSA LAMKAHOUAN: Pearland implements pandemic leave policy for city employees, considers other strategies

Lettie Sanchez, owner and operator of The Gates on Main Street at 912 W. Main St. in La Porte, is facing the same situation.

Right now I dont see any inquiries through my emails. I used to have about eight emails a day, and now its down to one because people dont want to commit to anything right now, and lots of them are worried about losing their jobs, she said. This is difficult.

Spigener agreed. Its a major hardship. Every booking we had in our B&B has canceled, and in our restaurant were down to an eighth of our normal sales.

Spigener and Sanchez confirmed they've been rescheduling events, or, in Sanchezs case, canceling some.

Sanchez said the uncertainty of the virus spread and how long it will last which makes it challenging to know how best to move forward. However, she is staying hopeful and flexible as the situation plays out.

Spigener has not yet canceled any events but said that many clients have postponed or rescheduled for the fall, especially weddings.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: He's from China. She's from Italy. Like many in Houston, their wedding is on hold, due to COVID-19.

Right away we rescheduled about six weddings, she said recently. Others have just postponed for now so they can see if this is going to end anytime soon. These poor brides are just so stressed.

Despite the lack of immediate business, Sanchez said that so far, shes been able to hold on to her three employees. However, the contractors she normally works with to host events arent receiving any work from her.

At Silver Sycamore, Spigener said shes had to trim her staff, temporarily, from approximately 30 employees to about a dozen. She keeps a few baristas in the coffee shop, some office staff and some restaurant employees for the small amount of food business they have.

Im telling everybody to hang in there and see what we can do and hopefully this will all work out, she said, adding shes happy most of her staff are young people who live at home with parents.

However, for those who own homes or support a household, shes encouraged them to reach out for financial assistance or temporary deferment of debt payments, advice shes following herself.

I told them they cant just sit back and let this happen to them, Spigener said.

Despite the situation she finds herself in, Sanchez said she will not close.

Im staying positive, and I dont have any plans to shut down, she said. Im just praying that God will take us out of this.

Spigener said she, like Sanchez, is waiting for the tide to turn. In the meantime, shes doing what she can to help local nurses and doctors working with COVID-19 patients by operating a Casseroles for Caregivers campaign from her restaurant, the Pine Street Cafe.

Its pure comfort food, she said. People can call into the restaurant and donate a casserole to (Houston Healthcare Southeast). It helps us with a little bit of revenue and keeps some of my employees working and were also feeding people.
By Sam Richards

Bay City News Foundation

The number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Contra Costa County is still going up, but at a slower pace than feared, county health officials said Tuesday.

"The numbers are rising, as we expected, but not as fast as in the worst-case scenarios," Anna Roth, director of Contra Costa Health Services, said during a "telephone town hall" meeting convened by 15th District Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks of Oakland and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond. Western Contra Costa County is part of Wicks' district.

Gioia said it appears the public's compliance with shelter-in-place orders and related actions to curb the spread of coronavirus seem to be helping "flatten the curve" of new cases, limiting the crushing outbreaks that have taxed hospitals in New York City, New Jersey, New Orleans and other places.

As of Tuesday morning, Contra Costa County had reported 442 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with seven deaths. That is up from 386 cases and six deaths Monday morning. Roth said 29 county residents were in the hospital Tuesday for treatment of the coronavirus, with 15 of them in intensive care.

As for testing, Roth said Contra Costa Health Plan members can go to testing centers in Martinez, Pittsburg or San Pablo if they have the standard symptoms -- fever, shortness of breath and cough.

For anyone else with symptoms, calls to their own doctors or health plans with descriptions of symptoms should yield further direction, said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County's health officer.

Roth also said that while more than 5,800 county residents have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic broke out, efforts are ramping up to get more tests to two especially vulnerable populations -- first responders and the homeless.

Roth said about 150 residents of county-operated shelters are being moved to hotel rooms this week, both to lessen COVID-19 spread and to free up shelter space near a central county clinic.

Also, homeless encampments are being left intact for the time being, so residents don't scatter. Roth said dispersing the encampments spreads the virus even further, and would make it harder to keep track of individuals to help them.

"We want to remain connected to them, to get them to better living conditions," Roth said. "We know where they are, and we have our outreach teams working with them."

Gioia addressed another vulnerable population, county jail inmates. He didn't have exact figures Tuesday, but he said a significant number of "low-level offenders" and some others whose terms are nearing an end have been released from jails to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The intake of new prisoners, he added, has been minimal.

Farnitano had advice for child care providers, whose services have been especially valuable to health care workers and others responding to the coronavirus emergency. Groups of kids must be of 12 or fewer, he said, and must not mingle with one another. Similarly, he said, day care providers also must not mingle with one another while caring for their young charges.

Contra Costa Health Services, on its coronavirus website "dashboard" at https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/dashboard, is now providing city-by-city breakdowns of the number of patients from each of the county's 19 cities and for seven unincorporated communities.

It also shows which of those cities has the largest per-capita confirmation rate. Richmond, with the county's second-largest population, on Tuesday has the most patients at 39, just ahead of 36 in Concord, the county's largest city. Orinda has the highest rate of confirmed cases per capita on Tuesday, at 192 cases per 100,000 residents (33 confirmed patients from a population of 18,098).

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.
(Corrects third paragraph to say 'cuts' oil output instead of 'boosts')

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. senators who have introduced a bill that would remove U.S. defense systems and troops in Saudi Arabia unless it cuts oil output will hold a call with the kingdom's officials on Saturday, a source familiar with the planning said on Tuesday.

Senators Kevin Cramer and Dan Sullivan will hold a call with the officials two days after a scheduled OPEC+ meeting in which Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to agree an output cut. The two countries have been pumping oil flat out beginning last month in a race for market share.

The senators' bill would remove U.S. troops, Patriot missiles and THAAD defense systems from the kingdom and put them elsewhere in the Middle East unless it cuts oil output.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said stabilization of global oil markets would be discussed but had no more details.

Analysts at ClearView Energy Partners said in a note to clients that the senators would likely reiterate their threats to withhold military support.

"If there is a deal, we would suggest that Saturday's conversation could serve to reinforce decisions taken Thursday or Friday," the note said. If there's no deal, "the call could potentially catalyze further negotiations."

The senators' legislation faces an uncertain future as Senator James Inhofe, a senior Republican from oil-producing Oklahoma, has said he prefers to pressure Saudi Arabia and Russia by pushing the Department of Commerce to investigate whether they are excessively dumping oil onto global markets.

In addition, the U.S. Congress is not in session until at least April 20 and possibly longer due to the coronavirus outbreak, making quick action on the bill unlikely.

Threatening the defense relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is vulnerable to attacks from arch rival Iran without U.S. protection, has given the two senators an outsized role in Washington's campaign to boost oil output.

Story continues

Cramer, from oil-rich North Dakota, advised President Donald Trump on energy during his 2016 campaign, and Sullivan is from Alaska, another crude producer.

U.S. oil prices fell more than 9% to $23.63 a barrel on Tuesday on swelling crude supplies and weak fuel demand due to the economic effect of measures to control the coronavirus. The drop threatens heavily-leveraged U.S. oil companies with bankruptcies and layoffs.

Trump has said he expects Saudi Arabia and Russia to take part in an output cut of 10 million to 15 million barrels per day from global markets. He also said U.S. producers have already cut production automatically as prices have dropped.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Pilipinas Shell throw in more help to the frontliners as the country enters its fourth week in the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

Pilipinas Shell has provided Free fuel to 10 district partner hospitals and three transport companies to aid in the transportation of front liners, the mobilization of ambulances, and other ongoing relief efforts.

Each district partner, along with the Bonifacio Global City Bus service, has been given PhP10,000 per week for the next two weeks.

BGC Bus Shell

Moreover, bus services such as Ube Express and Vallacar Transits Ceres buses have each been given PhP30,000 and PhP100,000 respectively for the same period.

Aside from that, Shell extended its Project Bayanihan its discount offering of PhP3.00 for gasoline and PhP2.00 for diesel at 151 gas stations in Luzon and Visayas for all health workers, police and military personnel, and logistics drivers at the forefront of the COVID-19 efforts.

Shell Discount

Further, four of the company's retail sites in Bacolod have started offering free Vitamin C to all of its customers.

In Luzon, where the Enhanced community quarantine has been extended till April 30, food packs containing 500ml water bottles and biscuits are available for any front liner at all Select convenience stores located in Shell gas stations.

Various retailer partners have also stepped up to provide additional support by offering free coffee, face masks, and snacks at their stations. Shell has also tapped partner establishments at certain stations to deliver free food to hospitals in Manila.

"The health and safety of our people, our customers, and the community are most important to us, and we continue to monitor the situation closely so we can respond to the needs of our kababayans," said Pilipinas Shell CEO and Country Chairman Cesar Romero.

"As everyone plays their part in this fight against this pandemic, patuloy ninyong kasama ang Shell sa bawat biyahe ng buhay.

Shells initiatives at its retail stations are part of the companys larger effort to help maintain the Philippines mobility, health and safety, and energy security.

Story continues

For over 106 years, Shell has remained committed to be the countrys partner in nation-building, contributing its global expertise in today's extraordinary circumstances so that the nation is ready to progress again tomorrow.

Also read:
US President Donald Trump revealed that a sizeable chunk of 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine bought by the United States has come from India. Speaking to Fox News, Trump acknowledged that India had blocked the export of the vital drug to take stock of its domestic requirement.

After India agreed to lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine to the US, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that three companies from his state would export these tablets. India has reportedly also received such requests from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal and currently reviewing the requests.

Read: Brazil Cites 'Sanjeevani Booti' From Ramayan In Request To India For Hydroxychloroquine

On April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Trump where the leaders exchanged their views on the COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to effectively combat COVID-19 and exchanged notes on the respective steps taken in each country.

Read: Modi Govt Has Succumbed To US Threat By Allowing Export Of Hydroxychloroquine: CPI(M)

'Game-changer'

However, Trump indicating a possible retaliation on Indias export ban during a press briefing triggered controversy but the US President later said PM Modi was really good when he asked if India would release the drug. Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, has emerged as an important drug and the US President considers it a vital therapeutic solution. Trump had called it the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, an anti-biotic, as game-changer.

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains - Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents).....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2020

The United States has become one of the major hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak and according to the latest report, over 400,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US with around 12,857 deaths.

Read: Asaduddin Owaisi Issues First Reply As India Permits Hydroxychloroquine Export Amid Covid

Read: Gujarat Companies To Export Hydroxychloroquine To US: Rupani

(Image Credit: AP)
A doctor who beat and bullied his new wife as she struggled to adapt after moving from Pakistan to Britain will keep his NHS job after he blamed the abuse on his 'unhappy marriage.'

Dr Abdul Basit, 36, grabbed his partner by the throat and manhandled her during a string of arguments as she tried to adjust to a new life with him in the UK.

The unnamed victim - a junior doctor whose father is a renowned physician in Pakistan - was also mocked by her husband about her academic record and accused him of being 'penny pincher' who would only let her spend 10 a week on lunches.

Dr Abdul Basit, pictured, 36, leaving his Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing in Manchester. He was found guilty of serious professional misconduct

She was initially too scared to tell anyone about her ordeal but police were alerted in May 2016 after a violent argument between Basit and his wife when they stayed over at her brother's flat in Brighton ahead of medical training interviews in London.

Following a family meal at a restaurant, Basit was heard 'screaming and shouting' at his wife and a fight broke out when her brother, who is also a doctor and referred to as Dr B, intervened. Basit punched his wife in the face and on the ear then hit her brother. She suffered swelling and bruising to her left eye in the incident.

Basit, who worked in the Dermatology Department at Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, Cumbria, was later questioned by officers but it is thought no action was taken against him. He was later reported to the General Medical Council.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) Basit was found guilty of serious professional misconduct after the GMC accused him of a 'pattern of emotional, psychological and verbal abuse' towards his wife.

But he escaped with a four-month suspension after he vowed to improve his anger management problems. The pair have now split up.

The Manchester hearing was told the Basits had married in her native Pakistan in 2015 where she worked as a research assistant and she joined him in the UK in February the following year.

But over the ensuing months he would belittle, push and shove his wife, referred to as Dr A, during minor arguments. She told the hearing: 'He had been the love of my life and I came to the country with a lot of hope for the relationship.

'It was my first relationship and a commitment I had made when I married him and I wanted to fulfil it at all costs. But Dr Basit realised this and how I very much wanted it to work and the fact that despite the abuse I would stay and give him chances.

'The relationship centred around fear and he created fear for both my physical well-being and that of my family and he kept threatening me with a divorce and said he would drag my family through the courts in Pakistan.

'I was trying to save the relationship and was also worried about what complications this would have on my reputation and my family's reputation back home. It seemed to me that I was walking on eggshells the whole time and everything was made to feel like it was my mistake.

Dr Basit leaving his tribunal hearing. The Manchester hearing was told the Basits had married in her native Pakistan in 2015 where she worked as a research assistant

'He told me that he did this because he wanted to break me down sociologically and emotionally but at the same time he did say that he did love me. This wreaked havoc with my brain for ages because I kept making up excuses for his behaviour and I was fearful of him.

'There was an episode where he grabbed my throat while we were sitting on the sofa. He would also grab my neck, squeeze it and then ask: 'how does that feel?' I couldn't understand why he was doing this and he just said: 'I am just seeing what it feels like.' The fear that it put in my heart made it very difficult for me to come out and say any of this to my family or the police.

'There was a lot of arguments when he pushed and shoved me. It was a very abusive controlling relationship from the start but my father is a very renowned physician and there are a lot of social pressure for things to appear in a certain way. It would have been quite a humiliation for my family for this to come out in court that my husband had been abusing me.

'In my first month in the UK I did not have a job and it was an expectation that he would look after me from a financial perspective but he was telling me to make do with 10 a week for lunch money. He would make me beg for money.It was humiliating.'

The fight at Dr B's flat in Brighton occurred after he overheard his sister breaking down in tears as Basit was berating her in their bedroom about her academia. Dr B knocked on the door and his sister fled the room but Basit then challenged him to a fight in the living room.

The two men started jostling with each other before Basit struck his wife as she stood between them.

She added: 'I was in between my brother and Dr Basit and Dr Basit caught my eye, cheek and ear then continued to strike my brother. I tried to pull them apart but they would not stop.

'Dr Basit called my mum a filthy name and picked up a metal candle stand and tried to hit my brother with it. He also threw a chair at my brother. I felt like my life was ending at that point. This was the man I loved hitting my brother.'

Dr A initially declined to make a complaint but eventually reported her husband to police the following October and in 2017 she went to court to get a non-molestation order against him.

The Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, Cumbria, where Dr Basit worked in the Dermatalogy Department. He was handed a four-month suspension from his NHS job

She said: 'When I left the marital home I was incredibly broken. Until I filed for divorce I was still hoping that the relationship might work. I was still working through all the things that had happened. Things would come back to me in flashes because I had been so stressed during the period that I lived with him.

'But he described the marriage as a 'sh.t storm' from the start. Dr Basit did not get on with my family and my brother. He had constantly called my family names and told me I was fit to be in a brothel.

'He said he was going to tell everyone that I was having affairs with other people and he told me he would drag my father through the mud and make my sisters reputation go down the drain so she would be unable to find matches to marry. He also said he would destroy the careers of both me and my brother if I told police about the abuse.

'He even asked me to leave my engagement ring and a pair of earrings and necklace. By then I had stopped eating and talking I could barely breathe in this environment. I now know that it was an incredibly toxic relationship and I was in love with an abuser.'

Basit initially denied wrongdoing claiming his wife wanted to 'decimate him' and he produced footage of the fight in Brighton which he 'accidentally' recorded on his mobile phone.

But his lawyer Alan Jenkins said: 'Whilst physical aggression could never be justified, Dr Basit has clearly reflected on what has happened and has offered apologies. He has taken steps to remediate by undertaking relevant courses.

'The misconduct was confined to the issues within an unhappy marriage, and that whilst remediation and insight are perhaps incomplete, Dr Basit was on his way to demonstrating that he possessed insight. He is working in a good useful way as a doctor and this country needs doctors.'

Tribunal chairman Mrs Jayne What said: 'Although the doctor's misconduct was undoubtedly serious, it is capable of remediation and it has been remedied in part by the doctor's positive steps in undertaking and attending courses.

'There has been no repetition of his behaviour since 2016 and he has developed some insight into his behaviour and its impact upon others. Although Dr Basit's conduct was violent, erasure is disproportionate.'
Hanoi will earmark VND650 billion (US$28.2 million) to help poor and other social beneficiaries via the local branch of Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP), amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Representatives from Peoples Committee of Mai Dong Ward in Hanois Hoang Mai District present food for households with economic difficulties in the locality.

Priority will be given to households enjoying debt payment rescheduling and extension, poor and near-poor ones, families of martyrs, war invalids and social beneficiaries. Small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives that attract a large number of labourers will also be eligible.

The capital is aimed at helping them restore production and offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The municipal authorities asked the VBSP branch to work closely with local administrations, mass organisations and associations to promptly disburse the sum, which is expected to meet about 65 per cent of loan demand.

According to the report of VBSPs Hanoi branch, African swine fever, bird flu and especially the COVID-19 pandemic have seriously affected the lives and production of the poor and social policy households in the city.

Additional capital of VND1 trillion is needed for 25,000 customers, who are eligible for loans, to resume their production this year, the report said.

A representative from Hanoi Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department said, in accordance with the draft Government Resolution to support people facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanoi has between 2-3 million people who fall under this category.

Specifically, the city has nearly 281,000 people who receive monthly social allowance including 89,000 who have contributed to the national revolutionary cause, over 8,700 households and 49,000 near-poor ones.

According to statistics from labour organisations, by the end of March, about 40 per cent out of over 240,000 enterprises had to reduce their production scale or suspend operations.

The number of employees with labour contract suspension, unpaid leave at enterprises, employees with labour contracts terminated but not yet eligible for unemployment allowances is estimated to be over one million.

Speaking at an online meeting with city leaders on Monday to discuss the city's socio-economic development and response to COVID-19, Nguyen Manh Quyen, director of the citys Planning and Investment Department, said the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted all aspects of life in the city.

He said the city would devise an action plan to support business, production and to ensure social welfare in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Among economic recovery efforts, the city will push forward administration reform efforts by simplifying procedures, shortening time spent on procedures and expanding the catalogue of public administration services available online.

The city will also encourage the production of medical supplies, including face masks, antibacterial cleaning products, ventilators and testing kits to deal with the developments of the pandemic.

It will review its public expenditure for more effective spending, with a plan to cut spending by 5 per cent this year.

Earlier, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced that the Government will spend VND28-30 trillion to help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the draft Resolution on Governments COVID-19 support, presented at the regular cabinet meeting by the Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung on April 1, there will be six groups of people who are eligible for the relief payments.

Social policy beneficiaries and those who have rendered services to the State during the revolution and wards receiving merit payments will be given an additional VND500,000 ($21.8) each month in April, May, and June. There are about 4.135 million people who fall under this category.

About 984,000 poor households and 1,260,000 near-poor households across the country will receive VND1 million each month in April, May, and June.

Workers who were furloughed or put on leave without pay due to the direct impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be provided VND1.8 million ($76) a person a month. VNS

Nearly 70,000 labourers in Hanoi lose jobs amid COVID-19 pandemic Nearly 70,000 labourers had lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis as many enterprises in Ha Noi have been forced to scale down production or temporarily suspended operations, the citys Confederation of Labour has announced.
There are no plans to open a Covid-19 testing centre in Inishowen, the HSE has confirmed.

This is despite the decision by the health service to ramp up the number of the tests across the country.

Currently there are two testing centres in Donegal, located in Letterkenny and Ballyshannon.

Covid-19 testing capacity in Donegal was brought into sharp focus last week following the closure of the county's two drive-through test centres due to a shortage of testing kits.

Further testing kits were circulated around the HSE's CHO 1 Area, which includes Donegal, on Saturday. Testing in Letterkenny's O'Donnell Park and Ballyshannon's Lakeside Centre have been taking place then.

A HSE spokesperson said: On March 24 changes were recommended in relation to Covid-19 testing to ensure that testing was targeted to high risk groups and those at risk of exposure to Covid-19.

People who were referred for Covid 19 testing on or before March 24 will have received a text confirming that their referral has been cancelled and to contact their GP if they meet the new testing criteria.

Testing capacity has been constrained since Sunday, March 29 due to stock limitations of testing kits, however testing kit stocks have been replenished. Unfortunately there are on-going challenges in terms of supplies of reagent for the Covid 19 test in laboratories.

This is a global challenge with major suppliers having to ration provision across the world. Every effort to procure new stocks is being made.

Over the last number of weeks the number of hospitals providing Covid-19 testing has increased. However provision of reagent and extraction kits will remain a major challenge for the foreseeable future until the major suppliers ramp up production.

We continue to prioritise testing of healthcare workers and in-patients in acute hospitals and across residential facilities.

We apologise to all those waiting for test results and we wish to reassure the public that we are making every endeavour to improve turnaround times within the current international constraints.

However, calls for an Inishowen testing centre have been gathering pace in recent weeks. Mayor of Inishowen Cllr Martin McDermott called for a testing centre, as has Donegal TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said Inishowen needs to have a testing centre.

Inishowen needs a testing centre without doubt, he said. Based on our population and where we are geographically, there's no doubt we need a testing centre.

Meanwhile, Donegal now has 114 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the Department of Health confirmed.

Monday's figures revealed that of four of the latest 16 deaths were from the North West, which brings the total number of deaths across the country to 174, with 5,364 confirmed cases.

It was also revealed that there are two clusters in North West nursing homes. The Inish Times understands that there has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 in an Inishowen nursing home.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn urged the government to provide vital Personal Protection Equipment to workers in the health sector, including those in nursing homes and home helps.
Walker said he was embarrassed by the incident and apologized for Alton residents. My first and most important priority is the safety and well-being of the citizens of Alton, he wrote. We are in the midst of a national public health crisis, and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that your health is protected, including enforcing the Governors statewide Stay At Home order, he said.
Of the 196 Hope Village residents, 126 were eligible for release, Walker said. But of those 126, a majority would be homeless if released from the facility right now, Walker said. In addition, a key requirement of home confinement is a home telephone, and in some cases people are seeking release to houses without phones. Walker said federal officials were trying to devise workarounds, such as doing FaceTime calls where the prisoner can show where they are or having parole officials drive past a persons residence while theyre there.
Thought Leaders Professor Carl Philpott Academic Surgeon University of East Anglia Professor Carl Philpott speaks to News-Medical about his research into smell loss for COVID-19, and how he now feels after it is officially recognized as an early symptom. Professor Carl Philpott speaks to News-Medical about his research into smell loss for COVID-19, and how he now feels after it is officially recognized as an early symptom.

What provoked your research into COVID-19 and smell loss?

It started when an increasing number of anecdotal reports began coming into my email inbox, or to our charity Fifth Sense, which I am a trustee of.

Fifth Sense looks after patients suffering from smell and taste disorders. As a clinician, I run a specialist service for these patients, and so as it started to emerge as another possible symptom, and potentially a harbinger symptom in people who may otherwise be asymptomatic with COVID-19, it was an important thing to research.

What are the common symptoms of coronavirus?

The two keys symptoms that are publicized by Public Health England and the World Health Organization, are fever and dry cough.

Image Credit: Yaoinlove/Shutterstock.com

This then progresses to respiratory difficulty, shortness of breath, and then there are a number of other symptoms that have been suggested in the background such as GI disturbances, diarrhea, other upper respiratory symptoms, muscle aches, general fatigue- the typical viral symptoms.

Smell loss has not been officially recognized as a symptom to look out for, even though it is now starting to get mentioned in TV and media coverage occasionally. My colleague, who is the president of ENT UK, appeared on Newsnight a couple of nights ago and mentioned this as well.

Therefore, it is getting some notice, but it has not become an official World Health Organization or Public Health symptom to look for yet.

There is an app in which people can track their symptoms of COVID-19. Why is it important for individuals to track their symptoms?

The app is used to turn what is anecdotal evidence into definitive evidence.

There are key problems, however. Data was released recently from Kings College in London from the COVID-19 app tracker in which only 0.1% of the people responding have actually been tested for COVID-19. This means that there are two problems.

The first problem is the number of tested people you can confirm these symptoms in, and how this compares to the general loss of smell that you might temporarily get with a cold, along with other viruses that circulate at this time of year already.

The other big problem is knowing the denominator, that is how many people are affected overall. Then, how many people, therefore, is the smell loss a percentage of. So far, I have seen percentages ranging from 10% of cohorts from China that are reporting smell loss, all the way up to a study that reported 80% in a group of patients.

I believe what makes the strong case behind this symptom being COVID-19 related is the reports that have described there being affected healthcare workers in other countries. Italy, for example, have had reports of medical teams reporting smell loss after contact with an infected patient.

Therefore, the more we test healthcare workers that have reported smell loss, the better certainty we can have as to whether this is a symptom and what percentage of people are affected by it.

What is the relationship between smell and taste?

The relationship between smell and taste is more in our language rather than in true physicality.

In the English language and this is also common in Western culture, we talk about tasting food, when actually what we mean is that we appreciate the flavor of food.

When we eat food, we smell and taste at the same time, so people find it difficult to separate those two events. From a medical perspective, taste is what you do with your taste buds, which are found on the tongue, but also in other parts of the mouth and the top of the throat. Those taste buds pick up the sensation of salt, sweet, sour, bitter, and savory sensations known as umami.

Everything else is about flavor. For example, if you eat a pork sausage with herbs in it, most of what people refer to, colloquially, as taste, is actually flavor. The only thing you would really get from that sausage, if you could not smell, would be a savory sensation from the meat, and perhaps if there were some salt in it, you might get a salty sensation.

When you put food inside your mouth, you breathe the aroma of food back out through your nose. It is a kind of reverse inhalation, so you exhale by your nose and the aroma of the food travels up past the smell receptors.

At the same time, the food is tasting on your tongue- the two things happen together. Another example is when people talk about sweet smells such as vanilla. This is because inevitably, whenever you smell vanilla, you will probably be tasting it in a sweet dessert, so there is sweetness within the sugar involved also.

Image Credit: MicroOne/Shutterstock.com

Therefore, language-wise, you associate the two things together, even though they are separate events.

In my specialist clinic, for every 100 patients that complain of smell and taste problems, only about one of those will actually have a taste disorder. The majority will have just a smell problem.

Is anosmia a common symptom of viral infections? Why is this?

Smell loss, or anosmia, can happen to varying degrees during common respiratory tract infections from viruses (the common colds).

Usually, this is because people's noses are congested and, therefore, their airflow into the top of their nose is reduced.

There is a lot of thickened mucus in the nose also, which also impairs airflow to the top of the nose. In a small number of cases, the patients I typically see in my routine clinics, about one in four will have what we call post-viral smell loss.

How can viruses damage smell receptors?

In post-viral smell loss (which accounts for around 11 to 12% of all causes of smell loss), they have had a cold and all the usual symptoms, including the sense of smell going- however, whilst all the other symptoms have gone, their sense of smell has not come back.

In these cases, if you carry out microscopic studies of the tissue, you can see that the virus has damaged the structure of the receptor cells.

Typically, you will see that the fine hair endings that dangle down into the mucus have dropped away, therefore the cells cannot pick up any smells from the nasal mucus.

Image Credit: Jose Luis Calvo/Shutterstock.com

How could COVID-19 be causing anosmia?

Early data from initial research on COVID-19 is suggesting the mechanism of injury in this coronavirus. A theory is that the virus is injuring the supporting cells that interconnect with the receptor cells rather than the receptor cells directly.

This would cause a lot of swelling in the general tissue level rather than the receptor cells specifically. We think that the reason why a lot of the people who are reporting smell loss with COVID-19 are regaining it fairly quickly is that their receptor cells are not being specifically injured.

There is also some emerging evidence that, in some people, the coronavirus is invading the nerve tissues, causing a central effect in some of the deeper structures in the brain.

This could explain why some people are doing badly even when they are on a ventilator. The area of the brain that controls breathing could be being affected by the virus, rather than their lungs specifically.

Therefore, it is possible that the same may be happening with smell and that there is an impact upon the nerve pathways involved in smelling.

Do you believe that COVID-19 enters our body easier through the nose than through the mouth?

I do not know if it enters easier through the nose or mouth, but the key thing is that the virus enters through the respiratory tract, because that seems to be the main port of infection after people make contact or they touch something and then their face.

Image Credit: Andrii Vodolazhskyi/Shutterstock.com

What is clear is that the nose is the highest area of viral load or viral shedding, so when the virus reproduces and exports copies of itself, the nose is the most dangerous place in the airway with COVID-19.

Should the World Health Organization and Public Health England include this symptom as a warning sign?

I think so. I am part of a global consortium called the GCCR, which was set up a week or two ago to try and establish a global survey of this problem.

All of us around the world are seeing reports coming in through ear, nose, and throat specialists or through doctors in general, that sudden onset smell loss has been on the increase with the rise of COVID-19.

This means that even if someone is otherwise well, they are at risk of transferring this to other people. Therefore, there should be a guideline to say that if your sense of smell has gone suddenly, stay at home. It might not be COVID-19, but it is safer to self-isolate and not risk spreading it to other people until you have had a clear period.

If anosmia is recognized as a warning sign for COVID-19, could this be used to prevent its spread?

Potentially yes, because if there are a number of people out there who only lose their smell and otherwise remain well, they might carry on as normal if they are not aware of this being a possible symptom.

A lot of people are being made to stay at home anyway, but if some people are going into work, particularly in the healthcare profession, and they have lost their sense of smell but otherwise they feel okay, they could be inadvertently spreading it to their colleagues without realizing.

Could there be individuals that suffer from a permanent loss of smell due to COVID-19?

That is the next question, which the coming weeks and months will tell. I wonder if I am going to see a sudden surge in referrals, after the initial peak of activity's died down, from people who have got a more permanent loss of smell.

Image Credit: Big Foot Productions/Shutterstock.com

At this stage, we just don't know, as it is too early to say. Once the peak has come and gone, it is only then that we will really know whether there is an additional group of COVID-19 patients who are anosmic permanently or for a longer time.

What further research needs to be carried out to further determine the relationship between COVID-19 and anosmia?

I think that once we know who the COVID-19 positive patients are, and once we know who the patients with smell loss are, it is about following those patients long-term. There should be a way of tracking people over time to know whether these symptoms have resolved spontaneously or whether there is a group of people that will then have a residual problem.

Coronavirus outbreak aside, we get a lot of contact at our charity Fifth Sense from people who lose their sense of smell and get in touch looking for answers.

I think the work that we are doing through the charity will allow us to get some insights on this because we will see whether there is suddenly an increasing group of people looking for help through our charity.

Does COVID-19 change anything about knowledge of anosmia?

No, I don't think so in terms of our general knowledge of anosmia. I think what it has done is catapult smell loss as a symptom to the forefront, whereas before, it has been very much a neglected symptom.

I have been championing smell loss for over a decade now, and so going forward I hope that research continues into this area and that it gets some better recognition in the future.

How do you feel knowing that the loss of smell and taste is now recognized as an official symptom of COVID-19?

I feel relieved that after weeks of campaigning that smell/taste loss is clearly linked to COVID-19, it has finally been recognized.

But I am left wondering how many people might have transmitted the infection without being warned.

It also does, at last, put smell loss in the spotlight after years of campaigning for its recognition.

Where can readers find more information?

Read about the Fifth Sense charity here

Read more about coronavirus and smell loss here

Read more about smell loss disorders here

See more of Professor Carl Philpotts publications here

About Professor Carl Philpott

Carl was appointed as an academic surgeon to the University of East Anglia in 2010, funded in part by the Anthony Long Trust. As Professor of Rhinology & Olfactology at UEA, he leads on a number of research projects related to chronic sinusitis and smell and taste disorders.

In conjunction with his colleague Claire Hopkins, they lead the MACRO Programme Grant awarded by NIHR for 3.2 million, supported by a team of colleagues from UCL, the University of Southampton and the University of Oxford. The program involves a major trial of 600 patients with chronic sinusitis across 16 centers in the UK.

Other research roles include being ENT Lead for the Eastern Local Clinical Research Network, Research Lead for the British Rhinological Society where he has helped to shape the national research priorities for nose and sinuses diseases and Vice-President of the British Otorhinolaryngology & Allied Sciences Research Society.

Carl is a graduate of Leicester University Medical School and completed his basic surgical training in the University Hospitals of Leicester before undertaking a period of research into developing apparatus for testing the sense of smell, which culminated in an MD Thesis.

His specialist training was completed in East Anglia, during which time he spent a year at the St Pauls Sinus Centre in Vancouver, Canada learning advanced skills in endoscopic sinus surgery for inflammatory diseases of the nose and sinuses as well as tumors of the sinuses and anterior skull base. Carl's main clinical interests include the medical and surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, and other sino-nasal disorders.

He established the first dedicated ENT image-guided sinus surgery facility in East Anglia and now runs a regular sinus surgery course at UEA.

Carl has also spent time at the Dresden University Smell & Taste Clinic learning techniques for assessing and researching the sense of smell and is now the Director of the first British Smell & Taste Clinic and receive referrals from around the UK.

This provides the opportunity to research the impact of olfactory disorders on sufferers and is now currently running a trial for a potential new treatment for a reduced sense of smell. Furthermore, he helped establish a patient-led charity, Fifth Sense, which now has over 2500 members around the UK.
Three people will launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) in the predawn hours Thursday (April 9), and you can watch their departure from Earth live.

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday at 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT; 1:05 p.m. local time in Baikonur).

You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of NASA. You can also watch it directly via the space agency . Coverage begins at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT).

Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner will take a fast-track route to the ISS, arriving after just six hours and four laps around our planet. If all goes according to plan, the trio's Soyuz will dock with the stations Zvezda service module at 10:16 a.m. EDT (1416 GMT). You can follow the docking live as well, beginning at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT).

Once aboard, the new arrivals will be greeted by NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir and cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, who commands the space station's current Expedition 62.

The six spaceflyers won't be together long, however; Morgan, Meir and Skripochka will return to Earth on April 17. When that happens, Cassidy will take command of the new Expedition 63.

Thursday morning's launch will kick off the third space mission for Cassidy and Ivanishin and the first for Vagner.

Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
The Government of Canada is funding projects to prevent misleading COVID-19 information and to support social cohesion throughout the country

GATINEAU, QC, April 7, 2020 /CNW/ - Now more than ever, Canadians need reliable news and information. The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced tpday that the Government of Canada is investing $3 million in several organizations through the Digital Citizen Initiative's Digital Citizen Contribution Program. This funding will help combat false and misleading COVID-19 information as well as the racism and stigmatization that are often the result.

This support will help fund activities, such as public awareness tools and online workshops, to help Canadians become more resilient and think critically about COVID-19 disinformation. Funded projects will reach Canadians on a national and local scale, online and offline, in minority communities, in both official languages and in Indigenous communities.

The following organizations are receiving immediate funding:

Upstream ($95,000)

Project: Information in the Age of COVID-19

MediaSmarts ($654,134)

Project: Critical Thinking in the Digital Age: Countering Coronavirus Misinformation

Societe de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick ($434,725)

Project: Portail de verification des faits sur le COVID-19 / Fact-Checking portal on COVID-19

COVID-19 : Federation professionnelle des journalistes du Quebec ($330,164)

Project: Depister la desinfo / COVID-19 : Track the facts

Institute for Canadian Citizenship ($490,880)

Project: Supporting New Canadian Citizens: Dispelling Discriminatory Disinformation Around COVID-19

Digital Public Square ($679,176)

Project: Countering Disinformation Relating to COVID-19

Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic ($301,904)

Project: Empowering, Engaging and Equipping Canadians to Combat Anti-Asian Racism through Online Resources and Social Media: A Study to Advance Policy Development and Systemic Change

Asian Environmental Association ($64,660)

Project: Combating COVID-19 disinformation in Vancouver's Chinese and Vietnamese language communities

Quotes

"We want to remind Canadians to be careful when searching for online information about COVID-19 and to ensure the reliability of the sources. We must be critical news consumers and make informed decisions. And in the present context, there are very real concerns surrounding discrimination and a climate of hate and fear during this uncertain time. As Canadians stand together to defeat the COVID-19 virus, we must stand together to stop xenophobia, racism and misinformation."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"Combatting false and misleading information online is critical, especially during this uncertain and challenging time. I am proud to support this important investment as part of my mandate to strengthen citizen resilience to online disinformation. These initiatives will help make sure that Canadians are better able to get the COVID-19 information they need to keep themselves, their loved ones, and their communities safe."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada

Quick Facts

On March 13, 2020, Canadian Heritage's Digital Citizen Initiative launched a targeted call for proposals to support and amplify current efforts to counter COVID-19 disinformation.

Successful applicants will be rolling out their initiatives beginning this spring.

Before the last federal election, the Digital Citizen Initiative contributed $7 million over nine months to more than 20 projects that encouraged critical thinking about online disinformation and involvement in the democratic process.

The initiative supported new projects that raised awareness about news and digital media literacy through various sessions, workshops and learning materials. These projects reached more than 12 million Canadians.

Related Links

Digital Citizen Initiative  Online Disinformation

MediaSmarts

Societe de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick

Federation professionnelle des journalistes du Quebec

Institute for Canadian Citizenship

Digital Public Square

Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For further information: (media only), please contact: Camille Gagne-Raynauld, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, 819-997-7788; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]; Media Relations, Privy Council Office, [email protected], 613-957-5420

Related Links

www.pch.gc.ca


The coronavirus pandemic is surfacing a distinctively Trumpian form of federalism. Call it "corona-federalism." All three of its key features run counter to key traditions of the U.S. political system: Corona-federalism involves blaming the states for the federal government's failures; playing favorites among states when it comes to spending federal resources; and indulging states that privilege their own citizens over those of other states to the point of excluding the latter. It's an unprecedented vision of federalism that's rotten to its core - and it's costing American lives with each passing day.

Corona-federalism blames the states for the failures of the federal government under President Donald Trump. Americans are dying from shortages of medical supplies to test for the coronavirus, to treat those hit hardest by it and to protect medical professionals on the front lines of this struggle. Addressing a pandemic is a quintessential federal responsibility: It is a national security threat; it transcends state borders; and it demands a coordinated response, including through distinctly federal mechanisms like aggressive use of the Defense Production Act to mobilize the private sector.

But, astonishingly, Trump has invoked a contorted form of federalism to suggest that the federal government is merely the second line of defense and that states should be fending for themselves. "Remember, we are a backup for them. The complainers should have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit," he tweeted. This is a far cry from the leadership Americans have - rightly - come to expect from the federal government, and the presidency in particular, epitomized by President Harry S. Truman's famous motto, "The buck stops here." With corona-federalism, Trump blames the states for his own failings, then passes the buck.

Trump is also playing states off one another for his affection, rewarding the generally Republican (or swing) states whose governors grovel at Trump's feet and punishing the generally Democratic states that speak the truth about Trump's failures and fight for lifesaving resources for their citizens. Federalism - real federalism - has long been heralded as providing the opportunity for experimentation among the states. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously put it, "It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."

But Trump perverts that notion into a reality-show-like competition in which governors try novel experiments to curry favor with him, to the detriment of the rest of the country. The results are stark: States with governors most closely allied with Trump - such as Florida and Oklahoma - have received all they've asked for from the federal government or more, while states with governors openly critical of Trump's coronavirus failures - such as Illinois, Maine and Massachusetts - have received only fractions of their requests. This isn't the vision of federalism Brandeis laid out; it's straight from "The Apprentice."

Trump's version of corona-federalism cheers along when states act like their citizens are the only ones who matter. The most notable example was Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said that his state would accept Floridians onboard cruise ships seeking to disembark there after passengers tested positive for the coronavirus, but would refuse entry to residents from other states (or countries), even though leaving them onboard could risk their lives. This bold step built on DeSantis' other decidedly Florida-centric actions, like enriching the state's coffers at the expense of the nation's health by leaving Florida beaches open for spring break travelers and then insisting that New Yorkers were to blame for the virus's spread in Florida.

DeSantis' outright exclusion of residents from other states - which is a dramatic step beyond the quarantines imposed by certain states upon entry on residents from other states - is hard to square with at least three provisions of the Constitution. First is the guarantee that "the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states," which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court specifically to provide a right to travel freely among the states. Second is the Constitution's provision to the federal government of the exclusive authority to "establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization," which focuses on ensuring that the federal government alone determines who can become a citizen, but also speaks more broadly to the importance of uniform decisions by the federal government about who can and cannot enter the country. Third is the Constitution's similar provision to the federal government of the power to "regulate Commerce . . . among the several States," which ensures that one state alone cannot disrupt the flow of people and thus infringe on the federal government's exclusive power over interstate commerce. All told, it is a bizarre brand of federalism indeed that has the federal government indulging the actions of a state like Florida that appear to trample on key authorities belonging to the federal government.

The traditional kind of federalism can have an upside in the pandemic. As the federal government has denied the threat of the coronavirus outbreak and utterly failed to respond, a laudable form of "homeland security federalism" is emerging. Forward-looking governors and mayors are stepping up and doing more to protect their residents than the federal government.

Consider governors such as New York's Andrew Cuomo (Democrat), Ohio's Mike DeWine (Republican) and Maryland's Larry Hogan (Republican), as well as mayors such as Washington D.C.'s Muriel E. Bowser (Democrat): Their rhetoric and, in some cases, exercise of legal authorities have accelerated the type of social distancing that can flatten the curve and give America's health infrastructure a better chance to handle the intense demand made of it. States are showing lifesaving generosity to each other, with Washington sending ventilators to New York, where they are desperately needed. California is also calling for states to organize to jointly acquire personal protective equipment rather than to bid against one another.

Ultimately, Trump's unprecedented corona-federalism raises a fundamental question of what leadership the American people should expect from their president - as head of the United States government - in a crisis. This is the same question raised by the puzzling answers given first by White House adviser Jared Kushner and then by Trump about for whom the federal stockpile of medical resources is intended, if not the very states that make up our nation and their residents. When faced with crises, the best of our past presidents have united Americans, as hard as that can be amid widespread fear and suffering. But Trump shows a different instinct: to divide us and pit us against one another. That's not federalism any legal scholar would recognize. That's Trump's own corona-federalism.

- - -

Geltzer, a former Justice Department and National Security Council lawyer, is executive director and professor of law at Georgetown's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.
Amanda Seyfried has clarified her opposition to Donald Trumps presidency after fans were confused by an Instagram post which appeared to quote the controversial leader.

Ask not what you can do for your country but what your country can do for you, she posted, beside an image of Trumps face and a sad face emoji earlier today.

After fans misinterpreted the post as an endorsement of Trump, and Seyfried began trending on Twitter, the Mean Girls actor explained that the quote was not from the current president, but rather she was paraphrasing a speech from the former Democrat leader John F Kennedy.

For those of you who were confused by my last story, she began. Its a JFK quote about compassion. What I did was match the lack of empathy and leadership of our current leader.

The 34-year-old actor reversed the order of the original speech  Ask not what your country can do for you  ask what you can do for your country  in an attempt to illustrate the differing ideals of the presidents.

In 2018, the Mamma Mia star told Elle magazine that she had felt the urge to get married  to fellow actor Thomas Sadoski  after Trump was elected.

The world was going mad, she said. I was like: This is a dream I might never wake up from. If thats the case, lets just get married.

Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been widely criticised. He recently backtracked on his suggestion of imposing a quarantine in New York after the states governor said doing so would be preposterous.

The president has also been mocked and condemned for bragging about the large number of people watching his coronavirus briefings and suggesting he is a ratings hit.
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Contents Panda, the former overseas distributor of the film "Time to Hunt," has filed a lawsuit against distributor Little Big Pictures over the film's Netflix release. Courtesy of Netflix



By Lee Gyu-lee



Little Big Pictures, the distributor of the new film "Time to Hunt," and its former overseas sales agency Contents Panda are in a legal battle over the film's Netflix release.



Contents Panda  formerly responsible for the film's overseas sales  said Wednesday it has filed an injunction against the distributor to suspend the screening of the film, set to hit Netflix on April 10.



The dispute erupted when the distributor signed a contract with Netflix in March for an exclusive premiere of the film on the platform. The movie was supposed to hit local theaters in February but its theatrical release was canceled due to rising concerns over the coronavirus.



Netflix said that the film will be available in over 190 countries on March 23. However, Contents Panda released a statement soon after the announcement, claiming that this is a violation of the overseas sales contract between the distributor and its company.



"Little Big Pictures unilaterally notified us of the termination of the contract," Contents Panda said. "None of the overseas distributors agreed on an exclusive distribution agreement with Netflix."





A poster for the film./ Courtesy of Netflix
T ensions between tenants and landlords during the pandemic on Wednesday spread to Chelsea, with a firm slammed for allegedly refusing to offer rent holidays or reductions.

Sloane Stanley, a family-owned estate with properties on Kings Road and Fulham Road, faced accusations of not offering enough help to tenants forced to close shops.

Simon Jeffreys, chief executive of Designers Guild, said he is seriously worried at having no income from the groups Kings Road flagship.

He said landlord Sloane Stanley is taking such a hard line, with rent holidays or reductions rejected while alternative offers do not go anywhere near far enough to help us.

Also on Kings Road, Chris Grafham, chief executive of William Yeoward Furniture, said when he asked Sloane Stanley, the landlord of his nearby head office, for rental assistance this was denied.

Richard Everett, estate manager at Sloane Stanley, said: We have always worked with tenants through good times and bad, and will continue to do so. We have asked tenants to pay where they can and will deal with the situation case by case.

Scores of retailers and restaurant owners across London have been trying to thrash out deals with their landlords, as they try to cope with no, or much slimmer, trade due to government lockdowns.
* Vietnam snaps 5-session winning streak * Thailand falls on energy stocks By Arundhati Dutta April 8 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Wednesday after two sessions of sharp gains, as the death toll from the new coronavirus continued to climb across the globe even though infections showed signs of a slowdown. New York state suffered the highest daily loss of life from COVID-19 on Tuesday, even as the number of hospitalisations seemed to be levelling off. Italy, the country with the highest death toll at 17,127, reported a fourth consecutive daily decline in the number of people in intensive care. Denting sentiment further, the Financial Times reported https://www.ft.com/content/f94725c8-e038-4841-a5f6-2e046ae78e95 the European Union's top scientist resigned after his proposal to set up a programme to battle the pandemic was rejected. "This will probably give pause to markets' mounting optimism about "peak COVID" premised on new cases in Europe begin to show signs of trending lower," Mizuho Bank said in a note. Singaporean stocks slumped as much as 2.5%, with conglomerates Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd and Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd shedding 5.9% and 5.5%, respectively. Indonesian equities slipped up to 2.9%, dragged by financials. PT Bank Central Asia Tbk and PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk lost 1.7% and 4.8%, respectively. Thai stocks snapped three consecutive sessions of gains, with energy stocks slipping the most. PTT Pcl and PTT Exploration and Production Pcl gave up more than 3% each. Vietnamese shares fell after five straight sessions of gains, with financials leading the decline. Philippine shares dropped as much as 2.7%, hurt by losses in big-cap conglomerates such as SM Investments and Ayala Land . For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 0322 GMT STOCK MARKETS Change on the day Market Current Previous Pct Move close Singapore 2513.68 2571.89 -2.26 Bangkok 1205.56 1214.95 -0.77 Manila 5504.98 5650.01 -2.57 Jakarta 4641.083 4778.639 -2.88 Kuala Lumpur 1362.71 1369.92 -0.53 Ho Chi Minh 736.8 746.69 -1.32 Change so far in 2020 Market Current End 2019 Pct Move Singapore 2513.68 3222.83 -22.00 Bangkok 1205.56 1579.84 -23.69 Manila 5504.98 7,815.26 -29.56 Jakarta 4641.083 6,299.54 -26.33 Kuala Lumpur 1362.71 1588.76 -14.23 Ho Chi Minh 736.8 960.99 -23.33 (Reporting by Arundhati Dutta; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday, claiming they were among 5,000 detainees to be freed under a deal between insurgents and the US.

The Taliban, however, said they are yet to verify whether those released were on the list they handed over to Washington during negotiations.

The prisoner release is a critical first step to intra-Afghan negotiations aimed at bringing an end to decades of war in Afghanistan.

The US-Taliban deal signed in February also calls for the Taliban to free 1,000 government personnel they hold hostage.

Jawed Faisal, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security adviser, said the 100 were released from the base in Bagram, near Kabul, on Wednesday.

Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen in a message to The Associated Press said the insurgent group doesn't know who they are releasing without verification.

He said the Taliban withdrew a technical team to oversee the releases because of delays by the government.

In a tweet, Shaheen admonished the government for refusing to release the first 15 Taliban they requested and who were on the list.

"They should be released based on our list," Shaheen told AP. The list of Taliban and government personnel to be released were part of the negotiations that led to the signing of the US-Taliban peace deal.

Meanwhile, in recent days Washington has expressed its frustration with the political turmoil in Kabul as President Ashraf Ghani and his rival in last year's presidential polls squabble over power sharing amid allegations of election fraud.

Earlier this week, the US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted a harsh statement expressing frustration at the continued political turmoil roiling in Kabul.

The State Department tweeted: "As the world gets slammed by COVID-19, with devastating economic consequences for all, donors are frustrated and fed up by personal agendas being advanced ahead of the welfare of the Afghan people."



Afghanistan has imposed a lockdown in several cities and has so far recorded 444 confirmed cases of the new virus and 14 deaths.

Meanwhile, at least seven Afghan civilians were killed when the Taliban attacked security forces in northern Balkh province, local officials said Wednesday.

The insurgents abducted the civilians on Tuesday afternoon in the district of Sholgara and later killed them, according to Sayed Arif Iqbali, the local police chief.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban that they were behind the attack in Balkh.

In southern Kandahar province, three children were killed and five were seriously wounded when a mortar shell hit in the district of Daman, according to Bahir Ahmadi, the spokesman for the provincial governor.

The Taliban blamed US forces for the attack, and a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed the children were killed in a drone attack.

However, US military spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett denied any use of weapons in the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Newser)  Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the party's establishment swiftly lined up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday. It's an acknowledgment that after wins in places like South Carolina, Michigan, and Florida, the former vice president is too far ahead for Sanders to have any reasonable hope of catching up, reports the AP. The Vermont senator's announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Trump in November. Axios acknowledges the damage done by fellow Democratic hopefuls who dropped out and subsequently endorsed Biden, but it adds that the coronavirus "has been smothering" what was a very challenging comeback attempt.

story continues below

"The Bernie movement" was fueled by huge rallies and canvassing efforts, relics of a pre-COVID-19 time. He also struggled to find space on TV and social media, which have been focusing largely on the epidemic. In its campaign post-mortem, the New York Times hails Sanders as a candidate whose "quest for the White House ... began five years ago in relative obscurity but ultimately elevated him as a champion of the working class, a standard-bearer of American liberalism, and the leader of a self-styled political revolution." But it, like many other outlets, points out that the lack of black support he encountered in his 2016 run was repeated the second time around. The Times adds that his exit is distinct from that in 2016, "when he stayed in an increasingly acrimonious race against Hillary Clinton even after it became clear she would be the eventual nominee." (Read more Bernie Sanders stories.)
Calls are mounting in Turkey for a lockdown as the coronavirus infection spreads, especially in the countrys largest city, Istanbul. But the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused, insisting that the wheels of the economy must keep turning.
The interior of the Queen Victoria Building where retail stores are currently closed due to COVID-19 on April 1, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Australian Businesses Get Rent Relief as Landlords Asked to Share Burden

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on April 7 a mandatory code of conduct for commercial tenancies offering much-needed relief for small- and medium-sized businesses experiencing financial hardship during the CCP virus-induced economic crisis.

The revamped code, part of a larger package of rent relief policies, requests landlords to offer rent waivers and deferrals in line with their tenants decline in income during this downturn period.

Proportionate and Measured Burden Share

A core principle of the new code is proportionate and measured burden share between landlords and tenants.

The provisions apply to commercial tenancies (including retail, office, and industrial) where the business is eligible for the JobKeeper programme and has a turnover of up to $50 million.

Under the scheme, landlords will have to reduce rents for their tenants in proportion to their drop in revenue resulting from lockdowns amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the coronavirus. Landlords cannot evict tenants or draw on security deposits on the grounds of payment default either. And finally, landlords are obliged to negotiate with their tenants, or forfeit their way out of a lease. Likewise, tenants must also honour lease agreements.

The code will be legislated or regulated in each state and territory, and the new lease arrangement will be overseen by binding mediation.

The prime minister emphasized the importance of negotiation in good faith between landlords and tenants on a case-by-case basis, saying the code aims to bring together a set of good-faith leasing principles, in order to preserve the lease and the relationship, and to keep the tenant in the property.

He also urged banks and other lenders to support landlords and tenants with appropriate flexibility.

Negotiation in Good Faith Is Key

Scott Morrison urged commercial landlords and tenants to sit down and talk in late March, when he announced a six-month moratorium on evictions for both residential and commercial tenancies trapped in financial stress amid CCP virus shutdowns.

Commercial tenants, landlords, and financial institutions are encouraged to sit down together to find a way through to ensure that businesses can survive and be there on the other side, he said in a statement on March 29.

The prime minister reiterated the sit down and talk stand on April 3.

What we want to do is have landlords and tenants in the room to ensure that they can work these issues out between them, so they can have an arrangement which enables them to get through this period and to get to the other side, he said in the press conference.

So theres give and take on this, give and take, those tenants and landlords are being encouraged to sit around that table and get that done now, he added.

More Needs to Be Done

The Property Council of Australia (PCA) welcomes the new code, saying it will work closely with state and territory governments on the detail of its implementation, but reminds Australians that there are a number of questions unresolved.

We are pleased that National Cabinet has recognised that banks and financial institutions need to support commercial landlords with regard to their debt covenants. This is important, said Ken Morrison, PCA chief executive in a statement on April 7.

We are relieved that the risky idea of allowing tenants to terminate leases has been taken off the table. That would have been a dangerous precedent for our financial system, he said.

However, he added that a number of changes need to be made to the code, including protection for small property companies, and the provision of land tax or stamp duty relief for landlords, saying the code asks commercial property companies to shoulder too much financial burden.

Over the last months, the economic impact of CCP virus shutdowns has thrown commercial landlords and tenants nationwide into uncharted territory. With most retailers and traders having suffered significant revenue loss due to shutdowns, landlords, who are also facing financial hardship, are under surmounting pressure to offer lease relief.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey on business impacts of COVID-19 released on April 7, shows that almost half, or 47 percent, of businesses made changes to their working arrangements, including temporarily reducing staff or the introduction of remote working.

It also found that 2 in 5 businesses, 38 percent, have changed how they deliver products or services, including the transition to online services.
Even in the best of the times, not many people are happy to see a process server.

The people who hand-deliver court paperwork  including divorces, evictions, and lawsuits  are accustomed to being threatened and cursed at. Now, they are having to do their inherently face-to-face jobs in a time of social distancing and as civil court cases slow because of the global pandemic.

Process servers, who are typically independent contracts, can make six-figure incomes chasing sometimes reluctant recipients of court filings. While there may be more work in the future, with an expectation that evictions and divorces will pick up in the aftermath of the coronavirus, in the near term, business has been exceptionally bad. One company has seen its revenue drop 98% as courts halt new cases.

Its almost a total shutdown, said Ernest McCoslin, president of the Texas Process Servers Association.

Though the government doesnt specifically track the number of process servers in the country, a Bureau of Labor Statistics economist in 2012 estimated that as many as 20,000 people worked full- or part-time serving legal papers. States including New York, the hardest hit by the pandemic, have deemed process servers an essential business, meaning theyre not subject to business shut-down orders.

In-person court hearings have been suspended in 34 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Center for State Courts, which is tracking the information. Local courts have the option to close in the other states. Moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures have also been declared in many places.

Eric Vennes, who runs Apex Legal Services outside Seattle, said his company typically served 2,000 legal papers a month, mainly debt collections, before the crisis began. One process server made $120,000 a year, and part-timers made between $40,000 and $65,000. Apex only served 16 notices last month, Vennes said, and he has gone from working with 20 servers to just six or seven.

New Dread

And where there is work, many are now approaching their up-close-and-personal assignments with new dread.

McCoslin said hes personally unwilling to risk going out in the field now because hes undergoing chemotherapy. David Brown, a process server and investigator in Western Tennessee, said that, at age 74, he too plans to wait for the pandemic to pass.

Remaining servers are wearing masks, using disinfectant gel and leaving papers on front porches after confirming the intended recipients are home and can see them, rather than delivering them by hand. In some ways, the job has become easier. With stay-at-home orders in place for much of the country, process servers generally dont face as much hassle finding people as they did before.

But those people may become harder than ever to deal with, says Jillina Kwiatkowski, who owns Smart Serve Process Serving outside Buffalo, New York, and is president of the 2,000-member National Association of Professional Process Servers. She worries that the millions thrown out of work during the crisis will be more highly stressed and more likely to lash out when a process server shows up at their door.

James Burger, a lawyer with the firm White and Williams LLP in New Jersey, said the in-person work of process servers is more important than ever, especially since shuttered businesses might not receive a summons sent in the mail.

Critically Important

Its such a fundamental building block of litigation in this country, said Burger. Ensuring that a defendant is on notice in a suit is so critically important.

And there is widespread expectations of a boom once courts resume normal business and are flooded with new and delayed filings, including collections, evictions and bankruptcies.

This is a recession-proof business, said Bob Musser, whose Winter Park, Florida, business provides computer software used by process-serving firms. When things go south, theres more litigation, theres more consumer collection.

For many process servers, that may bring a return to the more familiar risks of the job. Vennes said he was once shot at with a bow and arrow, while Kwiatkowski recalls the time a summons recipient attacked her with a live turkey.

Those things hurt! she said.

About the photo: A worker for an independent contractor to United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) makes deliveries on a street with closed stores in the Borough Park neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Photographer: Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Gopinath Rajendran By

Express News Service

Arulnithi, who was last seen in K-13, is working on a thriller directed by debutant filmmaker Vijay Rajendra. It has now come to light that Avantika Mishra, known for her roles in Telugu films such as Maaya and the recently-released Meeku Maathrame Cheptha (produced by Vijay Deverakonda), has been roped in as the female lead for this Arulnithi-starrer.

Both Arulnithi and I play college students in the film. I am a first-year student in this thriller. I play a Madurai-based girl and because of the genre, I cannot reveal much else. Weve completed 50 per cent of the film. The plan was to wrap up the shoot by this month, but because of the lockdown, shooting has been stopped.

"We will resume immediately after things return to normalcy, says Avantika who will be making her Tamil debut with this untitled film.

Interestingly, Avantika has previously worked in a Tamil film titled Nenjamellam Kadhal, but that film has not been released yet.

She has also signed another Tamil film, which is expected to be announced soon.
Dil Dhadakne Do actor Shefali Shah on Tuesday said that her Facebook account has been hacked and that claims of her family being tested Coronavirus positive have been posted by the hacker despite them actually being completely fine.

Divulging in detail, Shah informed that her family is 'absolutely fine' and that she is dealing with the situation just like everyone would have and so she would never think of anything 'drastically negative'. "All of us at home are fine and safe... we are not corona positive as was one of the things that was written in my post", she wrote in the post.

READ: DCP Parulkar From 'Sacred Games' To Romance Shefali Shah

Shefali Shah informs that her Facebook account is hacked

Informing that her Facebook account was hacked, the Delhi Crime star stated that she woke up to a flurry of messages of concern and care from people reaching out and saying wonderful things to her. "Some people even shared their telephone numbers. These are people I've met, probably never met or met briefly, or occasionally sometime somewhere. of them and all of them just showed care and concern", she added.

READ: Priyanka Chopra Sends Bouquet To Shefali Shah For Winning Big For Delhi Crime

Asserting that several people also felt that it was not her who wrote the post on the family, she wrote, "A lot of them in fact also said this doesn't sound like you it's not a positive voice and it just doesn't sound like you and we are hoping your account (not good) but rather hacked than you ever saying something like this".

Shefali Shah, who graced the screen with Deven Bhojani's Commando 2, seems to have shifted her focus to the digital medium. The actor is reportedly shooting for the second season of Delhi Crime. Other than Delhi Crime Season 2, Shefali also has a Netflix project, that she is tight-lipped about. Reportedly, she also an anthology titled The Other.

READ: Russia Ready To Start Testing Coronavirus Vaccines On Humans In June

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.
She's in lockdown like the rest of the nation amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

So Daisy Lowe, 31, was naturally disappointed that she could not celebrate her mum Pearl's 50th birthday in spectacular style, so marked the occasion with a sweet Instagram post and a low-key celebration at home.

Taking to the photosharing site on Tuesday, she shared a bikini-clad shot of the duo in which her mum was displaying her ageless good looks while Daisy also added a gushing caption to honour her beloved mum.

Stunners: Daisy Lowe, 31, was naturally disappointed that she could not celebrate her mum Pearl's 50th birthday in spectacular style, so marked the occasion with a sweet Instagram post and a low-key celebration at home

Daisy and Pearl looked sensational in their bikinis as they beamed while reclining on a boat on an idyllic holiday, before Daisy shared a snap of her mother blowing out her candles on the rainbow cake she made.

She added a caption reading: 'Dearest Mumma @pearllowe HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! We planned to celebrate very differently...

'I know today will be absolutely perfect because thats what you deserve. Thanks for being my greatest friend, teacher & dance partner. I love you more than anyone in the universe.'

Just a day before, Daisy was in birthday mode once more as she marked her pal Charli Howard's 29th birthday in style as she shared a throwback image of the pair's Valentine Day's shoot with Agent Provocateur on Monday.

Yum! Daisy shared a snap of her mother blowing out her candles on the rainbow cake she made

'To my dearest bosom buddy': Just a day before, Daisy was in birthday mode once more as she marked her pal Charli Howard's 29th birthday in style as she shared a throwback image of the pair's Valentine Day's shoot with Agent Provocateur on Monday

In the social media post, she sent temperatures soaring in red underwear as she praised her 'dearest bosom buddy', who is celebrating her milestone in isolation.

The gorgeous fashion stars commanded attention as they cosied up to each other, with Daisy sizzling in a full lingerie set, while Charli highlighted her curves in a rose floral-print two-piece.

Celebrity offspring Daisy captioned the image: 'Happiest birthday my dearest bosom buddy @charlihoward youre the body to my positivity. You are so ridiculously beautiful inside & out. You make this planet a whole lot brighter.

'I wish I could celebrate with you today but I promise you, we will be dancing around in our undies, cocktail in hand as soon as this blows over. I love you with all my heart. Happy celebrating bombshell .' [sic]

Turning heads: The gorgeous fashion stars commanded attention as they cosied up to each other in barely-there lingerie

'I love you my cutest, most thoughtful, most sexy, most booby friend', the delighted birthday girl commented.

In the romance department, Daisy has been happily dating Jack Penate since early October, shortly after her split from model ex Cameron McMeikan.

The brunette bombshell and musician Jack, 35, recently jetted off on their first romantic holiday together, with the couple posting corresponding social media images from Sri Lanka.

Although they have been friends for years, the pair were first romantically linked when they were seen holding hands while walking Daisy's dog in a London park.

Delighted: 'I love you my cutest, most thoughtful, most sexy, most booby friend', the birthday girl commented on her close friend's post

Jack is the latest in a line of high-profile boyfriends for Daisy, with her previous lovers including The Crown star Matt Smith, 37, Hurts frontman Theo Hutchcraft, 33, and Thomas Cohen, 29, the husband of the late Peaches Geldof.

The daughter of artist Gavin Rossdale and interior designer Pearl Lowe claimed she knew her relationship with one of her ex-boyfriends was over when he told her to lose weight.

Speaking to Mel B on Badoo's The Truth Flirts podcast in late 2019, she said: 'I hadn't been very well, and I was on annoying medication that made me put on a lot of weight.

Happy: In the romance department, Daisy has been happily dating Jack Penate (pictured in November) since early October, shortly after her split from model ex Cameron McMeikan

'We had been seeing each other for a while but I knew at this point that it was definitely over. He was in a bad mood or whatever, so I was like, "You're in a really bad mood so I'm just going to leave you in here and go shower".

'I got in the shower and because obviously he didn't like that I had said that to him he came into the shower.

'Bearing in mind, I am starkers and showering, he pointed at me and said, "You're so disgusting you need to lose weight so you can get work".

'And I was like, "You know what? We're done. You and me, over, bye!" I was like, "Do you ever think I want to get on top of you again? No thank you".'
Former child star Danielle Fishel made a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Boy Meets World alum was taking her dog to the veterinarian for a checkup. But the 38-year-old actress from Arizona seemed to fall short of practicing social distancing with others outside her car.

The CDC has asked people to stay at least six feet apart from others when in public. As of Wednesday, there are over 400,000 coronavirus cases in the US and nearly 1.5M worldwide.

There she is! Former child star Danielle Fishel of Boy Meets World fame made a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Tuesday

For her pooch: The siren was taking her dog to the veterinarian for a checkup. But the 38-year-old actress from Arizona seemed to fall short of practicing social distancing with others outside her car

The 5ft1in star was dressed casually as she stood outside her car.

Danielle was wearing a wine colored plaid top with black accents and had on worn in denim blue jeans.

The star added fun-looking sneakers that had purple, green, red, and yellow in the design.

The cover girl wore her highlighted hair down and added light makeup.

Sporty: The 5ft1in star was dressed casually as she stood outside her car. Danielle was wearing a wine colored plaid top with black accents and had on worn in denim blue jeans

She was last seen plugging a charity on Instagram Tuesday.

The star said, 'As you can imagine our hospitals need help now more than ever. Childrens Hospitals Week will help childrens hospitals  secure the equipment they need  provide charitable care to those kids whose families who are losing health benefits  provide child-life resources to help with heightened stress and anxiety  focus on research to find a cure and treatment.'

This comes seven months after she said her son is 'healthy, happy, and thriving' now thanks to his life-saving, 21-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.

So many people around her! The star added fun-looking sneakers that had purple, green, red, and yellow in the design. The cover girl wore her highlighted hair down and added light makeup

Danielle and her second husband Jensen Karp's preemie baby boy Adler Lawrence was 12 days old when he developed mysterious fluid in both lungs.

'To hear - "We have bad news: The fluid has tripled, and now we no longer think we're the best place for him. This feels much more like an emergency and we need to rush him to Children's Hospital [Los Angeles]" - was extremely scary,' Danielle recalled in this week's People.

'But we did. We left, we went to Children's Hospital. I rode in the ambulance with him.'

Her it show: Fishel on the far left with Trina McGee, Ben Savage, Maitland Ward, Will Friedle, Matthew Lawrence, and Rider Strong for Boy Meets World (1993)

Fishel now has to bottle-feed little Adler - who arrived four weeks early - because of his chylothorax diagnosis.

'It's a leak in the lymphatic system,' the Cal State Fullerton grad explained.

'Unfortunately, my breast milk was creating fluid in his lungs, and we had to take him off of breast milk and put him on a specially-formulated formula that doesn't use the lymphatic system.'

The Sydney to the Max director and the 39-year-old Drop the Mic executive producer - who got hitched in November - glammed up to attend a wedding together.

'Jensen and I have also become closer than we ever thought possible,' Danielle - who boasts 1.7M followers - wrote on July 1.

A scar: This comes seven months after she said her son is 'healthy, happy, and thriving' now thanks to his life-saving, 21-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit

Her love: Danielle and her second husband Jensen Karp in Los Angeles last year

'The love between us has grown exponentially as we have leaned on each other during both our highest highs and our lowest lows.'

In August Fishel reunited with her former Boy Meets World castmates Will Friedle, Rider Strong, Bill Daniels, and Ben Savage for Fan Expo Boston.

The Raven's Home director first found fame playing hippie-turned-lawyer Topanga Matthews on the ABC sitcom (1993-2000) and the Disney Channel spin-off Girl Meets World (2014-2017).

Danielle 'can't wait' to executive produce her former co-star Sabrina Carpenter's movie The Distance From Me to You adapted from Marina Gessner's 2015 YA novel.
A group of persons pelted stones



at a police constable in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district when he asked them to stay indoors to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Chandan Nagar area here on Tuesday evening, he said.

A purported video of the incident also went viral on social media, in which the policeman was seen running to save himself from seven to eight people who were throwing stones and chasing him. One of the miscreants was seen picking up a stick while chasing the policeman.

Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Jain told PTI that when the constable asked some people out on streets to go back home, they started arguing and threw stones at him.

The policeman then ran for his life and alerted his seniors following which additional force was rushed to the area, he said.

Five people - identified as Javed (25), Imran Khan (24), Nasir Khan (58), Sali Khan (50) and Samir Anwar (22) - were later arrested and booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (assault of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions.

"We are also recommending to the district administration to book Javed and Imran Khan under the National Security Act (NSA)," Jain said.

Search was on for another absconding accused.

This is the third incident in the state of attack on those at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus.

Earlier, two policemen on lockdown enforcement duty were injured after a mob attacked them with knives and in Bhopal's old city area on Monday night.

On April 1, two women doctors were injured after stones were pelted at them when they went to Tatpatti Bakhal area of Indore for contact tracing of COVID-19 patients.

Indore, which is the worst affected with coronavirus in the state, is under curfew since March 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Residents of some of the most beautiful places in Ireland are dreading this weekend.

Although they are used to being swamped by tourists and weekenders at Easter, the prospect of an influx this time round terrifies them.

This is because the holidaymakers could be bringing Covid-19 into their communities which, for now, are relatively virus-free.

Many have already arrived in west Cork and parts of Waterford and Kerry despite the travel restrictions in place.

But residents fear thousands more will ignore pleas to stay at home and might try to travel regardless of the new enforcement powers handed to gardai.

If the experience of the Seanads acting Cathaoirleach Denis ODonovan is anything to go by, their arrival could lead to tensions between residents and holidaymakers.

The 63-year-old Fianna Fail senator has told how a young couple repeatedly ignored requests not to cut across private land owned by an elderly couple who are cocooning just outside Schull.

They had seen a sign asking people to stay away from a particular route leading to a tourist attraction, Sailors Hill vantage point overlooking the west Cork town.

But they ignored the sign and appeals from local residents and cut through private land to get to the vantage point.

I told the young couple but they just fobbed me off and ignored my advice, he said.

Then the man who is cocooning met them but they just ignored him too.

He said that apart from putting other peoples lives at risk, holidaymakers are also showing contempt for those who stick to the Covid-19 rules and restrictions.

My grandchild Katie was six yesterday and all I was able to do was wave to her on a video call using my phone, he said.

I cant visit any of my grandchildren and neither can they visit me.

Cork County councillor Joe Carroll, of Skibbereen, doesnt have an issue with people who own holiday homes in the area and who decided to return to them before the movement restrictions came in.

He does, however, have an issue with those who came down recently and who still plan to come down this weekend.

I live just outside Skibbereen and I walk up and down the river and I havent seen any strangers myself, he said.

But I have heard there are people in Baltimore. I suppose, up to a point, if they have a property in Baltimore, they are entitled to come down, maybe they came down a week or 10 days ago.

If they stay local to the house, I dont think they are doing any harm to anyone.

Its the people who came down in the last few days that bother me. They shouldnt be coming down.

On Airbnb yesterday it was possible to book apartments, cottages or whole houses in and around Kenmare, Dingle and Killarney.

One owner taking bookings, who is not based in Ireland, said they had received no guidance about whether or not they could hire their property out.

Another, who also lived abroad, said they were not even aware of traffic restrictions.

Councillor Danny Collins, who is based in Bantry, said he has noticed a recent influx of cars from outside the county.

They are mostly from the North or Dublin.

I see them increasing as I do my deliveries for people who are cocooning, he said. They have started appearing in villages and townlands around Bantry.

Waterford Councillor Eamon Quinlan said he and his Waterford City and County Council colleagues have been warned holidaymakers are on their way to his native Tramore.

These are people who have been coming for years and no amount of restrictions seem to be deterring them, he said. This may now change because of the new garda powers.

But my biggest fear is that there will be a huge increase of people from other counties travelling to Tramore to stay over the weekend and beyond. We are concerned we are going to be hit by a mini migration.

And while all the caravans parks in the town are closed, there is a fear many people will return to the towns large holiday apartment complexes.

When C103 radio presenter Paudie Palmer tweeted on Tuesday about a plan to begin border checks in Innishannon, many greeted it with the humour that inspired the tweet in the first place.

But itll be no laughing matter for residents of some of Munsters tourist traps if their fears of a mini invasion over the coming days prove to be true.
Wells Fargo Securities' Chris Harvey believes the worst is behind the market  even as Wall Street braces for a painful earnings season.

According to the firm's head of equity strategy, the steps taken by the Federal Reserve and Capitol Hill to stabilize the coronavirus-battered markets are creating a pivotal floor under stocks.

"Although the coronavirus is still out there and is still pending, it does look like we're beginning to crest in Italy and perhaps New York City, and that's a positive," he told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Wednesday. "We're in a much better place today than we have been in a long time."

On Wednesday, the major indexes staged a sharp rally. The Dow jumped 3.4% or 779 points to close above 23,000 for the first time since March 13. The S&P 500 also surged 3.4% and closed at 2,749.98.

But the moment of truth may emerge next Tuesday when first quarter earnings season kicks off with bank results.

According to Refinitiv, Wall Street analysts expect Q1 earnings growth to fall by almost 8% and Q2 to drop by 18%.

"We did cut our earnings a while ago. We do think earnings season is going to be difficult," said Harvey. "What we expect is a very deep, deep 'V' in regards to earnings growth. We think numbers are going to come down dramatically in a very short period of time."

Despite the bearish view, Harvey hasn't been sitting on the sidelines. He told CNBC's "Fast Money" in early March that he was putting money to work despite the market's unsettling wild swings.

His view hasn't changed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday he is working on a plan with the state legislature to provide economic relief for California residents who are in the country illegally.

Californians care deeply about undocumented residents in this state, Newsom said.

About 2 million people in California are likely residing in the country illegally, according to the California Latino Legislative Caucus, which has asked the governor to provide cash assistance to those without citizenship status, since they are not eligible for the stimulus checks and other benefits provided in the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress.

The $30 billion the federal government is sending to about 14 million California households this month  $1,200 for each adult earning under $75,000 and $2,400 for couples making under $150,000  will only be sent to U.S. citizens.

Newsom said that proposal is under consideration, as well as some economic stimulus strategies at a state level, not just waiting for the federal government to do that for us.

The plan will be released in May, the governor said.

Some state Republicans criticized the proposal, saying it raises budget issues.

I see the state of California and its budget as a house of cards and with this coronavirus-induced recession, Im just trying to figure out where the money would come from, Republican state Senator John Moorlach, who represents part of Orange County, told the Associated Press. I would say helping undocumented would be a luxury item.

Other localities, such as Chicago, have introduced similar measures. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an executive order Tuesday to ensure that illegal immigrants and refugees in the city are able to access the citys coronavirus relief benefits.

Non-citizen residents of the city will be able to receive benefits through Chicagos Housing Assistance Grant program, learning resources through Chicago public schools, and will have access to the $100 million Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund.

More from National Review
In the past few weeks, we heard of doctors, nurses and other professionals on the frontlines of humanity's battle with COVID-19 have faced unprecedented stigma from society.

Videos of medical professionals being beaten and getting evicted from their rented apartments have stoked anger across the nation. While many people have been discriminatory against those quarantined, people in this Chennai colony have set an example for being kind and compassionate in these trying times.

Twitter

Amid this negativity, the residents of the apartment in Chennai Nandambakkam set an example by posting a thank you note with a message right underneath the quarantine notice.

HUMANITY IS NOT DEAD YET

Municipal Authorities had placed a QURANTINE sticker outside the flat of @airindiain Capt Manish after he had operated an international evacuation flight. Instead of any societal backlash, his colony residents placed another sticker hailing him... pic.twitter.com/gmdVW2hYa4  BiTANKO BiSWAS (@Air_India_CREW) April 6, 2020

Health officials had put Air India pilot Captain Manish Sharma on a 28-day home quarantine after he flew back from Muscat on March 15 reports NDTV.

Chennai Corporation officials also stuck a quarantine notice at the entrance of his house to inform the building residents of the protocol.

The handwritten note was pasted right under the GCC quarantine sticker. Thank you Capt Manish for ALL your services. You are our HERO," read the note.

Sir, this is heartening to see - a Housing Society showing its gratitude. It speaks volumes for the respect and pride we all have for the crew of @airindiain .

However please do be wary of posting their residence address - it may result in unintended harm. Thank You.  Sharath Chandra (@shirtysharath) April 6, 2020

Twitter users sure did appreciate the gesture; here are some of the heartwarming reactions:





#1

Wonderful news  salute to the good Captain & his Crew



But even bigger Salaam to his housing society who honoured him like this



Wish others take a leaf out of their book #Covid_19 #CoronaVirus #CoronaWarriors #aviation  Sanjay (@sanjaylazar) April 6, 2020





#2





Proud of you and a lot of others like you including cabin crew,Sir. You all deserve the best.  Mehul Desai (@livingfree60) April 6, 2020





#3





Lots of love and respect for those residents!  S@m33r KH@n (@Samtabz414) April 6, 2020









#4





Dear Captain Manish. You are our real hero. I convey my heartfelt thanks for your exemplary courage and dedication for the national service. Jai Hind   Mayuk Dasgupta (@Mayukdg) April 6, 2020





#5





Jai hind and Salute to the real #Heroes and #Coronafighters of our Country..We are really indebted to u and wonder      Aastik Udenia (@AastikUdenia) April 6, 2020









#6





We are so proud of you and you have indeed made our Indian flag flying high  Roshan Kumar (@FmJha) April 7, 2020









Speaking to NDTV, Anil P Joseph, a resident of the Sreshtha Riverside Apartments said, "It's a symbol of our gratitude to Captain Manish Sharma and those on the frontline. On Sunday, we had also acknowledged such heroes among us as the country lit lamps and candles."

90,541 people have been placed under home quarantine in Tamil Nadu. Of these, 127 people are in govt quarantine facilities while 1848 are under hospital isolation.






Treasury Wine Estates considered "all options" including the sale of Penfolds, its US business or other operations before deciding that a demerger of Penfolds to create two ASX-listed wine companies was its preference.

Australia's biggest wine company announced plans on Wednesday to look into a demerger of Penfolds by the end of calendar 2021. It comes after a wide-ranging strategic review, and while not a forgone conclusion, a Penfolds spin-off seems likely.

"We consider all options and have looked at all different options," Treasury boss Michael Clarke said. "What we're putting forward is strategically what the board thus far has approved for us to look at, to work on and to execute."

Penfolds could become its own listed company. Credit:Justin McManus

The Treasury CEO, who leaves the role mid-year, said "a tonne of work" had already been done on a potential Penfolds demerger and "there will be more work going on. And then obviously we'll update the market at the appropriate time".
People who have lost their job in the Republic but live in Northern Ireland, will not be able to received Irish pandemic unemployment payment supports, the Business Minister has said.

The Department of Social Protection states that the emergency Covid-19 payment of 350 euro (307) per week for workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic is only available to people working and resident in the Republic.

Heather Humphreys has said people who live in the Republic but work in Northern Ireland are deemed to be frontier workers.

Under the legislation that currently exists, if you are laid off south of the border and you live in the north, you have to claim your social welfare in the country in which you live. That is the situation currently. I have asked the department of social protection to look at it and they examined it carefully.

They have not been able to find a way in which they can pay workers who live in Northern Ireland and work south of the border. If you are living in Monaghan and working in Northern Ireland, you will get the full benefit of the Covid-19 payment here. Regardless of what is available in Northern Ireland, you will get the full benefits as an Irish citizen living here.

A new Business Continuity Grant worth 2,500 is available through @Loc_Enterprise for all businesses, across every sector, with up to 50 employees to help them develop short & long term strategies to respond to #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/qy6LLfcIMe  Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) April 8, 2020

Ms Humphreys was joined by Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon to announce a major expansion of support for business affected by Covid-19 in Dublin on Wednesday.

The new support provide one billion euro in liquidity for struggling Irish businesses.

Businesses can adapt and we are here to help.

Enterprise Irelands CEO @JulieSinnamon welcomes the announcement by Government on the introduction of new #Covid19 business supports.



Visit Enterprise Irelands new Covid-19 Business Response Hub to learn more about the available supports: https://t.co/SncJ615csS pic.twitter.com/GMrRc0VTOU  Enterprise Ireland (@Entirl) April 8, 2020

I am announcing a major expansion of liquidity supports for all businesses impacted by Covid-19 to one billion euro. This is the first in a number of extra steps we will be taking to ease the pressure.

Among the measures announced is the extension of support to get businesses trading online, worth 7.6 million euro.

I am also announcing new #COVID19 supports to assist companies planning for the future, including:



Business Financial Planning Grant from @Entirl to the value of 5,000

2,500 COVID19 LEAN Business Improvement Grant from Enterprise Ireland and @IDAIRELAND pic.twitter.com/bLc7RNM4Fk  Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) April 8, 2020

The Working Capital Loan Scheme which provides liquidity to businesses will receive a further 250 million euro bringing the total fund to 450 million euro.

The Future Growth Loan Scheme will receive an additional 200 million euro that will be released in tranches to provide longer-term loans to firms that have been affected by Covid-19.

A 180 million euro Sustaining Enterprise Fund which will help companies in the manufacturing and international services sectors was also announced.
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O ne thing the pandemic has shown us is just how much we took travel for granted.

We thought nothing of booking a last-minute weekend escape to the coast; have come to expect sticky summers on the continent; and we don't so much as bat an eyelid at the prospect of a 13-hour flight to somewhere tropical for winter sun.

That's all changed.

That first trip after lockdown, when it's safe, is going to be special, meticulously planned with every minute savoured. But where to?

We've asked our favourite travel writers, photographers and jetsetters about their post-pandemic plans.

Cliveden House was the setting for the famous Profumo scandal (Cliveden House)

Cliveden House, Berkshire

I think the lockdown will be lifted in stages. Once London opens up, I will be heading straight to The Connaught for a staycation (already booked). I will only be eating gluten-free scones for the duration of my stay there  in my opinion they are the best in London. Then I'll go somewhere in the UK countryside  I love Cliveden House for its amazing walks. Once we can travel internationally, I will be taking a longer trip  I will start in Canada at Nimmo Bay to see whales, bears, dolphins and do some hiking. I will then be taking the Rocky Mountaineer across to Banff before road tripping (hopefully in an electric car if there are enough charging points) down to Jackson Hole to stay at Amangani and finishing at Amangiri's incredible new tented camp in the desert, Sarika.

Serena Guen; founder of Suitcase magazine; suitcasemag.com/

La Plage Casadelmar hotel on the island of Corsica (Holly Rubenstein) / La plage Casadelmar Holly Rubenstein

Corsica, France

When lockdown has felt its most oppressive, Ive found myself daydreaming of returning to the laid-back island of Corsica, off the coast of mainland France. First-timers will marvel at its natural beauty, discovering endless stretches of soft white sand beach, lapped by the clearest turquoise sea, all framed by rugged pine-covered mountains at the islands centre. This is the Caribbean on our doorstep, youll think, marvelling that its only two hours from home as you snorkel its calm coastline, and take shade from the heat beneath tiki umbrellas. And several new flight routes mean that it will soon be more accessible to UK visitors. Ill be returning to the south, flying to Figari, to stay at La Plage Casadelmar, a romantic Design Hotel on a private beach, across the bay from the historic hilltop town of Porto Vecchio and its lively marina. Further down the beach, Plage de Cala Rossa is home to Restaurant Ranch OPlage, where freshly caught piles of shrimp and grilled buttery fish are served al fresco to sophisticated, albeit sandy, diners.

Holly Rubenstein, journalist and host of The Travel Diaries podcast; podcasts.apple.com

Zannier Hotels' Sonop in the heart of the Namib Desert / Sonop

Namibia, Africa

After months of mandatory solitude, an isolated desert might seem like an odd choice to aim for, but I can think of few things more thrilling than barrelling across a blank horizon behind the wheel of a Land Cruiser. The confines of a crowded London has brought my need for nature into focus, and Namibias speciality seems to be widescreen wilderness. As we enter a new era, grappling with sustainable travel, Namibia offers a glimpse of what the future might look like, with a commitment to locally-owned land and high-value, low-impact tourism. Spearheading the change is the Zannier Hotels group, with the newly-opened Sonop on the southern edge of the Namib Desert. A 1920s style camp with its own stables is just the ticket for forgetting what year were in, and as the world reboots, Im hoping Ill find a quiet comfort in the dead trees of Sossusvlei, the haunted shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast and the endlessly shifting sand dunes.

Louis A. W. Sheridan, creative editor at Mr & Mrs Smith; mrandmrssmith.com/

Rugged loveliness in County Galway (Ireland Tourism) / Tourism Ireland

Galway, Ireland

I cant wait to return to my hometown of Galway in the west of Ireland. Primarily, it must be said, to see my family, but the doors will be flung wide open to welcome everybody. This years European Capital of Culture (alongside Rijeka in Croatia), the city was meant to be knee-deep in festivities right about now, so there'll be a surge of revelry when this virus is vanquished. My current quarantine fantasies include a Saturday night supping creamy Guinness at Aras na nGael pubs (free) trad-music sessions, and a Sunday hangover placated by a homely brunch at Kai, an old florist turned into Galways loveliest restaurant. From there Ill follow the sea on a drive along the Wild Atlantic Way to the rugged Aran Islands, and go on to the mountains, lakes and wild, open beauty of rural Connemara, a timelessly beautiful, enduringly tranquil place that always calms me.

John OCeallaigh, luxury travel journalist and consultant; @luxury_travel_editor

La Dolce Vita: Capri's La Fontelina, Italy / Stuart Cantor Photography

Amalfi Coast, Italy

One thing we have come to realise, thanks to COVID-19, is that life is for living and not to be taken for granted. In celebration of this, the polite thing to do, is to make a beeline for the masters of La Dolce Vita and enjoy some of the Amalfi Coasts finest hospitality. Embracing the 'life-is-short' motto, let's start with checking in at the extraordinary Il San Pietro di Positano for the week. With the best position looking back to Positano town, Il San Pietro and its private beach club are the perfect place to reconnect with the sweet life. Followed by a different beach restaurant each day to discover who makes the best Spaghetti Vongole and Aperol Spritzs. Starting with Da Adolfo in Positano, then La Conca del Sogno in Nerano and finishing with La Fontelina in Capri. All topped off with some dancing with the locals at One Fire beach club in Praiano, because life is too short.

Stuart Cantor, travel photographer; stuartcantorphotography.com

Cap Ferret on the west coast of France / Shutterstock

Le Cap Ferret, France

Ill be heading straight to Cap Ferret, an hours drive from Bordeaux on Frances wild west coast  and not to be confused with glitzy Cap Ferrat. Quite simply, its heaven and just the place to soothe any post-Corona anxieties. Like a Gallic Cape Cod or Cornwall, this low-key but chic village is all soft white sand dunes, Atlantic surf, endless oyster shacks and obscenely good-looking Parisians. I usually go once a year with my best friend and her family  and their house is one of my favourite places on earth, where the days each follow a languorous and familiar pattern. Id wake up early with the sun pouring in, and take myself for (depending on the tide) a solo swim on the calm side: the Bassin du Arachon. Fuelled by a breakfast of croissant aux amandes from the market, Id lounge by the courtyard pool, or go for a gentle paddle board. For lunch, wed bicycle (you dont need a car here) to one of the little cabanes for a dozen of the freshest oysters and crisp Bordeaux white. Then more swimming, maybe some surfing or reading and definitely some rose. For dinner, well barbecue some fish or go to Chez Hortense. Its my favourite restaurant in Cap Ferret: open to the stars and a menu defined by its famous moules and chocolate mousse. We have flights booked for July  and Im still clinging onto the hope that we will make it.

Kate Lough, freelance travel writer and consultant; @kateloughtravel

Wild and expansive Iceland / Ed Norton

Iceland

Theres not much travel photography you can do from the confines of your own home, so its safe to say Ive had itchy feet since day one of lockdown. I knew I needed something to look forward to so optimistically booked flights to my all-time favourite country, Iceland. Ive been making yearly trips there for the last decade, so I know that after a few months of being cooped up, its the one place that will help satisfy the wanderlust. For me its the place of ultimate inspiration; giant diamond-shaped icebergs scattered on black volcanic sands, deafening waterfalls and blissful geothermal lagoons are all dotted along the South Coast, and the expansive open spaces mean you have a never-ending, uninterrupted view of the horizon - the perfect antidote to cabin fever. This trip also coincides with the brilliant Iceland Airwaves music festival, so being that all fun is cancelled until further notice, Im really looking forward to shouting skal over a few frosty Fjalars. Also, Braud & Co for their fresh, warm cinnamon buns. Thank me later.

Ed Norton, travel photographer; @ed_norton

Bondi Icebergs Club, Sydney / Unsplash

Sydney and northern Italy

It will be one trip but two destinations, each close to my heart: Australia and northern Italy. I am Aussie by birth, Italian by education and seeing what has happened in both those places in the past six months (the fires and COVID-19) has made me feel my DNA more than I have before. I want to stand at a bar in Torino, Milan, Venice or Trieste and banter over an espresso with a bunch of old Italians and similarly I want to dive into a Rockpool in Sydney and watch all those kids without a care in the world scurry on the beach like little crabs. It is simply bad luck that the two regions I am connected to so deeply have also been so badly affected because regardless of that I know it is my responsibility to travel to places that may suffer a stigma first. So that is my intention.

David Prior, co-founder of Prior; prior.club

Island life in Tasmania / Unsplash

Tasmania, Australia

When all of this is said and done, I think I will be staying local to begin with. My dear Australia has had a bit of a rough trot so far this year, first, with the most horrific bushfire season, and now, COVID-19. As such, I am extremely keen to support and promote local tourism wherever possible. My first stop will be the incredibly magical Whale Song Shack in the tiny rugged beach town of Falmouth on the North-East Coast of Tasmania. I was lucky enough to visit this very off-the-beaten track spot back in November last year at a time when I needed a place to rest and heal, and it did absolute wonders. Ingrid Daniell, the shack's darling owner, is also a renowned Australian artist and a couple of her works are featured throughout. It is an incredibly special place; a simple shack filled with love and warmth, right on the edge of the ocean. When European summer rolls around, I will be jumping on a plane bound for Menorca. I have still never been and I am dying to check out the new Menorca Experimental in Alaior.

Georgia Hopkins, travel writer; @_itsbeautifulhere

Wes Anderson details in New Orleans (Maisen de la Luz) / Maisen de Luz

New Orleans, USA

I have just had to cancel a trip to New Orleans so this sassy American city will be first on my list when normal life resumes. I am incredibly excited to experience the street jazz scene, photograph the colourful architecture of the French Quarter and try some local foodie delicacies - sugary beignets in particular! Maison de la Luz is the hotel I have bookmarked, full of Wes Anderson-esque deco details and an exotic luxury that we will all crave post isolation. On the way back from Louisiana, I am planning to do a stopover in Washington DC where the new Riggs Hotel has found a home. With master mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardanas first international cocktail bar Silver Lyan on site, it promises to be an unmissable destination in the city.

Milly Kenny-Ryder, travel writer; @millykr

Surf's up: Mirissa, Sri Lanka / Unsplash

Sri Lanka

First place Im off to as soon as its safe and responsible to do so is Sri Lanka. I plan to find a homestay near Mirissa Beach on the southern coast, eat fresh fruit for breakfast and surf in the late afternoon at nearby Weligama Bay. A safari trip to Udawalawe National Park Safari is also in order once I could use a break from the sun. For my last few days, I'll also be spending some time in my favourite homestay at The Residence Hakkaduwa and grabbing a spicy crab curry at Bohdi Cafe. Sri Lanka is beautiful, peaceful and the people there are incredibly kind, so it's lovely to know that my spending will be supporting the local economy.

Jack Sheldon, Founder of Jack's Flight Club; jacksflightclub.com

The sun sets on another perfect day in Sicily / Unsplash

The Aeolian Islands

I'll be heading straight to Europe. There are so many beautiful places in Italy and Greece I would like to visit. Since Italy was so hard it I would love to go there and support their tourism industry, especially the Aeolian islands which I have visited but not for a long time. I love the blueberry blue of the water - cool on hot days - fresh fish and wine with lunch, gelato, walking on warm streets worn down with thousands of years of wear.

Emily Nathan, founder of @tinyatlasquarterly; tinyatlasquarterly.com

Boutique hotel Chapel House in Penzance / Chapel House

Cornwall, UK

When the world finds its feet again and we have the luxury of travelling again (oh, how we took it for granted), Cornwall is at the very top of my list. I've never been but we had a week's trip there meticulously planned out for June, but that's looking very unlikely to be going ahead. I'm dying to eat at Hidden Hut, stay at Chapel House, and spend a leisurely week beach-hopping and drinking wine on the sand. I've also been looking wistfully through my camera roll, back at some incredible trips, and Menorca's blissed-out beaches would be a good place to recover from the anxiety of these past few months.

Alice Tate, travel writer; @alice_tate

Aman's ornate hotel in Venice / Aman Venice

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

Venice, Italy

I will never tire of Venice. Its undeniably a feat of human engineering with its maze of canals, bridges and architecture never failing to impress. From the moment you step onto a water taxi and speed through the lagoon, theres a sense of grandeur, excitement and other worldliness. My trip there would retrace the steps of our honeymoon and wed head straight to the Aman Venice, a 16th-Century palace where traditional Venetian opulence meets the very best of modern design. My first day would be spent beating the crowds with a sunrise walk through a deserted St Mark's Square followed by a pit stop at the local Rialto market on the cusp of the Grand Canal. For the ultimate journey home Id take the Belmonds Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in a bid to soak up every last drop off Venetian culture that I can.
1:37pm: The Red Sox announced that they have received cash considerations from the Angels in exchange for Hill.

1:29pm: The Angels announced that they have acquired southpaw Rich Hill from the Red Sox and selected his contract (Twitter link). Michael Kohn has been optioned to Triple-A to create room for Hill on the Major League roster. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish noted earlier today (on Twitter) that Hill had a July 1 opt-out in his minor league deal with Boston.

The 34-year-old Hill, signed by Boston to a minor league deal this offseason, has pitched well in his time with Bostons Triple-A affiliate in 2014. In 39 innings for Pawtucket, Hill has posted a 3.23 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. Hes dominated opposing left-handers, holding them to a .196/.302/.196 batting line, and hes been tough on righties as well. Opposing right-handers are batting just .211/.296/.274 against Hill this year.

Of course, Hill does come with a spotty track record, as he posted a 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings with the Indians last season and has a lengthy injury history. Since a strong showing with the 2007 Cubs, Hill has had difficulty sticking in the Majors as hes battled shoulder and elbow problems, including surgery to repair a torn labrum and Tommy John surgery.
Alexander Martinez stands alone on the 1st Street Bridge as the sun sets behind a deserted downtown Los Angeles on Monday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A new poll of Angelenos reflects the region's unnerving descent into sudden urban desolation as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.

Overwhelming numbers of Los Angeles County residents express deep anxiety about contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and are worried about the financial costs of staying at home, according to the poll by researchers at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs that was released Wednesday.

Overall, 78% of county residents surveyed told researchers they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned that they or a family member might catch the virus, which has infected more than 6,000 in the county and slowed to a crawl economic activity in a region that is home to 10 million people.

Even more, 83%, say they fear the economic impact from those closures, which are expected to continue for weeks.

People view this as an existential crisis, said Zev Yaroslavsky, a retired L.A. County supervisor and onetime L.A. City Councilman who oversaw the poll. They wouldnt be adhering to this protocol of staying cooped up in their homes if they didnt think there was a good reason for it.

The survey also found that county residents have significantly more confidence in the response of local government to the crisis than the federal government.

The results were largely consistent across all demographic groups. "It's overwhelming," Yaroslavsky said.

The poll of 1,500 residents is part of the school's annual quality of life survey, which this year included four questions about the coronavirus. The results appear consistent with what's evident across the county, where residents have largely heeded warnings to stay home and in the city of L.A. to begin wearing protective masks if they must venture out to buy groceries or visit the doctor.

In an era of fragmented media consumption, the virus has seized the attention of most, and it's therefore not surprising that Angelenos are worried about a highly contagious virus that has killed hundreds of their fellow residents, said Kevin Wallsten, a political science professor at Cal State Long Beach.

Story continues

"My guess is you probably have close to universal interest in the news story itself, he said. "Its a story like no other. Its altered the physical landscape of a place like L.A."

There's evidence that the concern among L.A. County residents runs higher than in other parts of the country.

A recent CNN poll, for example, found that 46% of Americans though it was "very" or "somewhat" likely that they might contract the virus, a slightly different take on the question asked by the UCLA poll.

When assessing government response, the UCLA poll found 61% expressing confidence in local public health and government officials, versus only 39% for the federal government.

Wallsten, the political science professor, said public attitudes about the crisis response might also reflect the ideological bent of the county, where President Trump received only 22% of the vote in 2016. It's also possible, he said, that people generally favor local institutions over more abstract and distant ones.

My guess is if you were to ask about any issue youd get roughly the same distribution right now, he said. Trump has become the face of the federal governments response, with these daily press conferences. Thats only enhancing this effect."

Feelings about the handling of the crisis  and, more broadly, the concern about the virus  were consistent across the county's five supervisorial districts, which have varying mean income levels, demographics and ideologies, even for deeply Democratic L.A.

To Yaroslavsky, a veteran of four decades of local politics, the results are remarkable.

"The verdict is in: They have more confidence in their local officials than they do in Washington, and theyre worried," he said. "This level of anxiety translates into fear, and I think thats why people are following the directives, quite religiously."

The poll also showed that older women were more likely to be worried than other demographic groups, with about 62% of those older than age 50 saying they were "very" concerned about contracting the virus, Yaroslavsky said.
THE Kisutu Resident Magistrates Court today convicted JamiiForum co-founder Maxence Mello of obstructing investigations by the police in relation to some details posted in his social media involving OilCom Company.

Principal Resident Magistrate Thomas Simba sentenced him to either pay 3m/- fine or go to jail for one year in default of paying the fine.

The Magistrate took into consideration of evidence given by four prosecution witnesses, who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Magistrate, however, set free Micke William Mushi a co-accused, having the prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence against him.
Holding your grandchild for the first time is a priceless moment.

But during this coronavirus pandemic, that moment could get delayed by months.

Thats the situation facing Bonne Terre resident Jayne Bess. Her miracle grandson, Boston, was born on March 20, and shes only been able to meet him through the window at the house of her son and daughter-in-law (Brad and Bailey Bess).

Out of all the times to be born, it had to be this time, Bess said.

Everyone is healthy. They are just taking the precautions recommended, she said, as he is so tiny and a lot more at risk of catching something.

Its been very, very difficult not being able to hold your grandbaby for the first time, Bess said.

Before the spread of the virus, she had plans to be at the hospital.

What was horrible was I had to stand around and wait at home, Bess said, and then I got pictures when he was born. We were looking so forward to it. We didnt get to do it. I was just so upset.

She also had plans to help her daughter-in-law and son cook, clean and do laundry.

Thats what normal mothers and mothers-in-law normally do and Im not able to do any of that, Bess said. Shes working it out, but its got to be hard on her.

This time has especially been difficult for Bess as she has had to temporarily close her three area Huddle Houses and lay off employees.

I have this time now and I cant even go see him, Bess added.

For now, Bess will continue to snuggle and spend time with her 4-month-old granddaughter, Ellie. She knows shes not the only one who can relate to not being able to see loved ones during time.

Theres a lot of people who are affected by this, in more ways than one, all the way around, Bess said. Losing your job isnt just the only thing.

"Its not being able to go and hold those babies or provide personal care. Not only to the young ones but to the older ones, too. Its very difficult. Weve never seen anything like this before.

Sandra and Glenda Straughn can relate. Their mom and mother-in-law, Dorothy, had a stroke a little more than a month ago and now shes in rehab at Southbrook in Farmington. They go to see her twice a day, through the window.

We just hope she understands how come we are outside the window, said Glenda, who lives outside of Farmington and just sold her bridal business in Leadington. We keep trying to tell her.

Dorothy, 88, had a stroke on February 25 in a small town in Arkansas, where she was staying with Sandra, who is a travelling nurse. She was then airlifted to Little Rock, where she was in the hospital for two and half weeks, and then transferred by ambulance to Southbrook on March 11. That was two days before the facility shut its doors to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That gave her family very little time to help her understand where she was and what had happened to her in the past month, as well as what was happening in the world.

She was not aware that she had had a stroke, said Sandra, who considers Farmington her home base. We kept working with her, telling her like, you understand that we have not abandoned you; that we have not left you.

That little piece of glass makes it that much more difficult.

Even though we can hear her, its still just not quite the same as getting to really convey and get your message across, Glenda said.

The family, including two of Sandras brothers, has been going to see Dorothy twice a day and has taken to communicating with her on a whiteboard outside the window. They ask her yes and no questions, and with the help of the staff, have been working on teaching her the sign language signs for yes and no and I love you.

The whiteboard has really helped, Sandra said. Now we can see her mouthing the words, and if were close enough to the window, we can hear her. Its good with her reading.

They are also able to communicate with her through Facetime and email messages, but shes 88.

Thats just not her thing, Glenda said.

Earlier in her stay, they were able to bring her protein shakes and her favorite foods in puree form.

One day they even brought a picnic to her. They brought chairs and TV trays and brought her the same foods they were eating.

We just keep trying different things, Sandra said.

She hasnt been eating much, so a few days ago, Sandra challenged her through the window, knowing she likes to prove other people wrong.

I just said, I bet you cant eat a bite of that coleslaw, Sandra said. And sure enough, there she was, she took a bite of that coleslaw. Just trying different methods of madness to try to get through to her.

If Dorothy, who has lost movement on her right side, is across the cafeteria and sees someone from the family at the window, she lights up.

Boy, shell raise up that left hand and start smiling and waving, Sandra said. They taught her how to blow kisses with her left hand. Just to see her smile, and obviously, to say I love you or I miss you.

They communicate with her nurses and therapists on the phone and through the glass. The therapists also send video updates to the family to show them Dorothys progress on moving her right arm.

Glenda also plans to use her seamstress skills to make masks for the staff members.

The staff at Southbrook have been amazing, Glenda said, with pushing her up to the window to make sure we can see her and she can see us  They do all they can to make sure you get to visit through the window.

"They encourage it all they can because they know how much they all miss us. We appreciate their concern about us getting to communicate.

And theyre not the only family communicating through the windows. Sandra said they see several families when they are there, including a friend of hers whose mom just turned 98.

They had a nice little birthday party for her with a present and cake, Sandra said. They were able, at that time, to still pass things in to her mom. So that was neat  Its pretty cool to see all the different ways that people are communicating with their loved ones.

A new way to do Facetime, Glenda added. We do it through a window.

The family is making the best of it in this uncertain time, according to Sandra.

We are super blessed that we still have Mom, Sandra said. That shes still here. We just keep reminding ourselves that theres people that have it a lot worse than we do, for sure.

"Were just trying to make the best of what we can out of the situation. Its frustrating, absolutely, but we dont really have any other choice right now.

Nikki Overfelt is a reporter for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at noverfelt@dailyjournalonline.com.

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A casual conversation between friends has spawned an online campaign to provide Winnipegs front-line hospital workers with homemade surgical scrub caps during the COVID-19 crisis.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A casual conversation between friends has spawned an online campaign to provide Winnipegs front-line hospital workers with homemade surgical scrub caps during the COVID-19 crisis.

Click to Expand CARING AMID THE COVID-19 CRISIS Did someone get you groceries during your self-isolation? Did you deliver a meal to a neighbour? Did someone go above and beyond for you during this trying time? Tell us about it. We want to share the uplifting stories happening in our community as we cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Email kindness@freepress.mb.ca

"In light of the pandemic, everyone just feels they want to be as protected as possible, and that means covering up," Jill Bright, a nurse in the adult emergency department at Health Sciences Centre, said this week.

"If we can cover our hair up, we feel a little more protected... We want to ensure that were totally covered."

Bright said operating room staff are typically the only ones provided with surgical scrub caps because they work in a sterile environment.

However, concerns about the novel coronavirus have sparked a strong desire among staff in other areas of the hospital to have their heads covered.

"Its for personal protection," said Bright, who is married, with two stepdaughters. "Theres that desire to feel more protected and to know you are covered up as much as you can so you know youre not bringing anything back to your family."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "If we can cover our hair up, we feel a little more protected... We want to ensure that were totally covered," Jill Bright said.

The online campaign to enlist local sewers to produce cotton caps for nurses and other front-line hospital staff was born after Bright discussed her concerns with close friend Rebecca Chambers, a human ecology teacher at Shaftesbury High School.

"I wanted to sew myself a couple of scrub caps to wear," the ER nurse recalled. "I told (Chambers)... and then I got this message 20 minutes later and she had sewed this scrub cap already, and said, Is this what youre thinking about?

"I wore it on my next shift and people said, Oh, wow! Whats this about?... and everyone jumped on board. It kind of exploded from there... Every day I get messages and people ask, Oh, can I get two or three?"

The response drove Chambers to create a Facebook group to encourage the local sewing community to start creating the garments for nurses and staff in other hospital departments.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE The response drove Rebecca Chambers to create a Facebook group to encourage the local sewing community to start creating the garments for nurses and staff in other hospital departments.

The Facebook group, which was nearing 80 members Tuesday, contains a plea for sewers, detailed instructions on how to make the caps, a print-at-home pattern, and names of pickup/delivery contacts at various city hospitals.

"What we want is people who can sew caps at home for health-care workers," said Chambers, who is isolating at home with her husband and three sons. "If they dont have a person in mind that they want to give the caps to, they can go to the Facebook page to find a drop-off location.

"Theres also a chat function, so if people have a question about sewing or need stuff picked up, they can send a message and someone can help."

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE Rebecca Chambers pattern for washable and reusable caps for nurses at her home work bench.

While the project is barely a week old, the homemade headgear has become an in-demand item at a number of city hospitals. Chambers and Bright noted the project has also gone viral and spread to other Canadian cities, including Kenora, Ont., Penticton, B.C., and Halifax.

"The demand is so big Im sure people are sewing all day long," Bright said. "I pick up 10 from Rebecca every day and hand them out. Theres just so many people sitting at home wanting to contribute and feel theyre being helpful and supporting the front-line workers."

Chambers created patterns for two styles of washable cotton caps: one for short hair, the other for long. The caps are also equipped with buttons on the side to which the elastic ear loops of face masks can be attached.

"We have 300 health-care workers in our department alone  not including doctors  and most people have said theyd be interested in having two or three caps," Bright said. "I feel we can continue to sew these until everyone has a couple. The demand is really high."

SUPPLIED Nurses at HSC wearing their homemade surgical scrub caps.

The reaction from staff receiving the hand-sewn head coverings has been emotional and powerful.

"Its nice to see that we in the hospital can be a little excited about something," Bright said. "Everyone is very anxious about whats going on.

"I received a text message from a colleague. She said: I really cant explain it, but it really brought us together and put smiles on our faces. It brought a little bit of joy when we really need it the most."

Chambers said the caps need to be made from high-quality cotton so they can be washed and reused.

"Pure cotton is best, but quilting cotton and poplin and muslin are fine. The higher the cotton content, the better," Chambers said.

"A lot of people who are sewing are running out of fabric. So we are also accepting donations of suitable fabric, buttons and thread."

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MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jill Bright wearing a handmade surgical scrub cap.

Much to the teachers delight, the simple, handmade caps have become a symbol of how a community can give back to health workers putting themselves at risk.

"Im very happy," she said. "My personal mantra in teaching is to build people up and bring them together. Thats why Im a teacher. It feels great to be making these for the people who are on the front lines of this battle."

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca

Download Pattern for surgical caps
In all, about 58,000 labourers from other states are stranded in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a survey by the Union Territory's labour department.

Shahid Ahmad, 25, is a mason who arrived in Kashmir from Bihar's Supaul in the first week of March. He had managed to work for just five days in Baramulla and earned Rs 2,500, when the Centre announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the novel coronavirus.

For the next two weeks, Shahid was stuck at a rented accommodation along with his co-workers in the Sopore area of Baramulla district.

Four days ago, about 300 migrant labourers, including Shahid, were picked up by the administration from rented accommodations and lodged at Sopore Degree College.

A distraught Shahid said, The administration has not made good arrangements for us. Over 20 labourers have been put up in one shabby and unhygienic room. We have no way to maintain a distance between each other."

He said that his family in Supaul has run out of stocks of essential commodities and is running out of money as well.

Shahid further said, I don't have a single penny in my pocket. We dont have money even to buy medicines. My father and mother are worried about me. Rather than coronavirus, we might die of hunger."

He said the district administration provided him 5 kilograms of rice and a packet of milk. However, he remarked, "What will we do with rice, when there is no oil, vegetables or spices?"

Shahid has been working in Kashmir for the past three years. Last year, he had to leave suddenly in August, just before the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said, "This year, migrant workers had begun to arrive in Kashmir in March, as it was the beginning of the working season. The government should have given labourers three days to reach their homes before announcing the lockdown."

Follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak here

Another migrant labourer from Supaul is Mohammad Hanif, who arrived Kashmir on 3 March. Hanif, a mason, says that almost all the money that he earned after working for a week has ended.

I have Rs 60 left in my pocket. Nobody is concerned about us. Over 30 labourers are put in one room, and so, we fear that might catch the infection."

Hanif has been working in Kashmir for the past 11 years. Our families are concerned about us. They want us to come home immediately, but we are stuck here, he said.

Satish Kumar, a barber who hails from Uttar Pradesh, also faces a similar predicament. He is presently lodged in a government building in Anantnag in south Kashmir.

Kumar, who has been working in Kashmir for the last eight years, said, "Our families are worried about our safety. I have seen the lockdowns of 2010 and 2016, but this time, it is scary. We are even not able to make a video call to our families due to the low internet speed. We want to leave for our homes as soon as possible. We want to survive to see the faces of our family members."

He said some locals helped them and provided food. But everyone is running for safety. If anyone gets infected, he or she can disseminate the infection to others. Labourers like myself are prone to infections as we can't always sanitise ourselves adequately. How can we avoid spreading the virus when we are not able to maintain any distance?, he asked.

Most barbers in Kashmir are non-locals, as societal pressure has forced many locals to give up this trade.

Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Jharkhand, is stuck along with 20 more labourers in Srinagar's Soura area.

We are penniless. Locals are taking care of our food. But how long will we be dependent on them? Amid this crisis, everyone wants to be with their families, he said.

In all, about 58,000 labourers from other states are stranded in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a survey by the Union Territory's labour department. Out of these, about 20,000 are in Kashmir. Most of them are running out of money and food, and are desperate to return to their native places.

According to an official in the labour department, almost four lakh labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and West Bengal come to Kashmir every year to make a living. They work at construction sites, restaurants, hair cutting saloons, farms, roadside shops, etc.

More than 400 migrant labourers have been lodged in a government building at Lassipora in south Kashmir's Pulwama.

Locals, along with NGOs, have been arranging meals in several areas for migrant labourers. One of them, Omar Ahmad, said, "When all work has stopped and migrant labourers have not earned a single penny, it is our responsibility to take care of them."

Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir Pandurang K Pole said that the administration has set up a helpline where migrant labourers can call for any help.

He added, District development commissioners have been told to ensure that all people, including migrant labourers, face minimum inconvenience during this crisis. We will look into why so many labourers are lodged in one room, and will also ensure that they are provided proper food and shelter."
Rio Ferdinand believed Manchester United had lost the 2008 Champions League final to Chelsea when John Terry walked up to take the match-winning penalty.

After the two teams could not be separated in both normal and extra-time, Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty in the shootout gave Terry the opportunity to win a first-ever Champions League title for the Blues.

The Blues defender slipped as he ran up and his strike hit the post to level the shootout, before Edwin van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's spot-kick to give United the precious victory.

Rio Ferdinand (third left) thought Chelsea were going to win the 2008 Champions League final

Ferdinand felt John Terry was going to score the winning penalty - but the Chelsea man slipped

Talking to BT Sport about his emotions when Terry was lining his penalty up, Ferdinand said: 'I thought it should have gone in. I've watched John take penalties before in training for England over many years and he never missed.

'I thought "that's it". So I was doubly surprised to see him miss it. I'm probably thankful for the rain on the night.'

Ferdinand also said he was relieved that the penalty shootout was won on Anelka's miss - as he was next in line to take a penalty.

The formed United man revealed that he desperately didn't want to take the spot-kick due to the pressure and nerves going through his body.

Ferdinand was talking to BT Sport about his memories of that thrilling night in Moscow

Ferdinand (middle) said that Terry (right) regularly scored penalties during England training

When Anelka was taking his penalty, I was thinking, "if he scores this penalty then I'm next. So please Edwin, please save me from the terrors of taking a penalty at this level." I didn't want it.'

The thrilling victory in Moscow was United's second Champions League final triumph, with the first coming in 1999 through a comeback victory over Bayern Munich.

However, United were beaten 2-0 by Barcelona in the following season's Champions League Final, before facing another defeat to Pep Guardiola's team on the same stage in 2011.

Chelsea, meanwhile, had to wait until 2012 to finally win their first Champions League title, thanks to a penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

Ferdinand was grateful that Edwin van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's penalty to win the final
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:12:16|Editor: huaxia

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HARBIN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province reported 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases from overseas Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.

All the new confirmed cases were Chinese nationals returning from Russia, including four previously asymptomatic patients.

One imported COVID-19 case was discharged from hospital Tuesday after making a proper recovery, the commission said.

By midnight Tuesday, the province had reported a total of 87 imported confirmed COVID-19 cases. It has traced 1,015 close contacts, with 687 still under medical observation.

Meanwhile, Heilongjiang reported an increase of 86 imported asymptomatic patients from Russia on Tuesday, all of them Chinese nationals. By midnight Tuesday, the province had a total of 144 imported asymptomatic patients.
As the coronavirus-triggered



lockdown is under way, a humble Maruti 800 car chugs along the warren of forlorn streets of South Kolkata with a sticker pasted on its windshield--'Emergency Medicine Supply'.

It is not a typical medicine supply vehicle but a private car belonging to Anupam Sen, a 1981 batch pass out of a city school who, along with some other alumni of the institution, are busy delivering medicines and grocery to their former teachers, some in their late 70s and 80s.

For their first phase of delivery, the 40-member ex- students' group of South Point School -- 'Pointers Who Care' -- had a list of 15 former teachers, which included 89-year- old Dipali Sinha Roy, a widow living alone near Charu Market whose both daughters are settled in Europe.

"I was running out of medicines, and to my surprise, I got a call from them on March 24. They took the list of my monthly requirement of medicines and groceries," Roy, who taught Bengali language at the school, told PTI. She is hypertensive and suffers from heart ailment.

"On March 28 morning, they came and delivered everything. At a time when my children are far away and cannot come to me in such a crisis, they are my saviours," says Roy, her weak voice overflowing with gratitude.

Roy said they not only deliver medicines but take her to doctors, and are just a call away.

For former English teacher Anindita Sen of Jodhpur Park and her husband the lockdown brought worries galore.

Anindita has high sugar levels and blood pressure, and her husband suffers from Parkinson's disease. They cannot survive without their daily doze of medicine.

"Usually, the local medical shop delivers medicines to our home. But this time they even stopped taking our phone calls. My former students came to our rescue," she said.

"Shotti gurudakshina. Anek ashirvad korlam. Paramatma tomader mangol korun (It's an act of Guru Dakshina, God bless them)," says Keka Mukherjee, the daughter of Praneeta Banerjee, another former teacher at the school.

As pestilence rampaged through many countries, the 'Pointers Who Care' anticipated trouble at home, and when it finally came, they hit the ground running.

The group, the brainchild of Nivedita Roy Burman, a 1978 batch pass out who now teaches Geography at Shri Shikshayatan College, was formed 13 years ago initially to lend emotional support to their retired teachers living a lonely life away from their children, many of whom had settled abroad.

Starting off with a handful of alumni, the group, which got registered under the Societies Act in 2009, now has 40 volunteers taking care of 228 former teachers.

They have divided the teachers by their localities and each volunteer is in-charge of 8-10 of them.

So, when the coronavirus struck, the members with a robust network of doctors and pharmacists got active on their WhatsApp group.

"Life-saving medicines and groceries were the priority. We divided our work. Some volunteers were only engaged in calling up the teachers and taking the list. Others consolidated the list and procured the items.

"I was in charge of delivery with Rajib Sarkar and Nivedita Roy Burman," the Pointer's group secretary Anupam Sarkar said, explaining their modus operandi.

After the formation of the group in 2007, they got in touch with other alumni, many of whom are well-settled doctors in and around Kolkata, and built up a strong network.

"We found that we have specialists in almost all departments. And they were also happy to get in touch with their ex-teachers and happy to offer free treatment in an act of paying back."



In 2014, their former teacher Prithwish Kar had a medical emergency and needed hospitalisation for six weeks. The group came to his rescue, pooling in Rs 8 lakh from school alumni.

"His medical bill was settled and what was left was enough to take care of his daily medicine requirements," Sen said, wistfully remembering his former teacher, who died in 2017.

The group meets twice a year with their former teachers and inquires about their health and well-being.

Now, this benevolence is not limited to the former teachers of South Point School.

These good samaritans are lending a helping hand to others in need.

They recently reached out to a wheelchair-bound relative of a Michigan University professor in distress.

"Dr Mausumi Banerjee, who is a professor of biostatistics, got to know about our initiative through Facebook and requested for help for her wheelchair-bound relative. We were there at their doorsteps," said Sen.

He and four other volunteers of the organisation were honoured by the West Bengal government.

Growing every day, the group hopes their volunteer base will become stronger in the coming days.

"We don't have many volunteers in north Kolkata and hopefully we will get some dedicated people who are touched by the initiative," Sen added, before bidding a goodbye and rushing to one of the former teachers in his autumn years with a bagful of supplies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A carjacker is on the run after stealing a pregnant woman's car while her three-year-old son was still inside.

The mother, 31, was parked at the corner of Brightview Road and Grove Street in Glenore Grove, west of Brisbane, at 6am on Tuesday when the incident happened.

She had been inside the general store when the man climbed into her white 2008 Hyundai i30 and began to drive away.

The mother, 31, was parked at the corner of Brightview Road and Grove Street in Glenore Grove, Queensland, at 6am on Tuesday when the incident happened

She had been inside the general store when the man climbed into her white 2008 Hyundai i30 and began to drive away

The woman managed to run to the car to pry open the front seat, yelling that her child was still inside the car.

The man drove a short distance before stopping to remove the child. He then fled the scene in the car.

He was last seen driving east on Brightview Road.

The woman suffered minor injuries, while the toddler was not harmed.

Police have released a picture of a man they believe can help with their inquiries.

He is described as white, about 170cm tall, of a slim build, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Detectives from Gatton Criminal Investigation Branch are asking anyone with dash cam vision or information about the incident to contact them.
Hyderabad: An elderly person in Hyderabad who was taken into quarantine for travelling to Delhi and stayed there recently accused the state police of harassing him for the same.

Mohammed Moinuddin said he visited Delhi to meet his lawyer, practicing in the Supreme Court, in connection with a legal matter.

Upon his return from Delhi on March 18, he received phone calls from police personnel seeking information about his Delhi visit.

On April 4, a policeman came to his house with an ambulance and requested him to undergo a Covid-19 test and assured him that he would be allowed to return home later.

They took him to Sarojini Devi eye hospital, took the test and kept him in quarantine there.

He said he and other inmates of quarantine havent been informed about the results so far.

Moinuddin said he is not able to understand why he and others were kept here without intimating them about their health conditions.

We are being projected as suspect cases, while I did not attend the Tablighi Jamaat ijtema nor did I meet any person who attended the ijtema. If I was being quarantined just because I visited Delhi and am a Muslim, then it will increase the suspect toll and will create panic among the common people, he said.
NAPA (BCN)

Napa Valley College is among California community colleges around the state to donate ventilators to hospitals during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, a school spokeswoman said.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services picked up eight ventilators from Napa Valley College and six from Modesto Junior College Tuesday, Napa Valley College spokeswoman Holly Dawson said.

Napa Valley College was the pickup site for the two community colleges, and it is among 18 in California that have respiratory care and other programs that use ventilators, Dawson said.

Among the college's five Health Occupation programs is a four-semester associate degree program in nursing with 72 current students and an associate degree program in respiratory care for registered respiratory therapists with 49 students. Some of the students in the five programs were already working in health care facilities before the pandemic, Dawson said.

"Napa Valley College is dedicated to ensuring that we do everything possible to help our community during this crisis, including continuing to educate future health care professionals," Napa Valley College superintendent and president Dr. Ron Kraft said.

"We are grateful to be able to play a part in fighting this pandemic, along with our colleagues in the California Community College system by providing equipment that can help save lives," Kraft said.

Robert Harris, senior dean of the Health & Safety Programs said, "We are proud to be able to do our part to assist in any way we can."

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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Its been two weeks since Finance Minister Bill Morneau told Canadas battered energy sector that targeted aid was coming in hours, potentially days.

Rank and file oil and gas workers, C-suite executives, and scores of Canadians employed by businesses that rely on a functioning energy industry are anxious to hear Ottawas plan to help mitigate record-low oil prices and COVID-19s crushing grip on demand. Patience is wearing thin.

On Tuesday, at the annual Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) conference, itself a casualty of the pandemic having been reduced to a webcast, Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage described energy firms in very, very dire condition. She criticized Ottawa for taking too long to respond to the sectors concerns. Open letters recently signed by Canadas largest oil companies and smaller drilling and service firms share her urgency.

A spokesperson for Morneaus office confirmed on Tuesday that no timeline is in place, and said work is ongoing with provinces and stakeholders to provide credit measures for the industry and support for workers. Savage said the federal aid package could also include measures to hasten the cleanup of abandoned wells.

The finance ministry estimates Ottawas current package to protect the economy from the impact of COVID-19 will cost more than $250 billion. Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights, said the government has clearly fast-tracked policies that apply to the broadest swaths of workers and the economy.

I do think that we will see some targeted support, but the federal governments preference is very much for ways to support a range of linked industries. I think that means that those in the oil patch are not going to see it as sufficient, she said.

Ziemba questions whether Ottawa may attach requirements to liquidity financing, such as maintaining a certain level of staff.

The federal government also has a broader dilemma that it has had from day one, which is how much they care about the green agenda and renewable energy, and the oil and gas sector. Both of which are important to Canada, she said. That continues to complicate the response.

Story continues

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday that Canada is in talks with OPEC about cooperation to address the dire state of global oil markets. Savage said she will call into an "OPEC-plus-plus" meeting on Thursday that could include discussion of broadening production quotas beyond OPEC and Russia to include the United States, the world's largest producer, and Canada.

Ziemba said Canada needs to prepare its own supports for the energy sector, even if it plans to participate in a new type of production quota agreement with international partners.

Despite the fact that we might see global measures, no matter what is done, this is going to be a year of a lot of pain for a lot of the fossil fuel industry, she said.

Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Purpose Investments, manages the Toronto-based firms Global Resource Fund. He applauds the Alberta governments recent investment and loan guarantee for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Premier Jason Kenney has touted the move as a way to rescue the future of the energy industry and power the country out of the COVID economic crash. In a televised address on Tuesday, he warned that negative prices for Alberta oil, a $20 billion provincial deficit this year, and 25 per cent unemployment rate are on the table for his province.

The biggest thing would be getting pipeline capacity up. What the Alberta government did by backstopping Keystone XL, I think was a massive step. It would be nice to see the federal government step in to do that or figure out some way to support that, Taylor said. It's probably unlikely.

Taylor is awaiting the outcome of Canadas participation in the upcoming OPEC+ talks. He said a North America-wide energy policy to oversee supply could be one positive outcome on the horizon. For now, he is critical of the timing of the Trudeau Liberals promised energy support.

I think its embarrassing. At the end of the day, it really shows that the federal government is really not doing anything to help the West and the energy sector, he said. This isn't really a good thing in times of crisis. You want to overreact versus underreact.

CAPP president and CEO Tim McMillan estimates Canadian energy companies slashed between $6 billion and $8 billion in planned capital spending in the last three weeks.

This is a time when the energy sector is uniquely damaged by the actions of others as well as the pandemic itself, he said, referring to the Saudi-Russian price war that has intensified COVID-19s downward pressure on oil.

McMillan hopes Ottawa will eventually respond with a suite of measures aimed at improving short-term liquidity, protecting jobs and ensuring natural gas and heating fuel flows smoothly to customers.

We are going to continue to engage with the federal ministers and government to try and ensure that it is effective and timely, he said. There is frustration on the timing right now.

With files from The Canadian Press

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.
US forces preparing to withdraw from base west of Baghdad

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 10:34 AM

The US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh terror group in Iraq is reportedly preparing to evacuate troops from a military base in the city of Abu Gharib, west of the capital Baghdad.

Iraqi media outlets reported on Tuesday that the US-led coalition had decided to hand over the base in Abu Gharib to the Iraqi forces in the coming hours.

According to the reports, Abu Gharib base would be the sixth base to have returned to the Iraqi army in the recent weeks.

The Iraqis believe the recent withdrawal of US forces from a number of military bases is "a military tactic," amid reports that Washington is drawing up plans to target commanders of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi.

In late March, the PMU blew the lid off a plot by the US military to carry out massive aerial operations  backed by ground troops  against bases of the elite anti-terror force, which is currently busy helping the government in the fight against a new coronavirus pandemic.

Days later, US media also reported that the Pentagon has ordered military commanders to plan for an escalation of American operations in Iraq.

Iraq's anti-terror resistance groups say they stand fully ready to counter any possible attack by US occupation forces, saying that they are also on high alert for any false-flag US operation.

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Markets regulator Sebi has eased rules for offshore funds seeking to get registered under the properly regulated foreign portfolio investor (FPI) category.

At present, funds from jurisdictions that are Financial Action Task Force(FATF) complaint were permitted to get a licence under properly regulated category orCategory I.

FATF is an inter-governmental policy making body that sets anti-money laundering standards.

AmendingFPI regulations, Sebi said thefunds coming from those nations which are non-FATF complaint can also obtain FPI licence in case central government allows.

Now Category I FPI will include entities from the FATF member countriesor from any country specified by the central government by an order or by way of an agreement or treaty with other sovereign governments which are properly regulated, Sebi said in a notification issued on Tuesday.

The new norms have become effectivefrom Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) added.

Earlier in February,Sebi had said foreign investors from Mauritius will continue to be eligible for FPI registration with increased monitoring as per international norms.

The announcement came after the tax haven was put on the 'grey list' of FATF.

For several years, there have been apprehensions about Mauritius being a money laundering route for FPIs due to its limited regulatory oversight. But, the Indian Ocean island nation has been taking several steps in recent years to address the concerns.

FPIs have been classified into two categories ,earlier they were divided into three.

The government and government-related investors such as central banks, sovereign wealth funds, international or multilateral organizations or agencies including entities controlled or at least 75 per cent directly or indirectly owned by such government and government related investor; pension and university funds would fall under the Category-I FPIs.

Besides, appropriately regulated entities such as insurance or reinsurance entities, banks, asset management companies, investment managers, investment advisors, portfolio managers, broker dealers and swap dealers come under the Category-I.

Category II FPIs include all the investors not eligible under Category I such as endowments and foundations; charitable organisations; corporate bodies; family offices; individuals; appropriately regulated entities investing on behalf of their client; and unregulated funds in the form of limited partnership and trusts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Kingdom considers Russias decision on spring conscription in the occupied Crimea a shameless violation of international law and calls on the Kremlin to stop it immediately.

Russias plans to conscript and illegally transfer 3,300 young Crimeans across an international border to Russia violates international law shamelessly. The UK calls on Russia to end its continued human rights abuses on Ukrainian territory immediately, the UKs Embassy in Ukraine posted on Twitter.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed its resolute protest over yet another conscription to military service by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine - in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

According to the Ministrys data, this spring it is planned to send almost 3,300 people for military service from the territory of the Crimean Peninsula. Majority of them are expected to serve beyond the Crimean Peninsula, in particular in the Southern Military District, whose military units and command are directly involved in carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine in Donbas.

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Humboldt County, for two days this week, held the distinction of having the most coronavirus cases per capita of any county in Nevada.

It started with one case on March 27. Then, two more the next day. Now, a week and a half later, there are 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the remote, rural county, home to fewer than 17,000 residents.

Its still a fraction of the nearly 1,900 cases reported in populous Clark County, where roughly three-quarters of the states 3 million residents live. And Clark, which reported 144 new cases of the novel coronavirus Wednesday morning, once again leads the state in confirmed cases per capita, at 8.4 per 10,000 residents, with Humboldt a close second, at 8.3 per 10,000.

It makes some sense that Clark County, which is visited by 40 million people a year, would have a high number of cases per capita. More visitors means more possible exposure to the virus. But how did Humboldt, a sparsely populated county in the middle of the state, between Reno and Elko, get here? And what does it portend for potential case spikes in the rest of rural Nevada?

Multiple people familiar with the situation in Humboldt told The Nevada Independent the cases have been clustered within a family that held a large gathering that exposed many individuals to the novel coronavirus. Dr. Charles Stringham, the countys health officer, said only that the virus was introduced by a visitor and that the original cases had very close connections with each other.

But that has the potential to change, Stringham said.

As of Tuesday morning, 146 people in Humboldt County had been tested for the virus with five results pending. Of the 14 positive cases, four were initially hospitalized, though one has since been released. Two of the three still hospitalized are intubated and on ventilators in Reno. The third is being cared for at Humboldt General Hospital in Winnemucca. The rest of the cases are self-isolating at home.

Humboldt General Hospital, one of the more well-equipped rural hospitals, has three ICU beds and three ventilators available to treat patients. But Stringham said the policy so far has been to transfer all patients who are intubated and on a ventilator to Reno for treatment.

If we were to have a tremendous amount of people come in to be ventilated on the same day, it could be dangerous, Stringham said. If the ventilators and the number of cases in Reno allows, our preference would be to continue to transfer them.

Local officials acknowledge the countys high per capita rate of cases, but they arent yet seeing widespread transmission through the community because the cases have so far been clustered.

We dont have people going to Walmart and getting sick. We dont have people going grocery shopping and getting sick, said Captain Sean Wilkin, who helms the countys emergency management efforts through the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office. That has worked to the advantage of our community.

But the cases do underscore a message local officials are trying to drive home to residents: Stay at home, wash your hands, disinfect frequently touched surfaces often, do not attend large gatherings, and, if you must go out in public, stay as far away from people as you possibly can.

In the end, the most important thing for anyone to focus on in this pandemic is our behavior. No matter what the number of cases is, the behavior modification needs to be the same. The things we need to be doing are exactly the same, Stringham said. The problem is not combating the virus. Its combating human behavior. Its combating the fact that people are busy and dont have the attention to be able to spend on something they dont see as important.

Despite the number of confirmed cases in Humboldt County, Stringham said there still are many residents who arent taking the virus seriously enough.

Were still seeing people congregating, Stringham said. People can recite the words that were telling them, but its not actually translating to people doing the right things.

An additional complication in Humboldt, Stringham said, has been educating residents that their family members, friends, coworkers and neighbors are all potential sources of exposure to the virus. Someone in Las Vegas might go to the grocery store and exercise more caution because the store is filled with strangers; in Winnemucca, strangers are few and far between.

In a small town where everybody knows everybody, the problem is when the virus comes to you, it will come in the form of a person who doesnt look the way you expect them to, Stringham said. Thats one of the reasons its been so difficult to combat this virus because every one of us knows almost every one of us in town. Some of my very best friends in all of life are in Winnemucca. Its hard to push those people away, but a person standing close to anyone else is a threat.

To that end, Stringham has coordinated a volunteer health educator team, composed of off-duty EMS employees and others with health-related day jobs. The group, which had its first meeting on Tuesday, will focus on reaching out to local businesses deemed to have significant risk of unintentionally spreading the virus and other community education efforts, Stringham said.

But one of the benefits of being a small town is that many of those relationships already exist. For instance, County Manager Dave Mendiola said he tried to go to a hardware store in town over the weekend but left because it was too crowded. He later followed up with the owner personally about it.

I said, Hey, I just wanted to let you know this happened to me. I went somewhere else. I always do business with you, but I cant until you put something in place that guarantees that I have safety, and the safety of other people too. The owner said, Youre right. We need to look a little bit closer, Mendiola said. People know people and if you have somebody thats in town and theyre very concerned about it, theyre going to say something to each other and theyre going to take it in a friendly way.

Local officials also have been in communication with the mines about their safety plans. Stringham said that while he was initially very worried about possible transmission of the virus aboard the buses that carry workers to the mines, the buses have been reconfigured so that they are quite safe.

Right now, Humoboldt has enough capacity to treat the current cases of the virus, but county officials recently set up an auxiliary hospital with space to care for 90 patients at the Winnemucca Events Complex. That facility is expected to take in patients who require hospitalization and isolation but are not sick enough to require care at the actual hospital.

Wilkin said that if the county is short on medical personnel to staff the facility, it can put out a request for outside medical staff, the Nevada National Guard or other state agencies to step in and help.

Were in a good position here to take care of our community, Wilkin said. The off-site hospital gives us the ability to probably take care of far more patients than we would see.

Mendiola noted that small town relationships also helped to quickly prepare that facility.

Were all friends, and theyll pull out the stops, whatever they need to do, he said. We dont have to come up with an MOU. Lets just do it.

Relationships dont stop at county lines, either. Humboldt County is in the process of joining Elko Countys coronavirus hotline, which also serves Lander and Eureka counties.

Weve got our counties all working together, so were not having to reinvent the wheel on our own, Mendiola said. We talk with each other all the time, what are you doing, what are you doing.

Community members are also stepping up to do their part. An unofficial group known as Mucca Mask Makers has come together to make about 700 masks for the community in a week. It started out with a simple Facebook message from Leanne Robertson, now the groups lead volunteer coordinator, asking if anyone at the hospital needed masks. Now, 20 to 30 people are actively sewing masks.

Two women have volunteered just to focus on making bias tape for the masks. One man has volunteered to laser cut fabric. The quilt shop in town received an anonymous donation to supply fabric for the masks. The other volunteers are just sewing as many as they possibly can, between work and their own personal commitments.

I have people from every walk of life imaginable. Some of them are out of work right now, so theyre using their time to help the community by sewing, Robertson said. Im just amazed at our community and how much theyve been willing to help.

Robertson said that she has a running list of people on Facebook who have requested masks and offers curbside-style pickup of them out of her truck in a parking lot in town.

As far as the 14 cases, Robertson said she thinks people have felt more comfortable because the cases have been clustered, though she noted that there has been some concern among residents that some of the family members went around town after the gathering. But she said she does see more people, particularly older individuals, taking more precautions, such as wearing face masks.

Me, personally, I feel like unless you live on another planet, youre probably going to end up coming in contact with it. Its on money, its on everything we touch, and everything we do, Robertson said. I do feel like were going to be a little more protected, sheltered from it, because we are isolated geographically. But we have it here. Its not like we dont.
A man wearing a protective mask walks towards a bus that will take him to a quarantine facility, amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi. (Image: Reuters)

Training his guns at the Centre over the Tablighi Jamaat's congregation held in Delhi last month, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on April 8 questioned why the Union Home Ministry should not be held responsible for the spread of coronavirus from the religious meeting.

Deshmukh also alleged that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Jamaat leader Maulana Saad at 2 am during the period when the congregation was held. He wondered the nature of the "secret" dialogue held between the two.

Deshmukh also asked who sent Doval to meet Saad in the late night.

"Whether it was the NSA's job or that of the Delhi Police Commissioner to reach out to the Jamaat members?" he asked.

The senior NCP leader raised eight questions while accusing the Central government of giving the Jamaat the permission to hold the prayer meeting, and charged it with having relations with the community.

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

He said despite the Nizamuddin police station located near Markaz, yet the congregation was not stopped (in view of the COVID-19 threat).

"Why did the Union Home Ministry give permission for organising the Tablighi Jamaat's Ijtema at Nizamuddin in Delhi?" Deshmukh asked.

"Isn't the Union Home Ministry responsible for the gathering on such a scale at the Markaz and subsequent spread of coronavirus to all other states?" he questionned.

The religious congregation held at the Nizamuddin Markaz had emerged as a prime catalyst for the spread of coronavirus infection across the country.

"Who sent NSA Doval to Markaz at 2 am and why? Is this the job of NSA or Delhi Police Commissioner?" Deshmukh asked and wondered about the "secret dialogue" the NSA had with Maulana Saad.

He also sought to know why Doval and Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava have not spoken on the issue.

"Where did Maulana Saad abscond the next day after meeting Doval? Where is he (Maulana) now? Who is related to them (Jamaat members)?" Deshmukh asked.

Charging the Centre with having relation with Tablighis, Deshmukh asked who will answer the questions he has raised.

Notably, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on April 6 asked who gave permission for the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, which has emerged as one of the major Covid-19 hotspots in the country.




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Lindy Klim has revealed she is struggling to home school her teenage children during the coronavirus lockdown.

Sharing a selfie to Instagram on Tuesday, the 43-year-old mother-of-four said: 'This is me trying to home school teenagers, who know more than I do!'

In the photo, which appears to have been taken at their Balinese bungalow, Lindy supervises her daughter Stella, 13, and son Rocco 11.

Scroll down for video

Help! Lindy Klim has revealed she is struggling to home school her teenage children during the coronavirus lockdown. Pictured with her son Rocco and daughters Stella and Goldie

'Who else is struggling with this?' she asked her followers, before a slew of fans agreed with her.

In another post to her Instagram Story, Lindy shared footage of her daughters, Frankie, eight, and Goldie, two, relaxing while she exercised.

'Yeah, leaves me to do all of her PE, that sounds about right,' she said

Relatable: 'Who else is struggling with this?' Lindy asked her followers on Tuesday

Lindy shares her youngest daughter, Goldie, with her second husband, British property developer Adam Ellis.

She shares her older three children with her first husband, retired Olympic swimmer Michael Klim, whom she separated from in 2016.

She calls Indonesia home, but divides her time between Melbourne and Bali.

According to Lindy, Bali is the perfect place for her children to grow up because they are free from any bullying at school.

Blended family: Lindy shares her youngest daughter, Goldie, with her second husband, British property developer Adam Ellis. She shares her older three children with her first husband, retired Olympic swimmer Michael Klim, whom she separated from in 2016. Pictured left to right: Rocco, Michael, Goldie, Frankie, Adam and Stella

She revealed in 2018 that her kids were bullied for being Asian when they attended private school in Melbourne.

She told 9Honey: 'Before, when they went to school in Australia, they were the only half-Asian kids in the school.

'My kids were in a private school in Melbourne and they were being teased for being Asian.'
People living with HIV/AIDS are at increased risk of depressive disorders. But all too often, these conditions go unrecognized or untreated, suggests a literature review in the May/June issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Proper diagnosis and management are essential to reduce negative health effects of depression in patients with HIV/AIDS, according to the report by Gustavo C. Medeiros, MD, of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and colleagues. Based on an analysis of 125 research publications, "We provide evidence-based recommendations to improve assessment and management of depressive disorders in seropositive persons," the researchers write.

Diagnosis and treatment of depression in patients with HIV/AIDS

People with HIV/AIDS are at higher risk of depression than the general population - including a two- to four-fold increase in the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). Depressive disorders are linked to negative health outcomes including poorer compliance with antiretroviral therapy, lower immune function (CD4 cell count), and a higher mortality rate. Dr. Medeiros and colleagues seek to provide an "updated, practical, and global overview" of depression in HIV/AIDS, focusing on:

Assessment and diagnosis. "Depressive disorders are vastly underdiagnosed in HIV/AIDS," according to the authors. Patient assessment is complex due to the overlap between depression and HIV/AIDS symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, and reduced appetite. Making the correct diagnosis is essential for providing the appropriate treatment.

In addition to MDD, depressive symptoms in patients with HIV/AIDS may be due to other medical conditions, medications or addictive substances, adjustment disorder, or other psychiatric disorders. Other contributing factors may include direct brain damage caused by HIV, as well as psychosocial factors such as chronic stress, HIV-related stigma, and social isolation.

Treatment. Many if not most patients with HIV/AIDS do not receive recommended treatment for depression. One study reported that only seven percent of HIV-positive patients with MDD had access to adequate treatment. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-choice medications; other antidepressants may be used but require close monitoring for side effects and drug interactions. Other helpful treatments include individual or group psychotherapy. It's also essential to ensure proper management of HIV/AIDS and related medical conditions.

Special challenges. Studies have found that persons with HIV/AIDS have low adherence to recommended treatment for depression - possibly related to HIV-related stigma and feelings of shame. The combination of depression and HIV/AIDS is strongly linked to suicide, with rates eight to ten times higher than in the general population. Depression also poses special challenges in adolescents and older adults with HIV/AIDS.

The article includes detailed information on the differential diagnosis of MDD and other forms of depression, key points related to the use of antidepressant medications, and 'clinical pearls' in managing depressive disorders in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Evidence-based recommendations are available for improving the assessment and management of depression in seropositive persons, and they should be implemented in real-life practice to improve outcomes." Dr. Gustavo C. Medeiros and colleagues
On Wednesday morning, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders announced he was suspending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The final numbers from Tuesday's primary election in Wisconsin won't be in for another week, but former vice president Joe Biden was leading Sanders in the delegate count, 1,217 to 924, before the first vote was cast in Wisconsin.

"The path to victory is virtually impossible," Sanders said in a livestream on Wednesday, "while we are winning the ideological battle." Many of the ideas and policies Sanders put forward during his first presidential run in 2016, when he made an unexpectedly strong showing against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton, have moved into the political mainstream. Medicare for All, in particular, as proven so popular that Sanders's primary opponents attempted to co-opt the idea, with South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg proposing a watered down version called "Medicare for All Who Want It." With coronavirus ravaging the United States, Sanders said healthcare is a human right, not an employee benefit.

Sanders won the popular vote in the first three state races of the primary, including an overwhelming and decisive victory among Latino voters in Nevada. Despite a winning streak that gave him a clear front-runner status, pundits and media figures consistently portrayed Sanders as unelectable. Sanders's fortune turned with the South Carolina primary, where Joe Biden won his first ever primary race in three campaigns over the course of his career. Biden was expected to win, but a last-minute endorsement by prominent Democratic congressman James Clyburn provided an extra boost, and he beat Sanders by 48.7 to 19.8 percent.

After that, centrist candidates Buttigieg and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race to endorse Biden. And Biden went on to win nine out of 14 states on Super Tuesday, including states like Oklahoma and Minnesota where Sanders won in 2016.

Story continues

In recent weeks, Sanders has turned his campaign toward coronavirus relief, centering affected workers and asking donors to make charitable donations in lieu of campaign contributions. The Sanders campaign had also been pushing states to reschedule their primaries in order to not force voters to congregate en masse during a pandemic. Biden, on the other hand, was arguing for Wisconsin to go ahead with its primary on Tuesday, even as he encourages the Democratic National Committee to reschedule its convention this summer, where Biden and other Democratic officials will gather to officially name him the nominee.

While Biden is currently leading Donald Trump in one-on-one polls, a new Politico poll out Wednesday finds that Americans have more confidence in Trump's ability to handle the coronavirus pandemic than they do the now presumptive Democratic nominee.

Sanders has repeatedly said that no matter who the Democratic nominee turned out to be, he would work to help them defeat Trump in November. Addressing his supporters on Wednesday, he said, "Let's go forward together. The struggle continues."

The Unfinished Business of Bernie Sanders

He went from the rumpled bit player of the progressive movement to a legit presidential candidate and liberal kingmaker. But now that Sanders wields such enormous power in Democratic politics, the question is, whats he going to do with it? Jason Zengerle hit the road with Sanders as the senator grapples with what to do next.

Originally Appeared on GQ
President Donald Trump has removed the chairman of the federal panel Congress created to oversee his administration's management of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package - the latest action by the president to undermine the system of independent oversight of the executive established after Watergate.

In just the last four days Trump has ousted two inspectors general and expressed displeasure with a third, a pattern that critics say is a direct assault on one of the pillars of good governance.

Glenn Fine, who had been the acting Pentagon inspector general, was informed Monday that he was being replaced at the Defense Department by Sean O'Donnell, currently the inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency. O'Donnell will simultaneously be IG at the EPA and acting inspector general at the Pentagon until a permanent replacement is confirmed for the Defense Department.

Late last month, Fine was selected by the head of a council of inspectors general to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, created by the March 27 law.

On Friday, the president notified Congress that he was removing Michael Atkinson as the inspector general of the intelligence community - a decision that Trump acknowledged was in response to Atkinson's having alerted lawmakers to the existence of a whistleblower complaint about the president's dealings with Ukraine. The matter ultimately led to Trump's impeachment in the House before his acquittal in the Senate.

Trump has also refused dozens of congressional subpoenas and asserted to the courts that they lack jurisdiction to oversee his responses to Congress.

"We wanted inspectors general because of an out-of-control president named Richard Nixon and this president is trying to destroy them," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight. "What's happened this week has been a total full-on assault on the IG system."

Fine is a career official who has served Republican and Democratic presidents. He had been acting Pentagon inspector general for more than four years, and before that was inspector general at the Justice Department for 11 years. Fine and his staff were caught by surprise when informed of the decision Monday, and were given no explanation for the move, according to U.S. federal officials.

Trump cast his decision to remove Fine as merely cleaning house of Obama-era holdover appointments, saying those officials could be biased.

"We have a lot of IGs in from the Obama era," he said Tuesday. "And as you know, it's a presidential decision. And I left them, largely. I mean, changed some, but I left them...But when we have, you know, reports of bias and when we have different things coming in. I don't know Fine. I don't think I ever met Fine."

Defense Department spokeswoman Dwrena Allen confirmed that Fine "is no longer on the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee."

Because he is no longer acting inspector general, Fine is ineligible to hold the spending watchdog role. He will, however, continue to serve in his current position of principal deputy inspector general at the Pentagon. He had until now held both the acting and deputy positions.

On Monday, Trump nominated Jason Abend, senior policy adviser at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to be the permanent inspector general at the Defense Department.

The $2 trillion coronavirus emergency spending law, known as the Cares Act, created several layers of oversight, including the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

It will now be up to Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general and chairman and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, to appoint a new stimulus spending watchdog head.

The new law mandated that the group to conduct and coordinate audits, with investigators looking for waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money in the disbursement of loans, loan guarantees and financial payments to households and businesses. The oversight mechanisms were the subject of contentious negotiations between Republicans and Democrats. Trump, when signing the bill into law, questioned the constitutionality of the provisions and asserted in a statement that the administration will not allow the inspector general to provide certain information to Congress without "presidential supervision," calling it a violation of executive branch authority.

Fine's removal, which was first reported by Politico, drew criticism from Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California called Fine's removal "part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation by the president against independent overseers fulfilling their statutory and patriotic duties to conduct oversight on behalf of the American people."

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said, "President Trump is abusing the coronavirus pandemic to eliminate honest and independent public servants because they are willing to speak truth to power and because he is so clearly afraid of strong oversight."

Paul Rosenzweig, a Department of Homeland Security political appointee in the George W. Bush administration, blasted the president's removal of Fine as "an affront to independence and oversight."

Said Rosenzweig: "Frankly, if the House of Representatives does not condition all further covid aid on the restriction of the president's removal authority, they will have made a mistake."

Trump also has on his radar the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, whose office Monday released a survey of more than 300 hospitals across the country finding that the top complaint was a "severe" and "widespread" shortage of testing supplies and protective gear.

That finding contrasted with Trump's rosier assessment that the country had carried out more covid-19 testing than any other in the world - nearly 1.8 million tests to date. Trump seemed perturbed by reporters' questions asking him to square his remarks with the survey conducted by the HHS watchdog.

"So give me the name of the inspector general," he said. "Could politics be entered into that?"

Christi Grimm, the agency's principal deputy inspector general since January, began working for the inspector general's office at HHS in 1999, and, like Fine, has served under both Republican and Democratic presidents.

On Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted disparagingly about Grimm, selectively highlighting her service during the Obama administration.

"Why didn't the I.G., who spent 8 years with the Obama Administration (Did she Report on the failed H1N1 Swine Flu debacle where 17,000 people died?), want to talk to the Admirals, Generals, V.P. & others in charge, before doing her report," he tweeted. "Another Fake Dossier!"

The Cares Act also created a special inspector general at the Treasury Department to oversee the spending of $500 billion of the stimulus package. Trump has signaled his intent to nominate White House lawyer Brian Miller to serve as the new special inspector general, whose work will be coordinated by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

Miller, a former General Services Administration inspector general in the Bush and Obama administrations, gets good marks from watchdog groups, though there is some skepticism about his independence given his White House role.

Inspectors general have existed in the military since the country's founding, but Congress established the position in statute in 1978 in response to Nixon's abuse of executive power during the Watergate scandal. The idea was that the watchdogs would investigate wrongdoing in the agency and report to the agency head as well as Congress.

"That's what made that law so special," said Brian of the Project of Government Oversight. "The inspector general is unlike any other position in government, where a member of the executive branch is authorized to speak directly to Congress. That's where they derive their power."

But the Inspector General Act still permits a president essentially to fire inspectors general at will, as long as Congress is notified in writing with an explanation. The House in 2008 passed a measure that would have required the president to have "cause," to include abuse of authority, malfeasance and conviction of a felony or conduct involving moral turpitude. But the measure failed in the Senate.

"The only way we will be able to save the entire IG system is if the Congress passes those protections," Brian said, "because what's happened this week is going to make it impossible for any IG to be able to conduct their job with the vigor you would want--because they know they'll get fired."

- - -

The Washington Post's Anne Gearan and Missy Ryan contributed to this report.
This article is part of our latest Artificial Intelligence special report, which focuses on how the technology continues to evolve and affect our lives.

Steve Jobs once described personal computing as a bicycle for the mind.

His idea that computers can be used as intelligence amplifiers that offer an important boost for human creativity is now being given an immediate test in the face of the coronavirus.

In March, a group of artificial intelligence research groups and the National Library of Medicine announced that they had organized the worlds scientific research papers about the virus so the documents, more than 44,000 articles, could be explored in new ways using a machine-learning program designed to help scientists see patterns and find relationships to aid research.

This is a chance for artificial intelligence, said Oren Etzioni, the chief executive of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a nonprofit research laboratory that was founded in 2014 by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder.
A young lady who is said to be a student of a Polytechnic in Nasarawa State has on saturday morning lost her sense in Lagos State.

According to eyewitnesses, the lady emerged from the Country Club area in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, and started talking to herself.

Nobody suspected anything at first as she was merely just loafing about, said one witness.

However, as she walked down Joel Ogunnaike Street, she started dancing. Then she went to the refuse bin and started picking stuff from there and puting into her bag. At that point, a few of us started approaching her to see if all was well with her.

Next thing we knew, she started removing her clothes, starting with her trousers. And thats when we knew all was not well and we immediately surrounded her.

Someone laid hands on her and started praying for her and she calmed down and we encouraged her to put on her clothes. We asked her a few questions, which she attempted to answer, and that was how we got her brothers number. One of us called the number and informed him of the incident.

From what I gathered after the call was made, it was confirmed that she is a student of a polytechnic in Nasarawa. Her brother also said we should please make sure she doesnt get lost as he would start his journey to Lagos immediately.

However, after a few minutes, it seemed she was starting to lose it again. She was then taken to a Police Station by some people.
DANBURY  The citys director of health has taken the same position in Bridgeport, the Danbury mayor announced Tuesday evening.

Lisa Morrissey, who has led Danburys health department since 2017, will leave for Bridgeport at the end of the month, Mayor Mark Boughton said.

He said he will be sad to see her go.

But theyre (Morrissey and Bridgeport) willing to work with us til the end of the month to ensure we have a smooth transition, Boughton told City Council members on Tuesday evening.

Morrissey could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

The switch comes amid a global pandemic, with the Danbury reporting one of the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state.

Under data from the state Department of Health, Danbury has the third-highest number of cases of any municipality, with 609 positive tests, behind Norwalks 625 cases and Stamfords 1,000.

But testing from private labs brings the citys number up to between 640 and 645 cases, Boughton said.

Bridgeport, which has 346 cases, has been without a health director since late January, when former health chief Maritza Bond took that same role in New Haven. The city was required by the state to fill the position by the end of April. State statute mandates these positions be filled within 60 days of a vacancy, with Bridgeport already receiving an extension.

It had been suspected that Morrissey could move to Bridgeport, with her confirming last week that she had applied for the job and sources in Bridgeport saying she was the top choice.

Boughton thanked Morrissey, who was hired in Danbury in 2012 as an epidemiologist and inspector, for her eight years of service to the city.

Kara Prunty, the associate director of community health, will become acting health director once Morrissey leaves, Boughton said.

A few hours before Boughton announced Morrisseys resignation, he had told Hearst Connecticut Media that he had not heard about Morrissey receiving an offer.

The last time the two spoke about the opportunity, Morrissey had told him she had applied in January and had not received any paperwork offering her the job, Boughton said.

Regardless of whatever her decision is, we have redundancy in our departments and well get the job done, he had said.

Before she took the job, Morrissey had said it would be a hard choice. Her family lives in Danbury and she loves the community and her co-workers.

But she said she viewed working in Bridgeport as a chance to make a difference.

It is really an opportunity to be a catalyst for change in the largest city in the state, Morrissey has said.
Upstate New York dairy farmers and milk processors say the coronavirus pandemic has sent their industry plunging toward a disaster that threatens their ability to stay in business.

In the last week alone, farmers in the state dumped up to 35 million pounds of raw milk, according to one estimate, as demand for some dairy products evaporated and prices collapsed.

It is definitely at a crisis level, said Kevin Ellis, CEO of Cayuga Milk Ingredients, a $101 million milk processing plant on the outskirts of Auburn. This might be the first week Ive ever dumped milk. Thats how bad it is.

The news may surprise consumers who see shortages of some dairy products like cheese and butter at grocery stores that have been overwhelmed during the pandemic.

But while consumer demand soars, it hasnt made up for a loss of sales to institutions like restaurants, schools and corporate cafeterias who buy dairy products in bulk, experts say. Those sales account for more than half of total dairy demand in New York.

Its a very confusing time, especially when you see empty shelves in the grocery stores and hear that farmers are having to throw out their milk, said Steve Ammerman, speaking for the New York Farm Bureau.

Large institutions like restaurants and schools are no longer buying dairy products, Ammerman said. But grocery store demand and individual consumer demand is up about 40 percent.

The glut of milk led to a nationwide collapse in wholesale dairy prices. The price of milk dropped from $20 in February to $13 per hundred weight (the equivalent of 11 gallons) this week in futures markets, Ammerman said.

Its a loss that Upstate New York dairy farmers cant sustain because it costs about $18 per hundred weight to produce the milk. Its pretty devastating for our farmers, Ammerman said.

To help farmers and processing plants stay afloat, the New York Farm Bureau asked the federal government Tuesday to make direct payments to dairy farmers from a $9.5 billion agriculture relief fund included in the coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress last month.

Farm Bureau President David Fisher asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make emergency purchases of dairy products including fluid milk, butter, cheeses and dry milk powder.

Fisher also asked the USDA to authorize a voucher program for people in need to receive donated milk through grocery stores and other venues with refrigeration capacity.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., underscored the urgency for action in a letter he sent Monday to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.

New York farmers are experiencing massive economic losses due to reduced demand from restaurants, disruptions in global trade, school closures, and emergency orders that have idled other industries, Schumer wrote.

He warned of serious consequences if farmers dont receive financial aid and other federal support as soon as possible.

Farmers are essential businesses who need our support to continue growing food during this crisis; otherwise, we risk our food security long after the pandemic has passed, Schumer wrote.

New York farmers dumped 25 million to 35 million pounds of milk last week, Schumer said, a waste of resources that could have been donated to food banks to fill a surge in need.

Kevin Ellis, CEO of Cayuga Milk Ingredients in Auburn, inspects the milk processing operations at the plant, which opened in 2014.N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syra

At Cayuga Milk Ingredients, Ellis said, he is doing his best to keep the processing plant operating and his 76 employees at work.

Ellis said the business applied Monday for a loan of almost $1 million through the U.S. Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program, a program authorized by Congress to help small businesses keep their employees on the payroll during the pandemic.

Ellis said demand for some of his companys products, including cream used to make butter, has dropped to zero.

Nobody wants it, Ellis said. If you have extra cream, I might as well dump it in a manure pit. We just cant make any more. Our facility is full.

Ellis said he has resisted dumping milk supplied to the processing plant by the 28 Central New York farmers who own the business. But, he said, he likely wont have a choice before the week is over.

Im still heartbroken over it, Ellis said. The whole dairy industry is in a free fall right now. Its ugly.

Theres still strong demand for the plants powdered milk products, Ellis said, most of which is exported to customers overseas. But the price for the commodity has dropped by more than 30 percent.

Andrew Novakovic, a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University, called the rapid decline in wholesale dairy prices stunning and said it could take a long time for the New York dairy industry to recover.

Were talking about a 10 to 15 percent destruction of demand for milk products, Novakovic said. Its no wonder prices have tumbled and were dumping milk.

About 60 percent of cheese products, 55 percent of butter and 50 percent of ice cream is sold to food service or institutional customers that simply stopped buying as restaurants and other institutions closed during the pandemic, he said.

The surge in consumer demand at grocery stores and retailers like Byrne Dairy hasnt made up for the dairy industrys losses, Novakovic said.

He said most dairy processors cant switch from making products for institutional customers to retail consumers.

The disconnect is one reason why Tops Markets has struggled to keep its own brand of butter in stock, said Ed Ventry, the grocers dairy business manager. Its supplier cant take advantage of the unused capacity of machinery that normally makes solid butter sold in bulk to the food service industry.

A Price Chopper vice president said the company has been promoting its own brands of ice cream and butter to help ease any supply shortages. Wegmans has followed a similar course. Byrne Dairy officials had no immediate comment.

The pandemic struck as Upstate New York dairy farmers were beginning to recover from four years of depressed prices exacerbated by the U.S. trade war with China.

New York lost almost 20 percent of its dairy farms between 2012 and 2017, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture five-year census published in April 2019.

Overall, the state had about 2,100 fewer farms in the latest census, the largest drop in more than two decades, according to the New York Farm Bureau.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Mixed emotions as new NY coronavirus deaths surge to 779, but hope remains, Cuomo says

Coronavirus: What the encouraging numbers in CNY tell us  and what they dont

When will coronavirus shutdown stop? 4 things need to happen before reopening US

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
TORONTO, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Firan Technology Group Corporation (TSX: FTG) today announced financial results for the first quarter 2020.



Ended Q1 2020 with over $51M in total backlog. Of this, over $30M is due in Q2 2020

Generated $3.5M in cash in Q1 and ended the quarter with $5.2M in net cash on the balance sheet

Included in the Q1 2020 net loss was a non-cash expense to reduce the intangible asset from an acquisition in 2016 due to increased market uncertainty going forward

First Quarter Results : (three months ended Feb 28, 2020 compared with three months ended Mar 1, 2019)

Q1 2020

Q1 2019

Sales $24,538,000 $25,390,000 Gross Margin 3,960,000 6,754,000 Gross Margin (%) 16.1% 26.6% Operating Earnings (1): 242,000 3,318,000  R&D Investment 1,081,000 1,116,000  R&D Tax Credits (172,000) (205,000)  Foreign Exchange Loss 49,000 156,000  Amortization of Intangibles 299,000 271,000  Impairment of Intangibles 1,145,000 - Net (Loss) Earnings before Tax (2,160,000) 1,980,000  Income Tax 469,000 807,000  Non-controlling Interests (32,000) (45,000) Net (Loss) Earnings After Tax ($2,597,000) $1,218,000 (Loss) Earnings per share - basic ($0.11) $0.05 - diluted ($0.11) $0.05

(1) Operating Earnings is not a measure recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Management believes that this measure is important to many of the Corporations shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders. The Corporations method of calculating Operating Earnings may differ from other corporations and accordingly may not be comparable to measures used by other corporations.

Business Highlights

FTG accomplished many goals in Q1 2020 that continue to improve the Corporation and position it for the future, including:

Continued to receive orders across FTG at consistent historical rates through Q1

Through ongoing improvements in working capital management and some significant advance payments on future orders, improved FTGs net cash position to $5.2M

Went live with FTG standard ERP System in Circuits Fredericksburg site

Achieved AS9100 certification of FTG Circuits Fredericksburg site

Maintained a number of other certifications across FTG through regularly planned external audits

For FTG, overall sales decreased by $0.9M or 3.4% from $25.4M in Q1 2019 to $24.5M in Q1 2020. Circuits Fredericksburg contributed $2.1M in Q1 2020, compared to $0 last year. Impacting sales in Q1 2020 was a $2M drop in simulator related sales compared to Q1 last year. Also negatively impacting sales in Q1 2020 was the shutdown of FTGs operations in Tianjin, China for the month of February.

The Circuits Segment sales were up $1.3M, or 8.2% in Q1 2020 versus Q1 2019. Included in Q1 2020 were sales of $2.1M from Circuits Fredericksburg, acquired in July last year. The drop in sales at existing sites was at FTG Circuits Toronto. The lower activity was not due to a reduction in orders, and activity recovered towards the end of Q1.

For the Aerospace segment, sales in Q1 2020 were $8.1M compared to $10.2M in Q1 last year. Simulator related sales were down $2M in Q1 2020, which impacted all three sites. Simulator revenues are expected to rebound in the second half of 2020 as the backlog in simulator work at the end of Q1 2020 was over $8.0M.

Gross margins in Q1 2020 were $4.0M or 16.1% compared to $6.8M or 26.6% in Q1 2019. The lower sales hurt margins in Q1 this year, as did the overhead costs of the Circuits Fredericksburg facility.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for FTG for Q1 2020 was $1.0M compared to $3.3M in Q1 2019.

The following table reconciles EBITDA(2) to the net earnings for the trailing 12 months as at Feb 28, 2020.

Trailing 12

Months Net earnings to equity holders of FTG 2,243,000 Add: Interest, accretion 391,000 Income taxes 3,408,000 Depreciation/Amortization/Stock Comp./Impairment 6,881,000 EBITDA $12,923,000

(2) EBITDA are not measures recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Management believes that these measures are important to many of the Corporations shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders. The Corporations method of calculating EBITDA may differ from other corporations and accordingly may not be comparable to measures used by other corporations.

Net loss after tax at FTG in Q1 2020 was $2.6M or ($0.11) per diluted share compared to a net profit of $1.2M or $0.05 per diluted share in 2018. Net profit after tax in Q1 2020 was impacted by the lower sales and by the write down of the intangible asset related to the acquisition of the Teledyne PCT business in 2016, due to increased uncertainty in the aerospace and defense market.

The Circuits segment net earnings before corporate and interest and other costs was $0.8M in Q1 2020 compared to $2.3M in Q1 2019.

The Aerospace net earnings before corporate and interest and other costs in the quarter was ($0.8M) in Q1 2020 (excluding the non-cash intangible asset expense) versus $0.6M in Q1 2019. The drop is due primarily to reduced sales from the simulator related market and the shutdown of Aerospace Tianjin in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As at February 28, 2020, the Corporations net working capital was $25.8M, compared to $28.6M at year-end in 2019. All debt is classified as current as the bank facility agreement currently in place expires in less than 12 months. Activity is underway to obtain a new bank facility in 2020.

Net cash at the end of Q1 2020 was $5.2M compared to net cash of $2.2M at the end of 2019.

The Corporation will host a live conference call on Thursday April 9, 2020 at 8:30am (Eastern) to discuss the results of Q1 2020.

Anyone wishing to participate in the call should dial 647-427-2311 or 1-866-521-4909 and identify that you are calling to participate in the FTG conference call. The Chairperson is Mr. Brad Bourne. A replay of the call will be available until May 9, 2020 and will be available on the FTG website at www.ftgcorp.com. The number to call for a rebroadcast is 416-621-4642 or 1-800-585-8367, Conference ID 7695678.

ABOUT FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION

FTG is an aerospace and defense electronics product and subsystem supplier to customers around the globe. FTG has two operating units:

FTG Circuits is a manufacturer of high technology, high reliability printed circuit boards. Our customers are leaders in the aviation, defense, and high technology industries. FTG Circuits has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California, Fredericksburg, Virginia and a joint venture in Tianjin, China.

FTG Aerospace manufactures illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and sub-assemblies for original equipment manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment. FTG Aerospace has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California, Fort Worth, Texas and Tianjin, China.

The Corporation's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FTG.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are related to, but not limited to, FTGs operations, anticipated financial performance, business prospects and strategies. Forward-looking information typically contains words such as anticipate, believe, expect, plan or similar words suggesting future outcomes. Such statements are based on the current expectations of management of the Corporation and inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including economic factors and the Corporations industry, generally. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible factors. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by the Corporation. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully when making decisions with respect to the Corporation and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as may be required by law, FTG disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information please contact:

Bradley C. Bourne, President and CEO

Firan Technology Group Corporation

Tel: (416) 299-4000 x314

bradbourne@ftgcorp.com

Jamie Crichton, Vice President and CFO

Firan Technology Group Corporation

Tel:(416) 299-4000 x264

jamiecrichton@ftgcorp.com

Additional information can be found at the Corporations website www.ftgcorp.com







FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (Unaudited) February 28, November 30, (in thousands of Canadian dollars) 2020 2019 ASSETS Current assets Cash $ 10,152 $ 7,647 Accounts receivable 19,199 21,085 Contract assets 556 432 Income tax receivable 247 - Inventories 20,489 21,990 Prepaid expenses 1,476 1,770 52,119 52,924 Non-current assets Plant and equipment, net 13,923 13,830 Right-of-use assets 13,434 - Deferred income tax assets 724 724 Investment tax credits receivable 2,983 3,035 Deferred development costs 267 279 Intangible assets and other assets, net 1,152 2,585 Total assets $ 84,602 $ 73,377 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 14,566 $ 17,104 Provisions 920 946 Contract liabilities 4,154 216 Bank debt 4,966 5,416 Current portion of lease liabilities 1,729 - Income tax payable - 639 26,335 24,321 Non-current liabilities Lease liabilities 11,792 - Deferred tax payable 1,332 1,297 Total liabilities 39,459 25,618 Equity Retained earnings $ 15,148 $ 17,745 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,610 ) (1,554 ) 13,538 16,191 Share capital Common Shares 19,323 19,323 Preferred Shares 2,218 2,218 Contributed surplus 8,984 8,933 Total equity attributable to FTG's shareholders 44,063 46,665 Non-controlling interest 1,080 1,094 Total equity 45,143 47,759 Total liabilities and equity $ 84,602 $ 73,377







FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Earnings Three months ended (Unaudited) February 28, March 1, (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) 2020 2019 Sales $ 24,538 $ 25,390 Cost of sales Cost of sales 19,199 17,808 Depreciation of plant and equipment 994 828 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 385 - Total cost of sales 20,578 18,636 Gross margin 3,960 6,754 Expenses Selling, general and administrative 3,431 3,242 Research and development costs 1,081 1,116 Recovery of investment tax credits (172 ) (205 ) Depreciation of plant and equipment 46 43 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 12 - Amortization of intangible assets 299 271 Interest expense on bank debt, net 41 77 Accretion on lease liabilities 137 - Stock based compensation 51 74 Foreign exchange loss 49 156 Impairment of intangible assets 1,145 - Total expenses 6,120 4,774 (Loss) earnings before income taxes (2,160 ) 1,980 Current income tax expense 434 777 Deferred income tax expense 35 30 Total income tax expense 469 807 Net (loss) earnings $ (2,629 ) $ 1,173 Attributable to: Non-controlling interest $ (32 ) $ (45 ) Equity holders of FTG $ (2,597 ) $ 1,218 (Loss) earnings per share, attributable to the equity holders of FTG Basic $ (0.11 ) $ 0.05 Diluted $ (0.11 ) $ 0.05







FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income Three months ended (Unaudited) February 28, March 1, (in thousands of Canadian dollars) 2020 2019 Net (loss) earnings $ (2,629 ) $ 1,173 Other comprehensive loss to be reclassified to net (loss) earnings in subsequent periods: Change in foreign currency translation adjustments 248 (12 ) Change in net unrealized loss on derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges (382 ) (67 ) Change in tax impact 96 17 (38 ) (62 ) Total comprehensive (loss) income $ (2,667 ) $ 1,111 Attributable to: Equity holders of FTG $ (2,653 ) $ 1,116 Non-controlling interest $ (14 ) $ (5 )







FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity Three months ended February 28, 2020 Attributed to the equity holders of FTG Accumulated other Non- (Unaudited) Common Preferred Retained Contributed comprehensive

controlling Total (in thousands of Canadian dollars) shares shares earnings surplus loss Total interest equity Balance, November 30, 2019 $ 19,323 $ 2,218 $ 17,745 $ 8,933 $ (1,554 ) $ 46,665 $ 1,094 $ 47,759 Net (loss) earnings - - (2,597 ) - - (2,597 ) (32 ) (2,629 ) Stock-based compensation - - - 51 - 51 - 51 Change in foreign currency translation adjustments - - - - 230 230 18 248 Change in net unrealized loss on derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges, net of tax impact - - - - (286 ) (286 ) - (286 ) Balance, February 28, 2020 $ 19,323 $ 2,218 $ 15,148 $ 8,984 $ (1,610 ) $ 44,063 $ 1,080 $ 45,143 Three months ended March 1, 2019 Attributed to the equity holders of FTG Accumulated Other Non- (Unaudited) Common Preferred Retained Contributed Comprehensive controlling Total (in thousands of Canadian dollars) shares shares earnings surplus loss Total interest equity Balance, November 30, 2018 $ 19,323 $ 2,218 $ 11,687 $ 8,672 $ (774 ) $ 41,126 $ 1,181 $ 42,307 Net earnings (loss) - - 1,218 - - 1,218 (45 ) 1,173 Stock-based compensation - - - 74 - 74 - 74 Foreign currency translation adjustments - - - - (52 ) (52 ) 40 (12 ) Net unrealized loss on derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges net of tax impact - - - - (50 ) (50 ) - (50 ) Balance, March 1, 2019 $ 19,323 $ 2,218 $ 12,905 $ 8,746 $ (876 ) $ 42,316 $ 1,176 $ 43,492







FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Three months ended (Unaudited) February 28, March 1, (in thousands of Canadian dollars) 2020 2019 Net inflow (outflow) of cash related to the following: Operating activities Net (loss) earnings $ (2,629 ) $ 1,173 Items not affecting cash: Stock-based compensation 51 74 Loss on disposal of plant and equipment 6 7 Effect of exchange rates on US dollar debt 53 (14 ) Depreciation of plant and equipment 1,040 871 Depreciation of right-of-use assets 397 - Amortization of intangible assets 299 271 Amortization of deferred financing costs 3 3 Impairment of intangible assets 1,145 - Investment tax credits/deferred income taxes 87 346 Accretion on lease liabilities 137 - Increase in net unrealized loss on derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges, net of taxes (286 ) (50 ) Net change in non-cash operating working capital 4,022 (4,087 ) 4,325 (1,406 ) Investing activities Additions to plant and equipment (1,046 ) (391 ) Recovery (additions) of contract and other costs 6 (18 ) (1,040 ) (409 ) Net cash flow from (used in) operating and investing activities 3,285 (1,815 ) Financing activities Increase in bank indebtedness - 995 Repayments of bank debt (503 ) (509 ) Lease liability payments (446 ) - (949 ) 486 Effects of foreign exchange rate changes on cash flow 169 (71 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash flow 2,505 (1,400 ) Cash, beginning of the period 7,647 5,026 Cash, end of period $ 10,152 $ 3,626 Disclosure of cash payments Payment for interest $ 55 $ 81 Payments for income taxes $ 979 $ 738




China reports zero new virus deaths; Wuhan to lift last restrictions

Saudi Press Agency

Tuesday 1441/8/14 - 2020/04/07

Beijing, April 07, 2020, SPA -- China on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths in the past day, for the first time since January 19, as the city of Wuhan prepared to lift its last lockdown measures, dpa reported.

There were also no new locally transmitted infections in Hubei province, home to Wuhan, and across China, the National Health Commission said.

Authorities reported 32 new coronavirus cases among citizens returning from abroad. The commission said that 30 new cases of asymptomatic infections were being monitored, with a total of 1,033 such cases under medical observation.

--SPA

12:07 LOCAL TIME 09:07 GMT

0009

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Construction of San Antonio's first Delia's Tamales location is still underway during the coronavirus pandemic.

The restaurant's spokesman, John King, said the building, located at 13527 Hausman Pass near Loop 1604, is "moving along nicely." The upcoming restaurant marks the first Delia's to open outside of the Rio Grande Valley.
TOKYOGlobal shares mostly fell Wednesday amid uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak, which continues to claim more lives around the world and keep vast swathes of the global economy under lockdown.

Frances CAC 40 index dropped 1.5 per cent to 4,371 after the national central bank said the economy was in recession and was estimated to have contracted by six per cent in the first quarter. Germanys DAX slipped 0.9 per cent to 10,265 and Britains FTSE 100 shed 1.2 per cent to 5,638. U.S. shares appeared set for small gains, with the futures for the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 up 0.5 per cent.

A rally on Wall Street proved short-lived in a market dominated by sharp swings responding to the ups and downs of the news about the pandemic.

The recent risk rally faded quickly despite recent stimulus efforts from both monetary and fiscal authorities, with market players coming to terms with the unabated rise in fatalities as the virus continues to spread, Prakash Sakpal and Nicholas Mapa, economists at ING, said in a report.

In Asia, Japans state of emergency kicked in and focused on seven urban areas, including Tokyo, with strong government requests for people to stay home and restaurants and stores to close for a month. It was unclear how effective the entirely voluntary measures would be.

Japans Nikkei 225 gained 2.1 per cent to 19,353.24, on stronger than expected machinery orders.

Goldman Sachs said in a report that Japans economy is headed to a record 25 per cent contraction in the current quarter, with exports diving by 60 per cent in the April-June period. The contraction for the worlds third largest economy would be a record, since GDP, or gross domestic product, began to be tracked in 1955.

Japans economic activity will likely recover with the third quarter and GDP is expected to grow 3.1 per cent in 2021, it said.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 81 cents to $24.44 (U.S.) a barrel Wednesday in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It got a boost from comments by President Donald Trump to Fox TV that he expects Russia and Saudi Arabia to resolve their price war. U.S. crude had fallen $2.45, or 9.4 per cent, to settle at $23.63 per barrel Tuesday.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained 16 cents to $32.03 on Wednesday.

While many investors are preoccupied with the pandemic, energy remains another major factor driving trading.

The meeting of the so-called OPEC+ is due to be held on Thursday. It was delayed amid bickering between Saudi Arabia and Russia following a meeting in March where OPEC and other nations led by Russia failed to agree to a production cut to reflect collapsing demand due to the pandemic. Prices then plunged.

Even Thursdays meeting was in doubt after Iran demanded greater clarity on the scale of U.S. oil production before talks can start.

For more immediate market stability concerns, all eyes and ears remain trained on the success of the OPEC+ meeting on Thursday, Stephen Innes of AxiCorp said in a commentary.

In other Asian trading, Australias S&P/ASX 200 shed nearly 0.9 per cent to 5,206.90, while South Koreas Kospi lost 0.9 per cent to 1,807.14. Hong Kongs Hang Seng fell 1.2 per cent to 23,970.37 and the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.2 per cent to 2,815.37.

Indias Sensex lost 0.6 per cent. Shares rose in Taiwan and Malaysia but fell in other Southeast Asian markets.

Even though economists say a punishing recession is inevitable, some investors are hoping a peak in new infections might provide clues about how long and durable the downturn might be.

Many professional investors say theyve been wary of a recent upsurge in share prices and expect more bouts of volatility. The S&P 500 has rallied nearly 19 per cent since hitting a low on March 23, though its still down 21.5 per cent from its record set in February.

COVID-19 has already claimed at least 82,000 lives around the world, infecting more than 1.4 million people. The U.S. leads the world in confirmed cases with nearly 400,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

More economic misery is on the horizon. Economists expect a report on Thursday to show that five million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs sweep the country. That would bring the total to nearly 15 million over the past three weeks. Analysts also expect big companies in upcoming weeks to report their worst quarter of profit declines in more than a decade.

In currency markets, the U.S. dollar inched up to 108.92 Japanese yen from 108.80 yen Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.0870 from $1.0892 .
Justice BV Nagarathna in line to become Indias first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027

Ban activities of Tablighi Jamaat, CJI told in letter petition

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: A letter petition has been sent to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde seeking directions to the Centre and the Delhi government to impose "complete ban" on the activities of Tablighi Jamaat with immediate effect. At least 9,000 people had participated in the religious gathering at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month.

Out of over 4,000 cases of coronavirus in the country, at least 1,445 have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, the Union health ministry had said on Monday.

The letter petition has sought a direction to the Centre and Delhi government to transfer the investigation to the CBI to probe into the alleged conspiracy of spreading coronavirus throughout India in the garb of congregation.

25,000 Tablighi workers, their contacts quarantined, India orders 5 lakh testing kits

The letter petition by Delhi-based Ajay Gautam has sought a direction to the Delhi government to demolish the building of the organization at Nizamuddin here under the provision of the MCD Act.

Gautam had urged the CJI to treat his letter petition as a writ petition.

It has also sought a direction to the authorities to take strict action against the officers of police and civil administration, who had failed in strict compliance of the orders by Delhi government which restricted gatherings to maximum of 50 persons, and later to 20.

It said several persons from foreign countries, which were affected by coronavirus, had participated in the congregation held from March 12 to March 15 here.

Fake News Buster

On April 6, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had moved the apex court alleging that a section of media is spreading communal hatred over last month's Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi.

The Muslim body has sought directions to the Centre to stop dissemination of "fake news" and take strict action against those responsible for it.

The plea by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the secretary of its legal cell, through lawyer Ejaz Maqbool, has contended that the unfortunate incident of the Tablighi Jamaat was being used to "demonise" and blame the entire Muslim community.

Thanks to Tablighi, COVID-19 doubling rate is 4.1 days and not 7.4

The plea by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has said that this "demonisation" of the community has led to serious "threat to life and liberty of Muslims", and has thus led to the violation of their "right to life under Article 21" of the Constitution.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 8:42 [IST]
The director of the World Health Organization on Wednesday defended its handling of the coronavirus threat after president Trump and a number of U.S. lawmakers accused the group of demonstrating bias towards China, where the deadly outbreak originated.

Please dont politicize this virus, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged at a briefing in Geneva. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people.

If you dont want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it, he said, urging the U.S. and China to come together to fight this dangerous enemy.

The unity of your country will be very important to defeat this dangerous virus, Tedros continued. Without unity, we assure you even any country that may have a better system will be in more trouble.

Tedros nevertheless expressed optimism that the U.S. will continue to provide funding, the WHOs largest single source of financial support.

My belief is that it will continue that way, the WHO director said. The U.S. will continue to contribute its share. Other countries will do the same.

The WHO chiefs pleas come after President Trump said the organization blew it with its very China centric early response to the outbreak and threatened to cut its funding, saying Tuesday we will giving that a good look.

They called it wrong and if you look back over the years even, they are very much, everything seems to be very biased towards China, Trump said Tuesday. Thats not right.

The WHO recommended in January that countries keep borders and trade open even as it dubbed the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency. In March, the WHO upgraded the outbreak to pandemic status.

Several Republican senators have taken aim at the WHO for its response to the pandemic, accusing the group of being too willing to accept Chinas narrative surrounding the pandemic. Senators Rick Scott and Martha McSally accused the WHO director of aiding China in its efforts to conceal its underreporting of coronavirus case numbers.

Story continues

Additionally, WHO assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward appeared to dodge a question about whether the WHO will reconsider granting membership to Taiwan, which China claims as a territory. Taiwan, which has reported under 400 cases of the infection and only two deaths, has been widely praised for its containment of the coronavirus.

More from National Review
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8

Trend:

Azerbaijan's Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association is included in the list of those state-owned facilities and enterprises, employees of which relate to a limited number of persons allowed to work during the special quarantine regime in the country, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Automobile Plant Khanlar Fatiyev told Trend.

Currently, the plant continues operating in normal mode, while some employees work remotely.

According to Fatiyev, as of now, the work is underway on the plants assembly lines in accordance with the requirements of the special quarantine regime.

"Our enterprise is the only one engaged in the production of agricultural machinery in Azerbaijan. To meet the needs of farmers and businessmen working in the field of agriculture, the staff of our company continues working in compliance with all the requirements of the special quarantine regime.

The distance between employees working on the assembly lines has been increased to two meters. Containers with disinfectant solutions, face masks and disposable gloves have been placed at the entrance to the assembly workshops. In addition, all our production facilities are regularly disinfected," he noted.



The chairman added said that the plant is currently assembling tractors of various models as well as other agricultural machinery.

Today, an average, two-four tractors are assembled a day, which is 50 percent less than during normal operations. On average, 35 tractors were assembled in March this year. Currently, the plant has a big fleet of tractors and other agricultural machinery. We are ready to ensure the assembly of appropriate equipment in case of demand," Fatiyev added.

Sharing the forthcoming plans, the chairman said that the assembly of Sampo-Roselew combines will begin in the near future on the basis of a cooperation agreement between the Ganja Automobile Plant and Sampo, a famous Finnish company:

At present, in accordance with this agreement, the import of components is underway. As soon as all the relevant parts are delivered, well begin assembling the combines. Ganja Automobile Plant already has experience in assembling combines. Im sure that combines of the worldwide famous Sampo-Roselew brand will be in demand among businessmen and farmers," he noted.

Fatiyev said that despite the limitations in activities in many economic areas due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ganja Automobile Plant is developing a number of packages that will provide benefits for farmers and businessmen.

The enterprise management believes that in this way we will contribute to the support of unity and solidarity throughout Azerbaijan, he stressed.

The movement restriction has been imposed in the country within a special quarantine regime which is introduced to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan has made a decision on the movement restriction in the country from 00:00 (GMT+4) April 5, 2020 to 00:00 April 20, 2020 to protect life and health of the population, ensure uninterrupted operation of state structures and life support facilities, as well as activity of economic entities in the current situation at the appropriate level.
Four high schools in Hamilton County Schools are in the top 35 best high schools in Tennessee in the latest Niche ratings of the 2020 Best Schools in America. The Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Upper (CSAS) and the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts (CCA) are both ranked in the top 20 public high schools in the state. Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences came in at #14 in the Niche review. Right behind CSAS was the Center for Creative Arts at #16, STEM School Chattanooga #27 and Signal Mountain Middle/High School #31 in the latest listing of the best schools. The high school rankings compare the 349 public high schools in Tennessee.



"It's always exciting to receive recognition from Niche because the people determine the rankings," said Jim Boles, principal of CSAS Upper. "It's education's version of the "People's Award." Parents, students, and alumni are the determining factors when it comes to Niche."



Niche is a website that ranks schools, companies and neighborhoods across the United States. You can search the Niche website for the top picks by state or county to get more specific results. Niche gives letter grades based on academics, food, administration, college prep offerings, health and safety, clubs and activities and more. Niche calculates the grades by gathering data and reviews, analysis and considering user insights.



Three of the high schools ranked in the top 35, CSAS, CCA, and STEM School Chattanooga, all received A grades from Niche. Signal Mountain Middle/High School received a grade of A-. Some of the other top public schools in Hamilton County ranked in the top 100 in Tennessee included Collegiate High at Chattanooga State ranked #61 and receiving a B+ grade. East Hamilton Middle/High came in at #72 with a grade of B+ and Soddy Daisy High at #99 with a B grade.



Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences was also rated #6 out of the Magnet Schools in the state and was joined in the top ten by Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts at #8 and STEM School Chattanooga at #10.



The list of Tennessee's best college prep schools also included CSAS, CCA, STEM School Chattanooga and Signal Mountain in the top 40 high schools in the state.



"We knew before the Corona Virus isolation that our diverse school community was the backbone of what makes our school great, but to watch it come together as it has over the past three-plus weeks has been extraordinary," added Principal Boles. I wouldn't want to go through it with another group of people. I love our CSAS community."


India has recorded its biggest jump in coronavirus deaths so far as 35 more people were added to the death toll today.

The latest fatalities bring the total for the country to 149 deaths, of which 64 were in the state of Maharashtra which includes Mumbai.

The country has recorded 5,194 cases of the virus, an increase of 405 from yesterday's 4,789 which again marks the biggest jump so far, Indian media says.

Experts warn that the real numbers are likely to be far higher, with India carrying out little testing of its 1.3billion population.

Indian police officers patrol alongside an oversized model of the coronavirus as they enforce the lockdown in Hyderabad today

A health worker wearing a mask, goggles and protective suit carries out disinfection work at a tiger enclosure in Kolkata yesterday

Prime minister Narendra Modi declared a three-week lockdown in March which officially ends on April 14, but may be extended.

Mumbai is set to prolong its own lockdown measures until at least the end of April as authorities race to expand testing.

The city of more than 20million has become India's main coronavirus breeding ground, with 782 cases and 50 deaths in the metropolis and its suburbs.

'In Mumbai cases are rising too fast. In just 24 hours one hundred cases were reported on Tuesday,' said a senior state government official.

The extension of the lockdown for was necessary to stop the virus spreading in one of the world's most densely populated cities, the official hub.

Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra, which is the only Indian state to record more than 1,000 infections so far.

A major private hospital in the city was shut to new patients and declared a containment zone on Monday after 26 nurses and three doctors tested positive.

The United Nurses Association (UNA) in Mumbai accused hospital management of failing to protect staff by refusing to let them wear appropriate safety gear.

'They told the medical staffers to wear simple masks... and attend to the patient,' said Akash S. Pillai, UNA general secretary for Maharashtra state.

A sign in front of a residential area warning people not to enter because of coronavirus. Some people in quarantine say they feel their homes have become 'like a zoo'

A doctor wearing blue protective gear takes a swab from a man to test for coronavirus in Mumbai today

'They were thinking that if the staff wore protective gear, family members of Covid-19 patients would get scared,' he said.

The Wockhardt hospital released a statement saying that the source was an asymptomatic 70-year-old patient who had suffered a cardiac emergency.

The statement said 'hospital staff were unknowingly exposed to the infection in the time period' before the patient was tested for coronavirus. The hospital did not address the claims of failing to protect staff.

In some places, officials have put up signs on the properties of quarantined people to warn others to stay away.

Bharat Dhingra, who is in quarantine in Delhi, told BBC News that 'our house has become like a zoo' because of the signs.

'People stop to take pictures when they pass by. Our neighbours tell us to go inside even when we step out into our balcony for a minute,' he said.

'Government officials have been very nice to us, but it's the attitude of some people that hurts.'

Another couple said they had been 'completely shunned by the community' after going into a precautionary quarantine.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he is now requiring all employees and shoppers at the businesses still open in New Jersey to wear face coverings until further notice to help fight the coronavirus outbreak and has limited the number of customers allowed inside stores to a max of 50% of their capacity.

Murphy signed an executive order to institute the new rules  his latest in an effort to increase social distancing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

We are taking this step to protect both customers and workers," Murphy said at the Trenton War Memorial during his daily coronavirus press briefing.

A Murphy administration official said store employees are allowed to limit the time offenders are permitted to stay in the store and ask anybody who isnt wearing a mask or covering to stay away from other customers. But the official did not say if there would be any other punishment for violators.

Murphy said he hopes people not wearing coverings would get asked to leave and referred to the limited enforcement action as benevolent."

My personal guidance is you gotta go out and find something to put on your face before you come in," the governor said.

Workers will also be required to wear gloves if theyre interacting with customers, Murphy said. Businesses are required to give workers masks, coverings and gloves at the businesses expense.

Those under age 2 or those with medical reasons for not wearing a face covering are exempt.

The governor also said further limits on the number of people in stores could come in the future.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The order also requires that stores create physical barriers, where possible, to separate shoppers from clerks and baggers. Murphy said the rule is statewide and local municipal officials may not enact stricter restrictions.

The new restrictions are statewide and cant be overruled by local officials, Murphy said.

Meanwhile, the governor signed an additional order to increase the states weight limits for trucks from 40 tons to 46 tons to allow for larger deliveries of food and supplies.

Were not running out of food or supplies, Murphy said. Were strained, yes.

Murphy announced Wednesday that New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, now has at least 47,437 cases and at least 1,504 deaths from COVID-19. Only New York has more cases among U.S. states.

Officials say New Jersey could see its peak number of cases between April 19 and May 11, while the peak number of hospitalizations could come between April 10 and April 28.

To help curb the virus spread, Murphy has ordered New Jersey residents to stay at home, banned social gatherings, closed schools, and mandated non-essential retail businesses to close until further notice.

Residents are allowed to travel to essential businesses  like supermarkets and gas stations  for necessary items, such as food and medicine.

President Donald Trumps administration has urged all Americans to wear cloth facing coverings in public. Murphy has said New Jerseyans can, too, although he stressed residents should stay away from N95 masks or other medical-grade masks because they are short in supply and needed by health-care workers and first responders.

Murphy on Wednesday also banned all non-essential construction in New Jersey and postponed the states June 2 primary elections to July 7.

The governor continued to call on all residents to stay home and practice social distancing. He also warned that he is not close to lifting his restrictions.

Its going to take time to reopen our state in a systematic and careful way to protect against a boomeranging of the coronavirus, Murphy said. If we open up too soon, we are placing gasoline on the fire.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

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" " Workers transport dead bodies during the Great Plague of London. The Great Plague, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England duncan1890/Getty Images

Today, some of the illnesses that cause the most alarm are newly discovered, deadly diseases, usually spread by viruses. Scientists isolated avian flu H5N1 in 1996. Person-to-person spread is rare, but the virus has a mortality rate of about 60 percent in humans. A virus also causes Ebola, identified in 1976. Ebola has an average mortality rate of 50 percent. The first known case of HIV was reported in the 1950s. Scientists isolated the virus responsible in the 1980s. The mortality rates for this disease dropped from 16.3 per 100,000 in 1998 to just 3.7 per 100,000 in the U.S. in 2017, thanks to the availability of drugs to treat it.

In 202, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak quickly caused a worldwide pandemic, shuttering schools, churches, businesses and society in general in an effort to limit spread of the damaging respiratory illness. The severe social distancing was forced due to the fact that the airborne COVID-19 is exceptionally contagious, and also because many people don't show symptoms at all, so they can easily and unknowingly transmit the disease to others.

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People have reacted to the appearance of each of these diseases with fear and dread. A major outbreak of plague today would spark a similar reaction. But unlike many of today's newsmakers, plague comes from an old bacterium rather than a new virus. Researchers believe that Yersinia pestis diverged from the less-lethal Yersinia pseudotuberculosis about 20,000 years ago [source: Huang]. Some believe that plague lived in rats before humans existed. Descriptions of a disease resembling plague also appear in ancient texts, including the Christian Bible.

On top of being old, plague is virulent or highly infective. It generally gets the credit for three major pandemics, or massively widespread epidemics:

Justinian's Plague lasted from 542-546. It claimed about 100 million victims in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Black Death moved across Europe in the 1300s, killing about a third of the continent's population. In total, there were about 50 million deaths in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Third Pandemic started in Canton and Hong Kong during the late 1800s. Ships carried the illness to five continents. Thirteen million people died in India alone [source: Thestarted in Canton and Hong Kong during the late 1800s. Ships carried the illness to five continents. Thirteen million people died in India alone [source: WHO ].

An infamous epidemic, the Great Plague of London, took place during the 16th century. The Great Plague killed up to a fifth of London's population, but the disease did not spread around the world. In other words, it didn't escalate from an epidemic to a pandemic.

During each of these epidemics, no one knew what caused the disease or how it spread. During the Black Death, for example, many blamed the illness on toxic miasmas, so people focused on keeping bad air away. Plague doctors, who usually had little to no medical training, wore masks stuffed with herbs to filter the air. In some cities, people blamed dogs and cats for the illness. The resulting slaughter of rats' natural predators may have encouraged the spread of the disease. In Rome, on the other hand, a large population of feral cats may have provided people with additional protection. A study of tree rings released in 2015 also suggests that, before the disease spread to Europe, the initial Asian reservoir for plague-carrying fleas may have been gerbils rather than rats.

Historical records describe a number of different symptoms during these and other outbreaks. These include rashes, nausea, sensitivity to light, diarrhea and coughing. Swollen, painful buboes appear consistently in most accounts. This is one of the reasons why plague takes the blame for so many pandemics.

The idea that bubonic plague was behind these pandemics has become part of the conventional wisdom  it's something everyone knows. However, some researchers have doubts. Next, we'll take a look at the bacterium behind plague and why some scientists believe it didn't cause the Black Death.

The Isolation of Eyam During the Great Plague of London, a tailor in Eyam, Derbyshire received a flea-infested shipment of cloth. Soon thereafter, people started getting sick. Under the advice of the town's rector, Eyam's residents decided to isolate themselves. As a result, the disease didn't spread beyond the town. Learn more about the Eyam plague at the Eyam Museum.
NORTH BAY, Ontario, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadas Rural & Remote Broadband Conference Series is pleased to announce revised dates for the CRRBC WEST and EAST events. Originally scheduled for May, the WEST and EAST conferences have moved to November 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.



October 5-7: Deerhurst Resort Muskoka, Huntsville, Ontario (date unchanged)

November 8-10: Coastal Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre, Canmore, Alberta

November 15-17: Fredericton Convention Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Bridging The Digital Divide Canada founder, Amedeo Bernardi, states, The pandemic has put the spotlight on the digital divide. Across the country, schools, local governments, medical facilities and all those now working from home are trying to deal with the lack of ubiquitous and reliable broadband  whether they can see the CN Tower or the Rockies in the distance. Bernardi adds, COVID-19 proves that we cannot wait until 2030.

The conferences provide a tremendous information sharing forum for community leaders, rural advocates, service providers and government. The series is a unique opportunity for stakeholders to come together and share their knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned on the challenges and realities of creating a sustainable and ubiquitous digital economy for the rural and remote regions of our country.

Carl Meyerhoefer, Calix Senior Director, Solutions Marketing, states, We are proud to be the Founding Sponsors of Canadas Rural & Remote Broadband Conference Series. The current crisis has underscored the importance of addressing the rural digital divide as quickly as possible. Calix will continue to support Amedeo in his efforts to advocate for the underserved regions of Canada.

Planning is underway for a virtual conference in May from which $10 from each registration will be donated to relief funds in support of conference centre staff directly affected by the COVID-19 closures. More details on the event will be posted shortly.

Story continues

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by the unprecedented event happening worldwide, and we appreciate the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments in Canada and around the world who are on the front line working to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Please click here for conference updates.

Thank you to the following sponsors for their continued support.

Calix  Founding Sponsor

Cartt.ca  Media Sponsor

IBI Group, Eagle Telecom, K-Line Construction, Crown Capital Partners Inc, Cybera,

Dura-Line, Trispec, mbsiWAV, TVC Communications Canada, Corning,

Telonix Communications Inc., i-Valley, Anixter, Rogers, NISC

For more information, or if you wish to be a sponsor, please contact Amedeo Bernardi at amedeo@greenhexagon.ca
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New Delhi, April 9 : The Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in West Punjabi Bagh here has been asked to shut its OPD and take steps to contain the spread of Covid-19 after eight positive cases were sourced from the hospital.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the District Disaster Management Authority said the authorities have decided that "containment measures are required to stop further spread of the disease".

"At least eight cases of Covid-19 have emerged with their source being the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, and immediate containment of its spread is required. It is directed to stop the OPD in the hospital from April 8 till further orders," the order said.

In another order, the District Magistrate (West) has asked the CDMO (West) and DSO "to conduct medical test on all the patients/doctors/para-medical staff of Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, who were in close contacts with the deceased and submit the detailed reports at the earliest." The hospital told the media that it is passing through a very difficult phase, facing a lot of challenges.

Deepak Singla, Medical Director at the hospital, explained the spread of the virus and increase in number of cases in the hospital.

"Two patients were admitted on March 10 and March 13. They had symptoms of Meningitis and Hemiplegia and kidney disease. None of the patients was admitted as a Covid-19 suspect or a Covid-19 positive patient," he said.

Singla said all throughout their stay, no doctor ever suspected Covid-19 as per the guidelines issued by the government.

"After 20 days, the first patient was shifted to the Ganga Ram Hospital where he was tested for Covid-19 because by March 30, all new admissions needing ventilator support were being tested for Covid-19.

"The report came positive and immediately after that, even before any government agency informed the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, all necessary steps were taken by us as a responsible organisation. Rather, we informed the government within 15 minutes after we came to know about that patient," Singla said.

He said all the staff members were quarantined and required testing were done.

"All the patients in that ICU were screened for Covid-19 and all results returned negative except the second patient, who was also admitted with us for the last 18-20 days with all non-Covid diseases," he said.

Singla said that efforts were made to transfer this patient, but despite of the hectic efforts throughout the night, the patient could not be transferred and unfortunately he died.

"Again all necessary precautions were taken. The hospital management is getting all the necessary tests done from private labs at its own expense to help all our employees though the government has allowed testing from one of the government labs free of cost," he added.

Singla also said that while the hospital is doing its best, everyone should understand that both the patients were admitted more than 18-20 days back with all together different symptoms.

The Delhi government had on Monday said that the hospital has been kept as a backup, in case Covid-19 cases increased.
Clive Dix became the CEO of C4X Discovery Holdings plc (LON:C4XD) in 2016. 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. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

Check out our latest analysis for C4X Discovery Holdings

How Does Clive Dix's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

Our data indicates that C4X Discovery Holdings plc is worth UK14m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as UK159k for the year to July 2019. It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists almost entirely of the salary, worth UK159k. We examined a group of similar sized companies, with market capitalizations of below UK163m. The median CEO total compensation in that group is UK267k.

Pay mix tells us a lot about how a company functions versus the wider industry, and it's no different in the case of C4X Discovery Holdings. Talking in terms of the sector, salary represented approximately 42% of total compensation out of all the companies we analysed, while other remuneration made up 58% of the pie. C4X Discovery Holdings pays out 100% of aggregate payment in the shape of a salary, which is significantly higher than the industry average.

Most shareholders would consider it a positive that Clive Dix takes less total compensation than the CEOs of most similar size companies, leaving more for shareholders. While this is a good thing, you'll need to understand the business better before you can form an opinion. You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at C4X Discovery Holdings, below.

AIM:C4XD CEO Compensation April 8th 2020

Is C4X Discovery Holdings plc Growing?

C4X Discovery Holdings plc has seen earnings per share (EPS) move positively by an average of 22% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue changed by just 0.9%.

Story continues

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. While it would be good to see revenue growth, profits matter more in the end. It could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.

Has C4X Discovery Holdings plc Been A Good Investment?

Given the total loss of 85% over three years, many shareholders in C4X Discovery Holdings plc are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

In Summary...

It looks like C4X Discovery Holdings plc pays its CEO less than similar sized companies.

Many would consider this to indicate that the pay is modest since the business is growing. Despite some positives, it is likely that shareholders wanted better returns, given the performance over the last three years. So while we would not say that Clive Dix is generously paid, it would be good to see an improvement in business performance before too an increase in pay. When I see fairly low remuneration, combined with earnings per share growth, but without big share price gains, it makes me want to research the potential for future gains. Shifting gears from CEO pay for a second, we've spotted 7 warning signs for C4X Discovery Holdings you should be aware of, and 2 of them don't sit too well with us.

Important note: C4X Discovery Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
(Reuters) - Canadian Natural Resources Ltd <CNQ.TO>, Canada's biggest oil producer, would support any commitment by the federal government to cut oil production as long as it was applied fairly to the industry, company president Tim McKay said on Wednesday.

"We supported curtailments here in Alberta to help balance the market when you have these issues," McKay told a virtual investor conference hosted by Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

"To me, as long as it's a broad-based approach, we could support it."

Canadian Natural is the latest, and biggest, producer to signal support for government to help arrest a plunge in prices that has hammered the industry in Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta, home to the world's third-largest reserves.

Oil sands producer Cenovus Energy Inc <CVE.TO> on Tuesday said global coordination on reductions may be required to ensure the industry's viability while rival Imperial Oil <IMO.TO> said it opposed any government intervention.

The world's top oil producers Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States still seemed at odds on Wednesday before this week's meetings on potentially big output cuts to shore up crude prices that have been hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

Canadian Natural last month slashed its full-year capital budget by C$1.09 billion.

Producers in Western Canada could initially cut 900,000 barrels per day of output, rising to 1.5 million barrels as storage congestion intensifies, analysts at Morgan Stanley said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jeff Lewis; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
BRUSSELS - The European Union has been thrown into a scientific policy dispute at the height of the coronavirus crisis after the head of its top science panel resigned amid claims of red tape and institutional gridlock while other scientists at the group indicated that they were well rid of him.

Professor Mauro Ferrari resigned Tuesday as president of the European Research Council and insisted in a statement dramatically titled Return to the frontlines, to the frontier that he had lost faith in the system of the EU, complaining it was stifling his ambition for swift action on the pandemic.

On Wednesday though, the 19-member scientific council of the ERC said they had unanimously called on Ferrari to resign last month. The Council added in a statement that he displayed a complete lack of appreciation and did not understand the context of the scientific group. The Council claimed Ferrari failed to sufficiently consult its scientists and too often sought to promote his own ideas instead of those of ERC.

Ferrari had been named for the job in May last year but only started his term on Jan. 1. His resignation had immediate effect.

The EUs executive Commission, which runs the day-to-day business of the 27-nation bloc, regrets the resignation of Professor Ferrari at this early stage in his mandate (...) and at these times of unprecedented crisis in which the role of EU research is key, spokesman Johannes Bahrke said.

The ERC promotes top research in the EU and boosts what it calls investigator-driven frontier research across all fields, on the basis of scientific excellence. It was set up in 2007 and runs on a 2 -billion-euro ($2.2-billion) annual budget.

The resignation was first announced by the Financial Times, based on a statement released to the paper by Ferrari, who said he had been extremely disappointed by the European response to the pandemic.

Ferrari complained about running into institutional and political obstacles as he sought to swiftly set up a scientific program to combat the virus.

I have seen enough of both the governance of science, and the political operations at the European Union, he wrote in the statement. I have lost faith in the system itself.

The ERC councils vice-president will assume the presidents duties on an interim basis until the EUs chooses Ferraris successor, Bahrke said.

Ferrari said that he would now return to the frontlines of the fight against Covid-19, with real resources and responsibilities, away from offices in Brussels, where my political skills are clearly inadequate,

As the coronavirus spread to Italy, Spain and other European nations, the EU was criticized for not acting forcefully enough to set up a co-ordinated response, although health policy is primarily a responsibility of national governments.

Bahrke defended the EUs actions during the pandemic, saying the bloc has put forward the most comprehensive package of measures combating the coronavirus.

He added that the ERC has been working on 50 different projects related to the new virus first identified in China late last year.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government said Wednesday that at least 108 Mexicans have died of complications related to COVID-19 in the United States, more than half of those in New York.

The actual number could be higher, because Mexicos foreign ministry said in a statement that the figures only include deaths reported to its consulates.

Some 11 million Mexicans live in the United States, about 4.5 million without legal status.

The statement said 86 Mexicans had died in New York. The next highest figure was seven in Illinois. It also said it had seen an increase in reported infections of Mexicans in the U.S., but did not provide data.
[April 08, 2020] Crescent Capital Group Closes Second European Specialty Lending Fund at Approximately 1.6 Billion

Crescent Capital Group LP, a leading alternative credit investment firm, announced today the final closing of its second European specialty lending fund, Crescent European Specialty Lending Fund II ("CESL II"), with total limited partner equity commitments of approximately 1.6 billion. The fund has both levered and unlevered sleeves. CESL II was meaningfully oversubscribed, exceeding its initial target of 1 billion as well as its initial hard cap. This fundraise represents a significant increase from its predecessor fund, Crescent European Specialty Lending Fund I ("CESL I"), which announced its final close in December 2015 at 500 million of LP capital commitments. CESL II attracted a diverse mix of international institutional investors including leading global pension funds, insurance companies, financial institutions, foundations, and endowments. CESL II will continue Crescent's strategy of investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of private secured debt securities issued by European companies, with a focus on directly-originated transactions. To date, CESL II has committed approximately 400 illion across 12 investments.



"The growth in the acceptance of Crescent's European Specialty Lending strategy is a signal of our consistent and strong performance as well as a testament to the team's ability to source transactions through our extensive relationship network," said Christine Vanden Beukel, Managing Director and Head of Crescent's European Specialty Lending Strategy. "We appreciate our returning and new investors' confidence in Crescent's platform to execute on this opportunity." "Throughout our long history, making private capital investments has been a significant part of Crescent's platform as we seek the best risk-adjusted returns for our clients," said Jean-Marc Chapus, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Crescent Capital Group. "Crescent has committed the resources to have multinational investment professionals to source, underwrite and collaborate with some of the leading sponsors and family-owned businesses to realize their business objectives."

Crescent has a track record for investments in below investment grade debt that dates to its founding in 1991 and has been investing in Europe since 1993. To date, Crescent has committed more than 1 billion across more than 30 investments in Europe. About Crescent Capital Group LP Crescent Capital Group LP is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Boston, London, and New York. With more than 80 investment professionals and approximately 160 employees, the firm invests at all levels of the capital structure, with a significant focus on below investment grade credit through strategies that invest in senior bank loans, high yield debt, mezzanine debt, distressed debt, and other private debt securities. As of December 31, 2019, Crescent Capital Group LP managed approximately $28 billion in assets. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005053/en/

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Astronaut Anne McClain, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), speaks with her relatives through a safety glass prior to the launch of Soyuz MS-11 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 3, 2018.

Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

The former wife of Anne McClain, a NASA astronaut, was charged with making false statements to federal authorities, the Justice Department said.

In her initial complaint, Summer Worden claimed that McClain, whom she married in 2014 and later filed for divorced, had improperly accessed her bank account.

Authorities say that the dates of Worden's initial allegations did not add up.

Worden reportedly said she was surprised by the charges and that she mistakenly provided investigators with the wrong dates.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The former wife of US Army Lt. Col. Anne McClain, a NASA astronaut, was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal authorities, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Former Air Force intelligence officer Summer Worden was charged with filing a false complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and making false statements during an interview with NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) in 2019.

In her initial complaint, Worden claimed that McClain, whom she married in 2014 and later filed for divorced in 2018, had improperly accessed her bank account.

Worden, who previously shared her online bank accounts with McClain, claimed that she opened a new bank account and reset her account's information to prevent others from accessing it in September 2018.

Worden alleged that McClain had accessed her bank account until January 2019, while she was on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. If the allegations are true, it would mark the first time a crime was committed in space.

NASA International Space Station

NASA

In a previous complaint, Worden's parents reportedly alleged McClain accessed the account as part of a "highly calculated and manipulated campaign" for the custody of Worden's then-6-year-old son, who was born before they married.

But authorities say that Worden opened her new account five months prior to her claimed date, and that she "did not change her login credentials until January 2019."

Story continues

Worden told The New York Times that she was surprised by the charges. She added that she mistakenly provided investigators with the wrong dates and had later corrected herself.

"I didn't misrepresent anything," she reportedly said.

McClain's attorney said that their client did use the account amid the ongoing divorce procedures, with Worden's knowledge, in order to keep their finances in order, according to The Times. McClain added that Worden had never told her the bank account was not to be accessed, and that she had used the same password she was using during their relationship.

In a tweet in 2019, McClain said "there's unequivocally no truth to these claims."

"We've been going through a painful, personal separation that's now unfortunately in the media," McClain said. "I appreciate the outpouring of support and will reserve comment until after the investigation."

Worden could face up to five years in prison for each charge and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if convicted, the Justice Department said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
W ere in a crisis that is hitting every country, and every human being on the planet. So surely we should respond to it together, too. But were not.

One of the most depressing things, in a very depressing time, is that the world isnt pulling together as one. Yes, a huge amount of brilliant effort is going into the fight  scientists are racing to develop vaccines, factories are trying to make ventilators, finance ministries are dreaming up schemes to keep people in work  but much of this is happening in isolation.

Its as if were part of a series of giant experiments rather than a joint battle. Will the German model of testing turn out to be right? Is South Korea best at using smartphones? Is Sweden smart to keep its bars and restaurants open? Has China really got on top of it? What is President Trumps plan? Whats going on in Nigeria? Are vaccine experts sharing what they know?

The obvious truth is that we can only beat coronavirus and overcome the economic catastrophe that will follow if we do it together  and that means the rich world and the developing world sharing the response, too.

We dont just owe Africa a moral duty to protect people. At a selfish level, its pointless enforcing a lockdown in Europe, with all the pain that causes, only for the chaos of infection to spread through countries on the other side of the Mediterranean.

The speed with which the virus spread around the world shows its impossible to close borders to the disease. Were not going to be able to lock ourselves away from a global recession, either.

So where is the international response? Wheres the big action from the International Monetary Fund to rescue the world economy? Wheres the clear leadership from the World Health Organisation about the right steps to take? Whats the UN doing? Is there even an EU plan to support hard-hit nations like Spain and Italy? Are leaders even talking to each other?

A lot of this is missing. A joint letter, led by Gordon Brown and signed by many former leaders and experts including Tony Blair and John Major, came out this week and deserves more attention than its getting.

It calls for global health measures, including billions for a joint effort to find vaccines and a shared stepping-up of production of protective gear, rather than a race to buy it.

It also backs a massive economic response to support the developing world, and stop a liquidity crisis becoming a solvency crisis in which businesses and banks go bust.

If we dont do these things, well come out of lockdown only to find the worlds lost the fight.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

1 million to help London

Were so proud today to announce that more than 1 million has been raised for the Evening Standards Food For London Now appeal  less than two weeks after it began.

Its a tribute to the magnificent generosity of our readers and businesses across the capital and it means that even more people in need can be fed. In the middle of the coronavirus crisis, this has never mattered more.

The money our readers have helped raise is already being put to work, getting surplus food out to those who are in desperate need.

The Food for London Now appeal is working with the Felix Project, which is stepping up its efforts to get surplus produce to NHS workers, care workers and vulnerable people.

Life is tough for all of us right now but its hitting those at greatest risk hardest  people sleeping rough for instance.

They have never needed our help more, which is why were committing our resources to raise another 1 million for this vital cause.

Donate at virginmoneygiving.com/fund/FoodforLondonNOW

Hope for Park Theatre

Londons theatres have gone dark. Will they survive to turn the lights back on?

Good news from one: the award-winning but unsubsidised Park Theatre in north London has raised 300,000 to pay staff and survive.
Tracy Morgan calls for unity: Now's not the time to blame Trump

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Hollywood comedian Tracy Morgan made an appearance on TODAY this week and urged people to unite and stop blaming President Donald Trump as he leads America in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Morgan was on the show to promote his new show The Last O.G., and before concluding his interview, he called for Americans to come together.

People wanna criticize the president, but imagine being the president of a country and half your country got sick, Morgan said. So its difficult for him. We all gotta pull together as people. Nows not the time for blame and all of these other things and anger. Its here now. We gotta just be together.

We just gotta stay safe. Nobody wants to transmit it, nobody wants to attract it, nobody wants to get it. So lets just stay safe and do the protocol that we have to do.

Comedian & Actor @TracyMorgan just gave a message of unity and support for President @realDonaldTrump during his appearance on the Today show. The right message for the situation were in. pic.twitter.com/imKudU3d5L  Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) April 7, 2020

Many government officials and mainstream media have outwardly criticized Trump during the worldwide crisis.

Just this week, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden bashed the president while speaking to union leaders.

Coronavirus is not Donald Trumps fault. But he does bear responsibility for our response and taking his duties seriously, Biden said on Tuesday. His failings and his delays [are] causing real pain for so many Americans.

In a press conference last month, Senator Chuck Schumer called the administration's response to COVID-19s federal funding plan inadequate. He also demanded that free coronavirus testing be expanded for anyone who wants it. However, there were not enough test kits available.

Marylands Republican governor, Larry Hogan, also initially said that Trump made a grave mistake when he downplayed the severity of the coronavirus last month but he also wanted to end the blame game, saying, We cant waste a lot of time, finger-pointing and talking about what mistakes the president made or anybody made in Washington. Lets talk about what we can do right now.

According to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, Trump still has the approval of almost half the country while handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The recent poll shows his approval rating stands at 44 percent.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 17:50 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a7afc 1 Business Indonesia-Stock-Exchange,IDX,stock-listing,jakarta-composite-index,JCI,stock-market,PT-Karya-Bersama-Anugerah,sejahtera-bintang-abadi Free

Two companies went forward with their plans to list their shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Wednesday despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked global and domestic stock markets.

Property developer PT Karya Bersama Anugerah and yarn producer PT Sejahtera Bintang Abadi Textile became the 20th and 21st companies listed on the domestic bourse this year and the second and third companies to list their shares virtually amid the governments large-scale social restrictions to prevent further spread of the highly contagious disease.

Karya Bersama Anugerah, listed under the code KBAG, recorded a 35 percent jump in share price upon opening to Rp 135 (8 US cents) apiece from Rp 100 while Sejahtera Bintang Abadi (SBAT) soared 34.29 percent to Rp 141 just 30 minutes after its shares were available for trading.

In a written statement obtained by The Jakarta Post, Karya Bersama plans to use the proceeds from its initial public offering (IPO) of around Rp 215 billion to add to its land bank in the Balikpapan area in East Kalimantan. Outside of Balikpapan, the company currently owns a total of 0.7 hectares of land in West Jakarta and another 150 hectares of land in Jonggol, West Java.

We will also use the proceeds to fund our capital expenditure [capex] and finish several of our ongoing projects, the company said in the statement, adding that one of the projects included a townhouse complex in central Balikpapan.

The company has expressed optimism that the project will have a positive impact on its financial performance as it expects the governments upcoming new capital city project located near Balikpapan to increase real estate values in the area.

Read also: To buy it or not: Retail investors are torn amid volatile stock market

Karya Bersama pocketed Rp 613 million in net income as of September 2019 as it booked Rp 15.98 billion in revenue during the period.

In the meantime, Sejahtera Bintang Abadi managed to raise a total of Rp 44.63 billion in fresh funds from the sale of 425 million shares during its IPO, the company said in a statement.

The company plans to use about 78.55 percent of the IPO proceeds to buy new open-end machines, a finisher draw frame and other plant to produce its recycled-base material yarns. The company will also use the remaining 21.45 percent of the proceeds as capex to buy raw materials and fund marketing costs, among other things.

As of September 2019, the company recorded a total of Rp 227.71 billion in revenue. However, it still recorded a loss of Rp 3.84 billion during the period.

Although the market is currently in its least favorable condition, IDX assessment director I Gede Nyoman Yetna said companies were still interested in seeking fresh funds from the stock market.

These companies chose to offer their shares to the public as they need more funds to help develop their businesses, he told the press by text message.

The IDX main gauge, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), dropped 3.18 percent on Wednesday, having lost more than 26 percent of its value so far this year.
Im hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight. Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be president of the United States, and thats why Russia is helping you get elected, so youll lose to him. I think I would make a better president than Bernie. Bernie voted to exempt the gun manufacturers from liability. I do not think that this is the best person to lead the ticket. It comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s, and Bernie Sanders with a nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s. Do we think health care for all, Pete, is some kind of radical communist idea? Mayor Bloomberg has a solid and strong and enthusiastic base of support. Problem is, theyre all billionaires. Was the way that the mayor implemented stop-and-frisk racist? Yes. Senator Warren, that is a very serious charge that you leveled at the mayor  Yes.  that he told a woman to get an abortion. What evidence do you have of that? Her own words. And Mayor Bloomberg, could you respond to this? I never said it. Period. End of story. My fellow contestants up here ... Im surprised they show up, because I would have thought after I did such a good job in beating them last week that theyd be a little bit afraid to do that. You talk about concerns about race. Well, my good friend on the end of this platform, he in fact bought a system that was a private prison system. You wrote the crime bill  Where we come from, thats called Tommy come lately.  the crime bill that put hundreds of thousands of young black and Latino  Not true.  men in prison. If I were black, my success would have been a lot harder to achieve. We can no longer pretend that everything is race neutral. We have got to address race consciously  Theres seven white people on this stage talking about racial justice. Tom, I think she was talking about my plan, not yours. I think we were talking about math, and it doesnt take two hours to do the math. Because lets talk about what it adds up to. Lets talk about math. What every study out there, conservative or progressive, says, Medicare for All will save money. The math does not add up. Ill tell you exactly what it adds up to. It adds up to four more years of Donald Trump. This is a global problem. Weve got to work with countries all over the world to solve it. if Im elected, N.R.A., Im coming for you, and gun manufacturers, Im going to take you on and Im going to beat you. My secretary of education will be someone who has taught in public school. If you want to make the criminal justice system work, you dont want to have repeat customers and you want to help people to get off of drugs. The biggest misconception about me   is that Im not passionate   that Im boring   is that the ideas Im talking about are radical. That Im six feet tall. That I dont eat very much. I have more hair than I think I do.
Franklin Graham says coronavirus pandemic is 'result of a fallen world'

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The novel coronavirus pandemic is the result of sin that exists in a fallen world that has turned its back on God, conservative evangelical leader Franklin Graham said.

Graham, president of the Christian humanitarian organization Samaritans Purse, spoke with Fox News Jeannie Pirro on Saturday for an interview that mostly focused on the emergency field hospital Samaritans Purse is operating in New York Citys Central Park.

In New York City, there are over 67,551 confirmed cases of the virus with over 3,048 related deaths as of Monday afternoon, according to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. Nationally, there are over 338,995 cases of coronavirus with over 10,000 deaths, and over 1.3 million cases and 72,638 related deaths worldwide.

This pandemic, this is a result of a fallen world, a world that has turned its back on God, Graham said in the interview. So I would encourage people to pray and lets ask God for help.

Toward the end of the interview, Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, was asked by Pirro if he gets questions from a lot of people wondering: Why would God allow this kind of thing to happen?

I dont think that God planned for this to happen, he responded. Its because of the sin that's in the world. Man has turned his back against God. We have sinned against Him. We need to ask for Gods forgiveness.

Thats what Easter is all about it, Graham, who also leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, continued. Its about God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but should have everlasting life.

He assured that Christ came to save sinners and save the world.

If we put our faith and trust in Him, Hell forgive our sins and heal our hearts and Hell change the course of our lives, Graham added.

The evangelist has long warned that sin is being glorified in American society and that Gods judgment could be coming for embracing things like same-sex marriage or abortion. During the 2016 election cycle, Graham held Decision America tour rallies across the United States to encourage people to let biblical values inspire their votes.

Earlier in the interview with Pirro, Graham admitted that no one ever thought Samaritans Purse would ever need to set up a field hospital in the heart of New York City.

In the past, Samaritans Purse has operated field hospitals in war-torn countries like Iraq as well as in disaster-stricken areas like the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

On April 1, the organization opened a 14-tent, 68-bed respiratory care unit that was designed to care for people suffering from COVID-19 in New York City. The unit is staffed with over 70 doctors, nurses and other medical staff. Additionally, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are there to minister to the sick and staff.

The unit includes 10 intensive care unit beds. Patients are coming to the field hospital from its partner, Mount Sinai Health System.

We never thought we would be in New York City, thats for sure, Graham admitted. These tents are state-of-the-art mobile hospitals.

Samaritans Purse also operates a 68-bed emergency field hospital outside of Cremona Hospital in Northern Italy, just outside of Milan.

In Italy, there have been over 132,000 cases and over 16,523 deaths as of Monday afternoon. Graham said that whats happening in the U.S. is very similar to what is happening in Italy.

I believe that we are probably about two weeks behind where Italy is, he said. We are hoping that we will see it kind of plateau in Italy in the next few days. At least that is what the predictions are.

Graham called on people across the globe to pray for Gods protection and that Gods hand would release us from this pandemic.

This is a very serious situation, he said. We need Gods help. Of course, in Central Park, our doctors and nurses are Christian men and women. We pray for our patients. We have chaplains there to pray for our patients. We care for everybody that comes in. And of course, we want people to know that God loves them and He hasnt forgotten them. We are there to care for them in Jesus name."



Dr. K. Elliott Tenpenny, the leader of the Samaritan's Purse response team in New York City, told The Christian Post in an interview last week that the coronavirus is not something to "think this is the end of the world."

"[B]ut it is not something thats also to dismiss, Tenpenny said. 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.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Today is the 9th day of the partial lockdown declared by the President. Yesterday, we received with concern news of the hospitalization and transfer for intensive care of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. COVID-19 is proving to be a highly infectious disease and no respecter of persons.

This is the reason why we must cooperate with the directives announced by the President to restrict our movement as much as possible during this period, and continue to abide by the WHO and Ghana Health Service (GHS) protocols aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.

On Sunday, we also received the sad confirmation of the death of a young man at Ashaiman following a shooting incident involving a security officer. While we are not yet fully apprised of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate death, I wish to express our deepest displeasure at the shooting of an unarmed civilian and call for a speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

We woke up this morning to official reports that Ghana's incidence of COVID-19 infection has risen to 287. This is an alarming situation. While the GHS ascribes the sudden increase in numbers to enhanced surveillance and testing, it is a call to arms to redouble our efforts in battling this disease.

Last Saturday, I donated my widows mite of 650 PPEs and associated items for distribution to various health facilities across the country. During the rage of this pandemic, protective clothing, disinfectants, sanitizers, laser thermometers etc. are the most critical items needed by our frontline health workers. This will give them the confidence to continue their work without fear of getting infected with the virus themselves.

My motivation for this donation was to fill a stop-gap and buy enough time for the government-acquired medical items to become available. Last Sunday, the President announced the receipt of some items including PPEs. It is the hope of all Ghanaians that these items would be despatched speedily to where they are needed.

As the President of the Ghana Medical Association said, they are grateful for the incentives given to health workers, but they need the PPEs urgently to go about their business of saving lives.

Concern has also been raised about who are frontline workers. It is known that health staff work as a team. From doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory staff, cleaners, cooks, security personnel etc.

It may have been useful to consider a package that would cover all healthcare staff rather than a hefty package for only frontline health workers. Government should consider a package that benefits all health care staff who are working.

Consultations with professional groups of health workers on how to administer the incentives can result in a conclusion that is acceptable to all of them.

Last week, I made some suggestions about drawing money from the Stabilization Fund to cushion some of the unintended consequences of the partial lockdown. These included some temporary relief from utility tariffs including water and electricity.

I suggested a flexible adjustment in timelines for submission of SSNIT returns due to the manpower downturn occasioned by the pandemic. I also requested consideration of some tax relief for small businesses and tax exemption on critical medical items and other goods required for our COVID-19 response effort.

I also suggested the scrapping of the 50% increase in the Communications Service Tax (CST) and negotiations with the Telcos for some reduction in data tariffs in exchange for a free six month extension of their licences. This will be welcome relief for thousands of Ghanaians who are having to work from home.

I urged government to provide food from the National Buffer Stock Company or elsewhere to alleviate hunger in the most deprived communities within the lockdown areas.

I am grateful to note that some of these suggestions were taken on board during the President's last broadcast to the nation. While the announcement of relief from water tariffs was received with appreciation, the lack of water in many parts of the specified areas make the three month cancellation of tariffs meaningless for some.

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) must be supported to increase the supply of water to make this gesture meaningful to all. Our people are also urged not to waste water at this critical time.

Clear instructions must be given to GWCL that the Presidential directive of three months relief from water tariffs means that no consumer must be billed for the months of April, May and June. This is notwithstanding if they have arrears on their bills or not.

Clearly electricity tariffs are the more burdensome of the two utilities. There is much expectation that some subsidy payment from the Stabilization Fund to the ECG and generating companies can provide some temporary relief, however small, to consumers in this difficult period.

It will also be necessary to look at the pricing of LPG, especially at a time when the price of crude on the global market is at an all-time low.

The President's announcement of the distribution of hot meals and dry food packages to deprived communities is welcome news. The president stated that this will be in collaboration with faith-based organisations. This collaboration is good news because if care is not taken, in both the distribution and procurement of the food, partisan and parochial interests will defeat the purpose of the whole gesture.

I believe that traditional rulers and our Assemblymen and women in the affected areas must also be involved in this enterprise.

Our (NDC) representatives on the Finance Committee of Parliament have been urged to fully participate in the expected meeting on Thursday with the Ministry of Finance to discuss the modalities for the disbursement of the proposed stimulus package.

We will table proposals to ensure that this money is utilized efficiently and administered in a manner that is fair and just to all Ghanaian businesses that are suffering the adverse effects of the economic slowdown occasioned by this dreadful COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, today is World Health Day, celebrating nurses and health workers. In the midst of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded by the WHO that without nurses, and other health workers, there would be no response.

To all who continue to support with medical items, and providing lunch packs and fruits to our COVID-19 health workers and the public, I say thank you and more grease to your elbows.

Let us continue to #SupportNursesAndMidwives in our health facilities and communities.

#StayHome

#StopTheSpread

John Dramani Mahama

Cantonments, Accra

April 07, 2020.

https://www.johnmahama.org/news/john-mahama-writes-on-day-9-of-the-lockdown
MONTREAL - Quebec reorganized its hospitals in anticipation of an influx of COVID-19 patients, only to receive fewer sick people than authorities anticipated.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann, flanked by Horacio Arruda, Quebec director of National Public Health, left, and Quebec Premier Francois Legault walk to a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic, Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL - Quebec reorganized its hospitals in anticipation of an influx of COVID-19 patients, only to receive fewer sick people than authorities anticipated.

But the novel coronavirus made its way into long-term care facilities, where underlying medical conditions make many elderly residents vulnerable, and the results have been devastating.

"The virus fooled them," said Marjolaine Aube, president of the union representing workers in long-term care facilities north of Montreal.

One of the hardest-hit centres, Centre d'hebergement Ste-Dorothee in Laval, was reporting more than 115 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.

In response, Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann said Wednesday the province will systematically test all residents and staff of long-term care facilities for COVID-19.

Additionally, she said the health network will redeploy hundreds of doctors and nurses from hospitals to the long-term care homes to deal with the outbreak among the sick and elderly.

Quebec has surpassed 10,000 cases of the virus, but significantly fewer people than expected are requiring hospitalization, leaving room to shuffle health-care providers to where they are most needed.

Long-term health facilities account for almost half of the 175 deaths in the province tied to the virus. The Health Department said in an email that as of Wednesday, 813 separate facilities that care for the elderly, such as public and private senior residences and long-term care homes, have at least one confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.

"We are very concerned with the situation," McCann said. To the families of people in these residences, McCann said: "We haven't forgotten you."

But Aube said Wednesday her union has had to fight to secure proper equipment for its members. "All we are doing is fighting," she said in an interview. "We spend our days fighting."

She said the province focused its efforts on preparing hospitals for COVID-19 and neglected long-term care homes. Up until last week, her members, who include orderlies, kitchen staff and other personnel, did not have proper protective equipment. She said patients confirmed to have COVID-19 only started wearing surgical face masks on Monday.

Before then, she said, they were using washable masks that were insufficient to protect the staff and other residents.

Aube said two of her members showed symptoms of COVID-19 at the end of March and were told to keep working at their long-term care centre.

But, Aube said, since her union's cries for help were picked up by the media, conditions have improved.

Aube said she is trying to get proper personal protective equipment for her members who make house calls. Those employees are still entering people's homes wearing washable cloth masks.

Of the 10,031 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Quebec, 632 people are hospitalized and 181 are in intensive care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 13:26 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd08db6b 1 Business Indonesia,COVID-19,Galang-Island,hospital,operation,migrant-workers,Riau-Islands,quarantine Free

The purpose-built Galang Island COVID-19 Specialty Hospital opened on Monday in Batam, Riau Islands province, but has yet to admit any patients, as it needs to test its medical equipment and ready its medical staff.

Indonesian Military Regional Defense Joint Command I (Kogabwilhan I) commander Vice Adm. Yudo Margono said during the hospitals inauguration ceremony on Monday that the new hospital would prioritize returning migrant workers (TKI), as Indonesia expected an influx of its nationals to come home from Malaysia.

The returnees would first be quarantined at the Galang hospital and then transported back to their hometowns once they were declared healthy and free of the virus, said Margono, who led the hospital's development project.

"So the TKI will be placed under quarantine at the hospital. If some are sick, they can be treated directly at the hospital," Margono said.

He added that the hospital would be treating any sick returnees to ease the burden on many hospitals in the regions, which had been overwhelmed by thousands of returning TKI.

Indonesian migrant workers typically return through Riau Islands province, including the islands of Karimun, Tanjungpinang and Batam.

The hospital wing that has opened was completed by the Public Works and Housing Ministry in the first phase of the project, and is designed specifically as an observation, quarantine and treatment facility for infectious diseases. The wing has 360 beds, with another 1,000 beds to be added upon completion of the second development phase.

Galang hospital, which occupies the 16-hectare site of a former camp for Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Vietnam War, has been built using modular architectural designs and consists of three zones. Zone A contains supporting facilities, including a dormitory for hospital staff and management that is equipped with 158 beds, a laundry room, a sterilization room and a pharmacy.

Zone B is a patient ward comprising a 20-bed intensive care unit (ICU) and 340 beds for monitoring patients. It also has a laboratory, a storage room for mobile roentgen equipment, a kitchen, a waste management facility and a clean water facility. Meanwhile, Zone C is intended for use in providing supporting services to the two other zones.

As for equipment, Galang hospital has 20 ambulances, four trucks, four minibuses, 2,000 protective personal equipment (PPE) and 5,000 medical masks.

The newly built hospital has a staff 247 personnel consisting of doctors, nurses, paramedics and nonmedical workers, all of who have been trained to support the specialty hospital's operation. The hospital staff consists of personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police and the Riau Islands provincial administration, as well as volunteers.

The hospital was developed under joint supervision of the public works ministry and the Riau Islands administration. State-owned developers PT Waskita Karya and PT Wijaya Karya oversaw its construction, along with PT Virama Karya as project management consultant. (roi)
Fukushima Prefecture which is famous for its agricultural and livestock industry in Japan has recovered from the 2011 nuclear disaster as radiation measurement and inspection of saltwater fish and freshwater fish marked zero level or lowest level.

"Fukushima agriculture technology center", which inspects and studies the effect of the radioactive substance of food products in Fukushima.

"Agricultural, forestry and fishery product, vegetable, fruit, wild vegetable, mushroom, meat, fish, etc. produced in Fukushima Prefecture are brought here. For measurement of radiation, when placed in a container, it is chopped finely. This increases the accuracy of the measurement. Germanium semiconductor detection is the most accurate device to measure radiation," said Fukushima Agriculture Technology Centre Kenji Kusano.

This list is the result of the detection of radiation substances of marine products such as fish.

For example, "Sirasu" fish taken from Iwaki city is tested as per the Japanese standard. Japan's government considers fish with more than 100 becquerels per kilogram unsafe for consumption.

The result shows non-detection due to a smaller number than the value 8.44 of Caesium 134 and the value 7.1 of Caesium 134.

In addition, 28 other types of fish are also undetected, so it's safe.

In addition, the center publishes new research results obtained by undergoing radiation testing of the food product.

By radiation measurement and inspection saltwater fish and freshwater fish marked zero level or lowest level.

"By visiting the center, visitors were able to understand the safety of food in Fukushima Prefecture. As a result, some countries have canceled food import restriction. When visitors come to see food and inspections by Fukushima Prefecture, we hope that import restriction will be lifted when they come to Japan,"Kusano said.

Fukushima Prefecture is famous for its agricultural and livestock industry in Japan. In the store, there are files of the radiation measurement.

After the measurement of food safety, people enjoy fresh and delicious Fukushima food.

"Fukushima prefectural Centre for Environmental Creation" has the exhibition to learn about the tragedy of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident of Fukushima Nuclear Power station, the renewable energy that is alternative to nuclear power, and Fukushima prefecture's effort of recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:40 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd06cb9e 1 Opinion #commentary,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,commentary,COVID-19,coronavirus Free

First of all, I should make it clear that I am writing about a human tragedy, which has unfolded as many dead bodies here and in other parts of the world are not able to be buried according to the deceased families wishes amid this COVID-19 pandemic.

Let us hope the horror will soon end, that the figure for fatalities dramatically falls and the number of people recovering from this virus rises exponentially.

Death is frightening for many, especially now that the virus had claimed nearly 75,000 lives worldwide. The pandemic, therefore, offers us an opportunity to reflect on what we can do to console people who have lost loved ones.

The virus knows no religious affiliation, socio-economic strata or political lines. Look at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tested positive for the virus. Let us pray for his recovery.

I have often shared hopes that my wife and children will arrange a beautiful funeral service on my death. I also want a flattering eulogy from friends, although they may have to lie. You, too, may have your own wishes about how your funeral should look like.

But now you may forget about all that! The best you can pray for is that your family will not find any difficulties in burying you as soon as possible, as many of the families of people who have died of COVID-19 and even other diseases have discovered recently.

The Jakarta Post front page on April 1, carried a picture of three women and a young man who watched from afar the body of their loved one being buried hurriedly by mask-wearing grave workers in a Jakarta cemetery. The family of the deceased was quite lucky. At least the body could be buried.

On the same day, I received a horrifying video, showing a dead body thrown into a smoldering fire for cremation, apparently in Italy.

In many places many grieving families, friends and relatives have had to endure the pain, not just because of the death of someone they loved, but because residents or even neighbors have rejected the body for burial. These people are too afraid of the virus contagion despite repeated explanations from the government and health experts. But who can blame them?

The government and the Indonesian Ulema Council have issued protocols on the burial of COVID-19 patients. Often the protocols apply to people who showed symptoms of infection before they died.

Early this year, when China was devastated by the COVID-19, many world leaders, including United States President Donald Trump and our leader President Joko Jokowi Widodo, confidently warned their peoples against paranoia, because their governments had more than enough knowledge and experience to handle the deadly virus. When the situation worsened, many have had to defend themselves from the virus based on their intuition or information from unofficial sources.

But let us put aside our governments shortcomings in managing this crisis.

Last week, AFP reported that a young Iraqi man had to wait for one week for the burial of his elderly father who had died of COVID-19. Every cemetery in his province refused to accept his body. Armed men threatened to burn his car with his fathers body inside if the family defied their objections.

In Milan, the family of a coronavirus victim had to keep the corpse for 36 hours because ambulances refused to carry the body. This has happened in other places hit hardest by the virus.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo desperately pleaded with local people to allow the burials of COVID-19 patients because their coffins met the requirements set by the World Health Organization.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has asked his people to show compassion to the families who have lost their loved ones to the virus. Ridwan reminded them that the same fate could befall anyone.

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has also tried hard, often in vain, to remind people that their refusal to allow the burial of the dead goes against the teachings of every religion.

Catholics, like me, are entering Holy Week. On Friday, we commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ and on Sunday we celebrate Easter, His resurrection.

There are two quotes from Jesus, which we will hear again in the reading of the Bible during Holy Week. Jesus uttered My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, but let not my will, but yours be done, before His arrest, and cried out My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? a few moments before His death.

Even Jesus expressed his fear and solitude as death approached. Each one of us, regardless of faith, may feel the same one day.

And today such loneliness is commonplace thanks to COVID-19. No wonder then that a highly respected religious leader has called on Indonesians to show respect for those severely affected by this pandemic.

What preparations can you make before death if your dead body is rejected everywhere, or your family cannot arrange even the simplest funeral service for you? Trust me, very little, perhaps nothing at all.

Helping others your employees, neighbors and those in need  will ease your anxiety. We may find nowhere for us to be laid to rest when we die, or no proper funeral, but many may remember our good deeds even though they cannot pay their last respects to us.

We may fear death, but never be afraid of helping others during this very difficult time.
JUNO BEACH, Fla., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) today announced that it plans to report first-quarter 2020 financial results before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in a news release to be posted on the company's website at www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults. The company will issue an advisory news release over PR Newswire the morning of April 22, with a link to the financial results news release on the company's website. As previously communicated, the company will make available its financial results only on its website.

Jim Robo, chairman and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy, Rebecca Kujawa, executive vice president, finance and chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, and other members of the company's senior management team will discuss the company's first-quarter 2020 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on April 22. Results for NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) also will be discussed during the same investor presentation.

The listen-only webcast will be available on NextEra Energy's website by accessing the following link: www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults. The financial results news release and the slides accompanying the presentation may be downloaded at www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on the day of the webcast. A replay will be available for 90 days by accessing the same link as listed above.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns two electric companies in Florida: Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than five million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the United States; and Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 470,000 customers in eight counties throughout northwest Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2020 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" and ranked among the top 25 on Fortune's 2018 list of companies that "Change the World." For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nexteraenergy.com


Spain records 757 coronavirus deaths

Another 6,180 cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data, bringing the total number of positive cases to 146,690.

With 757 more deaths confirmed from the new coronavirus, Spains death toll has jumped to 14,555 on Wednesday.

Wednesday's daily death toll came in slightly higher than 743 on Tuesday, but still down from a daily high of 950 last Thursday.

SPAIN IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTED COUNTRIES

Health Minister Salvador Illa clarified on Tuesday that Spain has one of the most demanding and rigorous definitions of coronavirus in Europe and only those who tested positive for the virus are counted in the official death toll.

That leaves out potentially thousands of people who were treated as probable but not confirmed cases, and those who died in places like nursing homes without being tested.

Still, with the country under strict lockdown measures for more than three weeks, many Spanish hospitals are beginning to feel the pressure ease.

Over 63,000 people in Spain have required hospitalization due to coronovirus. But the number of patients recovering is increasing each day.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Discussion with friendly countries

The Chancellery informs that it is in talks with friendly countries willing to help us in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Taiwan, has already expressed itself by promising to Haiti: 280,000 masks, 7 termographic cameras which should arrive in the country soon. Video conferences are planned between Taiwanese and Haitian doctors to share experiences on the Covid-19. Taiwan is also considering sending Taiwanese doctors to Haiti to support Haitian doctors.



Gonaives : Release of 8 women victims of gang rape

Tuesday, 8 women victims of the collective rape of November 7, 2019 in the civil prison of Gonaives during a mutiny were released See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29349-haiti-flash-all-details-on-the-mutiny-and-rapes-at-the-gonaives-prison.html



Call for a truce

Joase Nader, the Minister of Public Works, called for a truce with the bandits "This virus spares no one, armed or not. So, my advice more specifically, to those who operate at the southern entrance to Port-au-Prince, is to give access to the State in order to help the underprivileged."



Limit the number of passengers...

"We are working with public transit unions to limit the number of passengers in public transport vehicles and with community radios to reach the maximum number of people in the most remote corners of the country on the danger of Covid-19," Wilner Joseph, Secretary of State for Population, informed on Tuesday.



10 medical regulators being recruited

Ten medical regulators (one for each department) are being recruited. These doctors will be responsible for monitoring Covid-19 patients (appropriate care, notification of possible contamination of staff, etc...), the proper use of stocks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and training health workers in COVID-19 case management institutions, among other responsibilities.



Anniversary of MUPANAH

April 7 is the anniversary of the National Pantheon Museum of Haiti (MUPANAH), the only national museum that still collects the relics of our ancestors. On April 7, 1984, MUPANAH was born and its birth coincides with the arrival in Haiti of the remains of Toussaint Louverture. The Minister of Culture and Communication. Pradel Henriquez paid a short visit to MUPANAH on the occasion.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The Democratic Republic of Congo's justice ministry has freed 1,200 prisoners in new measures to decongest prisons and prevent the spread of coronavirus.



Those released from prisons were minor offenders, according to Justice Minister Celestin Tunda.



Seven hundred of the prisoners have been released from the Makala Prison in the capital, Kinshasa, one of the country's most over-crowded jails.



More inmates will be freed and the minister has urged magistrates and judges to only jail those involved in serious crimes like murder and rape.



DR Congo has confirmed 180 cases of coronavirus, including 18 deaths.



The government has imposed a two-week lockdown in Gombe suburb of Kinshasa.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
[April 08, 2020] Recruitment Software Industry Outlook to 2025 by Deployment Model, Component, Enterprise Size, Vertical and Region

DUBLIN, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Recruitment Software Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global recruitment software market is currently witnessing strong growth. Looking forward, the market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of around 6% during 2020-2025. The increasing penetration rate of cloud-based platforms, along with the adoption of mobile-based recruitment systems, is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Organizations are rapidly adopting automated resume screening methods that use artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the level of skills and experience of the candidate. The software also utilizes optical trackers and machine learning (ML) systems to identify market trends and patterns through transactional activities and analytical inputs. Furthermore, organizations are increasingly emphasizing on enhancing the candidate experience, along with improving their organizational efficiency, which is contributing to the widespread adoption of these systems across the globe. Other factors, including the emergence of social recruiting trends, a growing need to replace traditional hiring methods to minimize paperwork, wastage of resources and costs, coupled with the increasing number of start-up companies, especially in the developing economies, are projected to drive the market further. The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Accenture Plc, ADP LLC, Ceridian HCM Inc., Cognizant Technology Solutions, Halogen Software Inc., iCIMS, Kenexa Corporation (IBM), Lumesse, Oracle, PeopleAdmin, SAP, SumTotal Systems Inc., Zoho Corporation, etc. Key Questions Answered li>How has the global recruitment software market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the deployment model?

What is the breakup of the market based on the component?

What is the breakup of the market based on the enterprise size?

What is the breakup of the market based on the vertical?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global recruitment software market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?



Key Topics Covered



1 Preface





2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Recruitment Software Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Deployment Model

6.1 On-premises

6.2 SaaS Based



7 Market Breakup by Component

7.1 Software

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Major Types

7.1.2.1 Contact Management

7.1.2.2 Resume Management

7.1.2.3 Mobile Recruitment

7.1.2.4 Reporting and Analytics

7.1.2.5 Workflow Management

7.1.2.6 Others

7.2 Services

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Major Types

7.2.2.1 Professional

7.2.2.2 Managed



8 Market Breakup by Enterprise Size

8.1 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

8.2 Large Enterprises



9 Market Breakup by Vertical

9.1 Manufacturing

9.2 Healthcare

9.3 Hospitality

9.4 BFSI

9.5 Education

9.6 Others



10 Market Breakup by Region

10.1 North America

10.2 Asia-Pacific

10.3 Europe

10.4 Latin America

10.5 Middle East & Africa



11 SWOT Analysis

11.1 Overview

11.2 Strengths

11.3 Weaknesses

11.4 Opportunities

11.5 Threats



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis

13.1 Overview

13.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

13.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

13.4 Degree of Competition

13.5 Threat of New Entrants

13.6 Threat of Substitutes



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Accenture PLC

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 ADP LLC

14.3.3 Ceridian HCM Inc.

14.3.4 Cognizant Technology Solutions

14.3.5 Halogen Software Inc.

14.3.6 iCIMS

14.3.7 Kenexa Corporation

14.3.8 Lumesse

14.3.9 Oracle

14.3.10 PeopleAdmin

14.3.11 SAP

14.3.12 SumTotal Systems Inc.

14.3.13 Zoho Corporation



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v78k86 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/recruitment-software-industry-outlook-to-2025-by-deployment-model-component-enterprise-size-vertical-and-region-301037424.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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We know refugee camps are not ideal. But they are even worse than you might think

Greek and Norwegian researchers have conducted a study on the health conditions in six refugee camps in Greece.

"We found high levels of trauma," says Professor Terje A. Eikemo.

He heads the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). CHAIN collaborated with the National Center for Social Research in Athens, and others, to survey refugee health.

"It's important to systematically map the health situation and needs of the refugees in the camps. We know way too little and this is slowing down the asylum processes," Eikemo says.

But what we do know is disturbing, especially now, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Problems increase with time

The longer people spend in refugee camps, the more the problems increase, especially for vulnerable groups.

Two-thirds of refugees are plagued by memories of scary and painful events. About half of the refugees report being extremely disturbed by such events.

Sleep problems and concentration difficulties are common, as are being frightened and having strong reactions when reminded of past events.

CHAIN is working to monitor global health. One of their goals is to provide knowledge that can reduce social health disparities in and between countries.

Huge number of refugees in Greece

Since 2014 Greece has become the transit country for many refugees in connection with unrest in the Middle East. Due to its geographical location, the country has received a disproportionate number of migrants.

Numbers peaked in 2015, when a total of 857 000 refugees arrived in Greece. They were largely accommodated in refugee camps, where tens of thousands still live. Life in the camps is wreaking havoc on the health of many refugees.

"People lack any sense of security," says Eikemo.

Children, the elderly and women

Being physically safe in a camp doesn't mean that people find peace. Seven out of ten migrants have children, who are more susceptible to trauma than adults. The children are especially prone to worsening health the longer they are in the camps.

"Unfortunately, we're seeing a connection between how long the children have been in the camps and their health situation," says Eikemo.

This finding is based on parents' assessment of their children. More than half of the parents report that their children have suffered from significantly worse health since their journey began. It is also worrisome that most of the respondents do not feel safe in the camps, and that a large proportion of the refugees do not have access to shelters that provide privacy or clean facilities.

"Although most refugees have access to free food, toilets, showers and mattresses, that is not enough to prevent the children's declining health over time," says Eikemo.

The elderly in refugee camps also have a harder time getting their health needs met than others. Women who lack shelter that offers some privacy are another particularly vulnerable group.

Feel the symptoms later

In particular, the refugees highlight neck and back problems, allergies, extreme headaches and other chronic conditions, often in combination. The more time they've spent in the camps, the more refugees report these types of health issues.

One reason may be that the early health surveys in the camps concentrated on other health conditions, such as infectious diseases. Still, only four out of ten refugees report that they have been examined by a doctor.

"Once people are physically safe in refugee camps after fleeing, they start to feel the symptoms," Eikemo says.

Upon arrival at the camps, the proportion of people with ailments is about the same as the European average. Over time, the percentage of chronic illnesses increases dramatically.

"Our findings indicate that staying in the camps is destroying the health of both children and adults. It is simply the wrong place to be for people who have been through such traumatizing experiences. Good health is a human right. It's incomprehensible from a public health and human rights perspective that families - and especially children - are still in these camps," says Eikemo.

He says the researchers have not had the opportunity to follow up with the participants again to see how things turned out for them later.

Challenging work

The survey was conducted on two occasions in 2016. The work was challenging because it required the approval of both the authorities and aid organizations, which was given at short notice. Boats and interpreters had to be at the ready, and the researchers were allowed to spend only a limited amount of time in the camps.

The researchers interviewed one person from every three tents or households in order to obtain the most representative sampling possible.

Researchers wanted to find out why people had fled and whether they had experienced traumatizing or discriminatory experiences before, during or after fleeing, as well as to identify needs, the reception conditions in the camps and refugees' health situations.

The researchers used their own trauma index, developed by Harvard University researchers who also participated in the project. A total of 367 people were surveyed, which accounted for approximately four per cent of the refugees in the six camps.

The research project involved approximately 60 researchers from several countries. It was led by Terje Andreas Eikemo of CHAIN/ NTNU and Theoni Stathopoulou of the National Center for Social Research in Athens, who is also affiliated with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma in the United States.

###

Sources:

New Perspectives on the European Refugee Crisis. An Empirical Review. Introduction to the special issue. Theoni Stathopoulou, Terje Andreas Eikemo. Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 32, Issue Special_Issue_1, December 2019, Pages i1 - i11, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez096

Safety, Health and Trauma among Newly Arrived Refugees in Greece. Theoni Stathopoulou, Lydia Avrami, Anastasia Kostaki, Jennifer Cavounidis, Terje Andreas Eikemo. Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 32, Issue Special_Issue_1, December 2019, Pages i22 - i35, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez034

Asylum-seeking Parents' Reports of Health Deterioration in Their Children since Fleeing Their Home Country. Christopher Jamil De Montgomery, Theoni Stathopoulou, Terje Andreas Eikemo. Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 32, Issue Special_Issue_1, December 2019, Pages i52 - i62, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez018


By Jean-Luc Renaud



On March 13, when I flew back to Korea to resume my university teaching, my British friends called me crazy to return to a country in the midst of the epidemic.



Via Skype, they now tell me I would be crazy to return to the United Kingdom given the rapidly worsening situation in the Old Continent. Well, the day after I left London, the lockdown of an entire continent was being put in place. It is now me who worries about my friends, not to mention my family.



I am glued to my laptop following hour by hour, horrified, the speed with which, in the continent of the Siecle des Lumieres, France, champion of the Declaration of Human Rights, and my country Switzerland, the land of people's direct democracy, are locking up their entire population, as do their neighbors.



No apology for the dramatic opening sequence. My departure brings to mind the iconic photo of a German family fleeing to the West the day Walter Ulbricht's communist troops were erecting the Berlin Wall on Aug. 13, 1961. Did I take the last flight to freedom (funnily enough, on board a Lufthansa plane)? Well, apparently, there is no more planes flying from Heathrow or Geneva to Korea, and I am not even sure I would be allowed to get out of my north London home.



Total population containment and forced "social distancing" are the only policies European leaders believe will be effective. The United Kingdom did, courageously, explore an alternative route to stave off the epidemic, without reverting to the brutal hand of the state. They lost this fight, aligning themselves with Europe's catechism (so much for Brexit).



France best illustrates what a lockdown is. The entire population is told to stay inside their homes for at least a month. If people need to go out, they must print an authorization form downloaded from the government website, tick one of the five reasons to justify the trip, sign it and keep it with them. One of the 100,000 police officers across the country will ask to check it. If you were creative about the reasons you gave, you will be punished.



I learned that more than 100,000 "law-breaking" citizens have already been fined. Needless to say that all places where people meet are closed. Switzerland seems to be obsessed with social distancing. No gathering of more than five people is allowed, and the distance between each must be at least two meters. The police are omnipresent to enforce the law. Germany just announced a ban on gatherings of more than two people.



Sensible move, overreaction? What is certain is that European governments were caught with their pants down when it came to addressing Italy's terrifying coronavirus unfolding. You think they would design a strategy informed by the ones implemented in countries that are successfully fighting the virus. Sadly not. They solely focused on China, and this is the nauseating part of the story.



All the experts and commentators who pontificate night after night on French television, for example, now genuflect to China's "prescience" for their Wuhan quarantine policy. Compared with some of the diktats on Europe's population, China does indeed look at times like Club Med.



Those very experts, who rightfully distrusted the concealments and lies China peddled at the start of the epidemic (and probably still does), now accept at face value the rosy figures distilled by brother Xi. Only someone abusing adulterated "Mao-tai" believes China saw only a handful of new infections over the past week.



Given that European governments (and now others) have chosen to go down the Chinese route, no surprise they only flock to Beijing for advice and support, which the Middle Kingdom is happy to oblige with. They just offered a million masks to the French. I guess it must have been the consignment destined to the one million-plus Uighurs piled up in "re-education" camps (by the way, no infection there?).



The nauseating part is this. While the way the Chinese dictatorship does things is mostly unpalatable to Western democracies, the view that only such regimes can successfully deal with calamitous situations (through harsh containment) is becoming acceptable, normalized, unchallenged. That European politicians and healthcare executives did not turn first to Asia's like-minded democratic nation that successfully curbed the infection, namely, South Korea, boggles the mind.



The sophistry and mental gymnastics TV pundits engage in to avoid explaining to their viewers why South Korea ought to be the shining example to follow is pathetic. As a front-line witness, I try to calm my anger with soju, readily available as no shops are closed in the Land of the Morning Calm!



Indeed, with the exemption of kindergartens and high schools, everything  from restaurants, museums and coffee shops to grocery stores, cinemas and hairdressers  has remained open. No state-imposed "social distancing" (though of late, it is encouraged) or containment, let alone lockdown, even in the infection epicenter Daegu.



No panic buying, no empty shelves (what is this Westerners' obsession with toilet rolls?). The outcome? "Only" 180 deaths since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic three months ago. The strategy? Targeted testing using big data.



South Korea's parliament has authorized the government to access the GPS data of all mobile phone users as well as their credit card use. When a case of infection is confirmed, this huge amount of data enables health authorities and response teams to trace the whereabouts of the infected person up to the previous nine days, with a view to identifying the potential source of the infection.



The localized cluster is then "carpet-bombed" with testing. More than 300,000 tests have been conducted, up to 20,000 a day. Testing is free and can also be administered in drive-ins and phone booth-like outfits.



A Big Brother approach, it is. Libertarians will be dismayed by the fact that this data is readily available live on a free app, coronamap.site, which enables everyone to learn of the potential presence of infectious cases in their neighborhood.



I and some of my Korean friends are uneasy about this level of disclosure. While names of establishments are publicized, the identities of the infected persons are withheld. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that it did not take long for the details of some of them to surface, with the potential backlash one might expect. Add to that the regular (and loud) SMS alerts notifying new cases in your area (they also offer useful advice and support tips), and you have the backbone of an effective coronavirus killing machine.



"Desperate times require desperate measures," wrote the Greek physician?Hippocrates, in his?"Aphorisms." Given the success of the South Korean strategy, I bite the bullet and still prefer to see my personal data in the hands of an elected government rather than in those of the Chinese Communist Party.



Short of a vaccine, the most effective means of slowing down or preventing the spread of the virus is regular hand washing, repeated ad nauseam on the excellent sites of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and the World Health Organization, and actually reminded by all European governments.



The Koreans take it very seriously. Bottles of hand sanitizer, sometimes accompanied with a thermometer, are found virtually everywhere. I saw it first when I visited my hairdresser, then when I met my friends at the restaurant. In hospitals and other key buildings, an attendant might take your temperature and ask you to write down your contact details.



Needless to say, reasonably priced bottles of hand sanitizing liquid are in ample supply in the country. My family members in the U.K. and Switzerland tell me this all-important fighting tool is nowhere to be seen. As soon as (rare) supplies are available in stores (even in the upper-class U.K. chain Waitrose), profiteers grab the stocks and put them up for sale on eBay at extortionate prices.



The same thing happens in other European countries. And those governments, which have no qualms sending the police  and soon the army  to maintain order, are doing nothing to prevent this iniquitous trade. The South Korean government banned gouging patients and consumers on essential supplies, and took over the distribution of masks.



Discussion on the use of big data to fight the epidemic is slowly making its way into the discourse of worried politicians no longer able to ignore the successful "trace, test, treat" strategy of South Korea.



The problem is that, if or when Europe deploys similar measures, these will come on top of coercive policies implemented today, not in lieu of them. If this ever happens, I will see to it that my wife and son take the last raft heading for the Korean Peninsula. And I will finally perfect my Korean. Promise 





Swiss-born Dr. Jean-Luc Renaud is an assistant professor of mass communication at Hannam University's Linton School of Global Business. He has lived in Daejeon since 2014.




Alternating groups of employees at the office is also under discussion. "There could be A teams and B teams working different days," said Scott Rechler, chief executive and chairman of RXR Realty. Moving desks farther apart could also give workers more elbow room. The whole point of kinetic furniture was to bring people together. Now it has a different function: to pull people apart. Kelly Griffin, principal at architecture firm NBBJ Over the past decade, many companies eliminated private offices in favour of open plans, but the amount of space per office worker declined 25 per cent, said Janet Pogue McLaurin, an architect and principal at the design firm Gensler, which has been tracking changes in the workplace in annual surveys since 2008.

The typical workstation of a decade ago  the cubicle  was 2.40 by 2.40 metres. By 2015, the workstation was down to 1.80 by 2.40 metres, and in recent years, the contraction has continued. Benching  desks lined up side by side  has been another way workers have been squeezed. A benching desk with a width of 1.80 metres would be consistent with current social distancing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many desks are not that wide. And often one row of desks faces another row, so that employees are directly opposite their peers. To create a 1.80-metre radius around each employee, companies may have to pull desks apart or stagger employees so they are not facing one another, experts say. Companies are considering other ways to give employees breathing room.

A conference room intended for 12 might be repurposed as a meeting room for six. In lounge areas, chairs could be placed farther apart. Chairs on casters will permit people to roll seats a safe distance from colleagues. "The whole point of kinetic furniture was to bring people together," said Kelly Griffin, a principal at NBBJ who leads the architecture firm's workplace strategy group. "Now it has a different function: to pull people apart." Hot-desking hiatus Ten per cent of US office workers no longer have assigned seats, according to Gensler. This so-called hot-desking, or hotelling  where employees do not have designated desks but instead come in and find a place to sit  may go on hiatus, if only until the fear of contagion fades. "Maybe we don't move around quite as much," McLaurin said.

Or gather in large groups. All-hands meetings may not resume immediately, said Michael Kleinberg, president and partner of MKDA, an interior design firm. "Nobody is going to want to come," he added. "I think there's going to be a continuation of Zoom meetings for a while." However, the pandemic may result in fundamental changes that will be around for years to come, altering how office buildings are designed. Just as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks created tighter security measures in office buildings and flooding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 prompted the elevation of mechanical systems, the coronavirus may focus attention on air circulation and filtering. Sensor-activated controls may also increase, reducing the number of surfaces that need to be touched in an office and allowing workers to use lifts and open doors with the wave of a hand. Certain materials may come to the fore. Smooth surfaces that are easy to wipe will be preferable to textured or porous ones that could harbour germs. And antimicrobial materials used in hospitals and laboratories may migrate to offices. Interest has surged in new materials such as those that mimic sharkskin, to which microscopic organisms have difficulty adhering.

Some old metals may experience a revival. Copper and its alloys  including brass and bronze  have been shown to be essentially self-sanitising, able to kill bacteria and, early studies suggest, perhaps even the coronavirus plaguing the planet. Work-from-home continues The ability to work from home at least a few days a week  long sought by many workers  may be here to stay. Even firms that previously insisted on everyone's being in the office  either from force of habit or a suspicion that employees would loaf if not under management's watchful eye  have discovered that the work-from-home experiment that the crisis has thrust on large swathes of the workforce has turned out better than expected. "A big light bulb went off during this pandemic," said Anita Kamouri, vice president at Iometrics, a workplace services firm.

Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, expects more than 25 per cent of employees to continue working from home multiple days a week, up from less than 4 per cent who did so before the pandemic. "I don't think that genie is going back into the bottle," she said. Already preliminary findings from a new study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest that more than 34 per cent of respondents have switched from commuting to working at home across the United States. In the Northeast, more than 40 per cent have made the switch. The digital infrastructure for remote work already existed, said Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a co-author of the study. "The tools people found are working pretty well," he said. If companies do allow more of their employees to log in from home, some may consider reducing their office footprint, which could have significant ramifications for commercial real estate.

But if the amount of space devoted to employee workstations and other functions increases, demand for space could balance out. Loading Lounges, cafes and other gathering spaces that sprang up to make collaborative work easier may become even more important if employees do more work from home and commute in for meetings. At the Seattle office of B+H Architects, an informal space called the Sandbox was designed as "a place to meet and exchange ideas," said Doug Demers, a managing principal at the firm. The circular room has a large digital screen for sharing information and curved seating that provides a sense of enclosure.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continues to increase in New York City, the social caucus for New York Citys teacher union is calling for officials to track coronavirus cases and deaths among educators, according to a recent report.

Gothamist reported that the Movement of Rank & File Educators (MORE-UFT), the social caucus of the teachers union United Federation of Teachers (UFT), is demanding the city track and release a statistical breakdown of COVID-19 cases among educators as the death toll of teachers, staff and administrators rises.

The city has been tracking COVID-19 cases for the NYPD and MTA, but Gothamist reported the city isnt tracking DOE-related cases in the same method.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

MORE-UFT said at least 25 Department of Education (DOE) employees have reportedly died due to COVID-19. According to a tweet from MORE-UFT, that number doesnt count principals, assistant principals, school safety and other non-UFT members who have died due to coronavirus.

This count of at least *27* @UFT members does not count the principals, assistant principals, school safety, & other non-UFT members who passed due to #COVID19. And of others whove passed, likely many have not been tested, so we may not know the actual count. Rest in power, read the tweet posted on Monday.

This count of at least *27* @UFT members does not count the principals, assistant principals, school safety, & other non-UFT members who passed due to #COVID19. And of others who've passed, likely many have not been tested, so we may not know the actual count. Rest in power.  MORE-UFT (@MOREcaucusNYC) April 7, 2020

Miranda Barbot, spokesperson for the DOE, told Gothamist that the agency was investigating how to manage the flow of information, including many self-reported cases.

We understand there is a lot of uncertainty across the city surrounding COVID-19, and our top priority continues to be supporting school communities that are impacted," she said in an email to Gothamist on Tuesday. School employees are sometimes reporting information to their principals and superintendents, and we are determining how best to collect this information in one place."

Gothamist reported that the most recent deaths within the DOE include Kimarlee Nguyen, an English teacher at Brooklyn Latin School, who was found dead on Saturday in her familys home in Massachusetts of suspected COVID-19.

David Behrbom, a math teacher at PS 55 in the Bronx, died Sunday, according to a report from NY1. He reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after he was diagnosed with leukemia, according to NY1.

A Brooklyn principal was the first city public school employee to die from the coronavirus last month, according to a New York Post report.

Dezann Romain, the 36-year-old principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy in Brownsville, died from complications related to the coronavirus, according to a statement from the Council of School Supervisors & Administrators.

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(Bloomberg) -- On March 24, Jeffrey VanWingen, a family physician in Grand Rapids, Michigan, posted his first-ever video to YouTube. VanWingen, decked out in medical scrubs in his kitchen, spent 13 minutes explaining how to disinfect a cereal box, a carton of broth, and some broccoli, while a masked friend filmed him from a safe distance. He gave it a title likely to show up in anxious web searches: PSA Grocery Shopping Tips in COVID-19.

Within a week, the video had over 20 million views, and VanWingen was fielding calls from across the world to translate it into other languages. By then, it was too late to alter the ninth minute, when VanWingen tossed bags of apples and oranges into a sink of soapy watersomething scientists say could cause more harm than good. He tried futilely to contact YouTube to edit that portion out of the video. He settled on inserting a disclaimer: Correction: Rinse fruits and vegetables with waterno soap.

Millions of people have been frantically scouring the internet in recent weeks for health advice, turning doctors like VanWingen into YouTubes newest, unexpected starsand putting significant weight behind their recommendations. Im not tech savvy and I am not vain. I just wanted to help people, he said in a phone interview. With something like this pandemic, there's no guidebook.

VanWingen didnt tout an experimental drug or a silver solution as cures for Covid-19, and didnt blame the spread of the virus on 5G networks  all claims that have appeared on YouTube. But his video, coming from a medical professional, did create alarm in a way that some viewed as irresponsible. Hes treating handling your groceries like doing open heart surgery, Donald Schaffner, a biologist at Rutgers University. Hes giving people panic attacks. There is no evidence that Covid-19 is transmitted through food or grocery packaging, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The World Health Organization has described the overabundance of covid-related communication online as an infodemic, making it hard for people to find credible information within the deluge. YouTube is relying on a secretive ranking system to separate legitimate medical advice from quackery. The choices arent always straightforward. The site has to decide how to handle videos from experts on contested medical topics or posts, like VanWingens, that are popular and useful but also contain seemingly honest mistakes. Its even harder to know where to set boundaries when official opinion on subjects like whether people wearing masks in public is still in flux.

Story continues

A big part of YouTubes solution is an authoritativeness score, an algorithm that gleans the credibility of people who post videos about news events and certain topics including health. The company has said it surfaces videos from news outlets, hospitals and experts to viewers most often. Videos from creators with lower scores arent necessarily taken down, but are punished by YouTubes automated system for video recommendation.

YouTube relies on medical doctors to review videos about medical treatments. Its process often includes multiple layers of review, a company spokeswoman said, but she wouldnt name the doctors or say how many are involved. Even video creators that YouTube actively promotes during the pandemic, like Mikhail Doctor Mike Varshavski, who has some 5.5 million followers, know little about the process. I don't know what my score is, he said. Honestly, its really confusing to us as creators.

Roger Seheult, a California pulmonologist, produces MedCram, an eight-year old YouTube page that, before January, posted mostly arcane lectures for medical students. Then Seheult turned to the coronavirus, posting dozens of dispatches on the outbreak. Traffic exploded. One of his most popular videos, with over a million views, is a seventeen-minute clip from March 10 in which he says he is cautiously optimistic about hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested as a coronavirus treatment, with mixed scientific support.

In the video, Seheult reads through several medical studies and reports about the experimental drug. He ends the video by saying randomized control trials on hydroxychloroquine are still needed. In an interview, Seheult said he believes the drugs potential benefits outweigh the risks for many patients under my care.

Like other social-media platforms, YouTube was criticized in recent years for the way its recommendation engine promoted conspiracy theories about health, particularly those raising suspicions about vaccines. Since then, YouTube has worked to remove false claims from search results and recommendations. It now puts a link to health organizations and Googles own virus information page below every clip about coronavirus and has instituted a policy to remove videos promoting medically unsubstantiated prevention and treatment. YouTube pulled down two clips from Brazils president for breaking that rule and has removed thousands more, according to the company.

But wavs of new footage about the virus is posted to YouTube daily, even as Googles own shift to remote work has led it to reduce its staff for content moderation.

An added moderation challenge is that it isnt immediately apparent some problematic videos are connected to coronavirus. Searches for chloroquine and other experimental treatments produce videos from YouTubers, some of them claiming to be doctors, who only recently joined the site. YouTube hosts pages and pages of videos filed under the hashtag #FilmYourHospital, a viral stunt that encourages people to shoot footage suggesting the virus is a hoax. State officials have warned hospitals about the trend.

Sheltered in Michigan, VanWingen spent hours on the phone trying to get in touch with someone at YouTube to cut out the soap washing part. (As a rule, YouTube lets creators change text but not video content after uploading.) YouTube didnt promote his video on its newly created news section for the virus or widely in its recommendations, according to the company, but the clip still continued to spread on its own. Ultimately, he posted a revised version of his PSA a week later, shorter and more toned down. It only received a fraction of the originals traffic.

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...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 &&
How sick in the head do you have to be to wish for somebody's death? It's difficult to imagine being so consumed with hatred for an individual that you hope they actually cease to exist.

But when Prime Minister Boris Johnson was placed in intensive care in London due to worsening symptoms of Covid-19, social media was immediately awash with jubilant ghouls, rubbing their hands in delight, exulting in Johnson's illness. Many actively expressed a hope that he would die.

Most prominent among this crowd of twisted creeps was a woman called Sheila Oakes, who is currently the Labour mayor of a place called Heanor in Derbyshire. "Sorry he completely deserves this and he is one of the worst PM's we've ever had," she tweeted.

What a delightful person Sheila must be. So compassionate and caring. How proud the Heanor people must be to have her as the civic leader of their town.

As I say, Oakes was far from alone. Lots of other hate-groupies chimed in on Twitter, saying things like "we're gonna have a party when Boris Johnson dies", "hope Boris dies", "f*** Boris" and so on.

Of course, we had our own home-grown crop of abusive messages from Northern Ireland courtesy of those eager to see the PM succumb to virulent disease for purely sectarian reasons.

Because if you're not with us, you're against us, and therefore deserve to die, right?

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It was the same when the late Rev Ian Paisley was rushed to hospital with a serious heart problem back in 2012. "If ever there was man deserved to be struck down by God, this was him," said one post on social media, while a local blogger wrote: "I've just heard the joyous news that Ian Paisley has been taken to hospital after a suspected heart attack and sincerely hope that it marks the prelude to his imminent and painful death."

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When Martin McGuinness took ill in 2017 with the disease that finally killed him, there were similar wishes for his speedy demise.

But, of course, it was Margaret Thatcher who attracted the most vitriol of all. In the run-up to her death in 2013 the ghouls could scarcely contain themselves.

The Scottish comedian Brian Limmond was preaching to the choir when he tweeted: "How removed from reality must you be to not see Thatcher's death as a celebration?"

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To underline his point he posted a picture of Thatcher with her eyes and mouth crossed out, a blood red line slashed across her throat and the words 'Die Now' written across her forehead.

When Thatcher finally did pass away the haters' joy knew no bounds. Pictures of the former Prime Minister's face were ritually burned, mocked-up coffins were set alight. Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead from The Wizard Of Oz shot up the pop charts, propelled by a campaign to get it to number one.

People even gave parties to celebrate Thatcher's death. Such celebrations got a thumbs-up from media philosopher AC Grayling, who said "an outburst of pleasure at the departure of someone who was deeply polarising and gave expression to callous attitudes is both perfectly understandable and justifiable".

Really? Popping the champagne because a dementia-addled old woman, controversial in her time, had finally passed away?

Let's not dress this nastiness up as anything remotely healthy, understandable or justifiable. None of it is about expressing strong political differences, or critiquing the performance of party leaders, past or present. It's much deeper and dirtier than that. It's the ugly outworking of a visceral, tribal hatred.

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To say, as Sheila Oakes did of Boris Johnson, that someone's serious, possibly terminal, illness, is a fate they somehow deserve purely because of their political actions and beliefs is not just irrational. It is depraved. It's inhumane.

It reminds me of the foul prejudice we heard from Christian fundamentalists who blamed gay people for Hurricane Katrina, as an apparent invocation of God's wrath. It's a myth that hardcore Christian fundamentalists have a monopoly on bigotry and hatred for those who fail to fall in line with their moral strictures. The secular variety can be just as prejudiced.

Both ultra-zealous Bible-bashers and far-Left extremists share the belief that they and they alone are morally pure, and therefore they can do no wrong and all their beliefs are justified.

Certainly, such poison is not confined to illiberal liberals. "Hope you die of coronavirus" has also become the go-to insult thrown at young eco-activist Greta Thunberg. Do these people really want a teenage girl to die a horrible death, choking for air, because of what she believes about the plight of the planet?

Even the elderly Queen got it in the neck after her recent broadcast to the nation concerning the coronavirus crisis. The spew of vitriol in response to her message from certain parts of social media was unconscionably vicious.

Let me be absolutely clear: this is not written from a place of admiration for Boris Johnson, Ian Paisley or Margaret Thatcher. Far from it. I have always been, and continue to be, in firm opposition to the political worldview of all three.

And while I have a certain degree of respect for the Queen's poise, dignity and tenacity, I am no monarchist. Quite the opposite in fact.

But dancing on somebody's grave - or wishing them prematurely into it - horrifies me, because it shows a shocking lack of humanity, an absence of basic human empathy for another mortal being.

No doubt many of the Boris-haters consider themselves compassionate, open-minded, socially tolerant people. But behind that front of caring liberalism lurks an awful sort of smug heartlessness, and perhaps something even more dangerous - a callous disregard for the value of human life itself.
Labor has stepped up its calls for the government to come to the aid of Virgin Australia, saying the beleaguered airline's survival is vital for Australia's economy and for industry competition.

The federal government has announced close to $1 billion in industry aid since the coronavirus outbreak, which has obliterated travel demand and put airlines around the world under severe financial pressure.

But it has baulked at Virgin's request for a $1.4 billion loan, which the debt-laden carrier says it needs to ensure it can survive the crisis.

Virgin has asked for government help to ensure it survives the coronavirus shutdown. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Labor's shadow transport minister Catherine King said in Parliament on Wednesday the industry status quo - having Qantas, Virgin and their budget off-shoots Jetstar and Tigerair - had served the economy and travelling public well and should be maintained to protect jobs, ensure regular air services and promote competition.
A top British and Irish Lions star joined the NHS for free to help tackle coronavirus - because he's a qualified doctor.

The former Wales international Jamie Roberts had been playing for The Stormers in South Africa but flew home to help after the rugby season was put on hold.

And he will restart his health career working as a volunteer alongside doctors and nurses at the hospital where he trained.

Ex-British and Irish Lions star Jamie Roberts has returned to the UK to volunteer as a doctor

Roberts is a qualified doctor and is working at University Hospital Wales to battle coronavirus

Roberts, 33, says he will be given a 'motivational role' at the University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, because he has never worked clinically.

He said: 'I have spent the last three months living in Cape Town, but obviously rugby out there was postponed indefinitely, so I came back to the UK.

'I just thought how can I play my part in this challenge we are all facing?

'Obviously I am sitting on a medical degree from Cardiff University.. I graduated in 2013 and did a bit of research between then and now.

'I thought do you know what, I would love to help the cause here in Cardiff with the health board that helped me train as a doctor.

'Although I have never worked clinically, I just thought I could help lend an extra pair of hands, an extra brain into helping solve the challenge.

'My first few days here have been inspiring, to see how hard people are working and everyone playing their part.

'I won't be doing any skilled clinical work. I may be on the wards doing some basic work.

Roberts had been enjoying his time in South Africa before the outbreak of coronavirus

'My role here is to help motivate staff and help the communications team, making sure we get the right messages across to the public and playing my role within an unbelievable team.

'I was never aware of exactly what goes on behind the scenes.

'The energy and enthusiasm is palpable and that's inspiring during a time like this.

'So whatever I can do to help our staff at HQ and in the front line as well I am keen to play my part.

'With a medical background as well, I hope that helps.'
Celebrity doctor Drew Pinsky has apologized for a series of statements revealed in a video compilation where he downplayed the coronavirus and suggested it was a 'press-induced panic'.

'I wish I had gotten it right, but I got it wrong,' Pinsky, who is known as Dr Drew, said in an apology video shared on his Twitter page over the weekend.

'My early comments about equating coronavirus with influenza were wrong. They were incorrect I was part of a chorus that was saying that and we were wrong. And I want to apologize for that,' Pinsky said.

Pinsky's apology was prompted by an online video that put together clips from a series of appearances he made over a two-month period.

Scroll down for video

On March 2 during an interview with KTLA-TV, Pinsky said he was angry about the 'press-induced panic' caused by the disease

As recent as March 31, the same day that the White House released models that showed that 100,000 to 240,000 people could die in the US from coronavirus, Pinsky said 'we'd have to at least have 30,000 deaths for it to be worse than the flu'

The Pinsky video surfaced on Twitter, posted by someone who goes by the name 'DroopsDr'.

The video collects clips of Pinsky on his online show 'Ask Dr Drew,' his podcast 'Dr Drew After Dark' and other media appearances.

He repeatedly suggested the coronavirus would be not as bad as the flu, at one point saying the probability of dying of coronavirus was less than being hit by an asteroid.

On March 2 during an interview with KTLA-TV, Pinsky said he was angry about the 'press-induced panic' caused by the disease.

Later in the month, speaking from New York, he noted that subways were much less crowded because city officials had said to avoid riding the trains.

'So I am,' he said. 'It's just ridiculous.'

In his apology, Pinsky said he didn't understand the ferocity of the illness and had been primarily looking at the number of influenza cases. A patient in New York is seen being placed into the back of an ambulance on Monday

More than 14,200 people have died of the coronavirus in the United States. Most people who are infected have moderate or mild symptoms and recover, but for elderly people and those with underlying conditions, it can be fatal.

In his apology, Pinsky said he didn't understand the ferocity of the illness and had been primarily looking at the number of influenza cases.

While he did not say the clips had been edited in a deceptive way, he noted that in most of his appearances, he also directed viewers toward the guidance of Dr Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control.

Pinsky did not immediately return a request for comment.

In a message on Twitter, the person who posted the video suggested the idea of seeking out Fauci's opinion was probably lost behind Pinsky's opinion.

A few weeks ago, The Washington Post released a video that compared statements by Fox News Channel personalities like Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro made before the pandemic hit and after.

There are more than 422,000 coronavirus cases in the US with more than 14,200 deaths

It has also done videos compiling instances where Trump and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio downplayed the disease's impact.

Comedy Central's online video, 'Heroes of the Pandumic,' has already been viewed more than 19 million times, said Ramin Hedayati, head of digital content for The Daily Show.

While it contains statements made by Trump and radio personality Rush Limbaugh, the Comedy Central video concentrates on clips of Fox News personalities minimizing the disease or suggesting the danger was being exaggerated to make Trump look bad.

'It felt like the moment was right for it, because the news is moving so fast ... and we didn't want people to forget that this had happened,' Hedayati said.

The Daily Show has frequently targeted Fox News over the years, but Hedayati said he has a hard time remembering any issue where people have responded to a segment with such anger toward the network.

A Fox News spokesperson said the Post and Comedy Central videos are cherry-picked and lacking context. The network has pushed back against the notion that it didn't take coronavirus seriously.

The Washington Free Beacon has also produced its own video mashup with mainstream media statements on the virus.

'Liberal sources and public health officials have said the very same things without being criticized,' investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson wrote in response to the Comedy Central video.

'It is as if the rhetoric is deemed to be too dangerous or "coronavirus-doubting" only when uttered by conservatives, Trump supporters or other targeted people.'
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency ordinance requiring paid sick leave for essential workers like grocery clerks, janitors, and delivery people working for large companies during the coronavirus public health crisis.

The ordinance requires companies with 500 or more employees to provide workers with paid sick leave if they must be quarantined, have COVID-19 symptoms, or are caring for children or someone who is sick.

According to Supervisor Gordon Mar, who introduced the ordinance, the legislation was needed in order to further protect essential workers and their families.

"We are only as healthy as our neighbor," Mar said. "And if they can't stay home when they need to, we are all worse off."

Mar has said Mayor London Breed is in support of the ordinance.

During the meeting, Supervisors Shamann Walton, Matt Haney, Hillary Ronen, and Dean Preston also introduced an emergency ordinance that would require the city to secure at least 8,250 private rooms for homeless people on the streets during the stay-at-home order by April 26.

Currently, the city is only offering hotel rooms to homeless people within the city's shelter system or those living in single room occupancy hotels, and homeless people who are either over 60 years old or have underlying health conditions, regardless if they're in the shelter system or on the streets. Some hotel rooms will also be used for frontline workers needing to isolate or quarantine, city officials have said.

"There are more than 40,000 vacant hotel rooms in San Francisco right now, and homeless service providers have told us that they are ready and willing to staff up these facilities immediately. But instead the city has doubled down on its backward policy of waiting for homeless individuals to become infected first before placing them in private hotel rooms," Ronen said.

So far, city officials have confirmed three cases of homeless people living in shelters testing positive for the virus. The new cases prompted city officials on Monday to announce they wouldn't be expanding shelter sites, and instead move vulnerable homeless people into hotel rooms.

During the meeting, supervisors also unanimously approved a resolution, calling on both the departments of public health and public works to increase the number of bathrooms and hand-washing stations throughout the city for homeless people in order to slow the spread of the virus.

The resolution's approval comes just as Mayor London Breed earlier Tuesday announced expanded bathroom access for homeless people via new portable toilets and hand-washing stations in 15 "high-need" locations throughout the city.

The toilets will be available 24 hours a day and will be staffed and cleaned daily. The first five toilets are set to go up Wednesday in the Tenderloin, South of Market, Bayview Hunters Point, Castro and Mission neighborhoods, while the remaining 10 will be running by early next week.

Supervisors also unanimously passed a separate resolution declaring COVID-19 an extreme danger to the public in an effort to ensure that small businesses can claim insurance for business interruption.

According to Mar, who introduced the resolution, companies are denying coverage to small businesses by claiming that COVID-19 does not cause property damage or loss, which is required for a payout. However, that could change if the virus is declared an extreme danger because of its propensity to stick to surfaces and spread, he said.

The resolution also calls on California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to consider it a material misrepresentation for insurers to deny coverage because of claims the coronavirus doesn't cause property loss or damage.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
The Office will officially be leaving Netflix at the end of the year, but if youre already feeling pre-emptive grief, Netflix will soon deliver unto you a show that will fill that Pam-sized hole in your heart. But instead of Scranton, Pennsylvania, this series takes place in space... almost.

Today, Netflix released the first images from Space Force, the new Greg Daniels series starring Michael Scott himself, Steve Carell, as a general trying to get the sixth branch of the military off the ground and into orbit.

Daniels, who created the beloved American version The Office, has gathered some impressive comedic actors for the series in addition to re-teaming with Carell. Hes joined by John Malkovich, Friends legend Lisa Kudrow, and Parks and Recs Ben Schwartz. Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow, and Don Lake round out the cast.

1 Courtesy of Aaron Epstein for Netflix

A decorated pilot with dreams of running the Air Force, four-star general Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) is thrown for a loop when he finds himself tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force, the official synopsis reads. Skeptical but dedicated, Mark uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado where he and a colorful team of scientists and Spacemen are tasked by the White House with getting American boots on the moon (again) in a hurry and achieving total space dominance.

Courtesy of Aaron Epstein for Netflix

Will Space Force be funny? Given the pedigree behind it, and Daniels and Carells track record together, probably! Is it a wild coincidence that President Donald Trump founded an actual Space Force earlier this year, and that the series will likely be responsive in some way to his military expansion? Also probably, but at least well have some laughs along the way.

Space Force will hit Netflix on May 29.

TV

Does The Office Hold Up?

The Office gave us nine seasons of cringe-worthy laughs. But does a self-aware comedy about bad workplace behavior feel the same when so many of our day-to-day conversations are about workplace abuse?

Originally Appeared on GQ
VANCOUVERRay Taheri touches eight to 10 door handles every day as he walks from his car to his office at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, in B.C.s Interior.

It occurred to Taheri, who teaches engineering design, that health-care workers also make a similar trek from their cars to the hospital. But they are front-line workers in the fight against COVID-19 and need to be protected from the virus as much as possible  whether it comes from patients or door handles.

The coronavirus can live on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to several days, according to the World Health Organization.

And one of the objects people touch most  if they are not quarantined at home  are door handles.

After working on various prototypes for several days, Taheri came up with a device that allows the user to open doors, hands free.

The device resembles a wrench that acts as an extension of the users hand. On one end is a handle the user can grip and on the other is a C-shape curve that hooks the door handle. The device features an ergonomic handle and can hold up to 30 pounds  people can use it to carry groceries or other objects as well.

Its not genius. Its something very simple, but it does help, Taheri said. When you design something, there is beauty in simplicity. But there are lots of things to consider.

The device fits most door handle shapes, whether they are flat, cylindrical, and whether they are installed vertically or horizontally. It can also be used to push elevator buttons or crosswalk-signal buttons.

Taheri hopes the device can help essential workers who are still working despite the risk of becoming infected by the coronavirus.

So far, he has given a few dozen to university campus security guards. They open hundreds of doors every day, Taheri said, putting them at greater risk for infection. Some security personnel have been looping the device to their belts or putting them in their pockets when theyre not using it.

Its a better solution than wearing gloves, Taheri said. Health officials have warned gloves can give people a false sense of security and the chance of cross contamination is high  touch a door handle while wearing gloves, then touch your face and the gloves wont protect you.

Taheris door-opening aid is meant to be a personal device. Only one person is meant to use it, and they can disinfect the hook regularly with a cotton pad and rubbing alcohol.

The device is made of plastic. Why plastic? Because it means Taheri can make them on his 3D printer. It takes about seven hours to print one device.

Last week, an elderly Vancouver man asked Taheri about the device after watching a video of it in use. Taheri printed one and shipped it to him the next day.

Taheri said he ultimately hoped the device would be helpful to health-care workers in hospitals or care homes. If enough workers inquire about the device, he would manufacture them in greater numbers  he already has a quote from a Calgary manufacturer that can make a large batch of the devices for $3 each, he said.

For weeks now, engineers around the world have put their problem-solving skills to work to make health-care workers lives easier. In B.C., everything from improvements to personal protective equipment such as face masks and face shields to refurbishing medical devices such as ventilators has been done.

Taheri is no stranger to community projects. He has a habit of putting his mind to solving humanitarian issues.

Last spring, he initiated a project on a new design of donation bins after several high-profile deaths in Vancouver and Toronto where people became stuck in the bins.

Engineering work often revolves around profit, said Taheri, who believes engineers should give back to the community.

I teach my students there are two other Ps  people and planet, he said. I teach my students to endorse technology while embracing humanity.

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The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, T.D., has commended the local authorities for their speed in establishing a Covid-19 Community Call Forum in every local authority area and their engagement with communities during the foras first week of operating helplines.

Each local authority has established a Community Call Forum, which works with State agencies and community and voluntary groups to provide supports or services to any vulnerable person who needs them.

Between Monday, 30 March and Sunday, 05 April, the 31 fora:

 received an estimated 5,051 calls

 made an estimated 2,198 follow-up calls

 provided 1,871 collection and delivery services

 provided 686 social isolation services, and

 218 meal services

Minister Murphy said: Right now, there is a tremendous amount of community spirit throughout the country. People were volunteering their help to others from the very beginning. I want to thank local authorities across the country for the speed in which they responded to the emergency by establishing Forums in their areas to marshal and coordinate all available resources from within the community.

The helplines and contact email addresses established for those needing help accessing basic physical and social supports have been very effective. The helplines are also taking calls from those who know someone who needs help and those who would like to offer help. Local authorities, the relevant State agencies and community groups on the ground are working together to deliver services to people in need, be it the delivery of a meal, fuel or medicine. I want to thank and pay tribute to all involved for their hard work and incredible commitment to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Many people are feeling anxious at this difficult time. Each Forum is offering important support to those experiencing social isolation or who are cocooning. Each Forum is also engaging with people who would like to offer help in a voluntary capacity.

ALONE, the national charity for older people, is partnering each COVID-19 Community Call Forum. After the Government launched Community Call - a major initiative that links local and national government with the community and voluntary sectors - last Thursday, it received 3,121 calls in four days. Minister Murphy said: I want to thank ALONE for their work on this initiative and their collaboration with the local authorities. Their national helpline and support for those needing information, reassurance or someone to talk to, compliments the local authorities work on the ground.

Minister Ring said: Community Call is an unprecedented mobilisation of Government, Local Authority and voluntary resources to provide help to those in our communities that need it during this crisis.

The clear message I want to convey to those who are vulnerable is that help is there and you should not hesitate to ask for it. Our wonderful community and voluntary organisations are on hand to support people, including those who are socially isolating, through delivering essential items like food, fuel and medicine.

There is a Community Call Forum in each county to coordinate and connect the wide range of services and supports that are available. A dedicated phone helpline is operational in every county and the national number 0818 222 024 is also now in operation. You can find your local helpline number on www.Gov.ie

Many community volunteers are older and are now socially isolating so we need those who are in a position to help out to do so. I urge them to volunteer through their local volunteering centre or through www.Volunteering.ie.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he is officially delaying New Jerseys primary election about a month because of the coronavirus outbreak that continues to grip the state, noting he wants to avoid what happened in Wisconsin.

Murphy signed an executive order to move the primary  including closely watched races for president and Congress  from June 2 to July 7, also a Tuesday.

Our democracy cannot be a casualty of COVID-19, the governor at the Trenton War Memorial during his daily coronavirus press briefing. We want to ensure every voter can vote without endangering their health or their safety.

Murphy said he made the move to preserve the possibility that the states health crisis may improve to allow for people to vote in person.

Delaying the primary by five weeks increases the likelihood of that, he said.

But, he said, postponing the primary will also give officials time to prepare for if voting has to be done completely by mail-in ballot  something New Jersey has never done for a statewide election.

That task becomes easier with another month, Murphy said.

More than a dozen other states have delayed their primaries. But Wisconsin drew controversy for moving forward with its primary Tuesday after the state Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court prevented Democratic Gov. Tony Evers from delaying the vote and from postponing the deadline to submit absentee ballots.

Photos of people in Wisconsin waiting in line wearing face masks went viral Tuesday. One woman drew extra attention for carrying a sign that read: THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

Murphy, a Democrat, expressed dismay over that Wednesday.

I dont want a Wisconsin, where I saw folks had to pick between exercising their right to vote and protecting their personal health," the New Jersey governor said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Murphy announced last month he delayed a number of local elections to May 12 and said all those races will be vote-by-mail only.

But he had held off on postponing the primaries  in which New Jersey voters will cast ballots in 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.

But Murphy said he was given more flexibility after the national Democratic Party moved its national convention in Milwaukee from July 13-16 to August 17-20.

The governor said he picked July 7 for the new primary date to give New Jersey a similar runaway to the convention. There will now be a 41-day period between the states primary and the convention.

Booker faces a primary challenge from Lawrence Hamm, a political activist and supporter of Bernie Sanders, who suspended his campaign for president Wednesday. Five Republicans are vying for their partys Senate nomination. There are also primaries in several hotly contested House seats.

New Jersey  a state of 9 million residents  now has at least 47,437 cases and at least 1,504 deaths from COVID-19, Murphy announced Wednesday. Thats more than any U.S. state but New York and more than all but eight countries.

Murphy said Monday that New Jersey could see its peak number of cases between April 19 and May 11, while the peak number of hospitalizations could come between April 10 and April 28.

In an effort to slow the virus spread, 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 halt the virus spread.

Murphy cautioned Wednesday that the curve of cases is beginning to flatten," but fatalities are still going up  partially because the new deaths are from cases that started two to three weeks ago.

He called on people to keep staying inside and practicing social distancing, and he cautioned residents that this will continue for a while.

Its going to take time to reopen our state in a systematic and careful way to protect against a boomeranging of the coronavirus, the governor said. If we open up too soon, we are placing gasoline on the fire.

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 the primary anyway to Bret Schundler.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jonathan D. Salant 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.

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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LONDON  In 1916, as Britain was in the throes of a national crisis, the populist, affable David Lloyd George took office determined to get the Great War done.

The new prime minister had a colorful private life. Despite being married to Margaret, his wife of 28 years, he was carrying on a relationship with his private secretary, Frances Stevenson. Frances was 27 years younger than her employer and pregnant with his child.

The most obvious parallels with the current prime minister temporarily end there.

Over the course of the next two years, Lloyd George was to demonstrate remarkable leadership. There were failures, setbacks and military catastrophes, but there were also victories at home and abroad.

He played a key role in breaking the stalemate of the Western Front and in uniting Allied forces under the command of one man, Marshal Foch. He also instigated the convoy system and introduced rationing, thus saving the nation from being starved into submission by German U-boats.

By August 1918, the tide of the war had turned. Great Britain, her allies and her empire were through the worst of it and as victory beckoned, Lloyd George was riding a wave of public adulation.

In September 1918, the prime minister traveled by train to his birthplace of Manchester to be presented with the keys to the city. As he progressed to Albert Square, thousands turned out to cheer him and soon he was meeting local dignitaries and posing for the press. But as the day went on, he began to feel unwell and at some point in the late afternoon, he collapsed.

The Spanish flu pandemic  so called because Spain was the first country bold enough to acknowledge its existence  had felled Britains wartime leader.

By the following day, his condition had rapidly deteriorated, and soon he was in a hospital bed, fighting for his life on a respirator. Lloyd George was to remain in hospital for the next 10 days and, according to his valet, for much of that time it was touch and go as to whether he would survive.

Story continues

The prime ministers deteriorating health was a potential propaganda coup for the beleaguered German army, but luckily the British press was more than happy to cover up the true gravity of the situation.

Lloyd George had spent years courting Lord Northcliffe, owner of the Times and Daily Mail, and his close personal friend C.P. Scott happened to be the editor of the Manchester Guardian, which obligingly reported that the PM had caught a chill and was now a prisoner of Manchesters not too kindly climate.

The Times, meanwhile, busied itself censoring medical updates provided by the prime ministers personal physician, William Milligan, and waited a week before they published any specifics of what had gone on. By the time the public had any inkling that their prime minister had nearly met his maker, Lloyd George was well on his way to recovery.



* * *

The wartime coalition leader was not the first British prime minister to become seriously ill in office, but he at least survived the term  unlike six of his predecessors.

Those included Charles Watson-Wentworth, one of the last victims of a flu pandemic that claimed tens of thousands of lives in 1782; Spencer Perceval, assassinated in 1812; and William three bottles Pitt, whose lifestyle finally caught up with him aged just 46 in 1806.

Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who retired on the grounds of ill health in 1906, was still living in Downing Street when two weeks later he uttered the fateful words this is not the end of me and promptly died.

What changed in the years between Campbell-Bannermans death and Lloyd Georges sickness was the relationship between the press and the executive.

The Defence of the Realm act in August 1914 had made criticism of the war effort a criminal act, and media barons, including Lord Northcliffe and C.P. Scott, were only too happy to help with the propaganda. The close relationship between Lloyd George and the press was such that his brush with death could be hushed up.

Leaders and potential leaders like to appear fit, resilient and strong in the public eye. This is why so many wannabe prime ministers take up jogging whenever an incumbent starts to look as if their days are numbered. Its also why so many have been keen to brush aside concerns about their health.

A man reads a newspaper with the front-page headline PM in intensive care outside a hospital in London on April 7, 2020.

In 1941, during a Christmas visit to Washington, Winston Churchill suffered a suspected heart attack while staying at the White House, but given the sensitivity of the mission, even his own doctor kept the news from him.

As the war went on, Churchills health declined further and he suffered frequent bouts of pneumonia, including one, during a visit to General Eisenhowers headquarters at Carthage, that nearly killed him.

During his post-war term, Churchills mental and physical health declined steeply, and efforts to cover it up became so farcical that the great man was finally defeated and obliged to retire in 1955.

Unfortunately, his successor, Anthony Eden, was arguably in even worse health. A series of botched operations to remove gallstones from his bile duct had left him susceptible to recurrent liver failure. To fight off the persistent pain, doctors prescribed amphetamines and for most of his premiership Eden was, to all intents and purposes, off his face on Benzedrine.

All of this was hushed up, even as it addled the prime ministers judgment during the Suez Crisis.

More recent British leaders have also been cagey about their health concerns. It was only after he left office that Gordon Brown felt he could admit he had nearly gone blind in his one good eye during his time at the top.

Tony Blairs heart operation in 2004, during his second term in office, was successfully downplayed by his team, who insisted that Blairs appetite for the job was undiminished and that as long as he cut down on tea and coffee he would be fine.

Now Johnson, that seemingly unstoppable force of nature, has been felled by COVID-19, and we are once again seeing the governmental spin machine do its best to downplay the seriousness of the situation.

Tweets from the prime ministers official Twitter account insisted he was in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team even as he was being treated in an ICU for what is clearly a very severe case of the virus.

Our leaders are not immortal, nor should we expect them to be. Perhaps instead of pretending that they are, they should admit they are human, with all the human frailties that brings. When the whole world is suffering, it is counterproductive to pretend that you are not.

Johnsons term in office has so far been unexceptional. But perhaps in demonstrating that this vicious, nasty illness has no respect for who we are or what great office of state we might hold, he is doing something very useful indeed.

Johnson should take time to recover his health for the sake of himself and his family  and the rest of us should heed the warning.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the hospital treatment Lloyd George received. He was on a respirator. It also misstated when Campbell-Bannerman died. He died two weeks after he retired.
A health specialist at the World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned European countries now is "not the time to relax measures" in the battle against the coronavirus.

Dr Hans Henri Kluge, Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said some countries in Europe who had implemented strict lockdown measures were beginning to show signs that their rates of new coronavirus cases were decreasing.

However, he said there was still a long way to go in the battle and any progress that had been made was "extremely fragile".

Kluge warned while cases were showing signs of decreasing in some European countries in others, such as Turkey and Sweden, they were starting to increase.

He urged countries to follow three key areas; keep training and preparing health workers to battle the virus; continue with methods such as isolation and testing to limit the spread of the disease; and to continue communicating with people about new and current measures.

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.
Lisa Kudrow has joined Netflixs Space Force, the streamers space comedy from The Office duo Greg Daniels and Steve Carell.

The comedy, which stars Carell, is inspired by Donald Trumps plan to create a branch of the military tasked with defending satellites from attack and other space-related tasks. Kudrow will play Maggie Naird, the wife of Carells Gen. Mark R. Naird. Along with the two, Space Force stars John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers, Jimmy O. Yang and Alex Sparrow.

The 10-episode series will premiere on May 29.

Also Read: Watch Ben Schwartz and Thomas Middleditch Kiss in Trailer for Netflix Improv Comedy Specials (Video)

Heres the synopsis courtesy of Netflix:

A decorated pilot with dreams of running the Air Force, four-star general Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) is thrown for a loop when he finds himself tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. Skeptical but dedicated, Mark uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado where he and a colorful team of scientists and Spacemen are tasked by the White House with getting American boots on the moon (again) in a hurry and achieving total space dominance. From co-creators Carell and Greg Daniels (The Office), SPACE FORCE is a new kind of workplace comedy, where the stakes are sky high and the ambitions even higher. John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz also star, alongside co-stars Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake. Howard Klein/3Arts (The Office) serves as executive producer, as well.

Howard Klein of 3Arts is also an executive producer on the series, with Paddington helmer Paul King attached to direct.

Netflix also released a slew of images for the show, which you can see below:

Martin Shkreli

Read original story Lisa Kudrow Joins Space Force as Netflix Reveals Premiere Date for Space Comedy At TheWrap
Community water providers are supposed to provide free water to their customers for the next three months amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that the government will be taking care of the water bills for all Ghanaians for April, May and June 2020.

The Ghana Water Company Limited currently caters for about 66 percent of Ghanaians but there was some uncertainty over whether consumers in other brackets would also benefit from the relief.

Providing clarity on the directive at a press conference in Accra, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah noted that all their systems of the Ghana Water Sanitation Agencywill also provide water for free.

Again, all community-based water systems are to serve water to the community residents for free, she added.

During this period, health facilities will be given priority in the water supply during the period.

Hospitals, clinics and other health centres will enjoy priority of water as they have been doing. If there is anything, they will call the Ghana Water Company to quickly mobilized tanker services to serve them.

In addition, tanks will be installed in urban areas and rural areas if necessary to make sure water is easily accessible.

All water tankers, publicly and privately-owned, are also going to be mobilised to ensure the supply of water to all vulnerable communities.

Customers will still be sent their bills to track the consumption of households with inscription that the debt had been catered for by government.

The Minister urged the efficient use of water noting that this is not the time to wash our cars with hoses.

We are all encouraged to use water judiciously. Mechanisms are being put in place as we enjoy from the benevolence of our leader to monitor the irresponsible use of water.

In addition, she urged Ghanaians to make sure that we do not tamper with the pipelines and infrastructure of both Ghana water Copmanhy limited and community water and sanitation agencies.

---citinewsroom
Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-led Legislature are poised for another clash  this time over the GOPs COVID-19 response legislation, which calls for further weakening the governors authority by giving the states GOP-led budget committee the ability to cut spending on schools, health care and employee pay, among other things.

Currently such cuts have to be agreed upon by the committee and Democratic governor. Evers said the provision makes the package unworkable and he would likely veto it.

Im asking for the Legislature to take politics out of this proposal so we can move forward on addressing the needs of our state, Evers said in a statement. We dont have time to play politics, and this provision wont do anything to help our state respond to COVID-19 or to help our families who are struggling during this crisis. Its time to get serious.

The proposed legislation also would waive the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits and waive late payment fees and interest on missed property tax payments through Oct. 1.
Before the advent of antibiotics, brandy was a common treatment for cholera. Most of the medicines given really only functioned as sedatives, Selzer said. In one case in 1866 it worked too well  a patient was knocked out so thoroughly that the family thought he was dead and called for the undertaker. The coffin arrived just as he woke up. The same may have happened in 1832; when Philo Carpenter, Illinois first pharmacist, was digging graves for victims of the epidemic, one of the men he was about to bury stirred back to life.
Erdogan's spokesman, Biden's adviser discuss Armenian-Turkish relations

Armenia deputy defense minister: No one can rule out border tension at any moment

New commander elected of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia official: Those 100 soldiers absence will not assume any change in terms of border tension

Millionaire Robert Durst dies aged 78

Reuters: Over 1.13 million cases of COVID-19 detected in US per day

Great Armenian poet Razmik Davoyan dies

2 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Deputy PM Matevosyan: About 1,190 subvention programs implemented in Armenia from 2018 to 2021

243 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia MP: It would be right to put pressure on Azerbaijanis to remove their firing positions

Oil is getting more expensive

Nearly 10,000 people detained in Kazakhstan in connection with riots

Tokayev: CSTO peacekeepers will pull out from Kazakhstan within 10 days

Newspaper: Armenia businessmen pay customs duties to Azerbaijanis to go to Iran

European Parliament speaker David Sassoli dies

Alikhan Smailov appointed Kazakhstan Prime Minister

Newspaper: Health minister makes decision full of contradictions in terms of Covid-related restrictions in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia authorities once again showed their being unprincipled, worthless, opposition MP says

Germany teacher who had cannibalism fantasies is sentenced to life in prison

Israel's military and other security services undergo largest rearmament in years

Spain PM calls for a debate to consider COVID-19 endemic disease

Flyone Armenia and Pegasus receive permission for Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights

Pope condemns "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines

Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing

Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road

Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart

Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues

Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities

US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million

European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction

Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey

WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain

In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor

Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19

US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already

NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22

Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province

Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children

Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms

Internet cut off in Kazakhstan

Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights

Armenia, Russia defense ministers discuss Kazakhstan

Turkey defense minister meets with their envoy in process of normalization of Armenia relations

Iranian Foreign Ministry reports progress in Vienna negotiations

Dollar continues going up in Armenia

New attempt by migrants in Belarus to storm Poland border

Skat Airlines resumes Yerevan-Aktau and Aktau-Yerevan flights

New Covid-related restrictions to be introduced in Armenia

Karabakh police: Firefighters also targeted by Azerbaijan shooting (PHOTOS)

Artsakh Defense Army has not fired on Azerbaijan positions

Azerbaijani military are protesting amid military awards deprivation

Azerbaijanis open fire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Karabakh MFA: Events in Kazakhstan are result of actions planned by Turkey

Armenia army General Staff has new deputy chief

Australia to buy US $ 2.5 billion of armored vehicles

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Kazakh Colonel Nazanov dies after heart attack

Australia begins to vaccinate children aged 5-11 with COVID-19 vaccine

Putin: Peacekeeping contingent to stay in Kazakhstan for a limited period

Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan v. premier Pashinyan lawsuit court session is closed

Azerbaijan commandos conduct military exercises

Part of the Great Wall of China collapsed due to earthquake

Armenia MP: Turkey, Azerbaijans regional calculations have mixed up

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Gold is getting cheaper

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126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Fire in residential building in New York leaves 19 people killed

National Center for Infectious Diseases Yerevan branch employees protesting outside center

Karabakh President: Radical Pan-Turkic circles are actively involved in process in Kazakhstan

Oil is getting more expensive

Mars helicopter Ingenuity preparing for difficult 19th flight

Interior ministry: About 8,000 people detained in Kazakhstan

Earthquake hits Armenia-Azerbaijan border zone

Researchers create substitute for egg whites from fungus

Kazakhstan official information channel removes message about 164 casualties

EC says construction of new nuclear power plants in Europe will require  500 billion in investment

Ghost ship that sank 343 years ago discovered in US

Post-COVID-19 antibodies may attack healthy cells, scientists say

Pope says he was praying for Kazakhstan

Media: 164 people die in Kazakhstan during riots

Peskov: CSTO session does not plan to sign documents yet

Criminal cases launched after bomb threat in Armenian, Belarus embassies in Moscow

Norwegian military surrender panties before demobilization

Iranian MFA says Tehran is ready for talks on downed plane of UIA Ukraine

Russian defense minister says information war is on all fronts

Several strategic objects in Kazakhstan transferred to CSTO contingent under protection

David Minasyan elected head of Armenia's Parakar community

Bloomberg: US is considering issue of limiting supply of high-tech products to Russia

Armenia reports 142 COVID-19 new cases

Council of Elders meeting continues in Armenia's Parakar

White House speaks on Blinken statement on Russian peacekeeping troops

Armed people detained at border in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan talks stabilization of situation in all regions of country

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Armenian painter Mher Mansurian dies in France

At least 17 killed in Egypt road accident

NATO chief announces Russia forces continued buildup in Ukraine
Ten police officers in Uganda have been charged for allegedly torturing a group pf women while enforcing a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Uganda Police Force said on Tuesday.



The officers were accused of caning 38 women and forcing them to swim in mud in the northern town of Elegu.



The 10 officers would be held in custody until 7 May, the police said.



Photos of the women showing injuries they had sustained and their muddy clothes were shared online over the weekend.



Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga said on Monday that the officers used a "heavy-handed approach" to disperse the women, adding that the incident was being investigated.



President Yoweri Museveni last week told police officers not to arrest people inside their compounds.

Source: BBC









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April 8, 2020 Angara sees greater need for telemedicine now with the COVID-19 experience Now more than ever, the development of telemedicine as a viable alternative to physical visits to the doctors should actively be pursued, Senator Sonny Angara said today. In this time of COVID-19 when the transmission of the coronavirus is fast and potentially dangerous for certain individuals, Angara said technology and innovation is key to bridging the gap between patients and health care professionals. "We have seen in the past weeks that consults with medical professionals have become very, very difficult. Clinics and hospitals are struggling to cope with the surge in patients seeking medical attention. With COVID-19 being highly contagious, physical visits to physicians is discouraged, which makes the situation even more difficult for the public," Angara said. "Patients with COVID-19 could easily spread the virus to the health professionals and the latter could then infect other patients. It's a vicious cycle which could prove to be fatal not only for the patients, but the health professionals as well. During these times, the use of telemedicine could help bring the necessary health care to our people and more importantly, save lives," Angara added. Apart from putting up the infrastructure required for remote consultations, Angara said artificial intelligence could also play a significant role in facilitating the delivery of health services to the people. Telemedicine is not a new concept. Back in 2010, the Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), of which Angara was a member, already identified "telehealth" as a national priority. At the time, Angara's father, the late former Senate President Edgardo Angara, as chairman of the COMSTE noted how telehealth could be "a game changer in the country." Apart from giving people who reside in remote areas access to basic health care services, the elder Angara said that telemedicine will also create the foundation for digital medical records. At present, the University of the Philippines, Manila-National Telehealth Center has been equipping doctors and health workers with eHealth and telemedicine tools for the delivery of quality health care to patients. It has also been assisting the Department of Health (DOH) in its Doctors to the Barrios program to manage patients in need of specialty care. The DOH has also announced that free telemedicine consultations to patients who need COVID-19 medical advice, as well as other primary care concerns will be available starting Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Angara is set to file the DOH-endorsed bill establishing a Philippine eHealth system and services that covers telehealth and telemedicine. The proposed bill recognizes eHealth as "equal with other healthcare delivery methods" and seeks to provide the necessary services to all Filipinos, especially in "medically unserved and underserved geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas." It will provide the policy, regulatory and legal framework for a national eHealth system. Under the bill, a Health Sector Enterprise Architecture, which shall focus on automation and interoperability of various eHealth services and applications, would be developed and implemented. The use of Electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) would be covered under this provision so that during periods when there is a disease outbreak or enhanced community quarantines (ECQ), when securing physical prescriptions would be difficult, individuals would still be able to purchase vital drugs. Last March 17, the Food and Drugs Administration issued guidelines on the use of e-prescriptions during the ECQ period. "Telemedicine should be an option for our countrymen especially in the age of deadly viruses when people should avoid hospitals but would still be diagnosed by doctors remotely," Angara said. Angara urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology to work on providing all areas of the country with internet connectivity so that even residents of remote areas will be provided with quality health care through telemedicine.
As thousands of people lose their income amid mass layoffs due to the coronavirus crisis, New Jersey residents are finding themselves in a financial bind, struggling to make mortgage and rent payments.

Gov. Phil Murphy has enacted some protections for renters and homeowners to ensure that even if someone cant make a payment this month, they shouldnt be stuck looking for a new place to live during a global pandemic.

More than 300,000 people have applied for unemployment assistance in New Jersey in recent weeks, after Murphy declared all non-essential businesses shutter to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Across the country, nearly 10 million people have filed for unemployment.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

From an eviction moratorium to rent payments, there are still many questions.

What is New Jersey doing to help renters? What about homeowners?

Gov. Murphy enacted a moratorium on removing people from their homes due to evictions or foreclosures on March 19 to last up to 60 days after the state of emergency is lifted we dont know when that will be.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also announced they would suspend foreclosures and evictions for at least 60 days. Those who owe money to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac can also request up to six months of forbearance.

Some cities and counties, including Essex County, have also temporarily suspended evictions and foreclosures.

Do landlords have to pay their mortgage?

In short, yes, they should be paying their mortgage. However, There is a 90-day grace period for some mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and 40 other bank and credit unions.

Do I have to pay my rent?

Yes. If youve lost income due to the coronavirus, reach out to your landlord or building management to see if you can arrange a plan.

Why is my landlord asking for rent if he or she isnt paying their mortgage?

There is no moratorium on rent payments.

Landlords also have several other costs, including property tax payments, maintenance, insurance and utilities. There are also federal loans still requiring payments.

However, Murphy said he is imploring, not mandating that landlords receiving relief should be compassionate with their tenants.

Can I be evicted for not paying rent?

Evictions are suspended in New Jersey. Proceedings may be made once courts reopen  which are currently suspended through April 26  but you cannot be forced out of your home for up to 60 days after the crisis ends.

Can I be locked out?

You cannot be locked out of your home for up to 60 days after the state of emergency.

What happens if my landlord tries to evict me anyway?

Contact your city or countys housing authority. Organizations such as the New Jersey Tenants Organization can also offer assistance.

Is there a rent freeze in New Jersey?

Murphy has not made any announcement as to a rent freeze. Hoboken was the first city to enact a rent freeze, and a similar ordinance is up for a vote in Union City.

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.

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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a three-match ODI series against arch-rivals India to raise funds for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in both the countries.

The two nations have not played a full-series since 2007 due to the terrorist attacks on India by Pakistan-based outfits and the resultant diplomatic tension. They only play each other in ICC events and Asia Cup.

"In this time of crisis, I want to propose a three match series in which for the first time, the people of neither country would be upset at the outcome of the games," Akhtar told PTI from Islamabad.

"If Virat (Kohli) scores a hundred, we will be happy, if Babar Azam scores a hundred, you will be happy. Both teams will be winners irrespective of whatever happens on the field," he said.

"You are bound to get massive viewership for the games. For the first time, both countries will play for each other. And whatever funds are generated through this can be donated equally to the government of India and Pakistan to fight this pandemic," added the 44-year-old.

With both countries in a lockdown amid the fast-spreading pandemic, the games can only be organised when things improve. However, Akhtar feels the sooner they are held, the better it would be but could not tell how the logistics of such an initiative would be worked out.

"Everyone is sitting at home at the moment, so there will be a massive following for the games. May be not now, when things start improving, the games could be organised at a neutral location like Dubai. Chartered flights could be arranged and the matches could he held.

"It could even lead to resumption of bilateral cricketing ties and relations of both countries improve diplomatically. You never know," said the 'Rawalpindi Express'. "The whole world will tune into it, so much money can be raised to deal with this crisis. In difficult times, the character of the nation comes forward."

In these extraordinary times, Akhtar feels both countries should help each other. "If India can make 10,000 ventilators for us, Pakistan will remember this gesture forever. But we can only propose the matches. The rest is up to the authorities (to decide)."

India cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh were recently trolled for asking their social media followers to donate to Shahid Afridi's charity foundation which is doing its bit in Pakistan's fight against the deadly virus.

"It was inhuman to criticise them. It is not about countries or religion at the moment, it is about humanity," he opined.

Akhtar has spent a lot of time in India as a commentator. He fondly recalled his days in Mumbai during the World T20 in 2016, the last time he came to India for work.

"I am forever grateful about the love I have received from the people of India. For the first time I am revealing this, whatever I used to earn from India, I made a significant amount there, thirty percent of it, I used to distribute among the low income staff who used to work with me in the TV," he remembered.

Akhtar used to visit the city's slum areas with his face covered to hand out financial help to elder women there. "From drivers, runners to my security guys. I took care of a lot of people. I was like if am earning from this country, I have to help my colleagues also. "I also remember visiting slums of Dharavi and Sion in the wee hours to meet people I worked with," added Akhtar.




Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Wednesday issued a de facto business suspension order on clubs and bars across the city following COVID-19 infections linked to a bar in the ritzy neighborhood of Gangnam.







"(I) issue an order on banning gatherings at 'room salons,' clubs and 'colatheques' until the government's social distancing campaign ends on April 19," Park told reporters in a press briefing, referring to bars where mostly women serve drinks and a local version of discos.







"This means that these facilities cannot do business. ... I've literally ordered a business suspension," he said.







Park said that 422 of the city's 2,146 bars and clubs are in operation despite the city government's advisory to temporarily suspend business.







The administrative order was issued as "close contact often occurs in these venues and it is almost impossible for virus guidelines to be kept there," he added.







The Wednesday announcement follows infections reported in relation to a bar in Gangnam. A female employee and her roommate tested positive for the new coronavirus after the employee met Jung Yun-hak, the leader of K-pop boy band SUPERNOVA. Jung had tested positive after a visit to Japan.







A total of 118 people, including employees and customers, are assumed to have come into contact with the infected employee.







Health authorities are screening all potential cases, with 18 people testing negative so far.







South Korea reported 53 more cases Wednesday, bringing the country's total infections to 10,384. A majority of the infections are attributed to imported cases and cluster infections at religious facilities and hospitals. (Yonhap)


Every school year, Advanced Placement teachers work to prepare their students for the College Board AP exams  an intense, in-person test spanning hours that requires focus and time management in addition to subject knowledge and ability.

However, the process will be different this year for the 4,041 Humble ISD students enrolled in at least one of 26 AP course options, as the coronavirus continues to limit in-person interactions, said Chief Communications Officer Jamie Mount.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Now more than ever, Houstons digital divide puts childrens education in peril

The anticipated AP exams have been altered in format. Rather than a physical, in-person paper test, most will be a 45-minute online test made available during a specific time from May 11-22. Each subject test will still be given worldwide at the same time and date as it would have been in person, the College Board announced on April 3.

The test determines whether students will receive college credit for their efforts, and even then, individual institutions determine what score will be accepted as full college credit. In 2019, Texas gave 598,008 tests in total and just over 61,000 students  equaling about 10%  made a five, the highest score on the exam, while the average score for all AP tests in Texas was 2.58, according to data from the College Board. Most colleges will accept a four or a five on the exam, although some will accept a three, according to The Princeton Review.

Teaching for new format

The new format of the exam will allow open book, open note exams, similar to some other college-level tests. However, they have designed the exams to prevent cheating and protect the integrity of the exams by using a variety of digital security tools and techniques such as plagiarism detection software, Mount said in a statement.

AT-HOME LEARNING: Humble ISD aims to provide chromebooks to students without devices

Jim Dang, a math teacher at Kingwood Park High School, has been teaching AP Calculus for seven of his 15 years as an instructor. He teaches both AB, which accounts for one year of college credit, and BC, which accounts for two years of credit, to juniors and seniors.

To prepare for the exam, Dang said his classes do reviews, a few mock tests per year to help students understand what it feels like to take the three and a half hour calculus exam and innovative learning such as games and activities.

I tell my students, Hey, Im here to work with you. If youre willing to work and put in the effort Ill do whatever I can to try and get you to earn some credit for college, Dang said.

A resilient bunch

After giving mock tests for the traditional AP format, Dang said it will be different for his students. Between now and the exam, his students will take mock tests online to prepare for the new format, which will be a 25-minute free response question with a five-minute upload followed by another 15-minute free response question with a five-minute upload.

Some of Dangs students are understandably anxious, but most are feeling prepared, he said. They have been resilient through the difficulties they have faced throughout their time in high school, Dang said.

CORONAVIRUS PROMPTS CLOSURES: Humble ISD extends school closures through May 1 after Gov. Abbotts order

The students have gone through a lot, Dang said. (Since) two years ago, weve gone through Harvey, and Imelda came in and we also had a flood event around our school. It was tough, these kids have gone through a lot but one thing I know these kids are resilient. These kids are strong.

Despite the option to use a book or notes during the exam, Dang is going to teach his students as though that is not an option so they can spend more time focusing on the question than looking for help in their available resources.

My goal is to have my students prepared as if it was not an open book, open note test, Dang said. If they rely too much on the open note, open book, theyre not utilizing the valuable time trying to answer those questions.

Adjusting for English AP exam

Crystal Livingston, an English teacher at Summer Creek High School, teaches junior English on-level and AP Language and Composition to juniors. The AP test normally would have three types of essays to prepare for, the rhetorical analysis, the synthesis essay and the argument essay and a multiple-choice section. Now, the test will only be a rhetorical analysis essay with a 45-minute time limit and a five-minute submission.

I actually feel very excited about the opportunity to teach knowing that there will only be one type of essay on the test and no multiple-choice questions, Livingston said. ...So instead of having to feel like Im pulling my time and dabbling in a bunch of different modes of instruction, now I feel like Im very focused on what it is Im going to do knowing that rhetorical analysis is what theyre going to be asked to do.

Livingston is not changing much about what she is telling students to do for the online test because not much has changed, but the difference lies in the format. Where they would normally write their essays by hand, students are now having to type.

When I surveyed my students and asked them about what concerns them about moving to this online platform, the typing issue was definitely the No. 1 concern. It is that they were afraid they wouldnt be able to type it in time, Livingston said.

Livingston said she believes the rhetorical analysis essay would likely be the best judge in how the students are prepared. To prepare her students, they are practicing reading passages and completing timed essays. Livingston can give back personalized advice on what they should work on and give them certain practices to work on based on their specific needs.

I think if were going to put all of our eggs in one basket, which they really are, this is probably the best basket for it, Livingston said.

For more information on AP testing in Humble ISD, visit www.humbleisd.net.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
Health officials consider disinfecting, reusing masks, April 6

Heather Mallick reminds us of the book Soap and Water and Common Sense by Dr. Bonnie Henry, now B.C.s provincial health officer, written in 2009, after the SARS crisis. We appear not to have learned the lessons of SARS. Otherwise, we would have had millions of masks at the ready, storerooms full of personal protective equipment and factories in Canada permanently at the ready.

Our asking front-line workers to risk their lives while we scrounge around for makeshift and disinfected stuff is shameful.

The daily data is now telling us that we should all be wearing surgical masks. I fear that the reason we are still being told we dont need these masks is because we dont have them available and will not have them in the near future. You know what they say about those who dont learn from their history.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months, one without pay, for defying the current COVID-19 lockdown in the country.

South Africa entered its 13th day of the 21-day lockdown on Wednesday. Ndabeni-Abrahams has faced heavy criticism after photographs of her at a lunch gathering in former higher education deputy minister Mduduzi Manana's home appeared on social media on Monday.

According to the lockdown regulations, movement of people has been severely restricted -- even for funerals of close relatives permits are required.

With growing outrage from the public, calling for her criminal prosecution, Ramaphosa summoned Ndabeni-Abrahams to his office for an explanation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on special leave for two months one month of which will be unpaid, the Presidency said in a statement after the meeting.

As to allegations that the minister violated the lockdown regulations, the law should take its course, the statement added.

The nationwide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans. Members of the national executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are having to make great sacrifices, the Presidency said.

None of us not least a member of the national executive should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation. I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no one is above the law.

Ndabeni-Abrahams also released a statement.

I regret the incident and I am deeply sorry for my actions. I hope the president and South Africans will find it in their hearts to forgive me, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

She added: The president has put me on a special leave with immediate effect. I undertake to abide by the conditions of the special leave."



I wish to use this opportunity to reiterate the president's call for all of us to observe the lockdown rules. They are a necessary intervention to curb the spread of a virus that has devastated many nations, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

Coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city, has claimed 82,726 lives and infected over 1.4 million people so far across the world. In South Africa, six persons have died and 1,749 people infected by the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Everyone is talking about what we are learning from the events of the 2020, and how things might change when it is over. We have already looked at how our home designs might change, and even how our bathrooms might adapt. But what about our cities? The way we live, the way we get around? How must all of this adapt?

This Is Not an Issue of Density

This part of Montreal is as dense as Brooklyn. Lloyd Alter

There is still a lot of talk about density, which we previously discussed in Urban density is not the enemy, it is your friend. But as Dan Herriges notes in Strong Towns, it might well be easier to control the spread of viruses when people are more concentrated.

"..there are ways in which spread-out living arrangements might even speed contagion, because our lives are less local than ever, for both better and worse. In the traditional city, a larger percentage of your interactions might take place close to home, resulting in geographic clusters of disease that can be tracked and contained. But we've normalized long-distance travel in modern America, not just for tourism but for everyday purposes. When you work 30 miles from where you liveand your coworkers in turn live all over a large metropolitan region, attend different places of worship and send their kids to different schoolstracing and containing transmission chains becomes almost impossible very quickly."

And as I keep tweeting, it's how you do density that matters.

More "Missing Middle" and Goldilocks Density

The problem is not that cities are dense (because in North America they are not), it's that they are spiky. There are square miles of single-family housing, while the apartment buildings and condos are piled up on former industrial lands far from the NIMBYs. We need to smooth it out with more "missing middle" housing. As Daniel Parolek wrote:

"Missing Middle is a range of multi-unit or clustered housing types compatible in scale with single-family homes that help meet the growing demand for walkable urban living. These types provide diverse housing options along a spectrum of affordability, including duplexes, four-plexes, and bungalow courts, to support walkable communities, locally-serving retail, and public transportation options."

Courtyard in Seestadt Aspern. Lloyd Alter

This kind of housing can accommodate a lot of people, yet leaves a lot of open space. You don't have to be trapped in an elevator; you can easily get outside. In the densest parts of our cities, people do not have access to green space, and the sidewalks are crowded, there is nowhere to go. But if you spread the density around, you can accommodate just as many people and still give them room to breathe. I have called it the Goldilocks Density:

"....dense enough to support vibrant main streets with retail and services for local needs, but not too high that people can't take the stairs in a pinch. Dense enough to support bike and transit infrastructure, but not so dense to need subways and huge underground parking garages. Dense enough to build a sense of community, but not so dense as to have everyone slip into anonymity."

Richard Florida also notes in the Globe and Mail that there are different kinds of density:

"The virus has exposed a deep density divide: rich people density, where the advantaged can do remote work and order in delivery from their expensive homes, versus poor people density where the less advantaged are crammed together in multigenerational households who must head out on transit to work in crowded, exposed conditions. This density divide weakens all of us because vulnerable communities open all of us to the spread of the virus. A city cannot be safe if it is not equitable."

Widen the Sidewalks and Make Way for Micromobility

One of the things that has become abundantly clear is how much space we have given up to cars, both moving and parked. There's John Massengale's famous shot of Lexington Avenue in New York, where they took out all the light wells and stairs and even knocked off all the ornaments to take away sidewalk space. And as Toronto activist Gil Meslin demonstrates, it even happened in suburban Toronto at a smaller scale.

Garbage on sidewalks in New York City. Lloyd Alter

Now, everyone trying to keep six feet apart means that people need a lot more sidewalk space. Yet the sidewalk space is used for everything; people don't put all their garbage in the roads, that's reserved for storing cars. Instead, people have to walk around all of this. Maybe New York needs a garbage lane as well as a bike lane. We quoted architect Toon Dreeson earlier:

"With fewer motorists commuting to work, normally busy roads are largely empty. This starkly illustrates just how much of our city is devoted to cars and moving people quickly through the city from one place to another, without stopping to experience the sense of place were passing through. Meanwhile, as we try to keep physical distance between us, we realize how narrow our sidewalks are. As we try to keep our physical distance, picture how challenging it is to navigate narrow sidewalks at the best of times, let alone when they are covered in snow or ice. Now picture this as being an everyday occurrence if you are pushing a stroller or using a wheelchair. Maybe its time to rethink equity in the built environment."

Richard Florida suggests that these changes should be permanent:

"During this crisis, we have all learned that we can be outside for walks or bike rides. Biking and walking will be our safest way to get to and from work. Bike lanes should be expanded, and bike and scooter sharing programs should be, too. Some cities are already pedestrianizing crowded streets to promote social distancing. It makes sense to keep such changes in place for the long haul."

Rethink the Office

Bank to the future: Lots of space around every desk. Steelcase

One of the main restraints on the growth of working from home was management resistance; many businesses just didn't permit it. But because of high operating costs, they just kept increasing the office densities, so private offices gave way to cubicles which gave way to basically shared desks. But now managers have been forced to adapt to the situation, and more importantly, nobody is going to want to come back to those offices we had before. Nobody is going to want to sit three feet away from someone who is coughing. Eric Reguly of the Globe and Mail writes:

"...office floor plans will have to change to give employees more of their own work space to ensure adequate social distancing. The trend toward less desk or workstation real estate began about two decades ago, partly for cost reasons, and partly because employees wanted more common areas for eating lunch and grabbing a coffee. It is now inevitable that personal workspace will increase at the expense of common space."

He thinks it might actually reduce the amount of office space that is needed in our downtowns. "Tight office-space supply could turn into a surplus really fast. Goodbye construction cranes."

Focus on Transit-Oriented Development with Streetcars, Not Subways

St. Clair streetcar in Toronto. Lloyd Alter

Subways are great at moving huge numbers of people in short windows of time, like rush hours when hundreds of thousands of people are trying to get downtown all at once. But what if Reguly is right, and people are not going downtown and are working from home and spending more time in their own neighborhoods? That's when you want streetcars and buses, where you can go short distances, you don't have to climb up and down stairs, and you can look out windows. That's why Toronto should cancel its multi-billion dollar subway right now; there may not be anywhere near the demand that is projected, and that's why they need to invest in the streetcar network.

Furthermore, those surface routes need a lot more capacity. Right now in Toronto where I live, the buses are packed, but they are not going downtown to the office buildings. Ben Spurr writes in the Star:

"Last week, writer and transit advocate Sean Marshall mapped out the busy routes and noticed many ran through industrial employment lands, particularly in the citys northwest and southwest where theres a high concentration of warehouses, food processing plants, light industrial facilities, and industrial bakeries. These are industries where wages are low, Marshall said in an interview. Employees are less likely to be able to afford a car, and the industrial areas theyre travelling to are also not easily walkable."

Jarrett Walker writes in Citylab about who is riding the buses, and how transit makes urban civilization possible. But he also points out that we have to change our way of thinking about why we actually have transit.

"In transit conversations we often talk about meeting the needs of people who depend on transit. This makes transit sound like something were doing for them. But in fact, those people are providing services that we all depend on, so by serving those lower income riders, were all serving ourselves. The goal of transit, right now, is neither competing for riders nor providing a social service for those in need. It is helping prevent the collapse of civilization. Whats more, transit has always been doing that. Those essential service workers, who are overwhelmingly low-income, have always been there, moving around quietly in our transit systems, keeping our cities functioning."

Everyone is suddenly calling the grocery clerks and couriers and cleaners "heroes" because they are doing the work that is needed to keep us all going. They have no choice. Walker points out that our transit systems are not serving them as much as they are serving us.

Fix Our Main Streets

Dupont Street/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

This scene near where I live is not unusual; in many cities the neighborhood retail stores are gone. Big box stores, online shopping, and high property taxes have all conspired to make life difficult for small businesses on main streets. After noting that the office downtown may be dead, Eric Reguly thought that the trend toward working from home might actually help revitalize other parts of our communities.

"If more people were to work from home, neighourhoods might spring back to life. Imagine a relaunch of Jane Jacobss urban ideal, where neighourhoods have a diverse range of work and family functions, where municipal spending goes into parks, not urban expressways, and where single-use areas, like clusters of downtown office towers, dead at night, become archaic."

Richard Florida stresses the importance of saving our main streets, writing in Brookings:

"The restaurants, bars, specialty shops, hardware stores, and other mom and pop shops that create jobs and lend unique character to our cities are at severe economic risk right now. Some projections suggest that as many as 75% of them may not survive the current crisis. The loss of our Main Street businesses would be irreparable, and not just for the people whose livelihoods depend on them, but for cities and communities as a whole. The places that have protected their Main Streets will have a decisive competitive advantage as we return to normalcy."

Let's Not Forget What We Build Cities For

Graffiti in Porto, Portugal. Lloyd Alter

Last word goes to Daniel Herriges in Strong Towns, who reminds us why we are here in cities:

"Staying healthy is one challenge. Social support is another. Cities foster the ability of neighbors to look out for one another, to deliver food and supplies to those in need, to coordinate child care so that parents can continue to work, to arrange makeshift shelter for the homeless, to get medical response teams to where they are needed quickly....The city is a marvel, a creation as uniquely human as the ant hill or beaver dam is to their respective architects. Its most marvelous trait is the way that cities concentrate and amplify human ingenuity and initiative and compassion, and allow us to do greater things together than we could alone."
As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lies ill in a hospital intensive care unit, perhaps his mind has gone back to his hero, Winston Churchill, who in the nation's darkest hour turned to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "the greatest American friend that Britain ever found". How different times are today, when it seems to be every nation for itself.

The British government has already spoken of the need for a "reckoning" with the People's Republic of China over its handling of the Wuhan outbreak once the COVID-19 crisis is over. "We have to be tough about calling out baseless propaganda, advocating free societies and refusing to be dependent on the technology of a totalitarian system," wrote Mr Johnson's fellow Conservative MP William Hague.

Beijing's approach to health statistics resembles its approach to economic ones, where its growth numbers are widely understood to be official fictions. The same Communist Party that still cannot speak the truth on the human toll of such catastrophes as the Great Leap Forward, Tiananmen Square or the Sichuan earthquake can hardly be expected to show transparency over its mishandling of a virus that may have killed as many as 40,000 people in Wuhan alone.

It is surely right that China be held to account for its decisions and actions and that the World Health Organisation's role in the early stages of this crisis  when it praised China's response despite clear evidence that Beijing was hiding the extent and gravity of the problem  is scrutinised. This will include renewed focus on wet markets in China and how they foster diseases such as COVID-19 and SARS.
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
Following the lockdown, haat bazaars -- an important space in the tribal culture of the Bastar region -- have been closed.

The rebels, not only in Chhattisgarh but also in Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and other states, get their ration from these bazaars.

R Krishna Das reports.

Poyam Markam (name changed), head of a village in Chhattisgarh's restive Dantewada district, wasn't taken aback when Maoists summoned him for an urgent meeting last Saturday. For villagers in the red zone, it is a routine affair.

What surprised Markam was the agenda of the meeting, which was also attended by people from adjoining areas.

The commander of the local militia conducted the proceedings that had a pointed agenda: He wanted rations and villagers had to arrange it by hook or by crook.

Maoists operating in dense forests against the State machinery are running short of rations and other essential commodities.

And the 21-day nationwide lockdown is a body blow.

Following the lockdown, haat bazaars -- an important space in the tribal culture of the Bastar region -- have been closed.

These bazaars, termed as 'supermarket for the locals', assemble once a week and are also a place for social gathering and leisure.

Makeshift stalls display a variety of products, including earthen pots, aluminium utensils, vegetables and fruits, mahua, unpolished rice and other grains, and jewellery.

These markets are also a sensitive zone and have witnessed numerous Maoist-police conflicts.

The rebels, not only in Chhattisgarh but also in Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and other states, get their rations from these haat bazaars.

They normally procure food supplies through a network of aides.

The police often question people carrying ration in large quantities and check their financial position to assess if the items are for their personal use. But they have failed to cut the supply line.

"Maoist rebels normally assign 10 to 15 villagers to procure items from the bazaar weekly and stock them," says a senior official in the local intelligence wing.

But the lockdown has disrupted the supply chain of the rebels -- haat bazaars are closed and their aides cannot come to urban areas for procurement because of strict vigilance.

Besides, villagers' priority is to first put their house in order before stocking up for Maoists.

"The development has certainly come as a big setback for Maoists, given the timing of the lockdown," the official says.

Usually, mid-March to April is the time for storing essential commodities. It is part pre-monsoon exercise as rebels usually avoid operations and movement during the monsoon season.

The procurement from weekly markets in small instalments piles up a huge stock for Maoists, who normally keep reserves for three months.

Since the purchase has stopped, the rebels are reportedly desperate -- they have to meet the present demand and stock the commodities for the coming months.

"We are receiving regular inputs that the rebels are holding meetings and pressuring villagers in remote areas to arrange ration for them," says Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav.

A few sarpanches have secretly telephoned and informed about such meetings, he says.

In Gumiyapal village, Pallav says, the rebels thrashed villagers and asked them to arrange 500 kg of rice.

"While the entire country is reeling from severe crises, the rebels are torturing villagers. This exposes their inhuman attitude."

The government authorities are ensuring that villagers in remote areas get their rations through the public distribution system (PDS).

But the quota is good enough only for their family to meet the demand and villagers cannot keep a share for the rebels.

Fearing revolt from the people, Maoists do not interfere with the PDS.

"I have not come across any incident of PDS stock being looted by Maoists during the last couple of years," says a senior bureaucrat earlier posted in Bastar.

The alternative is to loot the rations during transit, but the task is not easy.

In November, the rebels intercepted a vehicle with essential commodities on the Injaram-Bhejji route in Sukma district, but the security personnel patrolling the area rushed to the spot and foiled the attempt after a brief gunbattle.

Security forces are giving little room for any such incidents since rebels looted their rations a couple of years ago in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

They now gets ration by air -- helicopters drop essential commodities directly on the camps.
Bernie Sanders, the progressive firebrand who sparked a record-breaking grassroots movement that nearly catapulted him to the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination and continues to challenge and reshape the partys ideology, ended his second bid for the White House on Wednesday.

Speaking live to more than 100,000 viewers from his Burlington home as the nation shelters amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermont senator said that at 300 delegates behind former Vice President Joe Biden, the path toward victory is virtually impossible.

After nearly winning in Iowa and topping a crowded Democratic field in New Hampshire and Nevada, Sanders, who had raised unprecedented amounts from small donors, saw Democrats increasingly vote in favor of the more moderate Biden, who racked up delegates after decisive victories in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday.

Sanders asserted that his campaigns, and millions of supporters, had shifted the political landscape over the last five years, pushing the majority of the Democratic base to support Medicare for All over private insurance, a $15 minimum wage, a cleaner energy system and free public education.

Our movement has won the ideological struggle, he said. Not long ago, people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today they are the mainstream and many of them are being implemented in cities and states across the country. That is what we accomplished.

The former Burlington mayor and longtime independent congressman reportedly broke the news to campaign staff in a conference call before the live announcement. Sanders said the very difficult and painful decision came after weeks of discussions with his wife, Jane, and top staff.

If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue, Sanders said, adding that he understood those of his supporters who will be upset with his call and wish that he fought on.

But the specter of the new coronavirus, which has now infected 400,000 and killed nearly 13,000 in the U.S., played heavily into the decision, with Sanders taking aim at President Donald Trumps response to the pandemic.

As I see this crisis gripping the nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any credible leadership, I cannot in good conscience mount a campaign that cannot win, Sanders said.

Keeping the campaign going, he said, would interfere with the important work that must be done to combat COVID-19.

Sanders reiterated a message that hes shared with Americans since the outbreak began: that the situation laid bare the failures of employer-based private health insurance, which millions are now without as shuttered businesses have been forced to slash payroll.

The Trump administration has noted that for those without health insurance, the federal government will cover COVID-19 testing and treatment.

But Sanders said arguments of how wonderful ... employer-based private insurance is, sound hollow today. The future of this country is with our ideas.

Sanders became the last to drop out in a Democratic primary that at one point saw more than two dozen contenders.

The progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who rose to near frontrunner status in polls against Biden and Sanders last summer and fall, suspended her campaign in early March after failing to secure any victories.

While Warren declined to endorse either candidate, others who dropped out, including South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, threw their support behind Biden, who had shored up strong support from African Americans, older voters and women.

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire and philanthropist former mayor of New York City whom Sanders and Warren accused of trying to buy a seat in the Oval Office, backed Biden after spending nearly $1 billion in a three-month campaign that won American Samoa, but no states.

Sanders on Wednesday congratulated Biden and said he would work with him to advance progressive proposals and to defeat Trump in November.

Sanders noted that he will stay on the ballot in remaining primary states, to use delegates as leverage to advance liberal policy goals on the Democratic Party platform. He added that he would fight to elect strong progressives at every level of government, from Congress to the school board.

Trump quickly took to Twitter to thank Warren for handing the nomination to Biden and to mock the Democratic Party, suggesting Sanders supporters should join the GOP and back his re-election effort.

This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco," Trump tweeted. "The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!

Trump later used his frequent nickname for the former Delaware senator by saying that cant see Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a progressive who campaigned for Sanders, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan or Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts supporting Sleepy Joe.

Biden issued a statement describing his Democratic socialist rival as a good man, a great leader and one of the most powerful voices for change in our country.

Bernie has done something rare in politics, Biden said. He hasnt just run a political campaign; hes created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe its a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. Thats a good thing for our nation and our future.

Related Content:
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf invited all residents of the Keystone State to join him in honoring the victims of the coronavirus by flying the commonwealth flag at half-staff, according to a news release.

The governors order applies to all commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds and will remain in place until a date to be announced after the pandemic passes.

But he added, he opened it to all Pennsylvanians "to participate in this tribute.

As of Tuesday, the number of people in Pennsylvania who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was 14,559, with the death toll nearing 250, including 24 in the Lehigh Valley, according to state figures. Nonessential businesses are closed and people in all 67 counties have been ordered to stay home.

Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to COVID-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die, Wolf said in a news release. Already we have lost friends, parents, grandparents, and siblings. We have lost first responders. We have lost community members. Each of these Pennsylvanians is irreplaceable. Each deserves to be honored individually for their contributions to our commonwealth, but this cruel disease will not give us a respite to mourn.

This virus prevents us from honoring the dead at traditional gatherings. We cannot have funerals, wakes, or sit shiva. I hope this flag lowering provides some solace to the grieving families and friends. And, I hope it serves as a reminder of the reason for the sacrifices Pennsylvanians are making to help their community survive this crisis.

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.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
By Trend

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its 'BB+/B' long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Azerbaijan. The outlook is stable, Trend reports referring to S&P Global Ratings.

The ratings are supported by Azerbaijan's very strong external and fiscal positions, which are underpinned by relatively low central government debt and significant foreign assets built up over several years.

Azerbaijan's strong external balance sheet will remain a core rating strength, reinforced by the large amount of foreign assets accumulated in the sovereign wealth fund, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ).

The stable outlook indicates the view that the sovereign's fiscal and exter nal position will not materially deteriorate beyond our current expectations, even though prospects for volume production in the oil sector appear limited and prices could remain low, S&P said. We assume the de facto manat exchange rate peg to the US dollar will remain in place, supported by the government's large external assets.

Nonetheless, S&P assumes Azerbaijan will retain the manat's de facto peg to the US dollar at 1.7 manat to $1, supported by the authorities' regular interventions in the foreign currency market.

S&P could consider an upgrade if external surpluses were higher than base-line projections, resulting in a faster accumulation of the government's fiscal assets. This could happen, for example, if hydrocarbon revenues markedly increased in contrast to our assumptions and S&P expected the higher level to be sustained.

Upside to the ratings could also build if the government devised and implemented reforms addressing a number of Azerbaijan's structural impediments, such as limited economic diversification and substantial constraints to monetary policy effectiveness.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
SCHENECTADY  Union workers at General Electric Co.'s steam turbine and generator plant in Schenectady held a noon rally Wednesday outside GE's main gate to urge the company to allow them to make medical ventilator machines as part of the company's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

GE's healthcare unit already is making ventilators using third parties and in cooperation with automakers, but the company's main union, the CWA, is asking GE to open up other factory sites in the U.S. to making ventilators using excess labor capacity in Schenectady and elsewhere.

GE has so far resisted the call to make ventilators in Schenectady. Hourly workers at the plant are represented by Local 301 of the IUE-CWA.

"The Schenectady facility produces generators for the power grids in the USA and throughout the world," the CWA said in a statement. "This facility, which formerly employed 20,000 workers and now employs just over 800, clearly has significant excess capacity. Workers are calling for the manufacturing of ventilators at this facility."

Local 301 has already expressed concerns about safety at the Schenectady plant where there had been a lack of hand sanitizer at least as of late last month.

"It is a supplier issue," GE said in a written response last month to the union. "We have ordered it, but do not have a line of sight on when it will be available for delivery."

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

GE is actually making hand sanitizer in-house at its research lab in Niskayuna, and it has said that retrofitting the Schenectady facility to make ventilators quickly is not a viable option. The Schenectady turbine plant is designed to make the massive steam turbines and generators for power plants at a slow pace, versus the quick ramp-up needed for ventilators.

In Schenectady, our Gas Power workforce is fully focused on critical power infrastructure projects that are providing electricity where its needed around the world. Their work is critical to supporting a strong, reliable electricity grid," a GE spokesman said. "Separately, GEs healthcare business has already doubled ventilator production and continues to explore additional opportunities to support the fight against COVID-19, prioritizing fast, efficient options to meet this immediate need.

GE's research facilities in Niskayuna also recently donated 18,000 gloves in their stash to GE Healthcare's field team in New York City as they make sure GE equipment operates smoothly in New York City hospitals, while another 10,000 gloves were given to the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce to be given to Ellis Hospital and Albany Medical Center.
Citing a range of challenges caused by the Covid-91 pandemic, the Association of University Presses has officially canceled its 2020 Annual Meeting, which had been scheduled for June 13-15 in Seattle.

"The possible risks to the safety and health of our attendees, as well as the uncertain duration of current travel restrictions, have made it impossible for the in-person meeting to proceed," reads a statement from the AUpresses board of directors. "The Association gratefully acknowledges the work of the 2020 Annual Meeting Program Committee, chaired by Laurie Matheson (director, University of Illinois Press), and also thanks those who were organizing workshops and special events."

The show, however will go on, as in online. AUPresses reps say details about the Associations virtual meeting will be forthcoming, with the event also to be held in June.

In its release, the AUPresses board noted that the 2020 Annual Meeting in Seattle would have coincided with the 100th anniversary of the University of Washington Press, and it offered congratulations to press director Nicole Mitchell and all staff members on reaching this milestone.


NEW ORLEANSGretchen Romero says theres no conceivable way for her to protect herself from contracting coronavirus.

Romero, 27, a Cuban migrant whos been held in custody for eight months since requesting asylum in the U.S., said theres no room inside her dormitory at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center to walk, eat or sleep while practicing social distancing. She said guards come in and out of their dorm without wearing masks or gloves. More than 70 detainees in the dorm share five bars of soap, and she says no additional disinfectant or hand sanitizer has been provided at the facility where some detainees have already been isolated over fears of coronavirus.

Romero says its been horrifying to see such indifference inside the facility near Baton Rouge while the world outside is quarantining, social distancing, sewing masks and sanitizing their surroundings every chance they get.

Its like the world hasnt changed and everything has stayed the same, inside the detention centre, Romero said. We are terrified of dying. If people who have the ability to go to the doctor are dying, whats going to happen to us in here?

Attorney General William Barr has ordered the release of some medically vulnerable inmates from federal prisons and sheriffs have released thousands of jail inmates to minimize the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. Yet there has been no similar effort made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is currently holding more than 34,000 detainees, the majority of which  60 per cent  have no criminal record and are only being detained over a civil immigration violation.

The agency has released 160 detainees in recent weeks, but that hasnt been nearly enough for detainees, politicians, doctors and human rights groups who have been pleading with the Trump administration to, at the very least, release detainees with poor health conditions. With little response coming from ICE, the groups have filed a wave of lawsuits around the country that have resulted in judges ordering the release of dozens of more detainees from California to Massachusetts to New Jersey.

When U.S. District Judge John Jones ordered ICE to release 11 chronically-ill detainees from a Pennsylvania detention centre last week, he wrote that he issued the order because he could not be party to the unconscionable and barbaric possibility of those detainees contracting coronavirus.

ICE facilities are plainly not equipped to protect Petitioners from a potentially fatal exposure to COVID-19, wrote Jones, who ordered an additional 22 ICE detainees be freed on Tuesday. If we are to remain the civilized society we hold ourselves out to be, it would be heartless and inhumane not to recognize Petitioners plight. And so we will act.

One of the biggest challenges facing detainees is that they simply dont know the magnitude of the spread of coronavirus inside ICE facilities.

The agency says 30 detainees and ICE personnel have tested positive for coronavirus in 16 different ICE facilities in 10 states as of Tuesday. But ICE officials have disclosed little information about its testing procedures  they will not say how many tests have been administered or what facilities are testing people, stating only that detention centres are following testing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That makes it impossible to know how rapidly the virus is spreading inside ICE detention centres. In one case, a federal lawsuit forced the government to acknowledge that it had not tested any ICE detainees inside the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup, Maryland, has no test kits at the facility, and has no plans to conduct testing, according to a ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang last week ordering ICE to begin testing at the detention centre.

ICE data on coronavirus cases is also missing a large pool of people  the thousands of private contractors who work as wardens, administrators, guards, doctors, nurses, janitors and cooks inside ICE detention centres. ICE only owns and operates five of the more than 200 facilities that house ICE detainees around the country, the rest of the work being done by private prison companies and local jails.

That means ICEs total case count does not include two guards working at the Krome Service Processing Center outside of Miami, Florida, who tested positive for coronavirus this week. An ICE official confirmed their positive tests.

ICEs count is also missing two nurses and one guard who have died over the past week because of coronavirus complications at the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearney, New Jersey, since they worked for the county or a private health care company working there under contract. The facility holds nearly 300 ICE detainees.

That lack of testing and transparency has prompted lawyers to file lawsuits to win the freedom of the most at-risk detainees, according to Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU who is co-ordinating the more than a dozen lawsuits the organization has launched in recent weeks.

We are fully aware of the magnitude of this problem and are deeply concerned about the health and welfare of all the detainees currently locked up in these facilities, Cho said.

Some lawsuits could lead to the release of thousands of unaccompanied minors in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and adult migrants held by ICE.

U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in California is considering a request to fast-track the release of nearly 7,000 thousand unaccompanied minors after HHS said four children in its custody in New York tested positive for coronavirus, as well as eight staff, contractors or foster parents in New York, Washington and Texas.

And U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., is considering a request to release about 1,350 members of migrant families who are detained at three family detention centres in Pennsylvania and Texas.

Beyond those lawsuits, its proven challenging for attorneys to hear from more detainees, given ICEs new guidelines requiring all attorneys to bring their own personal protective equipment when visiting clients in detention.

Jessica Schneider is the director of the detention program for Americans for Immigrant Justice in Miami. She said her attorneys would normally be in the regions ICE detention centres at least once a week meeting with detainees who enter the facility and providing legal assistance to them, but her organization doesnt have enough masks and gloves to send their attorneys into the facilities.

Making matters worse, the largest ICE detention facilities in Florida dont have secure video-conferencing capabilities that would allow lawyers and clients to speak confidentially about their cases. Thats left Schneider forced to have conversations with her clients through unsecure phone calls or video chats on tablets provided to detainees as guards and other detainees walk past within earshot.

We have always shied away from using those tablets because theyre not confidential. But at this point, we feel that finding out what the facts are on the ground and communicating with people is trumping our ability to engage in confidential communications, she said. And that shouldnt be a decision an attorney has to make. Its 2020. If we can all have Zoom calls and FaceTime, setting up legal calls (should be possible).

At the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California, Charles Joseph said he has access to soap and water to wash his hands, but doesnt have access to cleaning supplies to disinfect the hard surfaces in his dormitory. Joseph, 34, said hes trying to stay safe at Mesa Verde, but said officials at the 400-bed facility are making it impossible.

At no time an I ever six feet away from another person, said Joseph, who is from Fiji. We are sitting ducks in a petri dish. Once it comes in here, everybody is going to catch it.

Asked about those concerns, a spokesperson for GEO Group, a private prison operator that manages Mesa Verde and 21 other ICE facilities around the country, rejected Josephs unfounded allegations and claimed they were instigated by outside groups with political agendas.

In a statement last month, the company said it has experience implementing best practices for the prevention, assessment, and management of infectious diseases. In response to coronavirus, the company said it has educated employees about preventative measures, advised employees to stay home if they have flu-like symptoms, enacted quarantine and testing policies for employees who may have come in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, and deployed specialized sanitation teams to sterilize high-contact areas of its facilities.

Similarly, ICE says it has taken appropriate actions to mitigate the spread of coronavirus throughout its detention network. The agency has said it is abiding by CDC guidelines and keeping everyone safe.

On Tuesday, the agency for the first time said it was reviewing cases to determine if the most vulnerable detainees can be released from custody given the unprecedented nature of COVID-19. The agency said it was reviewing 600 detainees deemed vulnerable.

Utilizing CDC guidance along with the advice of medical professionals, ICE may place individuals in a number of alternatives to detention options, the ICE statement read. Decisions to release individuals in ICE custody occur every day on a case-by-case basis.

Stay connected, even when were all apart: Join our Coronavirus Watch Facebook group.

Yet detainees, and an increasing number of judges, say the agency has fallen short.

The risk of contracting COVID-19 in tightly-confined spaces, especially jails, is now exceedingly obvious, wrote U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in a ruling ordering the release of 10 ICE detainees from detention centres in New Jersey last month.

Ricky Williamson, 31, a detainee at Mesa Verde, said he told a judge in immigration court last week that he was dropping his case to remain in the U.S. because he would rather be deported to his native United Kingdom then wait for the virus to start circulating through the detention centre. While the U.K. is going through its own coronavirus outbreak, he said he would prefer the freedom to wear gloves and a mask than stay inside an ICE facility.

It was the hardest decision of my life, said Williamson. At least if Im free, I can do my own stuff to prevent getting it.

Martin Alvarez Garcia, 28, made a similar decision last week. He has had a cough and sore throat for more than two weeks, he said, but doctors at the facility have denied his request for a COVID-19 test because he doesnt have a fever. So last week, he waived his right to appeal his deportation order.

I would honestly rather sign and go back to my country then risk myself getting infected, he said. I dont feel safe anywhere in Mexico, but I have no choice.
As the economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to bite, more than 5000 small businesses have sought help from the Queensland government hotline.

The number of phone operators has been doubled as a result, with personnel also boosted in regional offices.

Queensland Employment and Small Business Minister Shannon Fentiman. Credit:Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Employment and Small Business Minister Shannon Fentiman said such a response was necessary to ensure those around the state had the advice and support they need to keep doors open and workers in jobs.

Understanding what is available such as funding, payroll tax refunds and energy rebates will ensure our thousands of businesses can access vital support, she said.

It comes after the government announced a $3 billion package for businesses and workers last month and further money for outreach via the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

An awareness campaign across radio was launched in the south-east this week, with about 550 small businesses signing up for an online financial assistance seminar through TAFE Queensland later this month.

We will continue to monitor the feedback from our small businesses and respond to the areas of need, Ms Fentiman said.
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An influential model tracking the coronavirus pandemic in the United States now predicts that fewer people will die and fewer hospital beds will be needed compared to its estimates from last week.

As of Monday, the model predicted the virus will kill 81,766 people in the United States over the next four months, with just under 141,000 hospital beds being needed. That's about 12,000 fewer deaths -- and 121,000 fewer hospital beds -- than the model estimated on Thursday.

A "massive infusion of new data" led to the adjustments, according to the model's maker, Dr. Christopher Murray, who serves as director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Additional data on the pandemic's trajectory -- in the United States and around the world -- has always been expected, along with methodological changes to fine-tune the predictions. And from the start, researchers at IHME, who built the model, have emphasized that it would change.

But the newest version of the model underscores just how important social distancing continues to be: It assumes that those measures -- such as closing schools and businesses -- will continue until August, and it still predicts tens of thousands of deaths.

While the analysis has been repeatedly cited by Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, the administration's current guidelines only recommend social distancing through April 30.

Flood of new data triggered adjustments

The model essentially predicts how social distancing measures will affect the trajectory of coronavirus in the US. Everyone agrees that social distancing measures will save lives, but how quickly the distancing works -- and how dramatically it reduces infections -- has not been clear.

When the model was first released, the only place that had reached its coronavirus "peak" was Wuhan, China, according to the IHME researchers. But as of Monday, seven locations in Spain and Italy appear to have reached their apexes as well, providing a flood of new data for the model to analyze.

Those regions seem to have reached their peaks more quickly in the wake of social distancing measures, according to the researchers. That means that some states -- such as Florida, Virginia, Louisiana and West Virginia -- are now expected to hit their peaks earlier than previously expected, potentially giving them less time to prepare.

Beyond infusing the model with new data, researchers tweaked its methodology to better predict the spread of the virus in states that have seen few cases. And they also fine-tuned their analysis of social distancing measures after noticing that certain measures -- such as school closures -- appeared more impactful in some places than others.

Every state, and even regions within each state, have looked at the White House's guidance on non-essential travel differently, Murray said at a press conference on Monday.

Based on cell phone mobility data, for example, researchers found that "there's variability across state[s] in how mandates are being interpreted." Moving forward, researchers plan to explore whether incorporating that data will further improve predictions, Murray said.

A surge in hospitalization data

Early versions of the model had little data on how patients fared after being hospitalized in the United States, but the version released Monday includes more granular information now available from state governments.

Researchers looked at more than 16,000 hospital admissions, for example, and almost 3,000 deaths related to Covid-19. They then estimated that fewer hospital resources -- such as total beds, intensive care beds and ventilators -- will be needed during the virus's peak.

How long patients are expected to stay in the hospital has also changed: Patients in intensive care are now expected to have longer stays than previously predicted, while those with milder cases are predicted to have shorter stays.

On Thursday, for example, the model predicted that patients who needed intensive care would only stay in the hospital for eight days until being discharged. Now, they're expected to be hospitalized for 20. But patients who didn't need intensive care were originally thought to need a 15-day stay, compared to just over a week now.

As more data becomes available, those estimates -- like all of the model's projections -- will change. And importantly, they're based on the ongoing assumption that social distancing measures will continue for months, and will be implemented in places that have yet to do so.

According to Murray, the model's maker, the consequences could be dire if social distancing measures are relaxed or ignored: "The US will see greater death tolls, the death peak will be later, the burden on hospitals will be much greater and the economic costs will continue to grow."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose state is at the epicenter of the US outbreak, said on Saturday that the situation is "turning" and the "rate of infection is going down." That's consistent with IHME's model, which predicts that the state will hit "peak resource use" -- the day hospitals are stretched the thinnest -- on Wednesday.

But while New York's cases have generally tracked with IHME's predictions so far, Cuomo said there is a "danger" in being "over-confident." Other entities have made that error, he said, "and we're not going to make that mistake."
Nigerians can, at least, heave a sigh of relief, as the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has confirmed that the nations financial records were not lost in the fire that gutted some offices in the Treasury House, Abuja.

The Treasury House, in Abujas Central Business District, is the multi-storey building that accommodates the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).

Offices in some floors of the building went up in flame on Wednesday morning due to a power surge from an air conditioner in one of the offices on the fourth floor, official said.

Briefing journalists at the Treasury House shortly after embarking on an on-the-spot assessment of the building, Agba said that the Data Centre was not affected by the fire.

He said that even if the fire had affected the centre, Nigerians would not have needed to worry as there was a backup database from which financial data or records could be recovered or retrieved.

According to Agba, while we were at the National Assembly with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and our other colleagues, briefing the Federal Legislature on our proposals for a supplementary budget, we got a call that this building here was on fire.

So, I had to immediately leave just to have a first hand information as to what is going on. I am glad to report to you that when I got here, first and foremost, I met that the fire had been put out by the Fire Service in combination with the Fire Services from the Central Bank of Nigeria, FCT Fire Service, NNPC, Julius Berger and also the military.

All these efforts were led by the Federal Fire Service. I have been briefed that the fire started around 10 am in an office in the fourth floor.

An officer came to the office; he said he put on the air conditioner and there was a spark; he noticed smoke and he immediately put it off, but it was still smothering; so, he had to rush out to get some help.

The Federal Fire Service were called about 10:10 am and they responded within four minutes with three fire trucks. However, there was a little bit of difficulty in getting inside the building because they thought they should fight the fire from both outside and from inside.

They eventually broke inside to fight the fire and when they saw the extent of it, they called for help and, altogether, twenty-five fire trucks were used to fight the fire and within 35 minutes, the fire was put under control.

Agba stated further, We have gone round the offices where the fire affected and I am glad to report to you that our Data Centre, where all our records are kept, is fully intact. There is no destruction and, so, we have not lost any record.

I also should remind you that for a while now, we have really gone digital; yet, we have some records that are kept manually but a lot of what we do is online.

And even if the Data Centre had been affected, we have a backup database that is outside of Abuja for recovery in the event that we had lost the Data Centre.

But the only thing that has happened today to the Data Centre is the exterior where we have the cooling units at the back. You know that the Data Centre always has to be cool.

So, one of the immediate steps we have taken is to shut down the Data Centre since the cooling units are not functioning optimally.

We have directed that those cooling units should immediately be put in order so that we do not lose anything in that Data Centre.

As a government, I just want to assure you that our records are intact. A few documents are burnt. We have not started recovery to check what was burnt and what was not burnt. But all our financial transactions are intact.

We would be doing a full-scale investigation using the right professionals just to determine exactly what happened because what I am telling you now is what I have been told.

So, the professionals will be able to tell us whether it was from the air conditioner or it was something that was induced.

Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, who was with Agba at the briefing corroborated the ministers assertion that the Data Centre was intact, stressing that they were working hard to fix the cooling system of the Data Centre which was affected by the fire.

We are glad that there were no human casualties. Our physical records can be easily replaced because we have them online real time, he stated.
The number of deaths in the US due to coronavirus on Tuesday crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day, as President Donald Trump sought to assure a grieving nation that new data projections reveal fewer deaths than originally thought.

We're looking to have far fewer deaths than originally thought. I think we're heading in that direction, but it's too early to talk about it, Trump told reporters at his daily White House briefing.

While the death toll in the US continues to soar and those being infected by the deadly virus now approaching four lakhs, the highest for any country in the world.

New York, the epicentre of COVID-19 in the US, alone accounts for 5,400 deaths and 1,38,000 cases, followed by adjoining New Jersey with 1,200 deaths and 44,416 cases.

The national number of both fatalities and cases of infections are expected to jump during the next week, officials believe, but they exuded confidence that strict enforcement of social mitigation measures, including social distancing, would help bring things under control in the next few weeks.

We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Trump said during a White House meeting on Small Businesses.

Nearly 97 percent of the America's 330 million population are under stay-at-home order. In the last 10 days, the US Army has added thousands of new beds by converting large public spaces like convention centres into makeshift hospitals.

Thousands of ventilators have been distributed, along with millions of face masks, personal protection equipment and essential medical supplies.

A lot of the occupancy is really getting a little bit lower than anticipated, and that is good, Trump said.

I think maybe we are getting to the very top of the curve, he added.

Referring to his conversation with the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo he said he seems to think that he is getting close to the peak.

Hoping that they are soon going to hit the downslide, he said this is, however, going to be a very difficult week.

This week will be a very difficult week because that is the most difficult week when you are at that top position and we will see what happens, Trump said.

As we stand here today in the midst of heartbreaking numbers of losses in New York City, I also want to assure the American people that there is reason for hope, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during the daily White House briefing on coronavirus.

Latest figures from the ground, he said, reflects evidence of stabilization in some of the areas around the country of the most significant outbreak, the New York metro area including New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, New Orleans metro area, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Denver.

This, in a very real sense, is evidence that the American people are putting into practice the social distancing, the president's guidelines, he said.

The social distancing measures have now been extended till April 30.

According to Dr Deborah Brix, member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, "figures from the last three days show that in a series of communities outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is creating a much flatter graph, almost much flatter curve".

"The lower curve parameter in cities like Detroit and Chicago shows the amazing activity of every American in those cities to ensure that they're social distancing," he said.

Americans are understating more and more that while we tend to think of this as one large curve in our minds when it began in our country and we long for the day that it will end and we hasten that day by putting into practice some of these mitigation efforts, Pence said in response to a question.

In an interview to a local radio station in Arizona, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the new models are projecting less than 100,000 deaths as against the previous projection of between one and two lakhs.

Those models that were done, they assumed that only about 50 per cent of the American public would pay attention to the recommendations. In fact, it would seem, a large majority of the Americans are taking the social distancing recommendations to heart -- and I think that's the direct consequence of why you're seeing the numbers are going to be much, much, much, much lower than would've been predicted by the models," Redfield told Tucson Radio Station.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Melbourne City Council has become the first government at any level in Australia to pledge financial support for international students amid fears they are falling through the cracks because they are not eligible for government welfare.

Although a figure has not been set, councillors have asked staff to develop ways to financially support overseas students, many of whom have lost casual jobs in retail and hospitality as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are about 200,000 overses students in Melbourne. Credit:Joe Armao

They have also backed calls by the International Education Association of Australia for a hardship fund for foreign students, which could take contributions from the council, other levels of government, universities and the private sector.

On Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said international students and other visa holders were "not held here compulsorily".
In this era of social distancing and shelter in place orders, recipe sharing and virtual happy hours have emerged as popular contenders to help people take the edge off navigating a public health crisis.

Now, Dwayne The Rock Johnson has entered the ring with his own cocktailThe Peoples Margarita.

A fitting name from the former professional wrestler known as The Peoples Champ, the drink is crafted with Teremana Tequila, the small batch tequila co-founded by Johnson. Branded as the tequila of the people, the actor and WWE champion says the spirit is hand-crafted from blue agave in a small Mexican town amid the Jalisco Highland mountains.

Distributed by Mast-Jagermeister, Teremana has been in the works since 2018 reports The Spirits Business. The name of the tequila honors The Rocks Polynesian heritagein a 2019 post on Instagram, Johnson explained that Tera is meant to represent Terre which means of the earth and Mana pays homage to our powerful Polynesian spirit that guides us.

In January, Johnson revealed Teremanas bottle design and kicked off a tour for the spirit, meeting with buyers around the country.

The intention was to launch a robust campaign for the tequila in March, but in light of the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson and his team decided to opt for a more low key release for the spirit, which debuted with two expressions-- Teremana Blanco, an un-aged tequila, and an aged Teremana Reposado.

We at Teremana have been staying relatively quiet out of respect for to difficult time that we are all managing around the world as we try to take care of our loved ones, each other, as well as ourselves, Johnson said in a video officially welcoming drinkers to the spirits Instagram account. What didnt feel right in my gut was to try and do a big campaign that was robust and exciting.

The right way, said Johnson, was to slowly roll the tequila out across the country.

Last week, The Rock took to Teremanas Instagram account for a few moments of levity and fun to share the recipe for The Peoples Margarita.

I might embarrass myself a little bit here, chuckled Johnson before he started making his version of the classic cocktail, using the Teramana Blanco.

Always charismatic, the Rock opted to freestyle it instead of measuring any of the liquids. He was a little heavy handed particularly with the liquor but in these times, thats hardly an offense (re: Ina Gartens massive morning Cosmo ).

Its supposed to be two ounces... is what I tell the bartenders, so Johnson trailed off, pausing and looking directly into the camera as he poured what was clearly more than two ounces of tequila into a shaker of ice. I always round up, he said, laughing as he poured. I mean that seems like about two ounces.

Next, he added an ounce or two of lime juice.

And again, I just go by feel, he said, laughing some more.

Then, a splash of pineapple juice It mixes just amazing with the Teremana, and, being from the islands, thats what I like and agave nectar for sweetness.

After a quick first-round shake, he reopened the shaker to add a pinch of Hawaiian sea salt.

Thats the magic sauce, he said.

After another, longer shake ( he got fancy and shook the shaker with one hand, then flipped it. Why? Because hes THE ROCK, thats why) he topped it all off with a splash of fresh squeezed lime juice. But things got a little, shall we say, interesting when it came time to stir.

Use a little knife. Or a finger, he said, switching to his index finger. Cant go wrong with a finger.

Turns out, The Peoples Champ felt just as awkward as we did.

I just made it weird, he chuckled, breathing in heavily.

Before he took a drink, he raised a toast to the people working on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak:

The ones who cant shelter at home... the nurses, the doctors, the healthcare practitioners, the first responders, the shop owners. From the bottom of my heart, I know I speak for the rest of our country, I thank you guys and everyone around the world who are on the front lines. I thank you, we thank you. I love you...so grateful. Thank you for taking care of our people. So with that, I want to take the Teremana Peoples Margarita and I want to say cheers, salud, I love you guys and I thank you.

Heres a recap of the recipe:

Teremana isnt available in Alabama yet, according to the map, but plenty of restaurants and bars around the state are selling bottles of alcohol for curbside and takeout service. So if youre looking for a margarita kit in the Birmingham area, here are a few options:

Sol Y Luna

The Mountain Brook restaurant is offering margarita kits with bottles of Hornitos tequila and a gallon of house made Sol Y Luna margarita mix: Cantina Key Lime, Cantina Prickly Pear or Sol Y Luna. The kit also comes with limes and salt.

The Louis

Chuy Mendez, the co-owner of the Pizitz Food Halls Anchor bar, the Louis, is well known for saying he makes the best margaritas in town. Looking to grab takeout? Unos Tacos, Mendezs stall in the Pizitz specializing in cantina-style tacos, tortas, and quesadillas opened in mid-March.

Mayawell

The Lakeview tequila and mezcal bars curbside-to-go menu features four margarita cocktail kits. The classic, jalapeno strawberry, and the spicy margarita kits all come with house made cocktail mix and a bottle of Lunazul tequila. The mezcal margarita comes with a bottle of Vida mezcal.

Paper Doll

The downtown Birmingham cocktail bars drive up beverage service includes Randalls Tequila Party Kit, which comes with a bottle of el Jimador tequila and an assortment of garnishes ready to make three different drinks, including a guava margarita.

Remember, drink responsibly.

Related:
TORONTO/MONTREAL -- With deaths in nursing homes making up almost half of Canadas coronavirus deaths, provinces are taking control of their workforces, boosting care workers wages and redeploying health inspectors from hospitals to curb the virus spread among seniors.

In one Ontario home, more than a third of residents, 27 people, have died since March 25 and more than half its staff have tested positive for the coronavirus as a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) hit workers.

These long-term care facilities are the frontline of this crisis, said Kitra Cahana, whose quadriplegic father lives at a Quebec long-term care facility while her mother works at a Quebec seniors residence.

In Quebec, 60% of deaths have been in either seniors homes or long-term care facilities and a quarter of the provinces nursing homes have at least one confirmed case, according to provincial data.

Residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, because of typically more compromised immune systems, frailty and sharing common areas. Frequent visitors and workers from outside compound the situation.

Other people inadvertently may transmit the infection, and this is where the problem is. Oftentimes it is the vectoring from outside the home into the home, said Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia.

In British Columbia, where 68% of provincial deaths have been in nursing homes, the virus is spreading through different residences as low-paid care workers supplement their income by working in multiple homes.

The provinces medical officer of health enacted strict restrictions on who could visit long-term care facilities, limited employees to work in only one home at a time and canceled patient transfers between facilities.

In Alberta, where 56% of deaths are in care homes, employees who work in multiple seniors homes are required to inform their supervisors if they work at a facility where there has been a confirmed or suspected case, among other measures.

People from the community drive and honk their horns in support for Pinecrest Nursing Home after several residents died and dozens of staff were sickened by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada March 30, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Canada on Tuesday reported 17,063 coronavirus cases and 345 deaths.

Ontario, Canadas most-populous province, has issued an emergency order that provides long-term care homes more flexibility in staffing and recruitment, bypassing collective bargaining agreements that limit who can be hired and the use of volunteers, and redeployed inspectors to provide additional help.

What were seeing happening to our seniors and in our long-term care homes ... is hard to process, its hard to comprehend and its hard to deal with, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters.

'War zone' in some homes

The Ontario order will take some pressure off workers who say there has not been enough staff to provide proper care for residents, especially in an outbreak, said Miranda Ferrier, president of the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association.

They are absolutely desperate for help. It is a war zone in some of these long-term care homes, Ferrier said.

Our hope with this emergency order is that people will be hired to help with things like snack carts, feeding, laundry, assisting [personal support workers] where they can.

Frontline workers have warned of inadequate protective equipment in some long-term care facilities in Quebec, which has become Canadas epicenter for the pandemic with 9,340 positive cases.

Workers wave at passing cars honking their horns in support for Pinecrest Nursing Home after several residents died and dozens of staff were sickened by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada March 30, 2020. Photo: Reuters

A Quebec nursing home worker told Reuters she was buying her own face shield because the home she works at does not provide equipment due to an absence of positive tests.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the worker said she had dealt with two residents who were sick and awaiting COVID-19 test results.

Faced with staffing shortages, Quebec raised wages for most health workers by 4% to 8% and said on Tuesday it would deploy more nurses and doctors to care homes.

Jeff Begley, president of Quebecs largest health-sector union, said workers were starting to get very anxious.

If the virus is not going to get you, the stress will.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that Armenia may have already passed its peak of COVID-19 infections as his government reported another relatively modest rise in new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

Pashinian cited in the morning official statistics showing that 28 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the past day, bringing the total number of cases to 881. Almost as many other Armenians recovered from the disease during the same period, he said.

He also reported another coronavirus-related fatality which raised the countrys death toll from the epidemic to 9. The latest victim was 93 years old and also suffered from cancer, he said.

Overall, we are maintaining cautious optimism, Pashinian wrote on Facebook. If this statistics continues it will mean that we have passed the peak of coronavirus and that peak was on March 31.

Armenia had only 249 confirmed coronavirus cases when its government issued stay-at-home orders and forced the closure of nonessential businesses on March 24. The number of infections continued to rise by over 10 percent per day in the following days, leading the authorities to impose additional restrictions on peoples movement.

Government data suggests that the daily infection rate began falling significantly on April 3. The Armenian Ministry of Health reported only 11 confirmed cases on Monday and 20 cases on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, a total of 114 people have recovered from the potentially lethal disease to date. Pashinian said that almost 90 percent of the still infected and hospitalized citizens do not even have a fever. But he added that eight other COVID-19 patients are in a critical condition.

The prime minister stated on Tuesday that the government will consider easing its restrictions if the downward trend continues in the coming days. In the meantime, he said, Armenians should continue to strictly comply with the nationwide lockdown.

Health Minister Arsen Torosian echoed that appeal on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, he said that nearly 3,000 healthcare workers across the country are involved in the fight against the epidemic.

They get too little sleep, dont eat enough and dont get to see their loved ones, wrote Torosian. They will be powerless [to stop the spread of coronavirus] unless each of us makes his or her own contribution to this endeavor.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who coordinates the governments response to the epidemic, announced in the evening that a planeload of vital medical supplies will arrive in Armenia from China in within the next few hours.

Avinian said the consignment includes 120 lung ventilators, 60,000 coronavirus test kits, 340,000 medical masks, 100,000 pieces of protective medical clothing as well as medication. They were purchased by the Armenian government or donated by Chinese authorities and private benefactors from the two countries, he said.

We want to thank the Chinese government for helping to organize the flight, added Avinian.

The Armenian health authorities are planning to significantly expand COVID-19 testing in an effort to keep the epidemic under control. Pashinian said on Monday that the daily number of such tests, which has varied from 200 to 400 in the last two weeks, will likely reach 1,000 by the end of this week.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "stable" and "in good spirits" after spending his second night in intensive care at a London hospital where he is receiving treatment for coronavirus, Downing Street said on Wednesday.

Johnson, 55, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the St Thomas' Hospital here on Sunday "for close monitoring" after his condition worsened.

Downing Street said he remains in "good spirits" at the hospital, a specialist National Health Service (NHS) infectious diseases facility across Westminster Bridge from 10 Downing Street in central London.

"The Prime Minister's condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"He comfortable, he's stable, he's in good spirits," added UK health minister Edward Argar on Wednesday morning.

A further update on Johnson's health is expected later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the UK Prime Minister while he is in hospital, described his boss as a "fighter" who would pull through and be back in charge soon.

Leading the daily Downing Street briefing, he said: "He's not just our boss, he's also our colleague and our friend. All of our thoughts with the Prime Minister and his family.

"I'm confident that he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know, he's a fighter. He'll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order," Raab said.

Raab, who is also the First Secretary of State, said the Cabinet had "very clear instructions" from the Prime Minister while he remains in hospital and his whole team will be working on implementing those instructions in the government's fight against the pandemic.

"Decision making by government is made by collective Cabinet responsibilities, so that is the same as before,'' he said.

According to latest updates, Johnson is receiving "standard oxygen treatment" and breathing without any assistance, such as mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.

He was taken to hospital on Sunday evening after testing positive for coronavirus over a week ago and was shifted to ICU on Monday evening after his condition "worsened"



Downing Street says he has remained conscious throughout and has not been diagnosed with pneumonia, the severe outcome in the most serious cases of COVID-19.

The UK's death toll in the coronavirus pandemic continues to rise and hit 6,159 after a record increase of 786 in a single day on Tuesday. The government has urged the British public to continue to follow strict social distancing rules before a decision to review the measures can be taken.

The country also had over 55,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Johnson was due to take a call on lifting the severe social distancing conditions next Monday, at the end of the initial 21-day semi-lockdown announced by him in a televised address on March 23.

Asked on BBC Breakfast when the measures might be lifted, Argar said the scientific evidence "isn't yet there to allow us to make us a decision".

"We have to be over that peak before we can think about making changes," he said, adding: "It's too early to say when we will reach that peak."



A ban on public gatherings of more than two people and the closure of shops selling non-essential goods were among the series of restrictions announced by Johnson his address to tackle the spread of coronavirusThe Queen and other senior royals sent messages to Johnson's family and his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds, saying they were thinking of them, and wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Nations has warned of a 'devastating' condom shortage after coronavirus lockdown forced major producers to close factories.

Over half of humanity has been confined to their homes as the highly contagious virus marches round the planet, while governments worldwide have ordered the closure of businesses deemed non-essential.

Malaysia - one of the world's top rubber producers and a major source of condoms - imposed a nationwide lockdown last month as infections surged to the highest level in Southeast Asia.

But restrictions on the operations of Malaysian contraceptive giant Karex, which makes one in every five condoms globally, mean the firm expects to produce 200 million fewer condoms than usual from mid-March to mid-April.

With other producers around the world likely facing disruption and difficulties in getting condoms to market due to transport problems, supplies of contraceptives will be hit hard, warned Karex chief executive Goh Miah Kiat.

'The world will definitely see a condom shortage,' Goh told AFP.

In this file photo taken on April 24, 2013, a woman browses items for sale beside a shelf of condoms at a supermarket in Beijing. A global condom shortage is looming as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic shutters factories and disrupts supply chains, the world's top maker of the contraceptives said in April 2020, with the United Nations warning of 'devastating' consequences

This picture taken on April 6, 2020 shows the logo of Malaysian condom maker Karex at the company's headquarters in Port Klang on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur

This picture taken on April 6, 2020 shows packs of condoms for sale at a shop in Kuala Lumpur. - A global condom shortage is looming as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic shutters factories and disrupts supply chains, the world's top maker of the contraceptives said, with the United Nations warning of 'devastating' consequences

'It's challenging, but we are trying our best right now to do whatever we can. It is definitely a major concern - condom is an essential medical device.

'While we are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also other serious issues that we need to look at,' he said, adding he was particularly worried about supplies of condoms to developing countries.

Karex, which supplies condoms to many companies as well as governments and for distribution by aid programmes, had to close its three Malaysian factories for a period at the start of the country's lockdown, which is due to last until 14 April.

The company has since been allowed to resume operations but with only 50 per cent of its usual workforce, and Goh wants permission to ramp up production.

The UN is also sounding the alarm, with its sexual and reproductive health agency warning it can currently only get about 50-60 per cent of its usual condom supplies due to virus-related disruptions.

'Border closings and other restrictive measures are affecting transportation and production in a number of countries and regions,' said a UN Population Fund spokesperson, adding they were taking steps such as adding extra suppliers to support urgent needs.

The agency, which works with governments worldwide to support family planning, said a key concern was being able to ship condoms to where they were needed quickly enough - and warned the poorest and most vulnerable would be hit hardest if stocks run low.

A worker performs a test on condoms at Malaysia's Karex condom factory in Pontian, 200 miles southeast of Kuala Lumpur on 7 November, 2012. Malaysia's Karex Industries is the world's largest condom maker by volume

'A shortage of condoms, or any contraceptive, could lead to an increase in unintended pregnancies, with potentially devastating health and social consequences for adolescent girls, women and their partners and families,' said the spokesperson.

There could also be a rise in unsafe abortions and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV, the agency said.

Even as factory shutdowns and border closures throw the condom industry into chaos, demand appears to be increasing.

Goh said Karex had seen growing demand as people worldwide are confined to their homes, while Indian media reported that condom sales had jumped 25-35 percent in the week after the country of 1.3 billion people announced a lockdown.

Despite the warnings about a potential shortage, there are positive signs from condom makers in China, where the virus first emerged last year but which has largely managed to bring its outbreak under control.

Major producers there have resumed operations as authorities eased tough restrictions to halt the virus, which has claimed more than 80,000 victims worldwide.

A security guard checks the temperature of a customer arriving at a supermarket during the partial lockdown of Malaysia to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Penang on March 27, 2020

HBM Protections, which makes more than one billion condoms a year, said production is back to normal levels and it is pushing ahead with earlier plans to triple its number of manufacturing lines by the end of the year.

And Shanghai Mingbang Rubber Products said it was ready to ramp up condom exports, which currently make up only about 10 percent of its output, if there is a global shortfall.

'If the international market runs into such problems... we will be willing to export more,' chief executive Cai Qijie told AFP.
Six-time Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe is reteaming with his 9-1-1: Lone Star creator Ryan Murphy to 'develop' a project inspired by Netflix's hit docu-series Tiger King.

People confirmed 'that the duo are indeed discussing it' the day after the 56-year-old Brat Packer revealed they 'will be developing our version of this insane story' to his 3.2M social media followers.

The news shook the Virginia-born, Malibu-raised actor's celeb pals Chris Pratt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Shriver, and his goddaughter Katherine Schwarzenegger who commented: 'Oh no.'

Six-time Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe (L) is reteaming with his 9-1-1: Lone Star creator Ryan Murphy (R) to 'develop' a project inspired by Netflix's hit docu-series Tiger King

'Stay tuned!' People confirmed 'that the duo are indeed discussing it' the day after the 56-year-old Brat Packer revealed they 'will be developing our version of this insane story'

Rob is clearly vying for the role of former GW Exotic Animal Park owner Joe 'Exotic' Maldonado-Passage, who's serving a 22-year prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot among other crimes.

Lowe already proved he could embody flamboyant, over-the-top characters following his face-streching performance as plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz in HBO's 2013 movie Behind The Candelabra.

It's unclear if the 54-year-old showrunner is considering using his American Crime Story or Feud franchises to bring the proposed Joe Exotic project to life or if it would be completely outside the FX Network.

SNL actress Kate McKinnon already signed on to produce and star as Joe's nemesis Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin in UCP's upcoming small-screen adaptation of Robert Moor's Wondery podcast, Over My Dead Body - according to Deadline.

The news shook the Virginia-born, Malibu-raised actor's celeb pals Chris Pratt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Shriver, and his goddaughter Katherine Schwarzenegger who wrote: 'Oh no'

Man behind the mullet: Rob is clearly vying for the role of former GW Exotic Animal Park owner Joe 'Exotic' Maldonado-Passage (R), who's serving a 22-year prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot among other crimes

Would it be a comedy? Lowe already proved he could embody flamboyant, over-the-top characters following his face-streching performance as plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz in HBO's 2013 movie Behind The Candelabra

Fits either bill: It's unclear if the 54-year-old showrunner is considering using his American Crime Story or Feud franchises to bring the proposed Joe Exotic project to life or if it would be completely outside the FX Network

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has become a welcome distraction for audiences in the age of COVID-19, and it's held the No. 1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 list since dropping March 20.

The current GW Exotic Animal Park owner Jeff Lowe claimed via Cameo on Saturday that Netflix will be releasing a surprise eighth episode 'next week.'

Rob will next continue hosting the second season of trivia game show Mental Samurai - premiering April 22 on Fox - in which contestants are catapulted around the set in a 360 degree-turning capsule.

On Tuesday, Lowe's son John Owen shared a 'weird' b&w video of them performing Simon & Garfunkel's 1965 hit song The Sounds of Silence on the video game Guitar Hero.

Rival project: SNL actress Kate McKinnon (L) has already signed on to produce and star as Joe's nemesis Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin (R) in UCP's upcoming small-screen adaptation of Robert Moor's Wondery podcast, Over My Dead Body

Puts the corona in coronavirus quarantine! Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has become a welcome distraction for audiences in the age of COVID-19, and it's held the No. 1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 list since dropping March 20

Ready for more? The current GW Exotic Animal Park owner Jeff Lowe (R) claimed via Cameo on Saturday that Netflix will be releasing a surprise eighth episode 'next week'

The 25-year-old 9-1-1: Lone Star screenwriter - who interned for Murphy while attending Stanford University - celebrated two years of sobriety last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ryan shared a meme/game he 'loved' on Tuesday in which fans can 'choose their quarantine house in the Ryan Murphy world.'

'I think I personally would try living in House 6 first?' the six-time Emmy winner wrote on Instagram.

'But then when Andrew and Madison teamed up, I would flee and join House 2. And then when Sister Jude, OJ and Kurt teamed up, I would eventually land in House 4 where Elektra would protect my ass forever.'

'Things are getting really weird in the Lowe house': On Tuesday, Rob's son John Owen (R) shared a b&w video of them performing Simon & Garfunkel's 1965 hit song The Sounds of Silence on the video game Guitar Hero
MIAMI (AP)  Passengers from an ill-fated South American cruise are eager to disembark once they reach Florida, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state's health care resources are already stretched too thin to take on the ships' coronavirus caseload. The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that the decision would be punted to Washington if authorities can't agree.

With the Zaandam and Rotterdam ships set to arrive later this week and at least two people on board needing emergency attention, a unified command of state, local and federal officials will be asked to approve a detailed docking plan requiring the cruise line, Holland America, to handle all medical issues without impacting South Florida's already-stressed hospitals.

There are no great choices left. These are all tough outcomes, Coast Guard Captain Jo-Ann Burdian told Broward County commissioners at an emergency meeting Tuesday.

Two of the four deaths on board the Zaandam have been blamed on COVID-19 and nine people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the company said.

Holland America said the Rotterdam took on nearly 1,400 people who appear to be healthy from its sister ship, leaving 450 guests and 602 crew members on the Zaandam, including more than 190 who said they are sick. More than 300 U.S. citizens are on both ships combined.

The governor said Tuesday he had been in contact with the White House about getting medical supplies to the ships.

Just to drop people off at the place where we're having the highest number of cases right now just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," DeSantis said at a news conference.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would speak to DeSantis about the ships.

They're dying on the ship, Trump said. I'm going to do what's right. Not only for us, but for humanity.

Holland America President Orlando Ashford penned an opinion column in the South Florida Sun Sentinel to plead with officials and residents to let the passengers disembark.

Story continues

Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony called the situation a humanitarian crisis and asked commissioners at the Tuesday meeting not to decide based on emotion. Allowing the ship to dock would burden the local health care system and put residents at risk of additional exposure, he warned.

This ship has been turned away from several countries already," Tony said. "We are in some very, very critical circumstances where we as a county are going to have to determine are we willing to take on this responsibility.

William Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival, which owns Holland America, told commissioners we are coming to the place of last resort, and that his staff had worked through the night on a docking plan. Four people on board have already died. Burke said he hopes two others who are severely ill will survive the transit.

Many of the commissioners were sympathetic about the passengers' plight, including Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich, who urged officials to quickly hammer out a plan.

These people have been turned away from so many countries, one after the other. We are their last hope. What are we going to do? Let this ship go back out to sea and float around and let people die? I dont think so," Rich said.

The meeting ended Tuesday without a decision as Holland America continues to work out the details to dock the ship taking all the precautions advised by the CDC and other agencies.

Carnival said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday that it has about 6,000 passengers on ships that are still at sea, and the company expects to have them disembarked by the end of April.

Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell said Tuesday night that the company had 40 ships at sea when it halted new cruises in mid-March.

"We expect to have three ships at sea by the end of this week," Frizzell said.

The Zaandam and other ships became pariahs as countries sealed borders in response to the pandemic. Zaandam passengers said they were asked to keep their rooms dark and leave their drapes closed as they passed through the Panama Canal.

While many have reported feeling ill, most of the passengers and crew on both ships appear to be in good health.

Laura Gabaroni and her husband Juan Huergo, who work for a defense contractor in Orlando, saw their dream vacation turn harrowing as countries shunned them and people fell ill. Fever-free and without symptoms, she and her husband were transferred to the Rotterdam. She wrote DeSantis imploring her governor to let them off.

Florida continues to receive flights from New York, and it allowed spring break gatherings to go on as planned. Why turn their backs on us?" Gabaroni said.

The Zaandam originally departed from Buenos Aires on March 7  a day before the U.S. State Department advised to avoid cruise travel and before any substantial restrictions were in place in Florida.

The ship had been scheduled to stop in San Antonio, Chile, and then depart on another 20-day cruise to arrive in Fort Lauderdale in April. But beginning March 15, the Zaandam was denied entry port after port.

Passenger Emily Spindler Brazell, of Tappahannock, Virginia, said they've been treated to unlimited phone calls, wine and nice meals including lamb chops and salmon. But they have had to isolate in their rooms.

The captain said something like, This is not a trip anymore. This is not a cruise. This is a humanitarian mission," she said.

___

This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Zaandam throughout.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
UNODC virtually launches new measures on Anti-Human-Trafficking in Saudi Arabia

Photo:  UNODC, iStockphoto / Favor of God / ipopba

Saudi Arabia, 8 April 2020 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region (OGCCR) is utilizing information and communications technology for the delivery of capacity building in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

An online workshop was delivered in early April to the counterparts of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT) on the Implementation of National Referral Mechanism with 42 participants including 13 women. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was launched on 31 March by the NCCHT in cooperation with UNODC and IOM.

This was one of the planned activities of a recently initiated project supporting the NCCHT in leading and coordinating national efforts towards effectively preventing, suppressing and punishing trafficking in persons (TiP), while providing victims with adequate protection, support and care, to fulfil the Kingdoms relevant international obligations.

The fact that the capacity-building program continues even during this unfortunate pandemic, reflects the commitment and determination of the Kingdom toward improving the national response toward trafficking in persons cases, said Hatem Aly, Regional Representative of UNODC OGCCR. He continued, it is our pleasure and duty to partner with the NCCHT, to provide our tools and expertise to help implement these important national reforms.

With an estimated 13 million foreign workers (38.3 per cent of an overall population of 34 million people), this move stands to dramatically improve protection measures for a significant number of people. Men and women  primarily from South and Southeast Asia and Africa  voluntarily migrate to Saudi Arabia to work in a variety of sectors, including construction and domestic service. While these workers send valuable remittances to their home countries, some workers can become vulnerable to forced labor.

According to Mohamed El Zarkani, IOM Bahrains Chief of Mission, The launch of the NRM is a key milestone in the fight to combat trafficking in persons in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He added that, We are working in harmony, simultaneously, with a leading UNODC program focusing on partnership, prosecution, and data management. The collaboration shows a welcome and timely step into international collaboration on the subject of trafficking.

The unveiling of the Mechanism coincides with the launch of an anonymous digital reporting service, embedded in the NCCHT website, for persons with information on possible human-trafficking violations. The referral service will be expanded to include a 24/7 hotline and mobile application currently under development.

Human trafficking is an affront to the dignity of all humanity, said Awwad Alawwad, Chair of the NCCHT. It is our duty to eradicate this heinous practice and I am proud to report that the launch of the National Referral Mechanism is a major step to that end. The Mechanism will be complemented by additional human rights reforms which will further improve the quality of life of all citizens and residents of the Kingdom  barring none.
The ARL Commission is on Thursday expected to sign off on the return of the NRL competition from as early as May 21.

The Sydney Morning Herald has been told by sources with knowledge of the negotiations that a Sydney-based, 15-round season is the preferred option of the two proposals that will be discussed at the NRL innovation committee meeting on Thursday morning.

The Panthers could be back on the field much earlier than expected. Credit:Getty

Following the meeting, a recommendation will be put to the commission and a decision on the structure and future of the game is likely to be announced.

The Rugby League Players Association has organised a meeting with its players following the commission decision for final approval.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for the White House on Wednesday during a conference call with staff.

"As I see the crisis gripping the nation," Sanders told supporters in a live stream on Wednesday from his home in Burlington, Vermont. "I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere in the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour."

The decision came after decisive losses to Biden and the novel coronavirus pandemic that halted all traditional forms of campaigning turned the presidential race sharply in the former vice president's favor in recent weeks.

The leading candidate in the race six weeks ago on the strength of early victories, Sanders has been unable to regain his footing. In the run-up to Wednesday's announcements, some of his closest aides and allies had urged him to consider bowing out.

The exit by Sanders, a 78-year-old Democratic socialist from Vermont, marked the close of a roller-coaster primary race that started more than a year ago. What began as the most diverse presidential field in history, featuring more than two dozen candidates, is finishing with the victory of an older white man whose prospects were written off not long ago.

Just after Sanders announced he was dropping out, Biden released a lengthy statement lauding his rival's accomplishments and saying that he would attempt to champion many of the same issues that animated his campaign.

"He hasn't just run a political campaign; he's created a movement," Biden said, echoing a refrain from Sanders. "And make no mistake about it, I believe it's a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday."

The two men spoke on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the conversation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to publicly discuss it.

Sanders' departure presents Democrats with an immediate challenge: Can the party unify as it failed to do in 2016, when a feud between supporters of Sanders and Hillary Clinton damaged its efforts to win the presidency?

Sanders said in the live stream that he would remain on the ballot in the remaining state contests and attempt to amass more delegates to have influence at the Democrats' convention.

The convention was originally scheduled for July in Milwaukee and, because of the coronavirus, has been rescheduled for August. There remains much doubt that it will occur in traditional fashion, which would require tens of thousands of visitors to descend on the city for a week.

Sanders' decision to end his campaign closes one of the most remarkable chapters in modern political history. His advocacy for sweeping liberal ideas, such as Medicare-for-all and tuition-free public college, shifted the national debate over the role of government.

"Together we have transformed American consciousnesses as to what kind of nation we can become," Sanders said on the Wednesday live stream. He reflected on the longer arc of his liberal crusade, arguing that many of the ideas he had long fought for have moved into the mainstream.

"Few would deny that over the course of the past five years, our movement has won the ideological struggle," he said.

His success in the first three primary contests of 2020 made him the best-performing independent contender in U.S. history, as well the strongest Jewish presidential candidate. At 78, Sanders was also the oldest candidate to go so far in the process.

But his campaign's failure to capture the support of a majority of Democrats, on sharp display once the field narrowed to Sanders and Biden, underlined the limits of his left-leaning politics. A loss in the Michigan primary was especially damaging, undercutting Sanders' message that he could expand the Democratic electorate by winning industrial areas.

Sanders also was unable to win widespread support in the African-American community, a fatal problem in a party in which black voters play a critical role.

Although Sanders campaigned aggressively to activate new voters - particularly young people - who had not participated in politics in the past, his efforts fell short, exit polls and turnout figures showed.

Throughout his candidacy, Sanders' message, while remaining revolutionary in scope, also varied. One week he was underscoring his electability. The next, he focused on health care. Other times, he seemed content to reopen old battles with Democrats. He would sometimes talk about his biography, only to leave it out of his speeches for weeks. His confidants said it was hard to persuade him to listen to their advice.

Sanders vaulted onto the national scene in 2015 as a little-known candidate against Clinton, the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic presidential nod. While the senator from Vermont had spent decades in office, he had remained on the fringes of the political discourse, espousing ideas at the left end of the spectrum that often gained little traction.

But in 2016, Sanders caught a populist wave as the Democratic Party was shifting left and capitalized on Clinton's unpopularity. He stunned many analysts by drawing huge crowds and winning 23 primaries and caucuses.

This time, many political operatives again wrote off Sanders, given the Democrats' strong field, especially after he suffered a heart attack in early October that forced him from the campaign trail for two weeks. But Sanders confounded expectations once again, recovering strongly, attracting support from influential young liberals such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and accumulating more delegates than anyone but Biden.

Sanders also left a lasting legacy in terms of the way presidential candidates raise money. Starting with his 2016 campaign, he became an online fundraising behemoth, collecting tens of millions of dollars over the past two years, mostly in small increments from his passionate army of supporters.

For Sanders, the 2020 race was a turbulent ride of highs and lows.

He signaled his candidacy with a bang, releasing a video in February 2019 that went viral and raising $6 million in his first 24 hours. That silenced critics who predicted he would struggle to generate excitement in a crowded field with a different dynamic than he faced four years ago.

A week later, his campaign was in upheaval as the consultants who guided his 2016 campaign abruptly parted ways with Sanders after several strategic disagreements.

That was even before the campaign's official kickoff, which came on a chilly March day in Brooklyn, New York, where Sanders grew up. He unveiled a platform that closely resembled his 2016 agenda, focusing on universal health care, steep tax increases on the wealthy and forgiveness of student debt.

It quickly became clear that the tension between Sanders and the mainstream wing of the party had not faded since 2016. In April, he and his campaign aides stoked a public feud with the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank headed by a former top aide to Clinton. Sanders accused the group of using corporate donations to mount a "consistent effort to belittle or demean" him and undercut his policy ideas.

In July, the Sanders campaign's internal disputes exploded into public view. The Washington Post reported that unionized field staffers on the campaign were battling management for higher wages, arguing that their compensation and treatment did not meet the standards Sanders espoused in his rhetoric. The field staff demanded an annual salary that they said would be equivalent to a $15-an-hour wage, which Sanders for years had said should be the federal minimum. The two sides reached a deal a few days later.

As fall arrived, Sanders struggled to keep his momentum, falling behind as Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., ascended. The campaign screeched to a halt on Oct. 1, when Sanders was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital after suffering chest pains during a fundraising event. Doctors later installed two stents to open a blocked artery, and it was not immediately clear whether Sanders would be able to continue his campaign.

Three days after his hospitalization, and shortly after his discharge, Sanders' campaign acknowledged that he had suffered a heart attack.

The heart attack paved the way for Sanders' political refresh, albeit a temporary one. Shortly afterward, he received blockbuster endorsements from three of the four members of "the Squad," young congresswomen of color including Ocasio-Cortez, who joined him at a "Bernie's back" rally in Queens, New York, that drew a crowd of more than 25,000 people.

From there, his stock rose. As Warren faded amid scrutiny of her positions on health care and her past work in the private sector, Sanders consolidated support on the left.

With his trademark irascibility and consistent focus on the same core issues, Sanders maintained a steady presence in the race as other candidates went up and down. His loyal backers gave him a floor of support. But as he later found, his polarizing politics also prevented him from growing his base beyond a plurality of the party.

In early February, Sanders fought former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg to a virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses. He parlayed that success into wins in New Hampshire and Nevada, catapulting to the top of the national polls and securing his spot as the undisputed polling leader.

But instead of using his perch to strike a more inclusive tone, Sanders stoked fights with fellow Democrats, doubling down, for instance, on his praise of Fidel Castro, which offended many Florida voters.

Days before the crucial Super Tuesday contests on March 3, his fortunes turned dramatically. First, Sanders was blown out by Biden in South Carolina, the first solid indicator that his struggles among African Americans could be fatal for his candidacy.

Then Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden, the signal for the mainstream faction of the Democratic Party to coalesce around the former vice president almost overnight.

The result was a brutal showing for Sanders on Super Tuesday. Biden won 10 of the 14 states that held primaries, including some where he had never campaigned or advertised. From there, Sanders did not recover.

Had he won the nomination and general election, Sanders would have been the oldest person ever inaugurated as president - Biden or Trump will assume that title no matter which takes the oath in January.

Sanders on Wednesday congratulated Biden and called him a "very decent man." He has pledged to support Biden as the nominee, but questions remain about what his loyal supporters will do and how forcefully Sanders will urge them to back the former vice president. At rallies across the country over the past year, many Sanders supporters said in interviews that they would not be inclined to vote for the Democratic nominee if it wasn't Sanders.

Democratic leaders hope this time will be different. In 2016, few believed that Trump could win, reducing pressure on Democrats to unify. And Sanders' decision to end his campaign contrasts with his 2016 strategy of pressing on through the Democratic convention.

More to follow...

 Washington Post
Ten coronavirus patients died in Pune since Tuesday night, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the district to 18, senior officials said here on Wednesday.

With 39 persons testing positive for coronavirus in Pune district (including Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad), the number of cases in the district rose to 197.

The figures of coronavirus cases and deaths in the district released by the Maharashtra government, however, were different. As per the state government's release, two patients died while the number of patients in the district stood at 189.

Five patients died at the Sassoon General Hospital and one at the civic-run Naidu Hospital. Four others died at various private hospitals including Noble Hospital, said Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad.

A 44-year-old man, who was on ventilator support and also suffering from severe diabetes, died at Naidu Hospital early Wednesday morning. He had been admitted to the hospital on April 4.

On Tuesday night, he found it difficult to breath and was put on ventilator support. He died in the morning following renal failure, Gaikwad said.

At the government-run Sassoon Hospital, a 54-year-old coronavirus patient died.

"After his swab test came out positive, he was referred to Sassoon on Tuesday night. He had diabetes along with pneumonia and died in the wee hours of Wednesday," said Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar.

A 73-year-old man died at Noble Hospital. "He was admitted to the hospital on April 2. He was critical for last two days. He succumbed on Wednesday morning. He also had hypertension and diabetes," Mhaisekar said.

One patient died at Sahyadri Hospital.

Most of the deceased had some or other co-morbidity (existing health issue), the officials said.

According to District Health Officer Dr Bhagwan Pawar, 39 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Pune district during the day, taking the overall tally to 197.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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HOLYOKE  The state attorney generals office has launched an independent investigation into the Soldiers Home in Holyoke after nearly half the veterans there have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 22 are believed to have died from COVID-19.

The announcement comes a week after Gov. Charlie Baker announced his office will conduct an investigation of events at the Soldiers Home that lead to the deaths and the rapid spreading of the virus and of the management and organizational oversight inside the facility. Lawyer Mark W. Pearlstein of the Boston firm of McDemott, Will & Emery has been tapped to oversee the examination.

In addition, legislators are calling for an independent hearing to find out what went wrong at the home and how to prevent it from reoccurring.

Our office is launching an investigation into Holyoke Soldiers Home to find out went wrong at this facility and determine if legal action is warranted. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones under these tragic circumstances, Attorney General Maura Healey said in a written statement.

The investigation will be separate from those being conducted by the executive and legislative branches, said Emalie Gainley, spokeswoman for Healey.

Officials at the Soldiers Home initially reported one of its about 210 residents had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 21. After receiving an anonymous text from someone who said the problems had grown far worse and calls from the Board of Health went unanswered a week later, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse personally contacted Superintendent Bennett Walsh and found out at least seven people who were suspected to have contracted the virus had died in the past week.

He then contacted Bakers office asking for help. On March 30 a team from the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services visited the home to examine the situation. By the end of the day officials had placed Walsh on paid administrative leave and Val Liptak, a registered nurse and CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, was tapped to take over the administrative role. Chief Operating Officer Anthony DiStefano is overseeing day-to-day operations of the Western Massachusetts Hospital in her absence.

The state also formed an onsite clinical command team made up of medical, epidemiological, and operational experts to respond to the outbreak. The National Guard is also assisting.

Walsh has denied any wrongdoing in the management of the facility and said he welcomes the results of the Governors office investigation. In a written statement he offered his sympathy to the families of the veterans and thanked staff for their dedication.

The attorney generals office has the legal authority to investigate criminal and civil violations of law, Gainley said.

The office is also in touch with the command center and Department of Public Health to monitor what is happening at the Soldiers Home and other facilities in the state, Gainley said.

The latest totals released on Wednesday show 62 residents have now tested positive for the coronavirus and 24 additional residents have died. Of those who have died, 20 tested positive for the disease, three tests are pending and one is unknown. An additional three residents have died of other causes since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on March 21, state officials said.

The remaining 134 residents have tested negative for the virus. A total of 46 of those residents have been moved to a unit at Holyoke Medical Center to prevent them from catching the virus. The health of those residents is continually being monitored, state officials said.

In addition, the number of staff who have tested positive for the coronavirus has increased to 68 and 210 staff have tested negative. Testing of all the on-site staff is expected to be completed on Wednesday.

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A construction crane collapsed Tuesday afternoon at a job site on a state road in east Alabama where a bridge is being built, the Alabama Department of Transportation told AL.com Tuesday night. No injuries were reported.

Work was underway on Alabama State Route 46 in Heflin, in Cleburne County when the crane collapses, according to ALDOT spokeswoman Linda Crockett.

The incident is under investigation, she said, and its unclear whether the crane collapse will delay the project.
WATERLOO  Authorities have added charges against a Waterloo man accused of breaking into parked vehicles and a home.

Hasan Huskic, 26, of 1451 Forest Ave., was arrested Tuesday on one new count of attempted third-degree burglary and two counts of attempted second-degree burglary for break-ins in Waterloo, Hudson and rural Cedar Falls.

Bond was set at $75,000.

The new charges stem from an incident at 12:30 a.m. Feb. 28 when someone pulled up at 4039 Ranchero Road in Hudson, kicked in a door while the residents were asleep and then fled.

Later that day, around 9:25 p.m. someone arrived at 7602 Westbrook Road, Cedar Falls, kicked a breezeway door at the home and left.

Black Hawk County sheriffs deputies allege Huskic was the kicker in both cases and intended to return to loot the homes, according to court records.

Waterloo police said cell phone messages also link Huskic to a burglary attempt at a home at 1828 Lorraine Ave. on March 6. Around 10:20 p.m., a resident called police after hearing someone banging on her back door and found the storm door open when she checked.

Court records indicate investigators found a screen shot on an accomplices phone showing the location and a message from Huskic saying neighbors had spotted him.

Huskic was arrested in January for a Jan. 15 break-in at a home at 10025 Hammond Ave. where a .22-caliber handgun and $2,000 worth of coins were taken and for allegedly breaking into several parked vehicles at Rydell Chevrolet.

While investigating the break-ins, authorities found $1,200 worth of the stolen Hammond Avenue coins at the Evansdale address of Kevin Josue Cruz Soliveras, court records state. Police also found four stolen firearms during the search.

Cruz, 28, was later arrested in March after he and others allegedly attempted to rob an armored car outside a Waterloo bank. Bryce Miller, 37, was killed by guards in the robbery attempt when he approached the armored car with his face covered and holding a pistol.

Photos: Guns in Northeast Iowa crime cases

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is holding a press conference Wednesday to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 76,800 people in New York City.

On Tuesday, de Blasio said the number of coronavirus patients being placed on ventilators in recent days has been better than expected, giving the city precious time to secure needed supplies for a wave of patients expected to hit local hospitals in the next few weeks.

He said the improvement in the number of ventilators needed was apparent Monday, buying the city more time to get more ventilators.

"We'll have to see in the days ahead if it's something that's sustained and something that deepens," he said at a press conference in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday. "But I want to at least note a little improvement in the last few days and thank God for that."

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 1,446,000 people and has killed at least 82,992. In the U.S., the virus has infected more than 399,900 people and has killed at least 12,911.

 CNBC's William Feuer contributed to this report.

Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.
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GUILDFORD, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Linde (NYSE:LIN; FWB:LIN), a leading global supplier of inhaled nitric oxide, is pleased with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declining to review the 2019 appeals court decision that affirmed Praxair Distribution, Inc.'s (PDI) right to sell a generic form of inhaled nitric oxide. This decision ends the long-running U.S. patent litigation with Mallinckrodt plc, and affirms the ability of PDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Linde, to continue supplying inhaled nitric oxide. This drug product is widely used as approved in the U.S. and other countries to improve oxygenation of certain groups of patients."Nitric oxide is truly a unique and beneficial drug product. We are proud to be doing our part to support healthcare institutions around the world with a reliable, competitive and beneficial supply of inhaled nitric oxide along with our other medical gases and services," said Ben Glazer, President, US Packaged & Specialty Gases.Linde is actively supporting doctors as they investigate the use of nitric oxide to treat COVID-19 patients globally. This includes supplying nitric oxide to Massachusetts General Hospital to support a trial launched by their researchers to test the drug's effectiveness for preventing disease progression in patients with mild to moderate disease, thereby avoiding the need for ventilation. Separately, German authorities have authorized on a temporary basis the use of inhaled nitric oxide specifically to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19.About LindeLinde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2019 sales of $28 billion (25 billion). We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain and protect our planet.The company serves a variety of end markets including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and primary metals. Linde's industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.linde.com Contacts:Investor RelationsJuan PelaezPhone: +1 203 837 2213Email: juan.pelaez@linde.com Media RelationsAnna DaviesPhone: +44 1483 244705Email: anna.davies@linde.com SOURCE: Linde plc
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In a marked shift in stance, US President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was really good when he spoke to him for the supply of hydroxychloroquine and indicated that he understood India's position.

This comes a day after Trump warned of retaliation if India did not lift the export ban on hydroxychloroquine.

"I bought millions of doses (of hydroxychloroquine). More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it (hydroxychloroquine) comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was Great. He was really good. You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India. But there is a lot of good things coming from that." Trump told Sean Hannity of the Fox News.

You can listen to the conversation between Hannity and Trump in this video after 8 minutes and 40 seconds:

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

Trump also said that the US has bought 29 million doses of the anti-malarial drug which he is touting as a possible treatment for COVID-19.

India is a major producer and supplier of the drug which is also used to relieve pain for autoimmune condition rheumatoid arthritis.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

The export ban was driven by the need to take stock of the domestic requirements of the drug. India lifted the ban on April 7 and said it would supply those orders already placed and to countries when the need arises, including neighbours Nepal and Sri Lanka.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, Our first obligation is to ensure that there are adequate stocks of medicines for the requirement of our own people. In order to ensure this, some temporary steps were taken to restrict exports of a number of pharmaceutical products.

In view of the humanitarian aspects of the pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and HCQ in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities. We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic, said Srivastava.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment of COVID-19 patients and testing on more than 1,500 patients is currently on in New York.

India manufactures 70 percent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine, according to Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary-general Sudarshan Jain.

The country has a production capacity of 40 tonnes of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) every month, implying 20 crore tablets of 200 mg each.

(With inputs from PTI)
U.S. authorities on Tuesday reported 29,000 more people infected with the novel coronavirus and more than 1,800 more deaths - the highest daily death toll so far.

But amid the grim data, some officials said they saw grounds for hope that the pandemic's devastation would at least not be as bad as the direst projections.

New York, the state hit hardest by the virus, reported its highest-ever daily death toll: 731. But Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the number of new patients admitted to hospitals appeared to be trending downward.

"Right now we're projecting that we are reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations, and you can see the growth and you see it starting to flatten," Cuomo told reporters Tuesday. "Change in daily ICU admissions is way down, and that's good news. The daily intubations number is down, and that's good news. The discharge rate is right about where it was."

But Cuomo also warned that Americans should not let up on social distancing, saying that was largely responsible for the improved outlook. "This is not an act of God we're looking at," Cuomo said. "It's an act of what society actually does."

Nationwide, one computer model of the disease's future spread - relied upon by governors and the White House - shifted its estimate of covid-19's U.S. death toll downward this week. Instead of roughly 94,000 deaths as estimated a week ago, the University of Washington model now predicts about 82,000 by late summer.

In another positive sign, several West Coast states announced this week they are sending ventilators to New York since their need is now less urgent. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said he will send 500; Oregon is contributing 140; and Washington state - which was an early epicenter - is dispatching 400 ventilators.

"Even during this painful week, we see glimmers of very, very strong hope," President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence added that "we continue to see evidence of stabilization" in hard-hit areas.

Still, what is passing for good news still means about 70,000 Americans alive today may die by August. The models predict the worst day for deaths will be around April 16, meaning daily death tolls will grow higher until then.

Yet the tone of some of the nation's top experts has changed in the past 48 hours.

"You're starting to see that we may be actually - in a series of communities outside of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - creating a much flatter graph, a much flatter curve," said Deborah Birx, director of the White House coronavirus response. Citing figures in Detroit and Chicago, she said, "It really gives us great heart."

That echoed Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a day earlier.

"Everybody who knows me knows I'm very conservative about making projections, but those are the kind of good signs that you look for," Fauci said of the New York figures. "You never even begin to think about claiming victory prematurely, but that's the first thing you see when you start to see the turnaround."

While the number of deaths remains high, that figure can lag behind the number of hospital admissions, which are a better predictor of the outbreak's future course, experts said.

But some experts urged caution. Marynia Kolak, assistant director of health informatics at the University of Chicago's Center for Spatial Data Science, is part of a team that has been studying county-level data on the outbreak. She said their data does not show that the United States has gotten through the worst of the crisis.

"From all the data we have, it suggests we're just beginning to approach the peak for several regions of the country," Kolak said. She said she is worried about future surges in tribal areas in the Southwest, and in areas of the South where social distancing measures were implemented just recently.

Meanwhile, the virus continued to upend the political and diplomatic world Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed into a second night in intensive care, where he was receiving supplemental oxygen, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab filling in during Johnson's absence.

In the United States, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned after an unusual episode that underscored the turmoil caused by the coronavirus. Modly had earlier fired the captain of an aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after the captain wrote a letter warning of a massive viral outbreak on the ship.

Modly then flew to Guam, where the carrier was docked, and told the ship's sailors that the captain had been either "too naive or too stupid" for having sent the letter, and those comments later leaked to the media.

In Wisconsin, where Republican legislators insisted on holding an election Tuesday, Milwaukee voters stood for hours outside the small number of in-person voting sites. Virus fears kept many poll workers away and limited the number of sites.

"We decided to risk our lives to come vote," said Ellie Bradish, 40, waiting in one of those lines. "I feel like I'm voting for my neighbors, all the people who don't have the luxury to wait this long."

Still, some leaders in the United States and abroad signaled Tuesday that they had at least begun thinking about how and when to move haltingly toward a more normal routine.

"We're working on a plan with Connecticut and New Jersey, because when we go back, we go back together," Cuomo said. He suggested that those who have tested negative or developed immunity, or perhaps younger people, could see their restrictions lifted first. "If it's waves, I think those are the waves," he said.

But there was no sense that relief could come anytime soon, especially given the danger that opening up prematurely could prompt new spikes of infection. Even in New York, leaders said the virus is still spreading, just not as fast as it was.

And other states may be next to suffer serious blows, especially if people see New York's optimism and begin to let their guard down.

"The pandemic is only just getting its boots on in other places," said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Hanage said he remains "incredibly anxious" about smaller communities around the nation.

"They can be hit as hard, or harder than, urban areas, because they lack resources to deal and probably won't be testing until too late," Hanage said.

Columbia University researchers said they believe the next outbreaks will be in the South and then the Midwest.

Elsewhere in the world, the city where the outbreak began - Wuhan, China - took another step back toward normal, as authorities reopened the roads connecting it to the outside world after 11 weeks of lockdown.

In Europe, the virus-ravaged countries of Italy and Spain seemed to be on the far side of the pandemic's peak, with infection rates growing far more slowly.

But new epicenters cropped up to replace the old. In France, the health minister warned that the country was still in the "worsening phase of the epidemic," and Paris banned all outdoor exercise during much of the day.

And despite the muted optimism by some in the United States, it was far from certain whether the country was nearing the peak of the virus's damage or merely pausing before another upward climb.

The answer could depend in large part on whether the rest of the country learned enough from the pain suffered by the first-hit states - Washington, Louisiana, New York - to avoid repeating it elsewhere.

In the New York area, the flashes of good news were buried beneath bad news Tuesday, as New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut all reported their highest-ever death tolls.

"It's almost unfathomable, when you think about it," said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, announcing that the state's death toll had risen by 232, to a total of 1,232. More than three-quarters of the state's deaths related to the coronavirus happened in the past week.

After New York, New Jersey has the highest death and infection totals in the United States.

Michigan, which ranks third, reported its own record death toll on Tuesday: 118 people lost, breaking a record set the day earlier.

"We are still in the early up-slope of what is going to hit Michigan incredibly hard," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said in a call with reporters, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"Each of these numbers is a person," Whitmer said. "It's a Michigander who had a story and has a family who can't mourn the way that we're used to mourning because they can't get together safely."

Also in Michigan, the Henry Ford hospital system - one of the largest in the state - said that at least 700 members of its staff have tested positive for the virus, according to news reports.

The U.S. outbreak is already the largest in the world in terms of the number of people infected, although China's government has been accused of significantly undercounting both infections and deaths.
Keda ceramics Ghana and Sunda International, dealers in fast-moving consumer goods have donated five hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 500,000.00) in cash and one hundred thousand Ghana Cedis worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), to the National COVID-19 Trust Fund.



At a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House to make the presentation at the office of the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Li Wei, Managing Director of Keda ceramics Ghana, said his outfit is impressed with Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. He indicated that his company is committed to supporting government in every way possible in the COVID-19 struggle.



This is the second time both companies have responded to the national call with money and essentials to meet the needs of the country. The Noguchi center for medical research and the Legon hospital were the first beneficiaries of the companies generosity when government started recording positive cases of COVID-19.



Managers of the firms explained that as a corporate entity together with its associates, which employs over 3,000 Ghanaians, it believed that any support for governments efforts at dealing with the pandemic would go a long way to help its staff, customers and communities.



At the seat of Ghanas government, the Jubilee house Keda and Sunda pledged their commitment to partner government through the global pandemic which has claimed over 75 thousand people. Managing director of Keda Li Wei reiterated the companys commitment to Ghana despite the challenge the pandemic poses.

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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Her husband, Broadway actor Nick Cordero, has been unconscious and on a ventilator in a Los Angeles hospital for a week after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

And on Tuesday, fitness influencer Amanda Kloots gave an update via Instagram Story with the good news that the 41-year-old's condition is improving.

'He's doing really good and his inflammation is down in his lungs and the doctors are really happy with his progress,' she said while holding the couple's 10-month-old son Elvis in a video clip posted to her Instagram story.

'We thank you for all of your prayers and all of your thoughts,' she added.

Update: Nick Cordero's wife Amanda Kloots, pictured with their son Elvis, shared on Instagram Story Tuesday that inflammation in her husband's lungs is lessening after week on a ventilator

Cordero was originally diagnosed with pneumonia and has twice tested negative for COVID-19 but Kloots has said doctors believe he likely does have the coronavirus.

Before he got sick, Cordero's production of Rock Of Ages was shut down due to the pandemic leaving him without paid employment.

Kloots told BuzzFeed in an interview published Tuesday that she has now launched a long-in-the-works subscription service for her workout videos via her website as a way to make money.

'We're gonna have hospital bills, and we have a mortgage and we have a car payment and I have to do my best to keep up my business as much as possible because it is my only income at the moment,' Kloots explained.

In Intensive Care: Cordero was originally diagnosed with pneumonia and has twice tested negative for COVID-19 but Kloots has said doctors believe he likely does have the coronavirus

New business: Kloots told BuzzFeed in an interview Tuesday she has now launched a long-in-the-works subscription service for her workout videos via her website as a way to make money

Tough time: 'We're gonna have hospital bills, and we have a mortgage and we have a car payment and I have to do my best to keep up my business as much as possible,' Kloots said

Grateful: 'The prayers and the thoughts and the people who are joining me in my live workouts or my online workouts ... it just has been honestly overwhelming,' she told BuzzFeed

She has been sharing her journey with her social media followers and told BuzzFeed she's grateful for the outpouring of support she has received.

'The prayers and the thoughts and the people who are joining me in my live workouts or my online workouts ... it just has been honestly overwhelming,' she said.

'When Nick wakes up from all of this, and he hears everything that has happened, it's going to take him so many days to process this, he will cry so hard.'

Due to quarantine restrictions, Kloots is unable to be at her husband's bedside at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles where he is currently being cared for.

Cordero is a Tony Award-nominated stage actor who has starred in shows like Bullets Over Broadway, Rock of Ages and Waitress.

Long haul: Amanda previously gave an update on Cordero's condition last Thursday after previously asking people for prayers as he was placed on a ventilator in ICU
To restrict movement of people during Shab e Barat, the West Bengal government on Wednesday urged members of the Muslim community not to take out processions and visit burial grounds to pay homage to their ancestors as is the normal practice on the occasion.

Muslims observe it as a night of worship and salvation.

I urge people not to leave their homes for the sake of their own safety. Please pray from home. The Bengali new years day is also round the corner. Let us all follow the safety guidelines, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said at the secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bengali news years day, or Poila Boisakh, will be observed on April 14, the last day of the ongoing 21-day lockdown unless it is extended.

The All Bengal Imams Association has also instructed the imams of all mosques to ask members of the community to pray from home during Shab e Barat on Thursday.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has imposed restrictions as well. People may visit burial grounds only to bury the dead, said Kolkata mayor and urban development minister Firhad Hakim.

Bengal reported two news cases of coronavirus on Wednesday as the number of infections climbed to 95. Five people have so far died of Covid-19 in the state while 13 have recovered.
About six months ago, we noted the arrival, by road, of a combat veteran Lockheed Hercules at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York. This was C-130A 57-460, which had been a part of the Smithsonians National Air & Space Museum for many years until they de-accessioned the aircraft and gifted her to the NWM last year. As we noted in our article HERE, this particular aircraft has an interesting history, having seen extensive use during the Vietnam War. Indeed her most notable mission was with the South Vietnamese Air Force when her pilot, Pham Quang Kheim, borrowed this particular C-130 during the dying days of the war in April, 1975, escaping in the aircraft from Saigon just before the city fell to the North Vietnamese. He flew to Singapore with his family and fifty or so refugees aboard the Herc.

Forty five years later, to the day, Pham Quang Kheim revisited his familys savior at the National Warplane Museum this April 8th to pay his respects to the aircraft which had saved so many. It was a remarkable moment, especially given all that we are collectively going through right now.

The National Warplane Museum is in the process of restoring the Hercules, which they have affectionately re-dubbed Saigon Lady. The museum recently posted the photos below on their Facebook Page showing some of the work they have been doing to spruce the old girl up. The aircraft will be the centerpiece of a memorial for veterans of the Vietnam War. Anyone wishing to contribute to this significant tribute should contact the museum to see how they can help!
(CNN)  WhatsApp is trying to stem the rapid spread of coronavirus misinformation by placing new limits on the number of times a forwarded message can be shared simultaneously.

A message received by a person on the Facebook-owned platform that has already been forwarded five times can now only be passed on to one chat at a time.

The new limits are WhatsApp's strictest yet.

The chat app has been gradually tightening the restrictions on its forwarding function, where a user can easily choose multiple groups or people to receive the message. Two years ago, a user could pass on a forwarded message to 250 groups at once, with each group capable of hosting hundreds of users.

By last year, the company had reduced that limit to five groups at a time. Now it's one, although a user could theoretically still forward the same message to individuals or groups one by one.

"We've seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation," WhatsApp said in a blog post. "We believe it's important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation."

WhatsApp has long been plagued by misinformation, but the ease with which its group chats and forwarding capabilities can be used to spread such content has been magnified by the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike Facebook or Instagram, WhatsApp fully encrypts its messages, meaning the company has no idea what's being said or shared. And unlike Facebook, it does not have the capability to attach a warning and explanation to posts deemed false by fact checkers.

WhatsApp, like other text messaging platforms, has been used in recent months to spread messages that often contain a mixture of claims about the virus, some accurate and some that have been debunked by medical experts. The problem is now so acute that world leaders are urging people to stop sharing unverified information using the app.

The five-time fowarding limit was introduced after viral hoax messages in India contributed to more than a dozen lynchings in 2018. WhatsApp says forwarding was reduced by 25% as a result.

Experts welcomed the tighter limit announced on Tuesday but said it still doesn't go far enough.

London School of Economics professors Shakuntala Banaji and Ram Bhat, who have studied the spread of misinformation via WhatsApp in India, said stricter forwarding limits should have already been in place.

Banaji and Bhat told CNN Business that without other measures, like being able to report, ban and prosecute users who pass on hateful misinformation, "this new measure for much forwarded content will perforce prove to be ineffective."

"Our work in India suggested the urgent need for forward limits as one of a bundle of measures in order to curb the rapid spread of hate speech and misinformation," they added.

A study conducted last year by the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil found that while limiting forwarding to five groups could delay the spread of misinformation "depending on the virality of the content, those limits are not effective in preventing a message to reach the entire network quickly."

WhatsApp has taken other steps in the light of the coronavirus pandemic to fight misinformation, such as donating money to fact checking organizations, some of which run accounts people can send messages to. They've also teamed up with international and national health organizations to create chat bots that can answer people's coronavirus questions.

The platform is also working on a new feature that would allow users to take a message they've received and quickly search the web to check its content. In screenshots shared with TechCrunch last month, a magnifying glass appears next to a message, which would take the user to a related Google search.

A WhatsApp spokesperson told CNN Business that feature is still being tested.
Pakistani troops shelled forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said.

"About 8.45 pm on Wednesday, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and mortar shelling along the LoC in the Rajouri sector", a defence spokesman said.

The Indian Army is giving a befitting reply, he added.

Pakistani troops on Tuesday and Monday shelled the Mankote area and on Friday, it had shelled forward posts along the LoC in the Sunderbani-Nowshera sector, resulting in injuries to six security personnel. It also targeted areas in Poonch district.

There were a total of 646 incidents of ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB) as well as the LoC between January 1 and February 23 this year, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said on Wednesday.

Over 3,200 ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops were recorded in 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Please be informed that the Board of AB Klaipedos nafta (hereinafter - the Company) approved new alternative draft decisions on 10 April 2020 Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders agenda item No 1, by which shareholders are given right to sign share subscription agreements with an electronic signature.

In light of the fact that a lockdown has been extended in the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Resolution No 264 of 25 March 2020 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, it is recommended that all shareholders participate in the meeting by completing the general ballot paper and submitting it in advance to the Company (Annex No 2).

Please inform us about the need to physically attend the General Meeting of Shareholders no later than 3 business days before General Meeting of Shareholders via emails: i.berzauskas@kn.lt or info@kn.lt . In all cases, Shareholders of the Company without personal protective equipment will not be allowed to participate in to the General Meeting of Shareholders. The Company reserves the right not to allow participation in to the General Meeting of Shareholders for those shareholders whose health condition are reasonably doubtful.

The information, foreseen in the applicable legal acts, which has to be provided while informing on convocation of the meeting, was announced by the Company on 19 March 2020, announcing the notification on material event:

https://cns.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=929098&messageId=1170557

ENCLOSED:

1. All draft decisions;

2. Ballot paper on all agenda items.

Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594.

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President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday pleaded with landlords across the country to reduce monthly rent for their tenants following the financial crisis that has been occasioned by coronavirus outbreak.

The President, while addressing the nation, requested the landlords to consider sharing the heavy burden of the current pandemic.

He said he was pleased to see Kenyans stepping up for each other and contributing to help their brothers and sisters in need.

"Those property owners who have reduced or agreed to work terms for the monthly rent in order to provide roofs over the heads of vulnerable brothers and sisters and in this regard, I wish to urge all others to emulate this great example and not put our people in even more vulnerable situations as we face this current pandemic," said Mr Kenyatta.

Last week, the Landlords and Tenants Association of Kenya (LATAK) called for landlords across the country to offer their tenants rent waivers for the months of April, May and June.

They also requested the government to order a 6-month moratorium on bank loans currently being serviced by landlords.

LATAK wants the measures implemented as soon as possible as part of the country's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Michael Munene, a Nyandarua county landlord, won the admiration of many Kenyans last month after he waived his tenants rent for two months.

Some other property owners have followed suit although others continue to issue notices demanding rent arrears.
Research published today in Nature suggests mature forests are limited in their ability to absorb "extra" carbon as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase. These findings may have implications for New York state's carbon neutrality goals.

Dr. John Drake, assistant professor in ESF's Department of Sustainable Resources Management, is a co-author of the paper in collaboration with researchers at Western Sydney University.

The experiment, conducted at Western Sydney University's EucFACE (Eucalyptus Free Air CO 2 Enrichment) found new evidence of limitations in the capacity of mature forests to translate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations into additional plant growth and carbon storage.

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is sometimes described as "food for plants" as it is the key ingredient in plant photosynthesis. With CO 2 concentrations in the atmosphere increasing steadily due to human emissions, there is ample evidence that plant photosynthesis is going up. Experiments that have exposed single trees and young, rapidly growing forests to elevated CO 2 concentrations have shown that plants use the extra carbon to grow faster. "Forests provide a wide array of environmental, economic and social benefits. Importantly, forests remove large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it, which slows down our climate crisis," said Drake.

However, scientists have long wondered whether mature native forests would be able to take advantage of the extra photosynthesis, given that the trees also need nutrients from the soil to grow. Drake joined in the first experiment of its kind applied to a mature native forest to expose a 90-year old eucalypt woodland on Western Sydney's Cumberland Plain to elevated carbon dioxide levels.

The researchers combined their measurements into a carbon budget that accounts for all the pathways of carbon into and out of the EucFACE forest ecosystem, through the trees, grasses, insects, soils and leaf litter. This carbon-tracking analysis showed that the extra carbon absorbed by the trees was quickly cycled through the soil and returned to the atmosphere, with around half the carbon being returned by the trees themselves, and half by fungi and bacteria in the soil.

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"The trees convert the absorbed carbon into sugars, but they can't use those sugars to grow more, because they don't have access to additional nutrients from the soil. Instead, they send the sugars below-ground where they 'feed' soil microbes," said Dr. Belinda Medlyn, distinguished professor at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment.

These findings have global implications: models used to project future climate change, and impacts of climate change on plants and ecosystems, currently assume that mature forests will continue to absorb carbon over and above their current levels, acting as carbon sinks. The findings from EucFACE suggest that those sinks may be weaker or absent for mature forests.

"While we can't say what we found in this one Australian forest directly translates to northeastern forests in the United States," Drake said this information has implications for forests in New York state.

"Forests of the northeastern United States for the last 100 years have been regrowing and providing an important carbon sink. As those forests transition to a more mature state, there are some uncertainties whether that will continue," said Drake.

The results may also impact New York's first statewide forest carbon assessment led by Dr. Colin Beier of ESF's Climate and Applied Forest Research Institute (CAFRI).

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"Forests are increasingly seen in policy circles as a critical part of the solution to climate change, and that's certainly the case for New York, where the carbon absorbed by our forests and stored in trees, soils and harvested wood products will be essential for reaching our state's legislated goal of net carbon neutrality by 2050," said Beier, associate professor of ecology and CAFRI director.

"As we develop forest carbon accounting for New York, one of our biggest questions is how forest ecosystems and their many benefits to society, including reducing climate risk, will respond to a rapidly changing environment," said Beier. "This groundbreaking study fills a major gap and reduces this uncertainty, allowing us to make more reliable predictions and provide better guidance to policymakers, landowners, and forest managers."

"Forest carbon storage is vitally important in a climate change context," said Drake, adding "and the recent work in Nature would suggest mature forests might not store additional extra carbon as CO 2 concentrations rise in the atmosphere."

Looking to restoration ecology to encourage forests to grow in some particular areas would be useful, said Drake "There are also possibilities for managing existing forests to increase their carbon storage."

Drake is working with colleagues Dr. Julia Burton, Dr. Rene Germain and Beier to develop and field test alternative forest management strategies that mitigate climate change by increasing the capacity of forests to adapt to changes in climate conditions as well as remove carbon from the atmosphere.

"We are not looking for a silver bullet," said Burton. "Climate-smart forest management will likely involve a variety of approaches."

"The limited capacity of mature trees to respond suggests the need for a diversity of age classes of trees (younger trees sequester, older trees store carbon) and species, including species that may be better adapted to future climate conditions," said Drake.
A 25-year-old man has admitted to spitting at nurses who were trying to treat his injured hand.

Police were called to reports of a man being assaulted in Northumberland Avenue on Monday at 12.45pm.

They discovered a 19-year-old man had been punched and kicked and a mirror at the address had also been smashed.

The 19-year-old was not seriously injured, but police arrested Zeb Fitts at the scene and took him to West Suffolk Hospital to have a hand injury assessed.

While he was being treated, Fitts spat in the faces of two accident and emergency nurses.

Superintendent Kim Warner, West Suffolk Area Commander, condemned the assault as "utterly disgusting".

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

He said: "At a time when our colleagues in the NHS are on the front line of combatting coronavirus, spitting at nurses who were trying to treat you is both utterly disgusting and reckless beyond belief."

Fitts, of no fixed abode, was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and was subsequently charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

In relation to the incident at Northumberland Avenue, Fitts was charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of criminal damage.

Fitts appeared before Ipswich Magistrates Court today where he pleaded guilty to all four offences.

He was remanded in custody pending an appearance before Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, April 29.
Washington

A top White House adviser warned Trump administration officials in late January that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death.

The warning, written in a memo by Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump's trade adviser, is the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing as the administration was taking its first substantive steps to confront a crisis that had already consumed China's leadership.

"The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil," Navarro's memo said. "This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans."

Dated Jan. 29, it came during a period when Trump was playing down the risks to the U.S., and he would later go on to say that no one could have predicted such a devastating outcome.

Navarro said in the memo that the administration faced a choice about how aggressive to be in containing an outbreak, saying the human and economic costs would be relatively low if it turned out to be a problem along the lines of a seasonal flu. But he went on to emphasize that the "risk of a worst-case pandemic scenario should not be overlooked" given the information coming from China.

A second memo that Navarro wrote, dated Feb. 23, warned of an "increasing probability of a full-blown COVID-19 pandemic that could infect as many as 100 million Americans, with a loss of life of as many as 1.2 million souls."

At that time, Trump was still downplaying the threat of the virus. The administration was considering asking Congress for more money to address the situation, and the second memo, which circulated in the West Wing and was obtained by the Times, urged an immediate supplemental appropriation from Congress of at least $3 billion.

"This is NOT a time for penny-pinching or horse trading on the Hill," Navarro wrote in the second memo, which was unsigned but which officials attributed to him. It was unclear whether Trump saw the second memo, whose contents were first reported by Axios.

The second memo seemed aimed at members of the White House task force established by Trump to manage the crisis, and reflected deep divisions within the administration about how to proceed.

"Any member of the Task Force who wants to be cautious about appropriating funds for a crisis that could inflict trillions of dollars in economic damage and take millions of lives has come to the wrong administration," the memo said.

Among other things, the memo called for an increase funding for the government to purchase personal protective equipment for health care workers, estimating they would need "at least a billion face masks" over a four- to six-month period.

The administration ended up asking for $2.5 billion. Congress then approved $8 billion.

Navarro is now the administration's point person for supply chain issues for medical and other equipment needed to deal with the virus.

The January memo written by Navarro was dated the same day that Trump named a White House task force to deal with the threat.

Questions about Trump's handling of the crisis, especially in its early days when he suggested it was being used by Democrats to undercut his re-election prospects, are likely to define his presidency.

The memo was sent from Navarro to the National Security Council and then distributed to several officials across the administration, people familiar with the events said. It reached a number of top officials as well as aides to Mick Mulvaney, then the acting chief of staff, they said, but it was unclear whether Trump saw it.
One more person has died in Mumbais Dharavi of the coronavirus disease and five other new cases of the infection have surfaced in the area, Asias largest slum, where up to 25 residents were identified as having attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month and quarantined.

The overall tally in the densely packed neighbourhood is two deaths and 13 cases of infection.

A 64-year-old man, who was hospitalised with fever, cough and breathlessness on Tuesday, died the same day, but his death was confirmed only on Wednesday as being due to Covid-19.

The five other new cases from the slum cluster include a couple, a 59-year-old man and 49-year-old woman; a 50-year-old cleaner who used to work in KEM Hospital in Parel; a man aged 25 who resided in the citys Mukund Nagar and a 35-year-old resident of Dhanwada chawl.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), none of them had a recent travel history.

The police and the civic body have also tracked 20-25 people from Dharavi who attended the Tabligi Jamaat event in Delhi, and quarantined them. Hundreds of infections have been traced to the Islamic missionary groups mid-March congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin Basti, which has emerged as Indias biggest coronavirus hotspot.

The police traced around 20-25 Tablighi Jamaat attendees, based on the list they received from the Centre. None has tested positive yet, said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of BMCs G North ward.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the BMC said it had identified a quarantine facility for around 11,000 people. The BMC has been scouting for space to quarantine those who live in small houses, where isolation is not possible. Until now, 900 such people have been identified.

Dharavi, spread over 240 hectares, has 850,000 residents and a population density of 66,000 per square kilometre, making it one of the more cramped spaces in Mumbai, the worlds fifth most densely populated city. Activists and health workers said social distancing was practically impossible in an area where an average of 10-12 people stay in each of 57,000 housing units measuring around 250 sq ft.

BMC, which runs the citys nodal health department, said on Friday that its officials had prepared a containment plan ifor Dharavi almost a month ago.

We ran a house-to-house survey to get the actual figure of the slum dwellers to keep our amenities ready, said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner (health), BMC, told HT. This helped us list high-risk people living with co-morbid issues such as cardiac ailments, respiratory problems, hypertension and diabetes, among others.

HT had reported on Friday that a group of 800 community health volunteers was in place for Dharavi. The first batch of 200 volunteers was trained by the BMC, and they in turn are training 600 more Dharavi locals to sensitise others in the community about Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:44:43|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 8 (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.

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan has reported 42 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 270, its health ministry said Wednesday.

Health Minister Sabirzhan Abdikarimov told a news briefing that 13 of the new cases are medical workers.

- - - -

KIEV -- The death toll from COVID-19 in Ukraine rose to 52 on Wednesday, as the number of confirmed cases reached 1,668, the country's health ministry said.

According to the ministry, 206 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ukraine in the last 24 hours.

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Russia has tallied 8,672 cases of COVID-19 in 81 out of 85 regions as of Wednesday, registering a new daily record rise of 1,175, official data showed.

The death toll rose to 63 from 58 a day before, while 580 people have recovered, including 86 in the last 24 hours, Russia's coronavirus response center said in a statement.

- - - -

JERUSALEM -- Israel reported six new death cases from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 71, the state's Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

The six victims, aged 67 to 97, all suffered from other serious diseases.

The ministry added that a total of 9,404 people in Israel were tested positive for COVID-19 so far.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- The total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 16 in Mongolia after one more case was confirmed on Wednesday.

"A Mongolian citizen who has been isolated in the northern Mongolian Selenge province tested positive for COVID-19," Dulmaa Nyamkhuu, head of the country's National Center for Communicable Disease (NCCD), told a press conference.

- - - -

CANBERRA -- Health Minister Greg Hunt has issued a plea for Australians to maintain social distancing to continue limiting the spread of COVID-19.

As of 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, there have been 5,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, according to the country's Department of Health. It represents an increase of about 2 percent from 5,844 cases as of Tuesday morning.
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C oronavirus lockdown measures in the UK will be reviewed "on or around" the three-week mark on Monday, Downing Street has said.

The confirmation from No 10 comes amid warnings that it will be too early to ease the restrictions to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed ministers in saying the capital is "nowhere near" being able to ease measures, as the World Health Organisation warned leaders to be "very careful".

Boris Johnson, who remains in a stable condition in intensive care, had committed to review if the measures could be eased on Monday, three weeks after he imposed the lockdown.

But there had been confusion after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the PM, refused to directly answer questions on when it would take place.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

The Prime Minister's official spokesman clarified on Wednesday that the review would take place "on or around" the three-week mark as he urged the public to "stick with it" at the "critical time".

No specific date for the review was given by the spokesman.

He highlighted the Government's key advisers have made clear it was too early to say when the coronavirus pandemic would reach its peak and when it would be safe to ease the restrictions.

The emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the Prime Minister's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16.

Meanwhile, Mr Khan on Wednesday warned that London is "nowhere near lifting the lockdown".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned the capital is "nowhere near lifting the lockdown" / PA

"We think the peak, which is the worst part of the virus, is still probably a week and a half away," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said evidence from other countries suggests the peak remains "for some time" before a reduction occurs.

"I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that the lockdown is going to need to continue for a while and we don't need to take this decision at the beginning of next week," the Conservative MP told BBC Radio 4's World At One.

World Health Organisation regional director Dr Hans Kluge warned that the "progress" Europe had made so far was "extremely fragile".

Donald Trump criticises the WHO and threatens to cut funding

"To think we are coming close to an end point would be a dangerous thing to do. The virus leaves no room for error or complacency," he added.

"Any shift in our response strategy, relaxing of lockdown status or physical distancing measures requires very careful consideration."

With the number of cases continuing to rise in the UK, Health Minister Edward Argar also made clear now is not the time to start easing the restrictions.

"We need to start seeing the numbers coming down and that's when you're in the negative," he told BBC Breakfast.

"That's when you have a sense when that's sustained over a period of time, that you can see it coming out of that.

"We're not there yet and I don't exactly know when we will be."

It followed a similar warning on Tuesday from Mr Raab who said ministers first need to see evidence that the measures are working.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central Karnataka on Wednesday said it is prohibited to celebrate Bangalore Karaga Shakthyothsava on Wednesday and that there should be no public celebration, procession and no other public program can be done.

Citizens of Bengaluru should follow orders and stay at home, DCP Central Karnataka informed.

Meanwhile, Dharmaraya Swamy Temple has agreed to cancel the celebration of Karaga festival after High Court directed not to assemble for any religious activity, and also to follow lockdown this year Karaga festival will not be celebrated, said Dharmaraya temple trust.

Earlier, the Karnataka government had granted permission for the celeberations of the annual Karaga festival with certain restrictions.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that not more than five people would participate in the event, which were scheduled to start at the city's Sri Dharmarayana Swamy Temple, old Bengaluru from today.

"Only 4-5 people will be allowed to be present during celebration of the festival at Sri Dharmarayana Swamy Temple," he said while speaking to media here.

However, now the celebrations stand canceled in the wake of COVID-19.

The event which is associated with the Thigala community attracts thousands of devotees every year. But due to the coronavirus spread, the government has banned all the festivals and events across the state which involves public gathering.

The number of positive cases in India as per the Union health ministry update is now at 4,789, with 4,312 active cases, 353 who have been cured/discharged/migrated and 124 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bernadette Shallow, 30, of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, dresses up as the Easter Bunny to do virtual bunny visits with Jack and Joey of Cherry Hill. Read more

The coronavirus will not stop the Easter Bunny, at least in the Philly suburbs, where the big guy is planning a parade that allows for both social distancing and holiday cheer.

The Jenkintown Police Department said its received word that the bunny will be hopping by the borough on Saturday and will do an 11 a.m. ride-along with officers to scout out the area before his Sunday candy deliveries.

Social distancing will be in effect, the Montgomery County department said in a Facebook post. The bunny is a very busy guy and cant afford to get sick.

The department asked families to leave childrens Easter baskets on the curb outside their homes. When the bunny passes through, "we will leave a treat, a wave, and a smile for the little ones, it said, adding the parade will be complete with sirens and maybe even some festive songs.

In Delaware County, Newtown Township made a special eggs-emption on Thursday to allow for the Easter Bunny to work this weekend despite the coronavirus shutdown.

Newtown Township authorized the Easter Bunny to travel freely into, and throughout the area for the essential service of egg delivery.

Easter is set to look different this year due to the pandemic. Masses have been canceled and health officials strongly discourage gatherings as the region tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But communities have found creative, safe ways to keep spirits up.

Though malls and Easter displays are closed, some local bunnies are doing virtual visits and drive-by neighborhood parades to bring a bit of joy and normalcy to young families.

 READ MORE: With malls closed, the Easter Bunny finds a way

Meanwhile in New Zealand, where residents are also staying at home for at least a month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told children that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are among the essential workers during this crisis, though it may be difficult for the bunny to get everywhere this year.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Armed Forces of the Philippines will deploy its medical personnel in isolation facilities to aid the government in its ongoing campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ngayon po naman, [sa] pagtatayo ng quarantine facilities, ang Armed Forces of the Philippines, partikular ang ating mga doktor, nurses, at aid men, ang siyang, ika-nga, mag-duduty," AFP Spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said in a public briefing on Wednesday.

[Translation: In relation to the construction of quarantine facilities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly our doctors, nurses, and aid men, will be on-duty.]

The military health workers will be assigned to select quarantine sites, such as Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, and World Trade Center.

"'Pag naumpisahan na po ang pagsasaayos ng Philippine Arena, magiging bahagi pong muli ang Armed Forces sa pagdadala o pag-duduty ng doktor, nurses, at saka aid men na tatao po diyan," Arevalo added.

[Translation: Once the Philippine Arena has been set up (as a quarantine facility), the Armed Forces will provide the necessary manpower, including doctors, nurses, and aid men.]

The military assured that it will continue to provide assistance to the government and the public, especially now that more and more quarantine sites are being put up.

In the same briefing, DOH Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire underscored that the building of sites was of huge help to frontliners in COVID-19 referral hospitals.

"'Yung sa mga ospital natin, simula nung unti-unti nating nabuksan ang ating mga referral hospital, 'yung traffic ng pagpasok ng pasyente, medyo lumuluwag na po," Vergeire said.

[Translation: As for our hospitals, since we've started opening our referral hospitals one by one, the traffic in patient management has eased.]

The DOH earlier noted that certain quarantine facilities will be manned by both the AFP and PNP medical corps, with support from the Health Department workforce. They said it meant that the number of healthcare workers inside hospitals will not be reduced.

The Philippine government has officially extended the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine until April 30 to prevent the spread of the viral disease. The country now has a total of 3,764 COVID-19 cases, with 177 deaths and 84 recoveries.
One week into his tenure as President Donald Trump's fourth chief of staff, Mark Meadows launched an overhaul of the West Wing's communications operations on Tuesday, installing a relentless advocate of the president on television as a new press secretary and tapping several allies for key roles as he looks to bolster Trump's reelection campaign.

The flurry of moves made by Meadows - a Capitol Hill operator and conservative instigator during his seven years in Congress, as well as a Trump confidant - reflected how the president is counting on him to sharpen his team's political messaging as much of the White House remains consumed by the coronavirus pandemic.

But Meadows's decisions quickly sparked grousing among some of the president's aides who are close to outgoing White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, a reminder that the former North Carolina lawmaker now helms a staff that has long been marked by intense rivalry and turnover.

Despite orchestrating the latest personnel shake-up, it remains unclear how much influence Meadows will ultimately have in Trump's turbulent circle. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser, is widely viewed by advisers as a shadow chief of staff, while Vice President Mike Pence and other officials help coordinate the administration's response to the economic and health crises.

Meadows is Trump's fourth chief of staff in as many years - with his predecessors each entering the position hoping to leave a distinct mark but exiting far more diminished in the job. And with Trump intent on serving as his own unscripted spokesman in daily coronavirus briefings, even Meadows's supporters acknowledged on Tuesday that he faces many challenges ahead as he tries to revamp the communications shop and establish himself in the job.

"I know he's got the confidence of the president, but I would imagine he's learning to swim with sharks," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview.

Still, Graham said he believed a restructuring of the White House communications operation was a smart idea, especially as Trump faces the dual challenges of both a pandemic and a reelection campaign. "The president is sort of his own press secretary right now, but you need to reinforce messages, and having a war room on the communications side would be good," Graham said. "We're in a war here."

Grisham will be replaced by Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, a 31-year-old Harvard-educated lawyer who carved out a high profile by clashing with cable news hosts and touting Trump's record.

Although Meadows is not particularly close to McEnany, he knows she is well-liked by Trump and his family, and that she is willing to be a ubiquitous and unflinching presence on television as the campaign unfolds, according to a top Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter frankly.

"He knew it was the safe way to go," the Republican said, describing recent conversations with Meadows and his associates. "Kayleigh is liked by Jared, and Trump knows she's never going to be anything but positive."

Trump also recently rehired longtime communications aide and strategist Hope Hicks, who White House officials have said has functioned as the de facto communications director for weeks.

Several officials said Meadows and Grisham have been at odds since he joined the White House; Meadows is focused on proactive communications with the press and has an aggressive style, while Grisham, in her nine months in the post, never held regular press briefings of the sort that once defined the position.

Though Grisham started her West Wing tenure on a strong note - endearing herself with reporters by physically jostling with North Korean security officials to ensure press access during a visit to the demilitarized zone on the border with South Korea - her relationships with much of the press corps quickly devolved. She became a distant and combative presence, often unable or unwilling to answer basic inquiries.

Meadows identified the communications team - which had a mixed reputation even inside the White House - as one of the weakest aspects of the West Wing and made it his first target for changes, officials said.

Grisham, a former campaign staffer who previously worked with Melania Trump, will return to the East Wing as chief of staff. The first lady said on Tuesday that Grisham is "a mainstay and true leader in the administration."

McEnany, who was brought on to the Trump campaign last year after Kushner encouraged the hire, has drawn criticism for claiming that Trump "doesn't lie" - despite thousands of documented false or misleading claims - and for asserting on a Fox Business program in late February that the United States "will not see diseases like the coronavirus come here," just before cases soared.

A 2012 tweet of McEnany's also surfaced on Tuesday in which she wrote, "How I Met Your Brother - Never mind, forgot he's still in that hut in Kenya. #ObamaTVShows." During that same period, Trump and others in the GOP sought to cast doubt on President Barack Obama's love of country and credentials and peddle conspiracy theories about his Hawaiian birth.

In other changes on Tuesday, Meadows brought in Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah to take over Grisham's other West Wing title as director of strategic communications, a senior administration official said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the White House has not formally announced who will replace Grisham, also said that Ben Williamson, a senior aide to Meadows, will be senior adviser for communications. Grisham's deputy, Hogan Gidley, will retain that role, officials said.

The additions of Farah - who previously worked for Pence as spokeswoman and before that for Meadows in the House - and Williamson underscore how Meadows is trying to bring in people he knows and trusts as he navigates the White House and builds a chain of command.

Part of Meadows's overhaul includes a hotline for members of Congress that he believes will enable the White House to maintain a better grip on emerging problems across the nation related to the pandemic - and keep Meadows engaged with former lawmakers as Trump's link to them, officials said.

In an email reviewed by The Washington Post, members of Congress have been told that hotline, operated outside the regular legislative affairs team, will be handled by John Fleming, a top aide to Meadows and a former Republican congressman.

People close to Grisham described her as exhausted in recent weeks and resigned to changes, especially after the departure of acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who was seen inside the West Wing as an ally. She has mostly been absent from Trump's coronavirus briefings.

Part of her absence was due to the pandemic: Grisham entered voluntary quarantine after learning she had been exposed to two or more people who later tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, during a March 7 dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club. The White House announced on March 24 that she had tested negative and would return to work the following day.

A person close to the president said Grisham was in far fewer meetings than her immediate predecessor, Sarah Sanders.

Melania Trump huddled with Grisham as changes loomed to make sure that her trusted aide had the option of a face-saving landing, one person close to Grisham said, adding that Grisham had weighed her options over the past week. This person, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Meanwhile, Meadows has been busy soliciting advice and feedback from various White House staffers, both junior and senior, about how to improve the communications team and impress the president, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

A senior administration official said Meadows, who as a lawmaker was a fixture in articles about Congress and a frequent go-to quote, is also focused on making sure that the White House expands its rapid-response team and "actually responds to reporter inquiries" rather than keeping them at a distance.

"You don't have forever to get this fixed," this official said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
San Antonio Police are searching for the shooter in a disturbance at a Southeast Side apartment complex.

Officers were called to the 6200 block of S. New Braunfels Avenue at around 1 a.m. Wednesday for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, police said they found a 22-year-old male with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Witnesses told police the man and a woman were involved in a disturbance with a group of five people outside one of the apartment buildings. Police didn't elaborate as to what the disturbance was.

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One person in the group displayed a handgun and shot Heaves, SAPD said.

The shooter and others in the group fled before officers arrived at the scene.

Heaves was taken to the hospital in good condition. The suspect wasn't located at the time and police are still investigating.
The 10 policemen in Madhya Pradesh who have tested positive for Covid-19 probably got the virus from Tablighi Jamaat members, who were hiding in different mosques in the state capital, Bhopal, a senior police official said. The policemen are the second group of government officials to be infected ,

Meanwhile, the number of health directorate staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 has increased to 38, according to government data. Senior health deparment officials, who, despite testing positive, insisted on being treated at home, were admitted to a hospital on Monday night. The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in Bhopal as on Tuesday evening was recorded at 83.

The 10 infected policemen include a city superintendent of police (CSP), a sub-inspector and eight constables ; five of their family members have tested positive too. Other policemen who came in contact with the infected policemen are in self-quarantine, government officials said.

Inspector general (IG) of police, Bhopal, Upendra Jain, said: There is a 99.99% chance that our policemen contracted the virus while conducting a search to locate those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi, in various mosques (in the city).

He said, Police personnel of mainly two police stations in Bhopal -- Jehangirabad and Aishbagh -- were involved in the search. Many of them stay in the residential colony on TT Nagar police station premises.

According to the officer, as many as 32 jamaats including 7 foreign jamaats were traced as staying at various places in Bhopal with each of jamaat comprising about 12 persons. As many as 12 of the jamaats took part in the event in Delhi. Of these Tablighi jamaat members, at least 20 have ested positive for Covid-19.

According to Jain, all the police stations in Bhopal are being sanitised. He added that roughly 1000 policemen will stay in hotels. They will follow all the norms of social distancing while performing their duties. I hope, these measures will be effective in controlling spread of the virus in the next few days.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan warned Tablighi Markaz people on Tuesday night that criminal cases will be lodged against them if they dont disclose their whereabouts.

Chouhan in his tweet posted on Tuesday night said, All residents of Madhya Pradesh who went to Nizamuddin Markaz and those from foreign countries hiding in mosques have been identified and quarantined. But even after this if someone is hiding somewhere my request to him is to share information about him with the administration in 24 hours.

He warned, If it is not done then administration will take necessary legal action by lodging criminal cases against them for jeopardising security of the state.

Meanwhile, five people who allegedly attacked a police team in Talaiya police station area of Bhopal on Monday night were arrested and booked under National Security Act (NSA) too on Tuesday, according to Talaiya police station.Those arrested are: Shahid alias Kabootar, Nafees Qureshi, Shahrukh Khan, Mohd Javed and Mohd Mohsin Khan.

Earlier, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted on Tuesday, Lesson needs to be taught to those who indulges in anarchism. These goondas will be booked under NSA.

In a late night action on Monday, the police shifted three senior state government officials including the principal secretary and the additional director of the health department to hospitals following an intervention by the CM, government officials said. These officers were insisting on being treated at home.

The officials argued that since they didnt have any symptoms of Covid-19 despite having tested positive, as per World Health Organisation (WHO)s advisory they should be treated in their homes only while under quarantine.

In a written statement on Tuesday night Commissioner, health services Faiz Ahmad Kidwai said, An inquiry is being conducted to find out reasons behind a large number of Health directorate officials and employees having been infected with Covid-19. The district administration has been instructed to look into the contact history of affected persons and inquire into the order in which they have been affected. Tracing is necessary to know who met whom and from where it all started. After the inquiry responsibility will be fixed on persons concerned and necessary action will be taken.

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Scammers Use Pandemic to Prey on Vulnerable Seniors

From selling fake COVID-19 tests to fraudulent fundraising for medical workers, scams proliferate during pandemic

Sheriff John Merchant of Brown County, Kansas, saw a man lose his life savings to a scammer three years ago, and since then hes done his best to prevent that from happening to anyone else.

Right now, as shelter-in-place measures are adopted, most Americans are home, sitting in front of a computer and not far from their phones. Meanwhile, generosity, fear, and urgency abound.

Criminals are seizing upon these ripe conditions, and law enforcement is ramping up efforts to alert peopleespecially seniorsabout the new wave of scams.

One-third of residents in Merchants county are seniors, a demographic that is particularly vulnerable to scammers.

Many are hard of hearing, generous, and too polite to hang up on a caller, Merchant said. And now they are also most concerned about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, because they are at increased risk compared to the rest of the population.

John Merchant with seniors at Maple Heights nursing home in Hiawatha, Kansas, in October 2017. (Courtesy of John Merchant)

Merchant and other officials have been warning people to be extra cautious as federal payments are sent out in the next couple of weeks, as scammers are likely to try to take advantage of that.

Scams are one of the hardest things to solve by law enforcement, Merchant told The Epoch Times. So we found the best thing was a very, very, very active information campaign.

About 1,300 miles south, in Osceola County, Florida, scammers have been knocking on doors and selling fake COVID-19 tests.

Florida residents have seen their share of natural disaster scams in the past, said Cody Wood, an economic crime detective for Osceola County. But everything related to the CCP virus is a new frontier.

We are proactively getting scam alerts out to the residents in our county, Wood told The Epoch Times.

Phishing emails have increased 667 percent since the beginning of March, according to security firm Barracuda Networks. Phishing is a practice of trying to obtain confidential information, especially from internet users, typically by sending emails that appear to be from a legitimate organization.

Americans have lost an estimated total of about $1.7 million to CCP virus scams already, according to reports made to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). But its hard to gauge the true scope, because many victims dont file reports.

Government and advocacy organizations have stepped up efforts in recent years to prevent scams targeting seniors. On March 3, the Department of Justice announced a crackdown that resulted in charges against 400 defendants, representing a total of more than $1 billion in losses due to alleged elder fraud schemes.

Same Old Phishing, New Bait

In the virtual world, phishing emails, deceptive social media posts, and fake websites are propagating. Many offer products that are in great demand, but take customers money and dont deliver.

For example, an anonymous complainant over the age of 60 said he or she had purchased $148 worth of N99 carbon masks online but never received the product.

[I felt] compelled to get protection for my family.  Im still working at this time, reads the anonymous complaint filed to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Another victim who complained to the BBB lost $500 on fraudulent mask purchases. Others lost money on fraudulent toilet paper purchases.

Losses of thousands of dollars per person have been reported to BBB recently due to employment scams. With many people losing their jobs during the pandemic and looking for online work, these scams may gain strength.

One victim went through an elaborate Google Hangouts interview process; the victim was hired and then received a check for about $3,000. The victim sent the company that sum back in cryptocurrency, as instructed. Then the check bounced and the victim was out $3,000 and remained unemployed.

A lot of these are the same fraud schemes  but when there is something like a pandemic, the fraudsters have a lot easier time, Jason Zirkle, training director at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, told The Epoch Times.

The bait plays on the fear and urgency that abounds during disasters, or now a pandemic, Zirkle said. Now theyre like, You have to click on this link right now, [or] youre going to be out of the loop  or Click here to get your stimulus check first or before everybody else, he said.

An email might ask you to click on a link to see how many people have tested positive for COVID-19 in your area. Clicking on these links or opening attachments on such emails may infect your computer with ransomware that can steal your information.

Government Imposter Scams

Scammers have long pretended to be officials from the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or the FBI. But now people may be more vulnerable to government imposters, because many dont know exactly what COVID-19-related government aid is available and how to get it.

An example of a COVID-19 scam text message in the UK, where the national center for fraud, Action Fraud, has reported total losses of 970,000 pounds ($1.2 million) from Feb. 1 to March 18 due to virus-related scams. (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

An example of a Social Security scam email. In January, a Senate Aging Committee hearing estimated Social Security scams against seniors has led to a total loss of more than $38 million. (U.S. Federal Trade Commission)

As many people know how the IRS works, they can more easily spot a scam when an imposter poses as an IRS official. But COVID-19-related financial aid is new and unknown, making it hard to tell if information about it is false.

The common goal of government imposters, in general, is to get your money or personal information, or both, said Michelle Newman, deputy attorney general of Nevada. Nevada has had the highest number of imposter scam reports per capita this year.

Scammers are trying to create a sense of panic. Theyre trying to isolate you. Oftentimes theres a sense of urgency that they will say you have to do something right now, you have to pay right now, or You have to call me back right now, Newman told The Epoch Times.

When you are panicked, you are less likely to question, for example, why the IRS would ever want an Amazon gift card from you, Newman said. Gift cards are by far the most preferred payment method for imposter scammers, because they are easy to obtain and can be spent anonymously right away.

The best thing you can do on a suspicious phone call is to hang up, Newman said.

In rural Iowa, seniors have been receiving calls from scammers who pretend to work for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The scammers offer to drop off CCP virus test kits at their homes. Of course, they require money or the persons Medicare number first.

Kristin Griffith, director of the Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol, said people should protect their Medicare numbers like they protect their Social Security numbers and credit card numbers.

If its something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is, she told The Epoch Times.

Scammers Posing as Family or Friends

During the pandemic, the old grandparent scams can take a new twist, warned FTC attorney Lisa Weintraub Schifferle in an April 3 press release.

She gave an example: Grandma, Im in the hospital, sick, please wire money right away.

Grandchild scams accounted for 70 percent of family and friend imposter scams reported to FTC in 2018, and people over the age of 70 suffered the highest median cash loss, at $9,000.

Merchant once had a man come to him to report one of these scams. Someone had called this man pretending to be his grandson.

Merchant called back the scammers number; then on another line, he called the mans grandson and asked him where he was and what he was doing at the moment. The grandson was at work. The scammer realized he was caught, and hung up.

Helping Elderly Family

Some seniors who fall prey to scams have Alzheimers or other conditions that make it harder for them to discern a scam, said Julie Masters, a gerontology professor at the University of NebraskaOmaha.

About 5.8 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimers dementia.

A file photo of an elderly woman holding a phone. (Sabine van Erp/Pixabay)

Masters has personal experience with Alzheimers and how it can affect judgment, leading to money loss. When her father started spending money in a way that he normally wouldnt have, Masters and her family took heed. He was later diagnosed with Alzheimers.

She suggests others keep an eye on their elderly family members for unusual behavior that may indicate a problem.

Its family members asking questions  [otherwise] theyre not going to know the person is in trouble until theyve lost a significant amount of money, she told The Epoch Times.

It can be a difficult conversation for some families, Master said, but there are ways to make it work.

Maybe the approach is without saying I want to see your checkbook, [instead] its I just want to make sure that nobody is taking advantage of you, she said.

Seniors need to balance the desire for independence with the value in having some oversight, Masters said. It is absolutely OK to say, I need to run this past my adult son or adult daughter, and use them as the bad guy so that [scammer] will move on.

She added, We need to care for each other more, dont we?

Attorney General William Barr announced on March 3 the launch of a National Elder Fraud Hotline, which provides services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The toll-free number is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).

Steven Merrill, head of the FBIs Financial Crimes Section, discussed how to avoid COVID-19 scams.

Seek out legitimate sources of information, he wrote on the FBI website. Trusted sources for medical information are your own doctor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and your local health department. For financial information, go directly to the FTC or the IRS.

Weve already arrested and filed charges against those who we have evidence to believe are engaging in these crimes, he said.
BEIRUT  Ever since the coronavirus landed in Lebanon on Feb. 21, all eyes have been on the countrys refugee camps, where overcrowding and fears of refugee infection are coupled with dire living conditions. Such conditions prevent refugees from buying hand sanitizers, masks and medical gloves, as water shortages turn hand-washing into a luxury refugees cannot afford.

Alaa Abbas, a 24-year-old Syrian refugee living in the Delhamiyeh camp in Lebanons Bar Elias region (the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon), told Al-Monitor, We are afraid the virus will spread in the camps, even though there are no infections yet. We are trying not to leave the tent in order to protect ourselves. The [Lebanese] security forces patrol the camps on a daily basis to make sure no one leaves unless necessary.

There is an organization (name unknown) that distributed one bottle of liquid soap to each tent and taught refugees how to protect themselves from the virus, but there are many people who cannot afford sanitizers and cleaning materials because they are not currently working. The assistance (money) we get from the United Nations barely covers our needs for about 15 days. What are we supposed to do during the remaining days of the month? Abbas asked.

We have been committed to tent confinement, but no one has provided us with any food rations or cleaning tools, he added.

The Lebanese government announced on March 15 a general mobilization across the country, including in refugee camps, as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus. The municipalities where refugee camps are located are coordinating with Lebanese security forces to enforce the decision banning movement unless necessary.

Just like Abbas, a lot of Syrian refugees who were already suffering economically in Lebanon are now struggling to cope with the outbreak of the coronavirus and are deeply worried it will spread in their camps.

About 1.5 million Syrians are estimated to be in Lebanon, living in some 1,700 informal camps  not official refugee camps like the Palestinian ones  according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

This comes at a time when Lebanon and the Lebanese are already dealing with an economic and financial crisis, as the Lebanese government strives to obtain foreign and domestic aid for its public health system.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is preparing hospitals to receive a greater number of cases.

According to statistics issued April 5 by the National Disaster and Crisis Management Operation Room in the Grand Serail, a room launched by the government to collect and distribute information on the coronavirus pandemic, cases in Lebanon have exceeded 500.

Om Haroun, a Syrian refugee in one of the Bar Elias camps in the Bekaa Valley, told Al-Monitor, Things havent changed much with the coronavirus. Before the coronavirus pandemic, we were not able to make ends meet, so you can imagine how bad things are now.

In order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, security forces had started carrying out disinfection operations in a number of refugee camps, as they patrol the camps to ensure the implementation of the curfew during the general mobilization period in cooperation with municipalities and the local community.

Asked about hospitals, Khadr Raslan, an adviser to the minister of health, told Al-Monitor, The Syrian and Palestinian refugees are an integral part of the population in Lebanon, and any resident on Lebanese territory will receive the same treatment.

The UNHCR is currently working on and discussing a mechanism with Lebanese Minister of Health Hamad Hassan. This mechanism is to be fully developed within the coming days, and it will include the means to deal with the displaced during the coming period, Raslan added.

He said the hospitals selected by the Ministry of Health to receive infected people are still able to absorb the existing cases.

Lisa Abou Khaled, spokesperson for the UNHCR in Lebanon, told Al-Monitor that (as of the writing of the article) no COVID-19 cases have been reported among refugees in Lebanon and the UNHCR has started early on working with UN agencies on prevention measures and a response plan in the event that the virus reaches the refugee community.

Since February 2020, we have started to raise awareness and distribute sanitary materials, and we still are. We have cooperated with WHO, UNICEF and the Lebanese authorities to raise awareness on how to prevent infection through several measures that include frequent hand-washing, house confinement, social distancing and identification of symptoms, and we informed them of a hotline to communicate with the Ministry of Health, she added.

Abou Khaled indicated that the UN, including the UNHCR, is working closely with Lebanese authorities to support and expand the existing capabilities in ICUs and hospitals receiving the infected people so that all patients are treated away from any kind of discrimination. This also aims at developing one coordinated response led by the government, and we are all cooperating to this end.

We are currently developing quarantine procedures to be carried out as soon as a case is detected in informal refugee camps or collective shelters where refugees live in close proximity to each other and in large numbers. In order not to place pressure on the current limited number of beds in hospitals, we are creating additional capacity and coordinating with the government. The activities of refugees will be included in the government-led national plan, and should a case be identified among refugees, we will be ready to cover the test and treatment costs. We are committed to supporting the refugees, as has always been the case, Abou Khaled said.

Since the first stage of the state of emergency resulting from COVID-19 in Lebanon, the UNHCR has been working with the Lebanese government to contain and prevent the spread of the virus among refugees, and there is daily coordination with all relevant ministries, such as the ministries of Interior, Health and Social Affairs, she added.

Similarly to Syrian camps, Palestinian camps have the same fears as far as the spread of the coronavirus is concerned.

Ahmed al-Hajj, a Palestinian living in El Buss Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre in southern Lebanon, told Al-Monitor, The camp is disinfected on a daily basis by multiple parties such as the Palestinian factions, the Palestinian Civil Defense and [the Lebanese] Al Shifaa Foundation [that has offered medical and humanitarian services to Palestinian camps since 2008], and people have been taught how to fight the pandemic. Anyone entering and leaving the camps is disinfected.

The main problem is a relief rather than a health problem (meaning there is a need for relief and financial aid), as most people have stopped working, he added.

Representative of Hamas in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi told Al-Monitor that since the first case was reported in Lebanon in February, all Palestinian parties have deployed efforts and adopted preventive measures in this regard. People are confined to their homes, and there are continuous awareness-raising campaigns.

We met with the Lebanese minister of health and agreed that if any cases are detected among refugees in the camps, they would be treated at government hospitals and transferred via the Lebanese Red Cross to the hospitals approved by the Ministry of Health. We are also preparing quarantine sites for people who will need to be quarantined at a later stage, he added.

As for food rations and financial support, we were hoping that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) would play its role in helping people, but it did not. However, we received food rations based on individual initiatives, he added.

The UNRWA is in charge of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, which are estimated at about 174,000 living in 12 camps spread across the country, according to the most recent statistics conducted by the Lebanese Central Administration of Statistics and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus created a hilarious PSA urging her fans to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 59-year-old Veep actress discussed the importance of social distancing while doing her own makeup without a 'professional glam team' on Wednesday.

'Normally, when I do a PSA like this, I have a hair and makeup teamwho help me with my look. But today, theyre staying home,' she said in her Instagram video, while purposefully creating a very messy look.

Funny girl: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Julia Louis-Dreyfus created a hilarious PSA urging her fans to stay home

Showcasing her signature funny side, the comedian purposely exaggerated her natural features while wearing a white silk robe in front of a bathroom mirror.

As she poorly applied powder and blush, she urged others to, 'Please stay home. Please stay safe and help us flatten the curve.

'And if you do happen to go out, please maintain six feet of physical distance,' the Seinfeld star warned, as she widely overlined her lips.

'Normally, when I do a PSA like this, I have a hair and makeup teamwho help me with my look. But today, theyre staying home,' she revealed, while purposefully creating a very messy look

While putting the final touches on her look, she used a blotting sheet, to absorb an excess of liquid substances, but it didn't tone down the cartoonish look at all.

In the final moments of the video, she puckered her lips and looked satisfied, before announcing she looked 'perfect.'

'Happy to help get the message out,' she captioned the funny footage, which the official Instagram of California's Governor Gavin Newsom reposted.

Showcasing her signature funny side, the comedian purposely exaggerated her natural features, while wearing a white silk robe in front of a bathroom mirror

Ties with the Governor: 'Happy to help get the message out,' she captioned the funny footage, which the official Instagram of California's Governor Gavin Newsom reposted. 'You've never looked better,' Newsom wrote of the actress, who slammed the US government's response to the coronavirus pandemic last month

'You've never looked better,' Newsom wrote of the actress, who slammed the US government's response to the coronavirus pandemic last month.

'I find the government's response to this entire pandemic and crisis to be staggeringly incompetent and alarming,' she told Stellar Magazine.

Asked if her character on political comedy Veep, Selina Meyer, who on the show was elected the first female American president, would do a better job, Julia said yes.

'Believe it or not, Selina Meyer was a joke of a politician... but I really think she would be a better president under these circumstances than our current so-called president.'
It was almost as if destiny led him to a Guwahati house where he found friendship and warmth many thousand miles away from his home in Italy, says Giovanni Allegrini who is living out his days in lockdown with an Assamese family he now calls his own.

It has been 20 days since the 23-year-old Italian tourist found himself in Guwahati, quite by accident. He is hoping to extend his stay with the Sharmas, content to eat local food and plant vegetables to tide the family through the coronavirus crisis.

Allegrini, who has been in India since February 2 and has visited several places in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, reached Guwahati railway station from Patna on March 18.

The lockdown hadnt come into effect but the fear of the disease was real. He tried in vain to book a hotel. He wanted to stay in the railway retiring room but was not allowed to do so. He put out some requests about couch-surfing but no one accepted. Someone even told him he could spend the night in a gurdwara but he was not sure how to go about it.

It was then that he met Deepak Sharma, a retired bank official, who brought him home and offered him a room in his house.

Sharma said he informed the DGP office about Allegrinis stay and also submitted his passport and visa copies to the nearest police station.

"It was evening when I saw him talking to some people. He was looking for hotels but they denied him accommodation," Sharma told PTI over the phone.

Allegrini said his decision to go to Assam was as random as his meeting with Sharma. He reached Guwahati after a 48-hour train journey and lots of requests for couch-surfing and hotel websites.

He said perhaps he was destined to stay at Sharma's place.

"I wasn't worried, I never plan anything while travelling and everything has gone well. I love to take risks. It's exciting," he said.

"He (Sharma) was the only one in Guwahati to give me shelter when I somehow, luckily, reached there right before the lockdown."

When Sharma took Allegrini home, his wife and neighbours were more than a little apprehensive. The young man did not just have an extended travel history but was also from Italy, which has more 1,35,000 cases and over 14,500 fatalities.

But over the days, things changed. Sharma said his family is now having a great time with Allegrini.

"I love the Sharma family. It feels like I'm a part of it, a son. Mum and dad are lovely and my brother (Sharma's son) is too. We do so many activities together: we're currently working on the land in front of the house and planting vegetables, just to make sure we'll have enough food throughout this crisis," Allegrini told PTI.

He addresses Sharma as Deepak and his wife as Mum.

He also loves Assamese food. "Mum makes me feel like I'm having lunch and dinner at a five-star hotel. I recommend Assamese food to everyone."

He is not facing any language barrier as the Sharmas speak English. "I'm trying to do the same with Assamese, learn a few words."

Just before the lockdown, which came into effect after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 24 speech, Allegrini got a chance to visit the Pobitora national park, which is about 25 km from Sharma's residence in Narengi, and was lucky to see rhinos and a herd of buffaloes.

Allegrini was born and raised in northeastern Italys Cervignano town. In 2017, he moved to Australia and then to New Zealand and has been visiting a lot of countries in between.

Asked what to plans to do after the lockdown ends, he said, "I don't know what to do, I want to avoid going back to Italy I just want to see if I can extend my visa which expires on May 3. I'm going to apply for an extension soon."

"I was planning to visit Pakistan right after India, it's not possible at the moment though."

Allegrini has been around the world and he doesn't regret his choices. "I decided to start reporting what happens in my life and our planet on my Instagram profile."

His family back home is fine. "They stay at home and respect the restriction rules imposed by the government and they're a bit worried about me. I often talk to them on phone."
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 13:23 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd08d008 1 Business COVID-19,debt,government-debt,pandemic-bonds,state-budget,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,fitch-solutions Free

Indonesias new debt is expected to triple this year as the government struggles to fund its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the newly enacted Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 54/2020 on the 2020 state budget revision issued on April 3, the government has increased deficit spending to Rp 1 quadrillion (US$61.5 billion) this year, a jump of 286 percent from the initial target of Rp 351.9 billion.

The government plans to offer sovereign debt papers worth Rp 549.6 trillion, an increase from the initial Rp 389.3 trillion, while also planning to raise Rp 450 trillion in pandemic bonds, given that demand for government bonds has significantly declined.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Monday that the government would look for safe financing sources, including the option to use the endowment fund for education (LPDP) as well as accumulated cash surplus (SAL), but said that would not be enough.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus worth 2.5% of GDP, lower than Singapore, Malaysia

Therefore, we need to issue government debt papers to look for the best financing sources. We will be extra careful in navigating these uncharted waters, she told House of Representatives Commission XI, which oversees financial affairs, on Monday.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has announced additional state spending worth Rp 405.1 trillion to finance Indonesias battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic. The new allocation will be used specifically for healthcare, social safety net and business recovery programs.

The state budget revision now targets Rp 1.76 quadrillion in revenue, lower than the Rp 2.23 quadrillion previously set out in the 2020 budget. Expenditure, meanwhile, jumps to Rp 2.61 quadrillion from the Rp 2.54 quadrillion targeted previously. The government has widened its state budget deficit beyond the previous 3-percent-of-GDP cap to around 5 percent this year, in line with a new government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to lift the legal limit.

On Thursday, Indonesia raised $4.3 billion, including from the longest-dated US dollar bond ever issued by an Asian nation with a 50-year tenure, to support government funding. The deal was finalized in the United States on Monday and sold in maturities of 10.5 years and 30.5 years, worth $1.65 billion each, with a 50-year tranche worth $1 billion, Reuters reported.

It is likely that, during this period, the ownership structure of government securities will change to some extent with foreign investors lowering their holdings considerably and BI [Bank Indonesia] seen to expand its balance sheet, according to a research note by Fitch Solutions country risk and industry research team on Tuesday.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained

Perppu No. 1/2020, issued last week, allows the central bank to buy government bonds at auction to anticipate a situation in which the market is unable to fulfil the governments financing target. The regulation revokes a 1999 law on the central bank, which only allowed BI to buy government bonds in the secondary market.

Demand for Indonesian debt papers declined sharply in March, according to official documents. At a Feb. 18 auction, the government saw Rp 127 trillion in bids and absorbed Rp 19 trillion, while on March 31, it only saw Rp 34 trillion in bids and absorbed Rp 22 trillion.

Foreign investors have dumped Rp 148.76 trillion in Indonesian assets, including Rp 135.08 trillion in government bonds and Rp 9.71 trillion in Indonesian shares, BI data show.

Fitch Solutions was of the view that, if the rupiah continued to depreciate rapidly as BI extends its government bond holdings, the Indonesian economy could enter a sovereign debt crisis, as the central bank bled foreign reserves.

Read also: BI to dominate ownership of 'pandemic bonds' as debt burden grows

For now, this is not our core view, as we expect the recovery off the back of the COVID-19 outbreak to be robust, Fitch wrote. Moreover, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has a good track record of fiscal discipline, and it is likely that, once the worst is over, she will ramp up efforts to bring government spending back in line and broaden the revenue base.

Fitch Solutions now expects the countrys public debt to average 45.3 percent of GDP during the period of 2020-2023 versus 33.1 percent in the last five years.
The total outstanding credit extended by Oman's other depository corporations (ODCs)  comprising conventional and Islamic banks  grew by 2.5 per cent RO25.9 billion ($67.25 billion) at the end of February2020, the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has announced.

Credit to the private sector rose by 2.5 per cent to RO22.9 billion, it was quoted a s saying by a stated. Of the total credit to the private sector, the non-financial corporate sector and the household sector (mainly under personal loans) received shares of 45.5 per cent and 45.1 per cent, respectively, while the financial corporations received 5.4 per cent and other sectors the remaining 4.0 per cent, said the report.

Total deposits held with ODCs registered a growth of 4.0 per cent and stood at RO23.6 billion at the end of February2020. Private sector deposits increased by 7.2 per cent to RO 15.4 billion.

https://www.omanobserver.om/2-5pc-growth-in-banking-credit-to-private-sector-cbo/
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The natives are getting restless. They want to see elected and appointed Republicans get into the fray with smarts, determination, and energy. Those who continue to coast on the back bench do so at their peril. Either a Democrat will replace their milquetoast hide or their own party will quarantine them from leadership positions.

Words will no longer suffice. This is the time for action. Republicans are underestimating the angst in the hinterlands. We've grown tired of unanswered Democrat assaults that get nastier with each iteration.

Weaponizing the Intelligence Community against candidate Trump

The RUSSIA! hoax

Pelosi-directed nonstop committee investigations

The slanderous Kavanaugh hearings

Mueller's corrupt investigation, which scrapped together a mountain from a molehill

Ukraine as a ruse for impeachment

Using the coronavirus as a platform for unrelenting and shifting attacks

That's not to mention the improbable deaths of Seth Rich and Jeffrey Epstein, Anthony Weiner's infamous laptop, disappearing hurricane aid to Puerto Rico, voter fraud, the Imran Awan congressional cyber-scandal, appalling leaks from congressional committees, cities that don't enforce laws, scandals involving all three of Virginia's statewide elected officials, leftist street violence, social media as the arbiter of speech, sanctuary cities and states, Hunter Biden acting as a cut-out for dear ol' dad, and the true origins of the Wuhan Virus.

Something's rotten in our nation's capital...and the stench from inside the Beltway makes the average American want to puke. This mess must be cleaned up.

The country needs answers and equal justice under the law. Democrats are not into governance; they're into political warfare. If no Democrat is punished for a crime, then laws are no deterrent. They'll keep using illegal and unethical tactics to acquire power and money. Occasionally, Democrats drop their mask of normalcy, and Republicans get repulsed and angry, but their ire lasts only days. Many Republicans believe that Democrats are like them, but with different ideas. Democrats talk nice when it gets them what they want or delays action against their interests, but at their core, they are ruthless in the pursuit of power. They win at any cost. Democrats believe that laws, rules, ethics, morality, consistency, and truth are in place to constrain only Republicans.

Most of our Republican officials continue to play nice. Will they wake up? Our first Republican president also faced Democrat intransigence. Here's what he said.

Let us not grope for some middle ground between right and wrong. Let us not search in vain for a policy of don't care on a question about which we do care. Nor let us be frightened by threats of destruction to the government[.] ... Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it!

The rank and file want action. Democrats hurl the vilest of insults at President Trump and his supporters, yet Republican officials respond with silence or mealy-mouthed defenses. We waited for the I.G. report. We waited for the Mueller Report. We waited for the impeachment acquittal. All of those were big wins, but no one has suffered any consequences. This shouldn't be. Each revelation or piece of evidence that slowly comes to light supports our suspicions of wrongdoings  the same suspicions that Democrats sneeringly dismissed as ill-founded conspiracy theories. At the same time, no evidence has surfaced that supports their concocted intrigues. But it doesn't matter. Democrats get away with repeating ad nauseam factually debunked narratives.

We have evidence on our side, but it's used for defense, never offense. That's not the way Democrats work. When a Republican president tries to expose Democrat corruption in Ukraine, they don't patiently recite a litany of particulars; they impeach the SOB! Right from the get-go. Offense is their only defense. And Republican milksops? They just sigh in relief that the ramparts held and hunker down for the next assault.

We've been told repeatedly that retribution is coming, that there's a secret plan to get even. It had better come soon. Barr and Durham need to get their rear ends in gear. If they continue to dot is and cross ts, their work will become meaningless when Democrats win in 2020. The new administration's first order of business will be to shove their work right down a memory hole. But Republican officials shouldn't rely on Barr and Durham. This is not a legal fight; it's a political fight.

This is a battle royale. Speed is of the essence. Except Republicans are lumbering elephants and rule-followers. They believe that the public will get it by watching them act responsibly. They don't need to shout. They're adults. They learned to share in kindergarten and believe that bipartisanship is proper governance. Republicans have no clue that the opposition understands them better than they understand themselves. Democrats use Republican virtues to play a giggling Lucy against their gullible Charlie Brown.

If Republicans don't want to go the way of the Whigs, they had better get engaged and pick up the pace. We've been teased long enough. We've waited long enough. We're becoming cynical. Democrats will internalize outlandish scenarios into their belief system; Republicans exercise their faith in a church or synagogue.

In politics, we want results, not good feelings.
WSUs School of Business Spearheads 3D Printing of Face Shields for Local Healthcare Providers

April 8, 2020

OGDEN, Utah  The 3D lab in the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics at Weber State University is generally buzzing with student projects this time of year. COVID-19 brought that to a sudden halt until lab director Jeff Clements, an assistant professor in management information systems, saw a need and jumped right in.

With the help of two student volunteers, Clements put all six 3D printers to work, and within days, created 85 face shields.

Its great to be able to pivot quickly and support our local community when we cant use our facilities for traditional teaching, Clements said. Im proud to be part of Weber State, where everyone from students to deans all the way up to the president, are supporting this effort.

The 85 shields were donated to the Weber-Morgan Health Department, April 7, which coordinates personal protective gear and distributes it throughout the county.

Holin Wilbanks, Weber County Economic Development director said its impressive how quickly Weber States business school responded.

The Weber County Commission is deeply grateful for Weber States dedication to small businesses and public health, she said. Its an indication of how closely aligned Weber State faculty and students are with the needs of the community.

Clements began using the labs 3D capabilities to print masks for the universitys police force and for two skilled-nursing facilities in Texas and Louisiana.

When he switched to the more difficult face shields, several labs across campus, including those in education, arts and physics supported the effort with supplies, extra printers and volunteers.

Each mask takes about four hours to print and requires a detailed assembly of multiple parts. To allow for social distancing, student volunteers Jacob Bush and Alex Dodge have rotated schedules with Clements and Ryan Cain, assistant professor teacher education. They keep the printers running day and night. With the current process, the university is collectively producing about 28 shields per day. Because of their high-volume use, three machines have already required a complete overhaul of parts.

While WSUs 3D labs are currently printing at capacity, supplies are dwindling. Filament, button-hole elastic and plastic sheets are nearly as impossible to source as the equipment being made. Clements is committed to continue production while supplies last.

Goddard School Dean Matt Mouritsen said hes grateful and proud of the efforts of faculty and staff to spend their own time and energy to print 3D face shields in sterilized labs for the local community.

We will do all we can to support this innovative work, Mouritsen said. We teach students about creative adaptation, piloting new initiatives and the importance of community involvement. I am proud to see our team live what we teach.

According to the Weber-Morgan Health Department, PPE remains in high demand, and they are now looking for alternatives to goggles.

Clements says, Challenge accepted.

Visit weber.edu/goddard for more news about the Goddard School.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

For photos, visit the following link.

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Marketing-Communications/Covid-19-Response/3D-Printing-PPE
Part of Amber Heards evidence will be heard in private (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Parts of Amber Heards evidence in the postponed trial of Johnny Depps libel claim against The Sun newspaper will be heard in private following a High Court ruling.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star is suing the tabloids publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which referred to the 56-year-old as a wife-beater.

A two-week trial was due to start in London on March 25 at which the actor, Ms Heard and a number of Hollywood figures would have had to give evidence, but it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At a remote Skype hearing on Wednesday, part of which was conducted with members of the press and public excluded, Mr Justice Nicol ruled part of Ms Heards evidence relating to allegations of sexual violence will be heard in private during the forthcoming trial.

He made his ruling following an application by lawyers for NGN, saying the orders sought by the publishers were necessary and proportionate.

She is very concerned that the nature of these allegations is such that that would be the case if this confidential material is reportedAdam Wolanski QC, counsel to NGN

The judge added: I stress that nothing in this judgment will pre-judge the issues that I will have to decide at trial.

Neither party will be disadvantaged by the fact that part of the trial will take place in private.

Either in public, or in private, the claimant (Mr Depp) will have a full opportunity, so far as is proper, to challenge the evidence of Ms Heard by cross-examination.

Earlier in the hearing, NGNs counsel Adam Wolanski QC told the court Ms Heard, 33, who is a witness in the case, had said she found the prospect of having to give evidence in public on the confidential matters terrifying.

Video of the Day

He said: Your lordship will know this case has generated a great deal of publicity already and one of Ms Heards concerns is that she has been the subject of a great deal of vilification in the press, in particular on social media.

She is very concerned that the nature of these allegations is such that that would be the case if this confidential material is reported.

David Sherborne, for Mr Depp, argued that allegations Ms Heard has made of both sexual and physical violence against her former husband  which Mr Depp vehemently denies  have been published previously and aired in open court.

He said Ms Heard was no ordinary witness, adding: She has consistently promoted herself as a victim and characterised her allegations as being not just about physical abuse, but sexual violence.

Mr Sherborne said Ms Heard has promoted herself as an activist during an appearance before the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in 2019, and in an opinion article for the Washington Post, which is the subject of separate libel proceedings by Mr Depp in the US.

However, Mr Justice Nicol found the part of her evidence which will remain confidential was of a different order to allegations already in the public domain.

The exact nature of the allegations was not disclosed to the press or public and remain unknown.

Expand Close Depps case arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018 (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Depps case arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018 (Yui Mok/PA)

The libel claim against NGN and Mr Wootton arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018, under the headline Gone Potty  How can JK Rowling be genuinely happy casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?

Mr Depp has brought separate libel proceedings against Ms Heard in the US, which the court has previously heard are ongoing.

The pair met on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015.

In May 2016, Ms Heard obtained a restraining order against Mr Depp after accusing him of abuse, which he denied.

The couple settled their divorce out of court in 2017, with Ms Heard donating her seven million US dollar (5.5 million) settlement to charity.

A spokeswoman for Ms Heard said: We welcome Mr Justice Nicols decision to allow evidence relating to sexual violence to be heard in closed court.

There is simply no reason for such sensitive evidence to be exposed to the worlds press.

We are pleased that the court made this order despite Mr Depps troubling argument that Amber should not benefit from the right to privacy in relation to sexual violence, because of her public association with the #metoo movement and her advocacy for victims of sexual violence at the United Nations.

In a statement later on Wednesday, Mr Depps US lawyer Adam Waldman said: Amber Heard and her friends at The Sun use sexual violence allegations as both sword and shield, depending on their need.

They have selected some of her sexual violence allegations as the sword, providing them to social media and newspapers, even shamelessly reading them out in open court.

Today Ms Heard and The Sun exploited important court privacy rules as a shield behind which Ms Heards new abuse claims can hide from open justice.

Mr Depp, contrary to the claims of Ms Heard and her media partner, took a neutral position in todays hearing.

Public or private, it will make no difference to our continued refutation of Ms Heards claims with evidence including her own secretly recorded audio tapes.
New Delhi, April 8 : With the COVID-19 lockdown bringing new challenges to the agricultural sector in India, IBM is offering the agritech start-ups a 30-day free trial of its Operations Dashboard from The Weather Company (TWC) to help these firms with supply chain operations.

Farmers in India are getting ready to harvest Rabi Crops like wheat, barley, mustard, sesame and peas, but many agritech companies who manage supply chains are facing complex challenges due to the lockdown.

"The Dashboard can help supply chain managers make faster, more-informed decisions by combining our accurate weather forecasts with their unique business insights," Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India Pvt Ltd and General Manager IBM India/South Asia wrote in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

All the agritech companies in India, whose supply chain operations are getting impacted in the current lockdown period can avail the service, Patel said.

The Operations Dashboard is designed to send automatic alerts when weather conditions that could impact businesses are detected.

It can contextualie what upcoming weather might mean for businesses and provide recommended actions, besides improving operations by deliveringnear real-time and forecasted location-specific weather notifications.

"Powered by the IBM Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System (IBMGRAF) -- the world's highest-resolution global weather forecasting model -- this highly customizable solution is designed to function like a 'meteorologist-in-a-box' which actively monitors weather forecasts for conditions that may affect your location, operations and customers," Patel said.

With access to current weather and 15 day forecast with user-friendly visual effects, the tool can allow companies to take decisions ontransportation of their produce in the face of weather.

"This means produce will reach consumers faster, less food will be spoilt,and farmers' efforts don't go to waste," Patel said.
"Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as...
Albert Conner was not allowed to be with his wife during her chemotherapy appointment. But he made sure that she was not alone.

The coronavirus pandemic has redefined social norms and definitions of affection. While hospitals across the world have imposed stringent restrictions, a man in Texas found a way out to be connected to his wife.

Albert Conner was not allowed to be with his wife during her chemotherapy appointment. But he made sure that she was not alone.

Conner made a poster board and stood outside the window of the hospital where his wife Kelly Conner was being treated for breast cancer.

She was scheduled to receive chemotherapy treatment on 30 March at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Sugar Land, Texas. According to the hospital, Albert had accompanied his wife to all her earlier visits to the hospital.

Albert drove to the hospital an hour after his wife left for her appointment that day. He parked the car outside the infusion wing and placed the poster board that read, I can't be with you, but I am here (heart) you!

The picture was shared by the hospital on its Facebook account.

Kelly was diagnosed with stage II invasive ductal carcinoma, a type of breast cancer in January. Albert said that he has been with his wife to every treatment but this one. And I promised her Id be there for every step. I didnt want to break my word, the hospitals publication quoted him as saying.

Kelly said she had suspected that Albert was up to something. She said Albert was talking about driving over and just sitting in the car but she asked him not to and assured that she would be fine.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Kelly adjusted in her seat and looked out of the window to see her husband sitting with the board. Albert, however, was unaware about the room she would be in and luckily chose the right spot.

Kelly said she was in tears when she saw him with the board. I think I kind of gasped and the nurse turned around and said, Whats wrong? And then she saw I was looking out the window and she looked out and started to tear up too, the report quoted Kelly as saying.

Albert emphasised on the importance of protecting the nurses and all the patients, said the hospitals publication. And Ive made my peace with that because the coronavirus is going around. Id rather be inside with Kelly, but at least I can still chat with her on the phone, he said.

Coronavirus has so far claimed more than 83,000 lives across the globe and over 14 lakh people have tested positive for the disease.
One recent afternoon, Gregg Dancho found himself inside the rainforest building at Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, where he and his staff are responsible for 350 animals  many among the planets most endangered species.

Dancho, the zoos director, was hosting a Facetime Live program on the axolotl, a salamander from Mexico thats almost extinct in the wild. Those tuned in were clearly interested to learn about this 10-inch amphibian thats sort of a superhero when it comes to unique abilities.

Facing the camera/phone and holding a tank to display the curious creature, Dancho explained how axolotls have external gills and prefer living in water, as they do at the zoo, but if conditions dry up they can absorb their gills and become land creatures.

One mom commented, They remind my kids of the Night Fury from How to Train Your Dragon. Another viewer asked, if they lose a limb, such as their tail, can they grow it back like a hellbender?

Although axolotls can regenerate limbs, the new ones dont come back looking as good as before, Dancho said. When the live session ended, people expressed their appreciation for the amazing lesson.

Facebook Live is just one way the zoo is connecting with the public while its gates are shut because of coronavirus concerns. Dancho said its virtual programs are going well, but the thing thats most scary is being closed at this time of year, because as a nonprofit, the zoo needs financial support.

Spring is when we want to see guests come out. We do a lot of weddings and birthday parties, too, and all of that is not happening now. Its distressing; its getting harder and harder, he said. We have some donations coming in; were trying to get some state and federal funding to help us. Its very expensive. For example, he said, red pandas are an endangered species and important members of the zoos family. They eat bamboo, and while theres some on the grounds, the kind they like best must be purchased from down South.

Caring for the animals involves everything from feedings and cleaning habitats to healthcare, such as keeping up with vaccine schedules and testing for illness. Since a Bronx Zoo tiger recently tested positive for coronavirus the first animal in the country  precautions are being taken to prevent the spread to Beardsley Zoos animals.

Zookeepers also provide enrichment so the animals dont get bored. Sometimes its through a selection of toys. Since the closure occurred, theres even music, played through a loudspeaker. Animal care specialist Bethany Thatcher says zookeepers like herself (there are 10), perform training and enrichment all the time. We provide mental stimulation for them, all the things your pet at home would need.

Once or twice a week they play dance music or classic 70s rock. That has good vibes  nothing too depressing or end-of-the world-ish, she said. We like to keep things upbeat.

Of course theres nothing very upbeat about having to wear masks at work and spacing out kitchen visits so no one is preparing food for the animals at the same time. Thatcher said a co-worker was nice enough to make masks for them; they put coffee filters inside for extra protection. And they change their gloves each time they enter one of the five buildings.

The zoo, which plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2022, and has been closed since March 16, features a diverse group of animals, from tigers and alligators to monkeys, owls and more.

More Information Details on the many ways to connect with Beardsley Zoo during its temporary closure are at beardsleyzoo.org. Director Gregg Dancho can be reached at gdancho@beardsleyzoo.org. Donations to the zoo's emergency operating fund may be sent here. See More Collapse

Its very strange to not have people around, Thatcher said. Before we would get random questions and the chance to educate visitors. Overall my job hasnt changed much, but with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines we are trying to follow there are a lot more surfaces to disinfect than before, and its more work to protect ourselves from each other, and to protect other people from ourselves.

Staff members used to enjoy eating lunch together, but now the communal break room is used by one person at a time. We wait until that person is gone, or go somewhere else to eat. Its a little lonely, but were happy we have our animals to talk to...

Looking forward to the day visitors can return is something that keeps everyones spirits up. The music doesnt hurt either. Thatcher said the genre thats played depends on who is manning the station.

When it happens, the animals react, she said. They react to sound ... They look up, like Whats that? Thats different.

As to whether they miss people, thats hard to say. I take care of the big cats as part of my routine. I can tell you the leopards love to stalk visitors. They can see people walking toward them from way back; they know someone is coming so they sit and wait. They like to hide in their habitat and jump up when people get to the window. Meanwhile, the ducks and other birds just might be happier without the crowds. Thatcher said they seem to enjoy waddling/strolling on visitors walkways without getting in anyones way.

One thing that is certain, is the zoo and staff enjoy connecting with the public any way possible. For example, Thatcher said instead of speaking to a UConn class in person, as was planned, shes doing a virtual lecture on animal training for students studying animal behavior.

The zoos newest program is Do You Have a Zoo at Your House? Children are asked to draw pictures and write letters for their favorite animals, or take photos of how theyve created a zoo of their own at home, using plush animals, blocks, Legos or costumes. The zoos website includes a display page for submissions.

Panda cameras run daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and theres a virtual zoo walk-through, so anyone can enjoy the sights and sounds from home. The staff also offers distance-learning options for online education. Facebook Live sessions are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m., with a different subject each day.

We are doing everything we can to keep the animals happy and healthy, Dancho said. Any support you can give us will be greatly appreciated.

Dont forget about us, Thatcher added. We are still here caring for the animals and we will be ready for you when we are able to open up again.

lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter @LindaTKoonz
Former President John Mahama has condemned the shooting to death of a civilian at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region by a soldier who was enforcing lockdown directives.

While eyewitnesses say the soldier deliberate shot and killed the unarmed civilian, the Ghana Armed Forces, in a statement, claimed the man had attempted disarming the solider during a scuffle which caused the soldiers rifled to accidentally go off.

The army claimed in its statement that the soldier was trying to arrest the civilian in connection with a narcotics offence.

The Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Mr Ernest Henry Norgbey, has, however, accused the military of trying to cover up the incident.

Adding his voice to the condemnation, Mr Mahama, in a write-up, said: On Sunday, we also received the sad confirmation of the death of a young man at Ashaiman following a shooting incident involving a security officer.

While we are not yet fully apprised of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate death, I wish to express our deepest displeasure at the shooting of an unarmed civilian and call for a speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

So far, Ghana has recorded five deaths out of the 287 confirmed cased.

The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress described the jump two hundred fourteen to the current figure as alarming, adding: While the GHS ascribes the sudden increase in numbers to enhanced surveillance and testing, it is a call to arms to redouble our efforts in battling this disease.

---classfmonline
External Article

8 April 2020

Washington, DC (CNN) - Less than a month ago, Mitch Patel's hotel business was booming.

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His company, Vision Hospitality Group, owns 37 hotels in six states and it had seen record business in January and February, according to Patel. Things were going so well, he was planning to open two more hotels this year, and seven next year.

But then, in early March, Patel met with executives from Marriott, the brand manyof his hotels operate under, to discuss business. China came up. The hotel businessthere had plummeted amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"We were saying 'that is awful,' and 'thank God that that's not the situation  or what we expect  in this country,'" Patel recalled. "And then Friday the 13th came."

"That was the Friday when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in the fight against the coronavirus, which had already been designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization."
Srinagar, April 8 : The District Magistrate of Kulgam, Showkat Aijaz Bhat, on Wednesday issued an order announcing red zones and buffer zones in Kulgam district after the detection of the first Covid-19 case in the district in south Kashmir.

The DM, who is also the Chairman of the disaster management authority, said the Covid-19 case detected in Kulgam is a resident of Reshipora Ward No. 4 and has a contact history with a Covid-19 positive case.

"The said affected person is residing in Ward No. 4 and there is likelihood of a mass contact by this person as he is said to have met many people in the aforementioned ward due to which the said ward has become vulnerable for further transmission of the Covid-19 virus," the DM said.

In order to break the further transmission chain in the area, it has become imperative to take further stringent precautionary measures like declaring the area/locations as red zones/containment zones and their surrounding areas as buffer zones, the DM's order read.

"The Reshipora Ward No. 4 has been declared as a red zone. The other wards, namely Naikpora-A and B Ward No. 2, Noorbagh Ward No. 5 and Goripora Ward No. 3 have been declared as buffer zones," it added.

The order said that there shall be no inward or outward movement of any person from these wards.

"There shall be complete lockdown in all these wards. There shall be no vehicular movement on interior roads of Kulgam town," the order added.
Photograph: Pablo Porciuncula/AFP/Getty

An Australian cruise company is working to disembark a stricken Antarctic cruise ship on which about 60% of the passengers and crew have been infected with coronavirus.

The Greg Mortimer has been anchored 20km (12 miles) off the coast of Uruguay since 27 March, but authorities in the South American country had until now refused to allow passengers off.

Related: 'Stranded at sea': cruise ships around the world are adrift as ports turn them away

On Tuesday, the ships operator, Aurora Expeditions, said that of 132 passengers and 85 crew, 128 people had tested positive for Covid-19. Most on board are understood to be Australian, although there are also citizens of New Zealand, the US and the UK.

We found a ship where almost everyone has been infected, said Karina Rando, one of 21 Uruguayan doctors dispatched to the ship. Weve done our utmost to prevent our own infection. Most of the passengers are well.

Many of those who tested positive are still asymptomatic, but could still be at risk, said Rando.

There are many patients over 70 years of age, some of them with other chronic conditions such as heart and lung diseases, she said. Those patients may fall seriously ill tomorrow even if they looked well today.

The ship set out on 15 March from the Argentinian port of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. It was to have undertaken a 16-day cruise to Antarctica and South Georgia, christened In Shackletons Footsteps after the Irish polar explorer, Ernest Shackleton.

Symptoms of coronavirus started to appear soon after departure, and the ship diverted to the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. Even the ships doctor fell ill with a fever and was left unable to perform his duties.

We have made it clear that the ill health and the isolation of the crew is making it difficult to maintain the same standard of essential services onboard, Aurora Expeditions told passengers on 2 April.

Uruguay denied permission for the ship to dock, and also refused to allow passengers or crew to disembark.

Story continues

That decision was eventually reversed at the weekend, when a Uruguayan naval vessel was dispatched to the Greg Mortimer to remove six gravely ill passengers and take them to the British Hospital in Montevideo.

On Saturday the Uruguayan navy tweeted a video of a passenger  reportedly a British woman with pneumonia in both lungs  leaping from the moving cruise ship to the military vessel to be taken to hospital in the Uruguayan capital.

AHORA: Tercer pasajera britanica con sintomas de COVID-19 es embarcada en Lancha Isla de Flores  pic.twitter.com/Rzgl5Q3Xbo  Armada Uruguay (@Armada_Uruguay) April 4, 2020

The people on the ship are calm but they are eager to go home, Marcelo Girard, a doctor at a Uruguayan medical facility where two people from the cruise ship are being treated, told the AP.

Passengers from Australia and New Zealand will board an emergency flight bound for Melbourne on Thursday, Uruguayan authorities confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

The cost per passenger is about US$9,300 and the cruise ship operator has asked the Australian government for help with expenses. On landing, the passengers will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Related: Half of Uruguay's coronavirus cases traced to a single guest at a society party

Other passengers will have to wait longer. We have been advised that European and American passengers that have tested positive to Covid-19 unfortunately must wait until they have a negative test result, after which we will be able to organise their departure via Sao Paulo [in Brazil] and then to their final destination, the company said.

Uruguay has 406 confirmed cases of coronavirus and has had six deaths.


The Times Union has lifted the paywall on this developing coverage to provide critical information to our community. To support our journalists work, consider a digital subscription.

Total COVID-19 cases:

 151,069 in New York state, including 6,268 deaths

 431,838 in the U.S., including 14,768 deaths

 1,514,866 worldwide, including 88,444 deaths. 329,492 recovered

Note: The number of positive confirmed cases is cumulative and includes people who have recovered as well as those who died.

Explore charts showing the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and across the globe

Flu fatalities 2018-19 season:

 U.S.: 34,157 (75% 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.

Wednesday's coronavirus update:

8:48 p.m.: Organizers of the Americade motorcycle rally are considering canceling or postponing the event, according to the Lake George Mirror.



8:26 p.m.: Drive-up test site for COVID-19 coming to Queensbury

A new test site for COVID-19 is poised to open Thursday in the North Country.

Glens Falls Hospital and Warren County Public Health Services said the drive-up test site will be located at the Warren County Municipal Center off Route 9 in Queensbury for those who have a doctor's order and appointment.

It will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and can handle about 50 tests a day. Read more

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4:44 p.m.: The Las Vegas Sands casino is donating 1 million masks to New York.

The masks will be flown from Guangzhou, China, on an aircraft owned by Sands CEO Sheldon G. Adelson, and are due to arrive Thursday morning at Albany International Airport. They will be sent to a state collection center.

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4:30 p.m.: A local Realtor died Monday from COVID-19

Real Estate agent Dennis Evans loved a good pun, good music and a good time. He died Monday at Saratoga Hospital of COVID-19, less than a week before his 60th birthday. He is the fifth person to die from the disease in Saratoga County.

A real estate agent since 2015, Evans led the Evans Real Estate Team at Coldwell Banker Prime Properties.

"He was driven by a call to help people," said Kelly Gardner, a fellow real estate salesperson with Coldwell Banker. "It was his only purpose in the business."

Read more in Leigh Hornbeck's story.

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4:04 p.m.: Rensselar County confirms 94 cases, with 11 hospitalized and 4 deaths

County Executive Steve McLaughlin said in his Wednesday update he was sorry to report the fourth death. The county has had 1,465 people tested. There have been 31 recoveries.

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3:50 p.m.: Columbia County reports four more confirmed cases of COVID-19

The county has had 76 cumulative cases of the disease since the outbreak began. An additional 15 people were suspected to have the disease as of Wednesday. Thirty-one people have recovered. Four have died. Six are hospitalized, with two residents in intensive care.

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3:36 p.m.: Rensselaer County reports 3 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for a total of 94

The three new confirmed cases include a 68-year-old man from Nassau, a 75-year-old man from Sand Lake and a 72-year-old man from Schodack. The county reported no new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic leaving it with three. The county has seen 30 recoveries.

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3:35 p.m.: Schenectady County reports 30 new recoveries overnight from COVID-19

The county reported Wednesday that it's had 150 cumulative cases since the outbreak began, and said the number of people who've recovered from the novel coronavirus shot up by 30 overnight to 51 total. No new deaths were reported, leaving the county's death toll at eight. Seventy-nine individuals are hospitalized in the county, though that includes an unknown number of people who reside outside the county.

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3:21 p.m.: Saratoga County reports 176 cases to date of COVID-19

The county reported no new deaths Wednesday. Of the 176 cumulative cases to date, 11 residents remain hospitalized. Five have died. County Sheriff Michael Zurlo is urging residents to continue social distancing, following recent reports of gatherings in public areas.

Now is not the time for social gatherings, he said. If you have to go out, go alone only if the reason for going is essential.

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2:05 p.m.: HUD announces COVID-19 relief fund for Capital Region

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT) money will go to Albany, Colonie, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Troy. It's part f the $300 million going to New York state. Community Development Block Grant funds will be $2.01 million for Albany, Colonie will receive $209,607, Saratoga Springs $181,629, Schenectady $1,36 million and Troy $1.07 million. Emergency shelter grants go to Albany $1.01 million, Schenectady $671,793 and Troy $539,890,

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Noon: Albany County records 9th death

Albany County officials announced a woman in her 70's with underlying conditions died of COVID-19. The number of positive cases in the county went up to 330. Those do not include any new cases from the test site at UAlbany.

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6:56 a.m.: Game day is in the driveway for NBA's Kevin Huerter

For Kevin Huerter, who was in his second year with the Atlanta Hawks, playing basketball in the driveway of his family's Clifton Park home is not exactly like chasing James Harden up and down National Basketball Association courts.

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

But he still finds fierce competition at home and it comes from his sisters. Meghan, a junior at Shenendehowa High School, and Jillian, a sophomore, are both on the basketball team. Read more

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6:43 a.m.: Prison advocates to Cuomo: Do more to protect inmates

Advocates for prison inmates are calling on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to grant clemency to older prisoners and other inmates at risk of infection from COVID-19.

A group known as the Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign on Tuesday noted dozens of inmates and hundreds of staffers in the state prison system have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Read more

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6:30 a.m.: Shelter delivers pet meals for those shut in by COVID-19

Volunteers who usually work at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society are delivering pet food from the Furry Friends Pet Food Pantry to people unable to pick it up themselves because they are either too sick or in isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic forced the shelter to keep most people out of its facility and the delivery service has given an outlet to some volunteers, who pick up the pet food without entering the main building. Read more

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Tuesday: Rensselaer County cases rise to 91

Thirteen new cases were reported Tuesday. County Executive Steve McLaughlin said the increase was to be expected as testing picks up. The county has had 1,420 residents tested. Of the 91 positive tests, 30 have recovered and 14 are the the hospital. Three residents have died.

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Tuesday: Union lodges protest

The New York State Public Employees Federation wrote a letter to the state Department of Health opposing the return of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 employees to the workplace in the event of staff shortages.

"We are vehemently opposed to permitting confirmed or suspected COVID-19 employees to return to work until they have completely recovered or are confirmed negative," PEF President Wayne Spence said. "Especially without vigorous control measures desperately needed to protect those who care for some of the most vulnerable people in New York."

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Tuesday: 4th Columbia County resident dies

Columbia County is reporting that a fourth resident has died after falling ill with COVID-19.

County Health Director Jack Mabb said the resident was a senior citizen with underlying medical conditions.

"Although we understand the desire for more information, we are doing everything we can to respect the privacy of the individual and the loved ones of the deceased," read a statement on the county's Department of Health website.

The county's first two deaths from COVID-19 were residents of the Pine Haven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Philmont, which is battling an outbreak among residents.

The third and fourth deaths were not Pine Haven residents, Mabb said.

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Tuesday: Another Schenectady County resident dies

County officials say the victim, like all seven previous victims, was older than 70 years old and suffered from underlying health problems.

Nearly 1,300 people have left quarantine or isolation since the outbreak began, officials said. The county counted 484 people in quarantine Tuesday and 113 in isolation. On Tuesday, 64 people were taken off quarantine after they did not show symptoms of the virus.

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Read Tuesday's updates
Rotunda Rumblings

Sentence fragment: Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday hes now looking at early releases for more than 200 Ohio non-violent prison inmates because of the coronavirus threat, cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer reports. The list includes minimum-security inmates nearing release anyway, pregnant women and new mothers, and offenders age 60 and older who have served at least half their sentences.

Noe way: Among the 26 inmates in that latter group is Tom Noe, the ex-Lucas County GOP chair serving an 18-year sentence for looting a $50 million rare-coin investment portfolio he managed for the state. As Pelzer writes, the Ohio Parole Board previously voted three times not to recommend clemency for Noe.

The daily: As of Tuesday afternoon, coronavirus had claimed the lives of 167 in Ohio. 4,782 total have been infected, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock reports.

Were moving mountains: MetroHealths projections for the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Ohio offer a more positive outlook than models cited by state officials, thanks largely to unprecedented social-distancing measures that have helped mitigate the spread of the virus, writes cleveland.coms Evan MacDonald. However, both Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton and MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros said Ohios efforts could be undone by relaxing social-distancing measures too soon.

Rainy day fund: House Speaker Larry Householder said Tuesday he thinks its likely Ohio will have to dip into its $2.7 billion rainy day fund to stabilize the state budget amid the coronavirus crisis, cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias writes. Householder said he thinks the state shortfall will be around $2 billion, and that the cuts DeWine has ordered agencies to consider probably wont be enough. I dont know how much money that will generate. I dont think it will get anywhere close to what well need to cut, he said.

Open mic: Householder discussed the state budget during a Tuesday appearance on WOSUs All Sides with Ann Fisher. They were some of the most expansive recent comments from Householder, whos kept a low public profile lately. As he has before, Householder said borrowing for public-works projects could be something hed to help restart Ohios economy. He also said lawmakers are considering a contingency plan for the November election, although he said, "We havent had any in-depth conversations because we think, frankly, everything is going to be fine. Householder appeared on the program to plug the bipartisan coronavirus economic task force he announced on Monday.

Sherrod-ing is caring: Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden got a boost in Ohios primary election (remember that?) Tuesday when Sen. Sherrod Brown announced his endorsement, cleveland.coms Seth Richardson reports. Brown, who toyed with running for president, originally planned to stay out of the primary, but said Biden offered the country a steady hand during crisis.

Inside perspective: Cleveland.coms Eric Heisig interviewed nine men detained while facing federal charges at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center. They shared their fears of catching COVID-19 while behind bars. If the stuff hits in here, its going to be all bad, one inmate said. "Everybodys going to get this. Theres no social distancing here.

Pardon to Putnam: Add Meigs to the list of Ohio counties with at least once confirmed case of coronavirus (now at 81). But take away Putnam, where the state had reported a case earlier. Officials update with better data from day to day, and Putnam was not included among the 4,782 cases announced Tuesday. Cleveland.coms Rich Exner mapped out the latest, and included a lot of other graphs, one showing how Ohio has just a fourth of the cases as the total confirmed in Michigan, and another breaking down when Ohioans have noticed symptoms.

The casino, racino hit: Closing Ohios 11 casinos and racinos has now cost them more than $100 million in lost business. For just gambling revenue  the money the facilities take in after paying out winnings  the total was down $112 million in March versus March 2019, Exner reports. The industry had been off to a fast start this year, smashing January and February records, but was shut down March 14, after just one full weekend of business in the month. About a third of gambling revenue ends up with the state in fees and taxes.

Well drink to that: Restaurants and other Ohio liquor-permit holders will be allowed to sell liquor and mixed drinks for carryout and delivery, under a new emergency rule change DeWine announced Tuesday. As Tobias writes, the change also could broaden some permit holders ability to sell wine and beer. State officials said the move was requested by the restaurant industry, and granted to help them make extra money during a time when many businesses are struggling to make ends meet.

Cut loose: Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, a Cleveland-area native, resigned from his post on Tuesday, writes cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton. The resignation came shortly after he publicly apologized for lambasting an officer he dismissed as captain of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier for broadly disseminating a letter that expressed concern about a coronavirus outbreak aboard the ship.

Full Disclosure

Five things we learned from the Feb. 13, 2020 financial disclosure of state Rep. Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican:

1. In addition to his $71,969 legislative salary, Cupp disclosed income from five other sources. His largest was the more than $100,000 he received from his state pension as a retired judge. Cupp is a former Ohio Supreme Court justice. He disclosed making $999 or less in interest on three different financial accounts, as well as making $1,000 to $9,999 in dividends on shares in the First National bank of Pandora.

2. He owns no real estate other than his home, and he and his family members operate no businesses.

3. Cupp is an executive board member for the Black Swamp Area Boy Scout Council, and a board member for the Berry Reservation Inc., Boy Scout camp. Both roles are non-compensated.

4. He disclosed owing at least $1,000 to JP Morgan Chase, Topmark Credit Union, Sams Club Mastercard, Citizens One Auto Finance, Capitol One and Ford Motor Credit Company.

5. He disclosed being reimbursed for $6,544.99 in travel costs, including $4,018.56 in House mileage reimbursements and $1,976.26 from the Council of State Governments.

Straight from the Source

Give us any cure, well take it

Offer us your hand, wont shake it

Were gonna make our state pull through

Doin it our way.

-Lyrics in the newfound theme song for Gov. Mike DeWines daily coronavirus briefings created by Stow-based animator and web designer Dave Stofka, who created an opening credits video parodying Laverne & Shirley that was widely spread on social media.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
The West Bengal government on



Wednesday urged private schools to refrain from effecting any fee hike in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has adversely impacted the country's economy.

State minister Partha Chatterjee, in a video message uploaded on his Facebook page on Wednesday, said the government received complaints from some guardians that a section of private schools has increased fees, turning a blind eye to the present economic crisis due to the spread of COVID-19.

"The department and me personally have received a number of complaints from guardians that a section of private schools has effected a steep hike in fees despite the hardship faced by the people in this unprecedented crisis.

"I hereby urge these schools to roll back any such decision for the greater interest of the students," the minister said.

Chatterjee further requested all institutions, including private schools, to consider the cases of those, who are unable to pay fee due to the present situation, "in a humanitarian approach".

The minister made the statement in view of reports that many private schools have increased fees in the present academic session under different categories and heads, causing problems to guardians.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:30:26|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to the economy, leaving most shops in Hong Kong in peak hours at least half empty, if not deserted. Meanwhile, cloud economics has been flexing its muscles during the period, when social distancing is emphasized.

To further prevent and control the epidemic, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has required restaurants to comply with measures such as limiting the number of customers in the restaurant to half of the seats or less, keeping at least 1.5 meters between tables, and limiting each table to four people.

Under the new rules, the demand of online food ordering and delivering surged and some restaurants beefed up their take-out services to keep business afloat.

Hong Kong chain restaurant Tamjai Samgor has shortened the business hours of all their shops across the territory because of the epidemic. One of the shop owners of the restaurant told Xinhua that their dine-in service has been reduced, but fortunately take-out sales went up as some delivery platforms offered discounts.

Other companies, small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, also actively sought changes to overcome the challenges by the use of technology and to avoid wage cuts and layoffs.

A business management training company that Hong Kong resident surnamed Chan works for has been unable to carry out face-to-face training amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, they tried to provide training online and offline in parallel and it turned out to be a sensible decision.

Chan said, although their business was inevitably affected, she and her coworkers were glad that with the help of technology, they were able to adjust their operating approach so that their company could withstand the impact.

Online shopping, which was once outpaced by Hong Kong's rich, convenient and inexpensive physical shopping environment, has also became more popular among Hong Kong people during the outbreak, especially when epidemic prevention materials are in short supply.

Instead of queuing up for hours outside the shops for face masks and hand sanitizers, Hong Kong resident Hugo So bought them through electronic commerce platforms, which he found more cost-effective.

Hong Kong people have become more confident in cloud economics as they are more exposed to it, which laid a market foundation for the growth of this business model. According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), online shopping is on the rise in Hong Kong recently, which reflected that Hong Kong enterprises have a chance to win if they could master the skills of online promotion in this difficult time.

A total of 18 large-scale events organized by HKTDC were postponed due to the epidemic, and it launched the Spring Virtual Expo on April 1 to meet the needs of procurement. Deputy Executive Director of HKTDC Benjamin Chau said it is expected that online and offline exhibitions produce synergy and he hoped to see more buyers come to Hong Kong when physical fairs resume.

Both Hong Kong Science Park and Hong Kong Cyberport, the territory's key technology infrastructures, made this year's job fair online, offering about 2,000 positions in total in fintech, biomedical technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, smart living, electronic commerce and other fields related.

Taking place from March 25 to April 21, Science Park's virtual career expo has attracted 40,000 visitors, more than 200,000 views and received 12,000 resumes in the first week.

Albert Wong, CEO of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, said that by leveraging technology, he hoped the expo would provide a new, dynamic talent solution to industries related, breaking free of all the limitations of traditional hiring events.

Cyberport will consider holding physical and virtual job fairs in parallel next year. Eric Chan Sze-yuen, chief public mission officer of Cyberport, said that although the COVID-19 epidemic has impacted many industries, it has also made online activities more active, bringing a large market space for science and innovation industry.

With the advent of the era of 5G network, Hong Kong will have a stronger foundation for developing business opportunities in the cloud economy. Since April 1, China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited and other operators have already provided 5G services to the territory.

Li Feng, chairman of China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited, said that Hong Kong is working hard to combat the epidemic and the company hoped to use science and technology to join hands with the Hong Kong people to face the challenges and inject new strength and possibilities to all walks of life and individuals.
(Photo : Screenshot from Twitter of @dr_dahiya_)

Companies are now racing to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and even companies that produce high-end gaming PCs like Maingear and Taiwan-based electronics maker Foxconn, who assembles Apple's iPhone.

Read More: Nope, 5G Has No Link to Coronavirus; Here's What We Know It

Maingear Joins The Fight Against COVID-19

Maingear is known for building custom, high-end PCs that gamers all over the world enjoy. Now, they are focusing on something different while keeping the production closed for the time being. Making ventilators to aid in the effort against the viral pandemic that is the coronavirus is now a priority.

They have located a portion of its manufacturing capability to assist New York City's overwhelmed number of COVIDI-19 cases and their need to have more ventilators as the country now has the most amount of cases since the outbreak has begun.

The New Jersey-based company has said that its Maingear LIV ventilator, which was developed in-house alongside medical advisers within just a few weeks, is made by using off-the-shelf parts which can be "produced for approximately a quarter of the price ventilators usually cost. Ventilators typically cost upwards of $50,000, while theirs only amounts to about $7,500.

The Verge asked the company and will be ready to ship out their ventilators as little as two weeks, pending FDA clearance.

Maingear has said that LIV features an "easy to use touchscreen interface" by using Nvidia Shield tablet as well as custom software and "redundant power supplies," the latter is going to be used as a failsafe. It looks like a custom PC chassis that is retrofitted to be of use as a ventilator. However, Rahul Sood, an adviser to Maingear, said it accomplished two things. The first is creating a ventilator that is easy to use, and the second makes it as affordable as possible.

Read More: Zoombombing? This Video Conferencing Company Was Sued By Own Shareholder Over Privacy Issues

Foxconn Makes Ventilators Instead of Apple's iPhone

Foxconn has partnered with the medical device company called Medtronic to create ventilators in their Wisconsin plant. Omar Ishrak, Medtronics CEO, told CNBC. He also noted that the factory would begin to make the ventilators based on the open-sourced PB-560 design in the course of four to six weeks.

Reuters was also able to confirm the story from Foxconn, and the report suggests that they were indeed working together in the project.

Foxconn's factory over at Wisconsin Valley Science and Technology were supposedly meant to create LCD screens when it would open in May.

The coronavirus pandemic has now infected more than 1 million people all over the world and has caused over 83,000 deaths. It's up to the people who can make a difference as well as the help of everyone to keep the virus at check. Companies like them Maingear, Foxconn, and a host of different companies are the ones who are compensating for the lack of medical equipment that the frontline needs and will continue to do so until the threat has passed.

Read More: REDESIGNED! Sony Just Introduced PlayStation 5's New Controller "DualSense" with New Features and a New Color Scheme

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Abdul Majed had publicly announced his involvement in the 1975 assassination and was reportedly hiding in India.

Police in Bangladesh have arrested a fugitive killer of the countrys independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, nearly 45 years after the brutal assassination, the countrys home minister said.

Abdul Majed, a former military captain, was arrested in the capital, Dhaka on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said, adding that the arrest was the biggest gift for Bangladesh this year.

Majed had publicly announced his involvement in the assassination after the killing and had reportedly been hiding in India for many years. It was not clear when or how he returned to Bangladesh.

Majed is one of a dozen defendants whose death sentences were upheld by the countrys Supreme Court in 2009. A trial court in 1998 had sentenced them to death for their involvement in the August 15, 1975 killing of Rahman and most of his family members by a group of army officials.

Rahman is the father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were the only survivors in the family, as they were visiting Germany during the assassination.

After the assassination, subsequent governments and later President Ziaur Rahman awarded the killers by posting them mostly in Bangladeshs diplomatic missions abroad.

Rahman  an ex-army chief and the husband of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, an archrival of Hasina  was killed in a military coup in 1981.

Ziaur Rahman and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were not related.

In 2010, five others who admitted to taking part in the assassination were hanged. One man died of natural causes in Zimbabwe. The other six convicts, including Majed, were at large. At least one of them is in Canada and another in the United States, officials say.

Majed was jailed following his arrest on Tuesday. The jail authorities will complete procedures for his execution but it was not immediately clear when.

Bangladesh became independent in 1971 through a nine-month war against what was then West Pakistan, now Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He was kept in jail in Pakistan during the war and was freed in 1972 amid a global outcry when he returned to newly born Bangladesh via London and India.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 07, 2020 | 11:15 PM | CADIZ





Kentucky State Police responded to a fire Tuesday at a home on Jefferson Street in Cadiz. After searching the home, troopers located the bodies of two children. The children were pronounced dead at the scene by the Trigg County Coroner. Autopsies will be conducted today.







Troopers said that 30-year-old Keyona Bingham had left her children unattended inside the home. Bingham was arrested and lodged in the Christian County Jail.







She is charged with two counts of first degree wanton endangerment.



The investigation is ongoing, and the origin of the fire has not yet been determined.

A Cadiz woman is facing charges after her two children died in a house fire.
Chicago's Cook County jail is now the largest known source of coronavirus cases in the United States with at least 353 cases linked to the facility.

The Cook County jail facility in the heart of the city has had 238 detainees test positive for the coronavirus.

The Cook County Sheriffs Office, which runs the jail, said 17 of those inmates are being treated at local hospitals and 34 have been moved to a recovery facility.

A 59-year-old detainee died last week of apparent complications due to coronavirus, according to officials.

Chicago's Cook County jail is now the largest known source of coronavirus cases in the United States with at least 353 cases linked to the facility. Pictured above is a sign made by a prisoner pleading for help amid the pandemic

More than 30 detainees have tested negative to coronavirus since the pandemic rapidly started spreading.

In addition, 115 employees within the sheriff's office have tested positive for the virus.

The jail is believed to be the largest known source of coronavirus infections in the country.

Previously, the Seattle nursing home linked to the initial outbreak in the US, the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt and the New Rochelle neighborhood in New York had been the biggest coronavirus clusters.

The city of Chicago is now an emerging hotspots for the coronavirus with more than 9,500 cases and 249 deaths.

The sheriff's office said prior to the outbreak in Chicago, it had preemptively created an off-site quarantine facility with 500 beds.

The Cook County jail facility in the heart of the city has had 238 detainees test positive for the coronavirus

In addition, 115 employees within the sheriff's office have tested positive for the virus

It also moved detainees from double cells to single cells to increase social distancing.

Officials have already released hundreds of inmates early if they were convicted of nonviolent crimes like disorderly conduct.

It comes as jails and prisons across the country are reporting an accelerating spread of coronavirus.

More than 280 inmates and 400 staff in New York prisons have been infected with the coronavirus and at least seven people have died, according to the New York Department of Corrections.

Louisiana has also reported coronavirus-related deaths among prison inmates.

The United States has more people behind bars than any other nation, a total incarcerated population of nearly 2.3 million as of 2017, including nearly 1.5 million in state and federal prisons and another 745,000 in local jails, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Like many people across the country, the royal family have been continuing their dedicated work from home as the world grapples with the coronavirus crisis.

And The Firm have adapted remarkably quickly to the disaster, sharing snaps as Prince Charles, 71, opened the Nightingale Hospital in London from his office in Birkhall residence in Aberdeenshire and Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 38, phoned their patronages to offer support from Kensington Palace.

But now experts have revealed what the royal family's makeshift offices reveal about their working practices and personalities.

Interior designers Katharine Pooley, and Nadia McCowan Hill told FEMAIL how Prince William's simple but bright office reflected his 'focused' personality, how Camilla's 'artistic personality' came out in her 'busy' office.

They also noted how Kate Middleton adapted her working space to help her balance duties with motherhood while Prince Charles' jam-packed room showed an ability to 'zone out from distraction'.

Kate Middleton 'balances motherhood with duty'

Experts told FEMAIL what the royal family's working-from-home set-ups reveal about their personalities, revealing how the Duchess of Cambridge had 'tailored' the space to help her balance work with motherhood

Kate Middleton began working from home last month at Kensington Palace, before the Duchess and her family moved to their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall.

The Duchess shared snaps as she sat at her desk and phoned patronages across the country to offer support.

Katharine revealed that Kate was 'clearly' balancing motherhood with the working royal duties in the space.

The interior designer revealed; 'The room is clearly tailored towards having her children around her as she works; theres a childs chair in the corner, the table is laden with childrens books, and theres a plush sofa that seems perfect for her young family to jump on and get cosy.'

Meanwhile Nadia, Wayfair's Resident Style Advisor, said the stylish literary classics on her desk demonstrated Kate's 'fondness of quiet and timeless style.'

She added: 'A classic white sofa paired with a miniature chair show that Kates office is seamlessly integrated into her home life, and that her family very much comes first.'

Prince William's stripped back to stay focused

Meanwhile interior designer Katharine revealed how Prince William's 'stripped back office' revealed a 'strong work ethic' and a clear determination to stay focused

Like his wife Kate, the Duke of Cambridge shared snaps of his office set-up in Kensington Palace last month as he began working from home amid the crisis.

Katharine revealed how the royal's stripped back office space revealed a 'strong work ethic', noting how his desk was almost completely bare except for the essentials 'such as a phone, printer and necessary stationary.'

She added that the balance between contemporary furniture with classic features and tons of natural light 'echoed someone who is focused and determined.'

Meanwhile Nadia called the set-up 'productive and efficient' with little distraction indicating a focus on 'getting the job done.'

Prince Charles' 'highly capable' ability to work anywhere

Katharine said Prince Charles' 'improv-office' reflected a dedication to the job and a determination to work 'from wherever he can'

The video shared of Prince Charles earlier this week offered royal fans a rare look inside the royal's Scottish home.

The clip, posted on the Clarence House Instagram account, shows the Prince of Wales, 71, sitting at his desk at Birkhall, his home on the Queen's Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire.

Katharine revealed that Prince Charles' set up appeared to show the royal's dedication to the role and ability to work anywhere: 'His working from home space in general seems to emulate that of much of the UK public; working from wherever he can, doing whatever he can to do his job fully.'

Meanwhile Nadia added: 'Pinging emails from the sofa or dining table will reveal you as someone who is highly capable and can zone out from distraction.'

'Prince Charles set-up is the perfect example of the "improv office", surrounding himself with sentimental family photos and mementos to create a familiar and supportive environment.

'Layered patterns and textures promote feelings of cosiness, whereas the simple piano offers an insight into the Princes musical nature.'

Camilla's 'artistic nature' comes out in 'busy room.'

Meanwhile the Duchess of Cornwall's office in her Aberdeenshire home offered a glimpse at an 'artistic personality' and gave 'a sense of busyness and productivity'

The Duchess of Cornwall shared a snap as she worked from home at the royal's Scottish home earlier today.

Katharine noted that the 'sense of busyness' could be an indication of the royal's attitude toward her duty during this time.

She said: 'Camillas working from home space gives the impression that shes extremely productive; theres a real sense of her busy-ness in this room, with plenty of paperwork on her desk and the bookshelves full to the brim.'

Katharine went on: 'Similarly to Prince Charles she has many family photographs in her working from home space - again emphasising the importance of family during this time.'

Meanwhile Nadia noted that the 'stacks of paperwork and stationary living in harmony amongst personal treasures' alongside personal cards and drawings revealed an 'artistic personality'.

She continued: 'A well stocked bookcase provides a characteristic backdrop, as well as offering a source of inspiration and relaxation', adding that 'the fresh spring florals keeping her Royal Highness connected to nature.'
Italy is advancing plans to gradually lift restrictions to contain the coronavirus as Europe's exit from stringent lockdown measures takes shape.

Amid tense discussions weighing political and economic pressures against public-health concerns, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government is hammering out an approach that foresees the full return to normal life taking months, according to people directly involved in the talks.

In the original epicenter of the outbreak on the continent, schools will likely remain closed until September, with every step to ease restrictions dependent on the spread of the deadly disease remaining under control, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are confidential.

Some companies and shops may resume operations as soon as April 13, and Italians could be allowed to go outside and gradually return to offices as of May 4, the people said.

As the first European country to impose a nationwide lockdown, Italy's move to ease its restrictions would mark an important step in the region's battle with the pandemic that started in China and spread across the world.

The continent has been hit hard. Italy, Spain, Germany and France trail only the U.S. in the number of infections, and the region has suffered more than 65% of worldwide deaths.

After Norway became the latest European country to pursue a controlled reopening of the economy, Germany is also weighing initial steps to ease restrictions designed to limit contact between people.

Small stores could be allowed to open beginning on April 20, according to the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has one of the country's largest outbreaks.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has urged caution to prevent a rekindling of the epidemic, will meet with leaders of Germany's 16 states next week to discuss containment measures. The restrictions in Europe's largest economy, including a ban on gatherings of more than two people, are currently in force until April 19.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will ask parliament on Thursday for approval to extend a state of emergency through April 25. The country will return to normal life gradually after April 26, although experts are still working on how that process will work, Maria Jesus Montero, budget minister and government spokeswoman, told broadcaster Antena 3.

New cases and deaths rose by the most in four days in Europe's most-extensive outbreak of the disease, a grim reminder of the difficulties in controlling the spread.

Emerging from the lockdown would mark a sea-change in Italian life, with officials considering requiring protective masks inside shops and offices, allowing only a few individuals in stores and mandating people maintain a distance of at least one meter, according to the officials.

Also under consideration are measures to protect people most at risk, including older individuals and those with previous illnesses, possibly by slowing their return to work. Italy's Health Ministry is also pushing for more hospitals dedicated to the virus.

A video conference hosted by Conte on Tuesday included an emergency team of medical and scientific advisers. Government ministers at their offices and homes quizzed the experts, who wore masks and gloves in a basement room of the civil protection agency.

For the prime minister, a former academic, it was an opportunity to ensure his government based its strategy on science as the spread slows and the lockdown cripples the economy. Conte's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

For some experts on the Health Ministry's scientific and technical committee, the ideal solution would be to keep the lockdown until a vaccine is found, but they acknowledge the decision is political and waiting for a treatment would be impossible.

In a sign of the mounting pressure, Italy's third-largest lender Banco BPM SpA urged decision makers to "seriously think about the next phase, as the country cannot afford to stand still," Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Castagna said in an interview with broadcaster Canale 5.

Experts warned about jumping to conclusions after a few days of improving figures. While the general trend is "positive," the pandemic is still only in its early stages, according to the head of the public health authority in Germany, where new infections rose the most in three days.

"We are seeing that we can dampen the growth of the illness, but it's really only a snapshot," Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said on Deutschlandfunk radio.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron is due to address the nation for a third time since the start of the virus crisis on Thursday evening. He's expected to announce the extension of the lockdown after calls multiplied over recent days for the confinement to last a few more weeks. Stricter conditions have been implemented locally, with Parisians now forbidden from undertaking physical exercise outside during the bulk of the day.

Still, more European countries are pushing ahead, with Norway joining Austria and Denmark in easing restrictions.

Norwegian schools, universities and technical colleges will start opening their doors from April 27, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said at a press briefing on Tuesday, adding that changes will be implemented over time in a controlled manner.

Services that require personal contact, such as hairdressers and physical therapists, can be resumed gradually, while restrictions on large sporting and cultural events will remain in place until June 15.

"Norway has managed to gain control of the virus," Solberg said. "The job now is to keep that control."
Police in Omaha are searching for a woman who abandoned an hours-old newborn baby boy stuffed into a duffel bag on a random family's front porch.

The seven-pound infant was wrapped in a sweater inside a clear bag and left outside the home of Vicente and Reyna Cruz near 15th and U streets at around 11.40am on Monday.

Cruz said his wife saw a young woman get out of a car at the homes front curb, slowly make her way to their porch with a package, lay the package on a chair, then run back to the car, which sped off.

Scroll down for video

Police in Omaha, Nebraska, are looking for a woman who on Monday abandoned her hours-old son stuffed inside this clear duffel bag on a family's porch

Vicente and Reyna Cruz were watching TV when the woman left her child on their porch and took off

The woman had a hoodie pulled over her face, Cruz said.

The homeowner said he and his wife were watching TV at the time, according to WOWT. When he saw someone leave the package outside, he initially those it was a deliveryman bringing the car part he had ordered a few days prior.

Cruz went onto the porch and saw the clear duffel bag, which he said was moving.

The couple called 911, and paramedics who arrived on the scene opened the bag to reveal the baby covered in blood from the delivery, with his umbilical cord still attached.

'My wife and I, we started crying,' Cruz, who has three children of his own, told KMTV, adding that he does not know why the mother chose to leave her son at his home.

An ambulance took the baby to a hospital, where doctors determined he is healthy.

Cruz said he called the police when he saw the package moving, and burst into tears when responding paramedics found a baby with his umbilical cord still attached inside

Police said in a news release that they are concerned for the health and well being of the mother. They ask anyone with information on the abandoned baby or his mother to call police.

The woman is described as a Hispanic female in her 20s. She was last seen getting into the passenger side of a black two-door Pontiac, possibly a G5 model, with dark tinted windows.

Nebraska has a so-called Safe Haven law that allows a newborn under 30 days old to be dropped off at a hospital without fear of prosecution. The law does not make allowances for newborns to be abandoned elsewhere.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine told Kearney Hub he has not ruled out bringing charges of child neglect or abuse against the mother, but he pointed out that he would need to get to the bottom of the case first.

'Certainly abandoning a child is a serious matter,' he said. 'It all depends upon the background, the circumstances. We dont know the facts.'
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During his four years at the helm of Deckers Brands, Dave Powers has already navigated intense challenges  from activist investor activity to the California wildfires. Now the president and CEO using his deep experience to tackle the complex coronavirus crisis.

Today, the executive opened his playbook during a candid conversation with FN Editorial Director Michael Atmore for the second Leading in a Crisis webinar.

More from Footwear News

Below, Powers reveals 18 big thoughts on crisis leadership, the power of great brands and how to make an impact in this important moment.

Leadership mantras:

People are looking to leaders right now across the board, and looking for signals on how theyre acting. I try to be steady and confident and calm, but upfront and honest. What I learned is to stay focused on what you can control, manage the communication closely  and be honest and up front with your organization. Focus on the long-term and scenario planning. Those are the things you always need to be doing, but they are amplified during crisis. Make sure your leadership team is tightly aligned and plan for the day to day as best you can. But at the same time, plan for when you come out of it. You have the opportunity to come out of things struggling or come out of it in a position of strength. Every time weve faced adversity, weve come out in a stronger position.

A new sense of focus within the company:

The one thing Im noticing is that things are settling down. People are getting used to working from home. People have moved from shock and awe to how we tackle this. Lets get after the opportunities and figure out how to be strong when we get out of this. The biggest issue seems to be managing demand and supply, trying to predict when were going to come out of this and what its going to look like. Were controlling our inventory and staying focused on both the short and long term.

Story continues

Why stepping up internal communication is critical:

Its really more about amplifying what the leadership team and I do on a regular basis. Were focused on urgency, transparency, open and honest communication with our teams. More than ever, you need to be connected to your organization and people you employ. A lot of [team members] have kids at home and theyre trying to juggle all of that. They want to know the company they work for is handling this the right way. They want to understand whats happening in this business and want to be included in thatso they can minimize the stress and anxiety in their lives. My daily and weekly actions have shifted in this crisis as well  I think for the better. Weve ramped up our daily communication dramatically. I am responding to emails or texts 24/7, but it feels great.

Being a corporate leader in the Santa Barbara community and beyond:

Consumers are very attuned to what companies are doing in this moment. We talk a lot about doing good in the world  its something that is core to my personal beliefs. One of the first things the leadership team talked about is what we could do for our employees to help take care of them and their families, and what we could do for the world. I reached out to our local community in Santa Barbara  weve been here for a long time  and theres a lot of need out there, whether its individuals or [organizations] like the food bank. We focused on galvanizing other leaders, and set up a fund called the Santa Barbara Better Together fund to do what we can to help small businesses. So many individuals and families rely on the work that they do. Weve committed to donating a million dollars in cash donations. Each of the brands is doing their own thing.

The power of Deckers brands in this moment:

One thing that we are realizing is that our brands are time-tested, trusted [labels] that bring a lot of comfort and good feeling to our consumers. Ugg is a brand that lives in the comfort world a name people go to when they want to be comfortable or hunkering down. Whats great about Ugg and our slipper business is that weve transformed that to be fashionable at home and beyond. Its indoor slippers, outdoor slippers, and now a year-round staple for us. Hoka One One is a brand that changes peoples lives. The team has tapped into a new model, which is connecting with the consumer and empowering the individual athlete. Teva [is another brand] that resonates.

The importance of smart messaging:

We are leaning into authenticity, and connecting with our consumers in a real and authentic way. Its a fine line  you want to be there, but you certainly dont want to be opportunistic. Were going through this with them, together as a partner  and not as a product. [We want] to provide a little bit of comfort and safety. Its a lot of work to change your marketing plan, but I think this is part of what the new normal will look like.

Biggest challenge:

It changes weekly. At the beginning, it was about making sure we had the right technology [to work at home], and about how to keep the business running. Were making real-time decisions. Right now, were focusing on what life is going to be when we get out of this. The leadership team and I are making sure were managing through this, but seeing it as an opportunity to adjust our business and be stronger three, six, nine month from now. I think we have the opportunity to come out of this.

The crisis playbook:

We dont have a book I can take off the shelf and hand to people, but I will say Deckers has been through a great deal of adversity: activist battles, challenges in the marketplace, fires, mudslides  and now a global pandemic. What we realized is quickly galvanizing and focusing on the things that matter [is key]. Focus on the most important things in front of you. And ramp up your communication in the community. In a crisis, you dont know how or when its going to end, but you have to be prepared for everything.

Staying flexible:

We need to get our arms around different situations and scenarios. We have a complex business, and each country or region is dealing with this in a different way. Were looking at assessing those scenarios: If things start to turn back to normal around May, we know what to do. If extends to July and August, we know what to do then. If it goes further, we have a game plan. Take a look at your business, your local knowledge and learn from your partners around the world. We had the advantage of going through this in China and Japan  and are seeing how theyre coming out of itRight now its hard to predict and budgeting becomes challenging. You dont have the certainty. Having a back-pocket plan  which we usually do anyway  both on the upside and downside, will become more important.

The roller coaster return to normalized business:

[In Asia], theyre loosening up social distancing and starting to open stores a little bit. Its day to day and its still slow to come back to normal. The return is not going to be a straight line, but more of a roller coaster, with dips and valleys and peaks. In Japan and Hong Kong, were seeing another spike in cases. Those are the scenarios were watching play out as we navigate the challenges.

Bolstering vendor relationships:

The team has done a fantastic job connecting with our partners. Were amplifying the amount of communication, and we need to work through this together. They need our help, we need their help. Were making adjustments where we can  around [terms], inventory and marketing  to make sure were there for them. Were conscious of the health and positioning our brands. We dont want to put that at risk. Were making sure were still being presented in a quality way and staying on course. The consumer wants to know the brand is solid and is not changing in a crisis. Thats what authentic brands do.

Permanent changes:

The landscape has been a bit risky going into this with the transition of people going online and the stores closures that have continued to happen. Its a moment of survival of the fittest. Its a sad situation because youre going to see a lot of companies and a lot of employees and their families impacted by this. Its a new playing field. Some will come out of this and be strong for the long-term. Some will struggle and might not make it. Thats why keeping our brands strong is important. Our partners rely on us for full-price selling and margins.

Emphasizing proven product:

One of the things that Ive learned is that in times of uncertainty, trusted brands and products become important: things that have high value and are going to have a positive impact. Its not the item you want to wear out on Friday night, its what you can wear for the next couple of months. One of the things were working on is staying focused on franchise items, and building on those

Taking mental breaks:

Its important to get some downtime. When youre on 24/7 you need to create that. For me thats staying active. I love to be outdoors. Ive adopted a lot of mindfulness exercises. Ive been doing yoga for 25 years. We gave our whole organization a free subscription to a [wellness app.] Not only do they appreciate the effort, but it them when they come to work, so they can feel focused and balance.

The consumer mindset:

I think there will be a sense of nervousness: Are things back to normal? Can I use my credit card again for discretionary things? Behavior-wise, one of the things that is going to continue for sure is curbside pickup. Its amazing what a crisis will do to move business models urgently. But dont wait for a crisis to change: Advance and innovate around your own business model. Be your own internal activist.

The store of the future:

We have a flagship opening in New York thats been in the works for a while. It going to showcase our full breadth of assortment, and well have a service desk in the front so the model is fast and efficient. Im sure youve seen lines outside our stores [around the holidays]. Were working to eliminate that so consumers can come in and have things ready for them. [Overall], you will see retail that focuses much more on the showroom and service models. On the brand side youll see that more and more.

Sourcing shifts:

The sourcing side of things is changing rapidly with the migration out of China into Vietnam and other countries. Only about 10% of our production is in China and thats served us well. Youre going to continue to see more migration and more of a focus on speed and tighter inventory management. Its going to be about speed, efficiency and product control. Youve got to manage things tightly and be ready for anything.

The online vs. brick-and-mortar balance post crisis:

Certainly, youll see a faster ramp-up of e-commerce for everyone. Weve been talking about that for a while, but it takes a situation like this to amplify it. But Im a firm believer that people like the experience of shopping and experiencing things first hand, not just virtually. Thats going to return  its what do stores become. Youll see an adjustment, but the stores will always be there. The ones that have exceptional merchandising will thrive.

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Paris, France (PANA) - Eighty-one civil society organizations grouped in a coalition on Tuesday sent a letter to 10 African heads of state and government, whose countries have arbitrarily imprisoned journalists in their jails, asking for their release
Paras Chhabra And Mahira Sharma Come Together To Donate Food Packages And Basic Essentials To The Needy; Watch
Developer Johnny Ronan is understood to have a shortlist of three banks to potentially refinance a 300m commercial property portfolio.

The plan is aimed at lowering borrowing costs by refinancing expensive loans from US fund Colony Capital that have been in place since Mr Ronan exited Nama following the financial crisis. It is understood three more traditional lenders are now in the mix to refinance the portfolio.

Property industry website React reported on Tuesday that the developer's Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) had appointed Deloitte to advise on the financing plan.

The report said the refinancing is of loans secured on Mr Ronan's personal portfolio of developed, rent-generating commercial properties.

The refinancing does not involve development projects including the new Facebook campus in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, and the Salesforce Tower in the IFSC, which Ronan Group will continue to build in partnership with Colony.

The partnership with Colony, which is headed by US billionaire Tom Barrack, pushed Ronan Group to the forefront of developers who emerged following the financial crisis as large-scale builders.

Ronan and Colony are also understood to be in the mix to develop the former Irish Glass Bottle site in Irishtown, close to the Facebook site.

Nama is seeking a partner for the huge residential development, with Sean Mulryan's Ballymore, US property firm Hines and developer Pat Crean's Marlet also thought to be looking to take on the scheme.

Mr Ronan's refinancing process is understood to have kicked off before the Covid-19 lockdown, which is likely to delay the process because international bankers cannot visit Ireland to inspect properties and surveyors cannot go into properties to conduct inspections for valuations.

Meanwhile, in recent days, Ronan Group's Spencer Place development is understood to have secured planning permission from An Bord Pleanala to build two apartment blocks of 548 apartments and co-living units in Dublin's Docklands that have been at the centre of a long-running planning saga.

The planning application was resubmitted in February after the High Court overturned previously secured permission given to increase the height of the blocks. The judicial review had been taken by Dublin City Council against an earlier decision to grant planning by An Bord Pleanala.
[April 08, 2020] Wind River Battles COVID-19 by Donating Software and Technical Expertise to Accelerate Mission-Critical Innovation While Most Are Working from Home

Wind River, a leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge, today announced it has launched an important initiative to enable and accelerate the innovation of mission-critical systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions include donating software and design and implementation services for those making a difference in the COVID-19 battle, while facing challenges as they address working remotely from home and technical upskilling. "The current COVID-19 crisis is fundamentally changing our reality with 81%* expecting a negative effect on their workplace as a result. A rapid response with innovation to help our customers and communities is more critical now than ever," said Kevin Dallas, CEO and President of Wind River (News - Alert). "In moments of seismic change, Wind River is committed to helping the industry navigate and adapt to a challenging new climate in any way we can, and it is essential for us to step up and rally together in order to battle this pandemic." A global leader with nearly four decades of experience powering the safest, most secure mission-critical systems in the world, Wind River is opening up access to its IP and expertise for the industry to leverage. The access is for companies manufacturing medical, 5G network, and industrial automation equipment that support the global battle against COVID-19. This includes Wind River customers like Draeger, GE Healthcare, and Fedegari Autoclavi, among others that are manufacturing massive quantities of life-saving products, such as ventilators, patient monitors, and medical instrumentation devices. For qualified companies, Wind River is donating software and services from its industry-leading portfolio for the intelligent edge. The actions Wind River is taking will address the significant challenges created by the pandemic, such as limited access to labs with appropriate hardware for development and testing, delays in the supply chains that put development timelines at risk, and barriers to innovation. For a limited time, the company is offering the following tools, software, and services, which will be especially critical given the drastically increased number of workforces at home under pressure to design, develop, and deploy systems. For development of mission-critical systems: VxWorks  real-time operating system seat increases for teams working from home requiring additional development licenses.

VxWorks real-time operating system seat increases for teams working from home requiring additional development licenses. For quick prototyping of new designs for edge devices: Wind River Linux commercial embedded platform freely available for download on GitHub.

Wind River Linux commercial embedded platform freely available for download on GitHub. For access to virtual hardware target through full system simulation: Wind River Simics  to allow development and testing to proceed in the face of supply challenges, address hardware availability issues, and help team members working from home be more effective.

Wind River Simics to allow development and testing to proceed in the face of supply challenges, address hardware availability issues, and help team members working from home be more effective. For online mentoring and training to ensure teams working from home have access to the latest know-how and can deal with skill shortages : Wind River Education Services online courses in the VxWorks, Linux, and Simics Essentials series. Research shows that industrial product companies investing 3.5 times more than their competition in reskilling workers are also more confident about their abilities to handle uncertain futures by 250% compared to their peers.**

: Wind River Education Services online courses in the VxWorks, Linux, and Simics Essentials series. Research shows that industrial product companies investing 3.5 times more than their competition in reskilling workers are also more confident about their abilities to handle uncertain futures by 250% compared to their peers.** For continued technology innovation and experimentation : Wind River Labs developer site that offers a freely available VxWorks software developer kit (SDK) and access to cutting edge software projects, open source integrations and new technologies. The SDK also includes an open source board support package for Raspberry Pi and UP Squared hardware for the developer community to innovate-and for the community of kids at home from school looking to explore and experiment.

: Wind River Labs developer site that offers a freely available VxWorks software developer kit (SDK) and access to cutting edge software projects, open source integrations and new technologies. The SDK also includes an open source board support package for Raspberry Pi and UP Squared hardware for the developer community to innovate-and for the community of kids at home from school looking to explore and experiment. For expedited delivery of mission-critical systems: Wind River technical design and implementation services.



www.windriver.com/covid19 or contact [email protected] . *Gallup, U.S. Employees Increasingly Seeing COVID-19 Effects at Work, March 2020

**Forbes Insights/inc.digital, 2019

About Wind River Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge. The company's technology has been powering the safest, most secure devices in the world since 1981 and is found in more than 2 billion products. Wind River offers a comprehensive portfolio, supported by world-class global professional services and support and a broad partner ecosystem. Wind River software and expertise are accelerating digital transformation of critical infrastructure systems that demand the highest levels of safety, security, performance, and reliability. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com. Wind River is a trademark or registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc. and its affiliates. Other names may be the trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005212/en/

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SIU faculty join statewide effort to manufacture critical COVID-19 test ingredient

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Testing individuals for COVID-19 is a major part of the ongoing effort to control the virus spread, and faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are stepping forward to provide a key ingredient needed for the tests.

Matt Geisler, Vjollca Konjufca and Scott Hamilton-Brehm, all faculty in the School of Biological Sciences at SIU, are spearheading an effort to manufacture Viral Transport Medium, a mixture that maintains the genetic information of a virus until it can be tested. Faculty have been working around the clock organizing the effort, identifying vendors and gathering needed lab supplies to begin production this week.

VTM shortage slows testing

The substance plays a critical role in testing individuals for COVID-19, as medical personnel place swabs from suspected cases in vials containing the solution before capping, sealing and sending them to testing facilities. But the sudden need for testing on such a large scale made for a dwindling supply statewide and across the nation.

As the magnitude of the ongoing health emergency became apparent, state officials put out a call to universities for faculty to manufacture the critical substance. SIU researchers, along with several other state universities, stepped forward. Faculty last week began collecting ingredients for the mixture, which includes a simple salt, fetal bovine serum, gentamicin and antifungal substances.

Getting the virus to the lab

Viral transport medium is designed to keep virus samples viable to testing over long periods of time, said Hamilton-Brehm, assistant professor in microbiology. This is not to be confused with keeping the virus alive; it is not meant to do that. Instead it keeps the virus genetic information accessible so that it can be tested.

VTM is a pH buffered fluid with a specific formulation of different salts, a protein coating to prevent the virus from sticking to the tube, and other chemicals to prevent the virus and its RNA from breaking down. Geisler, associate professor of mathematical biology, said his work in fungal plant disease means his lab normally keeps similar storage and transport solutions handy.

But we are able to make VTM with a little tweaking, he said. More importantly, this work needs to be done in a biosafety hood to prevent contamination. To make it requires an autoclave for the salts, filter sterilization for the more heat sensitive chemicals, and lab technicians and supervisors trained in sterile transfer technique.

Playing a major role

Another immediate challenge is scaling up lab-sized batches to the large quantities needed as soon as possible. SIU is hoping to produce up to 30 liters per week  enough for 10,000 test vials. Such a contribution would equate to roughly 30 percent of the VTM used by the state.

Its a testament to the commitment of our faculty to help the state respond to the needs of the citizens of Illinois, said Gary Kinsel, vice chancellor for research.

Scaling up production

For the researchers, it means collecting ingredients in bulk and carefully calculating the orders-of-magnitude increases of those various ingredients in the recipe for larger batches, Hamilton-Brehm said.

SIU is not normally set up to do this. For research purposes, we usually only use a few liters of any media in the lab, he said. In this case, we are bolstering the whole state of Illinois and beyond. So we are buying our starting reagents in bulk, and were converting our laboratories from personal research to produce what is needed.

Truly a team effort

Hamilton-Brehm and senior graduate students Trevor Murphy and Erik Velkme will comprise the initial production team, while Konjufca, associate professor of microbiology, acts as the teams expert virologist while also assisting with production. Geisler will play the role of lead troubleshooter, helping coordinate and mobilize faculty while overcoming bottlenecks when they appear.

The overall effort, however, cuts across multiple schools and disciplines at SIU and even the Carbondale community itself.

Andrew Wood, professor of plant biology and director of the School of Biological Sciences, is coordinating the overall effort. Buffy Ellsworth, associate professor of physiology in the SIU School of Medicine, and Laxmi Sagwan-Barkdoll, a research education specialist in the School of Biological Sciences, are contributing and donating supplies to the effort, while Buck Hales, professor of physiology, and Karen Hales, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, both of the SIU School of Medicine, are preparing stocks of supplies from the labs for donation to the cause.

The local Staples store is printing vitally needed labels for testing vials and other items, which will help keep faculty safe and organized during the process.

Our faculty, as individuals, are strong in our own ways, but together, unified behind a common goal, we can move heaven and earth, Hamilton-Brehm said.

Answering the call for public service

The states call for supplementing stockpiles of critically short materials especially targeted universities with strong biology, biochemistry, physiology and laboratory training and research programs, Geisler said.

I am glad that our faculty have answered the call, and in the last few days, I have gotten a lot of different departments and schools within SIU volunteering supplies, offering to help and generally being very supportive of our effort, he said.

Hamilton-Brehm said the ongoing effort is part of the war on the virus, and SIU faculty were pleased to be able to do their part.

My uncles and cousins fought in World War II. This is not like the war they fought in, but my skills as a microbiologist put my colleagues and me in a unique situation where we can contribute in a very meaningful way, he said. Making a media recipe is mundane and something we do all the time, but in this situation, it will help contain the virus so that it cannot hide anymore. When the virus cannot hide, we will be able to be near our loved ones again.
One of Americas most widely cited coronavirus models shows the number of cases in Montana peaking next week. But officials here are taking that with some grains of salt.

In recent months, scientists have used mathematical models to predict how coronavirus will spread. One often-cited model, prepared by the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Education, breaks out predictions for every state.

As of midafternoon Tuesday, the graph of Montanas cases peaks on April 15 and 16, and begins to drop off. At the high point, it shows the states COVID-19 patients needing somewhere between 12 and 107 hospital beds, three and 19 intensive care unit beds, and two to 16 ventilators  all safely within the systems capacity.

Cindy Farr, incident commander for the Missoula City-County Health Department, is skeptical.

I definitely do not want people to rely too heavily on these models, she told Lee Montana Newspapers Tuesday.

All of these models are based on unpredictable human behavior.  Ive seen half a dozen different models, and theyre all predicting that we are going to peak at a different time.

While the University of Washingtons model predicts that Montana will peak next week, another one, available on the website covidactnow.org, doesnt show a peak until mid- to late June, and projects hospitals becoming overloaded early that month. And both show wide ranges of total cases.

The University of Washington model, which gives lower numbers of overall cases, assumes that governments impose rigorous social distancing measures, and that theyre fully enforced and adhered to through early August.

Farr doesnt see that happening on the ground in Missoula. What Im hearing anecdotally is that people are voicing their complaints at the department about gatherings on trails and in parks and backyards. That tells me that we definitely do not have 100% full compliance.

I think its wise to be skeptical of models, said Curtis Noonan, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Montana. To illustrate their limits, he pointed to the inputs for the University of Washingtons model. Thats a model that is heavily based on observations of deaths, coronavirus deaths, and Montana has only had six as of Tuesday, he said.

Having small numbers, and having a model thats based on those numbers, its just going to make for a really unstable model early in the outbreak, he said. The model itself is revised regularly as more information becomes available.

But as flawed as models can be, it might be the only tool we have to prepare for any kind of surge medical needs, Noonan said. We cant wait for it to happen and then react. Hes currently working with other scientists on a Montana-specific model.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported Tuesday that other states are relying on multiple models to guide their next steps. Yellowstone Countys health officer John Felton had used the Washington model to suggest that a peak might be close Monday, but Barbara Schneeman, a spokesperson for RiverStone Health there, said the county is also looking at multiple data points.

Right now were looking at a variety of different models and paying attention to not only whats happening to our state and specifically in our county, and then also in other states, she said.

Also on Tuesday, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said he and other state officials are looking at the UW model and others as well.

(Were) trying to get as much information as possible, recognizing that models are just that. And probably the greatest thing to impact a model isnt going to be a statistician, its going to be what each and every one of us do, in our homes, in our communities, to try to ensure that transmission is not occurring, Bullock said. Do I think that weve hit the peak at this point? No, I do not. I think well continue to see growth in cases.

Bullock said he hasnt reached a determination about the metrics hed need to see, in terms of reduced case growth in the state or other data points, that would lead him to lift things like the stay-at-home order or directives that have closed places where people gather, such as bars, gyms and theaters.

Lee Montana Capitol reporter Holly Michels contributed to this story.
: A research has revealed that



southern states in the country have high potential with respect to work from home (WFH) due to coronavirus lockdown.

The study was conducted by Indian School of Business (ISB), said a press release here on Wednesday.

"Surprisingly, not just urban centres like Hyderabad, Delhi or Bengaluru fell high on the WFI (Work from Home Index), but the entire peninsular south India, was found to have a high work from home potential, professor Shekhar Tomar, faculty in the Economics and Public Policy area at ISB and co-researcher of this study, was quoted as saying in the press release.

With a government-imposed lockdown in place to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, most professionals are relegated to work from home.

To study and understand the situation, the ISB has initiated new research to find out how this lockdown affects occupations, industries and the different districts and most importantly, to assess the potential economic impacts of this virus-induced lockdown.

This research measured the impact of the lockdown on over 100 occupations as defined in the National Classification of Occupations (NCO) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and assigned a Work from Home Index (WFI) to each occupation.

A Human Proximity Index (PI) is also assigned to each one of these occupations, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In UP, Nadda explains all the good PM has done for farmers

BJP president Nadda posts thank you message for corona warriors

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to the emergency staff working during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus and asked people to join in thanking the "Corona Warriors".

Nadda's message on social media came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP workers to write thank you messages and have people join the exercise as a mark of gratitude to health professionals, sanitation staff, police and other emergency service providers.

"Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call, the country has united in tackling COVID-19. In this valiant battle for humanity's future, Corona Warriors are at the forefront. I salute their grit and determination.Join. #ThankYouCoronaWarriors," Nadda said.

Nadda said their undiluted courage, selflessness, determination and focus have ensured that India remains on track in these difficult times.

Lockdown may have to be extended says PM at all party meet

Placing yourselves at great risk, as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees, you have ensured that others remain safe, others remain comfortable and are well-taken care of, he said.

"You have tirelessly and with deep dedication displayed an unshakable faith and conviction that corona can be defeated and that India and humanity will ultimately triumph. Your actions in these war-like times, are deeply inspiring," Nadda said.

"We pour our heart's gratitude and thankfulness before you. We salute your determination and grit. India shall be safe and emerge victorious in this fight against COVID-19 because of your selfless toil and sacrifice," he added.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 15:40 [IST]
TWO more patients have tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), in Dar es Salaam and Arusha, bringing the total to five, the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu, announced on Tuesday.

The recovered patient from Dar es Salaam has already been released and the one from Arusha will be released later in the day, she said.

This clears the COVID- 19 status for Arusha; leaving it virus free, affirmed Ms Mwalimu.

However, she cautioned that Tanzanians should continue to follow the necessary precautions and measures given by experts, including avoiding unnecessary gatherings to protect themselves and others.

The government has been taking major precautions to stop the virus from spreading, as Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa recently unveiled new strategies adopted to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.

The premier said the government had increased testing facilities across the country, with new laboratories set up in seven regions - Mwanza, Tanga, Coast, Dodoma, Kigoma, Mbeya and Morogoro.

The premier stressed that self quarantine was mandatory for all people arriving from outside the country, as well as those who are suspected to have infections.

Mr Majaliwa said staying in quarantine was mandatory and that no one should go against the order, noting that the government had ordered for allocation of special areas at borders for quarantining those who arrive from abroad and that special protective gears had been provided to health experts in all the areas in question.

Quarantines have been selected to cater for different needs, according to ones financial means, and they include free dormitories and hotels, the premier said.

We have allocated free dormitories for those who are not in a good financial position to pay for hotels and there are also hotels for those who wish to stay there; we have also made arrangements for food and other crucial services, he explained.

According to Mr Majaliwa, all regional commissioners have been directed to allocate areas for quarantines especially in border districts.

I have contacted all RCs and so far they have already allocated areas for quarantine; we are taking this matter very seriously, he stressed.
The makers of Extraction dropped the movies trailer on April 7. While the preview clip has made Chris Hemsworth fans happy, netizens couldnt resist making memes and exchanging banter over some snippets.

Images from the upcoming Netflix release have been going viral on various social media platforms after fans found some sequences exceptionally relatable to the real-time global scenario.

Perhaps the top of the lot was a screen grab uploaded by a Twitter user featuring the lines, Somethings wrong. The citys on lockdown from the trailer.

Make no mistake; this is not the only shot that netizens found particularly rib-tickling.

The meme-fest over this line had led to a flurry of responses as it ideally reflects the current lockdown situation in the world.

Apart from this, various creative threads on Twitter are putting up hilarious lockdown memes using other relatable extracts from the trailer.

Heres what netizens have done to feed their meme-hunger:

This scene, I can relate to it #Extraction pic.twitter.com/yxdicESJFV Sreejith Nair (@iam_SreejithN) April 7, 2020

When you and your friend goes out to bring ration during Lockdown #Extraction pic.twitter.com/Sa0Lt88Kp9 SUBHAM (@subham001aim) April 7, 2020

Extraction is directed by Sam Hargrave and is produced by the Avengers: Endgame fame Russo brothers.

Chris Hemsworth will spearhead the action thriller with substantial supply from David Harbour, Marc Donato and Fay Masterson. Some of the well-known Indian actors  Rudraksh Jaiswal, Pankaj Tripathi and Randeep Hooda  are also set to add quality to the upcoming flick.

Due to its storyline, the film has extensively been shot in big cities of India and Bangladesh. Extraction is set to release on Netflix on April 24.

Follow @News18Movies for more
STORY LINK Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Left Flat Ahead of OPEC Meeting

Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) Exchange Rate Muted as Oil Prices Steady

The coming extraordinary producing-countries meeting is the only hope on the horizon for the market.

Nobody wants to go short ahead of what could be a positive surprise by OPEC+.

Sterling (GBP) Flat as PM Spends Second Night in Intensive Care

The Pounds been pulled around by external factors at the moment - largely the broader risk and Dollar environment - with key themes in equities and oil markets driving FX sentiment.

Weve seen a couple of knee-jerk moves lower on the headlines over PM Johnson being in hospital. But these have faded quickly, with the short squeeze and positioning adjustment in high-beta currencies dominating FX markets.

Pound Canadian Dollar Outlook: OPEC Meeting in Focus

Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues:

The Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate remained flat this morning. This left the pairing trading at around CA$1.7293.The Canadian Dollar remained flat against the Pound as oil prices steadied on Wednesday.Prices were supported by increased hopes that a meeting between OPEC and its allies would result in output cuts. This would support prices after overproduction and the coronavirus pandemic caused prices to collapse.Thursdays meeting is expected to be more successful than the groups March meeting which sparked a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.Commenting on this, Bjornar Tonhaugen of Rystad Energy noted:However, sources from OPEC have said that a deal to slash production is conditional on the participation of the United States.The Pound edged lower against a handful of currencies on Wednesday as traders flocked back to the safety of the US Dollar (USD).Demand for safe-haven currencies rose as concerns the coronavirus pandemic was far from over dominated financial markets.Earlier this week, Sterling suffered knee-jerk reactions to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson being admitted to hospital over coronavirus symptoms.The Prime Minister spent his second night in intensive care, although reports have suggested he is in a stable condition.This morning, health minister, Edward Argar said the Prime Minister is comfortable, hes stable, hes in good spirits.Commenting on this, Viraj Patel, global FX and macro strategist at Arkera said:Looking ahead to this afternoon, the Canadian Dollar (CAD) could suffer losses against the Pound (GBP) following the release of building and housing data.If both Canadian housing starts and building permits slump further than expected, the Loonie will suffer losses.Meanwhile, Thursdays meeting between OPEC and its allies will remain in focus for the pairing.If the meeting results in a deal to cut production and tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia ease, the Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate could reverse any gains from Wednesday and slump.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Pound Canadian Dollar Forecasts
By PTI

NEW DELHI: To ensure a 'comprehensive victory' over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre should provide financial packages to states in proportion to the number of coronavirus cases and the propensity for further spread of the infection, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday.

Pilot also said a decision on whether the lockdown should be lifted or not following the 21-day period should be taken after consultation with the states, medical experts and scientists, and if it is lifted, it should be done in stages.

The lockdown across the country was imposed from March 25 to prevent the spread of the virus.

In an interview to PTI, he said Rajasthan managed to have limited success in containing the virus as it acted fast and reached out to people not just in cities and towns, but also in villages.

Pilot, who holds the rural development and panchayati raj portfolio, said Rajasthan was one of the first states to get sodium hypochlorite sprayed in rural areas and so far, 38,000 villages out of a total of 46,000 have been disinfected.

"Every single panchayat has been given Rs 50,000 to procure masks and hand sanitizers.This was done early to prevent panic buying and stopping the rural population from rushing to urban areas to procure them," he said.

The Rajasthan deputy chief minister said in order to ensure that the most vulnerable sections of society are able to sustain themselves, it is important that states are given dedicated financial packages.

"For us to be able to have a comprehensive victory over the coronavirus challenge, states will have to be assisted with dedicated financial packages," he said.

"I think what should be done is that every state-specific resource allocation should be done in proportion to the spread of the infection, according to the propensity for further spread and the states present capacities to meet the crisis. We can extrapolate the data scientifically. Every state government must be given a package as the economic activity has almost come to a halt," Pilot said.

State-specific financial packages depending on resources, capacity, infection rate and future roadmap is the need of the hour, he said Asked about the Rs 1.

7-lakh-crore relief package that the central government had announce last month, Pilot said that was a pan-India relief and a national announcement, but states have to be given the wherewithal to take care of patients and fight the pandemic.

"If you look at any country in the world, the percentage of GDP deployed to fight this virus, India is still behind in that," he said.

He said the Centre's package was a macro level announcement, but states need to be given financial support to combat and defeat the COVID-19.

On whether the lockdown should be extended, Pilot said a 'one size fits all solution' was not possible as India is a very diverse country with different geographical and social conditions.

"So, what might work in Meghalaya or Manipur may not work in Puducherry or Kerala," he said.

Noting that there was still a week to go for the 21-day lockdown to end, he said there was time to take a considered and a well thought out view on it.

"It is a tough decision to make, it boils down to lives versus livelihood and both are important. I don't think the infection has peaked and we cannot afford to make the same mistakes like the US or western European countries have made," he said.

"I think that the decision should be taken with full consultation from all the states, scientific community and medical experts must be involved and whatever decision once we take, all of us should stand by it. We must fight this challenge as one nation and one people," Pilot said, adding that there was no point speculating on it.

Pilot, who is also the Congress state unit chief, said the party workers have been on the ground and using technology to reach out to vulnerable sections in the state.

"We have a control room at my residence in Jaipur and in every district headquarter, DCC chiefs from their own homes are serving as a bridge between the administration and the government and all those who have been left out, Congress office bearers are trying to help them," he said.

Pilot said it was the state's quick response that is helping it contain the pandemic as seen in Bhilwara and other areas.

"We were the first state in India to go in for a lockdown. We moved quickly and that is why we were able to get some initial success in containing the virus, of course the numbers are now more than 300, but we have worked on many fronts simultaneously," he said.

He said, on one hand, the state government deployed doctors, paramedics, health workers, and on the other ensured that the supply chain for essential commodities was maintained.

"We were quite strict in enforcing the curfew. So wherever there was an infection, we imposed curfew in the 2km radius. As of now we have 38 places where there is a curfew in Rajasthan besides the lockdown in the entire state," he said.
Kampala  Ugandan authorities say refugees are defying safety measures set up to control the spread of COVID-19. Uganda has at least 52 confirmed COVID-19 cases and is currently under a lockdown that saw the government suspend admission of new refugees for a month. Now authorities say they are going to discuss new ways to enforce the restrictions.

Authorities in Uganda are finding it difficult to get residents of refugee settlements to adhere to safety measures meant to control the spread of COVID-19.

To date, Uganda has recorded fewer than 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases. To keep the number down, last month President Yoweri Museveni closed all borders and suspended movement of refugees into the country.

Titus Jogoo is the Adjumani Regional Refugee desk officer. He tells VOA via Whatsapp that while authorities have managed to halt movement through both official border posts and informal crossings, the internal movement of refugees remains a challenge.

They are now on cash. So, they receive cash and they have to run to the markets to buy food. We also have issues of internal settlement movement," he said. "We have tried to talk to them but they continue moving, going to relatives, checking on this and this. And of course, we still have boda boda [Motor] cyclists deep there in the refugee settlements. They have not heed to these instructions.

Jogoo says theyve stepped up measures to ensure refugees know how to prevent the spread of the virus.

We have translated them in the most commonly used languages among the South Sudanese. We have engaged public address systems. We have engaged people on boda bodas with recorded spot messages om COVID-19," he said.

Uganda is host to more than 1.4 million refugees, the largest such population in Africa.

Thirteen districts in Uganda host refugees from countries such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda and Kenya.

Ugandas State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru says the refugees may need some extra persuasion to accept the restrictions.

Our people come from countries where there have not been governments. So, to submit to authority takes time. (I) Am going to discuss with the High Commissioner today. We want to send a team to go and make sure that they are talked to and then the enforcement starts," he said.

But if there is an outbreak in refugee areas, says Ecweru, the government has prepared the isolation centers that were set up earlier to handle potential Ebola outbreaks.
Pierre R. Brondeau is planning to bid au revoir in a most orderly way, amid the crisis.

The French native, who served 10 years as the chairman and CEO of FMC, turned the much-evolved former Food Machinery Corp. from a mixed chemical, food, and drug additives maker into one of the Big Five global farm pesticide giants. And he left his mark on the citys skyline by moving FMC into an iconic 49-story tower on the banks of the Schuylkill.

Now he will step back from day-to-day bossing at the end of next month as his protege Mark Douglas takes over.

Brondeau will stay in Philadelphia, which he and his wife say they love with the ardor of European expatriates in one of Americas most livable city centers, and stay on as "executive chairman of the FMC board. He came here as a manager at Philadelphia-based Rohm & Haas, which gave him 20 years of global assignments before Dow Chemical bought the local firm and dismantled it in 2009.

He has the engineers habit of thinking ahead. I asked where he got the 140,000-plus protective masks and 24,500 scarce N95 surgical masks he donated to Philadelphia-area hospitals last month. We use those in the research and production facilities," like the Delaware farm and labs that he took over from DuPont Co. two years ago.

At the end of January, when we saw what was happening in China, we asked every single FMC location in the world to procure masks to protect our employees. We used our central procurement location here in Philadelphia to buy in bulk.

"And when we saw what the situation was in the hospitals here, and we saw what we would actually need, we were able to give those masks for people who were taking a risk to save us. Plus thousands more to hospitals in Europe.

In pesticides as in other manufacturing, production is down as trade slows and offices shut. But Brondeau is confident thats temporary: Even if the lockdown is extended, people still need to eat, and farmers need to protect crops. Every week makes a new set of challenges. European countries shutting down their borders. India is moving to protect people.

To be sure, some materials "are becoming difficult to procure. The bigger issue for us is to have the plant operating normally because of lack of employees. Its very fluid. Some plants are operating in a [short] schedule -- only operators and only essential people. The laboratories are mostly operating from home, with only a few essential workers for safety. Computer modeling makes it easier to plan than in the past, thank God.

Of all the businesses that FMC had in 2010, why did it come down to pesticides? When I came to be CEO, I could see FMC was way too diversified. Too many small and technical businesses, right next to commodity businesses.

In less than a year we developed a vision, to build a company which would be a leader in the agriculture, health, and nutrition markets. And do something with lithium  we knew that business, so crucial to electric car and smartphone batteries and as an antidepressant, would have to be spun off from the main company.

But by 2016, Brondeau was very nervous that the initial vision might not be right. Even slimmed to three business lines, FMC was still spreading itself too thin.

After the merger mania of the late 2000s, Bayer and BASF split Monsanto between them, ChemChina bought Syngenta, and Dow Chemical and DuPont combined their pesticide and genetically-modified-organism seed units into Corteva (FMC is the only big pesticide-maker that doesnt do GMO).

We started to believe that we would be too small to compete" as a pesticide-plus-food-and-drug-additives company. Rivals had much broader food and drug lines, including the new organics.

In early 2017 the European Commission, leading the global review of the Dow-DuPont deal, worried that DuPont boss Ed Breen, a famous cost-cutter, was all too ready to shut down more research labs, threatening global progress toward less environmentally toxic bug, disease, and fungus controls.

Brondeau saw the opportunity for a swap: FMCs food and drug additives for some of DuPonts pesticide lines -- and the Delaware farm labs that DuPont threatened to shut. The opportunity was perfect. We together went to the European Commission to demonstrate FMC was the technology-based company they wanted -- the best partner." And GMO-skeptic Europe seemed predisposed to welcome GMO-free FMC.

FMC also spun out its lithium business in 2018, calling the new firm Livent Corp.

Back in Philly, the tower reinforces the FMC brand. We love the location, close to 30th Street Station and the airport rail line. "We love the visibility. When I was in Denmark or in England and Im watching the Eagles on TV and I see our big FMC, mirrored [in other Philly towers] from the top of the building, it is a great feeling.

He plans to stay here. His children are raising his grandchildren in the northern suburbs and in nearby New York. Philly is my town. I love it. I love my house. Hes had to curtail his beloved bike rides, with the coronavirus-sensitive crowds. I bought a Peloton.

Does he regret his tower lease, now that so many have learned to work from home? Any global company is already set up to work from home. It is surprisingly easy. But now I am operating on the phone seven or eight hours per day, its all right for short periods. It is not the best way to work all the time. There are things we have to get together and do manually.

Whats he leaving for Douglas to handle? Brondeau laughs. Mark is going to have an easy job. But seriously, there is not a single decision Ive made over the last five years in which Mark and [CFO] Andrew Sandifer were not strongly involved. Also central to the team were Paul Graves, now CEO at Livent, and Andrea Utecht, longtime general counsel, now retired.

The very big difference, my role over 10 years was to change a company that was highly diversified and make us the leaders in one space," he added.

Douglas was a big proponent of the 2016 decision to focus on agriculture. And now he is investing a lot of money, probably more than I would have, Brondeau says admiringly, "in precision agriculture, a data-driven approach that uses sensors and other tools to closely match farm inputs to market demand, weather, and other variables. (Brondeau is a director of Berwyn-based TE Connectivity, a global maker of industrial sensors.)

Brondeau expands on the vision, the work Douglas will build on their teams legacy: He will take this leading company in agriculture, and gain market share, in the context of a single business, which is a little bit different, no? Hes a bit younger, hes a bit smarter. I know he will spend a lot of time on technology, and expanding capacity. He is applying science, so we can do much more preemptive work in understanding what we are facing, every time the new season comes.
We are already hearing reports from unemployment officials from around the country that it will likely take weeks to stand up a new program and disburse benefits to these newly eligible workers, Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, wrote to Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia last week.

Mr. Warner urged the department to create tools, like a common online claims-processing system, so that states didnt have to create their own infrastructure.

Critics also fear that the department may be excluding workers who should be able to receive the new benefit, citing guidance on eligibility that the department issued over the weekend.

Im deeply concerned that the Trump administrations guidance to states on administering expanded unemployment insurance weakens the program, Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said in a statement on Monday. Its critical that workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own dont fall through the cracks. Congress intended for these workers to be covered.

In its guidance, the department appeared to leave out gig workers who could theoretically choose to work on any given day but have decided not to bother because so few passengers are requesting rides. It also appeared to exclude certain workers  such as older ones  who choose not to work because they are at a high risk of suffering serious health complications or dying from the coronavirus, although it indicated that those with compromised immune systems would be eligible.

And while the guidance allows the self-employed to claim benefits if they are unable to work because of child care needs while schools are closed, it implies that the benefits could expire once the school year ends.
Mizoram's lone Lok Sabha MP



Lalrosanga on Wednesday said that 400 Mizos are stranded across the country due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus and are facing severe hardships.

The state government has so far identified 400 people who are stranded in 30 states and union territories, Lalrosanga told PTI.

Most of the stranded persons are students, private firm employees, patients and their attendants, he said.

The MP said he has received many distress calls from students and people working in private firms, beauty parlours and spas.

Many stranded Mizos are fearing to step out of their houses to buy essential commodities due to fear of racist attacks, he said.

"In some places, Mizos are taunted and called coronavirus," Lalrosanga said.

He said many private firm employees have not been paid their salaries and are facing severe financial problems and food shortage but landlords are asking for rents.

The state government is making effort to provide accommodation to stranded people in Mizoram Houses, he said.

The Mizos residing in places where a Mizoram House or a Mizo welfare committee is absent are facing more troubles, Lalrosanga said.

The state government had earlier asked people from Mizoram, who are stranded in various parts of the country, to stay where they are.

A theology student in Bengaluru said his landlord has been demanding room rent despite being requested for some time as he has spent all his money and his family is unable to send money due to the lockdown.

He said the authorities of the Mizoram House in Bengaluru have told him that there were no rooms in the facility.

The student urged the Mizoram government to take steps to ensure the return of the stranded persons to their homes.

Another student, Lalhmangaiha, who lives with seven friends, said they are unable to move out of their house as people are taunting them and calling them coronavirus.

Lalfakzuali, a hotel management student in Lucknow, said he is not able to even go to the grocery shops as other people give him disdainful looks.

On the other hand, Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana told PTI that the state government has not yet evolved any plan to bring back the stranded Mizos during the lockdown.

"We are closely monitoring them but we are unable to do anything at the moment as all flight and train services have been suspended due to the lockdown," he said.

Earlier in the day, state Congress president Lalthanhawla wrote to Chief Minister Zoramthanga urging him to extend assistance to the stranded Mizos.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti falls this year on April 8. Also known by the name of Hanuman Janmotsav - it marks the birth of Lord Hanuman and celebrations begin days in advance. It usually falls on either the Chaitra month or in Vaisakha but down south in Kerala and Tami Nadu, it is celebrated in Dhanu, locally known as Margazhi.

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on different days in parts of India, depending upon various religious beliefs. However, the one which takes place during Chaitra Purnima is the most common one marked to commemorate Lord Hanuman's birthday.

Hanuman Jayanti Puja Timings:

Purnima Tithi Begins - 12:01 PM on Apr 07, 2020

Purnima Tithi Ends - 08:04 AM on Apr 08, 2020

(According to drikpanchang.com)

On Hanuman Jayanti, devotees throng temples early morning and pray to Lord Hanuman for their well-being. They offer sindoor (vermillion), sweets, flowers, coconut to the Lord and in return get the same as prasad including Ganga Jal or Holy water of Ganges.

Devotees throng Hanuman and Lord Rama temples and pray to the good Lord for his blessings and seek protection. They recite Hanuman Chalisa, bhajans and mantras for pleasing the god.

Lord Hanuman symbolises power, strength and is an ardent Lord Rama follower. His devotion towards Rama is hailed and praised in various ancient scriptures like Ramayana.

Legends associated with the birth of Lord Hanuman:

There are various legends associated with the birth of Lord Hanuman, here are the most common ones:

According to Valmiki Ramayana, Apsara Anjana prayed to Lord Shiva and set out on an intense meditation for 12 long years to get a child. After being pleased with her devotion and intense prayer, Lord Shiva granted the son to Anjana and her husband Kesari, who was the son of Brahaspati.

Kesari was the king of Sumeru. Hanuman was the son which Lord Shiva granted to Anjana and Kesari. He was born on Anjaneri mountains.

However, as per other beliefs, Hanuman is believed to be the reincarnation of Lord Shiva.

Also, there is another set of legend which says Vayuthe wind god on Lord Shiva's instruction transferred his male energy to Anjana's womb, therefore, Hanuman is also known as pawan putra Hanuman (son of wind).

As per Vishnu Purana and Nardeya Purana, the birth of Hanuman, a Vanara, is linked to how once Narada cursed Vishnu for making him look like a Vanaraape. Narada, who had sought Lord Vishnu's help to impress a princess felt humiliated a when the lord instead made him look like an ape (Narada wanted his face to look like that of the Lord) and the princess laughed at him.

After this, Narada cursed Lord Vishnu that one day he shall be dependant on a Vanara. The Lord told Narada, that he had made him look like a Vanara for his own good and made him realise that Hari in Sanskrit also means Vanara.

Hearing this Narada repented his curse but the Lord comforted him by saying that one day this curse shall act as a boon as it would lead to Lord Hanuman's birth (an avatar of Lord Shiva) who would help Lord Rama (an avatar of Lord Vishnu) in killing Ravana.

Here's wishing our readers a very Happy Hanuman Jayanti!
As the number of coronavirus cases has crossed 1,300,000 worldwide, authorities around the world are locking down countries as a preventive measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. Here are some aerial pictures from the world showing the deserted places amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Image: AP)

An aerial view shows less than usual passers-by in Tokyo, Japan, after authorities urged residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus from spreading. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows the golden Virgin statue at the top of Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace, during the lockdown in Cambrai, France. (Image: Reuters)

Almost deserted Butte Montmartre and the Sacre-Coeur Basilica can be seen in the aerial picture taken by drone during lockdown imposed in Paris, France. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view shows a closed amusement park and empty road in Tel Aviv, Israel, due to the government's measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Image: AP)

An aerial view shows the Chechen capital Grozny, Russia. The southern Russian region of Chechnya became the first to introduce a night curfew to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Image: Reuters)

An aerial view of an empty Champs de Mars near the Eiffel tower in Paris, France. (Image: Reuters)

This combination of pictures of India, created and taken on March 25, 2020, shows deserted streets in New Delhi, Mumbai, Allahabad, Chennai, Kashmir, Siliguri, Kolkata, and Bangalore during the first day of a 21-day government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Image: Getty Images)

An aerial picture of deserted Place de l'Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France on April 4. (Image: Reuters)

An image taken with a drone shows an empty aerial view of the tram and bus station "Bucheggplatz" in Zurich, Switzerland as the country has registered over 22,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 pandemic and at least 780 deaths. (Image: AP)

An aerial view of the city and Suleymaniye Mosque during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey. (Image: Reuters)

A taxi park full of parked cars due to lack of orders is viewed from a drone taken on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia after when the President Vladimir Putin ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of the month as a part of a partial economic shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Image: AP)
Reflecting the sobering context for the campaign, the first direct exchange between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden this week was not a public clash but a private phone call: The two spoke briefly on Monday to discuss the outbreak, afterward sharing details only sparingly. Mr. Trump on Monday said it had been a very nice conversation, in which Mr. Biden had shared a number of policy recommendations for dealing with the virus.

He had suggestions, the president said, adding, doesnt mean I agree with those suggestions.

Mr. Bidens account was not much richer, and in a CNN interview on Tuesday night he indicated that he and Mr. Trump had agreed to keep most details of their conversation confidential. I laid out four or five specific points that I thought were necessary, Mr. Biden said.

The moment of mutual graciousness is unlikely to last very long: Mr. Trump has routinely attacked Mr. Biden in harshly personal terms, and he has sought to defend his own management of the outbreak by criticizing aspects of the Obama administrations public-health record, often in incomplete or misleading terms. He appears likely to try to blame the worst of the pandemic on international forces  like the Chinese government and the World Health Organization  and on the Democratic governors who have accused federal agencies of letting down their hard-hit states.

Even on Wednesday, with the pandemic raging, Mr. Trump sought in unsubtle ways to stoke divisions on the Democratic side, suggesting that the party establishment had thwarted Mr. Sanders and speculating that some liberals, like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, might not support Mr. Biden in the general election, though she has repeatedly said she would do so. It was plain from Mr. Trumps comments that he is counting on Democrats to be as divided as they were in 2016, when Mr. Sanders battled Hillary Clinton for the nomination.
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.
Syrian troops, residents block another US convoy in Hasakah, force it to retreat

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 12:47 PM

Another US military convoy has been forced to retreat from an area in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah after local residents, in coordination with government forces, prevented the foreign forces from passing through the community.

Local sources, requesting not to be named, reported that a US convoy of five armored vehicles was forced to turn around and head back in the direction it came from on Tuesday afternoon after locals of the village of Hamu and Syrian troops blocked the road and prevented its movement. No injuries were reported.

On March 27, Syrian army soldiers and angry local residents had forced a US military convoy to retreat from the same village.

Two days earlier, a US military convoy was forced to retreat from an area in the same Syrian province after government forces blocked its way and groups of local residents, upset with their presence in the region, threw stones at the American troops.

SANA reported at the time that Syrian army soldiers stopped the American convoy, consisting of 11 armored vehicles, as it tried to make its way through the village of Hamu in the al-Qamishli countryside of Hasakah province.

Locals then threw stones at the American convoy and forced them to retreat.

On March 8, government forces blocked a US military convoy of seven vehicles near the village of Kuzelia, which lies west of Tal Tamr town in the same Syrian province.

Local residents then pelted the American convoy with stones and cursed at the soldiers, forcing them to turn around and find another route.

Locals at Rumailan al-Basha village in the same Syrian region had hurled stones at US troops as their convoy sought to drive through the area two days earlier.

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Amy Schumer has been sued for posting two paparazzi photos of herself on her Instagram page to promote her store's $30 sweater, according to a new lawsuit obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.

Photographer Felipe Ramales filed a copyright infringement suit against the comedienne in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, claiming Schumer posted the images without licensing them from him.

Back in November, the 38-year-old posted Ramales' photos of her pushing her son Gene in a stroller while wearing a grey sweater that read: 'Plus Size Brain,' telling fans the sweater was available for $30 on her online store.

Ramales is demanding a trial by jury and wants the Hollywood star to foot his legal bill and pay him $150,000 for each photo she posted.

Amy Schumer has been sued for posting two paparazzi photos of herself on her Instagram page to promote her store's $30 sweater, according to a new lawsuit obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. Pictured: The photo Schumer posted on her Instagram, which is included in court documents

Back in November, the 38-year-old posted Ramales' photos of her pushing her son Gene in a stroller while wearing a grey sweater that read: 'Plus Size Brain,' telling fans the sweater was available for $30 on her online store

Photographer Felipe Ramales filed a copyright infringement suit against the comedienne in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, claiming Schumer posted the images without licensing them from him

Ramales details in his suit how he captured the photo of Schumer outside of her New York City home, saying he went on to copyright the image.

Schumer had posted two of Ramales' images on her page on November 29, captioning it: 'If you want your own #plussizebrain sweatshirt go to amyschumer.com store! Soooo comfy.'

The suit reads: 'As a direct and proximate cause of the infringement by the Defendants of Plaintiffs copyright and exclusive rights under copyright, Plaintiff is entitled to damages and Defendants profits pursuant... for the infringement.

'Alternatively, Plaintiff is entitled to statutory damages up to $150,000 per work infringed for Defendants willful infringement of the Photographs.'

Meanwhile, Schumer is self-isolating in New York City with her husband Chris Fischer and her 11-month-old son Gene.

The family has been staying safe at home and going on regular walks with their dog Tati, who joined the family in 2017.

Ramales is demanding a trial by jury and wants the Hollywood star to foot his legal bill and pay him $150,000 for each photo she posted . Pictured: The photos Schumer posted included in court documents

Meanwhile, Schumer is self-isolating in New York City with her husband Chris Fischer and her 11-month-old son Gene. The family has been staying safe at home, besides from their regular walks with their dog Tati, who joined the family in 2017

They made a very special stop during a recent stroll, dropping by to visit Amy's dad Gordon - but from a safe distance.

Amy shared images of her family making a visit to her dad at his nursing home in New York City, where he gets care for his multiple sclerosis.

They kept a safe social distance from her dad, who is immunocompromised, waving from the sidewalk with a sign that read 'Hi Grandpa! We love you!'

Schumer and her husband tied the knot in Malibu, California in 2018 and welcomed Gene the year after.

Schumer revealed in January that she is eager to give her little boy a sibling and is undergoing IVF treatments.

They made a very special stop during a recent stroll, dropping by to visit Amy's dad Gordon - but from a safe distance. Amy shared images of her family making a visit to her dad at his nursing home in New York City, where he gets care for his multiple sclerosis (pictured)

She shared a photo of herself at the doctor's office to her Instagram and explained in the caption: 'We are gonna freeze embryos hopefully.'

On Valentine's Day, she gave her fans an update.

'They retrieved 35 eggs from me. Not bad for the old gal right? Then 26 fertilized! Whoah right? For all of those we got 1 normal embryo,' Schumer wrote alongside a selfie.

'We feel lucky we got 1. But what a drop off right?' she added.
A total of 808 Tablighi Jamaat workers have been placed under mandatory quarantine in Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Wednesday, as he asserted his government was working "beyond its strength" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

More than 1,300 people from the state had attended the congregation of the jamaat in Delhi last month and information regarding all of them had been collected, he said in an interview to PTI.

Tablighi-Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country with several people who attended it and their contacts testing positive for coronavirus.

"...276 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have been identified in Bengaluru and have been kept in quarantine...482 Jamaat workers have been identified in different parts of Karnataka; total 808 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have mandatorily been kept in quarantine in the state" Yediyurappa said.

He said 581 other jamaat workers now in other states have been identified and the respective states informed about them.

Besides, as many as 57 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonging to foreign countries have travelled to various parts of Karnataka such as Bidar, Belagavi, Tumakuru and Bengaluru, they have been identified and quarantined, he added.

FIRs have been registered against them with a direction to blacklist them for violating visa norms, he said.

"Twenty are from Indonesia, one the United Kingdom, four from South Africa, three from Gambia, 19 from Kyrgyzstan, one USA, one France, one Kenya and seven from Bangladesh," he said.

The Chief Minister reiterated that no one should target any particular community for the spread of virus.

READ | COVID-19: Legislators In Karnataka To Face 30% Salary Cut, Announces CM Yediyurappa

"No one should do it (blame), we are taking actions against certain people, booking cases (against those evading tests and spreading virus), unnecessarily making such comments will lead to relationship getting spoiled, don't give opportunity to it. This is my request," he said.

Yediyurappa was responding to comments by certain sections, including his party members, targeting a particular community, despite his warning that action would be taken against those blaming an entire community for isolated incidents.

Stating that his government was working beyond its strength to stop the spread of COVID-19in the state, the Chief Minister said, We have taken strong measures to implement the lockdown.

"We have seized 28,000 vehicles in the state, in Bengaluru alone 18,000 vehicles, 1,670 people were arrested, 1091 FIR has been booked, Rs 40 lakh fine has been collected," he said.

Regarding medical equipment, he said, whether it is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kits or N95 masks or triple layer masks or rapid COVID-19 test kits, we have given orders for it, we have sufficient stock also.

Highlighting measures taken by his government for poor, daily wage workers and needy like supply of food and food grains, deposits into bank accounts of construction labourers among other things, Yediyurappa said, many big organisations, NGOs and industrialists have come forward to help.

Asked whether there was fear of COVID-19 entering third stage (community transmission), he said, "we are discussing with experts... as of now it is under control in our state, but most experts believe that it may increase in April end and May first week. We are keeping watch."

He also said things were not completely in government's hand and people should cooperate by maintaining social distance and staying at home. "This is the only medicine," he added.

READ | Karnataka CM Condoles Tragic Demise Of 'Gangamma' Who Walked 200 Km During Covid Lockdown

READ | Public Celebration Of Karaga Festival Prohibited Amid Covid; Karnataka DCP Issues Warning
To ensure academic work does not get disrupted due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the Haryana government has decided that students from classes I to XII studying in government schools will be taught through various e-learning platforms till the situation comes back to normal.

Till the time schools reopen, students will be taught through various e-learning platforms, Minister Kanwar Pal said on Wednesday.

He said that the new academic session generally starts from April 1 every year, but it could not be done this year due to the nationwide lockdown.

He said the department has also created a website www.haryanaedusat.com to help the students in e-learning, according to an official release here.

Audio/video material uploaded on the Haryana EDUSAT network has also been made available on the portal, the minister added.

A general time table of studies have been prepared which will be available on the website.

Apart from this, teachers will teach the students every day from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm through various e-learning platforms that will help the students continue with their studies even when they are at home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)




For a lot of COVID-19 patients, the symptoms of illnesses start mild. Typically, on the first to the second day of infection, a COVID-19 patient may experience dry cough, shortness of breath, fever, fatigue, and muscle soreness, says an article.

If symptoms from the illness get worst, it will typically do so within 5 to 10 days.

On average, COVID-19 patients in Wenzhou and Wuhan, China, who were admitted to hospitals, went to seek medical assistance from hospitals after a week of experiencing the symptoms of the illness. After three days, patients with critical cases of the disease were sent to the Intensive Care Unit after three days of being admitted to the hospital.

The First Week of SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Critical

According to this research in China, doctors believe that the first week of getting infected with the novel coronavirus is critical. It helps determine the severity of the COVID-19 case.

According to Megan Coffee, an infectious disease clinician from New York, it is observed that there are a lot of patients with COVID-19 who sheds the virus in five to seven days. This is mainly seen in people who did not have severe cases of the illness. Typically, there is some control of the novel coronavirus on an infected person during their first week of getting it, she added.

What Does Shortness of Breath Indicate?

In severe cases of COVID-19, respiratory failure often occur. This occurs when blood does not receive sufficient oxygen. One way how doctors identify these severe cases is by determining if the patient is experiencing shortness of breath.

In recent research of 85 COVID-19 deaths in Wuhan, it was found that the early onset of shortness of breath after getting infected can be a sign of a severe case of the disease, Many patients in the study lost their lives from respiratory failure. Two-thirds of the patients needed machines to help them breathe.

However, there is still a low chance that all of the COVID-19 patients will immediately experience difficulties in breathing after the initial days of the infection.

Check these out:

Is There a Natural Way to Get Immunity from COVID-19?

Proper Handling of Face Masks is Advised as the Coronavirus Can Thrive on Face Masks for 7 Days

Certified Recovered: Potential Army Against COVID-19

Doctors Warn Against Ignoring These Mild COVID-19 Symptoms



According to Coffee, shortness of breath is usually experienced by COVID-19 patients on the fifth, eighth, or tenth day of getting infected with the novel coronavirus.

When Do I Need to Go to the Hospital?

However, not all patient who experiences shortness of breath needs to visit the hospital says Coffee. She said that a patient could observe certain signs to determine if they need to seek immediate medical attention.

Usually, Coffee tells people if they are experiencing shortness of breath, and it is difficult for them to speak a full sentence, walk a flight of stairs or walk across a room, then these are signs that they are experiencing a severe version of shortness of breath.

People who are having difficulties inhaling and exhaling should visit the emergency room, says Coffee. However, patients with symptoms getting worse should discuss their case with a doctor.
Shareholder's visit the Geico display that the 2015 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder's Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 2, 2015.

Geico, part of billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, said on Tuesday it will offer about $2.5 billion of credits to its 19 million auto and motorcycle policyholders, reflecting the decline in driving stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

The insurer said it will offer a 15% credit on policies up for renewal between April 8 and Oct. 7, averaging about $150 per auto policy and $30 per motorcycle policy.

Geico said it has about 18 million auto customers and 1 million motorcycle customers.

The announcement came one day after Allstate said it would return more than $600 million to policyholders, mostly through a "payback" of 15% of premiums for April and May on about 18 million policies.

Many Americans are driving less because of stay-at-home orders aimed at curbing the pandemic.

Geico said vehicle accidents are down considerably, though it expects a return to near-normal levels as the pandemic subsides.

"The ongoing crisis has widespread effects that will linger," Geico Chief Executive Todd Combs said in a statement. "Our customers have been loyal, and we are committed to doing all we can to help them."

State Farm and Progressive are also reviewing their premium practices in light of the decline in driving.

Geico earned $35.57 billion of premiums in 2019, and paid out $28.94 billion, or 81.3%, to cover loss claims.

Pre-tax underwriting gains totaled $1.51 billion, after accounting for underwriting expenses.

Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, has owned all of Geico since 1996.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) are calling for the medical card prescription levy to be suspended for the duration of the crisis.

Age Action say people who are advised to cocoon are turning up in pharmacies to pay for medicines.
John Mahama was Ghanas worse nightmare and this fact is unimpeachable.



His ordinariness as a leader marked the darkest point in our political history, at least since the 4th Republican Constitution was inducted into the system.



As a leader, Ghana suffered dumsor, the worse form of erratic power supply in our history. The economy was on its knees and auto-pilot as this man and his team of incompetent lots sat on the fence while dumsor scourged businesses, industries and homes.



Even at exorbitantly cutthroat price points, people could not access power to buy to keep their businesses afloat.



COVID-19 is unleashing its venomous fire on the world, including Ghana. We have had to lock down cities to keep the citizens safe from the virus.



Mitigative measures have been rolled out by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as we continue our battle against this seemingly insuperable enemy.



We woke up to read Mahama saying Akufo-Addo should rather absorb electricity costs and remove the CST tax on calls and data usage as that would have far-reaching impacts on the citizenry than the water he has absorbed.



You see his populist rhetoric and devilish agenda? Does he know how much it would cost the nation if we were to do this at this time?



For someone whose incompetence forced him to hand over the keys to the running of the economy over to the IMF, who in his sane mind would take advice from him? He knows nothing about these matters.



If it becomes necessary for the Akufo-Addo administration to announce more lenitive measures, it would not take Mahama or any of his empty-headed lieutenants to tell him.



Akufo-Addo is the President of the land and he knows what to do. He would not pick an advice from a brothel on morality. Mahama has nothing better to advise on in these trying times. He should keep his uninformed opinions to himself, for we have a ship to steer away from this stormy weather.

Source: P.K. Sarpong









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Tiger King is reigning in the ratings department.

The Netflix sensation was watched by 34.4 million unique viewers in its first 10 days of release, according to Deadline, citing Nielsen.

This means the series surpassed the numbers of another hit Netflix series, Stranger Things 2, which was seen by 31.2 million viewers in its first 10 days of release back in 2017.

The cat's meow! Tiger King was watched by 34.4 million unique viewers in its first 10 days of release, according to Deadline

It follows close behind numbers for Stranger Things 3, which reached 36.3 million in its first 10 days.

Tiger King reached an average minute audience of nearly 2.4 million U.S. TV viewers during its premiere weekend of March 20-23.

The new numbers may come as little surprise, considering Tiger King was released as many were ordered to remain at home in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.

With a cast of larger-than-life personalities and an even more unreal plot line, it's no wonder the true crime show captivated the nation.

Supernatural hit: This means the series surpassed the numbers of another hit Netflix series, Stranger Things 2, which was seen by 31.2 million viewers in its first 10 days of release back in 2017

Tiger King tells the real-life story of a zoo owner called Joe Exotic, who spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.

At the heart of the series lies Joe's rivalry with animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who was accused by Joe of killing her missing multi-millionaire husband, Don Lewis.

Don went missing in 1997 and despite being declared dead, a body has never been found.

Stranger than fiction: Tiger King tells the real-life story of a zoo owner called Joe Exotic, who spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding

This led to Carole being accused of her husband's murder by rival animal owner Joe Exotic, though she has always protested her innocence.

She said she Don either fled to Costa Rica, or he thrown off a plane over the Gulf Of Mexico. His car was recovered at an airfield in Pasco County.

Detectives have said there was no way one of Don's private planes could have held enough fuel to take him all the way to Costa Rica, after Carole said he would often fly below the radar because he had lost his pilot's licence.

Imprisoned: Joe is now serving 22 years for 17 counts of animal abuse and a murder-for-hire plot of his arch-nemesis Carole

Carole has since married second husband Howard, and she addressed claims made by Joe Exotic that she could have killed her husband and fed to him her tigers.

She has never been charged with any crime, and maintained her innocence when she was questioned about her missing husband on the docu-series.

Joe is now serving 22 years for 17 counts of animal abuse and a murder-for-hire plot of his arch-nemesis Carole.
In one global wave, fears of the novel coronavirus have swept more than 1.5 billion children out of school. A new study of nearly 100 countries responses to the pandemic suggests the United States can take a lesson, particularly from the early-exposed Asian countries, on how schools can help their students and families weather what may be weeks or months away from their classrooms.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development surveyed 330 education officials and leaders in 98 countries who have been dealing with the virus which causes the deadly respiratory infection COVID-19.

It was something of a discovery for me that most respondents rated [as of critical concern] not just the importance of academic development of students, but of student well-being and the development of social-emotional skillsbecause in a way we have seen the opposite, said Andreas Schleicher, the OECDs director for education and skills. Weve dramatically reduced curriculum time. People are trying to focus on what is most relevant to exams, you know, math, science, and so on. Thats whats happening in reality.

Many people portray online learning is as something that doesnt involve a school necessarily. They say its an interaction between computers and the learner, Schleicher said, but I think when you read this, what comes up very clearly is that learning is a relational experience and not just a transactional experience. ... Its the social fabric that underpins learning and schooling.

The country that was first in this, China, got 50 million learners online within a month, but also took great care to keep the personal relationships between teachers and learners, Schleicher said. Teachers just know a lot about how students learn and who they areand once you lose that information, everything gets a little harder, particularly in primary school.

Some of the countries that have responded the quickest and most comprehensively, such as Singapore and South Korea, were among the same countries that regularly top international benchmarking tests, OECD found. I think what makes these countries different is also that they were able to very quickly mobilize the teachers ready to do things differently, not just do what theyve always done with a computer, Schleicher said. So they were very, very quickly able to mobilize a large proportion of the teachers for revamping the instructional system. This didnt come from government or from industry in China or [South] Korea. That was mainly a product of teacher professional collaboration and collaboration across schools. ... I think we [in Western countries] have had a much harder time to get teachers on board, to get school systems on board.

In the United States and in Europe, by contrast, the OECD found very few countries so far have reported being able to provide teachers with systemic professional development to provide remote learning for students at home. Finland opened a national library of open educational resources, which includes archives from the countrys libraries and museums, but few others reported having many centralized resources for teachers.

Some countries, like some U.S. states , relied on public television stations to broadcast daily programs focused on some subjects and grades.

Education leaders working to keep students learning during the school closures could take some lessons from other countries. The report recommended, among other things:



Get ahead of the curve. Education leaders should plan for how they would deal with six months or a year of closures, not just cope until the next school reopening. For example, Singapore kept one day a week of remote schooling after in-person classes resumed, which has helped ease the transition when some schools had to close again due to a second wave of virus outbreaks.

Start interventions early. Countries should expect COVID-19 closures will have similar or worse effects than traditional summer learning lossequal to losing two months of learning or more, OECD warned. Districts should start focusing educational interventions early on the students most likely to see achievement gaps.

Districts should work in partnership with public health agencies and amplify their messages of hygiene, social distancing, and other methods of mitigating virus outbreaks in the community.

Support extensive teacher professional development and collaboration time, so that teachers across grades and schools can share ideas and best practices.

Remember mental health needs. Education leaders should incorporate supports for students and teachers mental health and engagement into their formal learning plans, rather than leaving them to informal concerns.

Photos: Top: A student disinfects her hands at the entrance of an elementary school in Osaka, Japan amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Source: Kyodo via AP Images

Above: A female student uses her digital tablet to study at home in the Netherlands. The Dutch government has ordered all schools to be closed until further notice in attempt to control the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease associated with the new coronavirus. Students are to laptops, digital tablets, or mobile phones to study at home. SOurce: Robin Utrecht for SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP Images
Experts warn that grandstanding will make it harder to defend against real threats.DANIEL SILLIMANChristianity todayAPRIL 07, 2020Ninety-three percent of Protestant churches are closed in America, for fear of spreading COVID-19. Religious liberty advocates are worried about the other seven percent.The few churches touting First Amendment freedom while defying emergency stay-at-home orders may do lasting damage to the arguments for religious liberty, according to experts like Luke Goodrich, senior counsel with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.We have to be able to distinguish between real threats and mere shadows, Goodrich said. Stoking conflict and grandstanding about things that arent real threats isnt helpful. Its like crying wolf. It deadens society to the real religious conflicts that are at hand.Goodrich has a robust view of religious liberty. He believes that even unpopular minorities should be allowed to practice their faith free from government intrusion and has made the argument successfully to the Supreme Court in some of the most important cases of the last few years. Goodrich defended a religious prisoners right to grow a beard, a religious schools right to fire a sick teacher, and a religious companys right not to provide its employees with insurance that covers some forms of birth control.But he doesnt see the argument for churches right to hold worship services in a pandemic.Legally, the issues are not that complex, Goodrich said. Every constitutional right has limits, and the right of religious freedom doesnt mean you can harm your neighbors.The law varies from state to state, but even the strongest protections of religious practice allow for some restrictions. If the government isnt targeting religious groups, has a legitimate reason for the law, and doesnt impose a heavier burden than it has to, then it can restrict peoples right to practice their faith.Stopping a pandemic is a clear government interest, and public officials around the globe have warned that churches can be hot spots for the spread of COVID-19. Major outbreaks in South Korea and France have been traced back to church meetings. And in the United States, theyve been linked to a choir practice in Washington state, a Pentecostal church in California, and church funerals in Georgia.Unsympathetic facesCurrently, 45 states have instituted stay-at-home, safer-at-home, and shelter-in-place orders, which ban large gatherings of people. Some exempt religious gatherings, but most do not. The majority of white evangelicals support this. The American Enterprise Institute found that 72 percentalong with 71 percent of Hispanic Catholics, 74 percent of black Protestants, 76 percent of white Catholics, and 80 percent of white mainline Protestantsdont think there should be religious exemptions to the emergency public health orders.And most of the people who dont think religious organizations should be required to close their doors are still willing to do it voluntarily. A LifeWay Christian Resources Survey found that by March 29, all but 7 percent of Protestant churches had stopped in-person meetings.The minority who disagree, however, are loud. Theyre good at grabbing attention. And theyre claiming religious liberty arguments as their own.A Oneness Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana defied the states ban on large gatherings and said, We hold our religious rights dear, and we are going to assemble no matter what someone says.Three churches in Texas filed a lawsuit alleging a county order banning large gatherings is unconstitutional. The circumstances presented by coronavirus do not excuse unlawful government infringements upon freedom, the lawsuit states. The free exercise of religion cannot be taken lightly and should not be sacrificed at the altar of political expediency.In Florida, a pastor of a charismatic church was arrested for holding services that allegedly violated a county stay-at-home order. Rodney Howard-Browne, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and a revivalist known for promoting uncontrolled laugher as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit, is fighting the misdemeanor charges in court and filing a federal lawsuit claiming the arrest was a violation of his religious liberty.If these people become the face of the argument for religious liberty, that could change public perception of the legitimacy of legal protections for religious practice, said John Inazu, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.To put an unsympathetic plaintiff at the forefront of a case, it shifts the cultural and national debate, said Inazu, who wrote an academic book on the right of assembly. This will represent Christianity for many, many people. Most people arent going to be able to say, Thats just one guy in Florida. Theyll say, Thats what Christians do. They prioritize their own gatherings instead of loving their neighbors.Essential argumentWhether theyre sympathetic public figures or not, though, these churches think they do have a legal argument.Jared Woodfill, the attorney suing on behalf of three Texas churches, said the stay-at-home orders set a dangerous precedent: If the government can shut down churches because of the coronavirus, whats to say it wont shut down churches during flu season?Mat Staver, who co-founded Liberty Counsel with his wife Anita Staver and is representing Howard-Browne in Florida, shared Woodfills concern. He points out that the stay-at-home orders include lots of exemptions for essential services. In different states, these can include hardware stores, abortion providers, and marijuana dispensaries. Who gave the government this power to decide whats essential?They shut the churches and leave open the hardware store, where people can buy potted plants and hoses, he said. Those are essential, but a church that functions beyond its walls and cant be contained in an online service isnt essential? Thats a problem. When literally one person, a governor or a county commissioner, can shut down a church by just using the word essential, thats a problem.Staver argues that Howard-Brownes church actually didnt violate the stay-at-home order, but followed all the precautionary measures put in place by the county, setting up hand-sanitization stations and moving chairs so people wouldnt sit next to each other. But Staver says even if the church did break the public health order, it was unconstitutional.The county could have exempted churches from the ban. Some states have done that. Some counties in Florida have too. That means there were less restrictive means to accomplish the legitimate aim of lessening the impact of a pandemic, Staver said, and that means the rule was a violation of religious liberty.Theres definitely a precedent we should be worried about, he said.Public witnessPeople who are normally very concerned about religious liberty are unpersuaded by these arguments, however. They dont think the responses to the pandemic are setting a precedent for future restrictions, or represent a dramatic expansion of government power.Travis Wussow, vice president for public policy at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that even if some public officials have been more aggressive than they needed to be or made seemingly sweeping statements about the power to shut down churches, this isnt cause for concern.These are extraordinary times, Wussow said. Everybody in this country is trying to figure outin their own way and in good faithhow to make it through this crisis.And a governments error in judgment can be corrected in the courts. A churchs error, on the other hand, can do lasting damage to Christianitys public witness.As a Christian, I am concerned when people of faith are seen as being more about power and publicity than loving their neighbors, Goodrich said. It can harden people against the gospel.The churches defying stay-at-home orders are outliers. But in the end, that may not matter, because the arguments they are making dont sound different than the arguments in other high-profile religious liberty cases. And the Christians in these cases are hard to distinguish from the other 93 percent.
The US and China are increasing imports of tra fish from Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), exports of the fish in the first half of March to the US increased by 18.8 per cent year-on-year.

Exports to China were worth nearly 13 million USD, 1 million USD up month-on-month.

Some businesses believe that exports to China would increase sharply in the coming months.

But exports to some other major markets like the EU, ASEAN, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Australia decreased from the same period last year.

Shipments to ASEAN member countries fell by 25.2 percent, to the EU by 47.3 percent, and to Mexico by 57.5 percent.

The pandemic is greatly affecting the EU where a lockdown is making goods transport and forwarding difficult.

But the high demand for seafood, including tra, in the market means exports would recover, VASEP forecast.

But it said in April exports would continue to decrease due to the cargo transport problems.
One of the six pillars of the Chester County Historic Courthouse on North High Street will shine in blue light on January nights beginning Tuesday evening in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Italy and Spain accuse northern European countries of not doing enough to help in economic crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed deep divides in Europe, with EU member states arguing over how to tackle the economic fallout.

Italy and Spain have accused northern nations - led by Germany and the Netherlands - of not doing enough. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has even warned that if the EU fails to come up with an ambitious plan to help member states saddled with debt by the fight against coronavirus, the bloc could "fall apart".

EU Council and Commission chiefs released a statement on Monday that said a "strong package is in the making". Eurozone finance ministers will hold a teleconference later on Tuesday.

But a similar meeting two weeks ago bore little fruit. As a result, leaders sent their finance ministers back to the drawing board.

Italy, Spain, France and some other EU states want to share out coronavirus-incurred debt in the form of "coronabonds" (or eurobonds) - mutualised debt that all EU nations help pay off.

Some from these hard-hit nations have been angered by a perceived indifference from other EU states.

Wealthier countries like Germany are not yet digging deeper into their pockets to help out poorer nations like Italy and Spain.

Italy's agony

Italy remains the epicentre of the crisis in Europe, with the highest death toll - more than 16,500; next comes Spain, with nearly 14,000 deaths, Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Even before the economic damage of this crisis, Italy's public debt was 133% of its GDP (total output), or about $2.3tn (2tn) - the highest in the eurozone after Greece.

Germany wants to set up an EU rescue fund and lend using mechanisms set up during the financial crisis of a decade ago.

This week, a group of Italian mayors and other politicians bought a page in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper to remind Germany that it was never made to pay back its debts after World War Two.

Public opinion has also been shifting in Germany.

Economists, politicians and commentators who once railed against mutualising eurozone debt to bail out Greece amid the last financial crisis are calling for exactly that to help Southern Europe deal with the coronavirus.

Even the German tabloid Bild, that led the anti-Greece charge 10 years ago, is now calling for so-called coronabonds. The situation today is more like a natural disaster then a crisis sparked by risky lending, they argue.

For years some economists have urged the eurozone to issue common bonds, to address the structural fragility that the euro crisis exposed. But others, mainly in northern Europe, argue that taxpayers in wealthier countries should not have to bail out countries whose politicians were fiscally irresponsible.

Agreement emerging

Finance ministers are likely to converge on three ways to prop up the economy - use of the 410bn ($443bn; 360bn) European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund; the European Investment Fund and a European Commission scheme called SURE, a new 100bn fund to help workers and businesses hit by the crisis.

There is an agreement emerging on the first three options, but that is not enough, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told journalists ahead of Tuesdays meeting.

Mr Le Maire wants a fund worth several hundred billion euros in joint borrowing to finance economic recovery.

But Austria, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands have refused to back joint borrowing, anxious that they could be liable for repaying the debts of member states in the south.

The EU will probably agree on economic support through the usual channels, not through new coronabonds.

"There is a lot of room for solidarity within the existing instruments and institutions," read a statement from EU Council and Commission chiefs on Monday.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel recommended using the ESM in this crisis, and also praised the European Central Bank (ECB) for launching 750bn in bond purchases to calm the sovereign debt markets.

A dramatic loss of confidence in southern European sovereign debt - especially that of Greece - threw the eurozone into crisis in 2010, and led to multiple bailouts, at huge cost to taxpayers. BBC
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: The wet markets, such as the Huanan Seafood Market in China's virus-hit Wuhan city, are an important "risk factor" for disease spread, the UN biodiversity chief has said as she called for scaling up stricter controls on the sale and consumption of wild species globally.

Wild animals sold in the Huanan Seafood Market are believed to be the source of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 82,000 lives worldwide so far.

The Huanan market was closed after the virus outbreak in China in December last year.

"Live animal markets (also known as 'wet markets' in parts of Asia, such as the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan China, in which live fish, meat and wild animals are sold) are an important risk factor for disease spread as is the global wildlife trade," Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Elizabeth Maruma Mrema said on the occasion of World Health Day on Tuesday.

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She said measures taken by countries to reduce the number of live animals in food markets have the potential to significantly reduce the risk of future disease outbreaks and stricter controls on the sale and consumption of wild species must be scaled up globally."

Mrema noted that these markets also sustain the livelihoods of millions of people and many others rely on wild meat as a critical source of food security and nutrition, including in low-income rural areas.

Further, a ban of the trade, farming and consumption of wild species or a "clamp-down" of wet markets, does not, altogether eliminate the risk of future zoonotic spillover, and may even, under some conditions, generate new opportunities for diseases to emerge, she said.

She pointed out that a blanket ban may inadvertently increase the risk of illegal trade of species used as food and medicine, particularly among some communities that may attach strong cultural and societal referents to some wild species used and traded as foods, medicines, or for other purposes.

Approximately two-thirds of known human infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning diseases that normally exist in animals but that can infect humans and so can be transmitted from animals to humans.

ALSO READ | 'China-centric': Donald Trump announces putting hold on WHO funding amid COVID-19 pandemic

Mrema stressed that there is a rapidly emerging body of scientific evidence to suggest that COVID-19, like several other strains of coronavirus, including MERS and SARS, is likely to have a zoonotic origin, which means it originated in an animal host before spilling over to human populations.

Once spillover occurs, some coronaviruses, such as COVID-19, are then transmitted from person to person.

"Our globalized, increasingly interconnected world makes them more likely to spread faster and farther, increasing their pandemic potential," she said.

The official underscored that lessons learned from COVID-19 and other epidemics also point to the need for concerted action supported by a long-term vision; "one that enables us to fundamentally transform our collective understanding of, and relationship with, the natural world, to prevent, insofar as possible, future pandemic outbreaks."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric was asked during the daily press briefing about the increasing call by experts, including by US government's top infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci, for wet markets in China and similar wildlife markets to be closed.

"I think these are medical questions that should be addressed by the medical community.

It is clear that we should take whatever public health measures we can take in order to help stop the spread of the virus, whether it's this one or others," Dujarric said "It is very important that we do whatever we can to stop the spread of the virus and future zoonotic spillovers," he added.

Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said on Fox & Friends' last week that China and other nations should be pressured to shut down the "wet markets".

"(They) should shut down those things right away. It just boggles my mind that when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface that we don't just shut it down," Fauci said.

Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development.
Hal Willner, a music producer and longtime Saturday Night Live music supervisor, has died. He was 64. Blake Zidell, a representative for Willner, said the producer died Tuesday. Zidell said Willner had symptoms consistent with those caused by the coronavirus, but he had not been diagnosed with the virus.

Willner had selected music for skits on Saturday Night Live since 1980. He produced albums for Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed and Marianne Faithfull, who is currently being treated for the coronavirus in a London hospital.

Willner is also known for curating a host of tribute albums starting off with Amarcord Nino Rota in 1981. Hes had tribute projects dedicated to Thelonious Monk and music for Disney films. He recruited a variety of music artists for tribute projects including Sting, Keith Richards and Ringo Starr.

Willner produced a live tribute concert in New York for Tim Buckley in 1991. The concert helped launch the career of Buckleys son, Jeff, who performed at the event.

A day before, Jaws actor Lee Fierro died at age 91 due to health complications caused by coronavirus. According to Fox News, the death of the actor was confirmed by her friends to the local news portal Marthas Vineyard Times.

The one word I would think of when I think of Lee is dedication. Ive watched her as a performer, director and businesswoman and then we became friends, Fox News quoted artistic director Kevin Ryan as saying.

Also read: Miss England Bhasha Mukherjee returns to work as doctor as Covid-19 pandemic worsens in UK

She was my teacher and mentor. I would still call Lee for artistic discussion and commentary... She was fiercely dedicated to the mission of teaching. She, no matter what it was, would stay at it and get the job done, Ryan added.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fierro spent over 25 years as an artistic director at the Island Theatre Workshop Marthas Vineyard besides playing a role in Steven Spielbergs Jaws. The veteran actor is survived by five children, said The Hollywood Reporter.

(With ANI inputs)

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Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the Tablighi Jamaat members who had failed to report to the authorities in the state would now be booked under law, as the deadline for them to identify themselves came to an end.

He said the members, who attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi against the social distancing protocol amid the coronavirus outbreak, will now be booked for attempt to murder.

Vij, who is also the health minister of the state, has maintained that a sharp spike in the total number of COVID-19 cases in Haryana was due to the sizeable chunk of positive cases belonging to the Jamaat members.

With 11 fresh cases being reported, the total number of coronavirus cases in the northern state rose to 141 on Wednesday.

Vij said so far, nearly 1,550 of the Jamaat members, including 107 foreigners, have been tracked down in the state.

A majority of those who entered the state before the lockdown had been traced to Nuh district, he said.

Jamaat members who may still be hiding in the state had been given time till 5 pm on April 8 to report to the district administration concerned, failing which strict action will be initiated against them as per law, the minister had said.

Vij said on Wednesday, The deadline given to them has ended. Those who will be tracked down now and found COVID positive will be booked under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder).

He justified invoking of stringent punishment against the members, as he said coronavirus was highly contagious and fatal disease and someone who deliberately conceals it even after being given enough time deserves to be strictly dealt with.

Asked if the state planned to give any relaxation to public movement in case the lockdown is extended beyond April 14, the minister said, We will assess (the situation). We will soon conduct random COVID-19 tests in every district, and based on the report of these tests, will be able to take any decision.

Random tests will be conducted to check instances of community spread of the disease, he said.

Among the fresh cases reported on Wednesday, seven were reported from Faridabad, one from Nuh and two from Palwal, while Fatehabad district reported its first case, according to the state health department's evening bulletin.

At present, there are 122 active COVID-19 cases in the state, while 17 patients have been discharged. The state has recorded two COVID-19 related deaths. Reports of 558 samples are awaited, it said.

Among the total coronavirus cases reported in Haryana, 10 are foreign nationals, including six Sri Lankans, and one each from Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa; while 51 are from other states, as per the state health department bulletin.

The worst affected districts of the state are Nuh (38 cases), Palwal (28), Faridabad (28) and Gurgaon (20).

In Nuh, which has emerged as a hotspot, health teams will be going to each house to check if anyone has symptoms, Vij said.

Meanwhile, 3,817 jail inmates have been released on interim or regular bail, parole or extended parole after the state government decided to release convicted prisoners with up to seven years of sentences and undertrials liable to get as long jail terms on conviction.

Foreign prisoners, however, are not included in this.

Also, the prisoners convicted in cases like drug, rape, acid attack are not among those released.

The decision to release the prisoners had been taken in accordance with the Supreme Court's directive to decongest crowded prisons to prevent them from becoming fertile grounds for the spread of coronavirus, Jails Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala had earlier said.

On Wednesday, a senior official of the jails department said 1,658 undertrial prisoners have been released on interim bail or regular bail, while 2,159 convicts were released on special, normal or extended parole.

The official said there are at present 17,697 inmates in the jails of the state.

All new prisoners are being kept in quarantine wards. They will be shifted after 14-days period, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 Flash

Pakistan and China are "iron brothers" who have always stood by each other in their hour of need, said Ms. Naghmana Alamgir Hashmi, Pakistani ambassador to China, in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn.

COVID-19 has emerged as the most formidable challenge for mankind in recent times. As of 10:30 a.m. Beijing Time on April 8, Pakistan had registered 4,035 confirmed cases, with 57 deaths, as shown by an interactive map from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

According to the ambassador, Pakistan has taken stringent disease prevention and control steps in response to this daunting crisis, including the closure of educational institutions, nationwide restrictions on mass gatherings, a suspension of international flight operations and aggressive enforcement of social-distancing measures.

"Like many countries in the grip of COVID-19, Pakistan is facing many challenges to effectively curb and eliminate this epidemic," explained the ambassador. "And due to the lockdown, travel restrictions and a looming global recession, the country is also preparing itself to absorb ensuing economic shocks."

Pakistani, Chinese peoples harbor brotherly sentiments

A friend in need is a friend indeed. In the early phase of the viral epidemic in China, Pakistan extended its utmost material and moral support to the Chinese people.

"The Pakistani government sent all their stocks of face masks from the country's hospitals to China," said Ma Zhaoxu, vice minister of foreign affairs, during a press conference on March 5 organized by the State Council Information Office (SCIO).

Now, as China has essentially contained the outbreak domestically, the Chinese government and people have reciprocated in kind.

According to the ambassador, China dispatched a special aircraft to Pakistan with a team of medical professionals and relief aid to help fight the epidemic. Pakistan has been the major recipient of an overwhelming volume of essential equipment including testing kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment, infrared scanners and face masks, which have come from official channels, the corporate sector and Chinese individuals.

"China is also extending support to Pakistan to help build a hospital against COVID-19," stated the ambassador. "During the visit of Pakistani President Arif Alvi to China on March 16-17, both countries also signed Letters of Exchange to enhance Pakistan's capability to fight the epidemic."

"This important help and assistance, indeed, is an emblem of strong brotherly sentiments that people of the two countries harbor for each other. We are grateful to the Chinese people for the warms sentiments and support they have showered upon Pakistan," the ambassador said.
This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a new series from Future Tense.

Governments around the world, including the U.S., are seeking to collect location tracking information as a tool to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Privacy advocates have appropriately been warning that any such efforts must include robust safeguards for privacy and human rights, while recognizing that it may be necessary to permit some collection of our data. But we should not simply think of governments requests for location data as a trade-off between public health and privacy. Rather, as we address this pandemic, policymakers must focus on what kinds of data would actually be helpful to public health authorities and effective in achieving their goals. Such an approach will also reduce the privacy risks.

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Public health authorities need to map where the novel coronavirus is spreading and where hospitals need supplies. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has explained in the context of monitoring other infectious diseases, data showing where infections occur helps public health authorities monitor the effect of these diseases and conditions, measure the disease and condition trends, assess the effectiveness of control and prevention measures, identify populations or geographic areas at high risk, allocate resources appropriately, formulate prevention strategies, and develop public health policies. The vast troves of location data created by mobile phones and apps may seem like an attractive source of information to arm government officials in this mapping to battle against COVID-19. But it is important to distinguish between the need to track the disease and marshal resources accordingly, and any effort to use location data to track the movements of specific individuals. That is, aggregated location data holds promise to help public health officials assess where the next hot spot is likely to occur and where to direct critically needed medical equipment. Individualized data following the movements of specific people, on the other hand, provides little value, and it does not make sense for officials to collect it, particularly given its high level of invasiveness.

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Heat maps and analytical tools relying on aggregate location data may be a valuable resource for public health officials planning public health responses. Many companies are working to develop tools that rely on such aggregate location information. In Europe, telecommunications companies are providing governments with heat maps to show how population movements are changing as a result of guidance and orders for people to restrict their movements and stay at home. For example, Telenor reports that it has developed a model to provide aggregated mobility data showing population travel in Norway, which is helping authorities to predict the number of hospital beds needed in certain areas. Similarly, Telia has announced its crowd insights tool showing commuting patterns and crowd density throughout Scandinavia and the Baltics to assist the government response.

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Here in the United States, Facebook adapted its Disease Prevention Maps, and just last week Google launched its new COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports, through which the company provides data showing the changescompared with a prepandemic baseline in Februaryin peoples movements for 131 countries and regions. The Google tool relies on aggregated location data to show movement trends across six categories of locations including grocery and pharmacy, parks, and workplaces. Google states that this information can help officials understand changes in travel patterns and identify where additional resources may be needed. Although it is too soon to know how helpful these various tools based on aggregate location data will prove to be, they are designed to provide the types of information that public health authorities need.

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By contrast, some governments have sought to use location information for a second purpose, to track specific individuals movements. For example, Israel has used location data to retrace the movements of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 in order to identify other people who may have come into contact with the infected individuals. Despite the privacy implications, this might appear to be a productive move, since social distancing is one of the key recommendations by the World Health Organization as protection against the novel coronavirus. But as experts have explained, phone location data is not precise enough to allow assessments of whether particular people are staying 6 feet apart from one another, and even GPS data does not provide a sufficiently granular source of information to assist such efforts.

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As a result, tracking specific individuals for epidemiological tracing or to promote social distancing is not an effective use of location information, and governments should not seek it for that purpose. Nonetheless, tracking the movements of a specific individual over time is highly privacy-invasive. As the U.S. Supreme Court recognized in Carpenter v. United States, this information provides an intimate window into a persons life, revealing not only his particular movements, but through them his familial, political, professional, religious, and sexual associations.  Therefore, the court held that if law enforcement officials seek to obtain location information on a particular individualat least if they are seeking such information for a period of seven days or morethey must get a warrant. Hopefully, states will not turn to criminal enforcement to address the pandemic, but if states that have included criminal penalties in their stay-at-home orders seek location information for criminal enforcement, they will need to get a warrant.

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Ultimately, as companies and policymakers seek to leverage location data to address the COVID-19 crisis, they should focus on how such information can actually be useful to public health authorities. To the extent that authorities want to identify locations where people may be congregating in violation of social distancing guidance or actual emergency orders, heat maps based on aggregate data can provide that information. For example, such a map may demonstrate that a certain park needs to be shut down because too many people are gathering there at the same time. Relying on aggregate data is a more productive approach that also better safeguards privacy.

Even with the use of aggregated location information, we must hold companies accountable to incorporate robust privacy safeguards in the tools they develop and share with government officials. There remain risks that aggregate anonymized data can be reidentified, and it is important for tools to use modern, sophisticated methods like differential privacy (which involves adding statistical noise to results drawn from datasets to prevent anyone from being able to learn facts about a specific individual whose data is included in the dataset) to protect the anonymization of data. Similarly, governments and companies should limit the deployment of these emergency responses to the duration of the current public health crisis. Google, for example, has promised that its new COVID-19 mobility reports will only be available for a limited time, so long as public health officials find them useful to address COVID-19.

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Some have already noted the lessons we should learn from our nations response to the tragic attacks of Sept. 11 in addressing the current battle against COVID-19, such as questioning whether data is actually accurate and actionable. Another lesson we can draw from the United States post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts is that when our government collects only the information it really needs in order to address the threats we face, the effectiveness of the government response increases and the risks to privacy decrease; indiscriminate bulk surveillance is both privacy-intrusive and ineffective. With health surveillance as well, the first question should be what information will actually help our government to address the threats we face. Promoting efficacy and protecting privacy go hand in hand.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Islands new South Beach Psychiatric Center hospital received its first patient Tuesday, said Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who represents the district where the site is located.

The 262-bed hospital, which is treating only coronavirus patients, opened Tuesday in partnership between the state and Staten Island University Hospital.

When the Advance spoke to Malliotakis Tuesday afternoon, she said just one patient was being treated at the Center and that it would likely receive a few more before throughout the rest of the day.

However, SIUH, which is essentially running the site and providing day to day staffing there, would not say how many patients it sent to the site Tuesday, only saying that it started transferring patients today.

When the Advance visited the surrounding area of the site Tuesday afternoon, there was posted signage indicating the area was serving as a hospital but almost no foot traffic there.

Though all Staten Islanders will be able to use the site, it will mostly serve as a relief valve to SIUHs coronavirus patients.

The Islands second private hospital, Richmond University Medical Center, said Tuesday afternoon it had not yet sent any of its coronavirus patients to the Center.

When we have a patient that we think matches the criteria we give [SIUH] a call, we discuss it over the phone, if the patient does meet the criteria, they will make the decision to accept or reject and then the patient is transported by ambulance, RUMC spokesman Alexander Lutz said.

The opening of the South Beach Psychiatric Center hospital comes as the Island two private hospitals were treating 534 coronavirus patients as of Tuesday morning.

In March, the heads of the Islands two private hospitals said they were able to expand to 829 ICU and general hospital beds combined under their surge capacity.

That means the hospitals could be at more than half of their combined capacity Tuesday treating coronavirus patients alone.

SIUH is leading the medical operations at the South Beach Psychiatric Center and any patient transfers from other hospitals like RUMC, will need to be admitted through SIUH North or South first, SIUH spokesman Christian Preston said.

Preston said the South Beach Psychiatric Center is not an emergency receiving facility open to patient walk-ins.

In addition to SIUH running the main operations of the hospital, The New York National Guard helped set up the site and is providing troops in access control, said Eric Durr, the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

Rep. Max Rose deployed to the National Guard April 1 and plans to work at the South Beach Psychiatric Center site and possibly another field hospital in the works at the College of Staten Island.

In addition to the 262-bed hospital that opened today, the Island is set to receive another 1,030-bed field hospital at the College of Staten Island.

But it is still unclear when exactly the CSI site will open its doors and who will staff it.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumers office has said the CSI site will treat both coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients.

Asked last week when the states new downstate field hospitals would open, Gov. Andrew 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.

Rebeka Humbrecht contributed to this report.

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Nearly a third of U.S. residential tenants did not make any rent payments in the first week of April, according to new industry data, while experts warn 1.5 million families could be pushed to the brink of homelessness by the coronavirus crisis.

By April 5, 31 percent of apartment households nationwide had not made any rental payments, according to data released by the National Multifamily Housing Council on Wednesday.

Some 40 million Americans live in rental apartments nationwide, and many of them are under the strict lockdown orders that have affected more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, shutting down businesses and putting millions out of work.

'The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in significant health and financial challenges for apartment residents and multifamily owners, operators and employees in communities across the country,' said Doug Bibby, President of NMHC, in a statement.

'However, it is important to note that a large number of residents met their obligations despite unparalleled circumstances,' Bibby added.

By April 5, 31 percent of apartment households nationwide had not made any rental payments, according to data released by the National Multifamily Housing Council

The 31 percent of renters who failed to pay in the first week of April is up sharply from 19 percent in March and 18 percent in the same month a year ago.

Many are protected by a patchwork of state and federal moratoriums on evictions, but so far no comprehensive plan for rent relief has been put forward.

Renters who are unable to make full payments in the crisis fear that landlords will come after them once housing courts reopen and evictions resume, and the rental industry fears it will be unable to meet utility and tax obligations if rental payments continue to decline.

The NMHC data was compiled from a consortium of real-estate data providers and reflects 13.4 million units across the country.

Meanwhile, another group of experts warns that the economic blow of the coronavirus could push 1.5 million U.S. families to the brink of homelessness, not only increasing poverty but accelerating the spread of the pandemic in overcrowded homes.

Those families would join some 8 million existing U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes, who pay half or more of their income on rent, said researchers and activists in a webinar about housing and the pandemic.

The streets of Manhattan are seen nearly deserted during the coronavirus shutdown. Experts fear 1.5 million families could be pushed to the brink of homelessness

'It's just a shocking number of people in our country who are losing jobs, who are losing hours, who are losing income,' said Diane Yentel, head of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

'One of the outcomes will be an increase of another million and a half families of severely cost-burdened, extremely low-income renters,' she told the online discussion on Tuesday, which was organised by the Urban Land Institute, a U.S. nonprofit.

The pandemic has infected about 400,000 people in the United States and killed more than 12,000, forcing businesses nationwide to close their doors and furlough workers.

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits spiked in the past two weeks to more than 10 million, and that did not include workers in the informal economy like ride-share drivers and domestics who are not eligible for jobless benefits.

Those families may spend 50 percent to 70 percent of their income on housing costs and often cram into crowded rental spaces with relatives, said Yentel.

A person runs past a store boarded up to help minimize the risk of burglary, which is on the rise in the city, in New York on Monday

'When you have such limited income to begin with, and you're paying more than half of it just to keep a roof over your head, you have very little left over,' Yentel said.

About 560,000 people were homeless in the United States before the pandemic began to spread widely last month, a figure that the panel linked to increasingly unaffordable housing and stagnant wages.

But the number of families teetering on the edge of losing their homes, falling behind in rent payments or doubling up with relatives, was growing, they said.

'We focus a lot on homelessness, which is like the part of the iceberg that you can see,' said Megan Sandel, a public health expert and associate professor at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

'But there's a lot of homelessness below the surface, the hidden homeless. That's a housing insecure population,' she said.

People without secure homes struggle with social distancing, hygiene precautions and stay-at-home orders put into place to help stem the spread of the pandemic, the experts said.

'What happens when people who are sleeping in homeless encampments have no access to water or soap?' Yentel said.

'What happens when we have millions of people who on a good day are on the cusp of losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic, when our collective health depends on our ability to stay home?'

She called for the U.S. Congress to approve $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help low-income renters and small-property landlords who need rental income to survive.
Before the novel coronavirus struck, 300,000 evictions were filed in the United States in a typical month. With nearly 10 million people filing unemployment claims last month, evictions would clearly skyrocket, absent intervention from the government. In one hint of the trouble to come, researchers at the City University of New York found at the end of March that 44 percent of New Yorkers expected to have trouble making their April rent.

Fortunately, Congress, states, municipalities and the Department of Housing and Urban Development all have stepped up to issue temporary bans on eviction. That's good news, but there are significant limits to many of these bans - and even the best of them are temporary. In many places, for instance, landlords are still filing eviction papers, even when there is a freeze on ejecting people from their homes - and not every state has imposed such a freeze. Without a stronger state and federal response, the United States appears headed toward an unprecedented housing crisis.

We at the Eviction Lab, based at Princeton University, in partnership with Columbia visiting law professor Emily Benfer, have been tracking when and how state and federal eviction policies are changing. We've found clear fault lines in current policies to prevent people from becoming homeless during this crisis.

The coronavirus-relief bill passed last month by Congress prohibits foreclosure on federally backed mortgage loans for 60 days, covering some 30 million homeowners. The bill also prohibits rental evictions for 120 days for properties secured by a government-backed mortgage. That covers about half of all multifamily homes. Beyond that, however, protections for renters tends to be haphazard, varying widely by state. As of this past weekend (policies are changing quickly), only 14 states have barred landlords from formally beginning the process of eviction, according to our data; 36 - plus the District of Columbia - still permit evictions to be filed.

Many of these states are in effect simply delaying hearings, typically for 60 or 90 days or until the state's emergency declaration lifts. What's more, only 21 states and D.C. have halted the execution of an eviction order issued before the coronavirus outbreak turned into a major health crisis.

In the remaining states, a family legally evicted in February could be physically evicted today.

Thirteen states - including Florida, Nevada, Mississippi, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming - allow cities and towns to set their own eviction policies. Some cities (Miami is a notable example) have responded by issuing moratoriums, but suburban and rural communities have been much slower to act. The problem is that housing insecurity affects communities large and small across the country. In fact, some rural towns have eviction rates that rival the highest-evicting cities.

In some cases, states have placed bureaucratic hurdles between renters and the protections that have been passed. Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico, Nebraska and Utah all require tenants to demonstrate they've been affected by virus outbreak - either the disease itself or the mandatory business closures - before they are shielded from eviction. While there is little guidance on how to prove you've been affected by the outbreak, states could require tenants to contest an eviction order in court by demonstrating job termination or presenting unemployment filings (which are backlogged as is). But since most courts are closed to in-person hearings the path forward is murky.

This crisis has struck the United States at a moment when millions of people were already living perilously close to eviction. Because of stagnant wages and rising rents, one out of four renters spent over half of their income on housing. Among rent burdened households - defined as those that spend more than one third of their income on housing - half have less than $10 in savings.

Nearly a third of the American workforce - some 41.7 million people - earns less than $12 per hour and has limited access to health care, paid sick days and paid family and medical leave. The mandatory stay-at-home orders and forced closing of business will force much of this population, even with the help of unemployment insurance, to choose between paying rent or buying groceries.

Some landlords have delayed eviction and even canceled rent for their tenants. Others, however, have been less sympathetic. The Daily Beast recently reported on the case of a Las Vegas nurse who was evicted because her landlord worried she might potentially spread covid-19.

The problem is simply too consequential to be left up to landlord discretion. And if evictions are merely delayed, not permanently stopped, that could lead to a resurgence of the virus, after stay-at-home measures "bend the curve" of infection. Evicted families end up in homeless shelters, where people eat and sleep next to each other - the opposite of social distancing.

People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to upper respiratory illness including to covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Well before the pandemic, sprawling tent encampments had experienced outbreaks of medieval diseases like typhus and trench fever.

Evictions harm families in ways that will last long after the coronavirus emergency has passed. Being forced from your home has been linked to a range of negative consequences, from job loss to depression and suicide. Some harms will persist even in cases where eviction papers have been filed but eviction does not occur. An eviction record - the "scarlet E" - limits your housing options, sullies your credit and can prevent you from accessing federal housing assistance.

Governors, state legislators and state supreme courts have a number of tools to prevent mass evictions and homelessness: They can freeze all evictions during the state of emergency, including orders already given by the court; eliminate late fees for renters; and create a time frame to pay back rent and mortgage arrears, as California has done, so families aren't immediately evicted once the state of emergency is lifted. More sweepingly, they could also issue a rent and mortgage freeze until the pandemic is over.

Congress has less leverage over landlords than it does over banks that sell mortgages, but there are several things it could do to ameliorate the present and future housing crisis. Only one in four families who are eligible for rental assistance currently receives it. Congress could fully fund that strapped program and ensure that every family that qualifies for housing aid gets the help they desperately need. The federal government should massively bolster rental assistance, since a $1,200 check will hardly cover rent, food and other needs for the duration of the pandemic.

If federal and state leaders do not act swiftly to patch all the holes in their eviction policies, the nation's biggest public health crisis in a century could easily cause a full-blown outbreak of homelessness. In these trying times, eviction will not help landlords get paid. It will only spread yet more poverty, sickness and death.

- - -

Durana is a journalist and writer for Princeton's Eviction Lab. Desmond is a professor of sociology at Princeton University and a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.
A 44-year-old Delhi Police head constable tested positive for coronavirus in Rohini area on Wednesday, officials said.

According to police, they received information around 3.40 pm that one head constable in Rohini's Sector-16 has tested positive for COVID-19.

He was posted in the Foreign Regional Registration Office at the Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 3. His test was conducted on Saturday at Baba Sahib Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital and reports came on Wednesday, a senior police officer said.

The head constable was informed by the hospital that he was tested positive, following which informed police. Later, the ambulance came at 7 pm and took him to LNJP Hospital, the officer said.

His family has been placed under quarantine, police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A number of states and cities across the country are now giving the details of people who are known to have been diagnosed with coronavirus to the police.

Massachusetts, Alabama and Florida, and parts of North Carolina are known to have been passing along information to law enforcement and other emergency responders for more than two weeks.

The idea is to keep first responders safe by seeing them take additional protective measures if they are sent to addresses that are thought to have been previously exposed to the virus.

The information is supposed to be given to officers when they go out on response calls but civil rights advocates have raised concerns about patients' privacy, and warned it could deter people from going for tests.

They also say the policy could end up putting first responders in danger because many coronavirus carriers don't show symptoms.

Alabama, Massachusetts, Florida and part of North Carolina are handing details of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 to police and paramedics (file photo)

Medical personal prepare to test first responders for the coronavirus at a drive-through testing site in a parking lot at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The site, which opened Sunday, is designated specifically for police officers, firefighters and other first responders who may have been exposed or are showing virus symptoms

'It's not clear how this information sharing is taking place, or what precautions the government is using to share the sensitive data,' Carol Rose, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said a statement to NBC.

'Who is in charge of making sure the information isn't being misused or abused? How many people can access the data, and who is providing oversight of that access? Who will be responsible for ensuring the information is safely deleted once the order is rescinded?,' Rose asks. 'Even in a public health emergency, the government must make every effort to protect the rights of people experiencing illness or at risk of illness.'

'It's only on an as-known, as-needed basis,' said Leah Missildine, executive director of Alabama's 911 Board to Vice.

'The impetus behind this is to protect first responders because 911 receives the information and coordinates the response of first responders. That was deemed the most efficient way to share this information.'

In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker, left, signed an executive order allowing data to be shared between police and paramedics concerning the addresses of infected persons

'The Alabama Department of Public Health was requested to provide addresses of patients home quarantined for COVID 19 to the Alabama 9-1-1 Board for the protection of first responders,' said Arrol Sheehan, director of public information at the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The state of Alabama could also release information to third parties including doctors or anyone else who could be deemed to be exposed.'

The state say the rule came into force to help protect first responders, in particular.

Sheehan quoted the part of Alabama law that authorizes such disclosures: 'Physicians or the State Health Officer or his designee may notify a third party of the presence of a contagious disease in an individual where there is a foreseeable, real or probable risk of transmission of the disease.'

Sheehan said the decision was made mutually between the health department and the members of the 9-1-1 Board 'to share this information to protect our first responders.'

Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment respond to a call for respiratory problems amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Boston. The EMT's knew to wear protective gear

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, center, faces reporters during a visit to a coronavirus testing site in a parking lot on Sunday

911 call centers already collect as much information as possible in order for emergency responders to be prepared - especially if there is a risk of potentially being exposed to coronavirus.

Callers may be asked if anyone in the home has tested positive or come into contact with anyone who had the virus or travelled recently. Police may even end up taking a report over the phone or meeting people outside to gather information.

Although the state as a whole allows the sharing of information, some cities, such as Huntsville, are not allowing it.

'The policy is to use safety precautions and assume everyone they come in contact with may have the virus,' said Kelly Schrimsher, a spokeswoman for the city.

In Massachusetts, the exact same system has also been operating for more than three weeks after Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order.

Firefighters on a medical call and a coughing patient wait at a safe distance from each other for paramedics wearing personal protective equipment to arrive, amid the coronavirus outbreak in Medford, Massachusetts

Each day, daily lists containing addresses are sent over to police forces and ambulance crews across the state. No names are included in the data.

The state say that no information will be kept about who was known to be sick once the crisis is over.

Massachusetts police officer Scott Hovsepian, pictured, finds the information sharing useful. 'The health department is getting the information from health care providers, and what they're providing our chief dispatcher with is the addresses.'

In the town Waltham, just outside of Boston, police officer Scott Hovsepian finds the information sharing useful.

'The health department is getting the information from health care providers, and what they're providing our chief dispatcher with is the addresses.'

'All it says there is a confirmed case at this address  it's just the address.'

Robert Greenwald, clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School, has called Massachusetts' order 'misguided.'

'Requiring local boards of health to disclose the addresses of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to officials administering the response to emergency calls and, in turn, to first responders, is not sound public health policy,' he wrote in a statement last month.

'With any infectious disease, there's going to be stigma and discrimination about who has it. If you're in a situation now where the word starts to get out that if you get screened then your address goes on a list that goes to first responders, it discourages screening for people who don't want to be on this list.'

Meanwhile, civil rights and privacy advocates say the policy ends up putting first responders in danger because many coronavirus carriers don't show symptoms.

Some public health experts worry that keeping a list of confirmed coronavirus cases might make people reluctant to seek medical treatment or get tested for fear of being placed onto a list and profiled by law enforcement.

Daily lists are compiled and sent over so that police or ambulance crews sent on calls will know in advance if they're likely dealing with an infected person

A campus police officer carries a box of masks for fellow officers at a coronavirus mobile testing facility at the University of Central Florida in Orlando

In Burlington, North Carolina, the local health department in the town of Burlington is sharing the addresses of those who have testing positive with police, enabling them to wear full protective equipment should they end up being dispatched to an address where the virus was found. 'Here in Burlington, we only have about 139 cops, so we can't afford to have a significant drop in personnel,' said Assistant Chief Brian Long, pictured

'It's based on an early and mistaken idea that the disease was only spread by people who were obviously symptomatic,' Dr. Deborah Peel, founder of the advocacy group Patient Privacy Rights, said.

'We now know that that's wrong, so it makes no sense. Everybody should act in a careful, social distancing way to interact with anybody's door they have to knock on.'

In North Carolina, the local health department in the town of Burlington is sharing the addresses of those who have testing positive with police, enabling them to wear full protective equipment should they end up being dispatched to an address where the virus was found.

Mike Chitwood, the sheriff of Volusia County, Florida had to beg his Daytona Beach health department to share the addresses of people who tested positive for the coronavirus

'Here in Burlington, we only have about 139 cops, so we can't afford to have a significant drop in personnel,' Assistant Chief Brian Long of the Burlington, North Carolina, police department said to NBC News.

'We have to be able to maintain public safety. That is a primary concern for us as a department  managing the health of our organization so that we're there and ready to go.'

Further south, in Daytona Beach, Florida, the sheriff of Volusia County had to publicly plead with his health department to have them give share the addresses of people who tested positive.

'I told them they're endangering the lives of first responders,' Mike Chitwood, said.

In the small city of Emeryville, California near San Francisco, police chief Jennifer Tejada has been unable to get information on the addresses of those who have tested positive from the health department

'We're not asking for names and we're not putting signs on front yards, and we're not publishing a list, but it's important for our deputies to know if they're responding to a call from someone who has been quarantined.'

'This is a no-brainer: If you know someone who may have a deadly disease, why would you not avail first responders to the information?'

The information is now being shared to police and paramedics across the state.

The information sharing is not always as free flowing. In the small city of Emeryville, California near San Francisco, the police chief has been unable to get information on the addresses of those who have tested positive from the health department.

'It unnecessarily puts first responders at risk,' Jennifer Tejada said to NBC. They police department is relying on callers to self-report.

Officer Shaun Gariepy, left, and Officer Jessie Murray wipe down all the surfaces that are regularly touched on their cruiser at the beginning of their shift. Many police officers are following new cleaning and safety procedures amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country

'Since COVID-19 is widely spread in our community, we worry that disclosure of the names and addresses of known COVID-19 cases would provide first responders with an incorrect assessment of where the risk lies and actually lead to reduced safety for our first responders,' Neetu Balram, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County Public Health Department said in a statement.

There is also a concern that too much information could lead to police and first responders acting more casually around those addresses which haven't been flagged which could still lead to them contracting the virus.

'I'm worried that sharing this information is giving EMS companies the OK to have employees go into spaces without full protection,' Dr. Rohini Haar, an emergency room physician at the University of California, Berkeley, said.

The US has hit a new record for the highest number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day, with 12,935 deaths by Tuesday evening
Pelosi and Schumer Want Emergency Relief Bill for Small Businesses to Include Aid to States and Hospitals

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement that the Trump administrations request for $250 billion in additional emergency relief for small businesses must include hundreds of billions of dollars for hospitals, state, and local governments, and food assistance.

The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent, and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans lives and livelihoods, the two lawmakers said in a release.

Besides doubling the amount requested on Tuesday by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the pair said they see the additional emergency funds as an interim package, and look forward to a CARES 2 Act that must provide transformational relief as the American people weather this assault on their lives and livelihoods.

Pelosi and Schumer said they want the interim bill to include $100 billion for hospitals, community health centers, and health systems, $150 billion for state and local governments, and a 15 percent increase to the maximum SNAP benefit.

The SNAP program provides benefits by way of an Electronic Benefits Transfer card that works like a debit card to buy eligible food in authorized retail food stores. According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis figures, in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, the program cost around $57 billion.

Of the $250 billion in assistance to small businesses, Pelosi and Schumer want $125 billion to be channeled through community-based financial institutions and called for improvement of the distribution process of the funds to ensure all eligible small businesses can access this critical funding and are not turned away by banks.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to media after the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment, at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 5, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Banks and other commercial lenders are points of contact for small firms seeking relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, which is the portion of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that offers relief to small businesses. The program got off to a rocky start on April 3, as many small business owners ran into red tape and technical roadblocks.

It appears that bottlenecks some businesses have reported in accessing these funds were the target of Pelosi and Schumers comments on improvements to funds distribution.

The duo then teased a follow-up relief bill.

After we pass this interim emergency legislation, Congress will move to pass a CARES 2 Act that will extend and expand the bipartisan CARES Act to meet the needs of the American people, Pelosi and Schumer said.

The CARES Act became law on March 27. It earmarked nearly $350 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which gives 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.

Mnuchin said Tuesday he was directed by President Donald Trump to call on congressional leaders to boost the program with an additional $250 billion in relief funding to help small businesses cope with the pandemic.

Mnuchins statement came after McConnell said he too would be seeking additional funds for small businesses.

Jobs are literally being saved as we speak, McConnell said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the surge in takeup of the $349 billion available to small businesses as part of the program.

In just a few days, this program has become overwhelmingly popular, he said. Thanks to the hard work of small businesses and lenders, billions of dollars have already landed and tens of billions more are already in the pipeline.

Businesses have been hit hard by forced shutdowns and dropoff in demand as stay-at-home orders across the country disrupt behavior and consumption patterns. Nearly 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past two weeks, which McConnell called a record-shattering tragedy.

Congress needs to quickly provide more funding or this crucial program will run dry. That cannot happen, McConnell said, calling for lawmakers to act with speed and total focus to provide more money for this uncontroversial bipartisan program.

But while McConnell called for quick action, he cautioned against padding new legislation with pet spending projects.

As the administration works to implement this historic legislation and push money out the door, Senate Republicans believe any potential further action will need to be tailored to the actual needs of our nation, not plucked off preexisting partisan wish lists, he said.

Pelosi said in March that free testing for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, could be in the next bill that Congress takes up, in addition to treatment for those who test positive for COVID-19, the disease the virus causes.

There are so many things we didnt get in any of these bills yet in a way that we need to, she told reporters.
Fifteen hundred years ago, the Rabbis of the Talmud taught that if there is plague in the city, gather your feet  that is, stay in your home. Their prooftext for how to behave during a pandemic was the eve of our ancestors flight from ancient Egypt about which it is written: And none of you shall go out of the opening of his house until the morning. (Exodus 12:22)

On that mysterious night, everyone was keenly aware that a historic event was unfolding. On that frightful night, every Egyptian household was grieving for its first born. On that night of preparation, the dough was made for the journey and had no time to rise; they had to make do with the provisions they had. On that fateful and faithful night, God commanded our ancestors to stay home and eat their Pesach meal, their first taste of anticipated freedom.

Wednesday night, Jews all of the world will hold their seders to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The symbols on our tables are intended to trigger memories that are not really our own, but through inherited collective memory, have become like our own. This year the themes will resonate like never before.

We will shelter-in-place as our ancestors did. We will taste the bitter herbs and the saltwater tears and identify with their fears of the unknown. We will lean on pillows, giving thanks for the creature comforts we still enjoy. We will open the door and declare: Let all who are hungry come and eat! because a generous spirit is a key to survival. When we beckon Elijah the Prophet to join us at the table, we will put our hopeful eyes on the horizon, when all the world will be redeemed and no one will be afraid.

One of the most beloved songs of the Passover seder is Dayeinu, when we express our gratitude for Gods gifts. Dayeinu means, It would have been enough for us. If only God brought us out from Egypt, it would have been enough for us. If only God sustained us with manna in the wilderness, it would have been enough for us. If only God had given us the Torah, given us the Sabbath, brought us into the Land of Israel, etc. if would have been enough for us. The verses go on forever.

Expressions of Gratitude, even now

If only my loved ones and I were healthy,

Dayeinu.

If only my government were good and trustworthy and proactive,

Dayeinu.

If only the medical professionals were showing up to work every day, despite the risks,

Dayeinu.

If only the grocery stores and pharmacies were still open to provide for the essentials of life,

Dayeinu.

If only I had a phone line to hear the voices of those I love,

Dayeinu.

If only I had internet access to connect with my congregation for prayer and sacred learning,

Dayeinu.

If only I had books on my shelf to read,

Dayeinu.

If only I could listen to the music that I love,

Dayeinu.

If only I could go outside or open a window for fresh air,

Dayeinu.

If only the sun came up each morning and set each evening, come what may,

Dayeinu.

If only I had good neighbours who are there for me if I ever need help,

Dayeinu.

If only I had a tablecloth and candlesticks to make this night different from all other nights.

If only I had the Jewish story to transport me from the narrow places of Egypt to the wide, open expanses of the wilderness, where God is near and the Promised Land is on the horizon,

Dayeinu.

May this Passover bring us from degradation to exultation, from the low places of captivity to the higher ground of health and hope for the future.

Yael Splansky is the senior Rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple, Torontos first synagogue.
An UberEats rider has been caught on camera asking to be tested for coronavirus before heading straight to a cafe, picking up an order and delivering the meal to an unsuspecting family.

The extraordinary sequence of events unfolded on Wednesday in Bondi, a beachside suburb in Sydney's east that has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot with 107 confirmed cases to date.

Daily Mail Australia watched the delivery rider arrive at Bondi's walk-in coronavirus clinic at about 1.15pm, when he told staff he wanted to be tested for the deadly bug.

Less than an hour later he was standing outside the Rose Bay home of Jeremy Stein, delivering avocado on toast and a cappuccino to his door.

An Uber Eats delivery worker has been caught dropping off food to an unsuspecting family just moments after attempting to be tested for coronavirus (pictured)

The man arrived at the makeshift clinic in the Bondi Pavillion, in Sydney's east, at 1.15pm on Wednesday

Despite needing to explain symptoms to a nurse at the entrance, he was turned away minutes later - seemingly failing to fit the criteria required to receive a test - and was back on his bike

Mr Stein was shocked to learn the man who had just delivered his food clearly had concerns about being infected with COVID-19.

'I have been trying to do no contact whenever I order food and normally they leave it at the door and I wait two minutes for them to go before I get it,' he said.

'But this guy sent me a message on the app saying "I've arrived", and I was like: "I can see that on the app, go away" but he just stood there.

'I walked out on to the footpath and he opened the insulated bag for me to pull it out.'

The incident began about 1.15pm when the delivery rider arrived at the Bondi walk-in coronavirus testing clinic.

He was questioned by a nurse manning the entry point to the testing centre over his symptoms, before being sent down to the makeshift clinic inside the Bondi Pavillion.

After a lengthy discussion with a nurse the man was turned away without testing.

Only those who have recently been overseas, have come in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, or who are suffering severe symptoms are eligible to be tested.

Some 45 minutes after his visit to the testing centre the man went to a Bondi cafe to pick up an order made through Uber Eats

That order of a cappuccino and avocado on toast belonged to Rose Bay local Jeremy Stein

Mr Stein (pictured) was shocked to find out about the delivery rider's recent visit to the COVID-19 clinic and said it would make him think twice about ordering again

'How was your service?': Mr Stein said he had since sent a please explain to Uber Eats

One of the clinic attendants he spoke to told Daily Mail Australia she was shocked to see him arrive wearing his insulated back pack.

'I initially thought someone here had ordered food, but I couldn't believe it when he asked us to be tested,' the woman said.

'Then he just rode off. You hope he doesn't go and deliver food now.'

But after spending 45 minutes riding around the beachside suburb, that was exactly what he did.

At about 2pm the driver picked up Mr Stein's order of a cappuccino and avocado toast from a cafe and delivered it to his home.

In a bid to combat the risk to delivery riders and customers, Uber and many other food services have initiated 'no contact' delivery.

The ride share giant has also offered financial assistance for up to 14 days for any of its staff who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are forced to self-isolate.

Regardless, the customer said he had since sent a please explain to Uber Eats.

'It will make me think twice about ordering it again for sure,' Mr Stein said.

The creation of a walk-in clinic at Bondi was followed by a drive-thru clinic which allowed any people with coronavirus symptoms to be tested without leaving their car

There was a steady stream of cars through the makeshift clinic on Wednesday, with all who are tested told to return home and self-isolate until they have their results

Those wanting to be tested must have come in contact with a confirmed patient, have recently returned from overseas or have severe symptoms such as breathing difficulties or a rapid fever

'But I think a bit of that's on Uber, I mean I don't know how you micromanage that, but imagine if he has the virus.'

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

After initially being warned by his mother not to touch the food, Mr Stein said he felt he would be safe if he washed his hands after removing it from the bag and before eating - assuming the delivery rider had only touched the paper bag.

Pop-up clinics like those in Bondi are being put in place across Australia in an effort to make testing more available.

Victoria - which has the second highest number of confirmed cases in Australia - has already relaxed the requirements for people to be tested for coronavirus.

Anyone whose employment puts them at a higher risk of contracting the virus can now be checked, if they have symptoms.

Those aged over 65 can also now receive a swab test if they are exhibiting a fever or have acute respiratory issues.

There are now more than 6,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia, with a total of 50 deaths linked to the virus.

New South Wales has the highest number of cases of any state with roughly 2,700.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted UberEats for comment.
As the Queen addressed the nation and the Commonwealth in a rare televised address in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, some think there might have been messages to others in the address - particularly her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle.

The couple formally left their roles as senior royals on 31 March, part of what ended up being a tough week for the Queen, with her son contracting COVID-19 at the same time.

The Queen gave a rare address on Sunday evening. Photo: Buckingham Palace

The Queen and her husband Prince Philip are isolating in Windsor Castle, where they arrived around 19 March, a week earlier than originally planned.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are starting the next chapter of their lives in California, while William and Kate are in Norfolk, and Charles and Camilla are in Scotland.

"Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones, but now as then, we know deep down that it is the right thing to do," the Queen said in her speech.

"While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time, we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed and that success will belong to every one of us, the Queen said.

Of course, she was referencing her own separation from family during the Blitz in London, and the families spread far and wide who cannot meet.

But many thought she was also speaking of her recent separation from Harry and Meghan.

Fans thought the Queen was referencing Meghan and Harry's exit in her TV speech. Photo: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living more or less full time in Canada since before Christmas, but it was 31 March that marked their final day as senior royals.

The Queen may have felt their loss more heavily that week, as it was also close to the time that her son Charles battled a mild form of COVID-19.

According to Harpers Bazaar, Harry, 35, and Meghan, 37, were both moved by the monarchs message, watching in Los Angeles, where they are house hunting.

The source said the Sussexes described it as not just a demonstration of experienced leadership, but also warmth, reassurance, and comfort.

Story continues

Its not the first time the Queen has been thought to send a special message with her sartorial choices.

In 2017, people thought the Queen was replicating the EU flag with her blue outfit worn for the state opening of parliament after the Brexit vote.

Even Guy Verhofstadt, the EUs Brexit negotiator, noticed the yellow centres of the flowers on her hat looked like the EU stars.

Her brooch

According to Harpers Bazaar, the brooch the Queen chose to wear during what was only her fifth ever televised address outside her Christmas messages, was not one of her favourites.

Instead of picking a best-loved piece, she picked one from her grandmother Queen Marys collection, who was known for her extensive jewellery collection.

Queen Mary was also the proud owner of the Vladimir Tiaraa Romanov jewel she acquired from the son of the Duchess Vladimir.

It was that tiara which Meghan borrowed from her grandmother-in-law to be for her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.

The brooch was from the same collection as Meghan's wedding tiara. Photo: Getty Images

Perhaps the Queen chose the piece to show a unity with her grandsons wife, or to harken back to the past, as she did with her speech too, when she chose the words of Dame Vera Lynn to say we will meet again.

Her green dress

The Queen often wears bright colours, so she can be seen, and regularly chooses green or blue for her televised addresses.

According to Stylist Susie Hasler, the colour of her dress was significant because it was calming.

She told Femail: Its also worth noting that her colour choice is also a similar shade to what medical teams in the NHS are donning at the moment, perhaps indicating solidarity with them as they carry out their crucial work.

Writing for the Irish Independent, Caitlin McBride said green also signalled rebirth reflecting the world's eventual collective re-awakening when quarantines are slowly lifted.

Her triple stranded pearl necklace

The Queen kept accessories to a minimum for the address on Sunday evening, wearing a simple pearl necklace as well as the brooch.

And McBride said the necklace was not without meaning. Its an oft-worn piece, and dates back to her accession in 1952.

McBride notes the choice to wear it again indicates stability and endurance, and are a reminder of her lengthy reign.

Her green outfit seemed to be a nod to remembering the victims of the Grenfell tragedy. Photo: Getty Images

In 2018, she wore green for her first royal engagement with new granddaughter-in-law Meghan in Chester.

The colour was significant because it was a year after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, and green had been chosen to remember the victims.

During the state visit by President Donald Trump later in the same year, royal watchers were convinced the Queen was shading the US leader with her brooch choices.

On the first day, she wore one given to her by his predecessor, Barack Obama, while on day two, she chose one given to her by Canada, a country Trump had been sparring with. On the last day she wore one her mother wore to the funeral of King George VI.

Words by Rebecca Taylor

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
Dennis Quaid ignited a Twitter storm on Wednesday when he insisted Donald Trump was doing a 'good job' tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

The Parent Trap star, who is self-isolating with fiance Laura Savoie at home in the Hollywood Hills following the postponement of their April 4 Hawaii wedding, told The Daily Beast: 'Well, to tell you the truth, I think the president is handling it in a good way.

'We see him on television every day, he's involved, and the travel ban early on was a great ideawhich he did in spite of protest about that.'

Trump fan: Dennis Quaid, seen in 2019, insists Donald Trump is doing a 'good job' tackling coronavirus: 'we see him on television every day'

Quaid's words come as Trump's approval ratings slip, amid soaring U.S. death rates.

The actor continued: 'I think Trump, no matter what anybody thinks of him, is doing a good job at trying to get these states - and all of the American people - what they need, and also trying to hold our economy together and be prepared for when this is all over. I don't want to get into petty arguments about it.

'There's a lot of talk about how South Korea handled the crisis, and the thing about South Korea is they're still in a state of war with North Korea and are always on the alert for all kinds of threatsnuclear threats, biological threatsso I would imagine that had something to do with how quickly they were able to respond to it.'

Watching closely: Quaid 'appreciates' Trump's daily updates

Quaid said he was an independent and not tied to one party politically, but felt Trump was what was needed right now.

And he praised Trump's February 3 China travel ban, which came more than a month after White House briefings about the approaching pandemic.

'Trump did do the travel ban to China, and then to Europe very quickly afterward, and he was castigated by a lot of members of Congress, who were just getting out of the impeachment, that it was racist what he was doing. It's a good thing we had that travel ban at the time.

'You know, the world has never experienced this, and I don't think it's a time to be political. I think it's just time to get behind our government and have everybody do what they can. If you want to point blame after, that's another story, but right now I think we all just really need to come together on this.'

On lockdown: The actor is isolating with fiance Laura Savoie at home in the Hollywood Hills following the postponement of their April 4 Hawaii wedding; they are seen in October 2019

Quaid, who was promoting his new podcast, said he 'appreciated' Trump's daily coronavirus updates.

'I do appreciate that Trump is giving the briefings and on television every day giving out the information, and I think they have great people handling it.'

After Quaid's words went public, he began trending on Twitter.

Many were outraged, expressing their anger at Quaid and comparing him to his troubled brother, Randy.

Wrote one: 'Dennis Quaid has gone Randy Quaid. Never go Randy Quaid.'

For Quaid's part, he said he couldn't talk about National Lampoon star Randy, who over the last decade, has been known more for his legal issues, conspiracy theories and attempt to seek asylum in Canada.

Another fan wrote: 'I'm so mad at Dennis Quaid for thinking Trump is doing a good job that I went to my garage an threw out his latest movie on Betamax.'

Speaking out: Quaid's comments certainly proved divisive

Twitter reaction: Many were outraged, expressing their anger at Quaid and comparing him to his troubled brother, Randy

Promotional: Quaid did the interview to promote his podcast, Dennissance
The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment has submitted a report to the National Assembly for opinions on a stimulus package worth VND62 trillion (US$2.6 billion) to support people and businesses affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The use of the amount is detailed in the report signed by Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung on Monday.

The report was prepared in response to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs request for a scheme to address difficulties confronting the poor.

Accordingly, six groups will be eligible for the VND62 trillion support.

Specifically, people with meritorious services to Vietnam's past revolution and social protection beneficiaries will receive VND500,000 ($21.5) in monthly additional support besides their regular allowances.

Households living in poverty or near poverty will each receive VND1 million ($43) a month.

These two groups will collect their stimulus checks once every three months.

People who have been on unpaid leave for 14 working days or more will each be provided with VND1.8 million ($77.3) a month in support.

Those who have their employment contract terminated and are not eligible for receiving unemployment benefits or those who work without labor contracts and have lost their jobs are entitled to a monthly sum of VND1 million ($43) per person.

Businesses facing difficulties due to COVID-19, resulting in job cuts, are eligible to take out zero-interest loans of up to 50 percent of the regional minimum wage from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to make severance payment to their employees.

Household businesses with taxable revenue of less than VND100 million ($4,300) a year and have had to suspend their operations in adherence to COVID-19 prevention and control measures will each be given VND1 million ($43) a month.

The VND62 trillion will come from the state budget, indirect support from the countrys unemployment insurance fund, and credit from VBSP.

Last month, the government planned to spend VND27 trillion ($1.15 billion) on tax breaks, deferred tax payments, and a reduction in land lease fees to help businesses cope with the pandemic and help the economy stick to its 6.8-percent growth target this year.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 251 cases of coronavirus infection. There has been no death linked to the disease while 122 patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital as of Tuesday.

In recent meetings, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has constantly urged his cabinet to timely work on an urgent package to support people and entities being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairwoman of the lawmaking National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has also affirmed in a recent letter that the legislature will work closely with the government to promulgate timely and effective policies to stop the pandemic.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Usually Jodi Siegel of Charleston invites anywhere from 23 to 30 guests to a Seder on the first night of Passover. This year it will be three at the table.

Listen, were all here and were all healthy. Everyone is in their own homes doing their own thing. We opted not to do our second night seder," she said. The Siegels will tune into a virtual Seder with their own congregation, Temple Israel in Randall Manor, via Zoom chat. The effort took a few weeks to plan but Rabbi Michael Howald pulled it together.

This is the Miriam's cup. Jodi Siegel and her daughter Jesse of Charleston made the piece together. Behind it is a Seder plate with five items -- a boiled egg, roasted shank bone, a spring veggie, fresh horseradish to indicate bitterness and charoset, a mix of fruit, nuts and wine. (Courtesy of Jodi Siegel)

It was really heart-breaking decision to not have our usual Seder, said Siegel, the co-president of sisterhood at the temple.

The rabbi is doing the first half of the seder. And then everyones on their own. Once we break for the meal everyone can continue the celebration in their own homes, said Siegel.

On her table will be the Miriams cup. Jodi and her daughter Jesse of Charleston made the piece together.

Charoset with apples, kosher wine, lemon juice and nuts

Her food traditions continue with a Seder plate -- a boiled egg, roasted shank bone, a spring veggie, fresh horseradish to indicate bitterness (a reminder of slaverys oppression) and charoset, a mix of fruit, nuts and wine.

For the charoset, she puts it together by eye.

There are really no measurements. I used gala apples this year, about two cups chopped walnuts, a little bit of lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown, Manischewitz Concord grape kosher wine and about a tablespoon of cinnamon, Jodi said.

Chicken stock with matzoh balls for the Siegel family Seder.

Also on the menu is matzoh ball soup in chicken stock. At its most basic the matzoh balls can be made with butter, eggs, water, kosher salt and pepper with matzoh meal. Seltzer can be added for a little fluff and air. More complex versions have eggs, chicken fat or schmaltz, chicken stock, nutmeg and ginger.

Rabbi Howald said, We have a lot of prayers in our Haggadah, but they are focused on the rituals of eating and drinking that form the center of the Seder." He shared a new prayer he wrote for the occasion considering the coronavirus impact on families and the community. This, he says, is designed for this years upsetting and special circumstances.

Rabbi Michael Howald of Temple Israel, Randall Manor (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)Staff-Shot

WORDS FROM THE RABBI

"Creator of Heaven and Earth, as Passover begins and the assembly of Israel recalls the long watchnight our ancestors endured in Egypt, we pray for your blessing and your protection. Just as the generation that left Egypt once pleaded for death and destruction to pass over their houses, so do we beseech you to spread your canopy of wellbeing over us even as we rejoice in this celebration of freedom, set down as an eternal statute in the House of Israel.

"This night will be different than all our other nights, previously spent in joyous companionship with family and friends, and now conducted in separation from those who once graced our Seder table.

"As the Israelites once called upon you for deliverance from their confinement in Egypt, so do we long for liberation from the scourge of a virus that has made us all shelter in our narrow places of social isolation.

"Before our Seder begins, and we relive the arduous journey our ancestors once took from slavery to freedom, we invoke your holy name and call you Divine Healer and Comforter of the Bereaved.

"Guide all those who minister to the sick with wisdom and compassion as you once guided us through the wilderness.

"Watch over all those who struggle with this modern plague with the sacred fire and healing shade you spread over the camp of Israel in our desert wanderings.

"Console the broken-hearted who have lost loved ones and friends to this insidious disease as you have consoled the mourners of Jerusalem and Zion over the generations of Israel.

"As you lift up the fallen, so may you sustain those who search for a vaccine and a cure for this terrible affliction. As you keep faith with those who sleep in the dust, so may you bring closer that day when we shall once again be able to accompany the dead for burial and hold the mourners in our arms. As you are Author of Revelation, so may this Seder, conducted in the narrow straights of physical distancing, give us the insight to recognize and celebrate the connections that still unite us in faith and love.

This year, we are confined, next year may we all be free.

70 Coronavirus in NYC: Photos show the fight against the pandemic

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@sidadvance.com.

**** FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE IN NEW YORK *****

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Grocery workers included in essential employee considerations
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(Newser)  In The Purge and its sequels, a siren marks the start of a 12-hour period in which all crimes, including murder, are legal. Police in a Louisiana town apparently hadn't seen the movies. A siren just like the Purge one was used in recent days to signal the start of a 9pm to 6am curfew intended to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Crowley, Acadia Parish, Variety reports. Police Chief Jimmy Broussard tells KATC that officers, who drove around town playing the noise, used an old military siren. He says he had no idea the siren was associated with the horror movies and officers will not be using any siren to mark the curfew in the future.

story continues below

Acadia Parish Sheriff KP Gibson urged the public to speak to the Crowley Police Department, not his office. "Last night a 'Purge Siren' was utilized by the Crowley Police Department as part of their starting curfew," he said in a statement. "We have received numerous complaints with the belief that our agency was involved in this process." Crowley police say residents will receive citations if they leave their homes during the curfew. (Read more The Purge stories.)
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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There is a lot of uncertainty amid the current coronavirus containment measures.

In response to that, Huffman ISD held a community Facebook meeting on the evening of April 7 to give some information and answer questions from the community.

Sports: Crosby, Hargrave coaches brace for lengthy period without sports due to coronavirus

Here are some of the main questions and the answers that were given.

When will the schools open?

All schools are currently closed until May 4 in accordance with an order from Governor Greg Abbott. Huffman ISD Schools could open on Monday, May 4, but that could change, and they may be closed for the remainder of the year.

What about graduation?

For now, Huffman ISD is keeping its original graduation day of Saturday, May 30, but it is looking at dates in July if the original date is no longer possible

Schools: Crosby, Huffman ISDs commit to paying all employees during coronavirus upheaval

We know that COVID-19 is best contained by social distancing, and we know that our strategy has had a positive outcome with regard to the crisis that we are facing, said Soileau. What we dont know is how long these measures will be necessary.

The video of the entire meeting can be seen here

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
My off-Broadway show Daddy Long Legs was streamed for one night in 2015. When I watched the show, along with 150,000 other people from 62 countries, I had an epiphany: This was the future. Streaming live shows could not only preserve a theater piece forever, but also allow theater artists creating the musical to earn royalties, like film and TV artists.

Once a show is streaming, there are no running costs, the show never closes, and the audience includes more than just the city the show is running in  it includes the entire world.

With my Streaming Musicals partners, Tom Polum and Stacia Fernandez, we brought this idea to theatrical unions, producers, and whoever else would listen to us. We found out we were going to have to prove our idea first.

We started with one of my musicals, because of course, we would have the author's permission right away. My musical Emma had been a hit with audiences and critics over the last decade but was getting only one production every couple of years, if that. I offered Emma up as the guinea pig for the model. Raising the money proved an uphill climb as nobody understood quite what we were doing.

However, with the enthusiasm of the patrons of TheatreWorks, Palo Alto and Tim Kashani, and his company (Apples and Oranges), we were able to raise the money and shoot Emma at the Westside Theatre in New York in 2018.

It was an absolutely thrilling experience for me. With many of our original TheatreWorks cast members, plus with Broadway's Kelli Barrett as our Emma, we were able to rehearse, tech, and shoot the entire thing in 10 days. We didn't want lip-syncing in this model; we wanted this to feel more theatrical, and more importantly, to create a true hybrid between musical theater and film. With our music supervisor Brad Haak's magic, we made it work and added the live musicians in post and created our first "sound stage musical."

Justin Mortelliti as Mr. Darcy and Mary Mattison as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.

( Kevin Berne)

This past November, we were doing Pride and Prejudice at Theatreworks, and we had no intention of capturing it. But around week three, I started getting really excited about the production. With Robert Kelley's direction, Bill Liberatore as the musical director, a great cast and Conor Keelan's beautiful orchestrations, the show was turning out just the way I wanted.

Many of the TheatreWorks supporters had been on board for Emma and had seen the exciting forward motion of that show and got on board with this one. (More exciting things are happening with Emma right now that I can't share just yet but will soon.)

I'm excited to share Pride and Prejudice with our community next Friday for our virtual opening night and hope that it might provide a little respite for a few hours. As we deal with our current crisis, I know that all of us have our eyes fixed on the day when we get back in theaters again. I've been lucky enough to work with amazing regional theaters all across the country. They create little gems all the time with exceptionally gifted artists. Why not film these gems, come up with a financial model that supports the artists in salary and in meaningful ongoing royalties, and create a win/win for producers, theater artists and theater fans? We believe Streaming Musicals has created that model, and we're excited to share it with the rest of the world.

Click here for more information on Pride and Prejudice.
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A San Antonio man has been arrested for allegedly claiming he paid someone to spread COVID-19 at local grocery stores, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Christopher Charles Perez, 39, faces up to five years in federal prison on a charge of hoaxes related to weapons of mass destruction, the complaint said.

READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio

FBI agents arrested Perez without incident Tuesday at 4:40 p.m. in New Braunfels, according to Special Agent Michelle Lee.

According to the complaint, Perez claimed in a Facebook post that he had paid someone to spread coronavirus at grocery stores in the San Antonio area.

Perez was allegedly trying to deter people from visiting the stores, in order to prevent the spread of the virus, the FBI said.

Officials said the threat was false. Investigators found no evidence that someone had spread coronavirus at grocery stores.

Authorities received an online tip  a screenshot of the Facebook post  on Sunday.

A law enforcement source said the FBI raid Tuesday afternoon in the 3400 block of Chateau Drive was connected to the investigation. No arrests were made at the East Side home.

The FBIs Weapons of Mass Destruction Squad and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating this case.

Mark Dunphy is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:
American actor Ryan Phillippe headed out for a jog in the sunshine on Tuesday.

Making sure he kept fit and healthy while in self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, he enjoyed his once-daily permitted outing.

Ryan, 45, wore a sweatshirt with the letter 'P' emblazoned on the front, with some cropped black trousers and trainers.

Keeping fit: Ryan Phillippe headed out for a jog in the sunshine on Tuesday as he took a break from being in self-isolation

He was sporting a beard and and had some red-tinted sunglasses on.

The Hollywood star opted to go without a face mask for his outing which remains an optional measure in California.

Ryan shares 20-year-old daughter Ava and Deacon, 16, with ex wife Reese Witherspoon, who he divorced in 2008.

Stylish: Ryan, 45, wore a sweatshirt with the letter 'P' emblazoned on the front, with some cropped black trousers and trainers

Striding on: Ryan has been running everyday in order to make sure he stays fit and healthy

He has an eight-year-old daughter named Kai with ex-girlfriend actress Alexis Knapp.

On Saturday, Ryan and Deacon shared a picture of themselves on Instagram both wearing face masks as they headed out to the shops.

He wrote: 'safe bois out for essentialz.'

Sweaty: He was sporting a beard and wore red tinted sunglasses for his outing

Going for it: He looked out of breath at one point, following his long run

He previously wore the same sweater in another dashing Instagram post and wrote: 'My friend said everyday is just a sunday now, so im goin with that.

'May all our health practitioners and essential service people remain safe and healthy. comfort to the victims and their families.

'The rest of you, happy sunday and stay the hell home. dad sez.'

Last month, the actor joked that during self isolation and quarantine he was going to 'start doing a little live acting for you guys from the home while we're all shut in.

'Y'know, a little drama, a little comedy. Like 2-3 hours everyday. So, if you like movies or tv catch my stream.'

Essentials: He graced Instagram on Friday with son Deacon, 16, who he shares with ex wife Reese Witherspoon, to show off his CDC-approved coronavirus gear
By Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 8 (Reuters) - Brazilian telecommunications firms have urged the government to postpone a spectrum auction for fifth-generation (5G) mobile network this year, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latin America's largest economy.

"In a moment of crisis as such it is difficult to think in a long-term investment," said Marcos Ferreira, head of industry group SindiTelebrasil in Tuesday evening interview, adding that 5G technology will require heavy investments.

SindiTelebrasil represents Brazil's main carriers Telefonica Brasil SA, TIM Participacoes SA, America Movil's Claro and Oi SA, among others.

Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel launched public hearings on spectrum availability and other rules for the auction, which is expected to be concluded by April 17. If confirmed, it could mark the world's largest bandwidth auction for 5G to date.

In February, Anatel President Leonardo de Morais told Reuters in an interview that the long-awaited auction would take place in November or December at the latest.

"The ideal, as we can no longer see the long-term picture and there are too many uncertainties ... is carrying out the auction later on," Ferreira said.

Anatel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In late March, as the government scaled back non-essential services to curb the coronavirus outbreak, Anatel indefinitely halted field tests for the 3.5 GHz frequency, used to detect potential interference with other signals.

In addition to economic fallout from the pandemic, Ferreira noted that carriers would also like to resolve pending issues before the 5G auction, including a change to legislation on towers and antennas, a longtime demand of the sector.

He also called for changes to the taxation of autonomous connected devices known as the 'Internet of Things' (IoT), which is addressed in a bill under consideration in the Senate.

"We're ready for the auction as long as these issues are solved," Ferreira said. He declined to estimate how much the Brazilian spectrum auction could raise.

In June 2019, Germany raised 6.55 billion euros ($7.4 billion) in its frequency auction for 5G mobile services after a nearly three-month battle that resulted in the entry of a fourth operator in the German telecoms market. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier Writing and additional reporting by Gabriela Mello; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the states to provide adequate security to medical professionals engaged in combating coronavirus pandemic and said that the police and the state administrations were duty-bound to protect the healthcare professionals who were likely to be unnerved and fearful after the recent incidents of attack and misbehaviour, said a news agency.

The direction from the countrys apex court came following a string of such incidents where medical personnel were either attacked or misbehaved with. At least two such incidents involved the members of Tablighi Jamaat. Uttar Pradesh government had slapped cases under the stringent National Security Act or the NSA against the offenders in one such case of ill-treatment of nurses by patients at a Ghaziabad hospital.

In another case in Indore, seven people were arrested for attacking health workers that resulted in injuries to at least two female doctors. Another case was reported from Bihars Munger where police and medical personnel were attacked with stones by locals while on a visit to collect samples from suspected patients.

The court also asked to maintain necessary security at all places where patients diagnosed with Covid-19 were kept either for treatment, isolation or quarantining purposes and were frequented by the medical staff.

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19

Recent reports have cited several challenges being faced by the health care professionals, who are bravely carrying out their duties running the risk of contracting a highly contagious and deadly virus. Apart from threats from uncooperative patients, they have also complained of a lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).

In one of the most recent cases, over 150 nursing staff, paramedics and other workers at the KB Bhabha Hospital at Mumbais Bandra staged a protest on Wednesday fearing exposure to the disease and also citing lack of PPEs among the reasons for their protest.

The BMC, however, denied there was any shortage of PPEs.

The apex court observed that doctors, nurses and healthcare workers were the real warriors while hearing a bunch of petitions seeking direction to the central government to ensure that all healthcare workers across India have access to masks, hazmat suits and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

Also Read:Private labs cant charge people for Covid-19 tests, orders Supreme Court
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Every day, Los Angeles County health officials announce the number of positive COVID-19 cases throughout the county -- by city, and by neighborhood in the city of L.A.

When they started these announcements, in mid-March, Victor Cuevas found himself sheltering at home and bored. So Cuevas, who works in communication by day, decided to put his master's degree in urban planning to use.

He started plotting the daily case count on a map and quickly noticed something: Wealthier zip codes, like Hancock Park and Beverly Hills, had a higher number of cases. When he looked at zip codes with a larger percentage of lower-income households and people of color -- communities such as Compton, Boyle Heights and Pacoima -- there were few to no cases.

That got Cuevas thinking. "What's going on there? Are those folks getting extra testing?" he said when I talked to him by phone recently. The answer, health experts say, is almost certainly yes. But that's just the beginning of how wealth and poverty are likely to play out in this pandemic.

I've mapped this every day since the County released geographic data  there's been a steady pattern. Communities of color have shown the least "confirmed" cases  we know the story here is about testing. Updated per latest data...West of La Brea has been steady, SELA not really pic.twitter.com/1PHOT0Sxlr  Victor Hugo Cuevas (@urban_agent) March 23, 2020

THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD TO TRAVEL LIKELY BROUGHT COVID-19 TO LA

Historically, some infectious disease outbreaks, like cholera, have attacked lower-income communities first. But COVID-19 is different.

Dr. David Eisenman, director of UCLA's Center for Public Health and Disasters, says travel played a big part at the start of the outbreak here. That explains why, as far as the U.S. population goes, members of Congress, celebrities and vacationers on cruise ships got it first.

"Travelers that brought it over from China or Italy, business travelers, people in industries that take them across to other countries," said Dr. Eisenman. "I think that explained the early importation."

WHO GETS TESTED? WHO DOESN'T?

By the fourth week in March, cases were mounting in other parts of L.A. But the trend that Cuevas, the armchair mapper, first noticed of higher case numbers in wealthier neighborhoods still held. (Crosstown, a non-profit news organization, recently mapped out the county's numbers and found a similar trend.)

We're at the point where every community is starting to report  some doubled in numbers from yesterday. What's been clear from March 16th (first day of mapping) is the higher #s in Fairfax/WeHo/Bwood. Median home value in Brentwood is $1,905,026 & "Melrose" $1,091,736 pic.twitter.com/dJioTI7v9f  Victor Hugo Cuevas (@urban_agent) March 27, 2020

News outlets also began to report discrepancies in testing.

The L.A. Times reported that a doctor in Santa Monica was offering patients a cheek swab test for the coronavirus for $250. A doctor in Huntington Beach had also secured his own supply of tests for his patients.

Meanwhile, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, head of the county public health department, was urgently calling for more testing kits and widespread testing.

Dr. Eisenman also noticed the testing trend. "This probably reflects differences in access to health care between the rich and the poor." Eisenman said. "It's unfortunate, but it's logical.... If you have health insurance and a doctor, it's easier for you to get."

Dr. Dawn Terashita, associate director of acute communicable disease control with L.A County's health department, sounded a similar note: "Maybe this is due to an increase in insurance or increase in access to health care."

She said the county plans to do further analyses.

AS COVID-19 SPREADS, DISCREPANCIES IN CARE MAY SHOW

As the number of positive cases rises each day, it's clear the disease is spreading throughout the county without discrimination. In a letter to President Trump, Gov. Newsom estimated that 25 million Californians could be infected over an eight-week period. But how well -- even whether -- they survive COVID-19 could further reveal the underlying health disparities that accompany L.A.'s wealth disparities.

As you go further inland and further south in L.A. County, life expectancy generally goes down. What academics call the "social determinants of health" -- access to health care, housing, income -- play a huge part.

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These social factors already make it harder for people in low-income neighborhoods, many of them communities of color, to be as healthy as their wealthier counterparts. For example, about 89% of Beverly Hills residents have health insurance, compared to only 69% of people in Compton.

Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, a UCLA professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, believes that puts Latinos and other communities of color at a disadvantage when it comes to COVID-19.

"The public service announcements always say at the first sign of a fever to contact your doctor," Hayes-Bautista said. "[Latinos] often don't have a physician to whom they can contact."

Still, as more free testing sites start to pop up across the county, Hayes-Bautista thinks the patient demographic will shift.

"We will see that initially the positive cases were non-Hispanic white areas, but they will very quickly with a matter of a couple weeks shift over to the largely Latino areas," Hayes-Bautista said.

UNDERLYING CONDITIONS COULD MAKE SOME COMMUNITIES MORE VULNERABLE THAN OTHERS

Not only do poor people and some communities of color see the doctor far less than their wealthy, white counterparts, they tend to have higher rates of certain health conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes -- underlying conditions that could make them very sick if they were to get COVID-19.

In some parts of the country, including Chicago and Louisiana, the virus is hitting black communities especially hard. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Tuesday that African Americans are at higher risk during the pandemic because of underlying health conditions and because it may be harder for lower-income black people to practice physical distancing if they're living in close quarters.

Testing is a concern, we're going to be at 2 million tests this week and it's rapidly ramping up with the commercial industry... at the end of the month we should not only be doing diagnostic testing but also doing surveillance testing across the country." -- @Surgeon_General pic.twitter.com/7JFuZMrcYN  CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 7, 2020

On Tuesday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health released some preliminary data on the race and ethnicity of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Relative to population size, county researchers found that black Angelenos have a slightly higher COVID-19 death rate compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

However, the county still has no racial or ethnic data for 43% of reported COVID-19 deaths.

With scarce equipment and staff to treat people with the virus, hospitals across the country may face tough ethical questions: Who gets priority for treatment? The healthy or unhealthy patient?

Dr. Matt Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado, said medical decisions should not "further disadvantage people who are already suffering disadvantage." He recommends that doctors not make decisions based on race, ethnicity, or religion.

"Those types of considerations should be explicitly excluded from triage protocols." Wynia said.

But he suggests that hospitals should have an independent triage team that is not treating a patient to make a neutral decision in a critical life or death situation.

Recently, the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a bulletin reminding hospitals and clinics that it's illegal to discriminate against patients based on race, disability, age and other federally protected characteristics.

Still, in a pandemic, some medical experts worry that discrimination may happen anyway.

Dr. John Dividio, who studies medical discrimination at Yale University, said doctors and other health care workers may have unconscious, or "implicit," bias -- ingrained stereotypes with regards to race, gender or social class. And that can affect their treatment of patients, whether they realize it or not.

Several studies compiled by the National Institutes of Health found that black patients were given worse medical treatment than white patients when it came to the same diagnosis.

Dividio said health care professionals can usually mitigate their biases by being reflective and taking their time to make decisions, but he's concerned that the stress and high stakes of the coronavirus pandemic could impact the quality of care that patients get, including end-of-life care.

He added that many of the problems in the health care system, especially during the pandemic, are tied to poverty and racial and ethnic disparities.

'Socioeconomic (status) is going to add to that cascade of who's getting help and who's not getting help," Dividio said, and "that's tied to race in America."

UPDATES:

2:32 p.m.: This article was updated with new data on race and ethnicity of COVID-19 victims in L.A. County.

This article was originally published at 12:25 p.m.
Huashan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. AP-Yonhap





Soon after the central Chinese city of Wuhan went into lockdown two months ago, the central government fast-tracked a ban on the trade and consumption of wildlife.



The coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands around the world first emerged in the city and many of the early patients were linked to the Huashan Seafood Wholesale Market, which sold wild animals.



Research suggests that the virus came from bats, and likely went through an intermediate host, possibly pangolins, before reaching humans.



The national ban  as well as others around the world  is an attempt to stop a similar pandemic disease from animals.



But while the ban has been welcomed, health specialists say that broader laws, effective enforcement and international cooperation are needed to tamp down the risk.



A bigger ban



Before the ban, wildlife trade and consumption was a multibillion-dollar industry.



A 2017 report by the Chinese Academy of Engineering estimated that the industry employed more than 14 million people and generated about 520 billion yuan (US$74 billion).



Under the new legislation in China, wild animals may no longer be bred for consumption but it is still legal to farm them for fur and traditional Chinese medicine.



Amanda Whitfort, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong's law faculty specialising in animal welfare law, said all uses should be prohibited to minimise risk.



"Animals that are bred for any purpose are a risk for zoonotic disease," Whitfort said.



The effectiveness of the new law would depend on how strictly it was enforced, she said, stressing that risks remained as China did not ensure proper living conditions for animals still allowed to be bred legally.



"If it's being bred in closely confined circumstances, if it's being slaughtered in ways that are unhygienic and uncontrolled and quarantines aren't being respected  then you've got a recipe for a disaster again," Whitfort said.



Cross-border cooperation



Even if China can effectively enforce its own laws against the trade, international cooperation is needed to stop it on a broader scale, according to Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.



"For example with China's borders with Southeast Asia, because of this [wildlife] trade relations, if that demand is still there you could expect that this trade on the wild animals cannot stop, unless there is effective international cooperation," Huang said.



He said the World Health Organisation could be a platform for establishing common rules on the trade.



"But there could be other venues, regional forums like Asean+3 could be useful to enforce a regional ban, as an international ban may be impossible," Huang said.



"China could reach out to leaders in Southeast Asia, Japan and [South] Korea to make that happen."





Bats. gettyimagesbank
(Natural News) Italy recorded 3,599 new cases Monday, its lowest daily rise since Mar. 17, pointing to signs that the virus may be easing up on the region. In a statement, the Civil Protection Agency  the countrys analog to the CDC  also reported that the number of patients under intensive care also fell for the second day running, despite a rise in deaths. According to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University, Italy has 132,547 confirmed coronavirus cases and 16,523 deaths  the highest in the world.

Health authorities believe that the nationwide lockdown, which took effect on March 12, could account for the steady dip in new cases. As of Tuesday, the country reported 22,837 recoveries against 21,815 a day earlier.

Conte: Italy will bounce back, but for now, stay home

The Italian government also announced that it will offer over 400 billion (US$430 billion) in liquidity and bank loans to companies that have been affected by the coronavirus crisis. Together with a previous stimulus package unveiled in March, the program would allow banks to offer more than 750 billion in credit in an attempt to keep the EUs third-largest economy afloat.

According to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the stimulus is real firepower and is the most powerful intervention in the countrys history.

I cannot remember such powerful measures being introduced in the history of our republic to help with the financing of our businesses, he stated at the end of a cabinet meeting.

In particular, the new package will primarily aid export-oriented companies whose turnover has imploded over the past month. The government has already said that it will enable measures to protect Italian companies that have been impacted by the economic crisis and preventing them from being taken over by foreign competitors.

This moment of [difficulty] will not translate into an opportunity to prey on Italian companies, added cabinet undersecretary Riccardo Fraccaro.

Beijing looking to tighten its grip on Italy amid coronavirus outbreak

Its worth noting that Italy enjoys a close relationship with China, where the coronavirus pandemic started. Last year, the country signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China regarding its participation in Chinas controversial Belt and Road Initiative  the only country in the G7 bloc to do so.

During the coronavirus crisis, the Chinese government has sent medical supplies to Italy, a move made to assert Beijings influence in the country. Propaganda machines have posted videos of grateful Italians praising China for its generosity, especially since France and Germany had already imposed a ban on the export of face masks.

ZTE, which runs a 5G innovation in central Italy, has donated 2,000 masks to the region, while Huawei has offered to set up a cloud computing network in a bid to connect hospitals around the region with those in Wuhan, China  a move that raised eyebrows, given that it raises issues for data protection and the control of critical infrastructure.

In addition, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed launching a new Health Silk Road, where China will share its lessons in its fight against the coronavirus with its partners around the world  even as Beijing is dogged by controversy with its handling of the coronavirus, with its propaganda machines hard at work to disassociate the virus from China.

As Italy extends lockdown, the U.S. is taking notes

Italys swingeing lockdown, which is already on its fifth week, will remain in place until April 13th  a day after Easter Sunday  at the earliest. However, the measures are expected to be extended beyond the date, as the government is looking to loosen the measures very gradually.

In a statement, Conte noted that the next step is implementing phase two of the shutdown, where measures will be set for coexisting with the virus. Afterward, he added that the country can move forward to phase three, where things will gradually get back to normal. To note, no date for the start of phase two has been proposed.

From an epidemiological point of view, we can start talking about phase two when there are no more infections, explained Nino Cartabellotta a leading public health expert from the countrys group for evidence-based medicine.

In the United States, members of the White Houses coronavirus task force have recently referred to Italy as an example of how the coronavirus could impact the country. As the Mediterranean country is slowly progressing in its fight against the virus, Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force has noted the drop is what gives [the team] a lot of hope.

Were seeing in New York exactly what we saw in Italy: very low mortality. Not to say that young people under 30 or young people under 40 arent getting ill, she added. They are, but most of them are recovering. So the profile looks identical to Italy, with increasing mortality, with age and preexisting medical conditions.

Learn more about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

ChannelNewsAsia.com

TheSun.co.uk

Coronavirus.JHU.edu

StraitsTimes.com

TheDiplomat.com

TheLocal.it

NPR.org
MONTREAL, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elixxer Ltd. (TSX-V: ELXR) (OTC-QB: ELXIF) (FRA 2QLA) ("ELIXXER" or (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its pharmaceutical partner, Freia launches production of ImmunoV Forte, to improve and protect respiratory function in the human body against airborne infections.



Freia is initiating clinical trials on the active ingredients in ImmunoV Forte that aid and protect the human respiratory tract from external environmental attacks such as respiratory viruses, bacteria, smoke and pollution. In being compliant with Canadian Exchange regualators, both Elixxer and Freia are not making any expressed or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. Post trials the company will update the market as to these results

The product will be available for sale in Europe by mid-April ImmunoV. Forte is a nutritional supplement that is water soluble, and can be taken once daily to protect and enhance against infection.

According to EFSA, by continual use of the combined ingredients within ImmunoV Forte, Freia's research and development team concluded that by using this product, it can contribute to improving the normal functions of the immune system. ImmunoV Forte contributes to the maintenance of normal immune system function even during and after intense physical activities or stresses. ImmunoV Forte also contributes to protect cells from Oxidative stress and the normal metabolism of fatty acids in the human body.

Friea has also confirmed with Elixxer that its current production facilities and laboratories will remain open amid this crisis, Freia's operations are deemed as an essential pharmaceutical business.

Freia and Elixxer are committed to bring Freia's catalogue of medical products to market to protect and enhance the overall health of consumers throughout Europe, the UK and North America.

About Elixxer Ltd.)

ELXR Ltd. is a Canadian public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: ELXR), the US OTC-QB exchange (OTCQB: ELXIF) and Frankfurt (FRA: 2QLA)

Through its partners ELXR presently has significant interests in Australia, Jamaica, Switzerland, Italy and Canada.

About Freia Farmaceutici Srl (http://www.freiafarmaceutici.it/)

Freia is an independent Italian pharmaceutical company established in 2009, committed to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize pharmaceutical products and active ingredients originated from plants. Freia aims is to be recognized as a research focused company, able to develop and commercialize innovative pharmaceutical solutions to improve the quality of human life. Freia's goal is to combine commitment to results with integrity, operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

About The EFSA (http://www.efsa.europa.eu)

EFSA is a European agency funded by the European Union that operates independently of the European legislative and executive institutions (Commission, Council, Parliament) and EU Member States.

Set up in 2002 following a series of food crises in the late 1990s to be a source of scientific advice and communication on risks associated with the food chain. The agency was legally established by the EU under the General Food Law - Regulation 178/2002.

The General Food Law created a European food safety system in which responsibility for risk assessment (science) and for risk management (policy) are kept separate. EFSA is responsible for the former area, and also has a duty to communicate its scientific findings to the public

For further information please contact:

President, John McMullen, +1-416-803-0698, john@elixxer.com

Mr. Marco Santini, Freia Farmaceutici, marco.santini@freiafarmaceutici.it

Caution Regarding Press Releases

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to Elixxer and its operations, strategy, investments, financial performance and condition. These statements can generally be identified by use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intends", "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. The actual results and performance of Elixxer could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, among other things, general economic and market factors, competition, government regulation and the factors described under "Risk Factors and Risk Management" in Elixxer's most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to Elixxer and persons acting on its behalf. Unless otherwise stated, all forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Elixxer has no obligation to update such statements, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Kodiak Copper Corp. (TSXV: KDK) (FSE: 5DD1) (the "Company" or "Kodiak") announces that it has contracted a ZTEMTM airborne geophysical survey in preparation for the next phase of drilling at its 100% owned MPD copper-gold porphyry project in southern BC.

Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak said, "Kodiak is in a very strong position, being fully funded and with a clear exploration strategy at our advanced MPD project. This first airborne geophysical survey ever flown over the consolidated property kicks off our 2020 exploration program to follow up on the Gate Zone discovery announced earlier this year. Historic ground geophysical data shows significant anomalies across a large 10 km2 area but only to a maximum depth of 250 metres, and by completing this work we will be able to trace the continuation of these large anomalies down to over 1000 metres vertical depth. This will be instrumental in prioritizing targets for a Phase II drilling program planned in early summer. Our interpretation is that the porphyry centre or centres have not been discovered yet, which bodes well for high grades yet to be drilled. There is plenty of opportunity for further discoveries and with a larger drill program and better information we are poised to generate exciting results and build on the discovery success to date."

Kodiak's recent maiden Phase I drill program at MPD tested the vertical extent of historic copper-gold mineralization below shallow historic drilling in the Prime area, which rarely tested below 200 metres depth. The program culminated in the discovery of the new Gate Zone, with hole MPD-19-003 containing the highest grade copper-gold intervals in core ever reported in the 50-year history of the property, and mineralization extending from near surface to over 800 metres vertical depth (see news release dated Jan. 16, 2020).

In preparation for a larger Phase II drill program in early summer 2020, Kodiak has contracted Geotech Ltd. to fly a property-wide ZTEMTM airborne electromagnetic-magnetic survey in April that covers 72 km2. The ZTEMTM data will map resistivity/conductivity responses to over 1000 metres depth, enabling us to see below historic ground geophysical anomalies and shallow copper-gold mineralization intersected in the previous drilling. Information from this survey will be crucial to vectoring-in on potentially higher-grade porphyry centre(s) as well as characterizing the geological and structural controls on porphyry mineralisation.





Figure 1 - Gate Zone: Cross-sections of historic drilling and hole MPD 19-003. The left panel is a colour contour of Cu% with colourbars of Cu% (green) and Au g/t (red) in core. The right panel is a colour contour of historic ground Induced Polarization (IP) geophysics. Note that limited depth of the IP response reflects only shallow mineralisation in historic drilling, and not the longer intervals with higher grades discovered at Gate.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3803/54258_d88e6d92b4c828db_002full.jpg





Figure 2- Dillard Area: Cross-sections of historic drilling in the Dillard area. The left panel is a colour contour of Cu% with colourbars of Cu% (green) and Au g/t (red) in core. The right panel is a colour contour of historic ground Induced Polarization (IP) electromagnetic chargeability. Note the limited depth of historic geophysics and drilling to date, showing potential for higher grades at depth and along strike, similar to the Gate Zone.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3803/54258_d88e6d92b4c828db_003full.jpg

With the benefit of new ZTEMTM airborne data, the Phase II drill program will be designed to expand mineralization at the Gate Zone using step-out drilling to target higher-grade mineralization along strike, and up dip to shallower depths (see Figure 1). It will also test the depth and extent of significant mineralization noted at other shallow historic zones such as Dillard (see Figure 2) and Dillard East. In addition to ongoing reprocessing of historic ground geophysics, petrographic-geochemical studies will be performed on core to help prioritise targets. Kodiak is fully permitted with a multi-year, area-based exploration permit, and the ability to work year round at the MPD Project.

Kodiak continues to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation with respect to mineral exploration in BC. Protecting the health and safety of our workforce and the communities we work in is our highest priority. Prior to starting any field work, the Company will ensure that appropriate operational procedures and social distancing protocols are in place which follow Federal and Provincial government guidelines.

Jeff Ward, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release. Kodiak believes historic results referenced herein to be from reliable sources using industry standards at the time. However, the Company has not independently verified, or cannot guarantee, the accuracy of this historic information.

For further information please contact Mr. Knox Henderson, Investor Relations, at 604-551-2360 or khenderson@kodiakcoppercorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Kodiak Copper Corp.

Claudia Tornquist

President & CEO

About Kodiak Copper Corp.

Kodiak is focused on its portfolio of 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. The Company's most advanced asset is the MPD copper-gold porphyry project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in south-central British Columbia, Canada, where the Company made a discovery of high-grade mineralization in 2020. Kodiak also holds the Mohave copper-molybdenum-silver porphyry project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad mine. The Company's Trapper copper-gold porphyry project is located in the northern Golden Triangle region of British Columbia. All three of Kodiak's porphyry projects have been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits.

The Company also holds the advanced-stage Kahuna diamond project in Nunavut, Canada. Kahuna hosts a high-grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets.

Kodiak's founder and chairman is Chris Taylor who is well-known for his gold discovery success with Great Bear Resources. Kodiak is also part of the Discovery Group of Companies led by John Robins, one of the most successful mining entrepreneurs in Canada.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement (Safe Harbor Statement): This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward looking statements concerning the Company's exploration plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals.

Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54258
Ghanaian Rapper Yaa Pono has jabbed Shatta Wale over comments he made that rap music is useless in Ghana.

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Shatta Wale had earlier stated that rap music as totally out of the market currently in Ghana.

He went ahead to say that "I blame Reggie Rockstone for introducing the rap music because he has not made any impact with it."

READ ALSO: Ghana Jesus runs away from Shatta Wale, Sarkodie beef in new video; says Twitter account is fake

But Yaa Pono who was not excited about Shatta Wale's comment said took him on for saying what he said about rap music in Ghana.

In a post sighted by YEN.com.gh, the artiste who recently made peace with the SM Boss said the latters comment is a rubbish talk which should be ignored.

READ ALSO: Ghana Jesus runs away from Shatta Wale, Sarkodie beef in new video; says Twitter account is fake

Maybe Yaa Pono is ready to have another beef with the 'Melissa' hitmaker

READ ALSO: Asem releases diss song for Sarkodie in new video

Yaa Pono is also on record warning artistes never to try to cross his lane this year or else, the deadliest beef will happen in the country.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ghana Jesus, otherwise known as Mmebusem, had dissociated himself from an earlier Twitter post at was assigned to him.

READ ALSO: Sarkodie becomes 2nd most followed rapper in Africa on Twitter

According to Mmebusem the Twitter account that tweeted that anytime Shatta Wale releases a diss song Sarkodie's fans come out to bash him but hail Sarkodie anytime he drops a diss song, is a fake.

He added that he has nothing to do with that tweet and has not also taken sides in the on-going beef between Shatta Wale and Sarkodie.

Government of Ghana to absorb water bills for the next 3-months | #Yencomgh

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Source: YEN.com.gh
[April 08, 2020] Novakid Research Suggests That Less Than a Third of Schoolkids Continue Studies With Teachers During Quarantine

SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Novakid analysts have researched how the educational model has changed during this period of social isolation. More than 2,500 parents from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland and Russia  where school-aged children have been instructed to stay home and encouraged to study online  took part in the survey. Novakid's research suggests that only 26% of Italian kids continue learning online with schoolteachers. It's even less in Turkey (21%), Poland (11%), and Spain (6%). In Russia, by contrast, 60% of students have begun independent study, while 40% have switched to remote instruction with schoolteachers.



Italy , 28% in Spain , 53% in Russia , 23% in Turkey , and 12% in Poland . Most parents are interested in continuing education for their children and do not mind planning additional classes: 47% of parents in Poland, 43% in Spain, 40% in Russia, and 23% in Italy intend to add online classes to their kids' timetable.

"The isolation period can be a real challenge for children. It is now very important for social institutions to adjust to the new reality. Our survey showed that 39.5% of schools in Russia, 20% of schools in Poland and Spain, 19% in Italy, and 16% in Turkey have changed their programs and added online game-based learning activities in order to keep students engaged. For us, as an online school, this includes gamification of different levels and models of novel interaction with students," comments Anna Tolstochenko, press officer at Novakid. Novakid is an online English school for kids from 4 to 12 years old, where all the teachers are native speakers and have appropriate teaching certificates to work with children. Online lessons are taught using an in-house built web platform, which is enhanced with virtual reality and gamification technologies to provide children with full immersion during the process of language learning. Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1142657/Novakid_Infographic.jpg Website - https://www.novakidschool.com

Video - https://youtu.be/803QPsPjZF0

Logo - https://www.novakidschool.com/images/logo.svg

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Health minister Simon Harris has said while efforts are being stepped up to prevent the spread of coronavirus in nursing homes, they are an area of concern.

The Minister told RTE radio: It is certainly not being lost but there are pressures in our nursing home sector and they are doing really good work.

We are also sending in teams of staff to our nursing homes to help supplement their efforts as well. I think we need to be clear about a cluster in a nursing home because that means two or more cases.

"It wouldnt be unusual that you would see an outbreak of a virus like this in our nursing homes.

Mr Harris said agency staff are not allowed to move between nursing homes in case they potentially spread the virus and additional PPE has been given to nursing home staff.

He said: Theres a massive amount of work going on in nursing homes  every nursing home should have an infection liaison officer and someone they can link in with strictly in relation to the plan.

"It is right to point out that a serious concern in our public health battle is in long-term residential settings.

The Minister Simon Harris said it is important to maintain coronavirus restrictions for the time being and warned against complacency.

New regulations giving Gardai beefed up enforcement powers to ensure compliance with Covid-19 restrictions were signed by the health minister on Tuesday night.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is due to announce details of an operation to police the regulations and discourage people from travelling to holiday homes this weekend.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Shop for essential food and household goods;

Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;

Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;

Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people

Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing

Minister Harris said: Now is not the time for any complacency whatsoever. It is difficult and challenging to stay at home. Im conscious of parents with kids, particularly children with autism.

These are big challenges for people, but they are not as significant and challenging as the problems we could face if we dont stay the course.

We are seeing what is happening with other countries regarding the death toll and we cannot allow that to happen here.

[snippet1]987600[/snippet1]
Researchers at firmware security company Eclypsium on Tuesday released new research that identifies and confirms unsigned firmware in WiFi adapters, USB hubs, trackpads and cameras used in Windows and Linux computer and server products from Lenovo, Dell, HP and other major manufacturers.

Eclypsium also demonstrated a successful attack on a server via a network interface card with unsigned firmware used by each of the big three server manufacturers.

The demonstration shows the exposed attack vector once firmware on any of these components is infected using the issues the report describes. The malware stays undetected by any software security controls.

Unsigned firmware provides multiple pathways for malicious actors to compromise laptops and servers. That leaves millions of Windows and Linux systems at risk of firmware attacks that can exfiltrate data, disrupt operations and deliver ransomware, warned Eclypsium.

Unsigned firmware in peripheral devices remains a highly overlooked aspect of cybersecurity. Depending on the capabilities of the component, unsigned firmware can lead to the loss of data, integrity and privacy. It also can allow attackers to gain privileges and hide from traditional security controls, notes the report, titled Perilous Peripherals: the Hidden Dangers Inside Windows & Linux Computers.

Software and network vulnerabilities are often the more obvious focus of organizations security priorities, but firmware vulnerabilities could give adversaries full control over the compromised device, according to Katie Teitler, senior analyst at TAG Cyber.

This could lead to implanted back doors, network traffic sniffing, data exfiltration, and more, she told LinuxInsider.

Reporting factors

The Perilous Peripherals report is based on original research conducted by members of Eclypsiums research team. They include principal researchers Rick Altherr, Mickey Shkatov, Jesse Michael and CTO Alex Bazhaniuk.

Work on this research began more than18 months ago and was completed this February. The study was self-funded by the company, according to Jesse Michael, the reports principal researcher.

It is safe to assume that tens of millions  if not hundreds of millions  of systems have these specific unsigned firmware components, Michael told LinuxInsider.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

For example, annual server shipments are around 12 million, and annual laptop shipments number approximately 200 million units. While the specific vulnerabilities identified in this report affect only a portion of all shipped systems, unsigned firmware components are prevalent within the industry, he explained.

We have yet to find a system that does not include such components, Michael said.

Problematic Roots

The problem surrounding unsigned firmware surfaced five years ago. Security researchers found the Equation Groups HDD implants lurking in the wild. That was a wake-up call introducing the computer industry to the power of firmware hacking and the underlying dangers posed by unsigned firmware in peripheral devices, according to Eclypsiums report.

There have been pockets of progress in dealing with the problem in recent years. However, much of the industry continues to turn a blind eye to the risks of unsigned firmware, Elypsiums research indicates.

In carrying out four separate research projects, Elypsiums team found unsigned firmware in WiFi adapters, USB hubs, trackpads and cameras in a variety of enterprise devices. These issues can be devastating to the security and operation of the devices.

More often than not, [they] are very difficult to fix. Disruption to components such as network cards, drives and other peripherals can completely disable the device or provide attackers with ways to steal data, deliver ransomware and hide from security, the report states.

These weaknesses are widespread across components in laptops and servers, the new Eclypsium research shows. They offer multiple pathways for malicious attacks.

See Eclypsiums Know Your Own Device resource for an overview of some of the most common firmware-enabled components within devices today.

Slow Response, Few Solutions

Despite previous in-the-wild attacks, peripheral manufacturers have been slow to adopt the practice of signing firmware. When it comes to security, most of the attention goes to the most visible components of a system, such as the operating system and the applications.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In response to the growing number of threats, many organizations have begun to add firmware to their vulnerability management and threat prevention models. However, these efforts are limited to the system firmware  the UEFI or BIOS resident on the main board of a device, explained Michael.

The lurking danger is underscored because virtually every component within a device has its own firmware and its own potential for risk, he said. That includes network adapters, graphics cards, USB devices, cameras, touchpads and trackpads, and more.

Unfortunately, this issue will be around for quite a while, and well most likely see improvements in next-gen products. But this will not happen all at once. As an industry, we need to pay more attention to hardware and firmware security, suggested Michael.

Some OEMs, such as HP and Lenovo, have been quick to acknowledge the problem and begin working on solutions with their device/component manufacturers. Signed firmware protections typically require changes within the hardware as well as the firmware. To do that, they must be introduced in a future device revision or model, he added.

Why the Risk

These internal components in peripheral devices are governed by firmware. The firmware may be burned into the integrated circuit of the device itself. Or the component may have its own flash memory where firmware is stored.

In other cases firmware may be provided dynamically by the operating system at boot time. However the firmware is stored, it can act like a miniature computer that governs the low-level behavior of that particular component. This code often is very susceptible to attack, residing in everything from laptops to servers to network devices, according to the report.

Protecting users from the dangers of unsigned firmware requires work by vendors throughout the industry. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs) need to work together to fix these issues.

By including these types of issues in their risk assessments, organizations can make informed decisions on which peripherals and products are secure and which are not, said Michael.

Daunting Struggle Ahead

Mitigating the problems unsigned firmware causes over such an extended period of widespread use means a speedy solution is unlikely to come soon  but it is essential to make progress toward that end.

Unfortunately, though, firmware vulnerabilities can be harder to detect and more difficult to patch, TAG Cybers Teitler said. Best practice is to deploy automated scanning for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations at the component level and continuously monitor for new issues or exploits.

The problem is that peripheral devices often lack the same security best practices that we take for granted in operating systems and in other more visible components, like the UEFI or BIOS, noted Michael. Specifically, many peripheral devices do not verify that firmware is signed properly with a high-quality public/private key before running the code.

This means that these components have no way to validate that the firmware loaded by the device is authentic and should be trusted. An attacker simply could insert a malicious or vulnerable firmware image, which the component would trust blindly and run, he cautioned.

No Clear Path Forward

These components are inside laptops and servers, but it is often up to the individual device/component manufacturers to introduce mitigations.

Most organizations do not have the mature processes needed to handle security flaws at this level or assign Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) reports, according to Yuriy Buygin, CEO of Eclypsium.

Often, aging hardware becomes a bigger part of the problem. Technical methods to provide robust fixes for fielded products are unavailable because of an old hardware design, he said.

So we will see these issues for years to come, and the only way to improve this is to keep finding vulnerabilities, alerting the public, and helping device vendors to establish better firmware security, Buygin told LinuxInsider.

Attack Vectors

Eclypsium researchers demonstrated how unsigned firmware can be abused as part of a real-world attack.

The companys report details how an attacker who gains control over a peripheral component can use the components functionality for malicious purposes. The attacker potentially can gain new privileges and even get control over the entire system.

The demonstration shows Eclypsium researchers attacking unsigned firmware in a network interface card (NIC) chipset. A malicious attack on the card can have a profound impact on the server.

That, in turn, compromises the operating system remotely. It provides the attacker with a remote backdoor for snooping and exfiltrating raw network traffic while bypassing operating system firewalls to extract data or deliver ransomware.

Such an attack could disconnect a server from a network upon a signal, the report warns. That can result in disrupting connectivity for an entire data center.
OnScene.TV

A man was found shot dead in the middle of the street Wednesday morning outside a west Harris County apartment.

Deputies were called to a shooting in progress at the apartment in the 3200 block of Tres Lagunas Drive, near Westpark Tollway and Texas Highway 6, around 3:45 a.m. The shooter had fled by the time deputies arrived.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  April 8, 2020  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Procter & Gamble PG, AbbVie ABBV, QUALCOMM QCOM, PepsiCo PEP and CME Group CME.

Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog:

Top Analyst Reports for Procter & Gamble, AbbVie and Qualcomm

The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Procter & Gamble, AbbVie and QUALCOMM. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of todays research reports here >>>

Procter & Gambles shares have outperformed the Zacks Soap and Cleaning Materials industry over the past six months (-2.6% vs. -5.8%). The Zacks analyst believes that currency fluctuations remain concerning. Nevertheless, gains from acquisitions and divestitures are likely to partly offset the currency headwinds.

The companys solid second-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings mark the continuation of its positive surprise trend. Further, earnings and sales improved year over year in the reported quarter on gains from productivity efforts, robust volume, favorable mix and pricing. Total productivity cost savings aided core currency-neutral gross and operating margin by 120 bps and 220 bps, respectively.

Further, it delivered adjusted free cash flow productivity of 100%. Backed by strong organic sales growth, core earnings and returns to shareholders in the fiscal second quarter, the company raised its view for fiscal 2020.

Shares of AbbVie have lost -9.8% over the past year against the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industrys fall of -1.3%. The Zacks analyst believes that AbbVies Humira is performing well, driven by strong demand trends amid new competition. It has been successful in expanding approvals for its cancer drugs, Imbruvica and Venclexta.

Story continues

The company also has an impressive late-stage pipeline. Its two new drugs, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, were off to a strong start and have with significant potential. The acquisition of Allergan, if successful, should diversify AbbVies revenue base and accelerate its non-Humira business.

Sales erosion due to direct biosimilar competition to Humira in international markets is a big headwind. Also, the decline in HCV sales and uncertainty about the coronavirus impact is a concern. Estimates are stable ahead of Q1 earnings. AbbVie has a positive record of earnings surprise in the recent quarters.

QUALCOMMs shares have lost -20% over the past three months against the Zacks Wireless Equipment industrys fall of -%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company is likely to help users experience seamless transition to super-fast 5G networks, delivering low-power resilient multi-gigabit connectivity with best-in-class security.

Qualcomm is focused on retaining its position in the chipset market and mobile connectivity with several technological achievements and innovative product launches. It offers the flexibility and scalability needed for broad and fast 5G adoption through commercialization by OEMs.

While the company has expanded its leadership to the high tiers with Snapdragon 700, Snapdragon 800 solutions should continue defining the premium tier benchmarks. However, Qualcomm is likely to face softness in demand from China with Huawei gaining prominence in the local market and coronavirus impacting sales.

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include PepsiCo and CME Group.

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A taxi passenger in Northern Ireland who fled without paying the 238 fare for a Belfast to Omagh round trip has avoided jail.

Dion Roscoe, 24, was given a four-month suspended sentence after a judge heard he fell asleep in the cab on Monday and then panicked.

Defence barrister Luke Curran said: "He didn't have 2, let alone 238."

Roscoe, of no fixed abode, admitted a charge of making off without payment.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard he was arrested in the Newtownabbey area after police were alerted by the taxi driver.

Prosecutors said Roscoe and a friend both fled after being driven to Omagh and back again - a journey of up to 140 miles.

During interviews he confirmed being in the vehicle, but claimed the other man was supposed to settle the bill.

According to Mr Curran, Roscoe had accompanied his friend on the trip to meet someone in the Co Tyrone town.

"The defendant fell asleep in the taxi and the other person made off first," counsel said.

"He then panicked and made off (too).

"There was no additional sinister aspect, he recognises the taxi driver is out of pocket, along with the time and expense of the journey, and apologises."

The court was told Roscoe leads a "nomadic" lifestyle, struggling with an addiction to medication since the death of his father two years ago.

Imposing four months imprisonment, District Judge George Conner suspended the term for a year.

He also ordered Roscoe to pay 238 in compensation to the taxi driver within six months.
United States Designates Russian Imperial Movement and Leaders as Global Terrorists

Press Statement

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

April 7, 2020



The State Department has designated the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and members of its leadership as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, the first time in history the Department has designated a white supremacist terrorist group.

As President Trump has said, "In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy." With today's action, we are adding the powerful authority held by the State Department to counter terrorists to that voice.

RIM and its leaders Stanislav Anatolyevich Vorobyev, Denis Valiullovich Gariyev, and Nikolay Nikolayevich Trushchalov are designated pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, for providing training for acts of terrorism that threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States and being leaders of such a group.

Designations seek to deny these terrorists the resources they need to provide training to commit attacks. Among other consequences, all of their property and interests that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or hereafter come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, have been blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

RIM has provided paramilitary-style training to white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Europe and actively works to rally these types of groups into a common front against their perceived enemies. RIM has two training facilities in St. Petersburg, which are likely being used for woodland and urban assault, tactical weapons, and hand-to-hand combat training. RIM is led by Vorobyev, its founder and overall leader. Gariyev is the head of RIM's paramilitary arm, the Imperial Legion. Trushchalov is RIM's Coordinator for External Relations.

In 2016, two Swedish individuals attended RIM's training course; thereafter, they committed a series of bombings in Gothenburg, Sweden, targeting a refugee shelter, a shelter for asylum seekers, and a cafe, for which they were convicted in Sweden. The Swedish prosecutor credited RIM for their terrorist radicalization and relevant training. RIM has also provided paramilitary-style training to white supremacists from Germany, Poland, and Finland.

RIM's designation was enabled by President Trump's amendment of Executive Order 13224 through Executive Order 13886, which was the most significant expansion of federal terrorist sanctions designation authorities since 9/11. The amendment empowers the State Department to designate groups and individuals that have participated in training to commit acts of terrorism, as well as persons determined to be leaders of such groups.

This designation notifies the U.S. public and the international community that RIM has participated in training to commit acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorists, both individuals and groups, expose and isolate them and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.

A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designations-and-state-sponsors-of-terrorism/

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Nuwber, a people-finder company has joined the national anti-coronavirus effort with a view to contribute to the pandemic awareness. The company has launched its COVID-19 tracker that offers a completely new way of monitoring the virus spread in communities and around individuals.

Nuwber.com has merged its database of US residents with the real time statistics from official sources and developed a service that helps people see the pandemic spread in their immediate proximity.

Anyone can use Nuwber COVID-19 tracker as

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shows how close the virus is to everyone.

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Link:

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About Nuwber Inc:

Nuwber is a data-as-a-service company providing consumers with a quick way to find and verify people in their lives. We collect data from public records and consumer databases to provide both historical and

most up-to-date public information available.

For more information, visit http://www.nuwber.com or contact us at pr@nuwber.com.

Follow us on Twitter (@NubwerInc), Facebook (NuwberCom) and on our blog (https://nuwber.com/blog/).
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President Donald Trump savaged the 'China centric' World Health Organization on Tuesday and said he wanted the group looked into before any more U.S. dollars flow that way.

'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' Trump said during his daily White House press briefing.

'They should have known and they probably did know,' he added, suggesting the WHO was withholding information about the coronavirus.

Trump's main beef with the United Nations health group is that leadership there said it wasn't necessary to bar travelers coming in from China as the coronavirus started spreading beyond Wuhan, where it originated.

The president has followed the lead of prominent conservatives in complaining that the WHO has been too friendly to China during the coronavirus outbreak.

President Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, calling it too 'China centric' and suggesting that it was hiding information about the coronavirus from the rest of the world

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, annoyed Trump by saying that travel didn't need to be stopped from China in the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak

World Health Organization criticized for its response to the coronavirus crisis The World Health Organization has been criticized for putting the world at risk by credulously accepting China's information about the coronavirus pandemic despite widespread accusations of a cover-up. INITIAL RESPONSE TO OUTBREAK As concern about the crisis developing in Wuhan grew in December, the WHO parroted the Chinese government's line stating there was 'no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission'. The United Nations agency then took another week to correct that statement. EFFUSIVE PRAISE FOR CHINESE OFFICIALS The World Health Organisation and its leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus heaped praise on the Chinese repsonse to the virus even as it spread around the world. After a meeting in Beijing in January, Dr Tedros said: 'Its actions actually helped prevent the spread of coronavirus to other countries.' He said he was very impressed and encouraged by the presidents detailed knowledge of the outbreak.' ACCEPTANCE OF CHINESE STATISTICS The WHO has also been criticized for not standing up to the disinformation coming from Beijing, which has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and misreporting its true death toll figures. In total China has only reported 3,200 coronavirus deaths, despite claims that the real figure is closer to 40,000 in Wuhan alone. ACCUSATIONS OF RACISM Dr Tedros has at times called out other countries for their handling of the crisis. In particular he lamented the 'level of stigma we are observing' in reference to the language used by President Trump to describe it as the 'China virus'. CRITICISM OF TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak. But on February 3, WHO said such bans on travel and trade were not needed. As the contagion began to spread outside of Wuhan where it originated, the WHO reassured the world that the virus was a regional problem. Most countries have since adopted the same stringent 'stay at home' rules and others have imposed lockdowns restricting citizens' movements. REFUSAL TO DECLARE A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY In late January, when the virus had already spread to several countries, a WHO emergency committee debated whether to declare COVID-19 a 'public health emergency of international concern'. However Dr Tedros declined amid Beijing's objections and instead traveled to China, before finally making the declaration a week later on January 30. At the time he said: 'The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken. 'I left in absolutely no doubt about China's commitment to transparency.' Also in late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control. Advertisement

'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it,' Trump said near the top of the briefing. 'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.'

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said, changing the point he was trying to make mid-sentence.

It comes as the people of Wuhan were allowed to emerge from their homes on Tuesday for the first time since January 23. And while the world had looked on at those measures with consternation - as the WHO reassured us the virus was a regional problem - most developed countries have now adopted the same stringent 'stay at home' rules.

The COVID-19 death tolls recorded as of Tuesday in Italy (17,127), Spain (14,045), the US (12,876), France (10,328), the UK (6,159) and Iran (3,872), have exceeded the 3,331 reported by the ruling Communist Party in China.

Later in the briefing Trump threatened to cut off the WHO's supply of money from the United States.

'We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it. And we're going to see,' Trump said. 'It's a great thing when it works but when they call every shot wrong that's not good.'

'They are always on the side of China,' he also complained.

Later when the president was asked if it was a smart move to cut off funds to the major global health organization during a global pandemic he backed away from the definitiveness of his previous threat.

'I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm going to look at it,' Trump pledged.

Later, Trump was asked why he thought the WHO was 'China centric.'

'I don't know, they seem to come down on the side of China,' the president responded. 'Don't close your borders to China, don't do this, they don't report what's really going on, they didn't see it and yet they were there. They didn't see what was going on in Wuhan ... they must have seen it, but they didn't report it.'

Trump had previewed his attack earlier Tuesday on Twitter.

'The W.H.O. really blew it,' Trump wrote. 'For some reason, funded largely by the United States yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look.'

Trump was following the lead of American conservatives including Florida Sen. Rick Scott who placed blame on WHO for 'helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic.'

At the same time, Democratic governors, lawmakers and pundits have condemned Trump's response in combatting the virus, suggesting he did too little, too late.

On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak.

But on February 3, WHO said such bans were not needed.

'Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on,' Trump tweeted Tuesday.

'Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?' the president asked.

WHO is also still not recommending that every person wears a mask, while the U.S.'s Centers of Disease Control made the voluntary recommendation last week.

GOP lawmakers have floated that it's because the WHO is under China's spell.

Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should resign because 'he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.'

As did Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican.

'They need to come clean and another piece of this is, the WHO has to stop covering for them,' she said of China. 'I think Dr. Tedros needs to step down,' McSally said on Fox Business Network.

'We need to take some actions to address this issue. It's just irresponsible, it's unconscionable what they have done here while we have people dying across the globe,' McSally added.

Scott, the Florida senator, said the Senate Homeland Security Committee needed to launch an investigation into WHO's handling of the virus.

In late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control.

But Xi also controlled the flow of information, with reports coming out of China that the country had been trying to silence whistleblowers.

Trump suggested he might cut the U.S.'s funding that goes toward WHO, calling the United Nations agency 'very China centric'

The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China - where Chinese authorities lifted a travel ban on April 8. Conservative allies of Trump have said WHO helped China cover-up the outbreak

Vintage: A tweet from the WHO which hasn't aged well, pumping out the disinformation fed to it by Beijing about the virus, which it was reticent to declare a pandemic

Last week Bloomberg News reported on a U.S. intelligence memo that said China was under-reporting its coronavirus numbers of cases and deaths.

Trump voiced that he, too, has been skeptical of China's reporting.

WHO has been criticized for taking Chinese data at face value.

'Their numbers seem to be a little bit on the light side, and I'm being nice when I say that,' Trump said at a daily briefing.

WHO is part of the United Nations and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It has 194 members and two associate members.

The agency is funded in two ways - through assessed contributions and voluntary contributions.

The assessed contributions, which are like dues to the organization, are calculated by looking at a country's wealth and population.

While the U.S. pays the most in assessed contributions, that full pot of money has only accounted for less than 25 per cent of WHO's haul over the past few years.

However, Americans NGOs and charity organizations, along with taxpayer dollars, do make up the biggest chunk of the WHO's funding.

A passenger wearing a protective face mask stands with her luggage next to the first official train departing from Wuhan on a first day of ending more than a two-month lockdown on Wednesday

Passengers go through the security and body temperatures check on a first day of ending more than a two-month lockdown

A woman wearing protective gear waits to board one of the first trains to leave Wuhan after the lockdown ended on Wednesday morning

People wearing protective clothing and masks arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, to board one of the first trains leaving the city in China's central Hubei province early on April 8

Donald Trump insists US coronavirus death toll is accurate despite warnings from experts and state officials who say true number is much higher because of limited testing and inconsistencies in reporting

President Trump stamped out uncertainty about America's official coronavirus death count during Tuesday's White House briefing after a reporter brought up how some areas are struggling to get accurate numbers because of a lack of testing and a uniform system to record the figures.

'I think they are pretty accurate on the death counts,' Trump said, interrupting the reporter before she could finish her question.

'Somebody dies, I think they've been pretty accurate. The death counts, I think they are very, very accurate.'

He went on to cast doubt on case counts reported by other countries such as China while insisting that the same problems aren't occurring in the US.

'You look at some of these certain countries and I'll be willing to bet they had more cases, but we are more accurate in our testing,' he said.

'We've got a good process.'

Dr Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, also stood by the accuracy of the death count when asked about it later in the briefing.

'I think in this country we've taken a very liberal approach to mortality, and I think the reporting here has been pretty straightforward over the last five to six weeks,' Birx said.

'Prior to that, when there wasn't testing in January and February, that's a very different situation and unknown.

'There are other countries that if you had a pre-existing condition and, let's say, the virus caused you to go to the ICU, and then have a heart issue or kidney problem, some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death.

'Right now we're still recording it. If someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.'

The reporter then pressed Birx by mentioning how some coroners have said that they do not have enough test kits screen people for COVID-19 post-mortem, which could skew the data.

'I think that would apply to more rural areas that may not have the same level of testing,' Birx said.

'I'm pretty confident in New York City and New Jersey and places that have these large outbreaks, and Covid-19 only hospitals, I can tell you they are testing.

'New York and New Jersey together ... are testing extraordinarily well, as well as Washington state and Louisianat, so I don't see that there has been a barrier in testing to diagnosis.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, then took the podium to reiterate Birx's statements.

'I can't imagine if someone with coronavirus goes to an ICU and they have an underlying heart condition and they die, they're going to say cause of death: heart attack,' Fauci said.

'I can't see that happening, so I don't like it will be a problem.'

Dr Deborah Birx, the the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, also stood by the accuracy of the death count when asked about it later in Tuesday's briefing

Birx and Fauci's claims that hard-hit areas like New York City are not seeing problems with curating accurate death tolls came hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted just that.

In his own briefing on Tuesday, de Blasio said that people who died in their homes in the past few weeks without having being tested or treated for COVID-19 likely had the disease.

'I am assuming the vast majority of those deaths are coronavirus related,' the mayor said of people who've died at home recently.

'It's understandable in a crisis that being able to make the confirmation is harder to do with all the resources stretched so thin.

Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted on Tuesday that many people have likely died from coronavirus in New York City without being added to the official death toll

'The first use of all of everything we've got  our professionals, our health care workers, our resources  the first thing we are focused on is saving the next life.

'We do want to know the truth about what happened in every death at home.

'But I think we can say at this point, it's right to assume the vast majority are coronavirus-related. And that makes it even more sober, the sense of how many people we are losing, how many families are suffering, how real this crisis is.'

Issues with confirming an accurate death toll were made apparent on Tuesday as the number released by New York City - 3,544 - was well below the number of fatalities that New York state claimed had occurred in the Big Apple - more than 4,000.

Even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted that the current national death toll is almost certainly lower than the actual number.

'We know that it is an underestimation,' CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said of the toll on Sunday.

The purported inaccuracy is partly due to an early lag in available testing, which meant people with respiratory illnesses died without being counted.

Even now, some Americans who die in their homes or at overwhelmed nursing homes are not being tested, epidemiologists tell The Washington Post.

Postmortem testing by medical examiners can be tricky, as procedures vary widely across the United States and some officials argue testing the deceased is a misuse of valuable resources.

The process can also be difficult as examiners, coroners and health care providers are told to 'use their judgement' to decide when testing is appropriate.

Additionally, experts said some people who have contracted coronavirus test negative. It's unclear how common false negatives are.
Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Acting Secretary of U.S. Navy Thomas Modly has been under mounting pressure from Democrats to step down, after he made profanity-laced comments on Brett Crozier, captain of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was recently dismissed.

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Thomas Modly reportedly resigned Tuesday after being forced to do so over his firing an aircraft carrier captain, who alarmed high-ranking officials about a novel coronavirus outbreak on board and pleaded for help.

Multiple U.S. media reported about Modly's resignation, which was accepted by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and which took effect immediately.

Modly has been under mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- to step down, after he made profanity-laced comments on Brett Crozier, captain of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was recently dismissed.

Addressing the crew of the Roosevelt in Guam, where the ship now docks, Modly called Crozier either "too naive or too stupid" to command the nuclear-powered warship, remarks he apologized for late Monday at Esper's request.

"I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused," he wrote in a written apology. "I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused."

Crozier sent a five-page internal letter last week to higher-ranking officials in the chain of command, pleading for help from the Pentagon to contain a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the Roosevelt by transferring 90 percent of the crew onto Guam for quarantine. The letter led to his removal announced last Thursday by Modly.

"I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship," Modly wrote Monday, backtracking from his previous assertions.

"Sadly, Acting Secretary Modly's actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritize the force protection of our troops," Pelosi said in a written statement Tuesday. "He showed a serious lack of the sound judgment and strong leadership needed during this time. Acting Secretary Modly must be removed from his position or resign."

Some 173 sailors on board the Roosevelt tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Monday, including Crozier himself, according to media reports. Approximately 2,000 of the roughly 5,000 crew members have disembarked the ship, nearing the 2,700 tally planned for evacuation due to the virus outbreak.

Acting Undersecretary of the Army James McPherson has been tapped to succeed Modly in an acting capacity, several media outlets reported.
All of Northampton Countys parks are closed until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic, the county Department of Parks and Recreation said Tuesday.

The closure went into effect at dusk Tuesday. The announcement comes the same day New Jersey closed all state and county parks and forests indefinitely. Allentown also announced increased efforts to seal off pavilions from public use, as part of park and playground facility closures across the Lehigh Valley.

We regret having to close these areas because we know how important they are to our residents, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said in a news release. But, during this pandemic, public health takes precedence over recreation. We will reopen the parks to the public as soon as it is safe.

Parks affected include the Archibald Johnston Conservation Area, Bear Swamp, the Diefenderfer Tract, Frost Hollow, Frys Run, Gertrude B. Fox Conservation Area, Gracedale Open Space Lands, Louise Moore, Monocacy Meadows, Mud Run, Portland Waterfront, Wayne Grube and Wy-Hit-Tuk.

Still open is Minsi Lake, just refilled this year following a $4.9 million dam rehabilitation that required the lake to be drained in 2017. Thats a Pennsylvania-owned facility, and state parks and forests remain open though all facilities are closed.

In a surprise move aimed at heading off crowded streambanks on a traditional opening day, Pennsylvania opened the 2020 trout season on Tuesday morning. New Jersey also opened trout season early, but for catch-and-release only April 1 through 10.

Pennsylvanias number of confirmed coronavirus cases grew Tuesday to 14,559, up 1,579, and the states death toll rose by 78 new deaths to 240, health officials announced. New Jerseys total cases hit 44,416 on Tuesday with a death toll of 1,232, after another 3,361 new positive cases and 232 new deaths were reported in the prior 24 hours.

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.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

[music]

archived recording Well, some call it the most dangerous place on the planet when it comes to facing a coronavirus outbreak  a packed county jail could be a disaster waiting to happen.

michael barbaro

Across the U.S. 

archived recording 1 The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said  archived recording 2 In Chicago, the Cook County Jail has  archived recording 3 New York calls for quick action now growing louder after 

michael barbaro

Jails and prisons, with their cramped quarters and communal living, have become hotbeds for the spread of the coronavirus 

archived recording 1 Prisoners are sounding the alarm on the ballooning outbreak, writing messages on windows reading, Help. We matter. And Were dying. archived recording 2 Everybody is losing it. I mean, its not just the detainees but also people that are working here. archived recording 3 We cannot change the fundamental nature of jail. We cannot socially distance dozens of elderly men living in a dorm sharing a bathroom. Think of a cruise ship recklessly boarding more passengers each day.

michael barbaro

 prompting local governments to take the unprecedented step of releasing thousands of inmates 

archived recording People are confined to their homes, but this pandemic is actually bringing freedom to some New York City inmates. Mayor de Blasio said 

michael barbaro

 and raising the fraught question of who is let out and who remains in custody. Today, Megan Twohey speaks with our colleague Alan Feuer about the story of one inmate trying to get out of the second largest jail in the country, Rikers Island in New York. Its Thursday, April 23.

megan twohey

So, Alan, tell me about Mitch Pomerance.

alan feuer

So I met Mitch Pomerance through his lawyer, Laura Eraso. And Mitch is 54. And before the virus even landed at Rikers, Mitch was already in bad health. In fact, his health was so bad at one point that he had to be transported off the Island to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery to drain fluid from his lungs. And so hes been working with Laura, his lawyer, trying to build a case to get off of Rikers Island.

laura eraso Hey, Mitch. Can you hear me? mitch pomerance Yes.

alan feuer

And we recorded three of their conversations over the course of a week, earlier this month.

laura eraso So you know, like I had told you a little bit about earlier regarding today, we were in line all day for the writ to be heard. But unfortunately, the court only goes to 4:30, and they werent able to squeeze it in on the calendar.

alan feuer

The court system, dont forget, has more or less shut down because of the pandemic.

megan twohey

Right.

alan feuer

And on the day that we recorded our first call with Mitch, there was indeed a backlog in the court system, and the judge didnt have time to hear Mitchs case.

megan twohey

And while Mitch is waiting for the judge to hear his case, what is the situation like for him inside the jail?

laura eraso I know your sister told me that somebody else in your dorm had been taken out?

alan feuer

So Mitch is housed in a dorm at Rikers. And that means that he lives with a dozen or so inmates in one open room. And he tells his lawyer that one person in that dorm has tested positive for Coivd-19.

mitch pomerance Yes, we were tested again the other day, and it turns out that at least one is a carrier. So this guy actually, although he has no symptoms, he actually has the disease, they say, and he can pass it on to the rest of us. And so they took him out today, and its real scary because no one was told.

alan feuer

Mitch is also telling his lawyer here that the staff at Rikers hasnt cleaned the dorms since that person tested positive.

laura eraso So what did they  did they just test you and leave? Or did they do any other  did they clean or sanitize or anything? mitch pomerance [LAUGHS] They didnt clean. They didnt even empty the garbage yet. We have garbage overflowing all the garbage pails, and they didnt even clean. They gave us a new test two days ago, three days ago, and hes the only one  the only they told us about so far. So Im sure  Im positive theres more. Im praying its not me. Im praying its not me. laura eraso I mean, was he wearing a mask or anything? mitch pomerance No, never. They gave us one mask for the whole week yesterday  last night. My mask fell apart like four days ago. So I had no mask. Ive had no mask for four days.

megan twohey

And how does that description of the conditions, at least in his particular dorm, how does that square with what youve learned in your reporting?

alan feuer

Well, from the start of the crisis, the Department of Corrections has taken several measures to slow the spread of the virus. Theyve asked inmates to sleep head to toe at night. You know, they wanted to get one mouth and nose as far away from another mouth and nose as they could. They had the cleaning staff clean the common areas and the housing areas as best as possible. But the fact is, conditions at Rikers remain very unsanitary. You know, the inmates cant get hand sanitizer because its an alcohol-based product, and theyre not allowed to have alcohol. Oftentimes, the only way for them to get soap for their own personal hygiene is to buy it in the commissary. So these measures that were put in place to stop the spread of the virus havent always worked.

laura eraso I know you guys sleep in pretty close proximity. How close do you think you were to him? mitch pomerance About 5 feet, 6 feet from where he sleeps  he slept  over the next aisle over, one person over. laura eraso Wow. mitch pomerance So that was about 6 feet from me, yeah. laura eraso But how do you feel? How do your lungs feel? I know youre going through that too. mitch pomerance Its constantly  where they operate, it hurts a lot.

megan twohey

So it sounds like Mitchs risk of getting Covid-19 is really high.

alan feuer

Yes. But, in fact, Mitchs lawyer, Laura, expects they could get a decision from the judge very soon about the question of his release.

laura eraso And hopefully we get a result tomorrow, but we can talk more about that, OK? mitch pomerance OK, thank you so much for everything. I appreciate your help. Ill be talking to you tomorrow. laura eraso All right, stay well. mitch pomerance Good luck. Thank you.

alan feuer

But when they talk the next day 

attorney Hey, can you hear me? mitch pomerance Yeah.

alan feuer

 shes got some bad news. She and her team went in front of the judge. They argued the case. And the judge has said no, Mitch cant get out.

megan twohey

Hmm.

laura eraso Im trying to do it as quickly as possible. I realize that someone else who was sleeping next to you had tested positive. mitch pomerance Someone else? Not someone else  four people. laura eraso Wow. So they came back today  mitch pomerance Four people, four people. laura eraso  with the test? mitch pomerance Yeah, four people  today. This is crazy. This is actually crazy. Theyre killing us. They are killing us. What are we supposed to do? What do we do? We need to file a writ. I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. Theyre killing me. If I catch this, Im dead. I dont know what to do. We need somebody to step in. We need somebody important to step in  a congressman, a senator, somebody, a court, a judge. Somebodys gotta do something for us  somebody.

megan twohey

So by this point, Rikers has already released hundreds of inmates.

alan feuer

Correct.

megan twohey

So how are they deciding who stays and who goes?

alan feuer

Well, so far theyve released 650 people. And of those 650 people, youre generally talking about three different categories of inmates. First, there are those who have been accused of non-violent, low-level offenses. There are also people who are at Rikers serving whats called a city year, a sentence that is short, less than a year, and so theyre about to get out anyhow. And then theres a third category of people who are at the Island because theyve committed a technical violation of their parole, meaning they were out on parole for a previous crime, and they got caught doing something minor like smoking a joint or drinking a beer on their sidewalk.

megan twohey

So how does Mitch fit into this picture?

alan feuer

So the challenge for Mitch is that his case is just a lot more complicated. Mitch has served a combined 22 years in prison for selling drugs and committing multiple robberies. The state considers him a violent offender. He got out of prison in 2018. But then, last summer, he was rearrested for an attempted robbery charge while he was on parole. So Mitch just doesnt really fit neatly into any of those categories for people that were getting off Rikers Island. And yet, hes medically vulnerable, which is another factor that judges are weighing in releasing people from Rikers and that the city itself is prioritizing people like that  those people, who, if they catch Covid-19, theyre more likely to die.

laura eraso Were trying to put as much pressure on the governor, on New York state docs, on Commissioner Annucci to release everyone and release them safely. I mean, as Ive said before  mitch pomerance I dont care about everyone. I want to get out. Im trying to get out. laura eraso No, I know. mitch pomerance I dont care about anybody else. Everyone else is not sick like I am. Im going to die if I have this. If I get it, Im going to die. Simple as that. Simple as that. Lets not play games. Im going to die. I dont care about anybody else right now. Im being selfish about this.

alan feuer

So Mitch represents this really difficult but interesting tension that a lot of courts are facing across the country right now. Does he pose too much of a risk to public safety to be let out, or is he medically vulnerable enough to be let out? Should judges be prioritizing the safety of the public, or should they be thinking about the health of the individual inmates?

[music]

megan twohey

So, Alan, it sounds like the judge, in denying Mitchs request to get out of Rikers, is putting considerations of public safety above his health.

alan feuer

Yeah, absolutely.

megan twohey

So what does Mitch say about that?

alan feuer Hey, Mitch, Alan Feuer from The New York Times. How are you? mitch pomerance Im OK, I guess. Things are horrible here.

alan feuer

Well, I asked him. I just put it to him if he was a public safety threat given his rap sheet.

alan feuer Well, let me ask you this. mitch pomerance Yes, sir. alan feuer Is there any way you can understand the judges decision? You know, its an attempted robbery charge. Im not saying, you know, you havent been proven guilty yet. mitch pomerance Right. alan feuer But can you understand how a judge might make the decision thats been made here? mitch pomerance Can I understand? Yes, I can understand. I can, without a doubt, that the judge doesnt want to jump out the window and grant anything for fear of me going out and doing another crime, committing another crime. So, again, I do understand that. I absolutely do. But I cant say anything more than look at my proof. alan feuer Do you see yourself as a threat to public safety? mitch pomerance I dont. I dont. alan feuer Explain that to me. mitch pomerance I cant walk, first off. Im in a wheelchair. If I can get up and walk two steps, it would be a miracle. I cant walk. I mean, just look at the proof of what I have. At least with a clear conscience, look at it with open eyes, and then make a decision.

megan twohey

So what happens next?

mitch pomerance Hi, Laura. laura eraso Hey, Mitch, can you hear me? mitch pomerance Yes, I can.

alan feuer

Mitch and Laura talked again the day after the judge denied his request to leave Rikers.

laura eraso All right, so what did they tell you when they gave you your test? mitch pomerance So just five minutes ago the R.N. came, and he came around the dorm, and of the 12 people we have left in a dorm, everyones positive but three people. So now were positive, and we dont know whats going to happen now. Theres so many people that are positive 

alan feuer

Mitch tests positive for Covid-19.

megan twohey

Wow.

mitch pomerance Yeah, theres so many people that are positive on Rikers Island, its out of control. Its out of control. I dont feel good at all. Im having a problem breathing already. I told them Im having a problem breathing this morning. This is  laura eraso OK, well, I mean, were going to move fast on this. I just was actually on the phone 

megan twohey

So is that it? Is Mitch out of options?

alan feuer

Well, what this does  the change that this makes in Mitchs case from a legal perspective is that it allows Laura, his lawyer, to make a totally different argument in front of the judge. Now, instead of just saying that Mitch is potentially at risk of contracting the disease, she can argue that because he already has it, and hes got this terrible preexisting condition in his lungs, that hes not going to be able to get the proper medical care he needs at Rikers Island.

laura eraso Im going to try to  Im going to get these papers filed today, and Im not going to wait for the other affirmation. So were going to handle this, and this definitely needs to be reargued in light of this fact, OK? mitch pomerance Yeah. laura eraso So just concentrate right now on trying to take care of yourself  your mental health, your physical health. So Im going to be in touch. Call me at the end of the day, and I can confirm with you that I was able to finish that up and get it filed, OK? mitch pomerance All right, thanks. laura eraso OK, bye. Take care. mitch pomerance Goodbye.

alan feuer

These jails, like Navy ships or meat processing plants, they are petri dishes for infection. But unlike service members or essential workers, inmates in jails, they arent necessarily the most sympathetic population in the world. Still, should part of their punishment be to potentially contract a disease like Covid-19? I mean, is that supposed to be included in the price of going to jail? Mitch is still there at Rikers, waiting for an answer.

alan feuer So help me understand right now what an ordinary, average day of yours looks like today? mitch pomerance Hmm, well, I need help. I need help showering. So theres this guy, Eddie, who helps me shower. He helps me get in and out of the shower in the morning time when he gets up. I take a shower, have breakfast, and go back to bed for a couple hours and take my medication. Im just doing a lot of reading. Thats it. I try to stay in contact with my family on the phone. alan feuer And how are you feeling these days? mitch pomerance You know, Im a little agitated right now. Any time I move around, its hard for me to breathe. So right now, Im trying to draw breath. So I have a real bad headache right now. automated speaker You have one minute left. mitch pomerance Im just trying to get out of here. I just want to be  I just want to live again. Thats it.

[music]

megan twohey

Well, Alan, thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us.

alan feuer

Well, thanks for having me, Megan.

michael barbaro

Well be right back.

[music]

michael barbaro
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Digital Editor
Mitesh. a financial manager at an Abu Dhabi-based firm, could face legal action over his Islamophobic Facebook post which uses graphic images to show how a "jihadi coronavirus suicide spitter" could "cause 2,000 deaths compared to 20 by a jihadi bomber detonating a belt rigged with explosives", the Gulf News report said on Monday.

Abu Dhabi: A United Arab Emirates-based Indian national was in trouble over an Islamophobic post on social media and hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims, a media report said.

According to the Gulf News report, the post was in reference to videos falsely claiming showing members of a Muslim missionary group in India spitting on police.

Mitesh's post has sparked outrage on social media with many demanding his immediate dismissal and arrest.

Shortly after the Gulf News report was published online, a legal representative for Mitesh's employer said they have launched a probe into the matter.

"We are examining the case. Strict legal action pursuant to UAE laws will be taken against the man if our investigation reveals that it was he who put up that post. He will be sacked. We have a zero-tolerance policy," the representative added.

In a similar incident last week, a visiting Indian job seeker was told to go to Pakistan by a compatriot, who owns an event management company in the UAE.

Shamshad Alam, 42, from Maharashtra, India, told Gulf News he had barely shared his resume with the company's owner, S. Bhandari on WhatsApp when he messaged back saying "go back to Pakistan".

"When I confronted him, he abused me and threatened to report me to police," said Alam who has since lodged a complaint with Dubai Police.
These drives to scale back patent protection for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments are motivated by a noble objective: to ensure that lifesaving drugs will be broadly affordable. But the unintended consequences are worrisome. The smaller the rewards for coronavirus drugs, the less that pharmaceutical businesses are likely to invest in research and development. Not only will that extend the current crisis, but it also will deter drugmakers from pursuing research directed at potential future pandemic-causing virus strains.

This doesnt mean that governments must make a choice between ensuring patient access and encouraging drug development. With creative policymaking and political will, we can  and ought to have  both.

Governments can offer strong incentives to drugmakers while ensuring affordability by committing to patent buyouts for effective treatments. In a buyout, the government purchases the patents on a new drug  typically at a price that matches or exceeds what the patent holder otherwise would have earned  and then allows makers of generics to produce and sell low-cost versions. If, for example, clinical trials establish the efficacy of remdesivir in treating Covid-19, then the federal government should buy the U.S. rights to the drug from Gilead and give generic manufacturers free rein to ramp up production.

How much should the government pay? If remdesivir saves 10,000 American lives, then its value to our society  using traditional tools of cost-benefit analysis  would be as much as $100 billion. For a fraction of that sum, H.H.S. could buy the drug rights from Gilead and still leave the company with an eye-popping profit. Unfortunately, the $2 trillion Covid-19 stimulus package passed last month included only $11 billion that H.H.S. can use for patent buyouts, and the department will most likely need to draw down some of those funds for other purposes, like procuring diagnostic tests and purchasing other medical equipment. Mr. Azars department needs more money for patent buyouts.

Another time-tested tool for rewarding innovation while ensuring widespread access to new technologies is a challenge prize. We have proposed a prize for an effective coronavirus vaccine of $500 per vaccinated person, with the federal government footing the full bill. That almost certainly would make a Covid-19 vaccine profitable  potentially one of the most profitable drugs in history.

Patent buyouts and challenge prizes would of course add to the federal deficit  something that Representative Schakowsky, for one, said she was unwilling to do if it meant drugmakers would profit. But with Covid-19 already shutting down the economy and stealing thousands of lives, cutting costs on drugs directed at the disease is the very definition of penny-wise and pound-foolish. Worse yet, if we refuse to offer generous rewards for vaccines and treatments this time, we will find fewer pharmaceutical companies willing to invest in vaccines and treatments that address threats likely to emerge or return, such as the Zika virus, Dengue fever and new types of influenza.

None of this is to suggest that the only way to spur innovation is to dangle large payouts in the faces of pharmaceutical businesses. Reputational incentives and altruistic inclinations will lead some companies to pursue Covid-19 cures. Scientists employed by government agencies and academic institutions will make major breakthroughs too.

But to contain Covid-19 now and sustain a pipeline of drugs directed at other infections with pandemic potential, we will almost certainly need to enlist the capital and creativity of the private sector. We dont need to compromise patient access, but we will need to promise profits to businesses that develop effective vaccines and treatments. Among all the costs that we as a society will bear because of this virus and later ones, the payout to pharmaceutical companies will be a rounding error.

Daniel Hemel is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School and Lisa Larrimore Ouellette is an associate professor at Stanford Law School.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
Medical workers take a patient under intensive care into the Columbus Covid 2 temporary hospital, newly built to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, in Rome, Italy, on March 16, 2020. (Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)

Italys Virus Death Toll Slows But New Cases Surge

The daily rate of increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths in Italy slowed by 10 percent on Wednesday, but the number of new infections surged by over 26 percent.

Deaths from the CCP virus in Italy rose by 542 on Wednesday, a lower tally than the 604 the day before, the countrys Civil Protection Agency said.

The number of new COVID-19 infections climbed to 3,836 compared with a previous 3,039, the agency said.

The total death toll since the outbreak emerged in the country on Feb. 21 rose to 17,669, according to officials.

Italian authorities said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 139,422. The country is second only to Spain in terms of deaths from the disease in Europe. Spains health ministry said 757 people died over the past 24 hours, up from 743 the previous day, bringing the total death toll to 14,555.

In an encouraging sign, Italy had 3,693 people in intensive care on Wednesday against 3,792 on Tuesday, the fifth consecutive daily decline.

First Lady Melania Trump addressed the trend in a tweet on Wednesday, expressing condolences to Italys first lady for the countrys COVID-19 deaths.

Hopeful that positive trend will continue in Italy & other parts of world soon, Trump wrote.

The country has been under lockdown since March 9, with most shops, bars, and restaurants closed. People are forbidden from leaving their homes unless it is for essential things like getting food or medical attention.

Officials have repeatedly said the infection rate can only be brought down if strict social distancing measures remain in effect.

Carabinieri officers, wearing protective suits, pull a coffin in Ponte San Pietro, near Bergamo, Northern Italy, on March 28, 2020. (Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)

96 of Italys Doctors Have Died Fighting Pandemic

In Italy, 96 doctors have died on the frontlines of the CCP virus outbreak, according to an Italian doctors association.

The editorial board of the Italian Association of Doctors (FNOMCeO) updated on Wednesday its running tally of doctors who died amid response efforts to the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the sad list of doctors who have fallen during the COVID-19 epidemic is growing, FNOMCeOs board wrote in a note accompanying the tally, to which one name was added on Wednesday.

The dead do not make a noise. Yet, the names of our dead friends, our colleagues, put here in black and white, make a deafening noise, said Filippo Anelli, FNOMCeO president, in earlier remarks to The Financial Times.

The association did not specify how directly the death of the 96 doctors could be attributed to COVID-19, noting that many doctors die suddenly, even if the cause of death is not directly attributable to the virus, because theres no buffer.

The association said it would update the tally regularly, hoping it will serve as a warning, a lesson for all.

Anelli earlier made urgent calls for more personal protective equipment for frontline medical staff, telling The Financial Times that Italian doctors were being sent into a war against the virus unarmed.

According to an April 8 count (pdf) by the Italian Higher Health Institute (ISS), a total of 13,522 healthcare workers in Italy have contracted the virus.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Three mates have been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions after they were caught playing video games in a lounge room.

The trio, who did not live together, were each fined $1,652 after Victoria Police conducted spot checks on Tuesday night.

Under stage three restrictions, which were introduced on March 31 to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, gatherings are restricted to no more than two people except for members of your immediate household.

Residents are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons, those being for food, work or education, exercise and medical care or compassionate needs.

Police have been stepping up spot checks amid the fight against the spread of the virus as Australia's infect rate begins to slow.

Scroll down for video

Three mates have been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions after they were caught playing video games in a lounge room (stock image)

Police have been stepping up spot checks amid the fight against the spread of the virus as Australia's infect rate begins to slow (Pictured: An infringement notice given to a cyclist on Sunday)

Police conducted 835 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state in the past 24 hours as part of Operation Sentinel and 114 fines have been issued.

Since 21 March, Victoria Police have conducted 16,039 spot checks.

In the past 24 hours seven people were issued infringements after they were caught having dinner party, which is against social distancing rules.

Four people were fined after they were caught walking the streets seeking drugs.

A group of friends was also issued infringements for hanging out in a park.

Across Australia residents can be fined for breaking social distancing rules, fines vary in each state and territory

The trio, who did not live together, were each fined $1,652 after Victoria Police conducted spot checks on Tuesday night

Police conducted 835 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state in the past 24 hours as part of Operation Sentinel and 114 fines have been issued

Since last month residents in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT have been banned from leaving home except for food and supplies, medical care, exercise, and work or education.

The rules are to slow the spread of the coronavirus to prevent hospitals from being swarmed with patients as scientists search for a cure.

The infringement comes amid confusing enforcement of coronavirus restrictions around the country, which have seen thousands of beachgoers allowed to break social distancing rules while others have been penalised for taking a breather on a park bench while staying more than 1.5 metres apart.

Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend

The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules (pictured: Ms Reynolds with her mother, Sharee)

On Sunday, Hunter Reynolds, 17, was slapped with a $1,652 fine for unnecessary travel.

She had been learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother, Sharee, as the passenger, when she was pulled over by police.

The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria.

The teenager was issued with a $1652 on-the-spot fine for breaching the stage three restrictions relating to COVID-19.

She had planned to fight the fine in court, however, after sharing her story publicly, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine.
In a video conference skipped by Pakistan, trade officials of the SAARC countries on Wednesday broadly agreed to identify new ways to "sustain and expand" the intra-regional trade to offset the huge economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic.

The officials also deliberated on creating a larger framework of trade facilitation and highlighted the need to enhance the quantum of intra SAARC trade as the pandemic is likely to have a considerable impact on the region, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The deliberations took place as a follow up to an India-initiated video conference of SAARC leaders on March 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested in the conference that the member nations of the bloc should come together to jointly fight the pandemic.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a grouping comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

All the SAARC member nations are reeling under adverse social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The MEA said all SAARC countries, except Pakistan, participated in the video conference among the trade officials.

"In order for the countries to deal with the situation, it was stressed that new ways and means be jointly identified to sustain and expand the intra-regional trade until the normal trade channels are fully restored," the MEA said in a statement.

It said the imperative need to maintain essential trade within the SAARC region was viewed as an important thrust area for favourable consideration.

It said the impact of COVID-19 on regional trade and possible measures to mitigate it was seen as a new focus area for discussion in the larger framework of trade facilitation in the SAARC region.

The MEA said the need to maintain essential trade within the region was viewed as an important thrust area.

"Some specific issues addressed at the video conference included facilitation of trade through pragmatic solutions such as provisional clearance of imports at preferential duty with suitable conditions, provisional acceptance of digitally signed certificates of origin," the MEA statement said.

It said the pragmatic solutions examined at the conference also included acceptance of scanned copies of documents for clearance of imports by customs and release of payments by banks and resolving issues being faced for exports and imports at land customs stations.

All participating countries proposed to remain in close and regular touch through a designated focal point in each country.

The MEA said the Indian side offered to coordinate the exercise, which would also enable further interaction on ideas and proposed actions aimed at early restoration of normal trade after the current restrictions on movement are lifted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / FIORE GOLD LTD. (TSXV:F)(OTCQB:FIOGF)(FSE:2FO) ("Fiore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that at the annual general meeting of shareholders held on April 7, 2020 (the "Meeting") the shareholders re-elected Mark H. Bailey, Anne Labelle, Peter Tallman, Matthew Manson, Peter T. Hemstead, Tim Warman and Kenneth A. Brunk as directors of the Company for the forthcoming year. Each Director was elected by a majority of votes at the meeting and the table below presents the votes represented by proxy in respect of the election of each Director:

Nominee Votes For Votes Withheld / Abstain MARK H BAILEY 37,125,252 (99.58%) 157,759 ANNE LABELLE 36,999,484 (99.24%) 283,527 PETER TALLMAN 37,025,852 (99.31%) 257,159 MATTHEW MANSON 36,775,014 (98.64%) 507,997 PETER T. HEMSTEAD 36,775,014 (96.86%) 1,169,837 TIM WARMAN 37,026,002 (99.31%) 257,009 KENNETH A. BRUNK 36,114,824 (96.87%) 1,168,187



In addition, shareholders at the Meeting approved the re-appointment of the Company's auditor and the disinterested shareholders at the Meeting also approved the Company's Amended and Restated Stock and Incentive Plan.

Corporate Strategy

Our corporate strategy is to grow Fiore Gold into a 150,000 ounce per year gold producer. To achieve this, we intend to:

grow gold production at the Pan Mine while also growing the reserve and resource base;

advance exploration and development of the nearby Gold Rock project; and

acquire additional production or near-production assets to complement our existing operations.

On behalf of FIORE GOLD LTD.

"Tim Warman"

Chief Executive Officer

Contact Us:

info@fioregold.com

1 (416) 639-1426 Ext. 1

www.fioregold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, company outlook, goal to become a 150,000 ounce producer, goal to acquire additional production or near production assets, and other statements, estimates or expectations. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "targets", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "scheduled", "estimates", "aims", "will", "believes", "projects" and similar expressions (including negative variations) which by their nature refer to future events. By their very nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Fiore Gold's control. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, as well as a number of assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company concerning, among other things, anticipated geological formations, potential mineralization, future plans for exploration and/or development, potential future production, ability to obtain permits for future operations, drilling exposure, and exploration budgets and timing of expenditures, all of which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Fiore Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward looking statements include, but not limited to, risks related to the Pan Mine performance, risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including government restrictions impacting the Company's operations, risks the pandemic poses to its work-force, impacts the virus may have on ability to obtain services and materials from its suppliers and contractors; risks related to the company's limited operating history; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current or future exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increases in market prices of mining consumables; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results, test results and the estimation of gold resources and reserves; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work programs; availability of financing; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained on a timely manner or at all; changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Fiore Gold operates, and other factors identified in Fiore Gold's filings with Canadian securities authorities under its profile at www.sedar.com respecting the risks affecting Fiore and its business. Although Fiore has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Fiore disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.

SOURCE: Fiore Gold Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584344/Fiore-Gold-Announces-Results-of-Annual-General-Meeting
The structural bones of Feel Good, the dazzling new Netflix series from the Canadian stand-up comedian Mae Martin, are perfectly classic: Girl and girl meet cute, dive into a whirlwind romance, face complications and reach a tentative partial resolution.

Yet every aspect of the show, which runs a taut and slightly jittery six episodes, bristles with imaginative life. Martin, who co-wrote (with Joe Hampson) and stars, hits each mark of the rom-com formula faithfully and then turns it around to make it feel unprecedentedly true to life.

The result is at once uproarious and restlessly provocative. From one moment to the next, Feel Good offers the familiar trappings of traditional television comedy  wacky roommate, overbearing parents, work conflicts, a cascade of laugh lines whose rat-a-tat rhythms are underscored by the fast-paced handheld camera work.

But you havent seen many sitcoms this smart or emotionally probing. Like Fleabag, which it slightly resembles if you stand off to the side and squint, Feel Good is pitched toward audiences who appreciate the standards but are also hungry for something more.

Martin plays a Canadian stand-up named Mae Martin (do with that as you wish) who is making her way in the London comedy circuit, although her career seems to be limited to gigs in the one club run by a friend. One night, Georgina, known as George (the radiant Charlotte Ritchie), shows up as an appreciative audience member. Before the series is 10 minutes old, Mae has moved in with her.

Within 15 minutes, we can see where the trouble spots are. Mae has a history of drug abuse, and although she seems to have it temporarily under control, her struggle is ongoing. Shes smart enough to see through the nonsense being peddled at the local Narcotics Anonymous group but not ready to accept the benefits that go along with it.

George, meanwhile, is in her first same-sex relationship, and although her enthusiasm is exuberant and real, shes not ready to introduce Mae to any of her friends or family, or even to let them know she exists. Instead, she invents a phantom boyfriend named Jonathan Crenshaw, which is ... perfect.

Most of the series is devoted to teasing out the implications of those two premises, both for the individuals involved and for their mutual happiness.

The humor packed into these episodes covers an astonishing range. Some of it  such as Lisa Kudrows blowsy turn as Maes undermining, un-self-aware mother, or Georges American flatmate, played to zonked-out perfection by Phil Burgers  is as broad as the side of a barn. Other gags are so swift and deadpan that you could miss them if you blink.

Even the sex is very funny without losing its edge. When it comes to erotic role-playing, Angry Susan Sarandon seems like the kind of character who could spice things up in many a bedroom.

And underneath everything, Feel Good poses a complex emotional brainteaser: What if our search for love is fundamentally just another form of addictive behavior? What if the rush we get from a new romance, with all its confusion and exultation and dependence and uncertainty, is first cousin to the rush provided by cocaine? More to the point, how do we revel in love without letting it become another narcotic?

Theres a pitiless and fiercely rigorous logic to the way this argument plays out amid the jokey banter of Feel Good. Positing a connection between love and addiction feels obviously wrong at first glance. But the counterargument may seem less self-evident by the time the show has run its wondrous course.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman
What is it like to live in a containment zone? Ask the residents of an area in Odishas capital Bhubaneswar, that has emerged as the biggest site of coronavirus outbreak in the state.

On the evening of April 3, the citys municipal corporation announced it is creating a containment zone, a nearly rectangular area with 1.5 km length and 800 metre width that centred on a housing complex, the epicentre of the local outbreak with 18 positive cases of Covid-19. On Twitter, the municipal corporation released a map showing a black dotted line along the busy Cuttack-Puri road indicating the contours of the zone which it said no one can enter or exit as long as the containment orders were on.

Though I live in Bomikhal, I missed being a part of the zone by about a hundred metres. But hundreds of families have not been that lucky as they came within the zone announced under Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The first casualties of containment have been supply of essential commodities like milk, vegetables, groceries and medicine. Though Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) listed a few telephone numbers that can be contacted for ordering essential commodities, the supply has been anything but smooth.

With provisions exhausted, Arun Mohanty on Monday tried the numbers, but not one BMC official picked up. Mohanty, who runs a travel agency in the containment zone of Bomikhal, then decided enough was enough and he better find a way to buy provisions. I took a chance and sneaked out of the containment zone to come to the road. Luckily, no cop saw me or else they would have beaten me to pulp. I walked for 4 km under hot sun to buy milk, flour and other groceries, he said.

On Wednesday morning, Trinath Padhi ventured out of his home in Bomikhal area to get some medicines for his 48-year-old wife who has to undergo dialysis once every two days. Padhis wife had last undergone dialysis on Monday and her next dialysis was due on Wednesday. But the moment he reached the bamboo barricades at the bylane to get medicines, he was stopped by the policeman. You cant exit. Call up the helpline numbers, the policeman said. But no one picks up the phone number given for health requirements. I dont know how I would take my wife for dialysis today? said Padhi, as he requested the cop to allow him to go to the chemists shop across the road.

Businessman Mukesh Goenka who deals in supply of newsprints to local dailies and a resident of the Bomikhal containment zone too complained of lack of response from the BMC helpline numbers in getting essential supplies. Most of the times the person at the other end does not pick up. The government perhaps did not think through while announcing containment, said Goenka.

In Surya Nagar area of the city, where eight people, including a 60-year-old man, tested positive from one particular house, a roadside snacks vendor who stayed in that house has been among those who have been hit the hardest by the containment. The snacks vendors mother, wife and sister tested positive and are now being treated in hospital in Cuttack meant exclusively for Covid-19 patients. As the snacks vendor and his daughter have been home quarantined, getting food has been problematic as no one would visit them.

My daughter has a malfunctioning pancreas since her childhood and her food is restricted. One of my cousins can cook for her, but how would she get the food at the home as no one is being allowed inside the zone? he asked.

People living in the containment zone are complaining about lack of essential supplies. (HT Photo)

In one of the containment zones, the doctor who was assigned to take the calls of people with health issues, did not pick up calls for first three days till people started complaining. He finally fell in line when he was told of possible departmental action due to negligence. With chemist stores in the localities closed, BMC has formed medical teams for the conatinment zones to supply medicines through these teams. But officials admitted that it has not been a smooth exercise as they have to visit hundreds of households everyday for active surveillance.

The lockdown, now in its 15th day, has paralysed life in the city of 1.1 million people, and the containment may have made it worse for people sitting at home. Many people said they venture out to balcony to peek at the deserted road, but get bored soon.

Suketh Chinchela, who lives in Surya Nagar area of the city with his family said there is a certain eerie feeling in living in a containment zone. Albeit, the fear, is more that the dreaded disease has come to our doors. Surya Nagar is an area full of retired serviceholders and old people, thereby heightening the fear, said Chinchela.

There are no dogs to be seen. The whole area seems like a graveyard even during the day and one can hear the rustle of the leaves of trees. Its unbelievable, said a housewife in Surya Nagar area.

With Odisha reporting its first death due to coronavirus on Tuesday when a 72-year-old retired government servant died in AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the authorities have stepped up surveillance and testing. After Surya Nagar and Bomikhal, the officials added Jadupur, Kapilaprasad, Sundarpada and finally Satya Nagar as conatinent zones. Ten villages in Kendrapara district, a gram panchayat in Bhadrak district and a village in Jajpur district have also been declared as containment zones.

Is containment working to slow down our outsized local outbreak? The health department officials said they are hoping it would.

We are containing certain areas to protect the health of the people and prevent the spread of Covid-19. We understand it causes inconvenience to some people. It has to be appreciated that containment is necessary to prevent community transmission, the department said in a tweet.
The first Kenyan to succumb to the dreaded Covid-19 disease was buried in Trans Nzoia County on Tuesday in a ceremony that lasted about 35 minutes.

Engineer Maurice Namiinda was buried at his rural home at Naisambu village in Kitale, at a low-key event that only his immediate family members attended.

Police received the body that had been transported from Nairobi at around 4 am and took it to the home.

Their presence was heavy at the ceremony conducted by the Catholic Church and which was completed by noon.

MENTAL ANGUISH

Mr Namiinda died at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi in March.

His relatives told of the mental anguish they underwent during their mandatory quarantine to confirm whether they had also been infected.

Mr Protus Khisa, one of his brothers, said, "We endured a long period of psychological torture not knowing if our brother would be cremated or buried according to our customs.

"We are relieved that he was given a decent burial like anyone else and that we can see his grave."

A relative who requested anonymity said they were also relieved that they tested negative for the disease.

Mr Namiinda's wife was among the people who were tested for having been in close contact with him from March 20.

SUPERVISION

Trans Nzoia county Commissioner Samson Ojwang said the burial was conducted under the guidance of public health officers.

"It was brief ... only a few close relatives were allowed [to attend] under the supervision of public health officers, police and government officers," he said.

Mr Namiinda is survived by a wife, five daughters and two sons.

Until his death, he was a managing partner at Gibb Africa.
Medical biologists prepare to handle a swab to test a medical worker for the COVID-19 disease at a drive-in test center in Paris, France. (Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Mauro Ferrari, the president of the European Research Council (ERC), is stepping down as head of Europes leading scientific institution after just four months after he was unable to push through his plans for a programme to fight coronavirus.

I have been extremely disappointed by the European response to COVID-19, Ferrari told the Financial Times, which first reported the news.

I arrived at the ERC a fervent supporter of the EU [but] the COVID-19 crisis completely changed my views, though the ideals of international collaboration I continue to support with enthusiasm, Ferrari said.

Ferrari, a nano-scientist whose term as head of the ERC was meant to last four years, told the FT that his problems began in March as it became evident that the pandemic would be a tragedy of possibly unprecedented proportions.

He wanted to establish an ERC programme to respond to the pandemic, deploying resources to help the very best scientists in the world work on new drugs, new vaccines, new diagnostic tools, new behavioural dynamic approaches based on science, to replace the oft-improvised intuitions of political leaders.

Read more: Wellcome Trust calls on businesses to donate $8bn for COVID-19 research

However, his ambitious plans were not welcomed, he said, noting that: The ERC Scientific Council, its governing body, unanimously rejected the idea, arguing that as an institution it is only allowed to fund bottom-up research proposals by scientists, rather than programmes with objectives set by EU leaders.

I argued that this was not the time for scientific governance to worry excessively about the subtleties of the distinctions between bottom-up versus top-down research, Ferrari said.

The Italian-American scientist said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen invited him to share his thoughts on how to tackle the pandemic, saying the very fact that I worked directly with her created an internal political thunderstorm. The proposal was passed on to different layers of European Commission administration, where I believe it disintegrated upon impact.

The European Commission noted on Wednesday 8 April that there were 50 ERC projects currently underway. The European Union has the most comprehensive package of measures combating the coronavirus and it is deploying different instruments in order to have the biggest impact for solving the crisis, the Commission said.
The latest move comes a day after the Taliban walks out of talks, accusing Kabul of delaying the release of prisoners.

The Afghan government has released 100 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday, a government official said, a day after the armed group said it was walking out of talks with Kabul.

Javid Faisal, spokesman for Afghanistans Office of the National Security Council, said: The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence, as part of our efforts for peace.

The Taliban had accused the Afghan government of delaying the prisoner swap that was part of an agreement signed with the United States in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The two foes have been negotiating since last week to try to finalise the prisoner swap that was originally supposed to have happened by March 10 and pave the way for intra-Afghan peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban.

But the swap has been beset with problems, with Kabul claiming the Taliban wants 15 top commanders to be released, while the armed group has accused Afghan authorities of needlessly wasting time.

200407042703850

The US signed the deal with the Taliban on February 29 that required the Afghan government  which was not a signatory to the agreement  to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and for the armed group to release 1,000 pro-government captives in return.

As per the terms of the deal, Washington promised to withdraw US and foreign troops from Afghanistan by July next year, in return for security guarantees from the Taliban.

On Tuesday, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Qatar, said the group recalled its negotiators from Kabul, hours after it suspended talks on the prisoner exchange with the Afghan government.

The intentional delays in the release of our prisoners violates the peace agreement, therefore we call back our technical team back from Kabul, Shaheen said in a tweet.

Despite the setback over the prisoner releases, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said progress had been made since he visited Kabul on March 23 to press Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah to end a feud over the results of a disputed September election.

Weve made some progress, but we see them posturing in the media, we see statements that come out, he told a State Department news conference.

While the feud has persisted, Pompeos visit and his announcement of a $1bn cut in US aid to Afghanistan appeared to have an impact, with Ghani on March 26 announcing a delegation for peace talks with the Taliban that won Abdullahs endorsement.

Pompeo reiterated a call for those negotiations to start.

Im confident in the days ahead well have things that look like steps backward, but Im also hopeful that all the parties are sincere and wanting whats good for the Afghan people, he said.
Manitoba Public Insurance is processing fewer claims as the pandemic prompts people to leave their vehicles in park more often, but theres few guarantees customers will see financial savings in the short term.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Public Insurance is processing fewer claims as the pandemic prompts people to leave their vehicles in park more often, but theres few guarantees customers will see financial savings in the short term.

The Crown corporation received 4,108 fewer claims in March compared to the same period last year, according to data provided by MPI. A total of 10,016 claims were opened last month, media relations co-ordinator Brian Smiley said, representing a significant drop in collisions compared to years prior, as traffic volumes province-wide have diminished.

"What reduced collisions translates into typically is lower payouts," Smiley said. "Meaning, were not writing off that $35,000 truck perhaps, because of reduced collisions.

"Reduced collisions also translates into fewer serious injuries, fewer fatalities and those are all positives in what we would describe as a very tumultuous time for all of us."

In the U.S., auto insurers Allstate and American Family Insurance are returning millions of dollars to customers as traffic volumes drop. On Monday, Allstate said it would return $600 million in premiums to U.S. customers, and most policy holders will get back 15 per cent of their premium in April and May. The Canadian branch of Allstate told CBC on Monday it was developing a similar policy for its customers.

Its too early to know how the pandemic will impact MPIs finances, Smiley said, or if Manitobans will see a rebate on their premiums. The corporation is facing revenue losses related to the pandemic response and additional expenses incurred when it set up work-from-home arrangements for staff, Smiley said.

On Friday, Premier Brian Pallister announced financial relief for citizens by way of MPI and directed the corporation to stop charging interest or penalties if customers cannot pay their principal. The corporation has also been told to relax its practices on renewals and collections.

In B.C., where auto insurance is administered provincially, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia has allowed its customers to apply for penalty-free payment deferrals for up to 90 days.

Without going into specifics, Smiley said MPI has considered additional options for policy holders.

Were absolutely aware that people are financially in tough situations right now. Weve discussed a number of options, and we cant share them at this point because they havent been approved.  MPI media relations coordinator Brian Smiley

"Were absolutely aware that people are financially in tough situations right now. Weve discussed a number of options, and we cant share them at this point because they havent been approved," he said.

"Having said that, we obviously take our direction from government, and so at this particular point in time, what we have implemented is the waiving of the fees, but were certainly looking at a number of options in order to help assist our customers and ease their financial burdens."

Opposition NDP leader Wab Kinew said Manitobans would welcome a rebate on MPI premiums, if the corporation has the financial footing to do so.

"Theyre probably able to strike a reasonable balance between looking after the long-term financial interests of the corporation while still being able to say, maybe we can return a chunk of this money now to Manitoba families who need it today," Kinew said.

"The role of government should be to step in, get the best advice from MPI, and direct them to help Manitoba families who are feeling a cash crunch right now."

BRANDON SUN FILES "Reduced collisions also translates into fewer serious injuries, fewer fatalities and those are all positives in what we would describe as a very tumultuous time for all of us," Brian Smiley said.

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For a fee, people can change their coverage if their vehicles are parked at home by calling their Autopac agent or MPI. Pleasure vehicle coverage is a bit thriftier than all purpose, and lay up coverage (for vehicles that are put into storage) can mean a difference of up to $1,100 annually, Smiley said. So far, most customers are sticking with their basic coverage policies.

The corporation will go forward with its general rate application to the Public Utilities Board in May, barring unforeseen circumstances, Smiley said. The rate has yet to be determined but is based on pre-pandemic financial forecasts and figures.

Byron Williams, a lawyer with the Consumers' Association of Canada-Manitoba, said there are two ways fewer collision claims this year could result in lower premiums in the future: if the corporations reserves are excessive MPI may be able to lower rates; or, if collision claims remain low in 2020-21 and are projected to stay low into 2021-22.

Over the past two decades, there have been rebates totalling close to $600 million, he noted.

"A key thing to remember is that a lot of MPI costs arise in winter, so even if we have a slow few months, a bad winter can change the results quickly," Williams said.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
Massachusetts National Guard spokesman Don Veitch gets calls, emails and Facebook messages daily from people asking about the rumor. Other Guard officials tell him that they too heard about it.

Its the same misinformation that has circulated since states started issuing state of emergency declarations and public safety advisories: that the federal government is mobilizing the National Guard to enforce a nationwide quarantine.

We want you to know that this information is categorically false, the Massachusetts National Guard wrote in a Facebook post. The rumors got so bad, that the Guard felt the need to publish a post dispelling it.

I think the biggest issue is the call to action for stockpiling supplies. This may create a run on stores further impacting the availability of scarce goods," Veitch told MassLive. Additionally, this misinformation undermines the trust our citizens have in their National Guard.

This rumor continues to circulate. You may see it online, in your mailbox or inbox. We want you to know that this... Posted by Massachusetts National Guard  The Nation's First on Saturday, April 4, 2020

The Guard is activated by state leaders, not federal agencies. Baker issued an executive order last month activating up to 2,000 members of the Guard to help with the states COVID-19 response.

The Massachusetts National Guard, which has 8,200 members, has helped the state respond to the Merrimack Valley explosions, the 2015 winter storms and the Cape Cod tornadoes in 2019.

With the coronavirus response, the Guard has been tapped to help deliver protective gear to hospitals, set up testing sites, build field hospitals and offer logistical help.

By the time Baker called in the Guard, rumors about a possible nationwide quarantine had already circulated, sending people panic-shopping. Now stores across the country have signs up telling customers they can only buy one pack of toilet paper or cleaning product per day.

A Walgreens in Quincy limited customers to buying one item of toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products per day.

The Guard finds itself in the same position as public health officials across the country: reminding the public not to believe every rumor they see on the internet.

Gov. Charlie Baker has had to make similar appeals to the public after rumors about national quarantines and lockdowns circulated. The Republican governor reminded the public not to believe everything they hear from their friends or see on social media.

There are many rumors and false information floating around out there, he said last month. Please remember to get your information from credible sources.

Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts

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Stewart Young of East River Dairy in Homer drove up the muddy path Tuesday, parked his truck and stepped out to see the Alnye truck with a tub connected to the back.

A few minutes later, white liquid started flowing into the manure pit  it was the farms milk, which the truck had just picked up only moments earlier.

The farm was told by its cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America, that it would need to dump some of its milk in its manure pit if it was able to  not something co-owner Young thought hed have to do this year.

Its crying time, he said. Its a shame I would have to do that.

The cooperative, which includes about 13,000 farms across the country, said the coronavirus has dried up the marketplace for milk.

But East River Dairy isnt the only farm in Cortland County, the state or the nation struggling to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Its affecting all dairy farmers, whether youre a DFA member or not, said Paul Fouts, who owns Fouts Farm on Route 222 in Groton.

Fouts said the issues facing the milk industry is that theres no home for it and the milk prices are crashing.

When the coronavirus hit, they shut down the schools and we took a big bit, Young said. A lot of milk goes into the schools.

In fact, schools are the biggest buyers of fluid milk, Fouts said.

Many restaurants also shut down and the ones that didnt arent buying as much dairy and cheese as they were before.

About 45% or so of our milk produced in the U.S ends up as cheese or butter in the restaurants, Fouts said. Those markets are pretty much dried up. The individual households are not making up for that.

On top of that, the milk prices are also now dropping. Fouts said before the virus hit milk was around $18 per hundredweight, or 100 pounds. The Futures Market, which gives an indication of how the markets are doing, suggests the price will go down $5, to $13 per hundredweight, well below the cost of production.

However, Fouts said he wont know what prices are like until the check comes.

Milk produced in March, I dont get paid for it until April, Fouts said.

It was originally supposed to be the first year in four or five years that milk prices were going to be good, thats not going to be true now, Young said.

Fouts said part of the problem stems from distributors and milk plants having to practice social distancing, so thats slowing things down, Fouts said.

So, lots of milk is being produced, but not all of it can be packaged. Some of the plants are turning to producing powdered milk, but not all, Fouts said.

The plants that can run are taking all that they can and if the co-op cant find a home for it, we have to dump it, he said. The actual milk price were getting has probably dropped at least $5 per hundredweight.

But the farms in the cooperative are still getting paid.

We do get paid, but it will be less because the co-op doesnt get paid and they need to break even on it, Young said. However, it likely wont be enough to keep farms in business.

If this goes on more than a month or two, were all going to be out of business  there wont be any of us left, Fouts said. Weve been barely breaking even for the last four or five years because of milk prices, and now this.

Fouts said he makes around 50,000 pounds of milk a day or about 500 hundredweight. If its gone down $5 per hundredweight, Fouts said he would lose about $2,500 a day.

Thats a lot of money, he said.

However, the organic milk industry hasnt been hit, yet, said Kathy Arnold, who owns Twin Oaks Dairy Farm in Truxton. Shes not expecting the organic industry to take a hit either.

I dont expect there will be an issue on the organic side because most organic milk goes through regular consumer grocery stores, she said. On the conventional side for milk marketing, much more of that goes into food service and institutions, so that is where there is more of the crunch.

Arnold is a member of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, which collects and distributes both organic and conventional milk. That cooperative sets a pay rate for the whole year, so shes not facing an up and down cycle, like many other farmers.
California is sending New Jersey 100 much-needed ventilators as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the state, officials announced Tuesday.

Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted that New Jersey is beyond grateful to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the states residents, and he vowed to repay the favor when the Golden State needs help.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Murphy wrote. We will repay the favor when California needs it.

California is sending 100 lifesaving ventilators to New Jersey.



We are beyond grateful to @GavinNewsom and the people of California.



From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We will repay the favor when California needs it.  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 7, 2020

Californias National Guard also flew 100 ventilators each to two other hard-hit states, Illinois and New York, on Tuesday.

New Jersey officials say more ventilators are needed as hospitals see an ever-growing surge in cases over the coming weeks.

The state, which has 9 million residents, now has at least 44,416 cases and at least 1,232 deaths, officials announced Tuesday. Thats more than any U.S. state but New York and more than all but eight countries.

Murphy said Monday that New Jersey could see its peak number of cases between April 19 and May 11, while the peak number of hospitalizations could come between April 10 and April 28. Officials said under a best-case scenario, the states total number of cases would peak at 86,000.

California, the most populous state in the nation, has more than 16,000 cases among its 40 million residents, including at least 397 deaths. But the state is expecting to hit its peak in mid-May, and its hospitals have been able to refurbish and procure new ventilators, allowing it to share some of its supply now, Newsom said.

Col. Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said the machines California sent come with the understanding that California is probably going to be needing them" in about three weeks.

Were being hit now, but as this thing moves its way across, that return of the favor I think is what we will be in the position hopefully to do when we get to the other side of the curve," Callahan said during New Jerseys daily coronavirus press briefing.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said there are 7,017 people hospitalized in the state either with COVID-19 or under investigation for having it. Of those, 1,651 are in critical care  and 94% of those are on ventilators, Persichilli said.

I want to assure you our plans are moving in the direction to be able to accommodate those patients, she said during the states daily coronavirus press briefing. But we still need ventilators.

Murphy has said President Donald Trumps administration has agreed to send 1,350 of the 2,500 ventilators that New Jersey has asked for from the federal stockpile. But Persichilli has said the state could need 6,000 or so more. Officials said the state is also pursuing other avenues to find more machines, including buying some.

Meanwhile, New Jersey is working with the federal government to construct field hospitals to help handle the overflow of patients. The first one opened in Secaucus on Monday and a second is set to open Wednesday in Edison. A third is scheduled follow April 14 in Atlantic City.

But that, officials said, is only if New Jerseyans continue practicing social distancing. Murphy has put the state under near-lockdown to help, ordering residents to stay at home, banning social gatherings, closing schools, and mandating that non-essential businesses closed until further notice.

The governor has said the effects of the pandemic will likely spill meaningfully into the summer.

Officials said Monday the state has ordered 20 refrigerated trucks capable of storing 1,680 bodies to take the stress off morgues and funeral homes as the outbreak continues to claim lives.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The United States will soon import more oil than it produces, with production expected to decline by some 500,000 barrels per day in 2020, a government report finds.

In its report released Tuesday, the US Energy Information Administration says it expects the United States to become a net importer of crude oil and petroleum during the third quarter of 2020.

"Net crude oil imports are expected to increase because as U.S. crude oil production declines, there will be fewer barrels available for export, the US Department of Energys statistical agency says in the report.

The Energy Information Administration says US crude oil production will likely fall to 11.8 million barrels per day this year, down 500,000 barrels per day from 2019. In 2021, production is expected to drop by 700,000 more barrels per day.

The Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, currently produces about a third of the worlds oil. In 2018, about 16% of US petroleum imports came from Persian Gulf countries, and Saudi Arabia was the biggest exporter among them.

The price of oil has plunged this year due in part to Russia and Saudi Arabia flooding the market with extra supply following the collapse of an OPEC+ deal last month meant to offset the impact of the coronavirus. Brent crude oil prices averaged $32 a barrel in March, the lowest monthly average since January 2016.

The Energy Information Administration notes its report is subject to heightened levels of uncertainty amid the coronavirus threat as well as an upcoming virtual meeting between Russia, Saudi Arabia and other major oil-producing countries Thursday.

Riyadh and Moscow are trying to hammer out a deal to end their price war that would see output cut by around 10 million barrels per day, The Wall Street Journal reported. In a Tuesday interview, President Donald Trump said he has spoken with the leaders of both countries and believes its all going to work out.
$1.2 million grant to study evolution of Central American lizards

A research team led by a Washington University in St. Louis biologist was awarded $1.2 million for a CRISPR-based gene editing study of Anolis lizards.

Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor and professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, was awarded the three-year grant from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, based in Strasbourg, France. His grant is one of only 28 selected from a candidate pool of more than 700 teams involving scientists with laboratories in more than 50 different countries.

"Thanks to breakthroughs in the ability to sequence DNA at large scale, many researchers are comparing the genomes of different species to try to identify the genes responsible for evolutionary adaptation," Losos said. "Our project combines this approach with recent advances in gene editing to not only identify candidate genes, but to actually test their effects.

"Because of the extensive body of knowledge about their evolutionary ecology, Anolis lizards are the ideal group to combine genomic and organismal studies at multiple levels -- including anatomy, physiology and behavior," Losos said. "We now have the capability to identify genes potentially involved in adaptation and then to assess the traits they produce and how those traits may be beneficial in the species' particular environment."

Team member Doug Menke, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, developed techniques for creating the world's first gene-edited reptiles: albino lizards. This new study will continue to advance the techniques.

First, the researchers will sequence the genomes of 200 species of Anolis lizards -- primarily those from Central America -- a group that Losos has spent his career studying. Species of anoles, as they are called, are renowned for evolving similar features when faced with similar environmental challenges.

By comparing species that live in similar circumstances -- such as cool mountain forests -- the researchers will look for DNA changes that have occurred only in those species and not in others. Those genetic changes potentially are the ones that have produced adaptation to the environmental condition shared by those species.

Then, using CRISPR, those changes will be introduced in the laboratory to eggs of one species, the brown anole, to see if the resulting individuals exhibit the trait in question -- such as the ability to be active at low temperatures.

Finally, the individual brown anoles will be monitored in experimental conditions to see if the genetic trait leads to better growth or survival.

In addition to Menke, the team includes researchers from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Losos is the director of the Living Earth Collaborative, a center dedicated to advancing the study of biodiversity to help ensure the future of Earth's species in their many forms. He also leads an active research laboratory focused on the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of lizards.

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This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The idea is so simple. Feed doctors, nurses, cops, EMS and other frontline workers battling the coronavirus, and help devastated local restaurants, while giving people sheltering-in-place at home a way to help during the crisis.

Two women from Jersey started a concept to help the heroes fighting COVID-19 thats being replicated across the nation.

It has united people across political lines, town lines, economic lines and state lines, said Liz Bernich of Chatham, one of the founders of Front Line Appreciation Group, or FLAG. "I can barely keep up with new chapters launching. We had only talked about feeding people on the front lines and supporting local restaurants.

The idea to start the FLAG to feed essential workers and help struggling local restaurants started in Chatham and Madison. Its expanded across the country to 68 chapters in 20 states, with two of the newest starting in Hawaii and Montana. New Jersey has 24 chapters alone, said FLAGs creators.

I did not think anything of this magnitude would come out it, I just thought wed stick with our two towns and feed the (local) hospital, said co-founder Gina McGuire of Madison. I never thought it would snowball in to anything like launching FLAG in Hawaii. It blows my mind.

Bernich and McGuire didnt even know each other when they separately floated the idea of feeding workers in Morristown Medical Centers emergency room.

A screenshot from the Front Line Appreciation Group of Chatham-Madison Facebook page of a van promoting the charity that thanks front line workers by feeding them.

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FLAG has gone beyond the original Chatham-Madison concept as each chapter puts a local spin on the effort.

A Hoboken-Jersey City chapter is feeding all frontline workers, including those in medical centers, COVID-19 test sites, public works, grocery stores and even the local parking authority, said Amy Frank Goldman. Shes coordinating that chapters work, while she and her family are recovering from coronavirus.

I got the idea from them (Liz and Gina). I talked to them for five minutes and I said we should do this here, Goldman said. We started (on a) Saturday and started delivering meals on Monday.

Across the nation, FLAG chapters have received approximately $700,000 in donations and paid $200,000 to restaurants to date and delivered 30,000 meals to date, Bernich said

The Chatham Madison chapter alone has delivered over 3,000 meals and Hoboken-Jersey City FLAG delivered 1,200 meals since it was created on March 28.

While Bernich, Goldman and McGuire can cite the testimonials posted on Facebook from grateful frontline workers, one of the women has a personal connection to giving the workers more than a meal.

The best part is we are giving them a lift in their day to keep going, McGuire said, who has a cousin who works in an emergency room, another who is a doctor and her husband is a police officer. They say these things from the community are what keep them going, the one bright spot. Someone has to fuel these people in food and spirit.

FLAG in Chatham and Madison started out modestly, by repurposing an idea from Huntington, Long Island where a group neighbors organized a meal schedule for local hospital workers.

A testimonial from the Hoboken-Jersey City Front Line Appreciation Group Facebook page from a front line worker thanking them for a meal.

I thought it was a brilliant idea and we could do it for Morristown Memorial, Bernich said. I sent it to the Chatham Facebook group and asked if anyone one would coordinate it with me, Two hours later, my phone was blowing up. People were totally on board.

One town away, McGuire was on a similar path, and talked to Bernichs husband about doing the same thing in Madison and the women joined forces.

Daily, they use local restaurants to provide 190 meals for the hospitals day shift, 15 at an auxiliary location, 12 at a test center and another 12 at an urgent care center. At night, they provide another 200 meals for the night shift, McGuire said.

Once the money rolled in, we looked at the ability to do this for several weeks, she said.

The financial support reflects the grass roots nature of FLAG, a lot of people giving $10 and $20 donations, and as people stopped commuting to work, some committed to making weekly donations from the money they saved, McGuire said.

The beauty of FLAG is that local chapters can tailor the idea to what that community needs and to meet the changing definition of who front line workers are.

We wanted to support first line, but the first line has changed, Goldman said. Doctors, nurses, store clerks, pharmacy workers, post office employees all are exposing themselves to keep things moving, she said. We have specific initiatives for nurses who live here. We send them food so they dont have to worry about cooking between shifts.

Hoboken-Jersey City FLAG uses a rotating list of restaurants to provide meals to help the small business community, to make sure each business benefits, Goldman said.

We have two goals, to support the front line workers and drive the money we spend to local businesses, so if we deliver 100 meals at $10 a meal, thats a decent order for a small restaurant, she said. People like the idea of supporting the front line and restaurants and they can do that with one donation.

Bernich and McGuire even created a website, flag2020.org that lists local chapters , has links to donate to them and if no chapter exists, information about how to start one.

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The University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas will host a live webinar, COVID-19 in the Americas: Systemic Responses, on Wednesday, April 8, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The featured speaker is President Julio Frenk, a global public health expert who was former minister of health of Mexico. Robert Yates, executive director of the Chatham House Centre for Universal Health, will participate as moderator.

Felicia M. Knaul, director of the institute, will host the webinar. Knaul is an international health economist and an expert in Latin American health systems and social sectors.

As a political health economist I am very keen to learn more from President Frenk about how different countries in the Americas are tackling COVID-19 and which health systems are proving most resilient and effective in dealing with the pandemic," Yates said. "It will also be interesting to discuss the broader economic and political consequences and whether this crisis might accelerate progress towards universal health coverage in the region.

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic that has killed more than 72,000 across the globe. It has now hit most countries in Latin America, beginning in late February when Brazil confirmed its first case. That country remains the most affected by the virus, with more than 11,000 confirmed cases.

The spread of coronavirus throughout the Americas only exacerbates the existing healthcare disparities across and within countries, where we witness tragic situations in which essential medicines such as off-patent morphine for breathlessness, equipment, and services are severely lacking, Knaul said. Evidence-based, systemic policy making is crucial to flatten all the curveshealth, economic and educationalto save lives and livelihoods.

In total, the region has reported 33,000 infected cases, according to Statista, a portal for statistics derived from market and opinion research institutes. Countries like Chile and Colombia have closed their borders to restrict the number of travelers.

Pandemics bring our global interconnectedness into clear focus, Frenk said. As we face COVID-19 in this hemisphere and around the world, we must cooperate across governments and across borders to save lives.

The webinar will focus on how health and economic systems can better respond individually and as a region to flatten the curve, and on what is being learned from high-income countries where the virus has spread rapidly and caused tens of thousands of deaths.

Participants are invited to register in advance of the webinar at: https://miami.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fEwjvfkISRaAdB9PD-mERg

Those who register will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar.

Participants are encouraged to submit their questions in advance of the event by using the form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=cksUKjny1EKMDm8PF8SOM7ua0mM7rGRBp__WnTAPotNURFFNTTEySjdFRDNHMzZMNjJZTE9ZTjlCVC4u
The rapid advance of COVID-19 has produced angst among the faithful, as with the rest of society. It has also generated a surge of religious innovation. Many of us pastors have suddenly become iPhone evangelists, streaming gospel messages to our people and anyone else who will listen. My own church, for example, has been increasing its use of technology and just shared its fourth Sunday service on the web.

The Roman Catholic Church, known in recent years for its dynamic development of doctrine and religious modernization, has also been required to pivot in unforeseen ways. Because of the severe impact of COVID-19 on Italy, Pope Francis has canceled his main public appearances to prevent crowds from forming. The pontiff is instead livestreaming various eventsmuch like the growing ranks of innovative pastors here in the US. He has replaced the mandatory Mass with a virtual parish. He also offered the possibility of a plenary indulgence, the forgiveness of sins, because of the pandemic.

But some of us Vatican observers are wondering if the changes go beyond form to the very substance of Roman religion. And if they do, how should Protestant believers respond?

Given the inability of most Catholics to leave their homes right now, confessing ones sins to a priestmandated by Roman Catholicism for the forgiveness of sins at the Fourth Lateran Council (1215)is out of the question. So what should Roman Catholics do with their unconfessed sin?

Speak Directly to God

A headline in the Catholic-sponsored Our Sunday Visitor answers, If you cant go to confession, take your sorrow directly to God, pope says. This sounds startlingly like a sentiment a sin-tormented Martin Luther would agree with.

Heres what Pope Francis stated last week: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me, and ask for pardon with all your heart. But the pope made this statement flanked by an image of Mary and a crucifix thought to have miraculous powers. He prayed for the world at this crucial juncture in the presence of two relics that have accompanied the people of Rome for centuries: the ancient icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani and the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello. Some, however, have noticed the mixed message. His words implied that direct access to God is available through Christ, but the symbols suggested otherwise.

Even so, the popes recommendation for the faithful to pray directly to God was couched in language much like that of the late Billy Graham, exalting Gods tender mercy toward His flock. Return to your father who is waiting for you, Francis said. The God of tenderness will heal us; he will heal us of the many, many wounds of life and the many ugly things we have done. Each of us has our own!

God stands ready and welcomes every repentant sinner with open arms, Our Sunday Visitor also reported Francis as saying, adding his words: Its like going home.

Not a Reformation for Rome

Though the requirement to confess to a priest was temporarily removed, the pope didnt remove every obstacle to direct access with God. He said Catholics must still perform an act of contrition and promise to go to confession later. And immediately you will return to a state of grace with God.

As the catechism teaches, the pope counseled, you can draw near to Gods forgiveness without having a priest at hand. Think about it. This is the moment.

The Catechism (CCC N. 1452) speaks of contrition prompted by a love by which God is loved above all else.  Well and good. But this raises Martin Luthers question of how the faithful are to be sure they love God above all else to the extent that they are safe in bypassing priestly mediation. Luther himself tried mightily to love God and obsessively confessed his sins, strictly following this standard, andas he later confessedhe ended up hating God. The task, without the gift of faith, was beyond him. It is beyond each of us. The oft-vacillating love with which we approach God is insufficient.

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And if we somehow can go directly to our tenderhearted and welcoming Father to receive forgiveness at this time, during this pandemic, why cant the faithful do it all the time? It raises the question of whether Gods welcoming, no-strings-attached embrace of prodigals is always available or an option only during emergencies. Innovations such as this might suggest to some that Catholicisms regulatory religion is less than practical, maybe even unlivable.

There is, of course, a full-orbed body of theology informing the Catholic practice of confession and prayer, a sacramental system that involves particular understandings of the authority and the ministry of Christ through the Roman Church. Nevertheless, the practical question continues to assert itself of how Christian men and women can enter Gods presence and come home, in Pope Francis words, to the Fathers compassionate embrace.

Talking with Catholic Friends

Rather than seeing the popes innovation as an opportunity to score debating points for the Reformationwhich clearly isnt overwe would do well to talk with our Roman Catholic friends and loved ones about why God accepts us.

Divine acceptance is not grounded in the love or inner righteousness that proceeds from our hearts, but in what Christ has done for us. Our Catholic friends have been taught that we must continually cooperate with Christs gracious work on the cross to be forgiven, and when we fail to live up to this standardas all humans willwe are to seek divine absolution as mediated by a priest. Such a thorough system, though well meaning, gives us no assurance, even when it gets modified during a plague.

During this anxious time of sheltering at home, often with loneliness and isolation, we need to be reminded of how the father of the prodigal son noticed his repentant child returning home from a long distance away and with deep compassion ran to him with outstretched arms. This is our heavenly Father, and its the direct, unmediated forgiveness that he offers through the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who died and rose so that our forgiveness would be certain and permanent (1 Tim. 2:5). As Paul stated so gloriously, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:12).

The coronavirus pandemic and the Lenten season provide a wonderful opportunity to embody and explain this grace. And our Catholic friends may be more willing to listen. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a Catholic nonprofit affiliated with Georgetown University, only 2 percent of Catholics regularly go to confessionand three-fourths never go or only go less than once a year. Many in the Roman Catholic fold apparently find their religion to be unlivable.

Lets show them a better, more hopeful way. It wont take much innovationjust a bit of faith.

Chris Castaldo is lead pastor of New Covenant Church, Naperville, Illinois, and is the author of The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants after 500 Years (co-written with Gregg Allison), Talking with Catholics about the Gospel: A Guide for Evangelicals, and Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic.
Bernie Sanders on Wednesday suspended an anti-establishment presidential campaign that changed the course of Democratic politics and energized large groups of new voters but fell short of amassing a broad enough coalition to capture the nomination.

The Vermont senator's decision came after his campaign stalled following a string of losses to former Vice President Joe Biden in large, delegate-rich states that left him with little chance of becoming the nominee. Yet Sanders came closer than any self-proclaimed socialist in U.S. history.

In an online address to supporters Wednesday morning, Sanders said the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated his decision to suspend campaigning.

"As I see the crisis gripping the nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership, and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us," Sanders said.

The senator's exit effectively makes Biden the nominee, but Sanders said he will remain on the ballot in all the states that have not yet voted. He will continue to gather delegates for the Democratic National Convention, where his supporters will use the influence to push the party platform in a more progressive direction.

"Few would deny that over the course of the past five years, our movement has won the ideological struggle," Sanders said. "It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today they are mainstream."

Biden moved quickly to reach out to Sanders supporters as he aims to unify a deeply fractured party.

"I know that I need to earn your votes," Biden said in a statement. "And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed."

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It is not clear what concessions Biden has or is prepared to make to woo Sanders supporters. His top lieutenants have been in touch with Sanders in recent weeks. Biden and Sanders also talked directly, a conversation in which Biden explained why he was proceeding with his vetting of potential running mates even before Sanders had dropped out. Sanders offered words of support to Biden, but his followers have made clear Biden will need to work for their votes.

Sanders rebounded off his 2016 loss to Hillary Clinton to emerge for a few weeks as the front-runner in the current Democratic primary, before second thoughts about the wisdom of nominating him and voter anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic moved Democrats to consolidate behind Biden. By the time Sanders dropped out of the race, Biden was already proceeding as the presumptive nominee.

Even while falling short of the nomination, Sanders had a transformative impact on the Democratic Party. He upended old rules of money and politics, eclipsing his rivals in fundraising with a loyal army of nearly 2 million small donors whose contributions averaged $21.

Sanders successfully pushed the party to abandon the Clintonomics of the past in favor of a more progressive path, and he forced rivals to embrace a more expansive role for government.

Yet the Vermont senator struggled to expand his passionate base of supporters to the critical mass needed to win the race. He ultimately ran into the same electoral buzz saw in 2020 that he did in 2016, getting rejected by African American and suburban voters in many Sunbelt states whose support is essential to winning the nomination.

It was not for lack of effort. Sanders raised a passionate brigade of progressive volunteers, forged a near-unbreakable bond with younger voters and won over many Latinos, some of whom affectionately dubbed the 78-year-old Brooklyn native "Tio Bernie." Sanders even survived a heart attack on the campaign trail in October only to see supporters double down on his candidacy.

Supporters cheer for Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally in Los Angeles last year. (Los Angeles Times)

Supporters cherish his consistency throughout his many decades in politics, during which Sanders never wavered from his democratic socialist agenda. But that stubbornness also cost the candidate with the mainstream voters he needed to win the nomination.

Sanders continued railing against the party "establishment," sticking with his complimentary remarks about some of the policies of the Fidel Castro government in Cuba, even in the days leading up to the primary in Florida, with its large number of Cuban exiles and their families, and pillorying the news media until the final days of his campaign.

Although Sanders' base was smaller than in 2016  when some Democrats backed him solely as an alternative to Clinton  and he did not generate the record turnouts he said his political revolution would need, he thrived in what was initially a large and competitive 2020 Democratic primary field.

Progressives coalesced behind him while several moderates in the race splintered the rest of the vote. Sanders was aided by head-to-head polls showing him as one of the most popular candidates against President Trump in a general election.

He made healthcare the race's defining policy issue, polarizing the Democratic field with his crusade to nationalize the patchwork private health insurance system under a universal "Medicare for all" federal program.

Bernie Sanders introduced his Medicare for All Act of 2019 last April on Capitol Hill. (Getty Images)

Before moderates ultimately consolidated around Biden, Sanders' unusual coalition drove him to strong finishes in the campaign's first contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire, followed by a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses.

At casino caucus sites along the Las Vegas Strip, Sanders' Silver State victory was boosted by members of the state's powerful Culinary Workers Union, many of whom ignored their leaders' sharp criticism of Sanders' healthcare proposal, which would eliminate the union's high-quality private insurance.

It was the high-water mark of Sanders' campaign. But within a week, the tide had turned. It became clear that Sanders, whose 2016 campaign was derailed by voters in the South, had not made the inroads needed to power through that part of the country in 2020, either.

At a debate in South Carolina, Sanders' opponents and the moderators chiseled at his record of complimenting some social programs of far-left governments.

"We're not going to win these critical, critical House and Senate races if people in those races have to explain why the nominee of the Democratic Party is telling people to look at the bright side of the Castro regime," said Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

"Let us be clear: Do we think healthcare for all, Pete, is some kind of radical, communist idea?" Sanders shot back.

In South Carolina, black voters broke for Biden en masse after the state's influential congressman, James E. Clyburn announced his support for the former vice president's struggling campaign, one of the most consequential presidential endorsements in recent history.

After Biden's runaway win, and with Super Tuesday just three days away, the once-large Democratic primary field quickly consolidated behind his candidacy. Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race and immediately endorsed Biden, joined by former rival Beto O'Rourke of Texas.

In a single weekend, the presidential campaign had been flipped on its head. Black voters, the backbone of the Democratic Party, were firmly in Biden's camp. Undecided voters and the former supporters of his opponents flocked to the well-known party leader.

The shortcomings of the Sanders bid came into stark relief on Super Tuesday, when his campaign had hoped to gain an insurmountable lead in the delegate race. Voters not inclined to support the Vermonter coalesced around Biden with unexpected force. Biden won 10 of 14 states, including some where he did not even campaign.

Young voters, Sanders' core base, did not turn out in unusually large numbers. Instead, it was Biden supporters in the suburbs who pushed turnout to record levels in some states. And pro-Sanders Latinos were concentrated in too few states out West, such as California and Colorado, to offset Biden's strengths elsewhere.

As Democratic leaders announced their endorsement of the surging Biden, Sanders looked increasingly isolated.

Even when his fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts dropped out, it was uncertain whether a majority of her supporters would shift to Sanders' camp. Prominent liberals who were otherwise sympathetic to Sanders' policy goals publicly complained about online harassment they'd received from his most aggressive followers.

In this image taken from a berniesanders.com webcast, Bernie Sanders talks about the coronavirus stimulus bill on March 25. (berniesanders.com )

Over the ensuing two weeks, Biden swept through a series of major states  Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, even Washington, where Sanders had triumphed in 2016. As the spreading coronavirus eclipsed the campaign, shutting down rallies and leading Ohio officials to postpone that state's primary, Sanders struggled to retain voters' attention.

He was trailing well behind Biden when Democrats went to the polls Tuesday in Wisconsin, another state where Sanders won big in 2016.

But Sanders had a big impact on the party ideologically, with the left-wing contours of his 2016 campaign showing up in the platforms of his 2020 opponents.

Warren had almost wholeheartedly embraced Sanders' proposal for Medicare for all, and even moderates promoted public options that would go far beyond the advances of the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act.

The Democratic field promoted sweeping pro-union platforms that were more in line with European social democracies than recent trends in American labor policy. Biden adopted a version of Sanders' free-college-for-all proposal, limiting it to families with incomes below $125,000. Sanders' 2016 plank to lift the minimum wage to $15 was no longer envelope-pushing; it was the norm.

But with the party's likely nomination of Biden, its most prominent middle-of-the-road option, Sanders supporters' hopes of a "revolution" have once again hit the rocks.

Pearce reported from Los Angeles and Halper from Washington. Times staff writer Janet Hook in Washington contributed to this report.




Danny Lee, former director of Community Affairs Development in the ASEAN

Major companies are not the only businesses affected by this outbreak. In fact, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are amongst the worst hit as few have the financial buffer to weather the storm.

When I was in Nanning, in southern China, at the start of February on business, only a handful of restaurants were open for service, and some of them had to restrict their business to takeaways as official restrictions tightened over the following few days. I had been travelling to Nanning every month and the severe crunch on business owners was obvious. Some of my regular eating places employ about two dozen staff and with the extended Lunar New Year break, these owners were bearing the overheads such as rentals and salaries  all without revenue as the restaurants were closed. Across the region, news of no-pay-leave and lay-offs were also emerging with alarming regularity.

At the time of writing, the words of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong loomed at the back of my head. In an interview with CNN, PM Loong cautioned that flattening the curve will not last for just a few months, but it could take up to a year or possibly 18 months. While governments across the world have pushed out supportive measures, it is also apparent that a collective global and regional effort is necessary not only to control and beat the pandemic, but also to pull everyone out of recession.

On that count, we are fortunate to be in the ASEAN  one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. As the director for Community Affairs Development, I used to brief visiting groups to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. One of the points which I regularly pointed out was the fast growth in our grouping, as our cities grow. We are also blessed with a young population that is eager to explore and prosper.

This is apparent in the growth of products and services in the region. Vietnams G7 coffee was among the first products to gain popularity in Singapore about seven years ago. Today, the So Pho restaurant is a common sight in many of our malls, a testimony to the growing interaction in the ASEAN.

This was one of the reasons that prompted me to start a small business of my own. After talking up the bloc and our partners all these years, I am putting my money where my mouth is. And despite the dire economic conditions we are in now, I remain optimistic about the growth in our region.

In an article on the multiplicative effects of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on ASEAN trade, Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy, lead researcher for economic affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, pointed out some important statistics. The RCEP offers opportunities in the form of a huge market of $24.8 trillion and over 2.3 billion people. In 2018, the combined GDP of the RCEP (on a purchasing power parity basis) is greater than that of other trading blocs such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement. In Asia, the combined GDP of the RCEP is about five times that of the members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, and about three times that of other Asian countries, including India. Within the ASEAN, we are doing pretty well too. In 2018, the ASEANs total trade in goods stood at $2.8 trillion, 34 per cent of which was accounted for by the bilateral trade between the ASEAN and five of its dialogue partners and 23 per cent was accounted for by intra-ASEAN trade, stated the report.

Moreover, it says, total inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the ASEAN were recorded at $152.8 billion in 2018  25 per cent of which was sourced from its dialogue partners and 15 per cent from ASEAN countries. Taken together, values of intra-RCEP trade and investment already account for 57 per cent of total trade and 40 per cent of total FDI inflows in ASEAN, respectively, it added.

These are the numbers which give me the confidence to continue with my business plans, despite the downturn brought by the pandemic. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. There are countless SMEs in the region and they are the backbone of many regional economies, but many do not have access to this huge network and its immense potential.

As such, platforms like the annual China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning are extremely important not only to showcase products and services, but also to know and network with fellow business people. Over the years, the CAEXPO has grown in size and I have noticed new partners participating year after year. This augurs well for the many small businesses participating in the flagship event. For countless business owners who could not participate in person, it would help greatly if their respective governments can find ways to link their SMEs with their regional counterparts, especially the new business owners. The RCEP market is huge and dynamic and member governments should see the opportunities it provides for their domestic economies. With the high penetration of mobile phones among our people, digital marketing and e-commerce is an important area which our growing urban young people can tap into.

The ASEAN is rich in products and exports  take coffee for example. According to Statista.com, two ASEAN member states are among the top five coffee producing countries in the world in 2018, with Vietnam at number two and Indonesia fourth. Despite the outbreak, coffee prices have defied the global rout with prices in Brazil close to record levels  nearing 85 ($105.2) per 60-kilogramme bag, according to the United Kingdoms Daily Mail. Within the RCEP, Chinas coffee market will continue to be a huge engine for growth. The revenue of the countrys coffee market is expected to be $9.12 billion in 2020, with instant coffee accounting for $8.3 billion.

Amidst the difficulties which the world is facing, the ASEAN is presented with the golden opportunity to get the RCEP endorsed. For the countless SMEs who are reeling or even sunk by the pandemic, the signing of the RCEP could not come sooner as it may provide the kick-start which all economies needed now, and we are counting on that auspicious moment in Vietnam this year.
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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 19:31 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0ac0e8 1 Business P2P-lending,loan-disbursement,Investree,fintech Free

Financial technology (fintech) platform PT Investree Radhika Jaya has announced that its plans to expand its market to Thailand and the Philippines through joint ventures are on track despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Investree cofounder and CEO Adrian Gunadi said on Wednesday that the company expected to complete the expansion by the second or third quarter of this year.

We are in the process of obtaining a license in the Philippines while we are in the final stages of licensing in Thailand. So, there is no change of plans, he told the press through a video conference.

He went on to say that the licensing process in the Philippines might take longer than planned as a result of a nationwide lockdown to curb COVID-19 implemented on March 16. However, Adrian said he was optimistic that it could be completed by September.

Read also: P2P lending firms upbeat SMEs can repay loan on time during pandemic

The expansion was made possible, he added, by the first trench of series C funding worth US$23.5 million the company closed in mid-March. The funds will also be used to expand Investrees business in Indonesia, including in e-procurement and electronic invoicing.

The investment was led by MUIP, the corporate venture arm of Japans Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Indonesias BRI Ventures.

We are also in talks with other potential investors, so we can expect the value to be higher, Adrian said.

He added that the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending company had exceeded its first-quarter loan disbursement target to 104 percent. The company has disbursed Rp 588 billion ($36.24 million) in loans so far this year.

He also predicted an increase in working capital for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially from vendors supplying health necessities such as hospital beds and gloves, adding that the company would focus on funding SMEs in the healthcare industry in the second quarter this year.

I believe Investree can be resilient during this pandemic because we are well-capitalized, he said.

Previously, Investree partnered with private lender PT Bank Danamon Indonesia to allow SMEs to borrow loans worth between Rp 200 million and Rp 2 billion.

P2P platforms have contributed Rp 60 trillion to the countrys GDP as of June 2019, primarily through SMEs, according to a study by think thank Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) and the Indonesian Fintech Lenders Association (AFPI).
We are the only continent that has its leaders seeking medical services outside the continent, outside our territory. We must be ashamed. Aaron Motsoaledi, South African Health Minister, 2017

The number of COVID-19 cases on the African continent has now exceeded 10,000, with more than 500 deaths reported. World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is warning of an imminent surge on the continent.

The response of the African ruling elite has been to cocoon itself in luxury, distancing even more surely from the impoverished masses it views with hostility and fear, entrenching the ever-deepening class divide.

Unable to jet off to the advanced countries to receive high-quality medical treatment as they did until recently, the African ruling elites are moving heaven and earth to provide themselves with the best possible health careleaving millions to suffer in dilapidated hospitals and clinics.

According to Zim Live, two private hospitals in ZimbabweRock Foundation Medical Centre in Harares low-density suburb of Mt. Pleasant and St. Annes Hospitalwere requisitioned by ZanuPF financier Kudakwashe Tagwirei through his company Sakunda Holding, to exclusively serve the countrys business and political elite.

The Zimbabwe Herald reports, Sakunda Holdings is bringing into the country [100 ventilators], 10,000 rapid test kits, 10,000 disposal protective gowns, 20,000 medical masks, 10,000 disposable shoe covers, 100 infra-red thermometers, 5,000 respirator N95 masks and 2,000 hand sanitisers, among other resources to stock these hospitals for Zimbabwes ultra-wealthy.

A letter sent to St. Annes Hospital by Health and Child Care Secretary Dr. Agnes Mahomva shows a ruling elite that will spare no expense and waste no time when its own health and well-being are at stake. Mahomva insisted that the hospitals become functional in the shortest possible period of time. Tagwirei reassured her that they have the resources and funding to do the work and hence refurbishments will not be at the cost of the hospital. Refurbishments alone will run to US $2.7 million.

This comes as Zimbabwes nurses and doctors in public hospitals went on strike to protest an extreme shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and a complete lack of necessary medical equipment to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The Associated Press already reported in 2019 that doctors were forced to perform bare-handed surgeries.

Thorn Grove Hospital in Bulawayo, one of the two infectious diseases hospitals [owned by the local council and will serve the entire Southern region] that have been established to cater for coronavirus patients, is still ill-equipped to admit patients as government has not provided any funding, according to New Zimbabwe.

Africas health systems, underfunded, understaffed and starved of resources by governments for years, now confront a rapidly spreading contagion that is projected to count its victims in the hundreds of thousands.

Foreign Affairs reports that in contrast to the United States, where there are 33 ICU beds to 100,000 citizens, In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is even more dire: Zambia has 0.6 ICU beds per 100,000; The Gambia has 0.4; and Uganda has 0.1.

Rural doctors are facing even more difficult conditions. Dr. Lungi Hobe in South Africa told SABC News, The rural population basically accounts for about 42 percent of healthcare services and we only have 15 percent of doctors looking after rural care and 20 percent of nurses. This poses a major concern for us in terms of human resources. It has always been a major issue but now with COVID-19, its going to be a particularly major issue.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health system, already under strain after a measles outbreak that killed more than 6,000 children, is now threatened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The continents overcrowded slums, where many live without proper sanitation and, as Reuters recently noted, entire families also live in just one room, making it impossible to maintain a physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet), is another cause for the spread of the contagion. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study showing that the virus can survive in air for three hours. This will no doubt facilitate the rapid and effective spread of the virus in these cramped conditions, especially given the lack of mass testing.

It should come as a shock to no one if the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Africa quickly accelerates, as dead bodies overwhelm the morgues and hospitals, and overrun the streets, homes and walkways of slums and working-class areas as has already happened in Ecuador.

The indifference and criminal negligence of the bourgeoisie to the possible exposure of millions of workers to the coronavirus is the expression of a ruling elite that will stop at nothing to extract ever more profit from the working class. Despite the possibility that the virus could kill millions without emergency action, the African ruling elite will not relinquish its billions.

Reports of the virus spreading amongst miners have already surfaced. Reuters reported that an Endeavour Mining employee in Burkina Faso had tested positive for coronavirus after returning from the UK.

Displaying mild symptoms, he was placed in quarantine; despite the identification of a case in the mine, the company reported that it had not witnessed any impact to production or operations at any of its mines or exploration activities.

Similarly, a worker at AngloGold Ashantis Obuasi mine in Ghana tested positive for the coronavirus. He was asked to self-isolate, and his contacts were traced. Miners, who often work together in close quarters, are particularly susceptible to picking up the virus and spreading it to their colleagues and loved ones.

Miners have found themselves in an especially difficult situationwith both governments and employers utilising the pandemic for their own purposes.

All Africa reports that 23,000 miners from Mozambique, with only the option to stay in the mining area, were forced out of South Africa after the announcement of a 21-day lockdown. Tenke Fungurume, a mine owned by China Molybdenum Co., used the lockdowns to enforce longer work hours and stepped-up exploitation, with about 2,000 people ordered to stay on site and avoid contact with the outside world.

Anger is mounting amongst truck drivers, as many find themselves hampered by the various lockdowns implemented all over the continent. According to Yahoo! Finance, cargo carriers who transport copper and cobalt from Congos mines to ports in South Africa and Tanzania can still cross into Zambia, but new sanitation measures have led to 25-mile backups at the border. At the Congo-Zambia border, more than 1,000 trucks carrying food, equipment, and supplies for mines had to queue last week after a partial lockdown came into effect.

The response of the ruling class to the unfolding crisis exposes the great divide that exists between working people and the bourgeoisie, nowhere more so than in Africa. For the bourgeoisie it is matter of securing its wealth, returning workers to the job under unsafe conditions and destroying whatever gains were made in social welfare. For working people, it is a matter of saving lives, closing all non-essential production and reorganising economic life based on social need and not private profit. For this to be done, a socialist leadership in the working class must be built, allying with the impoverished peasantry and in unity with the working class in the imperialist centres. This requires an intransigent struggle against the banks, corporations and world imperialism and all their agents on the continent.
Clark County Sheriffs deputies said a person shot two people during a carjacking Tuesday, then fled. Officers later found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Deputies said the suspect fired at two people using an AR-15-style weapon in the 7400 block of Northeast 159th Street in Vancouver. The suspect drove away from the scene.

The person was later found dead, officials said late Tuesday.

The two victims were taken to a nearby hospital, and officers did not give any information about their injuries or condition.

This story has been updated.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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By Leika Kihara

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan is likely to make a rare projection this month that the world's third-largest economy will shrink this year, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to push the country deep into recession, sources familiar with its thinking said.

It would be the first time the BOJ has forecast a full-year contraction since 2014, when a sales tax hike triggered an economic slump.

But the BOJ, in forecasts couched with unusually high levels of uncertainty, will cling to the view that after a severe downturn this quarter, Japan's economy will gradually rebound toward the end of this year, the sources said.

"Given what's happening now, it's hard to come up with a forecast of positive economic growth," one of the sources said.

"Any projection the BOJ makes shouldn't be too out of line with how the general public feels about the economy," another source said, a view echoed by two more sources.

There is no consensus within the BOJ yet on whether such a gloomy projection would warrant additional monetary easing, as much would hinge on how long it takes for the pandemic to be contained, they said.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The BOJ could not be reached for comment.

The BOJ will release fresh quarterly growth and price projections at its next rate review on April 27-28.

In its last projections made in January, it expected the economy to grow 0.9% in the year that began in April.

WORSE THAN 2009

A new Reuters poll showed analysts expect the economy to shrink 2.1% this year as the outbreak wreaks havoc on business and daily life, with a majority projecting the BOJ will ramp up stimulus in April.

The economy is forecast to shrink by an annualised 3.7% in January-March and 6.1% in April-June, the poll showed, after a sharp contraction late last year.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday declared a state of emergency to fight a rise in coronavirus infections in major population centres and rolled out a nearly $1 trillion stimulus package to soften the economic blow.

Story continues

The BOJ expanded monetary stimulus in an unscheduled policy meeting on March 16 to ease corporate funding strains and calm financial markets jolted by the health crisis. It pledged to buy more risky assets such as such as exchange-traded funds (ETF)

and ramp up buying of commercial paper and corporate bonds to keep credit markets from freezing up.

Uncertainty over how long it would take to contain the virus is making it difficult for policymakers to come up with growth projections, stoking market speculation the BOJ may not even produce them at the April rate review.

While the hit to consumption from the crisis points to a deep recession, the BOJ is seen counting on the boost from the government's stimulus package and early signs of a rebound in China's economy to ease the pain, they say.

"It's impossible now to credibly project what could happen to Japan's economy this year, as everything depends on how things unfold regarding the pandemic," said former BOJ executive Kazuo Momma.

"But I won't be surprised if the economy contracts by more than 5%," given the immediate hit to households and companies, said Momma, currently an economist at Mizuho Research Institute.

In forecasts produced in April 2009 during the global financial crisis, the BOJ projected a 3.2% contraction for fiscal 2008 and a 3.1% decline the following year.

"A forecast of a 5% contraction would be quite shocking, so the BOJ won't go that far. But it may produce an estimate of 2-3% negative growth," said a former BOJ board member, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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Wisconsin voted Tuesday in the midst of a pandemic that shuttered polling places and funneled voters into long lines and highly trafficked polling stations. In Milwaukee, which normally has 180 polling places, only five opened their doors.

The primary election happened after a high-stakes and fast-moving battle between the Democratic governor and Republicans in the legislature. On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers ordered the election delayed until June. Republicans immediately protested, taking the matter to the state Supreme Court, which quickly blocked Evers order. Less than an hour later, the U.S. Supreme Court hit voters again, discarding tens of thousands of absentee ballots that were not mailed out in time. Wisconsinites who hadnt received their ballots in time would instead have to cast their votes in person.

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On Tuesday, as much of the rest of the country sheltered in place, many Wisconsin voters left their homes to congregate at polling places. Many others, unwilling to take on such a risk, stayed home.

Slate spoke to five voters who went to their polling places on Tuesday to ask them what it was like to vote during a pandemic. They are:

David Meyer, 29, the front desk coordinator of a hotel (currently shut down) in Green Bay.

Nicole Winters, 50, the Milwaukee-based operations manager for the civic engagement nonprofit Wisconsin Voices.

Dwayne, 25, an employee at a dairy company in Madison (who declined to give his last name in order to speak freely without worrying about his employers approval).

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John Marszalkowski, 38, a stay-at-home father of two in Milwaukee.

Mia Noel, 35, the program manager of a youth health education organization in Milwaukee.

Their answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Slate: How did you end up voting in person today?

David: I had been following along with other states in the Midwest. A lot of those states had been pushing back their election dates, so I figured ours would get pushed back until its a safer time. And I [didnt request a mail-in ballot] because Im more in favor of in-person voting, seeing it go into the machine.

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Nicole: I want to go in person because the last election, when I went to my voting site, the doors were locked and I did not get to cast my vote. So I made it a point: Today, I would go in person if it was allowed.

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Dwayne: I requested [my absentee ballot] online last week. They immediately said I needed to submit a voter ID. I am already a registered voter. I voted twice already in Wisconsin. So I digitally submitted my ID. I got mail Monday night saying that they did not accept my ID. I used my drivers licenseIm from Louisiana [originally]and they told me an out-of-state drivers license is not a valid form of ID, but I could still vote at a county clerks office or a polling place.

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John: On March 20, I filled out [the request] for the absentee ballot because I figured thats the safest way to do this. In Milwaukee, we had some options last weekend where you could go downtown and vote from your car. But I thought, well, the safest thing is if my ballot is in the mail. So I stayed home. And it never showed.

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Mia: I requested an absentee ballot in the middle of March, and it never came. I tried to do the drive-up early voting in Milwaukee. But the line for that was eight blocks long. I had an argument with my partner about voting in person. He said, Its not just you, its also me. But the thing for me is theres stuff on the ballot I wanted to participate in. Increased public school funding. Local county executive races and the mayoral race. It was still important for me to vote.

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What was the voting process like?

David: Green Bay is a city of about 105,000 people, and there were two polling precincts today. It was a really long process to get from start to finish. I arrived at 8:54 a.m. and left at 11:34. When I left, people were waiting in a far longer line. So theyre looking at at least four-, maybe five-hour wait times to go vote. There were a couple people around me that left. One gentleman had to catch a bus, and another was an essential worker who had to get to work. [An election official at one point] offered the older people to come inside to sit, as long as they remembered their place in line.

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Most of us brought our own pens; that was the recommendation, that you bring your own black or blue pen from home. And then they had a large wooden or plexiglass-constructed thing that looked like it had been built for the sole purpose of voting today. You would place your identification on the outside of the plexiglass, and the workers inside went through the rolls and saw what ward you were in, and we would go to our assigned area that had the ballot for our particular ward. And then we had one person come through and sanitize the area after people left. There were probably about 10 poll workers there in total. For a city of our size, thats not a lot.

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Nicole: When I got there, there was a note on the door that said I had to go to a different location 2.3 miles away. Parking was not very easy. I walked around the whole school grounds to get to where we had to go in and vote. But the line did go fast. There were people outside that directed you where to go to get registered and asked you if you knew your ward. If not, they looked your address up. They were passing out gloves and ink pens. When we got inside, they would call you up and have you lay your ID on the table. They did wipe them down after every person, and they did have on masks and gloves. I didnt touch anything other than putting my ballot on the desk to fill it out. It maybe took 45 minutes to an hour.

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Dwayne: It was not very busy. I live in downtown Madison, which is a pretty enfranchised area. Pretty white, pretty middle-class. They had a lot of workers. They looked me upI was in the voter registration book. And I gave them my ID. They were like, We cannot accept that. I brought my birth certificate, my Social Security card, and a bill that goes to my address. I voted here before, with the same people. So I didnt understand why its a problem. I dont know why theyre being more strict about it. I was basically turned around until one of the poll workers called the municipal clerk and got more information. They said I could vote and then have a couple days to get an ID. The problem with that is the DMV is very far away. The other places where I could get an ID are closed right now because of the shutdown. So it was very inconvenient. I felt disenfranchised.

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John: I arrived shortly after 8 a.m. I was outside for a long time, and then there was a line going down the high school hallway and back up. The woman in front of me in line was visibly exhausted, bracing herself on the walls, grabbing anything she can to take weight off her feet. People are just crammed in this low-ventilation hallway, no windows or anything. They had Xs taped on the floor to try to indicate 6 feet apart. Six feet seems like a lot until you cram 100 people in a hallway.

Once I got through the line, there were a lot of volunteers. They were very friendly and patient. They were working hard to keep the tables clean. They had people with disinfectant bottles, and they were wiping down the tables where you showed your ID, but I didnt notice them wiping down the booths. After turning in my ballot, they offered me some hand sanitizer on the way out.

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Mia: I got ready to face being in line for hours around other people. I put on gloves and a mask. You had to park far away and walk to the end of the line between six and seven blocks from the polling station. By the time we got to the front, the high school gym was very orderly. They had Xs so everyone would stay 6 feet apart. The poll workers did a great job at making sure we were as safe as possible. All poll workers had some sort of protective equipment. The whole process was smooth. It took me about 2 hours to [vote].

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How do you feel coming out of the experience? Did you at any point think you might not vote?

David: I think its pretty embarrassing. They were putting political power way ahead of human well-being and human life. I hope and pray that nobody gets sick and dies from our election taking place today.

I had the mindset that no matter how long the wait was, no matter what the weather situation was, I would vote because I felt like it was an active choice that a group of people made to try to suppress votes and to try to minimize the voice of the people in Wisconsin. And I didnt think that was OK.

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Nicole: It wasnt bad. It was good to see people out voting.

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Dwayne: I felt really bad. Im an essential worker. I ride transit every day to work. I didnt want to expose more vulnerable people to what Im already being exposed to at work. So I had this thing in the back of mind: What other precautions do I have to take to go do this thing that I really want to do, which is vote?

I really didnt like that I had to make that choice. It was deeply painful. But this seemed like it was important enough to risk. Im an African American. Im originally from the South. I have family who fought for enfranchisement for so long. I know my peoples history with voting rights. I know the electoral process can be disheartening at times, I know that it is not the only way to effect change, but I think it has a deep and symbolic meaning to black people in general. And I think it means a lot to see us at the polls. I feel empowered when I go.

John: It was very frustrating, because Ive been working so hardmy whole familys been working hardto stay home, social distance, avoid going to the store, and do everything I can to do what Im supposed to do. And [yet] I also have this sense of civic duty to participate in the election.

Mia: Im still just very frustrated that this happened. I hope theres not a spike in cases after this. Im worried I could be part of that. Ive been working so hard to stay home and make sure our health care system has a chance to cope with any cases that come up. And then to be forced into an unfair decision about whether to leave is frustrating. Im really angry.
Since the start of the crisis in late March, the government has recovered 1,350 bodies from Guayaquils homes, according to the office of Jorge Wated, who heads the task force responsible for picking up the dead in the city. About 60 bodies are collected daily, his office said.

The virus tore through luxurious gated communities and poor, hillside neighborhoods. Within days, the explosion of mortality overwhelmed the authorities, and hundreds of bodies began to accumulate in hospitals, morgues and homes.

Lourdes Frias said she spent five days trying to get someone to collect the body of an elderly neighbor who died last week after having respiratory problems. Emergency phone lines were constantly busy, she said; on the rare occasions when she got through, she was told no one was available to help.

As the days went on, others in her building in the Socio Vivienda neighborhood of Guayaquil began to clamor for the body to be taken to the street. The police eventually removed the remains.

Our situation is a nightmare from which we are unable to wake up, Ms. Frias said.

The surge in deaths in Guayaquil  and the images circulating on social media of bodies wrapped in plastic and left on doorsteps  has exposed the pandemics potential impact on the poor in developing countries, where access to health care and other resources is faulty even in the best of times.
The national cabinet is preparing for the possibility parents will rush children back into classrooms after the Easter holidays and stretch school resources, as coronavirus restrictions take their toll on families.

The health advice on schools being safe has not changed since the beginning of the pandemic, but parents moved to pull children out over coronavirus fears in droves ahead of the Easter break, plunging attendance rates in NSW and Victoria down below 20 per cent.

Newtown parent Nick Smith and his son Harper. Credit:James Brickwood

That trend is now expected to start reversing as the infection curve flattens and chief health officers turn their attention to ensuring schools are made safe for larger numbers of students and teachers.

"The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advice is that there is no reason to withhold children from school," Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said ahead of the national cabinet meeting on Thursday.
To the editor:

We are writing to express our dismay that the Republican leaders of the Michigan legislature find it necessary to meet in person on Tuesday, April 7. Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey are insisting our legislators appear in Lansing Tuesday to vote to shorten the governor's recommended 70 day state of emergency. Their insistence on convening the House and Senate on Tuesday in order to vote on the governor's state of emergency is reckless. This would mean that legislators (and probably some of their staff) will travel from all over the state, be in close proximity to each other, and then travel back home after possibly exposing themselves to people who are sick with COVID-19 but who are not yet showing symptoms. One state legislator has already died from this disease -- and they want to put more at risk.
(Adds reference to UK in third paragraph)

* Most takeaway food apps experience drop in use in Europe

* Some branch into grocery delivery, cut fees to restaurants

* Coronavirus slows fast-growing meal delivery sector

* People prefer to cook at home amid lockdown

By Anna Rzhevkina, Hilary Russ and Toby Sterling

GDYNIA/NEW YORK/AMSTERDAM, April 7 (Reuters) - The lockdown of millions of people at home across the globe due to the coronavirus should have been the perfect recipe for success for the burgeoning online meal delivery market.

But some of the world's largest players, including Uber Eats and Just Eat, which is being bought by Takeaway.com, have been hit by a double whammy: restaurant suppliers have been ordered to shut and with more time at home to cook for themselves, some people appear to have lost their appetite for takeaway.

While many restaurants have switched to offering takeaway, giving the online services a bump in members signing up, some of the world's biggest food chains using the apps, such as McDonald's and Wagamama, have closed in the United Kingdom for the time being.

Data from SimilarWeb, which tracks downloads and use of smartphone apps and websites across key European markets, highlights the scale of the slowdown across Europe as the pandemic spread and governments ordered people to stay at home.

In France, Spain and the United Kingdom, Just Eat and Uber Eats saw drops in average daily users ranging from 2% to as much as 23% in March, compared with the averages for January and February. Deliveroo also saw falls in France and Spain, although a small increase in the United Kingdom, the data shows.

The falls reflect a big drop in repeat customers. Some 90% of activity on apps is reorders, according to SimilarWeb.

The data is in stark contrast to the double-digit percentage increases in grocery delivery volumes over the same period as people rushed to stock up as they went into lockdown.

The numbers offer a glimpse into how the virus has quickly changed people's food ordering and cooking habits and has put the brakes on a fast-growing industry.

Story continues

Before the virus, the European industry, worth about $16.5 billion in revenue, was expected to grow by 10% per year over the next decade, according to Statistica.

Just Eat and Deliveroo declined to comment on the data. An Uber spokesman said the impact of the virus had varied widely across Europe, but it had seen big increases in restaurants and shops signing up to its app.

ASIA AND AMERICA

In other parts of the world, the picture is less clear.

Takeaway.com has seen early signs in Asia of a pick-up in demand after a slowdown in the early stages of lockdowns there.

"Asia entered lockdown first and signs of recovery are taking place there first," said a spokesman.

Giving the first insight into the impact in China, the original epicentre of the outbreak with the first lockdowns, Chinese food delivery service Meituan Dianping said last week it expected to report a first-quarter loss after a drop in orders.

In the United States, Grubhub said demand for takeout appeared to be recovering in some parts of the country, but it was a different picture in places including New York, where a bustling restaurant scene has battened down the hatches as restrictions kick in.

"New York is not doing well because residents have fled, restaurants are closing and people are scared," Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney said in an interview.

"In Seattle, people feel like the worst is over, they're feeling a little bit more confident," he said. "Everyone else is a mixed bag in between those two."

INCENTIVES

Uber Eats, Grubhub, Delivery Hero and Just Eat Takeaway - whose merger is awaiting UK regulatory approval - have offered incentives to restaurants, including cutting commission or delivery fees and signing up new members more quickly, to improve their cashflow and help them through the crisis.

That should provide a boost to their own membership numbers in the long run once orders improve. Grubhub signed up more than 20,000 new restaurants in March, far exceeding its previous monthly record of 5,000, said Maloney. Deliveroo got 3,000 new UK restaurants on board last month, a spokesperson said.

The loss of business has prompted some to branch into new markets. Delivery Hero is expanding into supplying groceries to customers stuck at home and Uber Eats has broadened its grocery offering by teaming up with supermarkets like Carrefour .

Uber Eat's grocery and convenience store sales have more than doubled in some European cities, the Uber spokesman said.

Delivery Hero is offering its grocery service for free and is trying to make it pay by selling high-margin consumer products, CEO Niklas Ostberg told Reuters.

He said it was also offering a personal shopper service in Saudi Arabia and some Latin American countries, where a delivery person goes shopping for a customer.

Deutsche Bank analysts reckon such moves may only partially offset the drop in takeaway orders, which they expect will hurt 2020 commission fees and dent growth in the first half.

"Whilst the COVID-19 outbreak could intuitively be seen as beneficial to online food delivery players, with millions of people under lockdown, we conclude that this is not the case," they said in a research note this week.

They cut their 2020 core earnings (EBITDA) forecast for Just Eat Takeaway by over 40% and their revenue estimate by 10%, while reducing EBITDA and revenue forecasts for Delivery Hero by 17% and 9% respectively.

The worry is that even when restrictions ease and restaurants start reopening, business may not pick up as quickly as hoped. Belt tightening due to job losses may also stymie households' spending power. Some restaurants won't survive.

In Grubhub's hardest-hit markets, restaurant closures have reached as high as 30%, affecting mostly independent outlets which don't have cash on hand, said Maloney, the company's CEO.

"It's hard to imagine them reopening without some significant government funded stimulus," he said.

(Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson in BERLIN and Paul Sandle in LONDON; Writing by Jospehine Mason; Editing by Keith Weir and Mark Potter)
In an average month, Brian Barks, the CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland, spends about $73,000 buying food to distribute to people in need across Nebraska and western Iowa.

Last month, as the coronavirus was spreading across the U.S., he spent $675,000.

That's a nearly tenfold increase, because Food Bank for the Heartland, like food banks and pantries across the country, is facing a steep drop-off in the bread and butter of its operations: food donated by supermarkets and farms.

"The grocery stores, as we've seen across the country, the shelves are getting bare," Barks said. "They don't have extra to hand out to food banks. And what we're anticipating is that those donations will drop to zero."

Image: Food Bank Nebraska (Food Bank for the Heartland)

When the national nonprofit Feeding America surveyed its affiliated food banks in mid-March, 92 percent said they were seeing increased need, while 64 percent said food donations had declined.

As a result, Barks and other food bank directors are facing a dual challenge in the era of COVID-19: drastically overhaul the way they do business  with fewer volunteers and less person-to-person contact  while trying to feed a surge of Americans newly facing food insecurity because of the virus.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

At times, the two goals can seem diametrically opposed.

"One of the huge concerns that we have here," Barks said, "is that many of the pantries that receive food from food banks are operated by seniors. And when those seniors say, 'You know what? I'm not going to risk it anymore,' those pantries close. Then what do you do? That is where approximately 70 percent of our food goes, through a network of pantries."

To provide food in the age of social distancing, many food banks and pantries have pivoted to low-contact, drive-thru food distribution.

Image: The Feeding San Diego food bank (Brian Doll / Swinerton Renewable Energy)

At Feeding San Diego's emergency drive-thru distribution Saturday, vehicles lined up 14 deep in the SDCCU Stadium parking lot for boxes filled with produce and nonperishable food. About 1,200 vehicles were served until the food bank ran out in just under an hour.

Story continues

"We're seeing as much as a 40 percent to 50 percent increase in demand at individual distribution locations," CEO Vince Hall said. "Many of the people that we're seeing have never before sought food assistance. Many of them aren't even sure what the process is. We get lots of very fundamental questions: 'Do I qualify? Is there somebody more deserving than me?'"

Hall said he, too, is being forced to rely on purchased food more than ever. "We usually rescue about 12 million pounds of food per year from grocery stores across our county," he said. "Well, consumer demand has depleted those grocery stores. And now there is almost nothing left for us to rescue off the loading dock."

In the last 2 weeks, Feeding San Diego has bought 36 truckloads of food. That's more than the food bank normally purchases in a year.

"Whatever constellation of economic factors comes to bear on them, they went from having a middle-class life to being in need of hunger relief services in a snap of a finger," Hall said. "And so that is all creating complex challenges for the food distribution system."

Around the country, food banks and pantries have taken on the challenge in different ways.

In New York City, the nonprofit food rescue organization City Harvest said 82 of the food programs it delivers to have shut down because of precautions or lack of staffing. Drive-thru distribution isn't an option for most New Yorkers, making it even harder than usual to find food assistance in a city where 2.5 million people struggled to make ends meet even before COVID-19 arrived.

To help offset the closings of other programs, City Harvest is continuing to run its "mobile markets" across the city, allowing New Yorkers in need to pick up produce on foot. The nonprofit said it's seeing a 30 percent uptick in attendance at those markets.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a Meals on Wheels program that delivers to shut-ins has switched from delivering hot meals Monday through Friday to delivering frozen meals once a week.

And at the Harrison Food Bank in Harrison, Maine, where a large elderly population raises the stakes, volunteers and staff members drive more than 200 miles a day, six days a week, picking up food from pantries that have shuttered and crisscrossing the state to amass enough food to feed their community.

Like dozens of other food banks and pantries nationally, Hall's food bank in San Diego and Barks' food bank in Omaha are relying on skeleton crews of staff members and experienced volunteers for safety while trying to meet the unprecedented need.

"I've never been involved in anything so fluid in my life," said Barks, whose staff in Nebraska has a backlog of food assistance applications to process under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. "The goalposts seem to change, not just by the day but by the hour. And when you're in the business of trying to feed people who need food, it's really, really challenging."

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

At the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, volunteer staff members have also been pulled back, but the National Guard stepped in to provide emergency assistance.

"Now, as opposed to packing 2,000 boxes a day, with their help we're packing 3,000 emergency food boxes a day," CEO Lisa Scales said.

On Monday afternoon, at one of its drive-thru distribution operations, over 15,785 pounds of food were handed out every hour. The line of vehicles wrapped down a nearby highway and stretched over 2 miles long.

Image: A Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distribution (NBC News)

"We've been in operation for almost 40 years, and this is the most significant increase in need in a short of period that I've experienced. And I've been in food banking for 25 years. The vast majority of people we're serving these past several weeks are people who are newly unemployed," Scales said.

Like the organizations in Nebraska and San Diego, the food bank in Pittsburgh is expending vast resources to fill the gap left by donated and rescued food. Scales has spent $1.7 million on nonperishable food for March and April, up from $600,000 during the same months last year. But she's also having difficulty sourcing that food, as food banks, supermarkets and other businesses all vie for the same products.

"Just this week, we had four of our food orders canceled," Scales said. "And we heard that another four of our food orders are being shorted, which means that we're receiving less than what we were told we would get...The food is being bought out from under us by other retail businesses that are willing to pay a higher price."

Still, Scales is dogged in her insistence that the food bank will find a way. To her, the alternative isn't acceptable.

"It's what keeps me up at night," she said.
More than 400 Irish peacekeeping troops due home to their families soon will have to spend more than a month extra overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A decision is expected to be announced by the United Nations this week that the rotation of peacekeepers to and from all missions across the globe will be put on hold until the end of June.

The decisions affects personnel from all troop-contributing nations.

It means that 450 Irish troops deployed with the Unifil mission in south Lebanon will have to remain there for an additional month.

And 14 members of the Army Ranger Wing, who are serving with the Minusma mission in Mali, in western Africa, will have to postpone their departure date by around two months.

The temporary halt of rotation of personnel to and from the peace missions is part of the UN response to the coronavirus pandemic and will reduce the movements of troops between countries.

A 122-strong contingent from the 60th infantry group, serving with the Undof mission in Syria, narrowly avoided the postponement by arriving back into Dublin Airport on Saturday, after serving six months in the Golan Heights.

All of them are now spending two weeks in quarantine but most are back home with their families. Those living with elderly or otherwise at-risk relatives have moved into military barracks for the fortnight.

All of those affected by the decision to delay the return of the homecoming troops from Lebanon and Mali will be paid the peacekeeping allowance from the original date.

The troops serving with Unifil are meant to be on a six-month deployment while the Rangers were listed for four months in Mali - the second group to be sent since Ireland agreed to deploy personnel there on the Minusma mission for two years from last September.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Mostly sunny and bitterly cold. It will feel like it's in the single digits and low teens..

Tonight

Partly cloudy and extremely cold. Wind chills around or below 0 degrees.
A Cypress H-E-B employee who was last at work in early April tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the company said on Monday.

The employee worked at the Cypress Market H-E-B located at 24224 Northwest Freeway, according to a news release from H-E-B.

The person last went to that store on April 2. Other workers at the location who were "directly affected" were notified and the store has been deep cleaned multiple times since then, according to the release.

Destinations revealed: Data shows where Houston-area residents are going amid pandemic

A Houston H-E-B employee previously tested positive for the virus, the company announced last Tuesday.

That individual worked at the MacGregor Market H-E-B located at 6055 South Freeway, according to a news release from H-E-B.

The person last went to that store on March 20. All other workers at the location were notified, according to the release.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Exclusive: As Harris County deputy battles coronavirus, his wife tries to save him from afar

H-E-B has been widely praised since the virus gained momentum in the U.S. for having started planning for the COVID-19 crisis in January.

As the pandemic worsens nationwide, supermarket chains are beginning to report employee deaths. Concerns about their workers, deemed essential by the government, are on the rise.

H-E-B on March 20 announced a temporary $2 hourly pay raise for its employees to thank them for working during the pandemic. The raise was set to expire April 12.
Sara Malek Barney of Austin, Texasbased firm Bandd Design has a sharp sense of humor and little patience for the instant cliches of the COVID-19 era. Please, whatever you do, dont call it the new normal, she told Business of Home in a recent interview. Theres nothing normal about it.

Shes right. This is an upside-down time. But as the heated panic of the early days of the coronaviruss arrival in America has begun to cool, a tentative sense of order is emerging. No one knows exactly what will happen in the future, but the rules for right now are becoming clear. And no surprise for a creative industry, designers are getting creative about how to keep projects moving and attract new businessfrom a safe (and social) distance.

BOH reached out to designers across the country to hear about how, pandemic or no pandemic, theyre making it work.

John McClain Courtesy of John McClain Design

BONDING WITH CLIENTS

Admit it, six months ago youd never heard of Zoom. Now, you know about the secret touch up my appearance filter and youve identified the chicest background in your home for calling clients. Across the country, designers are fast discovering the power of videoconferencing. What used to be a meeting is now a Zoom. Weirdly, what used to be a phone call or a text is now also a Zoom.

For some designers, all that on-camera time may feel tiresome. But whether youre going through samples or just keeping in touch, being able to see clients has become a way to maintain an emotional connection. Bicoastal designer John McClain credits a Zoom check-in with single-handedly saving a Los Angeles project.

[The information we were discussing] could have easily been sent in an email. But that call not only kept the project going, it earned a greater level of trust, says McClain. I was able to look at the clients and discuss things face-to-face. Nows not the time to be emailing. No one should be.

Designers are also discovering (or rediscovering) the power of handwritten notes and personal gestures. Los Angelesbased designer Erin Klawiter recently sent clients a wrapped package of samples with a gift and a note: To be opened on April 9th, 9 a.m. (right before a scheduled Zoom call to go over a presentation). McClain did the same thingand added a bottle of Champagne to the mix. Itll be harder to get Champagne to my clients in Hawaii, but Ill figure out something local that can be delivered, he says, with a laugh. This all goes better when were drinking.

PRESENTATIONS

Of course, video calls arent just for staying in touchtheyre quickly becoming the de facto method for presenting a design scheme. But not all Zoom calls are created equal. In fact, theyre not always on Zoom.

Julia Mack Elizabeth Lippman

Through some trial and error, Brooklyn-based interior designer Julia Mack landed on FaceTime as the ideal medium for a recent remote meeting, because her clients were more comfortable with something they already had on their phones. Designers are finding that nothing spells disaster for an online presentation more than tech trouble, and are turning to programs theyve already mastered, in new ways.

Mack organized her project by room using a private Pinterest board, and as she walked the clients through the design, they clicked like on their picks. She had also created a directory of the clients existing furniture and worked her selections into a decidedly old-fashioned hand-drawn floor plan on tracing paper. We toggled between the floor plan, Pinterest and chatting, says Mack. The clients totally got it and it went really smoothly. At the end of the session? A payment via Venmo.

Samples have also taken on new meaning in the COVID-19 era. Thankfully, most vendors are easing up on restrictions and shipping samples directly to clients as well as to designers. Its absolutely essential for fabrics, says McClain. Its a sensory thing, he says. So [on Zoom calls] were holding up option A and the client has the exact same thing with them.

For questions of color, video chatting provides some unique challenges. Every designer knows how deceptive cameras can be with hue, and while apps are a lifesaver, they leave something to be desired when it comes to color accuracy. Designers are making do. We recently helped a client with DIY paint selection because they needed a break from Netflix binging and wanted to change their room color, says New Yorkbased designer Jarret Yoshida. They held paint swatches next to their wood flooring and their art just like we would normally do.  Since we shared the same Benjamin Moore paint book, I think itll be OK. Not ideal, of course, but necessity is the mother of invention.

While most designers are looking forward to getting back to good old-fashioned in-person presentations, some are planning to take the lessons of the socially distanced era forward. This has been a real technology confidence-booster, says Mack. I could absolutely see doing video call presentations down the line. I dont get paid for travel time, so if sitting at my desk is just as efficient, why not?

LOGISTICS

A kitchen by Sara Malek Barney Courtesy of Bandd Design

Most designers have spent the past few weeks on the phone with vendors across the country, asking variations on the same basic question: Are you open? As stay-at-home orders have swept through the states and nonessential businesses have shut down, theres been a mad dash to get orders finished and out the door.

The panic to get product shipped has been somewhat mitigated by the fact that many projects have either been slowed or paused. However, there are other reasons to try to keep the process moving. Ive been chatting with my lawyer about this, and theres a danger that if a company sadly goes bankrupt, they can claim all of my product as part of the proceedings, says McClain. Going forward, unless I have terms with the vendor, Im not going to purchase.

Getting the product shipped is one thing, knowing where to put it is another. Some warehouses are receiving but not delivering. Others are just plain closed. Some clients want to open up their homes; others dont. Lindsay Anyon Brier of San Franciscobased shop Anyon Atelier has turned her own garage into an ad hoc receiving warehouse for new product, with her staff taking turns going to their (closed) shop to fulfill web orders.

McClains Los Angeles contractor is helping out by picking up pieces from warehouses that arent delivering. For high-value items, hes taking the extra step of storing product in his own house. (Warehouses can go bankrupt too!) The more you have in your home, the better, he says. If Im ordering fabric thats $500 a yard, Id rather look at it every day and know that its safe and sound than keep it in a warehouse.  I just moved my things to a covered patio and started stacking up my clients stuff inside.

For a big install thats been pushed back? McClain is looking at renting a portable storage pod that can sit in front of the clients house, locked up and ready to go for when the world reopens for business.

INSTALLS

This ones tricky. Depending on where a designer is operating, the rules might be radically different. In most states, plumbers and electricians can still get in to do work, but more decorative trades are shut down. In some, rules on residential construction are tighter than others. And even if its still legal where you are, many clientsunderstandablydont want a lot of people coming in and out of their homes at the moment.

Whatever the rules are, designers are finding scrappy ways to make it happen. One supervised a drapery install from the front lawn, looking through the window. Others are once again utilizing the magic of videoconferencing apps. Ohio-based designer Barrie Spang has scheduled her first virtual art installation, while New York designer Tina Ramchandani just finished supervising a kitchen install via FaceTime.

NEW BUSINESS

For many designers, the issue of the moment is keeping the projects they still have chugging along. However, many are keeping half an eye on the pipeline for new work with some dismay. Yes, projects are still coming in, but a socially distanced pandemicand its subsequent economic falloutdont make for ideal sales conditions. Many designers are taking a unique approach to drumming up new jobs: Dont try.

Im thinking more about growing my tribe and my following and gaining more trust, says McClain. If youre there in a nonaggressive way, checking in, let them know were all in this together, youre going to be top of mind once this is over.

Sara Malek Barney Courtesy of Bandd Design

Barney concurs, and is viewing this time as an opportunity to build up her firms stash of digital content and to stay active on social media. We get asked questions all the time like, What wallpaper would you use here? Now Im answering one of those a day on Instagram. Im also having our staff host little tours of their favorite rooms in their houses. It keeps our faces in peoples minds and will lead to projects down the line, she says. Best of all, it gives me a reason to get dressed up every day, she adds with a laugh.

Big tentpole projects may be tough to land in this environment, but to keep cash coming in, many designers are exploring e-design. Full, front-to-back virtual projects have their own challenges. A quick-and-easy workaround? FaceTime consultations for 30 or 60 minutes at a flat feean especially handy option to recapture the budget-challenged clients designers might have politely turned away in the past. Limiting the sessions to a fixed number each week gives them an air of exclusivity.

Its not our main source of income, but its a great little supplement for people who might not be able to spend $500,000 on your services but they would love the design expertise, says McClain, who has an automated portal on his site where clients can book FaceTime design sessions.

COMMUNITY

The coronavirus resists easy silver linings, but heres one: Being apart has brought us all a little closer. Most of us have spent more time on the phone (or Zoom) with our relatives and friends over the past month than we have in years. That sense of connection is happening in the design community as well.

The thing that has been the most helpful is rallying around other designers, says Barney. We get on a Zoom call, we share what weve heard and what weve seen. Its a group of designers from all across the countryits great.

Homepage photo: John McClain Designs
In 1918, the United States held midterm elections during a devastating flu pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

In 1918, the United States held midterm elections during a devastating flu pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

State authorities temporarily lifted bans on quarantine measures to allow politicians to campaign. Voters lined up for hours, wearing face masks outside polling booths. Bans were imposed on the public posting of results to discourage gatherings.

Burke Ratte photo This is what all voters will receive upon arrival when voting on April 18 at Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

Voter turnout was low (40 per cent, or 10 percentage points lower than in the 1914 election) as many stayed home. The turnout was also hampered by the ongoing First World War.

While there was no debate about the legitimacy of the election results, legal scholar Jason Marisam wrote in a 2010 article for Election Law Journal, court challenges occurred for months after, underlining the reality that "one way to ensure the integrity of an election is to postpone the election until more normal conditions return."

More than 100 years later, the world seems to have learned, leading to countless postponements of elections because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In England, more than 100 municipal elections have been postponed for a year.

In Sri Lanka, parliamentary elections have been postponed indefinitely, a controversial decision during a constitutional crisis.

In the U.S., many states and territories have postponed their presidential nominating contests. Wisconsin held its primary Tuesday, the day after the state Supreme Court blocked the governors order to postpone the vote.

In Canada, municipal or school board elections and byelections in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Winnipeg have been postponed.

No one, it appears, wants or needs to go to the polls during a pandemic. And yet, First Nations elections must go on.

On April 18, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, which most Manitobans know as the home of South Beach Casino, will hold an election for chief and four band councillors.

For the first three weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government ordered all First Nations elections to take place as scheduled.

Under the Indian Act, the terms of chiefs and councils are fixed and cannot be extended. If a First Nation has no leadership, federal officials place it under "third-party management" (usually an accountancy firm)  a legislative black hole where basic services are administered, budgets are stringent, and band council resolutions cannot be passed.

Escaping from "third party" also hampers leadership for years. No government anywhere can or should operate in this fashion.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller announced March 27 the federal government "does not recommend" First Nations proceed with elections during the novel coronavirus crisis.

This is fine, but theres a problem.

In a letter to Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Stephen Traynor, the regional director of Indigenous Services Canada, says terms of chief and council cannot be extended, but "the council must designate a person to whom the necessary authorities have been delegated to ensure the continuity of the delivery of essential services and programs."

So, instead of having a third-party manager administer the First Nation, the community can choose its own.

Chief and council could, in theory, appoint themselves, but would the community see them as legitimate?

So, Brokenhead really has no choice. Nor do two other First Nations in Manitoba with upcoming elections: Rolling River and O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi.

"Weve consulted Brokenheads lawyers and are going to do everything we can to make sure this election is safe," said Burke Ratte, electoral officer for the Brokenhead election. Ratte has already administered elections during the COVID-19 pandemic (for Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, March 20) and is a citizen of Brokenhead.

The election is expected to be a battle between Chief Deborah Smith and the previous chief, Jim Bear.

Ratte said he expects 300 to 400 voters to show up at the polls on April 18, but hopes many choose the mail-in ballot option (with 1,215 mailed to Brokenhead citizens).

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"We will have masks for every voter, gloves, and a small sanitizer bottle," he said. "We have security, and every polling desk will be protected by a Plexiglass shield. Polls will be wiped down after each use, and every voter will use their own pen  which they must take home or throw away."

Provincial guidelines of no gatherings of more than 10 people will lead to increased wait times. This election will cost "approximately three times" what previous Brokenhead elections cost.

This is what Indigenous government looks like under Canadas Indian Act.

Hold the vote and risk lives.

Dont hold the vote, and give up your life.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Hundreds of inmates have been released from Pennsylvania county prisons in recent weeks as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the commonwealth continues to rise.

The increasing statistics have led several central Pennsylvania counties, including Dauphin and York, to furlough non-violent offenders to lighten the facilities populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to increase our review dramatically and decrease the population at the jail," said Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. "This is necessary to protect the staff as well as the inmates at the jail in the event COVID-19 cases appear in Dauphin County Prison.

The Dauphin County Prison has always had a review system in place to modify bail for such inmates, Chardo said, but the coronavirus has prompted even closer scrutiny.

He said prison officials examine each inmates criminal history to determine whether they are eligible for temporary release. Inmates can be released on bail or furloughed to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Choosing not to release inmates could cause prison coronavirus cases to soar due to tight space in the facility, according to the district attorney.

Such a spike in population and the resulting close quarters would increase the COVID-19 danger to our corrections officers, other prison staff, and the inmates, Chardo said.

Chardo didnt say how many inmates have been released so far.

Select York County inmates in a work release program have been chosen for parole or furlough because of the outbreak, according to prison warden Clair Doll.

A county spokesman said 32 inmates have been paroled, and nine furloughed. Others completed their sentence, while the rest of the work release inmates have been moved into the secure prison for the time being.

COVID-19 is challenging us as a society on how we maintain our safety and health, with prisons and jails being no exception, Doll said.

Last week, an ICE detainee in York was confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Theyve been in custody since Jan. 22, and isolated in negative-air housing since their diagnosis, county officials said.

Hundreds of inmates from prisons in counties such as Lancaster, Allegheny, Northumberland, Montour have also been released in recent weeks.

But temporary releases are not the only measures being put into place to protect inmates, staff and visitors.

Many county prisons have canceled visitations to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. In Dauphin and Cumberland counties, virtual visits are being offered as an alternative.

Each person entering Dauphin, Cumberland and York facilities has their temperature taken, and thorough cleanings are being completed, county officials said. Personal protective equipment was handed out to Dauphin County corrections workers, including masks.

New Cumberland County inmates are automatically put on a 14-day quarantine before being assimilated into the general prison population, a spokeswoman said. The county did not immediately answers questions of whether inmates have been temporarily released.

Perry County has implemented similar checks on those entering the facility, but hasnt yet made a decision on whether to release non-violent offenders. Warden Karen Barclay said the prison hopes to soon offer video visitations to prisoners in light of the decision to cancel in-person ones.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says tough coronavirus restrictions will be reviewed on a monthly basis in line with expert health advice, but warned that social distancing measures would remain in place until a vaccine is found.

Ms Berejiklian's comments came as coronavirus cases continued to stabilise in the state, with 48 new cases confirmed since the last update on Tuesday. That compares with 49 new cases the previous day. The state's total confirmed cases now stands at 2734.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Responding to reports some restrictions relating to the operation of non-essential services could be relaxed on May 1, Ms Berejiklian said she didn't want to "raise expectations".

"[E]very month, our health experts will give us advice as to whether there is an opportunity for us to relax any of the restrictions," Ms Berejiklian said.
Oregon will get only half the 20,000 coronavirus tests that Gov. Kate Brown promised from a private commercial lab and state health officials have no plans to put those tests to immediate use identifying infected residents.

New details of the states deal with Quest Diagnostics show Brown and her top political aide provided misleading information to the public last month about the tests, according to records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Brown on March 18 said increasing testing capacity was one of her top priorities before announcing: The Oregon Health Authority has signed an initial contract for 20,000 tests with one of the private providers.

In reality, the state didnt sign the Quest contract until two weeks later on April 1. And when the ink dried, Oregons allotment with the private lab was for just 10,000 tests.

And in perhaps the most surprising twist, state officials said Tuesday they will keep those tests in reserve for a possible surge  not to test Oregonians right now.

The inaccurate information initially released by Brown and her chief of staff, Nik Blosser, came during a politically fraught time. Frustrated Oregonians were questioning why the state had completed so few tests at its public health lab while officials provided shifting timelines for when wider testing would be available through private or hospital labs amid a national shortage.

Brown hastily announced a deal that wasnt finalized and trumpeted an eye-popping number of tests that didnt prove to be accurate. When pressed by The Oregonian/OregonLive in the days after the announcement, Blosser walked back his statement that an initial batch of 5,000 tests would be available from Quest any day now. He said he didnt understand testing nuances and blamed inadequate test kit supplies from the federal government.

The full scope of inaccuracies became clear only this week when the newsroom obtained a copy of the states agreement with Quest through a public records request.

Blosser, as he did the first time, took the blame for the governors rushed announcement of the Quest deal and the exaggerations. He apologized and said the governors office did not intend to misinform Oregonians.

Twenty-thousand is a lot, he said in an interview. And thats why we were so excited. We thought we had a big increase there, and we clearly made a mistake about it.

That excitement no longer appears to exist.

The Oregon Health Authority has not tapped its contract with Quest, spokesman Robb Cowie said. And its not clear when public officials plan to use those tests.

The agreement with Quest calls for Oregon to pay up to $690,000, or $69 per test. Quest is supposed to ship test kits and specimen collection containers to Oregon. But Cowie said he does not think health officials have even asked for those to be delivered.

They feel like the lab has that capacity, he said of the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory, and this is backstop capacity for the lab.

State officials now will consider using Quest in the event of outbreaks at places such as a prison, care facility or among health care workers, Cowie said, or save the tests for use in targeted situations once social distancing is relaxed.

We continue to be cognizant that we may face a surge statewide, that we may face large outbreaks in specific areas, Cowie said. Right now were conserving this capacity to respond if those situations arise.

Blosser said he wasnt aware of Cowies statements and declined to comment.

Insufficient testing has suppressed the total number of identified coronavirus infections in Oregon and nationwide. Oregons tally now stands at nearly 1,200 known infections out of about 400,000 in America.

The health authoritys decision to keep Quest in reserve shifts more of the testing burden to hospitals and private labs under contract with doctors offices. Through Tuesday, more than 23,000 Oregonians had been tested for coronavirus, with less than 3,000 of those having specimens analyzed at the states public health lab.

Testing is still not open to the general public and remains still largely limited to people who are sick enough to be tested, at the discretion of doctors or hospital systems.

Brown acknowledged the importance of more testing when she announced the deal with Quest, although she emphasized that even with additional capacity not everyone would be eligible. At the time, private testing was in its infancy and fewer than 1,600 Oregonians had been screened since states first confirmed infection Feb. 28.

Increasing Oregons testing capacity is one my top priorities, the governor said. Its critical for us to increase our capacity so that we can fully assess the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon.

Cowie later said Quests 20,000 tests would mean roughly 20,000 Oregonians could be screened for coronavirus.

Following Browns announcement, The Oregonian/OregonLive tried to find the agreement with Quest in the states online contracting database. It wasnt there.

The newsroom then filed a public records request for the document March 24. The health authority did not provide its five-page agreement until Monday.

State officials could not explain why the contract reduced the tests to 10,000.

Blosser said he spoke to a vice president at Quest the weekend before Browns announcement hoping to access coronavirus testing and told the health authority about his conversation.

Blosser said he later learned the health authority had an existing agreement with Quest for unrelated diagnostic testing and state officials thought they could tap it to order 20,000 coronavirus tests, using existing spending authority.

But that didnt happen. Neither Blosser nor Cowie could say why.

Then, when the new agreement was written, it called for only 10,000 tests.

Why?

I actually dont know the answer to that, said Blosser, who referred a reporter to the health authority. My assumption is that Quest is saying, well, heres 10,000 that we can give you now.

Cowie said he also did not know why the contract included only 10,000.

Either way, Blosser acknowledged providing an incomplete picture when he and Brown originally touted the deal last month.

I will grant that a reasonable person  including me, frankly  would assume that when we say we think weve got 20,000 tests, that thats in a meaningful period of time thats going to actually do some good, he said, noting an expectation of several weeks.

Blosser said the governors office was working to provide testing information in real time during an unprecedented pandemic.

We frankly were probably being too open with the information until we really verified it and knew about it, he said.

State officials will be more disciplined and triple check information going forward, Blosser said.

We made a mistake, he said. Were being extra careful now.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
(Natural News) While often thought of as mostly affecting older generations such as baby boomers, the ongoing coronavirus outbreak looks to bring consequences for millennials. Studies are showing that the latter generation is much more vulnerable to the economic halt caused by measures to slow the outbreak.

Even going into this situation, young adults were in a very precarious situation, said Reid Cramer, who led the Millennials Initiative at New America think tank. A sudden shock is really going to have a pretty big impact on this generation.

Crippling debt and not enough savings

Part of their vulnerability comes from the fact that millennials are much more likely to be involved in part-time work and the gig economy. According to government reports, these kinds of businesses have been hard hit by the crisis. More importantly, this kind of work provides few benefits to help soften the blow of hard times. (Related: Could America soon be facing widespread STARVATION due to the coronavirus and a collapsing food supply?.)

Over time, it is becoming more difficult for young families to accumulate wealth, said William R. Emmons, lead economist at the St. Louis Federal Reserves Center for Household Financial Stability. We thought maybe theyd catch up later, but the current situation doesnt give me much reason to believe thats going to happen.

Compounding this is the persistent issue of millennial debt. According to the New York Federal Reserve, student debt held by Americans alone hit nearly $1.5 trillion in March of 2019. This was twice the amount that Americans owed a decade earlier.

Meanwhile, a more recent survey by Morning Consult showed that many millennials also owe a significant amount in mortgage loans. Of those surveyed, 23 percent owe $50,000 to $100,000 in mortgages, while more than half owe more than $100,000.

Millennials did not invest after the financial crisis

The 2007 crisis also had another effect on millennials  it made them much more reluctant to invest in the stock market. The St. Louis Federal Reserve reports that millennials, on average, have only one third the stock market holdings that Generation X did before the 2007 crisis.

This lower amount of investment by millennials means that they have not enjoyed the market gains from that have been made over the past decade. As a result of this, according to an analysis by economists at the St. Louis Fed, Generation X has about four times the assets and twice as many savings as millennials do.

Older generations are still vulnerable and face unique challenges

While the millennials look to be the most vulnerable generation in the current economic crisis, this doesnt mean that theyre the only affected by such issues. In terms of unemployment, according to a Reuters report, the jobless rate for people aged 25 to 34 rose by just 0.4 percentage points. However, for people aged 45 to 54, unemployment went up by 0.7 percentage points. While this still puts their total unemployment at 3.2 percent, the lowest of any age group, the larger increase compared to the generation after them could warn of this age groups vulnerability to job loss, should the economic shutdown continue.

Those over the age of 50 also face their own unique economic challenges in this crisis. According to the American Association of Retired Peoples Public Policy Institute, over 51 percent of Americans over 50 lack an emergency savings account. Even for those who have $150,000 or more in household income, 25 percent still dont have such an emergency savings account.

Those 50 and over have far fewer working years left to pay off debt and rebuild savings. While millennials may have less money in the short term, they can eventually rebuild in the long run  a luxury older workers dont have.

Sources include:

NYTimes.com

FederalReserve.gov

NewYorkFed.org

MorningConsult.com

AARP.org
It is something that we accept as you can see we have reopened and we are willing to help as and where necessary, said Desmund Ali Homelink Managing Director.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday extended the states public-health emergency that he declared over the coronavirus pandemic by 30 days.

The governor declared a state of emergency, which remains in place indefinitely, and a public-health emergency on March 9 as the contagious respiratory virus was beginning to spread in New Jersey.

Also on Tuesday, officials announced the statewide coronavirus death toll increased to 1,232, while total cases hit 44,416, after another 3,361 new positive cases and 232 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Its almost unfathomable when you think about it  1,232 lost lives, Murphy said at his daily coronavirus press briefing.

The New Jersey Department of Health provided charts of the projections for coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

The 232 newly reported deaths marked the highest single-day increase since of the outbreak, with 10% percent of those fatalities being from long-term care facilities.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Heres a roundup of coronavirus news:

More than 500 cops have the coronavirus, so N.J. making it easier for retired officers to return: With hundreds of law enforcement officers testing positive for the coronavirus and thousands more quarantined, state officials announced ways for departments to address short staffing in the ranks.

Statewide, 562 police officers have tested positive for the virus and another 2,941 are quarantined, New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said.

Gov. Murphy extends N.J.'s coronavirus public-health emergency for 30 days: The New Jersey governor said Tuesday hes extending the public-health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak by 30 days.

Everybody watching: Stay at home," Murphy said. "I hate to break peoples bubbles, but were just not close.

Online scammers posing as relatives of late Jersey City councilman seeking donations, aide says: Fraudsters are pretending to be relatives of Jersey City Councilman Michael Yun, who died Monday of COVID-19 complications, the Jersey Journal reported.

What N.J. parks are closed? A full list of parks Gov. Murphy just closed in response to coronavirus: See a full list of parks that have been ordered closed.

New Jersey coronavirus death toll now at 1,232. Total cases rise to 44,416 with 3K new positive tests: State officials announced Tuesday the coronavirus statewide death toll increased to 1,232, while total cases have hit 44,416, after another 3,361 new positive cases and 232 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

22 dead at Elizabeth nursing home, with at least 12 confirmed coronavirus victims, officials say: Officials in Elizabeth closed a nursing home to new admissions after at least a dozen of 22 recent deaths were tied to the coronavirus, Mayor Christian Bollwage said.

N.J. nurse who raised $12K, bought coronavirus protective gear for hospital co-workers gets suspended: A nurse at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, who raised $12,485 on GoFundMe to buy much-needed protective medical supplies for herself and her colleagues, has been suspended from her job, hospital officials said Tuesday.

Coronavirus cases in the United States: There were 386,817 cases reported in the country as of Tuesday afternoon, according to information from the the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The center logged 12,285 deaths nationwide.

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 Matt Arco, Anthony G. Attrino, Jeff Goldman, Brent Johnson, Ted Sherman and the Jersey Journal contributed to this report.
[April 08, 2020] VMware Surpasses Major Virtual Cloud Network Milestones

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced the number of Virtual Cloud Network customers now exceeds 15,000, including 89 of the Fortune 100 and eight of the top 10 Telcos, and has grown on average 50 percent each fiscal year since May 2018. VMware's Virtual Cloud Network solution is an integral component of VMware Cloud Foundation, which is offered on all major hyperscale cloud providers - AWS, Azure, Alibaba Cloud, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and Oracle (News - Alert) Cloud - and uniquely enables VMware to make private clouds as efficient and agile as public clouds and support business continuity efforts. The company also announced new networking and security innovations that will significantly enhance any company's ability to deliver the public cloud experience on-premises. With the VMware NSX-T 3.0 and VMware vRealize Network Insight 5.2, enterprises gain even higher levels of automation and insight for networking functions that span services from Layer 2 switching all the way to Layer 7 application firewall, load balancing and IDS/IPS filtering. Seven years ago, VMware pioneered software-defined networking, de-coupling network functions from physical devices analogous to de-coupling virtual servers from physical servers. This helped reduce application deployment times from months to minutes and made microsegmentation economically and operationally feasible to help stop the internal, lateral spread of malware. Two years ago, VMware introduced the Virtual Cloud Network, extending virtual networking and security capabilities from edge to core to cloud for any workload running in VMs, containers, or bare metal. Today, VMware's Virtual Cloud Network solution is the industry's only complete Layer 2-7 virtual networking stack, delivering highly innovative capabilities for switching, routing, firewalling, and SD-WAN completely in software for enterprise and Telco/5G environments. "Our Virtual Cloud Network solution is helping our customers provide the public cloud experience on-premise, removing the inefficient IT ticket requests and long waits for networking and security changes," said Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager, Networking and Security Business Unit at VMware. "Across private, public and Telco clouds, and from the data center to the branch office, the Virtual Cloud Network has simplified networking, and saved customers time and money. Our data shows customers can experience as much as a 59 percent reduction in capital expenditures and 55 percent reduction in operational expenditures over traditional networking solutions (1)." New Innovations for The Virtual Cloud Network Automation and replacement of legacy network and security infrastructure continue to be the key drivers for adoption of the Virtual Cloud Network. Today, VMware is delivering new innovations against its vision for the Virtual Cloud Network as the enabler for delivering the public cloud experience on premises: Delivering the Public Cloud Experience: Adoption of cloud computing and support for digital business initiatives demand improved data center network agility and business continuity. NSX-T 3.0 introduces NSX Federation, enabling enterprises to deliver a cloud-like operating model with fault isolation domains and global policies that are synchronized across all locations. A fault isolation domain allows customers to better ensure that networks aren't brittle. They will now be able to contain any network problems to a single zone minimizing the severity and impact of problems when they arise. VMware vRealize Network Insight 5.2 introduces flow-based application discovery across multiple VMware platforms using machine learning to better understand categorized applications by tier. Making Security Intrinsic: VMware is taking internal security to the next level following the introductions of the industry-first Service-defined firewall and NSX Intelligence with the general availability of Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDS/IPS) capabilities for the Service-defined Firewall. NSX Distributed IDS/IPS takes advantage of VMware's unique intrinsic understanding of the services that make up applications to match IDS/IPS signatures to specific parts of the application. NSX Distributed IDS/IPS signatures are application specific and only applied to the appropriate servers, resulting in fewer false positives and significantly higher throughput. These capabilities enable efficiency and flexibility that cannot be matched by legacy and proprietary hardware-defined systems and are a major differentiator of the software-based scale-out approach of VMwre NSX.



Full Stack Networking and Security for Modern Applications: Applications and microservices run on a wide variety of heterogenous endpoints such as VMs, containers, and bare metal servers, creating a challenge to consistently connect and secure them. NSX-T treats containers and VMs as first-class citizens, having supported Kubernetes platforms for more than two years. With the NSX-T 3.0 release, enterprises can extend its full stack container networking services including switching, routing, distributed firewall, micro-segmentation, and load balancing to the newly released VMware vSphere with Kubernetes and VMware Cloud Foundation 4 platforms, the VMware Tanzu portfolio, and non-VMware Kubernetes platforms. End-to-End Visibility and Analytics: VMware vRealize Network Insight, available as on-premises software or SaaS (News - Alert), provides end-to-end network visibility and analytics to optimize network performance and troubleshoot the entire Virtual Cloud Network, including the virtual overlay and physical underlay, and spanning data centers, multi-cloud environments, and branch locations. New flow-based application discovery leverages unsupervised learning, statistical techniques, enriched network flows, and advanced application labelling algorithms to discover application and tier boundaries, providing insights into network communication density, applications patterns, and enhanced security recommendations. Other enhancements include, AWS Direct Connect support, VMware SD-WAN application and business policy statistics, enhanced Kubernetes visibility and support for VMware NSX-T 3.0.

Networking for Next-Generation Telco Clouds and 5G: With the Virtual Cloud Network, operators can build scalable networks to support 5G and edge strategies. VMware NSX plays a key role in accelerating network performance and efficient end-to-end network operations in the network core, serving as an SDN layer for virtual network functions. NSX-T 3.0 introduces capabilities such as L3 EVPN for VM mobility, multicast routing for scalable networking, and accelerated data plane performance. Additionally, VMware SD-WAN acts as an intelligent overlay in conjunction with 5G's network sliced underlays to deliver more cost-effective, high-performance, application-aware services at the network edge. Virtual Cloud Networking for Azure Edge Zones: VMware is working with Microsoft (News - Alert) to offer SD-WAN solutions for Azure Edge Zones, which deliver Azure services and enable customers to seamlessly deploy and run Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) including VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud. The VMware SD-WAN solution is fully integrated with the Azure portal and will enable Zero Touch Provisioning across Azure Edge Zones while shielding customers from operations and VNF life cycle management complexities. VMware SD-WAN makes intelligent decisions based on network conditions and steers traffic on the optimal network path that meets SLAs and helps optimize the user experience for applications such as Office 365 or Microsoft Teams. Virtual Cloud Network Empowers a Remote Workforce With VMware NSX and SD-WAN, organizations can support business continuity with more secure, reliable access for traditional and SaaS applications, including VoIP, UCaaS, collaboration, and VDI, from providers such as Microsoft, Zoom, Vonage (News - Alert), Ring Central, Windstream. With VMware NSX, customers can protect their remote workers who are using virtual desktops to access enterprise applications. NSX allows customers to easily microsegment and comprehensively enhance the security of their VDI environment without making any changes to their existing network infrastructure. VMware SD-WAN delivers an optimal teleworking experience for work-at-home users. VMware SD-WAN recently released significant enhancements for enterprise routing and security, analytics, and management as well as specific enhancements for business continuity and work from home deployments. To help organizations quickly empower a remote digital workforce, VMware is offering a comprehensive solution with Secure VDI with NSX and offering the VMware SD-WAN Work @Home free trial, which provides end user hardware and hosted services for up to 90-days for up to 100 employees using two Work @Home bundles. Proposed Customer and Industry Commentary IDC is a premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events. Brad Casemore, research VP for datacenter networking at IDC said: "In a world increasingly defined by hybrid IT and multicloud, network agility must involve not just network automation, but intelligent network automation capable of delivering actional insights. Modern cloud-native applications and multicloud deployments have resulted in the need for network and security services to become software-defined, distributed, and increasingly composable and modular so that they can be applied on a per-application basis. With a complete Layer 2-7 portfolio - built both organically and through acquisitions such as VeloCloud, AVI Networks, Nyansa and Veriflow - VMware is well positioned to help enterprises successfully address the proliferation of multiple, heterogenous siloes of infrastructure created by modern applications and to deliver a simpler approach to providing intelligent networks for hybrid IT and multicloud environments." Ceridian is a leading provider of Human Capital Management software, transforming the employee experience through a combined payroll, HR, benefits, workforce management, and talent management solution. Warren Perlman, CIO at Ceridian said: "For Ceridian, cloud is the play. We're looking to drive the highest levels of automation across our environment like you get in the public cloud. The VMware Virtual Cloud Network gives us this model for networking and security. VMware NSX enables Ceridian to treat network infrastructure as code to deliver new software releases and deploy our applications much faster. VMware has helped us change our network security architecture by replacing many physical security solutions with the VMware Service-defined Firewall. VMware vRealize Network Insight provides network visibility and real-time access to application and network security information that previously took multiple people and multiple solutions to gather." Availability VMware NSX-T 3.0 is generally available today. VMware vRealize Network Insight 5.2 is expected to be available in VMware's fiscal Q1 FY21 which ends on May 1, 2020. Additional Resources Read more details about VMware NSX-T 3.0 in this blog

Read more about vRealize Network Insight 5.2 in this blog

Read about how VMware will deliver networking solutions for Azure Edge Zones

Check out more details about the Virtual Cloud Network 1-Estimates based on VMware's DICE ROI and Value Modeling tool which contains detailed real-world customer data, April 2020 About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. VMware, VMware Cloud Foundation, NSX-T, vRealize Network Insight, NSX, vSphere, VeloCloud, AVI Networks, and Nyansa are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005200/en/

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Donald Trump announced Tuesday night he will seek $250bn more from Congress to replenish a new federal program to help small businesses cope with the coronavirus lockdown as he vowed to protect all Americans and shift blame to state executives.

The president capped another deadly day in the United States as a fourth anti-virus relief bill continued to come into slow focus with another combative performance in the White House briefing room amid questions about warnings the virus could rock the US from inside his own West Wing. He also denied firing the acting Navy secretary, who fired an aircraft carrier commander whose warnings about Covid-19 spreading through his crew went public, and said Thomas Modly "didn't have to" step down. Mr Trump said he would allow remaining Navy leaders to decide what to do about the fired ship commander, Captain Brett Crozier, who has tested positive for the virus.

"I will protect you if your governor fails," Trump said during his daily Covid-19 briefing from the White House before announcing his request that lawmakers refill the Paycheck Protection Program, to which Congress initially allocated $349bn, after demand raided the account as businesses reeled from the pandemic outbreak. "Some governors fail. But when they fail, I will help."

The president suggested the fund should be considered "limitless" so business can stay afloat during the crisis.

Democratic lawmakers with whom his administration will have to negotiate an expected "phase four" virus economic stimulus and recovery measure also want to do more to help small businesses.

Mr Trump again endorsed trying to include a massive infrastructure measure as part of the fourth anti-virus measure. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, has told her members a section to spend billions on improving the countries roads, bridges, tunnels and other critical infrastructure.

Meantime, the president predicted the federal government will have 110,000 ventilators to fight the respiratory disease by June  only that he has said the next two weeks will be the "peak" of those contracting and dying from the virus. That means breathing machine models delivered in late May and June might not be of use against the coronavirus.

He noted UK officials are seeking 200 ventilators, but did not commit to providing those.

Amid questions about whether his administration is doing enough to get ventilators to hard-hit states and cities, the president announced the federal emergency medical stockpile now has 8,675 models.

Those federal ventilators are "ready to move," Mr Trump claimed, adding "our military is going to move them."

But some governors have said they are having trouble getting administration officials to commit to providing the breathing machines they need.

His pledge to "move" the breathing machines to places where demand is highest is a slight departure from his recent claim about states and ventilators.

"Some states have more ventilators than they need," Mr Trump said during a Saturday briefing. "They don't even like to admit it. They'll admit it when everything's over but that doesn't help us very much."

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo both have warned their hard-hit states will not have ample ventilators to treat Covid-19 victims. Mr Cuomo has said his state might run out of the machines during this month's "peak."

There are over 12,000 dead inside the United States from the virus with nearly 387,000 confirmed cases, according to The Johns Hopkins University.

Those new figures come as Mr Trump denied, before earlier Tuesday, seeing a report from one of his top trade and economic advisers warning about the coronavirus threat. He also denied that he had he seen it previously, it would have altered his actions.

Instead, he led his daily briefing by touting his own "good moves" while he blasted the World Health Organization for, in his view, failing to see evidence of the disease going public inside China.

Mr Trump sent mixed signals about the WHO, first saying he would withhold US funding to the group while he "looks at" what it knew about Covid-19 and when before saying he "might" do so.
NEW HAVEN  The owners of 50s Lounge in Westville have sued Mayor Justin Elicker and Gov. Ned Lamont, alleging, among other claims, that restrictions implemented during the coronavirus pandemic violate their constitutional rights.

Attorney Kevin Smith of Pattis & Smith LLC, representing owners Michael Amato and Joy Monsanto, filed the suit in U.S. District Court Friday.

It raises two sets of allegations: that Elicker defamed the business by claiming it was still holding parties after it had closed, and that Elicker and Lamont violated a series of Amatos and Monsantos constitutional rights by limiting the size of gatherings.

Lamonts office declined to comment Wednesday, as did Gage Frank, spokesman for Elicker.

According to the complaint, Amato and Monsanto closed 50s Lounge on March 15. This story was first reported by the Connecticut Law Journal.

But on March 20, Smith alleges, Elicker erroneously claimed that 50s Lounge was endangering the health and welfare of its community and customers by breaking the new law regarding crowd sizes being limited to no more than ten people, which was instituted after the business already had been shuttered.

Smith also alleges that a representative of the mayors office shared with WTNH News8 a photo of a past party, inaccurately describing it as having taken place after the 10-peroson limit on gatherings.

Rather than rising to the opportunity to lead during a legitimate health crisis, Mayor Elicker instead weaponized growing fears about the pandemic to brutally attack the Plaintiffs and their business in a vulnerable time, hoping to curry favor with certain sectors of the electorate who had opposed the Plaintiffs establishment, while simultaneously seeking retribution for the Plaintiffs support of his political rivals, Smith said in the complaint.

The Defendants knew that the Plaintiffs had closed proactively on March 15, and yet they accused the Plaintiffs of criminal conduct in an outrageous effort to not only directly interfere with the Plaintiffs business, but to cripple it entirely, he said in the complaint.

Amato and Monsanto are seeking compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages for the first set of allegations, arguing that Elickers conduct was either intentional or undertaken with deliberate and reckless indifference to the truth constituting actual malice.

In the second set of allegations, Amato and Monsanto argue that Elicker and Lamont violated the First and 14th Amendments to the Constitution by unduly abridging their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of association.

The suit also alleges Elicker denied Monsanto and Amato equal protection under the law, thus violating the 14th Amendment, as he allegedly publicly slandered and defamed the Plaintiffs because, at least in part, of Plaintiff Monsantos race and the Plaintiffs actions in restoring minority communities and supporting political opponents of Defendant Elicker.

Lamont is also alleged to have effectively taken the value of business without compensation, as his order limiting the activities of businesses and deciding which businesses can remain open based on their purposes regulates the use of private property to such a degree that it effectively deprives the Plaintiffs of the economically reasonable use of their property to the point where it deprives them of the value of their property.

The suit seeks to have Elickers order limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people and Lamonts restrictions on businesses and gatherings declared unconstitutional, and an injunction preventing them from being enforced, as well as compensatory and economic damages.

The legal action, Smith wrote in the complaint, demonstrates the vital need, even in these unprecedented times, to scrutinize the motives and rationales given by leaders who ask for public sacrifices of civil liberties.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
: Nine fresh cases of



Covid-19 were reported in Kerala on Wednesday taking the total number of people infected in the state to 345, including 15 who had returned after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi.

Of the new cases, four had come from abroad, two had attended the Tablighi meet in Delhi last month and the remaining three contracted the virus through contacts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

He also said it had been decided to provide "online medical services" to non-resident Keralites (NRKs) stranded in various countries following receipt of 'frantic' calls from them for help and it would enable them connect with the doctors in the state.

"The NRKs can consult the doctors through video-audio calls and consult them after registering with the NORKA website. The service will be available from 2 PM to 6 PM Indian standard Time. Doctors from various streams including general medicine, surgery, gynecology, paediatrics, orthopedics, ENT, will be available," Vijayan said.

"We are receiving frantic phone calls for help from Keralites stranded abroad. We have requested the Indian embassies there to coordinate with the help desk to assist the people there," he said.

The government has opened five help desks at various countries at the aegis of NORKA (Non Resident Keralite Affairs department).

Of the fresh cases, four were from Kannur, two from Alapuzha and one each from Pathnamthitta, Thrissur and Kasaragod districts, the chief minister said adding 13 people were cured of COVID-19 disease.

"Among those cured today are three each from Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, two each from Idukki, Kozhikode and Wayanad and one case from Kannur district," he told reporters after the daily COVID-19 evaluation meet.

As of now, a total of 259 infected people are under treatment, with 84 being cured, Vijayan said.

"Till now, the government has identified 212 people in the state who had participated in the Talbligi congregation, of which 15, including two of today's cases, have tested positive," Vijayan said.

At least 1,40,474 people, including 749 in isolation wards of various hospitals, are under observation in the state.

The state has sent 11,986 samples for testing.

Vijayan said 20,000 testing kits will be made available by Thursday through the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The government will bring to the attention of its Karnataka counterpart incidents of certain patients being allegedly denied treatment at hospitals in the neighbouring state, he said.

Referring to lockdown violations, he said at least 2,584 cases were registered and 2,607 people arrested on Wednesday. At least 1,919 vehicles were seized.

"The seized vehicles are posing a problem to the police department. From now on, instead of taking the custody of the vehicle, police will impose heavy fine on violators," Vijayan said.

Vijayan thanked Telugu cine artist Allu Arjun, who donated Rs 25 lakh to the chief minister's disaster relief fund.

As per the latest medical bulletin, Kasaragod, the hotspot for COVID-19 cases, has 132 positive cases, followed by Kannur with 49 cases. Ernakulam and Palakkad have 14 cases each.

Kozhikode has the highest number of people under observation in the state with at least 20,049 people under watch.

Two fatalities have been reported from the state so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
M ore than a fifth of the worlds population is now on lockdown fighting coronavirus.

But the seed of this crisis is believed to have been sown in Wuhan, a city in central China, last December.

With far more questions than answers currently, UK researchers and policymakers have been watching the Chinese city closely for clues about how long our own lockdown will continue.

Wuhan springs back into life after lockdown / AP

When was the first coronavirus case reported?

Officially, the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on December 8 in Hubei province, where Wuhan is situated.

This is based on official statements made by the Chinese government to the World Health Organisation.

But some have speculated that Chinas data - 81,000 cases in a country of 1.4 billion people - masks the full scale of infections. At the start of the outbreak, the Communist regime censured doctors who tried to raise concerns in late December.

In March, China exonerated Dr Li Wenliang who was officially reprimanded for warning about the Covid-19 outbreak. He later died of the infection.

Scientists believe that the disease could have been transmitted from animals to humans in Huanan wet market, Wuhan, where live wildlife is traded, often illegally. The market was shut down on January 1.

An analysis of the first 41 Covid-19 patients - all in Wuhan hospitals - in medical journal The Lancet found 27 had direct exposure in the market throughout December.

However, the South China Morning Post reported, based on unpublished Chinese government data, that the country knew about at least 266 cases of the virus in 2019, with the first recorded on November 17.

The city of 11m people is where Covid-19 first emerged / AFP via Getty Images

When was Wuhan put on lockdown?

It pales in comparison to the scale of the crisis now, but Wuhan had 540 officially confirmed cases and 17 deaths when it closed to the world.

The city of 11 million people entered lockdown at 10am local time on January 23, with residents confined to their houses and transport networks shut.

Medics wear protective clothing and wheel a patient into the Wuhan Red Cross hospital in January (Getty ) / Getty

The move was taken as the virus swept the country, with cases found in half of Chinas 26 provinces.

Surrounding cities and provinces soon also ground to a halt. In Hubei province, 56 million people were placed under effective quarantine.

How long has Wuhan been on lockdown?

It feels like a lifetime since the worlds eyes were on Wuhan, since the virus ravaged our own country and led to Brits entering lockdown too.

Firefighters conduct disinfection on the platform at Yichang East Railway Station in Yichang, in central China's Hubei Province / AP

But only now is Wuhan beginning to emerge from its shut down. At midnight on Wednesday, after 76 days on lockdown, the citys roadblocks finally reopened.

The restrictions have been gradually lifted over the last few weeks, with certain residents allowed to leave their homes for limited periods and train terminals and some roads moving again.

Officially, the Chinese regime maintains that the lockdown worked - significantly reducing the so-called curve of cases.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast:

But experts have warned that the potential unreliability of the countrys data means it is dangerous to use it as a hard-and-fast model of how Western nations lockdown will pan out.

Scientists at Imperial College London, the team advising Boris Johnsons policy on the pandemic, have based some of their modelling on Wuhan - but accept that Britain will likely follow its own trajectory.
Zarif: Iran needs no charity from US, only wants bans lifted amid virus crisis

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 3:47 PM

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran, as a resource-rich nation, needs no charity from US President Donald Trump in its battle against a coronavirus pandemic, urging Washington instead to stop standing in the way of Tehran's oil sales and banking transactions.

Zarif made the comments in a tweet on Tuesday, reacting to Trump's recent claim that the US was ready to help Iran contain the coronavirus outbreak if it asked.

Grilled by reporters earlier this week about the possibility of easing the harsh sanctions against the Iranian nation, the US president said, "I have a moral responsibility to help them if they ask. If they needed help, I would certainly consider different things."

Rejecting Trump's offer of help in his tweet, Zarif said, "What we want is for him (Trump) to STOP preventing Iran from selling oil & other products, buying its needs & making & receiving payments."

The top Iranian diplomat was referring to the draconian sanctions the Trump administration has imposed on the Iranian economy  especially targeting its oil sales and banking sector  as part of a so-called maximum pressure campaign.

In his tweet, Zarif posted some photos showing Iran's achievements in different sectors  including healthcare  and emphasized that the Islamic Republic is a rich country in human and natural resources.

"We don't need charity from @realDonaldTrump who's forced to buy ventilators from sources he's sanctioned," Zarif added.

Trump's offer of help to Iran comes at a time when American hospitals have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by patient arrivals as the country records the highest number of infections in the world.

Washington was forced to get ventilators from a Russian firm under American sanctions earlier this week.

Iran  the worst hit state by the coronavirus spread in the Middle East  has been doing its utmost to contain the respiratory disease despite the hardships created by US sanctions.

Tehran's battle against the virus has repeatedly drawn the praise of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has expressed certitude that the Islamic Republic has enough capabilities to stem the outbreak.

As soon as the virus emerged in Iran, the government  backed by the Armed Forces  set up a national committee tasked with coordinating the country's response to the outbreak.

Backed by the Armed Forces, the government set up makeshift hospitals, increased production of hygienic items, introduced precautionary measures, stepped up coronavirus tests and launched a nationwide screening process to detect patients and isolate them.

Iranian experts have also developed testing kits and ventilators as sanctions have restricted the country's access to global markets.

Tehran has repeatedly said it does not want Washington's help in the fight but wants it to lift its illegal economic sanctions so that Iran can mobilize its own resources to tackle the pandemic.

The Trump administration has not only defied international calls on Washington in recent weeks to halt its draconian sanctions on Tehran, but has even slapped more such restrictive measures on the Islamic Republic.

Washington re-imposed its sanctions on Iran in May 2018 after unilaterally leaving a historic nuclear accord with Iran and other countries that has been endorsed by the UN Security Council.

Iran ready to help Turkey fight coronavirus: Zarif

In a phone call with Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday, Zarif expressed his sympathy with the Turkish government and nation over the spread of the coronavirus in the country and said the Islamic Republic was ready to help Ankara with its battle against the disease.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Turkey stands at 30,217 with 649 deaths.

"Unilateralism virus" infects collective anti-coronavirus fight: Mousavi

In a Tuesday tweet on the occasion of Interantional World Health Day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said despite WHO's good "coordination task," the "unilateralism virus" has infected collective measures in the battle against the coronavirus.

Mousavi described the World Health Day as a "timely day" for rethinking about the post-coronavirus world.

"#CoronaCrisis is an opportunity, if the global fighting on #COVID19 will lead to global solidarity & collaboration," he tweeted.

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BALTIMORE, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A Taiwanese nurse in a protective suit standing against COVID-19. A Ugandan nurse cradling a newborn she has helped deliver. A community nurse in Guatemala tending to a farmer alongside his bull. Today more than ever, as a pandemic sweeps across the globe, the impact of nurses can't be underestimated. Nurses deliver care to the majority of people in the worldand it's time to appreciate them as leaders, healers, innovators and educators.

In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, Jhpiego, a global health nonprofit and Johns Hopkins University affiliate, held a worldwide photo contest about and by nurses , showing all that they do from a nurse's point of view. These images provide a look into this important world from the eyes of these playerssome of the most important players during this tumultuous moment.

Nurses, patients and photographers submitted thousands of photographsfrom all seven continentsto Jhpiego and its hosting partners, Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses.

As families and communities come face to face with the uncertainty and confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest put nurses into sharp focus.

"Every crisis is an opportunity," says Anabel Franco, a nursing instructor and contest entrant from Ecuador. "Society is observing the true value of nursingthey see us as a heroine, courageous and capable, but above all essential. This, for me, is wonderful."

View the contest winners on Jhpiego's yearofthenurseandmidwife.org , and read stories of nurses impacting communities and countries worldwide.

Jhpiego brings more than 45 years of experience in health systems, infection prevention and control, and pregnancy and childbirth to the fight against COVID-19. For more information on our pandemic response, visit our COVID-19 page.

SOURCE Jhpiego
08.04.2020 LISTEN

A director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti region has been arrested for allegedly producing and selling fake hand sanitizers.

Joyce Frimpong was arrested on Friday, April 3, at her Jacobu residence, by a joint police and national security operatives upon intelligence reports received.

A search by the police led to the retrieval of containers filled with hand sanitisers and quantity of empty ones labelled Adom Hand Sanitiser.

It is believed a large quantity of the product has hit the market, putting the lives of the Jacobu community at risk.

A police source told the Ghanaian Times that, some police officers bought some of the products from the suspect at GH2.00, GH175.00 and GH10.00 per container depending on the size.

The suspect has since been granted a police enquiry bail pending further investigations.

It was gathered that samples of the product would be sent to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for further investigations.

Efforts to get the Ashanti Regional NCCE director for comments proved futile.

Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the demand for hand sanitizers has shot up throughout the country because, experts have urged the general public to commit to regular hand-washing with soap under running water and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

This has shot up the demand for hand sanitizers with some private persons taking advantage to produce some locally for sale.

---Ghanaian Times
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be holding a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Manisha Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendra Jain and senior officials at 7 pm on Wednesday to discuss the prevailing coronavirus situation in the capital.

Earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting, via video-conferencing, with members of Parliament from Delhi regarding the prevailing coronavirus situation in Delhi.

MPs from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, representing the capital, attended the video conference.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain confirmed a total of 576 positive COVID-19 cases in Delhi so far, out of which 35 patients are in ICU and eight on ventilators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ukraine's hryvnia strengthens to UAH 27.10 to U.S. dollar on April 8

09:55, 08.04.20 5131

The official forex rate against the euro for Wednesday is fixed at UAH 29.57 per euro.
U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized the World Health Organization on Tuesday, accusing it of being too focused on China and issuing bad advice during the new coronavirus outbreak and saying he would put a hold on U.S. funding for the agency.

"The W.H.O. really blew it," Trump said in a Twitter post. "For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?"

Trump repeated the accusations against the U.N. health organization at a White House news briefing later on Tuesday.

"They called it wrong. They really - they missed the call," the president said. "And we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see." U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric rejected the criticism of the WHO, which is led by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"For the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres), it is clear that WHO, under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, has done tremendous work on COVID, in supporting countries with millions of pieces of equipment being shipped out, on helping countries with training, on providing global guidelines - WHO is showing the strength of the international health system," he told reporters.

Dujarric added that the WHO had also recently done "tremendous work" in putting its staff on the frontlines to successfully fight Ebola, an infectious and often fatal disease, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on Trump's remarks. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, vowed there would not be any funding for the WHO in the next Senate appropriations bill.

"I'm in charge of the appropriations subcommittee. I'm not going to support funding the WHO under its current leadership. They've been deceptive, they've been slow and they've been Chinese apologists," Graham said in an interview with Fox News Channel.

Trump on Tuesday also accused the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's inspector general of having produced a "fake dossier" on American hospitals suffering shortages of personal protective equipment on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak. Trump did not provide any reason for questioning the report on those shortages.

On Jan. 31, the WHO advised countries to keep borders open despite the outbreak, although it noted that countries had the right to take measures to try to protect their citizens. That same day, Trump's administration announced restrictions on travel from China.

U.S. conservatives have increasingly criticized the WHO during the global pandemic, saying it relied on faulty data from China about the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Last week, Republican Senator Marco Rubio called for the resignation of Tedros, saying "he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community."

Also read: Coronavirus: British PM Boris Johnson shifted to ICU

Also read: Coronavirus: Trump extends best wishes to UK PM Boris Johnson
Liberal commentator Van Jones snapped at McEnany on election night in 2016 as images of anti-Trump protesters filled the CNN broadcast, telling her: You need to back off. You need to have a little bit of empathy and understanding for people who are afraid because your candidate has been one of the most explosively, provocative candidates in the history of our country, and there is a price to be paid for that.
A 38-year-old man with a travel history to Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 39, an official said.

State epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said the patient hailed from Nawada, becoming the first person from the central Bihar district to test positive.

Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar said the patient had "a travel history to Delhi" and more details were sought about which places he visited in the national capital and the people whom he came in contact with.

The national capital has emerged as a major COVID-19 hotspot in the country in the aftermath of a large number of attendees to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin testing positive.

Moreover, a large number of migrant workers returned from the city after the lockdown, much to the chagrin of the Nitish Kumar government in the state, which squarely blamed Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party for the mess.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Information and Public Relations Department secretary Anupam Kumar said the total number of samples tested till Wednesday afternoon was at 4,699.

The state had witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, when as many as six persons tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus.

Four of them hailed from the same family in Siwan district and were related to a COVID-19 patient, who had returned from the Middle East on March 21.

Two teenaged boys from Begusarai had also tested positive.

According to sources in the district administration, 13 family members of the two boys not related to each other but hailing from the same village have been quarantined after they tested positive.

The state now has 23 active cases while one patient died and 15 recovered.

Siwan is left with the highest number of six active cases, followed by Gaya (five), Gopalganj and Begusarai (three each), Nalanda (2) and Saran, Lakhisarai, Bhagalpur and Nawada (one each).

The health department's principal secretary also tweeted that a consignment of "15,000 testing kits has been airlifted from Singapore, for Bihar," and profusely thanked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the initiative.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Samir Ali - Trend:

There is no need to declare the state of emergency in Azerbaijan yet, Spokesperson for the Cabinet of Ministers Ibrahim Mammadov said.

Mammadov made the remark in Baku during the briefing at the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers on April 8.

The spokesman added that this issue is to be regulated by the Azerbaijani law about emergency state.

"The head of state will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, Mammadov said. If necessary, any decision is possible."
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about the progress on the vaccine and anti-body during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

As countries worldwide mark the 2020 World Health Day amid a raging COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks on global public health have become particularly meaningful.

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Over the past seven years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has on various occasions stressed the importance of global health cooperation, expressed China's support for international health organizations, and voiced the country's determination to help improve global health governance.

His remarks on global public health in recent years, especially in the last few months, have become particularly meaningful as countries worldwide mark the 2020 World Health Day on Tuesday amid a raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical experts to Italy are seen before departure in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Back in 2013, during a meeting with then World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan in Beijing, Xi said China will continue to improve public health and enhance cooperation with the WHO.

He also expressed his hope that China and the WHO could work closer to help promote Chinese medicine and medical products into overseas markets, and jointly assist African countries to improve their disease control and public health systems to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

In March 2015, Xi pointed out in a meeting in China's Hainan province with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, that preventing and controlling public epidemics is a common challenge to the international community and requires strengthening international cooperation on joint control.

Two years later, during his trip to Switzerland, Xi paid a special visit to the WHO headquarters, in which he co-witnessed with Chan the signing of a memorandum of understanding between China and the WHO pledging to step up health cooperation under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

During the meeting with Chan, Xi noted that China stands ready to enhance cooperation with the WHO in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and assisting other developing countries.

Also in 2017, in his congratulatory letter to a meeting of BRICS countries' health ministers, Xi called on relevant parties to study work in the field of traditional medicine and make joint efforts to tackle public health challenges.

"It is our common good vision that everyone enjoys good health," he said in the letter.

A medical expert from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University communicates with Kenyan counterparts via a video call in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 22, 2020. (Photo by Gao Xiang/Xinhua)

In the past several months of 2020 which witnessed a hike in global caseload of COVID-19 infections, Xi has taken each opportunity to reiterate his call for global public health cooperation against the virus.

When meeting with visiting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Beijing in January, Xi said China attaches great importance to the cooperation with the WHO, and is ready to work with the organization as well as the international community to safeguard regional and global public health security.

In February, in a reply letter to Gates, Xi said "we are resolute in protecting the life and health of the people of China, and of all countries around the world. We are determined to do our part to uphold global public health security."

In March, when the global anti-virus fight entered a critical stage, Xi highlighted the need for international health cooperation not only in several domestic meetings on epidemic prevention and control, but also in phone conversations with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, as well as in such global events as the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit.

On March 12, Xi spoke with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over phone, and urged the international community to take urgent action and carry out effective international cooperation in joint prevention and control, so as to form a strong concerted force to beat the disease.

China stands ready to share its experience with other countries, carry out joint research and development on drugs and vaccines, and offer as much assistance as it can to countries where the disease is spreading, Xi said.

Iraqi staff members work at the new PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab built by the Chinese team of experts in Baghdad, Iraq, March 30, 2020. (Xinhua)

Several days later, speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, he required closer cooperation with the WHO to strengthen the analysis and prediction of the changes in the global epidemic situation, and improvement in strategies and policies to cope with imported risks.

On March 21, in a phone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Xi pointed out that public health security is a common challenge faced by humanity.

China, he said, is willing to make concerted efforts with France to enhance international cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, support the UN and WHO playing a core role in improving global public health governance, and build a community of common health for mankind.

Three days later, talking with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev over phone, Xi said in the battle against the current global public health crisis, the urgency and significance of building a community with a shared future for mankind have become even greater.

On March 26, in his keynote speech at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit via video, Xi said at such a moment, it is imperative for the international community to strengthen confidence, act with unity and work together in a collective response.

He called on G20 members to jointly help developing countries with weak public health systems enhance preparedness and response, and enhance anti-epidemic information sharing with the support of WHO and to promote control and treatment protocols that are comprehensive, systematic and effective.

[ Editor: WPY ]
A 100-year-old coronavirus patient was presented with a birthday cake by medical staff at a hospital in Portugal shortly before learning he had beaten the infection.

Heartwarming images taken at the University Hospital Centre of Sao Joao in the city of Porto in northern Portugal show medical staff clad in full PPE handing Luciano Marques da Silva a cake on his 100th birthday.

His daughter Maria Jose, 61, called an ambulance for her father on 24 March when he began showing symptoms of the deadly virus.

'At first had a dry cough, then with lots of sputum and he started to get a fever which would not go away,' she said.

Pictured: Portuguese coronavirus patient Luciano Marques da Silva lays in bed as medics wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) present him with a birthday cake on his 100th birthday

Mr da Silva is pictured in an undated photograph. His daughter Maria Jose, 61, called an ambulance on 24 March when her father started showing symptoms of the virus, including a dry cough and a persistent fever

Pictured: A member of the medical team at University Hospital Centre of Sao Joao in the city of Porto in northern Portugal, holds up three inflated surgical gloves with Mr da Silva's age written across them

'When my husband and I were tested the results were positive for COVID-19. That's when I realised that my father's cough must also be related to this.'

The daughter said she 'was afraid it was too late' but never showed her father her fear but 'just told him that in the hospital it would be easier to take care of him, knowing however that although he is very resistant and a fighter, it is impossible to win every battle.'

Da Silva was taken to the Infectious Diseases ward for treatment and on 31 March he turned 100 years old. As well as the cake, medics at the hospital made balloons out of medical gloves to celebrate.

Pictured: Another image shows medical staff at the hospital celebrating Mr da Silva's 100th birthday, shortly before he was told he had defeated the virus

Marlene Teixeira, the chief nurse on the ward, said 'it makes me proud to be part of such a dedicated team, that does not fail to provide a highly qualified and humanised service even in the face of the pandemic we are experiencing. Luciano was very moved and grateful for the team's gesture.'

The 100-year-old has now been given the all-clear from COVID-19 and Teixeira says they hope to discharge him from the hospital 'very soon'.

His daughter says he still feels 'fragile' but 'would be standing up if it weren't for the oxygen' he was receiving.

When asked what the secret to such an elderly man overcoming the virus, an unnamed doctor on the ward jokingly replied 'he was widowed 40 years ago'.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Portugal has suffered 12,442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 345 deaths and 184 recoveries.
[April 07, 2020] Company Profile for BrightDoor

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Company: BrightDoor Headquarters Address: 414 Fayetteville St Suite 400 Raleigh, NC 27601 Main Telephone: 800-894-5982 Website: http://www.brightdoor.com Type of Organization: Private Industry: Software Key Executives: CEO: Michael Worthington COO: Kimberly Luksic Public Relations Contact: Joseph Gaitens Phone (News - Alert): (919) 414-6336 Email: [email protected]

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005259/en/

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The coronavirus pandemic could be disastrous as fragile and almost non-existent healthcare systems in African countries are overwhelmed. A lack of personal protective equipment, difficulties in establishing treatment centres and an absence of critical care facilities might lead to a devastating loss of life.

"Most of the countries have at least one treatment centre, but they range from some with less than 10 beds to some of them with 100 beds," said Michel Yao, emergency operations manager for Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The latest readiness assessments by 34 African countries collated by WHO paints a bleak picture of preparedness for the pandemic as the number of cases and deaths rise.

Only 50 per cent of African countries surveyed had undertaken any Covid-19 staff training for case management and just over half the countries had personal protection equipment (PPE) available and accessible to healthcare workers, according to WHO readiness response sheets.

Preparations on the African continent "need to be quickly scaled up" as patient capacity will soon be challenged, Yao told RFI in a telephone interview.

Treatment capacity is linked to the availability of PPE and equipment, yet these items are just not available in Africa and the international market is already saturated with demand from much richer countries. International transportation is also a challenge with cargo space reduced by airlines stopping their services to the African continent.

Medical humanitarian organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hope that transmission of the virus in Africa can be slowed by measures such as hand washing and perhaps mask-wearing, according to Natalie Roberts, who works for MSF in Nigeria.

The time to act is now, but such initiatives need considerable resources like soap distributions and hand washing stations, according to Roberts.

"It could potentially be catastrophic," said the MSF doctor, discussing the increasing spread of cases. She said the only other hope is the fact that many African countries have a younger demographic and Covid-19 appears to cause more fatalities in the elderly.

Critical care difficult or impossible

Scaling up the response to the coronavirus pandemic as seen in Asia, Europe or North America would be "extremely difficult" on the African continent, according to Javed Ali, director of the emergency response unit for International Medical Corps.

A lack of resources complicates setting up isolation wards or treatment centres for coronavirus, according to Ali. And providing critical care to those suffering from the most severe cases of Covid-19 is just not going to be possible.

"Dealing with patients who require Level 3 ICU or critical care is going to be extremely difficult and in some countries it's going to be completely impossible," Ali told RFI. Level 3 care is defined as having to support two or more organs or providing mechanical ventilation to aid breathing.

Some African countries simply do not have the ventilators required for the severe respiratory problems Covid-19 can cause. Interational Medical Corps will instead focus on providing Level 1 care which includes providing basic oxygen or intravenous therapy.

It is a view echoed by MSF doctor Roberts, who also works on emergency management for health crises. "Intensive care is just not there and it's just not accessible to people," said Roberts, explaining that some of those patients saved by critical care interventions in Europe and elsewhere will simply die in countries like Nigeria.

How many ICU beds does Africa have?

The responses by African health ministries to WHO's Covid-19 readiness survey provides a sometimes confusing outlook of the actual ICU resources available as few repositories actually map the critical care facilities at various hospitals across the continent.

One such study in 2015 by three Canadian researchers entitled "Intensive Care Unit Capacity in Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review" reveals the underfunded and under-resourced nature of African healthcare systems as seen through the number of ICU beds. Many African countries had less than two dozen ICU beds to cover their entire population.

Capacity has somewhat increased since 2015 with Kenya claiming more than 500 critical care beds, according to The Standard newspaper, and some 120 ICU beds in Nigeria, according to a 2017 report by the McKinsey management consultancy firm. Nevertheless, this pales in comparison with other regions across the world, especially in light of the care required for severe Covid-19 cases.

According to WHO's readiness survey for Covid-19, countries such as Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe have no ICU beds available to treat Covid-19.

It is not entirely clear whether the responses to WHO's surveys by African governments include both public and private hospitals. The total ICU capacity is also not included as a survey question and neither is the number of ICU beds currently occupied.

Not enough specialised healthcare workers

The grim reality of critical care in African countries is not just about unavailable supplies or machines. It is also a question of human resources - the skills and experience of staff running the hospitals and ICUs, according to nurse Cliff Asher Aliga, who teaches at Aga Khan University Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

"We are not well-prepared in term of ICU and that's a very big concern for me," Aliga told RFI. "If the situation requires five per cent of patients who are going to have Covid-19 to be admitted to ICU, we definitely do not have the capacity to do that, that's a very big challenge."

Uganda has 55 functioning ICU beds, according to a 2019 study by researchers from Makerere University. However, the required number of specialists has not kept pace with the number of beds, said Aliga. Healthcare facilities do not have enough anaesthesiologists for those 55 beds.

Staff training for dealing with Covid-19 case management in Uganda is "still in its infancy", but is taking place, according to Aliga, who is president of the African Federation of Critical Care Nurses. Ugandan health authorities have a plan in place, designating certain hospitals for coronavirus patients and using a taskforce to transport cases to reduce the risk of infection.

Yet healthcare workers in Uganda are already starting to feel the pressure with an inadequate supply of PPE and "heightened tension in hospitals", said Aliga, describing the potential for a large number of severe cases and an unpredictable situation.

"We're now relying on hope that things don't get like that, but in the event that things get like that, I don't even have the words to describe what is likely to happen," the specialist nurse added. Experts from medical humanitarian organisations are also pinning their hopes on the possibility that the spread of the pandemic could play out differently in Africa.

Severity of coronavirus in Africa

International Medical Corps is focusing its Covid-19 efforts in Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria and South Sudan. Javed Ali said it is difficult to predict whether the intensity of the outbreak is going to be the same as seen elsewhere.

A more dispersed population in some countries, environmental factors, the level of poverty as well as extended family living together are all elements that could make the spread of Covid-19 in Africa either less potent or actually worsen it, according to Ali.

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The rainy season in West Africa, coupled with increased food insecurity and malnutrition, and the prevalence of other diseases could "complicate the infection to severity ratio" compared to other regions, said the International Medical Corps emergency response director.

Dr Nathalie Roberts from MSF is sceptical that lockdowns in African countries will be respected and will not otherwise cause further harm, describing how stopping families from earning money will make it even harder for them to feed themselves.

She also believes that lockdowns in Africa are not sustainable and could lead to civil unrest, further complicating efforts to contain Covid-19. In places like Nigeria, testing is only available in big cities like Lagos and Abuja and isolating people who have been infected, yet do not exhibit symptoms or feel unwell is just not practical, the MSF doctor added.

Ensuring that people do not die from other conditions while dealing with the coronavirus is also likely to be a challenge, said Michel Yao from WHO: "when the system is overwhelmed you have some difficult choices to be made."

The resources for critical care are few and far between, but even the necessary supplies for providing oxygen therapy require considerable capacity, according to the WHO expert. Many African countries are going to have to rely on non-governmental organisations and donor countries to try and scale up their responses.

"If you don't really have a health system then flattening the curve is just trying to avoid too many deaths at the same time," said MSF's Roberts, referring to how some Western governments have described measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. "Because it's really unacceptable socially and politically to have people dying in the streets."
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzlez during which the two leaders agreed that effective coronavirus response requires global cooperation.

The talks between the two foreign ministers came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon deliberated upon the situation arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said, "Had a telephonic conversation with Spanish FM Arancha Gonzlez. We agreed that effective #COVID response requires global cooperation. India has responded positively to urgent pharmaceutical requirement of Spain."



The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 5,274 on Wednesday, while the death toll stood at 149, the Union Health Ministry said.

Globally, the virus has killed over 75,000 people and infected more than 13 lakh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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These incredible photos of landscapes from a self-taught photographer look as if they've been captured from a dream.

Julius Kahkonen, 20, from Turku, Finland, only started taking photos at age 17 when he stumbled upon his father's camera.

He taught himself both the craft and how to use video editing software and now sells his photos for a living.

His nature-themed photos include mystical shots of the Northern Lights, lavender fields in France and camels navigating sand dunes.

The infamous and elusive Northern lights have been captured in this mystifying scene from the fairytale island of Senja, Norway

This Biblical-themed shot was inspired by simple centric perspectives, as this meticulously-timed photo captures seven camels weaving their way across desert sand dunes

An Asian rower navigates a hazy endless river through dimly-lit lanterns in this mystical shot

Water rolls onto a beach front while a bubbling volcano erupts in the background, in this image which the said was inspired by the idea was that life always continues

A foggy early evening in Eibsee, Germany has been masterfully transformed into a cinematic sunset using well-honed digital editing

Jordanian sand has been digitally replaced with crystal-clear Norwegian blue water while a sole figure in the right of the frame gazes on

These lavender fields in Valensole, France, are seamlessly blurred with a matching purple Indonesian skyline as a lone lady wanders through them

Two separate shots of the Kapas Biru waterfall in Java, Indonesia, have been melded to create the effect of foliage bursting forth from the waterfall's streams
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 04:37:27|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Tuesday with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo the ways to confront the coronavirus pandemic.

During a phone conversation, the ministers reviewed the national efforts made in the two countries to tackle the COVID-19 disease, Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

They also discussed the ways to reduce health and economic impacts of the pandemic, according to the statement.

The Egypt-U.S. relations and the recent developments in the region were also discussed, it added.
The Mike Adenuga Foundation has redeemed his N1 billion pledge to the Central Bank of Nigeria and private sector coalition against COVID-19.

Recall that on Tuesday, it was reported that energy magnate and billionaire, Femi Otedola called out people and companies who are yet to redeem their pledges to the fight against Coronavirus, which included; Lafarge Cement, MTN and Mike Adenuga foundation.

Also Read: COVID-19: Otedola Calls Out Those Yet To Redeem Their Pledges

In a follow-up development, Otedola took to his official Twitter handle to announce that the amount pledged has been redeemed by the telecommunications industry entrepreneur.

See his tweet below:

https://twitter.com/realFemiOtedola/status/1247809253915516928
Harris Countys 16 misdemeanor judges on Wednesday sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his decision to bar personal bonds for certain inmates, the latest in a battle to curb jail and prison populations amid fears of catastrophic outbreaks in some of the states most vulnerable and close-quartered populations.

The judges joined with the ACLU of Texas and other civil rights groups in the lawsuit filed in Travis County civil district court, claiming that the governors March 29 executive order exceeds his authority and improperly removes judges discretionary powers, which are granted to them under state law.

We think that we are the ones who make judicial decisions, not the governor, said Darrell Jordan, administrative judge for Harris Countys 16 criminal courts at law, of the effort to get the order declared invalid.

The offices of the governor and state attorney general did not respond to requests for comment.

The misdemeanor judges have already signaled they will continue to release about 75 percent of people arrested on low-level offenses on general order bonds, under a seven-year consent decree in a federal lawsuit. Meanwhile, felony judges have issued orders of their own, delineating a small subset of offenses that could qualify for releases in the jail.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

The federal judge overseeing a civil rights challenge to Harris Countys felony bond protocol is now navigating three dueling orders  the one by Gov. Abbott, one issued by County Judge Lina Hidalgo and one by state District Judge Herb Ritchie  as plaintiffs seek broader releases for thousands being held pretrial because they cant afford cash bond.

More than 7,500 people remain locked up in the Harris County Jail as four inmates and 21 jail employees have contracted the virus. And 58 inmates are in quarantine with symptoms awaiting test results, while 1,191 more are in quarantine after being exposed to the virus, sheriffs spokesman Jason Spencer said.

From the outset, the pandemic prompted widespread concern from healthcare leaders about the potential or even inevitability of jails becoming hotbeds for coronavirus spread.Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was drafting her own directive for the sheriff to release low-risk inmates from the jail when Abbott first issued his order.

His order suspended several parts of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure related to personal bonds, barring any such bonds for anyone with a prior violent conviction or a conviction involving the threat of violence. He also disallowed releasing inmates with prior violent convictions on electronic monitoring.

In a more direct jab at Hidalgo and other counties drafting their own orders, Abbott also suspended portions of the Texas Government Code permitting a county judge, mayor or emergency management director from releasing people outlawed under his new order. He said criminal court judges who handle misdemeanor and felony cases may still consider such releases on an individualized basis for health or medical reasons, with proper notice to prosecutors.

This provision prompted a virtual courtroom spat concerned allegations by the federal plaintiffs that state judges across Texas had been threatened with penalties if they released people on personal bond. The attorney generals office responded in court filing Wednesday stating nobody from the AGs office threatened any judges over the governors executive order.

Regarding prison inmates, Abbott suspended portions of the state criminal code related to commuting sentences for anyone convicted of violence or threats.

The ACLU and the misdemeanor judges say they believe those actions violate the Texas Constitution and the Texas Disaster Act.

The Texas Constitution makes it clear: the Governor does not have the authority to suspend state law, particularly those that govern our criminal justice system, even during an emergency, said Andre Segura, legal director for the ACLU of Texas. Under this order, those unable to afford bail are required to ride out a pandemic in the dangerous setting of a jail, while wealthier people are able to buy their way out.

CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com

On April 1, Hidalgo issued her order, which didnt apply to people held on violent offenses or people with prior violent convictions. Shortly after, Ritchie voided the order and halted the release of inmates.

Ritchies order last week forced Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to halt a slow trickle of releases that had been approved by District Attorney Kim Ogg under Hidalgos order.

Between the two orders, about 200 people were slotted for release, nowhere near the almost 1,400 the sheriff identified in his initial list and far fewer than the thousands the plaintiffs had asked be released because they were locked up merely because they couldnt afford cash bonds.

Jordan warned against fear-mongering to keep pretrial inmates in jail  all of whom are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This isnt a safety issue, Jordan said. Money doesnt make people safe.

The ACLU of Texas was joined in the lawsuit by the Texas Fair Defense Project, the ACLUs Criminal Law Reform project and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. They filed the suit on the behalf of the misdemeanor magistrate judges of Harris County, three criminal defense nonprofit organizations and the NAACP of Texas.
Hong Kong: Testing on travellers enhanced

The Department of Health will strengthen health quarantine and COVID-19 testing arrangements for all inbound travellers from April 8.

Under the Prevention & Control of Disease Regulation, all asymptomatic inbound travellers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport will be required to have their deep throat saliva samples taken at the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre at AsiaWorld-Expo for COVID-19 testing.

After their samples have been collected, they will have to go to their accommodation for compulsory quarantine as soon as possible by their own means.

Taking reference from the testing arrangements for Peru returnees by chartered flights, the department said that letting travellers from places with higher risk wait for test results at the Specimen Collection Centre can efficiently identify patients with the virus and help in arranging their close contacts to be sent to quarantine centres.

As 248 of the 359 imported cases recorded in the past 14 days involved people who had been to the UK, the department has decided to adopt this testing arrangement for inbound travellers from the country starting April 9.

Starting April 8, the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme will also be further extended to inbound travellers who have been to Hubei Province in the past 14 days arriving through Shenzhen Bay Port and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port.

These travellers are required to collect their deep throat saliva samples by themselves when undergoing compulsory home quarantine, and to have their family members or friends deliver it to collection points.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Associated Press

ROME: Maddalena Ferrari lets herself cry when she takes off the surgical mask she wears even at home to protect her elderly parents from the coronavirus that surrounds her at work in one of Italy's hardest-hit intensive care units.

In the privacy of her own bedroom, where no one can see, the nursing coordinator peels away the mask that both protects her and hides her, and weeps for all the patients lost that day at Bergamo's Pope John XXIII Hospital.

"We're losing an entire generation," Ferrari said at the end of one of her shifts.

"They still had so much to teach us." The pressures on hospital ICUs in Italy and Spain may have eased in recent days as new virus cases decline.

ALSO READ | COVID-19: Global death toll tops 82,000; US records nearly 2,000 deaths in 24 hours, tally at 12,844

But the emotional and psychological toll the pandemic has taken on the doctors and nurses working there is only now beginning to emerge.

Already, two nurses in Italy have killed themselves, and psychologists have mobilized therapists and online platforms to provide free consultation for medical personnel.

Individual hospitals hold small group therapy sessions to help staff cope with the trauma of seeing so much death among patients who are utterly alone.

Seven weeks into Italy's outbreak, the world's deadliest, the adrenaline rush that kept medical personnel going at the start has been replaced by crushing fatigue and fear of getting the virus, researchers say.

With many doctors and nurses deprived of their normal family support because they are isolating themselves, the mental health of Italy and Spain's overwhelmed medical personnel is now a focus of their already stressed health care systems.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

"The adrenaline factor works for a month, maximum," said Dr.

Alessandro Colombo, director of the health care training academy for the Lombardy region, who is researching the psychological toll of the outbreak on medical personnel.

"We are entering the second month, so these people are physically and mentally tired."

According to his preliminary research, the solitude of the patients has had a grievous impact on doctors and nurses.

They are being asked to step in at the bedside of the dying in place of relatives and even priests.

The sense of failure among hospital staff, he said, is overwhelming.

"Each time it's a failure," said Ferrari, the nursing coordinator at the Bergamo' hospital.

You do everything for the patient, and at the end, if you're a believer, there is someone above you who has decided another destiny for that person.

Her colleague, Maria Berardelli, said medical personnel aren't used to seeing patients die after two weeks on ventilators, and the emotional toll is devastating.

ALSO READ | Europe breathes some sigh of relief as Italy reports lowest single-day deaths

"This virus is strong. Strong, strong strong," she said in a Skype interview with Ferrari, both of them in masks.

"You cannot get used to it, because every patient has his own story."

In Italy, the national association of nurses and psychologists asked the government for a coordinated, nationwide response for the mental health care needs of medical personnel, warning the typical wave of stress disturbances is only going to grow over time.

The situation is similar in Spain. Dr. Luis Diaz Izquierdo, from the emergency service ward in suburban Madrid's Severo Ochoa Hospital, said the sense of helplessness is crushing for those who watch as patients deteriorate in a matter of hours.

"No matter what we did, they go, they pass away," he said.

"And that person knows that they are dying, because breathing becomes more difficult. And they look into your eyes, they get worse, until they finally surrender."

Diego Alonso, a nurse at Hospital de la Princesa, said he has been using tranquilizers to cope, as have many of his colleagues.

For Alonso, the fear is especially acute, given that his wife is due to give birth soon.

"The psychological stress from this time is going to be difficult to forget. It has just been too much," he said.

Dr. Julio Mayol, medical director at the San Carlos Clinic Hospital in Madrid, said staff will be suffering from "numerous scars" in both the short and long term.

In addition to the many dead and fears for their own safety, Mayol said staff had been traumatized by "the noise surrounding the pandemic," with daily news of death tolls and suggestions that other countries are faring better than Spain.

"The fear, the envy and the fantasy in continuous communication, repeated 24 hours per day in media, has been an obsession that health workers couldn't forget," he said, adding that his hospital had mental health professionals working with patients and staff from the start, and that effort will continue.

At San Carlos, nearly 15% of the 1,400-member staff have been infected, in line with medical workers nationwide.

In Italy, over 13,000 medical personnel have contracted the virus.

More than 90 doctors and 20 nurses have died.

Perhaps no hospital has seen more than Pope John XXIII, where operating rooms were converted to ICUs to add 12 precious beds to meet the influx of patients.

Ferrari, the OR nursing coordinator, remembers March 18, the first day the ORs were open for ICU business.

Eight intubated patients were wheeled in over the course of a shift, an overwhelming number for the staff.

Ferrari said she hadn't had time for any of the group counseling sessions organized by the hospital but allows herself to weep once she gets home and says goodnight to her parents, whom she keeps at a distance behind her mask and latex gloves.

One day, the tears were triggered by TV footage of coffins being hauled from Bergamo by an army convoy.

On another day, they flowed after she drove by a motorcade of trucks flying Russian flags that were heading to sanitize Bergamo's virus-ravaged nursing homes.

Ferrari said she cries in the privacy of her bedroom.

"When I remove the mask, it's like removing a protection (an armor) from my face, it's like saying with this protection mask I don't fear anything. It helps me appear strong," she said.

"And when I remove the surgical protection mask, then all my weakness comes out."
A coronavirus survivor who was treated at the intensive care unit where Boris Johnson is staying has described his harrowing ordeal.

Davey Hunt spent 10 days at St Thomas' Hospital in London with Covid-19.

As well as struggling with his own condition, he said that witnessing other people die was traumatic.

The harrowing account comes as the Prime Minister remains under constant observation at St Thomas', where his fever is said to have dipped.

Mr Hunt told today how the disease first started out with what felt like a cold, but it soon made him feel like he was 'being hit by a train'.

Mr Hunt was placed in an induced coma and feared he was going to die as the devastating illness took its toll.

What started out as cold symptoms soon had Davey Hunt feeling like he'd been 'hit by a train' he told followers on his Facebook page

Davey Hunt said he spent two days in an induced coma so his body could fight off the coronavirus infection. He would spend a total of 10 days at St Thomas' Hospital, London, where Boris Johnson is now being treated

He explained: 'I had a temperature of 41C, sweats, fever, cough, insane headache, aches all over and eventually couldnt breathe so called 999 and was immediately placed in an induced coma for two days which allowed my whole body to fight the disease.'

Mr Hunt says he initially feared he would be in a coma for 10 days and 'called the family to essentially say my goodbyes'.

He added: 'I honestly thought I was going to die. I gave my brother my will and off I went to sleep. Once I awoke it was explained that I was in a very serious condition but responding well to treatment. I spent another two days in ICU and on a ventilator so still couldnt talk.

St Thomas' Hospital in London, where Boris Johnson was moved to the intensive care ward on Monday evening. Downing Street said yesterday he had received oxygen treatment and had not developed pneumonia

'Eventually, that was removed along with my feeding tube, catheter and about 10 other tubes/wires and I was able to breathe on my own.

'I witnessed lots of things that I dont ever want to see again. The sight of people dying in front of you is one of the worst things Ive ever seen. I am in awe of the NHS and the dedication of all of them.

'Yes, at times, it was utter chaos but without all of them I really wouldnt be here I dont think. I am now at home resting praying for those who are in hospital, who cant see their loved ones during this difficult time. Im a lucky man and I dont take that for granted.'

Davey Hunt is now recovering at home after overcoming the worst of Covid-19, but he has warned others to stay indoors to stop the coronavirus spreading

Mr Hunt returned home on April 4, two days before Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to the same hospital's ICU.

Today Mr Johnson's fever is said to have dipped in a positive sign.

But there are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.

There are also questions about the PM's care while he was in isolation, amid suggestions he was not physically monitored and only consulted a doctor by video link.

There are claims that social distancing rules were being flouted in Downing Street as the crisis developed, with meetings in cramped rooms and people coughing freely.

Tory MPs are calling for a review of the premier's medical arrangements, saying the lack of protection has been 'exposed' by the latest crisis.

Yesterday two other coronavirus survivors shared their experiences with the fatal virus that has claimed thousands of lives.

Matt Dockray, 39, from Buckinghamshire, described the illness as 'the most horrible experience you will go through,' when he appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

The father-of-one said: 'It's a horrible, horrible experience. You're very lonely. You don't have any friends or family there so you don't have that emotional, personal support you rely on in your hardest times.'
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2,000 stuck on cruise ship in Goa after crew members test positive for COVID-19

Cruise ship sails back to Mumbai with all passengers as Covid-19 infected patients refuse to get down at Goa

No night curfew in Goa, but gatherings with over 100 people in open spaces banned

Goa Cabinet recommends extending of lockdown till April 30

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Panaji, Apr 08: The Goa cabinet on Wednesday decided to recommend an extension of the COVID-19 lockdown till April 30 in light of the rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, also decided that section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code should remain in place till the ongoing health crisis abates.

What does your child think about the coronavirus lockdown: Send us their thoughts

"We have decided to recommend an extension in the current lockdown to the Prime Minister's Office, suggesting that it remain in place till April 30," state Port Minister Michael Lobo told PTI.

Although the situation in Goa is under control, with only seven persons testing positive for coronavirus, the lockdown has to continue till April 30 considering the national scenario, he said.

The state cabinet also recommended that section 144 of the CrPC, which was imposed in the state to avoid crowding and practise social distancing, should continue till the situation improves, Lobo added.

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The Prime Minister had asked the states to give their recommendations on the current 21-day nationwide lockdown, which is supposed to end on April 14.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 17:36 [IST]
Offline shops have become deserted as people are staying at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a result, online shopping activities have become busier.

A survey by Nielsen Vietnam and Infocus Mekong Mobile Panel found that 25 percent of polled people said they had increased online purchases and decreased offline shopping activities.





Previously, I went to the traditional market near my house to buy essential things. But I have shifted to buy goods online to avoid contact with many people, said Le Anh Tuan, a teacher.



Meanwhile, Thu Hoai, an office worker, said she orders everything online, from food to clothes and cosmetics.



VinID reported that people now not only order dried or processed food, but also fresh food for daily meals. Meat, vegetables and fruits are the items most ordered in recent days on the app.

Offline shops have become deserted as people are staying at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a result, online shopping activities have become busier.

People now go online, not only because this is convenient, but also because the app is offering incentives in payment.



The number of people shopping online with VinID has increased by three times, said Mai Lan Van, marketing director of VInID on VTV.



The number of Scan&Go orders at times gas increased by 15 times, she said.



Tran Vu Khanh Duy, the owner of Hesa Shop which provides clean food, said 70 percent of his clients order food online. Duy understands that people dont want to contact others, and he encourages online payment through bank cards.



The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) reported that while revenue at traditional markets in Hanoi has decreased by 50-80 percent, revenue from online shopping through e-commerce channels of some enterprises has increased by 20-30 percent since the beginning of the epidemic.



In contrast to the excitement about VinID, Tran Tuan Anh, managing director of Shopee Vietnam said on VnExpress that he could not see any direct relation between the epidemic outbreak and increase in online shopping.



The newspaper cited a report of SimilarWeb as showing that the number of visits to the four biggest e-commerce marketplaces (Shopee, Tiki, Lazada and Sendo) in the first two months of the year decreased by 14 percent compared with the same period last year.



According to Nguyen Ngoc Dung, deputy chair of the Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom), consumers are paying more attention to online shopping in the epidemic. However, this is for only essential goods. In general, the purchasing power is on the decrease because consumers are tightenibg their purse strings.



The demand for face masks and hand sanitizer has soared. VnExpress reported that the demand for face masks has increased by 600 times.

Le Ha

Vietnams e-commerce sees few benefits during Covid-19 crisis While Amazon has had to recruit 100,000 more workers to satisfy orders, at Vietnams marketplaces, purchases remain weak except for face masks and hand sanitizers.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

Trend:

If Azerbaijani citizens do not comply with the rules of the special quarantine regime, then the appeal will be made to the country's leadership to tighten the measures, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB), Member of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers Ramin Bayramli said.

Bayramli made the remark in Baku at the briefing of the Operational Headquarters on April 8, Trend reports.

If citizens show patience during 2-3 weeks, they will be able to stop the spread of the infection and return to normal life, TABIB chairman said.

"Sometimes our citizens do not fully comply with the quarantine regime and do not understand the seriousness of the situation, Bayramli said. "However, people must understand that if the quarantine rules are not observed, the number of infected persons will increase and more serious consequences will arise. In this case, the number of fatal cases will also increase."

Bayramli added that TABIB is currently continuing its activity related to coronavirus by carrying out the medical treatment, diagnosis and prevention.

Today, 15 laboratories operate in Azerbaijan, TABIB chairman said.

New laboratories will open in Sheki and Sumgayit cities next week, Bayramli added. Currently, we are conducting up to 3,000 coronavirus tests. We will bring the number of tests up to 5,000 soon.

The special logistics plans have been created in connection with the tests, TABIB chairman said. As soon as the request is obtained, the doctors go home to the patients and carry out analysis. Patients remain at home until the results of the medical check-up are known."

Bayramli stressed that today more than 3,000 medical check-ups were carried out in the country and 105 infected people were detected.
Cape Town  South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Sudan are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19, says a new survey of factors contributing to the risks which the pandemic poses to African nations.

The seven countries of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Chad, Somalia, Uganda, Egypt and the Central African Republic are the next most vulnerable, according to research done by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC, a research institution within the United States Department of Defense.

It is worth noting that the top four countries named by the survey as most vulnerable to COVID-19 are all dealing with intransigent conflicts, as are most of the next seven most vulnerable. For years, African scholars and peace advocates have been calling attention to the link between violent conflict and social inequities, and the same combination of factors favors the spread of diseases.

Paralleling the conclusions of African peacebuilding researchers, the survey says that one of nine risk factors  conflict magnitude  magnifies the other risks:

Armed conflict disrupts public health systems in affected areas and limits access to basic goods like food, water, and medical supplies.

The degree of intensity and geographic spread of conflict shapes the level of disruption caused for a society.

Conflict-affected populations are also often starting from higher levels of vulnerability with fewer resource buffers than other populations, making the impact of exposure to an infectious disease all the more severe.

The centers study evaluates the vulnerability of each of the continents nations in nine risk categories: international exposure, the strength of their public health systems, the density of their urban areas, the total population in urban areas, the age of the population, the transparency of their governments, the press freedom they enjoy, levels of conflict and the numbers of displaced people.The other eight risks identified are international exposures, health system weaknesses, urban density, size of urban populations, population age, transparency of governance, press freedom and numbers of displaced peoples.

The risks which the most vulnerable countries face highlights the importance of trying to identify and limit the spread of the SARS-CoV2 (corona) virus at the early stages, before it becomes entrenched in the high density urban or displaced person areas, the center says.

Three of the most vulnerable countries  Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan  have made potentially significant progress at conflict resolution, or have had successes despite ongoing conflict. The victory against an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo this year, despite militia activity that killed both United Nations peacekeepers and health workers, was regarded as remarkable among both political and medical analysts. South Sudan negotiated peace between competing armies for control of the government, and people power in Sudan toppled a long-lived despotic ruler who had been convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

The survey says that the limited exposure of the three countries to international travellers gives them a brief window to ramp up containment measures. The hope of reformers and peace activists is that the same popular determination and courageous actions by Africans in each of those nations can be brought to the efforts against COVID-19. Only Nigeria  of the most at-risk countries  has had high rates of international travel. The majority of Nigerias identified cases so far were brought across borders by international travelers or Nigerians returning from abroad, or were among people who were exposed to them, who were found through contact tracing.

Key to efforts at containment, says the survey, will be enhanced and transparent public communications regarding COVID-19, public health guidance, and candid information about what the government is doing and what individuals should do if they exhibit symptoms. For some of these countries, given their constricted space for sharing information, this will require significantly improved levels of transparency and space for independent media.

Turning to the seven countries next most vulnerable, the center says they, also, among the African countries with less international exposure. But they need to mitigate areas of risk and draw on areas of strength.

The study says that, initially, international exposure, the size of urban populations and a nations capacity to test for the virus will determine the number of cases which are reported. It adds that subsequent stages [in the spread of the virus] are likely to also exploit other vulnerabilities such as weak health systems, densities of urban populations, conflict, size of displaced populations, trust in government, and openness of communications channels.

The center points to the fact that the number of cases reported, as opposed to the actual numbers of people infected, will depend on the strength of a countrys public health system. In fact, it says, cases of the coronavirus may be widespread elsewhere, though they are not identified and reported.

Looking beyond nations with relatively higher numbers of reported cases, it says that despite not having Africas largest urban populations, countries in the Sahel and Great Lakes regions appear to be at high risk for severe outbreaks. It urges that attention be given in those countries to densely- populated cities and towns, to supporting public health systems and being transparent with the public.

 However, each country faces a unique mix of vulnerabilities that will require a customized response.

 Much remains unknown about the trajectory of the transmission of COVID-19 in Africa. Many fear that with its high levels of poverty, weak health systems, and crowded urban areas, the virus could be particularly devastating. Others hope that with its warmer climate, youthful population, and experience fighting infectious disease, that Africa will be able to avoid the worst of the pandemic.

 African urban areas are often remarkably densely populated, creating conditions where viruses can spread quickly and undetected in crowded informal settlements. Urban density is characteristic even of relatively sparsely populated countries in the Sahel, where the concentration of human settlements in capital cities creates high levels of vulnerability. A similar pattern is seen in South Sudan, where inhabited areas average 8,730 people per square kilometer. Urban layouts and architectures in these locations are similar to the compacted towns of Spain and Italy, where the virus has hit Europe the hardest to date.

 Built-up areas across much of Africa have higher population densities than those in Europe and the United States. Influenza transmission rates in India have been found to increase above a population density of 282 people per square kilometer. The density of many built-up areas in Africa is over five times this threshold.

 Stay-at-home orders will be particularly difficult to maintain in African cities where many residents lack adequate shelter, sanitation, and the monetary means to stock up on supplies and to stop work.

 Approximately 80 percent of COVID-19 fatalities have been among people over the age of 60. With 70 percent of Africas population under the age of 30, Africas youth bulge may be a buffer against the most devastating human costs of the disease on the continent.

 The benefits of a more youthful population, however, will need to be balanced against other underlying health factors facing many African populations such as malaria, malnutrition, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

 Refugees and internally displaced populations may be congregated in large camps with inadequate access to water, soap, or sanitation. Health services are often overstretched and inaccessible. The close quarters typical of such settlements greatly facilitates the spread of any infection once it is introduced. Eighty-five percent of Africas 25 million forcibly displaced persons are concentrated in 8 countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Cameroon.

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For many babus, rules are for others, not the heaven-born. Take this IAS officer in Kerala who skipped home quarantine after returning from abroad. He was traced to Kanpur, his home town and a case has now been lodged against him for going AWOL.

Anupam Mishra, sub-collector of Kollam, had returned from Singapore and was advised to remain in home quarantine as stated in the protocol for overseas returnees against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus outbreak. However, he did not follow the order, which the government has taken as a serious lapse on the part of an IAS officer. Once his disappearance came to light, the Kollam authorities immediately placed Mishras driver, personal security guard and secretary in isolation.

Kerala is one of the worst-affected states in the country due to the Covid-19 outbreak and is already under lockdown. The state government is reportedly in touch with the UP government in this regard and Mishra will have to face proceedings for defying his superiors orders.

IPS officer shows the way

A police officer in Tamil Nadu, R. Rohith Nathan and his doctor wife Kaveri Subbiah have proposed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to use high technology to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The technology would involve analysis of technical data, artificial intelligence and geo-fencing.

Sources say the IPS officer and his wife recently made a presentation to a panel of joint secretaries in the ministry. It is learnt that the panel agreed in principle to implement the IPS officers proposal across the country.

Rohith Nathan is currently superintendent of police at Sivaganga.

Having got the green signal, the SP is reportedly now formulating the standard operating procedure to launch this digital surveillance system in Tamil Nadu to control the coronavirus outbreak. The aim is to use advanced technology to trace persons who may have come in contact with infected persons and also to assess their health condition for appropriate medical treatment.

Kerala babu reinstated

The Kerala IAS officer who had come under a cloud after the police accused him of being involved in a drunken-driving accident and causing the death of a journalist has been reinstated in the service. After the incident in the state capital in August last year, IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman was placed under suspension by the state government.

However, sources say, repeated attempts were made to get the babu to reinstated despite criticism from opposition parties and the public. Earlier, this January, a committee headed by chief secretary Tom Jose decided to reinstate Venkitaraman into service, but the government kept the decision on hold. Until now.

It is being said that the Kerala government is keen to get all hands on board to fight the Covid-19 outbreak, and the decision to reinstate the tainted babu should be seen in this context. However, it is unlikely that the babus reinstatement will pass off quietly.

Tailpiece

The buzz is that Gujarat revenue minister Kaushikbhai Patels personal assistant Chirag Panchal has been appointed as under-secretary in the Prime Ministers Office. He will be on deputation for two years. At present, Panchal is an assistant manager in the Amdavad Municipal Corporation.

Given the importance of the PMO these days, the requisitioning of a babu of relatively modest station for the PMO seems strange, unless the PM has some definite task earmarked for Panchal.
The global hand sanitizer market is expected to grow by USD 12.25 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market slowdown compared to the previous year's growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, incremental growth is expected to be steady throughout the forecast period.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005327/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hand Sanitizer Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Request challenges and opportunities that influence COVID-19 pandemic- Request Free Latest Sample Report of hand sanitizer market.

The emergence of COVID-19 a global pandemic has shaken the pillars of industrial sectors across nations. However, the market for hand sanitizer is experiencing growth due to the skyrocketing demand for hand sanitizers for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes. Among the many new entrants entering the market, liquor brand entrants are actively supplying extra neutral alcohol (ENA) as a key raw material used in the production of sanitizers.

Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Hand Sanitizer Market Analysis Report by Distribution Channel (Offline and Online), Product (Gel, Foam, Spray, and Wipes), End-user (Commercial, Residential, and Institutional), Geographic Landscape (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024".

https://www.technavio.com/report/hand-sanitizer-market-size-industry-analysis

The market is driven by the growing popularity of hand sanitizers as a preventive measure. In addition, the introduction of new products is anticipated to boost the growth of the hand sanitizer market.

The demand for personal care products to maintain hygiene is increasing with the outbreak of various deadly diseases around the globe. Consumers take up various preventive measures to prevent pathogenic infections through the application of products such as hand sanitizers. For instance, in 2018, the rapid spread of flu in the US cautioned many citizens, which consequently propelled the purchase volume of hand sanitizers. Similarly, in December 2018, citizens of in South Korea suffered from the mass outbreak of influenza, which increased the sale of hand sanitizers and sanitizing hand wipes. Thus, the growing popularity of hand sanitizers as a preventive measure is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

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Major Five Hand Sanitizer Companies:

3M Co.

3M Co. operates the business under various segments such as Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Health Care, Consumer, and Corporate and Unallocated. The company offers a wide range of hand sanitizers such as 3M Avaguard Handrub.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. offers products through the following business units: India, Indonesia, Africa, and Others. The company offers a wide range of hand sanitizers such as Godrej protekt.

GOJO Industries Inc.

GOJO Industries Inc. operates under various business segments, namely Surface Sanitizing, Personal care, and Dispensers. The company provides a wide range of dispensers for foam hand sanitizers, hand sanitizer wipes, and soaps.

L Brands Inc.

L Brands Inc. offers products through the following business segments: Victoria's Secret, Bath Body Works, Victoria's Secret and Bath Body Works International, and Other. The company provides a wide range of hand sanitizers through its brand name, Bath Body Works.

The Procter Gamble Co.

The Procter Gamble Co. offers products through the following business segments: Fabric and Home Care, Baby, Feminine Family Care, Beauty, Health Care, and Grooming. The company provides a range of hand sanitizers for professional use under its brand name, DCT.

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Hand Sanitizer Market Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

Offline size and forecast 2019-2024

Online size and forecast 2019-2024

Hand Sanitizer Market Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

Gel size and forecast 2019-2024

Foam size and forecast 2019-2024

Spray size and forecast 2019-2024

Wipes size and forecast 2019-2024

Hand Sanitizer Market End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

Commercial size and forecast 2019-2024

Residential size and forecast 2019-2024

Institutional size and forecast 2019-2024

Hand Sanitizer Market Geographic Landscape Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024)

APAC size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA size and forecast 2019-2024

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Key leading countries

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Skincare Products Market - Global Skincare Products Market by product (face skincare products, and body skincare products), product specification (skin brightening products, anti-aging skincare products, sun protection products, moisturizers, and others), distribution channel (offline, and online), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

Dry Shampoo Market - Global Dry Shampoo Market by product (regular dry shampoo and natural and organic dry shampoo), distribution channel (offline and online), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a press conference in the Main Committee Room at Parliament House on April 07, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australians Urged to Stay Home Over Easter

Australians urged to stay home over Easter

Australians have been urged to stay at home with their immediate families over Easter to restrict the spread of coronavirus as the national toll rose to 50.

The daily increase in new cases has dropped to about three per cent, but health experts are concerned COVID-19 could be widely transmitted among unwitting community members.

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned abandoning social distancing rules over the long weekend would undo everything done to curtail the crisis.

The virus doesnt take a holiday, he told the Ten Network.

Federal parliament will meet briefly on Wednesday to pass a $130 billion wage subsidy scheme, which will see eligible workers paid $1500 a fortnight.

Today is one of the most important days in the history of the Australian Parliament as we come together across the political divide to save millions of Australian jobs, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the ABC.

Labor is concerned 1.1 million casual workers are being denied access to the JobKeeper program, but will approve the spending regardless.

People will be left behind by the package as it currently stands (but) we wont stand in the way, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said.

More than 5800 Australians have caught the coronavirus and 49 people have died, the latest fatality announced in Victoria by Premier Daniel Andrews.

An infectious diseases nurse treating COVID-19 patients in a Brisbane hospital has tested positive to the illness.

She stayed home when symptoms emerged and notified her bosses immediately. The nurse is now resting in isolation.

In NSW, three children have been taken to hospital from a Sydney hotel where travellers have been placed in quarantine after returning to Australia.

Almost 300 people quarantined at the nearby Swisshotel will be released on Wednesday morning after undergoing a final health check.

This group arrived in Australia on March 26 and have undertaken a mandatory 14-day self-isolation.

More than 3000 Australians are expected to be released from hotel isolation over the next week.

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said people should not be complacent to the risk of community transmission.

Almost 550 people have been infected with coronavirus by someone who didnt know they had it.

Professor Murphy says containment and quarantine is the best strategy since a vaccine for COVID-19 may not be found, but if one was, Thats a beautiful way out.

The government continues to work on the basis that the tough restrictions and economic support for businesses suffering under them will only need to be in place for six months.

Leaders and medical officials are now looking at how the nation will eventually find its way out of the twin health and economic crises.

Meanwhile, education ministers have agreed that all year 12 students will be able to finish school in 2020 despite the coronavirus-induced disruptions to their face-to-face education.

By Daniel McCulloch
A top Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander was killed on Wednesday in an encounter in the apple township of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Identified as Sajad Ahmed Dar, he joined the terror ranks in April 2018 and was initially associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. Later he shifted his loyalty towards JeM after being motivated by its commander Mahmood Bhai.

Sources close to the incident told Republic TV that security forces received inputs that Sajad was visiting his maternal uncles house (the place where he was neutralized) to receive a group of militants. On the basis of this "specific input" about his presence, the Indian Armys 22 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Gulabad-Arampora area of Sopore, 52 km from here, during the wee hours of Tuesday.

READ | Keran Ops: Army Thwarts Pak Infiltration Bid In Kashmir; 5 Terrorists Killed

Active affiliate of JeM

Sajad Dar was well versed not only with modern means of communication but also in handling a diverse range of weapons that include AK series rifles, pistol, hand grenade, etc.

As per police records, the terrorist was an active affiliate of JeM outfit, operating in and around Sopore and was constantly exploring the opportunities to assault security forces and VIP rallies through his network of over ground workers on behalf of JeM outfit."

READ | J&K: Army Foils Infiltration Bid By Terrorists Along LoC, Five Martyred

JeM wiped out

With the killing of Sajad Dar, JeM is completely wiped out in Sopore as he was the lone survivor of the Pakistan-based terror outfit in apple township of Sopore, said police official, while adding that, it was he (Sajad) who used to motivate local youth for the execution of grenade attacks against monetary benefits.

READ | Read This Valorous Tale As Indian Army Jawans Foil Pak Terrorists In Keran Even Amid Covid

Pertinently, it was JeM who claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in Lethpora, Pulwama district of south Kashmir last year. The attack was followed by a military escalation between India and Pakistan that brought the two nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war.

READ | Counter-terrorism Probe Opened In France Knife Attack
As anyone whos ever impulsively cut their own bangs can tell you, its risky business to color or cut your own hair. Normally, its best to leave it to the professionals. But these are not normal circumstances. In an effort to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic, cities and states across the country are ordering nonessential workers to stay home, including hairstylists. Suddenly, coloring or cutting your own hair isnt such an extreme decision.

Before we get into it, I first want to acknowledge that these public health measures, while necessary, can be financially devastating for workers in the beauty industry. As you stress about increasingly visible roots or unruly split ends, recognize how valuable beauty industry workers are to helping you feel like your best self. If you have the means, here are a few ways to support your local go-to salon right now. (And some of these tips dont involve any money at all, for what its worth.)

Now back to you, standing in front of a mirror, wondering if you should color or cut your own hair. While nothing you can do for yourself at home will feel or look the same as what a professional can do, there are some basic dos and donts if youre looking for a hair tune-up to tide you over until your favorite hairstylist is back in business.

I talked to several stylists about ways to make your hair more manageable during this necessary pause. Heres what they had to say.

How to Color Your Hair at Home:

If you regularly get your hair colored in a salon, you should probably avoid box dyes.

If you plan to get back in with your stylist pronto following quarantine, theres little upside to box-dyeing your hair now. Dont do it, unless your colorist makes you an at-home kit with your usual hair color, says Amanda Lee, a hairstylist and owner of Amanda Lee Hair in Los Angeles. Otherwise, try to wait it out to avoid having different-colored bands in your hair. If youre not used to coloring with box dye, itll be hard to match your color perfectly.

Story continues

But call your stylist, especially if you go to a local salon, says Amber Han, a master colorist and owner of Park Avenue Salon in Dexter, Michigan. Some stylists are delivering products, even offering to deliver clients their actual color formula for anyone whos getting desperate enough, she says. Some stylists are really trying to help out.

Opt for gloss instead.

If you miss the vibrancy of your color, Jenni Huse, hairstylist and owner of The Blossom Salon in Sebastopol, California, suggests opting for in-shower glossing instead. Its demi-permanent, so you are not penetrating the hair shaft; the color will sit on top, she says.

She really likes Kristen Esss line of glosses, which are widely available at Target. She formulated it for toning, so you can leave it for 30 seconds or 5 minutes, depending on how brassy your hair is feeling, says Huse. I love these rinses for maintaining healthy shine. Theres a wide range of color, whether youre looking for jet black, ashy, rich red, balayage blonde, or anything in between.

Lee also loves gloss, but favors Rita Hazans line.

Care for your color with the appropriate shampoos.

Especially if you are formerly brunette blonde, make sure you are using the right shampoo to maintain your color as well. They should already be using purple-toning shampoo at-home, but now its even more critical, because their stylist cant refresh their color, Han says. Use a purple shampoo, like Davines Alchemic Silver Shampoo and Conditioner, as often as needed to balance brassy tones.

Of course, toning shampoos are great for other hair colors too. There are also ones for brunettes, redheads, pink tones, and more that will deposit the tone into hair, says Han. It will just refresh and revive the tone. The only thing you cannot really fix doing is your roots.

Use root sprays and powders.

Han recommends root sprays to a lot of her clients to get them all the way through to their next appointments. If your hair grows quickly or its a very different color naturally, I will have you use a root spray, Han says. Some of my clients get really gray in between, so I already have them spraying the part line when it gets to that point, after about a couple of weeks post-coloring.

Root sprays are very easy to use; just spritz along the hairline to blend color. Han says they wash out easily, and you can repeat after your next wash. R+Co.s Bright Shadows make great root sprays, ranging in color from black to light blonde.

Want an alternative, which you may have in your makeup drawer already? Eyebrow powder. You can apply it with a small fluffy makeup brush, and thatll help conceal the regrowth, says Lee.

Play with accessories to minimize the appearance of roots.

Sleek ponytails tend to show off thick roots, so opt for looser, messier styles instead. Half-up styles with pieces down in the front are great ways to hide grown-out roots, so try and stick to messier, undone looks, says Lee.

You can also play with hair accessories. Hair scarves and headbands tend to be an easy way to cover your roots. Han is a fan of scarves. Put your hair in a loose topknot, bun, or whatever updo works for you, she says. Make sure your scarf runs along the hairline. I like to cover the top of the ears a little bit, which feels more modern. She says to tie a bow at the front of your head, creating a twist or a knot so the scarf doesnt fall in your eyes. Headbands are also great, Han says. They make ones that look like scarves, which are even easier.

How to Cut Your Hair at Home:

Dont give yourself a full haircut if you can avoid it.

You should probably avoid a full-fledged haircut at home if you can help it, because its very hard to get the back of your hair, appropriately trim your layers, blend a face-frame, and generally do a skill youre not trained for. I would try to avoid at-home haircuts as much as possible, says Lee.

If you have bangs that are falling in your eyes, you can start growing them out or test a longer look. Test out a new style that works for long bangs, like curtain bangs, or side swept, and dont be afraid of hairspray to manage your grown-out mane, says Lee.

Learn to properly trim your hair if you absolutely cannot just let it grow.

If you must trim, make sure you have the right tools. Amazon sells basic cutting shears if you dont have any at home. Also, you will want a wide-tooth comb.

Use the point-cutting technique, which means you are angling the scissors vertically to make your snips, making small diagonal cuts instead of cutting straight across.

To trim long hair, split hair down the middle into two equal sections, pulling the strands over each shoulder. You will want to take maybe an inch off, says Han. Do a point cut inward and upward at the bottom of the hair, and repeat on both sides; that would just remove a little perimeter split-end length. Just follow your stylists line, a little bit at a time, and do a point-cutting motion.

To trim shorter hair, you can use a razor for an uneven, messy cut; this video shows the right technique for maneuvering your razor. Or you can simply do a point cut all around your head. If you cant easily see the back, it might be easiest to have someone help you out with the cut, says Han.

And to trim your bangs, know that side-swept bangs are typically cut in triangle-like sections at the front of your head. From there, you want to take a little triangle section from the middle and twist the hair. At the bottom of the twist, you want to point cut in an upward direction, which gives the bangs a softer shape. You dont want to cut straight across for a hard line, says Han. For bangs that fall across your forehead, do the same thing, but dont twist your hair; just point cut.

Need a visual? Watch Han demo how to trim your own hair and bangs at home in this video.

Manage split ends with treatments and masks.

This is a wonderful time for hair self-care. If you can swing it, and you want to avoid a haircut until you see your stylist, prevent damage with treatments. I love any deep-conditioning masks, especially to help with split ends, says Huse. Olaplex is huge; a lot of people cant get their hands on it enough. It is probably one of the best deep-conditioning products on the market.

Han loves a good overnight mask to banish split ends and keep hair soft, like Bumble and Bumble While You Sleep Damage Repair Masque, and says you can wrap your hair in plastic wrap to keep it out of your face. Lee suggests using your extra time wisely by leaving any hair treatment on for a couple of hours instead of the standard 10 minutes to really hydrate, replenish, and repair.

Dont use heat-styling tools if you dont have to.

Give your hair a break: Put down your hair dryer. Turn off your curling iron. Han says this is a great time to play around with your natural texture. You can even test an air-dry product, like Ouai Air Dry Foam, for a little management and definition, she suggests.

But keep your routine. Try something new every day, or every other day, if it makes you feel better to do so. I think self-care during this time can just be as simple as still getting yourself ready for the day, says Huse. Doing that in a routine really changes your mental perspective.

Related:

Originally Appeared on SELF
"Our hearts are with our friends, colleagues, customers and those on the frontlines during this pandemic. The newly launched Better Together initiative aims to deliver relief, support and comfort to those most in need. We are in this together." - Dave Powers, President & CEO, Deckers Brands

Supporting New York and the Globe

Given the crisis in New York, the brand's passionate consumer base and home to four UGG retail stores, the brand has committed to donate funds to NYC Health + Hospitals , the largest public healthcare system in the nation who cares for all, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. In this COVID-19 crisis, their dedicated, compassionate, brave workforce of more than 42,000 employees are on the frontlines caring for New Yorkers in Emergency Rooms, ICUs, community health centers and nursing homes.

Additionally, UGG has initiated partnerships with select hotels that have opened their rooms to first responders and medical personnel serving on the frontlines. When these courageous healthcare workers return to their rooms after a challenging day, they will now be welcomed with comforting UGG products, such as luxurious slippers and plush robes.

#UGGTOGETHER Instagram Giveaway to Real-Life Heroes

In this new normal, we are surrounded by extraordinary acts of kindness, love and support to those that need it most. To acknowledge and thank these real-life superheroes, UGG is launching an Instagram giveback on Apr. 10. Each week for a month, the brand will give 500 pairs of slippers to these individuals, highlighting their stories and providing a small dose of comfort in these uncertain times.

Santa Barbara Local Community

With the local community in mind, Deckers Brands has established the Santa Barbara Better Together Fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation, and pledged to support where Deckers and UGG have been headquartered for over 47 years. The fund also calls for other community leaders to contribute to small businesses and deliver vital supplies during this time.

Additionally, Deckers Brands has partnered with Santa Barbara-based Sansum Clinic, one of the oldest non-profit outpatient clinics and one of the largest healthcare providers on the south and central coasts of California. Deckers has committed to provide one pair of UGG and one pair of Hoka products to 145 health care workers who are on the frontlines of the Sansum's COVID-19 response.

Deckers Brands and UGG are united with the world in fighting the spread of COVID-19. The company will continue to monitor new developments related to the virus and through the Better Together initiative focus on the safety, health and wellness of all.

About UGG

Founded in 1978 by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, UGG is a global lifestyle brand renowned for its iconic Classic boot. First worn by Hollywood royalty, fashion editors and then the world, UGG designs and retails footwear, apparel, accessories and homewares with an uncompromising attitude toward quality and craftsmanship. Delivering more than $1 billion in annual sales, UGG partners with the best retailers globally and owns over 130 concept and outlet stores worldwide in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.ugg.com . @ugg @uggmens #UGGTOGETHER

About Deckers Brands

Deckers Brands is a global leader in designing, marketing, and distributing innovative footwear, apparel, and accessories developed for both everyday casual lifestyle use and high-performance activities. The Company's portfolio of brands includes UGG, Koolaburra, HOKA ONE ONE, Teva, and Sanuk. Deckers Brands products are sold in more than 50 countries and territories through select department and specialty stores, Company-owned and operated retail stores, and select online stores, including Company-owned websites. Deckers Brands has over 40 years of history building niche footwear brands into lifestyle market leaders attracting millions of loyal consumers globally. For more information, please visit www.deckers.com.

SOURCE UGG; Deckers Brands

Related Links

http://www.deckers.com


Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 03:48:29|Editor: huaxia

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A police van drives past St. Thomas' Hospital, where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in care after being admitted with coronavirus symptoms, in London, Britain, April 7, 2020.(Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

The prime minister's condition is being monitored closely and further updates will be issued, said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, noting that Johnson is breathing without help in intensive care.



LONDON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains "in good spirits" and is stable after "receiving the very best care from the excellent medical team" in intensive care, a senior official said here Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made the remarks during Tuesday's Downing Street daily press briefing with an update on the health of the prime minister, who was moved into intensive care on Monday night after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.

The prime minister's condition is being monitored closely and further updates will be issued, said Raab, noting that Johnson is breathing without help in intensive care.

There has "been a groundswell of messages of support" and everyone is wishing the prime minister a very speedy recovery, he said.

"It comes as a shock to all of us (cabinet members). He is not just a prime minister, not just our boss, but also a colleague and also our friend," he told reporters, assuring the public that the cabinet will not "blink or flinch from the task at hand".

"I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter," he told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (C) arrives at 10 Downing street for the COVID-19 committee meeting in London, Britain, April 7, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

Raab, who is also first secretary of state and therefore de facto deputy British prime minister, has been put in charge of running the country after Johnson was admitted to hospital. He told reporters that he believes Johnson will be back at the helm "in short order" to lead the fight against the deadly disease.

Earlier Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister had been receiving "standard oxygen treatment" but had not required any other assistance in breathing.

Johnson was admitted to hospital for tests on Sunday night on the advice of his doctor after continuing to display symptoms of cough and high temperature 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

File photo taken on March 2, 2020 shows Britain's Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove arriving at 10 Downing Street to attend an emergency meeting in London, Britain.(Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

Meanwhile, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove, who is now in self-isolating, described the virus as "truly frightening" during a round of media interviews Tuesday morning.

Grilled for updates on the prime minister's medical condition, Gove said "he is not on a ventilator. The prime minister has received some oxygen support."

"He is kept, of course, under close supervision...By being in intensive care, if there is further support he needs, it is there at hand," he said.

Britain suffered its worst day Tuesday since the outbreak began, as the number of new deaths jumped by 786, bringing the death toll to 6,159 as of Monday afternoon, the British Department of Health and Social Care said.

As of Tuesday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 55,242, up 3,634 in the past 24 hours, said the department.

Overall, 266,694 tests have been concluded in Britain, with 14,006 tests carried out on Monday, it added.
The African Development Bank on Wednesday said it had created a $10 billion emergency fund to help the continent's countries fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Africa, the world's poorest continent, may be badly exposed to the pandemic both in terms of preparedness and the poor health care systems in many countries.

"Africa is facing enormous fiscal challenges to respond to the coronavirus pandemic effectively. The African Development Bank Group is deploying its full weight of emergency response support to assist Africa at this critical time," the bank's president Akinwumi Adesina said.

The facility includes $5.5 billion for operations in African Development Bank countries, and $3.1 billion for sovereign and regional operations for countries under the African Development Fund, the bank's arm that caters to fragile countries.

As the virus spreads, there are fears that poor and debt-saddled countries will be unable to provide an adequate response.

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou has appealed for a "Marshall Plan" to help African economies hit by the coronavirus pandemic as states warn of a devastating impact on the continent's growth.

The African Development Bank has already launched a $3 billion US-dollar denominated social bond in international capital markets for the virus fight.

"These are extraordinary times, and we must take bold and decisive actions to save and protect millions of lives in Africa," Adesina said. "We are in a race to save lives. No country will be left behind.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UTEP School of Pharmacy Developing COVID-19 Vaccine, Drug Treatments Using Supercomputing

Last Updated on April 08, 2020 at 12:00 AM

Originally published April 08, 2020

By Laura L. Acosta

UTEP Communications

Research is underway at The University of Texas at El Pasos School of Pharmacy to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the novel coronavirus within 15 months to two years.

Suman Sirimulla, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at UTEP, is leading a group of experimental researchers to virtually develop the molecular structure of a protease inhibitor that would target the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. Photo: JR Hernandez / UTEP Communications

Suman Sirimulla, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at UTEP, is leading a group of experimental researchers to virtually develop the molecular structure of a protease inhibitor that would target the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person.

UTEP faculty members advance discovery of public value, said UTEP President Heather Wilson. We have high expectations for Dr. Sirimullas research and look forward to his development of therapies to combat the novel coronavirus infection.

Sirimulla is collaborating with UTEP faculty members Md Nurunnabi, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and Manuel Llano M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; and Tudor I. Oprea, professor of medicine and chief, Translational Informatics Division, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico.

Using computational methods, Sirimulla is piecing together small molecules to create inhibitors of viral proteins  specifically, inhibitors that will bind to the coronaviruss S-protein, or spike protein, and block it from attaching to and infecting healthy cells. He is also developing inhibitors of coronavirus main protease, which is an attractive target due to its essential role in processing the polyproteins that are translated from the viral RNA. Scientists will be able to use the new protease inhibitor to develop drugs effective against COVID-19.

The coronavirus targets the respiratory cells ACE2 and TMPRSS2 enzymes and uses the spike protein to attach itself to them, said Sirimulla, a computational chemist with more than 10 years of drug discovery research experience. Once the virus gets into the cell, it begins to replicate. What we are trying to do is target the virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerases enzymes that are involved in replicating the virus.

Sirimulla is running simulations through The University of Texas System's Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), which provides researchers with high-performance computing, scientific visualization and data storage systems. Sirimulla will simulate the interaction between the molecules and the viral proteins to better understand and refine the binding process. He also will employ artificial intelligence algorithms that will recommend which molecules to use.

The process for developing a new drug can take up to 10 years. However, because of the urgency to produce novel drug therapies to treat COVID-19, Sirimulla said they can have a vaccine or antiviral drug ready in 15 months to 2 years.

These computer-aided approaches are common in pharmaceutical sciences research, and Dr. Sirimullas expertise is uniquely suited to make significant contributions to the fight against COVID-19, said Marc B. Cox, Ph.D., professor in biology and chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department in Pharmacy at UTEP. His work and contributions toward solving this global public health crisis reaffirm UTEPs status as an R1 institution, and validate the impact that scientific research has in our communities.

Virologists at UTEP and at other universities will validate Sirimullas findings through experimental procedures in their labs.

In the meantime, Llano said he will develop an assay that, in the absence of the virus, will allow them to test Sirimulla's predictions.

At this stage of the project we will not work with the virus but with a few individual viral proteins that we will generate by chemical synthesis, Llano said. Therefore, this project does not involve any biosafety risk. If we find compounds able to inhibit the viral proteins, we will seek collaboration with laboratories outside UTEP that can work with the virus in order to test the antiviral efficacy of these compounds. If the compounds are effective against the virus, then we will find collaborators that can test the compounds in animals infected with the virus. If our compounds protect the animals from infection and do not cause toxicity to the animals, then clinical trials need to be conducted. Therefore, this is just the beginning of a long project that has the potential to obtain a therapeutic drug.

Nurunnabi said his role in the project is do the bench work using in vitro and in vivo techniques to identify the potent molecules and validate accordingly. He also will do the feasibility studies along with biocompatibility and biosafety.

To date, more than 350,000 people in the U.S. have been infected by the coronavirus and more than 10,300 people have died from complications caused by the infection.

Oprea and Sirimulla have previously collaborated on several projects related to applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in drug discovery.

Given the current situation and urgent need of therapeutics for the treatment of COVID19, we are joining forces to design/develop drugs from multiple directions, Oprea said. Formally, I am Dr. Sirimulla's mentor within the UTEP system. I believe that the computational resources made available via UTEP resources can make a significant impact in accelerating the discovery process.

To speed up the design process, Sirimulla is screening large quantities of molecules  over a billion compounds  that can be readily synthesized and are available through online chemical libraries. His goal is to find molecules that contain compounds that will likely produce the appropriate biological response and inhibit the spread of the coronavirus.

Sirimulla also is enlisting the help of volunteers through BOINC@TACC, a project that integrates volunteer computing and TACCs supercomputers. Volunteers who join BOINC@TACC will be able to run Sirimullas application on their computers and help him scour through billions of molecules available in online libraries.
[April 08, 2020] Aero-engine Coating Market 2020-2024 | Focus on Improving Engine Efficiency to Boost Market Growth | Technavio

The aero-engine coating market is expected to grow by USD 48.84 million during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As per Technavio, the impact can be expected to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters - with a limited impact on full-year economic growth. Request a free sample report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005215/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Aero-Engine Coating Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Coatings such as thermal barrier coating (TBC) and abradable coatings function as thermal barriers and improve the efficiency and performance of aero-engines. They protect engine components such as actuator components, afterburner assemblies, bearing and accessories, combustion chambers, combustion flame tubes, and others from corrosion, wear, erosion, fouling, and heat. For example, abradable coating improves the overall efficiency of engines by achieving high operating temperatures (650F-2,100F) and improving the surge margin. Such operational advantages are driving the growth of the global aero-engine coating market. To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43021



As per Technavio, the growing demand for military aircraft engines will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024. Aero-engine Coating Market: Growing Demand for Military Aircraft Engines

Countries across the world are increasing investments in new generation aircraft to modernize and strengthen their defense forces. For instance, during 2017 and 2018, the global military expenditure increased by about USD 46 billion, led by countries such as the US, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and France. In June 2019, the Government of Russia signed a contract with United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) to procure 76 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft. Such investments are providing significant growth opportunities for vendors, which is expected to boost the growth of the aero-engine coating market during the forecast period. "The development of nano-coatings will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Aero-engine Coating Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the aero-engine coating market by geography (North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America) and application (commercial aircraft and military aircraft). The North America region led the aero-engine coating market in 2019, followed by APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to factors such as the strong presence of numerous aero-engine and aircraft manufacturers and the increasing number of air travelers in the region. Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered

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Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005215/en/

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As with many other industries around the globe, the dairy industry has a lot to lose amid the coronavirus pandemic.

We were doing [business at] a lot of universities and restaurants, and that has all disappeared," said Craig Stearns, whose family has owned and operated Mountain Dairy in Storrs for over 10 generations. "I know a lot of the other dairies are dumping their milk.

In Michigan, dairy farmers are being advised to simply "quit" the business as the uncertainty of the coronavirus rocks the globe, a local news channel reported. And in Wisconsin, some dairies are being forced to dump as much as 220,000 pounds of milk as the product has been deemed unsellable, USA Today reports.

Though, as the dairy industry gets pummeled, the Stearns family has come up with a creative solution - bringing back their milk trucks.

We had talked about restarting [the home delivery service]," said Stearns. "There was a need with the pandemic going, and our customers are staying indoors.

According to Stearns, Mountain Dairy is delivering upwards of 300 orders a day, six days a week, to residents in 27 towns across northern Connecticut. Mountain Dairy has also been delivering eggs and hopes to add bacon and sausage to their ever-growing product catalogue.

Oakridge Farm in Ellington is also looking to ramp up their milk delivery service; even posting help wanted adds for positions as milkers and milk delivery drivers. And in Newtown, Ferris Acres Creamery will start allowing for limited curbside pickup for tubs of their famous ice cream as well as any cake orders.

Stearns was quick to note that home delivery is only making up for some [lost business]," and was unsure exactly when and what a new normal may look like for the Connecticut dairy industry, or the dairy industry as a whole.

Click through the slideshow above to see a list of local dairies you can support during the pandemic.
Miss England 2019 Bhasha Mukherjee has resumed work her career as a doctor amid the coronavirus pandemic. She was on an official trip to India but returned to the UK as the coronavirus crisis deepened. Bhasha, 24, holds two different medical degrees. She was born in India. Her family relocated to the UK when she was nine.

Bhasha had taken a break from her career as a doctor after winning Miss England title in December last year. However, owing to the situation that the world is currently facing, she planned to resume work. According to a report in CNN, Bhasha was getting messages from her former colleagues at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston about the worsening situation and hence, she decided to go back.

"I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work," she told CNN.

"It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help," Bhasha added.

She returned to the UK on Wednesday. She was in touch with the British High Commission in Kolkata to find her a flight from India to Frankfurt and then to London. She will be self-isolating for a couple of weeks before returning to work at the hospital.

"There's no better time for me to be Miss England and helping England at a time of need," she further told CNN.
Texas Lt. Gov. Announces Task Force to Work on Restarting the Economy

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on Tuesday announced a task force that will work on a set of recommendations for restarting the economy in anticipation of the time when businesses can start to reopen in the state.

We know it will take us much longer to start the economy back up than it did to shut it down for the coronavirus pandemic emergency, Patrick said in a statement.

Texas has more than 8,200 confirmed cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, and has reported over 150 deaths.

Related Coverage Texas Governor Orders Nonessential Workers To Stay Home Until April 30 As CCP Virus Cases Surge Past 3,000

The task force will be established from the Business Advisory Council in Texas that Patrick started when he was elected in 2014. Patricks office said the council is comprised of business leaders from a broad range of businesses around the state.

I have spoken to hundreds of business leaders across the state since the pandemic began, and I know they are already thinking about steps that will need to be taken to put the economy back together when the time comes, he said. I am confident Texas can lead a strong economic recovery both in our state and nationwide and I want to make sure we are ready to go as soon as possible.

The lieutenant governor appointed Dallas businessman Brint Ryan, who currently chairs Lt. Gov. Patricks Advisory Board on Tax Policy, to chair the task force.

Read More Officials Weigh Restarting the Economy with Public Health Needs

Patrick also announced Tuesday that members of the Texas Senate are volunteering staffers to help the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to answer calls from people seeking unemployment help in the state.

Senators that I spoke with this past weekend wanted to make sure the Texas Workforce Commission responds to as many calls as possible from Texans regarding unemployment benefits  Senators agreed to allow their staff members to volunteer at the TWC, he said in a statement.

He said at almost 200 senate staffers as well as staffers in his office had been volunteering as of noon on Tuesday, and that the staff members will start training on Thursday.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on March 31 issued an executive order implementing an end to non-essential businesses and activities to help to slow the spread of CCP virus.

The order extends social distancing measures to April 30. Schools will not have in-person classroom attendance until at least May 4.

For information about the Texas Workforce Commission and unemployment benefits available to Texans through the federal Cares Act, click here.

For updates on the CCP virus situation in Texas, click here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually ruled out lifting of the nationwide lockdown next week in his video conference with floor leaders of opposition parties. He also added that while there is tremendous pressure on resources, India is one of the few countries where the spread of the coronavirus is still under control.

Emphasising that lockdown is the only way to save our people, PM Modi said, I am regularly talking to CMs, districts and experts. Nobody is telling me to lift the lockdown. We need strict rules to maintain social distancing. We have to take many unexpected steps too.

Nobody is saying that lockdown should be lifted. I will again talk to the CMs. But as of now, the mood is that entire lockdown lifting is not possible. We are also talking at district levels. For us, lockdown is the only way to save our people, Modi added

This is the first time that Modi has said lifting of lockdown is not possible.

Underlining the positive attitude during the meeting, the PM impressed upon all that it will help in fighting this global pandemic. He hailed the discussion as successful.

Your assurances will go a long way to strengthen our democracy. This type of cooperative efforts are a necessary requirement in fighting this challenge, said the PM.

Talking to leaders of opposition parties for the first time since the Covid-19 became a pandemic, the Prime Minister expressed hope and confidence that with the help of political parties, state governments and the people of India, the country can fight against coronavirus.

Watch: PM Modi chairs all-party meet via video conferencing on Covid-19 situation

Modi also underlined his strategy, saying, In this given situation and available resources, we will go ahead with optimum utilization. In this situation, the government is talking to as many people as possible. I am regularly talking to the CMs. I have taken their suggestions and also spoken to other people of the society.

The Prime Minister also hailed the unprecedented unity across the political spectrum over the crisis. I want to thank the state governments once again. The Centre and states are working in tandem keeping in mind the requirements and that is the reason that the states, the centre and the political parties are working together without any prejudice.

It looks like be it the person in lowest or the highest strata of the society, everyone is doing their bit to fight against Corona. Its a big thing in this country of 130 crore people. The sense of belonging which father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi used to speak of, today, we can see its deep impact in our daily lives, Modi said.

The PM also explained that the entire world is in a crisis. The wealthiest of the nations and the most modern systems have fallen before this deadly virus. Theres no country which can fight alone and that is one of the reasons, there is immense pressure on resources.

We have been trying to make quick decisions and today India is one of the few countries in the world where the spread of this virus is still under control. We also have to keep in mind that every day, situations are changing. So, all countries are banking on social distancing and lockdown. These are the only two ways to tackle corona, he said.

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The Oyo State government said it has recorded two more confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The state governor, Seyi Makinde, said this late Tuesday.

Mr Makinde who also doubles as the head of COVID-taskforce confirmed the two new cases in a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle.

He said "The COVID-19 confirmation test for two suspected cases came back POSITIVE, today. One of the new cases is a 28-year-old woman who returned to the country from the United Arab Emirates on March 22, 2020.

"The second case is a 42-year-old man who is a contact of an earlier confirmed COVID-19 case.

"The isolation process has been initiated, contact tracing and collection of samples have commenced. This brings the number of confirmed cases in Oyo State to 11. Two cases have been discharged. So, there are nine active cases."

Mr Makinde is one of the two people in the state who recovered from the disease.

The governor also urged the people of the state to adhere to the directives of relevant bodies on how to stop the spread of the virus.

He said "Please, keep following the directives of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force.

"Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, regularly. Also, continue to maintain social distancing."
Placing the coronavirus pandemic into a historical context involves two levels of analysis. The first task is to analyze the pandemic itself as a global health problem. The second is to assess its consequences for national, international and global governance. So far, and rightly so, the focus has been on global health, plus the pandemics dire economic consequences. But we are beginning to assess how the worlds geopolitical order will be affected.

The basic question is this: Will fighting the pandemic reinforce national governments as the core of the international system, or will new degrees of global governance develop as a natural response to a global catastrophe?

In any historical process there are always contradictory tendencies. The same will be true here.

The 1918-1919 Spanish-flu pandemic didnt head off the nationalist movements of that era. The nationalist fanaticism that had produced World War I continued unabated and eventually led to World War II. The first war was fought on the basis of alliances, and the second war was as well.

The United Nations, founded in 1945, represented an advance compared to the weak League of Nations created in 1920. But it remains an intergovernmental treaty organization, not a world government. Its main institution, the Security Council, is based on five national governments, each with an effective veto power. The conflicting policies and priorities of the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain prevent unanimity on the most basic problems of international security.

Todays geopolitical structure is often portrayed as a matter of rivalry between the United States and China for global leadership. This explanation has the virtue of simplicity, but simplicity is not the way geopolitics works.

Even before the pandemic, Beijings Belt and Road program to build infrastructure connections with countries ranging from Chinas borders all the way to Europe seemed essentially a geostrategic policy -- one channeled through economic and financial avenues. Its intent is to sway governments toward China, meaning away from the United States. One part of the strategy is to increase trade and investment, i.e. Chinese economic and political market share, in a given country. The other part, some people thought, was to ensnare foreign countries in a debt trap.

If these were Beijings goals, they haven't been working out so well. Belt and Road projects are stalled in many places, while a number of the involved governments have turned to the United States for balance. Not least, Chinas financial situation has deteriorated.

In any case, Beijings leaders know that global hegemony is very expensive -- they have the example of the United States to learn from. The idea that Washington and Beijing are the Athens and Sparta of our time, one power declining while the other rises, haplessly driving toward the Thucydides trap of inevitable war, is a simplification as attractive as it is false. Beijing has little interest in military conflict with the United States, and vice versa.

Moreover, attitudes toward Beijing are inevitably colored because the novel coronavirus began in China. A pandemic could obviously have begun elsewhere, but it started there. Governments around the world have, admirably, not stigmatized China. Nevertheless, Beijing has work to do in order to reclaim its reputation.

In January and February as the epidemic soared in China, U.S. companies exported significant quantities of masks, ventilators and other equipment. A week ago, it was the reverse. The first of 20 Chinese aircraft delivering medical supplies landed in the United States. China now is the largest source of masks and other medical equipment, including ventilators, not only to the United States but elsewhere. Less widely reported, Russia has also sent medical equipment to the United States.

Are such developments a sign that global governance is emerginginevitably one would sayout of governments response to the pandemic?

The answer seems to be no. In fact, national calculations have been reinforced by the pandemic.

The European Union is an important case in point: When the first European institutions were created after World War II, the total catastrophe out of which they were born seemed to create favorable conditions for moving beyond the nation-state, as the Europeanists put it.

After seven decades, however, the European Union is not a United States of Europe, and it is clear that it will not become one. Nationalism has defeated the Europeanist impulse. If that was not obvious before, coronavirus has offered a clarifying moment. There is a French policy regarding the pandemic, as well as a German, Italian, Spanish and British one. In trying to find sources of masks and medical equipment they even compete with each other, as well as with the United States.

In addition, the historic north-south difference is re-emerging within the European Union, as it did during the 2008 financial crisis. The economically more dynamic and better managed countries of Europes north -- Germany, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries -- disdain the southern Latin countries, Italy and Spain, where the epidemic has been particularly severe. France is a hybrid case, with southern-grade contagion but better management.

At the level of world governance, the U.N. globalist logic has had a bit better luck. The U.N.s World Health Organization just announced a decade-long plan to reduce the 1 billion cases of various flus that occur each year, with an emphasis on managing the situation in poorer countries. But the key U.N. institution, the Security Council, remains silent as national governments organize their own countries responses. Meanwhile, the WHO has come in for vitriolic criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The issue with any global response is effectiveness and legitimacy. A powerful world government might try to impose a global, tightly run program. But such a plan would lack the legitimacy that only national governments provide, because the latter represent actual peoples and nations. This is as it should be. Who knows what sorts of conflicts could arise out of a globalist intention to do the right thing?
An insurer that provides coverage for air ambulance trips didnt go through with a state requirement to register and meet the standards of the Department of Insurance, prompting the company to stop covering Wyomingites.

The requirement was passed into law in 2019, as part of a larger effort by the Legislature to address concerns with the air ambulance industry. The bill that included the licensure requirement was mostly aimed at the air ambulance providers themselves, but it included this new mandate that would bring companies that offered air transport insurance in line with other insurers here.

The company that now wont offer insurance here  AirMedCare  blamed the state for the problem, with one executive calling it incredibly disappointing that Wyoming would require them to be licensed by the state Insurance Department.

In a letter to members, AirMedCare said the state had stripped them of their coverage and that the goal of the licensure requirement was to prevent you and other residents of Wyoming from getting air ambulance insurance.

Jeff Rude, Wyomings insurance commissioner, said that letters accuracy was questionable at best. He said that the company had more than a year to register with the state and that the goal wasnt to stop the insurer from being here. The goal, Rep. Eric Barlow of Gillette added, was to bring the insurers into line with health, life and auto insurance companies in the state.

Its unclear why the company didnt register with the state. In a news release sent to the Star-Tribune, the company complained that the state had rushed to pass the law  which Barlow and Rude stressed wasnt the case. Barlow noted that air ambulance companies were well represented when the Legislature was debating the law in 2019.

The company also took issue with the fact that it would be required to register as a disability insurer.

We are incredibly disappointed by the Departments decision, Keith Hovey, AirMedCares vice president for sales and marketing, said in a statement. We are not a disability insurer, and our membership is not disability insurance, but rather repayment for discounted services.

Rude said the term disability insurer was statutory language; it was essentially interchangeable with health insurance. He said air ambulance coverage fit the statutory definition.

A follow-up email sent to a company spokeswoman asking why AirMedCare didnt register with the state was not returned Tuesday.

The letter has sparked an outcry from Wyomingites who received insurance through AirMedCare. Rude and Barlow, who supported the broad air ambulance bill last year, both said theyve received dozens of calls because of the letter, in which Barlow is specifically named.

Both said that after they explained what happened  that AirMedCare had a year to register and chose not to  most callers came around.

Syd, a Riverton woman who wanted to be identified only by her first name, said she was initially upset about the change. But after speaking with the insurance commission, she said she understood what happened.

I feel better because I found out why they did it, she said. It still didnt make me happy.

She said she now has a new air ambulance insurer that costs four times as much. That company  MASA  is the only one registered to provide air transport coverage here. Rude acknowledged that the price was higher but said that the coverage MASA offered is more comprehensive.

Indeed, Syd said that the new company covers any transport recommended by a doctor anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

Regulating the various faces of the air ambulance industry has been a frustration for lawmakers and officials here for more than a year. Any state regulation is superseded by a federal law that says only the federal government can regulate air ambulance companies. Air ambulance companies have vigorously enforced that federal law, suing a number of states  including Wyoming  that had various strictures in place on the industry.

Rude said the state fully anticipates being sued by AirMedCare over the law.

Over the past 12 months, the state Health Department proposed a unique and sweeping change to the air ambulance trade here, essentially expanding Medicare to cover all Wyomingites for the purpose of providing coverage for the transports. But that required federal approval, and the feds rejected the request in January.

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CCTV footage will play a key role in the garda probe into a vicious stab attack on a young man during an armed brawl between rival groups on a Cork city square.

While no arrests have been made yet, gardai are understood to have made good progress in their investigation into the vicious incident in Ballyphehane's Pearse Square last night which left a man, 20, with multiple serious stab wounds.

Up to a dozen people armed with bats, knives and hurleys were involved in the incident on the city's southside shortly after 9pm.

It has also emerged that parents and young adults, some of whom are related, were involved in the fight.

The victim, who is from the nearby Togher area, suffered several stab wounds to his torso and collapsed outside a local shop.

Emergency services were alerted and gardai and paramedics rushed to the scene.

The young man was treated initially at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where his condition was described as serious but stable.

He underwent emergency surgery there today where he remains in stable condition.

Gardai are waiting for medical clearance to talk to him.

It's understood that he was among a group of friends who had travelled from the Togher area to Pearse Square last night.

It's not clear why they were in the area or what triggered the brawl.

But it's understood that among the lines of enquiry being followed are a possible drugs link, or a previous assault incident in which a young man from one of the groups was beaten up a member of the other gang.

Gardai sealed off the square for a forensic and technical examination and took a number of statements from eyewitnesses.

They conducted door-to-door enquiries and also harvested CCTV footage from a number of premises in the area.

Gardai at Togher Garda Station have appealed for witnesses, to anyone with mobile phone footage, and to anyone with dash-cam footage from the Pearse Square area between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday night to contact them.
KENANSVILLE, Fla., April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the interest of public safety and to assist in reducing the spread of COVID-19, Wild Florida has closed all operations, but invites guests of all ages to tune in every Wednesday for a wild listening adventure.

As of April 8, 2020, Wild Florida will embark on a listening adventure and invites people from across the globe to listen as they explore uninterrupted natural sounds every #WildWednesday. Sounds will range from daybreak on the Florida swamps to giraffes enjoying their dinner. Each listening experience will be posted on Wild Florida's social media channels for all to enjoy.

Everyone's goal is the same right now  to protect the health and well-being of our citizens. Wild Florida has closed their airboat tours, gift shops, giraffe feeding platforms, walk-thru gator park, drive-thru safari and every other aspect of the family owned business to responsibly help flatten the curve. However, they hope people can still escape the troubling times we are facing and carve out a space in quarantine life to feel wild again.

Sam Haught, co-owner at Wild Florida explained, "We are disappointed to pause our business, but as a company, we feel compelled to give others an opportunity to disconnect from normal life. At our core, we want our guests to make a connection with the natural world. Until we can reopen with the full Wild Florida experience, we hope this helps."

Wild Florida is the world's only Airboat Tour, Gator Park & Drive-thru Safari Adventure. Wild Florida opened on Lake Cypress in Kenansville in 2010 and focuses on connecting families with Florida's natural environment through interactive experiences. The Wild Florida team is dedicated to protecting, conserving, and enhancing Florida's diverse ecosystem to ensure that future generations can enjoy the wonders of wild, native Florida.

Contact Sam Haught, Co-owner at Wild Florida

[email protected]

407-957-3135

SOURCE Wild Florida

Related Links

https://www.wildfl.com


BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

Trend:

Azerbaijan continues to take measures to bring back its citizens who are abroad, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev made the remark in Baku at a briefing of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers on April 8, Trend reports.

So far, over 15,000 Azerbaijani citizens have been returned to the country at the state expense by special charter flights, said the official.

The assistant to the president said that Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from abroad are on special quarantine.

"We also thank our citizens who are abroad for understanding, Hajiyev added. Despite the closed borders, there are exceptional cases. For example, over the last two days, the deceased were transported from Russia on the basis of the principle of humanism and as a result of the considered appeals from the relatives."

Hajiyev added that the country's diplomatic missions abroad are in constant contact with the Azerbaijanis staying there.

Citizens who need help are supported by our diplomatic missions while students - by the Ministry of Education, Hajiyev stressed.
(Newser)  A Kentucky man who was serving 15 years on charges of sodomy and the distribution of material depicting sexual performance of a minor had his sentence commuted last year by the state's then-governorand now he's been arrested again on child pornography charges. Dayton Jones, 24, pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from a 2014 sexual assault and was sentenced to state prison. On Tuesday, he was arrested on a federal charge of producing child sex abuse material; the charge is related to the same 2014 incident, in which Jones and several others allegedly used a sex toy to assault an unconscious 15-year-old boy at a party, recording the incident and uploading video to Snapchat. An expert says that is not considered double jeopardy, since federal and state governments are considered separate sovereigns, though the move is rare.

story continues below

Former Gov. Matt Bevin was lobbied by Christian County Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Boling to commute Jones' sentence, which he did in December before leaving office, along with hundreds of others including a child rapist and a convicted killer. He claimed nothing connected Jones to the crime other than the "testimony of kids who were getting a better deal by throwing [him] under the bus." The victim suffered an injured bladder and a punctured colon in the assault; the Courier Journal reports he almost died. "This prosecution is about one thing and one thing only, Mr. Jones' conduct in harming someone's child in the Western District of Kentucky in violation of federal law," a federal prosecutor says. If convicted, Jones faces a sentence of up to 30 years, with a mandatory minimum of 15. (The FBI was reportedly looking into Bevin's controversial pardons.)
In Indore, one of the worst-affected cities in the country as far as Covid-19 positive cases are concerned, 151 people have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the deadly infection, till Tuesday night. Of them, as many as 106, or 70%, belong to the 21-55 age bracket , according to officials.

Administrative authorities are on their toes in order to ensure strict compliance of social distancing and prevent unnecessary movement of people and gatherings, officials said.

Were at a stage where we cant afford to give any kind of relaxation to the people. They (people) must understand that Covid-19 can infect anyone who doesnt follow the safety norms as being advised by the government and the administration. Were taking all possible measures to contain it effectively, said Manish Singh, district collector, Indore.

Seventy per cent of the patients in the city are men and 30% are women, the officials said. Of the first nine deaths in the city, six were aged between 33 and 50 years. The rest were 53, 65 and 80 years, respectively.

According to central figures as of Monday evening, men accounted for 73% of the Covid-19 positive cases in India in comparison with the 24% infection rate in women. The Centre put the total number of cases at 4,067 as of that day. Forty-seven per cent of the total cases in India involved people who were aged below 40 years, 34% of the patients were between 40 and 60 years, and 19% of cases pertained to those above 60 years.

The number of patients starts diminishing gradually, as we go either above 60 or below 16 years, said a Madhya Pradesh health department official, requesting anonymity. Analysis suggests that 80% of all cases in Indore have been reported from densely populated localities such as Ranipura, Chandan Nagar, Daudi Nagar, Khajrana, Daulatganj, Hathipala, Azad Nagar, Tatt Patti Bakhal, Tanjim Nagar and a few other neighbourhoods, he said.

Data showed that 18 Covid-19 positive cases were traced to Tatt Patti Bakhal locality, where a team of doctors was attacked last week after they insisted on taking an elderly person to a hospital for her medical examination.

Weve observed that people, who followed social distancing and home isolation, havent been infected. The spike in Covid-19 positive cases in densely-populated colonies can be attributed to the practical problems faced by the locals to be self-disciplined, Pravin Jadia, chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Indore, said.

Ulhas Mahajan, a retired doctor of the district hospital in Indore, said: The alarming increase in the Covid-19 positive cases has also got to do with the reckless behaviour of the people, as they believe that only the young and old are more prone to be infected. Besides, the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was enforced on March 25 to contain the spread of the viral outbreak, was initially violated with impunity.
U.S. President Donald Trump escalated tension with the World Health Organization on Wednesday, once again criticizing the agency's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and threatening to withhold funding. "So we're going to do a study, an investigation, and we're going to make a determination as to what we're doing. In the meantime, we're holding back," Trump said at a White House press conference Wednesday. It was not immediately clear from the president's comment if he was "holding back" on the funding or probe of the WHO. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration is reevaluating the WHO's funding, adding that the United Nation's health organization hasn't "achieved what it intended to do," particularly in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Organizations have to work. They have to deliver the outcomes for which they were intended," Pompeo said. "We need to make sure that, not only the World Health Organization but every international organization that we take taxpayer money and give it to them for the benefit of America, we need to make sure it's delivering on those tax payer dollars." Trump first said he was thinking about withholding funds to the WHO on Tuesday, saying the international agency pushed back on his travel ban from China early in the COVID-19 outbreak. It's unclear how Trump would do this, however. Congress has already authorized $122 million for the WHO for this fiscal year, and while Trump has proposed $58 million in funding for the agency in fiscal 2021, Congress is unlikely to authorize such a drastic funding cut, especially in the wake of the pandemic. The WHO "really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong," Trump said. Trump complained Wednesday that China contributes "a small fraction" of the amount of funding the U.S. sends to the WHO every year. "And i think they have to get their priorities right, and their priorities are that every country has to be treated properly. Every country. And it doesn't seem that way, does it?" he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his coronavirus task force briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
April 08 : It is during the lockdown times that we understand that actor Varun Dhawan has a big heart to help humanity. Today, the Street Dancer 3D actor had taken to Instagram, mentioning that he would like to help all the people who are working hard to bring an end to the COVID -19 problems in India. Earlier he had already contributed a whopping sum of Rs.30 lakhs to the PM Cares Fund and also Rs. 25 lakhs to the Maharashtra CM Relief fund.

He shared a long letter in his Instagram post. It was captioned as This is a long battle and we have to fight it together. Finding solutions is the only way forward. If you read his heartwarming letter to his fans, you would understand his side of compassion and love for his fellow human beings.

The Kalank actor mentioned that even though he is safe at home with his family, his heart was constantly concerned about the people who had no homes, no food, and no safety. He also expressed his concern for all the doctors, medical staff and the numerous front line staff who risked their lives for all of us.

In the post, he pledged to give food to all the needy and the medical staff and doctors at the hospitals. Also, the meals would be arranged only through the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust. He also promised that though this was a small step, he would keep helping in the best way possible. On the work front, he and Sara Ali Khan will be seen in the Coolie No I remake, under the directorship of his father David Dhawan.

Watch Sara Ali Khan's daily wear styles
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 15:14:30|Editor: huaxia

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A flight attendant aboard flight MU2527 of China Eastern airlines guides a passenger at the Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 8, 2020. Wuhan on Wednesday lifted outbound travel restrictions, after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday lifted outbound travel restrictions on Wuhan, the city hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, ending a lockdown that sealed off around 10 million people from the rest of the world for 76 days.

The easing of travel restrictions came after new infections have been drastically reduced across China, marking a milestone in the country's fight against the epidemic while giving confidence to a world grappling to contain the virus's ferocious spread.

After barricades were removed at toll gates around Wuhan at Tuesday midnight, vehicles in long lines honked horns and rushed out, in an outpouring of celebratory sentiment at the long-awaited moment.

"I can't wait to return to my hometown," said Guo Lei, a businessman in Wuhan driving to his home in Shandong Province. "I and my relatives were all stranded here due to the epidemic."

Shortly after midnight at Wuchang Railway Station, more than 400 passengers jumped on train K81 heading for Guangzhou in the south, the first train leaving Wuhan after the lockdown was lifted. More than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday.

At 7:22 a.m., flight MU2527 took off from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, heading for the southern resort city of Sanya. It was the first flight leaving the airport after over two months of hiatus.

"It is my great honor to accompany you to the dreamy faraway place," captain Mao Lin told passengers in an inflight announcement.

On Jan. 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains. Similar restrictions were soon introduced in other areas in Hubei.

A key part of the strictest and the most comprehensive public health measures in modern human history, the lockdown on Wuhan has proved effective in curbing the spread of the deadly virus.

For weeks, the megacity had been the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, reporting over 50,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,500 deaths, accounting for 61 percent and 77 percent of the national total, respectively.

On March 18, Wuhan reported no new infections for the first time and has since largely maintained the positive trend.

"Locking down Wuhan was an unprecedented measure in China. It was really a surprise to me that such a big decision was made," said Zhang Jingnong, director of the emergency department at the Wuhan Union Hospital.

"In retrospect, it was a completely correct move. Sealing off Wuhan won time for the country and the world to cope with the outbreak," said Zhang, who himself was infected with the virus on the job but has since recovered.

During the time Wuhan was put in isolation, the Chinese government mobilized over 100,000 medical personnel to fight the outbreak in the city. As of Tuesday, over 46,000 patients in Wuhan had been discharged from hospital.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has hailed China's prompt and decisive measures against the pandemic.

"In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history," said a report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 released in late February.
The authorities in Mathura district have sent 36 samples from two areas here for COVID-19 testing, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The 36 samples have been sent to J N Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, for examination, said Mathura DM Sarvagya Ram Mishra.

During a surprise check of the lockdown in Vrindaban, the district magistrate said all the 36 suspects have been kept under quarantine.

So far a total of 65 people have been placed under quarantine in the district, Mishra said.

He said ASHAs and ANM workers are engaged in door to door sampling in the areas under the coronavirus containment plan.

There has been no resistance from any quarter during the sampling, the DM said.

Mishra said 1 km area around the mosque in Oal village is under COVID-19 containment plan since April 6 as a group of Tablighi Jamaat members were staying there.

Similarly, 1 km area around Andhi Kuiya Markaj mosque in the city was sealed, as the Tablighi Jamaat members initially stayed here before going to Oal village.

The lockdown in these areas is also being monitored through drone cameras, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WASHINGTON  The administrations primary relief mechanism for small businesses, the Paycheck Protection Program, has been swamped with applications and snarled with technical and administrative issues since it launched Friday. After less than a week of approving loans, the administration says the program is running out of money.

Congress may approve $250 billion in additional funds for the Small Business Administration program as soon as Thursday. But Democrats believe more funding for the program should be part of a broader conversation about what coronavirus relief comes next from Congress.

On Monday, just days after the program opened, Connecticut businesses had been approved for 1,299 loans through the program, but its unknown how many applied in that time. The SBA declined to provide updated information on Wednesday.

Nationally, the Small Business Administration had approved nearly 400,000 loans, totalling over $100 billion, as of Wednesday night.

But applying for the Paycheck Protection Program has been frustrating for many struggling businesses owners. Some have been approved after a few days, but many face significant challenges before they can even apply.

It was a little bit of a rocky start to this, said Joe Brennan, president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. The majority of [the businesses] have applications that are pendingtheyre not quite sure what the turnaround time will be on that. And then weve heard from a number of other people that were quite frustrated that their lending institution that they were dealing with just shut off applications after a certain amount of time, saying they just got overwhelmed.

Application process

Benjamin Karz, who owns a three-office tax franchise based in East Greenbush, N.Y., said he has called five banks that told him they would only provide the Paycheck Protection Program loans for their existing banking clients and would not take applications from new clients. Bank of America lists an existing clients only policy on its website.

Karz, who does not normally bank with an SBA lender, is now worried he wont be able to access the program, which offers up to $10 million in loans that can be forgiven if the employer maintains its payroll. Karz has enough money to pay his five employees through April 15, but after that, hell have to furlough them, he said.

Theres going to be nothing left and I wont get anything, Karz worried. Im going to go belly up because I cant pay payroll.

For their part, banks have strict regulations they must comply with to conduct due diligence on new customer accounts. The process involves a lot of information gathering and can take days  something that is largely incompatible with the idea of getting money out the door to small businesses as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, not all banks can access the SBA platform to administer the loans, resulting in gaps of which business owners can get one and which cannot.

Over 3,000 banks are now lending as part of the program, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said Tuesday, including about 300 new lenders. But in a videoconference Tuesday afternoon between President Donald Trump, Mnuchin, other White House officials and chief executives from some of the top banks around the country, two regional banks urged the president to help more community banks offer the loans.

Only one third of smaller community banks are now able to administer these loans, affecting rural areas disproportionately.

Noah Wilcox, CEO of Grand Rapids State Bank, told Trump these community banks are "boxed out," meaning fewer small businesses can get Paycheck Protection Program help.

Asked by the media about this issue after the call, Mnuchin said, "Theres just a lot of new users coming onto the system. Theyre all getting authenticated. Well get them all approved.

During the White House briefing Tuesday night, Trump was asked if he would direct banks currently approved to lend in the program to work with all applicants so some small business owners do not have to wait. He insisted the problem was being resolved.

"They will be doing that," Trump said. "I did ask that question and they are working on that."

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association surveyed 300 of its members about the program and as of Tuesday night 75 percent had loan applications pending.

Glitches and spiking demand

After finding a lender, the process of administering the loans has been slowed down due to issues between the SBA and the banks.

After Congress passed legislation creating the Paycheck Protection Program on March 28, the SBA had days to launch it. It did not provide interim final guidance to the banks on lending procedures until roughly 7 p.m. the night before it kicked off.

Moreover, banking sources said guidance to lenders on what information they need to provide about business owners to the SBA has been unclear and changing, as the SBA has released updated information every few days after the program has launched, including more Wednesday. Banks are concerned about their liability if they execute the process incorrectly or dont conduct enough business oversight now or down the road, when parts of the loans are forgiven.

Additionally, the SBA program experienced technical difficulties Monday, when the system banks use to authorize the loans was crashing.

The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, asked the Treasury to prioritize fixing the platform and clearing up the guidance in a letter to Mnuchin Sunday.

Finally, lenders are simply being overrun by the need.

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, said his company is receiving "several thousand applications every hour" and had over 250,000 applications total as of Tuesday afternoon. JP Morgan Chase had 375,000 requests from small businesses as of Tuesday afternoon, according to JP Morgan's Gordon Smith, co-president and chief operating officer.

Paycheck Protection Program is open to businesses and nonprofits with up to 500 employees with some exceptions under SBA guidelines. Independent contractors and other solo entrepreneurs can apply as well starting Friday.

After days of uncertainty and waiting for her bank to be approved to offer the loans, Susan Morrow, a photographer and photo organizer from Norwalk, said she is finally making progress toward accessing one of the loans. Morrow, who is self-employed, must wait until Friday to submit, but she is working with her banks to prepare the application now.

I believe this will all iron itself out at some point, she said.

The SBA also offers other aid for coronavirus-hit businesses.

Congress will debate more funding

As early as Saturday  one day after the Paycheck Protection Program started accepting applications  Mnuchin wondered how long the $350 billion that Congress approved for the program would last and he said he called Trump about it.

"I told the President it was so successful we were concerned we've run out of money," Mnuchin said. "The President made very clear that we should go back immediately and ask for more money to make sure we can support small business."

Mnuchin has spoken to congressional leaders to request an additional $250 billion for the program. Mnuchin and Trump said Tuesday they believe this appropriation should be separate from any other new proposals Congress wants to pass to bolster coronavirus relief.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he hoped to approve the request unanimously by the Senate on Thursday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday afternoon the proposal will not unanimously pass the House. She and Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., have other ideas they hope to tie to the supplemental small business funding.

They requested that $125 billion of the $250 billion in assistance for small businesses is channeled through community banks. They also sought $100 billion in additional funds for hospitals and health centers, $150 billion in more funding for state and local governments and a boost for how much assistance families can receive in food stamps. They said these "interim" measures would be in addition to another large coronavirus package they hope to prepare for the future.

The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans lives and livelihoods," Schumer and Pelosi said in a joint statement.

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed over 5,000 mark on Wednesday. As per the figures shared by the Ministry of Health, there are 4,643 active coronavirus cases in the country while 149 people have lost their lives to the deadly contagion. Over 400 people have been cured or discharged so far.

India on Tuesday partially eased curbs on anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unveiled the 5-Ts plan to combat and tackle coronavirus in the national capital.

India entered the 15th day of the 21-day lockdown on Wednesday which will end on April 14.

Here are the key developments:

1. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday changed course and supported the Narendra Modi government stand on hydroxychloroquine and ended up praising Indias handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. The Centre is considering extending the three-week nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak after some states favoured its enforcement beyond April 14.

3. Most Indian states witnessed a decline in revenue of between 30% to 60% for March, and are estimating a bigger dip in April, multiple state government officials said.

4. India has partially eased restrictions on the export of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol.

5. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a Covid-19 review meeting with Delhi MPs on Wednesday.

6. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) experts have estimated a person carrying coronavirus capable of infecting 406 people in 30 days in the absence of a lockdown.

7. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday laid out a five-point blueprint to contain the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the national capital. He emphasised the need to test, trace and treat, adding that teamwork, tracking and monitoring are also essential in beating coronavirus.

8. An Indian American-owned pharma pledges to donate 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to some of the key Covid-19 battleground states in the US, including New York and Louisiana.

9. Manufacturers of personal protective equipment (PPE) will now need to mark their products with a unique code and tamper-proof stickers, the textile ministry has said.

10. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to reserve 20,000 beds in hospitals and private buildings to set up isolation wards.
Two million protective masks purchased by Finland from China have turned out to be unsuitable for use in hospitals, the Finnish government admitted on Wednesday.

On Tuesday Finland's Health minister Aino-Kaisa Pekonen had tweeted a picture of the first shipment of two million surgical masks and 230,000 respirator masks being unloaded at Helsinki airport on a Finnair flight from Guangzhou in China, saying they would be "checked and tested" before use.

But by Wednesday, officials discovered that the face masks did not meet the required standards of protection against the coronavirus for use in medical environments.

"Of course this was a bit of a disappointment for us," health ministry permanent secretary Kirsi Varhila told a conference.

However, she said that it would be possible to use the masks in residential care facilities and for carers making home visits.

Other European countries had met similar problems after ordering equipment from China, due to the "extremely chaotic" Chinese facemask market, Tomi Lounema, head of Finland's preparedness unit, told the conference.

"Prices are going up all the time, purchases have to be made quickly and paid for in advance," Lounema said.

"The commercial risk is very high."



In recent weeks, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey and Australia have returned Chinese-bought masks, leading the Chinese government to suggest that nations have not "double checked" the products before purchasing.

Finland's government did not reveal the amount paid for the shipments, but on Wednesday announced a further 600 million euros to be put aside for purchasing protective equipment, as part of a 4.1 billion euro bailout to counter the impacts of the coronavirus.

On Tuesday the government announced it has made arrangements with three domestic companies to begin manufacturing 200,000 masks a day, with production due to begin at the end of this month.

Finland currently needs about half a million surgical masks, and 50,000 respirator masks per day, officials said on Wednesday, with some regions warning of shortages.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin hit out at some local authorities on Twitter earlier in the day, accusing them of not having stockpiled three to six months' worth of protective equipment as mandated by Finland's pandemic preparedness plan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 08, 2020] Burns & McDonnell Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funding

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As organizations and community members face significant challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, Burns & McDonnell is providing additional resources and services to communities, clients and employee-owners throughout the U.S. To bolster the support of those on the front lines providing critical resources to those who need it most, the Burns & McDonnell Foundation is donating $1.5 million to the United Way COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund. "United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community by providing the resources and information unique to individuals' needs," says Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell. "Our employee-owners' desire to give back and empower others is the heartbeat of our firm and our Foundation. During this pandemic, we are committed to protecting and supporting the most vulnerable in our communities." United Way has a presence in 95% of U.S. communities and is mobilizing to providing food, shelter and other vital resources throughout its network. During the past decade, Burns & McDonnell employee-owners have given more than $10 million to the organization through annual United Way campaigns. In addition to providing relief funding nationwide, the Burns & McDonnell Foundation also is matching donations from individual employee-owners, further supporting employee-owners' ability to make an impact within the organizations and causes they are most passionate about. Learn more about the solutions and resources Burns & McDonnell is providing to communities, clients and employee-owners. About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 7,600 engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities with more than 55 offices, globally. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is a 100% employee-owned company and proud to be on Fortune's 2020 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. Learn how we are designed to build.







Contact: Elle Martens, Burns & McDonnell

816-651-7826

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/burns--mcdonnell-foundation-announces-1-5-million-in-covid-19-relief-funding-301037676.html SOURCE Burns & McDonnell

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Somali freelance journalist Abdalle Ahmed Mumin has covered the news for 17 years, spending much of that time in one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist. Since CPJ started keeping records in 1992, at least 69 journalists have been killed in Somalia for their work.

After reporting on the killing of an Al-Shabaab commander for the Wall Street Journal in late 2014, Abdalle received anonymous death threats, and later survived a shooting attempt in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Since 2018, he has worked between Somalia and Kenya as a reporter and an advocate for the Somali Journalists Syndicate, a press freedom group that he co-founded.

Since Somalia reported its first case of COVID-19 infection on March 16, Abdalle has been covering the pandemic for international outlets such as Al-Jazeera and The Guardian.

Abdalle spoke with CPJ via email and phone calls last week. His replies have been combined and edited for length and clarity.

How has the pandemic affected your reporting?

COVID-19 has hugely impacted my routines. First, I had to force myself to accept staying at home. I had to adopt social distancing whenever going out for important interviews or opt only for phone interviews.

It is not easy social distancing when youre reporting. In one instance, I remember an old woman at the IDP [internally displaced persons] camp, who was angry with me when I met her and I distanced myself by like two meters. She asked me: do you think we have corona? Do you think we are sick? And I had to take 10 minutes to explain why I was doing this. People can get offended easily.

It has also had a psychological impact, as you start to distance yourself from friends and colleagues, and stopping all the good things we previously had such as handshaking, hugging, or going out for a coffee with friends. The internet, the laptop, and the phone are my best friends these days.

Did you plan to stay in Mogadishu to cover the outbreak?

The coronavirus outbreak made the decision for me. I travelled back to Mogadishu on February 25. I wasnt planning to stay long. I had numerous plans to travel on assignments during this month, but had to cancel due to border closures.

As a freelancer, my job is to go out to report and to earn a living. Now that local travel is restricted within the country, it has affected my job. Also, the travel restrictions had affected our [the Somali Journalists Syndicates] planned journalists trainings, which are now postponed due to the outbreak.

It is like we are jailed by the coronavirus. This is the longest continuous time I have been in Mogadishu without travelling to somewhere else since 2015. Even if something happens today, I cannot travel out. Meaning, I have to alternate my locations within Mogadishu, to change locations to stay safe.

What risks and challenges do Somali journalists face while covering the outbreak?

So far, we have seen cases where journalists who reported on the spread of the virus or wrote stories about the impact of the virussuch as a shortage of masks and sanitizers in the local marketswere either blocked or threatened. At least two others were pressured to retract their reporting because authorities were not happy with the way the journalists reported.

My biggest concern is that we dont have adequate protection measures to keep our journalists safe from this virus. There is no training about reporters safety during the outbreak for the local journalists. I have seen reporters going out to the field without personal protective equipment. Yesterday [April 2], I saw journalists reporting from the isolation center and they didnt have anything [protective equipment] at all.

Having said that, Somali journalists do not have health [insurance] coverage at all, and are among the least paid people in the country. An average [monthly] salary of a TV journalist in Somalia is between $100 to $200, while a radio reporter is far less than that. Most of these journalists are the only breadwinners in their families. This means that they have to prioritize putting food on the table of their families while [they are] unable to meet their health needs.

Are you satisfied with the level of openness from local authorities regarding the outbreak?

Not at all. There is an ongoing information blackout since the outbreak began. Health officials are not giving information sought by journalists. I was not able to interview the Health Minister in my recent article about the concerns of the refugees and displaced families over the coronavirus outbreak.

We asked the Somali Federal Government to set up a special information desk for the reporters covering the outbreak, but they are yet to do so.

Are you concerned about misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19?

Yes, there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Journalists are struggling to tackle these, but the main challenge is the lack of flow of information from the Health Ministry and the reluctance of the authorities to tell the media what is happening. It is unfortunate that the misinformation is also creating panic in the public. It is like there is nobody to trust.

In our journalist union, we have set up a WhatsApp group where we share updated information whenever it is released, including contacts of key people such as doctors and health professionals for verifying certain bits of information. Journalists and editors are finding this initiative useful. We are also using this WhatsApp group to give advice to journalists going into the field.

How do the risks of covering the coronavirus compare with the daily risks of reporting in Somalia?

Speaking frankly, it is like a double burden. Journalists are already facing a bad security situation in Somalia, and now there is the coronavirus. The coronavirus has not stopped the threats we had against the lives and safety of journalists. It is like we are caught between two enemiesthe existing threats that we already had, and the new one of this disease.

One of the few solutions we had previously was to move from place to place. But now we cannot move from Mogadishu or from Somalia to another country. A few days ago, I had to accommodate three journalists to stay in my house. They had travelled to Mogadishu to report, but now they were stuck.

It made me think we should have a safe house where journalists can go to stay for a few days or weeks if they face threats during the outbreak. Something simple with running water, a place to sleep, and the Internet. But this is expensive and needs funds.

CPJ emailed Somali presidential spokesperson Abdinur Mohamed for comment regarding Abdalles allegations in this interview, but did not receive any reply. CPJ called and texted Fawziya Abikar, the countrys health minister, but also did not receive any replies.
On 30 April 2020 the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of Snaige AB, the address of head office Pramones str. 6, Alytus, the company code 249664610 (hereinafter, the Company) is convened the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (hereinafter, the Meeting).

The place of the meeting at AB Snaige office, at the address Kareiviu str. 6, Vilnius, Lithuania.

The Meeting commences  at 10 a.m. (registration starts at 9.45 a.m.).

If the quarantine announced in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania by Government Resolution No. 207 of 14 March 2020 will be continuing on the meeting day, the meeting will not take place on meeting place but the Company's shareholders are invited to participate in the ordinary General meeting and vote on the agenda items in writing, by filling voting ballot in advance and submitting to the Company.

The Meetings accounting day  23 April 2020 (the persons who are shareholders of the Company at the end of accounting day of the General Meeting of Shareholders or authorized persons by them, or the persons with whom shareholders concluded the agreements on the disposal of voting right, shall have the right to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders).

The Board of directors of the Company initiates and convenes the meeting.

Agenda of the Meeting:

1.Consolidated annual report of Snaige AB on the companys activity for 2019 with information about the Company strategy and its implementation.

2.Auditors conclusion on the companys financial statements for 2019.

3.Approval of the set of financial statements of the company for 2019.

4.Approval of distribution of profit (loss) of Snaige AB for 2019.

5.The remuneration policy

The Company shall not provide the possibility to participate and vote in the Meeting through electronic communication channels.

Draft resolutions on agenda issues, documents be submitted to the General Meeting of Shareholders and other information related with the exercising of the shareholders rights are available on the website of the Company www.snaige.lt on menu item For investors. This information will be also available for the shareholders at the head office of the Company (Pramones street 6, Alytus) on business days from 9:00 am. till 16:00 pm. (on Fridays till 14:00), tel. +370 315 56206.

Story continues

Shareholders holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing to supplement the agenda of the Meeting by providing the Meeting draft resolution on each additionally proposed issue or in case no resolution is required - the explanation. The proposals to supplement the agenda shall be submitted in writing or by e-mail. The proposals shall be presented in writing to the Company on business days or by sending it by registered mail at the address Snaige AB, Pramones street 6, LT-62175 Alytus, Lithuania. The proposals submitted via the e-mail shall be sent on snaige@snaige.lt . The proposals to supplement the agenda with the additional issues shall be submitted till the15 April 2020, 4:00 p.m. In case the agenda of the Meeting is supplemented the Company will report on it no later than 10 days before the Meeting in the same ways as on convening of the Meeting.

Shareholders holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing new draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the Meeting, audit firms for auditing purposes of financial statements. The proposals shall be submitted in writing or by e-mail. The proposals shall be presented in writing to the Company on business days till 29 April 2020, 2 p.m. or by sending it by registered mail at the address Snaige AB, Pramones street 6, LT-62175 Alytus, Lithuania. During the Meeting the proposals shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Meeting after he announces the Meeting agenda and no later than the Meeting starts working on the issues of agenda. The proposals submitted via the electronic mail shall be sent on snaige@snaige.lt . The proposals submitted on this e-mail till 29 April 2020, 2:00 p.m. will be discussed during the Meeting.

The shareholders shall have the right to present questions related to the General Meeting of Shareholders' agenda issues to the Company in advance in writing. The shareholders shall present the questions not later than 3 business days before the Meeting via the electronic mail on snaige@snaige.lt . The Company undertakes to respond to the submitted questions via the electronic mail till the Meeting day, except the questions related to the Companys commercial secret and confidential information.

During the registration to attend the Meeting the shareholders or the persons authorized by them shall submit a document which is a proof of his identity. The shareholders' authorized persons shall submit the power of attorney confirmed by the established order. The power of attorney issued by the natural person shall be notarized. A power of attorney issued in a foreign state must be translated into Lithuanian and legalized in the manner prescribed by law. Representative can be authorized by more than one shareholder and shall have a right to vote differently under the orders of each shareholder. The shareholder holding shares of the Bank, where the shares have been acquired on his own behalf, but for the benefit of other persons, must disclose before voting at the General Meeting of Shareholders to the Company the identity of the final customer, the number of shares that are put to the vote and the content of the voting instructions submitted to him or any other explanation regarding the participation agreed upon with the customer and voting at the General Meeting of Shareholders.

Shareholder shall also have the right to authorize through electronic communication channels another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the Meeting on shareholder's behalf. Such authorization shall not be confirmed by the notary officer. The power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels must be confirmed by the shareholder with a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels by e-mail snaige@snaige.lt no later than the last business day before the meeting at 2:00 p.m. The power of attorney and notification shall be issued in writing. The power of attorney and notification to the Company shall be signed with the Electronic Signature but not the letters sent via the e-mail. By submitting the notification to the Company the shareholder shall include the Internet address from which it would be possible to download free of charge software to verify an Electronic Signature of the shareholder.

Each shareholder or representative thereof shall have the right to cast his/her vote in advance in writing by filling in a general ballot paper. The general ballot paper form is on the Company's website www.snaige.lt on menu item For Investors. Upon the written shareholders request, the Company no later than 10 days before the Meeting shall send a general ballot paper by registered mail or hand it in person against signature. The general ballot paper filled shall be signed by the shareholder or his/her representative. In case the ballot paper is signed by the shareholder's authorized representative, such person along with the filled ballot paper shall submit the document to confirm the voting right. The ballot paper filled and the document confirming the voting right (if required) shall be submitted in a written form to the Company by registered mail at the address Snaige AB, Pramones street 6, LT-62175, Alytus, Lithuania, or by submitting it to the Company. Validated will be dully filled-in ballot papers, received until the meeting.

The following information and documents are available on the website of the Company www.snaige.lt on menu item For Investors:

- report on the convening of the Meeting;

- the total number of the Companys shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the Meeting;

- draft resolutions on each agenda issue and other documents to be submitted to the Meeting;

- general ballot paper form.

Draft resolutions of the General Meeting of Shareholders are attached.

Managing Director

Mindaugas Sologubas

Attachment
Turkey has started testing plasma therapy as a possible treatment for the coronavirus disease, Turkish Red Crescent Society President Kerem Kinik said on Tuesday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2020) Turkey has started testing plasma therapy as a possible treatment for the coronavirus disease, Turkish Red Crescent Society President Kerem Kinik said on Tuesday.

"We are waiting for blood donations from all the heroes who defeated the coronavirus 14 days after their discharge from hospitals, in order to save the lives of other patients," Kinik said, as quoted by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

According to Kinik, every person who has recovered from COVID-19 can donate blood three times a week.

Kursat Demir, a recently recovered Turkish doctor, became the first plasma donor in the country, TRT reported. Demir donated blood at the Red Crescent's facility.

The plasma of recovered patients contains antibodies that can be transfused into other patients who have contracted the disease.

Turkey has so far confirmed 30,217 COVID-19 cases and 649 deaths from coronavirus-related complications.
LATEST, April 9, 7:45 p.m. Marin County reported just one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the lowest single-day total for the county since last Wednesday.

There were no new deaths, leaving the county's toll at 10.

The death toll across the entire state of California eclipsed 500 on Wednesday, with over 50 new reported deaths during the day. However, just five of those deaths came from the San Francisco Bay Area, a region that has seen 115 total deaths as of Wednesday evening.

The number of daily regional deaths is down from the 13 deaths recorded on Tuesday, the Bay Area's deadliest day of the outbreak so far. Of the five Wednesday deaths, three came from Santa Clara County, one came from Alameda County and another came from San Francisco County.

April 8, 5:30 p.m. Derick Almena, the Ghost Ship master tenant currently jailed on a no-bail status, will be released from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin as the number of inmates infected with the coronavirus continue to rise.

Alameda County Judge Trina Thompson decided to release Almena after officials announced Wednesday that there are now 11 inmates at the jail known to have COVID-19. Almena's attorney, Tony Serra, told multiple news outlets, including KTVU and the Mercury News, his client has gained 60 pounds since his incarceration and has health issues that would make him high-risk for COVID-19 complications.

Almena is currently awaiting a retrial on charges of involuntary manslaughter after 36 people died in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in December 2016.

The District Attorney's Office opposes Almena's release.

The District Attorneys Office has consistently sought to have Mr. Almena remain in custody pending trial, and we have opposed every effort to release Mr. Almena to date," the office wrote in a statement, "We strongly disagree with the Courts decision to release Mr. Almena from custody on electronic monitoring."

April 8, 4:30 p.m. Eight additional inmate cases of COVID-19 were reported at Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County on Wednesday.

Officials announced Tuesday that there were three inmate cases of the virus in the facility, raising concerns of a potential outbreak.

In response, the jail has an "outbreak control plan" that includes frequent sanitization and restrictions on visitations.

"All persons, including staff, outside law enforcement partners, and contractors are medically screened prior to entering SRJ," county officials wrote in a news release. "Currently, screening includes detailed questioning, review of symptomatology and temperature checks. Anyone who does not meet medical screening criteria is denied entry into SRJ. In addition to this medical screening, and prior to entering the jail, all persons must wash and sanitize their hands at newly established hand washing stations and are required to wear masks and protective eyewear as appropriate inside the jail."

April 8, 3:40 p.m. In a press conference at the White House Wednesday, President Donald Trump doubled down on claims he made on Tuesday that "mail ballots are very dangerous for this country because of cheaters."

On Wednesday, he noted he's "all for" mail-in ballot for senior citizens and others unable to physically get to polls, but added, "you have to be very careful."

"You know the things with bundling and all the things that are happening, votes by mail where thousands of votes were gathered and I'm not going to say which party does it but thousands of votes are gathered and they're dumped in a location and all of a sudden you lose an election where you think you're going to win. I wont stand for it. Our voting system, first of all we should have voter ID, and if you send something in you should be sure, as a state and as a country, that that vote is meaningful and its not just made fraudulently. Theres a lot of fraudulent voting going on in this country."

April 8, 3:15 p.m. The Alameda County Public Health Department has released details about COVID-19 cases at Gateway Care and Rehab Center, and East Bay Post-Acute Center on Wednesday afternoon, noting that current cases should be considered a "point-in-time" count.

At the Post-Acute Center, 17 staff members and nine residents have tested positive for COVID-19. At Gateway, 24 staff members and 35 residents have tested positive; of those 35 residents, six have died.

"Our thoughts are with those individuals families, friends, and their fellow residents," Alameda County Public Information Manager Neetu Balram told SFGATE.

The county has established a task force to assist the centers, and is working with the respective staffers to provide them personal protective equipment (PPE) and additional staffing where needed.

"At this moment, we are tracking suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 at long-term care facilities throughout the county," Balram added. "We take these cases very seriously. The task force is a dedicated team of public-health staff led by a public-health nurse that works with a facility where a case of COVID-19 is confirmed to conduct a contact investigation and implement disease containment strategies. This task force also conducts outreach to facilities, and works to implement infection control and prevention procedures."

April 8, 2:40 p.m. Federal officials released some Grand Princess passengers from Travis Air Force Base before their 14-day quarantine periods ended, a report from the Bay Area News Group reveals. The CDC, however, isn't revealing exactly how many of the more than 1,000 individuals at the base were released or why.

These passengers were released on March 23 under the condition that they were to go straight home in a private vehicle or took a chartered flight or bus. It's unclear whether they had been tested, or had received any results of a coronavirus test; fewer than half who were aboard were tested; 103 tested positive.

April 8, 2 p.m. Multiple counties in Northern California have announced new cases of coronavirus Wednesday afternoon.

- Alameda County now has 640 cases and 16 deaths

- The city of Berkeley now has 34 cases

- Contra Costa County now has 462 cases and seven deaths

- Marin County now has 148 cases and 10 deaths

- Napa County now has 25 cases and two deaths

- Santa Clara County now has 1,380 cases and 46 deaths

- Sonoma County now has 120 cases and one death

April 8, 1:05 p.m. California is working on protocols for sterilizing and reusing N95 masks in the state's medical centers, Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci announced Wednesday.

Though the state has acquired 4.5 million N95 masks, California officials are still concerned about the potential for a dwindling supply of PPE. This new strategy to sterilize up to 80,000 masks a day could be one solution. Gov. Gavin Newsom explained the technology, which is expected to arrive next week, would mean those on the front lines could reuse masks "up to 20 times."

April 8, 1 p.m. On Wednesday, California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell addressed concerns that the death rate in the state has been underreported, due to suspected but unconfirmed coronavirus cases resulting in individuals dying in their homes.

"We look at every single case individually," she responded. "Cases like the ones you're describing, when we get them, we review them with our team, we reach out to coroners and follow up to get that information. As that becomes available well be sharing more of that with you going forward."

In New York, ill individuals who died in their homes before being tested have not been counted in the official COVID-19 death toll.

April 8, 12:55 p.m. Newsom says 2.4 million Californians have filed for unemployment since mid-March.

In an effort to mitigate the economic blow, he said OnwardCA.org has been compiling open jobs on its website for those seeking work. There are currently more than 100,000 listings on the site, separated by geography.

April 8, 12:50 p.m. In a press conference Wednesday, Newsom announced new statistics around coronavirus cases in the state:

- 16,957 people have tested positive to date

- 2,714 have been hospitalized, which is a 3.9% increase over the previous day

- Of those, 1,154 are in the ICU, which is a 4.2% increase over the previous day

Sixty-eight people have died in the last 24 hours. "Sadly, it was one of our highest death rates in the state so far," Newsom said. A total of 442 have died since the outbreak began.

Newsom also spoke to reports that coronavirus complications disproportionately affect people of color. The California Office of Emergency Services has been gathering as much data as possible from state counties, though Newsom reports data has, to this point, only been collected from 37.2% of counties.

Understandably people are eager for transparency in real time, he said.

The OES analyzed 6,306 cases of coronavirus to better understand if the state is seeing more cases and deaths in people of color. At this time, he said, they have not, as data tracks modestly along with the population [demographics].

Of those 6,306 cases, 30% are Hispanic and Latino individuals, 6% are black and 14% are Asian. Regarding the death rates, 29% have been Hispanic and Latino, 3% have been black, and 16% have been Asian.

Its one thing to have that data; its another to do something with it, to make that data actionable, Newsom continued. That is absolutely essential. We are doing more to be culturally competent, our testing, our outreach, our communication, and our capacity to deliver care to individuals that do get tested to make sure that care is compensated so [it doesnt] have to come out of pocket.

April 8, 12:45 p.m. Laguna Hospital has 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday. Thirteen of the confirmed cases are staff and four are residents.

April 8, 11:45 a.m. San Francisco Mayor London Breed said at an 11 a.m. press conference San Francisco has 676 cases and 10 deaths. Breed said that while S.F.'s numbers are encouraging compared to other cities, such as New York where cases are surging, residents must continue to follow the shelter-in-place order with vigilance.

"Although we know the early data has been encouraging so far, I want to reiterate we are not out of the woods," Breed said. "Were not at a place where we can get comfortable. San Francisco is receiving praise... We were one of the first cities to move forward with the stay-at-home order and while Im proud of what weve done, we cannot let up. Physically distancing ourselves from other people, as hard as it has been, is still necessary. I know a lot of time has gone by and people are starting to feel anxious, frustrated and uncertain. I want to remind you this will pay off and this will pass."

Breed emphasized the need for people to stay home this weekend even though Sunday is Easter and the weather will be nice.

"I know how hard it will be for many to not go to church on Sunday," she said. "It is necessary. It is not necessary for your own personal health but for the health of those you love."

Breed announced the new Heal San Francisco program offering free mental health services for health care workers. Licensed clinicians are volunteering their time to offer free counseling.

She also said the city opened a new field care clinic today in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood offering everything from primary care to COVID-19 screening. It allows Bayview residents to access care without leaving their neighborhood.

"Our proactive approach allows us to continue providing health care to residents who need it while also preserving hospital beds for patients with coronavirus," Breed said. "People seeking care at their neighborhood health center will receive it without needing to leave their neighborhood, which keeps all of our residents and essential workers safer.

The city will also be opening staffed public bathrooms with hand-washing stations that will be available 24/7 in 15 high-need areas of the city such as the Tenderloin, South of Market, Bayview-Hunters Point, Castro, and Mission neighborhoods. Five opened today and a total of 15 will be up and running by early next week.

San Francisco Public Health Chief Dr. Grant Colfax presented San Francisco's new online data tracker that breaks COVID-19 cases down by gender, age, and race/ethnicity.

"Since March 5, weve had dramatic increases in cases," Colfax said. "I expect these increases to continue as coronavirus spreads through the community. The more we test for the virus the more cases we'll find. We do not know yet when we will peak."

Colfax said the new data tracker reveals that the "clear majority" of cases are from community contact and not from travelers who have introduced the virus to the community: "This reinforces how important it is to stay home and prevent the spread. This is a vital tool. Please continue to socially distance."

The new online tool also tracks hospitalizations which Colfax noted have increased. On March 23, only 26 people were hospitalized in the county with COVID-19 complications and today 83 are in intensive or acute care.

"The number of cases in the hospital and the number in intensive care is the best indicator for how our health care system is going to be strained," Colfax said.

As of Wednesday, 5,994 individuals had been tested in the city and 13% tested positive.

April 8, 10:15 a.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke with KCBS Radio Wednesday morning and said the state is preparing for the spread of the coronavirus to peak in May. This is something the governor has said repeatedly in interviews and press conferences in recent days.

"What we have projected based on the new modeling and the stay at home orders and appropriate physical distancing thats been manifest, is were seeing a steady moderate increase," Newsom said. "And again that, we project, goes into May before we see that moderate increase begin to decline. But those models, as you suggest, go from bending a curve to then stretching the curve out beyond May: June. So I just want to caution people that just because you bend a curve and youre no longer at peak doesnt mean the virus has evaporated and were back to some semblance of normalcy."

He added: "But the reality is, I think we have to be very honest with folks to socialize that were not just a few weeks away and everybody gets to go back and watch the Warriors down at Oracle Arena. The reality is, this is going to take us some time."

Read the transcript of the entire interview.

April 8, 8:40 a.m. San Francisco health officials reported the 10th death from COVID-19 complications Wednesday morning. This is the second death the county has announced this week.

Officials also reported 54 new cases, bringing the total to 676.

Counties across the Bay Area reported 13 deaths on Tuesday, making it the deadliest day of the coronavirus outbreak thus far in the region.

April 8, 8 a.m. Two nursing facilities in Alameda County announced coronavirus outbreaks Tuesday.

At least 40 cases have been identified among staff and residents at the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward, according to the Mercury News. In addition, East Bay Post-Acute Center in Castro Valley said 12 health care workers and 9 patients have tested positive , according to CBS News.

The Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center, the East Bay Post-Acute Center and Alameda County Health Department weren't immediately available for comment on this story.

April 8, 7:25 a.m. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a mandate Tuesday night requiring residents to wear face coverings when leaving their homes to go to the supermarket, doctor's office or any other essential service allowed to remain open under California's shelter-in-place order.

The order takes effect Friday.

"Every Angeleno will share this responsibility with employers: to keep workers and everybody else safe, which is why we are requiring customers to wear face coverings to enter those businesses," Garcetti said Tuesday in issuing the facial covering mandate.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also made a big announcement regarding masks Tuesday night and told TV host Rachel Maddow he "inked a deal" for the state to buy 200 million masks a month.

Newsom explained the mask windfall is the result of a consortium of nonprofits and a California company that will be manufacturing mostly N95 masks overseas, and supplying the needs of California residents and workers, as well as possibly those in other Western states. Read the full story.

Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases):

ALAMEDA COUNTY: 640 confirmed cases, 16 deaths*

For more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website.

*Number excludes infected patients in city of Berkeley, which has its own health department and 34 cases.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 462 confirmed cases, 7 deaths

For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website.

LAKE COUNTY: 2 confirmed cases

For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website.

MARIN COUNTY: 148 confirmed cases, 10 deaths

Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website.

MONTEREY COUNTY: 69 confirmed cases, 3 deaths

For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website.

NAPA COUNTY: 25 cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN BENITO COUNTY: 33 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 676 confirmed cases, 10 deaths

For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website.

SAN MATEO COUNTY: 617 confirmed cases, 21 deaths

For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 1,380 confirmed cases, 46 deaths

Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 77 confirmed cases, 1 death

For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website.

SOLANO COUNTY: 112 confirmed cases, 2 deaths

For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website.

SONOMA COUNTY: 123 confirmed cases, 1 death

For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website.

In California, 505 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
Residents of Wuhan have welcomed the first flight and first train to arrive in the city after officials lifted a 76-day draconian lockdown aimed at preventing the novel coronavirus.

China placed strict travel restrictions on the former epicentre on January 23, closing all 75 points of entry.

But at 00.50am on Wednesday, trains carrying people out of the city began running, and major highways also began opening up in the city of 11 million.

The long-haul passenger train K81 became the first train to pass through Wuhan as it arrived in Wuchang railway station at 50 minutes past midnight today

It came after the city of Wuhan reported just two new infections in the past 14 days.

But Chinese authorities are treading a very fine line between granting more freedom of movement to citizens and guarding against a second wave of infections.

Xiamen Air flight 8095 became the first commercial plane to touch down in Wuhan. Footage shows the aircraft being welcomed with a dramatic water salute after it landed at 7.19am local time.

The long-haul passenger train K81 became the first train to pass through Wuhan as it arrived in Wuchang railway station at 50 minutes past midnight.

It set off from the city of Xi'an, capital of north-western Shaanxi Province, on a 1,000-mile journey to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province in southern China, carrying 442 passengers.

Xiamen Air flight 8095 became the first commercial plane to touch down in Wuhan. Footage shows the aircraft being welcomed with a dramatic water salute after it landed at 8.30am

Chinese state media says at least 11,000 air passengers have left via Wuhan's airport today, while 55,000 boarded trains out of the city's three railway stations.

Motorways were also jam-packed as thousands of cars queued at toll stations waiting for officials to open expressways at the stroke of midnight.

When the lockdown was lifted the topic quickly began trending on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

'Wuhan lifts lockdown' and 'Welcome back Wuhan' were posted.

Passengers queue at Wuhan city's main rail station as the lockdown is lifted after 76 days

Medical workers from Jilin Province (in red) hug with those of Wuhan (in while) as they bid a tearful farewell today after they battled together to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic

The majority of departing residents are thought to be migrant workers returning to the Pearl River Delta, which includes major production hubs such as Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou.

However, some are fleeing the city over fears that a recent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases may lead to a secondary outbreak - and another lengthy lockdown, reports say.

At the height of the virus, Wuhan's lockdown saw citizens forced into their homes by authorities.

And transport hubs and streets were desolate except for police patrols and emergency workers.

But at 00.50am on Wednesday, trains carrying people out of the city began running, and major highways also began opening up as China's lockdown on Wuhan was lifted. Chinese youths record a dance routine on the streets of Wuhan today after the lockdown is removed

A woman wearing a protective face mask and pink overalls stands with her luggage next to the first official train departing from Wuhan

But restrictions in the city have dropped off in recent days as new infections significantly fell.

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, mainland China reported no Covid-19-related deaths on Tuesday.

China's National Health Commission confirmed 62 new coronavirus cases today, 59 of which are said to be imported.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The World Health Organization has appealed for urgent investment in nurses worldwide at a time when health personnel are working around the clock to respond to COVID-19.

In its State of the World's Nursing 2020 report, the WHO noted that if greater investment in the workforce is not made, especially in the low and middle income countries, there will be a worldwide shortage of 4.6 million nurses by 2030.

"Countries affected by shortages will need to increase funding to educate and employ at least 5.9 million additional nurses," the report read.

The case for investing in the nursing workforce has never been clearer, said Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

Right now, nurses are on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight, working tirelessly to save lives and protect others in their community," Kasai added.

The report said there was a global shortage of 5.9 million nurses in 2018, a slight improvement from the 6.6 million shortage in 2016.

"An estimated 5.3 million or 89 percent of that shortage is concentrated in low and lower middle income countries, where the growth in the number of nurses is barely keeping pace with population growth,"the report read.

It added that the number of nursing graduates around the world will need to increase by an average of 8 percent per year.

Nursing is the largest occupational group in the health sector, accounting for approximately 59 percent of the health professions, the WHO said.

The report recommended governments to address inequities in workforce distribution and pay, outdated education models, limited career pathways and weak regulation if they are to train and retain enough nurses to respond to current and future health needs.

Investments in quality training and ensuring adequate pay and decent working conditions will also improve health outcomes, promote gender equality and support economic growth.

"Countries must provide an enabling environment for nursing practice to improve attraction, deployment, retention and motivation of the nursing workforce," the report added.
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Cramped tooth and claw in vast cages, hundreds of dogs pass the day sleeping, fighting, or waiting to be fed at a controversial Thai shelter that does not believe in adoptions and blames a drop in donations on the coronavirus.

Launched in 2013, Auntie Ju's Shelter for Stray Dogs has long relied on donors to feed more than 2,000 stray canines and 300 cats living under their care.

But there has been a massive decrease in donations in recent months, and they have taken to Facebook to appeal to animal lovers with photos of dogs in their crowded facilities.

Dogs rest in a crowded enclosure at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday, where some 1,500 canines rescued from the streets around the Thai capital are being housed

Fights frequently erupt between the animals at Auntie Ju's shelter outside Bangkok

New arrivals at Aunti Ju's shelter for stray dogs wait in cafes before being introduced to the general population at the animal sanctuary on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday, where some 1,500 canines rescued from the streets around the Thai capital are being housed

Dogs rest in a crowded enclosure at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday. A caretaker at the dog shelter says they refuse to let new potential owners adopt the dogs because they worry the animals won't be loved

'It may be... due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has made people donate less,' caretaker Yutima Preechasuchart told AFP, during a recent visit to one of its sites in Pathumthani province, about 30 miles from central Bangkok.

Hundreds of dogs are packed into humid rooms behind a rusted fence, where playful fights and territorial clashes happen as the shelter's employees try to clean the concrete floors with a hose.

Some suffer from gashes and are kept in small cages, where the staff redress their wounds with gauze.

A dog with an eye trauma looks through the bars of its cage at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand on Monday

Donations of food and money have dramatically decreased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, leaving the some 1,500 dogs being housed in the shelter with little food to survive on. Pictured: The dogs resting in a large cage at Auntie Ju's animal shelter for stray dogs in Bangkok

An employee hoses down the floor of the large dog cage, which houses hundreds of canines, at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on Monday

A dog peers through the gap in its cage at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand on Monday. Hundreds of dogs are cramped into rusty cages, which can scratch and cut the animals

The dogs go through more than 60 bags of food daily, costing between 20-30,000 baht a day (495-745), Yutima says, but current donations only gets them 30 bags a week.

She defended her shelter's policy of refusing to adopt them out.

'We cannot be certain that (the owners) will love them as much as we do,' she says, and declined to elaborate on what plans her organisation has if they were to completely run out of food.

A non-profit based in Phuket said the conditions at Aunt Ju's were 'ridiculously overcrowded' and questioned how hygienic the site can be with so many dogs crammed into a single, indoor room.

A dog looks out from a cage at Auntie Ju's shelter near Bangkok

Dogs rest in a crowded enclosure at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok on April 6, 2020, where some 1,500 canines rescued from the streets around the Thai capital are being housed in cramped conditions and rusty cages

An employee cleans the floor at Auntie Ju's shelter for stray dogs on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday as the caged canines look on

'If you dont believe in an adoption program... then that's just hoarding,' said Soi Dog Foundation's operations director Sam McElroy.

The foundation -- which found homes for more than 900 animals last year -- is itself in 'uncharted waters', says McElroy, due to the province-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

Thailand currently has 2,220 cases of coronavirus infections, including 26 deaths.
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Snow showers this morning. Bright sunshine later. Very cold. High 16F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 8F. SSE winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph.
In December, 2018, in an article published by the Wall Street Journal, this pronouncement was made. From the wsj.com:

Now, Brazil is set to embark on an experiment that will determine what happens when you loosen gun restrictions in a country battling an overpowering wave of gun crime.

Homicides in Brazil were at historic highs in 2017. They dropped a bit in 2018, as candidate Bolsonaro ran on reform of the gun laws to allow self defense, and reform of the law to get tough on crime. The homicide numbers dropped from 59,000 in 2017, to 51,000 in 2018. President Bolsonaro was elected in October of 2018.

After taking office on 1 January, 2019, President Bolsonaro issued his first decree reforming some of Brazil's extreme gun laws on 15 January, 2019. The drop in Brazil's homicide rate accelerated.

Gun control in Brazil has a long history. By 1997, restrictions on gun ownership were deemed as "severe" by the Wall Street Journal. From the wsj.com: .....
The United Kingdom government, on April 7, has confirmed that the country is not seeing an acceleration in coronavirus cases. While speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance said that there is no big upswing of growth. However, he also mentioned that there still has been a fairly steady increase in numbers.

Vallance said, What you can see is there is not that big upswing of growth that we talked about at the beginning. There is a fairly steady increase in numbers. It's possible we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit. We won't know that for sure for a week or so. What we're not seeing is an acceleration.

READ: Motormouth Piers Morgan's 'Who Can Okay Nuclear Strike?' Amid UK PM's Covid Case Slammed

Currently, the UK has more than 55,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 6,159 lives in the country. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also battling coronavirus infection and he was recently moved to intensive care. The British PM had declared that he was tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month, and since then he was in self-isolation and was even chairing digital cabinet meetings over UKs response to the pandemic.

With increasing numbers, the authorities have also urged people to stay home and have said that it is vital that people play their part to help contain the spread of the deadly virus. The UK government has also assured that they were doing every bit to improve its response and to make sure that the hospitals had the equipment was also being brought in from countries like Germany and Switzerland. Meanwhile, last week, Prince Charles opened a new 4,000-bed temporary hospital in a conference centre in east London. According to the official NHS website, the hospital is built in Bristol and Harrogate to provide beds if local services need them during the peak of coronavirus.

READ: UK Minister Gove In Self-isolation After Relative Shows Coronavirus Symptoms

Coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 82,000 lives worldwide as of April 8. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 209 countries and territories and has infected more than one million people. Out of the total infections, 302,000 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 including Spain, and the economy is struggling.

(Image source: AP)

READ: Medic Describes Kind Of Treatment UK PM Might Receive

READ: Boris Johnson 'received Oxygen Support, Not On Ventilator': UK Minister
Craving al pastor street tacos from La Gloria? Or those cheese enchiladas from Rosarios? Look no further than your local H-E-B.

The San Antonio grocery giant has expanded its restaurant partnership program, which began last week with Max & Louies New York Diner, by offering freshly prepared takeaway Mexican food from star chef Johnny Hernandezs La Gloria and Lisa Wongs enduring favorite Rosarios.

The program was designed to help restaurants affected by the coronavirus crisis that has shut down dining rooms and pushed operations to takeout and delivery only.

La Gloria landed at the H-E-B store at 300 W. Olmos Drive, with tortilla chips ($3.98 for a 1-pound bag), fresh corn tortillas ($3.48 for 36), roasted tomatillo salsa ($3.98 for 12 ounces), Mexican rice ($2.98 for 8 ounces), charro beans ($2.98 for 12 ounces) and meal kits that yield a dozen street tacos with tangy pork al pastor or grilled bistec ($12.98).

La Glorias offerings expanded Friday to the H-E-B stores at 999 E. Basse Road in Lincoln Heights and 1520 Austin Highway, eventually reaching a total of eight stores next week, Hernandez said.

On ExpressNews.com: Updated: H-E-B selling full meals from S.A., starting with Max & Louies

The program, in which H-E-B is guiding restaurants through the labeling process and providing display space, allows the restaurants to keep all the proceeds from their sales. Hernandez said the boost has allowed him to put 20 or so people back to work from his La Gloria restaurants at the Pearl and The Dominion, and his Southtown restaurant The Fruteria

La Gloria at the Pearl and The Fruteria have pulled double duty as takeout destinations and grocery markets during the crisis, but La Glorias Dominion location has gone dark for now.

This is such a huge opportunity., Hernandez said. We have empty kitchens, and weve got to put people back to work.

On Thursday, four H-E-B stores began carrying enchilada dinners from Rosarios, the Southtown Mexican restaurant with a second location on the North Side. Both locations have closed for now, but the H-E-B program has allowed owner Lisa Wong to bring back six or seven employees in addition to managers from Rosarios and Wongs River Walk restaurant Acenar, also temporarily closed.

We were getting a lot of phone calls for curbside when H-E-B called, Wong said. It was the perfect solution.

The heat-and-serve meal kits include two enchiladas, rice and beans, for $8.95, with four varieties to choose from: cheese, mole, verde and chipotle. More varieties are on the way, Wong said.

Related: The S.A.-area restaurants, breweries offering curbside pickup and delivery menus because of coronavirus

Rosarios will start at these H-E-B locations, eventually expanding to eight to 12 locations:

Alon Market: 8503 NW Military Highway

Colonnade: 9900 Wurzbach Road

DeZavala and I-10: 12777 Interstate 10 W.

Lincoln Heights: 999 E. Basse Road

Max & Louies New York Diner is available at these H-E-B stores:

Blanco Road and Loop 1604: 1150 N. Loop 1604 W.

Alon Market: 8503 NW Military Highway

Brook Hollow: 15000 San Pedro Ave.

Alamo Ranch: 12125 Alamo Ranch Pkwy.

Bandera Road and Loop 1604: 9238 N. Loop 1604 W.

Schertz: 17460 Interstate 35 N.

Lincoln Heights: 999 E. Basse Road

In Houston, H-E-B shelves are stocked with food from James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherds Underbelly Hospitality, downtowns Cherry Block Craft Butcher and Kitchen and Midtown staple Brennans of Houston.

In Austin, H-E-B is carrying chicken al carbon from Fresas, with food from Ramen Tatsu-ya and the health-conscious Picnik in the works.

Mike Sutter is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Mike, become a subscriber. msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking
ANN ARBOR, MI - Dozens of firetrucks and police cars will line up around Ann Arbor-area hospitals Wednesday night, but not for a medical emergency.

More than 30 fire and police departments from across Washtenaw County, and even a handful from surrounding areas, are participating in a Parade of Lights processional for Ann Arbor healthcare workers starting at 7:45 p.m. April 8.

The vehicles will turn on their flashing lights and drive a route that sees them pass by the emergency rooms at the University of Michigan Medical Center and St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, according to Ann Arbor Fire Department Chief Mike Kennedy. There will be no sounding of sirens.

The event is not open to the public, in line with Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home order to promote safe practices to help prevent COVID-19 spread, Kennedy said. The announcement of the processional is to make sure residents are not alarmed by a large gathering of public safety vehicles, he said.

The last thing we want to do is create some unintended consequence, he said. Were just trying to do something good...This is just intended to show support for our healthcare allies."

While Ann Arbor fire is organizing the event, the idea to honor healthcare workers came from Salem Township Fire Department Chief James Rachwal, Kennedy said.

Ive seen through social media other departments doing stuff like this throughout the country," Kennedy said. "We got on board with Michigan Medicine and St. Joes to clear it with them, because the last thing we want to do is be a distractor.

Read more from the Ann Arbor News:

Ann Arbor city firefighter tests positive for COVID-19

3 Ypsilanti firefighters test positive for COVID-19

2 new deaths, 25 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Washtenaw County

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.
Rights advocate turns to Foreign Minister urging help for Russian convicts abroad

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

18:08 08/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 8 (RAPSI)  Chair of the Coordination Council, a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council Alexander Brod has turned to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seeking information on the measures the body undertakes to ensure health and safety of Russian citizens serving jail terms in foreign countries.

The Human Rights Council, Brod informs the Minister in a letter a copy of which RAPSI has, receives calls from relatives of Russian convicts abroad, who find themselves in a situation of danger because of the coronavirus pandemic and encounter problems due to worsening incarceration conditions and catering.

There is a growing risk of infection because of unsafe epidemiological environment of some Russian convicts in United States prisons, the letter of the rights activist reads.

Brod asks Lavrov to present relevant statistics so rights activists could stand up for Russians serving terms abroad in cooperation with their home and foreign partners.




Mumbai, April 8 : Continuing its crackdown against the smuggling mafia exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic, Mumbai Police's Crime Branch raided an illegal mask manufacturing unit in Agripada and seized over 57,000 3-ply facial masks, an official said here on Wednesday.

A team led by Kedari Pawar of the Crime Branch swooped on the illegal factory and arrested Miraj Sheikh, 32. He has been booked under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the finished goods worth around Rs 1.70 million has been confiscated, besides a large quantity of raw materials.

According to investigations, the seized illegally-manufactured masks were part of a consignment of 200,000 masks intended for Bengaluru.

The police said that the raided unit, which was specialising in manufacture of bags and purses, diversified into facial masks to cash in on the present huge demand for masks.

Though the official price for such masks is Rs 10, in many areas the 3-ply masks are sold for anything between Rs 25-Rs 75 in the pandemic times.

The seizure assumes significance since the Maharashtra government on Wednesday ordered all people in Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions to compulsorily wear either 3-play or home-made reusable facial masks whenever they step out anywhere for whatever reasons.

In the past couple of weeks, the Mumbai Police has seized millions of masks intended for sale in the black market at exorbitant rates, besides gloves and hand-sanitizers which are now in huge demand as Covid-19 cases soar in Maharashtra.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to reserve 20,000 beds in hospitals and private buildings to set up isolation wards. The move is aimed at intensifying the fight against coronavirus.

Addressing a press conference in state capital Lucknow, principal secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said that during management of Covid-19 positive patients, health teams detected that several people were asymptomatic. But when their swab and samples were sent for laboratory tests, the reports confirmed that they were coronavirus positive. The relatives and close contacts of the positive patients, too, had no symptoms but tests confirmed that they too were positive for the virus, he said.

The health department has now decided to keep asymptomatic people in the isolation wards for treatment. It has already reserved 10,000 beds in government hospitals and health centres in the 75 districts of the state for admission of positive cases. The department has decided to reserve another 10,000 beds for the admission of people who are asymptomatic.

The district magistrates have been directed to acquire lodges, hotels and guest houses near hospitals for admission of such cases. The plan is to reserve 10,000 beds in hotels, guest houses and private premises to set up isolation wards. The state government has issued an order to the district magistrates to start acquisition of such premises in their districts, Prasad said.

During the lockdown, a large numbers of people are facing mental tension and loneliness. The health department has appointed 100 counsellors to help such people. It is already providing health advice to people on its helpline - 1800-180-5145.

The health department has also amended its strategy in relation to coronavirus positive cases in 37 districts. In some districts merely one or two positive cases have been reported. Rather than starting a 30-bed hospital for a single patient, the department has decided to assemble the patients in a single hospital.

Treatment of patients in a single hospital will ensure better management of human resource and equipment, Prasad said.

He said 137 hospitals in the state were ready to treat coronavirus patients. These hospitals include medical colleges of Prayagraj, Meerut, Jhansi, BRD Medical College Gorakhpur, SGPGI, Lucknow, Saifai Medical Institute in Etawah and Jhansi.

The 750 beds in the hospitals have ventilators. At present, around 300 patients are admitted in the hospitals but none of them are on ventilator, he said.
Businesses across the United States, some boarded up and temporarily closed while others struggle to stay open, continue to suffer from looters taking advantage of COVID-19 pandemic.

While overall crime has decreased as a result of mass shelter-in-place orders across the country, looting and burglaries have become more prominent in various cities.

Many law agencies are asking their local politicians to increase fines for people who steal from businesses during the period when businesses are shut for the coronavirus.

While overall crime has decreased as a result of mass shelter-in-place orders across the country, looting and burglaries have become more prominent in various cities

But that still has not deterred those brazen enough to try to steal.

Milwaukee police released images of a suspect they said burglarized a convenience store on the 3300 block of West Vliet Street on Monday morning.

Police shared that the man - last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black du-rag, dark pants, black gloves, and black with white Nike sneakers - was said to have forced his way into the business and stolen property. The type of property stolen was not elaborated.

The New York City Police Department reported that they have seen a 75 percent increase in the number of burglaries to commercial establishments since March 12, when Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency.

The New York City Police Department shared that they have seen a 75 percent increase in the number of burglaries to commercial establishments since March 12, when Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency

Approximately 254 burglaries of businesses were found to have taken place during that period, compared to 145 for the same time last year

Approximately 254 burglaries of businesses were found to have taken place during that period, compared to 145 for the same time last year, officials explained to the Wall Street Journal.

Many restaurants and bars in the city closed or began limiting operations after the city announced for establishments to stop on-site services.

'We knew with the closing of many stores that we could see an increase and, unfortunately, we are,' said NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael LiPetri.

Major crime across the city has fallen. From March 12 through March 21, rapes, murders, assaults and other major felonies fell by 20 percent.

Albuquerque police arrested a 19-year-old who stole beer from a local WalMart. He has been charged with burglary

There were 4,670 such crimes last year while there were only 3,740 during this year.

About 20 percent of the NYPD police force is out sick as the coronavirus slams New York.

Small businesses in South Bay and surrounding areas in California have express worry over the growing number of burglaries hitting the area.

Dan Holder, owner of Jack Holder's Restaurant and and Bar in San Jose, told KPIX that his employees arrived on Sunday to find windows smashed in and several tablets missing.

The Turlock Police Department arrested Samuel Deblieux on Friday after a witness saw him and two others trying to break into a business in the area

'The immediate reaction was, "You've got to be kidding." You come into work on Sunday morning knowing that some lowlife has broken into your place of business and stolen valued possessions from you,' said Holder.

Holder explained that just two days prior, he had hosted a meal giveaway for first responders in the area.

The San Jose Police Department shared that it was aggressively investigating reports of break-ins. Detectives have been able to find some of the items that were stolen.

'They were able to actually find my DoorDash tablet,' Holder said. The tablet is back in use at the eatery.

Small business owners in the area have requested that authorities instill tougher penalties for those who are arrested in connection to the burglaries.

Californian authorities have also detained one man who burglarized two businesses.

The Turlock Police Department arrested Samuel Deblieux on Friday after a witness saw him and two others trying to break into a business in the area.

The Turlock Journal reports the trio had attempted to break into a business on Thursday, but only managed to unhinge the door at the company.

Deblieux has been charged with a felony count of looting for the crime.

At Dru's Place bar in Memphis, Tennessee, owner Tami Montgomery had to up her security after three men stole from a storage unit behind the bar. The trio crashed their car as they tried to escape

At Dru's Place bar in Memphis, Tennessee, owner Tami Montgomery had to up her security after three men stole from a storage unit behind the bar.

The burglary occurred at 2.45am on Thursday and the men stole tools. A witness saw the trio and alerted police, causing them to crash as they fled the scene.

'There's always going to be people that prey on anything this is vulnerable and that's what this creates for businesses. Normally we're open for 13 to 14 hours a day so it leaves a smaller window,' Montgomery told Local Memphis.

Shelby County Sheriff's Department spokesman Captizn Anthony Buckner said overall crime in the area had gone down about 30 percent.

In Seattle, the city has seen a 21 percent increase in burglaries. 'This is a number were going to work very hard to reverse in the coming weeks,' SPD spokesman Sergeant Sean Whitcomb said

'It is concerning that when a business is closed, it is concerning that some might seek that as an opportunity to burglarize. So, as a part of this response to COVID-19, one of the things we've been trying to do is increase our visibility,' Buckner said.

Buckner said SCSO advises businesses to take precautionary steps to move valuables away from the front entrance and out of sight, get a security system if money allows and if a business already has a security system make sure it is working properly.

In Seattle, the city has seen a 21 percent increase in burglaries. Seattle's west precinct - which includes the city's downtown area- has had an 87 percent increase in burglaries.

'This is a number were going to work very hard to reverse in the coming weeks,' SPD spokesman Sergeant Sean Whitcomb said to KTTH.

Burglaries in the cities east precinct, which includes Captiol Hill, have gone up 17 percent.

SPD has been dealing with a staffing problem that has made tackling the crimes all the more difficult.

'Before COVID19, SPD's staffing numbers have been at critical and embarrassing levels to the detriment of our wonderfully diverse Seattle community,' SPOG President Solan explained. 'As our membership exudes professionalism on a daily basis as they serve our community, this staffing crisis has been and will continue to be a major source of concern as it pertains to public safety issues. Sadly, this reality is now even more amplified due to this awful pandemic and it's further impact on our already low staffing numbers as patrol is stretched dangerously thin.'
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  April 7, 2020  Stocks in this weeks article are Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. AP, Kaleyra, Inc. KLR, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. BAH, Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. GO and The Cardinal Health CAH.

Focus on Relative Price Strength to Soften Coronavirus Blows

Fears are growing over the impact of the fast spreading novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on business as the raging pandemic crushes economies and destroys equities. In the meantime, oil prices are experiencing growing pains with the contagion-induced lockdown crippling demand amid a no-holds-barred price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. In a nutshell, there is no escaping the resulting chaos in the markets.

While the volatility and uncertainty will continue until the coronavirus recedes, it would be prudent not to panic and focus on the big picture. Agreed, some heartburn is inevitable but having an investing plan and sticking with it might turn this current selloff into an opportunity to buy solid names at depressed prices. One of the ways potential stock ideas could be identified is to look for signs of relative price strength.

The Relative Price Strength Approach

Investors generally gauge a stocks potential returns by examining earnings growth and valuation multiples. At the same time, its important to measure the performance of such a stock relative to its industry or peers, or the appropriate benchmark.

If you see that a stock is underperforming on fundamental factors, then it would be prudent to move on and find a better alternative. However, those outperforming their respective sectors in terms of price should be selected because they stand a better chance to provide considerable returns.

Then again, it is imperative that you determine whether or not an investment has relevant upside potential when considering stocks with significant relative price strength. Stocks delivering better than the S&P 500 over a period of 1 to 3 months at the least and having solid fundamentals indicate room for growth and are the best ways to go about this strategy.

Story continues

Finally, it is important to find out whether analysts are optimistic about the upcoming earnings results of these companies. In order to do this, we have added positive estimate revisions for the current quarters (Q1) earnings to our screen. When a stock undergoes an upward revision, it leads to additional price gains.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at:https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/856883/focus-on-relative-price-strength-to-soften-the-coronavirus-blows

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Bassam Zioni has resigned his position as the President of the Shura Council, which he founded, although his reason for the departure are not yet known writes Alsouria Net.

The President of the General Shura Council in Syrias Idleb, Dr. Bassam Zioni, announced his resignation on Tuesday.

The move comes one year after he founded the Council which became the official legislative body affiliated with the Syrian Salvation Government in Idleb.

Zioni revealed his resignation through his official accounts on Telegram and Twitter, with a statement that didnt clarify any reason, however, noting that he would elaborate his reasoning further, at a later date.

No comments were made by the Salvation Government or the Council over his official resignation up to this moment.

It is also not yet clear who would succeed Zioni.

In 2019, the Salvation Government announced plans to launch the Shura Council which came to light later in March of the same year.

The Shura Council consists of 107 members, and it is considered the official legislative body affiliated with the Salvation Government announced by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra Front) in northern Syria.

Its mission is to align the government, supervise its work and enact laws and general procedures.

Bassam Zioni, born in 1972 in Baniyas, was elected President of the Council because of his academic achievements. He is a professor of jurisprudence and law, and a professor at Yarmouk University.

He also holds the position of General Director of the Knowledge and Education Authority in Turkey.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Curry County reported its first three cases of coronavirus Monday, and became one of the last counties in Oregon to do so.

Yet days before the tests came back positive, the fallout from the virus had already impacted the remote coastal community. Steep cutbacks at the regions only hospital system have left many doctors and nurses concerned about the arrival of the pandemic  and how the countys health care system will survive when its over.

Almost two hours from any city of more than 10,000, the three towns in Curry County are bridged by narrow, twisting stretches of U.S. 101. The southwest Oregon county is, on average, one of the oldest in the state. Census data shows one in three people who live there are 65 or older, meaning that many residents will face elevated risks to the worst symptoms of coronavirus. The lone hospital is in Gold Beach, 28 miles from Brookings, where the majority of the countys 22,900 residents live.

These have long been concerns for some residents. But the pandemic has thrown the countys healthcare issues into sharp focus.

In a teleconference meeting with members of the Curry Health District board on Friday afternoon, Curry Health Network Chief Executive Officer Ginny Williams announced that 192 employees will be furloughed, laid off or have hours cut. At the beginning of March, the network employed 344 people. Management itself is taking a 20% pay cut, Williams said.

The Curry Health Network operates a hospital and a few medical clinics throughout the county, including an emergency room in Brookings. The network is funded by the Curry Health District, a special taxing district that funds the health networks services. In recent years, the tax-averse voters in the district even approved a $30 million bond to build a new hospital, or face having the existing one  a hodgepodge of bungalows  ordered closed by the state. Curry Health District extends from the northern county line to Pistol River, about 15 miles north of Brookings. Residents in the southern end of the county dont pay taxes on the health district and have voted against ballot measures to join it.

The effects of the cuts will extend beyond the hospital system. The hospital provides the highest-paying jobs in the county, and last fall it paid out 10 percent of all wages earned in Curry County, according to state jobs data.

Williams said the governors ban on elective procedures during the coronavirus pandemic ate into the hospitals revenue streams, a problem felt by many rural hospitals across the state.

But several doctors, nurses and residents of the county called into the board meeting to point out the health networks financial issues existed well before the coronavirus pandemic, and said the major cuts, which extended to cafeteria and cleaning services, will create even bigger problems. Some noted that the district has had difficulty attracting and retaining physicians in the far-flung location, and will have even more trouble doing so when the pandemic is over.

Some also questioned how the layoffs will affect the hospitals ability to deal with a possible surge in coronavirus cases, now that three have been identified.

Williams said she and others are still figuring out how theyll staff the hospital should there be an outbreak  but they hope to call on furloughed employees should they need them.

Having physicians stay on as per diem, were really saying to them, Were going to need you, we just dont know when,'" Williams said. Weve moved nurses who were managers back into front-line positions."

Williams said she knows Curry Countys large older population places the region at particular risk, but said the hospital still faces so many unknowns. The hospital normally has 18 beds. Williams said surge capacity would allow them to hold as many as 47.

I wish I had a formula that could say  well see this many patients, this many will be hospitalized, she said. We do have an older population, but we have a much later curve than everyone else. The benefit, if any, is that we were able to learn from other places.

High-risk population

Catherine Wiley, a retired nurse practitioner who lives in southern Curry County, said she has been frustrated by a lack of clear answers from county officials and health care administrators when she has asked for basic information about the countys response to coronavirus. She worries local leaders are overlooking the countys many high risk factors, such as its elderly population and remote location.

My perception is that instead of being prepared for emergencies, there is a reactiveness to emergencies," she said.

She pointed to the hospitals coronavirus testing procedures, limited to collecting samples at Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach. The majority of the countys population live in Brookings, including many of the countys elderly and homebound residents. For those people and others, Wiley said, a trip to the Gold Beach emergency room to get tested is prohibitively expensive.

Curry General Hospital has critical access status from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, meaning its located in a rural area, does not have more than 25 inpatient beds and is located at least 35 miles away from any other hospital.

The Curry Health District opened the facility in May 2017 after spending $30 million to replace an older facility. The health district then transformed an urgent care center in Brookings into an emergency room that opened in December of 2019. But that rehab caused some financial strain, Curry Health District board member Bryan Grummon admitted.

If we didnt get licensed before the end of last year, we would have had to follow a new set of guidelines for the ER, which we werent able to meet, he said.

That led officials to quickly open the ER, but it also led to overstaffing the facility, which Grummon said left the hospital system about $500,000 in debt.

When some residents heard about the hospitals planned cuts, they questioned whether the hospitals prior financial problems were truly to blame.

My understanding is that prior to COVID, Curry Health District was running half a million dollars in the red, said Stephanie Martin, who lives in Gold Beach. How are we supposed to believe the people who drove us into this mess are going to get us out?

Williams said she was hesitant to discuss finances until the health networks chief financial officer, Carl Gerlach, reviewed the budget at a coming board meeting.

When we ended our financials in February, we knew we were off budget on expenses and on revenue, she said. We came together very quickly to identify those areas.

The hospital system is also recovering from a financial hit in February 2019, after a winter storm took out a quarter-mile of U.S. 101 at Hooskanaden, a stretch of highway between Brookings and Gold Beach thats prone to slides. For months, travelers could only get between the two cities using Carpenterville Road, a steep, winding detour east of the highway. Many south county patients chose to forgo the trip and instead went to Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, 25 miles south of Brookings. That revenue loss cost the hospital district about $650,000, according to an article in the Curry Coastal Pilot.

But the revenue losses from coronavirus and the accompanying closures will likely be much bigger, Williams said.

I havent seen the month end for March yet, Williams said. But we could be talking about a net revenue loss of $4- to $5 million a month. Fifty to 60 percent of our net revenue is at risk with this situation.

Preparing for the storm

Even as the hospital loses money, it must prepare for the coronavirus.

As of Friday, Curry General Hospital had tested 60 people for the virus. On Monday, one of those tests came back positive.

Two other county residents tested positive Monday after traveling to Coos County to be tested, Curry County public health director Sherrie Ward said in a news release. None are hospitalized, and all are symptom-free," Ward said.

At the hospital district board meeting Friday, the public health officials discussed its plan for a surge in patients, which includes re-staging the Gold Beach hospital to increase bed capacity and to separate COVID-19 patients from patients there for other medical issues.

Chief Nursing Officer Megan Brace said even before anyone tested positive, the hospital had already started trying to keep patients who had colds or coughs apart from others, and limit certain employees to only taking care of those patients, to avoid potentially exposing other staff or patients. The hospital has designated a COVID unit, which can be expanded if needed.

She said if the hospital got close to reaching capacity, they could start adding beds in rooms that arent currently used for patients.

Williams said if the hospital becomes overrun with COVID-19 patients, they plan to move patients who dont have the disease to a different floor.

On Friday, Williams said the hospital had 94 kits to test patients for coronavirus.

Samples can only be collected at the Gold Beach hospital because they need to be kept at a certain temperature, Williams said. Curry Health Network doesnt currently have the equipment to transport the samples from Brookings to Gold Beach without compromising them. The samples are picked up by a courier from Quest Diagnostics and transported to California for testing.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE

Williams said the hospital is trying to get equipment to transport the samples safely from Brookings to Gold Beach, and is also trying to procure equipment to test onsite.

Employees concerned about hospitals future

Preparing for a potential surge in coronavirus patients became a bigger challenge after the cuts were announced Friday.

Williams listed the layoffs, furloughs and schedule reductions, which spared no department. From the hospitals food and custodial staff to family practitioners, every department saw some kind of loss. Those cuts will eventually save the health network about $1.2 million every month, Williams said.

We were considering layoffs before COVID, but much more selectively, not in this sweeping manner, she said. Were hoping to be able to ask most of them back. It may not be immediately. It depends on how soon the volume comes back.

Instead of being permanently laid off, Williams said the majority of employees were switched to per diem status. The designation means they are still technically employed by the hospital, though Williams said workers can file unemployment insurance claims.

She said the designation also allows administrators to call providers back in should they need them during the pandemic, as well as bring them back when patients start coming back in for other services.

But at least one health care provider whose job was cut wasnt told about the details.

The per diem status  thats news to me, said Sarah Dickerson, who called into the meeting on Friday. Dickerson is a family nurse practitioner who has worked for the health network for six years and whose job will be terminated Tuesday. She said she wont be able to start a new job for more than a month, because of the sudden timing of her layoff.

She said she was also upset about how her medical assistant was laid off.

On March 31 she was told she was being laid off, which means she didnt have insurance starting in April, Dickerson said. Thats not kind to me.

Dr. Sharmeen Nelson, a family practitioner who has worked at Curry Health Networks clinic in Brookings for about three years, said she and many other senior physicians were furloughed last week.

She noted that the health network had asked providers like her, who dont have an emergency background, to work in the emergency room should there be a coronavirus outbreak.

But she said the revenue issues could not simply be attributed to the governors orders.

We were struck very hard because of the virus, but it was not something unpredictable, she said of the financial hit.

Dr. Ken Manuele, a family practitioner at the Brookings clinic, warned the board to be careful about laying off large swaths of people now.

I know were in dire straits financially, Manuele said. But it will be very difficult to replace who youre losing. Curry Health District does not have a good record of recruiting and retaining positions over the last few years.

He said several providers have been laid off, including the countys only pediatrician.

After all this is over, youre going to have a heck of a mess if you dont have something to fall back on, he said.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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Bernie Sanders waved goodbye at the camera Tuesday night as he concluded an online discussion about the coronavirus. "Thank you very much, and we will see you all soon," he said.

That casual farewell did not reflect the candidate's intense deliberations off camera. By Wednesday morning, he would jump on a conference call with his staff to share words far more blunt: His five-year campaign to win the White House was over.

In a later video address, he explained the conclusion he was not able to escape in the weeks he had spent grappling about his political future.

"As I see the crisis gripping the nation," a slightly hoarse Sanders told supporters in a live stream from his home in Burlington, Vermont, "I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour."

By midday, he had spoken privately to Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Sanders in his video pledged to support the former vice president, although he said he will remain on primary ballots in an effort to collect enough delegates to influence the party's platform in negotiations this summer.

The departure of the senator from Vermont, a Democratic socialist who rose from relative obscurity to build a movement and become a two-time runner-up for the nomination, marked the close of a roller-coaster primary race that started more than a year ago. What began as the most diverse presidential field in history, featuring more than two dozen candidates, finished as one white man in his 70s handed off the nomination to another. Biden's own prospects had been written off not long ago, before a bracing and dramatic surge in the March primaries driven in part by the establishment closing in to embrace him.

Wednesday's moves opened a new chapter that will test the Democratic Party's ability to bridge lingering divisions between fervent liberal activists and more moderate party leaders that were evident in the wake of Sanders' announcement. The immediate challenge: Can the party unify as it failed to do in 2016, when a feud between supporters of Sanders and Hillary Clinton damaged her efforts to win the presidency?

The decision also created uncertainty about the future of the Sanders movement, which is made up of legions of young, loyal supporters who packed rallies and stuffed his campaign coffers with record sums of cash. After his 2016 loss, many felt he would run again. Few believe that now, and some are contemplating who will lead them in the future.

One factor giving Democrats hope for healing is the expected reemergence of Barack Obama, who kept a low public profile during the primary. Obama had conversations with Sanders and Biden over the past few weeks focused on defeating President Donald Trump, according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations. Obama is said to be determined to play a role in unifying and energizing the party for the general election.

Biden released a lengthy statement Wednesday lauding his rival's accomplishments and saying that he would attempt to champion many of the same issues that animated his campaign.

"He hasn't just run a political campaign; he's created a movement," Biden said, echoing a refrain from Sanders. "And make no mistake about it, I believe it's a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday."

But not everyone on Sanders' side was ready to fall in line.

"While you are now the presumptive Democratic nominee, it is clear that you were unable to win the votes of the vast majority of voters under 45 years old during the primary," said an open letter to Biden signed by eight liberal groups that encouraged him to adopt their ideas on climate change, health care and other topics. "Messaging around a 'return to normalcy' does not and has not earned the support and trust of voters from our generation."

RoseAnn DeMoro, a close Sanders friend and former nurses union head, predicted Biden would have a "very, very heavy lift to get Bernie's people on board" because, in her view, "he's not inspirational."

Some allies, however, were hopeful that a good personal rapport between the two men, who served together in the Senate, would help build cohesion among their backers.

"I believe a lot of progressives will rally around former vice president Biden as a bridge to a progressive future, understanding full well that if the Democrats do not unite to defeat Donald Trump and allow him to shape the courts and agencies for a generation, it hurts the progressive movement," said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a national co-chair for Sanders.

Biden's campaign expects to make some policy concessions to Sanders and give his supporters a voice within his campaign. "There's work to do. We have to affirmatively reach out to them and let them know there's home for them over here - and to court them," said Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., co-chairman of the Biden campaign.

Biden and his campaign for weeks have attempted to delicately pave the way for Sanders to exit the race, putting little public pressure on him while at the same time sending signals that they viewed the contest as all but over. Aides to the two men quietly conducted back-channel conversations.

Sanders on Wednesday congratulated Biden and called him a "very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward."

Sanders' decision to end his campaign closes one of the most remarkable chapters in modern political history. His advocacy for sweeping liberal ideas, such as Medicare-for-all and tuition-free public college, shifted the national debate over the role of government and found broad support among members of a party that he never formally joined.

"Together we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become," Sanders said Wednesday. "Few would deny that over the course of the past five years, our movement has won the ideological struggle."

His unexpected success in the first three primary contests of 2020, coming after he suffered a heart attack in October, made him the best-performing socialist contender in U.S. history, as well the strongest Jewish presidential candidate. Sanders, 78, was also the oldest candidate to go so far in the process.

But his failure to capture the support of a majority of Democrats or win significant support in the African American community was on sharp display once the field narrowed to Sanders and Biden at the beginning of March, underlining the limits of his left-leaning politics.

He was never able to regain his footing and, as time went on, he faced internal pressure to think about stepping aside. In the run-up to Wednesday's announcement, even some of his closest aides and allies had urged him to consider bowing out.

Yet he left the race having created a movement that could outlive his candidacy and be an influential force for years to come, given the passion of his supporters and their enthusiasm for his positions. "We have never been just a campaign," Sanders said Wednesday, and his team promoted a new slogan, "The Campaign Ends, The Struggle Continues."

Among some activists, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a rising star who helped rescue Sanders' candidacy with an endorsement after his heart attack, is seen as a potential successor. But some hard-liners are less sold on Ocasio-Cortez and view her as too conciliatory.

"Thank you for your leadership, mentorship, and example. We love you," she tweeted of Sanders on Wednesday, along with a photo of them hugging.

The backdrop against which Sanders called it quits amounts to one more twist in a stretch of political history that has featured the most unorthodox president in memory, his impeachment due to an effort to politically wound a rival and investigations into Russian interference in U.S. elections.

Sanders vaulted onto the national scene in 2015 as a little-known challenger to Clinton, the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic presidential nod. While the senator from Vermont had spent decades in office, he had remained on the fringes of the political discourse, espousing ideas at the left end of the spectrum that often gained little traction.

He signaled his second candidacy with a bang, releasing a video in February 2019 that went viral and raising $6 million in his first 24 hours. That silenced critics who predicted he would struggle to generate excitement in a crowded field with a different dynamic than he faced four years before.

As fall arrived, Sanders struggled, falling behind as Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., ascended. His campaign screeched to a halt on Oct. 1, when Sanders was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital after suffering chest pains during a grass-roots fundraising event. Doctors later placed two stents to open a blocked artery, and it was not immediately clear whether Sanders would be able to continue his campaign.

Boosted back into contention by Ocasio-Cortez and other marquee endorsers, Sanders maintained a steady presence in the race as other candidates went up and down. His loyal backers gave him a floor of support. But as he later found, his polarizing politics also kept him from growing his base beyond a plurality of the party.

Sanders' decision came after restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus halted all traditional forms of campaigning, denying him the giant rallies he had used to create a sense of momentum and cementing the former vice president's growing advantage in delegates.

Biden's campaign, like Sanders', has been separated as staffers and the former vice president have worked from their homes. Biden held several events online Wednesday in which he thanked Sanders and tried to raise money as the presumptive nominee.

"Thank goodness we can finally get to work," Jill Biden told a group of donors, answering questions that included what focus she would have as first lady. "We could never presume that before. This has all been all brand new and happened so, so quickly."

- - -

The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes, Michael Scherer and Amy B Wang contributed to this report.
Jeff Bezos speaks at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on Oct. 22, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Jeff Bezos Tops Forbes List of Billionaires

Not even a nearly $40 billion divorce can topple Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos from being the worlds richest person.

For the third year in a row, Bezos landed the top spot on Forbes rank of global billionaires. His net worth fell $18 billion last year to $113 billion, according to Forbes, partially due to his high-profile split from MacKenzie Bezos. Amazons stock rose 15 percent last year, helping offset some of that loss.

MacKenzie Bezos also made her first appearance on the list, thanks to the $38 billion divorce settlement. As part of the settlement, she got 25 percent of the couples Amazon stock. She now ranks 22nd on Forbes list.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos pose as they arrive at the headquarters of publisher Axel-Springer in Berlin, Germany, on April 24, 2018. (Jorg Carstensen/AFP/Getty Images)

Forbes revealed the 34th edition of list on Tuesday. The list takes into account some of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, which has thrown global markets into a panic over the past few months. For the first half of March, 226 people lost their billionaire status and there are 58 fewer billionaires compared to the same time last year. In total, Forbes counted 2,095 billionaires.

Of the billionaires who remain, 51 percent are poorer than they were last year. In raw terms, the worlds billionaires are worth $8 trillion, down $700 billion from 2019, Forbes said.

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates is in second place with a $98 billion fortune, an increase of $1.5 billion. Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of luxury magnate LVMH, nudged Warren Buffett out of third place with a $76 billion fortune. At $67.5 billion, Buffetts fortune landed in fourth place.

Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation speaks onstage at 2019 New York Times Dealbook in New York City, on Nov. 6, 2019. (Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times)

The worlds richest woman continues to be Walmart heir. Shes in ninth place with $54.4 billion.

Notable Newcomers

Besides MacKenzie Bezos, there are 177 other fresh faces that grace the list for the first time.

Eric Yuan, the founder and CEO of Zoom, is number 293 at $5.5 billion. His companys stock blew up once the the teleconferencing software started being widely used by people working from home during the pandemic.

Another newcomer: Anthony von Mandl, the CEO of Mark Anthony Brands. His company created White Claw, the countrys top-selling hard seltzer drink that has become a phenomenon for people craving a guilt-free boozy beverage. Hes worth an estimated $3.3 billion by Forbes calculations and sits at position number 590.

Julia Koch, of the influential Koch Industries, is also new with a net worth of $38.2 billion. She propelled onto the list at 18th place after she and her children received a 42 percent stake in the company after her husband David died in August 2019.

The-CNN-Wire

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Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
The family of a former Milton Hershey School student who committed suicide is appealing a federal judges order that dismissed its lawsuit against the charitable school.

That appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit comes less than a month after U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III dismissed the suit over the 2013 death of 14-year-old Abrielle Bartels.

Bartels hanged herself in a bedroom closet soon after the school disenrolled her and barred her from attending her class eighth-grade graduation ceremony.

Her family claimed the trauma of being removed from the school she had attended since kindergarten contributed to Bartels suicide. School officials claimed they were unequipped to keep dealing with the psychological problems that has resulted in Bartels repeated need for counseling and voluntary hospitalizations.

Bartels relatives from Newport and Steelton argued in their suit that school officials should have developed a plan to enable her to keep attending the residential school. Her removal plunged Bartels into an assertedly unstable environment and prompted her to kill herself, they claimed.

In dismissing the case, Jones found that, while Bartels death was manifestly heartbreaking, the family had no legal grounds to secure damages from the school.
Archbishop of Ouagadogou and President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo, hospitalized for Covid-19, makes an appeal for solidarity with people affected by coronavirus.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

The Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo, who was hospitalized at the end of March for Covid-19, has written a message calling for solidarity with people suffering from coronavirus.

The letter, titled Message from a Cardinal sick from Coronavirus, was published on 5 April, on the occasion of Palm Sunday.

I would like, from the bottom of my heart as a pastor, to launch a great cry for a profound impulse of solidarity at the local, regional and international level for those sick with Covid-19, stated the Cardinal.

Cardinal Ouedraogo, 75, is the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). He is the first African Cardinal to have tested positive to the Covid-19 virus.

Gratitude

The Cardinal expressed his gratitude to those who had reached out to him in solidarity after his hospitalization. In his message, he thanked religious leaders, his close collaborators, the presbyterium, the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger, the Nunciature and the religious among others.

Cardinal Ouedraogo also indicated that he is receiving good health care. He thanked the medical professionals who with self-denial and professionalism are taking care of him.

Collaboration against coronavirus

The Burkinabe Prelate noted that Covid-19 has multifaceted health, socio-economic, cultural and spiritual consequences for all. In the light of this, Cardinal Ouedraogo called for collaboration in the fight against coronavirus as one finger alone cannot pick up flour.

Let us unite to drive this dreadful scourge with its unfortunate consequences out of our country and out of the world, says the Cardinal.

The West African country of Burkina Faso presently has 384 coronavirus cases with 19 deaths and 127 recoveries. Africa now has more than 10,000 confirmed cases spread over 52 countries.

Prayer intentions

The Cardinal indicated that he would be offering this time of trial praying for anyone who is ill with Covid-19 or affected by other illnesses, for an end to all killings of innocent people by forces of evil, and for reconciliation, justice and peace in Burkina Faso.

In the face of the challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, Cardinal Ouedraogo invited everyone to be inspired by the act of trust of Peter. As disciples of Christ, we are to repeat Peters words Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! (Jn 6: 68).

Concluding his message, the Cardinal noted that this time of Lent marked with the Covid-19 pandemic becomes a time of humility, total trust and abandonment to God. With Him we will attain victory! Since He died and rose again and is alive, Alleluia! Let us remain constant in humble and fervent prayer!
Navajo authorities set to ramp up coronavirus restrictions as US aid trickles into tribal lands facing food insecurity.

The continuing coronavirus pandemic in the United States is putting pressure on the food infrastructure of the Navajo Nation as authorities continue issuing restrictions in hopes of slowing the viruss spread.

Navajo authorities have attempted to get ahead of the virus, instituting a curfew from 8:00pm to 5:00am, which local police started enforcing with fines on April 4.

But the number of cases has continued to climb. As of Monday, there were at least 384 confirmed cases and 15 deaths from COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, as of April 6.

One death is one way too many, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez was quoted as saying by local media.

Navajo authorities on Monday said they would implement a 57-hour total lockdown from 8pm on April 10 until 5am on April 13, unless in case of an emergency. This could place huge burdens on food and water delivery on tribal lands.

Our tribe is trying to take all safety measures to protect our communities and it has come to this weekend one now, said Denisa Livingston, an organiser with the Dine Community Advocacy Alliance (DCAA), a group that mobilises community members to combat obesity, diabetes, and other chronic health issues by increasing awareness of traditional food and lifestyle choices.

The situation the coronavirus pandemic presents is difficult, but familiar to Indigenous communities in the US, Livingston told Al Jazeera.

We have already been experiencing these issues pre-COVID[-19]  Now the world is finally experiencing what has been happening in Indian country.

Food apartheid

The Navajo Nation is roughly the same size as West Virginia, 71,000 square kilometres (27,413 square miles).

It is a semi-autonomous territory spanning three US states  Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It essentially serves as a reservation for more than 350,000 Navajo (or Dine, in their language) people who live there.

There are 13 full-service supermarkets on the Navajo Nation, and one closed on April 1 after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.

Though some have referred to the situation of food distribution in the Navajo Nation a food desert, Livingston used the phrase food apartheid.

Water shortages also cause problems on the Navajo Nation [Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP]

Now, with the curfew, hunger is becoming an issue, Livingston said.

The lack of easy access to food  especially healthy options  has been a problem for Navajo people for years.

A 2006-07 study by Johns Hopkins University found that more than 76 percent of households faced food insecurity on the Navajo Nation.

According to the study, many Navajo also face obesity, diabetes and depression and poor general health  conditions believed to make people more susceptible to complications from COVID-19.

While difficulties around food access are rising during the coronavirus crisis, at the same time resilience has been escalating, Livingston said.

Without the ability to travel long distances, people on Navajo Nation can and should employ ancestral ways of life with greater frequency, according to the DCAA organiser.

These practices include cultivation of food at the home, making physical checks on elders in the community as opposed to using mobile phones and other forms of community support, including food deliveries to at-risk homes.

That community support does venture into the digital realm. There have been numerous fundraisers, including a GoFundMe for Navajo and Hopi families that has raised nearly $400,000 since March 15.

Much of the funds raised has been used to distribute food to hundreds of people, according to posts by organiser Ethel Branch.

Government response

As grassroots fundraising efforts approach half a million dollars, some question the federal governments approach to delivering aid to the hard-hit Navajo Nation.

The US government has allotted $8bn to Indigenous communities in the country to combat the coronavirus pandemic through the $2.2 trillion CARES Act.

These funds will be distributed through the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which provides healthcare to approximately 2.6 million Indigenous people in the contiguous 48 states and Alaska Natives who belong to 574 federally recognised tribes in 37 states.

The funding secured by President Trump to combat the coronavirus is delivering significant investments in the Indian Health Service and tribal communities ability to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement emailed to Al Jazeera.

With these funds from Congress and HHS efforts to ensure IHS facilities have access to the latest testing, we are working to equip tribal communities with what they need to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Azar said.

The CARES Act stipulates that Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin must distribute the full $8bn by April 27, though it does not provide guidelines for its distribution.

Lawmakers have expressed concern about the governments response. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered needed supplies and the Arizona National Guard has helped Navajo Nation efforts, more is needed, they said.

Since we first learned of the serious threat the coronavirus poses to our communities, I have been concerned with the lack of attention the Navajo Nation has received from state and federal agencies responsible for COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts, Arizona Democratic Representative Tom OHalleran, a member of Congressional Native American Caucus whose district includes a large portion of the Navajo Nation, said in an April 3 bipartisan letter to Mnuchin and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

As cases have jumped in the Navajo Nation, legislators have seen delay and confusion from federal agencies, Halleran continued.

Tribal governments are best equipped to respond to the needs of their members and the Treasury Department must move swiftly to make sure tribal governments have the funds they need to do so.

Livingston also noted the delayed response, citing the sizable bureaucracies of both the IHS and local tribes as hurdles.

Now that the Navajo Nation is the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic on tribal lands, Livingston hopes her people can learn through the difficulties.

Returning back to our ways has been a critical point now in learning from a crisis like this, Livingston concluded.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

COVID-19 will redefine grocery shopping and food service.

Convenience now has a different meaning. Its less about saving time and more about survival and safety. Before the crisis, barely anyone ordered online, and many Canadians wondered why someone would ever order food in that fashion. But many things are changing  rapidly.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A worker loads online grocery orders into a delivery van at Save-On-Foods in Winnipeg. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many Canadians have opted to try online shopping for the first time.

The in-store shopping experience, for one, is changing quickly to meet the new standards.

Most grocers have reduced shopping hours to give employees a rest and allow stores to be thoroughly cleaned, from counters to carts, cashiers machines to self-checkout counters. Plexiglass barriers at checkouts are being installed. Grocery stores are now expected to be as clean as hospital operating rooms. That comes at a cost.

Grocers are also limiting the number of people in stores at any time and getting customers to shop within a limited time. This is shopping under pressure for the betterment of society. But grocers basically dont have much of a choice.

And grocers need to pay employees more to work under these conditions. While 500,000 Canadians got laid off last month, Loblaws and Metro announced pay increases for employees.

For many years, the industry wanted to make the in-store experience more pleasant, less stressful. COVID-19 is changing all of this.

According to a report released by Dalhousie University last month, only 24 per cent of Canadians are comfortable with the idea of grocery shopping. So more than three-quarters of Canadians see the grocery store as an inherent risk. Selling to someone who is concerned about their own health as they visit your facility isnt good for business.

Retailing has always been the most hazardous part of the entire food chain, given that everyone has access to the products, unlike farming or processing. So Canadians are applying risk self-management.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, nine per cent of Canadians are shopping for food online for the first time, according to the same Dalhousie survey. That may not seem like many people, but keep in mind that 1.5 per cent of all food sales were conducted online before the crisis.

Grocers are already having difficulty keeping up. COVID-19 is different in many ways than other disruptive events in our lives. But humans are creatures of habits. So it takes time to change our ways  especially with food.

COVID-19 may provide the time needed to change how we purchase food. Public-health officials believe physical distancing could last for months. This isnt your typical storm, where lives are disrupted for a few days, or a week or two. A period of months can be enough to create habits, such as shopping online.

With crises and disruptions come opportunities for the food industry to adapt to changing consumer needs more quickly. Over the last few years, the industry has slowly gained an online presence to counter the Amazon menace. But it was all about Amazon. Now, purchasing online is all about safety.

Before Amazon, foot traffic was the one metric grocers looked at carefully. Those days are long gone. COVID-19 is a powerful reminder of how fragile business models can be.

The circumstances are similar in the food-service industry. Restaurants either served patrons in-house or delivered by managing delivery crews. Food delivery apps changed all that  and even more Canadians are using them since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID-19 has the potential to be as disruptive to the food retail and service industries as the Green Revolution was to agriculture.

The Green Revolution made agriculture more adaptable to modern food consumption trends. Since its beginning in the 1950s, the globe has five billion more occupants and the percentage of people who are food insecure has dropped significantly. The Green Revolution made the entire sector more efficient, smarter and more immune to threatening diseases and other socio-technological threats.

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 Green Revolution has been far from perfect, but consumers have all benefited from it, whether we recognize it or not. Food distribution through different technologies wont be perfect, either, but it will make food distribution more compliant to our modern reality.

When brick-and-mortar location becomes secondary, a businesss path to success in food distribution changes dramatically.

This doesnt mean Canadians will stop visiting grocery stores, farmers markets or restaurants anytime soon. But in five years or sooner, we could see 20 per cent of all food sold online or through apps, restaurants and retail combined. Thats potentially more than $50-billion worth of food. According to estimates, that market represents $7 billion to $9 billion now.

What was often seen as a far-fetched concept just a few years ago appears to be likely now because of COVID-19.

Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

 Troy Media
When the stakes are highest, the truth counts the most. Or maybe when things get really serious, thats when the people really cant be trusted with the truth.

Its pretty clear which of these two ideas is the one that has been guiding elite medical, political, and journalistic institutions, isnt it? They all lied about the masks. Our leading doctors lied. Our elected leaders lied. In retrospect its obvious they were lying, because the explanations were silly. Dont wear a mask, theyre only a good idea if youre a medical professional. Huh? They work only if my paycheck comes from a hospital?

Dont wear a mask, it could give you a false sense of security? Oh, okay, I wont wear a seatbelt either, because then I might feel indestructible and drive dangerously. I wont put life jackets on my boat, either. Heck, why dont I just stop washing my hands?

Dont wear a mask, it might trap droplets when you cough. Yeah, it would be terrible if I caught the virus from myself.

Dont wear a mask, theyre very, very complicated and only experts know how to use them correctly. I need six years of medical school to figure out how to put a piece of cloth over my nose and mouth?

There has been a lot of talk since, oh, approximately November 8, 2016, about the relative use and reliability of experts, elites  our betters. Were told that we need experts more than ever. One guy out there has profitably positioned himself as the meta-expert, the expert on expertise who expertly informs us of what the experts are saying over at the Experts Club.

In the U.K., the debate on experts hit a new level on the third of June, 2016, when Conservative cabinet minister and leading Brexit campaigner Michael Gove said, I think the people of this country have had enough of experts. This instantly became the defining absurdity of the Brexit referendum, and was pilloried and mocked nonstop. Ho ho, said the pundits, when Gove goes in for gall-bladder surgery, Ill bet hed rather be cut into by an expert than a bloke from down the pub!

Story continues

The mocking changed its tone when Brexit carried the day on June 23, 2016, with more Britons voting for it than had ever voted for anything in the thousand-year history of the country. Now Goves remark became the source of the ashen taste in the mouths of Remoaner metropolitan elites bewailing how provincial troglodytes, geriatrics, and Little Englanders had dashed their rationalist, internationalist dreams.

And then Gove was fully vindicated. He turned out to be 100 percent correct.

The full Gove statement was this: I think the people of this country have had enough of experts from organizations with acronyms saying they know what is best, and getting it consistently wrong. The remark was true on the surface  the U.K. voters genuinely were fed up with experts  and it was true in its underpinnings. Gove was referring to the dire economic forecasts of the consequences of Brexit, many of them made by Conservatives such as the then chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, St. George of the Banks, who issued a stern report forecasting an immediate and profound economic shock defined as a GDP plunge of 3 to 6 percent, accompanied by a massive increase in unemployment. None of that happened. The economy grew. Employment surged to record levels. Osborne never apologized for getting it spectacularly wrong. Other elites (academic economists, banks, the BBC, the Financial Times, the prime minister, the guy who played the prime minister in Love Actually) who made similar dire projections largely declined even to admit error. David Cameron at least fell with honor upon his sword. The others just continued to burble new expert warnings.

Could it be that experts have their own interests, that like most other members of homo sapiens they look at everything through the lens of what is best for them and people like them? A post-Brexit academic study found that those economic forecasters employed by banks who figured to lose the most in Brexit issued the most dire forecasts. Quelle coincidence.

I return to the masks. Last week here in Americas Wuhan, New York City, the chief executive of this disease volcano told us on April 2 that we should wear masks. Whats interesting about this is that Bill de Blasio previously gave us no such advice.

On March 25, when confirmed cases in the city hit 17,856, and deaths reached 199, de Blasio said it looked like half of the city population, or 4.2 million people, were on track to get the virus and still . . . he didnt tell us to wear masks. New Yorks three large airports and its highways and its trains continued to disperse New Yorkers all over the country, like a sneeze. March 27: 40,938 cases, 812 dead. March 30, 51,184 cases and 1,527 deaths. Not till last Thursday (63,794 cases, of whom 2,472 were dead) did de Blasio tell New Yorkers to put on a mask.

By which time many of us had figured it out already. How stupid did they think we were? On April 3, when someone asked de Blasio why he had not previously recommended this elementary, common-sense precaution, one that might have stopped much transmission of the virus and saved lives, the mayor breezily acknowledged that the previous line was simply a cover story. The concern throughout was, we didnt want a situation where people were taking supplies, surgical masks, N95s away from the people who are doing the life-and-death work [and] who must be protected. . . . nor did we want to create a sense that if you had something over your face you didnt need to practice social distancing, [or that] you didnt need to shelter in place, which are much more important strategies.

So: The truth is too important to be trusted to the people.

De Blasio is a born central planner, a top-down man, a collectivist who honeymooned in Cuba and went to Sandinista Summer Camp, so its possible hes too stupid to know this, but just because there is a surge in demand for an item doesnt necessarily mean that item becomes unavailable. Masks may be sold out at your Walmart, but more are coming, I promise. Until then, you can make one. Actor Colin Hanks shows you how to do it, in 30 seconds, without a sewing machine. All you need a piece of breathable cloth and a couple of hair ties. Is this a medically sophisticated device? No, but its a lot better than nothing. Americans dont need to wait on the next five-year forecast from Gosplan to solve problems. Innovation comes from the bottom up. Theres a guy in Brooklyn selling masks on the street for two bucks.

De Blasio has had a great deal of company in misleading the public. The CDC, the surgeon general, the WHO, the AMA. They all said the same stuff, even though Robert Redfield of the CDC publicly noted back on February 13 that asymptomatic transmission of the virus was possible. It turns out they were looking out for No. 1. Thats despicable.

Its also counterproductive for experts to set fire to their own reputations in a time when we need straightforward advice much more than we usually do. University of North Carolina professor Zeynep Tufekci writes in the New York Times:

Providing top-down guidance with such obvious contradictions backfires exactly because lack of trust is what fuels hoarding and misinformation. It used to be said that back in the Soviet Union, if there was a line, you first got in line and then figured out what the line was for  people knew that there were going to be shortages and that the authorities often lied, so they hoarded.

How many deaths could have been prevented if all of these groups had leveled with us? Well never know. How many people will fail to take sound future advice from such organizations, having learned to mistrust institutions with a demonstrated record of lying? Well never know. Truth matters. Experts know this. But theyre afraid of what we might do with the truth. So they lie to us anyway.

More from National Review
How to make Japanese curry then serve it three different ways

While packing up our house of nearly 20 years, I found the bin with all my travel journals. For every vacation, I record our journeys in a small notebook. Actually, they mostly contain detailed notes on every food market we visit and the meal and snacks sampled there.

Wow. The documents prove incriminating. We eat a lot. I star all the dishes I want to recreate at home. I hope I live that long.

Tonkatsu, crispy fried pork cutlets, first enjoyed on a family trip to Japan, regularly graces our table.

I encountered a variation, known as katsu curry, on my second trip to Osaka with my sister. We found a restaurant featuring traditional Japanese food ranging from sushi to okonomiyaki, hot pots, teppanyaki and curry.

We sat on stools at the counter to watch the cooks build bowls of rice served with their renowned crispy pork tontaksu. We ordered ours with curry. The contrast of the crunchy pork and the savory, slightly sweet curry sauce proved absolutely memorable.

Turns out, curry is nearly as popular in Japan for everyday eating as ramen. Eaten with rice or noodles or tucked into bread, the savory sauce contains vegetables and a bit of sweetness from mirin (rice wine) and fruit. Japanese curry differs from Indian curries primarily because it is based on mild curry powder  not the complex mixtures of toasted spices and chile heat used in traditional Indian dishes.

Thats good news in my kitchen. Im fond of the flavor of curry powder and always have a jar or two on hand. Like all ground spices, the trick is freshness. The powder should have a rich color and deep aroma  if not, replace it before using. I like McCormick curry powder just fine, but for a real treat I order Madras curry powder online from spicewallabrand.com for its warm flavors of cinnamon, fenugreek, turmeric and cumin.

For convenience, Japanese markets sell boxes of concentrated golden curry mix in mild, medium and hot. The S&B brand is popular; the squares of dense paste (made from flour, oils, curry spices and additives) are meant to be dissolved in broth for the base of the dish. I much prefer to make a simple roux then season it with curry powder for a fresh start to a dish.

Now, that curry regularly factors into dinner at home. I make the curry sauce, packed with vegetables, in advance. For speedy weeknight cooking, the sauce gets reheated to serve over rice or noodles or a topping of firm tofu cubes. For Sunday dinner, I serve it with crisp cutlets for dunking in the sauce.

Serve this hearty, thick curry simply with rice or cooked noodles. A fried egg on top works well. Or, make a tofu bowl with it. For special occasions, serve the curry with rice and crispy pork  fried on the stovetop or baked in the oven. Accompany the meal with chilled sake or beer.

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(TNS)  Even the robots are listening to worldwide recommendations to keep our distance from each other.Although robocalls are automated, call centers where theyre managed are closed or have otherwise reduced their operations, Los Angeles Times business columnist David Lazarus noted last week.Lazarus heard from a couple who noticed a reduction in the amount of robocalls theyve received. He talked to leaders at You Mail, an Irvine, Calif.-based company that tracks them.The pandemic is disrupting everything, Alex Quilici, chief executive of YouMail, told Lazarus. So you can say this is a benefit of the coronavirus.About 4.1 billion robocalls were received by U.S. households in March  more than 132 million a day, according to YouMail.Thats down more than 1 billion from the 5.2 billion calls that were logged in the U.S. in March 2019 In the Pittsburgh area it means people received about 7.7 million fewer calls in March compared to March 2019 , according to YouMail.Pittsburghers received 29.6 million calls in March, compared to 37.3 million in March 2019, according to YouMails figures.That bad news is the reduction in calls likely wont be long lasting, Quilici told Lazarus.Expect robocall volume to pick up again in coming weeks as overseas facilities lay the groundwork for transferring calls to workers homes, Lazarus reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 07:36:55|Editor: Liu

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NEW YORK, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of New York lost 731 lives to COVID-19 from Monday to Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 5,489 while marking the deadliest 24 hours yet since the pandemic took hold here, said Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday.

"Behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family, is a mother, is a father, is a sister, is a brother. So a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers and they're in our thoughts and prayers," said Cuomo at his daily briefing on coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the numbers of daily incubations and ICU admissions declined for another day, and the state is reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations, which are all "good news," said Cuomo.

The number of deaths "is a lagging indicator to the number of hospitalizations," explained Cuomo, emphasizing that the flattening of the curve is still just a projection.

"It still depends on what we do and what we do will affect those numbers, " he noted.

The governor said he's thinking about restarting the economy with a smart approach, first with those who have resolved from the disease and developed immunity.

"That would mean that you're no longer contagious and you can't catch the virus because you have the antibodies in your system, which means you can get to work and go back to school, you can do whatever you want," said Cuomo.

He said the state developed an antibody testing regimen and will be working with the Food and Drug Administration to bring it to scale.

Meanwhile, testing for determining who have been infected remains significant for slowing down the spread. Cuomo announced the state will invest in private companies to bring rapid COVID-19 testing to scale and accelerate testing capacity.

The governor added that the Navy hospital ship Comfort docking at New York Harbor will be used for treating COVID-19 patients, after the governor made a plea to President Donald Trump on Monday.

The ship's original 1,000 beds will be scaled down to 500 as COVID-19 patients need more space in treatment, which "is still a tremendous benefit," said Cuomo.

As of Monday afternoon U.S. Eastern Time, New York state reported 138,863 COVID-19 cases, topping the country's 50 states. Over 79,000 cases were recorded in New York City, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Ex-Chad Leader Temporarily Released from Jail Due to Coronavirus Quarantine

By VOA News April 07, 2020

Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre has been granted a two months reprieve from his life sentence by a judge in Senegal, where he was convicted of crimes against humanity.

His lawyer reportedly requested the humanitarian leave because he is in his 70's, and the elderly are urged to show extreme caution to avoid infection.

The judge said Senegal authorities are using the Cap Manuel prison in Dakar to hold new inmates in solitary confinement while in coronavirus quarantine, in order to avoid any potential spreading of the virus.

Habre will spend his 60 day leave at his home in Quakam, a district of Dakar.

The French News Agency (AFP) said an association of victims of his regime criticized the decision to release the former Chadian leader, arguing "the health crisis should not be used as an excuse for the early release of Hissene Habre."

So far, Senegal has recorded 226 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and two people have died.

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The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has admonished a Bexar County court-at-law judge for using social media to congratulate attorneys who won jury verdicts in her court.

Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez said she was just praising good work, by both defense attorneys and prosecutors.

One of the commission members took offense to giving kudos, Speedlin Gonzalez said. She has appealed the decision.

In its ruling, the commission said the posts on the judges official Facebook page violated the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits giving the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others.

The admonishment, which was dated March 18, was made public Tuesday.

The commissions decision was based on a review of allegations that concluded the judge had made eight separate posts regarding 12 attorneys between Aug. 21, 2019, and Oct. 25, 2019, in which she congratulated the attorneys and lauded their results and professional backgrounds.

The commission said after the commission received the commissions inquiry into the matter, the postings stopped, though the above-referenced posts remain publicly visible on her Judicial Facebook Page, the document stated.

I left them up because nobody told me to take them down, Speedlin Gonzalez said, until after her hearing before the commission on Feb. 6, and that at that point the Facebook application wouldnt allow her to go back to when she first made the postings.

.

One of the postings, dated Aug. 21, reads: This seasoned team of Barristers just earned a NOT GUILTY jury verdict after a 3 day trial on an Assault Bodily Injury case. Alfredo Tavera, Esq., has been practicing and serving as a judge for over 40 years. He graduated from UT Law. Paul Acevedo, Esq., has been in practice over 20 years and focuses on criminal defense. He is a graduate of Thurgood Marshall Law School in Houston As you can see, their client is elated at the outcome. Congratulations to these two legal eagles on their victory and zealously representing their client.

Another posting, dated Sept. 19, reads: This dynamic duo of Assistant D.A.s just earned their 8th GUILTY JURY VERDICT of the year. Bexar County Court at Law No. 13 has just concluded their 17th jury trial. Eric Botello and Ashley Jones will be leaving our court because they GOT PROMOTED!!!!! Both will be leaving by October 1st to begin their journeys as Felony Prosecutors. Congratulations to both on their win today and their promotions. #justice4all

The commission ordered Speedlin Gonzalez to receive four hours of instruction with a mentor within 60 days from the date of written notification of the assignment of a mentor, in addition to her regular judicial requirements for 2020.

Speedlin Gonzalez, elected in the Democratic sweep of 2018, is active on social media, using her official page to provide information for attorneys, victims and families that appear before her in court. She was among the first jurists in Bexar County to use her Facebook page and official county court web page to urge people to practice social distancing as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and to stay out of her court if they had a fever or flu-like symptoms.

County Court at Law No. 5 Judge John Longoria, administrative judge for the county courts, said Wednesday that although he has to respect the rulings of the commission, I dont have to agree with them.

Shes very sharp in her work on family violence and she works very hard,  he said of Speedlin Gonzalez. It seems to be a stretch for them to say she cant salute the efforts of participants in our judicial system. She is giving credence to their hard work.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Overseas Filipino workers displaced in foreign countries on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic will receive one-time financial assistance worth 10,000, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the release of a 1.5-billion fund to the department for the financial support of displaced OFWs.

This assistance program is good until the available funds are used up, Bello said.

Land-based and sea-based workers will be given the cash assistance amounting to $200, or the equivalent amount in their host countries, through DOLE's Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program.

Bello said the program will cover both documented and undocumented workers, provided they have undertaken actions to regularize their contracts, or are members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an attached agency of DOLE.

OFWs infected with the disease are also eligible for AKAP as long as they have not received any form of financial assistance from their host government or foreign employers yet.

To avail of the program, OFWs must submit to their respective Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) an accomplished application form for the special cash assistance downloadable from the website or social media account of their POLO.

They must also submit a photocopy of passport and/or travel documents such as residence ID or visa, proof of overseas employment, proof of loss of employment on account of the virus, and proof of a pending case that caused their current undocumented status such as case reference number and case endorsement stamped by the POLO.
WE wrote recently about the concept of self-compassion, what it means and what its core elements are. Since then, the threat and fall-out of the Covid-19 virus has grown exponentially. Now more than ever we need to be compassionate to ourselves as well as to others.

Psychological research tells us that self-compassion is good for our mental fitness; it can make us more resilient to stress, anxiety and depression, improve our self-image, boost our immune systems and generally make us happier.

Most people understand what it is to be compassionate to others and are often very compassionate especially towards loved ones in distress. However, the idea of being compassionate to oneself is often quite an alien one. People who are prone to depression and anxiety in particular struggle with this idea.

Paul Gilbert, a UK-based psychologist, researcher and author developed Compassion Focussed Therapy out of a recognition that a subgroup of his patients continued to struggle with their mental health, despite conventional evidence-based psychological and pharmaceutical interventions. He noticed that these patients often suffered from a sense of shame and were highly self-critical. When he started addressing shame and self-criticism with his patients and cultivating self-compassion in them, he began to see encouraging results.

Self-compassion means seeing our struggles as universal. Life is hard and everyone gets sick, grows old, has relationship problems, experiences loss. Who would have thought just three short months ago that people worldwide would all be struggling to contain and manage a virus and that this would have such far-reaching effects? According to Gilbert, the practice of self-compassion has two parts  one is being sensitive and empathic to these struggles and the other is doing our best to alleviate the suffering.

So why then do many of us find this so difficult? Sometimes a person who regularly self-criticises thinks that this will motivate them to do better. There is no evidence in the psychological literature to support this assumption. Think about it; would you prefer to have a highly critical teacher for your child who shames and humiliates them when they get something wrong, or would you prefer a kind teacher who encourages, praises and gives constructive criticism when needed? Unquestionably it is the latter. We recognise that our child will benefit from the second scenario but not the first. We can be our own teachers and encourage ourselves rather than self-attack or self-shame. And we will be the better for it.

Others think that our standards will drop and that we are in some way letting ourselves off the hook, if we are compassionate towards ourselves. There is no evidence for this either. Instead, if we are self-compassionate, we are more likely to plan, to look after long-term as well as short-term goals, we are less likely to fear failure and we are more likely to admit mistakes because we will not attack ourselves if we do fail.

Nor is self-compassion the same as self-pity. One of the core elements of self-compassion is an understanding that we all belong to a common humanity and that everyone of us struggles at times. Reseach shows that self-compassionate people are able to appreciate and understand other peoples distress rather than just focussing on their own.

Some feel that self-compassion is a woolly concept or being self-indulgent; that self-compassion is not necessary if you are strong enough. However, again the research would argue against this, indicating that self-compassionate people are better able to deal with adversity like divorce, bereavement, losses and so on.

Finally, some people equate self-compassion with self-ishness. However, again the research tells us that self-compassionate people who look after their well-being are better able to give to others.

Most of us understand that to be physically fit and healthy we need to train, to work-out regularly and consistently. Also, that changes in our physical fitness do not happen overnight. However, being mentally fit requires an equal commitment and amount of practice. Now more than ever in spring 2020 we are universally experiencing higher levels of stress. Being sensitive, sympathetic and kind to ourselves in this struggle  all aspects of self-compassion  will help us manage this stress. When we talk to ourselves with compassion rather than criticism, we stimulate different neural pathways in our brains. Over time these become stronger. This is mental training. And the more we train, the stronger we become. Staying indoors as much as possible, making the short-term social sacrifices that are required in order to slow this virus down is ultimately a very current form of self-compassionate behaviour. It's hard to do in the short-term but it is for the longer-term good. Self-compassionate thinking, reasoning and behaviour are definitely tools that we can use daily to help in the current struggle against uncertainty and change.

Julie O'Flaherty and Imelda Ferguson are chartered clinical psychologists, both based in private practice in Tullamore. They write a fortnightly column on Positive Psychology for the Midland and Tullamore Tribune. Through Mind Your Self Midlands, they run courses on Positive Psychology and Mindfulness through the year. They can be contacted through the Psychological Society of Ireland www.psychologicalsociety.ie (Find a Psychologist section) or on their Facebook page, Mind Your Self Midlands.
The COVID-19 hotline set up by Quebecs government has been ringing off the hook for the past couple of weeks.

Though the province has only a quarter of Canadas population, it has more than half of the countrys nearly 18,000 coronavirus cases, putting it under enormous pressure to disseminate information faster than the disease can spread.

A new chatbot, developed for the province by a local tech startup called Botpress Technologies, will be unveiled on the governments coronavirus website soon to help diffuse some of the strain.

The development of the bot happened fast, said Marc Mercier of the Quebec City bot-making startup, Botpress Technologies. They offered their help, and the next morning they were meeting the government.

We didnt even know if we were going to get paid. We just felt it was the right thing to do, said Mercier, who added that deployment of the bot will likely happen within the next couple of weeks.

In the past three weeks, thousands of skilled tech workers around the world have stepped forward to volunteer their time to governments and organisations struggling to deliver critical services amid COVID-19 chaos. While some say the goodwill is commendable, others worry citizens will forsake privacy rights and civil liberties in order for governments to have convenient services right now.

Grassroots efforts

In Europe, a virtual army of 3,300 volunteers organising on LinkedIn under the banner Cyber Volunteers 19, or CV19 for short, is working to provide online security to hospitals and healthcare institutions.

Lisa Forte, a partner at the United Kingdom-based Red Goat Cyber Security, co-founded CV19 with Daniel Card and Radoslaw Gnat three weeks ago after learning healthcare providers online systems were at heightened risk amidst the pandemic.

We were concerned that, should the worst happen and they suffer a cyberattack at this moment in time, it could be pretty devastating, Forte said on the phone. It could even lead to a loss of life, potentially, in a worst-case scenario.

So far, the group is supporting hundreds of institutions in the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Poland, and has the capacity to help more, said Forte. CV19 has fended off ransomware threats and phishing scams, and has worked to patch vulnerabilities in hospitals internal communication systems, she added.

The United States has a similar grassroots volunteer corps, organised by several ex-White House staffers and other high-profile technologists. The group, US Digital Response, has 3,000-plus volunteers ready to help state and local governments coordinate and communicate COVID-19 digital measures, said co-founder Cori Zarek  a former deputy US chief technology officer in the Obama administration and a current director at Georgetown Universitys Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation.

A man looks at his phone as he walks in Times Square, wearing a mask amid the coronavirus outbreak, in New York City [Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

Zarek told Al Jazeera, for instance, that the state of New Jersey told the group it needed help informing small businesses what kind of financial aid was available to them. We had a volunteer who, I think over the course of a weekend, put up assistance.business.nj.gov. If youre a small business, you can head to that site and quickly navigate through a series of questions to understand what relief might be available to you, she said.

US Digital Response has tackled a few dozen requests so far, including efforts to bring online the kinds of admin work normally done by fax and mail, as well as help coordinate mutual-aid networks like its Neighbor Express website for Concord, California.

We have hundreds and hundreds of cities and counties [in the US], and they all kind of operate independently and dont always have direct lines of communication with one another, said Zarek.

Particularly in a crisis, those networks are what you really need to be able to move fast, understand whats working elsewhere, and then consider how to adapt it where you are. So thats where we came in  to play that convenient coordinating role.

These kinds of small-scale tech projects are helping governments put out some fires. But, some researchers warn that not all offers of help are equally altruistic, nor are all helpers capable of handling the complex social problems colliding inside this global health crisis.

Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy researcher and the former chief technologist of the US Federal Trade Commission, worries about the implications of embracing a tech market approach to solving COVID-19. Theres not a lot of good data right now. Our actual ground truth surveying instrument  which is actual tests, the number of people infected  is quite limited, so were grasping and all these proxies for data, he said.

As an example, Soltani pointed to a smart thermometer whose maker says it can help detect coronavirus hot spots  nevermind that the data would be biased, as it would only pull data from those with the little-known thermometer, which ranges in price from $20 to $70 depending on the model.

Privacy and tracking

A track-and-trace mobile app in Singapore, meanwhile, promises to inform those who might have come into contact with infected people by using anonymised location data. But it only works for people who have voluntarily downloaded the app, which limits its efficacy. Some researchers worry the next step to flattening the curve may be tracing without permission, which brings up questions of privacy.

Google is already testing those limits with its Community Mobility Reports, which use mobile location data to track peoples whereabouts without their explicit consent. The company says it uses world-class anonymization technology to tell governments whether their citizens are abiding by stay-home orders.

Contact tracing app TraceTogether, released by the Singapore government to curb the spread of COVID-19 is seen on a mobile phone [Edgar Su/Reuters]

In moments of crisis, it is easy to get approval for solutions that ultimately have long-term effects on civil liberties, Soltani said, pointing to the US Patriot Act that was passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US. The Act granted the US government broad powers to conduct domestic surveillance operations in the name of its counterterrorism efforts.

Soltani is watching for what COVID-19 leaves in its wake. These are times when draconian policies get put into place, he said.

China has repurposed some of its surveillance tools to track COVID-19 and send information to law enforcement. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the invasive use of anti-terrorism surveillance tools to track the virus was needed for the countrys battle against an invisible enemy.

Elsewhere, the European Commission has already asked major European telecoms to give them greater access to customers mobile location data. Similar efforts are under way in the US. A letter led by Amnesty International and co-signed by a dozen citizens rights groups is imploring the US government to install guardrails on any emergency digital measures in order to protect individuals civil liberties. Soltani said it is not a difficult leap from using tech to track the spread of the virus, to using it to dictate who is allowed to move around and who is not.

In a world where most people have internet access, the solution is not to have no tech help at all. Soltani said it is commendable that so many tech workers and companies are volunteering time and resources to help in their own way. But rigorous privacy protections are required now, knowing that governments may never repeal their newfound extraordinary powers.

In that sense, thoughtful tech solutions have a lot of power to advance the cause of digital privacy. The question [for apps and developers] is going to be, What are the policy decisions that they made?' said Soltani.
Last week, Entercom asked WFANs top on-air voices, including Mike Francesa and morning show duo Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti, to take significant pay cuts given the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The New York Posts Andrew Marchand reported that the pay cuts came after Entercom announced significant layoffs and furloughs will hit its stations nationwide.

On Wednesday, Marchand reported those cuts could be permanent, once COVID-19 is brought under control.

There is a major concern among the on-air people that Entercom wont go back to full-time WFAN local weekend programming or, maybe more likely, they will force hosts to work a sixth day, which they all are doing during the quarantine.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

As for the possibility that Francesa could be asked to play a more prominent role in WFANs Monday through Friday programming lineup after the coronavirus pandemic, Marchand reported never say never. But probably not.

As for those pay cuts announced last week, heres what Marchand originally reported:

Sources said Entercoms COO Susan Larkin had a conference call with WFAN staff Thursday morning in which she laid out that contracted employees, like Francesa, Esiason and Giannotti, that make $250,000 or more will be asked to take a 20-percent pay cut.

Those in the $100,000 to $250,000 range will be requested to accept a 15-percent reduction.

Those in the $50,000 to $100,000 range will be asked to take a 10-percent cut.

Marchand also reported WFAN hosts will be asked to forgo bonuses through the end of July - a significant move given many of the hosts are continuously engaging in high-profile battles for ratings supremacy with ESPN New York and other stations in the market.

Contract employees like Francesa can decline the pay cuts, according to Marchand, but most of the stations rank-and-file will have no choice.

(NJ Advance Medias James Kratch 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.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A brand-new machine developed by a California startup believes their creation produces pizza to match those made at high-end brick oven restaurants.

A pizzarific innovation

The system, created by Basil Street, was unveiled capable of cooking and delivering 10-inch pizzas in as little as three minutes using only fresh ingredients. The process utilizes the machine's three-element non-microwave speed oven that offers a 'wood-fire oven experience using less time.

Customers have the option between Italian-style, thin-crust, four cheese, pepperoni, and a 'Pizza of the Month' whose prices range from $6.95 to $11.95.

According to Digital Trends, the modern contraptions contain 150 flash-frozen, 10-inch, thin-crust pizzas that are ready to serve in three minutes.

The system utilizes a touchscreen customer can use to place their orders. Payment is then made using credit cards.

CEO of Basil Street, Deglin Kenealy, said it took them three years of progress to finally discover the perfect process to produce pizza with quality on par with brick-ovens but with the convenience of a stand-alone vending machine. He also said they are excited going forward with their invention to make it a staple in the everyday life of consumers.

Kenealy also shared the secret to the process is having direct flat contact between the pizza and the heat source. Unlike conventional toasters where the produce is held on its side between the heating elements.

Basil promised to stock every single vending machine to guarantee each pizza that they produce is of the highest quality and freshest ingredients.

The company has closed a $10 million funding, which enables it to start a multi-city endeavor beginning this April. It is still choosing locations for the pilot program it has planned, where it's focusing its sights on several regions across the country.

Kenealy said, "This round of funding enables us to kick-off our pilot program next month with the hopes of escalating into a full-scale launch of our kiosks by the end of Q3 in 2020."

They have shared due to the high demand of the initially produced machines, several requests from other companies and venues have been received expressing interest in cooperating and participating in the program to help spread the innovation. The list includes corporate and medical facilities, universities, and military bases.

The company will deliver a pair of machines to an undisclosed partner they said is among the most abundant food and beverage manufacturers in the world. All this is as Basil Street looks to expand its market abroad.

Read Also: Google Doodle Honors Everyone Fighting the Coronavirus With a Touching Message!

Normal Cooking Method

The usual high-end pizzas are baked in brick-ovens, where the dough is heated simultaneously from above and below. The two sides must be heated evenly to produce the perfect pizza texture and taste. The oven temperature has to be just right for the pizza and its toppings to be cooked at the same time.

Professionals say you can either overcook the pizza, where the dough is overdone, or you undercook it, where the toppings are underdone and become watery.

Experts also stated there is plenty of chemistry and physics involved in determining the right cooking environment to produce the perfect, and delicious pizza.

Read Also: [VIDEO] Elon Musk Shows How Tesla Make Ventilators After Reports It Sent 'Ineffective' Equipment to Hospitals
By Kyle Arnold | The Dallas Morning News

Approximately 100 American Airlines flight attendants have tested positive for COVID-19, a number union leaders say is likely to increase, according to a message to members from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Thats still less than 1% of the 25,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, but companies including air carriers have been quiet about how many employees have contracted the virus at the center of a global pandemic that has shut down much of the economy and almost all of the worlds air travel.

American Airlines did confirm that one flight attendant in Philadelphia, Paul Frishkorn, died from COVID-19 on March 23. An American Airlines pilot and baggage handler at DFW have also received positive COVID-19 tests.

Three TSA agents at DFW have also tested positive for the virus, the agency has reported.

We will get through the COVID-19 crisis but need to make everyone realize the seriousness of this threat, said a letter from the health team at the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. COVID-19 is a deadly global pandemic, and it has impacted our health, and now our financial livelihood, negatively.

Without a doubt, that number will increase in the following days and weeks.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has also not disclosed any specific positive COVID-19 cases at the carrier, although several flight attendants say they are aware of positive tests, have been diagnosed themselves or are in quarantine because of exposure to another flight attendant with COVID-19.

Some flight attendants have tested positive for COVID-19 while on duty, and the numbers are rising, said Lyn Montgomery, president of TWU Local 556, representing Southwest flight attendants.

Montgomery said Southwest needs to more thoroughly clean planes and to give crew members personal protective equipment such as masks. Flight attendants and other employees at Southwest are still providing their own masks.

American Airlines Flight attendants have been pushing for health protections since COVID-19 became a threat in January, first on international flights and then domestic. American has allowed flight attendants to wear gloves and face masks to help cut down on the risk of spreading germs. American Airlines has also blocked seats near flight attendants, reduced the in-flight distribution of snacks and beverages and given passengers more freedom to move between seats.

The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, said a statement from American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein. We are in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health officials and are coordinating with them on any required health and safety-related measures. We continue to look at all ways we can care  and protect  our team during this stressful time.

American Airlines would not disclose how many total COVID-19 cases it has in the company. American is contacting employees that have potentially been exposed to confirmed cases and asking those people to quarantine for two weeks.

Public health officials are responsible for contacting passengers about potential contact.

So far, American has allowed flight attendants and other crew members to bring their own masks, but said this weekend they have secured face masks for crew members and will be distributing those over the next few days.
Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi will be join investigation after his quarantine period is over, said his lawyer.

On Tuesday, Delhi Police's Crime Branch lodged an FIR against seven people, including the cleric, on a complaint by SHO Nizamuddin for holding a religious congregation here allegedly in violation of the lockdown orders and not maintaining social distancing to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Delhi Police's Crime Branch wrote to Saad and others on Wednesday, seeking the details under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

"Saad is currently under self quarantine and will join investigation once the period of 14 days gets over," his advocate, Tauseef Khan, told PTI.

According to the FIR, the Delhi Police contacted the authorities of Markaz on March 21 and reminded them of the government order that prohibited any political or religious gathering of more than 50 people.

However, no one paid any heed to the police's direction, it said.

Moreover, an audio recording purportedly of Saad was found in circulation on WhatsApp on March 21, in which he was heard asking his followers to defy the lockdown and social distancing and to attend the religious gathering of the Markaz.

On March 24, the government ordered 21-day nationwide lockdown and restricted any social, political or religious gathering.

The same day a meeting was held at Hazarat Nizamuddin police station between SHO and officer bearers of Markaz. The meeting was attended by Saad, Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Salman, Yunus, Mursaleen Saifi, Jishan and Mufti Shehzad and they were informed about lockdown orders.

It was found that despite repeated efforts, they did not inform the Health Department or any other government agency about the huge gathering inside the Markaz and deliberately disobeyed government orders.

The sub-divisional magistrate of Defence Colony inspected the premises several times and found that around 1,300 people, including foreign nationals, were residing there without maintaining social distance. It was also found that there were no arrangements of hand sanitizers and face masks at the premises.

So far, thousands of COVID-19 cases across the country have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held in Delhi last month.

More than 25,500 Tablighi members and their contacts have been quarantined in the country after the Centre and the state governments conducted a "mega operation" to identify them, a senior Union Health Ministry official said on Monday.

At least 9,000 people participated in the religious congregation in Nizamuddin. Later, many of the attendees travelled to various parts of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rochesters beer and brewery aficionados have had a few weeks to adjust to drinking at home.

Crowlers (25 ounces instead of the more common 32 in other states) and 750 ml bottles can be sold from brewpubs for takeaway. Growlers too. But Forager Brewery has long since moved on from what is a bit of an antiquated to-go method in the helter-skelter world of beer.

For a long time, selling four-packs (or 12-ounce bottles, or pints in any denomination) has been illegal for this states breweries.

So what is a Minnesota brewpub to do? Well, Barley Johns Brewpub in the Twin Cities opened a distribution brewery and taproom across the border in Wisconsin. Austin Jevne, Foragers head brewer, did something similar, co-founding Humble Forager, a Wisconsin brewery. Kind of.

Its a separate brand created last fall so that Jevne can distribute the beer  hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, and fruited sours, for now  he and Forager are known for (hes also known for barrel-aged stouts across the country, but Im unsure that will be a Humble Forager thing due to using a contract brewer).

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The beer is contract brewed at Octopi . And while contract brewing has a negative connotation in America thanks to supposed poor quality and the thought that the brewer doesnt have enough hands-on time with the beer, that isnt the case with this brand.

The Waunakee, Wis., company, located outside of Madison, has made a name for itself through its Untitled Art brand and contract brewing other beers (including Foragers Florida Weisse in 2017, a huge hit). Not only is the quality high, but the contract brewerys brewing capacity is multiple times higher than what Forager can pump out.

But none of this means anything if Foragers new brand of Humble Forager beer is no good. And while I missed the brands debut (and Jevne) in Madison at Garths Brew Bar in early March, I was able to visit the craft beer bar that had it on tap and grab some cans the day after.

The beer is very good. With Foragers reputation and Jevne already plotting on how to improve, it should do well. The market is favoring breweries who sell beer on-site, but distro in beer stores isnt dead yet. Especially with everyone in lockdown mode due to COVID-19.

Humble Foragers first release is Elevated Perspective (I like to refer to it as my hiking DIPA, as Ive been hiking like crazy with it during the lockdown  away from others, of course). The double IPA is made with vic secret, galaxy, and sultana hops, as well as a malt bull including oats and Jevnes oft used spelt. The beer tastes like a jamboree of fruit flavor. Fresh papaya lends it a tropical feel, with melon, pineapple, and a little bit of earthy spice -- perhaps a subtle black pepper. The mouthfeel is pillowy, and it isnt turgid, but has the murky haze appearance everyone adores in IPAs today. Its a good beer.

Even better, Humble Forager can be found in Rochester in addition to the Madison area and other Octopi beer channels. Rochester is typically neglected by breweries in the Twin Cities, so this is another win for Jevnes new brand.

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On the fifteenth day of the



national lockdown on Wednesday Mumbai reported 106 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the overall tally to 696, the civic body said.

The death toll in the financial capital rose to 45 with five patients undergoing treatment at various hospitals succumbing to the viral infection on Wednesday, stated a release issued by the Brihnmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

However, the state government has separately put the rise in the COVID-19 cases in Mumbai at 72 and the overall tally as on Wednesday at 714.

Meanwhile, the BMC put the number of the people being recovered from COVID-19 and released from hospitals at 59, though no new patient was discharged on Wednesday.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that 313 suspected patients have been admitted in various hospitals in the city.

The BMC said it has identified quarantine facilities for more than 11000 people across 24 wards in the mega city.

"They are being used to house high risk and low risk contacts of COVID-19 positive cases from slums, chawls and congested localities in order to arrest the spread of the pandemic in congested areas," said Pednekar.

The Mayor further added that over 900 high and low risk contacts have already been shifted to these quarantine facilities.

The 106 new COVID-19 positive cases included six fresh cases from the slum sprawl Dharavi and two new cases from Mahim, including a 43-year-old man and a nurse working at private Breach Candy Hospital.

Meanwhile, amidst growing cases of COVID-19, the Mumbai civic body has made wearing of masks at public places compulsory, an official release stated.

Issuing a circular, the BMC also warned of arrest under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for flouting its order.

"All persons moving out for whatever purpose and for whatever reason in public places like streets, hospitals, offices, markets etc must wear mask or cloth mask," it stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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UPDATE: Test results received after his death showed Richard Brodsky did not have COVID-19. The cause of death was a heart attack, his daughter said.

Longtime New York state lawmaker Richard Brodsky is dead at age 73, his family announced Wednesday.

The Journal News reports the former state Assemblymans wife, Paige, said he died Wednesday at home after experiencing symptoms consisting consistent with coronavirus. He was tested for COVID-19 on Friday, but had not received the results yet.

Brodsky, a Democrat from Greenburgh in Westchester County, served in the NYS Legislature from 1983 to 2010. According to the New York Daily News, Brodsky helped create the Environmental Protection Fund and the 2009 Public Authorities Reform Act, which brought oversight and accountability to 700 authorities in the state.

Brodsky also ran twice for state attorney general in 2006 and 2010, and was among the candidates for state comptroller in 2007. In 2006, Brodsky dropped out of the AG race to donate a kidney to his then 13-year-old daughter.

Many of his colleagues mourned the loss and praised Brodsky, who retired in 2010 but remained a mentor to lawmakers.

I am saddened at the passing of former-Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins wrote on Twitter. Richard was a fierce advocate for his constituents, and I was proud to stand with him as a member of the Westchester delegation to the State Legislature."

Richard was a dedicated public servant, and in his 27 years in the Assembly he fought to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement. Richard was not just a colleague, he was a friend and a mentor to me when I was first elected to the Assembly. It was an honor to serve with him and watch as he fought, not just for his constituents, but for all New Yorkers.

When the virus takes someone that strong and that powerful, it spares none of us, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, told the Journal News. He was strong, he was strong willed. Im so sad about it. I cant even express myself.

Brodsky is survived by his wife Paige, and their daughters.

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The pandemic hit Italy about two weeks before it came to the United States, so we can learn from their experience. But I pray what happened in Bergamo, a small city in Italys prosperous, industrial north, never happens anywhere else: coffins lined up in churches and hospitals, ambulance sirens ringing day and night as paramedics respond to the gravely ill, and funeral after funeral with only a priest, a mourner and a body.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 20:55:57|Editor: huaxia

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Macao, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) will issue consumption voucher worth 8,000 patacas (about 1,000 U.S. dollars) in total to each resident as part of its economic stimulus package to boost the business during the spread of the COVID-19, the SAR Government Information Bureau said here on Wednesday.

The bureau said the consumption voucher will be distributed to Macao residents in two phases. The first voucher worth 3,000 patacas (about 375 dollars) will be used between May and July, and the second worth 5,000 patacas (about 625 dollars) between August and December 2020.

The consumption voucher can be used in markets, restaurants and other daily consumption venues to support local business, especially the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The stimulus package also provides monetary support for employees, freelancers and enterprises, especially for those who have medium and low-income.

The SAR government has launched a series of measures involving aggregate financial support of up to 50 billion patacas (about 6.25 billion U.S. dollars) to help Macao residents and SMEs cope with the difficulties brought by the COVID-19 outbreak, including waivers or reductions of some taxes, supportive loans for SMEs, and incentives for consumption.
Washington

Thomas B. Modly, the acting Navy secretary, resigned Tuesday after his bungled response to an outbreak of the novel coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt engulfed the Navy in a public relations disaster, Defense Department officials said.

Modly's departure is the latest in a string of events that began last week, after The San Francisco Chronicle published a letter in which the Roosevelt's commander, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, pleaded with the Navy to help contain the virus that had spread rapidly through his ship.

The Navy has announced more than 170 coronavirus cases aboard the Roosevelt since the outbreak started in late March, after the ship had docked in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Modly fired Crozier on April 2 after accusing him of circumventing the Navy's traditional chain of command by copying more than 20 people on the emailed letter.

The firing sent shock waves through the crew, which was only exacerbated Monday when Modly flew to Guam, where the Roosevelt is now docked, and said Crozier was "too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this."

He also rebuked the crew for having cheered their captain as he left the ship.

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

Pressure had mounted to remove Modly, presenting a stark choice for Defense Secretary Mark Esper: convince President Donald Trump that his appointment to the Navy's top civilian job is no longer fit to serve, or allow a controversy ignited by Modly to engulf the entire military.

Esper has carefully followed the administration line since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, including urging military commanders overseas not to make any decisions related to the virus that might surprise the White House or run afoul of Trump's confident messaging on the growing health challenge. But Modly may have taken Esper's warning too far when he harshly rebuked the crew and captain of the nuclear aircraft carrier. With those actions, Modly turned what could have been a straightforward health matter into a political crisis.
China lifted a travel ban on Tuesday on residents of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic began last year, and reported no new deaths, but the situation remained grim elsewhere as Britain and New York State recorded their highest number of fatalities yet.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care, meanwhile, after being admitted to a London hospital on Monday evening, 10 days after being diagnosed with the virus.

His spokesman said the 55-year-old Conservative leader was in stable condition and "good spirits." He was receiving "standard oxygen treatment" and has not required a ventilator.

The shocking hospitalization of a major world leader underscored the global reach of COVID-19, which has put more than four billion people -- over half of the planet -- on some form of lockdown, upended societies and battered economies worldwide.

Amid warnings that worse is yet to come, death tolls mounted in a crisis that has now claimed more than 80,000 lives out of nearly 1.4 million confirmed cases around the world.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care after being hospitalized for coronavirus. By Leon Neal (POOL/AFP/File)

While other major cities around the world remained locked down, thousands of people rushed to leave Wuhan after the Chinese authorities lifted a more than two-month ban on travel from the city in Hubei Province.

"Wuhan people have paid a big price," a 21-year-old man surnamed Yao said at the Wuchang train station.

"Now that the lockdown has been lifted, I think we're all pretty happy," said Yao, who was heading back to his restaurant job in Shanghai.

Flights also resumed at Wuhan's international airport and roadblocks were removed around the city.

Residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wait to cast their ballots in the state's presidential primary and local elections after the governor of the midwestern US state failed in his bid to postpone the vote. By KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI (AFP)

The National Health Commission said Tuesday that no new deaths had been logged in the preceding 24 hours, the first fatality-free day since China began publishing figures in January.

China's official tally is some 81,000 overall infections and more than 3,300 deaths but there are suspicions Beijing has under-reported the real numbers.

'Eye of the storm'

Spain said its downward trend in new infections and deaths was continuing and that increases in fatalities on Monday and Tuesday were the result of weekend deaths being tallied. By Pau Barrena (AFP)

Britain reported 786 new deaths and New York state saw 731 in 24 hours, after Spain, France and Italy all recorded new surges in fatalities.

New research showed Britain's toll on a steeper trajectory than other nations and predicted as many as 66,000 deaths by July, far more than in Italy, which has the highest fatalities to date -- 17,127.

Paris on Tuesday banned daytime jogging to keep people from bending anti-coronavirus lockdown rules as France breached 10,000 deaths.

But there were glimmers of hope in the statistics.

Spain said its downward trend in new infections and deaths was continuing and increases in fatalities on Monday and Tuesday were the result of weekend deaths being tallied.

Eduardo Fernandez, a 39-year-old nurse at Madrid's Infanta Sofia Hospital, said there had been fewer admissions in recent days.

"But we remain much above our usual capacity," he cautioned.

A sign praising health workers at Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak Campus in Royal Oak, Michigan. By JEFF KOWALSKY (AFP)

"I don't know if my colleagues who are in the eye of the storm are able to see (the decrease) because the work pressure is very high."

Iran's parliament convened for the first time since late February as the country reported a drop in new infections for the seventh straight day.

China and other Asian nations have raised alarm over a possible second wave of infections, and Beijing only started gradually easing restrictions in Wuhan in recent weeks.

'THIS IS RIDICULOUS'

In New York, the epicenter of the US outbreak, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state appeared be nearing the peak of its pandemic, with a three-day average of hospitalizations down.

Intensive care admissions and intubations also declined.

COVID-19: world toll. By Jonathan WALTER (AFP)

He said social distancing was working and urged New Yorkers to remain indoors.

"I know it's hard but we have to keep doing it," Cuomo said.

Despite stay-at-home orders in another US state, Wisconsin, voters were going to the polls to cast ballots in the Democratic presidential primary and local elections.

The governor of the midwestern US state attempted to postpone the election through executive order, citing the risks to poll workers and voters, but was overruled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

China reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January. By NOEL CELIS (AFP)

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel showed a mask-wearing woman in line to vote at a high school holding a sign bearing a message summing up her view of voting during a pandemic: "THIS IS RIDICULOUS."

As the virus continues to exact a deadly toll worldwide, people have been forced to improvise, with bodies packed in cardboard coffins in Ecuador and a city official in New York raising the possibility of carrying out temporary burials in a public park.

New York City funeral home director Pat Marmo said he was dealing with three times more bodies than normal. "It's almost like 9/11, going on for days and days and days," he said.

Economic fallout

Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at a subway station in Warsaw. By JANEK SKARZYNSKI (AFP/File)

Governments are scrambling to put together rescue packages to stem the economic damage from effectively shutting down global commerce, as fears loom of a devastating recession.

The UN's International Labour Organization said 81 percent of the global workforce of 3.3 billion people are now affected by "the worst global crisis since the Second World War."

Japan, which declared a month-long state of emergency on Tuesday, has promised a $1-trillion stimulus package, a staggering 20 percent of GDP in the world's third-largest economy.

With the ink barely dry on a $2-trillion economic rescue package passed by Congress, US President Donald Trump has said he favors another massive spending program, worth another roughly $2 trillion, but this time targeting infrastructure projects.

EU finance ministers were working on a deal to use the eurozone's 410-billion-euro ($447 billion) bailout fund to fight the virus but the bloc remains divided on pooling debt to issue "coronabonds."

Stock markets were up across Asia and Europe but Wall Street finished slightly lower.

The EU announced it would put up 15 billion euros to help developing countries fight the epidemic, which is only starting to spread in some of the world's poorest countries.

burs-cl/ec
Many investors define successful investing as beating the market average over the long term. But its virtually certain that sometimes you will buy stocks that fall short of the market average returns. We regret to report that long term Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (ASX:API) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 41% in three years, versus a market return of about -0.9%. Unhappily, the share price slid 1.2% in the last week.

View our latest analysis for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During the unfortunate three years of share price decline, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 1.9% per year. Given the share price reaction, one might suspect that EPS is not a good guide to the business performance during the period (perhaps due to a one-off loss or gain). Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.

It looks to us like the market was probably too optimistic around growth three years ago. However, taking a look at other business metrics might shed a bit more light on the share price action.

We note that the dividend seems healthy enough, so that probably doesn't explain the share price drop. Australian Pharmaceutical Industries has maintained its top line over three years, so we doubt that has shareholders worried. So it might be worth looking at how revenue growth over time, in greater detail.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

ASX:API Income Statement April 8th 2020

We know that Australian Pharmaceutical Industries has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Australian Pharmaceutical Industries stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Story continues

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries the TSR over the last 3 years was -32%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 13% in the twelve months, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries shareholders did even worse, losing 16% (even including dividends) . Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 2.0% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. 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 Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (at least 2 which are potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Kabul: The Taliban has halted prisoner swap negotiations with the Afghan government after accusing leaders in Kabul of refusing to comply with a key part of the US peace deal - a major setback to what many hoped would be start of formal talks between the two Afghan sides.

Representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government were negotiating the release of more than 100 prisoners. The US-Taliban peace deal called for thousands of prisoners to be released within days of its signing, but the Afghan government quickly objected to that timeline, citing logistical constraints.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes questions from reporters on Tuesday. Credit:AP

The release was already weeks behind schedule, and when the two sides finally met in Kabul, negotiators quickly hit a snag. Taliban representatives wanted their senior leaders included in the first round of releases, while the Afghan government balked at releasing anyone who had helped orchestrate large-scale attacks.

The repeated delays to the start of formal talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are threatening to upend the fragile US-Taliban peace deal. Since it was signed in late February, violence in Afghanistan has escalated and a power struggle over the Afghan presidency has deepened.
No 10 has admitted it does not know when the peak of the coronavirus pandemic will hit, making an early easing of the lockdown even less likely.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, had suggested the crisis would be at its worst this weekend  while the mayor of London predicted it might take a week longer.

But, asked for the governments latest forecast, the Downing Street spokesman said: It is too early to say when the peak is going to be.

He added: The focus needs now to be relentlessly on stopping the transmission of this disease.

Dominic Raab, the stand-in prime minister, had already all-but admitted the lockdown will continue  although a review will take place next week, as required by law.

And the Welsh government appeared to confirm the restrictions will stay in place, in an announcement that blindsided its counterparts in London.

We are definitely extending the lockdown  it will not be raised next Tuesday, said housing minister Julie James.

The No10 spokesman said it was not predicting the timescale for the peak on the advice of its scientists, adding: They have been clear that it is too early for us to be able to definitively say.

Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, suggested it could be a month before an easing of the lockdown could be even contemplated.

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

You hit the peak, perhaps the beginning of next week  then you have 2-3 weeks before you start to see the numbers decisively turning, he told BBC Radio 4s World at One programme.

The comments came as Boris Johnson was revealed to be responding to treatment as he remained in a stable condition after a second night in an intensive care unit.

On testing, Downing Street defended its progress after just 14,000 tests were carried out on Monday, on fewer than 10,000 patients  when the target is 100,000 daily tests by the end of this month.

We have been making good progress, the spokesman said, pointing to more than 20,000 checks now carried out on NHS staff and their family members.

And he backed the performance of the World Health Organisation, after Donald Trump attacked it, insisting Britain had no plans to pull funding.

He also played down the US president revealing the UK has asked for 200 ventilators, saying he was referring to orders from US companies that had already been placed.

Dominic Cummings, the prime ministers chief aide, is still recovering from coronavirus at home, the spokesman said: He has been in contact with No 10, but is not working in No 10 at the moment.

He insisted cats and dogs can go outside, contrary to some suggestions they should be kept indoors to guard against the risk of them spreading coronavirus.

Asked if Larry, the No 10 cat, was confined to barracks, the spokesman replied: Hes fine, he is going about his business in the usual way.
Here is what we know about the drug:

What is hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is a prescription medicine that was approved decades ago to treat malaria. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It is sometimes referred to by its brand name, Plaquenil, and is closely related to chloroquine, which is also used to treat malaria.

Why has hydroxychloroquine been considered as a possible treatment for the coronavirus?

There are several reasons. A promising laboratory study, with cultured cells, found that chloroquine could block the coronavirus from invading cells, which it must do to replicate and cause illness. However, drugs that conquer viruses in test tubes or petri dishes do not always work in the human body, and studies of hydroxychloroquine have found that it failed to prevent or treat influenza and other viral illnesses.

Reports from doctors in China and France have said that hydroxychloroquine, sometimes combined with the antibiotic azithromycin, seemed to help patients. But those studies were small and did not use proper control groups  patients carefully selected to match those in the experimental group but who are not given the drug being tested. Research involving few patients and no controls cannot determine whether a drug works. And the French study has since been discredited: The scientific group that oversees the journal where it was published said the study did not meet its standards.

A study from China did include a control group and suggested that hydroxychloroquine might help patients with mild cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But that study had limitations: It was also small, with a total of 62 patients, and they were given various other drugs as well as hydroxychloroquine. The doctors evaluating the results knew which patients were being treated, and that information could have influenced their judgment. Even if the findings hold up, they will apply only to people who are mildly ill. And the researchers themselves said more studies were needed.

Another reason the drug has been considered for coronavirus patients is that it can rein in an overactive immune system, which is why it is used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. In some severe cases of Covid-19, the immune system seems to go into overdrive and cause inflammation that can damage the lungs and other organs. Doctors hope hydroxychloroquine might calm the condition, sometimes called a cytokine storm, but so far there is no proof that it has that effect.
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 7 April 2020.

PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 7 April 2020 was 28.35 USD 22.97 GBP and year-to-date performance was 5.6%.

Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005769/en/

Contacts:

Media

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
Protests In China as Business Owners Face Bankruptcy; Lawsuits Against Chinese Regime

Close to 9,000 business owners protested in Shenzhou City of Chinas Hunan province, saying that they are risking bankruptcy and were calling on the local government for help. Chinese police attempted to break up the protests. And international lawsuits are now growing against the Chinese regime for its coverup of the CCP virus, which allowed the virus to spread more rapidly and left much of the world unprepared.

These stories and more in todays episode of Crossroads.

Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube.

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This Easter weekend, our usual calendar of Things to Do in CNY is filled with virtual events as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep residents at home doing their part to social distance themselves and flatten the curve of the virus spread.

While big Easter eggs hunts are canceled, the Easter Bunny will be making appearances this weekend in some places like the Sodus Bay Sportsmens Club in Sodus, NextHome CNY Realty in Fayetteville, and RFHs Hideaway in Phoenix. Local restaurants are also offering Easter meals and treats for delivery or pickup.

Below are some live events you can experience from your very own living room as we try to flatten the curve. Many events are free, but some are asking for donations via PayPal and Venmo.

Do you know of a virtual event happening? Let us know at features@syracuse.com.

Just for kids

Utica Zoo is running an online Easter celebration all weekend from April 11-12.

Utica Zoo is hosting a Digital Eggstravaganza throughout the weekend of April 11-12 on the zoos Facebook and Instagram accounts. Learn all about eggs and the animals who bring their young into the world enclosed in an egg. There will be Keeper Talk videos, egg themed videos with zoo educators, and at-home egg themed crafts and activities, including a reverse egg hunt.

Clear Path for Veterans is hosting a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt. Print the egg coloring page posted in the Facebook event and hang it on your door or window. Take a walk or drive and find the other eggs. Post a picture of your egg or your neighbors in the event. There will be a raffle on April 12 for participants for a special prize.

Howard Hanna Liverpool is hosting an Easter coloring contest for kids. Kids are invited to color in the printable coloring sheet on their Facebook page and then emailed to cathyneider@howardhanna.com. Contest deadline is by April 19.

Liverpool Public Library is running an at home program where you can earn points for reading and completing activities. Points turn into virtual raffle tickets that you can enter to win prizes or earn prizes for every 100 books read. No library card needed to participate. Register individuals, families, or groups online at lpl.beanstack.org.

Fayetteville Free Library offers virtual storytime with Miss Kristen every Thursday at 10 a.m. via Zoom.

Manlius Library is doing a series of YouTube videos including Toddler Story Time with Miss Karen on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m., Teen book Tuesday with Miss Lorie at 4 p.m. each Tuesday, and Lunchtime Poetry every day at noon. Miss Lorie will read old and new poetry through the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Art

Liverpool Art Center is offering a weekly drawing class every Sunday at 2 p.m. Interested participants must pre-register for the Interactive Zoom Classroom Experience. Classes are available for all ages and skill levels.

Fulton Public Library is hosting a virtual adult coloring club on Thursday, April 9 at 3 p.m. on Zoom.

Issac Bidwell's Count Barkula cropped image.

Artist Issac Bidwell has provided a free downloadable coloring book for kids and the young at heart. Filled with images from his Pickled Punk sideshow themed characters, Bidwell said he wanted to do something to make people happy and do his part in this health event. He encourages people to share their finished pages on social media and tag him at @issacbidwell. This free book and more fun items in his Pickled Punk Plush online store.

Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute is offering a weekly kids craft on their Facebook page. This week is a 3-D construction paper fish. You can also find links to virtual gallery tours, yoga videos and more on their page.

Concerts

X Ambassadors perform at Chevy Court at the New York State Fair, Geddes, NY, Saturday, September 3 , 2016. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.comSYR

Ithaca native Sam Harris of the X-Ambassadors will be performing in the Facebook Live event Human to Human 2020 on April 11 alongside other musicians like Jewel, Butch Walker, Hunter Hayes, Tori Kelly, Rick Springfield and more. The event runs from noon to midnight. The X-Ambassadors will also be performing on Twitch at 6:30 p.m. on April 9.

Local musician JustJoe is playing piano and singing cover songs twice a day on Twitch.tv. You can catch him every day at noon and 7 p.m.

Syracuses Symphoria has started an At Home With Symphoria series, featuring musicians from their symphony. This weekend includes bassist, Spencer Phillips on April 9 at 12:30 p.m. and violist, Arvilla Wendland on April 13 at 3:30 p.m.

NPR has put together a list of live concerts available all weekend with performances from a variety of genres from big opera houses to country to jazz, rock pop and more. This weekend they include the Plugged In From Home Festival from April 8-11.

Dance

A Modern Dance Series with Sarah Walter of the Salt City Dance Festival will be streaming classes live on her Instagram account and her Facebook page. Classes will be from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on April 9 and noon to 1 p.m. on April 11.

Josh from morning radios The Show on KROCK will be DJing from his house for a virtual house party on April 10 at 7 p.m. Hell be playing 90s rock and hip hop music. You can tune in via the KROCK Twitch channel.

Queerantine: A Virtual Dance Party is being organized locally by artist Jess Posner and friends. On Friday, April 10 at 9 p.m., the virtual dance floor will open up and attendees are encouraged to dress up and dance their hearts out.

Trivia

Syracuse Trivia Company will be hosting two trivia games this week online. On April 8 at 7 p.m., they will be hosting a Girls Night trivia game written and hosted by the ladies of Syracuse Trivia Company, open to all participants. On April 10 at 7 p.m. they will be hosting their now weekly virtual trivia night. Players can join them on Facebook or on YouTube to play. The hosts recommend having a computer or at least two mobile devices to be able to watch the broadcast on one screen or window and also submit answers at quiznight.live.

Smartass Trivia will be hosting with virtual trivia games on Zoom on April 9 at 7 p.m, 7:30 p.m., and 8 p.m.

Theater

CNYPlayhouse is offering a virtual audition workshop every Sunday at 3 p.m. Learn how to pick your song, prepare for your audition, and navigate once you get there. Participants are encouraged to join the Facebook group to be part of the virtual class.

Breadcrumbs Productions will host a virtual Musical Improv Comedy Workshop with Hughie Stone Fish, Dwayne Colbert, and Mirage Thrams on April 15-17. Stone Fish, a Jamesville-DeWitt High School graduate, was a finalist on NBCs new reality competition Bring the Funny." There is a class for ages 13-17 and 18 and up. Sign-ups are on the Breadcrumbs Productions website.

Point of Contact Gallery will be going live on Facebook on April 9 at 6 p.m. with Raquel Salas Rivera, Poet Laureate of Philadelphia. Salas Rivera is a Puerto Rican poet, translator, and literary critic.

SiriusXM host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley have created Stars in the House, a daily live streamed series to support The Actors Fund and its services. Stars from Broadway, TV, and film, stream themselves live from home with Rudestsky and Wesley as moderators. The shows stream every day at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. For the full performance listing, see the Stars in the House website.

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
A study published by World Wildlife Fund on World Health Day, April 7, found 88 percent of Vietnamese extremely worried about the novel coronavirus.

The survey, commissioned by WFF and conducted by GlobeScan consultancy between March 3-11, randomly interviewed around 1,000 Vietnamese across different age groups nationwide and around 4,000 in Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar and Thailand to measure and understand opinions on what support looks like for the closure of all illegal and unregulated wildlife markets during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It found in Vietnam citizens expressed the highest level of concerns about the global health crisis, followed by Thailand (86 percent), Myanmar (79), Hong Kong (78) and Japan (76).

As for Vietnam, the survey found 96 percent of respondents are aware of the pandemic and 68 percent said it significantly impacted their daily lives, including jobs, livelihood, income and medical insurance.

A vast majority of respondents, 94 percent, believe visiting wildlife markets is the major mode of transmission and 90 percent support the government closing illegal and unregulated markets selling wildlife.

Nearly three-quarters of Vietnamese, 73 percent, agree closure of wildlife markets would be effective in preventing similar outbreaks in future. In addition, 91 percent of participants are likely to support official efforts to close all illegal and unregulated wildlife markets.

When looking at consumption, 82 percent stated they are unlikely or very unlikely to buy wildlife products in illegal and unregulated markets in future. However, it pointed out four in ten intended buyers are persistent and continue to consume wildlife products during the new coronavirus outbreak.

Overall, 72 percent of respondents in all five markets claim never to have consumed wildlife products. 84 percent said they would be very unlikely or unlikely to buy wildlife products in open wildlife markets in future, with Hong Kong expressing the highest aversion at over 90 percent.

83 percent of Vietnamese participants and 80 percent from all markets claimed they worry a similar pandemic outbreak could occur in future if no tougher regulations are put in force.

WWF lauded Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for ordering the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with relevant ministries, to draft an urgent directive to strictly ban illegal wildlife trade and consumption in the country in early March.

Latest additions have brought the national infection tally to 251. Of the cases, 122 have been discharged.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 82,000 lives after it hit 209 countries and territories.
The European Parliament on February 12 ratified the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as well as the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The EVIPA is still subject to EU member ratification procedures and will likely enter force after the EVFTA is implemented.

The EVIPA aims to protect investors and investments in the EU and Vietnam and ensures they will be given fair treatment.

The European Parliament on February 12 ratified the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). On the same day, the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) was also approved marking a historic step in Vietnam-EU trade relations.

The EVIPA will still require EU member ratification procedures and will likely enter force after the EVFTA comes into effect.

Protecting investors

An Investment Protection Agreement (IPA), part of a free trade agreement (FTA), is an agreement between two or more countries, which aims to protect investors and investments in a host country. It ensures that they will be accorded fair treatment and will not be discriminated against.

Usually, when there is a dispute between an investor and a host country, investors can reach out to the World Bankss International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) or other similar tribunals permitted under their respective FTA for resolution.

In the case of EVFTA, both parties have agreed to set up a permanent court, referred to as the Tribunal to handle such issues. This will not only protect investors and their investments but also protect a countrys right to oversee the implementation of public policies. In addition, the court system will be an independent dispute resolution system.

EU Vietnam tribunal system

Under the EVFTA, a permanent dispute resolution system will be set up that will handle disputes related to the investment protection provisions in the FTA, such as protection against expropriation without compensation.

Domestic courts will not be allowed to intervene or question the decision of the tribunals to ensure transparency and fair treatment.

Members

According to the EVFTA, the tribunal will comprise of nine members. The EU and Vietnam will each appoint three members, while the remaining three members will be appointed from a third country.

Court hearing process

All cases will be heard by a three-member team from the tribunal, with the EU, Vietnam, and a third country represented equally. The three members will be selected by the President of the Tribunal, with one condition that the chair of the group belongs to the third country, and not the EU or Vietnam.

Appeals

According to the EVFTA, a claimant can appeal the decision of the tribunal to a permanent appeal tribunal within 90 days under numerous grounds such as errors of law, errors of fact, and procedural unfairness of the tribunals decision.

If not appealed within 90 days, the decision of the tribunal will be deemed as final. The appeal tribunal will consist of six members, two each from the EU and Vietnam, and remaining two from a third country.

Alternative dispute resolution

Before reaching out to the tribunal, a claimant can request for a consultation or mediation. Consultations will be held either in Hanoi, Brussels, or the capital of a member state of the EU concerned. It can also be conducted through video conference or in any other location, as agreed upon by the involved parties.

In the case of mediation, a mediator is appointed by agreement of the disputing parties and can be a member of the tribunal.

If a dispute claim is not settled within 90 days of the submission of the request for consultations, a claimant can send a notice of intent to submit a claim. If a dispute is still not resolved within three months from the submission of the notice of intent to submit a claim or 6 months from the submission of the request for consultations, they can forward their claim to the tribunal.

However, a claimant cannot submit a claim to the tribunal in case the claim is already pending before any other domestic or international tribunal or court.

Trademarks

The EVFTA has introduced the international standard of genuine use which has been absent from Vietnams IP laws. The genuine use standards state that a trademark is used (real or actual) within the five-year period after registration and is liable to termination if not used within that time period. Vietnamese law at the moment is vague on this, though authorities are expected to issue further guidelines on genuine use of a trademark.

The EVFTA also states that a trademark can be the subject of termination if after registering, the trademark becomes inactive and subsequently common or generic.

Geographical indications

As per the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or reputation that are due to that origin. To function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place, thus giving a clear link between the product and its original place of production. Under the EVFTA, Vietnam will protect more than 169 GIs, while the EU will protect 39 of Vietnams without having to go through the registration process. The agreement also allows some GIs such as Gorgonzola and Champagne in Vietnam as long as there is actual commercial use.

Patents

As per the EVFTA, parties will develop patent registration procedures using the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) as a reference. In addition, both countries will compensate patent owners for delays in authorization.

Design

Vietnam has implemented the Hague Agreement on international registration of designs, which will protect designs for at least 15 years. In addition, Vietnam will also protect partial designs as per the current  whole design. For complex products, only designs of the visible component of the product are protected under the EVFTA.

Takeaways

Vietnam is the EUs second largest trading partner in ASEAN, surpassing regional rivals Indonesia and Thailand in recent years.

The trade agreement, which both parties aim to bring into effect by 2020, will eliminate over 99 percent of the tariffs. As per the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the FTA is expected to help increase Vietnams GDP by 4.6 percent and its exports to the EU by 42.7 percent by 2025. While the European Commission has forecast the EUs GDP to increase by US$29.5 billion by 2035.

As COVID-19 weakens global demand, Vietnam businesses are eyeing EU exports with the EVFTA gaining greater significance. With exports to China experiencing less demand  a large market for Vietnam, the EVFTA can allow for significant opportunities for Vietnam businesses.

However, with the EU on lockdown, Vietnam is keeping a close watch on developments and the impact on trade. Even during the pandemic, Vietnam has continued to maintain a strong bilateral relationship with EU countries while it manages the pandemic at home.

Note: This article was first published in August 2018 and has been updated to include the latest developments.
The fact is  and this is not a surprise to our families and students  its unlikely we are coming back in May, Wallace told the board. We just are reluctant to make calls, for example, to cancel graduations, even though its highly unlikely we will have them. Theres going to be a point, though, sooner than later, where we have to begin doing some of those kinds of things.
Oregon students will not return to school this year but districts will continue to offer distance learning.

The decision came Wednesday during a press conference in which Gov. Kate Brown cited continuing public health concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"We want to give you the ability to make plans for your children's education and for everyone's safety," she said in announcing the closure.

Schools have been closed since March 17 and were set to reopen on April 28.

The Oregon Department of Education ordered districts last week to prepare a distance learning program by April 13. On Wednesday, Director of the Oregon Department of Education and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Colt Gill said that distance learning did not necessarily mean online learning.

"It's going to look different around the state," he said, noting poor internet access in some parts of the state.

Seniors, Brown said, will still be able to graduate if they were on track to pass their classes before the statewide school closure. All students who were on track will receive a passing grade and, under Brown's order, cannot be penalized by public Oregon universities for changes to their education during the closure.

Students who were not on track to graduate will be subject to local guidelines. Brown and Gill asked local districts to work with those students to find "creative ways" to allow them a path to graduation. Those measures can be taken up through Aug. 31 and students who complete those local requirements by that time will still be considered a part of the class of 2020.

"Missing school is especially difficult on our students and their parents. To all the moms and dads, I can't imagine what you're up against balancing parenting during this scary crisis," Brown said. "This is really hard on parents, too. To that end, I can't imagine it's a surprise to anyone we've been struggling with how best or provide educational guidance during these extraordinary times."

Citing a patchwork of distance learning and the stress on parents, Gill said, "We've really been trying to make decisions as we understand conditions on the ground in our battle against COVID-19 and we all need to have a little grace and understanding."

Summer school, Gill said, will be a district by district decision. Celebrations like prom and graduation will be dependent on social distancing and it was unclear as of Wednesday if those cancellations were included in Gov. Brown's new order.

Corvallis School District released a statement Wednesday that said staff was working to develop plans to celebrate the class of 2020.

Greater Albany Public Schools Superintendent Melissa Goff weighed in on the Governor's decision, saying, "We are pleased to know the path that will enable our seniors to graduate this year. We are prepared to support our seniors and all students as we make this transition to distance learning through the end of the year. We are excited to begin our Distance Learning for All programs on Monday and continue to lead our students and families through this challenging time."

She also noted the district's appreciation for the support and patience shown by the community.

"The last two months of school represents less than 2% of students K-12 learning time and we want to ensure young peoples future is not impacted amidst a global pandemic," a statement from the district read. "We will also focus our resources to support seniors who need to complete additional credits to graduate and then prepare all graduates, especially historically underserved students, for their next steps in life."

The statement also noted that local details concerning high school students would be available April 13. Corvallis School District also announced further details for high school schoolers was forthcoming.

"I think given the time everyone has spent into prepping for distance learning it would be disruptive to make the shift back, especially this close to the end of the school year, GAPS Board chair Jennifer Ward said. And uncertainty always breeds anxiety, so in a way its a relief just to know what were doing. I know GAPS is up to this.
Facebook FB is expanding a program that grants researchers access to data about user movement patterns in an effort to understand the spread of coronavirus.



The companys Data for Good program, which uses aggregated, anonymized data from Facebooks apps to inform academic research, will now grant access to three new maps for forecasting the diseases spread and revealing whether residents of a given region are practicing quarantine.



The company released Disease Prevention Maps including co-location maps, which illustrate the degree to which people who live in different areas are mixing; movement range trends, which show the degree to which people are staying home or going out; and a social connectedness index, which shows how likely any two people are likely to become Facebook friends, a measure of the strength of social ties in a given place.

Facebook, Inc. Price and Consensus

Facebook, Inc. Price and Consensus

Facebook, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Facebook, Inc. Quote

The company will also prompt Facebook users to participate in a survey from Carnegie Mellon Universitys Delphi epidemiological research center that asks people to self-report any disease symptoms. The responses, which will be anonymized, could help researchers understand new hotspots as they develop or see where the disease has begun to retreat.



Notably, Carnegie Mellon will not share any symptom information back with Facebook. The social media giant has assured that user privacy guidelines are followed and that it will not reveal the identity of the person taking the survey.



While other projects require users to download an app or divert to a web portal, Facebooks promotion of the Carnegie Mellon survey can instantly reach a portion of 1.65 billion daily active users on Facebook to collect data.



Facebook Joins Other Tech Giants With COVID-19 Trackers



Tech giants such as Alphabets GOOGL Google, Apple and Facebook joined forces with government bodies to help them track more coronavirus cases and also make people aware of COVID-19 through their platforms.



Alphabet has been making necessary efforts to combat this situation. Its health-care division called Verily recently launched a COVID-19 screening and testing website under Project Baseline.



On April 3, Google announced the release of its COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports. The company is using location data gathered from smartphones to help public health officials understand how peoples movements have changed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.



Googles data does not include personally identifiable information or show the number of visits to any particular category. Facebook has already made similar information available to academic researchers.



Additionally, Pinterest PINS is working on its symptom tracking project called How We Feel available for both iOS and Android. The aggregate user data collected is securely shared with select scientists, doctors and public health professionals who are actively working to stop the spread of COVID-19.



Moreover, Microsoft MSFT Bing recently launched an interactive map that provides information on the spread of coronavirus. The map contains details about the number of cases per country, divided into the number of currently active cases, recovered cases and fatal cases. U.S. citizens can view state-by-state information.



Last week, Apple partnered with CDC, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to release a new COVID-19 website and an app currently available on the App Store in the United States to bring in more awareness about the highly contagious virus.



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As part of its relentless contribution and support towards battling the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, Hypo, makers of Nigerias beloved bleach has once again donated products to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for the sanitization of isolation centers and other public places across the nation.

Donation exercise took place at the Headquarters of NCDC in Abuja, when officials took delivery of the 200 cartons of 3.5 litres size of Hypo bleach.

According to Ms. Omotunde Bamigbaiye, Brand Manager Hypo Bleach in a statement which confirmed the donation of Hypo products to the NCDC team in Abuja said the need to further support the government in the area of products support to effectively disinfect isolation centers and other public places became necessary as the spread numbers keep rising while deeply penetrating more states across the country. We have donated 200 cartons of Hypos biggest SKU (3.5litres keg), equivalent of 2800 litres of bleach to NCDC.

Although, Hypo have being in partnership with NCDC right from the outset of the campaign against Coronavirus, supporting their public enlightenment programs while promoting quality hygiene practice both on & off the media space, just so Nigerians will be adequately informed about the dangers of the virus lurking around the environment as well as preventive measures as to reduce the spread.

Similarly, couple of weeks back, before the temporal closure of the International Airports by the Federal Government to prevent further infiltration of the virus into the country, an official donation of 100 cartons of Hypo bleach were made to the management of the Federal Airport Authority Nigeria in Lagos to disinfect the Airport environment to ensure hygiene safety measure for both staff and travelers was sustained.

It should also be of note that common household disinfectants, like a diluted bleach solution, can deactivate coronaviruses on surfaces, and this was carefully corroborated on the NCDC website as part of the precautions Nigerians must adopt to keep the virus at bay amongst other points.

It is our belief that our humble contributions will support the overall effort in combating the pandemic as we continue to hope life returns to normalcy as soon as possible.

While acknowledging receipt of the products on behalf of NCDC, Dr. Priscilla Ibekwe, Deputy Director, Special Duties,Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, commended the efforts of Hypo Homecare Products Ltd for their continued support towards the fight to effectively curtail the spread of Coronavirus in Nigeria.
(Alliance News) - RWS Holdings PLC on Wednesday withdrew its guidance for financial 2020 and said that it had a "less favourable trading performance" in the second quarter due to project deferrals and lower volumes due to disruption caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

These impacts in the second quarter saw RWS recording sales of GBP169.2 million in the first half ended March 31, down 1.8% on GBP172.3 million a year ago, the company added.

RWS provides language translation, localization and intellectual property support solutions. It has temporarily closed all its offices globally in line with government orders, with the exception to China, where four offices have reopened.

In recent days, RWS has seen increased demand for services within both its Life Science and Moravia divisions. These are in relation to clinical trials for new Covid-19 vaccines and translation of training material for Covid-19-related antibody testing devices.

However, the company has seen a fall in demand from customers more directly exposed to the pandemic, particularly in the travel sector.

RWS therefore expects revenue for second half of financial 2020 to be held back by the virus pandemic as some customers curtail marketing-related localization expenditure and as a result of a lengthening of the on-boarding of new customers.

Chair Andrew Brode said: "Notwithstanding the near-term challenges presented by Covid-19, the excellent new business wins in the first half of the year, further good progress in China, and the group's strong financial position give the group firm foundations for the long-term success of the business."

RWS said it has cash reserves of GBP29 million and a recently amended USD200 million banking facility, of which USD80 million has been drawn.

Shares in RWS were down 6.1% at 476.00 pence each in London on Wednesday.

By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to completely seal 15 coronavirus-hit districts until April 13 to contain the fast-spreading pandemic. The complete shutdown would come into effect from 12 am tonight, an India Today report said. The 15 districts include Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida), Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra, Kanpur, Varanasi, Shamli, Bareilly, Bulandshahar, Firozabad, Maharajganj, Sitapur, Saharanpur, Basti. Even the essential service would be home delivered as people wouldn't be allowed to move out of their homes. The curfew passes would also be reviewed by the authorities, the report added.

India is currently under a 21-day lockdown to fight against the rapidly spreading life-threatening coronavirus. The number of positive cases in India currently stands over 5,000. Uttar Pradesh has recorded over 200 cases of COVID-19 so far. In a recent order, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ashutosh Dwivedi, said that section 144 would stay till April 14 in Noida. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with leaders of opposition via video conference and discussed the pandemic with them.

Meanwhile, there are reports the government may implement Rajasthan's 'Bhilwara model' in other parts of the country to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus pandemic. The district recently received praise from union cabinet secretary Rajeev Gauba in a video conference with chief secretaries of other states for its ruthless containment of the infection. Bhilwara district, which was one of the coronavirus hotspots until a few days back, is now being discussed for its effective action plan against the life-threatening virus.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: When and how lockdown will be lifted? A primer

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown
Disability Rights Pennsylvania has filed a federal civil rights complaint alleging that the states draft of the medical treatment rationing plan for prioritizing who gets critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic discriminates against people with disabilities.

The advocacy group, whose official role is to ensure that Pennsylvania policies do not violate the rights of people with disabilities, objects to the heavy weight a state Department of Health draft has given to life expectancy and quality of life in deciding who gets care, said Kelly Darr, the groups legal director.

Studies show that determinations of life expectancy are the product of bias and are not really grounded in actually life expectancy, Darr said Tuesday. We want them to put in the triage guidelines cautions against those kinds of biases very specifically.

A draft of the guidelines, dated March 22 and called Interim Pennsylvania Crisis Standards of Care for Pandemic Guidelines, was posted online by the New York Times.

Asked for comment on the Disability Rights Pennsylvania complaint filed Friday with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights, a state health department spokesperson said:

The interim guidance that was sent to hospitals was a draft that was not meant for further distribution. We will be working with these and additional stakeholders on a final document.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered

An official at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which oversees services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, on Tuesday acknowledged the potential of health-care professionals not grasping the quality of life that disabled people enjoy.

We want to be sure that the guidelines eliminate the bias, said Kristen Ahrens, deputy secretary for the Office of Developmental Programs.

The interim document proposed a point system with higher scores landing individuals farther down the priority list for treatment. The proposal said people receive points if they have conditions such as Alzheimers, heart failure, or other major illnesses associated with decreased long-term survival.

State officials on Friday gave Disability Rights Pennsylvania a revision of the guidelines. Darr said in a letter Tuesday to state officials that the guidelines still violated federal law, which requires care decisions to be based on individualized determinations using objective evidence rather than assumptions, stereotypes, and myths about people with disabilities."

Asked for an alternative, Darr acknowledged that there are no good answers. This is a horrific question to try to figure out, she said.

As a preferable model, she cited Arizonas policy, which requires only an assessment of a patients response to COVID-19 treatment in a a hospital.

You dont get docked additional points because you walk in the door with a preexisting condition, Darr said.
A member of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) special team sprays disinfectant in a locality after a positive case of coronavirus was reported in the area, during the nationwide lockdown, in Srinagar. PTI photo

New Delhi: The government is likely to extend the ongoing countrywide lockdown beyond April 14 to combat the coronavirus, the Congress indicated on Wednesday after an all-party meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the prime minister told the meeting that he has received several requests for extension of the lockdown to contain COVID-19, but will take a call on it only after consulting experts and the chief ministers of various states.

Azad said around 80 per cent of the leaders from various political parties, who interacted with the prime minister through video-conferencing, favoured extending the lockdown.

"It is likely that the government may extend the lockdown," Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told PTI after the meeting.

He said his party put forth certain suggestions with regard to the crisis in the farming sector.

"The prime minister told the all-party meeting that he is happy that political parties have risen above politics and come together in national interest in this hour of crisis," Azad said.

He added that Modi told the meeting that he will try and implement the suggestions put forth by various leaders.

"The prime minister said he is receiving requests for extending the lockdown, but he will talk to chief ministers and experts before taking any decision in the best interest of the nation," the Congress leader said.

Azad suggested to the prime minister to set up a task force comprising Union ministers and chief ministers of various states to recommend the way forward and help people tide over the crisis.

He also suggested setting up of a multi-party working group to help the government tackle the COVID-19 crisis.

Azad said the Congress has called for a special financial package for the states most affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Chowdhury said the Congress has suggested to the prime minister that farmers may be exempted from the 21-day lockdown for the harvesting of rabi crops. The party has also demanded that all taxes on fertilisers be withdrawn.

Chowdhury said his party has suggested that those enrolled under the rural job scheme MGNREGA be given priority while carrying out harvesting of the standing crop.

Azad and Chowdhury were the Congress representatives at the meeting of the floor leaders of various parties with the prime minister.
It has been years since the death of beloved English actor Alan Rickman but fans all over the world still miss him dearly. The actor was known for his iconic roles in films such as Die Hard and Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy but most importantly as Professor Severus Snape in the mega popular Harry Potter franchise of movies.

On Wednesday, Harry Potter author JK Rowling shared an emotional tweet about Alan and how she teared up thinking about him while they were rehearsing for the stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Her tweet moved Harry Potter fans to tears as well. Rowling was replying to a fans tweet about missing Snape on a re-watch of Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 2. Tonight in Italy they air Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 2. As always, Im NOT ready to say goodbye to Severus Snape. Thank you @jk_rowling for this unique character and for convincing Alan Rickman to portray him - we had the perfect Severus Snape, the fans tweet read.

In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience. At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan. https://t.co/qC3xxmwz3d  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 7, 2020

Rowling replied, In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience. At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, Id see Alan. In the play, at one point, the lead characters go back in time where they meet Severus Snape again.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster

Emotional fans replied to Rowling with their own memories and pictures with Alan. I was very lucky to have met him and have this picture Ill treasure for the rest of my life. I miss him every day, wrote one with a selfie with Alan. I miss him so much, Jo, wrote another. Jo ... youve just broken my heart for the night. I remember what I was doing the day I found out Alan had passed away. I was in class, teaching grammar. Some friend texted me. I left school an hour early. Jo, you provided us with a family and Alan was very much a dear one, wrote another.

Alan died on January 14, 2016 when he was 69 years old. He died of a terminal, pancreatic cancer which only his close friends knew about. On his death, Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, said, Im pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in Britain and America. He didnt have to do that.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Police cadets in Australia were caught throwing a party on campus while the country was told to practice social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak.

Australias national police told The Independent an internal recruit gathering took place at a training college in Canberra on Friday.

The matter is currently being investigated, an Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson said.

Public gatherings of more than two people were banned towards the end of last month in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The government has told people to practice social distancing, and to stay home unless they are leaving the house for an essential reason, such as to buy food or for medical appointments.

Fridays gathering took place at the Australian Federal Police College, where all current residents are AFP recruits in training, according to the police spokesperson.

Australias ABC News has showed what it claimed was footage of the party, where groups of people can be seen inside rooms late at night amid loud noises.

The police spokesperson said: The AFP is fully aware of social distancing requirements and the recruits at the AFP College have been fully briefed on all Covid-19 requirements, including social distancing.

They added: The AFP expects its members to comply with the law and relevant health directions.

Any breaches of the code of conduct will be dealt with in line with AFP professional standards framework. Any identified alleged breaches in behaviour by AFP recruits will be deemed totally unacceptable and will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Australia tightened up measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 at the end of March, saying the maximum number of people allowed at public gatherings would drop from 10 to two.

The number of coronavirus infections in the country was more than 6,000 on Wednesday, while the death toll stood at 50.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Linkedin Sausan Atika and Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 19:12 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0abccb 1 National Greater-Jakarta,COVID-19-Jakarta,West-Java,Banten,disaster-mitigation,pandemic,social-restriction Free

The leaders of Greater Jakartas satellite cities have agreed to impose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in their respective regions after Jakarta, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, got the nod from the Health Ministry to implement further restrictions.

Greater Jakarta includes South Tangerang, Tangerang municipality and Tangerang regency in Banten, as well as Depok, Bekasi municipality, Bekasi regency, Bogor municipality and Bogor regency in West Java. It covers an area occupied by around 30 million residents, many of whom, under normal circumstances, commute to the capital for work.

Several Greater Jakarta mayors and regents previously held back from imposing PSBB measures even after Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan suggested on April 2 that the central government issue a distinct COVID-19 mitigation policy for the wider region.

Anies said at the time that the PSBB policy for Jakarta should also apply to its satellite cities, as the outbreak had affected the entire region.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said on Tuesday that the five municipalities and regencies that are part of Greater Jakarta  Bekasi municipality, Bekasi regency, Bogor municipality, Bogor regency, and Depok municipality  would submit PSBB a request with the Health Ministry.

Policy decisions related to the handling of COVID-19 cant be taken using a sectoral approach, it should instead take a cluster approach. The Jakarta administration, West Java and Banten must be united in implementing the policies, Ridwan said on his official Facebook account.

Should [the PSBB request] for the five regions be approved by the Health Minister, we would sync up our policies to strengthen and protect one another.

Banten Governor Wahidin Halim also said that Tangerang regency, Tangerang municipality and South Tangerang municipality  three satellite cities under the Banten administrative region  would request PSBB status from Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto.

He urged the relevant mayors and regents to coordinate their policies with Jakarta, having agreed that Greater Jakarta as a whole should implement such measures in lockstep.

The Jakarta administration is set to tighten measures to restrict peoples movements beginning on Friday, in accordance with the PSBB status. In the absence of a special regulation that has yet to be signed as of the time of writing, Anies has shed some light on some of the key provisions.

Starting on Friday, gatherings of more than five people will be prohibited, public transportation services will halve their normal passenger capacity and limit operations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The governor assured that private vehicles could still enter Jakarta, but an undetermined limit will be imposed on the number of passengers allowed in each vehicle.

Furthermore, eight essential industry sectors will remain fully operational to cater to the everyday needs of the public for as long as the emergency status is in place. This includes companies and organizations in the health, food and beverages, energy, communications, finances, logistics, retail and strategic sectors in the capital.

In addition, non-government organizations that manage relief operations related to ongoing mitigation efforts will also be allowed to carry on with their activities.

The PSBB status in Jakarta will be effective until April 24  the provisional date for the start of the Muslim fasting month  but can be extended should the coronavirus continue to spread.

Several regional leaders of Greater Jakarta, including South Tangerang Deputy Mayor Benyamin Davnie, Bogor Deputy Mayor Dedie A. Rachim and Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi, told The Jakarta Post they were preparing to fulfill the provisions required to warrant a PSBB status from the central government.

Neither has confirmed the kind of measures that would be applied in their respective regions, but they have called on their residents not to go to the capital city, especially after the PSBB status kicks in.

On Wednesday evening, Anies said he had maintained communication with the governors of West Java and Banten, as well as the regional leaders of the satellite cities, after a teleconference meeting to discuss coordination of the PSBB status in Greater Jakarta.

It has become the epicenter [of the disease outbreak], so we require synchronized measures. What we [the Jakarta administration] have done will be made available as a reference, he said in a press conference.

Anies also said he was waiting to sign the forthcoming gubernatorial decree formalizing the new quarantine status, pending a central government decision on provisions for app-based ride-hailing services.

Health Ministerial Decree No. 9/2020 stipulates that app-based ride-hailing services may only transport goods and are prohibited from transporting people.

Meanwhile, epidemiologist Pandu Riono of the University of Indonesia told the Post that any measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the capital would only be effective if applied equally to the rest of Greater Jakarta.

[COVID-19] is centered in Greater Jakarta due to the mobility of its people, so measures taken should be in lockstep with one another, Pandu told the Post on Tuesday.

The extent of implementing large-scale social restrictions could vary depending on each region's capabilities, but Pandu suggested that it should gradually intensify over time.

Each region may implement measures based on their [resources] and transmission rate and in a gradual manner, but they should be done in concert because our country has refused to impose a full lockdown, he said.

While Greater Jakarta scrambles to impose large-scale social restriction measures, considered by some observers as a de facto partial lockdown, other regions such as Sorong and Fakfak in West Papua, as well as Mimika in Papua province, have also requested the PSBB status, said Achmad Yurianto, the Health Ministrys spokesperson for the COVID-19 response team.
It is no easy task to prevent an induced economic coma from slipping out of control and turning into a secondary financial crisis. No major country has ever tried to do such a thing before.

The longer the sudden stop continues in Europe and North America, the greater the risk that we slide into a self-feeding credit and liquidity crisis. The financial storms would then reinforce each other to overwhelm the defensive system.

APRA has pushed Australia's banks to suspend their dividends. Credit:Paul Rovere

Crisis veterans are watching the three month dollar Libor rate (not equity markets). This has jumped 60 basis points since mid-March despite a shower of liquidity and unprecedented emergency action by the Federal Reserve. Libor matters: some $US9 trillion ($14.6 trillion) of global contracts are priced off the benchmark.

Banks were the villains of the 2008 crisis. This time they are the designated saviours, deemed strong enough to hold the line against COVID-19. They are to be the conduit for disaster relief, the backstop lenders for drowning firms and households.
Nevertheless, Bredar said his decision is consistent with past rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which reviews appeals from Maryland. The Supreme Court, he noted, has also maintained that physical differences between men and women  as opposed to stereotypes about men and women  can provide a valid basis for laws that treat men and women differently.
ARLINGTON, Va., April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed into law American Diabetes Association-supported legislation capping monthly copayments for insulin at $30 for a 30-day supply. House Bill 207 (HB 207) also includes an emergency refill provision that will allow people without an up-to-date prescription to get insulin immediately rather than waiting until they are able to get a refill authorized by a physician, as well as a provision directing the Utah Department of Insurance to issue a report that includes a summary of insulin pricing practices.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is encouraged that the Utah governor and legislature have put the more than 206,000 people living with diabetes in Utah at the forefront in this difficult time.

"Right now, Americans with diabetes are facing unprecedented financial challenges as the country responds to the coronavirus crisis," said LaShawn McIver, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Advocacy for the ADA. "The high cost of insulin can have devastating consequences, often forcing those living with diabetes to make hard choices that can lead to devastating health complications. Starting January 1, 2021, this new law will remove one of the burdens faced by many people with diabetes in Utah who need insulin to live. We are grateful to Governor Herbert and the Utah legislature, including bill sponsors Representative Norman Thurston and Senator Deidre Henderson, whose dedication to helping those with diabetes thrive made House Bill 207 possible."

"The diabetes community in Utah has won a major victory now that House Bill 207 has been approved. The new law provides several provisions that help to ensure that no one in Utah will ever have to leave the pharmacy without their insulin," said Representative Thurston.

"Diabetes in Utah is a growing concern. The costs of prescription drugs like insulin have skyrocketed in recent years. Many Utah residents with diabetes have been forced to limit their insulin use because they simply cannot afford to fill the prescription," said Timothy J. Staley, Utah Advocacy Chair for the ADA. "I am proud of our state for being at the forefront in taking legislative steps to help in combating this disease."

For more information about this legislation, please contact Representative Thurston at [email protected].

While this co-pay cap is a step forward in the fight for affordable insulin, the ADA recognizes that people with diabetes need relief now more than ever to stay healthy and out of doctor's offices, emergency rooms, and hospitals. To address the immediate needs of people with diabetes in Utah during the coronavirus pandemic, the ADA has urged Governor Herbert to eliminate all cost-sharing for insulin in state-regulated health insurance plans and revert to the $30 co-pay cap when the crisis passes. The ADA also urged state governors to ensure continuous access to health care for residents with diabetes who have lost their jobs due to the economic impact of the pandemic.

The ADA continues to be the driving force in federal and state efforts to ensure that insulin is affordable and accessible for all people who need it. Take action today at diabetes.org/advocacy/platform.

If you are struggling to pay for insulin or know someone who is, the ADA has resources to helpvisit InsulinHelp.org.

About the American Diabetes Association

Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For nearly 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).

Contact: Alex Day, 703-253-4843

[email protected]

SOURCE American Diabetes Association

Related Links

http://www.diabetes.org


COVID-19 is presenting unique challenges and threats to our society. California is behind only Texas and Louisiana in terms of the total number of immigrants in detention, with 5,600 people held in five facilities. Thousands cycle through these facilities every few months. For those of us who represent and advocate for immigrants in detention, the challenge we face is truly unprecedented, with thousands of lives at stake, and a narrow window in which we must take action.

Many have sounded the alarm that immigrant detention facilities are potential tinderboxes for COVID-19, and little time is left for action. We have spent more than a decade assisting people in these facilities and know what needs to be done to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. We must do everything in our power to release immigrants from detention. We must also hold detention facility operators accountable for their negligence, and lastly, we must ensure that those in detention have appropriate access to attorneys and the outside world.

Now, more than ever, we must recognize that immigrant detention is unnecessary and wrong. Those who are held in these facilities are awaiting a civil proceeding and do not need to be detained; many are long-term residents of our state, with spouses and children who are U.S. citizens. During this stressful and uncertain time, they should be with their families.

In addition to the demand to free individuals in detention, we must take concrete steps to ensure accountability with respect to the operations and conditions in these facilities. Although people in these facilities are in federal custody, what most people dont realize is that four out of five of the facilities are operated by private, for-profit corporations, notorious for their documented record of substandard medical care, and even violence against detainees. The fifth facility, the Yuba County Jail, is currently operating under a consent decree which stems from a 1976 lawsuit over conditions in the facility.

As a result, immigrants in California are caught in a web of negligence and inaction, as ICE remains obstinate about the threat of COVID-19, while private operators have essentially operated facilities with impunity, even when directly culpable for deaths and violence. California has the right to regulate the health and safety of individuals in these facilities, and, though the state cannot free them, it can take steps to ensure that facility operators uphold detention standards for care.

In addition to holding operators accountable for what takes place in these facilities, the state of California must partner with attorneys and community organizations to facilitate a statewide plan to coordinate the representation of and release of everyone in detention. This starts with ensuring consistent legal access for attorneys who seek to provide pro bono legal screenings and referrals within these facilities. For many in detention, access to an attorney can be a lifeline to securing their release, being connected to community support efforts, and having their health conditions shared with the outside world. Under the current crisis, facilities should provide every accommodation possible to both detainees and attorneys to facilitate communication and consultations, including video teleconferencing, phone access and other forms of telecommunication that minimize the threat of COVID-19 while expediting the sharing of information.

Attorneys across the state are continuing to demand that ICE exercise its discretion to release individuals from detention and avert a humanitarian crisis. We are also urging the Executive Office for Immigration Review to shift its resources to prioritize bond hearings so that as many individuals can be released as possible. While we appeal to the federal government, California can and must act.

The state of California and our governor have done an amazing job of coming together to battle the threat of COVID-19. Now they should partner with attorneys, activists and the community to solve the challenges we face in immigrant detention. We are ready to step up and do everything that is necessary to release people from these facilities. We must work together, and must act soon, before it is too late.

Valerie Anne Zukin is the legal director for the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. Lisa Knox is the immigrant rights managing attorney at Centro Legal de la Raza.
Chinese investors have abandoned an attempt to seize control of a British technology star after a furious backlash in Westminster.

A board meeting at Apple iphone chip maker Imagination Technologies would have seen China Reform parachute in four directors yesterday  effectively giving it power over the business.

But it was cancelled after senior MPs called on ministers to intervene. China Reform is the biggest investor in Cayman Islands-based Canyon Bridge, which bought Imagination for 550million in 2017 despite fears that the deal handed too much power to the Chinese.

The attempted coup suggests these concerns were not taken seriously enough  and raises fresh questions about the takeover of British firms by foreign companies

The attempted coup suggests these concerns were not taken seriously enough  and raises fresh questions about the takeover of British firms by foreign companies.

It has been claimed that China Reform wanted to move Imagination and its cutting-edge intellectual property to China despite assurances it would stay in Britain.

China Reforms move has prompted a Whitehall investigation to understand the facts, involving the culture and business departments, the Foreign Office, the Cabinet Office and spying agency GCHQ.

Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, has told MPs that he is seeking an urgent meeting with Imaginations bosses and its owners.

Officials sprang into action after Tory grandees David Davis and Iain Duncan Smith, as well as four Parliamentary select committee chairmen, demanded protection of an important British strategic asset.

In a letter to them, Dowden said: The Government takes this issue extremely seriously and I want to reassure you that this matter is being looked at closely.

I can assure you that we will not hesitate to use all the tools available to us to mitigate any adverse impacts for the UK.

Imagination, founded in 1985, is a jewel in Britains crown, making microchips used in billions of products from smartphones to wireless speakers.

But it was laid low in 2017 after Apple said it was ditching the firm as a supplier. The iPhone maker has since started working with it again.

But the crisis sent Imaginations shares crashing, with Canyon Bridge later scooping it up for 550million, despite concerns voiced about the firms Chinese backers.

Canyon Bridge was based in the US at the time but has since relocated to tax haven the Cayman Islands.

Its biggest investor, China Reform, has links to the Beijing government and security experts and MPs warned that the sale was part of an effort to create a microchip monopoly which could leave Western countries dependent on its technology.

At the time, ministers nodded through the deal after assurances that China Reform would be a passive investor and that Imaginations intellectual property and business would stay in the UK.

But as the coronavirus forced the Government into crisis mode, it emerged that China Reform was plotting to take control by appointing four directors. It planned to use this influence to move Imagination and its assets to China, Sky News reported.

The board meeting scheduled for yesterday was abandoned, however, and the Whitehall investigation will pile pressure on the Chinese investor to back away.

The attempted coup comes just months after a furore over whether Chinese telecoms giant Huawei should be allowed to supply kit for 5G mobile networks.

Matthew Henderson, Asia expert at the Henry Jackson Society, said: Presumably, China Reform and Canyon Bridge hoped it might slip through in the chaos caused by the pandemic. He called for more defences to be put up around UK firms and universities to protect sensitive technologies.

Dowden has promised new laws will soon give ministers stronger powers to intervene but action has been promised in various guises since 2017.
COVID-19 has retarded the momentum of wheels of the Indian economy, the corporates. The All India Association of Industries had estimated a loss of Rs 2,00,000 crore ($26.35 bn) by March 31, 2020 due to pan India lockdown.

In order to prevent and absorb the effect of such huge losses and to respond to the dynamics of the business environment, which has been changing every second in the wake of the globally-spread WHO-declared pandemic, the central government seems to be responding in a structured manner by providing various sops, relaxation, extensions and amendments to the existing legal framework in the country.

Across the globe, it is observed that the corporates which were in the pink of financial conditions have witnessed a sharp decline due to COVID-19.

Supply chains are disrupted, valuation of the stocks on bourses have substantially decreased amidst global down selling, and the valuation of businesses have fallen steeply.

Also Read: Companies under IBC get 17-day window; timelines deferred amid coronavirus lockdown

In such a scenario, it was viewed that insolvency resolution processes under the (Indian) Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) also needed added layers of cushion from different viewpoints.

Due to the standstill caused by the lockdown in the country, the performance of contracts and payments thereof is manifestly disrupted. This is a trigger event for creditors, both financial and operational, to initiate insolvency against such corporate debtors.

If insolvency proceedings are initiated at a mass scale, then it can have a devastating impact on the economy, because, during the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP), the management of the corporate debtor switches hands with the resolution professional and he/she only carries out such activities that are essential for running the businesses as a going concern.

Value addition to the businesses, which is a key driving force behind any economy, is stunted during the CIRP. Also, it has been largely observed that CIRP has become a tool, especially in the hands of the operational creditors, to recover the debt instead of resolving the insolvency of the corporate debtor.

In order to avoid such a situation where corporates are forced into insolvency proceedings, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that if the current situation continues beyond April 30, 2020, then it may consider suspending Sections 7, 9 and 10 of the IBC for a period of six months, thereby disabling the financial creditors, operational creditors and promoters from initiating insolvency proceedings against companies.

It will be very interesting to watch out for what happens next, especially if and when the lockdown is lifted, either fully or partially, on April 1, 2020, and these will be questions that will float around for the government to answer and action--How likely is it that there will be a suspension and what will be the criteria for such suspension? What about the large scale and long term impacts such suspension will create? Who all will be most benefitted? Will this end up benefitting only specific sects like the promoters, lenders, or contractors?

Currently, the government has taken certain steps to prevent the initiation of CIRP at a large scale and to avoid any frivolous filings. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs vide a notification dated March 24, 2020, has increased the threshold for initiating the insolvency resolution process from Rs 1,00,000 ($1,300) to Rs 1,00,00,000 ($130,000) under Section 4 of the IBC.

This amendment is likely to also help medium and small industries who have been hit the hardest by COVID-19. However, on the flip side, this amendment will adversely impact the ability of operational creditors to initiate CIRP, since the minimum default amount is now ten times higher than the previous minimum default limit. Once the economy sails through the slowdown caused by COVID-19, the government should ponder upon reducing the limit to a lower amount, so that IBC does not merely remain as a toothless tool at the hands of operational creditors.

Amidst the nationwide lockdown on account of COVID-19, the acting president of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) notified that all benches of the NCLT shall hear only inevitable urgent cases with prior notification on email from applicants.

Insofar as matters not construed as urgent, e.g. pertaining to the extension of time, approval of resolution plan and liquidation under IBC, the Insolvency Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has, vide notification dated March 29, 2020, amended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 granting certain relaxations.

Pursuant to the amendment, Regulation 40C has been inserted, which is a special provision in relation to meeting of the timelines in pursuance of CIRP.

Also Read: Coronavirus outbreak: Why FM Sitharaman's decision to relax IBC is an important move for businesses

According to Regulation 40C, the period of lockdown shall not be counted for the purposes of calculation of timeline for any activity that could not be completed due to such lockdown, in relation to a CIRP.

Such an amendment was the need of the hour, as the common investor sentiment amidst the lockdown is to protect the liquidity, impacting and stalling the bids under the CIRP, causing delays in the bid process and posing challenges to the CIRP, the insolvent companies and their resolution professionals.

This relaxation also helps avert negative consequences and follow-on actions due to non-compliance which also leads to additional expenditure by the parties involved. However, this amendment is effective from March 29, 2020, thereby looming confusion around the period that shall be excluded for the purpose of calculation of timelines pursuant to CIRP. The intelligible differentia for exclusion of the period of lockdown from March 25, 2020 to March 28, 2020, for calculation of timelines is unclear. It is imperative for IBBI to issue a corrigendum, explicitly affirming that the aforementioned period of three days shall be excluded from the calculation of CIRP timelines.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Amendment Act), (notified on March 13, 2020, by the Ministry of Law & Justice by way of an amendment with retrospective effect from December 28, 2019, due to a prior Ordinance), vide amending Section 5(15) of IBC, authorised the government to notify any debt as interim finance, which means such debts as may be notified by the government shall be considered as priority loans for repayment purposes.

In the wake of COVID-19, various banks have already extended emergency credit lines to ease the liquidity crisis of the borrowers. Once the lockdown is removed and businesses are resumed, if borrowers default in repayment of the emergency credit, the banks may face immense liquidity crisis. In order to keep the banks afloat post resumption of normal economic setup, the government should consider exercising its power under Section 5(15) of IBC and thereby, notifying these emergency credit lines as interim finance, so that any unnecessary defaults in repayment of emergency credit are prevented.

An insight into the 2020 amendment:

Prior to the aforementioned amendments in response to COVID-19, the IBC was revamped vide Amendment Act, to make the resolution process more effective and to promote ease of doing business. Key insights on the Amendment Act have been summarised below:

Section 32A: Liability for offences committed prior to CIRP

Section 32A has been introduced with the aim to protect the successful bidders, the corporate debtor and its assets from any action against offences committed by previous promoters or officers in charge of management or control of the affairs of a corporate debtor, prior to commencement of corporate insolvency resolution process (Management Offences).

This amendment grants immunity to the corporate debtor against the management offences and the corporate debtor shall stand discharged from the date of approval of the resolution plan. This benefit shall be available only if the management or control of the corporate debtor changes, which means that the defaulting management and promoters or the abettors of offence (as identified by the investigating authority) shall no more be in charge of managing or controlling the affairs of the corporate debtor. However, this immunity is not provided to the persons who committed default, hence, the officers of the corporate debtors, such as designated partner of an LLP, officer in default of a company, officer in charge of or responsible for the conduct of the business of the corporate debtor and officer associated with the corporate debtor in any manner, shall continue to be prosecuted and punished.

Subject to the change in management or control of the corporate debtor, the property of the corporate debtor covered under the resolution plan is also protected from any action, such as seizure, attachment, retention or confiscation, that otherwise may be taken against such property in relation to the offence committed prior to the commencement of CIRP. Such immunity shall also be provided to the persons who may acquire the property under the CIRP process or liquidation or liquidation process under IBC.

Section 14: Government authorisations and essential supplies during moratorium

According to amendment in Section 14: (a) if the payments are duly made for the use or continuation of any license, permit, quota, concession, registration, clearances or a similar grant or right during the moratorium period then such license, permit, quota, concession, registration or clearances shall not be suspended or terminated on account of insolvency; (b) moratorium shall not be applicable such transactions, agreements or arrangements as may be notified by the central government in consultation with financial sector regulator or any other authority; and (c) IRP and the resolution professional, if consider supply of any goods or services to be essential for preserving the value of the corporate debtor and managing its operations as a going concern, then supply of such goods and services shall not be interrupted in any manner, subject to IRP or RP making payment towards such essential supply.

The objective of this amendment is to smoothen the CIRP and ensure that the resolution plan or management of the corporate debtor is not hampered for want of government authorisations or essential goods and services.

Section 5(15): Power of central government to notify interim finance

According to amendment in section 5(15), any debt notified by the central government can also be included in the definition of interim finance. In pursuance of this amendment, the central government vide notification dated March 18, 2020, has notified debts raised from the Special window for Affordable and Middle-Income Housing Investment Fund I to be included within the meaning of interim finance.

Interim finance is the debt which is treated as a priority loan for the purposes of repayment. The effect of this amendment is that the central government may notify any debt as interim finance, wherein such debt shall be repaid before all other debts of the corporate debtor.

Section 7: Increase in amount of minimum default for initiating CIRP

In addition to the criteria of the minimum amount of default being Rs 1,00,00,000 (increased from Rs 1,00,000, vide notification dated March 24, 2020), certain additional requirements are to be adhered to by the following financial creditors: (a) real estate allottees; and (b) security or deposit holders represented by a trustee or agent, prior to initiating CIRP against a corporate debtor. Applications by these financial creditors should be filed jointly by at least 100 such creditors or 10% of their number, whichever is lower.

The objective behind this amendment is to avoid frivolous litigations against corporate debtors. As of September 2019, of the 10,860 IBC cases pending with NCLT, 1,821 cases (17%) have been filed by homebuyers. However, this amendment may also impede the redressal of grievances of the genuine real estate allottees. The operation of part of the enactment pertaining to the real estate allottees has been stayed by the Supreme Court vide its order dated January 13, 2020.

Conclusion:

Keeping up with the needs of the fast-changing business environment, IBC has been amended for the fourth time since 2016 with multiple amendments under corollary laws in order to ensure a relentless spin of the wheels of the Indian economy.

It will be a great wait and watch if the government eventually relents to industry demands for suspension of key provisions of the IBC for as long as six months. Irrespective, these amendments are likely to smoothen the insolvency resolution process and may prevent the corporates from sailing close to the wind during this period of recession that India Inc. is set to face amidst the lockdown.

(Dipti Lavya Swain is an IBC expert and partner at HSA Advocates and Ketaki Dandiya is an associate at HSA Advocates.)
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In March, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions against the Assad regimes minister of defense Ali Abdullah Ayoub for perpetuating violence inside Syria and for preventing a ceasefire from taking hold.
By Online Desk

DJ Priest in the house!

Guilherme Peixoto, a priest in the tiny northern Portuguese town sure likes choirs but he loves his electronic pop music too.

To keep the spirits of his people high during the coronavirus pandemic, the priest swaps his vestments for a T-shirt and transforms into a DJ.

Every Friday and Sunday, the 45-year-old parish, live-streams some of his favourite tunes on Facebook, Reuters reported.

"Right now it's so important to use social media to bring a bit of joy into people's lives," Peixoto told Reuters. "And people seem happy when they see a priest playing music online," he added.

The music event attracts thousands of people, old and young, stuck at home due to the coronavirus, which has infected more than 11,000 people and led to over 300 deaths in Portugal so far.

With strobe and fairy lights, a turntable, mixers, a microphone and sparkling, colourful decorations, Peixoto even gets the ambience right.

Extending gratitude to this one of a kind corona-warrior, viewers leave thank you notes in the comment section.

"Thank you priest for the great music," said a viewer last Friday. "Thank you for lifting our spirits," another wrote online.

Peixoto is also known to share awareness videos to encourage people to stay indoors. "Although churches are closed, I want to let people know there are many ways to pray," he said.
After weeks of quarantine, school closures and binge-watching movies, Americans are getting restless. In a recent interview on "The View," California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that complacency and cabin fever were his biggest concerns, and he urged audiences to "stick with this."

He is right. More than 100 years ago, during the worst contagious crisis in human history (so far), the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 took 40 million to 100 million lives worldwide and inspired a huge implementation of social distancing measures such as school closures, bans on public gatherings, isolation and quarantine.

But the experience of 1918 also reminds us that early, layered (i.e., more than one at the same time) and lengthy mitigation measures are the best strategy. For social distancing to work, it must be sweeping and enforced across a wide swath of the community. Essential businesses will, of course, need to continue. All other places where people congregate should cease operations for the time being. In 1918, social distancing measures were kept in place for many weeks, if not months, even if people and businesses did not always support them. But the key lesson: This approach worked.

By now, many have read of the comparisons between St. Louis, where a decisive health commissioner reacted with amazing rapidity to implement sweeping public health orders, and Philadelphia, which chose to stay open, even going ahead with plans for a huge parade.

St. Louis was rewarded with one of the best outcomes of any large U.S. city. Philadelphia's fateful decision to carry on with its immense Liberty Loan Parade resulted in a massive spike in influenza cases in the days immediately following. The city endured some of the worst numbers of cases and deaths in the United States as a result.

Philadelphia was hardly alone, however. In Baltimore, the health commissioner dragged his feet when a group of physicians requested that the city ban public gatherings. "We do not consider such drastic steps necessary in view of the extreme low civilian death rate in the city," he told them. More than 4,100 Baltimoreans lost their lives to the epidemic.

In Atlanta, the mayor sided with business interests and reopened the city after just three weeks of closures, over the vocal objections of his Board of Health. When the board predicted that Atlanta's epidemic peak would not occur for another nine days, the mayor dismissed the science, arguing that there was no way to foretell future conditions. The city health officer sided with the mayor, mistakenly declaring that the peak had passed. It had not, and Atlanta's fall wave of the epidemic raged on, unchecked, through the end of 1918. "The influenza situation in Atlanta is up to the people themselves," the Public Safety Committee declared.

Atlanta may be a more extreme example, but its experience was hardly singular. In every city we studied from this era there was public pressure to quit the social distancing measures as soon as the epidemic seemed to peak and then ebb. Thinking that the proverbial coast was clear, many communities lifted social distancing measures before the battle was truly over. After weeks of being denied their usual social outlets, people were eager to return to a life of normalcy, and they did so in one giant rush. In city after city, masses lined up for movie houses and performance theaters, crowds packed into dance halls and cabarets, and throngs flocked to downtown shopping districts, often on the very day that the closure orders were lifted.

The result? Cases and deaths resurged. Most cities closed their schools once again. But the political, economic and social will to issue another round of sweeping business closures and gathering bans had evaporated as people grew weary of the dislocations of social distancing. In some cities, most notably Denver, Kansas City, Milwaukee and even the vaunted St. Louis, this second peak was even deadlier than the first.

Lastly, 1918 teaches us how quickly an unchecked epidemic can overwhelm our health-care infrastructure. Philadelphia had to erect 32 temporary hospitals just to handle its massive number of influenza cases. On a single day in mid-October, 10 trucks were needed to carry the bodies of indigent victims to the city's potter's field. Some of the deceased had to be buried in temporary graves until more permanent plots could be dug.

In Pittsburgh, the epidemic grew so bad that a local sporting club had to donate its tents to use as field hospitals. One San Antonio hospital had to rely on 18 student nurses to tend to hundreds of influenza patients; the 12 regular nurses were all sick with influenza themselves. Nashville's City Hospital was overrun with cases in a single day. These cities, unfortunately, were not alone in their experiences.

Today we have two notable advantages over those in 1918: We know the causative agent of covid-19, and our medical care is far more advanced. In 1918, scientists believed the epidemic was caused by a bacterium, and the influenza virus would not be discovered for another quarter-century. The standard medical treatment for influenza victims in 1918 consisted of little more than propping patients up to prevent them from choking on their sputum. Today, it is only a matter of time before researchers discover pharmaceutical therapies and develop an effective vaccine against the disease. In 2020, physicians have the ability to drive down the fatality rate of this epidemic through the use ventilators and intensive care units - as long as such lifesaving machines are available.

Our health-care system can only do this, however, if we don't allow our already-taxed hospitals, physicians and nurses to be overrun with cases. That means that, until an effective vaccine can be developed and deployed, we must "flatten the curve." This will not be accomplished in a week, or even a month. We must implement and coordinate sweeping non-pharmaceutical interventions on a national level and keep these measures in place as long as necessary. These measures are not perfect. They are slow and plodding. They are socially and economically disruptive. They fracture the routines of our daily lives in myriad ways, large and small. They do not magically end epidemics. But they can save lives.

As we all endure the hardships of the covid-19 pandemic and dislocations of social distancing, we can take heart that together we will save lives. Just as our forebears did a century ago.

And that is the most important lesson of 1918.

- - -

Navarro is a co-editors-in-chief of "The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918: A Digital Encyclopedia " and the assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. Markel is a co-editors-in-chief of "The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918: A Digital Encyclopedia " and the director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Five of the at least 21 International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) devotees in the United Kingdoms Greater London area, who were hospitalised after exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, passed away on Tuesday

Five of the at least 21 International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) devotees in the United Kingdoms Greater London area, who were hospitalised after exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, passed away on Tuesday.

One of the deceased is Rameshvara Das, an elderly disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami, while the names of others who passed away were not released by their families, an ISKCON News report said. The Print, however, reported that one of the devotees undergoing treatment is Dhananjaya Das, one of the first to join ISKCON in the UK.

The UK unit of ISKCON has over 15,000 members. It has been alleged that the virus spread among the devotees when 1,000 of them gathered for the funeral of another devotee on 12 March.

Praghosa Das, the chair of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission of UK, said that no restrictions were in place in the United Kingdom at the time and on 15 March, when a memorial meet was held.

He added that all ISKCON temples were shut on 16 March, a week before Johnson announced a lockdown.

In hindsight, I think we would all agree now that it shouldnt have gone ahead. But its easy to be wise after the event. We didnt know then what we know now, Praghosa said.

He admitted that while 21 confirmed cases from the religious collective have been reported so far, it is suspected that over 100 devotees could be possibly infected in the UK.

Please do not be harsh on the devotees in the UK yatra. They didnt deliberately do something they shouldnt have done. They thought they were following everything they had to follow. So please wish them the best, pray for them, he added.

The UK has reported 6,519 coronavirus deaths up till Wednesday and the number of confirmed cases stands at 55,242. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was recently shifted to intensive care after the symptoms he was exhibiting showed no signs of improvement. Prince Charles was also tested positive for COVID-19.

The infections within UKs ISKCON community is similar to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhis Nizamuddin, which was attended by around 1,800 people. At least 1,445 people who attended the meet were tested positive for coronavirus.
According to sources, government officials have asked industry bodies and manufacturers to submit key concerns and requirements to begin manufacturing activity.

Image used for representational purpose. Photograph: Reuters.

The domestic manufacturing industry is preparing to resume operations when the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) ends.

Towards this end, firms are focusing on bringing production back to the pre-lockdown levels.

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel said on Friday it was making all preparations to recommence operations at all locations on lifting of lockdown in the next few days.

All leading electronics players -- including Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, Godrej, Panasonic, Blue Star -- are holding virtual meetings with stakeholders and government officials to chalk out a resumption plan, being monitored by an empowered group of ministers (EGM).

According to sources, government officials have asked industry bodies and manufacturers to submit key concerns and requirements to begin manufacturing activity. The EGM is expected to meet on Wednesday to take a call on allowing electronics manufacturers to start production.

Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL), which has been working at full capacity despite the lockdown, is exporting 80 per cent of its production through Dhamra, Paradip, Vizag and Gopalpur which remain functional. It sees logistics as a big hurdle.

Currently, availability of truckers for customers to unload material is a big issue. Once the lockdown is lifted, truckers will return to work, VR Sharma, managing director, JSPL, told Business Standard. In the domestic market, we are delivering material to the nearest railway station to customer, who in turn are arranging the local transport to take it to their facility.

Most electronic industry players, too, raised the issue of logistics since sourcing raw materials is no longer a concern as production units in China have already surpassed 70 per cent capacity.

A representation has been made to the government to fast-track shipping of goods from key ports, like Mumbai, so that transport time between Mumbai port and factories in North India can be cut by two days.

Shree Cement, which is ready to start operations, voiced concerns over availability of labour. We are technically ready to start our cement plants as and when the lockdown is lifted, said HM Bangur, managing director for Shree Cements.

The Rajasthan-headquartered company has a domestic capacity of 37.9 million tonnes (mt). Though Bangur anticipates shortage of labour, companies like Larsen & Toubro do not anticipate any such issue and said they could ramp up operations to the pre-lockdown levels.

Others, like JK Lakshmi Cement, added that they would take a call on restarting production closer to the date and once they have clarity.

After withdrawal, a minimum of 15 days would be required to streamline operations. Further, recovery is expected to be gradual as it may take longer time for labour to return, read a YES Securities note after an interaction with stakeholders in the cement sector.

According to Kamal Nandi, executive vice-president at Godrej Appliances, the company is in regular touch with its workforce -- many of whom are dispersed across the country.

We are continuing with virtual training of staff and are coordinating with them. Many of them are scattered as many have gone back to their hometowns. However, we are keeping ourselves prepared so that as soon as we get the green light from the government we can resume production.

Key contract manufacturers like Flex, Foxconn, Wistron and Dixon, are pushing for resumption of production activities from April 15.

We expect the authorities to come at a decision by Wednesday. Meanwhile, we have requested them to also consider allowing sale of electronics items through e-commerce channels. Resuming production will be challenging, given the fact that the entire supply chain and labour market is in disarray. But we are fully prepared to resume production in phases if the authorities allow, said Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Superplastronics.

B Thiagarajan, managing director at Blue Star, too, said his firm was prepared to resume production. We may have to begin with 30 per cent capacity and then scale it up, like it happened in China, he said.

In the past few months, Indias gross domestic product (GDP) declined because of weak growth in manufacturing and construction.

The countrys growth is likely to hit a 30-year low of 2 per cent in financial year 2020-21 (FY21) as economic recession grips the global economy following the Covid-19 outbreak, Fitch Ratings said in its latest report. The rating agency in its previous report had projected Indias GDP growth for FY21 at 5.1 per cent, lower than 5.6 per cent estimated in December 2019.

State-owned Steel Authority of India (SAIL), which continues to face labour issues, is looking to pull down its inventory after the lockdown ends.

Our inventory has gone up several fold. It is a big concern as there is no labour to lift it even if we send the material via rails, a senior official said.

After the lockdown we plan to have strong MoUs with our existing clients to keep our order book intact for FY21. If not higher, we target the level we saw last year at least. This should help bring down inventory to some extent, a senior official said.

JSPLs Sharma, too, is optimistic. In the coming months, the whole world will look towards India as the alternate manufacturing hub. They (the world) have realised their over dependence on China is costing them dear. We will now see several collaborations with Indian manufacturing firms for machinery and equipment.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 07, 2020 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 07, 2020 | 01:25 PM | PADUCAH

The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting two more informational conference calls this week on topics that are currently front-and-center for businesses.



The need for more information about unemployment insurance and social media marketing are the primary questions we are getting this week, Chamber President Sandra Wilson said. Both calls will provide an overview and allow time for Q and A.



Calls this week include:



10 am Wednesday - Unemployment Insurance Q and A with Jonathon Pendergrass of the Kentucky Career Center. Learn more about the unemployment process for employers and employees.



10 am Thursday - The Next Steps of Doing Business via Social Media Marketing with Todd Duff of Innovations Branding House. Learn more about getting the message to customers about your business during these challenging times.



All calls will be audio only through Zoom. For information about how to join the calls, go to paducahchamber.org and to the COVID-19 page.



The chamber also hosted a call Tuesday with the U.S. Chamber to discuss the Federal Stimulus CARES Act.
A study published in Technology and Health Care shows that four leading brands of e-cars do not trigger electromagnetic interference (EMI) with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED).

CIEDs like pacemakers and defibrillators may malfunction when they are exposed to strong electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by powerful motors.

While rare events, such errors could have serious consequences for patients. With the increasing use of electric-powered vehicles for public and private transport, there is a critical need to assess the potential risks for this population.

Electromagnetic interference is a rare, but potentially catastrophic event for a CIED patient, resulting in pauses or cardiac arrest in pacemaker patients or inappropriate shock delivery in defibrillator patients.

CIED patients frequently worry about triggering such events while interacting with appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and metal detectors.

These concerns are often based on misconceptions and myths exacerbated the limited information available to physicians about the increasing number of electronic and digital devices that emit EMF.

Our study addresses pressing patient and physician concerns regarding the use of e-cars by patients with CIEDs and we are pleased to report that their use appears safe with current technology. Neither adverse events nor electromagnetic interference were detected while driving or charging the cars during our test." Dr. Matthew O'Connor, Co-Investigator, Department of Electrophysiology, Wellington Hospital, New Zealand

The investigators attribute the safety of the e-cars tested to the shielding used in electric cars to protect onboard computer systems from EMI.

This shielding prevents high EMF levels inside the cars and likely protects CIEDs from interference. The strongest EMF levels were detected during the charging of the vehicles.

One hundred and eight CIED patients drove and charged four commercially available e-cars (Nissan LEAF, Tesla Model S P85, BMW i3, und VW eUp) on a roller-bench test, which simulates road driving in a safe environment.

Roller-bench testing provides resistance and maximizes motor output and EMF, which was crucial to ensure simulating real-world EMF generation.

Given the rapidly increasing use of these vehicles for private and public transportation, this study provides important information for patients with CIEDs and is the first to do so using only fully electric cars.

Hybrid cars were excluded from the study to control for maximal EMF, since the intermittent use of a combustion engine could result in too much variation in EMF exposure.

"It is important to give evidence-based advice on which devices are dangerous EMI sources and which devices are harmless so that CIED patients can avoid unfounded worries and unnecessary restrictions," commented lead investigator PD Dr. med. Carsten Lennerz, Department of Electrophysiology, German Heart Centre Munich, Munich, Germany.

The results of the study should reassure patients with pacemakers/defibrillators that the tested cars are safe for them. PD Dr. med. Lennerz cautioned, however, that while these results as encouraging, rare events may still occur, and the technologies used are rapidly changing.
A lunar crater on the farside of the Moon could be turned into a new radio telescope resembling the Death Star from Star Wars, under new plans from NASA.

Funding for the project has come from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Programme, designed to support potentially game changing projects.

If the telescope is ever built it would be the largest open radio telescope in the solar system, according to the NASA team behind the idea.

The space agency says putting a radio telescope on the Moon presents 'tremendous advantages' compared to Earth-based or Earth-orbiting telescopes.

In this image you can see the concept of a mesh of wire covering the inside of the crater which would be installed by robots. NASA says putting it on the far side of the Moon allows the Moon itself to shield it from Earth noise

The Artemis mission will use the moon as its stepping stone, allowing the crew to test robots and other technologies before exploring farther into the solar system, with Mars being their next stop

The telescope concept, called the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT) would operate 10-meter long wavelengths - greater than any probed by humans before.

LCRT would allow astronomers to observe the universe in much greater detail than normally possible due to reflections from the Earth's atmosphere.

This would enable 'tremendous scientific discoveries in the field of cosmology,' said NASA lead on the project Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay.

The biggest impact would be on the study of the earliest moments of the universe.

Scientists say it would allow us to learn how the Universe inflated rapidly in its first trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second of existence after the Big Bang.

The farside of the Moon is a good place for such as telescope as the Moon itself acts as a natural shield, blocking out Earth-based noise and radio interferences.

NASA wants to deploy a 0.6 mile diameter wire-mesh built by robots around the crater to create the radio telescope.

The telescope image shared by NASA resembles the spot on the Death Star from Star Wars, although the telescope is being designed for friendlier purposes

'This Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT), with 0.6 mile diameter, will be the largest filled-aperture radio telescope in the Solar System,' said NASA.

'LCRT could enable tremendous scientific discoveries in the field of cosmology by observing the early universe in the 10 50m wavelength band (i.e., 630MHz frequency band), which has not been explored by humans to-date.'

In fact, the telescope could be maintained and operated by a crew of 'resident astronauts' living in the recently proposed Artemis Lunar Base Camp.

The Artemis Mission will see a series of crewed and uncrewed flights to the Moon over the next decade, including sending the first woman to the surface in 2024.

The project will also see the developing of an orbiting Lunar Gateway spacestation for scientific research and a stop off for surface landing missions.

The biggest announcement for the mission is the development of a lunar base.

The plans suggest a crew of four astronauts would call the moon home for a week at a time, but also describes accommodations with water, waste disposal systems and radiation shields if their time is extended.

By placing the telescope on the farside of the Moon NASA says it would be shielded from the noise coming from the Earth, making it easier to detect distant signals

NASA says it would send robots to the Moon to lay the 0.6 mile diameter of wire mesh across the surface of the crater

Astronauts will also conduct tests of advanced robotics, including future biomimetic systems that enable more autonomous operations at the Moon and can serve as robotic assistants to the crew.

In time, Artemis Base Camp might also include a hopper that could deliver science and technology payloads all over the Moon and which could be operated by crew at Artemis Base Camp and refuelled using locally sourced propellant.

That same crew could be involved in managing the proposed far-side radio telescope.

NASA said in its Artemis Base plans: 'A lunar far-side radio telescope could also be remotely emplaced and operated from Artemis Base Camp  a sort of backyard radiotelescope at our first encampment on the Moon.'

The idea of putting a radio telescope on the Moon isn't new, as recently as January a group of scientists published proposals in a Nature research paper.

Joseph Silk, professor of astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, wrote in Nature 'The far side of the Moon is the best place in the inner Solar System to monitor low-frequency radio waves.'

NASA has released a detailed plan for an 'Artemis Base Camp' that will be home to first woman and next man on the moon in 2024. The 13-page document highlights elements such as a terrain vehicle for transporting the astronauts around the landing zone, a permanent habit and a mobility platform to travel across the lunar surface

These are the only way of detecting certain faint fingerprints that the Big Bang left on the cosmos and can't be spotted by Earth-bound radio telescopes.

'Current proposals neglect the unique opportunity that a Moon-based telescope offers,' Silk wrote in his Nature article.

'Astronomers, ESA and NASA should develop the concept and promote the idea now, while lunar plans are still in their infancy.

'Rocket fuel from Moon ice and dollars from space tourists are grand. But if we really want to challenge the limits of human exploration, we should seek the beginnings of the Universe.'

More details about the proposed Lunar Crater Radio Telescope can be found on the NASA website.
As Liberia struggles to find its bearing on the virulent Covid-19, the Jewel Starfish Foundation has stepped out to empower locals with the requisite prevention materials that would enable them stay safe against the disease. The disease has, since its outbreak, taken thousands of lives across the world and brought the global community to its knees.

Speaking to residents of the Sophie Block B Community in Monrovia, Madam Norwu Howard, Board Chair of the Foundation said the donation of faucet buckets, hand sanitizers, chlorax, and other disinfectants is her institution's way of empowering local community in order to engender a community-based approach to the fight against Covid-19 in Liberia.

"In addition to the thousands of lives lost to the disease, many families lost their loved ones. The potential for the virus spreading in Liberia is very high. This is an opportunity for us Liberians to spread the message and not the virus by washing our hands, sneezing in our elbows and keeping a social distance. The virus is very, very serious. So, people within our borders should follow the prevention measures put in place by health experts," the Foundation Board Chair stressed.

Because our lives are in our hands, according to her, the Jewel Starfish Foundation has joined the efforts being made to fight against the virus.

Madam Howard indicated that the donated items were made available by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Lucky Development Corporation, owner of Lucky Pharmacies in Liberia and the University of Liberia School of Pharmacy- the A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine and several bags of rice provided by the organization's founder, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor to supplement the availability of food in the homes of ordinary people during this critical period.

"We are in the community to inform you that Coronavirus is real and a lot of lives are being lost all around the world. If Coronavirus hits this community, lives would be at risk.

For her part, the Program Director of Jewel Starfish Foundation, Stephene Audrey Kpoto emphasized that the virus is indeed dangerous and the organization saw the need to encourage local community residents to follow the preventive measures in place. She disclosed that the faucet buckets were donated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the organization's longtime partner, Lucky Development Corporation, owner of Lucky Pharmacies in Liberia provided the chlorax, dethol, hand gloves and face masks; while A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine provided the alcohol-based hand rubs.

"This is now our only weapon against the virus. We have to keep sanitizing and washing our hands in addition to staying home," she stated.

The Program Director of the Foundation pointed out that the Sophie Block B Community was identified among several other communities based on a thorough need assessment carried out by the organization

Receiving the items on behalf of the community, Mr. Koiyan Massawala lauded the foundation for seeing the need to reach to them during this time. "This virus is not just a national issue but global. We want to add that the founder of this organization, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor has always made efforts to reach out to their community at different times with assistance. We appreciate her for that. That's our mother who has always been there for us. We know this will pass over us once we all hold together," the Community Chairman said.

The donation of these items is one of several Anti-Covid-19 activities being carried out by the Foundation.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to grip both the UK and the world at large.

Heres your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight.

Government delays scheduled coronavirus lockdown review

The government postponed a scheduled review of whether to continue with its coronavirus lockdown, amid signs the measures could be slowing the spread of the virus.

Boris Johnson had originally said he would review the lockdown after it was in place for three weeks, but the exercise has now been pushed back until an unknown date after Easter.

Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the prime minister while he is in hospital, told a news conference on Tuesday: In terms of the review, were not at that stage yet.

Well take any decision when the time is right based on the facts and the scientific and medical advice.

Government says rate of coronavirus spread slower than predicted

The governments top scientific adviser said the UK could be seeing the beginning of change in the number of new cases of coronavirus.

Sir Patrick Vallance struck a cautiously optimistic note as he outlined new figures, saying there had not been the acceleration in the number of cases that ministers had feared.

New UK cases of coronavirus fell slightly to 3,634 on Tuesday, from 3,802 the previous day and 5,903 on Sunday.

The peak of the outbreak is expected to come within days.

Thousands more vulnerable Britons to be told to shield themselves for 12 weeks

It emerged thousands of vulnerable Britons at high risk from coronavirus have not yet been told they should be staying indoors for 12 weeks.

With the peak of the virus thought to be several days away, officials have admitted there have been mixed messages about which people should be shielding.

Last month the government announced it would contact 1.5 million people to tell them they should be shielding. GPs were then asked to find out more information on other patients they were aware of who needed to follow similar advice.

But in some cases, GPs have been unable to add people to the existing list of those who are entitled to receive food deliveries and urgent supplies during their 12-week isolation.

Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Show all 12 1 /12 Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Agnetha Septimus, Matthew Septimus, and children Ezra and Nora Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Husband and wife filmmakers, Claire Ince and Ancil McKain pose for a portrait for the series by Shutterstock Staff Photographer, Stephen Lovekin, shot around the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Khadijah Silver and son Eliot Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Anna Beth Rousakis and daughter Mary Rousakis Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Mike Pergola and Denise Pergola with children Henry, Jack, and Will Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Artist Shirley Fuerst Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Jean Davis and Danny Rosenthal, with children Simone, Naomi, and Leah Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Robert E Clark Jr Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Lisa Draho and Josh Zuckerman, with children Ruby and Ava Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Professor and activist Dr Kristin Lawler Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Tom Smith and Laura Ross, with daughters Caroline, Elizabeth, and Abigail Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock Words at the window: Social isolation and the Coronavirus Callie Lovekin and Lucas Lovekin Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock

Mental health support line set up for NHS workers after PTSD warnings from Covid-19 crisis

The NHS launched a mental health hotline to offer support to health workers after experts warned doctors and nurses on the frontline of the UKs coronavirus epidemic could develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hundreds of thousands of workers who may need help will be able to call or text a free number staffed by more than 1,500 trained volunteers.

The volunteers, from organisations such as Hospice UK, the Samaritans and Shout, will listen to NHS staff and give psychological support to those in need, as well as offering advice.

Trump says US may withhold funding from World Health Organisation

President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold US funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) because he claims the group did not react well to some of his regulations against China during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're going to put a hold on money spent for WHO," he said during the briefing before rolling back the statement to say the pulling of funding was up for consideration. Reasoning behind pulling the funding was over claims the WHO "missed the call" for the novel virus.

"They seem to be very China-centric. And we have to look into that so we'll look into it we pay for a majority of the money that they get," the president added.

While Mr Trump said he thought certain programmes created by the WHO were worthwhile, he also said the organisation made mistakes, specifically opposing his decision to put a travel ban on China.
Samsung might be looking to freshen up its Galaxy Tab S lineup with the introduction of bigger screen versions. A new rumor suggests that the company is now working on two models for the future flagship Galaxy Tab S device.

They will offer 11" and 12.4" screens, both larger than the 10.5" unit on the current Galaxy Tab S6. People familiar with the matter say the next-generation Galaxy Tab S will be called Galaxy Tab S20 to be in line with the current flagship Galaxy S20-series.

There are even model numbers to go with the info - SM-T970 and SM-T875 - likely the first of those is a Wi-Fi-only 12.4" variant, while the latter is a cellular-enabled 11" slate. It's still unclear if those will be your only two options, but more leaks should fill us in before the time comes for an official announcement.
As total, Ukraine will hand over 5,000 liters of disinfectant fluids to Italy

Today, on April 8, a plane, loaded with humanitarian aid, has departed from Ukraine to Italy. 5,000 liters of disinfectant fluid will be delivered to Italian doctors. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Herashchenko.

"We make this gesture of friendship and gratitude, remembering that Italian doctors are fighting daily for the lives of Ukrainians from our numerous diaspora. Unfortunately, four Ukrainians in Italy were unable to overcome the dangerous virus and died. But there is also good news: yesterday, a decline in the rate of increase in the number of registered COVID-19 cases has been recorded in Italy for the first time, Herashchenko wrote.

Deputy Interior Minister also added that Ukraine's alcohol sector fully covered the country's needs for ethyl alcohol-based disinfectant solutions and melts and "could meet Europes every demand."

As we reported earlier, on April 3, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on providing humanitarian aid to Italy in order to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 5, 20 Ukrainian doctors departed to help Italy in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. They will stay in the country for 14 days.
Amid the COVID-19 countrywide lockdown, Srikalahasti MLA Biyyapu Madhusudhan Reddy on Wednesday distributed two tonnes of chicken and 15,000 eggs among people in Erpedu village of Andhra Pradesh to develop their immunity by consuming nutritious food amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The YSR Congress Party MLA Reddy said that each family is being given one kg of chicken and 10 eggs. He explained that the initiative has been taken to ensure that people develop their immunity by consuming nutritious food amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Reddy further said that Srikalahasti town has been declared as a red zone and so people should not move out of their houses in order to prevent getting infected. He appealed to the public to adhere to the government's advisories and maintain social distancing for their own safety.

Various measures have been taken by the Andhra Pradesh government to aid people amid the 21-days countrywide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

In Andhra Pradesh, 305 people have tested positive for coronavirus, including one death and four cured or discharged, as per the Health Ministry's latest bulletin.

With an increase of 773 cases in the last 24 hours, India's tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 5,194, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the 5194 cases, 4,643 cases are reported to be active cases while 401 people have recovered/discharged and one migrated. The ministry has reported 10 new deaths in the last 24 hours increasing the toll to 149.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Likening the situation in the country to a social emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made it clear that the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 cannot be lifted in one go on April 14, asserting that the priority of his government is to "save each and every life".

Interacting with floor leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament via video conferencing to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the government's efforts to mitigate the hardships due to the lockdown, the prime minister said the country is facing "serious economic challenges as a result of COVID-19, and the government is committed to overcoming them."



India is under the 21-day lockdown since March 25, with only essential services exempted, to contain the spread of coronavirus. As per the Union health ministry's evening update, there are 149 deaths and 5,274 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country even as the country entered its third week of nationwide lockdown.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same," Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.

Apart from Misra, others who participated in the meet included Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, also leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party' s Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Misra, Lok Janshakti Party's Chirag Paswan.

The meet comes amidst indications that the Central government may extend the lockdown across the country beyond April 14 after several states have favoured the extension to contain the fast-spreading virus, as the positive cases in the country show no signs of any let up.

"The situation in the country is akin to a social emergency. The country has been forced to take tough decisions, and must continue to remain vigilant," the prime minister told the leaders, according to an official statement.

States, district administrations and experts have suggested extension of the ongoing lockdown beyond April 14 to contain the spread of the virus, Modi said. The official statement, however, did not mention whether the lockdown will be extended.

According to official sources, Modi will interact with chief ministers of all states on April 11 to discuss various issues related to the coronavirus outbreak including the lockdown.

Asserting that India has been among the few nations to control the pace of spread of the virus till now, Modi, however, warned that the situation keeps changing continuously and one needs to maintain vigil at all times.

Azad said the prime minister told the meeting that he has received several requests for extension of the lockdown to contain COVID-19, but will take a call on it after consulting experts and the chief ministers of various states.

Around 80 per cent of the leaders from various political parties, who interacted with the prime minister through video-conferencing, favoured extending the lockdown, the Congress leader said while Paswan told Modi that there has been a lot of speculation about the lockdown but the prime minister is in the best position to take a decision.

Paswan, however, said that any relaxation in the lockdown must be done in a phased manner, and district and state borders should remain sealed for a long time.

While crowded urban centres like malls and cinema halls can remain closed for more time, farmers in rural areas should be given relaxation, Paswan said.

Sources said, these leaders were briefed by secretaries of various ministries---health, home and rural development ---on the actions taken by the government to tackle COVID-19 and mitigate the hardships arising out of the lockdown.

Several opposition leaders raised the issue of shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers in the country, a source said.

Other leaders who attended the virtual meet were T R Baalu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Sukhbir Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Janata Dal-United), Pinaki Mishra (Biju Janata Dal) and Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena).

Giving up its initial reluctance, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also attended the interaction. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay was among the participants.

Modi interacted with leaders of those parties whose combined strength of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to five.

Baalu said he sought a relief of Rs 10,000 from the Centre in two equal installments, to be provided to all BPL families, besides Rs 5,000 as subsidy to all LPG users while Bandopadhyay urged Modi not to suspend the MPLAD funds scheme as it would impact development works at the grassroots level.

The DMK leader also told reporters in Chennai that he asked Modi to "drop the (building a new Parliament) move as it was unnecessary at this juncture. The nation would require huge funds to combat Covid-19 pandemic."



Bandopadhyay said, "I have requested the prime minister for a financial moratorium (for debt servicing) for West Bengal and to give the financial package of Rs 25,000 crore as demanded by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. I have also requested him not to suspend the MPLAD funds and told him that we are ready to give away our full salary.

The MPLAD funds help public representatives to take development to the grassroots level and it should not be stopped, added.

This is prime minister's first interaction with the floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25 though he had held interactions with chief ministers of all states including those ruled by non-NDA parties.

The leaders also talked about financial packages for states, boosting the health and morale of the healthcare workers, ramping up testing facilities, the need to assist smaller states and UTs, and tackling the challenges of hunger and malnutrition, the statement said.

They also spoke about economic and other policy measures to boost the country's capability in the battle against the pandemic, it added.

They thanked the prime minister for the meeting, appreciated the timely measures taken by him and said that the "entire country is standing united behind him during the crisis", the statement said.

The prime minister has also held interactions with various stakeholders, including doctors, journalists and heads of Indian missions to get a feedback on ways to check the spread of coronavirus.

He also recently spoke to various political party heads including Congress' Sonia Gandhi, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and DMK's MK Stalin and discussed the COVID-19 situation.

He had also talked to former presidents Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee, and former prime ministers HD Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States (US) President Donald Trump repeatedly said in March that he wanted the country open for business by Easter Sunday (April 12). Of late, he has somewhat reversed his Panglossian outlook. But he has touted the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a magic cure, railed against the mainstream media for misreporting, and continued to excoriate the Chinese government for the spread of the virus.

In stark contrast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day nationwide lockdown of India till April 14, two days after Easter. He has not provided any magic bullet solutions. Instead, he has warned of tough times ahead and asked citizens to light candles to signal their collective strength.

The divergence between the two approaches is seemingly bewildering. Is Modis reaction disproportionate? Or is Trump foolhardy and refusing to confront reality?

Only time and the medical fraternity will have the answer to these questions. But the contrasting responses are functions of political leaders grappling with a pandemic in a social media age.

At a time when almost every citizen is bombarded with news, real and fake, on what caused the virus to spread and how to stave it off, panic is pervasive. In this scenario, the differences in their public positions conceal a more fundamental similarity  both men are doubling down on what made them popular in the first place.

The lockdown is symptomatic of two traits that have characterised Modi  sacrifice and bolstering Indias international standing. Asking people to stay at home, reduce visits to the grocery, cut out all forms of recreation amounts to a call for citizens to sacrifice their individual needs for the greater good.

This has been the leitmotif of Brand Modi  a boy who sacrificed his childhood to help his father sell tea; forsook his family for the country; and now travels the world to make India regain its rightful place on the global stage. Because of

the lockdown, Modi has been hailed by

the World Health Organization (WHO), which held that only such an extreme measure could contain the spread of the virus.

If the lockdown works, not only will it help preserve India, but its international reputation, which suffered in recent months, primarily due to the Citizen (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens episode and protests against it, will be restored almost immediately.

For Trump, a man who was elected with the promise of creating jobs for the average Joe, his initial Captain America talk was unsurprising. His recent utterances, more in tune with the gravity of the pandemic, have, however, remained combative  interrupting the countrys leading infectious diseases expert to answer a question on medical science, criticising The New York Times and Washington Post for grim fake news, and attacking WHO. These may appear inexplicable but they are consistent with his carefully-cultivated image of a folksy American hero cocking a snook at the world and its established wisdom.

Both Modi and Trump have correctly understood that in the information age, assuaging citizens matters more than taking nuanced decisions. With people receiving all kinds of mixed messages from wearing N95 masks to not wearing masks at all, and everything else in the middle, it is important to be clear, simple and authoritative. The moment does not lend itself to nuance.

This is why, for democratically-elected leaders in the social media age, reacting to a pandemic is different from how epidemics were tackled at other times. In colonial times, neither did the views of people matter nor did their lives. Epidemics of cholera in colonial India were allowed to spread rampantly in native colonies. Even when this strategy changed with active government intervention to tackle the deadly plague in Bombay in 1896, they rode entirely roughshod on peoples rights and their views.

In a democracy like India or America, getting the response to a pandemic right is only partly about getting the public health intervention right. Thats because straightforward public health criteria, such as the number of deaths, dont alone cause global pandemics  if that were the case, with 1.5 million deaths in 2018 alone, 20 times the number of coronavirus deaths so far, tuberculosis should have been the pandemic of pandemics. It wasnt.

Instead, what creates a pandemic in the information age is the fear of an already deadly disease being multiplied by millions of informed and uninformed commentators incessantly sharing billions of views with each other, all on the same subject, day and night.

Both, Modi and Trump are world leaders in this age because they know how

to cut through this clutter with contrasting, yet simple messages. Needless to say, time will prove one of them right. For

the other, there will always be someone else to blame with another equally simple message.

Arghya Sengupta is research director, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

The views expressed are personal
Investors warn Australian startups working on the forefront of medical research could be pushed to the brink as the coronavirus outbreak puts a squeeze on capital.

"Companies that move quickly now are likely to survive, but there will be lots of layoffs," said Chris Nave, managing director of biomedical investment firm Brandon Capital Partners.

Chris Nave, managing director of Brandon Capital, fears economic conditions will mean many Australian companies engaged in research will struggle to find runway to continue operations. Credit:Louie Douvis

Dr Nave warned the nation must have a plan for how it will support sectors including medtech and biotechnology in years to come as the industry faces tough conditions presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

This includes the fact that many clinical trials have paused in Australia, meaning businesses need to turn back to their investors to secure more capital to keep afloat, he said.
Rajinikanth, the superstar has recently made his international television debut with Discovery channel's into the wild with Bear Grylls show, which was aired in Discovery network last month. As per the latest updates, the Rajinikanth into the wild with Bear Grylls show has set a new record with its TRP.

According to the reports, the show which was premiered in the Discovery network over 12 channels, has received the highest TRP for an infotainment show this year so far. Rajinikanth into the wild with Bear Grylls show has also emerged as the program to garner the second-highest ratings in the history of the genre.

The sources suggest that the total reach of the show which was premiered on March 23, 2020, is 12.4 Million. Thus, Rajinikanth into the wild with Bear Grylls show has earned 86 percent higher TRP than the previous weeks. The slot has earned five times more viewership while compared to the previous four weeks.

Interestingly, the Rajinikanth into the wild with Bear Grylls show has also done exceedingly well in Discovery India's regional channel D Tamil. According to the latest reports from BARC India, the viewership of D Tamil grew by 20 times and the channel was able to beat all the contemporary channels including Colors Tamil and Jaya. The show also created a huge buzz on social media too.

Rajinikanth made a comeback to the mini screen after a long gap of around 4 decades with the Bear Grylls show. However, the show had stirred controversy after a group of activists demanded the superstar's arrest for shooting in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, which is a preserved forest area. However, Rajinikanth chose to not comment on the reports, and the controversies died down very soon.

Also Read:

Rajinikanth's Darbar To Have Its Television Premiere On This Date!
250,000 workers will lose their jobs this quarter and another 1.5-2 million face a similar threat as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment's estimate warned however that if the pandemic worsened, 400,000 would lose their jobs and three million more could be laid off.

From January 1 to March 26, over 153,000 people applied for unemployment benefits, mostly former workers in the transportation, garment, footwear, tourism, hospitality, and food sectors.

Nearly 35,000 businesses shut down during the first quarter, a record number.

Vietnams GDP growth in the first quarter is estimated at 3.82 percent year-on-year, the lowest in the last 10 years.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered "non-essential" businesses like massage parlors, karaoke bars, tourist and amusement sites, movie theaters, beauty salons, beer shops, restaurants, and eateries to be closed until April 15, saying the country was entering a critical two-week stage in its Covid-19 fight.

If the epidemic continues for over six months, 74 percent of firms in Vietnam would go bankrupt since revenues would fail to cover operational expenses, a survey by the Private Economic Development Research Board (IV Board) of over 1,200 firms in early March found.

Vietnam has recorded 251 Covid-19 infections as of Wednesday. Of them, 126 have recovered and been discharged.

The disease has claimed more than 82,000 lives in 209 countries and territories.
An Accra High Court has convicted Director of KASS Plus Company, Adamu Awudu, for contempt.



He was dragged to court by the Association International School, that had raised concerns about its construction of a 22-storey building in the Airport Residential area.



The school had contended that the construction poses health challenges to the residents and the school children.



The school had further argued that a court order dated August 27, 2019, had directed that construction be halted once they are done with works on retaining walls.



Justice Nicholas Abodakpi who heard the case Tuesday, April 7, 2020, found the company guilty of contempt for going ahead with construction.



He sentenced the representative of the company to a fine of 2,500 penalty units, (GH14, 400) or in default three months imprisonment.



The headmistress of the school, Audrey Doryumu, has welcomed the ruling.



She told JoyNews she hoped the courts decision send a signal to the company that they cannot continue to do things that are wrong just because they are well-connected. The laws of our land are there for us to follow.



This lesson she said, must be to other groups who seek to take advantage of others because they do not have a voice.



Mrs. Doryumu explained that ruling was a victory for the residents and called on relevant authorities to ensure that ongoing building projects within the community are executed within the remits of the zoning laws and statutory requirements.

Source: Myjoyonline









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PAGE, Ariz.  Authorities in northern Arizona have arrested a man accused of writing a racist social media post accusing Navajo people of carrying the coronavirus and calling for their deaths.

The Page Police Department announced Tuesday that 34-year-old Daniel Franzen was taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to incite an act of terrorism.

Police say they received reports Monday of a Facebook post that urged people to use lethal force against the Navajo community because they were 100% infected with COVID-19.

Investigators say they traced the post to Franzen. He was booked into Coconino County jail.

It was not known if Franzen had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. A police spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

In a statement, Page police said any unlawful hate speech will be aggressively investigated. Authorities also said that anyone who makes retaliatory threats against the suspect would be subject to investigation as well.

The city of Page borders the Navajo Nation, the nations largest Native American reservation.

The tribe has had more than 380 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths on its reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
'Unless the State is a welfare State, unless the State has more welfare measures, it will not be able to deal with these kind of sudden situations.'

IMAGE: Women carrying their babies and essential items walk on a nearly deserted street in Ghaziabad, April 7, 2020. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

"Our GDP is around Rs 180 lakh crore, so 10% of that -- or at least 5% to 7% -- is fair enough to meet the kind of shock that people are going to bear if the lockdown is to end by the end of April or early May," says Professor Pusphpendra Kumar Singh, Chairperson, Centre for Development Practice and Research, Tata Institute of Social Science, Patna.

A sociologist who has conducted extensive research on rural-urban migration, Professor Singh, below, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih what the government can do for India's poor after the lockdown ends. The concluding segment of a two-part interview:

What can the government do at this time for the migrant poor?

The government can do certain things which it has done in the past. For example, to ensure accessibility, in the past, the government sold grains in the market through mobile vans. In this case, the government has more than 60 million metric tonnes of grains in the Food Corporation of India godowns.

If they even gave this for free, it will help the government to lessen the stock which may be rotting. It will help the government to manage the stock.

In order to fight the menace of malnutrition, the first thing the government should do is to ensure that not only are people not going hungry, but their nutritional standards are maintained and improved.

The food distribution should be streamlined so that the poor and the rich can buy for Rs 2 or Rs 3 per kg -- or it can even be given free to BPL card holders.

Even those without ration cards should be allowed to access food through the public distribution system.

The government should emphasise on mobilising the entire FCI distribution system up to the dealer. This should be the first priority.

How would the migrant situation improve if there was even a phased lifting of the lockdown?

People are waiting for the lockdown to be lifted.

I feel once that happens there will be more exodus from urban areas and more will go back home.

At the same time, if in states like Punjab, if the epidemic is under control and no new cases happen, then a group of workers will definitely go for wheat harvesting.

There will be movement in a different direction. You will not have a linear narrative for what will happen in the post-lockdown situation.

Some people, depending on their relationship with their employer, may go back provided there are no new cases.

One must also keep in mind that the family members of the migrants will be concerned and will persuade them to stay back in the villages and make do with the resources at their hand.

The family may prevail upon them and prevent them from going back saying that life is more important.

IMAGE: Homeless women sit outside a closed shop in Guwahati, April 7, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

Do you think India will have to be a welfare State for at least a year?

More than that. We have to see things differently.

Earlier, used to be people's exodus from rural areas in large numbers. The exodus happened during drought, famine, floods, epidemics like plague and smallpox.

What is happening now is that kind of exodus is episodic, more of a regular pattern of migration. This migration is different from an exodus. Now exodus from rural to urban areas is episodic.

The 2016 drought in Maharashtra compelled many people to leave parts of rural Maharashtra and come to Mumbai or Pune.

What is happening now is that the exodus is basically from urban areas. This exodus is caused by State action or inaction where these migrants are working -- for example, demonetisation, the post-epidemic lockdown or son of the soil politics.

Our system is not equipped to deal with this new kind of exodus when there are large number of people who want to go back with no access to a working transport system.

Our welfare mechanisms are designed to help people in normal situations, not in situations like a lockdown.

All our welfare measures are related to retirement, pension and insurance related to death or disability -- it is either post death or post retirement.

None of these are related to the present crisis.

We need to devise policies for such kind of health and economic crisis which we may face more in times ahead.

Unless the State is a welfare State, unless the State has more welfare measures, it will not be able to deal with these kind of sudden situations like a lockdown or economic catastrophe.

Our present welfare mechanisms are completely inadequate to deal with such emergencies.

Our welfare schemes have to be more appropriately designed.

What will be the economic cost of this lockdown?

In the past, the economic costs of public sector banks going bankrupt have been compensated by State bailouts. Here is a situation where both the public and private sector are affected, but the impact is more on the poor because their ability to withstand this crisis is very low.

The bailout this time has to keep in mind both these two very different kind of categories of people. We are talking about the 50 crore workforce in the country, out of which according to government data, 42 crore are in the informal sector.

On the other hand, the important public and private enterprises also have to be sustained. A large-scale job loss will also impact the welfare of workers.

Our GDP is around Rs 180 lakh crore, so 10% of that -- or at least 5% to 7% to begin with-- is fair enough to meet the kind of shock that people are going to bear if the lockdown is to end by the end of April or early May till things get restored.

5% to 7% of GDP will go a long way.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- In the eyes of Moscow hardliners, the shale boom that turned the U.S. into a leading oil exporter has also encouraged Washingtons belligerence. Back in early March, low prices were a welcome means of pushing American producers over the edge; Russias bolstered state finances and its lower-cost oil companies meant it could take the pain.

But that was then.

Now, the unfolding coronavirus epidemic has forced the country into a shutdown that will last until the end of April, while dealing an unprecedented blow to oil demand. Its a double whammy just as President Vladimir Putin, whose approval ratings have been slipping, prepares to extend his stay at the top. An output-cutting deal with other producing nations, even one that can merely cushion the revenue drop, is now desirable, to stop the economy  and the presidents popularity  from fraying further. Achieving that on the Kremlins terms will be another matter.

Russia is certainly less vulnerable than in the past, in part thanks to financial buffers encouraged by U.S. sanctions. Like Saudi Arabia, with whom Moscow is engaged in a damaging output standoff, it has used high oil prices to cut its external debt. Fiscal prudence has created budget surpluses, while foreign currency reserves have increased. Corporate debt in foreign currency has fallen. The country is even more self-sufficient in food.

Yet oil prices have halved this year. Brent is trading at $34 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate and Urals crude, Russias export blend, below $30. Thats grim news for Moscow, and not just because its budget balances with the benchmark value at just above $40, or because Putin started the year with promises of significant social spending. The budget can be reworked with $20 oil  and indeed already is. Russia can still borrow.

At current prices, though, profit margins begin to look thin even for Russian producers, for whom it costs less than $20, including capital spending, to extract and ship a barrel, and which also benefit from a falling rouble and flexible taxes. And its not just about the state budget: Energy investment will fall, affecting employment and consumption. Combined with shelter-in-place orders for Russias citizens, prospects for the broader economy look bleak. The nationwide shutdown could cost 1.5%-2% of GDP, according to the Bank of Russia. The governments worst-case scenario last month had the economy shrinking by as much as 10%. Thats a dramatic drop for a country that has already seen disposable incomes falter.

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The logic of squeezing shale producers hasnt disappeared, nor has the clout of Igor Sechin, the pugnacious boss of Rosneft Oil Co., the state-backed producer. His weight has arguably increased with Januarys change of government. With global oil demand likely to remain well below 100 million barrels per day for some time, Russia wants a bigger share of what remains. But at this rate, the countrys own ambitious projects, like the Bazhenov formation, the worlds largest shale oil resource, look untenable.

The real wild card here has been the coronavirus. Not just the direct economic hit, but also Putins distant initial reaction and the lack of a fiscal boost, which means he hasnt seen the sort of rallying effect in the polls that has helped U.S. President Donald Trump and other political leaders.

Nigel Gould-Davies, at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggests the risk is a repeat of Putin's Kursk debacle two decades ago, when his perceived leadership failure at the time of the submarine tragedy triggered widespread criticism. This isnt a threat to the plan to change the constitution to allow him to stay on, but his father of the nation gambit may be harder to implement, especially if Russias under-resourced health system buckles.

An oil output deal, even today, wont fix the crude price problem, given we now have the biggest supply overhang in history. Its difficult too for Russia to cut, even if it wants to. Saad Rahim, chief economist at commodity trader Trafigura, estimates that Moscow will want to target a reduction of just 500,000 to 1 million barrels per day at most, as its large number of older, more marginal fields means that anything more would risk wastage and long-term damage to reservoirs. And there is no compensation for lost volume from Moscow's wealth fund. For some analysts, it makes little sense for Russia to yield now, when many people have yet to feel the pain at home.

Yet the longer this drags on, the less financial capacity Russia, and its banks, will have to provide support for businesses and households. To make matters worse, the country has limited oil storage too.

Moscow is pragmatic. But Trump will need to make some concession-like noises at least on American production cuts, to help Putin save face. Not easy, but given the shut-ins already triggered by the price fall, also not impossible, with the help of U.S. state energy regulators. Other non-OPEC producer nations may have to join in. The threat of tariffs, a favorite Trump tool, would by contrast be more irritating than effective, at least for Russia, which ships the vast majority of its oil to destinations outside the U.S.

Absent that, theres pain ahead for everyone.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Back in February, in its first presidential election poll of 2020, Muhlenberg College reported a tight race among the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination and President Donald Trump.

In fact, at the time Sen. Bernie Sanders held a lead over Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

Despite his Pennsylvania roots, former Vice President Joe Biden was at a dead heat with Trump.

A mere six weeks later, the world and the Pennsylvania election landscape have changed dramatically.

Sanders, the 78-year-old Democratic socialist from Vermont, on Wednesday ended his bid for the White House. And Trump, who up until recently enjoyed robust approval in Pennsylvania for his economic policies, is now managing arguably the most economically catastrophic public health crisis in the nations history.

With Sanders out of the picture, Pennsylvania progressives now must once again weigh their loyalty to the far left cohort of the Democratic Party or mend divisions with the mainstream faction and coalesce with Bidens moderate camp.

Unlike four years ago, when Sanders loyalists in great numbers bailed out rather than back Hillary Clinton, the Trump ideology is no longer a theoretical consideration.

The presidents policies on just about every issue bucks up against progressive ideals. And that may just be the single most important factor this time around in the ability of Democrats to secure Pennsylvanias 20 electoral votes

If its 2016 and you are a progressive and you are thinking, How bad can a Trump presidency be for the things I care about? Well, from a progressive point of view things done on energy, climate and health during the Trump presidency are now recognized as substantial threats, said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

That realization may act as a major force to bring those voters out even if they are not enamored with the partys choice.

Sanders progressive base in 2016 largely rejected Clinton, an unpopular candidate in the progressive corner of the Democratic Party. Trump won Pennsylvania, a feat no Republican presidential candidate had pulled off since 1988.

But again, April 2020 presents a markedly different reality.

Sanders on Wednesday left the race on very different terms and with a different tone with regards to his relationship with Biden.

Speaking from his home in Burlington, Vt., Sanders cited the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation, noting that beating Trump in November was the paramount goal of the party. More than 300 people in Pennsylvania have died due to the coronavirus, according to the state Department of Health.

I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere in the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, Sanders said.

He congratulated Biden, called him a very decent man and pledged to support him as the nominee.

That can help smooth over some of the rough edges that were never addressed by Clinton in 2016, Borick said.

Biden has a commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to secure his partys presidential nomination at a convention in Milwaukee, originally scheduled for mid-July. Amid the pandemic, party officials have taken the unprecedented step of postponing the convention until August, just before the Republican National Convention is scheduled.

Already across the Pennsylvania political landscape, the reverberations of Sanders decision to drop out of the race signaled an immediate coming together across any seeming party divide.

"The Pennsylvania Democratic Party will always fight for progressive values  for affordable, quality health care, good jobs and better wages, and a commonwealth that puts everyday Pennsylvanians before the ultra-wealthy, said Nancy Patton Mills, chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. We invite anyone who shares our values to join us and help elect Democrats at all levels of government in November."

On paper, mending the fissures in the party over the liberal ideals espoused by Sanders - Medicare-for-all and free college - and Bidens more centrists outlook may seem an insurmountable feat. But Bill Patton, spokesman for the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus points to the partys ability to bridge that divide in that chamber.

We have members ranging from very liberal to pretty conservative but we are able to work together on most things that come to the House as a united caucus, Patton said. A big part of that is allowing everyone to express themselves and make their feelings known. Thats a process that will play out in this presidential campaign as well.

Patton is confident that Democrats across the state will put behind them the primary season and focus on the general election.

Democrats of all stripes share a common goal of replacing the current president, he said. With Sanders departure that path becomes much smoother.

Patton said Sanders remains an asset to the party. The mending of any division, he said, was inevitable.

His energy and ideas and the enthusiasm of his millions of supporters are all things that the larger Democratic party needs, he said. Thats a natural process that will take place over time. Some may do that quicker than others but I think the entire Democratic Party is united at this point and thats across ideologies. This idea of a sharp divide in the party between moderates and progressives has been overhyped.

Still, it remains critical for Sanders to articulate the importance of his base to bridge the division with the mainstream faction of the party.

I think hes a trusted figure in the progressive community, Borick said. To have folks like him and Elizabeth Warren and other progressive officials like AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) ...its important to have those voices out there campaigning and vouching for Biden and talking about policy differences. For a lot of progressive Joe Biden is not their cup of tea. But the combination of juxtaposing Biden policies against Trump policies and progressives making that case is going to be crucial for Democrats, if they want to win back places like Pennsylvania or Michigan and Wisconsin, which in all likelihood will determine this election.

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Read our coronavirus coverage:

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Labor and Social Development Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan has announced the launch of an online service on Social Insurance Organization (SIO)'s portal, to allow employers to register, reported BNA.

With this move, these employees can take advantage of the government's guarantee to pay salaries of nearly 100,000 Bahraini employees in private sector registered with SIO for the months of April, May and June, it stated.

The minister affirmed that this step came within the framework of the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the government headed by HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the support of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to provide the necessary liquidity to the private sector to deal with the effects of the current conditions preserving private sector growth and enhancing its vital role in supporting the national economy.

Minister Humaidan pointed out that the payment of salaries will be made according to what is registered with SIO until the end of February.

He pointed out that these salaries will be paid through savings from the unemployment insurance fund, as it costs BD215 million ($566 million) to cover the months of April, May and June 2020, at a monthly rate in excess of BD70 million ($184 million).
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Mumbai-based Molbio Diagnostics has tied up with Tata Trusts to produce coronavirus test kits that can produce results within an hour.

Called the Truenat Beta CoV, the test can diagnose a positive result for the coronavirus strain within an hour at a cost of Rs 1,350 per test as per a report by Business Standard.

Company CTO Chandrashekhar Nair quoted in the report said that it will be used in Uttar Pradesh to start with.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

The portable, battery-operated kits can be used by up to 15 individuals in a day and cost Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 12 lakh. The company has an order for 1,500 test kits so far. The kits are approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the government.

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 kit uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to evaluate the throat swabs for diagnoses and are hence more accurate, Nair added.

The company has so far raised Rs 400 crore, of which Rs 240 crore came from Motilal Oswal over the last three months.

Molbio was also supported by the India Health Fund (IHF) through its Centre for Health Research and Innovations (CHRI).

IHF is an initiative by the Tata Trusts which facilitates the reach of projects and services to the market. It has received Rs 1 crore from the Tata Trusts for the programmes to prevent infectious disease, IHF CEO Madhav Joshi said.

The government had earlier set Rs 4,500 as the upper limit for testing by private labs, but many people were hesitant to voluntarily go for testing because of the cost.

Around 119 government labs (providing free testing) and 29 private labs have been authorised to test for coronavirus. Of these 104 are operational.
What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips
Ceri Weber had just begun to defend her dissertation when the chaos began: Echoes and voices interrupted her. Someone parroted her words. Then Britney Spears music came on, and someone told Weber to shut up. Someone threatened to rape her.

Hackers had managed to get into the meeting, held on the video conference service Zoom, while Weber was completing the final step of her doctoral degree at Duke University. The harassment lasted 10 minutes  the result of an increasingly common form of cyberattack known as Zoombombing.

As tens of millions of people turn to video conferences to stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic, many have reported uninvited guests who make threats, interject racist, anti-gay or anti-Semitic messages, or show pornographic images. The attacks have drawn the attention of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

It seemed like someone was just being silly, but then the intrusions started to get more serious and threatening, Weber said. I was really in the zone and kept presenting.

She said she was more concerned about others in the chat who could have been scared. She was interrupted despite having selected mute all in the settings for the meeting she conducted from her home in Durham, N.C.

A Massachusetts high school reported that someone interrupted a virtual class on Zoom, yelled profanity and revealed the teachers home address. Another school in that state reported a person who accessed a meeting and showed swastika tattoos, according to the FBI.

The agencys field office in Boston recommended that users of video teleconferences ensure that hosts have sole control over screen-sharing features and meeting invitations.

In New York, Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Zoom with questions about how users privacy and security are being protected. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sought information about how the company handles personal data and guards against security threats and abuse.

Zoom has referred to trolls as party crashers, which some critics have taken as a sign the company is downplaying the attacks.

We are determined to do better and hold ourselves to the highest standard on security and privacy, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said Wednesday in an online video chat reported by Bloomberg News. The San Jose company has formed a cybersecurity council, hired Facebooks former chief security officer, Alex Stamos, to advise it, and beefed up default privacy settings on meetings. It encourages users to report any incidents directly to Zoom, and suggested that people hosting large, public meetings confirm that they are the only ones who can share their screen and use features like mute controls.

For those hosting private meetings, password protections are on by default, and we recommend that users keep those protections on to prevent uninvited users from joining, the company said. Zoom recently updated the default screen-sharing settings for education users so that teachers are by default the only ones who can share content.

Despite the update, Nevadas Clark County School District, which includes all public schools in Las Vegas, and the New York City Department of Education, which is responsible for the largest school district in the country, have told teachers to stop using Zoom.

Zoombombing was always a threat given how the video conferencing app was configured  geared more toward user-friendliness than privacy, said Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology policy at Consumer Reports.

When shelter-at-home mandates suddenly converted Zoom into a lifeline for tens of millions of families, it became a target, he said. Some Zoombombers have been able to randomly guess meeting IDs and crash conferences that are not configured to keep out interlopers, he said.

Inexperienced users have exposed meeting IDs online. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a screenshot of a Zoom Cabinet meeting that showed the ID and everyones screen name.

Brookman said Zoom can do more to boost privacy protections.

As the Rev. Laura Everett delivered a sermon over Zoom for Bostons First Baptist Church, a user who had seen the church service advertised entered the session and shouted homophobic and racist slurs. This was, for all intents and purposes, a house of worship that was violated, she said. Zoom and every other business bears the primary responsibility for users safety.

In Oakland, Malachi Garza reported an attack on a Zoom conference she hosted for roughly 200 participants, including formerly incarcerated people who have experience with solitary confinement and are struggling with the pandemics stay-home orders.

The conference organized by the philanthropic Solidare Network was interrupted by racist, anti-transgender language, and pornographic images were flashed on a shared screen.

Zoom needs to tell the truth and call this what it really is, Garza said. Its racial terror, not party crashers.

Chronicle staff contributed to this report.

Regina Garcia Cano and Aaron Morrison are Associated Press writers.
Since its inception 112 years ago almost to the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been credited with the eradication of smallpox and the near eradication of other devastating illnesses, including leprosy and river blindness.

This record of success makes the current corruption of the organization all the more shameful.

On December 30, Chinese doctor Li Wenliang warned colleagues about the outbreak of an illness resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which sparked a pandemic in 2003. Public-health officials rely on the acuity of doctors like Li, whose early warnings prevent the spread of deadly diseases. But Chinese authorities didnt reward Li; they summoned him to the Public Security Bureau in Wuhan on accusations that he had made false statements and disrupted the public order.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) followed up with numerous other arrests, and publicly warned that it would punish anyone spreading rumors on social media. By mid January, Chinese doctors knew that COVID-19 was spreading between humans, but on January 14, the WHO stated that there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus. Two weeks later, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus flew to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, who so impressed Tedros that he lauded Chinese authorities for setting a new standard for outbreak control, praising their openness for sharing information.

Dr. Li might have disagreed with that sentiment. Alas, he was never able to voice his objections: He died after contracting COVID-19.

When the WHO emergency committee discussed whether to declare COVID-19 a public-health emergency on January 23, international observers had definitively discredited Chinese health data. Yet Tedros relied on those data in arguing against declaring an emergency  over the objections of other committee members. That decision delayed the mobilization of public-health resources around the world. John Mackenzie, a committee member, attributed the delay to very poor reporting and very poor communication from the CCP. After finally declaring an emergency on January 30, Tedros continued to lavish praise on China. As late as February 20, he argued that Chinese actions were slowing the spread [of coronavirus] to the rest of the world.

Story continues

Tedros isnt afraid to take on world leaders as a general matter. When President Trump limited travel from China to the U.S. on January 31  a decision that bought the U.S. precious time  Tedros said it would have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit.

The record is clear: The WHO has lent its imprimatur to Chinese disinformation and blessed Chinas slow response to its domestic outbreak, which likely caused a 20-fold increase in cases, according to a University of Southampton study.

The Chinese government must believe they have invested very wisely. They backed Tedross bid to run the WHO in 2017, seeking to plant an ally in the U.N. leadership. Who was better suited for the role than a leftist political operative with a history of covering up health emergencies? As one of his first actions at the helm, Tedros assured the Chinese that he would adhere to the One China policy, barring Taiwanese participation. The Trump administration opposed Tedross campaign to lead the organization but couldnt surmount Chinas sway.

Chinas influence over the WHO comes at a bargain price: Beijing only contributes half as much as the U.S. does to the WHOs budget.

Congress should investigate Chinese influence on the WHO, and the U.S. should use its ample funding of the organization as leverage to demand transparency about its dealings with China. Our continued participation in the WHO should be in play. In its moment of testing, the organization kowtowed to Beijing rather than serve the public interest, and the world paid the price.

More from National Review
With the coronavirus-related lockdown hitting cash flows, many companies have announced salary cuts and even layoffs. This has had a knock-on effect on systematic investment plans (SIPs) of mutual funds, with many investors looking to pause or stop them. If you wish to pause your SIP, check with your fund house whether it offers this facility.

Only a limited number of fund houses do so at present. Many that dont have the pause facility at all are scrambling to offer it at the earliest, as it works in their favour if their customers pause, and not stop. The number of months ...
BEIRUT, Lebanon  An investigative team with the international group that monitors compliance with the chemical weapons ban accused the Syrian government on Wednesday of having launched three chemical weapons attacks on one village in northern Syria in March 2017, sickening scores of people.

The team, established by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said in a report that in the span of one week, Syrian fighter jets had twice dropped bombs containing sarin nerve agent on the village and a helicopter had targeted its hospital with a cylinder containing chlorine.

Reports of chemical weapons use have surfaced frequently during Syrias nine-year civil war, and officials from the United States, Turkey and other countries have accused the Syrian government of using banned weapons to try to break the back of the rebel movement that is seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

The O.P.C.W. verified the use of chemical weapons in many of these cases, but had refrained from assigning blame for who deployed them, raising criticism from activists that holding back such judgments diminished the chances for accountability.
The March 2020 Android security update has reportedly broken the display for several Galaxy Note 9 users in the US. Issues including screen discoloration, decreased resolution, and overheating have plagued several Note 9 units, Android Authority reports, compiling user complaints posted on Samsung US community forums.

Affected users are seeing green and yellow tint and grainy black lines across their displays. The screen resolution also randomly drops after the device overheats.

The issues appear to differ slightly from case to case. However, they are most likely caused by the same underlying malfunction following last months security update. Basic troubleshooting methods such as clearing the cache, rebooting, and factory resetting cant fix the broken screen permanently.

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Some of these methods fix the issues temporarily for some users, though. But the annoying glitches return soon after. The pictures shared by affected users clearly tell their plight.

Galaxy Note 9 display broken after the March update

Samsung has yet to acknowledge any of the issues Galaxy Note 9 users are complaining about following the March update. Experts on the companys community forums arent helping either.

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They are simply directing affected users to a service center. This essentially means users will have to pay out of their pocket for a fix since Note 9 is nearly two years old and most of them are out of warranty by now.

Even then, the global lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic means visiting a service center isnt an option right now. Since the problems have occurred following a software update, users hope Samsung will provide a fix over the air too.

It remains to be seen if the April 2020 Android security update brings a fix for the issues. The update released for Galaxy Note 9 last week but is yet to reach units in the US.

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The changelog only mentioned some camera improvements, though. Samsung could also roll out a separate update to fix the issues.

Last months Android security update had caused issues on some Pixel devices as well. Google Pay was broken for AT&T Pixel 4 smartphones following the update. The issue was fixed soon after, though.

As for the affected Galaxy Note 9 owners, this comes at a time when they have just been told that the One UI 2.1 update will be skipping their devices.

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The latest iteration of Samsungs custom Android skin was initially expected to be made available for the 2018 S Pen-bearing flagship. However, recent reports suggest One UI 2.1 may miss both of the companys 2018 flagships, the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9.
The company behind the Ruby Princess cruise liner at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak pays no company tax in Australia despite its division contributing more than $US2.6 billion to its parent's bottom line.

According to its 2019 annual report, British-American cruise giant Carnival Corporation & plc benefits from a longstanding tax arrangement between Australia and the UK.

The Ruby Princess docks at Port Kembla, Wollongong, on Monday. Credit:AAP

"P&O Cruises (Australia) and all of the other cruise ships operated internationally by Carnival plc for the cruise segment of the Australian vacation region are exempt from Australian corporation tax by virtue of the UK/Australian income tax treaty," the annual report from February discloses.

Carnival is the worlds largest cruise ship operator and carried nearly half of all passengers worldwide in 2018, according to Cruise Market Watch.
Gandhinagar, April 8 : Seven more positive cases on top of Wednesday morning's four positive detected took the total positive coronavirus count in Gujarat to 186. Till Wednesday, 16 deaths due to coronavirus were reported in the state.

Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary, Health and family welfare Department, Gujarat said in the evening, "Till Wednesday morning, four more positive cases had been found. This evening, 7 more positive cases were found in hotspots of Vadodara and Bhavnagar. All the seven positive are locally infected." Two females, (60) and (21) and three males (20), (46) and (57) from Vadodara's cluster and two males (21) and (52) from Bhavnagar's cluster have been found positive due to the intensive testing carried out for the last three days in these major cities," added Ravi.

"In the last 24 hours, we have taken 672 samples for testing, where 11 have been positive, 528 negative and 113 are pending," added Ravi.

The maximum samples were collected in Surat 321, Ahmedabad 314, Bhavnagar 27 and Vadodara 112.

With today's addition, Gujarat now has a total of 186 positive cases including 16 deaths. The maximum number of positive cases are in Ahmedabad with 83, followed by Surat 23, Vadodara and Bhavnagar 16 each, Gandhinagar 13, Rajkot 11, Patan 5, Porbandar 3, Kutch Mehsana and Gir-Somnath with two each and Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Jamnagar, Morbi, Anand and Sabarkatha 1 each.

"Out of the total active 145 cases, the condition of 143 patient is stable, 25 have been discharged and the condition of 2 is critical and they are on ventilator," added Ravi.

"Out of the total positive cases, 33 have international travel history, 32 interstate travel and 121 are locally infected. We have carried out 4,224 tests so far, where 3,905 where found negative, 186 positive and results of 113 are pending," added Ravi.

On Tuesday, a 14-month infant boy succumbed to the dreaded virus, despite the health authorities of G.G. Hospital in Jamnagar doing their best to save the infant.

A comorbid patient, a Surat male (65) too, had succumbed to the virus on Tuesday evening.
When you go out in the world during this public-health crisis, you strap on a face mask.

But that covering, even if its a vaunted N95 respirator meant only for front-line medical workers, wont stop the coronavirus from entering your eyes.

Theoretically, you can get the virus through the air, says Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a professor of ophthalmology at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. And were learning you dont necessarily need someone to cough or sneeze on you.

To be sure, the much more likely way to get infected with airborne coronavirus droplets is through the mouth or nose, but sensible precautions for the eyes are wise. Which is one reason the American Academy of Ophthalmology is recommending that contact-lens wearers set their lenses aside for now in favor of eyeglasses.

Wearing glasses is far from guaranteed protection, unless you have a pair of prescription goggles, because air doesnt move in a straight line, says Steinemann, a spokesperson for the national ophthalmology association. Still, its something. And in the midst of a deadly pandemic, every little bit of added safety could be a difference-maker.

That said, theres a better reason for the glasses-wearing recommendation than the very small chance of walking into the coronavirus with your bare eyes.

Its believed that a common way to pick up the virus is by touching surfaces like doorknobs with your hand and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. We all mindlessly touch our faces -- about 16 times an hour, a 2008 study found -- and eyeglasses can help us be more conscious of this tic.

Glasses act as a barrier, and so they remind you not to rub your eyes, Steinemann told The Oregonian/OregonLive. They make us more aware of what were doing.

Contact-lens wearers are also more likely than others to rub their eyes because lenses typically cause minor irritation.

The ophthalmology association recognizes that many of our lifestyle choices are baked into our behavior, and so a lot of contact-lens wearers -- and there are about 45 million Americans who wear contact lenses -- arent going to make a change. Steinemann says he knows lens-wearers who dont even own a pair of glasses, which he calls a terrible idea. Always have a backup, right?

My best advice if you insist on wearing contact lenses, he says, is to double down on hygiene.

That means vigorously washing your hands before putting lenses in and taking them out, disinfecting the lenses every day, washing the lenses case every time you use it.

Ultimately, this is the key takeaway from the American Academy of Ophthalmologys new recommendations. Whether you wear glasses or contact lenses or neither, dedicated cleanliness will go a long way to keeping you safe.

Its important to remember that although there is a lot of concern about coronavirus, common-sense precautions can significantly reduce your risk of getting infected, says Gainesville, Florida, ophthalmologist Dr. Sonal Tuli, another spokesperson for the association. So wash your hands a lot, follow good contact-lens hygiene and avoid touching or rubbing your nose, mouth and especially your eyes.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. The airplane carrying a large quantity of medical supplies and equipment from China will soon land in Armenia. Part of the medical supplies and equipment has been obtained by the state funds of Armenia and part has been donated by China and Armenian and Chinese benefactors. The special flight has been initiated by the Commandant's Office of Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of the Armenian Unified Information Center.

The medical supplies and equipment contain 120 ventilation devices, 2 oxygen supply stations, 60 thousand test kits, 60 thousand medical masks, 280 thousand protective masks, 20 thousand goggles and 100,000 protective clothing, as well as medicines.

Its written Let our friendship be higher than Mount Ararat and longer than Yangtze River on the boxes.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Somalia on Wednesday reported its first death of a patient suffering from COVID-19 and also said transmission was occurring among people who had no history of foreign travel.

Though the Horn of Africa country officially has just 12 positive cases, Wednesday's announcement highlights concerns that the coronavirus may in fact be more widespread and could soon overwhelm the health system of a country that has been mired in conflict for nearly three decades.

"The first death from COVID-19 was recorded today as a 52-year-old Somali who had the virus died," the health ministry said in a statement.

The statement also documented four new cases among patients "with no record of travelling outside the country".

"The ministry confirms that the spread of the disease has started in the community," it said.

Somalia was plunged into chaos with the fall of the autocrat Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, and it endures regular attacks from the militant group Al-Shabaab which is linked to Al-Qaeda.

The country is especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the effects of the conflict and weak public health infastructure, the UN Population Fund warned in a statement Tuesday.

"Any interventions to stop the spread of the virus in Somalia will, without a doubt, be deterred by cracks in the health system that will now deepen further unless swift action is taken by Somalia's partners," the body warned.

The health ministry has not said how many COVID-19 tests it has conducted, though testing in the region has been limited.

As of Tuesday there were more than 10,200 confirmed COVID-19 cases across 52 African countries resulting in 492 deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Varun Dhawan on Wednesday announced that he will be distributing free meals to the workers as well as healthcare staff leading the fight against the coronavirus.

Varun, who had earlier donated Rs 30 lakh to PM-CARES and Rs 25 lakh to Maharashtra CM relief fund, shared the in a statement on Instagram.

"With each passing day of being lockdown at home, my heart goes out to all those who have no home in this time of crisis. And so this week I have committed to provide meals for the poor who are without homes or jobs," he wrote on Instagram.

He further said he will provide meals to all the doctors and medical staff at hospitals through the non-profit organisation, Taj Public Service Welfare Trust.

"I also have deep admiration for all those who are risking their lives by working on the frontlines. I've committed to provide meals to doctors and medical staff at hospitals.

"All meals are provided through the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust. It's a small step. But during a crisis like this, we have to make every step count. I will continue to do what best I can," the actor said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the World Health Organisation for not giving sound advice and favouring China over the US as he hinted at taking a relook at the WHO funding from his country.

"The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?" Trump wrote on Tuesday amid the spiralling death figures in the US.

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 12,700 Americans and sickened nearly 400,000 across 50 states.

Trump ordered travel restrictions on people arriving from China in January to ward off spread of the virus here but the WHO opposed the move at the time, as did some Democrats and others, the New York Post said.

Since the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, on New Year's Eve, 430,000 people have arrived in the US from China, including about 40,000 since the ban was enacted. The WHO also downplayed the severity of the outbreak.

"Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission," the group tweeted in mid-January.

The agency took a full week to reverse that misinformation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has postponed its April Board of Governors meeting, according to a report by Deadline, sparking fears that the Oscars could end up being impacted by the coronavirus.

Normally, the April meeting is used to discuss the past Oscars show and analyses it in detail with the producers, Deadline notes.

However, with the impact of the virus looming over the industry, critics have considered that the possible effect the pandemic could have on the ceremony may also be at the forefront of discussions.

And while the Oscars ceremony is almost a year away, outlets have surmised the severe delays of premiers and filming of blockbusters from studios as a result of lockdown measures could have a knock-on effect on the ceremony.

Writers have considered that if key film festivals are cancelled due to coronavirus social-distancing restrictions, there could be a large impact on films considered by the academy for the awards.

Earlier this month it was announced that the Cannes Film Festival would be postponed as a result of the pandemic, after organisers were originally reluctant to cancel the event.

They finally announced that the event could now be held in June or July instead of the scheduled dates in May.

According to Vanity Fair, other festivals are holding on tightly to their original dates later in the year.

However, Deadline predicted that the postponement of Cannes could quickly have a domino effect on the awards, stating that many subsequent festivals rely on pictures shown at the French festival.

Additionally, many films that may have intended to be considered for the 2021 awards have had to halt production due to the virus.

It could take a long time for the film industry to recover from the setback and finish the films in time for what Deadline described as potentially the most densely populated season ever.

Vanity Fair also speculated that the Academy is likely concerned about the fall release schedule.

The magazine suggested that cinemas and audiences may be overwhelmed with a backlog of pictures that had postponed releases from earlier in the year.

Other ceremonies such as the Golden Globes have had to make unprecedented changes to their eligibility rules in response to the pandemic. Some wonder if the Oscars will have to take the same course of action.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that films whose planned releases were cancelled due to the coronavirus are now exempt as long as they can prove they intended to release the film theatrically.

With most of the cultural events of the year that rely on large gatherings having already been cancelled or postponed, many think it seems unlikely that the figurehead ceremony of an industry so severely impacted by the virus would escape without any adjustments.

Aside from this weeks postponement of the initial board meeting, no official suggestion that the ceremony will be postponed or revised has been made.
On April 2, Ryan Sitton, one of three members of the Texas Railroad Commission, communicated with officials from Saudi Arabia and Russia about coordinating cuts in oil production. Just a few years ago, the notion that an American politician would talk with foreign producers about how to prop up oil prices would have been considered colluding with the enemy. But the coronavirus pandemic, along with the collapse in oil demand and oil prices, requires a rethinking of ideas that have dominated American energy policy for decades.

That rethinking requires accepting two truths: First, we have to discard what energy economist Roger Stern has dubbed scarcity ideology. Second  and this will be difficult  the U.S. and other oil producers are going to have to agree to something that looks like a global version of OPEC.

We have been inundated with predictions about scarcity and societal collapse since the days of Thomas Malthus. In 1914, a federal agency, the Bureau of Mines, predicted that world oil supplies would be depleted within ten years. In 1972, the Club of Rome predicted that the world would be out of oil by 1992 and out of natural gas by 1993.

In an essay published in 2015, Stern wrote that continued claims about oil scarcity both created and met demand for apocalyptic ideas. He continued, saying that forecasts about peak oil (remember that?) all of which proved wrong, repeatedly led policymakers to assume that rival powers sought to seize dwindling supplies or that disaffected exporter-states would decline to sell.

But todays battered oil industry shows, yet again, that the recurring problem in the global petroleum sector has never been too little oil, but too much. At the end of last month, oil prices collapsed to about $20 for the first time in nearly two decades. The price collapse threatens the domestic oil and gas sector, which over the past few years has created hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs and dramatically reduced the cost of oil and natural gas for consumers. In 2019, American motorists were paying less for gasoline, in real terms, than they were in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Maintaining a healthy domestic oil and gas business is important for both employment and energy security.

For those unfamiliar with the history of the energy sector, putting limits on global oil production sounds absurd. But for eight decades, the industry has relied on limits known as allowables. That history can be traced to 1930 when crude oil was selling for about $1.30 per barrel. That same year, an itinerant preacher named Dad Joiner drilled the Daisy Bradford No. 3, and in doing so, discovered the massive East Texas Field. An unrestrained surge in production from the field crushed oil prices and by mid-1931 in parts of East Texas, crude was selling for as little as 3 cents per barrel. That August, to preserve the integrity of the oilfield and save the industry from collapse, Texas Governor Ross Sterling declared martial law in the East Texas Field and dispatched National Guard troops to shut down all production in the region.

Years of legal and political wrangling ensued and in 1935, another Texan, U.S. Senator Tom Connally, engineered the passage of a federal law (the felicitously named Connally Hot Oil Act) that confirmed the Texas Railroad Commissions authority to limit oil production. The commission did so by meeting every month in Austin where they would set allowables that limited the amount of oil each operator could produce. The aim was to, as closely as possible, match oil production with oil demand. By limiting production in Texas, the worlds most important oil province, the Railroad Commission effectively determined world oil supplies  and prices  for the next four decades.

In 1973, OPEC imposed an oil embargo and imposed a system of allowables on its members. The cartels influence over supplies and prices lasted until 2014, when it was forced to admit that world markets were oversupplied due to the surge in American shale oil production. Since then, global oil markets have been chaotic, with every producer seeking to gain market share at the expense of others.

Some Texas producers have called on the Railroad Commission to reinstate allowables to rein in production. Last week, Petrobras, the state-owned Brazilian oil giant, announced it would cut production by nine percent.

But the obvious long-term solution to the boom-bust oil cycle is a global system of allowables for the worlds biggest producers. Call it OPEC ++. Enforcing allowables wont be easy. But oil is a strategic commodity. One third of global primary energy and 94 percent of the worlds transportation fuel comes from oil. Every major oil producing country wants to protect its industry and the jobs and security that it provides. With the global economy teetering on the edge of an economic precipice, oil producers are going to have to share the pain of production cuts in order to stabilize prices.

Without such an agreement, the oil market will remain in turmoil and countries may resort to tariffs, price wars, or embargoes to protect their domestic producers  any of which could be more painful than a deal that reduces production across the board.

Robert Bryce is the author, most recently, of A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations, which was published last month by PublicAffairs, and the producer of the documentary Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, which will be available on iTunes on June 2.
The Pacific Princess cruise ship stopped in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday. Now the ship is en route to Los Angeles. (Michael Dodge / EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The Pacific Princess cruise ship and its 115 passengers are heading for Los Angeles in hopes of docking at the San Pedro port on April 24, according to the cruise line. Princess says no one has been tested for COVID-19 because none of the passengers has shown symptoms.

The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 5 for a 111-day world cruise that was cut short in mid-March after the company curtailed sailings because of coronavirus outbreaks aboard ships. It sailed to Aruba, the Panama Canal, Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, Los Angeles, Hawaii and French Polynesia and then to New Zealand before the order to return to port.

The ship skipped stops at Bali, Singapore and Phuket, Thailand. Sri Lanka refused to let the ship into port because of the pandemic.

Will the ship be allowed to dock in L.A.?

The U.S. Coast Guard follows these protocols for any ship arriving during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a March 16 bulletin:

Passenger vessels or any vessel carrying passengers that have been to impacted regions or embarked passengers who have been in impacted regions within the last 14 days will be denied entry into the United States. If ALL passengers exceed 14 days since being in the countries ... [on the CDC restricted-countries list] ... and are symptom-free, the vessel will be permitted to enter the United States to conduct normal operations.

Australia is not on the list of countries whose residents are restricted from visiting the U.S. by the CDC. The list includes China, Iran, a slew of European countries  France, Germany, Greece  as well as England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The decision to disembark passengers and crew members lies with the Coast Guard, overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The DHS did not respond to a request for information about whether the Pacific Princess can dock in L.A.





Story continues

The journey

Most people on the Pacific Princess, a smaller ship that can carry more than 800 passengers, disembarked and flew to their respective homes when the ship docked March 21 in Fremantle, Australia. But not everyone disembarked.

[N]ot all guests on board met the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA) fitness standards for air travel or were unable to return home by aircraft due to individual medical conditions unrelated to COVID-19, Princess said in a statement.

The ship stopped in Melbourne to refuel and resupply. No guests or crew members were allowed to disembark. The ship expects to call in Honolulu for services on April 13 before continuing on to Los Angeles.





Other ships

The Pacific Princess is the last of Princess fleet at sea.

On Saturday, the Coral Princess docked in Miami after several weeks in limbo before authorities decided to allow passengers to disembark. Two people died on board of COVID-19, and seven passengers and five crew members had tested positive for coronavirus as of Thursday, media reports say.

This week Australia launched a criminal probe into why 2,700 passengers aboard Ruby Princess, another Princess ship, were allowed to disembark in Sydney on March 19, even though earlier cases of illness had been reported. More than 340 passengers tested positive for coronavirus, according to the New South Wales Ministry of Health. Media reports link a dozen deaths to the ship.

Early on in the pandemic, the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess accounted for more than 800 coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths, the CDC reports.

Between Feb. 3 and March 13, about 200 cases were confirmed in the U.S. among returning passengers on all cruise ships, including the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess. At the time, cruise passengers accounted for about 17% of total cases reported in the U.S.
Internet plus healthcare platforms assist fight against COVID-19 at home and abroad

Internet plus healthcare platforms in China are assisting in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak both at home and abroad, thanks to the countrys policies for supporting online healthcare services.

Chinese doctors offer overseas Chinese free online medical consultation services via a platform launched by WeDoctor based in Hangzhou, east Chinas Zhejiang province, on March 17. (Photo/Long Wei)

On Feb. 23, Chinas leading online healthcare solution provider WeDoctor launched a platform to provide online consultation, diagnosis, psychological assistance and other services, making it possible for people to consult with a doctor at home.

As of 10 a.m. on March 13, the platform attracted over 125 million visits, with 48,581 doctors offering consultation services for 1.6 million people.

WeDoctor also launched an online rescue channel to give special assistance to Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak in China. In 10 days, over 50,000 local people were provided with services including online follow-up visits, medical insurance reimbursement and drug delivery.

Like WeDoctor, other Chinese Internet plus healthcare platforms, such as Haodaifu, AliHealth, Ping An Good Doctor, and JD Health have also unveiled similar services.

A total of 191 public medical institutions and nearly 100 Internet hospitals across the country have made online diagnosis available for people, according to Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Online consultation is the first step in digital health, said Li Dewen, deputy director of the MIIT information center, adding that efficient human-computer interaction can reduce the workload of hospitals and cut cross-infection risks.

Some healthcare companies have launched online consulting platforms globally in this regard, sharing Chinas experience in the fight against the virus.

Working with the China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare, WeDoctor introduced a bilingual anti-epidemic platform in both Chinese and English on March 14. In the first phase, the platform invited 6,129 medical professionals from across the country to offer assistance to both Chinese and international friends overseas.

On March 18, Zhao Lei, a chief physician with Wuhan Union Hospital, used the platform to have a video talk with Luca Varcasia, a doctor from the Italian city of Sassari. Zhao shared Chinas clinical experience in treating the disease and answered seven questions in detail from Varcasia and other Italian counterparts. The information shared by Dr. Zhao would be pure gold for us, Varcasia said after their video talk.

Users from nine countries, including the Netherlands and India, watched the live broadcast.

With the Internet plus healthcare platforms, Chinas experience in fighting against the virus is being transmitted to the world more quickly.
BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / ??As brokers in international health insurance, the team at International Citizens Insurance (https://www.internationalinsurance.com/) works with thousands of expatriates and international citizens every month. Recently, clients are more concerned than ever and, as a result, an agent's job has become more important than ever. Advising clients on Coronavirus and international insurance coverage and answering their questions is crucial at this time. Is the Coronavirus covered? Is COVID-19 testing covered while abroad? How do I get access to testing? Here are some answers.

To be clear - International Health Insurance plans are not the same as Travel Insurance Plans. Travel Insurance plans are designed for short term emergency coverage and insure trip costs or lost luggage. International Health Insurance plans provide comprehensive medical benefits and are annually renewable, sometimes for life. Therefore, it is important that clients pick the right plan from the start. "An agent is crucial in the process of choosing an insurer and finding the right coverage for your specific needs" reports Joe Cronin, President at International Citizens Insurance. "An expert broker can answer your questions about global health plans - even some you may not realize you had." The below guidance is related to International Health Insurance plans.

Is COVID-19 Covered with an International Health Insurance Plan

The first question: Is Coronavirus, or COVID-19, covered in a global health plan? The short answer is yes. The safe answer is probably. If you are covered and get sick, most major plans will treat the illness as any other illness. The insured will be covered for the Coronavirus in the same way she would be treated for the flu or a cold. As long as she purchased a plan with inpatient and outpatient coverage, the plan should cover COVID-19 treatment. The best answer is to check with an agent, the insurer, or review the terms of the policy to be sure. Here is Cigna Global's policy from their website: "Cigna medical plans cover medically necessary claims related to infectious diseases and medical conditions per the terms of the medical plan." (Source: https://www.cignainternational.com/coronavirus-updates.html)

Will Global Insurance Plans Cover Coronavirus Testing

Second: Will a Global Health Insurance plan cover testing? Again, most companies will cover this benefit. However, they will most likely require that the client have a doctor certify symptoms and refer the individual to be tested. Most plans will not cover a test if the insured is asymptomatic. GeoBlue, as an example, provides "coverage, with no cost-share, for diagnostic testing for the virus, known officially as COVID-19, consistent with U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines." (Source: https://about.geo-blue.com/crisisalert/covid19-members)

How to Access Doctors and Hospitals Through an Expat Insurance Plan

Finally, a third question: How do international clients access healthcare or get a doctor's referral for testing without leaving home? A client should make sure to visit a doctor or clinic if there are symptoms. Take all precautions and get to a hospital as soon as possible. One newer option that international insurers are offering is Telemedicine. One insurer, Aetna International, is covering: "telemedicine appointments for any reason, without a co-pay, from anywhere in the world." (Source: Aetna) Telemedicine services provide remote access to an insurer's global network of licensed doctors by telephone or video without needing to leave home.

Remember, what happens with the Coronavirus is largely up to all international citizens. There is a blueprint for reducing the spread and keeping the curve flat. Practice Social Distancing. Wash Your Hands. Wear a face-mask when possible. Follow best practices and be safe.

Related Resources:

US Health Insurance Plans

Best Healthcare Systems in the World

Best International Health Insurance Companies

Joe Cronin is President, International Citizens Insurance, a leading online brokerage for international health insurance plans serving more than 1,000 expatriates every month. He is also founder of International Citizens Group, a resource for expatriates and international travelers.

Contact:

Joe Cronin

info@internationalinsurance.com

877-758-4881

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Coronavirus and Health Insurance

Expat Insurance

SOURCE: International Citizens Insurance

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584384/Global-Health-Insurance-During-a-Pandemic
Care centers

Waterloo Fire

The matrix

(TNS)  Waterloo Fire Rescue confirmed Tuesday one of its members has tested positive for COVID-19.I am very concerned about our member that has contracted the virus, and we continue to monitor all personnel, said Chief Pat Treloar. I want to assure our residents that we are continually adjusting operations to ensure that Waterloo Fire Rescue is fully prepared to provide all expected emergency services to the community.The news came as Iowa posted its highest one-day total of new cases  102  and the state passed the 1,000-case threshold, Gov. Kim Reynolds said during her Tuesday news conference.A total of 1,048 cases and 26 deaths have been confirmed in Iowa since coronavirus was first identified in the state March 8. Three counties reported their first cases Tuesday, with 78 of 99 counties now affected. Black Hawk County added three cases for a total of 15.One new death  an elderly man in Benton County  was announced Tuesday.The Courier received an obituary notice for Lee E. Bossom, 83, of Blairstown in Benton County, the former mayor of Quasqueton. Family members said he died of coronavirus at a Cedar Rapids hospital Sunday.The state also identified the Tama County care facility where two residents have died as Premiere Estates in Toledo. Premiere Estates provides rehabilitation and skilled nursing, according to Trillium Healthcare Consulting, which owns the facility.A representative confirmed the outbreak Tuesday and said it affected both staff and residents. The facility has around 60 to 70 patients, but officials would not confirm the number of cases or when the first case was identified.It is one of three long-term care facilities in Iowa battling outbreaks, said Iowa Department of Public Health deputy director Sarah Reisetter. The others are Heritage Specialty Care in Cedar Rapids and McCreedy Home in Washington.Reisetter said 11% of coronavirus cases are long-term care staff and residents at those three facilities, and nearly half  46%  of the deaths. Tama County had recorded 42 cases as of Tuesday, the most in Northeast Iowa.Reisetter also said about 23% of all positive cases in Iowa were among health care workers.In Waterloo, firefighters urged residents to follow all precautionary guidelines after one of their own was diagnosed with the virus.Waterloo Fire Rescue has always appreciated and relied on the support of our community, Treloar said. You can continue to show that support by staying home and going out only if absolutely necessary.Members of Waterloo Fire Rescue have been practicing social distancing, self-screening, frequent hand washing and routine cleaning  in some cases beyond Centers for Disease Control and public health guidance  since the middle of March.Fire and ambulance personnel also are following specific protocols on the use of personal protective equipment while responding to calls.Officials dont believe the department member contracted the virus while dealing with the public on the job. The member is on leave and wont return to work until all state guidelines have been followed, Treloar said.The fire department asks residents use the 911 system for true emergencies only. For less urgent needs, a primary health care provider should be the first contact. This allows responders to focus on those truly experiencing an emergency situation and assure that personal protective equipment is available.It is imperative that the public understand that the men and women that function as essential personnel in public safety and health care will continue to perform their duties every day despite the increased risk and effects of this pandemic and will absolutely respond when they call, Treloar said.The governor continued to defend her use of a matrix developed by the health department to guide the states response to the outbreak that critics have called arbitrary and unscientific.Reynolds said each of six health care regions is being looked at individually in terms of outbreaks, hospitalizations, case counts and number of available beds and ventilators.None has hit the threshold for more restrictions from state officials as of Tuesday.Despite our increasing cases, our patient volume in these regions is manageable, she said. This is encouraging, but we are in a very fluid situation.She said that data was continuing to drive her decision to not issue a shelter-in-place order, but a few regions  Northeast Iowa among them  were just a point away from reaching that threshold according to the states metrics.The Northeast Iowa region that includes Waterloo and Cedar Rapids has 50 patients hospitalized, including 27 in intensive care and 17 on ventilators. Linn County has seen the most cases in the state at 186. The Iowa City region had 20 patients hospitalized and three on ventilators. Johnson County has seen the second-most cases in the state at 134.I believe in the data, I believe in the strategy, I think its the right way to move forward, Reynolds said. Be rest assured, if we feel that needs to be done, we will move forward.Courier reporters Amie Rivers and Jeff Reinitz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.2020 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)Visit Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) at www.wcfcourier.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Nigerias ailing refineries will no longer be managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation after rehabilitation, the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mele Kyari, has said.

According to a press release by the corporations spokesperson, Kennie Obateru, Mr Kyari said this on Wednesday in an interview on Arise TV breakfast programme, The Morning Show.

He said a company would be engaged to manage the plants on an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) basis upon the completion of the rehabilitation exercise.

The rehabilitation of the four refineries in the country have gulped billions of naira since 1999 but none of them is yet to operate at full capacity.

We are going to get an O&M contract, NNPC wont run it. We are going to get a firm that will guarantee that this plant would run for some time. We want to try a different model of getting this refinery to run. And we are going to apply this process for the running of the other two refineries, he said.

He explained that the plan, ultimately, is to get private partners to invest in the refineries and get them to run on the NLNG model where the shareholders would be free to decide the fate of the refineries going forward.

Mr Kyari said this model, which is totally different from the previous approach, would guarantee the desired outcome for the refineries.

Being one of the cardinal programmes on his agenda as be assumed office in July 2019, Mr Kyari said the rehabilitation process was to be in progress in January and to be delivered by 2022.

On the situation with global crude oil price and supply, he assured that things were shaping up.

Crude oil price is improving by the day. Last week, it was $15 per barrel. Today, it is $32.79 per barrel. We believe the ongoing engagements between global oil producers will bring back demand and once that happens, the market will balance and fully recover by year-end, he said.

Mr Kyaris announcement of private management of the refineries after repairs comes two days after he said the government would no longer subsidise petrol.

The NNPC has been subsidising petrol for Nigerians and spent over N700 billion on subsidy in 2018.

None of Nigerias four refineries works optimally and the country imports virtually all its petrol needs.
The federal governments fight against corruption in the country is impartial, objective and non-discriminatory.

Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, said this on Wednesday in a statement issued by his media aide, Umar Gwandu.

Mr Malami was responding to claims contained in a letter allegedly written by a U.S. senator commenting on the issue.

He described allegations on use of the fight for political witch-hunting as unfounded, baseless and devoid of factual proof.

The evidence on ground establishes that the federal governments operations in the fight against corruption are carried out without fear or favour.

He said members of the ruling or opposition parties are in no way spared in view of numerical data of recorded judicial convictions.

Mr Malami noted that the efforts to have corruption  free Nigeria are devoid of any political inclinations as recent convictions recorded were against the members of APC (the ruling political party) and PDP (the opposition political party).

He maintained that an unblemished record of successful performance in the fight against corruption has in effect established the conclusion that the allegation of political inclination is baseless and unfounded.

(NAN)
Gardai are warning the public to stay at home for the Easter weekend or run the risk of being turned back at nationwide checkpoints.

With fine weather expected, there are mounting concerns that large numbers of people will decide to relax their coronavirus vigilance over the bank holiday.

These include day-trippers or those heading to holiday homes for a few days over Easter.

The issue had been considered by the garda national Covid-19 co-ordination unit, under Deputy Commissioner John Twomey.

Deadliest

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris met last night with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and senior ministers as the force awaited new powers to enforce some of the Covid-19 restrictions.

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Health Minister Simon Harris later told RTE he was signing the tougher regulations.

"It is important that gardai have these powers in their back pocket should they be needed," he said on Prime Time.

It came as Ireland suffered its deadliest day to date, with 36 people losing their lives to the virus.

Gardai will be out in force and manning checkpoints around the country over the next few days.

Anybody found to be in breach of the 2km travel ban will be turned back at the roadblocks, unless they have an exemption.

The issue of giving gardai more powers was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

While many ministers noted the strong degree of public compliance, some expressed fears that the longer the restrictions continue, the more potential there could be that people would stop complying with them.

A cabinet minister said afterwards: "Once people realise they're not going to be punished for something, they will break the rules, so this thing could break down."

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned yesterday that restrictions will not be eased until the coronavirus testing regime has improved to the point where it is possible to "hunt down" positive cases and contacts within 24 to 48 hours.

It currently takes an average of seven to 10 days to get a test result.

He said a delay of several days would not be "good enough" to allow for emergency measures to be lifted.

Laboratory

Dr Holohan was speaking as it was announced that 36 more people died from the coronavirus yesterday, bringing the death toll to 210.

The median age of those who died was 81, with 19 men and 17 women.

Another 345 new cases were also diagnosed, with several of the tests read at a laboratory in Germany because of a lack of capacity here. There are now 5,709 confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland.

Dr Holohan said that at this point he did not envisage recommending the emergency measures be lifted on Sunday, but there will be a clearer picture of the impact of the restrictions later in the week.

Apart from indicators such as growth in new cases, hospitalisations and intensive care admissions, the assurance that it is possible to detect people who are positive, and trace their contacts, in "real time" will be key to any assessment of when restrictions can be eased.

"We will also be informed about any advice we are anticipating from the European Centre for Disease and Control," Dr Holohan added.

The virus would have to be "behaving itself" in a way that meant it was under control and residential centres like nursing homes would also have to have contained its spread.

Dr Cillian de Gascun, of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said around 2,500 tests a day are being carried out.

So far 42,484 tests have been carried out, with 19pc of samples testing positive.
Nairobi  The ravaging effects of COVID-19 across the world have led to a review oF how the International Police Organisation in Kenya and the Eastern Africa region is operating, as a precautionary measure to ensure its officers are safe.

The virus emerged in late December 2019 when the world's largest police organization was undertaking training for officers in the region on how to out terror elements in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania.

Gideon Kimilu, the head of Interpol Nairobi Regional Bureau who addressed journalists on the status of the operation dubbed Simba, said their staff have been forced to leave deployment stations and are currently operating remotely.

"The operation targets the movement of terrorist fighters within the region," Kimilu said on Tuesday.

He said during the operation which was spread into three phases, officers drawn from the four countries were equipped with knowledge on how to deal with the ever evolving terror-related trends and appropriate response.

The operation was coordinated by counter terrorism experts from Interpol Headquarters in Lyon, France.

The operation also focused on equipping law enforcers in the region "with modern INTERPOL policing capabilities."

All East African countries have reported COVID-19 cases, forcing leaders to take stern measures which include lockdown and curfews to manage the crisis.

In Kenya, 172 people had been infected by Tuesday, with four deaths and seven recoveries.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared a dusk to dawn curfew countrywide, and restricted movements into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale which have high virus numbers.

Fourteen new cases were reported on Tuesday, 7 from Nairobi, 2 in Mombasa, 2 in Mandera and one each from Kisii, Kiambu and Machakos.
Out-of-work Canadians and government officials say the new emergency response benefit for workers who have lost income due to COVID-19 is running smoothly, unlike the massive backlog of employment insurance claims received in March.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada, the government received 966,000 applications on Monday for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. These, plus the employment insurance claims that are automatically being transferred to CERB for those who became eligible for EI on March 15 or later, equal 3.67 million claims, a spokesperson said. Three million of those claims have already been processed.

For Toronto musician Alex McMaster, the application was so easy. She was nervous it would be difficult after hearing about the backlog of EI claims, but said it took about two minutes.

I logged in and clicked a couple of boxes and there you have it.

Hundreds of thousands more are expected to apply for the benefit on Wednesday and Thursday; to streamline the demand and avoid a backlog, the government is asking people to apply based on their month of birth  for example, on Monday, only those born in January, February or March were encouraged to apply.

CERB pays $2,000 every four weeks for up to 16 weeks, and is open to Canadians who arent eligible for employment insurance, such as contract workers and the self-employed. To qualify, you must not have received any income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period beginning March 15, and earned at least $5,000 in income in the last 12 months or in 2019.

Those who are eligible for EI but have not yet applied are being asked to apply for CERB through the Canada Revenue Agency, not the agency that distributes EI.

It will take three to five days once an application is completed to get the money for those who have direct deposit, or 10 days to get a cheque in the mail, according to the government.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau anticipates the wage benefit will cost the government $24 billion.

However, Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said there are serious design and delivery flaws in the CERB program that leave some people out completely.

For example, he said small-business owners who pay themselves with dividends dont qualify because they wont have $5,000 of employment income in 2019. Also, any contract or freelance worker who has lost most but not all of their income as of March 15  even a modest amount  would not be eligible.

Poilievre called for patches to these holes, such as an adjustment to the benefit for those earning even a limited income.

NDP MPs Peter Julian and Gord Johns wrote to Morneau on Sunday urging similar changes, saying these holes may provide an incentive not to work at all.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested the program would be expanded to offer help for people whose incomes have been reduced but not eliminated.

McMaster said while shes grateful the government has rolled out the emergency benefit, she does wish there was more flexibility for people like her. For example, she cant offer online music lessons because any income would make her ineligible for CERB.

I think its something that could be looked at, she said, even if that income was deducted from CERB.

Gatineau resident Mike Rogoff, whose contract work with the government has temporarily ended due to the crisis, has been trying to get clarity on the EI application he submitted March 16, but hasnt been able to get anyone on the phone, despite being told he needed to contact them to finalize it. So he decided to give CERB a shot, and was told he would receive a payment soon.

It honestly seemed almost too easy, Rogoff said via email. While hes grateful he will finally get some income support, he said the messaging around CERB and EI is very muddled, and his experience highlights this confusion.

With files from The Canadian Press
Police will use number plate recognition cameras over the Easter weekend to catch drivers behind the wheel without a valid reason.

Australians have been urged to stay home over Easter to stop the spread of the deadly virus which infected more than 6,000 people nationally and killed more than 82,500 worldwide.

There are hefty fines for people caught breaking strict social distancing rules, or travelling unnecessarily.

Scroll down for video

Pictured: a police checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland/NSW border. Motorists will be fined if caught driving for non-essential reasons under strict coronavirus rules, with double demerit points in force until Easter Monday in NSW, WA and the ACT

NSW Police will use number plate recognition cameras to enforce social distancing rules during the Easter long weekend, NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said on Wednesday.

NSW is Australia's most populous state and is the epicentre of Australia's coronavirus pandemic.

The eastern state has nearly half the nation's coronavirus cases, with 2734 confirmed infections on Wednesday evening out of the national total of 6010.

'We will be using all of our powers and all of our technology to try and identify those people who shouldn't be in NSW,' he said.

Commissioner Fuller said NSW Police would be patrolling highways, caravan parks and back roads - and would not hesitate to send people back to where they came from and fine them for travelling without reason.

Australian motorists have been warned to avoid the roads this weekend as the nation faces an unprecedented Easter shutdown to try and break the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured is a road block at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast which divides Queensland from New South Wales

'We will be going through caravan parks early, issuing warnings to people that may think they can get around these laws,' he said.

'People will be given one opportunity to pack up, go back to your home state and go back home. Otherwise, we will, unfortunately, have to issue tickets.'

Police have vowed to exercise zero tolerance for those heading to popular holiday spots, with jumping in the car only legal for trips to the local supermarket, chemist, work or a funeral depending on where you live.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday that the restrictions would be reviewed monthly - but social distancing would remain until a vaccine is found.

The crackdown will come on top of the usual double-demerit period for Easter, which starts at midnight Thursday in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia.

Police in every state have vowed to exercise zero tolerance for those heading to popular holiday spots, with jumping in the car only legal for trips to the local supermarket, chemist and work. Pictured is the beach closed at Coolangatta, Queensland's most southern coastal strip

Where double demerit points will apply Only New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have double demerit points for long weekends like Easter. Advertisement

Having too many people over for a party, meeting too many friends in public, failing to observe 1.5m social distancing rules outside or travelling for non-essential reasons are also grounds for stringent fines.

With the borders of Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory closed off, those on holiday won't even have a chance to travel interstate this long weekend.

States and territories now have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to those caught violating public health orders, with most of the nation except South Australia and the Northern Territory restricting outdoor and public gatherings to just two people.

States and territories now have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to anyone caught violating public health orders

Anyone who breaks COVID-19 measures in New South Wales is liable for a $1,000 fine, with the same penalty also applying in Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Coronavirus rules around Australia Public gatherings are restricted to two people who don't live together in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory South Australia and the Northern Territory allow 10 people to congregate who aren't living at the same address NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania are fining residents who leave their home for non-essential purposes. The ACT, South Australia, Western Australia and the NT aren't taking that approach for now Advertisement

In Queensland it's $1,334.50, in Victoria it's $1,652 and in the Northern Territory, $1,099.

New South Wales

Under the coronavirus crackdown, residents of NSW are only allowed to travel for work, education or to buy food or medicine.

They can exercise outside but face severe penalties for relaxing on the beach or at a park bench even if they are obeying social distancing rules.

Someone who fails to comply with a police direction risks being jailed for six months and copping a maximum fine of $11,000.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller vowed to stop people venturing to the usual holiday hot spots this Easter.

Mick Fuller (pictured), the Police Commissioner in Australia's biggest state, is vowing to stop Sydneysiders in particular from venturing to the usual holiday hot spots

Motorists brave enough to leave home this Easter face double demerit points for speeding on top of tough penalties for breaching coronavirus rules. Australians are strongly urged to avoid travelling to regional areas for their traditional Easter break, as partial lockdowns remain in place for COVID-19. Pictured is a warning sign in Sydney on March 31, 2020

Caravan parks, which are usually full this time of the year, will be patrolled to ensure only long-term residents and not tourists are staying there.

'Over the next couple of days, New South Wales Police will be out on our roads, making sure that people adhere to the orders around the Easter holidays,' Commissioner Fuller said on Wednesday.

That means police will be in force up and down the Pacific Highway, where thousands of cars usually leave Sydney bound for beaches - from the Central Coast to Byron Bay on the Far North Coast, and everywhere in between from Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour.

Drivers caught speeding from midnight tomorrow until Easter Monday have a greater chance of losing their licence.

Going 20km/h or more over the limit normally incurs four demerit points.

Many Australians are set to suffer from a lonely Easter with fines being applied in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus contagion, with the national COVID-19 death toll now at 50 with popular spots like Surfers Paradise (pictured on April 8, 2020) closed off

With the borders of Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory closed off, those on holiday won't even have the chance to travel. Pictured are Queensland Police at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast intercepting cars driving into the state from Tweed Heads in New South Wales

Drivers caught speeding from tomorrow until Easter Monday have a greater chance of losing their licence. Going 20km/h or more over the limit normally incurs four demerit points. But during the next five days, this offence will be worth eight demerit points

But during the next five days, this offence will be worth eight demerit points.

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

Being caught more than once, by a speed camera, on a long-distance drive would be enough for someone to lose their licence for three months.

NSW motorists are taken off the road if they incur 13 demerit points or more over a three-year time frame.

Double demerits also apply for drink driving, failing to wear a seat belt, not wearing a motorcycle helmet and using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

Drivers caught holding their phone will be hit with a $344 fine as well as up to 10 demerits.

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, the home of Canberra public servants, is enforcing $8,000 maximum fines for those who invite more than two people to their home who don't live there.

The nation's capital has the same double demerits regime as NSW. All speed, seat belt and mobile phone offences will incur double demerit points, while all other traffic infringements will incur one extra demerit point. Pictured is Parliament House in Canberra deserted outside on March 26, 2020

Like NSW, the ACT is also issuing $1,000 on-the-spot fines for meeting in public with more than one other person who isn't from their household.

The ACT, however, isn't fining people who leave their house or apartment for non-essential purposes.

When it comes to long weekend road rules, the nation's capital has the same double demerits regime as NSW.

All speed, seat belt and mobile phone offences will incur double demerit points, while all other traffic infringements will incur one extra demerit point.

Canberra motorists lose their licence once they incur 12 demerit points.

P-plate drivers will lose their licence for three months if they receive four or more demerit points.

Western Australia is far stricter than NSW and the ACT. Pictured is a sign at Scarborough Beach in Perth

Australians are set to suffer a lonely Easter with fines applied in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. As of Wednesday evening there were 6010 confirmed cases in Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia isn't fining people for leaving their house for a non-essential purpose but is strict when it comes to enforcing double demerit points during a long weekend.

Offences include drink or drug driving, speeding, running a red light, failing to wear a seat belt or child restraint and using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

Motorists who cover up their number plates to evade speed cameras will also be punished.

If a driver accumulates 12 to 15 points, they will lose their licence for three months.

Those who rack up 16 to 19 demerit points are banned from the road for four months.

A five-month ban kicks in once someone gets 20 or more points.

Like the other states, the West Australian government is imposing $1,000 on-the-spot fines for individuals and $5,000 fines for businesses who disobey these coronavirus restrictions, which have seen the shutdown of pubs, clubs, cinemas and dine-in restaurants.

Queensland doesn't have double demerit points for busy holiday periods like Easter. Instead, the Sunshine State has an alternative system for repeat offenders who break the law twice in a year. Pictured are signs at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast declaring the beach closed

Queensland

The state best known for the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef is cracking down on residents who have failed to properly self-quarantine for 14 days after visiting overseas.

Under the Public Health Act 2005, individuals face fines of up to $13,345.

Residents in a house are allowed to invite two guests.

Queenslanders are also allowed out to attend a wedding or funeral, exercise, see a doctor, attend court, study or visit a terminally-ill relative.

Normally crowded beaches along the Gold Coast are closed off, including Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, which borders the NSW coastal town of Tweed Heads.

When it comes to road rules, Queensland doesn't have double demerit points for busy holiday periods like Easter.

Instead, it has an alternative system for repeat offenders who break the law twice in a year.

Having too many people over for a party, meeting too many friends in public, failing to observe 1.5m social distancing rules outside or travelling for non-essential reasons are also grounds for stringent fines in a bid to keep flattening the coronavirus curve

Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews had a message for those hoping for the shutdown of society to be over in a week or a month

Drivers incur double demerit points for repeatedly failing to wear a seat belt, talking on a mobile phone while and driving 20km/h or more over the limit.

The first offence incurs four demerit points but doing it again within 12 months will see them slapped with eight demerit points.

Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania don't have double demerits for long weekends

Motorists in Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania don't have double demerit points for long weekends.

Nonetheless, there are in some form of coronavirus lockdown along with the rest of Australia.

Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews had a message for those hoping for the shutdown of society to be over in a week or a month.

'I can't say that,' he told reporters on Wednesday.

Police in his state yesterday withdrew a $1,652 fine imposed on 17-year-old learner driver Hunter Reynolds, 17, (pictured) who was receiving driving lessons from her mother Sharee

Police in his state yesterday withdrew a $1,652 fine imposed on 17-year-old learner driver Hunter Reynolds, 17, who was receiving driving lessons from her mother Sharee.

When it comes to having company, South Australia and the Northern Territory are a little more lenient, allowing gatherings of 10 people providing social distancing rules are observed.

Residents who leave the house for non-essential purposes are also spared fines.

Criticism of the travel restrictions

Australian National University Medical School Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist, has suggested allowing people to go for a leisurely drive, provided they didn't go to crowded places and mingle.

'When we've got low risk, it may actually not be unreasonable that people can do that providing they keep their social distancing where they go,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'If people are going stir crazy at home and they go for a drive, does that matter?

'Go to a place where there's not many people and go for a walk for ten minutes, how's that going to be a risk to everybody in society?'

Dr Collignon feared unreasonable and 'heavy-handed' COVID-19 measures now, beyond the enforcement of social distancing, could end up being disobeyed more frequently as the public lost faith in the government and the police.

'As time goes on, particularly younger people who die from this as well - they just do it less frequently - their livelihood is going down the gurgler, they'll say, 'This isn't going to affect me',' he said.

'We need to avoid that at all costs. We have to actually do things that the vast majority of people believe are reasonable and sustainable for six months.'
They returned from Crimea and were obliged to stay in observation

Open source

In Kherson region, 17 people, who returned from Crimea, arbitrarily left the observation center in Kalanchak area. The police drew up administrative protocols as the polices press service reported on Facebook.

The police officers drew up administrative protocols toward 15 people who arbitrarily left the observation center in Kalanchak area. They had to stay there after return from Crimea. They have to pay fines in the sum of 17,000 hryvnia ($623) for the violation of the rules of observation, the message said.

Besides, 20 people came to the center for the observation. After the medical examination, 17 people, including two children, refused to stay in the obligatory observation and arbitrarily left the center. The violators of the observation explained that they want to stay in self-isolation at home.

Toward 15 violators of the regime of observation, the police officers drew up the administrative protocols due to the violation of the rules on the quarantine of people, the press service added.

The citizens went home, mostly to the western region and Dnipropetrovsk region. Information about them will be passed to the local police.

As we reported, over 50 people escaped from observation at Kozatsky hotel in Kyiv. They recently returned from abroad.

On March 30, the Ukrainians who returned from Bali and Qatar were transferred to Kozatsky hotel for observation. Three buses accompanied by police proceeded to the observation place from the airport. Later, the Ukrainians started to leave the place of observation.
Story Highlights Nearly six in 10 adults worldwide (56%) report access to the internet

Access rates are highest in North America, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe, lowest in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Nearly four in five (79%) workers employed full time for an employer report access

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and counting, many residents confined to their homes for the foreseeable future are relying on the internet as their link to the outside world. Gallup surveys in 145 countries and territories in 2019 and early 2020 show more of the world is online than ever, but there is still a digital divide.

A Majority of the World Has Access to the Internet

Since its inception, the internet has exploded in popularity, rapidly becoming a tool for work, education and leisure. As recently as 2015, half of the world's adults reported having access to the internet in some way, including those connecting through a mobile device. This number has risen in recent years, with 56% of adults globally reporting the ability to get online in 2019, an increase of six percentage points over the past two years.

Digital Divide Narrower, but Remains

More adults worldwide can get online, but access to the internet still largely depends on where they live. Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, and Europe stand out with nearly ubiquitous access among residents. At the same time, little more than one in five living in South Asia (21%) can get online.

However, despite low rates of connectivity in some regions, many are seeing substantial growth in the number of people gaining access to the internet in recent years. The percentage of people connected in Southeast Asia, for example, has risen 13 percentage points over the past two years, growing from 42% in 2017 to 55% today.

Global Access to Internet Remains Uneven 2017 2018 2019 % % % Northern America 89 91 94 Australia-New Zealand 92 91 93 European Union 84 87 87 Europe (Other) 78 83 82 East Asia 66 67 71 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 66 68 70 Latin America and the Caribbean 58 60 68 Middle East and North Africa 59 62 63 Southeast Asia 42 46 55 Sub-Saharan Africa 25 30 31 South Asia 15 25 21 Do you have access to the Internet in any way, whether on a mobile phone, a computer, or some other device? Gallup World Poll

For many, particularly those in developing regions, the spread of "smart" mobile devices has brought access to the internet to many. A 2019 report from the trade association GSMA found that mobile devices are the primary means of getting online for residents living in low- and middle-income countries, while the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) finds that 93% of the world's population is within range of a 3G or higher network signal.

However, while this growth promotes increased connectivity for much of the world, its impact on the ability to work from home remains uneven. As many jobs may require the use of a computer, internet connectivity solely through a mobile device may not allow employees to work remotely. The ITU finds that there are twice as many households with a computer per 100 inhabitants in developed countries, compared to those in developing nations.

COVID-19 Adds New Impetus to Work From Home

As offices, stores and factories worldwide shutter their physical locations to enforce social distancing, many office workers who can work from home are doing so. However, the ability to work from home largely depends on the type of work, as well as the capacity to get online at workable internet speeds.

In the United States, where 94% of adults reported having internet access last year, 62% of employed Americans say they worked from home due to the coronavirus as of April 2, according to Gallup Panel data.

This ability is also largely tied to the field of work for many. For many white-collar professions, 2018 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that 29% of Americans are able to work from home, including more than half of information technology employees. A recent study by Pew found that 40% of working-age adults in the U.S. have worked from home because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Many countries outside of the U.S. are seeing a surge in employees working from home as companies worldwide close their doors. Vodafone, one of the largest telecommunications providers in Europe, has seen internet use rise 50% in several countries as more workers get online from home.

Even regions without a prominent work-from-home culture are being forced to experiment with the new arrangement. China, for example, has seen millions of employees working from home in recent months, particularly in cities most affected by the coronavirus spread.

Most Adults Working Full Time for an Employer Are Connected

For many home workers, access to the internet plays a crucial role in staying connected. Fortunately, many full-time workers worldwide have a way to get online in some capacity. Among those who report being employed full time for an employer (25% of all adults worldwide in 2019), nearly four in five (79%) can connect to the internet. However, for self-employed workers, slightly less than half (48%) report having this ability.

Those employed full time for an employer are most likely to be found in Northern America, Europe and East Asia (including Australia and New Zealand), while adults living in sub-Saharan Africa are the least likely to report working for an employer full time.

Most Adults Employed Full Time for an Employer Have Access to the Internet Yes, has access to the Internet No, does not have access % % Employed full time for an employer 79 20 Employed full time for self 48 52 Employed part time, do not want full time 52 47 Unemployed 52 47 Employed part time, want full time 50 49 Out of workforce 46 53 Do you have access to the Internet in any way, whether on a mobile phone, a computer, or some other device? Gallup World Poll, 2019-2020

Online Access Provides New Paths for Education and Healthcare

Apart from its workplace applications, growing connectivity has provided pathways for many to access personal services, including healthcare, digitally. In China, where 70% of adults reported having access to the internet last year, Ali Health set up an online clinic for residents in locked-down Hubei, which reported seeing 100,000 patients in five days through remote consultations. As global residents continue to shelter in their homes, virtual medicine visits have the potential to provide aid to those unable or unwilling to obtain healthcare in person.

Education is another online area of growing importance, particularly in households with children that have been forced to remain at home as schools close down worldwide. A recent study of U.S. parents found that 70% reported their child is using an online distance learning program from their school.

However, the ability to have children take classes online is only a viable option for those with access to the internet. Globally, a slim majority (51%) of adults with children younger than age 15 in the household report having access to the internet, compared with 62% who have no young children at home.

Half of Households With Children Have Access to the Internet Do you have access to the Internet in any way, whether on a mobile phone, a computer, or some other way? Yes, has access to the Internet No, does not have access to the Internet % % No children in household 62 38 Children in household 51 49 Gallup World Poll, 2019-2020

Implications

Rising access to the internet enables many workers to stay connected and perform essential work functions remotely. Given the relatively smooth transition noted by some workers, some experts see working from home as a new normal that may continue to be adopted even after offices reopen. However, the growth of many digital features, including telemedicine, remote working and online education options, will remain constrained by the availability of reliable internet access in many countries.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
PKK attack martyrs civilians in Turkey's Diyarbakr

A roadside bomb planted by PKK terrorists hits vehicle carrying forest workers in Turkey's Diyarbakr province.

At least five villagers were martyred in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday by the terrorist YPG/PKK, said the local governorship.

SECURITY FORCES LAUNCHED OPERATION IN THE AREA

Roadside explosives planted by the terror group hit a vehicle carrying forest workers in the rural town of Gulec in the Kulp district, said the Diyarbakir Governors Office in a statement.

Security forces have launched an operation to find and capture the perpetrators of the attack.

In the wake of the attack, several gendarmerie and medical teams were sent to the region.
Water wars: Coronavirus spreads risk of conflict around the South China Sea

by Sean Quirk

April 08,2020 | Source: Lawfare

Washington and Beijing are using their militaries to signal that neither is letting down its guard on Taiwan and the South China Sea during the coronavirus pandemic.



Soon after Taiwans Vice President-elect William Lai Ching-te visited the United States in early February, Peoples Republic of China (PRC) military aircraft crossed the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait into Taiwans airspace two days in a row. The incursions included Chinese H-6 bombers, J-11 fighter jets and KJ-500 early warning aircraft. Taiwan responded by scrambling F-16s to shadow the Chinese aircraft out of Taiwans airspace.



On March 19, both USS Barry (DDG 52) and USS Shiloh (CG 67) launched SM-2 missiles for a live-fire exercise in the Philippine Sea. Some Chinese military analysts deemed the exercise to be an uncommon warning to the Peoples Liberation Army [PLA].



Then, on March 25, USS McCampbell (DDG 25) conducted a Taiwan Strait transitthe third such transit by a U.S. warship in 2020. In response to McCampbells transit, the spokesman for Chinas Ministry of National Defense called U.S. actions a serious violation of international laws on freedom of navigation.



However, there is little legal grounding for this assertion. The narrowest portion of the Taiwan Strait is over 70 nautical miles wide, well beyond the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of either coastal state.



The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea also allows for continuous and expeditious transit passage through international straits as well as innocent passage of warships through the territorial seas of coastal states.



The same week as McCampbells transit, Taiwan held large-scale military exercises to simulate repelling an all-out Chinese aerial invasion, according to Taiwans Ministry of National Defense.



Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen added on March 24 that the Taiwanese armed forces remain as vigilant as ever. Although the Chinese, U.S. and Taiwanese military actions are individually unremarkable, they collectively signal what one analyst called posturing to prove combat readiness remain[s] unaffected by the virus.



Beyond Taiwan, security analysts have argued that China may be seizing the COVID-19 advantage in the South China Sea. China has reportedly made gains in both new research facilities and resource extraction in the South China Sea since the start of the pandemic.



On March 20, Chinese media reported that China opened two new research facilities on its occupied features in the Spratlys. The Chinese Academy of Sciences will operate the two facilities on Fiery Cross (Tagalog: Kagitingan; Mandarin: Yongshu) and Subi (Tagalog: Zamora; Mandarin: Zhubi) Reefs for field studies on deep sea ecology, geology, environment, material sciences and marine energy. The International Business Times emphasized that Chinas supposedly civilian scientific purposes come as the rest of the world is distracted by coronavirus.



Then, on March 26, Chinas Ministry of Natural Resources announced that it extracted and produced a record amount of natural gas in a single day in the South China Sea. The production process ran from February 17 to March 18, as COVID-19 began its rapid spread around the world.



Around the South China Sea, rival Southeast Asian claimants Malaysia and the Philippines are preoccupied with enforcing mandatory quarantine measures.



Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte previously self-quarantined as a precaution, and the Philippine Armed Forces chief of staff recently recovered from a positive case of COVID-19. Vietnam and Indonesia are also enforcing measures to limit the spread of the virus.

 2020 The Lawfare Institute

Theme(s): Others.
But many of the people who cause problems are likely the ones who could benefit from a long-term city partnership with a mental health service provider.
PHILIPSBURG:--- TelEm Group assistance to the St. Maarten Government and people affected by the current Coronavirus emergency has been outlined to telecommunication counterparts in the Caribbean region.

The information has been requested by the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO), based in Trinidad & Tobago, keen to find out what member organizations are doing in their respective communities.

According to TelEm Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Michiel Parent, TelEm Group has been cooperating with government from the outset of the crisis, offering the companys telecommunication networks to communicate important messages to the general population related to the Coronavirus.

The Management Team is represented on a communication panel consisting of government officials and other government-owned companies as well as being represented on the Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) by the Bureau of Telecommunications & Post (BTP), said Mr. Parent.

He says amongst the assistance to government and the community is:

A free-of-charge emergency number (914), that is being redirected to Government Department of Epidemiology.

A free-of-charge 311 hotline for the Mental Health Foundation.

Opening of an SMS number named CORONA_INFO from which Government can send free-of-charge SMS info messages to our residents.

Production of Social Distancing billboards that have been placed on strategic locations on SXM.

Production of flyers that have been distributed (or are being distributed) to all households on the island in four (4) languages: English, Spanish, French and Creole to inform and educate different groups in the community.

Mr. Parent also listed other ways TelEm Group is assisting its customers and the general population by providing:

TV channels with regular infomercials about Coronavirus awareness and threats.

SIM cards and Free credit to all Hospital workers on St Maarten.

A Double Data campaign for Mobile Prepaid users (Double the amount of data for the same price).

On top of these measures, the commercial director says TelEm Group has also decided that the company will not be disconnecting residents from fixed and broadband (Internet) services when the invoices are due, however the company continues to encourage customers who can make payments, to do so online and avoid accumulation of a higher bill in the months ahead.

Mr. Parent says the telecommunication services provided by TelEm Group put them in an essential category since they are a lifeline from many persons in the community forced to remain in their homes to keep the spread of the Coronavirus at bay.

We are doing all that we can under present trying circumstances to fulfill our obligations to the community and also to the business that we are in so that together we can all get through this period with as little trauma as possible, said Mr. Parent.
Last year Kerrygold became Irelands first food brand to reach 1bn in annual retail sales

Ornua has seen its operating profit jump 22pc to 49m for 2019, but warned it expects the coronavirus to negatively impact on its business.

The largest exporter of Irish dairy products saw its turnover grow by 12pc to 2.3bn, according to its annual results.

Meanwhile, earnings before interest, tax, deprecation, and amortisation were 71.8m, despite what it said was a challenging global environment characterised by economic uncertainty due to US tariffs, Brexit and market volatility.

John Jordan, CEO of Ornua said he was pleased to report a strong trading performance for 2019.

However, the co-operative, previously known as the Irish Dairy Board, warned that the business uncertainty and disruption being caused by the spread of the coronavirus is severely impacting market sentiment.

Ornua is seeing an increase in demand for its branded and private label cheese and butter in retail.

However, demand for its foodservice products have fallen sharply caused by the temporary shutdown of the sector in Europe and the United States.

Overall, there has been a decrease in consumption of dairy products worldwide.

Operationally, the co-op said its biggest challenge is to keep its supply chain operating to ensure markets for Irish dairy remain open at a time of great uncertainty.

Ornua said it will continue to purchase product from member co-ops in line with 2020 agreements.

Our key focus for 2020 is to support our 2,400 strong team, our customers, our member co-ops and farmers as we face the challenges of Covid-19 together, Mr Jordan said.

Last year Kerrygold became Irelands first food brand to reach 1bn in annual retail sales.

Elsewhere, Ornua purchased 400 million litres of milk equivalent under fixed price contracts from member co-ops in 2019.

Ornua also opened a 30m pizza cheese production facility in Avila, Spain.
Key Takeaways

Trace elements may increase with future Arctic melt releasing dissolved organic matter from permafrost thaw.

Nutrient levels and productivity may increase in the Arctic, but loss of ice cover will continue to worsen overall warming as more heat is absorbed from the atmosphere.

A new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their international colleagues found that freshwater runoff from rivers and continental shelf sediments are bringing significant quantities of carbon and trace elements into parts of the Arctic Ocean via the Transpolar Drift--a major surface current that moves water from Siberia across the North Pole to the North Atlantic Ocean.

In 2015, oceanographers conducting research in the Arctic Ocean as part of the International GEOTRACES program found much higher concentrations of trace elements in surface waters near the North Pole than in regions on either side of the current. Their results published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans.

"Many important trace elements that enter the ocean from rivers and shelf sediments are quickly removed from the water column," explains WHOI marine chemist Matthew Charette, lead author of the study. "But in the Arctic they are bound with abundant organic matter from rivers, which allows the mixture to be transported into the central Arctic, over 1,000 kilometers from their source."

Trace elements, like iron, form essential building blocks for ocean life. As the Arctic warms and larger swaths of the ocean become ice-free for longer periods of time, marine algae are becoming more productive. A greater abundance of trace elements coming from rivers and shelf sediments can lead to increases in nutrients reaching the central Arctic Ocean, further fueling algal production.

"It's difficult to say exactly what changes this might bring," says Charette. "but we do know that the structure of marine ecosystems is set by nutrient availability."

Nutrients fuel the growth of phytoplankton, a microscopic algae that forms the base of the marine food web. Generally speaking, more phytoplankton brings more zooplankton--small fish and crustaceans, which can then be eaten by top ocean predators like seals and whales.

Higher concentrations of trace elements and nutrients previously locked up in frozen soils (permafrost) are expected to increase as more river runoff reaches the Arctic, which is warming at a much faster rate than most anywhere else on Earth. While an increase in nutrients may boost Arctic marine productivity, Charette cautions that the continued loss of sea ice will further exacerbate climate warming, which will impact ecosystems more broadly.

"The Arctic plays an important role in regulating Earth's climate, with the ice cover reflecting sunlight back to space, helping to mitigate rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions," he adds. "Once the ice is gone, the Arctic Ocean will absorb more heat from the atmosphere, which will only make our climate predicament worse."

###

Funding for Arctic GEOTRACES was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Swedish Research Council Formas, French Agence Nationale de la Recherche and LabexMER, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, and Independent Research Fund Denmark. The Arctic GEOTRACES expeditions were supported by the captains and crew of the USCGC Healy and the R/V Polarstern.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu.
Travel firms will collapse and taxpayers will be left with a multi-billion-pound bill unless UK holiday refund rules are amended, a trade association has claimed.

Abta wants the government to allow companies to offer credit notes as a 'short-term alternative' to cash refunds because of the deluge of claims caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Under EU law, travel companies must refund customers within 14 days if their holiday is cancelled.

British holidaymakers make their way back to the UK. Travel firms will collapse and taxpayers will be left with a multi-billion-pound bill unless UK holiday refund rules are amended, a trade association has claimed

But many travel firms will be unable to survive if they are forced to pay cash refunds immediately, according to Abta.

This is partly due to a delay in them receiving money back from airlines and hotels.

Countries such as France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have amended their refund rules on a temporary basis, and Abta says the UK must also take action.

Refund credit notes could be exchanged for an alternative booking or a full cash refund at a later date.

They would be financially protected, ensuring consumers' money would be secure.

Abta warned that if the UK does not change its policy, firms will be pushed into bankruptcy, leaving the government, which acts as the financial backer for the UK's main Atol scheme of holiday protection, with a bill of up to 4.5billion to refund customers.

Countries such as France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have amended their refund rules on a temporary basis. Pictured is an empty arrivals hall at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on April 3

Mark Tanzer, Abta chief executive, said: 'We know the government has a lot to manage with the current crisis, but its failure to make these temporary changes to refund rules defies logic and is leaving the consumer in no man's land.

'The rules around 14-day refunds were never designed for the mass cancellation of holidays, which we're now seeing as a result of government measures to contain the pandemic.

'It's in nobody's interests for normally healthy, viable businesses to be pushed into bankruptcy.

'Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk and the UK taxpayer will have to foot the bill for customer refunds if there is an industry-wide collapse of travel businesses.

'It's important to reiterate, this is about supporting businesses through an entirely unforeseeable and short-term cashflow crunch  customers will not lose their right to a refund, and their money is not at risk.'
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 13:28 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd08df5f 1 World Boris-Johnson,Jokowi,British,COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,outbreak,pandemic,Twitter Free

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has sent a public message wishing a quick recovery for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is receiving medical treatment after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Indonesian leader took to his Twitter account on Wednesday to express his warm wishes on behalf of the country to Johnson.

My thoughts and prayers are with you PM @BorisJohnson and your family in this difficult time. We, in Indonesia, wish you a speedy recovery and best wishes, he tweeted in reply to Johnsons tweet on Monday.

My thoughts and prayers are with you PM @BorisJohnson and your family in this difficult time. We, in Indonesia, wish you a speedy recovery and best wishes.  Joko Widodo (@jokowi) April 8, 2020

Johnson tweeted that he had gone to the hospital for routine tests as he was experiencing coronavirus symptoms. However, he said he was in good spirits and keeping in touch with his team.

Read also: COVID-19: UK offers visa waiver for Indonesian relatives of British citizens

AFP reported on Tuesday that the British prime minister had been admitted to intensive care on Monday evening. Johnsons official spokesman told the press that the prime minister was receiving "standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance" and had not required a ventilator.

Johnson had previously spent Sunday night at a London hospital after being taken in for tests following concerns that he still had a cough and high temperature, 10 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Other state leaders and prominent figures have also been sending warm wishes to Britain's prime minister.

Johnson has been temporarily replaced as the head of government by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Medical prodigy Dr. Doogie Howser is heading back to the small screen in a female led reboot of the late 80s television show.

Doogie Kealoha, M.D., is the working title for the revival, which is in the works at Disney+ with executive producer Kourtney Kang, according to a new report from Deadline on Wednesday.

A young Neil Patrick Harris played the titular character in the original Doogie Howser M.D. series, a star-making role that put the actor on the map.

The doctor is in: Late 80s television series Doogie Howser M.D. is getting the reboot treatment from Disney+ with a female-led revival, according to a new report from Deadline (Pictured, a young Neil Patrick Harris as the title character)

'Set in Hawaii, Doogie Kealoha, M.D. centers on a 16-year-old half Asian, half white girl who works as a doctor,' Deadline reported.

The original series which ran for four seasons from 1989-1993 was originally produced by David E. Kelley and the late Steven Bochco.

Bochco's widow Dayna and son Jesse are attached to the female centered reboot as other executive producers.

For her part, Kang, who is developing the reboot, already has major sitcom cred under her belt having produced How I Met Your Mother and Fresh Off the Boat.

'Set in Hawaii, Doogie Kealoha, M.D. centers on a 16-year-old half Asian, half white girl who works as a doctor,' Deadline reported, emphasizing that the show's name is just a working title

Doogie star Neil Patrick Harris also starred in How I Met Your Mother so it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine him having some sort of role in the reboot.

This is just the latest in reboots from the 1980s and 1990s from the Disney streaming network.

Disney+ which recently started working on a Turner and Hooch project and also has plans for redoing films like The Mighty Ducks.

Behind the scenes: Executive producer Kourtney Kang is helming the reboot, she previously produced sitcoms Fresh Off the Boat and How I Met Your Mother, which also starred Neil Patrick Harris

The original Doogie Howser M.D., followed a teenage medical prodigy who worked as a hospital doctor as he dealt with troubles being the country's youngest surgeon as well as typical teenage trials like dating and driving.

Despite only airing for a few seasons, the show cemented itself in the pop culture lexicon and appeared more popular after it went off the air.

It originally starred Harris, as well as Max Casella, Belinda Montgomery, Lawrence Pressman and Mitchell Anderson.
JALANDHAR: Three relatives of Baldev Singh, 70, Punjabs first coronavirus casualty, were cured of Covid-19 in Jalandhar on Wednesday and were discharged from the local civil hospital.

With this, 11 close contacts of preacher Baldev Singh have recovered out of the total 27 people who contracted the coronavirus disease from him.

The three people discharged on Wednesday are Harjinder Singh, his wife Baljinder Kaur and son Hardeep Singh. The family belongs to Virk village in Phillaur sub division of the district. Harjinder Singh is the brother-in-law of Baldev Singh, who had died on March 18.

All three patients were admitted to the civil hospital in Phillaur on March 20 after they were found asymptomatic and subsequently were shifted to the civil hospital in Jalandhar on March 24 after they tested positive. A specialised team of doctors, led by senior medical officer Dr Kashmiri Lal, treated these patients in the civil hospital for 14 days.

Their samples were sent to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Amritsar, on April 6 and they tested negative. Another sample was sent on April 7 for the confirmatory test in which again they tested negative after which they were finally discharged.

The patients thanked the medical and para-medical staff who took care of them.

Jalandhar civil surgeon Dr Gurinder Kaur also appreciated the role of the team of doctors, nurses and paramedics in the fight against the pandemic.

In Punjabs Doaba region, 34 Covid-19 cases, including two deaths, have been reported so far. They comprise 19 cases in SBS Nagar, seven each in Hoshiarpur and in Jalandhar and one in Kapurthala. Of the 34, 12 people, including 11 contacts of Baldev Singh, have recovered so far.

SON OF JALANDHAR COVID-19

PATIENT TESTS POSITIVE, TOO

A 50-year-old Jalandhar man tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

With this, a total of seven positive cases have been reported in the district.

He is the son of the 72-year-old woman from Nijatam Nagar, Jalandhar, who had earlier tested positive and is undergoing treatment at the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Ludhiana.

Punjab special chief secretary Karanbir Singh Sidhu tweeted, Italian relatives visited them (at Nijatam Nagar) about 25 days ago.
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved spending up to $60 million to construct a field hospital in NRG Park to be used for coronavirus patients should local health care facilities exhaust all possible bed space.

The site could have up to 250 beds and operate for 60 days, County Engineer John Blount said, though the county could expand the hospital to 500 beds if necessary. The makeshift facility, which the county hopes to open with a skeleton staff of doctors and nurses by Friday, would be used only if area hospitals own contingency plans are insufficient.

This is an absolute last resort, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. We should not be using this beds for COVID patients, offloading patients, from the hospitals until and unless theyve already reached their full surge capacity.

Houston-area hospitals were operating under capacity as of Tuesday, with about 30 percent of beds available, Hidalgo said at a Monday news conference. About 3,300 beds were available in the nine-county Houston region, according to the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council.

Health experts expect a surge in coronavirus cases here in coming weeks, though they are unsure how severe the spike will be and whether hospitals will be able to contain it. The leaders, including government physicians and executives of the Texas Medical Center system, have said they want to ensure Houston avoids a situation like New York, where hospitals for weeks have been overrun and deaths have soared.

New York Citys fatalities passed 3,200 on Tuesday, exceeding the death toll from the 9/11 terror attacks. Harris County, including the city of Houston reported 2,146 cases and 23 deaths as of Tuesday evening.

Hidalgo on March 24 issued a stay-at-home order for county residents, which also closed most businesses, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Dr. Umair Shah, Harris Countys health director, has said it is too soon to tell whether the restrictions have been effective in flattening the curve, though research from the Kinder Institute at Rice University found the measures may have prevented several thousand deaths.

Blount, the county engineer, said he cleared the hospital plan with FEMA and expects the federal government to reimburse 75 percent of the cost. Commissioners Court also agreed to spend up to $3.5 million for the Precinct 1 Constables Office to provide security and administrative support, including the hiring of 25 part-time deputies.

Blount said Harris County would not use all of the authorized funds for the field hospital if the facility is unneeded. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the county would be wise to prepare for the worst-case scenario. County Budget Director Bill Jackson said the hospital would be paid for out of the countys $300 million rainy day fund.

This is one of those instances where its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, Ellis said.

The county will also use the reserve fund to pay for a $10 million small business forgivable loan program, pitched by Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, which Commissioners Court approved on a 3-2 vote. The two Republican commissioners voted no.

Jack Cagle in Precinct 4 wanted to delay the vote, noting that court members recieved the draft program agreement just hours before the meeting began. Precinct 3s Steve Radack said the loans, which small businesses will not have to pay back so long as they follow certain conditions, are an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds.

Scores of laborers, most wearing masks, began construction on the site Tuesday morning. Sweating in the early April humidity, they erected fencing, guard huts and framing for temporary structures in parking lots adjacent to the Astrodome. That the location was available is a testament to how drastically life has shifted in Houston amid the pandemic.

Less than a month ago, NRG Park was hosting the annual Houston Rodeo, with more than 60,000 daily attendees. Epidemiologists on March 10 traced the first case of community spread to a rodeo event. Mayor Sylvester Turner shut down the event the following day.

Harris County hopes eventually to move the makeshift hospital inside, in part to protect patients from rainstorms as hurricane season approaches. The buildings still have too much animal feces from the rodeo, however, and require a deep cleaning before they are safe for people with weakened immune systems, Hidalgos office said.

Yi-Chin Lee contributed reporting.

zach.despart@chron.com
[April 08, 2020] Reputation.com Announces Amir Jafari as Chief Financial Officer

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reputation.com , provider of the first and only complete cloud-based enterprise reputation and customer experience management platform, today named Amir Jafari as the companys new CFO. In this role, Jafari will tap into his history of helping companies significantly elevate their financial performance through strong processes that emphasize innovation and teamwork.

[Tweet This: Please welcome new CFO Amir Jafari to the @Reputation_com executive bench! #ReputationMatters] Reputation Matters Now More Than Ever

Social media and online reviews are now ubiquitous, giving consumers unprecedented access to knowledge about the brands they interact with. Consumers use this knowledge to decide where they spend their money, making reputation management more important than ever for businesses. At the center of it all is customer experience (CX) and continual interaction between customers and brands. Whether a customers feedback is positive or negative, it is vital for businesses to manage their online listings, immediately respond to customer feedback, and use that feedback to further refine the experience for customers. In this vein, Reputation.com is the only platform that helps brands achieve these goals in order to improve both CX and their bottom line. Ive watched the CX market evolve over the years, and it's clearly more important than ever for businesses to have a CX strategy in place, said Jafari. With a customer-first mentality as part of its DNA, Reputation.com is uniquely positioned to thrive as the leader in CX and reputation management. I am honored to join Reputationcoms purpose-driven management team, and I am committed to helping Reputation.com execute its goals and build on its momentum."



As CFO, Jafari will oversee Reputation.coms HR, IT, real estate, corporate development and finance operations while helping develop a long-term strategy to ensure the company continues on its current growth trajectory. Over the past 15-plus years, Jafari has held a number of key financial roles across a variety of organizations. He most recently spent five years at ServiceNow, where he helped create the Finance and Legal business unit, which he ultimately led as the VP and general manager. Prior to this, he served as the companys vice president of finance and corporate controller. Jafari also served as senior director of finance and assistant controller at Atmel Corp., and director of financial planning and analysis at InvenSense. Jafari has also held financial positions at Magellan Navigation, AppliedMicro and Memec. Amirs history of innovative leadership of financial teams and affinity for the CX space make him a perfect addition to the Reputation.com team, said Joe Fuca, CEO, Reputation.com. He has demonstrated impressive growth and results at every stop during his career, thanks to both his financial know-how and ability to effectively manage teams. As CFO, Amir will play a key role in helping the company continue to meet and exceed its goals and further our mission of enabling businesses of all types deliver the best possible experience to their customers.

About Reputation.com

Reputation.com pioneered the online reputation management (ORM) category. We continue to lead the charge with the only proven, unified CX and online reputation management platform, and innovative, customer-driven solutions. Our SaaS-based Reputation.com platform manages tens of millions of consumer reviews and consumer interactions across hundreds of thousands of touchpoints. The patented algorithms behind Reputation Score are based on more than a decade of deep machine-learning and data science expertise, providing businesses with a reliable index of brand performance that they can use to make targeted CX improvements  and increase their ability to get found, get chosen and get better. To learn more, visit www.reputation.com . Media Contact:

Brigit Valencia

BOCA Communications

360.597.4516

[email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/18e69956-fbd1-41f5-bed6-02d7c761cc14

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A special sitting of MPs was cancelled indefinitely due to fears of mass coronavirus infections among them and a warning from the Ministry of Health, the Nation has learnt.

Sources at Parliament Buildings told the Nation that the ministry warned that it would have been reckless for MPs to carry on with the sitting scheduled for Tuesday before release of the results of all the 50 members who were tested.

Tracking coronavirus

Unconfirmed information from multiple sources within Parliament indicated that at least 17 out of the 50 MPs tested so far are positive.

But the National Assembly's leaders, including Speaker Justin Muturi, dismissed this report as fake news.

"It is not true," Mr Muturi told the Nation. "Results are given to individual members."

REACTIONS

Clerk Michael Sialai said he was "not aware" of the alleged 17 cases.

"No. I have no such report. Testing was voluntary and results were given to individual members," he said.

Majority Leader Aden Duale also denied the report.

"I'm not aware. I think it's a sensational story," he said.

The alleged 17 cases were not captured in Tuesday's briefing by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, who announced 14 new cases.

HEALTH REVIEW

A bulk SMS that the clerk sent on Monday said the sitting was cancelled due to a review of health and safety arrangements related to reassurance of the health of MPs and staff while within Parliament precincts.

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"Hon members, please note that what the Speaker of the National Assembly called off yesterday evening was the special sitting of the house scheduled for Wednesday, April 8," read the SMS seen by the Nation.

"The calendar of the house, including resumption of the sitting on 14th April remains as resolved by the house on March 17."

STIGMA

Minority Leader John Mbadi, who was among those tested, said he was still waiting for his results and confirmed that the ministry warned against going ahead with the sitting without them.

The Suba South MP said, "We should not stigmatise those with this disease. If one is sick ... it is just a condition ... one can get better."

He added, "We should encourage people to go public; to come out and get tested."

With reports that more than 50 legislators and staff may have interacted with Rabai MP Kamoti Mwamkale, who recently tested positive for the virus, the house leadership said it could not risk the health of the other members.
The Iraqi government is mobilizing all public and private resources to combat the coronavirus as it spreads in the country.

Iraqi President Barham Salih had declared a national initiative demanding that public and private sectors cooperate and that all Iraqis work together to stem the outbreak.

Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi returned from his voluntary leave March 23 to follow through on the government's plan to fight the virus. Moreover, the prime minister-designate, Adnan Zurfi, has issued several statements addressing the matter.

Iraq formed a national panel, headed by Health Minister Jaafar Allawi and including the interior and defense ministers, to unify all efforts in confronting the coronavirus.

In this context, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) is also pitching in. The umbrella military organization comprises dozens of predominantly Shiite militia groups, many backed by Iran. PMU involvement in the coronavirus initiative is being organized and overseen by the PMU Committee, led by Falih al-Fayyadh. The Prime Minister, as Commander in Chief of the armed forces, supervises the committee. Almost all PMU factions have been assisting the government plans in fighting the virus.

The PMU has had a checkered run in Iraq since anti-government protests broke out in October 2019. Some of the member militias, including those associated with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have tried to stay out of the fray. Others associated more directly with Iran have been accused of attacking the protesters. The United States has been at war with Kataib Hezbollah (KH), an Iran-backed PMU brigade, since the group's attack on an Iraqi base killed an American contractor in December. Since that time, KH has escalated its actions against Americans and coalition forces, incurring US retaliation that included the Jan. 3 assassination by drone and missile strike of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani and KH founder and PMU Chief of Staff Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

President Salih referred to an attack that killed two Americans last month as terrorism, and a range of Iraqi officials condemned subsequent US retaliatory strikes that included positions for the Iraqi Security Forces and a facility in Karbala airport along the PMU. A militia named Usbat al-Thaireen claimed responsibility for the attack.

The coronavirus provides the PMU an opportunity to step up as nationalists. The PMU said March 26 it had sanitized more than 2,000 sites. It has provided several field hospitals in the provinces of Dhi Qar, Babel, Karbala and Salahuddin.

This is part of the PMU plan, announced Feb. 26, to raise awareness about COVID-19 and counter the pandemic in Iraq. The plan first aims to protect the organization itself, and then the Iraqi public. The campaign, which officially started March 5, led by the PMUs medical department, undertakes advocacy, sanitization and medical assistance, in cooperation with civil and state institutions, mainly the ministries of Health and Education.

The PMU also moved to assist the Iraqi government in enforcing the curfew across the country. The PMU declared a second stage for the campaign March 19, involving a major media effort that includes religious figures, tribal figures, university professors, television actors, poets and other prominent figures.

A senior physician cooperating with the PMU spoke with Al-Monitor March 28 on the condition of anonymity. Outlining PMU efforts in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the physician said, The PMU provided several field hospitals to provincial health authorities and focused on the neediest provinces. However, reflecting the security umbrellas institutional limitations in providing social services, he said, The PMU is represented in the areas where its personnel have an active presence. In those areas where it has less influence, it has no representatives  which means this is all linked to individuals. He added, "Efforts are based on initiatives by the brigades, and the PMU hasn't allocated a budget for the crisis, unlike the case of last years floods, for which the PMU was well-prepared."

The doctor said, The PMU isn't represented in the countrys top crisis panel [aiming to tackle the pandemic], but affiliated elements are present in provincial crisis cells, such as that of Salahuddin, Wasit, Muthanna and Basra provinces, the city of Baghdads peripheries and other crisis cells. The physician estimated 3,000 people are active in the campaign, though Fayyadh said 5,000 have participated in its second stage.

The PMU has a website that explains the efforts of several brigades with different political orientations, including those linked to Iraqs Shiite shrines and Sistani, and other factions.

The brigades that guard Iraq's Shiite shrines that align with Sistani are reportedly considering abandoning the PMU and integrating with the Ministry of Defense. They reject a proposal to appoint a successor  Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi (also known as Abu Fadak)  for Muhandis. Despite the schism, the PMUs media department has highlighted the efforts of these brigades in countering the pandemic  possibly a gesture aimed at bridging the gap.

The assassination of Muhandis by the United States and the ensuing organizational disunity has taken a toll on its ability to tackle multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. But the PMU's contingency campaign to counter the pandemic in Iraq allows the group to assess public attitudes toward it after months of political polarization that started during the October protests.
The high number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) deaths --- 64 until Wednesday morning --- reported from Maharashtra could be a chance event, as the number of overall fatalities is still low and a trend cannot be decoded on the basis of absolute numbers, said Dr Raman R. Gangakhedkar, chief of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a media briefing on Wednesday.

You cant merely decide on the basis of absolute numbers, that is not the right way, said Dr Gangakhedkar.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said that the government was taking aggressive measures wherever required in Maharashtra from where 1,078 Covid-19 cases were reported until Wednesday morning.

In Pune, door-to-door screenings are being conducted. About 35 square kilometres are being covered to look for people with co-morbid conditions and those with any travel history. The government has come up with an elaborate technical plan for different stages of Covid-19 management, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, MoHFW.

If the number of cases is rising, the governments preparations are also increasing proportionally to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission. Our technical war room is monitoring the situation very closely, and is equipped to track even ambulances on a real-time basis, apart from keeping a close watch of people under home quarantine, etc., he added.

A total of 139 ICMR laboratories are conducting Covid-19 tests, and another 65 private ones have been approved by the research organisation.

Since January 24, 121,271 samples have been tested across India. And 2,267 samples have been tested in private laboratories, which were given approval on March 21.

Agarwal refused reports about the shortage of the anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, in the country.

There is no shortage of the drug in the country. Itll be made available to whoever needs it. Those being given the medicine currently by the government are just a section of people. Its not recommended for everyone, and should not be taken without a prescription, said Agarwal.

To train the workforce on the field, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has developed modules to train doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, volunteers, etc who will have to be deployed on the ground for surveillance and management purposes.

All these people will be provided with necessary resources on the field. This is a part of governments larger preparedness plan, he added.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  President Rodrigo Duterte is set to address the nation once again on Wednesday night.

This will be Dutertes first public address since he approved the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

It is still unclear what his address will be about.

In his last public address, Duterte worried about funding sources for cash aid for the poor and floated the idea of expanding it to the middle class.

The Health Department confirmed 106 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the country total to 3,870.

Twelve more people have been cleared of coronavirus infection in the country, bringing the total number of recoveries to 96 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Health Department also reported that the nationwide death toll is now at 182, after five more patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease.

This is relatively lower than previous daily reports as the DOH has been confirming a surge in new infections amid efforts to expand coronavirus testing. The highest number confirmed in a day was 538 last week. On Tuesday, the DOH confirmed 104 new infections.

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.
Shanghai reports 2 new imported COVID-19 cases

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:25, April 07, 2020

SHANGHAI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai reported two newly confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from overseas Monday, the local health authority said Tuesday.

The municipal health commission said a total of 199 imported cases had been reported in Shanghai by the end of Monday, while 14 suspected imported cases are under quarantine for further confirmation.

The new imported cases were both Chinese citizens, including one from Russia and one from the United Kingdom. They were both quarantined and tested positive for the virus upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

A total of 24 people in close contact with the two patients on flights have been screened and put under quarantine.

Shanghai saw no new indigenous COVID-19 infections on Monday. The municipality has reported a total of 339 indigenous confirmed cases and zero suspected cases.

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One of the latest victims of the coronavirus was a 22-year-old Oklahoma man who had made multiple trips to area medical facilities before he was tested.

Krystal Sauz told Fox 23 that it took three trips to three different facilities before her husband, Israel Sauz, ever got tested for the coronavirus. She said he was initially sent home from a Broken Arrow hospital with a fever, cough and other symptoms and was diagnosed with a stomach virus.

Days later and after the symptoms continued, Israel Sauz was told at a clinic that he had a virus and was prescribed antibiotics. Krystal Sauz told the Tulsa-area television station that she pushed to have her husband tested for the coronavirus but was denied.

Israel Sauz got to spend a week with his and his wife's newborn child before he started developing a fever and cough. Krystal Sauz and their child went to her parents' house to protect their health, and she made regular visits back to help her husband at his and his parents' home.



Things took a turn March 29 when Israel Sauz had a fever reaching 104 degrees. He was too weak to walk, had shallow breathing and felt like throwing up.

Krystal Sauz contacted the state's coronavirus hotline, which told her to contact a hospital and tell staff there that the hotline recommended for her husband to be tested for COVID-19. She took him to Saint Francis Hospital, where he tested positive and was put on a ventilator the next day.

Israel Sauz told his wife over the phone he was scared but it was in God's hands. She told him she loved him.

Video above: Family mourns loss of 31-year-old man killed by coronavirus

Despite showing improvements over the next few days, Krystal Sauz received a call early Sunday saying that her husband may not make it. She got to visit him briefly in the hospital, standing outside a glass window to his room.

Israel Sauz was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. Sunday.

My heart breaks for that 22-year-old person there in Tulsa, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a news conference Tuesday. And I heard  that he had gone into the hospital and couldnt get tested. What specifically happened and what hospital he went to and why they didnt test him, it just breaks my heart.
[April 08, 2020] Equality Health Offers Free Telehealth Solution to Physician Practices in California Network

El SEGUNDO, Calif., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Equality Health, a whole-health delivery system, today announced that it is offering a turnkey telehealth solution to primary care practices in Southern California that are in the Equality Health Network for their entire patient population, including Medicare Advantage patients. The no-cost initiative, which stands through June 30, 2020, includes rapid onboarding and training support for practices, as well as ongoing coding and billing education. Providers may conduct virtual office visits, even in low bandwidth environments, with patients who are sheltering-in-place in their homes using their cellphone or computer. This method helps physicians maintain a trusting relationship with their patients while reducing the spread of COVID-19. "The COVID-19 pandemic has forced primary care practices to reposition the way they operate to conform to our new reality of social distancing and self-isolation. By adopting telehealth solutions, providers can continue to deliver the same high-quality care to their communities that they always have without compromising safety for patients, staff and providers," said Jason An, MD, Chief Development Officer, California Market, Equality Health.



Due to their advanced age and chronic conditions, Medicare Advantage patients are at particularly high risk of hospitalization or worse if they contract COVID-19. In recent days, COVID-19 hospitalization rates in California have doubled and ICU stays have tripled. Telehealth significantly mitigates the strain on the healthcare system, and helps physician practices protect patients from becoming a tragic statistic. Advantages include increased access to comprehensive care; greater patient engagement to improve outcomes; and most importantly, the ability to deliver care in a safe environment for staff, patients and providers.

Telehealth also protects and even grows revenue, especially for ongoing chronic disease management. It is an ideal medium for visiting with established patients under a variety of scenarios that don't require a physical examinationfrom sharing results to diagnosing common conditions. "Ultimately, telehealth is a timely change for California physician practices. In response to COVID-19, government agencies are addressing many of the reimbursement and legal issues that prevented broader adoption. At Equality Health, we address equitable access to care, another longstanding concern, by providing virtual care options to underserved communities," concluded Dr. Ahn. Primary care practices that would like to learn more about joining the Equality Health Network and its free HIPPA-compliant virtual care program should contact Jason Ahn, MD, Chief Development Officer, California Market for the Equality Health, at [email protected]. About Equality Health

Equality Health, LLC is a whole-health delivery system focused on improving access, quality, and member trust. Through a value-based care technology and community resources platform, culturally competent provider network and population-specific care model, Equality Health helps managed care plans and health systems improve care for diverse populations while simultaneously making the transition to risk-based accountability. For more information about Equality Health, visit www.equalityhealth.com or follow @EqualityHealth on Facebook, @EqualityHealth on Twitter, and @EqualityHealth on LinkedIn. Media contact:

Tomas Leon

Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategy

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equality-health-offers-free-telehealth-solution-to-physician-practices-in-california-network-301037264.html SOURCE Equality Health

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PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-09 00:16:05

World-class management consultant John Kim joins as new Managing Partner to lead the firms new Seoul office

Boyden Relaunches in South Korea to Support Asia Pacific Expansion

Media Contacts:

John Kim, Boyden South Korea and Taiwan

T: +82 10 9067 7688

E: john.kim@boyden.com

Katie Killip, for Boyden

T: +1 212 850 5620

E. katie.killip@fticonsulting.com

Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 65 offices in over 40 countries, today announced that John Kim has joined as a Managing Partner. He will work in concert with William Farrell, a Boyden Board Member and Managing Partner of Boyden South Korea and Taiwan, to relaunch Boydens presence in South Korea.

This follows Mondays announcement of Boydens major expansion in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

Kim joins Boyden from Deloitte with 20 years of corporate executive and management consulting experience. He has advised C-suite executives and boards on change and transformation management, operations, growth strategy, finance, corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

We are thrilled John is joining Boyden to further fuel our expansion in Asia Pacific as a leading member of our Global Practices in Industrial, Technology and Financial Services, said Farrell. Johns impressive experience with boards and CEOs of top multinationals and Koreas leading chaebols makes him a tremendous asset to our clients as a trusted advisor.

Kim has held senior leadership roles at Accenture and IBM Business Consulting Services, working with a variety of multinationals including Samsung, Hyundai, POSCO, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, GS Caltrex, Doosan Heavy Industries, Korean Air and Hanjin.

Previously, Kim served as President of Hyundai Welding and as Asia Pacific Leader of IBMs Automotive Industry and Defense Industry practices. He also founded a portfolio of technology start-ups in Silicon Valley and Asia.

Boyden has a rich 64-year history as the first international executive search firm and has talented partners in all global markets, which were important factors in my decision to join the firm, said Kim. Its a tremendous opportunity to work closely with Bill Farrell and the top teams across Asia Pacific, the Americas and EMEA.

In addition, Kim has served as a Board Member of Meritz Fire and Marine Insurance Co., Meritz Merchant Bank and Securities Co. and Meritz Financial Group. He holds a bachelors and masters degree in computer science from University of Southern California, and an MBA from Boston University. He also completed the advanced management program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is fluent in English and Korean, and also speaks intermediate Japanese and Chinese.

About Boyden

Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 65 offices in over 40 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. For further information, visit www.boyden.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth urged people across the state to ring a bell on Sunday at noon in recognition of Easter.

Ainsworth said he conceived what he is calling the Ring for the Resurrection campaign to unite Alabamians at a time when the coronavirus pandemic makes traditional worship services and other customary Easter activities unsafe.

Social distancing guidelines require us to remain apart from our extended families, church members, and other individuals on a sacred religious holiday that normally encourages us to gather together, Ainsworth said in a press release. But I realized that the simple act of ringing a bell can allow us to remain physically distant while being united in spirit.

The new initiative from the lieutenant governor comes two weeks after he butted heads with Gov. Kay Ivey over the states preparations for the pandemic. In a letter to other members of Iveys COVID-19 task force, Ainsworth said the state wasnt doing enough to prepare for the onslaught of sickness and strain on the health care system. Ivey said Ainsworth was being critical without being helpful.

Ainsworths Easter initiative, also comes two days after an organization representing atheists and agnostics sent a letter to Ivey complaining that she used Fridays press conference announcing a stay-at-home order to promote Christianity. A minister spoke at the press conference at closed it with a prayer.

Ainsworth announced the Ring for the Resurrection campaign in an email from his state office on state letterhead. He encouraged people to join him and his familys in commemorating the resurrection.

"My wife, Kendall, our twin boys, Hunter and Hays, and our daughter, Addie, will be among those ringing a bell at noon on Sunday to celebrate the miracle of Easter, Ainsworth said. While Gov. Iveys stay-at-home order, the publics health and safety, and simple common sense prevent Christians from gathering in large groups even on the holiest of days, all of us can join together in spirit as we ring a bell to recognize that Christ has risen.
Zelensky noted the importance of combining the efforts of the government and religious communities to curb the coronavirus spread.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Epifaniy (Epiphanius) to discuss the format of Easter holiday services amid the coronavirus quarantine in Ukraine.

Read alsoWith Easter approaching, President Zelensky urges citizens to protect themselves, their loved ones

"Prayers and services should take place these days so that members of our religious communities could join them by watching live streams while staying at home, so that they feel that a magnificent holiday comes to us despite the difficult circumstances of our time," Epifaniy said.

In turn, Zelensky noted the importance of combining the efforts of the government and religious communities to curb the coronavirus spread.
Fort Bend Countys order for residents to stay home may be helping to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus across the region, county officials said in a press release.

Authorities based their announcement on COVID-19 modeling projections from The University of Texass School of Public Health in Austin. These predict the peak of the disease could be seen in the Houston area around April 23, the release said.

This is two weeks later than the originally predicted date of April 7.

I am proud to announce that the people of Fort Bend County are joining together to effectively flatten the curve to fight this invisible enemy, County Judge KP George said in a written statement. Our community must continue to be diligent about following the Stay Home to Save Lives Order on social distancing and best sanitary practices.

George and Jacquelyn Minter, the countys director of health and human services, briefed county commissioners on the findings Tuesday.

Minter said the later predicted peak time will help hospitals not be overwhelmed. Fort Bend hospitals are currently not at capacity, according to the news release.

This is not the time to loosen up our best practices or else we could see a very sharp increase. We need to continue to stay the course and stay at home, Minter said, according to the news release. The modeling projections expected peak date being pushed back two weeks may be good news, but it is far too early to relax social distancing or stay home measures because of the continued potential for a devastating impact from the virus.

George first implemented the stay home order last month. It advises residents to remain at home unless theyre completing essential tasks. The order is in effect until April 30.

Fort Bend had 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon. Six people have died from the illness and 15 people have recovered.

brooke.lewis@chron.com
Every day for more than two years, Mae* has brought breakfast and dinner to her 75-year-old husband, Dean*, in his aged care facility in their town in northern Queensland. Dean has dementia and Mae sits with him for hours, encouraging him to eat each bite. Its a time-consuming process born of love, and something harried care workers cannot do, short-staffed as they are.

There are not enough staff at aged care facilities to give all residents the attention they need. Credit:Shutterstock

Once, when visits were banned for two weeks during a scabies outbreak, Dean lost two kilos. In response to the threat of COVID-19, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a limit on the number of visits to aged-care facility residents to one per day, with a maximum of two visitors per visit. He also announced restrictions on the locations of visits within facilities. This would limit Maes visits to Dean to one meal per day. It will be difficult, but shell manage. But for residents of some facilities, the situation is much worse.

This is because many aged care facilities have gone beyond this guidance, banning visitors altogether. These restrictions have been given the euphemistic term voluntary lockdowns, with exceptions only for palliative care visits, but older people living in aged-care facilities are not volunteering for this. For people like Mae and Dean, such a ban carries huge risks.

The Prime Ministers announcement, along with various other controls, is in line with Australian Department of Health's public health guidance on COVID-19 in aged care facilities. Having limits on visitors is reasonable, given that older people are at high risk for severe disease and death, and the guidance properly reinforces the importance of proper infection control, protecting both residents and facility workers.
B oris Johnsons serious illness reminds us once again that the health of Heads of Government is a vital issue. At least No 10 has not sought to hide it: whereas in the past it has all too often been shrouded in secrecy. I profoundly hope he is back in harness before the month is out. He is in excellent hands in St Thomass Hospital, London where I trained and practiced medicine.

It is worth recalling that in the influenza pandemic of 1918 the then Prime Minister Lloyd George had a bad attack of influenza in September for nine days and a shaky convalescence afterwards. It was hushed up at the time just before the First World War which ended on 11 November and he was widely acclaimed as The Man Who Won the War.

In the Second World War Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister while suffering from cancer of the bowel. Very few people even in his close family knew this when Churchill took over from him as Prime Minister in early May. Chamberlain wrote on 20 July I940 to his sister Ida, I am in considerable trouble with my inside which hasnt been working properly for a long time & is getting worse. He was x-rayed at the end of July and immediately underwent surgery. Back in Whitehall on 9 September exhausted, Churchill initially refused his resignation but accepted it at the start of October. Chamberlain died on 9 November 1940.

It is Anthony Edens fever as Prime Minister on 5 October 1956 just as the crisis with Egypt over the Suez Canal came to a head that, though very different, has the most immediate relevance to Johnsons situation. Eden was visiting his wife, an inpatient in University College Hospital London, when he suddenly began to shake uncontrollably and his temperature rose to 106F - a very high reading for an adult. He was suffering from cholangitis, a septicaemia from organisms in his damaged bile duct following earlier surgery. He was also on Drinamyl, an amphetamine brain stimulant. Eden came out of hospital far too early only three days later and ten days after that embarked on the worst political decision in in his long and distinguished career. Namely, to collude with France and Israel to invade the Suez Canal. Edens illness and his treatment was central to the way that deeply mistaken policy was implemented.

Anthony Eden came out of hospital far too early  then joined with France and Israel to invade the Suez Canal

Rab Butler became the acting head of the government on 23 November while Eden recuperated in Jamaica. On his return he lied to the House of Commons denying any foreknowledge of Israels attack on Egypt. He never faced the Commons again and resigned as Prime Minister on 10 January 1957.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

Lord Owens book Hubris: the road to Donald Trump is out in paperback now

It is not wise to overdo the expression war to fight coronavirus, although there is a common element of fear. You use military might to fight wars, helped by science. You use science in many of its dimensions, not just medical, to control and possibly eradicate coronavirus, as we did to eradicate smallpox.
SHENZHEN, China, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindray (SZSE: 300760) -- As COVID-19 is casting a dark shadow over people's health, healthcare providers around the world are fighting relentlessly against the virus. We salute all medical staff for their valiant efforts to save patients' lives and battle the outbreak. As China's leading medical devices and solutions provider, we have been the main force ever since the epidemic broke out in China, working around the clock to support healthcare professionals. Now that the virus is spreading around the world, we are connecting international medical experts and providing precise treatment for patients with advanced products and services, as well as valuable medical insights.

We always put customer needs in the first place. To offer the best-customized solutions to cope with COVID-19, we have worked closely with healthcare professionals around the world and identified their pain points varying in different regions. In face of high installation volume, unstable traffic and hazardous environment, our field service engineers have adhered to strict protocols and offered timely and safe assistance to healthcare providers. Our easy-to-use and multi-functional products from PMLS, IVD and MIS units are fully equipped to ensure better healthcare for more patients. In addition, our IT solution and online clinical guidance make sure that healthcare providers could treat patients adequately without contracting the virus. As a platform of knowledge exchange, we have invited Chinese experts to share their insights in COVID-19 patient treatment with medical professionals around the world in our webinar program. We will further explore possibilities where we can support patients and healthcare professionals who are fighting against the virus.

We are doing our best to ramp up manufacturing capacity. Our medical products, including patient monitors, ventilators and ultrasound devices, are crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Facing a soaring demand from healthcare providers around the world and a disruption of the global supply chain, we have been cooperating with governments and suppliers to mitigate shortages and safeguard the production line. Our employees at the manufacturing center cancelled official holidays and thanks to their hard work, we have multiplied manufacturing capacity. While striving to maintain business continuity, we have also taken strict sanitation steps to ensure the safety of our products during the whole manufacturing process.

We cherish our employees' health. Our success is based on their professionalism, efficiency and responsibility at work. To protect our employees across the globe, we have restricted business travels and arranged online conferences instead. We have asked regional offices to follow local health authorities' guidelines and initiate work-from-home protocol. As the virus spread is slowing in China, we have increased sterilization and cleaning measures of office facilities, offered surgical masks at the workplace, practiced social distancing and monitored our employee's health by temperature screening on a daily basis. We will further implement these hygiene measures in regional offices and provide a safe working environment for all our employees. Thanks to our strict protection guideline, we are very proud to announce that none of our field service employees were infected.

In a time when the mission to save lives is more important than ever, we are doing all we can to bring healthcare within reach. To date, we have donated 4.6 million USD worth of devices to hospitals all over the world. We will keep protecting our employees' health and safety, standing with healthcare providers and giving better care to patients around the globe.

Kind regards,

Li Xiting

Chairman of Mindray
Ryan Thomas has revealed his joy at finally seeing his two children getting to meet in person for the first time after they were kept apart amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The actor, 35, and his fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh welcomed Roman three weeks ago and were forced to keep the newborn apart from older sister Scarlett, 11, due to social distancing guidelines.

Scarlett, who was believed to be staying with her mother Tina O'Brien, had seen her brother on FaceTime after he was born and has now met him in person after it was confirmed that children of separated parents can move between households.

Family: Ryan Thomas, 35, has revealed his joy at finally seeing his two children getting to meet in person for the first time after they were kept apart amid the coronavirus outbreak

In the snap, Scarlett smiled at the camera as she cradled Roman who wore a grey T-shirt with 'Little Brother' written across it.

Alongside the photo, the actor wrote: 'Been waiting for this moment, finally got all my family together... (Roman wore the T-shirt just incase Scarlett forgot who he was)'.

Several of Ryan's friends and family commented on the adorable picture with fellow Coronation Street star Samia Longchambon writing: 'Two beauties Ry xx'.

Ryan's younger brother Adam wrote: 'Love it xx' while former TOWIE star Lydia Bright said the siblings were 'just perfect'.

Apart: Ryan and his fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh, 28, welcomed Roman three weeks ago and were forced to keep the newborn apart from older sister Scarlett, 11, due to social distancing guidelines

The soap star also took to his Instagram Stories and shared a photo of Scarlett spending time with Lucy, 28, as the former TOWIE star served the family dinner.

Alongside the photo, he wrote: 'About last night... it's all about the simple things in life!'

The family have found creative ways to pass the time in lockdown as Ryan uploaded a TikTok video of him and Scarlett re-enacting a scene from Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Wearing a dark dressing gown, Ryan and Scarlett imitated Kim and Khloe Kardashian telling their younger sister Kylie Jenner (also played by Scarlett) that she was not ready for the resonsibility of buying her own house.

''"Keeping Up With Thomas"... The things you end up doing in isolation.'

Home: Ryan also took to his Instagram Stories and shared a photo of Scarlett spending time with Lucy as the former TOWIE star served the family dinner

Rules: Michael Gove confirmed that children of separated parents can move between households during lockdown as it may be 'necessary' in certain cases

After Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced restrictions on daily life in order to combast the virus, it was confirmed children of separated parents would still be able to move between households.

Can children of separated parents move between homes? Children of parents who are separated are able to move between households during lockdown. According to judiciary.co.uk, those under the age of 18 can move between their parents' homes as an exception to the mandatory 'stay at home' requirement. The decision to move a child from one household to another is for the child's parents to make and should be made 'after a sensible assessment of the circumstances' including the child's current health and the risk of infection. Cabinet minister Michael Gove reiterated that while children 'should not normally' move between homes, it may be necessary in certain cases. In a statement on Twitter, he wrote: 'To confirm - while children should not normally be moving between households, we recognise that this may be necessary when children who are under 18 move between separated parents. This is permissible & has been made clear in the guidance.' Advertisement

Cabinet minister Michael Gove took to Twitter and said in a statement that the movement of children between their parents' homes 'may be necessary' in certain cases.

He said: 'To confirm - while children should not normally be moving between households, we recognise that this may be necessary when children who are under 18 move between separated parents. This is permissible & has been made clear in the guidance.'

It comes after Ryan detailed the struggles of raising Roman without his family amid the coronavirus lockdown.

In a candid post, the soap star admitted he was 'full of fear and loneliness' as he self-isolates with fiancee Lucy.

The actor, who shared his message alongside a sweet picture of himself kissing his three-week-old, also offered to provide new parents with baby supplies during the global crisis.

The former Coronation Street star has taken isolation extremely seriously ever since the nation was plunged into lockdown last month.

The drastic measure, which has also been implemented in countries such as Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, kept Ryan apart from his loved ones, causing Scarlett to meet her baby brother via FaceTime.

Admitting quarantine has taken a toll on his mental health, Ryan said: 'Isolation. Ive been thinking a lot about parents who are soon to bring a baby or just had a baby like ourselves into this crazy world we live in right now.

Fun: The family have found creative ways to pass the time in lockdown as Ryan uploaded a TikTok video of him and Scarlett re-enacting a scene from Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Parody: Ryan and Scarlett imitated Kim and Khloe Kardashian telling their younger sister Kylie (also played by Scarlett) that she was not ready for the resonsibility of buying her own house

Honest: It comes after Ryan detailed the struggles of raising Roman without some members of his family amid the coronavirus lockdown

'Stay strong and positive': The actor also offered to provide new parents with baby supplies during the global crisis

'Something none of us imagined. what is suppose to be one of the most special times in your life is full fear and loneliness.' [sic]

Crediting his partner Lucy for lifting his spirits amid the pandemic, the father-of-two explained: 'Everyday is a new challenge with a new born, luckily me & lucy have each other & work hard as a team to look after our baby in our little bubble.

'It is unsettling not having support and reassurance from loved ones and the knowledge of normal medical care available if needed and it makes you feel very vulnerable.

Apart: Boris Johnson's drastic lockdown measure kept Ryan apart from his loved ones, even causing Scarlett to meet her baby brother via FaceTime (pictured)

'To all parents out there you need to know you are doing such an amazing job.' [sic]

The thespian also lent a helping hand by offering to send out baby products to those struggling to adjust to parenthood.

Caring Ryan ended his post: 'its only small gesture but if you need anything nappies, baby grows, formula things maybe I can send in the post that we have or I can order for you online.

'Luckily we have each other': The father-of-two has credited his partner Lucy for lifting his spirits amid the pandemic

'Please dm me your address & what you need and Ill try and do as much I can to help as know it must be a difficult time right now. Stay strong & positive ' [sic]

Ryan - who shares his eldest child with Tina, 36, - and former TOWIE star Lucy welcomed baby boy Roman Ravello last month, following a three-year romance.

The fitness guru announced her pregnancy last August, after the hunk proposed during a trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast in June. The couple met on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in early 2017.
WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases

COVID-19: Govt helpline receives 92,000 calls on abuse and violence in 11 days

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 08: The Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 SOS calls asking for protection from abuse and violence in 11 days, a sombre indication that the lockdown has turned into extended captivity not just for many women but also for children trapped with their abusers at home.

Of the 3.07 lakh calls received by the 'CHILDLINE 1098' helpline for children in distress across the country between March 20-31, covering the first week of the lockdown, 30 per cent were about protection against abuse and violence on children, said Harleen Walia, deputy director of Childline India. This comes to 92,105 calls.

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According to Walia, the number of calls after the lockdown, which started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on March 24, has increased by 50 per cent.

The data was shared on Tuesday during an orientation workshop for district based child protection units and attended by senior Women and Child Development ministry officials.

Discussions at the workshop focused on coronavirus-related issues and ways to reduce stress on children during the ongoing lockdown.

Some of the other calls received following the lockdown dealt with physical health (11 per cent of calls), child labour (8 per cent), missing and run away children (8 per cent) and homeless (5 per cent), according to figures shared by Walia in the meeting.

Besides, the helpline got 1,677 calls with questions on the coronavirus and 237 seeking help for those who are sick.

Walia has suggested the helpline be declared an essential service during the lockdown.

Many women who are victims of domestic violence are also more vulnerable during the lockdown.

National Commission of Women chairperson Rekha Sharma recently said domestic violence complaints have been increasing by the day since the nationwide lockdown was imposed with 69 complaints received just through email.

Exit strategy plan suggests ending coronavirus lockdown in a phased manner

From March 24 till April 1, 257 complaints related to various offences against women were received.

Of the 257, 69 complaints are related to domestic violence, the latest data released by the NCW showed.

Sharma said the number of cases of domestic violence must be much higher but women are scared to complain due to the constant presence of their abusers at home.

'Women are not approaching police because they think that if they take their husband away, her in-laws will then torture her. And he will, in turn, torture her more when he gets out of the police station. Earlier, women could go to their parents but now they are unable to reach them," Sharma told PTI, adding that the NCW is in touch with some of the complainants. India is currently under the biggest lockdown with around 1.3 billion people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed at least 149 lives and infected more than 5,100 people.

"Confinement is fostering the tension and strain created by security, health, and money worries. And it is increasing isolation for women with violent partners, separating them from the people and resources that can best help them. It's a perfect storm for controlling, violent behaviour behind closed doors," UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in a statement calling the violence against women and girls "a shadow pandemic".

Child rights bodies recently wrote to the Prime Minister's Office, asking the government to declare 1098 toll free and to make it a COVID-19 emergency outreach number for children or parents or caregivers.

In a joint statement, an alliance of six leading child development organisations (ChildFund India, Plan India, Save the Children India, SOS Children's Villages of India, Terre des hommes and World Vision India) on April 2 also asked the government to provide uninterrupted access to critical services for the most vulnerable children and their families.

Coronavirus: Dharmendra Pradhan's wife, daughter stitch masks for the needy

'To overcome the immediate and long-term impact of the crisis, the government should ensure, on priority basis: access to critical services such as healthcare, nutrition, food security, mental health and psychosocial support, protection against violence and ensure social protection and child-sensitive cash transfer initiatives to the most vulnerable children and poorest families,' the child rights bodies said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 15:04 [IST]
The Lake County Health District on April 8 released its first data report on novel coronavirus cases in the county.

The statistics include data entered into the Ohio Disease Reporting System as of 2 p.m., April 7. As of that time, there were 93 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including five deaths, in Lake County.

All five COVID-19 deaths are men, according to the health districts report. Their ages range from 55 to 93. The average age is 74.

The health district stated that the level of detail provided has been determined appropriate, given the current number of confirmed cases in Lake County, to ensure the protection of sensitive individual health information.

More detailed information may be available in future reports. The health district stated its current plan is to release these reports weekly.

The report includes a breakdown of confirmed cases by sex (54 percent male; 46 percent female). The ages of those with confirmed cases range from 1-94 years old. The average age is 52 years old. The report does not list a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race.

It also gives ranges of cases by zip code. Two zip codes have between 21-25 confirmed cases. Those are 44060 (Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Kirtland Hills) and 44094 (Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Kirtland, Waite Hill). The 44060 area is Lake Countys most populous.

Two zip codes have yet to record a confirmed COVID-19 case. One is 44045 (Grand River), which is Lake Countys least populous zip code by a significant margin. The other also is one of Lake Countys least populous zip codes, 44081, which is comprised of Perry Village, North Perry and Perry Township.

There have been 29 coronavirus-related hospitalizations and seven Intensive Care Unit admissions as of 2 p.m., April 7. The ages of those who have been hospitalized range from 40-94 years old and the average age is 63, according to the report.
[April 08, 2020] Mary Alexander and Lieff Cabraser Announce Federal Class Action Injury Lawsuit Against Carnival and Princess Cruise Lines Over COVID-19 Outbreak on California to Hawaii Cruise

Passengers who were aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship have filed a class action injury lawsuit today in San Francisco Federal Court alleging they were exposed to the Coronavirus as a result of gross negligence by the companies that own and operate the ship. The law firms of Mary Alexander & Associates, P.C. and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP represent passengers of the Grand Princess cruise that departed San Francisco for Hawaii on February 21, 2020. The lawsuit is against Carnival, Princess Cruise Lines, and Fairline Shipping International Ltd. (the vessel's owner). The lawsuit alleges that Defendants knew that the Grand Princess was infested with the potentially lethal COVID-19 or Coronavirus, but nevertheless negligently exposed more than 2,000 passengers to the virus by failing to adequately screen passengers and crew, timely implement quarantining and social distancing procedures, and failing to implement adequate disinfecting procedures. To date, 21 people aboard the Grand Princess have tested positive for the virus and 2 have died. In the United States, the COVID-19 death toll has exceeded 12,000. More than a million people worldwide have contracted the virus. As the Complaint notes, before the San Francisco-Hawaii voyage at issue in the lawsuit, from February 11 through February 21, 2020, the Grand Princess sailed between San Francisco and Mexico. On February 19, 2 days before the ill-fated voyage in the lawsuit, at least 1 passenger on the Grand Princess's Mexico trip reported suffering from COVID-19 symptoms. At least 2 other passengers on the Mexico trip suffered from COVID-19 symptoms at some time during the voyage, likely exposing dozens of other passengers and crew. Despite knowing this, Defendants allowed approximately 62 of these exposed passengers and over 1,000 crew members to remain onboard the Grand Princess after the Mexico trip and to continue traveling to Hawaii, exposing the unknowing ne passengers, the Plaintiffs here, to COVID-19. Defendants chose to not disclose this information to the new passengers coming aboard the ship.



"Carnival and Princess Cruise Lines negligently put thousands of passengers at risk of serious harm, which risk will continue for some time," said attorney Mary Alexander, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Plaintiffs. "Well over a thousand potentially infected individuals were allowed to share confined space with another nearly 2,000 uninfected passengers, casually and callously exposing all to COVID-19." The lawsuit also alleges that Defendants were aware of COVID-19 being present on their ships since at least early-February 2020, weeks before the ill-fated Grand Princess voyage. In early February, another Carnival cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, suffered an outbreak of the virus in Yokohama, Japan. The outbreak on that ship began with 10 cases, and due to the catastrophic failure to adequately safeguard and quarantine passengers, multiplied to 700 cases. To date, 7 of the Diamond Princess' passengers have died of COVID-19, 2 of whom died prior to February 19, 2020 - 2 days before Plaintiffs' departure on the Grand Princess.

According to news reports, Carnival also knew of COVID-19 cases on another of its cruise ships, the Ruby Princess, which has been connected with a significant number of COVID-19 cases in Australia. The Ruby Princess reportedly sailed back-to-back voyages between New Zealand and Australia in February and March. Over 600 passengers who were on the Ruby Princess have tested positive for the virus and 10 have died. Australian authorities have announced a criminal investigation into the matter. Despite knowing critical information, including the details of the outbreaks on the Diamond Princess, the Ruby Princess, and a prior voyage on the Grand Princess, Defendants failed to take necessary precautions to keep its passengers and crew safe, such as providing accurate and complete information to potential passengers, canceling the cruise, adequately screening passengers and crew, timely implementing quarantining and social distancing procedures, and implementing adequate disinfecting procedures. Instead, Defendants chose not to adequately and timely do these things, thereby exposing Plaintiffs and the other passengers to actual risk of harm. Some passengers have contracted the virus, which has caused serious illness and risk of death. "Carnival and Princess should simply have told incoming passengers about the known presence of Coronavirus on its ships, and the Grand Princess in particular," notes Plaintiffs' co-counsel Elizabeth Cabraser of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. "With adequate information, passengers could have made informed decisions about their health and their families' health," Ms. Cabraser said. "Instead, because of Defendants' choices, the passengers were led unknowingly onto a ship where they would be unavoidably mingling in close quarters with over 1,000 other people already exposed to and potentially infected with COVID-19." The lawsuit seeks compensation for the Plaintiffs and other passengers for harm caused by Defendants' actions, including for damages for illness and emotional pain and suffering caused by Defendants recklessly exposing them to this deadly virus. Archer, et al. v. Carnival Corporation, et al., case 3:20-cv-02381 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005797/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 15:38:32|Editor: xuxin

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HANOI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent 734 million U.S. dollars importing animal feeds and materials for animal feed production in the first quarter of this year, down 25.4 percent year-on-year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs on Wednesday.

During the period, the country imported 888,000 tons of wheat worth 220 million U.S. dollars, seeing respective year-on-year surges of 89 percent and 67.5 percent.

In 2019, Vietnam spent more than 3.7 billion U.S. dollars importing animal feeds and materials for animal feed production, down 5.1 percent year-on-year, with the biggest import markets being Argentina, Brazil, China and the United States, according to the department.

The country imported approximately 2.8 million tons of wheat worth roughly 727 million U.S. dollars last year, mainly from Australia, Canada and Russia.
The stringent National Security Act (NSA) was invoked on Wednesday against four men who, among others, allegedly pelted stones at a police personnel who was on lockdown enforcement duty in the city, officials said.

District Magistrate Manish Singh slapped the NSA on Javeed Khan (25), Saleem Khan (50), Imran Khan (24) and Sameer Anwar (22) for allegdly pelting stones at a police constable on Tuesday night.

Two of the accused will be imprisoned in Jabalpur while other two in Satna jail, the DM's order said.

Another arrested accused was identified as Nasir Khan (58).

Superintendent of Police (West) Maheshchandra Jain said the police constable asked the accused not to loiter outside when he spotted them on the streets in Chandan Nagar area of the city.

They started an altercation and hurled stones at the policeman who escaped to a safer place, the SP said.

Six persons were arrested over the incident and four of them were booked under the NSA, he said.

All of them were booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting) and 188 (disobeying order promulgated by government officer) too.

A purported video of the incident showed seven-eight rioters charging and hurling stones at the constable who is running for cover. One of the rioters is seen getting hold of a piece of wood and chasing him.

Earlier, on April 1, two women doctors had sustained injuries in stone-pelting in Tatapatti Bakhal area of the city. They were part of a five-member Health Department team conducting screening for coronavirus patients.

The authorities had invoked the NSA against four accused in that case too.

Indore has reported 173 coronavirus cases so far, including 16 cases of death due to COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lori Van Buren

COLONIE  Hannaford Supermarkets is donating $175,000 to local hunger relief and homeless groups helping the most vulnerable population during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hannaford is giving $120,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York in Colonie, while the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society in Albany is getting $30,000, and the Salvation Army, Empire State Division that has locations in Albany, Schenectady, Hudson and Kingston, is receiving $25,000. The donations are part of $750,000 that Hannaford is donating to groups across the Northeast U.S. where it has stores.
HONOLULU - A mayor in Hawaii is calling a Florida man accused of trying to flout Hawaiis traveller quarantine a covidiot.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami isnt taking credit for coining the word borne from the COVID-19 pandemic, but said he may be the first elected official to bust it out in public.

Bobby Edwards, of Boynton Beach, was arrested last week after police said he landed on the island without proof of having accommodations set up. A statewide order requires people arriving in the islands to quarantine for 14 days.

Edwards was exhibiting belligerent behaviour toward airport personnel and toward officers during his arrest, police said.

Police added that Edwards, 31, was also showing significant signs of intoxication and was not being co-operative.

Earlier last week, another Florida man, Dwight Anthony Tucker of Tampa, was stopped in the tourist town of Hanalei a day after he arrived on Kauai, police said.

He was arrested after authorities said he disregarded Gov. David Iges statewide order requiring all visitors arriving on or after March 26 to self-quarantine at their place of accommodation.

Also last week, Kauai police arrested Devin Martin of Olympia, Washington state, and accused him of violating the quarantine order.

He did not have reservations for proper accommodations and he allegedly refused to find suitable lodging, police said.

None of the three men could be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

The arrests sends a message Kauai is fighting to protect its residents, Kawakami said.

He has also instituted a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for residents and visitors, implemented a day pass system for visitors to ease congestion for those exercising at beaches and directed police, with help from the National Guard, to conduct island checkpoints.

I guess theres varying degrees of how much of a covidiot you can be, Kawakami said. Those three rank pretty high. I would say they rank pretty high to try to run away from a state that has a high number of people that are ill to come to Hawaii where weve been working hard. Everybodys sacrificing.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 410 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide, including 18 on Kauai. There have been five deaths statewide.

The three men have been returned to the mainland U.S. with help from the Kauai Visitors Bureau.

The expense makes Kawakami upset, but he said they had to get out of Hawaii.

But, you know, when you factor in the risk that they pose to our community, not having a place to quarantine, not having any accommodation, quite frankly, possibly being another homeless individual that we would be asked to take care of, he said. You know, it hurts.

Kawakami plans to send them invoices for the travel costs.

I have heard that some visitors have been coming here and taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation with cheap flights, said Jessica Lani Rich, president of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.

On Monday, with funding from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, she sent three homeless men back to Los Angeles after they arrived in Honolulu with nowhere to stay.

Officials warned that those wanting to come to Hawaii with no accommodations may not make it out of the airport.

Even before the states traveller quarantine and statewide stay-at-home order was imposed that allows for essential activities such as grocery shopping and outdoor exercise, Kawakami said he needed to make Kauai as unappealing as possible very quickly and even at the expense of a tourism-dependent economy.

We didnt have to grapple with it. There wasnt even a second thought, he said. Health and safety ... are paramount. There is nothing more important than protecting our people and were willing to fight for it.

___

This version corrects the hometown of one of those arrested to Boynton Beach, not Boynton.
never held one single press conference

More behind the cutPouty McFussypants had another tantrum about the HHS IG who reported a survey of hospitals who complained about lack of supplies. Plays clip. Then goes off on a member of the admin who has served multiple Potus, and tells Senior Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl hell never get anywhere. This vile fucker. JK, the alleged nobody, joins live. Throws shade. Then explains the background of survey of 300+ hospitals. Tells story about WHC who took test, it took 8 days to get results back. Meghan was horrified at press conference. Talks about NYT Maga Haberman, that his arguing with journalists is a distraction for how badly this is being handled. Maybe a strategic deflection, maybe hes just a [narcissistic asshole]. Joy also watched the debacle yesterday. Wants reporters to call him out on his lying, and follow up on questions not answered, wants them to walk out in protest. JK was following up on a Fox News reporter (lol), feels its his job to report. His question was primarily posed to Fauci. Chilling response that we may never fully get back to normal.Sunny goes back to HHS IG report. [The first accountability will come on election day]. JK thinks there will be oversight commission to review [which Pelosi has already brought forward]. Breaking news during show, Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham is leaving, after having. JK said not only did she not do a briefing, but he never knew her to set foot in the briefing room.People want to hear from Fauci. Peter Navarro said hes a PhD in social science so that makes him a medical doctor and epidemiologist and expert in infectious diseases /s. Sunny says we should listen to Fauci. Says Navarro wrote two memos. He warned of the pandemic and warned of lives lost if nothing was done. Navarro wrote his memo on 3 January. Why did it take 70 days?!? Joy thinks its ridiculous that a poli sci major is saying listen to him instead of Fauci. Tells joke about her husband. Says the drug T45 is pushing is dangerous.[Background: T45 had a twitter rant about Biden. Biden called him out, said lets talk. So they did.]Biden and T45 had a phone call about coronavirus. Meghan says at least its good they had a cordial conversation. Goes back to the overwhelming incompetence and malfeasance by this admin and congress [eg Senator Burr and GA Senator lady whose name I cant remember] insider trading off the pandemic. Shes come to distrust the people giving messages because they keep changing their advice. Panel still feels Fauci is the lone voice of facts.Acting Secretary of the Navy (SecNav) is apologizing after saying Capt Crozier was naive and stupid. Plays audio. You can hear crew say What the F. Meghan talks about respecting chain of command but doesnt think anyone should be fired for raising health concerns. Firing was overreaction. Historically this wont reflect well. Joy talks about how petty and vindictive T45 is. Lbr the firing was probably at T45 request. Modly dug in probably at T45 request. Then Mobly probably apologized at T45 request. Now hes resigned. Sunny talks about chain of command but Mobly wanted to fire Crozier before any investigation. Whoopi explains why Crozier sent it to the distro list. The CO had said he wouldnt have done anything, so Crozier had no other choice but to plea for help. It leaked because these things do, just like Mobly tirade to USS Teddy Roosevelt crew.Senior fella dancing to JT. Then some British ladies who call themselves the British Golden Girls. Sunny would want her fave g/f with her. Meghan wouldve wanted her friends. Would normally be drinking and have to go to AA afterwards but since shes pregnant shes not drinking. Thinks the panel shouldve been together. Joy says when she and her husband bicker, she channels Melania with BeBest. Then says Fauci or Mel Brooks, save her life or make her laugh. With enough alcohol she could be with Kellyanne Conway.Whoopi wanted potatoes, went into kitchen, made dish. Tells story. It was the worst, she doesnt know what she did wrong. It was worse than licking the floor. Didnt follow a particular recipe. Potatoes, garlic, onions, how hard can it be. Panel teases her for messing up potatoes. She never goes in the kitchen because she feels inadequate. Plays clip. meghan didnt understand anything in the commercial. Joy gives condolences to Vic Henley, who died of c-virus. Plus Earl Graves Sr, founder of Black Enterprise.Source links are below each video or section
On the breezy high plains of Wyoming, PacifiCorp is steadily building out its big wind farms, showing a resiliency in the face of the coronavirus pandemic thats rocking most of the energy economy.

The utility, which is owned by a unit of Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and serves six western states, expects to double its wind capacity by adding 1,150 megawatts of power while upgrading existing production by the end of the year. The projects will produce the equivalent of the annual electricity use of 400,000 homes.

We dont expect any significant delays, says David Eskelsen, a spokesman for the utility. Work has adjusted to CDC guidelines for social distancing and other safety steps, but those have been manageable thus far.

This year is supposed to be the capstone to a strong decade for U.S. wind power. The industry has been eyeing record growth for 2020 as developers rush to finish wind farms before years end to get a federal production tax credit. While PacifiCorp offers a sign of hope that dozens of projects may be completed in time, other developers are beginning to struggle because of the COVID-19 outbreak, casting doubt on the banner year.

While the disruptions pale in comparison to the layoffs and plunging prices of the oil industry, wind companies are experiencing delays in getting components and parts following manufacturing shutdowns in China and Europe. In New York, stay-at-home orders have halted construction on projects. Some developers are also having trouble lining up investors.

Even before Covid there was some concern about that volume of projects coming online, says John Hensley, vice president for research at American Wind Energy Association, a trade group. After Covid, there is a significant risk that a lot of those projects are not able to meet their 2020 deadline.

That would mark a setback for the industry after a remarkable run. Since 2008, wind power capacity has about quadrupled to more than 100,000 megawatts, the equivalent of powering 32 million homes.

Wind has become the dominant renewable energy thanks to the production tax credit, which began in the 1990s and applies to the megawatts of power produced, and technology improvements. Both factors helped drive down the price of wind power 70% over the last decade, making it competitive and frequently less expensive than even low-cost natural gas.

The federal production tax credit was very successful in stimulating the construction of wind resources, PacifiCorps Eskelsen says.

PacifiCorp was an early mover into wind power in the late 1990s. It shifted into high gear in the mid-2000s, building and buying capacity as the price of wind became equivalent to gas and concerns with carbon emissions made coal more risky. This year, Wyomings biggest wind power producer is adding 267 turbines to its fleet of 409 machines.

PacifiCorps project and most of the other wind developments are not located in coronavirus hotspots, which may help them get to the finish line. They are primarily in rural areas in the so-called wind belt, stretching from the Dakotas to Texas.

Some of these states, including Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska and Wyoming, have not issued stay-at-home orders for residents as of early April. That may change, but for now, the projects in these states dont suffer from the same labor constraints that are shutting down businesses in other parts of the nation.

Wind developers also have momentum on their side. They have been planning their projects since 2016 and have four years to finish them to qualify for the tax credit, providing an extra incentive. At the end of March consulting firm Wood Mackenzie predicted the industry would add a record 14,700 megawatts of power this year, just a slight trim from its prior forecast at the end of November.

Things are changing daily. But when we spoke to the construction firms, developers, manufacturers and logistics firms, everybody was still confident in the build expectation for 2020, says Luke Lewandowski, director of Americas power and renewables research. The near term outlook remains fairly robust.

The trade group AWEA has a more bearish outlook, estimating that projects with plans to deliver 25,000 megawatts of power are threatened with delays or cancelations in the next three years. To provide relief the association is asking lawmakers to extend the time to qualify for the tax credit for two years, giving developers more time to finish wind farms and qualify for the benefit. The extension would help projects attract tax equity investors, who provide capital in exchange for the credits that they use to offset taxes.

We have heard of a number of players who have either exited the market completely or suspended their activities, says AWEAs Hensley. With the economic impacts, they dont have confidence that they will not have the tax liability to consume the credits.

If the wind industry fails again to get the extension - the $2 trillion stimulus package in late March didnt include it - growth may be slowed but perhaps not for long. The threat of climate change from fossil fuels is likely to provide demand for wind power for the next two decades.

More than half the states in the country set targets to significantly expand their use of renewable power, with California and Washington committing to using only clean energy by the 2040s.



Vince Bielski is a freelance journalist covering energy, the environment and technology. He was a senior editor at Bloomberg News until December.
See the latest stories on the coronavirus outbreak.

At least 5,956 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Australia and 50 people have died.

The virus has killed more than 81,000 people worldwide and more than 1.4 million are infected.

Related...

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Coronavirus In Australia: Scott Morrison Releases Covid-19 Modelling

This is what is happening in Australia and beyond:

1. Queensland Announces $5.5 Million Package To Support Domestic Violence Victims

On Wednesday Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the state government is putting $5.5 million towards supporting women and children facing domestic violence during the Covid-19 crisis.

There will be $1.5 million provided to DV Connect, $1.7 million is allocated for crisis accommodation, $1.8 million for enhanced services and of course we will be supporting an awareness campaign up to half a million dollars as well, she told media.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (Photo: Jono Searle via Getty Images)

The premier encouraged anyone who needed help and support to call the DV Connect helpline on 1800 811 811.

She said this is a really important issue, and one that I hope that Queenslanders wont need to take up but its there for you and, of course, we know sometimes that women need to get out of situations.

We are providing that money to put in place crisis accommodation so you and your family can be safe during this time.

2. Two People Test Positive After Hotel Quarantine

NSW Health has confirmed two people, an adult and child, have tested positive for Covid-19 after being in a Sydney hotel where travellers who had returned from overseas had been placed in mandatory quarantine.

A family of seven were staying at the Hilton Hotel, before three members were taken to hospital on Tuesday night after showing symptoms.

Story continues

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant told media on Wednesday that these family members would be taken to another hospital or hospital hotel for appropriate treatment and care.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said social distancing measures will be in place until a

I said yesterday that social distancing would be a part of our lives until there was a vaccine or a cure, and thats absolutely the case.

Thank you for your incredible effort in sticking to the restrictions and slowing the spread. During this time, NSW has doubled the number of ICU beds to more than 1000  and we are now working to triple and then quadruple the number. pic.twitter.com/Da91kZRCEu  Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) April 8, 2020

3. Boris Johnson Spends Second Night In ICU

The UKs Prime Minister is breathing without a ventilator and is in good spirits while being treated in intensive care for coronavirus symptoms, Downing Street has said.

He was transferred to the intensive care unit at St Thomas Hospital in London on Monday evening as his condition worsened. More details here.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive with coronavirus (COVID-19) (Photo: KGC-254/STAR MAX/IPx)

4. Police Patrolling Roads Ahead Of Easter

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has warned police will be patrolling the streets over the Easter weekend, issuing fines to those who are out and about for non-essential reasons.

We will be going through caravan parks early, issuing warnings to people who may think that they can get around these laws, he told media on Wednesday. Its important over this weekend that we continue the good work and we continue to isolate, as frustrating as that may be.

The commissioner said a number of tickets had already been issued over the past 24 hours, most of which were given to people who had been issued multiple warnings beforehand.

He said the big focus will be on our country roads, those back streets, the main highways, the caravan parks right across country New South Wales.

People will be given one opportunity to pack up, go back to your home state and go back home. Otherwise, we will, unfortunately, have to issue tickets.

5. Another Ruby Princess Passenger Dies

A 62-year-old woman from Adelaide died on Wednesday morning at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She contracted Covid-19 from the Ruby Princess Cruise ship.

On March 19 the ship was allowed to disembark 2700 passengers in Sydney when many passengers had flu-like symptoms. So far over 600 of those people have tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier this week police confirmed a criminal investigation would be launched after nearly a third of Australias coronavirus-related deaths have been attributed to the Carnival Corp cruise. More details here.

Cruise liner Ruby Princess sits in the harbour in Port Kembla, 80km south of Sydney after coming in to refuel and restock on April 6, 2020. (Photo: PETER PARKS via Getty Images)

6. Governments JobKeeper Stimulus

Australian parliament resumed for a one-off session on Wednesday to discuss JobKeeper legislation.

When Australian lives and livelihoods are threatened, when they are under attack, our nations sovereignty is put at risk, and we must respond, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said of the special sitting.

Citing the threat of a prolonged economic downturn, Morrisons government has promised to spend A$130 billion over the next six months to subsidise the wages of six million Australians.

Morrison had earlier promised one-off payments to small and medium-sized businesses and the opposition Labor Party has said it will back the stimulus packages.

With additional reporting by Reuters.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called an urgent meeting with his deputy Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and top officers on Wednesday evening to discuss measures to contain the COVID-19 spread, an official said.

The official said that Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, the home secretary and the health secretary are among the bureaucrats who have been asked to attend he meeting to be held at 7 pm.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Tuesday rose to 576, with 51 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day, according to the Delhi Health Department.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shab-E-Baraat or Laylat al-Baraat is an Islamic festival that is celebrated by Muslims all around the world. Translating to the The Night of Fortune and Forgiveness, Shab-e-Barat means night of forgiveness or atonement and commemorates the day Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) entered the city of Makkah. The Arabic term Laylat al-Barat means the quality of being guileless and without guile or deception. Shab-e-Baraat is observed between the 14th and 15th night of the month of Shaaban, the eighth month of the Islamic Calendar, and will fall between April 8 and April 9 this year. Shab-e-Barat is considered to be the holiest night of the Islamic calendar. According to the Quran, on this night Allah said, Who wants forgiveness, I will forgive you. Who wants food, I will provide food. It is believed that Allah said this throughout the night until it was Fajr, the time when Muslims pray at dawn. It is believed that on this day the destinies of all people are written by Allah taking into account their past deeds and when he also forgives sinners.

On this night the names of the souls who will be born and those who will leave the world are also determined and sustenance sent down. It is believed that the Doors of Mercy and Forgiveness are wide open on this night however some qualities are unacceptable and will not be shown any mercy, for example a person who creates conflicts between two Muslims or a person who wrongfully takes away the right and property of another Muslim and has not yet rectified himself.

This occasion is celebrated with great fervour all over South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Turkey and Central Asia including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. The festival is celebrated with people staying up for most of the night, usually taking short breaks and praying to Allah and reciting from the Quran until dawn. Sometimes nighttime vigils along with prayers are also organised, but generally people mostly pray at home with their own families. Charity is done with money and food being distributed among the poor.

According to a hadith, Doubtlessly, Allah surrounds everything on the fifteenth night of Shaaban with his mercy. He forgives all of His creatures except mushriks (polytheists) and those whose hearts are full of hatred or enmity of others... (Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, 2:118.)

Another hadith classed Hassan by Albani in his silsilah Al-Sahihah says, Allah looks at His creation during the night of the 15th of Shaaban and He forgives His servants except two- one intent on hatred (mushanin) and a murderer (qatilu nafs).

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Dr. Gerhard Will, a German expert on the East Sea, has said that China should quit its militarisation in the East Sea and show its willingness and cooperation capacity in security and economy

on the basis of equality and the observance of international law.

Dr. Gerhard Will

The expert made the comments in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, amidst the complex development of the East Sea.

A former expert of Germanys Science and Politics Foundation (SWP), he also stressed the significance of building a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), saying negotiations on the document play an important role in settling the East Sea issues.

One of the conditions to completely address the disputes is trust between relevant sides, he said, adding this would make international law-based negotiations a success.

The scholar also highlighted the crucial role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the negotiations, and suggested ASEAN member countries remain united in this regard.

Once the countries reach consensus, they would engage in negotiations with China, he further explained.

In addition, ASEAN needs to build a sustainable security policy system, with the participation of not only countries like the US and China but also Japan, Australia and India.

The expert said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)s ruling in the case filed by the Philippines is an important international document that clearly points out the illegality of Chinas so called nine-dash line.

The situation in the East Sea has developed complicatedly after China used a coast guard vessel to hit and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat that was operating as normal in waters of Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

For this issue, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance with international law.

Such an act by the China coast guard ship violates Vietnams sovereignty over Hoang Sa, 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.

Earlier, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the Chinese Embassy and handed a diplomatic note opposing the Chinese act and asking the Chinese side to clarify and strictly handle public employees and the coast guard vessel involved in the incident, not to repeat such actions, and make satisfactory compensation for losses caused to the Vietnamese fishermen./.VNA

China demanded to compensate Vietnamese fishermen 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.

Vietnam not alone in East Sea issue: Russian experts Russian researchers studying the East Sea issues have opposed Chinese coast guard ships hitting and sinking of Vietnamese fishing vessel QNg 90617 TS in the waters of Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago,
Outbreak: Penneys and other high street retailers have been hit by Covid-19

Penneys has climbed two spots to top the list of most valuable brands in Ireland this year, although values are likely to drop due to the coronavirus.

The fashion retailer, with a brand value of 2.4bn, has overtaken AIB in second position and long-standing leader, Guinness, according to a report from consultancy group Brand Finance.

Drinks brands dominated the top 10, with Baileys jumping 12 places to seventh, while Jameson came in ninth, having dropped one place.

Also in the top 10 most valuable brands in Ireland were Ryanair, Smurfit Kappa, Bank of Ireland, DCC and Ardagh Group.

Congratulating Penneys, Simon Haigh, MD of Brand Finance Ireland, said: "Only time will tell whether the retailer can hold on to this position in the long term, following unprecedented times."

Elsewhere, while neither Kerry Group or Glanbia featured in the top 10, Kerry, along with two of its brands (Denny and Richmond), and three Glanbia businesses (ThinkThin, Optimum Nutrition and BSN) made it into the top 25 list of the most valuable brands.

Brand Finance makes its calculation using the 'royalty relief' approach.

This involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate which would be charged for its use.

Mr Haigh said there are a number of steps firms can take to improve their rankings, including placing a greater focus on customer service and offering consumers more "bang for their buck, especially in these times".

Elsewhere, the report warned Irish firms could potentially lose as much as 14pc of their brand value following the outbreak of the virus. The brand value of the world's 500 biggest companies is set to potentially lose up to 1trn, with the aviation sector being the most affected.

The report assessed the impact of Covid-19 based on the effect of the outbreak on enterprise value, compared with what it was on January 1 this year.
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A sense of death stalking the hospital ward, fear of dying alone, tearful despair and disarray at home, solitude, anger and the desire to share, or change their life: 12 people from different parts of the world who have survived COVID-19 share emotional and harrowing stories of the pain and fear after catching the virus:

With no pre-existing health conditions, South Korean engineering professor Park Hyun, 47, said he'd originally thought the coronavirus was "not my problem", until he developed symptoms and ended up in intensive care in the southern city of Busan.

It had started with a dry cough and sore throat, he said, followed a few days later by a shortness of breath so severe he fainted while waiting for a hospital coronavirus test.

It came back positive and he was admitted to hospital where his condition fluctuated wildly every day and several times he thought he would die.

"It was like a roller coaster," he said. "I was feeling like there is a thick plate pressuring my chest and also needles poking my chest."

Some of his symptoms may have been the side effects of his treatment, he believes.

But after eight days and two negative tests, he was discharged.

"I had a very bad situation," Park said. Whenever his condition was slightly better "I was thinking that might be my last time where I can write something in my life," he added.

"So I tried to write something short on Facebook to share with friends."

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

Cardiologist Fabio Biferali spent eight days "isolated from the world" at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I hospital in an orthodontics department that had been converted into an intensive care unit.

Describing the pain he felt as "strange", the 65-year-old said it almost resembled having a little monkey on his back, just like one of his patients had described it to him.

Oxygen therapy is painful and finding a radial artery is difficult, he said. "They would do it up to twice a day. Being a doctor helped me bear the pain. Other patients would desperately shout 'enough' 'enough'."

The hardest part were the nights, alone with his fears.

"I couldn't sleep, anxiety invaded the room... nightmares came, death prowled," he said.

"I was afraid of dying without being able to cling on to the hands of my family and friends, despair overcame me."

While medical staff were covered head to toe in protective gear, Biferali said he found some solace in being able to see their "affectionate" eyes behind the glass masks and hear their voices.

"Many were young, doctors on the front line. It was a moment of hope."

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

Wan Chunhui, 44, said he was "terrified" at first but that going to the "gate of hell" and coming back to survive the virus had transformed his outlook on life.

"I think the biggest change for me is that my way of looking at things is different now," said Wan, who spent 17 days at the makeshift Huoshenshan Hospital in the Chinese city of Wuhan, in central Hubei province, where the outbreak began.

"I feel really calm about everything, really calm... I went to the gate of hell and came back. I saw with my own eyes that others failed to recover and died, which has had a big impact on me."

He had initially isolated himself to protect his family after getting a temperature, but, still feverish a couple of days later, he walked an hour to hospital.

Tests were not available but he was prescribed antibiotics and flu medication and asked to quarantine himself at home due to a hospital bed shortage.

"I was terrified at first," he said. "But I went back home, switched to a positive mood, and braced myself for the situation. Anyway it's pointless to panic," Wan told AFP.

The 44-year-old investor and married father of a nine-year-old daughter already suffered from high blood pressure before the virus.

At home, he began recording his illness in an online diary, but a bad cough set in and he was admitted to hospital.

Hormone therapy helped lower his temperature, although he remained short of breath, but medical supplies were scarce, Wan said, and healthcare workers wore poor-quality protective suits and rubbish bags as shoe covers.

Wan was transferred to one of the two field hospitals built for virus sufferers in Wuhan, a well-supplied centre, he said, where he was treated mostly with Western medicines.

Song Myung-hee, 72, was afraid of dying alone after being infected during a service at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern city of Daegu, a secretive religious group at the centre of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak.

She was at the same event as the woman known as Patient 31, a 61-year-old who attended four services before being diagnosed with the virus.

Song was quarantined at home as a precaution but remained asymptomatic for several days before the virus struck suddenly with a severe cough.

"I could not sleep at all," she told AFP. "It lasted for two days. I had to hold a plastic bag at all times because I kept on coughing up phlegm.

"Then my face started swelling. I was scared I might die alone."

Facing an influx, no hospital beds were available at the time in Daegu, so she was taken to Seongnam, 220 kilometres (137 miles) away.

"I was relieved when I entered the hospital room -- because at least there, I knew I wouldn't have died alone," she said.

The Shincheonji Church leader has apologised over its role in the spread of the disease but, despite her family's pleas, Song is resolute about staying a member.

"I'm never leaving my church, it doesn't matter what other people say."

"The best way to describe it is: when you are at a high altitude, you struggle to breathe," said Christine, 28, from South Africa, who suffers from syringomyelia, a disorder affecting the spinal cord.

Two days after being in contact with a sick work colleague, the analyst said she felt the first symptoms and COVID-19 was confirmed.

Her partner, lawyer Dawie, 30, could not take the test because "the system was already under a lot of pressure" but within a few days had the same symptoms.

Self-isolated, the couple who did not wish for their full names to be published, continue to work from home.

Sometimes they wondered if they were overreacting because some days they felt fine, Dawie said.

"Within days, it fluctuates. You get chilled and later on you feel better...The worst for me was last week... I was really short of breath... I called my doctor. She told me to look at the signs showing that I am not getting enough oxygen.

"You should look at your fingernails if they turn blue," he said.

French housewife and mother-of-three Djemila Kerrouche said the worst part was the challenge her three children faced continuing their school work while confined at home.

After developing symptoms, she wore gloves and a mask at home and didn't touch food, she said, but two of the children -- who are aged six, 11 and 19 -- were already coughing.

"My children put themselves under great pressure, they want to succeed at school," said the 47-year-old from Mulhouse in eastern France, which has been badly hit by the pandemic.

"Their teachers give them work as if the situation were normal," she said.

"The big one is preparing for her bac (end of secondary school exam) and I see her cry when she can't manage and I can't hold her in my arms, console her, help her."

"My moral is rock bottom. I can't stop crying..."

Marisol San Roman, a sociologist and student from Argentina, said she was shocked to find she had the virus and described the "total solitude" of being infected.

She is thought to have caught COVID-19 at a farewell dinner in Madrid after the closure of the Instituto de Empresa business school where she was studying, before returning home to Argentina.

"I'm 25, I'm young, I'm in good health -- it's mad," she said, expressing her shock.

Her 65-year-old father with whom she lives avoided her, leaving her food at the door of her room.

On her own, she treated a lung infection and gauged the oxygen saturation rate in her blood. "Coronavirus is an illness which is lived in solitude, in total solitude," she said.

Her case went viral after she gave Skype interviews to the media, and she said she received several insults via social media for having returned to the country when she was carrying the virus.

She has tried to stop the stigmatisation associated with having it, she said.

On her instagram account she writes of wanting to be a kind of social conscience, warning people to be aware, that "this isn't a joke, being young doesn't immunise you against anything and that the coronavirus isn't flu".

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Entrepreneurs Julia, 27, and Megan, 35, wanted to share what they went through to help others after being among the 50 first cases recorded in South Africa.

They caught the virus, with three other family members, on a ski trip to Switzerland, probably in a bar.

The two women, who didn't want their full names published, are behind the @livingcoronapositive instagram account, which documents their recovery, responds to questions and aims to "bring some light and positivity to this dark time".

They all experienced different versions of the symptoms; some mild, others lasted a week, they said.

On testing, they said, "having a large earbud stuck down the back of your nose is not pleasant but it's quick".

And their advice, said Megan, is to remember that "stress, anxiety and panic are normal human reactions to something as massive and unknown as this pandemic! So please be kind to your loved ones who feel out-of-control. They need your love and reassurance."

Frenchman Charlie Barres, 29, works in hospitals in his job as a physical educator and worries about the added strain the pandemic is putting on the health system.

"Warnings about the state of the system don't date from yesterday. Not so long ago, the caregivers were on strike... And now, it's blowing up. At the same time, we're on a disaster footing in hospitals," he said.

Married and with a two-year-old son, he was confined at his Paris home after the disease began with chills and a sore throat.

A doctor diagnosed him. "The tests are expensive and they keep them for the complex cases," he said.

After two days of feeling bad, he began to improve gradually. His son has been ill and his wife suffered headaches and a bad throat, he said.

Thirty-three year-old Lorena's aunt was Ecuador's "patient zero", who had returned from holiday in Spain to a family welcome home party with about 30 people in late February in the southwestern city of Babahoyo.

"Already on her arrival she wasn't well... She told us she had felt feverish during the trip and that a lot of people were coughing" on the plane, Lorena, a teacher, said.

Her 71-year-old aunt was hospitalised in Guayaquil, the epicentre of Ecuador's outbreak, and the virus was confirmed a week later.

When the family, themselves isolated and tested, then saw now former health minister Catalina Andramuno announce five coronavirus cases during a press conference on TV, they realised "it was us!', Lorena said.

Her aunt later died, and a dozen family members were infected, including Lorena, who has now recovered.
Research teams at Dublin City University, NUI Galway and the Insight SFI Centre for Data Analytics (NUI Galway) are working together on a population-wide survey to find out about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictive measures on daily life in Ireland.

The Corona Citizens Science Project is a national anonymous online survey seeking to understand how people are dealing with the pandemic and how it has impacted on their home life; working life; childcare arrangements; physical and emotional wellbeing.

The survey asks about the impact of the measures imposed by the government starting from the Containment Phase (February 29); the Delay Phase following the March 12 announcement regarding the closure of all schools, colleges and childcare facilities and the restrictions imposed on March 27 requesting people to stay at home until April 12, and including for at-risk groups, and over 70s to cocoon.

The findings will be used to contribute to informing the government response to the pandemic and to also assist in planning future measures for Covid-19 and beyond.

The survey will go live on Wednesday, April 8 and people nationwide are encouraged to fill in the questionnaire from 6.00am for a period of 24 hours. It is anticipated that the survey will be repeated again.

Dr Akke Vellinga, Epidemiologist/Senior Lecturer, NUI Galway, joint research lead said:

The response of the Irish people to the restrictive measures has been great, but are they taking their toll? This is an opportunity for the Irish people to let us know how we can help. We are calling on everyone to fill out the survey and share the link. We need your help.

Professor Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Systems, DCU and joint research lead said:

This is a unique opportunity for all Irish people to shape our Governments response to this unprecedented crisis, and start the long journey back to a more normal life, as the pandemic recedes."

The Corona Citizens Science Project follows a similar study carried out in Belgium by the University of Antwerp. The survey was conducted on three separate occasions; commencing on March 17 and gathering responses from over 1.5 million people.

Key takeaways showed that 32% of respondents had trouble concentrating; 30% were sleeping less and 42% felt under more pressure. The research team found that as the weeks progressed, the percentage levels began to increase.

The information was used to inform government policy on how well the population was responding to the measures imposed.
WHO evaluating use of medical, non-medical masks for COVID-19 more widely

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:58, April 07, 2020

GENEVA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said here on Monday that the WHO has been evaluating the use of medical and non-medical masks for COVID-19 more widely, and it will issue guidance and criteria to support countries in making that decision.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we recognize that individuals and governments want to do everything they can to protect themselves and others. So do we," he said at a virtual press conference.

Saying that in the community, the WHO already recommended the use of medical masks by people who are sick and those who are caring for a sick person at home, Tedros told reporters that if masks are worn, they must be used safely and properly.

Most importantly, he stressed, masks should be used as part of a comprehensive package of interventions, like keeping distance, cleaning hands and avoiding touching face.

The WHO head also highlighted that medical masks must be prioritized for health workers on the front lines of the response.

"We know medical masks can help to protect health workers, but they're in short supply globally," he said, adding that the mass use of medical masks by the general population could exacerbate the shortage.

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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Interior Ministry of the Government of National Unity (GNU) said on Wednesday that cutting off water supply to the capital, Tripoli, and its environs, was a "war crime", two days after an armed group stormed the Hassouna Sahel Al-Jafara artificial water supply system, accusing the forces of the Libyan National Army, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, of being behind the cut
In the face of this unprecedented global pandemic, new phrases like social distancing and flatten the curve have quickly entered our American lexicon. But as government officials, business owners and front-line personnel around the world grapple with challenges we never could have imagined just weeks ago, there is one single word that pointedly carries more weight in our new reality: essential.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there probably werent many people who mulled over the word essential as much as I had. Just two months ago, the utility company I lead changed its name from Aqua America to Essential Utilities while acquiring Peoples, a natural gas utility. In choosing our new name, we spent countless hours discussing the vital role our people play in sustaining everyday American life through the delivery of water and natural gas and the treatment of wastewater. We had deep and renewing conversations, absent of coronavirus, and concluded that essential was the only word that could succinctly encapsulate the obligation we have to serve our communities. Now, at a time when many states are pleading with nonessential workers to stay home, our crews dutifully put fear aside, report to work and prove just how essential their work is.

Often, when we think of the front line of this fight against COVID-19 we must be grateful for the fearless health care professionals who treat the sick. However, we cant forget the nearly 190,000 utility workers across the country who are also on the front line, working tirelessly to keep lights on, heat homes and hospitals and ensure water flows out of taps safely and reliably. And were in good company. Approximately 3.5 million truck drivers transport goods like toilet paper and food to grocery stores in communities in each state. More than 200,000 postal workers, plus thousands of private delivery personnel, go out each day to deliver packages, medicine and critical supplies. Quite simply, these essential, everyday heroes enable quarantine by providing us the ability to remain safely and comfortably in our own homes with everything we need.

In the midst of this uncertain time, its important to recognize the bravery and dedication of these often-overlooked American workers. I encourage Pennsylvanians to show appreciation to the essential workers across our region and the country. I hope youll join me by participating in a few of these simple ideas to spread kindness, demonstrate unity and show your gratitude for the sacrifice of our utility crews, other essential workers and their families during this time.

* Wave hi or give a thumbs up (safely from your window, porch or your car) if you see utility crews out and about in your neighborhood.

* Hang a thank you sign in your window or on your door to greet utility crews, delivery drivers and postal workers

* Check on the family members of those essential workers you know  by phone or digitally, of course  to lend your support and acknowledge their sacrifices.

I speak for all essential employees when I say it is a great privilege to be essential to our national fight against COVID-19, and I know that so many other essential workers feel the same. We recognize one undeniable, poignant truth. When we deliver natural resources and essential services, we really deliver comfort  something every citizen needs amid this national trauma. I thank those citizens in advance who take me up on my invitation to deliver some comfort in return. It will go a long way in sustaining our brave, essential, front-line, workers until we all emerge from the battle against coronavirus.
Around 30 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and technicians at the Cardio-Neuro Centre in All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi have been advised to undergo quarantine after a 72-year-old man who visited the facility with neurological problem tested positive for COVID-19, sources said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Doctors attend to a patient who had come for check-up at a fever hospital, set up in the wake of of COVID-19 outbreak, in Hyderabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

The patient had reported to the emergency with brain stroke symptoms around two days back and was immediately shifted to the Neurology ward N-S5 for evaluation and treatment.

"He was then subjected to radiological investigations like CT and MRI and was kept in a cubicle with other patients. He later complained of chest and respiratory distress after which his chest X-ray was done and and he was intubated.

"There was some suspicion over his respiratory problems and his sample was taken and sent for testing which came out positive for COVID-19," a source said.

According to an official, the patient was immediately transported to AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, and contact tracing has been initiated.

The neurology ward where the patient was admitted is being sanitised and doctors in the emergency department are making robust screening of all patients to identity such cases.

The patient is in critical condition and doctors are keeping a close watch on his health status.

"About 30 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and technicians who came in contact with the patient have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. After five days, their samples would be tested," the official said.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases to 5,194 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Tuesday 9.45 p.m. showed 5,192 testing positive for coronavirus across the country and at least 162 deaths.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to cut US funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of bias toward China during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump told reporters he was going to put a very powerful hold on funding to WHO, the UN body whose biggest funding source is the United States.

Were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO, said Trump, who pursues an America First agenda and has previously criticized other UN and multilateral agencies.

He gave no details about how much money would be withheld and minutes later during the same press conference he said: Im not saying Im going to do it. We will look at ending funding, he added.

According to Trump, the WHO seems to be very biased toward China. Thats not right. His comments built on an earlier statement on Twitter in which he accused the WHO of being very China centric. Trump asked why the WHO had given such a faulty recommendation, apparently referring to the UN bodys advice against curtailing international travel to stop the virus which first spread from China.

Also read| Blood transfusion from those who have recovered from Covid-19 may help

Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on, Trump wrote, referring to his decision to ban travel from the country.

China faces criticism in Washington, particularly from Republicans, over the way it handled the pandemic and Trump has expressed doubt over the accuracy of Chinese statistics for cases and deaths.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

However, Trump himself has been widely criticized for initially downplaying the virus, which he likened to an ordinary flu and said was under control in the United States, before later accepting that it was a national emergency.

More than 12,000 Americans have now died from Covid-19.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage
PORT CLINTON, OHIO  Veteran walleye fishermen have seen crowds of anglers on Lake Erie and the Maumee and Sandusky rivers for decades, but rarely quite like this. And never during a pandemic such as COVID-19.

The Lake Erie walleye population in Northwest Ohio has reached record levels, an estimated population of 116 million fish that are two years old, or older. This area of Lake Erie is where walleye come to spawn each spring.

Toss in a spate of wonderful fishing weather, and the launch ramps around Western Lake Erie have been jam-packed with trailers and tow vehicles. The rivers are clogged with wading fishermen, where it is almost impossible to maintain Gov. Mike DeWines mandate of social distancing and banning crowds that could help spread the coronavirus.

I headed to Lake Erie last weekend just to observe the situation, said Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, by telephone. We didnt want to allow the launch ramp areas to become overcrowded, and we understand the concerns of local residents.

Fixing the problem, though, seemed insurmountable as a steady stream of out-of-state anglers towing fishing boats kept arriving. When the Lake Erie walleye populations have exploded and the big fish are biting, it might seem like a once in a lifetime event to fishermen from Wisconsin, Minnesota or the Dakotas.

To put a stop to the flood of non-resident anglers, DeWine announced Monday afternoon that while he would not shut down the walleye fishing, he could keep the crowds at bay by halting the sale of non-resident fishing licenses starting Monday night.

People entering (Ohio) are being asked to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days, making recreational travel unfeasible, said Mertz. We look forward to reopening license sales when hunters and anglers can safety return.

Louis P. Wargo III, the Ottawa County Municipal Court judge in Port Clinton, said it would not be a good idea for non-resident anglers to try to skirt the law and fish without a license.

The standard fine and court costs for fishing without a license here is $105, which is waiverable, said Wargo. The restitution paid for illegally-caught fish is $50 for each walleye or bass, and $20 per yellow perch.

People who are in Ohio and already have a non-resident fishing license must abide by the Ohio Department of Health guidance and self-quarantine for 14 days before going fishing, said Mertz.

The spring walleye spawning run up the Sandusky and Maumee rivers is in full swing, and the rivers are also filled with fishermen. On a good day, about 10,000 to 15,000 anglers from outside the area are wading and casting, said Mayor Danny Sanchez of Fremont.

The crowds of outside anglers is a major problem for his city, Sanchez said, overwhelming grocery stores, gas stations and retail shops. He closed the Sandusky River until at least May 1.

Maumee Mayor Rich Carr shut down the Maumee River fishing on Monday at midnight, saying it was in response to the crowds and the health crisis. Carr initially had Maumee Police block access points to the Maumee River, and established a no-parking ban on all streets along the river.

We tried to allow fishing to continue, but our observations have been such that we have to take this action, Carr told the Toledo Blade. Observations over the weekend of those fishing resulted in the determination for the safety of our community, our first responders, and our hospital care workers, we needed to take this action.

Recent outdoors stories by DArcy Egan:

Are walleye fishermen allowed on Lake Erie if they follow Gov. DeWines social distancing mandate?

Fishing in the age of social distancing: Lake Erie is wide open

Lake Erie walleye numbers in stratosphere, future is bright

Coronavirus cabin fever? Fishing, hunting can entertain kids and families away from crowds
(Photo : Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay )

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A new drug candidate that health experts hope would put an end to the coronavirus is entering the first phase of clinical human trials in the US.



This, after the Food and Drug Administration approved Inovio Pharmaceuticals' application under the FDA's Investigational New Drug Program.



Inovio expects to inject its first volunteer test subject with the INO-4800 DNA Vaccine it has created, following positive results from pre-clinical animal studies that have suggested an improved immune response.



Inovio Pharmaceuticals and the initiative obtained support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alliance for Advances in Disease Preparedness. The INO-4800 DNA is the second potential vaccine to start human lab tests in the US. The Massachusetts biotech Moderna began a safety test middle of last month.



By way of his generous ventures and through his philanthropic group, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates announced that in collaboration with other companies and countries, he was funding many attempts to contain the ongoing crisis.



"Our early funding can accelerate things," Gates told Trevor Noah in his Daily Show. Gates said that of all the vaccines being developed, the seven most promising ones, even though we're going to end up choosing two of them, we are going to finance the facilities for all seven," he said.



The Inovio DNA vaccine works by injecting into a patient a specially modified plasmid so that their cells can develop a desired, targeted antibody to fight off a particular infection. DNA vaccines, although available and permitted in veterinary medicine for a variety of animal infections, have yet to be approved for human use.



Inovio had previously completed a Phase 1 test for a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) DNA vaccine candidate, where it showed promising results and a high level of antibodies developed in subjects that persisted for a long time.



Anthony Fauci, the longtime head of the Infectious Disease Unit of the National Institutes of Health, has repeatedly said that it would take at least one year to learn if any vaccine is safe and effective against Covid-19.



For Inovio's vaccine trials, the pharma is enrolling up to 40 healthy adult volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Center for Pharmaceutical Science in Kansas City, Missouri.



According to data collected by Johns Hopkins as of Monday morning, there are over 330,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the US, exceeding the rest of the world. "It is a nightmare scenario," Gates said, since respiratory virus transmission from human to human develops at a very fast rate.



Gates noted that with the implementation of social distancing and increased monitoring, both of which he had previously called for, the situation could change so that the total death toll would fall short of the White House's projected 100,000-240,000.


Mob boss Wayne Dundon and his killer brother have been celebrating the murder of gangland hitman Robbie Lawlor after he was shot dead in Belfast over the weekend.

Two senior members of the notorious McCarthy/Dundon crime gang are currently being quizzed by the PSNI over the fatal shooting on Saturday and are suspected of double crossing the Dublin criminal.

Lawlor (36) was the chief suspect in at least six murders - including the abduction and dismemberment of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods.

He was shot dead on Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area by a lone gunman.

The Irish Independent has learned that convicted killers Wayne and Dessie Dundon have been openly celebrating the murder behind bars in recent days from their cell in the protection unit of the B Base in Dublin's Mountjoy Prison.

A source said: "They have been cheering and celebrating the murder since Saturday, they're walking around now with their chests out.

"Neither are saying they were involved, of course, but they're happy out going around the jail, they aren't subtle about it either," the source added.

Wayne Dundon (41) is serving a life sentence for the murder of innocent businessman Roy Collins in Limerick in 2009.

His younger brother, Dessie (35), is also serving a life sentence after he was convicted of involvement in the murder of Kieran Keane in 2003.

Gardai are liaising with the PSNI in relation to the murder of Lawlor and believe he travelled to Belfast with three Limerick males to collect a drug debt before being shot dead.

The PSNI is continuing to quiz these three males including a 33-year-old man, who is a senior member of the McCarthy/Dundon gang, and his 17-year-old nephew, who is also well-known to gardai despite his young age.

Earlier this week, the Herald revealed how detectives suspect the Dundon associates doubled-crossed Lawlor after travelling to Northern Ireland to collect a drugs debt.

On Monday afternoon, gardai arrested two women and seized 50,000 in cash on the M7 in Co Laois.

The women, aged in their 20s and 30s, were questioned on suspicion of money-laundering before being released without charge yesterday.

It is believed the cash had just been passed from associates of the Maguire gang, which is involved in the deadly Drogheda feud, to an associate of the Dundons as payment for helping in Lawlors murder.

The Maguire mob had been involved in a bitter battle with the murdered hitman, and are still at war with his associates. The feud has resulted in four murders.

Lawlor was also the suspected gunman when Owen Maguire (36) was shot eight times outside his Drogheda home but survived.
In a shelter near the border, girls dream of futures that may be out of reach if they cannot secure documents.
Anil S By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The proposed blood plasma therapy for COVID-19 can cure patients within just 3-7 days, says Dr Debasish Gupta, Professor and Head, Transfusion Medicine, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum. Using plasma from one donor, two-five patients can be cured. Medicos are now awaiting a relaxation in donor guidelines from authorities, he said in an interview with The New Indian Express.

What is plasma therapy? How is it done?

Whenever a person is infected with a virus or bacteria, the body's immune system develops an antibody. These antibodies give either a lifelong immune system or short term immunity against that particular microorganism. Patients who recover from the coronavirus develop these antibodies which are the ones used for passive immunisation.

So when a patient recovers, he or she will have the antibodies. There's also no virus present in the patient's blood at the time. This patient can now act like a plasma donor. When he or she donates blood, only the plasma is taken and the remaining blood is returned to the body. You can take 500 ml to a litre of plasma from one person, while in terms of whole blood, you can take only around 350 ml from the donor.

This antibody-rich plasma will then be transfused to affected patients. The antibody present in the transfused plasma will target the virus and the patient is cured. This is called passive immunisation.

There are however a couple of hurdles in plasma collection. There are certain national guidelines for collection of blood and plasma from healthy volunteer donors which have to be followed by all blood banks. Going by these guidelines of donor selection, recovered patients are not eligible to donate. These guidelines are laid down by three bodies under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

One of them is the CDSCO (Central Drug Standards Control Organisation), in short, the Drugs Controller General of India, under which comes the State Dug Controller which issues the licence to blood banks. The guidelines are developed by the DGHS (Director General of Health Services). Then you have the National Blood Transfusion Council.

To take blood from cured patients, we need relaxations in certain aspects of the donor selection criteria, such as the recent history of fevers, respiratory tract infections, bodyaches as well as travel history. In the normal case, presence of any of these factors makes one ineligible. But in the present scenario, these four criteria need to be relaxed.

The remaining criteria still have to be fulfilled by the donor. Once plasma is donated, the blood bank should use it exclusively for COVID-19 patients and no one else. It should be kept separate from the normal plasma pool. If not used for a COVID-19 patients, it should be discarded. Once approval is accorded by the authority, we will start collecting such plasma.

How many patients can be treated using plasma from one recovered patient?

Depending on the volume of plasma we collect from one donor, we can save a minimum of two and a maximum of five patients. Around 200-250 ml is required to cure one patient. Recovery is speedy in such cases. Based on studies, as seen in the US and China, the minimum recovery period is three days and the maximum is seven.

What's the current status of approval?

We are now awaiting approval. The State Health Department can collectively take a decision to bring in the requisite relaxation in this particular context only, so as to enable all blood banks in Kerala to do the same. The Health Department has developed a committee, of which Dr Anup from Kozhikode and I are members. A proposal was developed and submitted recently to the government, seeking clearance. The state drug authority can help by taking it up with the Centre. That would be the easiest route.

Have we zeroed in on any donor patients?

There is first and foremost the matter of pending clearance. Another significant factor is that the first case in the second phase was reported on March 8. The person cured should have completed 28 days, the minimum time gap required before plasma can be collected.

We can obtain the list of patients who have totally recovered and completed the mandatory quarantine period. We would then approach the recovered patients and counsel them if they are found fit to donate. The plasma collected could then be distributed to the various COVID-19 care clinics.

Are there any criteria for patients eligible to receive such therapy?

There are guidelines for the recipient too. In general, they are those severely affected by the virus and suffering from respiratory infections.

Once clearance is obtained, how soon can we start the treatment?

As soon as the clearance is issued, we can start treatment immediately. In fact, from the very next day itself. Identifying the donor is not an issue. The state Health Department already has a list of cured persons. All that needs to be done is for our social workers to approach them.
During this challenging time we quickly decided as a company to do what we can to be the helper, share our knowledge, and support businesses in our community...

ThoughtLab announced this week a pledge of more than $50,000 that will be dedicated to a marketing services grant program created to help small businesses in Utah cope with the economic impacts of COVID-19. In the wake of the Coronavirus, many businesses have been forced to close their doors, making now the perfect time to step up efforts that generate online sales or leads.

The grants will be for marketing services only, and qualified businesses may apply for one of four (4) grant awards between Wednesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 22 on the ThoughtLab blog. Grant recipients will be selected by ThoughtLab based on specific selection criteria, including:



Business must be legally registered in Utah.

Business must have an existing website.

Business offers a charitable component or agrees to pay it forward.

Business must have a positive impact on their community.

Business must agree to be featured in ThoughtLab media.

Once grants are awarded, the scope of services will be executed starting in May based on the results of an initial marketing needs audit. ThoughtLab will provide the consultation, strategy/roadmap, basic assets, and campaign execution during the course of the four-month grant term.

During this challenging time we quickly decided as a company to do what we can to be the helper, share our knowledge, and support businesses in our community, says ThoughtLab CEO and owner Michael Harker. Our world-class digital marketers are committed and standing by to do whatever they can to impact our business community in a positive way, he adds.

In addition to the marketing grant program, ThoughtLab is also considering other creative ways to help businesses continue to grow or weather the current economic storm.

Utah small businesses can APPLY FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM on the ThoughtLab blog.

About ThoughtLab

ThoughtLab LLC is an award-winning Salt Lake City and Atlanta web design and digital experience agency that works with forward-thinking clients on branding, user experience, design, development, and marketing campaigns to create intelligent brands, websites, mobile apps, and custom software. We solve problems and help businesses grow.
There are 73 new cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota as of Wednesday, the largest single-day jump in numbers reported by the state Department of Health this far in the pandemic.

63 of the new cases come from Minnehaha County, which is home to Sioux Falls. Minnehaha County now has 228 cases, with 41 recovered. A total of 393 people have now tested positive for the coronavirus in the state.

Kim Malsam-Rysdon, secretary for the health department, said she couldnt answer a question about rates of testing in different areas of the state but her department is actively looking at ways to enhance its data collection.

So far, the state Department of Health doesnt keep track of negative tests that are run by county, because many results come from private labs. Malsam-Rysdon said that information is voluntary and not required to be reported.

Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist for the Department of Health, said the department has identified a cluster at one business in Sioux Falls which is now closed and is working to identify any people who may have been exposed there. Clayton could not specify which business may have had the outbreak there.

The other 10 new cases are individual cases in Bon Homme, Lake, Oglala Lakota and Turner counties, as well as 2 in Yankton and 4 in Lincoln County.

The Oglala Lakota County case is the first case on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which went on a 72-hour lockdown on Tuesday to restrict non-essential travel into and out of the reservation.

In Yankton County, the Department of Health released information to the public Tuesday about when an employee at the Yankton Walmart pharmacy may have transmitted COVID-19 to customers.

Clayton said the department has heard back from some people who did go to the pharmacy at that time and are working to identify any other people they were in contact with.

People who may have visited the pharmacy on March 25 and March 30 are asked to monitor their symptoms and self-quarantine at home until April 13.

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.
From the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, specialists warned the illness could be transmitted when an infected individual expelled droplets while coughing or sneezing.

"You may generate droplets which are invisible - they are very small that you cannot see them, but they are certainly large enough to have a virus, in case you happen to experience it in you when you are talking," stated Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the Gordon as well as Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, California.

Joseph Fair, a virologist, stated the analysis was depending on the most critically ill COVID 19 individuals in hospitals that had labored breathing. Researchers detected proof of the virus, but that does not mean an infectious virus was discovered.

Although a senior administration official noted Dr. Anthony Fauci had made similar comments in the past, the White House declined to comment on the letter.

Health Experts are Still Researching How the Virus Works

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - that stresses it is still learning about how COVID-19 is spread - changed the prior guidance. It's now added talking to sneezing and coughing as ways an infected person can transmit the disease.

The brand new development is adding fuel to the controversy over whether folks should wear other face coverings or perhaps masks in public. The mayors of New York and Los Angeles are today recommending that precaution.

The present guidance from the CDC advises that individuals that aren't ill are not required to use a mask unless they're caring for someone infected or are in public places.

But a senior administration official said the White House would announce new guidelines Friday, urging Americans who live in areas of high community transmission to wear cloth face coverings to prevent the spread from infected people who show no symptoms.

Fair believes there ought to be an urgent, nationwide order for folks to put on masks in public. The order can prevent carriers of coronavirus from transmitting it to others, according to information from scientific studies in China, Iceland, and also the U.S.

Check these out!

Alternatives for Masks

Handkerchiefs or perhaps "anything you are able to tie around your face" is able to function as adequate concealment, he included. They need to mainly be used in places as pharmacies and grocery stores where folks have to go and can be around others, Fair believed.

Meanwhile, nurses and doctors across the nation are working tirelessly to treat figures and patients out of the disease.

More young adults between the ages of twenty and fifty-four need to have hospitalization in the U.S. However; it was believed the virus largely impacted older individuals when it first emerged in China.

Unusual symptoms - such as the loss of smell or even taste, digestive problems, and pink eye are appearing.
The head of the European Unions top science organisation has resigned in frustration at the height of the Covid-19 crisis.

Mauro Ferrari had only become president of the European Research Council on January 1, but EU Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke said Professor Ferrari resigned, effective immediately.

The sudden resignation of Prof. Ferrari and his stinging criticism was bound to add pressure on EU institutions, which have been accused of not working together to battle the global pandemic.

The news was first announced by the Financial Times, based on a statement released to the paper by Prof. Ferrari, who said he had been extremely disappointed by the European response to the pandemic.

He complained about running into institutional and political obstacles as he sought to swiftly set up a scientific program to combat the virus.

I have seen enough of both the governance of science, and the political operations at the European Union, he wrote.

I have lost faith in the system itself.

The European Commission today defended its record in combating the crisis and said 18 research and development projects had already been picked at short notice to fight the coronavirus crisis.

It said another 50 European Research Council projects were contributing in the EU-wide effort.

The European Union has the most comprehensive package of measures combating the coronavirus and it is deploying different instruments in order to have the biggest impact for solving the crisis, the EUs executive Commission said.

As the coronavirus spread from China to Italy, Austria, Spain and other EU nations, the bloc was criticised for not acting forcefully enough to set up a coordinated response even though health issues are still primarily the responsibility of the blocs 27 individual nations.

Over the past month, EU nations have been trying to work closer together and EU leaders have committed to better coordination to try to alleviate the human and economic suffering from the global pandemic that has upended the daily lives of billions and dealt a huge blow to the economies around the world.

But it remains an uphill struggle.

On the economic and financial front, ministers from the 19 nations that use the euro currency failed Wednesday to get a breakthrough on how and to what extent to use its financial clout to improve solidarity between the richer and poorer member states.

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Egyptian President and African Union Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivers a speech during the African Union summit in Niger. Issouf Sanogo | AFP | Getty Images

The African Union (AU) has projected a contraction across the continent's economies and the loss of almost 20 million this year amid the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. A report from the continental union, which comprises 55 African nations, cautioned that both formal jobs and informal jobs will be at risk. The informal economy  any economic activity that falls outside the regulated economy and tax system, such as street vending  constitutes a significant majority of employment across the continent. Africa still accounts for a small percentage of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, the entire continent having now confirmed 10,663 cases as of Wednesday morning, against a global tally of more than 1.4 million. By contrast, the U.S., which has confirmed more than 400,000 cases, is expected to see total employment reductions of up 47 million in a worst case scenario, according to the Federal Reserve. But with African economies already weakened by tumbling oil and commodity prices and an imploding tourism sector, along with mounting debt burdens, the continent is bracing for a substantial economic hit.

Roadside vendors in Lagos central district, Nigeria. Pius Utomi Ekpei | AFP | Getty Images

Average African GDP (gross domestic product) growth had been predicted by the African Development Bank to come in at 3.4% prior to the outbreak in China, but in a report published Monday, the African Union projected a contraction in all possible scenarios. The AU's "realistic scenario" has the continent's GDP contracting by 0.8% in 2020, while its "pessimistic scenario" would see a 1.1% contraction. Foreign direct investment could reduce by up to 15% and governments are expected to lose up to 20-30% of their fiscal revenues in 2020 compared to the previous year. Exports and imports of African countries are projected to drop by at least 35% from the level reached in 2019. Thus, the loss in value is estimated at around $270 billion. Combating the spread of the virus and subsequent medical treatment will lead to an increase of public spending in Africa estimated to be at least $130 billion.

'Ambitious plan' for debt cancellation

The report recommended that the African Union Commission (AUC), the AU's secretariat that undertakes its day to day activities, lead negotiations of what it called "an ambitious plan for the cancellation of total African external debt," which totals $236 billion. Sub-Saharan Africa's debt has ballooned to nearly 60% of GDP over the past decade, meaning significant government resources which could otherwise be used to combat the pandemic are devoted to debt service. "A first order of magnitude is the call by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for a $150 billion aid package as part of an Africa Global COVID-19 Emergency Financing Package," the recommendation added. Looking further ahead, the AU suggested that the coronavirus crisis should lead to a paradigm shift in how African nations trade with one another and the wider world, particularly China, the U.S. and Europe, and a fundamental re-imagining of their economies. The bloc's report urged African leaders to "diversify and transform their economies by strengthening the productive capacity of African private sector to transform raw materials locally." It also called for increased agricultural production and greater collaboration to establish and enhance collective health-care systems.

'A new moral economy'

On Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa convened a teleconference of the African Union Bureau, which consists of the leaders of Egypt, Mali, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as AUC Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat. Other participants on the call included the leaders of Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal and Zimbabwe. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director John Nkengasong gave presentations on the state of the pandemic in Africa, which Ramaphosa later characterized as "extremely concerning."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the crowd gathered at the Miki Yili Stadium, ahead of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Freedom Day, in Makhanda, Eastern Cape Province on April 27, 2019. MICHELE SPATARI | AFP | Getty Images
PORTLAND, Ore.  Oregon public health officials have identified 49 new cases of the new coronavirus in the state as of 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, as well as four more deaths attributed to the virus.

The latest death brings the state total up to 33.

Starting today, we will begin posting a weekly report that represents a snapshot of #COVID19 risk factors, clinical and demographic characteristics, and includes data on cases with pending investigations. You can find the report here: https://t.co/CdMwtqmE1P #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/tWl0lxx8Ob  OR Health Authority (@OHAOregon) April 7, 2020

The Oregon Health Authority said that there are now a total of 1,181 people in the state who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through a positive test.

RELATED: Klamath County sees one more COVID-19 case, no new cases in Jackson or Josephine

OHA is reporting 64 total new cases in the following counties: Clackamas (7), Clatsop (1), Deschutes (4), Klamath (1), Lane (1), Linn (1), Marion (6), Multnomah (15), Polk (2), Washington (11).

Samples for 21,826 people have tested negative for COVID-19 in the state so far.

Examples of people who have recovered fully after testing positive for the coronavirus have been reported only sporadically by local health officials thus far, and the state has yet to report a count of a total across the state.

OHA has a partial, but incomplete count of how many people in the state have been hospitalized from the virus. According to that data, at least 329 Oregonians have been hospitalized, and just over 80 have been put on a ventilator.

SPECIAL SECTION: Coronavirus Watch

An 83-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on March 28, died April 5 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. OHA said that she had underlying medical conditions.

The same day, a 98-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on April 1, died at her home. She also had underlying medical conditions.

A 71-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on March 30, died April 2 in her home. She too had underlying medical conditions.

Finally, a 91-year-old woman in Washington County, who tested positive on March 27, died Monday at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying medical conditions.

New dashboard to help visualize COVID-19 data in Oregon

On Monday, OHA unveiled a new dashboard "to help visualize COVID-19 data and trends in Oregon." The two graphs show Oregons epidemiological curve and the number of Oregonians who have been tested for COVID-19.

"These data are provisional. Our team of epidemiologists continues to review and verify data, so our reported numbers will change. As we get more information, we update the data from previous days," the agency said.
So, there is a new trend on Twitter. No, it's not about the coronavirus pandemic, the MOST-talked about thing in the world right now. It's also not about how the lockdown is affecting people's lives which is another major concern.

It's about banning Twitter in India and it's trending ON Twitter in India. Clearly, priorities depend on your state of mind and this is important for some people. So, they decided to use the same platform so that they can share their thoughts on how it should be banned. Smart.

Twitter

Apparently, a man by the name of Hansraj Meena whose Twitter bio says that he is a 'Writer, blogger & Socio- Political Activist with Principle of secularism, Equality, Humanity & Justice. A tribal, Son Of Farmer. Founder of @TribalArmy' reported certain accounts after they allegedly encouraged religious hate among the masses.

Twitter

However, that did not go down well with the supporters of the people whose accounts got dismissed and hence, the trend became the number one hashtag on the micro-blogging website.

People were quick to point out the irony and the jokes around the same are painstakingly hilarious. C'mon, you're thinking it too!

#Ban_twitter_in_india Everyone want Twitter to ban Twitter

Twitter be like : pic.twitter.com/PwV1FHxIVx  Sourabh Singh (@Sourabh46807662) April 8, 2020

#Ban_twitter_in_india

When Ban twitter is trending in Twitter!! pic.twitter.com/rYbBxjPAIs  Souwmiya Dhinesh (@sowmyasarathy) April 8, 2020

Me right now on this trend #Ban_twitter_in_india pic.twitter.com/nGmlfENSix  Bandita Barman (@Banditabarman43) April 8, 2020

Twitter Ceo to those who are using #Ban_twitter_in_india. pic.twitter.com/055WjUTgx4  Mafia (@MaafiaBoss) April 8, 2020

While this is happening, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is donating $1 billion dollars from his wealth to fight the novel pandemic coronavirus.
By Akbar Mammadov

Norway does not recognize so-called elections held on March 31 in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said this in her Twitter account on April 7.

"Yet another member of international community rejecting mock elections in occupied lands of Azerbaijan", she twitted.

Norway doesnt recognize so-called Nagorno-Karabakh republic & accordingly elections held on 31 March. Norway supports territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the tweet reads.

Earlier, a number of countries, including France, Germany, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia as well as major international organizations such as the EU, NATO, OIC, GUAM condemned the illegal elections in Karabakh and voiced support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
If you are bored with your at-home cache of pinot grigio and merlot, Sonoma County and Napa Valley vintners can rescue you with remote tastings that combine virtual guidance with real-world wine consumption.

First you need bottles from the participating wineries, either from your own cellar, a local source (the wineries can usually tell you what stores in your area carry their bottles; then ask for delivery) or shipped straight from the winemakers themselves (shipping usually takes two to three days; some states do not allow direct shipping from wineries).

While sipping from your sofa wont capture the wow of a rosemary-scented, vineyard-front sunset, the experience, which often includes pairing suggestions, a virtual vineyard tour and even recipes from an in-house chef, is an engaging way to expand your palate while supporting wineries that have had to suspend their in-house tastings.

Raise a glass and tune in for free via Zoom or another viewing platform and teleport to the lush hills of Northern California.
Glenn Fine was charged with leading the committee to safeguard $2.3 trillion against fraud, waste and abuse.

United States President Donald Trump has removed the inspector general tasked with overseeing the governments coronavirus response, including $2.3 trillion in economic relief, the spokeswoman for that inspector generals office said on Tuesday.

It was Trumps most recent manoeuvre to seize more control of oversight of his administrations handling of the coronavirus epidemic. The president has lashed out against the inspectors general, watchdogs tasked with safeguarding federal agencies against waste, fraud and abuse.

Glenn Fine, acting inspector general for the Pentagon, was named last week to chair a committee acting as a sort of uber-watchdog over the administrations response, including health policy and the historic economic stimulus plan.

But Trump has since designated the Environmental Protection Agencys inspector general to be the new acting Pentagon inspector general, a spokeswoman said. Fine, who named 11 other IGs to the committee last week, is no longer on the watchdog committee.

Politico media company first reported the removal.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the removal of Fine only strengthens Democrats resolve to hold the administration accountable and enforce the multiple strict oversight provisions of the CARES Act.

The law, which unleashed a flood of money for individuals, families and small businesses, created three different watchdogs consisting of federal government officials and legislators. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a fourth oversight body last week.

The law, signed on March 27, set aside $80m to create a committee of inspectors general from across government agencies to review the flow of money and identify fraud, waste or abuse.

On Friday, the White House said Trump intended to nominate Jason Abend, a senior policy adviser at the US Customs and Border Protection office, to be the inspector general at the Pentagon.

The White House also announced Trump intended to nominate Brian Miller, a White House lawyer and former inspector general at the General Services Administration, to be the special inspector general for pandemic recovery, responsible for overseeing the US Treasury Departments handling of funds.

Since then, Trump has mounted several broadsides against the governments inspectors general. On Tuesday, he accused, without evidence, the US Health Departments inspector general of having produced a fake dossier on American hospitals suffering crippling shortages amid the coronavirus outbreak and suggested she was politically motivated.

On Friday, Trump fired the intelligence communitys inspector general, who was involved in the events leading to the impeachment of the Republican president.

President Trumps actions are a blatant attempt to degrade the independence of Inspectors General who serve as checks against waste, fraud, and abuse, Representative Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chairwoman of the US House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 17:25:15|Editor: Xiaoxia

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TOKYO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core private-sector machinery orders rose in February from a month earlier, the government said in a report on Wednesday.

According to the Cabinet Office, the orders, excluding those for ships and utilities because of their volatility, increased 2.3 percent in February from the previous month, marking the second successive month of increase.

The orders totaled 858.48 billion yen (7.88 billion U.S. dollars), in the reporting period, the Cabinet Office said, with weak orders in the iron and steel sectors propped up by demand for construction machinery and computers.

The Cabinet Office maintained its assessment of the orders that they were "stalling."

The current core orders in February came on the heels of a 2.9 percent increase in January, but the increases were not enough to shift the government's view on machinery orders.

"The second straight monthly rise, averaging around 2 percent, is not enough for the government to lift its view from stalling," a Cabinet Office official was quoted as saying.

"We don't see any particular effect of the new coronavirus in the February results," the official added.

When the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are factored into the data series next month, Cabinet Office Officials warned of an almost certain contraction.

The global coronavirus pandemic has led to factories shuttering operations on falling demand as supply chains have become increasingly disrupted. Businesses have also rethought their capital investment plans, which will likely see investments downwardly revised, analysts said.

Orders from manufacturers dropped 1.7 percent in the recording period to 373.83 billion yen (3.43 billion U.S. dollars), the Cabinet Office's data showed.

Those from non-manufacturers, excluding those for ships and from power companies, climbed 5.0 percent to 483.62 billion yen (4.44 billion U.S. dollars).

Orders from overseas, seen as an indicator of future exports, increased 2.7 percent to 890.65 billion yen (8.17 billion U.S. dollars), the government's data showed.

Total orders declined 6.9 percent to 2.22 trillion yen (20.38 billion U.S. dollars), meanwhile, with the orders comprising 238.96 billion yen (2.19 billion U.S. dollars) from the domestic public sector, which plummeted 39.1 percent from the previous month, the office also said.

Machinery orders are a key advance indicator for corporate capital spending and the government uses this key data to predict the strength of business spending in a six-to-nine-month period ahead.

A rise in capital expenditure here can boost the economy as Japanese companies are producing more machinery to meet rising demands from overseas markets.

A drop in such expenditure can have the reverse effect.

Such business investment accounts for roughly 15 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.

Types of machinery included in the monthly government survey comprise engines and turbines, heavy electrical machinery, electronic and communication equipment, industrial machinery, machine tools, railway rolling stock, road vehicles, aircraft, ships, water crafts, as well as sub types in those categories.
Many Indians are angry at China and the World Health Organization for their perceived mishandling of the coronavirus. The efficiency and transparency of Taiwan's response to the epidemic, in contrast, has made it a topic of renewed sympathy and interest in India.

Why it matters: The coronavirus crisis is showcasing Taiwan's democratic system of governance on an international stage, the biggest soft power win for the country in years.

What's happening: On social media and in articles and TV news shows, Indians are expressing anger at China and praise for Taiwan for their respective responses to the coronavirus.

India is currently under a three-week nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.

Many Indians blame China for withholding information about the coronavirus until late January and allowing its spread abroad.

The World Health Organization followed China's lead and did not make public information that Taiwan had provided to it on Dec. 31 indicating the coronavirus was easily transmissible between humans. China has blocked Taiwan's membership in the WHO.

A cartoon criticizing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as beholden to China was widely shared among Indians on social media.

Indian actor and director Amitabh Bachchan tweeted the image to his 41 million Twitter followers, though he later deleted it.

Image credit: Twitter

What they're saying: "The Taiwanese authorities have come out reasonably well whereas Chinese authorities have come out relatively poorly," said Gautam Bambawale, former Indian ambassador to China, in an interview with Axios.

"Indians are very upset with China," said Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow specializing in Indian foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, with "the ways that China has misled people, how its trying to use this discussion for propaganda purposes."

China's recent global propaganda blitz has also backfired to some extent.

"By highlighting its own apparently successful effort to slow the viruss spread, and showcasing medical assistance to badly hit countries like Italy and Spain," wrote Sadanand Dhume, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, "Beijing comes across as the geopolitical equivalent of the arsonist who lives in a neighborhood with a well-run fire station."

On March 31, the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi released a statement criticizing Indian news reports that suggested Taiwan should join the WHO.

"Any questions about Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be arranged under the One-China principle," said embassy spokesperson Ji Rong, who added that articles suggesting otherwise "seriously violated" the one-China principle.

Background: India's relationship with China is somewhat tense but stable.

The two countries have a long-running border dispute in Arunachal Pradesh, in India' far northeast.

India granted diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1950, decades before the United States did the same. India and China just celebrated their 70-year anniversary of formal diplomatic ties.

India maintains strong economic ties with Taiwan. Although India follows a one-China policy, it stopped publicly affirming the policy in 2010 over discontent with China's support for Pakistan and Kashmir.

What to watch: While Indians themselves are experiencing a surge of anti-China sentiment, New Delhi has avoided actions and statements that might rile Beijing.
Rose McGowan has called her Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano a fraud and a lie for endorsing Joe Biden for US president.

You are a fraud, McGowan wrote on Twitter. This is about holding the media accountable. You go after Trump & Kavanaugh saying Believe Victims, you are a lie. You have always been a lie. The corrupt DNC is in on the smear job of Tara Reade, so are you. SHAME.

In response, Milano wrote: I continue to support you and applaud your bravery as well as acknowledge all the people you have helped along the way, @Rosemcgowan. Be well and stay safe.

Alexandra Tara Reade, a former Biden staffer, accused the presidential hopeful of sexually assaulting her when she worked in his Senate office in 1993.

The Biden campaign has denied the allegation, writing in a statement: Women have a right to tell their story, and reporters have an obligation to rigorously vet those claims. We encourage them to do so, because these accusations are false.

Milano has been criticised for still endorsing Biden despite the allegation. Milano has previously supported women who have come forward with sexual assault allegations about Republicans Donald Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

While appearing on Andy Cohens US radio show, Milano defended her continued endorsement of Biden, explaining: I believe that even though we should believe women, and that is an important thing, and what that statement really means is that for so long the go-to has been to not to believe them.

She continued: So, really we have to societally change that mindset to believing women, but that does not mean at the expense of not giving men their due process and investigating situations. Its got to be fair in both directions.

I just dont feel comfortable throwing away a decent man that Ive known for 15 years in this time of complete chaos without there being a thorough investigation and Im sure that the mainstream media would be jumping all over this... if they found more evidence through their investigation. So Im just sort of staying quiet about it, Milano explained.

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McGowan, who portrayed one of three magical sisters alongside Milano on the fantasy series Charmed, said in 2018 that she did not endorse Milano or her political activism.

I dont like her, told ABC News. Cause I think shes a lie. Do you think I dont know these people?
A single care home has seen 15 residents die in the coronavirus crisis less than a week after its manager told families no cases had been diagnosed.

The deaths at Castletroy Residential home in Luton, which has 69 beds for elderly people with nursing or personal care needs, were announced by Public Health England today.

Five of those who died have confirmed positive with Covid-19. It follows the deaths of eight residents at a care home in Dumbarton and 12 at another in Cranhill, Glasgow.

Five of those who died at the care home (pictured) have confirmed positive with Covid-19

The UK has announced 936 more deaths from the coronavirus today, taking the total number of fatalities to 7,095 and marking another record one-day high in the nation's deepening crisis.

Cllr Hazel Simmons, Leader of Luton Council, said: 'We are all so desperately sad to hear about the tragic situation at Castletroy Residential and Nursing Home. To lose so many residents in one care home is heart-breaking and our love, thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of those who have died, as well as the staff at the home.

'The council are supporting the staff at the home and will be offering support to the relatives of all those affected during this very difficult period.

'This tragedy serves as another reminder of how important it is that we all follow the government guidance and stay at home to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.'

The deaths come less than a week after the manager of the care home (pictured) said there were no coronavirus cases

In a statement PHE said: 'Public Health England East is working closely with staff and residents at Castletroy Care Home, Luton Council and other local partners, following the deaths of 15 residents. Five of these deaths were confirmed positive with Covid-19.

'Testing of residents, meeting clinical definition of COVID-19, is advised for identification and appropriate public health management of an outbreak.

'In occasions where some cases have already been tested positive in a care home, we do not advise testing of new cases as it will not change the public health management. New cases will be tested if admitted to hospital.

'PHE has given public health advice on infection prevention and control and have also been monitoring the situation on a regular basis, advising the care home to refer residents with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as fever and consistent new cough, for a clinical assessment. The care home has closed its doors to visitors for the time being.'

Dr Sultan Salimee, Consultant in Health Protection, at Public Health England East said: 'Our thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those who have passed away. We are continuing to work closely with the care home, providing public health advice to stop the virus spreading.

'Good hand hygiene is the best prevention against Coronavirus and we should all be doing this to protect ourselves and others. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and if you cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue.'

Only last Thursday the manager of the home Jackie England told families no Covid-19 cases had been diagnosed at the home.

She wrote: 'We implemented barriers to the spread of the virus early by implementing social distancing measures, but also implementing barrier nursing with anyone showing possible signs and symptoms of the virus and working closing with health professionals and clinicians to identify the causes.

'So far, we have had no diagnosis of Coronavirus of any residents whilst in the care of Castletroy, though we have to be very cautious as community testing is not adequate and nobody can therefore give full assurances in this respect.

Our staff are working hard to keep themselves, you and your loved ones safe by attending work when they are well and implementing the strictest possible hygiene and barrier nursing practices and by following government advice about social distancing and isolation when they themselves or their families are affected.

'Me and my staff can therefore assure you that we do all we can to keep everyone safe as far as we are able to. '

A report by the Care Quality Commission, that was published on 31 May last year (2019), took the home out of special measures but found that required improvement in all areas. It followed an inadequate rating on 30 October 2018.

The no-notice inspection, that was carried out on 10 April last year, when there were 51 residents.

It said: 'People we were able to speak with spoke highly of the staff who supported them. These people said staff were kind, thoughtful and caring.'

But the inspection team found shortfalls: safety checks were not being completed, which put some people at potential risk of experiencing harm. Rooms storing equipment, domestic cleaning items, tools and used incontinence items were not secure.

'A person living with dementia was seen visiting these rooms. There was also some poor practice in terms of preventing infection control risks which could make people feel unwell.'
Along with financial uncertainty of the lockdown, another issue really bothering people is weight gain. When every day is a Sunday, and the current craze is to show off your baking skills on Instagram, munching is becoming a serious consequence. So how do you keep those calories at bay?

Movie stars, our poster children for eating clean and otherwise unappealing food to stay in shape, have turned out to be turncoats. They are whipping up cakes, Thai cuisine, cookies and every other sinful treat, finally enjoying something tasty as there are no shoots around the corner.

If the stars are posting their delicacies, how can we not follow the trend? Everyone has become an Insta baker and nothing tastes more delicious than your own baking, so its time to polish off that cake and marvel at your hidden MasterChef talent while preparing for the next round of dessert.

We may claim to be more active around the house, upload pictures of doing a few household chores or tag people for the thirty-second squat challenge, but none of that is anything like a high-intensity gym workout. Also, binge-watching Netflix and hanging out virtually on Zoom and Houseparty are not helping.

Drawstring everything (pajamas, shorts, trousers, joggers, etc.) is in fashion, which is great comfort-wise but leaves the waistline with lots of room to grow.

Drinking all that good wine while doing date nights at home (or after home-schooling kids maybe?) is lovely, but even that encourages all those pesky calories to settle back in us.

Distancing of a different kind

So now we have some surprising issues to deal with, such as the buttons on our jeans social distancing themselves from the button hole, the weighing scale asking one person at a time to get on when you want to check your weight and that tight dress of yours coming out once a week just to make sure you havent gained too much .

Now, with talk of a lockdown extension doing the rounds and gyms not looking like theyll open anytime soon, what do we do to not turn into unwilling sumo wrestlers?

Well-known nutritionists talk about how to balance your health during these unprecedented times.

Charmaine D'Souza, a Mumbai-based consultant nutritionist and author, says the good news is that this baking revolution is dying down. Initially, there was a great euphoria and everyone was copying the stars and baking bread, cakes, cookies and cooking other delicacies to show off on Instagram. With ingredients beginning to run out, and seeing the gravity of the situation, people are not doing so much of this lately, says Charmaine.

Suddenly, its all about healthy treats. Even the cakes and cookies are made with sugar-free or healthy ingredients. The latest recipe trending is an orange! Yes, peel it and its done!

Many are posting small bowls of healthy soup with maybe a few pasta shells in them, points out Charmaine.

Back to being fitter

There has also been a huge surge in clients signing up for online nutrition consultations. Another issue right now is lethargy, this is the brains way of coping with the lockdown, reveals Charmaine. We have many people signing up to be healthy. Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and stress triggered owing to uncertainty are some of the issues they want help with, she adds.

On a serious note, mental health issues are the underlying cause of all this binging. Delhi-based nutritionist Lovneet Batra says, There is a lot of anxiety around COVID19. Food is an easy coping mechanism, which provides instant comfort.

Lovneet admits seeing two categories of people these days: One is a set of people whore otherwise disciplined but currently stressed, worried about work, salary, financial obligations, etc. They think, Now I am home. Let me enjoy what I can; I will eat, she points out. The problem here is a lack of fixed schedule. Sleeping at odd times, eating your meals at crazy hours and munching constantly. This needs to be fixed. Once you correct your meal and sleep time, you can control the weight gain. Break the endless munching cycle. Also, eat healthier snacks such as vegetables with hung curd dip, mango yoghurt pudding, advises Lovneet.

The other category of people Lovneet is getting is the social butterflies who are using this time to detox, eat clean and avoid junk food.

The nice thing is the enquiries I am currently getting are centered around health and how to be strong, she says.

All said and done, it is nice to know that people are waking up to the fact that social distancing from their fit self is no fun because all of us still want a summer body.
US president defended his actions in the early days of the crisis and played down specific warnings on the contagion.

President Donald Trump has denied seeing a memo by a senior United States official warning of mass casualties and economic devastation from the new coronavirus, months before the pandemic began inflicting thousands of deaths in the US.

Trump on Tuesday said he had not seen communications sent by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro in late January warning of the serious threat posed by the coronavirus.

I read about it maybe a day, two days ago, Trump said when asked about the January 30 memo at a news conference. It was a recommendation that he had, I think he told certain people on the staff, but it didnt matter. I didnt see it.

Navarro, a China hawk, sent a memo on January 30 warning that the new coronavirus could create a pandemic and urging a travel ban for China, The New York Times reported. A second memo, written in late February and sent to the president, said the virus could kill up to two million Americans.

The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenceless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on US soil, said one of Navarros messages.

This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.

The US president continued to defend his actions in the early days of the crisis and played down Navarros memos.





Navarro warned the coronavirus crisis could cost the US trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death.

Report of earlier intel warnings

Trump said he was not aware of the memos, but that he unilaterally followed some of their recommendations, including taking steps to curtail travel from China.

But he said he would not have wanted to act prematurely when it was not clear how dire the situation would become.

I dont want to create havoc and shock and everything else. Im not going to go out and start screaming, This could happen, this could happen, Trump said. Im a cheerleader for this country.

Trump also denied knowing about US intelligence warnings that were reportedly made as early as November about a contagion that had the potential to lead to a cataclysmic event.

ABC News, citing two unnamed officials, reported that multiple warnings were made late last year, including to the White House.

Asked about the report on Wednesday, Trump said he learned about the gravity of the crisis shortly before announcing travel restrictions on China on January 31.

Health experts have suggested the weekly death totals will reach a new high in the US this week. More than 14,500 people have died from the virus in the US so far, with about 424,000 confirmed infections.

Nearly 800 people died on Tuesday in New York state, the epicentre of the US crisis.

Guidelines disregarded

Jeremy Konyndyk, a former Obama administration official who wrote guidance on health emergencies, said the memos clearly show Trump and his officials failed to take action on the threat of coronavirus.

He told Al Jazeera the emergency guidelines were specific on a fast-spreading respiratory disease and warned to trigger preparedness.

It listed a number of things that the administration should begin to do: diagnostic testing; ensuring the PPE [personal protective equipment] supply was sufficient; begin planning for mass-casualty events  all of that was in there, said Konyndyk.

That was disregarded and I think it really isnt quite right to blame the WHO for our own lack of preparedness. If they would have followed that playbook, they would have begun kicking things into gear on January 30.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat presidential candidate hopeful, blasted the US presidents handling of the pandemic.

Coronavirus is not Donald Trumps fault. But he does bear responsibility for our response and taking his duties seriously, Biden said. His failings and his delays [are] causing real pain for so many Americans.

Trump should use his powers under federal law to ensure the production of protective gear for health workers, offer healthcare coverage to those who have lost it, and coordinate states efforts to procure supplies, Biden said on Tuesday.

Trump likes to say hes a wartime president, Biden said. Well, he needs to step up and act like it.

For his part, Trump has redoubled his criticism of the World Health Organization for its handling of the virus and threatened to suspend US funding to the United Nations agency.





Watchdog removed

Trump also removed the inspector general (IG) who was to oversee the governments $2.3 trillion coronavirus response, a spokeswoman for the officials office said on Tuesday, raising concerns in Congress about oversight of the relief package.

It was the Republican presidents most recent broadside against the federal watchdogs who seek to root out government waste, fraud, and abuse following his removal on Friday of the intelligence communitys IG, and his sharp criticism of the one who oversees the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Glenn Fine, the acting IG of the defence department, was named last week to chair a committee acting as a sort of uber-watchdog over the federal governments response to the coronavirus crisis, including health policy and the largest economic relief package in US history.

But Trump has since designated the Environmental Protection Agencys IG as the new acting Pentagon IG, a spokeswoman said.

Congressional Democrats said Fines removal, less than a week after his appointment, reinforced their determination to strictly oversee the massive spending package passed last month to prop up the economy as the country grapples with the disease.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation by Trump.

We will continue to exercise our oversight to ensure that this historic investment of taxpayer dollars is being used wisely and efficiently, she said in a statement.

Trump largely shrugged off a question about Fines removal, saying it was his prerogative.

We have a lot of IGs in from the Obama era. And, as you know, its a presidential decision, Trump told reporters.
A disproportionate number of African Americans are suffering the worst consequences of the new coronavirus in Houston, the citys top doctor said Wednesday, though the details remain hazy as local officials have yet to release a breakdown of cases by race and ethnicity.

In response Wednesday to questions from City Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Houston Health Authority David Persse said COVID-19 has had an acute impact on black Houstonians because of social disparities in health care and their high rates of chronic illnesses, which typically worsen the effect of the disease.

More to your point is that there is a disproportionate number of African Americans who seem to be suffering the worst consequences of the virus, and that does, in fact, appear to be the case, Persse said to Evans-Shabazz, who is black and represents a district where 81 percent of residents are black or Hispanic.

Through Thursday, Houston had recorded 1,380 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths. Those who died include eight African Americans, two Latinos and two whites; black residents make up 22.5 percent of Houstons population, according to census data.

A health department spokesman said officials are compiling the race and ethnicity data for the citys positive cases, though he did not say when that information would be available.

Harris County has yet to commit to releasing additional demographic information about its 961 cases and 19 deaths. Dr. Umair Shah, the countys health director, said the case information sent by testing labs often is incomplete, leaving government epidemiologists a tall task of filling in the gaps.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

While other Texas counties have released comprehensive demographic case data, including breakdowns by zip code, race and ethnicity, Houston and Harris County have not. For weeks, the two health departments released case information separately, making a full accounting of the spread of the coronavirus here more difficult. And only Wednesday did the Texas Medical Center release long-sought data revealing the capacity of intensive care unit beds at its hospitals in the region.

Brazoria, Dallas, Galveston and Montgomery counties each break down their coronavirus cases by zip code or municipality, and Dallas County has reported the race and ethnicity of its cases through April 6. There is not yet enough data to show how the coronavirus is impacting minority communities across Texas, as the state has not required counties to report the race and ethnicity of their cases.

Harris County Public Health identifies the location of each case only by quadrant, geographic areas carved by I-45 and U.S. 59. Each contains about 1 million residents and neighborhoods of all racial and socioeconomic strata, leaving the public with little information on which areas are hard-hit.

The county health department also has not shared granular data about case trends elsewhere in the government, including commissioners and the Office of Emergency Management, depriving policy makers of potentially useful information.

Shah said this macro-level approach has been by design, out of fear of making neighborhoods with case clusters targets of criticism. He also said that since testing has been so limited, he worries zip code data that appears to show a subdivision with few stricken residents could give a false impression of safety.

Shah declined to criticize health officials in other counties who have been more forthcoming, but said he has yet to conceive of a responsible way to release more comprehensive data to the public.

Im not saying we cannot do it, Shah said. Up to this point, our concern has been the real privacy issues.

The city has begun constructing heat maps to show where coronavirus cases have been identified, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday, though it was not clear when the maps would be released. Like Shah, Persse said he has been reluctant to release geographic information because residents in areas with fewer cases may drop their guard.

Baytown Mayor Brandon Capetillo said this past Saturday was the only time Harris County Public Health provided his city information  in the form of a single spreadsheet showing seven confirmed cases in the coastal community.

We feel were entitled to clear, concise, and consistent information regarding any kind of confirmed cases, Capetillo said. If thats by city, thatd be preferred. If not, then at least by zip code.

Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton expressed a similar desire for information, and said county health officials have relied on a too narrow interpretation of HIPPA the federal law that regulates the privacy of certain health information.

They should not be withholding basic information  but theyre choosing to, Mouton said.

Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who represents heavily black neighborhoods including Acres Homes, Sunnyside and Third Ward, asked county health officials on Tuesday to collect and share race and ethnicity data about cases.

Jack Cagle, whose Precinct 4 in northwest Harris County overlaps with the most case-dense quadrant encouraged Shah to release case information now, while explaining the ways in which data is incomplete or flawed.

Some data in the middle of the battle is better than all of the data when the battle is over, Cagle said. Our surrounding counties have this data, yet we dont. And were the largest.

Emerging data in other counties and states, meanwhile, have revealed higher coronavirus infection and mortality rates in minority and low-income communities. An analysis of 14 states by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that African Americans made up 18 percent of those states populations and 33 percent of the hospitalized coronavirus patients when race and ethnicity data was available.

The health conditions that put people at risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 include hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, all of which are highly prevalent in African Americans, Persse said. The coronavirus harsher impact on minority communities is also a consequence of those decades of disparities in the quality of medical care received by whites and African Americans, he said.

Effectively combating the coronavirus required greater investments before the crisis in social factors at the root of health issues, such as poverty, neighborhood safety and access to nutrition, Elena Marks, chief executive of the Episcopal Health Foundation, said in an op-ed published Wednesday.

Diabetes is a largely preventable disease, but not through medicine or health care. Its prevention is based on lifestyle changes that some people can make but do not, and many others would like to make but aren't able to, Marks said.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

zach.despart@ chron.com
The 800 workers at the Barnes & Noble distribution center in Monroe Township are considered essential so, while many people are working from home to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, they arent.

Every day, employees there pack and ship boxes of books and toys as they come down a conveyor belt.

But on Tuesday, about 15 protesting employees picketed outside the facility to question why they are still at work.

Why keep the warehouse open when this isnt essential work? said Jose Alberto, who works to ticket packages and ensure the right labels get attached to the right boxes.

"You dont protect us, box-packer Elsa Rodriguez added, addressing company officials at the protest. We dont sell food, we dont sell (pharmaceuticals), no! We dont sell any necessary goods. I am very mad!

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Tuesday morning, Barnes & Noble confirmed that nine employees at the warehouse were sick. Five had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and four more were sick with COVID-19 symptoms.

In a statement Tuesday, Barnes & Noble said it was implementing social distancing in the Monroe Township facility, as well as enhanced cleaning, reduced staffing, marking of distance on floors, spacing at work stations to keep people at least 6-feet apart, and the removal of turnstiles and break room seating to ensure proper distancing.

The statement also said its asking workers to stay home, without pay, if they feel ill or uncomfortable coming to work. A letter sent to employees outlines department-by-department guidelines for social distancing and advised them that both cloth and plastic gloves are available for employee use if they ask for them. The company also told employees that it had ordered cloth face masks for everyone but that they hadnt yet arrived.

We appreciate all the hard work and efforts of our staff, and will continue to listen to their concerns and work with them to make a safe and secure work environment, said Alex Ortolani, a company spokesperson.

But the protesting employees, many of them Latinx, said their working conditions up to this point have not been safe.

Our health comes first, they chanted in Spanish. Close the warehouse and clean it. Close the warehouse and pay your workers.

Our health is essential," one sign read.

Barnes & Noble depends on our labor, said another.

Employees said they felt like the company hasnt been doing enough and that it wasnt possible to social distance during their shifts. They also said they werent immediately provided with personal protective gear like face masks and latex gloves.

Among the workers demands are a closure of the facility for two weeks so the company can fully sanitize the warehouse. During that shutdown, workers are asking for paid time-off and, when they return, hazard pay of at least two times their wages and personal protective gear, as well as enforced social distancing and routine cleaning.

Workers are also asking the company to allow them to take additional time off if they feel unsafe or need to self-quarantine, even after their sick days and vacation time has been used up. Currently, workers can use their existing sick days and vacation days, and can ask management for 14 days of unpaid time off if they are worried about getting sick, but must return to work after that.

Rosa Baumanis Hakala, Vice President, Distribution and Logistics, left, listens to warehouse worker Elsa Rodruguez, 56, right, during a protest at Barnes & Noble warehouse in Monroe. About a dozen workers stood outside the facility protesting to demand protections against COVID-19 in the workplace. Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

On Tuesday, state officials announced more than 3,300 new cases of COVID-19 and 232 new deaths, bringing state totals to 44,416 cases and 1,232 deaths. Businesses across the state have shut down, and other essential operations have instituted safety and social distancing procedures to protect employees and customers.

Internal memos obtained by NJ Advance Media show Barnes and Noble sent a letter to employees on March 11 advising that they follow CDC guidelines to avoid getting sick, and to inform managers if they experienced symptoms.

On April 1, the company sent out another letter to employees informing them that a worker at the Monroe Township facility had tested positive for COVID-19. In response, Barnes & Noble closed the warehouse at 4:15 p.m. for cleaning, and delayed opening the following the day until 9 a.m.

On Tuesday, a third letter informed employees of the five confirmed and four possible cases of COVID-19. Barnes & Noble said the facility would close on Friday, April 10 for cleaning and will reopen the following day. Tuesdays letter also advised that workers would start receiving masks and gloves to wear during their shifts, and that the facility would continue to close regularly for cleaning.

Though shes been out of work for a week, Cintya Medina joined her coworkers Tuesday. She has not taken a COVID-19 test, but has experienced symptoms and fears she has the virus. Medina cant stay out of work for much longer, though, she said, because it will be difficult for her financially.

Imagine if I am actually sick, and I go back to work like they want me to, she said. Then Ill get other people sick.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

J. Dale Shoemaker is a reporter on the data & investigations team. He can be reached at jshoemaker@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JDale_Shoemaker.
Lufthansa will permanently shut down its large aircrafts to help keep its business afloat in the latest turmoil to hit the flight industry amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The German airline company, which also owns Australian Airlines, Swiss and Eurowings, today confirmed that they had been forced to cease their budget airline Germanwings and would be de-commissioning more than 40 aircrafts.

The company, which will also be retiring six Airbus A-380s, five Boeing 747-400s and seven Airbus A340-600 aircraft, added that it would take years for demand for air travel to return to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement the company, which is also cutting flight capacity in Frankfurt and Munich, said: 'Germanwings flight operations will be discontinued. All options resulting from this are to be discussed with the respective unions.'

Lufthansa will be closing down its large aircrafts to amid the coronavirus outbreak, it has been revealed. Pictured: Lufthansa planes remain grounded at Frankfurt Airport in Germany

The company, which also owns Australian Airlines, Swiss and Eurowings, confirmed that they had been forced to shut down their budget airline Germanwings

The company also warned that it would take years for demand for air travel to return to that seen before the coronavirus crisis. Pictured: Lufthansa planes sit at an airport in Munich, Germany

The firm was unable to say what eventually would happen to the planes given lack of demand for aircraft at the moment but it was clear they would not fly for Lufthansa again.

The statement continued: 'By its estimation it will take months, before the global travel restrictions are fully lifted and years before worldwide demand for air travel corresponds to the pre-crisis level.'

The company said it would be ceasing operations for its Germanwings brand, speeding up a move already decided before the crisis.

Its Eurowings low-cost division would retire 10 Airbus A320s, while its SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines group members would also reduce their fleets, in the case of SWISS by foregoing delivery of already ordered aircraft.

Currently, 700 of the groups 760 planes are parked as air traffic amid the coronavirus crisis has dwindled.

The drastic move comes in the same day it was revealed that thousands of employees at London's Heathrow Airport face losing their jobs if they do not accept a 15 per cent pay reduction.

It comes as Heathrow staff were asked to take a 15 per cent pay reduction amid the outbreak

Human resources chief Paula Stannett told staff she was 'not expecting anyone to opt out' of the cuts in a memo

In a strongly-worded memo the human resources chief Paula Stannett, 54, said she was 'not expecting anyone to opt out' of the cuts, reported Sky News.

The memo read: 'There will be consequences if colleagues do not accept the revised terms as it will mean that we have to make further job cuts.

'It will also have consequences for those colleagues who do not wish to participate.'

She added: 'In the unlikely case that colleagues continue to refuse to take part, dismissal and reinstatement might be the final step.

'Obviously that is something I am keen to avoid, although I can confirm that is an option that is legally available to the company to take.'

Elsewhere, the travel firm TUI announced that they had cancelled all their beach holidays until May 14 and would be suspending their Marella Cruises sailings until at least June amid the virus pandemic.

A spokeswoman said: 'We are constantly monitoring the situation and will start taking people on holiday again as soon as we are able to do so.

Meanwhile the travel company TUI have told holidaymakers that all beach holidays had been cancelled until May 14

The company also said that their Marella Cruises sailings had been axed until at least June due to the coronavirus crisis

On Saturday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) warned Britons against all non-essential travel abroad indefinitely

'At this point in time, nobody can accurately predict when that will be, so for the time being we will keep a close eye on our programme and continue to amend and adapt timings in line with the latest global travel advice.'

It comes just days after the Foreign Office warned holidaymakers against making non-essential trips abroad amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

On Saturday a message on the Foreign Office Twitter page read: 'The Foreign Office indefinitely advises against all non-essential global travel.'

The latest scenes comes as the nation continues to control the surge in coronavirus cases which has now hit 55,242.

Health officials also confirmed that 7,095 people in the country have now died from Covid-19.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 31, 2020 / StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd (SZLS.TO) ("StageZero" or the "Company") today announced it had intended to issue its audited Financial Statements for the calendar year 2019 ("2019 Financial Statements"), the Management Discussion and Analysis for the 3 month and 12 month periods to 31 December 2019 ("2019 MD&A") and the Annual Information Form ("2019 AIF") on March 30, 2020 in line with its normal reporting calendar. The Company now, however, due to disruption of the audit process caused by the Covid-19 crisis, intends to rely on exemptions recently granted by Canadian securities regulatory authorities that allow it to delay the issue of the 2019 Financial Statements, the 2019 MD&A and the 2019 AIF.

Without the exemptions, the Company would be required to issue and file its 2019 Annual Financial Statements, 2019 MD&A and 2019 AIF by 30 March 2020. In response to the global Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, securities regulatory authorities in Canada have granted blanket exemptions allowing companies an additional 45 days in which to complete their regulatory filings.

The Company intends to rely on the exemptions to provide its Board of Directors and its recently appointed auditors adequate time to complete the full year audit. The Company and its auditors are making every effort to issue and file the 2019 Annual Financial Statements, 2019 MD&A and 2019 AIF at the earliest opportunity.

The Company's management and other insiders will continue to observe a trading blackout consistent with the principles contained in Canadian National Policy 11-207 - Failure to File Cease Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions - until such time as the 2019 Financial Statements, the 2019 MD&A and the 2019 AIF are filed.

About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.

StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to the early detection of cancer and multiple disease states through whole blood. Aristotle, our next generation test, is a panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. Aristotle is built on our proven and proprietary Sentinel Principle Technology Platform which has been validated on 10,000 patients and used to develop the first liquid biopsy for Colorectal Cancer, with further validation currently underway. In addition to building a pipeline of products for early cancer detection, the Company operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified reference laboratory based in Richmond, Virginia that offers the ColonSentry test as well as licensed biomarker tests for breast and prostate cancers. To learn more visit www.stagezerolifesciences.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

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jht@stagezerols.com

Tel: 1-855-420-7140 Ext. 1

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Investor Relations

rgreco@stagezerols.com

Tel: 1-855-420-7140 Ext. 1838





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Sanders also benefited from a shift in opinion that he encouraged but did not invent: the growing disenchantment of younger Americans with capitalism in the wake of the Great Recession. The future of this country is with our ideas, he declared in his video from Burlington, Vt. While young people who vote in Democratic primaries are no doubt to the left of those who dont, he had a point. Americans under the age of 35 are the countrys most progressive generation since the cohort that powered the New Deal coalition. Sanders gave them a voice.
NAIROBI  Coronavirus infections in Kenya have risen to 179 after seven more cases were registered on Wednesday April 08, the Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi announced.

Ms. Mwangangi revealed that 305 samples had been tested in the past 24 hours, seven of which returned positive.

Of the seven new cases, four are female and three are male.

Four of them have a history of recent travel with one having travelled from Congo, another from the United Kingdom and two from the United States.

Of the 179 confirmed cases in the country, Mwangangi revealed that only one was in critical care with the condition of the remaining 178 described as mild to moderate.

She disclosed that one Kenyan patient who was in critical care had been discharged to the general ward and taken off ventilators.

We do have one piece of good news. One of the patients who was in critical care in one of the private facilities in the country has been discharged to the general ward today. This is a Kenyan who was in critical care who was on ventilator support, he has now been taken off ventilator support and we celebrate the doctors who have been aiding in his recovery.

Two additional cases have been discharged in the last twenty four hours, she asserted.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After the New York State Education Department announced the June Regents exams would be canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, officials modified the requirements students need to graduate and earn their high school diploma.

The state Education Department said the June Regents exams are canceled due to the uncertainty of when regular in-school classroom instruction will be able to resume throughout the state and whether students will be prepared to take the Regents examinations.

To receive a high school diploma, most students are required to take at least five Regents exams, which measure student achievement in high school-level choices. Those required exams include English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and an additional Regents exam. There are three times each year when students can take Regents exams -- January, June and August.

Due to the cancellation, the department modified the requirements that students must meet in order to earn a high school diploma, credentials, and endorsements. The modifications apply to all students enrolled in grades 7-12 during the 2019-2020 school year who were intending to participate in one or more of the June Regents exams.

According to the state Education Department, students intending to take the June 2020 Regent will be exempt from the tests completely.

That means students will not be required to re-take the exams at a later date to receive credit for their high school diploma or to graduate -- they just need to pass the class they are currently enrolled in that would have culminated with the June exam.

Here are the specific eligibility requirements to receive credit:

-- The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have earned credit in such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year.

-- The student is in grade 7, is enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have passed such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year.

-- The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and has failed to earn credit by the end of the school year. Such student returns for summer instruction to make up the failed course and earn the course credit and is subsequently granted diploma credit in August 2020.

-- The student was previously enrolled in the course of study leading to an applicable Regents examination, has achieved course credit, and has not yet passed the associated Regents examination but intended to take the test in June 2020 to achieve a passing score.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

The state Education Department will develop guidance on how schools and districts will record the exemptions from examination requirements. Student transcripts shouldnt reflect an exam score for any test for which a student is exempted, according to the department.

Students across New York State can breathe a collective sigh of relief. The State Education Department has cancelled Regents exams for June 2020  and rightfully so. No student should be denied course credit or a high school diploma or otherwise penalized due to these extraordinary circumstances, said New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert Schneider in a statement. Teachers and administrators are making every effort to deliver instruction, and should be applauded for that. At the same time, it would be unrealistic to expect that all students are receiving equal opportunities for instruction under the current circumstances.

You can go here for more information, and answers to frequently asked questions about the canceled Regents exams.

STATE EXAMS ON NEW LEARNING STANDARDS DELAYED

In September 2017, the Board of Regents voted to replace the Common Core learning standards with a new set of standards to be known as the Next Generation English Language Arts and Mathematics Learning Standards. Students were expected to be tested on the new standards in spring 2021.

Due to COVID-19, the timeline to implement the new standards has changed. The Next Generation Learning Standards will be fully implemented beginning September 2021, and students will be tested on the new standards in spring 2022.

The delay also aligns with the implementation of the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards. The transition to new exams measuring the new standards in science for grades 5 and 8 will begin in spring 2023.

The state Education Department announced last month the state standardized exams were suspended for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

The school closures caused by Novel Coronavirus are unprecedented and so, we have to make unprecedented decisions for our students. The administrations of the 2020 elementary- and intermediate-level State assessments have been suspended for the remainder of this school year, said New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and Interim State Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe in a joint statement.

The suspension applies to: the grades 3-8 English language arts test; grades 3-8 math test; grade 4 elementary-level science test; grade 8 intermediate-level science test; the English as a second language achievement test in grades k-12; and the New York State Alternate Assessment for students with severe cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and high school.

70 Coronavirus in NYC: Photos show the fight against the pandemic

RELATED COVERAGE:

Remote learning: How NYC schools are tracking student engagement, attendance

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Coronavirus: New York cancels June Regents exams

Heres the testing schedule for 45-minute online AP exams

NYC schools can no longer use Zoom for remote learning

CUNY shortens spring recess at all schools, including CSI

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FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
By Trend

With the organizational support from Azerbaijans Ministry of Economy, a group of Azerbaijani mass media representatives has got familiarized with the activities of the enterprise manufacturing medical masks established by Baku Textile Factory, Trend reports referring to the ministry on April 8.

The factory located in the area of Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park has been given status of a resident of the industrial park. This status allows the enterprise to take advantage of the benefits envisaged for the industrial parks. The enterprise was provided with a loan on concessional terms in the amount of 1.2 million manat ($705,882) through the Entrepreneurship Development Fund of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy.

Moreover, on the basis of social responsibility, the resident of the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park - MST Engineering Services LLC - allotted part of its territory for the medical mask manufacturing enterprise.

Special boxes for packing medical masks are made by a resident of the Balakhani Industrial Park, private entrepreneur Etibar Eminov.

The modern equipment brought from Turkey for the production of medical masks has been installed at the enterprise in a short period. Some 3.9 million manat ($2.3 million) was invested in the establishment of the enterprise.

Over 30 jobs have been created there. The production process consists of three-shifts. By using raw materials that meet international standards ISO 17050-1, the enterprise will initially produce 120,000 medical masks daily at the initial stage. After packing the medical masks, they will be further sterilized by using special equipment.

Another production line will be launched in the coming days. At the second stage, the production volume will double and daily production will reach 200,000-250,000 medical masks. The enterprise's products will primarily be aimed at meeting the needs of the domestic market.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler and her husband plan to liquidate their individual stock shares following weeks of negative press surrounding the freshman Republican's trading activity before the coronavirus pandemic sent world trading markets plummeting last month.

"Im not doing this because I have to. I'm doing it to move beyond the distraction and put the focus back on the essential work we must all do to defeat the coronavirus," Ms Loeffler tweeted Wednesday, linking to a Wall Street Journal op-ed she authored with the headline "I Never Traded on Confidential Coronavirus Information."

Ms Loeffler has previously denied accusations that she engaged in insider trading after it was reported in March she had sold more than $20m in stock since being briefed behind closed doors on the coronavirus crisis on 24 January, arguing that her portfolio is "managed independently by third-party advisors and she is notified, as indicated on the report, after transactions occur."

Most of the shed stocks  $18.7m worth  were in Intercontinental Exchange, a trading group that owns the New York Stock Exchange where Ms Loeffler's husband, Jeff Sprecher, is CEO. Ms Loeffler and her husband's financial advisers sold off that stock as part of a pre-planned transaction after they initially bought the stocks at a lower price, a normal process by which many top executives at Fortune 500 companies are compensated.

Ms Loeffler and her husband have asked their financial advisers to convert their individual stocks into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, the senator wrote in her op-ed.

The 2012 STOCK Act prohibits members of Congress and other government employees from using non-public information for private profit, and wraps such prohibitions into other legal language pertaining to insider trading.

But lawmakers are still allowed to own stocks in individual companies after lawmakers defeated an amendment to the STOCK Act from Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown that would have banned such trading.

Mr Brown has re-introduced his amendment in each of the last two Congresses.

We have the privilege of holding these jobs and we are here to serve, not to bloat our bank accounts, Mr Brown said in a statement to The Independent. The Ban Conflicting Trading Act would prohibit Members of Congress from trading stocks for personal gain. It is much needed legislation to send a strong message to the American people that we are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and not motivated by benefiting financially.

In addition to Ms Loeffler, Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina, Dianne Feinstein of California, and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma have also received scrutiny for market transactions on their financial disclosure forms during roughly the same time period.

Ms Loeffler is up for election this November after she was appointed in January by Governor Brian Kemp to replace former Georgia GOP Senator Johnny Isakson, who resigned over health issues.

A recent poll commissioned by Ms Loeffler's chief Republican rival, Congressman Doug Collins, shows Mr Collins soundly leading the senator in Georgia's all-party special election. Internal campaign polls, however, tend to favor the candidates who commission them.
[April 08, 2020] Dun & Bradstreet Delivers Free Platform, Data And Resources To Lift Public And Private Sectors During The COVID-19 Pandemic

SHORT HILLS, N.J., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, today launched a trusted data platform for government agencies to inform mission-critical response and relief efforts across state and local communities. The Firm is also making a number of resources available to private and public sector organizations to help mitigate risk and support continued business activity. "We recognize that communities are managing through unprecedented circumstances. Our team of data scientists are lending their skills and analytics capabilities to help organizations across public and private sectors as they face the economic downturn resulting from this global pandemic," said Stephen C. Daffron, President of Dun & Bradstreet. "We are all in this together and consider it our duty as a trusted advisor to find ways to use our insights and mission-critical data and analytics to help businesses manage risk and turn uncertainty of the moment into confidence in the future." Dun & Bradstreet is actively supporting governments and communities through these challenging times and using its insights and resources to help power business recovery efforts around the world. Data for Decisioning Businesses need data to inform mission-critical decisions and to address this need, Dun & Bradstreet launched a complimentary COVID-19 Business Impact Research Platform. The Platform provides data, analytics and insights to help government agencies and officials determine the full impact of the virus on their communities to: Plan risk mitigation and recovery initiatives Prioritize emergency management and economic support for the industries, businesses, and communities with the most pressing needs Determine workforce disruptions and supply chain risks The COVID-19 Business Impact Research Platform is built on Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud, containing comprehensive global information on more than 355 million businesses. The Platform is available to U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as members of Congress and their staffs. The Platform is also expected to be launched in Canada and the U.K. The Firm also joined forces with several U.S. federal, local and state government agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Economic Council at the White House, and the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide the essential data and insights needed to inform the development and distribution of CARES Act funding, and the process for economic recovery. Leveraging Data to Lift Public and Private Sectors To meet the immediate needs of both the public and private sectors, Dun & Bradstreet is proactively offering its solutions and tools to elp support small businesses, enterprises and organizations at large:



For Small Businesses:

Dun & Bradstreet continues to offer complimentary access to its resources, which are ever more essential today to small businesses as they position themselves for CARES Act funding. With these solutions, companies can: Review and update business information before applying for funding.

Monitor changes to Dun & Bradstreet scores and ratings. For All Businesses:

Additionally, Dun & Bradstreet is offering the following offerings to businesses of all sizes:

Complimentary 'health scans' to analyze a company's customer portfolio, sales pipeline, or supply chain to determine areas of risk and opportunity.

Additional complimentary features available to existing clients using the Firm's sales acceleration solution to leverage data and analytics to speed the path from prospect to profitable relationship. For Educators:

Through Dun & Bradstreet's Market Data Retrieval business, U.S. teachers and families now have access to a growing list of free digital resources to help engage students while they are learning from home. Through WeAreTeachers, educators can access over 250 online resources while K-5 students can access a new at-home learning hub. "With 178 years of experience and the ability to understand the needs of the public and private sectors, our role as a trusted advisor becomes ever more important in times of crisis as we work in partnership with government agencies, businesses and communities," said Daffron. "Now is the time for us to do our part to work together to support our communities and help them plan their recovery efforts in order to embark on a prosperous future." Learn more about how Dun & Bradstreet is supporting the public and private sectors. About Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk, and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. Twitter: @DunBradstreet Media Contact:

Lisette Kwong

973-921-6263

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dun--bradstreet-delivers-free-platform-data-and-resources-to-lift-public-and-private-sectors-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-301037437.html SOURCE Dun & Bradstreet

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The National Guard is renting vans to transport hundreds of dead bodies from their New York City homes as a startling number of people are dying there without ever being treated for coronavirus.

City officials announced Wednesday that they will begin counting people who died at home and who had not been tested or treated for coronavirus in the official death toll.

Shocking figures emerged confirming that there are now between 200 and 250 New Yorkers dying in their homes every day, and Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed that it is believed the recent spike is directly linked to coronavirus.

On a typical day, around 25 people would be found dead in their home in New York City.

The revelation sparked fears that the city's death toll is drastically undercounted, even as it soared to 4,260 on Wednesday and images emerged of the National Guard taking people from their homes in body bags.

Members of the National Guard exit the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan as the outbreak of coronavirus disease continues. The New York National Guard has been using rental vans since their mission in the city began last week and the crisis worsens

A grim scene at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York as a body in an orange bag is brought out to the refrigerated truck on April 2. It has been revealed that hundreds more are dying in their homes every day in New York City and that the deaths may be undercounted

NEW must read story from @pbmelendez and @MichaelDalynyc



w/ a striking photo, taken earlier this week, of the National Guard loading bodies into an Enterprise rental vanhttps://t.co/sOZRiOBBi5  Erin Banco (@ErinBanco) April 8, 2020

As seen in the Daily Beast, members of the National Guard have been drafted into collecting bodies from home, as the stretched emergency services battle against a surge in 911 calls.

The city's overwhelmed services are using rental Enterprise vans as they struggle to respond to the overwhelming numbers dying at home.

A spokesperson for the New York National Guard confirmed that rental vans are being used during the mission as 'additional vehicles' were needed.

They have been using the vans since the mission began a week ago.

Enterprise were also reached out to for comment but had not yet responded.

On Tuesday alone, 256 people died at home in New York City.

Before April, this number was generally 25 a day, meaning that ten times the normal number are now passing away at their own house.

The daily tally of New York City residents who died at home with coronavirus-like symptoms exploded from 45 on March 20 to 241 on April 5, according to Fire Department of New York data - suggesting the city may be significantly undercounting COVID-19 deaths.

A medical worker wearing personal protective equipment wheels a body to a refrigerated trailer serving as a makeshift morgue at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Monday, April 6, 2020, in Brooklyn. It is thought the city's death toll may have been undercounted

Workers build the the makeshift trailer morgue for the thousands of COVID-19 victims outside Icahn Stadium in Randalls Island, New York on Wednesday as hundreds die at home

In the past two weeks, first responders reported 2,192 'dead-on-arrival' calls, compared to 453 at the same time last year.

The number of calls referencing cardiac or respiratory arrest has also drastically risen from 20 to 30 a day at the end of March and the beginning of April in 2019, to 322 on one day in April in 2020.

There have been more than 100 calls a day since March 28.

The fatality rate on these calls is also much higher than usual and had risen to 75 percent by April 5.

In 2019, the fatality rate was between 30 and 50 percent.

Asked about the fire department numbers at a press conference Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged that deaths at home haven't been fully accounted for.

'I am assuming the vast majority of those deaths are coronavirus related,' de Blasio said during his Tuesday briefing of the people who have died at home.

'It's understandable in a crisis that being able to make the confirmation is harder to do with all the resources stretched so thinThe first use of all of everything we've got  our professionals, our health care workers, our resources  the first thing we are focused on is saving the next life.

'We do want to know the truth about what happened in every death at home,' he added.

'But I think we can say at this point, it's right to assume the vast majority are coronavirus related and that makes it even more sober, the sense of how many people we are losing, how many families are suffering, how real this crisis is.'

'The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the NYC Health Department are working together to include into their reports deaths that may be linked to COVID but not lab confirmed that occur at home,' said NYC Health Department spokesperson Stephanie Buhle in a statement.

The city said Wednesday that it will begin to include the numbers who die at home but it is not clear when it will start.

'Every person with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis is counted in the number of fatalities, whether they passed away at home or in a hospital,' a spokesperson for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

'The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the NYC Health Department are working together to include into their reports deaths that may be linked to COVID but not lab-confirmed that occur at home.'

New York City has seen more deaths in the last number of days than during the September 11 terror attacks.

It was believed the outbreak could have been reaching its peak as the city's hospital system received fewer new admissions but the news on increased deaths at home has sparked further fears.

'We never saw anything like this in normal times,' Mayor de Blasio said.

'We have to acknowledge that, and say this is further evidence of just how destructive this disease is.'

The coronavirus death toll in New York City hit more than 4,200 Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening deaths had risen by 806 to 3,544 in just 24 hours. The figure is almost double the number of deaths recorded Monday in the country's coronavirus epicenter.

The nationwide death toll rose by almost 2,000 yesterday - America's deadliest day from the virus yet - and currently stands at 14,831.

It comes Central Park was transformed into a 68-bed makeshift field hospital in just 48 hours to take the pressure off overwhelmed hospitals in the city.

The hospital has 41 patients currently - three of which are in the ICU - mostly from the hardest-hit boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

The facility, run by Christian humanitarian group Samaritan's Purse has just over 70 medics and can take 10 intensive care patients.

Samaritans Purse COVID Response team lead Dr Elliott Tenpenny told MSNBC: 'We're taking more patients all the time to help the people in New York City.

'In partnership with Mount Sinai, we're accepting patients and each day a certain number come through and we receive them throughout the day.'

Central Park was transformed into a 68-bed makeshift field hospital in just 48 hours to take the pressure off overwhelmed hospitals the country's coronavirus epicenter

The hospital has 41 patients currently - three of which are in the ICU - mostly from the hardest-hit boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens

Mayor de Blasio has been pushed in recent days to comment on how the city intends to handle the surge in bodies as the coronavirus deaths continue to increase and as information spread that a city park may be used to temporarily bury bodies.

Drone footage released Tuesday shows inmates in hazmat suits digging graves on NYC's Hart Island suggesting that coronavirus victims could already be being temporarily buried there, as morgues across the city continue to overflow and the death toll ticks up.

The footage taken on Thursday - which is the day bodies are buried there every week - by The Hart Island Project shows inmates in hazmat suits digging graves on the island, possibly for victims of the virus which has claimed more than 4,200 lives across New York City and sickened more than 80,000. Ordinarily prisoners are seen digging in their prison uniforms.

Mayor Bill de Blasio did not confirm whether burials for coronavirus victims had been or would take place there but told reporters Monday: 'We may well be dealing with temporary burials so we can then deal with each family later.

'Obviously, the place we have used historically is Hart Island.'

Bodies are buried three deep in wooden, unmarked caskets. Normally, 25 are buried a week. In the last week of March, however, 72 were buried. It is not known if any or all were coronavirus patients or whether or not the bodies were tested for COVID-19

Hart Island is ordinarily used to bury unidentified or unclaimed bodies. It was used for bodies after the Spanish Flu.

Public officials sparked panic and disgust this week by claiming some of the dead would be temporarily buried in public parks across the city.

The city's 2008 Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan states that Hart Island would be used as a temporary burial site in the event the death toll reaches the tens of thousands and if other storage, such as the refrigerator trucks parked outside hospitals, is full.

The mayor's spokeswoman, Freddi Goldstein, stressed that the city government was not considering using local parks as cemeteries.

But she added that Hart Island, where around one million New Yorkers are already buried in mass graves, may be used 'for temporary burials, if the need grows'.
CUBA: A student in Havana wears a skull face mask as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus as he leaves school for the day. (Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press)

Wearing a face mask often helps people feel protected and reassured. A surgical face mask can help keep you from being exposed to or transmitting certain infectious diseases. The World Health Organization recommends using surgical masks only if you have a fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms, or if you are well but caring for someone with a respiratory illness. In the latter case, the mask should be worn when you are within six feet of the ill person.

Although the N95 surgical mask should be reserved for healthcare professionals, everyday citizens can create their own face masks to trap larger respiratory droplets. Such homemade masks should fit snugly on the face, so airborne particles wont leak out or in through the sides.

While there is a global shortage of protective masks, people in far-flung areas around the world are getting creative in making their own. Here are a number of examples of people wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

MOROCCO: A 55-year-old street vendor named Abderrahim poses for a portrait while wearing a mask made of fig leaves in Rabat. (Mosa'ab Elshamy / Associated Press)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: In early March, cosplayers in masks attend the Middle East Comic-Con in Dubai. (Kamran Jebreili / Associated Press)

UNITED STATES: A commuter dons a face mask as he navigates New York City's transit system. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)

LEBANON: A bearded man covers his face with a punched-out surgical mask in Beirut. (Hussein Malla / Associated Press)

ETHIOPIA: A soldier creates a makeshift mask with his helmet's chinstrap to protect against the coronavirus in Addis Ababa. (Mulugeta Ayene / Associated Press)

CZECH REPUBLIC: A woman covers her nose and mouth with a knitted scarf as she wait for a subway train in Prague. (Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

SPAIN: A 21-year-old man named Javier wears a face mask and helmet while waiting to make a food delivery on his bike outside a Barcelona restaurant. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press)

CAMBODIA: A woman dons a scarf as she watches social workers spray disinfectant to help curb the spread of the coronavirus in the slum neighborhood of Stung Meanchey in southern Phnom Penh. (Heng Sinith / Associated Press)

GERMANY: An employee of a children's home called AtemReich wears a donated face mask in Munich. AtemReich workers had asked people via social media to sew protective masks for them due to the coronavirus crisis. (Sven Hoppe / Associated Press)

GERMANY: Katja Kipping, co-chairwoman of the German Left Party, wears a scarf as a face mask during a meeting of the German federal parliament, the Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin. (Michael Sohn / Associated Press)

PERU: A woman stuffs paper into her mouth, her alternative to a face mask, as she waits in line for a free lunch from a charity organization that helps the homeless in Lima. (Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press)

BRITAIN: A surgical mask nearly covers a woman's entire face as she seeks to protect herself from the coronavirus while taking a walk in London. (Frank Augstein / Associated Press)

CZECH REPUBLIC: A woman wears a bedazzled face mask in downtown Prague. (Petr David Josek / Associated Press)

THAILAND: A volunteer at a COVID-19 screening center in Bangkok wears a face mask and a face shield. (Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press)

VENEZUELA: A woman wears a lacey homemade face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus as she waits in line to buy food in Caracas. (Ariana Cubillos / Associated Press)

UNITED STATES: A hay bale along the edge of a cattle pasture near Florence, Kansas, is adorned with a surgical mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Travis Heying / Associated Press)

COLOMBIA: A Venezuelan migrant wears a mask that reads "Let's go Venezuela" in Spanish as he walks toward the Venezuelan border from Bogota. The Colombian government ordered a lockdown in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Fernando Vergara / Associated Press)

CROATIA: A woman in Zagreb wears a colorful cotton mask designed by Croatian designer Zoran Aragovic. (Denis Lovrovic / AFP via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES: A photographer covers his face in New York City's Times Square during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Roy Rochlin / Getty Images)

CHINA: A woman wears ski goggles and a protective mask as she checks in to a flight at Beijing Capital International Airport. (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

CHINA: A child wearing a protective mask is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital International Airport. (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

CHINA: Chinese children wear masks and plastic bottles over their faces as protection against the coronavirus while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital International Airport. (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

CHINA: A family wears masks and protective plastic covering after checking in to their flight at Beijing Capital International Airport. (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

KENYA: Fashion designer David Avido, 24, poses for a portrait at his studio in Nairobi with a mask he made from remnants of cloth. (Gordwin Odhiambo / AFP via Getty Images)

GAZA CITY: Shown are protective masks painted by Palestinian artists Samah Saed and Dorgam Krakeh for a project to raise awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mohammed Abed / AFP via Getty Images)

ISRAEL: Lobna Safadi, shown inside her workshop in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, attaches a matching embroidered mask to a wedding dress she designed. (Jalaa Marey / AFP via Getty Images)
A mother revealed how she made her children their own McDonald's 'fakeaways' in lockdown.

Danielle Culley, 33, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, prepared the surprise dinner for her son, Oscar, four, and daughter Lily, six, who have been missing their favourite fast food.

Single mother Danielle, who cares full-time for Lily, who has autism, told how she gave the children cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, fries and Pepsi Max, all wrapped up in replica McDonald's packaging.

Danielle Culley, 33, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, prepared the surprise 'fakeaway' for her son, Oscar, four, and daughter Lily, six. Pictured, Lily and Oscar (right) and with their mother (left)

Danielle told how she gave the children cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, fries and Pepsi Max, all wrapped up in replica McDonald's packaging. Pictured, the clever 'fakeaway

She said: 'With McDonald's being closed and not being able to out to the park, I felt the kids were missing out. I wanted to bring a little treat back to the house.

'It was a little bit of fun - I kept it all secret until I had finished preparing the food and got it all laid out on the plates in the packaging.

'When they saw it, they stood there like, "Oh my God". My son shouted, "I can't believe you found one" because he knew McDonald's was closed.

"I said, "it's mummy's McDonald's" and they devoured it, which was really nice to see.

"My son said it was better than the real thing, apart from the cup not having a lid. And my daughter said it was nice that we didn't have to go out the house to eat it. They liked that I put their names on the back of the packaging.

The crafty mother-of-two wrapped cups in McDonald's logos to recreate the effect, pictured

The chips were served in pieces of A4 paper printed with the McDonald's branding, pictured

Oscar and Lily also enjoyed chicken nuggets served in their own McDonald's packets, pictured

'Even though it's easy to go to McDonald's, the look on their faces was 20 times better then you'd get on a normal trip. I didn't expect them to be so excited - it just goes to show it's the little things that can make such big a difference.'

The meal cost Danielle just 2.15 to make because she already had Pepsi Max, chicken nuggets and salad at home. She picked up a pack of four reduced-price burgers for 65p at Asda and bread buns from the corner shop.

The DIY packaging took 45 minutes to make. Danielle explained she created the chip packets by sticking together pieces of A4 paper covered in the McDonald's logo and wrapped large cups of Pepsi Max in a similar way.

The dedicated mother even went through the trouble of finding greaseproof paper for the cheeseburger and printed the burger logo directly onto two sheets.

The Big Mac was given to the children in grease proof paper printed with McDonald's, pictured

Oscar and Lily were delighted with the meal and want their mother to try KFC next

Danielle continued: 'I really had to think how to do the cheeseburger packaging because I knew my daughter, who's autistic, would tell me if it wasn't up to scratch.

'She said even though it wasn't exactly the same but that it was a 'mummy's McDonald's' so she was happy. We used to go McDonald's once a week as a regular treat when I was working full-time, but I became a single parent last year and I've not had the money to continue the ritual.

'It was lovely to have a reminder of nice things we used to do and also to realise that we can still do them on a budget. We've been in lockdown for four weeks because Oscar had symptoms, and it has been tough not being able to do the normal nice things.

'He's fine now, but the McDonald's was a way of having some fun during these times and reminding us of a sort of normality.

'They loved it and have asked me if they can have a homemade KFC next time, so we're having that next week and they're going to help me prepare it.'

Danielle is not the only takeaway fan recreating her favourite dishes in lockdown.

DIY BIG MAC

An Instagram-famous chef who's built up a 300k following thanks to his healthy meal ideas that cost just 1 has shared a recipe to make a Big Mac at home

Hundreds of people commented on the post, with many saying they were going to make it at home, or asked their friends and family to make it too.

Instagram chef Miguel Barclay, from London, posted a video of his creation to Instagram on Saturday, showing an easy step-by-step guide to making the iconic burger.

In the video, Miguel starts by toasting three burger buns in a pan, and then setting them aside. Next, he puts two beef mince into a burger shape and fries them, without seasoning them.

How to make a Big Mac at home Grill three sesame burger buns in a pan until lightly toasted Shape beef mince into two burger shapes and fry until cooked To make sauce: Mix together ketchup, mayonnaise, american mustard and tarragon Chop up white onions, lettuce and pickle into small pieces and place on top of each burger Assemble the burger with bread and add slice of American cheese. Advertisement

To make the famous Big Mac sauce, Miguel mixes mayonnaise, American mustard, and ketchup and a spot of tarragon.

He garnishes the burger with chopped white onion, lettuce, pickle and a slice of American cheese. Miguel finishes off by seasoning the burger and assembling it.

Writing on Instagram, where the video has racked up more than 65,000 views, Miguel said: 'It's just mince beef, nothing else (season it at the end). The sauce is made with a squeeze of mayo, American mustard, ketchup (I didn't have any ketchup) and tarragon.

'I know the real sauce recipe from McDonalds states that there is no tarragon, but it has chopped up pickles, and I'm sure those pickles are flavoured with a tarragon infused brine, and that is why it is my secret ingredient.

'Trust me. This is as close as it gets to the original thing.'

Hundreds of people commented on the post, with many saying they were going to make it at home, or asked their friends and family to make it too.

WAGAMAMAS CURRY CLASSES

Executive chef Steve Mangleshot will take fans through each step of the much-loved recipes from his home on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Wok fried greens will feature in week one (left), as will the much-loved dish chicken katsu curry (right)

Wagamama has announced a number of free online cooking classes that will be shared on social media every Wednesday night, starting today.

The first menu includes the popular Wagamama chicken katsu curry, alongside delicious wok-fried greens.

The free online Pan-Asian cooking classes, available on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, will be presented by Wagamama executive Chef Steve Mangleshot, who will take fans through each step from his home.

He explained the streaming videos will be recorded on his iPhone, adding that he wanted to 'create a sense of community' through cooking.

The chain will post all the ingredients needed at the start of every week so wannabe chefs can make sure they are fully prepared. Steve has been the chef behind the Wagamama menu for the past 12 years and takes inspiration from Japan and wider Asia.

Recipe for replica KFC chicken Dan Fell, from Warwickshire, revealed his version of the famed 11 herbs and spices mix to Twitter following the closure of the fast food chain amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The music composer claims that after more than a year of experimenting with different recipes to replicate the popular takeaway, he's now got it 'spot on'. Ingredients Five cups of plain flour

Half a tablespoon of oregano & thyme

One tablespoon of brown ginger

Two tablespoons of garlic powder

One tablespoon of mustard powder

One tablespoon of celery salt

One tablespoon of black pepper

One third of a tablespoon of sea salt

Two tablespoons of white pepper

Four tablespoons of paprika

Chicken Method Add the flour to the herbs and spices. Then use three parts flour to one part self-raising flour. Season the chicken in a mix when at room temperature. Egg wash your chicken using egg white and milk. Then re-season in the mix. Fry the chicken for five to six minutes at 160C to 165C before placing it in a pre-heated 80C oven - then give it a final 90-second fry prior to serving. Advertisement
Men work at a distribution station in the 855,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images

Sharlene wanted to continue reporting to her job at Amazon. She needed the money to pay her bills and support her family. But after a trip to the emergency room, Sharlene, who didn't want her full name used out of fear of retribution from her employer, was instructed to self-quarantine. She was experiencing shortness of breath and worried that her weak immune system, asthma and COPD, a lung disease, would put her at risk if she returned to work. "I thought, if I catch the coronavirus and go on a respirator, there's no way I'm going to make it off because of my health problems," she said tearfully. "I would not make it through it. I'm not strong enough." Sharlene is one of many Amazon warehouse workers who are currently in quarantine, either out of fear of catching the virus, experiencing symptoms of the virus or after learning they had been previously exposed to someone diagnosed with the coronavirus. Amazon has said it will provide up to two weeks of paid sick leave for all full- and part-time employees who show symptoms, have the virus or are in quarantine. The company is also offering unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April. Despite these measures, Sharlene and four other Amazon employees who have the virus or are in quarantine say they haven't been paid. Those who have been paid say they're only getting 60% of their regular weekly pay. Meanwhile, other Amazon workers said they've had no issues getting paid while in quarantine. A worker at a facility in Indiana said it feels like there's "lots of hoops that workers have to jump through" in order to get paid while they're in quarantine. The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said the issue has only added to workers' frustrations around safety and transparency at their facilities. "We do not feel safe in our building anymore," the worker said. "And the pay we do get if we test positive is only 60% of our pay. Amazon is not taking care of us." An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company offered two weeks of paid sick time to "ensure employees have the time they need to return to good health without the worry of lost income." Employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are in quarantine may be eligible for additional paid time off beyond the two weeks, the spokesperson said. They added that the company is "working with employees to gather the information we need to approve" extra paid sick time. "Because we are continually revisiting policies to ensure the safety of our employees, going forward, this information may include self-report of patterns of symptoms and exposure, particularly when the employee cannot obtain medical certification at all," the spokesperson said. Additionally, the spokesperson said Amazon will provide employees who are sent home with a fever with up to five hours of pay. The company announced the policy earlier this week, after BuzzFeed reported that some employees with fevers were being sent home without pay. The spokesperson declined to comment on why some employees in quarantine have received 60% of their paycheck.

'My money is dwindling down'

The conflicting accounts of employees who are in quarantine could be a symptom of Amazon's vast network of warehouses across the country. Since the pandemic unfolded several months ago, each Amazon warehouse has responded differently to the crisis. Amazon employees at multiple facilities previously told CNBC they didn't feel safe coming to work, as they encountered shortages of face masks, sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Still, workers at other facilities said they had plenty of protective gear and felt site leadership was doing their best to keep employees safe. The company has announced a number of new safety measures at its facilities in recent weeks. Amazon has increased the frequency and intensity of cleaning at all of its sites and required that employees sanitize and clean their work stations and vehicles at the start and end of every shift. It has also started taking employees' temperatures when they report to work and supplied them with face masks. For warehouse workers who struggle to get the pay they need, they are faced with few options beyond relying on savings or applying for unemployment. Amazon workers, along with many employees around the country, can now stay home from work longer as a result of the CARES Act, which was signed into law March 27. Those eligible to collect unemployment in their state would get an extra $600 a week in benefits for up to four months. However, there are some stipulations around who can and cannot qualify for the expanded unemployment benefits laid out in the bill. The Labor Department now allows workers to qualify for unemployment if an individual is quarantined, as well as if an individual leaves employment due to risk of exposure or infection or to care for a family member. But these are only recommended guidelines from the government, meaning that each state varies in its guidelines for eligibility. Several Amazon workers who told CNBC they applied for unemployment expressed concerns that it would put their job at Amazon at risk. Guidelines from the Labor Department state that workers don't need to quit their jobs in order to apply for unemployment. The Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on whether Amazon employees' job status will be impacted if they file for unemployment. A worker at a facility in Michigan said she recently applied for unemployment after she didn't receive a paycheck from Amazon. She said she was told by a doctor to go into quarantine after showing symptoms of the virus. She said that initially, an Amazon HR representative didn't accept her doctor's note as proof that she needed to be in quarantine, but after several calls, the representative agreed she should stay home. Since then, she said she has been unable to collect the pay promised to her by the company. Additionally, an HR representative told her to apply for Amazon's $25 million relief fund, which allows seasonal workers and contractors to apply for grants if they're in quarantine or if they test positive for the virus. However, as a full-time employee, she said she couldn't qualify for the fund. "It's not even set up to include regular associates," the worker said. "My money is dwindling down. I'm just waiting for my unemployment to kick in." Sharlene said she's been working with her site's human resources department for the past three weeks to try to get the pay owed to her in quarantine, but to no avail. She said she applied for unemployment on Tuesday after she grew frustrated with the delays and came close to running out of money. "As it is right now, I don't have a job," Sharlene said. "I can't risk my health and get a job in the grocery industry because not only am I risking my own life, but also the others around me. So the way I see it, I can't work." While Sharlene is at home, her daughter, who also works at an Amazon warehouse, has continued to go to work. The family grew concerned that Sharlene's daughter would bring the virus home to her five-year-old daughter, so Sharlene decided to have her granddaughter quarantine with her in her home. Since they're in quarantine, it meant that the family was apart for her granddaughter's fifth birthday. The closest that Sharlene's granddaughter can get to her mom is via FaceTime call. Their separation has taken a toll on the family, as her granddaughter "just cries to go home." "My daughter is working and making money, but it's still a dangerous place to work," Sharlene said. "As long as she is working with Amazon, I'm taking every precaution I can." Two Amazon warehouse workers, both of whom asked to remain anonymous, had different experiences while they were on paid sick leave, despite the fact that they both live in the same state of Kentucky. One of the workers said he has been in quarantine for more than a week, since he "woke up one morning hacking up a lung." He received a paycheck from Amazon that included 60% of his typical wages. "It's only 60% of my regular weekly pay, but that's better than nothing," the worker said. A worker from a separate facility in Kentucky said he had no issues getting paid while he was in quarantine for two weeks. Once he exhausted his two weeks of paid sick leave, he said he still didn't feel safe returning to work, so he took advantage of Amazon's unlimited unpaid leave and applied for unemployment. Due to the CARES Act, the worker said he received an extra $600 per week on top of what he receives in state unemployment benefits. As a result, the worker said he is making more money than he would from his job at Amazon.

An Amazon worker holds a sign at the Amazon building during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Staten Island borough of New York City, March 30, 2020. Jeenah Moon | Reuters
Panic-stricken passengers on a ferry preparing to dock in Maumere, Indonesia caused scenes of hysteria after word got out that coronavirus carriers were suspected on board.

The deadly virus continues to sweep the globe, causing a rising death toll across all continents in its wake.

Now horrifying footage has emerged of passengers on board the large ship taking the extreme action of hurling themselves overboard, as people were preparing to disembark the vessel.

Passengers swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases, as tensions rise over the spread of the disease across the archipelago.

The ferry travelling via Indonesian Borneo and the island of Sulawesi was blocked when trying to make port in Maumere in the eastern island of Flores, amid fears three crew members on board had contracted the novel coronavirus.

Panic erupted on board the Lambelu as it prepared to dock in Maumere, Indonesia, after local authorities looked to stop the vessel due to fears of coronavirus sufferers being on board

Crowds gathered on the deck as some people decided to take the extreme measure of jumping into the water, to avoid the risk of contracting the virus and ensuring they could disembark

The ferry was carrying 255 people, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia

Footage circulated online showed how passengers put on orange life jackets before hurling themselves several feat down into the deep blue waters below

Crowds gathered on the deck of the ship and passengers began to film as individuals clambered for orange life jackets and flung themselves into the deep blue sea below, before swimming ashore.

Authorities then debated whether the ship, the Lambelu, would be permitted to dock, an official said.

'We ask for the passengers to cooperate with health protocols before disembarking from the ship and refrain from any actions that could be harmful,' Wisnu Handoko, an official at the transport ministry, said in a statement.

Supplementary videos later shared on social media showed medical workers in protective gear carrying out tests on board the Lambelu after it was allowed to dock, before passengers were moved into quarantine on land.

The ferry was carrying 255 passengers, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia, after the neighbouring country imposed a coronavirus lockdown.

In a sign of growing anxiety about the spread of the coronavirus, residents in Maumere gathered at the port to protest the ships arrival on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday, Indonesia had recorded 2,956 cases of the coronavirus and 240 deaths, with many of the cases in the capital Jakarta though a growing number in other provinces.

There are fears in less developed parts of the country, including Flores where there are no confirmed cases, that people travelling from other cities could spread the disease to areas where healthcare facilities are ill-equipped.

Tests conducted on passengers from the Lambelu on Tuesday evening were sent to a laboratory on Java island with passengers in quarantine expected to wait up to a week for the results.
Boris Johnson's heavily pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds is 'distraught' as she is separated from the gravely ill Prime Minister who has spent a second night in intensive care.

Mr Johnson, 55, was rushed into ICU with breathing difficulties and his wife-to-be, 32, is not allowed to be by his side because of her pregnancy and a blanket ban on visitors.

Carrie, who is believed to be self-isolating at the couple's 1.3million South London home with their rescue dog Dilyn, broke down when Boris was rushed to St Thomas' Hospital in central London on Sunday night.

A friend told the Telegraph Ms Symonds, 32, had been 'distraught' and 'in tears' in a phone call after his admission and was 'deeply upset and concerned for his wellbeing', the newspaper said.

In a caring moment, the Queen yesterday sent a personal message of good wishes to Ms Symonds, whose baby is due this summer, and his wider family who are waiting anxiously to hear if he recovers.

Her Majesty led an international outpouring of goodwill towards Mr Johnson, wishing him a 'full and speedy recovery', and the Prime Minister is in a 'stable' condition and breathing without the need for a ventilator, Downing Street said last night.

Carrie Symonds is self isolating with the couple's rescue dog Dilyn (pictured together on March 27) and was described as 'distraught' as Boris Johnson was rushed to St Thomas'

Pregnant Carrie cannot see her fiance Boris, who is seriously ill with coronavirus (pictured together on March 9 at Westminster Abbey)

There is a heavy police presence at St Thomas' Hospital on Wesrminster Bridge today where Mr Johnson remains in intensive care

Royals wish Boris Johnson a 'speedy recovery' The Queen has sent her best wishes for a speedy recovery to her Prime Minister this afternoon and also said her thoughts are with his pregnant fiancee and his family as he battles coronavirus in hospital The Queen and other senior royals have sent messages of support to Boris Johnson for a 'speedy recovery' as he battles coronavirus in intensive care today. Her Majesty said her thoughts were also with the Prime Minister's heavily pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds and his family, who are not able to visit him at St Thomas' Hospital in central London. It is the third time in less than 72 hours that the Queen has made a public statement about the coronavirus crisis, as the death toll jumped by a record-high of 854 in a day with 6,227 known victims. Buckingham Palace said in a statement: 'Earlier today The Queen sent a message to Carrie Symonds and to the Johnson family. Her Majesty said they were in her thoughts and that she wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery'. And in a message released at the same time Prince William and Kate Middleton also sent their best wishes to the PM. The Duke of Cambridge tweeted a personal message, signing it off with his initial 'W', and saying: 'Our thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family, who like so many in the UK and around the world are affected by coronavirus. We wish him a speedy recovery at this difficult time. W.' His father the Prince of Wales, who has recovered from Covid-19, sent a message from himself and the Duchess of Cornwall to Mr Johnson on Tuesday, also wishing him a 'speedy recovery', Clarence House said. Advertisement

Boris and Carrie have not seen each other for a fortnight after Mr Johnson, 55, first fell ill on March 27 while Ms Symonds, 32, is understood to have come down with similar symptoms over the weekend.

The Prime Minister is said to be conscious but needing oxygen - and it is not known if they have been able to speak on the phone, but Carrie will be getting updates from the ward and No 10.

If Mr Johnson has nominated Carrie as his next of kin, if his condition deteriorates doctors may ask her to make decisions on his behalf should he be sedated and put on a ventilator.

Boris' children Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20, will also be being informed about his condition by ICU medics at St Thomas', according to NHS guidance. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, 11, after an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre with a sixth child from another affair also rumoured.

But it is likely his second wife Marina, who divorced him in February, will only hear news from their four children unless Mr Johnson specifically asks medics to speak to her about his health.

Their acrimonious split has caused tension between Mr Johnson and his children, who he asked to meet in person in February to tell them he was engaged to Carrie and they were having a baby.

But not all of his children reportedly bothered to turn up for their father's announcement and are said to be 'furious' because they believe Carrie and Boris got together after an affair.

On March 27 - the day Boris tested positive for coronavirus - Carrie shared a photograph of herself self-isolating with their dog Dilyn at the 1.3million Camberwell house she bought with Mr Johnson last year.

Downing Street has refused to say where she is

Carrie Symonds is just one of the millions of pregnant women who were told they were 'at increased risk' from Covid-19  and ordered to follow 'stringent' social distancing, for 12 weeks.

She had also reportedly wanted a home birth but women all over the country are having these cancelled because of a lack of midwives and some hospitals are also banning birthing partners.

Miss Symonds is the first unmarried partner of a Prime Minister to live in Downing Street, where she is understood to have been considering having the baby.

But if the lockdown continues she may have to give birth in hospital, potentially without a birthing partner.

Boris Johnson is still battling coronavirus in intensive care today with 'no change' in his condition overnight - amid a wave of support from across the nation and an outp

Mr Johnson was moved to ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in central London and given oxygen after his health deteriorated sharply over just two hours, leaving doctors fearing he will need a ventilator.

The 55-year-old was transferred to intensive care at 7pm because of breathing difficulties - forcing him to 'deputise' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to take the reins of government.

The Queen is being kept informed about Mr Johnson's condition, while Mr Raab will chair a meeting of the government coronavirus task force this morning.

No10 has been urged to be more 'transparent' about the premier's condition, amid claims a hospital bed was being prepared for him as early as last Thursday.

Boris Johnson's second wife Marina (pictured together in 2015) divorced him in February amid claims of an affair

Boris' daughter Lara (together in 2012) reportedly branded her father a 'selfish b*****d' after allegations he had a liaison with Carrie surfaced in 2018

Mr Johnson is thought asked Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, (left) Cassia Peaches, 22, (centre) and Theodore Apollo, 20, (right) to meet so he could tell them he and Carrie are having a baby - but some refused to come amid tensions over his new relationship

Are pregnant women more vulnerable to coronavirus? There is no evidence that pregnant women become more severely unwell if they develop coronavirus than the general population. It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate symptoms because more severe symptoms such as pneumonia appear to be more common in older people, those with weakened immune systems or long-term conditions. There are no reported deaths of pregnant women from coronavirus at the moment. If you are pregnant you are more vulnerable to getting infections than a woman who is not pregnant, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In terms of risk to the baby, there is no evidence right now to suggest an increased risk of miscarriage or transmission to the unborn baby via the womb or breast milk. Advertisement

Carrie was brought up by her mother Josephine, who is now 71, in East Sheen, South-West London and attended the private 20,000-a-year Godolphin & Latymer School.

Her father Matthew, a founder of the Independent newspaper, lived in a large property not far away in Twickenham with his wife, Alison, with whom he has three children.

Matthew had an affair with Josephine, who was a lawyer on the paper and Carrie is the product of that affair, born in 1988.

When Mr Johnson and former Tory Party head of press Miss Symonds fell in love, many were sceptical that it could last.

The cynics appeared to have been proved right when they were overheard having a spectacular domestic spat in their London house early in their relationship.

But they have proved the doubters wrong. Despite not being married, they negotiated tricky moments like visiting the Queen at Balmoral as an unmarried couple, with great dignity.

Miss Symonds proved a great asset to Mr Johnson in the election campaign. She curbed her love of the limelight and made sure he was the centre of attention.

Images show the Prime Minister's changing appearance as his battle with coronavirus as he looked more and more unwell (left to right April 1, 2 and 3)

The couple, pictured on election night in December, have rarely seen each other through the crisis and haven't been together for more than a fortnight

How many children does Boris Johnson have? The Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Ms Macintyre's daughter is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby. It is not known if Boris has any more children - but his baby with Carrie will be his sixth, officially. Advertisement

Within weeks of becoming Prime Minister she became pregnant. Mr Johnson was heavily criticised soon into his premiership when many parts of Britain were badly flooded and he failed to visit them.

At the time he was staying with Miss Symonds at the Foreign Secretary's official residence, Chevening in Kent, while repairs were being carried out at Chequers. Mr Johnson fell in love with Chequers in his days as Foreign Secretary in Theresa May's government.

He regularly went for swims in the Chevening lake, urging male guests to strip off and join him.

One MP who has known him since before he became an MP said: 'He was excited at being able to be with Carrie at Chevening officially. It is no secret that they used to go there for trysts before they were officially an item.

'They had a brief break in Mustique but it was at Chevening that they had the time and space to get to know each other better. Then Carrie got pregnant. It was wonderful.'

Little did they know that their lives were about to be thrown into such personal and political turmoil.
A Chinese medical team has arrived Nigeria to aid in efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The medical personnel arrived at ...





A Chinese medical team has arrived Nigeria to aid in efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.





the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around 5pm on Wednesday. The medical personnel arrived atthe Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around 5pm on Wednesday.





They were received by a delegation of the federal government and officials of the Chinese embassy. The doctors and nurses numbering about 15 arrived with some medical supplies.





Osagie Enahire, minister of health, had said the doctors were coming with the donated supplies to support the countrys fight against COVID-19.





He had said the items include commodities such as personal protective equipment and ventilators.





I have been notified of medical supplies from China, courtesy of a group of Chinese companies working here in Nigeria, he had said.





An 18-man team of Chinese medical experts including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers shall come along with the flight to assist us. I must at this juncture commend our frontline workers who are doing a great job in case identification and management.





The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had kicked against the plan of Chinese doctors coming to Nigeria, asking the federal government to rather empower Nigerian medical practitioners to perform better.





The government, however, said it could not reject the offer of China to assist Nigeria in such a trying period.





But the Nigerian doctors were assured that their Chinese counterparts would be subjected to the laws of the land and would not have access to patients being treated for coronavirus in the country.
Researchers have identified the most common clinical characteristics of 109 patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

In "Hospitalization and Critical Care of 109 Decedents With COVID-19 Pneumonia in Wuhan, China," Huan-Zong Shi, MD, PhD, and co-authors report on the age, comorbidities (other diseases), treatments and other commonalities among patients who died from this viral infection in three Wuhan hospitals between Dec. 25, 2019 and Feb. 24, 2020. The study was conducted to describe the hospitalization and critical care of patients who died from COVID-19 pneumonia.

Mortality due to COVID-19 pneumonia was concentrated in patients above 65 years of age, especially those with major comorbidities. We also found that patients who were admitted to the ICU lived longer than those who didn't. Our findings should aid in the recognition and clinical management of such infections, especially in ICU resource allocation." Dr. Huan-Zong Shi, professor and director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University

The researchers looked back at the medical records of 109 deceased patients (out of 1,017) with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to three Wuhan hospitals: Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, which is designated as a "COVID-19 hospital," Tianyou Hospital affiliated with Wuhan University of Science and Technology, and Central Hospital of Wuhan. They recorded information on patients' demographics, clinical symptoms, laboratory results on admission and during hospitalization, treatment and date of death. The team created a database containing this information, and then cross-checked it. They then performed statistical analyses.

The average age of these patients was 70.7 years. Eighty-five suffered from comorbidities. The most common conditions were hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes. All 109 patients were critically ill at hospital admission, and their most common condition was progressive shortness of breath (dyspnea). Prof. Shi observed, "Dyspnea was the most remarkable symptom that rapidly worsened."

Although all of these patients needed ICU care, only 46.8 percent were admitted to the ICU because of a bed shortage. Although all of the patients studied died, patients who were in the ICU group in comparison to the non-ICU group, lived an average of 15.9 days vs. 12.5 days following hospitalization.

"It is not surprising that there were approximately twice as many men as women among non-survivors with COVID-19 pneumonia," stated Prof. Shi. "In most infectious diseases and related conditions such as sepsis and septic shock men always represent a larger proportion of cases and have higher mortality rates."

All patients received antibiotics to treat secondary infections and nearly all received antivirals, while all ICU patients also received antifungal drugs. Other medicines, including glucocorticoids and intravenous immune globulin, were given to some patients. Oxygen therapy of various types was given to all patients.

Based on their observations and analyses, the authors concluded:

Since multiple organ failure, especially respiratory failure and heart failure, occurred rapidly after hospital admission, an organ protection strategy and ICU care should be provided as soon as possible to patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia in order to prolong their survival. A social distancing policy should also be proposed to slow the rate of cases and prevent health care systems from being overwhelmed by patients for whom they cannot provide ICU care."
Several years ago I wrote a book entitled Change Agent: Engaging Your Passion to Be the One Who Makes a Difference. During the writing of that book I discovered six unique stages God took his leaders through to become His change agents.

One of the stages I discovered was an Isolation Stage. It seems God often set aside a leader away from his normal life for a greater purpose. For some it was jail time like the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote many of his epistles when he was imprisoned. This could also be said of Jeremiah, Isaiah and many others. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me (Isa 49:2).

The Apostle John was put on the Island of Patmos where he received the vision of Revelation. John did not die on this island, but God used his isolation on Patmos to download an important part of the Bible for God's people.

John Bunyan was imprisoned twelve years for preaching the Gospel. What came from his time in prison was one of Christianity's greatest classics  Pilgrim's Progress.

Sir Issac Newton's Greatest Discoveries Came in a 2-Year Quarantine

On Christmas Eve in 1664, a London resident named Goodwoman Phillips was found dead in the run-down district of St. Giles-in-the-Fields. Telltale buboes on her corpse left no doubt about the cause of death. Her house was sealed and the words "Lord Have Mercy On Us" were painted on the door in red: Phillips had died of bubonic plague.

Only a few other deaths from plague were reported over the next few months. But by April, the numbers had begun to climb markedly. When summer arrived, death was everywhere. Records from mid-July showed 2,010 deaths, spread among every parish in London. The death toll a week later had jumped to 7,496. Over a period of 18 months, the Great Plague of London, as the epidemic came to be called, would claim more than 100,000 lives  roughly a quarter of the city's population.

Then as now, social distancing was an important response to the deadly outbreak. Urban residents who could afford to do so fled to the countryside. Among the institutions that closed for the duration was Cambridge University, and among the students who headed home for what today we would call self-quarantining was a 23-year-old mathematics student by the name of Isaac Newton.

For the next year and a half, Newton remained at his family's farm in Lincolnshire, reading, studying, and thinking alone. While the bubonic plague raged elsewhere, Newton embarked on what he would later describe as the most intellectually productive period of his life.

One subject that had always interested Newton was light and color. Two years earlier, visiting the annual Sturbridge Fair near the university, he had purchased a small glass prism. He had been fascinated by the way the prism seemed to change white light into a spectrum of rainbow-like colors. No one understood where those colors came from; one theory was that the glass somehow added color to otherwise colorless light.

This wasn't the only discovery Newton made during his isolation. Newton's laws laid the foundation for classical mechanics, and upon it, generations of physicists would build towering edifices. The mathematics required to derive these laws  which involve multiple variables with continuously changing quantities  did not exist in Newton's day. So he invented an entirely new mathematical discipline. Without calculus, modern mathematics, engineering, and statistics would be impossible (https://www.aish.com/ci/sam/Sir-Isaac-Newtons-Self-Quarantine.html).

God often used isolation to prepare his leaders for a greater assignment. Joseph was sold into slavery and later accused of a crime he did not do which landed him in prison. God used over 13 years of preparation for what would be an 81-year assignment as second in command of Egypt.

Nelson Mandela would be imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid, revolutionary political activities in South Africa. He would move from the jail cell to the presidential palace for five years as president of South Africa from 1994-1999.

God Turns Messes into Messages and Messengers

What I observed is God turns our messes into messages and creates messengers in the process. God initiates a time of separation from past dependencies to realign values of the leader. King David was forced to flee Saul, who was trying to kill him. He ended up in the Cave of Adullam as his hiding place. During his time in the cave he wrote three of the Psalms -- Psalm 34, 57, and 142. The down-and-outs joined him in the cave. They became known as David's Mighty Men.

God often gave the leader treasures in darkness. "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel" (Isa 45:3). I recall God doing this in my own life in the mid-nineties. I was in a time of isolation from a difficult season. I began to reflect on what I was learning in that season that resulted in my writing a devotional series entitled TGIF Today God Is First. That devotional is now read in 105 nations around the world. Recently I wrote another book during a time of isolation that is just now being released called The Hidden Place: One Man's Journey to Freedom.

How might God be using this quarantine time in the nations for His purposes? Maybe you are being isolated right now. Perhaps there is a book or a message God is downloading to you right now. I encourage you to use this time to listen. Allow this mess to download a message from God that might be used for His people at this time as His messenger.

Image courtey: Getty Images / tommaso79

Os Hillman is author of 20 books and the popular devotional TGIF Today God Is First. His most recent book is The Hidden Place: One Man's Journey to Freedom.
Coronavirus most likely to have jumped to humans from intermediary host, but some say lab accident cannot be ruled out.

Hong Kong, China  The blame game between China and the United States on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic has fuelled a host of theories, some more believable than others.

At the start of the outbreak in December, the most mainstream assumption was that the virus originated from a so-called wet market in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first COVID-19 cases were reported.

But as the virus spread globally, the role of public-health laboratories in Wuhan came under increasing scrutiny.

In two labs in Wuhan, long-running experiments with bat viruses helped scientists quickly identify the coronavirus as most likely to have come from the nocturnal mammal, but those same labs have also fuelled biosafety concerns.

The practice of collecting viruses from bats first burst into public view in the early weeks of the outbreak when Shi Zhengli, a noted scientist with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, refuted a swirl of online accusations both at home and abroad that the coronavirus may have leaked from her institute, where a lab certified as BSL-4, the highest level for handling dangerous pathogens, opened three years ago.

Director-Generalof the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu has called such speculation part of an infodemic of fake news surrounding the coronavirus, while other public health officials said they belong with the slew of conspiracy theories claiming that the virus was engineered (all scientists who have studied the genome of the virus agree that would be impossible).

But some scientists, both within China and elsewhere, say an accidental leak remains a possibility  insofar as there is no evidence to disprove it.

There is nothing fake about lab accidents, said Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist and director at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University in New Jersey, US. There also is nothing conspiratorial about lab accidents.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese joint team visited Wuhan, the city where the new coronavirus purportedly originated, in February when the outbreak there was at its peak [File: China Daily via Reuters]

Bat research

In China, research on bat viruses began in earnest shortly after the SARS epidemic subsided.

The 2003 outbreak, which originated in the southern province of Guangdong, proved particularly deadly in parts of Asia. Of the more than 8,000 people infected, 84 percent of the fatal cases were in China. The virus was later traced to a palm civet that had been infected by a bat.

Bats are most prevalent in the caves in Yunnan province in Chinas southwestern borderland.

So, over the past 10 years, Shi and other Wuhan virologists have made numerous expeditions to collect viruses from different bat species, building up Asias largest virus bank, according to the institutes newsletter.

Through their work on bats, theyve found a huge diversity of SARS-like virus in bats and flagged some of these viruses that may have an impact on human health, said Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong who co-authored a paper with Shi in 2010.

Poon said once the genome of the coronavirus was sequenced in early January, Shi was able to confirm its likely source as a bat by retrieving a bat virus sample from her store that was 96 percent similar.

Some scientists have suggested the pangolin, the worlds most trafficked mammal, could have been an intermediary for the coronavirus; the animals are smuggled from countries like Malaysia for their scales and meat [File: Bazuki Muhammad BM/JS/Reuters]

To raise its research profile, the Wuhan institute had sought out foreign expertise in establishing Chinas first BSL-4 lab.

Working with the Jean Merieux BSL-4 Laboratory in Lyon, France, the institute had the3,000 square metres (32,292 square feet) lab certified by both Chinese and French authorities for operations by early 2017.

Staff went through extensive training in France, Canada, and the United States, as well as in-house, according to the WHO. There is no worldwide body overseeing such facilities, although the WHO publishes a Laboratory Biosafety Manual and its guidelines widely followed.

In a report published after a December 2017 consultative meeting on high and maximum containment labs, Dr Kasunobu Kojima, the WHOs focal point for biosafety and laboratory security who was in the process of updating the manual noted: Risk does not arise from the pathogen alone, but results from the process.

Shi did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for an interview, but told Scientific America that the coronavirus did not match any of those of the viruses her team had sampled from bat caves.

Accidents can happen

The BSL-4 lab was not the only laboratory in the city of 11 million people that was collecting bat viruses.

In mid-February, scientists from two of Chinas most prestigious polytechnics, including one in Wuhan, circulated a pre-print paper, one that has not undergone peer review, detailing accidents involving bats at the lab of the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After being attacked and urinated on by the bats, a researcher quarantined himself for 14 days.

The CDC lab is located280 metres (919 feet) from the seafood market and across the street from the hospital that were the sites of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 cases. The authors made a circumstantial case for the virus probably originate[ing] from a laboratory in Wuhan.

As long as no scientist has been able to marshal the evidence to the contrary, to Ebright this remains a possible scenario.





He points out that after the initial outbreak, SARS virus leaked from labs in Singapore and Taipei, as well as twice in Beijing.

And last December, a leak of the bacterium Brucella from a veterinary lab in Gansu province infected more than 100 people.

SARS and other coronaviruses are not considered airborne or lethal so experiments on them are allowed in laboratories of a lower safety level, where full-bodysuits and complete decontamination for lab technicians are not necessarily required. Anyone handling the virus could become an unwitting carrier.

Scientists who are sceptical of the lab leak hypothesis believe there was probably an intermediate host for the virus before it made the leap to humans, as there was during the 2003 SARS outbreak.

COVID-19 coronavirus bears such a close resemblance to the SARS coronavirus that it was officially termed SARS-CoV-2.

Yet, Shi and her American collaborators have shown that in a laboratory environment bat coronaviruses can jump directly to humans.

Market cleared, disinfected

Even as the lockdown in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province has been eased in recent days, the search for the intermediary host is likely to prove challenging.

The wild animals that were believed to be on sale illegally at the seafood market  which the scientists see as specimens  were destroyed after it was shut down in early January soon after the first known cluster of cases emerged there. The whole area has been disinfected and scrubbed.

A peer-reviewed paper published in Nature in late March said Chinese scientists had discovered coronavirus genomes that were 85.5 to 92.4 percent similar to SARS-CoV-2 in wild pangolins smuggled to China from Malaysia in 2017. The similarity suggests a pangolin as a likely intermediary but is not close enough for any definitive conclusion to be drawn.

With the US now the new epicentre of COVID-19, American and Chinese officials in recent weeks have ratcheted up their rhetoric on which country is to blame for the outbreak, re-kindling the controversy over the source of the coronavirus.

Workers in protective suits disinfected the Huanan seafood market, where the novel coronavirus is believed to have first surfaced, in early March [File: CNS Photo via Reuters]

As US President Donald Trump doubled down by calling it a Chinese virus, a spokesman from Chinas foreign ministry tweeted that it was the US military officials visiting Wuhan who had brought the infection with them.

Chinese officials dont own his statement, but also havent disowned his statement, either, said Yangyang Cheng, a US-trained physicist who frequently writes on the intersection of politics and science in her native China.

This reflects a bolder and more aggressive attitude from the highest level of the Chinese government.
B rits are set to bask in glorious 24C sunshine over the upcoming Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

As the nation takes part in Easter egg hunts at home during the coronavirus lockdown, temperatures could reach up to 23 or 24C, forecasters said.

But dry spells will also be interrupted by scattered April showers.

While the south of the UK will enjoy warmer drier conditions on Good Friday and Saturday, the best days in the north will be Easter Sunday and Monday.

But the whole country will also see spells of cloud and rainfall throughout the weekend and temperatures will gradually drop to the mid-teens by next week.

Farm fields near Wokingham, Berkshire on a clear Spring day. / PA

Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said that the weekend will kick off with temperatures of up to 24C in parts of the country on Good Friday.

"For many parts of England and Wales, we will see a dry day with plenty of sunshine and temperatures possibly reaching the low to mid-20s in central southern England," he said.

Mr Snell said the further north, the more likely the weather will be cloudy with the risk of showers.

Swans swim past Daffodils in Waterloo Lake, Roundhay Park, Leeds / PA

He said: "Across Scotland and Northern Ireland there will be more clouds in the sky and the risk of showers. Temperatures will also be lower in the high teens."

On Saturday, the clouds and showers across the northern half of the UK will transport their way eastwards throughout the day, Mr Snell said.

The east may get away with another fairly dry weekend as the showers may not arrive until the late afternoon or evening, he added.

Mr Snell said: "The west will have more clouds and the risk of rain on the heavy side and temperatures just that little bit cooler on Saturday.

Easter Sunday will be a day of sunshine and showers which could be thundery at times with temperatures in the high teens, Mr Snell said.

But further north will see a much drier sunnier day on both Easter Monday and Sunday, he added.
The first in the series is Recognizing Disinformation Amidst COVID-19 featuring Jane Lytvynenko , senior reporter with BuzzFeed News, taking place on Thursday, April 9 at 1 p.m. EDT . In conversation with Tremonti, Lytvynenko will explore disinformation around the coronavirus outbreak, including the online rumours, fake texts and propaganda fuelling panic and anxiety as well as driving people to false cures that have led to death. To receive the webcast link, register for this virtual event. This series of free 40-minute webcasts focuses on the critical role of journalism in the COVID-19 crisis and how journalists bring trustworthy news and information to Canadians. It comes at a time when a large majority of Canadians, according to CJF's recent poll conducted by Maru/Matchbox, believe that they will be exposed to misinformation about the coronavirus before this pandemic is behind us.

"Offering J-Talks through this new webinar series reflects the CJF's ongoing commitment to working together for better journalism," says Natalie Turvey, CJF president and executive director. "This program pivot to the Web is based on audience feedback around the need to stay connected in discussing pressing news coverage issues and its importance to democracy at a time when journalism matters more than ever. We're grateful to Anna Maria and to our featured speakers for lending their time and expertise to the series."

Andre Picard, award-winning health reporter and columnist for The Globe and Mail, will be featured on the next webcast in the series on April 23.



Past event videos and podcasts from our popular J-Talks series are also available.

This discussion is part of the J-Talks series, which explores pressing media issues.



The CJF thanks the generosity of J-Talks series sponsor BMO Financial Group and in-kind supporter CISION.

DATE: Thursday, April 9, 2020, 1 p.m. EDT

Register now to receive the webcast link.





#JTalksLive



About The Canadian Journalism Foundation

Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious awards and fellowships program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation

For further information: For inquiries: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected]

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The Ukrainian city of Dnipro has so far registered only 13 coronavirus infections and no fatalities attributed to Covid-19, but the local authorities have already dug over 600 fresh graves, just to be sure.

Unwilling to risk the same kind of insubordination from his constituents, the mayor of Dnipro, a city of almost one million people, has gone to extreme lengths to make sure locals understand the dangers of ignoring social distancing measures. Last week, Mayor Borys Filatov wrote on Facebook that local authorities were preparing for the worst, adding that over 600 new graves have already been dug in in preparation for anticipated deaths.

We are preparing for the worst. Not 400, but 600 graves were dug in the city cemeteries for the possible burial of the coronavirus dead. One-thousand thick plastic bags were bought for storing bodies, Filatov wrote.

The Dnipro mayors spokeswoman, Yulia Vitvitska, confirmed to AFP that the city had dug 615 graves and readied 2,000 body bags in preparation for Covid-19 deaths. Mayor Filatov also mentioned that medical workers will be prohibited from performing autopsies on people believed to have died from coronavirus infection.

And as if these statements weret enough to scare people into obeying social distancing rules in the city, photos of hundreds of freshly dug graves in a large field surrounded by forest at a cemetery lined with orthodox crosses outside the city also started doing the rounds online.

Response to the mayors statements has been mixed, with some accusing him of only creating more panic among already anxious locals, and other crediting him for taking the right approach, by psychologically coercing people to be more cautious.

Filatov himself has been very unapologetic about his statements, saying: This is not panic, but logistics. God forbid we will need the graves and body bags.
Australian tabloid newspaper The Daily Telegraph goes all out in its response to a letter from the consulate general of the People's Republic of China in Sydney wherein the paper's coverage of China's response to COVID-19 was said to be "full of ignorance, prejudice and arrogance".

The paper was all sass in its point-by-point reply to the consulate's letter which was published in its weekend edition. Its opening reply to the objections raised was, "If a state-owned newspaper in China received this kind of complaint, subsequent days would involve journalists waking up in prison with their organs harvested."

The subjects 'touched-upon' by the daily in its reply ranged from the claims made by the Chinese government with respect to the pandemic, questioning the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its independence, to the reportedly sub-standard aid provided by China to other countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

To a statement in the letter referring to the "huge effort and personal sacrifice" made by the people of Wuhan in order to stop the spread of the virus, the paper replied saying, "Wuhans Dr Li Wenliang indeed made a huge effort to warn people about the coronavirus outbreak. Then, as the New York Times reported: In early January, he was called in by both medical officials and the police, and forced to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor.

"And now hes dead, so thats personal sacrifice covered as well, it 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

The Australian Consulate General of China in its letter also said, "Tracing the origin of the virus is a scientific issue that requires professional, science-based assessment." To this, The Daily Telegraph responded with another retort, and said, "Sure it does. How professional and science-based was the claim published on March 12 by Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan?"
A Bafta-winning Syrian photographer and filmmaker who has temporarily changed careers to serve on the coronavirus frontline as a hospital cleaner says he was desperate to help after 'England welcomed me with open arms'.

Hassan Akkad, who fled to the UK after he was imprisoned and tortured in Syria, is working at St Bartholomews Hospital in London after deciding he had to do something to help.

Today he told Good Morning Britain: 'England has been home to me for the last four years. The people of this country have welcomed me with open arms and since the pandemic hit I couldn't sleep and was thinking about it all the time.

'I was desperate to help. This NHS badge they gave me is like a badge of honour. To be on the front line and able to help at this difficult time is an honour.'

Hassan Akkad, a former English teacher who fled to the UK after he was imprisoned and tortured in Syria, is working at St Bartholomews Hospital in London (where he is pictured)

Mr Akkad, 32, whose journey featured in the BBC television series Exodus, fought back tears when he spoke of the support he and other migrant NHS workers had received.

I have been overwhelmed after receiving so many beautiful messages from people saying you are a hero and youre one of us and we value you,' he said.

'But I dont want this just for me because honestly if you see the hospital I work at, its like an airport terminal.

People are from everywhere, the nurses and the ward hosts and the cleaners and the porters are the spine of the hospital. And they are from everywhere, the Caribbean, Chad, the Philippines, Spain, Poland.

I hope if this teaches us one thing, it teaches us to be kinder to one another despite where we come from. I hope this changes us for the best.

After the interview, Piers Morgan insisted the contributions of NHS staff should be considered in future debates about immigration.

I really think this is a reset button for the country and the world  but for this country in particular, about what we should be valuing most,' he said.

Lets not continue to have hysterical debates about who we should let into our country when you watch interviews like that with people who are literally saving lives.

Mr Akkad, who also worked as an English teacher in Syria, came to public attention after he posted a photograph of himself in full protective equipment in the hospital bathroom on Twitter.

Wearing a face mask, apron and gloves, he said he had undergone training before starting the new role. Similar positions advertised online pay around 8.50 per hour.

He tweeted: Honoured to join an army of cleaners disinfecting Covid wards our local hospital after receiving training.

London has been my home since leaving Syria, and the least I can do is making sure my neighbours and the amazing NHS staff are safe and sound. Stay Home Save Lives.'

He later added that he had been blown away by how lovely, supportive and kind all the people who had messaged him in response were.

He added that it would mean a lot to me if you can donate some money to the hospital I clean.

He said the hospital in the City of London had launched a Covid-19 appeal and need a bit of help during this tough time.

Mr Akkad holding up his NHS badge on GMB this morning, where he described it as a 'badge of honour'

Mr Akkad left his home town of Damascus in 2012 and arrived in London in September 2015.

He was an English teacher in a high school and also worked as a photographer. He fled his country after he was imprisoned and tortured by the Assad regime.

He had been accused of being a spy as his English was so good.

Mr Akkad, who lives in Brixton, south London, shared his story in the the BBC documentary Exodus: Our Journey to Europe.

In the documentary he talked about his journey to Europe, which included a traumatic dinghy journey crossing to Greece and two months in the Calais Jungle.

Each night he attempted to swim the short distance from the shore onto the ferries that cross the Channel but failed every time.

He finally made it to the UK, flying from Brussels to Heathrow, on a fake Bulgarian passport.

Describing how he felt sat on the plane to the UK, he said: I started crying. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Speaking about his life in Damascus, he said: Going on protests in Syria was like going on a suicide mission.

He said on one occasion he was beaten for 20 minutes with iron poles and both his arms were broken and two of his ribs.

Six months after arriving in London he was granted right to remain. He said at the time: I want to pay my tax.

I want to make money, I want to learn. Thats the thing about Syrians - we dont like to do nothing, we want to be part of any society that were in.

After arriving in the UK he became a campaigner, travelling to universities to share his story and has also worked with refugee charities in London.

It came as Britain's army of 750,000 volunteers reported for duty for the first time yesterday to help the NHS in its fight against coronavirus.

The NHS Volunteer Service received three times the amount of applications they had hoped for in the largest call for volunteers since the Second World War.

Applications had to be halted while officials ran checks on the three quarters of a million Britons who signed up to help.

They have now been given their first jobs, which range from calling the elderly and vulnerable in isolation to driving patients to hospital.

Volunteers can 'report for duty' to say they are available to help on the GoodSAM app, which alerts them when there is a job to do in their area.

Many took proudly to social media to say they are ready for their first tasks.

Gary Millard, from Bristol, announced he was prepared for his shift with a picture of himself wearing a towel as a cape and the caption: 'I am ready to go whenever they call on me to do whatever I can do to help our fantastic NHS heroes.'
A 23-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander was killed after a day-long gunbattle with security forces as part of an ongoing counter-insurgency operation in Jammu & Kashmirs Sopore town on Wednesday, a police spokesman said.

The gunbattle is the latest in a series of firefights between militants and security forces in Jammu & Kashmir since Saturday. The escalation in violence has coincided with the lockdown in the region as part of the nationwide measures taken to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The spokesman cited above said Sajjad Nawab Dar, the commander, was killed a day after the army, police and paramilitary forces launched a joint operation in Sopores Gulabad Arampora locality following intelligence inputs about the militant presence there

He said the locality was completely sealed and security forces ensured that it was well lighted to prevent militants from escaping the area under the cover of darkness. The exchange of fire between the security forces and militants began on Wednesday morning and continued till late in the evening.

The spokesman said Dar was killed in the initial gunfight and was later identified as a local militant, who lived barely two to three kilometers away from the firefight site. He added while Dar was neutralised, the gunfight and the operation were underway. The operation was launched on a credible input that two to four terrorists were present in the area.

The spokesman said Dar threatened and intimidated peace-loving citizens of Sopore and its peripheral areas. He explored the opportunities to assault security forces and VIP rallies through his OGWs [overground workers] and also motivated local youth for the execution of grenade attacks against monetary benefits, he said. He added the militant used modern approaches of communication with other conduits of the outfit via social media apps.

Police said Dar had joined militant ranks two years ago.

Earlier, the mobile internet was also suspended in Sopore as a precautionary measure in view of the gunbattle, which left a house where the militants were holed up completely damaged.

This was the third gunbattle between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir since Saturday.

Five commandos of an elite army special forces unit were killed in action along the Line of Control, the de facto border with Pakistan, in Jammu & Kashmirs Keran sector on Sunday during an intense close-quarters battle with an equal number of infiltrators who were all eliminated.

The bodies of the five infiltrators were buried in a nearby forest after their DNA samples were taken.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:27:05|Editor: huaxia

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MINSK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 infections on Wednesday reached 1,066 in Belarus, including 13 deaths, according to the country's health ministry.

Of the infected patients, 976 are receiving treatment and 77 have been discharged. No new death cases were reported over the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

A mission from the World Health Organization arrived in Belarus on Tuesday to monitor the country's fight against the virus, which has involved about 25,000 medical workers across the country. The mission is expected to leave on Saturday.
Comcast is accused of illegally accessing a King of Prussia man's credit report without permission. Read more

A King of Prussia man who has won tens of thousands of dollars suing companies over sales calls is now taking on Comcast, claiming the cable giant illegally accessed his credit report without permission.

In a complaint filed in federal court in Philadelphia, James Everett Shelton said Comcast obtained his credit report after the company called him two years ago to sell him service. Shelton says the company violated his privacy and harmed his credit score.

The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges Comcasts actions violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires written consent from consumers to access credit reports. Shelton suggests the company has made thousands of unauthorized inquiries into consumers credit reports, according to the complaint.

Comcast did not return a request for comment.

In his complaint, Shelton said he never gave Comcast permission to review his credit report. He said he asked Comcast to remove the hard inquiry from his Equifax file in June 2018, but instead the company accessed it again.

The Philadelphia company has faced similar allegations in court, and customers have complained in online forums of unauthorized inquiries into their credit reports.

Corporations in all aspects tend to play fast and loose with this issue, said attorney Greg Gorski, who is representing Shelton. Imagine somebody decides to come into your house and open up your desk drawer that contains all of your personal information.  Thats what tangibly goes on here when someone pulls your credit report without telling you.

Shelton, 24, said he has filed more than 50 lawsuits against all sorts of companies, many over allegedly illegal robocalls. Last May, he won $33,000 from a company he said sent him 22 unwanted sales calls. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland that month.
Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee as the movement to eliminate single-use plastics took hold in mainstream America.

In a matter of days, hard-won bans to reduce the use of plastics and particularly plastic shopping sacks across the U.S. have come under fire amid worries about the virus clinging to reusable bags, cups and straws.

Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags. Oregon suspended its brand-new ban on plastic bags this week, and cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, have announced a hiatus on plastic bag bans as the coronavirus rages.

Add to that a rise in takeout and a ban on reusable cups and straws at the few coffee stores that remain open, and environmentalists worry COVID-19 could set back their efforts to tackle plastic pollution for years.

People are scared for their lives, their livelihood, the economy, feeding their loved ones, so the is taking a back seat, said Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar in Seattle.

Quadros has laid off 15 employees and seen a 60% decline in business since Seattle all but shut down to slow the pandemic. For now, he's using biodegradable containers for takeout and delivery, but those products cost up to three times more than plastic and they're getting hard to find because of the surge in takeout, he said.

The problem is, we don't know what's in store, Quadros said. Everyone is in the same situation."



The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying hard to overturn bans on single-use plastics by arguing disposable plastics are the safest option amid the crisis. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have statewide bans on plastic bags, and Oregon and California have laws limiting the use of plastic straws.

New York's statewide plastic bag ban is on hold because of a lawsuit.

The Plastics Industry Association recently sent a letter to Alex Azar, head of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and asked him to speak out against plastic bag bans because they put consumers and workers at risk. And the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance is doubling down on its opposition to plastic bag bans under a preexisting campaign titled Bag the Ban.

Grocery worker unions, too, have joined the chorus. The union that represents Oregon supermarket workers is lobbying for a ban on reusable bags, and a Chicago union called for an end to the disease-transmitting bag tax." Critics argue people with reusable bags don't regularly wash them.

If those bags coming into the store are contaminated with anything, they get put on the conveyor belt, the counter, and you're putting yourself in a bad spot, said Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance.

It's an unnecessary risk." A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found the novel coronavirus can remain on plastics and stainless steel for up to three days, and on cardboard for up to one day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it appears possible for a person to get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes but it's not thought that's the main way the virus spreads.

More studies are needed to fully assess the dangers posed by reusable bags, which are mostly made of fabric, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the Portland metropolitan area.

It's not clear that a virus that you can find on a surface whether it's cloth or something else is viable and can actually make you sick," she said.

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.

Some stores such as Trader Joe's and Target are letting customers use their own bags if they sack their groceries themselves, while others are banning them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkey sends medical aid to Balkans to fight virus

A Turkish military aircraft departed from the capital Ankara early Wednesday to carry aid to the Balkan countries to help them fight the outbreak.

Turkish government on Wednesday delivered medical supplies to five Balkan countries to help fight the novel coronavirus outbreak.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES WERE DELIVERED

"Masks, overalls, and test kits prepared by Turkeys Health Ministry will be delivered to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo at the instructions of our President Erdogan," the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

Turkey sends medical aid to Balkans to fight virus WATCH

Turkey previously sent medical aid to Italy and Spain, the countries in Europe worst hit by the virus.
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The Ministry of Health Tuesday asked Kenyans to brace for tough times after it confirmed 14 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 172
The coronavirus commands global attention, but when you are quarantined at home with the family and your commode stops flushing, that too rises to the level of a crisis.

A large part of the workforce has been idle for weeks amid a shutdown due to the pandemic. But legions of plumbers, electricians and other home contractors have continued to answer service calls to homes that need hot water heaters, furnaces and roofs repaired.

To ensure the health and safety of technicians and homeowners alike amid the highly contagious virus outbreak, companies are taking a multi-tiered approach.

Handyside Plumbing in Fairview Township, for instance, requires that all technicians wear gloves, protective facemasks and booties. Theyve also provided technicians with plenty of hand sanitizer.

Theyve been greeting customers with a wave not handshake, said Carley Lorditch, the office manager. Just imagine if you had one commode in your house and it was clogged. Trades people are more critical now than ever to ensure central operations in your home are working.

Contractors have been instructed to wash their hands frequently even when they just pop out to their vans. They have also been told to maintain a safe distance from homeowners.

Weve had customers give special instructions for the technician to enter the house while they seclude themselves in a certain area of the house, Lorditch said.

At least 240 people have died due to coronavirus in Pennsylvania, including 78 new deaths reported Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health. Statewide, 14,559 patients have been diagnosed with the coronavirus; 1,579 new cases were reported today.

The majority of firms have gone paperless, doing away entirely with paper-and-ink signatures deferring instead to online sign offs.

Many companies have also rolled out virtual diagnostics and consultations.

Handyside is using remote consultation.

Its allowing us to meet through Zoom but not in person so we dont have to step into their homes, Lorditch said. That makes people feel comfortable that they have that option.

Haller Enterprises rolled out a remote assist program that allows homeowners to speak with an expert via phone or video chat to diagnose a problem without the need of a home visit.

If we think it could be something we may be able to handle over the phone or the homeowner can handle themselves, well have the service technician in the office basically walk them through it, said Aaron Becker, president at Haller Enterprises. Basically its Facetiming with the homeowner and walking them through to see if we can fix the equipment from our office so we dont have to come out.

Homeowners are also taking advantage of online consultations to give the technician a virtual tour of the swiftest, least trafficked passage in their house to get to the equipment.

It also allows us to know what kind of equipment they have so we are able to come out with the right equipment and limit the times we have to go in and out of the house, Becker said.

The Harrisburg-based Plumbers, Pipefitters and HVACR Technicians Local Union 520 has posted extensive guidelines for tradespeople on its website, covering extensive issues that can impact the safety of technicians.

The union, for instance, points out that according to the Centers for Disease Control, the coronavirus can survive in human feces, although it is unclear for how long. Virus outbreaks have also been traced to sanitary drains and open vent systems.

...As long as the pandemic is still active, it should be assumed by anyone working on a sanitary drainage system that the virus is present, the union statement reads. All plumbers and HVAC service technicians working on these systems are strongly recommended to wear personal protective equipment including a full face shield worn over safety goggles, impermeable gloves, and protective clothing, because of the potential to come into contact with water and aerosols that contain the coronavirus when working on sanitary systems or sewers. Assume that everything inside that system is contagious.

The union also recommends that any tradesperson working near plumbing vents and rooftop HVAC equipment, specifically exhaust fans, be provided proper personal protective equipment. The union also recommends that in addition to washing hands, technicians should wash their arms and face with soap and water for 20 seconds immediately after removing PPE.

Becker said his company is screening service calls to determine if anyone in the household has tested positive or has been sickened by COVID-19.

It doesnt mean we are not going to do the service but well add added safety precautions with elevated facemasks and protective suits, he said. We want to make sure we take care of everyone.

Haller in March rolled out company-wide safety protocol, including contactless delivery to warehouses. The company is also tracking employee travel in order to have a record of personal interactions in case anyone should test positive or get sick.

Becker said homeowners have been pleased with the safety protocol.

For everyone, theres so many unknowns, Becker said. Its not just one person coming into my house or one employee going in. With the heightened awareness around this virus we need to take extra precaution. All the customers weve had interactions with are really appreciative.

Some business owners have turned their attention to the Legislature.

Fred Fortino, owner of Rl Snyder Electric Inc. in Harrisburg, is among a cadre of contractors appealing to the Legislature to lift restrictions on the construction industry.

Most guys at a construction site are not on top of each other. They have more than 6-foot separation with our guys working outside and all, said Fortino, whose business is typically majority commercial, but has, amid the pandemic, taken on more residential emergency service calls.

The General Assembly this week continued to consider appeals from industry sectors seeking exemption from the list of businesses that must remain closed due the COVID-19 crisis. On Monday, two measures advanced in a House committee; the bills seek to roll back portions of Gov. Tom Wolfs business closure order. The measures are now in the pipeline for full House consideration.

Wolf on March 19 ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close but provided for a waiver process for those businesses to seek an exemption from the closure order.

Fortino said he is confident that his technicians as well as homeowners are protected due to the fact that all technicians wear masks, booties and gloves on the job - and all have hand sanitizers in their trucks. He is, however, not as optimistic about his industry sector.

Its hampered our industry tremendously, Fortino said. A lot of companies are not going to come back from this.

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.

Read more of our coronavirus coverage:

Pa. lawmakers split on whether businesses should reopen

Limited tech forces thousands of state workers to still report for work, despite their offices being closed

The Amish present unique challenges amid coronavirus
Mandi Pekan had long been looking forward to this month.

The registered psychotherapist is the director of the Street Resilience Project, scheduled to officially launch this April. Like so many other events and projects, it has been postponed.

But its core mission must somehow go on.

The project aims to give community service providers and the wider public a better understanding of the lived experiences of racialized men who are involved in criminal activity as they receive support.

The three-year project is a collaboration with Ottawas Debra Dynes Family House and youth advocate Jamil Jivani.

After the first year of interviewing and providing help to dozens of young men in Ottawa, Pekan and her team were readying to unveil a short film that narrates what its like for those who are struggling to survive in low-income neighbourhoods where the call of easy money is sometimes hard to ignore.

They are the most underserved, misunderstood and silenced population, says Pekan, who has family members and close friends who were lost to the streets, experiences that motivated her career path.

This is an opportunity to share their stories and humanize their experiences, she told me. Often society believes these young men enjoy their lifestyle, but this lifestyle choice comes with constant traumatic stress.

There is a cost to it. They are in a present-like war-zone in their own community, where the politics of street-life induces constant trauma. They are feeling paranoid, hyper-vigilant, a mixture of emotions they cant understand, nightmares, the feeling of constant threat and the fear of incarceration.

And now, in the midst of a global pandemic and a near total shutdown, Pekan says she and others who work with these vulnerable communities are even more worried.

Her colleague Zervos Selvendren works with individuals who have been recently released from prison and are re-integrating back into society.

He says the pandemic has made it difficult to reach his clients on a consistent basis. Efforts to connect virtually are not always possible because many lack connectivity, he points out in an email.

The loneliness, loss of stable supports, and lack of understanding of why all this is happening may exacerbate the already challenging situations many of his clients would normally be facing trying to get their lives back on track and avoiding a return to harmful habits.

Someone with an intimate understanding of those challenges is 29-year-old Adam Katake (a pseudonym), one of two advisers with lived experiences consulting on the Street Resilience Project.

In a poignant essay, Katake shared with me his life story from his arrival to Canada with his family as a three-year-old and his many years of struggle with poverty, bullying and living with an abusive father.

He would eventually traffic in cocaine, making $300 a day. It came with many risks, including extreme violence. After one gun incident saw his friend shot and a bullet graze his leg, he tried to break out of the lifestyle but would return to it several times before finally quitting.

With great effort, he managed to earn an engineering degree over the course of eight years, even with drug and gun convictions and while serving two sentences. Employers eventually gave him a chance despite his criminal record. He now holds down a lucrative job, is married, and shares his story with at-risk youth.

Ive wanted to give back for a long time, he tells me by phone. But with a criminal background, its hard to volunteer. With this, I get to know these young people better than anyone and help them when they need it most. This project has been a great outlet for me.

Pekans team hopes this work continues, recently introducing Voices from the Streets as a platform for the young men they have been working with to share current experiences.

Yet she admits shes frustrated with the lack of coordination in the social services sector.

Any means of engaging these young men has stalled. They are left to fend for themselves.

Just when they need support the most.
Convicted former Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh has been assigned to serve her sentence at an Alabama facility nearly 900 miles from home, and is asking for a delay in reporting so that she can resolve pending state charges and try to get a new prison assignment.

The disclosures come in a new filing from her defense attorneys in U.S. District Court asking that her reporting date be extended to June 1.

Pugh, who was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the Healthy Holly childrens book fraud scheme, was originally slated to report to prison on April 13. She received an extension until April 27 so that she could stay with her niece through the school year.

Pugh also has pending state perjury charges brought by the Maryland State Prosecutors office, which Pughs attorneys say were expected to be resolved before she reported to prison. But the disruption of the courts due to the coronavirus pandemic pushed that hearing back to May 14.

Attorney Andy White wrote that Pugh has also since been assigned to the FCI Aliceville, a womens prison that is about two hours west of Birmingham and 900 miles from Baltimore.

To require the Defendant to surrender to BOP [Bureau of Prisons] custody in Alabama, only to then have to be immediately returned to Maryland for the final adjudication of her state law charges, serves no legitimate purpose, unduly burdens the United States Marshals Service in having to unnecessarily transport the Defendant back to Maryland, could cause undue delays in the state court proceedings, and frustrates the Defendants access to BOP programs that she can benefit from while serving her sentence in a designated facility, White wrote in a Wednesday filing.

Moreover, Pughs attorneys say they want to contest the assignment to the Alabama facility, saying it goes against recommendations in the First Step Act.

An extension of the current surrender date would allow the Defendant time to petition the BOP to change her designation to a facility consistent with the First Step Acts requirement that BOP place [a] prisoner in a facility as close as practicable to the prisoners primary residence, and to the extent practicable, in a facility within 500 driving miles of that residence,' her attorneys wrote.

The judge in Pughs case recommended that she be sentenced to a facility in West Virginia.

Federal prosecutors have not yet responded to the filing.

Pughs political fall began in March when The Baltimore Sun revealed she had entered into a no-bid deal with the University of Maryland Medical System, where Pugh sat on the board of directors, to buy 100,000 copies of her sloppily self-published Healthy Holly books for $500,000. She later resigned from the board and as mayor amid multiple investigations into her finances and the book sales. In total, she netted more than $850,000, prosecutors say.

At the same time, she failed to print thousands of copies, double-sold thousands more and took many others to use for self-promotion, according to prosecutors. Investigators also uncovered that she laundered illegal campaign contributions and failed to pay taxes.



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Siblings using a digital tablet together at home. Educational apps can provide a fun activity for kids to help supplement their learning. (Photo: Getty Images)

Many schools around the country are closed due to COVID-19 and, with that, children have time on their hands  a lot of time. Plenty of parents have tried to do home schooling and quickly realized that its not as easy as it seems. (And also, that teachers everywhere deserve a raise.)

Thats where educational apps come in. These apps can make learning fun, increasing the odds that your child will sit still for more learningand give you a break already.

Many, many parents are turning to educational apps for help with schooling. One popular app is Khan Academy, which has free online courses for kids to use on their own or with the direction of teachers. That company has seen a massive jump in usage, according to a Khan Academy spokesperson. Khan Academy supported 18 million learners per month before the crisis, the spokesperson said. Since the school closures began, time spent on the site is approximately 2.5 times normal, student and teacher registrations are up roughly six times from this period last year, and parent registration is up 20 times from normal.

Many child life specialists recommend using educational applications with children, in accordance with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, especially during a time of isolation and limited access to school, Melanie Eisenhower, MS, CCLS, a child life specialist at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Some of the benefits of using educational content during screen time include opportunities to absorb new ideas and areas of learning, increased socialization and connection with peers, and access to information about health and safety.

Apps can also help give kids structure at a time when life is completely different from normal, Kelly Foy, MS, CCLS, a child life specialist at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. We know that children can have difficulties coping when their routine is disrupted and schools being closed is certainly a change in routine, she says. While most schools are continuing to do virtual learning, educational apps are a great way to supplement that learning in a way that is already familiar to children.

Story continues

And, of course, educational apps can help keep your child entertained in a constructive way while you work. A lot of people need kids to be able to do something on their own without standing over their child, supervising every little thing they do, Gina Posner, MD, board certified pediatrician at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Educational apps are one way to do that.

Apps do count as screen time, but Posner says its OK to be a little more relaxed than usual about the rules right now. Im much more lax with my own kids about screen time right now, Posner says. But its important to differentiate between good screen time, like educational apps, and bad screen time, like watching cartoons. Good screen time should get a lot more play.

As for what to look for in an app, its a good idea to use the same resources you would with an app youd download for yourself, psychologist John Mayer, PhD, author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Look for the rating, how many people rated it, and who the source is, and do some extra Googling and see what is said about it on the web, he says. You can even message your childs teacher for their suggestions, Mayer adds.

There are a lot of educational apps out there to choose from and it can be hard to know where to start. Experts say these are worth looking into:

Khan Academy

Khan Academy

Khan Academy has educational tools to help elementary-aged children up through post-grads. The app uses interactive exercises and in-depth articles about math, science, economics, humanities, computer science, and more. Simply select your childs grade and take it from there.

Shop it: Khan Academy, free, apps.apple.com

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.

Created by learning company Scholastic, this app walks younger children through game-based learning that helps them learn to read and flex their reading skills. The app has more than 80 hours of different options and thousands of micro-actions to build and improve reading skills.

Shop it: Scholastic F.I.R.S.T., free, apps.apple.com

Duolingo

Duolingo

Duolingo is a favorite for kids who are learning a second language. It offers up games and lessons in more than 30 languages (including Spanish and French), lets your child strive for goals, and even does fun little tests to see how theyre doing.

Shop it: Duolingo, free, apps.apple.com

ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy

ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy

ABC Mouse is an award-winning app that teaches reading, math, art, music, and more subjects to kids between the ages of two and eight. The app has fun songs your child can use to learn new concepts and interactive games to further learning. You and your child can also track their progress as they learn.

Shop it: ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy, free, abcmouse.com

Quick Math Jr.

Quick Math Jr.

Quick Math Jr. is designed for kids aged 3 to 7, and covers the foundations of math, including counting, addition and subtraction, place value, and writing numbers. The app features 12 games aligned with international math curriculums, and options to answer questions in multiple choice or through handwriting. The app also features fun monsters to cheer your child on as they learn.

Shop it: Quick Math Jr., free, apps.apple.com

Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week

Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week

Let your child dive into an educational topic with Brainpops educational videos. Brainpop has a slew of educational videos on things like rainforests, Mozart, and food allergies. The videos are followed by short quizzes to help reiterate what your child learned.

Shop it: Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week, free, apps.apple.com

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides.
People were making use of Clark Park in West Philadelphia to escape the concerns of the virus and to get some exercise and fresh air on March 19, 2020. Nafi Cannady, 8, wears a mask as he swings. His mother, Trinia Cannady, said The mask was for his safety and the safety of others. Her philosophy for her son is to come out get some air and then go back inside. Read more

TL;DR: Coronavirus cases in Philly are rising at slower rate, but today, the White House called this area a potential hot spot. In preparing for a surge of cases, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered Pennsylvania hospitals to share medical equipment, including ventilators and personal protective equipment. The coronavirus is not just like the flu. Even though Passover is starting tonight, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to stay home.

See these photos of Philly iconic buildings lit up in blue to honor those fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Make sure you check Inquirer.com/coronavirus for the latest news, and please feel free to tell your family and friends to sign up.

Enjoy getting our journalism through email? You can also sign up for The Inquirer Morning Newsletter to get the latest news, features, investigations and more sent straight to your inbox each morning Sunday-Friday. Sign up here.

 Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com)

What you need to know

 Pennsylvanias draft of the medical treatment guidelines for who gets critical care during the coronavirus pandemic discriminates against people with disabilities, activists say.

 Gov. Tom Wolf is ordering Pennsylvania hospitals to share medical equipment, including ventilators and personal protective equipment.

 Philadelphia police officers will start wearing cloth face masks while on duty.

 SEPTA is dramatically slashing service and urging an end to nonessential rides.

 Passover is starting tonight, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy urged residents to still stay home. Tonight is different from all other nights, he said. We cannot gather together."

Local coronavirus cases

As of Wednesday evening, there are more than 10,500 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

PHILADELPHIA: 4,777 confirmed cases (up 505 since yesterday)

SUBURBAN PA: 3,752 confirmed cases (up 409 since yesterday)

SOUTH JERSEY: 2,063 confirmed cases (up 182 since yesterday)

The growth of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia is slowing, but Deborah Birx, the Trump administrations COVID-19 response director, said the city could be one of the next coronavirus hot spots.

"We are concerned about the metro area of Washington and Baltimore, and were concerned right now about the Philadelphia area, Birx said on Good Morning America.

Hours later, the citys Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said, I dont know what numbers shes looking at."

I doubt shes looking at numbers as updated as we are. So Im glad that shes concerned about Philadelphia. We have been hit hard so far but at the moment things are better.

The city reported 505 new cases during a press conference today, a smaller increase than the city has seen in recent days. The city now has 4,777 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

There have been 78 deaths, officials said at the news conference, with 13 of those announced today.

Im not saying its turning around, Im not even saying its plateauing," Farley said. But the growth is slowing.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Some people have wrongly equated the coronavirus to the flu, questioning if this is really bad enough to shut down our economy and tell people to stay at home.

My colleague Stacey Burling explains why the new coronavirus is more dangerous.

Sure, the viruses cause similar symptoms, including fever and body aches, and people over age 65 are at a higher risk. And while both diseases can kill, the scale of the coronavirus problem is much, much larger," said John Zurlo, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Jefferson Health.

A big difference? Every fall, we have vaccines for the flu. They reduce the number and seriousness of cases. There is no vaccine for the coronavirus and there are no proven antiviral treatments.

The coronavirus also seems to be more infectious, experts say. A person with the flu tends to infect one other person. For coronavirus, one infected person seems to pass it to 2.5 others.

I hate to think of what flu seasons would be like if we had no vaccinations, Zurlo said.

Helpful resources

Lets take a quick break

 This reunion between Harry Kalas and one of his biggest fans was years in the making.

 I was a party animal." Read about Dolores Paolino, an 86-year-old South Philly grandma known as Dolly Broadway to her more than 1 million followers on TikTok and Instagram.

 Sixers playoff flashback: Allen Iverson dropped 55 points on New Orleans Hornets in a 2003 victory.

Social distancing tip of the day: A break from the citys wage tax

If you used to work in Philadelphia, but are now stuck at home working from your dining room table, couch, home office, or even your bed, you are most likely able to stop paying the citys highest-in-the-nation wage tax.

If your company is requiring you to work from home, and your home is outside of the city, youre exempt from the 3.4481% nonresident tax. How do you withdraw from paying this tax or ask for a refund? My colleague Laura McCrystal answers all your questions here.

Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.

What were paying attention to

The Internet is getting stronger because of coronavirus lockdowns. MIT Technology Review explains why.

The Daily Beast explains how a Chicago man who went to a funeral and birthday party before social distancing may have infected as many as 16 people with the new coronavirus.

A member of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts security team tested positive for coronavirus, leading the museum to halt construction, WHYY reports.

Its not all horrible

Coronavirus is not stopping the Easter Bunny from hopping around Jenkintown this weekend. On Saturday, the Easter Bunny will do a ride-along with officers to scout out the area before delivering Sunday candies.

Social distancing will be in effect, the Montgomery County department said in a Facebook post. The bunny is a very busy guy and cant afford to get sick.

Read more here, and other ways the Easter Bunny is finding a way amid the pandemic.

News about coronavirus is changing quickly. Go to inquirer.com/coronavirus to make sure you are seeing the newest information.
The US Embassy in Hanoi said on April 8 that the Governments of the US and Vietnam have worked together to expedite the delivery of made-in-Vietnam personal protective equipment to the US.

At a hospital in New York

The first of two initial shipments of over 450,000 DuPont protective suits departed Hanoi on April 7.

The US Department of Health and Human Services contracted with FedEx Express to expedite delivery of the suits to the US Strategic National Stockpile in order to address the urgent need for protective equipment for frontline providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Dan Kritenbrink said, This shipment will help protect healthcare professionals working on the front lines against COVID-19 in the United States and demonstrates the strength of the U.S.-Vietnam partnership.

The US and Vietnamese governments have cooperated extensively in the COVID-19 fight. Since the beginning of this crisis, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been collaborating with Vietnamese officials to monitor and respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation.

According to Ambassador Kritenbrink, over the past 20 years, the US has invested more than 706 million USD in health assistance for Vietnam, and over the past decade has provided substantial technical and financial support to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging and serious infectious diseases.

Most recently, the USAID announced 2.9 million USD in additional health assistance to help the Vietnamese government to accelerate laboratory systems; strengthen case-finding and event-based surveillance; and support technical experts for rapid response, risk communication, and infection prevention and control.

Earlier, Vietnam also presented medical supplies to many countries to assist with the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 7, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung symbolically handed over 550,000 made-in-Vietnam anti-bacterial masks as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

In early April, the Vietnamese Government and people presented medical equipment worth over 7 billion VND (304,000 USD) as gifts to Laos and Cambodia. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung handed over the gifts, which included specialised protective clothing, medical masks, testing systems and COVID-19 test kits, at a ceremony on April 3.

In February, Vietnam sent breathing equipment, cleanroom suits, gloves and face masks worth 500,000 USD in total to China to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many agencies and organisations in Vietnam also donated medical supplies to foreign countries in support of the anti-epidemic fight./.VNA
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 07, 2020 | 03:53 PM | PULASKI COUNTY





Officials say a woman in her 60's has been notified and is self isolating.







So far in southern Illinois there have three confirmed cases, with two of those being in Massac County. Officials say that residents can expect the number to continue rising as more tests become available.







The chance of contracting the virus can be dramatically reduced by adhering to the following guidelines:







 Maintain a social separation distance of 6 feet.



 Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.



 Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.



 Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. You can also use the bend of your elbow.



 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.







Symptoms of the virus are similar to other common respiratory illnesses. Anyone with a fever, cough, or shortness of breath should contact their primary care provider for further guidance.





The following hotlines are available to answer any questions regarding COVID-19 in the Southern Seven region.







 Massac Memorial Hospital 1-618-638-1344 (7am-7pm line)



 Southern Illinois Healthcare 1-844-988-7800 (24-hour line)



 St. Francis Medical Center 1-573-331-4200 (7am-5pm line)



 Baptist Health 1-888-227-8478 (24-hour line)

State health officials have issued a correction regarding a recently reported COVID-19 case in southern Illinois.According to the Southern Seven Health Department, a case of the virus that was announced Tuesday as the first in Pulaski County has been investigated further, and the Illinois Department of Public Health learned that the patient has dual residency, with their other home outside of the area. Late Tuesday, health officials decided to move the case and assign it to the other county, which was not identified in the local release.This means that the number of cases in Pulaski County has returned to zero. Southern Seven Health Department says the woman in her 60s is not currently in the area, and they apologized for any confusion.Currently, the only confirmed cases of the virus in extreme southern Illinois are two people in Massac County.Original Story from Tuesday:The Southern Seven Health Department has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Pulaski County.
Raab has experience in international justice, but controversial statements about feminists and welfare have drawn fury.

London, United Kingdom  Since UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised in intensive care on Monday after failing to shake persistent coronavirus symptoms, Dominic Raab, the 46-year-old foreign secretary, has been at the helm of government.

But while Raab is in charge as Johnson is incapacitated, Johnson officially remains prime minister.

The UK does not have a clear chain of succession as to who takes over the prime ministers role due to its unwritten constitution. Raab also holds the title of first secretary of state, which implies seniority over all other ministers except the prime minister  meaning the role of leading government falls to him.

The son of a Czech Jewish father who fled the Nazis in 1938, Raab is married to a Brazilian marketing executive with whom he has two children.

He studied law at Oxford University and received a Masters degree at Cambridge, after which he began his career as an international lawyer at Linklaters, a prestigious magic circle legal firm.

In 2000, he joined the Foreign Office.

Three years later, he led a team at The Hague dedicated to bringing war criminals to justice, including Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic.

He has been a Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton in the southeast of the UK since 2010, when he was first elected.

A staunch Brexiteer who supported the Vote Leave campaign, Raab served as Brexit secretary under ex-prime minister Theresa Mays government from July 2018, until he resigned a few months into the role following disagreements over her draft withdrawal bill.

He unsuccessfully ran against Johnson for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019, finishing last with only 30 votes.

What does his voting record tell us?

Raab has consistently voted for reduced spending on welfare benefits in the UK.

On foreign policy and defence, he has voted for the use of UK military forces in overseas operations and for military action against ISIL.

Though he has generally voted for LGBT rights, he has also voted against laws that promote equality and human rights.

On home affairs, he has voted for the stronger enforcement of immigration controls, and has generally voted against measures to prevent climate change.

What do Britons think about him?

In a column on Raabs appointment, Katy Balls, deputy political editor of The Spectator, wrote that there was never really any doubt Raab would be the de facto stand-in for Johnson.

He was trusted by both the Prime Minister and No 10 aides, she said, because of his stance on the Brexit campaign which appeared more hardline than Johnson himself.

But Dr Maryyum Mehmood, an academic at the Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion in Birmingham, said many Britons lack trust in him.

Raab lacks the trust of the masses, which is absolutely imperative in the current chaotic moment. Hes perhaps one of the most inexperienced, some would even argue ill-equipped, to lead, especially in this time of global crisis. Many in the corridors of power  both in the opposition and among his own party  are, rightly, questioning his competence, she said.

In a time in which our nation requires greater inclusivity and social harmony, and a leader who is emblematic of this, some in government and politics are rather worried, given Raabs past track record.

According to a recent YouGov poll, 30 percent of Britons had a negative opinion of him, compared with just 13 percent who thought more positively.

If Raab becomes incapacitated, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is next in line to lead the government.

Following a recent address to the nation, his public approval fell, said Mehmood. This, of course, is in comparison to the likeability of Sunak, which has soared of late.

Controversial statements

Raab is no stranger to courting controversy.

In 2011, he wrote an article for the Politics Home website, where he described feminists as obnoxious bigots and lamented over the flagrant discrimination against men.

Responding to his comments, Theresa May accused him of fuelling gender warfare.

In 2017, Raab dismissed a disabled woman on live television who said thousands of sick and disabled people were impacted by the Conservative Partys austerity cuts to health and social care, describing increased funding as a childish wish list.

In the same interview, he rejected concerns over poverty and food bank usage, saying: The typical user of a food bank is not someone thats languishing in poverty; its someone who has a cash flow problem.
The European Central Bank told euro zone finance ministers that the bloc may need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros this year to tackle the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, officials told Reuters.

An ECB spokesman declined to comment.

In a videoconference meeting, the EU Commission estimated that the bloc's economy could shrink by 10% this year, officials said. But ministers remained divided on how to boost the economy and failed to agree on a common text.

In the conference, which ended on Wednesday without a deal after 16 hours of talks, Germany, the Netherlands and other northern European countries were ready to support EU measures worth 500 billion euros, officials who participated in the meeting said.

The EU support would back up national measures, but the overall fiscal effort may not be enough to meet total financing needs, the officials said.

In the meeting France, Italy and Spain said the European effort to tackle the crisis should be well above 1 trillion euros this year, officials said, in line with the ECB estimate of financing needs of 1 to 1.5 trillion.

While the participants narrowed the gap in views during their lengthy talks, a deal could not be reached mostly due to resistance from the Netherlands and Italy, officials said.

Italy wanted a more ambitious agreement with clearer references to future common debt issuance, while the Netherlands pushed for conditions to any EU credit line to countries in need. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: A day after the Union Cabinet decided to cut 30 percent salary of all MPs for one year and divert their Local Area Development (LAD) fund for two years to fight against COVID-19, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik urged the State Government to take similar steps in the State.

Lauding the measures taken by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to contain the spread of coronavirus, in a video message Naik said, We the elected representatives have a greater responsibility in this hour of crisis when the entire nation stands united to defeat coronavirus.

In his proposal to State Government, the BJP leader requested a salary cut of 30 percent of each MLA, Ministers, chairpersons of different development councils, corporations and public sector units (PSUs) for a year. He further requested the Chief Minister to suspend the MLA-LAD grant for two years and divert the money to a special fund for the development of health infrastructure in the State.

Each of the MLAs of the State is entitled to Rs 3 crores each under LAD Fund for carrying out developmental activities in their constituencies. If Naiks proposal is accepted, the Government will have Rs 882 crores at its disposal to utilize the fund for strengthening the health sector.

Calling for a special session of the Assembly or an all-party meeting to discuss the extraordinary situation, Naik suggested the Government to divert at least 30 pc of the budget provision of all departments to improve health infrastructure across the state to cope with the situation.

Expressing concern over the poor health system of the State, Naik said filling-up vacant posts of doctors and other paramedics is of urgent necessity.

Requesting the Chief Minister to consider his proposals, Naik said focused attention to develop the health infrastructure would not only put the State in good stead but will be an example for others to follow. Naik said he will soon send a formal letter to the Chief Minister in this regard.
JACKSON CENTER, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Premier Biomedical, Inc. (OTCPINK:BIEI), Halberd Corporation (HALB) and Gold River Productions Inc. (GRPS) announce the signing of a multi-faceted agreement for ongoing R&D into a potential treatment and cure for Covid-19 as well as development of Premier's Anti-Addiction Patch.

The Joint Venture on Covid-19 treatment starts with Dr. Mitchell Felder's patented extracorporeal therapy (US Patent 9,216,386 and US Patent 8,758,287) for the safe removal of targeted antigens from the blood and targeted organs. Dr. Felder explained, "The extracorporeal treatment is based on the process of removing the underlying basis of the disease. In the case of Covid-19, it entails removal of specific compounds which allow the virus to replicate. We believe this technology is superior to known treatments in that it may potentially eliminate mutations of the virus."

Dr. Richard Goulding, Gold River's Chief Medical Officer stated, "Premier's multi-faceted extracorporeal technology can be used to remove the disease-causing antigens and to prevent the "cytokine storm" associated with the disease in severely ill patients."

Dr. Felder continued, "With our partners, including a leading university partner, we are now positioned to develop potential cures and mitigation for Covid-19 as well as to alleviate the global drug epidemic for our country and the world. The joint venture includes financial commitments for funding, which if obtained, along with the continued research with our university partner is likely to develop the technology disclosed in our provisional patent application entitled "Method for Treating and Curing COVID-19 Infection'. We seek to further develop and establish proof of concept with regard to these promising tools in this worldwide battle. This positions us to facilitate defenses against the growing COVID-19 menace as well as against other viral attacks."

See YouTube video, https://youtu.be/BGdZqHH6oew , concerning Dr. Felder's discussion of the scientific basis underlying Premier's extracorporeal treatment process for fighting cancer and other diseases.

"With COVID-19 spreading at an alarming rate, we have accelerated our efforts to develop effective tools to combat not just COVID-19 but other viruses as they occur. Therefore, we are working on a composite and generalized series of defenses and remedial measures to combat and to otherwise cope with viruses, even as they mutate, adapt or otherwise change," commented Dr. Goulding.

"Perhaps more importantly," continued Dr. Goulding "this extracorporeal treatment could complement and work in tandem with an effective vaccine. In other words, a vaccine would treat the disease, but often of equal importance is treating the harmful consequences of the disease, including the removal of the deleterious cytokines which ultimately cause the damage to the human body and even death."

James Christopher Ledoux, CEO of Halberd, stated, "This is a very exciting alliance! The team we are now assembling is poised to make significant contributions to overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic as well as drug and alcohol addiction throughout the world."

William A. Hartman, President and CEO of Premier Biomedical, concurred saying, "We have a very talented and dedicated team to deliver breakthrough technologies."

For more information please contact:

William A. Hartman

President and CEO

Premier Biomedical Inc.

(814) 786-8849

w.hartman@premierbiomedical.com

http://www.premierbiomedical.com

James Christopher LeDoux, CEO

Halberd Corporation

Email Contact : support@halberdcorporation.com

https://www.halberdcorporation.com

Twitter: @HalberdC

Gold River Productions Inc.

www.GRPSinc.com

support@grpsinc.com

@grpsinc

goldriversocialmedia@gmail.com

About Premier Biomedical, Inc.

Premier Biomedical, Inc. (OTCPINK:BIEI) is a research-based publicly traded company that intends to discover and develop medical treatments for a wide range of diseases in humans. Premier has obtained, via exclusive license agreements, the technology behind three granted US Patents, multiple pending provisional patents. Founded in 2010, Premier has partnered with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). In 2016, the company began developing a line of all-natural pain relief products which they began selling in early 2017 to address the rising opioid addiction problem. The company's R&D efforts are centered in El Paso, TX, and their business offices are in Western Pennsylvania. The Company is a fully-reporting issuer whose common stock trades on the OTC marketplace maintained by OTC Markets Group, Inc. under the ticker symbol "BIEI." For more information please visit our websites: http://www.premierbiomedical.com and http://www.painreliefmeds.com

About Halberd Corp.

Halberd Corp. (HALB) is a holding company and incubator for early-stage, high-growth businesses located in Southfield, Michigan. The company manufactures and sells unmanned aircrafts. Its unmanned aircrafts are intended for both private and governmental use in such diverse industries as military, oil and gas, municipal, meteorological, forestry, agriculture and coastal/border surveillance. The company's products provide platforms necessary for aerial imaging in industries and sectors as diverse as agricultural, forestry, livestock ranches, law enforcement, environmental protection agencies, coast guard, and even Hollywood.

About Gold River Production Services, Inc.: Gold River Production Services (GRPS) is dedicated to changing peoples' lives. With a unique staff of physicians, cultivators, and CBD experts, we are poised to tackle different disease states on an unprecedented level. Utilizing years of experience in herbals, rare cannabinoids, traditional and non-traditional methods of patient care, we are in the unique position to utilize CBD in the most effective ways possible. Emphasis on what already works, then augmenting effective formulas with high-quality cannabinoids in therapeutic levels to achieve unprecedented symptom control in a myriad of disease states.

Safe Harbor Notice

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Premier Biomedical, Inc. cautions that statements, and assumptions made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates made by management. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. Premier Biomedical, Inc. undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this news release.

SOURCE: Premier Biomedical, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584359/Premier-Biomedical-Halberd-and-Gold-River-Agree-to-Work-Jointly-to-Develop-Premiers-Patented-Extracorporeal-Technology-on-COVID-19-Treatment-And-Proprietary-Anti-Addiction-PatchTM
Interagency cooperation in a pandemic: Kay Floyd explains 'whole of government' approach

The ultimate test: Kathryn Kay H. Floyd '05, Director of William & Mary's Whole of Government Center of Excellence, is an expert on interagency cooperation and coordination to solve problems. She says COVID-19 is the ultimate test of the Whole of Government approach. File photo Photo - of - Hide Caption

In recent weeks we've been hearing the term Whole of Government approach in press conferences about COVID-19 preparations. For those not working in government, it is a phrase they might never have heard before. We thought we would reach out to an expert right here at William & Mary to learn more: Kathryn Kay H. Floyd '05, Director of William & Mary's Whole of Government Center of Excellence. - Ed

Q: Kay, could you explain what Whole of Government means?





A: At its essence, Whole of Government is interagency cooperation and coordination on a crisis, problem or opportunity, which is often related to national security. In assessing the situation, the lead organization wants to consider which agencies or counterparts have a rolewhether primary or supplementalto play in the myriad of tasks that will follow. Knowing your counterparts prior to the crisis, if possible, is particularly helpful in this context. That way, you have established trust and understanding before entering the operations center or command post. You know and respect each others strengths, authorities, and responsibilities.

There is a playbook on how to forward deploy some parts of the organization while having a plan for: continuing regular operations and supplementing the backbench of people who are now on the front lines of emergency response. In very simple terms, you know how to mix and match all the players, including the more obvious ones like the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State, as well as more specialized groups such as victim service providers and childcare specialists.

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Q: How does a Whole of Government approach apply to what were hearing about COVID-19 preparation and response?



A: COVID-19 is touching every aspect of life across the globe. This is an ultimate test of the Whole of Government approach: to prepare for the spread in areas that have had few positive tests as well as cities where hospitals are already overwhelmed. Players on all levels of society are going to need to work together.

Q: Are we seeing examples of where its being done effectively now?



A: There are definitely some good examples we can point to. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating extremely closely with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) so that unified messages with accurate information based on science are reaching the public.

On the local end of the spectrum, you can see counties rapidly aligning their policies with new directives coming out from the Governor, whether in Ohio or Virginia. Following Governor Northams Executive Order closing K-12 public schools for the duration of the academic year, Fairfax County Public Schools were ready with their follow-up message in minutes. That requires extensive coordination across multiple levels.

Q: Could you provide examples of situations where it is underutilized or could have an impact on improving cooperation?



A: We have seen some expected tension as we figure out how best to work together on a pandemic on a scale that the world has not seen since 1918. Improved cooperation between the state and local levels is definitely going to be needed in the weeks and months ahead. This virus does not respect borders between counties and states.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are now operating more in sync though there were some initial points of contention. In other states, there is a disagreement between the Governor and localities about what work should continue.

On March 25, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker emphasized that construction work should continue during the crisis, while Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh issued a stay-home advisory that would include construction. As the virus spreads, governors and mayors need to move fast which requires ever changing policies short of a national shelter-in-place.

Q: Is Whole of Government useful just in logistics or can it be helpful in other areas, such as policymaking, planning and strategizing?



A: Whole of Government needs to infuse all areas of policymaking and implementation. You need a Whole of Government mindset when you first begin to formulate your strategy, to develop operational plans, and to decide the specific tools and tactics that will be used.

At all times, you should be thinking of a very long list of organizations that are uniquely qualified to play their roles or can supplement the role of someone else, and then evaluating how certain organizations fit together on a particular issue. If we could make a recommendation to the nation, it would be that Whole of Government approaches are the rubric for planning, responding, and recovering in all areas.

Q: Is Whole of Government applicable to all levels of government  local, state as well as federal? Agencies as well as defense departments?



A: Yes, all levels! The Whole of Government Center at W&M takes a very broad view of what constitutes national security because so many things affect the stability and well being of our nation, whether the challenge is centered in Hampton Roads or California.

The Whole of Government concept is flexible and malleable to be used at all levels of government and by all agencies. This is also why you see the phrase Whole of Government in strategies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United States Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), as well as in coverage by the local news agencies reporting on COVID-19.

Q: What is the Whole of Government program at W&M?



A: With support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, W&M is meeting a national demand to provide mid-career public policy professionals and military officers in federal, state, and local agencies practical training on interagency collaboration, complex national security and other public policy problems. The Center also brings together leaders from all levels of government and the military for symposia, discussions, and projects to promote creative, collaborative research and solutions to emerging issues.

Currently we are developing our national security curriculum, including e-learning opportunities, and research partnerships while providing customized non-degree training and education courses for a variety of partners. Unlike other national security programs, W&M invokes the whole of university approach to our education, training, and research programs, leveraging partnerships with our Law School, Business School, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Education, and departments across the Arts & Sciences.

Q: What kinds of collaborations do you envision?



A: All of them! We are currently working with elements of U.S. military to assist with the education of some of their mid-career officers. We look forward to hosting a cyber defense conference in cooperation with NATO in Fall 2020. As we grow this Center of Excellence, we are excited about working with diplomats, economists, global health providers, disaster relief coordinators, and more.

Q: What do you think are misconceptions about Whole of Government and what it can do?



A: The biggest misconception is that a Whole of Government approach requires months or years of planning and coordination. Rather, each organization should embrace a planning, response, and recovery process that involves their counterparts whenever appropriate.

The culture and priorities of our organizations need to reflect that, which is something that can start today and continue moving forward. There is deep value in acculturation and working together. Our nation is stronger and lives are saved when we recognize the need for cooperation early and align our practices accordingly. Trust, encourage, and use your partners, and have them do the same in turn with you!

Q: Anything else youd like to add?



A: As the oldest public university in the United States, W&M is deeply committed to serving our nation. If your organization would like to do more with Whole of Government approacheswhether in research, training, or educationthen please reach out to us. Our entire university will work with you to help you leverage this powerful way to navigate known and unknown challenges and opportunities.

You can learn more about the Whole of Government Center of Excellence here.
Hyderabad, April 8 : Islamic institutions and scholars have appealed to Muslims to offer prayers at their homes on Shab-e-Barat or the holy night on Thursday, in view of coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown.

They have urged people to observe the lockdown and avoid visiting mosques or graveyards to pray for departed relatives.

All major Islamic seats of learning have issued 'fatwa' or edicts, asking people, especially youth to pray at home.

Shab-e-Barat, or the night of fortune and forgiveness, is celebrated on the intervening night of 14th and 15th Shaban, the eighth month of Islamic calendar.

Shab-e-Barat is celebrated on a large scale every year in the run-up the holy month of Ramadan.

Muslims observe fast during day and spend the night offering prayers, seeking Allah's forgiveness for their sins. They offer congregational prayers in the mosques, attend meetings addressed by Islamic scholars and visit graveyards to pray for their near and dear ones buried there.

Mufti Sadiq Mohiuddin of Jamia Nizamia, a renowned Islamic university in Hyderabad, has appealed to Muslims to offer the prayers at home and spend the night in namaz, recitation of Quran and special supplications seeking Allah's mercy.

"Epidemics breakout because of Almighty Allah's displeasure and that's why all should seek His forgiveness and mercy," the scholar said Telangana Wakf Board has appealed to people to strictly observe the lockdown in view of Shab-e-Barat. It has asked the management committees of the mosques under its control to ensure that current restrictions continue on 'namaz' Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Qasim said all should abide by the lockdown orders issued by the Centre and the state government.

Imam of historic Mecca Masjid Maulana Hafiz Rizwan Qureshi said people should not step out of their houses.

The managing committees of all mosques have cancelled annual meetings planned on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.

Ever since the lockdown began last month, all mosques across Telangana suspended congregational prayers. They are continuing Azan or call for prayers but only three to five people are offering five time prayers every day. Congregational prayers are also not being allowed on Fridays.

Police has been asked to main strict vigil, especially in the old city of Hyderabad to prevent people from coming out for prayers or for visiting graveyards.

A total lockdown is in force in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana. People are being allowed to come out to buy the essentials during day time with restrictions like not travelling beyond three km from their place of residence. Police is also strictly enforcing the night curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
After daughters Shaza Morani and Zoa Morani, their father and Bollywood producer Karim Morani has also tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). He has been admitted to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai for treatment. While confirming the news, Karim Morani's brother told Mumbai Mirror, "Yes, we have been anticipating this, as he was with his daughters. Karim has tested positive of coronavirus. He has been shifted to Nanavati Hospital."

Shaza Morani is also in Nanavati Hospital, whereas Zoa Morani has been admitted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.

Reportedly, Shaza had returned from Sri Lanka to India before the nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, while speaking about Shaza, Karim had told the media, "It is true Shaza has been found to be coronavirus positive but she has no symptoms. We have admitted her to Nanavati hospital at the moment."

We pray for Karim Morani and his daughters' speedy recovery.

COVID-19 Lockdown: Bollywood's Biggest Names Bring An Anthem Of Hope Named Muskurayega India
Amid the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, Bollywood stars have been making monetary contributions to help those who have been severely affected by this outbreak. Sometime back, it was reported that Salman Khan has pledged to support 25000 daily wage workers of the film industry, since the nationwide lockdown has halted all filming acitivities in Bollywood.

Now, if the latest reports are to be believed, the superstar has begun the process of transfer of funds into the accounts of daily wage workers of the film industry.

A Times Of India report quoted Ashok Dubey, general secretary of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) as saying, "Salman Khan had asked for the details of 25,000 workers. We received details of 19,000 member workers. Out of which 3000 workers had already received 5000 rupees each from another film studio. So we have sent the details of remaining 16,000 workers to Salman Khan and he had started the money transfer. Soon everyone will receive the money."

He also said that some of the members told the federation that their financial condition was stable and that they could sail through the pandemic. They insisted that the money should go to the needy.

FWICE's president BN Tiwari said that Salman's contribution will aid the artistes of FWICE. An Indian Express report quoted him as saying, "After we approached Salman Khan, he asked us to give him a count of the most affected workers from our association and we told him there were 25,000 such artistes. He has decided to contribute for them. We will be sending him the list in the evening."

He further added, "It's only going to get worse. People are preparing only for 21-day lockdown but we have five lakh workers. If this extends for a month or two, we will need help from everyone. There are a thousand people ready to fund in the PM-CARES fund but the industry, which you belong to, you should donate there first. You are giving Rs 25 crore to the PM-CARES fund to come in the good books of the Prime Minister but there's not been a single phone call yet to make any donation for the federation workers."

Tiwari also revealed that Salman has asked for a complete list of daily wage workers with their account numbers, since he wishes to directly transfer funds to each worker.

Salman Khan Says There Is No Point In Being Brave, 'I Am Scared I Haven't Seen My Father In 3 Weeks'

Salman Khan Upset Over Not Being Able To Attend Nephew's Funeral Amid Coronavirus Lockdown
Coronavirus lockdown day 15: 20 sensitive areas in Delhi will be sealed, said Manish Sisodia after the coronavirus positive cases number has crossed the 5,000 mark.

Coronavirus lockdown day 15: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told the media that 20 hotspots for novel coronavirus aka COVID-9 will be sealed in the capital from midnight till April 15. These areas have been marked critical after some positive cases were detected and to save other residents, the Delhi government has taken stringent action to seal 20 localities. Reports said no one will be allowed to enter or exit from these areas. The essential products will be delivered at the door step. The areas which have been marked by the Delhi Government are:

1. Entire affected street near Gandhi Park, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.

2. Entire affected street of Gali No 6, 1 Sangam Vihar, New Delhi.

3. Shahajahanabad society, Plot No 1, Sector 11, Dwarka.

4. Dinpur Village.

5. Markaz and Nizamuddin Basti.

6. Nizamuddin West (G and D block) areas.

7. B Block Jhangirpuri

8. H No 141 to H No 180, Gali No 14, Kalyanpuri Delhi

9. Mansara Appartments, Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi

10. 3 streets of Khichirpur, Delhi

11. Gali No 9, Pandav Nagar, Delhi 110092.

12. Vardhaman Appartments, Mayur Vihar, Phase I, Extension, Delhi

13. Mayurdhwaj Appartments, IP Extension, Patparganj, Delhi

14. Gali No 4, from H. No. J- 3/115 (Nagar Dairy) to H. No. J- 3/108 (towards Anar wali Masjid Chowk), Kishan Kunj Extension, Delhi

15. Gali No 4, from H No J-3/101 to H No. J-3/107 Krishan Kunj Extension Delhi

16. Gali No 5, A Block (From H No. A- 176 to A-189), West Vinod Nagar, Delhi 110092

17. J, K, L & H Pockets, Dilshad Garden

18. G, H, J, Blocks, old Seemapuri

19. F-70 to 90, Dilshad Colony

20. Pratap Khand, Jhilmil Colony.

The total number of coronavirus cases on the 15th day of lockdown crossed the 5,000 mark with total 4634 active cases with 149 number of deaths. As per the recent data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, total 401 people have recovered from the virus with total 773 new cases and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Further, there are also reports that a 14-month-old child suffering from COVID-19 has lost his life in Gujarat.

Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state as it records 1,018 COVID-19 cases with 65 deaths followed by Tamil Nadu with 690 cases and 7 deaths. The capital of the country ranks at the third-worst hit state with 576 cases so far with 9 deaths. Reports by the ministry reveal that people above 60 years of age account for 63 percent of the total deaths in the country. The people suffering from diabetes are at higher risks of suffering from the virus.

Further, the 21 days of lockdown which was announced on March 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lift up on April 14. However, there are also reports that considering the increasing number of cases in India, the government might consider the requests of other states to continue with the lockdown. The final decision will be taken by the PM in the second video conference with all the Chief Ministers on Saturday.

Also Read: Andhra Pradesh government takes over 58 private hospitals, boosts infrastructure by 19,114 beds to counter coronavirus

India's total number of #Coronavirus positive cases rise to 5194 (including 4643 active cases, 401 cured/discharged people and 149 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Increase of 773 new #COVID19 cases and 10 new deaths recorded in last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/QkTsXR9RQA  ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

Talking about the global scenario, total 82, 000 people have died due to the virus with 14.3 lakh been infected people. Further, there are also reports that 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh including Shamli, Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Saharanpur and Agra will be sealed from today till April 15.

15 districts  including Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Agra, Shamli, Saharanpur  which have viral load of #COVID19, to be sealed. Only home delivery & medical teams will be allowed there. It's being done to prevent community spread,as numbers are high: RK Tiwari, Chief Secy pic.twitter.com/5x3xfkFoV4  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 8, 2020

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GUILDFORD, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Linde (NYSE:LIN; FWB:LIN), a leading global supplier of inhaled nitric oxide, is pleased with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declining to review the 2019 appeals court decision that affirmed Praxair Distribution, Inc.'s (PDI) right to sell a generic form of inhaled nitric oxide. This decision ends the long-running U.S. patent litigation with Mallinckrodt plc, and affirms the ability of PDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Linde, to continue supplying inhaled nitric oxide. This drug product is widely used as approved in the U.S. and other countries to improve oxygenation of certain groups of patients.

"Nitric oxide is truly a unique and beneficial drug product. We are proud to be doing our part to support healthcare institutions around the world with a reliable, competitive and beneficial supply of inhaled nitric oxide along with our other medical gases and services," said Ben Glazer, President, US Packaged & Specialty Gases.

Linde is actively supporting doctors as they investigate the use of nitric oxide to treat COVID-19 patients globally. This includes supplying nitric oxide to Massachusetts General Hospital to support a trial launched by their researchers to test the drug's effectiveness for preventing disease progression in patients with mild to moderate disease, thereby avoiding the need for ventilation. Separately, German authorities have authorized on a temporary basis the use of inhaled nitric oxide specifically to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19.

About Linde

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2019 sales of $28 billion (25 billion). We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain and protect our planet.

The company serves a variety of end markets including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and primary metals. Linde's industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.

Story continues

For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.linde.com.

Contacts: Investor Relations

Juan Pelaez

Phone: +1 203 837 2213

Email: juan.pelaez@linde.com Media Relations

Anna Davies

Phone: +44 1483 244705

Email: anna.davies@linde.com

SOURCE: Linde plc





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/584386/US-Supreme-Court-Upholds-Nitric-Oxide-Patent-Win-for-Linde-Linde-Commits-to-Support-Inhaled-Nitric-Oxide-Clinical-Studies-Relating-to-COVID-19




TASKS AND TIMING

On both the Higher and Ordinary Level papers, you have 3 hours and 20 minutes to read the paper, select the questions you will answer and jot down preliminary plans for each essay (all of which should take no more than 10 minutes); then, at Higher Level, you must write one essay on The Single Text for 60 marks (60 minutes), one essay on Comparative Study for 70 marks (65 minutes), one essay on Prescribed Poetry for 50 marks (50 minutes) and one answer on the Unseen Poem for 20 marks (15 minutes), while at Ordinary Level you must answer a number of questions in each section for the same marks within the same time periods.

SECTION I, THE SINGLE TEXT

One of the following texts must be selected by you: Wuthering Heights (H, O), The Remains of the Day (H, O), How Many Miles to Babylon? (O), Death and Nightingales (H, O), The Crucible (H, O), Lies of Silence (O), The Plough and the Stars (O), Othello (H, O), The Importance of Being Earnest (O).

At Higher Level, two questions are set on each of these texts and you must write an essay on one. Your essay must provide a detailed assessment of one or more of the major characters, a detailed exploration of one or more of the central themes, or a detailed discussion of the text with reference to some aspect of its style.

At Ordinary Level, a number of more specific questions are set and you must answer all. Your answers will deal with characters, events and subject-matter in your chosen text.

At Higher Level, because you are given a critical quotation to discuss  Despite the striking portrayals of goodness and nobility, the play Othello leaves the audience with a sense of dismal despair. (1998)  it is vital to identify and consistently address the key elements of that quotation. I cant stress this strongly enough. Its not sufficient to have a detailed knowledge of the text; you must be able to apply it to answer a specific question. Failure to address the question you were asked will result in your wonderful knowledge getting you a D grade.

For instance, in relation to the Othello quotation above: what are the portrayals of goodness, what are the portrayals of nobility, whats so striking about them, what the hell does dismal despair actually mean, and is this what were left with, despite everything else? All these issues must be addressed and must be linked to each other coherently. Your points must be supported by quotations or references. Be aware that you are awarded marks on the basis of coherence (organisation of essay) and relevance (answering the question you were asked) as well as knowledge.

A QUICK GUIDE TO THE MAJOR CHARACTERS IN OTHELLO

DESDEMONA

Open. Guileless. Honest. Truthful. Displaying on the surface, in her actions and her words, only what lies beneath that surface, in her mind and heart. She is what she seems to be.

Thinks well of everyone. Believes in the natural goodness of men and women. Has faith in others. Seeks to love, respect and serve others, always appropriately: Othello as a husband, Cassio as a friend, Emilia as a companion, Brabantio as a father.

Emotional. Sympathetic. Idealistic.Tender. Compassionate. Gentle.

OTHELLO

All Othellos best qualities  his composure, his self-assurance, his loyalty, his modesty, his sensitivity, his openness, his love, his dignity, his trust in others  are displayed in his wonderfully accomplished defence of himself against Brabantios accusations of witchcraft, coercion and seduction. His delivery is beautifully composed, full of genuine feeling, but not emotional in itself. As he speaks, we too experience the gentle giant that Desdemona fell in love with.

And yet, within a very short period of time, this composed, dignified and courteous man is ranting like a lunatic, unable to control his speech; and worse, this loving man, a deep admirer of tenderness in others, is striking his wife in public in front of appalled Venetian noblemen.

IAGO

Whereas Desdemona believes in the natural goodness of others Iago considers humans as hateful creatures, driven by greed and lust and self-interest, no better than animals.

Whereas Desdemona seeks to love, respect and serve others, Iago is defined by self-interest. Whatever he does, he performs for his own twisted reasons, to serve himself.

Whereas Desdemona is emotional, sympathetic, tender and compassionate, Iago, as is best demonstrated by his soliloquies, is cold, calculating, rational, indifferent.

Iago is a brilliant orator, a supreme manipulator of words, a master of language, whose final words are a dedication to silence

SECTION II, THE COMPARATIVE STUDY

You must select 3 texts from a list of 39 prescribed.

The full list is available on the Department of Educations website www.education.ie. With reference to the modes that are specified you must study similarities and differences between the three texts. This year, the Comparative Modes for examination are: at Higher Level, (1) Theme or Issue (2) The Cultural Context, (3) Literary Genre; at Ordinary Level, (1) Relationships, (2) Theme, (3) Social Setting.

Two of these modes will be presented for discussion on the examination paper. Two questions will be set on each of the selected modes.

In effect, this means that you answer one question from a choice of four. You must have a good knowledge of your three texts. In other words, you must know the following in relation to each:

? the genre, or category, that the text falls into, whether biography, realistic fiction, Shakespearian stage drama, etc.

? the historical setting; where and when the action takes place;

? what exactly happens and in what sequence it happens;

? the names and personalities of the main characters;

? the relationships between the main characters.

THE COMPARATIVE MODES FOR 2008

THEME OR ISSUE  THEME - RELATIONSHIPS

A theme is a unifying idea or motif repeated or developed throughout a work. This means that it must be one of the central concerns of the text. At it simplest, an issue means a topic of interest or discussion, b ut clearly what is meant is a topic that is consistently treated throughout the text.

There are a number of universal themes in literature and youd be well advised to concentrate on a few of these for particular study. Each will apply in some form or other to any three texts you select, although of course you must be aware of precisely what aspects of the theme your texts explore. Here are three examples:

? Love or Relationships

What text does not, in some way or other, deal with love, the most intense, the most longed-for and the most vulnerable of all human aspirations and conditions? In fact, how a text interprets love is very often a key to understanding the entire work.

? Relationship Between an Individual and Society

A key theme in modern literature, where society is often seen as restricting the freedom of the individual.

? Power

Another of literatures essential themes, since all societies and all relationships are defined by questions of power: who holds it, who benefits from it, who suffers because of it, who are the powerless.

LITERARY GENRE

The term Literary Genre asks us to consider what category a text falls into and to explore how different types of text, or different genres, use different techniques to tell their stories. Here are two examples of such techniques:

? Type of Text

Each genre  or type of text  has some technique available to it that is either not available to other genres or not quite as important. For instance, films tells their stories largely through flickering images on a screen, stage plays tell their stories almost entirely through the spoken word or dialogue, and prose works, novels, short stories and memoirs, rely on their access to a characters thoughts or reflections to advance and deepen the story. In discussing a text as an example of an literary genre, we are therefore looking for recurring uses of such techniques  recurring images in films, recurring patterns of dialogue in plays, recurring reflections in prose works.

? The Use of Humour and Darkness to Tell the Story

If a text is very funny, its humour contributes to a generally bright, light-hearted view of the world. On the other hand, if it is dominated by gloomy images and landscapes  brooding mountains and damp caverns  then it will automatically have a darker, more fatalistic feel to it. If the characters are likeable, the world they inhabit will be attractive. If the characters are all sour, negative gits, then their world will be unappealing. If the story is set in a rural paradise, it will vibrate with positive energy. If its set in a deprived slum, it will stutter with uncertain life. These are just some of the ways that light and darkness, humour and seriousness, are used in the telling of a story.

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT SOCIAL SETTING

The terms Cultural Context and Social Setting simply refer to the time and place the work is set in, the society that is depicted or created in the text. A fictional society, just like any other society, is discussed with reference to power & politics, wealth, work & religion, social customs, and the roles of men, women & children.

To begin with, you need to be able to briefly, but accurately describe the society depicted in each of your chosen texts. Here are the films from this yearscourse.

Twelve Angry Men is set in an American courtroom and jury room during the 1950s trial for murder of an immigrant defendant from a poor background.

My Left Foot is set in working class Dublin during the middle decades of the twentieth century and concerns the efforts of a cerebral palsy victim to overcome his handicap and his environment.

Cinema Paradiso is set in a poor, but closely-knit Sicilian community in post-war Italy and shows how the magic of film can brighten everyday village life.

The Truman Show is set in an artificially created world, on a set designed for a television programme, and explores one mans struggle against his imposed environment.

Strictly Ballroom is set among the rule-bound ballroom dancing community in late twentieth century Australia and explores a young mans fight for self-expression against social convention.

Then, at Higher Level, you need three separate cultural aspects to structure your essay around. Pick from the list above  power, politics, wealth, work, religion, the social roles of men and women  or select your own beyond this range.

SECTION III, POETRY

THE UNSEEN POEM & ORDINARY LEVEL PRESCRIBED POETRY

In The Unseen Poem, you are presented with a poem that you will not have studied before and in Ordinary Level Prescribed Poetry with a poem you will be familiar with. In both cases, you are asked a number of questions on the poems, relating to theme and technique.

The important areas (for discussing both Unseen and Ordinary Level Prescribed Poetry) are as follows:

Theme: In an enjoyable book called Understand Poetry, James Reeves says that a poem is an act, not a statement. The difference between an act and a statement is the difference between a kiss and a piece of paper with the words I love you written on it. It would be ridiculous to say that a kiss is about love, in the same way that it's ridiculous to say that a poem is about something. A kiss can express love. It can also express betrayal, of course, as in the Christian story of Judas and the insincere hug in Mafia films like The Godfather. It all depends on the context. So in discussing a poet's themes, you can use such terms as expresses, demonstrates, explores, approaches. Think of the kiss. Think of the poem as an act that combines feeling, expression and purpose.

Language: Poetry exploits the richness of language and if you can get into the habit of thinking about the meaning, suggestiveness and feel of words, you won't have much difficulty- enjoying and studying literature: In discussing poetry, the three most important language-related terms are imagery, simile and metaphor.

Consider the following three expressions: a) The look he gave me was as sharp as a dagger; (b) His look was like a dagger; and (c) There's daggers in men's smiles. All three use the- image of a dagger to communicate-the notion of hostility and danger from another.

The first two are similes, in that the connection between one thing (the look) and the other (the dagger) is plainly stated by using like or as. The-most obvious is (a). It leaves no room for doubt and even goes as far as stressing the most relevant feature (sharpness) of the dagger: It also leaves little room for imagining; of course. The second, (b) is also straightforward, but because it doesn't tell you what to think it allows your imagination to link many things with the dagger, and therefore with the look: sharpness, brightness, danger. The third, (c), is a metaphor rather than a simile. It's much more subtle. Everything is implied rather than stated. It's also much more complex, in that it connects two apparent opposites - smiles (friendship, tenderness, laughter, relaxation) and daggers (threat, danger; death, hostility, coldness). The third, by the way, is a quotation from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Sound Effects: The main sound effects for consideration are: alliteration (two or more words in close proximity beginning with the same letter); rhyme (two or more words; usually at the ends of lines, with the same sound; and assonance (half-rhyme, as in the sounds of 'love' and 'move' combining). All words make a sound, of course, and the combination of all sounds within a poem creates the rhythm.

Tone and Mood: Tone implies feeling or emotion. The phrase 'Get out of here!' can be many things. It can be affectionate (Americans use it in this way, to mean 'Don't be kidding me') or it can be an angry command. It depends on the tone of voice. Mood, on the other hand, suggests a state or condition rather than a more temporary feeling, as in the expression A bad mood. So, while the opening two lines of a poem might have a pessimistic tone (1 can't get through to my lover), the mood of the whole poem might be optimistic (I'll get through to her/him eventually;).

TYPE 1: SAMPLE QUESTION AND OPENING RESPONSE

The figure of the outsider is a recurring feature of the poetry of Derek Mahon. Discuss.

Most poets seem to experience themselves as outsiders. For Mahon, who was born in Belfast in 1941, into the narrow-minded Protestant community he describes so caustically in 'Ecclesiastes: this feeling must be particularly acute. Religious zealots are interested in the narrow distortions of language. No surrender! Fenian! God save the Queen! They are, as Mahon himself writes, 'stiff with rhetoric' and with 'a bleak afflatus.' Poets, on the other hand, are involved with the beauties and complexities of language.

So Mahon himself is the first and most prominent of all the outsiders featured in his poems. Alienated, in his bohemian 'red bandana' and 'banjo: from his own community, with its 'dank churches, the empty streets, the shipyard silence: he tries, in 'Ecclesiastes: to imagine himself a part of it all again and can only come up with a kind of horrified sarcasm. 'God, you could grow to love it, God-fearing, God-/chosen purist little puritan that. .. you are.' It is, as he presents it, a joyless tradition, dominated by scowling males, where Sunday is the day of dreariness and duty rather than the day of celebration, where it's always 'January' and always raining, and where the graves of the dead are the most significant things in life.

The adjective 'bleak' stands out in the centre of the poem and the word 'stiff: with its double meaning of cold and dead, completes the misery at the end. A tradition 'promising nothing under the sun: and no place for anyone with a little joy still left in them, never mind a poet. We can see in 'Ecclesiastes' not only the origin of the outsider figure, but also of the sense of personal isolation that dominates Mahon's work.

TYPE 2: SAMPLE QUESTION AND OPENING RESPONSE

Write a personal response to the poems by Eavan Boland on your course.

I found Eavan Boland the most intriguing poet on our course. On the one hand, she explored themes and described situations that are part of every modern woman's life, but that are not really part of traditional poetry. They include reflections on what life is like for a woman in late twentieth century Ireland and what life was like for Irish women in earlier times, on the relationships between different generations of women, and on how the domestic order that we all, but particularly women, try to create is constantly threatened by other forces.

On the other hand, because Boland always critically examines these experiences, instead of just emotionally responding to them, her style of writing can be quite demanding. Sometimes, it's like watching a complicated mind concentrating. But you realise after a while -- or at least, I did -- that this is because she is taking her subjects seriously, not treating them as trivial women's issues, like some popular magazines. As a young woman, this, I think, is what I most appreciate about Boland. As she stresses so often herself, she deals with real women, not with stereotypes.

So, what is the life of a woman? If I had to put a single word on it, with reference to Boland's poetry, I'd say: relationships. Relationships with lovers and husbands, as explored in Love and The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me, relationships with other women in The Shadow Doll and Famine Road, and, most importantly of all, I think, relationships with children, in the poems already mentioned and in The Pomegranate and This Moment.

HIGHER LEVEL PRESCRIBED POETRY

There are eight prescribed poets on your course: Boland, Donne, Frost, Larkin, Mahon, Montague, Plath and Rich.

Four of these will appear on the examination paper.

You are expected to be familiar with six poems by each poet and to discuss at least three in detail in your essay.

One question will be set on each of the chosen four. You must answer one of these questions.

Two types of questions are set: those that specify what aspects you must discuss (in 2007, Robert Frost -- a poet of sadness and The poetry of Sylvia Plath is intense, deeply personal and quite disturbing) and those that do not specify what aspects you must discuss (in 2007, Write a personal response to the poems by T. S. Eliot on your course and The impact that John Montague's poetry had on you.) In the former, you must consistently address the aspects you are given; in the latter, you must provide your own shape and material.

AND FINALLY .. A GUIDE TO THE MARKING SCHEME

? Clarity of Purpose (30pc):

This assesses the relevance of your answer. In other words, have you understood and adequately tackled the task that you were given? Do you know what you are talking about?

? Coherence of Delivery (30pc):

This assesses the structure of your answer. In other words, how well organised is your discussion or argument and how effectively is it supported by references and illustrations? Does your answer hold together?

? Efficiency of Language Use (30pc):

This assesses the effectiveness of your writing style. How appropriate is your choice of words and how powerfully do you organise them into sentences and paragraphs?

? Accuracy of Mechanics (30pc):

This assesses the accuracy of your spelling and grammar
April 08 : Pooja Hegde, who returned from Georgia after wrapping the shooting of her untitled south film with Prabhas, was quarantined at her Hyderabad house. Pooja is currently practicing self-isolation and social distancing amid the nationwide lockdown.

The Housefull 4 actress is currently making the most of her time in quarantine by brushing up her cooking skills and above all doing workouts and yoga. The Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo actress took to her Instagram handle and shared a picture, where the diva is seen doing a difficult yoga posture. In the caption, the Mohenjo Daro actress thanked yoga practitioner and teacher Mihir Jogh for his live online classes. Pooja believes that yoga is the best way to increase body flexibility, strengthen muscles, and connect with oneself.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Pooja was last seen in the film Ala Vaikunthapurramloo with Allu Arjun. Pooja will be next seen in the Telugu film Most Eligible Bachelor with Akhil Akkineni in the lead role. The film was slated to hit the screens this month. In Bollywood, after Housefull 4, Pooja will be seen in Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali with Salman Khan. The shooting for the film is expected to start in October this year.
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He was actually looking to get out of town because there was no opportunity for him to grow in his field (here in North Platte), Ortiz said. He saw our posting on the Nebraska Labor Board.

Chef Calvin gave Ortiz a call and was persistent in following up on the communication.

He was very, very excited to be able get into his field here in North Platte, Ortiz said.

Along with their standard menu, Ortiz said they will frequently offer off-menu items, as well.

We just want to keep it fresh and exciting for people who want to try something new, Ortiz said. We want to make sure you dont have to go to Denver, you dont have to go Omaha or Las Vegas to try something new. You can actually have it here in North Platte, Nebraska.

Stenger said one of the main focuses of the business is to attract more business to the historic downtown area.

The tone for the atmosphere will be set by the decor. The building was completely gutted so the men could put their own touches on the business. The restaurant will be on the south side and the cocktail lounge will be on the north side.
Seven Japanese nationals working in a private company in Jharkhands Jamshedpur were sent back to their home country by a special chartered flight on Tuesday after request from Japan during the Covid-19 outbreak.

We sent seven Japanese citizens for Delhi on board a chartered flight at Sonari Aerodrome here today. They were working here with some Tata Group Companies and staying here for past 8-9 months. This was done as per the recommendation of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and approval of Civil Aviation Ministry, Ravishankar Shukla, East Singhbhum district deputy commissioner, told HT on Tuesday.

India too has been evacuating its citizens from various countries like China, Iran, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK and other Southeast Asian countries since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

Shukla said that MEA had sent a list of Japanese nationals staying in Jamshedpur and other cities and states, recommending the respective district administrations to arrange for their safe evacuation. The recommendation from MEA came after a request from the Japanese mission in Delhi for sending their citizens back to their home country in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak.

The only condition was that none of such foreigners should have symptoms of coronavirus infection. We got all the seven Japanese citizens thoroughly checked by the doctors here and no symptoms of Covid-19 were found in any of them. Subsequently, they were sent to Delhi on a chartered flight arranged by Japanese mission in India. From Delhi, another chartered Japanese flight will take them home, Shukla said, adding that more such Japanese citizens would reach Delhi from Surat, Rajasthan and other states.

As per available information, four of the seven Japanese citizens evacuated from Jamshedpur worked in a Tata Steel-Nippon Steel joint venture company, two in Tata Refractories and the other Japanese citizen was supervising the overall operation of Nippon Steel in Jamshedpur.

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Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) on Wednesday said it has integrated its entire sales network of over 500 dealerships across the country with its recently introduced online sales platform

New Delhi: Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) on Wednesday said it has integrated its entire sales network of over 500 dealerships across the country with its recently introduced online sales platform.

The company's online sales platform -- Click to Buy -- offers an end-to-end retail experience to its customers.

Hyundai had launched a pilot phase of the initiative with few dealers of Delhi-NCR in January 2020.

All Hyundai models including the new Creta and Verna are available on the Click to Buy a website that acts as an additional sales channel for Hyundai dealerships, HMIL said in a statement.

The platform is connected in real-time with all the dealerships across India for the convenience and need of new-age digital customers, it added.

"Over the last decade, retail sales has been witness to a paradigm shift with new-age customers heavily inclined to online purchase of products," HMIL MD and CEO SS Kim said.

With pan India integration of dealerships under Click to Buy, the company is offering its tech-savvy customers a transparent and easy way of purchasing their favourite Hyundai cars, he added.

Besides, getting cars configured online, customers can also avail financing options through the platform.

Through the platform, customers can speak to a sales representative and even decide their preferred delivery options- pick the vehicle from the selected dealer or get their vehicle delivered to their doorstep.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:18:47|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that under the coordination of WHO, more than 90 countries are now working together to find effective therapeutics as soon as possible.

Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva, Tedros said 130 scientists, funders and manufacturers from around the world have signed a statement committing to work with WHO to speed up the development of a vaccine against COVID-19.

"To better understand the transmission, epidemiology and clinical features of the virus, we have developed research protocols that are being used in more than 40 countries, in a coordinated way," the WHO head said.

Earlier in February, WHO brought more than 400 of the world's leading researchers together to identify and accelerate research priorities for the outbreak of the disease.
Some of the acts stretch the boundaries of their series labels a bit  such as Ranky Tanky & Dom Flemons or Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives The Psychedelic Jam-Bo-Ree  unusual for the Sheldons stage.

This is Palermos first full season booking the Sheldon; he joined the venue in December 2018 and, with outgoing executive director Paul Reuter, helped book the 2019-20 season.

He says it was great having a warmup season with Reuter before taking over. It helped him get a firmer understanding of what the venue is all about.

We have several audiences that come to the Sheldon, Palermo says. Doing that year of half-duty, I could see where we were at and where we could go. It was great to finally take the wheel for myself and setting the artistic vision for the Sheldon, bringing new stuff to the Sheldon and being true to what the Sheldon is best at.

He likens planning a concert season to making jambalaya.

There were lots of moving parts, lots of offers that dont come to fruition, calendars that dont line up, budgets that dont line up, he says. It goes through a lot of iterations. Its a constantly evolving thing.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:46:45|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel has signed a deal worth 90 million new shekels (about 25.2 million U.S. dollars) with Chinese biotech giant BGI Genomics in equipment and substance supply for performing novel coronavirus tests, the health ministry said Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the deal will allow the operation of an additional at least 10,000 coronavirus tests a day in Israel, compared to a daily average of about 8,300 in the past week.

The devices, which are purchased in collaboration with the defense ministry, are expected to reach six testing laboratories in two to three weeks.

Founded in 1999, the Shenzhen-based BGI Genomics is a leading provider of genome sequencing and proteomics services, and currently a major supplier for COVID-19 testing worldwide.
Weeks before the first New Yorker tested positive for the coronavirus, the M.T.A. was aware of the prospect that it might reach the city.

On Jan. 28, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, Tony Utano, met with several M.T.A. leaders, including the chief security officer, Patrick T. Warren, at the agencys headquarters in Lower Manhattan to discuss the coronavirus outbreak, which had already forced a lockdown in Wuhan, China.

A doctor called in to discuss how the authority should respond to an outbreak: disinfectant for employees to keep their hands and shared work spaces clean, and masks, but only for those who fell sick  guidance that mirrored parts of the pandemic plan that the M.T.A. adopted in 2012.

By the group's next meeting, on March 5, the virus had reached New York.

Workers had already started requesting protective gear, like masks and gloves, but their appeals were denied because, at the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not recommended that healthy people wear face masks.

When some workers wore their own masks, they were told to remove them because they violated uniform policy, according to management responses to two formal complaints reviewed by The New York Times.

At the March 5 meeting, Mr. Utano and other labor leaders pressed the M.T.A. to alleviate the panic spreading among employees by providing masks to all workers and suspending the use of an attendance system that required them to touch a shared screen.

We are supposed to have systems in place for this. We are supposed to have equipment for us to go out and serve the public even in a crisis, said Ronald Spring, a bus operator. But we didnt see any of that happening like it should have.
In a major relief to Pakistani Hindu migrants amid the hardship of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Rajasthan government on Wednesday decided to bring them under government schemes for providing rations.

The migrant population, which is mainly engaged in the fields of agriculture, stone mining, handicraft industry, scrap dealing and masonry works as daily wage workers, have been left jobless after the lockdown and are dependent on the charitable organisations for food and rations.

The decision will help around 7,000 families living in eight districts of the state - Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Sirohi, Jalore and Pali, officials said.

Out of the 7,000 families, around 4,000 families are living in Jodhpur district, the officials said.

District magistrates of these districts, where these migrants are settled, have been asked to chalk out plans so that they get access to government schemes leading to availability of rations.

The state government has finally come to the rescue of these hapless migrants after taking up our plea, Seemant Lok Sangathan president Hindu Singh Sodha said.

Seemant Lok Sangathan is a charitable organisation working for the welfare of refugees coming from Pakistan and was founded by Hindu Singh Sodha in 2005.

Expressing gratitude to the state government, Sodha said the district magistrates of the districts like Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer have contacted him to provide them with the list of the beneficiaries who will come under the scheme.

An administrative official, who requested anonymity, said that focus would be given to these migrants in the districts where the government ration distribution would be done as per the list provided by the group.

Many of them were not Indian citizens and those who have obtained the citizenship were not part of any government welfare scheme. They were not eligible for any relief plans rolled out by the government during the ongoing lockdown," Sodha said.

He had then written a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot drawing his attention to the anomaly and considering a plan for these migrants, so that they could also get the benefits of government schemes in these hard times.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 97-year-old Second World War US pilot has found online fame after he was captured on camera dancing to Justin Timberlake during the coronavirus lockdown.

The US Navy shared a clip of Chuck Franzk busting some moves to Timberlakes Cant stop the Feeling on his doorstep in the mid-western American state of Wisconsin.

The video has been liked more than 13,000 times, with social media users describing the pensioner as "amazing".

In the US. almost 400,000 people have been infected with the Covid-19 strain, almost 13,000 have died and 22,000 have recovered according to Johns Hopkins data.

The dancing pensioner did a dance on his doorstep during coronavirus lockdown / US Navy

The clip opens with Mr Franzk coming out of his home and putting a hand to his ear.

After hearing the music, he steps out onto his porch and boogies in time to the beat.

After tapping his toes to the rhythm, the veteran adds in some hand actions and sways up and down. A US flag can be viewed in the background.

He then lifts his face up to the camera as he gets in some cardio during coronavirus lockdown.

The US Navy shared the video and wrote: Even under quarantine, 97-year-old Wisconsin WWII #USNavy pilot Chuck "Dancing Chuck" Franzk can't stop the feeling. #MondayMotivation.

Twitter users praised the pensioner's dance routine.

One said: He is great! Great moves! Bet he was a bad ass pilot.

Another added: Thank you for the Monday cheer, "DANCING CHUCK.The world could use millions of you!!!

Hi Chuck!!! Love your style, said another.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF) (the "Company" or "UGE"), a leader in commercial and community solar energy solutions, is pleased to announce that its global solar experience has surpassed 400MW, as one of many milestones reached in Q1 2020.

The following summarizes the Company's milestones and other updates from Q1 2020. The Company experienced the strongest quarter in its history for new Confirmed Orders, driving a 50% growth in Company backlog, which now exceeds USD$45 million.

US Market

UGE's US market continued to experience increased activity in Q1 2020. For projects in deployment, UGE reached final completion on a 100kW system in Long Island, New York, as well as mechanical completion on a 130kW project in Montvale, New Jersey. A second Montvale project is nearing the same milestone, which will be completed in Q2 2020.

Meanwhile, UGE confirmed eight new projects in the US, with an estimated project value of over USD$20 million. This was highlighted by UGE's recent announcement, which included an agreement to develop, build, and finance its largest US project yet, a community solar project in Westchester, NY.

UGE also announced that it closed project financing for two New York-based projects. Interested New York City-based energy users are able to subscribe to the projects through the following URL: www.ugei.com/community-solar-marketplace.

Philippines Market

UGE's momentum in the Philippines continued, as well. The Company reached final completion on four projects totaling 1.4MW, and substantial completion on two projects, both of which are expected to reach final completion by the end of Q2 2020.

UGE's wholly-owned subsidiary, UGE Philippines, also signed agreements for two new projects in Q1 2020. The clients were Cebu Institute of Technology University, for a 97 kW solar energy system, and Lite Port Properties Inc., for a 200 kW project at a commercial mall complex in Bohol.

Engineering and Consulting Services

Meanwhile, UGE's consulting division, "UGEngineering", completed several assignments, both for external clients and UGE's US and Philippines project development subsidiaries. The division completed assignments for three external clients, including Issued for Construction drawings for 18MW of projects in New York State and front end project engineering design in Ontario. In Q2 2020, the division looks to complete assignments for its first project located in California, repowering projects in Ontario, and microgrid projects in Africa, as well as the increasing list of projects for UGE's US and Philippines subsidiaries.

UGE International

At the corporate level, UGE celebrated the 400MW milestone by recording its strongest quarter ever for Confirmed Orders at over USD$20 million, and estimates that its project backlog is now between USD$45-50 million. The Company also neared closure of its Canadian EPC subsidiary as creditors voted to accept UGE Canada RE Ltd's proposal on February 14, 2020. Because of COVID-19, the court's approval of the Proposal has been pushed back to a later date, to be determined. The Company also will release its 2019 audited financial statements before the end of April 2020.

Lastly, the Company continues to manage through the ramifications of COVID-19. Although construction progress has slowed based on local restrictions, each of the Company's subsidiaries have proactively taken steps to temporarily decrease spending and will focus on accelerating schedules once such local restrictions are lifted. New project development continues at a rapid pace, as demonstrated by the significant number of new projects won in recent weeks. UGE expects to move several of these new projects into the construction phase before the end of the year.

About UGE International Ltd.

UGE delivers immediate savings to businesses through the low cost of solar energy. We help commercial and industrial clients become more competitive by providing low cost distributed renewable energy solutions at no upfront cost and maximum long-term benefit. With over 400MW of global experience, we work daily to power a more sustainable world. Visit us at www.ugei.com.

For more information, contact:

+1 917 720 5685

investors@ugei.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54237
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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a little-known figure before the coronavirus pandemic, has risen to prominence as Director-General of the World Health Organisation which is spearheading global responses to the virus.

Dr Tedros - who has never practised as a medical doctor - is a career politician who was born in what is now Eritrea, began work under the Communist Derg junta, came to study in the UK, then rose to the top of Ethiopia's government first as Health Minister and then Foreign Minister before being elected to lead the WHO in 2017.

He is now facing heavy criticism over his handling of the pandemic, especially for praise he heaped on China's communist party for its response - hailing the regime's 'commitment to transparency' and saying the speed with which it detected the virus was 'beyond words'.

That has led to allegations - mostly recently made by Donald Trump - that the WHO is 'China-centric', a position that the US President has promised to 'look into'.

Trump has threatened to suspend US funding to the WHO until an investigation has been carried out, while suggesting that they withheld information on the virus.

Indeed, it is not the first time that Dr Tedros has been accused of cosying up to China. Shortly after his election victory in 2017, it was alleged that Chinese diplomats had been heavily involved in lobbying for him.

UN records also show that Chinese contributions to both Ethiopia's aid budget and the WHO have substantially increased during times when he was in top leadership positions.

The WHO and its Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus (left, pictured meeting with Xi Jinping in January) has faced accusations that the organisation is 'China-centric' and has been too quick to praise the regime's coronavirus response

Dr Tedros (left) became the first African head of the WHO and the first non-medical doctor to hold the role when he was elected in 2017, amid allegations of heavy lobbying by China (pictured, Dr Tedros in Beijing shortly after his election)

Shortly after his election to the WHO, a report in The Times said: 'Chinese diplomats had campaigned hard for the Ethiopian, using Beijings financial clout and opaque aid budget to build support for him among developing countries.'

Dr Tedros - who is married and has five children - was born in 1965 in Asmara, which was part of Ethiopia at the time but is now in Eritrea.

As a child he saw his younger brother die to an infection, which he believes was measles, which he later said spurred his determination to work on health and health policy.

He graduated from university in Ethiopia in 1986 with a degree in biology and went to work as a health official in the regime of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, while the country was ruled by the Derg military junta.

According to the BBC, Dr Tedros then joined the hard-left TPLF - which started life as a Communist party and played a major role in overthrowing Mariam in 1991. It later became part of the EPRDF, a coalition of left-wing parties that ruled Ethiopia until last year.

Around the same time as Mariam's ouster, Dr Tedros left Ethiopia and came to the UK where he studied at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, graduating with Masters of Science in Immunology of Infectious Diseases in 1992.

He then went on to study at the University of Nottingham, where he received a PhD in community health in 2000.

After this, he returned to Ethiopia where he joined the health ministry and rose through the ranks from regional health minister all the way to national Minister for Heath - a position he took up in 2005.

During his tenure, which lasted until 2012, he was widely praised for opening thousands of health centres, employing tens of thousands of medics, bringing down rates of HIV/AIDS, measles and malaria, as well as bringing information technology and the internet into the heath system.

Before ascending to the top ranks of the WHO, Dr Tedros studied in the UK and served Ethiopia's ruling left-wing coalition as health minister and then as foreign minister (pictured in the role in 2015)

Dr Tedros was the first WHO head elected by member states, winning the ballot by a reported 133 votes to 50, with the near-unanimous backing of African states

In November 2012 he was promoted to Foreign Minister, and was widely hailed for helping to negotiate a boost in UN funding for Ethiopia, including as part of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

Indeed, UN funding records show that around this time the country received millions in additional funding - including from China, which had previously given little or nothing to support the country.

In 2015 and 2016 China gave some $16million to Ethiopia in spending commitments and cash contributions, largely in support of food or refugee programmes.

In 2011, just before Dr Tedros took up the role, and in 2017, just after he left, China handed over another $44million in commitments and contributions.

Its total contributions outside of this period, dating back to the year 2000, were just $345,000.

In 2017, Dr Tedros left the Ethiopian government and entered the running for Director-General of the WHO as the tenure of Dr Margaret Chan, a Canadian-Chinese physician, was coming to an end.

The election was the first to take place under a system of polling all UN member states as part of a secret ballot. Previously, leaders were chosen by a closed-door vote of an executive committee.

Eventually the field was boiled down to two candidates - Dr Tedros and Briton Dr David Nabarro, a life-long physician who had helped lead UN responses to previous outbreaks including bird flu, the cholera outbreak in Haiti, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Dr Tedros won the ballot by a reported 133 votes to 50, becoming the first African leader of the WHO and the first non-medic to hold the role. His victory came in part thanks to 50 out of 54 African states voting for him.

However, he quickly mired himself in controversy by recommending African dictator Robert Mugabe as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador, amid allegations he trying to repay favours granted during the election.

Dr Tedros quickly embroiled himself in controversy at the WHO by trying to appoint African dictator Robert Mugabe (pictured at a conference together in 2017, the year of the appointment) but eventually bowed to pressure and dropped it

There were reports that the move was also intended to reward China, a long-time supporter of Mugabe, for using its influence to have him elected.

The Times added: 'China has praised the authoritarian development model of Ethiopias regime, which rules under emergency powers and has put down pro-democracy protests.'

During the 2017 election itself, several groups within Ethiopia opposed Dr Tedros's appointment due to his links with the TPLF and allegations that they stifled journalists and repressed minorities.

Dr Tedros was also accused of covering up three separate cholera outbreaks in 2006, 2008 and 2011 by mis-reporting it as 'watery diarrhea', allegations he dismissed as a 'smear campaign' by his British rival.

Following his election to the WHO, Dr Tedros vowed to reform the organisation by placing an emphasis on universal healthcare at its centre while also increasing funding.

Further UN funding records show that, during his tenure, assessed contributions to the WHO by China have also risen significantly - from roughly $23million in 2016 to $38million in 2019.

China has also committed to a further $57million in funding in 2020, though has yet to pay the balance.

Meanwhile funding from other major world economies - including the US, Russia, Japan and Germany - has remained largely flat or even fallen over the same period.

Assessed contributions make up only around a quarter of the WHO's budget, the rest of which comes from donations.

Dr Tedros (pictured with his family) was widely praised during his tenure as Ethiopia's health minister for helping to lower rates of measles, malaria, and HIV/AIDS as well as building thousands of health centres and hiring thousands of medics

MailOnline has contacted the WHO for comment, but had not heard back at the time of publication. This site also reached out to the University of London and University of Nottingham to check biographical infomation on Dr Tedros, but had also not received a response.

Recent criticism of the WHO and Dr Tedros specifically stems from its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular its perceived closeness to authorities in Beijing.

Dr Tedros visited Beijing himself back in January and spoke with President Xi about the country's response, returning to give a speech that praised the regime's transparency, the speed of its response, and credited it with saving lives both at home and overseas.

That is despite the fact that medics from Taiwan - which are not represented at the WHO since China claims it as part of its country - claimed to have raised concerns about the response as far back as December 2019.

Medics told the Financial Times that they had anecdotal evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus, something China was denying at the time and a key factor in turning the disease into a global pandemic.

They claim this was reported to the WHO on December 31, but not shared with other countries. China itself did not report human-to-human transmission until almost a month later - January 20 - by which time the disease had began spreading throughout the country and across the world.

A petition calling for Dr Tedros's resignation which began in Taiwan has now topped 750,000 signatures.

The WHO Director is known for his hands-on approach, often personally visiting countries affected by disease outbreaks - including the Democratic Republic of Congo which was hit by Ebola in 2018 (pictured)

China has also faced allegations it attempted to silence medics - including the now-deceased Dr Li Wenliang - who first reported on the disease, and covered up early cases.

At his Tuesday evening coronavirus briefing, Donald Trump took aim at the WHO, saying the US would consider suspending funding to the organisation until an investigation is carried out.

'They called it wrong, they missed the call,' he said, adding: 'They should have known and they probably did know,' suggesting the WHO was withholding information about the coronavirus.

'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it,' Trump said near the top of the briefing.

'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said.

Today Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, defended the organization.

He said: 'We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding.'

He also said his administration would look into whether the US would withdraw its $513m funding.

Coronavirus has now infected at least 1.4million worldwide and killed more than 80,000 - though these figures are widely believed to be under-estimates.

The coronavirus facts China wants the world to forget: Beijing releases a COVID-19 timeline - but fails to include whistle-blowers, Huanan food market and 'the order to destroy all samples'

China's official news agency has released a coronavirus timeline to hit back at accusations that Beijing tried to cover up the full scale of the outbreak.

State-run Xinhua said that the timeline, published on Monday, proved how the country 'has shared information and advanced international cooperation' in the fight against the killer bug.

The 37-page document included - as described by Xinhua - the 'main facts and measures China has taken' to contain the epidemic. In particular, it hailed the role of President Xi Jinping and other Communist leaders.

However, the mammoth report has left out some of the most crucial events of the health crisis, each of which has played a decisive role in the development of the global emergency.

Here, MailOnline has listed these findings alongside relevant information in previous reports and the Xinhua timeline.

1. The whistleblowers

Dr Li Wenliang, 34, died of the coronavirus in February after being punished for sounding the alarm over the outbreak. The police accused Dr Li and other medics of spreading fake news

Probably one of the most notable stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic, eight Wuhan medical workers who sounded the alarm on the virus at the end of December were accused of spreading fake news and reprimanded by police.

The most famous of them was late doctor Li Wenliang, who died of the coronavirus on February 7 after contracting it on the front line.

As early as December 30, the 34-year-old posted messages to a social media chatting group used by local medics, warning them of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'. His alert came over three weeks before Wuhan went into lockdown.

A statement from Wuhan police on January 1 condemned Dr Li and the others of spreading 'inauthentic' information without proof. Officers said their acts had brought bad impact on society, and they would be 'dealt with' by law, according to a previous report by Xinhua.

This photo taken on April 1 shows medical workers disinfecting a stretcher in Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan. Li Wenliang was a doctor at the hospital before losing his life to COVID-19

These events were not mentioned in the Xinhua timeline.

However, the report did reference Dr Li in a listing under March 19.

It said: 'An inspection team of the National Supervisory Commission released the report of an investigation into issues related to doctor Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist with the Central Hospital of Wuhan.

'Following the report, Wuhan Public Security Bureau decided to revoke the previous reprimand letter and apologized to Li's family over the mistake.'

It did not explain the 'issues related to doctor Li'.

Beijing named Dr Li 'a martyr' this month and mourned for him on the National Day of Mourning for COVID-19 victims.

Although Dr Li was the most famous coronavirus whistleblower, he had been tipped off by a colleague, ER doctor Ai Fen. Read our report about Dr Ai here.

2. The Huanan seafood market

An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26. But its timeline did not mention the market (pictured on March 30)

Since the beginning of the outbreak, researchers and authorities have linked the virus to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a once-popular wet market in the city of 11 million.

Curiously, it did not appear in the timeline.

One of the earliest connections between COVID-19 and Huanan can be traced back to a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.

It claimed that 27 cases had been identified in the market as of December 31 and the city's officials had started to study its association with Huanan.

Some other reports, however, suggested that the very first patient had no connection with the market.

The market was closed on January 1 in relation to the 'pneumonia epidemic' by the local market watchdog, according to a report by state-run China News citing Wuhan Evening News.

Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China. China has been distancing Wuhan's Huanan market from its coronavirus narrative

An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26.

The Xinhua timeline did not refer to the Huanan market or its connection to the pandemic.

In a listing under January 26, it cited Ma Xiaowei, the head of the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC), who claimed that 'the source of infection is yet to be found and studies are still needed to understand its pathogenicity'.

In another listing under March 6, it quoted a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said: 'Though the first case of COVID-19 was detected in China, it does not necessarily mean that it originated from China. We should jointly oppose "information virus" and "political virus".'

Although it remains unclear why the market was omitted from the timeline, Beijing has been rejecting the widely held assessment that Wuhan is the birthplace of the global outbreak after cases started to drop there but soar in Europe.

Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China.

3. 'Gag order'

On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission ordered gene-sequencing labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus, according to a report from Caixin. This photo taken on February 6 shows a laboratory technician working on samples in Wuhan

A high-profile investigative report has accused Chinese officials of ordering labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus in the very early stages of the outbreak.

On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission slapped the gag order on some gene-sequencing companies which had identified a new strain of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27, said the report.

The date was more than a week before the first patient in Wuhan, a 61-year-old man, died of the virus on January 9.

The Caixin report claimed that some labs in China identified a new stran of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27 after studying samples from patients in Wuhan. Pictured, an illustration of the virus released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The revelation was made by one of the most referenced investigative reports about China's coronavirus outbreak, published by pioneering Beijing-based media group Caixin on February 26.

It was shared tens of thousands, if not millions, times on Chinese social media platform WeChat, before disappearing.

An English version of the article still lives on Caixin's website.

Xinhua's timeline did not mention any lab-testing efforts in December.

It said that on January 2, the CDC and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) 'received the first batch of samples of four patients from Hubei Province and began pathogen identification'.

It added that three other institutions began to carry out parallel laboratory testing on January 3.

A team of officially appointed experts said on January 9 that a new type of coronavirus was initially identified as the cause of the viral pneumonia in Wuhan, according to the timeline as well as a previous Xinhua report.

4. When did Xi know

China's President Xi revealed in a speech on February 3 that he first gave instructions on the coronavirus on January 7. A transcript of the speech was published by state media outlet Qiushi on February 15. The picture shows Xi giving a speech at a Wuhan hospital on March 10

It remains a mystery when China's President Xi first learned about the outbreak.

The timeline, as well as many state media reports, claimed that Xi 'made instructions on epidemic response when presiding over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee' on January 7.

However, an investigation into public government documents and official reports reveals that his speech was not mentioned in any reports until February 15 - which was rare for Chinese propaganda, especially those about Xi.

Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus on January 20. Pictured, patients wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25

Qiushi, a political theory periodical run by the Communist Party, published the transcript of a speech by Xi on February 3.

Xi addressed officials: 'On January 7, I raised demands over the control and prevention of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic while hosting the politburo standing committee of the Communist Party of China.'

This article, mentioned in the timeline, became the source of many reports, which claimed that Xi took the helm of the coronavirus task forces on January 7.

A report by Xinhua on January 7 about the political meeting was titled 'Xi Jinping hosted a CCP leadership meeting' and did not refer to the viral pneumonia in Wuhan.

Radio Francia Internacional branded January 7 as a 'mysterious point in time' for Xi.

A commentary on March 3 said that it was 'very interesting' for a Chinese leader his calibre to have to point out a time reference about himself, especially considering China's 'powerful propaganda machine'.

Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus outbreak on January 20.

5. The mysterious 'zero case' days

A picture released by Hubei's Chutian Urban Daily shows residents at Wuhan's Baibuting community gathering for a huge banquet on January 18. The event reportedly invited more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year days before the city went into lockdown

Wuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'.

Nearly 700 officials, lawmakers and government representatives attended the conferences.

By January 5, the city's health commission had recorded 59 cases and no deaths.

The 12 days would have been critical in preventing the virus from spreading, but officials either reported zero new cases or did not release a daily update.

'Like this, Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, missed the key 12 days to block a malignant epidemic disease from spreading further,' criticised Shanghai-based news outlet Yicai in an article from February 1.

Wuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'. This March 18 photo shows people lining up to pick up pork which was delivered to their quarantined compound in Wuhan

The Xinhua timeline listed 25 entries under the 12 days to give details about a variety of official actions, including the isolation of the first novel coronavirus strain, the development of testing kits and a statement from the World Health Organization on the outbreak.

It did not mention any new cases in the period.

Furthermore, officials of a Wuhan community organised a huge banquet on January 18, inviting more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year, reported Caixin, citing local Chutian Urban Daily.

The banquet sparked fears of an impending outbreak among Wuhan residents, who rushed to buy face masks, Caixin added.

The timeline did not mention the banquet.

On the day, Wuhan reported four new cases. A statement said the city had registered 45 cases and two deaths by then.

6. Wuhan mayor admitted slow reactions

Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV in January

One of the most influential interviews in the early days of the outbreak came from Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan.

Mr Zhou confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' to state broadcaster CCTV on January 27.

Mr Zhou disclosed at a press conference the day before that around five million Wuhan residents had left the city before all forms of transport were halted on January 23.

Mr Zhou said those people had left because of the Lunar New Year as well as 'public opinions'. Nine million people were in Wuhan when it was locked down, he said.

The timeline did not mention Mr Zhou's comments, which were widely reported by media outlets in and outside of China.

Wuhan was locked down between January 23 and April 8 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The picture shows residents of Wuhan queuing to pay at a supermarket on January 23

Mr Wu, 56, told CCTV that his government would need to receive authorisation from higher-ups before making any announcement regarding the novel coronavirus.

'On one hand, we did not reveal [information] in time; on the other, we did not use effective information to improve our work to a satisfactory level,' Mr Zhou said during the interview which was live-streamed online.

He said: 'Regarding the untimely disclosure, [I] hope everyone can understand. [Coronavirus] is a contagious disease. Contagious diseases have relevant law and information needs to be disclosed according to law.'

He then explained the restriction his government faced.

'As [the head of] a local government, after I receive the information, [I] can only release it after being authorised. [Many people] could not understand this at the time,' he said.

7. The disease is 'largely controllable'

The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article , citing an expert. The picture shows a worker measuring the temperature of a woman at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan on April 8

The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article, citing an expert.

Professor Hu Ke from Hubei Provincial People's Hospital claimed that most patients had developed minor to medium symptoms and some of the earliest patients had recovered and left the hospital.

This article was published one day before Wuhan reported its first death from COVID-19.

It came five days after another Xinhua report said no evidence showed that the virus could spread from one person to another.

The timeline did not mention either article.

Professor Zhong Nanshan, the leader of Beijing's coronavirus expert team, confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20, according to a CCTV report and the timeline.

The coronavirus pandemic has so far killed more than 81,000 people and infected over 1.4 million worldwide as of writing.

The lockdown on Wuhan, the former centre of the outbreak, was lifted on Wednesday.
Under pressure from President Donald Trump, the Indian government Tuesday lifted a ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine, paving the way for the anti-malaria drug to be shipped to the U.S. for use against the coronavirus.

The decision came after Trump appealed to Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi in a phone call, then told a White House news conference Monday that India could face retaliation if it didnt release the drug.

Trump has aggressively touted hydroxychloroquine as a possible game changer in the pandemic despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it works to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The U.S. gets nearly half its supply of the drug from India.

Indias foreign affairs ministry said restrictions against the export of hydroxychloroquine and several other drugs were largely lifted after the government had ensured there were sufficient supplies to meet domestic need.

New Delhi had stopped exports just days earlier amid a global rush to stockpile the drug, which was developed nearly a century ago to battle malaria and is also used to treat other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Hydroxychloroquine, which is already being used by doctors in the U.S. and other countries to treat the coronavirus, has sharply divided Trumps pandemic task force.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has championed the drug, which has been shown in limited studies in France and China to reduce some symptoms of COVID-19. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has pushed back against those claims, saying the drug has not been subjected to rigorous clinical trials.

The drug can also have severe side effects, including heart damage.

Still, as Trump tries to show that the U.S. is turning the tide against a virus that has sickened more than 360,000 Americans  by far the most in the world  the Food and Drug Administration last week authorized the experimental use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.

Trump has often accused India of unfair trade practices, but he enjoys a warm relationship with Modi, who threw a giant stadium rally for the president when he visited India in February.

Modis decision divided India, which is grappling with its own widening coronavirus epidemic. With nearly 5,000 Indians having tested positive for the virus despite one of the lowest rates of testing in the world, the outbreak is threatening to crush Indias overstretched healthcare system.

We should ramp up production and build our national stockpile before we start exporting, said K.M. Gopakumar, legal advisor to the Third World Network, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on the pharmaceutical industry. My concern is that, in a couple of months, when the pandemic surges in African nations, will India be able to send them drugs as well? America is not the only country depending on us.

Ashok Madan, executive director of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Assn., praised Modis decision on humanitarian grounds.

Indias giant generic drug industry was committed to being the pharmacy of the world, Madan said. We are nowhere withering from our responsibilities.

The race to secure drugs amid the pandemic has seemingly skated over regulatory problems in Indias $37-billion pharmaceutical industry.

IPCA, one of the leading producers of hydroxychloroquine, was banned from exporting products from three facilities to the U.S. in 2015 after FDA inspectors found the Indian company was manipulating raw data and test results to meet quality-control checks.

But last month the company told Indian regulators that the FDA had lifted the ban because of the growing demand for hydroxychloroquine.



Shashank Bengali and Vidya Krishnan of the Los Angeles Times wrote this story. Times staff writer Bengali reported from Singapore and special correspondent Krishnan from Goa, India.)

2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Setting up his practice in the self-confessed "glam" capital of Houston was perhaps not the most logical step for 28-year-old decorator Brandon Fontenot. Born and raised in rural Louisiana, he says his love of materials derived from the earth stems back to growing up in a house where furniture lasted forever. Nothing just went away, he says. Everything took on new life; if a dining table lost a leg, it would be turned into a coffee table. Fontenot, who set up his practice four years ago, says his style is at odds with the aesthetic of the Texan city, where everything is disposable. This has, however, not stopped him becoming one of the most exciting rising-star creatives in the region.

This particular 3,700-square-foot, three-bedroom project is prototypical. The clients, a couple, approached him roughly six months after one decorator had finished the job. The walls had been coated in army green paint and had dark drapery to match, and the clients came to Fontenot seeking something brighter, more pared-back, almost Californian. The process was concise and the brief clear. We went over a plan, a budget; and then they said, 'Go at it, we'll be back in August,' he says of his clients, who spend much of the year at their homes in Palm Beach and Maine. It was nerve-racking to have such carte blanche.

His response was "organic Deco." A lo-fi mixture of timbe, jute, and wool is punctuated with sassier spurts of rich materials, as in, for example, a brass coffee table or a marble counter. Fontenot says particular favorites are a plaster coffee table in the living room that sits on black burr beams that are a hundred years old and a nettle rug from Nepal. The palette was kept simple; the walls were all painted white, with the exception of a monochrome De Gournay covering in the entrance hall. Thats the most decoration in the whole project, Fontenot says.

Story continues

Discover a Stirring Mix of Old and New in This Houston Apartment

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The home, in a high-rise built just four years ago, has been encouraged to show its agein marked contrast to the glistening newness of so much design in the city. He picks the brass coffee table commission as an example: It has a few spots and things on it, which I always describe to clients as furniture going through its 'teenage years.' I always encourage them: Let it grow up and mature fully and it will be a beautiful thing that no one else will have. You create it as you use it. That's what I like. Wise words from one to watch.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Patrick Stewart once called the world of jigsaw puzzles a secret society. There were always high-profile fans, like Hugh Jackman, but most only whispered about their passion.

Now, with much of the world under lockdown and looking to kill time, jigsaw puzzles have taken on new role: a tool to save humanity. Australias prime minister, Scott Morrison, even referred to jigsaws as essential, and allowed people to leave the house to buy them.

Celebrities and commoners, stuck in their homes, have shown off their puzzles. Ellen DeGeneres recorded her travails with a 4,000-piece puzzle on Instagram.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman and Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:34 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a21d5 1 Business Dirgantara-Indonesia,Indofarma,ventilator,Aspaki,medical-equipment,Pan-Brothers,COVID-19,coronavirus,Sritex,PT-DI,Sinar-Mas,industry,manufacturing Free

State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), pharmaceutical firm Indofarma and local universities are developing ventilator prototypes to help meet skyrocketing demand for the crucial medical equipment to treat coronavirus patients.

Carmakers are also readying their factories to switch production lines to the manufacture of ventilators.

PTDI president director Elfien Goentoro told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the aerospace company planned to mass-produce one of five ventilator prototypes currently being tested by the Health Ministry. The prototypes were produced in collaboration with universities and other institutions.

We have been asked by the Defense Ministry and the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry to join the COVID-19 ventilator team to produce prototypes for commercial use, he said by text message. Once the prototypes pass the Health Ministrys tests, we are ready to modify our production lines to produce the ventilators.

Ventilators are in short supply globally as countries around the world scramble to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The group of 20 largest economies (G20) has pledged to create a supportive global supply chain environment to address a global deficit of medical gear, notably for personal protective equipment (PPE), test kits and ventilators.

Read also: Indonesian manufacturers step up as G20 nations coordinate global medical supply

Indonesia currently has 8,936 ventilators dispersed in 1,827 hospitals across the country, according to Health Ministry data from March 23. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 2,738, with 221 fatalities, the highest death toll in Southeast Asia. Scientists have estimated that the number of cases could reach 71,000 by the end of April.

Several members of the Indonesian Medical Equipment Manufacturers Association (Aspaki) are also working on a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine as well as on noninvasive and invasive ventilator prototypes to help meet demand, said executive manager Ahyahudin Sodri.

Universities have begun to develop their own ventilator prototypes. The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Salman Mosque Foundation and Padjadjaran Universitys School of Medicine (FK Unpad) are currently developing a noninvasive ventilator prototype called Vent-I.

Weve completed the prototype, and it is currently being tested by the Health Ministrys Health Facility Test Agency [BPFK]. Hopefully, our prototype can be used to treat patients with mild to medium symptoms before their condition deteriorates, said Hari Tjahjono, external relations head of the Salman-ITB-FK Unpad ventilator team.

State-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Indofarma is developing its own version of an invasive ventilator for critically ill patients.

Hopefully we can complete the prototypes by the third or fourth week of this month, president director Arief Pramuhanto told the Post on Monday.

Read also: Experts warn it will take time for local carmakers to producer ventilators

Local automotive manufacturers have been in talks with the Industry Ministry to develop ventilators. However, experts are saying it will take time to turn the idea into reality, since the carmakers will need product blueprints, raw materials and production line designs in partnership with the government and medical equipment manufacturers.

Indonesian textile manufacturers have swiftly adjusted production lines to make PPE items such as masks and hazmat suits with a total capacity of 18.3 million pieces per month starting in May. However, local companies are struggling to manufacture medical-grade gear, test kits and ventilators.

No local manufacturer is able to produce ventilators just yet, according to Aspaki.

Ventilators are considered to be high-risk medical equipment. Manufacturers have to comply with international safety standards in designing and producing the product. They also need to receive approval from either the Indonesian Health Ministry, European Conformity (CE) certification or a certificate from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before selling it commercially, Ahyahudin said. Most of the components for ventilators are also imported from other countries, he added.

Arief of Indofarma echoed those concerns, saying that local manufacturers were particularly hard-pressed to develop the invasive type used for critical patients, as they need special specifications to build one.

Other than developing its own invasive ventilator prototype, Indofarma also produces equipment like hospital beds, IV posts and negative-pressured isolation stretchers.

Read also: COVID-19: Textile factories face hurdles as they switch to producing medical gear

Arief said that the firm was also working to build a new production facility to produce surgical masks that was expected to start production by the end of April.

We expect the facility can produce 10 million to 12 million surgical masks a month, he said.

The company says it is continuing to innovate by developing a new product to be used for COVID-19 treatment facilities. We just developed a new product called emergency isolation room that can be used by local administrations that need emergency treatment facilities outside of hospitals, such as in stadiums or public halls, Arief added.

A sharp increase in demand for masks has also prompted other manufacturers from various industries to produce masks and other PPE.

Textile companies like publicly listed PT Pan Brothers and PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex) have switched some of their production lines to making masks and coveralls. Pan Brothers agreed to produce 20 million washable masks and 100,000 jumpsuits by April, as ordered by the government and retailers.

Most recently, conglomerate Sinar Mas Group announced that it plans to build a new production facility under its paper producer subsidiary, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), that could produce 1.8 million surgical masks per month.
Uptown project beats the coronavirus clock



Real Estate Editor By BRIAN MILLER Real Estate Editor

Photo by Brian Miller [enlarge] The 68-unit Alloy received its certificate of occupancy about 10 days before the state ordered a moratorium on most construction.





Some apartment projects were completed just before the state-ordered moratorium on most construction owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

One is the new 68-unit Alloy, at 802 Fifth Ave. N. in Uptown. The four-story project broke ground in the late summer of 2018. A certificate of occupancy was issued last month  about 10 days before Gov. Jay Inslee's emergency order.

The 9,600-square-foot corner, at Valley Street, was once home to a 7-Eleven. Blueprint Capital paid $2.9 million for the property in 2016. SHW designed Alloy, and Blueprint apparently acted as its own general contractor. (The project began life at 800 Fifth.)

The team also included Root of Design, landscape architect; Blueline, civil engineer; and Terrane, surveyor. Laura Miller and Connor Sims of Gibraltar are leasing the 1,700 square feet of retail/commercial or restaurant space on the corner.

The leasing website, alloyseattle.com, doesn't yet list rents for the apartments, which range from around 249 square feet to 570 square feet. Most units will be SEDUs (small efficiency dwelling units). Five live-work units face Valley.

Floor plans are named for various metals: cobalt, nickel, mercury, silver, copper, titanium, gold and iron.

No parking is required or included for Alloy, which has a bike room with about 46 stalls. A roof deck has around 700 square feet. Total project size is estimated at 30,647 square feet.

Blueprint is a local REIT run by Mark Knoll and Dan Duffus. It has other apartment projects in planning and development in Ballard, Green Lake, Uptown, Roosevelt and West Seattle. Most are SEDUs and/or micro-apartments with no parking.

Alloy's Uptown site is steps from QFC, and a short walk to South Lake Union.





Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517.




Two pilots working with Caverton Helicopters Ltd, who were arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, for flying an aircraft into the state, have been remanded in Port Harcourt prison.

The police spokesperson in Rivers, Nnamdi Omoni, who disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday morning, said the pilots were arraigned before a magistrate on Tuesday and charged with disobedience to lawful order  order of the governor on the restriction of movement or flight because of coronavirus.

Mr Omoni said 10 other persons, who were in the flight, were also charged to court.

They are to remain in prison custody till May 19.

Caverton, a logistics company, provides support services for oil and gas companies in Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Total, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.

Mr Wike, who has barred vehicles and flights from entering Rivers as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus, said the pilots illegally flew an aircraft belonging to Caverton into the state.

The governor has been insisting that people flying into Rivers must subject themselves to health check to ascertain if they are positive or not to the coronavirus.

Nobody says that you cant go to any state but now we are in a war situation, a Government House statement quoted the governor as saying, while reacting to the development. This COVID-19 is even worse than a conventional war.

Mr Wike said he does not have the right to close the airport in Rivers but that he has the right to prevent people from entering the state.

Cavertons management, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the company has not violated any law. It appealed for the intervention of the federal government in the matter.

At the start of the COVID -19 lockdown, we received a letter from our client stating that they have been given approval/ exemption to fly and continue operations.

We (Caverton along with three other companies) also received approval from the Minister of Aviation to fly only essential services, mainly in the Oil and Gas industry.

Lastly, we got another approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly for this same oil and gas sector. We have been flying along with these guidelines for the past seven days.

Today, we were informed that the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike was coming to address the operators in Port Harcourt and our people waited. But on arriving, the governor directed two of our pilots to be taken to CID where they were told to write statements.

Despite all pleas by our lawyers who showed all the relevant documents, they were taken to the magistrate court and charged.

At the court, our lawyers also presented all the documentations approving us to fly by the federal government but the case was closed and the pilots have been remanded in Port Harcourt prison till the 19th May, the company said
Indian-origin Miss England 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee has resumed work as a doctor to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. One of the worst hit countries in the world, UK is seeing multiple deaths every day from the virus.

Bhasha told CNN that she was in India for charity work as the pageant winner when she realised she needed to be back home, serving her people. I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work, she said. She received messages from her former colleagues at her old hospital, the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, eastern England, who told her of the dire situation at hospitals overflowing with patients. She then contacted the hospitals management, telling them that she wanted to return to work.

I felt a sense of this is what Id got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now. It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help, she said. Theres no better time for me to be Miss England and helping England at a time of need, she added.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster: He took money that was supposed to go to me

Bhasha, 23, from Derby, holds two different medical degrees, has an IQ of 146, making her officially a genius and is fluent in five languages. She was due to start her new job as a junior doctor in a hospital, just hours after the Miss England final ended last year.

She was born in India. Her family relocated to the UK when she was nine. She went onto complete two bachelor degrees: one in medical sciences and one in medicine and surgery from the University of Nottingham.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
In today's COVID-19 updates, the daily increase of cases in New Zealand is slowly dwindling, a home learning support package has been revealed, a review of the tourism sector is on the horizon, and police are still clamping down on rule breakers ahead of Easter.

The number of new confirmed and probable cases in the country continues to slowly fall, with 26 confirmed and 24 probable cases in the past 24 hours. That brings the total number of cases now to 1210 and the death toll remains at one.

It's a drop from Tuesday when 54 new cases were reported, which was also down from the 67 cases reported on Monday.

Another 41 people recovered overnight, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 282.

The country's three biggest clusters of the coronavirus are still at Marist College, a Bluff wedding, and a St Patrick's Day party, and there's been no addition to the list of discovered clusters so far.

Eighty-four people with links to Auckland's Marist College and 81 people with links to a wedding in Bluff have tested positive, while 62 people with links to a St Patrick's Day party at a Matamata Bar are also infected with the disease.

In his media update this afternoon, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said he had asked health officials to use testing to ringfence all 12 clusters.

He says that may include testing close contacts who have had no symptoms to see if they were pre-symptomatic.

Meanwhile, 64 health care workers are either confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 20 support or care workers; 17 nurses; seven administrative related roles; seven doctors and three medical students.

Six of the workers have recovered.

Ashley they were still investigating the number of health care workers who were infected in the workplace or outside of it, although more than a quarter had been overseas recently.

There were 4098 tests processed yesterday, the biggest number of daily tests carried out so far.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she's cautiously optimistic about the progress being made in the lockdown, "but now is the time to stay the course".

She can't confirm whether the lockdown will be extended at this stage.

"Ultimately what we want is control of the virus."

Jacinda urges people to get tested if they symptoms, adding that there should be no shame or stigma about experiencing symptoms or needing to be tested.

Forty-nine people have so far registered for the charter flight to get New Zealanders stranded in Peru home.

Jacinda says details on when the flight will depart Lima are still being finalised, but officials are working as quickly as possible.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) says the flight will only be able to make one stop, in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

It says people who are in other parts of South America who could get to either Lima or Santiago could be able to join the flight.

The government is also working to get New Zealanders home from other parts of South America on charter flights being arranged by other governments.

MFAT says it's also in touch with 58 New Zealanders stuck on cruise ships around the world.

That figure is a significant drop from two weeks ago, when there were 372 New Zealanders on board 30 cruise ships.

The ministry says all 15 New Zealanders on the MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam cruise ships had arrived home safely.

While those stuck on the Greg Mortimer cruise ship in Uruguay look set to be evacuated on a medical flight to Australia.

More than half of the 217 passengers and crew on board the ship have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement, Uruguay's foreign ministry has confirmed it has authorised the landing and departure of a flight charted by the cruise company, Aurora Expeditions, for both Australians and New Zealanders.

Authorities in both Uruguay and Australia have been involved in getting the flight off the ground.

Aurora Expeditions said passengers on the flight would be separated into different cabins, depending on whether they had the virus or not.

The flight is expected to depart Uruguay on 9 April (local time) for Melbourne.

Review of tourism and reboot on horizon

The future of tourism and how it is governed will be rebooted in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The industry has been one of the hardest hit, haemorrhaging staff and money as visitors dried up and the lockdown started.

On Wednesday morning, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced a project to reimagine the way tourism is governed, marketed and how visitors are managed.

Tourism New Zealand will lead the project, working with the government, industry and businesses.

Its chief executive Stephen England-Hall says it's an opportunity to listen to communities and design the future of tourism in New Zealand.

He says tourism needed to benefit New Zealanders and the country.

The priority was to create something that genuinely gave back more than it took and played a key role in economic success, he says.

Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Jim Boult welcomes the plans, saying that encouraging domestic tourism and supporting operators and staff were the first priorities.

However, he says New Zealand needed to be ready for when international visitors were allowed to return.

The International Visitor levy will also be reviewed by Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage to focus on how it can help rebuild the tourism industry.

Education support package revealed

The Minister of Education is warning parents not to assume schools and early childhood centres will automatically reopen once New Zealand moves out of Level Four.

In an announcement, Chris Hipkins says a package delivering about 17,000 devices to students, and tens of thousands of hard copy packs to others, will roll out from this week, so that students were ready to learn when term two officially starts on April 15.

He says plans are being made for a range of scenarios - and moving out of alert level four would not be straightforward.

"We're moving so that all families will have at least one education delivery option available to them when term two starts.

"The ministry has surveyed schools and about half say they are well set up currently for distance learning using the internet. But we are taking action to support new connections and resources for students at all schools."

Chris says the government is working to lessen the impact of the school closures on students doing NCEA this year.

He says more than 100,000 children do not have access to a digital learning device, and the ministry was looking at how it could safely gather devices sitting idle at schools to households that needed them.

"We're anticipating a number of short term logistical challenges as you might imagine, with device availability and connectivity, so our plan is a pretty broad one.

"This is a big and complex job being delivered at speed, and there are constraints around the stock of equipment in the country.

"Not everyone who needs them will get internet access, digital devices and hard packs at the same time.

"Where we are unable to immediately connect a household with the internet or get a device to a student, we will be working with schools and kura to provide hard-copy learning materials direct to homes."

The package will target four areas:

Increasing the number of students who have internet access and devices

Delivering hard copy packs of materials for different year levels

Funding two television channels to broadcast education-related content - one for English medium and one for Maori medium, including content that is targeted to Pacific and other communities

More online resources for parents, available through the Learning from Home and Ki te Ao Marama websites, and fast-tracking ways to connect Learning Support Coordinators with families remotely

Easter warning and crackdown on rule breakers

Police have issued a warning ahead of Easter, as the number of people breaching lockdown rules continues to rise.

In a media conference on Wednesday afternoon, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says people should no longer have an excuse to say they were not aware of the lockdown situation or what they could or couldn't do at this stage.

"We have seen, over the first period, a lot of people who genuinely didn't understand, who needed to be guided and educated on the controls in place.

"We're now at a stage where most people do know and are doing the right thing, so the people we come across who aren't, more often are likely to be flouting the rules and therefore warrant some kind of firmer action."

More than 350 people have now been issued warnings (76 of which were in the past 24 hours), and more than 40 people are facing prosecution for breaching the Covid-19 lockdown rules - most of them repeat offenders.

Andrew says a minority are still flouting the rules and breaches included people refusing to stop surfing.

However, Minister of Health David Clark - who admitted twice to breaking the lockdown rules in recreational activities - was not issued with a warning from police.

Andrew says their initial intervention approach, as with anyone, would mean people would be educated and encouraged in the first instances anyway.

"David Clark has very publicly apologised and has had a conversation with the prime minister that I suspect would carry more weight than what police would be able to do at this point.

"We don't believe a further conversation is required with him given the outcomes."

Checkpoints will be in place over the Easter weekend, ensuring people are only travelling for essential purposes.

Meanwhile, eight police officers have been forced to self isolate after being spat at by members of the public.

Andrew condemns the actions, saying the offenders were either thoughtless or malicious.

He warns that people could be charged with infecting with disease - an offence which carries up to 14 years' imprisonment.

He says the offenders will be tested for COVID-19 and the staff too if necessary.

The Police Commissioner also says he's confident officers would soon be visiting every single person who arrived in New Zealand to ensure they were self-isolating, after police last week admitted they had not been able to carry out the checks which had initially been promised.

Police had since ramped up efforts and carried out almost 1200 face-to-face visits since Friday, he said.

Flight arrangements

Agreements have been struck with aviation companies to ensure key freight lines remain open.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Air Chathams flights carrying food, medicine and other supplies were secured, as were some international import and export lines.

There were were now eight initial support agreements with airlines and a ground handling company, totalling 4.7 million, she says.

Much of New Zealand's freight used to be carried on passenger aircraft, she says.

Supported by government money, Air New Zealand has made 17 flights since Monday last week to a range of cities in Australia, Asia and the US, with 18 more flights planned over the next 10 days, taking food and returning with things like Personal Protection Equipment, hand sanitiser, and testing kits.

Meanwhile, flight numbers are beginning to pick up, especially on trans-Tasman routes. But passenger arrival numbers have fallen to their lowest level yet, at 96 people on Tuesday.

Fifteen flights would have left Auckland airport on Wednesday and 11 would arrive.

Apart from services to Shanghai, Los Angeles and Doha, all flights are to and from Australia.

Christchurch and Wellington each have a single flight to Sydney.

Departures have nearly quadrupled in five days to more than 2000 passengers.

The government says it was working with other countries to allow foreign nationals to transit through airports here if they needed to get home.
The Oregon Employment Department reported fresh problems this week in processing a flood of new jobless claims, acknowledging that laid-off workers continue to receive erroneous denials as they seek to claim the benefits to which they are entitled.

The department also said it will not waive a one-week waiting period for new claims, even though the federal rescue package Congress approved last month provides money to fund waivers. Many other states have issued such waivers to begin paying benefits right away, but Oregon officials said a waiver would further delay processing new claims.

With the employment department swamped and phone lines jammed, laid-off Oregonians are turning to elected officials in search of help as they wait for their first benefits to arrive.

Spent my day returning calls & emails from people having problems filing for unemployment. I fully understand their frustration. I know Oregon Employment Department is overwhelmed, but they have to get this right, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, wrote on Twitter Monday. People need help now!

Spent my day returning calls & emails from people having problems filing for unemployment. I fully understand their frustration. I know Oregon Employment Department is overwhelmed, but they have to get this right.



People need help now!  Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer) April 6, 2020

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown appointed the employment departments director, Kay Erickson, in 2016. In a statement Thursday, the governors office said the department will have quadrupled the number of staff taking claims, to 450, by the end of the week.

The governor recognizes the critical importance of Oregonians being able to receive the unemployment insurance benefits they have earned, and the agency is dedicated to meeting the unprecedented demand, wrote Liz Merah, an interim press secretary in Browns office.

We appreciate Oregonians cooperation and patience as the Oregon Employment Department works to process a record number of unemployment insurance claims, Merah wrote.

Oregon fielded an extraordinary 169,000 new jobless claims in the last two weeks of March, handily surpassing prior records as the coronavirus outbreak shut down bars, restaurants, stores, factories and many more businesses.

The employment department said last week it simply cannot keep up with the surge in jobless claims despite bringing staff in from other agencies and beefing up its website and phone banks. The department continues to report technical glitches in what its online systems tell claimants.

Nationally, nearly 10 million people filed for jobless claims in the last two weeks of March -- an unprecedented spike. Oregon is not the only state have trouble coping with the sudden volume of unemployed people seeking benefits. Mississippi, Florida and many other places have stumbled.

Oregon is facing a distinct set of challenges. The states website for filing claims has generally been able to handle the volume of activity but the department and laid off workers say it gives confusing answers, and isnt easily adapted for recent changes in the benefits program.

We are aware that there is an issue that is asking people to restart their claims and are in the process of creating a fix for it now, the employment department wrote on Twitter Monday. We will post with more information soon.

The departments administrative problems mounted when Congress expanded the categories of people eligible to make claims.

For example, the employment department wrote Monday on Twitter that its system had been notifying some workers that they were ineligible for unemployment benefits because they werent actively looking for work. But workers who expect to be recalled from a temporary, coronavirus-related layoff dont have to seek new jobs to claim benefits.

We made an automatic fix for that, the department wrote. Those claims will be processed and people should continue filing weekly claims.

Congress extended the number of people eligible for claims but that has compounded Oregons problems as the state waits for federal guidance on how to process filings from gig workers and self-employed workers who didnt qualify previously.

Late Tuesday the employment department posted a chart to help guide workers as they file claims under the new laws. But while the chart notes that self-employed and contract workers are eligible for benefits, it acknowledges that Oregon is still working to incorporate the federal changes into its systems and gave no indication of when those workers will be able to file claims.

Congress also provided funding for states that choose to waive the one-week waiting period for new claims. Many states have done that, but employment department economist Gail Krumenauer wrote in an email Tuesday that its impractical for Oregon to do the same.

Implementing a waiver would require thousands of hours reprogramming to the states filing system, Krumenauer wrote, further delaying claims. While leaving the waiting period in place will delay payments, she said it doesnt reduce the number of weeks unemployed workers will be eligible for claims.

With the economic crisis deepening, though, many workers are facing an immediate cash crunch. And workers may have new jobs before they have exhausted their eligibility, which now last for up to 39 weeks. For those workers losing a week at the front end means a week of benefits they will never see.

Paul Cherachanko was laid off in March from his job at a company that designed exhibits for trade shows, one of many sectors completely obliterated as people hunker down to ride out the pandemic. He filed his claim two days later and received a mysterious rejection.

It just said, no payment was made because your claim is not valid, said Cherachanko, 60.

Seeking to learn why the state denied his claim, Cherachanko said he has called as many as 200 times a day over the past two weeks. His wife still has her job as a bank manager, Cherachanko said, so his family isnt facing an immediate financial crisis.

But he said that could change at any time if something happens to his wifes job or if one of them falls ill. Unable to get through by phone, and stymied online, Cherachanko said his patience is running out.

They have no explanation to us, he said. Its been over a month since I got a paycheck.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
A New York City woman decided to pack up her things and move in with a guy in Connecticut  after just two dates.

Carrie Lee Riggins had been talking to a guy she met on Bumble for weeks when they finally had their first date on March 7, she told NPR. It went incredibly well, starting with lunch and moving on to a fancy dinner before inspiring a second date shortly after.

But as Carrie, a ballet dancer, saw the situation growing increasingly worse in New York, she made the impromptu decision to move up to Connecticut to stay with him during quarantine.

Moving fast: Carrie Lee Riggins, from New York City, met a man from Mystic, Connecticut on Bumble in February. They went on their first date in NYC on March 7, which lasted hours

Appearing on NPR's 1A, Carrie explained how the pair met on Bumble in mid-february and 'had lovely conversations' before eventually making a plan to meet.

Her new beau lives about two and a half hours away from New York City in Mystic, Connecticut, but they planned for him to come visit her on February 22.

But they didn't get off to a great start: When she called to confirm that morning, he told her he thought their date was the following week, and he was on a trip to Arizona.

That's how their first date was postponed until March 7, when the pandemic had really started looking serious in the US.

Carrie said the two first met for lunch, and it went so well that they had dinner that same night at the upscale Manhattan restaurant 11 Madison Park.

Committed: The ballet dancer drove over two hours to Mystic to see him for a second date, and moved in with him the next day

'I put everything in my car  my cat, my sewing machine, and two weeks' worth of clothes  and I just jumped into the downstairs bedroom of the condo!' she said

The two hit it off, and for their next date, Carrie made the trip up to see him.

'Ultimately, I ended up driving up to Mystic to see where he lived,' she said.

'And the following day, I put everything in my car  my cat, my sewing machine, and two weeks' worth of clothes  and I just jumped into the downstairs bedroom of the condo!' she added, admitting she 'definitely [put the] cart before the horse.'

Carrie explained that the situation in New York was just looking too bleak, but her new guy had plenty of space, including an extra bedroom. Plus, it seems, they weren't ready to give up on seeing each other so soon.

'The whole concept of what was happening in New York City, with the lines for the grocery store wrapping around the block, beginning to see people walking around in masks... the reality of it had begun to sunk in and I definitely just didn't want to be alone,' she said.

'He felt like a nice guy and I'd already scoped out the living situations.'

Getting away: Carrie said she made the move after being scared by how the situation was worsening in New York City

Now they each stay in their own rooms, but meet in living room for 'dates.'

They are 'treading lightly,' with her new beau still trying to be romantic despite their unusual circumstance.

She said that once he tried to buy her flowers, but couldn't find them at the grocery store. She told him, 'But you have toilet paper! These are the things that you triumph over!'

They're still navigating day-to-day life, like how to make dinner together and what to watch on TV. They have different tastes, so like most couples, they watch a bit of each person's preferred shows.

They've now been living together for nearly a month, and Carrie hasn't indicated any trouble in paradise.

Romance: Now they each stay in their own rooms, but meet in living room for 'dates'

Meanwhile, Nick Crawford, 23, told MarketWatch that he and an unidentified woman also went out for the first time on March 7  and within days, both were experiencing flu-like symptoms and told to self-isolate at home.

But in this case, it wasn't just the virus that was infectious: Despite one possibly infecting the other, Nick and the woman liked each other so much that they've continued to date, and even met up several times a week while quarantining.

Nick, a web designer, said that he and the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, matched on Hinge and started chatting before making a plan to meet on March 7.

'At that point, coronavirus wasnt even a real threat. It didnt feel real yet,' Nick said.

There had, in fact, already been cases in the US, and experts warned that it would spread quickly. However, the President was still calling the virus a 'hoax' at that time, and social distancing protocol had yet to have been adopted int he US.

How they met: Nick Crawford, 23, said he and an unidentified woman went out for the first time on March 7, and within days, both were experiencing flu-like symptoms

It was also still more than a week before New York closed bars and restaurants, so Nick and the woman had no trouble finding a place to go out.

The pair went to several bars in Brooklyn that night, and even met up with friends.

Shortly after they went out, Nick began to feel flu-like symptoms. He visited an urgent care clinic and tested negative for the flu, but doctors wouldn't give him a COVID-19 test, telling him that there weren't enough.

Meanwhile, his date also experienced flu-life symptoms, too. She has taken a test but is still awaiting results.

But a friend they met up with that night did test positive for COVID-19, seemingly confirming that the virus is the source of their illness, while also suggesting that they both contracted the coronavirus during that first meeting.

'I guess at one of the bars we went to, both of us ended up contracting what we would later find out is COVID-19,' Crawford said.

Hiding away: Nick couldn't get a COVID-19 test, but a doctor told him he probably had it and should self-isolate

What self-isolation? The couple apparently hit it off, though, and have continued to see each other

That's not necessarily the case, though  either Nick or his date may have already contracted the virus before the date, but remained asymptomatic, and given it to the other.

Still, while Nick didn't actually get tested, his doctor said he probably had COVID-19, and urging him to self-isolate.

Even if he did get it from his date, Nick said there are no hard feelings.

'I dont blame her at all. We both had a really fun time together on our first date,' he said.

In fact, the pair are still seeing each other, and Nick tweeted on Thursday: 'Looks like I caught more than just feelings during this pandemic.'

'We have spent a lot of time together since then, quarantining together,' he added to MarketWatch, indicating that they've met up two or three times a week while supposedly self-isolating.

He thinks they may have a future together, too.

'Id probably tell my grandkids the story of how we met,' he said.
Fishawack Health, the global healthcare communications agency, announces the acquisition of Skysis, a boutique consulting firm providing integrated market access and commercial strategy solutions based in the US.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005692/en/

The Skysis team (Photo: Business Wire)

Skysis expertise bolsters Fishawack Health's impressive consulting capabilities. The company brings with it the ability to connect interdependencies across healthcare professional (HCP), payer, channel, and patient stakeholders. It is the first acquisition with Fishawack Health's new investor, Bridgepoint.

Oliver Dennis, Fishawack Health co-founder and CEO, said: "In partnering with Bridgepoint, we have made a step-change in our ambition. We're delighted today to add Skysis to the group. They bring strategy and market access across the entire commercial life cycle, making them an important addition to our strategic consulting capabilities."

Fred Bassett, Head of Consulting for Fishawack Health, added: "Skysis provides strategy and execution across every stage of the commercial life cycle. The company's expertise bolsters Fishawack Health's strong strategic consulting team, which includes analysts, researchers, commercial consultants, market access and customer experience specialists, and boasts a network of Physician Expert Partnerships."

Providing further detail, Dan Twibell, Managing Director of Skysis, explained: "We wanted to partner with a group that could help us scale our business, offer more solutions to our clients and that our team would be excited to join."

Dawn Rich, Managing Director of Skysis, said: "Our team is thrilled to be joining Fishawack Health. Our core capabilities match perfectly with the key services of the wider consulting capability."

Fairmount Partners, a leading investment bank focused on pharmaceutical services businesses, introduced the parties identifying that Skysis' four core practice areas market access, new product planning /launch excellence, market insights, brand management and engagement were a perfect match with Fishawack Health's capabilities.

Established in 2001, Fishawack Health has become one of the largest independent healthcare communications organisations in the world. It has 14 offices across Europe and the US, and a highly skilled workforce of 850 employees. It serves more than 100 customers across 300 different drug compounds, including the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and a range of innovative biotech and medical device companies.

Its three areas of specialism strategic consulting and market access, medical communications, and commercial and creative execution are underpinned by shared world-class resources. This includes digital expertise, insight, data analytics and visualisation, and media and production capabilities. These capabilities work independently or combine seamlessly as one unit, complete with teams tailored to the client's individual needs and challenges.

Fishawack Health's strategic and scientific focus makes it ideally placed to solve complex brand, portfolio, and enterprise-level challenges for its clients.

With experience across every major therapeutic category, Fishawack Health understands what it takes to improve patient outcomes and drive business success for its clients. The company will continue to add new capabilities designed to solve its clients' critical medical and commercial challenges in an integrated and seamless way.

About Fishawack Health

Fishawack Health is an independent, full-service, global healthcare communications group with over 850 medical experts, marketing professionals, and strategic specialists. The organisation has three areas of specialism that work independently or as a single united team strategic consulting and market access, medical communications, and commercial/creative execution.

About Skysis

Skysis is a boutique consulting firm that provides integrated commercial solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry. The organisation leverages their deep industry experience to generate insights and approaches that address their clients' unique commercial needs.

Advisers involved in this transaction included:

KPMG Manchester acted on behalf of Fishawack Health for corporate finance and financial tax due diligence; Addleshaw Goddard, Manchester and Sheppard Mullin, San Diego provided legal support. KPMG, Fairmount Partners, a leading investment bank focused on pharmaceutical services businesses, introduced the parties and acted as financial advisor to Skysis. Ulber Berne LLP provided legal support.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005692/en/

Contacts:

Fishawack Health

Simon Young

Tel: +44 20 3328 1870

E: Simon.young@bluelatitude.com

Skysis

Dawn Rich

Tel: 451 770 7606

E: drich@skysisllc.com

Bridgepoint

James Murray

Tel: +44 207 034 3555

E: james.murray@bridgepoint.eu
<! Idriss Deby acknowledging cheers after the operation Anger of Bohoma against Boko Haram >

President Idriss Deby of Chad has revealed that the Nigerian government supported his countrys military onslaught against Boko Haram.

Deby who has relocated from Ndjamena to Boga Sola in the Lac Region said Nigeria provided fairly substantial equipment, in support of Operation Anger of Bohoma..

The next phase is pursuing the terror group into Niger and Nigerian territories.

With the operation, Deby said Boko Haram no longer exists in Chad.

The Chadian leader spoke on Monday when a parliamentary delegation made up of the ruling party and the opposition visited him.

The delegation was led Dr. Haroun Kabadi.

In a report by the countrys main paper, alwihdainfo.com , Deby also revealed his country got support from Rwanda and Sudan.

Deby did not elaborate on the substantial equipment supplied by the three countries.

But we have everything we need, Deby said.

The Anger of Bohoma operation allowed the Chadian army to drive out Boko Haram from the Lake Islands in less than six days.

Deby said the onslaught against the terror group continues into the Nigerien and Nigerian territory. .

Haroun Kabadi, the leader of the delegation condemned the cowardly and barbaric attack by Boko Haram on the defense and security forces in Bohoma.

They welcomed the launch of Operation Bomas Anger.
[April 08, 2020] HealthSpace Deploys Automated Contact Tracing Platform for Agencies in British Columbia and Washington - Helping to "Flatten The Curve" for COVID-19 VANCOUVER, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. (the "Company" or "HealthSpace") (CSE:HS) (Frankfurt:38H) (OTC:HDSLF) is pleased to announce it has begun deploying its contact tracing platform, for COVID-19, with Okanogan County Public Health in Washington and Vancouver Island Health Authority. After its initial outreach to existing customers regarding COVID-19, the Company learned of the growing need to scale contact tracing efforts for public health departments. Contact tracing is a process employed by epidemiologists world-wide that enables them to retrace the steps of a person testing positive for COVID-19 and track anyone who may have had direct contact with them. These agencies then embark on a painstaking process of interviewing each of the potential contacts, calling them daily for a set period of time to monitor if they exhibit any symptoms. HealthSpace has since extended its HSCloud Suite and My Health Department products to serve as a fully automated contact tracing platform. This new platform replaces the manual process of calling each individual contact with an automated system that sends out a unique and secure link via text message and email with a daily questionnaire for each of the contacts being traced. The questionnaire allows the contact to enter their symptoms, temperature and a variety of other information as directed by each agency. The platform also allows those filling out the questionnaire to list places they have recently been - such as a supermarket - and people they have been in direct contact with, enrolling these new contacts in the daily contact tracing questionnaire. This multiplies the reach and helps control community spread more effectively. The information is securely stored inside of HealthSpace's secure HSCloud Suite platform for detailed reporting and analysis, helping these agencies make informed decisions in real-time. <>This platform is being delivered at a time when unprecedented pressure and attention has been placed on public health agencies. This growing pressure and strain has brought about the demand for increased funding. In the $2 trillion economic stimulus package recently signed into law in the US, $500m has been specifically earmarked for the CDC with the express purpose of providing public health surveillance and data collection system ( https://www.wpxi.com/news/washington-news-bureau/cdc-granted-500-million-surveillance-data-collection-system-fight-coronavirus/BB7YNCIL2FGHZOWL4YCIUFFV4E/ ). HealthSpace CEO, Silas Garrison commented "In a time when public health agencies and governments across the globe are scrambling, looking for help, I am humbled that our platform has risen to the occasion. Our team has been working tirelessly since we discovered the need for digital contact tracing and were able to stand up, in record time, a platform that truly scales contact tracing to meet the magnitude of this global crisis. I am honored that our platform can have a positive and lasting impact, not just for the agencies implementing it, but for all those directly impacted by this virus. The more we empower these public health agencies, the faster they can react to capping the spread of the virus. This not only helps save lives but will lead to the world and the economy getting back to normal." HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. HealthSpace is a government Software as a Service (SaaS) company focused on providing efficiencies to state and local government agencies through its powerful enterprise cloud and mobile platform. Over the last decade, HealthSpace has successfully developed both cloud and mobile applications currently serving over 500 state and local government organizations across North America. HealthSpace offers one of the only self-serve enterprise suites for government, providing greater power to the end-user. Further, HealthSpace now delivers its government grade technologies to private businesses enabling them to gain visibility and predictability into their own organizations and move from a reactive to a proactive operational status. HealthSpace continues to deliver focused service and innovative solutions to government organizations, while expanding into commercial enterprise verticals to enable new customers with proactive environmental health best practices and policies. HealthSpace has now entered into the FinTech space by creating a payment platform that streamlines the intake of government revenue for the agencies it serves. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "pipeline", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although HealthSpace believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. HealthSpace expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthspace-deploys-automated-contact-tracing-platform-for-agencies-in-british-columbia-and-washington---helping-to-flatten-the-curve-for-covid-19-301037261.html SOURCE HealthSpace Data

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Sealord of New Zealand offers seasonal work to people with jobs impacted by pandemic

New Zealand's leading seafood company, Sealord, has invited people looking for work as a result of COVID-19 to join them for the approaching hoki season.

Hoki is one of the most sustainable and commercially valuable fisheries in New Zealand, with a market value of more than NZ$232 million (US$ 138.35 million). Sealord owns 30% of the hoki quota and employs more than 300 seasonal workers to fill temporary land-based factory roles and jobs on board fishing vessels from May to September.

Doug Paulin, Sealord's chief operating officer, said the company has been having difficulty filling roles for the hoki season, Sealord's busiest time of year due to a lack of seasonal workers travelling to New Zealand.

"The New Zealand government has advised that Sealord is considered an essential service and can continue operations, with strict safety, health and social distancing requirements being adhered to both at work and at home. As a food manufacturing business, we have always maintained a very high standard of care for our workers through our health and safety practices. Now we have introduced a raft of extra measures in response to COVID-19", he said.

Paulin said visitors on temporary work permits have traditionally made up the shortfall in the local workforce. "This year, we have been reaching out to other industries struggling to provide work for their staff," he said.

Sealord is looking for people with a range of skills including good hand-eye coordination and the ability to stand in a production line for an eight-hour shift in the company's grading and packaging plant.

There are two shifts available for these positions, a day and an afternoon rotation that starts at 4 p.m. Roles for forklift operators, commercial cleaners and people with filleting experience are also available.

For more information about these jobs and how to apply, see the www.sealord.com/nz/careers/.
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Market Research Future Published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Global Ink Resins Market Research Report - Global Forecast Till 2025

Global Ink Resins Market is growing continually, mainly due to the huge consumption of printing ink in the flexible packaging, paperboard & cartons, and printing & publication applications. Also, the growing demand from major end-user industries such as printing press, commercial and industrial prints, and others drive a considerable share of the market. Moreover, the rising global demand for label packaging that can provide detailed information about the ingredients escalates the market growth to furthered height.

According to Market Research Future (MRFR), Global Ink Resins Market is estimated to grow at 6.5% CAGR during the anticipated period (2019 to 2025). The growth in on-the-go packaged food items acts as a key factor impacting the growth of the market positively. Additionally, aspects such as color, design, and appearance of the ink that becomes important to attract customers foster the market growth exponentially. The consumer shift toward the use of packaged food, beverages, and other retail products influence market growth.

Furthermore, factors such as substantial R&D funding to develop new products, advancements in the field of 3D printing, and the emergence of new technologies such as inkjet, offset, and others are anticipated to give a boost to the Ink Resin Market in the coming years. On the flip side, price volatility and the demand-supply gap in raw materials required for the production of Ink Resins are expected to present challenges to the market growth.

Global Ink Resins Market  Segmentations

The Analysis has been segmented into four main dynamics to widen the scope of understanding,

By Type: Modified Resin, Cellulose, Acrylic, Polyamide, Hydrocarbon, Polyurethane, and others.

By Printing Process: Flexographic, Lithographic, Gravure, Digital, Letterpress, and others.

By Application: Printing & Publication, Corrugated Boards, Flexible Packaging, and others.

By Regions: Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Rest-of-the-World.

Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5093

Global Ink Resins Market - Competitive Landscape

Highly competitive, the Ink Resins Market appears to be fragmented due to the presence of several large and small-scale players. To gain a significant competitive share in the market, players initiate strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaboration, and innovations. Manufacturers strive to deliver high quality and reliable products developed with innovative technologies and best industry practices.

They make substantial investments to drive R&D required for the new product and technology launch and to develop a cost-competitive product portfolio. For business expansion, they acquire small yet promising companies in the emerging markets, focusing on optimized situational awareness for customers. Rising strategic initiatives are changing the market structure by increasing the profit of the acquiring company and reducing market competition significantly.

Major Players:

Players Leading the Global Ink Resins Market include Arakawa Chemical Industries, Ltd (Japan), BASF SE (Germany), DowDuPont Inc (US), Royal DSM NV (Netherlands), Hydrite Chemical (US), Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Lawter (US), Indulor Chemie GmbH (Germany), Arizona Chemical Company, LLC (US), IGM Resins, Inc. (The Netherlands), US-Polymers-Accurez LLC (US), and Kraton Corporation (US), among others.

Industry/Innovation/Related News:

November 09, 2019 - Ingevity (the US), a specialty chemicals and materials manufacturer & supplier, launched its new environmentally friendly ink resin product line - AltaPrint. The new ink resin product line is developed using more renewable raw materials such as phenol and formaldehyde-free modified rosin resin. It is designed for use in heatset and sheetfed inks for the packaging & commercial printing markets. Now available globally, The AltaPrint family of products offers customers a more eco-friendly solution without sacrificing gloss and film hardness performance characteristics. Launching such an innovative product line, Ingevity has showcased its commitment to meet the industry's evolving environmental trends and regulatory demands.

Global Ink Resins Market  Geographical Analysis

The Asia Pacific region dominates the Global Ink Resins Market. The largest market share attributes to the growing demand from the packaging industry and expanding production capacities in the region. Besides, factors such as the rising trend of on-the-go packaged food items & online shopping and the burgeoning eCommerce market in the region drive the market growth substantially.

Browse Key Industry Insights spread across 140 pages with 47 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, "Ink Resins Market Information: By Type (Modified Resin, Acrylic, Cellulose, Polyamide, Polyurethane, Hydrocarbon, and Others), Printing Process (Lithographic, Flexographic, Gravure, Letterpress, and Digital), Application (Printing & Publication, Corrugated Boards, Flexible Packaging, and Others) and Region - Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2025" in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ink-resins-market-5093

The presence of dynamically emerging economies in the region such as India, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea impacts the regional market growth positively. India and China markets account for the major shareholders in this region, witnessing massive consumption of ink resins. APAC is estimated to retain its leading position in the Global Ink Resins Market throughout the assessment period.

North America stands second in the global ink resins market due to the spurting growth in the packaged food, other retail products, and growing F&B industry. Besides, the augmenting demand for heatset and sheetfed inks from the packaging & commercial printing industries drives the growth of the regional market significantly. The US is the leading market in the region, which is growing due to the rising eCommerce market. Additionally, substantial investments in the end-use industries drive regional market growth.

The Ink Resins Market in Europe is observing a steady growth over the last couple of years. Major growth contributors to the regional market are countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Stringent regulations imposed by the regional governments promoting the use of eco-friendly resins are encouraging the development of bio-based ink materials. Moreover, the increasing innovations and advances in manufacturing techniques foster a large share of the market.

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Related Chemicals and Materials Market Research Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/categories/chemicals-market-report

NOTE: Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required we will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

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A man linked to the Barossa Valley coronavirus cluster has died in hospital, taking Australia's death toll from the virus to 51.

The South Australian man, 76, is the third person to die in the state, and is understood to have been in contact with an infected American tour group.

A cluster of COVID-19 patients has since broken out in the area, after the tour group visited a Barossa winery.

Last month, the state's chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier confirmed an investigation was underway after several cases were linked to Lyndoch Hill winery.

She urged anyone who had been to the winery since March 14 to self-isolate and seek testing.

Barossa (pictured), known for its wines and picturesque vineyards, has become the centre of a coronavirus cluster, after infected American tourists visited a local winery

There have now been 51 COVID-19 deaths in Australia, with 6,073 confirmed cases across the country

The man who died overnight is understood to have visited the same winery before dying in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Wednesday night.

Premier Steven Marshall described the mans death as 'extraordinarily sad news'.

'This is the first example in South Australia where its not overseas-acquired or interstate-acquired  its been acquired here in South Australia,' he told ABC Radio this morning.

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

He said the nature of the infection should prove to the public why strict restrictions are being put in place to limit people's contact with others.

'It really does massively underscore why we are putting these restrictions in place,' he added.

'This is a terrible, deadly insidious disease.

'It probably was from this group that came in and this is the problem, people just going about their ordinary lives, innocent activity and theyve lost their life because of this disease.

'It really just says to all of us...we cant take our foot off the brake.'

The 18-strong American tour group were isolated on March 21, after ten of them were found to have COVID-19.

The group was touring the Barossa Valley after arriving in the country from America around March 7.

On Wednesday morning, a 62-year-old woman from Adelaide also died from COVID-19.

She had been a passenger on the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship, which has since been linked to around 600 coronavirus cases - including 86 in South Australia.

The state's first death was Fran Ferraro, 75, who died on Monday.

He recently attended a wedding in Melbourne where some guests had travelled from Italy.
The senior Saudi prince who is governor of Riyadh is in intensive care with the coronavirus. Several dozen other members of the royal family have been sickened as well. And doctors at the elite hospital that treats Al-Saud clan members are preparing as many as 500 beds for an expected influx of other royals and those closest to them, according to an internal high alert sent out by hospital officials.

Directives are to be ready for V.I.P.s from around the country, the operators of the elite facility, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, wrote in the alert, sent electronically Tuesday night to senior doctors. A copy was obtained by The New York Times.

We dont know how many cases we will get but high alert, the message stated, instructing that all chronic patients to be moved out ASAP, and that only top urgent cases will be accepted. It said any sick staff members would now be treated at a less elite hospital to make room for the royals.

More than six weeks after Saudi Arabia reported its first case, the coronavirus is striking terror into the heart of the kingdoms royal family.
Lack of fiscal space will pose a big hurdle for the Centre to announce grants for industries to pay wages of employees unable to work due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, according to multiple people in the know. In the past few days, industry representatives have had meetings with top government officials to deliberate upon an economic package, said sources. The government lacks the fiscal space.

It will not be feasible to give grants to the industry to take care of its wage bills, one of the two persons said. The government has set up an empowered group ...
Bengaluru, April 8 : The city police have started deploying drones to keep an eye on the people and vehicles to identify violators, and also to better strategise police force use amid the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said on Wednesday.

"Drones are being used to check the movement of people and vehicles in high density areas, with this we will be able to strategise and effectively deploy police," tweeted Bengaluru South Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohini Katoch Sepat.

Sepat said this is the first time drones are being used for such a purpose in the city.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched COVID-19 testing kits on Wednesday that were manufactured in the MedTech Zone of Visakhapatnam.

The Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone(AMTZ) is a unique medical equipment manufacturing zone and now has taken the lead during the coronavirus pandemic.

The AMTZ will manufacture the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved kits. For ventilators, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has exempted them from any kind of manufacturing approvals.

AMTZ has started manufacturing 2,000 testing kits every day that would be supplied to not only the state but the entire country.

There are plans to increase the manufacturing capacity to 25,000 kits per day to fulfil the growing demand in the country as the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise in India.

AMTZ will also start producing 3,000 ventilators fro April 15 and scale up to 6,000 ventilators from May.

State-owned healthcare company Hindustan Lifecare (HLL) will be assisting in the assembly of ventilators.

Centre has already placed an order for 3,500 ventilators and the manufacturing process will start on April 15. Six companies have been set up in Phase-1 for this purpose.

The Industries and Commerce Department is donating 1,000 COVID-19 test kits to the government as a token of support. The Industries Department has further decided to donate 10,000 litres of hand sanitisers worth Rs 10 lakh to the government.

Also Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown

Also Read: Coronavirus: When will lockdown be lifted? PM likely to decide on Saturday
Today is the 9th day of the partial lockdown declared by the President. Yesterday, we received with concern news of the hospitalisation and transfer for intensive care of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. COVID-19 is proving to be a highly infectious disease and no respecter of persons.

This is the reason why we must cooperate with the directives announced by the President to restrict our movement as much as possible during this period, and continue to abide by the WHO and Ghana Health Service (GHS) protocols aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.

On Sunday, we also received the sad confirmation of the death of a young man at Ashaiman following a shooting incident involving a security officer. While we are not yet fully apprised of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate death, I wish to express our deepest displeasure at the shooting of an unarmed civilian and call for a speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

We woke up this morning to official reports that Ghana's incidence of COVID-19 infection has risen to 287. This is an alarming situation. While the GHS ascribes the sudden increase in numbers to enhanced surveillance and testing, it is a call to arms to redouble our efforts in battling this disease.

Last Saturday, I donated my widows mite of 650 PPE and associated items for distribution to various health facilities across the country. During the rage of this pandemic, protective clothing, disinfectants, sanitisers, laser thermometers etc. are the most critical items needed by our frontline health workers. This will give them the confidence to continue their work without fear of getting infected with the virus themselves.

My motivation for this donation was to fill a stop-gap and buy enough time for the government-acquired medical items to become available. Last Sunday, the President announced the receipt of some items including PPE. It is the hope of all Ghanaians that these items would be despatched speedily to where they are needed.

As the President of the Ghana Medical Association said, they are grateful for the incentives given to health workers, but they need the PPE urgently to go about their business of saving lives.

Concern has also been raised about who are frontline workers. It is known that health staff work as a team. From doctors, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory staff, cleaners, cooks, security personnel etc.

It may have been useful to consider a package that would cover all healthcare staff rather than a hefty package for only frontline health workers. The government should consider a package that benefits all health care staff who are working.

Consultations with professional groups of health workers on how to administer the incentives can result in a conclusion that is acceptable to all of them.

Last week, I made some suggestions about drawing money from the Stabilisation Fund to cushion some of the unintended consequences of the partial lockdown. These included some temporary relief from utility tariffs including water and electricity.

I suggested a flexible adjustment in timelines for submission of SSNIT returns due to the manpower downturn occasioned by the pandemic. I also requested consideration of some tax relief for small businesses and tax exemption on critical medical items and other goods required for our COVID-19 response effort.

I also suggested the scrapping of the 50% increase in the Communication Service Tax (CST) and negotiations with the telcos for some reduction in data tariffs in exchange for a free six-tmonth extension of their licences. This will be welcome relief for thousands of Ghanaians who are having to work from home.

I urged the government to provide food from the National Buffer Stock Company or elsewhere to alleviate hunger in the most deprived communities within the lockdown areas.

I am grateful to note that some of these suggestions were taken on board during the President's last broadcast to the nation. While the announcement of relief from water tariffs was received with appreciation, the lack of water in many parts of the specified areas make the three-month cancellation of tariffs meaningless for some.

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) must be supported to increase the supply of water to make this gesture meaningful to all. Our people are also urged not to waste water at this critical time.

Clear instructions must be given to GWCL that the presidential directive of three months relief from water tariffs means that no consumer must be billed for the months of April, May and June. This is notwithstanding arrears on their bills.

Clearly, electricity tariffs are the more burdensome of the two utilities. There is much expectation that some subsidy payment from the Stabilisation Fund to the ECG and generating companies can provide some temporary relief, however small, to consumers in this difficult period.

It will also be necessary to look at the pricing of LPG, especially at a time when the price of crude on the global market is at an all-time low.

The President's announcement of the distribution of hot meals and dry food packages to deprived communities is welcome news. The president stated that this will be in collaboration with faith-based organisations. This collaboration is good news because if care is not taken, in both the distribution and procurement of the food, partisan and parochial interests will defeat the purpose of the whole gesture.

I believe that traditional rulers and our Assemblymen and women in the affected areas must also be involved in this enterprise.

Our (NDC) representatives on the Finance Committee of Parliament have been urged to fully participate in the expected meeting on Thursday with the Ministry of Finance to discuss the modalities for the disbursement of the proposed stimulus package.

We will table proposals to ensure that this money is utilised efficiently and administered in a manner that is fair and just to all Ghanaian businesses that are suffering the adverse effects of the economic slowdown occasioned by this dreadful COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, today is World Health Day, celebrating nurses and health workers. In the midst of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded by the WHO that without nurses, and other health workers, there would be no response.

To all who continue to support with medical items, and providing lunch packs and fruits to our COVID-19 health workers and the public, I say thank you and more grease to your elbows.

Let us continue to #SupportNursesAndMidwives in our health facilities and communities.

#StayHome

#StopTheSpread

John Dramani Mahama

Cantonments, Accra

April 07, 2020.
| By Jena Frick

On a warm and sunny Friday afternoon, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) campus was quieter than usual. Due to restrictions put in place by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, students were learning from home and the majority of faculty and staff were teleworking. The campus was a ghost town with the exception of 200-plus essential employees who remained on-site.

These essential employees are the backbone of the University, said Denise Meyer, the associate director of Environmental Services at UMB. They're the main support for critical missions and functions keeping UMB operational during this time.

Essential employees from across UMB received free lunches from local businesses as part of UMB's Food for Our Front Lines program.

These dedicated employees include Police and Public Safety, Vet Services, Parking and Transportation, Custodial Services, Facilities and Operations, Payroll, Procurement, and many more. Many of them are working in minimum-wage jobs and in extreme conditions. With the closures of local restaurants and food venues, there is nowhere for these vital workers to eat during work hours.

As a thank you for their hard work during this time of crisis, UMB launched the Food for Our Front Lines program. The mission of the program is to provide free lunches for UMB employees who must remain on campus to perform essential operations and keep the University's assets safe for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(View a photo gallery.)

The first order of lunches was delivered to UMBs Health Sciences Research Facility III on Friday, April 3. Essential employees from multiple departments kept a 6-foot distance from one another as they gathered to pick up their free meals.

(View a video below.)

This really touches our soul because at one point in time we didn't think anybody cared, said Ida Powell, a custodian at UMB. We felt like all anybody cared about were the nurses and doctors. Theyre doing really great work keeping people healthy, but were also here making sure that everything is clean and safe for those nurses and doctors to do their jobs. It feels really awesome to be appreciated in this way.

All of the lunches for the Food for Our Front Lines program are catered by local businesses in the West Baltimore area. Thanks to community partnerships fostered by UMBs Office of Community Engagement, UMB identified six local restaurants to order from: Culinary Architecture, Neopol Savory Smokery, Primo Chicken, Rubens Mexican, Taco Town, and Zellas Pizzeria.

The meals ordered for the Food for Our Front Lines program are providing much-needed support to these locally owned businesses as they try to remain open and operational during this pandemic. These merchants not only provide vital services to West Baltimore residents and the greater UMB community, but they also provide employment for many.

Right now, all food businesses are trying to figure out how to stay busy and generate income, said Dorian Brown, the co-owner of Neopol Savory Smokery. The combination of UMB coming through with these sizable orders and a really loyal customer base has really helped keep the staff working and making delicious food.

Each boxed lunch costs about $12.50 and includes a sandwich or salad, chips, and a cookie or dessert bar. To keep this program going through the pandemic, UMB put out a call for donations on April 1 to pay the local businesses for their services. So far, the program has received over 200 donations, including one generous donation of $10,000 from new UMB Foundation (UMBF) board member Pete Buzy and his wife, Eileen. Those donations, coupled with the money provided by UMBF, bring the total funding for the Food for Our Front Lines program to nearly $39,000. This will provide upwards of 3,000 lunches to UMBs essential employees.

We plan to give out lunches for as long as we have funding to do it, so the donations really count, said Meyer, who helped to organize the Food for Our Front Lines program. The more donations we get, the more often we can provide lunches throughout this pandemic.

In addition to monetary donations, some local restaurants provided food free of charge. Jersey Mikes is donating over 100 sandwiches to the Food for Our Front Lines program.

The next food delivery to UMB is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, April 8-9. If you would like to make a donation to the Food for Our Front Lines program, visit www.umaryland.edu/giving/frontline.
Former President Kufuor has urged Ghanaians to comply strictly with governments directives on the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).



The former President said it would be unpatriotic for any citizen to go contrary to the directives, endangering their own lives.



Ghana has recorded 287 cases of the corona virus with five deaths as at April 8, 2020.



Speaking in an interview on Asempa FMs Yen Sempa on Wednesday, former President Kufuor said in Twi: the President, Nana Akufo-Addo and his government have done well. God has been kind to us. He has given us a President who is helping in the fight against the disease.





He added, we should be content with it. If we dont adhere to his directives, it means we are not good citizens. He has been a good President and he should continue.



Total lockdown



Former President Kufuor said Ghanaians should leave the management of the pandemic to the President and his team and should not dictate to them.



If they study the spread and its time to go for a total lockdown of the nation, he should do it. But let pray that by two weeks, God will help us. If by two weeks he has to continue he will continue.



The former President urged Ghanaians to pray for the President and his government to be able to fight against the pandemic.





We should pray for him and listen to him. That is why he is a leader. He needs our prayers.



Absorbing electricity bill



Former President Kufuor said Ghanaians should be grateful for the government for absorbing water bills in the wake of the pandemic but he was sure government would absorb that of electricity if the need be.



The government is monitoring the spread and what will help the nation. He has done it with the water and if he thinks he has to do it, he will do it. We should be quiet and listen to him.

Source: 3news









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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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned miscreants who abuse healthcare workers will face legal repercussions, saying those who deliberately cough on doctors or nurses are breaking the law and could be jailed.

"We have seen some very troubling cases of people who have either assaulted or threatened healthcare workers," Mr Hunt told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

"Whether it's verbally or by coughing on them, by threatening to transmit the virus ... These cases are completely unacceptable and we will be cracking down on them across the jurisdictions."

Hospitals have told health workers not to wear their uniforms to work after reports they have been physically and verbally abused while travelling to and from work, including a Sydney nurse who was taunted and coughed on by two teenage boys.
WA Health has launched an investigation into how a man ended up in an induced coma after hotel quarantine staff allegedly blocked paramedics from taking him to hospital for nearly 12 hours, despite his wife's pleas for help.

Sydney couple Ken and Kathleen Watson arrived in Perth on March 30 on a mercy flight from Italy after disembarking the COVID-19-riddled Costa Luminosa cruise ship and had been sent to Crown Promenade to complete their 14-day mandatory isolation.

Ken and Kathleen Watson Credit:ABC Perth

Ms Watson told ABC Perth Radio her husbands health started to deteriorate soon after they arrived and he was admitted to hospital on April 1.

He was not quite himself ... we sort of stayed in the room and then I just got the strength to say 'he needs help here, he needs a doctor to assess him', she said.
Recent commentaries have criticized the natural gas industry in favor of cleaner, renewable energy resources. However, it doesnt need to be an either/or scenario. Pennsylvania should embrace its diverse energy portfolio while allowing the private sector to develop innovative solutions to lower carbon emissions.

Activists who call for ending our reliance on fossil fuels should note shale gas has led to tremendous reductions in domestic greenhouse gas emissions  by 13 percent economy-wide and by 28 percent in the power generation sector. These reductions outpace those of any country. Regarding health concerns, even the Obama administration found no evidence of groundwater contamination.

Renewable energy sources dont have anywhere near the capacity needed to adequately meet our energy needs. Ironically, fossil fuels are necessary supply chain inputs to the component parts of wind and solar arrays. The more we limit our access to reliable and abundant energy resources, the more dependent we will be on foreign nations  particularly Russia.

We have already seen this in several New England states, where thanks to New Yorks aggressive position to shut down fracking for natural gas and pipeline development  they have relied on Russia for natural gas rather than Pennsylvanias abundant reserves.

This industry isnt being given handouts. Various legislative proposals and state programs provide incentives for development, with fewer state taxes in exchange for significant investment in the Commonwealth.

During this time of economic uncertainty, it will take innovation  not bans on industries-- to meet Pennsylvanias energy, economic and environmental needs. All industries have an important role to play.

Kevin Sunday, Director of Government Affairs, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
Telco infrastructure provider Nokia launched a new service aimed at helping operators use artificial intelligence and automation to better manage their 5G networks and avoid network and service-level failures.

"Traditional network and service management approaches are no longer sustainable," Nokia said in a press release announcing its AVA 5G Cognitive Operations. The new framework, pitched at communications service providers (formerly called mobile network operators), relies on virtualization and network slicing to improve wireless network performance.

Network slicing is a way to use different services on the same network infrastructurevoice and IoT, for example. It's a kind of flexible zone which lets different applications use varying bandwidth, and importantly, maintain varying levels of reliability depending on need.

The AI-as-a-service offering becomes particularly helpful, Nokia points out, with respect to service level agreements (SLA). A communications service provider can commit to delivering certain performance levels, and AVA 5G Cognitive Operations will help the telco provision network resources based on the terms of the contract. In addition, the platform will help telcos slice their networks properly, creating cost savings because the slices will be appropriately sized.

AVA 5G Cognitive Operations is also designed to help operators predict network and service failures up to seven days in advance, Nokia says. In addition, the platform will be able to resolve the anticipated outage issue faster than traditional network management methods, the company claims.

"Operators face a perfect storm of rising traffic and consumer expectations, so it is crucial to be able to predict and prevent service degradations at an earlier stage, while solving issues that arise significantly faster," said Dennis Lorenzin, head of the network cognitive service unit at Nokia, in a statement.

Nokia's product is run in the cloud, with Microsoft Azure. Other public and cloud options are available, the company says.

Nokia isn't the first to suggest that AI will become prevalent in 5G network operations. Ericsson, another infrastructure company and Nokia competitor, surveyed communications providers in 2018 and found they overwhelmingly expected to see AI running 5G. More than half (53%) said they expected to see AI in their networks to some extent by the end of 2020. The respondents said potential areas of improvement due to AI included network planning and performance as well as customer service.

On the flip side, Ericsson's survey found that network managers were concerned about AI-related data challenges in their networks. Worries included AI data quality, excess AI data from too many sources, and storage of AI data in too many systems.
A sitting area typically filled with people is virtually empty as a man walks through Herald Square with a protective mask on March 12, 2020 in New York City.

Without quick government aid, the people whose work propels the fashion industry  designers, suppliers and other laborers  are facing financial ruin, American brands are warning.

Fashion brands rely on sales in department stores to pay their bills. Demand for new product has disappeared over the past month, as major American retail chains, including Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, have shuttered their stores amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many are not paying for shipments of products already in their stores

"Everything that already shipped, they're saying, 'We're not paying you because our stores are closed. We need 90 extra days,'" said Gary Wassner, CEO of Hilldun, a firm that helps finance fashion brands.

That means brands need cash now: to pay their seamstresses, to pay for material, to buy garment bags, to prepare for the crucial holiday season.

Unlike other small businesses, many of these brands are limited in their ability to tap the $350 billion small business loan program established as part of the $2 trillion stimulus and relief bill signed by President Donald Trump late last month. Fashion brands often depend on a financing method called factoring, by which they can use their outstanding payments owed as collateral for cash. Other businesses typically rely on bank loans for financing.

Factoring is necessary for brands because while cash flow in the fashion industry is irregular and seasonal, bills are not.

Factoring organizations are not directly supported by the CARES Act. While fashion brands could go to banks for financing, many have little or no relationship with the banks that are working with the government on loans. For speed and efficiency, some banks have prioritized giving loans to businesses with which they already have relationships.

"We already know there's not going to be enough money [for the small business loan program]," said Wassner of Hilldun. "You're asking an industry that relies on factoring to now go to now establish an account at a bank they have no relationship with. By the time they've gotten to the end of the queue, they're out of money."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that he is seeking an additional $250 billion for the small business loan program. Democratic lawmakers, meantime, are urging that a portion of the small business lending program be reserved for companies without relationships to banks

Designer Jason Wu said in an interview with CNBC that while his self-titled premium sportswear brand may be able to weather the storm, he worries that many of the smaller designers may not. His brand's parent company, JWU, was acquired by Chinese private equity firm Green Harbor Investment last year. Hilldun is a minority investor in the company.

Without relief, Wu said, the pain could ripple throughout independent brands in the U.S., and down the supply chain.

"It's also going to kill off a legacy of American fashion, the know-how of the seamstresses the, amazing pattern makers, who make flowers  it's basically the whole of Seventh Avenue," Wu said.
(Photo : fernando zhiminaicela from Pixabay) A 42-year-old man from Massachusetts reportedly experienced testicular pain before testing positive of COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has been ravaging the world for a few months now, with 1.4 million confirmed cases across the globe and over 80,000 deaths. But despite that, even scientists are scrambling why COVID-19, the disease brought by the virus, has no universal symptom.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have listed the most common symptoms of the virus, which include dry cough and fever, there are still accounts of COVID-19 patients experiencing uncommon symptoms.

An Atypical COVID-19 Case

TechTimes has previously reported a case of a young woman who tested positive for coronavirus but only experienced fever and a unique symptom of losing her sense of hearing.

This time around, an American man hailing from Massachusetts, aged 42-years old, had also tested positive for the viral infection when he went to the hospital due to testicular pain, doctors revealed.

Medics from the Harvard Medical School described this "atypical" case in the medical journal The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

According to the case report, the patient did not have a cough or shortness of breath, which are two telltale signs of coronavirus.

However, he did have a fever, but it had vanished after two days and that he was treated for constipation days prior, according to the Daily Mail.

What he did experience was body pain, which is becoming a key symptom of COVID-19 after several patients have reported experiencing it.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Nitric Oxide Eyed as a Possible COVID-19 Cure and Answer to Ventilator Shortages

A 'Stabbing Sensation'

The man experienced a "stabbing sensation" that originated from his groins and spread to his back, stomach, and chest, and that he had been experiencing it for eight days before going to the hospital.

Dr. Jesi Kim, the lead author of the case report, said that the physical examination found nothing abnormal in the area, although they did find some tenderness in the stomach area.

Additionally, an X-ray of his chest was done, but it came back clear.

Nevertheless, what the X-ray did not show was damage to his lungs, which was caught by the CT scan. After the test, he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Two days later, his test results for coronavirus arrived, and he tested positive after he attended a conference in Boston and has been linked to several confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Could Coronavirus Cause Damage to Male Reproductive Organs?

According to doctors at the Harvard Medical School, testicular pain is not a symptom of the coronavirus infection. Still, they warned of the "atypical presentation" of COVID-19--and the American man is reportedly not the first to experience it.

In February, scientists from China claimed that the virus could attack the male reproductive organ, speculating that the virus binds with the cells that are abundant in the testicles, causing "tissue damage."

Nevertheless, experts say that men should not be terrified and that the report is inconclusive and will require robust research before linking COVID-19 to any testicular damage.

According to the medics who have shared the case, they wanted to present it as a lesson they have learned from the front lines and bring awareness to atypical COVID-19 cases as "they continue to present."

Read Also: Coronavirus Has Another Symptom? Data Scientist Believes Eye Pain is a COVID-19 Symptom After Tracking Google Searches

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
WASHINGTON - If you could have peeked into a building on Gallaudet University's campus on a recent day, you would have seen a 6-foot-3 man crawling on the floor.

He was not hurt. He was not sick.

He was trying to find his name on a case of water.

During another time, the task would have been easy enough for James Groff, a 28-year-old graduate student. The case had been left for him in a building not far from his dorm. The problem was that his was not the only case there, which meant he had to locate the one bearing his name, and he had to do that with limited use of three of his senses.

Groff is deaf, blind and because of social distancing expectations, on that day he couldn't rely on touch.

He couldn't run his hand across those cases to feel if they held tags with student ID numbers or names. He couldn't pick them up and bring them close enough to his face to use what little vision he has to decipher the letters and numbers on them.

"I had to get on my hands and knees to be able to read each one without touching it," Groff tells me through an email exchange on a recent evening. "I am a grown man and can provide for myself and find or make ways, but this was hard for me to do since I could NOT touch what was not mine, yet I had to be close enough to see my name. If it is that hard for me, imagine how hard it is for someone more medically blind than me."

Groff, who hopes to one day become a U.S. senator, describes himself as DeafBlind, with both words capitalized and combined to convey not only his disabilities but also a sense of cultural identity. The DeafBlind community includes people who have zero ability to see and hear, and those who have so little that they have been medically deemed deaf and blind.

Groff describes his vision as "a mix between being underwater and getting shot while playing Call of Duty." Everything is blurry. He can't see lips well enough to read them or tell if someone near him is laughing.

He needs touch to do that.

He uses his hands to get his bearings in unfamiliar environments and to communicate. Like many people in the DeafBlind community, Groff often relies on Pro-tactile American Sign Language, which incorporates hand-on-body motions to convey what the eye and ear can't detect. To signal to Groff that someone is laughing, an interpreter trained in that form of tactile sign language would make a motion that resembles a tickle.

"Without signals like this," Groff said, "I might miss out partially or wholly on what is happening around me."

The need for social distancing has disrupted all of our lives in significant ways. It has caused working parents to become stressed-out teachers, students to miss out on pivotal moments and the elderly to grow used to seeing relatives through glass windows and phone screens. In its cruelest form, it has also forced people to lose jobs, beloved businesses to shut down and families to mourn loved ones they didn't get to tell goodbye.

Those burdens are crushingly heavy, but for the most part their weight has been shared. They are part of our collective concerns and mutual mourning.

For many in the DeafBlind community, social distancing has created unique worries and exceptional challenges.

It is forcing them to grow increasingly disconnected at a time when they need more than ever to be aware of what's happening around them.

In the past week, I have spoken, through email exchanges, with people across the country who identify as DeafBlind to get a sense of how a population that relies so heavily on touch is doing now that grabbing a doorknob or standing closer than six feet from a stranger carries risks.

They described losing critical interpreter services, feeling increasingly isolated and fearing what might happen to them if they end up in the hospital.

"Are they letting patients who test positive keep their phones?" asked Quinn Michaela Burch who lives in Schenectady, New York, with her boyfriend, who is also DeafBlind. "If so and I did end up in that situation, I hope I'd stay coherent and alert enough to be able to use my phone to communicate."

Before the phrase "flatten the curve" became part of our collective vocabulary, Burch had a trainer at the YMCA, and she took trips to the grocery store, the bank and an animal protection organization with the help of "community habilitation" staff members. She also took walks to McDonald's by herself.

Now, she says, the YMCA is closed, those staff members aren't available to help her, and she doesn't walk to McDonald's anymore.

"My days are pretty bleak," she said.

Haben Girma - a public speaker and the author of a memoir title, "Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law" - gave a talk at Stanford University on March 2. Since then, she has stayed at her home in the San Francisco area.

She had planned for a book tour in April. That has been canceled. She was supposed to officiate at a friend's wedding in May. That has been postponed.

"All my life I struggled with isolation," Girma said. "My memoir captures the many ways I've tried to forge connections in a mostly inaccessible world. The current isolation brings back the old fears that never entirely flee. I miss shaking hands with readers at book talks. I miss swing dancing every Wednesday night. I miss fearless hugs."

And unlike the rest of us, she can't escape those emotions by bingeing on Netflix. The 31-year-old needs transcripts to access shows and movies. Her first Netflix experience, she said, was when she "devoured" the transcript of "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" "like a thrilling novel."

But those transcripts are not easy to get, she said.

They also aren't her most pressing concern amid the pandemic.

"I'm worried hospitals will not provide communication access for DeafBlind people," she said. "Many DeafBlind people rely on tactile interpretation, which cannot be done remotely or even from six feet away. I'm worried hospitals facing scarce resources will decide not to save our lives. There is an ableist assumption that causes some people to think it's better to be dead than disabled."

Rossana Reis, a 47-year-old retired counselor and advocate turned artist who lives in Washington, has already devised a backup communication plan in case she ends up at the hospital. She plans to use a device that would allow her to communicate through typing. Even so, she has questions.

"I've been reading stories of how doctors speak behind a glass and not sure how much the mic will transmit speech into text from a distance," she said. "Would the medical staff be willing to type on my device, if it comes to that? . . . Otherwise, I'm learning that many hospitals across the nation are not allowing interpreters in treatment areas. That would be problematic for me, as I am not able to rely on video remote interpreting."

She said only some states have deemed qualified sign language interpreters as "essential workers." All states need to do so, she said. They also need to ensure that those workers have personal protective equipment.

"Being relegated to the keyboard for interaction with others outside their homes instead of in-person, Pro-tactile/tactile communication, is not sustainable for many DeafBlind people," she said.

DeafBlind students at Gallaudet University, a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, received an email telling them that services from Support Service Providers and Certified Deaf Interpreters would be terminated April 3.

A copy of that email was provided to me. It makes an exception for emergency situations and describes the decision as a "necessary one as our priority is to protect not only your health but also the health of your interpreters."

"I am working on some very complex things, and taking away these services makes this work even more difficult," said Groff, who is working on a master's thesis on Taiwanese independence and hopes to graduate in December with a master's degree in public administration. From there, he wants to go to law school.

Despite the new challenges he will face, Groff said he expects to "persevere" because he has behind him seven years at the school and a lifetime of plucking "backup plans out of thin air."

He worries more about those DeafBlind students who just started at the university.

One of those students is Ali Goldberg. The freshman is majoring in education and uses tactile sign language to communicate.

"I feel so isolated, and I feel really alone," he wrote in the email to me. "As a Deaf-Blind individual, we can't see or hear what's going on around us. We tend to feel more isolated as it is, and when you put us in an environment in which we have to be completely isolated, it makes us feel even more cut off from the world. It's very depressing."

In that email, he described feeling "afraid for the future."

He also expressed an appreciation for being able to talk about how social distancing is affecting him and a hope that it would help more people understand what the DeafBlind community is going through right now.

The experiences of the DeafBlind community may be unique, but their concerns shouldn't be theirs alone.

"As a DeafBlind individual like myself, we are left out of everything going on around us," he wrote. "Let's get through this together."
The US planemaker said the software problems were not tied to systems faulted in two fatal crashes.

The Boeing Company has said it will make two new software updates to the 737 MAXs flight control computer as it works to win regulatory approval to resume flights after the jet was grounded following two fatal crashes in five months.

The United States planemaker confirmed to Reuters news agency on Tuesday that one issue involves hypothetical faults in the flight control computer microprocessor, which could potentially lead to a loss of control known as a runaway stabiliser, while the other issue could potentially lead to disengagement of the autopilot feature during final approach. Boeing said the software updates will address both issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is in contact with Boeing as it continues its work on the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. The manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with all certification standards.

The largest US planemaker has been dealing with a number of software issues involving the plane that has been grounded since March 2019. Boeing halted production in January.

Boeing said it does not expect the issues to affect its current forecast of a mid-year return to service for the plane. Boeing said the new software issues are not tied to a key anti-software system known as MCAS faulted in both fatal crashes.

Boeing is adding new safeguards to MCAS in a software update.

The company said neither new software issue has been observed in flight. It said in the autopilot issue flight deck alerts and warnings are already in place to alert the crew if it did.

Boeing did not say when it expects the updates to be completed.

Reuters reported in February a key certification test flight was not expected until April at the earliest and officials say it might not happen until late May or later.

Last month, Boeing decided to separate 737 MAX wiring bundles that the FAA had flagged by regulators as potentially dangerous before the jet returns to service, Reuters reported.

Boeing said in February it would need a new software update to address an indicator light issue.

In January, Boeing discovered another software issue relating to a power-up monitoring function that verifies some system monitors are operating correctly.
A doctor and her art dealer husband are selling off their private collection to raise funds for vital medical equipment for the NHS to use in battling coronavirus.

Claire and James Hyman, owners of the Hyman Collection, announced the discounted sale of several pieces by celebrated modern artists, the proceeds of which will go to the Royal Free NHS Trust.

Famous names among the pieces being sold include Andy Warhol, British visual artist and sculptor Marc Quinn, and maker of semi-abstract sculptures Henry Moore.

The couple hoped the money will help the NHS purchase things like testing kits, ventilators and other vital protective equipment in short supply.

Claire and James Hyman (pictured), owners of the Hyman Collection, announced the sale of several pieces by celebrated modern artists, the proceeds of which will go to the Royal Free NHS Trust

Andy Warhol's apartment buildings photo

Claire has been an oral surgeon at the Royal Free NHS Trust for 16 years, which encompasses three north London hospitals.

The couple were inspired to sell off their collection to support the NHS after their daughter contracted a mild form of coronavirus and the family had to isolate themselves.

'As a surgeon working in the NHS, I know how tough it is for all the staff at the moment who are working incredibly long hours under immense pressure,' said Claire.

'James wanted to do something to help and this initiative as well as the generous support of collectors will be really appreciated.'

In a matter of days the Hyman's sold eight photographs, including a Warhol print which raised thousands of pounds.

Henry Moore etchings, sculptures by Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi, and prints by American photographer Harry Callahan have also been sold.

All pieces are available at a discount, with prices starting from around 650 up to 22,000 for Bill Brandt's 1939 Barmaid at the Crooked Billet.

Bill Brandt's 1939 Barmaid at the Crooked Billet (pictured) is marked for sale between 650 up to 22,000

A work by Marc Quinn for sale under the Hyman Collection

Another by artist Marc Quinn

Two reclining figures by Henry Moore

'As everyone pulls together I have been thinking what I can do as an art dealer. I feel very helpless,' said art historian James speaking to SWNS.

'What I have done is put together a selection of works by some of the major photographers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, at reduced prices, and will donate all profits to the National Health Service.

'Unfortunately, NHS hospital staff on the front line in the treatment of patients with Covid-19 are still working without the proper PPE, and there remains a shortage of testing kits and ventilators.'

Dealer and collector James founded the collection in 1999, specialising in nineteenth and twentieth century British artists and photographers.

Among its many exhibitions, the gallery has hosted works by Pablo Picasso, Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and English painter Bridget Riley.

James also co-curated an exhibition with Sir Paul McCartney showcasing the works of Sir Paul's first wife, American photographer, Linda McCartney.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A truck driver accused in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, entered the plea at Central London Criminal Court. Robinson appeared in court via video link alongside four co-defendants.

The bodies of the 39 people were found in the container at the back of the truck on Oct. 23.. Police investigating the case found the 31 male and eight female victims were all from Vietnam and ranged in age from 15 to 44, including 10 teenagers.

Police said they died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space. The victims came from impoverished villages in Vietnam and are believed to have paid people smugglers to take them on risky journey to better lives abroad.

The truck discovered in the town of Grays, east of London, had arrived in England on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Robinson previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property. He denied a charge of transferring criminal property.

Another defendant, Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

A trial is scheduled to start on Oct. 5.

Robinson appeared at court via video link alongside four other co-defendants.

British Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Mimosa Close in Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road in Tilbury, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration

Valentin Calota, 37, of Cossington Road in Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.
Thirty-six of 686 convicts, who were ordered to be released from citys three jails on interim bails, continue to languish on the premises. Some of them are unwilling to return home while others are unable to return to their hometowns in Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to the ongoing 21-day lockdown.

Those who have been ordered to be released were serving sentences for cases, under which there is a maximum term of seven years. The orders were issued to decongest the Rohini, Mandoli and Tihar jails, to ensure social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

As many as 48 undertrial prisoners (UTPs) are also languishing at the jail, chiefly due to lack of transportation, as per the information provided by the Tihar jail authorities to the Delhi governments committee to decongest the prisons.

The director general (DG), prisons, told the committee, headed by justice Hima Kohli, that 261 more cases are under process. He said that so far, 775 of the 823 UTPs have been released after receiving orders for the same.

The committee also discussed and resolved that the next set of prisoners who would be released on a 45-day interim bail would include UTPs who are senior citizens in custody for six months or more, facing trial in a case which prescribes a maximum sentence of 10 years, UTPs aged less than 60 years of age in custody for one year or more, facing trial in a case which prescribes a maximum sentence of 10 years and UTPs/remand prisoners (who are yet to be chargesheeted) in custody for 15 days or more, facing trial in a case which prescribes a maximum sentence of seven years.

However, the committee excluded foreigners, those undergoing trials for intermediary/ large quantity recovery under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), those charged under sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and rape accused.

Kanwal Jeet Arora, member-secretary, Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) informed the committee that advocates empanelled with DSLSA, visiting jail premises on daily basis, had drafted and filed 1,475 applications, as on April 4, 2020, for grant of interim bail.

The committee was informed that out of these bail applications, interim bails have been granted in 823 cases and expected to be granted in 100 more cases on the basis of applications filed/pending for consideration, at the courts concerned.

The court said that in the last meeting, held on March 28, the DG (prisons) had informed them that the number of convicts who can be released on parole for eight weeks is 1,500, of whom 650 have been released.

The chairperson cautioned the DG (prisons) and principal secretary (home) that any delay in the release of the eligible convicts on emergency parole, so as to complete the exercise of decongesting jails, will render the entire Covid-19 fight futile. The DG and PS assured the chair that they would expedite the process and mentioned that preventive measures are being taken up by jail authorities.

The DG told the committee that bathing areas, kitchen and the telephone bays are being cleaned and sanitised regularly. He said that inmates are being apprised about the necessary precautions, i.e., dos and donts through public address systems installed in the jails.

He also said that 25-30 new male inmates, aged 21 and above, have been kept at separate wards in Tihars jail number two and Mandolis jail number 13. Separate wards have been created in jail number six for new women inmates, while men aged between 18 and 21 years would be kept at jail number five in Tihar.

The DG said that as per the resolutions adopted in the previous meeting, adequate quantities of soap cakes, liquid soaps, phenyl, masks, and sanitisers, manufactured in-house, have been sent to juvenile justice boards and observation homes, as per the requirements. They have been put to use in the jails as well.
Lee said she plans to become involved with the greater Deerfield community, as well, once her husband and two daughters, age 1 and 3, settle into the village. She is leaving a church in Geneva that is approximately three times the size of Christ United in Deerfield.
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, today named Maria Florina "Nina" Balcan of Carnegie Mellon University the recipient of the 2019 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award for foundational and breakthrough contributions to minimally-supervised learning. Balcan's influential and pioneering work in machine learning has solved longstanding open problems, enabled entire lines of research crucial for modern AI systems, and has set the agenda for the field for years to come.

The ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award is given to the outstanding young computer professional of the year, selected on the basis of a single recent major technical or service contribution. This award is accompanied by a prize of $35,000. The candidate must have been 35 years of age or less at the time the qualifying contribution was made. Financial support for this award is provided by Microsoft.

"Nina Balcan wonderfully meets the criteria for the ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, as many of her groundbreaking contributions occurred long before she turned 35," said ACM President Cherri M. Pancake. "Although she is still in the early stages of her career, she has already established herself as the world leader in the theory of how AI systems can learn with limited supervision. More broadly, her work has realigned the foundations of machine learning, and consequently ushered in many new applications that have brought about leapfrog advances in this exciting area of artificial intelligence."

Select Technical Contributions

Semi-supervised Learning

Semi-supervised learning is an approach to machine learning in which algorithms use large amounts of easily available unlabeled data to augment small amounts of labeled data to improve predictive accuracy. When semi-supervised learning was first explored, early research suggested some promising results. However, prior to Balcan's work, there were no general principles for designing and providing formal guarantees for algorithms that leverage both labeled and unlabeled data. By introducing the first general theoretical framework, Balcan showed how to achieve provable guarantees on the performance of such techniques with concrete implications for many different types of semi-supervised learning methods. Her foundational principles for learning from limited supervision were instrumental in advancing this important tool in machine learning and supporting the subsequent work of many other researchers in this area.

Active Learning/Noise Tolerant Learning

Balcan also made significant contributions in the related area of active learning. In active learning, the algorithm processes large volumes of data and intelligently chooses the datapoints to be labeled. Balcan established performance guarantees for active learning that hold even in challenging cases when "noise" is present in the data. These guarantees hold under arbitrary forms of noise, that is, anything that distorts or corrupts the data. This can include anything from a blurry photo, a unit of data that is improperly labeled, meaningless information, or data that the algorithm cannot interpret. Building on this work, Balcan and her collaborators also developed algorithms that can learn more efficiently under more specialized forms of "label noise." Examples of label noise might include a researcher not being given all of the health symptoms when annotating data to make predictions about a disease, or the data being encoded incorrectly. Her work in active learning in the presence of noise was regarded as a breakthrough in the field.

Clustering

Clustering is an unsupervised learning technique in which an algorithm groups datapoints with similar properties. One goal of clustering is to find meaningful structure in data. An early challenge in the field, however, was to establish a theoretical foundation for what constituted a "meaningful structure" in a dataset. In her early work, Balcan proposed a theoretical foundation for understanding the general kinds of structures that can be detected by clustering, as well as characterizing the functionality of specific clustering algorithms. As she developed her theoretical framework further, she also devised novel clustering algorithms that were derived from these theoretical foundations, and showed applications of these algorithms to computational biology and web search.

Biographical Background

Maria Florina Balcan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests include learning theory, machine learning, theory of computing, artificial intelligence, algorithmic economics and algorithmic game theory, and optimization. Balcan received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Bucharest (Romania) in 2000 and 2002, respectively. In 2008, she earned a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Balcan's honors include a National Science Foundation Career Award in 2009, a Microsoft Faculty Fellowship in 2011, and a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2014, as well as numerous conference paper awards. Balcan has served as the Program Committee Co-chair for all three of the major machine learning conferences: Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), and Conference on Learning Theory (COLT). Balcan's publications are among the most cited in the machine learning theory field, and she continues to be a prolific author. Her most recent publications include chapters on "Data-Driven Algorithm Design" and "Noise in Classification," for the book "Beyond the Worst-Case Analysis of Algorithms," which will be published later this year.

###

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
SINGAPORE, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To the general public, blockchain remains an esoteric technology whose sole purpose is to provide the infrastructure on which cryptocurrencies exist. These digital assets have polarized the financial industry and remain more of a curiosity than a viable product. On the other hand, their underlying technology has come to be regarded as one of the greatest disruptive innovations of the digital age, hailed as a development capable of revolutionizing business models and ushering in new opportunities. "Stakeholders across all industries may lack interest in cryptocurrencies, but they are undoubtedly excited about the potential of blockchain," comments seasoned business executive Bruno Michieli. "One of the primary functions of digital coins is to provide a means of transacting, so it is only natural that the financial services industry was the first to realize the huge promise of blockchain."

In the broader business context, interest has been driven by the ability of blockchain to ensure reliability, transparency, and enhanced security due to its unique properties of decentralization, encryption, and data validation. "Such guarantees are critical in asset management, where the implementation of the technology can facilitate open collaboration, deliver transparency and consistency, strengthen security, and improve operational efficiency," Bruno Michieli points out. According to a report by PwC, asset managers can benefit from blockchain in areas such as settlements, transfer agency, and fund valuations; "By removing intermediaries and providing a trusted and shared view of permissioned data, blockchain could reduce costs (e.g. fewer reconciliation errors), speed up settlement (e.g. faster validation), increase resilience (e.g. no single point of failure), and improve transparency (e.g. easier to monitor)." With regard to fund valuations, the technology can improve the accuracy and timeliness of record-keeping, provide a time-stamped source of pricing data, and allow asset managers and service providers to share a common view of data.

As an expert in the private equity field, Bruno Michieli is particularly excited about the potential of smart contracts  blockchain-based programs that can help overcome the sector's problem of protracted, overly complex transactions. Not only do these contracts prevent identity and record breaches, but they also enable a huge degree of automation, which, in turn, reduces costs and mitigates the risk of human error. In an analysis of how blockchain can benefit the asset management value chain, Deloitte notes that an approach incorporating this technology "equally applies to the private equity fund administration, where blockchain and smart contracts can manage raising and calling capital, thereby tightening the process and removing some of the risk. Smart contracts and blockchain technology have the potential to provide a selectively automated process, with a person-in-the-loop as applicable or desired."

Bruno Michieli has been perfecting his business executive skills over more than two decades, proving his ability to identify and realize profitable investment opportunities and implement operational improvement initiatives. He has amassed an impressive track record in the technology and private equity fields, achieving excellent outcomes in areas such as digital strategy, business planning, e-commerce, and entrepreneurship. Since 2006, Bruno Michieli has served as the CEO of Openlot Ventures (Asia) Pte Ltd  a private equity outfit focused on the leisure and gaming technology sectors in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Bruno Michieli - Singapore - Professional Profile - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-michieli-76934b

Management - Openlot Ventures: https://www.openlot.com/management.html

Contact Information:

Openlot Ventures (Asia) Pte Ltd

Ms. Seenyee Chan

+852 3125 7638

[email protected]

www.openlotventures.com

SOURCE Bruno Michieli
Rightly or wrongly, our government has fallen under the influence of the bubble-bound epidemiology community. Based on the ever inexact process of computer modeling, we have reversed three years of economic growth, devastated retirement savings, put millions of Americans out of work, increased our national debt by multiple trillions of dollars, and panicked citizens in an effort to protect our nation from a pandemic thrust upon the world as a result of Chinese government perfidy, World Health Organization (WHO) political bias or incompetence, and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uncertainty. Reasons for these actions notwithstanding, we are nearing the time to announce that America is again open for business.

The greatest obstacle to the opening of America for business would seem not to be the lethality of the COVID-19 virus, but the lethality of the unconscionable politicization of the pandemic by a political party that sees this tragedy as an opportunity to be exploited rather than as a health crisis to be resolved. This ongoing politicization creates unnecessary difficulties in getting America back to work. In this regard, I have several suggestions.

First, when this 30-day shutdown draws to its close at month's end, and based on current CDC recommendations, I suggest that all Americans be required to wear a mask or face covering when in public  not for self-protection, but for the protection of others. To those concerned about our personal loss of freedom, this would seem much less obtrusive than shutting down churches, shopping centers, non-essential businesses, sporting events, and everyday living. While Democrats and the media will blame every ensuing death on our president, the American public will understand this action and applaud.

Secondly, by month's end, we will likely have evidence to convince even Dr. Fauci of the efficacy of certain pre-existing medications for either treating COVID-19 or increasing resistance to or the seriousness of its effects. Should this be the case, the obvious step would be utilization of the appropriate medications in treatment, either prophylactically for the elderly and those with co-morbidities or following contraction of the disease.

Thirdly, we need continued and expanded testing to determine who has or has had COVID-19. The first key to containing spread of this very contagious virus would be the identification of those who have been infected. By the same token, the key to successful treatment of the infected would seem to be early detection, before individuals become so critical as to require hospitalization or intubation. The critical need for ventilators could likely be resolved by such early detection and treatment of the disease.

Finally, the president, governors, and other spokespersons should continue to encourage, educate, and cajole all Americans to rigidly follow the steps necessary for good hygiene: appropriate cleaning and disinfection; routine washing of hands; avoidance of touching nose, eyes, and mouth; keeping away from other people; and forgoing for the time being handshakes and unnecessary contact outside the immediate family. These things are simple and have been shown to work.

While these few changes would not be difficult, they would likely make an incredible difference in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and would allow America to quickly put out the "Open for Business" sign necessary to avoid the depression that awaits us should we do nothing.

Image credit: Pixabay public domain.
New Delhi, April 8 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday lashed out at the Tablighi Jamaat for shooting the messenger.

India's largest independent news agency, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), on Wednesday sent a legal notice to a member of the Tablighi Jamaat after he attempted to selectively harass and criminally intimidate the agency's media subscribers for running an IANS exclusive report on the Islamic missionary's dubious background on their digital editions.

In a reaffirmation to the IANS exclusive report on the Islamic missionary's dubious background, the VHP claimed the organisation indeed had links with terror outfits.

"Aaj khoj kar rahe hai log... WTC (World Trade Centre in the US) me humla karne wale... inka sambandho bhi Nizamuddin se huya karte the (Today people are probing into the matter how those who attacked the WTC too had relations with the Nizamuddin Markaz)," claimed Surendra Jain, Joint General Secretary of VHP.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP too came down hard on the Tablighis. "The IANS report was absolutely factual. Members of the Tablighi Jamaat are spreading the virus. They are attacking personnel from medical, police and media fraternity. Whatever IANS has said in its report is right. We demand strict actions against Tablighi Jamaat," said BJP spokesperson Vijay Sonkar Shastri.

Bangalore resident and a self-proclaimed member of Tablighi Jamaat, Hafeezulla Khan's lawyer had sent a legal notice to IANS subscribers for carrying the report "Tablighi Jamaat shares links with terror outfits." Represented by Hammurabi & Solomon Partners, IANS in its counter notice called out Khan's "malafide and deliberate attempt to intimidate" its subscribers and "attempt to misuse the due process of law." The IANS in its notice said that Khan had attempted to misuse the due process of law for his ulterior and malicious objectives and as a counterblast to the action taken by enforcement agencies across the country and the due reporting of the misdeeds and illegal acts of Jamaat by the current affairs media.

BJP's economic wing head Gopal Krishna Agarwal also threw his weight behind the credibility of the IANS news report. "The news report by IANS is based on facts. From its very inception, Tablighi Jamaat has been under the cloud of suspension. By resorting to such acts, they are simply exposing their organisation," he said.

"We are just around Shab-e-Barat. It demands those who practice Islam confess their sins. But they (Tablighi Jamaatis) are harassing health workers at the hospitals and threatening the media," said VHP's Jain.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP leader Aswini Upadhyay took to twitter to call it a matter of the pot calling the kettle black. He demanded that the National Investigative Agency (NIA), which is entrusted with the task of probing all terror related cases in India, should investigate the Tablighi Jamaat.

IANS has decided to stand by its legacy of fearless journalism and not take this criminal intimidation by the dubious Jamaat member lying down. The overwhelming support pouring in from different quarters only strengthens its stand.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has granted relaxation to merged public sector banks by allowing them to act as corporate agents of more than three entities in life, general and health insurance companies for a period of twelve months from the date of merger (April 1, 2020) for existing contracts of the acquired banks. The acquiring bank may continue arrangement with more than 3 entities in each of the life, general and health categories of insurers for a period of 12 months from the date of merger by transfer of the existing insurance ...

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(Reuters) - Levi Strauss & Co <LEVI.N> said on Tuesday a majority of its stores in China, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged in December, were open with sales recovering on a weekly basis and digital sales rising last month.

The company also reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter ended Feb. 23, even as sales in Asia declined due to store closures, sending Levi's shares up about 3%.

Like many U.S. retailers, Levi's has been hit by the coronavirus crisis as lockdowns in China and the United States to curb the spread of the infection forced store closures. Levi's has stood through the world wars and the 1918 flu pandemic in its 167-year history.

Nearly all stores in mainland China, including the store in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, were now open, Levi Strauss said.

Traffic and sales in the region remained down, but weekly sales performance was sequentially improving, the company said, adding that sales from its websites and other online platforms grew in March powered by demand for women's wear.

The retailer has been investing more in its e-commerce business, adding features designed to attract young shoppers, to cope with decline in foot traffic to malls and department stores due to a shift in shopping preferences.

"We're trying to find ways to connect more strongly with consumers during the period of time that they're cooped up... We're going to continue to leverage digital," Chief Executive Officer Chip Bergh said on a post-earnings call.

The company said the impact of the outbreak would be "materially significant" for the second quarter, as stores remain closed in the United States, where over 10,000 deaths have been reported.

Levi said it would furlough all its retail store staff in the country, a step taken by many retailers as they extend store closures. The company had about 7,300 U.S. employees as of Nov. 24, according to its annual filing.

It also said it had borrowed $300 million on a credit facility to boost its balance sheet.

Story continues

For the first quarter ended Feb. 23, Levi said sales rose 5% to $1.51 billion, powered by its direct-to-consumer business. Analysts were expecting $1.47 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned 40 cents, beating Wall Street estimates by 5 cents.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
Film producer Karim Morani on Wednesday tested positive for the coronavirus, days after his daughters, Zoa and Shaza, were found positive for Covid-19. He has been admitted to Nanavati Hospital, where Shaza was admitted after her reports came out. Morani is a producer of several of actor Shah Rukh Khans films namely RA.One, Happy New Year, Chennai Express and Dilwale.

Shaza reportedly returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March, while Zoa returned from Rajasthan around mid-March. We were anticipating this [Moranis reports coming positive] as they were living in the same house. The great thing is his wife and the staff members have tested negative. That is some relief, Karims brother, Mohomed Morani told Hindustan Times, adding that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sanitised the entire premises and home after Shaza and Zoa tested positive.

Mohomed said Zoa, who was admitted to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri, and Shaza will undergo tests on Wednesday. They have to test negative twice to be sent home, so lets hope for the best, he says. Zoa took to Twitter to confirm the report on Wednesday evening: Papa and Shaza have no symptoms, I have a few... it feels like a flu with an uneasiness in the chest

Despite repeated attempts, civic officials were not available for a comment.

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Stan and Peggy McGinley fell in love with wines while doing business in Europe, particularly in Italy. After retiring, this world-traipsing couple made their dream of having a vineyard, and bought acreage in Walker County, Texas.

Approximately 360 acres was purchased with acres of Blanc du Bois and Lenoir (aka Black Spanish) grapes planted in 2009. They and the McGinley Family have expanded their family-planted vineyards over the years to the 15 acres of planted grapes that West Sandy Creek Winery has today.

They even tried their hands with Tempranillo grapes, but that small plot has reduced capacity with challenges from Pierces Disease which is rampant over the this Gulf Coast region The McGinley Family got their vineyard planting/operating instruction from Fritz Westover who was with Texas A&M Extension Service when the vineyards were first planted. Fritz has become somewhat of a Texas legend in the vineyard business and is now consulting all over the world via his Westover Vineyard Advising (www.VirtualViticultureAcademy.com). Winemaking capabilities were enhanced with fellow Texas winemakers assisting on an ongoing basis to produce award-winning wines from their estate-grown grapes. Recently Morgan Mooney, a young winemaker was engaged fulltime to help with the McGinley Family vineyard/winery operations. Look for great things to happen with this recently engaged 23 year old!

This winery nears Richards, Texas at 1773 FM 1791 just celebrated its first year earlier in March which was the same day that Corona Virus shutdown occurred the state of Texas. Although their tasting room is closed due to COVID19, they still sell their 33 different, estate-grown, award winning wines to the public. Sandy McGinley who now directs operations for the Family told me, From the three varieties of grapes we grow, we produce nine distinctly different wines: four Blanc (sweet, dry, oaked, and dessert); three Lenoir (sweet/blush, dry, and port); and two blends - Bounty Land Crossings, a Tempranillo/Lenoir blend, and our rose, a Blanc du Bois/Lenoir blend. We focus on making wines from grapes grown on the property, but we are expanding to include grapes grown in other parts of Texas, such as purchasing Texas Malbec wine and other white grape varieties to expand our wine cellar and offer more varieties of wine to our customers.

Our wines have been very well received, receiving medals from international competitions held in both Texas and New York which include entries of hundreds of other wines from all over the world. We are extremely proud of the recognition West Sandy Creek Winerys wines have received from the Texas International Wine Competition , the Lone Star International Wine Competition , and the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition , as well as very favorable feedback from our family, friends and other wine lovers.  Sandy informed me their unique wines are available to pick up at their winery which is located on what has historically been called Bluebonnet Hill. With the bluebonnet season in almost prime time, plan a drive to view the flowers and purchase local, estate wines.

Please call ahead at 936-436-9050 or email at info@WSCWinery.com to confirm times for their Friday-Saturday-Sunday wine pickups.Once COVID19 pandemic simmers down, the winery grounds have four rustic, but elegant cabins for you, friends, and family to enjoy! These rental cabins on the winery grounds have lots of opportunity for wine and wind-down time!

Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new web application that allows users to track COVID-19 cases and testing across the globe. The app offers a simple, intuitive way for users to track COVID-19 data at the country, state and county level.

"I found many of the best real-time visualizations of the COVID-19 data to be either complex dashboards or snapshots associated with media stories that made it difficult to get a simple, quick comparison of the latest COVID-19 trends," said Christopher Barker, an associate professor of epidemiology with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine who led the project.

The website app features interactive maps and graphs. It also includes a web address that tracks the user's current view so it can be bookmarked and shared with others. The COVID-19 U.S. map allows users to hover over states with their mouse or click on a specific state to find information on cases, testing, deaths and other COVID-19 information over time. The website uses open, publicly available data from the COVID Tracking Project, Johns Hopkins University and the New York Times.

Barker wrote the computer code to generate graphs on demand and teamed up with CalSurv programmer Jody Simpson, who developed interactive maps and streamlined the web application. CalSurv is a surveillance system that helps mosquito control agencies and public health officials monitor and respond to potential outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases by mapping the insects that can carry deadly viruses. Although the virus causing COVID-19 is not transmitted by mosquitoes, the team was able to leverage resources at UC Davis and CalSurv to help during this emergency.

The website application and other CalSurv websites are made possible by funds from the state of California and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Im fortunate to have a Masters degree in Christian Apologetics from a seminary with a strong apologetics focus, having been taught my apologetics and philosophy by one of the top Christian defenders (Dr. Norman Geisler). This means I am well versed in the defense of the Bible and can provide various evidences (e.g. historical, archaeological, philosophical, prophetic, etc.) as to why the Bible is trustworthy and should be believed.

I also have a Ph.D. in New Testament with my dissertation being on the apologetics of the Apostle Paul. This means I can carry on conversations about manuscript evidence, the internal consistency of the New Testament and much more, all of which add extra weight as to why the Bible should be believed.

Even though I am schooled in all these things, and value the information greatly, they are not why I believe the Bible is true.

Skeptics and the Bible

Those who distrust all or parts of the Bible do so for numerous reasons. For many, the primary cause is a presuppositional bias against the supernatural. A man coming back from the dead, walking on water, instantly curing diseases and more immediately raise red flags to the skeptic because such things are not routinely observed and therefore are dismissed as fable.

For others, the contents of Scripture simply rub them the wrong way. The God of the Old Testament seems merciless and cruel, the moral pronouncements seem outdated and go against their chosen desires/lifestyle, or they dont like the idea of Hell.

Still others object to the Bible on philosophical grounds. They dont understand, for example, how an all-powerful and loving God could permit evil to occur in the world.

Although these are all questions/issues that deserve good answers (which have been given), these explanations are not why non-Christians dont believe the Bible to be true.

Why People Embrace the Bible

If youre a Christian, do you remember when or how you came to believe in the truthfulness of the Bible? I do.

I was an engineering/business student in college. We went to church, but I couldnt have cared less. Id never opened the Bible myself one time in my life and read it.

Then, for reasons I still cant explain, I bought a book on Bible prophecy. Maybe it was because of all the math and statistics I was taking in school  I was amazed at the Bibles predictions and the impossibility of those prophecies occurring or being faked.

For the first time I also realized that if Jesus really did come back, I was in big trouble. At the end of the book was a prayer on how to receive Christ, which I did.

Everything changed for me then, especially where the Bible was concerned.

I didnt know what apologetics was and couldnt make a defense of the Bible to save my life, but when I first started reading the Bible for myself, I knew what I was reading was the truth.

Such is the case for most Christians. Maybe God brought them to Himself through existential circumstances or via a more cerebral route. As C. S. Lewis observed: Nearly everyone I know who has embraced Christianity in adult life has been influenced by what seemed to him to be at least a probable argument for theism.[1]

Its not that we believe for no reason. There is always some instrumental cause God uses to sink His truth into us whether its through the heart or head. But make no mistake about it: if youre a Christian and believe the Bible, its not because youre smarter (or dumber by the skeptics way of thinking), figured things out where others havent, or are better in some way than any other person.

You believe the Bible because God loved you, saved you, gifted you with the Holy Spirit, and by grace opened your eyes to believe His Word.

One particular verse in Scripture (on which I built my entire 300-page doctoral dissertation) spells this out beautifully: For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thess. 1:45).

Why did Pauls listeners in Thessalonica believe the truth of God that Paul brought them while others rejected the apostles preaching? Because God loved them, selected them to be His children, and gifted them with the Spirit so they believed with true conviction.

This is why anyone believes the Bible. Scripture is clear on this point and also exposes why God chose this method: For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God (1 Cor. 1:2629).

You believe the Bible because God specifically called you out of darkness and in the end, He gets all the credit for it.

Why People Reject the Bible

What about those who dont accept the Bible? Scripture is equally plain as to why this is the case:

Jesus said, I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matt. 11:2527).

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. . . .This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand (Matt. 13:1115).

And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this [that Jesus is the Christ] to you, but My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 16:17)

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil (John 8:4344).

Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God (John 8:47).

You do not believe because you are of My sheep (John 10:26).

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to Gods law; indeed, it cannot (Rom. 8:7).

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14).

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing (2 Cor. 4:3).

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error (1 John 4:6).

While non-Christians may provide many explanations as to why they discard the Bible, the actual reason they dont believe is that God hasnt spiritually awakened them (yet). The objection of not having enough proof fails to hold water because (1) there is plenty of evidence that attests to the Bibles validity; (2) people act contrary to evidence all the time.

To Whom was the Bible Written?

Stating what few preachers would dare put in print today, A. W. Tozer says, The Bible is not addressed to just anybody. Its message is directed to a chosen few. Some believe and some do not; some are morally receptive and some are not; some have spiritual capacity and some have not. It is to those who do and are and have that the Bible is addressed. Those who do not and are not and have not will read it in vain. As the pillar of fire gave light to Israel but was cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, so our Lords words shine in the hearts of His people but leave the self-confident unbeliever in the obscurity of moral night.[2]

While theology can be learned by anyone, the acceptance and adherence to spiritual truths such as those contained in the Bible cannot be done without being born again (John 3). This being the case, as Christians we should thank God for opening our previously blind spiritual eyes and hardened hearts to His Word and pray for those who do not embrace the Bible yet and ask God to have mercy on them just as He did on us (2 Tim. 2:25).

[1] http://goo.gl/drpH5

[2] A. W. Tozer, Why People Find the Bible Difficult in The Best of A. W. Tozer, ed. Warren W. Wiersbe (Camp Hill, PA: Baker, 1980), pp. 164-166.
Chinese police officers walk in front of the gated entrance of The Palace Museum in Beijing, China, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Betsy Joles/Getty Images)

Chinese Communist Party Rallies 230 Leftist Parties to Exploit CCP Virus for Political Gain

Commentary

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has initiated an open letter calling on its allies and vassal parties across the globe to rally around Beijing and to exploit the CCP virus crisis to advance the international socialist cause.

On April 2, the website of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China published an Open Letter calling for closer international cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. According to a same-day report on CCP propaganda outlet Xinhua, at least 230 political parties from more than 100 countries had already endorsed or re-published the letter.

While minimizing the seriousness of the virus for domestic consumption, CCP strategy is to massively exaggerate the problem internationally. The CCP open letter calls the disease outbreak the most urgent and serious challengeperhaps the CCP itself might better fit that description?

Today, as Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across the globe, it constitutes the most urgent and serious challenge to both the health of humanity and world peace and development. Faced with this unprecedented situation, we, major political parties of various countries tasked with the weighty responsibility of improving peoples wellbeing, promoting national development and safeguarding world peace and stability, hereby issue our joint appeal as follows:

The letter, openly initiated by the CCP, then calls for coordinated policies and mobilization of resources and forces globally, before indulging in some shameless self-praise:

We are aware that the virus respects no borders, and no country can respond to the challenges alone in the face of the outbreak.  Closer international cooperation, coordinated policies, concerted actions, and mobilization of resources and forces globally will enable us to defeat this virus, a common enemy to all of humanity. We take note of the significant progress in the fight against Covid-19 in China,  which has bought time and offered experience to the rest of the international community. We highly commend countries including China for adopting an open, transparent and responsible attitude to disclosing related information in a timely fashion, sharing experience on response and patient treatment, and in particular providing medical and other supplies to the best of their ability to other affected countries.

Next, comes a coded message to the international communist movementprotect the CCP from international blame and retaliation, protect the CCPs thousands of agents in Western countries from scrutiny or expulsion, and work toward increased integration with the U.N., World Health Organization, and other anti-Western international organizations:

We stand firmly against all discriminatory comments and practices against any country, region or ethnic group, and call on governments of all countries to take proactive measures to protect the health, safety and legitimate interests of foreign nationals and students they host.  We are of the view that the Covid-19 outbreak has laid bare the need for all countries to further foster the global governance outlook of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration and to support the leading role of the United Nations and the World Health Organization in global public health governance. We call for all parties to enhance coordination and cooperation within the framework of the G20 and other international mechanisms for effective international prevention and control as we strive to build a global community with a shared future for public health.

To date, the CCP hasnt published a list of the 230 signatories from major political parties. That could be because many of them arent major and most of them are communist.

Significant political parties known to have signed on to the CCP letter include the ruling Communist Party of Cuba and the Communist Party of Nepal. The South African Communist Party, which semi-governs that country in partnership with the African National Congress, has endorsed the letter. The often-ruling and openly communist Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus also signed on.

Further down the socialist pecking order, the Communist Party USA, Communist Party of Australia, the Communist Party of Britain, and the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) have also lent their good names to the effort.

Less well-known parties backing the CCP initiative include the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist), Thailands leftist Pheu Thai Party, and the militant Rwandan Patriotic Front.

Granma, the newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, used the CCP open letter as a vehicle for promoting socialist globalism, defending the CCP, and increasing international communist coordination:

The text, signed by 230 political parties from over one hundred countries, recognizes that the COVID-19 has put the world in front of the most pressing and serious challenge to human health and peaceful global development.  Aware that the virus knows no borders, the signatories said that no country is capable of dealing with it on its own, and therefore called for the pooling of resources and forces at the global level through international cooperation, integrated policies and coordinated actions. They recognize nations, including China, for their open, transparent and responsible attitude in publishing epidemiological information and sharing experiences in prevention and treatment, especially for their assistance with medical supplies to affected countries.  The signatories also committed themselves to maintain close communication at this unique juncture, to give impetus to the battle against the epidemic, honoring their guiding political role.

The Communist Party of Britain-affiliated newspaper Morning Star used the open letter as a springboard to praise the CCP and its Russian and Cuban allieswhile strongly attacking the United States:

China, Russia and Cuba have been among those countries leading the fight, sending medical teams and aid to places most affected by the pandemic.  But the US has been accused of acting as a Wild West bully by blocking essential medical aid to Cuba and sending warships towards Venezuela. Washington has increased sanctions on Iran, preventing it from buying medical supplies on the global market, and ratcheted up an anti-China propaganda war that critics have described as a smokescreen to deflect from US failures.

The CCPs harnessing of the world communist movement to take advantage of the CCP virus pandemic should not be minimized.

While most of the 230 parties are no doubt small, all will have an important influence in the more than 100 countries they represent. Some are ruling parties with all of the weight of their states behind them. Others have control over local labor union federations, womens and youth alliances, academia and religious bodies. All are part of the largest coordinated political movement existing in the world today.

The West is already at war with the CCP and its allies. Their goal is to create social havoc, drive the economies of the West into the ground, and gut U.S. military spending. When that happens the CCP, Russia, Iran, and Cuba will run this planet.

Today, we are in a mainly informational conflictwith one side hardly fighting. If the CCP is allowed to win this stage of the war, the West will be in no position to resist whatever comes next.

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.
Thats the mission. Saving lives, Lightfoot said. And when I think about, for example, the public health department where weve got epidemiologists and those are doctors who are trained in looking at patterns and viruses and other things that are relevant to this time who are crunching data, providing analysis and helping generate the information that is the foundation for our modeling and predictions about what the slope of this virus is, I want to ask the average Chicagoan: Would you like them to do their job or would you like them to be pulled off to do FOIA requests?
Gardai in Laois blocked one of the busiest roads in Ireland, the M7 motorway near Portlaoise, on Wednesday evening as part of the national policing operation to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Ireland.

Gardai in Portlaoise confirmed that as part of Operation Fannacht they diverted traffic coming from the Dublin direction off the motorway at Junction 17 which is the busiest of the three main motorway junctions near Portlaoise.

The junction also marks one of the last main exit points on the motorway for motorists heading to Cork and Limerick out of Dublin.

Gardai said traffic was diverted onto the Togher roundabout to a checkpoint where motorists would have their credentials checked and asked about the purpose of their journey.

Laois Offaly Garda Chief Superintendent John Scanlan said motorists would be asked to return home if they were unable to give a valid reason for leaving their home under the Government's restrictions.

He urged people to comply with the measures and show respect to people who have lost their lives to the virus in Ireland by staying at home this Easter.

Gardai have new powers under Covid-19 legislation which give them the authority to direct the public to disperse and take other actions to halt the spread of the virus.

Under the lockdown, people can only leave home for food or exercise within 2km of their homes. Only a small number of essential workers are allowed to leave home.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has already called on the public not to leave their homes for Easter. The Minister for Health Simon Harris has said anybody who is in a holiday home will be required to stay their for the duration of the crisis.

Gardai have launched a major operation to ensure public compliance with the travel restrictions introduced recently as part of Covid-19 public health guidelines.

Under Operation Fanacht an extensive network of checkpoints established across the country. The operation runs until Monday night, April 13.

It is suspected that some people have tried to leave Dublin for their holiday homes for Easter.
An armed group in Daraa has released three fighters captured in Suweida, in exchange for the release of an elderly man who had been kidnapped reports Zaman Al-Wasl.

Tensions eased in southern Syria after three troops from the Druze community were released by an armed group in Daraa province, local activists said Monday.

An armed group in the town of Busr al-Harir held three fighters on Saturday, and demanded the release of an old man who was kidnapped in neighboring Suweida province ten days ago.

The Druze stronghold of Suwedia, which made up three percent of Syrias population before 2011, has been spared the same scale of devastating violence, fighting and mass detainment that has rocked communities elsewhere in the country over the course of Syrias nine-year war.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Vietnam is continuing to be an enticing investment destination for multinational corporations

Linda Liu, an economist at Maybank Kim Eng, told VIR that the pandemic is akin to a wake-up call for multinational companies about the risks of over-dependence on China. The pandemic will likely reinforce the shift in manufacturing supply chains away from China, as multinational corporations adopt a China+1 strategy and look for alternative bases to diversify risks.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) registrations in Vietnam have slowed in the first quarter. It is likely due to multinationals and companies putting business decisions on hold amidst the COVID-19 uncertainties. Vietnam will remain as one of the biggest beneficiaries from this structural shift in supply chains once the situation comes under control and business sentiments revive, Liu said.

Indeed, there is a wide range of companies indicating plans to diversify productions from China to Vietnam, from both electronics and non-electronics sectors. Samsung has indicated plans to speed up relocation plans from China to Vietnam. Several of Apples manufacturing suppliers including Wistron Corporation, Pegatron, and Inventec also revealed plans to diversify production and consider additional manufacturing plants in Vietnam due to the virus outbreak during their recent earnings call with investors.

Google and Microsoft also expressed intentions to begin producing Made-in-Vietnam devices within the year, as reported by Nikkei Asian Review. Google is planning to manufacture its low-cost smartphone Pixel 4A after April in the north of Vietnam. Moreover, its next-generation flagship device named Pixel 5 will be produced in the country from the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, Microsoft forecast that its latest models of Surface laptops and desktop computers will be manufactured in northern Vietnam from the second quarter of this year. Nikkei quoted a Microsoft supply chain executive as saying, The volume in Vietnam would be small at the beginning, but the output will pick up and this is the direction that Microsoft wants.

Commenting on this matter, Dean Rolfe, partner, head of Market Entry, KPMG in Vietnam told VIR that the spreading coronavirus may soon affect peoples health in a different way. The outbreak is now starting to hurt the supply of essential drugs with India announcing in March that the export of a range of generic pharmaceutical products will be temporarily halted, Rolfe said. This is because many of the raw ingredients needed for the manufacturing of drugs comes from China and with their factories shut down, supply chains are adversely impacted.

This highlights the risks associated with non-diversified supply chains, according to Rolfe, and has only reinforced a view that diversification is an essential element of supply chain security. Put another way, the global economys reliance on goods made in China has been highlighted once again.

Plus points for Vietnam

While many people have pointed to the trade dispute between China and the United States as the catalyst for a global rethink of China-centric supply chains, many other factors like pollution, complex tax rules, and inconsistent tax administration, as well as ongoing cost escalation issues have all played a part.

Rolfe from KPMG have considered the question of where the FDI ends up if not in China, saying it is clear there is no obvious answer. Many jurisdictions have advantages in the form of developed regulatory systems, modern infrastructure, cheap and plentiful labour, and low taxes. And individual investors will place a different emphasis on each of these factors, so direct comparisons are always challenging and rarely achievable, Rolfe added. That said, Vietnam has many advantages to offer including a large pool of skilled and semi-skilled low-cost labour, a stable political system, connectivity and proximity to China as well as the rest of Southeast Asia.

More recently, the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership inked in March 2018 have made it one of the most globally-connected supply chains and arguably the most connected in Southeast Asia. These agreements in particular will reduce many taxes normally burdening cross-border supply chains, Rolfe said. This willingness to embrace international agreements demonstrates Vietnams intention to become an open trading economy.

According to the KPMG expert, an often-overlooked advantage to Vietnams economy is its high levels of small- and medium-sized enterprises which exist with no or very little levels of external finance. This lack of leverage makes the domestic economy more resilient to external economic shocks.

One challenge, however, is set to be access to large-scale manufacturing spaces. While land is plentiful, much of it remains undeveloped and this will create a bottleneck to economic growth if not addressed in the short term.

It is not easy or cost-effective to disrupt existing supply chains for the sake of achieving geographic diversity. The coronavirus outbreak is, however, challenging that thinking and it is increasingly likely that when our global economy comes through this economic shock, our global supply chains will look vastly different with Vietnam playing an increasingly prominent role, Rolfe stressed.

On the same note, VinaCapitals chief economist Michael Kokalari and research manager Huyen Tran said that the pandemic will have a negative impact on Vietnams economic growth in 2020 due to the blow it has dealt to the tourism sector (circa 12 per cent of GDP), and the manufacturing sector (about 20 per cent). The crisis  much like the US-China trade war  will ultimately be a powerful catalyst for the migration of factories from China to Vietnam, and Moodys latest report predicts that this will ultimately boost Vietnams annual GDP growth by 2 percentage points.

Once COVID-19 concerns subside (most likely in the second quarter of 2020), it will serve as an even more powerful catalyst than the trade war in prompting companies to move their factories to Vietnam, because of the stronger psychological impact that supply chains will have on corporate executives, noted Kokalari and Tran.

The economists also quoted a senior fellow at the Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank based in California, as commenting that the crisis will underscore to all of Chinas trading partners the value of diversification away from the country, and that the pandemic is speeding up the dismantling of US corporations sourcing from China even faster than the trade war has.

Japanese strategy

Hirai Shinji, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City, meanwhile, told VIR that none of the Japanese enterprises operating in China consulted by the JETRO intend to close production activities in China to move to Vietnam. Instead, most Japanese businesses still want to maintain production in China and open more production facilities in Vietnam to disperse risks from reliance on the Chinese market. Indeed, many Japanese investors had adopted the China+1 strategy before the US-China trade war, with Vietnam being the favourite alternative destination for relocation.

If Chinas export activities to other countries become more difficult, many Japanese businesses may stop producing some items in China and move part of production to Vietnam. On the other hand, the relocation trends among Japanese investors also come from the fact that production costs in China are quite high. With regards to the COVID-19 crisis, I suppose Japanese businesses will now focus on dealing with this difficult situation rather than shifting manufacturing, Shinji added.

Data from the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Vietnam shows that the country reported $8.55 billion of registered FDI in the first quarter of this year. In terms of investment partners, 87 countries and territories have investment in the country, of which Singapore ranked first with the total registered investment capital of $4.54 billion, accounting for 53.1 per cent of the countrys total FDI. Japan ranked second at $846.7 million, accounting for 9.9 per cent of the total, while China was third at $815.6 million, or 9.3 per cent.
State lawmakers are calling for more transparency from the Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley after five deaths and 65 positive coronavirus cases were reported there.

The National Guard was mobilized to the Littleton nursing home last week after a staff member and a resident tested positive for COVID-19. The facility was accused of disregarding health protocols provided by the towns board of health.

All 85 residents at the center were tested. On April 6, results came back for 83 of the tests, 65 of which were positive. One test is inconclusive, and three are pending. Fourteen residents are hospitalized, the nursing home announced in a statement Tuesday.

We have also updated our number of expired patients to five as of yesterday; all of them died in hospital after leaving our facility. Our condolences go out to their loved ones, the statement said.

A spokesperson at the Life Care Center told MassLive the patients who died had been transferred out of the facility and tested positive for the viral respiratory infection in the hospital.

If youre having trouble viewing the embed to sign up on your mobile device click here.

Three public officials whose legislative districts include Littleton sent a letter Tuesday to Life Care Centers of America President Beecher Hunter in which they urged her to immediately alert authorities of all confirmed or suspected cases of the disease at any facilities in LCCAs network.

The signatories included U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, State Sen. James Eldridge and State Rep. James Arciero.

To be clear, we would regard any evasion of LCCAs responsibilities to protect the residents in your care - and who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 - as a shocking betrayal of residents and their families as well as the LCCAs dedicated employees, the legislators wrote.

The lawmakers also asked Hunter to test all current workers at the Littleton facility for the coronavirus. At least eight employees have been diagnosed with the disease, the representatives said.

Of particular concern is the apparent lack of readiness or responsiveness to the COVID-19 threat across the LCCA network, the public officials said. The first COVID-19 case at LCC-NV was transferred to a local hospital on March 27th and diagnosed positive the following day.

"However, this was far from the case at an LCCA facility.

As early as February 10, there were indications of a possible coronavirus outbreak at LCCAs location in Kirkland, Washington, according to the legislators letter. Thirty-seven deaths due to COVID-19 have since been reported at the facility.

Yesterday, I joined @JamieEldridgeMA, @JimArciero & #Littleton town officials in demanding increased transparency from Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley.



Its taken far too long to learn about the health of its residents and workers. pic.twitter.com/FnNsIrimwa  Congresswoman Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) April 8, 2020

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Elderly individuals and people with pre-existing medical conditions are most at risk of developing severe symptoms from the virus.

Five residents at the Falls at Cordingly Dam in Newton have died from the infection, and dozens more have tested positive for the disease.

At the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, 22 veterans died, 18 of whom tested positive for the coronavirus. Sixty-five other residents at the state-run nursing home were also infected, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week he has launched an independent examination into the recent deaths at the Holyoke facility.

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Kanye West teamed up with televangelist Joel Osteen for a series of services late last year.

And the rapper will join some other stars to team with the Houston pastor and help people celebrate Easter on April 12 as the novel coronavirus has forced residents around the country to stay inside.

West, 42, will digitally spend easter with Osteen, alongside Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry, TMZ reported Tuesday.

Star power: Joel Osteen will digitally host Kanye West and other stars for a virtual Easter celebration on Sunday

Heroes: Mariah Carey will perform via webcam to honor medical workers on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, though there is no word of what Tyler Perry will do

The outlet reported that Mariah will perform virtually as part of a tribute to medical workers on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is expected to perform her 1993 hit song Hero, which reach number one on the Billboard chart.

No specifics were given on how Perry and the Yeezus artist will be involved in the holiday celebration.

Another collaboration: Kanye and Joel previously held a joint service in Houston late last year and were expected to do more this Spring

Though, sources told TMZ that Osteen's Lakewood Church, in Houston Texas, will have the celebrities help deliver a message of love and support amid the pandemic.

The Calabasas father-of-four and the Texan father-of-two have were expected to hold a joint service in New York on May 2, but with the state on lockdown it is unlikely to happen with a live audience.

Kanye and Joel are planning to take over Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago sometime in September 2021 as well as LA's Dodger Stadium sometime that same year.

On November 17, West and Osteen filled his 16,800-seat, non-denominational Christian megachurch and the resulting three-hour videos amassed over 4.8M views across platforms.
On the final day of March, the supertanker Newton, loaded with crude from Saudi Arabia, did something rarely seen in the world of oil trading: it abruptly diverted from its original destination, Egypt, setting sail for the U.S. Gulf Coast instead.

The Newton is just part of a flood of Saudi crude thats headed for the U.S., with oil prices near the lowest levels in almost two decades. And it occurs as President Trumps administration considers tariffs on imports of oil from OPECs largest producer.

Saudi crude exports to the U.S. in March jumped to at least 516,000 barrels a day, the highest in a year, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. So far in April, at least seven supertankers have left Saudi Arabia for Americas Gulf Coast, and another is expected to load in the coming days. Almost all of the vessels are chartered by Bahri, the Saudi national shipping company, fixture data show.

CORONAVIRUS: On Gulfs oil rigs, crews fight virus to keep crude flowing

The seven tankers that have sailed for the U.S. this month are hauling a combined 14 million barrels of crude. Through the same period in March, the kingdom exported just 2 million barrels to America. Saudi Arabia has pledged to boost exports in general, following the collapse of the OPEC+ alliance last month, and as of last week it was on track to ship 10 million barrels a day.

The surge of Saudi crude comes at a decisive moment for the oil market, with the coronavirus outbreak squelching demand and a price war led by Saudi Arabia itself contributing to a supply glut. Prices have slumped so low that they could lead to forced output cuts if the current situation continues.

That may not happen. Members of the former OPEC+ alliance are set to hold an online meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of voluntary cuts. On Friday, energy ministers from the Group of 20 nations will also hold a virtual meeting, giving the U.S. and others an opportunity to weigh in. Trump said earlier this week that he didnt think tariffs would be necessary to blunt the impact of cheap oil imports, but added that he would impose them if he had to do so.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
In the darkest moment of Trump's candidacy, when so many had abandoned him in the wake of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, Kayleigh McEnany was there for him, defending him on a six-person CNN panel.

"Those comments are despicable," she acknowledged. But, "he apologized for them."

Wasn't he advocating sexual assault? McEnany didn't think so. "He said he starts to kiss a woman and then they let him do X, Y or Z. That implies consent," she said.

It had taken months of practice, but McEnany had perfected her act as one of the original pro-Trump pundits on CNN. She described herself as "that blond girl passionately advocating for then candidate Donald Trump proudly wearing my gold cross," in her 2018 book.

Now, her rise to be the next White House press secretary - at 31, among the youngest to ever to hold the position - turns her Trump defender role on cable news into an official White House position. She is replacing a camera-shy Stephanie Grisham, who did not hold a single press briefing during her nine-month tenure. McEnany, by contrast, loves a camera, and vice versa - with the glossy looks of a cable host, an appealing quality for a boss known to assess the telegenics of his appointees.

But it was a network the president purports to hate that made McEnany everything he would want in a press secretary. For over two years, CNN paid her to come to fight with other commentators over Trump, opportunities she took night after night. Before then, she was a virtual unknown.

"She auditioned on our air for this gig," said an executive at the network who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Many of her appearances devolved into shouting matches captured and monetized in countless videos described by the network's YouTube page as "CNN commentators clash." She clashed with other commentators over Trump's support from white supremacists - "he's not going to be baited into these traps you are trying to lay for him," she said. She clashed over Stephen Bannon's appointment as his chief strategist. Over polling data.

Fellow Republican commentator Ana Navarro mocked her with an air violin, and former Speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn commanded her to "stop smiling and smirking," yelling, "you're outrageous."

When Trump retweeted a doctored video that showed him body slamming a WWE fighter with the CNN logo superimposed on it, McEnany defended him again: "It was just a joke."

McEnany never apologized or conceded a point - a sensibility she shared with Trump, and which put her on his radar

"Outnumbered 8-to-1, or if she was lucky, 7-to-2, Kayleigh never backed down in fighting for the conservative movement supporting Donald Trump," wrote Sean Hannity in his forward to her book, "The New American Revolution: The Making of a Populist Movement."

"The thing that is amazing about her is that she manages to defend incredibly gross and disgusting behavior without seeming gross and disgusting," said Sally Kohn, a progressive pundit and frequent Trump critic who appeared alongside McEnany as a CNN contributor.

McEnany was one of CNN President Jeff Zucker's early experiments in assembling crowded panels with a mix of political views. They created the model for a pro-Trump cable news pundit, which has become a well-worn path to the White House.

Zucker, who has been pilloried for his role in airing live campaign rallies and promoting other political spectacles that some believe helped Trump become president, saw McEnany and the other pundits on his channel as characters in a drama.

"Everybody says, 'Oh, I can't believe you have Jeffrey Lord or Kayleigh McEnany,' but you know what?" Zucker told the New York Times in 2017. "They know who Jeffrey Lord and Kayleigh McEnany are."

Liberal commentator Van Jones snapped at McEnany during election night in 2016 as images of anti-Trump protestors filled the CNN broadcast, telling her "you need to back off. You need to have a little bit of empathy and understanding for people who are afraid because your candidate has been one of the most explosively, provocative candidates in the history of our country and there is a price to be paid for that."

But she and Jones often praise each other and their friendship.

"She was an extraordinarily bright and effective co-panelist during the 2016 election when it was frankly very hard to find super talented people in the media who wanted to be on Team Trump," said Jones in an interview.

A Tampa native, McEnany has often played up her roots, saying she grew up "in the world's strawberry capital" listening to Rush Limbaugh in her dad's truck.

McEnany began her journey through politics and punditry as a high school student when she volunteered for the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign followed by an internship in the Bush White House while attending Georgetown University. Later, she transferred from University of Miami School of Law to Harvard Law - all the while pursuing a television role, making appearances between classes.

As a young conservative woman, she was a coveted figure for television bookers. One appearance led to the next. An internship for "Hannity & Colmes" turned into a job at Fox News as a producer with "The Mike Huckabee Show."

One of her first gigs at CNN was as a panelist on the short-lived political panel show, "(Get To) The Point," where she argued against teachers' unions and gun control.

Before McEnany was a known Trump booster on CNN, she was, along with most of the Republican Party, dismissing him. In a June 2015 appearance on Don Lemon's CNN show, McEnany said that candidate Trump's comments about Mexicans were "unartful and inappropriate," and she praised NBC's decision to cut ties with him.

"He has shown himself to be a showman, I don't think he's a serious candidate," she said. "He's not going to be anywhere near the top five, he's not a serious contender within the Republican primary," she said at the time.

But as Trump gained political momentum in 2015, McEnany became a strident defender.

While her pro-Trump appearances often drew eye-rolls inside CNN, McEnany made her own decision to leave the network in August 2017 for what she billed as a "new role." Soon after, she briefly hosted a video streaming program recorded at Trump Tower and airing on Trump's Facebook page called "Real News Update." Critics called it pure propaganda. "Wow. Feels eerily like so many state-owned channels I've watched in other countries," the former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted at the time.

Days later, she became the Republican National Committee's national spokesperson. Soon, she joined Trump's re-election campaign. She has earned roughly $324,000 between the two roles, according to filings.

After news broke of her new White House job, CNN's Andrew Kaczynski - a political reporter with a knack for digging up old social media posts and other damning material - divulged screenshots of McEnany's tweets from 2012 in which she espoused Trump's birther conspiracy about President Barack Obama. He also recirculated a clip of McEnany in a Feb. 25 appearance on Fox Business Network asserting that Trump's border-closing initiatives would keep coronavirus from entering the United States.

As if on cue, McEnany went to battle with her former network colleague, a posture she'll settle into officially when she starts her new role. "Context matters," she tweeted in response to Kaczynski, arguing that he had missed the nuance of her statement. "Ridiculous spin."
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Irans supreme leader suggested Thursday that mass gatherings may be barred through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said it believes at least 35 Iranian prisoners were killed by security forces suppressing riots by inmates over the virus.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comments in a televised address as Iran prepares to restart its economic activity while suffering one of the worlds worst outbreaks. He is also the highest-ranking official in the Muslim world to acknowledge the holy month of prayer and reflection will be disrupted by the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes.

We are going to be deprived of public gatherings of the month of Ramadan, Khamenei said during a speech marking the birth of revered 9th century Shiite Imam Mahdi. In the absence of these meetings, remember to heed your prayers and devotions in your lonesomeness.

Ramadan is to begin in late April and last through most of May. Iranian public officials had not yet discussed plans for the holy month, which sees the Muslim faithful fast from dawn until sunset. However, Iranian mosques have been closed and Friday prayers cancelled across the country for fear of contagion.

Khamenei urged the Shiite faithful to pray in their homes during Ramadan. Shiites typically pray communally, especially during Ramadan, which sees communities share large meals and greetings each night.

Iran has reported over 66,000 confirmed cases of the new virus, with over 4,100 deaths. However, experts have repeatedly questioned those numbers, especially as Iran initially downplayed the outbreak in February amid the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution and a crucial parliamentary vote.

Khameneis comments come after Egypts Ministry of Religious Endowments called off all celebrations and late-evening prayer services for Ramadan, including mass charity iftars, the traditional dinners when Muslims break their daily fast. Mosques and churches have already closed for prayers across Egypt.

The Egyptian government has insisted the virus is under control as infections increase in the country of 100 million. A prominent heart surgery centre in Egypt identified a cluster of coronavirus cases on Thursday, the second health facility in a week to become a source of infection.

The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation in the southern city of Aswan, established by a leading Egyptian-British transplant surgeon, said it had identified four cases, one patient and three security guards, and placed them into isolation. The hospital said it would monitor those showing symptoms and sterilize the wards, while continuing to treat urgent care patients.

Nearly 20 medics in Egypts main cancer hospital tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, raising fears of rapid transmission in health facilities across the Arab worlds most populous country. Doctors have been infected in at least three other major hospitals across Cairo, forcing facilities to temporarily halt all but critical operations.

Egypts Health Ministry on Thursday reported 15 more deaths from the virus in the country  the biggest single-day jump so far, bringing the death toll to 118 from among 1,699 reported cases. All the fatalities were Egyptian nationals except for one foreign citizen whose nationality was not provided.

The pandemic also looms over holiday celebrations in Lebanon, where Muslims and Christians make up most of the population. The government on Thursday extended movement restrictions for two more weeks, from Easter Sunday to the start of Ramadan, including a nighttime curfew, shut-downs of public institutions and driving restrictions to reduce traffic. Lebanon has recorded 582 infections and 19 deaths.

In Jordan, which has taken severe action to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a 48-hour complete lockdown will take effect at midnight Thursday. Tareq Hammouri, the Minister of Trade and Supply, told reporters the government is preparing electronic permits to reopen the economy for business. The country will resume exports after evaluating its stockpiles, he added.

In its report, Amnesty said thousands of prisoners in at least eight prisons had rioted over their fears about potentially contracting the virus while incarcerated, and that it believes at least 35 inmates were killed by security forces. There have been sporadic reports in Iranian media about the riots, with only one fatality announced.

Amnesty cited independent sources including prisoners families as reporting the fatalities. Security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to suppress protests, the group said. Footage earlier verified by The Associated Press showed thick black smoke rising over one prison in southwestern Iran.

It is abhorrent that instead of responding to prisoners legitimate demands to be protected from COVID-19, Iranian authorities have yet again resorted to killing people to silence their concerns, Amnestys Diana Eltahawy said in a statement.

Iranian media did not immediately acknowledge Amnestys report. Irans mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Estimates suggest the Islamic Republics prison system held some 150,000 prisoners just prior to the new coronavirus pandemic. In the time since the outbreak took hold, Iran has temporarily released some 105,000 prisoners. Those who remain held include violent offenders and so-called security cases, which often translates to political prisoners.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the countrys economy to slowly begin opening back up starting Saturday, leading to worries the nation could see a second wave of infections. The Islamic Republics economy is suffering under intense U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, made a point to remind Iranians that the U.S. is the main enemy and mocked Americans who fought over toilet paper at stores and lined up outside of gun shops to purchase firearms.

The problem of coronavirus must not make us ignorant of the plots of enemies and the arrogant power, he said.

___

Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre, Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, and Sarah El-Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Brian Feulner / Special To The Chronicle

School closures across California have been hard on most students and parents, but the learning loss and lack of resources are worse for poor, Latino and African American families, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The survey of 1,200 parents across the state found that nearly 40% of low-income families lack internet access at home, compared to about 16% of households overall. And about half of low-income families lack devices at home to access distance learning.

The poll just confirms that the closures exacerbate school inequity, especially for the most vulnerable students, said Elisha Smith Arrilaga, executive director of the Education Trust-West, which conducted the poll. Long-term closures are going to impact student learning and performance, but especially for students who are already most marginalized.

Overall, nearly 90% of California parents are worried about their children falling behind academically during the coronavirus closures, which are expected to last through the rest of the school year. And 80% report higher stress because of the closures.

Nearly all parents, more than 9 out of 10 surveyed, said they would like to have regular access to their childs teacher, technical help setting up distance learning, paper packets of learning materials and access to counselors. Yet, the survey also found that less than half the schools offer those resources.

Tony Thurmond, Californias superintendent of public instruction, promised the state will listen to concerns raised by parents who participated in the poll.

We think this is important feedback, Thurmond said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. I think what the poll shows is all parents are feeling stress and need for support, but we have to be careful so students of color dont fall farther behind.

... This is a daunting challenge on a scale weve never seen. Lets face it: Teachers are being asked to do something theyve never done before.

Some school districts are planning Saturday academies and summer enrichment programs, Thurmond said. Those strategies could help address the long-term concerns parents expressed in the survey released Wednesday.

The other big finding is that parents also are beginning to worry about the future of academics for their children, Smith Arrilaga said. That reinforces the need to double down on plans for the summer and fall.

Jill Tucker and Ron Kroichick are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @ronkroichick
Tedros urges US, China to unite in fight against coronavirus pandemic after Trump threatened to review US funding.

The head of the World Health Organization defended his agencys handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling on leaders to not politicise the situation and focus on saving lives threatened by COVID-19.

The comments by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday came a day after US President Donald Trumps criticised the global health agency and suggested his administration could review funding.

With the global death toll exceeding 83,000 amid 1.4 million confirmed infections, Tedros said now is not the time for such threats.

The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please dont politicise this virus. It exploits the differences you have at the national level, he said at a press briefing in Geneva, addressing politicians and world leaders.

If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you dont want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicising it.

Pleading for leaders to put aside differences, Tedros added: Please, unity at national level, no using COVID for political points. Second, honest solidarity at the global level. And honest leadership from the US and China, he said.

The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy, he said.

Trump on Tuesday had said the WHO was very China-centric in its approach, suggesting the UN agency had gone along with Beijings efforts months ago to minimise the severity of the outbreak.

The WHO really blew it, Trump said in a Twitter post.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Trump said his country was going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO, however, he appeared to backtrack later when in response to questions he said: Were going to look at it.

It was not immediately clear how Trump could block funding for the agency. Under US law, Congress, not the president, decides how federal funds are spent.

The United States is the top donor to the Geneva-based body. US contributions to WHO in 2019 exceeded $400m, almost double the second-largest member-state contribution.

China, in contrast, contributed $44m.

We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic, so now is not the time to cut back on funding, Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a virtual briefing when asked about Trumps remarks.





David Heymann, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who led the WHOs response to the 2003 SARS outbreak, said that any US funding cut would be a huge blow.

If the WHO loses its funding, it cannot continue to do its work. It works on a shoe-string budget already, Heymann said in London. Of course, it would be disastrous for the WHO to lose funding.

Meanwhile, Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to Tedros, also defended the WHOs relationship with China, saying its work with Beijing was important to understand the outbreak which was detected in Wuhan in December.

It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this, he told reporters.

This is what we did with every other hard-hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China, specifically.

Aylward, who led a WHO expert mission to China in February, defended the agencys recommendations to keep borders open, saying that China had worked very hard to identify and detect early cases and their contacts and ensure they did not travel.

China worked very, hard very early on, once it understood what it was dealing with, to try and identify and detect all potential cases to make sure that they got tested to trace all the close contacts and make sure they were quarantined, so they actually knew where the virus was, where the risk was, he said.

Then, they made it very clear that these people would not and could not travel within the country, let alone internationally.
Scott Morrison has sent his best wishes to Boris Johnson as the UK Prime Minister battles coronavirus in intensive care.

Mr Morrison sent his well-wishes to his British counterpart on behalf of the Australian public during his address to federal parliament on Wednesday.

'As a nation, we specially send our best wishes to our good friend the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson,' he said.

'Get well soon, Boris. We need you.'

Boris Johnson is in intensive care in London

Mr Johnson confirmed he had tested positive for COVID-19 in a video shared to social media on March 27 and was transferred to St Thomas' Hospital in central London over the weekend.

The 55-year-old had to be given oxygen after his health deteriorated sharply over just two hours, leaving doctors fearing he may need a ventilator.

But the UK prime minister's spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits.

'He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance. He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.'

Scott Morrison gave a rousing speech in Parliament this morning as he vowed Australia would win the 'battle' against coronavirus.

He echoed British wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill and declared: 'We will never surrender.'

'Today we act to protect Australia's sovereignty,' he said.

'When Australian lives and livelihoods are threatened, when they are under attack, our nation's sovereignty is put at risk, and we must respond.'

Sovereignty is a country's ability to govern itself. Mr Morrison said Australia's sovereignty depended on a free, open and democratic society, enabled through a vibrant market economy.

'Above all, our sovereignty is sustained by what we believe as Australians, what we value and hold most dear, our principles, our way of life, a way of doing things,' he said.

'We will never surrender this.'

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was quick to send his thoughts and prayers to his British counterpart Boris Johnson from the Australian public

In a message of hope, he added: 'It will be a fight we will win. But it won't be a fight without cost, or without loss.

'Once we have overcome these threats - and we will - we will rebuild, we will restore, whatever the battle ahead takes from us.

Mr Morrison extended his deepest sympathies for all who have lost loved ones to the virus.

'Sadly, there have been almost 50 deaths in Australia. Tens of thousands more have died across the world,' Mr Morrison said.

'One of those was the member for Cooper's father-in-law.

'On behalf of the government and the parliament, I extend our deepest sympathies to the member for Cooper and her family.'

The Prime Minister (pictured today) gave a rousing speech in Parliament this morning as he vowed Australia would win the 'battle' against coronavirus

Mr Morrison's speech was reminiscent of Winston Churchill's address to the UK Parliament in June 1940 as the Nazis swept through Europe. Pictured: Churchill after victory in 1945

Mr Morrison noted that when parliament last sat, just over a fortnight ago, the numbers of Australians newly infected with the virus was growing more than 20 per cent a day.

Now that daily increase averages two per cent.

Tough restrictions on people's movements and social distancing measures had bought the country precious time to prepare its health system, but that progress could easily be undone.

'We are buying ourselves precious time in this fight. And I want to thank the overwhelming majority of Australians for doing the right thing. You are saving lives, you are saving livelihoods,' Mr Morrison said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said politicians came to Canberra with open hearts and open minds.

'But we owe it to all Australians to keep our eyes open, too,' he told parliament.

The unprecedented scale of the support package set Australia on a path for a trillion-dollar debt, he said.

'It is a bill that will saddle a generation.'
Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on



Wednesday claimed that he was arrested by the police while trying to meet a man who was allegedly beaten up by some men associated with state Housing minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on Sunday.

As politics played out over the incident, the BJP stated that the Shiv Sena-led state government seemed to have ample time to "arrest" Somaiya who wanted to meet the victim, but has no time to trace the members of Tablighi Jamaat who returned after attending a religious congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz last month.

The religious congregation had emerged as a prime catalyst for the spread of coronavirus infection across the country.

Meanwhile, in a fresh twist, Awhad has shared a social media message which has threatened to kill him "like (Narendra) Dabholkar".

In an official tweet from @BJP4Maharashtra, the party said, "Maharashtra government seems to have no time in finding out the members of Tablighi Jamaat who returned from the markaz at New Delhi but it has ample time to arrest BJP leader Kirit Somaiya who wanted to help a common man.

The BJP has also twitted NCP chief Sharad Pawar's earlier statement where he had stressed the need to amend the IT Act, 2000 to nail the actual culprits and initiate preventive action against those instigating violence in the name of religion, castes or regional fanaticism.

The Opposition party wondered whether "Sharad Pawar has designated his confidant Jitendra Awhad to bring former's ambitious mission of controllingthe social media".

Earlier in the day, Somaiya claimed that Mumbai Police arrested him from his residence in Mumbai as he was planning to visit Anant Karmuse, who was allegedly beaten up by men associated with Awhad at the latter's bungalow for posting a morphed photo.

"Police has arrested me from my residential premises/Office from Nilam Nagar Mulund, and now taken to Mulund East navghar police station," Somaiya twitted from his handle @KiritSomaiya.

Earlier, he said that he was being detained at his residence.

"It is pity that Mumbai police has detained me at my residential premises (Nilamnagar Mulund) and stopped me from going to the residence of Anant Karmuse, whom Jitendra Awhad's men has beaten yesterday, I am supposed to meet Anant Karmuse today at 11 am," he said.

Meanwhile, Awhad tweeted screen shots in which some users have allegedly threatened to kill him "like Dabholkar".

Anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar was killed while he was on a morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

In another screenshot the NCP leader shared, a user allegedly threatened to sexually abuse his daughter.

In his post, the minister said such comments arebeing made against him since the last five years and that some users even targeted his family members, but he did not speak about it.

Tagging Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's office and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Awhad also said he shared the screenshots only for the common people's information and that he did not want anyone's sympathy.

"Sharing these (screenshots) so that the common people know about it. @OfficeofUT @AnilDeshmukhNCP I don't need anyone's sympathy," Awhad tweeted.

The 40-year-old man had alleged that some "policemen" took him to Awhad's bungalow in Thane where the minister's men thrashed him on Sunday.

In his complaint, the victim also alleged that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and belt in front of the minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photo credit: Clarence House

From Harper's BAZAAR

Duchess Camilla has returned to work after a two-week period of isolation in Scotland with her husband Prince Charles.

The Duchess of Cornwall has been participating in Check In and Chat, a program that allows her to speak with U.K. citizens who are self-isolating due to coronavirus.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has returned to work after a two-week period of self-isolation.

The duchess, who is the President of the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), has joined the United Kingdom's Check In and Chat program, speaking with those who are self-isolating across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, per a press release from Clarence House.

Doris Winfield, a mother of three who lives alone and is sheltering in place under the government's orders, shared her experience with the duchess and was immensely thankful that the royal was taking the time to talk with those who are missing spending physical time with their loved ones because of the ongoing crisis.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson - Getty Images

"Having a chat with the HRH The Duchess of Cornwall meant the world to me. I've been incredibly lonely over the last couple of weeks and it was wonderful to talk to her," said Winfield. "We talked about life in isolation and shared hobbies, she was very interested in my family and how I was coping without them. It's really cheered me up!"

Camilla even shared how she's coping amid the global health crisis and how it's been affecting her family. According to the official release from Clarence House, the duchess said the most difficult part of self-isolation was "not being able to hug her grandchildren."

The duchess also sent a warm message of support to all emergency and medical personnel on the frontlines. "As the proud President of the Royal Voluntary Service, I wanted to send my warmest thanks to all the NHS Volunteer Responders who have come forward in unprecedented numbers to offer help to the NHS," said Camilla.

Story continues

Camilla's husband, Prince Charles, tested positive for the virus last month, which resulted in the royal couple needing to separately quarantine at their estate in Scotland. Now out of isolation, both have since reunited.

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The wife of the Marquess of Blandford has revealed she's pregnant with the couples first child in a sweet Instagram post bottle-feeding lambs.

Camilla Blandford, 33, shared an Instagram post online alongside her husband George Spencer-Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, as they held the lambs on their lap while feeding, adding: 'Getting some practise in.'

Many of her followers took to her comments to congratulate Camilla and George, with the mother-to-be confirrming the happy news in her comments.

The interior designer met George 10 years ago while holidaying in the Isle of Wight, with the two marrying in a lavish ceremony at Blenheim Palace in September 2018.

Camilla Blandford, 33, hinted she was pregnant in an adorable Instagram post online alongside her husband George Spencer-Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, bottle-feeding lambs

Sharing the post online, she posted a sheep and baby's bottle emoji and hinted she was 'getting some practise in' with the new-borns

In the adorable snap, Camilla and George can be seen sharing an intimate smile as they each take a bottle to a lamb on their knee.

Followers quickly flooded the comments with their best wishes for the expecting parents, with George's mother Becky among those sharing their best wishes.

She wrote: 'That is the sweetest picture ever, you need to keep that one for little bump.'

Aviation broker and Old Harrovian George, 26, became Marquess of Blandford in 2014, following his grandfather's death and was named last year by Tatler as one of the '10 most eligible people in the land'.

Followers of the couple were quick to flood their comments with their best wishes after they revealed the news

His ties to the biggest names in British society are extensive and date back generations.

George's great-great-grandfather, the 9th Duke of Marlborough, was a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill and was married to Consuelo Vanderbilt, of the prominent American Vanderbilt dynasty. The late Princess Diana was also George's fourth cousin, once removed.

The aristocrat and polo player lives in leafy south-west London but will one day preside over the jaw-dropping 187-room Blenheim Palace.

He met Camilla while on holiday in the Isle of Wight 10 years ago.

The couple married in September 2018, throwing a lavish wedding ceremony at Blenheim Palace (pictured, on their big day)

Recalling how their relationship started, Camilla told Tatler: 'One day he just started holding my hand.

'Our parents have been friends for years, which made life much easier. We didnt have to do the whole "meet the parents" thing.'

George, son of James Spencer-Churchill and his first wife Rebecca Mary Few Brown, popped the question at Soho House, Istanbul, and the couple set about planning the wedding.

In September 2018, the couple tied the knot at St Mary Magdalene Church before heading back for a party beneath a marquee on the Blenheim palace's South Lawn.

The couple currently live in London, although they will one-day preside over the family seat of Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire

She wore a Dolce & Gabanna white dress, which was the first bespoke bridal gown by the designer ever to have been worn in Britain.

As part of her bridal outfit Camilla also wore an heirloom which has been in the Marlborough family since 1895.

The diamond and pearl-encrusted Boucheron tiara, which was sewn into the bride's hair, was originally a wedding gift to Consuelo Vanderbilt, one of the 'Dollar Princesses', from her father at the time of her marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough.

After the ceremony, the couple celebrated with friends and family at the palace, which is set in 2,000 acres.
To some, Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is guilty of a "catastrophic failure" of leadership for not urgently conveying the coronavirus threat to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that elected him. Milder critics have described Litzman as a "tragic" leader, whose limited authority compared to ultra-Orthodox rabbis' hindered his ability to persuade constituents to embrace science-based protections against the outbreak. The coronavirus crisis presented the 71-year-old Litzman, himself ultra-Orthodox, with daunting challenges -- even before he and his wife tested positive for the virus. But experts say his struggle to take charge of policy is symptomatic of broader tensions between the ultra-Orthodox, known as haredim in Israel, and other Israelis. Some have speculated that the pandemic may ultimately force haredim to accept that their desire to remain isolated from the rest of Israel must change. Litzman's role in the crisis speaks to the "clash of loyalties" embedded among haredim, Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, an ultra-Orthodox expert, told AFP. Despite sitting in parliament as head of the United Torah Judaism alliance and serving in cabinet, Litzman's "primary loyalty" is to the rabbinical leaders of his Gur Hassidic sect, Pfeffer said. "It is actually incredible that you have a health minister whose underlying ideology, whose frame of reference, is the 'us versus them' mindset" that haredim feel towards less religious Israelis, Pfeffer said. "This coronavirus crisis really accentuates... that this tension is going to require a resolution," he added. - 'Save a life' - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is generally viewed as having reacted swiftly to the crisis, imposing travel bans and movement restrictions before many other countries. But ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods initially resisted social-distancing measures, especially regarding the closure of synagogues and religious schools, or yeshivot. Israel has more than 9,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but more than a third of those are among haredim, a group that accounts for only 12 percent of the country's population. That disproportionately high infection rate has forced the imposition of exceptional containment measures in haredi communities, including a beefed up military presence in the city of Bnei Brak. Former Knesset member Dov Lipman, also a rabbi, stressed that Litzman did not prevent more secular Israelis from adopting medically proven protections. "I don't think he was doing anything to hurt the rest of Israeli society," Lipman told AFP. "I think his failure came in not communicating that (strategy) to the ultra-Orthodox community... and that was a catastrophic failure," he said. For many, the most exasperating question surrounding Litzman is why -- as health minister and one of Israel's most prominent haredi leaders -- he did not push harder to ensure his community stayed safe. As Lipman noted, the preservation of life is of "highest value" in haredi ideology. Jews "violate all sins but three cardinal sins (murder, idolatry and sexual immorality) to save a life," Lipman said. That means temporarily closing synagogues in order to safeguard an entire community is absolutely permitted under Jewish law, according to experts. "I can say with 100 percent clarity, had Litzman sat down with the rabbis and explained to them the nature of this virus, how contagious it is, how lethal it is, they would have ruled that life comes first," Lipman said. For Pfeffer, Litzman failed to act because he feared his political standing would suffer if he delivered difficult messages to rabbis, specifically that synagogues and yeshivot needed to close. "Litzman, like many haredi (political) leaders, is a tragic leader in a sense," he said. "They feel very limited in what they are able to say." "As a political figure, he knows that his standing is contingent on rabbinical positions," Pfeffer added. - What next? - Gideon Malach, an ultra-Orthodox expert at the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank, said Litzman simply "didn't understand the danger." And because he and other haredi leaders failed to convey that danger quickly, "there are going to be changes in the community," Malach told reporters. Malach said there were already indications that some haredim are consulting non-Orthodox news sources and have expanded their internet use, possibly suggesting they no longer trust their leaders to keep them informed about COVID-19. For Lipman, the fallout from the pandemic could be similar to that during the 1990-91 Gulf war, when haredim realised it was essential to have radios in their homes to receive real-time information about incoming Iraqi scud missiles. After the pandemic, "there is going to be a re-assessment about relationships with rabbis. In particular, who is giving the rabbis (life and death) information," Lipman said.
Six patients had tested positive for COVID-19 in Dr. Monica Williamss Huntsville Hospital ER room as of Monday, though she said that number may have been low.

Im aware of at least two people who were hospitalized, whose initial tests were negative, whose subsequent tests were positive, she said.

She thinks that could be because viral counts are too small for detection at some phases of the disease.

When I write a cause of death on the death certificate, I dont know whether theyre COVID positive or not. All I can say is, you know, they appeared to have had respiratory failure, cause unknown, said Williams, who is also watching for asymptomatic patients experiencing cardiac arrest and coronavirus.

Issues with testing are one reason why coronavirus may be the underlying cause of someones death but never make it to a death certificate or into a public tally, experts say.

In Alabama the rollout of coronavirus testing has been limited and delayed. As of Tuesday, 14,765 Alabamians had been tested for the disease and there were 2,054 confirmed cases, according to ADPH. Private labs are also testing for coronavirus, but they are only required to report positive cases, making it difficult to get a complete testing picture for the state.

When patients arrive in the emergency room with trouble breathing, doctors may not know for sure if they have coronavirus. If those patients pass away, their families are no longer in the emergency room to help doctors understand the back story.

I'm never going to know, because I'm not going to test them in arrears and we generally don't do autopsies on these deaths, she said.

Cause of death

As of Tuesday, there were 39 known deaths from Coronavirus in the state.

But belying the tracking of coronavirus deaths is an underlying problem that researchers have identified for decades.

Believe it or not, most physicians are not trained how to complete a death certificate, said Dr. Randy Hanzlick, a retired forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner of Atlanta who wrote how-to manuals for physicians on completing death certificates.

Death certificate forms have a space for primary, as well as secondary, underlying causes of deaths. Hanzlick says physicians often write the immediate cause, for example pneumonia, and dont necessarily write the underlying cause, for example, hypertension.

There's been study after study done over the years that show that when you use death certificate data to tabulate things, in many instances, you get a lower than real count, he said.

Hanzlick says hospitals often see a rotation of medical residents and interns tasked with completing the forms, and training is a perpetual need.

Alabama Certificate of Death

Al.com reached out to physicians in states like Oregon, Missouri, Georgia, and Arkansas who reported a range of practices for tallying deaths and for marking cause of death when COVID-19 symptoms are evident, but the patient was not tested or did not test positive.

In some places, physicians said they have been advised by hospital administrators to carefully document cases where COVID-19 is suspected.

The Alabama Department of Health said in an email to al.com Monday that it would add CDC guidance on certifying COVID-19 deaths to its website for medical certifiers.

Annoying extra step

David Mehr, a geriatric medicine doctor at University of Missouri Health Care, says the online death certificate form used in his state is not intuitive and can be complicated for a new practitioner.

For more seasoned physicians, doubling back to fill out a death certificate later on with secondary causes of death can be an annoying extra step.

Physicians can be pretty sketchy in terms of what they put down, so they may not do a very thorough job about it, said Mehr, adding that no one gets paid to fill out a death form.

Theres no particular incentive to do it carefully other than if you put down something that doesnt make any sense or is not a correct diagnosis, theyre going to bounce back to you, he said.

Finding the initiating event

Dr. Greg Davis, Chief coroner and medical examiner for Jefferson County and a professor at UAB, says it is too early to know whether COVID-19 deaths are being underreported.

Death certificates aren't infallible documents, he said, but added that the degree of attention on the disease makes it less likely to be overlooked by physicians.

He says at the county coroners office, they are documenting when COVID-19 is a suspected cause of death. That information will go to the ADPH to parse through later for an updated death tally.

Anytime you're certifying a death, you want to go all the way back to what was the initiating event that when that happened, that's what set a person on the downward course that ended in death.

Davis says cause of death data is profoundly important. In aggregate, it determines the spending of billions of federal dollars for healthcare research.

For coronavirus, understanding who died from the disease and under what circumstances could be critical information to developing a virus or for knowing how long to practice social distancing.

No probable option

For physicians on the frontlines facing uncertainty about whats ahead, like Dr. Williams in Huntsville, having some idea of a death rate for the disease is helping her team prepare for what may come.

She says she has read guidance from the CDC, which collects cause of death data from states, asking physicians to note probable or presumed COVID-19 deaths.

But as a healthcare professional, she says she is not comfortable with that level of guessing, and the online death certificates she uses dont give a probable option.

We tend to not want to put things that we cant know for sure, she said, adding that theres a variable practice among doctors.

If were uninformed, were going to err on the side of not writing (it).
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Trump Administration in Federal Executions Case

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administrations plan to resume executions of federal death row prisoners via lethal injection does not violate federal law.

In a 2-1 ruling, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lifted an order in November 2019 by a lower court judge that had put on hold the executions of four federal death-row inmates.

The appeals court also returned the case, Roane v. Barr, to the district court to address unresolved legal issues surrounding additional claims that the death row inmates made in a legal challenge.

The Court vacates the preliminary injunction and remands the case to the district court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion, reads the decision (pdf).

Each member of the panel takes a different view of what the FDPA [Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994] requires. Because two of us believe that the district court misconstrued the FDPA, we vacate the preliminary injunctions, the court also wrote.

As such, the fates of the four men, who are convicted murderers, are still uncertain and it is unclear whether federal executions would ultimately resume.

The Justice Department on Tuesday declined to comment on the case or whether it would schedule new execution dates while litigation continues, The Associated Press reported.

The two judges in the majority, Greg Katsas and Neomi Rao, were appointed by President Donald Trump, while the dissenting judge, David Tatel, was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

Efforts to Resume Federal Execution Stalled

While a number of individual states continue to carry out the death penalty, the federal government has not executed a prisoner since 2003. Since then, litigation over the drugs that were historically used in lethal injection executions prevented the government from continuing the practice.

The lawsuits challenging federal lethal injections, the first of which was filed in 2005, challenged the execution protocol on the grounds that it violated the U.S. Constitutions Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment by carrying a risk of severe pain. The suits also said the protocol violated a federal law called the Administrative Procedure Act because it was written in secret without public input.

During the presidency of Barack Obama, the Justice Department abandoned its previous three-drug protocol due to a shortage of one of theman anesthetic called sodium thiopental.

The legal fight fell dormant during Obamas tenure but was revived in July 2019, when Attorney General William Barr announced that he directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt a proposed addendum to the Federal Execution Protocol [to clear] the way for the U.S. government to resume capital punishment. The addendum replaces the three-drug protocol with a single lethal injection protocol using the drug pentobarbital sodium.

On the same day, the Department of Justice said it had set execution dates for five federal death-row inmates, four of whom moved for a preliminary injunction. The four are Daniel Lewis Lee, Wesley Ira Purkey, Alfred Bourgeois, and Dustin Lee Honken.

The fifth inmate, Lezmond Mitchell, had his execution blocked by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in October 2019 (pdf) over questions of bias against Native Americans. A three-judge panel heard Mitchells public defenders arguments for appeal on Dec. 13. The court has not announced when it will rule on the appeal.

Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbiaan Obama appointeeordered on Nov. 20, 2019, that the executions of the four inmates to be put on hold until the inmates challenges have played out. She also wrote in her ruling (pdf) that the federal governments execution procedure likely violates the FDPA.

Specifically, Chutkan wrote that the government needs to use whatever methods the states use for executions, citing the FDPA, which states that executions be implemented in the manner prescribed by the law of the state in which the sentence is imposed. In particular, she ruled that the government needed to comply with all additional procedural details of the execution protocol in a given state, such as what chemicals are used in that injection, or how the catheter is inserted.

A federal appeals court ruled on Dec. 2, 2019, (pdf) in favor of Chutkans ruling. In response, the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court to intervene in the case at an early stage to allow the executions to proceed. Following the appeal, 14 states across the country filed a joint brief to the Supreme Court on Dec. 4 to support the administration.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 6 rejected the Trump administrations appeal but told the appeals court in Washington to act with appropriate dispatch in reviewing Chutkans ruling.

Both Katsas and Rao rejected the inmates interpretation that the FDPA requires that federal executions be carried out in the exact manner provided by the state law, according to the court filing on Tuesday.

Judge Katsas concludes that the FDPA regulates only the top-line choice among execution methods, such as the choice to use lethal injection instead of hanging or electrocution, the decision reads.

Judge Rao concludes that the FDPA also requires the federal government to follow execution procedures set forth in state statutes and regulations, but not execution procedures set forth in less formal state execution protocols, the court also wrote.

Judge Rao further concludes that the federal protocol allows the federal government to depart from its procedures as necessary to conform to state statutes and regulations. On either of their views, the plaintiffs primary FDPA claim is without merit.

Judge Tatel in his opinion said he believed that the FDPA requires federal executions to be carried out using the same procedures that states use to execute their own prisonersprocedures set forth not just in statutes and regulations, but also in protocols issued by state prison officials pursuant to state law.

While the appeals court has now lifted Chutkans November 2019 ruling, it has left unresolved separate claims from the inmates brought under different federal laws, which Chutkan is set to address when the case returns to her.

Jack Phillips, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updates related to COVID-19 and its effects on Albuquerque and the rest of the state.

PICTURES





UPDATES

7:44 p.m.

COVID-19 cases increase by 62 on Navajo Nation

There are 488 COVID-19 cases on the Navajo Nation as of Wednesday night, according to numbers released by the Navajo Department of Health, Navajo Area Indian Health Service and the Navajo Epidemiology Center. There are now 20 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, up three from Tuesdays reports. The Navajo Nation is reporting 2,221 negative test results.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said the numbers are alarming, but he and other leaders are hopeful that the upcoming weekend-long curfew will curb the spread of COVID-19 on the reservation.

Now is the time to get prepared for the 57-hour curfew, Vice President Myron Lizer said. If you need groceries, medication, or other necessary items we urge you to take every precaution and please only send one family member to purchase items  do not take children into stores or public places. Lets also continue to pray for everyone who is fighting along with us.

President Nez and Vice President Lizer will host an online town hall COVID-19 update Thursday at 10 a.m. The update will be streamed on the presidents Facebook page and will be aired on KTNN 660AM and 101.5FM at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Navajo Health Command Operations Center number is (928) 871-7014, and the Navajo mental health helpline is (928) 810-7357.

 Theresa Davis

6:07 p.m.

APS board to appoint interim superintendent

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Albuquerque Public Schools has shifted gears in its superintendent search, deciding to suspend the hunt until the fall and to appoint an interim leader in the meantime.

Before the coronavirus hit New Mexico, the states largest school district was in the middle of finding a replacement for current Superintendent Raquel Reedy, who is set to retire in June. The Board of Education even named five semifinalists.

But that was put on hold while the state and district grappled with the pandemic.

On Tuesday night, the board voted 5-2 to find someone to head the district for the short term.

Read more >>

 Shelby Perea

4:35 p.m.

NM announces 3 more deaths, 72 new cases in virus outbreak

The coronavirus pandemic killed three more people in New Mexico, state officials said Wednesday, pushing the states death toll to 16.

The state also confirmed 72 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Altogether, 865 people have now tested positive.

The deaths announced Wednesday are all adults in Bernalillo County, at least in their 80s or older and with chronic underlying health conditions.

Read more >>

 Dan McKay

3:39 p.m.

Udall seeks aid for local journalism, media outlets

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., is among 20 senators calling for financial relief for local journalism and media outlets, which are facing financial hardship during the coronavirus outbreak.

The senators seek the relief in any future COVID-19 response package.

In a letter to Senate leadership, the senators warn that the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic  including falling advertising revenue  could decimate regional and local news outlets even as communities depend on the reporting during the public health crisis.

Some New Mexico media outlets have been forced to lay off staff, cut hours and pay, and limit publications and operations due to a drop in commercial advertising revenue, Udalls office said in a news release.

The papers are struggling because of an advertising market dramatically impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many businesses have reduced operations and advertising and a record number of New Mexicans filed applications for unemployment benefits, his office said.

The current public health crisis has made the already vital role of local news even more critical, the senators wrote. Some of the most important guidance for families and businesses during this crisis has been highly localized. Local journalism has been providing communities answers to critical questions, including information on where to get locally tested, hospital capacity, road closures, essential business hours of operation, and shelter-in-place orders. During this unprecedented public health crisis, people need to have access to their trusted local news outlets for this reliable and sometimes life-saving information.

 Scott Turner

3:04 p.m.

State offers stimulus to 2,000 self-employed New Mexicans

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions is offering a one-time stimulus payment for self-employed New Mexicans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department is offering a payment of $750 to the first 2,000 individuals who qualify, funded by $1.5 million from the Rapid Response Layoff Aversion program under the directive of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, according to a news release.

To be eligible, applicants must be self-employed, must not be currently collecting unemployment insurance benefits, be able to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and New Mexico residency and have a bank account that can accept a direct deposit, among other criteria. Those who can apply include musicians and artists with cancelled shows, contract massage therapists at health spas and food truck operators, rideshare drivers and more, according to the release.

To apply, create an individual account on www.jobs.state.nm.us and click on the link for the program located on their My Workforce Connection page. Applicants are expected to provide account information for their financial institution, along with personal information, proof of residency and work authorization documents where applicable, according to the release.

 Gabrielle Porter

2:43 p.m.

Gila Medical Center to receive $6.8 million advance Medicare payment

Gila Medical Center will receive more than $6.8 million in an advance Medicare payment to help it continue to operate during the COVID-19 outbreak, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small announced Wednesday.

The funding is expected to be delivered by the end of the week.

Rural hospitals like Gila Regional Medical Center are absolutely essential to the health of their communities, Heinrich said. It is critical that we do everything possible to keep these hospitals afloat during this crisis and I am proud of the collaboration with Congresswoman Torres Small to secure this loan that will provide a significant infusion of resources for this hospital.

Thanks to strong communication with Gila Regional, funds included the CARES Act, and good teamwork to highlight the situation with CMS, we were able to help secure over $6.8 million in funding that will allow GRMC to stay open and continue treating patients, Torres Small added.

Both were among members of Congress who sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urging the administration to provide immediate financial assistance to rural hospitals.

We are hearing from rural hospitals from across the country that have only days left of cash-on-hand  money needed for payroll and supplies, the lawmakers wrote.

 Scott Turner

2:04 p.m.

Lujan campaign texting support for food bank

Congressman Ben Ray Lujans U.S. Senate campaign has been using peer-to-peer texting to whip up support during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The campaign will be using the method for non-political purposes this week.

Starting Thursday, the campaign is launching a virtual text drive to encourage New Mexicans to support Roadrunner Food Bank. The campaign is hoping to reach 15,500 people.

The campaign will ask its entire in-state fundraising list, to consider supporting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams All Together NM Fund. This fund will be used to address immediate needs and offer long-term support for New Mexican communities grappling with COVID-19.

COVID-19 has put immense stress on our communities and families over the past month, volunteer DeChellie Gray said. Many families are not only worried about their health  and the health of their loved ones  but are also struggling to put food on the table.

 Scott Turner

11:09 a.m.

Racetrack donates $2 million for food banks, charities

New Mexico charities and food banks will share a $2 million donation from the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino and the Stanley E. Fulton Family Foundation, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this week.

The gift is intended to assist New Mexicans in those areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis.

In times like these, it is important that we all come together as New Mexicans to help those that are most vulnerable, said Rick Baugh, general manager of Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino.

Mike Fulton, son of the late racetrack founder Stanley Fulton, said his father would be pleased to know that the foundation he established is following his lead in giving back to this great state.

Lujan Grisham said she was immensely grateful every single day when I hear stories of generosity and compassion from all across the state as we grapple with this pandemic.

The donation will make a significant difference in our efforts to shore up local charities and food insecurity amid this crisis, the governor said.

Distribution of the donation will be overseen by the All Together New Mexico Fund, which was established by the New Mexico Coalition of Community Foundations to address immediate needs and offer long-term support in the wake of the virus crisis.

New Mexicans everywhere are stepping up for their neighbors, for their

communities, Lujan Grisham said. It is an inspiring reminder that, even amid dark circumstances, the light of our people will shine through.

 Rick Nathanson

10:23 a.m.

Washington model trims NM death projection

SANTA FE  A University of Washington statistical model now projects substantially fewer coronavirus deaths in New Mexico as social distancing and other strategies take hold.

The latest update estimates the virus will kill 394 New Mexicans through late May, down from earlier projections that exceeded 600 deaths. The number fluctuates periodically as more information on the spread of the virus emerges.

At one point last month, for example, the forecast estimated 513 deaths in New Mexico.

Top health officials in New Mexico say the Washington model is optimistic. They say New Mexico is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of high rates of liver disease, diabetes and other illnesses.

State officials released their own modeling last week that estimated roughly 2,100 to 4,700 deaths over the next 12 months. They cautioned that the ultimate death toll will depend on how quickly the disease actually spreads.

 Dan McKay

10:17 a.m.

Volunteer power could yield federal funds

Albuquerque officials say your volunteer hours can bring money back into the community.

Under Mayor Tim Kellers existing coronavirus-related public health emergency declaration, the city can request resources through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

FEMA can reimburse state and local governments qualifying volunteer activities at a rate of $25.43 per hour. This money can help the pandemic recovery effort, but only if the hours are logged by volunteers, the city said in a news release.

To log volunteer hours, go online to https://www.oneabqvolunteers.com/.

 Jessica Dyer

10:10 a.m.

2 Farmington nursing home residents, 7 employees test positive for coronavirus

Two residents of Life Care Center of Farmington nursing home and seven employees at the facility have tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19.

According to a press release sent by Life Care Centers of America, after two residents tested positive for COVID-19 at Life Care Center of Farmington, all residents of the facility were tested for COVID-19. Those test results are currently pending.

The press release states that 95% of the Life Care Center of Farmington employees had been tested as of April 6.

Read more >>

 The Daily Times

6:05 a.m.

City putting more buses on Central

A week after trimming public transit service due to waning demand, the city of Albuquerque is returning more buses to Central Avenue.

Officials say ABQ Ride is adding vehicles to its Route 66 route, a route one city councilor warned now may be overwhelmed given the recent reductions.

The department will have buses follow each other on the route or fill in gaps between scheduled buses, ABQ Ride spokesman Rick De Reyes said. The intent is to increase capacity now that 66 is the only service available on the Central corridor.

Some buses might be right behind the others and some may be coming within half the time, De Reyes said.

With COVID-19 concerns prompting the closure of many area businesses and altering daily life for most New Mexicans, total city bus ridership was down 17% in March compared to the same month last year. In response, ABQ Ride recently curtailed its operations, moving all routes to a reduced-service Saturday schedule and temporarily halting Albuquerque Rapid Transit.

But stopping ART has forced all Central Avenue riders onto the 66 buses.

City Councilor Isaac Benton said he worries that has resulted in crowded conditions at a time when health experts are urging people to stay 6 feet apart to limit the spread of COVID-19.

My understanding is the Route 66 buses are running quite full, in some cases to the extent social distancing was not possible, Benton said during Mondays council meeting.

De Reyes said the city began this week putting more buses on Central. It is also asking riders to wear face coverings and to use the bus only as necessary via messaging on its website and social media.

We encourage our riders to stay home if you are not traveling for work related to an Essential Business, or for urgent personal business like a medical appointment or to buy food for your family, the city said on its ABQ Ride website. We need to keep our limited capacity available for people who must travel.

 Jessica Dyer

6:05 a.m.

Navajo Nation COVID-19 cases increase by 42, with 2 more deaths

The Navajo Nation Health Command Operations Center reported 42 new cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the total cases on the Navajo Nation to 426. The Navajo Nation also confirmed two more COVID-19 deaths. There are now 17 confirmed COVID-19 deaths on the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation can implement and enforce curfews and restrictions, but ultimately its up to you, President Jonathan Nez said. We must practice Taa hwo ajiteego, self-determination, our Dine people must know that they also have the power to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have the power to save lives, especially those that have compromised immune systems. We must work together to protect our people, our way of life and who we are as Dine.

A reservation-wide stay-at-home order and an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remain in effect. The Navajo Nation will also have a weekend-long curfew from 8 p.m. on Friday, April 10, to 5 a.m. on Monday, April 13. President Nez has encouraged people who must leave home for essential trips to wear masks and gloves.

The Navajo Health Command Operations Center hotline is (928) 871-7014.

 Theresa Davis
Pakistani Security Forces 'Kill Seven Militants' Near Afghanistan

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal April 07, 2020

Security forces raided two militant hideouts in former Taliban strongholds in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border on April 7, killing seven militants, the military said.

Four militants were killed in the first raid in North Waziristan, which in recent years was the base of several local and foreign militant groups, according to a statement by the military.

Three more militants were killed in the former tribal region of Mohmand, the statement said.

Security forces seized a cache of weapons from both militant hideouts, the military said.

It wasn't immediately clear what militant group was raided and the military provided no further details.

The military's claim could not be independently confirmed.

The Pakistan Taliban had been based in North Waziristan until 2017 when the military launched a series of large-scale operations that it claimed had dismantled the militants' network and killed, arrested, or dislodged many of them.

However, violence has continued in the region.

With reporting by AP and dawn.com

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistani-security- forces-kill-seven-militants-near -afghanistan/30540396.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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A medical worker examines tubes of samples takenat the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital (Photo: VNA)

Of the two new patients, both Vietnamese, one had close contact with patient 243 and is now hospitalized at the second branch of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

Patient 251 was from the northern province of Ha Nam. He was found to have contracted the virus while receiving treatment at the Ha Nam provincial hospital. Investigation is underway into the source of his infection.

According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, three patients are scheduled to be given the all-clear on April 8.
KYIV -- When the coronavirus began bearing down on Ukraine in early March, Arsen Zhumadilov was in a key position to take action -- and he thought he was ready.

As director of the countrys new national medical-procurement company, its his job to ensure that Ukraines hospitals are well-stocked with tests, ventilators, and protective gear to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

But he says he has been unable to do that job, stymied mainly by a now-dismissed health minister who seemed more interested in getting a chosen candidate installed as a deputy head of the procurement company -- despite a recent conviction for shoplifting caviar, Snickers bars, and other items -- than in launching efforts to obtain crucially needed supplies.

The result, Zhumadilov and others say: As coronavirus cases mount weeks into a lockdown in a country already facing economic pressures and the effects of a six-year war with Russia-backed separatists in the Donbas region, the state company designated to procure supplies for the fight against COVID-19 has not ordered a single thing.

That leaves supplies that have come through private initiatives, humanitarian aid, and the efforts of local governments -- a drop in the bucket compared to Ukraines real needs. On April 7, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that $35 million has been spent on coronavirus-related procurement by other state agencies, but that the country would have to spend 10 times that amount to fully implement the steps needed to fight the pandemic.

Many governments around the world face accusations of potentially fatal foot-dragging, amid concerns that measures ranging from lockdowns to procurement of supplies could have saved lives if implemented earlier. The story Zhumadilov tells fits squarely into the post-Soviet history of Ukraine, whose development over nearly 30 years of independence has been hampered by the hurdles of corruption and cronyism.

As the coronavirus crisis spread far beyond its origins in China, Zhumadilov said, he began trying on March 13 to get the Health Ministry to sign off on three documents that would kick-start the work of his state-owned company, Medical Procurement of Ukraine, including its financial plan for 2020. That was two days after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic with cases in 114 countries including Ukraine.

But instead of getting a green light, he said, he was told that he needed to hire a new deputy director recommended by the health minister at the time, Ilya Yemets -- despite the fact that there was no formal vacancy at the time and that hiring at the procurement company is subject to stringent rules aimed to prevent graft.

We have an anti-corruption policy, an HR policy, a code of ethics -- all of this is part of our complex approach to preventing corruption, Zhumadilov said in an extensive telephone interview. The agency was created to be the gold standard for both quality and anti-corruption standards.

A background check conducted by the company found that the ministerial candidate, Volodymyr Hryshkovets, was convicted of theft in 2019 for stealing items -- including Milka and Snickers bars, canned cod liver, cheese, red caviar, cured meat, and a pot lid -- from a large supermarket in Zhytomyr, a city west of Kyiv, on four different occasions.

A court in Zhytomyr in April 2019 convicted him of theft and fined him the equivalent of about $70.

In response to questions posed for this article, Hryshkovets said that he did not seek the job. He could not explain why he was at the Health Ministry on March 13, when he was introduced to Zhumadilov and when his resume landed at Medical Procurement of Ukraine.

I did not submit my documents or send my resume anywhere. I dont know why I was proposed, Hryshkovets said by phone.

On March 19, according to Zhumadilov, Yemets reiterated to him that Hryshkovets was his trusted person -- a term that can imply formal representation -- and said he was disappointed that there was no progress on hiring. Zhumadilov said the minister threatened him with repercussions and filed a police report the same day, accusing him of financial crimes in office, despite his office spending next to nothing at this point.

A spokesman for Yemets and the Health Ministrys press service were contacted repeatedly with requests for comment, but they have not commented for this article.

Rising Numbers

Ukraine reported 1,668 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 8, and 52 deaths. The number of new cases recorded has increased daily since the first coronavirus diagnosis on March 3.

The government has been testing people only sporadically, mostly using tests that have arrived from China as humanitarian aid. Although Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said Ukraine had 250,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in stock as of April 7, only 5,779 people had been tested for COVID-19 by April 6 in the nation of 37.3 million -- a government figure that does not include Russian-controlled Crimea or the parts of the Donbas held by Russia-backed militants.

The peak of infections is expected in mid-April, and the governments lockdown measures appear likely to be extended by several weeks beyond the current end date of April 24.

The nations health-care system, which is poorly prepared for the pandemic, will face delays of at least four to six weeks for deliveries of gear once the procurement starts through the national agency, according to Zhumadilov.

Doctors are already struggling, and patients suffering.

I get calls, people say Come and check if my mom has coronavirus. I comfort them the best that I can, said Yaroslav Semchyshyn, chief doctor in a town of 5,000 people in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in western Ukraine.

As far as I know, there are no tests even at the district level. I dont know about the region, there is very little communication, Semchyshyn, who did not want the name of the town published for fear of repercussions, said on March 27.

Medical Procurement of Ukraine is a new company. It was created from scratch in 2018 as part of an effort to fight graft. Last year, it conducted test purchases of drugs through a tender, and this year it planned to gradually take over the medical-procurement function from international organizations, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), and Crown Agents, an international development company based in London.

International agencies had temporarily stepped in to ensure that public money is spent efficiently and transparently when, in 2015, Ukraine made a long-awaited attempt to reform and clean up a health-care system plagued by corruption and inefficiency.

The practice of appointing a trusted person, or confidant, to potentially lucrative state procurement jobs was common in Ukraine for decades. A former health minister, Raisa Bogatyryova, was charged by the national anti-graft authority with multimillion-dollar corruption, for allegedly arranging procurement deals for her sons firm. Her case is still dragging through courts.

'Cavemen'

Dmytro Sherembey, head of Ukraines largest patient-advocacy group, 100 Percent of Life, said he believes that Yemets was trying to reestablish personal control over purchase of medical supplies because it can be very lucrative. Ukraine plans to spend more than $1.1 billion on drugs and medical supplies this year -- not including emergency spending to fight COVID-19 -- and Sherembey said that kickbacks could potentially run into tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.

He thought that he would do it just like before, many thousands of years ago, when cavemen were running through the ministry, Sherembey said. He wasnt thinking in the categories of helping people.

Yemets was fired on March 30 after 26 days in the job -- a record in a country where cabinets and ministers often do not last long. He had been appointed as part of an abrupt government shake-up conducted by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on March 4.

The new prime minister, Shmyhal, told an online meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce on April 2 that Yemets lost his job because of failure to deal with the pandemic.

With the new minister things have moved further and much quicker. In the nearest time the state order will be created and we will move much faster, Shmyhal promised dozens of business leaders who listened in on the call -- many of whom have launched their own initiatives to buy equipment for hospitals.

Limited national-level procurement has commenced in recent weeks through Crown Agents, but the first batch of medical equipment coming through that channel is not expected until next week, according to Iryna Lytovchenko, a former director of the department for strategic planning at the Health Ministry.

New Health Minister Maksym Stepanov, appointed on March 30, said on his first day on the job that Ukraine was lagging in terms of its response to the coronavirus.

I dont want to blame anyone for anything, but we have wasted a certain amount of time from the point of view of preparation for the pandemic, he told ministry staff. We can no longer afford to waste time.

Semchyshyn, the Ivano-Frankivsk region doctor, agrees. He said he received a supply of seven surgical masks in the last week of March from the national health-care system. It was the only equipment the central government provided for his facility that week, even though his region is the third hardest-hit by the pandemic in Ukraine.

With a staff of 14, the hospital needs dozens of such masks a day, he said, and also badly needs test kits for COVID-19.

Still Stymied

Businesses, local governments, and hospitals themselves have been trying to pick up the slack left by the central government. Multiple initiatives have sprung up across the nation to buy ventilators and tests, as well as to design tests and produce ventilators domestically.

On March 16, Zelenskiy gathered a group of big business owners, asking them to step up the effort in their regions -- and some did.

Oleksandr Yarovslavskiy, a businessman from the eastern city of Kharkiv with investments in industries ranging from mining to real-estate development, made a deal with Asias richest man, Jack Ma, to ship $80 million worth of COVID-19 tests to Ukraine.

Andriy Stavnitser, the owner of a port in the Odesa Oblast on the Black Sea, now buys and coordinates deliveries of supplies for hospitals across the region. He said that he was acutely aware that there has been no central procurement, and that hospitals were critically under-supplied.

At an emergency meeting on March 31 with Zelenskiy and Stepanov, the new health minister, several regional governors complained that they have money for medical supplies but cannot spend it due to difficulties navigating complex international searches for suppliers and negotiating procurement -- a role that should be played by Medical Procurement of Ukraine.

WATCH: Ukrainian City Digs Mass Graves For Potential Coronavirus Victims

We understand that locally its very difficult to negotiate with producers and regulate supplies, Stepanov said. And we see that there is money, but its impossible to spend it.

He said that he had reached out to Medical Procurement of Ukraine and that he hoped the state company would step in and do its job.

As of April 7, however, its efforts were still paralyzed, said Zhumadilov. According to Lytovchenko, a Health Ministry working group that is supposed to support the procurement companys operations had not convened for more than a month, and Zhumadilov said some of the required documents related to procurement had not yet been signed off on by the ministry.
Premier Daniel Andrews has asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison to quickly release secret sections of a report on the historical conduct of Cardinal George Pell, in the wake of the senior Catholic's acquittal on child sex abuse charges.

The Premier telephoned Mr Morrison on Tuesday night, just hours after the High Courts decision to quash the cardinals conviction and release him from jail, to ask for publication of sections of the report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Daniel Andrews called Scott Morrison to ask for the redacted royal commission documents on George Pell to be released. Credit:Justin McManus

The sections relate to Cardinal Pell's handling of allegations of sexual abuse against priests earlier in his career and were left unpublished when the commission reported in September 2017 to avoid prejudice to any of his trials or appeals.

Victorian prosecutors have told the federal government that there are no current or future court cases that might be prejudiced by the full publication of the report but federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says it may be weeks before the material can be made public.
A ventilator and other hospital equipment is seen in an emergency field hospital to aid in the COVID-19 pandemic in Central Park in New York City on March 30, 2020. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

NYC Auctioned Off Stockpiled Ventilators Meant for a Pandemic: Report

Hundreds of ventilators owned by New York City as part of its emergency stockpile were auctioned off at least five years ago under the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to reports.

The ventilators, and a supply of facemasks, were purchased by the city in 2006 under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a measure to prepare New York City to handle a potential pandemic, akin to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

However, the ventilators were later auctioned off because the health department couldnt afford to maintain them when they broke down, according to an investigation by ProPublica.

At the time of the purchase, a new strain of flu had emerged in Asia, the news outlet reported, citing a 2006 report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The report (pdf) stated that the city should have on hand thousands of additional ventilators to treat patients should a pandemic arise.

Since the pandemic will be widespread in the United States, the supplies from the federal Strategic National Stockpile may not be available and local caches will need to be relied upon, the report said.

New York City then acquired 500 ventilators but auctioned them off some time before 2016 because it couldnt afford to maintain the machinesthe model of which ceased production after 2009, according to the report.

New York City also planned to acquire 1.1 million N95 face masks for use in a pandemic. However, it ended up purchasing just 216,000 due to reduced funding. The department said the masks eventually all expired and it became cost-prohibitive to replace them in any meaningful quantity.

The news comes as the city struggles with a shortage of critical medical supplies for health care workers and first responders amid the CCP virus pandemic, which has resulted in deaths surpassing 4,000 in New York City alone as of press time, according to a tracking map by Johns Hopkins University that collates official government data.

New York state has become the Americas CCP virus epicenter, with a cumulative death toll of 5,489. The United States has recorded almost 400,000 infections; well over a third of those are in New York state alone.

On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the states of Oregon and Washington have returned hundreds of ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile for distribution to states that have been harder hit by the CCP virus.

The state of Oregon and the state of Washington are leading by example, Pence said. Oregon sent 140 ventilators to New York Citythey looked at their circumstances and concluded that they could spare those at the point of the need.

The role of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Strategic National Stockpile is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies.

Offering a glimmer of good news, De Blasio on Tuesday said that the number of CCP virus patients requiring ventilators has improved in recent days.

The good news is its giving us some more time, the mayor told reporters during a press briefing at the PS 1 Alfred E. Smith school in Chinatown. Its giving us the opportunity to get more ventilators in.

The mayor said that roughly 830 COVID-19 patients were intubated across the Health + Hospitals system, making up 20 percent of the citys health care capacity.

I am hopeful, but Im not drawing conclusions until I am 100 percent sure, de Blasio added, urging that residents to comply with stay-at-home orders and to continue practising social distancing to curb transmission of the virus.

I want to make sure no one stops social distancing and shelter-in-place, the mayor said.
In the thick of COVID-19 concerns, Bible publishing companies report increased sales, The Christian Post reports.

From March 2019 to last month, there was a considerable increase in Bible sales by Tyndale House Publishers, a Christian publisher based in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Tyndale executive Jim Jewell noted that sales from Life Application Study Bibles went up 44% and 60% for Immerse Bibles.

Jewel believes concerns over COVID-19 has upended almost everyones lives in some way, in Tuesdays interview with The Christian Post.

It's not surprising that people turn to the comfort and clarity of the Bible in times of trouble and uncertainty, he said.

Additionally, Tyndale reports that engagement on its New Living Translations Facebook page  home to Bible verse memes  has tripled since last March and is up 72% from just last month.

Increased traffic  be it social media engagement or sales  in times of crisis is not something new to Tyndale. According to The Christian Post, Jewell reported that in the month following 9/11, Tyndale Bible sales were up by 57% from the October before the attack.

Alabaster Co., a Bible publisher known for its visually artistic individual books of the Bibles, has also seen an increase in sales.

In an interview with Fox News, Alabaster co-founder Brian Chung shared that sales have risen by 143% from last year.

Chung believes that the sales jump occurred because people are looking for hope and restoration amid a time of crisis.

Even amidst suffering and financial hardship we've continued to see people engage with Alabaster by utilizing our free resources and purchasing Bibles as encouraging gifts for loved ones, Chung shared.

We believe people are buying Bibles because theres a longing to connect with God, find meaning, and experience peace.

LifeWay Christian Resources also saw an increase in sales of 62 percent last week compared to the previous year.

"We believe this is no accident, as people often go to the Bible as a source of hope in times of crisis and uncertainty," said Ben Mandrell, LifeWay CEO. "People draw hope from Scripture because in it they see a God who is with us during our suffering.

The Bible, as God's words to us, is a reminder that He doesn't leave us to walk through difficult times alone, Mandrell added.

In a preliminary draft of a paper titled In Crisis, We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic, associate professor Jeanet Sinding Bentzen found that search intensity for prayer doubles for every 80,000 new registered cases of COVID-19.

In times of crisis, humans have a tendency to turn to religion for stress relief and explanation. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, wrote Bentzen.

I document that Google searches on prayer has skyrocketed during the month of March 2020 when COVID-19 went global.

Bentzen added that faith-related searches 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.

Even Denmark, one of the least religious countries in the world, sees systematic increases in internet searches on prayer, she noted.

Photo courtesy: Aaron Burden/Unsplash

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
Costa Criuse Line Costa Luminosa coronavirus

Massimo Pinca/Reuters

A former passenger has sued Costa Cruise Lines after sailing on a cruise where 36 passengers tested positive for COVID-19.

The lawsuit alleges that Costa Cruise Lines endangered passengers on the Costa Luminosa.

Costa Cruise Lines did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A former cruise ship passenger has filed suit against Costa Cruise Lines, alleging that the cruise company endangered lives by covering up a case of coronavirus onboard one of its vessels. The lawsuit accuses the cruise line of fostering conditions on board the Costa Luminosa that resulted in 36 passengers to contract COVID-19 on a transatlantic voyage.

A passenger named Paul Turner filed the lawsuit in Florida on April 7, arguing that the cruise company "subjected over 2,000 passengers to the highly contagious coronavirus, and exposing passengers to actual risk of immediate physical injury and death."

The suit alleges Costa Cruise Lines knowingly allowed new passengers to board the ship after a passenger on a previous cruise was evacuated due to coronavirus symptoms, concealed that incident from guests, and delayed issuing the order for passengers to isolate in their staterooms after another passenger fell ill with COVID-19. According to Reuters, French authorities confirmed that 36 passengers onboard had contracted the disease.

Costa Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival Corp., did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The lawsuit argues that Carnival should have been aware of the dangers of the coronavirus due to outbreaks on the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess. Those ships both belong to Princess Cruises' fleet, which is also owned by Carnival.

Turner alleges in his suit that Costa Cruise Lines put lives at risk by taking on a new group of passengers in Florida just a few days after a guest experiencing coronavirus symptoms had been medically evacuated from its vessel.

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According to the suit, the Costa Luminosa departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 24. Four days later, the suit alleges, a 68-year-old Italian passenger was "evacuated" from the vessel in the Cayman Islands "following symptoms of the coronavirus and a stroke." The guest, who has since died, tested positive for COVID-19.

The lawsuit includes a March 4 email from Costa Cruise Lines to prospective guests, alerting them of the cruise line's intent to "make the most appropriate decisions and put in place the most adequate measures to be sure that the highest level of safety for its guests and crew members are met." According to the lawsuit, the cruise company made assurances to prospective guests that the Costa Luminosa "was not affected by the coronavirus, was safe, and that there was no need for concern." Turner alleges that passengers were also informed that their cancellations "would not be reimbursed."

The suit alleges that Costa Cruise Lines returned to Fort Lauderdale on March 5, to pick up a new batch of passengers  including Turner  "without adequately sanitizing the Costa Luminosa." The suit alleges that the company did not deny passengers or crew members "who showed symptoms of the coronavirus" or anyone who had recently been to China, Japan, Italy, or South Korea.

"During the boarding process on March 5, 2020, Costa had non-medical professionals determine whether prospective passengers were medically fit to board based on a prospective passenger's answers to whether they were sick and/or experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus," the lawsuit alleges.

In addition, Costa instructed passengers that they would not be reimbursed if they canceled their March 5, 2020 voyage on the Costa Luminosa, according to the lawsuit. Puerto Rico was scheduled to be the first port-of-call on March 8, 2020, before the Costa Luminosa would sail across the Atlantic Ocean for seven days.

After a coronavirus outbreak occurred on the Costa Luminosa, Turner's suit alleges that the ship was "denied entry to multiple different ports-of-call by the government of the respective countries." When the ship docked in Puerto Rico, its first port of call, on March 8, an elderly couple from Northern Italian was hospitalized due to coronavirus symptoms. They later tested positive for the disease.

From there, the suit alleges that guests were then "dragged across the Atlantic in a ticking coronavirus time bomb." Antigua and Barbuda denied the ship entry, trapping passengers on the ship. The Costa Luminosa next reached the Canary Islands, where three more passengers with coronavirus symptoms were hospitalized.

On March 15, Turner alleges "crew members of the Costa Luminosa began wearing napkins over their mouths and using napkins to grab plates to deliver food into passenger's staterooms."

That night, the ship's captain told guests to remain in isolation in their staterooms. Marseille, France, allowed the ship's passengers to disembark on March 19. The suit alleges that passengers were neither given adequate instructions for leaving nor provided with personal protective equipment.

The lawsuit against Costa Cruise Lines comes about during a time of chaos for the cruise industry. Just recently, ships from the company's sister line Holland America were allowed to disembark in Florida after a coronavirus outbreak sickened hundreds of passengers and crew members.

Are you a cruise passenger or crew member with a story to share? Email acain@businessinsider.com. Got coronavirus tips? Business Insider wants to hear from you. Email covidtips@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Invitation to the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of

Fenix Outdoor International AG

Dear Shareholder,

The Board of Directors is pleased to invite you to the ordinary General Meeting concerning the financial year 2019

Date: Thursday, May 7 2020, 2 pm

Place: Hemvarnsgatan 9, Solna (Sweden)

I. Agenda items and motions of the Board of Directors

1. Approval of the Annual Report 2019 and taking note of the audit report

The Board of Directors proposes to approve the Annual Report 2019 consisting of the consolidated financial statements, parent financial statements as well as the compensation report and to take note of the Audit Reports.

2. Appropriation of the balance sheet profit 2019

The Board of Directors proposes to approve the appropriation of the balance sheet profit 2019 as follows:

Retained earnings

Profit reserves at the beginning of the period TEUR 129 304

Impact change presentation currency parent TEUR -1 086

Net profit of the year TEUR 42 419

Profit reserves at the end of the year TEUR 170 637

Allocation to the general legal profit reserves TEUR -

Profit to be carried forward TEUR 170 637

Proposal of the appropriation

Capital contribution reserves TEUR 395 956

Impact change presentation currency parent TEUR -15 832

Dividends TEUR -

Capital contribution reserves TEUR 380 124

Dividend

The Board of Directors proposes no distribution of dividend. Previous year SEK 12,00 (EUR 1,17), per share of category B and SEK 1,20 (EUR 0,117) per share of category A.

Discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the Senior Executives

The Board of Directors proposes to grant discharge to the members of the Board of Directors and the Senior Executives for their actions taken in the financial year 2019.

3. Elections

3.1. Members of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors proposes to re-elect:

a)Mr. Ulf Gustafsson as member of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders;

b)Mr. Mats Olsson as member of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders;

c)Mr. Hans Sebastian Von Wallwitz as member of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders;

d)Mrs. Gitte Susanne Dalsgaard Nordin as member of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders;

e)Mr. Rolf Schmid as member of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.



3.2. Chairman of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors proposes to re-elect

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Mr. Erik Martin Nordin as Chairman of the Board of Directors for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

3.3. Compensation Committee

The Board of Directors proposes to re-elect:

a)Mr. Ulf Gustafsson as member of the Compensation Committee for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders;

b)Mrs. Gitte Susanne Dalsgaard Nordin as member of the Compensation Committee for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

3.4. Independent Proxy

The Board of Directors proposes to elect

Dr. jur. Philippe Meyer, attorney at law, as Independent Proxy (with respect to General Meetings of Shareholders to be held in Switzerland) and Mr. Lars Sandberg, attorney at law, as Independent Proxy (with respect to General Meetings of Shareholders to be held in Sweden), both for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.





3.5. Auditor

The Board of Directors proposes to re-elect Ernst & Young Ltd (CHE-491.907.686), in Zurich, for a term until the conclusion of the next ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders.

4. Compensation

4.1. Approval of the total compensation to the Board of Directors, for the financial year 2021

The Board of Directors proposes to approve the total compensation to the Board of Directors for the financial year 2021 amounting to a maximum of EUR 1 400 000.

4.2. Approval of the total fixed compensation to the Senior Executives for the financial year 2021

The Board of Directors proposes to approve the total fixed compensation to the Senior Executives for the financial year 2021 amounting to a maximum of EUR 2 500 000.

4.3. Approval of the total variable compensation to the Senior Executives and the Executive Chairman, for the financial year 2019

Board of Directors proposes to approve the total variable compensation to the Senior Executives and the Executive Chairman for the financial year 2019 equal to an amount of EUR 478 000.

II. Documents

The annual report, the financial statements, the consolidated financial statements as well as the audit report for the business year 2019 are available for inspection at the Fenix Outdoor office in Sweden. Hemvarnsgatan 15, Solna. Copies of the documents are also available on the Company's website www.fenixoutdoor.se.

III. Notification

Shareholders who wish to attend (in person, representation by proxy or by the Independent Proxy) the ordinary General Meeting must be recorded in the Company's share register by Thursday 30 April 2020 at the latest and must notify the Company no later than Monday 4 May 2020, 1 p.m. by telephone +46 660 26 62 00, by mail to Fenix Outdoor International AG, Hemvarnsgatan 15, 171 54 Solna (Sweden) or by e-mail info@fenixoutdoor.se of their attendance. An e-mail from the Company confirming the receipt of the notification must be presented at the entrance in order to be admitted to the ordinary General Meeting. The notification of the Shareholder must include name, personal identification number (registration number), address, email address (if applicable), phone number and the names of accompanying advisors, if any.

Shareholders holding shares through a nominee must, in order to be entitled to attend and vote (in person, representation by proxy or by the Independent Proxy) at the ordinary General Meeting, temporarily register the shares in their own name. For the shares to be re-registered in time, shareholders should instruct the nominee, bank or broker that manages the shares, well in advance of Thursday 30 April 2020 for temporary re-registration, so called voting registration. After the shares have been registered in the shareholders own name, the shareholder shall follow the instructions as set out above in this section III.

IV. Representation and proxy

Shareholders who do not personally attend the ordinary General Meeting may be represented as follows:

by any representative, who does not need to be a shareholder;

by the designated Independent Proxy being Mr. Lars Sandberg (Skarp Advokatbyra AB, attn. Lars Sandberg, Grev Turegatan 35, SE  114 38 Stockholm, Sweden).

In case representation is intended by proxy, the proxy should be submitted to the representative in original along with the notification. Proxy forms are available on the Company's website www.fenixoutdoor.se . In case representation is intended by the Independent Proxy, the instruction form should be submitted in original along with the notification to the Independent Proxy and in advance by e-mail (as mentioned on the instruction form). Instruction forms are available on the Company's website www.fenixoutdoor.se. The instruction form must reach the Independent Proxy by e-mail no later than Thursday 30 April 2020.

V. Shares and votes

As of April 7 2020, the total number of shares and votes in Fenix Outdoor International AG is 35,060,000, whereof 24,000,000 are category A shares and 11,060,000 are category B shares. As of April 7 2020, the company holds 119 598 B-shares, of these as treasury shares.





Attachment
Although the history of electric cars dates back to the 1800s, it took many years for the first practical ones to hit the roads. Within 100 years, electric cars made up one third of all motor vehicles. By this time, gasoline-powered cars had also entered the market. At first, these were harder to drive, and noisy. Electric cars were deemed as better technology, that is, until Henry Fords Model T was introduced in 1908. Not only could it be mass produced, its cost was less than half the price of electric cars. Fast forward to the 1990s: The 1990 Clean Air Act and transportation emissions regulations sparked renewed interest in electric vehicles. Auto manufacturers started modifying certain models, and soon there were new electric cars being sold.

Today, many countries are planning to ban gas cars completely in the coming decades. But what about the US? How likely is the country to replace gas car with electric ones? Read on for an answer.

An EV and an antique car on display at a 1912 auto show.

Future Restrictions And Bans Around The World

Cities and countries across the globe have plans in the works to eventually stop producing gas cars or to ban them completely. Business Insider reported that in the United Kingdom, Oxford will begin phasing out all sales of gas and diesel cars in 2020 and will ban their sale by 2040. In 2025, The Netherlands will only be selling electrified vehicles; Norway plans to do the same by 2030. Copenhagen and Barcelona will likely ban all gas- and diesel-vehicles, and India stated that the country will only be selling hybrid and electric vehicles that same year. Vancouver also plans to have the changes in effect by 2030, with a ban on all diesel- and gas-powered cars.

An electric car being charged. Image credit:   from Pixabay

In Scotland, changes will be underway as gas cars are phased out by 2032. Over in France, the sale of gas and diesel cars will be banned by 2040. China has announced that at some point only electric and hybrid vehicles will be sold there, but a specific timeline was not provided.

What About The US?

Pxfuel.com

There are no country-wide plans that address eliminating gas cars, although Seattle and Los Angeles have pledged to have diesel- and gas-powered cars banned from parts of their cities in about 10 years. In 2019, the federal Zero-Emission Vehicles Act was proposed in the Senate and House of Representatives, with the goal of banning the sale of gas-powered cars by 2040. No real action has been taken on it, and it does not apply to trucks or SUVs.

At this point, it does not seem likely that gas-powered cars will be banned in the US. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson stated that advancements in reducing air pollution and evolving pollution control technology have made a ban unnecessary. The spokesperson commented that air pollution in this country has decreased by around 70 percent since 1970, and added that vehicles are getting steadily cleaner and more efficient over time.

Even so, many car manufacturers are taking matters into their own hands. In July of 2019, Volvo switched to producing only hybrid and electric vehicles. Others have followed, with newer electric vehicles (including trucks and SUVs) that offer lower costs, use less energy, and last for hundreds of thousands of miles. Top contenders include Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Toyota, and of course, Tesla.
Pet owners who are infected with coronavirus or self-isolating have been told to keep their cats indoors amid evidence that domestic animals can be infected by Covid-19.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) issued the warning but said owners should not worry about animal-to-human transmission, adding that cats from non-affected households can still be allowed out during the lockdown.

Research from the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China has suggested that cats may be able to catch Covid-19 and spread it among themselves. Dogs are not as susceptible to infection, the study added.

Even then, the risk of a pet contracting the virus is low. Globally, only two dogs and two cats have tested positive for the virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Over 1 million human cases at this point worldwide and weve only seen four domestic animals test positive so far worldwide, so the risk is very minimal [for Covid-19] to get to pets, said William Sander, an assistant professor at the University of Illinoiss College of Veterinary Medicine.

While the BVA said owners should still take sensible precautions and practise good hygiene when handling their pets, president Daniella Dos Santos insisted there was no evidence that pets can pass Covid-19 to their owners.

We are not advising that all cats are kept indoors, she said. Only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors.

Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.

There have been a tiny number of cases of Covid-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal.

From the small number of cases, it appears that dogs do not show symptoms, but cats can show clinical signs of the disease.

The first confirmed case of human-to-animal transmission was reported in Hong Kong in late February after an infected woman passed the virus to her dog, which showed no symptoms of the disease, according to the regions Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Earlier this week, a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for coronavirus, with six others thought to be infected by an asymptomatic zookeeper.

This followed confirmation that a cat in Belgium had contracted Covid-19 after its owner fell ill with the disease.

The Chinese research team from Harbin said: The cats we used in this study were ... highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, which replicated efficiently and transmitted to naive cats.

Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in cats should be considered as an adjunct to elimination of Covid-19 in humans.

The study has not yet been peer-reviewed although experts said the findings were credible.

The BVA points out that, like any surface, an animals fur could carry the virus for a time if a pet were to have come into contact with someone who was sick.

Despite increasing evidence of human-to-animal transmissibility, there is nothing to suggest animals can pass the disease back to people.

Karen Terio, the chief of the zoological pathology programme at the University of Illinoiss College of Veterinary Medicine, which assisted in diagnosing the Bronx Zoo tiger, said: To date, we have no evidence of the virus being transmitted from a pet to their owners. Its much, much more likely that an owner could potentially transmit it to their pet.

The focus in the control of coronavirus undoubtedly needs to remain firmly on reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission, said Dirk Pfeiffer, an epidemiologist at the City University of Hong Kong.
Swiss power major ABB India on Wednesday said it has postponed its annual general meeting, scheduled on May 14, till August in view of the lockdown to contain COVID-19.

"considering the situation of complete lock down due to COVID-19 in India and the uncertainty of situation returning to normalcy, the Board of Directors of the Company by a resolution passed by circulation, yesterday, has decided to postpone the AGM, which was scheduled on May 14, 2020, cancel the book closure dates and cut-off date accordingly," a regulatory filing said.

According to the filing, the Board has also authorized the company to make an application to the Registrar of Companies.

Karnataka seeking extension of time up to August 31, 2020 for holding the AGM for the Financial Year 2019.

This is with reference to our earlier announcement dated February 12, 2020 intimating the date of 70th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company, recommendation of dividend by the Board, dates for book closure and cut-off date for ascertaining list of eligible members for payment of dividend, if declared at the AGM, it added.

On receipt of approval from the Registrar of Companies extending the time for holding the AGM, the Board will fix the revised date of AGM, book closure dates and cut-off date. The company will intimate the revised dates to the stock exchanges as soon as it is finalised.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Monday, Fiat Chrysler announced it would push back the restart date for its North American production facilities by three weeks, from April 14 to May 4. Ford indicated the same day that it would likely no longer restart in April as currently planned. General Motors has never officially announced a set timetable to reopen its plants, declaring that it would instead evaluate the situation on a weekly basis.

Also, this week, Nissan, Honda and BMW, which operate assembly plants throughout the American southern states, announced they would place workers on unpaid furloughs for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. While they will continue to receive health insurance, workers will have to apply for unemployment in order to replace their lost income.

Many of the industrial states where the American auto industry is concentrated will likely remain under lockdown orders throughout the month of April. Michigan, the center of the US auto industry, is currently under lockdown through April 13, although this will likely be extended. The Michigan state legislature voted yesterday to extend governor Gretchen Whitmers emergency powers through April 30. Michigan has the third-highest number of cases in the country, at more than 17,000.

The ultimate decision over when to reopen the plants, however, has been left to the discretion of the auto companies, whose operations are considered critical national infrastructure under federal Department of Homeland Security guidelines.

The twin announcements do not come out of an abundance of caution for autoworkers safety. All three Detroit automakers, with the collaboration of the United Auto Workers, used lies and threats to keep workers on the job until a wave of wildcat strikes and job actions in mid-March forced them to shutter North American production. Rather, the automakers are biding their time, carefully but assiduously planning out a return to work before the pandemic danger subsides.

From the point of view of Wall Street, the potential loss of billions in revenue during a prolonged shutdown is totally unacceptable. Even before the pandemic, the auto companies were under immense pressure from their investors to improve their profit margins, under conditions of declining sales worldwide, through restructuring, including mass layoffs and plant closures.

While the stock markets have rallied on the basis of the injection of trillions in cash by the worlds central banks and governments, this money must ultimately be paid out through the increased exploitation of the working class. Following the Wall Street bailout in 2008, the Obama administration carried out a forced restructuring of the auto industry in 2009, which slashed pay for new hires by half, gutted retiree health benefits and vastly expanded temporary labor.

President Trump is escalating his demands for a return to work as soon possible, repeating the mantra taken up by much of the political establishment and corporate media that the cure cannot be worse than the disease.

On April 2, the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), a prominent industry think tank, hosted a webinar titled, Arsenal of Health: How automakers and suppliers are stepping up to support the medical response to the COVID-19 crisis. In spite of the title, the central preoccupation of the assembled industry analysts and executives was restarting production as soon as possible. CAR is holding another webinar this afternoon, more bluntly titled The Playbook for Restarting Production.

The webinar was held shortly before the official death toll among US autoworkers rose to 17, including 11 Fiat Chrysler workers and 6 Ford workers. General Motors has not announced any death totals, although 26 people have already died in Flint and the surrounding Genesee County, where much of its production is still located.

The challenge, auto parts lobbyist Julie Fream, a former vice president for Visteon, told the webinars participants, is to balance employee safety with the need of these companies from a financial perspective to get moving. Fream explained that her lobby group, the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, was heavily involved in crafting the language of the massive bailout passed by Congress last month, ensuring in particular that mid-sized auto suppliers received a cut of the $2 trillion on offer.

Fream admitted that the auto industrys conversion of a small fraction of its industrial capacity to producing medical equipment such as ventilators and face shields is primarily a feel good measure, both for public consumption, and to test out methods the companies need to convince workers to return to work, despite the continued danger. Ford and GM, working with the United Auto Workers union, have recruited a few hundred workers for these projects in Michigan and Indiana.

When you talk about, Fream said, making a product for the medical device companies or [personal protective equipment], especially for suppliers it is a relatively small portion of what they do. There is a really feel good factor about this, but there is also a pulling together of the workforce behind this, and the team supporting this. Many suppliers have looked for volunteer workers at this time and done some unique things to manage the cost basis.

This is a North American issue, CAR president Carla Bailo added. Returning back to work requires that the US, Canada and Mexico all be in sync. It cant be a hodgepodge because our sourcing and supply chains are so intermingled together.

Fream replied, In looking at that we have to understand what Mexico is saying about businesses coming back on-line so we can define how the rest of the rest of the North American region comes back on-line. We need to work together so we can have a strong, rapid-as-possible and safe start.

While the US automakers would no doubt like to use Mexican workers as their guinea pigs to restart production throughout the continent, opposition is already spreading among Mexican auto parts workers. Wildcat strikes have broken out among thousands of auto parts workers in the border city of Matamaoros, who have been kept on the job under cover of the governments malleable definition of essential businesses. As with the massive strike last year by many of the same Matamoros workers, waged both against the companies and the CTM union, this new wave of strikes has been completely blacked out in the English language press, with the exception of the World Socialist Web Site .

Much of the rest of the discussion in the webinar centered on social distancing and other measures which the companies could enact, including plexiglass dividers, touchless doors and water fountains. But these are only stopgaps which will, at best, slow but not stop the spread of the virus. By contrast, the city of Wuhan, Chinas Motor City and the initial epicenter of the pandemic, is only now ending its lockdown after 76 days, after the number of new cases across the entire country has dropped to zero.

Before last months wildcats, the auto executives and the UAW made similar promises about sanitizing plants and protecting workers. In reality, workers were forced to stay on the job in filthy conditions, without even access to masks, gloves, sanitizers or even running water in some cases.

The real measures being planned were spelled out in a 51-page Safe Work Playbook, published by the parts supplier Lear and intended as advice for the entire industry. Pages 12 and 13 argue that masks are unnecessary for all but a very limited number of personnel and advises against using gloves at all. The COVID-19 virus does not harm your hands, the document stupidly declares, and people who wear gloves are less inclined to wash their hands. Proper removal of gloves would also require training, according to the document, which the company does not want to provide.

The UAW is working overtime to reassure workers that the companies are taking workers safety seriously. In a recent notice sent to workers at Fiat Chryslers Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, one of the plants where autoworkers downed their tools last month, UAW Local 7 president Gary Hill acknowledged three confirmed COVID-19 cases among plant workers. The letter then praised the guidelines being prepared by FCA and declared that the plant had been thoroughly cleaned.

Among autoworkers, there is widespread opposition to a premature return to work and the sacrifice of workers lives to build unessential vehicles and boost the profits of the corporations. To protect their own safety and to prevent the spread of the virus in their communities, autoworkers should form rank-and-file committees, independent of the corrupt UAW, to organize workers to prevent any premature return to work.

At the same time, autoworkers should fight for an end to all inessential production and the conversion of the auto and other industries into production for life-saving equipment and protective gear for health care workers. Rank-and-file committees must oversee safety conditions in these plants in conjunction with health care professionals.

The safety of workers is incompatible with the relentless drive for corporate profit. That is why the movement to protect workers lives, which is spreading throughout every industry and across countries, must be guided by a socialist perspective, including the transformation of the auto industry into a public utility, collectively owned and democratically controlled by workers themselves.
21st St. S., 700 block, 3:50 a.m. March 28. A man entered a residence and fled when a resident screamed.
Ukrainian bakers and millers last week asked the government to limit exports of grain.

Ukraine's grain exports have reached a record 47 million tonnes so far in the 2019/20 season that began last July, up 21% year on year, the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture said on Wednesday.

The exported volume included 18.1 million tonnes of wheat, 24 million tonnes of corn and 4.4 million tonnes of barley, it said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Although Ukraine is a major grain exporter and its harvest largely exceeds domestic consumption, the coronavirus pandemic has led some countries to consider export restrictions.

Read alsoEconomy ministry estimates GDP decline, warns of consequences of epidemic

Ukrainian bakers and millers last week asked the government to limit exports of grain and related products to maintain bread prices in the event of the coronavirus spreading.

Last week the ministry said it would control wheat exports, sell flour on the domestic market and agree with traders a maximum volume of wheat for export at 20.2 million tonnes.

On Tuesday, the ministry said Ukraine had slashed its wheat exports to an average 14,000 tonnes a day in April from 44,000 tonnes in March to ensure adequate domestic supplies.

The country harvested a record 75.1 million tonnes of grain in 2019, up from 70 million in 2018.

Deputy minister Taras Vysotskiy said last month Ukraine could export a record 52-55 million tonnes of grain this season, including 19-20 million tonnes of wheat.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) said, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company currently anticipates no payout for its incentive compensation plans for fiscal 2020. The company is eliminating discretionary spend across the organization. The company also announced a 25% salary reduction for chairman and CEO Blake Moret, 15% salary reductions for all Senior Vice Presidents, and 7.5% salary reductions for all other non-manufacturing employees around the world. The Board has also reduced its cash fees by 50%. 'While our fiscal second quarter sales held up well despite significant pressure from China in the quarter, we expect that as COVID-19 impacts more countries and economies, we will face lower demand in many of our served industries for a period of time,' said Blake Moret, CEO. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
European Union finance ministers failed in all-night talks to agree on more economic support for their coronavirus-stricken economies, spurring Spain to warn the bloc's future was on the line if it did not forge a joint response to the crisis.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said a deal was close after a 16-hour videoconference that stretched through the night from Tuesday afternoon, and that he hoped a deal on the package worth half a trillion euros could be clinched when the ministers meet again from 1500 GMT on Thursday.

A persistent stand-off between a camp of financially ailing southern European Union states led by Italy on one side and the Netherlands acting as the bulwark of the fiscally conservative north on the other was blocking progress.

"This is a crucial issue on which the European Union's future is at stake," Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said of the fraught talks on Wednesday.

While the ministers sparred over more economic aid, the European Central Bank warned them that the bloc may need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros this year to tackle the economic free-fall caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, officials told Reuters.

The EU has already relaxed limits on state aid and public spending to help its 27 member states combat the slump and restart growth.

But it has struggled to present a united front in the face of the epidemic, with countries disagreeing over how much more financial aid was needed, fighting over supplies of medical equipment, and imposing emergency border controls inside what normally is Europe's Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

"Shame on you, shame on Europe. Stop this clownish show," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire was quoted as telling the feuding finance ministers, according to one official who participated in the talks.

Officially, in a coordinated message with Scholz, Le Maire said: "We call on all European states to be up to the challenge posed by these exceptional times so that we can arrive at reaching an ambitious agreement."

The aid package under discussion would see credit lines from the euro zone's European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund providing cash worth up to 2% of a country's economic output or 240 billion euros in total for the 19-nation euro zone.

Officials said the ministers could not agree the detail because the Netherlands insisted euro zone credit should come with conditions that would take into account economic criteria specific for any country willing to use the funds.

Italy was ready to accept a generic reference to the need to stick to EU budget rules, but nothing more specific, they said, adding that with the uncertainty of the epidemic's effect on economies, it was impossible to design detailed criteria.

"This is largely about language," said a second official present at the talks. "There is a broad understanding that in the short run conditionality should focus on health, and in the long run on the effort to return to a stable position.

The ministers did agree, however, to give the European Investment Bank guarantees that would boost its lending by an additional 200 billion euros to prop up struggling companies.

They were also in support of a proposal that the EU borrow 100 billion euros on the market to subsidise wages of individuals so that companies can cut working hours, not jobs.

Separately, there was broad agreement among the ministers that the EU would need a recovery fund to help the euro zone economy rebound from the recession, which in Germany alone will have shrunk output by 9.8% in the second quarter.

But the ministers disagreed on how such a recovery fund should be funded because that discussion involves the highly contentious issue of whether the EU should jointly issue debt.

Mutualised debt is a red line for the Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Austria, while Italy, France, Spain and several other countries believe that the extraordinary challenge of the pandemic requires such a decision. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Kayleigh McEnany is not a new member of the GOP, as she already made a name for herself during President Trump's early days in the White House after she defended him on CNN.

She immediately became a fixture at his 2020 political rallies and is known as Trump's campaign aide. On April 7, she was annointed as the new White House press secretary.

Who is Kayleigh McEnany

McEnany, 31, is given the task to answer questions from press in the briefing room and communicate the president's decisions to the public. However, the latest briefings showed that Trump is doing the task himself, and McEnany is now expected to defend him on television.

She will replace Stephanie Grisham, a known Trump loyalist who was named press secretary last summer and will return to the East Wing as chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump. Ms. Grisham did not hold any press briefing during her time as a press secretary, and Ms. McEnany is also not expected to, at least in the short term.

Few aides see the point, as President Trump remade the presidency in his own image, he approached the job and make hiring decisions himself, the role of White House press secretary is not the same as what it used to be during the past administrations.

Also read: Jared Kushner Raises Eyebrows After Leading the Coronavirus Task Force Briefing

The idea that one aide would be designated to spend half the day collecting information and talking points to explain the decision of the president to the American public is now long gone.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown the people that President Trump is more than happy to spend a minimum of two hours doing the job himself, as his press secretary was nowhere to be found these past few months.

President Trump has grown to see the daily briefings that he attends with members of his coronavirus task force, answering questions from the press and taking the stand after medical experts.

On his two-hour briefing on April 7, President Trump said that one of the reasons why he does new conferences is to made sure that "fake news" would be debunked immediately.

Ms. McEnany and the Trump campaign has declined requests to comment on her new position as press secretary and they have not stated a specific date on when she would start.

The new addition to the White House

Another figure who will join the White House press staff will be Alyssa Farah, a top spokeswoman at the Defense Department who once worked for Vice President Mike Pence. Ms. Farah is close with former Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who is also a Trump ally. Ben Williamson, the longtime congressional aide of Mr. Meadows, will join the communications team as an adviser.

As for the new press secretary, Ms. McEnany is skilled at furthering the president's message on cable television. Soon after she graduated from Harvard Law School in 2016, she was contributing on CNN as Trump's representative. By summer of 2017, she was named Republican National Committee spokeswoman.



Related article: Donald Trump Says China Will Continue With Trade Deal Despite Ecomonic Dilemma

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Police patrolling Lake Constance on Germanys Southern border with Switzerland began the use of an airship on Wednesday to monitor public observance of the lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The airship is due to rise over the scenic lake during the coming Easter weekend when the weather is expected to be good with temperatures reaching 22 degrees Celsius.

The Chief of police in Ravensburg to the North of the lake, Uwe Stuermer, said his officers would be able to detect larger groups gathering in contravention of the lockdown more easily from above.

However, one of the advantages of the airship is the silence in which it moves.

The Zeppelin Shipping Company in Friedrichshafen on the shores of the lake is putting an airship at the disposal of the police, who plan several flights effective from Good Friday up to Easter Monday.

(dpa/NAN)
TAIPEI, Taiwan, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OBI Pharma has been closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. We realize the intense challenges that patients and our clinical research investigators and institutions are under due to the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, in order to allow our collaborating clinical research centers to prioritize response to the pandemic, we will place a three-month pause to the Adagloxad Simolenin Phase 3 GLORIA Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) study, enrollment to ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials and activations of new research sites.

We are working with our clinical research sites to optimize management of patients who are currently enrolled, including implementation of remote monitoring where possible. Based on feedback from our lead investigators, we are also proposing an amendment to our Adagloxad Simolenin Phase 3 GLORIA TNBC study that would substantially streamline study visits.

Other OBI products under Phase 1/2 clinical studies (OBI-888, OBI-999 and OBI-3424) have also been affected by the global restrictions at clinical sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These studies will be monitored for re-engagement on an ongoing basis.

"We will continue to work with our sites and collaborating clinical research organizations to minimize impact on recruitment timelines, since all of OBI Pharma's programs are directed towards improving care for patients with cancer," noted Tillman Pearce, MD, the Chief Medical Officer of OBI Pharma.

"OBI Pharma realizes that 'we are all in this together,' and that the actions we are taking now will be to the benefit of the patients, investigators, institutions, and collaborating organizations that have chosen to work with us for the benefit of patients with cancer," added Dr. Pearce.

About OBI Pharma, Inc.

OBI Pharma has a diverse portfolio of innovative cancer therapies at various stages of development. OBI is focused on the development of therapeutic vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, antibody drug conjugates targeting Globo series, Globo H (Adagloxad Simolenin, OBI-833 vaccines, OBI-888 mAb, OBI-999 ADC) and SSEA-4 (OBI-866 vaccine, OBI-898 mAb, OBI-998 ADC) and a prodrug targeting the tumor-specific enzyme AKR1C3 (OBI-3424).

For more information, please visit www.obipharma.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future clinical trials, results and the timing of such trials and results. Such risk factors are identified and discussed from time to time in OBI Pharma's reports and presentations, including OBI Pharma's filings with the Taiwan Securities and Futures Bureau.

COMPANY CONTACT:

Kevin Poulos

Chief Commercial Officer

OBI Pharma USA, Inc.

Ph: 619-537-7698 Ext 102

[email protected]

SOURCE OBI Pharma, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.obipharma.com


The global economic impact of coronavirus could leave nearly 200 million people jobless, a UN agency says.

A total of 81% of the global workforce of 3.3 billion people have had their workplace fully or partly closed.

Restrictions on daily life have led to the closure of many companies and the laying off of staff - either permanently or temporarily.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations, has been looking at the global impact with a series of charts.

Their work shows the global scale of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

"Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in both developed and developing economies," said ILO director general Guy Ryder.

"We have to move fast, decisively, and together. The right, urgent, measures, could make the difference between survival and collapse."

Nearly 200 million people could end up out of work

The outbreak is expected to wipe out 6.7% of working hours across the world during the second quarter of 2020.

That is the equivalent of 195 million full-time workers losing their jobs.

The worst-hit region is predicted to be the Arab states, with an 8.1% decline in working hours (five million full-time workers).

The ILO says it is "the most severe crisis" since World War Two.

It adds that the eventual increase in global unemployment during the course of 2020 will depend largely on two factors:

How quickly the world economy recovers in the second half of the year

How effectively policy measures will boost the demand for labour

There is a high risk that the end-of-year worldwide unemployment figure will be much higher than an initial ILO projection of 25 million people.

Accommodation services and manufacturing badly hit

Different sectors of the economy have been hit in different ways by the sudden downturn in work.

Not surprisingly, with travel at a minimum and social lives put on hold, the accommodation and food services industries are among those suffering most, along with manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and real estate and business.

Together, they account for nearly 38% of the global workforce, with 1.25 billion people employed in these industries around the world.

Americas and Europe have most high-risk workers

The percentage of people around the world in high-risk jobs varies considerably.

A total of 43.2% of people in the Americas and 42.1% in Europe and Central Asia work in high-risk sectors.

These regions have far fewer informal workers, who make up the majority of the workforce in Africa, the Arab states and Asia and the Pacific.

While these workers play a crucial role in the economy, especially in countries like India, Nigeria and Brazil, they miss out on things like social protection, that other permanent workers have.

Mr Ryder said: "This is the greatest test for international co-operation in more than 75 years. If one country fails, then we all fail, We must find solutions that help all segments of our global society, particularly those that are most vulnerable or least able to help themselves." BBC
BERKELEY (BCN)

A Berkeley police watchdog group says it's concerned about an incident last month in which it says a police officer used a less-lethal weapon to shoot a black man on his knees with his empty hands outstretched while four other officers surrounded the man.

Berkeley Copwatch spokeswoman Andrea Pritchett said a video taken by a bystander of the incident in front of U.S. Liquors at 2997 Sacramento St., near Ashby Avenue, at about 5:15 p.m. on March 14 indicates that the officer fired a rubber bullet at the man from a distance of about 12 feet and struck him in the torso.

Pritchett said the man collapsed in pain and was quickly surrounded and handcuffed by the other four Berkeley police officers on the scene.

According to Pritchett, the bystander said the man was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

Pritchett said Copwatch was unable to get the man's name from Berkeley police so it hasn't been able to provide the bystander's video to him so he can use it in his own defense.

Copwatch said it will conduct an independent investigation of the incident in collaboration with attorney Adante Pointer, an associate of Oakland civil rights lawyer John Burris.

Responding to the video, Pointer said in a statement, "We don't know the full picture, but based on what I see this is someone who has complied, was on his knees and was not a threat. Why would officers use that type of force?"

Pointer said, "At that range, these munitions can cause injury or even death. Berkeley police need to account for this behavior by officers and an independent investigation of this incident is definitely warranted."

Berkeley police spokesman Officer Byron White identified the man as 36-year-old William Dean Brown and said he was armed with a knife.

White said officers offered to provide medical attention to Brown but he declined it.

Police records indicate that Brown was arrested on misdemeanor charges of exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm, obstructing a police officer, disorderly conduct and intoxication of drugs or alcohol.

White said the Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Brown but he's no longer in custody.

Pritchett said Wednesday that she thinks the force the officer used on Brown wasn't necessary because "he didn't pose a threat" to police.

The bystander's video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s4s-GMyWjo&feature=youtu.be.

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.
New Delhi, April 8 : Given that many parts of India are witnessing large number of cases of Covid-19, experts have expressed their views on community transmission, but speaking exclusively to IANS Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of the World Health Organisation's South-East Asia region, said that currently cases in India have been traceable so there is no community transmission.

Dr Khetrapal Singh spoke on variety of topics related to the novel coronavirus, India's response of containing the disease, testing strategy and lockdown. Here are the excerpts of her interview with IANS: Question 1: What has WHO discovered about this new virus behaviour and character? What kind of trends or data are coming about this novel virus? Any findings or conclusion about its aetiology so far?

Answer: Based on currently available data, the main driver of COVID-19 transmission is people who have symptoms. Preliminary data suggests that people may be more contagious around the time of symptom onset as compared to later on in the disease. Detailed exposure histories are being taken to better understand the pre-symptomatic phase of infection and how transmission may have occurred in these few instances. While there are some reports of laboratory-confirmed cases who are truly asymptomatic, to date there has been no documented asymptomatic transmission. This does not exclude the possibility that it may occur. Transmission from an asymptomatic person is very rare with other coronaviruses, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Persons who are symptomatic spread viruses more readily through coughing or exhaling. WHO is regularly monitoring all emerging evidence about this critical topic. About the source, increasing evidence demonstrates the link between the COVID-19 and other similar known coronaviruses circulating in bats, and more specifically those of the Rhinolophus bat sub-species. At this stage, it is not possible to determine precisely how humans in China were initially infected with SARS-CoV-2. The route of transmission to humans at the start of this event remains unclear. The current most likely hypothesis is that an intermediary host animal has played a role in the transmission - this could be a domestic animal, a wild animal, or a domesticated wild animal and, as of yet, has not been identified. WHO continues to collaborate with experts, countries and other partners to identify gaps and research priorities for the control of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, including the identification of the source of SARS-CoV-2. Current information suggests that the virus can cause mild, flu-like symptoms as well as more severe disease. Patients have a range of symptoms: fever (83-98 per cent), cough (68 per cent) and shortness of breath (19-35 per cent). About 40 per cent of cases seem to have mild disease, 40 per cent of cases have moderate disease (defined as radiology-confirmed pneumonia), about 14 per cent appear to progress to severe disease, and some 5 per cent are critical. Risk factors for severe disease are older age and comorbidities. This is a new disease and our understanding is changing rapidly. WHO continues to analyze information on both current and any new cases, as this is critical to enhancing our understanding of severity.

Question 2: A post is doing rounds on social media, defining the time frame of survival of the virus on different kind of surfaces (like aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel) How true it is? Answer: The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air. They quickly fall on floors or surfaces. You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within 1 meter of a person who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands. Surfaces can be contaminated with the virus. Studies conducted on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV indicate that coronaviruses can persist on different surfaces for up to a few days depending on a combination of parameters such as temperature, humidity and light. Thus, frequent hand washing and cleaning of surfaces has been always recommended by WHO.

Question 3: Has WHO done any finding on this SARS-CoV-2 relation, response or reaction with (High and Low) temperature? Answer: There is no robust evidence yet to such hypotheses. It is important that people practice hand hygiene regularly with soap and water; clean surfaces regularly with disinfectant - for example kitchen benches and work desks; cover their cough and sneeze; take extra precautions to avoid crowded areas if you are over 60, or if you have an underlying condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer; if you are sick, stay at home, and eat and sleep separately from your family, use different utensils and cutlery to eat; and if you develop shortness of breath, call your doctor and seek care immediately.

Question 4: How far is the world still from finding therapeutic cure for COVID-19? Answer: No pharmaceutical products have yet been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19. However, a number of medicines have been suggested as potential investigational therapies, many of which are now being studied in clinical trials, including the Solidarity trial co-sponsored by WHO and participating countries. So far, 74 countries have either joined the Solidarity trial or are in the process of joining and more than 200 patients had been randomly assigned to one of the study arms. Each new patient who joins the trial gets us one step closer to knowing which drugs work. There are multiple randomized clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of anti-virals and steroids ongoing worldwide.

Question 5: Although health authorities have not said that it is a 'community transmission' stage in India. Do you think the same? Answer: Community transmission in any country is confirmed when the source of infection is unclear. In other words, when transmission in a given area - is extensive, in multiple locations, without reported travel history to areas reporting community transmission and without epidemiological links to known cases. Currently cases in India have been traceable. However, whatever the stage, the key action points are - engage with people; find, isolate, test and treat and trace every contact; ready your hospitals; and protect and train health workers. That's the only way to combat COVID19.

Question 6: Do you think India is conducting less tests even as WHO Director General said "testing testing and testing? Answer: On testing, India's response has been proportionate to the need and the transmission scenario of COVID-19. The country has, on an ongoing basis, been ramping up its capacities with currently 152 public sector laboratories and 49 accredited private lab chains testing all symptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the last 14 days; all symptomatic contacts of laboratory confirmed cases; all symptomatic health care workers; all hospitalized patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case. Besides all influenza like cases in hotspot areas are being tested. India has been calibrating its testing strategy as per the changing situation, taking into account scope, need and capacity.

Question 7: Looking at the number of cases, do you think India is amid an outbreak? Or do see that the disease is still contained very well here? Do you think India has taken the decision of lockdown very late, despite early warning from WHO? Answer: India has so far managed to keep cases relatively low by rolling out quick and aggressive response. India has an advantage as the country-initiated response early and had an opportunity to learn from other countries that are ahead in terms of cases and applying different strategies in responding to the ongoing pandemic. The most effective way to control an outbreak is to detect disease early, isolate, treat, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures. A lockdown helps in conducting these well but is not the solution by itself in curbing the epidemic.

Question 8: Is India getting any help in procuring PPE from WHO funds? Or do you think it's doing very well on its own? Answer: India's response is nationally funded. WHO has provided some PPEs and primers and probes from its stockpile, and is also facilitating supplies through the global pandemic supply chain. WHO's work with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and state governments on various preparedness and response measures include strengthening surveillance and contact tracing; laboratory and research protocols; risk communications; hospital preparedness; training on infection prevention and control and cluster containment plan.

Question 9: How do you think India is responding to the evolving situation as compared to other countries in the South Asian region? Answer: WHO has been recommending all countries to scale up emergency response mechanism to A1) engage with people, 2) Find, isolate, test and treat every case and trace every contact; 3) ready hospitals; and 4) protect and train health workers.India's response to COVID-19 has been pre-emptive, pro-active and graded with high-level political commitment. India's efforts, that are led by the highest political leadership, is very much in line with WHO recommended actions such as coordination, planning, and monitoring; community engagement; surveillance, rapid response teams and case investigation, points of entry, national laboratories; infection prevention and control; case management; and operational support and logistics. This needs to continue/be ensured at all levels.

(Sfoorti Mishra can be contacted at sfoorti.m@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Post Malone is being sued by a songwriter who says he deserves credit and compensation for co-writing the hit track Circles.

Tyler Armes claims that he "spent hours in the studio jamming with Post and Dukes and ultimately co-writing the song 'Circles in August 2018, and claims to have co-written parts of the instrumentation and vocal melodies for the final song.

According to the complaint filed against the rapper (whose real name is Austin Post), producer Frank Dukes and record label Universal Music Group on Tuesday, Armes reached out to Dukes after the song was released and was offered five per cent of royalties by Post in return.

However, Armes tried to negotiate a higher cut but says the Rockstar musicians manager told him hed get nothing if he did not accept the five per cent.

It is very disappointing that Post Malone and his team did not provide Tyler Armes with co-writing credit. A number of witnesses will corroborate that Tyler co-wrote 'Circles'. We expect to be fully vindicated when this matter is decided by the Court, Armes attorney told The Hollywood Reporter.

Post Malone is now counter-suing Armes. In documents seen by The Independent, his lawyers ask the court to declare that Armes has no valid copyright in the work.

They argue that while Armes was present during the initial recording session, he did not write any music or lyrics used in "Circles" and did not attend any later recording or writing sessions.

It is an age-old story in the music business that when a song earns the type of runaway success that 'Circles' has garnered, an individual will come out of the woodwork, falsely claim to take credit for the song, and demand unwarranted and unearned windfall profits from the song, his attorney wrote in the counter-complaint.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Post Malone, Frank Dukes and his record label for comment.
Irish Water says pesticide is still being detected in water supplies in Cork.

Pesticides have been detected in Glashaboy, Glanmire and Macroom public water supplies.

There is no immediate risk to health from the pesticide levels but the utility says it is vital that farmers and other users follow best practice when spraying their lands.

Irish Water points out that the legally permitted limit for pesticides in drinking water is set at a level equivalent to one drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The utilitys regional drinking water compliance specialist, Deirdre OLoughlin, is urging farmers and other essential workers managing land to protect water sources.

Ms OLoughlin says the herbicide, MCPA, used to kill rushes on a wetland, was one of the most commonly found.

MCPA accounted for 63% of the pesticide exceedances detected nationally in public water supplies last year but the utility also routinely tests for other pesticides.

While MCPA is the main offender, other pesticides such as 2,4-D, fluroxypyr and MCPP (also known as mecoprop) are being detected more frequently than in the previous year.

Ms OLoughlin says 82% of drinking water supplies come from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes and streams.

The Glashaboy, Glanmire and Macroom water supplies are all vulnerable to contamination from land and animal run-off, she points out.

Careless storage, handling or improper application of any pesticide product can easily result in traces ending up in drinking water.

Efforts to reduce the incidence of detections are being coordinated by the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Irish Water is working in partnership with members of the group that include other government departments and agencies, local authorities, industry and farming organisations.

Chair of the action group, Dr Aidan Moody, says pesticide users should also first consider if there are alternative non-chemical weed or pest control methods that can be used.

If pesticides have to be applied users must make sure they are aware of and follow best practice measures to protect water quality, he advises.

A video on the correct use of MCPA can be viewed on Irish Waters YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/xQqtZ7jifUs

Advice is also available on the Teagasc website.
The International Federation of Journalists has strongly condemned a threat of attack against a Belfast-based journalist by a paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.

In a statement IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger expressed solidarity with the Irish News journalist and expressed support for the strong position taken by her union, the National Union of Journalists and by her employer.

He said: We support the NUJ call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of this threat. Journalists must be free to operate without fear of threat or any form of intimidation. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed that this threat is being taken seriously and we wish to express our solidarity with the member, her union and her Irish News colleagues at this time.

This is an unacceptable attempt to silence journalists for doing their job. It has not worked in the past and will not succeed on this occasion.
Trump said the international group had called it wrong on the virus and that the organization was very China-centric" in its approach, suggesting that the WHO had gone along with Beijing's efforts months ago to minimize the severity of the outbreak. The WHO has praised China for its transparency on the virus, even though there has been reason to believe that more people died of COVID-19 than the countrys official tally.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-07 05:36:08|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Justice Ministry on Monday announced the completion of a settlement deal with families of the victims of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole which was attacked at Yemen's Aden harbor in October 2000.

"The settlement deal with the families of the victims of the destroyer USS Cole, who embarked on judicial procedures against the Sudanese government before the U.S. courts, has been fully completed," said the ministry in a statement.

All cases heard by the courts in the United States regarding the USS Cole case have ended, after a joint petition was submitted on April 3 to write off the lawsuits, according to the statement.

The ministry reaffirmed Sudan's non-involvement in the attack against the USS Cole, noting the Sudanese government agreed on the settlement for the strategic interest of the country and as part of the efforts by the transitional government to lift Sudan from the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism.

On Feb. 7, the Sudanese government signed a deal with the families of the victims of the USS Cole.

In 2016, a U.S. court of appeal ruled that the Sudanese government should pay around 300 million U.S. dollars for the victims of the attack on the USS Cole and additional sum as a compensation for the bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

Washington accused Sudan of contributing to the bombing of the two U.S. embassies in August 1998 and providing logistic support and training for elements of al-Qaida who attacked the USS Cole at Aden harbor in 2000.
Giving every citizen VND1-1.5 million, which will be disbursed three times, to help cover basic needs is one of the initiatives that could help Vietnamese people overcome current difficulties.

Vo Quoc Thang, chair of Dong Tam Group, said the government has taken many drastic measures to help businesses and people to overcome difficulties, but he wants to see more strong actions to mitigate the damages caused by economic recession.





Thang has made 10 proposals, two of which relate to emergency assistance to people. The government can reduce electricity bills for April, May and June by 50 percent and allow consumers to owe the remaining 50 percent.

The owed money will be paid in 2021, or it can give VND1 million or VND1.5 million to every Vietnamese citizen, with disbursements in April, May and June. The money will help cover peoples basic needs.



Thang stressed that a high number of workers, especially seasonal workers and small business households, have been seriously hit by the epidemic. The workers have low and unstable income, which is just enough to cover daily basic needs, and they have no savings.

Giving every citizen VND1-1.5 million, which will be disbursed three times, to help cover basic needs is one of the initiatives that could help Vietnamese people overcome current difficulties.

Asked about the budget for emergency assistance, Thang admitted that it is unfeasible to rely on the state budget. He suggested setting up a fund - Quy Gia Dinh Vietnam (Vietnamese family fund) - and calling for financial support from Vietnamese in Vietnam and overseas and economic sectors in society.



He also thinks that Vietnam should seek support from international institutions.



Nguyen Hoang Hai, deputy chair of the Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI), doesnt think this is a good idea.



Hai believes that as the nations financial resources are limited, the solution is unfeasible. Financial support needs to be addressed to the right people who really need assistance. The wrong spending will put a burden on the state budget and people.



Regarding the proposal to borrow foreign money to assist people, Hai said borrowing will lead to an increase in public debt.



Nguyen Mai Bo, a National Assembly Deputy from An Giang province, also thinks the solution is unfeasible.



The government has to spend a huge amount of money to prevent and fight against Covid-19. Coronavirus patients now can receive treatment free of charge.



Vietnam has a special population structure with more than 70 percent of people engaged in agricultural production and living in rural areas. Even if Vietnamese are in quarantine for 15 days, they wont lack food.

Chi Mai

Halting rice exports to stabilise food supplies The Vietnamese government has asked rice exporters to temporarily suspend signing new export contracts in a bid to increase stockpiles and ensure the countrys food supply.
NSW Police will use number plate recognition technology and cameras to ensure people adhere to social distancing measures over the Easter long weekend.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said while it might be disappointing for people to stay at home, police will be out patrolling highways, country roads and caravan parks in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police will be patrolling back roads and caravan parks to ensure people are adhering to social distancing measures. Credit:Kate Geraghty

"We will be going through caravan parks early, issuing warnings to people that may think they can get around these laws," Commissioner Fuller said on Wednesday.

"People will be given one opportunity to pack up, go back to your home state and go back home. Otherwise, we will, unfortunately, have to issue tickets."
A Baltimore City Police officer is under investigation after a video posted on social media appeared to show him coughing on black residents.

Instagram/Screenshot

A police officer is under investigation after a video appeared to show him deliberately coughing on black residents outside of a public housing complex in southeast Baltimore.

It depicts the officer coughing loudly as he approached a group of black residents who were hanging outside in a courtyard.

The video was taken by an unidentified woman, who threatened to call the CDC on him.

Baltimore's city council president Brandon M. Scott and the police commissioner Michael Harrison both publicly condemned the officer's actions amid the coronavirus outbreaks.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A police officer is under fire after a video that went viral on social media appeared to show him deliberately coughing on black residents outside of a public housing complex in southeast Baltimore, Maryland, the Baltimore Sun reported.

In the Instagram video posted Tuesday morning, an unidentified woman whips her cellphone camera toward a police officer approaching a group of residents hanging out in a courtyard at the Perkins Homes housing complex.

"Hey, Officer Friendly, with the cherry cheeks," the woman called out to the officer, laughing.

The officer said nothing in response to her greeting. However, as he neared the residents, the officer put one hand on his chest and began letting out booming coughs.

The residents who had been gathering in the courtyard several feet apart appeared to jump back away from the officer in disgust as he walked through the group of residents without covering his mouth.

The residents erupted into profanity-laced shouts directed at the officer, who appeared to intentionally cough even louder at their clamorous cries as he continued to walk down the sidewalk, coughing more than 10 times.

"Get out of here, what the f--- is wrong with him," the woman recording the video yelled. "I should call the CDC and let them know he just did some dirty s--- like that," she said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Story continues

Fears and anxieties have been running high since the US became the hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly 400,000 confirmed cases and over 12,900 deaths. Maryland currently has 4,371 infections and 103 deaths related to coronavirus, according to data collected by John Hopkins.

Baltimore officials condemned the officer's actions

In a statement sent to Insider, police Commissioner Michael Harrison called the video "disturbing."

"After watching the full video, in its entirety, it is not only disturbing, but incomprehensible, especially considering the high-level of strong and clear guidance that we have provided from the beginning, regarding COVID-19," he said.

Baltimore's city council president Brandon M. Scott publicly condemned the officer's actions. saying that "COVID-19 is not a joke and this behavior is beyond unacceptable."

"When you are in public service, it is your duty to treat everyone with respect, especially when we are dealing with both a public health pandemic and a gun violence epidemic," Scott wrote in a statement to Fox 45, adding that he himself had forwarded the video to Harrison after seeing it online.

"This is not behavior that we want our police officers or any of our public servants to model to our residents. Everyone can contract COVID-19 and all of Baltimore has to take this seriously and treat each other with respect," he said.

Later in the afternoon, the Baltimore City Police Commissioner announced that the Department's Public Integrity Bureau would conduct an internal investigation into the officer after reviewing the video that was posted online, and will review the sergeant's body camera. It didn't publicly identify the officer in the video.

"Members are always expected to be sensitive and professional to the community, but what we saw in the video is alarming because this pandemic is affecting lives not only nationally, worldwide, but right here in our own police department," Harrison said.

Read the original article on Insider
A COVID-19 outbreak at an assisted living facility in La Porte has infected 34 residents and staff so far, Harris County Public Health announced Tuesday.

The outbreak was reported at La Porte Healthcare Center, at 208 South Utah Street. The La Porte facility is under strict health control orders to prevent a wider outbreak, officials said, but Harris County Public Health could not be reached late Tuesday to elaborate on those orders. A spokesperson for the facility did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is at least the third nursing home or independent living facility in the Houston area that has reported a COVID-19 outbreak. The news highlights the vulnerability that nursing home residents and staff face during the pandemic, prompting bans of visitation and activities.

At the the Conservatory at Alden Bridge, a luxury independent living community in The Woodlands, three elderly residents died as of last Thursday with 10 or more known to be infected.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

A total of 83 residents at the Resort at Texas City, a nursing home, had tested positive. One of the residents died Monday, and the facility has since become a testing ground for an experimental treatment involving hydroxychloroquine. The drug has not been officially approved to treat COVID-19, but Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday it was used to treat 30 residents at the facility.

Local health officials are preparing for outbreaks in nursing homes statewide. In Dallas County, at least eight long-term care facilities reported positive cases. An outbreak at a San Antonio nursing home, where at least 79 people were infected, by Tuesday had become the largest known cluster of cases in the city, the San Antonio Express-News reported. In Harlingen, city officials continue to monitor nursing homes after an 81-year-old man who was living in a rehabilitation facility died from the illness, according to the Brownsville Herald.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Tuesday issued new guidance for nursing homes to respond to outbreaks. The guidelines include using separate staffing teams for positive COVID-19 residents, requiring face masks for all nursing facility staff and actively monitoring people who come into the facility.

We hope this information will help the providers we regulate respond as effectively as they can to COVID-19, as we fully understand they are confronting an unprecedented situation, according to a statement from David Kostroun, Deputy Executive Commissioner of the Texas HHS Regulatory Services division.

Texas health officials last year inspected the La Porte facility and recorded 10 state violations, including not storing, cooking or giving out food in a safe and clean way, according to the inspection report on the state health services website. It was also cited for leaving unattended medical equipment in corridors, according to the report. The violations were corrected by the following month, records show.

CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com

Other nursing homes have been impacted by the virus in the Houston region. At least one other positive case has been reported in a man who lived at the Heights of Tomball nursing home. Fort Bend County said it is investigating a state-funded supported living center in Richmond, which reported two residents with positive tests.

The pandemic is also bearing down on nursing homes across the country. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan launched statewide "strike teams" to respond to the crisis of coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and other group living facilities in the state. At least 10 nursing homes in Marylands Montgomery County have reported cases.

To date, there are 2,146 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Houston and Harris County and 23 deaths.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.

julian.gill@chron.com
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 9)  Filipinos are encouraged to show their appreciation for the country's COVID-19 frontliners starting Thursday, Day of Valor.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Wednesday Filipinos can simultaneously applaud all medical workers and those who do essential work during the health crisis. He said the public can praise the country's modern-day heroes every afternoon from their home's door or windows.

His office clarified the planned show of gratitude will happen every day at 5 p.m.

Nograles said the public who opt to express their appreciation through social media can also send "good vibes" digitally.

Puwede tayo kumanta o sumayaw para sa ating frontliners para ipakita natin ang pagmamahal natin sa kanila at mapadalhan natin ng good vibes sa napaka-challenging na panahong ito, he said in a virtual media briefing.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country stands at 3,764. There are 177 deaths and 84 recoveries recorded.
Saudi Arabia's health minister, quoting four studies, has warned that the new coronavirus (Covid-19) could eventually infect between 10,000 and 200,000 people in Saudi Arabia, urging the public to adhere to curbs announced in the kingdom.

The kingdom has so far reported 2,795 cases and 41 deaths.

The Health Minister Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah said the increase in the rate of infection in the coming period depends primarily on the cooperation of all and their commitment to the instructions and guidelines issued by the authorities. He warned that some of community members failed to implement the theme We Are All Responsible. They are neither taking the dangers of the pandemic seriously enough nor adhering to the warnings issued with regard to avoiding close contact and gatherings, he said according to a statement in the ministry website. Out of the principle of transparency we are committed to, I share with you the results of four studies conducted by Saudi and international experts specialised in epidemics field. The results of these studies expect that the number of Covid-19 cases over the next few weeks would be 10,000 at the minimum and up to 200,000 at the maximum, he said. He warned that the commitment to instructions and measures entirely will reduce the number of cases to the minimum, while non-compliance will lead to a huge increase in the number of cases. He mentioned that the Royal order to impose curfew in the evening was requested by MOH in an endeavor to reduce movement and to bring peoples close contact and gatherings to the minimum. According to the studies the rate of traffic during 24 hours is still very high as it now represents 46% of the total traffic during the normal days. Such rate doesnt meet the required goal, therefore, the total curfew was imposed in a number of cities and provinces, he added. On financing the fight against Covid-19, Al-Rabiah said since the outbreak of the virus SR8 billion has been allocated. Following a virtual meeting, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an additional SR7 billion bringing the total sanctioned amount to SR15 billion, he added. This amount will further boost the health sectors readiness to secure medicine, to activate additional beds, to buy medical devices and required health supplies such as ventilators and testing devices and samples, as well as securing the required medical and technical staff from inside and outside, he said, adding that MOHs request to allocate another SR32 billion until the end of current fiscal year has been approved.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended a 24-hour curfew to all parts of five cities in the kingdom, including captial Riyadh. Other cities included in the Ministry of Ministry of Interior order are: Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf. The curfew will also be extended throughout the provinces of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar until further notice in an effort to combat the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

An official source at the Ministry of Interior stated that the move is in line with the implementation of the recommendations of the competent health authorities to raise the degree of precautionary measures and preventive measures to preserve the health and safety of citizens and residents.

The ministry said it is allowed - in the narrowest range - for residents to leave their homes to buy only the essential needs, such as medicines and food, within the residential neighbourhood in which they reside, and during the period from 6 am until 3 pm every day. Motor transportation within residential neighbourhoods during this period is limited to only one person, in addition to the driver, to reduce contact to the minimum.
Authorities in Illinois arrested a Texas teenager who claimed in a series of videos she was going to willfully spread the CCP virus, Carrollton police said.

The female teen, identified as 18-year-old Lorraine Maradiaga later told police she had tested negative for the virus, according to a press release from the Carrollton Police Department.

Maradiaga is now being charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony, and was transferred to Denton County Jail, police said.

Her bond has been set at $20,000. Its unclear if Maradiaga has an attorney.

As a condition of her bond, Maradiaga is ordered to quarantine for 21 days upon date of release from custody as a precaution, police said in a news release.

Carrollton is about 20 miles north of Dallas.

I Will Shorten Your Life

The videos taken by Maradiaga circulated on social media, FOX7 reported.

Im at Walmart about to infest [expletive], she said in the wide-spread video. If Im going down, all you [expletive] are going down.

In one of her multiple videos, Maradiaga can be seen arriving alone in her car at what appears to be a drive-thru testing site for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. A female medical official at the testing site told the teenager to stay home and self-quarantine and await her results.

Later in another video that Maradiaga posted, she was seen driving in her car and coughing to the direction of the camera and said: I will shorten your life.

If you want to get the coronavirus and [expletive] die, call me, the teen said.

One Twitter user said every one to be careful when meeting her.

This girl think shes bad or something. she deadass has corona and refuses to stay in quarantine. this is so the most selfish thing Ive seen, she wrote, adding a video from Maradiaga.

A police spokeswoman with the CPD, Jolene DeVito said authorities went to Maradiagas home on Sunday, but they were unable to arrest her, FOX7 reported.

DeVito added that Maradiaga has already committed a third-degree felony of making a terroristic threat, regardless if she tests positive for COVID-19.

More than 400,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the United States and at least 12,900 have died, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys tally of cases in the country.

Woman Intentionally Coughing on Groceries Charged With Terrorist Threats

A woman accused of intentionally coughing on about $35,000 worth of goods at a grocery store in Pennsylvania has been charged with making terrorist threats.

Margaret Cirko, 35, was arrested by Hanover Township police on March 26 and charged with two counts of terrorist threats, one count of threats to use a biological agent, and one count of criminal mischief following an investigation.

Police said Cirko entered the store while making verbal threats that she was sick, and intentionally coughed and spit on fresh produce, meat, and other merchandise, amid the CCP virus pandemic.

The woman continued the behavior in several aisles before trying to steal a 12-pack of beer and being ordered to leave the store by employees.

While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers, Joe Fasula, the co-owner of the supermarket, wrote on Facebook. We had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with.

Cirko is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 8.

CNN Wire and Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.
Reports of Dubliners flocking to beaches in Mayo and Wexford during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting led to the Government to introduce radical emergency policing powers for this weekend.

Concerns expressed by Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring and Defence Minister Paul Kehoe about large numbers of Dubliners heading to their holiday homes during the two-hour meeting was a key consideration when ministers approved the move.

Ringer said that locals were on to him going bananas about the Dubs flooding the areas like Westport and Louisburg while Kehoe was the same about the beaches in Wexford, said one minister.

Health Minister Simon Harris last night signed into law strong regulations to increase Garda powers to restrict mass gatherings and limit people's movements this weekend.

At Cabinet, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Finian McGrath expressed their great discomfort at the emergency police powers introduced during this week's Cabinet meeting, sources have told the Irish Examiner.

While there was a very good debate on Tuesday about the scope and need for the measures, several ministers raised concerns about the extent of what was has been introduced and the impact it will have on people's liberty.

Among the concerns was the scale of the financial and custodial penalties persons found to be in breach of the regulations could be facing.

It is understood Mr Varadkar and Mr McGrath took a strong line that the likely penalty of 2,500 or a six-month jail term were on the excessive side, but Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the measures were necessary.

Sources have told the Irish Examiner that two key developments shaped the debate at the Cabinet table.

Firstly, were shots from the UK of police clearing people from parks and open spaces which raised alarm among some ministers.

Secondly, it was the concerns raised during the meeting by Mr Ring and Mr Kehoe about the Dubs flooding the beaches in Wexford and Mayo, against the explicit advice from health officials, which swung the mood.

It is also understood that Finian McGrath raised concern at Cabinet about the 2,000 adults with intellectual disabilities in care homes being at high risk of contracting Covid-19.

Mr McGrath, who has reduced the numbers in such institutions from 4,500 to 2,000, said these people have weakened immune systems and respiratory difficulties, and should be moved to more appropriate settings.

Mr Harris said that it would not be a wise thing to expect public health restrictions to lift after this weekend.

If we take the foot off the pedal, the progress weve made would be reversed.

Mr Harris said he did not want to see what had happened in other countries. If we dont make more progress were going to find ourselves in a difficult situation. We need to reduce the rate of growth, he said.

The country cannot be normal this bank holiday weekend, he warned.

The restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
Lets face it, this city loves to eat and mushrooming of restaurants all around was a proof of that. However with the closure of restaurants enforced by the coronavirus pandemic has brought the most important question to the fore- will the culture of eating out change? Will diners become more cautious about going out and dining with several others? And overcoming this hurdle will be the most challenging task ahead for restaurateurs.

Aniesha Chaana, a digital marketing manager and a frequent diner at the Capitals popular eateries worries about the precautions restaurants will take in the future. She says, I used to dine out at least thrice a week. But now I will be a little apprehensive to eat out. Earlier which was the most inconsequential action like touching the menu card, will now turn into something really worrisome. Moreover, being at home actually has also given plenty the time to experiment with their culinary skills and I am sure about the hygiene.

Restaurant owners fear this and are working towards getting back their patrons. Several restaurateurs feel that, while they will take stringent preventive measures to ensure proper hygiene and safety of diners, it will be a humongous, challenging task to rebuild the trust and win the faith of customers.

Akshay Anand, founder, Ophelia and Toy Room, feels that gaining the same pace as before will require patience, diligence and hard work. He says, Once the nation gets a control over this unfortunate issue, the entire restaurant and bar will face a colossal task to re-establish themselves and gain back the glory it had before the commencement of this pandemic. We will have to ensure that all staff members are completely out of danger before starting the operations. Safety and hygiene measures will be the topmost priority.

Due to the severe negative impact on the global economy and wealth erosion, there might be a shift towards conservative spending believes Zorawar Kalra of Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd . He says, It will take several months for things to return to status quo. But we are hopeful. As all businesses, we are looking forward to opening our doors to welcome our patrons only when there is complete safety for our guests and colleagues and once the authorities give us a green signal. During the lockdown period we are utilising our resources and infrastructure to focus on charity by feeding the needy.

While hygiene and customers safety will be the topmost priority, restaurateurs are brainstorming on finding ways to get back their patrons. Amit Bagga , co-founder, Daryaganj says,  The restaurant will be also be organising special contests and events and other activities to attract more customers when it reopens. However after the restrictions end for restaurants to open, which could be another 2 months from now, it would take a further few months after that for the restaurant footfalls to come back to normal.

Measures to ensure that social distancing is maintained even after the lockdown ends, some have started planning the seating plan to maintain it. Inderjeet Singh Banga, founder, Prankster and Pra Pra prank and also Gurgaon Chapter Head, National Restaurant Association of India. He says, We shall first be making a social distance dining for patrons by operating every alternate table and creating more space between tables. We will be further improving the hygiene practices by including masks, hand gloves and sanitisers for staff , on priority.

Despite the tough times, there is a ray of hope for restaurants to get back into action. The first two weeks will be the best time of business for restaurateurs, feels Priyank Sukhija, MD and CEO, First Fiddle F&B Pvt Ltd. However, he also says that when the situation gets better, restaurants are going to be the last ones to open, and further adds, In case, the restaurants open with restrictions, it will be very difficult to survive as per the current market scenario. We can only hope that the landlords cooperate in our tough time. During that time, we will have to dedicatedly work on the hygiene level of our restaurants.

Post Covid-19 the restaurant industry will be significantly different, and many diners would prefer to go out for cocktails than food once life comes back to normal believes, Akash Kalra, MD of The United Group. He further says, The restaurant sector will have to struggle to cope by coming up with flat discounts and deal to lure customers and patrons again.

Interact with the author on Twitter/sanchita_kalra
PLATTSBURGH  Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, voiced her support for a plan that would allow for the voluntary redeployment of ventilators and other machines to high-need hospitals as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The congresswoman described the plan, announced by the Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS) Monday, as a walk-back by Gov. Andrew Cuomos office.

On Friday, Cuomo had announced plans to sign an executive order that would allow the state to seize and redeploy excess ventilators and personal protective equipment from health care facilities not currently using them.

The governor had said he would use the National Guard to collect the equipment, and hospitals were informed that as much as 20 percent of their unused ventilators could be redeployed.

Stefanik came out hard and fast against that proposal, calling for transparency on how it would be implemented and prioritization of upstate New Yorks needs.

An executive order Cuomo issued Tuesday made no mention of using the National Guard or a required percentage of ventilators, and said the state Department of Health may shift such items not currently needed by a health care facility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOH will either return the items when they are no longer urgently needed or ensure adequate compensation to the sending hospitals.

Win for all

HANYS announced Monday that a voluntary effort to redeploy available ventilators to where they are needed was coordinated with regional hospital association partners in collaboration with Cuomo.

Hospitals where there are limited COVID-19 cases are identifying ventilators, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines they could rapidly redeploy if necessary, the HANYS statement read.

The identified equipment will remain at its home hospital until redeployment is necessary.

If that occurs, HANYS will work with the facilities to geo-code and transport the equipment.

That will allow the sending hospital to know where its ventilators are and when they have arrived there, facilitating a smooth return, the statement said.

I believe our hospitals are going to do all that they absolutely can, but each hospital is in a different situation, Stefanik said in a conference call with media Tuesday.

If we end up where HANYS and my office is advocating for, this voluntary solution, I think thats a win for all New Yorkers.

More testing needed

Stefanik continued to stress the need for improved testing capabilities, and said there has been a significant lag in the state meeting North Country counties inquiries for more testing supplies and additional PPE.

She said the region should have multiple mobile testing centers, and that requests for those have been made by county public health and elected officials.

I think they are necessary upstate ... particularly given the high population that are seniors and then the number of seasonal residents who have shifted to their second homes.

We have to get the testing data in order to drive the public health decisions.

Office calls

Stefanik said her office has received a lot of calls from people experiencing issues with the states unemployment application website as well as companies who are willing to re-purpose to manufacture PPE, but have yet to hear back from the state.

She advised small businesses who are having issues obtaining loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to work primarily with their banks and credit unions.

We are pushing the SBA as quickly as possible to get these loans funded.

Stefaniks office and the New York Farm Bureau plan to hold an outreach call with area dairy farmers Friday or Monday.

Next relief package

The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act  the third piece of federal COVID-19 relief legislation  included funding for community health centers, but more needs to be done, Stefanik said.

She anticipates that more funding both for hospitals and community health centers will be included in the next legislative package.

It may also include increased funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which makes loans administered by the SBA forgivable if businesses use them for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities, Stefanik predicted.

And more agricultural provisions might also be part of that bill, she added.

This too shall pass

To those who had planned to celebrate Easter with their loved ones this coming weekend, Stefanik stressed the importance of continuing to abide by public health guidance and recommendations.

This too shall pass and we need to get beyond this, she said, but as weve seen, the numbers are continuing to increase in upstate counties and we still have a lack of testing capabilities.

Regardless of age, income bracket or whether they live in rural, suburban or urban communities, people should be listening to public health officials advice, Stefanik said.

It is so important, particularly over the next 30 days, to abide by social distancing, to really heed the advice of mitigating any non-essential travel and thats to protect your loved ones, your friends and neighbors.

We are losing lives because people arent following this guidance.

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CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Nexera Energy Inc. (TSXV:NGY) (the "Company" or "Nexera") reported that the Company has commenced operations on the recently acquired Lerma lease near LaVernia, Texas. The Lerma lease is owned 100% by Nexera, and is one of the 30 leases acquired by the Company in the acquisition announced on February 3, 2020.There are three existing wells on the lease, Lerma #1, Lerma #2, and Lerma #3. The Company has begun flowing the #2 well from the Austin Chalk formation at approximately 5,000 feet deep to determine if lifting equipment will be required to increase or optimize production. The #1 and #3 wells were originally Austin Chalk producers and the Company is now in the process of evaluating the up-hole potential of both wells in the Anacocho, Poth, and Navarro formations.Furthermore, Nexera has completed an extensive geologic and geophysical review, and has identified a location on the lease to drill a new short radius horizontal well in the Austin Chalk formation at approximately 5,000 feet deep.Shelby Beattie, President and CEO of Nexera commented: "The potential of the Lerma lease was one of the primary reasons for acquiring the LaVernia assets earlier this year. Since acquiring the lease we have been working on plans to optimize the potential of the three existing wells. More importantly, we brought a new geophysicist into our technical team in February, and we have spent the past two months evaluating the lease to target a potential high impact Austin Chalk well. We have now chosen the location for a new short radius horizontal well to be drilled into the Austin Chalk." About Nexera Energy Inc.Nexera Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: NGY) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas. Nexera is owner and operator of the Lavernia, Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.For further information, please contact:Nexera Energy Inc. President, Shelby D. Beattie, by telephone at (403) 262-6000Email: info@ ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Nexera Energy Inc.
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Long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution increases the risk of death related to COVID-19, according to a new study from Harvard University.

That's especially concerning in Southern California, where Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties regularly rank among the worst in the nation for long-term particulate matter pollution, or PM2.5.

And, as is true in other parts of the nation, the effects of that pollution disproportionately harm Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans and low-income communities -- which underscores early data showing black Americans are dying at higher rates from COVID-19 complications.

The Harvard study gathered data from roughly 3,000 U.S. counties, which account for 90% of confirmed COVID-19 deaths nationwide, as of April 4. Researchers factored in population size, the number of hospital beds, the number of individuals tested, weather, plus some "socioeconomic and behavioral variables" like smoking.

That data was checked against county-level data on long-term exposure to PM2.5, which is generally measured by microgram per cubic meter of air.

According to the findings, an increase of just one microgram per cubic meter of air was associated with a 15% increase in the COVID-19 death rate.

"The results of this paper suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes," the authors wrote.

The study has been submitted to The New England Journal of Medicine for review.

WHAT IS PARTICULATE MATTER?

The Environmental Protection Agency describes PM2.5 as "fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller." Most PM2.5 comes from emissions generated by cars and trucks, power plants, and industrial sites.

Exposure to particulate matter has been linked to harmful health conditions including asthma, decreased lung function and complications for people with heart or lung disease. Many of those same conditions put people who contract COVID-19 at a higher risk of falling severely ill, according to the CDC.

"There is a large overlap between the diseases that are affected by fine particulate matter and diseases that lead to death if you get COVID-19," said Dr. Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the study's senior author.

Dominici said the findings can serve as a guide for public health officials to strengthen distancing efforts, direct resources and prepare for more serious COVID-19 cases in regions with worse PM2.5 pollution.

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AIR POLLUTION IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Southern California skies may be remarkably clear right now, but our infamous air pollution is well documented.

The American Lung Association releases an annual "State of the Air" report, ranking U.S. counties and metropolitan areas with the worst air pollution. The Los Angeles-Long Beach metro area placed fifth in its most recent report for highest annual levels of PM2.5. Fresno and Bakersfield were ranked first and second, respectively.

Measuring by county, San Bernardino and Riverside counties placed sixth and eighth, respectively, for the U.S. counties with the highest year-round PM2.5 pollution. L.A. County ranked 15th. Thirteen of the 20 worst counties for PM2.5 levels were in California.

Dominici singled out L.A., Orange and Fresno counties as "among the most polluted counties in the United States" based on her team's research.

"For California counties that are most polluted, what it means is that... unfortunately, we're expecting higher risk of death [from] COVID," she told LAist today. "You are dealing with a population that is already susceptible to adverse health effects of COVID, because their lungs have been already exposed to many years of fine particulate matter."

San Bernardino and Riverside counties also lead the nation in ozone pollution levels, better known as smog. L.A. County is ranked third for a SoCal hat trick.

Harvard's study did not examine ozone levels for possible links to COVID-19 mortality, but Dominici said her team plans to study that soon. She said she also wants to look further into the impact coronavirus is having on African Americans.

Harvard's study is online and available to the public.

READ THE FULL REPORT:
Tens of thousands of people in Wuhan, the origin point and epicentre for the coronavirus pandemic, began travelling out of the sprawling city on Wednesday as China lifted its 73-day lockdown, even as the number of fresh COVID-19 cases crossed 1,000 in the country and two new deaths heightened concerns of a rebound in infections.

The Chinese health authority said on Wednesday that 62 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland on Tuesday, including 59 cases of people returning from abroad, taking the total tally to 1,042.

Three new domestic cases were reported, including two in Shandong Province and one in Guangdong Province, the National Health Commission (NHC) said.

Also on Tuesday, 137 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported and 1,095 asymptomatic cases were still under medical observation, the NHC said.

Asymptomatic coronavirus cases are those who test positive for the virus but do not show any symptoms and have the potential to cause sporadic clusters of infections.

Two deaths were reported on Tuesday, with one in Shanghai and the other in Hubei Province, taking the overall death toll in the country to 3,333, it said.

On Monday, the NHC reported no deaths for the first time after it began publishing COVID-19 daily reports since January this year.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,802 by Tuesday, including 1,190 patients still being treated, 77,279 patients discharged after recovery, and 3,333 people died of the disease.

Wednesday is yet another landmark day in China as it lifted about the 73-day lockdown of Wuhan city of 11 million people, ending its painful isolation due to COVID-19 which was first detected there in December last year.

No new confirmed case of coronavirus was reported on Tuesday in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, but the province recorded one death.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

On January 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains, in an attempt to contain the epidemic.

The Wuhan lockdown was lifted even as epidemiologists warned that it is not the time to completely lower the guard and ease on full-scale restrictions, considering the looming asymptomatic patients and possible rebound in infections, the official media reported.

As the lockdown was lifted, tens of thousands of people from Wuhan began leaving the city on Wednesday. The government has lifted the ban on road, air and train travel for all the locals who have acquired health certificates.

Cars queued up at expressway toll gates and passengers prepared to board trains to leave Wuhan as the megacity started lifting outbound travel restrictions, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

At Fuhe toll gate in nothern Wuhan, cars honked and rushed out after barricades were removed at midnight.

Guo Lei, who ran a business in Wuhan, drove his car with six other people aboard to the toll gate at around 8:40 pm (local time) and waited for a homebound trip.

"I can't wait returning to my hometown," said Guo, a native of east China's Shandong Province.

"I have lived in Wuhan for eight years. During the Spring Festival holiday, my relatives came to the city and helped me deliver goods. We were all stranded here due to the epidemic," Guo said.

Big data from Wuhan traffic police forecast the expressways would see the peak of outbound vehicles on Wednesday.

As more enterprises resume their operations, Wuhan has seen an increase of nearly 400,000 vehicles in transit in the past half month, and the number is expected to reach 1.8 million after Wednesday, according to the city's traffic police.

Traffic police will release real-time traffic information through radio stations, online social platforms, and map apps.

At Wuchang Railway Station in the city, 442 passengers jumped on the train K81 early Wednesday, which is heading for Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

More than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday, and about 40 per cent of them are going to the Pearl River Delta Region. Over 270 passenger trains will leave Wuhan for Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities, Xinhua report said.

The railway authorities required passengers to scan health codes and have temperatures checked when entering the stations and wear masks to reduce the risks of infection.

Workers have disinfected bullet trains, the entrance and exits, waiting halls and platforms of the railway stations in advance.

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport started resuming domestic passenger flights early Wednesday. The airport is expected to see more than 200 inbound and outbound flights on the day, according to the airport.

"The crew will wear goggles, masks, and gloves throughout the flight," said Guo Binxue, chief attendant of the flight MU2527. The first flight that is scheduled to depart from Wuhan at 7:25 am Wednesday since the city's lockdown was lifted.

"It will be very smooth because we have made much preparation for this flight," Guo said.

Flight attendants would provide masks for passengers if they had fever, cough and other symptoms, and record their personal information and contact history within 14 days, Guo said, adding: "We have simplified the service process to better protect everyone's health".

The central Hubei province has already lifted all the travel restrictions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan has announced that this years Memorial Day parade, the citys biggest event, has been canceled due to the coronavirus emergency.

With the stay-at-home order and the need for social distancing, to even plan the parade at this juncture is not feasible, much less holding it, stated a city news release.

In lieu of a parade and ceremony, City Hall will produce a video tribute to our fallen. This tribute will be streamed via universityheights.com and the citys Facebook page and YouTube Channel on Monday, May 25, at 1 p.m., the release went on to say.

We plan on the Memorial Day parade being back in 2021, and that it will be extra special.

Brennan also made a couple of other announcements regarding changes due to the pandemic.

Speaking about the pool at Purvis Park, he said, We will be meeting on Wednesday (April 8) with the senior management of our pool to discuss the options, including a shortened season that begins midsummer instead of May.

Brennan added that there still may be no pool season if the meeting shows that opening the pool is not feasible or advisable.

Under present orders of the state, swimming pools are closed, he said. And if these are extended, this may make our decision for us.

Then, speaking about residents trash pickup, he said, "Effective Monday, April 13, and until further notice, the city will no longer pick up trash that is not secured in plastic garbage bags.

"Please do your part to keep our service department employees safe. Please secure your trash in plastic garbage bags. Do not put loose trash in cans, and do not reuse small plastic shopping bags for trash.

"Bagged yard waste and special pickups for bulk items continue at this time, but that may change at any time, depending upon staffing.

The annual Passover trash pickup will continue this year, as scheduled, on Wednesday (April 8) morning. Please have your discarded food items out, securely bagged and on the curb, before noon.

Daily coronavirus updates

Brennan said that he has heard from some residents who have called his coronavirus updates alarmist. The updates frequently tell of the latest from Gov. Mike DeWines press conferences held with Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.

They are not (alarmist), Brennan said of the updates. "They are intended to convey the life-and-death seriousness of this situation to the public that we serve.

"We have a sense of urgency. It is no secret that we feel the pressure of our duties to protect our community. Especially in the face of the failure for weeks in January and February, and well into March, by the federal government to take early steps to contain this virus.

"As President George W. Bush explained in 2005: A pandemic is a lot like a forest fire. If caught early, it might be extinguished with limited damage. If allowed to smolder, undetected, it can grow to an inferno that can spread quickly beyond our ability to control it.

The thing is, this was not undetected. This was no sneak attack like Pearl Harbor. This was catastrophic failure to act at the highest level, like Chernobyl," Brennan said.

Brennan said that it has been the leadership of DeWine and Acton, as well as Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, that has put Ohio in the better position it is in today.

"They acted, where the federal government failed to act. They saw the danger and took unpopular steps that seemed extreme at the time, and were even criticized.

Here in University Heights, we saw the danger, as well. We took steps, early. With my fellow mayors and managers, we began taking briefings on this two months ago. The record will reflect that I first reported on these briefings to this council at our Feb. 19 meeting.

The mayor went on to state that his father is a science educator and registered nurse, who still teaches online at Kent State University-Ashtabula, and that his great-great-grandfather, James Brennan, died in 1918 in Chicago during that years flu pandemic.

I have long known and appreciated the danger that a pandemic brings, he said.

This does not make me an expert. But I suppose we are all, to some extent, products of our experiences, and of our upbringing. It does inform the urgency I feel, and opened my mind early to the significance of what we were facing without sufficient early intervention," he said.

Read more from the Sun Press.
Tuesday saw an increase in deaths and new COVID-19 cases in Britain, France, some eastern European countries, Sweden, Japan and the United States, while China, South Korea and a handful of other countries reported a decline in deaths and new infections.

China on Tuesday ended the 76-day lockdown in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, where the coronavirus outbreak began in late December. Residents who can produce a smartphone application that shows they do not have COVID-19 and have not been in recent contact with anyone infected with the disease, can move about freely, and traffic has returned to roadways and railways.

In South Korea, steady progress continued with just 47 new infections reported Tuesday, but officials remain concerned about a return of the virus and are urging people to stay at home.

Austria, Denmark and Norway announced easing their own lockdowns, including the re-opening of schools, after the spread of the virus showed a decline. Even Italy and Spain, the worst hit European countries reported a slow but steady decline in deaths and new infections.

But after a spike in new deaths in the past two days, France on Tuesday became the fourth country to surpass 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus, after Italy, Spain and the United States. Authorities in Paris banned residents from doing outdoor exercise between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to keep them off the streets. The ban starts Wednesday and applies to the French capital only. France has been in lockdown since March 17, and the measures have been extended until April 15, with another extension expected soon.

The United States has recorded more than 12,000 deaths, making it the country with the third-highest official death toll, after Italy and Spain. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases was nearly 400,000 Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Almost a half of U.S. deaths caused by COVID-19 have occurred in the state of New York, most of them in densely populated New York City.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state of New York recorded its highest single-day death toll Tuesday. The 731 deaths reported since Monday brought the total to 5,589 deaths and 138,836 infections, according to University of Minnesota figures.

Britain also reported the largest daily death toll caused by the virus  758 people over a 24-hour period. The countrys Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care where he is being treated for the virus. Officials say he has been given oxygen but there was no need to put him on a ventilator.

While some Scandinavian countries are ready to relax their COVID-19 restrictions, Sweden may have to go in the opposite direction. After month of relative freedom and no official lockdowns, the country has seen a sudden spike in the number of cases and hundreds of deaths.

A number of countries have yet to report any COVID-19 cases, among them Sierra Leone and Turkmenistan. Health experts warn that many authoritarian governments suppress reports of COVID-19 cases, thus making it harder to track the virus and stop its transmission. Turkmenistan held a mass bike rally on Tuesday to mark World Health Day.

Russian news media reported Tuesday that the countrys Vector Institute, a state research center in Novosibirsk, will start testing a COVID-19 vaccine on volunteers in June. The centers director, Rinat Maksutov, told Rosija1 television that initial testing on animals, mostly mice, have made them immune to the coronavirus. The pre-clinical trials are to start in May.

In Seattle, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washingtons School of Medicine, released a forecast Tuesday predicting that more than 150,000 people will die during what they call the first wave of the pandemic. The IHME researchers say that it is unequivocally evident that social distancing can help control the epidemic and lead to declining death rates, if implemented timely and correctly.

IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray warned that easing these precautions too soon during the first wave of the pandemic could lead to new rounds of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. He defines the end of this wave as a ratio of 0.3 deaths per 1 million people.

Close to 1.5 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed worldwide and more than 82,000 have died so far.
Postal workers in four separate parts of the country, Hedge End in Hampshire, Winchester and Medway in Kent and Warrington in Cheshire have taken unofficial strike action in recent days over safety concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers in Hedge End walked out because of an unsafe workplace, one said. They felt that Royal Mail had treated them with no respect.

According to one worker, the strike in Hedge End had been bubbling up for several weeks. Postal workers at Hedge End face similar conditions to those all over the country. One month into the pandemic, postal workers are still not able to social distance and have a lack of personal protection equipment when out delivering mail.

As one worker said, How are we supposed to wash our hands on a four-hour shift delivering post? It is just ridiculous, and some of us are having to supply our own equipment.

Postal workers have received backing from residents in Winchester, who have taken to social media to show their support.

On Tuesday, staff at Royal Mail's delivery office in Warrington walked out after a manager was suspected to have tested positive for Covid-19. The Warrington Guardian noted that his co-workers at the Milner Street office refused to work after concerns grew about a colleague's health and lack of PPE [personal protective equipment].

The paper cited a worker who said, We walked out over concerns that one of the managers has coronavirus and been handing out work loads and van keys all week. It is putting the public at risk as we deliver to everyone in Warrington and they want the parties to continue delivering. We were told the man was admitted to hospital due to breathing difficulties. He was tested in the hospital and this came back positive."

Management claimed that the Warrington office would be deep cleaned Tuesday evening and the worker added, They want us all back in tomorrow as normal. The staff are extremely concerned about spreading it around to the public, specifically the elderly and vulnerable. Personally I have many of those people in my area."

Last October, delivery drivers at the Warrington mail centre walked out in solidarity, in another dispute, after refusing to cross the picket lines of workers at a depot in Bootle, Liverpool.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) were keen to distance themselves from the walkout over coronavirus safety issues at Warrington, insisting that it not even be categorised as any form of industrial action. Union branch secretary Dave Kennedy told the newspaper that the CWU was in high level talks with the company over this incident. He declared, It is important that we assert at this stage that we dont consider that the safety measures taken by our membership should be considered as industrial action. Rather, our members have exercised their legal right to remove themselves from a potentially hazardous situation--designed to protect their own wellbeing, their family members and the wider population of Warrington.

Before these latest strikes had broken out, postal workers in Scotland had taken unofficial action over similar safety concerns. Communication Workers Union (CWU) members at a delivery office in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, walked out on Monday, refusing to deliver any more junk mail. At the same time, postal workers are being forced to deliver over 30 million letters containing the UK governments coronavirus health advice. One worker said, Postmen and women are dying delivering leaflets and non-essential items. There should be outrage amongst all posties and the public.

It was announced recently that two postal workers had died of the coronavirus.

One postal worker expressed the anger felt by thousands, saying, We get told the golden rule is to wash hands but when you are out on delivery, everywhere is shut, so it is impossible to do, and it is impossible to keep two metres apart. People at home are treating it like a second Christmas, so we are hammered every day with packets, which makes the spread of the virus a high risk. This is why Royal Mail is mistreating us. They are making the shareholders a fortune, and we are sitting ducks!

The callous way Royal Mail has acted is made possible by the CWU. Knowing the danger from the beginning, the union offered postal workers up on a plate to the government by calling off a planned strike and proposing to act as a fifth emergency service.

It is only when postal workers have taken unofficial action that the CWU has been forced to respondbut only verbally. CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said that if workplaces did not have the right safety and social distancing measures, You should not be working, and we will back you.

But actions speak louder than words, as the WSWS stated, The last few weeks of union activityduring which many workers undoubtedly became infectedwere a pantomime. The CWUs sole intention has been to maintain a well-paid seat at the negotiating table with Royal Mail and the government, under the guise of establishing an emergency service.

If the CWU will not act even when its members lives are imperilled, then of what possible use is the union? Royal Mail workers have reached the end of the road with the CWU. Like workers everywhere, they have been brought face to face with the transformation of the trade unions into appendages of corporate management and the state.

Like their colleagues in Hedge End, Winchester, Medway and Alloa, postal workers must now take matters into their own hands. Rank-and-file committees independent of the CWU bureaucracy must be established in every workplace to coordinate strike action wherever there is a failure to defend the workforce from infection. Postal workers must also reach out to workers in other industries facing similar dangerous conditions, especially in delivery services such as Amazon, cutting across all attempts to pit one section of the working class against another. Those who want to organise a genuine fightback should contact the Socialist Equality Party.
A Bangladeshi court on Wednesday issued a death warrant against a former military captain for his involvement in the 1975 coup in which the country's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated.

Abdul Majed, who was arrested in Dhaka on Tuesday after hiding in India for nearly two-and-a-half decades, was brought before the court from the jail in heavy security.

Dhaka's District and Sessions Judge Helaluddin Choudhury issued the death warrant with Supreme Court's special permission during the ongoing COVID-19 holiday, public prosecutor Abdulah Abu told reporters.

"The judge read out the charges and original judgment issued in 1998 in line with the legal procedures ahead of issuing the death warrant, meaning clearance for jail authorities to hang him," he said.

The court officials and police said Majed was immediately brought back to the Kashimpur Central Jail on the outskirts of Dhaka where he would await the hangman's noose, exhausting subsequent legal procedures under jail code.

A specialised police unit arrested Majed, one of the fugitive convicted Bangabandhu assassins, as he returned home after hiding for nearly two and half decades in India.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the "self confessed killer" was not only involved in Bangabandhu's assassination but also took part in the subsequent killing of four national leaders in high security Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.

He said previous reports indicated Majed was hiding in India but eventually he was arrested from Dhaka as he secretly returned last month.

Police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested him in a predawn raid at Mirpur area while he was roaming around a shrine.

Majed is one of the six absconding ex-army officers who were handed down capital punishment after trial in absentia.

A prosecution lawyer said Majed told the court that he returned to Bangladesh on March 15 or 16.

The convict, he said, claimed he managed to live secretly in Kolkata for the past 23 years.

Law Minister Anisul Huq, who was a key prosecution lawyer of Bangabandhu murder trial, told PTI that Majed has no scope to challenge the judgment other than seeking presidential clemency.

"The original verdict was delivered in 1998 which was confirmed by the High Court under a mandatory legal procedure," Huq said, adding that a notice was issued asking Majed to surrender while he had a constitutional right to appeal before the Supreme Court within the subsequent 30 days after the High Court decision but he continued to be on the run to evade justice.

"Now there is no legal option for him to challenge the verdict," he said.

Another senior lawyer said the stipulated time for appealing against his death penalty expired long ago and Majed now could only seek presidential mercy unless the Supreme Court decides to consider any plea on his part.

Twelve ex-military officers were sentenced to death for the August 15, 1975 killing of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members. Five of them have been executed while one died of natural causes as he was on the run abroad.

Bangabandhu's elder daughter and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and younger daughter Sheikh Rehana survived as they were on a visit to the then West Germany at the time of the putsch, which also toppled Bangladesh's post independence government.

The five convicts were hanged at Dhaka Central Jail on January 28, 2010, after a protracted legal procedure while the delayed trial process began in 1996 when an infamous indemnity law was scrapped as it was protecting the assassins from justice until then.

Majed was one of the remaining fugitives believed to be hiding abroad with no confirmed whereabouts.

The rest of the fugitives included the key mastermind of the coup ex-lieutenant colonel Abdur Rashid. Interpol issued red alert against the absconders believed to be hiding in several countries including Pakistan.

Bangladesh confirmed two cases where two convicts took refuge in the United States and Canada, one of them is said to have shot dead Bangladesh's founder.

Dhaka said it was trying to extradite them but Canada declined to entertain the request citing provisions of the country's laws.

After the 1975 carnage, Majed was rehabilitated in civil service during the subsequent regime of former military-dictator-turned-politician Ziaur Rahman as an ex-cadre official and posted as the director of National Savings Department.

He later fled the country while serving in the finance ministry along with other 1975 coup plotters as the 1996 general elections brought Awami League back to power which vowed to expose to justice Bangabandhu killers in line with its election manifesto.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAY CITY, MI  Two-thirds of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bay County are health care workers, according to officials.

Bay County Health Department Director Joel R. Strasz said on Wednesday, April 8, that 67 percent of the countys positive coronavirus cases were health care workers  doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, and other hospital personnel. That percentage is from the countys numbers from Monday, when there were 30 positive cases, meaning approximately 20 people were in the health care profession.

There are two things that are striking about this, Strasz said. These people are the tip of the spear, so to speak. These people are directly dealing with people that are symptomatic, so theyre catching it too.

The second important thing at this time, he continued, is that we know these numbers will change. A good number of these cases were from people in the 19 to 30 (years old) category. Roughly a third (who tested positive) were in that age category, and many of those people afflicted are health care workers. Its not like these are people who were going on spring break or goofing around; these are people who are front line workers dealing with the virus.

There are 34 positive cases in Bay County as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, though that figure comes from what has been submitted to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It doesnt reflect the number of tests submitted to private laboratories.

In addition, there are more than 300 people who have been contacted due to having been in direct contact with the positive-tested individuals. Health Department staff have been monitoring those people.

In all, 315 tests have been submitted in Bay County, with 244 coming back negative and 37 still pending. Two confirmed cases have recovered.

There have been zero coronavirus-related deaths in Bay County, though nearby Saginaw County has had four as of Wednesday morning.

The Saginaw County Health Department is not tracking the percentage of positive cases who are health care workers.

The health department doesnt know what percentage of positive cases are health care workers, said Melinda Shriner of Barckholtz Group, a Saginaw public relations firm assisting the Saginaw County Health Department. Right now, thats not information they are being given nor info they are tracking.

Strasz said this is unsurprising, considering the larger population of Saginaw County.

Im sure Saginaw is swamped with the number of their cases, he said. Plus, with all of the contact tracing they have to do, its understandable especially when comparing to the lower number we have.

Saginaw County has had 186 positive tests and 253 negative ones. Of those who tested positive, eight have recovered. Of the 859 submitted tests, 420 are pending.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention breaks down priorities for coronavirus testing as follows:

 Priority 1  Hospitalized patients; health care facility workers with symptoms

 Priority 2  Patients in long-term care facilities with symptoms; patients older than 65 with symptoms; patients with underlying conditions with symptoms; first responders with symptoms

 Priority 3  Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms; individuals who do not meet any of the above categories with symptoms; health care facility workers and first responders; individuals with mild symptoms in communities experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations

 Non-priority  Individuals without symptoms

Strasz said strategies remain in place to help curb the contagions spread.

The key strategy is to remain in place, he said. Stay home, stay safe. If you do have to go out though, take heed of the surgeon generals and the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)s recommendation that people wear masks. The reason is not necessarily to protect themselves, but to stop the spread. There may be a lot of asymptomatic people out there spreading the virus.

Its a collective strategy that will benefit everyone, he said.

Related:

New map and list show coronavirus locations in Saginaw and Genesee counties

First two COVID-19 deaths reported in Saginaw County

Midland County reports first coronavirus death

Saginaw, Bay counties suspend jury trials through April due to coronavirus
YANGON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese enterprises provided medical masks for two Myanmar government organizations amid fight against COVID-19 on Tuesday.

With the help of the Chinese embassy, the Hytera Communications Corp. Ltd (Myanmar) donated 10,000 pieces of medical masks to the Myanmar's Home Affairs Ministry.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSEC Myanmar Co. Ltd) provided 5,000 medical masks to the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) on the same day.

"Before, we (China) got support from Myanmar, now we are coming back to support Myanmar," said Tan Shufu, economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese embassy, expressing hope for Myanmar to get the victory in fight against COVID-19.

Myanmar has reported 22 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Militants of the illegal armed groups of the Russian Federation in Donetsk region fired on a car with journalists inside. A criminal case has been opened on this fact, the press service of the General Prosecutors Office of Ukraine reported.

The procedural guidance of the pre-trial investigation is carried out by the Volnovakha local prosecutor's office.

According to the investigation, an unmanned aerial object landed an attack on a civilian car in the area of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region on April 7, 2020, at about 11:00. As a result of the enemy attack, the car was destroyed, and the passengers were not injured, the report said.

As we reported before, Shevchenkivsky court of Kyiv sentenced Colonel of Ukraines Armed Forces Ivan Bezyazykov to 13 years in jail and deprived him of a military rank.

It is established that a military, while in captivity since August 25, 2014, in the territory of Donetsk uncontrolled by the Ukrainian authority, entered the composition of the intelligence agency of the illegal armed formation of Russia and occupied the position of the so-called deputy head of the first unit on analytics. This unit of the Donetsk Peoples Republic was created and controlled by officials of the Armed Forces of Russia, FSB of the Russian Federation and representatives of the authority of the occupant state in the uncontrolled territory of Donetsk region, the message said.
Calif. court dismisses sex crime charges against La Luz del Mundo leader because he didnt get speedy trial

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The Court of Appeals of the State of California dismissed multiple sex crime charges against Naason Joaquin Garcia, who leads La Luz del Mundo, a megachurch headquartered in Mexico that boasts five million followers around the world, because his right to a speedy trial was violated.

Garcias attorney, Alan Jackson, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post: The Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of justice today, as it has ordered the dismissal of a case that should not have been processed. This is a recognition of the constitutional rights of Mr. Naason Joaquin Garcia, to have a speedy trial, and a reasonable bail; In their zeal to secure a conviction at any cost, the [authorities] have sought to strip Mr. Garcia of his freedom without due process by locking him up without bail on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations by unnamed accusers and by denying him his day in court.

I am excited because the Court of Appeals saw and corrected this injustice, which is why this is a good day for justice.

Garcia, 50, who is considered by his church to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, was arrested last summer at Los Angeles International Airport, the California Attorney General Xavier Becerras office said. In a release which also highlighted the criminal complaint against Garcia, other individuals associated with the church were also named as co-defendants. They were noted as: Alondra Ocampo, 36, Azalea Rangel Melendez, and Susana Medina Oaxaca, both 24.

Garcia and his co-defendants were charged with human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and other felonies committed between 2015 and 2018.

Garcia pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and had been facing a $50 million bail, believed to be the highest ever imposed in L.A. County, last July when Superior Court Judge David Fields denied him after hearing a witness describe video evidence that allegedly showed the pastor in a sexual threesome involving a minor.

This is a man who preyed on young girls, Fields declared at the time. Religion was used against these girls. They were told that if they didnt comply [sexually], they were sinning.

According to the criminal complaint against Garcia, children were allegedly told to perform flirty dances for the megachurch leader while wearing as little clothing as possible.

The appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the Los Angeles County Superior Court must dismiss the 29 counts of felony charges against Garcia, the Associated Press reported, because his preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner.

As the megachurch leader did not waive his right to a speedy trial, the appeals court said the case against him would have to be dismissed.

His hearing was reportedly postponed several times  in some instances because prosecutors had not turned over evidence to the defense  while he was held without bail. The situation forced Garcias attorneys to file an appeal.

The ruling only mentioned the dismissal of Garcias case and not those of his co-defendants, Oaxaca and Ocampo.

Alma M. Schutt, a member of the church who lives in San Antonio, praised the ruling, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Thats wonderful news. It just seemed so unfair for him to be there. He was being punished  it was a great injustice. Im so happy. It makes me want to cry.

A federal lawsuit filed against Garcia and his church by a Southern California woman in February still remains in play.

In that case, the woman claims Garcia and his father sexually abused her for 18 years starting when she was 12, all the while justifying the abuse with Bible passages as a gift from God.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held phone talks with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen over the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday.

The Chinese government has sent a batch of medical supplies to Bangladesh and it has mobilized Chinese companies to provide more help, Wang noted.

Bangladesh has restricted border and travel bans to curb the spread of coronavirus. So far, the country has reported 164 infections and 17 deaths.

China is willing to provide further help, share experience and data on the virus, as well as send a medical team to help local medics, Wang added.

He also suggested the Bangladeshi government takes precautions and control measures as early as possible. Momen, who requested more face masks and ventilators from China, extended his appreciation to the Chinese government for its help in fighting coronavirus, saying China is Bangladesh's most reliable friend and partner.

In February, Bangladesh donated medical supplies including gloves, medical masks, hand sanitizers, caps and protective suits to China.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to hold President Muhammadu Buhari responsible for any upsurge in COVID-19 infections and deaths following the arrival of Chinese doctors on Wednesday.

Federal authorities say the medical team from China, where the coronavirus first broke out, are in the country to assist it in its own war on the pandemic which has so far claimed six lives in Nigeria.

The main opposition party made this call in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday.

Despite disapproval from some Nigerians and health workers groups, the Chinese medical equipment and personnel on Wednesday evening arrived the country.

This was disclosed at the Presidential Task Force briefing on Wednesday as the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, did not attend the briefing because he reportedly went to receive them.

The minister of state, health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, said the experts are in Nigeria alongside the equipment needed to curb the virus.

PDP outraged

But reacting to the development, the PDP said it is alarmed that President Buhari ignored the protests by Nigerians and professional bodies including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and allowed the importation of the Chinese doctors despite warnings that bringing in doctors from the hotbed of the plague will expose Nigerians to further risks.

This is even as Nigerians across board have continued to question the status, identity and interest of the Chinese doctors as well as the safety of kits and equipment from China, particularly following scary reports of escalation of the scourge in certain countries reportedly after the arrival of Chinese medical personnel in those countries.

Moreover, our doctors and nurses have been on top of the situation with records of recoveries and less casualties, thus raising questions about the real intentions of bringing in doctors from China, the party said.

The situation is even more distressing as the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 had been making frantic efforts to exonerate itself from the decision to bring in the Chinese doctors into our country.

The party said it wants President Buhari to note that Nigerians already know the pace, intensity and trajectory of COVID-19 statistics at the time the Federal Government, which he leads, gave passage to these Chinese doctors.

Nigerians are aware that since the index case was reported till date, our nations COVID-19 data stands at 254 confirmed cases, out of which 44 have been successfully treated by our doctors with 6 deaths, which reportedly had other underlining ailments.

Our party, therefore, calls on the entire world to hold President Buhari responsible should there be any sudden upsurge in COVID-19 infection and deaths in our country, now that the Chinese doctors have been brought in despite protests by Nigerians.

The PDP charges Nigerians to be extra vigilant at this time as our party also demands that the Presidential Task Force outlines the states and local governments where the Chinese doctors are expected to operate, to enable Nigerians monitor their activities as well as the aftermath of such activities.

Condemnation

The NMA earlier expressed its dissatisfaction with the move.

The association described the move as a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) also advised the federal government against the plan, saying it was unnecessary to invite Chinese doctors as Nigeria was already handling the crisis effectively.

Nigeria currently has 254 cases of COVID-19 of which 44 have been discharged and six deaths recorded
[April 08, 2020] ZorroSign to Provide Free Three-month Subscription to Businesses in Midst of COVID-19 Crisis

As the world adjusts to large remote workforces, ZorroSign steps up to provide its services free of charge to businesses until the end of June 2020 MUMBAI, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shamsh Hadi, CEO of ZorroSign, Inc. has announced a major plan to support businesses of all sizes during the uncertainty created by COVID-19. In an unprecedented move, Hadi has pledged to provide any business that signs up for ZorroSign a free three-month subscription. "Security and privacy are the cornerstones of the ZorroSign platform, but trust is the bedrock of this company. Our customers can trust that we will be there to support their business when they need it most," said Hadi. "As the business world adjusts to a significant increase in remote workforces, ZorroSign is here to help. We are committed to be the type of corporate citizen our employees and families can be proud of." ZorroSign is a pioneer of real electronic signature, digital signature and a patented document fraud and tampering detection system built on blockchain. The current COVID-19 crisis has businesses uncertain of what the future holds. "Without consumer confidence and trust, businesses will not be able to continue operations and compete in the global cyber-economy, especially when employees in most countries are now strictly working from home for the unforeseen future. This is where ZorroSign can be a vital component of the stabilization and resiliency of businesses," said Hadi. "ZorroSign, has made extensive use of blockchain technology to provide customers state-of-the-art electronic signature, digital signature and Digital Transaction Management (DTM) services. Services that can help increase efficiency and productivity of remote work teams." Every industry can benefit from ZorroSign technology and solutions. For example, industries providing critical services like medical care, education, and government services can use ZorroSign to decrease cycle time when executing business critical documents. Healthcre organizations can utilize ZorroSign to quickly on-board the influx of retired healthcare workers that will be needed to fight COVID-19 on the front-line. Education institutions can use ZorroSign to administer official testing, as well as administrative functions.



ZorroSign is committed to be in the forefront of support to the business community. "We all need to do our share to help during these trying times," said Shamsh Hadi. "I am committed to ensure that ZorroSign, will do its part to help companies in need." ZorroSign solutions can help the following industries: Government, Education, Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance, Real Estate, Home Inspection and Legal. Within the preceding industries, ZorroSign solution compliments the following departments and their initiatives: Accounting & Tax, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing, Procurement and Sales.

ZorroSign can be used for many different transaction types. Governments can use ZorroSign for: Electronic voting, Human Resources processes, benefits administration programs and processes, housing programs and building permitting management, architecture and engineering document processing, logistics and procurement processes, public health programs administration, and across-agency agreements. Other popular uses for ZorroSign in other verticals include but not limited to facilities management forms, agent, broker, and customer agreements, closing of real estate purchase and loans, property inspection and appraisal processes, rental and lease agreements. For a larger list of what type of documents and contracts that can be executed with ZorroSign, please visit our website at www.zorrosign.com . Sign up today for your free three-month trial: www.zorrosign.com/covid19promotion/. Free trial is subject to terms and conditions and is valid from Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. PST until Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Save a Tree - Plant a Tree Through its #PaperlessLife initiative, every time ZorroSign customers save a tree by not printing paper, ZorroSign plants a tree on their behalf. Saving the planet is a core part of ZorroSign, as using this technology saves trees, water and reduces our carbon footprint. For more information about our Paperless Life initiative visit: www.zorrosign.com/paperless-life. About ZorroSign ZorroSign, Inc. is the pioneer of electronic signature technology and the developer of ZorroSign DTM, a unified platform, a complete Electronic Signature, Digital Signature and Digital Transaction Management solution. ZorroSign's unique Document (patent pending) 4n6 (forensics) technology offers post-execution fraud detection and verification and authentication of electronic signatures, digital signatures and documents using blockchain tokenization. ZorroSign DTM streamlines end-to-end digital transactions with its bank-grade security and by using its core technology including real eSignature, electronic document security, enterprise-grade workflows, intelligent forms, document management system, and intelligent forms that use Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. For more information visit www.zorrosign.com. Trademarks ZorroSign, ZorroFill, and ZorroSign (patent pending) 4n6 Token are registered trademarks of ZorroSign, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarked names or terms used in this document are the property of their respective owners. Contact Info Bharath Manoharan

401, Kanakia Zillion, Kurla West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400070, India

+91-80-5697-7938

[email protected] Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/946322/ZorroSign_Logo.jpg

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With the resurgence of UFO research and conspiracies involving the government, Kevin J. Kurtz felt that it would be the perfect time to use the trend as a backdrop to write about the return of Christ and the appearance of the biblical antichrist. This resulted in his latest book, The Coming (published by Trafford Publishing).

The story introduces Mark Mallory, a junior reporter for the Des Moines Register, who gets a big break to investigate a local crop circle anomaly. Through his investigation, he discovers an active military missile silo on the property and reported UFO sightings. Noticing his intervention, Mark is followed by the Department of Homeland Security, resulting in his hacked computer and bugged apartment.

A set of new friends from Iowa State University offers their skills to help Mark uncover the secrets of the U.S. military shadow agencies and UFOs. The team eventually discovers a cryptic message in the crop circle which reads, Hes Coming. Marks dormant faith is challenged by the revealed message.

Who is coming  is it Christ or is it the man of destruction described in Scripture who brings the apocalypse? How is the crop circle message, UFOs and the military all connected? With the fate of the world in the balance, will Mark have time to learn the truth and reveal the Bibles darkest mystery? Interested readers can visit https://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001262148 to know more about the book.

Kurtz hopes that The Coming, with its unique fusion of alien visitations and biblical perspective, would prompt the readers to reflect on their own spiritual journey and to interpret scriptural prophecies and world events in a different way.

The Coming

By Kevin J. Kurtz

Hardcover | 6x9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781490799650

Softcover | 6x9 in | 298 pages | ISBN 9781490799643

E-Book | 298 pages | ISBN 9781490799636

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Kevin Kurtz lives in Northern California with his wife, cat and dog. His two sons are all grown up  literally, as they passed Kurtz in height many years ago  and off on their own life adventures. At the top of his bucket list is to travel the world. Kurtz also has a childrens adventure trilogy published and speaks at schools and various events to inspire children to read and embrace their God-given creativity and to look for God in places they did not expect to find him.

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC, author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an on-demand publishing service, and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Traffords experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 1-888-232-4444 or visit trafford.com.
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San Francisco, 8 April 2020: The Report Medical Sensors Market Analysis, By Product (Pressure Sensors, Temperature Sensors, Image Sensors, Accelerometers, Biosensors, Flow Sensors, SQUID Sensors), By Application Area (Surgical, Diagnostic, Therapeutic, Monitoring), By End-use (Hospitals, Physician Offices, Nursing Homes, Home Healthcare) And Segment Forecasts To 2024

The medical sensors market is expected to reach USD 18.5 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Incite upsurge in the number of patients afflicted with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, is fueling the usage of monitoring as well therapeutic devices, thus boosting the market demand.

In the grave times of COVID-19 pandemic spreading all around the world, patient monitoring in the isolation facilities as well as quarantine facilities has grown in importance. And to aid the medical workers at the frontline, sensors play an important role in patient monitoring process, giving hints of defect very quickly, leading to saving human lives. This reaon has boosted the demand in the medical sensors market.

Access Research Report of Medical Sensors Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/medical-sensors-market

Recent developments in Medical Sensors

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) has announced a collaboration with LifeQ to develop technology that will make it possible for non-invasive body monitoring devices to provide highly accurate physiological data that currently is only available through the use of expensive, invasive and hard-to-access equipment.

has announced a collaboration with to develop technology that will make it possible for non-invasive body monitoring devices to provide highly accurate physiological data that currently is only available through the use of expensive, invasive and hard-to-access equipment. TE Connectivity Ltd . has completed its public takeover of sensor technology company First Sensor AG. TE now holds 71.87% shares of First Sensor. The global components supplier first launched a tender offer for First Sensor in June 2019. Seeking to expand its sensor portfolio, TE also acquired Elmos Semiconductor AG , a pressure sensor supplier, September 2019.

. has completed its public takeover of sensor technology company First Sensor AG. TE now holds 71.87% shares of First Sensor. The global components supplier for First Sensor in June 2019. Seeking to expand its sensor portfolio, TE also acquired , a pressure sensor supplier, September 2019. One of the most well-known studies on wearable healthcare technology so far is the Apple Heart Study , which demonstrated the possibility of smartwatch-based atrial fibrillation screening. They are now currently partnering with Johnson & Johnson in a large-scale clinical trial, to not only screen for the condition but actually detect the condition and treat it as well.

, which demonstrated the possibility of They are now currently partnering with in a large-scale clinical trial, to not only screen for the condition but actually detect the condition and treat it as well. Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center (SPHCC), was using California-based connected health startup VivaLNKs continuous temperature sensor to monitor COVID-19 patients, which reduces the risks of caregivers being exposed to the virus. SPHCC recently announced that they are using Bluetooth IoT products and solutions provider Cassia Networks gateways, together with VivaLNKs medical wearable sensors to monitor COVID-19 patients.

Access Press Release of Medical Sensors Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-medical-sensors-market
Gospel musician Patience Nyarko has added her voice to calls from her colleagues for corporate Ghana to sponsor their events.



Patience Nyarko, who is not happy with the situation, said corporate bodies preference for putting money into secular events had negatively impacted a lot of Gospel musicians.



It is difficult for a Gospel musician to get a sponsor for their show but that is not so with secular musicians.



"I have tried a couple of times and it failed but I know of a lot of secular musicians who dont struggle to get sponsorship from these corporate bodies.



It is just a few gospel musicians who are fortunate to get these sponsorship but we virtually use our money for the shows we put together, she told the Graphic Showbiz recently.



In Patience Nyarkos view, gospel musicians were better performers than many secular acts and wondered why corporate bodies found it difficult to come to their (gospel artistes) aid.



First of all, if we claim we are a Christian nation, we should be the first to get sponsorship from corporate bodies to win more souls for God, she stated.



After the release of her hit single, Obi Nyanime featuring Brother Sammy, Patience has been on the quiet and she disclosed that she had not been around to promote a few songs she released in the period.



I have been in the USA for a long time and have not had the time to promote my songs but I am back and ready for GH music, she added.



She is out with two singles, Meye Nyame Dia and My Light off her Meye Nyame Dia album scheduled to be released later this year.



On Meye Nyame Dia, Patience praises her Maker, saying she belongs to God and she will serve Him all the time because He has been good to her.



She asks Christians to let their light shine if they are truly worshipping God on My Light. My Light was recorded by musician and sound engineer Kuami Eugene and Meye Nyame Dia was recorded by Shaa.



Some of Patience Nyarkos songs include Atigya, Ebenezer, Onyame Kania, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Follow Me, Medo No, Wodaada, Wafom Kwan and Eboboba.

Source: Graphic Showbiz









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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Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged December, ended its 11-week lockdown on Wednesday but restrictions on the movement of people were put in place in a northeastern province amid fears of a new wave of infection triggered by imported Covid-19 cases.

China on Wednesday reported 62 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, 59 of which were imported, a sharp rise from 32 a day before.

More than 1,000 imported cases have been reported in China so far; the overall figures now stand at 81,.802 infected and 3,333 deaths.

The northeastern Heilongjiang province, bordering Russia, registered a daily high of 25 new imported cases among Chinese travellers returning to China.

Suifenhe city in Heilongjiang restricted the movement of its citizens on Wednesday in a similar fashion to that of Wuhan; residents must stay in residential compounds and one person from a family can leave once every three days to buy necessities and must return on the same day, state-run CCTV reported.

In Jiaozhou City in the eastern province of Shandong the risk level had risen from low to medium, according to a post on an official website, but it gave no further details, news agency, Reuters reported.

In Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, the city borders were opened for the first time since January 23, when it was put under a lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

Official news agency, Xinhua, reported that more than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday, and about 40 percent of them are going to the Pearl River Delta Region in southern China.

A total of 276 passenger trains will leave Wuhan for Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities.

The city of 11 million had accounted for a vast majority of Covid-19 cases in China with more than 50,000 infected and 2,572 killed.

Health and transport authorities now require passengers to present health codes and have their temperatures checked when entering train and bus stations.
Police in the West African nation of Benin on Wednesday stopped pedestrians and confiscated vehicles as the authorities began enforcing the mandatory wearing of facemasks to halt the coronavirus

Cotonou, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Apr, 2020 ) :Police in the West African nation of Benin on Wednesday stopped pedestrians and confiscated vehicles as the authorities began enforcing the mandatory wearing of facemasks to halt the coronavirus.

Many residents in largest city Cotonou donned surgical masks or homemade face coverings after the government ordered people in key regions to wear them in public.

Police officers at major crossroads in the city pulled over drivers and took away motorbikes if the owners were not using masks.

"We did not wear them before, but now that it is mandatory we are forced to," motorbike taxi driver Franck Kpotcheme told AFP.

The country of 11 million follows a growing number of nations where it has now become obligatory to wear masks in public.

But few other African nations have yet made wearing masks compulsory as many have struggled to ensure supplies of protective equipment.

The government in Benin has subsidised the cost of masks at the equivalent of around 30 US cents (25 euro cents) but that expenditure remains high for many on a daily basis.

Some residents complained they could not find masks despite pharmacies limiting sales to two per customer in order to conserve stocks.

"They just told me that there aren't any masks available," said Edouard Gbeha, as he emerged from a store.

"They say that they are obligatory and we want to buy them but can't find them." The authorities have ordered security forces to step up patrols and detain people without masks, but have not outlined penalties for those failing to comply.

One leading fashion designer told AFP he had switched all his production to manufacturing masks and had run out of stock after sending out thousands in the last few days.

Benin has imposed a "cordon sanitaire" around major towns and cities. Under it, travel in and out of these areas is banned, gatherings are restricted and bars have been closed.

The country has so far confirmed 26 infections and one death from coronavirus.

While mask wearing has been widespread in Asia since the beginning of the epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and numerous governments have said only carers or people with symptoms need to use them.

Morocco on Monday also ordered them to be worn in public and Ivory Coast has recommended they be used.

Authorities in the United States last week advised all Americans to wear masks in public.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Local airline companies have extended flight cancellations in step with the governments order to continue the Luzon-wide quarantine until the end of the month.

AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific announced that domestic and international flights will remain suspended until April 30.

Customers of AirAsia with cancelled flights will be notified via SMS or e-mail, the company said.

Passengers who booked flights on or before March 22 with a departure date until May 31 may change their travel dates before October 31 for the same route or convert their trip into credits for a future booking.

Philippine Airlines customers who had their trips cancelled may opt to convert their ticket value into a travel voucher valid for a year, rebook or reroute, or avail a refund with no penalties. PAL will process changes in booking after the quarantine period, it said.

Cebu Pacific encouraged passengers of affected flights to rebook for free, avail of a travel fund or get a full refund. Full refund process will start on May 4 after the quarantine is lifted, the airline said.

The entire Luzon remains under enhanced community quarantine, which restricts movement of people within, to and from the island to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.
Police said the driver of the vehicle that was shot at drove just across the Maryland border, to the 3900 block of Suitland Road. Police said the injured woman was taken to Prince Georges Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The Business Post publisher has announced pay cuts of between 5% and 15% for staff until June 30 as the company deals with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Staff of the Sunday print newspaper and website were informed of the companys decision today.

Colm OReilly, Business Post CEO said while circulation and digital sales have performed strongly there has a been a drop in advertising revenue, which is similar to that experienced by other outlets across the media sector.

The company also intends to avail of some of the supports put in place by the Government to assist companies during the crisis period.

At a time of uncertainty trusted news is vital.

"The Business Post remains committed to producing quality journalism and providing the public with the information they need to know during these unprecedented times, Mr OReilly said.

Many media organisations both in Ireland and globally have been impacted by Covid-19 facing significant falls in advertising.

Similar cuts have been imposed in other media organisations in Ireland including Journal Media and Independent News and Media.

Channel 4 in the UK has outlined measures to slash the broadcasters 2020 content budget by 171m and find 108m of operational savings along with the furlough of 10% of its staff amounting to approximately 100 workers.

The print and digital editions of the Newry Report have been suspended due to the crisis. The Reporter has been published since 1867.
Hormonal changes caused by motorboat noise cause clownfish to hide, skip meals and attack their neighbors -- putting damselfish in distress

Hormonal changes caused by motorboat noise cause clownfish to hide, skip meals and attack their neighbours - putting damselfish in distress.

Working on the reefs around Moorea in French Polynesia, an international team of scientists exposed 40 pairs of clownfish to recordings of natural reef sounds or motorboat noise for up to two days. Motorboat noise caused clownfish to hide in the protective tentacles of their host anemone, move less into open water to feed and to be more aggressive towards domino damselfish that also reside in the anemone.

The researchers - from France, Chile and the UK - also found that noise-affected anemonefish were unable to respond appropriately to a second stressor, likely putting them at greater risk from threats such as predators and climate change.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, found noise-exposed fish had elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the reproductive hormones testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, which corresponded with observed behavioural changes. These measurable hormones offer a window into complex behaviours and could be used to develop new noise-mitigation tools.

Lead author, Associate Professor Suzanne Mills at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) PSL Universite Paris, CRIOBE, France, said, "The high cortisol levels after two days of exposure suggest that clownfish become chronically stressed by motorboat noise. This compromises the stress response system leaving clownfish unable to mount appropriate responses to further stressful events. If these stressful events include a predator, motorboat noise could have grave implications."

Ricardo Beldade, Associate Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, and previously with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) at CRIOBE, France said, "Clownfish defended their anemone territory aggressively during motorboat noise, which requires more energy. However, as the fish hid more and moved less to feed, even after the motorboat noise had passed, they may be unable to compensate through more foraging, with potentially detrimental impacts on growth and even survival."

Andy Radford, Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Bristol, said: "Experiments that consider behaviour of wild animals in natural conditions--as we have done in this study--are crucial if we are to understand fully the impact of anthropogenic noise. Our results highlight that behavioural changes caused by anthropogenic noise are likely underpinned by alterations in the stress response (cortisol) and certain steroid hormones."

Dr Sophie Nedelec, University of Exeter, said, "Now we know that hormonal responses are the mechanisms driving behavioural changes to motorboat noise, they can be a useful tool in regulation. We might be able to predict the duration and/or interval times of motorboat noise exposure that allow individuals to return to normal behaviour."

Steve Simpson, Professor of Marine Biology & Global Change at the University of Exeter, added, "Hormonal responses to different boat engines, propeller designs and spatial management of boating activities can be compared to reduce the impact of this globally prevalent pollutant. Hormonal responses are currently an underemployed tool for managing the noise of the 100,000s of motorboats used around the world."

Mills summarised, "Our new findings highlight the need to control man-made noise in marine protected habitats."

###

Paper:

'Hormonal and behavioural effects of motorboat noise on wild coral reef fish' by Mills, S.C., Beldade, R., Henry, L., Laverty, D., Nedelec, S.L., Simpson, S.D., & Radford, A.N. 2020 in Environmental Pollution.
An organized walk-off of Shipt shoppers is underway as the gig worker-versus-corporation fight takes another step.

The movement, announced Monday via blog post, aims to improve health conditions and hazard pay for surrogate shoppers at risk during the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues.

Willy Solis, a Shipt shopper and leader in the nationwide walk-off effort, spoke to AL.com on Tuesday about their goals for what amounts to a strike. The Dallas-based organizer said this was their last resort as efforts to communicate directly with Birmingham-based Shipt failed to meet their demands.

Defining success in the walk-off was very difficult in the efforts opening day, Solis said. They are monitoring the number of orders in a given citys queue to see how much of a backup is forming. As of early Tuesday afternoon, Solis said a city like Grand Rapids, Michigan had 40 percent more orders in the queue than what they saw this time last week.

In Birmingham, the numbers were high as well. There were 675 open orders in the metro area on Tuesday morning, according to the app used by Shipt shoppers. By 3:30 p.m., on Tuesday, the number was 492. The soonest a Tuesday afternoon order could be filled in the citys eastern suburbs was 7-8 p.m., CT on Wednesday, according to the Shipt site.

For context, before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation, the Shipt shopping queue would see a weekly high of approximately 80 orders on Sunday afternoon, veteran shoppers told AL.com.

Shipt was bought by Target in 2017 for $550 million and is a subsidiary of the Minneapolis-based corporation. It offers customers a shopping delivery service with independent contractors providing the labor.

The objective of this walk-off, Solis said, is simple.

For (Shipt) to change its behavior, he said. At the end of the day, the company knows we are reaching out. Individually we are reaching out and asking for support and assistance prior to the pandemic and its gotten worse since the pandemic. So, what it would take for us to actually get to a median would be for them to come to the table for us to communicate effectively our concerns. Right now, all were receiving is canned answers. Canned answers are not going to be responses that lead to meaningful discussions. As such, we really need them to open the lines of communication with us.

Solis said Shipt officials can reach out to him directly if theyd like to discuss the issues.

Shipt on Monday released a statement when asked to respond to the planned walk-off. It stated pride in the shopper community in the face of increased demand in the coronavirus era.

We are focused on supporting them during this time with health and safety precautions, protective equipment and financial assistance, the statement read. Our shoppers have been delivering record volumes to our members, and they continue to schedule themselves to shop commensurate with what weve seen throughout the pandemic.

RELATED: Shipt responds to planned walk-off

The Monday blog post announcing the walk-off listed six main concerns shoppers wanted addressed by Shipt. A company spokesperson spoke with AL.com on Monday to address a number of the employee concerns. Personal protective equipment like gloves and masks will be provided for all shoppers to pickup at Target starting next week, after those considered most vulnerable to the virus received PPE earlier.

Its a real concern that the company was not proactive, especially because of the fact we were very vocal prior to the pandemic starting or getting to this level, Solis said. Weve been saying we need this stuff and weve seen this stuff coming across the wire that we need to start gearing up for this stuff so we started our communications letting them know this is going to be a problem once it gets here.

Hazard pay was also among the six demands with a request of shoppers getting $5 per order for working with increased risk of infection. Shipt told AL.com that it was using promo pay in that effort. Typically used to entice shoppers to fill orders in peak hours, Shipt said promo pay was being increased during the health crisis.

Of the 675 orders in the Birmingham queue Tuesday morning, 12 offered promo pay. By the afternoon, that ratio was 23 of the 492 open orders.

Concerns with shoppers not receiving tips led to a separate Monday blog post from the Shipt shoppers site. Solis told AL.com that his group brought three cases to Shipt with receipts from customers showing tips paid but not received. Those shoppers were paid the tips after the documentation was provided, Solis said, but they are concerned the problem is more widespread.

A Shipt spokesperson told AL.com the tipping issue was an isolated incident affecting 700 people in Michigan with the retailer Meijer.

They notified us there was an issue with the tips being passed, the Shipt spokesperson said, so as soon as we realized that, we communicated with those shoppers and paid off those tips.

Solis said the issue was more widespread with shoppers who filled orders at several retailers that support the Shipt service.

Ultimately, Solis said, the shoppers just want to provide the service while keeping themselves and family members healthy in these bizarre times.

We really want people to understand we are reasonable people who want to do the right thing and reach an accord with the company, he said.

If you are a Shipt shopper who wants to discuss this issue with AL.com, you can email Michael Casagrande at mcasagrande@al.com.
The Airbus A220 assembly line at the company's facility in Mirabel, Quebec, on Jan. 14, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)

Manufacturings Opportunity to Shine at Home

COVID-19 pandemic could revitalize manufacturing in Canada by reducing supply chain risks and reliance on China

News Analysis

If theres one lesson that has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, its that Canada needs to ensure it can manufacture essential medical equipment. The outbreak is the latest turning point in a bigger picture for manufacturers to reduce risk in their supply chains and, notably, lower their dependence on China.

Politicians, including Ontario premier Doug Ford and U.S. President Donald Trump, have been pounding the table on bringing manufacturing back home and minimizing reliance on far-away regions.

Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of auto parts manufacturer Martinrea International, told The Epoch Times that hes optimistic for manufacturings future in Canada, that it will be better perceived. The sector could well be deemed more critical to the security of Canadas economy and its people.

The question for a lot of people is going to be: Do I have to buy from China and can I make that here? Am I willing to pay the higher prices? said Wildeboer. The public gets it.

The need to lower the chance of disruptions to supply chains and find alternatives didnt start overnight. It began to build after Canada saw its manufacturing getting hollowed out as companies outsourced production to China and its cheap labour after that country was accepted into the World Trade Organization (WTO) two decades ago.

There were certain expectations on how the Chinese would be part of the WTO, the benefit from trade and so forth, Wildeboer said. And at the end of the day, thats not the world that were seeing today.

The reality is we put a lot of our supply chains at risk, our manufacturing at risk. It has to be an even game or its not sustainable over the long term, Wildeboer said.

Martinrea, which employs about 17,000 people in Canada, the United States, and eight other countries including China, has relatively low exposure to China, where its production serves the Chinese market almost exclusively.

Western economies have long thought the Chinese regime would act in a more democratic manner, respecting international norms. But it didnt. As a result, the Trump administration initiated a trade war to take China to task for untoward acts including intellectual property theft and forced transfers of technology in joint ventures.

The China Risk

Theyre not the most reliable partner [China] especially in times of crises  so companies are trying to mitigate that risk, Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), told The Epoch Times. He also said China as we know it is not entirely a market economyits not open and not transparent.

In addition, during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, pandemic, the Chinese regime is being accused of mismanaging the spread, falsifying the number of cases and deaths, and even hoarding medical supplies as a bargaining chip.

As China developed rapidly and became Canadas second-largest trading partner by 2015, after the United States, manufacturing costs there rose and other countrieslike Vietnam and Bangladeshbecame more attractive, Andrew Sharpe, economist and executive director of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), told The Epoch Times.

But Canadas corporate sector is not like that of the United States, which has many large multinationals across diverse industries.

Canada is not as integrated as other countries in terms of supply chains, Sharpe said, which indicates that globalization of supply chains is a more acute problem for other nations. The European countries are far more integrated.

Bringing It Back Home

Globalization has been a mixed bag. Cheap labour in China and other parts of Asia has led to North American companies becoming more profitable, but it has gutted Canadian and American manufacturing. It has also made manufacturers more vulnerable to events in places halfway around the world.

A 2017 CSLS study showed that in Canada, employment in the manufacturing sector grew at 2.7 percent a year from 1992 to 2000. But it fell by 1.9 percent annually from 2000 to 2008a time of rapid growth of Chinese imports penetrating Canadian manufacturingand fell by 1.7 percent annually from 2008 to 2015. Over that entire 19922015 period, total Canadian employment went up 1.5 percent per year, which illustrates the downfall of employment in manufacturing starting in 2000.

Sharpe says the shock of Chinese imports on Canadian manufacturing plateaued around 2014 to 2015, but Canada is also importing from other lower-cost Asian countries.

Manufacturing in Canada, which employs 1.7 million in full-time well-paying jobs, has declined as a share of the economy, to just under 11 percent last year.

A MetriCan Stamping Co. employee works in the welding department of the companys manufacturing plant in Burlington, Ontario, on Oct. 4, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Tara Walton)

We need to have a level of supply security in Canada  for these types of pandemics when they occur, said John Stanfield, president and CEO of Nova Scotia-based garment manufacturer Stanfields, in an interview with BNN Bloomberg. Its a call to governments and the private sector especially manufacturing that has been largely decimated over the years in Canada, he said.

Stanfields is making medical gowns for front-line workers during the pandemic.

Wildeboer says a strong manufacturing base is of vital importance and yields significant knock-on benefits such as demand for commodities, support for transportation systems, and security of critical materials like steel.

Manufacturing also drives innovationa lot of which is process improvement, he says.

If youre going to improve something, youve got to be able to make it in the first place. So the manufacturing base is extremely important because quite frankly, the capability of designing, engineering, [and] producing extends to basically anything you can make.

Darby says theres every indication that manufacturing will keep growing in absolute terms, but whether or not it keeps up with other sectors in the economy is hard to say while Canada is still in the clutches of the pandemic.

What comes out at the other end  is this going to be like post-war, where there will be a huge pent-up consumer demand? Darby asked. We dont know.

Increased costs is the obvious concern with more local supply chains; however, in crisis times, it seems like a small price to pay.

Wildeboer says its a question of risk and return, noting that price has to be looked at over time. The dismantling of manufacturing in Canada is an example of myopic vision in that the longer-term consequences of uprooting an industry are rarely considered in the minds of business executives with quarterly revenue objectives.

Its good to be able to make things

The CCP virus pandemic is changing society and industry. The uncertainty at the current moment is extremely high.

Changes in factories are already underway, Darby says.

Respecting physical distancing and working from home, companies also have to find ways to transport, ship, and receive. They are staggering shifts and trying to find ways to ensure crews dont overlap.

For manufacturing, its pretty clear that this is not going to change any time soon, Darby said.

As far as which manufacturing sub-sectors may outperform post-pandemic, Darby says areas like food products and pharmaceuticalsessential serviceshave been going steady and are gaining in importance.

And while the auto sector is the most visible in manufacturing, Wildeboer says it isnt the only one realizing the need to be able to produce goods domestically.

I wont call it the golden age of manufacturing, but I think were going to have a lot of people that basically say, You know what? Its good to be able to make things, he said.

I think manufacturing will be seen to be more important, Wildeboer said.
The trailer of Netflix's much talked about action film, Extraction was released on Tuesday and it has inspired some hilarious memes that are sure to leave you chuckling behind! Although several sequences have inspired rib-tickling take, there are two in particular that social media users just can't seem to get enough of. Considering the country has been put under a nationwide lockdown till April 14 due to the rise of Coronavirus cases, netizens brought out their creative side and created some funny lockdown memes.

READ: 'Extraction' Trailer: Chris Hemsworth Powers Through In This High Octane Action Thriller

Extraction inspires hilarious memes

One dialogue, in particular, was popular among fans. Somethings wrong. The citys on lockdown, the line goes. Fans had a field day joking about how the line mirrors whats happening in the real world, where several countries have been under a state of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read some of the most hilarious memes below-

This scene, I can relate to it #Extraction pic.twitter.com/yxdicESJFV  Sreejith Nair (@iam_SreejithN) April 7, 2020

When you and your friend goes out to bring ration during Lockdown #Extraction pic.twitter.com/Sa0Lt88Kp9  SUBHAM (@subham001aim) April 7, 2020

READ: Chris Hemsworth Has A Special Message For Indian Fans; Reveals 'Extraction' Trailer Date

Meanwhile, the action-packed trailer of the Netflix film promises the dangerous thrills from the bylanes of countries like India and Bangladesh where the rules of an international mission are tweaked for convenience. Refined Bollywood actors Pankaj Tripathi, Randeep Hooda seem to play pivotal roles in the film which has been in the news for its shooting schedules in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Dhaka.

Chris Hemsworth certainly is the eye-candy in the Extraction trailer as he jumps across buildings and out of moving vehicles while on his quest for survival using some classic combating moves and punches on the villains.

Extraction is directed by Sam Hargrave and is co-produced by the Russo brothers. The script has been written by Joe Russo. In the movie, Chris Hemsworth plays the role of a black market mercenary, Tyler Rake, who is tasked with rescuing the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international criminal. Extraction has been shot in many Indian cities like Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

READ: Chris Hemsworth Offers Free Home Workouts Amid Coronavirus Lockdown
Worries have been raised that the virus could linger on reusable fabric bags (Gillian Flaccus/AP)

The Covid-19 virus could provide an unlikely saviour for single-use plastics amid concerns that reusable bags and straws could transmit the virus.

In a matter of days, hard-won bans to reduce the use of plastics, and particularly plastic shopping bags, across the US have come under fire amid worries about the virus clinging to reusable bags, cups and straws.

Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags.

Oregon suspended its brand-new ban on plastic bags this week, and cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, have announced a hiatus on plastic bag bans as coronavirus rages.

Add to that a rise in takeout and a ban on reusable cups and straws at the few coffee stores that remain open, and environmentalists worry Covid-19 could set back their efforts to tackle plastic pollution for years.

People are scared for their lives, their livelihood, the economy, feeding their loved ones, so the environment is taking a back seat, said Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar in Seattle.

Mr Quadros has laid off 15 employees and seen a 60% decline in business since Seattle all but shut down to slow the pandemic.

Expand Close Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner and Bar, places a takeout food order, packaged in compostable containers, into a plastic bag in Seattle (Elaine Thompson/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner and Bar, places a takeout food order, packaged in compostable containers, into a plastic bag in Seattle (Elaine Thompson/AP)

For now, he is using biodegradable containers for takeout and delivery, but those products cost up to three times more than plastic  and theyre getting hard to find because of the surge in takeout, he said.

The problem is, we dont know whats in store, Mr Quadros said.

Everyone is in the same situation.

The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying hard to overturn bans on single-use plastics by arguing disposable plastics are the safest option amid the crisis.

California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have statewide bans on plastic bags, and Oregon and California have laws limiting the use of plastic straws.

New Yorks statewide plastic bag ban is on hold because of a lawsuit.

The Plastics Industry Association recently sent a letter to Alex Azar, head of the US department of health and human services, and asked him to speak out against plastic bag bans because they put consumers and workers at risk.

And the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance is repeating its opposition to plastic bag bans under a preexisting campaign titled Bag The Ban.

Grocery worker unions, too, have joined the chorus.

The union that represents Oregon supermarket workers is lobbying for a ban on reusable bags, and a Chicago union called for an end to the disease-transmitting bag tax.

Critics argue people with reusable bags do not regularly wash them.

Expand Close Customers are advised not to use their own bags while shopping in Oregon (Gillian Flaccus/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Customers are advised not to use their own bags while shopping in Oregon (Gillian Flaccus/AP)

If those bags coming into the store are contaminated with anything, they get put on the conveyor belt, the counter, and youre putting yourself in a bad spot, said Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance.

Its an unnecessary risk.

A study by the US National Institutes of Health found coronavirus can remain on plastics and stainless steel for up to three days, and on cardboard for up to one day.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says it appears possible for a person to get Covid-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes  but it is not thought that is the main way the virus spreads.

More studies are needed to fully assess the dangers posed by reusable bags, which are mostly made of fabric, said Dr Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the Portland metropolitan area.

Its not clear that a virus that you can find on a surface  whether its cloth or something else  is viable and can actually make you sick, she said.

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 problem is, we dont know whats in store. Everyone is in the same situationGlen Quadros, diner owner

Some stores such as Trader Joes and Target are letting customers use their own bags if they sack their groceries themselves, while others are banning them.

In Oregon, temporary rules now allow disposable T-shirt plastic bags with no fee to customers.

Many stores ran out of paper bags amid a run on groceries, accelerating the move to ease plastic restrictions, said Joe Gilliam, president of the Northwest Grocery Association, which represents 1,000 retail locations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

There are some stores out there that are saying, For the time being, please dont bring those in. Other stores are allowing them, but  right now were asking that only freshly laundered ones come in, he said.

Environmental groups, well aware of the nations current priorities, were at first unusually silent on moves to temporarily roll back plastic bag bans. But they responded forcefully after the plastics industry asserted bag bans could worsen the pandemics toll.

The fear-driven gains the industry was able to win this month are likely to be extremely short-lived, said John Hocevar, of Greenpeace USA. The movement away from throwaway plastic is the kind of awakening that is not going to be that easy for the plastic industry to stop.

In the meantime, some consumers are getting taken by surprise.

Paul McNamara, who has used his own bags for a decade, said he was stopped at the entrance of his regular market in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, after the state enacted a temporary ban on reusable shopping bags.

His ratty bags have corners reinforced with duct tape from years of use; he instead left with his groceries in plastic bags.

My question would be, will it become permanent? Mr McNamara said.

Im fine with the restrictions on reusable plastics.

It makes a lot of sense, and thats the way to go for the environment.

But if its a public health issue, weve got to figure out some way to deal with it.
San Francisco Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener held a blood drive Tuesday to call on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revoke its ban on donations of blood and plasma from sexually active gay and bisexual men.

The blood drive, dubbed #GiveForAGay, encouraged eligible donors to make an appointment to give blood on behalf of their gay friends. It was held amid a national blood shortage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Wiener said he had organized the drive to call attention to the critical need for blood donations, and to criticize the FDAs terrible policy.

It is irrational, its discriminatory and it undermines our ability to get people to donate blood, Wiener said during the drive at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. Its leaving millions of people out  healthy people who want to donate blood.

The FDA loosened its rules last week to allow gay and bisexual men to donate if they have been celibate for three months. Under the agencys previous rules, men had to wait 12 months to donate after having sex with another man. But the agency refused to lift its ban outright.

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups had already been pushing the agency to lift what they call a homophobic vestige of the AIDS crisis. Those calls have amplified amid the coronavirus outbreak.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who donated blood on Wieners behalf, called the FDAs policy arbitrary and divisive. She said reversing the ban could help save lives if the blood shortage worsens.

Its time that we stop letting our country be crippled by 1980 policies that make absolutely no sense, she said. We need all hands on deck.

The Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday urging the FDA to end its ban. At the blood drive, Supervisor Catherine Stefani donated on behalf of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

The FDA has said the coronavirus poses unprecedented challenges to the blood supply because social distancing measures and canceled blood drives have reduced donations needed to treat a host of conditions unrelated to the virus.

Eligible donors can still give blood and plasma through the Red Cross by scheduling an appointment online at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ or by calling 800-733-2767.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
: Rapid testing kits began



rolling out from the state-run Andhra Pradesh Medi-Tech Zone (AMTZ) as demand for these grew exponentially consequent to the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, the state government said on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy formally launched the kits at his camp office on Wednesday.

AMTZ is an enterprise under the Andhra Pradesh government, dedicated for medical device manufacturing and the Indian Council of Medical Research has recently approved the kits to be manufactured at the zone in Visakhapatnam.

Special Chief Secretary (Industries and Commerce) Rajat Bhargava handed over the first set of 1,000 rapid testing kits, manufactured at the AMTZ, to his counterpart in the health department K S Jawahar Reddy in the presence of the Chief Minister and Industries Minister M Goutham Reddy.

Later, the Industries Minister told reporters that the AMTZ started manufacturing 2,000 testing kits per day and it would soon be scaled up to 25,000 units a week from next month.

The Minister said about 20 tests could be carried out with each kit daily and would cost Rs 1,200 for the government.

DNA, RNA, PCR tests could also be performed using these kits and the result obtained in 55 minutes.

From April 15, for the first time in the country, assembling of ventilators would also commence at the AMTZ, with an initial capacity of 3,000 per month.

It would later be increased to 5,000 a month, Goutham Reddy added.

The Central government has already placed an order for 3,500 ventilators, the Minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The move is to 'slow the spread of misinformation', a WhatsApp Ireland spokeswoman said. Photo: REUTERS

Whatsapp is finally cracking down on fake viral messages which spread made-up rumours about the coronavirus pandemic.

The Facebook-owned service will limit everyone's ability to send "highly forwarded" messages.

From now on, users will only be able to share such messages or videos with one person or group at a time, instead of five at a time.

The move is to "slow the spread of misinformation", a WhatsApp Ireland spokeswoman said.

"We believe it's important to slow the spread of these messages," she said.

"We've seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding, which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation."

Three weeks ago, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar appealed to the nation to stop forwarding unfounded rumours related to Covid-19 on WhatsApp.

"These messages are scaring and confusing people and causing real damage," he said. "Please get your info from official, trusted sources."

WhatsApp messages are private and encrypted, meaning Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, cannot see what is being sent. However, it can detect when a message has been forwarded many times.

Previous misinformation on WhatsApp included a mass-circulated message that claimed an Irish hospital was treating young patients whose symptoms were exacerbated by taking anti-inflammatory drugs.

The message was disowned by the hospital and medical authorities.

Other fake WhatsApp messages claimed the Army was to take to the streets to enforce the lockdown.

While the fact WhatsApp messages are encrypted means the company cannot monitor what is being said in them, it does use some technology in other ways to limit the spread of messages.

It also says it has "advanced machine-learning technology" which identifies and bans accounts engaging in bulk or automated messaging, claiming it bans two million accounts from WhatsApp a month, 75pc of them without a recent user report.

WhatsApp's move comes as other tech giants react to a surge in usage.

Microsoft has unveiled new features in its online collaboration product, Teams, seeking to put distance between itself and Zoom, which has come under fire for security and privacy weaknesses.

Google is weighing up whether to publish further data showing the movement patterns of smartphone owners across the country.

Meanwhile, some web infrastructure companies have seen a fall in online traffic in recent days, leading to fears that the good weather may be tempting people to stay in public places for longer, against the Government's advice to stay at home.
This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday.

President Trump doesnt hide the fact that he rejects many of the constraints on presidential power that every other post-Watergate president has accepted.

Heres a partial list of Trumps flouting: He has defied congressional subpoenas; dismissed the findings of the C.I.A. and F.B.I.; refused to release his tax returns; invited foreign governments to interfere in American elections; continued to own his personal businesses; and forced out an attorney general for not protecting him. To Trump, power matters more than democratic traditions. (And heres a fuller list.)

In the last two weeks  as the virus has continued to dominate the nations attention  Trump has taken four new actions that fit the pattern:

1. Yesterday, he ousted Glenn Fine, a well-respected inspector general who was supposed to oversee the $2 trillion spending in the recent coronavirus bill.
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ZIMBABWEAN doctors have asked government to provide them and other frontline medical practitioners with personal protective equipment (PPE) and to adequately equip public hospitals to protect them from the deadly coronavirus as they execute their duties and help slow the spread of the epidemic.

In an application filed on Sunday 5 April 2020, the doctors represented by Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) protested that they are at risk of contracting coronavirus (COVID-19) because government had not put in place measures to ensure that health practitioners across the country, who include nurses, nurse aides and pharmacists among others are adequately protected against the deadly epidemic.

Zimbabwe has recorded 10 positive cases of coronavirus with one person, a prominent broadcaster, having died after contracting the disease.

Government, ZADHR argued, had not put in place adequate measures to ensure the screening and testing of personnel driving public transport provided by the state-run Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) and other public service buses transporting authorised persons to and from work and to screen and test public servants and security services who continue to work during the 21-day national lockdown.

This, ZADHR said, creates potential exposure and creates a reasonable apprehension among doctors, who use the only available form of public transport that they will contract COVID-19 on their way to and from work as a result of the absence of screening and testing of personnel authorised to drive the public transport vehicles.

Government, ZADHR charged, has not put in place measures to ensure a robust screening and testing of people for coronavirus symptoms across the country, which puts its members at risk of contracting the disease as they also reside with members of the public.

The doctors' representative body complained against the lack of adequate measures to ensure the screening, testing and quarantining of persons entering Zimbabwe from the various ports of entry or the tracing of some Zimbabweans who reportedly arrived from South Africa into Zimbabwe on the eve of the South African lockdown, thus seriously exposing Zimbabweans to the risk of contracting coronavirus.

ZADHR, which is represented by Andrew Makoni of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said more than 1 500 doctors were working in Zimbabwean hospitals across the country without adequate PPE including some specialists, nurses, nurse aides, technicians, pharmacists and other health practitioners.

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ZADHR has listed Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and Transport and Economic Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza as respondents.

The doctors representative body, which said its members and other medical practitioners bore the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic and are vulnerable to contracting it, bemoaned the dire shortage of appropriate and equipment such as ventilators, oxygen tanks, Hazmat suits, N95 masks and properly manned quarantine and isolation facilities in the country, which ideally must be available in every district hospital.

ZADHR disclosed that those facilities were only available in Harare and Bulawayo leaving citizens outside these two centres at the risk of failing to timeously access healthcare.

ZADHR said the 1 500 doctors operating in Zimbabwe will require an average of at least three N95 masks per day, which translates to 4 500 masks per day for them.

The matter is yet to be set down for hearing.

Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Orbsen's stromal cell immunotherapy, ORBCEL, may benefit patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) caused by coronavirus (COVID-19)

GALWAY, Ireland, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbsen Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of best-in-class stromal cell immunotherapies, announced the beginning of a phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Nearly 90 percent of deaths caused by COVID-19 are the result of ARDS.

Orbsen's ORBCEL recently completed a successful phase 1 trial in patients with moderate to severe ARDS. In pre-clinical studies, ORBCEL, a next-generation stromal cell immunotherapy, demonstrated the ability to mitigate the devastating effects of ARDS by improving lung oxygenation, lessening inflammation, reducing edema and decreasing bacterial infection.

"The successful completion of ORBCEL's phase 1 clinical trial, intended to assess ORBCEL safety in patients, confirms our belief in the potential of Orbsen's proprietary stromal cell immunotherapy technologies," said Dr. Larry Couture, CEO of Orbsen Therapeutics. "We believe ORBCEL will prove a valuable addition to the arsenal of therapies to combat the effects of COVID-19."

The phase 2a clinical trial, funded by the Wellcome Trust, has been approved by the United Kingdom's Medical Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Also, the UK's National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) designated the trial as a National Urgent Public Health Study.

"While more than 100 vaccines and therapies targeting COVID-19 are in development, there are no disease modifying therapies approved for ARDS," said Dr. Steve Elliman, Chief Scientific Officer at Orbsen. "We take seriously NIHR's designation of this trial as an Urgent Public Health Research Study and believe ORBCEL has the potential to be a timely and effective treatment for patients with ARDS."

Patients have already begun enrolling in the study. Five clinical trial sites throughout the UK will host the study led by clinical investigators from Queen's University Belfast. Other trial supporters include the Health and Social Care Research & Development Division and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

ORBCEL is derived from a select and highly purified population of immunomodulatory stromal cells obtained from umbilical cord tissue. Orbsen currently is enrolling and treating patients in additional clinical trials across Europe to assess ORBCEL's safety and efficacy in the prevention and treatment of diabetic kidney disease, auto-immune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Another trial is pending regulatory review in the UK for patients with several auto-immune disorders.

About Orbsen Therapeutics

Orbsen Therapeutics, Ltd. is a leading company in the development of cellular immunotherapies across four immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. Founded in 2006, Orbsen Therapeutics Ltd., is a privately held company led by global leaders in the field of cellular immunotherapy. The company, which spun-out from Ireland's Regenerative Medicine Institute at the National University of Ireland Galway, has developed proprietary technologies that enables the isolation of a well characterized population of pure stromal cells from human tissues which, once isolated, can be expanded and frozen to generate multiple doses of an "off the shelf" therapeutic product.

Media Contact:

Rand Walton

804-647-4526

rwalton@waltonstrategic.com
WILMINGTON, Del., April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. announces that it has filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware on behalf of holders of Delphi Technologies PLC (Delphi or the Company) (NYSE: DLPH) common stock in connection with the proposed acquisition of Delphi by BorgWarner Inc. (BorgWarner), announced on January 28, 2020 (the Complaint). The Complaint, which alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against Delphi, its Board of Directors (the Board), and BorgWarner, is captioned Sherman v. Delphi Technologies PLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-00385 (D. Del.).



If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiffs counsel, Seth D. Rigrodsky or Gina M. Serra at Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., 300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1220, Wilmington, DE 19801, by telephone at (888) 969-4242, by e-mail at info@rl-legal.com, or at https://www.rigrodskylong.com/cases-delphi-technologies-inc,join.

On January 28, 2020, Delphi entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) with BorgWarner. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, shareholders of Delphi will receive 0.4534 shares of BorgWarner for each share of Delphi common stock they own (the Proposed Transaction).

Among other things, the Complaint alleges that, in an attempt to secure shareholder support for the Proposed Transaction, defendants issued materially incomplete disclosures in a proxy statement (the Proxy Statement) filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Complaint alleges that the Proxy Statement omits material information with respect to, among other things, the Companys and BorgWarners financial projections and the analyses performed by Delphis financial advisor. The Complaint seeks injunctive and equitable relief and damages on behalf of holders of Delphi common stock.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than June 8, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Any member of the proposed class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.

Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., with offices in Delaware and New York, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and achieved substantial corporate governance reforms in securities fraud and corporate class actions nationwide.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Video taken on April 8, 202 shows the first car passing through a highway toll station to leave Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province, after almost 2 months of lockdown. (Source: Peoples Daily Weibo account)

BEIJING, April 8 (Guangming Online) -- Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province, started to lift outbound travel restrictions from April 8 after lockdown for almost 2 months to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

People in Wuhan are allowed to leave the city and Hubei Province if they hold a green health code, which proves they have no contact with any infected or suspected COVID-19 cases.

Train K81, departed from Xian, capital of northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province, stopped by Wuchang Railyway Station in Wuhan early on Wednesday. 442 passengers in Wuhan boarded the train, and departed for Guangzhou, capital of south Chinas Guangdong Province. Train K81 was the first train departed from Wuhan on Wednesday, and more than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on the same day.

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport also resumed domestic passenger flights, and it is expected to see more than 200 inbound and outbound flights on Wednesday.

The railway stations and the airport have been disinfected comprehensively for safety reasons.

On Jan. 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Restrictions included suspending public transport suspension in the city and all outbound flights and trains. Similar restrictions were declared in other areas in Hubei, as the province was hard hit by the epidemic.

As the COVID-19 outbreak was greatly eased, Wuhan started resuming production and everyday life orderly.

On Mar. 25, Wuhan started resuming bus services after nine weeks of lockdown, and the metro services in the city were resumed on March 28.

[ Editor: SRQ ]
APRIL 8, 2020  UTSA is responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with a commitment to supporting the safety of the university community while enabling the academic progress of students. Here is your digest of university news and tips.

COVERING UP

Beth Wichman, UTSAs chief medical officer and the executive director of Student Health Services, explains the CDCs recommendations for wearing a cloth face covering while in public. Also check out our new Nonmedical Face Coverings webpage to view tutorials on how to make your own mask.



COMMUNITY NEWS



TRAVEL UPDATE: To continue to protect the health of our campus community, the current restrictions for university-sponsored travel have been extended through May 31, 2020. During this time, no university-sponsored international or domestic travel is permitted unless deemed mission-critical or health-critical as approved by university leadership.





PASS/FAIL PROCESS DETAILS: Faculty, inform students this week whether your course has been designated as eligible for the credit/no credit grading option (pass/fail). Beginning April 20, students will see the course(s) with CR/NC option in ASAP and will need to make their choice to opt in by 5 p.m. CDT on May 8, the last day of classes; otherwise, they will receive the traditional letter grade for the eligible course. The university has created a FAQ with more details.





TACKLING THE PANDEMIC: Weve created a dedicated webpage to highlight the work of faculty members who are conducting innovative research on COVID-19related topics. Faculty are making themselves available to peers and the media to discuss the impact of the virus in their areas of expertise, which include infectious disease, drug discovery, artificial intelligence and disease modeling, national security, cybersecurity, and mental health and wellness.





STUDENT REFUNDS: Weve created a refunds information page that details how the university will refund students for housing, parking permit and meal plan charges on a prorated basis. The decision regarding reimbursements is consistent with the actions that will be taken at all University of Texas System institutions.



VIRTUAL EVENTS



BE YOUR BEST: Join our virtual town hall meetings this week, designed to help you stay mentally and physically fit.

Well-being in the Midst of a Pandemic: Learn some tactics for settling your nerves and calming your worries during this time of uncertainty and change.

Wednesday, April 8, 23 p.m.

Learn some tactics for settling your nerves and calming your worries during this time of uncertainty and change. Wednesday, April 8, 23 p.m. Staying Healthy: Learn tips for and the importance of being aware of your total well-being in the midst of shelter-in-place and social distancing rules.

Thursday, April 9, 23 p.m.

Stay on top of other training sessions, town halls and webinars by UTSA experts on the Trainings and Town Halls page.



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EDMONTON  Alberta will most likely see a peak of coronavirus infections in mid-May and somewhere between 400 and 3,100 deaths by the end of summer, as the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold of the province.

Those are the projections put forward by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on Tuesday night as he became the lastest provincial leader to publicly lay out the probable and worst-case scenarios of the pandemic.

During a televised address to the province, Kenney said it was time for complete candour.

But Kenney stressed that much depends on how people decide to act and adhere to physical distancing, personal hygiene and other public health measures laid out by Alberta in recent weeks, since the numbers in the projections arent set in stone.

Alberta is bracing for about 800,000 cases of COVID-19 in the probable scenario, according to Alberta Health Services projections.

In what he dubbed an elevated scenario, Kenney said, there could be upwards of a million infections in that same amount of time. This worst-case scenario would see between 500 and 6,600 deaths by the end of August, he added.

Kenney has also said the province is well equipped to deal with the pandemic in its health-care facilities.

The premier said he wants Albertans to see the projections as a challenge.

Perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation.

If nothing were done to combat the pandemic, Kenney said, the health-care system would collapse with 1.6 million infections and 32,000 deaths. But, he said, Albertans wont let that happen.

The Alberta models suggest that any relaxation of social distancing measures cant happen until at least the end of May, Kenney added.

The province also has some goals to further the fight: complete 20,000 tests per day; get people who are immune back to work; continue tracking people who have had contact with those infected; facilitate mask use; and deploy screening at the border thats more rigorous than the federal governments.

Further details about Albertas COVID-19 projections are expected Wednesday, but as of Tuesday, Alberta had almost 1,400 cases and had seen 26 people die.

Theres been an ongoing debate throughout Canada about projecting COVID-19 cases past 30 days and how reliable such models are.

Health officials and politicians have stressed that COVID-19 modelling is not an exact science, but it informs government decisions on health-care supplies and equipment; helps direct policy; and has illustrated for an at-times reticent public the need for strict physical distancing measures.

In Quebec, officials on Tuesday said the peak of infections would hit around April 18. But projecting past April and into May wasnt something they felt comfortable with, due to the evolving situation and the many variables that go into projection models.

Still, their projections were stark. Quebecs best-case scenario is 1,200 deaths by the end of April and the worst case reaches nearly 9,000 deaths in the same time frame; however the province based that on Italys approach, which includes a late response and little in the way of social distancing measures.

Ontario released its COVID-19 modelling last week, as cases continued to soar and British Columbia told the public late last month that due to distancing measures, they were seeing some hopeful signs that the pandemic curve was flattening.

While health officials in Ontario warned of 1,600 deaths in April, they also said that stricter physical distancing measures would offset that number. About 200 deaths were projected in the modelling, and a stretched but manageable amount of hospitalizations, should Ontario adopt strict interventions to stem the spread of the virus.

Premier Doug Ford put further commercial shutdowns in place after the provinces models were released.

Depending on how effective public health interventions are, between 3,000 and 15,000 fatalities over the next 18 to 24 months are projected as the epidemic runs its course in Ontario.

But Kenney says Alberta has to look further into the future than most other provinces.

The province is facing another economic crisis  compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic  due to the fallout of OPEC countries dumping oil into the market, driving the price of Western Canadian Select and benchmark oil prices into the ground.

In his televised address, Kenney invoked the Spanish flu, the First World War, and the Great Depression as he tried to underscore the depth of the crisis facing not only Alberta, but the world.

Earlier in the day, at an energy conference, Kenney said that unemployment in the province could reach 25 per cent.

The premier has been pushing for federal assistance in the oil and gas industry, as well as moving to invest heavily in the Keystone XL pipeline to jump-start its construction through April.

The province is projecting a budget deficit of $20 billion due to the pandemic.

We will face a great fiscal reckoning in the future, Kenney said.

With files from Rob Ferguson, Kate Allen, and The Canadian Press

Read more about:
Hyderabad, April 8 : Telangana government has placed order for five lakh Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and another five lakh N95 masks for healthcare workers in government hospitals who are in the forefront in combating coronavirus.

Health Minister E. Rajender told reporters on Wednesday that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao personally spoke to distributors and manufacturers of medical equipment across India during the last two days and placed procurement orders.

"We are also procuring two crore surgical masks and one crore medical gloves for government doctors and nurses," he said.

The minister said orders for 3.5 lakh coronavirus testing kits and five lakh special safety eye-glasses were also placed.

He said the state currently has a stock of 80,000 PPE kits, one lakh N95 masks and 20 lakh medical gloves.

The minister said all persons from Telangana who participated in Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi last month, and those related to the returnees were traced.

Nearly 1,100 persons from the state attended the Delhi meet. Their family members and acquaintances are under quarantine and have undergone diagnostic tests.

"We have identified 3,158 persons including those who came back from Delhi and their close contacts. The swab samples have been collected from all of them and the last batch of 538 samples will be processed in another 24 hours to 48 hours," he said.

Those from Markaz cluster who have tested positive are admitted to government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad while those who are asymptomatic are under quarantine in 167 centres in districts.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: At a time when the entire health department is on its toes to prevent the spread of COVID-19, 198 doctors were caught absent from their duties in Bihar on March 31, April 1 and 2 by the officials of the state health department.

Taking serious note of absentees, the state health department has served show-cause notices to each of them asking to reply. Among them, 40 doctors were appointed in different places on a regular basis while rest are contractual ones.

They remained absent even after the leaves of all doctors and other medicos had been canceled with immediate effect till April 30 due to ongoing lockdown and medical efforts to prevent the further spread of coronavirus in the state which has 32 positive cases till date with one death.

According to the principal secretary of health department Sanjay Kumar, actions would be taken against the absentee doctors under the relevant sections of Epidemic Disease Act,1897 and the Disaster management act,2005 after receiving their replies of show-cause notices. The official said that a majority of doctors, who have been served notices, are posted in distance district-based hospitals and health centres of the state. They were found absent when the state health society rang on the landline numbers of their places of posting in March and other dates. Meanwhile, the screening of patients having influenza and severe acute respiratory illnesses has been made mandatory in Bihar's public and private hospitals for COVID-19. All the DMs and the civil surgeons (CSs) of the state have been directed to ensure the screening without fail.
Regulatory News:

The Board of Directors of SEB S.A. (Paris:SK) met on April 8, 2020 to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on the Group's business and review the corresponding action plans put in place.

Priority objectives: the protection of employees and strict compliance with the local regulations in the many countries in which Groupe SEB operates.

In response to this unprecedented crisis, the Group quickly implemented all the necessary measures to carry out this mission, including:

the implementation of teleworking and business continuity plans wherever possible;

the closure of industrial sites according to the directives or recommendations of local authorities. Thus far, of the Group's 42 sites, 24 plants have been temporarily closed;

the reorganization and adaptation of the supply chain to ensure the best possible service for customers while protecting the health of employees.

Review of the markets' current situation

The epidemic has spread rapidly to the Group's main markets in the last few weeks.

The situation has deteriorated sharply in Western Europe and, more recently, in the Americas. At this stage, Central Europe, Russia and Turkey have been less affected. The extension of containment measures and the closing of most physical stores were reflected in a downturn in non-food consumption and a substantial contraction in the Group's Consumer business in March in the impacted regions. While more resilient, online sales have failed to offset this drop.

In Asia excluding China, situations vary from one country to the other, but are overall better oriented with a gradual emergence from the crisis in South Korea as well as a pick-up in demand whereas consumption in Japan has been relatively firm despite store closure measures.

Simultaneously, China seems to start getting out of the crisis. Following a c.3-week shutdown, manufacturing restarted and our plants are back to full-capacity output, excluding the Wuhan site which has restarted and for which a return to normal production level is expected in April. As regards demand, the Chinese end-market shows signs of progressive improvement, primarily stemming from e-commerce, while the traffic in stores remains modest at date.

The Professional business is also impacted, owing to the closing of numerous restaurant chains, leading to the discontinuation of some deliveries and the postponement of some contracts.

Economic and financial impacts

Against this critical backdrop, the trajectory of organic sales growth and of increase in Operating Result from Activity excluding COVID-19 mentioned earlier is no longer relevant. Given the scale and complexity of this unprecedented health crisis and considerable uncertainty over the crisis exit, the Group is unable as yet to precisely quantify the impacts for the full year, but revenue and Operating Result from Activity will be significantly down in 2020.

In the shorter term, the Group estimates that the loss in sales (Consumer and Professional) should amount to around 270m in the first quarter, including:

180m, resulting mainly from China (including the highly negative impact of COVID-19 and demanding comparatives from the Chinese New Year in early 2019), considerably lower than the estimate announced at end-February (250m);

90m owing mainly to Europe and the Americas, particularly in March.

Given the current spread of the epidemic, the Group is expecting a substantially larger loss in revenue in the second quarter.

The Group is adapting to the situation and short-term imperatives by implementing cost savings measures, adjusting its capital expenditure and strictly controlling its cash flow, notably its working capital requirement. The financing structure is healthy and well-balanced in terms of instruments and maturities and free of financial covenants. Moreover, the Group has a syndicated credit facility amounting to 960m which is undrawn at date.

2019 dividend

For the sake of solidarity and responsibility towards all stakeholders, and to preserve the Group's resources, the Board of Directors decided today to reduce by a third versus dividend paid in 2019 the amount of the dividend to be paid to shareholders in 2020 in respect of fiscal year 2019. As such, the dividend which will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting of May 19 will be 1.43 per share. For all pure registered shares held over two consecutive financial years, a 10% dividend supplement will be paid, leading to a 1.57 dividend per share (this applies to shareholdings representing no more than 0.5% of the share capital). The ex-dividend date will be May 22 and the payment date will be May 26.

Corporate executive officers will reduce their compensation paid in 2020 according to the recommendation issued by AFEP* on March 29, 2020 (25% reduction, pro rata to the duration of applied short-time working measures) and the Board of directors decided to reduce director fees to be paid in 2020 in the same proportion.

Annual General Meeting

Given the circumstances and uncertainties over the end of containment in France, the Annual General Meeting convened for May 19, 2020 at Pavillon Vendome in Paris will be held without the physical presence of shareholders at the company's headquarters in Ecully (Rhone).

Voting by correspondence will be the only way of exercising your voting rights. As such, prior to the holding of the closed-door meeting, shareholders are asked to fill out the correspondence voting form either by voting or abstaining for each resolution, or by giving their proxy to the Chairman. We would like to remind shareholders that they may send their questions by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the following address:

SEB S.A., Service Actionnaires (Shareholder Relations department)

112 Chemin du Moulin Carron, 69130 Ecully

and by email to: actionnaires@groupeseb.com

Questions must be received no later than the fourth business day before the Annual General Meeting, namely May 13, 2020.

As usual, the Annual General Meeting will be broadcasted live on the Group corporate website.

Shareholders will be able to consult the Annual General Meeting page on the Group corporate website (https://www.groupeseb.com/en/finance/annual-general-meeting), which will be regularly updated with all the required information.

*AFEP: Association Francaise des Entreprises Privees

Change of date

Please note that, following a change in the communication schedule of Supor, our subsidiary listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the publication date of Q1 2020 Sales and Financial data has been modified. Initially set for April 27, it has been postponed to April 28, 2020.

Below you will find the updated schedule.

Next key dates April 28 | after market closes Q1 2020 sales and financial data May 19 | 3:00 pm (Paris time) Annual General Meeting closed-door July 23 before market opens H1 2020 sales and results October 26 after market closes 9-month 2020 sales and financial data

Find us on www.groupeseb.com

World reference in small domestic equipment, Groupe SEB operates with a unique portfolio of 30 top brands including Tefal, Seb, Rowenta, Moulinex, Krups, Lagostina, All-Clad, WMF, Emsa, Supor, marketed through multi-format retailing. Selling more than 350 million products a year, it deploys a long-term strategy focused on innovation, international development, competitiveness and service to clients. With products being present in over 150 countries, Groupe SEB generated sales of approximately 7.3 billion in 2019 and had more than 34,000 employees worldwide.

SEB SA

SEB SA N RCS 300 349 636 RCS LYON with a share capital of 50,307,064 - Intracommunity VAT: FR 12300349636

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005662/en/

Contacts:

Investor/Analyst Relations

Groupe SEB

Financial Communication and Investor Relations

Isabelle Posth and Raphael Hoffstetter

comfin@groupeseb.com

+33 (0) 4 72 18 16 04

Media Relations

Groupe SEB

Corporate Communication Dept

Caroline Philips

com@groupeseb.com

+33 (0) 6 49 82 28 45

Image Sept

Caroline Simon

Claire Doligez

Isabelle Dunoyer de Segonzac

caroline.simon@image7.fr

cdoligez@image7.fr

isegonzac@image7.fr

+33 (0) 1 53 70 74 70
Gauteng Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo condemned the actions of the driver of a minibus taxi that overturned on the M1 in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The man allegedly contravened public transport regulations during the country's 21-day lockdown period by carrying more passengers than the regulations allowed.

According to Mamabolo, it was reported that the minibus taxi from the Ennerdale Taxi Association, which was carrying 15 passengers, overturned near the Xavier off-ramp.

Passengers suffered various injuries, but no one died.

"We strongly condemn this behaviour by the taxi driver and call on law enforcement agencies to enforce the regulations without fear or favour. The driver must face the full might of the law for contravening regulations," said Mamabolo.

He added that the flouting of the regulations showed that there was little regard for the lives of passengers.

This, Mamabolo said, was unacceptable because the government consulted the taxi industry on the regulations announced by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula.

The MEC reiterated the provincial government's call for the taxi industry and public transport operators to comply with the regulations, and warned of consequences for those who disregarded them.

"The regulations that are in place, especially for this period, are there to protect the lives of the people. Anyone who shows disregard for the regulations is definitely not assisting our efforts to flatten the curve and stop the spread of Covid-19," said Mamabolo.

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Last week, Mbalula amended the public transport regulations to accommodate concerns from the taxi industry:

- A minibus licensed to carry 10 passengers, is now limited to a maximum of seven;

- A minibus licensed to carry 15 passengers, is now limited to 10;

- A minibus permitted to carry a maximum of 22 passengers, can now carry 15; and

- A vehicle licensed to carry a maximum of four passengers is now limited to half of that.

"We require public transport operators to adhere to the directions on sanitising vehicles and put measures in place to give effect to social distancing at all material times," Mbalula said.

He added that the hours during which taxi drivers were allowed to operate had also been changed.

Previously, the standard operating times during the lockdown were 05:00-10:00 and 16:00-21:00.

But taxis will now be allowed to operate between 05:00-20:00.

Source: News24
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The global printed and chipless RFID market is expected to reach USD 15.3 billion by 2022, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Development of affordable tags owing to simplified manufacturing technology and decreased manufacturing time have contributed significantly to chipless RFID market growth over the forecast period. Compatibility with existing infrastructure with equal efficiency as chip-based tags saves the additional cost of new system installation.

Suppliers have realized the need for efficient solutions in various applications such as smart cards, supply chain, pharmaceutical, and retail. The pharmaceutical industry is replacing chip-based tag with chipless tags due to high unit prices, which is expected to favorably impact the industry.

Chipless RFID provides various solutions including anti-counterfeiting and asset tracking to avoid theft in retail. Government initiatives for e-passports, increasing electronic transactions, dynamic conditions in the aviation industry, and increased revenue by customer delights are some of the drivers expected to favorably impact chipless RFID market growth.

High initial cost of system implementation is expected to pose a challenge to technology adoption. Implementation cost is anticipated to decrease over the next few years owing to technological advancement and increase in players offering solutions at competitive prices.

Further key findings from the study suggest :

Growth in public transit industry is expected to drive printed and chipless RFID market demand in transportation applications. In these applications, use of contact and contactless smart cards increases the operational efficiency of the overall transportation system and saves travel time. Contact-based cards need to have a physical contact with the reader; however, they can be placed in close proximity of the reader to initiate the communication process.

In retail, the technology is used for stock tracking, supply chain management, check product availability, reverse logistics and reducing loss due to shrinkage. The segment contributed to over 25% of the global revenue in 2014.

Government departments in collaboration with other agencies have initiated research and development projects. Asia Pacific printed and chipless RFID market is expected to exhibit CAGR of over 30% from 2015 to 2022, primarily due to high growth prospects in regions such as China and India.

Zebra Technologies acquired Motorola Solutions Enterprise Business in October 2014. Through this acquisition, Zebra has gained Motorola's mobile computing, bar coding, card printing, cloud-based devices, and RFID hardware businesses. The global industry comprises other notable players includes Impinj Corporation, Alien Technology, Intermec, and TAGSYS.

Players in the industry practice high degree of innovation to offer unique solutions. Key competitive factors include the design, breadth, and quality of products and services, warranty coverage, product and service availability, product performance, brand recognition, company relationships with customers, and go-to-market channel partners and company reputation.

Grand View Research has segmented the global printed and chipless RFID market on the basis of application and region:

Printed and Chipless RFID Application Outlook (USD Million; 2012 - 2022)

Retail

Transport & logistics

Aviation

Healthcare

Printed and Chipless RFID Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2012 - 2022)

North America

europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Access full research report on global printed and chipless RFID market:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/chipless-rfid-radio-frequency-identification-market
The more than 120 hostel guests, including several Americans, struggled to practice social distancing in cramped quarters with bunk beds. Many of the guests kept in communication through a group messaging service, which lit up on the night of March 29 when guests began alerting one another that they were being lined up outside and sprayed with a mystery chemical.
Women wearing face masks to protect from coronavirus walk past a billboard with a work by artist Mark Titchner in east London. (AP)

This week marks 100 days since the World Health Organization (WHO) received its first report about an unknown illness  soon to be known as coronavirus  that was affecting people in Wuhan, China.

That virus has since become a pandemic, claiming tens of thousands of lives across the world and fundamentally altering how society functions.

With the UK under strict lockdown since 23 March, people have been forced to stay at home, only leaving for essential journeys or to buy food.

The government has said it will review the lockdown guidelines after three weeks  but it is not thought there will be any relaxation until the curve of new cases has been flattened so the NHS can cope.

A worker wearing a face mask sprays disinfectant along a path in Wuhan in January. (AP)

When did the outbreak begin?

The outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that had left 27 people with viral pneumonia was recorded on 31 December, 2019, and reported to the WHO.

With cases rising in the new year, on 8 January the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV identified a possible cause: a new type of coronavirus  a class of virus that includes one of the main causes of the common cold.

On 11 January, a 61-year-old man with severe underlying health issues became the first person to die from the illness.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

What has happened in the first 100 days?

The virus soon spread outside China, with Japan and Thailand among the first to record cases. Wuhan went into travel lockdown, while other countries restricted travel to and from China, but it wasnt enough. Cases of the disease, which was given the name COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) soon entered into the thousands, while the death toll started to mount.

The WHO declared the outbreak a global emergency on 30 January  the day before the first two confirmed cases in the UK were recorded.

Story continues

On 5 March the first UK death was recorded, and on 11 March the WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic.

Since then, the government has closed schools and ordered a full lockdown, and on Monday Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care after he contracted the illness.

Over 83,000 people around the world have died since the start of the outbreak, with nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins.

An empty Victoria Square in Belfast, as the UK continues in lockdown. (PA)

What will the government do next?

The UK is over two weeks into its lockdown, which the government said it would review every three weeks  but ministers have signalled that they will follow scientific advice, and will only start to relax rules if there is evidence that cases are starting to drop as a result of social distancing.

In the meantime, Britons have been told to continue working at home wherever possible, only venturing outside for limited exercise or to make essential trips to buy groceries or care for vulnerable people.

The government has signalled it will review lockdown rules every three weeks. (AP)

Wuhan ended its lockdown this week and residents have started to fill the streets once again. China has pointed to success of the lockdown, reporting no new cases on Wednesday  however, the accuracy of its claims have been questioned.

Nevertheless, the UK government will be hoping that if Britain successfully flattens its curve there may be a return to some sort of normality in the coming months.

Shops could start to reopen in the UK if the spread of coronavirus is kept down. (PA)

How might the government relax lockdown?

The government may be looking at countries like Denmark and Austria, which have set out plans for ending the current standstill.

Both countries have said they will start to open smaller shops by the middle of April, while larger shops could open from the beginning of May. Germany has also said it will reopen schools on a regional basis. If the UK reached the peak of coronavirus over Easter, similar plans could also be introduced.

April 27th-



Get shops and businesses of less than 50 people back open.



It's great news we've seen this happening elsewhere in Europe.



Keep the vulnerable shielded till June, but stop the isolation of families. 2/5  Professor Karol Sikora (@ProfKarolSikora) April 8, 2020

Karol Sikora, a professor of medicine at the University of Buckingham, has suggested smaller shops in the UK could reopen towards the end of April, with lockdown removed on 4 May. This could result in schools reopening and people being allowed to go back to work.

If the trajectory of a downward curve continues, mass gatherings and international travel may once again be permitted by the start of June, according to Sikora.

When will the pandemic end?

While there are signs of infection rates dropping in some countries like China, they follow months of lockdown that restricted people's movement.

There are a limited number of ways out of the crisis: through vaccination, by enough people developing immunity through infection, or by permanently changing the way we live to keep some of the measures that have been introduced in place.

A vaccine may be 12-18 months away, and it may take years for herd immunity  where so many people have already been infected that the virus struggles to spread  to develop.

While the UK government insists herd immunity is not a policy aim, over time it may become a reality.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Twelve people were injured as two groups belonging to separate communities clashed over the issue of distribution of ration in Kamalpur village here, police said on Wednesday.

Six persons have been arrested in connection with the clash that took place on Tuesday, ADM City, Rakesh Kumar Maalpani told PTI.

"The incident took place in the village at the time of ration distribution in which two groups clashed. Twelve persons were injured in brickbatting between rival groups.They have been admitted at the district Malham Singh hospital," police said.

The situation in the village is now "fully under control", police said.

An FIR has been lodged against 150 people, including 100 unnamed people. Among those booked for the violence is the pradhan of the village ChamanKhan.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, BJP Corporator Virendra Singh was arrested for allegedlyassaulting a labourer Kanhaiya Lal following a tiff over distribution of ration.

As soon as of his arrest spread,senior BJP leaders rushed to police stationKuwarsi where the arrested corporator was taken.

After nearly two hours of altercation betweenBJP leaders and police, the corporator was released on bail.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muniraj G told newspersons that an inquiry has been ordered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Violence, Language

Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming Chris Hemsworth action movie, Extraction.

Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering the lives of Rake and the boy. An action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller directed by Sam Hargrave, Extraction is an AGBO Films and TGIM Films, Inc. production, produced by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Eric Gitter, and Peter Schwerin.

Directed by: Sam Hargrave

Screenplay by: Joe Russo

Produced by: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Eric Gitter, Peter Schwerin

Friday April 24 on Netflix.
The global chemical weapons watchdog has issued a report blaming the Syrian air force for a series of chemical attacks in late March 2017 on the central town of Ltamenah.

The report marks the first time the Investigation and Identification Team, set up in 2018 by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has apportioned blame for an attack in Syria.

It is likely to lead to fresh calls for accountability for the regime of President Bashar Assad.

OPCW director-general Fernando Arias said it is now up to the organisation, the United Nations secretary-general, and the international community as a whole to take any further action they deem appropriate and necessary.

The coordinator of the investigative team, Santiago Onate-Laborde, said in a statement the team concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the use of sarin as a chemical weapon in Ltamenah on 24 and 30 March 2017, and the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon on 25 March 2017 were individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force.

The detailed report said that on March 24 a Su-22 military plane from the 50th Brigade of the 22nd Air Division of the Syrian Arab Air Force left Shayrat airbase and dropped an M4000 aerial bomb containing sarin in southern Ltamenah, affecting at least 16 persons.

A day later, a Syrian air force helicopter dropped a cylinder on the towns hospital. It smashed through the roof, ruptured and released chlorine, affecting at least 30 people.

And on March 27 a Su-22 plane dropped an M4000 aerial bomb containing sarin in southern Ltamenah, affecting at least 60 persons.
The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has threatened to withhold funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for getting every aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic wrong.

According to CNBC, Mr Trump, in a press conference on Tuesday at the White House, said the international health agency had called the border restrictions wrong.

Were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO, Mr Trump said. We will look at ending funding because you know what, they called it wrong.

Mr Trump said he is thinking about withholding funds to the WHO, saying the international agency pushed back on his travel ban from China early in the COVID-19 outbreak.

It is unclear, however, how Mr Trump would do this.

The US Congress had already authorized $122 million for the WHO for this fiscal year, and while Mr Trump has proposed $58 million in funding for the group in fiscal year 2021, a significant cut.

It is unlikely that the Congress will authorise such a drastic funding cut, especially in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

His comments repeated criticism he levelled against the health organization over Twitter earlier Tuesday.

The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look, he tweeted.

They did give us some pretty bad play calling with regard to us, theyre taking a lot of heat because they didnt want the borders closed, they called it wrong. They really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong, he said.

The global health agency started sounding the alarm on the outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, China in mid-January.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.4 million people have tested positive, while there have been more than 81,000 deaths.

WHO officials declared the outbreak a pandemic on March 11, when there were just 121,000 global cases. In the U.S. alone, there are now more than 380,000 cases, according to John Hopkins.

Take a look, go through step by step. They said theres no big deal, theres no big problem. Theres no nothing, and then ultimately when I closed it down, they said I made a mistake in closing it down and it turned out to be right, Mr Trump said, referring to travel restrictions he put in place on people flying to the U.S. from China on January 31 when he declared it was a public health emergency in the U.S.

While WHO officials have praised the U.S. response to the coronavirus, theyve also been critical of some of Mr Trumps policies and practices surrounding it.

They urged people against calling COVID-19 the Chinese virus as Mr Trump had done, saying that it could unintentionally lead to racial profiling.

On March 18, the executive director of WHOs emergencies program, said that viruses do not discriminate before affecting its victims.

Viruses know no borders and they dont care about your ethnicity, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank. So its really important we be careful in the language we use lest it lead to the profiling of individuals associated with the virus, he said.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus [Photo: Scrol.in]

When WHO, Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus declared the Coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency in January, he urged countries to remain calm and to not impose measures that unnecessarily interfere with international trade or travel.

This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumors. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma, he said.

Mr Trump signed an executive order for the U.S. to deny entry to any foreign nationals who had traveled in China within the past two weeks, aside from the immediate family of U.S. citizens, 24 hours later.
Channel Seven drama Home and Away was temporarily suspended to allow additional news bulletins to air amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Wednesday, Australian actress Emily Weir, who plays newcomer Mackenzie Booth, announced that the series was returning to screens on Easter Monday.

Sharing a video from what appears to be her home bedroom, the 29-year-old star said: 'Just a message to say we are back on Screens April 13'.

Get excited! Home and Away is set to return to television on April 13 after the popular series was temporarily suspended to allow additional news bulletins amid the coronavirus outbreak

'Summer Bay is back in Action,' she cheerfully added, while looking into the camera.

'I hope everyone is staying at home, staying positive and staying strong. We can't wait to be in your living room'.

It comes after production on the set of the popular show was shutdown over COVID-19 fears.

Channel Seven said the health and wellbeing of the cast and crew was a priority, and filming would be halted.

Panic: It comes after production on set of the popular show was also shut down over COVID-19 fears on the day it celebrated its 35th year on air . Pictured: Ray Meagher who plays Alf Stewart on the soap

On March 22, a spokesman told TV Tonight: 'Seven Studios advised today that it would halt filming of Home and Away immediately'.

'It's confirmed that no cast or crew had tested positive for COVID-19, but that the decision was made due to the increasing logistical hurdles related to the COVID-19 situation.'

Returning star Luke Jacobz, was also seen sharing the exciting news about the show's return to the show's official Instagram account.

Back to the Bay! Luke Jacobz, 39, (pictured) is set to return to Home and Away as police officer Angelo Rosetta after almost a decade

The 39-year-old rose to fame after playing police officer Angelo Rosetta between 2008-2011.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph this week, Luke revealed producers contacted him in January asking him to reprise his role.

'[Channel Seven executives] called me in and said "How do you feel about Angelo coming back to the bay?'" the actor said.

'I said "very good" - and almost straight away it was "Ok, let's get a haircut, a wardrobe fitting and look at some scripts,'" he enthused.
In a very short span of time, Vijay Deverakonda has managed to make his mark in the Telugu film industry and now, the talented actor is gearing up for his grand Bollywood debut as well. No wonder the Arjun Reddy star is in high demand these days. In fact, reports are doing the rounds that the 30-year-old may have actually okayed another project. But is it true? Read on to know the details!

According to the latest grapevine, Mental Madhilo director Vivek Athreya is going to team up with Vijay for his next directorial outing. It is being said that the talented filmmaker recently met the World Famous Lover hero, and gave him a narration. Apparently, Deverakonda was highly impressed with the story and gave his nod.

But as per a report in gulte.com, neither Vijay has met Vivek nor has he signed any new film. Yes, Deverakonda did have a meeting with the young director but it was long back and not recently. Hence, it's pretty unlikely that these two are coming together for a movie. Plus, the entire country is in lockdown currently due to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, it's not possible that Vijay and Vivek would have met for a narration.

As soon as the Corona crisis subsides, Vijay will resume shooting for his much-awaited film Fighter, which is being helmed by maverick filmmaker Puri Jagannadh. Co-starring Bollywood beauty Ananya Panday, the action romantic-drama is being bankrolled by Karan Johar's banner Dharma Productions. Since Fighter will release in Hindi and Telugu, the movie will mark Vijay's debut in Bollywood and Ananya's debut in Tollywood.

What's Bothering Vijay Deverakonda Amid Coronavirus Lockdown?
Bosses of Britain's biggest banks have begun to cave in to pressure to cut their pay in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

TSB announced yesterday that its ten-strong executive committee, including chief executive Debbie Crosbie, would give up their bonuses worth several million pounds.

And Barclays said its chief executive Jes Staley, finance director Tushar Morzaria and chairman Nigel Higgins would give a third of their fixed pay for the next six months to charities working on the Covid-19 frontline.

TSB announced yesterday that its ten-strong executive committee, including chief executive Debbie Crosbie (pictured), would give up their bonuses worth several million pounds

One Barclays insider admitted that the Mail's Time to End Fat Cat Pay campaign had added to the trio's decision to give up 800,000 between them.

The cuts followed a commitment by Nationwide's boss Joe Garner this week to give up a fifth of his salary and all of his performance-related bonus, worth a maximum of 1.6million.

But the majority of Britain's biggest lenders  including Lloyds, HSBC, Santander UK and Natwest owner RBS  have yet to break their silence on executive pay.

Crosbie said: 'It is right to give up these awards, so that we are better able to recognise the work our colleagues on the front line are doing.'

Bosses at other major companies are slashing salaries in solidarity with staff, shareholders and the public.

Companies such as Ryanair, housebuilder Taylor Wimpey and pest control firm Rentokil have all committed to reduce their executives' pay packages.

TSB's Crosbie will be surrendering up to 760,000, the maximum bonus she could receive on top of her 950,000 base salary.

Barclays' Staley will donate 392,000 of his 2.4million salary to The Barclays Foundation, which will share the money among charities tackling the pandemic.

Barclays will also donate 50million to the foundation and match employees' contributions up to another 50million.

Banco Santander, the Spanish parent of Santander UK, announced last month that its chairman Ana Botin and chief executive Jose Antonio Alvarez would donate half their entire pay packages to charity.

Botin made it clear that regional bosses, including UK chief executive Nathan Bostock, should consider cutting their own pay. Santander UK has yet to announce any changes.

Banks have joined hundreds of listed companies in suspending or axing their dividends, to hold on to as much cash as possible.

Pension funds and savers, who may rely on the income, have lost out on 18billion.

And even though Britain's top banks have ditched more than 7.5billion of dividend payments, on orders from the Bank of England to preserve cash, most have yet to shave their executives' multi-million pound pay.

Those banks have been criticised for failing to 'do their bit' as they accept taxpayer help in the form of Goverment-guaranteed loans, where the Treasury will cover 80 per cent of any losses made on loans to small businesses rocked by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Debbie Hargreaves, at the High Pay Centre, told Radio 4's Today programme: 'We need people at the top showing that they're doing their bit.

There's going to be so much hardship when this is over and it just doesn't look right, if you're leading a big company that's looking for Government help or has furloughed all of your workers, to be getting a multi-million pound payout or bonus.

'Companies that are asking for government bailouts shouldn't be paying big dividends to their shareholders and big bonuses to their executives and then expect to rely on a taxpayer bailout like we saw with the banks in 2008.'

Lord Mann, a former member of the Treasury Select Committee, said: 'In 2008, the people bailed out the banks  now bankers need to repay the compliment.'
STAMFORD  Researchers are isolating antibodies in people whove recovered from the coronavirus to see if they can help the hundreds of hospital patients struggling with the sometimes-deadly respiratory infection.

The effort is underway at Stamford Health  which is conducting Connecticuts first clinical trial  and at Nuvance Health in Danbury and Norwalk, which is collecting the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients for a similar study later this month.

Plasma therapy has a long history of success in helping patients with diseases such as polio, measles and even the flu in their recovery said Dr. Paul Sachs, director of pulmonary medicine at Stamford Health and a principal investigator for the trial. Pilot studies at other organizations have shown promise, and we hope that well see those successes replicated for COVID-19.

The federal Food and Drug Administration agrees, up to a point.

Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective in COVID-19, the FDA said in a statement late last week. It is therefore important to determine through clinical trials, before routinely administering convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19, that it is safe and effective to do so.

To assist those trials in Stamford and across the country, the American Red Cross is looking for plasma donors who are fully recovered from COVID-19.

People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus, the Red Cross said in a statement. This convalescent plasma is being evaluated as treatment for patients seriously ill with COVID-19.

At the same time, Nuvance Health has launched a blood plasma program to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. The networks Connecticut hospitals include Danbury and Norwalk hospitals, and its New York hospitals include Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.

Plasma donors are asked to register by filling out a questionnaire.

Stamford Health, which runs Stamford Hospital, has about 30 people sick with coronavirus who are eligible for the plasma therapy, several of whom could receive the simple treatment as soon as the end of the week.

The antibodies are inside the plasma and the plasma is transfused directly into sick patients, said Suzanne Rose, Stamford Healths Office of Research director, and the study sub-investigator. This could be revolutionary, because theres very few side effects, and we dont have to give somebody drugs to help their body fight harder against the infection.

The therapy involves the transfusion of two units of plasma that has been analyzed tested. The first unit is given slowly over two hours to ensure the patients body doesnt reject it. A second unit of plasma is then given.

The Stamford study is similar to trials that have begun across the country, including a large-scale trial at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where the focus is on helping hospitalized patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19.

Closer to home, the hope is to lessen the severity of the illness and shorten the time people need to be hospitalized in Stamford. The study will compare patients who receive plasma treatment to COVID-19 patients who have been at Stamford Hospital without the therapy prior to the trial, Rose said.

It is very exciting because we hope to get a lot data and definitively answer some of the questions around convalescent plasma therapy, which has been around for years.

Connecticut, in solidarity with the rest of the country and the world, is fighting an unprecedented pandemic that has infected more than 7,700 people in the state since March 8, and killed 326.

The majority of people with the infection have moderate symptoms and recover. The elderly and those in frail health are most susceptible to serious illness and death.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:27:39|Editor: Liu

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WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that he doesn't see a quick rebound in the U.S. economy following the COVID-19 outbreak.

"I don't see the economy returning to a more normal state until there's much greater confidence both among average people and at the level of governors and mayors that opening up the economy won't restart the crisis," he told a webinar hosted by the Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution.

"The critical factor in terms of how bad this is going to be, how much imprint it will leave on the U.S. economy is its duration," said Bernanke, who led the central bank through the 2008-09 financial crisis. "The most important determinant of the duration is the public health response."

"Since we'll probably have to restart activity fairly gradually and there may be subsequent periods of slower activity again, I don't think it's going to be a rapid response," said Bernanke, a distinguished fellow at Brookings.

He said the U.S. economy could contract at a 30 percent annualized rate or more in the second quarter, though noting that this is not comparable to the 12-year Great Depression decades ago.

"If all goes well in a year or two we should be in a substantially better position," said the former Fed chair.

Bernanke lauded U.S. fiscal and monetary policies in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that he is hopeful that bipartisan efforts in the Congress might lead to a more robust fiscal response as the economy recovers.






TOKYO  Honda on Tuesday said that it had furloughed workers at its U.S. plants, which will be closed until May 1 as demand for cars in the country has plummeted due to the spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesman for Honda, which employs about 18,400 workers at plants in Alabama, Indiana and Ohio, said the Japanese automaker would guarantee salaries through Sunday, having suspended operations on March 23. Operations at its Powersports plant in South Carolina, which makes all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), have been suspended since March 26.

Automakers are facing a drop in sales in the United States, the world's second-largest car market, after some states barred car dealers from selling new cars while "stay at home" orders are in place.

Last week, Nissan said it would extend its U.S. production suspension into late April. Toyota has halted its U.S. and Canadian production through April 17.

On Monday, both Honda and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said they hope to restart U.S. and Canadian auto production in early May.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week extended the guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus to April 30.

Several U.S. auto industry executives told Reuters on Monday it will be nearly impossible for companies to resume production before the end of the month  and there is no assurance automakers will be able to resume production in early May. Other automakers plan to extend current production halts later this week, automakers told Reuters.

It will also take auto suppliers time to resume production. In an internal estimate, Ford said last week it believed 600,000 U.S. industry auto sales may have been lost in March because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Honda noted many consumers are unable to purchase vehicles and said it "must continue to suspend production in order to align product supply with a lack of market demand." Some states have barred car dealers from selling new cars while "stay at home" order are in place.

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Ford said last week it was postponing its plan to restart production at its North America. Ford had been aiming to resume production at several key U.S. plants on April 14, but then said it would now do so at dates to be announced later. Ford said Monday it is "continuing to assess public health conditions, government guidelines and supplier readiness to determine when the time is right to resume production in our North American plants."

General Motors has shuttered its plants indefinitely and has not provided a date for vehicle production to restart.

Automakers are working on additional employee protections to add when they restart, including new personal protective gear, staggering shift starts, more frequent cleanings and new social distancing rules.

Fiat Chrysler said it will redesign "work stations to maintain proper social distancing and expanding the already extensive cleaning protocols at all locations."

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There has been an unusual spike in ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army on the Line of Control (LoC) this year to help infiltrators sneak into Jammu and Kashmir compared to border violations in the previous years, two senior officers familiar with the matter said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The neighbouring army has carried out more ceasefire violations during January-March this year compared to the corresponding periods of the previous two years. Local recruitment of terrorists in J&K, however, has declined this year, figures show.

Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,144 times between January and March, with the highest number of violations (411) being recorded last month when Covid-19 cases started peaking globally, said the first officer cited above. It has carried out 53 cease-fire violations this month (as of April 6).

Figures obtained by HT show that the Pakistan army violated the ceasefire 685 times in 2019 and 627 times in 2018 for the period January to March.

The world is fighting the Covid-19 outbreak using all available resources but Pakistan is focused on pushing in terrorist infiltrators into the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to foment trouble, said the second officer cited above.

Pakistan carried out 1,629 cease-fire violations in 2018 and 3,168 violations in 2019, compared to 1,197 this year.

The army has been dealing with an increase in infiltration attempts by Pakistan-backed terrorists looking to stir trouble in J&K since the Centres move revoking the special status of the state on August 5, 2019. Experts said Pakistan was trying its best to reinvigorate the terror machinery in J&K to destabilise the border region.

Five commandos belonging to an elite army Special Forces (SF) unit were killed in action along the LoC in Kashmirs Keran sector on Sunday during an intense close-quarters battle with an equal number of terrorist infiltrators who were all eliminated.

Lieutenant General Satish Dua (retd), a former commander of the Srinagar-based HQs 15 Corps, told Hindustan Times on Monday that this is the first summer after the removal of Article 370 and Pakistan army will surely step up efforts to push in terrorists to create trouble.

An Army officer said on Monday that Pakistan and its army are fomenting terrorism in India to hide its failure to fight Covid-19. The Indian Army is not only fighting Covid with utmost professionalism both in India and in neighbouring countries but it is also concurrently defeating Pakistans evil designs along the LoC and in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, asking not to be named.

The security forces have killed 41 terrorists in J&K this year so far compared to 152 terrorists in 2019 and 215 in 2018, according to official figures. Local recruitment of terrorists has shown a declining trend this year -- only six joined terror outfits as of April 7 (compared to 119 in entire 2019).

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As questions from you flood into police, governments  and our newsrooms  about what will and won't get you fined on the spot, we've scoured guidelines and public comments from leaders, and put your questions to state governments and the police. Here is what we know so far.

So far so good. The number of new infections is falling. But our medical experts have warned now is "not the time to take the foot off the brake"  complacency could see Australia lose its window to contain the outbreak, and cases rapidly explode again.

The idea of these rules, which are being applied and enforced  and, in some cases, are starting to be relaxed  by state and territory governments, is to slow and perhaps even stop the spread of the highly contagious virus by limiting contact with others, thereby ensuring our hospitals are not overwhelmed all at once.

The bottom line, as distilled into those text message flying around from the federal government: "Only leave for what you need  exercise, work, medical and care".

In our new reality during the COVID-19 pandemic, no matter where you live in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has advised there are really only four acceptable reasons to go out:

Guests are pinged for attending a dinner party. Five young people in a car are fined for driving aimlessly around. Three friends are pulled up for playing video games in a loungeroom. A local mayor's spontaneous detour from grocery shopping for an impromptu beer with friends costs him more than $1000. All had breached laws aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus.

Those meeting up with friends or family will also still be subject to the 1.5-metre rule and could cop a $1000 fine if they are caught breaking it.

All other restrictions, including border closures and pubs and gym shutdowns, remain in place. Public playgrounds and skateparks will also remain closed because they could not be regularly cleaned as school playgrounds could be.

In addition to essential trips from home, West Australians will now also be able to leave the home for non-contact recreational activities including fishing, private picnics, hiking or camping.

On April 26, a new 10-person rule was announced for WA that allows for gatherings of up to 10 people, including at weddings and outdoor personal training sessions where equipment is not shared.

In Victoria , Tasmania , Queensland and the Northern Territory , coaching is cancelled and it's game, set and match for clubs, at least for now. You'll have to find other ways to practise: Evonne Goolagong-Cawley famously spent many hours a day during childhood hitting a ball against a wall with a wooden paddle. Also worth noting: in Victoria, six people were fined over Easter for playing tennis on a closed public court in Maribyrnong. Tennis Australia is working with governments to put out community guidelines that will be updated regularly for those who are allowed to play. They include ditching doubles and using new balls where possible, although they reassure players "there is no specific evidence that balls can spread COVID-19".

Well  as with all these rules, it depends where you live. Court hire and one-on-one coaching (only two people per court, of course) is permitted in NSW and in South Australia , where outdoor courts remain open, subject to social distancing, but clubrooms are closed. In the ACT , just you and a coach can play, with the coach in charge of sanitising, but clubhouses are closed. In WA , it's a line call for the clubs: they can stay open for hire and coaching so long as they ensure social distancing and hygiene (unless a local council has shut down a club, in which case all bets are off).

But what about those among us who like a hit and giggle at the local club, or a topspin slog with an arch rival on a suburban court? After all, it should be OK during this pandemic because there's a net between the players, right?

Professional tennis is suspended at least until July 13 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. That means Wimbledon too. Even the Australian Open is looking at all sorts of contingencies for January , including that fans potentially may not be able to attend. So what have the players been doing? Roger and Mirka Federer have donated a million Swiss francs to vulnerable families in their home country. Novak and Jelena Djokovic have pledged a million euros to Serbian hospitals. Grigor Dimitrov has donated ventilators to his hometown in Bulgaria. Serena Williams is raising awareness of the importance of staying home and has posted TikTok videos of herself online, dressed in different-coloured tutus and as Snow White.

In NSW, cemetery visits are sanctioned so long as you stay 1.5 metres from anyone else. In Victoria, youre encouraged to delay visits to cemeteries but, if you do go, again, make it with just one other person or your immediate household and stay at least 1.5 metres apart. After unconfirmed reports of people being fined for laying flowers on loved ones' graves over Easter, Victoria Police said any fines would be withdrawn in the absence of any other factors which may have led to an infringement being issued. Victoria Police sent clear instructions to its members last week that discretion is to be used if people are attending the cemetery to pay their respects to loved ones.

Queenslanders would be able to enjoy some relief from stay-at-home rules from midnight on Friday, May 1. They can:

The RSPCA notes that failing to care of an animal, even during a pandemic, may mean youre breaking animal welfare laws. Like us, the charity is still seeking more clarification from governments on what the new restrictions on movement mean for animals. But it has already overhauled its adoption process, closing shelters and instead directing people to an online form. From there, staff will arrange appointments for potential owners to meet animals  usually outside at their home under social distancing measures. Many animal welfare inspections are also still running, again with increased precautions.

Yes. You can still take your pet to the vet. As with animal rescue groups and shelters, vets are considered essential services but are now mostly operating under ramped-up hygiene measures (collecting pets at the door and chatting to owners over the phone, for example). Victorias Acting Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Cameron Bell, says you can leave home for the "maintenance, care or rescue of animals. You may pick up a pet but you should ask yourself, is it absolutely necessary to bring a new pet into your home at this time? In NSW, its also OK to pick up an animal from the pound. Still follow other social distancing rules  keep your distance from people and limit travel as much as possible.

In WA , social visits are strongly discouraged but not banned outright. (We are still seeking clarification on this.) In South Australia and the Northern Territory , socialising is discouraged but gatherings are limited to 10.

In Queensland , social visits are allowed for up to two visitors to each household, although strangers can't visit. Tasmania and the ACT still also let you have up to two visitors as long as you are following social distancing measures  allowing space for one person per four square metres. (So if you live in a tiny apartment you might still have to reconsider guests).

In NSW , the position is similar. There are 16 excuses for leaving your home but none of them involve dinner parties, barbecues or beers with mates (see the list below). Premier Gladys Berejiklian has stressed that extended families cannot get together, not even for Easter.

Victoria has taken one of the tougher lines on guests  banning all non-essential, social visits to homes even between relatives. Premier Daniel Andrews has spoken of a recent dinner party in Victoria at which one person was infected with COVID-19 at the start and several guests had come down with the new illness by the end.

In all states, you can still visit someone in an emergency or to provide care  or even drop off supplies. But when it comes to social visits to households, it's the unnecessary guests that are now advised against, even if you live alone. Spending time together inside a house, as opposed to on a walk outside (1.5 metres apart), gives the virus more opportunities to spread in bathrooms and kitchens and around dinner tables.

While child custody arrangements remain unaffected by the restrictions, the rules around babysitting are less clear  although it appears to fall under either care or work in most states. In NSW , the government has yet to clarify this. Victoria has said its own rules allow you to have someone over to care for children if you need to leave the house for one of the four essential reasons above, or if you are working or studying from home.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller came to the same conclusion by a different route: he said visiting a partner fell under the category of "care", which is one of the 16 reasonable excuses (listed above) for not staying home. "Mental health," he said, "we get it ... we need to look after each other  but don't take the whole family with you." In the other states and territories, visitors can include partners.

This was briefly a vexed issue in Victoria and NSW because social visits are otherwise banned. Victoria quickly backed down on its "bonk ban", after advising on April 1 that people should not visit or be intimate with partners they didn't live with. Within hours, it had made a specific exemption for romantic couples.

Still, older or Indigenous Australians and those with chronic conditions have been advised by medical experts, including Australia's chief health officers, to stay home where they can and limit contact with relatives, even grandchildren. "Sadly, I don't think grandparents can be drafted in for very much at all," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said when asked about babysitting. "It is simply not smart, not right for us to be putting those people at risk." He acknowledged this was often painful for people, speaking of the case of a new grandparent who had been unable to meet their grandson since the pandemic hit.

What about cleaners and tradies?

Yes, but only if it's essential (this is no time for a backyard blitz) and while keeping your distance. In NSW, as we've seen above, cleaning will fall under caring when it's for someone vulnerable. In Victoria, if you are unwell, disabled, elderly or pregnant you can have a service provider or tradie over "if you really need help". "For example," the government advice says, "your Wi-Fi might be faulty and you need it to work from home. Or, you might have a leaking pipe causing damage. A tradesperson is permitted to enter your home to fix the problem, but you must ensure physical distancing while they are there." Similarly, house cleaners are framed in the guidelines as being for those who need help, physically. If you're helping an elderly friend or relative who lives alone with cleaning and housework, the government advises, think about having them sit somewhere comfortable and away from you while you work. For the rest of us, it might be time to dust off the feather duster.

In Queensland, the limit of two visitors is not affected by someone who's at the house to work (for example, a cleaner, a nanny or tradesperson), according to guidelines. "This means for example, three tradespeople could be at your house to do repairs, and you can still have a close friend at your house, with your regular household members." Safe Work Australia is advising cleaners and tradespeople to maintain physical distance at all times in homes.

No mucking around! Make beach visits quick and for exercise. And check whether a beach is open before you head out. Credit:

What about exercise outdoors?

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has kept going for morning walks every day during the crisis. Victoria's Chief Medical Officer, Brett Sutton, has mentioned taking a 20-minute evening constitutional around his neighbourhood. As the Prime Minister has said, exercise is one of the four acceptable reasons to be out of your home. Exercise can be with one other person so long as you keep 1.5 metres distance from one another.

The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has said: "Recreational exercise such as fishing, hunting, boating, golf and other activities that go beyond basic exercise, are not allowed." This could potentially rule out some activities that you might wish to classify as exercise, although Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has explained that solo pursuits such as canoeing, kayaking, standup paddle-boarding, rowing and surf-skiing are permitted so long as people don't travel long distances to do them. She said the thinking behind banning golf was that it involved players having to pay at clubrooms and potentially being around other people at holes.

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While group boot camps are out, you can walk, jog, cycle or do push-ups with your household or someone external to your household, including a personal trainer, as long as it's just the two of you. You could even grab a takeaway coffee but, as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged, keep moving  the aim is to avoid people clustering, and NSW Police have stressed that people hanging about will attract their attraction. The popular Bondi to Bronte coastal walk was closed on Easter Saturday because it continued to be rather too popular, with people gravitating to it for exercise despite being asked to find other walks.

In WA, AFL player Nat Fyfe was cleared by police after he was spotted surfing at Margaret River, a few hundred kilometres from his home. He had driven to the area to help out with his family's transport business and was exercising, in the form of surfing, while he waited for a truck to be loaded. "Exemptions for regional travel do apply," said WA Police, "but exempt travellers must only travel as required and must only stay in the region for as long as it takes to complete the essential service."  with Ronny Lerner

How far can you drive for, say, exercise?

If you keep the word "essential" in mind, then rambling Sunday drives or road trips where you pop out of the car right at the end to stretch your legs are not on right now. In fact, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told ABC Radio the Easter long weekend was not an excuse for people to travel just anywhere and people should not be going for a drive  even if they have no intention of getting out of the car.

In Victoria, Police Minister Lisa Neville urged people to exercise in their local community and not travel to the coast for a surf, walk or swim even if a beach was open. Surfing, swimming and walking were all permitted on beaches as of Easter, although surf clubs and lifesaving patrols are now no longer operating. Driving the 20 minutes from Aireys Inlet to Lorne would be reasonable, said Minister Neville, but driving the two hours from Melbourne to Lorne would be "inappropriate". Police rescinded a fine for a man who was driving half-an-hour to go mountain biking alone  at the nearest track to his home. Driving to an exercise spot alone is acceptable. (Given the two-person rule, you could conceivably meet someone from another household at your destination but you should not drive there together.)

In Queensland, those considering travelling to walk on a beach should think again: beaches are accessible only to people who live in the immediate area, with police signalling they will step up random ID checks over the Easter weekend. People are not allowed to travel, for example, from Brisbane to the Gold Coast to visit the beach, and will be fined if police do spot checks. Border controls are in force in Queensland too and more than 900 cars had been turned around by April 8. Asked about motorbike rides for pleasure, the Queensland Government responded "You can only ride your motorbike when its necessary to do so for one of the permitted purposes  Riding your motorbike solely for pleasure is not permitted."

Within WA too, if you drive far enough, you might come up against one of the around-the-clock checkpoints and mobile policing among the state's nine major regions. The Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance regions have been completely locked down for all but essential services. See details below.

L-platers: depends where you live. Credit:

Can I still take my son (who lives with me and is a learner driver) out for driving practice?

That depends on where you live. NSW Police have issued a statement saying learning to drive with a household member is considered a reasonable excuse to leave home "given that this is a learning activity that cannot be done from home and is akin to the listed reasonable excuse of travelling to attend an educational institution where you cannot learn from home".

Victoria has come down differently on the issue. A learner driver made news recently after she was fined $1652 for practising driving with her mother, which police said was "non-essential". Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton later acknowledged this was not a fair fine because the rules were unclear and there was no precedent. But Victorian authorities stand by the fact that a driving lesson is not essential, and Patton has said any future cases will be fined. An L-plater can drive for essential activities, such as buying food or for medical care.

In Queensland, the Chief Health Officer's direction is to only undertake essential travel. So, again, you could supervise your child driving to and from these essential activities. The WA government is recommending all learner driver lessons, outside essential travel, also be deferred for now but the transport department is "prioritising driving tests for emergency services and personnel and for heavy vehicles to keep the freight industry operating".

What are the medical or compassionate reasons for being able to leave your home in Victoria? To visit a doctor or other medical professional, or to obtain medical supplies

To donate blood

If you have shared parenting obligations and need to transport children between homes, under an informal or court-ordered arrangement

If you have carer responsibilities, for example, a foster care or respite care obligation

To drop off or pick up a child at childcare, early childhood education or school if you need to go to work or study

To provide care and support to a relative or other person  such as shopping, cooking or house-cleaning  to someone because of their old age, infirmity, disability, sickness, chronic health condition or because they may be pregnant or have mental health concerns

To visit someone in an aged care facility or disability accommodation

To visit someone in hospital

To attend the funeral service of a relative or close friend, noting that the maximum permitted number of mourners is 10

To get married, or be a witness to a marriage

If there is family violence, or violence by another person in the home, and you are at risk.

Easter holidays? Stay home. Credit:

What about holiday houses?

In Victoria, Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton has said that if people have more than one "ordinary place of residence" then they can move between them. "You got a holiday house? You can go to that," he told 3AW radio. But go there, go straight there and stay there, only going out for one of the four valid reasons  to shop for food and other essentials; to access medical services or provide caregiving; to go to work or education; and to exercise  or you can be fined.

In NSW, taking a holiday in a regional area is not a reasonable excuse to be moving about.

A man told 3AW radio on April 7 he had received a $1652 fine for non-essential travel after visiting his beach house on the Mornington Peninsula to check its security. "I went down by myself. On the way home, I thought, I'll make a little detour and get rid of an empty gas bottle " he said.

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Towing a caravan and setting it up somewhere is also out in Victoria  and an ordinary place of residence is not a short-term holiday rental. Short-term rentals such as Air BnBs can be used for work, education or for caring purposes but not for holidaying."If you've booked an Airbnb, you should be staying home in your permanent residence," Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said before Easter. Airbnb have cancellation policies in place that allow you to cancel and get a full refund if you booked before March 14.

In NSW, the public health orders specifically spell it out: "Taking a holiday in a regional area is not a reasonable excuse." And NSW Police have explicitly said not to go on holidays.

In Queensland, which has also closed its borders, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has gone so far as to say, "Easter holidays are cancelled this year". Queensland police strongly suggested they would issue on-the-spot fines of $1334 to people travelling to a second house for no good reason, such as a holiday house or apartment near a beach. If you are able to make a convincing case that your travel is for essential purposes, such as for work, that might be fine but if the "work" is simply mowing the yard or so on then it is not advisable.

In WA, the state has not only closed its borders but has broken up the state into nine regions  drivers cannot pass beyond those checkpoints without a valid reason. You couldn't travel from Perth to a holiday home in, say, Dunsborough, in the South West region, unless you were an essential worker or travelling on compassionate grounds.

Meanwhile, South Australia and the ACT have warned people not to pitch tents in national parks or travel to coastal or regional communities.

Can I move house?

Yes if you have to. You can even have removalists but you must adhere to physical distancing rules.

Can I donate blood or plasma?

You bet. In every state and territory, blood donations are exempt from the current restrictions.

Fishing? It depends where you live. Credit:

Can I go fishing, take the boat out or play golf?

"No one likes playing golf more than I do," Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews has said. "You might want to play golf but you don't need to play golf. No round of golf is worth someone's life." Victoria's Chief Medical Officer, Brett Sutton, has ruled out not just golf but fishing, boating, hunting, camping and "all recreational activity beyond basic exercise". "Hang up your rods, leave the tinnie in the driveway, and clean your [golf] clubs at home."

A Victorian government spokesman confirmed that also means the state's annual and controversial month-long duck hunting season, which was due to start on May 2, is called off until the rules are reviewed again on May 11.

In NSW, hunting is suspended but fishing is OK  the Department of Primary Industries characterises it as exercise. Golf is fine, too. (Golf courses were initially closed on advice of the federal government but, after reconsideration, the NSW Office of Sport deemed golf an activity that can be played in line with Public Health Orders.) And so is boating. A "reasonable excuse" to use your boat could be to exercise (for example, kayaking, sailing, paddling); fish; get to and from work when you can't work from home; get groceries; and provide help or care to an immediate member of the person's family. Again, social distancing rules always apply  at the boat ramp and on your boat. You should be in your boat alone or with just one other person; or with family who ordinarily live in the same household as you.

In Queensland, even if two people are in a tinnie they are still required to socially distance.

Golf is good in Queensland as long as it is with just two people who are physically distant. Boating was banned but now boaties can locally fish or travel for food but not recreation (it's not clear where this leaves anglers). Other forms of water sports, including kayaking and paddleboarding, are also still allowed in Queensland, and state-run boat ramps remain open. Even so, the federal provisions limiting public gatherings to two people or less still apply, and even if two people are in a tinnie they are still required to socially distance.

WA has not expressly banned recreational fishing or boating but fishers have been encouraged to stay at home and recreational fishing body Recfishwest says you should head out only for essential food gathering. Golf is OK, though. Some clubs are open and some have opted to shut. You have to play in a one or a two, physically distancing as you go, and call the club first, both to see if they're open and to get an allocated tee-time.

The ACT has banned all outdoor recreation beyond exercise as non-essential.

What are the 14 acceptable reasons for being out in Queensland? To obtain essential goods and services

To receive medical treatment or health care services

To exercise, either alone or with one other person or those who reside in the same household

To do work or volunteering that is essential and cannot be done from home (this is any type of work that is not restricted under the latest non-essential business activity and undertaking closure direction)

To visit another persons house, as long as there are no more than two people who are not ordinarily members of that household

To visit a terminally ill relative or attend a funeral

To assist, care for or support immediate family members or close friends

To attend court or comply with a court order

To attend a childcare facility, school, university, or other educational institution to receive instruction that is not possible to receive at home.

To assist with an investigation by police or other law enforcement authority

To all shared custody arrangements of children under 18 years of age, whether informal or court-ordered, can continue as normal. You are allowed to leave the house to take children from one parents home to the other parents home

To avoid illness, injury or the risk of harm

To comply with directions of a government agency

To donate blood.

If I'm over 70, can I go to the bank or get my hair done?

You can do these things, if it's essential or for compassionate reasons (say, you physically cannot wash and style your own hair) but governments strongly urge people aged 70 or over, or 60 with chronic medical conditions, to avoid contact because they are at higher risk of complications or death from COVID-19.

So, while banks and hairdressers are deemed essential services and remain open, it's better if you speak to your bank over the telephone and see how they can assist you; or potentially request that a hairdresser visit you at home; or find a relative, carer or support person who can help you.

You can phone the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398 for more information. Victoria's Council on the Ageing has a phone hotline from 9.30am until 4pm on 1300 135 090. In Queensland, the Community Recovery Hotline, a free call on 1800 173 349, will link seniors and other vulnerable Queenslanders to essential services and support.

If you want to talk through how you are feeling and gain advice and support to suit your circumstances, phone Beyond Blue's new Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Service on 1800 512 348.

Who can cross borders in WA? WA Police have set up around-the-clock checkpoints and mobile policing among WAs nine major regions. The Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance regions have been completely locked down, meaning any person who is outside the region can only enter if: they are providing essential services or supplies

they have been quarantined from the general public for the previous 14 days

they qualify for a special exemption (including mining and food production) and adhere to strict conditions that minimise the risk of COVID-19 spread. People who cross into another region without valid reasons could face a $50,000 fine. A hard state border closure is also in force. Anyone seeking to come into WA will now be turned away unless they have a valid exemption. Who is exempt from the border closure? health services

emergency service workers

transport, freight and logistics

specialist skills not available in WA

national or state security and governance

courts and judicial service

compassionate grounds, as approved by WA police There will also be exemptions for fly-in-fly-out workers and their families but strict 14-day quarantine measures will need to be followed, paid for by the industry. So anyone travelling from interstate or overseas will still be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, and anyone who does not adhere to this law can be prosecuted. People in WA will be allowed through road blocks if they want to donate blood. It is exempt from the current restrictions in all states and territories.

Road blocks are set up across the nine regions of WA. Credit:

Who has been fined so far?

NSW Police had issued more than 500 fines by mid-April. One was to an off-duty policewoman who was observed allegedly drunk on a city street being assisted by a man. She later told police she had been at a nearby apartment with others including another off-duty policeman. Another was to a motorcyclist who gave police various conflicting reasons for why he was out before saying he was going to a friend's house to help him fix his bike. The response? A $1000 fine for non-essential travel.

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In Victoria, police have issued more than 700 fines for breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules. Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said police had been directed to give fines for "deliberate, obvious and blatant breaches" and to use a "common-sense approach". Clear examples included Airbnb parties with 20 guests, where every attendee was fined; a seven-person dinner party at a house; three friends playing video games in a loungeroom who did not live together; a group of friends hanging out in a park; and four people walking the streets seeking drugs. And 26 people were fined on April 10 for attending a protest in support of refugees who are being held in a hotel in the northern suburb of Preston.

But some fines have been reversed. Police rescinded a fine for a man who was driving to mountain bike alone  driving to an exercise spot alone is acceptable and it was the closest bike track to his home. And there was the 17-year-old L-plater whose fine for having a driving lesson with her mum was later rescinded because there was no precedent at the time, although police clarified that driving lessons were indeed non-essential and you can be fined for them. And police withdrew a fine issued to an essential worker using a car wash late at night, saying people would not be penalised for attending shops that remained open. On Easter Monday, Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told officers that inconsistency and a lack of discretion in the enforcement of the lockdown laws was eroding public confidence in Victoria Police.

In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned that police would step up fines after seeing images of a bustling farmers' market on April 4 where patrons had ignored social distancing rules. In the same weekend, police went on to issue 132 fines for $1334, including to 58 people at one car rally in Rochedale. By April 8, police had given out 208 fines, including to five people on April 7 for partying at a Sunshine Coast hotel, claiming they did not know about the social distancing requirements.

In WA, drones with lights, sirens and speakers have been brought in to deter people from breaking the rules and there are new on-the-spot $1000 fines for anyone found to be flouting them. By Easter Sunday, there had been eight on-the-spot infringements and 12 people had been charged with breaching quarantine rules.

 with Michael Fowler, Marta Pascual Juanola, Rachel Eddie
Universal Music Fire Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed

A federal judge in LA has dismissed the class-action lawsuit brought against Universal Music Group by musicians after a 2008 fire that destroyed a substantial part of the UMG archive of master recordings.

The fire ripped through a movie studio backlot in 2008, destroying over 118,000 audio recordings controlled by Universal from labels such as Chess, Decca, MCA, Geffen, Impulse!, Interscope, and A&M.

The collection included material by a wide range of recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Tupac Shakur, Tom Petty, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, and John Coltrane, as well as unreleased material and public addresses, including a speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

After the news of the extent of the fire became public last year, a group of artists, including Tom Petty, Tupac Shakur, and Steve Earle, filed suit against Universal, alleging the label giant had been negligent in protecting the recordings and had a duty to share income received from any insurance settlement.

However, as the New York Times noted, virtually all of the plaintiffs had subsequently dropped out of the class action, with the exception of Jane Petty, the former wife of the late recording artist Tom Petty, who claimed she received interest in his recordings through a divorce settlement.

In his ruling, judge John A. Kronstadt of the United States District Court in Los Angeles dismissed the case, finding Pettys claims to be legally insufficient to proceed with the case, but dismissed the case without prejudice, leaving the door open to future litigation.

photo: 2008 Universal Lot Fire [ pinguino kCC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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MIAMI, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's world, and particularly in the current business ecosystem, a digital transformation is not a matter of if, but when. Capitalizing on emerging technologies is a key driver of growth and success. The survival of the fittest in the business world of the 21st century requires continuous examination of the impact of new technologies and their successful integration to efficiently achieve business goals. A technology that is revolutionizing our world is the Internet of Things, or loT. In this five-part series SDSol Technologies reviews loT from a business perspective, decoding how companies can unlock the power of the loT to achieve their full potential.

IoT - Internet of Things & Cloud Computing IoT - Internet of Things - World as interconnected brain

What is the IoT? "The Internet of Things, simply stated, is the convergence of the physical and digital worlds, a merging of data, processing power and human intellect. It represents a technological revolution creating new challenges and opportunities for business," indicates Azam Malik, SDSol Technologies CEO and Founder.

The Internet of Things, known as IoT, is a network of internet-connected devices capable of:

1) collecting and sending information, 2) receiving information and acting upon it, and 3) a combination of one and two above. The Internet of Things is literally anything connected to the internet. When something is linked to the internet it means that it can either send data, receive data or do both. In many cases, this ability depends on sensors and connectivity.

With the phenomenal advances in sensor technologies and internet connectivity just about anything in existence can be connected to the web if there is a sensor which can capture data about the "thing," and available networks to transmit/receive the data. This apparent simplicity should not undermine the profound impact that IoT is having on how we live and work.

Forecasts suggest that IoT explosive global market can grow to around $1.6 trillion by 2025. Driving this change is the fact that many more types of IoT sensors are being created at lower costs. Many businesses have already increased their revenue and savings by billions of dollars. These numbers will only skyrocket into the future. In part two of this series, we will provide an overview of how IoT technology is already at work in our world.

For more information contact:

Clari Valenzuela

Telephone: 305-971-0682

[email protected]

www.sdsol.com

SOURCE SDSol Technologies
8th and Western joins a new mixed-use building with an historic Art Deco parking structure in Los Angeles in this rendering. (KTGY Architecture + Planning)

An Art Deco-style garage built in 1931 to serve the landmark Wiltern Theatre will become the centerpiece of a new apartment and retail complex in Koreatown.

The eye-catching tiered structure on Western Avenue is "an excellent example of early automobile-related commercial development in Los Angeles," the developer's historical consultant John LoCascio said, and a rare example of an Art Deco-themed garage.

It was a 24-hour car service facility and parking structure for the theater and adjoined Pellissier Building office tower and shops. That complex and the garage were designed by Morgan Walls & Clements, a prominent Los Angeles architecture firm that also designed the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, the Richfield Tower in downtown Los Angeles and other local landmarks.

Koreatown developer Jamison Properties plans to begin construction in June on a seven-story apartment building at 800 S. Western Ave. that will incorporate the historic garage into the project. The old structure will continue to provide parking and its roof will become outdoor amenity space for tenants with a swimming pool, landscaped deck and dining area.

Estimated construction costs weren't disclosed.

The four-story garage at 808 S. Western Ave. will also have shops and restaurants serving the public and a screening room for tenants. The structures will be connected by a pedestrian bridge on the fourth floor and the apartment building will stand perpendicular to the garage, creating a T-shape.

"We're trying to make it look like the two got married," architect Keith McCloskey said, "a fusion of new and old."

8th and Western. The historic garage was originally part of Pellissier Square, which included the Wiltern Theatre. (Dick Whittington Studio)

Putting together the hybrid is "twice as challenging" as putting up one new structure, said McCloskey of KTGY Architecture + Planning, the firm that designed the apartment complex.

The new building at Western and 8th Street will have 230 apartments ranging in size from two bedrooms to micro units of 438 square feet. Of those apartments, 23 are designated for extremely low-income tenants. The apartments are expected to open in early 2022.
Frankfurt (Photo : Image by HendoBe from Pixabay )

Image by HendoBe from Pixabay



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Multiple German research institutes project that Germany's economy could decline 4.2% this year, as the coronavirus has forced the country to shut down non-essential businesses, Reuters reported Tuesday.



Economy Minister Peter Altmaier believes that Germany's GDP could contract even farther than it did in 2009 amid the financial crisis, a 5.7% drop that year.



As a stimulus measure, Germany is rolling out a rescue package of 750 billion euros ($825 billion) to shore up the economy. The financial aid program is one of the biggest in the world and will spur lending to businesses, along with providing support to workers who have been furloughed or laid off.



Germany is reportedly preparing a plan to ease its current shutdown measures, allowing a gradual return to normal daily life after the current order expires on April 19. Germany would begin by allowing stores to reopen, along with schools in certain regions of the country. Large social gatherings would still be banned, with it being compulsory to wear a mask on public transportation.







Prior to the coronavirus, Germany was already facing economic challenges due to ongoing trade tensions and the impact of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.



One of the major strengths of the German economy is well-made exports, most notably automakers such as BMW, Audi and Volkswagen. Yet these firms have been hurt financially in China, a major market, due to the trade war between Washington and Beijing.



German companies were also worried about the prospect of the U.K. leaving the EU without a deal, with the two countries having a close trade relationship. A major German research institute in February 2019 projected that Germany could lose 100,000 jobs in a hard Brexit.


Tiger salamanders can grow to 14 inches long. They are called mole salamanders because they dig underground burrows in loose, sandy soil, where they spend most of their lives. That means they are hard to see in the wild. They come out at night for feeding and during late winter and early springs breeding season.
The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed deep concern over Chinas sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea.

It said in a statement Wednesday that the incident "undermines the potential of a genuinely deep and trusting regional relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China."

It is crucial that such incidents be avoided and that differences be addressed in a manner that enhances dialogue and mutual trust, the statement said.

The statement was referring to the deliberate ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese boat carrying eight fishermen by a Chinese coast guard vessel on April 2 as the former were fishing off Phu Lam (Woody) Island in Vietnams Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands) in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea.

Earlier, U.S. State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus had said the U.S. was "seriously concerned" about the incident. He called Chinas action an assertion of "unlawful" claims.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Thi Thu Hang has demanded that China investigates 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."

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 away by the Chinese vessel. Two of the vessels were captured and towed to the island.

At 2 p.m. April 2, China released the two fishing boats and eight fishermen. A day later, Vietnamese authorities received the detained Vietnamese fishermen safely.

On the same issue, Vietnam has rejected and protested China sending two diplomatic notes to the U.N., laying claim to Vietnamese territories in the East Sea.

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 in Vietnamese waters.
A Korean Air pilot hands control sticks, while a co-pilot looks on. / Courtesy of Korean Air



By Jun Ji-hye



Airline pilots are suffering a bitter blow, with some of them having already lost their jobs, as air carriers have been rushing to cut manpower to reduce costs amid the global COVID-19 pandemic that has seen the cancellation of almost all international flights.



Those who have spent a lot of money on studying and training to become pilots are also facing growing uncertainty about their future as airlines, which are focusing on workforce reductions to overcome deepening financial crises, have no plans to recruit new people for some time.



Korean budget airline Eastar Jet, which halted all services March 24, notified 80 first-year and second-year co-pilots of the termination of their employment contracts, March 30. The company also plans to lay off 350 more employees, accounting for 20 percent of its entire workforce, by the end of next month.



"Management and labor reached a consensus that manpower restructuring was an inevitable choice," an Eastar Jet official said.



Korean Air, the nation's top flag carrier, put its 390 non-Korean pilots on three months of unpaid leave starting from April 1 as part of its self-rescue efforts.



Pilots at the nation's second-largest carrier, Asiana Airlines, agreed to a 50 percent pay cut during talks between management and their union in an effort to share the burden triggered by the outbreak of the contagious disease.



Previously, many Korean pilots had been scouted by foreign air carriers including companies in China where the airline industry was rapidly expanding, but industry officials said it has now become almost impossible for them to join foreign firms amid the pandemic.



COVID-19 has been frustrating budding pilots as well because Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, as well as Jin Air and other budget carriers, have no plans to recruit new staff.



People wanting to be pilots generally spend more than 100 million won ($82,000) to study and train for two to three years.



According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of people having a commercial pilot's license increased to 895 in 2019 from 781 in 2017, while openings in the field have been on a continual decline.



"There will be no demand for pilots by airlines for the time being," an official from one air carrier said.


Scientists are appealing to the public for help to assess the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim to inform and improve future policies concerning pandemics.

The Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics (RAMP) study from researchers at King's College London aims to measure the mental health and wellbeing of the population throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and examine what factors influence these changes.

The researchers will look at contextual, psychological and behavioural factors that may affect risk and resilience to mental health problems during the pandemic.

The questions will assess symptoms of common mental health disorders, in both individuals with and without existing mental health problems.

They will also examine how life circumstances such as loneliness and employment, thought processes such as distracting oneself when worried, and self-care behaviours such as yoga or exercise, are affecting these symptoms.

The RAMP study is UK wide and open to any residents of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland who are over the age of 16 and have access to the internet. This study is in partnership with MQ, the UK's leading mental health research charity.

How to take part:

Sign up via the RAMP study website - https:/ / rampstudy. co. uk/

/ rampstudy. co. uk/ Complete an initial questionnaire - this will take 35-40 minutes

Complete a shorter 10-15minute follow up questionnaires every two weeks, and occasional 1-2 minute questionnaires after major government announcements

Dr Katherine Young, NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre Lecturer, IoPPN, King's College London, said,

This research is crucial in understanding how unprecedented measures which have disrupted life as we know it, affect the mental health of the population. Knowledge resulting from this study can help us create better strategies and policies that safeguard our mental health, should a similar pandemic arise in the future."

Professor Thalia Eley, Director of the Emotional Development, Intervention and Treatment (EDIT) Lab, IoPPN, King's College London, added "There are lots of different ways people are looking after themselves during this pandemic, and we are very interested in understanding whether particular strategies work better for some than others, and how these relate to our current and past mental health experiences".

Dr Helen Munn, Acting CEO, MQ: Transforming Mental Health, says "There is growing recognition that the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be significant for us all - for those with existing mental health conditions and for everyone affected by stress, anxiety, isolation, loneliness, family pressure and financial hardship.

MQ is pleased to partner with the RAMP study, which will systematically collect high quality evidence on mental health during the crisis and, importantly, seek to understand the effectiveness of different interventions. This study forns a key part of the mental health research response to Covid-19 and will be an important contribution to mapping and addressing the near- and long-term mental health impacts".

The researchers received funding for the study through the King's Together Rapid COVID-19 call, a pilot funding scheme from King's College London which aimed to engage rapid research on the disease.

The RAMP study research team includes Dr Katherine Young (PI), Dr Kirstin Purves, Shannon Bristow MSc, Professor Gerome Breen, Professor Thalia Eley and Professor Matthew Hotopf. Several of the team are wholly or partially supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Keeping the participants information secure is our top priority. This data will be held securely (in line with new data regulations) and will only be accessed by a limited number of approved researchers. We comply with a number of regulations and policies to ensure data is protected.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was put in place to ensure the protection of all EU citizens' data privacy. It also gives people the rights to access any information held about them.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Saying they believed he was truly repentant and could avoid trouble when back in society, members of a state board have granted parole to a New Dorp Beach man who killed his brother 24 years ago during an argument in the family home.

Thomas Corella, 62, had served more than 23 years of a sentence of 20 years to life for first-degree manslaughter in the June 19, 1996 fatal stabbing of his brother Victor Corella, 35.

Thomas Corella was 38 then.

The panel weighed several factors, such as your age, length of incarceration, your institutional adjustment, your completion of programming (while in prison), your remorse for the victims and your risk and needs assessment, the three-person board wrote.  Your insight into the harm and pain you caused your family and yourself  was given considerable weight.  Therefore, the panel believes that your release would no longer be incompatible with the welfare of society and you can live a law-abiding life.

In setting Corella free, the board also acknowledged there had been official and community opposition to his release.

The panel reminded Corella the decision to parole him should in no way be interpreted or intended to minimize your crime or the senseless loss of life you caused.

Corella was released last Dec. 10. The board interviewed him two months earlier on Oct. 16, a transcript of the proceeding shows.

Only a few months earlier, a state board had denied Corella parole after a late August interview.

Corella told the board then he had learned my lesson and turned his life around in prison.

The board at that time apparently didnt agree.

In rejecting Corella, the panel had cited his criminal history, which includes two prior prison stints  the first for attempted burglary, after which he violated parole, and later for seriously attacking his girlfriend, for which he pleaded guilty to attempted assault.

Corella had been out of prison for slightly more than a year when he killed his brother, said that board.

Corella was brought back before the board in October as a special consideration for parole, said the partially-redacted hearing transcript.

He again expressed his remorse to the panel and said alcohol- and drug-abuse had been at the root of his problems.

He said he has been clean now for 23 years.

I brought upon my family something horrific for which I have to live with for the rest of whatever life I have, Corella said. And I cant tell you how regretful I am that this ever happened, and I am certain that had I not been intoxicated, had I not been under the influence, that this would not have happened.

Prosecutors said the killing occurred between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. inside the home on Milbank Road, which Victor shared with the siblings mother. Thomas Corella had been staying at the home for about 10 days, the Advance reported.

Corella testified at his trial in September 1998 that the events unfolded in his mothers bedroom after he came home from work.

He said his brother questioned him about missing house keys, and he quizzed Victor in return about money missing from their mothers purse.

Corella said his sibling charged him and put him in a chokehold, and fearing for his life, he stabbed Victor in self-defense.

Prosecutors, however, alleged Thomas Corella had become enraged during an argument with his brother over smoking in the house and repeatedly plunged the eight-and-a-half-inch blade of a kitchen knife into the victims chest.

Ramona Corella, the mens mother, was slashed on the nose in the struggle.

A witness testified she was on the phone with Ramona Corella and overheard the two men arguing.

The woman said she heard Victor imploring his mother to tell his older brother to stop, while Thomas told the younger man twice to Shut up, according to Advance reports.

The witness said she heard the phone drop, a scuffle, and a bang before the phone went dead.

A jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, acquitted Corella of second-degree murder, but convicted him of first-degree manslaughter.

In his October interview with the parole board, Corella said he had consumed around three quarts of beer before the deadly confrontation.

He said he and his brother began fighting, and Victor put him in a headlock. He said he escaped, went into a kitchen, got a knife and returned.

At that point I did not recognize him as my brother, Corella told the board.

He admitted to stabbing the victim several times and expressed his contrition.

I have had many years to think of what I did and how many people I hurt, he said, adding he does not believe he is the same person he was back then.

People do change for the better, and I am done with alcohol and I am done with drugs, said Corella. I am just asking for a chance for whatever years I have left to spend positively.

The board imposed a number of conditions on Corella.

He must obtain a job or enter an academic or vocational program. He must submit to substance-abuse testing, as required.

In addition, he cannot consume alcohol, he must abide by a curfew his parole officer establishes and must participate in any anti-aggression or anti-violence counseling as directed.
Even to those who have stayed abreast of the rapidly changing coronavirus narrative, current changes to the modern world and our everyday way of living have required a lengthy period of adjustment.

Strict guidelines put in place to stop the spread of an airborne disease that has so far claimed 82,195 lives and infected an estimated 1,432,577 across the globe have resulted in almost all major cities shutting down, for an as yet undetermined period of time.

Many have compared the unprecedented actions taken by most developed countries to a plot-line from a science fiction film, but what of those who remained insulated from the pandemic as it spread its toxic wings from China and enveloped the world?

Living nightmare: Former Swedish Big Brother contestant Daniel Glasman admits he's still struggling to comprehend the scope of the disaster after entering the show's purpose built house when the virus was still largely confined to the far-east

Speaking to The Guardian, former Swedish Big Brother contestant Daniel Glasman admits he's still struggling to comprehend the scope of the disaster after entering the show's purpose built house when the virus was still largely confined to the far-east.

'Im digesting the whole thing,' said Daniel, who was cut-off from the outside world for over a month in the Swedish Big Brother house. 'Its so difficult because I would be in the middle of the process of dealing with being isolated, and I have to deal with the fact that the world has changed while I was gone.

'I cant turn my back on the world for 50 days and expect the world to keep it together, apparently. Ive had a very profound experience, but so has the world.'

Changes: 'I cant turn my back on the world for 50 days and expect the world to keep it together, apparently. Ive had a very profound experience, but so has the world,'said Daniel (pictured top centre, in Big Brother Sweden)

A 38-year old communications consultant and nightclub worker, Daniel admits the contestants were still making light of the coronavirus outbreak as they entered the house, unaware that it would soon touch the lives of everyone.

He recalled: 'When we went in to isolation, we had no idea of the scale or spread of coronavirus and zero confirmed cases in Sweden.

'We were making jokes about the situation around corona but it was in good faith  imagining if its all turned into a zombie movie when we leave the house.'

Good times: Big Brother Germany contestants let their hair down before being informed of the coronavirus pandemic. Like its Swedish and Brazilian counterparts, the show continues to run as normal

While he remained insulated from the developing catastrophe, Daniel revealed the live camera-feed was temporarily cut while producers informed them of world they would be re-entering upon their departure.

Describing it as a well organised fact-based question-and-answer session, he admits it was not taken advantage of by many of his housemates, adding: 'With all due respect to my fellow Big Brother participants, its not exactly a house full of rocket scientists.'

Despite the advanced spread of coronavirus Sweden is controversially yet to implement a nationwide lockdown, and Daniel admits he has visited his favourite restaurants and bars since leaving the show - all while adhering to two-metre social distancing measures.

Shell-shocked: German contestants were informed of the disaster in March

The Swedish version of Big Brother also continues as normal, as does its German variant, where contestants were informed of the pandemic in March.

The then 14 contestants, who are being housed in Cologne, were stunned into silence as they were informed about the worldwide crisis by host Jochen Schropp during a live televised episode.

He said: 'There is currently a lot going on in world events since you entered the house. We'd like to inform you as to why we're here and why we're behind a glass screen.

All over: Hira Deol - who spent 25 days in the Canadian Big Brother house before it was prematurely shut down - admitted contestants were terrified after being told of the virus

'COVID-19 has basically spread across the world in recent days, triggering a global pandemic. This is a disease similar to the flu, and is mainly dangerous for older people.'

Easing the contestants fears, he added: 'We're going to allow you to speak to your families so you can rest easy. And you can communicate with them as they are all okay.'

Big Brother contestants were also given the opportunity to ask questions to the show's resident doctor Dr Andreas Kaniewski, as well as to speak to their loved ones at home.

Carrying on: In Brazil, where close to seven thousand cases have been recorded since February, the show is also running, albeit with a persistent online demand for participating medical staff to be evicted early

Plans to keep them in the dark unless a relative became ill were overturned following an uproar on social media over the decision.

Meanwhile producers of the Canadian series took a more direct approach by prematurely shutting down the series and donating its $100,000 prize money to coronavirus COVID-19 charities.

Reflecting on the moment contestants were informed of the decision, Hira Deol - who spent 25 days in the Canadian house - admitted they were terrified.

Struggles: Filming wrapped for Big Brother Australia on Friday after a 'disappointing' cast, restaged eviction and a COVID-19 scare. Pictured: host Sonia Kruger

'Part of this Big Brother game is being cut off from the real world, and its scary because you do not know whats going on out there,' the 30-year old accountant recalled.

In Australia, where 5,350 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been recorded, Big Brother wrapped filming on Friday after rushing to finish production before they were shut down due to coronavirus.

According to TV Blackbox, production was accelerated after they experienced a COVID-19 scare that caused the set to be shut down for 48 hours in late March.

Production company Endemol Shine Australia sped up the filming process on set so they wouldn't have to halt shooting again amid the ongoing pandemic.

Finished: The British version of Big Brother, originally hosted by Davina McCall, went off air in 2018

In Brazil, where close to seven thousand cases have been recorded since February, the show is also running, albeit with a persistent online demand for participating medical staff to be evicted early.

It is not known if contestants in the Rio de Janeiro based house have been informed of the growing crisis.

The British version of Big Brother, originally hosted by Davina McCall before moving from Channel 4 to Channel 5, went off air in 2018.
BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to the emergency staff working during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus and asked people to join in thanking the "Corona Warriors".

Nadda's message on social media came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP workers to write thank you messages and have people join the exercise as a mark of gratitude to health professionals, sanitation staff, police and other emergency service providers.

"Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call, the country has united in tackling COVID-19. In this valiant battle for humanity's future, Corona Warriors are at the forefront. I salute their grit and determination.Join. #ThankYouCoronaWarriors," Nadda said.

Nadda said their undiluted courage, selflessness, determination and focus have ensured that India remains on track in these difficult times.

Placing yourselves at great risk, as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees, you have ensured that others remain safe, others remain comfortable and are well-taken care of, he said.

"You have tirelessly and with deep dedication displayed an unshakable faith and conviction that corona can be defeated and that India and humanity will ultimately triumph. Your actions in these war-like times, are deeply inspiring," Nadda said.

"We pour our heart's gratitude and thankfulness before you. We salute your determination and grit. India shall be safe and emerge victorious in this fight against COVID-19 because of your selfless toil and sacrifice," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.

Aluminium: Oversold

Aluminium has been the hardest hit base metal over the past week, after relentless selling pressure took it to fresh multiyear lows while its LME peers generally consolidate or try to rebound. Aluminium is seeing far less in the way of supply restraint or disruptions than the other metals. But this market is technically oversold and overdue a rebound now. Unless producers can contribute to rebalancing the market, rallies will only be selling opportunities.



Copper: Volatile price recovery in Q2

Copper was the worst performer of base metals complex in the first quarter of the year, realizing a loss of 20% - in fact its poorest performance since the third quarter of 2011. After the macroeconomic shock of the past quarter, we expect a recovery in copper prices in the second quarter while the dust settles. Nevertheless, we contend that the global economic recovery will be slow and low in the months ahead, thereby eliciting volatility and producing a bumpy rather than a smooth rebound in prices.



Lead: Demand, supply and price outlooks lowered

Now that the initial adjustment to the impact of the Covid-19 virus has run its course, lead prices have started to oscillate sideways while they react to noise in the wider market. This is likely to continue until there is a better understanding of how long lockdowns are going to last and how much damage has been done to both supply and demand. We continue to think that demand shock will be the sharpest. Uncertainty will keep would-be buyers of vehicles away from dealerships and auto manufacturers are unlikely to ramp-up production until demand shows signs of recovering. We have revised our demand forecasts lower this week and our supply outlook has been lowered too.



Nickel: Further supply-demand balance revisions

We have incorporated the latest revisions to our stainless steel market outlook into our nickel market balance, along with the nickel production disruptions discussed here last week. This has raised the global refined nickel surplus for 2020 from 34,000 tonnes to 66,000 tonnes. We still believe prices can average around $12,000 per tonne in the second quarter though, so our base case price forecast remains unchanged for now.



Tin: Mixed fundamental indicators

The LME tin price has rebounded by around 10% since it plunged to its lowest level since July 2009 at $12,715 per tonne on March 20. The rebound has been driven by some short-covering, a stabilization in broad risk sentiment, and tighter supply from Indonesia. We expect a recovery in prices in the course of the second quarter although we acknowledge that the refined tin market is likely to post a material surplus this year after accounting for the latest revisions to our supply-demand balance forecast.



Zinc: Supply disruptions helping prices consolidate

Zinc prices continue to consolidate, helped by the emergence of virus-related supply disruptions. Indeed, producers quarterly reporting season is almost upon us with reports likely to be under closer scrutiny than usual. But while we remain doubtful that this could be the catalyst for a strong price rebound, even if the market gets a sense of larger disruptions than those currently priced in, it could at least reduce the risk to prices of lower lows in the second quarter.



Click here to view the Base Metals Market Tracker in full. If you are not a subscriber but would like see a free sample report, please click here.
Press Trust of India

Chip-maker Intel on Tuesday pledged an additional $50 million for a pandemic response technology initiative to combat global coronavirus crisis.

Previously, Intel had announced $10 million in donations that are supporting local communities.

"Intel is committed to accelerating access to technology that can combat the current pandemic and enable new technology and scientific discovery that better prepares society for future crises.

"We hope that by sharing our expertise, resources, and technology, we can help to accelerate work that saves lives and expands access to critical services around the world during this challenging time," Intel chief executive officer Bob Swan said.

Of the $50 million, about $40 million will fund the Intel COVID-19 Response and Readiness and Online Learning initiatives. The remaining will be allocated for an innovation fund that supports requests from external partners and employee-led relief projects, addressing critical needs in their communities, the company said in a statement.

The Intel COVID-19 Response and Readiness Initiative will provide funding to accelerate customer and partner advances in diagnosis, treatment and vaccine development, leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and edge-to-cloud service delivery.

(Also read: Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Narendra Modi made it clear lockdown will not be lifted in one go on 14 April, says BJD's Pinaki Misra after PM meet)

The Intel Online Learning Initiative will support education-focused non-profit organisations and business partners to provide students without access to technology with devices and online learning resources. It will enable PC donations, online virtual resources, study-at-home guides and device connectivity assistance.

The up to $10 million amount allocated for innovation fund will supports various initiatives.

The statement said Intel is working with India''s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.

(Also read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion towards COVID 19 relief efforts)

Intel is also collaborating with industry body Nasscom to build an application ecosystem and multi-cloud back end to enable population-scale COVID-19 diagnostics, to predict outbreaks and to improve medical care management and administration.

"Intel technology underpins critical products and services that global communities, governments and healthcare organizations depend on every day. We hope that by harnessing our expertise, resources, technology and talents, we can help save and enrich lives by solving the worlds greatest challenges through the creation and development of new technology-based innovations and approaches," the company said.
Afterlife

By Julia Alvarez

Algonquin. 272 pp. $25.95

---

"Afterlife" is a quick read with big ambitions for the here and now.

In her seventh novel for adults, acclaimed author Julia Alvarez returns to themes that have compelled her creative production since her debut, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," which like "Afterlife" featured four Dominican American sisters grappling with personal identity and cultural hybridity in our confused nation.

Alvarez begins "Afterlife" with a flurry of loss. Her narrator, Antonia Vega, recently widowed by a car accident, "cannot comprehend how someone she loved... can be nothing but dust / unread emails, fragments, unpaid bills, memories."

Trying to find purpose in retirement, in widowhood and in the America of today, Antonia possesses a restless intellect prone to the citation of poetry. With unabated grief, she greets a birthday she does not wish to celebrate. Enter her three sisters - Tilly, Izzy and Mona - who bring drama that props up the plot.

As searing as sibling histrionics can be, personal vendettas within the family pale beside the plight of Mario, an undocumented worker on the farm next door. His young girlfriend, Estela, is traveling north from Mexico in the custody of a coyote who ratchets up his demands for money that neither she nor Mario has.

Antonia does, though she doesn't know whether to involve herself. Through this quandary, she and the reader examine whom we consider our neighbor. In "Afterlife," Alvarez probes the contours of private moral decisions that echo our national conversation, which excludes migrant communities from claiming their contributions to our country.

With her landmark "In the Time of the Butterflies," about four sisters in varying stages of rebellion against the Trujillo dictatorship, and "In the Name of Salome," about a former Spanish teacher who discards comfort to find meaning, Alvarez wove internationally relevant historical events into contemporary narratives. For such reasons, President Barack Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in 2013.

Writing most often from the Dominican American perspective, as a poet, essayist and prolific author of both adult and children's books, Alvarez has spent decades informing her readers about the kaleidoscopic possibilities of Latinidad.

In "Afterlife," it would be easy for Alvarez to create Antonia as a wholly sympathetic narrator who does the right thing without question, even if most readers wouldn't - or at least, haven't yet. Instead, Alvarez puts Antonia through the paces of wrestling with the obligations of her privilege, gained through myriad assimilations that include marrying a doctor and moving to rural Vermont, where she "ended up teaching Americans their own language."

"(BEGIN ITAL)Anything else you need?"(END ITAL) she had asked Mario, a throwaway question in the circles she runs in, but in some parts of the world, among the neediest, what has been thrown away elsewhere gets recycled, put to good use." Antonia had been planning to write a short book about "the people who keep our world going," people whom she calls invisible until her husband, Sam, then living, countered with, "Invisible to whom?"

A good question. Without children or strong ties outside of her dead husband's network, Alvarez's insular narrator has a tendency to distance herself from the world by aggrandizing her own dilemmas, comparing her afflicted affluence to the biblical Job. Some of the narrator's casually denigrating references - likening aging to dog years for those living in poverty, early in the book, and, toward the end, wanting to take an Asian teacher home as a "lucky charm to keep her safe from all the dragons" - remind the reader that embodying a hybrid culture does not, in itself, convey sensitivity or wisdom. But Antonia's "depletion of spirit, the slow bleed of chronic grieving" will resonate with many readers in this era of social distance and anticipatory mourning.

Ultimately, "Afterlife" falls apart when Alvarez stops trusting the reader to understand her intentions, ruining perfectly good lines with narrative summaries. "We love each other as we are, Tilly brags. Some people would say that's a definition of Christianity, Antonia points out to get a rise from her sister. Go to hell, Tilly curses."

Still, there are moments. In the shifting dynamic between the sisters, Alvarez finds her stride. "The first rule of sisterhood: Always act pleased to see them." As Izzy, the eldest and least dependable, becomes unreachable by phone, the three other sisters band together to find her. Their quest, alongside Mario and Estela's reunification and the police involvement in both cases, anchors the book, which balances a community triumph with family tragedy.

"Afterlife" concludes without easy answers for Antonia, though she meets the last page having already embraced the "new life awaiting her / both terrified and excited."

---

Young is the author of "Subduction," a novel forthcoming from Red Hen Press on April 14.
A dorm at the California Institution for Men in Chino is shown in 2019. The facility and other California prisons have been hit hard by the coronavirus. (U.S. District Court filing)

California has launched a 14-day statewide soft lockdown in its prisons amid the coronavirus and told exhausted prison nurses that if they're ordered to work 16-hour shifts, they must comply or face reprisal.

Inmates will be fed in their cells but still given access to prison services, exercise yards, supply canteens and phone calls within their own housing groups, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Tuesday.

For the next 14 days," CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz said in a prepared statement, "there are going to be a lot of changes within our institutions, but we do it with the overall health and safety of all those who live and work in them, and the health and safety of the public, at the forefront.

The prison system, which had mandated use of N95 masks only around confirmed COVID-19 patients, has relaxed restrictions and will allow prison workers to bring in their own masks and face coverings for more widespread use. They still are saying the state-issued respirator masks should be reused while on rounds, noting there is not an exact determination on the number of safe reuses.

These steps  in addition to the previous curtailment of visitation, gate screening and temperature checks of employees, and planned early release of some 3,500 inmates  come as three federal judges scrutinize whether more drastic measures are required at the prisons.

One of the judges, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar, has asked the state to report whether it can triple the early releases, freeing inmates as much as six months before the end of their sentence. A response is due Friday. Another judge, U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller, has asked the state to respond to a proposed order to resume admitting inmates into state psychiatric hospitals.

The state shut down psychiatric admissions to limit the spread of the virus, but inmate attorneys say that leaves those who are suicidal or in psychotic crisis without critical care.

Story continues

Civil rights lawyers have asked the courts for even further action  suggesting mass releases or creation of alternative housing to protect more than 45,000 prisoners with known health risks that would make them more vulnerable to severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Lawyers with the Prison Law Office filed a renewed emergency motion Wednesday evening, seeking court-ordered prison reductions, whether through mass releases, use of alternative housing, "home confinement, electronic monitoring and medical furlough."

Prison administrators "cannot wait for disaster to strike or the numbers to climb higher," the motion states. "Their failure to take appropriate remedial steps constitutes deliberate indifference to the profound risk of harm to medically vulnerable people in their custody."

The prison infection rate as of Wednesday had climbed to 81 cases, 19 of them inmates and 62 prison workers, including two nurses from the state medical prison near Stockton. A spokeswoman for the prison system said staff absences due to illness had now climbed to more than 1,100 workers who were out Sunday.

Meanwhile, overtime has become mandatory for some prison medical staff. In a memo sent out April 1, the head of California Correctional Health Care Services informed nurses at prisons statewide that if they were ordered to work extended shifts or to skip their days off, they must do so.

A refusal to a mandate is insubordination," Dr. Shereef Aref wrote. "It is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated.

First refusals will result in a write-up, Arf wrote. A second refusal will be referred, as a request for Adverse Action, to the Hiring Authority.

One prison medical worker, who spoke anonymously out of fear of losing her job, said the stress was intense.

Nursing staff [have] children out of school; to be away 16 hours not including walk time to the parking lot and drive time home could add up to 18 hours a day, she said. In many cases, both spouses work at the prison. Its stressful. There is no such thing as social distancing in prison.

Also, the office staff have masks, but if you go on a housing unit, very few have masks because of the scarcity.  We are confused as to why they seem to have masks for administrative posts.

She added, Oh, and an inmate committed suicide yesterday. And two officers committed suicide in March.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Group Corp <9984.T> reached an agreement to invest 250 million reais ($48 million) in pet products online retailer Petlove, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.

The investment will come from SoftBank's Latin America fund, adding to previous venture capital investments from KasZek Ventures, Monashees and private equity firm Tarpon.

Petlove founder Marcio Waldman said in a statement the investment would help accelerate Petlove's growth amid higher demand for online services during the social isolation period mandated by Brazilian authorities to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Brazil's pet market had 24 billion reais in revenue last year, among the three largest in the world, according to Euromonitor data. Online sales represent only 3.8% of

total sales of pet supplies in Brazil, whereas in the United States they exceed 18% said SoftBank partner Paulo Passoni in the statement.

(Reporting by Carolina Mandl and Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Edmund Blair and Steve Orlofsky)
(Newser)  If you've ever been to a Disney theme park, you know the rigmarole you have to go through to get past the security gates. Soon there may be an additional step: having your temperature taken. In a Tuesday interview with Barron's, Disney Executive Chair Bob Iger, who recently exited as the company's CEO, says that people won't come back to the currently closed parks until they feel sure they'll be safe. Absent a vaccine in the very near future, that could mean more restrictions before entering. "Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people's temperatures, as a for-instance," he told the magazine, via Reuters.

story continues below

He added that his team is examining what China has done so far to mitigate the virus. "You can't get on a bus or a subway or a train or enter a high-rise building thereand I'm sure this will be the case when their schools reopenwithout having your temperature taken," he said. Still, despite the "biggest business interruption" Disney has ever experienced, Iger is looking to the future. "We know when it ends that we will have things for the public to enjoy and to escape to, maybe in ways they will appreciate more than they ever have," he said, per USA Today. Variety, however, points out that Wells Fargo downgraded Disneys stock on Tuesday, with analysts indicating it could take 24 months for park attendance to rebound to pre-coronavirus levels. (Read more Disney stories.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 22:57:55|Editor: huaxia

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Firefighters prepare to conduct disinfection at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday chaired a leadership meeting to make new arrangements on implementing regular epidemic prevention and control measures and fully advancing work resumption.

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee analyzed the COVID-19 situation and economic performance at home and abroad.

As the pandemic continues its global spread, the world economy faces mounting downside risk, Xi said, adding that unstable and uncertain factors are notably increasing.

Noting that China is under rising pressure of guarding against imported COVID-19 cases, Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development.

Xi called for preparedness in mind and work to cope with prolonged external environment changes.

Xi urged unremitting efforts in guarding against imported cases from abroad and preventing a resurgence of the outbreak at home and demanded redoubling efforts in economic and social development.

He urged efforts to minimize losses caused by COVID-19.

Xi stressed paying close attention to the changes in the epidemic situation at home and abroad, calling for a prompt response that is more targeted and effective.

Medical workers wheel a patient to the Zhongfaxincheng campus of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, central China, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

He required Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan to continue focusing on treating severe cases while visiting discharged patients to check their health conditions. Community-level containment measures should also be optimized.

Other parts of China, especially provinces near Hubei, should step up information sharing and containment coordination, Xi said, adding that containment efforts in Beijing should be maintained.

He ordered targeted management of asymptomatic cases to fix all loopholes that might lead to a rebound of the outbreak.

The meeting called for strengthened epidemic prevention and control at land and sea border ports.

It stressed strictly enforcing quarantine requirements for all inbound travelers at designated venues to minimize the risk of them causing local transmission.

The meeting also required in-depth international cooperation on COVID-19 response and active contributions to the global fight against the pandemic.

Workers work on a production line of an intelligent forklift producing enterprise at Huagang Town in Feixi County, east China's Anhui Province, April 6, 2020. Amid strict measures against COVID-19, the county has acted to learn about local enterprises' productions and operations, and help them solve various difficulties with business resumption. All enterprises above designated size here have resumed businesses. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Noting that China's economic development faces growing difficulties, the meeting urged Party committees and governments at all levels to timely adjust their anti-virus measures in light of local conditions and create favorable conditions to the maximum for the resumption of work and production.

The meeting urged stronger implementation of pro-resumption policies, greater support to industries as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises hit by the epidemic, and more vigorous efforts to expand domestic demand.

It was agreed at the meeting that efforts should be made to generate joint momentum of demand and supply by actively promoting residents' spending and expediting construction of investment projects.

The meeting also highlighted work on ensuring and improving living standards, urging efforts to advance spring agricultural production and maintain stable market supply and prices of non-staple food, including pork, vegetables and fruits.

Efforts should be made to enhance basic social security for those most in need, offer temporary living allowances to people in hard-hit regions, and expand access to unemployment insurance.

The meeting also stressed workplace safety, disaster prevention and mitigation, including wildfire prevention, flood control and drought relief, and stronger emergency response capabilities to ensure people's safety. 
Pierre Brunie a family doctor gives a phone call in his office, on January 29, 2013 in Eglisneuve-d'Entraigue. (THIERRY ZOCCOLAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian Patients Urged to Phone GPs During CCP Virus Pandemic

Doctors are concerned some people are so uncomfortable using telehealth platforms during the CCP virus pandemic they are avoiding consultations altogether.

Patients unable or unwilling to use new technologies such as video conferencing are being urged to call instead.

An old fashioned phone will do just fine, Dr. Harry Nespolon said on April 8.

General practice is the first port of call for people when it comes to their health.

Its important this doesnt change and that people realise telehealth and telephone consultations actually make it easier for patients to access their GP and get the same quality care for a wide range of concerns.

Nespolon, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said telephone and video consultations were a crucial tool in the fight against COVID-19.

By Daniel McCulloch
UCSF has opened a lab in San Francisco that can process thousands of coronavirus diagnostic tests from all nine Bay Area counties public health departments for free  significantly increasing the Bay Areas testing capacity at a time the state is working aggressively to get more residents tested and obtain test results faster.

UCSF created the lab in Mission Bay over eight days in March, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order March 12 that loosened restrictions on clinical labs. It is dedicated solely to processing COVID-19 tests, can run up to 2,600 samples a day and report results in as fast as 24 hours.

UCSFs main clinical lab has also been running coronavirus tests since March 9, but along with many other types of lab tests. The new lab began processing tests March 20, but only recently added enough staff and lab instruments to be able to process a large number of tests.

If used efficiently, the lab could give California a much needed boost in testing capacity.

In addition to shortages in test components like swabs and chemical reagents, the biggest problems in testing in California have either been that the scale is small  a Menlo Park lab that processes samples from a Hayward testing site, for instance, runs about 100 tests a day  or tests are being sent to commercial labs like Quest that take up to 12 days to report results. Such a lag time makes it difficult for doctors to make a prompt diagnosis and treatment plan and impossible for public health officials to understand the spread of the virus in real time.

Labs across the state process an average of around 9,500 tests a day, according to a Chronicle analysis of daily testing figures released by the state since March 19, when the first figures were released. Daily testing, though, has varied dramatically, from 200 tests a day to nearly 32,000 tests a day. Newsom said Tuesday he hopes the state will test 25,000 people a day within the next few weeks.

The UCSF lab cost about $4 million to set up and run for the next several months, and it is being financed by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic organization backed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. UCSF laboratory medicine specialists Charles Chiu and Steve Miller, both doctors, are overseeing the operation. Staffing the lab are personnel from Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a research organization that connects scientists at UCSF, Stanford and UC Berkeley and provides grants to support their research. Many are graduate students who have shelved their theses to focus full time on COVID-19 testing.

The UCSF announcement comes as other major Bay Area labs running COVID-19 tests are also expanding testing capacity. Stanford, which began testing March 4, can process about 2,000 samples a day  up from 1,000 a few weeks ago  and Kaiser Permanente Northern California can run 1,000 tests per day and is working to ramp that up to 8,000 to 10,000 a day by mid-May.

The UCSF lab is not a testing site, so people should not go to get tested. But it can accept lab samples from Bay Area county public health departments, which collect them from small doctors offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities. So local health officials who previously may have had to wait several days to get results can now get results from UCSF within 24 hours, said Dr. Joe DeRisi, co-president of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and a UCSF biochemistry professor.

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.

And it is free  a distinction from many labs that either bill insurance companies, charge for processing, or are paid for by other sources. The Hayward testing site is funded by $500,000 from the city, with the expectation that the city may be reimbursed by federal or state disaster funds.

We do not think there should be a cost barrier to getting tested, DeRisi said. This expansion lab really is dedicated to providing Bay Area community service at no charge.

California ranks 43rd among 50 states and the District of Columbia in testing per capita, according to a Vox analysis of state testing data. The state also has a far larger backlog of pending tests than other states that also report pending numbers. At recently as last week, 64% of tests conducted in California were still pending  in part due to a major backlog at Quest.

The backlog shrank significantly over the weekend, Newsom said, and by Monday had fallen to 9% of overall tests conducted. But California still has 14,600 pending tests, which is far more than any other state that shares data on pending tests. The next is Florida, with about 1,400, about 1% of total tests conducted, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
The founder and CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey announced a pledge of more than a quarter of his wealth to fund charitable causes. Currently, the focus of the fund will be for COVID-19 relief efforts, says an article.

Transfer of Wealth

According to Dorsey's tweets on Tuesday, he will allot $1 billion of his fortune in Square to a limited liability company named Start Small. Square is a digital payments business that Dorsey co-established.

Sharing 28% of His Total Net Worth for Charity

The founder of one of the biggest social media platform in the world shared that the amount he will transfer to Start Small is 28% of his total net worth.

Where Will the Funds Go?

America's food Fund will receive $100,000, which will be used to provide meals to those who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, stated through a Google Doc Dorsey shared for tracking all grants.

However, Twitter's CEO did not specify how much of the $1 billion pledge will be allocated for COVID-19 crisis relief and to other charitable causes after the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

What to Do with the Fund after the COVID-19 Crisis?

Dorsey stated that after the COVID-19 crisis, the focus of the fund would be for the health and education of girls, as well as universal basic income. He believes that those are the best long-term answers to existential issues present in the world.

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What are Other Companies Doing to Help with the COVID-19 Crisis?

Other large tech companies had also exerted similar efforts to help combat the negative consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

The CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and the co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates had both pledged $100 million to help with COVID-19 crisis relief efforts.

Other Companies are also utilizing their available resources to support the global fight against the deadly COVID-19.

Last Month, Google allotted $800 million, the majority of which in ad grants to small businesses and healthcare groups.

Also, Facebook employed a similar ad credit campaign, while cooperating with global officials to combat misinformation on its platform.

Alibaba, SoftBank, and Apple are also providing millions of respirator masks to medical workers.

Helping Out Small Businesses

Businesses situated in Bellevue, Washington and the Regrade communities of Seattle, can apply online for a grant from the $5 million funds from Amazon, says a recent article. On a case-by-case basis, Amazon will determine the value of the grant, for which the business qualifies.

Businesses with a maximum of 50 employees or with annual revenue not exceeding $7 million will be qualified for the grant.

Facebook also pledged to offer approximately 30,000 small businesses with $100 million in cash grants and Facebook advertising credits. The donations will be granted to small businesses in 30 different nations.
Xiaomi has included a special message for its major competitor Huawei on the boxes of European versions of the Mi 10 series. In case you needed reminding, the Mi 10 series provides "easy access to the Google apps that you use most often." Xiaomi claims that its hands are tied though, pointing the figure elsewhere.

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Huawei does not hold back when it ridicules its competitors. CEO Richard Yu took Samsung apart in his assessment of the Galaxy Fold, for example, stating that Huawei settled on a superior design with the Mate X, instead.

It is hard to escape the fact that Huawei and Honor smartphones currently offer an inferior selection of apps than its Android competitors do though, and Google is capitalising on that. A few days ago it emerged that Xiaomi was including "with easy access to the Google apps you use most" on European Mi 10 boxes. Pictures of these boxes circulated online and prompted people to suggest that Xiaomi was insulting Huawei.

On the face of it that would make sense, as Xiaomi is the first Google-certified OEM to display such terms on its boxes. However, Xiaomi has now responded with the following statement, as translated by XDA Developers from Chinese:

We have noticed that there is a discussion on the latest copy of the packaging of Xiaomi mobile phone overseas market. In order to avoid misunderstanding, the explanation is as follows:

This copy is from the promotion requirements of the partners in the latest cooperation agreement, similar to the power by android displayed on the Android phone and the intel inside on the computer.

Because the previous version of the agreement between Xiaomi and its partners has expired, Xiaomi becomes the first batch of contracted manufacturers of the new version of the cooperation agreement, and is also the first manufacturer to release new products after it becomes effective.

We hope that global mobile phone manufacturers can cooperate smoothly with all partners to create a richer ecosystem.

As XDA Developers explains, it is likely that the release of the Mi 10 series coincided with Xiaomi having signed a new Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) that contained a new marketing clause. So, do not be surprised if more Android OEMs follow suit in the coming months as their existing MADAs expire.
While Prince William and Kate Middleton are trying their best to lead the United Kingdom, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are hiding in their Malibu home to take their much-need "break" after stepping down as members of the royal family.

Brexit commentator Martin Daubney slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for pursuing their private life during this pandemic, while Queen Elizabeth and other senior members are attempting to do their best to send out video messages and calls for the British citizens.

According to Daubney, the couple has "cut the umbilical cord" from the royal family in Britain's "darkest hour."

Speaking of the Queen's emotional speech, he said, "Just 24 hours after, we have here the embodiment of pointlessness of this couple now."

He said that Meghan and Prince Harry should be lending their time and putting on efforts for the UK, but that's simply not the case.

"They are deeply on the pursuit of a professional career. They're entitled to do that, but they have cut the umbilical cord from the royal family in our darkest hour."

This week, the couple has also announced their new brand, where the timing just didn't sit well with everyone.

The Telegraph explained that their new non-profit organization would "do something of meaning, to do something that matters."

Archewell is replacing their "Sussex Royal" branding. The name of their organization was also inspired by their son's name "Archie," since "Arche" is a Greek word for "source of action."

However, royal fans and critics believe that the timing of their announcement was just in poor taste.

As per the news publication, Meghan and Prince Harry felt that they need to announce the brand since they have already registered it in the US.

"Faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be. We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right."

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex addressed why it was necessary to announce their new brand, fans are not happy.

A Twitter user expressed that she doesn't think it's a "sensible timing" to announce something like this during a pandemic.

"It just makes them appear more detached from reality and the struggles that the everyday person is going through."

Royal expert Phil Dampier also weighed in on the matter and said the timing is merely appalling, adding that if he were Harry and Meghan, he would have laid low until this situation was over.

Unlike the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince William and Kate Middleton showed their support to the Queen following her speech about the coronavirus.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also called several hospitals and talked to the front liners to thank them for their services to the country.

The 37-year-old prince also mentioned that he wanted to do his "bit" to help fight the coronavirus pandemic as an air ambulance pilot, as he wanted to have a life-saving role.

However, since he is only one of the few senior royal members currently working, he was not allowed.

Prince Charles is recovering from the coronavirus, while Prince Andrew is not working anymore due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that happened last year.

Indeed, Prince William is the kind of leader that every countryman would want him to be king.

READ MORE: Royal Struggle: Kate Middleton Having A Hard Time With Public Life?
Turkey has started testing plasma therapy as a possible treatment for the coronavirus disease, Turkish Red Crescent Society President Kerem Kinik said on Tuesday.

"We are waiting for blood donations from all the heroes who defeated the coronavirus 14 days after their discharge from hospitals, in order to save the lives of other patients," Kinik said, as quoted by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

According to Kinik, every person who has recovered from COVID-19 can donate blood three times a week.

Kursat Demir, a recently recovered Turkish doctor, became the first plasma donor in the country, TRT reported. Demir donated blood at the Red Crescent's facility.

The plasma of recovered patients contains antibodies that can be transfused into other patients who have contracted the disease.

Turkey has so far confirmed 30,217 COVID-19 cases and 649 deaths from coronavirus-related complications.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fire broke out Wednesday at the central Berlin site where the German imperial family's palace is being reconstructed, injuring one and sending black smoke pouring into the sky.

The fire broke out outside the building in two tar kettles, causing a propane gas cylinder to explode before around 80 firefighters extinguished the blaze.

"Pictures of fire above the entrance to the palace sent shivers down all our spines," junior minister for culture Monika Gruetters said in a statement.

One worker was slightly hurt by smoke inhalation, firefighters said. "Everything is under control again," the emergency responders posted on Twitter.

The Humboldt Forum, a museum slated to open in the rebuilt palace in autumn, said work on the building would not be slowed by Wednesday's upset.

Standing on the same site since the 15th century and home to Prussia's royal Hohenzollern family, the Stadtschloss was demolished by the communist East German government in 1950 after being damaged in World War II bombing.

Under construction since 2013, the new structure with reproduction facades and a modern interior is slated to open in the autumn as a cultural and research centre.

The Humboldt Forum will host items from Berlin's ethnological and Asian art museums, as well as from the scientific collections at the neighbouring Humboldt University and libraries. Reconstruction of the palace has itself been controversial, as it meant tearing down the "Palace of the Republic" that stood on the same spot until 2008.

Housing the East German parliament and a leisure centre including a bowling alley until reunification in 1990, the building was dear to many citizens of the former communist state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Space) Air Vice Marshal Surat Singh on Wednesday said that the Indian Air Force Sergeant who visited Nizamuddin area was immediately quarantined after information about his visit was received.

A massive congregation was held at Markaz Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin area last month, which has emerged as the epicentre of coronavirus spread with several attendees having tested positive for COVID-19 across the country.

An IAF Sergeant had also visited the Nizamuddin area during the congregation.

"When we came to know that one Air Force personnel visited the Nizamuddin area (in Delhi), we took immediate measures and ensured that he was quarantined. A test was conducted on this sergeant and the preliminary reports are negative," Singh told ANI here.

Singh also said that the Air Force is also extending support to various civilian authorities in tackling the menace of coronavirus in the country.

"We are in constant liaison with the Department of Defence and Department of Military Affairs at the Ministry of Defence. A critical management cell has been created, both at Air HQ and Command HQ, and there is a constant liaison with the Air Force and outside agencies," Singh said.

"We have also pre-positioned a large number of white-bodied aircraft and helicopters at various places across the country in order to ensure that we react very promptly to any situation that may arise, primarily at supporting govt efforts towards fighting coronavirus," he added.

This comes as the country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which according to the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs has claimed the lives of 149 people and infected another 5,194 persons as on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Wealthy children of Venezuela's ruling elite spread the coronavirus at a drug-fuelled party on a Caribbean island, sparking anger in the impoverished country.

Socialist president Nicolas Maduro admitted that 'practically everyone at the party is testing positive' after the virus spread on the Los Roques archipelago last month.

Glamorous young people were seen revelling on beaches in pictures shared by a group of artists who separately visited Los Roques to shoot music videos.

The artists crossed paths with the elite partygoers but say they were not guests themselves. It is not suggested that the people pictured below were guests at that particular event.

There are fears that a major outbreak in Venezuela would overwhelm a crippled health system, where hospitals already lack water, electricity and medical supplies.

Three beachgoers pose for a picture in the Los Roques archipelago off Venezuela, where the coronavirus is believed to have spread last month

This picture from the Los Roques archipelago was posted on March 20, when Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro said 'practically everyone' at a party there had tested positive

This picture was posted by Jesus Amoroso, the son of Maduro's top anti-corruption official, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly undermining Venezuela's democracy

The elite party in mid-March featured some of Venezuela's high-flying 'Bolichicos', the privileged offspring of the ruling elite who can afford to travel to the island while the rest of the country faces a food crisis.

It is not clear how many people got sick on the Los Roques archipelago, but the cluster of infections has raised concerns at the highest level of government.

'There was a party, on an island, and practically everyone at the party is testing positive,' socialist leader Maduro said on state TV on March 20.

Three days later, he downplayed it. 'Who is going to criticise a party? They didn't know they were sick,' said Maduro, who was indicted by Washington last month on narcotics charges.

The discovery has angered people in the Caracas slum of Petare. Miguel Rengifo, who drives a motorcycle-taxi, said he's appalled at reports of the rich throwing parties while the country is on lockdown.

'We're struggling to eat, but they're running free, drinking, chasing girls without a second thought about the rest of us,' the 38-year-old said. 'Here, we are fighting just to get by.'

Los Roques is an oasis for the few who can afford it, including aides and relatives of top officials who travel by private plane to the band of tiny islands.

Parties in the cluster of tiny islands have become more popular, with Miami, Madrid and New York out of reach after U.S. sanctions cut off access to foreign bank accounts and easy travel.

These pictures were posted by an artist called Nakary NK, who was on the island where to shoot a video. She says she was not involved in the elite party

This picture was taken by the same artist. Revellers at the party crossed paths with Puerto Rican reggaeton artists on the island

The festivities in Los Roques were organised by several government-connected businessmen, according to two people familiar with the gatherings.

Among the young revellers was Jesus Amoroso, the son of Maduro's top anti-corruption official, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly undermining Venezuela's democracy.

The two people said Venezuelan prostitutes from Madrid and London were flown in just before air travel was closed to Spain.

A smaller group crossed paths with two famous Puerto Rican reggaeton artists, Zion and Justin Quiles, who were seen on a sun-struck powerboat.

A spokeswoman said Zion and Quiles were in the islands to shoot a video and did not attend any social event. Both tested negative for the virus.

Pictures were also shared by an artist known as NakaryNK, who similarly said she was there for work and not involved in the party.

Usually, the parties feature psychedelic 2C-B drugs  known as 'pink cocaine' for its high price and pink, powdery substance, the two people said.

According to a third person familiar with the situation, a larger entourage set out in several boats to a popular spot that locals call 'Corrupt Cay.' They did not know the virus was spreading.

Some of the revellers appear to have crossed paths with a Puerto Rican artist known as Noriel, who posted this picture on the Los Roques archipelago

These pictures were taken on the island last month where a party led to a cluster of coronavirus infections

'Certainly one of the girls had the virus and nobody knew,' a local resident and partygoer said in an audio message leaked on social media.

The person recounted how he and his girlfriend had to be evacuated with high fevers. He said six people tested positive for the virus.

The party ended with a hangover: Everyone was tested, and some, embarrassed, closed their social media accounts.

Others defended their actions. 'Suck it gossipers,' Jesus Amoroso said on Instagram with a photo showing him in front of a luxury SUV, middle fingers raised.

Last week, police arrested several people who were in Los Roques, including the suspected madam for the upscale prostitutes, after breaking up a party in an upscale Caracas home.

Officers found a handgun, ecstasy pills and eight women belonging to a suspected prostitution ring, according the police report.

Of the 18 arrested for violating Maduro's ban on large gatherings, two tested positive for the virus, according to police.
ALBANY - The number of people in mandatory quarantine due to coronavirus jumped dramatically overnight in Albany County, and four more local people - one victim each in Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Columbia counties - died from the effects of a disease that is showing no signs of slowing the the Capital Region.

The death reported in Schenectady was the county's eighth, the death in Saratoga County was the fifth, and the death in Rensselaer County was the third. In all three cases, the victims were over 70 with underlying medical conditions.

"We are very saddened to learn about the death of another resident who succumbed to this very serious illness," Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin wrote on Twitter. "We extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to the family and friends of this residents."

The death in Columbia County is the fourth to hit that rural community. County Health Director Jack Mabb said the resident was a senior citizen with underlying medical conditions. The county would not provide further information about the victim.

"Although we understand the desire for more information, we are doing everything we can to respect the privacy of the individual and the loved ones of the deceased," read a statement on the county's Department of Health website.

The county's first two deaths from COVID-19 were residents of the Pine Haven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Philmont, which is battling an outbreak among residents. The most recent victim was not a Pine Haven resident.

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The county's third death was reported this past weekend. That victim was not a Pine Haven resident either, but was a person over 80 years old, said Jack Mabb, the county's Department of Health director. As of Tuesday afternoon, the county had 72 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and eight suspected cases. Four residents were hospitalized, with one in intensive care. Twenty-eight residents have recovered.

No deaths were reported overnight in Albany County, but the number of involuntary quarantine cases spiked from 340 on Monday to 459 on Tuesday, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy told reporters. It's a 35 percent increase in just a day, though the reason behind the climb was not immediately clear.

So far, 309 county residents have contracted the coronavirus and dozens have recovered. The county has not released any information on where the positive cases are, which towns or villages have been hit the hardest or demographic information about the positive cases.

The new information was released as Albany and Schenectady counties announced new economic efforts to blunt the impact of the coronavirus on the local economy.

McCoy called for the creation of a new county-level local development corporation, similar to Schenectady County taxpayers Metroplex Development Authority that was used to rebuild downtown Schenectady, to help guide new development and draw business to the county once the pandemic passes.

The Schenectady County legislators say they will vote next week on two relief resolutions. One that would cancel the first three months of interest on late property tax payments and the another that would delay county tax foreclosures until 2021.

Albany County officials say they are seeing a new trend among those who are getting the virus.

McCoy says 90 percent of new cases over the past week were diagnosed among first responders, the emergency workers on the forefront of dealing with people possibly sickened by the coronavirus. Testing in recent weeks has been limited but with the state opening a new community testing site at the University at Albany, the number of positive cases is expected to jump within the next day or two.

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

The test site handled between 200 to 300 cases on its first day and could handle up to 1,000 tests a day by the end of the week. The county health department has been receiving calls from people for weeks that have symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 but have not been able to do widespread testing. The first batch of tests from the UAlbany site are expected to come back starting Wednesday.

In recent days, there were hints that the situation around New York City - the part of the nation hardest hit by the virus so far - might be improving but County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen cautioned that does not mean something similar is happening here. The positive rate in the county is around 7.5 percent of those who have been tested, compared to positive test rates above 50 percent in some areas of New York City.

She said shortages of tests have limited the amounts of tests being done in the county and not enough examinations are being done to allow the region to know true infection rate in the county. Hospitals have not seen an issues with handling an expected surge of cases so far.

"We haven't been able to put a handle on how coronavirus is affecting our community," she said. "It may be that (the surge) just hasn't hit us yet."

In Schenectady County, nearly 1,300 people have left quarantine or isolation since the outbreak began, officials said. The county says 145 people have tested positive in the county. Seventy-two people have been hospitalized, though that number includes patients from outside the county.

The county counted 597 people in quarantine Tuesday. Twenty-one people have recovered and on Tuesday, county officials said 64 people were taken off quarantine after they did not show symptoms of the virus.

Rensselaer County reported 13 more positives tests for COVID-19, bringing the county total to 91 cases.

McLaughlin said the increase was to be expected as testing picks up. The county has had 1,420 residents tested. Of the 88 positive tests, 30 have recovered and 14 are the the hospital. McLaughlin andand Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said there were more than 20 COVID-19 patients from New York City at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. They said they are attempting to get a solid number.

Saratoga County's cases increased to 167 total cases since the outbreak began with 11 patients hospitalized. The latest victim of the disease there was a 78-year-old man from Ballston Lake.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will look at putting a hold on the U.S. contribution to the World Health Organization.

"They missed the call. They could have called it months earlier. They would have known, and they should have known, and they probably did know," Trump told reporters at a White House press briefing, suggesting the WHO failed to sufficiently warn the global community about the virus.



"Were going to be looking into that very carefully, and were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO," Trump continued. "Were going to put a very powerful hold on it, and were going to see. Its a great thing if it works, but when they call every shot wrong, thats not good."



Pressed later by a reporter on whether it was a good idea to put a hold on funding during a global pandemic, the president clarified that he was considering suspending funding to the WHO.



"Im not going to say Im going to do it. We will look at ending funding," the Hill cited the U.S. leader as saying.



The United States is the largest contributor to the WHOs budget. The presidents fiscal 2021 budget request proposed slashing funding to the WHO, a body of the United Nations responsible for international public health, from $122 million to about $58 million.
An aerial survey of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA/AFP via Getty Images

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered its most widespread coral bleaching on record, scientists said yesterday in a dire warning about the threat posed by climate change to the world's largest living organism.

James Cook University professor Terry Hughes said a comprehensive survey last month found record sea temperatures had caused the third mass bleaching of the 2,300km reef system in just five years.

Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures, causing them to expel algae living in their tissues which drains them of their vibrant colours.

"We surveyed 1,036 reefs from the air during the last two weeks in March to measure the extent and severity of coral bleaching throughout the Barrier Reef region," Mr Hughes said.

"For the first time, severe bleaching has struck all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef - the northern, central and now large parts of the southern sectors," he added.

The damage came as February brought the highest monthly sea temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef since Australia began keeping records in 1900.

The reef is worth an estimated $4bn (3.6bn) a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy, but is at risk of losing its coveted world heritage status because warmer oceans brought about by climate change have damaged its health.

Back-to-back bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 prompted the government agency overseeing the reef to downgrade its long-term outlook to "very poor".

Bleaching was first seen on the reef in 1998 - at the time, the hottest year on record - but as temperature records continue to tumble its frequency has increased, giving coral less time to recover.

James Cook University professor Morgan Pratchett said although bleaching did not necessarily kill all corals, some were expected to fare worse than others.

More than half of shallow-water corals in the reef's northern reaches died in the 2016 bleaching.
Hospitals in Sweden have stopped using the malaria drug chloroquine on coronavirus patients after reports it was causing blinding headaches and vision loss.

Doctors in the Vastra Gotaland region, 200miles west of Stockholm, are no longer administering the medication, touted as a 'miracle drug' by Donald Trump.

A number of patients at hospitals in the county reported suffering cramps, peripheral vision loss and migraines within days of being prescribed the tablets.

For one in 100 people, chloroquine can also cause the heart to beat too fast or slow, which can lead to a fatal heart attack.

Chloroquine - which has been prescribed for malaria since the 1940s - had been earmarked as a potential COVID-19 cure after showing promise in studies in China.

Doctors in Europe, the US and China have been given licence to trial the drug on seriously ill coronavirus patients.

But Britain has prevented clinicians from dishing out the drug until clinical trials are completed, citing concerns about its safety and efficacy.

Professor Anthony Gordon  a top critical care doctors in the UK  today said there was still 'no strong evidence' the drug could treat coronavirus.

Carl Sydenhag, one of the Swedish coronavirus patients treated with chloroquine, was given two tablets a day after being diagnosed with the killer virus on March 23

The 40-year-old told the newspaper Expressen he began suffering cramps, peripheral vision loss and a headache that felt like stepping into 'a high voltage plant'

Magnus Gisslen, a chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital (pictured), said he and colleagues pulled the plug on chloroquine use two weeks ago

Chloroquine - sold under the brand name Aralen - had been earmarked as a potential COVID-19 cure after showing promise in studies in China

There are multiple versions of chloroquine - a synthetic form of quinine, which comes from cinchona trees.

Both chloroquine (CQ), branded as Aralen, and counterpart hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), known as Plaquenil, are well-established medicines.

It is unclear which drug the Swedish patients were given, but hydroxychloroquine is thought to be less toxic and causes fewer side effects.

CDC REMOVES DOSAGE GUIDANCE ON CHLOROQUINE The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its website to remove guidance on dosages for hydroxychloroquine. The antimalarial has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat coronavirus, but the FDA did issue an Emergency Use Authorization. It means that doctors can administer the drug at their discretion on seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Previous CDC guidance for doctors included dosages for hydroxychloroquine, even though the agency said the 'optimal dosage and duration' to treat coronavirus is still unknown. The updated guidance is shorter and no longer gives dosage information, details nor studies about the drug. Additional information about other drugs has also been removed. Advertisement

Carl Sydenhag, one of the Swedish coronavirus patients treated with the drug, was given two tablets a day after being diagnosed with the killer virus on March 23.

The 40-year-old told the Expressen newspaper he began suffering cramps, peripheral vision loss and a headache that felt like stepping into 'a high voltage plant' within days of taking the medication.

Magnus Gisslen, a chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, said he and colleagues pulled the plug on chloroquine use two weeks ago.

'There were reports of suspected more serious side effects than we first thought,' he told the Gothenburg Post.

'We cannot rule out serious side effects, especially from the heart, and it is a hard-dosed drug. In addition, we have no strong evidence that chloroquine has an effect on COVID-19.'

Professor Anthony Gordon, Chair in anaesthesia and critical care at Imperial College London, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that there was still no strong evidence the drug could treat coronavirus.

He said: '[Chloroquine] has possibility. We haven't got the strong evidence yet and we need that before we start using it for everybody.

'So I think the right thing to do is to test it in robust clinical trials so we fully understand how it works and also its safety.'

Hydroxychloroquine - a form of chloroquine - is being tested on coronavirus patients at a major trial conducted by the University of Oxford.

Almost 1,000 patients from 132 different hospitals have been already recruited in just 15 days for the Randomised Evaluation of COV-id19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial.

Thousands more are expected to join the trial in the coming weeks, making it the largest randomised controlled trial of potential COVID-19 treatments in the world.

Hydroxychloroquine - a form of chloroquine - is being tested on coronavirus patients at a major trial conducted by the University of Oxford

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY APPROVED CHLOROQUINE TO TREAT PATIENTS? Medicine regulators in the US have approved the use of antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Doctors across the States can now prescribe the medicines to patients who are critically ill with the virus. They were granted emergency approval by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 30. Doctors in Spain and Italy - the two worst-affected European countries -have already been told they can prescribe the drugs as a last resort. In the UK, meanwhile, doctors have been instructed not to use the drugs, which can also treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, except in clinical trials. The British Government has banned wholesalers from exporting the drugs to different countries, showing it is protecting the UK supply, but has not yet approved its widespread use because of a lack of evidence. The drug has been used in China throughout the outbreak and doctors have reported good results, but they have not been published in robust scientific trials. South Korea was also among one of the first countries to start using it, and there have been reports of doctors in the Netherlands giving it to COVID-19 patients. In France, a team led by Professor Didier Raoult at a hospital in Marseille reported last week that they had carried out a study of chloroquine on 36 COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organization has launched a worldwide trial called SOLIDARITY, involving scientists in countries all over the globe, to test which drugs work well on COVID-19 patients - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are included in this. Advertisement

Definitive results on whether the antimalarial are safe and effective are expected within months.

The antimalarial is also being looked at as part of the REMAP-CAP trial, an international effort with more than 50 research teams around the world taking part.

It is looking specifically at patients who develop community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) as a result of viral infections.

The study will test 16 drugs, including hydroxychloroquine. The antimalarial is also among 1,000 medicines being tested against coronavirus in a lab as part of a Queens University Belfast study.

Studies so far on chloroquine have been mixed.

Researchers in China, for instance, reported that cough, pneumonia and fever seemed to improve sooner among 31 patients given hydroxychloroquine compared with 31 others who did not get the.

But fewer people in the comparison group had cough or fevers to start with. Many questions have been raised about another study in France, which showed the drug cured about half of the 24 patients out of 36 who received it.

However, it emerged that some patients were not counted in the final results, including three who worsened and were sent to intensive care - one of those patients died a day after later testing negative for the virus, and one stopped treatment because of nausea.

The French study was published in an International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy journal.

The societys president wrote on its website that the report 'does not meet the societys expected standard.'

Larger trials have now been put in motion, including in the US, where one began in New York last week.

Italy is carrying out a trial on 2,000 people, while scientists are also awaiting the results from bigger trials in China.

A European trial called Discovery will study four experimental therapies, including chloroquine, using 3,200 patients who have been hospitalised from the killer virus in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Sweden and Luxembourg.

The World Health Organization has launched a worldwide trial called SOLIDARITY, involving scientists in countries all over the globe, to test which drugs work well on COVID-19 patients - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are included in this

WHAT ARE THE MOST PROMISING DRUGS BEING TESTED ON UK PATIENTS?

Hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil, may treat COVID-19

Hydroxychloroquine (Malaria)

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Plaquenil.

What does it treat?

Malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. It is a less powerful and, by some experts' accounts, less toxic, version of chloroquine phosphate.

Who makes it and where has it already been tested?

Drug giant Sanofi carried out a study on 24 patients, which the French government described as 'promising'.

French health officials are now planning on a larger trial of the drug, which is used on the NHS.

What have studies shown?

Results from the French study showed three quarters of patients treated with the drug were cleared of the virus within six days. None of the placebo group were treated.

How does it work?

It interferes with viral molecules replicating in red blood cells.

Is it being tested in the UK?

Hydroxychloroquine is one of the first drugs to be trialled in the Principle study. It involves high-risk patients in primary care, aged between 50 to 64, who have COVID-19 symptoms and a chronic health condition such as heart disease, asthma or cancer.

It is unclear how many patients are taking part, and the study will run until March next year. So it will be a while before results are clear.

The study is being run at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC) in Surrey.

Hydroxychloroquine is also thought to be among 1,000 drugs being tested at Queens University Belfast.

What are its side effects?

Skin rashes, nausea, diarrhoea and headaches.

What do the experts think?

Chinese scientists investigating the other form of chloroquine penned a letter to a prestigious journal saying its 'less toxic' derivative may also help.

In the comment to Cell Discovery  owned by publisher Nature, they said it shares similar chemical structures and mechanisms.

The team of experts added: 'It is easy to conjure up the idea that hydroxychloroquine may be a potent candidate to treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.'

Lopinavir/ritonavir, marketed under the brand names Kaletra and Aluvia, is an anti-HIV medicine

Lopinavir/ritonavir

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Kaletra and Aluvia.

What does it treat?

It is an anti-HIV medicine given to people living with the virus to prevent it developing into AIDS. HIV patients were prescribed either Kaltra or ritonavir alone around 1,400 times in 2018.

Who makes it?

Illinois-based manufacturer AbbVie donated free supplies of the drug to authorities in China, the US and Europe for tests.

What have studies shown?

Chinese media reported that the drug was successfully used to cure patients with the coronavirus, but the reports have not been scientifically proven.

A separate Chinese study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the lopinavir-ritonavir combination did not improve survival or speed recovery of COVID-19 patients.

However, the authors noted they had enrolled a 'severely ill population' of patients.

In a clinical trial submission, scientists in South Korea said lab studies have: 'In vitro [laboratory] studies revealed that lopinavir/ritonavir [has] antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).'

How does it work?

It is a class of drug called a protease inhibitor, which essentially stick to an enzyme on a virus which is vital to the virus reproducing.

By doing this it blocks the process the virus would normally use to clone itself and spread the infection further.

Is it being tested in the UK?

It is not prescribed on the NHS for coronavirus because it hasn't been approved - but will be used in the Recovery trial, a massive study run by the University of Oxford for COVID-19 patients already in hospital.

The trial started enrolling patients on March 23, with the aim of reaching COVID-19 patients in more than 150 UK hospitals within two weeks.

The drug is also being trialled on coronavirus patients in China and at the University of Nebraska.

What are its side effects?

Known side effects include diarrhea, headaches, upset stomachs, drowsiness, dizziness, a bad taste in the mouth, and trouble sleeping.

What do the experts think?

The drugs have been described as 'promising' by experts. But there has been some hesitancy about the drug combination due to the NEJM study.

Interferon beta-1b (IFN-beta) is a naturally occurring protein that orchestrates the body's anti-viral responses

Interferon beta-1b/SNG001

What are the brand versions of the drug?

The drug is still in development and goes by the name of SNG001.

What does it treat?

Interferon beta-1b (IFN-beta) is a naturally occurring protein that orchestrates the body's anti-viral responses.

SNG001 is a formulation of IFN-beta developed by Synairgen to prevent severe lower respiratory tract illness caused by cold and flu infections.

A different formulation using the protein is used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The drug called Extavia is self-injected every two days and works by slowing down the damage to the nervous system and by reducing the number of relapses.

Where has it already been tested?

Synairgen is a UK-based company, and it appears their formulation hasn't crossed overseas yet.

But it does say has been approached by, and is in discussion with, a number of scientific and governmental bodies in the US and internationally since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

What have studies shown?

Laboratory studies have shown IFN-beta can protect cells from infection by a range of respiratory viruses.

These include the MERS and SARS coronavirus strains, leaving scientists expecting IFN-beta to also protect against the COVID-19 strain.

It has already been shown to improve the recovery of asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients who have other lung infections, such as flu.

Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, said: 'SNG001 has been well tolerated in clinical trials in over 200 respiratory patients to date and has accelerated lung function recovery in two Phase II asthma trials in patients with a cold or flu infection.'

How does it work?

SNG001 is inhaled with a nebuliser, which helps deliver drugs to the lungs.

Scientists believe it will prevent the coronavirus from taking over lung cells to replicate. This would prevent patients deteriorating until the point they need ventilation to survive.

Viruses, including coronaviruses, can evolve the ability to suppresses IFN-beta production in the body, thereby helping the virus evade.

Is it being tested in the UK?

Southampton researchers are conducting a Phase II SNG001 trial on COVID-19 patients to see if it could prevent worsening symptoms in those most at risk.

The trial, led by Professor Tom Wilkinson at University Hospital Southampton, will involve 100 patients at Southampton and up to ten other NHS hospitals. It started recruiting mid-March.

Those patients will receive the best current COVID19 care, whilst inhaling either a placebo or SNG001 for 14 days.

What are its side effects?

Doctors are currently clueless. Side effects will be reported with the findings of the clinic trial.

Other forms of interferon beta can cause headaches, vaginal bleeding and diminish libido.

What do the experts think?

Tom Wilkinson told Sky News: 'We are hoping that the drug will increase the rate of recovery from infection, that it will increase the protection in the bit of the lungs that are not infected yet and will reduce the number of patients that decline significantly and require intubation and ventilation.'

Mr Marsden said: 'A successful outcome from this trial [at Southampton] in COVID-19 patients would be a major breakthrough in the fight against this coronavirus pandemic.'

Dexamethasone is a steroid drug is used to treat allergies and asthma, as well as some types of cancer

Dexamethasone

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Ozurdex and Baycadron.

What does it treat?

The steroid drug is used to treat allergies and asthma, as well as some types of cancer.

Who makes it?

Baycadron is made by Wockhardt Usa, Llc, while Ozurdex is made by Allergan, the manufacturer of a commonly used textured breast implant.

What have studies shown?

No studies have yet to prove dexamethasone can treat SARS-CoV-2 - but it has been tested on patients with MERS and SARS, two different coronaviruses.

One retrospective study of critically-ill patients with MERS found that almost half of the people that received steroids needed additional treatments such as assistance in breathing, drugs to increase blood pressure, and a form of dialysis.

Those given steroids were found to take longer to clear the virus from their bodies.

Other studies found that the virus was still present in SARS patients who took the drugs up to three weeks after infection.

How does it work?

Steroids are often used by doctors to reduce inflammation, which is present in the lungs of patients with the coronavirus.

However, steroids also impair the immune system's ability to fight viruses and other infections that often develop in patients with life-threatening illness.

Is it being tested in the UK?

Dexamethasone is one of the drugs being used in the RECOVERY trial launched by the University of Oxford. It will include patients at more than 130 NHS hospitals across the UK.

What are its side effects?

The drug is known to cause an increase in appetite and heartburn, as well as muscle weakness and insomnia.

What do the experts think?

In a piece in prestigious medical journal The Lancet, three experts warned: 'No unique reason exists to expect that patients with 2019-nCoV infection will benefit from corticosteroids.

'And they might be more likely to be harmed with such treatment.

'We conclude that corticosteroid treatment should not be used for the treatment of 2019-nCoV-induced lung injury or shock outside of a clinical trial.'

Remdesivir

Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that works in essentially the same way as favipiravir  by crippling the RNA polymerase enzyme, stopping a virus from reproducing

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Remdesivir - no brand name currently exists because it is only experimental.

What does it treat?

It was developed around 10 years ago with the intention of it destroying the Ebola virus. It was pushed aside, however, when other, better candidates emerged.

Who makes it?

California-based pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, the firm behind the life-changing HIV-preventing pill Truvada, or PrEP.

What have studies shown?

Lab tests of remdesivir have shown promise against coronaviruses - but human trials are still in their early days.

Doctors in the US have tried it on patients and it managed to speed up the recovery of the first person to be treated for the virus there.

WHAT ARE THE THREE MAIN CORONAVIRUS TRIALS IN THE UK? Principle The Principle trial is studying people aged 50 to 64 who have COVID-19 symptoms and a chronic health condition such as heart disease, asthma or cancer. It is unclear how many patients are taking part. It is also open to those aged 65 or over, with or without other illnesses. The first drug that will be trialled is hydroxychloroquine, sold as Plaquenil. Other potential treatments will be used if they show promise in pre-clinical studies. The study is being run at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC) in Surrey. It will last until March next year. Recovery The Randomised Evaluation of COV-id19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial is being run by the University of Oxford. It will test the HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir, marketed as Kaletra and Aluvia, hydroxychloroquine, a malaria medication sold as Plaquenil, and dexamethasone, a type of steroid use in a range of conditions to reduce inflammation. Almost 1,000 patients from 132 different hospitals have been already recruited in just 15 days. Thousands more are expected to join the trial in the coming weeks, making it the largest randomised controlled trial of potential COVID-19 treatments in the world. Definitive results on whether the treatments are safe and effective are expected within months and, if positive, they could potentially benefit hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. REMAP-CAP The REMAP-CAP trial is an international effort, with more than 50 research teams around the world - in around 13 countries - taking part. It is looking specifically at patients who develop community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) as a result of viral infections. The study will test 16 drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon beta, which have all shown promise in pre-clinical trials. Between 2,000 and 4,000 patients will be enrolled. Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial The Adaptive trial is taking place in about 75 hospitals globally to assess the experimental Ebola drug remdesivir in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. University College London (UCL) is leading the UK part, called ACTT-EU/UK, which recruited its first patient this week. The trial will involve thousands of people across 15 NHS trusts in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Plymouth and more. Initially the trial aims to recruit 440 people who will be followed up by 29 days. Researchers hope to have the first results from the trial by the beginning of this summer. Advertisement

The a 35-year-old man in Washington state, close to Seattle  whose infection was announced on January 20  recovered after being given the drug.

A Californian woman who doctors 'thought was going to pass away' also recovered in the US after being given the drug.

Four American passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship treated with the drug in Japan also recovered.

Officials in Liguria  a coastal region of Italy  also announced an infected man in his 70s had recovered and could go home after 12 days in hospital.

How does it work?

Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that works in essentially the same way as favipiravir  by crippling the RNA polymerase enzyme, stopping a virus from reproducing.

Is it being tested in the UK?

The Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-EU/UK) trial, which is taking place in about 75 hospitals globally, recruited its first UK patient this week.

The study, led by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of remdesivir in patients with moderate to severe Covid-19. It will be administered via IV.

The trial will involve thousands of people across 15 NHS trusts in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and Plymouth and more.

Initially the trial aims to recruit 440 people who will be followed up by 29 days. Researchers hope to have the first results from the trial by the beginning of this summer.

Critically, a clinical trial of this size will highlight the true efficacy of remdesivir and any potential side effects.

The drug is also being trialled on coronavirus patients in China and at the University of Nebraska.

What are its side effects?

Scientists are full of hope because the drug is proven to be safe in humans. Its side effects are still not well understood.

What do the experts think?

Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, hailed remdesivir as 'one of the most promising antivirals' being investigated.

While Dr Alfredo Garzino-Demo, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said evidence shows it has the ability to treat COVID-19 patients.

Ceftriaxone

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Rocephin.

What does it treat?

The antibiotic treat many kinds of bacterial infections, including severe or life-threatening forms such as meningitis.

Ceftriaxone is an antibiotic treat many kinds of bacterial infections, including severe or life-threatening forms such as meningitis

It's also used to prevent infection in people having certain types of surgery.

Rocephin is injected into a muscle, or into a vein through an IV.

Who makes it?

Roche Laboratories, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant.

What have studies shown?

No studies have yet proven Ceftriaxone can treat the new coronavirus.

Is it being tested in the UK?

It is currently being tested on humans as part of the REMAP-CAP trial, an international effort involving more than 50 research teams around the world.

The drug will be trialled on patients who develop pneumonia as a result of the virus, including those in UK hospitals.

How does it work?

It works by by interfering with bacteria trying to multiply and grow.

Ceftriaxone blocks the bacteria from making a cell wall, which eventually kills off the infection-causing bugs.

What are its side effects?

The drug may cause mild diarrhea, warmth or a hard lump where the injection was given, vaginal itching or discharge, rash, or poor liver function.

Moxifloxacin is being studied as part of the REMAP-CAP trial looking into its effectiveness on coronavirus patients with pneumonia

Moxifloxacin

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Avelox.

What does it treat?

The antibiotic is used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including pneumonia, conjunctivitis, tuberculosis, sinusitis and heart infections.

It is taken orally, by injection into a vein, or as an eye drop.

Who makes it?

The German firm Bayer AG, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

What have studies shown?

There have been no studies into its effect on coronavirus patients yet.

Is it being tested in the UK?

Moxifloxacin is also part of the REMAP-CAP trial which spans across the globe, including the UK. It will be used on patients with pneumonia - which COVID-19's can trigger in worst-case scenarios.

Moxifloxacin is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system.

How does it work?

It kills off bacteria by blocking their ability to duplicate.

What are its side effects?

Common side effects include diarrhea, dizziness, and headache.

In rare instances, it may cause spontaneous tendon ruptures, nerve damage, and skeletal muscle weakness.

Piperacillin-tazobactam is a combination medication containing the antibiotic piperacillin and the -lactamase inhibitor tazobactam, a group of enzymes that combat antibiotic resistance

Piperacillin-tazobactam

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Tazocin.

What does it treat?

Piperacillin-tazobactam is a combination medication containing the antibiotic piperacillin and the -lactamase inhibitor tazobactam, a group of enzymes that combat antibiotic resistance.

It is used to treat pelvic inflammatory disease, intra-abdominal infection, pneumonia, cellulitis, and sepsis. It is administered by injection into a vein.

Who makes it?

The German firm Bayer AG, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

What have studies shown?

There have been no studies into its effect on coronavirus patients yet.

Is it being tested in the UK?

Piperacillin-tazobactam is also on the WHO's List of Essential Medicines, and so has been pulled into the REMAP-CAP trial on COVID-19 patients with pneumonia.

How does it work?

The drug kills bacteria through blocking their ability to make a cell wall and duplicate.

What are its side effects?

Common adverse effects include headache, trouble sleeping, rash, nausea, constipation, and diarrhoea.

Macrolide

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Zithromax, Klacid, Erymax, Erythrocin, Erythroped and Erythroped A.

Macrolide are a group of antibiotics used to treat pneumonia and respiratory infections. It is sold under the brand name Zithromax

What does it treat?

Macrolides are a group of antibiotics used to treat pneumonia and respiratory infections.

Who makes it?

Pfizer, best known as the creator of Viagra, makes the most common macrolide, Zithromax.

What have studies shown?

It has been used since 1952 as a substitute to penicillin in cases where patients were allergic to penicillin or had penicillin-resistant illnesses.

Macrolides have long been shown to be effective at treating pneumonia and the serious bouts of the flu.

Is it being tested in the UK?

There are high hopes its effectiveness for treating COVID-19 will come to light in the REMAP-CAP trial.

How does it work?

They act by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, or stopping bugs from growing in the body.

What are its side effects?

The drugs have long been considered safe for the vast majority of people.

But a 2008 British Medical Journal article highlights that the combination of some macrolides and statins (used for lowering cholesterol) is not advisable and can lead mto Muscular disease.

Some macrolides are also known to cause cholestasis, a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the intestine.

Cholestasis can lead to itchiness, jaundice and abnormally concentrated urine.

The antiviral medication is used to treat and prevent influenza A, the most common version of the flu, and influenza B

Oseltamivir

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Tamiflu.

What does it treat?

The antiviral medication is used to treat and prevent influenza A, the most common version of the flu, and influenza B.

It is recommend it in people who have complications or are at high risk of complications within 48 hours of first symptoms of infection.

Oseltamivir is taken by mouth, either as a pill or liquid.

Who makes it?

Roche Laboratories, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant.

What have studies shown?

A tiny study of four medics, aged 30 to 36, who contracted coronavirus suggested Oseltamivir suppressed the virus' reproduction.

The study, published in the journal JAMA on February 27, followed four medical professionals ages 30 to 36 years old who developed COVID-19 in the outbreak's epicentre in Wuhan, China.

All of the individuals recovered after being treated with Tamiflu.

Is it being tested in the UK?

The drug is being trialled by British and international researchers as part of the REMAP-CAP study.

How does it work?

Tamflu works by attacking flu viruses to keep them from multiplying in the body.

What are its side effects?

Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, nosebleeds, eye redness or discomfort and sleeping problems.

The flu itself or Tamiflu may rarely cause mood changes, which is more common in children.

Amoxicillin-clavulanate

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Augmentin. It is taken as a tablet.

Amoxicillin-clavulanate is useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections

What does it treat?

The penicillin antibiotic is useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections, including sinusitis, pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, and skin infections.

Clavulanate potassium is a beta-lactamase inhibitor that helps prevent certain bacteria from becoming resistant to amoxicillin.

Who makes it?

The British drug giant GlaxoSmithKlin, based in Brentford, London.

What have studies shown?

No studies have investigated its effect on the coronavirus.

Is it being trialled in the UK?

It's on the extensive list of drugs being tested in the the REMAP-CAP trial, involving between 2,000 and 4,000 patients in 13 countries, including the UK.

How does it work?

It stops the growth of bacteria and is only used to treat bacterial infections. It is not thought to be effective for viral infections such as the common cold and flu.

What are the side effects?

The drug is considered generally safe for most people and has very little side effects.

In some circumstances, the drug can cause hives, general itching, itching of the vagina or genital area, pain during sexual intercourse, redness of the skin, vaginal discharge.

But there have been reports of the antibiotic causing bloody or cloudy urine, fever, greatly decreased frequency of urination or amount of urine, seizures and swelling of the feet or lower legs.

The antibiotic is prescribed for complicated skin infections, including MRSA, and pneumonia

Ceftaroline

What are the brand versions of the drug?

Teflaro in the US and Zinforo in Europe

What does it treat?

The antibiotic is prescribed for complicated skin infections, including MRSA, and pneumonia.

It is given via drip into a vein, usually in hospital.

Who makes it?

The New York City based drug giant, Pfizer.

What have studies shown?

The antibiotic is being trialled on an international group of patients, including Britons, along with 15 other drugs as part of the REM-CAP trial.

How does it work?

The active substance in Zinforo, ceftaroline fosamil, is a type of antibiotic called cephalosporin belonging to the group 'beta-lactams'.

It interferes with the production of complex molecules called peptidoglycans, which are essential components of bacterial cell walls.

What are its side effects?

The most common side effects with Zinforo - seen in more than 3 per cent of patients - are diarrhoea, headache, nausea, and itching.
A federal appeals court has revived part of a lawsuit that raises a novel claim to a federal right to education by asserting that Mississippis lack of a uniform education system violates the 1868 federal law that readmitted the state to the Union after the Civil War.

Under the Mississippi Readmission Act passed in 1870, Congress imposed conditions on the former Confederate state, as it had with similar readmission laws for other states, including that the constitution of Mississippi shall never be so amended or changed as to deprive any citizen or class of citizens of the United States of the school rights and privileges secured by the constitution of said state.

In 1868, Mississippi adopted a new constitution that required the state legislature to establish a uniform system of free public schools, by taxation or otherwise, for all children between the ages of five and twenty-one years.

The state amended its education clause four times since then, with the current language, adopted in 1987, calling for the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the legislature may prescribe.

The plaintiffs in the suit, a group of African-American women whose children attend poor schools Jackson and Yazoo City, Miss., assert that the removal of the uniformity clause has caused significant disparities in the educational resources, opportunities, and outcomes for Mississippi children based on their race.

Their lawsuit against various Mississippi officials, backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., seeks a judgment that the current education clause of the state constitution violates the federal Readmission Act, and that 1868 constitutions uniformity clause remains legally binding on state officials.

A federal district court dismissed the suit on the grounds that it was essentially filed against the state, which had sovereign immunity.

In an April 2 decision in Williams v. Reeves , a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, unanimously reinstated the claims in the suit based on the Readmission Act, but it said it could not revive the claim that the 1868 education clause was still legally binding.

Because this request impermissibly asks a federal court to instruct state officials on how to conform their conduct to state law, it is barred by Supreme Court precedent, the appellate court said of the second claim.

But the 5th Circuits ruling on the first claim is significant, legal observers say. It recognizes a theory of a federal right to education that derives from recent work by a number of academic thinkers.

Kimberly Jenkins Robinson, a law professor at the University of Virginia, published a book late last year that examines recent scholarship and legal activity surrounding the issue. A Federal Right to Education: Questions for Our Democracy looks at, among other cases, suits filed in Michigan, Connecticut, and Rhode Island that are based on claims of access to literacy, liberty, and civics education to become capable citizens. (She discussed it with Education Weeks Daarel Burnette II in January .)

Derek W. Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, has a chapter in Robinsons book, and has written more extensively about the potential of federal right of education claims involving the Southern states readmitted to the union.

In particular, for Texas and Virginia in addition to Mississippi, Congress adopted similar language requiring that as a condition of their readmission, their state constitutions could not be amended to deprive their citizens of the school rights and privileges included in those state charters.

By the end of Reconstruction, Congress made explicit what had been implicit all along: Education was a condition of readmission. Moreover, education was a condition because education was central to a republican form of government, Black wrote in a 2018 article in the Stanford Law Review, The Constitutional Compromise to Guarantee Education .

Black, in an interview, said he was encouraged by the 5th Circuits decision in the Mississippi case. The plaintiffs case is a narrow version of the theory he laid out in his Stanford article, he said.

But I read the [5th Circuit] opinion to affirm that this is a valid theory, that [the plaintiffs] can enforce the [federal] readmission provision, Black said. I found it to be an important first step to unlocking the door to the constitutional theory that I lay out in my paper.

Black has a book coming out in September that will expand on his theory of a federal right, called Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy .

Black said he was heartened that the panel was unanimous and had little trouble concluding that the plaintiffs suit could go forward on the theory that Mississippi had backtracked on the guarantee of a uniform education from its 1868 constitution.

What the 5th circuit is saying is there was a deal cut for education, and you need to provide for it in your constitution, he said. And by extension, under the terms of the Readmission Act, the state could not backtrack.

A spokeman for the Mississippi attorney generals office, which is defending the officials named in the suit, said he was checking with lawyers who worked on the case for any reaction.

In a brief filed with the 5th Circuit, the attorney generals office argued, among other things, that there is no private right to sue to enforce the Readmission Act and that the plaintiffs are seeking to have a federal court order state officials to conform their conduct to state law as it was in 1868.

The brief says there is always room for improvement in education in Mississippi, but this court should not entertain [the plaintiffs] attempt to refashion Readmission Acts into privately-enforceable mandates prohibiting states from amending their constitutions.

Pending further appeals, the SPLCs suit will return to a federal district court for additional proceedings. The suit alleges that because of the lack of the uniformity requirement, the plaintiffs children attend schools that are 95 percent African-American in enrollment, with 95 percent eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Fewer than 11 percent are proficient in math and reading, and the schools are rated D by the state education department.

The suit does not specify a remedy beyond the declaratory judgment that the state has violated the Readmission Act.

Christine Bischoff, a senior staff attorney with the SPLC, said in a statement that the 5th Circuits decision allowing the case to move forward is welcome news for families impacted by Mississippis violation of the Readmission Act and establishment of a shockingly disuniform public school system that greatly disadvantages African-American students.
EDMONTONA man is facing 38 charges after a series of vehicle break-ins near Edmontons University of Alberta hospital.

Police say the man was arrested Friday after officers saw him speeding away from the area on a bike.

One officer caught up to him and took him into custody.

Police say they found break-and-enter tools on the suspect at the time of his arrest.

Richard Harnum, 32, was wanted for multiple break-ins of vehicles belonging to health-care workers such as nurses and respiratory therapists.

Police say those workers will have one less worry on their minds as hospitals deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigators believe other health-care workers at the U of A hospital could have been targeted.

They are asking anyone whose vehicles were broken into recently in the Strathcona neighbourhood to call police or submit the information online.

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Kym Marsh has revealed she hasn't seen her boyfriend Scott Ratcliff, 31, properly for seven months after his return from his Afghanistan tour was delayed.

The actress, 43, appeared via video link on Lorraine on Wednesday where she described what was already a 'hard situation', has been made even tougher after his return was postponed due to the coronavirus.

Kym also addressed fears over whether she had contracted COVID-19 after she pulled out of presenting The One Show last month.

Heartache: Kym Marsh has revealed she hasn't seen her boyfriend Scott Ratcliff, 31, properly for seven months after his return from his Afghanistan tour was delayed

Kym said: 'I started self-isolating before the lockdown started so I've been doing this for longer. I developed some symptoms.

'I'm not convinced it was that. It was more than likely a seasonal cold, but it was the right thing the do, anyone who was showing symptoms should be isolating.

'So I decided to do that I was supposed to be co-presenting The One Show but I had to cancel.'

Absence: Kym said: 'We'll have done seven months by the time he comes back. When Scott gets back, we'll feel a bit safer' (pictured during a brief reunion last year)

Inner strength: Lorraine applauded Kym for staying strong while missing her boyfriend

Kym revealed she was staying at home with her daughter Polly, nine, son David, 25, and his girlfriend.

But the star reflected on how much she was missing her partner Scott and grandson Teddy, 11 months.

The former Coronation Street star said: 'Yeah it's hard. It was hard anyway but it's been even more so now because you want to be with your partner at times like these.

Doting mum: Kym revealed she was staying at home with her daughter Polly, nine, son David, 25, and his girlfriend

Romance: The actress said: 'Yeah it's hard. It was hard anyway but it's been even more so now because you want to be with your partner at times like these'

'Actually he and also the other boys have been delayed coming back... he won't be back till next month, he was meant to come back this month. We'll have done seven months by the time he comes back.

'When Scott gets back it's another dynamic in the house, we'll feel a bit safer'.

Of missing her grandson, Kym added: 'It's such a shame we're going to miss his first birthday, Emilie moved out in February so it's really new anyway her not being here, so now not being able to visit or see them is really difficult, but it's great she's sending us photos and videos all the time.'

Kym and Scott have been dating since July 2018, three months after she split from personal trainer Matt Baker.

Back in December 2018, Kym revealed she and Scott were facing six months apart as the soldier was due to return to Afghanistan for duty in the Parachute Regiment.

Loved-up: Kym and Scott have been dating since July 2018, three months after she split from personal trainer Matt Baker (pictured in December 2018)

Close bond: Of missing her grandson, Kym added: 'It's such a shame we're going to miss his first birthday, Emilie moved out in February so it's really new her not being here'

Despite the long-distance looming, the star was resolute in her belief that their relationship will survive the strain.

The pair found love after being introduced by mutual friend Antony Cotton.

Kym had split from Matt three months before sparking up a romance with Scott, after a two year romance.

Kym was first in a relationship with builder David Cunliffe before her rise to fame in 2001's Popstars, and the couple had a son David and daughter Emilie, 23, during a five-year relationship.

After breaking onto the pop scene as a member of Hear'Say Kym married EastEnders star Jack Ryder, 36, in 2002, but they divorced in 2009 after she admitted having an affair with Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas, 43.

Kym went onto marry Jamie in 2012, and the couple have a daughter Polly. The couple's first child Archie, passed away shortly after his premature birth in 2009.

Just over a year after tying the knot, Kym filed for divorce from Jamie in 2013 citing 'unreasonable behaviour'.

She is also a grandmother, with daughter Emilie welcoming baby son Teddy in May last year.
The U.S. military should develop a new emergency weapon: a national roster of individuals with specialized training, experience and clearances, ready to don a uniform at their nation's call.

That's one of the key recommendations to emerge from a multi-year study undertaken by the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service. In a report issued to Congress late last month, the commission called for a "Critical Skills Individual Ready Reserve" of people with few military responsibilities or obligations until the nation called on them in a time of need.

With the report's release amid a global pandemic response that has seen major mobilizations of National Guard and Reserve forces and specialized pleas from the Army for volunteer retired medical professionals to re-don the uniform, the recommendation may have a pressing use case that propels it forward to become law.

The initiative now lies with Congress to move on the report. A planned hearing on the commission's findings was postponed amid the pandemic, and other proposals raised by the commission will likely spur lively debate -- particularly one that would require women to register for the draft for the first time in history. Alongside the report, the commission developed draft legislation that could be used to enact all its recommendations as a single package; that bundle has not been introduced to date.

Related: The Army Asked Retirees in Medical Fields to Come Back. The Response Was Overwhelming

But multiple lawmakers have voiced support for the commission's work and findings, including Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, respectively; and Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, a former Green Beret and colonel in the Army National Guard.

"These recommendations can serve as a guidepost as we map out what the future of national service should look like," Reed told reporters in a March 25 conference call.

Waltz told Military.com that he and other members of the For Country Caucus, made up of veteran lawmakers from the post-9/11 wars, are keen to move out on portions of the commission's report.

In February, he and co-sponsor Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pennsylvania, introduced the National Service GI Bill, which would cover in-state college tuition for AmeriCorps volunteers. He also saw another recommendation become law in late March inside the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act: the creation of a "Ready Reserve Corps" specifically supporting the U.S. Public Health Service.

"We're seeing municipalities and states try to tap into retired doctors, retired nurses, health care workers," Waltz said.

Regarding the critical skills IRR proposal laid out in the commission report, Waltz said he'd first like to see the military do a better job of cataloguing the skills and capabilities already present within the Guard and Reserve communities.

He encountered the mismatch of military jobs and civilian skill sets among Guard members, he said, while deployed for stability operations in Afghanistan and Africa.

"When we're looking at critical shortages in cyber, stability type operations, if someone understands an electrical grid, I think that's far more useful than being behind a rifle," he said. "I've [also] asked the National Guard if they can tell me how many Guardsmen are working in Silicon Valley."

A Different Kind of Reserve

The proposed critical skills IRR, unlike the traditional Reserve, would not require members to conduct regular drill periods or attend entry-level training.

"Members of such a national roster would be prompted annually to update their personal information and indicate their willingness to remain available for a call-up," states the report, produced by an 11-member panel after more than two years of study. "Unlike members of an IRR, individuals who chose to join the national roster would not be required to muster, providing a more flexible option for those willing to serve when needed."

The concept, the report notes, has its roots in the World War II-era National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel, a tool intended to help U.S. planners assess human resources and capabilities.

The report is intentionally vague about what skills might be sought in such a reserve. In March, the congressionally appointed Cyberspace Solarium Commission proposed a Military Cyber Reserve that would make available to the armed forces a cadre of professionals with hotly demanded cyberwarfare qualifications. Those findings were released just days before the novel coronavirus turned national attention toward a sudden shortage of doctors and nurses.

"We would leave the details up to [DoD] who would be in them in terms of critical skills, what that should look like," Debra Wada, former assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and one of the 11 commissioners, told Military.com on a March 25 conference call. "But we believe there is an opportunity here to bring in non-prior service who may want to volunteer their service in a time of critical need and to provide those skill sets to the department and the nation for that time."

Wada noted that this IRR would give military officials access to those who already have security clearances and certifications, circumventing a lengthy process in a time of crisis. It would also, in theory, require relatively little overhead in non-crisis periods, allowing planners to build diversity into the roster and plan for a broad range of scenarios.

"As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates aptly reflected, the United States has 'a perfect record over the last 40 years in predicting where we will use military force next. We've never once gotten it right,'" the commissioners wrote in their report. "In times of emergency, the military may have a pressing need for a skill that was not previously deemed critical."

Also left undictated is the size of the proposed critical skills IRR and how it would be managed and maintained. Another commission recommendation is that the secretary of defense create and maintain a list of the military's current needs regarding personnel with critical skills, both the kind of skills and the number required.

Answering the Nation's Call

All these efforts would work to prevent a return to compulsory service, the commissioners said, drawing instead on the willingness of Americans to answer their nation's call. It's not a hypothetical: On April 2, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio voiced interest in seeking a draft of civilian doctors to be sent to regions, including New York, hit hardest by the virus.

The National Commission considered developing a targeted skills draft modeled after the Health Care Personnel Delivery System -- a standby plan mandated by Congress and supervised by the U.S. Selective Service System that would, if activated, draft doctors in much the way de Blasio requested. But the commission ultimately dispensed with that idea as too complex, noting many skill fields don't have a centralized certification system like the medical field does.

"The Commission believes the best way to preserve fairness and equity and sustain the most lethal and capable military in times of conflict requires enhancing voluntary mechanisms, such as through the creation of a critical skills IRR and a national roster of volunteers," the report found. "Such mechanisms capitalize on the American spirit to rise to the occasion in times of crisis and are consistent with the Commission's conception of the draft as an option of last resort."

Dr. Jacquelyn Schneider, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institute and a non-resident fellow at the Naval War College, noted that there are many high-skilled professionals who might be motivated to be on standby to serve their country if the model was flexible enough and didn't require excessive administrative work, training or maintenance during inactive periods.

If tasked with creating a critical skills IRR, she said, the military would need to create thoughtful personnel policy, with the right incentives, term lengths and flexibility to make sense for the people on the roster and short enough activation timelines to make them useful in a crisis. Different skill sets may even need different models and frameworks, she said.

But if executed well, she added, this IRR could provide significant value to the military.

"You can imagine if we had a pandemic where we were low on people able to fly," she said. "If you had people in this IRR, you could identify, 'Oh, this person's an airline pilot,' and you could probably spin them up really quickly to fly these airframes."

Waltz said he's optimistic that many of the commission's recommendations will be included in the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon's annual budget and policy bill.

"I've seen a number of these commission reports, and they were used legislatively to buy time or delay," he said. "I thought this was a very well done, robust, meaty report. And when it comes with legislative language, that makes it all the better."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct Rep. Michael Waltz's military status.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Read More: Army Asks 10,000 Recently Separated Soldiers to Come Back for Virus Fight
The coronavirus pandemic is causing confusion for families of those who need to go to the hospital for care for suspected COVIS-19 infections.

At question is the difference between a living will and a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.

Families are asking questions like this: My mom has a DNR. If shes diagnosed with COVID-19, will the hospital put her on a ventilator?

The answer is yes, if she needs one.

Heres what you need to know in the age of coronavirus to set your mind at ease.

WHAT IS A DNR?

A Do Not Resuscitate order, or DNR, is placed in a patients medical record to inform the doctor and medical staff that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should not be attempted if the patient stops breathing or suffers a cardiac event.

The order is based on the doctors medical opinion that resuscitation would be futile or result in harm or pain to the patient, said Eric Goldberg, member and co-chair of the Elder Law Practice at Mandelbaum Salsburg in Roseland.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

He said a DNR is written by a doctor, not by a patient  although it is sometimes written at a patients request.

Importantly, a DNR is specific about CPR. It does not state that the patient should not be treated, Goldberg said. In the case of COVID-19, `treatment includes the use of a ventilator, so its use is not affected by a DNR.

WHAT IS A LIVING WILL?

In New Jersey, a living will is one section of a document called an advanced directive.

An advanced directive has two sections.

The first includes whats called either a health care proxy or health care power of attorney, said Adam Sandler, an attorney with Einhorn Barbarito in Denville.

He said in this section, a person grants an agent  a person of his choosing  the power to make medical decisions on his behalf in the event that the individual is unable to do so for himself.

This section also authorizes the release of the persons medical information to the agent and instructs medical professionals to accept the decisions made by the agent.

The second section is the living will  the part thats causing confusion for some families.

This is an instructional directive that sets forth the individuals wishes as to medical care in the event of certain specified conditions, namely permanent unconsciousness, irreversible brain damage or an incurable condition which is terminal, Sandler said.

The individual specifies which life sustaining treatment they would want withheld or removed under those circumstances.

CLEARING UP THE CONFUSION

Goldberg shared the story of one of his clients families.

Janet, the daughter of one of our clients, called frantically  and with more than a hint of accusation  last week: `You had my dad sign a DNR. Now that he is en route to the hospital with the symptoms of COVID-19, how will I convince the doctors to allow him to use a ventilator? This is a mess, Goldberg said.

He explained to Janet that her father did not sign a DNR but instead has a living will that prevents the use of life sustaining measures only in an end-of-life scenario.

It is reversible while her father has the ability to make decisions, he said.

And, he said, neither a living will nor a DNR should prevent the patient from using a ventilator to treat the illness and make him breathe comfortably.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Sandler said his firm has seen an influx of clients, both new and existing, looking to prepare wills, health care directives and powers of attorney.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major contributing factor in individuals and couples addressing these needs, which they may have previously been putting off, he said. Moreover, the statewide `lockdown has resulted in people having some additional time on their hands and married couples being in the same place at the same time.

His firm has been conducting virtual client meetings through video and telephone conference.

The trickier aspect of this process is signing the documents, Sandler said. We have implemented drive-up executions at the office where clients remain in their cars and the execution ceremony is conducted on the phone while looking through the car window.

See how estate planning attorneys are doing business during the outbreak, and why you should have these estate planning documents, coronavirus pandemic or not.

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.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
Civil rights activists in Kazakhstan have been under mounting pressure in the past several days as the authorities impose even stricter controls to slow the spread of coronavirus.

On April 7, police in the western city of Oral detained well-known blogger and civil rights activist Aslan Sagutdinov.

Sagutdinov posted on Facebook the moment he was detained outside a grocery store.

Oral regional police spokesman Bolat Belgibekov told RFE/RL that Sagutdinov was detained over a libel probe launched against him in a lawsuit filed by a local resident. Belgibekov added that Sagutdinov will also be charged with disobeying police for resisting arrest.

"He broke the police car's window," Belgibekov claimed.

Sagutdinov made headlines in May 2019 amid the mass arrest of rights and opposition activists across the country after he staged a one-man protest in Oral's main square holding a blank piece of paper. He was detained, but later released after police could not determine what to charge him with.

Another blogger and civil rights activist, Baghdat Baqtybaev, was sentenced to 10 days in jail in the southern region of Zhambyl for a live video broadcast on Facebook of long lines of people at a post office in the village of Tolebi. The residents were desperately trying to obtain social benefits the government has promised to people left unemployed because of the pandemic.

Baqtybaev's wife, Diana, told RFE/RL late on April 7 that her husband was jailed the day before after a court found him guilty of "conducting actions violating law and order during the state of emergency." She said her husband will spend 28 days in jail, as another 18-day jail term he received days earlier on similar charges will come into force on April 16.

Bakhytzhan Toreghozhina, the head of the Almaty-based human rights foundation Ar.Rukh.Khaq, told RFE/RL by phone on April 8 that the Kazakh authorities were concerned about any domestic and international spotlight of their efforts to handle the spread of coronavirus in the Central Asian country.

"Kazakh authorities have always silenced dissent by imposing pressure on bloggers and rights activists, and now they are doing everything to muzzle activists to prevent their criticism of the government's anti-coronavirus measures," Toreghozhina said.

The government promised to distribute 42,500 tenges ($95) to citizens who have lost their jobs due to lockdown measures imposed to slow the coronavirus pandemic. However, cash distribution has been hindered by bureaucratic hurdles, causing long lines at banks and post offices across the country in violation of regulations ordering people stay 2 meters away from each other to prevent coronavirus infection.

As of April 8, the number of registered coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan stood at 709, including seven deaths.
Two years ago, I took my thriving freelance-writing business down to 20 hours a week of work, as I noticed that I had fallen into the trap of More hours means more output, right? At that point I had been writing full-time as a freelancer for six solid years and was growing tired of the grind. Since then, Ive been able to run my freelance business as a part-time venture while still maintaining consistent high revenue.

Instead of seeing more output, I saw more of all the wrong kinds of things: fatigue, eye strain and overwhelm. It clued me in that something had to change, and it all started with the clock.

Freelancing is a very flexible kind of business ownership that allows the creative or technical specialist at the helm to scale up or down as needed. While there are plenty of people choosing to freelance full-time, theres another growing group of freelancers who start their company as a side hustle and are happy to stay there. Count me among them.

Whether its obligations inside the house like homeschooling or caring for elderly parents or a job outside the home that offers its own form of fulfillment, you can purposefully keep your side hustle as a part-time effort while still reaping many of the rewards in terms of money.

For others, theres very little productivity jump in going from 20 to 30 or 40 hours per week. Entrepreneurs are more mindful than ever of the devastating impacts of burnout, so plenty are looking for ways to protect themselves from themselves. While owning your own business is exciting and requires a lot of effort, especially at the beginning stages, it can also start taking over your personal life if youre not careful. Here are some tips to start cutting back without ruining your revenue.

Related: 4 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Working as a Freelance Writer

Start Small With a Rule

Going from 40 hours to 20 hours a week felt impossible at first. I started by forcing myself to leave my freelancing home office by 2:00 p.m. every single day. It took some adjustments, but doing this immediately called my attention to the things that were most important. Client assignments I didnt look forward to and unnecessary phone calls took the axe first.

You can plan to take off every other Friday if daily reductions feels too much. Build that up to every Friday. For me, I felt better making an effort every single day to be more aware of my time and to build in more beneficial activities like reading a book, going for a walk or cooking an elaborate dinner. Looking forward to these things made it easier for me to close my computer and walk away rather than being drawn back in by the Well, just one more email check kind of thinking that keeps you there for hours.

Delete, Delete, Delete to Get Focused

Cutting back your time will require you to think differently about the kinds of things you say yes to. That includes client work. The client work you procrastinate on or cram in as quickly as possible should be a clear red flag that you need to find a way to part with this project or train someone else on your team to do it.

I recommend looking at the EOS system to learn more about what they call quarterly rocks. Setting two to three quarterly rocks guides your output for the entire 90 days that follows. As you think about taking on new projects, consider whether any of them really move your rocks forward. Maybe you dont need to be running a virtual summit, testing a new product idea, writing a book or optimizing your website all at the same time if your most important quarterly rock is boosting freelance client revenue by 15 percent.

This might be hard for the people-pleasers out there, because it means saying no. It means turning down volunteer opportunities or back-burnering projects that you might have the passion but not the time for since choosing quarterly rocks means you have to narrow down.

Focus on Your Most Fulfulling and Profitable Projects

If you want to run a freelance business that earns solid money as a part-time venture, stop offering 20 services. Narrow down to two or three that sell the best and that you enjoy doing. Simplify your packages so that you can build in systems to optimize those offers. Perhaps remove some of the bells and whistles from your packages that dont really move the needle but require more time, input or effort from you or your subcontractors.

Yes, this means that you might have people who want a customized offer that you might have to turn down the chance to work with, but it means that your now-limited time is spent in the best possible way.

I realized that while I could sell SEO-content writing for blogs and email-newsletter drafting like hotcakes, no one was really buying my website-content packages because my clients were all more advanced and already had a functioning website.

Narrowing down my niche to lawyers also made it easy because I only had to know two kinds of projects and one industry very well. Less learning for me, better results for clients because I was an expert in that field.

Adjust the Client Barriers to Entry

Another tip that helps streamline your part-time freelance business at a high level of revenue is to use minimum packages. All freelancers know that it takes time to get to know a client, their preferences and their audience. So it rarely makes sense to do one small project for them, like a logo, and then never talk to them again. It also doesnt make much sense to keep a project thats a retainer paying you a very small amount like $200 a month.

Its time to increase the barrier to entry. Minimums could look like:

The minimum project amount for a one-time project is $500 in services.

Presenting packages at three tiers with the smallest one always being your personal business minimum per client.

Requiring clients to sign contracts that are slightly longer, such as retainers that go to three or four months rather than month-by-month.

Related: Rate-Setting Tips for Your Freelance-Writing Business

It will not be easy to fire clients that have paid you consistently and been easy to work with. They will likely push back when you decide to eliminate their $200 monthly retainer. Explain that this is a business decision and new company policy to work on projects with a bigger minimum amount. Recommend what boosting their investment could look like or refer them to another freelancer. Its much harder to keep track of 10 small clients than it is five bigger ones.

If your services have been in demand and youre close to fully booked or overbooked, its time to consider raising your rates. Not every client will necessarily stick around after you boost your rates, but youll still be earning more per piece or per hour.

Yes, you can still run a freelance business with consistent income on a part-time level. Many other freelancers choose to do the same. What tips can you implement today to start evaluating your service-based business?

Related:

Collective Mobilization Can Help Start-Ups Fight COVID-19 Outbreak

Getting Through The COVID-19 Crisis: Tips From One Young Entrepreneur To Another

The Silver Linings In Social Distancing



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
On March 29, Gov. Andrew Cuomo postponed the planned April 28 Presidential Primary and Special Elections to June 23. The postponement was supported by both Republican and Democratic elections commissioners throughout New York state. This move protected poll workers and voters from exposure to COVID-19 and the combination of both elections saved local governments much needed funds.

However, this order alone is not enough. New York must allow more of its citizens to vote from the safety of their homes during this crisis. The New York State Assembly and Senate should not end its session without fixing our absentee voting procedures in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to calling for the postponement of the April 28 Primary, the New York State Election Commissioners Association also called upon the governor and legislature to expand absentee balloting when a state of emergency exists due to pandemic disease.

Currently, New York state law requires an excuse to vote by absentee. Most common excuses are temporary or permanent illness/infirmity and being absent from the county you live in on Election Day. There is a movement to alter the constitution of New York state to remove the excuse option, but because of our arcane constitutional amendment process, the earliest this can be done is in 2022. However, the legislature could act today to alter the current absentee language to address the needs of voters now.

There are two bills in the New York State Senate today that would meet this moment in history. NYS Senate Bill S8015A, sponsored by New York State Sen. Allesandra Biaggi, would add threat of spreading communicable disease in a pandemic to the temporary illness section of NYS Election Law 8-400. This would assure voters that they have a right to choose this option to request an absentee ballot.

NYS Senate Bill S8130, sponsored by Senator Zellnor Myrie, would allow email receipt of absentee ballot applications. This could eliminate postage costs for the first step in the absentee ballot process and make it easier for boards of elections and voters to process the larger amount of absentees that can be expected this year. It is imperative the legislature pass these bills immediately, so the measures can be in place for all elections in 2020.

While it is hoped that the COVID-19 crisis will be better in June, many experts posit that some amount of social distancing will still be needed well past November. At risk citizens afraid of being infected by this deadly disease deserve the right to cast their votes safely, without risking challenge from partisans hoping to win an election.

Reducing the Election Day population by allowing a more accessible absentee process, as well as early voting measures passed last year, can help us protect workers, voters and the democratic process.

While some have suggested a vote by mail system be put in place and eliminate Election Day voting as a solution, this option, unfortunately, is not yet viable in New York. The constitutional question of this option is still a huge barrier for conversion in 2020.

Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of voters are placed in inactive status because boards of elections do not have current or sufficient addresses. Without the ability to mail out ballots to these voters, they will be disenfranchised. Additionally, we currently count absentee voters 10 to 14 days after Election Day, and a large vote by mail operation would not allow us to know winners on election night.

Continuing the no fault absentee constitutional change next year, enacting online and automatic voter registration, and changing the absentee ballot canvassing rules are needed for a vote by mail system and realistically are two to three years away. The best path forward is to quickly expand absentee balloting now. The Legislature should act and not rely on an executive order from the governor, so these changes would be permanently in place for future emergencies.

They should not end session until these bills are passed and the governor should sign them as soon as possible. Acting now will give boards of elections direction for the upcoming June combined elections, as well as November.

Voters should not have to choose between their health and participating in our democracy. Pass these bills now so we can be prepared for all elections in 2020 and beyond.

(Dustin M. Czarny is the Onondaga County election commissioner and the democratic caucus chairman of the New York State Election Commissioners Association.)
In most parts of the country, alcohol stores have been shut post the lockdown and this has spelt doom for tipplers and others who are addicted. While some states like Kerala and Punjab made provisions to include alcohol as an essential commodity, many states didnt follow the same alcohol policy.

Twitter

Heck! Kerala even made it possible for tipplers with withdrawal symptoms to avail alcohol with the help of special passes or medical reasons, a move which drew the ire of the medical community in the state. Amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which began on March 25, the doctors have witnessed a sudden surge in patients facing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

With alcohol supplies running dry in states across the country some have resorted to bootlegging liquor for a high price. More recently, Delhi Police caught a man from UP trying to smuggle liquor under the garb of milk bottles.

sirfnews

According to an India Today report, the man named Bobby Chaudhry, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr was caught speeding past a police picket in New Delhi's South Avenue. The cops grew suspicious and stopped him. On inspecting him, the police found seven bottles of whiskeyincluding one broken one. Hewas caught near Rashtrapati with bottles of Royal Green Classic Blended 750 ml each.

According to the Times of India report, the residents of Noida alleged that sellers are selling a pack cigarettes at Rs 500, which comes at Rs 350, while loose cigarettes, which come at Rs 17 are being sold between Rs 20 to Rs 25.

Twitter

Noida residents, as reported by Times Of India, said that he contacted a trader who charged him Rs 3,000 for a 750 ml bottle of 100 Pipers, just double the amount it was sold for in liquor shops, at Rs 1,500. These traders bought liquor stocks from Delhi before the lockdown and hoarded the same. Also, Haryana and Delhi marked liquor is being sold at 12 places across the city, including sectors 5, 6 and 7, and in villages like Sorkha, Sarfabad, Chijarsi, Bhangel, Salarpur and Gejha, he told TOI.

Apart from this, there have been several instances of alcohol thefts that have reported across states. For instance, in Maharashtra, four incidents of thefts were reported within a span of 48 hours from liquor shops and beer bars which are shut from March 18 after the government ordered the lockdown. The thieves ran away with liquor worth over Rs 1 lakh from all the four places.

In other cases, there have been reports of addicts committing suicide by drinking precarious alcohol alternatives. Kerala reported the highest cases of such suicides. There have even been reports of people drinking everything from aftershaves to nail varnish as a substitute for liquor.
A group of Vietnamese students return to HCMC from the U.S. on March 24, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Thao.

Many Vietnamese students abroad think twice before returning home amid the pandemic due to the possible cold reception at home.

After spending two weeks in a quarantine facility in Hanoi, Nguyen Thanh Huong, a Vietnamese student in the U.K., finally returned home last week.

However, some of her neighbors expressed displeasure.

"They try to avoid contact with my parents even though I tested negative. Some even told my family to stop using the elevator," said the bemused student.

Huong had canceled all European travel plans to return home after the pandemic crippled the region.

With novel coronavirus infections in many countries outnumbering those in Vietnam, thousands of Vietnamese students have tried to head home.

Vietnam has confirmed 251 Covid-19 cases so far, and around half of them have recovered. Of the cases the country has recorded, 156 are overseas returnees.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 82,100 lives as it hit 209 countries and territories.

But at the end of a long journey, many feel unwelcome amid the rising fear of infection supposedly posed by international travelers.

"A woman next door said I was selfish for returning home from a Covid-19 hotspot. She asked my mother whether I carried the virus or showed any symptoms," Tran Tam, 25, returning to Hanoi from London, recalled.

This reaction has made many Vietnamese students think twice before coming home amid the pandemic, even their parents could not be at ease.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, a mother in Hanoi, kept telling her 20-year-old son to return to Vietnam after the number of infections rose in Germany. The boy, residing in Hamburg, decided instead to stay put.

"He said he did not want to possibly risk carrying the virus to Vietnam and feared people would hate him if he got infected," said Anh.

Since March 21, Vietnams government has required all passengers arriving from abroad to automatically enter quarantine for 14 days. With thousands of arrivals each day, several quarantine camps were set up to host over 30,000 people. In Ho Chi Minh City, authorities called on the Defense Ministry to set up additional quarantine zones.

That was when overseas Vietnamese students were told not to put more burden on these facilities by returning by some netizens.

According to Hoang Thu An, a graduate student in the U.S., many Vietnamese students decided to stay behind after witnessing medics, airport staff and soldiers work around the clock to contain international arrivals.

"On social media, people were praised for helping Vietnam in its Covid-19 battle by not returning home," An recalled.

In a Facebook group for Vietnamese students in China, netizens claimed the only way to support their country was to stay put, with some asking to be repartriated critized.

This reaction and infection risks from traveling created a pressure on those who wanted to return.

"Staying here gives me peace of mind," said An.

Several Vietnamese embassies and Vietnamese communities worldwide have called for calm and for those abroad to stay put to avoid overwhelming domestic quarantine facilities with the simultaneous return of a total 190,000 Vietnamese students.

Black sheep

Some student returnees caused controversy after complaining about local quarantine facilities, often set up in former student dormitories or military camps to meet demand.

On March 20, a student returning from America posted several photos of the HCMC National University campus, saying it was "terrible" and causing outrage among Vietnamese netizens.

"This is not a vacation. You are in quarantine for the sake of your community, do not act so spoiled," one online citizen commented, forcing the student to remove her post and apologize.

Another reason was caused by families sending unnecessary things for their quarantined children.

Relatives deliver items for loved ones quarantined at the HCMC National University, March 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

On March 23 and 24, thousands of locals gathered in front of the HCMC National University campus holding food and supplies for beloved ones. Fans, mattresses, fruit, and even alcohol were transported here by volunteers joining the pandemic battle.

"Those in quarantine have three meals per day supplied by authorities for only two weeks. They should be grateful instead of causing more trouble," Huong said, adding her parents returned to her hometown in northern Thai Binh Province since "they could not stop using the elevators and keep having to answer questions about their daughter."
The UK's Indian-origin finance minister, Rishi Sunak, is next in line to deputise for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he is in hospital with coronavirus and in case UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is unable to carry on amid the pandemic, Downing Street has said.

Sunak, who has been leading the UK government's economic response during the COVID-19 lockdown as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will automatically step in as part of an established order of precedence in the UK which does not have a written Constitution.

"There is an established order of precedence. The Prime Minister has appointed the Foreign Secretary [Raab] as his First Secretary of State. In line with the order of precedence, the Chancellor [Sunak] would follow from the Foreign Secretary," Johnson's spokesperson at Downing Street told reporters in response to a question about the chain of command at the top of the British government.

Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the UK, where the death toll has crossed 6,000, and its impact on frontline ministers, questions around leadership have been increasingly doing the rounds.

Sunak, 39, has had to table his maiden Budget as well as a series of mini-budgets over the past few weeks to try and address the crisis faced by UK businesses as a result of the lockdown.

Johnson, 55, is said to be stable and responding to treatment after he was admitted to St. Thomas' Hospital in London with persistent coronavirus symptoms and later moved to its intensive care unit (ICU) to be close to a ventilator.

"The Prime Minister's condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits," a Downing Street spokesperson said earlier on Wednesday.

According to the health updates, Johnson has had to be given oxygen but has not required a ventilator to assist with his breathing.

Dominic Raab, meanwhile, has been charged with deputising for him and has been leading the daily COVID-19 emergency meetings this week as he stressed that the Cabinet is focussed on implementing the UK PM's vision on tackling the coronavirus.

"Decision making by government is made by collective Cabinet responsibilities, so that is the same as before," said Raab.

The senior minister will not be conducting the customary weekly audiences with Queen Elizabeth II, taking place by telephone in recent weeks but now suspended until Johnson is discharged from hospital.

Buckingham Palace said the 93-year-old monarch had sent a message to Johnson's pregnant fiance Carrie Symonds and his family, wishing the UK PM a speedy recovery.

"The Queen sent a message to Carrie Symonds and to the Johnson family. Her Majesty said they were in her thoughts and that she wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery," the palace said.

Last September, Symonds became the first non-married partner of a sitting Prime Minister to be formally introduced to the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A United Nations review of Uzbekistan's human rights record expresses concerns about persistent torture in detention centers and limits on basic freedoms, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The UN Human Rights Committee's conclusions reflect the fact that many pledged rights reforms have yet to materialize, HRW said in a news release on April 8.

"The UN committee review shows that Uzbekistan remains largely authoritarian with a very poor human rights record," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW in Berlin.

The committee's conclusions show that the government has much to do to address human rights, Williamson said.

The UN Human Rights Committee last week published its observations on Uzbekistan's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It was its first review of Uzbekistan's human rights record since President Shavkat Mirziyoev came to power in 2016.

The committee expressed concerns about the "torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of liberty, as well as restrictions on the freedom of conscience and religious belief, freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly."

The committee noted, however, that there had been progress in fighting corruption, preventing violence against women, judiciary reform, and the elimination of child and forced labor in the cotton sector.

Mirziyoev has taken steps to implement reforms since coming to power. Still, rights watchdogs have expressed concerns about conditions in Uzbekistan, where rights abuses had been widespread under his predecessor, Islam Karimov.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during a visit to Tashkent in February, said the country "deserves praise for its progress on human rights issues" and commended it for reforms aimed at a more free society with a more accountable government.
Coronavirus Outbreak Updates:A 38-year-old man with a travel history to Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 39. State epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said the patient hailed from Nawada, becoming the first person from the central Bihar district to test positive.

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On Tuesday, several states also announced plans to ramp up their testing infrastructure and put in place strong 'cluster containment' plans in areas identified as hotspots of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday neared the 5,000 mark with India reporting 508 new cases and 13 deaths in 24 hours while many states advocated for a gradual approach to lifting the 21-day lockdown which ends on 14 April.

By Monday night, the number of cases of the deadly virus in the city stood at 525, including seven deaths.

Earlier, in a tweet by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) the tally of cases were 550, however, in a bulletin released by the Delhi Health Department the number of cases was updated to 576.

With this, the death toll in Delhi due to COVID-19 has risen to nine.

The total number of cases includes 333 people who took part in Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area last month, they said.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Tuesday rose to 576, with 51 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day, according to the Delhi Health Department.

"We have to restrict this within that small place and draw a Lakshman Rekha around it so that it does not spread to other places," she told reporters at the state secretariat.

"We have identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in the state," Banerjee said without giving details about the names of the vulnerable areas.

Banerjee also said that the death toll in the state has risen to five, while the number of active cases stands at 69. On Tuesday, eight new coronavirus cases were reported.

The chief minister said flower growers and bidi workers, who were facing problems in doing business, can now start working.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the government has identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in the state and is chalking out a plan to restrict the virus within those areas.

The new case has been reported from Dhubri and the person attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi, the minister had tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Among the 28 confirmed cases, 27, including five women, are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. The state had not reported any other case for the last two days.

This is the second confirmed case on Tuesday with the first being reported from Dhubri this morning, and both the cases are linked to the congregation.

The 65-year old man, who has a travel history to Saudi Arabia, tested positive, the minister tweeted on Tuesday night. The patient, from Hailakandi, is also linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin's Nizamuddin area, he tweeted.

A new COVID-19 case related to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation was reported in Assam on Tuesday, taking the number to 28, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Nearly 13 areas have been declared as containment zones for all the purposes and objectives as prescribed in the protocol of COVID-19, to prevent its spread in the adjoining areas,Faridabad district administration, Haryana told ANI on Wednesday.

We pay for a majority or the biggest portion of their money. They actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it. They were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn't want to -- they're very -- they seem to be very China centric, Trump charged during his news conference.

We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see. It's a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that's no good, Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would put a hold on America's funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of becoming China-centric during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"As they focus on this critical mission, this postponement will provide additional time to thoroughly evaluate the 2020 Pulitzer finalists, Canedy said. She added, More than ever, this moment highlights journalism's mission to provide a vital public service. It also demonstrates literature and the arts' ability to transport and uplift the human spirit during trying times. The Pulitzer Prizes will continue its more than century-long mandate to celebrate such excellence.

The announcement of Pulitzer winners in journalism and the arts will be postponed from 20 April to 4 May, the board said. Pulitzer Prize administrator Dana Canedy said the board includes many journalists who are on the front lines of reporting on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pulitzer Prize Board will postpone the announcement of this year's winners because some board members have been busy covering the global coronavirus outbreak, the organization announced Tuesday.

New York state recorded 731 new coronavirus deaths, its biggest one-day jump yet, for a statewide toll of nearly 5,500, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

At least 3,202 people have died in New York City from COVID-19, the city reported. The deadliest terror attack on US soil killed 2,753 people in the city and 2,977 overall, when hijacked planes slammed into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on 11 September 2001.

The twin developments came even as the crisis seemed to be easing or at least stabilizing, by some measures, in New York and parts of Europe, though health officials warned people at nearly every turn not to let their guard down.

New York City's toll from the coronavirus rose past 3,200 Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lay in intensive care, believed to be the first major world leader hospitalized with the virus.

The occasion was marked with a light show on either side of the broad Yangtze river, with skyscrapers and bridges radiating animated images of health workers aiding patients, along with one displaying the words heroic city," a title bestowed on Wuhan by president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

As of just after midnight Wednesday, the city's 11 million residents are now permitted to leave without special authorization as long as a mandatory smartphone application powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance shows they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.

The lockdown that served as a model for countries battling the coronavirus around the world has ended after 11 weeks: Chinese authorities are allowing residents of Wuhan once again to travel in and out of the sprawling city where the pandemic began.

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction for the government to impose a complete ban on all activities of the Tablighi Jamaat with immediate effect.

"People who had attended Tablighi Jamaat event should come forward and disclose the information within 24 hours, otherwise, FIR will be registered against them under sections related to attempt to murder," Raturi said.

Raturi on Sunday warned people, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, to come out and declare themselves within 24 hours or face prosecution for an attempt to murder.

"On 5 April, DGP had appealed to the people who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi to come forward. After the appeal, 180 people have come forward. But two persons are yet to surrender so we have registered case against them," Ashok Kumar, ADG (Law and Order) told ANI.

Police official on Tuesday said that 180 people, who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have come forward after an appeal made by Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anil Raturi.

The meeting is expected to begin at 11.00 am.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times , the prime minister will seek suggestions from various parties on the road map to contain the outbreak. PM Modi will also appraise these party leaders of the steps being taken by the government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding an all-party meeting via video conference. However, only floor leaders of political parties that have more than five Members of Parliament, have been invited to participate in the meeting.

The number of deaths in the US due to coronavirus crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day. While the global toll has surpassed 82,020 and the number of infections has risen to 1,428,428 according to John Hopkins COVID-19 tracker.

Of 217 people tested on the vessel, 128 were positive for the virus that causes the COVID-2019 disease and 89 tested negative, Aurora Expeditions said.

The Greg Mortimer departed 15 March on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia that was titled In Shackleton's Footsteps, a reference to the polar explorer who led British expeditions to the region and died there in 1922.

There are currently no fevers on board and all are asymptomatic, said Aurora Expeditions, the Australian operator of the Greg Mortimer ship that is working to disembark the crew and passengers and arrange flights to their home countries.

Nearly 60 percent of 217 people from Australia, Europe and the United States onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Uruguay have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the ship's operator said Tuesday.

In coordination with the US consulate and the Telangana State government, a group of 98 adults and 1 infant US-bound passengers arrived at the airport at around 1 pm from various parts of the city. All these passengers were serviced through the fully-sanitised main passenger terminal building, which has been kept ready for evacuation operations.

The flight was a purely domestic one and operated from the main Passenger Terminal Building of Hyderabad International Airport. As per the flight itinerary, the passengers were to be further connected with Delta Airlines from Mumbai to their final destination in the US.

As per the flight itinerary, the special flight - AI 1617(Arrival)/AI 1618 (Departure), an airbus A 320 landed at Hyderabad International Airport yesterday at 3.12 pm from Mumbai and departed with the US-bound passengers at 4.15 pm to Mumbai.

The GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport on Tuesday handled a special passenger charter flight of the national carrier - Air India to evacuate over 90 US nationals from Hyderabad city.

The top brass of NITI Aayog told CNBC TV18 sources on Wednesday that the nationwide lockdown that is expected to end on 14 April need to have a 'phased exit' to cusion the economic damage caused by COVID-19 outbreak. High level officials including secretaries of states have suggested lifting resrictions to areas that are not 'red' Covid-19 containment zones. The final decision on exit strategy will be undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With renewables and natural gas already cheaper than coal in many places, it said that 90 percent of global capacity was already only viable due to non-market financial support.

The bill for this is set to top 630 billion. A study by the Carbon Tracker financial think tank found that 46 percent of coal plants throughout the world would run at a loss in 2020, rising to 52 percent by 2030.

While extreme social distancing measures in the world's largest economies aimed at stopping the virus are likely to result in a short-term cut in global emissions, government subsidies are still driving plans to build nearly 500 GW of new coal-fired power plants.

China and other nations could be burdened with costly and environmentally damaging coal power for decades if they forge ahead with new capacity to boost their economics after the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed Wednesday.

As many as 100 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai on Tuesday and five died due to the deadly virus. The number of cases in Mumbai has increased to 590.

After 150 more COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Maharashtra yesterday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the state surged to 1,018, according to Maharashtra's Health Department.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Cyber Department has registered a total of 113 FIRs against people spreading fake information on social media related to coronavirus and the lockdown.

The Maharashtra Excise Department on Tuesday registered 152 cases and arrested 55 people in the last 24 hours, amid the coronavirus lockdown. The excise department also seized liquor worth over Rs 38 lakhs.

The toll due to the coronavirus has risen to 124 while 353 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. Maharashtra reported the highest number of 868 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu 621 and Delhi 576.

The country has witnessed a steep rise in coronavirus cases in the last few weeks owing to Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi in the month of March. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India has climbed to 4,789, as per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

As the country battles the COVID-19 crisis, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, has validated seven antibody-based rapid tests for COVID-19 and has found them to be satisfactory.

Notably, Chandigarh is the first Union Territory which has made wearing mask compulsory. On Tuesday Odisha had issued a similar directive to residents in the state.

"Use of mask or cloth on nose and mouth in public places is mandatory for people in Chandigarh," the Department of Public Relations, Chandigarh stated.

In a bid to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chandigarh Administration has made it mandatory for people to cover their nose and mouth either with a piece of cloth or with a mask while venturing outside their homes.

According to the health state department, the total count of positive cases in the state stands at 99

"On Monday, after a former employee of the civic body here died of coronavirus his family was informed but did not come forward for the last rites. The district administration performed his last rites today after his family refused to claim the body," said Shivdular Singh Dhillon, Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar.

Amritsar district administration on Tuesday performed the last rites of a COVID-19 positive victim after his family refused to claim the body.

The confirmed number of COVID-19 cases have risen to 38 in Bihar, with four more people testing positive on Tuesday in Siwan and Begusarai (two in each district). Their travel history is being ascertained. The state has reported one COVID-19-related death so far.

The other affected person, who stays in west Kolkata's Metiabruz area, was admitted in a local hospital on 1 April. After testing positive for the illness, the 60-year-old is now admitted in MR Bangur hospital.

Health officials on Tuesday said that two pavement dwellers in Kolkata tested positive for coronavirus. A 40-year-old man who lived on a pavement in Bowbazar area, was earlier admitted to NRS Medical College Hospital on 3 April and was shifted to ID Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

A 44-year-old man dies of COVID-19 in Pune, Maharashtra. He was suffering from diabetes. With this, death toll due to the disease reaches 9 in the city, reported ANI quoting health officials in Pune

He was tested last week when he complained of fever and his reports came on 7 April. His family has been asked to be on home quarantine, said Delhi Police. The colony, where he lived, is under strict lockdown now. Police is trying to establish his contacts and how did he get infected with COVID-19.

An Assistant Sub Inspector of Delhi Police has tested positive for COVID-19 and he has been shifted to AIIMS, reports ANI. Last week he had complained of fever. The ASI was posted in traffic department and cops are ascertaining how he contracted the coronavirus. This is the first case of Delhi Police personnel testing positive for coronavirus.

Another patient succumbed to the viral disease at the state-run Sassoon Hospital, Pune Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar said.

He was admitted to the hospital on 4 April. On Tuesday night, he became breathless and was put on ventilator support. He died on Wednesday after renal failure, Gaikwad said.

A 44-year-old man, who was on ventilator support and suffering from uncontrolled diabetes, died at the civic-run Naidu Hospital early Wednesday morning, Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said.

Two more people died of coronavirus infection in Pune, taking the toll in the Maharashtra district to 10, officials said on Wednesday.

According to News18, three cases were from Jaipur's Ghat Gate and Ramganj localities and one each from Bikaner and Banswara. The cases include a 4-year-old girl and two women. While the person found positive in Bikaner is a relative of a Tablighi Jamaat attendee, the 50-year-old woman found positive in Banswara is the relative of a patient.

Five people tested positive for COVID-19 in Bikaner, Jaipur and Banswara, taking the tally in Rajasthan to 348. The fresh cases are contacts are COVID-19 patients, the state health department said.

Over the last 24 hours, 773 new cases and 10 deaths were reported.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India has risen to 5,194 , which includes 4,643 active cases and 401 cured/discharged people. The toll is now at 149.

According to a report by Mumbai Mirror , the collector has ordered that all shop, in Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and Mira Bhyanader, barring pharmacies to remain shut after 5 pm. Shops can open at 5 am said an official from collectors office told the leading daily.

After coronavirus cases in Thane rose to 114, Thane collector Rajesh Narvekar on Tuesday all shops in Thane to remain at 5 pm everyday.

Senior minister told FPJ, Several ministers, including Subhash Desai, Rajesh Tope, Varsha Gaikwad, Aslam Sheikh and Satej Patil, strongly argued in favour of extending the lockdown up to 30 April. However, the chief minister was quite categorical that ministers should stop making any statement in this regard.

Thackeray, on Tuesday, asked ministers not to make any statement on the relaxation or extension of the lockdown beyond April 14 in the state because of the coronavirus pandemic, reported Free Press Journal.

After Maharashtra health minister Rajest Tope told Reuters last week that the lockdown may be extended in the state due to the rise of coronavirus cases, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today requested ministers to not issue any statement on the lockdown,

Earlier on Monday night, ANI UP had tweeted saying that those in sector 5 Harola, Noida, who came in contact with Tablighi Jamat members have been quarantined. The news agency deleted the after Noida DCP said that ANI UP misquoted an official and are spreading fake news.

On Tuesday, ANI Uttar Pradesh deleted a tweet after Noida DCP said that they misquoted an official and are spreading fake news on Tablighi Jamat members.

With 1,018 cases of COVID-19, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu (690) and Delhi (576).

With 74 cases, Kurnool topped the chart in the state followed by SPS Nellore with 49, Guntur with 41 and Krishna 35. In all, six patients had recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals while four have died so far.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the state now touched 329 while the active cases were 319, the latest bulletin said. Of the 15 cases, six each from SPS Nellore and Krishna districts while three were reported in Chittoor district.

Fifteen new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Andhra Pradesh since last night, taking the total number of infected to 329, health department officials said on Wednesday.

However, Trinamool Congress sources said their leaders Derek O' Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay are unlikely to attend the interaction, reported PTI.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Congress and floor leaders of TMC, BSP, DMK, BJD, TRS as well as various other parties have been invited for the meeting.

The strategy to fight COVID-19 pandemic including the lockdown is expected to dominate the discussion of leaders of various parties with Modi.

This will be the first interaction of the prime minister with leaders of opposition after announcing the countrywide lockdown for 21 days on 24 March.

Reaching out to the Opposition amid the ongoing country-wide lockdown due to coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with floor leaders of various parties via a video conference shortly.

Out of 138 active cases, two patients are on ventilator support and their condition is critical, she said.

Of the total 179 cases, 83 have been reported from Ahmedabad, she said. So far, 16 patients have died in the state and 25 discharged after recovery, the official said.

Two of the new cases were reported from Bhavnagar and one each was reported from Surat and Vadodara, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi told reporters.

Four new coronavirus cases were detected in Gujarat on Wednesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 179, a health official said.

The entire state is under lockdown from 22 March and massive survey and screening are underway to trace the contagion.

"Five new cases have come up today, including three in Jaipur and one each in Bikaner and Banswara district. In Jaipur, positive cases have come in Ghat Gate and Ramganj area" Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.

The virus has so far claimed six lives in the state. However, officials maintain that deaths occurred due to co-morbidity, more than one illness or disease occurring in one person at the same time.

Rajasthan recorded five more cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of virus cases in the state to 348, an official said.

We received reports of 60 people testing positive for coronavirus today. The Maharashtra tally is now 1,078, said the official. The state has so far reported 64 deaths due to the viral disease.

Among the new cases, 44 have been found in Mumbai, nine in Pune, four in Nagpur, and one each in Ahmednagar, Akola and Buldhana, he said.

Sixty new coronavirus cases were reported in Maharashtra on Wednesday, taking the toll number of such cases in the state to 1,078, a health official said.

The rupee had settled at 75.64 against the US dollar on Tuesday. According to Reliance Securities rising brent prices and firm US Dollar Index could limit gains for the rupee.

Forex traders said rising brent prices and firm US dollar index weighed on the local unit. The rupee opened weak at 75.83 at the interbank forex market and then fell further to 75.85, down 21 paise over its last close.

The Indian rupee fell 21 paise to 75.85 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday, as investors braced for a prolonged period of uncertainty as coronavirus cases rise.

51 new coronavirus positive cases have been reported in Delhi on Wednesday which includes 35 patients with a history international travel, 4 Markaz attendees and 2 deaths. The total number of positive cases in the union territory now stands at 576, reports ANI.

Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Jain told PTI that when the constable asked some people out on streets to go back home, they started arguing and threw stones at him.

A purported video of the incident also went viral on social media, in which the policeman was seen running to save himself from seven to eight people who were throwing stones and chasing him. One of the miscreants was seen picking up a stick while chasing the policeman.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Chandan Nagar area here on Tuesday evening, he said.

A group of persons pelted stones at a police constable in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district when he asked them to stay indoors to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

Eight members of a family have tested positive in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh as they came in contact with an infected member who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month. The attendee and his mother have died due to the disease reported ANI quoting District Magistrate GC Dad.

A 49-year-old coronavirus patient died at the Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, taking the total deaths in the district to 16.

Three of the deaths were reported from Sassoon General Hospital, and one each from Naidu Hospital and Nobel Hospital, a health official from the Pune Municipal Corporation said. All these patients had some co-morbid health conditions, he said.

Five people died of coronavirus in Pune in the last 12 hours, taking the COVID-19 toll in the Maharashtra district to 13, officials said on Wednesday.

"However, a large force will be needed to replace the first line and to tackle the exponential or geometric increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the subsequent stages of the pandemic," according to a Personnel Ministry order.

"...As all are aware, India faces a significantly higher threat from COVID-19 pandemic. It will be pertinent to take note of the fact that India's first line of workers is already engaged in COVID-19 relief and doing a commendable job.

Asserting that India faces a significantly higher threat from COVID-19, the central government has decided to create a "larger force" to replace frontline workers engaged in various works to tackle the pandemic and its exponential increase. It has decided to provide them with necessary training through online mode.

With six new cases reported at 5 pm on Tuesday till 12 noon on Wednesday, total cases in Karnataka have risen to 181, which includes 5 deaths and 28 cured cases, said health minister B Sriramulu.

Five people suffering from COVID-19 have been cured and discharged in the state so far, he said.

One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand on Wednesday, officials said. A Health Department spokesman said the latest case has been reported from Haridwar and it takes the number of coronavirus patients in the state to 32.

"The administration has quarantined all those from the state who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz and identified the people from abroad who have been hiding in mosques," Chouhan said in a tweet late Tuesday night.

The congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in the national capital last month emerged as a major coronavirus hotspot in the country.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked the state residents who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat's religious congregation in Delhi last month to report to the state authorities within 24 hours or face criminal charges.

Times of India reported that a 78-year-old Nerul resident on Tuesday tested negative for COVID-19 after a week of hospitalisation and was successfully discharged from Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday. Navi Mumbai civic officials said that they were very relieved to hear the news. The man was admitted on 30 March.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to states to take urgent steps to ensure the availability of essential goods, and invoke provisions of the Essential Commodities (EC) Act, 1955, if needed, against hoarders. These measures include fixing of stock limits, capping of prices, enhancing production, an inspection of accounts of dealers and other such actions, a notification from the MHA stated.

"On Sunday night, two policemen came to my house and said that they wanted to take me to the police station as their superior wanted to enquire about some case," he said.

Anant Karmuse, a resident of Ghodbunder, had posted a photo morphed with Mr Awhad's face and a lit-up match stick with a caption, "I protest against the person who has edited the photo."

The man, in a police complaint, also alleged that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and belt in front of the minister. The alleged incident took place on Sunday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to light diyas or torch to show a "collective resolve" against coronavirus.

A 40-year-old civil engineer in Mumbai has claimed that policemen took him to NCP minister Jitendra Awhad's bungalow instead of the police station, where the minister's men thrashed him for posting a morphed photo.

The situation in the village is now "fully under control", police said. An FIR has been lodged against 150 people, including 100 unnamed people. Among those booked for the violence is the pradhan of the village Chaman Khan.

"The incident took place in the village at the time of ration distribution in which two groups clashed. Twelve persons were injured in brickbatting between rival groups. They have been admitted at the district Malham Singh hospital," police said.

Six persons have been arrested in connection with the clash that took place on Tuesday, ADM City, Rakesh Kumar Maalpani told PTI.

Twelve people were injured as two groups belonging to separate communities clashed over the issue of distribution of ration in Kamalpur village here, police said on Wednesday.

Uddhav Thackeray begins briefing the state via social media on video on Wednesday. He said, "We held a Cabinet meeting yesterday via video conferencing. I am constantly in touch with all ministers. This is a teamwork. It has been a month since we reported the first cases in Maharashtra. There is still growth in the number of cases, but it is not as steep."

He further said, "We are aware of what is happening in the United States, Japan, and Singapore. But we are also hearing that Wuhan, where this outbreak began, has eased its lockdown. This is a positive development. This too shall pass for us. We will definitely overcome this crisis."

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the state government is currently arranging 15 lakh meals per day for all migrants stranded in the state.

Maharashtra chief minister Udhhav Thackeray addressed concerns regarding the shortage of masks. He said, "There are reports of a shortage of N-95 masks, PPE kits and ventilators here. We need to understand that there is a shortage of these things across the world. Even the United States is asking us for medicines."

The Maharashtra chief minister urged all citizens to use masks while stepping out of the house for buying essentials. "It is not necessary to buy masks from shops. You can make one at home with a clean cloth," he said during the state briefing on Wednesday.

Sudhi told the bench that there should be free testing of COVID-19 by labs in the country as it is expensive.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi seeking a direction to the Centre and authorities to provide free of cost testing facility for COVID-19 to all citizens in the country.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat was told by the Centre that earlier 15,000 tests were conducted per day by 118 labs and later to enhance the capacity, 47 private labs were allowed to conduct the COVID-19 tests.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday suggested that the Centre should create a mechanism wherein private laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests do not charge exorbitant fees from public and government should reimburse the fees charged by labs.

Among the total positive cases reported ten are foreign nationals including six from Sri Lanka, and one each from Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa while 51 are from other states of India, as per the bulletin.

At present, there are 122 active cases in the state, 17 patients have been discharged while the state has recorded two COVID-related deaths. Reports of 558 samples were awaited.

Among the fresh cases, seven were reported from Faridabad, one from Nuh and two from Palwal while Fatehabad district reported its first case, according to state health Department's bulletin.

With 11 more people testing positive for coronavirus, the number of COVID-19 cases in Haryana rose to 141 on Wednesday.

Uddhav Thackeray urged retired healthcare workers to volunteer to help the government fight the global pandemic as cases in state crossed 1,000. "I am requesting retired nurses, ward boys, trained personnel and medical staff to help us. They can email us their names and contact information at Covidyoddha@gmail.com."

The video was recorded taken at Ponnani in the Malappuram district and shows a group of men running in all directions as soon as they spot the drone. The Kerala Police tweeted the video from their official handle Monday.

In an attempt to introduce some levity during Indias coronavirus lockdown, the Kerala Police has tweeted amusing footage from its recent drone surveillance efforts to keep people indoors.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said the lockdown "will be lifted once we are fully confident that the spread of the virus has been controlled and it poses no danger to fellow Indians."

Out of the total 91 patients, one died while two have so far been discharged after recovery, Bhopal's Chief Medical and Health Officer Sudhir Deharia said.

The six new patients include a journalist working with a news channel, a public relations department official said. He possibly contracted the infection from a police officer who earlier tested positive for coronavirus, the official said.

Six more people tested positive for coronavirus in Bhopal, taking the number of such cases in the Madhya Pradesh capital to 91, officials said on Wednesday.

According to Walia, the number of calls after the lockdown, which started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on March 24, has increased by 50 per cent.

Of the 3.07 lakh calls received by the 'CHILDLINE 1098' helpline for children in distress across the country between March 20-31, covering the first week of the lockdown, 30 per cent were about protection against abuse and violence on children, said Harleen Walia, deputy director of Childline India. This comes to 92,105 calls.

The Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 SOS calls asking for protection from abuse and violence in 11 days, a sombre indication that the lockdown has turned into extended captivity not just for many women but also for children trapped with their abusers at home.

RK Tiwari, Chief Secy of Uttar Pradesh said that in the sealed areas no delivery movement will be allowed.. Only stores with essentials and medicines will be open, he stated.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatha told CNN-News18 that the state government would be 'completely sealing' 15 districts from 12 am today. Among these 15 districts are Agra, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Basti, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Shamli, Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Maharajganj, Meerut, Bareilly, Firozabad, Saharanpur.

So far, 327 persons have been tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh with 14 more cases being reported on Wednesday.

"In a bid to manage the COVID-19 outbreak in a better way and in the interest of the citizens, the government has implemented the Essential Services Management Act, called ESMA, with the immediate effect in Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan said in a tweet.

The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) with immediate effect to tackle the coronavirus spread, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been reported to be stable after he spent two nights in ICU. His condition is said to have improved after he was administered oxygen support.

He also added, "Movement will be affected as the lock down is still on. Only areas with high positive cases will be sealed off."

UP Chief Secretary RK Tiwari state that further restrictions in the 15 districts will only be applied for those hotspot areas that have reported high coronavirus positive cases. He also said that affected areas that have positive COVID-19 cases will be sealed.

The meeting came a day after Kejriwal announced a five-point action plan which includes one lakh rapid anti-body blood test in hotspots to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"Discussed the issue of corona with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs via video conferencing. Several MPs have given good suggestions which will soon be implemented by the government. We all will have to fight it together," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

In the meeting via video conferencing, Lok Sabha members belonging to the BJP and Rajya Sabha members of the Aam Aadmi Party interacted with the chief minister and discussed measures to contain the COVID-19 spread in the national capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday held a meeting with MPs from the national capital on the coronavirus outbreak and said "we all will have to fight it together".

Amid speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that lockdown will not be lifted in one go on 14 April, said BJD's Pinaki Misra to PTI after all-party meet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held an all-party meeting via video conference to discuss the fight against coronavirus as the number of cases in the country rose to 5,194. Citing government sources, multiple reports are saying that Narendra Modi has said that lifting the lockdown was 'not an option.'

Superintendent of Police (city) Prabal Pratap Singh said, "Cases were registered against 69 persons for moving in the city without masks, not maintaining social distancing and also not adhering to the lockdown orders." Notice have also been pasted on the houses of the 69 people.

The police have registered cases against 69 people here for violating the lockdown orders, officials said on Wednesday.

"These masks may be standard masks available with the chemist or even homemade washable masks and can be reused after proper washing and disinfecting them," the order said.

"All person will be moving for whatsoever purpose and under whatever reason authority in a public place, like street, hospital, office, markets must be wearing 3 ply mask or cloth mask compulsorily," an order issued by the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi stated.

Amid an increase in the number of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases in the city, Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has made wearing of masks compulsory in public places, hospitals, offices, markets and while travelling in vehicles.

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to all the state chief secretaries to ensure the availability of essential goods by invoking provisions of the Essential Commodities Act 1955, reported by news agency ANI. The Home Secretary also urged for steps to be taken to prevent hoarding and black marketing and ensure essential items are available at fair prices to the public,

Bollywood producer and Mumbai resident Karim Morani has tested positive for the coronavirus, media reports said. Morani, in all likelihood, may have contracted the virus from his daughter who was confirmed with COVID-19 earlier last week. The producer has been shifted to the Nanavati hospital for treatment.

The World Athletics has suspended the Tokyo Olympics qualification period until December 2020 due to the fast-spreading Covid-19 or coronavirus pandemic after consulting its athletes' commission, area presidents and council. The news comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deferred the Tokyo Summer Games to from 23 July to 8 August, 2021.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa told PTI on Wednesday that the state intended to relax liquor sales, stopped since the 21-day lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, after April 14 in a bid to increase state revenues.

Health secretary Lav Agarwal on Wednesday said that the government has ensured that not only today even in future there will not be any lack of HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine) as and when needed.

The US, however, plans to block Irans requested emergency loan it says it needs to fight its coronavirus crisis. US says Tehran already has Billion dollar accounts at its disposal, which the loan will free up to be used elsewhere, against USA's national interests.

Reeling under economic impact of UN sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, Iran had urged the International Monetary Fund to sanction a loan of $5 billion to help beat the pandemic which has claimed around 4,000 lives in the country.

"We find prima facie substance in the submission of petitioner that at this time of national calamity permitting private Labs to charge Rs.4500 for screening and confirmation test of COVID-19 may not be within means of a large part of population of this country and no person be deprived to undergo the COVID-19 test due to nonpayment of capped amount of Rs.4500. It is submitted before us that insofar as Government Laboratories are concerned the COVID-19 test is conducted free of cost," the SC said in its order.

The Supreme Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation challenging a recent government order capping the cost of COVID-19 at Rs 4,500.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Centre to make coronavirus tests free of cost, irrespective of whether they are taken in government or private labs.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered all government departments to stop all expenditures except payment of salaries. The chief minister emphasised the need to cut expenses drastically considering current revenue status of Delhi and the need to boost up measures to fight spread of pandemic.

After 76 days in lockdown, the Chinese city at the heart of the global pandemic reopened Wednesday, and tens of thousands immediately hopped on trains and planes to leave, reports AP. Residents waved flags and the city staged a light show with skyscrapers and bridges radiating images of health workers helping patients.

"Impact of health issues such as COVID19 on regional trade and measures to mitigate it was seen as new focus area for discussion in larger framework of trade facilitation in SAARC region. Need to enhance quantum of intra SAARC trade was highlighted," ANI quotes the MEA spokesperosn as saying.

Kerala's grand temple festival Thrissur Pooram, scheduled to be heald on 3 May, was cancelled for the first time in 58 years in light of the coronavirus outbreak, said reports. The festival will be held only as ritaul, the Devaswom said.

With 93 fresh cases recorded on Wednesday, the number of coronavirus patients in Delhi rose to 669, said the state health department. Of these, 426 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, it said. So far, nine deaths have been reported in the National Capital.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on 21 February rose to 17,669, the Civil Protection Agency said, the highest in the world.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 542 on Wednesday, a lower tally than the 604 the day before, but the number of new cases pushed higher to 3,836 compared with a previous 3,039, reports Reuters.

With 93 fresh cases recorded on Wednesday, the number of coronavirus patients in Delhi rose to 669, said the state health department. Of these, 426 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, it said. So far, nine deaths have been reported in the National Capital.

The death toll due to coronavirus in the state now stands at 29 of whom, 21 persons died in Indore. Five others died in Ujjain, one each in Bhopal, Khargone and Chhindwara, said health officials.

As 72 new coronavirus positive cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, the number of such patients in the state jumped to 385, PTI quotes health officials as saying. Of these 385, the highest number of 213 cases are from Indore, the commercial capital of the state. Forty of these cases were reported in the district on Wednesday alone, the officials said.Nine new cases were reported in Bhopal in 24-hours, which took the tally of COVID-19 patients in the state capital to 94, they said.

Media bulletin with district wise break up on status of positive cases of #COVID19 in Telangana (Dated: 08.04.2020) pic.twitter.com/658fIuVV99

Forty-nine fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Telangana on Wednesday, taking the total number of positive cases in the state cumulatively to 453. The number of active cases in the state was 397 as 45 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, state Health Minister E Rajender told reporters.No death occurred due to the virus on Wednesday andthe number of deceased remained at 11, he said.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Suhas LY assured home delivery of essential commodities and services at all places in Gautam Buddh Nagar, urging people not to venture out and avoid panic buying. "Dear residents, no need for panic buying. Identified hotspots shall be sealed and home delivery of essential commodities and services shall be available at all places in the district. We shall take strict action against rumour mongerers/spreaders, District Magistrate Suhas LY said in a brief statement.

According to an official list, the localities identified for sealing in Noida are Sector 22, Chauda village, sectors 27, 28, 37, 41, 44, Hyde Park in Sector 78 and Supertech Capetown in Sector 74, Logix Blossom County and Paras Tierra in sector 137 and Wazidpur village, Ace Golfshire in Sector 150, Jaypee Wishtown sector 128, GrandOmaxe in Sector 93B, Sector 5 and 8 JJ colony, Designer Park in Sector 62 and Lotus Boulevard in Sector 100. In Greater Noida, sector Alpha I, ATS Dolce in Zeta I, Omnicron III, Sector 3, Mehak Residency in Accheja village, Stellar MI Omnicron III, and Ghodi Baccheda village have been identified as the localities to be sealed, the list stated. Nirala Greenshire in Sector 2, Vishnoi village in Dadri, Palm Olympia in Sector 16 are the localities in Greater Noida (West) also known as Noida Extension, it added.

As many as 34 residential localities across Noida and Greater Noida will be sealed off till April 15 in order to contain coronavirus from spreading further, PTI quotes the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration as saying. These localities are part of hotspots, which means areas where COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in the past, the administration said in a statement.

"Goa has its first recovered COVID-19 patient, bringing the total number of positive cases to 6. The patient will be kept under monitored quarantine for 14 days as per protocol before final discharge," said state health minister Vishwajit Rane.

One of seven coronavirus patients undergoing treatment in Goa was declared as cured by health officials on Wednesday, reports PTI. He tested negative for infection in his last two tests, they said.

The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Vijay Rupani and held through video conference, said the release.

The Gujarat government said on Wednesday that 31 private hospitals across the state would be put to use as `designated' COVID-19 hospitals for coronavirus patients, reports PTI. Already, dedicated COVID-19 hospitals with combined capacity of 2,200 beds are operational in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat. The 31 new designated hospitals will add 4,064 beds, said an official release.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on 21 February rose to 17,669, the Civil Protection Agency said, the highest in the world.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 542 on Wednesday, a lower tally than the 604 the day before, but the number of new cases pushed higher to 3,836 compared with a previous 3,039, reports Reuters.

Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar said the patient had "a travel history to Delhi" and more details were sought about which places he visited in the National Capital and the people whom he came in contact with.

A 38-year-old man with a travel history to Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 39, PTI quotes officials as saying. State epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said the patient hailed from Nawada, becoming the first person from the central Bihar district to test positive.

Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shisve said action will be taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act if a person is seen on the streets without a mask.

Wednesday. Masks are necessary for preventing the spread of the virus, said district collector Naval Kishore Ram. "Therefore, we have ordered people and government employees to use masks in public places," he said.

With the number of coronavirus cases in Pune nearing 200, wearing a face mask has been made mandatory in public places, a senior official said on

Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister @NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!

India had late on 8 April lifted the ban on the export of some drugs, invoking criticism from many.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday thanked India and its people for for lifting the ban on hydroxychloroquine. "Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" he tweeted.

Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: A 38-year-old man with a travel history to Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar on Wednesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 39. State epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said the patient hailed from Nawada, becoming the first person from the central Bihar district to test positive.

As many as 34 residential localities across Noida and Greater Noida will be sealed off till April 15 in order to contain coronavirus from spreading further, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said. These localities are part of hotspots, which means areas where COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in the past, the administration said in a statement.

With 93 fresh cases recorded on Wednesday, the number of coronavirus patients in Delhi rose to 669, said the state health department. Of these, 426 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, it said. So far, nine deaths have been reported in the National Capital.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 30 percent cut in salaries of ministers and state legislators in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak for one year.

Four medical staff have been tested positive with COVID-19 in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, said reports. The medical staff were treating a 58-year-old man from Hindupur town who had passed away due to the coronavirus recently, said District Collector Veera Pandyan.

The Delhi government on Wednesday made it compulsory for people to wear face masks when stepping outdoors to combat the coronavirus spread. The chief minister said that all government departments have been directed to stop all expenditures except salary, adding that they will have to cut expenses drastically considering the current revenue status.



Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed to seal the highly infected areas of 15 districts of the state from Wednesday midnight till morning of 15 April.

Supreme Court has ordered the Centre to make coronavirus tests free of cost, irrespective of whether they are taken in government or private labs.

Eleven people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 343 on Wednesday, officials were quoted as saying by PTI.



The health ministry has said that till date total 402 people have been discharged, total 5,194 positive confirmed case have been reported. In last one day, 773 positive cases were reported.

Amid an increase in the number of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases in the city, Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has made wearing of masks compulsory in public places, hospitals, offices, markets and while travelling in vehicles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held an all-party meeting via video conference to discuss the fight against coronavirus as the number of cases in the country rose to 5,194. Citing government sources, multiple reports are saying that Narendra Modi has said that lifting the lockdown was 'not an option.'

Lucknow, Varanasi, and Agra among 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh that will be "sealed off completely" tonight to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, say multiple reports.

Uddhav Thackeray urged retired healthcare workers to volunteer to help the government fight the global pandemic as cases in state crossed 1,000. 'I am requesting retired nurses, ward boys, trained personnel and medical staff to help us. They can email us their names and contact information at Covidyoddha@gmail.com.'

Uddhav Thackeray begins briefing the state via social media on video on Wednesday. He said, 'We held a Cabinet meeting yesterday via video conferencing. I am constantly in touch with all ministers. This is teamwork.'

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to states to take urgent steps to ensure the availability of essential goods, and invoke provisions of the Essential Commodities (EC) Act, 1955, if needed, against hoarders.

Five people died of coronavirus in Pune in the last 12 hours, taking the COVID-19 toll in the Maharashtra district to 13, officials said on Wednesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting via video-conferencing with all the MPs of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha from Delhi at 12 noon.

According to multiple reports the government is likely to take a final call on extending the lockdown for coronavirus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second meeting with Chief Ministers via video conference on 11 April (Saturday).

With 1,018 cases of COVID-19, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu (690) and Delhi (576).

The total number of coronavirus positive cases in India has risen to 5,194 , which includes 4,643 active cases and 401 cured/discharged people. The toll is now at 149. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a video meet with Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi at 12 noon.

Two more people died of coronavirus infection in Pune, taking the toll in the Maharashtra district to 10, officials said on Wednesday. A 44-year-old man, who was on ventilator support and suffering from uncontrolled diabetes, died at the civic-run Naidu Hospital early Wednesday morning, Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said.

Health officials on Tuesday said that two pavement dwellers in Kolkata tested positive for coronavirus. A 40-year-old man who lived on a pavement in Bowbazar area, was earlier admitted to NRS Medical College Hospital on 3 April and was shifted to ID Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

The top brass of NITI Aayog told CNBC TV18 sources on Wednesday that the nationwide lockdown that is expected to end on 14 April need to have a 'phased exit' to cusion the economic damage caused by COVID-19 outbreak.

New York City's toll from the coronavirus rose past 3,200 Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. The number of deaths in the US due to coronavirus on crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday neared the 5,000 mark with India reporting 508 new cases and 13 deaths in 24 hours while many states advocated for a gradual approach to lifting the 21-day lockdown which ends on 14 April.

On Tuesday, several states also announced plans to ramp up their testing infrastructure and put in place strong 'cluster containment' plans in areas identified as hotspots of the outbreak.

There were also indications about possible relaxations from a complete lockdown for some sectors, including agriculture and unorganised labour sector, at least in some states, while there were also talks about even stronger area-specific restrictions in some places.

A Group of Ministers on COVID-19, recommended extension of closure of all educational institutions and restricting all religious activities having public participation till 15 May irrespective of whether the government extends the 21-day lockdown or not.

Confirmed cases climb to 4,789, toll reaches 124, says health ministry

Of the 4,789 cases confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), 352 patients have been discharged or cured, one has migrated and there are 4,312 active cases in India.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states at 9.45 pm showed 5,192 testing positive across the country and at least 162 deaths.

More than 400 have so far been cured and discharged, while nearly 1.1 lakh tests have been conducted so far in the country, as per official announcements, PTI said.

Also, while some states including Maharashtra reported a significant increase in the numbers, several states did not report a single additional positive case.

The number of confirmed cases in Maharashtra surged past 1,000, with 116 new cases being detected only in the city of Mumbai. The total number of coronavirus positive cases in Mumbai now stands at 642 with 40 deaths so far, including six new victims, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a release.

In Madhya Pradesh and Rajsthan the number crossed 300, while in Delhi the number of COVID-19 patients reached 576. Fresh cases were also reported from Punjab, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu among other states.

However, no fresh cases were reported from various states and union territories including Chattisgarh, Chandigarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Laddakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry and Uttarakhand.

Lockdown, social distancing arrested spread of virus, claims health ministry

Officials said that the lockdown and social distancing measures have helped contain the pandemic in a big way in India.

Citing an ICMR study, the Health Ministry said just one COVID-19 patient can infect as many as 406 people in 30 days in the absence of preventive measures such as social distancing and the lockdown.

With the preventive measures, the possibility of the infection can be reduced to an average of just two-and-a-half persons per patient in the same period, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said in the central government's daily briefing on COVID-19.

He said social distancing works like a "social vaccine" in management of COVID-19, but refrained from commenting on whether the ongoing nationwide lockdown would be extended or lifted after 14 April.

"Whenever a decision is taken, it will be informed. Till a decision is officially communicated, please refrain from speculation," he said.

Government sources, however, said many state governments and experts are requesting the Centre to extend the lockdown and the Central Government is thinking in that direction.

There has been a nationwide lockdown since 25 March, though some states had initiated such measures a few days earlier, to check the pandemic that has claimed more than 75,000 lives worldwide since its emergence in China last December. Over 13 lakh people have tested positive for the virus across the world so far.

States likely to relax restrictions on some sectors

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said some relaxation on work front for unorganised sector workers was on the anvil. She, however, made it clear that all must practise social distancing. The state government has identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in West Bengal.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, said his government will extend the lockdown if needed, while his counterpart in Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, said the state cannot withdraw the lockdown immediately and it has to be done in a phased manner.

A Karnataka government minister said it's too early to take a call now on lifting the nationwide lockdown but appeared favouring an extension by at least two weeks.

Uttar Pradesh chief secretary RK Tiwari said, "There is still time for the lockdown and we will review the situation and then decide" on lifting it.

A panel report by the Kerala govt has suggested phased withdrawal of restrictions subject to the areas under review meet certain conditions.

Addressing his ministers through video conferencing on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also indicated towards a graded approach to lift the lockdown.

The Prime Minister had also asked the ministers whether the restrictions should be lifted sector-wise or district-wise, a source said. Modi has also asked the ministers to lay out plans to contain the economic impact of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the GoM chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and participated by Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday concluded that religious centres, shopping malls and educational institutions must not be allowed to resume normal functioning at least for four weeks from 14 April when the current lockdown ends.

The GoM also briefly discussed possible scenarios after end of the current spell of the lockdown. It also recommended that the inputs of the states are crucial in taking specific decisions on measures to contain the pandemic.

Arvind Kejriwal announces 'five-T' action plan

Several states, including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, also announced plans to ramp up the tests, while numerous leaders across the country urged the people to strictly follow the lockdown and social distancing measures including for religious rituals.

Gehlot, the Rajasthan chief minister, said the state will start rapid testing within a week and that it has ordered 10 lakh testing kits from China.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a five-point action plan of "five Ts  testing, tracing, treatment, team-work and tracking  and monitoring" to contain the virus spread and said one lakh random rapid COVID-19 tests will be conducted in the city's hotspot areas. He said arrangements have been made to deal with as many as 30,000 cases.

Gujarat government has also decided to implement a cluster containment plan across 15 localities in four cities, which involves a complete lockdown of these areas.

Low GDP forecasts in view of lockdown

Rating agency ICRA on Tuesday forecast a GDP forecast of just 2 percent for the current fiscal and said the Indian economy is estimated to have contracted by 4.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of FY20 ended 31 March.

Industry body Retailers Association of India on the other hand warned that around 80,000 jobs were expected to be cut by various retailers due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It had conducted a survey of 768 retailers, which employ 3,92,963 people across India, to gauge their view on the impact of COVID-19 on their business and manpower.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also said that the COVID-19 crisis has the potential to push around 40 crore informal sector workers in India deeper into poverty, with the lockdown and other containment measures affecting jobs and earnings.

The stock market, however, witnessed a sharp rebound on Tuesday with a 2,476-point rally in the benchmark Sensex, while the investors' wealth measured in terms of market value of all listed companies rose by nearly Rs 7.7 lakh crore.

Shares of pharma companies especially saw a lot of surge after India decided to partially lift a ban on export of paracetamol and anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

The decision came a week after a telephonic conversation between Modi and US President Donald Trump, who sought supply of hydroxychloroquine to the US to treat coronavirus infected people.

Trump on Monday said he would be surprised if New Delhi did not relent to the request as it has good relations with Washington and warned India of retaliation if it did not export the anti-malarial drug despite his personal request.

Indian pharma companies said there is enough stock of hydroxychloroquine in the country, and drug firms are ready to ramp up the production to meet domestic as well as export requirements.

Agarwal said cluster containment strategies are producing required results in some areas like Agra, Gautam Budh Nagar (UP), Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Bhilwara (Rajasthan), East Delhi and Mumbai and similar strategies are being adopted in other coronavirus-affected districts.

With inputs from PTI
Melbourne's The Emerson got wheels. Source: Getty

This is part of our Pivot Series, where Yahoo Finance tracks stories of small business survival tactics during the coronavirus crisis.

Mark Hinkleys hospitality group, Tadcaster Hospitality, has several restaurants across Australia, Singapore and the Philippines, and while Hinkley says they planned for pretty much every hospitality trend that could hit them, they never planned for a global pandemic quite like this.

We pretty much predicted any hospitality trends across the world, for example if there was a stock market crash in Australia, Singapore could pick up the weight, Hinkley told Yahoo Finance.

But none of us ever really planned for all 26 of our venues to be shut at the same time.

Its a shift Hinkley described as cataclysmic.

To put it into perspective, Easter we would normally do around a quarter of a million dollars for the weekend, he said. Well probably now end up doing around $20,000.

Across the business, Hinkley said theyve had to retrench around 95 per cent of staff. At the groups popular Melbourne pub venue, the Emerson, 87 staff dwindled to just six.

And then if you add in the subsequent industries which also support us, the 20 to 30 DJs which we have every weekend, the cleaners, the delivery drivers, the photographers, the bakers, the PR people, graphic designers, social media experts - its quite astonishing.

And given the evolving lockdown measures, it was tough on staff members who saw their hours cut.

Some people were very good, but people deal with crises in very different ways. Some of our key staff who were quite staunch in the industry really went to water, he said.

Their whole world stopped, and they didnt know where to go next, added The Emersons business development manager, Lauren Turner.

But through the Emersons staff Facebook group, around 50 staff members were able to get placed into new jobs with Hinkley and other employee connections.

Story continues

With staff members cut, the groups Melbourne venue needed to transform.

The Emerson gets wheels

While its easy to get caught in the doom and gloom of the situation, Turner decided to get into gear and transform The Emersons business strategy to The Emerson on Wheels.

The new strategy is an alcohol delivery service directly to your doorstep between 10am and 10pm daily, so that those who cant party at a pub can do so while theyre stuck at home.

Its more that Uber takes a large percentage of your profits, and lots of our regulars wanted to support us directly. So we saw an opening to deliver alcohol directly to them, Turner said.

We also do cocktail packs, and were just about to do freshly-made cocktails, which has been gaining a lot of interest.

Were just bringing The Emerson to them.

And so far, loyal customers have welcomed the business pivot strategy.

Weve done a few deliveries to our loyal customers, and the traction on our Facebook - weve just posted it with no money behind it - has been unbelievable, Turner said.

Hinkley says its heartwarming to see the support.

All the people that have supported us over the years, theyre really getting behind us, he said.

Companies that used to always come in for Friday night drinks - a lot of those regulars have been supporting us too.

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A 97-year-old Army veteran has been separated from his wife during the pandemic  but he still found a romantic way to be with her.

Earlier this week, Lou, who served in WWII, paid a visit to his wife of 38 years, Jackie, at the DMVA's Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Sitting outside a window, Lou played Jackie a song on his harmonica, blowing out a beautiful tune while his love listened inside.

True love: Earlier this week, Lou, who served in WWII, paid a visit to his wife of 38 years, Jackie, at the DMVA's Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie, Pennsylvania

Video of the heartwarming moment was shared on Facebook by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs on Sunday.

'Lou seized a recent opportunity for social interaction by spending time with Jackie,' the account wrote.

'Separated by social distancing, the couple was able to bond over Lou's harmonica playing, expressing his love for her as they continue to spend their time separated, yet so close.'

In the clip, Lou has parked his walker outside a door with a window and sat in a chair directly outside, allowing him to come face-to-face with his wife.

Can't be kept apart: Sitting outside a window, Lou played Jackie a song on his harmonica, blowing out a beautiful tune while his love listened inside

Jackie, quarantined inside, sits comfortably and listens to him play, something she seems to have done for years.

The clip has been viewed thousands of times, with commenters sharing heart emojis.

'They are so sweet to each other,' wrote one. Another wrote: 'Oh my heart.'

Meanwhile, heartwarming footage has emerged of a little girl playing a game of tic-tac-toe with her grandmother on a glass window in Canberra, Australia.

Sweet: Heartwarming footage shows a little girl playing a game of tic-tac-toe with her grandmother on a glass window in Canberra, Australia

The elderly woman and her grandchild can be seen taking turns drawing X's and O's with markers on either side of the window.

The young girl's mother explained that the grandmother was visiting her family home after getting a flu vaccination at a clinic nearby.

'She was visiting us after a flu shot at the doctor which is near my place. We stayed one-and-a-half meters away as well. Ninety per cent of the time she stays indoors,' she said.

She also said window Tic Tac Toe is 'a way of staying connected to people while not putting them at risk,' and perfect for playing at nursing homes.
File image: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 interacted with floor leaders of various political parties in Parliament via video conferencing to discuss the situation arising out of the spread of coronavirus.

During the meeting, PM Modi said, "The situation in the country is akin to a social emergency; it has necessitated tough decisions and we must continue to remain vigilant."

He also said that several state governments, district administrations and experts have asked for extension of the phase of 21-day lockdown, which is supposed to be ending on April 14.

The interaction was held through video conferencing and those participated, included leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar.

Modi interacted with leaders of those parties whose combined strength of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to five.

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

COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates

This is PM Modi's first interaction with floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25, though he had held interactions with chief ministers of all states including those ruled by non-NDA parties.

"Todays discussion reflects constructive and positive politics, reaffirms Indias strong democratic foundations and spirit of cooperative federalism," Modi said.

The prime minister has been interacting with various stakeholders, including doctors, journalists and heads of Indian missions to get a feedback on ways to check the spread of coronavirus.

He also recently spoke to various leaders including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, DMK leader MK Stalin and discussed the COVID-19 situation as well as his government's efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.

He had also talked former presidents Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee, and former prime ministers HD Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh.

With inputs from PTI
Coronation Street and Emmerdale actors will receive full pay for three months despite production stopping on the soaps due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Stars of the ITV soaps have come to an agreement with bosses, 16 days after filming was shut down on the shows.

Cast members receive an annual salary, with bonuses for the episodes they appear in. Familiar faces on the soaps are said to earn around 200,000 a year while younger stars can pick up around 100,000 annually.

Pay: Coronation Street (above) and Emmerdale actors will receive full pay for three months despite production stopping on the soaps due to the coronavirus pandemic

A Coronation Street spokesman told MailOnline : 'Coronation Street and Emmerdale have reached an agreement with Equity to provide financial security for regular cast members for the next three months.

'The specific details of this agreement will remain private as this is a contractual matter.'

A source added: 'This is a very fair and consistent deal which treats everyone equally, and is in recognition of the fact we'll need to hit the ground running once filming safely recommences.'

Salaries: Stars of the ITV soaps have come to an agreement with bosses, 16 days after filming was shut down on the shows (above Paddy Kirk and Chas Dingle in Emmerdale)

Equity is the trade union for creative workers and has also secured financial support for actors in dramas such as Holby City, EastEnders, Doctors and Hollyoaks.

Among Corrie's top earners is veteran Jack P Shepherd, who is thought to earn around 200,000 a year with his role as David Platt, which he has played for 20 years.

Simon Gregson, who has played Steve McDonald since 1989, is thought to take home around 160,000 a year.

Filming was suspended on the shows on March 23.

Last month Coronation Street and Emmerdale bosses confirmed that the soap's planned storylines will be affected by their scheduling changes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Unaffected for now: Among Corrie's top earners is veteran Jack P Shepherd, who is thought to earn around 200,000 a year with his role as David Platt, which he has played for 20 years

Role: Simon Gregson, (left) who has played Steve McDonald since 1989, is thought to take home around 160,000 a year

An ITV spokesperson revealed that episodes that were planned to air around Easter or VE Day in May will inevitably be shown on a different dates, after cutting back on their weekly broadcasts to ration their filmed episodes.

In their statement a spokesperson told MailOnline: 'In the coming weeks some episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale will understandably be out of kilter due to the temporary transmission pattern for both programmes which takes effect from Monday 30 March.

'Episodes due to broadcast at Easter and those commissioned and filmed to commemorate VE Day, for instance, won't now air on the dates we'd anticipated.

'We'd hope the audience will understand the reasons for this and continue to enjoy the shows.'

A Coronation Street spokesman told MailOnline : 'Coronation Street and Emmerdale have reached an agreement with Equity to provide financial security for regular cast members for the next three months' (above, characters in Emmerdale)

Coronation Street and Emmerdale confirmed that along with reducing their weekly broadcasts, they would also re-write certain storylines to exclude elderly cast members, allowing them the chance to self-isolate at home.

Coronation Street now airs just three episodes a week, while Emmerdale will only air five.

The ITV spokesperson also confirmed that despite government advice for residents to avoid social contact in pubs and restaurants, they would be continuing to include scenes in The Rovers Return and Woolpack.

Which UK shows have stopped filming? EastEnders Line Of Duty Peaky Blinders Doctors Casualty Holby City River City Pobol y Cwm Hollyoaks Vera Call The Midwife The Only Way Is Essex Lorraine Loose Women Emmerdale Coronation Street Advertisement

They told MailOnline: 'Additionally, as both Coronation Street and Emmerdale film many weeks before they air on ITV, episodes will continue to feature scenes set in the Rovers and Woolpack and other communal areas.

'Although the Governments latest guidelines indicate that people should avoid such public spaces, wed ask viewers to make allowances for the fact that filming took place before the coronavirus pandemic... and to make sure they follow the most recent Government's health advice.'

Corrie and Emmerdale join a long list of programmes that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many shows including rival soap EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Call The Midwife forced to halt filming.

In a statement shared Wednesday the BBC said: 'In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice.

'The decision was made after the latest Government update. We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England.

'We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible.'

On Channel 4, Hollyoaks have confirmed that they will reducing their weekly episodes from five to just three, but are continuing to film at the moment.

ITV were also recently forced to postpone The Voice's live semi-final and grand finale amid the pandemic.
Alabama is beginning to count its losses in people, not just money.

Its sobering to see the news -- the sadly beautiful story of Tuscaloosa native Jerry Williamson and his wife Frances, who died holding hands after contracting coronavirus on a cruise.

Alabama has confirmed more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases now, despite intermittent and delayed testing. At least 40 people have died here, including Lorianne Grimsley Shakespear, a 58-year-old retired nurse. The numbers mean little. We still dont know the extent of it.

So we grieve, and isolate. We worry, and survive.

Lorianne Grimsley Shakespear

Yet, people who tell me their stories focus so often on humor and soul and the kindnesses of neighbors, and strangers.

Like the way Jo Recio can look out the window of her Huntsville home and see homemade signs her neighbors taped in their windows.

Hi Mrs. Jo, one says.

What a lift that gives me, Recio said. I am 85 years old, live alone, and I think about growing up in Miami, Fla.

When the hurricanes came then, neighbors rallied to help, with food or whatever was needed. When the storms passed, they turned out together to clean it all up. The same will be true of the coronavirus pandemic, she believes.

All of this event will pass, she said. And we will think back about how nice it was to share a wave ... to give some books to read to the children, cards for them to play at home with their parents.

Huntsville neighbors of 85-year-old Jo Recio found safe ways to offer encouragement. It helped, Recio said.

For all of our ills, and griefs, and sordid histories, these are the things we remember, and cherish. Little kindnesses. Perhaps they are the things that help us survive and stay sane through the hard times.

Dilcy Windham Hilley, the daughter of the late and great Kathryn Tucker Windham, the tale-telling savant and ghost story laureate of Alabama, told me she doesnt know how her mom would have reacted to these strange uncomfortable times, but she would have found a way to laugh, and to be grateful for those kindnesses.

As she grew old and surrendered driving, people took to bringing her gifts of all sorts to lift her spirits, Hilley said. Figs by the bucket load and dewberries arrived. She made preserves and cobblers and everything she could think of not to waste the commodities. She got pillows embroidered with platitudes which she re-gifted to people who might be more appreciative. She even got rattlesnake rattles that she truly liked. After she died, we found them among her treasures along with dirt dauber nests and very good telephone pole insulators.

I think these days about what she might have gotten. Probably more blue bottles for her tree to ensure good luck during this rough patch. Probably more buckeyes for the same reason. (You know you have to rub them on your nose and get your oils on them so they know they belong to you.)

She likely would have handed out those buckeyes so others might share the hope of good fortune during this time.

She would. I know she would.

I was fortunate enough, after Windhams death, to have a few of those blue bottles passed on to me, straight from the Mother tree. They are among the few inanimate objects that I love. Because they come from her, I believe them animated. Now, I suppose, would be a good time to pass a couple of them forward, to help someone else through a rough patch.

I guess thats the whole point, to think of the things -- good luck bottles with lineage, signs in windows or simple consideration for safety. I guess the point is to simply think of the needs of others as clearly as we think of ourselves.

Some of these came from the Kathryn Tucker Windham's "Mother tree," which not only wards off evil spirits but turns them good.

Because this will end. And it will shape us. Our actions determine who we will become.

Hilley -- cooking her moms cornbread during a pandemic and thinking of all of her humor and wisdom -- knows her mother would have worried about family and friends if she had been alive to see all this.

But I expect, when this dark curtain rose again, she would have gone right straight to Hancocks BBQ in Selma, Hilley said. She would have ruched the paper from her straw, dripped a droplet of sweet tea on it, and turned it into a slithering snake. Because it would be time to laugh again.

Ive seen her do that, too. It made me laugh then, when she set it on fire right there at the table, and it makes me smile now.

That too is a kindness. Its worth passing on.

John Archibald, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is a columnist for AL.com, is gathering stories from the pandemic. Email yours or a friends to jarchibald@al.com.
Hidden Valley Road

By Robert Kolker

Doubleday. 377 pp. $29.95

---

It was Thanksgiving eve, 1972. Mimi, the matriarch of the Galvin family, had labored over a flawless meal for her husband and the 11 of her 12 children who had converged for the holiday. If a stranger had glanced inside their home, he or she would have noted a seemingly idyllic scene, punctuated by the gingerbread house Mimi had made and placed on display ahead of what she'd hoped would be a beautiful night. But it was not to be. For starters, her eldest son, Donald, picked up the dining room table and threw it at his brother Jim, sending the pressed linen, plates and silver everywhere.

"There may have been no better, more precise manifestation of her deepest fears than this ... that everything good she had done, all the work, all the attention to detail and love, yes, love, for her family was in pieces." So relates Robert Kolker, journalist and author of "Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family," his nonfiction rendering of how 12 siblings - half of them schizophrenic - and their parents navigated illness, unspeakable violence and the crushed promise of the American Dream.

Kolker's telling of the Galvin trials is at once deeply compassionate and chilling. He gives as much voice to the schizophrenic siblings - who, one after another, had psychotic breaks, were heavily medicated with debilitating drugs, and were in and out of largely unsuccessful inpatient treatment - as he does to their relatives, many of whom suffered tremendous psychological and sexual abuse from being in their orbit. Interwoven with the harrowing familial story is the history of how the science on schizophrenia has fitfully evolved, from the eras of institutionalization and shock therapy, to the profound disagreements about the cause and origins of the illness, to the search for genetic markers for the disease. Along that path, Kolker notes, "families like the Galvins, meanwhile, continued to live at the mercy of a mental health profession still caught up in a debate that came nowhere close to helping them."

The book draws from hundreds of hours of interviews Kolker conducted with the Galvins, their friends and their therapists, as well with the scientists who studied the Galvins' genetic material to form the foundation for the National Institute of Mental Health's current research into the genetics of schizophrenia. The latter include Lynn DeLisi, a psychiatrist who, in visiting their home, thought, "This could be the most mentally ill family in America."

In exploring their story, Kolker finds that, growing up, the healthy Galvin kids were equally tortured by their lineage. "How much longer, they wondered, before it would overtake them, too?" They include the family's only girls, Margaret and Mary Galvin, each of whom were prey to the brutish roughhousing of their schizophrenic brothers, Donald, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Jim and Brian. Beyond the bullying, Kolker shares the sisters' childhood memories of a host of disturbing scenes. Donald looms particularly large initially, as he is the eldest and the first to show signs of the disease.

Mary would come home from school, for example, to find Donald "transplanting every last piece of furniture out of the house and into the backyard, or pouring salt into the aquarium and poisoning all the fish. ... Sometimes he is sitting in the middle of the living room quietly, completely naked." Kolker is particularly sensitive in broaching the sisters' conflicted feelings about their family - what he chronicles as a tortured tangle of hate, guilt and love that they ultimately struggle to confront throughout their lives. Despite how traumatic the effects of their illness were for Margaret and Mary, the sisters also recalled the many meaningful attributes of their brothers as individuals: for example, Matthew's talent as a ceramic artist, Brian's career as a rock guitarist, Joe's sense of humor and poignant understanding of his illness.

Kolker, author of "Lost Girls," about the murders of four sex workers, plies his craft as an investigative journalist and explorer of the less-traveled corners of humanity to individually chronicle the lives of all 14 Galvins. He takes the reader through the family's history, beginning with the refined Mimi, a daughter of Texas aristocracy who was raised in New York, and her husband, Don, a handsome, all-American military man who taught political science and held domestic diplomatic posts. Between 1945 and 1965, they raised their 10 boys and two girls in Colorado, much of that time in a cul-de-sac on the unpaved Hidden Valley Road.

Mimi had longed for an urbane and intellectual life in the heart of New York City, but her husband's career took them to Colorado Springs. So she sublimated her dreams into painstakingly creating and molding a perfect family that was initially envied by the community. As the years pass, Mimi becomes less successful in explaining away the growing chaos in her home that invariably spills into the streets of her neighborhood. Meanwhile, her husband grows more emotionally and physically remote with each child they have together.

The most complicated character in this story may be Mimi - who is at turns sympathetic and blameworthy. While tending to all of her ill children and doing what she thinks is best to keep them out of institutions, she simultaneously avoids even acknowledging their erratic behavior. As Kolker says, from her daughter Mary's perspective, "To do anything else would be the same as admitting that she lacks any real control over the situation." Mimi clearly loves her children but is also unyielding in their pursuit of excellence. She is deemed something of a drill sergeant by many of the siblings. Such personality traits led medical professionals of the day to negatively brand her a "schizophrenogenic mother" - a now-discredited theory that so-called domineering mothers were to blame for their children being schizophrenic.

The book gives much space to how difficult the disease has been to diagnose and treat. Yet it ends in 2017, as a story of hope. Kate, one of the Galvin grandchildren, who is interested in neuroscience and schizophrenia, takes a much-coveted undergraduate internship in the University of Colorado laboratory of Robert Freedman. On her first day in the lab, Kolker notes, "she stood near where the data from choline trials on little children were studied for signs of schizophrenia - tests that could change everything for a future generation, thanks to six of her uncles."

---

Tucker is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist who writes primarily about health, genetics and cultural politics.
The government on Wednesday issued an advisory to address the social stigma associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, urging people not to label any community or area for the spread of the novel coronavirus.

IMAGE: Tablighi Jammat members who attended the Nizamuddin event board an ambulance that will take them to a quarantine facility in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

The advisory comes after a spurt in coronavirus cases following a Tablighi Jamaat meet at the group's headquarters in Nizamuddin in New Delhi, and instances of people, especially on social media, blaming the Muslim community for the spread of the disease.

Public health emergencies during an outbreak of communicable diseases may cause fear and anxiety leading to prejudices against people and communities, social isolation and stigma, said the government advisory posted on the health ministry website.

Such behaviour may culminate into increased hostility, chaos and unnecessary social disruptions, the advisory said.

The government also listed various dos and don'ts in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

'Do not target healthcare and sanitary workers or police. They are there to help you,' the government told the people amid cases of harassment and social stigmatization of healthcare and sanitation workers.

Cases have been reported of people affected with COVID-19 as well as healthcare workers, sanitary workers and police, who are in the frontline for management of the outbreak, facing discrimination on account of heightened fear and misinformation about the infection, the advisory said.

Even those who have recovered from COVID-19 face such discrimination, it noted.

Healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals are rendering their services tirelessly to provide care and

medical and clinical support in this situation of crisis, the advisory noted.

It said sanitary workers and police are doing selfless service and playing critical roles in addressing the COVID-19 challenge.

They all deserve support, praise and appreciation, the government said in the advisory.

Certain communities and areas are being labelled purely based on false reports floating on social media and elsewhere, the advisory said.

There is an urgent need to counter such prejudices and to rise as a community that is empowered with health literacy and responds appropriately in the face of this adversity, it said.

"Do not label any community or area for spread of COVID-19," the advisory said.

It asked people not to spread on social media the names, identity or the locality of those affected by the virus or under quarantine.

The advisory also urged people to avoid spreading fear and panic.

Even though 'COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease which spreads fast and can infect anyone of us, we can protect ourselves through social distancing, washing our hands regularly and following sneezing/coughing etiquette', it said.

The government said that despite all precautions, if anybody catches the infection, it is not their fault.

In a situation of distress, the patient and the family need support and cooperation, it said.

It must be noted that the condition is curable and most people recover from it, the advisory said.

Those directly involved in the management of COVID-19 are equipped with appropriate protective equipment to keep them safe from the

infection, it highlighted.

The advisory asserted that targeting essential services providers and their families will weaken the fight against COVID-19 and can prove grievously detrimental for the entire nation.

It called on people to appreciate efforts of people providing essential services and be supportive towards them and their families.

'Share only the authentic information available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, government of India or the World Health Organisation,' the advisory said.

It stressed that people must cross check any information related to COVID-19 from reliable sources before forwarding any messages on social media.

The government urged people to share positive stories of those who have recovered from COVID-19.

The advisory also called on people to avoid addressing those under treatment as COVID victims and instead address them as 'people recovering from COVID'.
By cross-pollinating ideas from parallel product lines and solar inverters, TMEIC addresses key customer challenges such as the high initial and operational costs of drive cooling mechanisms

SANTA CLARA, California, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the Americas medium voltage (MV) drives market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes TMEIC Corporation with the 2020 New Product Innovation Award for its thermal management solution for MV drives, the TMdrive-Guardian (Guardian). Guardian comprises a standard indoor electric drive with a NEMA-3R rated enclosure that allows users to deploy the drive outdoors. This design helps save installation costs by eliminating the need for a temperature controlled environment such as an E-house or building.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1142677/Frost_Sullivan_Award_TMEIC_Corporation.jpg

Click here to view the full multimedia release: https://best-practices.frost-multimedia-wire.com/tmeic

"Through its unique heat dissipation design, Guardian's MV drive cabinet eliminates the need for an HVAC system to manage the waste heat from the drive; thereby, drastically minimizing operational expenditure. The design of the drive enclosure has been adopted from TMEIC's solar inverters, which are largely deployed outdoors," said Krishna Raman Industry Analyst. "TMEIC is one of the few manufacturers that provides outdoor MV drives, and is the sole solution provider that supplies MV drives with their own enclosures. This makes Guardian the only NEMA-3R rated solution in which the MV drive is protected from harsh outdoor conditions in the temperature range of -40 degrees C to +50 degrees C."

By placing the drives in a separate enclosure away from the control room, it offers an additional, distinctive layer of safety for the operator. Its in-built intelligence within the enclosure control unit monitors critical conditional parameters such as the temperature of the enclosure, temperature of the transformer, and relative humidity. Based on these three inputs, the controller regulates the exhaust air flow. Similarly, the drive has a control unit to monitor parameters such as temperature of the power semiconductor device and temperature of the transformer. These data sets can be utilized to auto-adjust the air flow mechanism or to identify underlying faults.

All data can be made available either through fiber or copper at the site using standard communication protocols based on customer requirements. Impressively, users can collect and analyze the data to implement Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environments-a consideration that helps the Guardian adapt for future applications.

"In addition to exceptional product features, TMEIC delivers superior customer ownership experience by combining the advantages of an indoor MV drive unit with standardized installation and operational specifications and an innovative cooling mechanism that minimizes customers' TCO," noted Raman. "This customer focus and commitment to innovation places TMEIC ahead of the curve and sets it up for further growth."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Harley Gadomski

P: 12104778469

E: harley.gadomski@frost.com

About Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC)

Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (TMEIC) was formed in 2003 following the merger of the industrial systems departments of Toshiba Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. TMEIC manufactures and sells variable frequency drives, motors, photovoltaic inverters, and advanced automation systems for a range of industrial applications. We drive industry.

The North American operation -

TMEIC Corporation, headquartered in Roanoke, VA, designs, develops and engineers advanced automation, large AC and DC motors, photovoltaic inverters, and variable frequency drive systems. TMEIC Corporation specializes in Renewable Energy, Metals, Material Handling, Oil & Gas, Mining, Paper, Testing and other industrial markets worldwide. We drive industry. www.tmeic.com

Contact:

TMEIC Corporation, 2060 Cook Dr., Salem, VA 24153, USA

Tel: +1 540 283-2000

www.tmeic.com
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

Rajesh AsnaniJAIPUR: The social media applause had created a ticklish problem for the administration in Rajasthan's Kota district while battling the coronavirus crisis. When people across the country remain in lockdown, some people are very keen to be seen on social media helping others even during this distressing period.



The Kota district administration has put a stop to people taking 'selfies' while distributing food items to those in need. Instead, it has told them to practice social distancing.

After the emergence of 10 coronavirus positive cases in Kota, the district administration was serious about social distancing and now the Collector has imposed a complete ban on all selfies taken by Bhamashahs and other donors.

District Collector, Omprakash Kasera, said, 'we have asked all subdivision officers to ensure that social distancing is being practised while distributing food packets.' Kasera has also instructed the subdivision officers to take action against those who flout the guidelines under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the reports, as soon as the lockdown started in Kota, a lot of people sent food packets to the needy, but they took pictures of their benevolent act and put it on social media. Thereafter the pictures went viral.

Meanwhile, CM Ashok Gehlot has asked all districts to implement the Bhilwara model to fight COVID-19 crisis, and Kota is also under pressure to put it in place soon otherwise it might be the new hotspot in the state after Jaipur which has 118 positive cases already.

'In areas where curfew has been imposed, the police force should strictly implement it. Also, those who are delivering food items to the needy will have to distribute food packets with the help of police in the curfew areas', instructed UDH Minister, Shanti Dhariwal, while addressing a meeting of district officials.

On Tuesday, two dozen more cases of coronavirus were reported in Rajasthan. With this, the number of positive patients in the state has now reached 363. After 10 positive cases in Kota, curfew has been imposed from Monday night till 10.00 am on April 9.
Acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday after drawing condemnation for insulting a naval officer who had written a letter of concern about the service's handling of a coronavirus outbreak on an aircraft carrier.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who accepted Modly's resignation, said in a memo that he had "the greatest respect for anyone who serves our country, and who places the greater good above all else."

"Secretary Modly did that today, and I wish him all the best," Esper said.

The decision comes after Modly traveled from Washington to Guam on Monday to give a speech to the 5,000-member crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, Modly removed last week.

In profanity-laced remarks over a loudspeaker, Modly assailed Crozier's character, accusing him of either leaking a letter about his concerns to the news media or of being "too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this."

Modly's comments, leaked to reporters within hours in written and audio form, angered many of the sailors on the ship, where 230 people have tested positive for covid-19 as of Tuesday, and their relatives, and triggered calls for his resignation from several Democratic lawmakers.

By Monday night, Modly had released a statement apologizing for insulting Crozier, who has also tested positive for the virus, but insisting that the captain had written the letter to cause a stir.

"Captain Crozier is smart and passionate," Modly said. "I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of it getting into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship."

Esper referenced the imbroglio in his memo, saying that Modly "resigned on his own accord" and that his decision would allow the aircraft carrier and its sailors to "move forward."

Esper had asked Modly to apologize on Monday, hoping that would be sufficient to move beyond the controversy, according to a senior administration official. But instead the pressure for Modly's resignation increased, including among other players within the Defense Department, the official said.

President Donald Trump, asked at the White House about the resignation, said he had no role in it and did not know Modly, but would not have asked him to resign.

"He did that, I think, just to end that problem," Trump said. "I think . . . really in many ways, it was a very unselfish thing for him to do."

Modly, in a memo released Tuesday night, said the Navy was placed in a negative spotlight "largely due to my poor use of words" on the aircraft carrier.

"You are justified in being angry with me about that," he wrote. "There is no excuse, but perhaps a glimpse of understanding, and hopefully empathy."

He added that the crew "deserved a lot more empathy and a lot less lecturing," and that he was sorry.

Taking Modly's place will be Army undersecretary James McPherson, who was confirmed last month as the Army's No. 2 political appointee. McPherson previously served in the Trump administration as the Army's general counsel and in the Navy as a lawyer before retiring in 2006 as Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

McPherson is expected to serve in an acting capacity until Trump's nominee for the position, the U.S. ambassador to Norway, Kenneth John Braithwaite II, is confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the minority leader of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement released Tuesday that Modly had notified him of his decision.

"I stressed to him that the health and safety of our sailors is paramount and that naval leadership must make it absolutely clear the decision to relieve Captain Crozier is in no way interpreted as inhibiting any commanding officer from taking necessary steps, through their chain of command, to protect fellow sailors and Marines," Reed said.

The turmoil marks the latest challenge for a Navy that has struggled in recent years with broader leadership upheaval. Modly's resignation comes after his predecessor, Richard Spencer, was fired in November amid a scandal over Trump's intervention in a Navy SEAL war crimes case, leaving the service without a political appointee at its helm for months.

Separate crashes in 2017 of the guided missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain led to 17 deaths among the sailors on board and raised further questions about Navy leadership. Even before those incidents, a scandal over a Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard" who bribed Navy officials with cash, prostitutes and other incentives tarnished many officers who had been seen as leading candidates for top service posts.

The result left Modly - a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Harvard Business School who didn't have a particularly personal or close relationship with the president - in the hot seat atop the service at a time when the leadership was under intense scrutiny and the Navy was dealing with a public health crisis.

The son of Eastern European immigrants who moved to the United States after World War II, Modly was raised in Cleveland, according to his official Navy biography. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1983 and served as a helicopter pilot before leaving active duty in 1990 to attend business school.

Modly worked as an executive at multiple companies, including most recently at the consulting firm PwC, where he handled the NATO account, before being tapped in 2017 as undersecretary of the Navy under former defense secretary Jim Mattis.

With his resignation, Modly has gone from being a little-known behind-the-scenes official, who worked as his service's chief management and chief information officer, to the public face of one of its most explosive military scandals in recent years. It pitted a captain praised for sacrificing his career in service to his crew against a Trump administration already facing criticism for a sluggish and haphazard response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The incident has raised questions about how much transparency the military should display when faced with a public health crisis and how top leaders should balance the need to safeguard the well-being of service members with the imperative to continue military missions.

Upon becoming public, Crozier's letter fed into the very narrative that the White House was looking to dispel about leadership in Washington failing to take serious enough steps in early days to contain the outbreak.

His firing has been seen among the aircraft carrier's crew as an attempt to muzzle any leaks of information about the situation on the vessel that could become politically inconvenient for top officers and civilian appointees in Washington. During his trip to Guam, Modly warned the aircraft carrier's crew not to speak to the news media.

A spokesman for Modly did not respond to a request for an interview.

Trump initially supported Modly and attacked Crozier's letter as terrible. But the president moderated his stance after news of the acting Navy secretary's controversial remarks broke.

At a news conference Monday, Trump maintained that Crozier should not have sent the letter but said he had been hearing good things about the captain and his career before that. "So I'm going to get involved and see what is going on there, because I don't want to destroy somebody for having a bad day," Trump said.

Though both the Pentagon and the White House have said Trump was not personally involved in the decision to fire Crozier, the specter of drawing the president's ire drove Modly's decision act quickly to fire the captain before conducting a thorough investigation.

In an interview with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, Modly said what happened to his predecessor, who got "crosswise" with the White House over Trump's intervention in the war crimes case of Navy SEAL Edward "Eddie" Gallagher, was fresh in his mind when he decided to fire Crozier. Modly essentially said he took such swift action to prevent a personal intervention by Trump.

"I didn't want to get into a decision where the president would feel that he had to intervene because the Navy couldn't be decisive," Modly said. "If I were president, and I saw a commanding officer of a ship exercising such poor judgment, I would be asking why the leadership of the Navy wasn't taking action itself."

Modly said he was aware his predecessor lost his job because the Navy "got crossways with the president," and said, "I didn't want that to happen again."

At the heart of the debacle are questions about what a military leader should do when faced with a chain of command he thinks is making decisions that are imperiling the health and well-being of service members.

After the first three coronavirus cases emerged on the ship, Crozier and his superiors struggled to reach a consensus about what steps should be taken, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

Crozier wanted a more aggressive effort at the start to protect the crew's health, even if that meant taking near-unprecedented steps, such as a 90 percent evacuation of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific as a signal to China of American military might. His immediate superiors favored smaller mitigation efforts, which Crozier felt were insufficient to ensure that sailors did not become seriously ill.

The captain said the carrier could set sail immediately if it were a matter of war and would be prepared to win a conflict despite the outbreak on board. "However, we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily," Crozier wrote.

He pointed out that it was impossible for him to follow the social distancing guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had released because of the close quarters and shared facilities for the crew aboard the carrier. Crozier noted that even crew members who tested negative for covid-19 were later showing up with symptoms, meaning the only solution was large-scale isolation.

Crozier requested that the Navy provide off-ship lodging that complied with the CDC guidelines for more than 4,000 sailors in his crew to isolate them and return them to the ship virus-free after a period of quarantine. In the meantime, he said, the ship should be disinfected and 10 percent of the crew should remain on board to run the nuclear reactor plant, sanitize the ship and ensure security.

Ultimately, the Navy has begun a large-scale evacuation of the ship to facilities in Guam, but so far the action has not been quite as extensive as Crozier suggested.

In recent days, the controversy has moved on from whether it was appropriate for Crozier to send his March 30 letter to whether it was appropriate for Modly to fire the captain without an investigation and subsequently visit the carrier to make disparaging remarks about Crozier, even as the man battles covid-19 himself.

Peter Feaver, a Duke University professor who studies civilian-military relations, said Modly's speech to sailors from the Theodore Roosevelt was ill-advised because of the possibility that it, like Crozier's memo, could make its way into the public arena, and because Modly appeared to have spoken extemporaneously for at least part of the address, using profanity and denigrating Crozier.

"It was risky for him to go out there," Feaver said. But if that was the decision, Feaver said, he would have counseled the acting secretary to "stick to your talking points."

- - -

The Washington Post's Missy Ryan, Philip Rucker and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Ivan Konev entered Prague shortly after the German surrender in 1945, while his statue left the city on Friday.

Prague, Czech Republic  Masked men attacking the Czech embassy in Moscow on Sunday after a statue of a Soviet-era military commander was removed from its pedestal in Prague is just the latest in a series of interruptions of bilateral relations between Russia and the small European Union state.

The bronze statue of Marshal Ivan Konev was taken from its podium in the leafy Prague 6 district on April 3. Moscow responded with fury, and was joined in its anger by activists in both countries, as well as the outspoken populist Czech president.

In a letter, the Russian embassy accused the Czech authorities of seeking to worsen the entire complex of Russian-Czech relations. This vandalism would not remain without an appropriate response, it said.

Im not sure what they mean by an appropriate response, Ondrej Kolar, the mayor of Prague 6, told Al Jazeera. But I dont think that it should include attacking our embassy.

Kolar belongs to the centre-right Top 09 party, and led the effort to move Konevs statue.





The Other Russia, the nationalist bolshevik group that claims to have carried out Sundays embassy attack  which featured smoke bombs and saw a flag reading Stop Fascism attached to the buildings gates  said they were protesting the Czech authorities justification of Nazism.

The group, which issued a statement declaring: Our tanks will be in Prague! Russia is everything, the rest is nothing!, did not respond to Al Jazeeras requests for comment.

The Czech foreign ministry called on Russia to prevent further attacks. The incident occurred despite the fact that a curfew applies in Moscow, the ministry noted in a letter. We expect the Russian authorities to take measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Politics of memory

The monument of the Red Army general was for years a subject of controversy in Prague 6, an affluent residential quarter of the Czech capital that plays host to many embassies.

Erected in 1980, the statue honoured Konev for leading the Soviet forces credited with liberating Prague from the Nazis in 1945. However, his later involvement in suppressing the Hungarian revolution in 1956, as well as suggestions he took part in planning the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces, meant it attracted both zealous gatherings and vandalism.

In September, Kolar and the municipal council voted to move the sculpture. The mayor said Marshall Konev should be on view again in a new Museum of Memory of the 20th Century being established by the city by next January. A Prague Liberation Memorial will replace the Red Army officer on Interbrigady Square.

The decision triggered violent protest from local activists last year. There was also stiff condemnation from Moscow, which in recent years has often accused other states of seeking to rewrite history.

Many of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that fell under the yoke of communism following the conflict  which for Russians ran from 1941-45 and is called the Great Patriotic War  claim that Moscow is trying to wield the politics of memory. Poland, for instance, has furiously fought assertions from President Vladimir Putin that it was partly responsible for starting the second world war.

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World War II and the defeat of fascism is a sacred cow for the Russian authorities, said Jiri Pehe, a political analyst who was an adviser to the first Czech president, Vaclav Havel, and is now director of the New York University in Prague.

They know very well that the removal of the statue is a local issue, not an attempt to reinterpret history or an outbreak of fascism, but it plays well for the purposes of their propaganda.

Kolar, whose family remains under police protection following death threats last year, claims the Russian embassy, which sits in a giant neo-Baroque villa behind high walls in Prague 6, directly coordinated protests by local far-left and far-right groups.

The statues removal has produced another sharp rise in abuse, he says. The Russian embassy in Prague did not respond to requests for comment for this report.

As well as trying to decipher a Russian-language barrage on Facebook, Kolar said he has been forced to confront accusations made closer to home. The Czech Communist Party (KSCM) complained that the timing of these brutal and amoral acts during the coronavirus lockdown was cowardly. The KSCM also refused to comment to Al Jazeera.

Kolar says the authorities did not abuse the coronavirus lockdown, but did use it. With protesters unable to gather, he says, the municipality was able to avoid conflict and potential violence.

Bigger fight?

However, the mayors actions have powerful opponents in his own country. The struggle over Konev is part of a bigger fight over the Czech Republics geopolitical stance.

President Milos Zeman is a leading critic of the statues removal. The controversial populist has long bid to replace Havels human rights-focused foreign policy legacy with a more pragmatic approach that favours strengthened ties with Russia and China over the EU and NATO, which is the governments official line.

You can tear down a statue, but you cant erase the memory, Zemans spokesman tweeted on April 3. The president considers the abuse of the crisis situation to be morally unjustifiable, he later told local media.

On April 6, as the foreign ministry announced the attack on the embassy in Moscow, far-right parties linked to the president were quick to blame Kolar and his centre-right party.

Action causes a reaction, Radim Fiala, deputy head of the far-right SPD, posted on Facebook. It is right to condemn the actions of Russian extremists, but also the extremists from Top 09.

Pehe said the events are part of the domestic political struggle:

The liberals in power in Prague are no fans of the policies pursued by Zeman and these extremist parties.

Such foreign policy confusion would be dealt with if the government were stronger, he added. Yet, the government has consistently failed to maintain discipline.

The furore over Konevs removal is just the latest in a series of controversies featuring Prague officials seeking to reiterate the Czech Republics Western orientation.

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Earlier this year, Prague renamed the square hosting the Russian embassy to honour slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, in a move the citys Mayor Zdenek Hrib told Al Jazeera was in line with the Czech tradition of respect for human rights.

In November, Russia noted yet another truly horrible report from Prague, as it slammed plans by the mayor of the district of Reporyje to build a monument to the controversial Vlasov Army as the criminal rewriting of history.

Hrib, meanwhile, is continuing a long fight with China  which last year saw Beijing tear up a sister city agreement with Prague. The mayor recently sought to debunk Chinas mask diplomacy efforts as simply business.

Other parts of the political establishment have also joined in. The Czech security services (BIS) have issued increasingly urgent warnings that the threat from Russian and Chinese operations is rising.

This raises concern that Moscow could seek to strike back. After Estonia moved a Russian military statue in 2007, Tallinn reported a wave of massive cyberattacks that disrupted government and public services. In the middle of the current lockdown, Kolar admits, the Czech Republic would be highly vulnerable to any such action.
MBABANE  The desperation for expectant and new mothers for their babies to have warm and decent clothes continues to thicken.



After clothing shops were closed on March 27, mothers, their relatives and friends have been finding it hard to buy clothes for unborn and newborn babies. As the mothers continue feeling the wave of frustration, they wonder why clothing shops, especially those that sell baby clothes, are not listed under essential services.



Meanwhile, other entities doors were open by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade yesterday.



Closed



It is worth noting that bottle stores are still operating legally in the country, while clothing shops that sell baby clothes are closed.

The plight has become worse such that a doctor at the maternity ward in one of the hospitals in the country, has invited donations for baby clothes people do not need.



The doctors social media post read that due to the lockdown, no clothing stores were open and there were newborn babies with no clothes. A cellphone number and venue where the clothes could be dropped off was issued.

According to statistics, the months between March to May are known to have high delivery rates.



In 2019, there were about 31 000 recorded pregnancies and 28 000 deliveries in those months only.

This basically means if the closure of clothing shops persists, clothing donations for blankets and other related baby gear would be needed for over 25 000 babies.



In the meantime, South Africa is also in the same predicament, with expectant and new mothers worried sick over what their babies born during the lockdown will wear.

South Africas lockdown commenced on the midnight of March 26 and would run for 21 days.



According to The Star, the Tebeila Institute of Leadership and the African Institute of Human Rights and Constitutional Litigation are taking up the plight of these mothers and mothers-to-be.



They have applied for the courts permission to approach it directly with the stated urgent issue and subsequently issue an order that stores selling baby clothes operate with immediate effect during the lockdown.



Shops



Last week, this publication reported that clothing shops were closed as part of the partial lockdown as they were not listed under essential services. Some of these shops, mainly franchises include Edcon shops, PEP and others.

The partial lockdown is one of the national emergency measures that the kingdom embarked on to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic spread.



It is a known norm that expectant and new mothers frequent clothing shops, buying clothes for their unborn and or ever-growing newborn babies. Also, interviews with expectant and new mothers were conducted and they expressed their worry on where they would get baby clothes since the shops were closed.



Ayanda Mvubelo, an expectant mother who is due on April 15, said she bought a few baby items in preparation of her unborn baby.

The items were only a few as I had hoped to buy more the week of my due date. I do not have everything I need for the baby, said Mvubelo.

She said her deepest fear was that her baby would not have enough clothes to wear if the baby was born before the partial lockdown had elapsed. I foresee a worst case scenario for us mothers if the lockdown is extended, she said.



Nokwanda Nkosi from Mbabane, a mother to a one-month-old baby, echoed Mvubelos sentiments on clothing shops being closed.

Clothes of newborn babies are never enough as they grow daily. I had made a lay-by for some clothing items for her and under these circumstances, I wonder if I will get them anytime soon, said Nkosi.



When asked if she had any plans to mitigate the situation, she said she had none.

I am just praying for the best, she said. The two are among many mothers who pleaded that baby clothing shops should open, even if it was for limited numbers.



Outcry



Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade Communications Officer Thabile Mdluli, said the ministry was aware of the outcry that the mothers-to-be and new mothers had.

We are still under discussions in how we can ensure that their outcry is heard and acted upon. Their concerns are genuine and we need to review the closure of clothing shops- especially those with baby clothing and other related baby essentials, said Mdluli.



She said mothers should be on the look out and listen to the radio or read newspapers for updates on the matter.
The GP leading the Dublin Homeless Covid-19 Response team has said the emergency intervention is a success story.

Two weeks ago, the second floor of the Grangegorman Primary Care Centre in north Dublin was turned into the team's HQ.

The nine staff come from the HSE social inclusion unit, Dublin City Council (DCC) and homeless agencies.

The HSE predicted that if it did not intervene to protect homeless people from Covid-19, many would die.

DCC took advantage of the sudden collapse in tourism and began to rent empty Airbnb properties and hotels at more reasonable rates.

Dr Austin O'Carroll's team set up a points-based system to find the sickest and most at-risk homeless people.

Anyone aged between 40 and 50 gets one point, while those over 70 get four.

Someone who is HIV- positive gets two points, while anyone who is immunosuppressed gets four.

Within 10 days, the team had cocooned anyone who had three points or more, or two points with a particular risk, in their own accommodation.

SafetyNet, a charity for marginalised people, which Dr O'Carroll founded in 2005, began testing rough sleepers for Covid-19.

Halved

People diagnosed with the virus are given accommodation where they can stay in isolation.

The sudden extra accommodation helped ease overcrowding in private hostels, with Dr O'Carroll saying the number of rough sleepers has been halved.

The knock-on effect was almost instant. Homeless people who used to wait up to 12 weeks for addiction services are now being put on methadone within three days.

Both St James's Hospital and the Mater have told Dr O'Carroll that the number of homeless people coming to casualty has plummeted.

Dr O'Carroll said Covid-19 has, by accident, turned Dublin city into an experiment in housing.

"Now we know we can solve homelessness," he said. "When this is over, the worst thing that could happen would be that it goes back to the way it was."

The rate of infection among homeless people has been lower than expected, and so far not one has died of Covid-19.
Anyone who has stood in front of a classroom knows: you must adapt to succeed. The coronavirus crisis has proven that flexibility is king when it comes to essential skills for teachers.

Like the rest of us, teachers are being forced to adapt to statewide school closures and local quarantines. As individuals, educators are handling this new reality with professionalism and flair. Take New Jersey kindergarten teacher Jill Hammel, whose graceful switch to Google Classroom allows her to send notes to parents, track schedules, or videoconference her kids to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Every teacher wants what Hammel has: the option to improvise, and the tools to do so. Unfortunately, Philadelphia teachers were forbidden from improvising new solutions in this crisiseven though they live right across the Delaware River from Hammels school in Cherry Hill.

The School District of Philadelphia banned all credit and graded instruction when coronavirus shut down schools, and prohibited the use of digital technology to help maintain continuity for students. Theyve completely tied teachers hands.

Why? Because while individual teachers are ready to pivot at a moments notice, the institutions that manage their workplaces are out-of-date, system-focused, and encumbered by bureaucratic processes.

What does it mean to be system-focused?

When a school district cites obscure regulations from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ban new education options during the coronavirus crisis, as Philadelphia did, thats system-focused.

When a collective bargaining agreement contains only one mention of post-1980s technology, and its an allowance that the labor union can use the school districts copier for free, thats system-focused.

When the school district forces teachers to lie to their students that of course your work will count for credit to prevent pandemonium, thats system-focused.

Instead, why not focus on teachers and studentsthe whole reason the system exists in the first place?

Good teachers arent willing to treat coronavirus like a worldwide snow day. Good teachers know its in the best interest of students to not lose half a semester of school.

But for the power players in our education bureaucracyespecially teachers unionsthe students are not the priority, self-preservation is. Even in a crisis, theyre only looking out for number one. Teachers are to pay union dues and follow orders. Students take what theyre given.

We need to think outside the box, or well be helpless in the face of future crises. That means decentralizing education and modernizing teachers contracts immediately. Currently, we are facing a pandemic, but what happens in the event of a flood, like weve had in Houston or New Orleans? A tornado, like the recent one in Nashville? Resourceful teachers who are free to improvise are the key to a resilient education system.

It might seem like these outdated teacher contracts are basically set in stone. They are union-negotiated, and only when they expire every few years. Few contracts mention digital technology because they havent been updated in decades. Its complicatedwe have a process, youve probably heard an administrator dissemble.

But thats not truein my experience fighting for teachers civil rights after the Supreme Courts Janus v. AFSCME decision, which ended the requirement that teachers pay a union to keep their job, contracts are subject to change. Theres even a special mechanism called a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows new facts to be agreed upon in the case of an existing, unexpired contract.

This mechanism has freed thousands of teachers from contractual terms that violate their civil rights. And now it can help free them from obstructionist bureaucracy that is setting their kids back weeks, even months.

Teachers dont have to sacrifice solidarity to achieve independence and exercise innovation. Real solidarity means teachers united in a common goal, not suppressing individual creativity for the sake of a union collective.

In my years as a public school teacher and teacher advocate, Ive learned one very important lesson: when unions and bureaucrats get out of the way, teachers can work together to achieve anything.

Keith Williams taught HS English for 21 years and is Pennsylvania Director at Americans for Fair Treatment, a nonprofit organization helping public-sector workers exercise their constitutional rights.
Wearable health sensors will help detect disease in livestock

Wearable biosensors are being developed to help monitor the health of livestock, particularly dairy cows, with the aim of identifying the disease brucellosis at an earlier stage. In tandem, a portable test is being developed to allow rapid confirmatory diagnosis of suspected cases. The UK-China project is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (administered by Innovate UK) and Cranfield University is the collaboration's academic lead, working with Scottish companies Biotangents and IceRobotics. The Chinese consortium includes Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute and Nanjing Agricultural University, and is funded by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

'Fitbit' for cows will track health accurately

IceRobotics' product of livestock wearable sensors are non-invasively placed on livestock monitoring daily activities 24/7. Highly advanced processing of this information will help vets to closely monitor any changes in behaviour which could be early indicators for illness and allow them to shortlist livestock at an early stage. Biotangents is also developing a diagnostic test which will be portable and able to be used in the field by vets. This test will be used to evaluate samples from shortlisted animals and confirm if the disease is present.

These two types of technology will form a shortlist-and-test diagnostic platform. IceRobotics and Cranfield University's Dr Jerry Luo, Lecturer in Energy Storage and Harvesting, will further develop its data analysis for the disease of brucellosis, while Biotangents and Dr Iva Chianella, Lecturer in Advanced Functional Polymers at Cranfield University, will create the advanced diagnostic test using Biotangents' proprietary platform diagnostics technology, Moduleic SensingTM.

Dr Jerry Luo is an expert in wearables and data mining. He says, "The advanced data processing algorithm we're developing will enable us to track individual cow health more accurately and report illness at a very early stage. This could be crucial in detecting changes in behaviours and pinpointing the diseased animal in the herd. Early intervention could prevent the disease spreading, so this really will be a vital tool for vets and livestock owners."

Dr Iva Chianella, expert on biosensors technology, says "The molecular diagnostic device developed at Biotangents Ltd issuitable for pen-side testing and will allow a quick and accurate identification of infectious diseases, such as brucellosis, in livestock. This avoids the long delay and difficulty of sending samples to a laboratory. After animals with behavioral patterns that may indicate infection have been spotted by the IceRobotics wearable sensors, their milk/serum will be analysed in-field using the Biotangents diagnostic device - obtaining an accurate diagnosis within two hours . This will permit quick identification of infected animals and therefore a prompt intervention, which will limit spread of the infection to other animals and humans (preventing outbreaks), with a positive impact on economic development and population health."

Lina Gasi?nait?, Director of Science at Biotangents, says, "This project opens up an exciting opportunity to develop and trial an innovative, "shortlist and test" approach combining Biotangents' cutting-edge molecular diagnostics with IceRobotics' animal behaviour monitoring platform for brucellosis detection. This approach has the potential to streamline identification of diseased animals for other infectious diseases, and we hope that this project will lead to further collaborations between the project partners in the quest to reduce the impacts of infectious diseases on animals and farmers."

Dr Vivi Thorup, Lead Animal Scientist at IceRobotics, says, "IceRobotics is committed to delivering science-based information to our clients via our sensor solution. This project allows us to advance our sensor capabilities even further, empowering our clients to be at the forefront of disease detection and animal wellbeing."

Swift interventions could prevent disease spreading

Brucellosis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects livestock but can also be passed onto humans. Infected cows have abnormal pregnancies and lose their calves. As there is no effective cure, the affected animals must be slaughtered. The current regulations require all cattle that have had contact with infected animals to be slaughtered. Although the UK is officially brucellosis free, cases of the disease have been increasing in China in both animals and humans and it is seen regularly in Ireland and other European countries.

The ambition for the project is to detect this infection earlier and allow swift interventions to control the spread of the disease and minimise the risk of transmission to humans.

The three-year project will conclude in 2022 and received 687,673 via Innovate UK from the Department of Health and Social Care.

###

Notes to editors:

For further information please contact:?

Media Relations, Cranfield University. T: +44 (0) 1234 75 4999

Email: mediarelations@cranfield.ac.uk

About Cranfield University

Cranfield is an exclusively postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.

About Biotangents

Biotangents are a veterinary diagnostics company based in Penicuik, Midlothian. They have developed a versatile technology for detecting infectious diseases in animals through the identification of unique genetic markers of disease. Since being founded in 2015, they have raised over 2 million of investment to refine their diagnostic technology for use in the diagnostic reference laboratory and the vet clinic. They are seeking to bring their first diagnostic products, for bovine viral diarrhoea, to market in 2020.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Dollars in the tens of thousands (well, one of them) to be given to actual animal shelters.
Lucknow, April 8 : With COVID-19 hotspots in 15 districts being completely sealed in Uttar Pradesh, panic gripped people in the UP capital as they abandoned social distancing and rushed out to stock up on groceries and essential items.

As soon as the information was received to seal the 15 districts, people feared everything would be closed. With petrol pumps and ATMs shut for the next few days, people flocked to buy household goods.

Akhilesh, who lives in Lucknow, said that as soon as the news of a complete closure in Lucknow came in the afternoon, big crowds were seen in the shops. "In the General Store below us, people started buying bags of flour and dal. About 50 people were standing in the small shop. They were climbing on top of each other. No one seemed to follow social distancing. The police nearby were also unable to remove them." Same was the condition of ration market in Aminabad. A large number of people were seen at the wholesale shops together. Ramesh Chandra Aggarwal, a resident of the place, said that it was fine in the morning but suddenly a huge crowd built up, as people were talking among themselves that a curfew will be imposed tomorrow. He said there was a rush for vegetables everywhere at the shops.

The situation was similar in Gomti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Ashiana, Chowk, Thakurganj, Baddeshwar, Dubagga, Keshari Kheda, Saadganj, Akbari Gate, Rajajipuram, Talkatora, Para, Kanpur Road LDA Colony, Alambagh, Ashiana, Geetapalli, Bangla Bazaar, Rajni Khand, Sultanpur Road, Gomti Nagar Extension, Takrohi, Khurramnagar, Jankipuram, Vikas Nagar, Jankipuram Extension, Aliganj, Sitapur Road, Khadra, Priyadarshini Colony, and Nirala Nagar.

Many items including flour, salt and turmeric were sold out at many places which laos led to overpricing at some places.

However, till late in the evening the district administration denied it and said that these will continue to be available in the future and no one needs to worry, and the situation was managed to some extent.

District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said in a statement that people should not pay attention to rumours, they should stay at home because the whole city is not being sealed. Milk, fruits, vegetables, medicines, ration and other essentials will also be transported by similar government agencies in hot spot areas. Apart from this, shops of essential commodities will remain open as before in other areas.

Trans-Gomti ADM Vishwa Bhushan Gupta said that the complete lockdown is a rumour. No shops will be closed in Lucknow. There is no need to panic and increase market congestion. Everything will run the same way as in a normal lockdown. Barricading will take place only in hotspot areas and there will be a ban on movement within a radius of two to three kilometers.

Amid speculation of extending the lockdown period in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has decided to completely seal the areas in the 15 districts of the state where the infection is highest, in view of the increasing risk of coronavirus infection.

UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avnish Kumar Awasthi said only those areas in the 15 districts which have become hotspots will be sealed. The entire districts will not be sealed. He said that the districts where six or more patients were found have been considered as hotspots.

Banks will also remain closed in these areas and the media will also be restricted. He said that so far three hotspots have been identified in Shamli, three in Meerut, one in Bareilly, three in Bulandshahar, eight in Basti, four in Firozabad, four in Maharajganj, one in Sitapur, 11 in Lucknow, and 8 in Basti.
Garment exporter Bangladesh faces $6 billion hit as top retailers cancel Bangladeshi garment workers make protective suit at a factory amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dhaka

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh, the second-largest apparel producer after China, is set to lose roughly $6 billion in export revenue this financial year amid cancellations from some of the world's largest brands and retailers, two major industry bodies said on Tuesday.

The two groups, which represent the vast majority of the readymade garment and knitwear manufacturers in the country, said cancellations were increasing daily amid coronavirus-driven lockdowns globally, and these risked jeopardizing millions of jobs in the poor South Asian nation.

Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, with some 4,000 factories employing 4 million workers.

Garment exports accounted for $34.1 billion or 84% of the country's overall exports in the fiscal year through June 2019.

"We've lost more than $3 billion due to the crisis. All our orders until July have been cancelled or suspended," Mohammad Hatem, vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said.

"Suspended orders will eventually get cancelled. All these orders were placed for summer and it takes three months to get these delivered. If they are not taking supplies now they will not take it when the summer is over," said Hatem. "...Many factories will be closed if this persists."

One industry source, who asked not to be identified, said Gap, Zara and Primark were among the brands that had cancelled orders. Gap and Zara did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. Primark confirmed the step.

All Primark stores were closed and the brand had been losing sales of $807.82 million a month, it said in a statement.

"We have large quantities of existing stock in our stores, our depots and in transit that is paid for", the statement said. "If we had not taken this action, we would be taking delivery of stock that we simply could not sell".

Readymade garment makers face a similar hit, warned Rubana Huq, the president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Story continues

Huq said some 1,048 factories that were part of BGMEA had reported that orders for over 900 million garments worth $2.9 billion had already been cancelled or were being held up.

H&M said that while it had earlier paused placing new orders, it had not cancelled any orders already placed. It would pay as agreed for goods ordered, it said in an email.

"The substantial drop in global demand has a significant impact on our order placement at suppliers," it however cautioned. "We are placing orders based on current forecasts and will continue to evaluate the situation on a daily basis."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently unveiled a $588 million package for the country's crucial export sector, asking companies to put the money towards paying workers.

"This is not enough. The government should come up with more stimulus to save the country's biggest export sector," said Rezwan Selim, a director of BGMEA.

Siddiqur Rahman, a top exporter who supplies H&M and Walmart among others, said the situation was dire.

"We're facing an unprecedented time," he said. "No one knows how long this is going to take. We're trying hard not to shut down our factories. But how long can we hold out?"

($1 = 0.8046 pounds)

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing and additional reporting by Euan Rocha; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh and Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Nick Macfie and Grant McCool)
Police personnel in Chhattisgarh's



Surguja range will receive a cash prize every day for their performance during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, a senior police official said.

Inspector General of Police (Surguja range) Ratanlal Dangi, who came up with the idea, said police personnel were ensuring strict compliance of the prohibitory orders and also helping people during the lockdown.

Policemen, who were on field duty, were staying away from their families to avoid the risk of spreading the deadly infection, he said.

"Starting Tuesday, we decided to give out daily cash rewards to them to boost their morale," he said.

Around 8,000 district force personnel are deployed in the range, comprising Surguja, Jashpur, Koriya, Balrampur and Surajpur districts, in the northern part of the state.

A station house officer, two sub-inspectors, two assistant sub-inspectors, two head constables and five constables from each of the five districts will be shortlisted for the daily reward by the concerned superintendent of police, he said.

Apart from this, senior police officials will be given commendation letters on the basis of their performances, which will be included in their service records, he added.

So far, no confirmed case of COVID-19 has been reported in Surguja division, where over 5,700 people, most of them with travel history abroad or to affected states, are under home quarantine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TDT | Manama

An annual campaign to collect and distribute used educational textbooks among Indian expatriates will continue this year. This was confirmed yesterday by organisers. The campaign was first initiated by IndEx Bahrain, in association with Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam.

It calls for the collection of textbooks under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus, through various collection boxes kept in different locations across the Kingdom. The books are later distributed to the needy.

The initiative was started to support underprivileged students as well as to increase the awareness about reusing books for environmental purposes. The free distribution of school uniforms and stationeries was also a part of this campaign.

Organisers added that in light of the present situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all those interested in the campaign must first register online. Students parents can sign up with their name, requirements and their interest in donated books.

Later, organisers will assist the registered parents with the delivery and collection process. The prevailing conditions are much complicated and many parents are facing various challenges. Textbooks collection and distribution are inevitable in such a situation and we will take all the necessary steps possible to support these parents, said IndEx Bahrain coordinator Rafeeq Abdulla.

As done in previous years, arrangements are being made to distribute school uniforms to the needy students. For more details, contact any one of the IndEx Bahrain representatives: Sany Paul (39855197), Rafeeq Abdulla (38384504), Aji Bhasy (33170089), Aneesh Varghese (39899300), Balakrishna Prasad (36163772), Latheef Ayanchery (39605806), or Naveen Nambiar (39257781). To request for the registration link, send an e-mail to indexbhn@gmail.com.
George Pells legal team privately petitioned Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions two years ago to abandon the criminal proceedings against the cardinal, citing much of the same evidence that convinced the High Court to quash his conviction.

Had the newly appointed DPP, Kerri Judd, QC, taken up this sliding doors moment, it would have exposed her office to public outcry but avoided the injustice of Cardinal Pell spending 13 months in jail for a wrongful conviction.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at Melbourne Magistrates Court in July 2017. Credit:Jason South

Instead, she took Cardinal Pell to trial and set Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Gibson an invidious task of having to reconcile the account of the former archbishops sole accuser with the evidence of other witnesses that didnt fit the case.

Sources with knowledge of the matter told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the confidential petition took the form of an application for discontinuance, an option not often pursued by defence lawyers due to the unlikelihood of success.
A social media whiz kid who was considered Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'secret weapon' has been headhunted by Prince William and Kate Middleton.

David Watkins, 27, was the Sussexes digital communications lead and ran the @SussexRoyal Instagram account, helping the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, recruit 11.5 million followers with candid snaps and artful videos.

He was among 15 loyal members of staff being made redundant as a result of their decision to step down as working royals and move to North America.

But now he has been snapped up by the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, to work on their digital communications and social media and, according to his LinkedIn page, started the new role last week.

Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 38, social media whiz David Watkins has been snapped up by Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton, 38, after the Sussexes move to California

It's a savvy hire  the social media whiz was described as 'the secret weapon' who worked at the very heart of Team Sussex.

David was poached by Prince Harry and Meghan from fashion house Burberry last April, and joined the couple as they launched their hugely successful Instagram page.

He is believed to have worked particularly closely with Meghan, who amassed millions of followers on social media while working as an actress, and loved interacting with her fans.

The former Suits star often posted on pictures of her doing yoga, cuddling her dogs and enjoying a glass of wine on her Instagram account.

David was described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' 'secret weapon' and was behind their enormously popular Instagram page

In fact, many believed the Duchess took a hands-on approach to the Instagram page, with fans regularly spotted Americanised spellings, as well as dollar signs and American English in the captions, and claiming this pointed to a US native writing them.

The Duke and Duchess' Sussex Royal account broke a Guinness World Record when launching on April 2 last year.

It became the fastest Instagram profile to reach one million followers in less than six hours.

Since then, the page has been used for announcing important news for the couple, including the gender of Archie after his birth, as well as sharing behind-the-scenes snaps and videos of their work.

David's Linkedin page now reveals he is working for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their digital communications

David's transfer from being a key figure at the heart of 'Team Sussex' to 'Team Cambridge' is unlikely to go down well with Harry and Meghan, however.

The two Instagram accounts have both pages attracting millions of followers in a head-to-head race.

This is despite the Cambridges' account Kensington Royal being around for much longer, while the Sussexes only started their account last April.

At the end of March, Prince Harry and Meghan ditched their hugely successful @SussexRoyal account after they were asked to drop their 'Sussex Royal' brand as part of their agreement to step down as senior royals.

It is believed David worked closely with Meghan during his time with the Sussexes. The former actress was somewhat of a social media afficiando before joining the royal family, often sharing pictures of her life online (pictured, relaxing at home with her dogs in a snap shared to Instagram)

In their final post to the page, Prince Harry and Meghan promised to continue their charity work behind the scenes, and revealed they were focusing 'the new chapter to understand how to best contribute' before effectively 'closing' the account.

Earlier this year, the Mail revealed that the couple were making their entire team redundant as a result of their decision to move abroad and close their Palace office down.

The staff included Harry's longstanding programme coordinator, Clara Loughran, who was so well-regarded that she was asked to hand Meghan her bouquet in church on her wedding day in 2018.

Meanwhile Prince Harry and Meghan shut down the popular Instagram page at the end of last month, having amassed 11 million followers in a year (pictured, their final post)

One royal source said at the time that the couple's decision to hire a team of US-based agents and publicists  many of whom had worked for Meghan when she was an actress  had made life incredibly difficult for their Palace staff.

Harry and Meghan, who are now living in Los Angeles in California, are now planning to spend the next few months focusing on their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Earlier this week the couple said they 'look forward' to getting started with the foundation, named Archewell, which will replace their Sussex Royal brand.
Most Asian equities retreated Wednesday after a two-day rally as investors closely track developments in the coronavirus crisis, while the oil market continued to fluctuate ahead of a crucial producers' meeting.

While the deadly disease continues to sweep across the planet, signs that the rate of infections is possibly levelling out and countries are preparing to ease some lockdown restrictions have instilled a semblance of optimism this week. However, the scale of the fight was laid bare by official data showing France's economy suffered its worst contraction during the first three months of this year since just after World War II. The French central bank said that in the last two weeks of March, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, economic activity plunged 32 percent. "Signs that the number of new daily coronavirus cases is topping out in Western Europe... is driving expectations that social distancing measures will be lifted soon," said Stephen Innes, at AxiCorp. "Relaxing of social distancing rules is providing the undercurrent of positivity in the markets." However, uncertainty about how long the crisis will last and the damage it will inflict on the global economy was keeping traders on edge and hobbling any sustainable rally. Wall Street, where all three main indexes soared at least seven percent at the start of the week, struggled to extend its rally and turned into negative territory Tuesday. The losses bled into Asia, with Hong Kong losing more than one percent, Singapore two percent, and Sydney and Seoul each 0.9 percent. Shanghai ended down 0.2 percent, while Manila and Jakarta also saw steep falls. Tokyo, however, rose more than two percent as Japan's government unveiled details of a $1 trillion stimulus package, Mumbai added 0.8 percent and Taipei piled on 1.4 percent. Wellington also rose. Jeffrey Halley, at OANDA, offered a warning for traders to beware any false dawn. "A lot of good has been built into asset markets this week on the most tenuous signs that the outbreak is peaking," he said in note. "Should that be proved premature the correction... could be very ugly indeed." He said a bear market rally should not be mistaken for the beginning of a V-shaped recovery, adding: "The best we can hope for is a U, with a W in a close second place." Oil prices rallied, but the commodity continues to swing as traders keenly await Thursday's planned meeting of the world's top producers, which will discuss a possible output cut. The commodity has been battered by the virus as lockdowns around the world bring the global economy to a standstill and drag on demand, while a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia has compounded the crisis. With Riyadh and Moscow taking part, there are hopes they may draw a line under their dispute. AxiCorp global market strategist Stephen Innes said current figures being discussed point to an output cut of 10 million barrels per day for the OPEC-led alliance -- but cautioned this may not be enough as the virus saps global demand. "With millions of jobs and the stability of the global economy at risk, someone needs to compromise, or it will leave the industry in tatters," he warned. Howie Lee, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. said that while a cut of 10 million barrels "would lend some support to prices", he added that US participation was key, otherwise other producers would not be likely to take part. Energy ministers from the Group of 20 will hold a meeting on the issue on Friday. Investors were also keeping tabs on talks in Europe where leaders are struggling to agree a path to supporting the region's economy, with the EU's 27 members unable to agree to a solidarity fund using "coronabonds". The Bank of France, meanwhile, said the nation's economy contracted six percent in January-March, putting it in recession and marking the worst performance since 1945. Stocks in Paris opened down more than one percent, as did London and Frankfurt. In share trading, Australian banks were hammered in Sydney after Bank of Queensland said it would delay its dividend payments, having been urged to do so by regulators. The move, the first by a lender in the country, fuelled fears that others would follow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ST. LOUIS  Officials said Wednesday that all of the people in the city who've died from complications related to COVID-19 were African American.

There have been 12 people in St. Louis who have died as of Wednesday. The city now has more than 480 cases of people infected with the coronavirus.

If you look at the health disparities in the city of St. Louis, theyre not unique, city Health Director Dr. Fredrick Echols said during a briefing Wednesday. Inequities exist across the U.S. and across the world, and its posed a challenge for public health agencies, (which) have to address those issues and ensure all individuals, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, income, or educational attainment have access to quality health-related resources.

Several U.S. metro regions have reported that African Americans are suffering infections at higher rates. It's been difficult to determine if that's the case in the St. Louis region or across Missouri because health officials are generally not disclosing the racial breakdown of victims.
Amaravati, April 8 : Ten persons in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district landed in hospital after trying a home remedy suggested in a TikTok video to protect themselves from getting infected by coronavirus.

Believing in a video on TikTok, two families in Alapalli village drank a juice made of seeds of Datura Stramonium, a locally available weed with toxic properties.

The police said on Wednesday the families comprising 10 persons took ill immediately after consuming the juice. Neighbours found them in a semi-conscious state and shifted them to hospital. They were discharged after treatment.

The local health authorities also took note of the incident and appealed to people not to follow unscientific remedies shown on any social media platform.

The health officials said since there is no vaccine or preventive drug for Covid-19, people should not believe in any video being circulated on social media offering home remedies for the dreaded virus.
By Trend

Kazakhstans Aktau Sea Port in countrys Mangystau region continues handing of general cargo notwithstanding coronavirus spread fears, Trend reports with reference to the ports press office.

The port said that transportation of passengers by Aktau port has been suspended over the period from Apr. 3 to Apr. 15, 2020. This excludes those transporting cargo, food items and medicine.

The report also said that passengers transportation suspension did not affect ports activities on general cargo handling.

On Apr. 1 introduction of the quarantine regime in Mangystau region was announced in order to prevent coronavirus spreading. The latest data said that the total number of coronavirus patients confirmed in Kazakhstan is 709, including 6 patients in Mangystau region.

The first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Kazakhstan among those who arrived in Almaty city from Germany on March 13, 2020.

On March 15, 2020, Kazakhstans President Kassym Jomart Tokayev signed a decree introducing an emergency state in Kazakhstan due to the coronavirus outbreak, which came in force from 08:00 (GMT +6) on March 16 and will last till 08:00 April 15, 2020.

Currently, quarantine regime has been imposed on the majority of Kazakh regions and major cities.

By a decision of State Commission on Provision of Emergency State under the president of Kazakhstan, quarantine regime has been introduced in Kazakhstans Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities at 00:00 (GMT +6) on March 19, 2020.

The outbreak of the coronavirus began in the Chinese city of Wuhan (an international transport hub), at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has exceeded 82,900. Over 1.4 million people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 307,800 people have reportedly recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Canada's politicians have been urging the public to work from home during the COVID-19 crisis, but a look at federal and provincial leaders suggests not all of them are following their own advice.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 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 Wednesday, April 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada's politicians have been urging the public to work from home during the COVID-19 crisis, but a look at federal and provincial leaders suggests not all of them are following their own advice.

Behaviours run the gamut, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holding his daily news conferences in front of his residence to provincial premiers touring factories that are producing key protective equipment.

But industry watchers suggest the two approaches each have merit, saying both leadership by example and direct engagement with a pressing issue offer something valuable during an unprecedented time.

Alan Kearns, managing partner of Ottawa-based leadership consulting firm CareerJoy, said both approaches have allowed Canada's politicians to fair better than some of their international counterparts as they steer the country through the global pandemic.

Whether standing alone at a podium or conducting workaday business from a largely deserted office, Kearns said Canada's political leaders are upholding the crucial principle of practising what they preach.

"It's not what you say, it's what you do and what you say," Kearns said in a telephone interview. "There may be appropriate situations where a politician steps into a situation to offer encouragement or in a crisis scenario, but I think they have to be deeply thoughtful about the reasons for that."

Kearns pointed to Trudeau as the most striking example of leadership by example throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Since the day after his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the prime minister has conducted everything from news conferences to first ministers meetings from his Ottawa home.

Kearns said the visual image of Trudeau standing alone while urgently calling for strong physical distancing measures stands in stark contrast to the sorts of crowded news briefings and frequent handshaking displayed by some international politicians.

On Wednesday, Trudeau indicated he would continue that approach, making exceptions only for events such as a cabinet meeting scheduled for later the same day.

"I will continue to work from home day in and day out as we're asking most Canadians to do," he said. "There will be moments for strategic meetings or particular issues where I will go in to the office for meetings, taking all proper precautions, but most of my work will continue to be from home on the telephone."

Trudeau's approach seems more stringent than that employed by most provincial and territorial leaders so far, though all have made significant changes to daily routines and work environments.

Premiers such as Saskatchewan's Scott Moe, Ontario's Doug Ford, and Sandy Silver of the Yukon Territory all continue to go into the office, but limit meeting attendees and practise the sorts of physical distancing measures advised by public health officials.

A spokeswoman for British Columbia Premier John Horgan said nearly all meetings are now conducted virtually either from his home or the provincial legislature.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball has similarly restricted travel between his office and condo, but said maintaining some presence at the seat of provincial power is important in order to complete key government work.

"If I was feeling symptoms I would be staying home," he said. "Right now, it's a very closed environment. The bubble is what it is, and there's very few people that are inside that bubble."

There have been occasional deviations from the new routine, such as Ford's recent trip to a factory making personal protective equipment, which is currently in short supply across the country.

Both Kearns and McMaster University associate political science professor Peter Graefe said there's room for such departures in the current environment, as long as they bear no trace of the partisan wrangling so common in ordinary times.

"In a moment of crisis, citizens grant their executives ... a lot of confidence that they will be making the right decisions," Graefe said. "The moment those executives begin to be acting in a partisan manner, they'll pay a very big price."

Stephen Azzi, associate professor of political management at Ottawa's Carleton University, said provincial and territorial leaders are offering sound overall leadership, but he would prefer to see them adopt Trudeau's approach and shift government business almost exclusively to their homes.

But he contrasted their active physical distancing measures and zealous promotion of public health advice to the approaches taken by American governors, some of whom he said have yet to start urging residents to stay at home.

He also said their comparatively cautious approach should ensure they remain healthy themselves and able to stay involved in the COVID-19 response.

The perils of neglecting that consideration came into stark relief earlier this week when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive care days after testing positive for COVID-19.

"Leaders can't lead if they're not well," Azzi said. "It's not just a question of setting an example, it's a question of maintaining their own well-being."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter Inc. and digital payments platform Square Inc., said that he will donate $1 billion worth of equity in Square to his Start Small Foundation to fund the coronavirus relief around the world. In a series of tweets, Dorsey said the donation represented about 28% of his wealth. But, Dorsey did not mention exactly where the funds would be sent to help in battle against the Covid-19. Dorsey said he is pledging his stake in Square instead of Twitter because he owns a 'lot more' of shares in Square. Once the Covid-19 pandemic has been 'disarmed', the focus will shift to girl's health and education, and universal basic income, Dorsey tweeted. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
By Anna Irrera NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online student lender Social Finance Inc has agreed to acquire payments technology provider Galileo Financial Technologies for $1.2 billion in cash and stock, the companies said on Tuesday. Galileo's platform provides technology to allow companies to easily offer a range of financial services to consumers and businesses, including checking and savings accounts, direct deposits, ACH transfers and bill payments

By Anna Irrera

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online student lender Social Finance Inc has agreed to acquire payments technology provider Galileo Financial Technologies for $1.2 billion in cash and stock, the companies said on Tuesday.

Galileo's platform provides technology to allow companies to easily offer a range of financial services to consumers and businesses, including checking and savings accounts, direct deposits, ACH transfers and bill payments.

San Francisco-based SoFi already uses Galileo's technology for its cash management account service SoFi Money, as well as some of its other offerings, the company said.

The companies will work together to offer SoFi's products to Galileo's partners, and to develop new financial technology services, the companies said.

Galileo will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of SoFi Inc, with current CEO Clay Wilkes at the helm, the companies said.

The SoFi deal comes amid a dearth of mergers and acquisitions due to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Global mergers and acquisitions activity plunged 28% in the first quarter to its lowest level since 2016, according to Refinitiv data.

The move also underscores a significant push by SoFi beyond its core student lending offering. This could help it diversify its revenue stream at a time when lenders could see a rise in defaults, due to the economic impact of coronavirus.

SoFi, one of most well-funded fintech companies in the US, grew quickly following the Great Recession by refinancing at cheaper rates student loans for strapped-but-promising graduates. It has since expanded its offering to "members" beyond lending to include investment management and cash management.

The company, led by former Twitter Inc CFO Anthony Noto, said the deal will help it extend the reach of its products to other Galileo partners in the US and overseas, helping its business scale and diversify.

"SoFi has built a very strong diversified financial services company focusing on a full suite of financial services," said Wilkes, CEO of Galileo. "These are products that many of our leading fintech clients are asking for."

The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, the companies said.

(Reporting by Anna Irrera; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
In normal times, as many as 400 uninsured patients a day open the the glass doors at the San Jose Clinic in Midtown, where they receive low-cost checkups and medications to manage their illnesses.

But in the era of the coronoavirus, the only people passing through the entrance each day are a skeleton crew of staff, who fill prescriptions and perform emergency dental services. The clinics volunteer retired physicians who see patients are limited to making free telehealth visits because of the shortage of protective gear.

Charity clinics are the safety-net health care providers who care for tens of thousands of Greater Houstons working poor. As the clinics close their doors to protect doctors and patients, losing revenues from their modest fees and canceling fundraisers, their leaders worry the coronavirus crisis will have a long-term impact on their already tenuous financing and undermine their ability to treat those who might not otherwise have access to care.

The San Jose Clinic, which serves more than 4,000 patients each year from more than 200 zip codes, is not charging for telemedicine visits and prescriptions because too many of their clients have lost jobs. Maureen Sanders, the clinics CEO, says San Jose is losing $3,000 each day that its staff cant see patients.

More Information How to help Houston's charity clinics are still collecting cash donations and personal protective equipment such as masks to run their lean operations. Here's how you can give: San Jose Clinic (Houston): https://www.sanjoseclinic.org/donation Christ Clinic (Katy): https://christclinickaty.org/donate TOMAGWA HealthCare Ministries (Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties): http://tomagwa.org/give/donate See More Collapse

There are charity care clinics who are taking care of the highest risk population with hardly any resources at all, Sanders said.

Scrambling together a new plan

Charity clinics rely on donations, grant and volunteers, including retired physicians and medical students, to make themselves affordable. To keep pharmaceutical costs low, they partner with nonprofits such as Dispensary of Hope, which distributes medicine donated by pharmaceutical companies to clinics for an annual membership fee.

At the San Jose Clinic, patient contributions make up about 10 percent of their annual income.

Sixty percent of their patients have incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty line, meaning individuals earn less than $45,000 a year. About 65 percent of their patients are women and 75 percent of their clientele identify as Latino.

DIFFICULT DECISIONS: Water, phone or insurance? In coronavirus pandemic, a Texas family decides which bills to pay.

Clinic operations have shrunk to the bare minimum. Doctors visits at San Jose Clinic, which cost between $20 and $40, are now conducted entirely over the phone at no cost. In the interim, the clinic also is not charging patients for pharmacy refills, which normally cost a flat $10 per visit.

The only patients coming in are those with emergency dental needs. Other than that, the closest the staff will get to face-to-face interaction is the handoff of pills at their drive-thru pharmacy, a temporary weekly set up where racks of prescription bags are wheeled down to the ground-floor and people drive in from as far as Cleveland, 45 miles north, to pick up a 90-day supply of medications.

The three-story building is empty, save for Wednesdays and Thursdays, when pharmacy staff rush in to fill as many prescriptions as they can. Pharmacists and dental clinicians wrapped themselves in baby blue face masks, cloth doctors coats and protective fabric around their shoes.

San Jose Clinic has 45 people on its full-time staff, and 12 who come in as-needed for specialty care. Sanders estimated that 95 percent are now working remotely.

On a recent Thursday morning, half a dozen vehicles waited in the parking lot as Dr. Randall Flores, a pharmacy resident from Texas Southern University, snapped on his face shield and matched the patients names and IDs to the prescriptions in the clinics system.

Flores announced the patients name into a walkie-talkie to the pharmacy staff across the parking lot. Dr. Adlia Ebeid and pharmaceutical tech Norma Ollivares scoured hundreds of packages for prescriptions corresponding to the persons ID. They placed the drugs onto a wooden table, designated Pick-Up Here sign affixed with packing tape.

One by one, hatchbacks and sedans rolled by the table, reaching out of their windows like they would at a fast food joint to pick up the paper bags.

Charity clinic outside the city, including Christ Clinic in Katy and the TOMAGWA Health Care Ministries in Tomball, Magnolia and Waller, have also switched to telehealth and touchless medication delivery.

In-person visits at Christ Clinic, said CEO Lara Hamilton, are reserved for people with severe health issues such as congestive heart failure.

Sometimes, you just need to lay eyes on them, Hamilton said.

Fundraisers and patient contributions

April was not supposed to go like this for the San Jose Clinic. This month, the 98-year-old clinic was due to open its satellite building in Rosenberg, where it provided relief for Fort Bend County residents after Hurricane Harvey. Sanders team reserved the Ballroom on the Bayou Place on the last night of April for its annual Art with Heart gala, which usually raises between $150,000 to $200,000 for the clinic.

Now the satellite office is on hold because clinic staff are working almost entirely remotely, The fundraiser is postponed until fall.

Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

At Christ Clinic which normally sees 60 to 100 patients daily, Hamilton estimates that her center will lose up to $225,000 in revenue in March and April after canceled fundraisers, in-kind donations and patient revenues. Thats 10 percent of their annual budget.

TOMAGWA Health Care Ministries, which serves northwest Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties, sees up to 100 patients a day at its three locations. During the first quarter of 2019, said CEO Timika Simmons, it had raised $400,000 in donations.

By that same point this year, the clinic collected just $69,000. It costs $150,000 a month to operate.

I still have to provide the care, Simmons said. But we do not have private donations, patient contributions or partnerships to get the supplies needed.

Clinics across Texas are struggling, said Jody Hopkins, president of the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics. She surveyed 47 clinics in the state in March, and found that two-thirds were operating with inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment. Almost one-third had been forced to temporarily close to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Nine, she noted, had laid off or planned to lay off staff.

They dont want to lower their services, Hopkins said. They want to be out there in the trenches.

The clinics could apply for federal stimulus relief, but its not a solution for those already operating at a daily loss. The approval process takes too long, and many worry there arent enough funds available.

The horizon

The leaders of the three Houston-area clinics estimate they have enough funding, cobbled together from revenues, grants and donations, to last through spring.

Like the stay-at-home orders that have kept many Houstonians in place, though, theyre unsure when the true will come.

The clinics cant just pack up. They serve some of Houstons essential workers, such as grocery store employees, as well the many workers who have been laid off from restaurants, retail and other businesses. If anything, this is when patients need them most, their leaders said.

Theyre the people in the service industry, Sanders said. The lawn, maintenance, construction workers. Theyre all individuals who are working two or three jobs just to try to barely make ends meet.

So what happens when the clinics who serve them, needed now more than ever, are also trying to make ends meet?

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

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Another music crooner, Adekunle Temitope a.k.a Small Doctor has handed himself over to the police for breach of the social distance re...





Another music crooner, Adekunle Temitope a.k.a Small Doctor has handed himself over to the police for breach of the social distance regulations imposed by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.





Small Doctor was among the 43 guests, who attended the birthday bash hosted by Funke Akindele-Bello for the 43rd birthday of her husband, Abdul Rasheed Bello a.k.a JJC Skilltz last Saturday.





The party held at their Amen Estate, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos residence in contravention of the lockdown order of President Muhammadu Buhari and Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on social distancing which forbade a gathering of more than 20 people.





Small Doctor arrived Ogba Magistrate Court on Wednesday after 12 noon in a jeep utility vehicle accompanied by one Aburebe.

He was dressed in a black Tee Shirt over a white and green jogger with a white canvass shoe to match.





A police source told The Nation at Ogba Magistrate Court that Small Doctor appeared in court to honour invitation sent by the Police to all those who were in attendance the party.





Policemen however prevented Small Doctor from entering the premises of Ogba Magistrate Court but was directed to a police vehicle.





He held discussions with a senior police officer in a security vehicle.





Few minutes after, the Deputy Commissioner, Panti Police Station, DCP Yetunde Longer, came from the court where the trial of Naira Marley, Babatunde Gbadamosi and wife, Folashade was ongoing before Chief Magistrate Yewande Aje-Afunwa.





Both of them drove away in a Police van marked PF 296 SPY accompanied by another security vehicle.




I have admiration for how they have done it, but its a big task for anyone, said Mark Lever, chief executive of Helpforce, a charity that works with volunteers in the NHS but isnt involved in this particular project. A big challenge is matching supply of volunteers, with the demand for their support. You could have loads of volunteers, but in the wrong place. Or volunteers happy to do three things, but your need is for the fourth one.
(Natural News) Asymptomatic carriers, or people who dont show any symptoms of the disease, remain one of the biggest vectors for the spread of the global coronavirus pandemic. Now, a new study from China revealed that close to 80 percent of coronavirus patients were infected by someone who didnt show any symptoms.

A study from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University looked to figure out how long it took for someone to become infected with the coronavirus. In the process of doing so, the researchers also found out that 79.7 percent of people caught the virus did so from someone who was asymptomatic.

In addition, the team found that the average time someone who has the virus can pass it one before showing symptoms is 3.8 days. This is slightly longer than the one-to-three days stated by the World Health Organization.

Asymptomatic carriers are infectious for much longer

In conducting their study, the team from Shanghai estimated the infection time distribution of the virus. This is the time of the secondary case relative to when the person they caught it from showed symptoms.

Before their study, there had been several reports on the incubation time of COVID-19. The most recent estimates by the WHO put it at about three days.

The researchers then took these reports while looking at peoples movements to calculate the average infection time in Wuhan and outside the city after the Chinese government locked it down. Its here that the team found out that a vast majority of cases had caught the virus from someone who looks perfectly healthy but has already been infected.

Through several different approaches, we achieve largely consistent results: a large portion of COVID-19 transmissions may happen presymptomatically, the team wrote.

Its here where theyre able to calculate that a person can have the virus for 3.8 days before showing any symptoms. During this time, theyre still able to pass the virus on to other people.

Patients [are] likely to become infectious in the early stage of their infections instead of just before their symptom onsets, they added.

A novel approach to estimating the diseases spread

The researchers stated that their approach of combining the incubation period with time to transmission as a novel approach to estimating the spread of the disease. They state that the infection time distribution that they investigated is closely related to the biologically infectious period when patients can spread the disease.

Both provide insights of the transmissibility of COVID-19, but from two different aspects, they wrote.

The researchers findings mirror already available data on viral shedding studies in close contact areas. However, they note that sociological factors and non-pharmaceutical interventions by local public health authorities are more likely to affect infection time distribution.

Our findings should be interpreted with caution, the team concludes. The epidemic data of COVID-19 patients that [describe] the time and tracing details is very limited.

Data does not include true asymptomatic carrier

The research team also conceded that their data had a number of limitations and that their estimates on the incubation period of the disease have considerable uncertainty. Part of this uncertainty comes from the fact that they only drew data from cases with clearly reported tracing details. The team was not able to draw data on transmissions induced by the true asymptomatic carriers.

These true asymptomatic carriers are people who carry the coronavirus but are not showing any symptoms of the disease. As such, these often dont get documented unless these people get tested. (Related: Dr. Oz says NO ONE needs to be tested unless they show symptoms, even as asymptomatic people spread the pandemic without even knowing it.)

With this in mind, the team states that isolating people based on whether they have symptoms alone is not enough to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Aggressive testing, isolation of close contacts and social distancing to prevent presymptomatic or asymptomatic transmissions are crucial to combat COVID-19, they conclude.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

CNBC.com
NEW YORK, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluent, Inc. (FLNT), a leading performance marketing company today announced that it will donate $100,000 to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts in the U.S. and Canada as part of its overarching response to the global crisis.



Funds will go to Sheltering Arms , an NYC-based social services organization and longtime beneficiary of Fluents support, as well as United Way , a non-profit dedicated to improving lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world. In conjunction with this effort, Fluent has also pledged to match team members donations to the COVID-19-related causes they are supporting during this time.

Amidst this period of rapid change, we are making it a top priority to extend aid and support not only to our employees, but also the communities where they live and work, said Matt Conlin, President of Fluent. With the coronavirus outbreak having a particularly severe impact in New York City  the home of Fluents headquarters  it is crucial that the citys most vulnerable communities can continue to rely on the services offered by Sheltering Arms and United Way.

We do not yet know the full extent of the impact that COVID-19 will have on New York City, but we do know that the children, youth, and families we serve need us now more than ever, said Elizabeth McCarthy, CEO, Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services. We are so grateful for our generous supporters like Fluent who make it possible for us to continue providing vital programs and services to thousands of New Yorkers.

Supporting Sheltering Arms mission to enhance the education, well-being, and development of children and their families across NYC for several years, Fluent has recently added United Way to its roster of beneficiaries. As part of its COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund, United Way is mobilizing to provide accurate information and services to those in need across each of the cities where Fluent operates, said Matt Conlin. As we continue to expand into new regions, we are proud to support an organization with a powerful mission and global impact.

Story continues

We all are fortunate to live in a community that has consistently proven its generosity to those in need, said United Way of Greater Kansas City President and CEO, Brent Stewart. The generous gift from Fluent is yet another example of how businesses in the Kansas City region are giving at this critical time. At United Way, we call this Kansas City taking care of its own. That need for caring for our people  our community  has never been more acute than as a result of this pandemic. We are so appreciative of the support from Fluent, AdParlor, and other businesses across our region.

United Way of Palm Beach County has also thanked Fluent for the generous donation stating, As a community champion in Boca Raton, Fluent's donation will be used to meet urgent needs like ensuring those impacted by the unintended consequences during this unprecedented time have access to the basics like food and financial stability. We appreciate Fluent and their support.

Last week, Fluent also announced the launch of Fluent Pulse , an ongoing insights initiative designed to track consumer sentiment and impact on everyday life as it relates to the COVID-19 outbreak. Fluent Pulse will publish new insights each Tuesday morning along with consumers reactions to other milestone events that may occur outside of this cycle.

Our donations to Sheltering Arms and United Way are just one component of Fluents larger response to the COVID-19 outbreak, said Matt Conlin. Surveying over 1.85 million consumers for the first installment of Fluent Pulse, we are proud to contribute our media inventory, survey capabilities, and personnel to help businesses and municipalities best respond to the needs of consumers during this uncertain time.

In addition to publishing weekly updates to the Fluent Pulse site, Fluent is partnering with the Ad Council to help extend the reach and impact of COVID-19 response messaging as the pandemic continues to evolve. Along with other industry leaders, Fluent will donate audience targeting segments to help reach and empower millennials and those at the highest risk for COVID-19 with the information they need to slow the spread of the virus.

About Fluent

Fluent, Inc. (FLNT) is a leading performance marketing company with an expertise in creating meaningful connections between consumers and brands. Leveraging our proprietary first-party data asset of opted-in consumer profiles, Fluent, Inc. drives intelligent growth strategies that deliver superior outcomes. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in New York City.

About Sheltering Arms

At Sheltering Arms, our goal is to foster a society where every child and family we serve will have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. We address the effects of social inequity in the most challenged communities in New York City. Our innovative programs and compassionate services measurably enhance the education, well-being, and development of children, their families, and communities. We have maintained an unwavering commitment to our mission since 1823.

About United Way

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 8.1 million donors worldwide and $4.8 billion raised every year, United Way is the world's largest privately-funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org . Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

Contact

Investor Relations

Fluent, Inc.

(917) 310-2070

InvestorRelations@fluentco.com




Immigration advocates and attorneys on Wednesday asked a federal judge to temporarily halt in-person court hearings for detained immigrants, arguing that the governments decision to continue doing so during the coronavirus pandemic unnecessarily endangers all participants.

The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Immigration Justice Campaign filed the request for a temporary restraining order against the Executive Office for Immigration Review and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The group is also asking a federal judge to facilitate remote confidential communication between attorneys and detained clients.

The public interest demands this relief to help mitigate the risk of rampant infection in detention facilities and the propagation of infection through the court system to the general public, attorneys wrote in court documents Wednesday.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review and ICE said they do not comment on pending litigation.

ICE has previously said that legal visits ideally should be done via teleconference to limit exposure to detainees, but in-person meetings will be allowed if an attorney deems it essential.

Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges have all criticized the government for continuing to hold immigration hearings for detainees in San Francisco and nearly 60 courthouses across the nation during the coronavirus pandemic, even as many criminal courthouses have shut down.

Hon. Ashley Tabaddor, a U.S. immigration judge in Los Angeles and president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, said in a statement Wednesday that defendants, attorneys and judges are being forced to gather in courtrooms and buildings where there are confirmed cases of coronavirus and where people are visibly sick.

She added that court members are also interacting with guards and detainees who are traveling back and forth from detention facilities  some run by private companies  where COVID-19 has been detected and confirmed.

Many judges in San Francisco are calling in sick in order to stay home, said Dana Leigh Marks, an immigration judge and former president of the judges union.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review has canceled non-detained hearings in San Francisco and other places, which slowed down foot traffic, but the courthouse on Montgomery Street remains open for other business and staff is required to work normal hours.

Immigration courthouses are generally much smaller than criminal courtrooms, and immigrants, attorneys, judges, witnesses and interpreters often share tight spaces. Close confines make it easier for the virus to spread, according to health experts.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
Technavio has been monitoring the nicotine gum market and it is poised to grow by USD 522 million 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/20200408005315/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Nicotine Gum 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 accelerate during the forecast period. British American Tobacco, GlaxoSmithKline, ITC Limited, Johnson Johnson Services, and Novartis are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Awareness about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Nicotine Gum Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Nicotine gum market is segmented as below:

Product 2-mg Nicotine 4-mg Nicotine

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30701

Nicotine Gum 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 nicotine gum market report covers the following areas:

Nicotine Gum Market Size

Nicotine Gum Market Trends

Nicotine Gum Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies rise in the number of people quitting smoking as one of the prime reasons driving the nicotine gum market growth during the next few years.

Nicotine Gum Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the nicotine gum market, including some of the vendors such as British American Tobacco, GlaxoSmithKline, ITC Limited, Johnson Johnson Services, and Novartis. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the nicotine gum 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

Nicotine Gum Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist nicotine gum market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the nicotine gum market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the nicotine gum market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of nicotine gum market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT

Market segmentation by product

Comparison by product

2-mg nicotine Market size and forecast 2018-2023

4-mg nicotine Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by product

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC 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: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

New product launches

Increase in number of people quitting smoking

Addiction to nicotine gums

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

British American Tobacco

GlaxoSmithKline

ITC Limited

Johnson Johnson Services

Novartis

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005315/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

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UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/
Members of a delegation of UN envoys get manicures at a vocational school in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Aug 30, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Editor's Note: Ajit Singh, a lawyer and journalist, recently wrote in The Grayzone website on the distorted Western media's "forced labor" stories about China. The following are excerpts:

Of late there has been a surge in stories in the Western media accusing China of implementing an oppressive "forced labor" program against the country's Muslims in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The crime China is accused of committing has been called "Xinjiang's new slavery", allegedly involving more than 80,000 laborers and implicating the supply chains of 83 global brands, including Apple, Amazon, Nike, BMW, Gap, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen.

But Western news outlets from Foreign Policy to The Washington Post to Democracy Now have relied on a series of questionable studies by purportedly "independent, nonpartisan" think tanks backed by the West's military intelligence apparatus for these reports. Building on the dubious claims that China is detaining millions of Uygur Muslims, these studies argue that "forced labor" is the "next step" in China's "tyrannical campaign "against the Uygurs.

A close look at these reports shows serious biases and credibility gaps as the Western media paints China as the world's worst human rights violator.

The latest allegations seem to be part of a PR blitz escalating Washington's new Cold War rhetoric targeting Beijing. Following the release of these reports, United States Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern said he would introduce a new bill seeking to ban all US imports from Xinjiang on the grounds that those involved forced labor. McGovern is an ardent supporter of the World Uyghur Congress, a US-backed, far-right network seeking to overthrow the Chinese government.

Even putatively progressive news outlets have joined the frenzy, with The Nation and Democracy Now uncritically parroting these studies, while making no mention of their ties with the US and Western governments and military contractors. Furthermore, both these media outlets interviewed members of the World Uyghur Congress-affiliated Uyghur Human Rights Project, while making no mention of their deep ties with the US' regimechange establishment.

The three reports quoted in the recent "forced labor" stories were authored by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies and Adrian Zenz. While the Western media presented the reports as impartial, a closer look raises serious doubts over their credibility.

On March 1, ASPI published a policy brief, titled "Uyghurs for sale: 'Re-education' forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang".The paper triggered a fresh round of accusations against China in the Western media. While ASPI describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan think tank", it is in fact a right-wing, militaristic outfit founded by the Australian government in 2001 and is funded by the country's Department of Defence.

While the Western public views stories about alleged "forced labor "as shocking journalistic exposes, they are, in fact, the direct products of an orchestrated PR campaign backed by US and some European countries' governments, NATO, and arms manufacturers, all of which stand to benefit handsomely from the intensification of a new Cold War.
FRANKLIN, Tenn.

April 7, 2020

Scott Schaedle

Franklin, Tennessee

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Quore, the leading provider of workflow management and productivity tools for hotels, today announced its Quore Aid Program for any hotel converting its property into a COVID-19 isolation ward or temporary medical facility. Quore has adapted its suite of solutions to allow for adherence to local and national healthcare guidelines to support housing facilities as they determine the right precautions each hotel isolation ward should follow in order to ensure the health and safety of staff, medical professionals and guests.Individual states, counties and municipalities are actively seeking properties that are largely vacant due to growing Stay-At-Home mandates to serve as COVID-19 isolation wards. The goal is to relieve the pressure on hospitals, allowing them to focus treatment on the sickest of patients, and non-severe cases can be moved to an isolation ward. Hotels are prime real estate for these facilities, as most business and vacation travel has been cancelled.Hotel isolation wards may be used for various scenarios, including for recovering patients, individuals exposed to the virus that may or may not show symptoms, moderately ill people awaiting test results, and individuals that may not be able to self-isolate in a home due to high-risk family members or personal homelessness."We want to support communities across the country in their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, and enable our hotel customers to contribute in a safe and secure way," said, Founder and CEO of Quore. "Not only does our platform help properties optimize operations, but it enables staff and guests to communicate with little-to-no physical interaction. We're providing a baseline of health and safety precautions each property or location needs to update to be in compliance with local and national guidelines, so each property can quickly adapt to new mandates and remain focused on its new role in ending this pandemic."The Quore platform enables hotel management and staff to limit face-to-face interactions, implement mobile communications with guests, and access modifiable templates that guide staff through recommended and/or mandated procedures that are updated in real time. These include isolation room set up and turnover, hand and hygiene protocol, trash collection, sanitation requirements, signage placement and other actions to ensure the highest level of health and safety compliance throughout the property.For more information on how Quore is addressing specific operational needs in the current crisis, please click here or contact Richard Bradbury Richard.Bradbury@quore.com.About Quore Quore is an award-winning, cloud-based hotel quality optimization solution, providing the right tools to empower hotels of any size to make operations more efficient and improve guest experiences. Founded in 2012, it is the first solution ever to combine state-of-the-art technology and intuitive design to better manage all aspects of the guest experience, including preventative maintenance, guest requests and complaints, work orders, housekeeping and workforce/shift communication. Quore's software is used by more than 4,400 hotels in the U.S., and it supports hotels from the industry's largest brands, including IHG, Marriott, Hilton and Choice. The-based company is privately owned and was named one of America's Best Startup Employers by Forbes.SOURCE Quore
At least 12 people living at state-run veteran homes in New Jersey who tested positive for coronavirus have died, according to an official from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Ten of the deaths were residents of the veterans facility in Paramus and two in Menlo Park, Kryn Westhoven a department spokesman said Wednesday. All of the deaths have been since March 28.

The 10 deaths at Paramus are part of 23 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among residents. The staff there has also been hit hard.

There are 17 confirmed cases and 47 pending test results, Westhoven said. There have been no reported deaths of staff.

In Menlo Park, 15 residents are confirmed to have the virus. Three employees are positive with four tests pending.

The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs also operates a third nursing home in Vineland. There have been no positive COVID-19 cases among residents or staff there.

We are doing everything to protect the population of these homes within our power, Westhoven said.

Six Paramus residents are currently hospitalized, as are 11 residents from Menlo Park. There are 283 residents at Paramus and 279 at Menlo Park.

Westhoven said patients with coronavirus symptoms, including fever and cough, are immediately isolated from other residents and staff who treat them do not treat noninfected residents. He said there are temperature screens for staff entering the building and any with a fever or other symptoms are not allowed in.

Some residents of the home at Menlo Park have complained recently about inadequate nursing and support staff. They said residents have been left unattended for periods in destress from falls or other care and staff frequently serve food to them without protective gear such as gloves.

A request for comment from the Menlo Park administration was not immediately returned Wednesday.

New Jersey now has 1,504 coronavirus deaths with 47,437 total cases as the outbreak continues to spread with 3,088 new positive tests announced on Wednesday.

The numbers included another 275 deaths - the highest single-day increase since the outbreak. The total death toll is higher than the number of New Jersey residents - 1,487 - killed during the Vietnam War.

Have you seen an inspiring story in your community during this troubling time? Tell us about it. And, see more uplifting stories in #TogetherNJ.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 06:19:47|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- "Please quarantine politicizing COVID. If we want to win, we shouldn't waste time pointing fingers," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged here on Wednesday, saying "Unity is the only option to defeat this virus."

Answering a question from the press about U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to freeze U.S. funding to the WHO, Tedros said his message for the world at this moment is unity and solidarity, instead of politicizing the virus.

"I will suggest two things to the world," he told a virtual press conference from Geneva. The first is national unity, and the second is global solidarity.

Tedros stressed that at the national level, leaders should work across party lines.

"My message to political parties: do not politicize this virus. If you care for your people, work across party lines and ideologies ... Without unity, we assure you, even any country that may have a better system will be in trouble, and more crises," Tedros noted.

"No need to use COVID to score political points. You have many other ways to prove yourselves. This is not the one to use for politics, It's like playing with fire," Tedros added.

"Now, the United States and China, all the rest of G20 and the rest of the world should come together to fight the virus," he said, adding that "When there are cracks at the national level and global level, that's when the virus succeeds."

Earlier in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called for support for WHO.

"It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19," said Guterres in a statement.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the White House COVID-19 task force would release data in the coming days regarding the disproportionate impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on African American communities across the country.

As the disease has ravaged the globe and spread throughout the U.S.  where almost 400,000 are infected and nearly 13,000 have died  some states and cities have released stark figures showing black people are contracting the disease and dying at far higher rates than other groups.

The president on Tuesday said public health experts would continue researching why the black community has been hit so hard by the virus.

We want to find the reasons on it," Trump said. "Why is it three or four times more so for the black community as opposed to other people? It doesnt make sense and I dont like it. Were going to have statistics over the next two or three days.

In Louisiana, black people make up 32% of the population but 70% of COVID-19 deaths, according to CNN. In Michigan and Illinois, more than 40% of coronavirus victims are black even though black people make up no more than 15% of the states total populations.

Weve been talking about health disparities and life expectancy gaps in the black community that put them more at risk, Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, said on CNN on Tuesday night.

Lightfoot argued that access of health care is at the crux of the problem, arguing black people dont have the access that others enjoy.

Health experts say those disparities lead to greater instances of the underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure and heart issues, that coronavirus attacks with a vengeance, Lightfoot said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said during a news briefing Tuesday that, the predisposing conditions that lead to a bad outcome and require intervention ... are disproportionately prevalent in the African American population.

In Chicago, blacks make up 30% of the population but more than half of all COVID-19 cases and 72% of related deaths, Lightfoot said.

Its shocking but its not entirely surprising given the health disparities weve been talking about for a number of years, she said.

Lightfoot added that city officials were ramping up education efforts neighborhood-by-neighborhood, through block clubs and faith groups, to improve social distancing and awareness around the disease.

In late March, as cities with high populations of blacks and Latinos became hotspots, Sens. Ayanna Pressley and Elizabeth Warren called on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to provide greater demographic data on people who are tested or treated for the virus.

Decades of structural racism have prevented so many Black and Brown families from accessing quality health care, affordable housing, and financial security, and the coronavirus crisis is blowing these disparities wide open," Warren said in a statement.

Massachusetts does not release town-by-town data or racial data on the disease.

The Boston Globe on Tuesday evening reported that the city appears to have high rates of infection in Black, Latino and immigrant communities in East Boston, Hyde Park and Mattapan. The Globe noted that the virus has heavily impacted communities of color in part because residents often work in essential jobs interacting the public, putting them at great risk.

Vox reported that black people are also disproportionately represented in the U.S. prison system, where the virus can quickly spread.

Pressley and Warren last month sent a letter to Trump urging him to reduce the number of people in federal custody to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

The federal government, they said, must not overlook "the lives of millions of people in jails, prisons and detention centers across the country and must consider the impact of an outbreak in the prison and detention system.

Some states have released inmates who are in prison for nonviolent crimes in the wake of the disease, and Attorney General William Barr recently directed the Bureau of Prisons to identify at-risk inmates who are nonviolent and pose minimal likelihood of recidivism and who might be safer serving their sentences in home confinement, Vox reported.

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At the beginning of the week, when news reports and social media were devoted 24/7 to the rising number of coronavirus cases in Israels ultra-Orthodox communities, especially in the countrys largest ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak, the ultra-Orthodox leadership began signaling its anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The leaders were annoyed and suspicious of his silence over what they interpreted as collective incitement against their communities for allegedly spreading the disease. With Bnei Brak placed under virtual lockdown, control of the town handed over to the army and journalists reporting from its streets as though from a war zone, ultra-Orthodox leaders felt their people were being blamed for Netanyahus flawed handling of the crisis. Rather than focusing on the shortage of test kits, protective equipment and respirators, the public had turned the ultra-Orthodox into a punching bag and a target of unrestrained venom.

Ultra-Orthodox journalists active on social media pointed the finger of blame at Netanyahu, arguing that he was cleverly allowing secular Israelis to lash out at them in order to divert attention from his own shortcomings. The government is preparing to drop the blame for the chaotic management of the [coronavirus] crisis onto the heads of the ultra-Orthodox public. Netanyahu has rushed to impose a full closure only on the ultra-Orthodox towns, without equitable treatment of all citizens, and to turn the ultra-Orthodox into scapegoats in the media. Netanyahu, dont even try, it wont wash, Yossi Elituv, the editor of the ultra-Orthodox newspaper Hamishpaha, tweeted on April 5. Elituv is also a political commentator and is considered a senior figure within ultra-Orthodox and secular media.

When similar comments by other ultra-Orthodox journalists gained traction, they engaged the attention of ultra-Orthodox politicians who had already found themselves on the defensive since the outbreak of the epidemic, given its rapid spread among their constituents. Given the negative climate against their communities, ultra-Orthodox politicians were also forced to come to the defense of Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, their senior political leader, who is being blamed for his failed handling of the crisis and for going easy on his voters by allowing them to continue congregating in synagogues, exacerbating the contagion. The attacks on Litzman, who subsequently contracted the disease himself and was placed in isolation, included calls for his dismissal, which were also perceived by the ultra-Orthodox as encouraging open season on their communities.

The 16 Knesset members of the two ultra-Orthodox parties realized all eyes were on them while Netanyahu was ignoring their plight and politically benefitting from the fire being directed at them. In response, they launched a battle of their own for the publics hearts and minds. Veteran Knesset member Moshe Gafni of Yahadut HaTorah issued a public threat to Netanyahu on April 5. We will not be partners with someone who imposes a closure on the ultra-Orthodox sector. This is a red line as far as we are concerned. I expect Prime Minister Netanyahu to take action on this matter and not just to talk. Gafni emphasized that he was speaking on behalf of his colleagues, as well as Litzman and ultra-Orthodox Shas Party Chair Aryeh Deri.

Netanyahu rushed to stem the fallout. The last thing he needs right now at the height of the coronavirus crisis and negotiations on a unity government is the disintegration of the bloc of ultra-Orthodox and right-wing parties that he had labored so hard to build. I condemn the wild incitement against the ultra-Orthodox, Netanyahu said in a widely circulated press statement also posted on social media, adding that the community had already internalized the threat and the Health Ministrys instructions. The coronavirus epidemic doesnt differentiate between ultra-Orthodox and secular, between Arabs and Jews. We dont either. We are all in this together, and together we will defeat it. Netanyahus statement did the trick, as did his decision to impose a full closure from April 7-10 on the entire state for the Passover holiday and not only on the hard-hit ultra-Orthodox towns and neighborhoods.

Nonetheless, the coronavirus crisis will continue to challenge Netanyahus longstanding and seemingly unshakeable alliance with the ultra-Orthodox for several reasons. One example is the rapid changes Israels ultra-Orthodox society is undergoing these days, over which the political leadership does not appear to have control. The presence of hundreds of soldiers in ultra-Orthodox towns to deliver aid and beef up police roadblocks and their direct contact with young ultra-Orthodox men expose the largely isolated young men to hitherto rather unknown worlds. Internet providers are reporting a 45% jump in the use by the ultra-Orthodox since the start of the crisis. This is a real revolution that is expected to affect the way of life in this walled-off society, especially among young people now exposed to information emanating from sources other than traditional rabbinical authorities. In other words, the health crisis is exposing ultra-Orthodox society to potentially deep changes that greatly trouble their political leaders who owe their power to the rabbis. Young people could even challenge the rabbis instructions to vote for one of the two ultra-Orthodox parties in future elections.

Netanyahu has enjoyed (politically) over the past few years an unshakeable alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties. As prime minister, he safeguarded their special interests, designated budgets and the status quo that allowed most young men to avoid the draft. The ultra-Orthodox, for their part, provided him with a tight safety net in his toughest political times, including his indictment for bribery and failure to put together a government after three successive elections. Therefore, when they sensed in recent days that Netanyahu was ignoring their pain, they were quick to present him with an ultimatum. Gafnis comments are by no means the end of the alliance; they are more of a wakeup call for Netanyahu and a warning not to take their loyalty for granted because they do have other options.

Gafni is mostly hinting that the ultra-Orthodox could choose to cooperate with Blue and White party Chair Benny Gantz, who recently split up with the Yesh Atid party and its leader, Yair Lapid, with a view to joining a Netanyahu-led government  which has yet to materialize. For the ultra-Orthodox, Lapid is an intolerable provocation. They regard him as a persecutor, especially since he hooked up with the chair of the Yisrael Beitenu party, Avigdor Liberman, who ran a targeted campaign against the ultra-Orthodox in recent election cycles. They have no issues with Gantz, who himself hails from a religious background, whom they like and with whom they feel at ease.

Netanyahu should also be bothered by the alliance forged in recent weeks between Shas leader Deri and Gantzs second-in-command, former army chief Gabi Ashkenazi. The two have formed an axis that contributed greatly to speeding up negotiations on a [coronavirus] government between Blue and White and Netanyahus bloc. Their partnership could serve as a platform for a new alliance between the ultra-Orthodox and Gantz and Ashkenazi. The latest realignment of Israels political system is presenting everyone with new opportunities.
Appointment

8 April 2020

43-year old Candy Marth is an experienced manager who has emerged from Deutsche Hospitality's own ranks. Candy Marth took over the reins at the 174-room IntercityHotel Rostock on the Baltic Coast with effect from 1 April.

Candy Marth has worked for the hotel group for 20 years. During this period, she has fulfilled various roles in the fields of management assistance and human resources as well as being Head of Events at the IntercityHotel Stralsund. Ms. Marth replaces Katrin Schissler as General Manager of the IntercityHotel Rostock.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge always looks nothing less than amazing. Whether she is wearing a dazzling evening gown or something much more casual, we can always count on her iconic looks to sell out in a matter of minutes. In fact, as we know, from the day Kate married into the royal family, her style became known as the Kate Middleton Effect as women all over the world tried to recreate her outfits.

While she has a very specific style that is perfectly suited to a future queen, there are times when the Duchess of Cambridge takes risks with what she wears, and it pays off every single time. Kate isnt afraid to mix things up a little, stepping out in ensembles that are somewhat unexpected, and she always manages to turn heads. The future Queen of England was recently seen conducting royal business in a stylish new outfit that has fashionistas talking.

Kate Middleton | Julien Behal/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

Kates style before becoming a royal

Even before tying the knot with Prince William, Kate always looked perfectly put together. While it is definitely true that her style has evolved over the years, she had an eye-catching look even back in her college days. So, what was her style like? According to Readers Digest, Kate had a typical college girl look, often donning things such as cute skirts, skinny jeans, and lovely jackets to complete her outfits. She loved to wear her favorite Ugg boots, and her hair was usually loose and flowing over her shoulders. When it came to appearances with Will, Kate was often seen with bold colors and unique hats to top off her classic looks.

Some of Kates most iconic looks

Kate has had so many spectacular looks over the years, and it is almost impossible to pick a favorite. When it comes to her most iconic looks, there are quite a few fans around the world will never forget. Insider reports that the blue dress Kate wore during her engagement interview left a lasting impression that people are remembering to this day. She has been known to wear lovely floor-length gowns to formal events, and the black lace Temperley London piece that she was seen in at the 2012 premiere of War Horse was one that no one will ever forget. Kate is one royal who doesnt hesitate to recycle some of her best looks, and we have seen her in her classic coat dresses many times. The most iconic look that Kate has ever worn? Her absolutely gorgeous long-sleeved wedding gown that featured a v-neck and intricate lace detail.

Kate Middletons pink pantsuit puts a twist on classic businesswear

We all know that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have taken an active role in discussing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that many countries are currently experiencing. During a recent visit to an emergency call center in London, Kate was seen in a stylish pantsuit, and she looked absolutely wonderful. So, how is the pink pantsuit a demure approach to a traditional staple? While it strays away from the traditional shades of beige, black, and brown, the dusty pink number is trendy while remaining classic and professional. According to Harpers Bazaar, the suit is from Marks and Spencer and features a double-breasted blazer and slim-fitted pants that hit just above the ankle. Kate completed the look with a cream-colored shirt and charcoal-colored shoes that caught just about everyones eye. We have to say that Kate has truly refined her style over the years and is well on her way to being a perfectly dressed queen.
Evidence suggests that Iran has deployed an array of anti-ship missiles and large rockets overlooking Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is vital for the supply of oil from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The waterway is being patrolled by U.S. Navy and its allies to protect vessels from Iranian action, Forbes writes in the article Iran Deploys Missiles Covering The Strait Of Hormuz.

Multiple amateur videos and photos of the weapons lined up on overlooking the beach began surfacing on social media on April 4. Geospatial analysis has confirmed that the location of one of the batteries is on Qeshm Island. The Open Source intelligence (OSINT) shows the weapons were deployed beside the coast road, facing east towards the Strait, between Qeshm and Borka Khalaf. They were lined up behind a protective sand berm. The space between them suggests a tactical deployment. Although whether it is an exercise or a show of force, and whether or not it was supposed to be seen, remains unclear.

The weapons appear to belong the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The systems seen include the Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). The Fajr-3 carries twelve 240mm (9.5 inch) rockets. These have a range of 27 miles and carry a large warhead. All twelve rockets can be loosed off in under two minutes.

The larger Fajr-5 can hit targets 45 miles away. Only four are carried on each launcher however. Unlike the Fajr-3, which was based on a North Korean design, this rocket appears to be truly Iranian in origin. In 2017 Iran revealed a satellite guided version with a reported range of up to 80 miles, but it is unclear whether this has entered service. From their positions the Fajr-3 rockets can reach most of the way across the Straits of Hormuz, and the larger Fajr-5s the whole Strait.

More potent than the rockets are anti-ship missiles. At least one mobile anti-ship missile launcher has been identified in the footage. The Khatam-5 system carries Noor sea-skimming missiles which are derived from the Chinese C-802 system. They are generally equivalent to the U.S. Navys Harpoon. They are carried on a truck which can be disguised as a regular civilian vehicle. The cab is the ubiquitous white and the missile and radar can be retracted into a box-like back. With the missiles in carry mode the vehicle would be very difficult to identify.

The location will be familiar to naval planners. There are several missile sites and naval facilities on the island, including one with an underground tunnel for boats and submarines. Deployment positions like this are transient and the systems have likely been moved since the imagery was taken. Their presence on the island sends a message of Irans preparedness however and reminds us that the Straits remain a potential flash point.

Iran continues to build up its naval capabilities across the board. The Iranian Navy recently announced that it is working on a large submarine and a 6,000 ton destroyer.
Although it is not quite clear whether coronavirus or corruption should in fact be blamed for the most recent food-supply problems in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, such developments certainly have serious detrimental effects on a country that continues to fight a low-intensity conflict on its territory

On March 1, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MOD) reported that all combat units and some small garrisons (indirectly involved in Joint Forces operations) of the Armed Forces switched to a new meal and food-supply system. The poor quality of soldiers meal packs has long been a source of chronic complaints. Supposedly, the old meals are now being taken off the menu and replaced with higher-quality food, supplied to the military under an entirely new catalog system. This long-awaited reform is expected to not only fundamentally change the quality of soldiers provisions but also bring Ukraine`s standards closer to those of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Under the new system, military service members will choose their own breakfast, lunch and dinner from an online catalog (the updated menu offers a variation of more than 400 products). The main condition is to not go beyond the daily allowance, between 67 and 74 hryvna ($2.41$2.66) per meal.

The MOD has repeatedly emphasized that providing the military with quality meals is an important factor influencing Ukraines defense potential; yet, on March 17, First Deputy Minister of Defense Ivan Rusnak announced serious problems with the food supply of the Army and the National Guard. According to Rusnak, Pontem.ua LLC, a company that won state tenders to supply food to military personnel, refused to fulfill its obligations due to force majeure circumstances related to quarantine measures introduced across the country to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Rusnak outlined the position of the ministry: companies that caused a problem with the food supply should no longer be permitted to cooperate with the Armed Forces. The first deputy minister entrusted the General Staff, unit commanders, heads of general directorates, the Department of Military Education and Science, as well as the heads of the higher military educational establishments to check their readiness to organize food in mobile field kitchens. He also requested a review of the available stocks of products, fuel and refrigeration equipment needed to carry out training activities for personnel.

The MOD likely knew about the supply problems before March 17. According to a letter signed by Hanna Kovalenko (deputy head of the Presidential Office) on March 13, local and state administrations were required to be prepared to provide assistance to military units in providing food and cooking personnel on a free-of-charge basis.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksiy Martsenyuk, stated that the situation jeopardized the food supply of about 250 non-combat units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (about 30 percent of total personnel). However, the MOD established appropriate procedures for cooperation between local authorities and military unit commanders in the event of any emergency. Martsenyuk claimed there is currently no threat of a total disruption and no need for food to be provided to military personnel by local executive bodies. As a result of urgent measures taken by the defense ministry, an agreement was reached with current contracted food suppliers to continue deliveries. Additionally, on March 30, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the state budget for the 2020 fiscal year that will ensure the uninterrupted food supply to military personnel of the Armed Forces and Interior Ministry Troops.

Although it looked as if the problem had been resolved in a rapid manner and that the reform of the military food supply would continue as scheduled, the recent crisis might be viewed as yet another sign of corruption in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Diana Petrenya, the former head of the defense ministrys Reform Project Office, for example, believes that the blame leveled on the COVID-19 quarantine measures was simply an excuse; in reality, a political decision was made to stop food-supply reforms and return to old corruption schemes. Military expert Oleh Zhdanov agrees. In an interview with Apostrophe, he argued, Instead of making the necessary changes [to the military food supply system], Minister of Defense [Andriy] Taran decided to cancel the entire reform. Especially now that the state machine is flying away. He is a man of the old system, with their connections. Perhaps the reason should be sought there.

It is not quite clear how Pontem.uaa company that has been involved in repeated scandals related to overpriced food offeringswon the tender to supply the Ukrainian military in the first place. According to open sources, the catering firm was registered in July 2016, and was founded by a Lithuanian concern, the Baltijos Paslaugu Group. In February 2017, the company won (though not without controversy) a contract to supply hot meals in some Kyiv city school districts. At the time, that winning bid was advertised by thenUkrainian president Petro Poroshenko. By 2018, however, Pontem.ua became one of the leaders in a series of school catering standards violations.

Likewise, the companys attainment of the Armed Forces food supply contract itself proceeded under a black cloud. Eight companies bid on the tender, and the state initially selected the most expensive offer, from Atomservice. According to Ukrainian media, this company is believed to be associated with the well-known criminal Yury Ivanyushchenko, nicknamed Yura Enakievsky. The media cited information regarding multiple past attempts by companies related to Ivanyushchenko to become monopoly food suppliers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After Atomservice was selected to fulfill the present contract, Pontem.ua appealed to the states Anti-Monopoly Committee. Pontem.ua won the suit, and Atomservice dropped its winning bid. A state contract to supply food to the Armed Forces represents a stable, multi-year income stream for any catering firm that succeeds in securing it; thus, Pontem.uas ensuing decision to suddenly entirely abandon the contract (allegedly because of coronavirus-related restrictions) was quite unexpected.

Although it is not quite clear whether coronavirus or corruption should in fact be blamed for the most recent food-supply problems in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, such developments certainly have serious detrimental effects on a country that continues to fight a low-intensity conflict on its territory. One way or another, essential military reforms will have to be maintained for the country to fulfill its goal of reaching full compliance with NATO standards and practices by the end of 2020.

Read the full article here.
Cape Town  African leaders are coming out in defence of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after US President Donald Trump attacked the organisation for being China-centric and mishandling the novel coronavirus outbreak. Trump was quoted as saying: Were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO.

But when the US leader was asked if that was a good idea considering the world is in the midst of a pandemic, he said he was only considering a possible suspension.

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Moussa Faki Mahamat tweeted that he is surprised to learn of a campaign by the US govt against WHO s global leadership.

The @_AfricanUnion fully supports @WHO and @DrTedros. The focus should remain on collectively fighting #Covid19 as a united global community. The time for accountability will come, Mahamat wrote.

Our global priority is to save lives, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde replied on Twitter. @WHO under @DrTedros effective leadership, are delivering on their mandate at a time we need them most. Lets give them the space. @covid19 is killing many. We must support & protect the most vulnerable. Now is not the time for blame game.

President of Namibia Hage G. Geingob responded to Mahamats tweet with this message: I agree with you, my brother @WHO, under the stewardship of @DrTedros, has shown itself to be a true flag-bearer of multilaterarism when global solidarity has become critical. Lets hold hands in this crucial moment and focus on what matters, saving lives.

President Paul Kagame and his Namibian counterpart President Hage Gottfried Geingob during Kagames three-day visit to Namibia

Trump and his supporters have been suggesting that the WHO was withholding information about coronavirus, saying that the organisation has been wrong about a lot of things. He named the closing of borders to China as a decisive action the United States took on January 31, however the WHOs declaration of COVID-19 as global pandemic was announced on January 30.

Rwandas President Paul Kagame also weighed in, retweeting Mahamats statement and adding:  Totally Agree ,and asking this; Is it Dr.Tedros, WHO, China  under attack or all of them together? Lets focus on the fight against this pandemic, whoever shd be held accntable will come later and done properly. Save us too much politics Africa does not need it. Who does?

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa responded: The most potent weapon against #COVID19 and its devastating health, social & economic impact is international cooperation & solidarity, which is why the exceptional leadership displayed daily by @WHO & @DrTedros during an unprecedented global public health crisis is incalculable.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted:  The Government of Nigeria fully supports @WHO and its Director General @DrTedros . We are grateful for the leadership and guidance the WHO has provided as we respond to this pandemic. With #COVID19 , we are in an existential battle, requiring global solidarity.

The continents COVID-19 cases rose past 10,000 today, while the United States is at 369,253 active cases of the novel coronavirus, according to Worldometers.

We are incredibly lucky to have someone like Dr. Tedros at the helm of WHO during an unprecedented global crisis, said Dr. Senait Fisseha, Chief advisor to the director general of the WHO, in an interview. His resolute focus on the communities and people affected and the evidence to stem the spread is exactly the kind of leadership we need, she said, now more than ever.

Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director at the African Population and Health Research Center in Kenya, made clear her thoughts on the matter, tweeting: The US govt has been burning bridges everywhere for the last 3 years and now they are spoiling for a fight in the midst of a global pandemic. Perhaps this showdown will show DJT just how much clout the USA has lost in the rest of the world. #IstandWithTedros.

I am glad to see world leaders voice their support for him and this institution that does so much to keep us safe, often unseen, said Fisseha. It is important that we stay united in global solidarity and focused on the evidence base to stop the spread of COVID, rather than fall prey to political volleys.
Neymar "will always be welcome" back at Barcelona, the Spanish giants' striker Luis Suarez told Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday.

Neymar left Barca in a world record move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 but has been persistently linked to a possible return to the Camp Nou. Suarez told the paper: "Everybody knows 'Ney', we all know the affection we have for him in the dressing room.

"His ability is indisputable and he still has so much to show. He will always be welcome in the changing room, we appreciate him a lot." Suarez, 33, recovering from right knee surgery, said it was "complicated" to talk about players joining



Barca at this time of crisis with the coronavirus pandemic.

"But I can talk about players, and these are huge players," he commented when asked by the paper to discuss the rumours linking the 28-year-old Neymar with a Barca return.

The Uruguayan also had warm words for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, the 22-year-old Argentine whose name also been associated with a move to Catalonia.

"Lautaro is a player who is progressing in Italy, he is a flexible centre-forward, with spectacular moves and that shows what a great a striker he is."



Questioned about how any eventual new signings would fit in Suarez said:"There will always be a healthy rivalry between us, and while we are all focused on the same objective, that is winning, any players who come in to help the team achieve its aims will always be welcome." He then turned to last week's deal with the club to cut players' wages by 70%, with Barca captain Lionel Messi accusing the club of undermining the squad during negotiations.

"There were some things that were said that were false, like that the players didn't want to see their salaries reduced, that some were against it.

"That they (club management) were saying that without being part of the squad was annoying. It annoyed all the players." Suarez emphasised all the players were united from the start in wanting to help the club as much as possible.

"The deal was delayed because it's not easy to revoke the salary of 22-23 players.

"It was worked out between the club and the players' lawyers, but it wasn't easy to do.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 08:00:32|Editor: huaxia

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"Our priorities are to ensure the COVID-19-free status of incoming uniformed personnel and mitigate the risk that UN peacekeepers could be a contagion vector and simultaneously maintain our operational capabilities."



UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has suspended until June 30 the rotation and deployments of uniformed personnel, including individual officers and already-formed, police and military peacekeeping units, because of the novel coronavirus, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, said on Tuesday.

"Our priorities are to ensure the COVID-19-free status of incoming uniformed personnel and mitigate the risk that UN peacekeepers could be a contagion vector and simultaneously maintain our operational capabilities," Dujarric said. "A few, limited exceptions may be considered to continue to deliver on the mandate, but only in extenuating circumstances on the basis of strict conditions to prevent the spread of the virus."

The decision was sent to all countries contributing troops and police and to all relevant peace operations.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, was appalled to have learned that heavy shelling hit Tripoli's Al Khadra General Hospital, injuring at least one healthcare worker and damaging the fully functioning medical facility, the spokesman said. El Hillo called it a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

The coordinator said repeated calls by the United Nations and the international community for a cessation of hostilities have only been met with complete disregard and the fighting has intensified.

Chinese peacekeepers march during a medal ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, April 3, 2019. Chinese peacekeepers at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) received UN medal for their contribution to keeping peace in southern Lebanon. (Xinhua)

He called it unacceptable at a time when healthcare and health workers are vital in the fight against a global pandemic, adding that if Libya is to have any chance against COVID-19, the ongoing conflict must come to an immediate halt.

The UN team in Jordan led by the World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the government by supporting the National Preparedness and Response Operational Plan to contain the virus and procure medical equipment, personal protection equipment and diagnostic tests, Dujarric said.

The UN Children's Fund is working with the Jordanian Ministry of Education to ensure continued learning for the most vulnerable children, including home learning through TV and online and in print in communities with no access to the internet, the spokesman said.

The world organization is working with the government to provide counseling services over the telephone to women, including refugees. It is also transferring cash to women who had to stop working due to COVID-19, he said.

The World Food Programme is working with the Jordanian government to ensure that support to refugees is maintained, including through cash transfers for food and other needs, Dujarric said.

Photo taken on May 24, 2019 shows the United Nations Peacekeeping Medal award ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

The UN Development Programme is supporting medical waste management in Jordanian hospitals to protect patients, medical workers and the general public, he said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is increasing its ability to prevent, treat and limit the spread of COVID-19 among refugee communities across East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, areas that host some of the largest refugee populations in the world, the spokesman said.

Many of UNHCR's operations in the area have provided refugees with more food and basic relief items to reduce the frequency of distributions and the risks posed by queues and large crowds, Dujarric said.

The agency is also actively engaged with governments of the region to ensure the inclusion of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people in the national response plans.

The spokesman said humanitarian colleagues reported the United Nations, the European Union and the government of Nigeria launched a COVID-19 campaign for additional funds to support efforts to tackle the pandemic.

Cambodian peacekeepers board a plane in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 17, 2019. Cambodia sent the sixth batch of 298 troops, including 25 women, to join a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the war-torn West African nation of Mali on Friday. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

The new fund, which will be facilitated and implemented by the United Nations in Nigeria, aims to ensure adequate essential health equipment needed for testing, preparing quarantine and medical care.

In Cameroon, the secretary-general has condemned the double suicide bombing by suspected Boko Haram fighters that took place in Amichide, in the Far North Region of Cameroon on Sunday. He expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and to the government and people of Cameroon.

Guterres reiterated UN's continued support to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin in their unwavering efforts to address the security, socioeconomic and humanitarian challenges posed by Boko Haram.

A new report by the WHO and its partners said the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need to strengthen the global health workforce, with nurses being on the frontline.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that nurses are the backbone of any health system, adding that the new report, entitled "The State of the World's Nursing 2020," is a wakeup call to ensure they get the support they need to keep the world healthy.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (front) lays a wreath during a solemn ceremony to commemorate fallen peacekeepers at the UN headquarters in New York, May 24, 2019. The United Nations on Friday honored its fallen peacekeepers with a solemn ceremony on occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

There are just under 28 million nurses worldwide, with a global shortfall of 5.9 million, and with the greatest gaps in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean region and Latin America, he said.

The report estimated that countries experiencing shortages need to increase the total number of nurse graduates by an average 8 percent per year, along with improved ability to be employed and retained in the health system.

The UN secretary-general dedicated his World Health Day message on Tuesday to all the healthcare workers - nurses, midwives, technicians, paramedics, pharmacists, doctors, drivers, cleaners, administrators and many others - who work day and night to keep people safe.

"We are more deeply grateful than ever to all of you, as you work, round the clock, putting yourselves at risk, to fight the ravages of this pandemic," he said.

"You make us proud; you inspire us. We are indebted to you," the secretary-general said. 
Oleksii Liskonih/iStock(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) -- After over five years of fighting in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and its coalition backing the Yemeni government against a rebel group announced they will halt their military operations for two weeks, possibly providing a small window for negotiations again.



Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations has called for all parties to agree to a ceasefire and instead focus on preventing an outbreak, with the country's health care system destroyed by fighting and its impoverished and malnourished population particularly vulnerable to its disease, known as COVID-19.



Backed by the U.S., the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, in 2015 after the Houthis, an armed Islamic movement increasingly backed by Iran, seized the capital amid mass protests.



The conflict has created what the U.N. calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with over 10,000 people killed, millions suffering from food and medical shortages, and the country on the brink of famine. Larger than the size of California and home to more than 28 million people on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has seen its economy collapse, a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 4,000 people and devastating fighting for half a decade now.



While the warring sides siege cities or blockade ports, the international aid delivered to the country rarely finds its way to those in need -- with aid groups accusing the Houthis in particular of stealing or taxing food assistance even as people starve. For its part, the Saudi-led coalition has been accused of indiscriminately bombing civilians and even targeting civilian infrastructure to exacerbate the humanitarian toll.



Only 50% of Yemen's health centers are functioning, according to the aid group Oxfam International, but those that are running severely lack medicine, equipment and personnel.



With the threat of COVID-19 spreading throughout the Middle East, U.N. special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths called for a halt to fighting and the launch of "a formal ceasefire process." Griffiths said last Thursday that he had been consulting with all the parties daily and working to convene their two sides via teleconference "soonest possible."



The Saudi announcement Wednesday, which will be implemented at noon local time on Thursday, could be an important step in that direction.



A senior Saudi official told ABC News it was a "good opportunity ... to force the Houthis and encourage them to meet the Yemeni government under the supervision of Martin Griffiths to discuss a sustained ceasefire."



Griffiths welcomed it as a "critical moment for Yemen" and urged the parties to "now utilize this opportunity and cease immediately all hostilities with the utmost urgency, and make progress towards comprehensive and sustainable peace."



The decision does not preclude Saudi forces from defending themselves or responding to attacks on the kingdom, the official said. Armed with increasingly sophisticated weapons by the Iranian government, the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and small armed drones across Yemen's northern border into Saudi territory.



If the Houthis respond positively, the senior Saudi official said the coalition would extend the ceasefire by additional two-week periods.



"The Saudis have been hesitant to publicly agree to a ceasefire, lest the Houthis take advantage to move equipment or weapons," said Elana DeLozier, a research fellow at the Washington institute for Near East Policy who has studied the conflict. "A unilateral, time-bound ceasefire by the Saudis is likely an attempt to give the Houthis a chance to prove they are serious about negotiations."





But the possibility of a ceasefire is a marked contrast from the last 10 days. Heavy fighting has killed more than 270 people and wounded 300 others, and the Saudi-led coalition conducted more than 370 airstrikes, according to the Associated Press.



The two sides have also been here before. In December 2018, Griffiths finally got the parties together in Stockholm, Sweden, where they signed a deal to cease fire in major cities, exchange prisoners and work toward a long-term political solution. But since then, in fits and starts, the war has dragged on.





In one way, the continued fighting has actually protected Yemen from the coronavirus' spread because it has limited points of entry into the country, with international flights already severely limited. In March, the government shut down what flights were still operational.



But the country also relies on international imports for 80 to 90% of its basic needs, including food, according to the World Food Programme, which provides monthly food assistance to more than 12 million people. As global trade slows because of countries' travel restrictions, Yemen is at risk of those supplies drying up, WFP warned Tuesday.





Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Crunchy puffs made of avocado? Yep. (AvoCrazy)

No need to venture out to the store for snacks; numerous brands are now delivering better-for-you options to your door as we all try to fend off stress-eating-while-self-quarantining. Here are 18:

Vegan-rific

1. Avocado powder, rice flour and avocado oil are the main ingredients in the vegan curls from AvoCrazy. 8 packs for $24. avocrazy.com

::

Crispy, salty

Stacked potato chips in various flavors. (Good Crisp Co.)

2. Stacked potato chips from the Good Crisp Co. come in flavors like Aged White Cheddar and Outback BBQ. $30 for an 8-pack. thegoodcrispcompany.com

::

Protein-packed

Chomps has its new Chomplings, miniature sticks made with meat. (Chomps)

3. Chomps has its new Chomplings, miniature meat sticks made with grass-fed beef and venison and free-range turkey, in flavors including cranberry habanero and sea salt. $60 for a variety pack. chomps.com

::

Still sweet

Stevia-sweetened chocolate for those watching their sugar intake. (Lily's)

4. Bars of salted almonds, extra-dark chocolate and hazelnut milk chocolate are stevia-sweetened for those avoiding refined white sugar. $39.99 for a 12-pack. lilys.com

::

Fruity goodness

Whole fruits and vegetables make up these refrigerated bars. (Bright Foods)

5. The refrigerated Carrot Pineapple bars from Bright Foods are made with organic carrots, cashews, pineapple, turmeric and ginger, Other flavors include Kale Apple and Carrot Blueberry. $48 for 12. brightfoods.com

::

Spice craving

Freeze-dried, gluten-free ramen cups from Lotus Foods. (Lotus Foods)

6. If you cant find ramen at your local store, Lotus Foods has its gluten-free Garlicky Veggie, Hot & Sour and Masala Curry Rice Ramen Noodle Soup cups. $13.99 for a 6-pack. lotusfoods.com

::

Do it for the 'Gram

Chia seeds mixed with fruit and other ingredients from Mamma Chia. (Mamma Chia)

7. Chia seeds mixed with fruit puree and in squeezable pouches from Mamma Chia are flavored with with yerba mate, kale and prebiotics $5.99 for a 4-pack. mammachia.com

::

Did someone say 'pizza'?

Crunchy snacks from Shrewd Food. (Shrewd Food)

8. Sriracha Cheddar and Brick Oven Pizza are flavors in Shrewd Foods Protein Puffs, 90 calories a bag. $24.99 for a 12-pack variety box. shrewdfood.com

::

A whole lotta snacking...

Boxes of healthful snacks can be sent to anyone in the country. (The Goods Mart)

9. To help support the nationwide Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, Rachel Krupa, founder of New York organic convenience store the Goods Mart, is shipping out variety boxes of curated healthier snacks. $20 to $60. shopthegoodsmart.com

Story continues

::

Pulse it

Pea-based crunchy snacks from Peato's. (Peato's)

10. Peatos founder Nick Desai based his companys offerings on the pulses-based snacks of his native India; his Classic Cheese Curls, Fiery Hot Curls and Classic Onion Rings are made from peas. A 45-count pack is $49.99. peatos.com

::

Pour it on

Bottled dressings and sauces are delivered from Mother Raw. (Mother Raw)

11. Bottled dressings, dips and sauces from Mother Raw have the simplest ingredients  nutritional yeast, apple-cider vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper. $7.49. motherraw.com

::

Sun-dried variety

Rind: sun-dried fruits with the peel on. (Rind)

12. Sun-dried fruits from Rind include the fiber-rich peel; options include Tangy Kiwi, Orchard Blend and Tropical Blend. $24.99 for a variety pack of 4. rindsnacks.com

::

Just nutty

13. Split packets contain nut butter on one side, a fruit spread on the other, In March, the brand donated 150,000 packets to the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Mission. A sampler pack is $29.99 for 12. splitnutrition.com

::

Feel-good ingredients

Sun & Swell Foods has crisps made from cashews, sweet potato and flax, and cookies from dates, cashews, oats and cacao. (Sun & Swell)

14. Sun & Swell Foods has crisps made from cashews, sweet potato and flax, and cookies from dates, cashews, oats and cacao. $20 for sampler pack. sunandswellfoods.com



::

Ethical snacking

Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookies are vegan snacks designed to keep you feeling full. (Lenny & Larry's)

15. Vegan, high-protein cookies from Lenny & Larry's are designed to keep you feeling full, in flavors like Salted Caramel and Snickerdoodle. $21.95 for 12. lennylarry.com

::

High-flying popcorn

Corn dippers from Pipcorn. (Pipcorn)

16. Heirloom kernels make up popcorn from Pipcorn in flavors like Truffle and Kettle. $16 for a 4-pack. pipsnacks.com

::

Super fatty

Crispy salmon skins. (Goodfish)

17. Pescatarians may take to the crispy salmon skin snack from Goodfish in Sea Salt, Chili Lime, Spicy BBQ. $25 for 8 packets. goodfish.com

::

Low-to-no carbs

Pouch Super: A Keto-friendly mix of nuts and cheese (Hilo Life)

18. Roasted nuts and crispy cheeses make up 4 grams of carbs in Keto-friendly mixes from Hilo Life. $14.94 for 6 packets. hilolife.com




Passengers wearing face masks and rain coats to protect against the spread of new coronavirus gather outside of Hankou train station after of the resumption of train services in Wuhan. (Image: AP)
Ashton Irwin has spoken out after 5 Seconds of Summer's new album, Calm, was 'robbed' of the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Chart this week.

In a video shared to Twitter on Tuesday, the 25-year-old drummer thanked fans for their support but admitted he was 'disappointed'.

Calm is sitting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, but it would likely have debuted at No. 1 had it not been released a week early by mistake.

'It's disappointing': Ashton Irwin has spoken out after 5 Seconds of Summer's new album, Calm, was 'robbed' of the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Chart this week

Ashton thanked fans for buying the record and doing their best to help it reach No. 1.

He said: 'I just want to say I appreciate you contesting and fighting for our No. 1 record in the U.S.

'We're left with the No. 2 spot this week and, may I add, that I think it's absolutely astonishing and incredible that we're even at the top of those charts in the calibre of artists that are there with us.

'Records were released a week early that we had no control over, which is very disappointing. Quite honestly, my heart broke when I found out about that.'

So close! Calm is sitting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, but it would likely have debuted at No. 1 had it not been released a week early by mistake

The top spot: The No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart is After Hours by The Weeknd

He added: 'It was released a week early and we lost 10,000 records. We managed to retrieve some that were released early and it was in the tens of thousands to begin with.'

Ashton said that other artists whose records were released early have had their charts positions 'amended'.

'It seems like that isn't going to happen to us,' he said. 'But I want you to know that I'm extremely proud of this fan base for having a voice.

'I love you guys. Remain sincere, keep voicing when things are wrong and I'll try and be as brave as you are.'

Speaking out: Ashton said that other artists whose records were released early have had their charts positions amended, but it 'seems like that isn't going to happen to us'

Ashton also tweeted that he was 'apprehensive' about sharing his thoughts on the Billboard Chart fiasco.

'I think I've censored myself fairly well,' he wrote. 'I feel fearful to speak up about the albums that went out early for fear or losing partnership with media outlets.'

The No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart is After Hours by The Weeknd.

Calm has topped the charts in Australia and the UK, but didn't reach the same heights in the U.S. because of a warehouse error.

On March 23, 10,000 advance copies were sent out before the official release date to fans who had pre-ordered the album.

This meant the LP debuted earlier than expected at a disappointing No. 62.
Author Sohn Won-pyung / Courtesy of Changbi Publishers



Korean authors praised overseas, win international literary awards



By Kang Hyun-kyung



Novelist Sohn Won-pyung won the 2020 Japanese Booksellers' Awards in the category of translated fiction novel for her coming-of-age story "Almond," becoming the first non-Japanese Asian writer to win the award.



The news came amid several Korean novelists and poets being praised overseas for their works.



Established in 2004, the Japanese awards name the best fiction and non-fiction novels published in the country the previous year and vote on the nominated works to select the winners in four categories. It is one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan.



Sohn said she was thrilled and at the same time surprised at the news that her novel won the prestigious Japanese book award.



"I started writing this book to answer my personal question," she said in an acceptance letter sent to the organizers. "I've never thought my book would be loved by readers from around the world, not to mention winning the award."



She said she hoped her readers found her work interesting. "I also hope my book can inspire readers to think about and take interest in what's happening in their lives. If they do, I think I fulfilled my job as an author," she said.



The award-winning book "Almond" revolves around an emotionless boy named Yoon-jae. He becomes a friend of Gon-ee, a school bully and troublemaker, and tries to save his friend who is in life-threatening trouble.



The book won the Changbi Publishers' Literary Award in 2016. It has sold 250,000 copies in Korea. In Japan, some 35,000 copies were sold.



"The protagonist of my novel Yoon-jae has been raised in a used bookstore run by his mother," the author said. "Although he feels no anger, fear or any other emotions as he was born like that, he smells those books and indulges in their secretive stories. I hope my protagonist can strike a chord with you booksellers in Japan."



Sohn said emotions are a basic means through which people can communicate or interact with each other and they are more important than language in terms of its function to bring people together. Using emotions properly, however, remains in the realm of rationality and this is what she tries to say through the protagonist, she went on to say.





"Almond" by Sohn Won-pyung / Courtesy of Changbi Publishers
A shopper allegedly spat in a Coles worker's face and gouged her eyes after being denied entry to a store.

Police say the 35-year-old woman became verbally abusive after being asked by staff to observe coronavirus social distancing measures at the supermarket at Vincentia, on the New South Wales South Coast at 3pm on Wednesday.

When a store worker, 49, asked the customer to leave she allegedly spat in her face and a fight erupted.

The younger woman allegedly pulled the worker's hair, gouged her eyes and damaged her jewellery before leaving.

Scroll down for video

Police say the 35-year-old became verbally abusive after being asked by staff to observe coronaavirus social distancing measures at Coles at Vincentia (pictured), on the New South Wales South Coast

Police later arrested the 35-year-old at a Sanctuary Point home and charged her with common assault, assault occasioning bodily harm and damaging property.

She's due to appear in Nowra Local Court on June 15.

A number of shoppers have been involved in ugly fights in recent weeks since COVID-19 panic-buying started sweeping across Australia's supermarkets.

A teenage girl working at Manly Corso Coles was abused by an 'aggressive' customer for not wearing gloves while working at the checkout on Tuesday.

A number of shoppers have been involved in ugly fights in recent weeks since COVID-19 panic-buying started sweeping across Australia's supermarkets

Hayley Evans, 16, told the furious customer at in Sydney's northern beaches, she was following protocol by using hand sanitiser.

The shopper then phoned NSW Police to report the teenage shop assistant.

Last month a brawl broke out between between the two men at the Woolworths store in Bass Hill, Sydney.

Footage captured by shocked onlookers showed one of the men being led out of the busy store before he quickly turned back and ran towards the other customer.

Many people could be heard screaming and yelling amid the chaos.

Staff and other shoppers intervened and attempted to separate the pair.

In early March, three women were involved fist fight over toilet paper at south-western Sydney Woolworths

'He hit my dad, I'm going f***ing kill him,' one of the men could be heard shouting.

A week earlier, three women were involved fist fight over toilet paper at south-western Sydney Woolworths.

Hysterical screaming broke out as the trio battled in the aisles, with the incident seemingly stemming from a mother and daughter stockpiling toilet paper.

After hair-pulling, scuffling and screaming, the furious victim spat at the Bebawy family: 'I just wanted one pack!'

A Coles spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the retailer 'does not tolerate abuse or disrespect' toward customers or staff.
San Antonio Police Department

San Antonio police and Crime Stoppers are asking for the public's help in locating a man accused of viciously attacking two people.

Police are attempting to locate 60-year-old Major Carvel Baldwin, who is wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Baldwin allegedly attacked two people with a hammer on Feb. 29, near the 300 block of Bundy, police said.
Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," in New York on Sept. 30, 2015. (Benjamin Chasteen/Epoch Times)

Time for America to Wake Up to Chinese Regimes Threats: Expert

The United States should reassess its relationship with the Chinese regime, which has allowed a deadly pathogen to spread around the world, grinding economies to a halt, according to China expert Gordon Chang.

The Chinese regimes virus coverup is part of a strategy to preserve its ruleand has spotlighted how Beijings actions are a threat to the free world, Chang told The Epoch Times.

This is the time when I think Americans are starting to realize the maliciousness of Chinas challenge to the U.S. and the fundamental nature of its attack, he said.

Coverup

In mid-December, evidence had emerged that the virus could spread among humans. Doctors in Wuhan expressed alarm after seeing a sudden uptick in intake; some, including Ai Fen and Li Wenliang, warned their colleagues about a new form of pneumonia spreading among patients.

The Chinese regime silenced those doctors and claimed that the virus was containable and controllable. On Jan. 14, the World Health Organization, quoting the Chinese officials, announced that there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. The United States saw its first patient six days later, the same day a famed Chinese pulmonologist acknowledged that the virus could spread among humans.

In another three days, Wuhan authorities locked down the city, but not before roughly 5 million people traveled to other parts of China or foreign countries ahead of Chinese New Year festivities, inadvertently spreading the virus. A March study estimated that 86 percent of all infections in Wuhan before the lockdown were undocumented.

Through February, the regime also criticized countries that placed travel bans on visitors from China.

China knew that this virus would spread. But it tried to lull governments into not taking action, Chang said.

The culpability here is real. You could say its reckless, you could say its intentional. They could have warned the world. They didnt do it. Matter of fact, they tried to put the world off.

A paramilitary police officer stands guard in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Global Image Makeover

As its botched early response led to a growing crisis, the regime saw a chance to reverse its image.

On Twitter, more than 100 Chinese diplomatsmany of whom opened accounts in recent monthstouted China as the savior of the world and claimed that the virus originated in other countries, such as the United States.

In a now-infamous tweet, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson speculated that the U.S. Army may have been responsible for bringing the virus to Wuhan.

The U.S. State Department later summoned the Chinese ambassador to the United States and held a call with a senior Chinese diplomat over the tweet.

We have not heard the Chinese Foreign Ministry issue an apology to the United States for that inflammatory, dangerous false tweet, Chang said. Until we get that apology, we certainly know that there has not been a fundamental change in viewpoint inside the foreign ministry, or indeed the Communist Party itself.

In an effort to cast itself as a global leader in fighting the outbreak, the Chinese regime sent medical experts and sought-after medical supplies to virus-hit countries.

A March 26 article on official news agency Xinhua, for example, described the foreign aid as heartwarming and fuel delivered in the snow. The Chinese aid across thousands of miles is capturing the worlds attention, it said.

A Xinhua commentary dated April 7 also claimed that the regime has been open, transparent, and responsible in all its effort.

In its propaganda efforts, Chang said, the regime is trying to rewrite not just history, but as people say, its trying to rewrite the present.

Such publicity efforts have not all been successful. Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands have recalled Chinese equipment after finding them to be faulty or substandard.

Chinas Ambitions

The U.S. administration has recently stepped up its scrutiny over state-backed Chinese projects. Beijings Belt and Road Initiative, its ambitious plan to build infrastructure projects across Europe, Africa, and central and southeast Asia, has been criticized by the U.S. State Department for trapping developing countries under heavy debt.

Experts and officials also have flagged Chinas 5G technology, led by regime-friendly firms, as a national security risk.

The Chinese regimes initiatives tend to be self-serving and are meant to force nations into a dependent state, Chang said.

For U.S. policymakers, this should be a time to recognize such longstanding threats from the Chinese regime and cut economic ties with it, he said.

I think we will come to a realization that there can be no peaceful coexistence on a long term basis with China, he said. Either its the Peoples Republic of China, or its the United States of America. Not both.
E llen DeGeneres is under fire for comments she made comparing her time in lockdown to being in prison.

The 62-year-old comedian and TV presenter made the comparison on Monday during her quarantine version of her daytime show, which she is recording remotely from her mansion, which boasts its own infinity pool.

This is like being in jail, is what it is, she said.

Mostly because Ive been the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.

The joke didnt sit well with viewers, with many saying the gag was inappropriate considering DeGeneres' significant wealth.

What a great look for Ellen as thousands of people sit in actual jail cells just hoping for the best without soap and basic protections, wrote Variety TV critic Caroline Framke.

My 19 year old daughter is considered an "essential employee". She's a fast food worker. She's exposed EVERY DAY, wrote another Twitter user.

Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures 1 /34 Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures Gigi Hadid with boyfriend Zayn Malik and sister Bella during her quarantined 25th birthday celebration Instagram / @gigihadid Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Gigi Hadid celebrated her 25th birthday with family while in quarantine Instagram / @gigihadid Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been able to enjoy time with their kids Instagram / @chrissyteigen Katy Perry recorded herself for American Idol in a life sized hand sanitizer bottle Instagram / @katyperry Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the first celebrities to have a confirmed case and kept us updated on their recovery journey on Twitter and Instagram Instagram / @tomhanks Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend Instagram / @buuski Kaia Gerber adopted a puppy to keep her company Instagram / @kaiagerber Helena Christensen has been having her son take glam Instagram photos for her Instagram Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz Instagram Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves @kimkardashian Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride @gwynethpaltrow Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane @bellahadid Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas @sophiet Sebastian Stan on a plane in protective gear @sebastianstan Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans @nicolescherzinger Idris Elba announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus @idriselba Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps Getty Images Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok Katy Perry has taken to dressing up in outlandish costumes Instagram / @katyperry

Show me @ellen working the lines @ the grocery store. NO mask, NO gloves. Then I might care.

Poor Ellen, languishing in her $15 MILLION MANSION. Yes, it's just like prison, wrote another.

A fourth wrote: Except your jail is a warm home, with access to soap, hot food, and youre not likely to contract a deadly virus because youre stuck in a 6x8 concrete cell with people who could potentially infect you with #Covid19. What a sadly out of touch and entitled thing to say, Ellen.

Ellen made the comment in the first at-home episode of her chat show, during which she interviewed celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and John Legend over video chat.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

DeGeneres is isolating with her wife Portia De Rossi, and she also joked that the spouses finally had time to get to know each other.
Trump Ousts Watchdog for Coronavirus Rescue Spending

By VOA News April 07, 2020

U.S. President Donald Trump has removed the independent watchdog overseeing the management of the country's $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package, the second inspector general he has ousted in recent days.

Trump pushed out Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general at the Pentagon for the past four years, from the coronavirus spending oversight role on Monday, a position that Fine's peers among government inspectors general had selected him for.

Fine was told Monday he was being replaced by Sean O'Donnell, currently the acting inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency, to also be the acting Defense Department watchdog.

With Fine removed from the top Pentagon inspector general posting, he was no longer eligible to head the oversight of the coronavirus spending, hundreds of billions of dollars being sent to U.S. corporations whose economic fortunes have been severely impacted by the virus. Fine remains in the principal deputy inspector general position at the Pentagon.

The Democratic chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, called Fine's removal "a direct insult to the American taxpayers  of all political stripes  who want to make sure their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, incompetence or political favors."

She added, "President Trump has been engaged in an assault against independent inspectors general since last Friday in order to undermine oversight of his chaotic and deficient response to the coronavirus crisis."

Late last week, Trump fired Michael Atkinson as the inspector general of the intelligence community. That decision, Trump acknowledged, was a direct response to Atkinson having alerted congressional lawmakers to the existence of a whistleblower complaint about Trump pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to undertake an investigation of Trump's likely opponent in November's national presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden.

The complaint led to a lengthy investigation of Trump, his impeachment and his eventual acquittal during a Senate trial.

"I am disappointed and saddened that President Trump has decided to remove me as the inspector general of the intelligence community because I did not have his 'fullest confidence,' " Atkinson said in a seven-paragraph statement on Sunday. "It is hard not to think that the president's loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial inspector general."

Asked about his assessment of Atkinson, Trump said, "I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible. That man is a disgrace to IGs."

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Houston city council on Wednesday approved a lease agreement to reserve 400 rooms for quarantined first responders at a downtown hotel, the citys latest move to create space for firefighters and police officers exposed to the coronavirus.

City officials struck the roughly $48,000 deal with CS HPB LLC, the firm that owns the Cambria Hotel Houston Downtown Convention Center at 1314 Texas Ave. The hotel is providing single-occupancy rooms at a rate of $60 per night, plus taxes and a $40 food and beverage package that includes three meals.
A familiar face in the world of vaccine development is once again in the middle of efforts to develop a vaccine for a new upper respiratory virus.

VGXI Inc. of The Woodlands, a firm that has previously worked to help produce vaccines for Zika, Ebola and MERS, has recently completed the first batch of a Phase 1 clinical trial vaccine for the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.

According to a release from the firm, which works to develop GMP grade plasmid DNA for vaccines and gene therapies, company officials announced its scientific staff had recently finished the manufacturing and release of thousands of vials of a DNA vaccine to combat the COVID-19 novel coronavirus in conjunction with partner client Inovio Pharmaceuticals.

VGXI was selected by Inovio Pharmaceuticals in late January to produce the vaccine under a $9 million grant to Inovio from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, company officials stated in the release. Rapid mobilization of efforts across both companies enabled a record-setting timeline to release and initiation of clinical testing for the novel DNA vaccine within just two months from the start of production and only three months from public release of the virus genetic sequence. The large scale manufacturing campaign has supplied thousands of vaccine doses up to four-times faster than traditional plasmid DNA production would support.

Dorothy Peterson, chief operating officer of VGXI Inc., talked about the process her company has recently worked on in collaboration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which did the DNA sequencing element of the pre-research for the vaccines production. The two firms have partnered for more than 13 years on other vaccines.

Development process

We manufacture both DNA plasmid and were currently working on RNA, but this was a DNA plasmid-based vaccine that we were contracted by our client to manufacture. They were given a grant, so weve been a long-standing partner of theirs for over 13 years. The contracted with us to manufacture the vaccine for them in a very rapid timeline, Peterson said. Cornoavirus, there have been different ones. This was given (the name) COVID-19 because the sequence was generated in 2019. But there have been other coroanviruses such as MERS and Ebola, those are all coronaviruses. (Inovio) had identified the sequence of the (COVID-19) virus, so when this pandemic started, they were able to get (the sequence) to us quickly so we could quickly make the vaccine. It is a vaccine, it is not a treatment, it is for prevention. This week, they started a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Normally, vaccine development and clinical trials on patients can last anywhere from 10 months to more than a year, Peterson noted. The genetic mapping of the coronavirus preceeds the complex work of making the actual vaccine in a laboratory.

The FDA, bottom line, is highly motivated to get these products into clinical trials to get a vaccine (that works) sooner, Peterson added. We are the manufacturer. Our customers actually, they create the genetic sequence and they tell us, We want you to make to make a product that has this sequence. We take that (genetic sequence), making what they call a master cell bank. It is the starting material for each subsequent lot. We manufacture under GMP processes so it can be used as a human injectable. We make the master cell bank and produce the actual product (the vaccine) and we vial it. It is the actual vaccine in the bottle.

Creating a master cell bank involves the use of the E. coli bacteria, Peterson noted. The process is complex and done by more than 70 highly-trained employees at VGXIs facility in The Woodlands. The end result is a vaccine that is bottled and ready to be injected into a patient for clinical testing. Despite decades of the use of chicken eggs in influenza vaccine development, Peterson said VGXI does not use chicken eggs in their vaccine development process.

DNA vaccines are synthetic, we are not utilizing any kind of a live virus. Where people misunderstand, youve heard of E. Coli contaminationwe actually use E. Coli cells to grow up the DNA plasmid. Putting the plasmid you want into the cell is called transformation; then you perform fermentation to multiply the cells, Peterson explained. E. Coli multiplies quickly, so you can generate a lot of plasmid very quickly. The DNA plasmid is in these cells that have grown. You then break those cells open and get the material (DNA plasmid) out. You put it through a purification process so that you then have a very pure plasmid that can be injected in a patient.

Various viruses

Peterson said the company has done prior work on worldwide viruses, notably vaccines for the Zika virus, MERS and Ebola. Some of the requests for vaccines are from partner clients, while some come from VGXIs parent company, GeneOne Life Science.

Each time one of these things have come up, one or another of these clients (ask us to make a vaccine). We have made those three (Zika virus, MERS and Ebola) in the past. We are known to to be able to do it very quickly. The normal timeframe is four to six months. Knowing this was required very quickly, we were able to put the manpower on it and get it done, Peterson added. We dont deal directly with the FDA, our clients do. They are very confident that once they get any efficacy, the FDA will allow them to go to the next stage as quickly as possible.

Clinical trials

The clinical trials were believed to have begun in full this week, Peterson noted, and said their partner client Inovio Pharmaceuticals is also, coordinating simultaneous clinical trials in China and South Korea.

According to the press release, additional large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine is scheduled to begin at the VGXI facility in the second quarter of this year. Clinicial trials normally require volunteer patients to meet a checklist of qualifications before theyre used to test the vaccine. Peterson said she believes people who have had the COVID-19 novel coronavirus would likely not be allowed to participate.

(Dr. Anthony Fauci) Is trying to do is set expectations that we are not goig gto have a vaccine tomorrow. I think the FDA is highly motivated. Their Phase 1 clinical is for 40 healthy volunteers. As soon as they get the patients injected and have data, I think the FDA is going to allow them (to move forward), she noted. There are three phases to a clinical trial typically, that is why (there is a long timeframe). You go through phase one, then in phase two is probably more patients  you move around the country (testing) people of different ages (and demographics). Right now, the concern that it is going to be more and more difficult to find those healthy patients or someone who doesnt already have the antibodies. So many of us could have had it.

jeff.forward@chron.com
Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee as the movement to eliminate single-use plastics took hold in mainstream America.

What a difference a pandemic makes.

In a matter of days, hard-won bans to reduce the use of plastics - and particularly plastic shopping sacks - across the U.S. have come under fire amid worries about the virus clinging to reusable bags, cups and straws.

Governors in Massachusetts and Illinois have banned or strongly discouraged the use of reusable grocery bags. Oregon suspended its brand-new ban on plastic bags this week, and cities from Bellingham, Washington, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, have announced a hiatus on plastic bag bans as the coronavirus rages.

Add to that a rise in takeout and a ban on reusable cups and straws at the few coffee stores that remain open, and environmentalists worry COVID-19 could set back their efforts to tackle plastic pollution for years.

A sign posted at an entrance to a 365 Whole Foods store advises customers not to use their own bags while shopping in Lake Oswego, Oregon

'People are scared for their lives, their livelihood, the economy, feeding their loved ones, so the environment is taking a back seat,' said Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar in Seattle.

Quadros has laid off 15 employees and seen a 60% decline in business since Seattle all but shut down to slow the pandemic. For now, he's using biodegradable containers for takeout and delivery, but those products cost up to three times more than plastic - and they're getting hard to find because of the surge in takeout, he said.

'The problem is, we dont know whats in store,' Quadros said. 'Everyone is in the same situation.'

The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying hard to overturn bans on single-use plastics by arguing disposable plastics are the safest option amid the crisis. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have statewide bans on plastic bags, and Oregon and California have laws limiting the use of plastic straws.

New York's statewide plastic bag ban is on hold because of a lawsuit.

Groceries loaded in plastic bags are seen after a shopping trip in Portland. Just weeks earlier, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws and plastic bags

The Plastics Industry Association recently sent a letter to Alex Azar, head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and asked him to speak out against plastic bag bans because they put consumers and workers at risk. And the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance is doubling down on its opposition to plastic bag bans under a preexisting campaign titled Bag the Ban.

Grocery worker unions, too, have joined the chorus. The union that represents Oregon supermarket workers is lobbying for a ban on reusable bags, and a Chicago union called for an 'end to the disease-transmitting bag tax.'

Critics argue people with reusable bags don't regularly wash them.

Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar, hands over a takeout food order, packaged in compostable containers placed inside a plastic bag, to a waiting customer

'If those bags coming into the store are contaminated with anything, they get put on the conveyor belt, the counter, and youre putting yourself in a bad spot,' said Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance. 'It's an unnecessary risk.'

A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found the novel coronavirus can remain on plastics and stainless steel for up to three days, and on cardboard for up to one day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it appears possible for a person to get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes - but it's not thought that's the main way the virus spreads.

More studies are needed to fully assess the dangers posed by reusable bags, which are mostly made of fabric, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the Portland metropolitan area.

'Its not clear that a virus that you can find on a surface - whether its cloth or something else - is viable and can actually make you sick,' she said.

Shopworkers are nervous that the virus could linger on reusable fabric bags and their unions are backing them up with demands to end plastic bag fees and suspend bag bans

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.

Some stores such as Trader Joe's and Target are letting customers use their own bags if they sack their groceries themselves, while others are banning them.

In Oregon, temporary rules now allow disposable 'T-shirt' plastic bags with no fee to customers. Many stores ran out of paper bags amid a run on groceries, accelerating the move to ease plastic restrictions, said Joe Gilliam, president of the Northwest Grocery Association, which represents 1,000 retail locations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

'There are some stores out there that are saying, `For the time being, please dont bring those in. Other stores are allowing them, but ... right now were asking that only freshly laundered ones come in,' he said.

Glen Quadros, owner of the Great American Diner & Bar, places a takeout food order, packaged in compostable containers, into a plastic bag in Seattle

Environmental groups, well aware of the nation's current priorities, were at first unusually silent on moves to temporarily roll back plastic bag bans. But they responded forcefully after the plastics industry asserted bag bans could worsen the pandemic's toll.

'The fear-driven gains the industry was able to win this month are likely to be extremely short-lived,' said John Hocevar, of Greenpeace USA. 'The movement away from throwaway plastic is the kind of awakening that is not going to be that easy for the plastic industry to stop.'

In the meantime, some consumers are getting taken by surprise.

Paul McNamara, who has used his own bags for a decade, said he was stopped at the entrance of his regular market in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, after the state enacted a temporary ban on reusable shopping sacks. His ratty bags have corners reinforced with duct tape from years of use; he instead left with his groceries in plastic bags.

'My question would be, will it become permanent?' McNamara said. 'Im fine with the restrictions on reusable plastics. It makes a lot of sense, and thats the way to go for the environment. But if its a public health issue, weve got to figure out some way to deal with it.'
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) says it will pull out all the stops to fight and contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.



We have resolved that we will carry on this fight no matter what it takes.we know some of us will be taken away by COVID-19, but that is not going to let us down, Dr Frank Ankobea, the GMA President, said.



He gave that assurance when the Association met with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra, to discuss the COVID-19 crisis.



Dr Ankobea said the Association would continue to mobilise all health workers and fight to the end of this pandemic.



Applauding the bold decisions that the President has so far taken to contain the pandemic, Dr Ankobea said it was gratifying that apart from those measures, the Government recognised the work of health workers by instituting incentive packages for them.



When you are working and the President of the nation recognises the work that you are doing, it is very, very encouraging, and I must tell you we have resolved that well carry on this fight no matter what it takes, he said.



The GMA President called on the Government to take steps to ensure the equitable distribution of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and other essential logistics to frontline health workers across the country.



We are on the ground and we know where the PPE must go. We know some of our colleagues are really suffering in the interior. The distribution of the PPE should go to those who really need them to work on the ground, he said.



Dr Ankobea was happy that President Akufo-Addo had made the announcement that PPE would be produced locally.



He said evidence had shown that pandemics hit the world every five years and that it would pay the country well if it prepared itself for the next wave of viruses, urging the government to link the Association with the local plastics industry to enable healthcare workers to get their own aprons, overalls, goggles and shields.



We would be very, very grateful and that would mean that we have started the preparations for the next pandemic.



Dr Ankobea underscored the importance of putting up intensive care units at all regional hospitals and resourcing their laboratories to carry out the testing for COVID-19.



He also urged the government to engage and improve the stock of PPE in private health institutions as most of the cases would move through private hospitals and if they dont know how to make diagnostics, protect themselves, and dont have PPE we will have a challenge...so we should engage the private sector as we move along.



President Akufo-Addo, on his part, commended Ghanaian health workers for their sacrifice and commitment to the care of those infected with coronavirus and other diseases.



I appreciate, and the country appreciates very much, the work you are doing, and to encourage you that, at this stage more than at any time in your professional career, you will really be standing up for the people of Ghana in everything that you do, he said.



The President noted that doctors and healthcare personnel were at the heart of the pandemic that had implications on the socio-economic life of Ghanaians.



You are at all times relevant to the lives of the society. If you step up to the plate and show the people of Ghana the commitment to their welfare, it will make all the difference to our capacity to deal with the pandemic.



I dont think there will come a time when the Hippocratic Oath will be more in need of support and enforcement than it is today, he added.

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
Prime Minister Hun Sen and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed U.S. assistance to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic while reiterating the superpowers acknowledgment of Cambodias sovereignty and democratic governance.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mike Pompeo thanked Hun Sen during a recent phone call for welcoming passengers aboard the MS Westerdam cruise ship in February.

The ship had more than 600 American tourists and was allowed to dock at Sihanoukville, after being turned down by other countries worried it could have coronavirus positive passengers.

In return, the statement reported that Hun Sen also thanked Mike Pompeo for the $2 million assistance to help Cambodia fight the viral pandemic and that both parties also talked about Cambodias sovereignty.

His excellency Pompeo welcomed Royal Cambodian governments statement on national sovereignty, supported all types of security cooperation of ASEAN and emphasized the importance of freedom of expression despite different views, said in the statement.

U.S. Embassy spokesperson Emily Zeeberg did not reveal more than what was published in the Foreign Ministry statement.



Secretary Pompeo and Prime Minister Hun Sen also discussed the importance of Cambodias sovereignty, as well as ways to strengthen its democratic governance, including the importance of freedom of expression, especially during this time when all voices are needed to fight the pandemic, she said in an email to VOA Khmer.

She added this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and the United States, and the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister acknowledged the longstanding bilateral partnership.

On March 24, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying that Cambodias government clamped down on free speech amid coronavirus.

Human Rights Watch documented the arrest of 17 people since late January 2020 for allegedly sharing fake news or information about the coronavirus in Cambodia.

The Cambodian government is misusing the COVID-19 outbreak to lock up opposition activists and others expressing concern about the virus and the governments response, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director.

Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Thailands Naresuan University, said that under the Trump administration, the U.S. seemed to be working harder to prevent Cambodias move towards China.

I think Hun Sen realizes that being overly close to Beijing is not healthy for the maintenance of Cambodias economic and political independence as a sovereign nation, he said.

Therefore, both sides are trying to improve relations although Cambodia remains wary of Washingtons intentions given the historical bad blood between the U.S. and Hun Sen.

He added that Chinese officials would not be happy with the Hun Sen administrations recent outreach with the U.S., resulting in Hun Sen conceding more ground to the Chinese government.
Cash-strapped parents are being forced to pay nursery fees or risk losing their child's place, campaigners have told Money Mail.

The coronavirus lockdown has caused all schools and nurseries to shut, with only the children of key workers catered for.

But some parents, who are now looking after their children while also working from home, are still being billed.

Mother-of-two Carla Turnbull (pictured with husband Robbie and children Riley, four, and Lucia, two) took action after her children's nursery indicated it would charge in the lockdown

It comes as nurseries in England are now relieved of paying business rates. They are also able to claim 80 per cent of staff wages from the government and get loans of up to 5 million.

Some pre-schools have waived or cut charges for children who can't attend, but others are continuing to charge full fees. Some have even told parents they may lose their children's places if they do not pay up.

The average annual cost of sending a child under-two to nursery for 25 hours-a-week in Britain has risen by 5 per cent in just a year to 6,844, according to the Coram Family and Childcare Trust.

The cost of sending a two-year-old is up 4 per cent to 6,590.

Mother-of-two Carla Turnbull (pictured) decided to take action after her children's nursery indicated it would charge full fees in a lockdown.

The teacher and her husband, Robbie, 35, pay 270-a-month to send Riley, four, and Lucia, two, to their local Mama Bear's nursery in Bristol for one-and-a-half days a week.

Riley's attendance is subsidised by 30 hours of free childcare offered by the Government to working parents of three- and four-year-old children in England and Wales.

But last month, days before the lockdown began, the nursery wrote to parents indicating it would charge full fees if it was unable to accept children due to staff sickness, nursery closure or an event outside its control.

Carla, 33, says: 'I understood that the nursery may have to charge some fees to cover its staff salaries and other costs like rent.'

But she says it seemed unnecessary to charge parents full fees when they were not looking after their children.

She adds: 'Their outgoings would be lower. It was like they were making a profit during a time of crisis.'

Some pre-schools have waived or cut charges for children who can't attend, but others are continuing to charge full fees (stock picture)

After Carla raised the issue with her local paper, the Bristol Post, the nursery said it would reduce April fees by 70 per cent for parents whose children could not attend.

Last Friday it confirmed these parents would also not have to pay anything in May.

Carla has also amassed more than 1,500 signatures on a petition asking the government to ban nurseries from charging full fees during lockdown.

She says: 'I am pleased my nursery has stepped forward to do the right thing, but others need to do the same.'

Tony Driffield, co-owner of Mama Bear's, says: 'Our initial communications were issued even before schools and nurseries were ordered to close. We have since adapted our policies.'

Nurseries are currently free to set their own fee policies.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson to call on the Government to allow childcare providers to benefit from the 25,000 grants available to small and medium-sized businesses.

She says: 'I have heard of some parents being told that if they do not pay their fees they may lose their child's place at the nursery.

'This is obviously particularly distressing if a parent has lost a job or had a pay cut.'

Industry figures have argued that the sector has been underfunded for years and there is not enough government support to ensure their businesses' survival.

Purnima Tanuku OBE, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, says most nurseries are not charging parents for places that children cannot take up.

She adds: 'This means they have serious cash flow problems, as much of the government funding will not come through until May or June.'

Richard Blunden, group managing director of Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries  the third biggest nursery chain in the UK  says: 'We are not in any way looking to make a profit out of this. We want to ensure nurseries are able to look after children when this is over.'

A Department of Education spokesman says it is continuing to fund councils for free childcare entitlements even if children are not attending.

He adds: 'We have also put in place a significant package of financial support including a business rate holiday for many private providers and the coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support workers.'

f.parker@dailymail.co.uk
Is Natural Gas Price Ready For An April Rally?

Our researchers have been following Natural Gas for many months and believe the current price level, near $1.65, is acting as a continued historical support level (a floor in price). Our researchers also used one of our data mining tools to attempt to identify if any opportunity exists in NG over the next 30 to 60+ days for skilled traders. The purpose of this data mining tool is to explore historical price activity and to determine if there is any true price bias that exists within certain months.

For example, if we could determine that Natural Gas tends to rally in April by a 2:1 ratio (historically) and that the rally in NG is typically somewhere between $0.50 and $1.50 to the upside, then we could attempt to use this information to set up a trade that allows us to attempt to profit from this potential future trend bias. A 2:1 ratio would indicate that, historically, the price rallied 10 times and didnt rally 5 times over a span of 15 instances.

Our data mining utility reported the following data for April, May, and June in Natural Gas.

Monthly Natural Gas Price Chart

If we look at the APRIL data, the POS bars = 17 and the NEG bars = 8  that sets up a slightly greater than 2:1 ratio of advancing price over declining price in April. The Total Monthly Sum across 25 instances of data is $1.12 whereas the Average for the POS price activity comes to just $0.24.

This suggests that in April, we have a fairly high opportunity for some upside price activity in Natural Gas based on this data  a nearly 2:1 advancing price ratio (historically). Yet it also means that advancing price may only rally $0.35 to $0.75 from any price bottom  so we have to be aware of risks that may exists with a small price advance from the current low levels.

If we take a look at the MAY data, the POS bars = 13 and the NEG bars = 11  that sets up a 1.18:1 ratio that suggests a very slight advantage to the possibility that continued upside price activity will happen in May. Yet, the upside price advantage shown my the Total Monthly Sum data suggests a very big opportunity for a breakout rally in May (+$2.40). The way I interpret this data is to understand that May is roughly 60/40 biased to the upside whereas if any upside move takes place in April, a continuation of that trend in May could be incredibly profitable with a proper strategy.

Take a look at the JUNE data and try to come up with an interpretation yourself. The POS bars / NEG bars represent a less than 1:1 ratio. The Total Monthly Sum ($0.21) is not a very substantial price advance. The data is somewhat indecisive or inconclusive in suggesting any real price advantage in June for trading.

Yet, we have a very clear advantage in April and May. So, how are we going to approach this trade setup?

Weekly Natural Gas Chart  Cycles & Support

Currently, NG is testing very deep price levels within the BLUE support range box. Aggressive traders can attempt to look for opportunities within this range but must understand risks are still high for continued moderate price decline before a bottom sets up in April. Skilled traders would wait for the bottom to set up and possibly look for opportunities in ETFs as a means to limit risks on initial positions  attempting to scale into the trade comfortably.

Once the rally in NG really sets up and breaches the $1.98 level moving higher, then we believe we have a very real rally on our hands that may see price levels back above $2.75 eventually. The $1.85 to $1.99 price level will act as resistance as price attempts to move higher.

Before we continue, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals before closing this page, so you dont miss our next special report!

Why are these types of setups so important to skilled traders? Historical price structures and patterns, like this data mining pattern, help to clearly illustrate strategic advantages in certain markets for skilled traders. Determining how to set up a proper trade knowing this data is also important. Risks exist with every trade you make and Im sure weve all learned a lesson or two about making a hasty trade and not thinking about it?

Our research team believes April and May 2020 could be very exciting for Natural Gas.

As a technical analyst and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles in stocks and commodities. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for investing and short-term swing traders.

I hope you found this informative, and if you would like to get a pre-market video every day before the opening bell, along with my trade alerts visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter.

We all have trading accounts, and while our trading accounts are important, what is even more important are our long-term investment and retirement accounts. Why? Because they are, in most cases, our largest store of wealth other than our homes, and if they are not protected during a time like this, you could lose 25-50% or more of your entire net worth. The good news is we can preserve and even grow our long term capital when things get ugly like they are now and ill show you how and one of the best trades is one your financial advisor will never let you do because they do not make money from the trade/position.

If you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Long-Term Investing Signals which we issued a new signal for subscribers.

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.




Mr. Graves launched Black Enterprise in 1970 and said his aim was to educate, inspire and uplift his readers. My goal was to show them how to thrive professionally, economically and as proactive, empowered citizens, he wrote in his 1997 book, How To Succeed In Business Without Being White.
There is no Baptist community in this city

Open source

Representatives of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists deny their involvement in the outbreak of coronavirus infection in Pershotravensk, Dnipropetrovsk Region. They wrote about this on the official website of Church.

"The All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches refutes information about the involvement of the Baptist community in the outbreak of coronavirus in the city of Pershotravensk in Dnepropetrovsk region," the statement said.

It is also noted that in the city of Pershotravensk, where an outbreak was recorded, there is no Baptist community at all; that is, the Baptists have nothing to do with infecting people there.

As we reported before, due to the increase in the number of lethal cases from Covid-19, the Healthcare Ministry recommends to temporarily stick to particular recommendations on holding of ritual ceremonies.

Also, Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers considered extending the quarantine in connection with the spread of the coronavirus.

During the past 24 hours, the number of people with Covid-19 in Ukraine increased by 206 cases. Totally, 1,668 cases of infection are observed in Ukraine. 52 lethal cases were confirmed, while 35 patients recovered.
Calif. church locked out of building by landlord to stop it from holding services

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A church in California was locked out by its landlord after the congregation opted to hold services despite a state order against gatherings.

Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi was unable to hold a planned service on Sunday due to its landlord, Bethel Open Bible Church, changing the locks on the building.

Jeremy Duncan, brother of Cross Culture Pastor Jon Duncan, told local media outlet Fox 2 of Oakland that he took issue with the restrictions on in-person worship.

I'm not thrilled in general with the restriction on religious liberties, said Duncan, especially during what is Christians' most holy week.

Last week, the San Joaquin County Health Department ordered Cross Culture to close down in response to concerns over spreading the coronavirus.

Duncan told KTXL last week that his church planned to continue holding gatherings, which had a reported average worship attendance of around 30 people.

The church, the assembly of God is the people of God gathering together, said the pastor to KTXL, regularly gathering together for the teaching of God's Word, praying, worship, baptism, communion and fellowship.

Duncan also told KTXL that they were not taking the virus lightly nor do we have in our minds to act reckless, with sick members told to stay home and services having spaced out seating and hand-washing stations.

We are going to meet as often as we can meet and we do believe that this right is protected by the First Amendment and should be considered essential, he added.

Last month, the church was visited by officers with the Lodi Police Department during a Wednesday evening service, telling them to respect a state stay-at-home order.

As a result, the church has sought legal representation through the Escondido-based conservative law firm the National Center for Law & Policy.

In a statement released last week, NCLP President Dean Broyles argued that California does not have the jurisdiction to unilaterally shut down all church services indefinitely.

Religious congregations dont forfeit their fundamental rights, their unalienable civil liberties, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, stated Broyles.

Therefore, we call on Governor Newsom and all California Counties to honor and respect our fundamental civil rights by granting churches religious exemptions from the sweeping stay at home orders, as other states have appropriately done, as this what is required by the Constitution.
[April 08, 2020] Hannon Armstrong Donates $150,000 for COVID-19 Relief Efforts in Maryland

Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) today announced a $150,000 donation to local Maryland charitable organizations working to relieve the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting gaps in community services. The funds will help address rising food insecurity by bolstering Maryland food banks dealing with increased demand for their services; aid the growing number of domestic violence victims in Anne Arundel County; and expand access to homeless support and prevention programs in Annapolis. "This pandemic is a constant reminder of our shared humanity, and how we must respond with deep empathy, solidarity, and generosity," said Hannon Armstrong Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Eckel. "We are all in this together, and in these unprecedented times, we are committed to providing our local community with essential resources. It is simply the right thing to do, and I applaud other Maryland business leaders for their donations to relief efforts that will make a difference in this time of pain and suffering." Hannon Armstrong is allocating the donation toward: The Maryland Food Bank, to provide food assistance safely to those who need it most during this public health crisis, including schoolchildren and seniors. "Thanks to Hannon Armstrong, we'll be able to distribute enough food to provide 255,000 meals to Marylanders facing food insecurity as a result of this unprecedented crisis," said Maryland Food Bank CEO & President Carmen Del Guercio. "With their generous support, we can continue working proactively to meet rising food needs across the state, ensuring our neighbors in need have access to nutritious food during these uncertain times."

The YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, whichprovides critical domestic violence prevention and support services such as a 24-hour hotline, licensed therapy, legal services, and safe housing for women, men, and children suffering from abuse. This week, the United Nations called for urgent action to combat the worldwide surge in domestic violence fueled by anxiety, stay-at-home rules, and economic loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "The dramatic rise in the occurrence of domestic violence has required the YWCA to quickly implement multiple online service delivery platforms and additional residential resources for victims of domestic violence. These resources come at a significant cost," said Molly Knipe, CEO of the YWCA of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County. "The YWCA is extremely grateful to our partner, Hannon Armstrong, for ensuring there is continued access to these critical services during the pandemic, and individuals are never turned away."

The Annapolis Light House, provides emergency shelter, food, clothing, counseling, case management, job training, and hope to individuals and families to those who are homeless and most in need, especially now due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Annapolis Light House also operates Light House Bistro, a social enterprise restaurant where over 80% of the staff are members of the community who struggle with homelessness and employment barriers. Hannon Armstrong's donation will enable Light House Bistro to purchase essential food items and refocus from retail to instead preparing meals for delivery to Light House residential clients and others in the community struggling with homelessness. "This public health crisis has presented unique challenges for our most vulnerable neighbors, our staff, and our organization. We are doing all we can to continue to serve those who will be hardest hit during this crisis, but we simply can't do it alone. We are truly grateful for the generosity of Hannon Armstrong during this extraordinarily difficult time," said Jo Ann Mattson, Executive Director, The Light House. "This funding is a lifeline for our operations and staff that are working hard to ensure our neighbors experiencing homelessness have nutritious meals and other vital basic needs."



About Hannon Armstrong Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) is the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investments in climate change solutions, providing capital to leading companies in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainable infrastructure markets. With more than $6 billion in managed assets as of December 31, 2019, Hannon Armstrong's core purpose is to make climate-positive investments with superior risk-adjusted returns. For more information, please visit www.hannonarmstrong.com. Follow Hannon Armstrong on LinkedIn and Twitter (News - Alert) @HannonArmstrong.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005786/en/

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Virgin Australia is warning the country could face an airline monopoly if it is forced to fold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline is asking the federal government for financial support to help the company ride out the uncertainty of COVID-19 until commercial operations return to normal.

Virgin Australia Chief executive Paul Scurrah insists it's not a hand out.

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Virgin Australia is asking for $1.4billion in taxpayer funds to stay afloat

'We are not looking for a bailout,' he told the Australian.

'We are looking for a hand-up, for assistance to bridge through the crisis. Confidence is a very important thing for airlines.'

Virgin Australia wants the federal government to provide a 'statement of confidence' in the same way they may help out a bank.

The price tag to ensure the airline's continued operation is $1.4billion and they're seeking that from taxpayer funds.

Virgin Australia Chief executive Paul Scurrah (pictured) said the company's collapse would create airline monopoly

Mr Scurrah said the future of carrier's 9,500 staff was dependent on the government's support.

'The federal government wants to emerge from this crisis with two airlines,' he said.

'And without us, it is not going to have one. We all know what would happen if there was a monopoly.'

He said Virgin Australia currently has about $800million in cash reserves.

Fitch Ratings Analyst confirmed the company only has about three months to sure up enough cash to keep operating, reported the Australian.

'If it is to ride out the government-imposed shutdown on aviation... They have a little bit longer than that  a couple more months tops,' she said.

Virgin Australia is warning the country could face an airline monopoly if they're forced to fold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic

The airline's major shareholders are all internationally owned - including Singapore Airines, Etihad Airways and two Chinese investors - the HNA group and Nanshan.

Australian shareholders make up about 9 per cent of the company's investors through it's listing on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Under the plan, the government would take an ownership stake in Virgin if the airline was unable to repay its debt within three years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week cast doubt on the prospect of bailout for the airline, after Virgin's original request.

'I can only point to the decisions the government has made and those decisions have been made on a sector-wide basis,' he said.

After Virgin's initial request, rival Qantas put a $4.2 billion price tag on the help it would need if targeted bailouts were dished out.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week cast doubt on the prospect of bailout for the airline, after Virgin's original request

The airline grounded 125 planes and stood down 8,000 staff because of COVID-19
Like the rest of us, the British royal family is adjusting to life amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. While Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are in Windsor, Prince Harry, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are in Los Angeles, California, the Cambridges are quarantining at their country home in Norfolk.

Prior to Prime Minister, Boris Johnsons shut-in order, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, were doing what they could to advocate for the U.K.s National Health Service (NHS) workers. Now, as the pandemic has worsened, the royal couple is working from home and homeschooling their young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Though the kiddos have been unable to physically visit with their friends and relatives, specifically their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, theyve been keeping her joyful with video messages.

The British royal family is doing their best to cope amid the coronavirus pandemic

Though this has been a trying time for many people across the globe, the royals are doing their best to remain close and ease any lingering tensions they may have had with one another as a result of Megxit.

Meghan told her inner circle of friends that Harry has been communicating with Prince William and the Queen on a pretty consistent basis, an insider told Daily Mail. She said this world crisis has actually brought them all closer together, especially Harry and his brother. Harry has made it very clear to them that he will do whatever he can to help from Canada. Meghan said they are grateful, especially Harry, that they could spend time with his family before all this insanity began.

Like many people in the U.K. all of the royals, including the Sussexes who watched from LA, were moved by Queen Elizabeth IIs speech.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis routine has changed drastically

Like most little ones, the princes and princess were used to a strict routine. While some things has certainly remained the same, their schedule may look a lot different now.

On March 10, the prince and princess school, Thomas Battersea closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. From this date [Friday, March 10] the curriculum will be taught through online learning platforms and we have asked parents to keep their children at home and to access their lessons through this system, a spokesperson for the school told Hello! Magazine.This will ensure that children have continuity of learning when they are unable to attend school.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have had to juggle their royal work with homeschooling their older children and keeping Prince Louis entertained.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been sending Queen Elizbeth video messages

We know that the queen adores her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Therefore, in order to delight their great-grandmother, the Cambridge kiddos have been sending her video messages. Kate Middleton ensures that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis speak to the Queen, known as Gan Gan and Prince Philip as often as possible, The Sun is reporting. The older two talk on the telephone or send chatty videos to Windsor.

The little royals also often talk with their grandfather, Prince Charles who has recently recovered from COVID-19. They even mailed him handmade get-well cards when he was recovering from his illness.

They do like to chat away to Grandpa Charles and get lots of very helpful tips from him on animals and flowers and speak to him about lambs, squirrels, [and] highland cattle, The Sun revealed.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Lufthansa <LHAG.DE> will seek state aid in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria as the coronavirus crisis that forced it to ground almost all of its planes will persist longer than feared, the German airline's chief executive said.

"I am optimistic that the talks in Bern, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna will lead to good and positive results," CEO Carsten Spohr said in a video message to staff that was posted online.

People close to the matter told Reuters last week that Germany was in talks to provide Lufthansa, which has grounded 95% of its fleet due to the pandemic, with billions of euros in state aid and could take a stake in the airline.

Spohr added that Lufthansa was lucky to have a liquidity buffer of more than 4 billion euros ($4.35 billion), but some of that was owed to customers that have paid for now-cancelled flights and the carrier was currently losing cash at a rate of 1 million euros per hour, possibly for months to come.

"This crisis will take much longer than we could have imagined just a few weeks ago," Spohr said.

Lufthansa, which also owns Swiss International, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, has previously said it was considering requests for state support.

Peers including IAG <ICAG.L>, easyJet <EZJ.L> and Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA> have all but halted operations in the face of the pandemic.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
To the Editor:

In order to keep available necessary protective personal equipment for coronavirus emergencies, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered all elective surgeries in New York state canceled. This means a temporary stay on non-essential operations like knee replacements, cataract surgery, tooth extractions, anything that requires an incision or pinpoint insertion.

But I am perplexed as to what constitutes an elective, nonessential procedure. Apparently, so is Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation, who say they will not cease surgical abortions. In typical doublespeak, their statement claims that abortion is an essential health service and part of the continuum of pregnancy care. In case you thought that was a typo, you read that right: Abortion is the continuum of pregnancy care.

Continuing with the doublespeak, everyone who says they are for choice knows that the vast majority of abortions are chosen, i.e., elected for medically unnecessary reasons. In fact, the surveys of Planned Parenthoods Guttmacher Institute say the most common reasons cited for aborting a baby are having a child would interfere with  education [or] work and I cant afford a baby now (cited by 74% and 73%, respectively).

Meanwhile, state after state is taking every precaution possible to protect Americans from getting the coronavirus. Governors in states like California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana and others have issued orders to stop elective surgeries in order to save medical staff and resources to treat patients diagnosed with the virus. A federal appeals court in Texas recently upheld the states ban on abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Planned Parenthood of Ohio is refusing to comply. CBS News reported that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sent letters to two facilities that provide abortion  Womens Med Center in Dayton and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohios Cincinnati Surgery Center  ordering them to stop providing any services, like abortion, that require the use of personal protective equipment. The abortion industry is disobeying the mandate. And Planned Parenthood is now suing the governor of Texas, among others, for ordering a temporary ban on elective abortion during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since it is not on the list and Cuomo says elective surgeries are canceled, is he unaware or is he turning a blind eye for political reasons?

We should revel in the wisdom of the United Nations Secretary General who has called for a cease-fire of entities that kill. We should celebrate Texas and Ohio, States that are temporarily staying executions on death row.

During this crisis, lets not play politics with who lives and who dies. It is a time to cherish life, not take life.

Sandy Arena

Advisory Board Member

Feminists Choosing Life of New York

Rochester

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
The new pay cuts follow Tesla's first-quarter vehicle production and deliveries report , which pleased investors  the company said it delivered approximately 88,400 vehicles and produced 103,000 in Q1. Tesla has yet to withdraw guidance it gave investors for 2020, saying it should "comfortably exceed" 500,000 vehicle deliveries for the year.

Health orders , implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, forced Elon Musk's electric car company to wind down production at its main vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California.

Tesla will cut pay for all of its salaried employees and will furlough hourly workers until May 4, when it intends to resume production of electric cars, according to an internal e-mail that multiple employees shared with CNBC. The pay reductions are expected to be in place until the end of the second quarter.

[Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 7, but a technical issue pushed it to our app users on April 30.]

Last week, Tesla informed staffing agencies that it would be ceasing all contract work until further notice. Hundreds of temps were dismissed from their Tesla gigs as a result.

Here is the full email sent by the company's head of North American HR, Valerie Workman, on Tuesday evening:

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your continued commitment to Tesla and our mission during this unprecedented time. We know that the uncertainty has not been easy, and we are doing everything we can to keep you safe and informed while also navigating the changes around the world.

While we are continuing to keep only minimum critical operations running, we expect to resume normal production at our U.S. facilities on May 4, barring any significant changes. Until that time, it is important we take action to ensure we remain on track to achieve our long-term plans.

Starting Monday, April 13, we are implementing the below actions as part of a broader effort to manage costs. This is a shared sacrifice across the company that will allow us to progress during these challenging times.

Pay will be temporarily reduced for salaried employees.

For U.S. employees, these reductions are 30% for Vice Presidents and above, 20% for Directors and above, and 10% for everyone else.

For non-U.S. employees, there will also be comparable reductions, of which the specifics will be communicated by the local leadership team in accordance with local laws and works-councils.

These reductions are expected to be in place until the end of Q2

Employees who cannot work at home and have not been assigned to critical work onsite will be furloughed.

Under furlough, you remain an employee of Tesla (without pay) and retain your healthcare benefits. You will not report to work until the furlough ends and you are directed to return by management, which we expect to be May 4.

A furlough notice will be emailed to you in the coming days with additional instructions on how to apply for unemployment benefits through your state agency.

For the vast majority of furloughed employees, unemployment benefits will be roughly equivalent to normal take home pay.

Certain employees will be assigned to critical functions and they will continue to report onsite. Those employees will be communicated to directly by their manager or HR partner.

For the merit review cycle:

Salary and hourly rate adjustments will be put on hold.

Equity grants will be on hold as well.

If you would like to take a voluntary leave of absence, as some have reached out to request, please discuss with your manager and HR partner.

We continue to monitor the situation closely, and our top priority is to ensure the safety of our employees. As usual, for those who are onsite, if you are sick or are uncomfortable coming to work, please contact your manager and stay at home.

We respect your decision and you will not be penalized. For HR-related questions, contact your HR partner or email [address redacted]

Thank you all so very much for everything you do to ensure the success of our company.



Valerie Capers Workman | North America HR+

AU/NZ/JP/KR

Registered In-House Counsel

[contact information redacted]
(Photo : Image by Hanu B Krishna from Pixabay )

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So far, brilliant minds across the globe are knee-deep trying to find the cure for the COVID-19. However, at the time of this publication, no one has been able to discover the cure that the Food and Drugs Administration has approved. Because of this, misinformation about cures and treatments for COVID-19 are rife online, including a disturbing belief of some Indians that cow urine could cure the deadly novel coronavirus.



The news about Gaumutra or cow urine as cure for COVID-19 has gone viral these past days. There is a belief in India that cow urine can boost immunity and contains a lot of medicinal properties. Interestingly, instead of debunking this groundless claim, some personalities in India are supporting this.



In a report released by Economic Times, Dr. Vallabh Kathiria, the chairman of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, claimed that at least 6,000 liters of cow urine is being consumed in India every day. Aside from drinking the cow urine, some people spray it on their bodies to ward off microbes and viruses, Kathiria revealed. The chairman also told the news outfit that Gaumutra improves digestions and reinforces lymphocytes aside from containing lots of antioxidants.



The increased demand in cow urine in the country, according to Kathiria, is not only for fresh cow urine but also for condensed one. Further, the chairman revealed that "cow urine kills bacteria and would definitely be helpful in fighting the coronavirus." Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, India's right-wing outfit, according to The Wire, organized a Gaumutra drinking party in India's major cities.



The report reveals that at least 200 people participated in the Gaumutra drinking party. Aside from drinking cow urine, participants also ate cow dung, ghee, and curd with the belief that these would ward off the lethal COVID-19 virus. The party was also observed in other areas in India like Kolkata, where one participant suffered from vomiting and nausea.



West Bengal BJP Leader and Organizer Narayan Chatterjee were later arrested by authorities. But, that's not all there is about Gaumutra. Minister Suman Japriya from Assam reportedly declared during the state assembly session that Gaumutra or cow urine could be used to cure the COVID-19.



It is easy to look at this as some kind of a foolish act, but it is also important to consider the influence of people with such stature to their constituents. It could lead other followers to believe that the minister's claim is true, thereby putting their lives in grave danger.



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TagsIndian Disturbing Belief, Cow Urine, Heal Coronavirus
As the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to an analysis of early data from jurisdictions across the country.

The emerging stark racial disparity led the surgeon general Tuesday to acknowledge in personal terms the increased risk for African-Americans amid growing demands that public-health officials release more data on the race of those who are sick, hospitalized and dying of a contagion that has killed more than 12,000 people in the United States.

A Washington Post analysis of what data is available and census demographics show that counties that are majority-black have three times the number of infections and almost six times the number of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.

In Milwaukee County, home to Wisconsin's largest city, African-Americans account for 73 percent of the dead but just 26 percent of the population. The disparity is similar in Louisiana, where 70 percent of the people who have died were black, although African-Americans make up just 32 percent of the state's population.

In Michigan, where the state's 845 reported deaths outrank all but New York's and New Jersey's, African-Americans account for 33 percent of cases and 40 percent of deaths, despite comprising only 14 percent of the population. The state does not offer a breakdown of race by county or city, but more than a quarter of deaths occurred in Detroit, where African-Americans make up 79 percent of the population.

And in Illinois, a disparity nearly identical to Michigan's exists at the state level, but the picture becomes far starker when looking at data just from Chicago, where black residents have died at a rate six times that of white residents. Of the city's 118 reported deaths, nearly 70 percent were black  a share 40 points greater than the percentage of African-Americans living in Chicago.

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time the racial disparity at the White House task force briefing Tuesday.

"We are doing everything in our power to address this challenge, and it's a tremendous challenge," Trump said. "It's terrible." He added that Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "is looking at it very strongly."

"Why is it three or four times more so for the black community as opposed to other people?" Trump said. "It doesn't make sense, and I don't like it, and we are going to have statistics over the next probably two to three days."

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered

Detailed data on the race of coronavirus patients has been reported publicly in fewer than a dozen states and several more counties.

African-Americans' higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and lung disease are well-documented, and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, noted those that health problems make people more vulnerable to the new respiratory disease. But there never has been a pandemic that brought the disparities so vividly into focus.

"I've shared myself personally that I have high blood pressure," said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who is 45, "that I have heart disease and spent a week in the [intensive care unit] due to a heart condition, that I actually have asthma and I'm prediabetic, and so I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America."

Adams added, "It breaks my heart" to hear about higher COVID-19 death rates in the black community, emphasizing that recommendations to stay at home to slow the spread are for everyone to follow.

On Monday, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and hundreds of doctors joined a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, in demanding that the federal government release daily race and ethnicity data on coronavirus testing, patients and their health outcomes.

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only released figures by age and gender.

Legislators, civic advocates and medical professionals say the information is needed to ensure that African-Americans and other people of color have equal access to testing and treatment, and also to help to develop a public-health strategy to protect those who are more vulnerable.

In its letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the Lawyers' Committee said the Trump administration's "alarming lack of transparency and data is preventing public health officials from understanding the full impact of this pandemic on Black communities and other communities of color."

As pressure mounted, a CDC spokesman said Tuesday that the agency plans to include COVID-19 hospitalizations by race and ethnicity in its next Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, more than six weeks after the first American died of the disease.

Health departments nationwide report coronavirus cases to the CDC using a standardized form that asks for a range of demographic information, including race and ethnicity. However, fields are often left blank and those local agencies are "under a tremendous amount of strain to collect and report case information," said Scott Pauley, a CDC spokesman.

As the disease has spread in the United States, information on age, gender and county of residence also has been reported inconsistently and sporadically.

In some regions, lawmakers are pushing to fill the data gap on their own. Virginia reports the racial breakdown of its cases but not of its deaths. In neighboring Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said Tuesday the state would begin to release data about race, a day after more than 80 members of the House of Delegates sent him a letter asking for the information.

Del. Nick Mosby, a Democrat who represents Baltimore, has pushed for the data for weeks after he started hearing from friends, colleagues and his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers about black men who were infected or were dying of COVID-19.

"It was kind of frightening," Mosby said. "I started receiving calls about people I knew personally."

In the District of Columbia, this week, district officials released race data for the first time, showing that the disease has killed African-Americans in disproportionately high numbers. Nearly 60 percent of the District's 22 fatalities were black, but African-Americans make up about 46 percent of the city's population.

Like many other jurisdictions, the District's health officials don't know the race of many people who have tested positive. In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said that the city lacked race data on half of all positive cases but that the existing data was enough for her to be "very fearful of the impact that this virus is going to have disproportionately on African-Americans in our country."

"We know that underlying conditions, like hypertension and diabetes and heart disease, this virus is particularly hard on," Bowser said. "And we know that African-Americans are living with those underlying conditions every day, probably in larger proportions than most of our fellow Americans."

Although the disparities have garnered national attention in recent days, some predominantly black communities have been rocked by the outbreak for the past several weeks.

Dougherty County and the city of Albany, in rural southwest Georgia, have recorded the highest number of deaths in Georgia. Dougherty, with a population of 90,000, had 939 positive cases and 52 deaths as of Tuesday.

By contrast, Fulton County, which includes Atlanta and has a population of more than 1 million, had 1,124 cases and 36 deaths. Black residents make up 70 percent of Dougherty's population and more than 90 percent of coronavirus deaths, said county coroner Michel Fowler.

"Historically, when America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia," Albany City Commissioner Demetrius Young said last week.

Elected officials and public-health experts have pointed to generations of discrimination and distrust between black communities and the health-care system. African-Americans are also more likely to be uninsured and live in communities with inadequate health-care facilities.

As a result, African-Americans have historically been disproportionately diagnosed with chronic diseases such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes  underlying conditions that experts say make COVID-19 more lethal.

Critics of the public-health response have cited confusing messaging about how the virus is transmitted and have noted that some public officials were slow to take action to push people out of public spaces and into their homes to encourage social distancing.

Even then, some activists argued, black people might have been more exposed because many held low-wage or essential jobs, such as food service, public transit and health care, that required them to continue to interact with the public.

This outbreak is exposing the deep structural inequities that make communities pushed to the margins more vulnerable to health crises in good times and in bad, Dorianne Mason, the director of health equity at the National Womens Law Center, said in a statement. These structural inequities in our health care system do not ignore racial and gender disparities  and neither should our response to this pandemic.

The Washington Posts David Montgomery, Ovetta Wiggins, Samantha Pell and Darran Simon contributed to this article.
Hrishi Giridhar, who happens to be a student at the London School of Economics, was in his hostel when the pandemic outbroke. It is during that time that he decided to come back to his home country that is India.

On returning to India, he followed the rules and isolated himself at a guest house where essentials were stocked. However, in two days time, he started developing symptoms like fever which he thought was due to fatigue and tiredness. It is only on the fifth day of his quarantine that he fainted and was taken to a hospital where he was tested positive for the COVID-19 disease.

Sharing his experience of battling the deadly pandemic with The Humans of Bombay, Giridhar said, It was scary because LSE had students from 45 different countries, all returning to campus after their winter breaks. It wasn't long before someone from my university tested positive, and from there, the panic spread.

Describing his isolation experience, Giridhar said, On day 2, I started feeling fatigued, experienced body pains & a fever. I thought it was because I was tired and stressed. But on day 5, I fainted. When I regained consciousness, I told my parents. My family doctor suggested that I get tested. So I went to Kasturba and the next day my tests were positive. It was 2 AM, and I felt my stomach sinking.

Emphasising on how it was the care and hope given by nurses and doctors that helped him deal with the disease, the LSE student said, The most uplifting part was talking to the staff -- a nurse saw my Instagram profile and jokingly said I should play my guitar for all the patients! Believe it or not, the whole vibe of the hospital has been so cheerful and thats really what kept all of us in the ward going. By day 5, all my symptoms had gone.

Giridhar has tested negative three days ago for the COVID-19 disease and will be tested again before he is discharged from the hospital.

Taking to his Instagram account, Giridhar has shared a photo of himself and has thanked the healthcare community.

He also had earlier shared his own experience.
I had to get on my hands and knees to be able to read each one without touching it, Groff tells me through an email exchange on a recent evening. I am a grown man and can provide for myself and find or make ways, but this was hard for me to do since I could NOT touch what was not mine, yet I had to be close enough to see my name. If it is that hard for me, imagine how hard it is for someone more medically blind than me.
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.




My second novel, Raphael, Painter in Rome, comes out on April 7, 2020, and yes, Ive had to cancel my book tour because of the COVID-19 outbreak. A book tour is an invaluable promotional tool, where authors get to engage with fans and inspire people to read.

Related: How to Write a Book (and Actually Finish It) in 5 Steps

So, whats an author to do without a book tour? Over the past couple of weeks, Ive tried to answer that question by talking to marketing, PR and publishing experts. Since Im not the only one with a publication date in the middle of a global pandemic, I wanted to share what Ive learned so you, too, can transition from an in-person book tour to a virtual campaign that will inspire your readers to escape the real world and disappear into yours.

Livestream events

Theres no reason to lose the spontaneity of an in-person event when you can livestream your book talk, reading or Q&A on social media. These days, people are on the hunt for interesting content that they can consume from the privacy of their own homes.

Why Its Better Than In-Person: Facebook Live automatically records and saves your livestream to your videos, so anyone who couldnt make the live event can view it anytime. Youve just added a permanent digital resource to your files.

Pro Tip: Ask for questions on social media in advance to help you prepare and also drive up engagement on your post.

Most Repeated Advice: Be human during a livestream. Being polished is fine, but being real goes viral.

Note: Facebook and Instagram Live dont work from the same phone at the same time. Dont worry, just set up Facebook Live on one device, then use your phone for Instagram at the same time. Concerned that youll look unprofessional doing it this way? Dont. Its what everyone is doing: musicians, comics and yes, authors.

Related: 5 Ways Writing a Book Can Help Your Business

Host interactive digital parties

Livestreaming can be frustrating because its difficult to engage when your viewers cant talk back. So, once your book-talk is over, move to an interactive platform  like Zoom or Google Hangouts  to turn your book event into a digital cocktail party.

Why Its Better Than In-Person: You can invite friends from different parts of the world to the same event.

Pro Tip: Some people are not accustomed to platforms like Zoom, so youll need to warn people that if they talk they will be on camera for everyone to watch.

Most Repeated Advice: You need to produce the conversation or else it can get out of hand. Assign one of your friends as the host to guide the conversation, have tentpole questions planned in advance, or  instead of one big event  invite a few people to a bunch of smaller events.

Note: The free version of Zoom only allows for meetings to last up to 40 minutes. Youll either have to pay a monthly fee to get longer conversations or move to a different platform.

Create a YouTube channel

If you want more control over your content, you can create a YouTube Channel for your book talks, readings, trailers or some other unique content. (Im going to interview other authors on mine!)

Why Its Better Than In-Person: By producing your videos, you get more control over your content. Plus, they live forever on your channel, attracting more viewers over time.

Pro Tip: Worry less about production value and more about producing high-quality, surprising content. No one will care if it looks good if the content is weak.

Most Repeated Advice: Dont forget to work toward monetization. YouTube can eventually become a great new stream of income.

Note: The default upload time for videos is 15 minutes. If you want to longer, youll have to verify your account. Its easy. Go to YouTube Studio / Settings / Channel / Feature Eligibility, and verify using your phone number.

Digitally join a school, book club, library, museum, book store, etc.

By offering to provide digital content, youll help workers keep their customers engaged and their businesses afloat when everyone is stuck at home.

Why Its Better Than In-Person: Even before this pandemic, Ive spent countless hours video conferencing into schools, book clubs and other venues. It allows you to reach readers all across the country, no matter where you are.

Pro Tip: Did you know that many teachers are struggling to learn how to teach online? By offering to lead a digital section for them, youll be giving them valuable time to prepare their own lessons.

Most Repeated Advice: Book club members would love to be getting together to talk books. If you become a master of digital spaces and host events for them, theyll love you (and read you!) forever.

Note: With all of these ideas, try your best to hardwire your internet connection. Nothing ruins an event faster than spotty WIFI.

Related: Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write a Book

Connect with other authors

The author community has really come together during this time to support each other, so join in.

Why Its Better Than In-Person: As an author, you need to build up your network of fellow author friends. Now is the perfect time to develop these connections across the world.

Pro Tip: If youre traditionally published, novelists Caroline Leavitt and Jenna Blum have formed A Mighty Blaze to promote fellow authors who have had to cancel book tours.

Most Repeated Advice: Scour hashtags on social media (#writingcommunity and #authorshelpingauthors are two good ones) to find opportunities.

Note: While youre looking for other people to help you, also try to help others. Share news about other books on social media, write reviews, attend other authors digital events. Not only will it make you feel good to help others, but your connection to those authors will grow stronger, and maybe your fans will become their fans, and their fans will become yours! Wins all around.

Related:

How to Take Your Book Tour Online

Now Is a Good Time to Read for Joy, Not Productivity

Starting a Business That People Need



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
While the whole world is struggling to even step out to the grocery store around the corner to buy basic essentials because of being placed under lockdown, a party of 50 people was arrested in South Africa for attending a wedding.

Along with the party, the bride and groom were also taken into custody on Sunday when the police interrupted the ceremony. Photos and videos of the couple and their guests getting arrested are doing the rounds on social media and if anyone is planning to do the same, this should be a lesson to everyone.

Twitter/@UmhlathuzeM

According to a tweet posted by user handle @UmhlathuzeM, the wedding took place in the Richards Bay area and Daily Mail reported that the groom is named Jabulani Zulu and the bride is Nomthandazo Mkhize. Moreover, the priest who performed their wedding ceremony was also arrested for breaking the lockdown protocol.

Twitter/@UmhlathuzeM

The South African government announced a strict lockdown last week and according to a BBC report, the police were informed about the wedding party and they arrived at the scene just a few moments after the couple was announced 'Man and Wife'.

Twitter/@UmhlathuzeM

The report further adds that the wedding party had to pay an amount of Rs 4,100 each to post their bail. Police official Vish Naidoo told Daily Mail, "We will be interviewing each one individually and the charges will be put to them."



South Africa has a total of 1,749 coronavirus cases and is placed under lockdown till April 16.
As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

The coronavirus pandemics death toll has until now largely been confined to the advanced industrialized countries, whose health care systems have nevertheless proved unable to cope. But as the pandemic spreads to Africa, Asia and Latin America, the coronavirus will hit the worlds most vulnerable, including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people (IDPs) even harder.

Africas public health provisions are totally inadequate, with little in the way of emergency care facilities to save lives; the Central African Republic has just three ventilators for its 5 million citizens. Endemic poverty and densely packed cities teeming with slums make social distancing and self-isolation restrictions well-nigh impossible. The potential for a continent-wide humanitarian catastrophe is clear.

But far less has been said about Africas refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs), who constitute more than a quarter of the worlds 71 million forcibly displaced people. This is the highest number since World War II, the result of terrible armed conflicts, persecution and natural disasters. Their numbersin the Sahel, East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regioncontinue to increase due to ongoing conflicts that rarely get mentioned in the media and the devastation caused by locust swarms.

In the Sahel, populations and conflicts move freely across borders arbitrarily drawn up by the former colonial powers, meaning the disease will almost certainly spread to Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, parts of Cameroon and Central African Republic, Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea, and the extreme north of Ethiopianearly all of which are home to IDPs.

Decades of wars have ravaged Somalia, giving rise to more than 870,000 refugees in the Horn of Africa and Yemen and more than 2.6 million IDPs within the country itself. Much of the country is under the control of al-Shabaab, a militant Islamic group affiliated with Al Qaeda, limiting access by the state and aid agencies to those in need. With no COVID-19 test kits, swabs must be sent to South Africa for analysis.

There are ongoing conflicts in northeast Nigeria, where over 2 million people are internally displaced. In neighbouring Cameroon, fierce conflicts between the government and separatist fighters in the north and west have forced nearly a million to flee their homes.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has over 5 million displaced persons, by far the largest number in the region, thanks to civil wars and armed clashes that have ravaged the resource-rich country for more than two decades. The DRC now faces the coronavirus pandemic just as it is marking the end of the two-year-long Ebola outbreak.

Oil-rich South Sudan, which has suffered years of civil wars since declaring independence from Sudan in 2011, has about 1.6 million IDPs, some living in densely packed tent camps inside UN peacekeeping bases, with a further 2.2 million refugees in neighbouring countries. More than half the countrys population faces acute food insecurity, while the leading causes of death are treatable diseases and conditions like malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhoea.

Countries bordering on conflicts and wars host huge numbers of refugees, with limited resources. Uganda has over 1.6 million refugees, three quarters of them from South Sudan. Kenya hosts 500,000 refugees, making it the tenth largest refugee-hosting country in the world and the fourth largest in Africa, following Uganda, Ethiopia and DRC. Most of its refugees are from Somalia. Others have fled conflicts in South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC and Sudan. Dadaab, near Kenyas eastern border with Somalia, with a population of nearly 218,000 refugees and asylum seekers, is the third largest refugee settlement in the world.

This toll of suffering has in the final analysis been provoked, fuelled and paid for by the imperialist powers in pursuit of cheap and untrammelled access to raw materials and markets in the interests of the corporations they represent. The priority of the local oligarchies is to remain competitive for foreign investments, while at the same time continuing debt payments to the financial vultures and expanding their armed forces.

With no official count of coronavirus cases among displaced populationsimpossible without testing--cases have been reported in places with humanitarian emergencies in Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Venezuela, Somalia and Burkina Faso.

Many refugees and IDPs live in cramped conditions in camps, informal settlements or population-dense shanty towns, sharing the same bathroom, cooking and bathing facilitiesif they have access at all. Some are forced to share the same tent, while in some countries, asylum seekers and irregular migrants are put in detention, in appalling conditions, making the rapid spread of the virus inevitable.

Refugee camps, often referred to as humanitarian silos, are typically located in remote, arid and dangerous areas and almost always have strict prohibitions on socio-economic activity. Longer-term economic needs go unaddressed, exacerbating helplessness and dependency on aid agencies. To cite one example, many of the 350,000 Somali refugees in Kenyas Dadaab camps have been there since the early 1990sand none have the right to work.

Taken together, overcrowding, limited access to WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facilities and even less access to basic health care make refugee camps particularly susceptible to the pandemic. Poverty is staggering, access to food limited. Refugees buy Paracetamol, antibiotics and other anti-inflammatory medications by the pill rather than the packet, if they are able to buy them at all. Most are unable to afford sterilizers, gloves and masks, even if they were available.

Further compounding the plight of refugees, the aid organisations are struggling to get relief to people in need in conflict zones, such as Somalia, Mali and Burkino Faso, because local militias block access or target doctors and medical facilities. Elsewhere, they are hampered by flight bans and travel restrictions, resulting in a shortage of food, goods and the personnel to tackle the crisis.

Travel restrictions are affecting arrangements to resettle refugees. Last month, the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced the temporary suspension of travel for refugees approved for resettlement, while states have called a halt to new arrivals. This is a disaster for those who have had their travel cancelled, sold most of their possessions and given notice to their employers (if permitted to work) and landlords to vacate their homes.

As host countries themselves become embroiled in conflict, displaced people will once again be on the move. In Burkina Faso, where violence has forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes over the past year and compelled more than 135 health centres to close, more than 1.6 million people living in conflict-affected areas of the country have little or no access to medical care. Malian refugees, who had sought refuge in Burkino Faso, are fleeing back to Mali despite the ongoing violence and with no assurance of safety, exacerbating the risk of the virus spreading. This in turn may lead the authorities or local people to use force to stop them, creating the potential for escalating violence.

COVID-19 is a truly global crisis. Without controlling the spread of the virus and treating its victims among the worlds most vulnerable peoples, the human toll will grow exponentially. The disease will become embedded in the host nations, repeatedly spreading across the world through migration, travel and human movement, causing second- and even third-wave pandemics.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Midland County trail most other larger population centers around West Texas.

The numbers, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services website or other reports Tuesday, are as followed:

--There have been 30 confirmed cases in Midland County.

--Midland County trails Lubbock County -- 180 cases -- and El Paso County  125. Those are the only two in the region with more than 100 cases.

--There are a combined 77 in Potter and Randall counties  Amarillo.

--Midland also trails Taylor County (Abilene)  31 -- and is tied with Ector County (Odessa) 30.

-Midland is ahead of Tom Green County (San Angelo), which has 24 cases. Midland Countys population exceeds Tom Greens population, by more than 45,000, according to the Census Bureau.

--Midland County ranked 35th in Texas in the number of most confirmed cases (heading into Tuesday); it ranks 26th for population.

It has been about two weeks since the first coronavirus case in Midland was reported.

Midland Mayor Patrick Payton said the statistics demonstrate that Midlanders will react well to a challenge and that once they understood the information about this invisible enemy, they were ready to do what it takes to protect themselves and each other.

Finally, they said, OK, well fight, Payton said Tuesday about the communitys response. And I think when we put it in terms of a fight, our citizens respond to that.  Our community knows how to rally around something when its real. Were a little slow to believe it at first, but when we do, we get after it.

Payton and other community leaders started the process of coming together, having town halls and communicating with the public more than a month ago. It started with meetings at Municipal Court building and City Council chambers about best practices and appeals to take coronavirus seriously.

Then a unified command team was created to provide regular updates. The command team meetings have been press conferences and typically live-streamed on any number of social media channels.

I dont know if theres a city in the region that has come together as partners as well and as fast as we have, Payton said, referring to the cooperation of the city, school district, county and hospital district. Everybody has really just rallied around each other, and said, What can we get you; how can we help you, what can we do? And so, I think once again, Midland has displayed itself as a shining light in the middle of the basin.

Dr. Larry Wilson, Midland Healths chief medical officer, said Midland County residents have done a good job with social distancing, but emphasized now is not the time to relax. Talking through his mask  as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- after the press conference Tuesday, he cautioned against being overly optimistic because we have better numbers.

He warned against what we dont know: People can transmit the virus before having symptoms, there is no border around Midland to keep residents from interacting with residents from other communities and work remains to flatten the curve.

Texas statistics

Cases reported: 8,262

Deaths: 154

Leading counties

Harris (Houston) 1,809

Dallas 1,155

Travis (Austin) 502

Bexar (San Antonio) 456

Tarrant (Fort Worth) 452

Denton 337

Fort Bend (Houston area) 318

Collin (Dallas area) 306

Galveston 256

Lubbock 180
Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) ('Benton' or 'the Company') is pleased to announce that it has been informed that further to its news release dated March 31, 2020, Regency Gold Corp. has now completed its company name change to Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air") pursuant to its special meeting of shareholders held on March 31, 2020 and in accordance with the Canada Business Corporations Act. In addition, the listing committee of the TSX Venture Exchange has conditionally accepted Clean Air Metals' previously announced proposed reverse takeover transaction, subject to certain conditions precedent. The transaction envisions completion of the definitive option agreement, pursuant to which Clean Air Metals will acquire from Benton the option to acquire a 100% interest in each of the Escape Lake property and the TBN property for approximately 24.6 million Clean Air Metals common shares as previously described in the Company's news release dated January 10, 2020.

Abraham Drost, Clean Air Metals' CEO, commented, "Shareholder approval for the change of the company's name to Clean Air Metals Inc. is a watershed moment for the company. The company's name change, combined with the recent conditional approval of the transaction by the listing committee of the TSX-V, creates a clear path to resumption of trading under the symbol AIR: TSX-V."

Stephen Stares, President and CEO of Benton, added, "We are pleased to see the team at Clean Air Metals achieve these corporate and regulatory milestones and look forward to final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange and the resumption of trading. We feel the significant investment Benton will hold in Clean Air Metals will potentially offer Benton shareholders great value as their team advances these exciting PGE projects. PGE prices remain strong and Clean Air Metals has composed a dynamic team to take advantage of this."

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Resources Inc.,

"Stephen Stares"

Stephen Stares, President

About Benton Resources Inc.

Benton Resources is a well-funded Canadian-based project generator with a diversified property portfolio in Gold, Silver, Nickel, Copper, and Platinum group elements. Benton holds multiple high-grade projects available for option which can be viewed on the Company's website. Many projects have an up-to-date 43-101 Report available.

Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact Mr. Stares at the number below.

For further information, please contact:

Stephen Stares, President & CEO

Phone: 807-475-7474

Email: sstares@bentonresources.ca

Website: www.bentonresources.ca

Twitter: @BentonResources

Facebook: @BentonResourcesBEX

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT 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 which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54248
INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces Investigation of TAL Education Group (TAL) on Behalf of Investors

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf TAL Education Group

("TAL Education" or the Company") (NYSE: TAL) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws.

On April 7, 2020, TAL Education disclosed irregularities and violations of the Company's business conduct and internal control policies by an employee in the Company's newly introduced "Light Class" business. The employee allegedly conspired with external vendors to inflate "Light Class" sales by forging contracts and oter documentation. For the fiscal year 2020 ended February 29, 2020, "Light Class" sales accounted for approximately 3% to 4% of the Company's total estimated revenues.







On this news, the Company's share price fell as much as 8% in intraday trading on April 8, 2020.

If you purchased TAL Education securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005639/en/
Wits COVID-19 dashboard goes continental

New features added as inter disciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration data on the pandemic grows.

Wits Universitys COVID-19 South Africa Dashboard has grown with new data features, including snapshot views of how the pandemic is spreading in Africa, as well as statistics showing world trends, being added. (As featured in this article in TIME Magazine.)

The dashboard, launched on 22 March, by Professor Bruce Mellado from the Wits School of Physics and Senior Scientist at iThemba LABS, has gained momentum with a number of volunteers from different disciplines working 24/7 to develop and maintain the dashboard. Wits university is working in collaboration with iThemba LABS of the National Research Foundation.

The visualisation of large quantities of data on the pandemic is a critical step in the analysis of that data. It provides an essential input for analysts to develop the first intuition with which to devise models. The relevance of the visualisation that the dashboard provides is therefore significant.

The design, development and updating of the dashboard requires a large collaborative effort, says Professor Barry Dwolatzky, Director of Wits Universitys Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE). I am assisting in the coordination of the project. Under Bruce Mellados leadership a team of highly dedicated and motivated student volunteers, drawn from a variety of disciplines, is working to develop and maintain the dashboard. Although all of us are locked down and working from home, a strong team spirit has developed. I find it interesting that few of us have actually met."

The dashboard is maintained daily and updated within minutes of Governments announcements on the latest statistics. It provides historical data of relevant parameters, provincial and other breakdowns and it has undergone a number of upgrades since its release.

Many of the upgrades have been requested by scientists and journalists from all over the country to improve the presentation of the South African data. Currently the site averages about 10 thousand views a day, says Mellado.

One of the upgrades performed on the dashboard is the addition of a dashboard for the African continent that includes a detailed account of total cases, mortality and recoveries for all African counties. This addition has triggered a collaboration with the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) to develop the first COVID-19 dashboard for Botswana, using data from the National Emergency Operation Centre of Botswana.

This adds a new and important dimension to our existing collaborations with Wits and iThemba LABS, says Professor Gregory Hillhouse, Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at BIUST.

It is gratifying to see that one of our MSc students who has been trained at iThemba LABS, Mr Otsile Tikologo, is actively involved with this project.

Another upgrade illustrates the global analysis of the spread in the conditions of containment (or lockdown) using epidemiological models. A number of countries have been selected for which containment measures have led to significant reduction in the rate of spread.

Data analysis and statistical treatment of this feature are performed using a frequentist framework. For this purpose the data processing framework ROOT developed by the European Laboratory CERN is used. Results are presented in terms of lower and upper curves for the cumulative number of positive cases as a function of time. These are estimated on the basis of a 68% confidence level. Predictions are updated on a daily basis.

Understanding the impact of containment measures on the spread of the virus is essential to managing this crisis. Global data provide an invaluable insight into the dynamics of this complex problem, says Mellado.

Links
Living on a visa in a foreign country comes with its restrictions. Six months working for one company before having to move on, back-breaking fruit-picking for $5 per bucket for 88 days to qualify for your second-year visa, and no access to Medicare here in Australia.

Not being eligible for welfare should you lose your job under normal circumstances is resolvable and acceptable as we are not citizens, and we can replace that job easily with a new one as the workforce is thriving here.

However, being conspicuously absent from the governments assistance package in a national crisis with closed borders  this is not so normal. This is an emergency.

The running theme of uncertainty, dismay and disbelief on the minds of my peers and myself on temporary visas is somewhat daunting.

The 1.1 million visa holders living in what once was a secure habitat are now wondering if they will have a roof over their heads in a few short weeks.

A large percentage of those have been stood down from their jobs in the hospitality, retail and tourism industry.

The security of my job, as is the case with so many others, is on the fence. I am feeling nervous.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison still has not released a resolvable plan for the more than one million people in Australia on temporary visas who are excluded from the governments job-keeper and other support payments.

People cannot be left with nothing, with no income to survive.

It shouldnt be so complex. But it appears that having a grasp of compassion, or a lack of it, is the issue here.

See, for example, New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Here is an admirable leader doing her best for her people  locals and internationals alike  living and working in New Zealand.

That is not how temporary visa holders are treated in Australia, even though we live under the governments rules, we pay taxes and we lodge our yearly tax return.

I now pay the same amount of tax as a resident does, which supports the economy and aids funds such as the rescue package the government has rolled out.

I, like a million others, have been told I will not receive a cent of this during the crisis.

Why should our hard-earned and paid tax not be reciprocated to us during this pandemic? It should be our entitlement, even for a short period of time to get us through this crisis.

I have called this country home for nearly four years now. I have built a life and a career here. I am not ready to abandon the pathway built, and nor are others.

We are living history. The challenges posed by Covid 19 are similar the world over but everybodys experience of this emergency will be different. In this special series, Lockdown Letters' gives our readers at home and across the globe an opportunity to share their stories about how the Coronavirus and the measures to tackle its spread are impacting their lives in these unprecedented times.

Please email your submission (400 words max.) to stories@independent.ie along with a photograph. We will publish as many letters as possible on Independent.ie and a selection in print every week.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the government to ensure free testing for coronavirus at both government and private labs. The testing is currently capped at Rs 4,500 in private labs. The tests should be conducted in the NABL-accredited labs or agencies approved by the WHO or ICMR, the Supreme Court added. "Private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in containing the scale of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis," the Supreme Court also said. The apex court had asked the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta to not allow the private labs in the country to charge a high amount for the tests.

The Supreme Court issued the order on public interest litigation (PIL) for free testing of coronavirus. The petitioner had said that the tests are being conducted at higher prices in private labs. "It is extremely difficult for the common citizen to get himself/herself tested in the government hospital /labs and being no alternative in the sight, the people are constrained to pay the capped amount to the private hospital/labs for protecting their lives," it said. "118 labs were doing 15,000 test capacity per day. We are now looking at involving 47 private laboratory chains. It's a developing situation. We don't know how many will be needed, how long lockdown will continue," the Solicitor General told the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India stands at 5,274 on Wednesday. The number of active cases is 4,714 in India, according to the latest data on the Ministry of Health website. The number of coronavirus deaths is 149. Total cured or discharged are 410 and one migrated, the data also showed. Maharashtra has the highest number of cases among all states, with 1,018 confirmed coronavirus cases and 79 cured or discharged. 64 people have died in the state so far.

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Maharashtra reports another COVID-19 death in Pune; country's toll at 149

Also Read: Coronavirus update: Pakistan reports 577 new cases in 24 hours; total 4,005
T he Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News are entering into liquidation after not being able to survive the effects of coronavirus.

The news providers are set to enter into the phase in the next two to three weeks, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Staff have also lost their jobs, The Guardian reported, although this has not been confirmed.

Lots of news publications, particular print editions, have struggled since lockdown measures were put in place to tackle Covid-19, with many journalists being put on furlough or made to take pay cuts.

The timing of the announcement coincides with the start of the Jewish Passover festival and comes as more than 7,000 people have died in the UK from the virus.

The London-based publication released a statement on Wednesday about the liquidation process, but did not comment about its employees.

With great sadness, the board of the Jewish Chronicle has taken the decision to seek a creditors voluntary liquidation of Jewish Chronicle Newspapers Ltd, the statement said.

Despite the heroic efforts of the editorial and production team at the newspaper, it has become clear that the Jewish Chronicle will not be able to survive the impact of the current coronavirus epidemic in its current form.

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The liquidation is expected to be finalised in the coming two to three weeks and every effort will be made to ensure that the paper continues to be published over this period and the website continues to provide regular updates.

It added that the owners of the Jewish Chronicle, The Kessler Foundation, are actively working to secure a future for the publication after liquidation.

Further announcements regarding this will be made in the coming days, it added.

Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said on Twitter: I wont be saying anything beyond confirming that the paper will be out as usual next week, and we have every intention of avoiding any interruption.

Meanwhile, the newspapers head of news, Jack Sommers, tweeted: A sad day for the JC.

I am incredibly proud of its journalists, who have worked to make the paper a must-read in extraordinary times.

In the meantime, were still working hard to cover the news in even more extraordinary times.

The Jewish Chronicle was first published in 1841 and is the oldest Jewish newspaper in the world, while the Jewish News is cited as Britains biggest Jewish newspaper.

According to the most recent accounts published on Companies House, the Jewish Chronicle had been operating at a loss of 1.57 million in 2018, following a loss of nearly 1.19 million the year before.

In June last year, the Jewish Chronicle was saved from the brink of collapse after it received funding from its parent charitable entity, the Kessler Foundation.

In February, the 179-year-old publication announced plans to merge with Jewish News to secure the financial future of both newspapers.

In a joint statement, it said completion of the merger was dependent on necessary funds being raised to support the move.

Messages of support have appeared online in reaction to Wednesdays announcement.

Jo Stevens, the Labour Partys shadow culture sectary, said: This is very sad news for the staff and Jewish community, particularly at the start of the festival of Passover.

Collapsing print sales and advertising revenue are hitting regional, local and independent news outlets already under financial pressure, extremely hard.
Tamara Ecclestone and her husband Jay Rutland have setup an initiative called Art For Heroes to raise money for NHS workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Formula One heiress Tamara, 35, and businessman Jay, 39, gave 25,000 towards the cause, as well as creating an online gallery, which sees artists donate their works with 100 per cent of the profits going to frontline NHS staff.

The couple have already recruited over 30 artists including David Yarrow, Mr. Brainwash and musician Boy George to take part and have devised an e-certificate to be sent to those who donate as a way of expressing their gratitude.

Good cause: Tamara Ecclestone and her husband Jay Rutland have setup an initiative called Art For Heroes to raise money for NHS workers amid the coronavirus outbreak

Speaking about their reasons for setting up the charity that aims to raise 1 million, Jay said: 'I have never been more grateful for the job our NHS workers are doing.

'Now more than ever we really appreciate the job they're doing for very little pay and extremely long hours.

'They are putting their lives and health at risk everyday just by going to work. This is our way of giving back.'

Jay decided to lend his hand after being contacted by close friend and ex-England and Chelsea player Joe Cole, 38, who founded Heroes along with NHS workers.

Sticking together: The couple, who are parents to daughter Sophia, gave 25,000 towards the cause, as well as creating the online gallery that has seen over 30 artists donate their works

Initially, Joe was keen for Tamara and Jay to raise awareness for the charity on social media but the pair were inspired to create their own strand of the initiative.

Jay, who's the creative director of Maddox gallery in London's Mayfair, said: 'The charity was only formed four weeks ago.

'Rather than us just promoting and donating, which I'm happy to do and I have done, I felt we could do something more, that's where Art For Heroes came from.

'We contacted some artists to see if they would be willing and able to donate a piece of art and when the artwork is sold the proceeds will go to the charity.

'The artists have donated the works in full and if they sell then all the proceeds go to the charity.

'Ordinary people who do extraordinary things': The Connor Brothers have submitted a piece to the online gallery, which is up for sale with the proceeds going towards NHS workers

Generous: American photographer Tyler Shields donated an image of a couple staying dry together underneath an umbrella as droplets of rain fell either side of them

'There's also the option on the website to just donate now, if you're not necessarily interested in buying art.

'All of the artwork is priced 20 per cent lower than what it would normally sell for in a gallery, so that's an added incentive.'

Tamara, who's a mum to the couple's six-year-old daughter Sophia, added: 'Anyone that donates will be sent an e-certificate, which incorporates the hero image from the campaign, and it will be personalised and you will be encouraged to share that on your social media.

'That will hopefully then encourage more people to go to the Art For Heroes website and donate more. The aim is to raise a million plus and I think thats achievable.'

Symbolic: London-based artist Haris Nukem donated a compelling piece to the initiative of an NHS nurse cradling a gold baby with one of her arms coated in armour

'I love you': Street artist Mr. Brainwash has donated a piece which shows the Superman shield alongside the NHS logo, with the tagline: 'Never give up'

This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, was taken to intensive care at St Thomas Hospital after suffering with ongoing symptoms of the coronavirus.

And Tamara, who's the daughter of former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, 89, hopes the PM makes a full recovery and the country can pull together to send their love and best wishes to the expectant father.

She said: 'Its been a really hard time for him.

'He wasnt able to take the time he needed to rest and to recover like his body needed to.

'I really hope hes going to be OK because obviously the country needs him.

'I hope he pulls through and that it was more a precaution than anything else.

'But it goes to show that no one is immune from the virus, it doesnt discriminate.

'Everyone needs to have positive thoughts and I believe in that, collective thoughts and vibes for him to get better.'

For those wishing to donate to Art For Heroes, you can enter the virtual exhibition and buy the donated pieces of art, as well as clicking Donate Now to make a direct contribution to the Heroes charity: https://artforheroes.co.uk/
South Africa: Municipalities urged to assist informal traders to comply with regulations

The Parliamentary Committee on Small Business Development has called on all municipalities to assist eligible informal traders to comply with their COVID-19 trading regulations.

This follows the directions issued by Small Business Development Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, which are in line with the amendments to the regulations on the COVID-19 lockdown. These were published in the Government Gazette by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on 2 April 2020.

The amendments are aimed at assisting small businesses, including corner shops, spazas, fruit and vegetable stores, as well as the informal trading sub-sector.

According to the amendment regulations, all spaza shop owners and informal food traders must hold permits issued by their respective local municipalities, allowing them to trade.

Committee chairperson Violet Siwela said the committee has been made aware that some municipal offices are closed and informal traders were turned away.

It has further come to our attention that some municipalities are declining applications from eligible informal traders, who are properly registered on the municipal databases. We call upon COGTA to investigate such cases, Siwela said.

The committee welcomed the amended regulations and urged informal traders to meet the conditions of the regulations, thereby ensuring that they carry permits at all times to perform essential services as contemplated in regulation 11(B)(3).

The country is facing an unprecedented crisis, which calls for all of us to remain calm. However, we are confident that the scaled up support to small business and informal traders, where government has negotiated discounted prices at some wholesalers, will go a long way to bring stability to the sector, Siwela said.

The committee has also implored all small businesses and informal traders to exercise social distancing practices and observe health measures issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department of Health.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Many UK universities faced an uncertain future before the coronavirus pandemic, but its debilitating impact  including potential loss of income if less Indian and other international students come in September  may lead to some collapsing, prompting unions to seek help from the Boris Johnson government on Wednesday.

Universities have been grappling with a shift to online teaching in the current academic year ending August- September, besides apprehensions over the situation when the next year begins in September. The immediate challenge is the next term from around April 20.

Five unions warned the government that universities must be given extra protection during the pandemic to ensure their financial survival because of their vital contribution to the economy, local communities and medical research.

There are thousands of Indian students on courses in the current academic year. Until the pandemic struck, ministers, diplomats and stake-holders were hailing an increase in the number of Indian students, but there are now concerns over the extent of the new intake from September.

Indian and other international students typically pay three times the course fee applicable to UK and EU students, besides contributing to the UK economy through maintenance and travel expenses. The international students are estimated to bring billions of pounds each year.

In a joint letter to higher education minister Michelle Donelan, the unions representing higher education staff sought urgent assurances that universities will not be allowed to collapse financially as a result of the outbreak, backed up with legislation.

The unions  UNISON, University and College Union (UCU), GMB, Unite and the Educational Institute of Scotland  say that the sector is too valuable for any institutions to get into financial difficulties. Some universities are biggest employers in their area, with the sector employing around 750,000 people.

The letter says: The university sector is one of the most productive and important parts of the UK economy with international students alone bringing in 7.3 billion each year and the sector as a whole generating 73 billion.

We are already getting many reports of universities serving notifications of redundancies, and of contractors in universities sending staff home without pay or asking them to use their annual leave.

It is no overstatement to say that such a response from universities will be disastrous for the individuals concerned and their families as well as for the future of the higher education sector  one of the most important industries in the UK, it adds.

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Turkish Finance Minister announces cash aid

Berat Albayrak said that 4.4 million low-income families will benefit from the new cash aid.

Turkey announced on Tuesday financial support for employees forced to take unpaid leave amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"WE'LL PROVIDE SALARY SUPPORT"

"Our citizens who are on unpaid leave, do not worry. We'll provide salary support for them, too," Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said in a video posted on Twitter.

The government will also provide cash aids this month for a total of 4.4 million families with low income, Albayrak said, adding: "Thus, 2.3 million more families hit financially by the virus will benefit from this support."





Turkey has already taken sweeping steps to protect employment amid the pandemic, including short-term employment allowance.

In Turkey, the death toll stands at 725, with more than 34,100 cases confirmed.
Strict restrictions on the movement of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus were in force for the 21st consecutive day on Wednesday, even as authorities in the city banned religious congregations on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.

Officials said tight curbs were in place across the valley in view of the surge in the number of positive cases in Kashmir.

In view of the prevailing health situation, District Magistrate Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has issued an order prohibiting all sorts of religious congregations and public movement on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat in Srinagar.

Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of forgiveness, will be observed on April 8-9. Members of the Muslim community visit graveyards and offer prayers in memory of their loved ones.

The order issued under Section 144 of CrPC states that the decision to prohibit religious gatherings during the occasion has been taken based on recommendations of authorities and reports from the field besides taking into account the current precarious health situation due to COVID-19 pandemic.

It states that these restrictions will remain enforced through the intervening night of April 8 and 9, adding that violations will attract strict action under Section 188 of the IPC and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act.

Security forces have sealed off the main roads in the valley and erected barriers at several places to check the unwanted movement of the people and to enforce the lockdown, the officials said.

The markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, they added.

Educational institutions across Kashmir have been closed, while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants have been shut down more than a week before the nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Minister.

While the prime minister announced the country-wide lockdown on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till 31 March as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The administration said essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the virus infection. The measures were taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of the city, who had returned on 16 March from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for COVID-19 infection.

The authorities have started an aggressive contact tracing campaign across the union territory to contain the spread of the infection.

The total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 125, while three patients have died.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The World Health Organisation has reacted against the idea of using Africa as the testing ground for the coronavirus vaccine.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a video press conference on Monday termed the proposal a disgrace and appalling to hear it from scientists in the 21st century.

According to the WHO chief, the proposal by French scientists is racist and a hangover from the colonial mentality.

Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine. We will follow all the rules to test all therapeutics all over the world using exactly the same rule whether it is in Europe, Africa or wherever.and the hangover from the colonial mentality has to stop, said Ghebreyesus.

He said the remarks by the French medics went against the global solidarity call in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, the two French doctors  Jean Paul-Mira and Camille Lochts  faced backlash after proposing that Africa be used as a testing ground for a coronavirus vaccine.

Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, said: 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.

Camille Locht, head of research at the Inserm health research group said a study in Africa was already under consideration. He said: We are in the process of thinking about a study in parallel in Africa.

The remarks were made on French television channel LCI during a discussion on Wednesday, April 1, over COVID-19 trials set to start in Europe and Australia.
Paris, April 8th, 2020 - During the first 10 weeks of 2020, Ipsos had its best start of the year since 2011. The order book was more than 5% higher and the prospects for winning new contracts were at a particularly elevated level. Only China and a few other Asian markets were at a standstill.

The situation brutally changed around in mid-March in many parts of the world. Obviously, the triggering factor was the confinement which was put in place in the main countries of Europe, in the United States and in other countries, while being only at best relaxed in some Asian countries.

For the month of March as a whole, including the first two weeks, orders were down 40%. If we exclude the first two weeks of the month, the drop is slightly more than 50%. That said, new orders held up better, with declines of around 20% and 25% respectively. The difference comes from a very significant volume of cancellations and postponements.

For an order book in mid-March close to a billion euros, postponements and cancellations represented around 7% of this total, compared to a usual level of less than 2%.

Ipsos' activity is hampered by 3 main factors:

- the difficulties, significant or major as the case may be, that businesses and client institutions encounter;

- the uncertainties and misunderstandings that the situation generates;

- the very direct consequences of confinement which, for essentially technical reasons, has led to the postponement, if not to the cancellation, of many programs whose execution requires direct, personal, physical contact between people, for example researchers and interviewees.

A third of Ipsos' turnover is conducted using "face to face" protocols. Everything that was executed before March 15 - January 15 in China - is done. As of the start of lock down measures, the vast majority of these programs were stopped. Some have already resumed, changing working methods, for example by using telephone or digital survey procedures. Most will not resume until after containment periods and successive restrictive measures end.

Under these conditions, Ipsos indicates:

- that it suspends any estimate of what its activity should be for the whole of 2020

- that its results for the first quarter of 2020 are lower than the commercial dynamics recorded until the end of the second week of March gave hope for.





Ipsos has obviously implemented a series of measures intended to protect its margins, its liquidity and its ability to work with its customers:



- control over the activity of the various markets is reinforced by the transition to a weekly reporting system, which replaces the usual monthly reporting;

- the volume of payroll - which represents almost 80% of Ipsos' fixed costs - is rapidly reduced. Recruitments have been frozen, as well as planned salary increases, whether or not linked to promotions. The main directors and executives of Ipsos, around 700 people, have overwhelmingly agreed to monthly salary reductions of up to 20%. Of course, Ipsos will participate in the various plans implemented in certain countries which result, as far as possible, in maintaining existing jobs. Finally, while the bonuses linked to the performance of 2019 have been paid, the variable remuneration systems relating to 2020 have, for the moment, been put on hold;

- overhead was also the subject of great attention. International travel had been suspended since February 28 for health reasons. All other spending lines, including leases and capital investments, are reduced as quickly and as much as possible. On the other hand, the digitization programs of our offers are preserved;

- it will be proposed to the General Meeting of shareholders, which will probably be held behind closed doors (see below) on May 28, to distribute a dividend of 45 cents per share, i.e., almost 50% less than what had been initially planned.

- share buybacks are suspended.

Ipsos ensures above all the safety, tranquility and health of all those with whom it works and on whom it depends: its employees and contract workers, its customers, its suppliers and partners and the tens of millions of people who are asked each year to give their opinions, express their preferences and describe their wishes or experiences.

Ipsos is confident in its ability to get through the period that has just opened and that will last longer than the time of confinement. For a long time, this pandemic will be a game-changer. It is massive, brutal and universal. It is also lived by all, in real time, the first time for a viral attack that is so contagious. As such, it will permeate the functioning of society, the structure of markets and the behaviors, hopes and fears of people. It will force institutions and businesses to work differently. It will also reinforce Ipsos' conviction that information, as long as it is properly produced, analyzed with rigor and communicated with vigor and clarity, is the most essential tool that these same institutions and companies need. In the coming years, markets will be more volatile, and the opportunities to win or lose, and to gain or no longer hold the confidence of our customers / consumers / citizens, will become more strong.

The research industry, and within it Ipsos, are preparing to live up to the challenges that our clients will encounter. The persistence of a large flow of new orders addressed to Ipsos bears witness to this.

***

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Didier Truchot and the Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Laurence Stoclet, will answer your questions during a conference call to be held at 4:00 p.m. today (Paris Time) for which an invitation was sent to you separately.

Our next press release will be published on April 23 after the close of the stock market on our turnover for the first quarter of 2020.

SHAREHOLDERS GENERAL MEETING



Ipsos SA confirms the holding of the General Meeting of its shareholders on May 28, 2020, at its headquarters at 35, rue du Val de Marne, at 9:30 a.m.

However, given the rapid and uncertain evolution of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) which has led public authorities to take strict containment measures to combat its spread, the Board of Directors has decided, on an exceptional basis and pursuant to ordinance n  2020-321 of March 25, 2020, that this General Meeting will be held behind closed doors without the physical presence of shareholders and other persons entitled to attend if, on the date of its convocation or its meeting, it is affected by an administrative measure limiting or prohibiting collective gatherings for health reasons.

In this context, the Company invites its shareholders to anticipate now that they will not be able to physically participate in the General Meeting. In this regard, the Autorite des Marches Financiers reminds shareholders of listed companies that it is possible for them to vote at general meetings without being physically present.

Shareholders are therefore encouraged to participate in the 2020 General Meeting, and to exercise their rights remotely before the General Meeting, that is to say:

- to vote or to give a proxy to the President of the Meeting using the voting form, according to the instructions which will be specified in the notice of meeting;

- to ask written questions, by post or electronically, attaching proof of their status as shareholders so that the questions are taken into account.

If the next General Assembly meeting is held behind closed doors:

- the General Meeting will be broadcast in full - live and deferred - on the Company's website www.ipsos.com, in the "General Meetings" section;

- it will not be possible during the General Assembly Meeting to ask questions or to propose new resolutions.

The procedures for holding the General Assembly could change depending on health and/or legal requirements. Shareholders are called upon to regularly consult the section dedicated to the 2020 General Meeting on the Company's website www.ipsos.com

ABOUT ISPOS

Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data coming from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

"Game Changers" - our tagline - summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our world of rapid change.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and

is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP www.ipsos.com





Attachment
Stay in and order out: that's the message behind a national campaign to help struggling restaurants by getting take-out meals on Wednesdays.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stay in and order out: that's the message behind a national campaign to help struggling restaurants by getting take-out meals on Wednesdays.

Still open and ready to serve: Directory of Winnipeg restaurants, shops and businesses Click to Expand Posted: 4:08 PM Mar. 27, 2020 In a bid to help restaurants, mom-and-pop shops and other local businesses hurting during these trying times, the Free Press launched a directory service to help our community connect with companies still open for business. Read Full Story

Starting April 15, the campaign, called Canada Takeout, will encourage Canadians to order meals  either to pick up or to be delivered  to support restaurants that have experienced a deep drop in business during the pandemic.

The #TakeoutDay campaign will kick off with a Facebook live show on 8 p.m. next Wednesday with musical guests and celebrity appearances.

Chef Tyrone Welchinski, who works at Nonsuch Brewery, was approached to be part of the social media campaign.

"Weve been doing OK with take-out orders and deliveries, but I dont think theres a lot of awareness right now that restaurants are still operating and that we still need this business to survive the storm," he said.

Even outside of the campaign, there are ways for people to support food-service workers.

"Even if the restaurant is closed, a great thing customers can do is just leave them a positive review on Google. That can go a long way."

Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Nonsuch Brewery Chef Tyrone Welchinski hopes people support restaurants to help businesses survive. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Some restaurants have been forced to completely shut down, which, Welchinski said means, while support from diners was crucial, government intervention was necessary as well.

"If the restaurant is closed, and in many cases theyve had no choice but to close there isnt really anything you can do to help them at this point I think, its up to the government to bail these businesses out," he said.

"Its not loans or anything that we need. Its a bailout."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
The woman is detained at the Central Mental Hospital

A mother accused of pouring boiling water over one of her 18-month-old twin sons has been charged with attempting to murder both children.

The woman (37) allegedly left one of the boys with 18pc scalding on his face and head, and held a knife while telling a Tusla worker she wanted to kill her sons.

She had been facing one count of assault causing harm to one of the children, but yesterday the more serious charges of attempted murder of both children were brought against her.

Judge Colin Daly remanded the accused in custody, to appear in court again next week.

The woman, who cannot be named, is detained at the Central Mental Hospital.

Yesterday, Garda Aisling Carroll told Dublin District Court the accused made no reply to either charge after caution.

The offences are alleged to have happened at her home in the west of the city on October 9 last year.

The woman had been refused bail when she first appeared in Blanchardstown District Court at the time.

Objecting to bail at last October's hearing in Blanchardstown District Court, Garda Carroll said it would be alleged that the woman, a mother of five, poured boiling water over one of her twin sons while she was on a supervised access visit from hospital.

Garda Sergeant Geraldine McManigan said there was a fear the accused would interfere with witnesses.

She said it would be alleged the woman made a number of threats to kill her children while on the access visit.

Garda Carroll said the accused had come to Ireland in 2002 and her husband had since left the country.

A Tusla worker told the court she took the woman on a supervised access visit from the hospital to her home.

"She repeatedly asked me for access alone with her twin sons," she said.

"At one point she went in the kitchen with one of the boys. Then I heard the child crying," the Tusla worker said.

Soaking

"I went into the kitchen and she had flicked boiling water at the boy's face and head.

"He has 18pc scalds and is in intensive care with a tube in his mouth. The child was scalded. He was soaking wet. He was boiling hot.

"She said she wanted to kill her children and picked up a knife. The front door was locked, but I opened it and then she locked it again. She was clearly saying that she wanted to kill her children."

Defence solicitor Damien Coffey said at the time his client had an Irish passport and had been admitted to a psychiatric unit.

Refusing bail at the October hearing, Judge David McHugh said: "This lady appears to be suffering from acute psychiatric difficulties."

The accused will be sent forward for trial when a book of evidence is ready.
ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neenah, Inc. (NYSE: NP) today published an updated Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) on its web site (www.neenah.com) under the "About Us" section. The report highlights the Company's commitment and progress on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and is structured in alignment with Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) industry guidelines to address those factors most relevant to the Company's stakeholders. The report includes strategies, information and metrics related to the Company's environmental impact, employee development, and community engagement.

About Neenah

Neenah is a leading global specialty materials company focused on premium niche markets that value performance and image. Key products and markets include advanced filtration media, specialized performance substrates used for digital transfer, tape and abrasive backings, labels and other products, and premium printing and packaging papers. The Company is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and its products are sold worldwide from manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Additional information can be found at the Company's web site, www.neenah.com.

Contact:

Neenah, Inc.

Bill McCarthy

Vice President-Investor Relations

678-518-3278

SOURCE Neenah, Inc.
Phuket Songkran allowed, but stay in your subdistrict, says Governor

PHUKET: All subdistricts in Phuket will be under lockdown orders by this coming Monday (Apr 13) and people will be allowed to celebrate Songkran**, but not travel to other parts of the island, the Phuket Governor has announced.

COVID-19Coronavirushealthculture

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 8 April 2020, 04:10PM

People in Phuket wil be allowed to celebrate Songkran, but must stay within their subdistrict, the Governor explained. Photo: Seed Church Thailand

** A full update on the rules and expected behaviour of people observing Songkran has been posted by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department. See story here.

APOLOGY: The original photo posted with this story has been replaced as it led people to believe that mass water play would be allowed. It is not.

The photo originally shown with this article was a grievous error in judgement. We apologise for any misundertstanding this may have caused.

Patong, Karon, Chalong, Rawai, Kathu and Srisoonthorn subdistricts are already under lockdown orders, rolled out of the past week.

All remaining subdistricts, or tambon in Thai, will be under lockdown order for 14 days starting Monday, Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana explained in a televised interview with state broadcaster MCOT.

The interview went live on the MCOT HD 30 TV channel at midday today (Apr 8).

Phuket is the first province in the country to announce such a measure to try to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus while allowing Songkran celebrations to continue, Governor Phakaphong said.

Door-to-door checks, such as those conducted in Patong this week, will be carried out islandwide, he added.

Next, we will work together with health officials and police to check every house, check peoples body temperatures and question people about their activities to track down any possible infections of COVID-19, he explained.

The police will be involved because they are experienced in questioning people and identifying people who are not telling the truth, he said.

Phukets leading health officials believe that the worst of the infection spread across the island will be over by the end of the month, Governor Phakaphong noted.

The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee estimates that the situation will be better by April 30, he said.

Meanwhile, there are still about 3,000 foreign tourists in Phuket. I was informed of this number by Phuket Immigration. Many of these people still want to leave Phuket.

Last night (Apr 7), about 500 people left Phuket on a flight organised by foreign embassies, he added.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is learnt to have asked social media platforms like Tiktok, Helo and Facebook to remove rogue messages spreading misinformation and weakening government's effort to fight against the coronavirus. Social media companies have also been asked to save details of uploaders of such malicious content which can be shared with law enforcement agencies when required.

"MeitY has said that a large number of fake/false and misinformation based audio and video clips are being circulated on social media platforms especially TikTok, Helo and Facebook. It said that such false and misinformation based messages have the potential for creating panic and other online harms," according to a source aware of the development. The ministry in separate communications asked social media companies to remove the content as it weakens the government effort to fight against coronavirus and the Supreme Court has also taken serious note of such content while hearing a matter on the subject on March 31, 2020.

"The ministry has said that the rogue messages effectively weaken the all-out effort being made by the India government for containing the spread of coronavirus," the source said. The communication from MeitY follows after a report submitted by open-source intelligence and fact-checking IT firm Voyager Infosec stated that several videos are being posted on social media platforms like Tiktok, Youtube and Twitter to influence Muslims in India against following safe practices to contain coronavirus infection.

The firm found that videos have been shot at both foreign locations and in India and are being primarily posted on Chinese mobile video app Tiktok with fake information about coronavirus and religious instigations against health advisories. These videos are further shared on other platforms like Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook," the report said. The report submitted to India Cyber Crime Coordination Centre claims to have analysed over 30,000 videos within a period of five days. It further said that most of these videos have been created with professional video editing softwares, and originally uploaded accounts are being deleted after circulating them on other social media platforms.

"MeitY has asked social media platforms to work closely with each other so that messages, including audio and video messages, are identified and removed as soon as possible. It has asked social media companies to submit daily reports on measures taken by them," the source said. The ministry has asked social media companies to ensure that the rogue messages do not go viral and at the same time also save information of all those people who create or upload such messages. The details of content uploaders can be shared with the law enforcement agencies as and when required, it added.

When contacted, Tiktok spokesperson said, "We are actively working with the government to support them in their efforts to fight misinformation and proactively also working to elevate credible information related to covid-19 on our platform." Email query sent to Facebook elicited no immediate reply. Earlier, industry body IAMAI, whose members include Google, Facebook, Tiktok etc, said any request to remove content needs to come via proper legal notice.
KABUL - The Afghan government released 100 Taliban prisoners Wednesday after talks aimed at coordinating a prisoner swap with the Taliban collapsed the day before. Afghan government and Taliban officials had been meeting for days in Kabul to coordinate the release before the Taliban withdrew from the talks Tuesday, accusing the government of "wasting time."

An Afghan official familiar with the development said the Wednesday release was unilateral and intended as a goodwill gesture. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the release with the media.

The Afghan government is under immense pressure from the United States to move forward with peace talks with the Taliban following the signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal in February. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have already been delayed for weeks, setbacks that threaten to derail the fragile U.S.-Taliban peace agreement.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Washington Post, "We have nothing to do with the release of 100 prisoners, as it is not according to the agreed mechanism." He added that "the prisoner swap process" remains halted.

The prisoners released Wednesday were chosen from a "broader list" that the Taliban delegation shared with the Afghan government, according to a statement from Afghanistan's National Security Council. The statement said those released did not include the 15 senior Taliban members whose release the Taliban delegation had demanded in the first round of the prisoner exchange.

The statement said the prisoners released were chosen "based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence" and that all prisoners took an oath never to return to the battlefield.

The U.S.-Taliban peace deal called for thousands of prisoners to be released as a confidence-building measure ahead of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The Taliban had previously demanded that all of its prisoners be released at once, but the Afghan government objected to that, citing logistical concerns. The two sides later agreed to move ahead with smaller groups.

Once peace talks with the Taliban begin, securing a cease-fire is expected to be a top priority for the Afghan government. Afghanistan has seen a spike in violence since the U.S.-Taliban peace deal was signed. Taliban attacks mostly in northern Afghanistan have killed dozens of Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters over the past month, according to local officials.

After the signing of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, the United States ceased all offensive operations against the Taliban but has conducted airstrikes in support of Afghan forces. The Taliban recently cited those strikes when accusing the United States of breaching the peace deal. The U.S. military command in Kabul rejected that accusation and pledged to continue to defend its ally, the Afghan government.

- - -

George reported form London. The Washington Post's Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
"Todays responsibility lies with the youth. If the youth are wise, the country will be wise. If the youth are wealthy, the country will be wealthy. If the youth are strong, the country will be strong."

Liang Qichao, The Young China

As the coronavirus outbreak develops, more and more young people are rising up to the challenge presented by this pandemic and finding purpose in this moment of crisis. Liu Xian is one of them. Her story has become an inspiration to countless people in China, and around the world.

The 24-year-old woman is an ordinary entrepreneur who started a catering business in Chengdu, Chinas southwest Sichuan province. After the outbreak erupted in Wuhan, Liu heard that the frontline medical staff, due to their long working hours and restaurants being closed, were rarely able to eat warm, home-made meals. This gave her the idea of moving to Wuhan and cooking meals for the citys medical staff.

In late January, Liu posted a notice on her companys online community seeking to mobilize more staff to join her in this volunteer work. Many immediately responded to her call.

As our country is in trouble, everyone has some responsibility. Wuhan needs us, Liu said.

On February 3, Liu led a small team to virus-hit Wuhan bringing 100 tons of ingredients. Lius team started cooking meals for the citys medical staff in over 20 hospitals.

Her intention behind the act was simple. In such a difficult time, restaurants are closed, and hospitals canteens are overloaded, so I have to go to the front lines. And cooking is my specialty, Liu said.

Lius team was able to cook an average of 400 to 600 high-quality meals each day, with enough meat and vegetables to ensure that medical workers had the nutrition and strength they needed. In 40 days, she cooked over 20,000 meals for medical staff.

The doctors need to eat well to enhance their immunity so that they can work even harder. They are soldiers, so I did my best to provide them with the best dishes, she said.

With traffic in Wuhan temporarily suspended, Liu decided to drive to the hospitals to deliver the meal boxes to the medical staff. As she had no protective clothing, she often wore a raincoat while out and about in the city, earning her the nickname Raincoat Girl.

The citys medical staff were deeply moved by what she did and showed their concern for her in return. Every time she delivered them meals, they would disinfect her and her car.

Her actions also moved many local citizens. Drivers would give her the thumbs-up when they met her on the streets, while some sent her messages on social media, saying You are great! We are with you!

Although the 24-year-old had no fear of the virus, she was concerned about her parents. Before leaving for Wuhan, she wrote a will and sent a copy of it to her best friend and left the original copy to her boss. If I couldnt come back, they would give it to my parents.

Liu fervently believes that all she has done has been worth it. I want to tell my parents that Im safe here, and I will protect myself.

Now, the Raincoat Girl has become a viral sensation in China, and an inspiration to many people, young and old alike. Liu has launched a Raincoat Charity to keep her work going, and tens of thousands of volunteers have joined her to help in the fight against the outbreak. Liu calls them Raincoat Members.

Where there is a need for help, Raincoat Members will be there to solve the problems," said Liu.

Even some celebrities, such as Chinese martial arts star Wu Jing, have entrusted her to send relief supplies to the hospitals in Wuhan. So far, she has donated medical supplies and daily necessities worth nearly 3.5 million yuan.

Liu was recently selected by the UN Office of the Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth as one of the 10 leaders who can inspire you to change the world during this pandemic.

Liu has now safely returned to Chengdu, but her work is not over. After hearing that some agricultural products from Hubei were overstocked due to the outbreak, she began to promote them on her social media, firmly believing that Hubei will soon overcome the crisis.

The closer I am to death, the more I can appreciate the value of life. Fame and fortune are like floating clouds. Being alive is what really matters," Liu said.
by Sumon Corraya

The Poor Clares are asking God to provide consolation to the sick, doctors, nurses, volunteers and all those fighting the virus. They also offer fasts and sacrifices. The isolation in which people find themselves is similar to the Sisters normal life of seclusion. People of different religions pray in unison for the end of the epidemic.

Mymensingh (AsiaNews)  When entering the monastery, some 120 km north of Dhaka, one is immersed in silence, except for some sweet and sad chanting coming from the chapel.

The resident Sisters are engaged in a continuous prayer, 24 hours a day, for the world to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, this according to Mother Mary Rose, Superior of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist.

We pray with tears; we raise our hands to Heaven, she explained. We have seen many people in Italy, Spain, France, the United States and many other countries struggling with the coronavirus. Through prayer, we beg Jesus Christ to save the world from this deadly disease.

In Bangladesh, the Poor Clares have two monasteries, one in Mymensingh, and one in Dinajpur in the north, with 34 sisters. When Pope Francis visited the country in 2017, they donated 50,000 hosts for the Mass celebrated by the pontiff.

Mother Mary Rose stresses that they pray for all those infected with the virus, as well as the doctors, nurses, volunteers and all those who serve patients. "We also pray for scientists, she said, so that they can soon find a vaccine for COVID-19.

In addition to prayers, the nuns offer fasting and sacrifices and believe that the epidemic crisis can be solved soon. God is testing us, believes Mother Mary Rose. People have gone far from God, doing lots of sins. Now we need to convert.

On a positive note, People of different faiths are praying to the Creator and staying at home just like we do every day. I believe that God will listen to our combined prayers and bring us consolation soon.

Mother Mary Rose noted that religious vocations are down. In the past two years, only one candidate entered the monastery. The Diocese of Mymensingh has about 80,000 members, mostly ethnic Garo.
Open source

Recently, the international press and experts are increasingly paying attention to Uzbekistan, once one of the most authoritarian and closed countries of the former Soviet Union. After the death of first President Islam Karimov in September 2016, former Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev let the Central Asian republic. He is often portrayed in the media as an effective manager and reformer. British newspaper The Economist named Uzbekistan country of the year 2019 in terms of economic liberalization and political reform.

Japanese outlet The Diplomat referred to the founder of the Uzbek analytical center "Knowledge Caravan" Farhod Talipov, who believes that the evolution of the political and party system of Uzbekistan has occurred. Yevgeniy Pushchuk, executive director of the Naftaenergo Engineering Kazakhstan company, compared Uzbekistan to Qatar in terms of dynamics of reforms, development, and attraction of investments. It is worthwhile to find out whether Uzbekistan under Mirziyoyev really became a more efficient state.

Old fashioned reformer

The formation of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a statesman began during the Soviet times. He was never a dissident, an opponent of the socialist system, a political emigrant, he did not receive higher education in the West. A descendant of prosperous Uzbek peasants from the Jizzakh region, Mirziyoyev made a career as a scientist at the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Land Reclamation, and then in the late 80s joined the Communist Party and was elected to the post of a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. After Uzbekistan gained independence in August 1991, the politician joined the People's Democratic Party, which became the successor to the local Communist Party. Mirziyoyev was twice re-elected to the post of deputy.

President Islam Karimov, who ruled the republic since Soviet times, entrusted Mirziyoyev with the leadership of the Jizzakh and Samarkand regions, which are strategically important in economic terms. Mirziyoyev served as prime minister of Uzbekistan since 2003, right up to the death of Karimov, he was the second person in the country in terms of the power execution. He even began to lead the republic a couple of months before his victory in the early presidential election in December 2016. According to the legislation of Uzbekistan, the president of the Senate, Nigmatilla Yuldoshev, was to act as president, but he voluntarily refused this mission and transferred the authority to Mirziyoyev. In the presidential election, he walked as a candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party, where Karimov had previously been. Over 88% of the population voted for him.

Party liberalization did not occur in Uzbekistan, as the country continues to be governed by the same political forces as under Karimov. In the last parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan in 2019, the coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party won, where Mirziyoyev was in 2008-2016. A multi-party system in Uzbekistan was nominal. Only five parties were allowed to participate in the parliamentary elections. The Adolat, Peoples Democratic Party, and Ecological Party parties, which are a managed but not real opposition, went to parliament. Under Mirziyoyev, the non-systemic opposition parties Erk and Birlik did not register dissident Muhammad Salih, who lives in Turkey, and did not allow independent candidates to participate in the elections. Civil society has not formed in Uzbekistan. It is problematic to register a non-governmental organization. Uzbekistan remains an authoritarian country, although the president himself argues that liberalization is necessary to improve the standard of living of the population.

A manifestation of liberalization in Uzbekistan was a ban on the use of child and forced labor, a policy of publicity, amnesty for some political prisoners. Independent experts appeared in the country, the media began to raise such topical problems as poverty among the population, the development gap between cities and villages. At the initiative of Mirziyoyev, an electronic portal was created through which any citizen can report on his problem (more than a million applications have been received). Exit visas were canceled.

Open source

In January 2017, the Law on Combating Corruption was signed. According to Transparency International, in 2019, Uzbekistan ranked 153 out of 180 places in terms of susceptibility to corruption (Ukraine in 126th place). Employees of the local traffic police began to take fewer bribes. However, progress is negligible. Since 2016, Uzbekistan has moved only three points in terms of susceptibility to corruption.

According to Centre1.com, the fight against corruption in Uzbekistan is symbolic, since an anti-corruption bureau has not been created, mostly small officials are being planted, and bribes continue to be taken at medical facilities in Uzbekistan, including maternity hospitals.

Reforms of Mirziyoyev

Liberalization mainly affected the economic and tax spheres. In 2018-2019, Mirziyoyev conducted a tax reform taking into account Georgian experience. Former Prime Minister of Georgia Nika Gilauri from the team of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili participated in the preparation of the reform concept. Before the reform, Uzbekistan had a high tax burden for enterprises and complex tax rules. Uzbek citizens had to pay more taxes: income tax from 7.5% to 22.5%, which was calculated individually, deductions to the pension fund in the amount of 8% and a single social payment from 15% to 25% depending on the size of the enterprise.

As a result of the tax reform, a single tax was introduced at a rate of 25% on personal income. The authorities reduced income tax for legal entities from 14% to 12%, for banks - from 22% to 20%. The income tax rate on dividend and interest payments was reduced to 5%. Small businesses, like owners of outlets, were exempted from VAT. Instead, entrepreneurs pay a single tax payment of 4%. Tax reform was supposed to contribute to the growth of salaries in Uzbekistan.

However, according to journalist Yuri Chernogaev, half of the economy of Uzbekistan continues to be in the shadows, and many workers get paid in envelopes. Salaries in Uzbekistan are negligible. In 2019, the average salary was $ 235, and the minimum wage was $ 67. Over the year, the average salary increased by less than 8%. Uzbek economist Yuli Yusupov believes that the lack of reform is a too large gap in the tax burden between general and simplified taxation regimes. General regime enterprises evade taxation and split up a business.

Uzbekistan has over 20 free economic zones with tax incentives and preferences for foreign investors, including a reduction in income tax by the amount of money spent on the construction of new buildings to expand the main production, modernization, technical and technological re-equipment. There is a reduction in the income tax rate for exporting enterprises from 30% to 50% depending on sales volumes. Newly created enterprises are exempt from paying property tax for legal entities for up to two years. Investors are exempted from customs duties on imported property. Special preferences are given to manufacturers of electronics, building materials, light industry products, products, and poultry farms. They are exempt from paying part of taxes for a period of 3 to 7 years, depending on the volume of investments.

Mirziyoyev introduced a free currency exchange in the country, a floating rate of the sum, canceled the requirement of the obligatory sale of foreign exchange earnings. The president promotes the privatization of state-owned enterprises.

Reforms of Mirziyoyev improved the investment climate in the republic. From 2016 to 2019, the influx of foreign investment in Uzbekistan increased from $ 1.7 to $ 4.2 billion. Last year, over 3,200 investment projects were underway, including in the energy and chemical industries. One of the most promising projects is the construction of an Uzbekistan GTL synthetic liquid fuel plant with the participation of investors from China, South Korea, and Russia. In early March, The Economist reporters, along with colleagues from other Western publications, including Reuters, Les Echos, Energy Inelligene, and Petroleum Economist, visited the construction site at the invitation of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the Uzbekneftegaz state company. It is planned to implement another 101 investment proposals worth 892 million dollars in the field of mining, pharmaceuticals, and tourism in seven regions of Uzbekistan.

Geopolitical factor

A significant factor that forced Mirziyoyev to carry out economic reforms and make Uzbekistan more open to foreign investors is the states limited position at the junction of Central Asia and the Middle East, at the intersection of the interests of Russia, China, the United States, and Turkey. Moscow is interested in the entry of neutral Uzbekistan into the Eurasian Economic Union and the CSTO. In Uzbekistan itself, there is no unequivocal attitude to this issue. On the one hand, cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union is interesting, since Russia is the main trade and economic partner, more than 2 million Uzbeks go there to earn money, 80% of Uzbek goods transit through other member countries.

Open source

On the other hand, Uzbeks fear to lose their self-sufficiency. Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistans foreign policy has changed from Karimovs chaotic rush between Russia and the West to pragmatic equidistant cooperation with various centers of power. Mirziyoyev established relations with neighbors and settled a long-standing dispute with Tajikistan over the Rogun hydroelectric power station. Commissioning of the facility could leave Uzbekistan without water. Instead, two other hydroelectric power stations will be built on the Zarafshan River in Tajikistan. Mirziyoyev considers the possibility of joining the Eurasian Economic Union only if he does not have to turn off the course of reforms. Such a situation is not beneficial for Moscow since in this case, the demand for liberalization in Russian society will grow.

With the help of reforms, Mirziyoyev expects to prepare Uzbekistan for accession to the WTO and earn the location of the West and China, to use rapprochement with them as a counterweight to Russia's influence. Last year, the United States allocated $ 100 million to Uzbekistan as economic assistance and plans to allocate another $ 2 billion. Americans see Uzbekistan as a foothold in Central Asia, since other countries in the region, apart from Turkmenistan, which is closed to the outside world, are already in orbit Moscow's influence as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union or CSTO. China sees Uzbekistan as a partner in implementing the investment initiative and the One Belt, One Way network of transport corridors. The engine of reform in Uzbekistan is foreign policy uncertainty.
A pair of snow leopards in Nepal have been fitted with satellite collars to assist research in a bid to protect the species.

The devices will monitor the mountain-dwelling cats, which are found in just 12 countries in Asia.

They face a raft of threats including loss of prey, poaching and illegal trade, conflict with local people and loss or deterioration of their habitat.

Two male snow leopards were successfully fitted with satellite collars in Nepals Shey Phoksundo National Park.

This will allow a team led by Nepals Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation to source information on the animals.

Zeborong, one of the two leopards fitted with the collars / PA

The team collared Zeborong and Samling before releasing them back into the wild, in a first for the region.

Rebecca May, WWF-UK regional manager, Asia Programme, said: Snow leopards are found in only 12 countries, and there are estimated to be as few as 4,000 in the wild.

We are proud to work with the government of Nepal on this ground-breaking project, which we hope will provide special insights into the lives of snow leopards in this area to inform conservation efforts.

The information from the satellite collars will inform and improve conservation plans to better protect the snow leopards, providing information on behaviour, movement and habitat use.

Those involved included local citizen scientists, national park staff, members of National Trust for Nature Conservation and WWF researchers

Under the guidance of a wildlife vet the two adult animals were sedated, while checks were carried out which showed both snow leopards were healthy.

Snow leopards are listed as globally vulnerable to extinction.

They are found in countries including Nepal, Afghanistan, China, India, Russia and Kazakhstan.

In Nepal work is under way to protect the animals, while Nepali mountain communities consider the snow leopard to be a mountain deity, a belief which conservationists say helps ensure its long-term survival.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, questions have continually been asked concerning how patients are being tested for the virus and when tests will be more widely distributed.

On 11 March, the NHS outlined plans for 10,000 coronavirus tests to be conducted every day. The prime minister later told the House of Commons that this number would be increased to 25,000, going on to state in a press conference that it could eventually rise to 250,000.

However, no date has yet been fixed as to when antigen and antibody tests  the former assesses if a person has the virus while the latter should be able to determine if an individual has recovered from infection  may become available for mass distribution.

Who is currently being tested for Covid-19?

Coronavirus tests are currently being conducted on patients who have exhibited the main symptoms of the condition and have been hospitalised due to ill health.

The two predominant symptoms of the virus, the NHS states, is a high temperature and a new, continuous cough.

If a person is showing these symptoms, they are advised to contact the NHSs online 111 service for further guidance.

If it is determined that they do not need to be admitted to hospital, then they will not be tested at home.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, some individuals have been able to have tests for the condition despite not needing hospitalisation.

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

Luther star Idris Elba, who has asthma, underwent a test for Covid-19 after discovering he had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the condition. As the actor had been due to work on a busy film set, he had a test as a safeguarding measure so as to ensure he wouldnt put anyone on production at risk.

The Prince of Wales also tested positive for the coronavirus after displaying mild symptoms, while the Duchess of Cornwall tested negative. A spokesperson for Clarence House said the test was carried out by NHS staff in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing.

Prince Charles has since recovered from the virus and he and Camilla have both come out of self-isolation.

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On 27 March, it was announced that frontline NHS staff would be tested for Covid-19. The government had previously been criticised for not rolling out tests for healthcare workers, as it meant they did not know if they were putting patients health at risk.

It is urgently important that we are able to test frontline staff who are off sick or otherwise isolating, said Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS.

However, last week it was reported that only 2,000 NHS frontline staff forced to stay home due to the virus had been tested to see if they could return to work, a fraction of the 125,000 workers believed to be self-isolating.

Over the past couple of months, several drive-through testing centres have been set up. One, set up in Wolverhampton, allowed individuals to be tested in a car park if it was deemed necessary by the NHS 111 service. Meanwhile, a Chessington theme park was turned into a testing centre for NHS workers.

When will testing become available to all?

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, recently told the Press Association that maximum testing capacity in the UK is currently very constrained, only being able to deliver approximately 13,000 tests a day.

Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, stated on 26 March that plans were in place for a million tests that people can do themselves, adding that it is essential that antibody tests are accurate before being distributed to the public.

We expect that to come within a couple of weeks but I wouldnt want to over promise on that, and I think the chief medical officer has been absolutely clear on it being right before it is put out, Professor Doyle said.

On the governments website, it states that it is urgently analysing the reliability of home testing kits that do not need labs.

During a recent press briefing, health secretary Matt Hancock said the UK is trying to develop a huge diagnostic industry in order to scale up testing.

Unlike some countries, we didnt go into this crisis with a huge diagnostics industry. We have the best scientific labs in the world, but we did not have the scale, Mr Hancock said on Thursday 2 April.

My German counterpart, for instance, could call upon 100 test labs, ready and waiting when the crisis struck, thanks in large part to Roche, one of the biggest diagnostics companies in the world. We have had to build from a lower base.

While deputising for Boris Johnson at the daily press conference on Tuesday 7 April while the prime minister receives hospital treatment for Covid-19, foreign secretary Dominic Raab insisted that the government is still on track to deliver 100,000 tests a day in the coming weeks.

However, the distribution of antibody tests remains more uncertain. On Friday 3 April, Mr Hancock stated that the British government had not yet found an antibody test that is good enough to use.
The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Wednesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Big Ben's clock tower and the London Eye ferris wheel stand in the distance as the area around Royal Festival Hall is very quiet in London, Wednesday, April 8, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Wednesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

___________________

PAYCHECKS STOP: Companies are in survival mode, which means tens of thousands of people are losing weekly paychecks. Governments are pushing billions of dollars into programs to stop the bloodletting, but job cuts keep coming.

 Tesla furloughed most factory workers and announced pay cuts. Furloughed employees won't be paid, but health benefits will continue. The company anticipates a return to work on May 4, according to an email from Valerie Workman, head of HR for North America.

 Starbucks will provide direct grants to employees worldwide. The Seattle roaster will provide $10 million in grants for things like housing, utilities, and family funeral costs during the pandemic.

BROKEN HOMES: There were already early signs of weakness in the housing market before the pandemic. New data shows a significant deterioration.

 Mortgage applications nationwide dropped 17.9% in one week, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association survey Wednesday. Purchase applications, which hint at future activity, slid 12% in a week, and a whopping 33% from the same week last year.

 The number of people paying rent in March slipped 12%, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. In it's first review of the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the group found 69% of households had paid their rent by April 5, compared with 81% in the previous month.

HEAVY INDUSTRY: Manufacturers have reconfigured factory floors to provide essential goods despite the lack of a co-ordinated response from Washington and clashes between President Donald Trump and some of the nation's largest producers.

 The U.S. will buy 30,000 desperately needed ventilators from General Motors for $489.4 million. GM is producing the devices at cost. The ventilators will go into the Strategic National Stockpile for distribution, HHS said. GM will deliver 6,132 ventilators by June.

 FedEx and DuPont are teaming up to get 450,000 protective suits to U.S. healthcare workers from a plant in Vietnam this week. Federal officials expect delivery of 2.25 million sets of protective gear in the next five weeks. The HHS has an option to double that order.

 The Burton snowboard company is donating 500,000 respirator masks to hospitals across the Northeast.

 Amazon is testing disinfectant fogging at warehouses. Amazon has been under pressure from workers to improve safety during the outbreak.

The online retail giant also confirmed its putting its delivery service for non-Amazon packages in the U.S. on hold starting in June. The service, launched in 2018, was in a handful of cities.

 The amount of freight that railroads hauled last week fell nearly 16% overall as more industries were affected by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The Association of American Railroads said shipments of motor vehicles and parts plummeted 82% to 3,171 compared to last years 14,389 after most auto plants shut down. The number of coal shipments dropped 23% to 57,504 carloads of coal.

EMPTY SKIES: For the first time in well over a generation, skies are largely empty of planes. The number of people passing through U.S. airports is plumbing lows comparable only to the days following the Sept. 11 attacks.

 For the first time since the formation of the Transportation Security Administration, the number of passengers screened daily at U.S. airports dropped below 100,000. The figure recorded Tuesday, 97,130, represents a decline of more than 95% compared with the same day a year ago.

 Airbus is reducing production by about a third.

 JetBlue is responding to a drop in air travel by consolidating service in the New York, Boston, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas and reducing flights daily flights in those regions from nearly 500 to 70. The airline said Wednesday it will suspend flights to eight airports including San Jose, Baltimore and New Yorks LaGuardia from April 15 through June 10.

JetBlue has reduced overall flying by 80% in April, compared with last April.

MACRO DEVASTATION: Despite national efforts to blunt the worst of the economic damage, a significant global contraction is increasingly likely.

 Japans economy is headed for a 25% contraction in the current quarter, even with the government's fiscal aid package, Goldman Sachs said Wednesday. The contraction for the worlds third largest economy would be a record, since gross domestic product began to be tracked in 1955.

 The virus outbreak will cause a deep recession in Germany, shrinking the economy by 4.2% this year, leading German research institutes said Wednesday in their twice-annual report. Economists predict a swift rebound to growth of 5.8% in 2021.

MARKETS: Stocks climbed on Wall Street on Wednesday, while benchmark U.S. crude oil rose.

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EATING OUT IS OUT: Restaurants and bars have been devastated by the virus, and even the winners," those that do not rely entirely on dining rooms, are getting clobbered.

 McDonalds is reporting a 22% tumble in sales for March. About 75% of McDonald's locations are open, but most are offering drive-thru, takeout or delivery only. McDonalds has pulled financial guidance for the year.

 Panera Bread is offering basic groceries for takeout and delivery at about 90% of U.S. stores. Customers can order things like milk, fruit, and yogurt along with regular Panera meals.

 Starbucks Corp. said its U.S. same-store sales fell between 60% and 70% in the final few weeks of March. But the company said sales in China are gradually improving, with same-store sales down 42% in the last week of March compared to a 78% decline in the month of February.

___

AP reporters Yuri Kageyama, Tom Krisher, Anne D'Innocenzio, Michelle Chapman, Dee-Ann Durbin, Stan Choe and David Koenig contributed to this report.
Most shoppers must visit stores to buy food because there is simply not enough capacity to deliver to most people, Tesco has said.

The supermarket giant estimated between 85 per cent and 90 per cent of all food bought will require a visit to a store, despite government advice that the public should have groceries delivered where possible.

As he ordered Britons to stay in their homes for at least three weeks, Boris Johnson said in last months televised address: You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine  and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

Tesco said it had increased the capacity of its grocery home-shopping service by 20 per cent  an additional 145,000 slots  during the coronavirus outbreak but there is simply not enough capacity to supply the whole market.

The retailer added it was trying to prioritise deliveries to the most vulnerable people.It has also implemented safety measures in its stores, including social distancing rules and one-way aisles.

The boss of rival supermarket company Iceland has previously urged healthy shoppers to ignore the prime ministers advice and buy food in stores to free up delivery for those who need it most.

Sainsburys is reserving all of its delivery slots for shoppers who are elderly or have existing health problems, while Asda has written to vulnerable customers to offer them priority access to online shopping.

Many retailers have implemented limits on purchases in response to widespread panic-buying which saw supermarket shelves emptied and delivery slots booked up for weeks.

Tesco acknowledged that significant panic buying cleared the supply chain of certain items in the first few weeks of the crisis, with sales soaring 30 per cent. But it added: This has now stabilised across the group and more normal sales volumes are being experienced.

The supermarket chain said it had seen significant absence of staff as Covid-19 spreads around the UK and had recruited 45,000 additional employees in the last fortnight.

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

Dave Lewis, chief executive of Tesco, said: Covid-19 has shown how critical the food supply chain is to the UK and Im very proud of the way Tesco, as indeed the whole UK food industry, has stepped forward.

In this time of crisis we have focused on four things; food for all, safety for everyone, supporting our colleagues and supporting our communities.

Initial panic buying has subsided and service levels are returning to normal. There are significant extra costs in feeding the nation at the moment but these are partially offset by the UK business rates relief.

The retailer's statement was issued alongside its preliminary results for 2019/20, which showed revenue up 1.3 per cent to 64.8bn from last year but operating profits down 4.9 per cent to 2.52bn.

The company told investors it expected coronavirus to cost its retail business between 650m and 925m next year due to increased payroll, distribution and store expenses.

But it said this would be largely offset by higher food sales, 12 months business rates relief, and prudent operations management.
Wuhan authorities urged its residents not to leave their neighborhoods, their city and Hubei Province where Wuhan is the capital unless necessary, as the city lifted lockdown from Wednesday.

From midnight, Wuhan, the central Chinese city hard-hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, lifted outbound travel restrictions, dismantled traffic control checkpoints, and resumed operation of railways, airports, waterways, highways and buses in an orderly way, according to a statement issued by the provincial COVID-19 control headquarters on Tuesday.

However, the statement warned that zero cases do not mean zero risks and lifting travel restrictions does not mean lifting prevention and control measures.

It asked residential communities to continue closed-off management, and residents passing through communities' entries to have temperatures checked and wear a mask.

Shopping malls, supermarkets, parks and hospitals which have reopened should strictly control visitor number and check their temperature to avoid cross infections, while all schools in Hubei Province will continue to delay openings until further notice, the statement said.

On Jan. 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains, in an attempt to contain the epidemic.




Filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga has dismissed the suggestion that he should polish his upcoming project, James Bond movie No Time To Die, after it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The film, which marks actor Daniel Craig's last outing as British spy 007, was set to release this month but in the wake of the global pandemic, the makers decided to push it till November.

Fukunaga, who came aboard as a director after the exit of Danny Boyle, was asked by a fan on Instagram about trimming and polishing the movie, given the extra time he now has before the film's debut.

In his reply, the director said the final cut of the film is great and there is no need to tinker with it.

Some people have asked me this and although time would have been lovely, we had to put our pencils down when we finished our post production window, which was thankfully before COVID shut down everything else, Fukunaga said.

The short answer is money. Although Bond is a big movie, we still have to weigh cost with value. And like anything, you could tinker endlessly. The movie is great as it is, hope ya'll will feel same too when it comes out, he added.

"No Time To Die", which is 25th installment of the action spy franchise, has been plagued by multiple problems since the start.

Last year, Craig suffered an injury during the film's shooting in Jamaica, for which he underwent a minor surgery in the ankle.

The new film in the Bond franchise was previously set to be directed by Boyle and had a release date of November 8, 2019.

But the Oscar-winning filmmaker exited the project over "creative differences", along with frequent collaborator, screenwriter John Hodge. The film's release date was then moved to April 2020.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A field hospital planned at the College of Staten Island set to hold at least 1,000 beds may be dropping down in size to 150 beds as the state has halted construction on the site for at least 48 hours, the Advance has learned.

The latest development on the Islands new hospital comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have said hospitalizations across the city and state have started leveling off in recent days.

The source with knowledge of the Army Corps of Engineers plan, told the Advance construction of the CSI site is being halted because the state thinks the additional beds on the Island might not be needed anymore based on its latest hospitalization projections.

Therefore, construction, which is being led by the Corps, will be halted for at least 48 hours so the state can reevaluate whether the beds are needed on the Island.

The Army Corps of Engineers did not return requests for comment about the 48-hour halt and directed all inquiries about the decrease in the number of beds to the state.

Cuomos office would not confirm or deny the decrease in hospital beds at the CSI site or the 48-hour halt.

We opened the South Beach Psychiatric Center in Staten Island yesterday with a 260 bed capacity and as needed we will scale up the capacity at additional sites, said the governors spokeswoman Caitlin Girouard.

But a spokesperson for Rep. Max Rose insisted the state had not yet made a decision. Rose helped spearhead the opening of the CSI field hospital last month with the governor.

Our office is in constant communication with our hospitals and partners in government to ensure no need is left unmet. It would be a tremendous testament to Staten Island if we bent the curve so decisively that less beds at CSI are needed than before, but we do not yet have enough data to make that decision nor has a decision been made by the state," a spokesperson for Rose said.

CUOMO SAYS STATE NOT BUILDING MORE TEMPORARY HOSPITALS

Gov. Cuomo said during a press conference Wednesday the state was not building any more temporary hospitals for the time being but instead was maintaining them. However, he did not specify any planned hospitals in particular.

Cuomo said the rate of hospitalizations had decreased in recent days, which could minimize the states need for overflow on the system at additional hospital sites like the Javits Center and the USNS hospital ship.

Dont get overconfident, dont get complacent, were still in the midst of this, this can still turn any way from Sunday, he cautioned.

If the CSI field hospital has decreased in size, it would mean the Island could be getting just 412 additional hospital beds to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, as the hospitals could be at about half of their capacity.

On Tuesday, a 262-bed hospital at the South Beach Psychiatric Center opened its doors to exclusively treat coronavirus patients in a partnership between the state and Staten Island University Hospital.

But Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who represents the area the site sits in, said Tuesday, the new facility started accepting patients.

SIUH did not return multiple requests for comment on exactly how many patients it transferred to the new site.

Last week Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers told the Advance the CSI facility had grown from 1,000 to 1,030 beds.

However, initially, the Corps said that same day, it had completed the preliminary design for a 150-bed alternate care facility at CSI it expected to contract soon.

But the Corps had declined to provide any additional details about the 150-bed facility.

The Advance had sought answers about the CSI field hospital for more than a week after Rep. Rose announced he, Cuomo and the federal government were working together to build out the 1,000 field hospital because he feared the Islands two private hospitals were rapidly approaching capacity.

However, neither Rose nor Cuomo had been able to give any details about the site until Wednesday.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

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As part of the CARES Act, eligible Americans will get one-time stimulus payments to help them get through financial crises during the coronavirus pandemic.

The questions everyone is asking: When will I get my stimulus check? Can I track my stimulus check?

For starters, the exact moment you will receive your check is unclear.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin previously said April 17 would be the earliest date, but since then, the Washington Post obtained an internal IRS draft document that said payments would start as early as April 9  a week earlier than expected.

The Treasury Department told the Washington Post it expects 50 to 70 million Americans to receive checks through direct deposit by April 15, something different from the draft of the plan obtained by the newspaper.

Still, that would only be for those who filed tax returns in 2019 or 2018, or those for whom the federal government already has banking information, such as those who receive benefits from Social Security.

If the IRS doesnt have your direct deposit information and you have to wait for a paper check, they wont start going out until April 24, the report said.

A spokeswoman said the IRS would send paper checks to the lowest-income Americans first, starting with those with incomes of $10,000 or less on April 24.

Checks for earners of $20,000 or less would be in the mail May 1, followed by those with incomes of $30,000 on May 8, $40,000 on May 15, and continuing in income increments of $10,000 each week, according to the plan. The IRS plans to issue about 5 million checks each week, the report said.

Then, those who earn near the income cutoff for the benefit would see checks issued on Sept. 4, and the rest  those for whom the IRS didnt have prior tax information  would be issued on Sept. 11, the report said.

Treasury said previously it would create a portal so Americans could give their information to the IRS, but that wont be ready until mid-April at the earliest. TurboTax created one to get information to the government, but its not an official IRS tool.

So can you check on when youll get your payment?

As of now, the answer is no.

The IRS has a Wheres My Refund tool. It allows you to check the status of your refund by entering your Social Security number, filing status and the exact amount of your tax refund.

But there is no new tool to tackle stimulus payments. Its expected to be posted on the IRS website where you can see updates from the IRS on this and related stimulus topics.

To see how much of a benefit you may receive under the current law, use our stimulus payment calculator.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS:

Cuomo on plan to take ventilators: Were not in the position that we were in

Spectrum to raise minimum wage for all employees from $15 to $20 an hour

Madison County joins Onondaga in asking residents to alternate days they go out

How does New York restart its economy? New testing a first step, Cuomo says
EUGENE, Ore. -- Advocates in the community are speaking out, saying there are a lack of resources for homeless youth amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashley Hubbard, the program coordinator for Helping Out Our Teens in Schools (HOOTS), said there is currently only one location unhoused youth can go to sleep -- Looking Glass Station Seven. However, the site -- located in West Eugene on 7th Avenue -- can only accomodate up to eight youths at a time.

Since the shelter in place has started, theres a big concern for the youth that are unhoused living in potentially unsafe situations, or living in places that are not the best spot for them," Hubbard said.

Pastor Adam Briddell, with the First United Methodist Church, said since the warming centers are closed, he sees youth waking up on the streets almost every day, while the rest of the population is told to self quarantine.

"Were in the midst of a public health crisis and the county has moved heaven and earth to do really good work at the fairgrounds for our adult homeless population, but again the resources for youth are completely absent from their response. And it's potentially really tragic, Briddell said.

Lane County officials released a statement in response: "Lane County is very concerned about the needs of unhoused youth during the COVID-19 crisis. We have plans in place to respond to youth who have symptoms of COVID-19 or need medical care. We also know that issues of food and shelter must be addressed. Part of what makes our community great is the partnerships and collaboration that happen to help our most vulnerable community members, especially during emergency situations. We are very thankful that community partners have stepped up to help meet this very real need and will work to help insure the success of their efforts while Public Health continues to focus on limiting the spread and flattening the curve."

Briddell also noted that St. Vincent de Paul offered a low-barrier site to house the youths at one of their empty affordable housing locations near the fairgrounds, but Lane County officials have denied the offer as of now.

My concern is a lot of them can be carriers that are not symptomatic, and so theres a concern that if theyre not able to quarantine or shelter in place, that theyre going to be folks that potentially can get other vulnerable populations sick," said Hubbard.

Briddell and Hubbard both said that a place of shelter is necessary for the safety of the youth and the vulnerable populations who could be exposed to the virus because of them.

What we need is an asset so youth know this place is a safe place for you right now, and its a place where we could deliver necessary public health information that will help mitigate transmission, Briddell said.
Return To Belsen

A Country Life For Half The Price

At a time when the news is so harsh, a documentary to commemorate the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen made especially difficult viewing.

Jonathan Dimbleby's grim testament Return To Belsen (ITV) included footage filmed by Allied soldiers, of diseased and starved bodies thrown into mass graves, that was the very definition of a nightmare vision.

The hour-long programme was also a tribute to Dimbleby's father, Richard  the first British journalist to report on the horror of the camps. His initial radio report was so graphic and distressing that BBC bosses baulked and tried to suppress it  until Dimbleby threatened to resign.

Camp survivor Tomi Reichental is pictured at the memorial site in Return to Belsen

The accounts of sadism by the SS guards, and squalor beyond description in the overcrowded dormitory huts, shock and nauseate us now. How they must have seemed in 1945, to an audience that had never dreamed of the horrors of the Holocaust, is difficult to imagine.

The daughter of one survivor who grew up in Israel said that for decades her mother had been unable to talk of the ordeal, because no one wanted to hear about it.

The facts seemed incredible to anyone who had not experienced it for themselves . . . and those who were desperate to forget. 'If I talk,' her mother would say, 'I won't be able to keep on living. The memories will kill me.'

One of the British soldiers first on the scene after the Nazi guards fled from the camp, Ian Forsyth, said those memories still woke him up at night. He was appalled that even kindness could be fatal to the malnourished survivors: when troops pressed food upon them, the sudden surge of calories often stopped their hearts.

'It haunts me,' he said, red-eyed. 'I can't get rid of it.'

After three-quarters of a century, there are few witnesses left to tell the story. The remarkable Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, now 94, the cellist who lived through Auschwitz before being marched to Belsen in the last months of the war, stubbornly refuses to let the memories become stifled.

Legacy of the night: Caroline Aherne, creator of The Royle Family, would have loved Alma's Not Normal (BBC2)  the first sitcom pilot to be made with the bursary in her name to help young writers. Sweary, crude and funny, it was very Caroline. Advertisement

By speaking of what she saw, she does her utmost to prevent these catastrophic crimes from being repeated. We owe her and fellow survivors, as well as the brave Army veterans, an immense debt of gratitude.

When British officers grasped the scale of mass murder at Belsen, they rounded up local mayors and German dignitaries, and made them stand at the edge of the burial pits to see the carnage that had been wrought while they diverted their eyes.

They were forced to look. Difficult as it is, especially now, we must force ourselves to look too. The alternative is to turn our backs on the world, the solution that Kate Humble was offering in A Country Life For Half The Price (C5). It's tempting, but it isn't the answer.

Kate joined parents Alan and Jen, who were selling their cramped 220,000 terraced house in Exeter and carting their possessions in a second-hand horse-box 700 miles to Shetland. Their new home on an exposed hillside looked like a derelict croft, but it did have superb views across the bay and the most northerly stretch of the North Sea.

Next stop, Arctic Circle.

Breadwinner Jen had given up her job in sales, and it wasn't completely clear how the family planned to make ends meet something about tourism and turning the horse-box into a writers' retreat.

Faced with coronavirus and everything else, we can all fantasise about running away.

It takes more courage to emulate the Belsen survivors, and stare down life's terrors without flinching.
 Flash

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains "in good spirits" and is stable after "receiving the very best care from the excellent medical team" in intensive care, a senior official said Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made the remarks during Tuesday's Downing Street daily press briefing with an update on the health of the prime minister, who was moved into intensive care on Monday night after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.

The prime minister's condition is being monitored closely and further updates will be issued, said Raab, noting that Johnson is breathing without help in intensive care.

There has "been a groundswell of messages of support" and everyone is wishing the prime minister a very speedy recovery, he said.

"It comes as a shock to all of us (cabinet members). He is not just a prime minister, not just our boss, but also a colleague and also our friend," he told reporters, assuring the public that the cabinet will not "blink or flinch from the task at hand".

"I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter," he told reporters.

Raab, who is also first secretary of state and therefore de facto deputy British prime minister, has been put in charge of running the country after Johnson was admitted to hospital. He told reporters that he believes Johnson will be back at the helm "in short order" to lead the fight against the deadly disease.

Earlier Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister had been receiving "standard oxygen treatment" but had not required any other assistance in breathing.

Johnson was admitted to hospital for tests on Sunday night on the advice of his doctor after continuing to display symptoms of cough and high temperature 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove, who is now in self-isolating, described the virus as "truly frightening" during a round of media interviews Tuesday morning.

Grilled for updates on the prime minister's medical condition, Gove said "he is not on a ventilator. The prime minister has received some oxygen support."

"He is kept, of course, under close supervision...By being in intensive care, if there is further support he needs, it is there at hand," he said.

Britain suffered its worst day Tuesday since the outbreak began, as the number of new deaths jumped by 786, bringing the death toll to 6,159 as of Monday afternoon, the British Department of Health and Social Care said.

As of Tuesday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 55,242, up 3,634 in the past 24 hours, said the department.

Overall, 266,694 tests have been concluded in Britain, with 14,006 tests carried out on Monday, it added.
The coronavirus pandemic was bad enough. It is being worsened by the unchecked rise of other viruses that existed long before the novel coronavirus disease struck  the viruses of blind faith and its companion, bigotry.

Joining the Dots is a weekly column by author and journalist Samrat in which he connects events to ideas, often through analysis, but occasionally through satire

***

The coronavirus pandemic was bad enough. It is being worsened by the unchecked rise of other viruses that existed long before the novel coronavirus disease struck  the viruses of blind faith and its companion, bigotry. The immediate provocation for some of the bigotry currently on view in India is over the role of a religious gathering organised by a Muslim group, the Tablighi Jamaat, which contributed significantly to the spread of the coronavirus in this country. The Union health ministry has reported that the Tablighi gathering in Delhis Nizamuddin held in March resulted in 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases in 17 states, accounting for 30 percent of total cases in the country as of 4 April.

India is not the only country where the Tablighis held that gathering. Similar events took place in Pakistan and Malaysia, with similar results. There was a big Tablighi gathering in Lahore attended by more than 1,00,000 people which has left that countrys authorities scrambling to isolate and quarantine the attendees. More than 20,000 people who attended the event had been quarantined by Monday, with the Pakistan government looking for the rest. In Malaysia, the Tablighi gathering resulted in hundreds of cases and spread the disease to neighbouring countries. Reuters reported the countrys health minister saying on 17 March that of Malaysias 673 confirmed cases at the time, nearly two-thirds were linked to the four-day Tablighi meet.

The Tablighis were not the only religious sect that put faith over reason. South Korea faced the same problem of a religious gathering leading to the disease numbers exploding. There, the group responsible was the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which at one point accounted for half of all cases in South Korea. That was in early March, before the World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic. However, the global spread since then, and the rising number of deaths, has still not convinced Christian evangelicals in America that there is such a thing as a coronavirus threat. Influential evangelical preachers have been calling on followers to attend church gatherings and dismissing concerns over the need for social distancing. One of them, Rodney Howard-Browne, was finally arrested last week for continuing to host large church services despite government orders to residents to stay home.

In India, apart from the Tablighis, there was a case of a man, Baldev Singh, in Punjab, who attended a large Sikh religious gathering called Hola Mohalla before dying of coronavirus disease. After that, around 40,000 people in Punjab had to be quarantined. In Kerala, police arrested 28 people including temple trust office-bearers after a crowd of Hindus gathered for the Arattu procession at the Malayinkeezhu Sree Krishnaswami Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Both these events took place in March, with the Kerala event coming after the WHO had warned that the world was facing a global pandemic.

Organisers of all these events, of different faiths from different corners of the earth, chose to go ahead with holding large gatherings at a time when the world was already grappling with the spread of the coronavirus. The people who got sick after contracting the disease at some of these gatherings in various countries are the believers who attended the gatherings. By putting faith over reason, they endangered themselves, their near and dear ones, and their societies and countries. Everyone, most of all those who have been infected, is now paying the price for that.

The tendency of religious people to put their trust in blind faith over reason is a liability even in normal times. It leads to ridiculous and often unintentionally funny statements and actions, such as those relating to the magical powers of cow urine or the sexual habits of peacocks here in India. However, it also creates more serious issues, for instance relating to contraception and abortion in Catholic countries, or female genital mutilation in certain Muslim communities.

Apart from issues within communities, the tribalism and irrationality of religion also lead to often-violent tensions between communities. Yet, it is possible that these very characteristics  and the related congregational nature of religious practice that is impelling people of varied faiths to risk their lives by defying social distancing orders around the world  may be foundational to the idea of religion, and perhaps to human civilisation itself.

Intriguing hints of such a possibility exist in a place called Gobekli Tepe in southern Turkey, not far from that countrys border with Syria, where massive stone pillars carved with figures of animals have stood for around 11,600 years. They were built seven millennia before the pyramids, and are more than twice as old as the Indus Valley site of Mohenjo Daro. They date from before the invention of agriculture. Klaus Schmidt, the German archaeologist who led excavations at the site, suspected that the social organisation required to build them may have led to not just agriculture but to civilisation itself. His view on this, and the story of Gobekli Tepe, can be found in a wonderful report in the June 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine on The Birth of Religion.

The spiritual, philosophical, mystical and even revelatory aspects of modern religions are however far removed from such social, congregational roots. Interestingly, those other aspects are the ones that led to the birth of several of the currently dominant faiths. Social distancing of a sort was of critical importance in their genesis.

Buddhism emerged from belief in the enlightenment achieved by the Buddha through his practice of solitary and silent meditation for 49 days. Islam was born from the revelations believed to have been received by the Prophet Muhammad when he was alone in a mountaintop cave near Mecca. A critical event in Judaism and Christianity was the moment when Moses, in solitude, is believed to have received the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. Hinduism is replete with stories of sages meditating in their retreats, or on remote mountaintops, for years.

The supernatural is obviously a very big part of most of those stories. It is possible that they serve a deep need of the human psyche.

The hunger for the supernatural may come as Ramayana and Mahabharata or as Harry Potter and the X-Men. It is unreasonable and probably undesirable to expect that belief in magic will vanish from the minds of humans. However, it is reasonable to hope that even those who believe in the supernatural will respect the natural, heed the scientific consensus on social distancing, and shun congregational gatherings.

Nothing prevents anyone from meditating in whatever solitude and silence they are able to find in their homes under lockdown in this pandemic-afflicted world. There is nothing whatsoever that prevents anyone of any faith from reading the Upanishads, Bible, Quran or Guru Granth Sahib. No virus is stopping anyone anywhere from spiritual practice or study. In other words, there need not be any conflict between the advice of science and needs of faith.

Blind faith, tribalism and bigotry are no longer necessary aspects of religious or spiritual practice.
Facts speak loud for China's openness, transparency in COVID-19 fight

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:56, April 07, 2020

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A detailed timeline published Monday has shown the fact that China has released information on COVID-19 and advanced international cooperation on epidemic response in an open, transparent and responsible manner.

This global public health emergency came all of a sudden. As the novel coronavirus was unseen in the past, its detection, research, testing and confirmation needed time. China has performed its duty and taken strong and effective measures at the earliest time possible.

As the timeline shows, the National Health Commission (NHC) sent an expert group to Wuhan, the capital city of central China's Hubei Province, for on-the-spot investigation on December 31, shortly after cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were detected by the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Starting from January 3, China has been regularly informing the World Health Organization (WHO), relevant countries and regions about the pneumonia outbreak. On January 12, the NHC shared with the WHO about information on the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus, which laid a solid foundation for global efforts of scientific research and vaccine development.

Facts speak louder than words. China has been open, transparent and responsible in all its efforts. News about the leadership's meetings on epidemic control and prevention were released in a timely manner. Chinese leaders frequently spoke over phone with heads of other countries, promoting cooperation on the epidemic prevention and control.

The Chinese government has paid high attention to releasing accurate and timely information on the epidemic. Press conferences are held every day to answer questions of concern to the public and the international community.

Chinese scientists have been cooperating with experts from other countries and sharing research results on international platforms including the journals of Nature, Science and the Lancet.

China has also been sharing its prevention, control and treatment experience with the rest of the world without reservation.

China's efforts have ensured the life, safety and health of the Chinese people and earned valuable time for other countries to combat COVID-19. As the WHO puts it, China's measures have altered the dangerous course of the virus' quick spread and prevented hundreds of thousands of infections.

Now COVID-19 is haunting more than 200 countries and regions. At this critical juncture, only by uniting as one can the world prevail over the pandemic.

Facing censure over their response to the outbreak, however, some U.S. politicians are playing blame games. It is immoral to politicize public health emergency at the moment when hundreds of thousands of people are suffering and even facing death threats. Lies and smears only waste time and endanger more lives.

China has made all-out efforts. Knowing how difficult it is to combat COVID-19, China goes through thick and thin together with the people around the world suffering from the ravage of the virus. In front of the epidemic, a common enemy of mankind, no one can stand alone.

Facing "the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put it, we have no other choice but to join hands to get through this together.

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While the Governments relief package has yet to be disbursed, a group of benefactors have joined forces to offer free goods including rice, instant noodles, eggs, sausages and vegetables, to underprivileged people throughout Hanoi.

The charity programme operates from 8am to 5pm each day in eight locations across the capital, including those in Thanh Xuan, Tay Ho, Ha Dong, Ba Dinh, and Hoan Kiem districts.

A charity offering free necessities is located in front of N2F coffee shop on 54 Le Van Luong street in Thanh Xuan district.

People are able to attend in order to receive food and hand sanitizers.

Due to social distancing rules, people queuing up are required to stand two metres apart.

A bag containing food products including two packets of noodle soup and two eggs

This bag contains rice, spices, and peanuts.

By offering bags containing necessary items to underprivileged citizens, it is hoped that it can help ease the difficulties that people face in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Phuong Yen, a member of the charity, says many people are able to come and receive food in the morning. Indeed, on the morning of April 6 the group were able to provide close to 1,000 bags from their base at 54 Le Van Luong street. The programme will last until the end of the COVID-19 epidemic.

In order to have goods to offer to citizens, a large number of benefactors provide the group with rice and noodle soup and deliver them to the charitys locations.

Local people even donate money to the charity.

Their contributions are recorded in a notebook.

Despite the rain, many deprived people go to the headquarters of Lao Dong Thu Do (Capital Labour) newspaper, at 1A Yet Kieu in order to receive free food.

VOV

Hanoi earmarks US$28.2 mln for the poor amid COVID-19 Hanoi will earmark VND650 billion ($28.2 million), the first stage, in support of the poor and other social beneficiaries via the local branch of Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP), amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Japan Gold Corp. (the "Company") (TSXV: JG) (OTCQB: JGLDF) is pleased to announce encouraging results from geophysical work programs completed at its Ohra-Takamine Gold Project in southern Kyushu. Comprehensive programs completed during January and February, 2020 covered a substantial portion of the 8-kilometer Ohra-Takamine historic mine corridor and included controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics ("CSAMT") and detailed ground-gravity geophysical surveys.

Highlights:

A 35 line-kilometer, grid-based, CSAMT geophysical survey was completed along a 4.2 kilometer portion of the Ohra-Takamine Mine corridor

The CSAMT geophysical survey at the Ohra-Takamine Project was undertaken to identify zones of sub-surface electrical resistivity and conductivity, representing silicification and clay alteration related to epithermal vein systems

Results of the CSAMT survey at Ohra-Takamine are very encouraging and have defined a number of linear kilometric-scale, contiguous resistive zones (CSAMT anomalies), locally extending to depth across the survey area

Prospect-scale gravity readings were collected over an 8 by 4 kilometer area with nominal 60 to 100 metre spacings along access roads and ridgelines and merged with Geological Survey of Japan gravity data to produce a new suite of processed gravity images

Results of the gravity survey define basement uplift or doming along a northeast oriented structural zone along which the mine corridor is hosted

Geophysical surveys completed to date are adding a vital third dimension to the epithermal targets at the Ohra-Takamine Project.

The Ohra-Takamine Gold Prospect lies within the highly gold endowed Southern Kyushu Epithermal Gold Province, and hosts five historic gold mines, the Matsuno, Urushi, Takamine, Ohra, and Aira Yamada Mines, which define a northeast oriented structural corridor, Figure 1. In excess of 11 million ounces of gold has been produced from high-grade low-sulphidation epithermal gold deposits in the province; notable producers include; the Hishikari Mine with 7.8 million ounces of gold produced to date at average grades of 30-40 g/t Au1; Kushikino Mine, 1.8 million ounces at 6.7 g/t Au; Yamagano Mine, 910,000 ounces at 17.4 g/t Au; and the Okuchi Mine with 714,000 ounces at 13.6 g/t Au2,3.

CSAMT Survey

A 35 line-kilometer, grid-based, controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) geophysical survey was completed by Zonge Geophysics Pty. Ltd. during January and February 2020, over a 4.2 kilometer-length of the Ohra-Takamine Mine corridor. The survey comprises 22 individual, north-south orientated CSAMT grid lines varying from 1.5 to 1.8 kilometers in length, spaced 200 metres apart. The grid is staggered along an east-northeast orientation, parallel to the trend of the historic mine corridor and mapped alteration system.

Gravity Survey

Bouguer gravity data was acquired by Haines Surveys Pty. Ltd. during January and February 2020, over an approximate 8 by 4-kilometer area, centred on the Urushi-Takamine-Ohra mine corridor. 973 gravity station readings were acquired at nominal 60 to 100 metre spacings along access roads and ridgelines and merged with gravity data from the Geological Survey of Japan to produce a suite of processed gravity images; including a terrain corrected Bouguer anomaly map, first order trend removed, vertical derivative, Gaussian residual, Hanning filtered residual and horizontal gradient maps.

Conclusions from CSAMT and Gravity Geophysical Surveys

The CSAMT geophysical survey at the Ohra-Takamine Gold Project was undertaken to identify zones of sub-surface electrical resistivity and conductivity, representing silicification and clay alteration respectively, related to epithermal vein systems.

Results of the CSAMT survey at Ohra-Takamine are very encouraging and have defined a number of linear kilometric-scale, contiguous resistive zones (CSAMT anomalies), locally extending to depth across the surveyed area, Figure 2. In the eastern part of the grid, a contiguous, linear resistive zone is defined across multiple sections, coincident and parallel to the trend of mineralisation at the Takamine Mine and extending to the northeast, through and beyond the Ohra Mine. This resistive zone coincides with surface mapped hydrothermal clay alteration, which typically forms above and laterally around the upper portions of large epithermal vein systems. A similar, contiguous resistivity zone commences 600 meters to the east of the Urushi Mine, extending in a westerly direction below the mine to the edge of the CSAMT grid. The resistivity anomalies mapped along the Urushi Mine trend, occur largely below a veneer of younger volcanic ash cover and alluvium. Additional, linear resistivity anomalies have been defined to the north and south of the main mine corridor; their trends are both sub-parallel, and oblique, to the trend of the historical workings in these mines.

The definition of structural architecture and faulting which allows pathways for hydrothermal fluid flow, and subsequent quartz vein formation is a key factor in the interpretation of CSAMT results. With this in mind, detailed gravity surveying was undertaken to further define faulting. Initial findings from gravity show the Urushi, Takamine and Ohra Mines are located on the northwest shoulder of a prominent gravity ridge, Figure 3. The spatial relationship between gravity highs and the major low-sulphidation epithermal gold deposits in the province is well described in the literature, and uplift or doming of the underlying basement, producing gravity anomalies, is interpreted as a key factor in the development of deep-seated fracture pathways for hydrothermal fluid flow, and subsequent quartz vein development in these mines.

In the coming weeks the gravity data collected by the Company will undergo additional processing to contour rapid changes in gravity gradient, providing more definition of the fault architecture related to gold mineralisation.

Soil and Rock Chip Sampling

An extensive 6.4 by 3.3-kilometer grid-based soil sampling program comprising 1,470 soil and 188 rock samples was completed in March 2020 along the mine corridor, and recently dispatched for analysis. The samples will undergo gold and multi-element geochemical assay and spectral clay analysis and will be included in the compilation of a comprehensive geological, geochemical, and geophysical data set. Assay results from the soil and rock chip samples are expected within the next 4 weeks.

Geophysical surveys completed to date are adding a vital third dimension to the epithermal targets at the Ohra-Takamine Project. In the coming weeks, additional structural information from further gravity processing and systematic surface geochemical and alteration maps will provide vectors for ground truthing of anomalies, and refinement of new drill targets.

References

1 Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., LTD. website, production as of end of March 2019.

2 Watanabe Y, 2005. Late Cenozoic evolution of epithermal gold metallogenic provinces in Kyushu, Japan. Mineralium Deposita (2005) 40: pp 307-323

3 Garwin, S.G. et al. 2005. Tectonic setting, Geology, and gold and copper mineralization in the Cenozoic magmatic arcs of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Economic Geology 100th Anniversary Vol. pp 891-930

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Japan Gold's Vice President of Exploration and Country Manager, Andrew Rowe, BAppSc, FAusIMM, FSEG, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Board of Japan Gold Corp.

"John Proust"

Chairman & CEO

About Japan Gold Corp.

Japan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused solely on gold exploration across the three largest islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu. The Company has a country-wide alliance with Barrick Gold Corporation to jointly explore, develop and mine certain gold mineral properties and mining projects. The Company holds a portfolio of 30 gold projects which cover areas with known gold occurrences, a history of mining and are prospective for high-grade epithermal gold mineralization. Japan Gold's leadership team represent decades of resource industry and business experience, and the Company has recruited geologists, drillers and technical advisors with experience exploring and operating in Japan. More information is available at www.japangold.com or by email at info@japangold.com

For further information, please contact:

John Proust

Chairman & CEO

Phone: 778-725-1491

Email: info@japangold.com

Cautionary Note

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated results related to future partnerships and the Company's 2020 gold exploration program. These statements are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to, general economic, market and business conditions; competition for qualified staff; the regulatory process and actions; technical issues; new legislation; potential delays or changes in plans; working in a new political jurisdiction; results of exploration; the timing and granting of prospecting rights; the Company's ability to execute and implement future plans, arrange or conclude a joint-venture or partnership; and the occurrence of unexpected events. Actual results achieved may differ from the information provided herein and, consequently, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this News Release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law.





Figure 1. Ohra-Takamine Gold Project, CSAMT and gravity geophysical survey locations on geology.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/54261_a0ebcaad749bbb64_001full.jpg





Figure 2. Ohra-Takamine Gold Project, CSAMT stacked pseudo-sections with mine locations.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/54261_a0ebcaad749bbb64_002full.jpg





Figure 3. Ohra-Takamine Gold Project, Terrain corrected Bouguer gravity FOTR image with mine locations.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5665/54261_a0ebcaad749bbb64_003full.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54261
Creative Cakes opened its spot in the Worcester Public Market in early March. About three weeks later the market closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite her own setbacks with Creative Cakes at the Worcester Public Market, Nadeau said she felt compelled to offer assistance to healthcare workers and first responders.

Its a struggle sometimes, but one thing it has let us do is step back a little bit and try to figure out the direction we want to go and the projects we want to focus on, Colleen Nadeau said.

One of the projects involved donating 150 cake pops among Worcester area hospitals, fire and police departments and post offices.

On Saturday, Creative Cakes delivered cake pops to Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. It also made a delivery to Harrington Hospital in Southbridge.

Cake pops were also brought to the Monson Fire and Police Departments as well as the towns post office.

If we brought 50 to a hospital then theoretically it could be carried over to a couple shifts of nurses and the cake pops stay well, Colleen Nadeau said. You dont have to worry about freshness like the cupcakes.

Despite her own setbacks with Creative Cakes at the Worcester Public Market, Nadeau said she felt compelled to offer assistance to healthcare workers and first responders.

Creative Cakes delivered cake pops to hospitals in Worcester, Southbridge and Miami.

The Nadeaus have friends and family battling the virus on the frontlines. Colleen Nadeaus brother-in-law is a doctor in Cleveland.

My sister and he have two smaller children, Colleen Nadeau said. So I often go to bed thinking about him coming home from work and hopefully staying healthy while the family is staying healthy.

The family donations extended all the way to Miami too.

Dan Nadeaus cousin runs the Miami Cancer Institute and placed an order for cake pops through Creative Cakes. To show their appreciation, the Nadeaus added to the order at no extra cost.

Creative Cakes delivered cake pops to hospitals in Worcester, Southbridge and Miami.

She wanted to thank her staff for all they were doing, Colleen Nadeau said.

During the closure of the Worcester Public Market, Creative Cakes has tried to adapt to a new landscape for bakeries and restaurants.

The husband and wife duo have used Facebook and Instagram to generate orders. They allow doorstep delivery.

Theyre also trying to take advantage of peoples downtime inside offering design-it-yourself cupcake kits.

Its all to make ends meet until the Worcester Public Market can reopen.

Everybody is excited to get back, Colleen Nadeau said. And hopefully the community is willing and able to support us when we get back.

Related Content:
Oregons public school students will not return to their classrooms this academic year.

Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday announced that her school closure order, originally slated to end April 28, will now stretch into June in an effort to maintain the states progress in stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus.

School and learning will continue as best as we can using remote means, Brown said, adding she wanted to give parents, educator and students certainty about the rest of the school year.

I wish I could make it easier for everyone, she said. I wish I could eliminate the frustration that so many of us are feeling right now.

But the additional month and a half of school closure, beyond that already announced, is the best thing we can do for the health of our children and for thousands of educators across the state, Brown said.

Oregon Department of Education officials had anticipated the mandate, urging the states public school districts in late March to adopt distance learning plans and launch them by April 13.

Jim Green, head of the Oregon School Boards Association, said in reaction to Wednesdays news, It has appeared for some time this day was coming, but its a difficult day all the same. Its sad to think of families unable to experience the graduation moment celebrating years of hard work by students. Its sad to think of empty classrooms, further disruptions in learning, and knowing that some students needs will be unmet. But these are unprecedented times, and we support the governors decision in the interest of protecting public health.

Brown also said she and state schools chief Colt Gill have long-awaited guidance for schools, parents and high school seniors about how local school officials will decide whether members of the class of 2020 qualify for a diploma.

All seniors who were on track to graduate when schools closed in mid-March, including having passing grades at that point in any course required for graduation, will receive passing grades and earn diplomas, she said. That right to graduate is locked in for those students, regardless of their participation in learning after schools closed.

Brown called on districts to give extra attention and special opportunities to any students who had Fs in one or more needed courses on March 13 to help them get across the finish line. Districts must give those students until Aug. 30 to show they have mastered the required material to earn a D or better, department guidance says.

Gill said that Oregon families, in addition to teachers and school administrators, were sailing into uncharted waters and that that the states distance learning guidelines were putting a particular burden on parents who suddenly find themselves adopting some of the responsibilities that typically fall on educators shoulders.

"Were asking everyone  our students, our families and our teachers  to change what they do day in and day out, he said.

Gill tried to reassure high school seniors worried that the partial school year means they wont be prepared for the demands of life after high school.

This years seniors... I want them to know I believe in them, their teachers believe in them," he said. "Your school is ready to support you on your pathway to graduation and, for those who choose it, college.

The state board of education will meet April 16 to ratify the changes.

John Larson, president of the Oregon Education Association, called the states guidance for graduating seniors a strong step in the right direction for ensuring equity in education for our students during these school closures.

Green, the schools boards association chief, said district officials are willing to cede their normal right to local control over graduation decisions and honor the state directive to grant passing grades based on seniors work prior to March 13.

We firmly believe in local control, but in these unprecedented circumstances a statewide approach is both equitable and cuts through a lot of red tape, he said in a statement. "This step now gives students and schools needed certainty that those all-important diplomas have been earned and are being issued.

Brown said Oregon seniors who have been accepted to any of the states public colleges or universities have also cemented their place for the fall. School closures wont affect admissions, she said, and students cant have their college acceptance rescinded once its been offered.

Gill repeatedly emphasized that Oregons high school seniors have, in most cases, been in the system for nearly 13 years. He said the pandemic shouldnt negate the years of work students have put in to date.

The part that theyre missing and were overcoming is just 1.7% of their time spent in school. These kids have accomplished a lot of learning, Gill said.

Gill said his agencys next work will be to come up with guidance on how schools and districts should help ninth- through 11th-graders earn credits and gain and show proficiency in order to qualify for their graduations in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

We have been trying to make decisions as we understand conditions on the ground, and we all have to have a bit of grace and patience, Gill added.

He said districts that are able to do so will be able to offer summer school programs for some or all their students. He also said some districts are exploring whether they can begin next school year early to offer students more in-person instruction.

Larson, the Oregon Education Association president, said he hopes state officials also train their attention on students who may fall through the cracks.

It remains critically important that Governor Brown and the Oregon Department of Education release guidance for districts that truly prioritizes equity in the distance learning that will take place while schools are closed," he said.

Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, also weighed in, stressing her desire that high school seniors be supplied with work that furthers their education even with just weeks left before graduation.

Lets support the work of our graduating seniors by giving them access to a comprehensive education through the end of their k-12 career. This is the leadership needed to honor their years of hard work and commitment to achieve the future of their dreams, she said.

Brown said school districts are not expected to lay off non-essential workers, noting that teachers and counselors are still working with students remotely and that cafeteria workers are preparing food for students in need and bus drivers in some cases are delivering it.

But she said she expects school districts, all of which had been ramping up to hire more employees to offer the enhanced services promised under Student Success Act, to put those plans on ice rather than hire. State economists have said it is unclear what Oregons new business tax for education, which had been projected to deliver more than $1 billion for schools in the coming academic year, will actually look like, given the cratering economy.

Some districts began their first week of distance learning Monday. Oregon education officials insistence that districts educate their students from afar was an about-face from their previous position.

As recently as March 19, both state and local education officials said they simply lacked the infrastructure to adopt an online learning strategy that can serve all of their students equally, in particular children with disabilities and for whom English is a second language.

Browns original closure order closed public schools to shutter for two weeks surrounding spring break. The governor extended that mandate to April 28 days later.

The closure order required districts to provide students with supplemental learning material, either online or distributed in physical packets, in order to continue collecting state funding. Districts also had to provide meals for their students and pay teachers for the length of the closure.

Browns original order also barred the states public online academies from enrolling new students.

--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.
With a one-day increase of 100 cases, Fort Bend County rose to sixth among the states 167 counties reporting confirmed positive COVID-19 cases with a total of 417, according to statistics provided by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. The total number of Fort Bend County COVID-19-related deaths related now stands at seven with five men and two women between the ages of 67 and 77 years-old with underlying medical conditions. County officials said the one-day increase is partially due to delayed test results with more than half the 100 new cases having been testing over a week ago.The statewide total of COVID-19 cases currently stands at 9,353 with Harris County accounting for the largest number of cases reported with 2,146. Dallas County is second with 1,261 cases, followed by Travis County with 554, Tarrant County 517 and Bexar with 503. Of the 417 Fort Bend County cases, people between 50 and 59 years-old comprise the largest number with 21 percent. Precinct 4, which includes the Sugar Land area, has the largest number of cases with 35 percent of the overall total.

SUGAR LAND COVID_19: Long lines at Sugar Lands Smart Financial Centre drive-thru COVID-19 testing site
R ishi Sunak has announced that the Government will provide 750 million to support charities hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking at the Downing Street Covid-19 briefing on Wednesday, the Chancellor said the package of support will ensure charities in the UK can continue their "vital work".

Mr Sunak said it will include 370 million for small local charities working with vulnerable people  with 60 million to those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A further 360 million will go to charities providing essential services supporting vulnerable people, with 200 million to hospices and the rest to organisations like St John Ambulance.

Mr Sunak said it was essential to support the organisations helping those most in need due to the outbreak.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak / PA

For them shutting up shop at this moment would be to contravene their very purpose, their entire reason to exist, he said.

The Chancellor later concluded the press conference: "Our economic plan and the plan for charities that we announced today are built on one simple idea: that we depend on each other."

He said the Government will match the donations made to the BBC's Big Night In fundraiser later this month and will donate a minimum of 20 million.

However, the Chancellor warned he could not save every job, business or charity with his emergency measures.

He also said the Government could not afford to match pound-for-pound all of the losses of all UK charities during the pandemic.

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Asked if some are falling through cracks and whether he needs to take urgent action for those not covered by his schemes, he said: Ive been very clear and very honest that this will take a significant impact on our economy.

In spite of what are unprecedented measures in scale and scope, I cant stand here and say I can save every single job, protect every single business or indeed every single charity.

Thats just simply not possible.

Mr Sunak warned that the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak would result in real hardship for people.

This will have a significant impact on our economy  and not in an abstract way. It will have an impact on peoples jobs and their livelihoods. That is why we have taken the actions we have in order to help mitigate some of that, he said.

I believe we are doing the right things. I cant stand here and say there isnt going to be hardship ahead because there is.

Lockdown London 1 /18 Lockdown London

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak confirmed that Boris Johnson, who was admitted to the intensive care unit at St Thomas' Hospital with persistent coronavirus symptoms, is sitting up in hospital and his condition is improving.

Mr Sunak added: The news about the PM reminds us how indiscriminate this disease is.

Nearly everyone will know someone who has been affected  friends, family, neighbours, colleagues.

This is a terrible virus that respects no boundaries of status or geography or vocation.
Actor Salman Khan has begun the process of transfer of funds into the accounts of daily wage workers of the film industry, a Times of India report has said. The report quoted general secretary of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) Ashok Dubey as saying: Salman Khan had asked for the details of 25,000 workers. We received details of 19,000 member workers. Out of which 3000 workers had already received 5000 rupees each from another film studio. So we have sent the details of remaining 16,000 workers to Salman Khan and he had started the money transfer. Soon everyone will receive the money.

Ashok added that some of the members told the federation that their financial condition was stable and that they could sail through the pandemic. They had insisted that the money should go to the needy. Earlier, Salman had pledged to support 25000 daily wage earners of the film industry.

In March end, before the various government funds came into place, Salman had decided to extend help to 25,000 daily wage workers of the film industry. Their lives have been affected by the ongoing national lockdown that has brought all filming activity in Bollywood to a halt.

Salmans contribution will aid the artistes of FWICE, said the bodys president BN Tiwari. After we approached Salman Khan, he asked us to give him a count of the most affected workers from our association and we told him there were 25,000 such artistes. He has decided to contribute for them. We will be sending him the list in the evening, said Tiwari, according to a report in indianexpress.com.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster: He took money that was supposed to go to me

The website quoted Tiwari as being critical of film stars who have been making big donations to the Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES) instead of helping the industry workers who are left with no income during the lockdown, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Its only going to get worse. People are preparing only for 21-day lockdown but we have five lakh workers. If this extends for a month or two, we will need help from everyone. There are a thousand people ready to fund in the PM-CARES fund but the industry, which you belong to, you should donate there first. You are giving 25 crore to the PM-CARES fund to come in the good books of the Prime Minister but theres not been a single phone call yet to make any donation for the federation workers, said Tiwari, adding Salman has asked for a complete list of daily wage workers with their account numbers, because he wishes to directly transfer funds to each worker.

(With IANS inputs)

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Last week, MSP Communications and Pace Communications, the publishers of Delta Sky Magazine and Southwest: The Magazine, respectively, shared some disheartening news with their contributors. According to the emails, which we reviewed, the magazines were folding and laying off their staff. On Twitter, Dana Raidt, former depty editor of Delta Sky, wrote  . . . just a heads up the Delta Sky magazine team (including me) has been laid off and the mag is no more. Neither MSP nor Pace responded to messages seeking comment. However, representatives from Southwest and Delta said the airlines have not yet determined the fate  or future  of their magazines. (The airlines hire outside companies to run their magazines and do not make personnel decisions for the content providers or publishers.)
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Nobody knows what day it is. The pandemic keeps us at home.

We can keep our routines, but we have to change them up a bit. Joyce Billingsley still enjoys tea time with her daughters, but lately shes been sipping her tea on Skype. Or is it FaceTime?

They can have their tea party, just not in the same place.

Some American friends call her the English Rose, even though Billingsley has lived in this country for most of her adult life. A native of West Yorkshire, Billingsley met and married her American husband on April 12, 1966, and came to Huntsville in 1982, when husband Bill retired from the military and took a job in missile defense.

Back home in Yorkshire, shed been a resident model in an elite fashion house where Lady and Lord so and so came to shop. It was there where an American G.I. saw her and was smitten. Though Bill died on their 52nd anniversary two years ago, they had what Billingsley calls a big, wonderful life.

Their two daughters, born in England and in Germany, spent summers traveling back to Yorkshire, having tea with their great Auntie Nora, learning the habits and customs of afternoon tea, just as their mother had done when she was a girl.

Billingsley remembers milky tea with sugar in the mornings before school and a big meal at noon. Afternoon tea was served about five, with sandwiches, cakes, scones, butter, and jam. On Sunday afternoons, the extended family would all come for tea, and her mother Madge would set out the heirloom dishes with cups, saucers, and plates passed down through the generations.

As her daughters grew up, Billingsley taught them that tea time is more than tea and cakes. Its a state of mind, a pause in the day. Its a ritual that keeps the connection to those who came before, one china cup at a time. Daughter Sharon liked the tradition so much that she had a sweet sixteen tea instead of a birthday party and knew china patterns early on.

Daughter Alison uses the Old Country Rose pattern and Sharon uses a collection of family patterns, including Scottish Thistle. The sisters live in different sections of Nashville, but have tea together sometimes. Allisons daughter Mia likes tea time, too.

When a friend of the family found a miniature tea set on one of her travels, she brought it home as a gift. It was in a pattern called Billingsley Rose. Mia drank her lemonade from it. It was her version of tea.

Mia understands tea time, Billingsley says. When she was only two she went to tea at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and she handled everything nicely  little sandwiches and cakes and cups. Back home with her grandmother at the tea table, Mia liked to say,  Would you like another cup? One lump of sugar or two?

There are many ways to take your tea. It's the break in the day that matters. Billingsleys sister puts her tea bag and water in a mug and heats it in the microwave. Its easy. But Billingsley uses her sterling tea pot, her nice cups and saucers, her sugar bowl and creamer, and her silver tea spoons. She puts everything on a tea tray and takes it to the dining room.

Every now and then she invites neighbors over to introduce them to the tea time ritual. Tea time is when we stop and concentrate on each other, Billingsley says. People need that now more than ever.

Her daughters have already decided how to divide the tea and china sets and the who gets what conversations mean theyll continue the tradition.

Another tradition Billingsley started with Mia, now eight, was reading and recording books. One of Billingsleys favorite memories from her early Yorkshire years was a childrens radio program. The announcer started by saying,  Are you sitting comfortably? Now well begin.

Tea time is like that. You sit. You get comfortable. And you begin.
The global chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday for the first time explicitly blamed Syria for toxic attacks, saying President Bashar al-Assad's air force used the nerve gas sarin and chlorine three times in 2017.

The findings came in the first report from a new investigative team set up by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to identify the perpetrators of attacks in Syria's ongoing nine-year-long civil war.

Western nations and rights groups condemned Syria following the release of the report, which will now go to the United Nations among others to decide what and if any further action should be taken.

In March 2017, Syrian fighter jets dropped sarin on the northern village of Lataminah and a military helicopter dropped a barrel bomb full of chlorine on the same village, the probe found.

The OPCW said the team "has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the use of sarin as a chemical weapon in Lataminah in 2017... and the use of chlorine... were individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force".

Member states of the OPCW agreed two years ago to give The Hague-based watchdog new powers to attribute blame for attacks, despite the objections of Syria and its ally Russia.

Previously, it had only been able to say whether chemical strikes had occurred but without naming the perpetrators.

The OPCW said the new Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) could not identify the precise chain of command, but that orders for the attacks must have come from senior commanders.

"Attacks of such a strategic nature would have only taken place on the basis of orders from the higher authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic military command," IIT coordinator Santiago Onate-Laborde said.

"Even if authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot. In the end, the IIT was unable to identify any other plausible explanation," he said in a statement. Western nations and human rights groups praised the OPCW report, saying it proved Syria continued chemical attacks on its own population.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "no amount of disinformation from Assad's enablers in Russia and Iran can hide the fact that the Assad regime is responsible for numerous chemical weapons attacks."



"The unchecked use of chemical weapons by any state presents an unacceptable security threat to all states and cannot occur with impunity," Pompeo said in a statement.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed.

"Such a blatant violation of international law must not go unpunished," he said.

Human Rights Watch's UN director Louis Charbonneau said that the "OPCW's conclusions should be used to support criminal justice for the individuals responsible." But OPCW head Fernando Arias pointed out that the IIT was not there to name individuals, neither did it have the power to make findings on the non-compliance of the convention on chemical weapons.

It was now up to the OPCW's states parties, the UN Secretary-General "and the international community as a whole to take any further action they deem appropriate and necessary," Arias said.

The report said two Syrian Arab Air Force Sukhoi SU-22 jet fighters dropped two bombs containing sarin on Lataminah on March 24 and 30, 2017.

A Syrian military helicopter dropped a cylinder containing chlorine on a hospital in the same village on March 25 that year, the report said.

In total, 106 people were affected by the attacks, the OPCW said.

Almost two years ago, the OPCW confirmed that sarin and chlorine were used in two attacks on the town, but did not name those responsible at the time.

The Lataminah strikes came just days before another deadly sarin assault in nearby Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that killed more than 80 people.

Western nations launched air strikes on Syrian military targets in response to the Khan Sheikhun attack.

The OPCW team is expected to deal at a later date with an alleged 2018 chlorine attack in the Syrian town of Douma in which at least 40 people died -- an investigation that has become a major bone of contention between Damascus and its Russian ally and Western nations.

Damascus has continued to deny the use of chemical weapons and insists it has handed over its weapons stockpiles under a 2013 agreement, prompted by a suspected sarin gas attack that killed 1,400 in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

The OPCW won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work in Syria and says it has eliminated 97 percent of the world's chemical weapons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 5,274 on Wednesday, registering an increase of 485 cases in the last 24 hours, while the death toll stood at 149, the Union Health Ministry said.

IMAGE: Workers wearing protective suits clean a floor at NMMC General Hospital which is being turned into a COVID-19 Treatment Centre after increase in number of patients, at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo

The number of active COVID-19 cases is 4,714 and as many as 410 people were cured and discharged and one had migrated, it said.

The total number of cases include 71 foreign nationals.

As many as 25 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. 16 people died Maharashtra, two each in Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana and Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh.

Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 64, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at 13 each and Delhi at 9.

Telangana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported seven fatalities each.

West Bengal has registered five deaths, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have reported four each, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each.

Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry data.

The death toll on Tuesday evening was 124.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Wednesday evening showed at least 5,521 cases and 172 deaths while 500 were discharged.

There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures, compared to the number of cases announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.

According to the ministry's data updated at 5 pm, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country is from Maharashtra at 1,018, followed by Tamil Nadu at 690 and Delhi at 576 cases.

The cases have risen to 427 in Telangana while Kerala has reported 336 COVID-19 cases so far. Rajasthan has 328 cases, Uttar Pradesh has 343 and Andhra Pradesh reported 305 coronavirus cases.

Coronavirus cases have risen to 229 in Madhya Pradesh, 175 in Karnataka and 165 in Gujarat.

Haryana has 147 cases, Jammu and Kashmir has 116, West Bengal has 99 and Punjab has 91 positive patients so far.

Odisha has reported 42 coronavirus cases while 38 people were infected with the virus in Bihar, Uttarakhand has 31 patients and Assam 27.

Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh have 18 cases each while Ladakh has 14 positive patients so far.

10 cases each have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Chhattisgarh.

Goa has reported seven COVID-19 infections, followed by Puducherry at five cases.

Jharkhand has reported four cases and Manipur two. Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one case each.

'State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation,' the ministry said on its website.
Nine teens partying at a park near Louisville, Kentucky were accosted by a man, angry that they were not social distancing. First he shoves a few kids, then straddles a a girl who was sitting on the ground and begins to strangle her.

The man, John Rademaker, is a 57-year-old doctor who has been charged with "first-degree strangulation and three counts of harassment with physical contact," according to The Daily Beast.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has deferred the release of schedule for the Combined Medical service (CMS) examination 2020. The examination schedule was to be notified on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

A statement regarding the deferment of the release of CMS exam 2020 schedule has been uploaded on the UPSCs official website. The statement says that the release of UPSC Combined Medical service examination 2020 schedule has been deferred until further notice.

Recently in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the commission has postponed all interviews of direct recruitment, till April 15, 2020.

The CMS Examination is conducted by the UPSC for the recruitment of Medical Officers in various organisations functioning under the Government of India.

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The daughter and grandson of the former president of Kazakhstan have won a High Court challenge after a national law enforcement agency gained interim freezing orders for three London properties, worth 80million, under so called 'McMafia laws'

The National Crime Agency (NCA) obtained unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) against the properties, including one high-security mansion on London's 'Billionaires' Row', last May.

The other two London properties involved in the case are in Manresa Road, Chelsea and Denewood Road, Highgate.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) obtained unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) against the properties, including one high-security mansion in Bishop's Avenue, Hampstead, referred to as London's 'Billionaires' Row' (pictured), last May

The NCA said the purchases of the three properties, including one in Denewood Road, Highgate (pictured) were funded by Rakhat Aliyev, formerly a senior member of the Kazakh government, who died in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial on two charges of murder

The other London property involved in the case was Manresa Road, Chelsea. In total, all three properties were said to be worth 80 million

The NCA said the purchases of the three properties were funded by Rakhat Aliyev, formerly a senior member of the Kazakh government, who died in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial on two charges of murder.

What is an unexplained wealth order (UWO)? A UWO - a power brought into force in January 2018 under so-called 'McMafia laws' - named after the BBC organised crime drama and the book which inspired it - allows the NCA and other agencies to freeze someone's assets. They can do this if they believe the owner is a 'politically exposed person' and they are unable to explain the source of their wealth. Advertisement

But the ultimate beneficial owners of the three properties - Rakhat Aliyev's ex-wife, Dariga Nazarbayeva, the current chairwoman of the senate in Kazakhstan and daughter of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, and her son, Nurali Aliyev - applied to the High Court to discharge the UWOs.

Lawyers representing Dr Nazarbayeva claimed the properties were not associated with Aliyev at all, and that she had an 'entirely independent life as an economically-active woman'.

And at a previous court hearing, it was heard Dr Nazarbayeva divorced Rakhat Aliyev in 2007, 'yet nonetheless it is suggested that these properties, which were acquired from 2008 onwards ... are nevertheless to be regarded as proceeds of Rakhat Aliyev's crimes'.

Today, at the High Court, the rulings were overturned.

Giving judgment remotely on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Lang overturned all three UWOs, ruling that 'the NCA's assumption' that Rakhat Aliyev was the source of the funds to purchase the three properties was 'unreliable'.

Nurali Aliyev is the son of Rakhat Aliyev's ex-wife, Dariga Nazarbayeva, the current chairwoman of the senate in Kazakhstan and daughter of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev

In a ruling at the High Court (pictured) a judge said there was 'cogent evidence' that Dr Nazarbayeva and Nurali Aliyev had founded the companies which owned the properties and provided the funds to purchase them

The judge said there was 'cogent evidence' that Dr Nazarbayeva and Nurali Aliyev had founded the companies which owned the properties and provided the funds to purchase them.

Graeme Biggar, the NCA's Director General of the National Economic Crime Centre, said: 'The UK's robust legal system is recognised worldwide and the ability to challenge decisions is a key part of that reputation.

'Unexplained Wealth Orders are new legislation and we always expected there would be significant legal challenge over their use.

'We disagree with this decision to discharge the UWOs and will be filing an appeal.

'The NCA is tenacious. We have been very clear that we will use all the legislation at our disposal to pursue suspected illicit finance and we will continue to do so.'

A spokesperson on behalf of Dr Nazarbayeva said: 'Today's judgment has entirely vindicated Dr Nazarbayeva.

'She is pleased that the court has agreed with her that the NCA's investigations were flawed and that she has not been involved in any wrongdoing.'

Nurali Aliyev said: 'Today we have been vindicated and as a family we now respectfully ask for privacy.'
Brussels

European Union finance ministers are under pressure to deliver proposals for further fiscal measures to counter the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, as they head into talks on Tuesday.

On the table is a "safety net" worth half a trillion euros (around $ 540 billion), according to Eurogroup President Mario Centeno. The senior eurozone official believes there is a broad consensus for a trio of measures.

First up for consideration is a precautionary credit line from the European Stability Mechanism (the eurozone's bailout fund) in case individual countries experience difficulties raising funds to deal with the fallout from the pandemic on financial markets, Deutsche press agency (dpa).

Also under discussion would be a guarantee fund from the European Investment Bank for business liquidity and EU support, which would pay the wages of workers who would otherwise be laid off by struggling firms.

More controversial is the question of whether jointly issued EU bonds - so-called coronabonds - are necessary to overcome the major economic contraction anticipated in the EU this year.

Some southern EU countries, notably Italy and Spain, are demanding this, and France has proposed setting up a fund for bonds, which would be temporary, with a finite size and dedicated to the coronavirus crisis alone.

However, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland have rejected calls for coronabonds.

If the finance ministers can reach a consensus, they can present their proposals to EU leaders for a decision.
The head of Irans Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities were continuing despite the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.

"A new generation of centrifuges would soon come online at the Natanz fuel enrichment plant", Salehi said.

Speaking to the monopolized state-run national television, Salehi once again maintained that Tehran's nuclear activities were solely for peaceful purposes.

Earlier on April 5, speaking to Fars news agency Salehi had disclosed, "Nuclear activities, as well as research and development on the nuclear fuel cycle, uranium conversion, and enrichment (including production and storage), are being carried out without any restrictions."

Furthermore, he revealed that Iran's enriched uranium production and stockpile are now as high as pre -JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreemnt) period. Heavy water storage is being carried out without any restrictions. The process of building Arak's heavy water research reactor (new design) is advancing in cooperation with foreign parties.

On March 30, the U.S. State Department announced that Washington had allowed companies from Russia, China, and Europe to continue designated work without being subject to American sanctions.

In the meantime, Salehi declared that assisted by Russians, work on constructing two new nuclear reactors in Bushehr, southern Iran, was underway.

Salehi's latest comments echoed President Hassan Rouhani's recent remarks, claiming that Iran's nuclear program was more advanced than what it was in 2015.

Five nuclear powers and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Britain, China, France, Russia, the U.S.A., along with Germany agreed with Tehran in 2015 to end international sanctions against the Islamic Republic in exchange for limiting Tehran's nuclear activities.

However, unhappy with Tehran's missile program and its "destabilizing" role in the region, Washington dropped the JCPOA in 2018 and imposed batches of economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Since then, the three European parties to the deal have struggled to keep the JCPOA alive by promising Iran a mechanism to help it skip some of the U.S. sanctions.

In the meantime, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly maintained that Washingtons sanctions have deprived it of having access to enough resources needed to fight the novel coronavirus and its related disease, COVID-19.

Nonetheless, on several occasions, Tehran has also rejected Washington's offer to assist Iran in its struggle against the deadly virus.
Healthcare officials believe that coronavirus, which is highly contagious, can be stopped from spreading by social distancing and avoiding contact with infected people. Robotics is playing a major role in easing the burden on healthcare workers.

Mobile robotics has taken center stage in several countries. From aiding doctors and nurses in the hospital to helping police patrol amid lockdown, robots have been playing a pivotal role.

Robots' Role

So far, globally, high-tech robots have been used in manufacturing, defense and security, logistics, inspection and maintenance. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak, robotics is being used in healthcare to minimize human-to-human contact.

From sanitizing hospitals, homes and workplaces to monitoring, surveying, handling and delivering food and medicines to patients, robots are coming to the aid of healthcare workers, thus lowering their risk of exposure. Small bot Tommy, the robot nurse, is being used in Vareses Circolo Hospital. The robot can monitor equipment in a room and pass on the information to doctors.

In Italy alone, more than 4,000 health workers have been infected with coronavirus while treating patients and around 70 doctors have lost their lives. These robots help in limiting patients direct contact with doctors and nurses.

In Wuhan, robots have been used for spraying disinfectant through residential areas, while a patrol robot in Shenyang checked temperature and disinfected people and spaces. Robot chefs have been installed in Ezhous hospital kitchen to produce 100 pots of rice per hour, without human supervision.

In the United States, with major cities closing all non-essential businesses, restaurants have been allowed to stay open only for takeout and delivery. Postmates delivery robots help in delivering food in Los Angeles. Similarly, in Britain, self-driving Starship robot drops deliveries at doorsteps, eliminating contact between people.

Many surveillance robots and drones are being used to enforce curfews and conduct surveillance for security purposes. For instance, in Tunis, Enova Robotics PGuards, a four-wheeled, thermal-imaging camera and a Lidar (light detection and ranging) technology-fitted robot have been deployed to patrol areas. The robot walks up to people walking in the street and asks them why they are out. The person has to show their identity cards or other papers to the robot's camera, which is monitored by officers controlling it.

Story continues

5 Stocks to Watch

Given the development and high utility of mobile robotics, the industry is sure to trend northward in the upcoming years. In fact, the global robotics market, which was valued at around $34 billion in 2019, is expected to witness CAGR of 28.5% by 2024. And with coronavirus offering a tailwind, the industry is expected to grow to $23 billion by 2021, per an ABI Research analysis. Hence we have shortlisted five stocks that are poised to grow as the mobile robotics industry trends up.

AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV offers unmanned aircraft systems and related services. It also provides small Unmanned Aircraft System products, including spare equipment, alternative payload modules, batteries, chargers, repair services, and customer support.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter is more than 100% against the Zacks Aerospace - Defense Equipment industrys projected earnings decline of 6.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has been revised 8.6% upward over the past 60 days. AeroVironment carries a Zacks Ranks #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. CDNS provides software, hardware, services, and reusable integrated circuit design blocks. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 10.5% compared with the Zacks Computer - Software industrys projected earnings growth of 4.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has been revised 3.9% upward over the past 60 days. Cadence Design Systems carries a Zacks Ranks #2.

Next we have PTC Inc. PTC which operates as software and services company. PTCs product ThingWorx comprises cloud-based tools that allow customers to connect products and devices to the cloud. It is being actively used in the healthcare space.

This Zacks Ranks #2 companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 39.6% compared with the Zacks Computer - Software industrys projected earnings growth of 4.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has been revised 6% upward over the past 90 days.

Chipmaker NVIDIA Corporation NVDA offers computer vision that utilizes algorithms for processing images with the aim of making faster and more accurate diagnoses. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 22.1% against the Zacks Semiconductor - General industrys projected earnings decline of 10.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has been revised 0.6% upward over the past 60 days. NVIDIA carries a Zacks Ranks #3 (Hold).

TransEnterix, Inc. TRXC offers medical device robotics to enhance minimally invasive surgery. The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter is 54.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has been revised 8.4% upward over the past 60 days. TransEnterix carries a Zacks Ranks #3.

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Women set to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic

April 08,2020 | Source: The Fish Site

Female participants in the aquaculture and fisheries sectors are likely to be hit harder by the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new analysis.



A report released by Natalia Briceno-Lagos and Marie Christine Monfort, from the international organisation for Women in the Seafood Industry (WSI), states that : "at this point of the pandemic, though we cant fully depict what the consequences will be on both genders, we can ascertain that the coronavirus outbreak will hit women harder than men, threaten progress made in empowering women and will deepen gender inequities already pervasive in this economic sector.



WSI will watch how the contagion of the economic downturn hits both genders in fisheries, aquaculture and the entire seafood value chain, and will examine more closely the situation that women encounter.

They point out FAOs estimates that women comprise 15 percent of the harvesting workforce, 70 percent in aquaculture, 80-90 percent in seafood processing. They also represent 60 percent of seafood traders and retailers in Africa and Asia.



They also note the comparative lack of women in executive roles, which contrasts with their preponderance in more lowly positions in the seafood sector.



Women mostly present at the bottom may have to continue their working activities to get an income, the opportunity to stay at home like those at the top not being offered to them. Occupations in processing plants and on retail markets have higher exposure to the virus, and women are behind them, argue Briceno-Lagos and Monfort.



Loss of employment is another important factor.



The fall in business revenues will inexorably result in the reduction of costs by laying off workers, starting with temporary and casual ones disproportionally occupied by women. For instance, this is already happening in the Chilean salmon industry which is reducing the production capacity of its plants by almost half and layoffs are already happening among precarious workers. We have already seen the early effects on the seafood business and fishing communities relying on imports from China, they note.



The widespread work-from-home movement will enable millions of workers to keep their jobs and their salary partly or fully. But this arrangement is largely available to white-collar workers. In the seafood industry, those office workers protected by full time work contracts are mainly men. Women in low-paid jobs with insecure employment conditions are at greater risk of losing their income. When women lose their income, they severely cut budgets supporting the well-being of their children, households and communities (housing, food, healthcare or childcare), they add.



In order to get a clearer picture WSI will now attempt to gather gender disaggregated data in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and will try to ensure that women are a part of decision-making process that public authorities will engage with.



When we are ready to get back on our feet and get the blue economy going again - hopefully a truly sustainable version of the blue economy - decision makers must consider the gender organization of the industry. We otherwise predict that responses will fail and increase inequalities between women and men. Research from other types of health crises has shown that leaving gender inequalities out of the crisis response has further compounded those inequalities. WSI considers that if we want to find the most effective ways to deal with COVID-19, all workers, especially women, need to be listened and associated in building future responses, Briceno-Lagos and Monfort conclude.

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Countries around the world are taking increased measures to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Amidst this gloom, citizens across the world are posting encouraging messages and graffiti to help people come out of this morale-sapping phase. Here we take a look at some of those images from across the world. (Image: Reuters)

Healthcare workers exit Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan past messages of thanks written on the sidewalk during the outbreak of the coronavirus in New York, U.S., April 7, 2020. (Image: Reuters)

A sign displaying a message warning that the virus is on the street is seen on an empty avenue in Brazil. (Image: Reuters)

Artist Rachel List paints a mural depicting the spread of the coronavirus disease in Pontefract, Britain. (Image: Reuters)

A message reading "Together we can all win" is displayed at the Tokyo Skytree, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency. (Image: Reuters)

Men wearing face masks ride past a mural conveying gratitude to the country's medical workers at a road in Depok, south of Jakarta, Indonesia. (Image: Reuters)

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past a message painted on a boarded up business in downtown in Vancouver. (Image: AP)

Swiss army soldier Arthur, waves next to a big heart made with flowers with the message for you (pour vous) to thank medical workers at the bottom of the hospital building of the HiB Hospital (Hopital intercantonal de la Broye) because of the coronavirus outbreak, in Payerne, Switzerland. (Image: AP)

Messages are pictured on the happiness board in the intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital during the coronavirus outbreak in Payerne, Switzerland. (Image: Reuters)

A man wearing a face mask walks past graffiti in Milan, Italy. (Image: Reuters)

Little girl poses in front of a mural in tribute to the NHS painted by artist Rachel List on the wall of the Horse Vaults pub in Pontefract, Britain. (Image: Reuters)

Residents write "stay home" with their mobile phones as they stand on the balcony of their apartment block in Brussels, Belgium. (Image: Reuters)

A man passes graffiti under a bridge in Vienna, Austria, reminding to wash hands to be safe from COVID-19 pandemic. (Image: Reuters)

The message "Merci" in tribute of those on the frontline to fight the coronavirus disease, is seen on the facade of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. (Image: Reuters)
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been urging others to self-isolate amid the global coronavirus pandemic with hilarious videos on social media.

In the 72-year-old former Governor of California's latest TikTok video, he documents himself and daughter Christina Schwarzenegger, 28, polishing his massive boot collection.

While the Georgetown University alum looks less than thrilled to hunker down and shine her dad's footwear, the father-of-five said he was 'lucky' to have his youngest daughter's help.

Social distancing: Arnold Schwarzenegger documents himself and daughter Christina Schwarzenegger, 28, polishing his massive boot collection on TikTok

Boots for days: Arnie has quite the collection

'Twice a year I clean my cowboy boots, but now since we have to stay inside and do social distancing, I'll do it a third time' the former body builder began to say, while puffing onto a cigar.

While sporting a black cowboy hat for the TikTok video, he wore a 'Don't be an a** stay inside' t-shirts, which donates 100% of the profits to After-School All-Stars.

He added: 'I'm very lucky, as I clean my boots, my daughter Christina is helping me polish them.'

'Twice a year I clean my cowboy boots, but now since we have to stay inside and do social distancing, I'll do it a third time' the former body builder began to say, while puffing onto a cigar

In the sweet video, the Terminator star detailed how his second eldest has been assisting him with the bi-annual cleanup since she was just three-years-old.

'Christina, you love it,' he joked, as she jokingly rolled her eyes.

'I've been doing this for over 20 years and as you can imagine, I absolutely love it,' she replied sarcastically, while the actor corrected her strokes.

Doting daughter: In the sweet video, the Terminator star detailed how his second eldest has been assisting him with the bi-annual cleanup since she was just three-years-old

'The bottom line is social distancing, of course, and having fun,' he concluded.

Christina has been by his side since California's coronavirus lockdown, and the pair have been spotted riding bikes and making videos.

While she is not as well-known as older sister Katherine, 30, who is married to Chris Pratt, Christina appeared with her mom Maria Shriver, 64, on Netflix's Take Your Pills in 2018.

'I've been doing this for over 20 years and as you can imagine, I absolutely love it,' she replied sarcastically, while the actor corrected her strokes

In the past month, Arnie donated $1 million to the Frontline Responders Fund to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus and additional personal protection equipment to hospitals dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.

'Mission accomplished,' he said in a video he shared on his Instagram Story, in which he wears a mask and shows off shipments full of N95 masks on Wednesday.

On the same day, he called people to 'stay at home' and captioned a video of himself lifting weights in his backyard, 'Stay at home, stay fit. We cannot control the virus but we can control our fitness.'
The first delivery of food from Angelina's to workers at Berkshire Medical Center through the charity Williams for Williamstown: Feeding BMC.

Williams Students Create Charity to Feed Healthcare Workers, Help Local Businesses

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  At a time when the number of worthy causes can seem overwhelming, a couple of Williams College students have created a way for donors to support two endeavors with one donation.

"Williams for Williamstown: Feeding BMC" is the brainchild of Williams senior Eliza Bower, who decided to do her part by supporting frontline healthcare workers and small businesses who are struggling in the era of social distancing  both at the same time.

"We're calling it a win-win-win," Bower said on Tuesday morning. "It helps local businesses and restaurants, helps Berkshire Medical Center and helps engage the Williams College community and staff.

"We picked this because we'd have those three aspects, and we knew we'd have an immediate impact and could ramp it up quickly. Hopefully, it's sustainable and can last for the run of the pandemic."

Along with classmate Emily Tibbetts of Lenox, Bower last week started a GoFundMe campaign to support Williams for Williamstown. As of early Tuesday afternoon, it had raised more than $3,200.

The money will be used to buy meals from local eateries for delivery to the staff at Berkshire Medical Center.

The first meals arrived on Monday.

"While doctors and nurses are often the first to come to mind when we think of those on the front lines, Williams for Williamstown aims to provide meals to all workers whose efforts keep our hospitals going," Bower said. "[Monday's] meal, from Angelina's Sub Shops in Pittsfield, went to BMC's engineering department. They have been working tirelessly to create negative pressure rooms, which are rooms for COVID-19 patients that try to keep the 'contaminated' air contained within the room with the patient and prevent it from spreading elsewhere in the hospital.

"Without their round-the-clock work to ready and maintain patient rooms, BMC would not be able to function."

Williams for Williamstown is not the only such effort to provide aid and comfort to health-care workers.

"Numerous organizations, restaurants and individuals have donated food and other items to Berkshire Health Systems for our caregivers during this time," said Michael Leary, Berkshire Health System's director of media relations. "We greatly appreciate all of the efforts to date and we know more will be coming as we continue to fight COVID-19 in our community. We thank all who have provided this kind of support for our incredibly hard-working staff across the county and at an appropriate time when things return to somewhat normal, we will be working to recognize, by name, all who have supported us in this trying time."

Leary said BHS is centralizing the offers of support so that they can be spread out among its employees.

"I have family and friends who work up there," Tibbetts said of BMC. "My family has lived in Berkshire County pretty much my whole life. It's been an important resource for me and my family. When Eliza reached out to me, I was super excited and wanted to get involved to help out BMC."

Unlike Tibbetts, a Berkshire native, Bower hails from the Boston suburb of Milton. But she said it was an easy decision to put her energy into a town-gown project like Williams for Williamstown.

"The Williams community is so fantastic that it doesn't feel like a side, second home," she said. "It's a huge part of who I am. And the other thing is that regional hospitals [like BMC] are often overlooked.

"I've personally benefited from BMC myself, so they were at the top of my mind when I was thinking about the Williamstown community I love."

As for restaurants, the Tibbetts, Bower and their other collaborators have a few more businesses lined up and are ready to hear from other potential partners through williamsforwilliamstown@gmail.com , an email account they created for the initiative.

Bower said Tibbetts, a veteran fundraiser through her work in student government at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, has been a valuable partner in getting the charity up and running.

The third "win" in the Williams for Williamstown campaign has been a natural, the pair said.

"We've been reaching out to our friends on Instagram and alums we might know," Bower said. "We've also reached out to the college to see if they would help us engage with other alumni. A lot of it has been through social media, our own personal accounts and the social media accounts we created for the Williams for Williamstown initiative.

"I'm on the squash team, and I reached out to an alum from the team from 30 years ago. He is going to start spreading the word among his alumni friends. The Williams community has received the initiative really well."
Foreign-invested enterprises are working to ensure manufacturing operations continue as normally as possible

Michael Chan, head of sales, marketing, and customer service of BW Industrial Development JSC  a joint venture between global equity fund Warburg Pincus and local partner Becamex Investment Development Corporation, told VIR that though companies like it are bogged down in difficulties, they are trying to maintain normal operations.

For example, Genepa Vietnam, one of the largest woodworking businesses in Japan, has revealed that it has detected delays in delivery and insufficient quantities by suppliers while searching for alternative materials in Vietnam.

Chan said that in the long term, the demand from key markets such as China or the United States can be greatly impacted. The global economy is slowing down, resulting in orders being cut, challenges in international shipping, redundancies, and the cancellation of trade shows  all of these are affecting business, he said.

However, foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) are actively implementing solutions to cope with the epidemic and ensure the health of their staff.

Nhut Vo, president of NS BlueScope Vietnam, told VIR that since BlueScope has abundant finances and an extensive supply system with numerous raw material suppliers, it can still ensure continuity in operations and production even during this period.

In its fight against the outbreak, BlueScope has been proactively implementing independent and effective disease control measures through its COVID-19 Disease Response Unit, with contingency plans for each different situation.

In particular, the strict implementation of health declarations, restriction of movement, and social distancing are important factors to limit infection.

Vo said, according to risk management protocols, depending on the job characteristics, employees are required to work remotely or in small groups to minimise community infection.

In addition, in the short term, BlueScope is also trying to minimise the layoffs by encouraging employees to use their annual days off during the period of social distancing, or reduce working hours while market demand is subdued.

Extra burdens

Meanwhile Nguyen Chi Thanh, deputy general director of French company Scavi JSC said that textile and garment enterprises are suffering from double impacts. While factories are facing with difficulties in material supplies for manufacturing, many other key markets such as the US and European countries have recently announced stopping or delaying the receipt of orders.

Thanh said that Scavi was luckier than many other textile and garment manufacturers because the majority of its customers from the US and Europe have opted to extend the deadline to receive orders or reduce the order volume, instead of cancelling orders. Of course, we have to shoulder extra expenses for storage in Vietnam before we can export our products, but it could be far worse, Thanh said.

He added that in 2019, Scavi had a total export turnover of $150 million, with the EU market contributing more than 55 per cent and the US over 40 per cent.

We can maintain manufacturing activities and business activities because around 60 per cent of our materials are sourced from within the country. Our greatest difficulty right now is to keep safe our more than 12,000 employees in five factories nationwide, Thanh said.

Our production lines were designed under international standards so we can ensure safe distance between workers, and can provide the entire staff with masks, and the company has been strictly obeying all regulations to fight against the pandemic. So far, we have not had a single employee who tested positive for COVID-19, he added.

He added that a comprehensive plan was issued throughout the companys system in the time of social distancing from April 1 to 15, in which all requirements of the government will be fully obeyed. The responsibility to implement this plan was assigned for every team leader of the five factories to ensure that the highest standards of safety will be observed across our system, Thanh said.

Being more active to cope

Chan from BW asserted that the support programme for foreign investors, who account for 23 per cent of the total investment in the country (according to figures from the General Statistics Office in 2019), should be implemented soon, providing them with exemption from corporate income tax, reduction or exemption from corporate social insurance payments, and deferment on bank loan payments.

He also highlighted that in case the correct measures are in place, a crisis can also bring opportunities.

On our part, we have certainly seen the positive sentiment that business leaders around the world now have for this impressive country. The pandemic could ultimately be a powerful catalyst for the migration of factories from China to Vietnam, possibly on a similar scale as during the US-China trade war last year, Chan said.

Meanwhile, right from the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Scavi has changed part of its manufacturing activities to personal protective gear, masks, and caps from antibacterial fabrics to meet the domestic and export demand.

Although the production of these items only started about two months ago, Scavi has nearly 100 million masks ready to export abroad.

Thanh said that in the upcoming several weeks, Scavi could receive the permit from authorised agencies to export safety products using antibacterial fabric abroad. This permission will play an important role in its manufacturing strategy for 2020 which has been put far behind schedule by COVID-19 and the company will be hard-pressed to reach its plan of $180 million export turnover this year.

However, Thanh said that his top priority now is to maintain manufacturing operations and income for his employees and this has been successful so far.

Vo from BlueScope commented that in order to support the business community to overcome this difficult time, in addition to the financial measures which are being implemented by the government, it is necessary to focus on supporting enterprises, for example to freeze and extend due debts and support land rental costs. Those can be achieved via adjusting policies on reducing income tax for workers and enterprises. As a result, enterprises can survive and overcome the pandemic, stabilise jobs for workers, and prepare to enter a growing phase after the outbreak is under control, he said.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, FIEs are suffering from a shortage of foreign experts and technicians while simultaneously encountering difficulties in importing raw input materials, negatively affecting production activities and the implementation of their projects nationally. Meanwhile, many FIEs have also endured severe financial difficulties as a result of the sharp decreases in consumption, leading to stagnancy in production, especially among businesses that had large export orders from countries hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
Germany has suffered its largest daily spike in coronavirus deaths as 254 people were added to the death toll today.

The scores of new deaths bring the tally from 1,607 to 1,861, dampening hopes that the crisis is under control.

Meanwhile the total number of cases has jumped over 100,000, as 4,003 positive tests took the figure from 99,225 to 103,228.

The infection rate has shown signs of flattening, but experts warn there is a time lag before any slowdown will be reflected in the death toll.

This graph shows the daily number of coronavirus deaths in Germany, which reached a peak of 254 today to bring the total to 1,861

This chart shows the daily number of new cases in Germany. Today's figure of 4,003 is higher than yesterday's 3,834, but the jump of 4.0 per cent has hardly changed for three days

Of the 254 new deaths, 114 were in either Bavaria or Baden-Wuerttemberg - the two southern states closest to Italy which have been hardest hit by the crisis.

There were also 66 new deaths in North Rhine-Westphalia, the industrial heartland in the west where Germany saw its first major outbreak.

Berlin has confirmed more than 4,000 cases, although only 32 deaths of which four were added in the latest figures.

The national total of 254 deaths surpasses the previous high, which was the 184 deaths added to the tally on Sunday.

The 4,003 new cases are a higher jump than yesterday's 3,834, but in percentage terms the increase has remained almost identical for three days at 4.0 per cent.

After regularly leaping by 15.0 per cent or more in late March, new infections have not increased by more than 9.1 per cent in a day since the start of April.

Germany's mortality rate is 1.8 per cent, meaning approximately one death for every 56 confirmed cases.

That figure has risen from 0.5 per cent in the last two weeks, but remains far lower than in Italy (12.6 per cent), Spain (9.8 per cent) or Britain (11.1 per cent).

Medical workers wearing masks attend to a coronavirus patient next to the helicopter which flew them from Holland to Germany for treatment yesterday

Medical staff in protective suits and face masks treat a coronavirus patient in an intensive care unit at Havelhoehe community hospital in Berlin

The low rate is thought to be linked to Germany's regime of mass testing, with 500,000 people being screened for the virus every week.

Vets at a Berlin university have even begun rolling out tests for cats and dogs after virologists found that pets could be infected, although there is no evidence they can pass the disease to humans.

An interior ministry document has drawn up plans for a partial lifting of the lockdown if the infection rate remains low enough.

Under those plans, life could begin to return to normal if the contagion rate is below 1.0, meaning that each patient is infecting less than one other person on average.

But the head of the Robert Koch Institute, which collects the official figures, warned yesterday that it was too early to say whether the epidemic was definitely slowing.

Germany is assembling a 1.1trillion spending package to ease the impact of the economic standstill, including guaranteed loans to businesses.

Ministers are also planning a new law to restrict foreign takeovers of German companies, aiming to keep critical production within its borders.

Angela Merkel said on Monday that Europe needed to develop 'self-sufficiency' in manufacturing of medical gear such as masks.

'Regardless of the fact that this market is presently installed in Asia... we need a certain self-sufficiency, or at least a pillar of our own manufacturing' in Germany or elsewhere in the European Union, she said.

A hospital worker touches a screen with a gloved hand at the Havelhoehe community hospital in Berlin on Monday

At a cabinet meeting today, ministers will discuss a new law to make it easier for Berlin to block foreign takeovers.

Instead of demonstrating that the acquisition presents a real danger to German security, officials would only have to prove a 'likely impact'.

Takeovers will be placed on ice while the government makes such assessments, preventing the new owners laying hands on any of the firm's intellectual property.

'Recent weeks have shown that supplying the German people with items vital for life, like vaccines, can depend on a single company,' a government source told German media.

'Information or technology seeping out during an ongoing investment check can have serious consequences.'

Elsewhere, Germany is planning to accept 50 young people from Greek migrant camps where conditions have worsened because of coronavirus.

Germany has also accepted hospital patients from neighbouring countries including Italy and France in a show of European solidarity during the crisis.

But Berlin has maintained its opposition to joint European debt instruments, despite pleas from Italy.
UN Probe Blames Syria, Allies For Civilian Attacks, Avoids Blaming Russia

By RFE/RL April 07, 2020

A United Nations investigation has concluded the Syrian government or its allies was likely responsible for attacks on a school, a hospital, and two other civilian facilities, but the probe avoided specifically blaming Syria's main military sponsor, Russia, drawing rebukes from rights activists.

Human rights groups criticized the report, whose executive summary was released on April 6, as well as the United Nations for restricting the investigation to a narrow line of inquiry.

The inquiry produced "a "mealy-mouthed' report, all to avoid offending Russia, the prime offender along with Syria," Kenneth Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter.

Rights groups have long pushed the world body to investigate alleged war crimes committed during the nine-year conflict, which has devastated Syria and killed hundreds of thousands.

The executive summary of the 185-page confidential report said that four civilian facilities -- a child-care facility, a hospital, a school, and a health-care center -- were targeted, and it was "highly probable" that the Syrian government's forces, or its allies, were responsible.

It was "plausible" that a separate attack on a second health center was also carried out by the Syrian government or its allies, the report found.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed a board of inquiry nearly two years ago, authorizing it to investigate incidents in Syria's northwest after Russia and Turkey agreed to establish a "de-escalation zone" in Idlib on September 2018.

At the time of the board's establishment, Russia called the war crimes accusations "a lie." Syria also disputed the allegations.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Syrian government forces of committing wide-scale war crimes, purposely targeting civilians. Rights groups have also focused attention on Russia, which is Syria's main economic and military sponsor.

Russia's intervention, in September 2015, turned the tide of the war to the advantage of Bashar al-Assad's forces. The northwestern Idlib Province is currently the last rebel stronghold holding out.

Last year, The New York Times published an in-depth investigation of Syrian civilian facilities purposely being targeted.

The report, which included recordings of radio communications among Russian fighter pilots, directly incriminated Russia in attacks on civilian hospitals.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un-probe-blames -syria-allies-for-civilian-attacks- avoids-blaming-russia/30538656.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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BOISE  An optimistic Gov. Brad Little said Tuesday that Idaho may soon start to see the benefits of the statewide stay-home order.

Taking questions from Idahoans during a one-hour telephone town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon, Little said Idahoans have generally responded positively to the escalated social restrictions he announced last month as part of an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

We are nearing a point in time where we will be able to see the dividends of our stay-home order to where the rate of increases, we anticipate, will go down given the incredible behavior of the people of Idaho and their willingness to do what is right in a global pandemic and stop the spread, Little said. The better we do that now, the sooner we can get back to a sense of normalcy going forward.

It has now been nearly two weeks since Little issued the stay-home order back on March 25. It is set to run until 11:59 p.m. April 15 unless it is rescinded or extended.

Despite his optimism about seeing dividends from the stay-home order, Little said its important not to let up and allow a spike in cases to occur.

I will predict with pretty good confidence something is going to continue on, Little said.

We will not return to normal on April 16, he continued.

Until there is a vaccine, a good therapeutic or herd immunity, Little said some things will need to remain in place.

Little announced Idahos first confirmed case of coronavirus March 13. Since then, the State Board of Education has issued a directive to close schools. The State Board extended that directive through the end of the school year Monday, with the caveat that local officials could seek to reopen if local social distance guidelines are removed, the school meets a new set of criteria the State Board will approve April 13 and administrators get approval from local public health officials.

Little fielded a question Tuesday from a woman whose husband drives a school bus in a Canyon County district. She wished the State Board closed all schools and is concerned the board is allowing local school officials a chance to meet new criteria to reopen.

One of the caveats on that State Board action was it has to be in conjunction with the local public health district, Little said. Canyon County, where you live, has community spread. I am certain the health district in Canyon County will strongly advise any school district that is thinking about reopening, given the community spread that exists in Canyon County.

Coronavirus case update

As of Tuesday afternoon, the state and its health districts reported 1,213 cases of coronavirus, and 15 fatalities. A day ago, Idaho reported 1,173 coronavirus cases and 13 fatalities.

The numbers reflect cases confirmed by the state Department of Health and Welfare and a small number of additional cases reported by the health districts.

As of Tuesday, the state has administered 11,898 coronavirus tests.

Idaho now has confirmed cases in 32 of 44 counties. Counties with the most cases are Ada (438), Blaine (428), Canyon (114), Twin Falls (53) and Kootenai (42).
After 18 months of negotiations, the U.S. and the Taliban signed their bilateral landmark peace agreement in Doha on February 29, alongside representatives from more than 30 nations. Afghanistans northern neighboring post-Soviet states, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, are concerned whether Afghanistans post-ceasefire instability will intensify and subsequently spill across the borders after foreign military missions withdraw. If the unrest roiling Afghanistan erupts into open military confrontation following the departure of foreign military forces, the question is whether the three nations alone can mount an acceptable response, particularly Turkmenistan whose international neutrality stance is recognized by the United Nations.

BACKGROUND: The length and topography of Turkmenistans, Uzbekistans and Tajikistans frontiers with Afghanistan precludes effectively sealing their borders. Turkmenistans frontier is 462 miles (744 kilometers) and Uzbekistans 85 miles (137 kilometers). Tajikistans 888 mile (1430 kilometers) Afghan border snakes through the Pamir mountain range. Except for neutral Turkmenistan, the post-Soviet Central Asian states have full membership in three international organizations, which they can potentially draw upon to bolster their security. Both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), while Turkmenistan has associate member status. Tajikistan is also a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), while Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Coordination of national antiterrorist policies by these organizations has already begun.

On March 12, representatives of the border agencies of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of the Border Troops (SKPV) met in Samarkand to discuss the situation on the CISs southern borders and formulate measures to prevent infiltration by terrorists and extremists into CIS territory. Uzbekistans State Security Service (SNB) noted in a press release, During the meeting, the situation on the external borders of the CIS member states with Afghanistan was analyzed, as well as its development trends for the near future. In particular, an exchange of views took place on the situation in the northern border regions of Afghanistan. The recommendations generated by the meeting will be discussed during the next SKPV meeting in Yerevan in April.

SCO counterterrorist activities date back to 2004, when members established the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) at an SCO summit in Tashkent, followed by recurring counterterrorist military training exercises. In October 2007, the SCO signed an agreement with the CSTO in Dushanbe to broaden cooperation on regional issues, including transnational security, crime and drug trafficking. A CSTO initiative with the potential to provide a unified response to regional instability is the 2009 agreement to create the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (KSOR) acceded to by five of the alliances seven members.

Such self-defense activities are prudent in light of the regional skepticism about the Talibans depth of commitment to its peace agreement. Underscoring the caution is the fact that since the October 2001 U.S.-led invasion drove them from power within two months, the Taliban has subsequently killed tens of thousands of Afghan civilians in its drive to recapture power. The Taliban has sheltered several terrorist groups while largely funding itself by fueling Afghanistans soaring drug trade, currently estimated to produce 90 percent of the worlds opium.

The sobering reality that the Taliban currently control or contest more territory, roughly half of the country, than at any other time since 2001 adds to concerns about the countrys political stability in the aftermath of the withdrawal of foreign forces. Further heightening skepticism about the durability of the agreement, successive U.S. administrations have sidelined the Afghan government for years, first by refusing to allow it to be involved with the negotiations and most recently by signing the deal without Afghan President Ghanis government as a partner. Despite the accord, violence between the Taliban and Afghan government forces continues, albeit at a reduced rate. Even Kabul is not immune; on March 25 an Islamic State jihadi attacked a Sikh temple to avenge Muslims in Kashmir, taking 80 hostages and killing 25 before he was killed by security forces.

IMPLICATIONS: The January 1973 U.S. disengagement agreement with North Vietnam ostensibly allowed the U.S. to withdraw from the Vietnam conflict with peace and honor. Similarly, the February 29 agreement with the Taliban is a tactical maneuver allowing the U.S. and its allies to emerge from their 19-year-old Afghan campaign relatively calmly, permitting Trump to appear to fulfill his 2016 campaign pledge to stop endless wars and bring home thousands of U.S. troops during an election year. Adding to perceptions of the arrangements fragility, the strictly bilateral agreement excluded input from the Afghan government, much less Afghanistans neighbors.

As for Afghanistans future, it seems likely that without at the very least U.S. fiscal support, Ghanis government has little chance of surviving against the Taliban, which has been attacking Afghan government forces almost continuously after the agreement.

While confident prognostications about Afghanistans future are largely impossible, there are troubling signs that its instability will continue, not necessarily confined within the countrys borders

Indeed, the Taliban represents the agreement radically differently comparing to the West. On February 29, minutes after the Doha agreement, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a statement regarding Termination of Occupation Agreement with the United States on the movements Voice of Jihad website. Akhundzada noted that after the allied forces led by America transgressed against our homeland, the Islamic Emirate representing the Afghan nation, with the Divine Help of Allah (SwT), finally reached an agreement about the termination of occupation of Afghanistan following nearly nineteen years of Jihad and struggle. This victory is the collective victory of the entire Muslim and Mujahid nation.

Afghanistans neighbors may take solace from the fact that the Taliban has a nationalist-focused agenda of re-creating its Islamic Emirate. Yet al-Qaeda, which maintains a globalist agenda, congratulated the Taliban and the Afghan people on the peace deal, calling it a historic victory for the mujahidin. This was al-Qaedas first official comment on the development via its official outlet al-Sahab on the RocketChat and Telegram messaging platforms on March 12.

Such pronouncements have impelled Afghanistans northern neighbors to extend their cooperation beyond rhetoric and multilateral meetings. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan signed a Partnership 2020 agreement on military cooperation. On March 11, large-scale Tajik-Uzbek anti-terror exercises, extending over four days, began at Tajikistans Fakhrobod training range, 19 miles (30 kilometers) south of Dushanbe. The exercises involved aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery and small arms in a joint training exercise to repel the infiltration of terrorists from Afghanistan. Tajikistans Defense Minister, Colonel General Sherali Mirzo oversaw the bilateral exercise. The inclusion of aircraft is significant; as neither the Taliban, nor any of the terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan have elements of air power, control of the sky has provided the decisive edge in Western military operations there. Furthermore, while Turkmen, Uzbek and Tajik military assets are relatively modest, those of its fellow CIS, CSTO and SCO member Russia are not and can potentially provide significant military backup in worst-case scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS: The U.S. agreement with the Taliban is in reality a face-saving tactical maneuver allowing the U.S. and its NATO allies to exit their 19-year-old Afghan campaign. In the ensuing security vacuum, post-Soviet Central Asian frontline states grapple with various troubling estimates that the ranks of the Taliban contain 10,000-15,000 foreign citizens, at least half of which are from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Political and security instability seems to be Afghanistans fate for the foreseeable future. The former is compounded by the contested September 2019 presidential election; the latter by a threat of diminished U.S. fiscal support for the government. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proclaimed on March 24, in the absence of a resolution of the Afghan presidential election, that the State Department was slashing Afghanistan aid by US$ 1 billion, threatening to cut another US$ 1 billion in 2021, as the political bickering between Ghani and Abdullah poses a direct threat to U.S. national interests.

As Washington further downsizes its presence in the graveyard of empires, whatever occurs in Afghanistans post-Western military environment, Kabuls northern neighbors are discreetly and assiduously erecting a cordon sanitaire behind the wall of possible Russian and Chinese military support to ensure the chaos remains on Afghanistans side of their shared frontier.

AUTHOR'S BIO:

Dr. John C. K. Daly is a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; current work includes monographs on the development of Eurasias railways and the dissolution of the Soviet Navy.

Image Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons accessed on 4/8/20
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Crestview Exploration Inc. (CSE: CRS) (FSE: CE7) ("Crestview" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has acquired a geophysical use licence with Edcon-PRJ, Inc. of Lakewood, Colorado for aeromagnetic data. The subject data consists of high-quality data collected by Edcon-PRJ, Inc. over a 155 square kilometre area centered on the Rock Creek property, which covers 1525 acres (617 Ha).

155 square kilometer airborne magnetic survey centered on the Rock Creek project area.

Evaluation of the survey has identified multiple north-south structures on the property worthy of ground follow-up.

Near term plans are to focus additional geochemical sampling and geological mapping to better delineate these north-south structures and determine their gold bearing potential. Additional geophysical tools are also being considered to help map vein locations and areas of sedimentary rock hosted alteration/gold mineralization at depth.

See the following hyperlink to view our news release video https://youtu.be/MVzOw0Hskes

Rock Creek hosts two parallel north-south gold mineralized vein-breccia structures which run the length of the property. On the surface these structures are hosted by volcanic flows and tuffs. Historic drill data for the project shows the early drilling encountered gold mineralized Paleozoic silty carbonate rocks at depth and proximal to the structures. These sedimentary rocks share many of the characteristics of the favourable gold host rocks found on the Carlin Trend; specifically, those at the Meikle mine located approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the south.

The company believes these deep reaching structures acted as a plumbing system to allow gold mineralizing fluids into the favourable host rocks as found by the shallow early drilling on the project. None of these early holes tested the favourable rocks below a depth of 500 ft. (152 meters) as most of the holes were terminated much sooner. Where these Paleozoic rocks are proximal to the structures represent excellent drill targets.



Figure 1: Crestview Exploration Inc. Rock Creek Project

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7042/54283_09a4edc524a1081a_002full.jpg

The company engaged the services of Frank P. Fritz of Fritz Geophysics to complete an interpretation of the data. The company supplied current geological mapping, related data and reviewed what is known about the project area and the location of current exploration targets to aid in the interpretation.

The interpretation indicates the area is dominated by north-south structures throughout the project. In addition, locally, the many volcanic flows and volcanic ashfalls appear to have a north-northeast trend, which is consistent with the company's mapping data.

Interpretation of the magnetic data reinforces the two northerly structures that contain mineralized veins and breccias geologically mapped on the claims. The company hypothesizes additional mineralized vein and vein breccias could be found along these other north-south structures on the property as interpreted from the geophysics. An important target has also been identified where one of the interpreted northerly structures cuts across the west edge of a large volcanic dome interpreted to lie in the east-central part of the claims. The area where this particular structure intersects the flank of the interpreted volcanic dome is also occupied by a strong northerly trending magnetic high which may reflect deeper mineralized sources. Structures along the flanks of volcanic domes are favourable for localizing precious metal mineralization.

Further, an interpreted north-south trending granitic dike extends from a large interpreted granitic body located just south of the claim block, northerly to the south edge of the interpreted dome described above. This large dike appears to occupy one of the more prominent interpreted north-south structures further confirming the veracity of the structural preparation. In other locations near and within the project area, these types of dikes can be mineralized.

The company considers these above described north-south trending structures and dikes, along with the strong magnetic high on the flank of the dome as priority targets and is currently evaluating methods to further explore them prior to drilling.

Figure 2: Rock Creek Property Crestview Exploration Inc.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7042/54283_09a4edc524a1081a_003full.jpg

North-south structures play a significant role on the Carlin Trend as many of the deposits on the trend lie along a north-south structural corridor which begins in the Bootstrap-Capstone deposit area and extends to the Ren deposit. This same or closely related structural zone likely extends north from Ren north through the Falcon mine, which is located about four miles south of the project.

M. J. Abrams, Crestview's vice-president exploration commented "The project lies in the southwest part of the Red Cow aka Big Cottonwood Canyon caldera within an area of closely spaced or nested Eocene age calderas; and has a complex volcanic and intrusive geological history. More work is planned to fully understand the geology and its relationship to the mineralization on the property. The complexity of the geology bodes well for the exploration potential on the project in that each of the geological events could have positively impacted the amount of mineralization introduced to the property."

This News Release was prepared by M.J. Abrams; BS and MS Geology, CPG #11451; Idaho PG #570. M.J. Abrams is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed the scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release.

About Crestview Exploration Inc:

The Rock Creek Project is a volcanic and sediment-hosted, epithermal precious metal property, which is adjacent to mines with historical production, situated in the Tuscarora Mountains of northern Elko County, Nevada. Together the property comprises 74 unpatented lode mining claims. The Tuscarora Mountains host the northern end of Carlin-trend mineralization, a cluster of major, large gold deposits.

For further information please contact:

Glen Watson, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 1-604-803-5229

Email: Glen@crestviewexploration.com

www.crestviewexploration.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address acquisition of the Property and future work thereon, mineral resource and reserve potential, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects is forward-looking information. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include the results of the Company's due diligence investigations, market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company's public filings at www.sedar.com. 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, other than as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54283
Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office deputies arrested a man accused of making explosive devices, officials said.

Deputies arrested Joshua Faleide at a Universal City Super 8 Motel on Wednesday for charges of possession of an explosive device and possession of components of an explosive weapon.

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On March 25, the Fire Marshal's office was called to assist the China Grove Police Department for an improvised explosive device recovered within its city limits. Based on the device characteristics and information obtained by investigators, officials suspected Faleide of placing the device, authorities said.

Investigators attempted to initiate a search warrant at Faleide's residence, but he wasn't there. Officials said they discovered multiple components of an IED, including a pipe-bomb in it's final stages of manufacture.

Faleide was taken to the Bexar County Jail.
[April 08, 2020] Mouser's New Price and Availability Assistant Makes Quoting and Purchasing Easier than Ever

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the New Product Introduction (NPI) leader empowering innovation, announces its new Price and Availability Assistant, which allows customers to easily check prices and availability on millions of semiconductors and electronic components. Customers simply drag and drop, type in or load (copy and paste) a parts list with desired quantities for rapid pricing and availability results. To watch a video about the new tool, go to https://www.mouser.com/video/?play=6142406093001. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005482/en/ Mouser Electronics' new Price and Availability Assistant allows customers to easily check prices and availability on millions of semiconductors and electronic components. (Graphic: Business Wire) Using the new tool, customers can drag-and-drop spradsheet files or copy and paste order data, adding up to 200 part numbers, with up to three different quantities per part number. The tool returns exact part matches for each line and offers replacement options for non-orderable part numbers.



"At Mouser, we are continually improving the tools we offer to help buyers and engineers manage their product specifications and purchasing," said Glenn Smith, Mouser's President and CEO. "We are excited to add the Price and Availability Assistant to our collection of productivity tools, which help make buying as fast and hassle-free as possible. This is another way that our teams are working diligently to provide best-in-class service to our customers around the world." The Price and Availability Assistant is the latest addition to a full suite of productivity tools from Mouser, including the FORTE intelligent BOM tool, ECAD design resource solution and Inventory Management Tool.

As an authorized distributor, Mouser Electronics is focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies, giving customers an edge and helping speed time to market. Over 800 semiconductor and electronic component manufacturers count on Mouser to help them introduce their products into the global marketplace. Mouser's customers can expect 100% certified, genuine products that are fully traceable from each manufacturer. To learn more about the Price and Availability Assistant, visit: https://www.mouser.com/price-availability-assistant/. With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser strives to empower innovation among design engineers and buyers by delivering advanced technologies. Mouser stocks the world's widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is continually updated and offers advanced search methods to help customers quickly locate inventory. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools. About Mouser Electronics Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor focused on rapid New Product Introductions from its manufacturing partners for electronic design engineers and buyers. The global distributor's website, Mouser.com, is available in multiple languages and currencies and features more than 5 million products from over 800 manufacturers. Mouser offers 27 support locations around the world to provide best-in-class customer service and ships globally to over 630,000 customers in 223 countries/territories from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com. Trademarks Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005482/en/

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With the coronavirus outbreak creating additional demand for anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said three companies from the state will export it to the United States.

In an interview to a private radio station, Rupani said his government has kept aside 1 crore hydroxychloroquine tablets to deal with any eventuality.

"Gujarat is shining the world over. US President Trump has been vigorously demanding that drug from India. Now, when the Centre has given permission for its export, Gujarat is all set to send it to the United States," said Rupani.

"Three Gujarat-based companies have already started production of that drug to be supplied to the US. To be on the safer side, we have kept aside 1 crore tablet for our own use," the CM said.

US President Donald Trump had, on Monday, warned India of retaliation if the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is not supplied to his country.

In response, the Centre had said India will supply essential drugs to neighbouring countries and those that are badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hydroxychloroquine is an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria, the export of which was banned by India last month amid views that it could be used as potential anti-viral agent to protect from infection healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients.

On speculation of the lockdown getting extended, Rupani said it was tough to say anything at this juncture, adding it was the Centre that would decide on this after seeking opinion from all states.

He said there was confusion among the masses on this topic, and claimed one of options being discussed by the people was to lift the lockdown in a phased manner so as to control the rush of crowds.

He said impact of lockdown on the economy should not be taken into consideration when people's lives are at stake.

He said a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in Gujarat was because of "mistakes" committed by Tablighi Jamaat members who had attended a gathering in Delhi last month.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: PM Modi holds virtual meet with opposition leaders; country's active cases at 4,643

Also read: Coronavirus in India: Cases cross 5,000 mark; heres a state-wise tally
The Government has announced its preparedness to position water tanks at vantage points in urban and rural areas to serve communities facing difficulties in accessing water.



It is also engaging tanker services to supply water across the country to such communities.



Madam Cecilia Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources announced this, on Tuesday, at a media briefing, in Accra, while explaining the Government's measures to make water available to the citizenry to maintain proper hygiene in the wake of COVID-19.



President Akufo-Addo, in his national broadcast on Sunday, April 5, announced that the Government would absorb the water bills of all Ghanaians for the next three months, effective April.



He also directed the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to ensure a stable supply of water for the period.



Giving details of the water relief services, the Minister said both public and private-owned water tankers would be mobilised for the service.



The Community Water Sanitation Agency and all community-based water systems were also encouraged to provide water to the communities for free.



Madam Dapaah assured hospitals, clinics and other health facilities of enjoying priority supply of water to improve efficient health care delivery.



Responding to a question on people who were disconnected due to arrears, the Minister said the payment would be suspended for them to access free water for the next three months.



However, those who had been disconnected because of illegal connections and acts would be provided for through the tanker services.



She asked landlords not to charge tenants for the water they used.



The Minister warned the public not to tamper with the pipelines of the GWCL and the CWSA, stressing that, anybody offender caught would face the full rigours of the law.



She also advised citizens to use the water judiciously and not waste it on unnecessary activities, such as the watering of lawns and ornamental plants, as the rains would take care of these soon.



Each person, she said, was estimated to use 160 litres of water per day.



Madam Dapaah encouraged all to adhere to the preventive measures announced by the Ghana Health Service, especially, regular handwashing with soap under running water and maintaining social distance, especially when sneezing and coughing, to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus.



The novel coronavirus has since December 2019, infected more than 1.3 million people globally and killed more than 76,000.



Ghanas total confirmed cases stand at 287 on Tuesday, April 7, with five deaths.

Source: GNA









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Quebec's clampdown on mining and exploration has had minimal impact on Cartier Resources (TSX:ECR), said CEO Philippe Cloutier. Cloutier was interviewed by Kai Hoffmann, CEO of Soar Financial Group last week. Cloutier said there are no reports of ill health and the company is cashed up. Cloutier told Kai how his company is managing in the crisis. Watch the interview here. By Investment Trends Editorial Special to kitco.com www.kitco.com/news/investment-trends/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
Thousands of surgical face masks will be provided to Detroit bus riders free of charge as part of the city's fight to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officials announced.

The move follows the recent death of bus driver Jason Hargrove from the coronavirus, two weeks after he posted a Facebook Live video criticizing a passenger for coughing and not covering up their mouth.

Image: A bus driver wearing a protective mask changes gloves at the Rosa Parks Transit station in Detroit (Emily Elconin / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mayor Mike Duggan and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer worked together to secure 20,000 masks for people traveling on the buses. They will be available via a box located near the back door, where riders now enter and exit the bus.

"We have to care for and protect our neighbors," Duggan said in a statement. "One of my biggest issues is the busses and we are taking this measure to protect both the drivers and those who ride the bus."

Detroit has 5,501 cases of coronavirus, with 221 deaths.

The mayor said at a press conference on Tuesday that the masks were not needed by medical workers.

"The hospitals have to have the first priority, but these were masks that weren't needed at the hospitals," he said. "We ask every single rider, if you don't have a mask before you get on the bus, please take one."

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

The Detroit Department of Transportation said in a press release that the masks will be available while supplies last. It's not clear if more will be provided once the supply runs out.

Last month, the mayor suspended bus fares and prohibited riders from entering and exiting buses through the front door in an effort to protect drivers. Passengers are also not allowed to sit in seats directly behind the bus driver.
This article is part of our latest Artificial Intelligence special report, which focuses on how the technology continues to evolve and affect our lives.

If you had about 180,000 hours of underwater recordings from the Pacific Ocean, and you needed to know when and where, in all those different hours, humpback whales were singing, would you Google it?

That is what Ann Allen, a research ecologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, did. Sort of.

In January 2018, she approached Google and asked if they might be able to help her find the signal of humpback whale songs amid all the other ocean noise, like dolphin calls or ship engines. Using 10 hours of annotated data, in which the whale songs and other noises were identified, Google engineers trained a neural network to detect the songs, based on a model for recognizing sounds in YouTube videos, said Julie Cattiau, a product manager at Google.
NEWARK, N.J., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most promising treatments for COVID-19 is being made available through an expanded access program at Prime Healthcare's Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark.

Remdesivir, considered by the World Health Organization to be the most promising drugs to treat COVID-19, was developed by Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola. The antiviral drug is effective against two other coronaviruses that cause deadly respiratory diseases  SARS and MERS  and is in five large clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

Saint Michael's is one of only a handful of sites in the world to participate in the expanded access program, which will allow the hospital to administer remdesivir to critically ill patients who are on ventilators. The hospital has been a leader in clinical infectious disease research and has worked with Gilead since the pharmaceutical company was founded in 1987.

There is currently no treatment approved for COVID-19, a disease which has infected more than 1.2 million worldwide and resulted in nearly 70,000 deaths.

Saint Michael's is located in the New York metropolitan area, which has become ground zero for COVID-19 infection in the United States. In the last week, Saint Michael's has seen a spike in patients with the disease. Currently nearly every bed in the hospital is filled with patients who have tested positive for the virus. New Jersey has the second most cases in the United States, behind New York.

"The trial use of remdesivir is just one way Prime Healthcare hospitals are helping in the fight against this unprecedented pandemic," said David Silverman, PharmD, vice president of pharmacy services for Prime Healthcare. "We are currently exploring options for expanded access programs of the drug."

Prime Healthcare, a national health system with 45 hospitals in 14 states, purchased the 358-bed hospital in the heart of Newark's business and university community in 2016.

"Prime Healthcare's mission of saving hospitals to save lives has never been more important and we have been working tirelessly to provide resources to our patients and care givers that will transform care, such as access to the most promising emerging treatments," said Kavitha Bhatia, MD, MMM, Prime Healthcare's Chief Medical Officer of Strategy.

James Fallon, the director of clinical research at Saint Michael's, said remdesivir was previously available on a limited basis through a "compassionate use" program for individual patients who were too ill to participate in a clinical trial. About 1,000 people were participating in the compassionate use program.

Gilead Sciences Chairman and CEO Daniel O'Day wrote in an open letter published in March week that compassionate use typically works well when there are a limited number of requests for the drug.

"But the system cannot support and process the overwhelming number of applications we have seen with COVID-19," O'Day wrote. "There is nothing typical about this crisis."

With expanded access, hospitals or physicians can apply for emergency use of remdesivir for multiple severely ill patients at a time. "This approach will ultimately accelerate emergency access for more people," O'Day wrote.

Dr. Jihad Slim, who heads the Department of Infectious Diseases at Saint Michael's, has been involved in clinical research at the hospital since the late 1980s. Dr. Slim worked with Gilead on drug treatments for HIV/AIDS and played a leading role in the fight against HIV during the AIDS pandemic.

"Just as we played an important role in helping to find medications for AIDS, our Infectious Disease Department is once again ready to take on that role as we fight against COVID-19," Dr. Slim said. "If remdesivir works the way we all hope it will, it will be a game changer."

SOURCE Prime Healthcare
New York

A crew member aboard the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort tested positive for the coronavirus, and several others have gone into isolation, the Navy said Tuesday, the latest setback in the ship's troubled mission to New York to assist in the pandemic response.

News of the infection came a day after President Donald Trump relented to pressure from New York hospitals and allowed the Comfort to begin accepting patients who had contracted the virus.

The ship arrived last week with great fanfare and was supposed to relieve pressure on New York's overburdened hospitals by taking patients suffering from other ailments. But bureaucratic hurdles, as well as a sharp decline in hospitalizations unrelated to the virus, resulted in few patients being transferred to the ship.

By Thursday, the 1,000-bed ship had only 20 patients. The empty beds angered hospital leaders, whose facilities have been overwhelmed with people sick with COVID-19.

On Monday, Trump agreed that the Comfort would begin taking in people who tested positive for the virus.

A Navy spokeswoman said the discovery of an infected crew member would not affect the Comfort's mission in New York.

"It does not affect the ability of the Comfort to receive patients at all," Elizabeth Baker, the spokeswoman, said.

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

As of Tuesday morning, there were 44 patients on board, she said, meaning most of the Comfort's beds still remained unused.

The infected crew member, who was not publicly identified, was not a medical worker and had no contact with patients, Baker said. All members of the crew tested negative for the virus before leaving the Comfort's port in Norfolk, Va., she said, and have not left the ship since arriving in New York.

The Comfort appeared as a beacon of hope when it sailed into New York Harbor last week. But the ship arrived with a list of restrictions on patients that some hospital officials complained were so onerous that only healthy people would be allowed on board. When only a handful of patients could be transferred to the ship, the Defense Department eased those restrictions.

All along, the goal was to prevent the virus from coming on board. In the end, it did anyway.
Australian and New Zealand passengers will be evacuated from a stricken Antarctic cruise ship on April 9, after almost 60 percent of those on board tested positive for the CCP virus.

The Greg Mortimer, a cruise liner operated by Australias Aurora Expeditions, departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia. Since the beginning of April, however, the ship has been stuck off the coast of Uruguay, after authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark due to the risk of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Of the 217 people on board, 128 passengers and crew have now tested positive for the CCP virus.

Six passengers requiring specialized care have been transferred to medical facilities in Montevideoa video posted online by the Uruguayan navy showed them being transferred from ship to ship wearing full protective gear.

Passengers from European and American who have tested positive for CCP virus, however, will have to remain on board until they have a negative test result, after which they may be able to depart via Brazil, Aurora said.

All passengers will be retested every two or three days, according to the companys website.

In a statement earlier this month, Aurora said that the ships doctor had developed a fever, and we are organizing a back-up volunteer medic. The cruise operator added it had formally escalated our request to the Uruguayan authorities to allow the ship to dock and passengers to disembark, but it had so far been denied.

Late Tuesday, the Uruguayan government said it had authorized a medical flight evacuation of New Zealand and Australian passengers aboard the Greg Mortimer for later this week. The passengers will fly to Melbourne on Thursday on a plane chartered by Aurora, where they will undergo a mandated 14-day quarantine before proceeding to their final destinations.

We have been working on charters and flights for all onboard with the aim of disembarking our passengers as soon as possible, Aurora said in a statement.

While our preferred plan had been to disembark all passengers simultaneously, the nature of the situation and the difficultly in securing flights has meant it is likely that the Australian and New Zealand passengers will leave the vessel before our European (UK included) and North American passengers.

Aurora said the chartered Airbus A340 will be specially fitted with medical and quarantine facilities in order to ensure the health and safety of all on board. The company estimated the cost per passenger of at least $9,300, and said it was in discussions with the Australian government for support with this cost as we know that it is not viable for many people.

Ian Duddy, the UKs ambassador to Uruguay, said on Twitter that we remain in close contact with the Uruguayan government, the cruise operator [and] UK passengers on board the Greg Mortimer.

Several passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. We continue to explore ways for passengers to disembark while respecting all health protocols, he added.

The Uruguayan government did not comment on when or whether passengers would be able to disembark this week.

Cruise Ships Stuck

More than a dozen cruise ships have been effectively trapped at sea due to the CCP virus pandemic, as countries refused to allow those carrying infected passengers to dock.

Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said this month it was in direct contact with 10 cruise ships with around 600 Australian passengers on board.

In most cases, disembarkation cannot occur unless passengers have onward flight arrangements and are able to travel directly to the airport via a so-called sanitary corridor, put in place by host countries, DFAT said in a statement.

The situation on board the ships rapidly transformed from holiday to misery for passengers, many of whom booked and paid for the journeys long before the CCP virus began spreading late last year.

Jay Martinez, a passenger on board the South Pacific cruise liner Norwegian Jewel, told CNN this week that he and his wife had hesitations about boarding the ship and looked into amending their plans but were told they were locked in.

Up until the day that we left, that was not an option, Martinez said. And with us having so much money invested into our honeymoon, we had no other choice but to board the ship.

Last month, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an industry group whose members make up more than 95 percent of global cruise capacity, suspended operations from U.S. ports for 30 days.

In a statement, CLIA said about 14 percent of its fleet, some 30 or so ships, were still at sea. Our members are focused on bringing these ships safely back to port as soon as they can, it added.

Ships that do dock are often required to remain in place for extended quarantines before passengers can disembark. The effectiveness of such measures in the close confines of a ship not designed for medical screening have been questioned, however, particularly in the case of the Diamond Princess, a cruise liner which was quarantined at the Japanese port of Yokohama in February.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

NTD staff contributed to this report.
France has registered more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths since the beginning of the epidemic, the head of the national public health service Jerome Salomon said on Tuesday.

On Monday, French authorities reported 8,911 fatalities.

"In hospitals, 7,091 people have died," Salomon told a briefing.

In retirement homes 3,237 people have died since the beginning of the epidemic, which brings the total to 10,328.

France is now among the four countries with largest coronavirus death tolls, behind Italy, Spain and the United States.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Islamic State terror group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a CRPF patrolling party in Anantnag district of south Kashmir in which a jawan was killed and another injured. The group, which has a very little presence in the valley, made the claim on its Amaq news agency within hours of the attack.

"the caliphate soldiers targeted a gathering of Indian police in the area (Bijbehara) in Kashmir...." it said in its claim. Head Constable Shiv Lal Neetam was killed in the incident in Bijbehara on Tuesday evening, 42 km from Srinagar. At about 5:50 pm, a man threw a grenade at a Central Reserve Police Force patrolling party at Goriwan Chowk in the area and fled, officials said.

While it was earlier reported that the jawans received splinter injuries, officials later said the grenade did not explode. The terrorists then fired upon the forces, injuring two CRPF personnel who were rushed to a hospital where Neetam was declared brought dead, they said. The official added that a bomb disposal squad was rushed to the spot to diffuse the grenade.

ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul attack

The attack on a Gurdwara in Kabul, which killed at least 11 people and left several injured, has now been claimed by the Islamic State, reported an intelligence group. The gunmen and suicide bombers stormed the gurdwara in Shor Bazar area at around 07:45 (local time) when 150 worshippers were inside the Sikh religious premise. Afghanistans Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian has reportedly said that the defence forces have cordoned off the area and trying to counter-attack. The Taliban denied its involvement and its spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted that they have no relation with the attack in Shor Bazar.

(With PTI inputs)
The adopted daughter of comedians Dawn French and Sir Lenny Henry, admitted a criminal charge of causing distress or anxiety today.

Billie Henry, 28, had been accused of sending excessive emails and text messages to her ex fiance Samuel King.

She had denied the original charge of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

Henry, of Plymouth, Devon, had been due to stand trial at Truro Crown Court in May for a five day contested hearing.

Billie Henry, (pictured in December) the daughter of comedians Sir Lenny Henry and Dawn French, admitted a criminal charge of causing distress or anxiety towards her ex-fiance

The original long-winded charge stated that between August 26, 2018, and February 2019 in Dobwalls, in Cornwall, she 'repeatedly or continuously engaged in behaviour which was controlling or coercive, namely sent excessive text messages demanding attention; sent emails and text messages purporting to be from others to Samuel King, falsely claimed to have been subjected to sexual abuse and physical violence, towards Samuel King, to whom at the time of the behaviour, you were personally connected in that you were engaged in an intimate personal relationship, that behaviour having a serious effect on him and you knew, or ought to have known, that the behaviour would have a serious effect on him.'

That charge - under the Serious Crime Act of 2015 - usually carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.

The 28-year-old was adopted as a child by Sir Lenny Henry (back) and Dawn French (right) and she is pictured here with her famous parents at Jools Holland's wedding in 2005

But on Wednesday via Skype, Henry admitted a new charge of sending electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety and she will now not face trial on the initial count.

The new charge is contrary to the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

Henry remains on conditional bail and will be sentenced by a judge in Truro in May.

Henry was brought up in the area when she was adopted by Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French and her then husband Sir Lenny Henry. At a previous court appearance Henry arrived at court with French's businessman husband Mark Bignell.

A court source confirmed that the proposed trial in May has now been vacated and Henry is due to be sentenced on May 6.

The case against Henry has so far not been fully outlined in court.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) has announced plans to restart its North American commercial tire plants as well as its North American Firestone Industrial Products and Firestone Building Products manufacturing facilities on April 13.

The company's start-up plans reflect the performance trend in several key areas of its commercial and diversified products businesses not as severely affected by the current crisis. Bridgestone Bandag's retread rubber manufacturing plants in North America resumed operations the week of March 29, due to demand by essential service providers. The company continues to work closely with its customers and partners to ensure adequate supply, while closely monitoring volatility in demand.

The well-being and safety of employees remains the most important priority for the company. To ensure the health and safety of employees, plants resuming operations will do so in alignment with the latest safety protocol guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The start-up of our North American commercial tire and diversified products operations will allow us to meet the increasing needs of businesses who are going above and beyond to provide essential services in our communities," said Paolo Ferrari, CEO & president, Bridgestone Americas. "We are mindful of the need for Bridgestone to do its part in providing critical products and services to businesses and agencies doing so much to keep essential workers and goods moving."

Bridgestone's passenger tire plants in North America, as well as all plants in Latin America are scheduled to resume operations by the first week of May, with some facilities potentially opening sooner.

The company has sufficient supply of original equipment and consumer replacement product to meet customer demand, but continues to align supply to current market demand. The company's distribution centers, plant warehouses and logistics teams are continuing to fill orders.

The company is monitoring the coronavirus situation closely and adjusting response plans and operations as necessary to ensure the health and safety of its employees while also addressing the needs of customers and the market.

For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:

Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. BSAM also is engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produces air springs, roofing materials and industrial fibers and textiles. BSAM also operates the world's largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its global corporate social responsibility commitment, Our Way to Serve, the company is dedicated to improving the way people live, work, move and play in all of the communities it calls home.

SOURCE Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.bridgestoneamericas.com


AUSTIN  Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the closure of all state parks and historic sites on Tuesday in the name of promoting social distancing and keeping people home.

Social distancing is our best tool to curb the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, Abbott said. The temporary closure of our state parks and historic sites will help us achieve this goal by preventing the gathering of large groups of people.

The closures went into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday and will remain until further notice.

Abbotts move comes a week after he issued a statewide order in which he instructed people to say home except for essential activities such as going to the grocery store or a pharmacy. At that time, he said it was fine for Texans to still be outdoors for exercise, including hunting and fishing, so long as they were keeping appropriate social distancing of about 6 feet from others.

FOR THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages 89 parks and historic sites in Texas, a spokeswoman said. State park officials on Tuesday said they were having difficulty ensuring compliance with social distancing, facing problems in maintaining adequate supplies and struggling to keep park facilities sufficiently sanitized.

Park officials said they are working to contact customers who had upcoming overnight reservations to reimburse them and that all group and facility reservations are canceled through April 30.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

People who purchased day passes in advance will also be refunded without any penalties because of the new order. Park officials stressed that they are contacting people in the order of their expected arrival date to work on refunds.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
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The product is affordable so that almost any small business can afford it. Says the founder of Tech Help Canada, Gabriel Nwatarali. COVID-19 has forced many small businesses to close physical stores for the time being. Yet, many of them have websites that still need maintenance so it can continue to generate leads and sales. Websites require ongoing maintenance and our solution is cost-effective. Starting from $97 per month, said Nwatarali.

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They are now accepting clients. Contact Tech Help Canada at info@techhelp.ca or visit the companys website at https://www.techhelp.ca. Tech Help Canada helps businesses improve their digital presence to reach customers online. Keep your website uninterrupted and discover ways to leverage the Internet for growth.
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Samuel Nartey George has accused the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, of attempts to malign him by peddling falsehood.

The MP weeks ago wrote a letter to the speaker informing him about his decision to excuse himself from chamber business in the wake of the Covid-19 menace. In the said letter Sam George said he would not risk exposure to the virus by coming to Parliament every day just to come and work on bills that are of no emergency nature and do not relate to Coronavirus or to come and sit and approve loans and tax waivers for private businesses, many of which are foreign.

The Speaker of parliament, however, took issue with content of the communication from the Ningo-Prampram Mp and responded during his final address before suspending the house indefinitely.

I inform you with, with deep regret that I have received a letter, a castigating letter, from Hon. Sam George, MP for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, which says he cannot attend on this House again because sittings of this House are just a waste of his time as the sittings at this time are only to approve loans. This is sad.

But Sam George in another correspondence to the speaker sighted by Starr News described the conclusions drawn by the speaker as unfortunate.

My respect for you and your office does not erode my right and privilege to disagree with you and speak truth to you when you are wrong. You peddled falsehoods when you made particular reference to me in your closing remarks on Saturday, Sam George said in the letter.

He argues that the move by the Speaker is a calculated attempt to malign his person by making false claims that you cannot defend to bring my reputation to public opprobrium.

You have blocked Members of Parliament from making statements on the floor of the House related to the coronavirus, you have refused to approve urgent questions to sector Ministers from the House on coronavirus, He added.

Mr. George further took the legislature on for its failure to check what he calls excesses of the Executive in the name of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House has sat aloof whilst the liberties of the citizenry have been eroded by a slew of Executive Instruments aimed at extending the overbearing powers of the executive.

---starrfmonline
Italy has begun screening doctors for signs of coronavirus immunity, but officials admit that the antibody tests may not work.

The northern regions of Veneto and Emilia-Romagna are hoping to issue 'licences' to return to work for people who are shown to be immune.

The blood tests are intended to detect antibodies, the tools which the body creates to fight off an infection and prevent it from returning.

But doctors admit it may be weeks before they know whether the tests are effective. Britain also has an eager eye on antibody tests, but the government says those examined so far have not proved reliable.

Medical workers such as these - seen here moving a coronavirus patient at a hospital in Milan yesterday - will be tested for signs of immunity in Italy

Mario Plebani of the University of Padua, which is running the tests in Veneto, told The Times that 3,000 health workers had already been tested.

'We are still experimenting. Since we know that many doctors have been infected, if this test shows they have no antibodies we will know it's not accurate,' he said.

Plebani said the tests were looking for two types of antibodies: one which proves that the patient has been infected, and a second which shows that they are immune.

'Our tests show the second appears 12 days after the first symptoms and remains strong for 35 days. After that we don't know,' he said.

Andrea Andrea Crisanti, a virology professor at the same university, said scientists had 'begun verifying whether these tests are effective'.

'I think that within two weeks or a month we will have enough data to be able to have a certain level of confidence,' he said.

A health worker wearing a blue protective suit and a mask holds up a coronavirus testing kit in Collegno near Turin yesterday

Luca Zaia, the regional governor of Veneto, said: 'Some say they will work, others say they won't. It all has to be proven but that's how vaccines are made as well.'

Zaia said the aim would ultimately be to allow authorities to issue 'licences' for individuals with proven immunity to return to work.

Thousands of doctors have been infected in Italy and at least 94 medics have died, according to a medical federation.

Italy has begun to contemplate an end to the lockdown after a slowdown in new infections, which increased by only 2.3 per cent in yesterday's figures. The 3,039 new cases were the fewest since March 13.

Officials have spoken openly of a 'phase two' in which Italy learns to 'live with the virus' until a vaccine is developed, which is likely to be months away at least.

Germany has similarly talked about exempting people from the lockdown, and suggested that medics with immunity might need less protective gear.

A coronavirus patient sits on a hospital bed in Turin wearing an adapted snorkelling mask as he is treated by a nurse

In Britain, Professor John Newton of Public Health England said antibody tests could be rolled out to 'millions' of people once an effective test is signed off.

Some manufacturers are making tests similar to a pregnancy test which could provide an answer within 10 minutes.

But Prof Newton cautioned that the tests will not work at their best until 28 days after an infection.

Health secretary Matt Hancock says the UK has ordered millions of antibody tests but admits that the ones studied so far are 'not good enough'.

'We're getting the test results through every day, I was looking at some last night. But we still don't have any that are good enough,' he said at the weekend.

'At the moment, the most important thing for getting out of this as soon as possible is for people to follow the social distancing rules.'

However, Mr Hancock said 500 highly accurate tests were being performed each day at Porton Down, the UK's military science laboratory.
The Riyadh-led military coalition declared a two-week ceasefire in Yemen starting Thursday in a bid to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus, a senior Saudi official said.

"We are announcing a ceasefire starting (Thursday) for two weeks," the official said.

"We are expecting the Huthis (Yemeni rebels) will accept. We are preparing the ground to fight COVID-19" in Yemen.

The unilateral ceasefire will begin at 0900 GMT on Thursday, he added.

There was no immediate reaction by the Iran-aligned rebels.

The coalition was committed to a two-week ceasefire but still reserved the right to defend itself if it came under attack, the Saudi official said.

The ceasefire may be extended if the Huthis respond "positively" to the gesture, he added.

The Saudi-led military coalition has been active in Yemen's conflict in support of an internationally recognised government since 2015.

Yemen's broken healthcare system has so far recorded no cases of the COVID-19 illness, but aid groups have warned that when it does hit, the impact will be catastrophic.

The country is already gripped by what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Fighting recently escalated again between the Huthis and Riyadh-backed Yemeni troops around the strategic northern districts of Al-Jouf and Marib, ending a months-long lull.

Saudi air defences intercepted Yemeni rebel missiles over Riyadh and the border city of Jizan late last month, leaving two civilians wounded in the curfew-locked capital, state media reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UT administration is preparing a crisis management plan in case the number of positive Covid-19 cases surges in the city.

As per the proposed plan that factors in Chandigarhs estimated population of 12 lakh, a contingency protocol is being laid down which has to be followed by different authorities including the health department.

A three-level facility for housing the patients is being worked out. Covid care centres are proposed to be established for people with mild symptoms. Hotel Parkview, Panchayat Bhawan, and other community bhawans are likely to house such centres.

Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, will house the Covid health centre for positive cases with moderate symptoms. Covid-exclusive facility for severe positive cases will be created at the Post Graduate Institute Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and the civil hospital in Sector 48.

UT home-cum-health secretary Arun Kumar Gupta along with medical experts is preparing the plan on the directions of Punjab governor and UT administrator VP Singh Badnore in view of surge in number of COVID-19 cases across the country in the past one week.

While no fresh positive case of coronavirus has been reported in the city in the past six days, a senior UT official privy to the development, said that the plan will be put in place to deal with any worst-case scenario as the cases are surging across the country.

Though the situation in Chandigarh remains far better than other parts of the country, we do not want to take any chances. The key focus in the plan would be requirement of ventilators, medical equipment and experts, accommodation and other protocols to be followed, the official said.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - AJN Resources Inc. (CSE: AJN) (FSE: 5AT) ("AJN") is pleased to provide the following update for the Convertible Debenture financing announced February 6, 2020. The Convertible Debenture Subscription Agreement has been completed by Neo Gold Limited. Through the Convertible Debenture financing AJN will raise $1,256,115 and issue 12.56115 Convertible Debentures. Neo Gold Limited has advised AJN that the funds will be wired next week. The funds will be used for general working capital.

The Convertible Debentures will be dated as of their date of issue and will mature on the date which is three (3) years from such date ("Maturity") and bear simple interest of 2.5% per annum. The Convertible Debentures will be issuable only as fully registered Convertible Debentures in denominations of $100,000 and integral multiples thereof.

The Convertible Debentures will be convertible at the holder's option into fully paid and non-assessable common shares ("Shares") in the capital of AJN at a base conversion price of $0.40 per Share, being a rate of 250,000 Shares for each C$100,000 principal amount of Convertible Debentures (subject to adjustment as stipulated herein). The election to convert the Convertible Debentures to Shares may be made during the period from the date of issue to Maturity of the Convertible Debentures

by the holder at any time; and

by the Issuer, at any time after the closing price on the Canadian Securities Exchange of the Issuer's common shares has been equal to or greater than $2.00 per common share for a period of fifteen (15) consecutive trading days; and two (2) years have elapsed from the date of issue of the Convertible Debentures.



Upon closing of the financing AJN will appoint Mr. Sik Lap (Jacky) Chan to the Board of Directors and Mr. King Sun (Jerry) Tsang as Financial Manager.

Mr. Sik Lap (Jacky) Chan, BSc (Hon), MPhil, MAusIMM, MAIG

Mr. Chan is a professional geologist and valuer with more than 12-year experience in the mining industry. He has been involved in the planning, implementation and supervision of various exploration programs, resources/reserve estimation, open pit and underground production, feasibility studies, JORC report compilation, Engineering/Procurement/Construction (EPC)/ Management, valuation and listing preparation for mineral assets in different stock exchanges. The projects he has handled are across a number of commodities with locations in Australia, China, North America, Central and South-East Asia.

Mr. Chan has held senior management positions in diverse international exploration and mining companies providing him experience in corporate management, government liaisons, business development and environmental, health and safety. He has also undertaken a number of senior executive roles with mining consulting and valuation companies. Mr. Chan obtained his Bachelor of Science degree with first class honors in the Department of Earth Sciences from the University of Hong Kong in 2004. He subsequently obtained a Masters in Philosophy and lectured, both at the University of Hong Kong from 2013 to 2014.

Mr King Sun (Jerry) Tsang

Mr King Sun (Jerry) Tsang is currently an Executive Director and the Chief Financial Officer of Code Agriculture (Holdings) Limited (HKSE:08153) and the Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of China Cloud Copper Company Limited (HKSE:00033). Mr Tsang is a Certified Public Accountant in Hong Kong and his qualifications include Juris Doctor (JD) and Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting and Finance). Mr Tsang brings to AJN extensive capital markets and financial experience.

About Neo Gold Limited

Neo Gold Limited is a private equity investment company under Amber Hill Capital Limited which is a multi-national fund that is headquartered in Hong Kong and focuses on financial services, insurance, mineral exploration and production. Amber Hill has a number of noteworthy investments, including Amani Gold Limited, an exploration company which owns a multi-million ounce gold deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, China Cloud Copper Company Limited (HKSE:0033) which focus on metal production exporting business and credit guarantee, and Target Insurance Holdings Limited (HKSE:6161) which focuses on insurance business. For further information please visit: https://en.amberhillgroup.com/

About AJN Resources Inc.

AJN is a junior exploration company. AJN's management and directors possess over 75 years of collective industry experience and have been very successful from exploration, to financing, to developing major mines throughout the world with a focus on Africa and especially the DRC.

For further information, please contact Investor Relations:

Sheena Eckhof

Director, Investor Relations

sheena@eckhofconsulting.com

Visit us at www.ajnresources.com Tel: (778) 218-9638

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Klaus Eckhof

CEO and President

klauseckhof@monaco.mc

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54272
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has steadily scaled up his governments response to the coronavirus disease pandemic, starting with the screening of international passengers on January 17; following up with a three-week nationwide lockdown on March 25; and forming 11 high-level empowered groups to reinforce health care facilities, bring the economy back on track, and mitigate problems faced by citizens.

On April 4, Modi underlined the need for more hospitals, isolation and quarantine facilities, training of personnel for testing and critical care, medical equipment and personal protective gear for health care workers, and on April 6, sought suggestions from the council of ministers on a calibrated exit from the lockdown.

In this context, outlined below an innovative strategy for lifting the lockdown.

Indias health management system is ready to begin antibody testing. Biomedical companies can upscale the manufacturing of kits under the supervision of, and quality certification by the Indian Council of Medical Research. People with IgG antibodies, found in the blood and lymph fluid, whether or not they had suffered Covid-19, are immune, and, they can safely return to normal activities. They will not get infected, and cannot transmit infection to others. Antibodies are of two kinds, IgM and IgG. In simple terms, IgM antibody signals current infection and IgG antibody records past infection and immunity.

The experience everywhere is that a large proportion of people with infection have no illness or only very mild symptoms, not fulfilling the clinical criteria of Covid-19 diagnoses. Unless tested with a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test or IgM antibody test, they will remain undetected and not be counted as infected.

The mainstay of my strategy is systematic, well-designed, and widespread antibody testing of individuals, and certifying those who are antibody positive as exempted from lockdown. This is one form of calibration.

Testing can be initiated in foci of selected geography, and centrifugally expanded. The field methodology can be designed by the responsible empowered group. This exercise can be continuous and ongoing. In communities already tested, it must be repeated periodically, say at intervals of 2-3 weeks, targeting those who were previously antibody-negative. Antibody-positive persons are the newly recruited workforce in rebuilding economic activities. All data must be captured, stored, and made available to the concerned authorities of local and state governments.

A registry of antibody-positive healthy adults who are willing to be plasma donors must also be established along with antibody testing. Their plasma is an additional therapeutic item in the health care armamentarium for treating those at risk of severe illness with Covid-19. Medical experts can develop the criteria for selecting such patients. The empowered group concerned with health care can design the modus operandi from A to Z, without delay.

Let me add that universal mask-wearing ought to be a necessary condition for lifting of lockdown. Ideally it should have preceded the lockdown. There are still a few days left under lockdown, and the policy of universal mask-use must be mandated as soon as possible. If the Union government delays action, state governments must take leadership. As families stay confined in their own homes, they can stitch masks using old clothes. You do not need sewing machine; hand stitching with needle and thread is good enough.

The antibody testing survey has another major benefit. If designed well, it will inform us of the magnitude of the prevalence of Sars-CoV-2 infection. That is an invaluable piece of information that will guide future war tactics.

(Dr T Jacob John is a former Professor of Virology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu)
Samsung announced a partnership with Netflix at the Galaxy Unpacked event in February this year. Among other things, Netflix promised to add support for Bixby Voice, Samsungs digital assistant, to its Android app. The popular video streaming service has just fulfilled that promise.

Netflix recently updated its Android app on Play Store. The changelog clearly mentions that the app now supports Bixby Voice. Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners can now fire up the video streaming app over voice commands using Bixby Voice.

They can give commands to Bixby like Ask Netflix to show me sci-fi movies, or In Netflix, play House of cards, or In Netflix, search for comedy movies.

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There may not be many Galaxy smartphone owners who use Bixby Voice religiously. However, for those who do, its surely a welcome addition.

Note that Netflix already supports voice commands over Google Assistant as well. The addition of Bixby Voice only provides an alternate choice for Galaxy users, in case they are bored with the Hey Google hotword and want a new exercise for their tongue.

It doesnt offer anything new and works just about as good as Google Assistant, within Netflix environment that is. Bixby still cant compete with Google Assistant or Alexa in the overall digital assistant game.

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Netflix adds Bixby Voice support

Two months after making the announcement, Netflix has finally added support for Bixby Voice to its Android app. However, this Samsung-Netflix partnership has a lot more in the offering.

At the Galaxy S20 launch event in February, Netflix also announced that Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners will be able to enjoy exclusive content for Netflix originals like Narcos and more. Those exclusive video content will be created by using the Galaxy S20. Such content will be accessible only through Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Samsungs Galaxy S20 lineup is a photography powerhouse. The company continues to improve that powerful camera hardware with frequent software updates.

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This Samsung-Netflix partnership will also ensure that the streaming platform will be better-integrated with Samsungs content-discovery platforms. Samsung says users will be able to search for Netflix shows and movies directly through the devices Finder.

Samsung Daily will also show recommendations from Netflix based on shows users are watching. For the uninitiated, Samsung Daily is a rebranding of Bixby Home, Samsungs content discovery platform. It resides on the leftmost home screen on Galaxy devices. The page shows you the weather, news and other content from various services and websites in a card-based UI.
At least 750 people under the age of 50 have died from coronavirus, dispelling the myth that only the old and vulnerable are at severe risk, it has been revealed.

According to data compiled by The Washington Post, 759 people under the age of 50 have died from the virus and the true number may be far higher.

The Post cites information from several states, but notes that data is not available for them all.

In New York, the epicenter in the US, the numbers are frightening; 33 people in their 20s, 118 in their 30s and 265 in their forties have all died from the virus.

While many had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, a third did not.

The percentage of under 50s deaths varies by state.

In Massachusetts, 0.8 percent of all deaths were people under the age of 50. In Louisiana, the number was eight percent and in Illinois, it was nine percent.

Doctors told the Post that the reality of what they see on the front-line is something far more unpredictable than what information from other countries suggested.

'This is nothing like we had predicted based on the data from these other countries.

'Young people who are otherwise fit can tolerate this longer, but at the expense of their heart and their pulmonary functions

'When they do deteriorate, they do so much more dramatically,' Shawn Evans, a doctor at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, said.

'A very fit 30-year-old triathlete is just as vulnerable as a chess-playing, 45-year-old who gets no exercise. We just dont know who it is that this virus carries the master key to.

'Just because they are young doesnt mean they arent vulnerable. Nobody knows what immune protection they have at any given moment,' he said.

One scientist says it may be down to a person's DNA whether or not they are reasonably protected from the virus.

Jean-Laurent Casanova studies what makes people susceptible to illnesses.

He found that in 2015, a toddler that had suffered influenza had a gene mutation relating to a protein which provides immunity.

Now, he is studying coronavirus patients from all over the world to determine if they have any gene mutations.

New data has suggested that the death toll across America will be around 60,000 by the time the pandemic is over.

Hosptial workers at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York City, on Wednesday as cases continued to soar

That is less than the 80,000 to 100,000 figure that was being referred to last week.

The data, by the University of Washington School of Medicine, also suggests that the peak will hit America on April 12 - sooner than the previous estimate of April 16.

There are several drug trial therapies underway and there are ongoing efforts to develop an antibody test that will determine if a person has had the virus, and whether or not they can go to back to work.

If they have recovered from it on their own, they will likely have anti-bodies that prove it and which will clear them for re-entering society if and when it is up and running again.

Coronavirus death toll estimate is lowered from 82,000 to 60,000 and the peak day for death is brought forward to April 12 where more than 2,200 Americans are predicted to die in 24 hours, new data shows

The estimated death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States has been lowered from 82,000 to 60,000 after new projections scaled back the number of fatalities over the next four months by 26 percent.

The updated projections has also brought forward the peak day of deaths to April 12 where an estimated 2,212 deaths are expected to occur over 24 hours.

The new estimates were released on Wednesday by forecasters at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation - a model often cited by the White House coronavirus task force.

The projected downward revision in the death toll coincides with comments from health officials and political leaders that cases may have reached a plateau in certain cities.

The updated projections has also brought forward the peak day of deaths to April 12 where an estimated 2,212 deaths are expected to occur over 24 hours, new data shows

Peak resource use for hospitals is predicted to occur on April 11 - the day before the peak death toll - where an estimated 94,000 beds, 19,000 ICU beds and 16,500 ventilators will be needed

Those assessments in recent days, including an apparent leveling out in hospitalizations in New York state, which is the US epicenter of the pandemic, are tempered by a persistent climb in the death toll.

More than 1,900 Americans died over 24 hours on Tuesday, bringing the total to nearly 13,000. There are now more than 400,000 confirmed coronavirus infections across the country.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model is one of several that the White House coronavirus task force has cited.

Its most recent update now projects there will be just over 60,000 deaths by August 4, which is down from the nearly 82,000 fatalities is had forecast on Tuesday.

US health officials have previously estimated that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die.
A number of publishing houses in China have turned to live broadcasts to boost book sales and promote their brands.

Li Weichang (left), vice president of Shanghai Art and Literature Publishing House, recommends books for the audience during the "Online Tour of Publishing House" event. (photo via organizer of the event)

The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in total retail sales from physical bookstores decreasing by 86.4 percent year on year in February, data from Beijing-based book industry researcher OpenBook said. The epidemic, coupled with digitalization in recent years, has forced bookstores to turn to online channels to increase their sales.

"As editors and authors have not been able to advertise books in the stores because of the outbreak, we considered recommending books though live broadcasts to ease the pressure on operations," said Luo Hong, general manager of Zhida Bookstore in Shanghai, who also came up with the concept of making online trips to publishing houses.

The activity allows viewers to tour publishers through online videos and for publishers to recommend selected books to readers, increasing the sales of books featured in the broadcasts by about 10 percent.

Live streaming videos have also helped publishers communicate with the market directly, thus shortening the route to potential customers.

Publishing houses have the advantage of being able to host knowledge-oriented broadcasts, according to Song Qiang, director with the planning department of People's Literature Publishing House.

The publishing house has given lectures through various broadcasts to promote classic literary works to the public. One of its online series about the deceased Chinese writer Wang Zengqi rolled out during the epidemic attracted over 40,000 viewers.

"In the future, we intend to launch two kinds of online activities. One is inviting editors to introduce books and boost sales and the other is using resources, such as authors, experts, editors and brands, to spread knowledge among readers," Song noted.
A vulnerable 84-year-old pensioner who had been staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic was forced to eat old food from her bin after a 'callous' thief stole supplies from her doorstep.

The pensioner, identified by police as 'Elizabeth' had accidentally locked herself in her west London flat and was unable to go outside for essential food supplies.

Met Police rescued the pensioner from the Feltham property, and said she had been left to starve.

On arrival at the property earlier this week the response officers, PC Matt Hodge and Pat Peltier made sure Elizabeth had all the essentials to make her feel comfortable.

PCs Matt Hodges and Pat Peltier (pictured above) were able to rescue Elizabeth and managed to get her some supplies

Elizabeth had been unable to open her door and was imprisoned in her own home, unable to collect her only supply of food that she had ordered online.

The isolated OAP has no nearby family or friends. So far in the UK there have been 7,095 deaths due to Covid-19 and over 60,000 confirmed cases.

Those over the age of 70 and vulnerable were told to stay at home as they are deemed at risk.

London has been once of the worst hit area in the UK with 1,907 deaths in the capital and over 13,000 confirmed cases.

Unfortunately in her bid to stay safe, Elizabeth had locked herself in and whilst confined to her home with no way of leaving, the food thief took advantage and stole the supplies from her doorstep.

The force posted the update to its Facebook page today and said: 'A callous individual took advantage of the situation and stole the food from the pensioner's front door step, leaving her with nothing'.

On arrival, the officers swiftly gained entry to the property and saw her fridge was almost empty and learned the woman had resorted to eating out of the rubbish bin to survive.

They immediately went to the local shops and purchased food, drinks, toiletries and a few other necessities to fill her home and make her feel more comfortable.

She was overwhelmed with the officer's selflessness and generosity and thanked them for their help.

The officers have put the necessary action in place to ensure this heart-breaking situation doesn't happen again.

The Met said: 'This is a remarkable example of what lengths our officers will go to, to protect local residents during this very challenging time.

'Well done PC's Matt Hodge and Pat Peltier!'
The scene at Lurgan Road, Dromore, where a motorcyclist died after a collision. April 8, 2020

A young motorcyclist who died following a two-vehicle crash in Co Armagh had just celebrated becoming a father for the first time.

Matthew Arnold, from the Blackskull area, was one of two people to die in separate tragedies on Northern Ireland's roads this week.

A pedestrian also died after a second accident in east Belfast.

Mr Arnold is the third - and youngest - son to be taken from heartbroken parents Hertford and Phyllis in tragic circumstances.

The 24-year-old father-of-one was killed two days ago when his bike collided with a silver Toyota Avensis on the Lurgan Road, Dromore, at its junction with the Blackskull Road around 6.30pm.

He leaves behind his heartbroken parents and an older brother Ford, as well as his grieving wife Ciara, with whom he has a three-week-old baby girl.

Matthew's brothers, Wensley and Thomas, both disabled, contracted an infection and died over 20 years ago.

Mr and Mrs Arnold subsequently spoke of their loss in a book entitled Some Party in Heaven.

The first edition of the tome, by Noel Davison, was published in 1995.

In it, the Arnolds tell of how their oldest son, aged six, died and then their third son, aged three, was also taken from them nine days later.

Separately, a male pedestrian died following a collision in Henderson Court in the Knocknagoney area of east Belfast.

The man was walking his dog around 8.20pm on Tuesday when he was involved in a collision with a white Toyota Aygo. The male driver was not injured.
The new Northern Ireland Nightingale Hospital has wards designed to treat coronavirus sufferers at Belfast City Hospital. April 7th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

The Government has said keeping health workers safe is its priority (PA)

General view of Botanic Gardens in Belfast where police have been patrolling. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has pleaded with the public to think of the 78 families who lost loved ones amid the coronavirus outbreak and to not go out over Easter.

A further five patients have died after contracting the virus in Northern Ireland, it has been confirmed.

Agriculture minister Edwin Poots said Easter weekend is typically when the public would spend a lot of time in local forests and green areas.

"This Easter must be different from previous years, we must stay apart and we must stay at home. There can be no better way to show you care than to protect each other in this way," Mr Poots said.

Ms Hargey also revealed that universal credit claims have increased ten-fold over the past three weeks and are now numbering 45,000.

The Public Health Agency has also confirmed 84 more cases of the virus in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,339. So far 9,564 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

Here's how Wednesday unfolded:
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week, the Islamic State imposed a 10-day ultimatum for all Sikhs to leave Afghanistan. This comes in the wake of a recent attack on a Sikh house of worship in Kabul, which left 25 dead, along with one gunman. The Sikh population living in Afghanistan remains the most targeted, forcing many to flee to other countries to seek refuge. Afghanistan has historically been home to hundreds of thousands of Sikhs for centuries. Today, the Sikh population has dwindled to barely one thousand, made up of less than 300 families, with only few operating Gurdwaras across the country, including Gurdwara Guru Hai Rai in Kabul, the site of the most recent attack. UNITED SIKHS POSITION AND EFFORTS UNITED SIKHS, a global humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity around the globe; urges Canada, Germany, United States, India, Australia and other countries to answer the plea of Sikhs living in terror, with entry into these countries via protected asylum. For decades Sikhs have been at the forefront and vibrant members of these countries and have contributed richly as citizens. Now we request these very nations that humanitarian intervention is urgently needed to help the Sikh minority undergoing constant and consistent suffering in Afghanistan. Short sighted and failed policies from the United States and Afghanistan have shaped the current state in Afghanistan for Sikhs today. Now, the United States has a moral obligation along with the United Nations to protect Afghan Sikhs and ensure their civil liberties and freedom from religious persecution. In addition to working on this issue globally, UNITED SIKHS immediately delivered funding to the families of those killed and injured along with releasing funds ready to be disbursed for passport fees and will help in expediting the rescue of Sikhs seeking asylum. Countries across the globe have an extraordinary leadership opportunity by lifting immigration restrictions and opening their doors to Sikhs escaping Afghanistan. By granting Afghan Sikhs with Special Protected Status, and special entry into other countries via protected asylum; and saving lives in the hundreds. Time is a very real enemy of Sikhs desperate to leave their homeland and historic places of worship. With the 10-day ultimatum imposed by the Islamic State; there is little to zero protection from the horrors Sikhs will endure if they do not find immediate refuge Below is the detailed timeline of UNITED SIKHS efforts to save the lives of Afghan Sikhs. UNITED SIKHS ACTIVITIES TO SAVE AFGHAN SIKHS March 25 - Attack on Sikhs who were praying in a Gurdwara in Kabul. 25 men, women and children killed. March 25 - UNITED SIKHS alerts Pope Francis and top Sunni and Shia religious leaders along with intelligence communities including: President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud March 26 - UNITED SIKHS shares information on Sikh persecution globally March 26  Second attack on Afghan Sikhs. This time on the way to the crematorium. March 26 - UNITED SIKHS creates fundraiser for Sikhs in Afghanistan March 27  Third attack on Afghan Sikhs. This time via roadside bombs. March 27- United States Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson is alerted of the urgent issue facing Afghan Sikhs March 27- United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom is alerted of the urgent issue of Afghan Sikhs March 27- UNITED SIKHS along with American Sikh Congressional Caucus contacts Congressman (D-CA) John Garamendi to condemn attacks on Afghan Sikhs March 27 - UNITED SIKHS reaches out to Canadian MPs, drawing their attention to this crisis. March 28  UNITED SIKHS meet with US State Department to plea on behalf of Afghan Sikhs March 28  Islamic State imposes 10-day ultimatum for Sikhs to leave Afghanistan March 28  UNITED SIKHS issues official statement condemning violence against Sikhs living in Afghanistan, and pledges aid to help Sikhs leave Afghanistan March 29 - UNITED SIKHS Pakistan Chapter provides funds for families of those killed and injured during the attack along with releasing funds for passport application fees to aid Sikhs in leaving Afghanistan March 29 - UNITED SIKHS initiates the process to launch a Canadian Parliamentary Petition to ask the Government March 30 - Canadian Ambassador Soroosh condemned the violence against Sikhs stating that the attack was "A barbaric and cowardly attack against humanity. Soroosh went on to state that the, "Sikh community is a patriotic and peaceful community making a huge contribution to the Afghan society and the government is committed to protecting the lives of all citizens in the country" March 30  UNITED SIKHS reaches out to the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan to raise concern and ask for protection and safety of Afghan Sikhs March 31  UNITED SIKHS contacts United Nations Honorable High Commissioner for Refugees Fillipo Grandi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres April 1 - UNITED SIKHS urges the United States, Germany, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan and other countries to answer the plea of the Sikhs and provide them Special Protective Status. April 1 - UNITED SIKHS contacts Pakistani Administration to request safe passage receivership into Pakistan for Afghan Sikhs April 1 - Chad Wolf, acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security is contacted by UNITED SIKHS to provide Temporary Protective Status for Afghan Sikhs requesting asylum April 1  UNITED SIKHS Australian Chapter reaches out to the Minister of Immigration to ask the Australian Government to allow Afghan Sikhs to resettle via refugee status April 2 - UNITED SIKHS Canadian Chapter launches this House of Commons petition to ask the Canadian government to bring persecuted Afghans to Canada. April 2 - UNITED SIKHS reaches out to Afghan Consulate and Embassy in the USA for immediate action in Sikh crisis. April 3 - UNITED SIKHS send letter to Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to lighten immigration regulations for Afghan Sikhs applying for asylum before 10-day Islamic State ultimatum expires April 3 - UNITED SIKHS notifies Australia of attacks on Sikhs living in Afghanistan April 3 - Australia Prime Minister, Scott Morrison condemns attacks on Afghan Sikhs April 3 - Australian Chapter of UNITED SIKHS raises awareness and attention of Afghan Sikh prosecution to Australian authorities to stimulate and urge intervention April 3  Australian Chapter of UNITED SIKHS sends letter to Minister of Immigration to provide resettlement to Afghan Sikh via refugee status April 6 -UNITED SIKHS sends correspondence to Indias Administration and heads of religious infrastructure to get involved and support Afghan Sikhs ONGOING: UNITED SIKHS CONTUNUES TO WORK AND LOBBY TO SAVE PERSECTUED AFGHAN SIKHS GLOBALLY.

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Many Italian companies and academics are pressing the government to reopen factories to prevent an economic catastrophe, as the world watches how the first Western country to impose a lockdown can extricate itself from the unprecedented measures.

The same debate is being held around the globe: how long can lockdowns against the coronavirus pandemic remain in place before irreversible damage is wrought, with businesses sunk and swathes of the population jobless? Italy faces one of the most pressing dilemmas, not only because its lockdown has been in place longer than most ...
Allu Arjun turned 37 today and as expected, galore of wishes were poured in for the actor on social media. Not just fans but celebrities also accompanied the fans in conveying special messages to their favourite actor. Interestingly, the fans of the Stylish Star had created a birthday hashtag #HappyBirthdayAlluArjun on Twitter on this special occasion. Unfortunately, it failed to rank in the list of Top 5 Biggest Birthday Trends In India. Though there were predictions that the trend will be on top due to the nationwide lockdown, it could only garner 2.4 million.

Who Is Ruling The List?

Well, for now, #HappyBirthdayPawanKalyan is on top spot. The Power Star fans had created the record on September 2, 2019 and no other actor could break the record till now. The hashtag has received over 10.5 million tweets which helped it grab the top spot in the list of Top 5 Birthday Trends in India. Pawan Kalyan had broken the record of Mahesh Babu's hashtag #HappyBirthdaySSMB on August 9, 2019, by crossing his record of 8.3 million tweets within 24 hours. Interestingly, Pawan Kalyan has grabbed the third position on the list with #HBDJanaSenaniPawanKalyan with 7.4 million tweets.

At present #HBDSuperstarMAHESH is at the fourth spot with over 4.5 million tweets. At the same time, #HappyBirthdayPRabhas is at the fifth spot with 4.2 million tweets. #HBDEminentVijay, the hashtag which commenced on Viay's birthday is now on sixth spot.

Here Is The List Of Top 5 Biggest Birthday Trends In India

#HappyBirthdayPawanKalyan: 10.51M*

#HappyBirthdaySSMB - 8.3M

#HBDJanaSenaniPawankalyan : 7.4M

#HBDSuperstarMAHESH : 4.5M

#HappyBirthdayPrabhas : 4.2M

#HBDEminentVijay - 3.03M

Pushpa First Look Out On Allu Arjun's Birthday: It's A Brand New Rough And Tough Avatar Of Bunny
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:29:56|Editor: huaxia

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AMMAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Jordan said Wednesday that it will impose a two-day full curfew over the upcoming weekend to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said in a statement that even those with permits cannot leave home during the curfew which will last from Thursday night until Saturday midnight.

The minister also voiced appreciation to China's world-renowned billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma for donating much-needed medical equipment to Jordan.

The aid package, which was offered through the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation, includes 100,000 virus detection kits, 30 BiPAP machines, 300,000 medical face masks, 50 infrared thermometer guns and 10,000 sets of protective clothing for the use of medical personnel.

Meanwhile, Jordan's Health Minister Saad Jaber said five new coronavirus cases were reported in Jordan on Wednesday, raising the tally of COVID-19 infections to 358.

The minister added that 12 patients recovered from the virus, as the total number of recoveries rose to 150.
A 15-member medical team from China ate expected to arrive the country today.

The Chinese medical team will be in the country despite opposition from many Nigerians including the Nigerian Medical Association.

The team will arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, via a chattered Air Peace aircraft.

The Chinese team comprise of experts in infectious diseases, respiratory illness, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology.

They are expected to arrive with their drugs, and equipment to carry out COVID-19 tests on the staff of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in the country.

The Executive Director, CCECC, Mr Jacques Liao, said in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, that the medical team would be coming with 16-ton test kits, ventilators, disinfection machine, disposable medical masks, drugs, infrared thermometer and other items ordered by the Federal Government.

Liao stated that the primary purpose of the team is to provide CECC employees with critical and necessary healthcare.

He added, All members of the working team have tested negative for COVID-19 and shall commence their stay in Nigeria by spending 14 days in quarantine.

Read Also: COVID-19: Chinese Doctors Will Be Quarantined On Arrival  Gbajabiamila

The primary purpose of the team is to provide CCECC employees with critical and necessary health care assistance. They are also coming with adequate personal protective equipment and medical items for the employees.

The director explained that under the directive of the Embassy of China in Nigeria and in response to the Federal Governments request, the team may also share with their Nigerian counterparts effective methods on COVID-19 containment.

Liao explained that in keeping with CCECCs corporate value, stride with Nigeria, the firm would be participating in the construction of two COVID-19 response facilities in the Federal Capital Territory for free.
The Trump administration has deported nearly 400 migrant children intercepted at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past two weeks as part of new rules aimed at immediately deporting any illegal immigrants caught crossing the border during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

Government data reviewed by Reuters found that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have removed nearly 7,000 migrants to Mexico since the new procedures took effect last month. Of those, 377 were minors.

Around 120 of the minors, who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian, were quickly sent on planes back to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, according to data from March 27 to April 2. It is unclear if the others were turned back to Mexico or sent to their respective country of origin.

Before the pandemic, unaccompanied minors caught at the border were placed in shelters run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Last year, Border Patrol agents caught roughly 76,000 unaccompanied minors. HHS said on Monday that there were roughly 2,800 children in custody, down from 3,100 five days earlier. As of last week, five children in HHS care had tested positive for coronavirus, out of 23 who had been tested overall.

Last month, the Trump administration announced that it would be immediately deporting any illegal immigrants who attempted to enter the country, citing concerns over potential coronavirus outbreaks in detention facilities.

The number of migrants attempting to cross the border has fallen dramatically after the implementation of the new border rules, according to the data seen by Reuters. CBP is currently holding 300 people in custody, compared to nearly 1,400 on March 27.

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Veteran actor Larry David has revealed that he recently started reading embattled filmmaker Woody Allen's memoir and now doubts whether he did anything wrong.

Allen's memoir Apropos of Nothing was released by Arcade Publishing weeks after the Hachette Book Group decided not to publish the book following a massive backlash.

In an interview with the New York Times, David called the memoir a fantastic" and funny book.

Yeah, it's pretty great, it's a fantastic book, so funny You feel like you're in the room with him and it's hard to walk away after reading that book thinking that this guy did anything wrong, the 72-year-old veteran said.

David had worked with Allen on his 2009 feature Whatever Works and also featured in small roles in previous Allen films:Radio Daysand theOedipus Wrecks segmentof the three-part New York Stories.

Allen has become a subject of discussion over the resurfacing of the sexual assault allegations levelled against him by his stepdaughter Dylan Farrow, which caught steam in the wake of the #MeToo uprising. He has repeatedly denied the accusations.

The filmmaker has addressed the allegations in the book, saying he never laid a finger on Dylan.

I never laid a finger on Dylan, never did anything to her that could be even misconstrued as abusing her; it was a total fabrication from start to finish, Allen wrote in the book.

I certainly didn't do anything improper to her. I was in a room full of people watching TV mid-afternoon, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A civilized society must have its bottom line, and thats why theres no time to delay uprooting racism from the earth.

In the global fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), each and every one of us should take on our responsibilities as the exacerbating pandemic has already put human civilization to the test.

With the COVID-19 sweeping across the globe, mankind has come to a critical historical moment when solidarity is the only key to the victory over the virus.

While its clear to all that concerted efforts are the premise of the victory, some people are still acting in total disregard of the future and common interests of mankind, allowing their deep-rooted racism to repeatedly inject negative energy to the global anti-pandemic efforts.

Emmanuel Lechypre, a journalist of French BFM TV made discriminatory remarks when broadcasting a mourning activity over the COVID-19 victims in Wuhan on April 4. The journalist later received wide condemnation from netizens who said the remarks were racist, not inappropriate  a word Lechypre used to excuse himself.

Although Lechypre and BFM TV have both made public apologies, the damage still exists.

The ridiculous theories raised in Western countries since the outbreak of the COVID-19 revealed the conventional thinking powered by racism.

Attempting to label the virus and the pandemic in a racist manner, they called the coronavirus a thing only for the yellow race, and claimed that the novel coronavirus only attacks the immune system of Asians.

Such insensitive comments, while fully exposing the pride, prejudice, ignorance, and conceit of them, have instigated racist acts and xenophobia, and become public hazards of the world.

Opposing geographical, national, and racist labels for virus is a consensus among the mainstream international community as well as something that the world should always abide by.

It has been reiterated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that viruses know no borders, and they dont care about peoples ethnicity, skin color or bank account.

The greatest enemy is not the virus itself but the stigma that turns us against each other, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Feb. 15 at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).

In addition, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has on many occasions called on efforts to avoid discrimination, violation of human rights and stigma on innocent people just because of their ethnicity.

However, some Western politicians and media turned a deaf ear to these appeals and trampled on the bottom line of civilization by stirring up racial conflicts time after time.

The international community must stay vigilant against, severely condemn, and firmly resist such extremely irresponsible and immoral deeds at all times.

As history lessons have shown, racist sentiments and xenophobia triggered by major infectious diseases cannot solve problems but would create bigger challenges.

Racist prejudices would only cause barriers and harm, and racist remarks would only create tension and conflicts. Previous distress shall never be repeated.

The international community must be aware that as the pandemic spreads around the world, wanton stigmatization and well-planned smear out of ulterior motives have led to a rise in bullying, discrimination, and violence against the Chinese people and even all Asians.

Such backtracking is extremely dangerous and shall never be tolerated.

In the face of the epidemic that threatens all, far-sighted personages from around the world have frequently called for solidarity and opposed discriminatory and separatist deeds, expressing insistence on goodwill and justice.

Im sure anyone would regret profiling a virus along ethnic lines. Thats not something anybody would want, said Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme at a press conference in March, stressing that the world needs joint efforts to fight the disease.

Its irresponsible to adopt calculated alternative names for the COVID-19, pointed out E. Tendayi Achiume, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Political rhetoric and policy that stokes fear and diminish the equality of all people is counterproductive, Achiume said in a media statement last month.

Alan Macfarlane, emeritus professor of Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, said that as a history scholar and anthropologist, he firmly believes that one of the best ways to get in-depth knowledge about a society and its civilization is to see its attitude towards difficulties. What he said is thought-provoking.

Major infectious disease is the enemy of all, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 26 at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders Summit via video link in Beijing, noting that This is a virus that respects no borders. The outbreak we are battling is our common enemy.

At such a moment, it is imperative for the international community to strengthen confidence, act with unity and work together in a collective response. We must comprehensively step up international cooperation and foster greater synergy so that humanity as one could win the battle against such a major infectious disease, Xi said.

The remarks of Xi at the summit have won wide support and facilitated international consensus on making joint efforts to combat the epidemic.

It must be totally understood that in this global battle against COVID-19, no one can truly stay immune from the crisis and no deed that challenges universally-acknowledged truth shall be allowed.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
The African continent is projected to have more than 10,000 Covid-19 cases by the end of April according to health officials on Thursday at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC), and the least-equipped region has an "enormous gap" in crucial ventilators and other vital items to treat patients.

The virus "is an existential threat to our continent," said ACDC chief Dr. John Nkengasong in a press conference, who pointed out that there are already 6,000 cases, very close to where Europe was after a 40-day period.

Five out of the 54 recognised countries on the continent have not reported cases, but Nkengasong said it was a matter of time before they report cases too.

Ventilators needed now

He said authorities are trying to procure ventilators, and are looking in to all avenues, including re-purposing other machines and local manufacturing.

On social media, people from manufacturing, technical or development backgrounds are putting out the call for those who have non-functioning ventilators that can be used for space parts.

A surgeon colleague has linked up with some biomedical engineers. They are looking for health facilities in Nigeria that have non-functional ventilators manufactured after 2000. The plan is to use parts from some to fix others or manufacture parts to fix them. They need help.... - Ike Anya (@ikeanya) March 31, 2020

"We've seen a lot of goodwill expressed to supporting Africa from bilateral and multilateral partners," but "we still have to see that translate into concrete action," said Nkengasong.

The World Health Organization said it was trying to find out how many ventilators are available to help patients in respiratory distress.

"What we can say without a doubt is there is an enormous gap," said WHO regional director Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

WHO official Dr. Zabulon Yoti estimated that 15 percent of all coronavirus patients will need intensive care, while a small percentage of those stricken with the virus will need to go on ventilators.

Nkengasong said that a number of African countries already desperately need supplies, in a world where even the richest countries are fighting over basic personal protection, such as masks.

"Countries like Cameroon just reached out yesterday, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, asking, 'Look, we need tents because we're running out of hospital beds already,'" he said.

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Even if the equipment is promised, the global lockdown forcing one out of five people to stay home, in addition to travel restrictions will make transport of the supplies a major challenge. Some countries have made exceptions, and international shipping bodies have put pressure on governments to allow shipping via sea to continue.

Numbers of Covid-19 cases in Africa are not entirely accurate according to health officials, as there are testing backlogs even in South Africa, the most developed country on the continent.

While some lack supplies, regional body the East African Community has provided a number of mobile testing centres, and WHO reports that 43 countries now have testing capabilities.

Other countries suffer from the widespread shortage of testing kits or swabs, though 43 countries in the WHO Africa sub-Saharan region now have testing capability, up from two in early February.

Lockdown not the best idea for African nations

Both WHO and ACDC officials said that imposing lockdowns in African countries where people live day-to-day will be a "huge challenge", especially as many children have been sent home from school due to the virus.

Rwanda was the first country to impose a lockdown, and has now extended it by two weeks. WHO Africa Director Moeti said that it is too early to tell how the lockdown in South Africa has affected the number of people catching coronavirus.

"Don't lock down the whole country," said Nkengasong. "Lock down cities or communities where there's extensive community transmission so... social harm is minimized. But if infection is spreading across the entire country, you have no choice."
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has made clear, despite all the risks associated with spreading the coronavirus, that religious institutions will remain exempt from the states stay-at-home order that also bans gatherings of 10 or more people.

But even if the governor refuses to ban gatherings at churches, synagogues, temples and mosques, he urged religious leaders Wednesday of all stripes to use alternative means to worship.

We're not going to interfere with your First Amendment rights to practice your religion, DeWine said during a televised news conference. But I don't know any religion that teaches that you should do things that endanger, seriously endanger, other people. I don't know any religion that says that it's just OK not to worry about your neighbor.

DeWine, a devout Catholic, made his statements in the midst of Holy Week for most Christians and hours before Passover begin for people of the Jewish faith.

His decision to exempt places of worship from orders has stayed consistent from the beginning, even as other governors have limited mass gatherings and included places of worship. The states first order, issued March 12, included the religious exception.

Like his statements on rallies for Democratic presidential candidates that were set to take place in Cleveland on March 10, he said he would not interfere with anybodys free-speech rights but said a large gathering was not a good idea from a public-health perspective.

The rallies were subsequently canceled.

Even with the First Amendment, some legal scholars say orders that limit mass gatherings and include churches may be able to pass muster with the court, as long as its not discriminating against a certain religion. In other words, it may not be a problem if everyone is affected.

But even if DeWine wont take steps to include places of worship in the states orders, he has still made public pleas.

When we're dealing with this virus, we know it's all about not spreading it, and when people come together in a large group, at this stage, at this stage of how far we are along in Ohio, we can almost guarantee you that in a church  even not a very large church  there will be people who would test positive, who already have it, the governor said Wednesday. They may not know it, and you're really playing with the lives of your congregation.

DeWine governor also noted that the vast majority of religious institutions are closed in Ohio, though he said he had heard stories of churches still holding services during a call he had with mayors Wednesday mornings.

A spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health said Tuesday that officials had not received any complaints about large religious gatherings, though had received one call from a church on precautions it could take should it decide to hold one.

Still, stories have trickled out nationwide about some churches continuing to hold Sunday services. Perhaps most notably, a pastor of a megachurch in Tampa, Florida was arrested March 30 and charged with defying an county stay-at-home order, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

In Ohio, the most high-profile example continues to be Solid Rock Church outside of Cincinnati, which continues to hold services and receive lots of media attention in the area for its doing so.

State Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton, who is Jewish, also implored leaders to seriously think before having worshippers gather in one place.

Acton said she and her family will observe Passover Wednesday night and participate in a virtual Seder, with friends dropping off food cooked for their feast.

Please, please, please, please do this in a way that keeps us all safe this year and I feel that we will all be closer than ever, Acton said.

Read more:

How are you celebrating Easter and Passover during the coronavirus pandemic?

Ohios latest projections for coronavirus outbreak shift dramatically to peak of 2,000 cases per day in April

MetroHealth projects coronavirus social-distancing measures have significantly lowered Ohios peak

Gov. Mike DeWine extends Ohios stay-at-home order until May 1

Mass gatherings of 100 or more are banned in Ohio because of coronavirus. So why can people still go to church?

Most mass gatherings in Ohio of 100 or more are banned due to coronavirus threat
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 11:12 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd084867 1 National anies-baswedan,Jokowi,Greater-Jakarta,COVID-19,virus-corona,social-safety-program,virus-korona-indonesia,coronavirus,social-assistance-funds,social-aid,social-affairs-ministry,Juliari-Batubara Free

The government will disburse social assistance funds and staple food packages starting late April to more than 3 million low-income families in Greater Jakarta affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara said on Tuesday that the number of beneficiaries would be around 2.5 million people in Jakarta, as well as 1.6 million in its satellite cities of Tangerang in Banten as well as Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java.

Each person will receive a staple food package worth Rp 150,000 (US$37) every week for three months starting April. We can start delivering on April 20," Juliari said.

The minister added that the staple food package disbursement was part of the social safety net programs requested by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to assist people whose incomes had been affected by the outbreak but could not return to their hometowns.

Read also: Govt to give cash aid to 4.1 million people affected by COVID-19 in Greater Jakarta

"We are aware that Ramadan is approaching. This is for people who cannot participate in the Idul Fitri mudik [exodus], while they have no income at the same time."

Juliari went on to say that the government might add more people to the list of the assistance beneficiaries following Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedans request for aid for laid-off daily workers in the capital.

We will decide the number immediately but each person will receive staple food packages worth Rp 600,000. [...] They dont have to have a Jakarta ID card, but they must be laid-off daily workers who live in Jakarta.

The minister also said the government would start disbursing staple food packages in Jakarta worth Rp 200,000 to mark the beginning of the social safety net program.

In addition to the staple food package program, the government has also prepared a monthly cash transfers (BLT) program of Rp 600,000 for each underprivileged family across the country for three months.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained

The BLT program is designated for people ineligible for the Family Hope Program and staple food packages programs.

The President has approved BLT disbursement for all families in our database. There are approximately 9 million families designated to receive the aid.

The government is confident, the minister added, that it will be able to protect the bottom 40 percent affected by the outbreak by increasing the capacity of the PKH and staple food package program.

Especially for the PKH beneficiaries, they can get cash transfers every month until December this year.
Five civilians were killed on Wednesday when their car was hit in a bomb attack in Turkey's southeast, local officials said.

The governor of Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir province said the attack was carried out in the early hours by "members of the PKK terror organisation", referring to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party.

The PKK has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

However, no organisation has admitted responsibility for the attack.

Although violence has surged since a ceasefire broke down in July 2015, the PKK usually targets security forces.

The governor's office said security forces were trying to identify and catch the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack, which took place at 0330 GMT in Kulp district.

Last year, 31 mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were removed over alleged ties to the PKK.

Among them was Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, mayor of Diyarbakir city, who was later jailed for more than nine years for membership in an armed terror group.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SPRINGFIELD  Social distancing and stay-at-home orders, instituted to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic, are in direct conflict with Illinois ballot eligibility requirements, the Libertarian and Green parties of Illinois allege in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

Both are considered new parties under state election rules, meaning a candidate running for office under those banners must receive a greater number of in-person petition signatures than those with established parties  typically, the Democrats and Republicans.

Libertarians and Greens have from March 24 until June 22 to gather enough signatures  in person with a canvasser watching  to qualify for inclusion on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

But party officials allege meeting that threshold will be practically impossible given Gov. JB Pritzkers social distancing and stay-at-home orders.

Even assuming that the governors emergency orders were lifted on May 1, 2020, (the Libertarian and Green parties) and their candidates will have lost over five weeks of petitioning time, or more than one-third of the time allotted to them to collect signatures in person by Illinois law, according to the lawsuit.

The parties are asking that Illinois signature collection mandates be waived or suspended this general election cycle so their candidates may be on the ballot, and also that the state reimburse their attorneys fees.

Pritzkers office did not respond to separate letters sent from the two parties in mid-March, nor did a spokesperson return a request for comment from Capitol News Illinois.

The Illinois State Board of Elections, in a letter, said it is unable to assist.

We appreciate the unique dilemma you present in your letter and understand that you are tasked with the difficult and unprecedented duty of balancing obligations under the Elections Code with safety concerns for candidates, circulators and petition signers alike, the elections board said in court documents. However, the State Board of Elections does not have the authority to grant you the relief you request.

It would take a court order or the General Assembly amending current law to address this concern, an elections board spokesperson said.

Rich Whitney and Bennett Morris, chairs of the Green and Libertarian parties, respectively, each said this lawsuit is a matter of upholding democracy.

Candidates running as Democrats or Republicans already have a guaranteed spot on the general election ballot. Under statute, the parties were allowed to petition in autumn and candidates were chosen in the March primary election. Those running under the banner of a new party or independent must collect petition signatures in the spring.

Its normal for us to be on the ballot  were good at it despite the obstacles that are put in place, Morris said. I think if there arent Libertarians, Greens or any independents allowed on the ballot in November, we do not have a democratic process and we do not have a legitimate election.

An established party candidate for president, for example, needs at least 3,000 signatures or more if someone challenges their validity. That same person would need 5,000 signatures to run for U.S. Senate.

Independents or those in a new party, including Libertarians and Greens, need at least 25,000 signatures for both positions. Whitney said candidates in his party often collect at least 40,000 signatures.

He added it is ridiculous that in both cases, candidates have 90 days to gather the required number.

What this means is that the minority parties  the new parties trying to break through and become established  are unfairly burdened and their campaigns are unfairly burdened. They have fewer resources because of all the time spent petitioning, Whitney said.

Illinois signature requirements were established in 1891 and were not, according to the lawsuit, substantially updated or improved  despite the availability of less burdensome alternatives enabled by modern technology

The Libertarian and Green parties point to action taken by other states as examples of what Illinois government should consider. Voters in Arizona and New Jersey can sign candidates petitions electronically and those in Denver, Colorado, and the District of Columbia can use an application called E-Sign, which validates signatures against voter rolls.

Those initiatives would be in line with executive orders issued by Pritzker, allowing public notaries to work through a two-way video, according to the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Kwame Raoul did not return a request for comment. His office would represent Pritzker and members of the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Scientists have discovered which cells of the lungs and bronchi are targets for novel coronavirus infection, findings that may aid in the development of novel drug candidates to treat COVID-19.

The study, published in The EMBO Journal, revealed that the receptor for the virus is abundantly expressed in the progenitor cells of the respiratory tract which have hair-like projections to sweep mucus and bacteria out of the lungs.

Researchers, including those from the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) in Germany, analysed samples of twelve lung cancer patients obtained from the Heidelberg Lung Biobank in Germany.

They also studied cells from the airways of healthy patients, which had been collected in a minimally invasive manner during a bronchoscopy examination performed to rule out lung cancer.

"I was convinced that the data we gathered from these non-coronavirus infected patients would provide important information for understanding the viral infection," said study co-author Roland Eils from BIH.

"We wanted to find out which specific cells the coronavirus attacks," explained Christian Conrad, who also works at the BIH.

The scientists said the virus' spike protein attaches to an ACE2 receptor on the cell surface.

In addition, they said the virus needs one or more co-factors for it to be able to penetrate cells.

Using single-cell sequencing technology, the researchers sequenced the genome of 60,000 cells.

"We then analysed a total of nearly 60,000 cells to determine whether they activated the gene for the receptor and potential co-factors, thus in principle allowing them to be infected by the coronavirus," said Soeren Lukassen, one of the lead authors of the study.

"We only found the gene transcripts for ACE2 and for the cofactor TMPRSS2 in very few cells, and only in very small numbers," Lukassen said.

The scientists discovered that certain progenitor cells in the bronchi are mainly responsible for producing the coronavirus receptors.

These progenitor cells, they said, normally develop into respiratory tract cells lined with hair-like projections called cilia that sweep mucus and bacteria out of the lungs.

"Armed with the knowledge of which cells are attacked, we can now develop targeted therapies," explained co-author Michael Kreuter from the Thorax Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany.

According to the study, the ACE2 receptor density on the cells increased with age, and was generally higher in men than in women.

"This was only a trend, but it could explain why SARS-CoV-2 has infected more men than women," Eils said.

However, the scientists said the sample sizes are too small to make conclusive statements, adding that the study needs to be repeated in larger patient cohorts.

"These results show us that the virus acts in a highly selective manner, and that it is dependent on certain human cells in order to spread and replicate," Eils explained.

"The better we understand the interaction between the virus and its host, the better we will be able to develop effective counterstrategies," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the Centre's decision to suspend the MPLAD fund for two years was "detrimental" and it should be allowed to be used for fighting the Covid-19 in respective constituencies of the Members of Parliament.

Pointing out that the Local Self Governments (LSG)s were playing a major role in fighting the pandemic and there was a requirement of funds at the local level, Vijayan said refusing the MPLAD fund at this stage was against the country's federal structure.

"This decision needs to be reconsidered. MPLAD fund should be allowed to be used for fighting the pandemic in respective constituencies. The Centre must give a direction accordingly", Vijayan told reporters here after a Covid-19 review meeting.

Various MP's including Thiruvananthapuram MP had come out against the decision on MPLAD fund, saying it should be revised and MPs should be allowed to earmark these funds for Covid-19 related expenditure to meet local needs and benefit the vulnerable.

The chief minister said while he appreciated the government's decision to cut the salaries of prime minister, ministers and the MPs to raise funds to deal with the pandemic, suspension of the MPLAD fund for two years would be "detrimental" to the development of local areas.

There are allegations that even in the backdrop of Covid-19 the financial aid given to various states were "imbalanced and discriminatory."

As far as Kerala was concerned the fund was insufficient, Vijayan said.

"In these circumstances, it was important that we use the MPLAD fund for fighting the pandemic. Certain MPs have already started utilising the funds for the state and their constituencies. But as of now, all such funds are not possible to use".

Noting that the MPLAD funds were meant for the people of the respective constituencies, he said it was not right to subsume them to the Central pool.

Be it a natural disaster or a pandemic, effective interference can be made in the local level.

In Kerala, the local self government institutions have played a major role in the disaster management works after the floods and rehabilitation, he said.
Court artist sketch shows lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 25, on a video-link at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court (Picture: AP)

A lorry driver has admitted the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Essex.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

Emergency services had been called to an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, shortly after a lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium on 23 October.

They discovered the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals inside a lorry trailer.

Among the men, women and children were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

Read more: Tributes paid to child cancer nurse, 29, who died from coronavirus

Police activity in Grays, Essex, in 2019 after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry container (Picture: PA)

In total five men who were charged following an investigation by Essex Police appeared for a virtual hearing at the Old Bailey before Mr Justice Sweeney.

Robinson denied a further charge of transferring criminal property.

He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

Robinson appeared at court via video link alongside four other co-defendants.

Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Mimosa Close in Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

Read more: Man jailed for killing partner after drunkenly throwing phone at her on night out

Candles laid out at a vigil for the 39 victims (Picture: PA)

Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road in Tilbury, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Valentin Calota, 37, of Cossington Road in Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Kennedy and Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faced.

The other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks from 5 October.

The hearing was conducted with most lawyers and court reporters attending by Skype.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly submitted his resignation Tuesday amid mounting calls for his firing both from within and from without the military.

Modly had become the focus of mounting tensions within the military and between sections of the uniformed officer corps on one side and President Trump and his civilian Pentagon leadership on the other. The divisions sharpened following Modlys summary firing last Thursday of Captain Brett Crozier, the commander of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Crozier was relieved of command, on the orders of Trump, two days after the San Francisco Chronicle published a letter he had emailed to senior Navy officers pleading for urgent measures to protect his nearly 5,000-member crew from a spreading outbreak of COVID-19 on the ship. When Crozier sent the email on March 30, more than 90 sailors had tested positive for the virus. As of yesterday morning, the number had risen to more than 230, an increase of 57 over the previous day.

It was reported Sunday that Crozier himself had tested positive for COVID-19.

In his letter, Crozier called for the immediate removal of 90 percent of the crew and their quarantine and testing onshore in Guam, where the carrier had docked after several sailors tested positive for the virus in March, following a port call in Da Nang, Vietnam. He urged that the remaining crew members be deployed to disinfect the ship before allowing the rest of the sailors back onboard.

Calling the plan approved by his immediate superiorsRear Adm. Stuart Baker, who was embarked on the ship as its strike group commander, and Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of the US Pacific Fleetinsufficient to achieve virus eradication on any timeline, 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.

Baker and Aquilino had rejected Croziers pleas for more aggressive measures out of concerns for taking the carrier out of action and jeopardizing its mission in the western Pacific.

Trump, via Modly, overruled the top uniformed officersAdmiral Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, and General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffwho favored initiating a formal investigation before taking any action against Crozier. Modly told a colleague, Breaking news: Trump wants him fired.

Announcing the move last Thursday, Modly accused Crozier of violating military discipline and going outside the chain of command. He alluded to the real motives behind the firing when he said our adversaries need to know that the big stick [the nickname for the USS Theodore Roosevelt] is undaunted and unstoppable They respect and fear the big stick and they should.

He also alluded to the White Houses political motives when he complained that Croziers letter created the perception that the Navys not on the job, and the governments not doing its job.

The next day, a video went viral on the internet showing hundreds of sailors cheering Crozier as he left the ship and chanting his name.

Trump defended Croziers firing and angrily denounced the captain at his coronavirus press briefing on Sunday, calling his letter terrible. He even sought to shift blame for the infection on the carrier to Crozier, suggesting that he was derelict in allowing the port call and shore leave in Da Nang.

In fact, that decision was made much higher up in the military command and the civilian military-security apparatus. Such port calls in Asian countries are considered essential in lining up nations in the region behind Washingtons preparations for war against China.

A number of top retired military officers, including the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Adm. Mike Mullen, publicly denounced the firing of Crozier. But the public rebukes mushroomed into a chorus of calls by retired military officers and Democratic politicians for Modlys resignation after the acting Navy secretary made an unannounced visit to the USS Roosevelt on Monday.

In a 15-minute, profanity-laced tirade, Modly accused Crozier of carrying out a betrayal and chastised the crew for cheering him as he left the ship. He said the captain was either too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this, or he intended his letter to be leaked and published in the press, a serious violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

He also attacked the media, singled out Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for criticism, blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, and made warmongering references to the big stick knocking down the Chinese or the North Koreans or the Russians.

Like his boss Trump, he did not evince the slightest sympathy for the crew members who had contracted the disease of the threat of disease and death facing the rest of the crew.

He made his rant via the ships loudspeaker without showing his face to the crew or interacting in any way with the sailors. He ignored questions that had been submitted by crew members and left the ship 30 minutes after having arrived.

His speech was punctuated by angry shouts from the crew, including, What the f**k and He [Crozier] was trying to help us. When Modly said that the sailors had been demoralized by Croziers actions, one crew member shouted, No, they werent!

One sailor texted a family member, All of our jaws are on the floor right now. He just made the PR situation a billion times worse. Another wrote: If anything, he deserves a promotion. Thats the type of leadership they lack, but the type they need. When higher-ups go against the grain, it shows they actually care about the sailors theyre in charge of.

Modlys speech was taped by one or more of the sailors and leaked to the press. This prompted a warning from the Navy to the ships officers ordering them to crack down on social media posts by sailors.

On Monday, Modly initially defended his speech, but by the end of the day he had issued a supposed apology to Crozier, saying he did not believe him to be naive or stupid. He then proceeded to repeat his allegation that Crozier sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain

At the Monday evening coronavirus press briefing, Trump once again defended his criticism of Crozier, but he shifted his tone toward the fired captain, saying he had up to now had an exemplary record. Trump promised to look into his case.

In the meantime, calls for Modlys firing had proliferated from within the military as well as from the press and Congress. Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey tweeted: ACTING SEC NAVY MUST RESIGN. This is the worse judgment by a defense official possible. Terrible signal to sailors.

Modlys appointment last November was itself the result of an intervention by Trump into the uniformed military that angered much of the military brass. Trump appointed Modly, a former highly paid consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, after firing Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.

The latter had clashed with Trump over his reversal of the Navys decision to demote Navy Seals Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who had been accused by his own men of committing war crimes, including murder, in Iraq. Trump overrode an order backed by Spencer to expel Gallagher from the Navy Seals.

Joining the demand for Modlys firing were Rep. Adam Smith, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Elaine Luria, a former Navy officer and Democratic member of the committee, Senator Richard Blumenthal and other Democrats. Newsweek reported Monday that over 250,000 people had signed a Change.org petition urging the US Navy to reinstate Crozier, who was removed last Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal, which supported the firing of Crozier, laid out the imperialist geopolitical interests that far outweigh concern for the health and lives of rank-and-file soldiers and sailors, Trumps cynical declarations of love for the troops notwithstanding. It wrote on Monday:

"For a time, Navy officials discussed aborting the visit as signs pointed to an impending pandemic, said officials familiar with the discussion. But the carriers marquee port call had been months in the planning, and both US officials and Vietnamese officials wanted it to take place, the officials said.

"The visit was part of broader US national security considerations. To counter growing Chinese influence in the region, officials have pointed to the importance of ties with Vietnam, particularly after the Philippines pushed earlier this year to curtail ties with the US military. Neighboring Cambodia has been tightening ties with China. The Roosevelts arrival in Da Nang would be a potent display of US commitment."

The bipartisan unity of Democrats and Republicans on these overriding concerns was indicated by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat from Illinois and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who was quoted by the Journal as saying, Docking in Vietnam was a strategic priority."

In a remarkable article posted Tuesday, the New York Times set forth the concerns within the ruling class over the escalating tensions between the uniformed military and the Trump administration. It wrote that Modlys speech to the Roosevelt crew deepened the raw us-versus-them atmosphere that has already engulfed the carrier. It also exposed the schism between a commander in chief with little regard for the militarys chain of command and the uniformed Navy that is sworn to follow him.

The article spoke of the demoralization of young men and women who promise to protect the country, and a growing rift between senior uniformed commanders and their civilian bosses.

It quoted former Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen as directly and bluntly accusing Trump of seeking to undermine the authority of the uniformed military command.

I am appalled at the content of his [Modlys] address to the crew, Mullen told the Times. He added that Modly had become a vehicle for the president. He basically has completely undermined, throughout the TR [Theodore Roosevelt] situation, the uniformed leadership of the Navy and the military leadership in general.

Meanwhile, the pandemic is taking an increasingly severe physical and operational toll on the military. As of Tuesday, 1,521 service members had tested positive. One had died, a 57-year-old New Jersey Army National Guardsman.

The Navy has been the hardest hit branch, with 460 diagnoses as of Tuesday. The Army has 361 cases, the Air Force 322 and the Marine Corps 78. The National Guard Bureau reports that 314 soldiers and airmen have been diagnosed.

The Army announced Monday that it is halting all shipments of recruits to basic training for two weeks.


Some nursing homes across Pennsylvania are becoming apparent hot zones for outbreaks of the coronavirus as more and more residents and staff members test positive.

And in at least one instance in western Pennsylvania, nursing home officials say they have stopped counting positive cases and are instead assuming that all of their residents and staff members have been exposed.

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities remain a significant concern to us with their vulnerable populations of seniors, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in her daily press briefing Tuesday. Were watching the nursing-home situation very carefully.

As of Tuesday, 674 total cases of the coronavirus have been detected in long-term care and personal care facilities, which includes nursing homes, Department of Health officials say.

While the breakdown of how many nursing homes have had at least one positive case was not immediately available on Tuesday, past statistics indicate the number is growing.

Just over a week ago on March 29, Levine said 36 nursing homes in the state  about five percent of them -- reported at least one positive case for a total of 64 cases, making up less than 0.1 percent of the states nursing-home population.

Two days later, Department of Health officials told LancasterOnline the number of nursing homes reporting at least one case of the coronavirus increased to 67 out of the states 695 nursing homes with 132 positive cases.

The Mennonite Home Communities in Lancaster are reporting the deaths of six residents from the coronavirus.

While there have been no positive cases in the last few days, between March 26 and Saturday, Mennonite Home reported 18 residents and nine staff members testing positive. Additionally, three residents at Woodcrest Villa, their residential living facility, and two staff members tested positive.

Nearby, the Brethren Village in Lititz reported Monday that two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

This came after their first case was reported in the morning on Wednesday when a non-caregiving administrator tested positive, then in the afternoon, a resident was announced as having tested positive.

On Saturday, Brethren Village said that three others living in the same unit as the resident who had tested positive were tested, and two of those tests came back positive, including one resident who died.

The staff members who were reported as testing positive Monday had been in contact with some of those earlier positive cases.

Officials at the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County say they are now presuming all patients and staff members have been exposed, CBS News is reporting.

With at least 42 patients and three deaths reported last week, the facility is moving away from counting test results, reports indicate.

Levine said in Tuesdays press conference that in some cases like this, where there is a significant outbreak at a facility, patients who develop mild symptoms are now assumed to be positive and are treated, but not tested. Those who develop more severe symptoms, though, are still sent to the hospital for evaluation.

The idea of probable cases is something were still working on, she said.

In Philadelphia, where most of the states cases have been reported, nursing homes have already pivoted from trying to keep the coronavirus out to working like crazy to keep it from spreading, The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting.

In the heavily hit Lehigh Valley, nearly 50 residents and employees have tested positive for the coronavirus at Genesis Healthcare Lehigh Center as of Monday, The Morning Call in Allentown is reporting.

That breaks down to 27 residents and 22 employees. There have been two resident deaths.

The state is taking measures to help nursing homes, Levine pointed out.

On Monday, the state Department of Health announced it signed a contract with ECRI, an independent, nonprofit health services research organization in suburban Philadelphia to help with the statewide response, particularly in long-term care facilities.

Its imperative that the state do all that we can to protect all Pennsylvanians, but especially those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and so the Department of Health made the right decision to enlist experts in the field of infection control to help protect those in the states long-term care facilities, Governor Tom Wolf said in a press release Monday.

ECRI will provide individualized infection control and prevention assistance to long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania. Staffers will be available over the phone for 12 hours a day on weekdays and will coordinate with the Department Operations Center, currently providing support to those working in coronavirus response.

The department of health also put out new guidance Monday to medical personnel, including those who work in long-term care facilities. Among those guidelines, patients are being asked to develop a list of people they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before symptoms developed. They are also being asked to isolate immediately and not wait for test results to come in.

Nursing homes staff who are caring for COVID-19 patients need personal protective equipment, and Levine said the state is still able to supply the nursing homes needs.

As of Tuesday, Pennsylvania had 14,559 reported cases with 240 deaths.

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Small business owners impacted by coronavirus have told me they're having a tough time applying for the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal loan program designed to help them.

Fortunately, there are organizations that can help: Small Business Development Centers.

Most days at 3 p.m., the Orange County Inland Empire Network and the Los Angeles Network of the Small Business Development Center spend an hour answering questions from business owners about how to get a loan under the federal Paycheck Protection Program and other government assistance.

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On Tuesday, April 7, I listened in. Here's what I heard

(Note: Things are changing fast, so if you want the latest information on getting aid, considering signing up for one of the webinars):

Q: What is the difference between the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?

A: EIDL is a loan that covers six months of operational expenses and is administered by the Small Business Administration. Up to $10,000 may be forgivable.

PPP is a loan that covers two months of payroll and is administered by banks. If you use 75% of the loan on payroll, it is forgivable.

Q: I applied for an EIDL and haven't heard back. What's up?

A: If you applied before March 30, apply again so you can get the additional $10,000 forgivable loan. Otherwise, it can take 2 to 3 weeks to get your money.

Q: How can I find a list of banks that will lend me money under PPP?

A: Try your bank first. You can also find a lender here.

Q: Wells Fargo isn't accepting new PPP applications. Is there a list of banks that will work with non-customers?

A: There's no official list. But Fortune Magazine made one.

Q: I'm an independent contractor/sole-proprietor. Can I apply for PPP?

A: Yes, beginning April 10. You can also apply for unemployment, although California may not be processing unemployment applications for independent contractors yet.

Q: When I calculate payroll for EIDL or PPP, can I include independent contractors?

A: No. You only include employees on your payroll.

Q: Will the PPP still be forgiven if I need to hire new employees?

A: Yes. As long as you spend 75% of your PPP loan on payroll it will be forgiven.

Q: I already laid off some people. Do I have to rehire all of them under the PPP?

A: No. You don't have to re-hire the same number of employees, or even the same people. You just have to use 75% of your PPP loan on payroll for it to be forgiven.

Q: How do you prove that you used your PPP loan for payroll?

A: We don't know. But there may be an audit down the line.

Q: I have cash employees. Can I count them on my payroll when I apply for PPP?

A: Only if they are reporting their income to the IRS.

Q: Do owner's draws count towards payroll under the PPP?

A: It's unclear. There have been mixed messages from SBA.

Q: I just started my business in 2020. Can I apply for PPP?

A: Yes!

Q: I'm not a citizen or a permanent resident. Can I apply for PPP?

A: Yes, as long as you have an ITIN. (Note: KPCC/LAist spoke with one lender who is advising undocumented business-owners not to apply for PPP because of questions five and six on the application form, which ask about criminal history.)

Q: Has anyone gotten their PPP loans yet?

A: As of Tuesday, April 8, the SBDC representatives on the call said they were not aware of anyone receiving money yet.

Q: How can I listen to one of these webinars in the future?

A: Sign up here.
The Vietnamese side has presented medical supplies including face masks, protective gear and hand sanitiser, worth over VND3 billion (US$128,800) in total, to the Lao side.

Following a handing-over ceremony at Cau Treo Border Gate in Vietnams central province of Ha Tinh on April 7, Vietnamese experts travelled to the Lao capital, Vientiane, and held working sessions with the countrys national and government steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control.

Under the instruction of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Defense Minster Ngo Xuan Lich, military zones and units of the Ministry of National Defense stand ready to dispatch experts to Laos as necessary.
Air New Zealand is appointing two outstanding business leaders to its Board of Directors.

Former global Chief Executive Officer of Avis Budget Group Inc Larry De Shon and former Freightways Manager Director Dean Bracewell will join the Board from 20 April 2020. The appointments are to fill the vacancy left by Sir John Key, who retired as a Director last month, and as part of succession planning for when Deputy Chairman Jan Dawson steps down at the Annual Shareholders Meeting in September after nine years as a Director.

Larry will bring outstanding international business, transport and aviation experience to the Board. He was responsible for 11 brands and over US$9 billion in revenue when he retired from Avis Budget Group last year and had a distinguished 28-year career with United Airlines where his Executive responsibilities included Airport Operations, Marketing and On-Board Service, says Chairman Dame Therese Walsh.

Larry is well familiar with New Zealand from his time leading Avis Budget Group globally and has a keen sense of the opportunities ahead for Air New Zealand both domestically and internationally. His deep experience in growing a global business in the wake of the GFC is also timely given the phase Air New Zealand will go through rebuilding post Covid-19, she says.

Mr De Shon says it is a privilege to be appointed as a Director of Air New Zealand.

The airline is deservedly considered one of the best in the world and has been for many years. Its service ethos, commitment to sustainability, innovative approach to product development and operational excellence are the envy of not just airlines but many companies around the world. I am delighted to play a role in helping support the Board, Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran and all Air New Zealanders to grow this great airline, Mr De Shon says.

Dame Therese says Mr Bracewells deep transport and logistics experience will be of immense value to the Board.

Dean is one of New Zealands most highly regarded business leaders and intimately understands what it takes for a company to succeed in a tough and competitive environment. As we seek to rebuild Air New Zealand after the impact of Covid-19, he brings commercial and leadership skills that will further strengthen the Board, she says.

Mr Bracewell is currently a Director of Tainui Group Holdings, Property for Industry Limited and the Halberg Foundation. He is also a member of the Governments Future of Rail Steering Group.

Mr Bracewell, who is of Ngati Maniapoto and Ngai Te Rangi descent, says he is thrilled to be given the opportunity to play a role in supporting Air New Zealands future success.

Source: Air New Zealand Ltd

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BRUSSELS  Fruit trees are blooming, and growers of peaches and other seasonal delicacies hope COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted in time for them to have mid-summer buyers for the ripe fruit.

The crop is looking good so far, the peaches are blooming here right now, Toppmeyers Orchard owner Alan Toppmeyer said. They are really pretty pink flowers, and the apple trees are just getting their leaves.

Toppmeyers 5 acres near the Calhoun County community of Brussels includes some early June peaches and September-ripening apples.

It should be a good year as long as we can get rid of them with this COVID deal going on, Toppmeyer said. As long as our farmers markets stay open, and our grocery stores, or wherever we can get rid of them.

Just down the road in Golden Eagle, Jacobs Orchard owner Roy Jacobs also has his eye on the COVID-19 restrictions and what it might mean for his business.

Ive been thinking about it quite a bit here, Jacobs said. I think we are going to be OK. But it kind of depends on how long this thing lasts.

It would be a pity if the restrictions cut into this years fruit sales, because Jacobs is expecting a bumper crop from his peach and plum trees, which are now in full bloom.

It will probably be one of the biggest crops weve had in 10 years, Jacobs said. You dont have peaches until youve got em. I think it was in 2007 we had an Easter freeze that pretty much wiped the whole peach crop out. But its looking good so far.

Calhoun peaches  those raised in the county surrounded by the Illinois and Mississippi rivers  are seasonally sought after by fresh fruit aficionados, and for good reason.

Weve had people stop in from Georgia, the Peach State, and I give them a nice tree-ripe Calhoun peach to try, Jacobs said. And you know how the Southerners talk, they say, I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I aint never tasted a peach like this! I dont know if it has to do with our rivers or the soil, but I cant argue with the taste.

Dennis Ringhausen has peaches, plums, blackberries and nectarines at Ringhausen Orchards in Jerseyville and Fieldon.

Right now some plums and early peaches are blooming. I really dont anticipate any problems unless things get really cold, Ringhausen said. It wasnt that bad of a winter. It never got super cold but it got them dormant, which is what you want.

Ringhausen said the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 has him concerned about the sales of his peaches, which ripen in July, and blackberries that will be ready near August.

Who knows how this virus is going to affect things, Ringhausen said.

Kruegers Orchard in Godfrey sells most of its produce at farmers markets.

We do four farmers markets a week. But if those are cut back because of COVID, customers will probably come out here to get their fruit, orchard owner Paul Krueger said. But we might raise all of this stuff and then wont be able to get rid of it.

I have a couple of acres of peaches, and they look real good, Krueger said. They are in full bloom right now, and it looks like a full crop.

Krueger added that his 30 tart cherry trees are getting ready to bloom  but its harder to predict how much those trees will yield until the fruit starts to form.
Kildare Chamber has called on the business community in Kildare to pay their suppliers promptly.

In the midst of the crisis that we all find ourselves in, the need for business to pay their suppliers on time is needed more than ever, said Allan Shine, CEO of the Chamber.

A survey published by the Chamber last week in conjunction with Chambers Ireland showed that 94% of businesses say their revenue will decline over the coming three months, and that cashflow, revenue, and staffing are the critical issues for businesses.

We all know how important cash flow certainty is for companies and, in particular, for SMEs. It can mean the difference between solvency and bankruptcy.

"Few things can threaten the survival of a small business more than late payment. It can affect its ability to pay bills, salaries and other operating expenses. We have received over 30 calls from businesses in the past 2 weeks stating that customers are reneging on invoice payments, ignoring calls and emails. This is causing both huge stress on companies, and on the mental health of many of our business owners.

!I know from experience that speeding up payments is absolutely not beyond the realms of possibility. If payments are already progressing through payment systems, it is possible to change the date. Wed like to see large firms act on this message, and pay small suppliers now. Our call for prompt payment of suppliers is essential for businesses to survive, and to keep cashflow fluid within the local economy.
Africa and the World in the face of COVID-19 : The Perspective of an African (By Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal)

Africa and the World in the face of COVID-19 :

The Perspective of an African

(By Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal )





With an estimated population of 1.3 billion, Africa is affected by COVID-19 at a time when several of its countries, despite the challenges of underdevelopment, are on a path to emergence, while others continue to grapple with terrorism. COVID-19 is thus eroding the momentum of some, aggravating the situation of others and undermining the efforts of each and everyone. In addition, it will put a strain on already vulnerable national public health systems.





At the national level, many countries have already adopted contingency plans to contain the spread of the virus.





However, the level of unpreparedness due to the sudden onset of the pandemic, its rapid evolution, and the enormous needs to be addressed, is a clear indication that national measures remain inadequate.





Added to this are challenges of importing the equipment, medical products and pharmaceuticals needed to combat COVID-19, in a context of high demand and disruption of air traffic.





If we are to win the fight against COVID-19, however, it will be necessary to maintain response capacities, including:

Having adequate supplies of medical and protective equipment and materials: test kits, masks, personal protective equipment;

Setting up and equipping quarantine and treatment centres for patients;

Ensuring early detection of COVID-19 cases at referral sites;

Ensuring rapid quarantine and management of suspected and confirmed of COVID-19 cases;

Strengthening infection prevention and control measures;

Ensuring proper coordination of interventions.





Despite the efforts spent so far, African countries are yet to reach the standards recommended by the World Health Organization in terms of health facilities and qualified personnel, which are still very unevenly distributed, to the disadvantage of rural areas.





In general terms, Africa's needs in the health sector are as follows :

Construction, rehabilitation and equipment of basic and referral health facilities;

Acquisition of heavy equipment and rolling stock: oxygen generators, scanners, angiography devices, medical ambulances among others;

Training of human resources in sufficient quality and quantity;

Optimal use of ICTs in the medical field (telemedicine and other applications);

Pooling national expertise within and between countries ;

Establishment of regional platforms to facilitate the deployment of emergency operations, as in the case of the Dakar platform which served as an air and logistics base during the Ebola crisis that hit some West African countries.

Support to universal health coverage initiatives.





Returning to COVID-19, it should be remembered that we are confronted with a pandemic, i.e. a worldwide epidemic. Efforts made so far in the four corners of the world have not yet revealed all the secrets of this great unknown, which has exposed the limits of all national systems, even the most sophisticated ones. All countries, taken by surprise and overwhelmed, found themselves in a kind of rescue that can situation, revealing the shortcomings of each other on a daily basis.





The first lesson to be learned from this major crisis, where the infinitely small shakes the whole world, is that in the face of cross-border threats, big or small, rich or poor, we are all vulnerable.





The second lesson is that COVID-19 reminds the world of its own contradictions. We are indeed living in an era of paradoxes. The earth is certainly round, but something, somewhere, is not right. Mankind is constantly making progress in all directions, pushing back the limits of science and technology every day, including the conquest of space. Meanwhile, on earth, there is a shortage of masks, test kits, personal protective equipment, beds, ventilators; so many products, materials and equipment which are crucial for the treatment of patients and protection of health workers, true heroes engaged in a risky and potentially fatal struggle against an enemy invisible to the naked eye. It is therefore time to come back down to earth!





And thirdly, without being exhaustive, the COVID-19 pandemic, just like the threats to the environment and the scourge of terrorism, confirms the objective limits of the nation-state in responding to cross-border threats.





Let us come down to earth and return to the wisdom of the elders, as invited by our compatriot Cheikh Hamidou Kane, who, in his best-selling novel L'Aventure Ambigue, published 59 years ago, delievered this premonitory message: "We did not have the same past ... but we will have the same future, strictly speaking ... the time of singular destinies is over ... no one can live on self-preservation alone . (LAventure Ambigue, page 92).





This means that any nation-state, whatever its power and means, can no longer be self-sufficient. In the face of global challenges, we all need one another, especially when our common vulnerabilities are added to our individual frailties.





So the time has come to learn from our mistakes and our limitations, to redefine the order of priorities, to give full meaning to the real economy, by investing more in agriculture, sustainable energy, infrastructure, health, education and training, in order to achieve a development that cares for the well-being of the whole humanity.





The time has come to work together so as to bring about a world order that puts human beings and humanity at the centre of international relations.





The time has come to consider public health issues on an equal footing with peace, security, the environment and the fight against terrorism, and other cross-border crimes.





The new world order that I am calling for requires mutual trust and a sincere willingness to cooperate on issues of common interest and shared values, while respecting our differences and diversities.





Above all, it demands a new mind-set that recognizes that all cultures, all civilizations, are of equal dignity; and that there can be no superior civilizational centre that dictates to others how to behave and how to act. As a wise old African saying has it:  the rainbow owes its beauty to the varied shades of its colours .





With respect to global public health issues, this new world order will have to exclude all forms of discrimination, stigmatization and prejudice, especially towards our continent.





Africa, as the cradle of humanity and a land of old civilization, is not a no-man's land. Nor can it offer itself as a land of guinea pigs. Out are also the doom scenarios that try to draw an apocalyptic future for the continent. This continent has undergone far more perilous and crueller trials. It has remained resilient and is standing stronger than ever!





What is important today is rather to learn the lessons of the crisis and to pool our resources and our intelligence in order to confront, in the same spirit of human solidarity, our common enemy: a silent killer which scoffs at borders, ideologies and differences between developed and developing countries.





Though lagging in development, Africa abounds in quality human resources, including eminent experts, practitioners and competent researchers, who contribute daily to the progress of medicine.





With the establishment of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which works in conjunction with relevant national agencies and qualified laboratories such as Institut Pasteur in Dakar, whose origins date back to 1896, the continent has a qualified scientific network connected to the global alert and management mechanism for international health crises.





The leadership of the World Health Organization is also to be commended. It would be more effective in fulfilling its mission with a increased mobilization of resources in its favour, better support for its Global Alert and Response System, and greater support for national public health systems.





At the economical level, the crippling effects of COVID-19 are already having a significant impact on the global economy. Africa, a major exporter of raw materials and importer of finished and semi-finished products, has not been not spared.





The developed countries most affected to date by the pandemic purchase 51% of the continent's exports. European Union member countries alone absorb nearly 40% of Africa's exports.





The drop in African exports to these countries would affect mainly hydrocarbons (oil and gas), copper and agricultural products.





Regarding imports, in addition to finished and semi-finished manufactured goods, Africa also imports consumer products such as wheat, sugar, rice, cooking oil, milk, etc.





Any shortage or price increase in such products would therefore affect the continent.





Lockdown measures adopted due to COVID-19 with the closing of air, land and sea borders, will greatly impact the transport and tourism sectors. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has estimated these losses at US$56 billion.





Similarly, migrant remittances are declining sharply.





This means that while the impact of the crisis is global, the weakest economies are the hardest hit. In addition to the enormous investment needs for development, we will have to bear the shock of COVID-19, while some African countries will continue to face an added relentless fight against terrorism.





Ultimately, according to UNECAs initial estimates, the continent could lose no less than 1.4% of its GDP growth, i.e. US$29 billion, declining from 3.2% to about 1.8%. According to our own estimates, Senegal's GDP will fall from 6.8% to less than 3%.





Throughout the world, every country, depending to its capacities, is taking measures aimed at supporting its economy. Various instruments and mechanisms have been used, in this regard. For example, the European Union has suspended the rule of budgetary discipline according to which the annual deficit should not exceed 3% of GDP.





African countries have also been active in the face of the crisis. Thus, Senegal has adopted an Economic and Social Resilience Programme (PRES), with a total cost of CFAF 1 trillion, or about US$2 billion, with a view to combating the pandemic, as well as supporting households, businesses and the Diaspora.





We have set up a Response Fund against the Effects of COVID-19, FORCE-COVID-19, financed by the State and voluntary donations, to cover expenses related to the implementation of the PRES.





Exceptional situations call for exceptional measures. The primary responsibility for dealing with the crisis lies with us. We assume it fully.





It is equally fair and legitimate that our domestic efforts be supported in the global context of responding to the crisis. Africa must not be left behind in a global fight against a global peril. That is the whole thrust of my call for the cancellation of Africa's public debt and the restructuring of its private debt based on mechanisms to be agreed upon.





Finally, I welcome the common African position adopted at the end of the teleconference meeting of the AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government extended to Ethiopia, Senegal and Rwanda, on 3 April 2020.





Together, let's stay united and mobilized, upright and combative in the face of COVID-19!

Macky Sall,

President of the Republic of Senegal
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:31:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Chen Jian, Zhang Jianhua, Nguon Sovan

HONG KONG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian medical student Sok Sambo volunteered to work as an interpreter for the Chinese COVID-19 medical team in Cambodia without hesitation, though he knew the job had high risks.

The seven-member team of Chinese doctors, along with tons of medical supplies, arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, in late March to help combat the bruising pandemic, as the Southeast Asian kingdom has reported more than 80 confirmed cases by then.

The long-awaited arrival of the Chinese medical team has proved a booster for Cambodia's endeavours to fight the COVID-19.

"When the Chinese experts met with Cambodian health officials, they always share with them their experience in preventing and containing the virus spread, and in treating the patients," Sambo told Xinhua. "I believe that with their assistance, Cambodia will be able to contain the virus soon and treat patients more effectively."

TIGHT SCHEDULE

Since their arrival, the Chinese experts had been visiting designated hospitals, communities and testing agencies to carry out epidemiological investigations and review the diagnosis and treatment process of the hospitals.

"Starting from the entrance to the hospital, we have gone through the entire treatment process twice, including admission to hospital, triage and sample testing," said Ai Xiang, leader of Chinese medical team in Cambodia.

The medical experts also went to the Cambodian Ministry of Health to discuss the prevention and treatment system of COVID-19 with local officials and health workers.

"We need to have an idea of the epidemic situation in Cambodia as soon as possible. We talk to the Cambodian medical staff on the spot, finding problems and discussing solutions," said Ai.

Sambo, a medical student at the Guangxi Medical University in Nanning, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was busy working together with the Chinese experts.

However, the 32-year-old man deemed the volunteering job as a very good opportunity to learn experiences from the Chinese doctors.

"They worked very hard, visiting various places and meeting people at daytime and writing reports at nighttime," he said. "They are role models for other doctors, and when I graduate I'll try my best to serve my people."

"I know it's a risky job because I have to accompany them to designated hospitals for COVID-19 patients, and visit patients, communities and people who had close contact with patients," he said. "But this is my meager contribution to help my motherland fight against the virus."

HELPING HAND

Less than five days after Laos detected the first cases and asked for assistance from China, a team of Chinese medical experts flew to the Lao capital of Vientiane.

When welcoming the Chinese team at the airport, Somdy Douangdy, Lao deputy prime minister and chair of the Task Force Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said China's gesture reflects the profound friendship from the Chinese side to the Lao people.

Along with the team that brought Chinese experiences and solutions to Laos' epidemic prevention and control, as Somdy said, also came medical supplies, including testing kits, protective clothing, face masks, and medicines donated by southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Soon after arriving in Vientiane, the Chinese team started investigating epidemic situation and local medical conditions, and joined hands with the Lao side to draw up an anti-epidemic roadmap for the country.

"We will join the Lao side to perfect its epidemic prevention and control system, and draw up a diagnosis and treatment guideline that suits the Lao situation. In short, we are together to formulate a roadmap for the fight against COVID-19 in Laos," Huang Xingli, head of the Chinese medical expert team to Laos, told Xinhua.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed," Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said, adding that China would not forget in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Laos's donation of money and anti-epidemic materials and the fact that Laos also hosted the China-ASEAN Special Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease in February.

In Pakistan, an eight-member Chinese medical team was also racing against time to help the "iron brother" to contain the killer virus.

Ma Minghui, head of the Chinese expert team there, and his colleagues shared their experiences on the disease diagnosis, quarantine and treatment to the critically ill patients.

"I would like to thank the Chinese people, and the Chinese government ... for going out of the way to support Pakistan and our effort to fight the COVID-19," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said when greeting the Chinese medical team at the airport in Islamabad on March 28.

On April 5, a 12-member Chinese medical contingent arrived in Manila along with 12 tons of medical supplies to the Philippines, which has detected over 3,700 COVID-19 cases with some 177 deaths.

"We'd like to see how China did contact-tracing and surveillance, that's very important," Philippine Health Assistant Secretary Kenneth Ronquillo noted.

Ronquillo added that the Philippines wanted to learn the "good practices and best practices" that China implemented to isolate and contain COVID-19 patients, including the proper way of doing things like personal hygiene, and experiences like putting up the personal protective equipment.

COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE

The novel coronavirus has posed a common challenge to all humanity and only by joining hands can the international community prevail over it.

More than 1.27 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported as of Tuesday, including more than 72,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The disturbing data underlines the urgency of international collaboration to jointly fight COVID-19 as the "cruel" virus knows neither borders nor races.

"We are in a shared struggle to protect both lives and livelihoods," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.

Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China is enhancing international cooperation in a comprehensive fashion.

At a virtual meeting of the Group of 20 on March 26, China laid out a set of proposals on pooling global efforts against the "unprecedented" pandemic and stabilizing the world economy, in an effort to address the public health emergency and ensuing economic fallout together with other countries in the world.

In addition, China have been keeping its words with active actions.

Besides Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan and the Philippines, the Chinese government also dispatched medical expert teams to Italy, Serbia, Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, and offered medical supplies and donations to a number of virus-stricken countries.

The medical experts sent by China overseas are highly valued and welcomed for helping the countries fight the ravaging pandemic.

"We are very confident in Chinese experts' skills and experience. The World Health Organization also highly values and cherishes China's resources and experience. As a public health professional, I think what China has done is of great significance to Cambodia," said Li Ailan, WHO representative to Cambodia.

After learning that the Chinese medical team is from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Cambodian netizens created a video clip dedicated to the Chinese doctors by using the melody of a famous folk song from Liu Sanjie, a classic Chinese movie in the 1960s.

"Thank you! Thank you so much my beloved Chinese relatives. Even if there is no good food for you, I want to dedicate a song from your hometown to you, my beloved Chinese relatives!" read the video clip with Cambodian lyrics.

Noting that China was giving Pakistan preference in provision of medical equipment as it started controlling the outbreak, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said, "China gave priority to Pakistan and the whole equipment coming to Pakistan is from China."

(Reporters Dan Ran in Hong Kong, Mao Pengfei in Phnom Penh, Liu Tian in Islamabad and Yang Ke in Manila also contributed to the report.)
A photo of Philadelphia-born record producer Hal Willner, who died in Tuesday in New York. It was taken by his late friend Lou Reed. Read more

Hal Willner, 64, a wildly creative, Philadelphia-born record producer known for high-concept all-star tribute albums and a longtime music director of Saturday Night Live, died Tuesday, April 7, at his home in New York City. His representative confirmed that Mr. Willners symptoms had been consistent with COVID-19, though he had not been diagnosed.

On March 28, Mr. Willner had posted a map of the United States on Twitter that showed the concentration of the virus in New York. He commented: I always wanted to have a number one  but not this, adding that he was in bed on upper west side.

The composer Philip Glass said, Hal was the spirit and model of a new kind of world between artists and the public. I participated and attended many of his productions, and he was one of a kind. Its hard to imagine how things are going to go forward without him.

David Dye of WXPN-FM (88.5) wrote on Twitter: Im going to call him the most independent thinker in music. This is a loss that brings personal pain.

Mr. Willner grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, close by where his father, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor, owned Hymies Deli in Merion.

I was a music fan from the day I was born, he said in 2006. When I was 8, I actually saw the Beatles at Convention Hall. When I was 12, my mother took me to see the Cream at the Electric Factory, then at 22nd and Arch Streets.

Before leaving to attend New York University in 1974, he got his schooling at WDAS, the Philadelphia radio station then in its FM free-form heyday.

You had [old-time rock-and-roll DJ] Hy Lit in the morning, he said, "and Michael Tearson playing Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Dr. John. Then there was the Gene Shay folk show, and theyd play the Firesign Theater and old Orson Welles radio shows at night. I never loved a radio station like that again. "

In the liner notes for Rogues Gallery, a 2006 collection of sea chanteys featuring Bono, Lucinda Williams, and Nick Cave, Mr. Willner recalled Shays playing a song called Blood Red Roses, which he said sounded like a bunch of mental patients. He convinced Sting to cover it on the album.

After he graduated from NYU, he got a job as assistant to Joel Dorn, the Philadelphia-born WDAS alum and legendary record producer. As a result, he said, I got to meet John Hammond and Nesuhi Ertegun and Tom Dowd  these great producers who werent musicians, but framed the artists and their careers.

He went into the production business himself with his Amarcord Nina Rota project that matched the Italian composer with jazz artists Wynton and Branford Marsalis as well as Debbie Harry of Blondie. His goal then and always was to make records that I want to hear.

He continued to do so throughout his career, while also scoring the live broadcasts of SNL starting in 1980. Mr. Willner produced albums by Marianne Faithful and his close friend Lou Reed. He brought imaginative projects to life, like the 1988 Disney song collection Stay Awake! that featured Sun Ra, Los Lobos, and the Replacements, or the 2016 Williams Burroughs tribute, Let Me Hang You.

The surprising juxtaposition that no one else would ever have thought of was a Willner specialty.

Hes an instigator, the musician Steve Earle said in 2006. "Hes pretty close to a genius.

Hes like [film director] Robert Altman, Todd Rundgren added the same year. "He gets a certain kind of cast together, and he gives you a framework. And then he lets it happen in a remarkably unmanaged way. "

If its not dangerous, how can it ever be great? Mr. Willner wondered in 2016, explaining his musical philosophy. "I always figure, if I dont know about something, thats a great way to get into it. Because you research it yourself, and the audience comes along with you in surprise. "

Mr. Willner is survived by his wife, Sheila Rogers; son Arlo; his father, Carl; and a sister.

No memorial plans have been made at this time.
UPPER THUMB  The state once again saw the highest number of coronavirus deaths in 24 hours Tuesday, as cases across the state continue to rise. Here are some things you should know as you start your Wednesday.

Tuscola, Sanilac counties see more confirmed cases

Confirmed cases of coronavirus again rose in the Thumb area, as both Tuscola and Sanilac counties saw increases Tuesday. The number of confirmed cases in the Thumb stood at 47 with three deaths.

Easter Bunny will hop on

Traditional Easter festivities may be few and far between this year, but the coronavirus isn't stopping the Easter Bunny from visiting parts of the Thumb. Elkton and Oliver Township will be visited by the Easter Bunny on Friday with help from the fire department.

Tribune to host crisis marketing webinar

With many businesses struggling in light of the coronavirus outbreak, the Huron Daily Tribune and Hearst Corporation will be hosting a webinar Friday on crisis marketing. The free webinar is open to businesses that want to learn how to advertise themselves during a pandemic.

Coronavirus cases across the U.S.

Here is a look of where coronavirus cases are being reported across the country.

Have questions about coronavirus?

Need a question answered about coronavirus? Fill out the form below and we will try to get the answer in a future article.
Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. If youre in a charitable mood, get your time-rich friends to invest their attention economy in a subscription to this fine newsletter.

After years of giving away what turns out to be a very small percentage of his wealth in secrecy and silence, Jack Dorsey has decided to become a public philanthropist.

The co-founder and CEO of both Twitter and Square said Tuesday that he is putting nearly 20 million shares of Square, worth $1 billion or about 28% of his fortune, into a limited liability company called Start Small, a name he has used for several past charitable vehicles. The stated purpose is to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

An LLC is a financial entity that affords the creator flexibility; it has no particular tax advantages, unlike a nonprofit foundation, though the money inside it can fund such a foundation or make for-profit investments in startups. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have an LLC called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Dorsey should be praised here for a couple things: one, for meeting the moment, and dedicating a substantial portion of his wealth to an important cause; two, for doing so transparently, in stark contrast to his past approach to philanthropy.

But some things need to be said about Dorseys move, which was mostly greeted with the adulation that tech billionaires get when they shed a small bit of their wealth.

Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty Images

Every dollar in the LLC can go back into Dorseys pocket at any time. Unlike charitable donations, gifts to a foundation, or shares put into a donor-advised fund, money or stock put in an LLC can be moved back without consequence. So dont call this  as many incorrectly did Tuesday  a donation. Its not a donation until he actually donates it. He could well profit from the investments he makes through the LLC.

And can we trust Dorsey to follow through on this commitment? His past record is not encouraging. (A spokesman for Square declined to offer comment beyond sharing Dorseys tweet.)

In 2015, as Square prepared to go public, Dorsey wrote in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he had given  past tense  20% of his shares either back to the payments company, to boost employee stock grants, or to the Start Small Foundation. Forbes reported that Dorsey had in fact returned about 10% of his shares to the company to benefit employees, leaving another 10% of his stake promised to charity, or roughly 7 million shares. Dorsey also wrote that he would give another 10% of the company  40 million shares, or more than half his stake in Square  to Start Small over time.

As I wrote in December 2018, there is no evidence the full 14 million shares made their way to any Start Small entity. Publicly filed disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission about his stock transactions and transfers suggest that it was impossible that he did so. He gave 1.35 million shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to sell at $9 apiece in Squares 2015 initial public offering, netting $12 million. An additional 270,000 shares showed up under the community foundations name in 2016, then disappeared from public records.

That foundation no longer appears to be involved in Dorseys charitable giving, though it did at one point try to help him hire an executive director charged with drumming up publicity for Dorseys philanthropy.

Those 270,000 shares are now worth about $13.5 million, though they might have been liquidated earlier, when Square shares were worth less. Dorsey said Tuesday that he has given away $40 million so far, which is only a little more than the amounts channeled through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and a far cry from his previously announced commitment.

Then there is the purpose of Dorseys philanthropy. In 2015, he wrote that Start Small would benefit the folks who inspire us: artists, musicians, and local businesses, with a special focus on underserved communities around the world. The new $1 billion commitment  which is only about 6 million shares more than what he had previously promised to give away  will first fight the coronavirus pandemic, then go to fund universal basic income and girls health and education.

Worthy causes. But too bad about the artists and musicians who have held out hope they might see some of that money. Dorsey also promised to help the embattled city of Ferguson, Mo.; when I looked into his giving, local officials and nonprofits told me that they had never seen any money from Dorseys Start Small initiative.

Noah Berger / The Washington Post 2018

His new push for giving is not off to a roaring start. On April 2, he gave $100,000 to Americas Food Fund, a fundraising initiative backed by Laurene Powell Jobs and Leonardo DiCaprio.

So what if Dorsey changes his mind once more? Theres nothing stopping him, save for his vow to be transparent.

I guess well know when he tweets about it.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

 Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com

Quote of the week

We recognize that we have fallen short of the communitys  and our own  privacy and security expectations.  Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, vowing to make the video conferencing service safer after reports of privacy flaws and Zoombombing campaigns against users

On my nightstand

No Filter, by Sarah Frier. This business history of Instagram starts with Kevin Systroms first meeting with Mark Zuckerberg and takes the reader through the split-up of the founders relationship.

What Im reading

Carolyn Said and Dustin Gardiner on the obstacles that startups face in tapping federal coronavirus cash. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Sal Rodriguez on Airbnb customers who say theyre having trouble getting refunds under the companys newly flexible cancellation policy. (The Verge)

Alex Kantrowitz on the tumult inside a contractor-dependent Apple division. (BuzzFeed News)

Tech Chronicle is a thrice-weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle
When Scandinavian Airlines asked what is truly Scandinavian? the answer induced anger and questions about racism.

When the renowned Danish poet, Benny Andersen, published the poem Verdensborger i Danmark, (World Citizen in Denmark) in 1995 there was no outrage.

The language I sing and speak is woven together by words from all over the world, not just from German, English and French, wrote the poet, considered one of the countrys most important authors.

A quarter of a century later  in February this year  an advertisement by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) with a similar message has drawn fury from Danes, Norwegians and Swedes. The reaction, experts argue, is a symptom of a new surge in nationalistic sentiment across Nordic countries.

The SAS commercial, which was taken down the following day amidst a huge backlash, posed the question: What is truly Scandinavian?, followed by the answer: Absolutely nothing.

Such was the rage in response, there was even a bomb threat against the headquarters of the advertising company, &Co, in Copenhagen.

What caused such offence? The almost three-minute video set about deconstructing things deemed to be truly Scandinavian  rye bread, interior design, parental leave  by showing that they were all actually brought to Scandinavia from other cultures and then adapted locally. It is what Anderson was saying all those years ago in his nationally-acclaimed poem.

Two days after the commercial aired, the spokesman for the right-wing Danish Peoples Party, Soren Espersen, posted on Twitter: SAS, with its nasty campaign film, spits on everything that is really Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

In an interview with the Danish news organisation, Ekstra Bladet, he called on the government  a shareholder in the airline  to intervene in the matter. When Al Jazeera contacted Espersen, he declined to comment.

Denmark was always proud, but in a cosy, cute way

Beth Merit, 61, is a US national who owns an English-language bookstore in Aarhus, a city on the Jutland peninsula and recently became a Danish citizen after 35 years of living in the country.

For Merit, however, nationalism has long been present in Denmark. But it was in a cosy, cute way, she says. Now its more nationalism in anger to protect their way of life, their identity. Nationalism here now is more fear than just pride in their country.

The fear she refers to is not about violence and hardship, so much as it is about losing identity.

Mette Frost, 48, a masters student at the University of Southern Denmark, living in the countryside in Mid-Jutland, is a proud Dane.

She cites the Danish culture of poetry and music as well as its long-held educational ideals as values to be upheld, but she voices some concern about how nationalism has developed in her country.

She says she wishes people would be more accepting of foreign cultures.

There are a lot of things that Im really proud of, but Im really not proud of the narrow horizon that has slowly been developing in the last 20 years.

Here to steal their wealth

Amir (who did not want to use his real name) is a 37-year-old wind energy engineer from the Middle East who has been living in Aarhus for the past 18 months.

He says he believes there is a feeling among some Danes that foreigners only come to Denmark to benefit from the welfare system or, as he puts it, to steal their wealth.

What has surprised him, he says, is that he has heard younger people repeating these opinions, when he thought it would be restricted to older generations.

Amir sees this attitude reflected in the stance some Danes take towards refugees and asylum seekers, who tend to be seen as lazy and only seeking to obtain government support without actually performing in society. This affects him personally, he explains. Because he has the looks, the name, and even the language of a refugee; the first impression some people have is that he is one.

As a Muslim, he says he has learned to spot Islamophobia in Denmark. He sees a contradiction between discourse and practice in, for example, the way many Danes are so reserved about their personal space and value their own freedom, while the government enforces handshakes in citizenship ceremonies and prohibits the wearing of face veils  a ban that has been in place since August 2018.

His experience is borne out by the statistics. According to the European Islamophobia report published in 2018, the National Crime Prevention Centre registered 67 reported incidents of religiously motivated hate crimes targeting Muslims in 2017, a record number.



It hurts

Mathuja Mahendrarajhs parents fled Sri Lanka for Denmark in the 1980s [Gionana Fleck/Al Jazeera]

Mathuja Mahendrarajh, 23, is Danish although her parents are from Sri Lanka. They fled the Southeast Asian country in the 1980s to escape civil war.

Mahendrarajh, who lives in Aarhus, says she did not find the advertisement offensive and she had expected other Danes to see the funny side as, in her opinion, Danes often use this kind of humour to jest with one another.

But she agrees that her parents background may have influenced how she viewed the video.

I have grown up in an environment where I have always had to incorporate both my Danish culture and my Tamil culture into my lifestyle so I am not 100 percent bonded to one nationality, she says. Thats why Im not that nationalistic compared to a real Dane. I dont take it that hard.

But Mahendrarajh, a Masters student in Business at Aarhus University, says she does understand the sentiment the video, which has received more than one million views on YouTube alone, roused in her compatriots.

We are very proud of our nationalism, of our stuff like rye bread, all these things that are Danish. So if someone tells us its not Danish, it hurts us in some way, she explains.

One identity



Merit, the bookshop owner, senses a feeling among Danes that they must protect their society. In the United States, we have racism and awful things happening, but there is not one identity. Here there was one identity and that is being challenged, she says.

Beth Merit, a US national, outside the English-language bookstore she owns in Aarhus. She has been in the country for 35 years and recently became a Danish citizen [Giovana Fleck/Al Jazeera]

Merit explains that she finds it difficult that she is still questioned by Danes about her motives for moving to Denmark 35 years ago. In the past, she says, there was little awareness of the fact that some people do not celebrate Christmas, as is the case for her Jewish family.

Beatrice (who did not want to give her real name) recounts her own experience of racism in Denmark. Walking in the street after a night out at a club with her friends, the 22-year-old African American exchange student who chose Aarhus for her year abroad was caught off guard when a Dane she had just met that night touched her hair, saying: Oh, so you have African descent.

On another occasion, she says, Danes from her course discussed using the n-word, arguing that it was not problematic to use it in the context of singing along to songs. When she voiced her discomfort, she says, they rejected her sentiment, leaving her feeling silenced.

But Beatrice points out that even when nothing is said, she can still feel people staring at her at the supermarket, for example. When her mother came to visit her from the US, Beatrice says she also noticed it.

Whitewashing history

Scandinavian countries have received an influx of refugees and migrants in the past few decades. In Denmark, according to data from Statistics Denmark, the national statistics agency, immigrants and their descendants  the term is used to refer to Danes who have either immigrant parents or descendants with other, foreign citizenship  now represent 13.8 percent of the population, up from 9.8 percent in 2010.

In Norway, a country of 5.3 million, the percentage of immigrants or people Norwegian-born to immigrant parents stood at 17.7 percent in 2019, according to the national statistics agency.

In Sweden, which historically has welcomed a larger number of people with foreign backgrounds, foreigners (including immigrants and Swedes born to immigrant parents) represented 24.8 percent of the population in 2019, according to Statistics Sweden.

Scandinavian societies have always envisaged themselves as ethnically and religiously homogeneous, says Sindre Bangstad, a research professor at the Institute for Church, Religion and Worldview Research (KIFO) in Oslo, Norway.

In the context of Norway, for example, the existence of indigenous people throughout history is suppressed and not taken into account when Norwegians imagine their own societies, he says.

Similarly, the scholar Henry Minde, at the University of Western Ontario, argues that the period between 1850 and 1980 was marked by a policy of assimilation, often referred to as norwegianisation of the Sami minority indigenous people of Norway. As a result, the Sami were pressured by state policy to drop their language and abandon basic cultural values, he writes.

The Sami people define themselves as the indigenous people of the North  original inhabitants of a land that stretches across what today is Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Their total population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000 people, of whom half live in Norway, according to the human rights organisation International Work Group for Indigeous Affairs (IWGIA).

What differentiates them is their language  there are nine different languages spoken by Sami people  and elements of their culture, including long-held traditions such as reindeer herding.

In 1989, the Sami people won the right to establish a Sami parliament through which it deals with the Norwegian government regarding Sami policy.

This tendency to think of Scandinavian societies as being ethnically, culturally and religiously homogeneous has if anything become more pronounced in the context of a quite significant demographic change, says Bangstad.

Beth Merit thinks many Danes feel they must protect their identity [Giovana Fleck/Al Jazeera]

Changing demographics in Denmark have sparked increasingly anti-immigration rhetoric. In June 2019, the left-wing Social Democrats party obtained a majority after forming a coalition with five left-leaning parties in Parliament, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen openly campaigning on an anti-immigration agenda.

In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper just before the election in June 2019 the current Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Mattias Tesfaye  at the time the immigration spokesman for Frederiksens party  declared that to protect the Scandinavian welfare state, immigration must be controlled.

My profession is a side job

Charles (who wished to remain anonymous), a 31-year-old black Belgian national, arrived in Denmark seven years ago to pursue a Masters in Architecture. At the time, he already held a Masters degree from his home country. Still, he says he could not find a job in his area after the course ended.

Today, architecture is a side job  one that he balances with driving taxis and operating a moving company.

He says job hunting in Denmark has been an experience marked by racism. Every job he has found has come to him as a result of recommendations by Danish friends  that is, when a Dane has vouched for his qualifications. On one occasion, during a job interview, he says the person interviewing him used the n-word.

In the beginning, Charles says, he tried to make people aware they were being racist. Today, after losing track of the number of times he has experienced discrimination, he feels it is a waste of time.

Tug of war

Norway, argues Bangstad, has been coping positively with the high rate of immigration, something he attributes to the fact that it is a relatively stable, prosperous and well-functioning society. However, he also sees a constant and underlying tug of war between the different perspectives.

You have this constant pushback and attempts by people in the right-wing to somewhat create and sustain all kinds of privileges and to create and sustain new boundaries and borders, he says.

In its campaign manifesto, the ruling Conservative Party pledged to adopt a stricter immigration policy. Among its promises, the party said it aimed to introduce restrictions on asylum requests, family reunification and unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the country.

A report by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) from 2017 found that European states, including Finland, Sweden and Norway, were openly promoting the high numbers of people they were returning to Afghanistan going against humanitarian recommendations not to do this.

You dont necessarily have to go to white supremacists and people who subscribe to these ideologies to find defensive attitudes when it comes to the protection of white privileges, Bangstad explains.

At the start of March, the right-wing Progress Party, which entered the government in 2013 after an invitation from the Conservative Party to form a coalition sent 10 proposals to Parliament to prevent what they said would be a new stream of refugees and immigrants entering Norway. These proposed measures found support from the ruling Conservative Party.

While the reaction to a specific incident like the SAS video might not have an immediate impact, says Bangstad, the damage can build up over time. These kinds of layers upon layers of reinforcing certain nationalist tendencies, which once is played out over time, in the end, have a cumulative effect.

Truly Scandinavian?

When she first saw the video, Anne-Kragh Pedersen says she was offended. Pedersen, 51, is a certified French translator based in Aarhus where she has lived for 30 years.

In her opinion, the video targeted national treasures very dear to Danes, such as the rye bread. I dont care where it comes from because to me it has a value as something being Danish, she says.

For Aarhus anthropologist and university professor Peter Hervik, however, defining Danish identity is a problematic endeavour, as Danish culture is a product of globalisation. Therefore, he argues, Danes have come to define themselves in terms of what they are not  instead of what they are.

Danes are not able to give an exact answer to the question about what Danish values actually are, he says. Instead, their answers  according to research throughout the last 25 years  will describe which values they dont like, and what kind of people they dont like or maybe even hate.

In his book, The Annoying Difference, Hervik refers back to the vote on the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, which established the European Union.

At the time, Danes, as citizens of a small affluent country, were faced with the questions of what their language and culture would become in a new Europe where borders disappeared and integration increased.

In a 1992 referendum, the treaty was largely rejected by Danish citizens. After negotiations with the then EU member states, which resulted in four Danish opt-outs, including the right to maintain the Danish crown as its own currency, a referendum held the following year enabled the treaty to be ratified.

In the case of Norway, in a referendum held in 1994, the population rejected EU membership. Today, Norway participates in the EU internal market as a result of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), but is not a member state.

By promoting a language, rhetoric and policies against those who are considered unlikeable, Danes create community among themselves, argues the professor.

The ghetto plan is one example of a widely accepted policy targetting a minority group in Denmark. Under a law presented by the previous government, a right-wing coalition with an anti-immigration agenda led by former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of the Liberal Party, in March 2018, areas in which more than 50 percent of the residents are immigrants or descendants of non-Western immigrants can be designated as ghettos.

The classification of ghettos is part of a larger government plan named One Denmark without a parallel society  no ghettos in 2030.

Lamies Nassri, 35, a language psychologist who works at the Center for Danish Muslim Relations in Copenhagen, says it is a clear example of discrimination.

It is blatantly stating that ethnicity is the problem. We are in a situation where politicians are publicly spreading misinformation to the public, creating fear and intolerance among the Danish population so that they can create legislation that will actually in the end forcibly remove people from their own homes.

Nassri says she was faced with another example of discrimination when she discovered that, despite having been born and raised in Denmark, she is classified within the population statistics as a non-Western descendant because her parents are both from Syria, even though they have Danish citizenship.

Statistics Denmark confirms that if someone is born and raised in Denmark, but has parents who are from a non-Western country, then this person will be classified as a descendant from a non-Western country in statistics (outside of Europe, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand).

On more than one occasion, Pricilla Cheung, a 29-year-old Hong Kong-American based in Aarhus, says she has been yelled at by the locals, something she attributes to her being a person of colour.

Once, while waiting for a bus, a Danish woman approached Cheungs then-boyfriend, a Dane, to warn him that the girl was dangerous for him, she says.

Mainstream extremism

When it took down its advertisement, SAS said that while it did not regret the message conveyed, it was not prepared to act as a platform for values that it does not share.

The pattern in the comments sections and the volume of reactions in SAS social media channels suggest that the campaign was subject to an attack, said the company in a statement published on its website on February 12, two days after the advertisement was first aired.

A report by the Danish broadcaster DR, also published on February 12, identified that in less than a day, more than 20 threads about the airline advertisement were created on 4Chan, an online forum, with far-right and neo-Nazi content.

In some comments, according to the report, users urged harassment against employees of the advertising agency.

Hervik says he believes the reaction to the video came from radical right-wing groups which could be willing to use violence for their cause.

The radical-right website, 4Chan, the alt-right and the Resistance movement all contributed to these comments with extreme language, demands and encouragement to attack SAS on social media, says the professor.

But he sounds another important alert: in the current Danish context, the labels extreme-right and far-right have become unclear.

These are spatial metaphors and they are deceiving as the whole of Denmark becomes more and more nationalistic. Since the radical right has conquered the political middle in Denmark, those reactions are now a centre-right thing, its dominant, its most people. It has become what I call mainstream extremism, argues Hervik.

In 2015, the right-wing Danish Peoples Party received over 20 percent of votes in the parliamentary elections, making it the second-biggest party in the country and the largest on the right. In the 2019 elections, however, the party widely lost support, receiving less than 9 percent of votes.

In Nassris view, the drop in support for the Danish Peoples Party does not translate into less support for right-wing ideology, as she highlights that more parties have surged with the same ideas as the Peoples Party.

Instead, it is down to the fact that left-leaning Social Democrats have taken on the right-wing discourse by, for example, supporting and executing the ghetto plan.

According to Hervik, neo-nationalism is the ultimate political weapon to garner support from voters and it operates by appealing to emotions, by raising the threat of an external attack on cultural, ideological, political or military grounds.

Even if one does not subscribe to right-wing ideologies, one will endorse being against a perceived threat. You cannot meaningfully be against it without being accused of being a traitor, he says.

For Cheung, the biggest obstacle to addressing growing racism and discrimination in Denmark is the lack of acknowledgement of it by Danes. When you want to tackle a problem, identifying it has to be the first step. But the thing is here they dont even use the word racism or race.
An inferno at Southwest Florida International Airport destroyed more than 3500 rental vehicles throughout the end of the week.

A fire spread through a grassy area of Southwest Florida International Airport last Friday. Fire crews were called to tackle a huge blaze, which ripped through a rental car overflow car park. Black clouds of fog could be spotted for miles around Fort Myers, a city of around 82,000 people in southwest Florida. Avni said ground and airborne support were given by Florida Forestry Service and numerous local groups of fire-fighters. Various law enforcement agencies in Southwest Florida were likewise on the scene to help and deal with the streets.

Melinda Avni, a Mitigation Specialist for Florida Forestry Service of Caloosahatchee, said authorities were called to extinguish the fire around 5 p.m., Friday when there were around 20 vehicles included.

It gathered a response from each Lee County local group of fire-fighters with the help from aviation and fire departments in neighboring Collier and Charlotte districts. There were likewise 80 water airdrops by means of a Huey helicopter. The combined effort finally bring the fire under control by Saturday morning.

By that time, the fire had covered an area of 15 acres and consumed over 3500 vehicles, nearly half the number parked in the grassy rental car overflow area at the airport in Fort Myers, a Lee County Port Authority spokesperson told CNN affiliate WINK. The surviving 3800 were moved somewhere else and got away from harm, said the local group of fire-fighters authorities.

The fire was fully contained and extinguished by 10:30 a.m. Saturday, nearly 18 hours after it began, as crews worked through the night Friday, putting out the flames to ensure it did not continue to spread or cause further damage.

Read Also: Radiation Levels in Chernobyl Spikes 16 Times Higher After Forest Fire

It's not hard to perceive how it was able to spread so effectively. The vehicles were tightly stuffed together on a dry grassy field during a period of the year when temperatures routinely surpass 30 degrees. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. The lot was more full than expected due to the downturn in travel caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Being a rental car lot, by far most of the cars would have been of the nonexclusive assortment. Yet, given the sheer number of vehicles that met their fate, a fair few will have been nice ones, think about the standard top-tier rental alternatives like Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros. Some companies will even rent you a Corvette.

In a social media post, the airport thanked all the agencies who responded to the fire incident.

"Thank you to the regional mutual aid fire departments and Division of Forestry for their heroic efforts in aiding RSW in last night's fire. We appreciate their courage and willingness to help our Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Department. Together they were able to keep all our passengers and airport visitors safe," the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) said.

Related Article: 5G Towers in UK Burned Down After False Claims That It Transmits Coronavirus

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The first group of Australians to be placed in mandatory hotel quarantine are able to breathe a sigh of relief after they were released from Sydneys Swissotel on Wednesday, with those travelling interstate cleared by NSW Police to avoid a second round of quarantine in their home state.

But for some, including a family of seven who had been sharing a room at the Hilton, the nightmare is far from over.

Three members of the family were transported from the hotel for testing and treatment on Tuesday night.

Of more than 2000 hotel-quarantined travellers, NSW Health has so far tested just 121 symptomatic people for coronavirus, with 36 (30 per cent) testing positive to COVID-19.


For years, artists in cities throughout Africa have been making paintings to educate the public on social and health issues. During the Ebola crisis a few years ago, for example, artists around West Africa painted signs and murals to inform people on the deadly effects of the virus.

Now, a group of artists in Dakar, Senegal is making murals to show people how to fight the coronavirus outbreak. To limit the spread of the virus, the government has closed the countrys airspace. It also ordered the closure of restaurants, schools and Islamic religious centers.

Senegals president ordered travel restrictions and set a curfew of 8:00 at night.

But many people are not following calls to remain two meters apart or wash their hands more carefully. Some areas in Dakar are more crowded than others, so keeping distance is not always easy. And water supplies are sometimes cut unexpectedly, so frequent hand washing may not always be possible.

In a country where only half the population can read, art is an effective way of sharing an important message.

Alpha Sy is an art student and a member of Senegalese graffiti artist group RBS, short for Radikl Bomb Shot. About 30 artists belong to the group. They have been creating murals around Dakar to demonstrate good hygiene practices and to tell people to stay home and respect the curfew.

Sy said he was frightened for everyone because many people do not realize what is happening. He said people think the virus is only a problem in Europe and that it will not spread to Senegal. He also does not think the countrys hospitals could take as many as 10,000 people.

Because of Senegals low literacy rate, Sy said, art is an effective way to share an important message. He said his group created the murals for everyone. The artists wanted people to understand the message, so they decided to focus more on the picture than the writing.

The graffiti collective was formed in 2012 as part of efforts to raise social issues in a way that young people could relate to. The groups projects have focused on violence against women and paintings of African leaders such as Nelson Mandela.

The first of the murals for COVID-19, the disease resulting from the coronavirus, was done in partnership with Dakars Cheikh Anta Diop University.

Abdoulaye Sow is a director at the university. He ordered the mural painted on its grounds. He said the school is an ideal place for the mural because a lot of people walk by.

Sow said people do not have time to stop for long, so a painting like this helps the message have the greatest effect.

The graffiti collective has completed three murals so far. They hope to create about 12 COVID-related works so that their message can be seen in every neighborhood in Dakar.

Im Alice Bryant.

VOA News reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

mural  n. a usually large painting that is done directly on the surface of a wall

outbreak - a sudden start or increase of disease

frequent  adj. happening often

graffiti  n. pictures or words painted or drawn on a wall, building or something else

hygiene  n. the things that you do to keep yourself and your surroundings clean in order to maintain good health

literacy  n. the ability to read and write

focus  v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific
By Ahmad Ghaddar, Olesya Astakhova and Vladimir Soldatkin

LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, Russia and allied oil producers will agree to deep cuts to their crude output at talks this week only if the United States and several others join in with curbs to help prop up prices that have been hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

However, the U.S. Department of Energy noted in a statement on Tuesday that U.S. output is already falling without government action, in line with the White House's insistence that it would not intervene in the private markets. That decline, however, would take place slowly, over the course of the next two years.

Global oil demand has dropped by as much as 30%, or about 30 million barrels per day (bpd), as measures to reduce the virus' spread have caused demand for jet fuel, gasoline and diesel to crash.

While Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members of the group known as OPEC+ have expressed willingness to return to the bargaining table, they have made their response conditional upon actions by the United States and other countries that are not members of OPEC. No agreement has yet been formalised.

"Before any meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC there needs to be an agreement on production numbers for any country that will reduce production," Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh tweeted on Tuesday, adding that the United States and Canada need to play a role in determining production cuts.

OPEC+ is due to hold a video conference on Thursday at 1400 GMT, after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Riyadh and Moscow had agreed to cut an unprecedented 10 million to 15 million bpd, or about 10% to 15% of global supply. He has not committed to any actions by U.S. companies.

"With regards to media reports that OPEC+ will require the United States to make cuts in order to come to an agreement: The EIA report today demonstrates that there are already projected cuts of 2 (million bpd), without any intervention from the federal government," the U.S. Energy Department said.

Story continues

After the OPEC+ talks, Saudi Arabia will host a video conference on Friday for energy ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies to alleviate the effects of the pandemic on energy markets, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The scale of this challenge is so large that OPEC+ cannot solve it," said Jason Bordoff, director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and a former Obama administration official. "Only some and not all of the world's producers have the willingness and ability to limit production."

Riyadh and Moscow are trying to overcome the rancor stemming from March's talks, when a deal to extend production cuts fell apart. Since then, Saudi Arabia has been flooding the market with extra crude, and it has insisted it would no longer carry what it considered an unfair burden of output cuts.

Benchmark Brent crude settled at about $32 a barrel on Tuesday, about half its level at the end of 2019.

Three-plus years of production curbs by OPEC+ left an opening for the United States to gain market share as it boosted shale production to push national output to 13 million bpd, the most worldwide.

The U.S. success in growing crude output has frustrated some members of the production-cut pact, most specifically Russia, whose oil companies have bemoaned giving up market share to the United States.

U.S. Department of Energy projections now show U.S. oil output averaging 11 million bpd in 2021, which correlates to about a 2 million bpd decline from the late 2019 peak.

U.S. antitrust laws prohibit oil producers in the United States from taking steps to push up oil prices. Output curbs would be legal if state regulators or the federal government set lower production levels, experts say.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports of Russian and Saudi crude, while two Republican U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would remove U.S. forces from ally Saudi Arabia.

BASELINE FOR CUTS

Saudi Arabia, with by far the world's biggest reserve of extra capacity and some of the lowest production costs, said it had raised crude output to 12.3 million bpd on April 1 and planned to export more than 10 million bpd.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said any output cuts should be made from levels in the first quarter, before Saudi Arabia and others hiked production. OPEC sources said Riyadh wanted cuts to be calculated from its current higher level.

The OPEC source said there was no consensus between Riyadh and Moscow on the baseline for any reductions. Russian TASS news agency said cuts could last three months starting from May.

The head of top U.S. oil firm Exxon Mobil Corp, Darren Woods, said on Tuesday he supported "free trade and low tariffs", when asked about the cuts. However, his firm cut investment by a third to $23 billion, mainly in U.S. shale fields.

Occidental Petroleum, another large U.S. producer, argued in a letter to Texas regulators that mandated cuts would be short-sighted. Texas is the largest-producing U.S. state and regulators there are meeting next week to consider production cuts.

Other oil producers outside the OPEC+ group have already indicated a willingness to help, though private producers in Canada, home to the world's third-largest oil reserves, were already reducing output due to the sharp fall in prices.

(Additional reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh, Stephen Kalin, Alex Lawler, Tim Gardner, Jennifer Hiller, David Gaffen and Shadia Nasralla; Writing by Rania El Gamal and David Gaffen; Editing by Edmund Blair, Kirsten Donovan, Marguerita Choy and Dan Grebler)
Social distancing notwithstanding, spring is in the air.

No one understands that better than Bob Lazzari, recreation and special events coordinator for Butte-Silver Bow Parks & Recreation.

He and his crew have built a map and installed it on their website at www.butteparksandrec.com. The map, which is linked under Trails & Outdoor Recreation, highlights not only the easy walking trails around Butte, but out-of-the-way trails as well.

There are, however, rules in place, including:

Wash hands before and after visiting trails and open spaces

Stay 6 feet or more apart from others

Stay home if sick

So long as residents follow these CDC guidelines, Lazzari said, we want to let everyone know whats close by.

Butte-Silver Bow has developed an urban trail system within its parks as well as trails that connect to surrounding open spaces utilizing many of Buttes railroad and stream corridors such as the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railroad (BA&P) corridor, Blacktail Creek, and Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trails.

We have a lot of good trails  many of which residents dont know about, he said. The link is a great guide to checking out the hiking opportunities that Butte and the surrounding area has to offer.

Those trails also include the Copperway Trails and Butte Heritage Park Trails, both of which are a network of non-motorized trails linking a variety of cultural sites. Other trail networks include Thompson Park and Big Butte that provide natural area opportunities for bird watching and viewing wildlife while providing non-motorized hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding opportunities.

Lazzari also noted that city-county trails are only a piece of the recreational trails available in the Butte area.

The Forest Service maintains numerous trails in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, including the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which runs to the immediate east and south of Butte and has connections to local trails at Thompson Park, Blacktail Canyon and Maud S Canyon. The CDNST and other trails are easily accessible within a 15-20 minute drive from Butte at the Homestake (on I-90) and Pipestone (on Highway 2) trailheads. Maps and more details are available at the Butte Ranger District office.

More recreational opportunities are available on Bureau of Land Management lands as well. That information can be found by visiting the Butte field office.

Also, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks maintains numerous fishing access sites on area lakes and rivers.

For more details, call 406-497-6571 or 406-497-6535.

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Political secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and former minister, MP Renukacharya hit out at people who attended the Markaz event at Nizamuddin in New Delhi and didnt report themselves to the hospital for Covid-19.

In an outburst, Renukacharya called them traitors, reportedly saying there was nothing wrong if they are shot. The Honnali MLA was speaking to the media in Davanagere. The state would not be facing the current crisis if they had reported themselves to hospitals earlier, Renukacharya asserted.

This came on a day when the state government said that till date, 920 samples of those who attended the Markaz in Delhi have been collected and while 623 of them have turned out to be negative for Covid-19, 27 have tested positive. Remaining 270 sample results are awaited. The CM had earlier said that stern action would be taken against anybody who tried to identify a particular community with the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, Karnataka government said 12 new Covid-19 positive cases have been recorded in the state, taking the total to a cumulative 175 which includes four deaths and 25 discharges after successful treatment. Among the 12 new cases, six are those who have had a travel history to the Delhi event. All of them have been quarantined at isolation facilities of designated hospitals in respective districts.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar opposed any move to cut the salaries of the government employees. The state government is said to be contemplating such a move especially when neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have already taken steps in this regard given the current financial crunch amid the coronavirus crisis.
Public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra on Wednesday said it has launched credit facilities for its existing corporates, retail and agriculture sector borrowers to tide over their funding mismatches amid coronavirus outbreak.

For existing home loan borrowers, the lender is providing personal loans for all standard housing loan accounts, where security charge is completed and repayment started.

"The quantum of finance is up to Rs 3 lakh and a maximum repayment for 36 months including six months of moratorium," the bank said in a statement.

All existing housing loan borrowers, who have already availed personal loan, are also eligible subject to deduction norms, it said.

For self-help groups (SHG), the lender is offering a loan of Rs 7,500 per member of SHG and up to Rs three lakh per SHG.

These loans are given for a period of three years with a monthly/quarterly/half yearly repayment option. There is a moratorium of six months on these loans.

It is offering instant credit to farmers for farm maintenance and other farm related activities and related domestic purposes.

"The limit stands at 50 per cent of existing KCC sanction limit / term loan limit subject to minimum Rs 10,000 and a maximum of Rs one lakh for existing KCC account holders having regular repayment, the bank said.

The tenor of the scheme is 30 months, which includes a moratorium of six months.

For agro-based industries or units, the bank is offering loans to borrowers up to 10 per cent of their existing fund based working capital limit, with an upper cap of Rs 10 crore.

For corporates, bank is providing 'Ad-hoc Line of Credit Covid-19 by way of stand by line of credit) (SLC) to overcome the liquidity impact of Covid-19.

"The quantum of finance is maximum up to 10 per cent of the existing fund based working capital limit, maximum up to Rs 50 crore, the bank said.

The loan will be given for 12 months and the moratorium will be for a period of six months, BoM said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OUNZ delivers, literally

VanEck Merk Gold Trust (NYSE: OUNZ), the gold ETF that delivers, is open for deliveries. Most recently, OUNZ delivered 100 American Buffalo 1 ounce coins during a time when we see many coin dealers out of stock.

We created OUNZ to deliver during periods of market tension. And OUNZ delivers, literally, explains Axel Merk, President of Merk Investments, the Sponsor of the VanEck Merk Gold Trust. As we see several mints and refineries closed, demand for physical gold high and coin dealers short on supply, our team works closely with investors requesting to exchange their shares for physical gold, he continues.

Brandon Rakszawski, Director of ETF Product Development at VanEck, adds: The current environment shows that good design principles are paramount for investors seeking to invest in a gold ETF. OUNZ will not issue shares unless the custodian confirms gold has been allocated; OUNZ in addition allows investors to request delivery of what they own, the gold. Because investors own a pro-rata share of the gold held in OUNZ, taking delivery and/or exchanging the gold into other coins and bars is not a taxable event.

OUNZ was developed on Guiding Principles listed below. Further, OUNZ is the only physical gold ETF with a patented delivery process (U.S. patent #8,626,641,merkgold.com/patent); according to the patent granted, the system and process are  highly scalable.

VANECK MERK GOLD TRUST GUIDING PRINCIPLES

To meet its primary objective to provide investors with an opportunity to invest in gold through the shares and to be able to take delivery of physical gold in exchange for their shares, we ("the Sponsor) have structured the Trust along the following principles:

Holding London Bars. To allow investors to invest in gold through the shares, the Trust holds London Bars. When traded in institutional sizes, London Bars typically carry the lowest transaction cost compared to other forms of gold because there is no need to convert London Bars to gold of other specifications or involve a precious metals dealer before a Delivery Applicant takes delivery of London Bars. By contrast, taking delivery of forms of gold other than London Bars typically involves conversion costs (i.e., converting London Bars to physical gold of other specifications) and the assistance of a precious metals dealer. As such, the Trust holds primarily London Bars to facilitate a cost effective process to create and redeem Baskets.

Maintaining Allocated Gold. The Trust will hold its London Bars in allocated form in the Trust Allocated Account with the Custodian. The Trust Allocated Account will be used to hold the individually identified bars of gold deposited with the Trust. The physical gold is held in a segregated fashion in the name of the Trust, not commingled with other depositor funds or assets. The Trust has full title to the gold with the Custodian holding it on the Trusts behalf. Each investor owns a pro-rata share of the Trust, and as such holds pro-rata ownership of the Trust assets, corresponding to the number of shares held. Trust holdings are identified in a weight list of bars published on the Trusts website showing the unique bar number, gross weight, the assay or fineness of each bar and its fine weight. Credits or debits to the holding will be effected by physical movements of bars to or from the Trusts physical holding. The Trusts gold holdings are subject to periodic audits.

Minimizing the Use of Unallocated Gold. The Trust will need unallocated gold to facilitate transactions with Authorized Participants to exchange gold into different specifications to meet delivery requests from Delivery Applicants of physical gold and to pay Trust expenses not assumed by us, if any. The Custodian only will accept a delivery of gold in exchange for a Basket if it can promptly convert the gold to allocated gold. The Custodian must allocate physical gold to the Trust such that, at the end of each business day, the Trust may hold no more than 430 Fine Ounces, corresponding to the maximum weight of a London Bar, in unallocated gold.

Exchanging Physical Gold for Physical Gold of Different Specifications. To facilitate the ability to exchange shares into physical gold for delivery, we may exchange the Trusts gold for gold of different specifications. All gold obtained by the Trust must be without numismatic value and have a minimum fineness (or purity) of 995 parts per 1,000 (99.5%), except that the Trust may also obtain American Gold Eagle Coins (with a minimum fineness of 91.67%) solely for delivery to a Delivery Applicant. All gold held by the Trust is valued based upon its Fine Ounce content. While Delivery Applicants may always request London Bars, market conditions may cause us to limit other types of physical gold made available for delivery.

Permitting Investors to Take Delivery of Physical Gold. Delivery Applicants may submit shares to the Trust in exchange for physical gold.



Delivery Applicants may take delivery of as little as a 1 Ounce Bar, subject to a minimum dollar value that is specified by us from time to time on the Trusts website. By requiring that the delivery of gold to Delivery Applicants meet certain minimum dollar value criteria, which may change from time to time, sales taxes are not anticipated to be applicable to the delivery of gold to Delivery Applicants. However, if such taxes do apply, they are the sole responsibility of the Delievery Applicant.

Taking delivery of physical gold is subject to guidelines intended to minimize the amount of cash that will be distributed with physical gold. As a result, investors need to submit shares that correspond very closely to the number of Fine Ounces represented by the gold requested.

The Trust will ship physical gold to a Delivery Applicant by a conventional shipping carrier such as the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express, United Parcel Service or armored transportation service. A conventional shipping carrier may deliver gold to residential addresses. An armored transportation service, which may be required for insurance purposes, will only deliver to trusted, non-residential addresses.

Charging an Exchange Fee. The Exchange Fee varies depending on the type of physical gold a Delivery Applicant would like to take delivery of and reflects costs arising from: reviewing Delivery Applications, coordinating with Delivery Applicants and the Trusts other service providers, the conversion of London Bars into physical gold to be delivered, and the related expenses of the Trustee and us.

Taking Delivery of London Bars. Delivery Applicants requesting London Bars will need to submit shares that very closely correspond in Fine Ounces to the median Fine Ounce content of London Bars held by the Trust multiplied by the number of London Bars requested. London Bars are delivered directly from the Custodian. It may not be possible to exactly match the number of shares submitted with the number of Fine Ounces represented by the requested physical gold, requiring the Trust to sell some gold to facilitate the delivery request.

Minimizing Cash Holdings. The Trust is committed to minimizing the use of cash, keeping essentially all assets of the Trust in gold. To achieve this, we have agreed to pay the Trusts ordinary expenses and to be reimbursed therefor through the issuance of shares to it rather than through receiving cash. The Trust will not normally hold cash, or any other assets besides gold, but may temporarily hold a very limited amount of cash in connection with deliveries of physical gold to Delivery Applicants.

To meet its secondary objective to have the shares reflect the performance of the price of gold, we have structured the Trust as follows:

Transactions with Authorized Participants. By allowing Authorized Participants to directly issue and redeem Baskets with the Trust, Authorized Participants may be able to take advantage of price discrepancies between the Trusts underlying gold holdings and the value of the shares. As a result of this incentive provided to Authorized Participants, the value of the shares may reflect the performance of the price of gold.

To minimize the cash portion of delivery by Delivery Applicants of physical gold for their shares, we will only approve Delivery Applications where the number of shares to be submitted leads to a cash portion that is as low as practical in our assessment.

Exchange of Shares for Physical Gold other than London Bars. For physical gold other than London Bars, we will require the submission of shares that correspond in net assets to the number of Fine Ounces contained in the physical gold requested. The number of shares required for submission will typically be the smallest whole number of shares greater than the net assets of the Trust corresponding to the Fine Ounce content of physical gold requested. We may demand that an additional share or shares be submitted when, in our assessment, it facilitates the exchange process, such as when extraordinary Trust expenses may be expected, by reducing the likelihood that the net asset value of the Trust differs on the Share Submission Day from that anticipated by us at the time the Delivery Application is filed, which is in advance of the Share Submission Day.

Exchange of Shares for London Bars. Because London Bars vary in Fine Ounce content between 350 Fine Ounces and 430 Fine Ounces, it may be difficult to obtain a combination of London Bars that closely matches the number of Fine Ounces represented by the shares submitted. Delivery Applicants will need to submit shares that very closely correspond in Fine Ounces to the median Fine Ounce content of London Bars held by the Trust multiplied by the number of London Bars requested.

Any portion of the exchange not delivered in physical gold will be provided in cash.

The shares offer an investment that is:

Easily Accessible and Relatively Cost Efficient. Investors can access the gold market through a traditional brokerage account. We believe that investors will be able to more effectively implement strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies that use gold by using the shares instead of using the traditional means of purchasing, trading and holding gold. Transaction costs related to the shares may also be lower than those associated with the purchase, storage and insurance of physical gold.

Exchange Traded and Transparent. The shares will trade on the NYSE Arca under the symbol OUNZ, and will provide investors with an efficient means to implement various investment strategies. Upon effectiveness of the registration statement, of which this Prospectus is a part, the shares will be eligible for margin accounts. The Trust will not hold or employ any derivatives and the shares will be backed by the assets of the Trust. Furthermore, the value of the Trusts holdings will be reported on the Trusts website daily.

Minimal Credit Risk. The shares represent an interest in physical gold owned by the Trust (other than up to a maximum of 430 Fine Ounces of gold held in unallocated form) and held in physical custody at the Custodian. Physical gold of the Trust is not subject to borrowing arrangements with third parties. Other than the gold temporarily being held in unallocated form to facilitate the delivery of physical gold to Delivery Applicants, redemptions by Authorized Participants, the exchange of gold to different specifications and the payment of Trust expenses not assumed by us, if any, the Trusts gold is not subject to counterparty or credit risks. The gold is held in the form of London Bars which is allocated to the Trust Allocated Account and held in the Trusts name by the Custodian. This contrasts with other financial products that gain exposure to gold through the use of derivatives that may be subject to counterparty and credit risks.

For more information, please also read the OUNZ FAQs (merkgold.com/faq).

ABOUT MERK INVESTMENTS

Merk Investments provides investment advice on liquid global markets, including domestic and international equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies and their respective derivative markets.

ABOUT VANECK

Founded in 1955, VanEck was among the first U.S. asset managers to help investors achieve greater diversification through global investing. Today, the firm continues this tradition by offering innovative investment choices in specialized asset classes such as hard assets, emerging markets, and precious metals including gold. VanEck offers a broad array of VanEck Vectors ETFs spanning broad-based and specialized asset classes, and is one of the largest providers of ETPs in the U.S and worldwide.

For important information about the VanEck Merk Gold Trust, including how to obtain a prospectus and how to invest, please visit http://www.merkgold.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Axel Merk

https://www.merkinvestments.com/contact

(855)MRK-OUNZ

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

London Bars: a gold bar meeting the specifications for weight, dimensions, fineness (or purity), identifying marks and appearance of gold bars set forth in The Good Delivery Rules for Gold and Silver Bars published by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).

Please see http://www.merkgold.com/patent.html for more information on U.S. patent #8,626,641 granted to Merk pertaining to the delivery process for OUNZ.

This press release does not constitute legal or tax advice. Please read the prospectus and consult with your tax adviser for tax related questions pertaining to OUNZ.

ETF: exchange-traded fund

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By IANS

GENEVA: About 40 crore workers in India working in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a report today that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting 2.7 billion workers globally due to lockdowns.

COVID-19 is already affecting tens of millions of informal workers. In India, Nigeria and Brazil, the number of workers in the informal economy affected by the lockdown and other containment measures is substantial.

In India, with a share of almost 90 per cent of people working in the informal economy, about 400 million workers or 40 crores in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the crisis.

ILO said that the current lockdown measures in India, which are at the high end of the University of Oxford's COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index, have impacted these workers significantly, forcing many of them to return to rural areas.

The report said that particularly in low- and middle-income countries, hard-hit sectors have a high proportion of workers in informal employment and workers with limited access to health services and social protection.

Without appropriate policy measures, workers face a high risk of falling into poverty and will experience greater challenges in regaining their livelihoods during the recovery period.

ILO noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated in terms of intensity and expanded its global reach. Full or partial lockdown measures are now affecting almost 2.7 billion workers, representing around 81 per cent of the world's workforce.

ALSO READ | Indias unemployment rate for March soars to 43-year high: Report

Employment contraction has already begun on a large (often unprecedented) scale in many countries. In the absence of other data, changes in working hours, which reflect both layoffs and other temporary reductions in working time, give a better picture about the dire reality of the current labour market situation.

Using this approach, as of 1 April 2020, the ILO's new global estimates indicate that working hours will decline by 6.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, which is equivalent to 195 million full-time workers.

The majority of job losses and declining working hours will occur in hardest-hit sectors. The ILO estimates that 1.25 billion workers, representing almost 38 per cent of the global workforce, are employed in sectors that are now facing a severe decline in output and a high risk of workforce displacement.

Key sectors include retail trade, accommodation and food services, and manufacturing. Workplace closures have increased so rapidly in recent weeks that 81 per cent of the global workforce lives in countries with mandatory or recommended closures.

Employment in countries with mandatory or recommended workplace closures represents 87 per cent of the workforce of upper-middle-income countries and 70 per cent of the workforce in high income countries.

COVID-19 is now also impacting the developing world, where capacities and resources are severely constrained. Through the massive economic disruption, the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the world's workforce of 3.3 billion.
There is scant comfort for Britain and other Western democracies in seeing China - the source of the deadly Covid-19 virus - emerging so rapidly and strongly from the crisis.

The Chinese economy is already up and running again even as the US, the UK and other nations are battling to hold back the tide of illness, death and economic destruction plunging them into a recession 'worse than the global financial crisis', according to the International Monetary Fund.

What is becoming clear is that by ramping up production and driving recovery, China could be the big winner from the global downturn - and that is an alarming prospect.

The ability of its leader, Xi Jinping, to invoke the ruthless powers of the state to combat coronavirus and to make sure dissenting voices were silenced gave the Chinese a huge advantage.

This week, Beijing proudly announced it had no new coronavirus deaths. Furthermore, any new cases are the result of Chinese citizens infected abroad returning home.

A medical staff member from Jilin Province tears up during a ceremony before leaving as Tianhe Airport is reopened in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province

Chinese workers and health officials wear protective white suits as travellers from Wuhan gather to take buses as they are processed and taken to do 14 days of quarantine

So China is flaunting its triumph over coronavirus - but be in no doubt it is also set to exploit the paralysis that has enveloped Western economies to its own ends, in terms of finance, and greater global power.

Yet this is the nation that failed to alert the world at the earliest opportunity to this new strain thought to have evolved in its unsanitary live animal markets; allowed the virus to incubate and spread for vital weeks before conceding it was a major public health issue; and which has by common consent been less than honest about infection and death rates.

Nor can we ignore growing international concern that in the race to return to business as usual, many experts fear the lockdown in Wuhan, where Covid-19 appeared, has been lifted too early.

Yesterday, tens of thousands of people left the city, igniting fears of a second wave of infections spread throughout China - and beyond.

China's actions have provoked a belligerent response from the UK's political Right about the 'reckoning' to come - and, yes, the international community must unite on this when the time is right. But it will be a challenge - for which we only have ourselves to blame.

ALEX BRUMMER: The ability of China's leader, Xi Jinping (pictured), to invoke the ruthless powers of the state to combat coronavirus gave the Chinese a huge advantage

The broader, more depressing truth is that the acquiescence of the West to China's drive for manufacturing, economic and diplomatic domination leaves us handicapped.

Yes, Donald Trump's 'America First' rhetoric has been actively deployed by applying $115billion of tariffs on Chinese goods entering the US - certainly more effective than his posturing yesterday about cutting funds to the World Health Organisation over its China bias. But the damage was done long before that.

In 2001, the World Trade Organisation chose to treat China as a developing country, opening doors to low-cost Chinese manufactured goods without seeking reciprocal tariff arrangements. The result is that the laptop on which I am writing carries the Californian Hewlett Packard brand, but when purchased online was shipped to me at home from a Chinese factory.

Similarly, my office chair, branded Japanese calculator, and stapler are all from China. Marks & Spencer used to boast that most of its clothing was made in the UK. Faced with cheaper competition, it too turned to China in the Noughties and lost its unique selling point and quality.

In this way China has punched its way to within a hair's breadth of the US as the world's largest economy, and is responsible for 16 per cent of the world's output. It is the biggest exporter of goods, with a 12.8 per cent market share, against 8.5 per cent for the US and 8 per cent for Germany.

One of Britain's defining characteristics in the post-Thatcher era has been its openness to foreign investment and trade - and the red carpet was rolled out for China. Ex-chancellor George Osborne hailed it as a triumph when he persuaded China to buy almost 9 per cent of the UK's largest water utility, Thames Water, in 2012.

When China launched its own Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the UK was the first Western democracy to become a shareholder, despite US disdain.

The Cameron-Osborne government also welcomed Chinese financing and investment in the 22billion-plus nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Ministers somehow overcame initial reservations from the security services over potential snooping and sensitive technology transfer opportunities.

People wearing protective clothing and masks arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan

In early March this year, even as coronavirus was sweeping out of Wuhan, China's Jingye group gained a foothold in another UK strategic industry when it bought the British Steel plant at Scunthorpe and on Teesside, saving 3,000 jobs.

Of course, China's commercial global ambitions have never been a secret. Its 'Belt & Road' initiative - or 'New Silk Road' - was unveiled in 2013 and aims to be the world's biggest infrastructure and development project, with investment in 70 or so countries and international organisations.

World Health Organization chief hits back at Donald Trump saying don't politicise the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags' after president threatened to freeze millions in funds for 'China-centric' agency By Emily Goodin for Dailymail.com The head of the World Health Organization warned President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stop politicizing the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags.' 'At the end of the day, the people belong to all political parties. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people, please do not politicize this virus,' WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said in a virtual press briefing. 'If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it.' He made an appeal for global unit and said all leaders of all political parties should focus on saving their people. 'Unity is the only option to defeat this virus,' he said. 'Without unity, we assure you even any country that may have a better system will be in trouble and more crisis. That's our message. Unity at the national level,' he said. 'No need to use COVID to score political points. No need. You have many other ways to prove yourselves.' Advertisement

Meanwhile, Australia's 25-year recession-free run (until now) is largely down to its role supplying natural resources to China, with British miner Rio Tinto heavily involved. China investment in Africa's natural resources and infrastructure dwarfs that of the West and of principal development institutions such as the World Bank.

Beijing is also taking on the role once adopted by Britain as the world's 'port champion', building facilities in West Africa and Sri Lanka and taking over the port of Piraeus in Athens from Greece's government.

The biggest battleground, however, is technology. The US National Security Council has identified China and its companies as the biggest thieves of intellectual property and patents in the world, responsible for up to 80 per cent of such behaviour.

This is why it co-ordinated action that prevented a Chinese takeover of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the guardians of new tech discoveries, many of which come out of Stanford University and Silicon Valley.

Unlike Britain, America has woken up to China's use of its digital and telecoms prowess to keep tabs on the West and gain a technological edge.

Before Covid-19, the most contentious issue taken by Boris Johnson's government was to hand Chinese telecoms giant Huawei a 35 per cent stake in the roll-out of the UK's next-generation 5G mobile networks, excluding the company from 'sensitive' parts of the system.

As part of the 'reckoning' to come, the Government will be under enormous pressure to end the arrangement in the wake of this pandemic.

China already has a foothold in the British tech industry having managed to wrest control of the Chinese operations of Cambridge-based Arm Holdings from its Japanese owners.

Earlier this week, the Government intervened to head off a coup at Imagination Technologies  a British maker of screen chips for Apple - that would have put Beijingapproved directors on a board already dominated by a Chinesefunded private equity outfit. It was too little, too late, critics would argue.

Drawing closer to China is all well and good if it opens up new export opportunities  as it has for one of the UK's major pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca, which has seen phenomenal growth there.

However, the UK cannot afford to indulge its complacency about the ruthless ambition of a totalitarian state that will stop at nothing in its efforts to dominate the world economy. A British and global fightback will be needed - and fast.
Tablighi Jamaat was plain stupid to keep its headquarters, Markaz, open with a large number of foreign delegates, including people from Malaysia, a hotbed of COVID-19 in South East Asia. The fact that Coronavirus spread not just in Malaysia, but other nations of the region through Tablighi Jamaat members was not a secret, unknown to people. To be fair, a Tablighi Jamaat event on 27th and 28th February in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, where as many as 16,000 Tablighi Jamaat delegates came from throughout the world, proved a disaster of sorts as dozens of people got infected with COVID-19 and then took it to their respective regions.

Now it is no secret that the congregation of more than two thousand people at Nizamuddin, Delhi based headquarters of the organization has helped the killer virus to spread further in the country. Many of the people who came there - and there are thousands of people present at the headquarters at any point of time- took the virus with them in a few cases and infected their relatives and other members of the TJ in the process. Now the extent of the impact is coming to the fore.

The Union Health Ministry has said that the Coronavirus increased at alarming rate due to the Tablighi Jamaat. The ministry further said that the COVID 19 infection rate doubled in 4.1 days due to Tablighi Jamaat. Had this congregation not taken place it would have taken at least 7.4 days to double the infection. "If the Tablighi Jamaat incident had not taken place and we compare the rate of doubling - that is in how many days the cases have doubled, we will see that currently it is about 4.1 days (including Jamaat cases) and if the incident had not taken place and additional cases had not come then the doubling rate would have been around 7.4 days," Union Health Ministrys Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said.

There is no denying the fact that the Tablighi Jamaat congregation that lasted from 12-13 of the last month and the subsequent stay of their members in their headquarters situated in New Delhis Nizamuddin area helped the cases to go up in the country. The action is being taken against their leadership as FIRs against their leaders including their head, Maulana Saad Kandhalwi, have been filed at the behest of Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal. However, the way the media has tried to pose a picture that this was done wittingly couldnt be farther from truth.

At a time when the entire focus should have been on how best to fight the pandemic that has killed close to seventy thousand people across the world, the Indian media gave it a communal tinge. Islamophobic content has gone up in the mainstream Indian media, especially in the electronic media.

Vidya Bhushan Rawat, an author and social activist, while talking about the current trend in the media says, I have never trusted Indian media particularly the electronic channels who have become the biggest threat to the unity and integrity of the country. While there is no denial of fact that the event organised by Tabliqhi Jamaat in Delhi was highly irresponsible but to convert into a favorite Hindu Muslim debate is irresponsible and unethical journalism. In the past, there used to be a term for such kind of journalism as yellow journalism but now this is getting filthier day by day. It is clear that the agenda setting is done by those who want to keep the pot boiling by perpetually making Muslims villain for every evil in India so that they can reap the rich harvest as vote during the election.

He goes on to add, what is more disturbing is that such despicable people are allowed to abuse, threaten people while Babas are being legitimized. We demand prohibition on all forms of religious gatherings for the sake of people but selectively targeting Muslims is wrong. Also as RSS does not represent all the Hindus, so is Tagliqhi Jamaat. It does not represent even 1% of Muslims. These are redundant bodies and are only being used to defame the Indian Muslims who are law abiding citizens of the country. It is time media come out of its narrow sectarian savarna prejudices and speak for the nation and not vilify Muslims for the Corona crisis.

What is surprising is the fact that a health scare is being magnified and being used to spread Islamophobia throughout the country. Social media is full of venomous messages against Muslims. These Islamophobes are going to the extent of demanding the extermination of the Muslims in the country.

Tablighi Jamaat that was founded in the year 1927 has its genesis in the Deobandi movement, a nationalist movement of Indian Muslim religious scholars. Tablighi Jamaat is not a missionary organization and doesnt believe in conversion activities. Its objective is to make Muslims, Muslim and not to convert people. It has never dabbled in politics and has never been associated with anything sensational. To be fair, it is surprising that despite being a huge organization with such a massive fan following throughout the world, it doesnt have a proper office and still functions out of a rather modest mosque in Delhis Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin. The organization aims for the spiritual reformation of Islam by working at the grassroots level.

Tablighi Jamaat has been hammered and criticized for a very long time for neglecting worldly issues concerning the larger Muslim community in the country. They are not known to have criticized any government action or inaction and have never come out and issued a statement criticizing governments over riots or suppression of minority riots. When every big or small organization spoke in support of the anti-CAA movement run by Muslim women across the country, the Tablighi Jamaat never spoke about it let alone extending support to the first civil liberties movement led by Muslim women in the country. They didnt speak a word even during the Delhi riots 2020. Apparently this is not a current phenomenon when the Tablighi Jamaat kept mum on issues of importance to the community or the nation. Even during the height of Ramjanambhoomi Movement and when the Babri Masjid was demolished, they didnt speak a word or made any noise against the demolition. The same was true during Gujarat riot 2002.

Muslims have felt betrayed by the Tablighi Jamaat for lack of activism. Despite their immense reach among almost every section of Muslims in the country, except of course among Shias and Barelwis, they never speak about education, about civil rights, about minority rights or abuse of minorities in the country. When mob lynching had become a common sight they still never spoke a word about the menace. You can call them ignorant, obscurantist or illogical, but you cannot call them anti-national, willful lawbreakers or supporters of terrorism, as many people in the media have tried to portray them.



More Columns by Syed Ubaidur Rahman:



Despite muted denials, NRC will target Muslims



Bhagwat, Madani meet: End of the maddening divide



Ahmadullah Shah: Hero whose head and body are buried



Muslim women's entry in mosques: What is the truth?



Syed is a New Delhi based author and commentator. His forthcoming book 'Ulema's Role in India's Freedom Movements with Focus on Reshmi Rumal Tehrik will be out in October
Florida Governor Orders a Million Doses of Hydroxychloroquine

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis placed an order for a million doses of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that doctors across the United States are using to treat COVID-19 patients.

One of the No. 1 questions weve been getting in the state of Florida is what treatments are available, DeSantis said at a press conference on Tuesday. One of the things that physicians have been using is this hydroxychloroquine, usually combined with with Z-Pack.

Doses of the drug were being shipped from India, which lifted its recent export ban after President Donald Trump spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

DeSantis, a Republican, said he spoke to Trump about obtaining the hydroxychloroquine, which was being produced in part by Teva Pharmaceuticals.

The company made one shipment but was having problems getting the rest of the doses out of India before Modi lifted the ban. Amneal Pharmaceuticals was also making shipments to Florida.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine tablets are shown in at the IHU Mediterranee Infection Institute in Marseille, France on Feb. 26, 2020. (Gerard Julien/AFP via Getty Images)

Only hospitalized patients can obtain the drug.

Hydroxychloroquine was being prescribed for off-label use by doctors in most states and the Food and Drug Administration last week authorized using the drug to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

DeSantis said he spoke with doctors who recommended the drug, including Dr. Sunil Kumar, a critical care and pulmonary physician at Broward Health.

Kumar told reporters that doctors have few options, leading them to use hydroxychloroquine with Z-Pack, an antibiotic.

The doctor said physicians are also using other strategies, including rotating patients to lie on their stomachs for part of the day.

City of Sunrise employees place groceries provided by the food bank Feeding South Florida into the vehicles of the needy in Florida on April 6, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

We need to have every option available for these patients, he said.

DeSantis played a video testimonial from a patient who said his life was saved by doctors at Broward Health. It wasnt clear if the man received hydroxychloroquine.

Multiple clinical trials exploring the drugs efficacy and safety are underway around the world, including a 1,500-person trial at the University of Minnesota. Three early studies, two from France and one from China, indicate effectiveness but have been called inadequate by some in the medical community.

Some medical experts have touted the drugs supposed effectiveness while others say further study is needed while criticizing people prescribing and taking the medicine.

Kumar cautioned against assuming hydroxychloroquine is effective and said study results would prove its efficacy one way or another.
Now, in the wake of the pandemic, he felt like one of the lucky ones, with a job and a sense of purpose. Without realizing it at first, he had become one flicker of humanity in the vast bureaucratic void. He had to keep picking up the phone; without much else in the way of immediate solutions, it felt meaningful just being able to say a few words of solidarity and to reassure people that its not their fault this is happening.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper directed acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly to apologize for remarks criticizing Capt. Brett Crozier, former commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, according to multiple reports.

After issuing a statement Monday saying he stood by his statements aboard the carrier, Modly backtracked later in the day, saying in a statement, "I want to apologize to the Navy for my recent comments to the crew of the TR."

The Pentagon declined to comment on reports that Esper directed the apology.

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Secretary of Defense Mark Esper directed acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly to apologize for remarks he made to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt sharply criticizing the ship's former commanding officer, according to multiple reports.

The Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the conversation, first reported that Esper's staff ordered Modly to apologize. Fox News and CNN, citing officials, also reported that Esper's office directed the acting secretary's apology.

The Pentagon declined to comment, and the Office of the Secretary of the Navy did not to Insider's request for comment.

Speaking to the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently at port in Guam, Modly criticized the actions of Capt. Brett Crozier, the carrier's former CO, who was relieved of duty last Thursday after a letter he wrote raising concerns about a serious coronavirus outbreak leaked to the press.

Capt. Brett Crozier, then the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, at an all-hands call on the ship, December 15, 2019.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alexander Williams

CNN reported Tuesday that 230 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for the coronavirus. Crozier has also tested positive, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The acting Navy secretary has accused Crozier of exercising "poor judgment," arguing that the captain sent out his letter over non-secure, unclassified email, making it susceptible to a leak.

Story continues

Audio of Modly's 15-minute all-hands call aboard the carrier leaked after transcripts of the speech surfaced online. In his comments, Modly suggested that Crozier might be "too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer."

"I want to apologize to the Navy for my recent comments to the crew of the TR," Modly said in a statement Monday night, only a few hours after his office released another statement saying, "I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis."

"I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid," he said. "I think and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate."

The acting secretary said that it was because Crozier is not stupid that it is likely "he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship."

"I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused," Modly said in his apology statement.

Esper defended Modly's decision to relieve Crozier on Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," saying the "tough decision" was "based on [Modly's] view that he had lost faith and confidence in the captain based on his actions."

"I think it's just another example of how we hold leaders accountable for their actions," Esper said.

Modly's remarks aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which were reportedly not shared with Pentagon leadership or the White House beforehand, prompted a number of Democratic lawmakers to call for him to either step down or be fired.

During a White House press briefing Monday evening, before the apology statement was released, President Donald Trump suggested he would "get involved" in the matter.

Read the original article on Business Insider
OMAHA, Neb. - Flooding remains a concern in several states along the Missouri River, even though the weather has been kind so far this spring, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency said Wednesday that the flood risk is high in eastern South Dakota, eastern North Dakota, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, eastern Kansas and Missouri because the soil remains wet. However, a lack of rain and the warm temperatures this spring has allowed snow to melt gradually across the Plains without increasing the risk.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has trimmed its forecast for how much water will flow down the Missouri River in 2020, but it is still expected to be a wet year.

We still are looking at above-average risk, but things are improving, said Kevin Low, a National Weather Service hydrologist at the Missouri River Basin River Forecast Center. The soil moisture conditions are slowly improving. Its getting drier, and the fact that we havent had any rain is a godsend.

It helped that the ground didnt remain frozen deep into March across the region, and there were few problems related to ice jams along the Missouri River and its tributaries, Low said.

We are in a lot better shape than I thought we would be two months ago, Low said.

Even if the weather remains mild, some places could still see flooding. Many levees are still in need of repairs after last years massive flooding, particularly in Kansas and Missouri. If there is significant rainfall in the coming months, the Corps could increase releases from upstream dams on the river to prevent the reservoirs from overflowing.

Much of the land in low-lying areas near the Missouri River is cropland, so that often floods first, limiting damage to homes and businesses.

The Corps now estimates 2020 runoff will be 35.5 million acre feet (43.8 cubic kilometres), which would rank in the top 10% of the wettest years in the past 122 years. That is down slightly from last months forecast of 36.9 million acre-feet (45.5 cubic kilometres). The highest runoff year was 2011 with 61 million acre-feet (75.2 cubic kilometres), followed by 2019, with 60.9 million acre-feet (75.1 cubic kilometres).

Several of the rivers that flow into the Missouri River remain high, such as the James and Big Sioux rivers in South Dakota.

Mountain snowpack has yet to melt and flow into the river. The mountain snowpack is slightly above average so far this year. Low said at this stage it doesnt appear the snowpack will create problems along the Missouri River.

Separately, fears of significant flooding along the Red River in North Dakota that were stoked by record rain fall and early winter precipitation have fallen by the wayside thanks, in part, to a slow spring thaw.

Moderate flooding, particularly in Grand Forks and other northern areas, has closed some bridges and roads and an extended period of moderate to major flooding is expected along the Reds tributaries, the weather service said. Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, suffered millions of dollars worth of damage in the record 2009 Red River flood, but has not suffered any serious losses since.

___

Associated Press writer Dave Kolpack contributed to this report from Fargo, North Dakota.
A paramedic working at an isolation ward of a hospital in Bihar has alleged that she was physically assaulted by her neighbours who said they would be infected with coronavirus if she enters her house using a gate adjacent to theirs, police said.

The complainant, Neelu Kumari, is married to Amulya Singh, a resident of Meerganj locality in Town police station area of the district, and she works at the Begusarai Sadar Hospital as an auxiliary nurse midwife.

Town police station SHO Amarendra Kumar Jha said she has lodged an FIR against her neighbours including a former ward councillor and two women.

He said the complainant, who has been attached to the hospital's isolation ward, has alleged that she was stopped from entering her home through the back gate which she was doing as a precautionary measure by her neighbours.

"I was told by my neighbours that I had brought the infection from the hospital and if I had to enter my house I must do so from the front gate and not the one that is adjacent to theirs.

"They also said that water spilled out on the streets when I took bath which increased their risk of getting infected with coronavirus," the woman told reporters indignantly.

The SHO said the accused have denied the allegations and claimed that it was a "trivial dispute".

An investigation has been initiated and further action will be taken as per the findings, he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said the country has made the right decision to implement a lockdown in the whole of Luzon as it prevented a large-scale community outbreak.

Philippines, because of the lockdown, we are not experiencing so-called large-scale community outbreak," said WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai in an interview with CNN Philippines Not Politics As Usual. "What's really important is to try to stay in this stage as much as possible, and if possible, to suppress.

Kasai said peoples full participation and public health interventions are necessary to make the lockdown halt the spread of the deadly virus.

Even it is lockdown, its important for everyone to stay home, protect yourselves, and your family," he said. "Second thing is even under the lockdown, infections might continue, so its very important to organize public health intervention such as tracing and identifying the contact."

When asked if the lockdown must be extended beyond the end of the month, Kasai suggested that new interventions must be considered to flatten the curve.

It is important to be vigilant and make cautious, thorough decision," he said. "When you extend the lockdown, its not continuing the same level of interventions, there are some options to peel one by one.

The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon was extended until April 30 to further contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.

The country now has 3,870 cases of COVID-19, with 182 deaths, and 96 recoveries.

Meanwhile, mass testing is ongoing for the target patients.

COVID-19 National Task Force spokesperson Restituto Padilla said Wednesday that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) is expected to process 100,000 COVID-19 tests a day in the next three months.

He added that the RITM is also preparing to distribute 900,000 test kits in all accredited test facilities in the country.
The campaign is ensuring folks have the facts, engaging in good-faith dialogue, so we can come to some actionable items, said Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Mr. Biden who has helped lead the progressive outreach. I think we will get there with a number of these groups and I think well get there sooner than later.

There is also an internal working group focused on younger voters, and Mr. Bidens advisers said Wednesday that constituency was a top priority. And Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, a national campaign co-chairman for Mr. Biden, has maintained a dialogue with his counterpart on the Sanders campaign, Representative Ro Khanna of California.

Some of Mr. Bidens allies have also started to think about issues on which he could move further to the left. The coronavirus outbreak has sharpened attention on economic inequality and health care disparities, allies say, and while Mr. Biden has been clear that he does not support Mr. Sanderss sweeping single-payer health care proposal, Medicare for all, supporters say he could make substantive overtures to progressives in other ways.

The vice president has a very good policy right now when it comes to health care, in terms of a very strong public option, said Representative Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona and a progressive Biden supporter. Talking to Bernie people, they would like to see a stronger universal health care package. It doesnt necessarily have to be Medicare for all, but something that brings more people more coverage. And I think the vice president, if he moves that direction, will find a lot more support among progressives.

Mr. Bidens campaign did not comment on whether he was weighing changes to his health care position. But while he is not expected to embrace Medicare for all, he has adopted a number of other proposals championed by Mr. Sanders as well as by Ms. Warren, another progressive former presidential candidate.

With Mr. Sanders out of the race, one of Mr. Bidens urgent tasks is to close his financial gap with Mr. Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee, which entered March with a combined $225 million cash on hand. Mr. Biden had $12 million and the Democratic National Committee had $14 million, with $6 million in unpaid bills.

Mr. Bidens campaign and the D.N.C. are expected to have imminent conversations about setting up such a committee, said Xochitl Hinojosa, the committees communications director. Inside the Biden finance operation, those conversations have already begun.
Alan Rickman passed away just over four years ago.

And J.K. Rowling, 54, made a touching tribute to the late star, who tragically died in 2016 of pancreatic cancer, when a Harry Potter fan gushed about his portrayal of Severus Snape in the film franchise.

Explaining that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was playing on TV in Italy, the fan admitted they were 'NOT ready to say goodbye to Severus Snape' again, and they said Alan was 'perfect' in the role.

Moving: J.K. Rowling shared a touching tribute to Alan Rickman on Tuesday as she said she was in tears when she thought she saw him in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child rehearsals

Responding to the fan, the author revealed: 'In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience.

'At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan.'

Alan was one of the best-loved British actors of his time, and will forever be immortalised in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as the eponymous character's Potions Master.

In the original West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it was Paul Bentall who took on the role.

Emotional: Responding to a fan, the author said at the West End show's rehearsals 'for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan'

Iconic: Alan was one of the best-loved British actors, and will forever be immortalised in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as the eponymous character's Potions Master Severus Snape

Harry Potter fans the world over were deeply saddened when Professor Snape was killed off in the final book, after they'd finally warmed to the initially sinister Slytherin.

In a 2011 interview Alan said author Rowling had given him a 'tiny, little, left of field' detail to help his portrayal of antihero Snape.

Shortly after his death, she revealed on Twitter that she had told Alan of Snape's enduring love for Harry Potter's mother Lily, who died protecting a baby Harry from Lord Voldemort.

Secret: In a 2011 interview the actor said author Rowling had given him a 'tiny, little, left of field' detail to help his portrayal of antihero Snape

In response to a question from a fan who asked her to let them in on the secret, JK told her Twitter followers: 'I told Alan what lies behind the word "always".'

Her response refers to a scene in the seventh and final novel in the series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, when Professor Snape reveals that he had always been besotted with Lily - who was his childhood friend.

When Hogwarts headmaster Professor Dumbledore asks if he has been in love with Lily all this time, Snape replies with one word, 'always'.

It was Snape's love for Lily that led the teacher, who had been one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, to align himself with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix as something of a double agent.

When filming began on the series, the final books were yet to be published, and readers would not have known this plot twist.

JK took the great risk in letting Alan know Snape's secret, and her decision meant that he was able to portray one of the most important roles in the whole series.
A Democratic partys state legislature from Michigan has credited hydroxychloroquine for saving her life from coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, adding the politician has thanked him for promoting the malaria drug.

Amidst an intense debate on side effects of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19, Trump has been actively promoting the drug as an option when there is no viable treatment for the dreaded virus which has so far taken more than 12,800 Americans lives, including a record over 2,000 in just one single day on Tuesday.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett has said she and her husband could save their lives from coronavirus only after they started taking hydroxychloroquine.

She asked her doctor to prescribe this after she saw President Trump touting for this drug on a news channel.

This is a woman I thought she was going to die. I mean, she is a Democrat representative, highly respected woman, African-American woman. ...the way she told the story was beautiful. I asked my husband to go and get it. He got it. She is now okay. I mean, she was interviewed last night on television, and she thanked me, Trump told reporters at the White House.

Also read: India partially eases restrictions on export of anti-malarial drug

She thanked me even in a tweet. She said I want to thank President Trump. He saved my life. Look, I dont say that happens with everybody, but thats a beautiful story. There are many of those stories. And I say try it (hydroxychloroquine), he said in response to a question.

The US Food and Drug Administration has given temporary approval of the malaria drug in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. It is being experimented on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating it will work, the Trump Administration has procured more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine. It has also placed a major order from three Indian companies. After an initial hold on its export, the Indian government has now allowed its export to the US.

Responding to questions, Trump said he has been hearing great results about it.

But the drug has to be prescribed by a doctor, he added.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

Doctors have to recommend it. Im not a doctor. Im just saying we hear great results. And some people say lets go to a laboratory, lets test it for a couple of years. No. We got people dying in this country and all over the world right now, not in a couple of years. Theyre dying. As we speak there are people dying, Trump asserted.

In an interview to Detroit Free Press Journal, Rep Whitsett said she was tested for the coronavirus and learned Monday her results were positive. She said that less than two hours after taking hydroxychloroquine, she began to feel relief, the daily reported.

When asked by the Free Press if she thinks Trump may have saved her life, Whitsett said, Yes, I do and I do thank him for that. I appreciate that woman. She was great. You have to see it to believe it, the way she spoke. It was like a miracle. And this was not a fan of mine, but shes a fan of mine now and Im very honoured by it, Trump told reporters.

Also read: Blood transfusion from those who have recovered from Covid-19 may help

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage
Exploitation of wildlife by humans through hunting, trade, and habitat degradation leads to close contact between the animals and humans, increasing the risk of spillover of viruses like the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19, according to a study.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, provides new evidence for assessing spillover risk in animal species and highlights how the processes that create wildlife population declines also enable the transmission of animal viruses to humans.

"Spillover of viruses from animals is a direct result of our actions involving wildlife and their habitat," said lead author Christine Kreuder Johnson, from the University of California, Davis in the US.

"The consequence is they're sharing their viruses with us. These actions simultaneously threaten species survival and increase the risk of spillover. In an unfortunate convergence of many factors, this brings about the kind of mess we're in now," Johnson said.

The scientists assembled a large dataset of the 142 known viruses that spill over from animals to humans and the species that have been implicated as potential hosts.

Using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, they examined patterns in those species' abundance, extinction risks and underlying causes for species declines.

The data show clear trends in spillover risk that highlight how people have interacted with animals throughout history, the researchers said.

They found that domesticated animals, including livestock, have shared the highest number of viruses with humans, with eight times more zoonotic viruses compared to wild mammalian species.

This is likely a result of our frequent close interactions with these species for centuries, the researchers said.

According to the study, wild animals that have increased in abundance and adapted well to human-dominated environments also share more viruses with people.

These include some rodent, bat and primate species that live among people, near our homes, and around our farms and crops, making them high-risk for ongoing transmission of viruses to people, it found.

The researchers noted that at the other end of the spectrum are threatened and endangered species.

These are animals whose population declines were connected to hunting, wildlife trade and decreases in habitat quality, the said.

These species were predicted to host twice as many zoonotic viruses compared to threatened species that had populations decreasing for other reasons, according to the researchers.

Threatened and endangered species also tend to be highly managed and directly monitored by humans trying to bring about their population recovery, which also puts them into greater contact with people, they said.

Bats repeatedly have been implicated as a source of "high consequence" pathogens, including SARS, Nipah virus, Marburg virus and ebolaviruses, the study noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Troops are reaching out to people living in far flung areas to provide and facilitate distribution of essential items across the country. The force has been asked keep good care of people who are living in areas where there is hardly any communication.

Areas in Leh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and villages situated at Himalayan range are getting adequate supply of essential items.

"The Jawans of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are providing ration, fuel, medicines besides other daily use items in different parts of the Country during the lock down. They are also helping authorities in enforcement of the lockdown and keeping an eye on the supplies being provided to the needy. Remote border villages of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh where the Force is deployed have been focused specially by the Force besides other parts of the nation such as Patna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar to name a few," ITBP, Spokesperson Vivek Pandey said.

According to ITBP Migrant laborers, villagers are provided ration and other items free of cost. The concerned administrations are also provided help aiding them to reach to the remotest parts of Himalayas.

"Thousands of people are benefited with the gesture. The Force is also running awareness campaigns in the areas and keeping social distancing in mind, providing correct information to the people of these areas," ITBP says. ITBP troops have distributed essential items to locals in remote Thangi village, Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, have ration items to the BPL families of border villages and stranded labourers in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Not only in Northern India but ITBP has also helped people in Northeast India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MBABANE  Reality is hitting hard for 62-year-old Thembeni Shabangu as the country enters day 13 of the partial lockdown.



Shabangu, who has been a vendor for the past 20 years, is finding it hard to cope, following that she survives from hand to mouth to feed her family of 16.



Under normal circumstances, Shabangu, who sells vegetables at the Mbabane Bus Rank, made about E500 a day, but due to the lockdown, she has been turned into a beggar. Having to face her challenges every day is becoming unbearable such that she wishes she could buy death itself.

Relating her ordeal, Shabangu said, Kube kufa kuyatsengwa ngabe kadze ngakutsenga.



Breadwinner



Being a sole breadwinner for her family, she wakes up every morning to wander around the city as she cannot stand watching her children, grandchildren and husband starve.

However, she said despite going to town every day, it happens that she returns empty-handed and they sleep on an empty stomach.

My husband suffered a stroke last year and this has resulted in me becoming the breadwinner, said Shabangu.



The elderly woman said as she walked around the city, there were good Samaritans who were touched by her situation and donated food to her.

Currently, she said she was left with a 5kg pack of mealie-meal and beans which were last week donated to her by a good Samaritan.

Holding back tears, Shabangu said the food was now running out and she had no clue what she would do next.



Since the lockdown began, Shabangu said she had not had a chance to sell at her stall.

At least 78 fruit and vegetable vendors operate in the city and they have arranged to come in turns until the partial lockdown comes to an end. On a daily basis, only 10 vendors are allowed to operate.



According to Shabangu, she will for the first time during the lockdown, be at her stall tomorrow.

She said despite not being at her stall, she normally requested her colleagues to display a few items on their tables for her in order to go back home with something.



Shabangu said buying soap was impossible for the family as they were struggling to even put food on the table.

As a result, she said they could hardly wash their clothes and hands during this critical time of COVID-19 as the ministry of health is always advising the washing of hands.



She said if she had the privilege to ask for assistance from government, she had a number of requests but food was a priority for her and school fees for her last-born son who is currently in Form V.

Another distraught vendor is Sonto Zwane.



Since the partial lockdown was implemented by government, surviving is almost impossible for Zwane. She said as a result, she had turned into a beggar as she is compelled to return home with food after wandering aimlessly around town.



According to Zwane, it was impossible for her to buy in bulk as she cannot afford to.

Zwane, who also has a stall at the bus rank, said she sold perishables, including lettuce, cabbage and spinach.



Display



My turn to display at my stall was on Sunday and the town was empty due to the partial lockdown, resulting in my wares not being bought, said Zwane.

She said in order for her stock not to expire, she requested some colleagues to display them for her at their stalls. This is also not helping as they have to make sure their stuff is bought first before they can sell mine.



Zwane said despite the lockdown, she travelled every day to the city where she begs for money in order to buy food for her two children aged 12 and seven.

She said she was forced to beg because there was no guarantee that her vegetables would be bought under the circumstances.



They are pleading to government to allow them to trade in various parts of the city, lest they die of hunger. Government last week issued a list of essential sectors that would be allowed to trade.

As a means to curb large crowds, the vendors were told to take turns in selling their wares within the city.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology stressed that prisoners cannot be temporarily freed during the pandemic, despite running petitions against the threat of COVID-19 inside jails.

In a statement, BJMP spokesperson Xavier Solda said Wednesday that they are still studying propositions that are "not within the bounds of existing laws," despite calls to decongest their detention cells.

"One of the issues here is actually on how to present strong evidence to convince the court that those who will be released after having been detained or convicted for low-level and non-violent offenses will not endanger the public or at the very least, will not commit any crime during this public health emergency," he said.

Solda reasoned that if persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), even those from the vulnerable sector of the prison population, would be released in the first place, there is no guarantee that they will return immediately once the virus has been contained.

"[They] are safer inside our jails, with us. If they will be out, as some groups [are] proposing, how can these groups assure the public that those who will be released will not contract the virus?" Solda added.

Earlier in the day, families of 22 prisoners were assisted by the Public Interest Law Center and the National Union of People's Lawyers in filing a petition before the Supreme Court which seeks the temporary release of these individuals from the "vulnerable or at-risk groups by reason of their medical and/or physical conditions" based on humanitarian grounds.

The petition noted that the virus will most likely infect those who are elderly, sickly, and pregnant inside jails due to "overcrowding and lack of access to hygiene measures and medical care."

But for Solda, the BJMP is just doing its best to implement the necessary precautionary measures inside their facility to avoid infection.

"We are thankful that up to this date, we have no record of PDLs with COVID-19 inside our jails," he said.

Back in March, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said that inmates have no way of contracting the virus due to the suspension of visitation rights inside detention cells.

Data from the Department of Interior and Local Government shows that there are a total of 134,748 PDLs nationwide. The male dormitory of Cebu City Jail has the highest number of PDLs with 6,237; followed by Manila City Jail with 4,916.
Amnesty International, a global human rights movement, has chronicled how some African countries, including Nigeria, have failed in protecting citizens from war crimes and human rights violations.

This was contained in its 2019 report which was sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.

In its regional overview, the rights movement stated that many countries as well as international peacekeepers have failed in their obligation to protect civilians from war crimes and other serious human rights violations committed by armed groups including killings, torture, abductions and mass displacements.

In eastern DRC, local police and nearby UN peacekeepers stayed in their camps while armed groups killed at least 70 civilians in Beni during November. In Nigeria, security forces failed to protect civilians in the northeast as Boko Haram carried out over 30 attacks resulting in at least 378 civilian deaths and the displacement of thousands of people.

According to Amnesty International (AI), residents of some attacked towns and villages reported that Nigerian security forces had withdrawn their protection shortly before the attacks.

In Cameroons Far north region, civilians protested against the lack of state protection and their feeling of abandonment amidst Boko Harams surge in attacks during which at least 275 people were killed and others mutilated or kidnapped, it added.

Of the 2.3 million people displaced in Nigeria by the Boko Haram conflict since May 2013, at least 250,000 have left Nigeria and fled into Cameroon, Chad or Niger.

Boko Haram killed over 6,600 in 2014, AI said. The group has carried out mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014.

In 2014, the militants gained control of the territory in and around their home state of Borno.

On March 7, 2015, Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, rebranding as Islamic State in West Africa. The terror group has since split into different factions.

President Muhammadu Buhari and other top government officials had on several occasions announced that the government has technically defeated the terrorists although a lot of fatal attacks are still being carried out by the insurgent group.

How Nigeria has fared

In its review of human rights violation in Nigeria, AI stated that the attacks by Boko Haram had resulted in hundreds of deaths, occasioned by security forces failure to protect civilians.

Boko Haram continued to carry out attacks, abductions and killings of civilians in the Northeast. The armed group carried out at least 31 attacks that resulted in at least 378 civilian.

The Nigeria Army, Police and State Security Service continued to torture and ill-treat detainees. Communal violence continued in some parts of the country. Freedoms of assembly, association and expression were all under attack as the country witnessed an increasing shrinking civic space. The government also disobeyed several court orders.

In addition, at least 96 people were killed in violent clashes between members of farmers and herders communities.

On impunity, the group noted that little progress was made in securing accountability for human rights violations and abuses committed by security forces.

No one was brought to justice for the killing of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) protestors in different states.

This paper reported several clashes between security operatives and IMN members popularly addressed as Shiites over the incarceration of its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

Mr El-Zakzaky has been detained since December 2015 when soldiers killed over 300 of his followers for blocking a public road to be used by the army chief, Tukur Buratai.

The cleric and his wife are being prosecuted for their roles in the death of a soldier during the violence. No soldier is being prosecuted for the massacre of the Shiites

Freedom Of Expression

Amnesty also stated that the right to freedom of expression remained increasingly restricted in Nigeria.

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Journalists, bloggers and media activists who asked federal and state authorities probing questions were variously charged with cybercrime and terrorism under the Cybercrime Act of 2015 and Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act of 2013. Amnesty International documented 19 cases of assault, arbitrary arrests, and detention of journalists.

PREMIUM TIMES recalls the unlawful detention of Jones Abiri, a journalist from Bayelsa, and Agba Jalingo, another journalist who works with Cross River Watch and accused the Cross River governor, Ben Ayade, of corruption.

Both journalists spent several months in detention but are now on bail while their trial continues.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison (R) and Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy during a press conference in the Main Committee Room at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on April 07, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australia Reveals Modelling Behind Its CCP Virus Response Strategy, Says Curve Is Flattening

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy have revealed the modelling behind the governments response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, including how it is preparing its health system and intensive care units.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra following the latest National Cabinet meeting on April 7, Murphy said the highly technical modelling work shows social distancing and hygiene measures are flattening the curve of the virus. He warned that we cannot be complacent, we must hold the line.

Describing the first model as a highly artificial, very unlikely scenario in which nearly 90 per cent of the population, 23 million people, were infected at the same time, without any measures to flatten the curve, Murphy said the demand for intensive care would peak at 35,000 beds a day.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Government Professor Brendan Murphy sanitise their hands on arrival for a National Cabinet meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on March 20, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

This is where you let the virus spread, you do nothing, and treat people as they seek medical attention, he said. This is a horrendous scenario. You would see a daily demand for ICU beds of 30,000-plus. If you had this highly artificial, very unlikely outbreak, you couldnt meet demand.

The second model showed what would happen in that scenario but with measures taken to flatten the curve, including quarantine and isolation. It showed a huge reduction in the spread of the virus but that Australia would still exceed its ICU bed demand at more than 15,000 a day.

In the final model, which showed what would happen in the same situation but if quarantine, isolation, and social distancing measures were takenmeasures which Australia currently has in place, the demand for intensive care beds would be at manageable levels of around 5,000.

You can see that you very significantly drop the peak, extend the theoretical outbreak, Murphy said, adding that the models show just how effective these measures, particularly social distancing, are in Australias efforts to combat the disease.

However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stressed that the model work is theoretical, only and that he understands the limitations of it. It is not based on Australian case data and does not model Australian responses. The modelling does not predict what will happen in Australia, he said.

Medical professionals administer tests at the Bondi Beach drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in Sydney, Australia on April 6, 2020. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

It does not tell you how many Australians will contract the virus or how many may succumb to that virus, or how long it will last in Australia. The modelling work is based on international data  it proves up the theory of flattening the curve, Morrison said. It confirms, based on that international data, that by taking the measures we are taking, you can make a difference. And indeed, that is what we are experiencing here in Australia.

Morrison noted that future modelling data would incorporate Australian case data and modelling of the Australian responses but said the current case data is quite low, particularly that through community transmission.

Elsewhere in the press briefing, the PM announced a mandatory code for commercial tenancies to support businesses financially impacted by the CCP virus. Under the scheme, landlords will be barred from terminating leases or drawing on a tenants security. They will have to reduce leases in proportion to the reduction in the tenants business in the form of waivers or deferrals. The mandatory code will apply to tenancies where the landlord or tenant is eligible for the JobKeeper program and where they have a turnover of $50 million or less.

As of April 7, Australia has 5,895 confirmed cases of CPP virus, while 45 deaths have been attributed to the disease, which originated in Wuhan, China.
As the novel coronavirus sweeps across the United States, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to an analysis of early data from jurisdictions across the country.

The emerging stark racial disparity led the surgeon general Tuesday to acknowledge in personal terms the increased risk for African-Americans amid growing demands that public-health officials release more data on the race of those who are sick, hospitalized and dying of a contagion that has killed more than 12,000 people in the United States.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Montgomery County sees a 'big increase' in cases coming; more from the Houston area

A Washington Post analysis of what data is available and census demographics show that counties that are majority-black have three times the number of infections and almost six times the number of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.

In Milwaukee County, home to Wisconsin's largest city, African-Americans account for 73 percent of the dead but just 26 percent of the population. The disparity is similar in Louisiana, where 70 percent of the people who have died were black, although African-Americans make up just 32 percent of the state's population.

HOUSTON'S TOP DOCTOR: African Americans 'suffering the worst consequences' (HoustonChronicle.com)

In Michigan, where the state's 845 reported deaths outrank all but New York's and New Jersey's, African-Americans account for 33 percent of cases and 40 percent of deaths, despite comprising only 14 percent of the population. The state does not offer a breakdown of race by county or city, but more than a quarter of deaths occurred in Detroit, where African-Americans make up 79 percent of the population.

PHOTOS: Masked crowds flood streets, trains in Wuhan as lockdown ends

And in Illinois, a disparity nearly identical to Michigan's exists at the state level, but the picture becomes far starker when looking at data just from Chicago, where black residents have died at a rate six times that of white residents. Of the city's 118 reported deaths, nearly 70 percent were black - a share 40 points greater than the percentage of African-Americans living in Chicago.

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time the racial disparity at the White House task force briefing Tuesday.

"We are doing everything in our power to address this challenge, and it's a tremendous challenge," Trump said. "It's terrible." He added that Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "is looking at it very strongly."

GOOGLE PHONE DATA: Here's where Houstonians have been going during pandemic

"Why is it three or four times more so for the black community as opposed to other people?" Trump said. "It doesn't make sense, and I don't like it, and we are going to have statistics over the next probably two to three days."

Detailed data on the race of coronavirus patients has been reported publicly in fewer than a dozen states and several more counties.

African-Americans' higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and lung disease are well-documented, and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, noted that those health problems make people more vulnerable to the new respiratory disease. But there never has been a pandemic that brought the disparities so vividly into focus.

"I've shared myself personally that I have high blood pressure," said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who is 45, "that I have heart disease and spent a week in the [intensive care unit] due to a heart condition, that I actually have asthma and I'm prediabetic, and so I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America."

Adams added, "It breaks my heart" to hear about higher covid-19 death rates in the black community, emphasizing that recommendations to stay at home to slow the spread are for everyone to follow.

On Monday, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and hundreds of doctors joined a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, in demanding that the federal government release daily race and ethnicity data on coronavirus testing, patients and their health outcomes.

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only released figures by age and gender.

Legislators, civic advocates and medical professionals say the information is needed to ensure that African-Americans and other people of color have equal access to testing and treatment, and also to help to develop a public-health strategy to protect those who are more vulnerable.

In its letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the Lawyers' Committee said the Trump administration's "alarming lack of transparency and data is preventing public health officials from understanding the full impact of this pandemic on Black communities and other communities of color."

As pressure mounted, a CDC spokesman said Tuesday that the agency plans to include covid-19 hospitalizations by race and ethnicity in its next Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, more than six weeks after the first American died of the disease.

Health departments nationwide report coronavirus cases to the CDC using a standardized form that asks for a range of demographic information, including race and ethnicity. However, fields are often left blank and those local agencies are "under a tremendous amount of strain to collect and report case information," said Scott Pauley, a CDC spokesman.

As the disease has spread in the United States, information on age, gender and county of residence also has been reported inconsistently and sporadically.

In some regions, lawmakers are pushing to fill the data gap on their own. Virginia reports the racial breakdown of its cases but not of its deaths. In neighboring Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said Tuesday the state would begin to release data about race, a day after more than 80 members of the House of Delegates sent him a letter asking for the information.

Del. Nick Mosby, a Democrat who represents Baltimore, has pushed for the data for weeks after he started hearing from friends, colleagues and his Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers about black men who were infected or were dying of covid-19.

"It was kind of frightening," Mosby said. "I started receiving calls about people I knew personally."

In the District of Columbia, this week, district officials released race data for the first time, showing that the disease has killed African-Americans in disproportionately high numbers. Nearly 60 percent of the District's 22 fatalities were black, but African-Americans make up about 46 percent of the city's population.

Like many other jurisdictions, the District's health officials don't know the race of many people who have tested positive. In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said that the city lacked race data on half of all positive cases but that the existing data was enough for her to be "very fearful of the impact that this virus is going to have disproportionately on African-Americans in our country."

"We know that underlying conditions, like hypertension and diabetes and heart disease, this virus is particularly hard on," Bowser said. "And we know that African-Americans are living with those underlying conditions every day, probably in larger proportions than most of our fellow Americans."

Although the disparities have garnered national attention in recent days, some predominantly black communities have been rocked by the outbreak for the past several weeks.

Dougherty County and the city of Albany, in rural southwest Georgia, have recorded the highest number of deaths in Georgia. Dougherty, with a population of 90,000, had 939 positive cases and 52 deaths as of Tuesday.

By contrast, Fulton County, which includes Atlanta and has a population of more than 1 million, had 1,124 cases and 36 deaths. Black residents make up 70 percent of Dougherty's population and more than 90 percent of coronavirus deaths, said county coroner Michel Fowler.

"Historically, when America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia," Albany City Commissioner Demetrius Young said last week.

Elected officials and public-health experts have pointed to generations of discrimination and distrust between black communities and the health-care system. African-Americans are also more likely to be uninsured and live in communities with inadequate health-care facilities.

As a result, African-Americans have historically been disproportionately diagnosed with chronic diseases such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes - underlying conditions that experts say make covid-19 more lethal.

Critics of the public-health response have cited confusing messaging about how the virus is transmitted and have noted that some public officials were slow to take action to push people out of public spaces and into their homes to encourage social distancing.

Even then, some activists argued, black people might have been more exposed because many held low-wage or essential jobs, such as food service, public transit and health care, that required them to continue to interact with the public.

"This outbreak is exposing the deep structural inequities that make communities pushed to the margins more vulnerable to health crises in good times and in bad," Dorianne Mason, the director of health equity at the National Women's Law Center, said in a statement. "These structural inequities in our health care system do not ignore racial and gender disparities - and neither should our response to this pandemic."

- - -

The Washington Post's David Montgomery, Ovetta Wiggins, Samantha Pell and Darran Simon contributed to this report.
Image: Getty

Sarah Newlyn is a 28 year old woman who's about to withdraw $20,000 from her retirement savings as the Coronavirus puts pressure on the finances of millions of Australians and looks set to test the stability of the countrys superannuation system.

Pulling money out of our super is a bit if an opportunity for us for right now, she says, adding that she has tons of time to top up her super.

Theres not a lot of point in my partner and I having about $250,000 in our combined super funds if we are having difficulty paying our two mortgages.

My mental health is suffering and we now need to sell both our Toowoomba properties and plan to relocate to the Gold Coast to be near family and increase our chances of finding more regular work, Ms Newlyn says.

Sarah Newlyn. Image: Supplied

Superannuation funds are bracing for between $25 billion to possibly $50 billion in withdrawals after the federal government announced it would give people affected by the Coronavirus early access to $10,000 in savings over two financial years  giving them $20,000 in total.

It comes as the superannuation balances of millions of Australia's suffer as fear and panic over the uncertainty of the Coronavirus push Australian shares down about 30% since the start of this year.

For many people like Sarah, selling out of superannuation is the chance to stay afloat in the current environment.

It means a few things right now.

1. Immediate cashflow to manage financial hardship

2. Depletion of retirement savings and pressure to make it up with additional contributions at a later date.

3. Crystalizing recent share market losses

4. Can have an impact member returns, particularly for those about to retire, if mass withdrawals or moves towards cash force funds to liquidate assets.

Chris Bates mortgage broker and financial adviser at Wealthful is not a fan of being able to access your super.

Story continues

Super is not a tool to support people now it is there to support people when they are older.

If you really are in financial hardship, then you can already access your superannuation. I dont think the government needed to change the rules again as it just makes people even more distrusting of the system.

Mr Bates adds that as superannuation funds are forced to sell assets because of the early withdrawals or as some members move to cash, it means they are doing so at the worst time for all members.

In Ms Newlyns case she understands that accessing her super might not be the smartest long term financial move but she says the pressure the money stress is putting on her, is unbearable.

My mental health is suffering at the moment and I am hoping if we free up some cash and reduce our debt exposure that in the short term our finances will improve and that will be better for the wellbeing of our family.

I am also conscious that as a woman there is a gender pay gap in super but having already been with an employer who pays above average in the super guarantee (SG) and now working for myself in a social media consultancy, I am confident in my ability to top up my super.

Emily Lanciana, financial planner Apt Wealth says accessing $10,000 now could mean forgoing $100,000 in ten years.

Obviously there are people who are in a position and they have been let go from their jobs and they cant put food on the table who just need the money.

But there is also other government support out there and I would stress if you do access your super, then have a plan to top it back up when you can afford to.

Fear is mounting that by giving Australians easier access to their superannuation, that some funds, particularly those with larger holdings of illiquid assets and low member inflows, might collapse if members either switch out of their funds or move to cash.

Indeed, some industry super funds asked the government or the Reserve Bank of Australia to underwrite their liquidity needs at this time on the basis that there could be more people than the government expects to withdraw their cash from super because of the coronavirus crisis. That proposal has since been rejected by the government.

A lot of funds with low members and low levels of new money coming in, could actually go under in these times, says Mr Bates.

The bigger diversified low-cost funds will do better during this time. Australian Super and Sun Super are among those.

I dont think there will be a run on super funds withdrawals but the reality is that as more people look to access their funds early, it will have an impact on all returns, said Mr Bates.

Bianca Hartge-Hazelman is the founder of the Financy Womens Index and specialises in writing on womens money matters for Financy and Yahoo Finance.
What can a pandemic teach us about new technologies and the fears we harbor about using them?

The need to practice social distancing and flatten the curve of the coronavirus has paralyzed day-to-day business. As public health officials recommend avoiding face-to-face contact with others, basic human exchanges and tasks have been upended.

Think of the times when we greeted an employee, gave a form of payment and picked up a purchase. Or the times we went to and from work, with strangers in a parking lot or elevator, or next to us on a bus or train. There was no thought about how far apart we were or how many people were around us.

Times of crisis force us to innovate. Virginia businesses are finding the good in the drone debate.
Ren Zhiqiang, president of Hua Yuan Group, delivers a speech during the 2006 High-End Economic Forum at Luxehills International Club in Chengdu, China, on Jan. 7, 2006. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Beijing Places Outspoken Tycoon Under Investigation for Criticizing Regimes Virus Response

Chinese tycoon and princeling Ren Zhiqiang is under investigation by the Communist Party, following his disappearance in mid-March.

Ren, 69, is suspected of serious violations of Party discipline and the law, said the Beijing municipal branch of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), an internal Party anti-corruption watchdog, in an online announcement on April 7.

The CCDI added that Ren is currently under disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the agencys regional branch in the Xicheng district of Beijing.

The agency didnt provide further details about Rens alleged wrongdoing, but the turn of phrase is an oft-used euphemism for corruption. Many Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials sentenced in recent years were charged with disciplinary violations before formal court proceedings.

Ren is a real estate tycoon in Beijing and the son of former deputy minister of commerce Ren Quansheng. As a child of a former senior CCP official, Ren is considered a Party princeling.

After he went missing on March 12, China observers speculated that he was in Beijings crosshairs. Most recently, in March, he wrote an online article criticizing the regime for lying to the public about the spread of the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

His article also lashed out at Chinese leader Xi Jinping, calling him a clown who insists on being an emperor.

China analysts also said his month-long disappearance hinted that factional infighting within the CCP was intensifying.

The investigation against Ren is politically significant, according to U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan.

In a tweet on April 7, Tang wrote that the investigation signaled the end of any possible reform the CCP may undertake.

Tang explained that former Party leader Deng Xiaoping once said, Hide your strength, bide your time, a strategy of stealthily pursuing the Partys goals. In recent years, some Party officials have criticized Xi for being too aggressive with pushing Beijings agenda and thus threatening the Partys stability.

Any hope of returning to Deng Xiaopings style was shattered with the news of Rens investigation, Tang said.

He added that the investigation showed that princelings would not be immune to Party punishmentif they held opinions that stray from the Party line.

BBC (British Broadcasting Corp), citing several unnamed sources, said Rens son was also taken away by Chinese authorities for investigation, in a report published on April 7. Sources also told BBC that officials from CCDI have been investigating state-run real estate conglomerate Huayuan Group. Ren was its former chairman.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong media Apple Daily, citing an unnamed source, said that Cai Qi, Party secretary of Beijing city, decided to go public with Rens case.

The source also told Apple Daily that Cai has also decided to investigate others who have issued public letters demanding those responsible for the epidemic to be held accountable.
- A young Nigerian inventor has made a ventilator he claimed COVID-19 patients could use

- The Nigerian explained in great details how the important parts of the improvised machine works

- Though he said the ventilator pumps in and out air, the control switch appears to need some finishing touches

- Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

As the world struggles against coronavirus with a short supply of medical supplies, an unnamed talented young Nigerian man has risen up to the challenge by creating a ventilator.

In a video shared by a Twitter user with the handle @skyman_i2, the Nigerian explains how his invention works.

He also showed the different components that made it up. Most especially, the inventor pointed out how the machine can be regulated through a switch.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: All the news on pandemic on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Watch the video below:

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that some students at the Islamic University in Uganda improvised a hand-washer that pumps out water and soap through automation.

The students at the center of this creative inventions are Lucky Mwaka and Mansoor Muhammad, who also both work at the universitys research and innovation laboratory.

The main idea behind the handwashing bucket is to ensure quality hygiene in places where they cannot afford luxury cleansing items like hand sanitizers.

We thought of a way to draw water without having to open and close the taps. This is for people who use soap and water separately or those who do prior mixing of the disinfectant with water," Umar Yahya, their lecturer said.

He said the way it is made, the hand-washer can be used with any kind of container, depending on what the user can buy.

READ ALSO: MTN Ghana commits GHC5 million in support of COVID-19 pandemic

One of the inventors, Mwaka, said that the washer works when hands come in close proximity to it. He said that it is also very water-saving.

The cost of producing the container is $24 and has been used across several places on the campus with plans to produce more.

In other news, Pope Francis on Monday, April 6, spoke about the situation of the poor. In his tweet, the pontiff said that God will judge the world on how we relate with the poor.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana

He explained a popular verse in the bible which said: The poor you will always have with you, saying God meant he will always be present in the poor.

He singled out that particular place in the Bible as the focus of the gospel, adding that it carries much power that it would form the center of Gods judgment.

New contactless washing tap invention to fight COVID-19 in Ghana | #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: Ashaiman shooting: John Mahama joins residents to demand justice for man shot by soldier

Source: YEN.com.gh
You can almost forgive Thomas Modly; after all, he was only following the presidential playbook.

He disregarded dissenting views, acted rashly and doubled down when his decision was questioned. The only problem is that he forgot theres only one Donald Trump, so the acting Navy secretary can now add former to his title.

Modly resigned Tuesday over the firestorm that raged after his botched firing of Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt who had called attention to a coronavirus outbreak aboard his aircraft carrier.

The captain was removed from command last week, after a memo he wrote pleading for help leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die, Crozier said. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset  our sailors.

Whether you see Crozier as selflessly protecting the health of his crew or overreacting and going outside the chain of command, the facts merit a deliberate investigation.

In the case of Modly, there is no need to withhold judgment.

On Monday, the acting secretary lambasted the fired commander to the crew of the Roosevelt in a profanity-laced tirade over the vessels PA system. It was recorded and shared with the media. Modly called Crozier, either too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer and berated sailors for cheering for their former captain as he left the ship.

His actions were unbecoming of a junior-grade seaman. They were inexcusable for the secretary of the Navy and his resignation couldnt have come quickly enough.

Trump called the resignation really unselfish, and said hed never would have asked him to quit. Thats no surprise. Modlys shoddy treatment of Crozier and the Roosevelts crew  more than 150 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19  is par for the course in an administration that consistently punishes those who dare follow their conscience or presume to speak truth to power.

On Friday, President Trump fired Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general whose handling of the whistleblower complaint regarding Ukraine led to the presidents impeachment. On Saturday, Trump left no doubt about why Atkinson was let go.

He did a terrible job, absolutely terrible, the president said. He took a fake report and he brought it to Congress with an emergency, OK? Not a big Trump fan, that I can tell you.

Since when has being a fan  of Trump or of any president  part of the job description of an inspector general? Atkinson forwarded a credible complaint to Congress, and now joins a long list of people who have been targeted by the president for doing their job, including FBI Director James Comey, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who was removed from the National Security Council after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee during the Ukraine probe.

Trump has the right to surround himself with those he trusts, but the American people must also have public servants who serve the public, not yes men and women who follow the presidents wishes regardless of ethics or the law. When will the president learn that hes better served by aides he hasnt cowed?

The retaliatory firings are shamelessly self-serving and an affront to good governance. They are punitive and meant to send a message to those who would stand up to Trump.

Fortunately, there are other voices, too. They may not have the power of the presidency but come with the strength of moral authority.

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, Atkinson wrote in a letter after his firing. Please do not allow recent events to silence your voices.

Atkinson and Capt. Crozier were willing to do whats right and paid the consequences. They deserved better from the president and his people. We all do.
The Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) has donated one million Ghana Cedis to the Covid-19 National Trust Fund set up by government to assist the needy and vulnerable as the country battles to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus in Ghana.



Mr. Ben Asante, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas and a Board Member, Togbi Acolatse V, presented the cheque of One Million Ghana Cedis (GHc 1,000,000.00), to the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei Opare at a brief ceremony at the Jubilee House.



In a brief remark before presenting the cheque, Mr. Asante noted that their contribution is in line with the call of the President for corporate institutions to join government in the fight against Covid-19. He added that Ghana Gas stands ready to assist the state as and when the need arrives.



Ghana Exim Bank



The Ghana Exim Bank, through its Board Chairman, Gyamfi Boateng, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lawrence Agyinsam, also came through the Jubilee House to present their cheque of two hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 250,000.00), to the Fund.



SSNIT



Board Chairman of Social Security & National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Dr. Kwame Addo Kufour, and the Director General of SSNIT, Ofori Tenkorang, also stopped by the office of the Chief of Staff to donate Five Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 500,000.00) to the Trust Fund.



CEOs Network



Other institutions such as the CEOs Network, Ghana, through its Chief Executive Officer, Ernest De-Graft Egyir, also passed through to present their cheque of two hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 200,000.00), to support the efforts of the state.



Ghana Used Clothing Association



The Ghana Used Clothing Association presented a cheque of three hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc 300,000.00). Mr. Boakye Yiadom, Chairman of the Association, Dr. Effah Nyarko and Mrs. Hannah Brown, members of the leadership body, presented their cheque to the Chief of Staff.



NPP Volta Region



The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Volta Region Directorate, led by Woanya Makafui, the Volta Regional Chairman of the party, presented one hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 100,000.00), to support the Fund.



Anglican Church



The Anglican Church of Ghana represented by Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Torto, of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Very Rev. Dr. George Neequaye and four others, came through with their cheque of Sixty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 60,000.00) as their widows might to support the Covid-19 Trust Fund.



GIIF



Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), on behalf of GIIF, donated Five Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc 500,000.00) to the Trust Fund.



GAFICS



The Ghana Association of Former International Civil Servants (GAFICS), led by their President, Kwaku Osei-Bonsu, donated Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 50,000.00) and the Mfantsipim Old Boys Association 2003 year Group, led by Enoch Atobrah Gyamfi, the President of the 2003 year group, came through with a donation of Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc 10,000.00), to the Covid-19 National Trust Fund.



Chief of Staff



Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare, thanked the various donating institutions for their thoughtfulness and kind gesture. She indicated that the Covid-19 Trust Fund will have its offices operational within the Jubilee House soon and they will ensure the proper, efficient and judicious use of all resources available to them for the benefit of the needy and vulnerable in the country.









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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Hospitals full of empty beds

Across Chicago and downstate, thousands of high-cost hospital beds routinely lie empty. Below, explore Crain's first-of-its-kind analysis of every hospital in the state. To find out what caused this massive oversupply and what can be done to fix it, click here.

Plus: Even the newest hospital in the state is half-empty. And one hospital CEO in the southwest suburbs has a radical plan for dealing with empty beds.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday placed on special leave a minister seen lunching at a friend's house in violation of the coronavirus lockdown.

Ramaphosa has ordered a three-week national lockdown to try to brake the virus, which has infected 1,749 people, killing 13 of them, according to an official tally.

But a picture posted on Instagram on Sunday showed Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams having lunch with five other people at the home of a former deputy minister earlier that day.

"President Ramaphosa has placed the Minister on special leave for two months," the presidency said in a statement.

Ramaphosa has "accepted the minister's apology for the violation but was unmoved by mitigating factors she tendered," it said.

"The nation-wide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans," Ramaphosa was quoted as saying.

"None of us -- not least a member of the national executive -- should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation," said Ramaphosa.

"No-one is above the law."



Last month, just two days into the lockdown, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu was forced to issue an apology after she posted a video on her Instagram account, joking about how she was struggling to stay home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Queensland man has been charged with the rape and exploitation of two girls under 12.

The 43-year-old is in custody and is expected to front court in July after allegedly distributing child exploitation material online of the abuse of the two children.

The man has been charged with multiple counts of rape, indecent treatment of a child under 16 and making and distributing child exploitation material.

A Queensland man has been charged with the rape and exploitation of two girls under 12 (file picture)

He was arrested on Saturday after police searched his home where they allegedly seized evidence.

The man was identified by the Argos Victim Identification team from Queensland Police.

Police allege the offending happened over a significant period of time and further charges are expected.

The supervision of children is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic because of increased numbers of children going online, police say.

'We want parents and carers to be vigilant to the dangers facing their children online, as supervision is key to prevention, as is ongoing communication with children about how to stay safe online,' Detective Superintendent Denzil Clark from the Child Abuse and Sexual Crimes Group said on Wednesday.

'Now is the time for parents and carers to be considering where in the house their children are allowed to use internet-connected devices and to speak with children about risky behaviours, including the dangers of having online 'friends' they have never met face-to-face.'

The accused is expected to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on July 13.
TipRanks

One thing is certain already: the market environment for 2022 will not be the same as that in 2021. This may or may not be good for investors, per se, but like every shift in market conditions, it will present opportunities for those prepared to grasp them. Some factors are just reruns. COVID is rearing its ugly head again, threatening us with lockdowns and shutdowns. Thats running against the grain of a resurgent economy, an economy that is trying to gain more traction  but its facing headwi
Feetures x Fleet Feet - Buy One Gift One Our hope is that by working with Fleet Feet, we can show appreciation for healthcare workers on the frontlines while also helping people run and support their local running store in a safe way.

Performance sock brand Feetures is proud to announce its partnership with Fleet Feet to donate up to 20,000 pairs of free socks to medical professionals in select regions throughout the United States. The Buy One, Gift One program will go into effect immediately and run until every pair has been donated.

After Feetures CEO and Founder Hugh Gaither and Fleet Feet President and CEO Joey Pointer discussed how their two companies could engage their running tribe to help at a national level during this COVID-19 crisis, the Buy One, Gift One program was created. Building off of Fleet Feets charitable arm, Do the Run Thing, they came up with a program that would support both medical professionals on the frontline and Fleet Feet stores who, like almost all small and locally owned businesses, have had to drastically alter operations over the past month. Through the Buy One, Gift One program, customers can place Feetures sock orders for curbside pick-up at their local Fleet Feet store and Feetures will match their purchase with a donation to medical professionals in select regions, up to 20,000 pairs.

We recognize that one of the main activities people are able to pursue while social distancing is running, states Joe Gaither, VP of Marketing at Feetures. At Feetures, we have a long history of working with retailers to donate and distribute socks to those in need. Our hope is that by working with Fleet Feet, we can show appreciation for healthcare workers on the frontlines while also helping people run and support their local running store in a safe way.

As husband to a critical care pediatrician, I have first-hand insight into the bravery and selflessness of the medical community, said Pointer. Im thankful for Feetures generousity in partnering with Fleet Feet on something meanginful that both provides comfort to those on the frontlines and helps our communities and stores do what they do best  work together on acts of goodwill through running.

Much has been said about the bravery and courage of our staff, but I dont think people fully appreciate the physical toll that this patient population and all of the additional PPE can take on our staff, said Mark Miller, President and CEO at West Hills Hospital. We are so excited for our staff to receive these donations, it will be perfect for them and the hard work they are doing.

The Buy One, Gift One program is available at participating Fleet Feet locations through curbside pick-up only. Please visit fleetfeet.com or Feetures.com for more information. For media inquiries, please reach out to Angie Robinson at angie@darbycommunications.com.

About Feetures

Feetures, a leading performance sock brand, has been family owned and operated in North Carolina since 2002. Their goal is to create products that help people achieve their personal best. Feetures are engineered for performance with Targeted Compression and Anatomical Design to create a custom-like fit. As a testament to the quality of Feetures, each pair is sold with a lifetime guarantee. Go. Do. Live. In Feetures. Feetures.com / @feetures
Mumbai, April 8 : Real estate industry body NAREDCO has requested the Centre for $200 billion relief for the entire economy to meet the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

NAREDCO said that real estate has been under consistent stress since the last few years and that market dynamics have changed rapidly which has resulted in rising unsold inventories in the country.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has paused the real estate sector while disrupting the businesses across the nation. While the RBI and the Finance Minister have taken several measures to ease the load on consumers' shoulder, real estate collectively grapples with the impact of the pandemic," NAREDCO said in a statement.

According to the real estate industry body, in order to keep up with the world economy, the Centre should suspend all NCLT activities for next 6 months considering the downfall of the economy of India.

"The idea is to provide a breathing space to companies who have faced huge losses due to rapidly decreasing stock prices, which has made high net worth companies prone to be taken over by foreign investors, the results of which can be devastating for India," the statement said.

"Since real estate accounts for 6-7 per cent of India's GDP and employs nearly 10-11 per cent of population, we urge the government to focus on the demand of the developers."
QUEENSBURY  A new test site for COVID-19 is poised to open Thursday in the North Country.

Glens Falls Hospital and Warren County Public Health Services said the drive-up test site will be located at the Warren County Municipal Center off Route 9 in Queensbury for those who have a doctor's order and appointment.

It will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and can handle about 50 tests a day.

We are very pleased that Glens Falls Hospital and Warren County Public Health have joined together to provide onsite COVID-19 testing at the Warren County Municipal Center, said Frank Thomas, town of Stony Creek Supervisor and chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors. Testing is critical to determine the spread of the virus in our county and the surrounding region."

The area lost its test site at Glens Falls Hospital two and a half weeks ago after a shortage of test kits forced hospitals across the region to shutter community testing efforts and prioritize tests for their health care workers and inpatients. The shortage also meant local officials were in the dark about the scope of the virus' spread throughout their communities.

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

A resupply of kits has enabled testing to resume in the immediate Capital Region, as well. A state-run mobile testing operation opened at the University at Albany on Monday. It took in between 200 and 300 cars the first day, and is poised to handle 1,000 a day once it reaches full capacity.

The new North Country site was relocated from the hospital to the Warren County Municipal Center due to concerns about potential vehicle congestion, though it will continue to be staffed by Glens Falls Hospital workers.

Tests will be available for residents of Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties. Anyone who believes they should be tested should contact their medical provider, who will contact Warren County Public Health Services to arrange a time for the test.

Individuals can follow electronic signs on Route 9 that will direct them to the testing location at the rear of the county complex. They will be asked to enter the Municipal Center through Glen Lake Road.

Plans for the new testing site came together in less than 24 hours, said Thomas, with help from Warren County Public Health, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Public Works, Building and Grounds, Department of Social Services, County Attorneys Office, District Attorneys Office and the Warren County Sheriffs Office.
The United States on Wednesday again was headed toward the highest daily death toll in any nation during the global coronavirus pandemic: At least 1,804 deaths reported as of Wednesday evening with several states still expected to tally new casualties, nearing a record set just a day before.

With that dark announcement came some hope: Authorities said that these deaths are a lesson of early missteps in how the nation dealt with the virus, a lagging indicator of infections that Americans failed to stop three or four weeks ago before widespread "social distancing" was implemented. They believe that Americans now have largely learned enough to slow the outbreak's painful toll, which continued to tick up in hot spots that have been struggling to contain the virus for weeks.

The state with the largest number of announced deaths Wednesday again was New York, home to 35 percent of all American infections and about 43 percent of fatal American cases. It reported 779 daily deaths from the virus.

New Jersey and Connecticut, where New York's outbreak has spilled across state lines, both also reported record death totals. So did California, one of the first states to be hit.

But new covid-19 infections appear to be leveling off or declining in some hard-hit parts of the country, possibly an indication that the American outbreak is nearing its peak. A computer model of the pandemic lowered its awful projections for the virus again on Wednesday, predicting 60,000 American deaths this year, down from 92,000 a few days ago.

No model actually knows the future, and estimates have been shifting frequently.

A rising concern among many public health experts is the fate of states in the South and Midwest, where social-distancing came later than other states or never, and where infections are creeping up.

"We can prevent that by continuing the kind of mitigation that we're now doing generally throughout the country," said Anthony Fauci, the federal government's top infectious-disease doctor, in an interview on Fox News Channel. He said he was particularly worried about Pennsylvania and Colorado. "Now is not the time to pull back at all, it's the time to intensify."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Wednesday that his state had set records for infections and deaths from the virus. In Maryland, new infection numbers jumped by 25 percent in one day. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said the Washington, District of Columbia, region is just starting to climb: "We're still several weeks away from the peak."

The American outbreak of covid-19 is by far the largest of any country in the world - according to official figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University - with more than 423,000 infections, almost three times the number of cases reported by second-ranking Spain, which has 146,000. China, where the outbreak began, has reported about 25 percent of the number of cases as the United States - approximately 83,000 - but there is widespread doubt about the veracity of those figures. Worldwide confirmed infections crested 1.5 million on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump continued his verbal attacks on the World Health Organization, arguing that the international body leading the fight against the virus has been too friendly toward China, and on Wednesday he threatened to withhold U.S. funding to the group.

"Very unfair," Trump said of the group, noting that America pays more than China does to support its budget.

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus immediately bristled at Trump's criticism of the organization, saying countries should unify and avoid politicizing the virus "if you don't want to have many more body bags."

New data released Wednesday reinforced the fearsome nature of the virus, deflating hopes that it is not as serious among younger adults or that it would have a summer offseason.

A Washington Post analysis found that at least 759 people under age 50 have died of the virus in the United States - shattering the once-common assumption that this is a disease that threatens just the old and infirm. Children are still largely spared, and young adults are still more likely to recover than the elderly. But it appears age is less of a shield than previously imagined.

"A very fit 30-year-old triathlete is just as vulnerable as a chess-playing 45-year-old who gets no exercise," said Shawn Evans, an emergency physician at a hospital in La Jolla, Calif. "We just don't know who it is that this virus carries the master key to."

Another study, by a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences, found that the virus is not likely to wane significantly in the summer, when much of the country sees significantly higher temperatures; some studies have found that the virus seems less likely to spread at temperatures above 63 degrees. President Trump had gone further in February, saying the virus "will go away in April" when traditional flu season ends.

But, the academy panel said, that idea should be treated with caution. Even if the virus does spread more slowly in hot weather, they said, it is still armed with an enormous advantage: most of the human population still has no immunity to it.

"Given that countries currently in 'summer' climates, like such as Australia and Iran, are experiencing rapid virus spread, a decrease in cases with increases in humidity and temperature elsewhere should not be assumed," the panel said.

Elsewhere in the world on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care for a third day, but a spokesperson said he was "sitting up in bed and engaging positively" with health staff. Britain reported sharp increases in new infections and deaths.

In Japan, previously seen as a success story in containing the virus, a surge of new cases has led to a political battle between municipal officials in Tokyo - who want a strict shutdown - and central government officials who want looser rules with less economic impact.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said there will be "no lockdown" of the capital.

There was more positive news from Washington state, the first in the United States to face a major coronavirus outbreak. With infections and hospitalizations leveling off, officials said the state would return a Federal Emergency Management Agency field hospital that was set up next the Seattle Seahawks stadium so it could be used in another state.

"This virus knows no borders, and we must care for the sick and vulnerable, regardless of any city, county, or state line," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, said in a statement.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said he would order flags flown at half-staff in memory of the state's 6,200 dead. Cuomo said that new hospitalizations were trending downward, and it appeared that his state's expanded hospital capacity would be enough to handle the virus.

But, Cuomo said, more certainly will die.

"The number of deaths, as a matter of fact, will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away," he said.

The U.S. government has been criticized for squandering key weeks earlier this year, when it might have imposed wider testing, done more screening of incoming travelers, and encouraged lockdowns and social distancing. President Trump has at times minimized the threat from the virus, saying in late February that U.S. cases would soon be "pretty close to zero."

This week, as the death toll has risen to record levels, Trump has issued some admonitions about social distancing and grave warnings about the virus - but also has used his Twitter feed and nightly news conferences to talk about his television ratings, to insult rivals, and to feud with various foreign leaders and health officials.

Opinion polls show that public sentiment about Trump - which jumped up last month, as the crisis worsened - might be turning downward. CNN, Monmouth University and Quinnipiac University polls released Wednesday that showed between 45 percent and 46 percent of the American public rating Trump positively for his handling of the outbreak, compared with polls in late March that found approximately 50 percent approved of his management of the crisis.

Trump has not changed his approach. On Twitter, he spent Wednesday lobbing insults at the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden

In one tweet, Trump said that he believed the virus - whenever it is beaten - would be "quickly forgotten."

"Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten," Trump wrote. "Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!"

But - in states like New York - there was little consensus about when, or how, the country could return to normal absent the rapid development of a vaccine. Cuomo, for instance, said he was discussing with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut how to eventually lift parts of the stay-at-home lockdown.

But he said he was not sure when - or if - the old version of normal would return. He said active coronavirus cases could be with us all for a long time.

"It may never be zero," Cuomo said. "You think there's ever going to be a morning that I wake up again, in my life, not worried about this in the back of my mind?"

- - -

The Washington Post's Scott Clement, Brady Dennis, Andrew Freedman, Emily Guskin and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.
The U.S. Army released a press release on Monday indicating that it will be temporarily holding off with army training for the next two weeks.

The delay in combat training will affect new army recruits, not the ones already enrolled in the Basic Combat Training (BCT), according to a press release.

One of the [U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command]s main focuses is to develop leaders by accessing, training, and educating Soldiers.

We have to do so responsibly, and were already begun protecting those current in our ranks with social-distanced-enabled training, reduced movement of our Soldiers and trainees, and increased screening of those moving across our commands, said General Paul E. Funk, commander of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Funk stated that the temporary training freeze will allow leaders to focus on setting conditions so movement can be conducted in a safer manner in the future.

As indicated, those already enrolled will continue their training, although it will be under the screening and monitoring guidelines that were issued in March 2020.

This tactical pause will allow commands to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place and are operating effectively at training installations, the press release stated.

Following the completion of their training under the guidelines, the recruits will then go to their next assignment after graduation.

Military.com reported that to prevent the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, spreading, all recruits will have to undergo testing. Only after that can the recruit start the initial entry training in the army.

Lisa Ferguson, spokesperson for the Army Recruiting Command, told Military.com that the Army has directed that all recruits be screened at recruiting stations just before shipping to [Basic Combat Training] and then undergo a second round of screening upon arrival.

During the screening process, the recruits will be asked to answer questions regarding their health. Military.com reported that the test would screen for fever, cough, sore throat, and other symptoms.

Should anyone answer yes to any of the questions or show symptoms of such, further evaluation will be given to the recruit by medical authorities who will then determine the further plan of action.

Military.com reported that on March 31, the U.S. Army Center for Initial Training started screening all the recruits for COVID-19 at the reception stations of Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; as well as Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
After thinking that they have survived the dreaded coronavirus disease, dozens of patients from South Korea who has recovered from COVID-19 have again tested positive for the virus after leaving quarantine.

On Monday, Korea Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention (KCDC) announced that the virus is once again haunting 51 people, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 shortly after they were released from the hospital. The said patients were from Daegu, the epicenter of the virus in the country and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province.

Reactivated not Reinfected?

According to Director-General Jeong Eun-kyeong of the KCDC, there is a posibility that the virus was likely reactivated in the patients and that they were probably not reinfected with the virus.

South Korean health authorities told a local news outlet Yonhap, that a team of investigators has already been sent to Daegu in order to conduct epidemiological research into the cases.

Dr. Nicole Saphier, a medical contributor of Fox News also stated that after he reviewed the study that the South Korean researchers made, it was claimed in the research that the virus could have laid dormant within the person, thus, when tested before leaving the hospital the person tested negative; and that the virus could have reactivated leading to the positive tests after quarantine.

Read also: Japan May Face Healthcare System Collapse, State of Emergency Declared

Dr. Saphier, however, expressed skepticism about the study and said that when it comes to swab tests for COVID-19 there is a high chance of a false-negative result. She also added that in getting the sample, the person taking them should really get far back with the swab and get enough samples for the tests to be positive.

In addition to Dr. Saphier's statement, an infectious diseases professor from the University of East Anglia, Paul Hunter, stated that the cases are far likely to have been reactivations but more likely just a sign of flaws in the current testing. He also said that he believes that the test results when the patients were cleared from the hospital were simply "false negative."

Whatever the case is, either it is reinfection or reactivation, it only strengthens feart about the hidden dangers that this pandemic may bring.

South Korea's response

Based on recent reports, officials in South Korea are now looking into using electronic wristbands in order to track and monitor the number of people who are in self-quarantine aiming to slow the spread of COVID-19 as the cases in the country continue to grow. However, imposing the wristband monitors may cause a rise in privacy issues.

The country has already enforced two-week quarantines for all travelers who arrived from overseas in efforts to control the rise of imported infections.

As of Monday, there were more than 46,500 people who are under self-quarantine which includes 38,400 who only arrived recently from abroad based on data released by an official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Lee Byeong-Cheol. He also said that the number is still infected to rise up to 80,000 to 90,000.

Related article: US and China Reach a Truce as COVID-19 Continues to Cause Chaos

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Shares of Adani Green Energy gained 5 percent on Wednesday after Total SA said it has invested Rs 3,707 crore in a solar energy joint venture with the domestic firm

New Delhi: Shares of Adani Green Energy gained 5 percent on Wednesday after Total SA said it has invested Rs 3,707 crore in a solar energy joint venture with the domestic firm.

The scrip jumped 4.90 percent to Rs 166.80 on the BSE.

On the NSE, it gained 4.97 percent to Rs 166.85.

Total SA on Tuesday said it has invested Rs 3,707 crore to set up 50:50 joint venture with Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) through its step-down subsidiary.

The closing of the transaction in the current environment reinforces the strength of the relationship between the partners and further underscores the robust climate commitment of both partners, it stated.

The French energy firm had last year picked up a 50 percent stake in the 5 million tonnes per year LNG import terminal that the Adani Group is building at Dhamra in Odisha's Bhadrak district.
The World Health Organisation's Director General has responded to US President Donald Trump's criticism of the organisation, saying countries should avoid politicising the virus issue "if you don't want to have many more body bags".

On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that "the W.H.O. really blew it," accusing the organisation of being "very China centric." He said at a news briefing that he would consider cutting funding to the WHO.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation. Credit:Bloomberg

The UN agency has resisted following the Trump administration's line of accusing China of worsening the pandemic by withholding information, instead taking a conciliatory approach of praising all countries for their cooperation.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference on Wednesday that "the focus of all political parties should be to save their people." He said the WHO's stance was that even strong countries would be in more crisis without unifying.
The program targets the old and disabled individual in Alego Usonga constituency

- Already 3, 450 people from Usonga and West Alego wards have benefited from the relief food

- Atandi said at least 10, 500 constituents would benefit by end of the week

Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi has launched a food distribution initiative in his constituency to rescue vulnerable families from the pangs of hunger following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

The programme which majorly targets the old and disabled individuals would be rolled out in all the 6 wards of the constituency.

READ ALSO: Bungoma governor Wangamati accused of buying 20ltrs jerricans for KSh 10k each

Usoga Alego MP Sam Atandi's team distributes food to vulnerable constituents. Photo: Sam Atandi.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Homa Bay: Police officer quarantined over COVID-19 fears

According to Atandi, about 3, 400 residents of Usonga and West Alego wards have already benefitted from the initiative that targets to reach at least 10, 500 people.

"We are on day two of the programme, we have already done Usoga and Alego wards. We intend to complete this process by Saturday since I have six wards and 42 sub locations in this constituency," said the lawmaker.

Alego Usoga MP Sam Atandi has started door to door food distribution to vulnerable constituents. Photo: Sam Atandi.

Source: Facebook

The move has been lauded by beneficiaries who noted the situation had become unbearable particularly after the government imposed stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Kenya is glaring at a possible lockdown following escalating cases of coronavirus and leaders have started planning on how to protect poor families.

One of the challenges the government is grappling with is how to feed the vulnerable families should it be obliged to impose a total lockdown.

Atandi is among a host of leaders who have started the initiative of cushioning their constituents against the pangs of hunger even as the situation continues to worsen.

"We are targeting 10, 500 people in this programme. We are majorly distributing beans and maize. So far we have supplied about 500 sacks of the cereals and will do more to protect our people because that is my primary obligation," said the MP.

Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has also been on the forefront in ensuring vulnerable families were protected from the prevailing harsh economic times.

He vowed to go out of his way to e sure no family in Mombasa goes without food despite the harsh conditions.

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Couple names new born twins Corona and Covid I Tuko TV

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UTICA, N.Y.  Local residents and organizations came together during a virtual press conference Wednesday to urge the city of Utica to use federal stimulus funding for rental assistance.

Tenants and property owners joined the meeting, as well as members of Citizen Action of New York and the Utica Common Council.

Council members Celeste Friend and Delvin Moody have already introduced a resolution that would help tenants experiencing financial hardships during the coronavirus pandemic.

Friend and Delvins legislation would create an emergency rental voucher program.

Rent relief is good for everyone. Obviously, it most directly benefits people who might be at risk of being evicted once this crisis has passed. But it is also good for landlords who don't want to have to evict their tenants, or who depend on the rental income to pay their bills. And it is good for all of us, who don't want to see a spike in the homeless population in this city, said Friend, who oversees the third ward.

Utica will receive nearly $1.5 million in federal funding to prevent homelessness during this crisis.

Many renters in Utica who were laid off or had their hours reduced due to state mandates are struggling with making ends meet.

"My tenant was one of those unfortunate people who lost her job when the bars and restaurants closed, said Senada Kadic, a local property owner. Instead of adding to her stress and expecting the rent from her during a really hard time, I decided to forgive it and work with her moving forward. While I knew this would make it harder on me to pay my bills, the most important thing to me right now is people's health and safety.

Citizen Action of New Yorks Central New York chapter launched a petition a few days ago. For more information, or to sign the petition, visit: actionnetwork.org.
Helo has partnered with NGO Give India and Action Aid to launch #MainBhiCOVIDWarrior campaign. The initiative's key focus is to provide support to 20,000 families of daily wagers, with a month long supplies of essential food and sanitization kits. Helo has donated INR 5 crore towards this effort.

Helo also collaborated with Jjust music and Cape of Good Film for a music video titled 'Muskurayega India'. The song features actors like Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon, Kartik Aaryan, Taapsee Pannu, Kiara Advani, Ananya Pandey, Shikhar Dhawan and more, who have come together to lift the spirits of people in this tough times of the COVID19 pandemic. The song has been launched and is composed by Vishal Mishra.

With an objective to further support COVID relief efforts for the larger community, Helo has contributed INR 2 crore as part of these initiatives to the PM CARES Fund and Maharashtra's CM Fund. As part of Helo's #MainbhiCOVIDWarrior campaign, Shipa Shetty and popular creators on Helo, aim to encourage people to also come forward and contribute to the Give India initiative so that more such vulnerable families can be provided with basic supplies for a period of a month.

As a responsible platform, Helo continues to provide credible information with a dedicated page - #FightAgainstCoronavirus created by the platform to facilitate timely updates in 14 languages, from credible sources like World Heath Organization, Indian Health Ministry etc. By using Helo's live streaming, the Honourable Chief Ministers of Kerala, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh have been sharing necessary information and around key government initiatives to fight COVID-19
The Philippine government has set aside funds to battle the coronavirus outbreak until the end of May  and has "a lot of headroom" to spend more if needed, the country's Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez said on Wednesday.

The Philippines is the second worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, behind only Malaysia. It has reported 3,764 cases of the coronavirus disease and 177 deaths so far, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed.

The government has planned around $23 billion in funding  or around 5% to 6% of its gross domestic product  for health-care and economic efforts, Dominguez told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia." He added that the Philippines is planning for a "bounce back" stimulus package to lift the economy out of the damage caused by the pandemic.

"Our original funding was really for two months, that is April and May. While we were not sure how long (COVID-19) will last, we think that conservative estimates would be until around the end of May, so we are ready until the end of May," he said.
PARIS (Reuters) - French carmaker and Peugeot owner PSA announced on Wednesday the creation of a solidarity fund to help staff affected by the closures of plants due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and new steps to protect the health of its workers.

PSA said it was creating the fund, ensuring the full compensation to all employees working in France during this period of partial activity due to the coronavirus.

It will be funded through the deduction of two days of holidays from managers, one day from workers and by a contribution from the company, added PSA.

This week, PSA secured a further 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in loans.

($1 = 0.9214 euros)

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by Jason Neely)
Indo Tibet Border Police (ITBP) Director-General SS Deswal, has in a written message to personnel of the central armed police force, on Wednesday asked them to be ready for toughest eventualities by staying fit and continuing physical activities amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

"Dear Himveers, physical activity has become more important in this period of lockdown around us. We are accustomed to physical work in normal times. These are hard times, almost traumatic as many activities are restricted. Lockdown for us doesn't mean no activity, manner of conducting activities has to change," the ITBP DG told jawans in a message through social media app.

Emphasising on the need to maintain social distancing and better hygiene to combat COVID-19 spread, he said: "We need to increase our physical activities in our campuses and at home to maintain a healthy life. Lockdown should not be classified as no activity phase. It requires more physical activities. Please ensure that every family member also does physical activity. It will keep all of us fit, active and away from stress due to prevailing conditions globally."

He praised ITPB personnel for choosing to keep themselves fit and strong as a way of life and said that the ITBP is helping out people in stress at several places in providing food and necessities to needy people in remote areas at borders. "Even in mainland helping out local administration in maintaining social distancing and lockdowns," the DG said.

Speaking about the ITBP's COVID-19 quarantine facility in south-west Delhi's Chhawla area, he said the facility has assisted more than 1,000 Indians to rehabilitate happily after they faced traumatic conditions abroad."We are proud of our medical and maintenance, supplies team at Chhawla camp, they have rendered selfless services to our countrymen. They always reflected happiness and maintained humility- a way of life by Himveers. All our hospitals are ready to help out and treat our countryman," Deswal said."Once again, I will say that increase your physical activities wherever you are, keep you and family members healthy and happy. Be ready for toughest eventualities. We are for the country for protection and selfless service. Fly your ITBP and flag Tiranga high and higher. Keep it up," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 10:12 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd07ffa5 4 City COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Greater-Jakarta,Depok,medical-workers,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,outbreak Free

The Depok administration is preparing a special "hostel" for medical workers and people with suspected COVID-19 infection to prevent local transmission of the virus.

Depok Mayor Mohammad Idris said that the hostel would have around 200 rooms ready for use by next week.

We are still preparing [the hostel]. We expect it to be completed by next week. Idris said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Read also: 84 health workers, including two pregnant women, test positive for COVID-19 in Jakarta

Other institutions in Depok providing accommodation for medical workers include the University of Indonesia (UI) Hospital, which has converted a guest house to offer a space so medical workers can rest. The guest house has 21 rooms that can hold up to 48 beds.

The Bhayangkara Brimob Hospital is also converting a polyclinic into a quarantine facility where medical workers can be isolated when they are off-duty.

Further, the Depok administration plans to convert a vocational school with around 100 rooms into a makeshift medical facility like the Kemayoran Athletes Village.

The facility would be used to accommodate people under monitoring (ODP) and to treat patients under surveillance (PDP), the mayor said.

ODP and PDP are official designations Indonesia is using to differentiate people according to the symptoms they present and their travel history.

Read also: COVID-19: Public initiatives grow to produce face shields to help medical workers

We are preparing spaces for ODPs who [] cannot self-isolate at home, said Idris.

Separately, Health Agency head Novarita said that the facility was expected to accommodate more than one person per room, whether an ODP or a PDP with mild symptoms.

The Depok administration has so far advised ODPs and PDPs with mild symptoms to self-isolate at home.

Depok, a satellite city to the south of Jakarta, the epicenter of the Indonesian outbreak, recorded 65 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date, as well as 1,897 ODPs and 451 PDPs. (dfr)
Anthony Powell met DAndre Campbell in middle school.

He was a bright young kid, Powell remembers. That kid who always had his hand up in class, no matter what the teachers question was.

The two became best friends. When Powell learned that Campbell, 26, was shot and killed by police Monday night, he was shocked.

It just seems so senseless, Powell told the Star on Tuesday. He was a good kid, wasnt known to be a violent person. I know he didnt deserve this.

Peel Region police said officers were called to a home in Bramptons west end just after 5:20 p.m. Monday with reports of a domestic incident.

Soon after entering the home and going into the kitchen, officers encountered Campbell.

In the midst of an altercation, two officers used Tasers and then one officer discharged his firearm multiple times, according to a Special Investigations Unit news release.

In a news release Monday, the SIU said it has launched an investigation into the shooting.

Campbell died from his injuries in the residence.

Its heartbreaking, said Powell. He was my best friend, through thick and thin, in our teenage years.

Powell says Campbell struggled with mental illness in the final years of his life.

I knew he was struggling, but I knew that wasnt who he really was. He knew that, too. He knew he needed help.

According to Powell, Campbell was the one who called the police to the home Monday.

Its unbelievable what took place yesterday, Powell wrote. I would like the world to know that he didnt always have a mental condition. Thats not who he was  its not okay to resort to violence when dealing with such individuals.

On Wednesday afternoon, the SIU issued an updated statement, saying that investigators have recovered a knife, two conducted energy weapons and firearm-related evidence.

One subject officer and four witness officers have been designated. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday morning in Toronto.

The SIU also has the subject officers firearm.

Interviews with civilian witnesses and police witnesses have taken place and are ongoing, the statement read.

The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates incidents involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.

On Thursday, Campbell's family set up a GoFundMe page to cover funeral costs and financial support. As of Monday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised $8,382 of its $26,000 goal.

Correction - April 13, 2020: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information about a GoFundMe page for D'Andre Campbell's family.

Jacob Lorinc is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jacoblorinc

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A photograph from the PSNIs Facebook page of cars parked on the north coast despite people being urged not to travel for exercise

Northern Ireland's Chief Scientific Adviser has appealed to the public to "hang on" and stay at home over Easter.

Professor Ian Young said now was the wrong time to relax as Northern Ireland headed into the bank holiday weekend, with the PSNI also urging people to only leave the house if absolutely necessary.

Gardai have also warned those staying at holiday homes that was now their main residence and they should not leave.

On Wednesday, it was announced a further five patients have died after contracting the coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

The total number of people who have died with the virus is now 78, while a further 84 cases of the virus have been confirmed, bringing the Northern Ireland total to 406.

Professor Young said people needed to stick to the restrictions.

"We're just beginning to see that perhaps this is having benefit, we have the Easter weekend coming up, maybe with some good weather, people may be tempted to go out and about a bit more," he said, speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"But this is just the wrong time to do it. We need to hang on and continue to adhere as strictly as we can to the current measures."

Meanwhile, the Giants Causeway is among the National Trust properties which closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Stay at home to prevent the spread of infection Jeremy Lindsay

The PSNI urged people to exercise responsibly.

PSNI Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay added: 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.

Mr Lindsay added: The very simple health advice is that you should only leave home when it is absolutely essential and it is encouraging that the vast majority of people do appear to be following the health guidelines.

It has been deemed a reasonable excuse to travel for the purpose of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services where it is not possible to do so from home, police said.

It is also a reasonable excuse to travel for essential matters such as seeking medical assistance, obtaining basic necessities including food and medical supplies, providing care or assistance to a vulnerable person, donating blood or attending a funeral of a close family member.

The police commander added: The legislation does not, however, provide that you may travel for the purpose of exercise and therefore, like our colleagues in health, we would advise you not to do this.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Sean Bateson, said: This will be an Easter bank holiday weekend like no other and its crucial that we continue to do whatever we can to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Essential travel does not include visits to holiday houses, or caravans. Stay at home, protect yourself, your family, friends, neighbours and the wider community.

Measures around social distancing and travel are in place to keep us safe, but they will only work if we all play our part.

Everyone will be given the opportunity to comply to the regulations Drew Harris

In the Republic of Ireland, the government has again pleaded with the public not to go to holiday homes or make unnecessary travel during the Easter holidays.

Liz Canavan, assistant secretary general at the Department of the Taoiseach, said: "If you do all of the work you put in so far to suppress the virus won't be enough.

"The only way to slow the spread is to stay at home.

"It's hard but we need to continue what we are doing to protect our lives and those on the front line."

Gardai have been given new powers to restrict people's movements and gatherings for the next five days under emergency legislation.

There will be 50 checkpoints on main roads across the country from Wednesday to discourage people from travelling over Easter.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said if people were currently staying in their holiday homes that was now considered their place of residence and they should not leave during the current restrictions.

"We want to be proportionate, and provide a graduated response," he said.

"Everyone will be given the opportunity to comply to the regulations. They may be asked to return home, they may be asked to change their behaviour, whatever that is. But people will be given the opportunity to comply, before we go anywhere near enforcement powers."

The penalties for those who flout the regulations include fines of up to 2,500 (2,200) and up to six months in prison.
Rob Santiago clears branches of a tree that fell on a roof in Gloucester City, after high winds moved through the area Thursday. Read more

A potent front that roared through the region Thursday set off gusts up to 71 mph, knocking out power to more than 37,000 PECO and Atlantic Electric customers.

The winds are due to back off some Thursday evening, but they are due for encore Friday, and the National Weather Service has posted another wind advisory for 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. period.

Quarter-inch hail was reported in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties, and the winds also set off hails of natural confetti, as cherry, magnolia and assorted blossoms that popped spectacularly the last few weeks went flying.

Reports of gusts past 55 mph were common Thursday afternoon, with a 71 mph peak wind clocked at Barnegat Light. At the official weather service station at Philadelphia International Airport a 59 mph gust was measured.

At the peak, 31,000 PECO customers lost power, said spokesman Greg Smore, with the citys collar counties hardest hit. Camden County was the hot spot across the river, said Frank Tedesco, spokesman for Atlantic Electric, which reported 6,100 outages.

We know how impactful it can be to be without power, said Smore, especially these days with everyone staying home.

The winds could be a harbinger of a frisky period for the regions weather, forecasters said.

We certainly have got ourselves into quite an active pattern, said Sarah Johnson, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, where the forecasters are occupying well-separated work stations.

 READ MORE: Its go time for spring: Blossoms, buds, and temperatures are popping

No, the weather service does not issue warnings for blossom mini-blizzards, but it has issued a plain old wind advisory in effect until 5 p.m. west of the Delaware River and until 7 p.m. in South Jersey.

The winds should back off for a while Thursday night, as they are wont to do after sunset, but not as much as we typically see, Johnson said. They will pick up again and continue into Friday afternoon.

Daytime highs Friday and Saturday wont get past the low and mid-50s; normal highs are well into the 60s. Easter Sunday is looking sunny, with highs in the mid-60s.

But it appears the weather will deteriorate next week, with more showers and cooler temperatures.

The governments Climate Prediction Centers two-week outlook has odds favoring below-normal temperatures for about 70% of the contiguous United States, with chilly, upper-air low pressure in control.

Much of the nation could be locked in a winter-like pattern  which was noticeably missing all winter.

Dave Dombek, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., said that its possible that the Philadelphia region could see some, albeit short-lived, snowflakes before the chilly spell ends. Thats not out of the question, he said.

Philadelphias latest measurable snow occurred on April 27, 1967, 0.1 inches.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Recently President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a letter to President of China Xi Jinping, where he saluted the success of China in the fight against novel coronavirus pandemic.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, Xi Jinping thanked President Sarkissian in a reply letter and expressed readiness to assist Armenia in the fight against the pandemic.

On behalf of the Peoples Republic of China and the people of China I express sincere support and solidarity with the Government and people of the Republic of Armenia, and wish all the patients speedy recovery.

The Chinese side decisively supports the efforts of Armenia against the coronavirus pandemic and is ready to support in the future.

China and Armenia are countries with friendly partnership and cooperation. Attaching special importance to the development of relations between the two countries, I am ready to make joint efforts with you for strengthening cooperation in healthcare sphere between our countries to jointly protect the lives and health of the peoples of our countries, reads Xi Jinpings letter to President Sarkissian.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Lampedusa protests over new migrant arrivals 'They move freely while we are stuck at home'

(ANSAmed) - LAMPEDUSA (AGRIGENTO), APRIL 8 - About 60 Lampedusa residents including fishermen on Wednesday morning took to the streets and protested in front of the town council on the island of Lampedusa against Mayor Salvatore Martello due to the arrival of more migrants.



''We are in quarantine and they are out taking walks. No one should come to this island, no one,'' yelled some of the protestors. The protest was held after three of the 46 migrant disembarked on Monday and ordered to remain in quarantine instead managed to leave the hotspot and were found in the center of the city. Lampedusa residents are afraid of catching COVID-19 and are angered that they are expected to comply with the decree while migrants have been found not doing so. Martello has said that the island inhabitants were right to be angered and is seeking to understand what happened at the hotspot. On Wednesday morning, a boat landed with about 67 people onboard that had asked for help via Alarm Phone. ''Malta did not rescue them and they crossed the search and rescue area with a motor that had stopped working. Having reached the Italian search and rescue area, the authorities escorted them to the port. We are glad that they are alive,'' the emergency telephone service said. Another 50 migrants were later disembarked on the island. At the Favarolo pier, where the new arrivals were taken, there were almost 120 people on Wednesday morning.(ANSAmed).




Lorraine and Allen Grenier are back in Manitoba after a weeks-long process of trying to leave Peru in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Lorraine and Allen Grenier are back in Manitoba after a weeks-long process of trying to leave Peru in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple, from St. Leon, near Treherne, left Peru on a flight on March 27, the last of the original three flights the federal government arranged to repatriate Canadians stuck in Peru.

Lorraine and Allen Grenier. (Submitted)

"We are ecstatic given that we and our families and friends have actively been working on our return back since March 16," Lorraine said over email.

"We are mentally and physically exhausted. But equally grateful and fortunate."

Lorraine and Allen arrived in Peru on March 5 for a vacation. They were originally scheduled to return on March 17, but COVID-19-related flight cancellations and border closures meant they were trapped in the South American country.

They had been forced to remain in their hotel rooms, using a panini maker to cook food, and walking to the Canadian embassy each day to ask for updates. Lorraine said information from the federal government was slow to come and they felt "powerless."

They were among thousands of other Canadians in the country waiting to come back. Lorraine estimates there were approximately 2,600 Canadians in Peru before the three repatriation flights.

In total, 423,000 Canadians have registered with the voluntary Registration of Canadians Abroad Service, which allows the federal government to notify travellers about emergencies at home or abroad.

Lorraine said they got a code from the Canadian embassy, which allowed them to book a seat on the flight from Lima, the capital of Peru, to Toronto. From Toronto, they flew back to Winnipeg.

She said they feel lucky to have received a code. She previously told The Sun that some people who had received a code in their emails had posted it to Facebook groups of other travellers stuck in the country, which meant not everyone who it was sent to directly could book a seat.

The two are currently halfway through the provincially ordered 14-day quarantine for all returning international travellers. So far, she said they are "healthy and happy to be home."

Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance from anywhere in the world can call the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at 613-996-8885 (collect calls are accepted where available) or email sos@international.gc.ca.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
08.04.2020 LISTEN

The Coalition for Democratic Change Special Taskforce Against COVID-19 continues its national awareness campaign today. The campaign will be carried out in West Point today where residents of the various communities will be sensitized, educated and informed about the coronavirus pandemic.

They will be taught the relevant preventive health measures formulated by the World Health Organization and the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute of Liberia.

Although coronavirus has been infecting and killing thousands of people in China, America, Italy, and other parts of the world; it has killed a number of people in Africa with Liberia not being an exception, many people and communities remain skeptical or simply uninformed about the importance of taking simple, practical measures to protect themselves and their communities from the virus.

The messages from the CDC-STAC will inform individuals, families and communities in West Point, a tight and populated region in Liberia, in clear practical terms, of the ways in which they can minimize their risk of catching the disease, and help them to support their family and community members safely and humanely.

When used as part of real dialogue with and engagement of individuals, families and key stakeholders in the communities in West Point, CDC-STAT clear practical messages will help overcome fear and reluctance to alert surveillance teams to potential COVID-19 cases.

Included in the messages that the CDC-STAC will propagate to the people of West Point are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 as well as the preventive health measures of the pandemic as follow:

COVID-19 is real and kills. But you can protect yourself, your family, and your community. Be alert  help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least twenty seconds after every social contact, or use hand sanitizers.

Avoid going to public gatherings and crowded places. Doing this will put you at a high risk of coming in contact with an infected person you may not know.

Do not touch parts of your body without washing your hands.

Speak with your local community leader if you suspect someone with COVID-19 in your community or call the toll free COVID-19 Hotline 4455 for advice.

Do not touch a sick person with suspected COVID-19 or someone who has died from COVID-19.

COVID-19 causes extreme tiredness, sudden fever, constant sneezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. If you have a sudden high fever after contact with a person with coronavirus, go to the nearest health facility.

Early treatment of COVID-19 at a health facility increases your chance of survival. By going to the health facility the moment you have symptoms, you protect your family and community and help stop the spread of the disease.
EU finance ministers failed on Wednesday to agree on a rescue plan to help hard hit member states face the coronavirus outbreak, after the Netherlands blocked the deal over bailout conditions.

After 16 hours of discussions, we came close to a deal but we are not there yet. I suspended the Eurogroup and (we will) continue tomorrow Thursday, said Eurogroup chief Mario Centeno.

Bickering EU finance ministers were unable to bridge differences on how to rebuild their economies after coronavirus, with a North versus South split that recalled the worst days of the eurozone debt crisis.

The European economy has been battered by the pandemic as national governments impose strict lockdowns that have closed businesses and put normal life on hold.-

The ministers video conference dragged on from Tuesday into Wednesday, with Italy and Spain insisting on having no strings attached to the aid plan on the table.

With tensions running high, ministers put off an especially touchy discussion on a solidarity fund that would be paid for by European partners jointly borrowing money on the financial markets.

Sometimes called coronabonds, this proposal was firmly resisted by Germany and the Netherlands and ministers agreed to pass the idea over to EU leaders, who will meet later this month.

 Sensible conditions 

Berlin and its allies insist that any European rescue should use the eurozones existing 410-billion-euro ($443-billion) bailout fund, as well as wait to see the effects of the massive monetary stimulus already unleashed by the European Central Bank.

Sources said the talks dragged on over how to use the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund to help countries that need it, with the Dutch insisting that help could not come without some pledge for reform in return.

Because of the current crisis we have to make an exception and the ESM can be used unconditionally to cover medical costs, said Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

For the long term economic support we think its sensible to combine the use of the ESM with certain economic conditions, he said.

Opting instead to issue bonds to raise the necessary funding would only create more problems than solutions for the EU, he added in a tweeted message.

France and Germany, the eurozones most powerful states, said they had agreed on the terms of using the bailout fund, which could offer a total of up to 240 billion euros.

With German Finance Miister Olaf Scholz, we call on all European states to rise to the exceptional challenges to reach an ambitious agreement, Frances Bruno Le Maire said after the talks ended.

 No troika 

Entering the meeting, Italy said it would refuse recourse to the ESM, which was created in 2012 during the eurozone debt crisis when states like Greece no longer had access to borrowing on the markets.

ESM programmes come with strings attached for countries that use it  heavy conditions that Italy and Spain say they would refuse if other capitals were to try to impose them.

They fear having their public spending scrutinised by Brussels auditors, as happened to Greece and Portugal after their bailouts.

Northern countries insist that conditions can be kept to a minimum given the cause of the crisis, but that in the longer term a country would have to get their finances in order.

In the end it was the Dutch who made excessive demands on conditionality, an EU diplomat said.

The Dutch were very tough. Without the Netherlands, we would have come to an agreement, the diplomat added.

Whatever is eventually agreed by the ministers will then go to EU leaders.

Last month leaders met but failed to agree a bailout due to their differences and tasked the ministers to break the logjam.

Italy and Spain, backed then by France, wanted Brussels to back the idea of coronabonds, a shared debt instrument sold on the markets to raise money.

Also under discussion is a lending facility from the European Investment Bank for struggling small and medium-sized businesses, and a guarantee fund for certain national unemployment schemes to be run by the European Commission.

SOURCE: AFP
Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) announced on Wednesday that he is dropping out of the presidential race.

Sanders said in a speech from his hometown of Burlington that while his campaign had won the ideological battle, the path toward victory [in the primary] is virtually impossible.

In state after statewe received a significant majority of the votes from people under the age of 50, Sanders said. The future of this country is with our ideas.

Sanders added, I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates. While Vice President Biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possibleto exert significant influence over the party platform.

Sanders has remained in the primary despite multiple sweeping victories by rival Joe Biden. The Vermont senator has won 883 delegates in state primaries to Bidens 1,196. Biden gained support from moderate and African American voters to pull ahead of Sanders, while Sanders has relied on younger voters as well as broad support among Latinos.

In recent weeks, Biden has made overtures to Sanderss voters as the former vice president came closer to an insurmountable delegate lead.

I hear you. I know what is at stake. And I know what we have to do, Biden said after winning March 17 primaries in Arizona, Illinois, and Florida. Our goal as a campaign, and my goal as a candidate for president, is to unify our party  and to unify our nation.

Sanderss announcement comes after multiple states postponed primaries to June and mandated voting by mail, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

More from National Review
Economy Minister Diane Dodds expressed concern at "false claims" linking the coronavirus outbreak to the roll out of a 5G mobile phone network across Northern Ireland.

It's thought dozens of phone masts have been damaged across the UK and in Northern Ireland after theories spread online that 5G mobile technology was linked to the spread of Covid-19.

Coronavirus is, however, spreading in areas where there is no 5G network as yet.

Recently a mast was attacked in Belfast with the incident posted on social media.

DUP Minister Dodds said: "I am very concerned that there are some who are making false claims that Covid-19 is in some way linked to 5G technology.

"By continuing to circulate these unfounded claims they not only fuel anxieties but also fuel an environment in which acts of arson and the abuse of telecoms engineers doing their jobs is becoming more common.

Nothing can be achieved by such actions. At a time when the importance of telecommunications has never been so prominent, this criminal damage and intimidation will only increase the difficulties faced by our community.

"I would ask those responsible to think of their community, particularly those who live alone, for whom telecoms services represent their only contact with family, friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.

Posters have been spotted around Northern Ireland warning of the "dangers" of 5G and linking it to the coronavirus outbreak.

This was despite there being no evidence linking 5G signals to the pandemic.

Industry representatives and factchecking experts have described the theory as "dangerous nonsense".

Recently YouTube banned all conspiracy videos linking coronavirus symptoms to 5G. That followed after a live streamed interview heard false claims of a link with users subsequently calling for attacks on masts.

The PSNI appealed for information last Thursday after one phone mast on the Antrim Road in north Belfast was damaged in an arson attack.

According to an Irish News report, voices could be heard stating F*** the 5G and Viva la revolution as the fire burns.

Mrs Dodds thanked Northern Irelands telecoms sector for their work during the Covid-19 crisis.

She said she was particularly grateful to the engineers who play such a pivotal role in keeping people connected, especially those isolated by illness and those categorised as vulnerable to this terrible virus.

The work of the engineers in maintaining the telecoms infrastructure at this time is invaluable to us all and should be respected, and any intimidation of staff is not acceptable, she said.

Engineers are continuing to ensure we are able to stay connected during this time of social distancing. Without them we wouldnt be able to call our love ones, access vital online information and stay in touch with friends via social media.

Fact-checking charity Full Fact linked the claims to two flawed theories suggesting the signal suppresses the immune system or that it uses the signal to infect people.

However, 5G uses a "non-ionising" waveband meaning it lacks enough energy to break apart chemical bonds in DNA to cause damage, according to a BBC report.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection completed a major study of related research finding no evidence 5G could cause any kind of illness.

Yih-Choung Teh, telecoms watchdog Ofcoms group director for strategy and research, said people were turning to public authorities and traditional broadcasters for "trusted information" about Covid-19, and the vast majority say theyre closely following official advice.

"With so much false information circulating online, its never been more important that people can cut through the confusion and find accurate, trustworthy and credible sources of news and advice.

Ofcom said it has created a set of resources on its websites to provide people with guidance on how to navigate news and information about Covid-19.

These include debunking misconceptions and harmful claims, as well as tips on how to find reliable content and identify fact from fiction.
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
The Bihar cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to slash the salaries of all members of the states bicameral legislature by 15 per cent for one year and divert the money towards the corona eradication fund set up by the state government.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in which all ministers took part via video conferencing.

Another important decision was to promote students of classes 5 and 8 to the next grade without examinations since they could not be held in the academic year 2019-20 because of closure of schools and colleges in view of the COVID-19 crisis.

An education department official clarified that all students from class 1 to 9, except 10, will now be promoted due to the cabinet decision.

The department needed approval for classes 5 and 8 and was competent to take a decision on its own for other classes, the official said.

Meanwhile, Congress MLC and AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra said in a statement,"We support of the cabinet's decision with regard to pay cut of MLAs and MLCs since it is the duty of elected representatives to come forward and make whatever contributions possible in an hour of crisis like this."



He, however, added that the Congress would like to know how the government, which has just about five to six months of its tenure left, could take a decision with regard to pay cut for one year.

Assembly polls in the state are due by November this year.

Mishra also wondered if the chief minister wanted to fight coronavirus with the money realised from the salaries of legislators only?



MLAs and MLCs have, in the recent past, contributed their one month's salary and agreed to divert Rs 50 lakh from their respective local area development fund to the corona eradication fund.

"But what about the chief ministers repeated assertion that those affected by a calamity had the first claim on the states exchequer?" he asked.

He also alleged funds were not being properly utilised in the state and medical equipment were in short supply.

Apparently echoing the statement of AICC president Sonia Gandhi in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bihar Congress leader said the state government should also tighten its belt and avoid splurging on unnecessary advertisements.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HOUSTON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) will host a conference call and webcast to discuss first quarter 2020 results on Friday, May 8, 2020, at 9 a.m. Central time (10 a.m. Eastern time). Please visit the Investors/Events & Presentations page on the EOG website to access a live webcast of the conference call. If you are unable to listen to the live webcast, a replay will be available for one year.

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Lewis at 713-651-6722.

About EOG

EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE: EOG) is one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States with proved reserves in the United States, Trinidad and China. To learn more visit www.eogresources.com.

Investor Contacts

David Streit 713-571-4902

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SOURCE EOG Resources, Inc.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 18:21:21|Editor: huaxia

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TAIPEI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The total number of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Taiwan has increased by three to 379, the island's epidemic monitoring agency said Wednesday.

Two of the new patients, both women, were believed to have contracted the virus during their visits to Spain and Indonesia. The third woman was believed to be infected locally, the agency said in a press release.

The infection source of the local case remained unclear, the statement added.

Among the island's confirmed COVID-19 cases, 326 were imported. A total of 67 confirmed patients have recovered, and five died.

To close loopholes of quarantine rules, the agency announced a new fine of 300,000 new Taiwan dollars (about 9,964 U.S. dollars) on those who are under home quarantine but refuse to follow social distancing such like inviting friends to visit or throwing parties.

According to the agency, the number of people taking COVID-19 tests has surged after the four-day tomb-sweeping holiday that saw an increasing flow of travelers across the island.

On April 6 alone, about 1,800 people took tests due to suspected symptoms, up from 800 to 900 in previous days, the agency said.
Hyderabad, April 7 : L&T Smart World & Communication, a business unit of Larsen & Toubro, has rolled out smart technology solutions to combat Covid-19 in 20 major cities across India.

These technologies are helping the administration in cities including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Prayagraj, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company has partnered with municipal and police agencies of various cities to set up technology and command and control centers/city operations centres.

"L&T Smart World & Communication has been working with various city administrations and state governments to effectively manage complex civic functions in metropolitan cities," said S.N. Subrahmanyan, CEO & MD, Larsen & Toubro.

The technologies deployed in Hyderabad include Artificial Intelligence based vehicle movement restriction. As the administration in Hyderabad issued an order asking people not to drive beyond 3-km from their residences even for buying essential goods, L&T has devised an innovative way to help the police enforce the restriction.

Using existing Machine Learning based automated number plate recognition (ANPR) system, vehicle locations are monitored continuously.

Over 200 cameras deployed in key areas across the city are enabled with deep learning based crowd formation analytics triggering real-time alerts at the police command centre.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunny with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High near 35F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Zeng Xiao couldn't stop taking her temperature, or thinking about her cat.

After getting caught up 76 days ago in the government-ordered lockdown of Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began, she was finally going home. With travel restrictions lifted on Wednesday, she was taking the very first train out of town: the 12:50 a.m. to Guangzhou, in China's south.

The temperature taking was something of a nervous tick. Zeng wasn't sick but still she fretted that train inspectors would somehow determine she had developed a fever and block from her from boarding. With the railway station coursing with police and people trying to leave, Zeng was ecstatic when she passed the inspection. "I haven't seen my cat in almost three months," said the 22-year-old teacher. "I'm very happy there are finally trains going out."

Zeng is one of the some 55,000 people with train tickets out of Wuhan on Wednesday, according to Chinese state television. Flights are resuming from the city's international airport, which handled 24 million passengers a year before the outbreak, and people will be able to return to their jobs around the country. Cars queued at toll booths to get onto the highways out of town.

But the lockdown's end doesn't mean Wuhan has returned to normal. A web of complex restrictions and fear of a resurgence in infections means many can't -- or won't dare to -- go anywhere.

With Wuhan's economy crushed by the virus, the government's priority is on getting people back to work, and those returning to their jobs will see greater freedom of movement. Some apartment blocks will require residents to prove they are leaving the premises to return to work before they are allowed out.

Housing compounds in the city will also retain the power to put residents under lockdown again, containing them in their homes if new virus infections are found or suspected on their grounds, Wuhan's top Communist Party official said earlier this week.

The prospect of the pathogen roaring back is a real concern in Wuhan, where several residents interviewed by Bloomberg spoke with trepidation, not happiness, about the lifting of the lockdown measures.

"I will only feel safe going out in June when the summer heat can kill the virus," said Fu Bianlin, a 60-year-old lifelong resident of Wuhan, speaking from her home by phone. "The end of quarantine could bring more suspicious risks as more people start moving around."

The easing of the lockdown is a moment of reckoning for China, which tamed the epidemic at significant economic and social cost for Wuhan and the wider Hubei province. While the country recorded its first day without a virus death on Tuesday, releasing Wuhan from quarantine as the pandemic continues to rage globally carries significant risk, but is a crucial milestone for the Chinese government's narrative of triumph over the deadly disease.

Some see that as a signal the worst is over.

"The fact that the government is confident enough to say that people can travel out of Wuhan means that the whole situation is well under control," said Hua Meng, a property evaluator in the city. Hua ran a team of 11 volunteers who ferried medical workers around during the quarantine. "The most stressful time has passed."

But while Wednesday's move provides hope for cities from Paris to New York currently in the throes of their own lockdowns, the restrictions China is leaving in place show that the road back to normality will be long.

New virus cases may have dwindled to a handful each day from thousands at their peak, but there's concern nationwide that so-called asymptomatic carriers -- those who can spread the virus without outward signs of being sick -- remain among Hubei's population.

At least 10 other Chinese provinces and municipalities, including Shanghai and the industrial hub Tianjin, require travelers from Hubei to be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival. Beijing said it would limit people entering from Wuhan to 1,000 a day, and that all returnees must have tested negative for the virus within the prior week.

Earlier this month, a clash broke out on the border of Hubei and Jiangxi province as police tried to stop people from Hubei from crossing over.

Layers of monitoring will also remain in place, dictating the movements of Wuhan's residents long after the lockdown has officially been lifted.

Individuals need to maintain a so-called green code to be able to move about freely, processed via apps run by Internet giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. based on users' travel history, basic health information and close contacts.

Just visiting a shopping mall where a virus case is later confirmed can turn the code yellow, meaning another two weeks of isolation at home. That's making Wuhan residents wary of returning to their previous haunts and routines.

The remaining restrictions mean that business owners have dialed back their expectations.

"We were planning to re-open three restaurants on April 8, but now it looks like we will only open one," Wuhan restaurateur Xiong Fei said on Monday, sitting in one of his empty restaurants while workers packed food for deliveries around him.

"The quarantine is not lifting in a real sense. It would be a big hit to us if so people cannot leave their communities to dine out."

China said on Tuesday that there were no new coronavirus deaths reported in the country for the first time since January, while there were 32 new cases of infection, all from travelers coming in from overseas. In total, China's official count stands at 81,740 confirmed cases, with 3,331 deaths. There are 77,167 patients who have recovered or been released from hospital, according to the government's numbers.

The memory of the chaos that ensued when the lockdown was first imposed on Jan. 23 is still fresh for those who lived through it. The mass quarantine was announced around 2 a.m. and implemented at 10 a.m. local time. More than five million people left the city before the restrictions were put in place, and those who stayed saw their lives turned upside down.

In the surreal and frightening weeks that followed, a day like Wednesday didn't seem possible.

"I will be fully prepared for things not to go as expected," said Ma Renren, 33, who runs a small marketing agency in the city. "If we've learned anything, it's that policies can change in an instant."
Citing several studies pointing out that wearing masks can reduce the scope of spreading coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) made it mandatory for citizens to wear masks in public places. Failing to do so may result in offenders getting arrested under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the BMC said in a circular. Meanwhile, the BMC maintained that Mumbai has not entered stage three of the outbreak, which is community transmission, amid speculation owing to the spike in daily cases.

A circular, issued by municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, stated that the civic body has decided in public interest to make masks necessary for any person moving in public places. The circular stated that citizens must wear three-ply or cloth mask. The BMC circular read, Any person moving around in his personal or official vehicle must be wearing masks. No person/ officer will attend any meeting/ gathering, workplace without wearing these masks.

The BMC circular said these masks may be standard ones available with the chemist or even homemade, washable masks and can be reused after proper washing and disinfecting them.

The BMC circular further noted that those not wearing masks can be arrested. The circular stated, Anybody violating these instructions will be punishable under section 188 of IPC and will be strictly penalised and arrested by police officers or officers appointed by the assistant commissioners of wards. All these officers are hereby authorised to take any actions to penalise such violators stringently.

Earlier, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his address via social media, has appealed to citizens to wear masks while going out. Thackeray appealed to citizens to wear masks or even use a clean cotton handkerchief that can act as mask.

According to the civic body, Mumbai reported 72 fresh cases and six fatalities on Wednesday. The city now has 714 coronavirus cases and 45 deaths.

As of Wednesday, the BMC has tested around 14,000 patients for coronavirus, which is around 70% of the 20,000 tests done by Maharashtra. It has tested around 1,012 patients at fever clinics set up in 241 containment zones of the city. The BMC is also planning a drive-through sample collection plan for detecting coronavirus where patients drive in and get tested without getting out of the cars.

Dharavi, Indias largest slum, saw six new cases of Covid-19 and one death on Wednesday, bringing the tally to 13 cases, including two deaths.

The BMC is tracing and quarantining close contacts of the new cases, which include a 50-year-old cleaner working in KEM Hospital, a 25-year-old from Mukund Nagar slum and a 35-year-old in Dhanwada chawl.

Mahim also saw its first two cases of coronavirus on Wednesday. This includes a nurse working at Breach Candy Hospital and staying in Mahim and a 43-year-old man, who has a mutton shop in Worli, which is one of the worst-affected spots in the city.

In G-South Ward, which also includes Worli and Prabhadevi area, the number of cases stood at 138, and it has seen the highest spike in number of cases when compared to other wards in the city. In just one day from April 6 to 7, the cases went up from 78 to 133.

Nearly 70% of the 590 coronavirus cases in Mumbai on Tuesday do not have any international travel history and were infected after they came in contact with those who travelled abroad.

Dr Daksha Shah, deputy director, health department of the BMC said, We are not in stage three of community transmission. According to the Central government, we are in the later phase of stage two. Out of 590 cases that we have detected up to Tuesday, only 20 to 25% have international travel history, and rest all are based on contact.

Shah added, The high number of those being detected positive without any travel history is because we are doing rigorous contact tracing of those tested positive. Along with this, we are also doing community testing by setting up fever clinics.

The BMC has been tracing close contacts by classifying them as high-risk and low-risk contacts of those who tested positive. After tracing the close contacts, the BMC seals a particular area where the close contacts reside or work, and these areas are termed as containment zones.

The Thane police commissioner has also issued a circular, making it compulsory for residents to wear a mask while going in a public place. Vivek Phansalkar, police commissioner, Thane, said, People are supposed to wear a mask, while going out of their house. They will have to wear a mask even if they are commuting in their own vehicle and at place of work. They can use a mask available at chemist shop or a homemade cloth mask, which is reusable. People found not wearing a mask will be booked under section 188 for violations.
By Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch

As the nation desperately tries to halt the spread of COVID-19, potential epicenters of the pandemic are suddenly getting much-needed attention: jail and prisons.

New Jerseys chief justice, Stuart Rabner, ordered the release of hundreds of inmates held in county jails last month because of the dangers of the virus. Then, Attorney General Bill Barr sent a message last week to top prosecutors across the country urging them to consider the medical risk associated with individuals being remanded into federal custody. These actions are welcome, but we must also dramatically decrease the number of new people entering the criminal justice system. One obvious place to start is to stop arresting people for possession of drugs for personal use.

At a time of heightened anxiety, decriminalization is a critical building block to improve trust between communities, law enforcement and health authorities.

Every 25 seconds, someone is arrested for drug possession. Thats more than 1 million people each year. This incurs enormous costs and consequences.

Places like Philadelphia and Baltimore are showing us that bold emergency changes to drug policy are necessary and possible. In an effort to curtail the spread of coronavirus, Baltimores State Attorney Marilyn Mosby asked her staff to dismiss pending charges against anyone arrested for possessing drugs. She argues that these crimes pose no risk to public safety. In Philadelphia, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw instructed her staff to delay arrests for nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses. These measures should be replicated in every municipality, county, state, and at the federal level.

People entering jails and prisons are walking into the eye of an infectious storm. Jails are hotbeds for contagions, given their enclosed quarters, chronic understaffing of medical personnel, and often unsanitary facilities. The spread of Hepatitis C is a known issue in U.S. correctional facilities.

As COVID-19 spreads, prisons pose a grave danger to inmates as well as to medical staff, attorneys, and the communities to which they return. To slow the spread of COVID-19, it is critical that we stop bringing more people into the system, and release all those who should not be there in the first place.

Incarceration has failed to reduce drug use. Prioritizing a public health approach to drugs is long overdue. Decriminalizing personal possession is essential to ending fatal overdose, stopping infectious transmission, and creating a supportive environment for individuals to seek assistance.

Of those convicted on drug-related charges, communities of color are disproportionately affected. Black Americans make up nearly 30% of all drug-related arrests, despite accounting for only 12.5% of all substance users. The damage caused by these policies is dramatic. Criminal records make it impossible for these men and women to find work, access public housing, or regain child custody. We are now adding a potentially fatal threat.

For decades, we have been fighting to control drugs through arrest and criminal prosecution  by making drugs illegal and by making people who use drugs criminals. Lets reduce the flow of people into our prisons and jails and create a more humane justice system.

New Jersey has taken a big step by being one of the first to release hundreds of inmates in response to this global pandemic. Lets learn from and build on this experience. When it comes to drugs, public health should be the priority, prison the last resort.

Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, DrPh, is director of the Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program and is a resident of New Jersey.

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.
A group of teenagers are helping in the coronavirus fight for protective equipment by 3D printing face shields at a digital innovation centre.

The teens are working at a manufacturing facility at Peregian Beach and are using a bank of borrowed 3D printers to develop equipment for the Sunshine Coast Hospital.

The project spokesperson, Wayne McFetridge, explained: 'A prototyping business called the Maker Space were approached by the hospitals two weeks ago and asked to submit a plan for these specific face shields.'

A group of Queensland teenagers are 3D printing face shields (pictured) for local hospital staff at the Peregian Digital Hub innovation centre on the Sunshine Coast

George Gleeson, 17, (pictured) developed the prototype for anesthetist specific shields

'The two spaces are developing specific face shield for anesthetists for when they have to intubate people and hook them up to ventilators,' he said.

The 3D printing operation is taking place across both the Peregian Digital Hub and the Kawana Community Centre on the Sunshine Coast.

He noted that the masks were developed with the help of local teenagers who had 'pulled some major hours.'

'The Digital Hub prototyping and early work was done by a young 17-year-old guy named George Gleeson who was working with the manager Chris Boden.

'They were kind of living there for a few days. They built the early prototypes and showed them to hospital people,' Mr McFetridge said.

The Peregian Beach facility's Facebook page proudly noted that their team was made up of local teens who had taught an afterschool engineering and coding course for kids.

The Hub said: 'The manufacturing facility is operated, under safe conditions, by three talented teenage engineers who teach the Hub's Inventor program.'

'The team is led by 17-year-old engineering prodigy, George Gleeson, who manages the printers, co-ordinates the assembly, sterilization and delivery along with his colleagues Lincoln Favelle (16) and Max Diamond (16),' the statement read.

The teens have used borrowed 3D printers to manufacture around 500 shields (pictured)

The volunteer effort plan on sharing their prototype (pictured) with other international teams

Mr McFetridge said that the shield manufacturing operation was being run on printers that were borrowed or donated from schools and libraries.

'The community rallied around the project and any 3D printers that were found went to the facilities.

'We now have what we call print farms and are running six or eight at both locations,' he explained.

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The manufacturing team have produced over 500 face shields and are aiming to make 100 a day.

Mr McFetridge said: 'The two print farms are just churning them out now, it's become more organised and more about keeping the machines going.'

He noted that 'a whole range of people from professional engineers to teachers and students' were volunteering for the hospital project.

The 40 people were divided into various teams in charge of running printers, sanitation, sourcing materials and developing protocols for keeping workers safe.

Mr McFetridge said that the collective also planned to share their ideas and prototypes with the rest of the world.

He explained: 'In the last few days, lots of little projects around the world have started sharing plans with each other, that's where our original plans came from and those prototypes were made and given to hospitals.'

'Other parts of world are working on plans for different shields and mask but I can see the worldwide groups joining together and sharing things,' Mr McFetridge said.

The protective equipment effort came amid fears that medical supplies may not last as hospitals continue to fight against the coronavirus.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Australia reached 5,997 on Wednesday.
Map of Nigeria showing the location of Bama and Maidiguri, in Borno State.

Of the six states in North-east Nigeria, Bauchi is the only one that has recorded cases of the novel coronavirus. But all of them have announced measures to combat the disease.

Bauchi

On March 24, Bauchi's first case was confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control when the state governor, Bala Muhammed, tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, the state has continued to record cases among those that were traced to have made contact with the governor.

Of the 305 cases that were screened by the NCDC, six have tested positive.

The state government has since been putting in place measures to curb the spread of the disease.

Deputy Governor Baba Tela, who heads the state's task force on COVID-19, said three isolation centres at Bayara General Hospital, Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, and Azare General Hospital have been set up to receive patients should the need arise.

Earlier, the state government had shut all public schools to prevent the spread of the disease. Places of worship were also asked to comply with the social distancing measure by reducing the number of their congregants - a directive that has never been complied with.

The state government has also set up an appeal fund which has realised about N100 million in donations from the organised private sector.

Civil servants in the state have also forfeited certain percentages of their salaries for the months of April, May, and June to support the fight against covid-19.

The state government had last week Tuesday declared a total lockdown of the state from March 28. The total lockdown was later reviewed to only shutting down the entrance gates to the state while allowing free movement within the townships. The government said they had no resources to provide for the resident should they go into full quarantine.

Borno

In Borno, though no single case of COVID-19 has been recorded, the state government had since last week shut down all entry points to the state.

The government had also set off a State Task Force on COVID-19 headed by the state deputy governor, Umar Kadafur. All public and private schools have been shut down until further notice.

The state government had also restricted entrance into most of the IDP camps while partnering with the United Nations agencies to provide medicine and food to the camps should there be unexpected cases of coronavirus outbreak.

The Borno State Commissioner of Health, Aliyi Kwayabura, said a Lassa fever treatment centre at the Brigadier Abba Kyari Memorial Hospital has been upgraded and equipped for treatment of COVID-19.

The centre has been upgraded and equipped with 100 beds as an isolation centre for the disease..

Mr Kwayabura said they have also "stationed staff, safety Kitts and consumable in case it happens."

The health commissioner said more health personnel have been trained on handling the new coronavirus pandemic.

The state government has also set up a task force on internally-generated revenue with a view to boosting the revenue of the state as allocations from the federal purse shrinks due to the impact of the COVID-19 on the global economy.

Taraba

In Taraba, the state government said it has established two isolation centres before the spread of the disease to the state.

According to the state's commissioner for health, Innocent Vakkai, the two centres are located at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) and the State Specialist Hospital in Jalingo.

Mr Vakkai had last week said Governor Darius Ishaku, had directed health institutions to put in place measures "to ensure prompt detection of suspected cases of COVID-19 should the virus spread to the state."

As another strategy of preventing the COVID-19 from filtering into the state, the government had deployed health officials to various entry points of the state.

Mr Vakkai said, "the ministry will procure and pre-position drugs and medical supplies in health facilities, particularly at the FMC and Specialist Hospital."

Residents have recently expressed concerns that the isolation centres have not been equipped.

Mr Ishaku had last week directed workers on grade level 1 to 12 to stay at home for two weeks.

Following the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Taraba state government Saturday ordered the closure of its boundaries.

Governor Darius had last week ordered the restriction of movement with effect from March 29.

Gombe

There has not been any reported case of COVID-19 in Gombe, but the state government had taken far-reaching measures to safeguard the state.

The state government said it has ordered the supply of "Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine for the testing of COVID-19, which it said, " will be the first of its kind in the North-East zone."

According to the Chairman of the Taskforce Committee on Coronavirus, Idris Mohammed, "we have ordered the supply of the machines for testing suspected cases of the virus for the state-owned centre, and the machines are expected to be available in the next two weeks."

The task force chairman said a campaign on how to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 has been sustained.

The state government said it has established emergency centres in each of the 11 local government headquarters in the state.

The state government said it already has a stock of medical consumables in its medical stores that would come handy should there be an outbreak.

The state shares boundaries with Bauchi. All the boundaries have since been closed but movements are still allowed within the state.

Adamawa

Adamawa State has not recorded any case of COVID-19 at the time of filing this report, but the state government has so far taken stringent measures to prevent the spread to the state.

Last week, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri signed an Executive Order for the restriction of movements to check the spread of Coronavirus into the state.

The restriction law was followed by a 14-day lockdown of the state with took effect from midnight of March 31.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Restriction Adamawa State Regulations 2020 Order', forbids any person, except authorised officials or essential service providers from going out without genuine reason such as basic necessities that included food, water, and drugs.

The spokesperson of the government said, "Under the regulation, the police or law enforcement officers may use reasonable force if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a person is or may be infected or contaminated with the Coronavirus and there is a risk that the person may infect others."

The state government has also deployed 300 personnel of the NSCDC across the state to help enforce the restriction order.

The state government had earlier suspended the payment of "consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage" until the Covid-19 impact subsides. The government said this was due to a coronavirus-induced cash. crunch in the states.

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Yobe

In Yobe State, the state government has put in place several measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus to the state.

Part of the measures was setting up three isolation centres, each with three ventilators.

The Commissioner for Health, Mohammed Lawan, last week said that there were 10 ventilators across the state which have been distributed to the three centres.

The three isolation centres were set up at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital with five beds; and the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru with a 20-bed capacity.

Governor Mai-Mala Buni had told the media that though there has not been any case of COVID-19, taking preemptive measures would prevent the state which is battling with Boko Haram from being burdened further by the disease.

"As you are aware, Yobe and other states in the Northeast are faced with the problem of Boko Haram insurgency and now the threat of Coronavirus," Mr Buni said.

The state government has also directed the decongestion of commercial vehicles in the state.

This also affects tricycle operators popularly known as KAKE NAPEP who are also restricted to carrying only two passengers as against five persons.

The state government had set up 'State COVID 19 Prevention and Control Committee, that is chaired by the Deputy Governor, Idi Barde.

As part of the preventive measures, the government has ordered all its personnel starting from the governor and his cabinets as well as all arms of the government, including local government administrative staff, to donate 50 per cent of their subsequent salaries.

The state government has also closed all entry points for all kinds of commuters except those on essential duties.
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

So, the natural question for Access Intelligence (LON:ACC) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

Check out our latest analysis for Access Intelligence

How Long Is Access Intelligence's Cash Runway?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. Access Intelligence has such a small amount of debt that we'll set it aside, and focus on the UK2.0m in cash it held at November 2019. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through UK6.9m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 3 months from November 2019. Notably, one analyst forecasts that Access Intelligence will break even (at a free cash flow level) in about 11 months. Essentially, that means the company will either reduce its cash burn, or else require more cash. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

AIM:ACC Historical Debt April 8th 2020

Is Access Intelligence's Revenue Growing?

We're hesitant to extrapolate on the recent trend to assess its cash burn, because Access Intelligence actually had positive free cash flow last year, so operating revenue growth is probably our best bet to measure, right now. As it happens, shareholders have good reason to be optimistic about the future since the company increased its operating revenue by 51% over the last year. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

Story continues

How Easily Can Access Intelligence Raise Cash?

There's no doubt Access Intelligence's revenue growth is impressive but even if it's only hypothetical, it's always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund further growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Since it has a market capitalisation of UK40m, Access Intelligence's UK6.9m in cash burn equates to about 17% of its market value. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.

Is Access Intelligence's Cash Burn A Worry?

On this analysis of Access Intelligence's cash burn, we think its revenue growth was reassuring, while its cash runway has us a bit worried. It's clearly very positive to see that at least one analyst is forecasting the company will break even fairly soon. While we're the kind of investors who are always a bit concerned about the risks involved with cash burning companies, the metrics we have discussed in this article leave us relatively comfortable about Access Intelligence's situation. Its important for readers to be cognizant of the risks that can affect the company's operations, and we've picked out 3 warning signs for Access Intelligence that investors should know when investing in the stock.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

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.
Global support fund for local relief increased to EUR 5.8 million

Over 100 scientists and 11,000 lab hours committed to COVID-19 research in international consortia, expected to expand

10 days paid leave offered to 51,000 employees for volunteering

EUR 580,000 relief fund made available for Making More Health communities and social entrepreneurs in India and Kenya

Boehringer Ingelheim has significantly stepped up its support to the fight against Covid-19. A Global Support Program has been set up to bring more financial relief, protective materials and medicine donations to healthcare institutions and communities in need around the world.

As a pharmaceuticals company, we feel a strong commitment to offer our help to patients, and to those who help them, said Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. Many of our employees want to participate in the program: we offer support through donations and paid-leave volunteering, engage in significant scientific projects and bring relief to communities in developing regions in Kenya and India, with whom we have a decade-long relationship. All this, plus the drive that I see with colleagues to ensure continued production of medicines, is dedicated to the many, many people who suffer from COVID-19. Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.

Boehringer Ingelheim initially started a EUR 1 million donations program in January for affected regions in China. With the Corona virus spreading to become a global pandemic, efforts to provide relief and scientific support grew strongly these past few weeks. This ultimately resulted in a Global Support Program with four focus areas:

1. Donations

Boehringer Ingelheim has made available EUR 5.8 million for financial and in-kind donations for local emergency aid across its markets. This includes, for example, protective masks, disinfectants, inhalers and medicines. The company is also working with local organizations that use financial and medicine donations to organize help for patients in their communities.

2. Research for COVID-19 Therapies

Since January, a growing team of currently more than 100 highly engaged Boehringer Ingelheim scientists from all areas of research and development (R&D) have contributed to projects aimed at finding potential treatment solutions for COVID-19. All of us are thinking about how we can find new ways to tackle this virus. This has led to a broad program pursuing many approaches in parallel, says Dr Cyrille Kuhn, Executive Director Research, who leads Boehringer Ingelheims COVID-19 efforts since January.

Moreover, an increasing number of collaboration partners and service providers is bolstering the teams efforts. Most of the projects are part of larger collaborative efforts with academia, biotech and other pharma companies. Among them is a call by the Innovative Medicines Initiative of the EU (IMI), to which Boehringer Ingelheim is planning to commit in excess of 11,000 work hours in R&D. The company also joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation COVID-19 Therapeutic Accelerator. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim supports scientists worldwide with its open innovation portal opnMe.com, which offers 6 anti-viral compounds out of 43 high quality pharmacological tool compounds at no cost for testing of research hypotheses.

As this work evolves, the company will commit further experts from multiple disciplines, as well as increased lab capacity.

3. Volunteering

In many communities, helping hands from volunteers, for example with a medical or nursing background, are urgently needed. Boehringer Ingelheim offers all of its 51,000 employees the opportunity to take up to 10 days of paid leave to join approved external organizations as a volunteer to bring COVID-19 relief. Employees who are unable to perform their work on-site or from home, are given the opportunity to volunteer for longer while paid their regular salaries, until they can resume their work.

4. Making More Health relief fund

An EUR 580,000 relief fund has been launched to support the global Making More Health (MMH) network of social entrepreneurs in Kenya and India, as well as the communities in which they live and work.

The fund will help social enterprises and their activities to sustain a longer period of low economic activity and will invest in social entrepreneurial ideas that can help reduce the risk of the Corona virus spreading.

Especially in times like these Social Entrepreneurs around the world are well placed to leverage their proximity to those in needs, said Jean Scheftsik de Szolnok, member of the Board of Managing Directors and one of the founders of the MMH movement. MMH communities such as self-help groups in India or people suffering from albinism in Kenya, have started to produce soap and at the same time education programs on hygiene awareness in their neighborhoods. Over the past years more than 750 students at the MMH school and some 1,000 families in farmer cooperatives have been trained in hygiene and soap production in Kenya and India.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to the global community and to the well-being of people and animals. As a research-driven company, it started its support activities in January and will continue to do what it can to deliver a meaningful contribution in the fight against COVID-19. The company continues to support healthcare systems by reliably supplying drugs and through our research.

More information on the various COVID-19 initiatives under the Global Support Program are available under: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/covid-19

Please click on the following link for Notes to Editors: http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/covid-global-support-programm

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005884/en/
Mumbai, April 8 : In a first for the country, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday made face masks as compulsory part of attire for all citizens in Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune Metropolitan Region who want to move around in any public places for whatever reasons.

In an order this evening, the officials have said that the measure was necessitated as studies have revealed that wearing facial masks can substantially reduce the spread of coronavirus from and to persons coming in contact with each other, besides other mandatory social distancing measures already implemented.

Accordingly, the government has decreed that any persons moving around in public places like streets, hospitals, offices, markets, etc, for whatever reasons must compulsorily sport a face mask.

This would also be applicable to all people moving around in their official or personal vehicles at any site, office or workplace, besides attending any gatherings or meetings at workplaces.

Earlier, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi issued an order that the regular 3-play masks or cloth masks, either available with pharmacies or home-made which can be washed and reused after disinfecting them, must be worn while stepping out.

Shortly thereafter, Thane Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar also issued similar orders for the city, which falls under the MMR.

These strict orders - with punitive clauses - came as Maharashtra continued to soar highest in the country in terms of maximum Covid-19 deaths (40) and positive cases (686) as on Wednesday, with Mumbai and Pune being the worst-hit.
The coronavirus outbreak has forced half the world's population to be under lockdown and it is making some of them do weird things. Recently, a man in the United Kingdom drove 386 kilometeres to get bread that was 1 (Rs 93) cheaper. The Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) tweeted about the incident from its official handle. The man was fined for speeding at 177 km per hour.

Read: IATA Warns 25 Million Jobs In Aviation Industry At Risk Due To COVID-19 Lockdown

According to reports, when the man was stopped by the police he said that he was going to London because the bread there are cheaper. Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit while tweeting about the incident also shared a picture that read, "Stay at Home, Protect that NHS, Save Lives." The man was reportedly travelling with two young children when he was caught by the police. The Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) then reported the man to the court particularly for overspeeding and violating lockdown orders for non-essential work.

Just stopped a car doing 110mph on the M1 north. The purpose of the journey from Nottingham? To buy bread in London because it was 1 cheaper. He also had his 2 young children in the car! Reported to court. #thatcouldcostsomedough #StayAtHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/LX4TmEM4i5  Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) (@LeicsPoliceRPU) April 5, 2020

Read: China Probes CPC Member Who Criticised President Jinping Over Virus Handling

Coronavirus outbreak

The deadly coronavirus infection has claimed nearly 83,000 lives across the world and has infected over 14,50,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last month before Italy, Spain, the United States, the UK, France and Iran surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

Read: Donald Trump Removes Inspector General Overseeing Coronavirus Relief Spending

Read: Acting US Navy Secretary Resigns Over Mishandling Of COVID-19 Outbreak On Aircraft Carrier

(Lead Image Credit: AP)
These were among incidents reported by the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office and the Leesburg and Purcellville police. For information, contact your police or sheriffs department.
An animation shows Rocket Lab's Electron rocket returning back through the atmosphere after a launch.

Rocket Lab, the leading company building and launching small rockets, recently took what the company describes as a "major step forward" in its plan to reuse its rocket boosters. The company successfully conducted "a mid-air recovery test," in which it used a grappling hook under a helicopter to snag a parachute that carried a device mimicking its Electron rocket booster. Rocket Lab, which has operations and facilities in both New Zealand and the United States, said the test happened before New Zealand issued shelter-in-place orders. It's a critical development in Rocket Lab's plan to reuse its rockets for future missions. Already, Rocket Lab has successfully returned two rocket boosters after its most recent launches, navigating them back through the intense reentry of the Earth's atmosphere. If its reuse plans succeed, Rocket Lab would join SpaceX as the only private company to return and recover an orbital-class rocket booster. Beck's company, much like Elon Musk's SpaceX, wants to recover the boosters so it can launch more often while simultaneously decreasing the material cost of each mission. But Rocket Lab's approach to recovering its boosters is notably different than SpaceX's, which uses the boosters' engines to slow it down during reentry and add wide legs to land on large concrete pads. Rocket Lab, instead, is testing a technology Beck calls an "aero thermal decelerator"  essentially using the atmosphere to slow down the rocket. After reaching space, Rocket Lab's onboard computer guides the booster through reentry. After that, a parachute will deploy from the top of the booster to slow it down and, eventually, allow the company to pluck it from the sky with a helicopter. The recent drop test "was a logistical nightmare," CEO Peter Beck told CNBC. "We had two large vessels, a recovery boat and three helicopters. So it was it was quite a flotilla of vessels that were going out in to the middle of the ocean to do this," Beck said. Here's how the test worked.

Two Rocket Lab helicopters flew over the ocean

Rocket Lab

One helicopter carried a rocket test dummy device and the other had a large hook trailing underneath

Rocket Lab

The test device was dropped and its parachute deployed

Rocket Lab

The helicopter with the hook chased after it

Rocket Lab

And snagged it on the first try

Rocket Lab

With the rocket test dummy in tow, the helicopter brought it back to land

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab

Beck said the helicopter dropped the test device at about 8,000 feet altitude and then caught it about 5,000 feet. When Rocket Lab tries it with a real rocket after a launch the parachute will open at about 20,000 feet. Beck explained that will give the helicopter pilot about 20 minutes to try to snag it before the booster hits the ocean. Additionally, the company will have the helicopter near where the booster is expected to come back down, so "we shouldn't have far to go to start the pickup run," Beck said. The company conducted a number of tests before this one, Beck said, which went so well that "we didn't really feel the need to go out and conduct another test." "All credit goes to the pilot," Beck said. "He was sweating and worked really hard for that but made it look really easy."

Next up in Rocket Lab's testing process will be slowing a booster down enough that it survives impact with the water  which means slowing it down to a speed of about 5 miles per hour. The company plans to conduct that test during a launch later this year. "We're moving very quickly though to try and recover one because that will give us a clear view of how much work is in front of us," Beck said. "Until we get it back it's impossible to estimate the amount of rework it's going to take."

Managing the coronavirus crisis

Rocket Lab is the leading private company that builds small rockets  its Electron, which goes for about $7 million per launch, is about a fifth the size of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company specializes in launching batches of small spacecraft, which are often about the size of a microwave oven. But, due to the evolving coronavirus pandemic, Rocket Lab announced last month it would pause its launch schedule and focus on being ready for when it can launch again. "You're talking about my night shifts," Beck said. "My day shift is devoted to Rocket Lab and my night shift is devoted to COVID-19, as I'm spread across two countries." Beck noted that "the curve" of coronavirus cases in New Zealand has begun to decline, saying that Rocket Lab expects to "resume launch operations in New Zealand very, very soon." While he's not sure what day that will be, he noted that New Zealand's lock down will last for another two weeks. "We're probably in a better place than many others to resume launch and continue to launch," Beck said. That's because Rocket Lab's main launchpad is on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, a remote part of the island nation. U.S. based launches have been delayed by the crisis and the rapidly evolving situation. The SpaceX launch of the U.S. Space Force's next GPS III satellite was delayed from late April to no earlier than June 30. Rocket Lab has a launchpad at NASA's Wallops facility in Virginia and, before the crisis, its inaugural launch was expected at the beginning of this year. Although Beck said the Electron rocket is at Wallops and has been on the launchpad, he noted that "there are a lot of other external factors that are out of our control." "We've got a vehicle there and it can be on the pad in 48 hours and we're ready to support the nation whenever it requires," Beck said. Rocket Lab last raised capital in November 2018, a $140 million round that Beck called "dry powder" both then and now, "for whatever the world may throw at you." "To be honest with you, I wasn't expecting a pandemic," Beck said. "But I've been in this game long enough to know that you always get thrown a curve ball." The majority of that funding round is still in Rocket Lab's accounts, he noted, "even though we've been investing heavily in other areas." "Rocket Lab as a business is very solid," Beck added.

Interplanetary possibilities

Rocket Lab recently won a nearly $10 million NASA contract to launch its "CAPSTONE" mission, which will send a cube satellite into orbit around the moon. And Beck says Rocket Lab can do even more than that, thanks to advancements of its in-house rocket and spacecraft technologies. "We actually showed that we could not only get to the moon, but we can do near-interplanetary stuff. We can go to Venus, we can go to Mars," Beck said.

June 8, 1998 - Center of the orthographic projection is at latitude 30 degrees S., longitude 90 degrees. The top half is dominated by the Tharsis Montes volcanoes, the large Alba Patera shield volcano, the dark Chryse basin, and a vast canyon system, Valles Marineris. In the central part, a prominent physiographic feature, Thaumasia plateau, includes a complex array of small and large scale faults, ridges and ancient volcanoes. The large conspicuous Argyre basin, southeast of the Thaumasia plateau, contains a broad expanse of light-colored plains 800 km across. The permanent south polar ice cap is located near the bottom. Stocktrek Images | Stocktrek Images | Getty Images
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  British journalist Piers Morgan praised Filipino healthcare workers in the United Kingdom for saving peoples lives.

Morgan described Filipino nurses as unsung heroes in the Tuesday telecast of Good Morning Britain.

Amazing number of Filipinos working in NHS (National Health Service), are unsung heroes. Thank you to all the Filipinos who are here, doing all this, he said.

Morgan added that people sometimes forget the extraordinary workforce in the healthcare service.

Its worth bearing in mind when we talk about immigrants in this country, these are the immigrants currently saving people's lives. Coming here and actually enriching our country and doing an amazing job, he said.
The protection of medical staff is a major priority in the current corona crisis. However, face masks and protective clothing are difficult to obtain in suitable quality on the world market these days.

Thanks to an initiative of Christian Ramsauer, head of the Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management at Graz University of Technology and his deputy Hans Peter Schnoll together with Dr. Philipp Metnitz, head of the Clinical Department for General Anaesthesiology, Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine at Med Uni Graz, KAGes is now rapidly receiving a large quantity of urgently needed protective face shields.

I am delighted that we have already been able to hand over the first 1,000 face shields to KAGes today. These were designed by my team at the Schumpeter Laboratory for Innovation at TU Graz and have been manufactured by us in shift operation since the weekend." Christian Ramsauer, Head of the Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management, Graz University of Technology

A total of 10,000 such shields will be produced for KAGes at TU Graz in the coming weeks.

Philipp Metnitz is extremely pleased on the occasion of today's handover of the protective equipment: "On behalf of many colleagues, I would like to thank Professor Ramsauer and his team for this great initiative. The motivation and commitment shown in support of medical staff in Austria is incredible! The broad solidarity I've seen in recent weeks is unprecedented in my experience and shows me that together we can really make a difference."

The face shields were tested by doctors during operation and checked from a hygienic point of view by the responsible departments of KAGes. The shields are reusable and can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

Pilot series at TU Graz

Because things have to happen quickly, the first 10,000 units in a pilot series are currently being produced directly at the Schumpeter Laboratory for Innovation at TU Graz, which belongs to the Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management. More than 30 powerful 3D printers are currently printing around the clock.

The 3D printing capacities of the Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management could be expanded thanks to the provision of additional printers by other institutes of TU Graz, as well as by the student body at TU Graz and private individuals.

In this way, around 300 protective face shields can be produced per day. The Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management is also working with two Austrian companies to complete series production of the product using suitable manufacturing technologies in order to increase the number of units. This means that these shields can soon be supplied to other medical care facilities in Austria.

Three components against the risk of infection

The protective shield made at TU Graz essentially consists of three components. The supporting part of the shield is made of PLA plastic using an FDM 3D printing process.

This material is characterized by good printability, is biocompatible and biodegradable. In the pilot series, the shield itself consists of a commercially available overhead transparency, which is perforated using a DIN A4 quadruple punch and fixed to the supporting part.

This allows the shield to be easily replaced or cleaned if necessary. The protective shield is fastened with a washable elastic band that is adjustable in length.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

FATFs review meeting for Pakistan postponed due to Covid-19 crisis: Report

Pakistan has received an unexpected reprieve in meeting a deadline set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to counter terror financing as a key review meeting scheduled for June has been put off because of the Covid-19 crisis. Read more

PM Modi said pre-corona and post-corona life wont be same, says BJD MP

Prime minister Narendra Modi told the Parliamentary floor leaders of political parties on Wednesday that peoples lives after the coronavirus outbreak was set to change and it wont be any similar to the life enjoyed before the pandemic took a firm grip on the world including India, said a senior leader from the Biju Janta Dal. Read more

Covid-19: Mumbai civic body makes wearing masks mandatory, says violators may be arrested

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made it mandatory for people stepping out of their homes to wear masks to check the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19. Read more

Wuhan lifts 11-week lockdown as China records rise in imported Covid-19 cases

Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged December, ended its 11-week lockdown on Wednesday but restrictions on the movement of people were put in place in a northeastern province amid fears of a new wave of infection triggered by imported Covid-19 cases. Read more

Hell get answer about pace: Shoaib Akhtar proposes duel between his son and Mohammad Kaifs son

Reacting to Mohammad Kaifs tweet on his sons reaction of hitting Shoaib Akhtar must be easy, the Rawalpindi Express invited the former India middle order batsman for a duel with his son Mikael. Read more

After his two daughters, Bollywood producer Karim Morani also tests positive for coronavirus

Bollywood producer Karim Morani has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. Earlier, his two daughters Zoa and Shaza had also tested positive for the disease. Read more

WhatsApps new limit on chat forwards: Important things you need to know

WhatsApp has limited the forwarding of frequently forwarded messages to one chat a time in attempts to curb the spread of Covid-19 misinformation. Messages that are frequently forwarded are highlighted by WhatsApp with a label. Read more

The Taste with Vir: Well have to extend the lockdown

The government has made no official announcement about the end of the lockdown but I dont know a single person who believes that it will end on schedule. The most we can expect are staggered and perhaps region-based withdrawals of the restrictions. Read more



Watch: Impact of lockdown on Indias rivers & pollution levels
(Newser)  With the Houston area under a stay-at-home order, 5-year-old Jordan Allen was playing on the balcony of his family's second-floor apartment last week, making TikTok videos with his father. Police say the boy was hit by a stray bullet at around 9pm last Tuesday when his father stepped inside to get some juice, KTRK reports. The father says he heard five or six gunshots, followed by Jordan asking for help. "Everybody ran in the house and the kids ran in the house, so I ran to the porch, and then I see my son laying on the ground holding his head, asking for my help," the father says. Jordan was taken to Texas Children's Hospital in critical condition and died on Monday, six days after the shooting, CNN reports.

story continues below

Police say they do not believe the boy was the intended target of the shooting. "There were multiple casings found in the parking lot and several cars had damage from possible gunfire," the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Jordan was "the happiest child in the world ... he would bring joy to everybody," says the father, who is now trying to figure out how to lay the boy to rest with anti-coronavirus measures in place. Police said Tuesday that that they are trying to find three women considered persons of interest in the shooting: Shapree Monique Stoneham, 29; Khalisah Smith, 18; and Alexis Moshae Gore, 22. (Read more Houston stories.)
I didnt just wake up one day and decide to go after a sitting president, she told the British publication the Daily Mail in 2017, in one of her few interviews. Clinton sees women as a sort of enormous smorgasbord. . . . He was the leader of the free world and she was an intern, a kid, who happened to be extremely emotionally young for her age.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) walks through Statuary Hall with other senators to the House Chamber for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Sen. Loeffler to Liquidate Stocks Amid Uproar From Virus Briefing Stock Dump

'My familys investment accounts are being used as weapons for an assault on my character,' Loeffler said

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) on Wednesday said she would liquidate her stocks after claims she misused privileged information to adjust her portfolio ahead of the pandemic-led market crash.

My familys investment accounts are being used as weapons for an assault on my character at a time when we should all be focused on making our country safe and strong, Loeffler wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.

The freshman Georgia senator was one of a half dozen senate lawmakers who sold stocks after receiving sensitive briefings on the severity of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Allegations of wrongdoing, which Loeffler has repeatedly denied, revolve around claims that she and others leveraged for personal gain information from a closed-door Senate-only meeting that previewed COVID-19 impacts, potentially giving participants an edge on markets.

Between Jan. 24 and Feb. 14, Loeffler reportedly sold around $3.1 million in stocks she held with her CEO husband Jeff Sprecher, who heads the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange.

Wall Streets COVID-19 rout has battered markets, leaving the benchmark S&P 500 down around 19 percent from its February record high.

Loeffler said she makes no decisions on her investments, which she insisted are managed by a third-party.

I want to set the record straight: This is a ridiculous & baseless attack. I dont make investment decisions for my portfolio. Investment decisions are made by multiple third-party advisors without my or my husbands knowledge or involvement, Loeffler wrote on Twitter.

The net worth of Loeffler and her husband, according to The Wall Street Journal, is estimated at around half a billion dollars, making her the wealthiest member of the Senate.

My familys investments are managed by third-party advisers at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Sepio Capital, and Wells Fargo. These professionals buy and sell stocks on our behalf. We dont direct trading in these accounts. These trades are disclosed routinely and publicly in reports to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, in full compliance with transparency laws, Loeffler wrote in the Wall Street Journal op-ed, headlined: I never traded on confidential coronavirus information but to end the distraction, my family will divest from individual stocks.

In the op-ed, Loeffler said her stock holdings would be converted to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.

She maintained she acted correctly and in compliance with the law.

Ive done everything the right way and in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, Senate ethics rules and U.S. law, she said, adding that she was divesting because the issue isnt worth the distraction.

An official with Loefflers campaign told investigative reporter Sara Carter that the claims rely on twisting facts.

Allegations of improper trading are based purely on cherry-picking dates and misrepresenting transactions contained in Senator Loefflers Periodic Transaction Reports (PTRs), rather than any actions that Sen. Loeffler took, a spokesperson for Loeffler told Carter.

Even if absent any wrongdoing, the optics of the stock sales are troublesome, according to Chester Spatt, professor of finance at Carnegie Mellon University and former SEC economist.

This is why senators shouldnt be doing this, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The burden is on them to demonstrate they were not using insider information.
CHICAGO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Managed Services Market by Service Type (Managed Security, Managed Network, Managed Data Center and IT Infrastructure, and Managed Communication and Collaboration), Vertical, Organization Size, Deployment Type and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Managed Services Market is expected to grow from USD 223.0 billion in 2020 to USD 329.1 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.1 % during the forecast period. Factors that drive the market growth of the Managed Services Market are lack of IT skilled professionals, and cost reduction and lower IT budgets to force enterprises to leverage managed services.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Managed Services Market"

113 - Tables

40 - Figures

190 - Pages

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1141

Managed data center and IT infrastructure services segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

Enterprises are adopting digital technologies, such as cloud computing, mobility, IoT, big data, and predictive analytics, at a high rate across the world. These disruptive technologies are driving the digital revolution by breaking the barriers between the physical and digital worlds. These advancements are empowering almost all the verticals, including IT, healthcare, retail, banking, manufacturing, and education, in terms of improved performance, faster time to market, and increased customer experience. However, managing an IT environment is a major concern for CIOs. Most of the IT enterprises are dedicating most of their time in the cycles of a plan, build, run, and maintain IT with untrained IT employees.

Large enterprises segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period

The adoption of managed services in large enterprises is said to be higher as compared to SMEs. Large enterprises might have the necessary resources, but face issues when it comes to the deployment type, due to the variety of solutions and applications available. Managed services can help companies of all size reduce the overhead and boost productivity. Large enterprises can benefit from improved reliability and efficiency, enhanced security compliance, and increased capacity for projects.

On-premises segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

Managed services on-premises allow enterprises to hand over the complete system management to experts, ensuring maximum performance and availability of the existing data center investments. A managed service, physically installed onsite in a company's infrastructure, is termed as on-premises managed services. Several enterprises that have traditional legacy tools are better suited to traditional on-premises-based services.

North America to account for the largest market size during the forecast period

North America is estimated to dominate global managed services. The US and Canada are expected to be the major revenue contributors in the North American Managed Services Market. The adoption of managed services offers benefits, such as improved reliability and efficiency, enhanced security compliance, and increased capacity. The developed economies in North America have been witnessing more adoption of managed services as compared to other countries across the globe.

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Market Players

The Managed Services Market comprises major providers, such as IBM (US), Cisco (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Accenture (Ireland), Atos (France), DXC Technology (US), AT&T (US), Ericsson (Sweden), Cognizant US), HCL (India), TCS (India), Infosys (India), Dimension Data (South Africa), NTT (Japan), GTT Communications (US), Happiest Minds Technologies (India), Rackspace (US), Huawei (China), Nokia (Finland), and CenturyLink (US). The study includes the in-depth competitive analysis of these key players in the Managed Services Market with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Software and Services Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Related Reports:

Managed Network Services Market by Organization Size, End-Use Vertical, Service (Managed Internet Access and Network Provisioning, VPN, Data Storage, Network Monitoring, Network Security, and Hosted IP Telephony), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/managed-network-services-market-901.html

Cloud Managed Services Market by Service Type (Managed Infrastructure, Managed Network, Managed Security, Managed Data Center, and Managed Mobility Services), Deployment Type, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-managed-service-market-195317068.html

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Vietnam Airlines operated two special flights carrying EU citizens and Vietnams medical support for five European nations to Germany on April 6 and 8.

A plane of Vietnam Airlines

The national flag carrier said on April 8 that the flights were sponsored by the German Government and conducted by the German Federal Foreign Office in coordination with the airline.

The flights, using Boeing 787-10, departed from Vietnam for Frankfurt on the mornings of April 6 and 8. They carried a total nearly 600 passengers, all EU citizens.

The flight on April 8 also carried medical supplies from Vietnam for the governments and people of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in the fight against COVID-19, the airline said.

It added that the handling of passengers and goods closely followed regulations on disease prevention and control, and all passengers were requested to wear face masks throughout the duration of the flights.

The aircraft were empty when they returned to Vietnam and were disinfected after landing.

Vietnam Airlines noted the flights were important to European nationals stranded in Vietnam since all regular flights from the Southeast Asian nation to international destinations have been suspended.

By repatriating the passengers and carrying medical supplies, they also helped strengthen diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the European countries, and enhanced coordination in the COVID-19 fight, the firm added.

Earlier, Vietnam Airlines also carried donations of medical supplies to Laos and Cambodia./.VNA

Vietnam Airlines expects VND50trn losses Vietnam Airlines will lose some VND50trn (USD2.1bn) in revenues while 10,000 staff are without work due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
A disposable plastic 'pop-up tent' which creates a protective barrier between patients and healthcare professionals could be the latest line of defence for frontline NHS workers thanks to a new product developed by a team from the UK.

Designed by experts at the University of Birmingham, the Disposable Resuscitation, Intubation and Nebulisation Kit Shield - or DRs INK Shield - is a compact device designed to cover the patient's head, neck and shoulder area while treatments for COVID-19 are administered.

The transparent plastic shield, which features self-closing access points, protects medical staff from airborne droplets that may put them at risk of contracting the virus while allowing them line-of-sight access to the patients airways to perform life-saving procedures such as inserting or removing breathing tubes.

Barrier products like these already exist, however current designs are often hard walled boxes which are not only difficult to store in large numbers, but difficult to manoeuvre in emergency situations.

The DRs INK Shield is around five times lighter and one third of the cost of currently available solutions. Its pop-up design means it can be assembled in seconds as well as easy to store prior to use while the disposable material means that it can be disposed of along with other clinical waste.

The project, which has rapidly moved from conception through product development to launch and taking orders in less than a week, has brought together the expertise of staff from the University's College of Medical and Dental Sciences and College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Design lead Matthew Campbell-Hill from the Institute of Clinical Sciences said:

We're told that COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory secretions which transmit the virus via the fine spray of droplets released when infected people talk, cough, sneeze or even yawn.With much of the treatment for the virus focused around the airways, it is imperative that healthcare workers are protected from potential contamination while still being able to deliver the vital treatments that will save people's lives. Our shield offers an additional form of PPE that can be rapidly assembled during emergency situations adding an extra layer of protection for frontline staff. Staff who have used it report increased confidence in their personal safety, as well as the ease of use and lightness. While this design has the potential to be a vital tool during the current pandemic, we envisage its use in a range of care settings beyond hospitals including ambulances, care homes and public areas."

Dr Richard Williams, Research Fellow in the Healthcare Technologies Institute added:"Taking the time to fully understand the clinical problem and then move at speed was essential. Even in this national emergency, some basic considerations of placing a product into service still apply. We drew upon our key contacts and worked remotely to provide an appropriate solution in a timely manner with the ability scale."

The next stage of the project will see the team deploy the solution as quickly as possible to the front-line of COVID-19 care.
OTTAWA - The Canadian Armed Forces has quietly revealed that 20 service members took their own lives last year, the largest number of military suicides since 2014.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Canadian flag sits on a members of Canadian forces that are leaving from CFB Trenton, in Trenton, Ont., on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014. The Canadian Armed Forces has quietly revealed that 20 service members took their own lives last year, the largest number of military suicides since 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

OTTAWA - The Canadian Armed Forces has quietly revealed that 20 service members took their own lives last year, the largest number of military suicides since 2014.

The increase came despite the federal government having introduced a suicide-prevention strategy for military members and veterans in 2017, underscoring the complexity of the challenge facing the military and government in preventing such tragedies.

The new figures quietly published online by the Canadian Armed Forces in January showed 17 full-time regular-force members and three reservists died by suicide in 2019.

Not only was that an increase of five military suicides over the previous year, it was the largest number of suicides among those in uniform since 23 service members took their own lives in 2014. The figures did not break the numbers down by gender.

A total of 175 Canadian military personnel have died by suicide since 2010. That is more than the 158 killed while serving in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014.

Military officials did not issue an accompanying report to explain the increase or what additional steps may be needed to address the situation, but Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in an email Wednesday that an analysis will come later in the year.

Such reports have been published each year since a rash of military suicides first cast a spotlight on the issue in 2013, leading the government and military commanders to promise to address the problem.

The subsequent Defence Department and Veterans Affairs Canada suicide-prevention strategy promised to improve the services and support available to military members and veterans in the hope of increasing awareness and reducing the number of suicides in both populations.

That included adding more medical staff, training personnel on how to respond if someone showed warning signs for suicide and introducing new measures to ease the transition to civilian life for those leaving the Forces.

National Defence's suicide-prevention strategy was endorsed by a variety of groups, including the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

"The CAF has provided leadership in the area of mental health and remains committed to working with its partners to ensure that our personnel, with their families, who are called to sacrifice so much in service to their country, receive quality care and support," Le Bouthillier said.

"Suicide is a tragedy and an important public health concern that affects everyone  both in and out of uniform  which is why we will continue to assess capabilities and adjust resources to ensure we meet the increasing complexities and demands associated with caring for our own."

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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan acknowledged last year that "we must always strive to do better," adding: "Every time we lose a member of our Canadian Armed Forces to suicide, it is felt by us all. One suicide is too many.

"While there is no simple solution or easy answer, we will continue to evolve and improve the strategy as we expand our understanding of suicide and mental health and move forward on implementing solutions."

The Canadian Armed Forces for years resisted suggestions service members were more at risk of suicide than the general public, but reversed course after a landmark study from Veterans Affairs Canada in 2017 suggested that was true.

Now, with the vast majority of service members now ordered to stay home so they are ready to respond if the military is called to help out with COVID-19, commanders have been encouraging their troops to reach out and stay connected to ensure their mental health.

"These are unique and stressful times," chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance told all Forces members in a letter on March 27. "Take care of yourselves and your families both physically and mentally, say in contact with your colleagues and reach out to support one another."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic and sheltering-in-place drags on, people are finding ways to reconnect with each other.

In Italy, balconies have filled one-by-one, with residents uniting in choral harmony; Dallas residents pop out of windows to sing Lean On Me together; New York City firefighters sound their horns; musicians perform for unseen audiences; and rooftops fill with fitness buffs joining together in a mass workout.

The heartfelt yearning for connection, and creativity, has brought neighborhoods together in beautiful and touching ways, and Billings is no exception.

Misti Gaub created the Facebook group HOWL for BILLINGS on April 4 as a way to thank and recognize health care workers.

The group encourages residents from the region to howl or cheer loudly from their windows or private yards beginning at 8 p.m. every evening.

The inspiration came from knowing the long-term effects of trauma and knowing that solidarity during these times is of the utmost importance to help mitigate long-term effects of trauma and uncertainty within our community," Gaub said.

She got the idea from another group called HOWL for MISSOULA.
Tens of thousands of people in Wuhan, the origin point and epicentre for the coronavirus pandemic, began travelling out of the sprawling city on Wednesday as China lifted its 73-day lockdown, even as the number of fresh COVID-19 cases crossed 1,000 in the country and two new deaths heightened concerns of a rebound in infections.

IMAGE: Medical workers hug at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport after travel restrictions to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and China's epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease were lifted. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

The Chinese health authority said on Wednesday that 62 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland on Tuesday, including 59 cases of people returning from abroad, taking the total tally to 1,042.

Three new domestic cases were reported, including two in Shandong Province and one in Guangdong Province, the National Health Commission said.

Also on Tuesday, 137 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported and 1,095 asymptomatic cases were still under medical observation, the NHC said.



Asymptomatic coronavirus cases are those who test positive for the virus but do not show any symptoms and have the potential to cause sporadic clusters of infections.



Two deaths were reported on Tuesday, with one in Shanghai and the other in Hubei Province, taking the overall death toll in the country to 3,333, it said.



On Monday, the NHC reported no deaths for the first time after it began publishing COVID-19 daily reports since January this year.



The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,802 by Tuesday, including 1,190 patients still being treated, 77,279 patients discharged after recovery, and 3,333 people died of the disease.

IMAGE: Travellers line up with their belongings outside Hankou Railway Station after travel restrictions to leave Wuhan were lifted. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Wednesday is yet another landmark day in China as it lifted about the 73-day lockdown of Wuhan city of 11 million people, ending its painful isolation due to COVID-19 which was first detected there in December last year.



No new confirmed case of coronavirus was reported on Tuesday in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, but the province recorded one death.



Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,008 in Wuhan.



On January 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains, in an attempt to contain the epidemic.



The Wuhan lockdown was lifted even as epidemiologists warned that it is not the time to completely lower the guard and ease on full-scale restrictions, considering the looming asymptomatic patients and possible rebound in infections, the official media reported.



As the lockdown was lifted, tens of thousands of people from Wuhan began leaving the city on Wednesday. The government has lifted the ban on road, air and train travel for all the locals who have acquired health certificates.

Cars queued up at expressway toll gates and passengers prepared to board trains to leave Wuhan as the megacity started lifting outbound travel restrictions, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.



At Fuhe toll gate in nothern Wuhan, cars honked and rushed out after barricades were removed at midnight.



Guo Lei, who ran a business in Wuhan, drove his car with six other people aboard to the toll gate at around 8:40 pm (local time) and waited for a homebound trip.



"I can't wait returning to my hometown," said Guo, a native of east China's Shandong Province.



"I have lived in Wuhan for eight years. During the Spring Festival holiday, my relatives came to the city and helped me deliver goods. We were all stranded here due to the epidemic," Guo said.

IMAGE: A police officer sprays disinfectant on a traveller outside Hankou Railway Station after travel restrictions to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and China's epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease were lifted. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

Big data from Wuhan traffic police forecast the expressways would see the peak of outbound vehicles on Wednesday.

As more enterprises resume their operations, Wuhan has seen an increase of nearly 400,000 vehicles in transit in the past half month, and the number is expected to reach 1.8 million after Wednesday, according to the city's traffic police.



Traffic police will release real-time traffic information through radio stations, online social platforms, and map apps.



At Wuchang Railway Station in the city, 442 passengers jumped on the train K81 early Wednesday, which is heading for Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.



More than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday, and about 40 per cent of them are going to the Pearl River Delta Region. Over 270 passenger trains will leave Wuhan for Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities, Xinhua report said.

The railway authorities required passengers to scan health codes and have temperatures checked when entering the stations and wear masks to reduce the risks of infection.



Workers have disinfected bullet trains, the entrance and exits, waiting halls and platforms of the railway stations in advance.



Wuhan Tianhe International Airport started resuming domestic passenger flights early Wednesday. The airport is expected to see more than 200 inbound and outbound flights on the day, according to the airport.

"The crew will wear goggles, masks, and gloves throughout the flight," said Guo Binxue, chief attendant of the flight MU2527. The first flight that is scheduled to depart from Wuhan at 7:25 am Wednesday since the city's lockdown was lifted. "It will be very smooth because we have made much preparation for this flight," Guo said.

Flight attendants would provide masks for passengers if they had fever, cough and other symptoms, and record their personal information and contact history within 14 days, Guo said, adding: "We have simplified the service process to better protect everyone's health".



The central Hubei province has already lifted all the travel restrictions.
With an aim to share its expertise and knowledge to deliver consumer trust and confidence in the financial sector, the Financial Ombudsman Office (FOS) will hold its 2016 Australia National Conference.The conference and a welcome dinner will be held on 7-8 September 2016 at the Melbourne Convention Centre with the theme Beyond the promise  a new resolve.The theme is a reflection of FOS commitment to improve dispute handling, and to achieve improved standards, ethical practices, and service levels across the whole financial sector with the support of stakeholders.The conference will feature ten breakout sessions. One session will feature a mix of insights from FOS, industry, consumer representatives, and health professionals on issues that arise in general insurance disputes concerning mental health.Another session will explore the proposal of a new life insurance framework and how these changes may affect disputes seen at the FOS. The session will cover misrepresentation and non-disclosure, and the relationship and obligations of the client, advisor, and insurer; as well as explore the sale of life insurance, claims denials, the new life insurance code of practice, and issues concerning mental health and insurance.Other sessions will be on the FOS approach to financial difficulty issues, lending to small business, nonviolent communication, advice on SMSFs and gearing, fast track disputes, conciliation for improved dispute resolution, elder financial dispute, and IDR and working with vulnerable consumers.The conference is now open for registration. Price of attendance range from $645.00 to $695.00 for members and $760.00 for non-members. Interested parties can find about the program and register here RELATED ARTICLES:
Chennai, April 8 : It is a plant that is entirely useful for human beings and no component of it goes waste. But due to the national lockdown, the crop planted on hundreds of acres in Tamil Nadu is going waste and in the process has put the farmers to great distress.

"The banana flower is used as vegetable, the raw banana and stem are also used as vegetables, the leaf is used for packing, serving food and making plates, the fibre from the stem is used to weave sarees and even the fruit peels apart from being a cattle feed has a good demand from bakeries," G. Ajeethan, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation told IANS.

"The banana season in Tamil Nadu is between Jan - June during which weddings are held and there are festivals resulting in demand for all the products - plant flower, raw and ripe banana," he added.

However, the lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus has affected the growers in the state as they are not able to harvest the produce and transport it to the market.

It is an all-round whammy for the growers. There is no labour to harvest, no transport to take the already harvested produce to the market and no customer as the shops and chips making units are closed.

The major banana varieties grown in Tamil Nadu are Elaki, Poovan, Rasthali. There are also varieties like hill banana, red banana, nendran and others.

Farmers told IANS that there is a separate banana plant variety that is raised for its leaves alone.

"As there is no harvest and no market either, farmers will not be able to repay their crop loan and hence will not be able to get another loan for the next crop," Ajeethan added.

He said it would cost about Rs 70,000 per acre for banana cultivation.

Pointing out the crop is a capital intensive one, Ajeethan added that the cropping regions could be classified into two "where there is ratooning practice and where there is no ratooning practice.

"In the case of farms with ratooning practice, they will need working capital so that they can raise the next crop. In those places where there is no ratooning practice the loss will be high and getting loan for the next crop will be difficult," he added.

Out of the 2.25 lakh acres of banana crop in Tamil Nadu about 1.50 lakh acre will be during the Jan - June season.

According to farmers, the fruit and the leaves are the two major revenue earners while the banana flower and the stem contribute to a smaller extent.

Other revenue streams like fibre for weaving and banana peel powder are not major revenue earners.

The lockdown and the cascading impact have also affected exports to the Gulf and SAARC countries, Ajeethan said.

"Normally about 200-250 container loads are exported per month but now this has come down to one or two container loads," he said.

Though much has been said about the scope for banana-based processed food industry little has happened. The very old stock of nendran chips is what is available now.

"There is scope for banana wine and other products. Wine from Poovan banana is good. In Maharashtra making wine from banana is permitted but not in Tamil Nadu," Ajeethan said.

In Theni district a large number of farmers had shifted to red banana cultivation attracted by its realisation, but the lockdown has dashed their dreams.

This is a very tough time for the banana farmers in general and more so for those who are solely dependent on the crop, is the view expressed by all to whom IANS spoke to.

Even farmers who raise nendran variety to sell to chips makers have burnt their fingers.

"My three acre nendran crop was ready for harvest when the lockdown blocked the labour movement, closed markets and the chips makers. I am not able to harvest the produce," P. Rangaraj a farmer told IANS from Coimbatore.

"During normal times, the produce would fetch about Rs 5 lakh per acre. This year the price was low as the produce from one acre got sold for about Rs 3 lakh and I don't know how much I would get from the remaining three acres. There are several farmers like me," Rangaraj said.

According to him, he will have to keep the land empty for a year so that the soil gets back its nourishment.

In the meantime, the Confederation of Farmer Producer Companies of Tamil Nadu has requested the Tamil Nadu government for a special relief package of Rs 1,000 crore for horticulture sector as compensation to revive the cultivation.

"In crop insurance it may please be noted that out of the huge sum of Rs 7,000 crore, not even two per cent claim was given to horticulture crops," the body told the government.
S even residents have died with suspected coronavirus infections at a care home in east London where another 21 others are ill with possible symptoms, it emerged today.

A dozen staff from the Hawthorn Green home in Stepney, which has around 50 residents, are also off work, either self-isolating or shielding.

The deaths will heighten fears about the threat posed by the virus to care home residents and come in the wake of a warning by the Governments Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, that nearly one in 10 nationwide has already registered cases.

A spokesman for the care home said: Like many care homes across the UK, Hawthorn Green is now caring for residents who are symptomatic with coronavirus.

"Regrettably, seven residents have died who had symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Twenty-one residents are showing at least one symptom consistent with the virus.

Immediately upon detecting either a high temperature, a cough, shortness of breath or any combination of these each resident is cared for in isolation in accordance with strict infection control measures.

Tributes were today paid to Jamshad Ali, a retired tailor for Burberry who moved to London from Bangladesh in 1962.

Jamshad Ali

He had lived in the home for just over three years. He died at the Royal London Hospital on March 24 after contracting Covid-19 a week after being returned to the home following an admission for a chest infection.

His family had been told in the meantime by the care home that other residents had coronavirus and several more were showing symptoms.

They were not allowed to be at his bedside and only a few were permitted to attend his burial.

His daughter Luthfa Hood, 51, said: If we had known the virus was so prevalent in Hawthorn Green we would not have sent him back there after he had been in hospital. We knew that if he got it, that would be him done.

They should have rolled out testing and isolating earlier. He was back in A&E a few days after returning to the care home.

"We cannot praise the NHS enough for what they did. But there needs to be more testing, especially in places like care homes.

Ms Hood, 51, added: He was always incredibly well turned out. Even after he retired he always looked so smart. I remember him coming home once when I was a child, about 10, and him handing me a little coat with a Burberry label in it. Of course I didnt know how special that was then. He was a traditional and very hardworking man.

Mr Ali leaves behind a wife, four children, 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His granddaughter, Shahara Islam, was killed on the No 30 bus in Tavistock Square in the 7/7 terrorist bombings of 2005.

A spokesman for the care home said: Mr Ali was a much-loved member of Hawthorn Green Care Home and he will be greatly missed  our hearts go out to his family.

He added: We appreciate that this is a very worrying time for residents, families and our staff and we are doing everything we can to provide the best care in the days and weeks ahead. That is our number one priority.

There are growing concerns about the care sectors ability to cope with the pandemic and warnings over a lack of protective equipment for staff.

The Department of Health said: We are working around the clock to give the social care sector the support they need to tackle this outbreak, including providing personal protective equipment to over 26,000 care home providers across the country.

Lockdown London 1 /18 Lockdown London

Meanwhile, more fatalities among medical workers were disclosed today.

Anton Sebastianpillai, a consultant geriatrician who had returned from retirement to help during the crisis, died at Kingston Hospital on Saturday four days after being admitted to intensive care. Mr Sebastianpillai, who qualified in Sri Lanka in 1967, finished his last shift on March 20.

His local MP, the Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he had been hugely respected.

Alice Kit Tak Ong, a 70-year-old nurse who had worked in the NHS since moving to London from Hong Kong in the Seventies, has also died.
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DUBLIN, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Surgical Lights Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Surgical Lights Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.76% during the forecast period, reaching a total market size of US$1,027.619 million in 2025 from US$734.493 million in 2019.

The demand for surgical lights is growing due to an increase in the number of hospitals, a growing global aging population, and the rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases. Rising investments in healthcare infrastructure, especially in developing economies.

Hospitals are focusing on providing better healthcare facilities and equipping hospitals with the best of devices and technology for improving health care services is boosting the market growth of surgical lights. Supportive government policies and initiatives such as exemptions from taxes and duties for imported medical systems and drugs and subsidized rates for hospital establishments, to improve the country's health facilities is further contributing to the market growth of surgical lights globally.

The increasing standards and regulatory approvals required from the government for operating room equipment is also growing the market for surgical lights as manufacturers are increasingly investing to expand their product portfolio as per regulatory standards across different regions or countries.

The growing geriatric population, due to the adoption of a better lifestyle, availability of better health facilities, and declining birth rate, is another factor that is positively impacting the market growth of surgical lights. According to the World Bank Data, the population ages 65 and above of the total population have increased from 7.49% in 2008 to 8.87% in 2018. Since aged people go through relatively more number of surgeries, this continuous rise in the ageing population will increase the demand for surgeries, thereby leading to the market growth of surgical lights during the forecast period.

Growing demand for surgical centers due to the increasing number of surgeries is also fueling the market growth of surgical lights. According to OECD data, the number of surgeries has increased from 1,100,675 in 2011 to 1,182,649 in 2018 in Canada while in Mexico, the total number of surgeries increased from 657,730 in 2011 to 835,606 in 2018. The surgical lights are important as they contribute to the success rate of any surgical procedure.

High prevalence of cardiovascular diseases contributing to the market growth

The cardiology segment accounts for a higher demand for surgical lights owing to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017, out of the 17 million premature deaths, about 37% were caused due to cardiovascular disease (CVDs) globally. The increasing number of gynecological surgeries due to growing cases of female reproductive system disorders is further boosting the market growth of surgical lights.

Hospitals to hold a major market share

Hospitals hold a significant market share owing to the rising investments in expanding or building new hospitals in different regions. The rise in the advancement of technology and the increase in the up-gradation of technologies and medical devices in hospitals is also supporting the escalating demand for surgical lights. The increasing demand for advanced and hybrid operations rooms combined with growing investments is further anticipated to propel the market growth of surgical lights across this segment.

However, the ambulatory surgical center will witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period owing to the increasing demand for outpatient surgery centers. People are opting to get their surgery done in ambulatory surgical centers in order to avoid costly hospital visits and stays while getting a better and affordable surgical treatment.

APAC to be one of the major markets for surgical light vendors

Regionally, the global surgical lights market is classified into North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. North America held the significant market share owing to the presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure and rising investments, both public and private, in order to expand the healthcare infrastructure is bolstering the market growth in this region.

Furthermore, a rapidly increasing aging population in countries like the U.S. and Canada is also driving the market growth of surgical lights in this region. According to the U.S. Population Reference Bureau Report 2016, the number of Americans aged 65 and above is projected to double from 46 million in 2016 to 98 million by 2060.

Growing prevalence of diseases such as cancer is further contributing to the growth of synthetic surgical gloves demand in the U.S. Moreover, rising cases of cardiovascular diseases and cancer in these countries is also contributing to the market growth to some extent. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancers were to be diagnosed in the U.S. and 609,640 people were estimated to die from the disease.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period due to advancing healthcare technology and growing demand for better healthcare facilities in the region. The booming medical tourism industry in South East Asian countries on account of the presence of advanced medical facilities and low-cost treatment is another major driver of the APAC surgical lights market.

Market Players and Competitive Intelligence

The competitive intelligence section deals with major players in the market, their market shares, growth strategies, products, financials, and recent investments among others. Key industry participants profiled as part of this section are Stryker, BihlerMED, Getinge AB, Hill-Rom Services Inc., Integra LifeSciences Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., S.I.M.E.O.N Medical GmbH & Co. KG, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., and Skytron, and Steris plc.

Key Topics Covered

1. Introduction

1.1. Market Definition

1.2. Market Segmentation

2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Data

2.2. Assumptions

3. Executive Summary

3.1. Research Highlights

4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis

5. Global Surgical Lights Market Analysis, By Application

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Oncology

5.3. Cardiology

5.4. Ophthalmology

5.5. Others

6. Global Surgical Lights Market Analysis, By End-User

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Hospitals

6.3. Ambulatory Surgical Centers

7. Global Surgical Lights Market Analysis, By Geography

7.1. Introduction

7.2. North America

7.3. South America

7.4. Europe

7.5. Middle East and Africa

7.6. Asia Pacific

8. Competitive Environment and Analysis

8.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

8.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

8.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

8.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix

9. Company Profiles

9.1. Stryker

9.2. BihlerMED

9.3. Getinge AB

9.4. Hill-Rom Services Inc.

9.5. Integra LifeSciences Corporation

9.6. Koninklijke Philips N.V.

9.7. S.I.M.E.O.N Medical GmbH & Co. KG

9.8. Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd.

9.9. Skytron

9.10. Steris plc

For more information about this report visit

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jegjp4

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:34:53|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed seven new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number to 179 in the country.

Mercy Mwangangi, Chief Administrative Secretary for Health, said that the number was part of the 305 samples that have been tested by medical personnel in the past 24 hours.

"All the seven are Kenyan nationals, whereas four have a history of traveling in Congo, USA and UK," Mwangangi told journalists.

She disclosed that two of the cases emanated from the mandatory quarantine facilities while five were picked by surveillance teams.

She noted that the seven who are four females and three males have already been moved to various isolation centers within Nairobi for medication while contact tracing is ongoing.

Mwangangi said medics have discharged two additional individuals from the hospital, bringing to nine the total number of individual recoveries. Six people have so far died of the deadly virus.

She said that out of the 179, one case is in critical condition while the remaining 178 are moderate and mild cases.

The official noted that of the 179 cases, three cases are below 15 years of age, 49 cases are 15-29 years of age, 114 cases 30-59 years while those above 60 are 13.

"So far 5,278 samples have been tested from individuals, and in terms of contact tracing 2,004 persons have been monitored and out of the number, 1,426 have been discharged and 578 are currently on follow up," she noted.

She revealed that one patient who has been undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a private hospital within Nairobi has been discharged of ventilators and now is in the general ward.

Mwangangi told private testing facilities to share their findings with the government in line with the public health act.

She urged salon and barbershop owners to use masks and sanitizers while attending to clients and also restrict people within their premises.
Amazon Suspending Amazon Shipping Service to Handle Surge in Orders

Amazon said it will suspend branded delivery service to handle a surge in orders amid the pandemic.

Amazon confirmed to The Epoch Times that it would pause its service, Amazon Shipping, on June 5 in the United States.

Other countries wont be affected, a spokesperson said.

Amazon Shipping is a competitor to UPS and FedEx and is only available in select cities.

We understand this is a change to your business, and we did not take this decision lightly, Amazon told shippers in a note obtained by the Wall Street Journal. We will work with you over the next several weeks so there is as little disruption to your business as possible.

FedEx, meanwhile, told the paper that its ground network is prepared to manage the surge in online purchases.

We are continuing to work with our small business customers during this time to support their growth, a FedEx spokeswoman said.

It comes about a week after Amazon stopped the sale of N95 masks to the public and said that it will only sell the items to government agencies and hospitals amid the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic.

An Amazon spokesperson said that it is not accepting requests from individuals or non-qualified organizations at this time and wont make a profit from the orders, CNBC reported.

The move is designed to ensure that the scarce number of medical supplies is reserved for hospitals and government agencies, the spokesperson said.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
T he Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak first began has lifted mass lockdown restrictions after more than 70 days.

Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province, lifted the city-wide quarantine overnight, with 55,000 people who had been trapped there now expected to return home.

Streets in the city were clogged with traffic and long queues formed at the airport, railway and bus stations as thousands streamed out of the city to return to homes and jobs elsewhere.

Yellow barriers that had blocked off some streets were gone, although the gates to residential compounds remained guarded.

The city is home to some 11 million residents, all of whom were put under strict stay-at-home measures from late January as the epidemic unfolded.

Wuhan lifts Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /20 Wuhan lifts Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A medical worker from China's Jilin Province, in red, embraces a colleague from Wuhan as she prepares to return home at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP A pilot leans out of the cockpit window to wave goodbye before the China Eastern airlines flight, the first domestic flight from Wuhan that resumed service after travel restrictions to leave the capital of Hubei province and China's epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were lifted, takes off from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to Sanya Reuters A medical staff member from Jilin Province tears up during a ceremony before leaving as Tianhe Airport is reopened in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks and suits to protect against the spread of new coronavirus walk past a display screen at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport i AP A passenger wearing a face mask is seen in the counter at the Tianhe Airport after it was reopened today AFP via Getty Images People wearing protective clothing and masks arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Travellers wearing protective gear ride an escalator at Wuchang Railway Station before travel restrictions to leave Wuhan Reuters Medical staff from Jilin Province (in red) hug nurses from Wuhan after working together during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak during a ceremony before leaving as Tianhe Airport is reopened in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Medical workers from China's Jilin Province react as they prepare to return home at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP A man wearing protective gear gets through security check at Wuchang Railway Station before travel restrictions to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and China's epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak are lifted Reuters A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of coronavirus puts a poncho on a child at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan AP Bullet trains at a station in preparation for resuming operations after authorities lifted a more than two-month ban on outbound travel, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images People wait for the train at the Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan as travel restrictions for leaving the city, the epicentre of a global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are lifted and people will be allowed to leave the city via road, rail and air Reuters A train staff member stands on a high-speed train at Wuhan's Hankou Railway Station Reuters People wait for the train at the Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan as travel restrictions for leaving the city, the epicentre of a global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are lifted and people will be allowed to leave the city via road, rail and air Reuters

More than 50,000 caught the virus in the city, 2,500 of which died, according to official figures.

More than 10,000 travellers have left the city by plane so far, with flights resuming at Wuhan Tianhe airport.

However, residents have also been urged not to leave their neighbourhood, their city and even the province unless absolutely necessary.

People from Wuhan arriving in the Chinese capital Beijing will also have to undergo two rounds of testing for the virus

Travellers walk past a display screen at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan / AP

Wuhan resident Tong Zhengkun was one of millions of people enjoying a renewed sense of freedom after two months indoors.

I havent been outside for more than 70 days, an emotional Mr Tong said, as he watched a celebratory light display from a bridge across the Yangtze River flowing through the city.

Being indoors for so long drove me crazy.

Xiao Yonghong had found herself stuck in Wuhan after returning to her hometown on January 17 to spend the Lunar New Year with her husband, son and parents-in-law.

We were too excited to fall asleep last night. I was looking forward to lockdown lift very much," she said.

I set up an alert to remind myself. I was very happy."

The ease in restrictions comes after Wuhan saw just three new confirmed infections in the past 21 days and only two new infections in the past fortnight.

Swathes of China were put on lockdown as the virus took hold across the nation.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stood at 81,802 with 3,333 fatalities, the National Health Commission said.

While some areas are being liberated, some have begun shutting down amid fears of a second wave of infections.
After Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic presidential race on Wednesday, he addressed supporters in a live stream from his home in Burlington, Vt.

Though he acknowledged he could not win the nomination, he said his movement had won the ideological battle. And while he congratulated former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and pledged to work with him, he said he would remain on the ballot in the remaining contests to help influence the platform at the Democratic National Convention.

Heres a full transcript of his speech.

Good morning and thank you very much for joining me. I want to express to each of you my deep gratitude for helping to create an unprecedented grass roots political campaign that has had a profound impact in changing our nation.

I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who knocked on doors, millions of them, in the freezing winters of Iowa and New Hampshire, and in the heat of Nevada and in South Carolina, and in states throughout the country.

I want to thank the two million Americans who have contributed financially to our campaign and showed the world that we can take on the corrupt campaign finance system, and run a major presidential campaign without the wealthy and the powerful. Thank you for your 10 million contributions, averaging $18.50 a donation.

I want to thank those who phone banked for our campaign and those of you who sent out millions of texts. And I want to thank the many hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been to our rallies, town meetings and house parties from New York to California. Some of these events had over 25,000 people. Some had a few hundred. Some had a dozen. But all were important. And let me thank those who made these many events possible.

I also want to thank our surrogates, too many to name. I cant imagine that any candidate has ever been blessed with a stronger and more dedicated group of people who have taken our message to every part of this country. And I want to thank all of those who made the music and the art an integral part of our campaign. I want to thank all of you who spoke to your friends and neighbors, posted on social media, and worked as hard as you could to make this a better country.

Together we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become, and have taken this country a major step forward in the never-ending struggle for economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice.

I also want to thank the many hundreds of people on our campaign staff. You were willing to move from one state to another and do all the work that had to be done. No job was too big or too small for you. You rolled up your sleeves and you did it. You embodied the words that are at the core of our movement  not me, but us. And I thank each and every one of you for what youve done.

As many of you will recall, Nelson Mandela, one of the great freedom fighters in modern world history, famously said, It always seems impossible until it is done. And what he meant by that is that the greatest obstacle to reach social change has everything to do with the power of the corporate and political establishment to limit our vision as to what is possible and what we are entitled to as human beings.

If we dont believe that we are entitled to health care as a human right, we will never achieve universal health care. If we dont believe that we are entitled to decent wages and working conditions, millions of us will continue to live in poverty. If we dont believe that we are entitled to all of the education we require to fulfill our dreams, many of us will leave schools saddled with huge debt, or never get the education we need. If we dont believe that we are entitled to live in a world that has a clean environment and is not ravaged by climate change, we will continue to see more drought, floods, rising sea levels, an increasingly uninhabitable planet.

If we dont believe that we are entitled to live in a world of justice, democracy and fairness, without racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia or religious bigotry, we will continue to have massive income and wealth inequality, prejudice and hatred, mass incarceration, terrified immigrants, and hundreds of thousands of Americans sleeping out on the streets in the richest country on Earth. And focusing on that new vision for America is what our campaign has been about and what, in fact, we have accomplished.

Few would deny that over the course of the past five years our movement has won the ideological struggle. In so-called red states and blue states and purple states, a majority of the American people now understand that we must raise the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, that we must guarantee health care as a right to all of our people, that we must transform our energy system away from fossil fuel, and that higher education must be available to all, regardless of income.

It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today they are mainstream ideas, and many of them are already being implemented in cities and states across the country. That is what we have accomplished together.

In terms of health care, even before this horrific pandemic we are now experiencing, more Americans understood that we must move to a Medicare for all, single-payer program. During the primary elections, exit polls showed in state after state a strong majority of Democratic primary voters supported a single government health insurance program to replace private insurance. That was true even in states where our campaign did not prevail.

And let me just say this. In terms of health care, this current, horrific crisis that we are now in has exposed for all to see how absurd our current employer-based health insurance system is. The current economic downturn we are experiencing has not only led to a massive loss of jobs but has also resulted in millions of Americans losing their health insurance.

While Americans have been told over and over again how wonderful our employer-based private insurance system is, those claims sound very hollow today as a growing number of unemployed workers struggle with how they can afford to go to the doctor or not go bankrupt with a huge hospital bill. We have always believed that health care must be considered as a human right, not an employee benefit, and we are right.

Please also appreciate that not only are we winning the struggle ideologically, we are also winning it generationally. The future of our country rests with young people. And in state after state, whether we won or whether we lost the Democratic primaries or caucuses, we received a significant majority of the votes, sometimes an overwhelming majority, from people not only 30 years of age or under, but 50 years of age or younger. In other words, the future of this country is with our ideas.

As we are all painfully aware, we now face an unprecedented crisis. Not only are we dealing with a coronavirus pandemic, which is taking the lives of many thousands of our people, we are also dealing with an economic meltdown that has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs.

Today families all across our country face financial hardship unimaginable only a few months ago. And because of the unacceptable levels of income and wealth inequality in our economy, many of our friends and neighbors have little or no savings and are desperately trying to pay their rent or their mortgage or even put food on the table.

This reality makes it clear to me that Congress must address this unprecedented crisis in an unprecedented way that protects the health and economic well-being of the working families of our country, not just powerful special interests. As a member of the Democratic leadership and the United States Senate, and as a senator from the state of Vermont, this is something that I intend to intensely be involved in over the next number of months, and that will require an enormous amount of work. Which takes me to the state of our presidential campaign.

I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth. And that is we are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden, and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.

So while we are winning the ideological battle, and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. So today Im announcing the suspension of my campaign.

Please know that I do not make this decision lightly. In fact, it has been a very difficult and painful decision. Over the past few weeks, Jane and I, in consultation with top staff and many of our prominent supporters, have made an honest assessment of the prospects for victory.

If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign. But its just not there.

I know there may be some in our movement who disagree with this decision, who would like us to fight on until the last ballot cast at the Democratic convention. I understand that position. But as I see the crisis gripping the nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour, I could not in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot not win and which would interfere with the important work required by all of us in this difficult hour.

Let me say this very emphatically. As you all know, we have never been just a campaign. We are a grass-roots, multiracial, multigenerational movement which has always believed that real change never comes from the top on down, but always from the bottom on up. We have taken on Wall Street, the insurance companies, the drug companies, the fossil fuel industry, the military-industrial complex, the prison-industrial complex, and the greed of the entire corporate elite. That struggle continues.

While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. The fight for justice is what our campaign has been about. The fight for justice is what our movement remains about.

Today I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.

On a practical note, let me also say this: I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates. While Vice President Biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the Democratic convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions.

Then together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history. And we will fight to elect strong progressives at every level of government from Congress to the school board.

As I hope all of you know, this race has never been about me. I ran for the presidency because I believe that as a president, I could accelerate and institutionalize the progressive changes that we are all building together. And if we keep organizing and fighting, I have no doubt that that is exactly what will happen. While the path may be slower now, we will change this nation, and with like-minded friends around the globe, change the entire world.

On a very personal note, speaking for Jane, myself and our entire family, we will always carry in our hearts the memory of the extraordinary people we have met across this country. We often hear about the beauty of America, and this country is incredibly beautiful. But to me, the beauty I will remember most is the faces of the people we have met from one corner of the nation to the other, the compassion and love and decency I have seen, and it makes me so hopeful for our future. It also makes me more determined than ever to work to create a nation that reflects those values and lifts up all of our people.

Please stay in this fight with me. Let us go forward together, as our goal continues. Thank you all very much.
PARMA, Ohio -- In an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection within the Parma Police Department, Police Chief Joseph M. Bobak is in the process of creating weeklong training sessions designed to keep roughly a handful of officers out of circulation.

What Im going to do is take a third of the shift -- five or six officers -- to be isolated from the rest of the workforce per week, Bobak said. There are three shifts per day, which means tentatively 15 to 18 officers training for the week.

Im going to have them report to a room offsite where they will be training, but wont be going on calls and potentially (being) exposed.

In a related move, Bobak is moving the nine-officer traffic unit into the normal department shifts. Because calls are down during the pandemic, the police chief said he also plans on lowering the minimum staffing levels.

Previously, the Parma Police Department was in negotiation with the Ohio Patrolmens Benevolent Association (OPBA) about a plan to have a handful of officers stay home instead of attending a training session.

The police department, the city and the patrolmens union couldnt make an agreement, Bobak said. In order to change a persons schedule, I have to give them 30-day notice, which I was asking them to waive. They were basically going to stay home and quarantine at home, which would be better, instead of being outside.

OPBA Attorney Brian A. Holb said the Parma Police Department and the union also held discussions for several weeks regarding an agreement that would allow patrolmen to work 12-hour shifts.

Unfortunately, the city was requiring complete control over when agreement would end, Holb said. Additionally, the city wants the ability to have the patrolmen work over 168 hours in a 28-day cycle before paying them overtime.

Finally, the city wants to delete other provisions of the collective bargaining agreement during this time. While officers and the OPBA are more than willing to help during this time, it should not be used as a way to accomplish what otherwise could not at the bargaining table.

Currently, officers are working eight-hour shifts, with two days off a week. However, during the pandemic, all personal days and vacation time has been canceled.

Im taking that week by week, Bobak said. Nobody is sick in our department. This week were at 100 percent, so we may allow a guy to take off for a day, but I need to put that out there in case something happens they need to be able to come in. They cant be out of town where I cant get a hold of them.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
Chennai, April 8 : The Indian Army under the aegis of Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) reached out to underprivileged and marginalised sections of the society in Chennai and Wellington.

Cooked food, water and essential daily survival need groceries were distributed throughout the week to the daily wagers and migrants in Chennai and Wellington, Kotagiri and Ooty in the Nilgiris district.

Essential groceries and items such as oil, biscuits, soaps and others were also provided to an NGO, Food Bank Chennai, for further distribution to the needy.

The representatives of the civil administration facilitated the Army in identification and distribution of essential commodities to the most needy population of the region and a large number of needy benefitted from this initiative.
Berhampore: A day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee exempted the states beedi industry from lockdown, saying it was question of livelihood for millions, nothing changed in Murshidabad district, Bengals biggest beedi-making hub.

The ongoing 21-day lockdown has hurt the 1.5 million people in the district who depend, directly or indirectly, on the bidi industry . They have been living off their savings, and food provided by the state and non-government organisations.

In certain pockets of Murshidabad, entire families depend on beedi making. Workers are paid Rs 152 for every thousand beedis they roll. The raw material are supplied by factory owners through munshsis (agents). The munshsis also collect the beedis. There are around 100 factories in the districts Jangipur sub-division alone.

On Wednesday, the munshsis were nowhere to be seen, said beedi makers who were enthused by Banerjees announcement.

Anwar Hussain, a beedi maker at Uttar Chachonda village said: We thought things would change after the chief ministers announcement. But today we came to know that production will not start. I dont know how I will run my family.

Approximately 2.2 million people in West Bengal are directly associated with beedi making and 95% of the total production is sent to other states, said people in the beedi trade. With no way to transport beedis across borders, most factories remain shut.

Abul Hasnat Khan, president, West Bengal State Beedi and Tobacco Labourers Federation said, The chief ministers announcement will help less than 1% of the bidi makers. She did not consider the fact that all big factories send their products to other states. With no trains and interstate transport, the consignments cannot be sent.

Moreover, the big factories employ around 250 people. It is not possible to start production maintaining social distance, Khan added.

Niponjeet Biswas, owner of Jeet Bidi Factory sees another problem.

Most of the factory owners have adequate tobacco and leaves of kendu trees (in which the tobacco is rolled) in stock but we need regular supply of coal to toast the beedis. We need packaging labels, thread. Also, it is literally impossible to store the beedis for a long time. If we cant sell what is the point in starting production?

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from Jangipur , Khalilur Rahaman, who is in the beedi trade said, If we cannot sell in other states it is impossible to start production. We are trying to find a solution to honour the initiative of our chief minister and help the poor labourers.

Nazir Hossain, a munshi, said, We were optimistic about Banerjees announcement. After talking to several factory owners I have realised that production will not start till the Union government allows movement of trucks from West Bengal to other states.

Several beedi-laden trucks from West Bengal are stranded in other states due to the lockdown. No beedi merchant with sizeable business will start production till the Centre gives its nod, Hossain added.

Secretary of Aurangabad-Dhulian Beedi Merchants Association Raj Kumar Jain said: We welcome the much needed initiative of our chief minister. A lions share of Murshidabads beedis are sent to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Assam, Haryana and states in south India but neither the Centre nor any of these states have allowed any exemption for production or transportation of beedis. Also, the state administration has not issued travel passes for munshis and labourers. Without passes they cannot move even inside the district.

Minister of state for labour Jakir Hossain, who owns a beedi factory said, Our chief minister has taken a humanitarian decision for the sake of millions. I will appeal to the Centre to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) on beedis and allow consignments to be transported to other states.

The GST on total sale value of both beedis and cigarettes is 28%, Jain said.
The EU was gripped by a furious coronavirus row today after the head of its top science organisation walked out with a blast at its 'extremely disappointing' response to the pandemic.

Professor Mauro Ferrari announced he had quit as president of the European Research Council (ERC), despite only being appointed to the key role January 1 this year.

In a formal statement announcing his decision to resign he had been 'extremely disappointed by the European response' to the pandemic and that he had 'seen enough' of the EU to prompt him to walk away.

But in an astonishing response, the ERC accused him of being 'economical with the truth' and claimed he had been forced to resign over failures during his three months in office.

Professor Mauro Ferrari has resigned as the president of the European Research Council

News of the decision was first revealed by the Financial Times, based on a statement released to the paper by Prof Ferrari.

In that statement the EU's top scientist complained about running into institutional and political obstacles as he tried to quickly establish a scientific program to combat the virus across the continent.

'I have seen enough of both the governance of science, and the political operations at the European Union,' he wrote in the statement.

'I have lost faith in the system itself.'

Prof Ferrari, who had been due to serve a four year term at the ERC, reportedly formally submitted his resignation to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday afternoon.

Prof Ferrari said in his statement that he had been a 'fervent supporter' of the EU when he had first taken the job, before the coronavirus crisis had 'completely changed my views'.

He had argued for the ERC to create a new, more hands-on initiative to provide scientists and health care workers with more help and resources - but his proposals were apparently rejected.

Prof Ferrari bemoaned the 'complete absence of coordination of healthcare policies among member states' and the opposition to what he described as a 'cohesive financial support' package.

But confirming his departure this afternoon in a 700-word statement, the ERC said his resignation yesterday 'in fact followed a written unanimous vote of no confidence' by its controlling scientific council.

They accused Prof Ferrari of having a 'a complete lack of appreciation for the raison-detre of the ERC', as well as showing a 'lack of engagement', failing to attend meetings while spending time on 'multiple external enterprises, some academic and some commercial', including in the United States.

'The Scientific Council wishes to clarify, in case of any doubt, that they absolutely endorse the view that scientific research will provide the best solutions to tackling pandemics, such as COVID-19,' it said.

'Therefore, we regret Professor Ferrari's statement, which at best is economical with the truth.'

It added: 'Professor Ferrari has stated that the reason for his resignation is that the Scientific Council did not support his call for the ERC to fund a special initiative focused on the COVID-19 virus.

'To address this point specifically, we did not support a special initiative because that is not our remit and the Commission's Research and Innovation Directorate General, with which we are connected, was already very active in developing new programmes to support this research through the appropriate channels.'

As the coronavirus spread from China to Italy, Austria, Spain and other EU nations, the bloc was heavily criticised for not acting forcefully enough to set up a coordinated response.

Professor Ferrari handed in his resignation to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen yesterday

Numerous European nations took unilateral decisions to try to slow the spread of the disease with health issues primarily the responsibility of each member state.

But some attacked Ms von der Leyen for failing to do more to bind the bloc into one set of arrangements.

Over the past month, EU nations have been trying to work closer together and EU leaders have now committed to better coordination to try to alleviate the human and economic suffering.
~hotspots identified, CPS will conduct intense screening.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten has recorded 8 deaths related to COVID-19 announced Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs on Tuesday evening. Jacobs said two persons who died some days ago was added to the list now because, in the beginning, it was not clear what caused the two-person death because they had underlying health conditions. She said these two persons were tested positive thus they were added to the list.

Jacobs said that CPS monitored 739 persons had had contact with those that tested positive. She said CPS also identified the hotspots therefore a team of persons will be going into those areas to conduct testing in order to combat the spread of COVID-19. Jacobs called on the community not to attach any type of stigma to the areas identified as hotspots because COVID-19 does not discriminate.

Banks on St. Maarten were given a waiver to open but not to the public, the waivers were granted to allow the banks to process pending payroll, and supermarket purchases that are now available.

Jacobs said that supermarkets will now be delivered to homes as they are now authorized to do so.

The Department of social affairs is busy delivering food items to persons that register for assistance, Jacobs said the department received close to 5000 requests and they are busy working on them. The Prime Minister of St. Maarten asked the community not to register more than once, she said that those persons that registered will receive assistance either by a food box or food voucher.

The French and Dutch border control continues as the lockdown remains in effect, Jacobs said that there were some minor glitches but advised the community to ensure they have the necessary forms and or a Disaster Pass.

The Prime Minister also called on the community to begin praying, she also shared empathy with those that lose their relatives during this time due to the COIVD-19 pandemic.

In the meantime, there are two confirmed deaths related to COVID -19 on the French side with 15 active cases.

"People of St Maarten, both here on St. Maarten and abroad, I hereby address you as Prime Minister and Chair of the EOC for today's update on April 7th. As part of the process to keep the community of St. Maarten informed about the latest developments and governments COVID-19 containment, mitigation and response measures.

Today, I would like to start by updating you on the COVID-19 results. Our results haven't come in from the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe yet, but as of 4:00 PM today, our self-quarantine numbers are down to 117, self-isolation is up to 200, the number of persons totally tested are 112, the numbers positive remain at 40, with 2 confirm hospitalized. Males 28, of the positive, females 12, the number of negatives are 62, the number still pending results are 10, deceased total; we have added 2 to that, even though they passed away over the past week. So now we have 8 that we have confirmed that were COVID-19 patients as 8 deceased.

The reason why the last 2 had not been added as soon as they passed, was due to the fact that it was not clear what the cause of death was. The first, the female, and male, most recently had underlying pre-existing health conditions at the time of their passing. Though it is still not conclusive, as to what caused the death, because they had been tested positive, we must update the matrix to include them as having deceased. Therefore, of the 40 positives, minus 8, there are 32, plus 1 recovered. Hence, we are actively tracking 31 active cases. The 10 that remain pending, hopefully, we will have later tonight, an update for you in the morning. The total persons that have been monitored thus far, by CPS are 739 persons whereby, quarantine and isolation have ended for 422 of those persons.

Due to the fact that we have been doing contact tracing, especially with our last positive cases, specifically those that had not been under CPS, and have been in particular segments of our society, we have been able to identify the hotspots where we will be going in with a team to do intense screening and testing. This is to further identify cases so that we can properly isolate them to further mitigate the spread of the virus. This might sound ominous and I would like to ask the general public not to attach any type of stigma as we all know COVID-19 knows no gender, it knows no color, nor class, as it will just continue to spread with human contact.

I would like to thank all those persons who are adhering to our measures in staying at home. You are safe at home.

CPS would hereby like to also request through me, that all qualified medical health professionals who are willing to go into the field to assist with sample collection should contact them as soon as possible. We would like to get this done within the next couple of days, and as many qualified persons that we can have on the ground with us, the faster we would be able to ascertain all the persons infected within these areas. At this moment, I would like to encourage all persons who are feeling symptoms to call 914 and register with CPS. Register today so that we can have our real numbers. We believe there are more persons out there who are ill but feel afraid to contact CPS.

For those who have passed away over the past week(s), we wish the families, the friends, and all the love ones, much strength. This is a very troubling time to be having the loss of loved ones, especially in a time when we cannot even comfort each other in our usual ways. Lean on the strength of those who can sustain you but always on our God, our large savior, who is always there in time of our biggest needs. We continue to pray for serenity and peace during this time for all who are going through this very, very, stressful period.

The next point I would like to update you on is related to food security. The supermarkets and grocery stores, in our meeting of yesterday, April 6, have identified that they would be very much willing to supply our citizens with deliveries. Several have announced their numbers and delivery statuses today, while some of the smaller grocery stores were only able to get their waiver forms in later this afternoon. So even those within the small communities can look forward to groceries being delivered to their homes.

ESF7 has also continued with food deliveries for vulnerable persons in a meeting just concluded with ESF7 and 10. I was updated, and further decisions were taken as to how we would be proceeding. Once all the procured and donated food and hygiene materials have been delivered, we will then move towards a voucher program to deal with the large numbers of requests that have come in. This will sit in place until the stimulus plan kicks-in. 762 boxes of food and 697 bags of hygiene and sanitary materials have been packed by ESF7 together with their many volunteers.

I would like to thank each and every person who has done everything to make this possible. This continues to be a large logistic undertaking that continues for the next few days. Delivery is on the way and will continue until all the food, as well as the sanitary and hygiene materials, has been delivered. Seeing that the grocery stores are now on the delivery list, we are looking forward to receiving many donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to be able to add to these boxes, to ensure that our vulnerable also get products that will help to boost their immune systems.

Those persons who have not yet filled out the social impact assessment form, so that we can assess which citizens have an acute need right now, are encouraged to do so. Our St. Maarten Government is working diligently to assist you as soon as possible. For those that have trouble accessing the form because of no internet, I ask those that do know of the form, to fill it in for them and send it to the social, welfare and labor department.

Up until today, April 7, 2020, 3444 of almost 5000 forms reflect a need for assistance in procuring food. This is a very serious need that we have been planning for and therefore, you can look forward to getting assistance in one form or the other, either with food boxes or with food vouchers within short.

I am asking you to only register once. The system has noticed that some have registered more than once either by hardcopy or they have also put in their form via the website link. You dont need to register more than once. It all goes to the same department for processing and therefore, that would cut down on the amount of time that is spent to sort for the acute needs. Make sure you have an acute need where you need assistance now, within short, within a week or two for food. The coronavirus COVID-19 button on the Government website, www.sintmaartengov.org/coronavirus is called Forms, Laws, and Protocols. After you click on this, you will find the forms, not only to travel but also the Social Impact Assessment' Form that you would need to fill in online and submit to the social services department for assistance.

Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion was in our meeting today, also Minister of TEATT Ludmila de Weever and Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek, who all took part via video conference. I would like to thank all those who took part in the meeting. Minister Irion informed everyone about the stimulus plan, and this will be presented to the public in a press conference on Wednesday, April 8, at 11:00 AM, after the Council of Minister's weekly press briefing. More information about the Government plans will be provided at the press conference.

In our meeting with the banks today, it was stated that there are still payrolls to be processed and therefore, waivers have been granted to allow banks to operate. However, they will not be open to the public. They are only to facilitate the delivery payment system of the grocery stores and to process payrolls for those who have not received their month-end pay.

Joint controls continue, though we have experienced some glitches. It has not been clear which forms are being used, as things get lost in translation when shifts change. When going to the French side, one must have Form C or a disaster pass. The form must declare what reason you are crossing the border; either for work purposes, or an emergency related to family, care of the elderly or medical. For example, some persons get their medical prescriptions from a French pharmacy or have appointments with a French Doctors or at the French side hospital.

Persons within Dutch St. Maarten must either have a valid disaster pass, a St. Maarten Medical Center ID, or a White and Yellow Cross Foundation ID, or a waiver signed by the Chief of Police Carl John, or the Minister of VSA or by the Prime Minister. Both sides continue to work diligently, and I must commend all those St. Maarteners who remain at home during the lockdown period. Its not a fun time for anyone but you can make the best of the time by sitting down together and reflect and finding ways to communicate with those who are near but far due to the lockdown.

As we acknowledge the significant impact of COVID-19 around the world, and for our tight-knit community, lets give thanks for life. What we do have is life, and for those who are coping with a loss, that they still have life and can comfort each other. Those with underlying health issues are even more prone to get severe symptoms which can lead to death. Stay away from the vulnerable within your families. Stay away, if you are moving around the elderly, from those currently suffering from high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart or lung disease. These persons are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and we would like to see the deaths end and we would not like to see anyone perish from COVID-19 from this day going forward. Please guard against it, keep your areas clean, wash your hands frequently, and if you have symptoms report it on the very first day.

For those with religious and spiritual beliefs in our diverse community, I call on you to pray, let us pray fervently and pray each morning and each evening and ask for safe passage during this storm. May God Bless You St. Maarten. We are doing all in our power to ensure we get through this with minimal damage."
Belfast City Council is providing health workers with access to its leisure centres for showering and changing, to help reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19 when workers return home.

Three leisure centres will be available for use from this week - Andersonstown, Shankill and Lisnasharragh - and four more will be made available over the coming weeks.

Access will be granted to Belfast Trust staff seven days a week, from 5.30am-12.30pm and 4.30pm-10.30pm daily.

Regular cleaning and security is being provided at each of the sites. Belfast Lord Mayor Daniel Baker said: "I'm pleased that we are in a position to support our frontline health workers in this way. Our NHS is under incredible pressure at the moment.

"Health workers are risking their own health to care for others and having access to our facilities means they can be guaranteed a safe and clean environment to shower and change between shifts, and reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus when they return home to their loved ones."

Mr Baker (above) added: "At this time, we as a council are doing everything we can to support the efforts of our health trusts, government agencies and city partners.

"We need to work together and support each other and this is just another small way in which we can assist those who are working round the clock to keepzz us safe and providing care for the most vulnerable in our society."

Meanwhile, the city council is asking residents to be extra vigilant about cleaning up after dogs, after announcing a temporary halt to its dog fouling service.

The council has stated that the Dog Warden Service is currently working within a limited capacity and has suspended the complaints service regarding dog fouling.

The Dog Warden will continue to respond to urgent requests for assistance in relation to dog attacks or dangerous dogs, requests regarding prohibited dog breeds, and requests concerning stray dogs.

The dog fouling service includes an online complaint log, which will continue.

Normally, if a dog is caught fouling in a public place and the walker fails to pick it up, they can be fined 80, reduced to 50 if paid within 10 days.

Over the past year 102 fines were issued by Belfast City Council for dog fouling.
Prevent hoarding, black marketing of goods, Shah tells authorities

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the authorities to take appropriate steps in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding and black marketing of commodities during the 21-day lockdown in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus, the ministry said.

The directives were issued after a detailed review of essential commodities and implementation of the lockdown by Shah, Joint Secretary in the ministry Punya Salila Srivastava said.

Addressing a press conference, she said the minister has issued directions to the authorities to take quick and stern action against people indulging in hoarding and black marketing of goods.

The official said the government is closely monitoring the movement of pharmaceuticals along with other essential items.

Centre inclined towards prolonging lockdown restrictions

"The status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory," Srivastava said.

She said the aircraft flying under the Lifeline Udan of Civil Aviation Ministry has transported 200 tonnes cargo and Railways has loaded 8,897 rakes and 4.57 lakh wagons loaded with essential items till Monday.

"State governments are taking proactive steps to control the COVID-19 pandemic. On one hand they are stopping public movement and on the other hand they are also increasing screening of contacts," she said.

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Giving details of the measures taken by the government to successfully implement the lockdown, she said next week a lot of festivals are coming up and many community leaders have appealed to people to help the government in strictly implementing the lockdown during the festive season.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 9:03 [IST]
European companies lauded the government measures to contain the pandemic and keep the economy going. Photo: Le Toan

The BCI is a regular barometer of how European business leaders see the trade and investment environment in Vietnam and the prospects of their own enterprises. Each quarter, the chamber asks its members to answer a range of questions covering issues such as their investment plans, revenue projections, and workforce levels.

Following similar trends around the world, where the impacts of COVID-19 have hit international trade and investment, the EuroCham BCI plunged to its lowest-ever score of 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2020. That represents a fall of 51 points from the 77 per cent recorded in late 2019.

This drop in positive sentiment is a direct result of the impact of COVID-19: Over 90 per cent of business leaders said that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their enterprise, with more than half reporting a "significant" negative impact. Meanwhile, almost 80 per cent said that their business had incurred higher costs from measures taken to protect their workers and prevent the spread of the virus.

Despite the negative financial impact of COVID-19, European companies are taking important measures to protect both the health and the livelihoods of their workforce. Four out of five business leaders are confident that they will be able to retain at least 70 per cent of their staff over the next quarter. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of businesses have asked their staff to work from home to prevent the spread of the virus.

EuroCham members also welcomed government measures introduced in Directive No.11/CT-TTg on urgent tasks and solutions to remove difficulties for businesses and workers to support businesses during the pandemic.

A deferral of tax and land rent was the most popular provision, with a suspension of social insurance contributions coming a close second. The chamber also asked European business leaders what other measures would be most helpful for their enterprises, and around three-quarters said a deferral of other taxes such as corporate income tax (CIT), personal income tax (PIT), value added tax (VAT), and special consumption tax (SCT) would be the most welcome support for their companies.

Commenting on the BCI, EuroCham chairman Nicolas Audier said, This data shows that COVID-19 is having a deep and serious impact on European business in Vietnam. However, it is important to remember that this is a global pandemic, and enterprises around the world are suffering from the impacts of this crisis.

There is also no doubt that, without the swift and decisive actions of the government, the situation here could have been much worse. For this reason, our members welcome the measures announced so far, which will provide a lifeline to companies and their workers during this difficult time.

COVID-19 is a fast-moving health crisis, and it is creating unprecedented challenges for businesses of all shapes and sizes and in all sectors and industries. Therefore, further actions could soon be required to help both domestic and foreign enterprises weather this storm and get back to business as usual as soon as possible, Audier said. The EuroCham is committed to Vietnams long-term economic growth and our members remain available to share their insights and recommendations to help minimise the disruption of COVID-19 on business operations and  above all  to protect the health and wellbeing of people in Vietnam.
Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mame Yaa Aboagye, has taken a swipe at the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi over his comments about President Akufo-Addo.



Following the 5th update of President Akufo-Addos address to the nation on COVID-19, Sammy Gyamfi noted that the Presidents freebies are not enough.



He stated that providing an uninterrupted electricity supply to Ghanaians is not a novelty for government to expect praises.



According to him, neighboring country like Togo is enjoying free electricity.



Even locked down Togo with less recorded cases of COVID-19 are enjoying free water and electricity. So why cant you [President Nana Addo] give the people electricity for free? Good, water is essential but how many people have flowing taps in their homes? But the majority have lights so give them electricity for free, he said.



Mame Yaa Aboagye has asked Sammy Gyamfi to leave Ghana for Togo if Togo is enjoying free electricity.



To her, it always baffled her mind when learned people like Sammy Gyamfi compared Ghana to Togo.



I expect him (Sammy Gyamfi) to know better because Ghanas population and size alone cannot be compared to that of Togo...It totally depicts his argument, more so we are not in normal timesWe are in era where a lot of running water are used to wash our hands so I think, as a caring President, the best he could have done is what he (President Akufo-Addo) demonstrated on Sunday for all Ghanaians and if you cant appreciate fair enough but just shout up.



just relocate to Togo if you are not content with the Presidents decision, she stressed.





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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By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

The Azerbaijani government will allocate $231.8 million for social protection of the population from novel coronavirus, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev said on April 7.

Addressing the presser on implementation of presidential order of March 2020 On measures taken to support employment and social welfare of the population, the minister said that one billion manat ($588.2 million) has been allocated from the state budget and a plan of necessary measures has been drafted.

Ten measures will be taken in four spheres, which will cover 1.9 million people. Some $58 million will be directed from the state budget, $119 million from the State Social Protection Fund and $53 million from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, Babayev said.

In particular, Babayev noted that of the main component of these measures will be lump sum payments of $111.9 to the unemployed persons in April-May. In this regard, $41.2 million will be distributed, 200,000 people will receive this assistance.

At the same time, over the past 10 days, 30,000 labor contracts were registered in the system of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

This suggest that employers, after learning that the state will support entrepreneurs, decided to conclude employment contracts with their employees and thereby receive assistance from the state, Babayev highlighted.

Some 660,000 people have been registered as hired employees. These people were not dismissed and were not sent on vacation deliberately. The entrepreneurs performed their duties in good faith.

Unfortunately, the number of informally working citizens is unknown. Over the past two years, many appeals have been made for the entrepreneurs to pay taxes and benefits and for their employees to work officially. Many entrepreneurs who have not fulfilled these requirements cannot get the funds today, he said.

"In connection with the spread of coronavirus and the introduction of special quarantine regime in Azerbaijan, staff reduction is not allowed in Azerbaijan. The minimum number of employees is involved in the structures having vital importance," Babayev mentioned.

Babayev also spoke about measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and urged people to follow the special quarantine regime.

As it was earlier reported, according to the government's plans, funds will be allocated from the state budget to pay part of the salaries of employees in the areas business sectors that have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In April-May 2020, the government plans to implement measures to create 50,000 public jobs and a total of $17.6 million will be provided for these purposes.

Azerbaijan has registered 717 coronavirus cases and eight coronavirus-related deaths so far.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Talkdesk Accelerates Growth Strategy, Business Continuity Support for Customers With Appointment of Nathan Cobb as First Chief Revenue Officer

Talkdesk, Inc., the cloud contact center for innovative enterprises, today announced the appointment of Nathan (Nate) Cobb as chief revenue officer (CRO), further expanding and strengthening the company's executive management team. As Talkdesk's first CRO, Cobb will lead the company's global sales expansion and oversee all revenue-generating activities, including worldwide sales, sales operations, business development and channel. He reports directly into Talkdesk chief executive officer (CEO) Tiago Paiva.

Cobb brings to Talkdesk more than 20 years of experience in the software industry. He joins Talkdesk from SAP (News - Alert) North America, where he was senior vice president and head of Platform and Technologies Sales. In that role, he led go-to-market strategy for SAP's platform and technologies solutions and was instrumental in helping customers build and realize their technology roadmap. Previous to joining SAP, Cobb was head of Enterprise Sales for the East region at Apple Inc. and served in sales leadership roles at Oracle (News - Alert) .

"One of the greatest investments we continue to make is building a world-class executive leadership team with the right experience and perseverance to guide Talkdesk into its next chapter," said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer, Talkdesk. "Nate's extensive background in leading and transforming high-performance teams will be a game-changer as we look to dominate the cloud contact center industry this year. I am confident he will help us scale revenue quickly and build critical partnerships to support our innovation and growth goals."

This appointment comes during a period of unprecedented growth and momentum for Talkdesk. Talkdesk has significantly grown its c-suite in recent months with the addition of Charanya Kannan as chief product officer (CPO), Chad Gaydos as chief customer officer (CCO) and Kathie Johnson as chief marketing officer (CMO).

Talkdesk recently announced new offers to enable a swift, seamless and secure transition to Talkdesk cloud contact center solutions. The Talkdesk Business Continuity program consists of three solutions designed to enable new and changing business needs as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Talkdesk Now offers enterprises the industry's fastest route to agents working from home, with the adaptability and flexibility of easy-to-use cloud contact center solutions, in as little as 24 hours. Talkdesk Boost, which moves contact centers to the cloud within 15 days, and Talkdesk Mobile Agent which converts any mobile device into a complete customer support tool, are free for three months when companies sign up before May 1, 2020.





Since its inception in 2011, Talkdesk has grown to one of the most recognizable names in the contact center industry. Most recently, Talkdesk was positioned as a Leader in the 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service North America and named to the 2019 Forbes Cloud 100 list. Talkdesk has built its reputation as an industry disruptor through a rapid pace of innovation that has brought more than 600 features to the market over the past 18 months, including 200 patents in 100 days, which paved the way for its recently announced 20-in-20 program.

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About Talkdesk

Talkdesk is the cloud contact center for the customer-obsessed. Combining enterprise performance with consumer simplicity, Talkdesk easily adapts to the evolving needs of support and sales teams and their end-customers, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, productivity and cost savings. Over 1,800 innovative companies around the world, including IBM (News - Alert) , Acxiom, 2U, Trivago and Peloton, rely on Talkdesk to make customer experience their competitive advantage. Learn more and request a demo at www.talkdesk.com.

Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005083/en/
Fears of the coronavirus have fueled rising anti-Chinese sentiment online as a combination of traditional slurs and new terms such as "kungflu" conflate the pandemic with ethnic and national identity, say social media researchers who tracked surging expressions of hostility for papers published Wednesday evening.

The researchers fear online hatred and distrust toward China and people of East Asian descent are contributing to an increasingly well-documented rash of real-world incidents, including verbal attacks, violence and boycotts of Asian-owned businesses.

"The words are like a virus," said Joel Finkelstein, director of the Network Contagion Research Institute, a New Jersey-based nonprofit group that tracks hate speech online. "That leads to actions that are visible."

Finkelstein's group, which reports its findings as alerts to government officials, documented a rise of conspiracy theories featuring both anti-Chinese sentiment and words such as "bioweapon" on 4chan's notoriously racist "Politically Incorrect" message board and, to a lesser extent, on Twitter, according to a white paper published Wednesday evening.

The white paper detailed "acute increases in both the vitriol and magnitude of ethnic hate" and said they fueled the spread of misinformation from remote corners of the Internet into the mainstream. The white paper also noted that an Instagram post last week called for shooting "every Asian we meet in Chinatown, that's the only way we can destroy the epidemic of coronavirus in NYC!" (Instagram removed the post as a violation of its policies.)

A second research group, featuring an international team of scholars from China, Cyprus, Italy, Germany and the United States, published separate research Wednesday evening showing that anti-Chinese slurs on 4chan grew sharply at key moments in the pandemic. It also found less pronounced rises in hostile references to China and Chinese people on Twitter.

The title of that paper highlighted one of the many anti-Asian comments the team captured from 4chan, "'Go eat a bat, Chang!': An Early Look on the Emergence of Sinophobic Behavior on Web Communities in the Face of COVID-19." Another 4chan post was even blunter, saying "THIS IS BIOTERRORISM NUKE CHINA NOW." (The paper has not yet been peer-reviewed, a process that typically takes months.)

Both research groups, which include some overlapping members, charted rises in these slurs near the peak of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, and again last month when President Donald Trump used the term "Chinese Virus" on Twitter.

The research does not seek to evaluate whether Trump's comments caused the surge of ethnic slurs on 4chan, but "that was a legitimizing moment," said Jeremy Blackburn, an assistant professor of computer science at Binghamton University who studies online hate. He was a co-author for both papers published Wednesday.

Beyond the Internet, anti-Chinese rhetoric already has had real-life implications in the United States, despite warnings from experts that prolific use of such language could endanger millions of Asian-Americans.

"When it becomes normalized ... it dehumanizes Chinese and Asians," said Russell Jeung, chair of San Francisco State University's Asian American studies department. "It's like equating them to a face mask and equating them to the disease, so it's easy to scapegoat and attack them."

People who look Chinese, particularly those wearing masks, are at increased risk of experiencing the same discrimination faced by Muslims wearing turbans in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Jeung, who recently started tracking bias incidents against Asian-Americans amid the ongoing pandemic.

At first, Jeung's work consisted of analyzing news articles about coronavirus, xenophobia and racism. It didn't take long, he said, for a "clear pattern" to emerge.

"Following xenophobic policies or statements, the next week we would see boycotts of Asian businesses and then the following week more interpersonal attacks on Asian individuals," he said.

A website, "Stop AAPI Hate" started by Jeung and two community groups, has documented more than 1,100 incidents targeting Asian-Americans in 36 states since launching last month. (AAPI refers to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders).

The incidents have ranged from verbal harassment and shunning to physical assault.

On March 9, a woman in San Francisco said she was spit on by a man yelling expletives about China, the New York Times reported. Later that same month, an Asian woman riding a New York City bus was targeted by several other passengers who called her a racial slur and accused her of causing coronavirus, WPIX reported. One of the attackers then struck the woman on the head with an umbrella, resulting in an injury that needed stitches, according to the news station.

Yang Zhang, a Chinese co-author on the paper written by the international coalition of scholars, said he grew interested in the subject after a Chinese student he knows had an unpleasant encounter on a local bus in Germany. One passenger said to another that the student was a "Chinese virus," said Zhang, a computer scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Information Security, in Saarbrucken, Germany.

Zhang said that "even as a man who is used to hearing racial slurs about Chinese people," he was startled to discover the range and intensity of hateful language he found on social media once he began research for the paper. Like the others, he worried that the hostility already had spilled out in the offline world.

"I always treat social media data as a good sensor of the real world," said Zhang.

Charissa Cheah, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County who is leading another study examining discrimination against Chinese Americans during the pandemic, said anti-Chinese language such as "kungflu" and "batsoup" have their roots in historically racist tropes that have long been used to denigrate Asian Americans and cast them as foreigners no matter how long they have lived in the U.S.

"Covid-19 is merely refueling processes that are already there," said Cheah, whose research will also study Twitter activity related to the outbreak. "I worry that we might interpret these findings as, 'Oh it's covid-19 that's causing it.' This is simply not true. The current pandemic is merely providing an outlet and making it easier to justify expressions of Sinophobia."

Another indicator of rising hostility toward China is the surging use of Twitter hashtags such as #BlameChina , #ChinaLiedPeopleDied, #ChinaVirus, #WuhanCoronaVirus and #ChinaCoronaVirus, according to an unpublished analysis done by Clemson University researcher Darren Linvill.

The hashtag #ChineseVirus surged to nearly 130,000 uses the day after Trump used it in a tweet. Linvill, an assistant professor of communication, said the use was particularly prominent among accounts that regularly support Trump on Twitter.

But he cautioned that the character of anti-Chinese expressions varies sharply across social media platforms, based on both the nature of the user bases and the extent to which platforms restrict behavior. Twitter, for example, has policies against hate speech. 4chan does not.

"Anti-Chinese sentiment is rising, and it manifests itself differently in different places," Linvill said. "On 4chan, it's racist. On Twitter, it's political."

Twitter spokeswoman Katie Rosborough said that the study by the international group of scholars, which like most academic research on Twitters relied a 1 percent sample of all tweets, may miss the "nuanced political context around content that is posted on Twitter."

She also said, "We have zero-tolerance policies in place that address clear threats of violence, abuse and harassment, and hateful conduct. If we identify accounts that violate these rules, we'll take enforcement action."

The owner of 4chan, Hiroyuki Nishimura, didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

A week after Trump started publicly calling coronavirus the "Chinese Virus" and defended his use of the label against critics who accused him of being racist, the president implored people on Twitter to "protect our Asian American community."

"They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus is not their fault in any way, shape, or form," Trump wrote.

The president has also stopped using "Chinese Virus" on social media and during news briefings.

But experts like Cheah said the damage is already done.

"You cannot easily dismantle the ideas that these terms convey," she said. "When the terms that you use directly connect a particular racial or ethnic group and a disease, you reinforce the link between these two entities. If these links are already based on existing historical tropes and implicit biases, they are easily reinforced and maintained."
Brazilian President Jair M. Bolsonaro in a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Wuhan coronavirus crisis today has made references to Ramayana and compared Indian efforts to Hanuman and Sanjeevani booti.

Applauding Indias supply of important drugs like hydroxychloroquine to Brazil at the time of the crisis, the Brazillian President said: Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Ramas brother, Laksmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people.

The President of Brazil said that just as Hanuman saved the life of Lakshman (brother of Lord Rama) by bringing Sanjeevani Booti from the Himalayas, similarly the medicine given by India will save peoples lives in his country. He said that India and Brazil together would be able to overcome this catastrophe.

Last week the Brazilian President and Indian PM Narendra Mod had spoken and discussed the global situation in the wake of the spread of coronavirus pandemic and had requested India for hydroxychloroquine.

In a tweet, Brazilian President had said: Requested support in the continuity of the provision of pharmaceuticals for the production of hydroxychloroquine

The Indian government retaliated by saying: The Prime Minister assured all possible support to Brazil President in this difficult hour. They agreed that their officials would remain in regular touch concerning the COVID-19 situation and its emerging challenges.

Americas eyes are also focused on India in the hope of help to fight the global pandemic. President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought cooperation to fight the deadly Chinese virus. The US President Donald Trump had lauded Indias stand on hydroxychloroquine and spoke of procuring hydroxychloroquine from India.

There is a huge demand for the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, from all over the world, including the US, for its potential use in helping treat patients of the novel coronavirus. India is the biggest producer and exporter of hydroxychloroquine. India has got a request from 30 countries for hydroxychloroquine.

The government of India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine back on 25 March as the global demand for the anti-malaria drug surged. However, later on, Monday, India lifted the blanket ban on 14 drugs including hydroxychloroquine and announced that it will allow export of specific consignments on a case-to-case basis to certain badly affected nations on humanitarian grounds.

Source : OpIndia
Srinagar, April 8 : Heavy firing exchanges started on Wednesday between holed up militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town.

Police sources said following information about the presence of militants in the Arampora area of Sopore town, security forces started a cordon and search operation in the area late Tuesday evening.

"As the surrounding security forces closed on the hiding militants, they resorted to indiscriminate firing at the security forces triggering an encounter which is now going on", sources said.

All entry and exit points into the area have been sealed. Reports said two to three militants could be hiding in the area.
Major supermarket chains are beginning to report their first coronavirus-related employee deaths, leading to store closures and increasing anxiety among grocery workers as the pandemic intensifies across the country.

A Trader Joe's worker in Scarsdale, New York, a greeter at a Giant store in Largo, Maryland, and two Walmart employees from the same Chicago-area store have died of covid-19 in recent days, the companies confirmed Monday.

STILL LIFE: Drone photos show an empty Houston from the sky during stay-at-home order

Though more than 40 states have ordered nonessential businesses to close and told residents to stay home to stem the spread of the virus, supermarkets are among the retailers that remain open. Thousands of grocery employees have continued to report to work as U.S. infections and death rates continue to climb, with many reporting long shifts and extra workloads to keep up with spiking demand. Many workers say they don't have enough protective gear to deal with hundreds of customers a day. Dozens of grocery workers have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks.

Industry experts say the rise of worker infections and deaths will likely have a ripple effect on grocers' ability to retain and add new workers at a time when they're looking to rapidly hire thousands of temporary employees. Walmart, the nation's largest grocer, is hiring 150,000 workers, while Kroger is adding more than 10,000. Many are offering an extra $2 an hour and promising masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. But finding workers willing to work on the front lines for little more than the minimum wage could be an increasingly tough sell, according to supermarket analyst Phil Lempert.

"One of the biggest mistakes supermarkets made early on was not allowing employees to wear masks and gloves the way they wanted to," he said. "They're starting to become proactive now, but it's still going to be much tougher to hire hundreds of thousands of new workers. We're going to start seeing people say, 'I'll just stay on unemployed instead of risking my life for a temporary job.'"

Some companies have begun installing plexiglass sneeze guards at cash registers and requiring customers to stand 6 feet apart in line. The country's two largest grocers, Walmart and Kroger, are beginning to check employees' temperatures at the beginning of each shift, and will provide workers with gloves and masks.

THE SHOW MUST NOT GO ON: Six more shows will end early due to coronavirus

The added precautions come amid a wave of worker strikes and petitions aimed at getting employers like Amazon, Trader Joe's and the grocery delivery service Instacart, to take additional steps to protect workers. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Those efforts are likely to take on new urgency, analysts said, as supermarket workers across the country begin to see colleagues fall ill from covid-19. More than 356,000 Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday afternoon, and nearly 10,500 have died.

A Trader Joe's employee with underlying health conditions died of covid-19 early Monday morning, spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said. The Scarsdale, New York, store where the employee worked has been closed until Thursday to give workers "time to process and grieve," Friend-Daniel said in an email. Employees will continue to be paid during the closure, and will receive an additional two days of paid leave, she said.

Trader Joe's stores in Brooklyn and Philadelphia also were temporarily closed Monday, for additional cleaning and sanitizing.

In Illinois, Walmart employees Phillip Thomas, 48, and Wando Evans, 51, both of whom worked at a store in Evergreen Park near Chicago, died in late March, according to labor advocacy group United for Respect.

A Walmart spokesman said the company is "heartbroken." The grocery giant has hired an outside company to sanitize "high-touch" areas, such as front entrance, carts, registers and bathrooms. It has also started installing sneeze guards at cash register and begun limiting the number of customers who can shop at one time.

SAFE SHOPPING: How you can avoid coronavirus exposure while shopping

In Maryland, Leilani Jordan, 27, a greeter at the Giant's Campus Way South store in Largo, died last week.

"She said, 'Mommy, I'm going to work because no one else is going to help the senior citizens get their groceries," her mother, Zenobia Shepherd, told The Washington Post. "She only stopped going to work when she could no longer breathe."

Her last day at work was March 16, according to Giant spokesman Daniel Wolk. Jordan tested positive for the coronavirus in late March and died Wednesday.

Wolk said the company cleaned and disinfected the store when it found out about Jordan's diagnosis, and is providing counseling for employees.
A JAY KANTH By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Even as state agencies are collating details of those attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, another major task has come up before the state after Central intelligence input revealed that Keralites were also among the 38,527 Indians who entered the country between March 1 and March 15 through nine land border posts. As a majority of those who tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala has recent history of foreign travel, the state now has requested all those who used Integrated Check Points (ICPs) to enter India voluntarily report to the health department. India has ICPs with Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh. The movement of people was suspended through ICPs only from March 16. But by then a lot of Indians had used these border posts to return to their home states.

The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) has all the details of people who have entered the country during the said period and will pass on the details to the states, said an Intelligence Bureau officer. Its suspected that many returned to the country through ICPs after reaching Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh. Though India has ICPs with Pakistan, people from South India do not generally use this route to enter the country.

Basically, Keralites from Middle East catch a flight either to Myanmar or Nepal and then enter the county through land border posts, the officer said. Though the LPAI officers have checked the primary health status of all those passing through ICPs for any Covid- 19 symptom, further health status are not known. A large number of migrant labourers travel to Kerala from Bangladesh border exposing a huge risk of Covid-19 spread.
As the Vatican's chief exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth was often asked to help people whose troubles turned out to be far more mundane than demonic possession.

However, he was convinced he faced evil incarnate one morning in 1997 when a young Italian man was brought to his small consulting room in Rome.

The peasant was accompanied by his priest and another man. The latter was a translator.

For while the afflicted man spoke only Italian, the evil spirit inside him spoke perfect English, he was told.

Father Gabriel Amorth (pictured), who was the Vatican's chief exorcist, was convinced he faced evil incarnate one morning in 1997 when a young Italian man was brought to his small consulting room in Rome

Fr Amorth started the exorcism in Latin and the moment he mentioned Jesus's name, the young man fixed his gaze on him and began to yell curses and threats in English, then spitting and making out as if about to attack him.

When the exorcist arrived at the prayer Praecipio tibi ('I command you'), the demon briefly went quiet.

'But then, screaming and howling, the demon burst forth and looked straight at him, drooling saliva from the young man's mouth,' writes Marcello Stanzione, a fellow Catholic priest who worked with Fr Amorth.

Fr Amorth continued the 'rite of liberation', demanding the demonic presence reveal its name. He was shocked when he was told it was Lucifer himself. Momentarily shaken to be confronting the Devil, he nevertheless ploughed on.

The possessed man resumed his shrieking, twisting his head back and rolling his eyes, his back arched for quarter of an hour. The room became extremely cold and ice crystals formed on the windows and walls.

Moments after the exorcist ordered Lucifer to abandon the peasant, the young man's body stiffened and began to levitate, hovering three feet in the air for several minutes before collapsing into a chair.

Finally, Satan admitted defeat, announcing the exact day and hour when he would leave the man's body. It sounds like the stuff of horror fiction.

For while the afflicted man spoke only Italian, the evil spirit inside him spoke perfect English, he was told. Pictured: A scene from The Exorcist

But Fr Stanzione insists it all happened. He has just written a book, The Devil Is Afraid Of Me, containing astonishing new details  including the horrific demonic encounter in 1997  about the extraordinary life of Fr Amorth.

A man who was dubbed the Dean of Exorcists but who in the flesh looked more like a friendly tortoise than a grim vanquisher of evil, Fr Amorth said he conducted a staggering 60,000 exorcisms over a 30-year period.

The Pope's chief exorcist died aged 91 in 2016, prompting national mourning in Italy, where an estimated 500,000 people visit an exorcist each year.

Although as official exorcist for the diocese of Rome he was the Catholic Church's most famous and controversial exorcist, he was far from its only one.

There are at least 400 in the world. Even in the traditionally sceptical UK, the church says it is carrying out an increasing number of exorcisms.

Most of his colleagues prefer to practise their peculiar craft in the shadows  and the church, wary of ridicule, encourages that  but Fr Amorth was more than happy to discuss how he fought the powers of darkness.

The Bible records that Jesus himself drove out demons but provides few details, leaving Hollywood to fill in the blanks.

The terrifying 1973 film The Exorcist remains the go-to reference work, its story of a little girl transformed into a projectile-vomiting, blaspheming horror was loosely based on a reallife exorcism in the U.S. Fr Amorth said it was his favourite film, arguing that although the special effects were over-the-top, it was 'substantially' accurate and helped people understand his work.

The possessed 'isn't a bad person, only a suffering one,' he claimed.

The youngest of five sons of a lawyer in the town of Modena, Fr Amorth fought as a teenager in the Italian resistance in World War II (earning a bravery medal).

He later became a lawyer himself and briefly worked for the future Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti before taking holy orders in 1951.

It was in 1986 that he became an apprentice exorcist and he went on to set up the International Association of Exorcists in 1990.

He initially conducted exorcisms in Rome's famous Church of the Holy Stairs until the shrieks drove away the faithful.

He then moved to the headquarters of his order, the Paulist Fathers, and converted a small, nine by 15ft room into his exorcism room  well away from the street so passers-by couldn't hear the screaming and call the police.

Half a dozen chairs lined the walls for his assistant exorcists and the afflicted's loved ones, and a worn-out brown velvet armchair for the patient.

Particularly troubled souls might have to be tied down with straps on a small bed.

The patient would always be violent so exorcists never practise alone.

The walls were decorated with eight crucifixes, pictures of Mary and one of the Archangel Michael, leader of God's army.

He would also have a photo of Pope John Paul II which apparently made devils 'particularly irritable'.

The priest kept the tools of his trade in an old briefcase: two wooden crucifixes, an aspergillum for sprinkling holy water and a vial of consecrated oil. He also used a purple priest's stole, wrapping it round the patient's neck, and a book of prayers containing the official exorcism formulae.

He was famous for his sense of humour  not the obvious prerequisite for an exorcist  and always started off each ritual by literally thumbing his nose at the Devil.

According to Marcello Stanzione, during an exorcism a demon accused him of being a glutton. 'Well, what's it to you?,' he shot back.

A favourite Amorth quip was to say: 'You know why the devil flees when he sees me? Because I'm uglier than he is.'

Although the Catholic Church officially recognises exorcism, its modernisers see it as a medieval hangover that plays on superstition to strengthen religious devotion.

Fr Amorth freely admitted many who came to him had mental problems best dealt with by a psychologist, and he estimated he only came across around 100 genuine cases of possession.

People came to Fr Amorth from as far away as the UK and Spain after having trouble finding exorcists closer to home. His exorcisms could involve a single straightforward prayer or take months and repeated ceremonies.

It could even take years. Early in his career, he helped an exorcist named Fr Negrini near Brescia, northern Italy, with a supposedly possessed 14-year-old girl.

When Fr Amorth joined Negrini in a session with the girl, the latter asked the demon: 'Why have you taken this girl.'

It replied: 'Because she is the best of the parish.' It took Negrini another 12 years to free the girl, says Stanzione. Fr Amorth would carry out some exorcisms on the telephone and even on Skype.

Appointments lasted on average 30 minutes and Fr Amorth could conduct five every morning, doing paperwork in between.

Typical symptoms of demonic procession could be mundane, such as violent headaches and stomach cramps, he said, so it was easy to confuse it with an ordinary illness.

He often wouldn't know for sure until he had conducted the rituals and observed the reaction. He said the Devil particularly hated hearing Latin and often preferred to speak in English, even when the possessed person couldn't usually speak a word of it.

They also liked to spit  experienced exorcists hold a cloth near their face in readiness  and, rather more alarmingly, vomit shards of glass or pieces of iron, and even rose petals.

Fr Amorth kept a collection of regurgitated nails, keys and plastic figurines to prove it.

On one occasion, he claimed a devil said a possessed woman would bring up a transistor radio and, sure enough, she began spitting out pieces of it. Almost supernatural strength was not infrequent.

Fr Amorth said he once saw a possessed boy of 11 hurling off three big policemen as they tried to hold him down and a ten-year-old pick up a huge table.

How did all these unfortunates come to be possessed?

In 90 per cent of cases, Fr Amorth blamed Satanists or 'someone who has acted with Satanic perfidy'.

The remaining cases he blamed on people participating in practices such as seances.

Most of those he saw were middle-aged women, a fact he blamed on their weakness for seeing fortune tellers, who remain very popular in Italy.

Just months before the priest's death in 2016, William Friedkin  the Oscar-winning director of The Exorcist  became the first person to be allowed to film him perform an actual exorcism.

The resulting documentary makes for unsettling viewing as the patient, an Italian woman in her late 30s, thrashes violently, shouting defiance in a guttural voice that  for whatever reason  simply doesn't sound human.

Fr Amorth believed the woman was genuinely possessed, after being cursed by her brother and his girlfriend, who were satanists. Friedkin, an agnostic who hadn't expected to see anything authentic, said the experience was 'terrifying'.

Top neurosurgeons and psychiatrists he showed his film to were genuinely flummoxed. Cynics might wonder why only those who genuinely believe in the Devil seem to be possessed by him.

For Fr Amorth, who railed against the scepticism of the modern age, such cynicism suits Lucifer just fine.

'The Devil is always hiding,' he warned, 'and the thing he wants above all is that we don't believe he exists'.
The United States does not seek to conduct honest dialogue to extend the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, (New START), the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote in his exclusive op-ed for TASS.



"Our position, voiced by President Vladimir Putin, remains unchanged. Russia is not interested in an arms race and remains ready to extend the New START accord immediately and without any preconditions. However, the United States does not seek, contrary to what was seen ten years ago, to engage in a serious, honest and professional dialogue," Medvedev wrote.



He emphasized that the "extension of the Treaty could allow time for the development of a new and, possibly, even a multilateral strategic arms control system." But if the New START deal ceases to exist, its demise will have extremely serious consequences for international security, the Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman is convinced.
PLATTSBURGH  Candidates for the 45th State Senate District have different takes on the role upstate New Yorks ventilators should play in the response to COVID-19.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced plans Friday to send the National Guard to upstate hospitals in order to seize ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) not currently in use in order to redeploy them downstate, in areas with higher concentrations of COVID-19 cases.

Monday, the Hospital Association of New York State announced a plan created in coordination with the governor and regional hospitals that involves a voluntary effort to identify ventilators, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines health care facilities could redeploy to high-need regions if necessary.

Message the same

In a statement posted to Facebook Sunday, Assemblyman Dan Stec (R-Queensbury) said the governor had listened to concerns he and others shared and backed off on plans to send the National Guard.

He acknowledges that he has heard the concern from upstate and is changing his approach.

As of right now, he isnt taking ANY upstate ventilators, and that if he does need additional ventilators, he will be asking for them NOT taking them.

Stec expressed love and care for downstate New Yorkers and said we are indeed one state.

He went on to urge caution.

I sent the message to the governor that we appreciate him listening, and we want to keep an open line of communication.

Let me be clear, my message is, and will still be, that we need ALL of our precious few ventilators to stay in our communities, especially due to our aged population base.

Stec said he believed he was doing what he thought was best for the community.

Brothers keeper

Clinton County Treasurer Kimberly Davis, a Democrat, told the Press-Republican that if she were a state senator, she would have first asked the governor more about his announcement.

Does that mean all (ventilators)? Does it mean a percentage? Does it mean a percentage of those not in use?

In a statement on Facebook, Davis said Stec had been using fear-mongering and saying that upstate should keep all its ventilators, regardless of the quantity or whether they were in use.

So we should hold onto ours, just in case, and let someone die downstate? I do not agree. We shift extra resources when others suffer.

Davis pointed out that the North Country has received assistance in the past, such as during the 1998 ice storm and following Hurricane Irene.

We are our brothers keeper. We have received help on numerous occasions when we have needed it from others across the state and from the state itself and that is what we are supposed to do.

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Iranian Oil Minister Calls On US and Canada To Reduce Oil Output

03/29/20

Source: Radio Farda

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has called on the United States and Canada to join non-OPEC oil producers led by Russia to reduce crude production. In a tweet on Tuesday, Namdar Zanganeh said, "Before any meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC there needs to be an agreement on production numbers for any country that will reduce output", adding that the U.S. and Canada need to play a role in determining production cuts.

-                                                  .  Bijan Zanganeh (@BijanZanganeh) April 7, 2020

Referring to his teleconference with the chairman of OPEC and the Oil Ministers of Kuwait and Russia, Namdar Zanganeh noted that details concerning OPEC's next conference were discussed.

An OPEC video-conference was set to be held on Monday but it was postponed to Thursday.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy asserted that U.S. output is already falling without government action, in line with the White House's insistence that it would not intervene in the private markets. That decline, however, would take place slowly, over the course of the next two years.

The U.S. cut its oil output forecast by more than 1 million barrels a day, days before OPEC and other producers meet to discuss a global deal https://t.co/f9wCmTarZk  Bloomberg (@business) April 7, 2020

Russia and Saudi Arabia have already noted that they will only agree to deep cuts to their crude output if the United States and several others join in with curbs to help prop up prices that have been hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier, President Donald Trump had expressed hope that Russia and Saudi Arabia might reduce their oil output to ten million barrels per day (BPD) to keep the market stable.

While it is not yet clear whether Washington will relent to cut its oil output, President Trump has suggested that Russia and Saudi Arabia should bear the brunt.

Furthermore, he has threatened Russia and Saudi Arabia with tariffs on their oil to protect the American oil industry.

"I think the cuts are automatic if you are a believer in markets," he said on Monday, reiterating his remarks last week after a meeting with several oil industry giants ended without a public plan for tackling the oil market's historic crash.

Brent oil price dropped from nearly seventy dollars per barrel in early 2020 to about twenty dollars amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, and OPEC members failed to reduce their output. An OPEC agreement after more talks about reducing output, helped the price to recover a bit, reaching $30 a barrel.

With report by Reuters
(Alliance News) - Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus PLC on Wednesday reported a drop in net assets over the first half, underperforming its benchmark.

At January 31, the trust's NAV per share stood at 1,173.81 pence, down 9.7% from the 1,300.56p recorded at the end of July.

Aberdeen Standard Asia's net assets slipped to GBP387.4 million from GBP441.0 million six months earlier.

The trust's NAV total return in the six month period was negative 8.3%, underperforming its benchmark - the MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Small Cap index - which lost 6.8% over the same period.

The MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan index lost 3.7% in the six months to January 31.

Chair Nigel Cayzer said: "Even before the onset of the virus, global stock markets, Asia included, had a rollercoaster ride for the half year to January 31.

"Markets began on the back foot as US-China trade friction compounded worries about slowing global growth. Optimism returned after both sides resumed talks and reached a partial pact eventually. This was further helped by monetary policy easing worldwide, while we saw additional stimulus in Asia to shore up growth. However, sentiment soured again after the viral outbreak in Wuhan, China, which, as we know, spread across the region, before going wider."

Cayzer said the trust's continued focus will be to invest in "quality companies" and believes this is a "temporary dip".

"The portfolio is concentrated in financially robust companies which are often leaders within their sectors. Hugh Young and the team in Asia believe that these companies should be more resilient and better-positioned to ride through these difficult times," he said.

At April 3, the trust's NAV per share stood at 891.5p.

Shares in Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus were 2.0% lower in London on Wednesday at 774.09 pence each.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the postponement of several international events. Though some emergency multilateral meetings like that of the G20 have taken place via video conferencing to take decisions under these extraordinary circumstances, but many are mulling postponements wherever possible over the next few months.

Under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), all jurisdictions in the grey list have now been extended till October. A source said the FATF decision would mean that Pakistan continues to stay in the grey list of the terror financing watchdog at least till February, 2021. Heres how.

The FATF-style regional body, Asia Pacific Group (APG)s review meeting in May that would have also looked into Pakistans compliance and made recommendations to FATF now stands postponed.

The APG has already announced that its annual meeting in July in Dhaka, Bangladesh, cant take place under current circumstances.

In the absence of review meeting recommendations, the FATF plenary in June will be unable to take a call on Pakistan. In February, Pakistan got a grace time till the June plenary of the FATF to show that it had acted on the agenda items it promised to in 2018 to curb terror funding. Pakistan had failed to show any concrete action on 13 out of 27 such items in February.

So far, there is no confirmation with regard to the June FATF plenary that is scheduled to take place in China. The FATF calendar mentions TBC (to be confirmed) against the June 21-26 plenary.

The next plenary of the FATF will take place in October and since an on-site visit also needs to be done by an FATF team to see on-ground compliance of Pakistan, the next decision on the countrys fate in the FATF can only be taken in February, 2021, as per the assessment of officials.

Pakistan has been trying to exit the grey list even though at one stage between end of 2019 and beginning this year there was a clear danger of it being blacklisted.

It managed to avert being blacklisted in February by taking some measures like initiating action against UNSC 1267 committee proscribed terrorist Hafiz Saeed in cases related to terror financing.

With China in the FATF presidents chair and the US in the midst of talks with Taliban at the time in Afghanistan, Pakistan found a way out.

The US had referred to Saeeds conviction as an important step forward just ahead of the February FATF plenary. Sources had told News18 that remaining in the grey list would keep up the pressure on Pakistan to continue to act against terror financing.
The companies have asked for digital curfew passes as e-retailers feel if more lockdowns are ordered after April 14, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming process to acquire the passes from local authorities.

IMAGE: Image used for representational purpose. Photograph: Paulo Whitaker / Reuters.

E-commerce companies such as Amazon, Flipkart, Bigbasket, Grofers and the sellers are in talks with the government to help them provide curfew passes and approval of the list of the essential items, including IT products, during the lockdown period, sources said.

The time period of 4-6 months would give enough visibility and time for the sellers to keep stock ready, as these firms and sellers were of the view that the curfew passes provided to them would expire once the lockdown is lifted (after April 14).

The companies have asked for digital curfew passes as e-retailers feel if more lockdowns are ordered after April 14, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming process to acquire the passes from local authorities.

All these passes and approvals that they are giving are valid until April 14. So, if the lockdown is extended by two more weeks, then again you have to run to collect the passes, said an executive at an e-commerce company.

We dont know if it is staggered unlocking or it is going to be a continued lockdown until June-July to flatten the pandemic curve.

As many delivery personnel have gone back to their hometowns, e-commerce firms are struggling to get enough of inter-district curfew passes. Instead of going from one district to another, the retailers have also asked the government to enable each state to provide the passes.

If my delivery associate is getting a pass for South Delhi, he cant do delivery in North Delhi, said a person. If the fulfilment centre is located in North Delhi, the associate could be living in South Delhi. Then he has to go all the way from his home to the fulfilment centre to pick up the stuff for delivery. Many delivery associates have been stopped by the police, saying that they dont have valid passes.

According to industry insiders, more than groceries, the biggest challenge for consumers is to get various important electronic items such as phones, computers and other accessories. This is because an increasing most people are working from home.

According to community platform LocalCircles, most corporates have asked their employees to work from home.

As many people were unprepared for such a long lockdown, they are running out of items like printer cartridge and many dont have a laptop, hence, unable to work from home. Also, with online tutorials starting, parents are struggling to find computers for their children. Most of these items have still not been considered essential.

About 43 per cent of parents said they did not have the requisite computer hardware needed for their children to participate in online classes, according to LocalCircles.

"The government as well as e-commerce firms have been flooded with requests for laptops, mobile phone and Wi-Fi routers, but there are different definitions for 'what is essential and what is not' in various states and there is a need for some direction to include these items as part of the essential product list," said a person.

Experts said that in China, the government considered e-commerce companies such as Alibaba, JD.com and Walmart as vital players providing essential items to the people during the coronavirus pandemic. They said it created a huge impact in terms of countering the disease effectively.
Mumbai, April 8 : As the 13th person reported Covid-19 positive in the past five days from Dharavi in central Mumbai on Wednesday, state and civic health authorities were worried over the implications in the most congested locality on the planet which is also Asia's biggest slum.

Despite the ongoing lockdown since March 25, in most parts of Dharavi, its business as usual, prompting Health Minister Rajesh Tope to take note of it and instruct police to "implement lockdown strictly" there.

"In Dharavi, lockdown must be enforced strictly besides ensuring social distancing. The police must take it seriously and take stern measures," Tope told mediapersons.

However, the minister indicated that it may not be necessary to completely seal Dharavi, though norms would be implemented strongly in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

This afternoon, there were shocking visuals of long queues of people awaiting their turn for collecting meals being distributed by some NGOs, and though most sported masks, there was little evidence of social distancing in the queues.

In the morning and evening, the streets seemed to be full and bustling with most activities in the region, with security personnel seemingly helpless to enforce lockdown norms, and today some cops gave a friendly lecture and sit-ups to a few youths loitering around.

Started as a workers' settlement 135 years ago, Dharavi -- literally meaning 'quick sand' -- covers just 2.25 sq. km housing over 200,000 families besides over 20,000 big and small businesses generating revenues of an estimated Rs 7,000 crore.

"The biggest problem here is congestiona The people live or work in cramped quarters -- 8-10 persons in a 100-sq feet room, with common sanitation (toilet) facilities. How can there be social distancing in such conditions," wonders a local businessman Salim Shaikh, living in nearby Antop Hill.

Another problem is the dirt, squalor and unhygienic conditions that make it a sitting duck in case of any contagious outbreak or even fires, as the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sealed several buildings and taken up regular but thorough sanitization drives in Dharavi, including one today.

Mumbaikar Pradeep Sathyadas, who lives in Mahim, on the fringes of Dharavi, but commutes to work through Dharavi to Masjid Bunder, the current lockdown is "like a blessing".

"I shudder to imagine what would happen here if the pandemic becomes more serious. "It's already teeming with people virtually 24x7, how can you control so many, where can you shift these lakhs of humans, even temporarily," said Sathyadas.

Both Shaikh and Sathyadas say that people from Dharavi move all around Mumbai and could pose a big health risk if the situation goes out of control.

Despite the squalid settings, people of all faiths live and work here harmoniously, eking out a living, some hand-to-mouth, and some literally minting money here while living in posh housing complexes elsewhere in the city.

Though Mumbai has so far notched 686 Covid-19 positive cases, only 13 are from Dharavi, and of the 40 deaths, none is reported from Dharavi.

Dharavi -- the subject of several Indian ('Dharavi', 1993 Hindi film, National Award Winner) and international ('Slumdog Millionaire', multiple Oscar Award Winner) films and books (Gregory David Roberts' bestseller 'Shantaram', 2003) -- sprawls from Mahim on Western Railway to Sion-Matunga on Central Railway and spills over into many adjoining areas.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday provided 2,200 kits containing essential goods for the needy who have been unable to get items of daily use due to the prevailing nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, according to a Personnel Ministry statement.

Kendriya Bhandar, which functions under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has prepared a total of 2,200 kits for distribution to needy families, the statement said.

Each essential kit consists of three kg rice, two kg dal, one litre cooking oil, 500 gms chiwda/poha, one kg salt, one bathing soap, one detergent soap and three packets of biscuits, it said.

Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, handed over a consignment of the 2,200 essential kits for distribution to needy families in the wake of COVID-19, it added.

"Singh handed over 1,700 kits to SDM, Civil Lines, Central Delhi District and the remaining 500 kits will be given to DM (Central)," the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some prominent New Jersey Republicans are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to rescind his executive order closing state parks amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who is seeking the Republican nomination against Murphy in 2021, posted a video on Tuesday night calling on Murphy to change his mind.

For many people, our state and county parks are critically important outlets, especially in our urban and high density areas, Ciattarelli says on the video.

Is there no way for people to enjoy passive recreation while steadfastly observing safe social distancing, he adds.

Murphy closed all state parks and forests, and county parks, via a single executive order Tuesday, citing reports of visitors gathering too closely and disregarding social distancing guidelines aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus in New Jersey.

Douglas Steinhardt, chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, also appealed for reconsideration via a tweet and said the State Legislature should get involved, if necessary.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Even in a crisis there must be checks & balances & govt cant operate unrestrained. I encourage @GovMurphy to reconsider his park closures & appeal to the #NJ legislature to convene & act #NJGOP #LeadRight https://t.co/LhNylxV5SB  Douglas Steinhardt (@DSteinhardtEsq) April 7, 2020

Assemblyman Jay Webber, a former chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, also urged Murphy to backtrack in a letter posted to GoPetition under the headline, Reopen New Jerseys state parks.

In it, Webber writes that neither New York nor Pennsylvania have closed state parks.

Access to fresh air and exercise for our citizenry, especially during this stressful time, is paramount. For that reason, safely and responsibly using our states open spaces should continue to be encouraged, not prohibited," writes Webber, R-26th District.

Murphys order, which took effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday, does not apply to municipal parks.

The New Jersey Sierra Clubs director, Jeff Tittel, said Tuesday he supports Murphys order, noting that the organization cancelled outings two weeks ago.

"We felt that it was important to practice social distancing given the severity of the outbreak. Closing the state parks and forests in New Jersey is a critical step to keep everyone safe and healthy, Tittel said.

Webber, in his petition letter, charges that Murphy is not giving enough credit to park users.

Respectfully, governor, you should trust us more. We are fully capable of making intelligent, common-sense, and responsible choices that permit us to both to meet our obligations to the fight against COVID-19 and use our State park resources for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, Webber writes.

Murphys office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Jersey had 44,416 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,232 known deaths as of Tuesday, with the states projected peak still weeks away.

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.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:33:09|Editor: huaxia

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Expatriates returning to Lebanon are seen in quarantine in a hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 8, 2020. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Wednesday by 27 to 575 while the death toll remained unchanged at 19, the National News Agency reported. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Wednesday by 27 to 575 while the death toll remained unchanged at 19, the National News Agency reported.

The total infected people include those who arrived a day earlier from Madrid and Paris in addition to one coming from Britain on a private jet.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said during a news conference from the airport that safety procedures were being implemented according to international standards.

Around 20,000 expatriates have registered with the Foreign Ministry to return to Lebanon.

Lebanon is expected to receive four more flights on Thursday from London, Frankfurt, Doha and Accra.
Credit Kudos chief executive Freddy Kelly, who helped to build the Covid Credit tool. (Yahoo Finance UK)

Britain has spent a decade building one of the best financial technology  fintech  sectors in the world. Now these companies say they can help the government protect the UK economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fintech businesses across Britain have been contacting the Treasury in recent weeks with offers of support.

Fintechs can play a major role right now because they can adapt and support very quickly, Gabriele Sabato, chief executive of WiserFunding, told Yahoo Finance UK. Larger, more established companies  obviously its more difficult for them to do.

Companies doing everything from wage advances and online lending to insurance and client onboarding say they can help get money to people and businesses faster, averting a wave of possible bankruptcies.

One of the most prominent examples has been Covid Credit, an online tool allowing the self-employed to certify their past income by sharing banking data.

You could use this system to generate almost an IOU or some form of collateral that the government underwrites and that could then be taken to one of these fintech lenders as proof they can get a loan at a decent rate to stabilise their income or their business, Freddy Kelly, one of the creators, told Yahoo Finance UK.

Kelly, whose day job is chief executive of credit scoring startup Credit Kudos, teamed up with other entrepreneurs and fintech workers a fortnight ago to build Covid Credit over a weekend.

We got a few people on a web call, talking it through, and started building something, he said.

The service could address some of the gaps left by the governments current support scheme for the self-employed, Kelly said, which currently relies on historic tax data may be out of date.

The Covid Credit team have held talks with the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and HMRC. Kelly said the reception so far has been very positive.

We started off a week ago with this being an interesting idea and then we suddenly quickly got loads of people from HMRC emailing us saying: how would this work? Whats this like? Can you put this together before 2pm because I need to go and present to this person?

Story continues

Covid Credit is not a silver bullet, Kelly stressed, but the project highlights how fintech can help with some of the more difficult challenges faced by the Treasury.

Others entrepreneurs say the sector can support big banks in doling out government support loans. Traditional lenders have so far been overwhelmed by loan applications from small businesses.

We definitely can help them in their mission to help small businesses at this crucial time, Anil Stocker, chief executive of lending platform Market Finance, told Yahoo Finance UK.

We touch a lot of businesses, we have very fast underwriting, weve got a proven track record  we tick a lot of the boxes.

MarketFinance chief executive Anil Stocker. (Yahoo Finance UK)

Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month launched the coronavirus business interruption loan (CBIL) scheme, which sees the government back 330bn ($406bn) of loans to businesses to help them through the shutdown. The government has promised to cover up to 80% of losses.

The scheme is run by the state-owned British Business Bank and loans are currently being written by 40 accredited institutions, mostly leading UK banks.

Several alternative finance providers have applied to be CBIL accredited, including Market Finance, Funding Circle, Iwoca, and OakNorth.

These businesses argue that opening up the scheme could help fix its problems. The CBIL scheme has has been beset by criticism over lending terms and slow speed. The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said on Wednesday just 1% of its members had so far been able to access the government-backed loans.

Now is the time for the UK to support its large non-bank lenders so that they can help solve the problem alongside the banks, Christoph Rieche, chief executive of online lender told Yahoo Finance UK.

The government admitted last week that just 1,000 loans had been approved by banks out of 130,000 applications in the schemes first week.

By contrast, Iwocas reliance on technology means it can process 25,000 loan applications per week, Rieche said, although he stressed that not all would be approved.

We have the ability to support small businesses, scale fast and get money to exactly where it is needed most, he said.

Stocker added: Fintech grew out of the last crisis and addressed pockets of the economy that were relatively untouched by the banks  these were either too small or too risky. We can reach parts of the economy where the banks feel less comfortable.

Innovate Finance, the UK-based fintech industry group, has organised a group of 30 or so alternative finance providers and is lobbying the Treasury on their behalf.

Christoph Rieche, chief executive of iwoca, on MoneyConf stage during the final day of Web Summit 2019 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. (Cody Glenn/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty)

Meanwhile, other startups are mobilising to widen the pool of firms that can lend to small businesses. A group led by Trade Ledger, a startup that provides digital lending technology, last week formed a fintech taskforce to help firms overcome key hurdles for business lending.

The idea was to put together a ready to use platform so that any of these funds that wanted to deploy to mass market could just jump in and use it, said WiserFundings Sabato, one of people involved in the project.

WiserFunding provides credit risk assessment for funds that lend or invest in small and medium sized businesses. They typically write large ticket, small volumes, Sabato said.

A lot of funds out there have got a lot of liquidity and they are prepared to lend but they are used to  and resourced to  lend in a very different way, he told Yahoo Finance UK.

The taskforces out-of-the-box solution allows many funds that would otherwise be ineligible to apply for CBIL accreditation.

Most of the funds that we know, theyve now applied and theyre waiting to get that authorisation, Sabato said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak leaves Downing Street after the COVID-19 committee meeting on 6 April, in London, England. (Peter Summers/Getty Images)

So far, no non-bank lenders have been accredited by the British Business Bank. Several industry sources expect an announcement on the first approvals within days.

Were going through it but so far Ive been pretty impressed with the fact that theyre getting mobilised so quickly and thats not an easy thing, MarketFinancess Stocker said of the application process.

However, some are frustrated with the pace of the British Business Bank. One fintech chief executive, who didnt want to publicly criticise the bank for fear of jeopardising their application, said the British Business Bank was moving way too slow.

The Times reported on Tuesday that the bank has increased the size of its approval staff from two to 25, suggesting the process may accelerate.

However, the fast moving nature of the coronavirus crisis means approvals must come soon to make a difference. The BCC said on Wednesday that 6% of its members had already run out of cash, while another 16% had less than a months worth of reserves.

Unfortunately in this crisis, days matter, Stocker said.

Meanwhile, Kelly and the Covid Credit team are also unsure about what will come of talks with the government.

We dont yet know whether this will fall apart, or whether itll be a guiding principle  we dont yet know what it will be, he said. I think it's a case of wait and see for now.

In the meantime, the offer of help to the government from the fintech sector remains.

Theres definitely something in this and its definitely something we as a fintech ecosystem can adapt to much faster than others can, Kelly said.

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A day after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador closed the door for a rescue plan for Mexican companies to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, many Mexicans fear that the president's response will significantly affect the small businesses in the country. Small businesses make up the second-largest economy in the entire Latin American region, says an article.

Not Following Other Nations' Strategies

AMLO stated that he would be prioritizing social spending.

The President of Mexico did follow the strategies of other large nations such as tax breaks and other stimulus packages. These nations aim to assist businesses in the private sector who were greatly affected by the widespread stay-at-home orders and other measures being implemented by their governments to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Plans of the Mexican Government

The government plans to provide more than 2 million loans to people, households, and small businesses in the amount of $1 billion.

Also, the government will be supporting the construction of houses, programs for public work, and flagship projects on trains, an airport, and refinery infrastructures. This measure will provide 2 million jobs to unemployed Mexicans. The funds will come from salary cuts for senior officials and stricter government policies rather than through a new liability.

Check these out:

Mexican President Pledges 2 Million Jobs and Assistance to Small Businesses

One of the Richest Men in Mexico, Jeronimo Arango Arias, Dies

Types of Businesses That Perform Well During Economic Recessions

The Effect of the Lack of Major Stimulus

Business leaders expressed their fears of having employees lose 1.2 million jobs, as the country postpones essential activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Small and micro-enterprises provide 7 to 10 formal jobs to people. This is more than half of the gross domestic product of Mexico. If these businesses are left with no support, more Mexican will be at risk of suffering from poverty.

How are the People Reacting to Prioritizing Social Spending amid the COVID-19 Crisis in the Country

According to Cuauhtemoc Barrios, an entrepreneur in Monterrey, he is disappointed to know that the policies implemented in the country will most likely be retained even after the COVID-19 crisis.

According to the National Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City's leader Nathan Poplawsky, it is estimated that consumption declined by 2 billion pesos per day in Mexico before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Banco Base's research manager Gabriela Siller, the Mexican economy can contract by up 10% for 2020 in worst-case scenarios. It will be one of its worst performance since 1932, where the Mexican economy had contracted by 14%.

As markets abandon the plan of the president, the Mexican peso had declined to a new historic low overnight at 25.8 pesos per dollar. According to the country's top businessmen, the later the president reacts to the issue, the more it will cost. A liquidity crisis in the current period will shift to a solvency issue in the future, and it will take years for the country to recover, they added.
Trump demands affirmation and does not tolerate oversight from the media, Congress, even inspectors general who he appointed, Axelrod said. He wants to impose his version of events and discredit and disable any arbiters of fact who might disrupt his self-aggrandizing story line. That has been his instinct in business and politics, and we see it on full display in this crisis.
A report reveals the controversial face recognition software Clearview AI was developed with help from far-right extremists.

The Huffington Post claims founder Hoan Ton-That has close ties with several extremists, attended dinners organized by alt-right groups and had employees famous for hate speech.

It includes Charles Johnson, owner of a crowdfunding platform for white supremacists and Jack Posobiec, who led the Pizzagate campaign, along with Peter Thiel and his associate Jeff Giesa who is said to donate to alt-right causes, the Huffington Post claims.

The report claims to have videos, messages and emails linking the Clearview founder to these individuals as well as evidence suggesting the technology was designed specifically to 'identify every illegal alien in the country.'

Ton-That has commented on these allegations in an email to DailyMail.com, stating: 'I am not a white supremacist or an anti-semite, nor am I sympathetic to any of those views.'

'They are abhorrent and I reject them wholly and without reservation.'

'To those who have read my words in the Huffington Post article, I deeply apologize for them.'

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A report reveals the controversial face recognition software Clearview AI was developed with the help of the far-right. The system is said to have a three-billion-strong database of social media photographs includes pictures which are private or have been deleted

Clearview identifies people by cross-referencing their mugshot with its mammoth image archive, which has sent chills up the backs of privacy campaigners since it began selling its service to police.

The system is said to have a three-billion-strong database of social media photographs includes pictures which are private or have been deleted.

And the mobile app is capable of matching names to faces with a tap of a touchscreen.

Clearview AI came under fire earlier this year when reports revealed it was lending its services US law enforcement agencies including the FBI to help hunt down suspects or search for illegal immigrants.

The firm's website says its technology has 'helped law enforcement track down hundreds of at-large criminals, including pedophiles, terrorists and sex traffickers'.

The Huffington Post claims founder Hoan Ton-That has close ties with several extremists, attended a dinner organized by an alt-right group and had employees known for their hate speech

It includes Charles Johnson, owner of a crowdfunding platform for white supremacists and Jack Posobiec, who led the Pizzagate campaign, along with Peter Thiel (pictured) and his associate Jeff Giesa who is said to donate to alt-right causes, the Huffington Post claims

But the app raises questions about privacy and the potential for it to be used for evil.

However, it appears privacy and security are the least of the firm's problems.

Ton-That grew up in Australia with his Vietnamese family before moving to the US aged 19 and later co-founding Clearview AI.

A well-known hacker, Ton-That made a name for himself in 2009 by creating a computer worm that stole Gmail users' login credentials.

Six years later, he was rubbing elbows with those in the far-right who were helping Trump get into office.

CLEARVIEW AI FOUNDER COMMENTS ON ALLEGATIONS I am a proud American of Vietnamese and Australian descent. I am an immigrant to this country, which I support and dearly love, in large part because of its diversity and acceptance of people regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. I am not a white supremacist or an anti-semite, nor am I sympathetic to any of those views. They are abhorrent and I reject them wholly and without reservation. People I am close to personally and professionally are Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, straight, gay, black, white, Asian, and they have shaped my life and thinking over all these years. I grew up in Australia, but truthfully, I grew up on the Internet. I grew up without television or movies as cultural touchstones. I learned about the world, its inhabitants and ideas online. Its where I learned my craft to program and code, and how to navigate the vast variety of information, thoughts and views. It had not always been a straight path, and it had not always served me well. There was a period when I explored a range of ideasnot out of belief in any of them, but out of a desire to search for self and place in the world. I have finally found it, and the mission to help make America a safer place. To those who have read my words in the Huffington Post article, I deeply apologize for them. I was shocked by and completely unaware of Marko Jukics online writings under a different name. As soon as those writings were brought to my attention, we took steps to separate him from the company. Tyler Bass no longer works as a consultant for Clearview AI. Advertisement

Pictured is Charles Johnson (right) with George Zimmerman (right), who is known for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida back in 2012

This included Mike Cernovich, who is known for the infamous Pizzagate campaign and Andrew Auerheimger, a Nazi hacker who is involved with the far-right neo-Nazi, white supremacist and Holocaust denial site, The Daily Storm, according to the report.

The Huffington Post claims to have evidence that Ton-That attended a dinner with white supremacist Richard Spencer that was organized by alt-right financier Giesea, an associate of Thiel.

And was also a guest at the 'Night for Freedom' party organized in New York two years later, which was also attended by Gavin Mcinnes, the Canadian founder of the neo-fascist Proud Boys gang.

The Pizzagate campaign leader Jack Posobiec was also present along with Canadian cult leader Stefan Molyneux and James O'Keefe, who in 2009 released a movie that ridiculed people of color that was financed by Thiel, claims the report.

The list of suspicious characters include Charles Johnson, owner of a crowdfunding platform for white supremacists

Johnson told one source later that year that he viewed the technology as a way to potentially 'identify every illegal alien in the country.' There is also a Facebook post that he shared saying he was 'building algorithms to ID all the illegal immigrants for the deportation squads'

According to documents obtained by the Huffington Post, Thiel is suggested to have given Johnson funding for a startup that the Southern Poverty Law Center would label a 'white nationalist hate group.'

However, the characters do not appear on any of the incorporation papers and the only link between Johnson and Ton-That is a single Facebook post.

Sources associated with the far-right did tell the Huffington Post that the two were in close contact since early 2016 when Johnson told them he was working with Ton-That on a facial recognition system.

Johnson told one source later that year that he viewed the technology as a way to potentially 'identify every illegal alien in the country.'

Tyler Bass, a GotNews writer, questioned if there was a way to scrape 'an entire Facebook page quickly ... the next time another American goes apes*** and before Facebook pulls it down out of shame.'. Ton-That said Bass is no long with Clearview AI

There is also a Facebook post that he shared saying he was 'building algorithms to ID all the illegal immigrants for the deportation squads.'

Video and private messages obtained by the Huffington Post confirm that Johnson and Ton-That teamed up on 'far-right schemes' in 2016.

And a year later they were in talks about scraping social media sites for a facial recognition business.

Then there is Marko Jukic, a Clearview employee who has contributed to extremist blogs with anti-semantic comments.

Text in emails show a thread between Johnson and his associates at GotNews, which discussed a 'dogwhistle' post they were putting together about a racially motivated mass shooting in Fresno, California, that was carried out by Black man who was Muslim.

Tyler Bass, a GotNews writer, questioned if there was a way to scrape 'an entire Facebook page quickly ... the next time another American goes apes*** and before Facebook pulls it down out of shame.'

'I was shocked by and completely unaware of Marko Jukic's online writings under a different name,' Ton-That shared with DailyMail.com.

'As soon as those writings were brought to my attention, we took steps to separate him from the company. Tyler Bass no longer works as a consultant for Clearview AI.'
Under its Artemis program, NASA is set to repeat its historic achievement of sending humans to the Moon. Set for 2024, the mission might be facing some delays from its original schedule due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. However, NASA is still amidst preparations, having released a report on how it plans to build a base on the moon.

A new 13-page report put forth by NASA explains how the US space agency plans to build on its human spaceflight plans. Currently in practice for the International Space Station, the Artemis will further be worked upon to enable the human revisit to the moon in 2024 and the first manned mission later.

A concept image of NASA's lunar manned mission (Image: NASA)

An important part of these manned missions is to establish base camps and daily operations on the camp sites selected on Earths planetary neighbours. Before the Mars mission, NASA plans to practice the same on the Moon. A plan for a sustained lunar surface presence to conduct operations on and around the Moon that help prepare us for the mission durations and activities that we will experience during the first human mission to Mars has now been shared by NASA.



As per it, NASA will develop Artemis Base Camp at the South Pole of the Moon. Astronauts could spend anywhere between 7 and 45 days on the surface of the moon. The three primary mission elements have been identified as the lunar terrain vehicle or LTV to transport the crew around the site; the habitable mobility platform for long trips away from Artemis Base Camp and the foundation surface habitat for short-stays for four crew on the lunar South Pole.



NASA also plans to add supporting infrastructure to the base camp over time such as power, communications, radiation shielding, a landing pad, waste disposal, and storage planning. These elements will have a sustained capability on the Moon and can be built upon over the coming decades. Only recently, a team of European researchers have found out how the urine of astronauts can be used to in the concrete of certain structures. Click here to know how.

(Image: NASA)

Once such a setup on the moon is established, NASA also aims it to serve as a training ground for the astronauts to simulate their trip to and from Mars. For this, NASA envisions a four-person crew travelling to the Gateway, an expansion of habitation and related support systems, in the lunar orbit. The astronauts can then switch between living on the surface of the moon to being at the Gateway.



These missions will be the longest duration human deep space missions in the history of mankind. As an when NASA proceeds with them, these missions are set to have several factors that will expand humans knowledge of the deep space and how it alters the regular everyday survival practices known to mankind.
We missed the good life that existed before the pandemic took hold, and we have been antsy for things to return to normal. What has gotten most of us through this crisis is our faith that it would end soon  that we would again gather on the lakefront, smell the flowers in our neighborhood and enjoy all that this great city has to offer.
SAN LEANDRO (BCN)

An Oakland man has been charged with two counts of murder and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders for allegedly fatally shooting two men last month during an argument over the sale of an assault rifle, police and prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Ronyae Haywood, 26, was arraigned on Tuesday for the shooting deaths of Duane Palmer Jr., 28, of Oakland, and Dalton Kline, 27, of Dublin, in a car in the parking lot of the Grocery Outlet store in the 2100 block of East 14th Street at about 11 p.m. on March 13.

Haywood, who's being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, is scheduled to return to court on Friday to possibly enter a plea.

Haywood's girlfriend, Angel Shavers, 20, of Oakland, was arraigned on a felony charge alleging that she furnished the assault rifle to Haywood as well as being an accessory after the fact.

San Leandro police said Shavers admitted that she was involved in the killings because she set up the sale of an assault rifle between Haywood and Palmer, who didn't know each other, and was present when the shootings happened.

Police said Haywood and Shavers met with Palmer, Kline and two other men in the Grocery Outlet parking lot to complete the sale of the assault rifle but during the transaction Haywood and Palmer got into an argument

Palmer tried to flee in his vehicle but as he was driving away Haywood fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, striking both Palmer and Kline, who was in a rear passenger seat, police said.

The two other men who were in the vehicle with Palmer and Kline weren't hit by the gunfire and fled the scene on foot, although one of the men was able to fire two shots at Haywood that missed, San Leandro police officer Timothy Perry wrote in a probable cause statement.

Detectives eventually were able to identify Haywood and Shavers as the suspects in the shooting through cell phone records and they were arrested without incident in the 7700 block of Bancroft Avenue in Oakland last Thursday, police said.

Officers served a search warrant in the 200 block of Warren Avenue in San Leandro in connection with the shooting but police didn't disclose what was found.

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 08, 2020] Health Advocate Expands Access to COVID-19 Resources

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intrados Health Advocate, a leading provider of health advocacy, navigation, and integrated benefits solutions, announced today that it is offering public access to COVID-19 resources and materials via a dedicated page on its website.

Throughout the ongoing pandemic, Health Advocate is providing resources to help employers and their employees during this uniquely challenging and stressful time. Personal Health Advocates, including doctors, nurses, behavioral health and other experts, are assisting members and their family members across a wide range of cases, such as: Addressing COVID-19 specific clinical and other questions

Guiding them to appropriate care and responding to questions about testing

Locating high quality, in-network providers and connecting to available telehealth resources

Providing mental and emotional support

Providing many other methods of support and advice Additionally, Health Advocate has added a wide array of resources to its member website and mobile app to help people instantly get the up-t0-date information they need and connect to a Personal Health Advocate for help. To address many of the most common questions and concerns related to COVID-19, Health Avocate is posting useful information via a dedicated page on its website. These informative blog posts, webinar recordings and other resources cover a wide range of topics associated with COVID-19. Health Advocate has also added a live news feed and other information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



The COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone, and now more than ever, our goal is to help organizations, their employees and family members navigate the complexities of the healthcare system and a rapidly shifting situation, said Matt Yost, President, Health Advocate. About Intrados Health Advocate

Intrados Health Advocate makes healthcare easier for over 12,000 organizations and their employees and members nationwide. Our solutions leverage a unique combination of personalized, compassionate support from healthcare experts using powerful predictive data analytics and a proprietary technology platform including mobile solutions to provide clinical support and engage members in their health and well-being. Our members enjoy a best-in-class, personalized concierge service that addresses nearly every clinical, administrative, wellness, or behavioral health need. Our clients benefit from high levels of engagement, improved employee productivity and health, and reduced medical costs, while simultaneously simplifying and upgrading their health benefits offerings. For more information, visit us at www.HealthAdvocate.com. About Intrado Corporation Intrado Corporation is an innovative, cloud-based, global technology partner to clients around the world. Our solutions connect people and organizations at the right time and in the right ways, making those mission-critical connections more relevant, engaging and actionable - turning Information to Insight. Intrado has sales and/or operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America and South America. Intrado is controlled by affiliates of certain funds managed by Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO). For more information, please call 1-800-841-9000 or visit www.intrado.com. Contact Courtney Prizer, Public Relations Specialist [email protected] 610-940-6723

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China calls on citizens against rice hoarding

Following a recent ban on new export sales by Vietnam sparked concerns over global supplies, government officials in China, the world's biggest consumer and producer of rice, called on citizens not to hoard rice.

The country holds sufficient rice and wheat stockpiles for one year of consumption, while imports of the cereals are only about 2% of domestic usage, Wei Baigang, an agriculture ministry official, said at a conference on Saturday. "Market supplies are ample and there is no need to hoard," said Wei.

China increased supplies at regular state sales last week to three million tonnes of wheat and 1.2 million tonnes of rice to stabilise market prices, while the government will continue to sell corn from stockpiles after sales of nearly three million tonnes in February, said Qin Yuyun, an official with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

The country, also the world's top soybean importer, will closely monitor the logistical situation in Brazil, Argentina and the US, and coordinate with these suppliers to mitigate potential disruptions to shipments because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wei said.

Brazilian soybean exports to China remain normal with an increase in shipments in March, said Wei. The Asian country is also likely to increase soybean imports from the US as part of the phase one trade deal, he said. Soybeans are crushed into edible oil for cooking and animal feed.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  A group composed of graduates of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) from the University of the Philippines is heeding the government's call to help in COVID-19 efforts.

Speaking at Wednesday's Laging Handa briefing, Guido Delgado, the national commander of the UP Vanguard Incorporated, said cadets and some alumni have been mobilized to lend a hand during the crisis.

"Minobilize namin yung mga kadete ng UP at beyond that, pinatawag din natin yung almuni ng UP ROTC na mga miyembro ng UP Vanguard," Delgado said.

[Translation: We've mobilized the UP cadets and beyond that, we called on the alumni of the UP ROTC that are members of the UP Vanguard.]

During President Rodrigo Duterte's April 3 address to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country he said, "I'm calling upon mga ROTC, get in touch with DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development). Doon sa mga siyudad, just give your accreditation, maybe an ID at makatulong kayo."

[Translation: I'm calling upon the ROTC, get in touch with the DSWD. Those in the cities, just give your accreditation, maybe an ID and you can help.]

Delgado said they have also assisted students stranded in three UP campuses: Diliman, Los Banos, and Baguio.

The group has also distributed personal protective equipment to several hospitals in Metro Manila, and they hope to be able to extend help to other facilities and frontliners, he added.
Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped down as senior working royals, several of their well-trained staff are available for hire - and according to LinkedIn, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have snapped up a favorite.

According to his employment profile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's social media "secret weapon" has been hired by the Cambridges.

David Watkins, 27, was the brains behind the wildly popular Sussex Royal Instagram account, which like The Tig, is no longer active after a March 30 announcement.

He helped Meghan and Harry build their aesthetically pleasing brand, which had more than 11 million followers, despite only following three people (at the moment, it's Global Positive news, Tanks Good News and the Good News Movement, sensing a theme here).

When he worked with them he was tasked with "overseeing the day-to-day management of Brand Strategy, Digital, Comms, Content Creation, Copywriting, Collaborations & Risk Management."

Unfortunately, he was made redundant along with 14 others when they moved to California - but now, he'll be putting his social media skills to good use, as he's been hired by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge according to his LinkedIn.

He's now working as the Digital & Social Media for TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. His biography reads, "I have two philosophies for any project; build relationships and deliver excellent customer experiences."

He's previously worked with Burberry and Apple and says that every day he asks himself "the daily question from Martin Luther King Jr. What are you doing for others?'"
Press Release

Nokia publishes People & Planet Report 2019 as it looks to keep people connected through the pandemic

6 April 2020

Espoo, Finland  Nokia has today published its annual sustainability report, covering the companys sustainability performance in 2019 and focusing on four priority areas: improving people's lives with technology, climate, conducting business with integrity, and people.

The publication of Nokias People & Planet Report 2019 coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic. With entire countries in lockdown, and people asked to stop or minimize their physical interactions, network traffic has been spiking around the world, demonstrating the critical roles of networks and connectivity.

Nokias People & Planet Report 2019 looks at how we can improve the lives of people  our employees, customers, and wider society  and better care for our environment at the same time. The context our report is being published in has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the fundamental issues remain the same, and, if anything, now have greater urgency because of the challenge the world faces, said Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia, in a blog post .

Trends and technologies that were already happening will speed up. So more remote working and video conferencing will increase the need for better connectivity. The power of 5G and lower latency times wont be abstract terms for the majority of people, but suddenly critical for everything from digital health to financial trading, to virtual classrooms, to government and international diplomacy, he continued.

We are playing our part to keep the world connected through the pandemic. And we want to play our part in building a better world for everyone when this crisis is over, Suri said.

Nokias sustainability achievements in 2019 included:

In 2019, the networks Nokia supplied to its customers supported 6.4 billion subscriptions worldwide

In October 2019, Nokia completed its first external human rights assessment for the Global Network Initiative (GNI). The GNI board found Nokia had made good faith efforts over time to implement the GNI Principles on freedom of expression and privacy.

As part of Nokias inclusion and diversity work in 2019, Nokia closed the unexplained pay gap based on pay equity analysis we conducted with Mercer.

In May 2019, Nokia launched its Helping Hands volunteering and engagement program for employees. Through Nokias community investment programs, the company has cumulatively improved the lives of 1,633,500 people globally since 2016  a strong performance against its 2025 target of 2,000,000 people.

At the United Nations 2019 climate summit, Nokia joined a group of 87 companies in committing to recalibrate its existing science-based climate targets in line with the 1.5C warming scenario.

Nokia delivered zero-emission products to over 150 customers globally.

46% less energy was used on average in the customer base-station sites Nokia modernized in 2019 compared to those where its customers did not modernize.

Story continues

The People and Planet Report 2019 is prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative GRI Standards and is compliant with the UN Global Compact. The selected key sustainability indicators have been assured by the independent auditor of Nokia, PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy.

About Nokia

We create the technology to connect the world. Only Nokia offers a comprehensive portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing opportunities across the globe. With our commitment to innovation, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we are a leader in the development and deployment of 5G networks.

Our communications service provider customers support more than 6.4 billion subscriptions with our radio networks, and our enterprise customers have deployed over 1,300 industrial networks worldwide. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we transform how people live, work and communicate. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL -- The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners has cancelled the upcoming board meeting originally scheduled for April 16th. The Board's statement reads as follows:



" On April 1, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-91, which based on guidance provided by Florida Surgeon General and State Health Officer, Dr. Scott Rivkees, all persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities. While County offices continue to provide essential services, there is not a pressing or time sensitive issue requiring Board action.

THEREFORE, in the interest of public safety and to limit the possibility of spreading the COVID-19 through the continued operation of the County government,

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners shall cancel its regular scheduled meeting on Thursday April 16, 2020."
by Melani Manel Perera

Sri Lankan doctors call on the government to exert control, test people and quarantine positive cases. So far, 186 people have been infected with six deaths 42 healed. But the number of positive cases could reach 2,500. Traditional medicinal substances  coriander, ginger, turmeric  are in high demand, pushing up imports. So far 168,92 people have been arrested and 4,313 vehicles seized for breaking the curfew.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is urging Sri Lankan health authorities to implement prompt preventive measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, specifically that every person showing coronavirus symptoms be tested, and in case of positive results, treated.

In parallel, alongside western medicine, there is a growing demand for substances, like herbs, used in Ayurvedic medicine. Their sale is considered an essential service; for this reason, all Ayurvedic hospitals and shops are open.

Many people are also failing to heed isolation advisories and respect the curfew imposed on the country.

As of 1 pm today, Sri Lanka had 186 confirmed COVID-19 cases with six deaths and 42 people healed, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva reported.

Some 3,415 people have left quarantine centres after the mandatory 14 days but were asked to spend another 14 days in quarantine at home.

Out of 1,262 people still in quarantine, 44 are foreigners. The others are Sri Lankan residents who have had or might have had direct contact with COVID-19 patients.

According to the GMOA, If health authorities fail to address this alarming situation forthwith, during the next fortnight it will be difficult to curb the spread of the virus across the country.

The association expects the number of coronavirus cases to rise until the end of April, up to 2,500 people.

For GMOA secretary Dr Haritha Aluthge, Those who are infected with the COVID-19 should be forced to undergo the mandatory quarantine process at their homes till repeated tests are conducted on them to prove whether they are positive or negative to the virus.

For these people, isolation from the rest of society is necessary and PCR[*] tests should be streamlined in hospitals.

At present, we have not found that that Rapid Test is not up to standard, said Dr Anil Jasinghe, director general of the Health Services. As soon as we get test kits that are acceptable, we will begin to use them.

In parallel, Ayurvedic hospitals and shops have been classified as "essential services" and thus open. Substances used in Ayurvedic treatments, like coriander, ginger, and turmeric, are in high demand, driving imports upward.

The President Task Force on Essential Services has decided to authorise at least one registered Ayurvedic shop in each divisional secretariat to conduct mobile services locally.

Ayurvedic medical doctors are also allowed to visit and treat patients, especially those who are receiving long-term treatments.

Against this background, it is clear that many people are still not heeding medical advisories nor following orders from the government and the security forces.

For this reason, positive cases continue to increase, a woman told AsiaNews. The government should be tougher; otherwise we will soon have to face an unfortunate and sad situation.

According to police sources, as of 6 April, 16,892 people have been arrested for violating the curfew imposed on 20 March. Some 4,313 vehicles have been seized.

It must be said that isolation and curfew have left many people without work and in deep poverty.

[*] Polymerase chain reaction.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. As 28 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan voiced a general cautious optimism and said that if the recent statistics is maintained it would mean that the country has overcome the peak of the outbreak.

Today we have 28 new cases of the coronavirus out of 311 tests. 27 patients recovered. The total number of recoveries is 114, the number of active cases is 758. Around 90% of the patients dont even have fever. Overall, we are maintaining cautious optimism. If this statistics continues, it will mean that we have overcome the coronavirus peak and that the peak was on March 31, Pashinyan said on social media.

On March 31st, Armenia had the highest number of new cases in one day  92.

The Prime Minister said that a 93-year-old patient, who suffered from cancer, has died from coronavirus complications, becoming Armenias ninth COVID-19 fatality. He said that eight other patients are currently in critical condition.

Earlier on April 7, for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak began in Armenia, the number of recovered patients in 24 hours was more than the number of new cases.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Additional reporting: Neil Michael, Aoife Moore, and Paul Hosford

Doubt has been cast over the Governments contact tracing system as 36 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded across Ireland yesterday.

Tuesdays total is the highest daily number of fatalities recorded since the virus hit the State. The total number of deaths is now 210, with the number of positive cases rising by 345, bringing the total to 5,709.

Concerns have been raised over people who tested positive for Covid-19 but were not told of their results until contacted by their doctor.

Patients with positive test results are supposed to be informed by public health officials, so that essential contact tracing can begin as soon as possible to inform others of their possible vulnerability.

Now, some GPs have received positive test results for their patients and contacted them to discuss their diagnosis, only to discover the patient had not yet been informed of their condition.

Such a delay in informing patients of their diagnosis and receiving details of their direct contacts with others would have a detrimental effect on slowing the spread of the virus.

For those not in hospital, the average wait time for test results is 7-10 days.

Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, has said testing has stepped up substantially, with 40% of the total number of tests undertaken conducted in the last week.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris told Prime Time last night that, after talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Attorney General, he planned to sign an order to give additional powers to the gardai to ensure that people stay within 2km of their homes.

Senior politicians and chief medical officer Tony Holohan have pleaded with the public to stay home this bank holiday weekend, despite the expected good weather and fatigue with restriction measures.

Dr Holohan said:Were not at a point yet where were ready as a society to step back from the collective effort that weve had in place. We understand the effect that upcoming holidays and bank holiday weekends have on the population, but our message is a clear one  we want people to stay the course with us.

Mr Varadkar urged the public not to visit holiday homes in a bid to limit the spread of Covid-19.

He said that while the spread of the virus is slowing, people travelling could give it a boost.

In a tweet, Mr Varadkar said: Please do not visit a holiday home or caravan park this Easter weekend.

Stay at home and flatten the curve.

Mr Harris said a change in the current restrictions, due to expire on Easter Sunday, is unlikely, as the measures are working and need to stay in place. However, a final call will not be made until Friday.

Meanwhile, commitments for further co-ordination between the North and the Republic in the fight against Covid-19 have been agreed by senior medical staff.

At a cabinet briefing, the Government approved an emergency contribution of 15m towards the costs of operating certain passenger ferry services for three months. The routes Dublin/Cherbourg and Rosslare/Fishguard, Pembroke, Cherbourg and Bilbao are operated by Irish Ferries, Stena Line and Brittany Ferries.

In education, universities and colleges will not be holding written, oral, or practical assessments in examination centres during the pandemic. Higher education institutions have finalised alternative assessment arrangements, with options including online exams, written assignments, or rescheduling, with new arrangements being communicated to all students.

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CHICAGO, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EVERSANA is providing notice of a data privacy incident involving personal information for a limited number of patient services programs. This notification is the result of EVERSANA's proactive work with a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate unusual activity related to EVERSANA email accounts in 2019.

Upon notification of unusual email activity, the firm immediately conducted a comprehensive review and confirmed that certain EVERSANA accounts were subject to unauthorized access through a legacy technology environment, which has since been updated, between April 1 and July 3, 2019. Investigators sought to determine what data, if any, may have been accessible to the unauthorized actor. The company's review of the potentially impacted data shows that personal information relating to a limited number of patient services programs was potentially accessible within the accounts, however, there is no evidence that personal information was subject to actual or attempted misuse.

Results of the account review were received on or around February 7, 2020. The types of information potentially accessible may include name, address, social security information, driver's license/state identification number, passport number, tax identification number, financial account information, debit/credit card information, username and password, health information, treatment information, diagnosis, provider name, MRN/patient ID number, Medicare/Medicaid number, health insurance information, treatment cost information, and/or prescription information. EVERSANA currently has no evidence that personal information was subject to actual or attempted misuse.

Privacy of data is a top priority for EVERSANA. In an abundance of caution, EVERSANA notified federal law enforcement and also implemented additional safeguards to further secure the information in its systems. As an added precaution, EVERSANA is providing access to one year of complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services to potentially impacted individuals.

Although the investigation found no evidence that any information was misused, potentially impacted individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and explanations of benefits for unusual activity or errors, and report any suspicious activity immediately to their financial institution, insurance company, or healthcare provider. The company also encourages potentially affected individuals to review the Steps You Can Take to Protect Private Information provided below, as well as on its website at www.eversana.com.

Individuals seeking additional information regarding this event may reach EVERSANA's dedicated assistance line toll-free at (877) 890-9332, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. CT and Saturday/Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT. They may also visit EVERSANA's website at www.eversana.com, or contact the company by mail at 190 N. Milwaukee Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

Steps You Can Take to Protect Private Information

EVERSANA encourages potentially affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor credit reports for suspicious activity. If you see any unauthorized or suspicious activity, promptly contact your bank, credit union, credit card company, or insurance company.

Under U.S. law, adults are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

Place a Security Freeze. You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/freeze/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 160 Woodlyn, PA 19094 1-888-909-8872 www.transunion.com/credit-freeze Equifax P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.); If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

Place a Fraud Alert. As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/fraud/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts Equifax P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-766-0008 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Additional Information. You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov , 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338) and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 410-528-8662; and www.oag.state.md.us.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act: the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from a violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf , or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; and https://ag.ny.gov/.

For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6400; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. The number of Rhode Island residents potentially impacted by this incident is not confirmed.

SOURCE EVERSANA
India registered 331 new coronavirus cases in the last 12 hours, the government said on Wednesday, taking the number of Covid-19 patients to 5194 and deaths to 149 with 25 new fatalities.

The latest data available with the Union ministry of health at 8am showed out of the 4643 active cases, 401 people have been cured or discharged and 149 have died.

Maharashtra remained the worst affected after reporting more than 1000 positive cases, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the central governments figure for the state showed there were 1161 patients, including 79 recoveries and 64 deaths.

Officials have said that after several states suggested the three-week nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak should be extended the Centre is considering enforcing it beyond April 14. It will also keep the option of lifting the restrictions in a staggered manner, officials said.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

The Union health ministry, however, clarified that there was no decision on extending the nationwide lockdown yet, asking people not to speculate.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the sweeping restrictions, including a ban on public transport as well as commercial rail and air travel, on March 24 till April 14. Only people involved in the delivery of essential services, such as health care, are being allowed to function during this three-week period.

States such as Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka have suggested they were not in favour of lifting all restrictions after April 14 and conveyed to the Centre that the pandemic will be easier to contain if the lockdown were to continue. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh too have favoured an extension of the lockdown.

Also read: How Sars-CoV-2 is more insidious than Sars virus

Delhi reported more than 600 Covid-19 cases with nine deaths and 21 discharges, according to central data.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has indicated that his government will ramp up testing along with tracing, treatment, teamwork, and tracking. He cited South Koreas example to say that mass testing was required to contain the disease before it exploded like in other urban centres in Europe and America.

The Delhi government has ordered conventional kits to test 50,000 people and rapid test kits to test 100,000 people and announced that random testing at hotspots will begin soon.

Tamil Nadu has 716 Covid-19 cases, including 19 people who have recovered and seven who have died.

Kerala, which was the first state to report coronavirus disease cases in January, now has 408 infections. Out of which 70 have been discharged and two have died.
Expressing gratitude to the emergency staff working during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday launched a website on which people can post their thank you messages for "Corona Warriors".

With some opposition leaders taking a dim view of the Modi government's efforts to deal with the crisis, Nadda said the Centre is open to implementing constructive suggestions but there should be no politics in the matter.

Everybody should unite in this hour of crisis as this is not a time for "politcs of allegations", he said.

In a statement, Nadda urged people to join him in thanking health professionals, sanitation staff, police and other emergency service providers on "https://thankyou.bjp.org/" and expressed confidence that India will prevail over the pandemic soon due to their selfless service.

His message, which was also posted on social media, came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BJP workers to write thank you messages and have people join the exercise as a mark of gratitude to health professionals, sanitation staff, police and other emergency service providers.

"Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call, the country has united in tackling COVID-19. In this valiant battle for humanity's future, Corona Warriors are at the forefront. I salute their grit and determination.Join. #ThankYouCoronaWarriors," Nadda said.

Other senior BJP leaders including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar posted similar thank you messages on social media.

Nadda said their (emergency staff) undiluted courage, selflessness, determination and focus haven ensured that India remains on track in these difficult times.

Placing yourselves at great risk, as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees, you have ensured that others remain safe, others remain comfortable and are well-taken care of, he said."



You have tirelessly and with deep dedication displayed an unshakable faith and conviction that corona can be defeated and that India and humanity will ultimately triumph. Your actions in these war-like times, are deeply inspiring," Nadda said.

"We pour our heart's gratitude and thankfulness before you. We salute your determination and grit. India shall be safe and emerge victorious in this fight against COVID-19 because of your selfless toil and sacrifice," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A dire shortage of N95 respirator masks and other medical equipment and supplies due to the coronavirus has some health-care providers and states turning to secondary distribution markets  and finding out that they can be unreliable and, worse, fraudulent.

Minnesota-based 3M is in the fray on the issue as desperate hospitals are left in the lurch and turn to the multinational giant for help, sometimes armed with misinformation fed to them by the fraudulent suppliers.

3M, Honeywell and other legitimate manufacturers have been working with law enforcement and attorneys general offices since the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. became acute and exacerbated shortages of protective medical supplies.

Now, both 3M and law enforcement are becoming more organized in their efforts to fight the fraud. 3M has set up a hotline to help streamline its efforts and is investigating every instance it knows about, said Denise Rutherford, the companys senior vice-president of corporate affairs.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Erica MacDonald, U.S. attorney for the state, on Monday launched a centralized new Minnesota COVID-19 Action Team (MCAT) to investigate and prosecute COVID-19-related price-gouging, medical equipment scams, cyber crimes and hate crimes.

Scam artists are exploiting public anxieties surrounding COVID-19 to victimize consumers, Ellison said.

The action comes days after Ellisons office sued and shut down the online retailer Dragon Door after it began selling KN95 masks made in China that were advertised as authentic N95 masks.

The N95 masks are highly coveted because they filter out 95 per cent of all particulates, and 3M makes the majority of them.

The FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued fraud alerts for several weeks on what to look for  both in sales pitches and in checking if any products delivered are actually knockoffs.

Fakes often sport misspelled words, inappropriate labels and come with ear-loops or a single string unlike approved N95 masks. Customers also should know what the required approvals are for devices and make sure the correct ones are in the materials.

The Better Business Bureau, which is offering anti-fraud webinars, on Tuesday issued a warning that the frantic hunt for masks, gloves and other equipment to protect against COVID-19 has produced the perfect storm for scam activity.

In Minnesota, consumers have alerted Ellisons office of suspected impostor masks being sold online and also of ordering N95 masks online from what turned out to be a bogus seller who took their money and ran, said John Stiles, Ellisons deputy chief of staff.

The AGs office also has received price-gouging complaints after companies received e-mails or ads offering to sell N95 masks at $10 (U.S.) a piece instead of the $2 standard price. Others offered, gloves, hand sanitizers, nose wipes and other supplies at inflated prices, Stiles said.

Ellison said he is now working with mask and gown maker 3M Co. and with other attorney generals to stop scams involving all manner of personal protection equipment (PPE).

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has a task force to fight fraudulent PPE offers. New York Attorney General Letitia James also is fighting complaints.

Last week, hospitals around the United States such as Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, N.J., reported receiving shipments of masks from distributors that had to be returned because the respirators failed to fit properly or meet medical specifications.

Last week, as 3M was in negotiations with President Donald Trumps administration to increase the number of N95 respirators available in the U.S., there were reports that the company might have been involved in fraud.

Jared Moskowitz, Floridas head of emergency management, first said on Twitter and then on Fox News that 3M was using distributors that allegedly had accepted payments from foreign entities to divert the N95 respirators to other customers overseas.

3M denies wrongdoing and is working with Moskowitz, his team, law enforcement and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to identify the offending distributors.

To our knowledge, this is not a situation where there was an authorized 3M distributor involved at all, said Rutherford, the 3M senior vice-president. We are very concerned about people being taken advantage of.

Rutherford said any complaints of unscrupulous practices are taken seriously and investigated to see if the offender is a valid company and if the product involved is produced by 3M.

3Ms new customer hotline has allowed the company to more quickly identify how to investigate the complaints and to help customers evaluate the legitimacy of a given offer, said 3M spokesperson Tim Post.

For example, North Carolina-based Premier Inc., which helps find supplies for 4,000 hospitals and clinics, recently called 3M to verify if a salesperson was legitimate because the caller said he could deliver large numbers of N95 masks immediately.

3M helped determine that the call was a fake, Post said.

Other customers questions involved e-mails, some supposedly from 3M representatives, offering products if money is sent upfront. They are just conducting a financial fraud scheme, Post said. They are just trying to steal some money.

3M took the unusual step Sunday of denying a news report. First reported in the Financial Times and picked up by others, the story falsely purported that a shipment of 3M personal protective equipment in transit from China to Berlin was diverted in Thailand and redirected to the U.S.

3M has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized, the company said. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police.
NAVWAR Enterprise Delivers Innovative Solutions for Increased Readiness in Support of COVID-19 Relief Efforts

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200407-07

Release Date: 4/7/2020 1:58:00 PM

From Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) Enterprise Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) Enterprise rapidly delivered engineering expertise to Military Sealift Command hospital ships, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), to provide secure and reliable pier-to-ship connectivity, increasing bandwidth and improving communications in support of the nation's Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief efforts.

USNS Mercy arrived in Los Angeles, March 27 and USNS Comfort arrived in New York City March 30. While docked, the ships are serving as a referral hospital for a variety patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals.

NAVWAR enterprise is working together to ensure these ships are equipped with the technology needed to provide a full-spectrum of medical care during the fight against this worldwide pandemic. This NAVWAR enterprise effort includes, NAVWAR Headquarters, Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Computers (PEO C4I) and Space Systems, Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Services (PEO EIS), Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and NIWC Atlantic.

"Together with our partners from across the nation, NAVWAR is tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time, fighting the spread of COVID-19," said NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm. Christian Becker. "This challenge is significant, but the talent and dedication of our team across NAVWAR is exceptional. We have been at the center of incorporating advanced technologies that enable new operational concepts for decades and today is no different. We have and will continue to innovate, lead and drive ways to speed delivery of advanced capabilities when and where needed to win this fight."

Upon notification of activation of both USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, NAVWAR's Fleet Readiness Directorate Fleet Support Program Office (FRD100) quickly delivered a fleet systems engineer team (FSET) member to both ships prior to deployment. The FSET members worked with PEO C4I to ensure both ships were able to come up on satellite data paths while underway to their area of responsibility, increasing bandwidth for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications.

NIWC Atlantic also provided USNS Mercy with Secure Voice Systems (SVS) experts to efficiently deliver, set up and troubleshoot the ship's Base Level Information Infrastructure (BLII) Piers fly-away kit in support of Automated Digital Network System (ADNS) pier connectivity. ADNS is the Navy's tactical Wide Area Network (WAN) solution, allowing secure access to crucial Department of Defense Information Networks (DoDIN). NIWC Atlantic sent systems engineers aboard USNS Comfort to certify the ship's configurations and equipment status prior to deployment in support of the same capability.

To further strengthen USNS Comfort's communications functions, NIWC Atlantic dispatched engineers to address complications with the ship's Commercial Broadband Satellite Program (CBSP) system, which allows for secure satellite communications connectivity capability from the networks aboard the ship to the shore infrastructure.

Once both ships arrived pier side, and with tasking from the Military Sealift Command, PEO C4I's Tactical Networks Program Office (PMW 160) led an effort with NIWC Pacific to quickly engineer secure and reliable pier-to-ship connectivity for the two Navy hospital ships.

Understanding that both ships were not fully equipped to support the COVID-19 relief mission, the teams collaborated with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the ships' ADNS team and others to deliver local high-speed circuit solutions to increase ship bandwidth and improve network security.

After overcoming several configuration and physical issues due to COVID-19, the teams delivered each solution in record time. In the case of USNS Comfort, the teams leveraged a national security/emergency preparedness program, reducing delivery time from 60 days to less than 24 hours. The teams provided a solution to USNS Mercy within hours of its arrival to Los Angeles. With both ships connectivity up and running and the ability to transmit critical medical data, Mercy and Comfort are now receiving patients safely and effectively.

For continued support, NIWC Atlantic is providing medical IT support, and systems administration support onboard the USNS Comfort for their Theater Medical Information Program - Maritime (TMIP-M) and Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS) software systems. TMIP-M helps medical personnel access electronic health records, track blood inventory, order equipment and supplies, and track patient movements to provide the best medical attention for patients regardless of their location. DMLSS is a healthcare logistics IT system used to acquire medical and surgical items, cleaning supplies and equipment, construction materials and equipment, and other items needed to support COVID-19 efforts.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and affect lives around the world, NAVWAR enterprise remains ready to rapidly deliver cyber warfighting capability from seabed to space for the Navy and the nation.

Mercy and Comfort are seagoing medical treatment facilities that currently have personnel embarked for both the Los Angeles and New York City mission, including Navy medical and support staff assembled from 22 commands, as well as over 70 civil service mariners on each ship. The ships' primary mission is to provide an afloat, mobile, acute surgical medical facility to the U.S. military that is flexible, capable, and uniquely adaptable to support expeditionary warfare. Mercy's secondary mission is to provide full hospital services to support U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide.

About NAVWAR:

NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 active duty military and civil service professionals located around the world.

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[April 08, 2020] BroadbandTV Unveils Advertising Program to Support Companies Focused on COVID-19 Relief

BroadbandTV Corp. (BBTV), an enabling platform for content owners that is advancing the world through the distribution, management and monetization of content, announces a brand and advertising agency program for companies supporting COVID-19 efforts. BBTV actively pursues ways to encourage social change, and it operates as a truly Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL) Business, measuring its success not just based on financial performance, but also its impact on its people, society, and the environment. BBTV is committing a percentage of client advertising spend to companies that are providing support and relief to those impacted by COVID-19. The funds can be applied directly to the World Health Organization (WHO), Feeding America, or Canadian Food banks, alternatively clients can use the funds to further extend the reach of their messaging. "We all play a role in this world and we need to support COVID-19 efforts however we can. Like many businesses, we are working to raise funds, awareness and we're doing everything possible to flatten the curve," comments Shahrzad Rafati, Founder & CEO, BroadbandTV. "We are also specifically supporting our ecosystem by providing the COVID-19 Brand and Advertising Agency Program to companies like WELL Health Technologies that are working to combat COVID-19 on the frontlines. This program is a continuation of our commitment to make a positive impact and we're excited about this partnership." The first client to take advantage of the initiative is WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL), a company focused on consolidating and modernizing clinical and digital assets within the primary healthcare sector. WELL is the provider of "VirtualClinic+" a telehealth service providing families and caregivers who need to consult with a doctor for any reason including COVID-19 related concerns with immediate access online through virtualclinics.ca. The service is free for users who have a valid health card i provinces such as BC, Alberta or Ontario, otherwise there is a small fee.



"BBTV delivers a full suite of advertising solutions, access to premium brand safe content, in addition to incredible global reach," comments Hamed Shahbazi, Chairman and CEO of WELL Health Technologies. "We are very pleased to be working with BBTV to raise awareness for our VirtualClinic+ telehealth service as it delivers true value to people in need at this crucial time." The program is available now, and conversations are underway with a number of brands supporting COVID-19 initiatives.

"For marketers, we simplify the process of meeting their campaign objectives with contextually relevant brand-safe video content," comments Doug Johnson (News - Alert), VP Brand Partnerships and Ad Sales, BroadbandTV. "You can transact in the way that works best for you with programmatic reserve via DV360 or through a managed service engagement and direct IO. We're excited to work with both existing and future clients to ultimately help our partners make an impact." BBTV has become a true global leader in the video space, generating tens of billions of monthly impressions, across 587 million unique viewers which consume 46.9 billion minutes of video content per month. BBTV is now positioned as the world's second largest video property in unique viewership second only to Google (News - Alert). For more information, reach out to: [email protected] and reference COVID-19/ad. About BroadbandTV BroadbandTV (BBTV) is a media-tech company that is advancing the world through the creation, distribution, management and monetization of content. BBTV generates tens of billions of monthly impressions, and in June it achieved 587 million unique viewers which consume 46.9 billion minutes of video content per month. BBTV is the second largest video property across the top 12 countries of the world in terms of unique viewers following only Google as of Feb 2019. BBTV provides end to end management, distribution and monetization solutions to content owners around the globe by providing innovative technology and leading services. BBTV has built proprietary VISO technologies leveraging machine learning, digital signal processing, and big data to power its ecosystem. www.bbtv.com About WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) WELL Health Technologies Corp. is a unique company that operates Primary Healthcare Facilities, is the third largest digital Electronic Medical Records (EMR) supplier in Canada and is a provider of telehealth services. WELL owns and operates 21 healthcare clinics, provides digital EMR software and services to 1,446 clinics across Canada and is a majority owner of SleepWorks Medical. WELL's overarching objective is to empower doctors to provide the best and most advanced care possible while leveraging the latest trends in digital health. WELL is an acquisitive company that has completed nine acquisitions and two equity investments. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL-T". WELL was recognized as a TSX Venture 50 Company three years in a row in 2018, 2019 and 2020. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005210/en/

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ANKARA, Turkey - An improvised explosive device went off on a road in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, killing five forestry workers travelling to work, officials said.

The regional governors office blamed the early morning explosion near the town of Kulp, in the mainly-Kurdish populated Diyarbakir province, on Kurdish rebels, who have carried out similar attacks in the past.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, has waged a more than three-decade old insurgency in Turkeys mostly Kurdish southeast region. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since it started in 1984.

The group is considered a terror organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The Diyarbakir governors office said Turkeys military has launched an operation to catch the perpetrators of the attack.

Four villagers were killed last year in a similar attack on a road in Kulp, which was also blamed on the PKK.

Last week, an explosion in eastern Turkey, believed to be the work of the PKK, damaged a natural gas pipeline and halted gas flows from Iran.
Many conspiracy theories do have a nugget of truth at the center  and this one is no exception. Through much of the Cold War, these types of plans did exist. The attorney general was always accompanied by his own version of the presidents nuclear football, known as the emergency briefcase. It contained, among other documents, plans for an Emergency Detention Program to round up foreign diplomats and certain other foreigners, as well as draft documents  ready to be filled in Mad Libs-style in an emergency  known as the Master Arrest Warrant and the Master Search Warrant, which allowed arrests and searches of dangerous people. And for years during the Cold War, the Bureau of Prisons did keep six prison facilities on standby  including renovated World War II prisoner of war camps in Florence, Ariz., and El Reno, Okla.  ready to receive the thousands of people on J. Edgar Hoovers Security Index of suspected communists and other enemies of the state who would be rounded up in times of tension or war. Those programs and facilities, though, were largely wound down and mothballed in the 1960s  or at least thats what the government says.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 06:21:54|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Italy has been the recipient of international solidarity since the coronavirus pandemic first broke out here in late February, with countries such as China, Russia, and other EU member states sending medical teams, equipment, and supplies.

However, acts of fellowship and mutual support are also taking place within the borders of this Mediterranean country, which enshrines the principle of solidarity in its 1948 Constitution.

On March 18, the nation's Civil Protection Department launched a coronavirus fundraising drive to support its activities. Italy's citizens have donated more than 104 million euros (113 million U.S. dollars) so far while close to 17,000 individuals have signed up as volunteers, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli said on April 3.

Medical associations said that medical professionals were among the total 17,127 deaths from the novel coronavirus. A total of 94 doctors in Italy have given up their lives so far.

Many of the fallen doctors were retirees who had returned to work to help fight the pandemic, according to a report by Corriere Della Sera newspaper, which ran profiles with photos of each "fallen hero."

Among them was Dr. Gino Fasoli, 73, a pensioner who decided to leave retirement to give his colleagues a hand in the northern city of Brescia. A volunteer at Emergency and Doctors Without Borders medical NGOs, he had worked in Africa and as a family doctor in Italy.

Another victim was Dr. Raffaele Giura, 79, a former chief of the respiratory diseases department at a hospital in the northern city of Como.

"He was talented -- he became chief of his department at the age of 43," a former colleague, Dr. Mario Scardaccione, told Corriere Della Sera. "I believe he was the youngest department chief in Italy at the time."

In a recent statement, health care union ANAAO-ASSOMED said that over 10,000 health care workers have been infected by the coronavirus so far, 20 percent of whom are doctors.

However, the danger has not deterred thousands of doctors from volunteering to be posted to high-risk areas in Italy's northern regions, where the pandemic first broke out on Feb. 21.

In just 24 hours, over 7,900 health care professionals -- including anesthesiologists, respiratory and infectious disease specialists, emergency doctors, geriatricians, and cardiologists -- signed up for the Civil Protection Department's "Doctors for COVID" task force, which was launched on March 20.

"We thank the medical personnel for courageously sending a strong message of solidarity, bringing to completion the extraordinary teamwork of which we all should be proud," Borrelli commented on April 2.

Dr. Giulia Renisi, 28, is working on the front lines among COVID-19 patients in the northern city Brescia, where she is putting in 12-hour shifts. She told Corriere della Sera newspaper that she is not afraid of the virus.

"I am willing to run the risk," she said, adding that the hardest part for her is watching patients die far from their loved ones -- under quarantine rules, relatives are not allowed direct contact with COVID-19 patients.

"Not being able to say goodbye to your loved ones takes dignity away from death," Dr. Renisi said.

Dr. Angela Grassi, a third-year resident in anesthesiology and reanimation, is working in the southern city of Bari's Policlino Hospital, which has been entirely converted to treat COVID-19 patients.

She echoed the words of her northern colleague about the sadness of patients dying in intensive care, far from their families.

"I've seen doctors praying in front of their patients in order to give them a last, dignified farewell," Dr. Grassi told La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno newspaper.

"Don't call us heroes," she added. "We're just doing our jobs."

Another example of Italian solidarity is a new protocol signed on April 2 between the Civil Protection Department, the National Association of Consumer Cooperatives (COOP), and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), which sees Civil Protection volunteers delivering groceries to the homes of the elderly, the disabled, and the quarantined across Italy.

Accordingly, COOP has activated a network of over 80 consumer cooperatives in about 900 municipalities across Italy "for the home delivery of groceries to people who are not self-sufficient, who cannot leave their homes or who are strongly advised not to leave home" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Detainees in four prisons have also mobilized to help Italy in its time of need by launching a project to manufacture hygienic masks called "Italia is One", Sky TG 24 private broadcaster has reported.

The four penitentiaries are all located in the northern Lombardy region, where the pandemic first broke out and where the largest portion of infections is still occurring.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella called all Italians to face the coronavirus pandemic with "all the solidarity they are capable of" on Monday.

He said that "faced with the hardest obstacles, we can have moments of difficulty, but Italy has the energy, resilience and a will for the future that has age-old roots."

"The dramatic events of these days have shown how generous, professionalism and dedication health workers are capable of," the president wrote on the World Health Day on April 7.
A secondary school has repurposed the machines used to teach students so it can make protective visors for NHS staff.

St Josephs in Salisbury has vowed to make 2,000 of the full-face masks for healthcare workers, using equipment normally used to teach students design and technology.

A GoFundMe to support the project raised over 4,000 in less than a day.

Deputy headteacher, Kevin McGuinness told the PA news agency: We want the children to be involved in the process, so what we are doing is getting those that are still coming into school researching and deciding where they should go, helping and organising those local contacts.

The school has already made 400 of the masks and plans to drop off a batch of visors at a community hospital.

Masks are already being used by local pharmacies, while Poole Hospital has asked the school to make 1,000 mask-comforters for its staff.

Mr McGuinness said: The local community has just jumped on it in terms of support.

I had one student that had been saving his dog-walking money for a year, got a hundred pounds and he donated it all within the first hour.

Staff and students at the secondary school are now looking to see what other projects they can take on, with plans to make scrubs, scrub bags and face masks using the school sewing machines also in the works.

Mr McGuinness added: Its not a great situation, but if we can help our kids come out of it with a sense of community and feeling that they are contributing, and are not just sat back and letting it happen, its going to put them in a better position for bouncing back when we do get back.

Headteacher Rachel Ridley said: While the manufacture is taking place at the Deputy Heads house, due to social distancing, our pupils attending right through the Easter holiday are focused on sharing the community spirit throughout our amazing NHS.

They are researching and contacting, supported by key-worker teachers, those NHS facilities that need this equipment now.

The money our amazing community has raised, combined with the talents of our staff and the dedication of our pupils, lets us pay back in some small way the sacrifices our front line NHS staff are making every single day.
ITBP chief S S Deswal on Wednesday told his troops to be ready for "toughest eventualities" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and asked them and their families to remain physically fit and motivated.

"Physical activity has become more important in this period of lockdown around us."



"We are accustomed to physical work in normal times. These are hard times, almost traumatic as many activities are restricted," the Director General (DG) of the about 90,000 personnel strong force wrote to the staff.

He said the ongoing lockdown in the country does not mean no activity for them and the manner of conducting activities has to change.

"Increase your physical activities wherever you are, keep yourself and family members healthy and happy."



"Be ready for toughest eventualities. We are for the country, its protection and selfless service," Deswal said.

He said lockdown cannot be classified as "no activity phase" and it requires more physical activities.

"Please ensure that every family member also does physical activity. It will keep all of us fit, active and away from stress due to prevailing conditions globally," he said.

A 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Haryana cadre, Deswal praised his personnel for helping people with food and other essential goods during the lockdown period.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police chief made a special mention of their quarantine facility in Delhi's Chhawla area, saying it has "helped more than thousand Indians to rehabilitate happily after they faced traumatic conditions abroad."



"We are proud of our medical, maintenance and supplies team at the Chhawla camp as they have rendered selfless services to our countrymen."



"They always reflected happiness and maintained humility- a way of life for Himveers (popular name for ITBP personnel). All our hospitals are ready to help and treat our countrymen," he said.

The ITBP is primarily tasked to guard the 3,488 kms long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country under the command of the Union Home ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
During the past couple decades, Ive written something like 200 of these op-ed pieces. About 15 years ago, the editorial page editor made an observation about my efforts that I believe she meant to be a criticism: I dont think youre trying to change the minds of readers you disagree with  I think you just like to offend them.

At the time, this assessment annoyed me, but, in retrospect, she wasnt entirely wrong. My strengths incline toward the snide and sarcastic, and I wouldnt last long in any job that required me to make converts or persuade anyone of anything he didnt already believe. And I have a difficult time convincingly doing warm and fuzzy without lapsing into sappy and sentimental.

In the corona era, many in the media, including the social media, are disparaging snide sarcasm and divisive tribalism, but theres a wide gap between aspiration and reality. Some cable news networks sound like nonstop Trump rallies, while others portray him as Satan. Youd think that, in a pandemic, wed all be pulling together, but, to use a meaningless tautology, people are what they are.

When politicians tasked with looking out for our well-being use a tragedy to line their own pockets, its hard to have faith in our leadership or humanity in general. As the virus spread, several U.S. senators used privileged insider information, and white-collar criminal instincts, to sell stock at a profit. Not to be outdone, televangelists and megachurch pastors are peddling miracle cures and demanding tithes in a sort of ecclesiastical protection racket, while blaming this disaster on homosexuals, transsexuals and abortionists. Weve heard it all before.

As some people started hoarding, others have attacked Asian-Americans, because nothing incites patriotic blame and bigotry like immigrants, even if theyre American citizens with no connection to the problem. At the same time, hordes of teenagers made pilgrimages to Florida at the onset of the outbreak. If you want to experience despair about the nations future, watch interviews with college kids on the beach explaining how important it is that spring break not be derailed by some minor worldwide epidemic.

Social distancing is amplifying social medias quasi-anonymity, inflaming already-pestilential antagonisms. When I posted an overly partisan COVID-19 meme on Facebook, it spawned a predictable mix of likes and indignation, including increasingly vicious ad hominem attacks. However, a response from someone I havent seen in years, whod always been a nice person, caught my eye: We need to promote kindness and love to all beings, no matter what. It made my original posting (and the responses to it) seem nasty and petty, so I sheepishly took it down.

Only a Pollyanna (or a politician) would see a plague killing thousands as even remotely a balance of good and evil. And the self-serving optimism of preachers (and politicians) exhorting their followers to crowd together for church services is irresponsible and dangerous. However, that doesnt mean we shouldnt at least try  as the Monty Python troupe once sang during a painful episode  to look on the bright side of life.

One disturbing newspaper story warned that home quarantines are likely to exacerbate domestic violence. And, after the coronavirus has spiked, the divorce rate will probably spike as well. But what if parents whod been too busy to spend time with their families tried to bond with their children by playing with them? And what if the absence of our friends and neighbors actually did make our hearts grow fonder? Anythings possible.

A peculiar debate argues the racism of terms like China virus, even though West Nile virus and Lyme disease are named for geographic regions, and the 1918 influenza referred to as the Spanish flu didnt even originate in Spain. Maybe we could stop calling corona the Chinese flu. If we need to blame someone, how about the Chinese Communist party, which has blood on its hands, rather than Chinese people, who are also its victims. Maybe we could start with a more-benevolent view of Chinese-Americans, and expand from there. What was it someone said, Love thy neighbor? It could happen.

After riots in Los Angeles, police brutality victim Rodney King was mocked for asking, Can we all get along? At the time, this was treated as a sappy sentiment, and, today, of course, the answer is No, but maybe we could at least try. Perhaps, rather than hoarding more toilet paper than we need, we could buy canned goods and take them to a food bank. And those of us running low on money could use our savings for something better than bigger arsenals and enough ammunition for a war.

Are there people from the other party you hate? Has house arrest made you resent them more than ever? Maybe try not to talk (or think) about whomever you despise the most one or two days a week. Instead, on those days, say nice things about someone you do like. For me, it would be Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Dr. Anthony Fauci. Regardless, replace a villain with a hero. And because were input/output devices, turn off the TV occasionally, especially during the news hour.

Finally, do what youre told, and stay home. The Greatest Generation went straight from high school into World War II. My father-in-law was ordered to parachute into Normandy, then freeze his butt off at the Battle of the Bulge, while Nazis tried to kill him. Our cellphones, social media, microwaves, remote controls and 150 cable channels should allow us baby boomers to survive exile to our comfy sofas.

I doubt that the memory of 2020 will ever feel warm and fuzzy. But at least we could try to feel a little bit proud of ourselves once its over and done.

Greenwich native Mark Drought (markdrought4@gmail.com) is an editor at a Stamford IT firm and was an adjunct English professor at the University of Connecticut-Stamford.
Leading the way in manufacturing indigenous medical equipment Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched COVID-19 testing kits manufactured by Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ). Later speaking to media here on Wednesday, Minister for Industries, Mekapati Goutham Reddy said that AMTZ is now manufacturing 2000 testing kits per day. Once it gets the laser welding equipment, the production will be scaled up to 25,000 units per day. Starting from April 15, for the first time in India, AMTZ will produce ventilators also. It will start with 3000 ventilators a month which will soon be scaled up to 5000 units per month.

AMTZ will not only be able to cater to the demand in the state but also supply to other states and Centre to meet the national demand, he said and adding that unlike the previous TDP government that neglected the MedTech zone in Visakhapatnam, the Chief Minister has made full use of the facility which is now able to manufacture the testing kits that would give the result in less than an hour.

The Minsiter said that about 20 tests can be performed with each kit and it costs Rs 1200 for the government. By May, 7.5 lakh kits will be manufactured and delivered to other states as well. Moreover, the central government has already placed orders for 3,500 ventilators.

The government is planning to scale up the supply of kits so that 4,000 tests should be conducted a day in the state. DNA, RNA, PCR tests can also be performed using these kits and the result can be seen in 55 minutes, he said.

Permission has been approved by the Naval department to manufacture a machine that supports 5 to 6 patients using one ventilator. Such innovations will come up from the MedTech zone in near future and it would be the focal point of medical discovery in India, the Minister said. The Industries Department announced that it will be procuring 1,000 COVID-19 kits and 1,000 liters of hand sanitizing liquid which the State will distribute on merits.

Minister said that it took only 35 days to manufacture the kits from the day of instructions given by the Chief Minister. The AMTZ has developed the project and able to manufacture in 35 days. The Government of India was astonished by the work of state government and the AMTZ team and it is being taken up as a model study, he added. Jagan expresses condolences over a journalists death due to corona.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed grief over the death of US based senior journalist Kanchbhotla Brahmanandam, popularly known as Brahm. Before leaving for New York he worked with UNI and an English daily and wrote extensively on Telugu community living outside homeland. The Chief Minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: Capitalising on low global oil prices, India will fill its underground strategic oil reserves with oil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq as it shores up supplies to meet any supply or price disruption.

India has built 5.33 million tonnes of emergency storage -- enough to meet its oil needs for 9.5 days, in underground rock caverns in Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The stat Mangalore and Padur are half-empty and there was some space available in Vizag storage as well. Sources with direct knowledge of the development said that these will now be filled by buying oil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq.

Oil prices have declined by more than 60 per cent since January with benchmark crude falling well below USD 30 per barrel, driven by an acute oil demand decline caused by the coronavirus and a lack of production cuts by OPEC and other oil producing countries.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had in the last few days held talks with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with a view to shoring up supplies. India built the underground storages as insurance against supply and price disruptions.

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It allowed foreign oil companies to store oil in the storages on condition that the stockpile can be used by New Delhi in case of an emergency. Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) had previously hired half of the 1.5 million tonnes of Mangalore storage.

It has stored for its commercial purposes 0.75 million tonnes of oil at Mangalore and the remaining space was empty, sources said adding the UAE's Upper Zakum crude will be bought for storing in the empty space.

Padur, the biggest of the three storages, has a total capacity of 2.5 million tonnes (about 17 million barrels). ADNOC had in November 2018 signed up to hire half of this capacity but never actually stored oil in it.

They said that government-sourced crude fills up half of the Padur capacity currently and 1.25 million tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia is planned to be sourced for filling up the empty space. Padur storage has four compartments of 0.625 million tonnes each.

They added that the 1.33 million tonnes Vishakhapatnam storage has a small amount of unfilled space which would be filled with Iraq crude oil. While the oil to be stored in the three caverns will belong to the government, the government isn't paying for it.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have been asked to source oil from the three Middle-East countries for storing the caverns, sources said, adding the government will reimburse them of this cost at a later date.

Finance Ministry has set aside Rs 700 crore for the purpose, they said adding the amount wouldn't cover for the cost of entire oil to be bought and more allocations will need to be made. They said that at least Rs 2,000 crore more would be needed for buying the 15 million barrels of oil needed to fill Mangalore, Padur and Vizag.

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ADNOC had in February 2018 signed a pact to fill half of the 1.5 million tonnes of strategic oil storage at Mangalore. In November 2018, it had signed a similar pact with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve entity of India (ISRPL) for Padur.

In Mangalore, it had agreed to stock 5.86 million barrels or 0.75 million tonnes of oil. The agreement allows ADNOC to sell or trade crude oil storage in the storages to local refiners but give the Indian government the first right to the oil in case of an emergency.

Allowing foreign companies to use the storage for storing crude oil helps the government save on the cost of filling the reserves. In Phase-II, India plans to build an additional 6.5 million tonnes of facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur, which is expected to augment the emergency cover against any supply disruption by another 11.5 days.

Sources said foreign oil firms are allowed to hire the storages and use them to stock their oil and sell it to refineries in the region on commercial terms. India, which meets 83 per cent of its oil needs through imports, will have the right of first refusal to buy the crude oil stored in the facilities in case of an emergency, they said.

Indian refiners maintain 65 days of crude storage, and when added to the storage planned and achieved by ISPRL, the Indian crude storage tally goes up to about 87 days. This is very close to the storage of 90 days mandated by IEA for member countries.

ADNOC had in 2017 given up its crude storage lease in South Korea and instead agreed to store oil at Mangalore in a bid to establish a ground presence in the world's third-largest oil-consuming nation. Out of the crude stored, a part would be used for commercial purposes by ADNOC, while a major part would be purely for strategic purposes.

The Visakhapatnam facility can meet two-and-a-half days need while Mangalore can meet 2.8 days requirement. Padur can meet 4.7 days requirement.The SPR at Mangalore consists of two compartments with a total storage capacity of 1.5 million tonnes (11 million barrels).
By Geoffrey Smith

Investing.com -- Gold prices were little changed after early trading in New York on Wednesday, as both risk and haven assets settled into quieter trading patterns amid hopes that the U.S. economy will soon put the worst of Covid-19 behind it.

By 11:30 AM ET (1530 GMT), gold futures for delivery on the Comex exchange were effectively unchanged from Fridays close at $1,684.00 a troy ounce. Spot gold was also unchanged at $1,648.81. Both had come sharply off new eight-year highs in late trading on Tuesday. The futures contract was down nearly $60 from that high.

Markets were unmoved by the confirmation of the dominant trend of recent weeks. The World Gold Councils quarterly update confirmed that gold-backed ETFs had enjoyed record inflows in the first quarter of 298 tons, equivalent to net asset growth of $23 billion. That was the highest quarterly amount ever in absolute dollar terms and the largest tonnage additions since 2016.

Nor was the movement down exclusively to U.S.-based investors. European funds saw the largest absolute inflows and Asia and other regions registered the largest percentage growth during the month.

With little major news out of the U.S. so far, the focus has been on Europe, where hopes for a deal on how to fund Europes crisis response were only temporarily dented by the breakdown of talks between finance ministers after 16 hours on Wednesday morning.

Yield spreads between German and peripheral eurozone sovereigns widened only marginally as Germany signaled it was willing to push out loans through the currency unions bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, without the kind of macroeconomic adjustment conditions that it insisted on during the euro debt crisis in the last decade.

Whether that will be enough to persuade the Italian government, in particular, to tap the ESM remains open to doubt, given residual mistrust of the ESM after its performance during the last crisis.

Elsewhere in metals markets, silver futures fell 1.4% to $15.26 an ounce while platinum futures fell 1.4% to $734.65 an ounce. Copper futures also fell back, but continue to trade clearly off their recent lows at $2.26 a pound.

Story continues

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Hyderabad, April 9 : The Telangana government has issued guidelines for handling disposal of bodies of Covid-19 fatalities belonging to the Hindu and Christian faiths.

The additional guidelines, dated on Tuesday, have been prepared by the committee set up on April 1 by the state government for the purpose.

While there are guidelines in place since April 2, these have been applied largely to Muslim victims, in Telangana, where the death toll has touched 11. Although details of the victims' community are not divulged, it is understood that one of the 11 victims is a non-Muslim.

To avoid confusion, officials said that the state government opted to formulate separate guidelines for body disposal for each community.

Officials said that although specific guidelines have been issued for the different communities, the handling of dead bodies will essentially be the same in respect of all religions. In all cases, it is specified that packing and shifting of dead bodies to the burial ground will be done by designated persons in the hospital vehicles. Only 5 persons are allowed to visit the burial or cremation ground, no handling of bodies is allowed, and safe distance has to be maintained in all cases.

However, in accordance with religious tenets, Hindu victims are to be cremated, while Muslims and Christian COVID-19 victims will be buried as per their religious practices.

By Wednesday, the state had reported a total of 453 COVID-19 cases, of whom 45 were discharged after treatment while 11 persons had died.
The Australian National University will admit undergraduate students next year based on their year 11 results in a pre-emptive bid to provide certainty for 2500 school leavers whose studies have been thrown into disarray by the COVID-19 crisis.

As federal, state and territory governments confront the major disruption to this year's teaching, assessments and exams  with the vast majority of students forced to learn from home  ANU has moved to open up early domestic undergraduate applications for 2021.

Australian National University chancellor Julie Bishop. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

"The Australian National University recognises the enormous disruption and uncertainty for year 12 students with the challenge of the response to the coronavirus," said ANU chancellor Julie Bishop.

"So students will have to complete their year 12 studies but this will give greater certainty ... They can focus on completing their studies, knowing that if their marks in year 11 meet our entry requirements, they can be admitted to one of the worlds best universities."
Acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday after drawing condemnation for insulting a naval officer who had written a letter of concern about the service's handling of a coronavirus outbreak on an aircraft carrier.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who accepted Modly's resignation, said in a memo that he had "the greatest respect for anyone who serves our country, and who places the greater good above all else."

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"Secretary Modly did that today, and I wish him all the best," Esper said.

The decision comes after Modly traveled from Washington to Guam on Monday to give a speech to the 5,000-member crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, Modly removed last week.

In profanity-laced remarks over a loudspeaker, Modly assailed Crozier's character, accusing him of either leaking a letter about his concerns to the news media or of being "too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this."

Modly's comments, leaked to reporters within hours in written and audio form, angered many of the sailors on the ship, where 230 people have tested positive for covid-19 as of Tuesday, and their relatives, and triggered calls for his resignation from several Democratic lawmakers.

By Monday night, Modly had released a statement apologizing for insulting Crozier, who has also tested positive for the virus, but insisting that the captain had written the letter to cause a stir.

"Captain Crozier is smart and passionate," Modly said. "I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of it getting into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship."

Esper referenced the imbroglio in his memo, saying that Modly "resigned on his own accord" and that his decision would allow the aircraft carrier and its sailors to "move forward."

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Esper had asked Modly to apologize on Monday, hoping that would be sufficient to move beyond the controversy, according to a senior administration official. But instead the pressure for Modly's resignation increased, including among other players within the Defense Department, the official said.

President Donald Trump, asked at the White House about the resignation, said he had no role in it and did not know Modly, but would not have asked him to resign.

"He did that, I think, just to end that problem," Trump said. "I think . . . really in many ways, it was a very unselfish thing for him to do."

Modly, in a memo released Tuesday night, said the Navy was placed in a negative spotlight "largely due to my poor use of words" on the aircraft carrier.

"You are justified in being angry with me about that," he wrote. "There is no excuse, but perhaps a glimpse of understanding, and hopefully empathy."

He added that the crew "deserved a lot more empathy and a lot less lecturing," and that he was sorry.

Taking Modly's place will be Army undersecretary James McPherson, who was confirmed last month as the Army's No. 2 political appointee. McPherson previously served in the Trump administration as the Army's general counsel and in the Navy as a lawyer before retiring in 2006 as Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

McPherson is expected to serve in an acting capacity until Trump's nominee for the position, the U.S. ambassador to Norway, Kenneth John Braithwaite II, is confirmed by the Senate.

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Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the minority leader of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement released Tuesday that Modly had notified him of his decision.

"I stressed to him that the health and safety of our sailors is paramount and that naval leadership must make it absolutely clear the decision to relieve Captain Crozier is in no way interpreted as inhibiting any commanding officer from taking necessary steps, through their chain of command, to protect fellow sailors and Marines," Reed said.

The turmoil marks the latest challenge for a Navy that has struggled in recent years with broader leadership upheaval. Modly's resignation comes after his predecessor, Richard Spencer, was fired in November amid a scandal over Trump's intervention in a Navy SEAL war crimes case, leaving the service without a political appointee at its helm for months.

Separate crashes in 2017 of the guided missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain led to 17 deaths among the sailors on board and raised further questions about Navy leadership. Even before those incidents, a scandal over a Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard" who bribed Navy officials with cash, prostitutes and other incentives tarnished many officers who had been seen as leading candidates for top service posts.

The result left Modly - a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Harvard Business School who didn't have a particularly personal or close relationship with the president - in the hot seat atop the service at a time when the leadership was under intense scrutiny and the Navy was dealing with a public health crisis.

The son of Eastern European immigrants who moved to the United States after World War II, Modly was raised in Cleveland, according to his official Navy biography. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1983 and served as a helicopter pilot before leaving active duty in 1990 to attend business school.

Modly worked as an executive at multiple companies, including most recently at the consulting firm PwC, where he handled the NATO account, before being tapped in 2017 as undersecretary of the Navy under former defense secretary Jim Mattis.

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With his resignation, Modly has gone from being a little-known behind-the-scenes official, who worked as his service's chief management and chief information officer, to the public face of one of its most explosive military scandals in recent years. It pitted a captain praised for sacrificing his career in service to his crew against a Trump administration already facing criticism for a sluggish and haphazard response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The incident has raised questions about how much transparency the military should display when faced with a public health crisis and how top leaders should balance the need to safeguard the well-being of service members with the imperative to continue military missions.

Upon becoming public, Crozier's letter fed into the very narrative that the White House was looking to dispel about leadership in Washington failing to take serious enough steps in early days to contain the outbreak.

His firing has been seen among the aircraft carrier's crew as an attempt to muzzle any leaks of information about the situation on the vessel that could become politically inconvenient for top officers and civilian appointees in Washington. During his trip to Guam, Modly warned the aircraft carrier's crew not to speak to the news media.

A spokesman for Modly did not respond to a request for an interview.

Trump initially supported Modly and attacked Crozier's letter as terrible. But the president moderated his stance after news of the acting Navy secretary's controversial remarks broke.

At a news conference Monday, Trump maintained that Crozier should not have sent the letter but said he had been hearing good things about the captain and his career before that. "So I'm going to get involved and see what is going on there, because I don't want to destroy somebody for having a bad day," Trump said.

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Though both the Pentagon and the White House have said Trump was not personally involved in the decision to fire Crozier, the specter of drawing the president's ire drove Modly's decision act quickly to fire the captain before conducting a thorough investigation.

In an interview with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, Modly said what happened to his predecessor, who got "crosswise" with the White House over Trump's intervention in the war crimes case of Navy SEAL Edward "Eddie" Gallagher, was fresh in his mind when he decided to fire Crozier. Modly essentially said he took such swift action to prevent a personal intervention by Trump.

"I didn't want to get into a decision where the president would feel that he had to intervene because the Navy couldn't be decisive," Modly said. "If I were president, and I saw a commanding officer of a ship exercising such poor judgment, I would be asking why the leadership of the Navy wasn't taking action itself."

Modly said he was aware his predecessor lost his job because the Navy "got crossways with the president," and said, "I didn't want that to happen again."

At the heart of the debacle are questions about what a military leader should do when faced with a chain of command he thinks is making decisions that are imperiling the health and well-being of service members.

After the first three coronavirus cases emerged on the ship, Crozier and his superiors struggled to reach a consensus about what steps should be taken, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

Crozier wanted a more aggressive effort at the start to protect the crew's health, even if that meant taking near-unprecedented steps, such as a 90 percent evacuation of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific as a signal to China of American military might. His immediate superiors favored smaller mitigation efforts, which Crozier felt were insufficient to ensure that sailors did not become seriously ill.

The captain said the carrier could set sail immediately if it were a matter of war and would be prepared to win a conflict despite the outbreak on board. "However, we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily," Crozier wrote.

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He pointed out that it was impossible for him to follow the social distancing guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had released because of the close quarters and shared facilities for the crew aboard the carrier. Crozier noted that even crew members who tested negative for covid-19 were later showing up with symptoms, meaning the only solution was large-scale isolation.

Crozier requested that the Navy provide off-ship lodging that complied with the CDC guidelines for more than 4,000 sailors in his crew to isolate them and return them to the ship virus-free after a period of quarantine. In the meantime, he said, the ship should be disinfected and 10 percent of the crew should remain on board to run the nuclear reactor plant, sanitize the ship and ensure security.

Ultimately, the Navy has begun a large-scale evacuation of the ship to facilities in Guam, but so far the action has not been quite as extensive as Crozier suggested.

In recent days, the controversy has moved on from whether it was appropriate for Crozier to send his March 30 letter to whether it was appropriate for Modly to fire the captain without an investigation and subsequently visit the carrier to make disparaging remarks about Crozier, even as the man battles covid-19 himself.

Peter Feaver, a Duke University professor who studies civilian-military relations, said Modly's speech to sailors from the Theodore Roosevelt was ill-advised because of the possibility that it, like Crozier's memo, could make its way into the public arena, and because Modly appeared to have spoken extemporaneously for at least part of the address, using profanity and denigrating Crozier.

VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERING: How to help out coronavirus victims from your computer

"It was risky for him to go out there," Feaver said. But if that was the decision, Feaver said, he would have counseled the acting secretary to "stick to your talking points."
Never before have so many businesses needed help.

Stores have closed, restaurants are pivoting to takeout and delivery models, supermarkets are offering delivery and retailers migrating to e-commerce sales.

Times are tough, so to lend a hand during the coronavirus pandemic PA Media Group, the company that operates PennLive and The Patriot-News, is reaching out to central Pennsylvania businesses and consumers with a free service, Rally4Local.

The virtual marketplace brings retailers, services and nonprofit groups under one platform to advertise their services and needs to the community. It launches April 8 at Rally4Local.com.

Weve developed an online advertising portal for local businesses to reach customers on PennLive.com and the Patriot-News at no cost. The portal, Rally4Local.com, gives the community a centralized source for local places that are offering delivery, pick-up, gift cards and special promotions. Well also publish a listing of all these businesses in the Sunday Patriot-News," said Bob Geiger, vice president of sales for PA Media Group.

In essence, Rally4Local gives central Pa. residents a way to unite behind local businesses.

While looking across the industry, Geiger said they noticed several online sites cropping up as a result of the pandemic to sell gift card sales from restaurants and retailers. PA Media Groups team wanted to expand on the idea and offer more services, he added.

Rally4Local allows businesses to use the online space to remind the community they are open, even if its for curbside takeout or online ordering. For nonprofits and charities, its an avenue to raise donations and awareness.

When you think about it, Geiger said businesses are the backbone of our communities, providing services and a tax base.

PA Media Group understands that the local business community is absolutely vital to our regions economy and well-being. We are driven to lead this effort. We will build awareness and communicate the need for our communitys residents to rally in support of the businesses in our region - now," he said.

Initially, the site lists about 100 participants to kick-start the effort, but moving forward, businesses and groups can upload information directly to Rally4Local. In addition, PA Media Group is hosting free webinars for small businesses to discuss maintaining and building marketing during these times.
Fifteen years ago, a Portland fire paramedic and Multnomah Countys emergency medical director headed to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina as part of a FEMA disaster response team and helped run a makeshift medical triage station at the airport.

The two learned a lot about what not to do  and now are using that knowledge to help prevent hospital emergency departments in Oregon from being overwhelmed with a surge of COVID-19 patients amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Portland Fire Lt. Rich Chatman and Multnomah Countys Dr. Jonathan Jui, with the help of a tech expert, contacted the creators of an online self-screening site, c19check.com, and convinced them to tailor the free global tool for Oregon.

The basic tool directs people with the most extreme symptoms to hospital emergency rooms, those with more moderate symptoms to clinics and advises people with minor symptoms to stay home.

But a new one that Portland officials pushed for goes a step further to allow public health officials to track the cases, providing the first state-focused online triage tool for the pandemic.

So far, the city of Portland, Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties have signed on to whats being rolled out as c19oregon.com.

These initial counties each will pay $3,300 a month for the tool. It also will be available to other area counties at monthly fees that range from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on their population.

The developers from Atlanta-based Vital Software, working with Portland native and tech consultant Benjamin Diggles, said they hope to replicate the Oregon model across the country.

Local emergency medical workers will be able to direct users, based on their ZIP codes, to specific hospitals or clinics in real time so ERs dont get overrun with patients. Further, developers are in discussions with Oregon Health & Sciences University Hospital to allow people still unsure of how to evaluate their moderate symptoms to call a hospital-run nurse triage phone line.

In turn, the local emergency medical and public health managers will be able to trace, solely by ZIP code and age, whos reporting severe symptoms to try to identify clusters or areas where the virus has spread and determine where more resources may be needed before a hospital is inundated with patients.

I think its very forward-looking of Oregon to do this, and to do this now before Portland becomes New York," said Aaron Patzer, one of the founders of Vital Software. Lets hope that doesnt happen and maybe this can help avoid that.

Patzer previously founded the financial management tool mint.com. He got involved in online health care after visiting his brother-in-law, Dr. Justin Schrager, an emergency room doctor at Emory University Hospital, and noticed how long it took Schrager to enter his medical notes online through old Windows 98 software.

Last month, Vital partnered with other physicians at Emorys School of Medicine and the Emory Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response to create the worldwide tool.

This is a concept called forward triage, said Schrager, also a Vital Software co-founder and an assistant professor of emergency medicine.

Instead of waiting until patients crowd into the emergency department and you have to figure out who to treat first, this idea enables people in the community to effectively triage themselves safely.

Message thats going to make a difference

Portland Fire Lt. Rich Chatman and Multnomah County EMS Director Dr. John Jui worked together in 2005, helping run a medical triage station at the airport in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. They used lessons learned from that experience to press for a local coronavirus online triage tool.

When Chatman and Jui arrived in New Orleans in 2005 during the hurricane, they were horrified to see the crush of patients with a wide range and severity of injuries in the medical center at the airport.

The team of medical workers from Oregon spent the night in sleeping bags and cots at Baggage Carousel No. 5.

There werent enough people to staff the stopgap center. Medical supplies were sorely lacking. And emergency medics wasted too much time trying to distinguish truly sick people from those who didnt have major illnesses or injuries and the so-called worried well, Chatman and Jui said.

So when coronavirus broke out in Oregon with the first case Feb. 28 and Gov. Kate Brown last month declared a state of emergency, Chatman called Jui from his third-floor office at Portland Fire Station One off Southwest Ash Street to brainstorm.

What message can we get out to the public thats going to make a difference, Chatman said he asked Jui.

They agreed that hospitals would need to focus on only the sickest of the patients.

Chatman reached out to Diggles, a tech savvy friend of his from Portland, to see how a message could be widely shared with the public.

Diggles initially considered a text-messaging platform, but then found online triage tools, including the one designed by Vital and Emory University doctors.

The global c19check.com site went online March 20 and has had 500,000 users.

The easy-to-use system helps people understand their risks of contracting the disease and guides them on what they should do, based on information from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Diggles worked with Vital Software to customize it for emergency workers managing the outbreak. Each countys monthly fees will be paid to Vital Software.

This gives emergency response people a little bit of foresight, said Nate Fletcher, operations director at Vital Software.

With a few clicks on the website, people enter their age, ZIP code, symptoms and if they have any pre-existing health conditions. The tool will tell them if they are at low risk (green), medium risk (yellow) or high risk (red) for the coronavirus.

If emergency workers spot a growing number of users in a particular area reporting symptoms that place them in the red, or high-risk, category, they can warn area hospitals and doctors. Theyll also be able to recommend to users which hospitals have space or steer those with more moderate symptoms to an urgent care center instead.

Emergency workers will be able to view all the sites emerging data.

Thatll tell us how many people may be coming to the hospital, Chatman said. Itll give us a data point that we never have.

The site is available to users in 15 different languages so underrepresented populations have access. It is also accessible by smartphone, which may be more feasible for use by the homeless population.

Chatman, two other Portland Fire staff members and a member of Portland Fire Commissioner JoAnn Hardestys office will be able to monitor the data from the site for the three metro counties.

While the state site now directs users to county website pages for resources and other information, Chatman and his staff plan to update it soon with more details on specific urgent care centers, their hours of operation based on ZIP codes and additional phone resources. The Portland staff will receive email notifications every time a user is identified as high-risk or critical.

Relieve 9-1-1 dispatch and hospitals

Portland Fire Lt. Rich Chatman worked to tailor a global coronavirus online triage tool to the needs of the local metropolitan Portland area. So far, the city of Portland, Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties have signed on to use whats being rolled out as c19oregon.com, the first state-focused online triage tool for the coronavirus pandemic. The goal is to prevent hospital emergency departments in Oregon from being overwhelmed with a surge of COVID-19 patients amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sean Meagher/Staff

Oregons hospitals arent filled to capacity now. The governors stay-at-home order and social distancing has helped, Jui and Chatman said.

According to the latest model, the state is expected to reach its peak of cases around April 24 or 25, Jui said.

Currently, emergency medical and public health staff can find out the number of COVID-19 patients admitted into each hospital and the number of people who have tested positive for the disease through a state tracking tool.

But the website tool will provide additional geographical information and help match a patients needs to the right resources so they can get the help they need without overwhelming the medical care system, Chatman and Jui said. To participate, people must sign onto the site and enter their symptoms.

Youll actually see the communities impacted by COVID-19, by the total number and acuity, Jui said. It gives you a 100,000-foot view of the impact and the severity of the epidemic on the community.

Multnomah County Health Director Dr. Jennifer Vines is working to convince other counties to participate. Chatman said he and others will consider how the information gathered can be shared with the public and media at some point.

We realize its useful and important to people whats happening in our communities, he said.

Diggles, a co-founder of a cybersecurity data company called Constellation who has volunteered his work on this tools development, said hes obtained claims to all other potential C19(state name) internet domains as he envisions offering state-tailored sites similar to Oregons around the country.

This will create a filter to relieve 911 call centers and hospitals, Diggles said, but also create a fast lane for those in immediate medical emergencies to get expedited help.

Were kind of writing the script on this, Chatman said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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China Railway Group limited (CREC) Tuesday donated medical protection supplies to two Bangladeshi hospitals in capital Dhaka to assist in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

In a program held at the CREC office in Dhaka, the medical supplies were handed over to Col. Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury representing a hospital of Bangladesh Army and Lt. Col. Abdul Wahab, assistant director of Kurmitola General Hospital, by Wang Kun, the CREC representative in Bangladesh.

The CREC donations included 10,080 N95 masks, 40,000 disposable surgical masks, 1,000 Medical protection gowns, 400 medical goggles, and 500 COVID-19 detection Kits.

Wang said this is the first batch of medical supplies that CREC is donating to Bangladesh.

For its 9,000 staff and workers in Bangladesh, the CREC representative said it has already procured from China and local market sufficient personal protection equipment such as masks, protective suits, COVID-19 test kits, goggles, hand gloves, infrared thermometers, disinfectants, hand-sanitizers and various kinds of medicines.

All those items are being utilized properly to ensure zero infection among its Chinese and local staff, he said.

Such measures are aimed at keeping implementation of Bangladesh's two mega projects, Padma Bridge Rail Link Project and Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, undertaken by the Chinese company, uninterrupted despite the outbreak of the COVID-19.

Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury and Abdul Wahab expressed their gratitude to CREC for its timely support in their country's fight against COVID-19, CREC said in a statement.
'Behind the Walls: Columb Barracks Mullingar and 'Behind the Walls: Connolly Barracks Longford are the final two one-hour radio documentaries from a series of five documentaries broadcast on local radio stations across the country that explore the history of Defence Forces barracks situated within the region.

They follow on from the recent documentaries for LMFM Radio in Louth/Meath on Aiken Barracks, KFM Radio in Kildare on The Curragh Camp and C103 Radio in Cork on Collins Barracks Cork.

For the majority of locals living and working in the towns across Ireland that have found themselves home to an army barracks, the daily goings-on behind the walls of each barracks are a bit of a mystery.

Despite their rich and varied histories  encompassing their buildings, their people, their events, their memorabilia and their artefacts  they remain an unexplored place to most.

This radio documentary series seeks to travel behind the walls of these Defence Forces barracks and camps across Ireland in doing so, offer listeners a chance to aurally explore what lies behind them, with the stories of the history they encompass told by those who know them best.

The documentaries take the form of a guided walking tour around the barracks intercut with interviews with local historians. These interviews and tours, along with music and sound effects, allow the listener to experience the rich and varied history of each barracks and the places of interest behind their walls, along with their historical and social impacts on their localities and the wider local community.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 was a momentous day in the history of the town of Mullingar as after almost 200 years in operation as an artillery military barracks, the tricolour was lowered for the final time at Columb Barracks and the gates closed as the last serving members of the Defence Forces who had been stationed there made their way to their new homes in other barracks around the country.

Boasting what is claimed to be the longest leasehold in the world, at 10 million years, the barracks had been home to the 4th Field Artillery and the 54th Reserve Field Artillery regiments for almost 100 years. In addition, it was Irelands last artillery barracks.

In Longford, Connolly Barracks is home to the oldest building still standing in Longford, the Market House, built in 1710 before the site was acquired by the War Office, and which stood alongside a castle that is no longer in existence.

The Market House building is considered to be one of the earliest surviving market houses in all of Leinster if not nationwide, and differs from the usual Irish market house form in having only one storey.

Over time, it has been used for stabling for horses for the military and subsequently as an outhouse and storage space, and it alone has many stories to tell of the life it has witnessed within.

The barracks was home to the 4th Cavalry Battalion from 1972 until early 2009 when it was closed and the majority of the battalion was moved to the nearby barracks in Athlone.

As in Mullingar, this marked the end of an era for the garrison town as hundreds of people lined the streets to watch the army close the gates for the last time. The site was purchased by Longford County Council in 2012, with some buildings having fallen into neglect since that date.

This radio documentary series allows for the stories of these immensely historically important sites in Ireland, with over 400 years of military history within their walls, to be preserved for future generations.

The documentaries were funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee and produced by Little Road Productions Ltd, based in Co. Louth (www.littleroadproductions.com ).

'Behind the Walls: Columb Barracks Mullingar will broadcast at 2pm on Saturday, April 11 on shannonside.ie

'Behind the Walls: Connolly Barracks Longford will broadcast at 2pm on Sunday, April 12 on shannonside.ie
(Photo : Screenshot from: Pexels Official Website)

A 15-year-old schoolboy turned his own bedroom into personal protective equipment (PPE) factory that produces face shields for healthcare workers. In an effort the contribute to the Coronavirus fight and support frontline workers in his own little way, the schoolboy has been using his personal 3D printer, which he got from Christmas, to manufacture the medical equipment.





Read Also: Another Potential COVID-19 Vaccine is Now at Human Testing Stage Backed by Bill and Melinda Gates





PPEs all for free

Harry Cooper, a 15-year-old schoolboy from Middlesborough, will be handing out his 3D-printed safety equipment to healthcare workers for free. He has been raising money for his 3D printing materials through donations from the public. According to Cooper, his goal is to continue to produce the face shields for those who desperately need personal protective equipment.

Cooper has already gathered at least 100 orders from healthcare workers such as shop and dentist assistants, community workers, and healthcare assistants.

Cooper told Daily Mail that "I have the printers and have been using them to make the bands that go around your head. I enjoy making things and like a challenge, so it was a no brainer to help key workers out at the same time. We have about 100 going out to community carers and care homes, and I just wanted to do my bit."

Harry's mother, Donna, a school teacher from Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, also said that "[Harry] was like a dog with a bone when he realized he could help with the shortage of protective equipment. He did his research and when he figured out he could make visors for people he jumped at it."

The entire family has been supporting him

His father, Nigel, has also been helping him manufacture and pack the equipment along with his brother and sister, Alfie and Emily, respectively.

Donna also added that they were just waiting for the needed materials to arrive, and then it will pretty much become a nonstop production line for the whole family. Both parents agreed that they would help their son deliver the equipment to whoever needs one locally. Everyone will be all hands on deck since all they want is to help in any way they can.

Harry has also written his customers notes saying that he will try to shop for them whenever they need him. Donna has also expressed how much they are proud of their son and that they will do everything they can to support him.

Public Health England has stated that any kind of clinician working in a hospital, community care, or primary care who is sitting within two meters of a confirmed or suspected coronavirus COVID-9 patient should always wear an apron, eye protection, surgical mask, and gloves.

The UK government advised that this can all be achieved using a surgical mask with an integrated visor for a full face shield, polycarbonate safety spectacles, or anything equivalent. They have also added that regular corrective spectacles are not considered to be adequate or acceptable as eye protection.

Just like the nose and mouth, the eyes contain a mucus membrane that can serve as a passage to the rest of the body for the SARS-CoV-2. The virus may enter through these membranes if the person touches his or her face after close contact with an infected person or a contaminated surface.

Cooper isn't the only one making DIY face shields for health care workers. Daniel Mooney, a 32-year-old computer game company worker in Dublin has also been using his own 3D printer to make the same equipment. He told Irish Times that his team can print about at least 75 protective visors each day.





Read Also: COVID-19 vs. DUKE: 3D Printed Medical Face Shields Have Been Developed to Aid Health Workers Against the Coronavirus

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An amateur photographer has captured a unique perspective of what life is like for Australian travellers forced into self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

The man used his phone to take a photograph of quarantined guests at Sydney's Amora Hotel staring longingly out of their window.

Under strict new laws introduced by the Federal Government to stop the spread of Covid-19, thousands of travellers returning to Australia must undergo a mandatory 14-day period of quarantine under police guard.

A Sydney photographer has snapped an image for ages, capturing a unique perspective of what life is like in isolation at the Amora Hotel during the coronavirus pandemic.

The reluctant photographer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he didn't understand what all the fuss was about after his photo went viral on Reddit.

'I haven't got any story for this other than I found it interesting that everyone happened to be doing the same thing at the same time which made me think about isolation and how we all aren't very different,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'm just a guy with a camera phone. I don't consider myself a photographer and yeah this a chance encounter.

'I took this on my Google Pixel 4 XL phone.'

In order to get the attention of the subjects in the frame, the man said he went out onto the balcony and waved at them.

'I indicated with my hands that I would like to take a photo and they nodded,' he said.

Australians were quick to heap praise on the man for his photograph.

'Putting aside the creepiness, it's quite poignant actually. Will be looked back upon in the future,' one person said.

'I feel this picture will feature on one of those 'look back' videos about the great coronavirus crisis of 2020 some time in the future,' added another.

A third person compared the photo to the work of a revered 20th century American realist painter known for depicting New York during the Great Depression.

'It's like an Edward Hopper painting,' they wrote.

Edward Hopper is a revered 20th century American realist painter known for depicting New York during the Great Depression

The intimate view into the rooms has always been a feature of the Amora Hotel for a long time, a former employee explained.

'The Suncorp building was directly opposite and one day a lady came in to the concierge desk to complain,' the hotel worker wrote.

'She outlines to me that she couldn't get any of her work done as there was a crowd of men around her desk.

'I was puzzled as how this was the hotel's problem.

'She told me that a couple was filming a porno in the window of level 27 and asked me to put a stop to it.'

The concierge worker said a scantily clad couple answered the door and politely offered to stop filming their sex acts.

'This photo is a very sobering contrast!'

A bus waits to pick up the first group of return travellers who were forced to stay in quarantine for 14 days at the Swissotel in Sydney due to coronavirus regulations

The image comes as the first group of return travellers were released from quarantine at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday.

Hundreds of passengers on board the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship were forced into isolation on March 25 at the Swissotel  a five-star Sydney hotel.

Unable to leave the confines of their rooms for two weeks, the 288 Australians are now free to return to their homes.

Thousands more quarantined travellers are also set to be released on Sunday.
Lucknow, April 8 : The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to 'firmly implement' the lockdown and 'completely seal' the hotspots in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh that have emerged as Corona hotspots.

The hotspots will remain sealed till April 15 during which intensive sanitization work will be undertaken.

The districts that have hotspots include Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Sitapur, Kanpur, Agra, Ferozabad, Bareilly, Meerut, Shamli, Saharanpur, Bulandshahr, Varanasi, Maharajganj and Basti.

Briefing reporters, additional chief secretary home Avanish Awasthi said that in the identified districts there are multiple hotspots.

In Agra, identified hotspots are 22, Ghaziabad (13), Gautam Buddha Nagar and Kanpur (12 each), Varanasi (4), Shamli (3), Meerut (7), Bulandshahr, Basti and Ferozabad (3 each), Bareilly (1), Sitapur (1), Saharanpur and Maharajganj (4 each) and 12 in Lucknow.

Keeping in mind the multiple hotspots, in districts like Agra, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Kanpur, a large part of the districts will be sealed.

Twelve Corona hotspots identified in the affected districts had already been sealed earlier. These include four localities of Varanasi and Meerut and three in Lucknow.

The additional chief secretary, home, said that vehicular movement will be completely banned in the sealed areas. Journalists and photo journalists will also not be allowed in these areas.

All grocery and vegetables shops, petrol pumps, banks and ATMs will remain closed in the hotspot areas.

The government will ensure doorstep delivery of all essential commodities for the residents and no one will be allowed to step out of their house. In some areas, resident will not be allowed to move on their terraces.

He said that chief minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered that the lockdown, henceforth, is to be 'firmly implemented' across the state, particularly in the 15 districts.

Awasthi said that wearing masks has been made compulsory and action could be taken against those violating the decision.

Earlier, the chief secretary had said that all 15 districts would be completely sealed.

A high-level meeting of top police and civil officials was immediately convened in which it was decided to first seal the hotspots and strictly implement the lockdown.

This was apparently done to prevent panic among people because after reports that the lockdown could be extended, large scale panic buying was seen across the state. Crowds gathered at banks and grocery shops and the police had a tough time controlling the crowd and ensuring social distancing.

Of the 37 districts affected by Corona virus, these 15 districts have reported the maximum number of cases.

Awasthi said that these restrictions on movement will check the virus load in the affected districts.

He appealed to the people not to panic because all essentials would be made available to them through the helpline.
Hanoi's suburban village sterilised after COVID-19 cases reported

Health workers sprayed disinfectant in Ha Loi village roads in the night of April 8

Sterilisation work in Ha Loi village in Hanois outlying district of Me Linh was completed on the morning of April 9, according to the Military High Command in the capital.

A resident of the village was confirmed as infected with SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 on April 6, becoming the countrys 243rd patient. The source of his infection, however, remains unclear.

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice to track all people who had close contact with the 47-year-old man.

His neighbour was confirmed as the countrys 250th patient on April 7, after testing positive for the virus.

The village started a 28-day quarantine period on April 8. It is home to 2,973 families with 10,872 people in total.

The Hanoi Centre for Disease Control and the Chemistry Corps began disinfecting the area on the night of April 8.

Vietnam had reported 251 COVID-19 cases as at the morning of April 9, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Of these, 156 entered Vietnam from overseas, accounting for 62 percent.

Two more COVID-19 patients recover, total at 128

Two more COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from Can Gio COVID-19 Treatment Hospital in HCM City Thursday morning.  Photo courtesy of the hospital

Two more COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from Can Gio COVID-19 Treatment Hospital in HCM City Thursday morning, bringing the countrys total of recovered patients to 128.

Patient numbers 203 and 234 recovered this morning.

Patient 203, a 35-year-old female Vietnamese national, returned from Greece to Viet Nam on March 17. She was admitted to the hospital on March 27.

During treatment, the patient tested negative twice for SARS-CoV-2 on April 5 and 6. She is currently in a stable condition and has no cough or fever.

Patient 234 is also a female, 69, Vietnamese nationality, living in Buon on District, the Central Highlands province of ak Lak. She returned from Paris to HCM City on March 13 and was quarantined upon arrival. The patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 30, then was transferred to the Can Gio COVID-19 Treatment Hospital for treatment the same day.

During treatment, the patient had two tests and both test results were negative for SARS-CoV-2 on April 5 and 6.

The two patients will continue to be isolated and monitored for the next 14 days.

In HCM City, there are only 17 COVID-19 patients currently being treated in three treatment facilities, including the HCM City Tropical Diseases Hospital, Cu Chi Field Hospital and the Can Gio COVID-19 Treatment Hospital.

As of Thursday morning, the health ministry has confirmed 251 COVID-19 patients. No deaths have been recorded so far.

German institute lauds Vietnams prompt actions in tackling COVID-19

German political institute Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) has posted an article praising Vietnams efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the key to success lays in the prompt action and resolve of the Government, relevant agencies, and the Vietnamese people.

Peter Girke, Chief Representative of KAS in Vietnam, said the rate of COVID-19 infection in the country has remained quite low since the first local case was confirmed in late January.

He noted that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam and Germany on February 17 was the same, at 16. Four weeks later, however, it was 61 in Vietnam and 7,272 in Germany. As of March 30, Vietnam had only 194 cases, while Germany had 66,885.

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has also taken actions since the early stages of the crisis, he said, adding that the Vietnamese people have been aware of the battle since early February.

Vietnam closed its schools within the first few days, initially in major cities and then nationwide. Universities were shuttered soon after, and events of all types were suspended or cancelled.

He commended other measures taken by Vietnam in combating COVID-19, such as tightening border control, mobilising the army, suspending visa waivers for tourists from many European countries, quarantining passengers entering Vietnam for 14 days, restricting gatherings of more than 10 people, and closing restaurants and entertainment venues.

Vietnam has yet to impose a widespread curfew, Girke noted.

He also highlighted the degree of public support for the Governments measures and the effective communications seen throughout the country.

He suggested Vietnam continue with measures introduced, saying they will help the country contain the epidemic until specific treatment drugs and vaccines are produced.

Indonesia borrows 7 billion USD to support COVID-19 fight

Indonesia will receive loans worth about 7 billion USD from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance its fight against the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo has said that the funds will be spent on financing the countrys widening budget deficit of 5.07 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to prevent a greater health crisis and economic meltdown from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Perry told the House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing financial affairs that the three banks planned on around 7 billion USD in loans during an investor teleconference. He added that the Finance Ministry will also maximise the governments budget.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently announced additional state spending worth 405.1 trillion Rp (25 billion USD) to finance the countrys battle against the pandemic. The new allocation will be used specifically for health care, the social welfare safety network and business-recovery programmes.

In funding the extra budget, the government has resorted to debt issuance, international institution loans and state budget reallocation./.

Police quarantined after contact with 243rd COVID-19 patient

The High Command of Chemicals together with the Ha Noi Capital High Command spray disinfectants in the lockdown village of Ha Loi, Ha Nois Me Linh Commune on Wednesday night.

All 19 police officers of the ong Ngac Wards Police Station, Bac Tu Liem District, Ha Noi have been quarantined after it was discovered the stations deputy head had eaten a meal with Viet Nam's 243rd COVID-19 patient.

Chairman of the Peoples Committee of the district Tran The Cuong announced on Wednesday afternoon at a meeting of the citys Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control that authorised agencies had sprayed disinfectants in appropriate areas and took samples of the officers for tests.

Cuong said a total of eight people had close contact with the 243rd patient, including the deputy head of the police station and three flower sellers who live in the district. All samples of the closely-contacted people were sent to the citys Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for tests.

Cuong also asked the centre to provide rapid testing for flower sellers in the market.

In a related move, the High Command of Chemicals under the Ministry of National Defence together with the Ha Noi Capital High Command sprayed disinfectants in the locked-down village of Ha Loi, Ha Nois Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District on Wednesday night.

The village, where the 243rd patient lives and contacted many people, was locked down on Tuesday afternoon.

The Peoples Committee of the district will provide food for all 2,973 households in the village during the lockdown, which will run from April 8 to May 5.

The 243rd patient is a 47-year-old man, from Me Linh Commune. He took his wife to Bach Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day. The couple had lunch at a restaurant opposite the hospital and did not return to the hospital.

Last Friday, he took his wife to the Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital for an examination without declaring that he and his wife had visited Bach Mai Hospital on March 12 as per the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

This failure to declare resulted in 63 doctors and nurses from the Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital being put in quarantine at the hospital on Monday.

On Wednesday morning, a neighbour of the 243rd patient in Ha Loi Village was confirmed as the 250th patient after having tested positive for the disease.

Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases in past 24 hours

A medical worker sprays disinfectant in Ha Loi village, Me Linh district, Hanoi, after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on April 9 morning, keeping the national count at 251 over the past 24 hours, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Of the cases, 156 entered Vietnam from overseas, accounting for 62 percent, while 95 others got infected from local patients.

Five patients are receiving oxygen support. Twenty-five tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 for the first time, while 17 others got negative results for their second tests.

On April 9, two patients are expected to be discharged from Can Gio hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Ho Chi Minh City.



As of 6:00 on the day, a total of 77,292 people have been quarantined in Vietnam, of whom 642 have been in concentrated quarantine areas in hospitals, 27,790 people have undergone concentrated quarantine in other establishments and the remainders have been self-quarantined at home.

Health ministry urges more reliable COVID-19 test kits for mass production

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has urged domestic research institutes and producers to focus their resources on developing more reliable COVID-19 testing kits for mass production to meet the countrys increasing need.

The call was made at a meeting held by the ministry in Hanoi on April 8.

Vietnam has used different diagnostic testing kits, including those imported from foreign countries like Germany and the Republic of Korea.

As the pandemic has spread globally, Vietnam should not rely on foreign supplies but instead develop more test kits for its own use, according to the ministry. The country must also produce enough biological materials to test the products, it said.

The ministry said it welcomes all studies and efforts to produce testing kits and it is looking for a product that is fast, affordable, sensitive and convenient for an expanded response to the COVID-19.

The ministry has placed an order for 200,000 testing kits developed by the Military Medical University and Viet A Corporation which can detect the SARS-CoV-2 in specimens of droplets from the respiratory tract and blood samples. Its accuracy rate is over 90 percent.

A number of research institutes in Vietnam have also joined the race to develop COVID-19 test kits that are not only reliable but also suitable for the actual conditions in the country.

Some studies have shown quite promising results. For example, the rapid test kit developed by the School of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology is in line to get approval for production.

The participating research institutes said they hope to successfully create new test kits this month.

Vietnam shows willingness to assist others in COVID-19 fight: The Diplomat

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung (R) hands over the assistance to German Ambassador Guido Hildner

An article in the US-based magazine The Diplomat on April 8 highlighted Vietnams recent assistance to five European nations, saying it illustrates the continued willingness to assist other countries on a bilateral and multilateral basis to the best of its abilities, even as the country continues to remain vigilant about managing its own challenge at home.

Vietnam donated 550,000 face masks to five European countries on April 7 to support their fight against COVID-19. The masks, made of antimicrobial fabric, were handed to the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK in Hanoi.

The development itself is in line with Vietnams broader diplomacy amid COVID-19 thus far, which has seen it make offers of assistance to other countries as well, including neighbouring countries Cambodia and Laos as well as individual European countries such as Italy, the article said.

It also laid stress on Vietnams recognition that strengthening international cooperation and unity is an important factor in minimising the impact of COVID-19.

The author remarked that the countrys assistance put the spotlight on relations between Vietnam and key European nations during the global pandemic.

Both sides have also been working to share information on the security of their citizens and continuing with key developments such as the final steps in ratifying the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement, which is expected to receive approval by Vietnams lawmakers in May so it can go into effect this summer.

Thus far, Vietnam has reported over 200 COVID-19 cases but no deaths, and it has taken additional measures including restrictions on movement and stepping up the production of masks, the article noted.

Military Hospital 175 helps German counterpart in COVID-19 fight

Vietnams Military Hospital 175 sends an aid package to Saint Georg Hospital in Germanys Leipzig city to assist its partner in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Vietnams Military Hospital 175 on April 8 sent an aid package to Saint Georg Hospital in Germanys Leipzig city to assist its partner in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aid package, comprising 10,000 medical face masks, 500 face shields and 1,000 protective suits, was raised by staff at the Vietnamese hospital in support of their German colleagues.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has offered free transportation of the package.

Leipzigs mayor and the German Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City have sent letters of gratitude to Military Hospital 175 for the meaningful gifts.

No new cases of COVID-19 reported in Vietnam on April 8 evening

No new cases of COVID-19 infections were reported on April 8 evening in Vietnam, leaving the national total at 251, according to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The committee said two new COVID-19 patients were confirmed on the same day morning. One is a 50-year-old woman who lives in Ha Loi village, Me Linh commune, in Hanois Me Linh outlying district. She is a neighbour of the 243rd patient, and the two had been in close contacts.

The other is a 64-year-old man who lives in Binh Nghia commune, Binh Luc district in the northern province of Ha Nam. Since March 20, he has been treated at the Department of Gastroenterology in Ha Nam General Hospital where his son and daughter-in-law, who live in Hanoi, had been taking care of him.

The man tested positive for COVID-19 on April 7. The source of his infection is under investigation.

There are currently 74,626 people in quarantine.

Also on April 8, four more COVID-19 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals, lifting the countrys total number of recoveries to 126.

Two of the discharged patients are South Africans, while the other two are Vietnamese nationals.

German, European media highlight Vietnams support in COVID-19 fight

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung speaks at the ceremony to hand over 550,000 antibacterial face masks to the embassies of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in Hanoi

German and European media have reported high appreciation for Vietnam's donation of face masks to European countries to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The German electronic newspaper DW ran an article, saying the Vietnamese Government had handed over 550,000 antibacterial face masks as gifts to the embassies of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in Hanoi.

Meanwhile, Euronews reported that in addition to the above-mentioned countries, Vietnam has also donated masks and medical equipment to Cambodia, Laos and China.

The German Embassy in Vietnam, through its facebook page, thanked the Vietnamese Government for giving the German Government 110,000 face masks.

According to Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung, Vietnam wants to support its European partners which have shown their solidarity and friendship with Vietnam in the past.

The German Embassy said that the Vietnamese community in Germany has also joined hands with local authorities in the fight against the pandemic.



Thousands of medical face masks, cloth masks, and protective gloves have been mobilised among overseas Vietnamese in Germany to present to local hospitals, nursing homes, health centres and police stations.

Many Vietnamese restaurants in the European country have offered thousands of free meals to doctors and nurses at COVID-19 treatment centres, the embassy added.

The German Embassy expressed its gratitude to the Vietnamese communitys determination to combat the disease, as well as the strength of the German-Vietnamese friendship.



It said that research institutions, scientists and the governments of the two countries are closely cooperating in the COVID-19 combat.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese-German Centre of Excellence in Medical Research (VG-CARE) in Hanoi recently delivered 6,000 test tubes to Germany for COVID-19 drug development research.

In an interview with Berlin-based daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung on April 7, Regine Hengge, a prestigious microbiology professor from Humbolt University, recommended that German authorities and people follow Vietnams face mask wearing rule to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four more COVID-19 patients recover

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Among the four patients, three were treated at the Can Gio hospital for COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City. Two of them are South African nationals, and one Vietnamese.

The fourth patient, a Vietnamese, was treated at the Cu Chi acute respiratory disease hospital, also in Ho Chi Minh City.

Those newly-cured patients will continue to stay in quarantine and have their health monitored for the next 14 days.

Vietnam had confirmed 251 Covid-19 cases as of 6pm on April 8.

Viet Nam must remain vigilant in face of COVID-19 community transmission risks

A man has his temperature taken at a quarantine checkpoint in My Loc District, northern Nam inh Province.

Despite early, drastic measures to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading, community transmission had fueled the spread of the disease, Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am said on Wednesday, urging the whole system to remain on alert.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), as of Wednesday morning, 156 of 251 infections recorded nationwide had been imported cases, accounting for 62.6 per cent. The remaining 95 people contracted the disease from other patients in Viet Nam.

The national steering committee for COVID-19 control and prevention urged localities to keep a close watch on the disease, strengthen management over patients showing symptoms similar to COVID-19, and come up with solutions to trace people who had contact with carriers.

The committee said it would keep a tight control on the outbreak using a strategy of preventing, reporting, isolating, zoning and containing, especially with more infections expected in the coming days.

Tran ac Phu, former head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, said the source of infection remained unclear for cases 243, 247 and 251.

The 243rd patient, a 47-year-old Vietnamese man from Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District in Ha Noi, took his wife to Bach Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day, but might not have contracted the disease at the hospital. Phu said his test results showed he had just recently contracted the virus. The patient was reported to have visited different places before testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

It is important we identify the sources of infection. However, in the case of community transmission, the priority is to implement quarantining, zoning and containing to prevent the disease from spreading, Phu warned.

He also stressed that social distancing was an essential solution to stop small community outbreaks.

Nguyen Van Son, deputy minister of public security, said the police would continue working closely with the healthcare sector to trace people in contact with COVID-19 patients.

After a week of nationalwide social distancing since Prime Minister's order, people had started to go out again, he said.

Participants shared the view that although Viet Nam has introduced strong measures, COVID-19 continues to spread in the community, as before midnight on March 22, when the entry of foreigners into the country was suspended, hundreds of thousands of people, including many from coronavirus-hit nations, had already entered the country.

Deputy Health Minister o Xuan Tuyen asked to expand the list of people to be screened, including foreigners staying at hotels, expat communities, Vietnamese nationals working with foreigners who had been to epicentres, and foreign tourists.

The percentage of recoveries compared to infections had exceeded 50 per cent, said Luong Ngoc Khue, head of MoHs Department of Medical Examination and Treatment.

Our current priority is to develop and complete the most efficient treatment regime to prevent patients with mild infections from becoming severely ill, while minimising deaths, he said.

Khue also urged medical facilities to upgrade mechanisms to protect their patients, staff and communities from the risk of infection.

Four more patients with COVID-19 had recovered and been discharged from two treatment facilities in the south as of Wednesday morning, lifting the countrys total number of recoveries to 126.

Health Ministry seeks people in contact with 243rd COVID-19 patient

The 243th COVID-19 patient's travel report from March 8 to April 4.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued an urgent notice to trace all people who had close contact with Viet Nam's 243rd COVID-19 patient, a 47-year-old man, from Ha Nois Me Linh District.

The man went to Quang Ba Flower Market in Ha Noi on many mornings, including 3.55-6.30am on March 8, 2.30-5am from March 14, 1-5am on March 22 and 23, 3-6am on March 25, 2-6am on March 26 and 2.30-6am on March 27.

He visited the Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology of Bach Mai Hospital from 8.30-10.30am and 11-12pm on March 12.

He had lunch at a restaurant at number 31 on Lane 75, Giai Phong Street, opposite Bach Mai Hospital, from 10.30-11am on March 12.

He went to Me Linh Flower Market on National Highway 23 in Ha Noi from 3-5.41pm on March 12, 11am on March 15, 2.30-3pm on March 18, 10-10.30am and 3-4pm on March 22, 5-6pm on March 26, 11pm on March 27 and 11-12pm on March 30.

He visited Phuc Yen Obstetrics Hospital in Vinh Phuc Provinces Phuc Yen District at 8am on April 4.

He visited Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital at 929 La Thanh Street in Ba inh District at 11am on April 4.

The Ministry of Health requested all people who were at these areas during the mentioned time frames immediately contact local centres for disease control and prevention for guidance on health monitoring.

The patient was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Monday and the source of his infection is still unclear.

He took his wife to Bach Mai Hospital for a health examination on March 12 and returned home the same day. The couple had lunch at a restaurant opposite the hospital and did not return to the hospital.

Last Friday, he took his wife to the Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital for examination without declaring that he and his wife had visited Bach Mai Hospital on March 12 as per the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

This failure to declare resulted in 63 doctors and nurses from the Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital being put in quarantine at the hospital on Monday.

On Wednesday morning, a neighbour of the 243rd patient in Ha Loi Village was confirmed as the 250th patient after having tested positive for the disease.

The village was subsequently quarantined.

HCM City offers financial relief to the poor, unemployed

Le Minh Tan, director of the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs speaks at a meeting on a relief package for the poor on Tuesday. Photo laodong.vn

As many as 9,000 poor and near-poor households in HCM City that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will receive monthly relief payments of VN1 million (US$42) per household for three months, starting in April, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

A total of 15,000 families who have made great contributions to the nation will receive monthly cash payments of VN500,000 ($21) per household for three months to overcome difficulties due to the pandemic, said Le Minh Tan, director of the department.

A total of 600,000 workers who were laid off or put on leave without pay due to the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be provided VN1 million a person a month, Tan said at a meeting on Tuesday.

The city is home to 32,000 poor and near-poor households and 43,000 families who have made great contributions to the nation, he said.

Around 3.2 million workers are employed by 415,000 enterprises in the city.

About 75 per cent of enterprises have cut capacity or suspended production, resulting in 600,000 workers laid off or put on leave without pay.

Nearly 12,000 lottery ticket sellers have been affected as the issuance of lottery tickets was halted for 15 days starting April 1. They will receive financial aid of VN750,000 ($32) a person.

Cambodia thanks Vietnam for medical support in COVID-19 fight

At the hand-over ceremony

Vietnam handed over medical supplies to Cambodia on April 8 to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hand-over ceremony in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh was attended by Minister of Health Mam Bunheng, other ministry officials, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, among others.

In his remarks, Mam Bunheng thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their regular support and stressed that cooperation between the Vietnamese and Cambodian health ministries has been fruitful.

For his part, Ambassador Minh said the aid is a result of recent phone talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who committed to enhancing cooperation in the fight.

He described the aid as a symbol of the heartfelt sentiment among Vietnamese towards Cambodia, adding that some Vietnamese firms in the neighboring country are also assisting its health ministry.

On April 3, on behalf of PM Phuc, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung presented the token of the medical equipment from the Vietnamese Government and people to Lao and Cambodian officials.

Worth 7 billion VND (297,140 USD), the equipment included protective gear, face masks, and COVID-19 test kits.

Vietnamese, Lao provinces enhance coordination in fighting COVID-19

Leaders of central Quang Tri province and the Lao province of Salavan attended a working session on April 8 to discuss coordination in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial Peoples Committee Hoang Nam, it has quarantined 12,000 Vietnamese citizens returning from Laos and Thailand in Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

Authorities in Quang Tri, nestled on the Vietnam-Laos border, have deployed more than 80 border guard posts, of which 25 are located along the border with Salavan province.

They have strictly controlled entry and exit through border gates, trails, and paths, while organising campaigns calling on people on both sides to not pass through, Nam said.

The province has also facilitated import and export activities between the two sides in line with strict regulations on disease control, he stressed, adding that all the 120 Lao students pursuing studies in Quang Tri have received support and health care.

Nam expressed his hope that authorities in Salavan will continue to provide health care to Quang Tri locals in particular and Vietnamese citizens in general who are working and living in Laos.

For his part, Salavan's Deputy Governor Phuthong Khammanivong said it has taken drastic measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including coordinating with the Vietnamese side in controlling entry and exit at the La Lay International Border Gate and managing the import and export of goods at all border areas.

He thanked Quang Tri for the assistance given to Lao students, pledging to support and ensure health care is provided to Vietnamese workers still in Salavan.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quang Tri authorities also presented medical supplies and equipment to Salavan on the same day.

Vietnamese in Egypt stay united amid COVID-19 pandemic: ambassador

A quiet street in Cairo, Egypt

The Vietnamese community in Egypt has shown strong unity and provided mutual support to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong has said.

According to the diplomat, no Vietnamese in Egypt have been infected with the COVID-19.

Amid the complicated and unpredictable developments of the disease in the host country, the embassy has actively given relevant recommendations and instructions to those Vietnamese living and working there.

It has also regularly disseminated medical regulations and guidelines of the host country to the community. A hotline was established to support Vietnamese citizens in case of need, Cong said.

For those still stuck in Egypt, the embassy has also regularly exchanged information and worked with local authorities to ensure visa extension for them while they wait for flights to return home.

The embassy has organised charitable activities to help the Vietnamese community in the country, he added.

So far, Egypt has reported 1,450 cases of COVID-19 infections, including 94 deaths./.

Singapore reports 142 new COVID-19 infections in biggest daily jump

The Singaporean Ministry of Health confirmed 142 new COVID-19 infections on April 8 for a total of 1,623, the biggest daily increase yet, and said a seventh person had died after testing positive for the disease.

Forty of the new cases were linked to foreign worker dormitories. The Southeast Asian country has quarantined workers in three dormitories after they were linked to several cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, Reuters reported.

The city state also announced that a 32-year-old male had died in his home after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Singapore was one of the worst-hit countries when the virus first spread from China in January, but a strict surveillance and quarantine regime helped stem the tide. Recent spikes in locally transmitted cases have, however, raised fresh concerns.

Bangladesh media laud Vietnams COVID-19 fight

An American patient is discharged from hospital in Da Nang city on April 3.

Bangladeshs dhakatribune.com has published an article on Vietnams fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the country could offer valuable lessons on how to curb the diseases spread amid a poor healthcare system and low budget funds.

Vietnam has reported only more than 250 COVID-19 cases and no fatalities. More than half of those infected have recovered.

During Tet - the lunar new year and the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture, held at the end of January this year - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended a government meeting declaring war on the coronavirus, the article stated.

Rather than embarking on mass testing, Vietnam focused on quarantining infected people and tracking down those they had been in contact with.

Apart from this aggressive tracing, other measures adopted include compulsory quarantine and the conscription of medical students and retired doctors and nurses.

And from very early on, anyone arriving in Vietnam from a high-risk area was quarantined for 14 days. All schools and universities were closed at the beginning of February.

Vietnams success in containing COVID-19 depends in part on the mobilisation of medical and military personnel, and surveillance, according to the article.

Security officials can be found on every street, every neighborhood, and every village. The military is also deploying soldiers and material in the fight against the coronavirus, it said. About 800 people found sharing fake news on the virus have been fined.

The article also quoted Carl Thayer, a professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra, as saying that Vietnam is a mobilisation society and the Vietnamese Government is good at responding to natural disasters.

Thailand: Bangkok offers SARS-CoV-2 testing at home

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is offering testing at home for people who suspect they may have caught the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19).

As of April 8, Bangkok has reported the highest number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand, with 1,223 patients out of 2,369 confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on April 8 that the BMA, together with staff from the Mor Lab Panda Facebook page, have been sending mobile teams to conduct COVID-19 testing at the residences of people who had completed an online questionnaire and were at-risk.

Those who tested positive would be taken to treatment facilities. This would quickly contain the disease and relieve the worries of people living nearby, the governor said.

The units would go to see people who completed an online screening questionnaire, which is in Thai, at bkkcovid19.bangkok.go.th and learned they were at risk of having caught the disease, Aswin said.

The website was launched on April 3 and more than 20,000 people had completed the form by April 8 afternoon.

The governor asked people in Bangkok to try their best to stay home, regularly wash their hands, practise social distancing, wear face masks and refrain from sharing personal items, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19./.
Amid the current crisis, many coronavirus-fighting products are hard to come by. Houston rappers Slim Thug and Trae Tha Truth are doing something about it.

Slim Thug, whose real name is Stayve Thomas, and Smoke Shield, a company that makes a cigarette smoke-eliminating fragrance, donated 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to Houston Police Department and Metro bus drivers on Tuesday. They are planning to donate an additional 1,000 bottles by Wednesday, April 15.

I want our police officers and bus drivers to know that we appreciate their service during this tough time. Theyve always been a huge part of keeping Houston going, said Thomas.

IGLOO STEPS UP: Katy factory ramps up efforts to help healthcare workers

The recording artist, who tested positive for the coronavirus in late March, has been in isolation for two weeks. During that time, he has been recording new music at his home studio.

Thomas will receive the results of his COVID-19 test this evening. He is doing much better and goes for his follow-up doctors appointment today, said his representative La'Torria Lemon.

CRITICAL NEED: Houston nonprofit asks for supplies to help abused children

Also stepping up to help is Trae Tha Truth, whose given name is Frazier Thompson III.

Thompson has teamed up with his business partners at Bumpboxx, a Stockton, CA-based Bluetooth boombox company, to donate 4000 masks to Houston Methodist Hospital and Harris County Jail on Wednesday.

We purchased the masks from an overseas company and paid for them ourselves, said Thompson.

Hes also helped more than 100 Houston families pay for their basic necessities.

I was spending my own money but there was only so much I could do. I wanted to keep going so I started taking donations from people on an app called $iamtraeabn, said Thompson. I cant afford to pay for their rent but I can help with school supplies and groceries. I can donate $50 to $100 to each family.

Doing good deeds is not unusual for Thompson. Along with his cohort Justin "DJ Rogers" Rogers, he helms "Relief Gang," formed during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 as they helped victims of the storm's devastating destruction.

Anytime something happens, I am going to be here to help. Ive always felt like its what I was meant to do in life, said Thompson.

@marcydeluna
ROME - Italy on Wednesday closed its ports to NGO run migrant rescue ships because the coronavirus crisis means they can no longer be classified as places of safety.

Due to the COVID-19 emergency, Italian ports ''do not meet the necessary requirements for the classification and definition of 'place of safety' as provided for by the Hamburg Convention on sea rescues'' by foreign-flagged ships outside of the Italian search and rescue zone.

The decree was signed by four Italian ministers (transport, foreign affairs, interior and health) and aims to prevent the docking of foreign rescue ships carrying migrants.

The decree is valid for ''the entire emergency period''.

Lampedusa protests over new migrant arrivals

About 60 Lampedusa residents including fishermen on Wednesday morning took to the streets and protested in front of the town council on the island of Lampedusa against Mayor Salvatore Martello due to the arrival of more migrants.

''We are in quarantine and they are out taking walks. No one should come to this island, no one,'' yelled some of the protestors. The protest was held after three of the 46 migrant disembarked on Monday and ordered to remain in quarantine instead managed to leave the hotspot and were found in the center of the city. Lampedusa residents are afraid of catching COVID-19 and are angered that they are expected to comply with the decree while migrants have been found not doing so. Martello has said that the island inhabitants were right to be angered and is seeking to understand what happened at the hotspot.

On Wednesday morning, a boat landed with about 67 people onboard that had asked for help via Alarm Phone. ''Malta did not rescue them and they crossed the search and rescue area with a motor that had stopped working. Having reached the Italian search and rescue area, the authorities escorted them to the port. We are glad that they are alive,'' the emergency telephone service said. Another 50 migrants were later disembarked on the island. At the Favarolo pier, where the new arrivals were taken, there were almost 120 people on Wednesday morning.
There was a heated debate within the Situation Room this weekend over the adequacy of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine however various sources stated that it had been mostly one-sided. President Donald Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro fought with other officials over the drug's problematic viability to treat coronavirus.

The debate is never another one the coronavirus task force and medical specialists have repeatedly disclosed to the President that there's a hazard in enthusiastically touting hydroxychloroquine just in case the medication doesn't decisively work to battle the virus. Different aides and out of doors advisers have favored with Trump, including Navarro, who remains not a proper a part of the task force but has wedged himself into the meetings.

Axios first covered the contradiction inside the White House about the medication.

Read Also: Chloroquine Not Yet Proven as Anti-Viral, Other Drugs May Be Better for Coronavirus

While talking about hydroxychloroquine this weekend, an exasperated Navarro lashed out at Dr. Anthony Fauci, one among the counsels who has encouraged caution about the medication.

Navarro had carried a heap of paperwork with him to study the medication, contending it had been confirmed that it could work to treat coronavirus, which Fauci, the nation's top communicable disease expert, couldn't help contradicting in light of the very fact that it had been not information.

Fauci asked Navarro what he is talking about which set Navarro off. He became irate, and at a particular point, blamed Fauci for contradicting Trump's travel restrictions on China, which confused many within the room, given Fauci was one among the initial few to accept Trump's move.

A source on the brink of the task force said Fauci isn't backing off his belief that hydroxychloroquine isn't a proven treatment for coronavirus. When CNN's Jeremy Diamond asked Fauci to discuss the difficulty Sunday night, Trump stepped in and didn't permit Fauci to reply. In any case, a source said the doctor has just offered his opinion on the medication in several venues and would continue to do so.

A few assistants later said they were unfazed by Navarro's upheaval, given he has them regularly. The argument features how deep the divide run over the task force's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Another source told CNN that despite the contradiction within the Situation Room between Fauci and Navarro, Fauci continues to possess an honest reference to Trump and Pence. However, a couple of staff members have shown irritation when his sentiments differ.

Asked about the exchange on CNN's New Day Monday morning, Navarro declared he was efficient to cooperate and oppress Fauci on coronavirus treatment regardless of not being a medical doctor.

"Doctors disagree about things all the time. My qualifications in terms of watching the science are that I'm a scientist , I even have a Ph. D. and that i understand the way to read statistical studies, whether it's in medicine, the law, economics or whatever," Navarro said, according to CNN.

Trump has highlighted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment despite a sparse proof of the medication's adequacy.

Without citing evidence, Trump said at Sunday's briefing that hydroxychloroquine is a fantastic and amazing anti-malaria medication and there are signs that it works on this.

For individuals without heart issues, Trump prescribed consolidating hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin, a typical anti-infection. He said azithromycin will kill certain things within your body.

However, there's little dependable proof that the medications either alone or together are viable at treating the novel coronavirus.

For doctors, nurses and first responders, Trump recommended the medications might be taken as a precaution. "They say taking it before the very fact is sweet , but what does one need to lose?" Trump said.

Experts don't propose accepting hydroxychloroquine as a preventive for the coronavirus because there's no proof yet to recommend it protects against getting the coronavirus.

"They tell take it, I'm not watching it a method or the opposite , but we would like to urge out of this. If it does work, it might be a shame if we didn't roll in the hay early. But we've some excellent signs." Trump said, without citing any experts or sources.

Trump likewise said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave hydroxychloroquine quick approval. However, FDA has not affirmed it for the treatment of the coronavirus.



Related Article: Chloroquine vs. Hydroxychloroquine: What is a Better Drug for Coronavirus Cure?

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ARCHIVED - Calls for immigrants to be returned to Morocco immediately after storming the Spanish border in Melilla



The unauthorized arrivals are seen as a threat to public health in the current coronavirus emergency

During the coronavirus emergency Spain closed its land borders with France and Portugal in the middle of March, but in the north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla the frontiers with Morocco have been guarded by 6-metre barbed wire fences for years in an attempt to repel prospective illegal immigrants from Africa who are desperate to enter EU territory.

The fences remain in place, of course, and since 13th March the border has been completely closed, but even the added deterrent of Covid-19 in Spain was not sufficient to dissuade 50 Africans from storming the border in Melilla on Monday and successfully entering Spanish territory. In normal circumstances they would be temporarily housed in a detention centre while procedures for their repatriation are initiated, but given the exceptional nature of the current situation the PP and Vox parties are demanding that on this occasion they be returned to Morocco immediately due to the risk of the coronavirus being spread further in the enclave.

Senator Sofia Acedo, who represents Melilla, has requested that an agreement signed in 1992 be invoked in order to facilitate their return to Morocco, and many calls have been made for the new arrivals to be quarantined immediately. Even if they are allowed to stay in Spain, she adds, they should be transported to the mainland as the CETI internment centre in Melilla is full to capacity.

Image: immigrants after crossing the Melilla border in May 2019 (AUGC Twitter)

Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.

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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues  and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you dont have a tissue, use your sleeve  and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Dont panic!
Patrick Jesernik feared he and his girlfriend had caught the novel coronavirus when she began showing symptoms, including shortness of breath, that drove her to be tested last week, family members later told investigators in Will County, Illinois.

Before the results of the coronavirus test came back, police found Jesernik, 54, and 59-year-old Cheryl Schriefer lying in separate rooms, dead in what they called an apparent murder-suicide. A revolver with two spent casings and three live bullets lay near Jesernik's body, police said. They lived in Lockport Township, Illinois, a suburb about 35 miles southwest of Chicago.

Jesernik's parents had not heard from the couple for a few days when an acquaintance called the police to ask for a welfare check, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

When deputies knocked on the door of the couple's house no one answered. The doors and windows had been locked from the inside. The house was orderly and neat, with no sign of a struggle, the sheriff's office said.

Family members met deputies at the home and told them about Jesernik's coronavirus fears and Schriefer's symptoms. They told police the results of Schriefer's recent coronavirus test had not come back yet, the sheriff's office said.

On Friday, the Will County Coroner's Office determined Schriefer died in a homicide from a "shot in the back of the head at close range," the sheriff's office said. Jesernik died in a suicide, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the autopsy. Neither tested positive for the coronavirus.

Will County, which includes Lockport Township and the surrounding town of Joliet, Illinois, has experienced a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and deaths in the past week. Over the weekend, the number of deaths nearly doubled from 13 on Saturday to 22 by Monday afternoon. The virus has infected a police officer, a sheriff's deputy and a nurse who works in the county jail, Patch.com reported. The county had 703 total cases on Monday afternoon.

The Will County Sheriff's Office said the pandemic had increased calls for domestic violence and mental health crises.

"During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of service calls that Deputies have been responding to, involve domestic disputes and crisis intervention calls," the sheriff's office said in a statement Saturday.

The sheriff's office said the courthouse remains open for people seeking protective orders and asked victims of abuse to contact the agency's social worker who specialized in domestic violence or call the local domestic violence hotline.

Those messages have been echoed around the United States, as calls for domestic violence and mental health issues have increased in some areas with public spaces closed, forcing people into close quarters.

Some hotlines for people suffering from anxiety and depression have reportedly received more calls, particularly in areas where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly like Maryland and Portland, Oregon, but the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline did not report an increase last week. (The phone number is 1-800-273-8255.)

Meanwhile, mental health experts have offered advice for people feeling unmoored by the loss of routines and contact with friends and family. They suggest developing a new routine, getting enough sleep, eating healthfully, staying hydrated, regularly exercising and soaking in some fresh air and sunlight every day.

As the virus has spread worldwide, domestic violence incidents have also increased in many countries, as The Washington Post's Miriam Berger reported. The measures employed to tamp down the pandemic - staying inside and avoiding physical contact with people outside the home - also put abuse victims at a heightened risk, experts say.

Spikes in violence at home have led some foreign governments to suspend alcohol sales and set up resource centers in grocery stores, one of the few retail businesses still open in many nations.

In the United States, advocates are bracing for an increase in domestic violence incidents as quarantine and stay-at-home measures fall into place nationwide.

"We know that when there's added stress in the home it can increase the frequency and severity of abuse," Katie Ray-Jones, chief executive of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, said last week. "We're trying to prepare survivors for that."

Domestic violence was widespread in the United States, long before the pandemic forced some people indoors with abusive partners. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of "severe physical violence by an intimate partner."

States issuing stay-at-home orders have made exceptions for victims of abuse and the police officers who need to respond to domestic violence calls.

"When cabin fever sets in, give it a week or two, people get tired of seeing each other and then you might have domestic violence," Alex Villanueva, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, told the Associated Press.
United Nations: About 400 million people working in the informal economy in India are at risk of falling deeper into poverty due to the coronavirus crisis which is having "catastrophic consequences", and is expected to wipe out 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of this year, the UN's labour body has warned.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) in its report titled 'ILO Monitor 2nd edition: COVID-19 and the world of work', describes coronavirus pandemic as "the worst global crisis since World War II".

"Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in both developed and developing economies. We have to move fast, decisively, and together. The right, urgent, measures, could make the difference between survival and collapse," ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said on Tuesday.

Worldwide, two billion people work in the informal sector (mostly in emerging and developing economies) and are particularly at risk, the report said, adding that the COVID-19 crisis is already affecting tens of millions of informal workers.

"In India, Nigeria and Brazil, the number of workers in the informal economy affected by the lockdown and other containment measures is substantial," ILO said.

"In India, with a share of almost 90 per cent of people working in the informal economy, about 400 million workers in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the crisis. Current lockdown measures in India, which are at the high end of the University of Oxford's COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index, have impacted these workers significantly, forcing many of them to return to rural areas," it said.

The report said the disruption to the world's economies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to wipe out 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of this year  the equivalent of 195 million jobs worldwide.

"This is the greatest test for international cooperation in more than 75 years. If one country fails, then we all fail. We must find solutions that help all segments of our global society, particularly those that are most vulnerable or least able to help themselves," said Ryder.

"The choices we make today will directly affect the way this crisis unfolds and so the lives of billions of people. With the right measures we can limit its impact and the scars it leaves. We must aim to build back better so that our new systems are safer, fairer and more sustainable than those that allowed this crisis to happen," he said.

Large reductions are foreseen in the Arab States (8.1 per cent, equivalent to 5 million full-time workers), Europe (7.8 per cent, or 12 million full-time workers) and Asia and the Pacific (7.2 per cent, 125 million full-time workers), it said.

Huge losses are expected across different income groups but especially in upper-middle income countries (7.0 per cent, 100 million full-time workers), far exceeding the effects of the 2008-9 financial crisis, the report warned.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is having a catastrophic effect on working hours and earnings, globally," it said.

The agency said sectors most at risk include accommodation and food services, manufacturing, retail, and business and administrative activities.

The eventual increase in global unemployment during 2020 will depend substantially on future developments and policy measures. There is a high risk that the end-of-year figure will be significantly higher than the initial ILO projection of 25 million, it said.

More than four out of five people (81 per cent) in the global workforce of 3.3 billion are currently affected by full or partial workplace closures, it said.

According to the report, 1.25 billion workers are employed in the sectors identified as being at high risk of "drastic and devastating" increases in layoffs and reductions in wages and working hours. Many are in low-paid, low-skilled jobs, where a sudden loss of income is devastating.

Looked at regionally, the proportion of workers in these "at risk" sectors varies from 43 per cent in the Americas to 26 per cent in Africa.

Some regions, particularly Africa, have higher levels of informality, which combined with a lack of social protection, high population density and weak capacity, pose severe health and economic challenges for governments, the report cautions.

Large-scale, integrated, policy measures were needed, focusing on four pillars: supporting enterprises, employment and incomes; stimulating the economy and jobs; protecting workers in the workplace; and, using social dialogue between government, workers and employers to find solutions, the study says.
The coronavirus pandemic has not shut down the day-to-day business of adjusting claims, but the workload is lighter and claims managers are coping with evolving government regulations and guidelines.

Crawford & Co. says it has added a new step to its vetting process. Each claim is reviewed by a triage specialist and assigned to the right team. When an on-site visit is requested, the company contacts the policyholder by telephone and email and asked a series of questions to evaluate the risk.

Ken Tolson, U.S. president of Crawford Claims Solutions, said so far only 3 percent of the policyholders contacted have said they are suffering from flu-like symptoms, or have recently returned from an overseas trip or a high-risk area. He said when claimants are determined to be a high risk, his company asks if they are willing to use a self-service app so personal contact can be avoided.

He said 30% of policyholders said yes in the risk-assessment survey that started three weeks ago, but thats a very small sample size. He said he knows by experience that 65% to 70% of policyholders will participate in some form of self service if asked.

Crawford & Co. was one step ahead of the pandemic in one sense. In 2017 the company purchased a majority stake WeGoLook, a tech company headquartered in Oklahoma City that designed a gig-economy platform. Crawford sends one of its 46,000 lookers to the site of the claim to take video that can be used by a professional adjuster to survey damages, Tolson said. The lookers follow a script on the YouGoLook smart phone app telling them exactly what to photograph and from which angles.

Tolson said Crawford & Co. was an earlier adopter of technology to assist in claims management, but the pandemic has enlightened the entire industry.

What we are seeing now is an acceleration of adoption of these tools, Tolson said. Up until now, a lot of people have tinkered with it, but never really embedded it into their claims processes.

Some claims still require an on-site visit. In those cases, Crawford follows whatever guidelines are requested by its carrier clients.

Tolson said some carriers have directed that no in-home visits be allowed. In those instances, the company has to persuade the homeowner to use a self-service app or simply delay the inspection until the situation changes, he said.

Other carriers insist that all adjusters wear gloves and masks, Tolson said. But the guidelines vary by location. In Canada, public health officials ask that only people who are experiencing symptoms to wear masks and gloves. That created an awkward situation for one carrier that had issued an edict that all of its claims handlers wear masks and gloves while out in the field, he said.

One thing all health officials seem to agree on is the value of using hand sanitizer in situations where it is impossible to wash your hands. Tolson said Crawford & Co. wasnt able to buy enough sanitizer for the hundreds of adjusters that it employs in locations scattered around the country, so it decided to manufacture the product itself. He said the company mixed alcohol with glycerine and distributed bottles throughout its workforce. It also contracted with distilleries to continue production.

Our purchasing and procurement people are quite creative, he said.

Medical and pharmacy management provider Mitchell International has a close-up view of how insurance carriers are going about the business of adjusting auto and workers compensation claims. The San Diego-based company has a 70 percent market share in the bill review space for auto, and 30 percent in workers comp, said Michele Hibbert, senior vice president for regulatory compliance.

Hibbert said carriers are reporting from 30 percent to 60 percent declines in personal auto claims. She said its too soon to report changes in volume for other lines, however Mitchell expects an increase in commercial auto claims as stay-at-home orders increase the number of deliveries.

Hibbert said for the most part insurance carriers have quickly adapted to the new work-from-home regime. She said State Farm, one of Mitchells clients, has nearly 30,000 claims representatives now working remotely.

I have been utterly impressed, she said. They are not missing a beat.

Hibbert said the pandemic has added a layer of complexity to the business of claims adjusting as insurance commissioners around the country issue edicts demanding that carriers be flexible when adjusting claims.

We live after every word those regulators write, she said. We are being very careful when reading these things. When you are asked to be quote-unquote flexible, what does that really mean?

For the workers comp line, the primary change has been an increased focus on telemedicine. Hibbert said some states are allowing prescriptions to be prescribed after telemedicine treatment instead of requiring the usual in-person visit. Theres also been a push toward telephonic court hearings.

Hibbert said one concern she has for workers compensation is that many of the claims involve soft-tissue injuries that requires palliative care. What happens if treatment is delayed for several weeks? Carriers will have to decide whether a claimant is entitled to 12 trips to physical therapy, for example, for an injury that tends to resolve itself after several weeks anyway.

She also worries that claimants will delay needed care and increase claim duration. Also, working from home may lead to ergonomics problems. Hibbert said employees moving from custom-fitted office chairs to their dining room tables may bring a wave of ergonomic-related injuries.

Hibbert said Mitchell allowed its employees to take their office chairs with them. The company conducts ergonomic assessments using FaceTime, she said.

For independent claims adjusters, the drop in claims volumes translates directly into a loss of income. One claims shop is trying to help by increasing pay and making payments more promptly.

SCA Appraisal Co., a national independent appraisal firm headquartered in Burbank, Calif., last month started giving network and franchise appraisers an extra 5% commission on each claim assigned to them, said Phil Langley, vice president of client services. He said the company last month started making weekly payments to appraisers and using electronic fund transfers instead of mailing checks.

Langley said the commission rates it pays vary according to the contractor and the type of services, but average about 50 percent. The extra 5 percent payment amounts to about 10 percent more for each claim, albeit with fewer claims.

Langley said claims volume for most insurers had dropped 40 percent to 60 percent, depending on the line, since the start of the pandemic shutdowns last month. He said the claims volume for his shop has dropped less, only about 30 percent. He said SCA may be benefitting because some carriers are unable to send their own employees to field assignments. Also, the company is still working claims that came in before shutdowns were ordered.

Langley said SCA appraisers are observing social distancing guidelines when out in the field. As it happens, though, SCA Appraisal has made it easier for appraisers to avoid in-person visits when adjusting auto claims by building an in-house photo claims system, called Streamline.

Langley said for simple claims where a desk estimate is possible, the company sends claimants a link to a website that they can use to take photographs of damaged areas. Those photos are run through the CCC One Valuation system.

He said the beauty of the web-system is it does not require the consumer to download an app.

It doesnt leave a footprint,he said. Do you really want to download an app just to use it once?

Langley said personal auto makes up a large portion of SCAs business. As long as the coronavirus pandemic lingers, those claims will likely continue to dwindle  as will revenue to his company.

Its down about 30 percent, he said. That will impact us, but this is our 41st year in business. We have some staying power.
Laramie County, the home to Wyomings largest coronavirus outbreak, is experiencing widespread community transmission of the disease that cant be attributed to one or two single clusters, a health official said Tuesday.

I wouldnt say that a lot of cases are attributed to any one certain spot, said Kathy Emmons, the executive director of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department. Weve got pretty wide-based community spread here. It started out nice and neatly with a tight group that we could identify that it was coming from.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 48 confirmed cases in Laramie County, which is just shy of a quarter of the total cases in Wyoming. The number of cases there has ticked up steadily over the past two weeks. On March 26, for example, there were 14 total cases in Laramie County. Now, three patients are in intensive care and are on ventilators. A fourth has also been hospitalized.

In addition to the 48 known coronavirus patients, around 80 people are in quarantine, Emmons said. Some of them are most likely going to be positive, some of them may not.

But when you start looking at the scope of that and when you think about it as tentacles going out, it could be a large number of people, she said. And we cant say theres any one, you know, patient zero or anything like that.

She said a significant challenge to health officials in the capital county is the amount of inter-state travel its experiencing. People may live in Colorado and work in Cheyenne, for instance, or vice versa. As health officials try to map and track the disease in Laramie County, the travel complicates the issue.

She said that of the 48 confirmed cases, a significant enough amount are tied to inter-state travel.

Theres been a statewide and national concern about a shortage of the protective gear health care workers wear to ward off infecting themselves as they treat coronavirus patients. Emmons said that Cheyenne providers are in pretty good shape right now. But that can change quickly.

Do we have enough today? Yes, she said. Will we have enough in two days? Who knows. The metrics keep changing, the yardstick keeps changing. But as of today, were OK. Tomorrows a whole nother conversation.

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Panaji, April 8 : A 38-year-old man suspected to have contracted the coronavirus infection, who was admitted to the quarantine ward of a state government hospital, died on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.

The Chief Minister said the patient, who had returned to Goa from the US, was hospitalised on account of fever and had tested negative in four Covid-19 related tests.

"He had come to Goa from the US. He was admitted to the hospital on March 22 with complaints of fever. He was discharged and re-admitted again on April 3," Sawant said.

"All four reports of the Covid-19 test conducted on him returned negative. He was not a confirmed Covid-19 positive case," Sawant said.

This is the second instance of a suspect Covid-19 patient admitted to the quarantine ward of a government facility in Goa dying. On March 29, a 68-year-old woman died after being diagnosed for respiratory distress.
Physical distancing is not just a fruitless suggestion any longer, and the city of Toronto is clamping down on those who are willingly disobeying health recommendations. Over the course of the past weekend, Torontos COVID-19 enforcement team, which includes resources from the city, Toronto Public Health and Toronto Police Service, issued 29 tickets for those violating physical distancing bylaws and spoke to over 2,000 people about what to do while out in public spaces.

Education instead of enforcement is the better tactic to take at this point, according to Christopher Rudnicki, a partner and legal counsel at Rusonik, OConnor, Robbins, Ross, Gorham and Angelini.

Police officers have the discretion to just caution people, its a much more effective method of police power than enforcement, he said.

At the beginning of April, the city of Toronto passed two bylaws making it illegal for those who dont practice physical distancing, which means if youre out in public and dont remain at least two metres away from someone who is not living in the same household, you could face a fine of up to $1,000. A conviction in court can lead to a $5,000 fine.

The province also passed temporary laws under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, which forced the closures of non-essential business, and limits gatherings of more than five people and stops businesses from price gouging.

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 26: Mayor John Tory is out of isolation and back to work at City Hall. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Thousands of people visited city parks, and officers responded to 346 complaints and despite most of the complaints being used to educate the public, Mayor John Tory said there is no plan to limit access.

We have not really had a discussion about closing the parks..the notion of taping off High Park or some big or small parks is an impracticality for us, said Tory in his press conference on Monday afternoon.

Rudnicki said if everyone who received a ticket decided to just fight it, the already backlogged provincial court system might not be able to handle it.

Story continues

If all the people decide to contest their tickets, youve just added 100 tickets to the provincial offences system which is probably overburdened, he said.

Toronto City officials said most of the interactions they had with the public were to provide education, and while there is no ban in parks, Rudnicki believes a simple reminder may be all thats needed.

I tend to think that giving people very specific instructions about how they can go out in public and are encouraged to take walks everyday, as long as they maintain physical distancing -- there shouldnt be any problem, said Rudnicki.

In cases where enforcement is needed and people are blatantly disobeying health recommendations, Runidick hopes people arent just getting handed tickets.

If people arent following physical distancing recommendations thats a tough nut to crack for policy makers. If police officers only have the hammer of enforcement, we need to think of something else, said Rudnicki.

Instead of enforcement, Rudnicki suggests police officers be used to help medical workers, or to help the elderly who may be in need of medicine or groceries. Rudnicki added that with respect to officers, being close to other people during a pandemic may be a safety issue for themselves and greater public, too.

Christopher Rudnicki is a lawyer in Toronto

Prohibition seems ineffective

Throughout the weekend, members of the enforcement team patrolled 300 parks and public places including outdoor shopping plazas, parks and playgrounds.

Canoe Landing and High Park, were amongst some of the fourteen parks which saw an increase in traffic, but the highest traffic park was Bluffers Park, where at least 800 vehicles were turned away.

Instead of hoping Torontonians follow the recommendations, Rudnicki thinks it may be time to take some control out of their hands.

If they stagger entry into the park, or tell people to limit their time, or after it hits a total, then that could be effective, but prohibition seems ineffective, he said.

While for some, there may be a desire to limit how many people are strolling through Toronto parks, Tory said the city has issued a directive to parks staff to remove furniture that can be easily removed, and for caution tape to be placed around things that cannot be moved.

When asked about how to police tighter spaces like Toronto sidewalks, Tory indicated that it would be difficult to hone in sidewalks.

The policing of that, the enforcement of that would be a big challenge for us because theres thousands of kilometres of sidewalks through the city, he said. I think right now, things are working OK in that regard.
[April 08, 2020] RenaissanceRe Schedules First Quarter 2020 Financial Results Conference Call

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR) (the "Company" or "RenaissanceRe") will conduct an investment community conference call on Thursday, May 7, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2020, as well as the Company's outlook. RenaissanceRe will release its results following the close of market on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. A live webcast of the conference call will be available through the Investors section of RenaissanceRe's website at www.renre.com. An archive of the call will be available from approximately 1:30 p.m. ET on May 7, 2020, through midnight ET on June 5, 2020.



About RenaissanceRe RenaissanceRe is a global provider of reinsurance and insurance that specializes in matching well-structured risks with efficient sources of capital. The Company provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries. Established in 1993, the Company has offices in Bermuda, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005724/en/

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Murali Krishna CH By

Express News Service

Actor Allu Arjun is gearing up to start shooting for his new film with director Sukumar. Currently dubbed AA 20, the film also has Rashmika Mandanna as the leading lady.

The production house, Mythri Movie Makers, on Monday, announced that they will be releasing an important update about the film at 9 am on April 8 coinciding with Allu Arjuns 38th birthday.

According to a well-placed source, the team is determined to release the films title, along with the first look poster on Wednesday.

CE has learnt that AA 20 has been titled Pushpa and the poster shows Arjun in a bearded avatar. The film was officially launched last October in Hyderabad in a low-key affair and also stars Vijay Sethupathi in a prominent role.

Set in the backdrop of red sanders smuggling in Seshachalam forests, the action entertainer presents the 38-year-old actor as a lorry driver.

Arjun, reportedly warmed up the Chittoor dialect to play the part.

The new schedule of the film, however, will begin in Rampachodavaram in June.Allu Arjun was last seen in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, which has been directed by Trivikram Srinivas. The film, which also featured Pooja Hegde, has become the third highest grosser of Telugu cinema.
By Sam Richards

Bay City News Foundation

CONCORD (BCN)

A 70-townhome residential project in northeastern Concord can move forward, with the Concord City Council's rejection of an appeal of the project's Feb. 19 approval by the city planning commission.

The council's 3-2 vote came despite dozens of commenters - via Zoom, telephone and email - who blasted the project for myriad reasons, most notably its density, its expected impacts on traffic and safety impacts on students at nearby schools.

The 70-unit Clayton Road Townhomes is planned to be built behind existing businesses on the south side of the 3500 block of Clayton Road. Catalyst Development Partners is the project applicant; Catalyst consultant Guy Houston said no developer has been determined.

The Planning Commission's approval had been appealed by longtime Concord resident Colleen Coll. She reiterated Tuesday night several reasons for her appeal, including that the development is too dense for that area, that it would adversely affect already crowded nearby streets, and that the project is "pro-developer and not pro-Concord taxpayer."

"This is not a not-in-my-backyard NIMBY group -- we're very amenable to construction," she said.

Several neighbors described (via phone, Skype and email) traffic issues, the height of the proposed buildings and toxic waste cleanup at the building site.

Early in the 3.5-hour hearing, Councilwoman Carlyn Obringer asked her colleagues to consider postponing the townhome discussion until residents in the area could address the council with their concerns in person.

Because of concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, Tuesday night's meeting -- as local government meetings generally are in the COVID-19 era -- was conducted remotely. Obringer said that, given the shutdown of home construction, it wouldn't have hurt Catalyst to wait until the meeting could have been safely carried out in front of an in-person audience.

But City Attorney Susanne Brown told the council that proper notice was given about the meeting, and the acceptance of public comments was done electronically. Brown said that if the council opted to not take up the townhome project appeal Tuesday night, that, legally, the planning commission's Feb. 19 approval would stand.

Catalyst's consultant Houston would not agree to a postponement.

"We feel this is a badly needed project in Concord ... and we'd like to hear it this evening," he said.

Several residents blasted the decision to move ahead Tuesday night; one called it "blasphemous."

"You're all elected officials - people want to engage in the democratic process," Coll told the council. "I do not think a Danville developer should overrule the citizens of our community."

Edi Birsan joined Obringer in voting against the project, saying that even a string of added conditions addressing turn lanes, security and parking weren't enough to offset the lack of in-person public participation in the process.

Mayor Tim McGallian, Vice Mayor Dominic Aliano and Councilmember Laura Hoffmeister voted in favor of rejecting the appeal.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
As 10 million Americans file for unemployment and the economy crumbles as the coronavirus ravages the country, one aspect of American life has proven unshakeable: the absolutely staggering wealth of Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos.

For the third year in the row, Mr Bezos has earned the top spot in Forbes list of billionaires.

Despite his $40 billion divorce  a contributing factor to the $18 billion drop in his net worth last year, bringing him down to a paltry $113 billion  Mr Bezos is still the man on top.

Just over half the worlds billionaires have lost money due to the virus, collectively losing $700 billion since 2019. Taking their losses into account, this year the billionaires are worth only $8 trillion.

According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the United States median household income was $63,179 in 2018.

While Mr Bezos enjoys the top of the pyramid, the people who actually generate the profit for his company have been protesting what they claim is the company valuing profit over safety.

For its part, Amazon has re-prioritised its shipping, making sure essential goods are shipped first. The workers that make those shipments possible are  in some instances  are pushing back against the company.

Amazon warehouse workers said the company is tracking them and firing them if they fail to socially distance themselves from their coworkers, even receiving letters stating that they could be fired for a single infraction.

In Staten Island, New York, Amazon warehouse workers staged a walkout on 30 March over complaints that the company was refusing to close the facility despite increasing numbers of coronavirus cases among their coworkers.

Though reports on the numbers differ  the workers say more than 50 walked out, but Amazon says it was no more than 15  there nonetheless was a walkout and the worker who organised it, Chris Smalls, was fired hours after it happened.

Amazon insisted Mr Smalls was fired for failing to social distance himself, but leaked emails first obtained by Vice News showed Amazon executives plans to smear Mr Smalls and use him to dishearten the bubbling labour movement in the company.

Hes not smart, or articulate, and to the extent the press wants to focus on us versus him, we will be in a much stronger PR position that simply explaining for the umpteenth time how were trying to protect workers, David Zapolsky, Amazons general counsel, said in the notes.

We should spend the first part of our response strongly laying out the case for why the organisers conduct was immoral, unacceptable, and arguably illegal, in detail, and only then follow with our usual talking points about worker safety, Mr Zapolsky wrote. Make him the most interesting part of the story, and if possible make him the face of the entire union/organising movement.

When confronted with his own words, Mr Zapolsky told The Verge his emotions got the better of him, but doubled down on the argument that Mr Smalls firing was done to protect workers.

When it comes to protecting workers during the pandemic, Amazon is ready and willing to fire a solitary organiser for allegedly violating social distancing rules, but less enthusiastic about shutting down facilities unless forced to by the government.

The governor of Kentucky had to force the company to close a returns processing warehouse after three employees there tested positive for the coronavirus, and a sorting centre in Queens, New York, was closed for cleaning only after workers there walked out to protest the handling of virus cases at the facility.

The company also has yet to implement any paid sick leave policies for the warehouse workers. An anonymous employee told the Daily Mail that the company sends them texts every time a new worker tests positive and reminds them they can simply stop working  without pay  if theyre concerned.

They send us a very standard text every time they learn of a new case, reminding us that our health and safety are most important, before reminding us we can take as much time off without pay as we like, the employee said.

The employee noted that while its helpful to have the option to not come into work if theyre scared, for most employees, choosing not to come in means choosing not to eat, or not to pay rent.

Of course, anyone with bills to pay will have to go back eventually, the employee said.

Amazon has not responded to a request for comment.
The Congress in Goa complained to



governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday about unlawful transportation of coal from Mormugao Port Trust to a village during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a written complaint to the governor, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar claimed that a Singaporean vessel carrying coal powder from South Africa was docked at MPT and is supplying the raw material to a company at North Goa's Amona village.

The Congress, however, did not name Vedanta, the company for which the raw material was allegedly being transported.

"MV Ikan Pulas, a Singaporean Vessel carrying coal powder from Richards Bay (South Africa) docked at Mormugao Port Trust, with 150 African sailors onboard, has been clandestinely transporting coal dust to a plant at Amona in Bicholim with the blessings of the Goa Government," the complaint states.

The Congress alleged that the coal-laden carrier had arrived in Goa on April 4 during the lockdown and started unloading the cargo, which was being transported to Amona in barges, it claimed.

The vessel management was violating the lockdown, which has been enforced in wake of the coronavirus pandemic and has not followed the principles of self-quarantine, Chodankar alleged.

The GPCC president claimed that the activity had created "panic" and "distress" among villagers of Amona and nearby areas.

The Congress urged the governor to staythe operation to ensure safety of local barge operators, pilots, crane operators, workers, transporters and villagers who are exposed to crew members of the foreign vessel.

Meanwhile, Director of Vedanta N L Vhatte said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs clarified in its order on March 29 that transportation of all goods, without distinction of essential and non-essential, has been allowed.

"Vedanta's Value Added Business, which is categorised as an industry requiring continuous process, resumed limited operations including unloading/loading of coal or pig iron at its Amona-Navelim after obtaining necessary permissions from Office of District Magistrate North Goa," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:39:08|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A fashion teacher in central Istanbul cut an interlining nonwoven fabric into a rectangular piece, folded it down about 1.5 cm from the middle and bent it downwards.

Nursel Garip Dogan was not sewing an outfit as she always did, but protective face masks for Istanbul's citizens, who have been facing a growing number of COVID-19 cases.

"Now, I am placing a piece of wire in the folded part. After the needling process, the mask is ready for sewing," Dogan told Xinhua at the Colpan Ilhan Fashion School in the Mecidiyekoy neighborhood.

The operation started last week after the Istanbul municipality asked teachers to contribute to the production of masks as part of the fight against the pandemic.

"The call was made to the municipality-sponsored training courses' teachers, who are aged between 20 to 65 with no chronic diseases," Dogan said.

So far, three training centers have been used for production purposes across Istanbul. They are producing over 10,000 items per day.

At the end of each day, the teachers put their final products in packages and transfer them to warehouses of the municipality for disinfection.

"And then, local workers will distribute them at the entrances of metro stations or at bus stops to the citizens for free," Dogan added.

On its social media accounts, the municipality also shared a video, in which the details of making masks are explained for those who want to produce them at home.

On Wednesday, Turkish officials also began distributing face masks and cologne, a traditional disinfectant, for people in the risky groups across the country.

The government recently banned the sale of masks in the market, announcing that upon receiving an application, post offices across the country would deliver masks to citizens.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said wearing face masks would be mandatory in crowded areas, including supermarkets and workplaces.

According to the latest figures by the Health Ministry, Turkey has recorded 34,109 cases of COVID-19, of whom 725 have died.
Micron Technology announced a 7.5 crore rupees (nearly $1 million) donation from its Micron Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund to assist the nation in battling the spread of COVID-19. India is one of five countries prioritized to receive grants from Micron Foundations global relief fund. Micron has activated a global network of community partners to ensure its resources are applied quickly and effectively in India.

Micron is committed to the health, safety and well-being of our team members, front-line health care workers and the communities in which we operate, said Anand Ramamoorthy, managing director of Micron India. Given the scale and enormity of the task, we are immediately accelerating our efforts to provide funding, resources and support to those most affected by this health crisis.

Micron Foundation grants will provide accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and anganwadi workers, who form the first line of defense against COVID-19, with personal protective equipment and thermal scanners to improve community tracking and reporting and to keep the virus from spreading. In addition, Microns funding will ensure hospitals across the greater Hyderabad area receive masks, sanitizers, HAZMAT suits, ventilators and other critical infrastructure. Micron will also leverage its community partnerships to ensure that local communities with the greatest needs, like daily-wage and migrant workers, have access to healthy food, groceries and necessary household items.

We greatly appreciate how Micron has stepped forward to support Indias citizens in the face of this pandemic, said Telangana IT and Industries Minister, KT Rama Rao. While COVID-19 affects all of us, Microns financial assistance will reach and help those on the front lines, as well as those families who are most vulnerable in our community.

Working with state and federal agencies in India, Micron aims to address both the short and long-term challenges fueled by the pandemic.

Micron has also encouraged its employees to give to COVID-19 causes, matching their gift donations on a two-to-one basis to increase their impact. In addition, Micron is supporting its own employees by making a one-time assistance payment to eligible members of its India workforce.

With more than 1,150 employees in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Microns India sites play a critical role in strengthening the companys technology leadership position, providing design and product engineering functions for next-generation memory and high-value storage solutions  technology that is instrumental in driving breakthroughs in a wide range of areas, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Micron plans to continue scaling up its operations over the next two years.
Grocery store workers in the US are being forced to clean up dirty gloves and masks discarded by shoppers, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Shoppers are leaving gloves, masks and other protective gear in the grounds of supermarkets in the US, according to Business Insider.

They report that shoppers put on protective gear when they enter the store, in order to keep safe as they shop, but discard them as they leave.

Linda St Denis, an employee at a Safeway in California told Business Insider that the parking lots are littered with gloves constantly, every day.

Ms Denis said that grocery store workers are being put at risk, as who knows how long the virus lasts on these gloves. Its maddening.

She added that store employees are now having to clean up the discarded protective gear themselves.

The practice is not new, as the outlet reports that people have been sharing pictures of discarded protective gear on social media for weeks.

Twitter user @KYScouse96 tweeted: Within a few yards at my local grocery store discarded gloves litter the entire parking lot. (DISGUSTING) WE ARE IN A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?

Some local governments in the US and abroad have taken action to stop people from discarding masks and gloves.

In Ottawa, Canada, they have threatened to fine people $365 if they discard protective gear on the ground.

In the US, the Bellingham Board of Health in Massachusetts announced that they will start visiting grocery stores and fining anyone discarding protective gear incorrectly.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 423,135 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 14,390.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  General Santos City is no longer coronavirus-free after confirming its first case of COVID-19.

The Department of Health in the Soccsksargen region said a 59-year-old man who had traveled to Davao City had contracted the disease. Twenty people are being treated for coronavirus infection in Davao City.

In its official Facebook page, the local government of General Santos City said the patient attended a derby at New Davao Matina Gallera. He was able to return to General Santos City prior to the imposition of travel restrictions.

"Rest assured that this person is already confined in one of our private hospitals here in Gensan. We also did the necessary contact tracing with all the people he interacted with. We are heavily monitoring these individuals," the local government said.

General Santos City is under enhanced community quarantine  similar to the one imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte in Luzon  restricting people's movement to contain the spread of COVID-19. It also imposes a total lockdown every Sunday, wherein even those with home quarantine passes are not allowed to leave their homes except for emergency or medical reasons.

As of Tuesday, seven patients under investigation are admitted in General Santos City while four are under home quarantine. Earlier, eight people tested negative for coronavirus infection while the results of 10 others are still pending.

Natiownide, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 3,764. Of this number, 177 have died while 84 have recovered.
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Stunning pictures captured the breathtaking beauty of the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year which illuminated skies across the United States on Tuesday night.

On April 7, the pink supermoon, sometimes called a Paschal full moon, filled the night sky with a bright and luminous tribute to the spring season, shining above some of the most famous landmarks in the United States including the Empire State Building and the Washington Monument.

The name comes from the Greek word for 'passover', chosen because the pink supermoon is the first full moon to take place after the Spring Equinox, which occurred on March 19.

Even though it's called a pink supermoon, the moonlight isn't actually pink.

The Supermoon rises behind the Empire State Building while it glows red in solidarity with those infected with coronavirus

A 'pink' supermoon rises over the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday night

It is set to be the largest lunar event of the year, captured here over the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment in New York

The super moon rises in the sky in front of a fountain at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday

A supermoon rises behind the artwork titled Seven Magic Mountains by artist Ugo Rondinone in Las Vegas on Tuesday night

The biggest supermoon of the year appears large over the Luxor Hotel and Casino, Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and the under construction Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada

The 'pink' label was chosen in part as a reference to a type of wildflower native to North America called 'phlox subulata,' which has a vivid pink hue and is a common sign of spring, according to a report in Newsweek.

As the moon rose to prominence at about 10:30 PM EST, amateur astronomers grabbed pictures of the event and posted them to social media.

It was photographed shining bright above New York as people gathered along the waterfront in Brooklyn and New Jersey to capture it hanging above the Manhattan skyline.

The moon, seen here behind the 200 Clarendon Street, formerly know as the John Hancock Tower, in Boston, is not named a 'pink' supermoon because of the light is gives out but is named after a North American flower

A supermoon such as this one seen over the Long Island Expressway in New York on Tuesday occurs when the moon is at the closest point of its orbit with the Earth. This is the supermoon after the Spring Equinox which occurred on March 19

The name for the supermoon, seen here in Boston, comes from the Greek word for 'passover', chosen because the pink supermoon is the first full moon to take place after the Spring Equinox, which occurred on March 19

The moon rose to prominence at around 10.30pm on Tuesday but was seen all over the world

The Super Pink Moon rises behind the Empire State in New York City where eager photographers were out to see the event

Stunning photographs showed it in the sky side by side with the Empire State Building which was illuminated in red and white in tribute to the city's healthcare workers battling on the frontlines against the coronavirus pandemic.

It was also pictured shining bright as it rose above the Washington Monument and in states across the east coast from Florida to Massachusetts.

Shots of planes passing in front of the moon highlighted how large it appeared in the sky as a relatively cloudless night in many east-coast cities set up a perfect viewing opportunity for the year's largest lunar event.

The pink supermoon, seen here over New York, is one of the largest lunar events that will take place in 2020

The supermoon is pictured here rising above the Empire State Building in Manhattan on Tuesday night

A plane flying over Florida highlights how large the supermoon appears in the sky on Tuesday night

As night fell on more states across the country, social distancing guidelines were abandoned by some eager to record the majestic moon.

Las Vegas proved a popular viewing spot for many as the moon stood out against iconic attractions such as the Seven Magic Mountains.

In Oregan, the remarkable lunar event appeared over the snow-covered Mount Hood, appearing large in the sky over the state's highest mountain.

The supermoon rising over the watertower in the town of Nunn in Colorado. The spectacular event was seen across the U.S.

The largest supermoon of the year rises over Mount Hood as seen from Sandy, Oregon, on Tuesday night

The beautiful event framed in the artwork titled Seven Magic Mountains by artist Ugo Rondinone in Las Vegas

Photographers prepare to watch the largest supermoon of the year rise over Mount Hood at Jonsrud Viewpoint, Oregon

A supermoon typically only occurs once a year, when a full moon coincides with the moon also being at the closest orbital point to Earth, called a perigee.

Compared to standard full moons, supermoons can appear between seven and 14 percent larger and up to 30 percent brighter.

Supermoons are relatively rare because the moon's orbital path around the Earth is elliptical instead of circular, meaning that full moons rarely occur when the moon is also at its perigee.

Rather, most full moons occur when the moon is further away from the Earth, making it seem dimmer and not quite as big as it does during a supermoon.

On Tuesday, Scientist Noah Petro of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland encouraged people to take advantage of the phenomenal lunar event even if they could only look out their living room window.

'If you cant get out safely  then fine,' Petro told Time.

'Go out next month or whenever its safe again. Use the full moon as an excuse to get out and start looking at the moon.

'Use this as an opportunity to not physically distance yourself, but emotionally connect with something that is physically far from us.'

The pink supermoon is also the first full moon to take place after the spring equinox. It's called pink not because of the color of its light, but after the 'phlox subulata,' a species of North American wild flower with a vivid pink hue that are a common sign of springtime
Man Dies After Being Bitten by Shark Near Great Barrier Reef

A 23-year-old man has died after a shark bit him near the Great Barrier Reef on April 6.

The man was bitten by a shark while swimming with others off North West Island, according to police in Queensland, Australia.

Tragedy struck as the group headed back to their charter vessel, police said. Members of the RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service attended the scene.

Queensland Police added in a statement: A doctor and paramedics responded to the scene and treated the man on board the vessel before he was transported to Gladstone Hospital.

The man sustained life-threatening injuries to his leg, hand and elbow. He succumbed to those injuries just after 10 p.m.

This file image shows a bull shark at the Oceanarium in Le Croisic, western France on December 6, 2016. (Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images)

A police report is being prepared for the coroner.

The victim worked as a ranger for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).

According to a statement from QPWS, the man was on North West Island with colleagues, to complete maintenance works as part of the QPWS essential works program.

The online statement continued: Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to the family, loved ones and friends of our dear colleague. Support has been organised for all those impacted by this tragedy.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, the state premier, expressed her sympathy on Twitter.

North West Island, a popular spot for walking, diving, snorkelling and fishing, is located about 46 miles off the coast of the city of Gladstone, Queensland.

Its the third reported shark attack in the area since December 30, according to CNN affiliate, 7 News.

A nine-year-old girl was bitten on her leg in January. Days before, a 30-year-old man was also bitten on his leg and sustained minor injuries. Both survived.

In October, a British tourist lost a foot after being bitten by a shark near Airlie Beach in Queensland. He and another Brit were attacked while on a snorkelling trip to the nearby Whitsunday Islands.

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A day after two of its pilots were arrested, charged to court, and remanded in Port Harcourt prison, Caverton Helicopters Ltd has been ordered to leave Rivers state.

The pilots, according to the police, were arraigned before a magistrate on Tuesday, charged with disobedience to lawful order  order of the governor on the restriction of movement or flight because of coronavirus.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, handed down the quit order to Caverton on Wednesday in a statewide broadcast.

Caverton, a logistics company, provides support services for oil and gas companies in Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Total, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.

Mr Wike, who has barred vehicles and flights from entering Rivers as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus, said the pilots illegally flew an aircraft into the state.

Ten other persons, who were in the Caverton flight, were also charged to court, the police said.

Governor Wike has been insisting that people flying into Rivers must subject themselves to health check to ascertain if they are positive or not to the coronavirus.

Caverton Helicopters have clearly shown that Rivers lives do not matter to it, the governor said in the Wednesday broadcast. It is an enemy of Rivers people and is hereby declared persona non grata in Rivers State.

With this declaration, Caverton Helicopters can only chose to operate in any part of Rivers State at its own risk as Local Government Chairmen have been directed to close their offices and prevent their operations.

Mr Wike made some damning allegations against Caverton.

Their morbid intention is to create panic by pushing up the infection rate and rubbish the robust measures we have since put in place to cut off the spread of the virus and keep our State and our citizens safe and secure from the ravaging pandemic, he said.

Rivers has only two confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

The state government, apart from barring people from entering or leaving the oil-rich state, has imposed curfew in some parts of the state to halt the spread of the virus.

The Caverton flight was authorised by the federal government. But Mr Wike said such authorisation was not just enough, at a time Rivers state and the nation was fighting a pandemic.

Caverton Helicopters claimed to have gotten permits from some federal agencies to fly passengers into the State, which never bordered to take the State Government into confidence in issuing such permits in violation of our laws and containment orders.

While federal agencies reserve the right to issue flight permits to airline operators to fly into Rivers State, we insist that the State Government must equally be informed and taken into confidence in the process.

This the only way to avoid suspicion, conflicts of interests and unnecessary bickering between the State and Federal Governments in our collective efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Cavertons management, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the company has not violated any law. It appealed for the intervention of the federal government in the matter.

At the start of the COVID -19 lockdown, we received a letter from our client stating that they have been given approval/ exemption to fly and continue operations.

We (Caverton along with three other companies) also received approval from the Minister of Aviation to fly only essential services, mainly in the Oil and Gas industry.

Lastly, we got another approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly for this same oil and gas sector. We have been flying along with these guidelines for the past seven days.

Today, we were informed that the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike was coming to address the operators in Port Harcourt and our people waited. But on arriving, the governor directed two of our pilots to be taken to CID where they were told to write statements.

Despite all pleas by our lawyers who showed all the relevant documents, they were taken to the magistrate court and charged.

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At the court, our lawyers also presented all the documentations approving us to fly by the federal government but the case was closed and the pilots have been remanded in Port Harcourt prison till the 19th May, the company said
Likening the situation in the country to a social emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made it clear that the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 cannot be lifted in one go on April 14, asserting that the priority of his government is to "save each and every life".

Interacting with floor leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament via video conferencing to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the government's efforts to mitigate the hardships due to the lockdown, the prime minister said the country was facing a "serious economic challenges as a result of Covid-19, and the government is committed to overcoming them."

India is under the 21-day lockdown since March 25, with only essential services exempted, to contain the spread of coronavirus. As per the Union health ministry's evening update, there are 149 deaths and 5,274 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country even as the country entered its third week of nationwide lockdown.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same," Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.

Apart from Misra, others who participated in the meet included Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, also leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party' s Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Misra, Lok Janshakti Party's Chirag Paswan.

The meet came amidst indications that the central government may extend the lockdown across the country beyond April 14 after several states have favoured the extension to contain the fast-spreading virus, as the positive cases in the country show no signs of any let-up.

"The situation in the country is akin to a social emergency. The country has been forced to take tough decisions, and must continue to remain vigilant," the prime minister told the leaders, according to an official statement.

States, district administrations and experts have suggested extension of the ongoing lockdown beyond April 14 to contain the spread of the virus, Modi said. The official statement, however, did not mention whether the lockdown will be extended.

According to official sources, Modi will interact with chief ministers of all states on April 11 to discuss various issues related to the coronavirus outbreak including the lockdown.

Asserting that India has been among the few nations to control the pace of spread of the virus till now, Modi, however, warned that the situation keeps changing continuously and one needs to maintain vigil at all times.

Azad said the prime minister told the meeting that he has received several requests for extension of the lockdown to contain Covid-19, but will take a call on it after consulting experts and the chief ministers of various states.

Around 80 per cent of the leaders from various political parties, who interacted with the prime minister through video-conferencing, favoured extending the lockdown, the Congress leader said, while Paswan told Modi that there has been a lot of speculation about the lockdown but the prime minister is in the best position to take a decision.

Paswan, however, said that any relaxation in the lockdown must be done in a phased manner, and district and state borders should remain sealed for a long time.

While crowded urban centres like malls and cinema halls can remain closed for more time, farmers in rural areas should be given relaxation, Paswan said.

Sources said these leaders were briefed by secretaries of various ministries -- health, home and rural development -- on the actions taken by the government to tackle Covid-19 and mitigate the hardships arising out of the lockdown.

Several opposition leaders raised the issue of shortage of personal protective equipment for health workers in the country, a source said.

Other leaders who attended the virtual meet were T R Baalu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Sukhbir Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Janata Dal-United), Pinaki Mishra (Biju Janata Dal) and Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena).

Giving up its initial reluctance, the Trinamool Congress also attended the interaction. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay was among the participants.

Modi interacted with leaders of those parties whose combined strength of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to five.

Baalu said he sought a relief of Rs 10,000 from the Centre in two equal instalments, to be provided to all BPL families, besides Rs 5,000 as subsidy to all LPG users while Bandopadhyay urged Modi not to suspend the MPLAD funds scheme as it would impact development works at the grassroots level.

The DMK leader also told reporters in Chennai that he asked Modi to "drop the (building a new Parliament) move as it was unnecessary at this juncture. The nation would require huge funds to combat Covid-19 pandemic."

Bandopadhyay said, "I have requested the prime minister for a financial moratorium (for debt servicing) for West Bengal and to give the financial package of Rs 25,000 crore as demanded by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. I have also requested him not to suspend the MPLAD funds and told him that we are ready to give away our full salary.

The MPLAD funds help public representatives to take development to the grassroots level and it should not be stopped, added.

This is the prime minister's first interaction with the floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25 though he had held interactions with chief ministers of all states including those ruled by non-NDA parties.

The leaders also talked about financial packages for states, boosting the health and morale of the healthcare workers, ramping up testing facilities, the need to assist smaller states and UTs, and tackling the challenges of hunger and malnutrition, the statement said.

They also spoke about economic and other policy measures to boost the country's capability in the battle against the pandemic, it added.

They thanked the prime minister for the meeting, appreciated the timely measures taken by him and said that the "entire country is standing united behind him during the crisis", the statement said.

The prime minister has also held interactions with various stakeholders, including doctors, journalists and heads of Indian missions to get a feedback on ways to check the spread of coronavirus.

He also recently spoke to various political party heads including the Congress's Sonia Gandhi, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and DMK's MK Stalin and discussed the Covid-19 situation.

He had also talked to former Presidents Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee, and former prime ministers HD Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh.
In the same way that unilateralism is a code word for American action apart from international institutions or against their good opinion, the word globalization has, for the last two decades, mostly functioned as a code word for the rise of China and its integration into global markets and international institutions. The COVID-19 crisis tells us that as far as globalization in theory has meant Sinicization in practice, it must be reversed.

Donald Trump and the COVID-19 crisis have conspired to put this form of globalization under question. Trump has said that the World Health Organization missed the call while threatening to cut off its funding, and that the health organization really blew it while Marco Rubio called for the resignation of WHOs director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.

Why? Weve seen how the pressure the Chinese Communist Party exerts on the World Health Organization corrupts its functioning. China was not transparent, and it worked with outside officials only under duress. There is good circumstantial evidence China knew of COVID-19s transmissibility in December, but it was almost the end of January before the world knew this. All the while, the World Health Organization issued boot-licking statements praising Chinas response to the outbreak.

Bruce Aylward, who led the joint WHO-China mission on COVID-19, has been sycophantic in the extreme. He pretends not to hear questions when they involve Taiwan. He has praised China to the point of saying that he himself would prefer to be treated there if he had contracted the virus. But of course it was the refusal to listen to health authorities in Taiwan that led to greater delays in global preparedness for the disease.

WHOs prevarication, and its dangerous obsequiousness toward Beijing, powerfully illustrate a truth: International organizations will always reflect the great-power realities among their members. The worse an actor China becomes on the world stage, the less effective these institutions become. The current director-general of WHO got his job because of Chinese lobbying on his behalf.

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What goes for the World Health Organization goes for the World Trade Organization and many other bodies of international cooperation. Trump has made a half-hearted attempt to improve Chinese behavior on intellectual-property theft and other forms of corporate spying, with a trade war. The results are inconclusive. In truth, the scale of the problem requires a solution that is even larger and more comprehensive than the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was  despite some flaws  a genuine attempt to strengthen Asian trading partners that played by the rules.

The China problem in international organizations goes beyond internationalist institutions in which the Chinese state is a member; it goes to Chinese-backed enterprises that act as arms of the Chinese state. Using the vast resources of the state, telecom company Huawei has been able to clear the field of other competitors and muscle up against Ericsson for dominance of the European mobile-phone market. Polish and German authorities have had to raid Huawei offices for the spying the company does. But the lack of options in a market in which they compete has meant that even after incidents such as this, Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to have Huawei build part of the United Kingdoms 5G infrastructure. If trust is burned up in this crisis, major European powers need to think about fostering their own national champion corporations to retain control over the infrastructure that is part of their national security.

There is even a moral corruption that spreads from China to American companies and consumers. As part of its attempt at cultural genocide of Muslims around Kashgar in the west of China, a program was introduced to spread Muslim workers around China on rotation. These half-imprisoned victims of persecution have been placed at major contractors that build products for Apple. Tim Cook, Apples CEO, has made his position against religious-liberty laws in the United States clear in the past. He should be asked repeatedly whether Apple has investigated whether Uighur Muslims have been transferred from involuntary detention to involuntary labor on the products he sells.

Incorporating China into the global order was supposed to bring about an internal reform of the Chinese Communist Party and the liberalization of the Chinese state and society. Instead, China has used its access to international institutions to whitewash its behavior, spread propaganda about the competence of its state, corrupt business, and make something as simple as cellphone towers a national-security threat. The Chinese Communist Party has infected global institutions and markets with its amorality and lawlessness. The cure will be tough and costly, but the disease is worse.

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LONDON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning independent children's book publisher Nosy Crow has been overwhelmed by the worldwide response to its digital book for primary school age children, illustrated by best-selling Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler

On Monday (6th April) afternoon Nosy Crow issued a digital book FREE for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. It has been written by staff within the publishing company with expert input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who acted as a consultant, and advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

In just the first 24 hours the digital book has been accessed over 100,000 times directly from the Nosy Crow website and hundreds of thousands of times further from other hosts. Daily traffic to the Nosy Crow website, driven by the blog post sharing the digital book, has increased 100-fold against the same time last week.

To put this in perspective, the top selling Children's World Book Day 2019 title sold 66,601 copies by volume in its first week (TCM data provided by Nielsen).*

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, said:

"We have just been overwhelmed with the response to our book. As a relatively small, independent publisher we have just never seen this level of activity on our website or through our social media channels.

We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused. We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book - accessible to everyone - to explain and, where possible, reassure children and there has been astonishing levels of demand, both here in the UK and worldwide.

We have given the book to our partner publishers in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, who will publish the book as a free ebook in English but with localised information - their own equivalent of Childline, eg - at the back. And today we have agreed that publishers in different countries around the world will publish the book as free ebook in the following 14 languages: Afrikaans, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh.

Nosy Crow's only condition for giving the book to these publishers is that they will make the book available free of charge and as widely as possible, mirroring what we've done in the UK. We expect that there will be publishers in other countries who will want to do the same thing."

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said:

"I asked myself what I could do as an children's illustrator to inform, as well as entertain, my readers here and abroad. So I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus. I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I've done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books."

Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

"This pandemic is changing children's lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story - this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them. This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with."

Notes for Editors

ABOUT THE BOOK

You can download a copy of the book here.

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

What is the coronavirus?

How do you catch the coronavirus?

What happens if you catch the coronavirus?

Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?

Is there a cure for the coronavirus?

Why are some places we normally go to closed?

What can I do to help?

What's going to happen next?

Nosy Crow wants to make sure that this book is accessible to every child and family and so the book is offered totally free of charge to anyone who wants to read it. However, the company suggests, at the back of the book, that families might make a donation to help our health service if they find the book useful: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.

A fixed format eBook will be available for free download from all eBook retailers and pre-orders are open now.

ABOUT NOSY CROW

Nosy Crow is a multi-award-winning publisher of child-focused, parent-friendly children's books and eBooks for ages 0 - 14. It began publishing in 2011 and has won the Independent Publishers Guild's Children's Publisher of the Year Award three times. It was named Children's Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards in April 2017 and in April 2019, and in 2016 was awarded the Independent Publishers Guild Independent Publisher of the Year. Other prizes include a Queen's Award for Enterprise - International Trade, The Stationers' Company Innovation Excellence Award, The Nectar Business Small Business of the Year Award, The Growing Business Awards Young Company of the Year Award and many others for both individual books and for its marketing and international sales. Nosy Crow is already the 12th biggest children's book publisher in the UK, based on Nielsen-tracked sales to consumers.

www.nosycrow.com

ABOUT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. LSHTM has a strong international presence with over 3,000 staff and 4,000 students working in the UK and countries around the world, and an annual research income of 180 million. LSHTM is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, is partnered with two MRC University Units in The Gambia and Uganda, and was named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2016. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

www.lshtm.ac.uk

ABOUT AXEL SCHEFFLER

Axel Scheffler is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed illustrator of some of the most well-loved children's books. His books have been published in many languages and his work has been exhibited all around the world. Axel is best known for his partnership with Julia Donaldson, on books including Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo. For Nosy Crow, Axel has illustrated a number of other highly successful titles, including the Pip and Posy series, The Grunts and the bestselling Flip Flap series. Axel lives in London with his partner and daughter.

*Data provided by Nielsen Ltd. 66,601 (volume) copies of Supertato: Books are Rubbish! (Sue Hendra/ Paul Linnet) sold through TCM in Week 10 (1-7th March, 2019).

Kate Wilson and Axel Scheffler are both available for interview/comment.

Image: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1142667/Coronavirus_Cover.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1142669/Nosy_Crow_Logo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1142668/LSHTM_Logo.jpg
A Vietnamese patient was discharged from a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday, over two weeks from his hospitalization with severely damaged lungs for treatment for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The man, a 55-year-old, resides in Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

The patient, Vietnams 150th case, was emotional when he extended his sincere thanks to the health workers at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases upon his discharge.

Doctors had met with quite a few difficulties in treating the patient, said Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the infectious disease department at the hospital.

The patient was hospitalized on March 24. His lungs were seriously damaged so he was given respiratory support together with antibiotics.

He has fully recovered after more than three weeks of care at the hospital, Dr. Phong said, adding that the patient is required to self-isolate at home for another 14 days.

On March 13, the patient returned to Vietnam from the U.S., with transit time in Taiwan, aboard EVA Air flight BR395. Their seats were 2D and 2K.

Their flight landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

He went home after entry, as Vietnam only started enforcing compulsory isolation of all arrivals from foreign countries on March 21.

The man visited many places and came into contact with a lot of people from March 14 to 18.

He came to the Family Medical Practice clinic at 34 Le Duan Boulevard in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City for a consultation on March 18.

He was then advised to have his health checked at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, where he tested negative for the novel coronavirus for the first time.

He was still sent to a field hospital for COVID-19 in Can Gio, an outlying district of Ho Chi Minh City.

He had a fever, sore throat, and coughing on March 23 before testing positive in a conclusive test.

He was transferred back to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases one day later.

He was among nine patients discharged from hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday.

Thirty-one out of 53 patients in the southern Vietnamese hub have made a full recovery.

Vietnam added four new cases to the national tally to make it 249 patients in total on Tuesday, when the country also announced 27 hospital discharges.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has declared 122 patients free of the virus so far.

Over 94,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Vietnam, the minstry said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
US officer killed in ambush in eastern Syria

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 1:11 AM

A US officer has been killed in an ambush in the eastern Syrian province of Dayr al-Zawr.

The ambush, which was reportedly carried out by an unknown group, targeted vehicles of the US-led coalition, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.

Two Kurdish militants were also killed along with the American serviceman.

The body of the US officer was transported to a base run by American forces in the province of Hassakah.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

The ambush came less than a month after a US military convoy was forced to retreat from an area in Syria's Hassakah after government forces blocked its way and groups of angry local residents, upset with its presence in the region, throw stones at the US convoy.

Syrian army soldiers stopped the American convoy, consisting of 7 armored vehicles, as it tried to make its way through the village of Kuzelia, which lies west of Tal Tamr town.

Locals then threw stones at the American convoy and cursed the soldiers, forcing them to move back.

The development came only two days after local residents of Rumailan al-Basha village in the same Syrian province hurled stones at US troops as their convoy sought to drive through the area.

US forces have set up a number of bases in Syria. Damascus calls the American presence illegal and against the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for easing restrictions on export of drugs used to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. In a letter to PM Modi, President Bolsonaro compared Indias move to allow export of hydroxychloroquine to reach his country to Lord Hanuman and Sanjeevani booti (herb) in the epic Ramayana.

Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Ramas brother Laksmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight of Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis, President Bolronaro said in his letter to Prime Minister Modi.

India is the largest manufacturer and exporter of hydroxychloroquine in the world.

Also read: India eases hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol export restrictions

But on Saturday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade notified a ban on exports of hydroxychloroquine and any formulation containing the miracle drug from special economic zones (SEZs) and export-oriented units too.

President Bolsonaro, who was in the country this January to be chief guest at Indias Republic Day celebrations, spoke with PM Modi the same day. He followed up the conversation with a letter on Tuesday that underscored the important role that he expected hydroxychloroquine to play in the fight against Covid-19.

President Bolsonaro is also learnt to have emphasised that the drug was required by his countrys pharmaceutical companies, not just for the coronavirus disease but also for other illnesses.

India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all peoples, he said in the letter.

The empowered committee of top bureaucrats later overruled Saturdays ban order after which the Ministry of Commerce informed Indian Customs to allow export of hydroxychloroquine and honour previous contracts.

We will issue no fresh notification. Instead we have asked the Customs to allow shipments of HCQ . The supplies have already begun, said a Commerce Ministry official.

As two Brazialian pharma companies have existing tie-ups, the supplies are on their way.

Also read: Indian Americans US pharma firm donates 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets

In all, India received similar requests from 20 countries as countries explore any possible cure for the pandemic that has infected 1.4 million people and killed nearly 82,000 around the world.

While easing restrictions on export, India has said it would stockpile enough of the drug for domestic use before allowing exporters to start servicing previous orders. The decision on who to export to (and how much) will be taken by the department of pharmaceuticals.

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The federal governments $194 billion economic response to the coronavirus crisis has rightly focused on helping businesses and affected workers to "hibernate" through the shutdown. But Tuesdays announcement on commercial leases means that many retailers, cafes, pubs, gyms, and hairdressers wont wake up on the other side.

The city that's gone to sleep ... rents on halted businesses will be enough to sink many operators. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The governments reluctance to step on the toes of landlords and to inject more public money will ultimately slow Australias economic recovery.

Millions of "social consumption" businesses that have borne the brunt of the health response to COVID-19 are hanging on by their toes. Australian Bureau of Statistics business survey data released on Tuesday shows that more than 90 per cent of business in accommodation and food services and more than 60 per cent in retail have suffered a hit to demand. And in this cashflow winter, rent is the biggest barrier to survival.

The governments wage subsidy scheme allows business to continue to provide an income for workers during the shutdown. Other costs such as stock can be stopped quite quickly. But unavoidable costs  of which rent is the largest  cant be turned off. The average retailer pays almost $12,000 in rent a month; the average gym, $10,000. Cafes and hairdressers are losing $3000 to $4000 each month in rent.
The amusement park season, like everything else, has been put on hold indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Knoebels Amusement Resort originally said it would be closed until early May. Now, officials said today, its closed indefinitely. Meanwhile, massive construction projects planned for Hersheypark - including the parks newest and largest coaster, Candymonium - have been forced to shut down.

One thing that did start rather unexpectedly was the fishing season, when the Pa. Fish and Boat Commission announced this morning that all trout fishing seasons were open immediately. The commissions executive director said over the weekend we considered the range of options available to us and what everyone coalesced around was what we did this morning. As you can imagine, word spread quickly on a sunny and springlike day.

What has been ongoing, despite the orders from the governor, has been construction of the Live! Hotel & Casino in South Philadelphia, where workers have been growing increasingly concerned for their safety. Now, they have found out that a worker on the project for a couple of days tested positive for COVID-19, and it has set off even more concerns.

Here are some other coronavirus stories on PennLive that we didnt want you to miss:

Coronavirus scams: Tips for staying safe online, protecting your info, and what to watch for

More than 200 York County employees to be temporarily furloughed

Pennsylvanians may get more time to pay their municipal and county property tax bills

Paris bans daytime outdoor exercise because of coronavirus: Today in Pa.

674 coronavirus cases detected in Pa.s long-term care facilities as nursing home cases continue to climb

Sheetz in Harrisburg closes after employee tests positive for coronavirus

Opera singer Andrea Bocelli will perform live on Easter from empty Duomo Cathedral in Milan: How to watch

Troopers wont just warn violators about Gov. Wolfs coronavirus stay-at-home order forever, PSP official says

Geisinger Health Plan waiving out-of-pocket costs for coronavirus inpatient treatment for members

State police issue 14 more warnings to businesses at start of third week enforcing closure order

More than a third of Pennsylvanians admit to drinking during work-from-home hours, study says

Pa. prison inmates working 12-hour shifts producing masks to shield themselves, guards from coronavirus

Little Caesars customers can opt to 'pie it forward for healthcare workers, plus chain will donate 1 million pizzas

WellSpan doubling beds, preparing to use hotel space for COVID-19 surge

MLB works on unique plan to open season: Its considering playing all games in Arizona, reports say
In the before times, it wasnt uncommon to spot Ken Forkish visiting his longtime Northwest Portland bakery Kens Artisan Bakery in the morning, checking in at Old Town/Chinatowns slice-focused Checkerboard Pizza at lunch or hanging at the bar at Southeast Portlands wood-fried Kens Artisan Pizza in the evening.

In fact, you still might.

I still go to my restaurants, Forkish said in a phone interview Wednesday. Its really weird. I go to my pizzeria, open the door, see if my mouse traps have caught any mice, stare wistfully at the oven, set the alarm, lock up and go home.

Three weeks ago, that oven went cold for the first time in 14 years, when Oregon Gov. Kate Brown banned on-premises dining at restaurants and bars across the state. But even after closing his bakery and two pizzerias, Forkish has stayed busy. Beyond checking the mouse traps, the James Beard Award winning author took part in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the r/breadit channel Tuesday. A moderator said they had never seen so much interest in an AMA. One commenter referred to Forkishs Flour Water Salt Yeast as the bread bible

Across the country, people are embracing baking as a new stay-home hobby. Google searches for bread are at an all-time high. Grocery stores have run out of flour and yeast. People in San Francisco have been hanging free tins of sourdough starter from telephone poles. Meanwhile, Flour Water Salt Yeast has solidified its position as Amazons No. 1 bread-baking how-to, and recently cracked the companys top 100 best sellers overall.

Between dog walks  when Forkish does his best to dodge inconsiderate joggers  the longtime Portland baker spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive.com about being Americas go-to bread instructor for our current plague. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: How does it feel to be the go-to bread instructor for our current plague?

A: How would you feel? This is great! My book has sold a lot of copies, and its affected a lot of peoples lives positively. And thats immensely satisfying. The book was published in 2012, and every single year of its life has outsold, which is cool because thats word of mouth traction, not any media blip. The book works, people talk about it, then more people buy it. Its had a logarithmic increase.

Q: What is it about being stuck at home that makes people want to bake bread?

A: I think its a lot of things. Were all cooking at home every day now, most of us are anyway. And bread is tangible. It gives you a chance to do something thats craft-oriented, and its not hard to do. It satisfies this joy of being a person that transforms something like a bag of flour into a beautiful loaf of bread. And then youve got bread for a couple of days, without going to the store and putting yourself at risk.

Q: Was your book this successful out of the gate?

A: No, the first year it didnt sell very well, and it didnt look like I was going to earn very much on it. Ten Speed approached me about writing another book, and I just laughed. I worked so hard on this thing, and I looked at how much money was coming in, and it just didnt seem worth it.

When I wrote the book, Im not a nationally known guy, so I didnt have much of an audience beyond Portland. Getting the James Beard Award (in 2013) gave it a little bump, for sure. Since then its just been on its own momentum.

Q: How long did it take you to start earning royalties on the book (most book contracts are structured so the initial incoming royalties are used to pay off the authors advance)?

A: Two and a half years, maybe.

Q: Why do you think its had such a long tail?

A: Well, first off, it works. But what my book did is it showed people how to bake bread at home of the quality and character of what youd find in a really really good craft bakery. And that was the difference: artisan bread, craft bread, bread thats got a nice open crumb texture, excellent texture and a really nice crust and also looks super cool.

Another big reason for the success of this book was social media. I dont think the book would have sold nearly as well as it has without Instagram. People buy the book, make a loaf of bread and say, Ok this is my first time using this book, and look at this bread I made, it looks just like it does on the cover. They throw it up on instagram and that creates its own waves.

Q: Besides buying your book, whats the best piece of advice you have for someone whos never baked bread before but wants to start?

A: Its kind of like the same question when someone asks me, Whats the secret to making great bread at home? Have the right instructions. If you dont, youre going to spend a bunch of time, make a big mess and say (forget) this.

Q: After Browns order, you kept Kens Artisan Bakery open for a few days for takeout sales. What made you decide to close it down completely?

A: One, I had already begun my own social distancing, so for the last week that the bakery was open, I had already been staying at home. Im 62, I have asthma and I fear getting this disease. And then Im asking myself, Do I do this for myself, then ask people to go to work for me? What weve all had to balance is giving people jobs and staying safe, and thats not a happy marriage right now.

Then about four, five days into this, my managers had a meeting and told me they werent comfortable in that environment anymore. It just wasnt possible for everybody to space out in the kitchen, or between my counter staff and customers. I went in to check it out myself, and I made the call immediately.

That was a Thursday, and we had already fabricated all of our bread for Fridays bake, and we had already done our setup for the next days croissants. We baked it all, then shut it down around 1 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Q: You closed your restaurant Trifecta at the end of 2019. Did that experience help prepare you at all for what was to come?

A: The intensity of that was extreme. We were really busy in December, and every single night in Trifecta I had customers telling me they were going to miss the place. And every single one of those conversations hurt, because I knew I was causing them pain. Once we had closed, we had to clean the whole thing out, go through the backlog of bills, trailing expenses, and then closing it down and turning it over to Shaun and Jamie (King, of Bar King, which took over the space and opened briefly before the closure order). By the time I got on a plane to go to Hawaii in the middle of January, I was tight like a ball.

The difference this time was enormous. When I shuttered Kens Artisan Pizza and Checkerboard Pizza and my bakery, in each of those cases, I thought of it as a furlough for my workforce. I told everybody in the public that we will be back, that this is temporary, and then I continued to work with my staff to make sure they can apply for unemployment properly. With unemployment checks and the bumper from the CARES act, Im pretty sure people are going to get close to what their income was before the furlough.

And after getting through those initial steps of furloughing 70 employees, landlord conversations, and paying off all my vendors, now Im finally to that point of sleeping in, reading books, and chilling. Im starting to get my me back. Because I dont have all this stuff coming at me every day. The thing Ive been thinking about lately is whats it going to be like when we return. Its hard for me to imagine my pizzeria or bakery with people seated side by side with each other, the way they were. Maybe that will happen. I dont know.

-- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell

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As May elections approach, Burundis ruling party says it has stopped demanding payments from citizens to finance the polls. But the confiscatory practice persists. Bujumbura should move decisively to halt it as a prelude to wider-ranging improvement of governance in the country.

Whats new?* In 2017, Burundis government imposed an ostensibly voluntary contribution scheme on its citizens to fund the countrys May 2020 elections. But the ruling party has collected the contributions coercively, has not made clear how it is using the funds, and continues to demand payments months after declaring the practice over.

Why does it matter? As Burundians chafe under the pressure of political repression, this confiscatory and arbitrarily administered system of forced contributions can only increase public resentment, and hence the risk of violence, in the run-up to the 2020 elections  and potentially thereafter.

What should be done? International partners should pressure the Burundian authorities to end permanently the collection of forced contributions of money and goods, do a public accounting of how funds collected for the election were spent, prosecute perpetrators of serious abuse and embezzlement, and launch a conversation about human rights and governance reforms.

* Crisis Group conducted the field work for this briefing before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some dynamics examined in this publication may have changed in the meantime. Moving forward, we will be factoring the impact of the pandemic into our research and recommendations, as well as offering dedicated coverage of how the outbreak is affecting conflicts around the world.

I. Overview

As Burundis government has escalated political repression, it has also squeezed the countrys exhausted citizenry for material support. Since 2017, it has been extorting contributions from the Burundian people, ostensibly to fund the May 2020 elections. The government officially ended the contribution scheme in the summer of 2019, but the Imbonerakure youth militia continues to collect money and goods. Although the ruling party has chosen a new candidate for the elections, indicating that President Pierre Nkurunziza will leave office after a controversial third term, pre-election tensions are still running high. Burundis leaders could reduce the chances of trouble ahead of the polls and start to repair relations with external partners by stopping the practice of forced contributions for good, sharing information about the use of funds, and investigating (and where appropriate prosecuting) the main offenders in channelling monies away from election preparations. Broader reforms will remain critical but ending these contributions and associated measures could be a confidence-building first step in that direction.

Nkurunzizas third-term bid in 2015 prompted street protests, a failed coup attempt, a violent crackdown and a prolonged period of political and economic instability in Burundi. Five years later, despite government efforts to portray the country as stabilising and returning to normal, it is anything but. The government continues to deny civil society the ability to operate freely and uses intimidation and violence against the political opposition. In the run-up to the May 2020 presidential, legislative and district council elections, the regime has cracked down on supporters of the main opposition party, the Congres national pour la liberte (CNL), and other perceived dissenters. The Imbonerakure ruling-party youth militia, which acts with impunity, is the main tool of this campaign of repression.

Against this backdrop, the governments heavy-handed collection since 2017 of ostensibly voluntary contributions to fund the upcoming election is yet another hardship the Burundian people have been required to bear. The Imbonerakure, working with a range of government and security services, intimidated and harassed people into paying amid ongoing reports of embezzlement and indications that the militia is becoming increasingly dependent on financing itself in this manner. By heaping financial pressure on Burundis already exhausted population and straining the countrys creaking economy further, the contributions system could only ratchet up political tensions in a country that has yet to recover fully from the shocks of 2015.

The Burundian authorities optimally would make the human rights and governance reforms that international partners have been demanding as a prerequisite for restoring aid to the government severed in the aftermath of the 2015 violence. But, realistically, they will not do so in the handful of weeks between now and the elections, so Bujumburas international interlocutors should focus on the more modest goal of prevailing on Burundian officials and candidates to: commit to ending all schemes for the forced contribution of money and goods in any context outside the formal tax system; come clean with the public about how the proceeds collected for the elections were spent; and ask the police to investigate those suspected of serious embezzlement and human rights abuses in the course of collections so that they can be brought to justice.

Evariste Ndayishimiye, the presidential candidate for the ruling Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie  Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD), has shown signs of wanting to mend ties with international actors. Burundis outside partners should encourage Ndayishimiye to make this set of modest commitments with respect to forced contributions as a prelude of sorts to the reform agenda they would like to see him pursue.

The road to broader reform will remain long and difficult. But taking these steps with respect to forced contributions would be a good way to demonstrate that Burundis present and future leaders are at least serious about moving in the right direction.

II. The Continuing Fallout of the 2015 Crisis

In April 2015, President Nkurunzizas controversial decision to run for a third term helped kick Burundi into a state of protracted crisis. Protests filled the streets, and state authorities aided by the brutal Imbonerakure youth militia cracked down on civil society and private citizens. The countrys senior army ranks split and several former close allies of Nkurunziza led a failed coup attempt in May of that year.

The repression that surged in 2015 has continued since and the countrys human rights situation has deteriorated again in the run-up to the 2020 elections. The jittery government in Bujumbura has continued to use state security services and the Imbonerakure to maintain its hold on power by cracking down on the political opposition, many of whose members have been attacked, arbitrarily arrested, summarily executed or disappeared. A UN Commission of Inquiry found that the pattern of abuse appeared to be intensifying in the run up to the 2020 presidential and legislative elections, identifying the Imbonerakure as the main perpetrator, and political opponents of the regime (especially CNL supporters), as the main victims.

At the same time, the Burundian authorities have mounted a steady campaign of repression against independent voices that might report on its abusive activities to the public. In February 2019, the government forced the closure of the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi. In March 2019, Bujumbura permanently revoked the BBCs operating licence and upheld a previous suspension of Voice of Americas operations. In June, the government shut down Parcem, one of the last human rights advocacy groups operating in Burundi. Four journalists at Iwacu, one of Burundis few remaining independent media outlets, were arrested in October while reporting on clashes in Bubanza province. At the beginning of 2020, they received sentences of two and a half years in prison.

Diplomats and other observers underscore Nkurunzizas insularity: he hardly leaves the country and frequently refuses to meet foreign emissaries.
Taiwan appears to be engaging in its own "coronavirus diplomacy," striking a partnership with Czechia to manufacture testing kits and a possible vaccine. Taiwan has also provided aid to Italy. For Marc Cheng, Taiwan is not competing with China but Beijing is irritated. The US is pushing for Taiwans to be accepted in the WHO.

Taipei (AsiaNews)  Taiwan has donated seven million masks to Europe and will send another two million to the United States and one and half million to the 15 nations with which it still has diplomatic ties (including the Vatican).

In what is the first cooperation agreement between the island nation and a member state of the European Union, Taiwan and Czechia (Czech Republic) have set up a partnership to develop and manufacture rapid tests and a possible virus vaccine.

Taiwan also plans to donate ventilators, protective visors and other medical supplies to Czechia to deal with the pandemic.

Ordinary Taiwanese have also become involved, donating NT$ 120 million (US$ 3.97 million) to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The fundraising campaign began on 1st April, led by Fr Giuseppe Didone, the superior delegate of the Camillians in the island.

In a tweet, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked Taiwan for the aid. This is the first time that the EUs top leader officially and directly addresses the Government of Taiwan.

Many EU states are also examining the Taiwanese model of response to the pandemic, a "democratic" alternative to China's draconian approach, one that has so far achieved excellent results.

For Marc Cheng, executive director of the European Union Centre in Taiwan, the aid does not constitute a Taiwanese "Health Silk Road."

"Taiwan is simply helping countries struggling with the COVID-19 because it is in its interest. We have no intention of entering into great power games. We dont even have the capacity to do so.

The numbers are clear. Taiwan manufactures more than 13 million surgical masks per day (up from 3.2 million in February), and is aiming to reach 15 million. In mid-March, China manufactured 110 million a day, 90 million more than a month earlier.

"We are not competing with China to win the hearts and minds of other peoples," says Cheng.

In his opinion, the difference between the two countries is that China is trying to polish its global image as a responsible power, whilst Taiwan just wants to prove that it is a responsible stakeholder in the international community.

It is hard to image the island and mainland China going head to head politically and economically. However, according to many observers, Taiwans "coronavirus diplomacy" is helping the island boost its international standing.

Not surprisingly, Beijing appears irritated by Taipeis humanitarian activism. China believes that Taipei is using "political tricks" to gain membership in the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Chinese foreign ministry has "advised" Taiwan (and the United States) not to take actions that could harm China's core interests.

Washington is pushing for Taipei to be granted observer status in the World Health Assembly, a request that Beijing has rejected. To the Chinese, the island is a "rebel province" to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Morrie Markoff and his wife, Betty, photographed on September 19, 2013 in Los Angeles. Betty passed away last year at the age of 103. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

I keep hearing from readers looking for a break. Come on, they say, give us some sunshine, something that breaks through the storm of depressing coronavirus news.

As you wish.

My circle of people I've met through this column includes a 101-year-old former nurse and amateur painter, a retired appliance repairman who turned 106 not long ago, and a jazz drummer and band leader whos closing in on 90 and still always looking for a gig.

As we all know by now, older people have been hit particularly hard by coronavirus, so I figured I should check in on the trio to see how theyre faring. All three are healthy, relatively speaking, and more importantly, theyre in good spirits.

If you're looking for a constructive way to spend all the idle hours during the stay-home lock-down, Marian Sachs, a year past a century, has a routine you might consider

She reads, and reads, and reads. She always has, but now theres more time than ever with outings and social gatherings curtailed.

Sachs told me she is on her 31st book since Jan. 1  Malcolm Gladwells Outliers.

Its a fascinating book, and so well written even though the material is dry, said Sachs, who lives in an assisted living home in Pasadena.

Senior living residents Marion Marx, left, and Marian Sachs, 101, were instrumental in getting meat removed from the menu one day a week at The Fair Oaks Assisted Living facility. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Two months ago, I wrote about Sachs and her buddy Marion Marx, who were inspired by teenage global warming activist Greta Thunberg. Marian and Marion successfully rallied fellow residents to start eating meatless meals to help save rain forests. At the time I told Sachs I was reading The Splendid and the Vile, the Winston Churchill tome by Erik Larson.

Oh, that sounds interesting, Sachs said, and she immediately ordered it on her Kindle.

Im still digging through the 600-page book. Not Sachs.

I finally finished reading The Splendid and the Vile," she emailed me weeks ago. "But it took me four days. Good reading. Thank you.

Sachs keeps a log, uses a pencil, and writes in good old-fashioned longhand cursive to enter the title of every book she completes. A recent favorite was The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende. She reads serious books and fun books and loves mysteries by Jonathan Kellerman, James Patterson and, one of her favorites, Michael Connelly, having just burned through Dark Sacred Knight and The Nightly Fire.

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When does she read?

Well, first things first, Marion Marx comes over for an early workout, because their regular exercise class is on hold during the pandemic.

My table is five feet long and we each push our chairs back another foot, so we have at least six feet between us and follow the distancing rules, Sachs said.

After 30 minutes of flexing and stretching, she reaches for a book.

I read until lunch, and then after my nap in the afternoon I read until dinner, and if the book is intriguing Ill read after dinner until I go to bed, she said, estimating an average of five or six hours of reading daily.

Speaking of books, its been three years since Morie Markoff published his first book. He was 103 at the time.

No need to re-read. He published at 103, three years after his first-ever art exhibit, which featured sculpture he fashioned from loose parts at his appliance repair center.

The title of Markoff's book was Keep Breathing, because people kept asking him the secret of a long life.

I started writing a second book, but I thought it was a duplication of earlier stuff I wrote, so I stopped, Markoff said Tuesday by phone from his downtown L.A. apartment. As a writer, I have to tell you, you have to be careful about duplication.

Now he tells me.

Markoff is in a tiny and ever-shrinking group of people who were alive during the Spanish flu, which killed 50 million people in the world, including Markoff's older brother.

We were living in the New York tenements, and my brother was 11, said Markoff.

I met Markoff when he was in his late 90s and sent me an email offering to buy me a cup of coffee. I had a great time with him and his wife Betty. Last fall, he lost Betty. She was 103.

"I miss her dearly," he said.

Markoff had a close call with coronavirus, when several employees and residents at the Silver Lake retirement home where he was living tested positive for the virus. He moved into a downtown apartment with his caretaker, Danny Ching. Markoff said the two are 10 days into a 14-day self-quarantine, but both are symptom-free.

Right now the world is one big mess, Markoff said, promising we can get together when the threat subsides. "I think were going to survive it.

Jazz drummer Steve Hideg gets dressed in his apartment in East Hollywood. "When I was very young I fell in love with jazz and that was all I wanted to do," he said. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

That same kind of grace and optimism flow from Steve Hideg every time I talk to him, no matter what his troubles might be. Hes the musician who survived bombing raids in his native Hungary during World War II, has struggled with a couple of recent health challenges unrelated to the virus, and has been barely hanging on to the Los Feliz apartment hes lived in for a quarter of a century.

With Hidegs limited income and mobility I was worried about whether hes getting enough food, so I gave him a call and asked if he still gets regular deliveries from Meals on Wheels.

Its once a week now because theyre so swamped with other people, and its not a hot meal," said Hideg. "Its four frozen meals.'

That wasn't a complaint. It was a blessing  a "thank heavens" for the good folks at Meals on Wheels.

Before the shutdown, Hidegs last concerts were volunteer charity gigs with a small band at Childrens Hospital.

Its so satisfying to do it for children who are fighting for their lives when theyre in the lobby, waiting to see a doctor, said Hideg, a long-ago child of war who once described financial hardship as "a beautiful struggle" because he still had the gift of music.

Hideg said a caretaker checks in on him regularly, and in yet another example that the pandemic is bringing out the best in some people, he told me the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council has checked in on him.

You know me, said Hideg. Im a survivor. I believe were going to get through this.

Over the past week, while checking in on Sachs, Markoff and Hideg, Ive been in email contact with Connelly, the former L.A. Times police reporter and mega-best-selling novelist and executive producer of the hit TV series Bosch, spawned by his Harry Bosch detective novels.

When I told Connelly the 101-year-old Sachs is a big fan, he said he would drop a pre-publication copy of his next book, Fair Warning, in the mail to her.

Sachs squealed with delight when I told her that, and when I mentioned my upcoming visit with Markoff and asked if shed like to join me when the coast is clear, she said absolutely.

There will be plenty to celebrate, no doubt. I should probably hire a band.

Steve Hideg said hes in.

Cloud lifted.
Married At First Sight's Poppy Jennings has explained her friendly on-camera behaviour towards ex-'husband' Luke Eglin during the show's reunion episodes.

Some viewers were confused last week when they saw the single mum give Luke a warm welcome at the reunion dinner party, despite having made some serious allegations against him on social media after their wedding was filmed.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, the 38-year-old revealed what really went down between her and Luke - and the fiery clash they had behind the scenes.

EXCLUSIVE: Married At First Sight's Poppy Jennings has explained her friendly on-camera behaviour towards ex-'husband' Luke Eglin during the show's reunion episodes

'After being told off at the girls' night for trying to tell them on camera why I really left [the show], I decided come reunion that I would shut my mouth and get along with Luke,' she said.

'I knew if I didn't, nobody would know why and I'd be hated,' she continued.

Poppy said that she wanted to follow her contract and be professional, so she 'sucked it up for the dinner party and got along with him'.

'The next day was the finale on the couch and I couldn't handle it anymore. I confronted him in the tent about a few things, mainly the fact he got away scot-free with everything.'

'It was a very heated argument,' she added.

'I knew if I didn't I'd be hated': Poppy said that she wanted to follow her contract and be professional, so she 'sucked it up for the dinner party and got along with him'

Poppy explained that the behind-the-scenes clash was the reason for her frosty demeanour during the final reunion.

'I was really upset and uncomfortable,' she explained, adding that filming took almost 'ten hours'.

Poppy's co-star Natasha Spencer also spoke out about the reunion in an interview with Now To Love earlier this week.

'Every time I turned around and looked at [Poppy] she was shaking and crying,' she said.

'I was really upset and uncomfortable': Poppy said she was upset throughout the final reunion episode after having a 'heated argument' with Luke backstage

While the cameras hardly caught Poppy and Luke at the reunion, Poppy did appear tense during the handful of times she was shown.

However, Luke shared a photo from the episode to Instagram on Monday that showed Poppy looking at him with a friendly smile.

Poppy told Daily Mail Australia she understands why some viewers are confused by what they've seen on screen.

'So many people keep questioning why I was speaking to Luke at the reunion and making it out like it doesn't add up,' she said.

All smiles? An official publicity photo from Channel Nine shows Poppy smiling at Luke at the final reunion episode

'They don't understand how scared I was back then. I was still a puppet and worried about how people would see me, and worried about my contract.

'Now I don't give two f**ks. All I have done is tell the truth'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Luke Eglin and Channel Nine for comment.

'I was still a puppet and worried about how people would see me, and worried about my contract': Poppy said she was concerned about how she would be portrayed on the show

Poppy was reportedly seeking legal advice following her departure from Married At First Sight, according to an interview with her friend Susie back in February.

Susie told The Kyle and Jackie O Show at the time that there had been more to Poppy's exit than was shown on television.

She claimed that a particular incident - which Daily Mail Australia cannot report for legal reasons - had caused the mother-of-two to abruptly leave the experiment.

Luke reportedly acknowledged the incident took place at the time, and Poppy was said to be speaking with lawyers to determine what she could say publicly.

Abrupt: Poppy dramatically left the show just days into the experiment, packing her bags and leaving producers to tell Luke he'd been dumped

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'I am not going to make any comments [on Poppy's allegations] because, honestly, the best way to react is not to react.

'To be honest, Poppy is a good person and the best of luck to her. I am not going to comment on anything because it is not worth it, it really isn't.

'Honestly, she just needs to move on like I have and that is it. We are finished on the show and that is as far as it goes.'

Poppy dramatically left the show just days into the experiment, packing her bags and leaving producers to tell Luke he'd been dumped.

She has since spoken negatively of the show in the media, and recently mocked relationship expert Dr Trisha Stratford in a comedic Instagram video.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says no fewer than 1,739 foreigners have been evacuated from Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, since the evacuation exercise began about 10 days ago.

The Regional Manager, South-West Airport of FAAN, Victoria Shin-Aba, made this known to journalists on Tuesday in Lagos.

She said since the evacuation exercise commenced with the transportation of French and European citizens by Air France late March, several airlines, including two Nigerian carriers have participated in movement of foreign nationals out of the country.

She said, "Delta Airlines from the United States (today) on Tuesday afternoon evacuated 200 Americans at the airport in continuation of the exercise."

Statistics provided by Mrs Shin-Aba indicated that Air France had evacuated 399 French and European nationals; Lufthansa- 238, six Air Peace crew); Middle East Airline (MEA) 140; Ethiopian Airlines- 148, 137 (Canadians), 375 (U.S); Jed Air- nine (Liberians and crew); Air Peace- 87 and Delta with 200 Americans.

She said the evacuation exercise had been going on smoothly with little or no hitches at all.

Mrs Shin-Aba said FAAN, in collaboration with other agencies, would continue to carry out its duties with utmost caution and professionalism.

"So far, the activities have been okay and well-coordinated. Since the closure of the airport, we have had about 10 evacuations with different nationals.

"We have had from Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Middle East Airline (MEA) with the Lebanese; Ethiopian Airlines has been on with Americans and Canadians.

"The conditions are that you have to get an approval from the Federal Ministry of Aviation, when the ministry gives the approval, it is sent to FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

"Then, we send the approval to all the security agencies too. Most importantly, there is a procedure in place for the Covid-19 virus pandemic, which has to be followed.

"For instance, Port Health Service has to check everyone that is going out, at times, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will be on ground.

"Even, to access the terminal, there is a checking by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and others. It has been smooth sailing.

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"Though, we had a cancellation some days ago, but that was not due to anybody's fault. It was due to logistics of the flight plan.

"Apart from today (Tuesday), we have had 1,539 evacuations through the Lagos Airport alone.

"Today, the United States is having another 200, another batch of Americans will be airlifted tomorrow (Wednesday) and next week, we are having South African Airways and Air France too.

"They can come up with any plan in the course of the week. That is why we are essential workers.

"We have to ensure that there is smooth running of operations. Nothing is compromised," she added.

On prevention of "essential workers" from contracting the disease, Shin-Aba said the agency had adopted social distancing practice, deploys metal detectors for security checks, rather than the initial pant down, encouraging use of hand gloves and face masks.

She said sanitisers were positioned in strategic and open areas of the airport.

Mrs Shin-Aba, however, decried that the revenue generations of FAAN had been impacted in the past weeks.

She said on average, the terminal handles 23-28 flights delay, but had dropped drastically to just 10 flights in 10 days.

The regional terminal manager further assured that the aerodrome would once again scale the hurdle of NCAA certification later in the year.

She noted that all hands were on deck to make the exercise a huge success.

(NAN)
Meghan and Harry have been mocked online after failing to register a website for their new Archewell charitable foundation which has instead been snapped up by cyber-squatters.

Fans who type in www.archewellfoundation.com are unwittingly diverted to a YouTube video of Kanye West's 2005 Gold Digger hit featuring Jamie Foxx.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are launching a new charitable foundation named Archewell earlier this week but apparently failed to register the likely domain name.

A number of eagle-eyed social media users spotted the embarrassing blunder, with one writing on Twitter: 'Uh oh. As of 7 April, if you enter in archewellfoundation.com in your browser, it actually links to Kanye West's - Gold Digger video on YouTube.'

A possible URL for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's new Archewell charitable foundation website is redirecting fans to a YouTube video of Kanye West's Gold Digger

It has been revealed that typing in www.archewellfoundation.com will automatically direct you to a YouTube video of Kanye's hit Gold Digger

Another tweeted: 'So. Meghan and Harry leave the UK to raise their son in privacy. They move to LA. No we aren't going to launch a foundation. 2 wks later they announce The Archewell Foundation.

Kanye, pictured at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in February, was the victim of a similar prank in 2015 when loser.com was programmed to link to his Wikipedia page

'If u type archewellfoundation.com YouTube plays Golddigger by Kanye West. Hilarious. 10/10.'

FEMAIL has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

Interestingly, Kanye himself was the target of a similar prank himself in 2015, when an internet troll made loser.com redirect to the rapper's Wikipedia entry.

Prince Harry and Meghan have said they 'look forward' to getting started with the Archewell foundation, which will replace their Sussex Royal brand.

The pair also have plans to include their own charity as well as a website, as part of their new venture.

Harry and Meghan revealed the Greek word in the project Arche  meaning source of action  was the inspiration behind the name of their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Further details about the organisation have been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The couple said an announcement will be made 'when the time is right'.

Yesterday Harry and Meghan were criticised for the timing of their announcement, which unfortunately coincided with Prime Minister Boris Johnson being moved into intensive care with coronavirus.

Royal biographer Phil Dampier said it was 'appalling timing', adding: 'If I were Harry and Meghan I would have laid low until this situation (coronavirus) was over.

'People everywhere are really concerned with dealing with this and it does not look good, however good the cause is.'

A number of eagle-eyed social media users spotted the embarrassing blunder, with one writing on Twitter: 'Uh oh. As of 7 April, if you enter in archewellfoundation.com in your browser, it actually links to Kanye West's - Gold Digger video on YouTube'

It also attracted criticism from members of the public, with Kathie Gyngell, the editor of The Conservative Woman, writing on Twitter: 'Couldn't they have waited? Deeply inappropriate time.'

The foundation was coincidentally revealed just hours after fans took to Twitter to launch the hashtag 'ArchieDay' to celebrate the first birthday of the couple's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, with a global campaign to raise money for 'vulnerable children impacted by coronavirus'.

Their plans came a day after the Queen addressed the UK regarding the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday night.

The Telegraph has previously reported that paperwork regarding their new brand was filed in the United States last month and the couple are considering how to create their own charity and volunteering services.

Plans also include a wide-ranging website and sharing 'education and training materials' via films, podcasts and books, according to the newspaper.

In response to the Telegraph, the duke and duchess said they were focusing their efforts on the coronavirus pandemic but felt 'compelled' to reveal details of the venture.

The foundation was coincidentally revealed just hours after fans took to Twitter to launch the hashtag 'ArchieDay' to celebrate the first birthday of the couple's son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, with a global campaign to raise money for 'vulnerable children impacted by coronavirus'. Pictured: the Sussexes in South Africa last year

'Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be.

'Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of Arche  the Greek word meaning source of action.

Prince Harry and Meghans ambitious plans for the Archewell trademark and what it covers Prince Harry and Meghan filed paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last month, according to the Telegraph. The paperwork, filed last month, is to trademark Archewell. Included in the trademark are prerecorded video cassettes, CDs, DVDs, MP3s and streaming materials as well as calendars, photographs, posters and art prints. According to The Telegraph, the couple have come up with proposals for a vast and ambitious array of projects under the name. These include a wide-ranging website and sharing 'education and training materials' via films, podcasts and books. Advertisement

'We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son's name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.

'Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon.

'We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.'

The couple moved to Los Angeles with baby Archie to start their new life after they were forced to choose between financial independence or remaining as working members of the royal family.

But it has since been revealed that Meghan has not seen her mother Doria Ragland since the family moved, as they have been in isolation at their new home.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are continuing to isolate themselves at a secluded mansion in a private gated community with baby Archie after moving from Vancouver Island, Canada, earlier this month.

They have so far been unable to visit Meghan's 63-year-old mother as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.

A source told the Sun on Sunday: 'Meghan is absolutely heartbroken - after all, one of the main reasons she decided to live in LA was to be near her mum.

'Because of her age, Doria obviously has to be careful and Meghan and Harry are sticking rigidly to all formal guidelines when it comes to coronavirus.

Their announcement comes just one day after the Queen addressed the UK regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The couple were made to change their Sussex Royal brand after the Queen (above) and senior officials were said to have ordered them to drop the use of the word 'royal'

'They've been WhatsApping and FaceTiming almost daily but obviously it's not the same.'

The source went on to say that Meghan, 38, will now be using much of her free time to focus on her philanthropic causes after she and Harry, 35, officially stepped down as senior working royals earlier this week.

It is thought that the couple are continuing to look for their forever home in the affluent area of Malibu.

The couple had previously been made to change their Sussex Royal brand after the Queen and senior officials were said to have ordered them to drop the use of the word 'royal'.

Last week, they bowed out of the royal family with a final post on their official Sussex Royal Instagram account, which will now remain inactive along with their website.

The couple have delayed announcing a new Instagram handle and brand, with a spokeswoman saying they wanted the focus to remain on the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in his third day of intensive care with COVID-19, making him the first world leader to be forced to take a break from their post because of the coronavirus. In his absence, the countrys Cabinet is collectively running the country, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is also the U.K.s First Secretary of State, and therefore Johnsons de-facto deputy, is signing off on key decisions. Unusually, the U.K. lacks a constitutional arrangement that sets out a deputy who would immediately assume office if a leader is injured or dies.

This moment is somewhat unprecedented in British history. In the past, when other Prime Ministers have suffered health issues in office, there have been a variety of workarounds. Heres how three leaders in history have handled their time out of office.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill, who served as Britains Prime Minister from 1941 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, suffered a stroke in his second term, at the age of 79. It was June 1953. With his extraordinary resilience, says Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny (2018), he presided over a two hour cabinet meeting the next day. Although the Cabinet Minister spoke more than usual and [Churchill] spoke less than usual, no one realised hed had a stroke, says Roberts.

Churchill first went to his country house, Chartwell, and then to Chequers, the Prime Ministers official house, for about two months to recover, according to Kevin Theakston, Professor of British Government at the U.Ks University of Leeds. A week into his two-month recovery period, he started to meet certain political figures who would visit him, he says.

At the time, Anthony EdenChurchills successor in waiting according to Kevin Ruane, Professor of Modern History at the U.K.s Canterbury Christchurch University, was also seriously unwell after undergoing a nearly fatal series of botched bile duct operations in April. He was in no position to take over and that caused a mini-constitutional crisis, he says. As a result, it fell to then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Richard Austen Butler to chair the Cabinet until mid-August when Churchill resumed this duty.

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Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) addressing a Women Conservatives meeting on 27th May 1954. | Keystone/Getty Images

During July and part of August, Churchill only paid spasmodic attention to certain government business and there are many accounts of him reading novels by C.S. Forester and snoozing, says Theakston. The Prime Minister started to pay more attention to government paperwork as he recovered, he adds.

Roberts says that Churchill mostly worked from his bed and this was not seen as unusual. During his premiership in World War Two, Churchill would work in bed until lunch time, says Roberts, adding that He was never expected to be zooming around much at the best of times. People did not expect to see very much of him anyhow.

Behind the scenes, the day-to-day work of government work was largely carried out by three of Churchills close aides. Often they sent out memos in the name of the prime minister, when perhaps Churchill hadnt even seen the memo. They knew his thinking pretty well, says Theakston.

A big difference between then and now was that all of this was a secret, says Theakston. Almost no one knew about the stroke, apart from Queen Elizabeth and some Cabinet Ministers. It was the last time such secrecy was possible, says Roberts, made possible by the fact that Churchill was a close friend of the press barons who agreed not to publicize it.

By October 1953, Churchill fully returned to work. But the Prime Minister, then nearly 80 years old, was going deaf and an enormous hearing aid would be placed in the middle of the Cabinet table, attached to his ear, so that he could hear everyone, says Roberts. After Churchill left office in April 1955, he started to have a series of strokes that eventually led to his death in January 1965.

Anthony Eden

Churchills successor Anthony Eden battled with long term health problems, including depression, jaundice and the presence of gallstones, and resigned two years into his premiership in January 1957, after his doctors warned him his life was at stake if he continued in office. He stepped down at the height of the Suez canal crisis, precipitated by the nationalization of the canal by then-Egyptian president Abdul Nasser in July 1956. The canal had been owned by the Suez Canal Company, which was controlled by French and British interests.

Fearing a new Arab alliance, Eden cut off oil supplies to Europe and conspired with France and Israel in order to retake the canal through what the U.K. government today calls a badly performed invasion. It drew widespread international criticism and Eden was forced into a humiliating retreat.

British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden in the back of a car, leaving his office at 10 Downing Street for Buckingham Palace, London, January 9th 1957. | John FranksKeystone/Getty Images

The Suez crisis placed a massive strain on Eden that was compounded by a recurrence of illness and then the drugs used to treat that illness, says Theakston.

In November 1956, Eden went to Jamaica for three weeks to recuperate, during which time then-Leader of the House of Commons Butler and then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan, took the lead in deciding on matters in government, says Theakston.

There seems to have been a hidden succession struggle and rivalry between Butler and Macmillan, adds Theakston. When Eden resigned in January 1957, it seems Macmillan ultimately won as the Queen swiftly appointed him to the role of Prime Minister. His number one job on taking office, says Roberts, was to repair the damage that the Suez crisis had done with the U.S. As Macmillan had a very good war time relationship with then-U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, and knew him extremely well, says Roberts, he began to reestablish the special relationship between Britain and the U.S.

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was generally in good health during her time as Prime Minister from May 1979 to November 1990, famously surviving on four hours sleep a day. However, in August 1983, Thatcher, then 57 years old, suffered a detached retina in her right eye, requiring her to have an eye operation and spend three nights in hospital.

William Whitelaw, then-deputy leader of the Conservative Party, stood by in case he needed to take over her day to day duties, but a spokesman at the time emphasized that Thatcher remained in charge and would keep in touch by phone. According to the 1983 diary of Thatchers Chief Economic Adviser Alan Walters, she stopped working late into the night after her operation. But as parliament was in recess for the summer, her workload was already lighter.

In 1986, Thatcher went back into hospital for two days for an operation on her hand after suffering from Dupuytrens Contracture, a condition that causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. She couldnt use her right hand because it was bandaged up for a while when she came out, says Theakston.

Thatchers advisors drew boxes next to options on her memos and she used her left hand to tick the box next to the decision she approved. Theakston says that before her operation Thatcher would underline, write exclamation marks, and comment in the margin. She was always active in expressing herself on the paperwork.
Electronics giants Samsung and LG and automaker Hyundai have all extended temporary shutdowns at their plants in Russia due to the prolonged coronavirus outbreak.

The three companies were due to resume production there this week after suspending operations about two weeks ago.

LG has extended the suspension period until April 30, while Samsung and Hyundai will extend their shutdowns until further notice.


UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said it is not the time to look back and assess how organisations and nations have reacted to the coronavirus crisis and called for global unity and solidarity to stop the pandemic, a day after US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of being "China-centric" and criticised its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis. The lessons learned will be essential to effectively address similar challenges, as they may arise in the future," Guterres said.

"But now is not that time. Now is the time for unity, for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences," he said.

Guterres said the virus is "unprecedented in our lifetime" and has required an unprecedented response.

"Obviously, in such conditions, it is possible that the same facts have had different readings by different entities."



The statement came a day after Trump launched a scathing attack on the World Health Organisation (WHO), saying that the global health agency is "China-centric" and has been "wrong" on a lot of things about the virus.

"It is completely unacceptable that the world's global health organization has become a political puppet of the Chinese government," Trump told reporters at his daily White House conference on Tuesday.

He said the US is going to put a "very powerful hold on the money it gives to WHO.

"But we want to look into it, WHO, because they called it wrong. They (WHO) called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier. They would have known and they should have known and they probably did know. So, we'll be looking into that very carefully, and we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO," Trump said.

Guterres said the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most dangerous challenges this world has faced in a lifetime and is above all a human crisis with severe health and socio-economic consequences.

He lauded the work of the WHO in dealing with the pandemic, saying thousands of WHO staff are on the front lines, supporting member states and their societies, especially the most vulnerable among them, with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving services as they fight the virus.

The UN chief recalled "the courage and determination" of WHO personnel when he visited Congo last year, where the staff are working in precarious conditions and very dangerous remote locations as they fought the deadly Ebola virus.

The UN Chief described it as a remarkable success for WHO that no new cases of Ebola have been registered in months.

It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19, Guterres said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack



Commissionerate of Police has banned all religious gatherings in the twin cities in view of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The police said religious leaders have also come forward and appealed to people against any gathering in mosques and kabarstan in connection with Sab-e-Barat on April 9.

"In view of #COVID19 pandemic & related Rules/ Guidelines, no religious congregation will be allowed anywhere in @cpbbsrctc. Happy to know that the religious leaders have come forward appealing against gathering in Mosques & Kabarstan in connection with Sab-E-Barat on 9th April," the official handle of Commissionerate Police tweeted.

The state government is now more vigilant on religious gathering following such an event at Nizamuddin in Delhi. The COVID-19 spread in a big way from the Nizamuddin congregation, an official said.

The official said, a 60-year-old man from Suryanagar, who is presently under treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, had arranged a "puja" at his residence before he was identified as a COVID-19 patient. At least nine persons having Surya Nagar link have so far been detected positive to COVID-19.

Of the 42 coronavirus positive cases reported from the state, 34 alone are from Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, the state government has banned large gathering in crematorium in the event of death of any person belonging to any religion. Maximum 20 people are allowed to attend the funeral and they should maintain social distancing, an official said.

To maintain social distancing, the government had earlier banned entry of devotees to Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, Shree Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar and all other major temples. All the mosques and churches have also put restrictions on prayers and mass gathering in their premises.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Jersey pushed back its primary to July 7 from June 2 because of the coronavrus outbreak under an executive order Gov. Phil Murphy signed Wednesday.

Preparing for a June primary at the potential head of the COVID-19 emergency could hurt election officials' ability to prepare, the order states.

Murphy said he's not taking a mail-in ballot only election off the table but hasn't decided. He specifically cited Wisconsin, where a primary went forward despite the health threat.

New Jersey residents should not have to choose between their right to vote and their personal health, Murphy said.

New Jersey is among the worst-hit states in the country by the coronavirus. More than 1,500 people have died as a result, and the state has been essentially on lockdown for weeks.

The Democrat mentioned specifically that he doesnt want to repeat what Wisconsin had with people having to choose between their right to vote and keeping healthy.

Among the races expected to be decided in the primary is that for the right to challenge U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, for his seat in the House of Representatives. The two Democratic front-runners, Brigid Callahan Harrison and Amy Kennedy, each released a statement Wednesday expressing their support for the date change.

It is clear Gov. Murphys thoughtful decision was done collaboratively with both health experts and party leaders. Unlike other states, which we have seen in recent days, it is clear his priority is both the health and safety of voters, while also fully ensuring the greatest participation in our electoral process. His leadership on this issue should be applauded, and it is now important that everyone possible makes their voices heard on July 7," Harrison said.

"No one likes to see an election postponed, but protecting peoples health while making sure we safeguard the Democratic process is always the right thing to do. We are appreciative of Gov. Murphys leadership and the tireless work of his administration to keep people in New Jersey safe during COVID-19," Kennedy said.

The state is expected to approach the peak of the virus' curve sometime this month or next, the Democratic governor said this week.

New Jersey has both mail-in and in-person voting.

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Atlantic County on Wednesday released the number of COVID-19 cases by town.

According to the release, Egg Harbor Township leads the county with 32 cases and three deaths. Atlantic City has 27 and one, respectively, and Galloway is third with 23 cases and no reported deaths.

The three towns are followed by Hamilton Township (16), Pleasantville (15), Ventnor (10), Buena Borough (9), Absecon (8), Hammonton (7), Lindwood (7), Somers Point (5), Egg Harbor City (4), Northfield (3), Longport (2), Margate (1), Weymouth (1) and Buena Vista Township (1).

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 has increased by 3,088, bringing the total number of cases to 47,437 across the state, officials said Wednesday during Gov. Phil Murphy's daily briefing. There have been 275 additional deaths, bringing the state total to 1,504.

Were not at any plateau, Gov. Phil Murphy said during his daily briefing with other state officials. We need to continue to be absolutely vigilant, and if anything, tighten as oppose to loosen  and I dont say that with any amount of joy. It brings me no joy to say that.

So far, Atlantic County has reported 173 cases with four dead and 26 recovered. Cape May County has reported 100 cases, with 15 designated as off quarantine and two deaths. Cumberland County has reported 74 cases and two deaths.

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.

Of the total deaths, 59% were men and 41% were women, 44% were over 80-years-old and 61% were white, said Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

Murphy said he was going to sign three executive orders Wednesday. The first moved the date of the primary elections from June 2 to July 7.

He also signed an order to further social distancing efforts, including barring non-essential construction across the state effective 8 p.m. Friday, all customers and employees must wear face coverings at essential retail stores, the number of customers allowed at one time will be limited, among other steps and greater protections will be put in place for workers at warehouses and manufacturing.

The last order increases weight limited for trucks on highways to allow for essential deliveries.

Also during the briefing, Murphy said residents cannot think that, after the pandemic passes, the state and country will go back to normal all at once, but that it needs to open back up in a systematic and careful way to protect against a boomerang of coronavirus.

If we open up too soon, I fear we are placing gasoline on the fire, he said.



Atlantic County officials announced an additional 17 cases of COVID-19.

They include seven men, ages 31 to 86 and 10 women, ages 29 to 82, according to a news release from county spokeswoman Linda Gilmore.

The additional positives bring the county's total to 173 cases with four dead; seven additional people have recovered, bringing the total to 26, officials also said Wednesday.

Cape May County has reported 111 cases, with 15 designated as off quarantine and three deaths. One of the cases, an 81-year-old man from Lower Township, was the second death from the outbreak at Victoria Manor.

The Cape May County Department of Health announced Wednesday the opening of another drive-through testing site. The site will be open on consecutive Wednesdays beginning April 15 by appointment. Testing will only be for symptomatic CompleteCare patients and Cape May County residents. Individuals are encouraged to go to CompleteCareNJ.org/COVID19 or call 609-465-0258 and request to be screened.

Cumberland County has reported 74 cases and two deaths.

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.



Several local police departments have asked residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 or is under quarantine to send their information to public safety officials.

Departments in Somers Point, Longport and Hamilton Township are among those that have published the request in a Facebook post.

The information would be used in an emergency response and emergency management settings only, according to posts, to prepare first responders and protect residents.

We encourage your submissions and thank you for helping us safely protect our community, according to a post on the Somers Point Police Departments Facebook page. Please send your name, age, address and when and where you were tested positive, or directed to quarantine.

Officials in Atlantic County provide a breakdown of the cases by municipality to their respective police chiefs, county officials said earlier this week.



Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker on Wednesday announced over $30 million in federal funds were awarded to support area hospitals.

The money is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the states 24 Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs, in their efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a news release.

Atlanticare Health Services, Inc., which operates in Atlantic County, was awarded $694,115; Community Health Care, Inc., which operates in Cape May, Cumberland and Gloucester counties, was awarded $1,831,475; and Southern Jersey Family Medical Center, Inc., which operates in Atlantic, Burlington and Salem counties, was awarded $1,634,375.



The U.S. Postal Service is changing their procedures to protect mail carriers.

If a delivery requires a signature, carriers will knock on the door rather than touching the bell, according to a news release. They will maintain a safe distance, and instead of asking for a signature on the mobile device, theyll ask for a name. The carrier will leave the mail or package in a safe place for retrieval.

Customers shouldnt approach a carrier to take a delivery, instead allowing them to leave the mailbox area before collecting it, according to the release. Most schools are not in session and children should also be encouraged to not approach a postal vehicle or carrier.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the Surgeon General have indicated that there is no current evidence that the new coronavirus is being spread through mail and packages, according to the release.

Ray V. Daiutolo Sr., corporate communications for the South Jersey and Philadelphia districts, said that they do not report local numbers of positive cases of the new coronavirus.

However, as of Tuesday, there were 427 employees out of 630,000 nationally reported positive.



Pennsylvania officials on Tuesday night urged residents to stay away from the Jersey shore.

"Just think about how incredible The Shore will feel in a few months, if we all have done what we have to and stayed disciplined enough to flatten the curve," according to a tweet from the Pennsylvania Treasury. "Just think about how depressingly far away it will feel if we let up early."



Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey announced Wednesday that they are eliminating cost-sharing for covered benefits associated with COVID-19 treatments.

There will be no deductible, co-pay or coinsurance for in-patient or out-patient treatment, according to a news release from the company. The elimination is retroactive to March 1.

As we deal with the most significant public health emergency in our lifetime, cost should not be a barrier to critical care for members diagnosed with COVID-19, said Kevin P. Conlin, executive chairman. These changes provide members added peace of mind so they can focus all of their energies on the one thing that matters most: getting better.



The Fellowship of Churches of Atlantic City & Vicinity and Atlantic Cape Community college has scheduled a drive-thru food giveaway.

The first come, first served event is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at the Atlantic City campus of the college at the corner of Kentucky and Baltic avenues.

For more information, contact Rev. James Barclay 609-553-0001.



Cape May County officials on Tuesday bar hotels, motels and other short-term rentals from accepting new guests.

The county Freeholders Board voted to put the prohibition into effect immediately, according to a news release from officials, in order to create a uniform policy for the entire county.

This is a necessary step and we are glad the Governor recognized our position, which I was the first to voice weeks ago, said Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton. We dont need visitors at this time. We must do everything we can to flatten the curve. The more we discourage people from traveling at this time it will help eliminate the spread of COVID-19. When we can ensure it is safe, I will be the first one to welcome tourists will open arms.

Several governing bodies throughout municipalities in the county have already passed similar resolutions.

Also on Tuesday, Lower Township Mayor Frank Sippel said that there has been an influx of visitors in short term rentals in a news release from township police. He signed a proclamation along with a resolution barring seasonal tenants until May 22.



The Atlantic City Free Public Library announced Wednesday that members can now download more than 700,000 titles using the digital streaming service hoopla.

Members simply access hoopla from the library's website, www.acfpl.org, or download the hoopla app.

Even while our physical locations are closed, were committed to providing resources and programs to meet the educational, recreational and informational needs of the Atlantic City community, Library Director Robert Rynkiewicz said. hoopla is a great addition to the digital and online resources we already offer.

Hoopla allows members to download eBooks, audiobooks, music, movies, television shows and comics in 70 different languages. Up to six titles can be checked out per month and they're automatically returned at the end of of the lending period.

Items can also be downloaded for later use when wifi may not be available. Through the month of April, 1,000 bonus titles are being offered for check out. Checking out any of these top titles won't count against an individuals six per month limit.



Authentic City Partners, an Atlantic City development and property management group, announced their commitment to improving the lives of those in their community remains steadfast in the current crisis.

ACP is responsible for the Orange Loop, a project to revitalize the three-block beachside section of Tennessee Avenue, St. James Place and New York Avenue with a collection of restaurants, hotels and mixed use buildings.

Currently under construction is a 12-unit mixed use building on New York Ave. called the Bywater that was set to open this spring that will be the new location of Hayday Coffee. On the same block work is underway on the Cardinal Restaurant and Hotel, set to open in the spring of 2021.

Were moving ahead with all of our previously scheduled projects and modifying how we work to ensure the safety of our team, our community, and our families," ACP co-founder Zenith Shaw said. "Weve been impressed by the City of Atlantic Citys ability to continue to support our development work even while employees work from home and make limited on-site inspections.

ACP has worked to support local efforts at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of ways including: sourcing PPE for healthcare workers, providing Hayday coffee beans and donating to the AtlantiCare Foundation; contributing to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey's Southern Branch; partnering with Little Water Distillery and the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County to provide free hand sanitizer to local families; and donating to the Community Foundation of SJ's COVID-19 Relief Fund.



Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci announced Tuesday that all city parks are closed until further notice.

"I fully appreciate the importance of our municipal parks to the mental and physical health of Vineland residents, and I know many residents will not be happy," Fanucci said. "But despite efforts to dissuade the public from doing so, some groups are still congregating in our parks and not observing social distancing guidelines. I understand the further disruption to our daily lives that this action will have. But the bottom line is that this is a sacrifice we need to make as a community in order to flatten the curve, save lives, and get our city and state back up and running as quickly as possible."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GALLERY: A closed Cumberland County amid the COVID-19 pandemic

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Kayla Kanosky says nursing is a duty to help.

The 31-year-old nurse who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, is packing her bags this week, preparing to fly to Chicago on Thursday evening, where she said she will be assigned for eight weeks to help at a local hospital.

Although she is a pediatric nurse and will be working in a pediatric intensive care unit, she said she anticipates helping patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at some point, as childrens hospitals are beginning to treat young adults to help with caseloads, or because she is used to being floated to different units.

Kanosky is one of hundreds of travel nurses assigned to Illinois in April. Her agency, Aya Healthcare, has more than 200 travel clinicians assigned to Illinois this month.

Travel nurses typically spend 13 weeks on a contract, assigned to hospitals throughout the United States. During the coronavirus crisis, Aya has seen a spike in requests. Another company, Fastaff Travel Nursing, also noted an increase in opportunities, listing openings for a respiratory therapist position in Connecticut and a nursing job in an emergency room in California.

Gov. J. B. Pritzker has publicly called for more health care professionals, asking retired health care workers to return to the workforce. At a press conference Tuesday, he said the state had received more than 2,300 applications for temporary permits for both out-of-state and former medical professionals.

Kanosky, a Virginia native, says she is used to jumping into the unknown. But this time feels different. She has heard the stories of inundated hospitals across the country. She said her agency assured her she would have proper protective gear.

With everything going on, there is a little bit of anxiety, she said. I think the main part Im nervous about is the not knowing, is the unknown. I dont really know what Im getting myself into."

But she is trained to help those in need.

Its your duty to help out, she said. Ive always had that passion.

Her latest assignment was working at a neonatal intensive care unit at Phoenix Childrens Hospital, but she has worked with patients ranging from premature babies to adults.

In Chicago, she will be assigned to a childrens unit at a suburban Advocate hospital. Her contract is for eight weeks.

Brigid Sweeney, a spokeswoman for Advocate hospitals, confirmed they utilize travel nurses as needed during regular times, and that they continue to during this crisis. She did not detail whether they have requested more because of COVID-19.

Kanosky became a travel nurse two years ago, when a friend told her about the opportunity to work in different hospitals across the country. Shes since worked in San Diego, Dallas and Atlanta.

Shes used to helping out with patient surges, for example, during the winter when respiratory illnesses among children are heightened.

Thats the normal thing, she said. With this going on, now its more crisis work.

Kanosky has heard about hospitals telling medical workers to use one N95 mask for a week.

Thats going to be a change for sure, because thats not what were used to doing. Instead, she was taught to change her protective gear every time she goes in and out of a room. On a normal 12-hour shift, she might go through 30 sets.

She is not bringing much from Arizona. Instead of an apartment, shes staying at a hotel in the suburbs, where she was able to get a reduced rate by calling and inquiring about discounts for health care workers. Usually, she would pack a variety of clothes and items.

I like to make my place feel a little homey, she said. This time, she will still bring photos of her family and her boyfriend. Her family and friends have sent her masks. Shes bringing sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer. The rest of her luggage? Work clothes, mostly.

Im packing a little lighter than I normally would, she said.

Although she wont have the time or ability to be a tourist, she is looking forward to returning to Chicago. She has visited a few times, but its been years.

Im excited to come back, she said.
Joe Biden speaks to the media through video chat from his home in Wilmington, Del., in this screen grab. (CNN)

A day after President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden had a warm phone call about the coronavirus crisis, the likely Democratic nominee on Tuesday blasted the presidents handling of the pandemic.

Coronavirus is not Donald Trumps fault. But he does bear responsibility for our response and taking his duties seriously, Biden told union leaders in the morning. His failings and his delays [are] causing real pain for so many Americans.

The president should fully implement the Defense Production Act, appoint a supply commander, create a Bank Defense Protection Act, exponentially increase testing, open up new access to Obamacare enrollment, and collect data on the infection and death rates of African Americans, Biden said Tuesday evening on CNN.

Earlier in the day, he said the president ought to coordinate states efforts to procure supplies and lead a coordinated global response to the immediate public health crisis as well as to long-term economic implications.

Trump likes to say hes a wartime president, Biden said. Well, he needs to step up and act like it.

A day prior, Biden and Trump spoke on the phone about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has caused the deaths of more than 12,000 people in the U.S. While both sides agreed not to disclose the details of the calls, both described it as a friendly conversation. Biden on Tuesday called the call "very gracious" and said that he only disclosed proposals he had previously released publicly.

The president has faced withering criticism for downplaying the seriousness of the threat in its early days, at one point saying he expected church pews to be full at Easter before backing away from that timeline. Trump has since cast himself as take-charge leader but also speaks frequently of the long-term consequences of effectively shutting down part of the American economy.

Biden made his remarks Tuesday as voters in Wisconsin headed to the polls. Democrats and health officials sought to delay voting because of the pandemic, but the move was blocked by the state's Republican lawmakers and a conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Biden was is well ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in state polling for the Democratic primary. The real contested prize on Tuesday was a seat on the state Supreme Court.

Story continues

Biden said that he expects to do well in the primary but that on-site voting should not have been held because of the health risk.

"My gut is we shouldn't have had the in-person election in the first place. It should have been all mail-in ballots," he told CNN's Chris Cuomo, who has shared that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Biden, who has turned to general election mode since amassing enough delegates to all but guarantee him the nomination, spoke earlier in the day about Trump as he addressed the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO convention. Normally a boisterous gathering of hundreds of union leaders, the convention was held over Zoom and streamed live on Facebook.

Biden acknowledged the odd circumstances, which have put a halt to physical campaigning and made it difficult to get attention because of the onslaught of news coverage of the pandemic.

This is a strange way to for us to be meeting. It's great to be with you all, although we're doing it virtually, he said. I'd certainly prefer to be able to be with all of you in person there. Being with Pennsylvania AFL-CIO is like going home, and I suspect you all feel the same way.

Biden warned that the coming days would be grim, but said union members have helped guide the nation through the crisis and would be key to rebuilding the economy once the pandemic wanes.

All of us are going to be pushed to our limits, none more than those on the front line, our healthcare workers, our first responders, our essential workers who literally are carrying our nation on their backs, he said.

Shortly after Bidens remarks, he was endorsed by Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. Earlier in the day, the campaign announced that the former vice president had been endorsed by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. The civil rights era icon encouraged Biden to consider choosing a woman of color as his running mate.

The time has long passed to make the White House look like the whole of America, Lewis said.
The middle-aged white man storms toward the teenagers, forcefully shoving three girls out of his way. Screams pierce the air as he crouches down and grabs a young black girl by the neck. "Get off of her!" someone shouts.

The disturbing scene, captured in a video that went viral over the weekend, followed a tense standoff over social distancing, according to Louisville news outlets. On Tuesday night, the Louisville Metro Police Department identified the assailant as John Rademaker, a physician who has been charged with strangulation and harassment and placed on leave from his job.

"Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way," police said in a statement to local media outlets.

The incident highlights how "quarantine shaming" - calling out people who are perceived as not doing their part to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus - can escalate quickly and even turn outright dangerous. As The Washington Post's Meagan Flynn reported, an 86-year-old woman died last month after a confrontation at a Brooklyn hospital where a fellow patient accused her of standing too close and shoved her to the ground. Her assailant has since been charged with manslaughter.

The growing emphasis on regulating individual behavior has also raised concerns about police overreach. The New York Police Department has been criticized for arresting people who allegedly fail to maintain social distancing, and then throwing them in jail, where they have an increased likelihood of being exposed to the virus. Similarly, a Pennsylvania woman who went for a drive just to get out of the house was pulled over and given a $200 citation for violating the state's stay-at-home order, raising a slew of civil liberties concerns.

On Tuesday, police in Brighton, Colorado, issued a public apology to a man who was handcuffed in front of his 6-year-old daughter after being accused of violating social distancing guidelines. Matt Mooney told KDVR that he, his wife and daughter were playing T-ball when officers informed them the park was closed - an apparent misunderstanding, since groups of less than four people are allowed in to exercise. When Mooney refused to hand over his identification, he was placed into a squad car.

"It is evident there was an overreach by our police officers," the Brighton Police Department said in a statement.

In Louisville, witnesses told WLKY and the Courier-Journal that nine teenagers had gathered by a lakefront amphitheater at dusk on Friday, defying officials' recommendations to stay home and avoid congregating in groups. A couple walking through the affluent subdivision angrily approached them, cursing at the teens for failing to maintain six feet of separation.

"We're leaving, let's please not cuss at each other," one girl can be heard saying as the 26-second video begins. The man mutters something about "this a------ right here," then shoves two teens out of his way.

According to the Courier-Journal, the woman accompanying Rademaker had also started filming the confrontation, and one of the teens knocked the phone out of her hand. In the viral video, a white woman in green leggings can be seen grabbing at a young black girl, who appears to be the only person of color in the group and is lying on her back. "Give me my phone," the older woman demands.

At that point, Rademaker storms in, pushing a third teenager out of the way. According to an arrest warrant obtained by WDRB, he put his hands around the 18-year-old victim's neck and appeared to choke her as she lay on the ground. Within a matter of seconds, bystanders intervened and pulled the physician off the teen.

The 18-year-old had a red mark on her neck when emergency medical personnel arrived but did not require hospitalization, according to the warrant.

The video ignited a furor, with the Root referring to the incident as "#SocialDistancingWhileBlack." On Sunday, a representative from Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants, where Rademaker works as a physician, said that he had been placed on administrative leave. A profile page for Rademaker also vanished from the website for Baptist Health, a hospital network that contracts with the anesthesiology group, the Courier-Journal reported.

Baptist Health has multiple hospitals and clinics in the Louisville area, and 14 local employees had tested positive for covid-19 as of March 30, WAVE 3 News reported.

"For someone to lay their hands on a child, I don't care who you are or what they did," Chris Shinn, a resident of the upscale Norton Commons neighborhood where the confrontation took place, told WAVE 3 News. "We don't need this here and it's ridiculous."

Rademaker, who is charged with one count of first-degree strangulation and three counts of harassment with physical contact, was released on his own recognizance on Tuesday, according to WDRB. Court records show is scheduled to be arraigned on May 8. He could not be reached for comment late Tuesday night.
New Delhi, April 8 : Prime Minister Modi has urged Indians with economic means to financially support one poor family till the coronavirus outbreak continues.

"It has been brought to my attention that some people are campaigning to honour Modi by standing for 5 minutes. At first glance, it seems like a scandal to drag Modi into dispute," PM tweeted.

Then he went on to add, "Maybe it is someone's goodwill, yet I insist that if you really have so much love and want to honour Modi, then take the responsibility of a poor family, at least as long as the corona virus crisis is there. There can be no greater honour for me than this." This is not the first time he urged people to help the needy and deprived in this hour of crisis. India is amid a 21-day shutdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
The whispering campaign had started even before Dominic Raab chaired his first video-conference with the coronavirus war Cabinet on Tuesday.

The Oxford and Cambridge educated Foreign Secretary, a high flying lawyer before moving into politics, is one of the cleverest men on the Tory benches.

And as First Secretary of State he is the highest-ranking Cabinet minister, the de facto Deputy Prime Minister who in Boris Johnsons absence is charged with running the country.

But despite his impressive intellect, even some of his admirers admit reservations about him stepping up to the role. Socially awkward, hes a desperately wooden media perfomer as well as a poor orator  factors which help explain why his campaign to be Tory leader bombed last summer.

For a karate black belt during his younger days, Dominic Raab (pictured) is utterly wooden... but the point is he has the complete trust of Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Whats more, there are Cabinet ministers who are good communicators and have equally impressive intellects. Some senior Tory MPs say the job should go to Michael Gove who is eloquent on the airwaves and has worked closely with Boris on Covid-19 (though Gove is now self-isolating).

Others are pressing the case for Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary who is judged by many to have performed well and is, unlike Raab, an integral figure in the fight against the virus.

Some have talked up newcomer Rishi Sunak whos had an impressive debut as Chancellor  but aged 39, and an MP for only five years, he is considered by most too inexperienced.

The point is, however, that Boris trusts Raab. The issue of trust is key, particularly when talking about ambitious ministers who might one day fancy a permanent chance at the top job.

A young Dominic Raab, 9, with mother Jean, father Peter and sister Jody. His father died when Raab was 12.

Dominic and his sister Judy with their grandmothers at home in Buckinghamshire in the 1980s

Mr Raab described during the Tory leadership contest (video pictured left) how his father Peter had fled the Nazis in 1938 and came to Britain aged six (right)

Boris trusts Dominic, said a senior Whitehall figure. Thats why Dominic is de facto deputy and not other ministers who think they are better qualified. Boris will never forget Goves ill-judged decision to run for the Tory leadership in 2016 after publicly withdrawing support from Boris after the referendum.

Hancock, meanwhile, makes no secret of his ambition. Its no surprise that super-competitive Boris wants someone as his deputy who doesnt appear determined to seize the crown. So who is Dominic Raab, 46, the MP for Esher and Walton since 2010 who until five years ago wasnt even a minister?

He went to grammar school in Buckinghamshire before studying law at Oxford and gaining a masters degree at Cambridge. Married with two sons, he worked at blue chip City lawyers Linklaters before joining the Foreign Office where he advised on a number of areas including the EU, which hardened his antipathy to Brussels  which flourished when he worked for David Davis, the Governments first Brexit Secretary, who became his political mentor.

He has long upset the politically-correct brigade. In 2017 he was branded offensive for provocatively suggesting the typical user of a food bank is not someone thats languishing in poverty, its someone who has a cash flow problem.

Dominic Raab, pictured with his wife Erika in June 2019 during his Tory leadership run, was first elected as an MP in 2010

And last year he opposed amendments to the Gender Recognition Act to make it easier for people to change their identity. I dont want to make it easier, he said. We have to be very careful with young people.

Many Tory MPs agreed with him. Raab succeeded Davis as Brexit Secretary in July 2018, lasting only four months before resigning in protest at Mays doomed draft Brexit withdrawal agreement. In December that year he was one of 117 Tory MPs who voted against May carrying on as Tory leader.

During his leadership campaign an article he wrote in 2011 returned to haunt him. It was an attack on Labours equality legislation: Feminists are now among the most obnoxious bigots, he had written. From the cradle to the grave, men are getting a raw deal. Its time for men to start burning their briefs.

Challenged about it, he admitted he wasnt a natural feminist and while refusing to apologise, he insisted: Sexism is wrong and its wrong if its said about a woman or about a man.

In the debate on equality we have must have a consistency. His reputation for being socially awkward wasnt helped when a secretary who worked for him told the Daily Mirror he ordered the same meal every day from Pret A Manger: Chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, SuperFruit pot and a Vitamin Volcano Smoothie. He denied it.

After his leaden campaign fizzled out he backed Boris and there was surprise when he secured the biggest promotion in Boriss reshuffle. A source said: I grant you Dominics no leader but Boris promoted a straight, trustworthy guy. He wont worry for a second about Dominics loyalty.

As Foreign Secretary he was thrust into handling the transatlantic fall-out over the British teenager, Harry Dunn, killed outside an American RAF base in Northamptonshire when his motorbike crashed into a car driven by Anne Sacoolas who was later named as a CIA agent.

During the Covid-19 crisis the intricacies of negotiating border closures, grounded planes, and stubborn international authorities have seen Raab come under increasing pressure to get stranded British citizens back from various far-flung corners of the globe.

As the Foreign Secretary now prepares to take on additional responsibilities he has another compelling reason to enjoy the confidence of the PM. A karate black belt, hes the fittest member of the Cabinet  and hopefully highly unlikely to succumb to the virus himself.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20

We begin with this Scripture as a reminder that, for people of faith, God is present at all times. In moments of abundance, and moments of uncertainty and darkness. In large gatherings, and the most intimate. Worship and practice is neither dependent on setting nor a particular building, but what resides in our hearts.

The spread of COVID-19 has brought with it the temporary practice of social distancing  standing 6 feet back at the grocery store, checking in with loved ones via video, a distant friendly wave to a neighbor  but this should not be confused with permanently being apart from one another or disconnected. Finding ways to stay connected while creating physical distance is the key to getting back together in the same space.

For these reasons, we strongly urge Gov. Greg Abbott to rethink his reopening of places of worship across Texas during this pandemic. Its flirting with infection, particularly with Easter Sunday on the horizon.

Yes, faith is essential for many people  and we have the utmost respect for all religions and the freedom to practice ones faith. But the COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of this disease requires flexibility and creativity about how to do this, as well as patience about returning to normal practices.

Large gatherings of congregants only endanger lives across the community, not just ones self or members of a particular church, mosque or synagogue.

For these reasons, we echo concerns of the faith leaders from across Bexar County who recently called on all people of faith, no matter the expression of faith, to join in our urgent appeal not to congregate or gather in person for worship and prayer until the pandemic threat is resolved.

We have seen comments in news stories from people who have said their faith in God during this pandemic underscores their choice to attend church in person.

As one member of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, where more than 40 people gathered last Sunday, said, If it is your time, theres nothing you can do to stop it. And if its not your time, theres nothing you can do to cause it.

We understand the point  that what will be, will be, as God intended; just as we understand how this church has survived and flourished since the 2017 mass shooting  but we would encourage a broader view of the stakes.

The dangers here are many. COVID-19 is highly infectious. People can be asymptomatic or take days to develop symptoms, therefore unknowingly spreading the disease. In other words, you may feel fine, or may be comfortable with getting sick and even dying, but you still could be getting others sick and putting their lives at risk.

The best course of practice, if possible, is to act as if one is sick and limit in-person social interactions. If you had the flu, would you show up to church? We hope not. Until testing for COVID-19 improves and treatment evolves, we all have to assume we could be getting others sick.

This is painful and challenging, but it will save lives. Its been estimated that social distancing and staying home in Bexar County  practiced from March 25 through Easter Sunday  could save about 2,500 lives and avoid 26,000 hospitalizations. This is according to a model from CI:Now, a nonprofit in partnership with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in San Antonio.

Large gatherings undercut this effort. Abbott should reverse himself on this one, but even without action from the governor, we all have a choice to honor the lives of others and preserve our communities. Gods presence is not diminished by worshiping from home during this pandemic. Its a blessing so many of us can connect with one another digitally and worship from a distance.
Little wonder that Bernie Sanders has dropped out now, when a global pandemic has ended the possibility of well-attended rallies and visits to key states holding primaries. Bernie was always at his best when shouting self-righteously about the bankers, the corrupt American healthcare system and the establishment politicians too scared to do anything about either. Coronavirus and its resultant lockdowns are much more advantageous to Joe Biden than his main rival; despite #WheresJoe trending on Twitter for a while, the sober, presidential announcements Biden released from isolation about the pandemic played well with Democrats and Republicans alike. This week, the former VP even shared a phone call with Trump, who he described as very gracious and warm (It was a very nice conversation, the president said, for his part.)

Despite Trumps bluster about how Democrats were conspiring to keep the virtuous, put-upon Sanders out  a rather transparent attempt at getting a self-proclaimed socialist into the race, who would be easier to beat through scaremongering in key states like Florida  he showed his cards when he took that call from Biden. He clearly has more respect for Sleepy Joe than he makes out during Keep America Great speeches. In accidentally admitting that, he helped Biden push Sanders out the conversation.

It is all so cruelly ironic, of course, because the other thing coronavirus has made obvious is how sensible a policy Medicare-for-All would be. The USs fractured healthcare system, where hospitals are competitors and data-sharing is discouraged, has cracked under the pressure. American exceptionalism led to a testing fiasco early in the pandemic; West Virginia was still proudly proclaiming that it had zero cases when citizens with coronavirus were claiming theyd been blocked from taking tests because the state didnt want to look bad. Trump dithered for too long about allowing a cruise ship to dock in California because he didnt want the numbers  which arent our fault  to double. Across the country, governors and mayors were making the choice to buy medical gear from private companies with city funds because there is no centralized data about who needs what and where. Sanders saw all this coming before it was a disaster, but few were willing to listen.

Now, however, they might be forced to. Bernies soft-socialist, collectivist ideas are well-suited to the recession we will now have to weather. The age of unfettered American capitalism is over. A Republican White House sending out $1200 checks to every US taxpayer would have been unthinkable just weeks ago; now that White House may be forced to bring in policies that some Democrats would have balked at in normal times.

On the eve of Super Tuesday  which feels like years ago but in fact happened only last month  the field suddenly thinned out in Bidens favour when recent dropouts Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto ORourke announced their support for the former vice president and travelled out to Dallas to stand alongside him at a campaign rally. Back then, it was unthinkable that Biden would ever reach out to Bernie Sanders but completely plausible that he might have had a quiet phone call with his moderate competitors. Many theorised that Buttigieg, Klobuchar and ORourke might have been promised government positions in exchange for their endorsements.

 Bernie Sanders ends presidential campaign for 2020

In this new landscape, it is not unthinkable that the quiet phone call might have happened between Biden and Sanders. If Uncle Joe can have a civil conversation with President Trump this week, then hes more than capable of making a deal with Bernie. If it happened, I imagine Biden might have said something like this: Everything has changed since the beginning of the year. Tenant protections, expanding social security, labor protection, free childcare and eliminating medical debt arent going to seem so radical in the months after coronavirus. There is scope to bring a lot of what you dreamed of, if you allow us to do this together.

The future of this country is with our ideas, Sanders said today while announcing the end of his campaign. And though many will be sad about that painful decision, he may well have been given the opportunity to work closely with a Biden-led White House  closer than could ever have been possible in the past.

Its clear that today Biden won the battle. But its equally possible that in the long term, Bernie Sanders and everything he believes in will end up winning the war.
With home fitness becoming popular during the COVID-19 epidemic, some people may feel confused about how to choose the right kind of home equipment. Here are some useful tips proposed by the China Sporting Goods Industry Federation.

(Photo/Xinhua)

A treadmill allows you to walk or run indoors. When buying one, choose a type that suits your home space and actual budget.

Walking pads are similar to treadmills, and popular among the young generation. The space-saving machine features running and walking modes and can be easily folded. A smart foldable walking pad with enhanced stability and safety features that can be controlled by voice command is the best choice.

For people with weight problems, the treadmill is not a good option, and rowing machines are recommended. The machines work the back, arms, and legs simultaneously.

Due to their recyclable nature, TPE yoga mats are recommended for those who practice yoga at home, as TPE is an eco-friendly rubber. Foam rollers are a great tool to use during yoga. They can also be used to massage the muscles after long runs and speed workouts.

Trampolines are a great option to help kids blow off some energy. When purchasing one, pay attention to its quality, size, ease of assembly and elastic properties. Place it away from windows and furniture to prevent potential risks.
The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Indigenous communities across the country has more than doubled since last week, according to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

Last Thursday, ISC reported 15 cases. As of Monday, the department said it was aware of four cases reported in Saskatchewan, 11 in Ontario and 20 in Quebec but some Indigenous leaders are questioning the accuracy of the data.

ISC said it monitors and tracks multiple sources of information for reporting on new cases of COVID-19 among First Nations people on reserve as well as in Inuit communities.

"While ISC tracks the sources of information available, the authority for publicly sharing information on the confirmed cases of COVID-19 rests with the provinces, territories and Public Health Agency of Canada," a spokesperson for the department told CBC News.

In Quebec, cases have been reported in Inuit, Cree, Innu, and Mohawk communities. But, public health officials in Kahnawake, a Mohawk community south of Montreal, said they've been struggling to get that information from the province.

"Public Health doesn't have a way to pull out that information because its system doesn't work by address or postal code or anything like that," said Lisa Westaway, executive director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre.

"I don't care about individual names. I want numbers."

It's part of the reason why Kahnawake opened its own testing site on March 29.

"We wanted to get a better idea of what's happening in the community," said Westaway.

"Depending on whether you have community transmission or not, it changes protective equipment, how you might plan your resources and future resources, how you prepare your ambulance drivers, how you prepare different facilities."

Concerns about 'finger pointing'

She said around 110 residents have been tested so far, and about 93 per cent have tested negative. There have been no hospitalizations or deaths, and some people have recovered.

Story continues

They aren't releasing the numbers publicly anymore, said Westaway, as it has caused "finger pointing" within the community. Some residents, she said, are also concerned about confidentiality, so increased security and privacy screens were erected at the testing site.

"It's not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about," said Westaway.

"It's a virus, and we're predicting that up to 70 per cent, if not more, of the population will at some point be exposed to this virus and will have it or know somebody very close to them who has had it."

Postponing Easter celebrations

The elected council of Six Nations of the Grand River, in southern Ontario, announced Monday that the community had another positive case, bringing their total to nine. The council said they will be toughening their calls for people to stay home as the Easter long weekend approaches.

"Under normal circumstances, this coming weekend would be a time for our community to gather under the spring sun," said Six Nations of the Grand River elected council Chief Mark Hill in a news release this week.

"We are asking you to postpone any scheduled celebrations for when we, as a community, have completely eliminated the COVID-19 virus in our community. If not, this could very well become a spring full of suffering and of loss."
Four Australian wine brands have been named the 'most admired' in the world - and you can get them delivered to your home now during the virus pandemic.

A judging panel made up of 200 wine buyers and wine connoisseurs from 48 different countries tasted top quality drops from all regions, styles and qualities for the Drinks International 'World's Most Admired Wine Brands' list, 2020.

The judges cast their votes based on taste, quality, marketing and packaging and whether the bottles reflect its region or country and appeal to a wide demographic.

And four Australian favourites - Penfolds (2), 19 Crimes (4), Henschke (18) and Yellow Tail (20) - made it into the top 20.

Last year's winner Penfolds, which is Treasury Wine Estates' flagship Australian wine brand, dropped one place to second

Topping the list at number four is 19 Crimes, which is named after the historic practice of the British convicts who were sentenced to live in Australia for violating of one of the 19 crimes

The world's 'most admired' wine brands 2020 Top 20 1. Catena (Argentina) 2. Penfolds (Australia) 3. Torres (Spain) 4. 19 Crimes (Australia) 5. Concha Y Toro (Chile) 6. Antinori (Italy) 7. Symington (Portugal) 8. Villa Maria (New Zealand) 9. Vega Sicilia (Spain) 10. Cloudy Bay (New Zealand) 11. Errazuriz (Chile) 12. Barefoot (US) 13. Esporao (Portugal) 14. Ridge (US) 15. Sassicaia (Italy) 16. E. Guigal (France) 17. Ramon Bilbao (Spain) 18. Henschke (Australia) 19. Cono Sur (Chile) 20. Yellow Tail (Australia) Advertisement

'There are thousands of wineries vying for attention on a global basis, but just 50 elite brands have made the cut,' Drinks International editor Martin Green said.

'To win a place on this prestigious list is a tremendous achievement, as there are a number of fantastic producers that missed out.'

Last year's winner Penfolds, which is Treasury Wine Estates' flagship Australian wine brand, dropped one place to second.

'To be honoured as the World's Most Admired Brand in our 175th anniversary year is something truly profound,' Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago said.

'We have a heritage and story that is still celebrated and a future where we are still eager to innovate, surprise and push boundaries. This global recognition from our peers is something to celebrate and celebrate we shall.'

Topping the list at number four is 19 Crimes, which is named after the historic practice of the British convicts who were sentenced to live in Australia for violating of one of the 19 crimes, including stealing, setting fire and assault.

One of Australia's oldest family owned wineries, Henschke has been ranked number 18 after being recognised as the 'world's most admired wine brand' for the first time.

One of Australia's oldest family owned wineries, Henschke has been ranked number 18 after being recognised as the 'world's most admired wine brand' for the first time

Family-owned winery Yellow Tail, from country town of Yenda, took out 20th spot in the list

How are the 'world's most admired wine brands' selected? The panel of judges were asked to cast their votes for wine brands from all regions, styles and qualities. The most admired wine brands awards are based on the following criteria: The wine is consistent or improving quality

It reflects its region or country of origin

It responds to the needs and tastes of its target audience

It is well marketed and packaged

It has a strong appeal to a wide demographic Advertisement

'We are overjoyed and honoured to be placed in the Top 20, as a new entry. To be one of five Australian wine brands included in this prestigious list is gratifying,' owner and chief winemaker Stephen Henschke said.

'As a 150-year-old, sixth-generation family-owned winery based in the Eden Valley in South Australia, we are delighted to be so highly respected by the international wine community.'

Family-owned winery Yellow Tail, from the small country town of Yenda, took out the 20th spot in the annual poll.

Drinks International first started to celebrate and honour wine brands with its annual industry survey since 2011.

Australians can get the wines delivered to their front door via leading liquor websites such as Dan Murphy's and Liquorland.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday dropped out of the White House race, paving the way for former vice president Joe Biden to become the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party and take on President Donald Trump in November presidential elections.

"Today I am suspending my campaign. But while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on," Sanders, 78, said.

The announcement from the Vermont Senator was expected as he had not done well in the recent Democratic primaries against Biden, 77, who has now taken a substantial lead over him after winning a series of key Democratic presidential primaries.

"Sanders's withdrawal from the race concludes a quest for the White House that began five years ago in relative obscurity but ultimately elevated him as a champion of the working class, a standard-bearer of American liberalism and the leader of a self-styled political revolution," The New York Times commented.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 05:28:15|Editor: huaxia

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LA PAZ, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A Bolivian mayor and two others were arrested on Tuesday for allowing a religious celebration to take place despite a ban on public gatherings amid the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police arrested Tiburcio Choque, the mayor of Patacamaya, in western La Paz department, and two organizers of the festival held in honor of the town's patron saint, for endangering public health, the regional prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"The Public Ministry issued the related arrest warrant, which was carried out this Tuesday to begin the investigation into the case," prosecutor Mario Antonio Cossio said.

The three suspects were taken from Patacamaya to a detention facility in the city of La Paz.

The celebration helped to spread the infection, according to the charges.

The festival began March 12 and lasted four days. On March 29, the photographer who documented the event died of coronavirus, alarming locals. Six others have also tested positive in Patacamaya.

Prosecutors said that on March 12, police sent the mayor a written request to cancel the festivities in compliance with the government-imposed quarantine measures, but the request was ignored.

Statistics showed that Bolivia has 194 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths of the disease.
Procedures for obtaining preparatory documents for the General Meeting

Regulatory News:

GenSight Biologics (Paris:SIGHT) (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, announced that it will hold its Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2020 at 9:00 am CET at the company's headquarters, 74 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France

(*) Warning :

In the context of Covid-19 and following the general confinement of people in France, the procedures for organizing our General Meeting of shareholders to be held on April 29, 2020 have evolved according to health and or legal requirements.

We inform you that the general meeting will be held without the physical presence of the shareholders, and we ask you to cast your vote remotely or to give your proxy to the chairman.

You are invited to regularly consult the company's website: www.gensight-biologics.com

In addition, within the framework of the relationship between the company and its shareholders, the company strongly invites them to favor the transmission of all their requests and documents by electronic means to the following address: ir@gensight-biologics.com

The company is warning its shareholders that, given current traffic restrictions, it may not be able to receive postal items addressed to it.

The notice containing the agenda and draft resolutions was published in the French BALO on March 25, 2020. The notice confirming the time and place of the meeting will be published in the French BALO and in a legal gazette on April 13, 2020.

The preparatory documents for the General Meeting listed in Article R. 225-73-1 of the French Commercial Code are posted on the company's website (www.gensight-biologics.com) in the Investors, Documentation section.

The preparatory documents for the General Meeting will also be made available to shareholders as of the convening of the meeting. Thus, in accordance with applicable regulatory provisions:

All registered shareholders may, until five days (included) before the meeting, request by email that the Company sends the documents referred to in Articles L. 225-115 and R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code. For holders of bearer shares, the exercise of this right is subject to the provision of a certificate of participation in the bearer share accounts held by the authorized intermediary;

Any shareholder may consult the documents referred to in Articles L. 225-115 and R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code on the company's website (www.gensight-biologics.com).

About GenSight Biologics

GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics' pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight Biologics' lead product candidate, LUMEVOQ (GS010), is in Phase III trials in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease that leads to irreversible blindness in teens and young adults. Using its gene therapy-based approach, GenSight Biologics' product candidates are designed to be administered in a single treatment to each eye by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005656/en/

Contacts:

GenSight Biologics

Thomas Gidoin

Chief Financial Officer

tgidoin@gensight-biologics.com

+33 (0)1 76 21 72 20



RooneyPartners

Media Relations

Marion Janic

mjanic@rooneyco.com

+1-212-223-4017



LifeSci Advisors

Investor Relations

Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

+33 (0)6 69 99 37 83



James Palmer

Retail Investors

j.palmer@orpheonfinance.com

+33 (0) 7 60 92 77 74
Once you start doing more training than the minimum, youre really doing more to protect your workforce and have employees buy into the culture of safety youre building within your organization.  Elizabeth Beckham, a learning and development manager at Turner Industries

To minimize the occurrence of physical and digital harm in the workplace, 90 percent of organizations are training employees on safety procedures, including compliance training and programs on other topics.

Of those, 95 percent provide training for employee safety, 96 percent for workplace safety, 48 percent for customer safety, and 84 percent for digital and information safety, according to the Association for Talent Development research report Safety Training: Protecting Employees and Organizations, which is sponsored by Safety Skills.

More organizations provided safety training to employees during onboarding than at any other time (92 percent). Substantial majorities also covered safety on a regular schedule for refresher training (82 percent), in response to new government regulations (73 percent), or due to safety incidents (72 percent).

Organizations should look to the safety training required by law as the bare minimum, according to Elizabeth Beckham, a learning and development manager at Turner Industries, a heavy industrial construction company with more than 10,000 employees. She advises that, Once you start doing more training than the minimum, youre really doing more to protect your workforce and have employees buy into the culture of safety youre building within your organization.

Some key findings of this report are:



A majority of organizations (71 percent) have organizational cultures that encourage safe behaviors to a high or very high extent.

The top benefits of safety training are reducing safety incidents, cited by 88 percent of respondents, and reducing the legal liability, fines, and sanctions that occur as a result of safety incidents, cited by 56 percent of respondents.

Some of the best practices associated with being a highly safe organizationone that has a culture that encourages safety and performs better on safety than other organizations in its industryinclude providing more safety training than the law requires, incorporating simulations into safety training, holding daily safety meetings, and training all managers on safety-related topics.

Three in four organizations (75 percent) delivered safety training using simulations. Of those, 73 percent used non-tech-based simulations (such as fire drills or role playing), 70 percent used computer-based simulations (for example, simulated phishing attacks), and 27 percent used virtual or augmented reality simulations.

United Parcel Service (UPS) incorporates virtual reality simulations into its safety training for delivery drivers. At training centers in the United States and Europe, its future delivery drivers wear headsets that immerse them in digitally recreated streets, rife with road hazards. The drivers must prove that they can verbally identify hazards in the simulation before they can begin more intensive on-road training.

A free webcast on the findings in Safety Training: Protecting Employees and Organizations is scheduled for April 22 at 2 p.m.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the worlds largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Originally established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATDs members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led U.S. chapters and international member networks and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.
A man sitting alone at a picnic table, another walking on a footpath, and friends playing video games in a lounge room have been fined as part of an Australia-wide crackdown on social distancing rules.

The 20-year-old man who sat at the picnic table in Mt Druitt in Sydney's west was issued a $1000 fine after being warned on three occasions the previous day, NSW police said on Wednesday.

In Victoria, officers fined three friends $1652 each after they were found playing video games in a lounge room but did not live in the same house.

Police officers around the country are stepping up patrols to fine coronavirus social distancing rule breakers (pictured: NSW Police officers ask people to move on while on patrol at Rushcutters Bay park in Sydney)

Police officers patrol St Kilda Beach in Melbourne after hundreds flocked to the area in March despite guidelines against gathering in crowds

In Queensland, five people on the Sunshine Coast were fined more than $6,000 in total after a noisy party on Tuesday night.

They were fined $1334.50 each for breaching directions given by Queensland's Chief Health Officer.

Acting QLD Police Superintendent Jason Overland said the group was 'recklessly and selfishly' ignoring the rules.

'These young people claim to have no knowledge of the pandemic or the directions to maintain social distancing,' Superintendent Overland said.

In NSW, in addition to the 20-year-old fined for sitting at the park bench, police conducting patrols also handed out another 14 fines for breaching lockdown rules in just 24 hours.

A second man in the same area was fined after officers found him sleeping on a park bench after previously telling them he needed to get out of the house to 'see his friends.'

Two men, 25 and 21, were each fined $1,000 after police were called to a residence in Lake Macquarie following reports of people breaking social gathering rules.

The men had visited two women who lived at the house.

And a 41-year-old man was fined in the town of Bathurst for walking on the footpath after giving police 'several different reasons' for being out of his house.

Since March 17, NSW police have issued 136 Penalty Infringement Notices and 11 Court Appearance Notices for breaching the Public Health Act rules.

In Victoria, police on Tuesday conducted 835 spot checks at businesses, houses and non-essential services - issuing 114 fines.

In one spot check, officers fined three friends $1652 each after they were found playing video games in a lounge room but did not live in the same house.

In one spot check, officers fined three friends $1652 each after they were found playing video games in a lounge room but did not live in the same house

On Tuesday night, officers attended the Rebels OMCG clubhouse in Sunshine West and handed out $14,800 in fines after seven men and two women were found socialising.

In Western Australia, an extra 150 officers are being recruited to enforce the lockdown rules while another 135 currently at the WA police academy will graduate early.

Officers charged 10 people for refusing to obey directions to self-isolate and another three were issued with $1,000 fines.

Those charged include a man who is accused of repeatedly sneaking out of a Perth hotel to visit his girlfriend.
There is so much uncertainty in the world. Borders are closed. Shops are vacant. Toilet paper is like liquid gold. Chemists are scrambling to stock hand sanitiser. People are anxious. Unemployment services are overrun. Government websites are crashing.

A friend told me recently, that he works in an industry that simply does not have job security. People are concerned about keeping their jobs, and they're worried about having enough food to put on the table, and having the ability to pay their mortgage.

He mentioned that hes not an Australian citizen, and so while the Australian government are providing a couple of stimulus packages to Australians doing it tough, his circumstances are such that he wont be the recipient of any of those funds.

None of it.

So let me spell it out. There is just so much uncertainty.

And it feels like that uncertainty is not going away any time soon.

So what now?

So the question then is how can we live in such times? How do we learn to reorient ourselves in a world fundamentally different from a week ago?

I wrote an article over a month ago saying that the greatest threat to Australian culture was disunity, and that we needed to move from polarisation to reconciliation. A global health crisis hits, and suddenly Labor State Governments are working with a Liberal Federal Government, and the Greens are helping to pass legislation and the last sitting of Parliament was the most maturity I have ever witnessed in question time.

And so for the most part, polarisation (while it still has its pockets), isnt what Australians are talking about. Were talking about keeping our jobs. Were talking about sustaining small business. Were talking about how we can possibly visit our relatives interstate. Were talking about how we find innovative ways for the church to gather online.

Were looking for new ways to reimagine the world we live in. Were searching for peace in the pandemic. Were looking for a way to hold all the moving parts together and find some solace in the process.

A little whisper

The anxiety levels have definitely risen across our land. There is definitely people crying out for wisdom and help in their times of trouble. My heart goes out to each of you.

As I consider the angst and the worry that many Australians have right now, I heard a little whisper that I want to share with you.

God wants to give you peace in the pandemic. God wants you to know of his love for you; that the Lord will never leave you or forsake you (Matthew chapter 28, verse 20).

I hope and pray youll find peace in the pandemic. That while the world swirls around you and the rain comes down, the stream rise, and the wind blows, that youll be able to stand strong with a foundation of faith in Christ.

Of one thing I am certain

In the midst of uncertainty, there is certainty.

There is certainty in the love of God toward you.

There is certainty in the salvation and hope found in Gods son, Jesus Christ.

There is certainty in the resurrection of Jesus. Amid all the confusion and heartbreak, there is certainty that Jesus has risen from the dead and that one day, those who believe in him, will be resurrected with him (See 1Corinthians chapter 15).

Thats why Im not buying into the panic and hoarding all my flour and sugar. Thats why Im not stockpiling toilet paper like its a going out of fashion.

I will find peace in the pandemic.

Of that you can be certain.
An Indian American-owned pharma firm has pledged to donate 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to some of the key COVID-19 battleground states, including New York and Louisiana, joining the war against the dreaded coronavirus which by Tuesday had taken lives of more than 12,800 people in the US alone.

Owned by philanthropic billionaire Chirag and Chintu Patel, New Jersey-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which is one of the largest US-based manufacturers, has also announced ramping up production of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate at several of its manufacturing sites and expects to produce approximately 20 million tablets between now and mid-April.

Those tablets will be made available nationwide through Amneal's existing retail and wholesale customers, as well as through direct sales to larger institutions in need, the company said.

Amneal has donated two million tablets of 200mg Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate to New York, and one million to Texas to be used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. It is ready to provide more as needed. It is also donating and providing products directly to hospitals across the country, the company said.

Amneal has also announced donation of 400,000 Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to Louisiana.

All of us at Amneal are committed to supporting our communities in the global fight against COVID-19," said Chirag and Chintu Patel, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Amneal.

"We are working with urgency to assist the hardest hit states and hospitals around the country to benefit as many patients as possible during this critical time," they said in a joint statement, issued by the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

"It is important we all work together to help solve the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. We must come together as Louisianans and as Americans. This donation from Amneal demonstrates their strong effort to be a good corporate citizen in our nation," Landry said.

Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate was first synthesized in 1946 and is in a class of medications historically used to treat and prevent malaria.

According to Louisiana State Government, Amneal's Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, childhood arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases.

Hydroxychloroquine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of COVID-19; but it has been identified as a possible treatment for it, and the US government has requested its immediate availability.

This is a crucial time in the global fight against COVID-19, Chirag and Chintu Patel said in a company press release.

With an existing supply of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate and our ability to quickly accelerate production, we are humbled to be able to assist the hardest hit states and hospitals around the country to benefit as many patients as possible, the two brothers said.

Landry said that Amneal's donation is one step toward trying to find treatments and cures for this epidemic.

Right now, there are no silver bullets. We must remain vigilant against the spread of this virus," he said.

The Louisiana State University School of Medicine is working to launch two different clinical trials using hydroxychloroquine in relation to COVID-19.

One trial will utilize Hydroxychloroquine on those who have significant COVID-19 disease. The other trial protocol will use and test the drug as a preventative measure for those healthcare workers on the front lines battling the epidemic.

Trials will be conducted at the University Medical Center in New Orleans and at the LSU Medical School locations in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, a media release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea is often seen as a pioneer in the fight against coronavirus. It seems that face masks are a key weapon in the country's arsenal. RTL spoke to Luxembourgish Dr. Marc Diederich, who currently lives in Seoul.

Dr. Marc Diederich is well-known in Luxembourg for his cancer research and his role in the Televie fundraising campaign. He currently works as a professor at the University of Seoul in South Korea, a country that is often portrayed as a pioneer in the battle against Covid-19.

The Asian country boasts 51 million inhabitants and has massively ramped up testing since the outbreak of the pandemic. Despite extensive testing, the country has only reported 10,300 infections and 192 deaths.

According to Dr Diederich, face masks are an important step towards bringing the pandemic under control. In South Korea, he explains, it is considered extremely rude not to wear a face mask at the moment. The mask does not only shield the wearer from air pollution but also, to a certain extent, from coronavirus. A recent article in the medical journal "Nature Medicine" for example found that the masks stop larger droplets and saliva from spreading. In other words, significantly fewer virus-laden droplets are projected into the air. Covering your mouth and nose, Dr. Diederich explained, primarily protects others. This means that, if an entire population wears a mask, individuals are efficiently protecting each other.

Dr. Diederich said: "I would really recommend wearing a mask to my friends and family in Europe. It can even be a very simple mask. I would find it very important if we emulated Asian countries, which have great success in the prevention, in this regard in order to protect each other."

Instead of taking strict measures like China and Europe, South Korea has embraced a model of open information, public participation and widespread testing. It is a government recommendation to wear a mask. Authorities have urged people to stay indoors, avoid meetings and minimise contact with others resulting in quiet streets and half-empty stores and restaurants.
Provincial officials are developing a new triage protocol to help doctors decide who gets critical care and who could be denied life-saving treatment if hospitals become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Provincial officials are developing a new triage protocol to help doctors decide who gets critical care and who could be denied life-saving treatment if hospitals become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Its a stark and terrifying proposition.

But with cases continuing to rise (and knowing the kind of rationing of critical care that occurred in countries like Italy), Manitoba officials have no choice but to prepare for a worst-case scenario,

"Like other jurisdictions, Manitoba is developing an ethical framework to help determine the criteria and decision-making processes for allocating resources during COVID-19, including critical care," a spokesperson for Shared Health Manitoba stated in an email to the Free Press. "Discussions continue amongst clinical leadership and ethicists."

No further details have been released by the province on how those decisions would be made, what criteria would be used, or how much would be made public.

In some jurisdictions, in the event of a shortage of ventilators, a patient could be taken off a machine, which is then used for someone with a better chance of recovery. (Claudio Furlan / LaPresse files)

But other jurisdictions, including Ontario and many U.S. states, have developed protocols to guide front-line staff on how to make the gut-wrenching decision of denying critical care to one patient in favour of another. In the event of a shortage of mechanical ventilators, for example, it could mean taking one patient off a machine and giving it to someone who has a better chance of recovery.

Protocols differ between jurisdictions. Most consider not only the age of patients, but also whether they have other medical conditions  organ failure, for example  that could reduce their chance of a full recovery. Some use a points system that assess patients based on various factors.

The goal is to save as many patients as possible, but it's also to give preference to those with a greater chance of living a longer life. Age isn't the only determining factor. But it can be a tiebreaker. If two people had the same chance of recovery, its likely the younger patient would get preference.

Its a brutal scenario, and one Canadian health-care workers are not accustomed to. There are times when doctors have to make tough decisions, in consultation with families, about whether to proceed with life-saving care in some complicated cases. But having to choose between who lives and who dies because of a shortage of supplies or equipment is unheard of in Canadian hospitals.

Manitoba is still a long way off from having to confront such a nightmare. Occupancy rates for both medical beds and intensive-care spots in hospitals are still hovering between 70 and 75 per cent. Winnipeg has 82 ICU beds. Brandon has five. The province is also expanding hospital space for lower-acuity patients to free up more capacity at Health Sciences Centre, and St. Boniface and Grace hospitals, Winnipegs three acute-care facilities. As of Tuesday, there were only five patients in the isolated COVID-19 units at those three facilities.

There were 12 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including six in intensive care. Thats up from the two to four on most days late last month.

Occupancy rates for medical beds and intensive-care spots in hospitals are hovering between 70 and 75 per cent. Winnipeg has 82 ICU beds. Brandon has five. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Meanwhile, Manitoba has 270 ventilators  which some critically ill COVID-19 patients need to help them breathe  with 16 more on order. Is it enough? No one knows.

What we do know is the more closely Manitobans follow physical-distancing rules and maintain good hand hygiene, the less likely doctors will have to make these unthinkable choices.

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Ignoring physical-distancing rules  as some people are still doing  not only puts front-line staff at risk, it could make the difference between having to use the new protocol or not.

"When you get into large groups and (youre) not following this advice, youre putting yourself and other Manitobans at risk," Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitobas chief public health officer said Monday.

"This is serious; this is, right now, life and death for Manitobans."

Hopefully, the new triage protocol will never be used. But since governments still have no idea how bad this pandemic will be, no matter what their internal modelling may suggest, it is a possibility.

The greatest determining factor, beyond aggressive testing and contact tracing, will be the behaviour of the public over the next few weeks.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
The Wall Street Journal first reported that WeWork was skipping rent payments.

The virus outbreak has emptied many of WeWorks locations and may reduce demand for its space over the longer terms. Seeing the empty spaces, landlords might be persuaded to reduce WeWorks lease payments, but they also know that SoftBank, the companys dominant shareholder, committed billions of dollars to finance WeWorks expansion.

With hospitals in dire straits, insurance companies are speeding up payments.

In a sign of just how desperate hospitals and doctors are for cash during the coronavirus pandemic, insurance companies, notorious for slow-walking their payments to health care providers, are now speeding up how quickly they pay.

There was a universal cry for cash, said Paul Markovich, the chief executive of Blue Shield of California, which said it would advance up to $200 million in payments to hospitals and doctors.

With revenues down for surgeries and other care not viewed as essential, providers are scrambling for money to pay for protective equipment and other supplies. The pressure on the entire health care ecosystem is something Ive never seen before, said Mr. Markovich, who hopes to get out the first payments as soon as this week.

Were effectively advancing payment now and collecting later, he said, even as it is also working with customers about letting them delay paying premiums.

UnitedHealth, which owns one of the nations largest insurance companies, said it would also take a series of steps, like waiving the need for pre-authorization when patients see a new doctor or go to a skilled nursing facility, that should result in nearly $2 billion in payments getting in the hands of providers more quickly. Providers could be paid in a matter of days rather than several weeks.

United also announced it would be making $125 million available in small-business loans to medical groups that work with its Optum unit, which provides consulting and other services.
GRAMMY Award-nominated StowTown recording artist The Collingsworth Family recently partnered with evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization Samaritan's Purse for "Sunday Night Worship Around The Piano," a Facebook LIVE concert from the family's Mt. Orab, Ohio, home. More than 513,000 people have viewed the event to date, which The Collingsworth Family created to help Samaritan's Purse raise funds for their work in the United States and around the world fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.



The livestream featured the award-winning family ensemble's signature harmonies and included classic hymns and songs of faith; their timely new single, "Joy Has Not Been Cancelled," penned by Kim and inspired by a recent devotional from Lysa TerKeurst; and a reading of Psalm 33.



"Samaritan's Purse is grateful for the support and generosity from The Collingsworth Family," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "As the world is facing this coronavirus pandemic, they are not only encouraging and blessing people with their music, but they are also using their talents to be a part of helping others. We are thankful for this tremendous gift, which is supporting our work in running Emergency Field Hospitals in New York City and Cremona, Italy, the two hardest hit areas."



"Ever since we were invited to do Christmas concerts with Cliff Barrows in 2014, we have returned every year to perform at The Cove, a ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association," Phil Colllingsworth said. "So we just knew that Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse was the right partner for this event. We are in such a crisis right now; when we were choosing the songs to share, Samaritan's Purse had trucks on the way to New York City to set up field hospitals."



"When we first realized we were going to need to stop traveling and stay home because of the pandemic, we asked God what He would have for us to do," added Kim Collingsworth. "We decided we wanted to do something to encourage our friends and listeners as we all struggle with challenges during this season. We also wanted to open our hands, and bless those who are on the frontlines of this crisis. Sharing this evening with folks around the world was a reminder to us that God is doing some unexpected things in the midst of unimaginable hardship and uncertainty."



The Collingsworth Family's "Sunday Night Worship Around The Piano" can be viewed here, and donations can still be made to assist with Samaritan's Purse COVID-19 relief efforts. One hundred percent of every donation will go towards helping those impacted by the pandemic.



About The Collingsworth Family

With a GRAMMY Award-nomination, a GMA Dove Award and multiple Singing News Fan Awards to their credit, StowTown recording artist The Collingsworth Family is among Gospel Music's most beloved family groups. Multi-faceted musicians whose sole purpose is offering their talent back to God as a sacrifice of praise, the family is comprised of Phil & Kim Collingsworth and their children, Brooklyn (Blair), Courtney (Metz), Phillip and Olivia. In addition to their signature harmonies, several family members are acclaimed instrumentalists in their own right: Kim on piano; Brooklyn and Courtney on violin; and Phil Sr. on trumpet. The Collingsworth Family has performed at The White House; the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove; and at multiple Gaither Homecoming events around the country.

Tags : The Collingsworth Family The Collingsworth Family facebook live concert samaritan's purse
New York, US (PANA) - Remembering the more than one million people who over the course of just 100 days, were systematically killed in Rwanda, 26 years ago, the UN chief underscored on Tuesday that we must never again let such an atrocity occur
The Phase 1 study of INO-4800 will enroll up to 40 healthy adult volunteers in Philadelphia, PA (at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania) and Kansas City, MO (at the Center for Pharmaceutical Research), where screening of potential participants has already begun. Study supplies of INO-4800 arrived at the sites last week. Each participant will receive two doses of INO-4800 four weeks apart, and the initial immune responses and safety data from the study are expected by late summer. Preclinical data, which have been shared with global regulatory authorities and submitted as part of the IND, have shown promising immune response results across multiple animal models. Additional preclinical trials, including challenge studies, will continue in parallel with the Phase 1 clinical trial.

A second potential COVID-19 vaccine has entered Phase 1 clinical human testing after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted an application from Inovio Pharmaceuticals. Tech Crunch reported Monday.Dr. J. Joseph Kim, INOVIO's president and CEO, said in a statement Tech Crunch said Inovio was able to produce thousands of dosesThe company says it should be able to produce as much as one million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year if the trials are successful. The doses would be ready forTech Crunch reports.The first potential vaccine began human testing in mid-March. The National Institutes of Health is funding that trial, which is taking place in Seattle at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. That testing began with 45 young, healthy volunteers who have been injected with different doses of shots co-developed by NIH and Moderna Inc.Meanwhile, a first set of tests in mice of a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 has shown it can spur the animals' immune systems to produce antibodies against the coronavirus.The vaccine is delivered via a fingertip-sized, Band-Aid-like patch made of 400 tiny needles that scratch the skin. The researchers who are developing the vaccine say the immune system reacts more readily to irritations of the skin, which means doing so could trigger it to target the coronavirus.When tested on mice, they developed antibodies to fight the coronavirus within two weeks.
German Foreign Ministry has assisted with the evacuation of 18 Ukrainian citizens from Nepal. It was announced by Deputy Foreign Minister Yehor Bozhok on his Twitter page.

"We are able to do it by combined efforts! A group of Ukrainian tourists is departing from Nepal. I would like to thank the German Foreign Ministry for its assistance, I would also like to thank Ukrainian diplomats in Kyiv and abroad for another professionally accomplished task," he wrote.

Ukrainian climbers were blocked in Nepal after the lockdown was introduced in Ukraine. They also could not return home because all flights were canceled due to the coronavirus.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba explained that the complexity of the situation with Nepal was related to its location and presence of problems with logistics.

"Nepal has the most resonant story of all the remotest countries. The alpinists have climbed Everest there, they have descended and now need our help. There is still a group of citizens in Latin America, but we are helping them there. Including 10 Ukrainian citizens who the Embassy in Argentina was able to place at the recreation center in order for them to live in decent conditions," he summed up.

As we reported earlier, Russian Aeroflot Airlines offered the Ukrainian government its help in the evacuation of Ukrainian tourists from Nepal.
George Pell's accuser has accepted the High Court's decision to quash child sex abuse convictions against the Cardinal and reassured his supporters: "I am OK".

The man, known as Witness J, said he was relieved the appeals process was over, in a statement released the day after Australia's seven most senior judges unanimously agreed a County Court jury in 2018, and later the Court of Appeal, should have found there was a reasonable doubt about Cardinal Pell's guilt.

Cardinal George Pell is released from Barwon Prison on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South

"It is difficult in child sex abuse matters to satisfy a criminal court that the offending has occurred beyond the shadow of a doubt. It is a very high standard to meet  a very heavy burden. There are a lot of checks and balances in the criminal justice system and the appeal process is one of them. I respect that," Witness J said in a statement through his lawyer Dr Vivian Waller.

"I understand why criminal cases must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt. No one wants to live in a society where people can be imprisoned without due and proper process. This is a basic civil liberty."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of playing vote bank politics over the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi in March, claiming that she is withholding updates on attendees who are in the state right now.

The accusation came from BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya a day after the Bengal CM refused to answer media queries concerning the Islamic congregation. She had hit out at mediapersons and advised them not to ask such communal questions  an act that Malviya has dubbed minority appeasement.

For live updates on coronavirus, click here



Mamata Banerjee when asked for an update on Tablighi cases said, Dont ask communal questions.

Jamaat cases have exploded across, but no clarity on the latest numbers in Bengal. How many of them traced and tested. Results? No update at all! 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 OPEC+ maintains modest monthly increases in oil output

Complete ban on firecrackers in Bengal during Diwali, Kali Puja

IMF revising India's growth forecast downwards is 'gross under estimation': N K Singh Has she made this about vote bank?  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 7, 2020

Taking to Twitter on April 8, he wrote:

The Tablighi Jamaat event has turned out to be one of the hotspots of the deadly novel coronavirus and the Centre is leaving no stone unturned to track down the attendees to ensure they do not infect any person they come in close contact with.

Here's a list of apps launched by Centre and state governments to tackle COVID-19 crisis

One must note, however, that Mamata Banerjee did share updates on Tablighi Jamaat attendees with the Centre last week, claiming 71 persons who had taken part in the congregation are now in West Bengal. She had also informed that the state government has successfully tracked down 54 attendees, out of which 40 turned out to be foreigners from Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia. They have all reportedly been quarantined in Kolkata.

The CM further said they have identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in West Bengal and the authorities are taking necessary steps to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease that has killed thousands of people across the globe in the past few months.
What happened

Shares of oil refiners Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX), HollyFrontier (NYSE:HFC), and PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) lost more than one-quarter of their value in March, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. That was more than twice the losses of the S&P 500, which was only down 12.5% for the month.

HollyFrontier and Phillips 66 saw modest drops compared to the rest of the refining industry, down just 27.2% and 28.3%, respectively. PBF, on the other hand, took a huge 68.4% hit. The overall downstream (refining and marketing) sector of the oil and gas industry, as measured by the S&P 500 Refining and Marketing Index was down 36.2% for the month.

So what

The stock market hammered oil companies up and down the industry after OPEC+ talks broke down on March 6, prompting the primary two OPEC+ members, Saudi Arabia and Russia, to increase production. That flooded the global oil market with cheap crude and caused oil prices to lose about half of their value.

Ordinarily, oil refiners are somewhat insulated from price shocks like these, because refiners buy crude oil and then sell the refined products -- like fuel and petrochemicals -- that they manufacture from it. So cheaper oil can actually lead to better margins. All three refiners saw share-price drops of between 10.4% (Phillips 66) and 15.8% (HollyFrontier) in the wake of the oil price collapse. That was a much gentler decline than much of the rest of the industry.

Investors were more concerned with the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on refining. Many refiners had just released their fourth-quarter 2019 earnings, which showed that prices for refined products were down thanks to oversupply. When coronavirus concerns caused flights to be grounded across the globe and hundreds of millions of people to be confined to their homes instead of driving to work, demand for refined products fell, exacerbating the oversupply.

What else

The shares of these three refiners actually fell further between March 10 and 12 (during the coronavirus-induced market drop) than they did between March 6 and 9 (during the oil price-induced drop). Between March 10 and 12, their shares declined between 18.6% (HollyFrontier) and 30.7% (PBF).

PBF performed so much worse than HollyFrontier and Phillips 66 because of concerns that the company might have to cut its dividend. At the beginning of March, not only was the company generating far less free cash flow than the comparably sized HollyFrontier, but it was paying a higher dividend yield (5.4%) than either HollyFrontier or the much-larger Phillips 66 (4% and 4.8%, respectively). It's also the only one of the three companies with a junk credit rating.

Those fears became a self-fulfilling prophecy. As PBF's price fell, its dividend yield rocketed to more than 20%: an unsustainable level for most companies, let alone a small company struggling in a difficult market environment. On March 30, PBF announced it was suspending its dividend. Shares fell 7.3% in response, since most of the effects were already baked into the price.

Now what

All three refiners have cut their capital expenditures for 2020 and have made changes to their operations. Phillips 66 has cut its 2020 capital budget by 18.6%, suspended share repurchases, and put several pipeline construction projects on hold. HollyFrontier is cutting capital expenditures by 15% and is currently running its refineries at just 70% of capacity. Meanwhile, in addition to suspending its dividend, PBF has trimmed its capital budget by 35%, cut executive pay in half and CEO pay by two-thirds, and arranged to quickly sell five hydrogen plants for $530 million.

Based on these updates and the relative strengths of their businesses, HollyFrontier and Phillips 66 look poised to weather the current low-demand environment fairly well. PBF, on the other hand, is a risky proposition even at its current price. However, with so much uncertainty surrounding the refining sector and the energy industry in general, investors should think carefully whether they want to buy in now or wait to see where we are in a month or two.
Queens Park is loosening the rules around selling cannabis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite cannabis stores being forced to close last weekend because they were not deemed essential under Ontarios state of emergency, the province will temporarily allow the private retailers to offer delivery and curbside pick-up services.

This new temporary measure is the result of an emergency order introduced today by the government of Ontario to help fight against the illegal cannabis market, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced Tuesday night.

The order will last for 14 days, with the possibility of an extension if the governments emergency order on business closures is extended, the commission said.

Licenced retailers will be allowed to sell, deliver, and offer takeout services daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a maximum purchase of 30 grams of dried cannabis  or equivalent  per transaction.

They must continue to comply with all laws and regulations ensuring weed is not sold or delivered to anyone under 19 or who appears intoxicated.

Under the new rules, customers can order or pay for their marijuana by phone or online and pick it up at the store.

When the customer arrives at the store for pick up, store staff will bring out the order, which must be in its original packaging, to the customer waiting in an area, the AGCO said.

The transaction will be captured by the stores security cameras, Payment must be completed at the time of the order, not during the pick-up.

Jean Major, registrar and CEO of the commission, said this new measure helps address consumer demand and maintain a revenue stream for store operators while supporting the governments broader objectives.

Cannabis retailers welcomed the move, which is similar to a previous AGCO order that allows restaurants to sell beer, wine, and spirits for takeout.

Online sales had previously been the purview of the Ontario Cannabis Store, the provincial agency that is responsible for distribution of recreational weed.

The change could also prevent illicit drug dealers from getting back into a business they had largely abandoned after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized cannabis in 2018.

Within hours of being forced to close our doors, illicit market delivery services started advertising directly on our storefront, said Cameron Brown, of the Hunny Pot on Queen Street West, which opened a year ago.

Todays decision gives us a fighting chance to retain our loyal customers and maintain the ability to provide safe, legal and quality cannabis, said Brown.
A mother, 70, died from coronavirus just hours after her 33-year-old daughter passed away suddenly after being exposed to the bug.

Rhoda Ruiz, from South Brunswick, New Jersey, was hospitalized after testing positive for the bug which later killed her.

Shortly before her death, her daughter Amanda - who had diabetes - started 'getting sick and throwing up'.

Rhoda Ruiz, from South Brunswick, New Jersey, was hospitalized after testing positive for the bug which later killed her. Shortly before her death, her daughter Amanda (pictured together) - who had diabetes - died

She then became 'incoherent and lethargic' and refused admission to hospital. She was found dead the next day.

Jessica Ingaglio told of her heartbreak after losing both her mother and sister on the same day.

Her father also tested positive and was admitted to hospital but is now recovering.

Coronavirus has ravaged the country killing 12,876 and infecting more than 398,000.

New Jersey is the worst-hit states outside of New York with 44,416 cases and 1,232 deaths.

Jessica Ingaglio told of her heartbreak after losing both her mother and sister on the same day.

Amanda became 'incoherent and lethargic' and refused admission to hospital. She was found dead the next day

When Amanda (pictured) fell ill, Ms Ingaglio called an ambulance and warned paramedics that her parents were both diagnosed with the killer bug

Speaking to NBC News, Ms Ingaglio said: 'The only hope that I have out of this is that she knew Amanda was gone and she needed to be with her daughter.'

When Amanda fell ill, Ms Ingaglio called an ambulance and warned paramedics that her parents were both diagnosed with the killer bug.

But Amanda refused hospital treatment.

Ms Ingaglio said: 'They said there's nothing we can do because she doesn't want to go, but I begged them to take her.

'Begged them. That's not my sister, something is very, very wrong.'

Amanda was found dead the next day.

Ms Ingaglio said: 'She was never tested. She might have had it, who knows. Anyone can have it and not show symptoms.'
<! African-Americans worst affected by coronavirus >

More African-Americans than other racial groups in the United States are dying of coronavirus and COVID-19.

This is according to preliminary numbers from Louisiana, Michigan and Illinois.

Officials said the statistics reflect the disparities among racial groups to healthcare access.

The figures were reported by state and city leaders at briefings on the coronavirus.

Louisiana Governor John Edwards said more than 70% of the 512 people killed by the coronavirus as of Monday were black.

In contrast, black people represent just 33 per cent of the states population.

Michigan officials also said that the coronavirus took a disproportionate toll on African-Americans, who are 14 per cent of the population.

As of Tuesday, 40% of the reported 845 deaths in the state were African Americans..

Michigan has 18,970 coronavirus cases.

The data is preliminary and not national and does not explain what is causing the disparities.

However, community leaders and public health officials said it could reflect both higher levels of underlying illnesses that make African-Americans more vulnerable as well as possibly lower levels of access to healthcare.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, acknowledging the early data, said on Tuesday that black Americans were more likely to have heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Diabetes, heart disease and long-term lung problems are the most common underlying conditions among Americans hospitalized with COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed this in a report published on March 31.

Only one in five people requiring intensive care had no such health issues, it said.

QuanTez Pressley, a 33-year-old preacher at the Third New Hope Baptist Church in Detroit, said that issues such as lack of access to fresh foods and people crowded into small living quarters make those individuals in marginalised communities more vulnerable to the worst outcomes of pandemics.

Some officials at the CDC and various state health departments over the past week have privately said the data they are receiving from hospitals is inconsistent, which they attributed to the chaos of trying to keep people alive amid a pandemic.

They said there were instances where health care providers did not check the boxes that provide demographic information on the patients.

If you end up in a situation where you are on a ventilator, and that ventilator is keeping your lungs working and your body is fighting off the infection, if your heart or your kidneys or your lungs are already weaker, you have a harder time fighting off that infection, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a briefing on the coronavirus on Monday.

Civil rights groups and some lawmakers have criticized the CDC and some state health departments for not publicly releasing details on the racial breakdown of those dying or becoming critically ill from COVID-19.

The CDC has not responded to requests for comment on the topic.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday stood before charts at a briefing showing the inequalities between white and black coronavirus victims in her city.

African-Americans account for 72% of coronavirus deaths despite representing just about one-third of Chicagos population of 2.7 million.

Those numbers take your breath away, said Lightfoot. This is a call to action moment for all of us.

Lightfoot demanded that doctors and other hospital staff take the time to fill out paperwork so that leaders could better understand the pandemic.

It starts out with the disparity that has already existed in health care provision for people of colour. We already started out with an unequal system of healthcare, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said on Monday.

It gets massively exacerbated when you bring on something like COVID-19.

Overall in the United States, there were at least 397,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with more than 12,819 deaths as of Tuesday night, according to a Reuters tally of state and local government sources.
Yves here. Is Merkel capable of a Nixon goes to China moment? Shes such a cautious politician that it seems unlikely.

Originally published at openDemocracy

A meeting of eurozone finance ministers ended this morning without agreement on how to pay the huge costs of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Financial Times reports. Italian and Dutch ministers had disagreed sharply over the idea of coronabonds  a form of shared debt. Northern European governments were also unwilling to remove conditions on loans from the European Stability Mechanism, a fund that has been set up to help eurozone economies in difficulty.

Before the meeting started yesterday, more than 300 political scientists, historians, sociologists, economists and international experts from thirty European countries published an open letter to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The signatories, including two Nobel laureates, more than twenty MEPs, the former head of the International Atomic Agency and the general secretary of the European Trade Union conference, call upon Merkel to support the creation of European bonds to finance economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is the full text of the letter:

Sehr geehrte Frau Kanzlerin,

Throughout the coronavirus outbreak  as so many times before  you have shown leadership for your country. Both as a chancellor and as a physicist you grasped the depth of the sanitary emergency and the challenges it represents to Europe as a whole.

We now turn to you as German and European citizens to ask you, in the best tradition of German European policy, to lead a united European response to the economic and financial crisis prompted by this pandemic.

With great concern we witness growing anger, acrimony and resentment between countries in the South and the North of Europe. An epidemic knows no barriers between North and South, nor should it be permitted to create them. Rather, as an existential threat to the European Union as a whole, it calls for new forms of European solidarity.

Unless such new forms of European solidarity will be found, some countries will be facing far deeper consequences than others. This alarms us. We know Germany remembers the dramatic recession it suffered after the First World War. If the other European countries had prevented that recession, how would history have played out? Wasnt the European Union created precisely to write a different history?

Since the end of WWII, Germany, more than any other country, has had the capacity to learn from its bitter past. The immediate reform of its armed forces and, above all, the painful but rigorous facing of individual and collective atrocities, are and remain the foundation of a new Germany as well as important aspects of a European heritage.

In difficult circumstances your countrys vision for Europe has prevailed over even legitimate national claims. No supporter of a United Europe can forget the lifelong commitment of Willy Brandt to a European Germany as opposed to a German Europe. A commitment shared by Helmut Kohl, who gained his place in history as an essential partner of a virtuous exchange between the creation of the euro and the immediate unification of Germany, which came about through dialogue and in solidarity with Europe as a whole.

The present pandemic is an unforeseen emergency that calls for similar dialogue and solidarity, in the ultimate interest of everybody concerned.

European bonds, tied to this context but of much greater historical significance, are the necessary guarantee and fulfillment of the efforts made by the European Central Bank and individual nations. As suggested by leading German and European economists such a proposal would allow to tackle an emergency that could otherwise turn into a eurozone crisis and, ultimately, into a social and economic tragedy. A century ago, European nations did not listen to the advice of John Maynard Keynes and other leading economists and thinkers, with catastrophic consequences. We must not make the same mistake now.

It is of paramount importance to act now and show the people of Europe that we are actually doing so in an extraordinary way. We ask you to lead this action in the European Council, signalling to the world that Europeans stand together in the face of this crisis and are ready to do whatever it takes to preserve our union and in fact strengthen it in the face of hardship.

We are confident, sehr geehrte Frau Merkel, that this will happen under your tenureship and add to your legacy as Bundeskanzlerin and as a great European.

Sincerely yours,

See original post for full list of signatories
Mamata Banerjee upset after not being allowed to speak during PMs meet

Coronavirus: Is Mamata Banerjee using Tablighi Jamaat incident to gather votes asks BJP

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Apr 08: West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has been accused of appeasing the minorities by the BJP.

The party has accused her of not sharing updates on those persons from Bengal who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.

The event that took place in Nizamuddin, is now identified as a hotspot for the spread of novel coronavirus.

The BJP accused CM Mamata Banerjee after she avoided a query on Tablighi Jamaat cases in West Bengal. She urged the media not to ask "such communal questions".

Fake News Buster

Reacting to this, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya slammed Mamata Banerjee and alleged that the CM was trying to appease minority over the issue that has created panic among people.

Taking to Twitter, Amit Malviya said, "Jamaat cases have exploded across, but no clarity on the latest numbers in Bengal. How many of them traced and tested. Results? No update at all!".

Mamata Banerjee when asked for an update on Tablighi cases said, Dont ask communal questions.



Jamaat cases have exploded across, but no clarity on the latest numbers in Bengal. How many of them traced and tested. Results? No update at all!



Has she made this about vote bank?  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 7, 2020

Amid the tussle between the BJP and the West Bengal government concerning the COVID-19 figures, Mamata Banerjee had said that eight more positive cases of COVID-19 registered in the state, taking the number of cases in the state to 87.

But, the Union Health Ministry had claimed that the positive coronavirus cases had touched 91 in West Bengal.
B ernie Sanders has ended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The 78-year-old's departure from the race leaves a clear run for rival Joe Biden to take on Donald Trump in November.

The Vermont senator's hopes at the candidacy were dashed when South Carolina and several other battleground primaries were won by Mr Biden.

Analysts put Mr Sanders' decline down to the coronavirus crisis forcing the cancellation of political rallies, which is where he thrived.

Bernie Sanders was the front-runner in the race earlier this year / Getty Images

Mr Sanders told supporters in a video call on Wednesday: I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who knocked on doors, millions of them, in the freezing winters of Iowa and New Hampshire, and in the heat, and in South Carolina, and in states throughout the country.

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I want to thank the two million Americans who have contributed financially to our campaign, and showed the world that we can take on a corrupt campaign and finance system, and run a major presidential campaign without being dependent on the wealthy and the powerful."

Mr Sanders, a democratic socialist whose key proposal was to reform US healthcare, rose from relative obscurity to build an enthusiastic backing of young voters.

He reached frontrunner status in February, receiving the second most delegates in the Iowa caucuses before finishing first in New Hampshire and Nevada.

But he lost ground after former Vice President Mr Biden gained the endorsement of kingmaker James Clyburn, boosting his support among black voters and sealing South Carolina.

Former Vice President Joe Biden / AP

The veteran Democrat resisted calls to stand down early after a disappointing Super Tuesday and used the backdrop of the escalating Covid-19 infection rate in the US to thrust his progressive agenda.

But his campaign was thwarted as an increasing number of Democrats backed the moderate candidate Mr Biden, judging Mr Sanders too radical to defeat Mr Trump.
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Reuters correspondent Robenson Sanon has been covering life in his home country of Haiti for over 10 years.

He has covered natural disasters, social unrest, and issues affecting daily life in the country. Last year, he was shot and wounded in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while covering protests calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise, as CPJ documented at the time.

But now, he is facing a new challenge: while the World Health Organization only reports 24 confirmed cases in Haiti as of April 7, the pandemic has made preexisting issues such as government mismanagement and dangerous reporting conditions even worse.

Sanon, who is based in Port au Prince, spoke with CPJ over the phone on March 19. His replies have been edited for length and clarity.

What is the reporting environment like for covering the pandemic?

In Haiti, information is not guaranteed. You have to fight to access information. It is truly difficult to get information from the government. Sometimes it will take me two to three weeks for a single piece of reporting. You call a government institution to ask for information and they tell you to ask for an appointment.

Presently, we depend on what authorities tell us. They say there are 10 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but there is no way to verify that information. We really do not know what is happening. We are limited to whatever information they provide us.

We are living in a country under a very precarious situation. My reporting is focused on social topics that are related to the pandemic, for example, access to clean water to drink and to wash your hands, which is fundamental in the midst of a pandemic.

I recently did some reporting on this topic from an encampment of homeless people, located near Delmas 2 [a commune in Port-au-Prince], where people with disabilities live. These are people whose homes were ravaged by the hurricane who had preexisting disabilities or who became disabled after the earthquake. These people need to find water. With my reporting, I try to call attention of public authorities and public opinion to their situation.

There are people that live in remote areas, they dont have access to hospitals, so I give them a space to use their voices, for them to express themselves.

Haitian journalist Robenson Sanon. (Edner Lecture)

What are the greatest obstacles for your coverage?

The greatest challenge is having access to reliable information. The other challenge is making sure that you are working under safe conditions and without getting infected, because if I do, where am I going to get treated if our hospitals are not equipped to face this? That is the biggest concern.

Working as a journalist in Haiti is truly a challenge, considering that this is a country in a very difficult situation. For example, access to the internet is not guaranteed. Sometimes it takes me one or two days just to send a reporting piece over the internet to Reuters.

What are you doing to keep yourself safe?

At present, in Haiti there is no safety equipment for journalists to work without risking their lives. All I have are masks and gloves, and thats it. The places we visit are probably contaminated. You are exposed to the virus, as is everyone else in a press conference. This situation makes you ask yourself thousands of questions, about whether it is safe to keep doing this job. And your loved ones ask you what are you doing there?

If something happens to you, if you get sick, no one will be able to help you. One tries to take all the precautions, but there is a limit to what you can do on your part.

I keep social distance, and I wear the masks and gloves. Many of my colleagues dont have protective equipment. And like soldiers in the battlefield, we are in the first line of battle.

How are you dealing with and responding to misinformation around the virus?

In the current context, I do not have a source that can give me any reliable information, because all of the information is in the hands of the government. There are very few people that handle this information. The rest are just rumors. Up to this point, we depend solely on government press conferences. As journalists, we always try to find a balance, to corroborate the official information. But in these circumstances, it is really difficult.

Haiti is still an open country, we are still receiving flights from the United States. If there is a suspected case of someone with COVID-19, they have to send the specimen to the national lab, and wait for days to get the results. There is no way to do a quick test. So, there is very little information. Nobody knows anything, apart from what the government says. We really have no other source of information. We dont really have sources to have a minimum of corroboration of official information.

[Misinformation] is the fight, the biggest fight. Lack of access to information is conducive to the spread of misinformation. Today, there are people on radio and television who offer drugs or treatment solutions for the coronavirus which have no scientific basis.

As journalists what we do is that we support each other, we reproduce each others messages, letting the public know that information provided was false, and that way we have a stronger impact. Thats how we operate in this fight, as a network.

I personally always take care to verify the information with an authorized spokesperson or member of the government. We are fighting a real fight. I am constantly monitoring radio and television stations, and informing the public when there is misinformation.

In Haiti, there is no authority tasked with fighting misinformation. Sometimes, a member of government will provide a statement saying that some content that is circulating is false. But this is not a sustained or structured fight.

Do you think Haitian authorities are seriously investigating threats against journalists?

I want to be completely honest: I do my work in an environment of fear. Journalists work in Haiti under truly difficult circumstances.

When you are attacked, you want to file a complaint, but against whom? There are systematic attacks, sometimes from the police, and there is no protection. When I am reporting in the streets, my biggest concern is taking out my camera, because of the insecurity. And then there are the gangs, which operate with impunity throughout the country. You have to fight constantly to protect your own skin.

When I was injured last year, the news was covered throughout the world. But, I never received a single phone call or communication from government or justice officials about an investigation to determine the facts of the incident. Not a single one. And then, this past February, on the 13th, someone broke into my home and stole my working equipment, including my laptop and phones. I filed a complaint before the police. Again, I have not received any communications about the investigation.

Professional safety is not guaranteed in Haiti. So, I am constantly asking myself questions about my safety and the future of my family. This is the hardest thing of all. Also, gangs are becoming increasingly powerful.

I think of the case of my colleague Vladjimir [Legagneur], where there are no results from the investigations into his disappearance. You never know how things will end, and so there are journalists who have decided to flee the country. But that is the job we do.

I am constantly asking myself questions about my job, and the risks I take. But I love my job.
Health professionals conduct coronavirus tests at a drive through testing site at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio on March 17, 2020. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images)

Police Break Up Social Distancing Parade of Teachers Driving in Cars in Kansas

Police in Kansas City, Kansas, broke up a parade of school teachers and staff members driving their cars. The activity was deemed nonessential.

John Fiske Elementary School in Kansas City hosted a parade that included teachers and administrators driving through local neighborhoods to get children excited for distance learning amid the pandemic, according to the schools Facebook page.

But the parade was suddenly ended by authorities, without incident.

Families, we regret to inform you that the parade was abruptly ended by local authorities because we are #nonessential, the school wrote on Facebook. It breaks our hearts but we got to see a lot of you, regardless!

Nancy Chartrand, public information officer with the police department, told Fox4 that officers were only complying with state-mandated orders.

The governors order is the governors order, Chartrand said. Only necessary, essential. Thats what theyre supposed to be out for.

Sharita Hutton with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools added that the district wasnt told about the event.

We know that John Fiske teachers and administration had their hearts in the right place, Hutton wrote in an email, according to Fox4. With that said, we understand that during these times, Wyandotte County has rules in place to protect the citizens and that is why we support their decision to stop todays parade.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kellys issued a stay at home order starting March 30 until April 19. Like similar orders in other states, it allows residents to only leave their homes for essential activities, while schools, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other businesses deemed nonessential were shuttered in the interim.

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 before it was transmitted worldwide.
Microsoft Corporation MSFT recently announced partnership with Blackrock to host the latters Investment management platform  Aladdin  on Azure cloud.



Per the terms of the deal, Blackrock will utilize Azures enhanced cloud computing capabilities to provide better experiences to Aladdins clients. Moreover, Azure will aid Blackrock to undertake innovation in the financial services industry.



The two firms will also be working together on initiatives that aim to accelerate sustainability in finance by leveraging Microsofts AI and big data capabilities as well as Blackrocks investment management solutions.



The Blackrock deal is a notable win for Microsoft as it highlights strength of Azures cloud solutions in finance domain and is anticipated to boost the companys cloud revenues in the coming quarters.



Expanding Azure clientele is expected to induce investor optimism in the stock. Notably, shares of Microsoft have returned 3.7% year to date, compared to the industrys decline of 2.7%.

Microsoft Corporation Price and Consensus

Microsoft Corporation Price and Consensus

Robust Azure Adoption to Drive the Top Line



Microsoft has been witnessing robust traction for its cloud services, courtesy of the digital transformation taking place in the market.



Notably, the companys cloud and IoT solutions were recently adopted by insurance giant  Swiss Re  to improve its risk prediction and management strategies as well as for the development of next-gen risk technology solutions.



Moreover, the companys cloud services were adopted by Spanish telecom company Telefonica to drive digital transformation for enterprises in Spain and also to achieve its own digital transformation goals.



Further, Microsoft inked a deal with Genesys to aid enterprises in providing enhanced services to their customers by leveraging the Azure cloud platform.



These client wins highlight the growing demand for Microsofts cloud services and are expected to drive the top line the long haul.



Notably, revenues in the Intelligent Cloud segment increased 27% year over year to $11.9 million in second-quarter fiscal 2020. Azure witnessed 64% year-over-year growth in revenues during the quarter.



Demand for Cloud Services to Aid Competitive Position



Microsoft is expected to benefit from robust adoption of digital transformation technologies triggered by coronavirus-led work-from-home wave.



There is immense scope for growth for cloud computing platforms like Azure, as more companies shift away from legacy systems to scalable, enterprise-tuned platforms, in turn driving demand for cloud-based services.



These factors are expected to aid the tech giant counter stiff competition in the cloud computing market from Amazons AMZN Amazon Web Services (AWS).



Per Canalys, Microsoft Azures market share increased from 14.5% in fourth-quarter 2018, to 17.6% in fourth-quarter 2019. Notably, Azure trails only AWS, which has lost ground in the cloud infrastructure market. This is evident from AWS market share of 32.4% in fourth-quarter 2019, shrinking from 33.4% in fourth-quarter 2018.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Microsoft currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are CyberOptics Corporation CYBE, and LogMeIn, Inc. LOGM which sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



The long-term earnings growth rate for CyberOptics and LogMeIn are currently pegged at 12% and 5%, respectively.



Free: Zacks Single Best Stock Set to Double



Today you are invited to download our latest Special Report that reveals 5 stocks with the most potential to gain +100% or more in 2020. From those 5, Zacks Director of Research, Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.



This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all-time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible. Now a pending acquisition could super-charge the companys drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence. The earlier you get in to this stock, the greater your potential gain.



See 5 Stocks Set to Double>>

Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report LogMein, Inc. (LOGM) : Free Stock Analysis Report CyberOptics Corporation (CYBE) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research
The Goldman Sachs GS request to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed by its shareholders was recently rejected by a Manhattan court. The lawsuit accuses the company of making fraudulent claims that it prioritized customer interests over its own, while creating risky subprime securities back in 2008.

Per the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the company failed to comply with a legal presumption that the shareholders relied on Goldmans alleged misstatements in purchasing its stock at the market price.

Amid the near financial crisis, Goldmans representatives made statements such as clients interests always come first, our extraordinary focus on our clients and many more, which seem to conflict with its action regarding subprime securities.

U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty gave a green signal to shareholders of the company in August 2018 to sue as a group on lack of evidence from Goldman to prove that the statements made by it at the time of selling risky products had no impact on its stock price.

It was the second time that Crotty approved shareholders request for suing Goldman. In 2015, he approved the request, which was later on reversed by a U.S. appeals court, stating that there is a need for a trial judge to review whether the companys misrepresentations affected its market price.

Previously, the court also rejected Goldmans argument that allowing class actions based on general misstatements would turn securities fraud claims into a form of investor insurance, exposing companies to a flood of baseless litigations.

Goldmans investors from February 2007 to June 2010, including The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, claimed to have suffered losses of more than $13 billion due to its misdeeds.

The stock has lost 15.6% over the past six months compared with the industrys decline of 6.9%.

Story continues

Currently, Goldman carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Stocks to Consider From the Sector

Meridian Bancorp, Inc. EBSB has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions for 2020 over the past 60 days. Also, this Zacks #1 Ranked (Strong Buy) stock has plunged 43.2% over the past six months. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Waterstone Financial, Inc.s WSBF ongoing-year earnings estimate moved up in the past 60 days. Further, the companys shares have declined 20.9% over the past six months. At present, it carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy).

Evercore Inc.s EVR current-year earnings estimate moved north in 60 days. Additionally, the stock has depreciated 28.4% over the past six months. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Free: Zacks Single Best Stock Set to Double



Today you are invited to download our latest Special Report that reveals 5 stocks with the most potential to gain +100% or more in 2020. From those 5, Zacks Director of Research, Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.



This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all-time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible. Now a pending acquisition could super-charge the companys drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence. The earlier you get in to this stock, the greater your potential gain.



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The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Irelands hopes of an exit from coronavirus restrictions were dealt a blow today after a major European watchdog said it is too early to lift emergency measures.

This is not the time to start reducing distancing measures in the EU and in the UK it warned.

The assessment from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)is key to Irelands decision on whether to reduce restrictions.

The report said that before considering the lifting of any measures, member states should ensure enhanced population and hospital-based testing and surveillance systems are in place.

There are needed to inform and monitor escalation or de-escalation strategies.

It will be two to three weeks before Ireland is capable for providing testing turnaround results in 24 to 48 hours.

Read More

ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said :In the current situation, continuous spread of the virus can be expected.

It is still too early to suddenly lift all community and physical distancing measures in the EU/EEA and the UK, even though these stringent measures may be quite disruptive to society on an economic and social level.

Solidarity and coordination between Member States will remain essential when considering the lifting of any measures. The risk of infection spilllover between countries should be minimised. A strong focus should remain on comprehensive testing and surveillance strategies, community measures such as physical distancing, strengthening of healthcare systems and informing the public and health community.

 The promotion of mental wellbeing among people living under physical distancing measures is necessary to ensure that populations have the resilience to maintain adherence to these measures.

It said that recently, in a few EU/EEA countries, the number of new cases and new deaths reported daily appears to have decreased slightly.

However, many EU/EEA countries are currently only testing severe or hospitalised cases, therefore these trends should be interpreted with caution. Despite early evidence from Italy and Austria that the number of cases and deaths are declining, there is currently no indication at EU/EEA level that the peak of the epidemic has been reached.

The risk of severe disease associated with COVID-19 in the EU/EEA and UK is currently considered moderate for the general population and very high for people with with defined risk factors like underlying illness and older age groups.

The risk of increasing community transmission of COVID-19 in the EU/EEA and the UK in the coming weeks is moderate if mitigation measures are in place, and very high if insufficient mitigation measures are in place;

The risk of health and social care system capacity in the EU/EEA and the UK being exceeded in the coming weeks is considered high with mitigation measures in place and very high if insufficient mitigation measures are in place.

In the current situation, a strong focus should remain on comprehensive testing and surveillance strategies (including contact tracing), community measures (including physical distancing), strengthening of healthcare systems and informing the public and health community.
[April 08, 2020] Santa Barbara Wine Country Celebrates Healthcare Workers With Free Wine Donations

Santa Barbara Wine Country is recognizing healthcare workers throughout Southern California with free bottles of wine to thank them for their hard work on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak. Over 50 vintners and winemakers throughout Santa Barbara County are making contributions this week with the goal of donating 500 cases to doctors, nurses and other medical staff at hospitals in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange (News - Alert) Counties. Each will receive a care package along with a thank you note for their tireless work and dedication. The movement was started by Michael Speakman, owner of Westerly Wines. Speakman reached out to multiple hospitals and fellow vintners with the idea and quickly received strong support. The following hospitals will be receiving the wine donations, and the list is expected to grow: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation

Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation

UCLA Health (multiple locations and clinics throughout Los Angeles)

St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo

Kaiser Permanente Orange County

Anaheim Medical Center

Mission Hospital Mission Viejo "The Santa Barbara wine cmmunity is thrilled to be able to donate our wines to healthcare workers as an expression of our gratitude during this unprecedented health crisis. When they go home, we hope they can relax and enjoy a glass of wine made by people who recognize and appreciate all they are doing," said CEO of Santa Barbara Vintners, Alison Laslett.



Santa Barbara County has one of the most extensive collections of wine varietals in California. While wineries and tasting rooms are closed at this time, they are supporting community efforts and participating in virtual wine tastings with consumers staying at home, https://www.sbcountywines.com/sbv-virtual-tastings.html. About Santa Barbara Vintners

Santa Barbara Vintners (Santa Barbara County Vintners Association) is a non-profit 501(c)6 organization founded in 1983 to support and promote Santa Barbara County as a world-class wine producing and wine grape growing region. The association includes winery members whose annual production is at least 75% Santa Barbara County (or sub-AVA) labeled, winery associates, vineyards, vineyard management companies, hospitality, and industry associate members. The association produces festivals and wine country weekends; educational seminars and tastings; provides information to consumers, trade, and media; and advocates for the Santa Barbara County wine and grape industry. For more information, visit https://www.sbcountywines.com/ Follow us: @santabarbarawinecountry on Facebook & Instagram and @sbcwines on Twitter (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005685/en/

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Piers Morgan has slammed Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho after he was spotted taking a training session with players in a London park.

The Spurs boss faces a police warning after organising the workout, in which his players appeared to flout the government's social distancing guidelines amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the club have since received a ticking off from the government too.

Morgan did not hold back in his criticism of the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, letting rip on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho was spotted out in a park with players as he appeared to take a training session

Piers Morgan, speaking on Good Morning Britain, hit out at the Spurs boss for his actions

'On a less positive note, we have found more idiots, I'm afraid,' Morgan told his co-host Susanna Reid. 'What are you thinking Jose? What are you thinking players?

'Tottenham, at the moment, quite rightly, are getting vilified as a club for the decision taken by their billionaire owner Joe Lewis and their chief executive Daniel Levy to furlough staff when they've got gazillions to spend on players.

'And now we see the players and the manager having an unofficial training session, apparently not sanctioned by the club.'

After footage of Mourinho, Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon and Davinson Sanchez emerged on Tuesday, a government spokesperson said: 'Our advice is clear and applies to everybody: stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

'You should only exercise by yourself or with your household and you should stay two metres away from anyone else at all times.

'Anyone not doing this is endangering people's lives.'

Mourinho has since come out and apologised for his actions, stating: 'I accept that my actions were not in line with government protocol and we must only have contact with members of our own household.

'It is vital we all play our part and follow government advice in order to support our heroes in the NHS and save lives.'

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was also shown the video and pictures of Mourinho and was quick to talk about the responsibility those in the public eye have, and the need for them to obey guidelines.

'My issue is, leading by example,' he told BBC Breakfast, 'and my concern is, particularly children, who may support Spurs or follow football, they watch these images, pick up a paper, watch the internet and think, "well if it's okay for them, why isn't it okay for me?"

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has also hit out at Mourinho and says he should lead by example

'And that's why it's so important, all of us, we're doing this interview using Skype. I've not left my home to do media or to do work for the last three weeks or so, to demonstrate that it is possible to work from home... unless you really, really, really have to leave home.

'And the point I'd make, with politeness and courtesy, is ask yourself the question: is what I'm doing really necessary?

'And the answer is no, it isn't necessary to be training in close proximity with another player, who may be carrying the virus, and what you're doing is inadvertently, unintentionally potentially spreading the virus. You shouldn't be doing that.'

Mourinho, who has already been warned by Tottenham, was spotted overseeing a drill involving members of his squad - most notably Ndombele - at Hadley Common in Barnet.

Mourinho and his players appeared to flout social distancing rules by meeting up in Barnet

Tottenham duo Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon were spotted out running on Tuesday

In clips and photos posted on social media, Sanchez and Sessegnon were also filmed jogging side by side elsewhere in north London, while Aurier was filmed in close quarters by a friend during a run.

Morgan admits he was shocked to see Mourinho so openly ignoring the government's advice as the country tries to halt the spread of coronavirus.

'I was very surprised about this because Mourinho has been very good in delivering food parcels for the media and so on,' Morgan continued.

'But for Jose Mourinho, the Tottenham manager, to be having an unofficial training session with players, in which they're clearly ignoring the social distancing rules. It sends out completely the wrong signal.'

Mourinho insists he and Ndombele remained the required distance apart during their training session.

Though Spurs chiefs were understood to be left unimpressed by the disregard for the rules which were introduced to try and halt the spread of the deadly virus.

A Spurs spokesperson said: All of our players have been reminded to respect social distancing when exercising outdoors. We shall continue to reinforce this message.

In a separate video, Ivory Coast international defender Serge Aurier was seen out with a friend

Spurs said that they would remind Mourinho and his players to respect social distancing

Arsenal fan Morgan was joined by his show's resident medical expert, Dr Hilary Jones, who also weighed in on the subject and hit out at Mourinho.

'It sends the wrong signal and people need to be constantly reminded of what the guidelines are,' he began. 'One form of exercise for a short period of time, not sitting on the grass sunbathing - that doesn't have any benefit, whereas exercise does.

'There are multiple reasons why we give these guidelines and if people follow them we will save lives and protect the NHS.'

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp also appeared on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning and was asked about Mourinho's actions.

Harry Redknapp says it may have been more appropriate for players to use the training ground

In response, Redknapp asked whether it may have been more appropriate for Spurs' players to use the facilities at their training ground.

'I imagine they all live near the training ground somewhere, surely they'd be better off popping into the training ground wouldn't they?' he said.

'I mean that would be empty, there would be no one there. It's probably as close as the park though, when you think about it, I don't know.

'Listen, we've all got to obey the rules, haven't we. If we want to clear this thing up. We've got to make sure if we're told to stay in and keep our distance, then we've got to do it.'
Idlib people have not faced coronavirus cases, but locals try to take some humble measures, like producing masks.

Aid groups are concerned about the possibility of the coronavirus pandemic reaching rebel-held Idlib city in Syria.

Fears continue in the rebel-held Idlib city of northwest Syria as the pandemic sweeps the world.

Its population lives under extreme shortages of medicine, and supplies in its hospitals have been depleted by nearly 10 years of war.

Some in Idlib city have taken matters into their own hands, producing masks.

The production provides jobs for the locals, and for some of them, a hope for a better future.

Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu reports.
Despite a dramatic increase in sales through BN.com and the success of its curbside pickup up program, revenue at Barnes & Noble has declined in an unprecedented manner as the company has closed most all of its stores, CEO James Daunt wrote to employees late last week. The plunge in sales has led B&N to furlough store employees with more than six months experience and to lay off staffers with less experience.

The furloughs extended to B&Ns headquarters and included almost all buyers. Daunt told PW that the skeleton remaining number will continue to buy new titles for what we assume will be a reduced publishing schedule. The buyers are acquiring titles largely to meet the demand for BN.com as well as its curbside program, Daunt noted. The only stores that remain open are those where states have not instituted lock down orders.

In his letter to employees, Daunt said that the company still has the full backing of its owner, Elliott Advisors, as well as the support of the publishing industry. That being the case, B&N is undergoing a rapid refurbishing of its stores. The project, Daunt wrote, was originally expected to take 18 months to two years to complete.

The makeover entails moving bookcases and furniture and adding better fixtures. In addition to the physical moves, a core of four to five booksellers per store "will work through all our book categories. We aim, to the best of our abilities, to direct an appropriate allocation of space and the best possible backlist assortment," Daunt wrote. "This is an exercise in bookselling curation that is very long overdue and which we hope will improve dramatically the quality of our bookstores."

Warehouse Employees Mount Protest

While it deals with the shutdown of its stores, B&N also faced a protest from workers at its Monroe, N.J., warehouse on Tuesday afternoon. Approximately 800 employees work at the warehouse, and protesting employees are demanding a two-week closure of the warehouse, paid time off, and full disinfection of the facility during those two weeks. They are also asking for hazard pay, along with better safety protocols and personal protective equipment, and are asking New Jersey government to enforce their demands. The protest was organized by Movimiento Cosecha, Warehouse Workers Standup, and the Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board (LDFS Union), Workers United, SEIU.

"Workers like me should not have to choose between staying healthy or feeding our families," Elsa Rodriguez, a B&N warehouse employee for the past 15 years, said in a statement. "The company has not shown any real appreciation for their workers. Some of my coworkers are forced to work under unsafe conditions and the rest of us are staying home out of fear without any pay."

The protest came after workers said nine employees had tested positive for Covid-19. In its statement concerning the action, B&N said five workers had tested positive. B&N explained the discrepancy to Vice by saying, We have had 5 cases confirmed by doctors of employees who work at the warehouse, and the other cases being reported by employees. In each case we have worked with health officials for appropriate response."

B&Ns statement also noted that since the Covid-19 outbreak, it has substantially changed our manner of operating, above all to ensure social distancing. Actions we have taken include enhanced cleaning, reduced staffing, marking of distance on floors, and spacing at work stations to keep people at least 6 feet apart.

B&N added that when it learned of the positive cases, it closed the warehouse to do a thorough cleaning. We appreciate all the hard work and efforts of our staff, and will continue to listen to their concerns and work with them to make a safe and secure work environment, the statement concluded.

The employees' protest drew the support of a number of area politicians. "Everyone is entitled to a safe workplace, especially in this time of crisis," New Jersey State Assembly member Daniel Benson said in a statement. "These warehouse employees deserve not only to be kept safe while doing their jobs but also a fair wage, as they help to sustain our economy during these uncertain times. I stand in solidarity with the Barnes & Noble workers in their fight."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 18:39:40|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on April 7, 2020 shows a night view in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Wuhan, the megacity in central China, started lifting outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

The silver lining to a "quarantine economy" may not just illuminate the dark cloud of quarantines elsewhere but also shed light on the country's post-epidemic economic landscape.

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- As the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is far from being contained globally, sustaining normal life while businesses are under lockdown has become a challenge for many.

The economic consequences of quarantine could be upsetting as analysts forecast a recession for the world economy and policymakers are discussing whether or not to initiate coronavirus bailouts to remedy business halts and ward off loan defaults.

What's worse, the pandemic shows no signs of immediate easing, with the number of infections outside of China topping 1,190,000 as of 10 a.m. Central European Time, Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization.

At a time when Wuhan lifted its 76-day-long lockdown Wednesday, it is worth looking back at what Chinese have gone through during the unusual period. The silver lining to a "quarantine economy" may not just illuminate the dark cloud of quarantines elsewhere but also shed light on the country's post-epidemic economic landscape.

GO NON-CONTACT

When in quarantine, social distancing and self-isolation matter most. For households, that means inconvenience in meeting daily needs and changes to normal routines. On the business side, the challenges translate into customer losses, understaffing as well as protecting the health of staff and customers.

To survive the economic difficulties, Chinese businesses have invented various non-contact solutions to reduce contagion risks, in the hope of retaining customers as best as they can. Many delivery and courier firms encouraged "non-contact delivery," with the deliverymen putting orders in a self-collection container or a pre-determined place for customers to pick up.

Gym trainers offered online home fitness courses on TikTok while museums and galleries launched or repackaged online exhibitions to court stay-at-home visitors.

Other non-contact business activities range from virtual social interactions, online medical treatment to "cloud" catwalk shows. Some of these might be fleeting and less significant when the outbreak subsides as physical experiences are more essential in these sectors. But at this tough time, delivering services in a non-contact way means retaining customers, containing costs and boosting revenue, or in other words, survival.

A worker of a hot pot restaurant prepares takeout food in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

INFORMATION SHARING

When flows of population are suspended, viruses falter. Without such flows, however, economies stagger. It is all about trade-offs, and China is trying to strike a balance between economic development and the containment of the virus.

Through this process, information sharing stood out. A big data platform developed by Baidu Map, for example, updates the population flow data of more than 300 Chinese cities every day, including where passengers come and go, each city's migration scale and trend, as well as urban travel intensity, providing comprehensive information of population flow for the public, media, government and scientific research.

Another useful tool is a health QR code produced with the mobile app Alipay. With this code, people can tell whether someone has been to virus-hit areas and thus facilitate information sharing between cities and provinces.

In addition, China has set up an online COVID-19 knowledge center that is open to all countries, and held over 40 video conferences with more than 100 countries and regions to share prevention and control strategies, methods, technologies, standards and cases it has summed up through practice.

On the two front lines of fighting the virus and restoring the economy, digital technology-powered information sharing has proved mighty and effective.

PRODUCTION SWITCH

Since the shortfall of medical supplies dampened the fight against the virus in the early days of the lockdown, Chinese manufacturers vied to remodel their production lines to produce masks and protective suits for medics and other frontline workers.

Xiayu Industry and Trade Co., a raincoat maker, used only one day to convert its production lines for protective suits thanks to its collaboration with other medical supplies companies.

Li Lingshen, president of the China Non-wovens and Industrial Textiles Association, said the swift product switch of manufacturers lied in the intact and flexible supply chain, which was also a key to cope with industrial challenges and overcome risks.

As the only country in the world with all industrial categories of the United Nations' industry classification, China has tried its best to offer help in the global fight against COVID-19, with factories expanding production to ease the shortfall of medical supplies overseas.

As of Saturday from March 1, China has exported medical supplies including 3.86 billion face masks, 37.52 million protective suits, 2.41 million infrared thermometers, as well as ventilators, testing kits and goggles, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Staff work at a medical mask production workshop in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, March 30, 2020. Approved by local authorities, an equipment manufacturing enterprise in Tangshan has set up a facial mask production company to ensure the supply of facial masks during the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

GENEROSITY, SOLIDARITY HEAL

The scope of the coronavirus-related impact is extensive, and no single sector or company can stay intact as the business ecosystem is interdependent. When shops and restaurants saw no customers or sales revenue, rents and payloads loomed large. Cash flow shortfalls may spread along industrial chains, dealing a blow to the real economy and the financial market.

A relief from the fight against the disease, however, is how people have responded in a concerted manner. Landlords voluntarily cut rents to support those affected by the epidemic, while real estate giants such as Wanda, Vanke, China Resources, and Longfor promised to reduce or waive rents for commercial tenants as most shopping malls were closed during the epidemic.

In the meantime, banks rolled out plans to postpone due dates of credit card repayments and mortgages for those who have been under treatment of the coronavirus infection or medics fighting the epidemic. Small and medium-sized enterprises were granted tax cuts and other policy incentives from the government.

In places where the lockdown risked driving people back into poverty, county officials resorted to livestreaming to help farmers sell local fruits and vegetables. In one case, Yin Meiying, the Party secretary of Huimin County, east China's Shandong Province, sold 10,000 kg of mushrooms, 10,000 kg of pears, 15,000 eggs and 10,000 jars of pickles within a two-hour livestreaming session.

Although the world still awaits a coronavirus vaccine, goodwill, generosity and solidarity generated by the difficulties brought relief and joined people's hearts.

While more Chinese hit the roads with the lift of the outbound travel restrictions in Wuhan, elsewhere in the world there are people still under quarantine or self-isolation, and businesses struggling to survive.

The pandemic is more like a reality check for all countries and no single solution fits all. In the Chinese culture, weal and woe are seen as a package deal always coming together. No matter how challenging and disruptive it might look, quarantine can be a path through which businesses, individuals and countries can bring out their best to eventually thrive. 
The Navy is preparing to send an aircraft carrier to sea that has at least one suspected case of the novel coronavirus among its crew, the service's latest challenge in dealing with a disease that has crippled another aircraft carrier now at port in Guam.

The USS Nimitz began embarking sailors at the beginning of April in an effort to segregate them from the general population, but at least one sailor was removed from the ship and put in isolation after showing influenza-like symptoms, according to four people familiar with the issue.

The sailor has been tested twice for the virus, with inconclusive results both times, said a defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Cmdr. John Fage, a Navy spokesman, said that the crew of the Nimitz "has been and will continue to conduct increased cleaning stations" that follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The crew also has minimized group gatherings to the maximum extent possible, he said.

"U.S. Third Fleet, Carrier Strike Group 11, and USS Nimitz are committed to protecting the health of our force while maintaining our readiness to answer national tasking," he said in an emailed statement.

The situation on the Nimitz comes amid a political firestorm involving the USS Theodore Roosevelt, where 286 sailors had tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly, resigned after creating an uproar by insulting the ship's former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, while visiting Guam to speak to the crew. Modly, who removed Crozier from his position last week, told the sailors that the captain either had deliberately leaked a letter raising concerns about the Navy's care for his crew, or was "too naive or too stupid" to be in charge.

Modly apologized for insulting Crozier, who has also tested positive for the virus, but insisting that the captain had written the letter. Several Democratic lawmakers and the families of some crew members had called for Modly to step down.

The Nimitz, which typically sails with about 4,800 personnel, relied on temperature checks and screenings that included asking some, but not all, sailors whether they felt ill, said the father of one sailor who has been in regular contact with his son. The sailors were not tested for the virus before embarking, he said.

"I think he's pretty worried. He feels like they're not taking it serious," the father said. "It's how the chiefs are handling it, and the fact that there are cases on board and they're still thinking of pulling out."

Crew members have been using T-shirts to make face masks, the father said. Discussions about the coronavirus have come up aboard the ship, sometimes while sailors are crowded together, he added.

The issue on the Nimitz, first reported by Politico on Tuesday, surfaced as the ship prepares for at-sea trials this month that will last weeks. The carrier's crew plans to deploy to the Pacific this summer from its home port in Bremerton, Wash.

The USS Ronald Reagan, under maintenance in Japan, and the USS Carl Vinson, under maintenance in Bremerton, have also reported cases of the coronavirus among their crews. The Reagan typically deploys each summer as a "forward-deployed" vessel.

The Navy has documented 513 coronavirus cases among its personnel as of Wednesday morning, according to Pentagon statistics, while the Army has recorded 470 cases. The Air Force has 351 cases, and the Marine Corps has 140.

- - -

The Washington Post's Missy Ryan contributed to this report.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres looks on during the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's main annual session in Geneva on Feb. 24, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

US Lawmakers Voice Opposition to Chinas Appointment to UN Human Rights Council Panel

Seven GOP senators have drafted a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, voicing opposition to the appointment of a Chinese minister to a panel at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

China should not occupy a position of prestige or influence on the U.N. Human Rights Council while it engages in human rights violations of the worst kind both at home and abroad, the senators wrote in a letter dated April 6.

Jiang Duan, minister of Chinas mission in Geneva, was appointed to be the Asia-Pacific representative of the five-nation panel Consultative Group of UNHRC on April 1. The group vets candidates for different U.N. human rights posts.

In this position, Jiang will provide China with the opportunity to play a central role in picking at least 17 human rights investigators, including those who look at freedom of speech, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detentionrights abuses which the Chinese regime routinely perpetrates, the senators warned.

The letter was signed by John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

Epidemic

The senators pointed to Beijings deception regarding the initial outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, as one reason why China was not qualified to hold a position on the panel.

Through intimidation of its medical first responders, censorship of online forums, and threats of severe punishment for anyone who dared to speak out with the truth, the Chinese Communist Party engaged in its most egregious human rights abuse: the unchecked spread of a new and dangerous virus on an unwitting global population, the senators wrote.

What has become the hallmark of Beijings initial coverup was Chinas decision to silence eight doctors, among them ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, after they posted on Chinese social media about a new form of pneumonia that was spreading in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Li was summoned to a local police station for rumor-mongering and forced to sign a confession statement in early January. Li died the following month after contracting the CCP virus while unknowingly treating an infected patient.

The senators added: Even now, China withholds critical information about the spread and death toll of the virus and continues to silence and intimidate its critics.

Some China experts have questioned Chinas claim of having zero new cases in the country.

The true death toll is also likely higher than what China is officially reporting, according to an Epoch Times analysis of the drastic increase in the number of Chinese cellphone accounts canceled in the past three months.

Human Rights Abuses

The letter also pointed to Chinas long-term human rights abuses, including of Uyghur ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, where more than a million are incarcerated against their will.

The senators called on Guterres to take action against Duans appointment.

We implore you to intervene on behalf of our shared values of freedom and dignity by suspending Jiangs appointment to the UN Human Rights Council Consultative Group, the senators wrote.

In 2018, the United States withdrew from the 47-nation UNHRC, with then-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley calling the council a protector of human rights abuses, and a cesspool of political bias.

These six senators are not the only U.S. lawmakers to voice opposition. On April 5, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) called Duans appointment appalling and ironic, given Chinas coverup of the current epidemic and its poor human rights record, according to a statement from his office.

Smith called out China for its systematic abuses against religious and ethnic minorities, including Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong adherents. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that involves meditation and moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

The Chinese regime has severely persecuted adherents of Falun Gong since 1999, with hundreds of thousands of adherents detained in prisons, labor camps, and brainwashing centers, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that the Chinese government harvests the organs of political prisoners, providing organs on order for those willing to pay a blood price, Smith added.

The China Tribunal, a London-based independent peoples tribunal, found direct and indirect evidence of forced organ harvesting against prisoners of conscience in China, primarily from adherents of Falun Gong.

Smith said that there is no justification whatsoever in empowering a Chinese government official, and called for an investigation into Chinese influence at the World Health Organization and other U.N. bodies.

He also urged Congress to pass H.R. 1811, a bill he introduced last year, which stipulates that the U.S. government draft a yearly report on Chinese political influence operations and require Chinese-funded entities to be registered with federal authorities.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had accepted Modly's resignation offer on Tuesday morning.

"[Modly] resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the USS. Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy, as an institution, can move forward," Esper said in a statement.

Esper said that with President Donald Trump's approval, Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson would take over as acting Navy Secretary.

Modly removed Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt after a scathing letter written by the commander urging the Navy to do more to halt the spread of the potentially lethal virus on board the ship the was leaked to the media.

The move sparked intense backlash as videos posted on social media showed sailors on board the vessel cheering Crozier as he departed and an online petition called for his reinstatement. It has also become a political lightning rod as the Trump administration faces intense criticism for its handling of the nation's coronavirus outbreak.

Crozier had started showing symptoms of the coronavirus before he was relieved of his command on Thursday and has tested positive, the New York Times reported, citing two Naval Academy classmates who are close to Crozier.

In a surprise speech to crew members of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt that was meant to be a private address, Modly defended his decision to relieve Crozier of his command due to the leak.

"If he didn't think that information was going to get out into the public in this information age that we live in, then he was A, too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this," Modly said on the carrier while it was docked in Guam on Monday.

"The alternative is that he did it on purpose," he added.

Crozier, who took command of the Theodore Roosevelt in November, had written a four-page letter describing a bleak situation on board the carrier as more of his crew began falling ill.

Modly said the letter, and the leak, amounted to a betrayal by the captain, who was responsible one way or another.

US officials verified the recording of Modly's speech heard by Reuters. After an initial statement saying he stood by every word of his speech, Modly later apologised, saying: "I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid."

President Donald Trump, in a White House briefing, suggested he might be able to resolve the situation.

"You have two good people and they're arguing ... I'm good at settling these arguments. So, I may look into it in great detail, in detail, and I'll be able to figure it out very fast," he said.

Crozier should not have sent his letter, but he did not "want to destroy somebody for having a bad day", Trump said.

A sailor on board the ship told Reuters that Modly's speech only angered the crew.

"Nobody likes what he had to say ... He made everyone more irritated," said the sailor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Crozier's crew members showed their disapproval of Modly's decision by posting videos online last week of their captain's emotional sendoff. Sailors hailed Crozier as a hero, out to defend his crew at great cost to his career.

Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith, a Democrat, called on Monday for Modly's removal.

"Acting Secretary Modly's decision to address the sailors on the Roosevelt and personally attack Captain Crozier shows a tone-deaf approach more focused on personal ego than one of the calm, steady leadership we so desperately need in this crisis," Smith said in a statement.

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden said Modly "shot the messenger".

In his letter, Crozier 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 families of those on the vessel.

One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters news agency that military officials had recommended against firing Crozier, arguing that it was better for an investigation to be complete.

The official said Modly was made aware that the White House wanted Crozier out, though it does not appear that Trump directed him to do so.

Earlier on Tuesday, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi added her voice to calls for Modly's removal.

"Sadly, Acting Secretary Modly's actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritise the force protection of our troops," Pelosi said in a statement.

"He showed a serious lack of the sound judgement and strong leadership needed during this time. Acting Secretary Modly must be removed from his position or resign," Pelosi said.
- Forbes Magazine on April 7 has unveiled its list of billionaires for the year 2020 and their estimated net worth

- Among the worlds wealthiest people are 15 business tycoons from the Philippines

- Former senator and business magnate Manuel Villar topped the local ranking for the second straight year

- The other business tycoons on the list are Henry Sys heirs, Enrique Razon, Jr., Lucio Tan, Andrew Tan, Robert Ongpin, Tony Tan Caktiong, Ramon Ang, Robert Coyiuto, Jr. and Eduardo Cojuangco

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Forbes' Billionaires 2020 has unveiled its list of the worlds richest people, led by former Senator Manuel Villar in the Philippine ranking for the second straight year.

Villar is also ranked 565 in the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion.

Ranking of 15 richest tycoons in the Philippines and their net worth (in US dollars) via Inquirer.net:

The former senator who helms several businesses like real estate is followed by ports magnate Enrique Razon, Jr. with an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion.

All of the six children of the late tycoon Henry Sy rounded up the Philippines richest  Hans, Herbert, Henry Jr., Harley, Teresita and Elizabeth Sy with their respective net worth estimated at $2.3 billion, $2.2 billion, $2.1 billion, $2.1 billion, $2 billion and $1.8 billion.

Lucio Tan, a tobacco tycoon, placed eighth on the list with an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, while property magnate Andrew Tan ranked ninth with an estimated $1.8 billion net worth.

Robert Ongpin who has an estimated wealth of $1.8 billion ranked 11th locally.

Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong was in the 12th spot with his $1.5 billion fortune.

San Miguel Corp. president and Eagle Cement chair Ramon S. Ang, 13th, has an estimated wealth of $1.5 billion, followed by Robert Coyiuto, Jr., $1.4 billion net worth, and Eduardo Cojuangco, $1.1 billion fortune.

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In a previous report by KAMI, the Philippines' famous business tycoons recently extended their helping hand as the nation enhanced its efforts to contain coronavirus.

Forbes Worlds Billionaires List is an annual ranking of the worlds wealthiest people.

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- A Pinay nurse in Italy recorded a video, giving details on the kind of ordeal that they are facing in hospitals

- She said that she has been crying and shed tears again in the middle of the video

- The nurse asked for prayers, admits how difficult it is to take care of COVID-19 patients, but they don't have any plans to surrender

- She admitted that they're already contaminated and they are just hoping that God will continue to protect them especially that half of the patients in the room are confirmed COVID-19 positive

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A Pinay nurse in Italy recorded a video after crying over their situation in coronavirus hard-hit country.

The video was shared by GMA Pinoy TV on its Facebook page, and it showed the nurse donning her PPE.

At the start, she narrated how she had been crying, especially that one of their colleagues died a day before.

According to her, "We are already contaminated. We just hope that God will continue to protect us."

She admitted that they are afraid for their own safety yet they don't have any plan of surrendering or turning their backs from their sworn duty.

They have also been reusing PPEs, albeit, she doesn't know if it would still be good enough to protect them from the virus.

According to her, the room where she was working was already full of patients and that half of those patients were positive of COVID-19.

While she was completing her PPEs, she uttered an appeal, "I-pray nyo na lang kami."

Here's the full account of the nurse on their situation in Italy:

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In a previous report by KAMI, doctors have died after being infected by COVID-19. They are among the frontliners who attend to the patients rushing to hospitals amid pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. At present, the Philippines is under a state of calamity while the entire Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine.

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The Supreme Court Wednesday directed civil rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde to surrender to jail authorities within a week in the Bhima Koregaon violence case saying the time will not be extended now as the courts are functioning in Maharashtra.

The activists, who were directed by the apex court on March 16 to surrender within three weeks, moved the plea seeking extension of time on the ground that going to jail during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence".

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the accused should have honoured its decision of dismissal of the anticipatory bail and the direction to surrender themselves within three weeks.

"Though we expected that the accused would surrender, honouring the order of this court, they have not done so. We are told that in Bombay, the courts are functioning. It would have been appropriate for the accused to surrender as the courts are open and not totally closed.

"However, since the petitioners have enjoyed the protection for long, by way of last opportunity, we extend the time granted to surrender for one week," the bench ordered.

The top court also made clear that there shall not be any further extension of time for surrendering.

Earlier in the day, the bench reserved order on the plea of the activists after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the probe agency, said that this was only a mechanism to buy time and both the accused are facing serious charges.

The counsel for the accused said however that they are old, having ailments, and they be granted more time to surrender.

The apex court on March 16 had rejected anticipatory bail pleas of the activists, observing that it cannot be said no prima facie case is made out. It had granted three weeks time to them to surrender themselves to the jail.

Earlier, the apex court, while dismissing the anticipatory bail pleas of Navlakha and Teltumbde, had said their petitions cannot be maintained in view of the bar contained in 43D(4) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

Section 43D(4) of the UAPA bars grant of anticipatory bail to a person accused of having committed an offence punishable under this Act.

"The special leave petitions are, accordingly, dismissed. However, since the protection has been enjoyed by the petitioners approximately for one-and-a-half years, three weeks time from today is granted to them to surrender. The petitioners shall surrender their passport forthwith with the investigation agency/officer," the bench had said.

Navlakha and Teltumbde had approached the apex court challenging the decision of the Bombay High Court by which it had refused to grant them anticipatory bail in the case.

The top court had on March 6 extended till March 16 the interim protection from arrest granted to both the activists.

The high court, while refusing to grant anticipatory bail to Navlakha and Teltumbde on February 14, had extended their interim protection from arrest for a period of four weeks to enable them to approach the apex court.

It had refused to grant them anticipatory bail saying, "On perusal of all the material on record, it can be seen that there is prima facie evidence showing complicity of applicants (Navlakha and Teltumbde) in the crime."



The high court, after perusing letters allegedly exchanged between the accused persons, had noted that Navlakha, Teltumbde and other accused like Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson and Sudha Bharadwaj prima facie had access to and connections with central committee members and leaders of the banned CPI(Maoist).

Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists have been booked by the Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links and several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018.

All the accused have denied the allegations.

According to Pune Police, "inflammatory" speeches and "provocative" statements made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 had triggered caste violence at Koregaon Bhima the next day. The police alleged that the conclave was backed by Maoists.

Teltumbde and Navlakha had approached the high court seeking pre-arrest bail in November last year after a sessions court in Pune had rejected their pleas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was spending a second night in intensive care battling the coronavirus which has infected more than 55,000 across the country and killed nearly 6,200.

"He stayed at work for you... now pray at home for him," The Sun tabloid splashed across its front page Wednesday while the Daily Express said: "Boris 'will pull through'."



Deputising for Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was "confident he'll pull through, because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter and he'll be back, leading us through this crisis in short order".

In an update Tuesday evening, the prime minister's spokesman said his "condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring." He earlier said the 55-year-old Conservative leader was receiving "standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance" and had not required a ventilator.

Johnson is the most high-profile government leader to become infected with COVID-19 and messages of support flooded in from across Britain and the world.

He was admitted to intensive care on Monday evening after spending Sunday night in hospital following concerns he still had a cough and high temperature 10 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

His transfer to intensive care is unprecedented for a prime minister during a national emergency.

For many people, it brought home the seriousness of the disease that has so far seen 6,159 deaths in Britain, with a record 786 more reported in a daily update on Tuesday.

Despite the record daily death toll, there was more encouraging with the number of new daily cases remaining at a roughly stable 3,643.

In a round of broadcast interviews, senior minister Michael Gove insisted the "work of government goes on".

He later said he was now staying at home after a family member displayed mild coronavirus symptoms.

Raab chaired the daily coronavirus meeting in the prime minister's place on Tuesday.

"There is a clear plan... the government and the cabinet are working together to implement that plan," Johnson's spokesman said when asked if there was a power vacuum in Britain.

The country does not have a formal constitutional role of deputy prime minister, and experts said Raab would need the support of the rest of the cabinet to make any big decisions.

The most pressing issue is a review expected next week on whether to continue the nationwide lockdown introduced on March 23 to try to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Johnson announced on March 27 that he had coronavirus and went into self-isolation in a flat above his Downing Street office.

But on Monday evening he was moved to intensive care in London's St Thomas' hospital after his condition worsened.

The prime minister has received messages of support from around the world, with US President Donald Trump sending best wishes to his "very good friend" while Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Johnson's "energy, optimism and sense of humour" would see him through.

For some, Johnson's larger-than-life personality has made his hospitalisation all the more shocking.

His biographer Andrew Gimson said Johnson always made him feel upbeat, and "now here he is the stricken one".

"This is an enormous shock, completely unfamiliar territory for all those who know him," he told BBC radio.

Experts said it was not uncommon for coronavirus patients to move to intensive care, but said it showed Johnson's condition was serious.

"There is no doubt this turn of events means Boris Johnson is extremely sick," said Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging at University College London.

The British government was criticised for initially refusing to follow other European countries in requiring people to stay home as the virus spread rapidly across the globe.

Johnson himself said in early March that he was still shaking hands with people.

Two weeks ago, he ordered a nationwide lockdown, but parliament continued to sit for several days after and Westminster became a hotspot for the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, have both been infected, although they have since recovered.

Johnson, who has been prime minister only since July last year, is not known to have any underlying health issues, although he has struggled with his weight.

Johnson's pregnant partner, Carrie Symonds, moved out of Downing Street after some staff fell ill.

But she said on Saturday she had just spent a week in bed with symptoms, although she has not been tested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 9 2020

The Health Ministry issued a circular on Tuesday allowing public hospital laboratories, public and private clinical laboratories, as well as state-owned virology laboratories and university research laboratories to conduct PCR testing as long as they meet level-two biosafety (BSL-2) standards for testing SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and have the necessary equipment and facilities.

The decision came after President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Monday called on the Health Ministry and the COVID-19 task force to improve and accelerate PCR testing, which scientists say is crucial in the battle against the deadly pandemic.

According to pandemic data site Worldometer, Indonesia is ranked among the lowest in COVID-19 testing with only 52 tests for every million people as of Wednesday. By comparison, among neighboring countries Singapore has tested 11,110 for every million people, Malaysia 1,717 and Thailand 1,030.

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Once home to 3000 sugar workers, the abandoned Houston sugar estate has gradually been absorbed into the suburban sprawl of Georgetown. About 100 families still live in the uniform one-story cottages built by the state sugar company for workers in the 1960s. For them, the recent changes have brought opportunity. Like most of Houston's residents, Harisha's ancestors came to Guyana as indentured labourers from India in the late 19th century to replace enslaved Africans on the sugar plantations after the British, who then ruled Guyana as a colony, abolished the slave trade. Sugar workers in Skeldon, Guyana, where the closing of cane-processing plants has left thousands unemployed. Credit:Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times When the labourers' contracts expired, some stayed, becoming the largest ethnic group and helping shape a unique, vibrant culture, which looks outward to the Caribbean rather than to its Latin American neighbours. While the effects of the giant oil discoveries off Guyana's coast are most obvious in and around Georgetown, they are now beginning to extend a little further beyond the capital, too.

In a brick shack on the edge of the jungle 25 kilometres away, Jason Bobb-Semple, 25, is making his own big bet on oil. With a $US3000 ($4800) government loan, he built a small poultry farm and bought 4000 chicks to meet what he expects to be a booming food demand in a rapidly developing country. "After all this oil," Bobb-Semple said, people will want to eat. "These are my hopes." Jason Bobb-Semples wife, Rosalene, on their small poultry farm in Georgetown, Guyana, built with a government loan. Credit:Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times Just hours after Bobb-Semple received the chicks, he got a visit from his first potential investor, a Guyanese emigre businessman who was back home looking for eggs to sell to the offshore oil rigs.

The investor, Lancelot Myers, said oil companies currently have to import most of their provisions, providing a business opportunity to local entrepreneurs who can fill supply gaps. "Now is the time to hit the ground running," he said. The enterprising energy of the Guyanese seeking to benefit from the oil boom contrasts sharply with the deep depression, both economic and psychological, reining in the rural sugar belt, which had powered this country's economy since the 17th century. Loading A decision by President David Granger to shut down most of Guyana's unprofitable, state-owned cane processing plants in 2018 left about 7000 sugar workers unemployed, devastating the surrounding regions. The closures have turned places like Skeldon in the fertile east of the country into ghost towns, wiping out the once-vibrant local markets and businesses that used to serve the sugar workers.

Bands of former cane cutters aimlessly roam Skeldon's streets or pass the time in fast-food shops without eating, despairing of finding another job. Loading "This country was created out of sugar. I lived my life in that industry," said Ferdinand Guptar, a 59-year-old unemployed cane cutter in Skeldon, who now does household chores for his wife while she cleans the floors at a school for $US200 a month. "It's depressing when your wife has to take care of you," he said. The lay-offs inflamed ethnic tensions, with the mainly Indo-Guyanese sugar workers accusing Granger's predominantly black government of targeted economic repression.

According to the latest census, ethnic Indians comprise 40 per cent of Guyana's population of about 750,000, compared with 30 per cent for the Afro-Guyanese. The indigenous communities, about 10 per cent of the population, provide the country's traditional swing vote. "Sometimes it's not just about profitability, but the quality of people's lives," said David Armogan, governor of Skeldon's region, referring to his opposition to the sugar plant closures. "This is more about vindictiveness than economics." Workers wait for a storm to pass before continuing to repair a breached sea wall in Mahaicony, Guyana. Credit:Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times These ethnic tensions reached a fever pitch during the March 2 elections, whose aftermath has descended into a bitter, inconclusive contest between Granger and the main opposition party backed primarily by ethnic Indians. The outcome remains undecided, and the country is still at a political standoff. The financial stakes of the political conflict are enormous, as oil revenues are expected to deliver tens of billions of dollars into government coffers in the years ahead. The election was largely a referendum on how Guyana should spend that windfall.

The ruling party advocates using the money to retrain agricultural workers for the public and service sectors. The opposition instead wants to subsidise sugar farms to keep rural communities alive. Loading The first small-scale oil exports started in January. While the money that the government will see in 2020 is just a fraction of what's coming when output reaches 1.2 million barrels day at the end of this decade, one-third of the state's budget this year still is expected to come from oil revenue. The International Monetary Fund projected that Guyana's tiny economy would grow by 86 per cent this year, the fastest rate in the world. That forecast, however, is likely to take a major hit from the sudden collapse of oil prices, the coronavirus pandemic and Guyana's ongoing political paralysis. To Guyana's small but vocal group of environmentalists, the country's polarised politics and ethnic grievances distract from its existential problems as it becomes a major contributor to fossil fuel consumption.

Along the country's densely populated central coast, rising sea levels brought on by climate change are gradually overwhelming a system of dikes first built hundreds of years ago by the Dutch colonialists who preceded the British. Nine out of 10 people in Guyana live below or near sea level. Each day for the past five months, a road gang has toiled on a Sisyphean task along the muddy Atlantic Coast, trying to fill a breach in near 100km sea wall with stones and sand. Each week, the tide washes away their efforts. "It keeps getting worse, until you can't control it," said Joree Shoturem, an ex-farmer in the village of Broom Hall near Georgetown whose rice fields were ruined by the creeping salt water and whose sheep and cows were swept away. "The repairs have had no good result." Despite the futility, Shoturem has resigned himself to his new government job. With no farm, he has joined the work crew, ceaselessly lobbing piles of dirt into an advancing ocean.
The whole coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown has posed a lot of questions in peoples mind. But, for parents, its even a more daunting task to explaining their young kids why they cant go to play outside or why schools would remain closed for a long time. However, some celebrities are being quite smart and innovative about explaining the situation to their children.

Actor Juhi Parmar has devised a unique way to educate her seven-year-old daughter, Samairra. Shes aware that theres a virus and that its making people sick and hence Ive taught her about germs and the importance of washing hands. We cant completely hide the situation from kids, so she does understand, but Im trying to not let her get scared about it also, says Parmar.

Filmmaker Karan Johar has been frequently sharing videos of his three-year-old twins, Roohi and Yash, about what they know about coronavirus. In one of them, Yash responds saying, its very bad. In another video, Yash is also seen suggesting that only Amitabh Bachchan can help with making the situation right.

TV Actor Ashish Chowdhary shared a video of his five-year-old daughters Salara and Sammah talking about the importance of keeping indoors while also following all instructions like washing hands and maintaining hygiene. He shares that nothing of it was rehearsed.

My wife (Samita Bangargi) randomly asked them to talk about it and they started. Were trying to tell them what the true situation is but were also trying to make them stay away from reading stuff on the internet because theres a lot of negativity around, he says.

Actor Tusshar Kapoor, too, posted a video of his son, Laksshya, talking about coronavirus and urging people to stay home to win this fight. Similarly, director-choreographer Farah Khan Kunders daughter, Anya made an appearance on her mothers Instagram feed to make people aware about caring their pets amid lockdown.

Another actor whos keeping nothing hidden from her kids is Chhavi Mittal. The mother of two  Areeza, 6 and 10-month-old son, Arham , says, Ive told them about whats is happening and they know the truth. But I also said that itll pass and have been informing that we need to stay indoors and wash our hands regularly, says Mittal, 35.

Kajol, too, in a video shared recently about Covid-19 awareness, included her son, Yug, 9. The actor appealed people to stay home, wash hands regularly and take all the necessary precautions to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

Actor Chahatt Khanna says her two daughters, Zoharr,3, and Amaira, 2, are too young to understand the gravity of the situation, so when they ask me why they cant go down to play with their friends, I tell them theres a bad thing happening outside and they should just be inside and stay safe.

Three-year-old twins Bella And Vienna, daughters of actor Karanvir Bohra know that theres something wrong and thats why they are not allowed to step out of the house. They dont know the meaning of lockdown but they do know that there is a virus around thats making people sick, he says.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
April 08 : Aditi Rao Hydari is coping with the nationwide lockdown quite well, taking each day as it comes. The actress loves to work hectically and now with this unexpected break, the Padmaavat actress is making the most of it by spending time with her family, doing yoga, watching movies, and playing board games.

The Bhoomi actress has been celebrating three years of the film Kaatru Veliyidai, directed by Mani Ratnam. Aditi has been sharing pictures from the shooting days in Serbia in memory of the film. Kaatru Veliyidai was released in 2017.

The Psycho actress took to her Instagram handle and shared yet another picture when she was shooting for Kaatru Veliyidai in Serbia under -18 degrees. The actress looked beautiful in the Serbian sunset standing on the snow, when she felt free. Aditi wrote in her caption that she will never crib about the cold or the heat and will always be grateful to be free, hinting at the current lockdown due to COVID-19 menace.

On the work front, Aditi will be next seen in the upcoming Tamil film Hey Sinamika with south star Dulquer Salmaan. The film also features Kajal Aggarwal.
A police department in Texas is searching for a woman who it says allegedly claimed to be spreading COVID-19 on purpose.

The Carrollton Police Department said Lorraine Maradiaga, 18, was "seen on social media claiming to be COVID-19 positive and willfully spreading it."
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has placed the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on a two-month special leave after she violated lockdown regulations, the Presidency said on Wednesday.

Of Ndabeni-Abrahams two months special leave, one month will be unpaid, the Presidency said in a statement.

As to allegations that the minister violated the lockdown regulations, the law should take its course, presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko said.

This followed the revelation on social media that the minister had recently visited the home of a friend who hosted a lunch, contrary to the lockdown regulations, Mr Diko said.

He said Mr Ramaphosa summoned the minister on Tuesday to express his disapproval of her actions, which undermine the requirement that all citizens stay at home and save the country from the spread of the coronavirus.

He also said the president accepted Mrs Ndabeni-Abrahams apology for the violation but was unmoved by mitigating factors she tendered.

Mr Diko added that the president has reprimanded the minister and directed her to deliver a public apology to the nation.

During Ndabeni-Abrahams special leave, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in her position.

The nation-wide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans.

This must include members of the National Executive who carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are making great sacrifices, Mr Ramaphosa had said in the statement.

None of us  not least a member of the National Executive  should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation, said Mr Ramaphosa.

The president said he was satisfied that Mrs Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no-one is above the law.

Since the 21-day lockdown took effect on midnight March 26, up to 20,000 people have been arrested across the country for violating the lockdown regulations.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday said that India has sufficient stocks of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, being used for COVID-19 patients in the country, but refused to share further details.

The drug along with antibiotic azithromycin has been recommended for severely ill COVID-19 patients in India and healthcare workers and close contacts of those who are infected have also been advised to use the drug in order to prevent infection.

The Union government has drawn flak in the last few days after it removed the export ban on the drugreportedly under US pressurewithin two days of imposing it.

It has been ensured that not only today but even in future there will not be any lack of HCQ as and when needed, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday, announcing that the country has reported 773 cases and 32 deaths in 24 hours.

The cumulative count of novel coronavirus cases in India now stands at 5,194 and 402 patients have also been declared cured after treatment.

The government on Wednesday complemented measures taken by some districts that have emerged as best practices.

This includes Pune district which sealed the central region of Pune and Kondhwa area effectively and carried out a door-to-door survey of homes located across a 35 sq km area. The teams there have also been checking on persons with co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension apart from travel history and contact tracing.

Another district that was mentioned in the daily briefing was Pathanamthitta in Kerala for ensuring surveillance, gathering travel history, contact tracing, quarantine facilities and providing essential and psychological support to the needy.

Agarwal maintained that as the number of COVID-19 cases is rising in the country, the countrys response and preparedness is also being intensified, adding that in hospitals, the main focus is on infection prevention and control measures so that health workers aren't infected.

The Centre also launched a training module for management of COVID-19 named integrated govt online training portal on the DIKSHA platform for capacity building of frontline workers to handle the pandemic efficiently.

He also said that the Centre has directed the states to continue its focus on building hospitals and on surveillance and contact tracing.

Dr R R Gangakhedkar, the head epidemiologist with the Indian Council of Medical Research official, said that a total of 1,21,271 tests for COVID-19 have been done so far.

The COVID-19 death toll in India is too small to say that the number of deaths in Maharashtra is significantly high, he said while responding to a question.
HM Revenue and Customs has urged furloughed employees to report firms which are still asking them to work, with any company found to be abusing the scheme facing criminal action.

HMRC chief executive Jim Harra today told the Treasury Select Committee that he expects the 'vast majority' of firms taking financial help from the government to play by the rules.

But he warned any business 'knowingly trying to defraud' the coronavirus furlough arrangements that they could be pursued through the courts.

It came as estimates suggested the overall cost of the scheme could triple due to higher than anticipated demand.

The Resolution Foundation think tank believes between eight million and 11 million people could be furloughed which could cost the Treasury 30 billion to 40 billion.

The government initially thought that approximately ten per cent of companies would take up the offer of furloughing workers and that would have cost an estimated 10 billion.

A British Chambers of Commerce survey published today showed 37 per cent of firms are panning to furlough between 75 per cent and 100 per cent of their workers in the next week.

The percentage of firms intending to furlough 100 per cent of their staff increased from 17 per cent in the BCC's first survey last week to 20 per cent this week.

HMRC chief executive Jim Harra today told the Treasury Select Committee that furloughed staff should report firms which ask them to carry on working

Mr Harra told the commitee, meeting using video conferencing technology, that he believed the 'vast majority' of firms will play by the rules on furlough

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme allows firms to claim 80 per cent of a furloughed worker's wages from the government, up to a maximum of 2,500 per month.

The scheme is designed to maintain the link between companies and their staff so that they can get back up and running quickly after the coronavirus crisis ends.

Workers placed on furlough are not allowed to perform any of their duties for their employer but there are concerns some firms could try to abuse the scheme, asking employees to work for them while they are technically being paid by the state.

HMRC is hoping to have the scheme up and running by April 20 so that businesses can start to submit their claims.

Mr Harra told MPs he wants workers to report any firms which ask staff to break the rules.

He also confirmed that workers can still undertake training while on furlough or work for someone else.

Employees must be completely furloughed by their employer, that means that they should not engage in any work for that employer whilst they are on furlough,' he said.

They can undertake training for their employer provided that doesnt involve any remunerative activity for the employer.

They can also do other work for other people, so for example they can help the farming industry or they can volunteer and help the NHS, but they must be completely furloughed in relation to the employer that is claiming for them.

We are aware that some employees have already been reporting that some employers have asked them to work during the furlough period.

We expect the vast majority of employers to do the right thing and in fact in many cases they have no choice because people are genuinely furloughed and cannot work.

But obviously we will be asking anyone who has got information about the scheme being abused to let us know and there is an online hotline service where any employee who feels that they are being asked to be complicit in something they dont want to be complicit in to contact us and let us know.

Alison Thewliss, an SNP MP, asked Mr Harra what would happen to employers guilty of abusing the system.

He replied: Well, they would not be entitled to the furlough payments so if we know that in advance obviously we wouldnt pay them.

Otherwise afterwards we would seek to recover the money from them and depending on the nature of the behaviour, if it amounted to knowingly trying to defraud us then we could take criminal action against employers.

Mr Harra said 'any scheme like this is a target for organised crime' but he insisted HMRC has put in place adequate checks to make sure it is not abused.

In order to be eligible for the furlough scheme, workers must have been registered on an employer's payroll by February 28.

The hope is that the offer of furlough will stop companies from making workers redundant during the crisis, helping millions of people to stay afloat financially.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said when he announced the initiative last month that it will be temporary and initially in place for three months, starting from March 1.

However, it could be extended beyond that if coronavirus disruption continues.
Ronaldinho is released from prison after paying 1.6 million dollar bail Barcelona Will remain under house arrest

Ronaldinho Gaucho has ended his stay at a jail in Paraguay after paying his 1.6 million dollar bail - 800,000 dollars for himself and the same amount for his brother, Roberto Assis - and he will now spend the time until his trial under house arrest in Asuncion.

After 32 days in prison, judge Gustavo Amarilla granted the former Barcelona star conditional release upon payment of his bail, which will allow him to spend the time until trial for using false passports in a hotel in Asuncion and under police surveillance.

Ronaldinho and his brother will spend the entire process at the Hotel Palmaroga in downtown Asuncion, just over two miles from the prison where they stayed for the last month.
Coleg Cambria mass producing safety visors and face masks to help in battle against Coronavirus

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 8th, 2020

Coleg Cambria is mass producing safety visors and face masks to help in the battle against Covid-19.

The north east Wales institution is using 3D printers to manufacture vital PPE (personal protective equipment) for NHS staff and frontline workers facing up to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Nick Tyson, assistant principal and director of technology, engineering and construction, and engineering technology instructor Len Robinson have been hard at work creating more than 50 visors a day at the colleges University Centre in Deeside.

Using the equipment and materials they have at their disposal the pair hope to support the NHS with mass production of the visors over the coming weeks.

Its quite a balancing act keeping all eight printers in operation at the same time, but between the two of us but were managing to do so successfully, said Nick.

We can produce around 50 a day for the NHS if required, because this is vital equipment they are desperate for.

He added: In essence we have a bank of powerful 3D printers linked to software that is batch printing the safety visors out of various coloured polymers.

Our unique capability and investment in this technology has been the enabler for this project; its a special print run and a great example of how the right investment in skills linked to the advanced manufacturing technology sector can support our fantastic doctors, nurses and staff at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Coleg Cambria is also using innovative laser cutting machinery to shape face masks for hospital staff.

Large supplies of goggles, gloves, aprons and face masks from the colleges science departments have been given to the NHS and local healthcare facilities.

And tables and chairs earmarked for exams have been donated to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at Broughton to ensure social distancing as Airbus steps up its ventilator challenge and 150 people prepare to begin training and testing on-site.

Chief Executive Yana Williams thanked staff for their contribution and ingenuity in going over and above to support essential workers and frontline staff in the region.

We are at the heart of the community so its important we do all we can to help those who need it most during this extraordinary and challenging period in our lives, said Ms Williams.

I am overawed by the kindness, as always, of our amazing staff, but also their ability and inventiveness in finding ways to provide a solution to what is a national issue.

We will continue to do all we can to support and inspire those who need it most and hope all of our students and staff at home self-isolating remain safe and well.

Please keep an eye one our website and social media channels for the latest information  we hope to see you all soon.

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for the latest from Coleg Cambria and how to apply online for courses and qualifications.
HONG KONG  For months the Chinese governments propaganda machine had been fending off criticism of Beijings handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and finally, it seemed to be finding an audience. Voices from the World Health Organization to the Serbian government to the rapper Cardi B hailed Chinas approach as decisive and responsible.

But China could not savor the praise for long. In recent days, foreign leaders, even in friendly nations like Iran, have questioned Chinas reported infections and deaths. A top European diplomat warned that Chinas aid to the continent was a mask for its geopolitical ambitions, while a Brazilian official suggested the pandemic was part of Chinas plan to dominate the world.
Researchers at the MDC observe the very early stages of blood vessel development in lymph node tumors. The findings published in Cancer Research suggest a potential treatment target to slow lymphoma tumor growth.

Creating new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis, for tumors in lymph nodes is different than for tumors in other parts of the body, such as the colon or lung, a team from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) reports in the journal Cancer Research. Scientists from the MDC labs of Dr. Armin Rehm, Dr. Uta Hopken and Professor Holger Gerhardt were involved in this project. The team identifies potentially more effective treatment targets to slow tumor growth for lymphoma patients.

Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow. Lymphoma patients with indicators of increased blood vessel development usually have lower chances of survival. They also don't respond well to treatments that have successfully inhibited blood vessel development in other cancer types.

"We hypothesized that tumors in lymph nodes are completely different from solid tumors because the lymph nodes provide such a supportive microenvironment for blood borne tumor cells," said Dr. Uta Hopken, who heads MDC's Microenvironmental Regulation in Autoimmunity and Cancer Lab. Still, it was "absolutely surprising that none of the usual suspects were involved," said Dr. Armin Rehm, who leads MDC's Translational Tumorimmunology Lab.

Eliminating suspects

Blood vessels in early lymphoma are unusually dense and irregular, with a lot more branching than observed in blood vessels of healthy lymph nodes. The pattern of branching has not been observed in solid tumors, in infected lymph nodes or in developing organs, which are typically other sites of neo-angiogenesis.

To uncover the unique signaling pathways that drive this development, the team ran analyses using transgenic mouse models that develop lymphoma, as well as mice implanted with lymphoma cancer cells. They looked at gene expression patterns to see which genes and proteins are most active in the initial phases of tumor development.

Culprits usually implicated in tumor angiogenesis - inflammation, low oxygen levels, and signaling between the base and tip of blood vessels, called Notch signaling - did not show up in the results.

Successful blocks

A group of proteins, called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are considered primary drivers of normal blood vessel development, as well as angiogenesis in tumors. In most solid mass tumors, VEGF-A is the protein mediating the process, in conjunction with its receptor, called VEGFR-2.

In the early stages of lymphoma, the team discovered VEGF-C is the most active protein. When they tried to block receptor VEGFR-2 to inhibit VEGF-C activity, nothing changed.

But when the researchers blocked a different receptor, VEGFR-3, blood vessel growth was significantly slowed. They also interrupted a receptor for a small protein called lymphotoxin, which is usually needed for normal lymph node development, also helped slow angiogenesis.

The team used two drugs that are already approved for clinical use in autoimmune disorders to inhibit the pathways. They confirmed the treatment also worked on human cells. While not clinicians themselves, the researchers hope the treatment can be taken up for clinical trials to investigate its effectiveness in human patients.

If a few cancer cells survive chemotherapy, it might be possible to prevent relapse by addressing these pathways with immunotherapy." Dr. Armin Rehm, MDC's Translational Tumorimmunology Lab

Watching from the start

A key feature of this study was the timing. The researchers traced angiogenesis in the first twelve days after cancer cells invaded lymph nodes. This gave them a unique opportunity to observe the early "crosstalk" or interaction between tumor cells and the lymph node microenvironment. Only five to ten per cent of lymph node cells were cancerous, and already the lymph node was being restructured. "The changes we saw occur very early and with a very low tumor burden," Hopken said.

Imaging these early changes in high-resolution presented a challenge that required a great deal of diligence. "Lymphoma cells are widely distributed cells within the highly compartmentalized lymph node," said Lutz Menzel, co-first author and post doc in the Translational Tumorimmunology Lab. "Finding lymphoma-induced remodeling of the stroma, when other areas of the lymph node remained unaffected, quite often became a search for a 'needle in the haystack' under the microscope."

The team underscored the importance of animals for this work. Such a study is not possible with human patients, because they are not yet showing symptoms. "Animals provide the advantage to see what is going on at the beginning of disease, rather than the end," Rehm said. "Organoids are simply not far enough developed to mimic the interaction between many different cell types in complex lymph node tissue."

The group plans to continue investigating the relationships between tumor cells and the lymph node microenvironment, and see if single-cell sequencing can reveal even more about the angiogenesis process.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: Abdul Majed, an accused on death row on the charges of killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was arrested on Tuesday by Bangladesh Police in Dhaka four-and-a-half decades after the assassination took place, admitted that he had been hiding in Kolkata for more than 22 years.

During the course of interrogation by Bangladesh police, Majed confessed that he had returned to Bangladesh last month from Kolkata.

"We had an informal discussion with our counterparts in Bangladesh after Majeds arrest. They have not yet shared much details about Majeds whereabouts in Kolkata and his activities during the period he stayed in the state capital," said an officer of the state Intelligence Branch (IB).

Sources in the state IB said they had come to know that the fugitive accused on death row, a sacked officer of Bangladesh Army, stayed at several places on the outskirts on Kolkata in both North and South 24-Parganas district.

"We were told that he had obtained documents to prove himself as an Indian citizen and got a passport. He did not stay at one place. He used to reside in rented houses which he changed on several occasions during his stay here," said the IB official.

Majed was one of the six remaining fugitive killers of Bangabandhu believed to be hiding abroad with no confirmed whereabouts. Majed disappeared in 1997 after Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Mujibar Rahman, was voted Prime Minister and she opened the case of her fathers assassination.

Majed returned to Bangladesh on March 16 via Kolkata airport.

"We were told that he was staying alone here. What was his profession in Kolkata is yet to be known. His wife resides in Bangladesh and son in the US," said another IB officer.
With dire unemployment numbers and worrisome projections seeming to worsen by the day, some may wonder how the crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic ranks in comparison to Americas darkest economic time.

The Great Depression bottomed out in 1933. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment reached 24.9% that year, adding up to 15 million Americans out of work. In 1929, before the stock market crashed, unemployment was 3.2%.

Numbers in 2020 were similar before COVID-19 shattered everyday life in America; in February, unemployment was at 3.5%, a nearly 50-year low. Since then, theres been an exponential rise in unemployment. The federal government, which has tracked weekly unemployment claims since 1967, previously reported the historic high was in 1982. The week of Sept.18, 1982, 600,000 filed for unemployment benefits.

The last few weeks have shattered that. In a single week in March, Americans filed 6.6 million unemployment claims. The number hit 10 million in the last two weeks of the month. Joblessness nationwide is currently at about 5% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but economics think the true toll is not yet reflected in the statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that the U.S. economy lost 701,000 jobs in March, the biggest single-month drop since the Great Recession. The restaurant industry made up most of the number with 417,400 jobs lost.

At one point, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin conjectured that unemployment could hit 20% due to the pandemics fallout, close to the worst days of the Depression. Hes since gone back on that number, saying it was a worst-case scenario if no government intervention took place. Most Americans qualify for a stimulus check that should be going out shortly.

But there were a lot of other factors that make the Great Depression and our current world different, the biggest being banks. By 1933, almost half of the nations banks had failed, wiping out the life savings of untold Americans. Industrial production also halved and jobs disappeared across countless industries, leaving unemployed Americans with no other job options.

Today, hopefully many people who are currently unemployed are only temporarily so; some workplaces will reopen in the coming months and employees can get right back to work. Many states are allowing people who lost hours for coronavirus-related reasons to also file for unemployment, meaning not all of those individuals are completely out of work. States like California also expanded benefits to self-employed or contract workers.

However, the full extent of Americas economic picture wont be known for at least a month or two. Many experts believe the current unemployment numbers are much higher than those reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. People who are unemployed right now may not yet have filed for unemployment as they wait and see what happens with their jobs. And more people will no doubt be laid off or furloughed as the pandemic deepens across the nation.

"If we assume that every person who was laid off or furloughed over those two weeks immediately applied for unemployment insurance, then the unemployment rate at the beginning of this week was around 10.5%," economist Michael Farren, a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told Market Watch on Monday.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Katie Dowd is a senior digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: katie.dowd@sfgate.com
A Bloomberg School MPH can come in many forms. Learn about the many different types of MPH options available to you.

Full-Time

The full-time format is an 11-month experience, which spans one academic year at the Bloomberg School (July-May). Five 8-week terms allow students to complete 80 credits in this timeframeand earn the MPH degree quickly. Most, if not all courses are completed on-site at the East Baltimore campus. Students may also take advantage of online offerings. Please review the MPH student manual for the full-time format for further details.

Learn more about Full-Time Options including Special Programs

Part-Time

Students may complete their MPH program fully online, fully on-site or via a combination of online and on-site courses. Online courses with pre-recorded lectures, discussion boards, and live chats allow part-time students to arrange their study around their personal schedules. Intensive on-site institute courses also provide opportunities for on-site networking and interactions.

While online/part-time students have four years to complete the degree requirements, students typically earn the degree in two-three years by taking, on average, one-three courses per term. Some students may complete the degree in as little time as one year utilizing full-time student status. Part-time students have incredible flexibility in designing and planning their curriculum with many choices of courses as well as modalities of instruction (online or on-site in 8-week terms or intensive institute courses).

Matriculation into the program occurs at 3 different time periods across the year: January (online or on-site Orientation in Baltimore), June (online or on-site Orientation in Baltimore, November (on-site Orientation in Barcelona). Please review the MPH student manual for the online/part-time format for further details.

Learn more about Part-Time Options
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Twelve more people have been cleared of coronavirus infection in the country, bringing the total number of recoveries to 96 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Department of Health in its 4:00 p.m. bulletin also reported that the nationwide death toll is now at 182, after five more patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease.

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 confirmed 106 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the country total to 3,870.

This is relatively lower than previous daily reports as the DOH has been confirming a surge in new infections amid efforts to expand coronavirus testing. The highest number confirmed in a day was 538 last week. On Tuesday, the DOH confirmed 104 new infections.

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 80,000 people, mostly in Italy, although the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. More than 1.4 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.
VANCOUVERThe progression of coronavirus in B.C. appears to be slowing compared to the rest of Canada, but public health officials say British Columbians shouldnt expect rules about gatherings and maintaining social distance to go back to normal anytime soon.

On Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 25 new confirmed coronavirus cases in B.C., and four additional deaths  with the total number of people in the hospital and in intensive care both down.

I want to put this into context. Today, we have 4,549 empty beds, 58.1 per cent capacity overall, Health Minister Adrian Dix said. Weve made very significant steps to prepare for the worst and fight and work hard together for the best of circumstances.

But Dix and Henry both said that British Columbians should not think about flouting distancing rules over the Easter long weekend just because it appears the province could be making progress.

This is the 12th week Dr. Henry and I have been doing COVID-19 briefings, Dix said, noting the province may have started its anti-COVID-19 efforts ahead of some other Canadian jurisdictions.

Being 100 per cent all-in requires all of you. When there is some evidence that we are flattening the curve, we need to double down now.

Henry said public health officials are discussing a plan about how and when to ease some of the distancing requirements currently in place, but she emphasized that it will not be a plan to simply return to the pre-coronavirus status quo.

Were in for a bit of a ride on this, Henry said. Its not going to be able to go back to 100 per cent where we were in January or at Christmastime, when we were all able to come together, until we have ... enough people in the population who are immune to this.

There are two ways that could happen. The first is through the distribution of a working vaccine, which could take months or years.

The second is by so many people getting sick and recovering from COVID-19 that a large enough group of people in the population develops immunity.

We absolutely do not want (that) happening all at once, because that means a bunch of people getting sick and overwhelming our health-care system, Henry said. But we will have a period of time where this will wane, and we will be stepping up and allowing us to go back to some of the activities that weve been doing.

Then authorities will have to monitor the spread of the virus again, to make sure it doesnt tear through the population too quickly.

Particularly as we go into the fall, we need to look at what are the measures that are most important that help reduce those chains of transmission again, Henry said.

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Despite disapproval from some Nigerians and health workers groups, Chinese medical equipment and personnel have arrived the country to assist the government tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was disclosed at the Presidential Task Force briefing on Wednesday as the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, did not attend the briefing because he reportedly went to receive them.

The minister of state, health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, said the experts are in Nigeria alongside the equipment needed to curb the virus.

Mr Ehanire had earlier announced the medical experts would be coming into the country to support its fight against COVID-19.

He said the experts would be sharing their experience after making progress in the fight against Covid-19.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) earlier expressed its dissatisfaction with the move.

The association described the move as a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) also advised the federal government against the plan, saying it was unnecessary to invite Chinese doctors as Nigeria was already handling the crisis effectively.

Nigeria currently has 254 cases of COVID-19 of which 44 have been discharged and six deaths recorded.
BRUSSELS, April 8 (Reuters) - The Belgian economy could contract by 8% this year due to measures to confine the coronavirus before a sharp rebound in 2021, the country's central bank and national planning agency said on Wednesday.

That rebound could be as much as 8.6%, although the bank and agency stressed that their figures should be seen as a broad macroeconomic 'scenario' rather than a firm granular forecast and that they were based on a number of conditions, with risks.

The bank and agency also estimated an increase of Belgium's budget deficit to 7.5% of gross domestic product and its debt to 115% of GDP in 2020. The central bank previously forecast deficit and debt figures of respectively 2% and 99.2%. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop)
WASHINGTON  Michigans Senators are among those urging the United States Department of Agriculture to do more to help the nations farmers.

Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow were among the 41 senators that sent a bipartisan letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to make flexibility in Farm Service Agency Loans permanent for the duration of the pandemic and farmers have equitable access to credit.

The senators who signed onto the letter also want the USDA to take emergency measures such as deadline extensions, loan payment deferrals, payment forbearance, suspension of current and pending foreclosure actions, authorizing of loan restructuring, and loan balance write-downs for the duration of the pandemic and economic recovery period.

Farmers across the country have faced many challenges in the past several years, the letter reads. The coronavirus pandemic is now causing additional disruptions, driving further declines in market conditions, prices, and export demand, and some experts believe that the consequences of the pandemic could hit rural communities particularly hard.

The senators also want the USDA to use existing programs that are suited to resolving loan and credit impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter goes on to state how cattle producers have seen price losses and how corn growers have seen biofuel producers suspend purchases.

The senators also ask for information on how the USDA plans on communicating the planned flexibilities to farmers, the criteria used in determining whether a producer receives a payment deferral or forbearance, and how long the extensions will be in effect.

The senators finished by saying they will continue working to provide additional support for farmers and rural communities feeling the affects of the pandemic.

Farmers are already set to receive federal aid from funds set aside in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that was passed near the end of March. In that, $9.5 billion would go towards a disaster fund for Michigan farmers that are experiencing financial losses due to the coronavirus.
In our times, a relationship is not official with a ring on the finger but with a post on both lovers' Instagram profiles.

And the couple living by this claim is Priyank Sharma and Benafsha Soonawalla who have confirmed their relationship by putting out adorable Instagram posts on their respective profiles!

Priyanka Sharma took to his Instagram account to share with his 3.3 million followers a picture in which he is kissing Benafsha Soonawalla on her cheeks. He captioned the post by writing a simple confirmation.

Benafsha Soonawalla also shared the same picture on her Instagram account. She captioned the picture with an adorable post verse that read, Cant nobody keep me like you. Call it unconventional. My love is habitual.

Priyank Sharma / Instagram

The couple's celebrity friends from Hina Khan's beau Rocky J, Aarushi Dutta, Kriti Verma, Krishna Mukherjee, Sabyasachi Satpathy, Ariah Agarwal, Abhishek Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana to Mukesh Chhabra made sure to congratulate the lovebirds.

Instagram

After two years of maintaining that the two are just friends, we are delighted that Benafsha Soonawalla and Priyanka Sharma have confirmed their relationship. We wish the couple lots of love and happiness!
COVID-19: What you need to know now
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Apple users wondering if theyve caught COVID-19 now can ask digital assistant Siri for advice.

The company on Saturday rolled out a self-screening feature that allows users to ask, Hey Siri, do I have the coronavirus? Siri then takes them through a questionnaire prepared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Public Health Service to determine if theyre exhibiting symptoms of the disease, such as fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath  or if theyve had contact with someone with the virus.

If users indicate their symptoms arent extremely life-threatening, Siri instructs them to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, and maintain social distancing  that is, a separation of six feet between people. If the symptoms persist, theyre advised to contact a physician.

For extreme and life-threatening cases, Siri recommends a call to 911.

The app doesnt delve into the realm of diagnoses.

There are a number of symptoms that could be COVID-19 or something else, explained Seth Martin, MD, MHS, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The only way to make a real diagnosis is to have testing performed to determine if those symptoms are actually due to COVID-19, he told TechNewsWorld. An app cant do that.

In addition to the questionnaire and advice, Siri provides App Store links to telehealth applications that could include virtual consultations with medical professionals.

Team CDC and Microsoft

Also on Saturday, the CDC announced its Coronavirus Self-Checker, which is powered by Microsofts Healthcare Bot service.

The chatbot is designed to screen Americans unsure about seeking medical care for COVID-19. In addition to asking questions based on CDC guidelines, the bot provides links to information and local health department contacts. However, it does not have information about coronavirus testing sites or treatment recommendations, other than to stay at home and take care of yourself  and in severe cases, dial 911.

This is most useful for the worried well,' said Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Those are people who are not sick but concerned that they may be, she told TechNewsWorld. It lets them  if theyre not running a fever, dont have a dry cough, no shortness of breath  release some of their anxiety.

The Healthcare Bot service is designed to address some of the critical needs of frontline responders to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Hadas Bitran, group manager at Microsoft Healthcare Israel, and Jean Gabarra, general manager at Microsofts Health AI, in an online post.

In particular, the need to screen patients with any number of cold or flu-like symptoms  to determine who has high enough risk factors to need access to limited medical resources and which people may more safely care for themselves at home  is a bottleneck that threatens to overwhelm health systems coping with the crisis, they wrote.

Microsofts Healthcare Bot service uses artificial intelligence to screen patients and free up medical personnel to provide critical care to those who need it, Bitran and Gabarra explained.

The bot, which runs in Microsofts Azure public cloud, can be customized for the needs of individual organizations. In addition to the CDC, healthcare providers using the service include Providence, which serves seven Western states; Novant Health, serving four states in the Southeast; and Virginia Mason Health System, which serves the pacific Northwest.

Watch Your Privacy

Symptom checkers can benefit both the medical system and consumers, noted Michael Arrigo, a HIPAA expert witness with No World Borders.

The tools can gather valuable epidemiology data about an epidemic. However, data collected by a checker needs to be stripped of identifying information so it cant be traced back to individual patients, he cautioned.

For consumers, the checkers can be a convenient way to obtain data for their personal symptom logs, as well as a useful diagnostic for a layperson with limited medical knowledge.

Convenience and education are great benefits of these checkers, Arrigo said.

While potentially beneficial, Arrigo recommended that both Apple and the CDC give consumers more information about the apps before they start using them.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The apps are well-intentioned, but they could have the unintentional consequence of disintermediating the patient from their physician, who is the best source for information, he said.

Because the prevailing opinions are that symptoms can take several days to appear in an infected person, these apps are not too useful at identifying some infected contagious people and could lead to a false sense of security, Arrigo added.

If the intent is to relieve a potentially overwhelmed primary care front line of defense, a big disclosure needs to go up front, stating that a consumer should check their symptoms multiple times because symptoms can take several days to appear, he said. In the interim, you could be unwittingly be exposing others during that incubation period.

Data gathered by the symptom checkers represents personal health records under federal law, which are subject to regulation by the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noted Arrigo.

The CDC does not share any of the personal information submitted to the Coronavirus Self Checker with Microsoft, reported Nextgov, a publication that covers government and technology. Microsoft provides the bot, but the CDC owns and maintains the checking tool.

Use Common Sense

Some consumers are creating their own symptom checkers based on information theyre gathering online, noted Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C.

Symptom trackers from authoritative sources give consumers a better alternative to the do-it-yourself approach.

Done properly, they can lessen peoples fears, suggest constructive actions people can take, perform at-home triage, and relieve the strain on the health sector, Cannon told TechNewsWorld.

As always, people should only take health advice from sources who know their stuff, like the infectious disease experts at major health systems or government public health agencies, he cautioned.

Like Dr. Seuss said, Do a lot of spitting out the hot air, and be careful what you swallow,' Cannon added.

People should also use common sense, said UTHealths Troisi. If someone in your house has been diagnosed with coronavirus and you start having symptoms, and the symptom checker says you dont need to be tested, it might be a good idea to ignore that advice.
Pomelo face masks. (PHOTO: Pomelo)

Fashion brand Pomelo is joining the the fashion industrys fight against the coronavirus by launching Pomelo Cares, an initiative to support the community and frontline medical sector, as well as educate and encourage the community to practice social distancing. As part of this effort, Pomelo will be rolling out a variety of measures over the coming months to support organisations and charities leading COVID-19 relief efforts in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

Shoppers who purchase antibacterial fabric masks for S$9 per pack of 3, with 100 per cent of profits from each purchase going towards crucial medical supplies for partner health organisations, including Singapores Red Cross Society and Thailands Red Cross. Pomelo has also started manufacturing face masks using fabrics used for apparel.

As part of the brands ongoing initiative, Pomelo will also be donating 40,000 surgical masks to Thailands Red Cross, with plans to donate more over the next few months.

This is a difficult time for all of us and we at Pomelo are in this together with the communities we serve. We want to do our part to help spread the message of the importance of social distancing and giving back in this time of need. said David Jou, CEO of Pomelo. The coronavirus situation will evolve and we will continue to do our part to mitigate its spread, as well as finding new ways to engage our community in this time of need.

The brand will also be launching a feature on its app and website where customers can donate a pack of 15 surgical masks for partner healthcare organisations.

For more information, log on to https://www.pomelofashion.com/sg/en/
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Linkedin Sausan Atika and Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:00 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0666ea 1 City anies-baswedan,COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,dki-jakarta,PSBB,large-scale-social-restrictions Free

The Jakarta administration will tighten measures to restrict peoples movements after being granted permission by the central government to implement largescale social restrictions (PSBB) to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Health Ministry granted the request early on Tuesday, shortly after Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan slammed the ministry for being too bureaucratic in handling the outbreak, which has infected at least 1,369 people and killed 106 in Jakarta alone.

The governor told a press conference on Tuesday evening that the city had already implemented large-scale social distancing policies but they had now become legally binding to all residents following the ministrys decision to approve Jakartas PSBB status.

Starting on Friday, gatherings of more than five people will be prohibited, Anies said, and public transportation services will limit passenger numbers to 50 percent of capacity and restrict their operational hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The governor assured that private vehicles could still enter Jakarta, but a limit will be imposed on the number of passengers allowed in each vehicle.

The Jakarta administration and the central government will give social aid to low-income people affected by the PSBB policies, the governor said. We are asking everyone to follow the rules [...] We will not tolerate any activities that can cause infection.

Read also: No access limitation to or from Jakarta despite social restrictions, police say

The new measures, Anies said, will be detailed in a special regulation to be issued on Wednesday.

According to Article 13 of Health Ministerial Decree No. 9/2020 on the PSBB guidelines, large-scale social restrictions consist of closing schools and offices, limiting religious gatherings, public facilities, social and cultural activities, and other matters related to defense and security, as well as transportation.

Once implemented, the policy will be effective during the incubation period and could be extended should the outbreak continue to spread.

Jakarta Police traffic division director Sr. Comr. Sambodo Purnomo said he was waiting for details on the restrictions from the city transportation agency prior to contributing to these efforts.

We are still waiting for the details; types of vehicles, the limit on passengers, he said.Calls are mounting for Anies to be tougher with large-scale social restrictions.

Saleh Daulay of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said the administration should also suspend travel to and from the city to limit peoples movements and that it should have a deterrent effect.

Willy Aditya of the NasDem Party said Anies should close down offices.

Working from home must be mandatory for all offices in Jakarta. Companies that cannot make their employees work from home should obtain permission from the city administration. If there is a violation, the punishment should be clear, he said.

Jakarta Ombudsman head Teguh P. Nugroho, meanwhile, suggested that Anies coordinate with leaders of Jakartas satellite cities on new measures, saying it was crucial that large-scale restrictions be implemented across Greater Jakarta.

There should be coordinated and effective policies to curb the spread of COVID-19, he said.

Banten Governor Wahidin Halim said his administration had also requested a PSBB status from the Health Ministry, agreeing that the policy should be implemented in Greater Jakarta.

Tangerang regency, Tangerang municipality and South Tangerang and three satellite cities of Jakarta are under Bantens administrative region.

I propose that the PSBB status be implemented in Greater Jakarta as the cities have similar characteristics [...] and they have people commuting [to and from Jakarta]. We are pushing cities or regencies in Banten to request a PSBB status and synchronize their policies with those of Jakarta, he said following a video conference with Anies, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil and Vice President Maruf Amin.

He claimed that the three governors had agreed to have the PSBB implemented in Greater Jakarta. Bekasi, Depok and Bogor in West Java also plan on requesting PSBB status from the Health Ministry.

Read also: Jakarta buries 639 bodies according to COVID-19 protocols

Hermawan Saputra, a health expert at the University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka, said tightened social restrictions across Greater Jakarta would allow the Jakarta administration to limit intercity movements.

The measures, although they dont go as far as closing off transportation access, could entail restrictions on passenger numbers and tighter monitoring at terminals and tollgates, Hermawan, who is also on the Indonesian Public Health Expert Associations (IAKMI) COVID-19 task force, said.

He argued that greater social restrictions would make more of a difference with regard to the closure of workplaces as tighter law enforcement would follow any violations.

Despite the [governors] previous appeal, many companies are still open. With the implementation of these large-scale social restrictions, the city administration can issue warning letters and carry out a phased monitoring to enforce the rules.

The National Police have said they will charge anyone caught violating PSBB measures as stipulated under Article 93 the 2018 Health Quarantine Law.
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Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 15:11 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09a2bb 1 World COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,cruise-line,cruise-ship,DPR,Commission-I,coronavirus,virus-corona,Foreign-Ministry,citizen-protection Free

Ninety-two Indonesian crewmen aboard a number of international cruise liners had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning, the Foreign Ministry indicated on a map of all affected Indonesians abroad on its official Twitter account.

The tweeted map also noted that all were "stable".

Hi #Diplomates, attached is the Global #COVID19 Update and Indonesian Citizen Protection as of 08/04; 08.00 Western Indonesian Time.



The map shows active COVID-19 Cases of Indonesian Citizen Abroad.#IndonesianWay pic.twitter.com/oiT17RiHj5  MoFA Indonesia (@Kemlu_RI) April 8, 2020

Even so, the government still allowed hundreds of other crewmen to return to the country, as many cruise operators had halted their operations in response to the pandemic. The crewmen's return has raised concerns over whether this could worsen the disease's spread across the archipelago.

More than 1,000 crewmen had arrived back in the country by Wednesday. The foreign ministry confirmed that 963 crewmen had been repatriated by April 2 on commercial and charter flights funded by their cruise operators.

These included more than 200 Indonesian crewmen of the MSC Fantasia crew who arrived over the weekend in Denpasar, Bali, flying from Lisbon on Air Europa flight AE672 after disembarking in Portugal, where the cruise ship carrying 1,338 passengers had made port.

On the last day of March, 316 Indonesian crewmen of the MSC Splendida arrived by plane in Denpasar from Genoa, Italy, considered the epicenter of the European pandemic.

Read also: Cruise ship responsible for jump in Australia coronavirus cases

The ministry's data shows that an estimated 12,748 Indonesians work as crew members aboard 89 cruise ships around the world operated by 10 major cruise operators.

The crewmen's repatriation has given rise to worries of potential imported cases, as international cruise liners like Diamond Princess, World Dream, Westerdam and Zaandam emerged as "hot spots" of COVID-19 infection

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) reported that COVID-19 transmission occurred four times faster aboard Diamond Princess than during the peak of the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected.

As many as 712 out of the more than 3,700 passengers and crew aboard Diamond Princess contracted the virus during its two-month quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.

Despite concerns over compounding the outbreak in Indonesia, the foreign ministry said the government could not lawfully prevent its citizens from returning to the country, citing the 2011 Immigration Law. It added, however, that authorities could ramp up efforts to detect the disease upon their arrival.

All repatriated citizens are required to undergo all necessary health protocols at their port of entry, where health officials will take their body temperature, check them for symptoms and test them for the virus using rapid testing kits.

Returnees who tested positive for the virus are quarantined at their port of entry, while those who tested negative are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days at home.

We will facilitate the needs of Indonesian citizens who have decided to come home, but they must obey the protocol so they wont spread the virus, said the Foreign Ministry's overseas citizen protection director, Judha Nugraha.

Read also: COVID-19: Govt to allocate Rp 100 billion to protect Indonesians abroad

Lawmakers, however, expressed their doubt over current measures.

Effendy Simbolon of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) pointed out the often lax implementation of health protocols at Indonesian ports.

There is an inconsistency in the protocol as imposed on [Indonesians] and the governments [effort]. It is very relaxed, he said on Tuesday at a working meeting between House Commission I on foreign affairs and the ministry.

The protocol as imposed on arrivals [aboard] international airlines, for instance, is extremely loose, he noted.

The commission has asked the government to impose more stringent screening at all ports of entry in the country.
PetroVietnam and its subsidiaries and affiliates are actively implementing solutions and measures to cope with these global impacts, protect employees' health, and maintain business and manufacturing activities. VIR gathered the opinions of some employees working on the sites, day by day contributing to the group's development.

Nguyen Tuan Nghia, deputy head of PQP-HT Platform, Bien Dong POC

Facing the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors of Bien Dong POC has promptly carried out a series of measures to fight the epidemic and put a check on the disease at all onshore and offshore business operations. Before entering our platform, employees must submit a declaration of their travel history. Workers are required to spend 14 days in self-isolation at home before they come to the offshore platform.

Normal shifts of work at the platform have now increased from three to four weeks, which reduces the number of workers going through rotation. While the workload has definitely increased, the policies of the groups leaders provide us with the best working conditions to fulfil our mission. All residents of the platform have medical checks twice a week. We have also set up a quarantined room that aligns with the requisite standards right at the platform to isolate infected patients if there are any.

As the entire industry is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the oil price shock, we understand the difficulties that we are facing. The company's leadership is making every effort to both protect the health of its employees and at the same time ensure safe, continuous, and efficient production and business activities, and maintain jobs for employees.

PetroVietnams employees are putting their weight behind the group's effort to overcome the adversities of this year

Nguyen Truong Son, electrical engineer, Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture (Vietsovpetro)

We, the employees who are directly working on the site of Vietsovpetro, always feel secure and believe that oil prices will go up in the coming time and the COVID-19 pandemic will be dealt with  and with it, the worlds and Vietnams economy will soon recover.

In the meantime, I think every employee need to step up now, be more creative in manufacturing, utilise technology innovations, and help the company improve both the quality and quantity of the products while reducing production costs as well as stabilising work.

Trinh Thanh Hoang, marine officer, Vietsovpetro

We understand that the falling oil price will be a pressure for PetroVietnam and Vietsovpetro but I believe our leaders will find appropriate solutions and adjust the business strategy of the company as well as the whole industry.

To join hands to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, our employees always comply with the requirements of wearing masks, washing our hands regularly, and follow the recommendations of health authorities on epidemic prevention, utilising all available equipment of the company, improving labour productivity, and reducing production costs.

Le Van Nin, installation engineer, Vietsovpetro

Facing the challenges and complicated movements of the COVID-19 epidemic, we are confident that the actions from the Party, the state, the government, as well as the solutions of the anti-epidemic steering committee of Vietsovpetro will prove effective.

To join the society's fight against the epidemic, we at Vietsovpetro always encourage and remind our colleagues to raise awareness of protecting themselves and the community, and have strictly implemented the regulations and guidelines of the Ministry of Health, local authorities, and Vietsovpetro.

We are willing to join quick-response teams when required to timely co-ordinate with relevant parties if anyone shows signs of infection, both onshore and offshore to strictly obey all regulations.

Engineers at Dung Quat Oil Refinery

Nguyen Anh Truc, team leader, Ca Mau Fertiliser Plant

Ca Mau Fertiliser Plant has maintained non-stop operations despite the epidemic. Every day, we continue working with foreign partners and customers, so the risk of disease is always high. The Board of Directors of the company has recognised these risks early and took anti-epidemic response measures in a timely manner.

With all measures to strengthen the prevention of the pandemic, the company certainly has increased its costs. The price of oil has reduced sharply and the spread of epidemic have significantly affected production and business activities.

As employees, we understand the difficulties that the Board of Directors is facing in order to ensure the jobs and wages of hundreds of employees. We are trying our best with the highest efficiency and will overcome this difficult time together.

Do Hong Quang, engineer, Dung Quat Oil Refinery

Despite being heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and the falling oil prices, the oil and gas industry in general and Dung Quat Oil Refinery in particular have been taking drastic measures to reduce costs and improve labour productivity.

Every day, we try to find new ideas and innovations to optimise our operations and production and reduce costs. Every day, we optimise equipment operating parameters in our workshops in an aim to minimise energy consumption and maintain the factory in safe and stable operations.

We have also introduced many solutions to operate the factory with different capacity to maintain stability and efficiency when the demand for petroleum products is reduced due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Health officials across the United States did an about-face on face coverings last week as pressure mounted from experts in the medical community. Now a top Yale University doctor is suggesting Americans should get used to the idea of wearing face masks well into next year to curtail COVID-19 spread.

After more than a month of consistent messaging from health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Surgeon General and even President Donald Trump that face masks were unnecessary and ineffective at preventing coronavirus transmission, the CDC reversed its guidelines on April 3 and began suggesting that Americans should consider wearing face coverings in certain public settings.

Days earlier, President Trump insisted that if the guidance for mask-wearing were to become necessary, masks would only be needed for a short time. However, Dr. Shan Soe-Lin told AccuWeather she has a very different prognostication.

Dr. Shan Soe-Lin, pictured above, is a lecturer at Yale and the managing director of Pharos Global Health Advisors. (Image shared by Shan Soe-Lin)

"I think people are going to have to wear masks until there's a vaccine. I mean that to be completely blunt," Shan, a Yale University lecturer and an immunologist by training, said in an interview with AccuWeather. "I think the next best would be through the end of the epidemic. It definitely needs to be moving past peak."

Shan cautioned that the threat from the new coronavirus does not suddenly vanish with a peak in cases.

"The peak is not the magic end of it. That's just the top," she explained. "There's the whole downslope, too, that you need to ride and ensure that you're just not starting up another peak again."

An employee of cake shop prepares chocolate Easter bunnies with masks in Lykovrisi, northern Athens, on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

With experts predicting that a vaccine may be 12 to 18 months away, Shan's timeline differs dramatically from Trump's. She reasoned that the timeframe is necessary to ensure that people recognize that the COVID-19 threat will linger far longer than just the social distancing period.

Story continues

"I don't think this threat is going to go away. It's hopefully going to manageable," Shan, who is also the managing director of Pharos Global Health Advisors in Boston, said. "Especially if we are able to rapidly increase testing and really strengthen contact tracing and keep people who are infected isolated."

The cultural differences between the U.S. and some east Asia countries when it comes to mask-wearing has been a crucial component of this debate, Shan said. In some Asian countries, Shan said, not wearing a mask when you're sick is seen as rude. Or as one person summed it up to The Wall Street Journal about mask-wearing in Hong Kong, "Not wearing masks in Hong Kong is like not wearing pants."

Comparatively, wearing a mask in the U.S. has drawn Shan plenty of uneasy glances from others in public, she told AccuWeather.

A little girl wears a scarf around her head as she lines up with her mother, looking to buy KN95 face masks outside Masataco, a taco shop in Whittier, Calif., Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Masataco has managed to sell thousands of face masks at cost, mostly first responders. Just days after recommending that people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a county in Southern California went a step further and ordered all residents to cover their faces when leaving home as the number of infections and deaths continued to rise across California. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Since the CDC's new guidelines were unveiled, Shan said she has seen more people around her Boston-area home adopt the mask-wearing policy, but she wants to see more.

"It still needs to come up a lot more, though, but I think the more people who adopt it, the less stigmatizing it will be," she said. "It's a big cultural thing to have to reverse here ... It's just not a norm that's done and it's a norm that needs to change in a really trying time."

Latest coronavirus COVID-19 coverage from AccuWeather.com

If Shan's timeline of 12 to 18 months of mask-wearing proves necessary, she said that what she views as American pride around individualism may be a hurdle to widespread adoption.

"I think we're going to see here in the U.S. that states that are really slow to adopt some of these basic things are really going to pay for it in a couple weeks," Shan predicted.

A bicyclist wears a face mask as a statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect in an effort to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

AccuWeather CEO and Founder Dr. Joel N. Myers said more specific parameters surrounding mask usage are necessary to help people understand the importance of the protective pieces.

"When somebody says you should wear a mask for 12-18 months, we should say, 'Wait a minute. It depends. If you're in New York City, yeah, probably so," Myers said, adding that he thought the same might not be necessary for those in sparsely populated areas.

Part of Shan's insistence on mask-wearing for both the infected and uninfected is to further reinforce the concept of social distancing. She said she feared warmer summer months pushing more people outside and into closer proximity.

Shan also pushed against the idea that masks will be more uncomfortable or difficult to wear once temperatures rise.

Tom Watson runs in Liberty Park while wearing a mask Monday, March 23, 2020, Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

"I'm more worried that people aren't going to maintain social distancing," Shan said, adding that she wears her mask when going out for a run.

"I can't say that it would be worse [to wear] in the summer. I think the greater threat with nicer weather is just people going outside more. I think the other thing that people need to really understand is that masks don't make you invincible. There is no 100 percent safe way to go outside, even with hand-washing, masks and social distance," she cautioned.

That sentiment is similar to what some of the country's top health officials have said since the CDC reversed its stance on masks. "The most important thing is the social distancing and washing your hands," Dr. Deborah Birx, who heads up the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said last week. "We don't want people to get an artificial sense of protection, because they're behind a mask."

Shan said social distancing is crucial at this time. "That's why everyone really, really needs to be staying at home."

Regardless of an area's setting, population density or infection rate, a widespread, unified and cohesive nationwide approach on mask-wearing will also be key to slowing COVID-19, Shan said.

"The virus doesn't respect state borders so those of us in states that are doing better can't be smug," Shan said. "You know there's going to be little brush fires that can come from slower states and ignite new epidemics and in our states. No one is safe."

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Some residents of Kurmi Kaduna Community in Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna state were on Wednesday thrown into confusion after a Lagos-returnee presented feverish symptoms.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the community members became more confused as family members of a 27-year-old man (names withheld), who returned from Lagos on April 5, deserted their home after he (returnee) presented feverish symptom similar to that of Coronavirus.

Liman Hamsu, the Village Head of Kurmin Kaduna, told NAN that when the man displayed symptoms of high fever, his family members ran away from the house thinking he was having Coronavirus.

The family ran away when the suspect began vomiting and exhibiting symptoms of high fever.

Thereafter, the entire community became tensed because all family members of the suspect ran away from him, thinking the man might have absconded from Lagos isolation centre to take refuge in Kaduna, Mr Hamsu said.

According to him, members of the community had to call the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and health representatives from Igabi LGA, who said that the symptoms had no correlation with COVID-19.

READ ALSO:

After several calls to the NCDC, the Centre sent representatives to our community to see the patients situation.

Also, a member of the health team from Igabi LGA came and confirmed that the suspected case was negative, without taking any sample, he added.

He then appealed to members of the family to return as the case had been confirmed negative, adding that only the return of the members would allay the fears of the entire community.

(NAN)
When this is all over, will we have learned some things? Will we try do so some things better? Will we figure out how to fix some things that are broken?

If you believe Premier Doug Ford, and we do, the answer is yes, at least in some areas. When it looked as if U.S. President Donald Trump would deny Ontario health workers personal protective equipment, Ford made a solemn and angry pledge. He said Ontario will never again have to rely on undependable partners to obtain necessary emergency supplies.

Ford pledged that he and his government would become catalysts to harness Ontarios manufacturing horsepower to ensure there is always a domestic supply of essential materials for a health crisis. He asked for businesses to step into the role of PPE manufacturers, and many are doing just that.

Is it sustainable beyond this pandemic mess? Can a free market conservative political leader who believes in smaller government also be a leader who can steward a new era of economic independence and self-reliance? Can we really put some borders around some areas of the economy that could be exempt from globalization, with their interconnected supply chains? Could we figure out how to justify in international trade law what is in effect protectionism in some economic sectors?

We dont know those answers, but dont underestimate Ford. And hes on to something here.

We wonder, though, if Ford would be as eager to fix whats wrong with Ontarios eldercare system. Its a much bigger job, and will also require investment, as will Fords manufacturing initiative. But were talking about an economic and health-care sector that needs complete reinvention. That cannot happen in time to really fix things during this crisis. But maybe, if the government adopts a similar sense of urgency as it is expressing on the PPE file, we can fix things in advance of the next crisis.

In Hamilton, and across Canada, senior-care facilities have become ground zero in the COVID-19 battle. And we are not winning. The troops in this battle are working with an overstressed, underfunded system. Nursing care and retirement home staff are working with the most vulnerable citizens in this pandemic, and enduring the associated risk.

They have even less PPE than hospital staff have. They are paid less than staff in other health-care environments (in many cases) yet they are facing the greatest risk and helping people who are the most sick  and dying. They were understaffed before this crisis hit, but at least they could count on the families of residents to pitch in and help. Now they cant even count on that, because everyone other than staff and residents are locked out.

In what universe does it make sense for health professionals and personal care workers working with the most vulnerable population in the highest risk environment to be paid less than health workers in  for example  hospitals?

It doesnt. Its a reflection of the nature of our eldercare system, and our unwillingness to see it as a legitimate part of the lifelong health-care continuum. But were seeing it that way now, arent we?

In British Columbia the situation is serious enough that public health authorities have taken control of eldercare facility staffing and scheduling, and compensation. Here in Ontario, the opposition NDP wants the government to make major changes and investments, including more aggressive staff recruitment, increasing staffing levels, increases salaries to $22 an hour, mandated use of PPE and other improvements. Just like Ford, the NDP is on to something. Lets get our eldercare system healthy before the next crisis hits.

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Linkedin B.K. Sidhu (The Star/Asia News Network)  Wed, April 8, 2020 14:06 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd093322 2 News Malindo-Air,travel,Airlines,coronavirus,COVID-19,unpaid-leave Free

Malindo Air is ceasing all flights this month and asking 70 percent of its staff to take no-pay leave.

That involves over 3,400 of its total 4,900 workforce. If the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic worsens with countries continuing to close borders and airspace, the no-pay leave situation will drag into May.

Malindo is the first local airline to ask the bulk of its workforce to go on unpaid leave.

However, Malaysia Airlines has also given its 13,000 employees an option to take five days of unpaid leave per month for at least three months, or between one and three months from April. It has approved 1,194 unpaid leave applications.

We are ceasing all flight operations in April and foresee the situation to be the same in early May,  Malindo chief executive officer Captain Mushafiz Mustafa Bakri said in a memo to staff.

He said given these curtailments, we have had to re-look our manpower requirements as we are not generating any revenue to support the operations other than the few humanitarian flights we are currently doing.

Read also: AirAsia Indonesia suspends all flights starting April 1

Only those identified will report for work and be paid on a daily wage basis for the work carried out on specific days. All others would be deemed to be furloughed with no pay.



Airlines across the globe are asking hundreds of their employees to go on no-pay leave or take pay cuts and do away with allowances. These are some of the cost-cutting measures undertaken by the airlines to stay afloat apart from grounding hundreds of aircraft and re-negotiating aircraft lease agreements.

Beginning this month, CGS-CIMB Research said in a note that AirAsia staff with salaries of more than RM4,000 (US$921) a month have been asked to take voluntary pay cuts of between 15 percent and 100 percent depending on seniority and salary levels.



The founders of the company, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, will forego their salaries.All these salary cuts are indefinite in nature but assuming an average of 20 percent fixed salary cut, it will help the airline save RM300 million for financial year 2020, according to the report.

The senior team at Malaysia Airlines is also taking a pay cut.

Malindos Mushafiz said we have made representations to the Finance Minister and remain hopeful that our appeal to the government for financial help to pay salaries will soon bear some positive response.

All the three airlines are hoping for some form of aid from the government to tide over the pandemic.

CGS-CIMB said AirAsia needs about RM1.6 bilionl in new funding for two years and has cash to last it for some months.

As for Malaysia Airlines, Khazanah Nasional Bhd is said to be preparing some funding for the airline. Reports have also emerged saying that a new suitor in Golden Skies Ventures has made a US$2.5 billion offer to fully take over the airline and has financing from an European bank.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
Ejaz Kasier By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: A unique live tracking app system comes as an effective tool for Janjgir-Champa police in Chhattisgarh to monitor all migrant workers who returned to their native villages in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and are now home quarantined.

Over 6000 migrants in the district are into optimal home quarantine periods ranging from 14 to 28 days. To manage such huge strength, the Janjgir-Champa district police has resorted to technology-based solution in their fight against COVID-19 and restrain the spread of deadly contagious infection.

An app Raksha Serv, developed by Noida-based startup - Mobcoder, has been installed in the mobile phones by the district police team who visited the residence of migrant workers who are quarantined. Now every such person has been asked to take their selfie every hour  an indication to suggest he or she not wandering outside their place of isolation. There is an inbuilt reminder for an hourly selfie to be recorded.

The app tracking the location will send an alert to the nearest police station, the moment the patient attempts to leave the quarantined premise.

We respect everyones privacy who are home quarantined. In the present challenging situation, the safety of all remains a prime concern. 'Raksha Serv emerged as an excellent means for us to track anyone found violating the treatment protocol. The local thana gets an alert even if the person switches off the mobile phone. All the data is digitally encrypted to prevent unauthorized access, said Parul Mathur, Janjgir-Champa district police chief who further added that the tracking will automatically stop after the quarantine duration gets over.

If any quarantined patient intends to deliberately act mischievously in violation of the rules, the police will register an FIR. Going by the appreciable success of the app system, as many as four other districts are in touch with Janjgir-Champa to replicate the practice in their areas
Grains by the lb can generally be had for a reasonable price. They also generally qualify for free and flat rate shipping when a retailer offers that. Full 50 or 55 lb sacks of malt are another story altogether. The per lb price of sacks can be tempting, but shipping charges can be confiscatory.

Bulk Malt Deal Tips and Tricks

Look at Total Cost

Price per lb delivered to your door is the most important thing when it comes to value. Biting on a low cost sack of grain with high shipping is equally as bad as biting on a high cost sack of grain with free shipping. Compare total cost. If free or flat rate shipping is an option always makes sure to put together an order that qualifies for discounted shipping.

Deals can periodically found on Amazon

Offerings and prices can vary wildly, but its worth a quick look when it comes time to buying grain.

Buy Local-ish

Look for a shop in the same general geographic location. It makes sense that shipping from one state away would cost less than shipping across the country. This isnt always the case, but its a good place to start.

Try the following shops, each has general geographic area to help

Wunder Grain

AIHs Wunder grain offering is a mix and match of grains. Wunder = I wonder what it is. Availability is touch and go, but when its available its one of the best deals out there if youre not picky and just wanting to brew. Its sold in 10 lb bags and typically qualifies for free shipping to many US addresses. Buy 5 to get the equivalent of a sack and qualify for free shipping.

Wunder Grain  10 lb bag

10 lb Bags at Williams Brewing

Williams Brewing has select malt available in 10 lb bags. These qualify for their free or flat shipping. Buy 5 x 10 lb bags and you have the equivalent of a sack of grain.

Base Malt in 10 Pound Bags

Deal on All Grain Kits

Adventures in Homebrewing discounts seasonal homebrew beer recipe kits by 20%. Selections include both all grain and extract options. Shipping is free to many US addresses with a qualifying order.

20% Off Seasonal All Grain Kits | 20% Off Seasonal Extract Kits

Make a Friend, Get a Great Deal on Grain

Make friends with your local brewery or brew pub and they just might let you purchase grain from them a great price.

Bulk Grain Storage Options

Vittles Vault Review!

Grain Mill Reviews

All Grain-Related Reviews:

A collection of reviews that weve tagged as directly or indirectly related to all grain brewing





Hands on Review: Vittles Vault Stackable Storage Bins for Homebrew Grain Storage!





Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application. Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application. Always read and follow manufacturer directions. top:bulkgrain tag:itsapage tag:tpr
MANISTEE COUNTY  Hospitals in Manistee and throughout northern Michigan are bracing for a possible surge in patients, as the number of confirmed cases continues to increase across the region.

With eight hospitals across northern Michigan, Munson Healthcare -- the largest medical care provider in the region -- is tasked with responding to the pandemic locally.

Currently, Munson officials have tested 988 patients across the region and a total of 53 at the Manistee Hospital, according to the Munson healthcare website. The majority of positive cases come from Munson Medical Center in Traverse City and Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord.

As of Tuesday afternoon, nine patients have tested positive for novel coronavirus at Munson Healthcare Manistee hospital. Six more are awaiting their test results.

Eight total COVID-19 deaths have been reported at Munson facilities, as of press time, none of which have occurred at Munson Healthcare Manistee hospital.

These statistics reflect only patients tested at Munson facilities and may not represent the total number of those infected within an area.

With COVID-19 top of mind for many within the community, the News Advocate reached out to Munson Healthcare officials with some questions provided by readers.

The News Advocate spoke with Julie Mueller, communications manager for Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital, to discuss how the medical care provider is preparing for a possible influx of cases. Some questions have been edited for clarity.

MANISTEE NEWS ADVOCATE: Is Manistee County ready for an increase in COVID-19 cases?

MUELLER: Munson Healthcare has been preparing for COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Across the system, we have been working with local and state officials, our healthcare partners and emergency management agencies to ensure we are as prepared as we can be. Our supply chain personnel have also been working diligently to obtain the needed resources for treating patients and protecting our healthcare team, while our staff development and infection prevention experts have been providing additional training to staff.

MNA: Is Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital sending patients to the Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital?

MUELLER: To minimize the potential for transmission of the illness and to best conserve critical resources, Munson Healthcare established three regional care sites for COVID-19-positive patients -- Munson Medical Center, Cadillac Hospital and Grayling Hospital. For the South Region, which includes Manistee, Cadillac Hospital is the identified care site. This relationship goes both ways -- Manistee Hospital is treating patients who do not have COVID-19 who would otherwise receive care in Cadillac. Depending on the level of care needed, Munson Medical Center may also serve as a care site for patients from Manistee County.

MNA: What is the plan if the infection rate continues to increase. Do the area have the necessary supplies to handle a significant regional outbreak?

MUELLER: We hope the statewide stay-at-home order and social distancing measures will have the intended effect and reduce the infection rate, but Munson Healthcare is preparing to handle an influx in patients in the region. We have plans for increasing the number of patient beds, and we have established a labor pool that will enable us to deploy staff and providers where they are most needed.

Munson Healthcare has been proactive in conserving supplies, but shortages of certain equipment are concerning. We continue to work with suppliers to obtain additional resources. And we are grateful to our community for their generous donations to support our employees. The outpouring of love and support for our healthcare workers has been truly incredible.

MNA: Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital has enacted a policy of "universal masking." Why is universal masking important?

MUELLER: Universal masking means that everyone in clinical care areas must wear a mask. This applies to staff, patients and visitors. It's clear that we have community transmission of this illness, and masking is one way to prevent the spread of the virus. We've also further restricted visitors for the safety of our patients, healthcare team and the community.

MNA: In what circumstances would one use a surgical mask versus an N95 respirator?

MUELLER: This coronavirus appears to spread primarily through large respiratory droplets. Surgical masks help prevent an ill individual from infecting others by containing oral and nasal secretions, and they offer protection for the wearer from others' respiratory droplets.

N95 masks are intended to block very small particulates. In a healthcare setting, these devices are most commonly used to protect staff when they are performing a procedure that could result in aerosolization, such as during intubation or respiratory treatment.

MNA: Many have never experienced a situation quite like this. Was a major outbreak something that was treated as a serious possibility at Munson facilities before the COVID-19 pandemic?

MUELLER: A contagious disease outbreak is always a possibility. Munson Healthcare had a pandemic response plan in place and has participated in drills involving this type of event.
Even doorknob makers think they are critical cogs during the COVID-19 pandemic and want a gubernatorial designation as essential workers, a policy advisor to Gov. Mark Gordon says.

Theyre not likely to get it.

Such requests are pouring in from those anticipating additional government-enforced closures like those seen in stay-at-home orders issued in other states.

Designation as an essential employee or industry can afford exemptions to the kind of travel, work and other restrictions that come with many emergency federal, state or local health orders.

We get probably three or four [requests] a day, from the doorknob manufactures to Society of Professional Journalists to the manufacturing  of pipelines, said Renny MacKay, senior policy advisor to Gordon. He estimated Friday the number of requests is approaching 100.

As one of the last remaining states without a statewide stay-at-home order, the list of essential personnel in Wyoming currently has only one official function  allowing access to daycare. Doorknob manufacturers, journalists and roughnecks do not qualify.

Wyoming Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist defined essential personnel in her order closing bars, schools, dine-in restaurants, child-care facilities and other places where people congregate. Although general child-care facilities must close, ones that take care of children of essential personnel may operate under certain conditions, her order reads.

They only can accept children whose parents work in one of 15 different fields. Those are child care and educational workers; health care workers; criminal justice employees; firefighters, National Guard troops and first responders; state employees working on COVID-19; active duty military staff; pharmacy workers; foster families with children through grade 8; 911 staff and plumbing, electrical, telecommunications and wastewater workers; public works employees, grocery workers, supply chain drivers; medical manufacturing personnel and fuel distributors.

We had to narrow and find a group of people that needed day care to do their jobs, MacKay said. The issue is theres not enough day care in Wyoming to provide for everybody who asked.

There are 18,000 workers in the oil and gas industry, for example, MacKay stated, citing an example. If the state puts them or bankers on the child-care list, it would have to put journalists on the list, then gas station attendants. You cant allow day care for every one of those industries, he added.

Who is an essential worker?

Designating a business as part of the critical infrastructure would have a larger effect than just allowing workers to travel to their jobs in the case of a stay-at-home order, according to one of the requests made to Gordon. The Petroleum Association of Wyoming and the Wyoming Mining Association asked to be declared an essential business and critical infrastructure to enable deliveries.

Vendors are no longer shipping necessary supplies and will only do so with a letter from you with the designation, the letter reads.

State officials have talked to representatives from those industries, including the one that makes doorknobs (and secure doors), Mackay said. Weve had conversations with several of these folks. He agreed that supply chains can be constrained.

He suggested if there is a bottleneck, its not in Wyoming and a solution, also, is not to be found here. Generally, this is an issue somewhere else, MacKay said.

The federal Department of Homeland Security has twice updated its guideline listing 16 critical infrastructure sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USA Patriot Act of 2001 enabled the DHSs Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency to define the critical sectors and their workers.

A critical sector is one whose incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, the CISA website reads. The list of essential workers should be considered by state and local government officials as those with prioritized need for access and re-entry into, out of, and through areas where shelter-in-place, quarantine, cordons, and restricted areas, (sic) the website reads.

In a press conference Friday, Gordon said Wyoming isnt ready to impose a stay-at-home order the way so many other states have. Listing of, and exemptions for, critical workers would be designated in a future order, MacKay told WyoFile on Friday. Nobody is issuing an order today.

At his press conference Friday, Gordon leafed through letters from various organizations asking him to list their trade as a critical business, tossing them aside.

What we did was we said stay home, wash your hands, maintain social distancing, dont go to the store unless you have to Gordon said, clearly frustrated by state and national criticism for not having issued an official order. That is essentially what a stay-home order is.

The Wyoming Medical Society asked the governor to issue a stronger order and he has for now declined.

We appreciate the previous actions you and the State Public Health Officer have taken in response to this crisis, and understand the intricate and sensitive policy issues at play during this critical time, the March 26 letter from Wyoming Medical Society president Dr. David Wheeler read. However, we now believe that a statewide shelter-in-place order is the only way to curb the exponential spread of COVID-19 in Wyoming.

Both Gordon and MacKay pointed to Colorados stay-at-home order and other directives as heavy-handed approaches that accomplish no more than what Wyoming is accomplishing. Wyoming orders and directives limit assemblies to no more than 10 people and imposes a 14-day quarantine on those entering the state in addition to closing dine-in restaurants and other gathering places.

Colorados stay-at-home orders carry a list of 88 exemptions for essential or critical workers, a review of them shows. If Wyoming imposed the same restrictions and exemptions, it would make little difference in a Wyoming street scene, Gordon and MacKay said.

Under a Colorado-style stay-at-home, a flower shop now open in Cheyenne would have closed, also perhaps a car dealership, MacKay explained. In Colorado, housing construction is allowed to continue, including for projects for low-income and vulnerable people, a review of orders there shows.

Colorado businesses that cant be conducted remotely are to shut temporarily, except as necessary to engage in minimum basic operations needed to protect assets and maintain personnel functions, the orders state.

More important than imposing an order is changing peoples behavior, MacKay said. "Do you change behavior or do you have orders?" Mackay asked. What we want is better behavior.

As Gordon put it, our orders talk less and say more.

Does stay-at-home save lives?

The Wyoming Republican Party applauded Gordon in a Facebook post at the end of March, calling stay-at-home essentially locally enforced martial law.

By our very nature and geography Wyoming is a social distancing state, the post reads. Further governmental intrusion on the private sector and individual freedom would put Wyoming in a more vulnerable position than has already been achieved.

The governor, knows the ramifications of an additional order on peoples lives, MacKay said.

Whether a stay-at-home order saves lives compared to a stay-at-home recommendation isnt settled in Wyoming.

Are behaviors changing in Colorado more than theyre changing in Wyoming? MacKay asked. Referring to Teton Countys order limiting gatherings to only members of a household he asked, did that change behavior so much that lives are being saved?

Thats what we keep trying to evaluate, MacKay said. The governor continues discussions with state health officials. Its minute-to-minute, MacKay said of the talks that seek an answer to are the behaviors in Wyoming such that we need a different order.

MacKay said Friday he was immensely frustrated that Colorado was being portrayed in the national media as a state under lockdown and we have nothing. In fact, Gordon and the state department of health have orders in place that are enforceable right now  trying to keep people safe.

The idea [Colorado is] locked down there is just false, he said, pointing to exceptions allowing businesses like hardware stores and marijuana shops to stay open.

Were just not that different from Colorado. In both places, everyone is doing their best to save lives.

Even lockdown-state orders have weaknesses, MacKay said. Some states characterized as locked down still allow barber shops to stay open, an industry Wyoming has temporarily closed.

Wyoming is trying to save lives and has orders in place to do that, MacKay said.
Do NOT try this at home kids. Citizens of a Louisiana parish got a very unnerving surprise last week after the parish enacted a curfew to slow the spread of coronavirus, and local police announced the start of it using sirens identical to the ones in Universals The Purge franchise.

The error in judgement was captured on video by a resident of Crowley, Louisiana, in Arcadia Parish on April 2 and subsequently posted to YouTube by ABC affiliate KATC. In the clip, the unmistakable sound of the franchises key sound effect can clearly be heard in the distance. See for yourself at the top of the page.

According to KATC, Crowley police had informed citizens in a Facebook post that they would be using a siren to announce the start of the 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew, and that it would be different from normal sirens. Mission accomplished! Alas, locals werent amused, and hundreds complained about it on the Crowley Police Facebook page.

Also Read: Coronavirus Pandemic Will Change How Some Films Get Financed | Webinar

The Facebook post has since been deleted and, according to KATC, Crowley PD has stopped using sirens of any kind to announce the start of the curfew. The citys chief of police also told the outlet he had no idea the siren they used was from The Purge.

Even Arcadia Parish Sheriff KP Gibson has distanced himself from the mishap, saying in a post to Facebook that his office was not involved in the use of the Purge Siren and will not utilize any type of siren for this purpose. Gibson also suggested that residents concerned about the sirens should contact Crowley PD.

The film and TV franchise take place in the near future, after the United States has been taken over by an extreme right wing group called The New Founding Fathers of America. The NFFA have instituted a once-a-year event, The Purge, a 12-hour period during which all crimes including murder are legal, and citizens are encouraged to kill each other; the iconic sirens are used to announce the start and the end of a Purge. (Spoiler: The whole thing exists in order to A) make it easy to kill dissidents, B) make the citizenry distrust one another, and C) reduce unemployment by reducing the, uh, number of unemployed people.)

The important thing from our point of view? The Purge franchise is uniformly excellent, fun and thought provoking; reminding people of it in real life not so much.

Read original story A Louisiana Parish Used The Purge Sirens to Announce the Start of a Coronavirus Curfew (Video) At TheWrap
Representational picture

Tamil Nadu has witnessed a massive rise in positive cases for the novel coronavirus in the past one week, as the number soared from 67 at the end of March to 690 on April 8 morning with seven reported fatalities.

Of these, 636 were returnees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi that was held early in March, according to Health Secretary Beela Rajesh.

As per a government bulletin, Chennai continues to top the list of infected in Tamil Nadu with 149 cases followed by Coimbatore (60) and Dindigul (45).

With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, the Tamil Nadu government has adopted several ways to bring the situation under control. They are as follows:

Surveillance

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

State capital Chennai, which has reported at least 149 COVID-19 cases to date, is one of the 10 worst-affected cities in the country, according to a Hindustan Times report. Taking note of this, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) launched a 90-day, door-to-door survey of close to a million buildings in the city to record COVID-19 symptoms on April 5. Those with symptoms would instantly be taken to the closest COVID-19 medical facility, said the report.

The high-risk areas of the city that reported multiple infections have also been sealed off on the lines of the Bhilwara model, it said.

Testing

Testing facility has been expanded with the addition of two more centres - one at government-run IRT Perundurai Medical College Hospital in Erode District and another a private lab, the health secretary said. With these, the state now has 11 labs in government and six in private sectors.

Coronavirus LIVE updates

About 14,000 testing kits from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, were now available with the government and more have been ordered, she said.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami has also announced the procurement of one lakh testing kits from China.

Supply of essential items

The state government has ensured the smooth delivery of essential goods and services to people in a manner that keeps them safe at home, said the HT report. The government has set aside Rs 3,280 crore for measures such as a Rs 1,000 cash support scheme and delivering free rice, lentils and cooking oil through Public Distribution System, the report said.

Also read | MHRD launches 'Samadhan' challenge to invite ideas to fight COVID-19

The states farmer producer companies, which are for-profit cooperatives, are also playing a big role in door-delivering pre-packaged five-kilo vegetable boxes for Rs 250 in cities like Chennai and Coimbatore, it said.

Social distancing

Social distancing is one of the most important measures to stop coronavirus transmission and the Tamil Nadu government is making efforts to maintain this. As per the HT report, the state has relocated half of the 120 farmers' markets, where farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers, to bus stands. It has been done to use the large open architecture of bus stands, which makes it easier to install disinfectant tunnels and prevent physical contact among people gathered to buy vegetables and fruits.

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow our full coverage here
The East Singhbhum district



administration in Jharkhand has launched a mobile application to track the movement of home quarantined persons.

The 'Sukarsha COVID-19' application, developed by students of RIT-Jamshedpur, necessitates home quarantined persons to upload their selfies on the application every two hours, an official release said on Wednesday.

The location of the person can be tracked through his or her selfies and if any change in location is found, calls will be made to the person asking him or her to remain home quarantined, it said.

The application is currently being used by the Jamshedpur administration to monitor home quarantined persons in the city, the release said.

"The Jharkhand government is making every possible effort to fight coronavirus and to protect people and provide them with security. The district administrations are also coming up with new ideas to make people aware and to provide them with every possible help," it said.

Four coronavirus cases have been reported in Jharkhand so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At a time when the entire is uniting to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan is using the opportunity as another way to discriminate against religious minorities living in the country.

The coronavirus, which emerged in China, has brought more fury to Pakistan's minorities. They are not reelig under the wrath of the lethal virus, which has killed over 82000 people globally but have also been facing discrimination at the hands of Pakistani authorities.

The country's Hindus and Christian minorities are not being given food supplies by authorities, saying they are meant for the Muslims. The total number of Christians in Pakistan was estimated at four million in 2020, or 2 percent of the population.

Meanwhile, Hindus in Pakistan form a four percent of the country's population. The communities is subjected to rampant discrimination and are often denied basic human rights.

The government of several provinces issued an order to distribute ration through local NGOs and administration to daily wage workers and laborers amid lockdown imposed the stem the growth of coronavirus.

The distribution of food supplies was organised by local government in collaboration with the district government.

Pakistan authorities have been discriminating and distributing ration selectively, excluding religious minorities residing in the region.

In one such incident, while distributing ration to needy people in Karachi's Korangi area, inhabitant Christians were forced to recite "Kalma Tayyaba" as a pre-condition to get ration from the local administration. Upon refusal, they were denied the required essentials.

"Kalma Tayyaba" is the basic tenet of Islam. Reciting the holy verse is mandatory for Muslims and anyone embracing or converted to Islam, recites Kalma Tayyaba.

"They did not give us ration and said that you will get ration only after you will chant 'La Ilaha Il-Allah Muhammadur Rasul Allah'. We told them that we will not chant. They denied us ration and asked us to leave," said a Christian woman.

Hindus and Christians were told that they were not eligible for having food supplies since it was only meant for Muslims.Hindus in Liyari, Sachal Ghoth and other parts of Karachi as well as all over Sindh are being denied a share in government food and rations if they happen to be Hindus

The total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has sharply increased to 4194 while the death toll has reached 60.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a weeks time, the 21-day lockdown which came into effect on March 24-25 midnight comes to a close. Meanwhile the number of Covid-19 cases in India continues to rise. As of Wednesday morning, official data showed that India has 5,194 cases with 149 deaths.

The government now admits that India is between stage-II and stage-III of the pandemic, with limited community spreading. It is in this context that the central government has to decide whether or not to extend the nationwide lockdown beyond next week. A number of states and public health experts have asked for the lockdown ...
The Kali Bari Mandir management here contributed Rs 25 lakh to HP COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund on Wednesday, a spokesperson said.

The Mandir trust paid the cheque of Rs 25 lakh to chief minister Jairam Thakur, he said.

Besides, the Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited, Ram Subhag Singh, gave cheques of Rs 11 lakh on behalf of HP Power Corporation staff and Rs 3,78,700 on behalf of employees of HP Power Transmission Corporation to the chief minister.

Another cheque of Rs 1 lakh was also presented to the CM by Ran Singh, Managing Director, Laureate Group of Institutes to strengthen the efforts of government in checking the spread of coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nirupama Viswanathan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: I've seen the pandemic bring out the best and worst out of people, COVID-19 survivor and Tamil Nadu's 'Patient No 7' told Express. She was among the first batch of patients who were discharged from the ESI hospital in Coimbatore on Monday after having recovered from the virus.

After 17 days in isolation, the woman went home to a hero's welcome from neighbours on Monday night.

"My neighbours stood out in their corridors and clapped as I stepped inside. In so many years of staying here, I've largely kept to myself; I don't know my neighbours. So, it was thoughtful of them to do that," she said. She and her family have since been fielding dozens of calls from concerned and 'not-so-concerned' relatives and friends.

For Patient 7, knowing that both members of her immediate family tested negative, was the biggest relief, setting her off on a fairly quick path to recovery.

"In fact, when compared to the other times that I've fallen sick, I felt fine physically. For a few hours one day, I had wheezing due to a blocked nose. Other than that, I was fine," she said.

She had her mobile phone and laptop to keep her company in the isolation ward and had been taking her University exams, filling internship applications and attending interviews. When she had the time, she chose to clean her own room and bathroom and even briefly counselled an anxious COVID-19 patient in the next room.

"The food and facilities were fine. Also, the nurses and the dean were really caring and supportive. In fact, when I asked a nurse how she was coping with handling patients, she told me that if she were to get the virus herself, another nurse would definitely tend to her," she said.

As soon as she was admitted, she was contacted by bureaucrats of the three States that she passed through on her journey to Coimbatore and all the people who had traveled with her had been traced in a matter of two days, she said.

Although, among the first to undergo treatment for the virus, she had to wait a week for both her test results to come back before being discharged, she said.

"I began feeling completely fine and they took my sample to check if it tested negative for the virus. Between taking the two samples and the results coming back, it was already a week. Also, they wanted to discharge us in a batch. Otherwise, I could have been discharged earlier," she said.

Having had the misfortune of being among the first patients to test positive for the virus in Coimbatore, her identity had been constantly probed and her personal information leaked. Although she made an effort to stay away from social media during her time in isolation, some of the rumours reached her through WhatsApp. Purported photos of her apartment and rumours about the health condition of her family surfaced online.

"I came forward to get tested for the virus as soon as I came to Coimbatore (at the Government hospital in Gopalapuram) and I was told that I didnt have the virus and was sent back. Even then, I had responsibly quarantined myself to my room which was why nobody in my family caught it from me," she said.

"I don't understand how the identity of a person matters in a pandemic. How, we as a society, handle this collectively would speak volumes for us on the global stage," she said.
It may still be too soon to say for sure the coronavirus pandemic could totally change industrial production and the social relations that have been dominant and unchanged up until this time, but the information trend seems to be pointing in this direction. In the three months since COVID-19 erupted into the history of mankind, we have partially realized, in this new, harsh reality, that wealth and the superiority of technology do not save lives, but that solidarity, collective participation, reliance on sustainable community and environmental standards, and rules for health and safety do! In short, this is what a healthy society needs! This coronavirus outbreak has proved that ignoring these rules has irreparable consequences for all of humanity. "The new coronavirus attacks the foundation of communities, at the expense of people's lives and livelihoods," said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday, April 1.

"COVID-19 is the biggest test we have faced since the formation of the United Nations," he added.

The best example to prove this claim is Iran's catastrophic performance. According to international news agencies' reports, "Iran is the center of export of death in the region and the world as a whole." Iran's example clearly demonstrates to everyone how distrust, inequality, looting, dictatorship, and the export of terrorism leave the field wide open for the spread of the coronavirus.

After a month and a half, on Monday, March 30, Hassan Rouhani finally confessed in a video conference call with specialist doctors around the country that "with a little delay, we found out this disease had entered the country since late January." Rahman Fazli, the Iranian interior minister, had said on February 1, "We have no case of Coronavirus in Iran at this moment."

And Rouhani's health minister, Namaki, had claimed as recently as March 25 that he had received the first news of coronavirus infection in Qom on February 18.

Regime officials did not say why they had not discussed the matter with the people and why they had not taken the necessary measures. The main reason later put forward by some regime officials was that Khamenei, the supreme leader, did not want to disrupt the rally planned for February 11, the anniversary of the fall of the monarchy, or the pre-planned election scandal on February 21. They preferred letting the election go ahead to taking measures to stop the deadly coronavirus outbreak in the country. They deliberately allowed this deadly virus to spread throughout the country. Although they have now had to admit to a small portion of reality, they are still fearful of revealing the full truth and facing the force of the people's anger. Instead, they have deployed the IRGC cyber-division, mercenaries of the Quds Force, and the Ministry of Intelligence inside and outside the country to devalue and discredit the statistics and documents disclosed by the Iranian resistance. The regime is trying to minimize internal and international reflection and the impact of the documents disclosed.

Despite all their efforts, the Iranian regime has now become the target of public outrage. Linked uprisings throughout the country and ten prison uprisings over the past ten days have been a sign of the people's willingness to rebel against the ruling regime and a sign of the regime's ineffectiveness in dealing with popular protests. As a result, on March 26, the IRGC held a meeting of commanders to officially announce the existence of its ten division bases and their names. These ten division bases together with the Sar-Allah base, considered the most important center during any period of civil unrest, constitute a national network to command and direct the activities of the IRGC. These bases are formally designed to lead and direct an asymmetric war against an external threat, but their undisclosed goal is to counter domestic threats, such as protests and popular uprisings against the Islamic Republic. The popular uprisings during November 2019 and again in January 2020, after the strategic blow to the regime caused by the death of Qassem Soleimani, along with the regime's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the collapse of all confidence in the system, have become highly significant threats to the survival of the regime.

The purpose of this announcement by the IRGC and the formation of its headquarters was to demonstrate the group's power by the establishment of a system of repression and a network of command to counter the fear of protests and popular uprisings. Khamenei turned to conspiracy theories by the U.S. and biological warfare in order to have a pretext to show off these forces. Khamenei announced that IRGC troops would be prepared to fight biological warfare as an excuse to put them on the streets, ready to suppress protests and uprisings.

One cannot help but feel that everything those running the regime are doing is in a desperate attempt to escape from the nightmare situation they themselves have created so they can again stamp their authority on and regain control in Iran, the region, and the world. In the rapidly changing global situation since the arrival of the coronavirus, they may that find this an extremely uphill task.

Hassan Mahmoudi, social analyst, researcher, is an independent observer and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iranian affairs.
A sharp rise in the number of Jewish people who have died from coronavirus has led to community leaders changing the rules of a major religious festival to allow people to be buried.

In normal circumstances, no one can be laid to rest during the first two days of Passover which starts tonight.

But with the number of Jewish fatalities nationwide rising from 115 to 152 in just three days, leaders have been forced to relax the restrictions. It is thought to be the first time these rules have been lifted in Britain.

The annual festival of Passover, which lasts for eight days, celebrates the story of the Jews release from bondage in Egypt, as told in the Bible.

The United Synagogue has ruled that rules will be relaxed to permit burials on the second day of the festival this year, as the community struggles to contain the spread of covid-19.

Jewish children dance in the street behind a decorated bus as they celebrate Purim in Stamford Hill, London, in early-March

Jews have been hit six times harder than other Britons, accounting for 2.3 per cent of coronavirus deaths while comprising just 0.4 per cent of the population.

It is thought that this is partly due to the annul Purim festival which brought large numbers of Jews together in the final days before lockdown, when some were asymptomatic carriers of the disease.

The festival, dating back 2,500 years, was unfortunately timed this year - taking place on March 9 and March 10, shortly before social distancing rules were brought into place, and the eventual lockdown on March 23.

Medical professionals and community leaders think that the pandemic could disproportionately affect religions that have frequent communal events, and regular attendance at places of worship.

British Islamic Medical Association say Muslims 'at higher risk' The British Islamic Medical Association (Bima), in an open letter, said that British Muslims 'have certain characteristics that place us at higher risk than the general population'. It said that Muslims have: An increased incidence of long-term illnesses, such as diabetes; Have an elderly population that often live with extended family making isolation difficult; And have frequent community congregations or events. The letter added the group has other specific risk factors such as handshaking and the sharing of ablution facilities. Advertisement

And the British Islamic Medical Association (Bima), in an open letter, said that British Muslims 'have certain characteristics that place us at higher risk than the general population'.

Three large communal events are coming up for Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Passover begins this evening and is a popular time for celebrations within some parts of the community because it begins a period of semi-mourning called the Omer.

Easter beings this weekend, and Ramadan starts on April 23 - pitting people's celebration of their religion and the bonds that tie them together, against the restrictions put in place by the virus.

The Muslim Council of Britain has already said in its published guidance to observers of the faith that the pandemic will likely stretch into Ramadan.

It said that 'mosques in Britain must prepare 'for the very likely possibility of suspending iftar programs, congregational tarawih prayers and Eid prayers, and supporting their communities with alternative services remotely.'

And in guidance published on its website, the Church of England said: 'In these dark times, when it is not possible to recall the death and resurrection of Christ in our church buildings, we have the opportunity to mark Holy Week at home.'

No statistics have been published to show if ethnic minority or religious groups are being disproportionately affected by the virus.

Orthodox Jewish children celebrating Purim in Stamford Hill, London, on March 10

But the British Islamic Medical Association (Bima), in an open letter, said that British Muslims 'have certain characteristics that place us at higher risk than the general population'.

It said that Muslims have an increase incidence of long-term illnesses, such as diabetes; have an elderly population that often live with extended family making isolation difficult; and have frequent community congregations or events.

The letter added the group has other specific risk factors such as handshaking and the sharing of ablution facilities.

President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Marie van der Zyl previously told MailOnline: 'The Jewish community is a close knit one and we cherish festivals and Friday night dinners at home that bring us all together.

'However, in the current emergency we cannot celebrate in the normal way. Synagogues have been closed and extended families cannot spend time with each other as they would normally.

'We are supporting the Government's message that Jews, like everyone else, must stay home and stay safe.

ltra Orthodox Jews from the Kadisha burial organisation wear masks as they move the body of an 89-year-old woman who died from coronavirus at a funeral home in Jerusalem yesterday

'We all look forward to a time when we can once again mark significant occasions in each other's company.'

She told The Times that although death rates in the Jewish community were worrying 'the sample size is far too small for any definitive conclusion'.

Some US churches are continuing to hold services despite the coronavirus outbreak.

It comes as a vicar is hoping to lift the spirits of Londoners by offering a mobile church service in response to the coronavirus crisis.

'Portable priest' Pat Allerton has been visiting residential streets in the capital to deliver a prayer and play a hymn through a speaker amid mass closures of places of worship.

The 41-year-old, who says he is observing social distancing and regards the travel as essential, holds a 10-minute service from his car at a different spot every day.

Young Jewish men dance down the street during the annual holiday of Purim on March 10, in London

'It's just a community activity and it's not as if we've got a lot else to do, why don't you just join in,' he told the PA news agency.

'Come to your window or your doorway and join in the singing, be part of your neighbourhood and community for that brief moment.'

The vicar at St Peter's church in Notting Hill, who was ordained in 2010, said he would stop 'in a moment' if told to do so by authorities.

But he hopes he will be able to continuing 'lifting spirits' during the pandemic after receiving thousands of messages of thanks online.

Rev Allerton said: 'I think any Christian community and faith community would see it as essential work, because in these times hope is essential.

Vicar Pat Allerton is hoping to lift the spirits of Londoners by offering a mobile church service in response to the coronavirus crisis

'And that's what it is all about, it's about bringing hope to people. And what is more essential than hope in the last few weeks?

'I know it is sensitive and driving around has been tricky because I do recognise there is a lot of worry, there's a lot of fear, and I don't want to add to that in any way.'

Rev Allerton said he is now considering walking to the destinations rather than driving to minimise his travel.

He said: 'I felt it could be a battle, not everyone is open to faith, and that's why you have to get the balance right and not impose it on people.

'I recognise at every moment someone might shout 'why don't you just do one' but we haven't had that yet.

'It seems to have captured a bit of the imagination and brings a bit of joy, I'm here just to lift spirits a bit, if nothing else.'
Trump Replaces Inspector General Tasked With COVID-19 Economic Relief Effort Implementation - Report

Sputnik News

16:19 GMT 07.04.2020(updated 16:58 GMT 07.04.2020)

In late March, US President Donald Trump signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. He also previously signed two other emergency relief bills, passed by Congress, totalling $113 billion.

President Donald Trump has dismissed Glenn Fine, the inspector general who was tasked with the implementation of the coronavirus economic relief, according to Politico.

"Mr Fine is no longer on the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee", Dwrena Allen, a spokesperson for the Pentagon inspector general's office, said, confirming his dismissal to Politico.

Fine, the acting Pentagon watchdog, has been replaced by the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general, the outlet added. There are no immediate details as to the reasons for the replacement.

The development comes on the heels of reports that the US Treasury Department is looking to request another $200 billion from Congress to replenish the small business coronavirus programme. The Trump administration has so far rolled out a $2 trillion stimulus package to aid the US economy amid the fight against COVID-19.

The economic relief comes as the United States is being rocked by one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks, which has stoked fears of hundreds of thousands of job losses.

According to data published on the official site of Johns Hopkins University, the United States had recorded 378,289 total confirmed cases, 11,830 deaths, and 20,003 recoveries as of 7 April, at 7:04 pm.

 Sputnik

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That Americans want life to "return to normal" is without dispute. The social distancing measures and lockdowns needed to confront the COVID-19 pandemic require significant sacrifices of the economic and social dynamism that make America a prosperous and powerful country. The debate however, about how soon Americans can return to normalcy is growing increasingly contentious. Business leaders would do well to understand the economic and reputational risks that premature reopening could entail, as well as the broader political danger at a time when the reputation of capitalism grows ever precarious.

While we see signs of hope that the social distancing measures are working, business leaders will do well to remember that the projections of those models are a lagging indicator. As epidemiologists and experts, notably Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci in the United States, repeatedly point out, the time from infection to severe symptoms means that the current data reflects the pandemic of a fortnight ago. The coming weeks will be among the worst this country has experienced in the course of the epidemic, but hot spots across the country will continue to be of concern.

Economists agree that the course of the virus will be the driver behind the economic picture, not any measures or timing to reopen. Absent a vaccine or effective, safe therapeutic, the only way to stop the virus is to stop its spread, and also ensure that the health-care system can meet the surge in the severely ill. If social distancing measures end too soon, and even worse hot spots emerge, then there is an even greater economic impact from repeated lockdowns and a public collapse in confidence in their political and economic leaders.

During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, short-term liquidity evaporated among banks and other financial institutions. As the banking system struggled, the value of pledged collateral fell and led to capital calls and indeed institutional failure. A historical root cause analysis uncovered a number of systemic faults along with egregious amounts of leverage. More mysterious was why the crisis ended when it did. Understanding this part of the history is crucial to today's decision-makers.

When asked why the financial crisis ended and markets turned on March 9, 2009, and not before, a Federal Reserve president answered, "You believed us." He said that the Fed announced stress tests for the nation's largest banks in early March. The testing criteria and the responses and the audit details were never released. Instead, the Federal Reserve announced in early April that the U.S. banking system was liquid and healthy enough to endure future stresses. He posited that it was this assertion by the Federal Reserve that served to transfer the good faith of the Federal Reserve back into the banking system. Trust was restored, and the economy and markets recovered. Faith and trust in both government and corporate leaders is critical to the human and economic recovery ahead.

As China attempts to return to normal, the data demonstrates interesting trends. In Beijing and Shanghai, while outside the worst-hit areas, traffic data, for example, continues to lag behind the pre-pandemic norms. While weekday traffic appears to be recovering, weekend and evening traffic remains far below normal levels. This means no traffic for malls, restaurants and theaters  the roughly 40% of the Chinese economy that is consumer spending. Even as the Chinese regime wants its people, and the world as a whole, to believe that the disease is under control, life is hardly returning to normal.

For the U.S. economy, even more reliant on the consumer for 70% of the economy, establishing trust and confidence that the disease is under control is paramount to true economic recovery. A recent Gallup poll demonstrated that, as only 14% of Americans would consider returning to life as normal right now, with 42% waiting for the number of cases to decline significantly and 38% wanting no new cases for some period of time.

Finally, business leaders should consider their own precarious position in today's politics. Further polling, albeit from 2019, tells us that young adults now view capitalism and socialism in equal stead, and while supportive of free enterprise, big business is viewed with increasing skepticism. More timely polling during the pandemic has 81% of Americans favoring social distancing, even if it means economic damage. If business leaders hew to an economy-first, political orthodoxy in a time of crisis, they do so at significant risk to damaging their reputation and that of their firms. Who wants to be the CEO that the public points to as caring more about his market cap and compensation than the lives of his employees and customers?

The pandemic and the resulting economic emergency require us to check our political and economic orthodoxy for now. During the Civil War, some thought that the introduction of paper money would mean the end of the American economy as it was known at the time. Yet history also tells us of Republican corporate executive Wendell Willkie, who worked with New Deal Democrat Franklin Roosevelt to provide the needed government coordination to ensure that the American economy became World War II's arsenal of democracy.

Bold measures are needed to support the economy today. Health experts should be driving the timeline while corporate America and government work together to get the economy through the induced coma that is needed to halt this pandemic. This will require continued direct support to individuals and businesses. Leaders who talk about such measures "encouraging dependency on government" should consider their own tax breaks and subsidies, as well as the disdain towards their employees or constituents that those comments reveal. If debt is the concern, then hope for consistencies' sake that they also raised those same concerns about previous tax cuts.

As badly as Americans want life to return to normal, the numerous narratives about when the virus will peak, when restaurants will reopen and employment numbers begin to turn are not useful. The course of the disease, depth and breadth, remain to be seen. Time will tell how long it takes for small businesses to recover and return to profitability. Too much reliance on "hopium," sets artificial expectations, that if unmet, undermine credibility and exacerbate volatility.

Times of crisis remind us that the American experiment is founded on the principles of a commonwealth, not just the goals of the uncommonly wealthy. Mark Cuban said to listen to doctors and "ignore anything someone like me might say." Similarly, bold corporate leaders who care about the economy, their firms, and their people will understand that now is the time where, no matter what, people come first. The marketplace, and history, will reward that. America will prevail and emerge stronger and wiser. Future generations will judge us by the choices we make today. They will understand our values as a nation by the priorities we set. It is incumbent on all of us to create a legacy that is ethically, humanely, and economically sensitive and responsible.

Michael Farr is the founder, president, and CEO of Farr, Miller & Washington Investment Counsel. Dan Mahaffee is the senior vice president & director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress.
Even as the coronavirus lockdown has led to a spike in demand of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and packaged foodstuff, companies are facing an acute shortage of truck drivers and labourers, The Economic Times reported.

Wages of labourers, truckers and delivery staffneeded to load, transport and distribute these goods - have also jumped by 25-30 percent in the last 15 days, the report said.

The compensation for the contractual labour has magnified even more, Mayank Shah, Category Head at Parle Products, told the paper.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

The daily movement of trucks has slumped to less than 10 percent of usual as per the All India Motor Transport Congress  which represents 1 crore truckers, Bloomberg reported. Additionally, more than 70 percent of these drivers have moved back to their homes, far from their job locations, it said.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Though the government has allowed movement of both essential and non-essential goods, the situation is very different at the ground level, Naveen Kumar Gupta, secretary general of AIMTC - the largest grouping of transporters in India, told Bloomberg.

The impact of labour shortage and the nationwide lockdown is so acute that ITC, Parle, Dabur and Coca-Cola are functioning at only 10-15 percent production capacity.

We suggest the Centre appeal to transport associations to help in charges and availability. Ground realities are different than what the Centre is notifying. Many local authorities are not allowing interstate movement of trucks, Vikram Agarwal, Managing Director at Cornitos, told the paper.

FMCG giants like Marico, Britannia and ITC have now also tied up with e-commerce delivery firms such as Dominos, Zomato and Swiggy to enable last-mile delivery of essential items.

Truckers on the frontline

Meanwhile, the government is considering an insurance scheme for eight lakh truck drivers and assistants to reassure them of their safety amid the pandemic. The transport ministry is likely to announce this soon, as per another ET report.

The special insurance scheme, being set up by the Centres empowered groups and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). It will be for three-months (extendable if the lockdown extends) and will provide COVID-19, accident and death cover, it said.

As many as four lakh trucks ply daily with essential goods and the plan will cover the trucks' drivers and assistants, it added.
By Trend

Bread prices will not rise in Georgia because of the coronavirus crisis, Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili said, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

The minister added that met with the representatives of the bread industry, and an agreement was reached that the bread price would not rise if there were not preconditions for it.

I would like to stress that bread price will not rise, its very important. We offer subsidies to importers and request the flour producers to keep the flour price as of March 10, the minister said.

According to him, food supplies are regularly monitored in Georgia, and the situation is encouraging.

"There are no delays as of today, despite some challenges, including export restrictions in the region. Today our citizens have unhindered access to every kind of food product", he said.

Davitashvili noted that there is also enough wheat supply in Georgia and if necessary, the country will provide the supplies from alternative sources.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has reached 208 on April 8.

On March 21, Georgia declared a state of emergency until April 21 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Even if the weather remains mild, some places could still see flooding. Many levees are in need of repairs after last years extensive flooding, particularly in Kansas and Missouri. If there is significant rainfall in the coming months, the Corps could increase releases from upstream dams on the river to prevent the reservoirs from overflowing.
A bar owner in Nyabihu District and six patrons have been fined for breaking the government directive imposing a lockdown on all activities apart from those providing essential service amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

They were caught red-handed on Monday night crammed in a bar with a number of bottles of beer in Nyirakigugu Cell from Jenda Sector.

It was during a joint operation by law enforcers to ensure the lockdown was being respected.

Valentine Nyirasinibagiwe, the bar owner was fined Rwf50,000 while her clients who included a village chief were each fined Rwf10,000.

Besides fines, the wrongdoers were taken to Nyabihu Transit Centre for rehabilitation management, Nyabihu District Mayor Antoinette Mukandayisenga told The New Times.

"Among the culprits was a village chief who immediately resigned," the mayor said

Mukandayisenga went on to say that some residents were still reluctant to observe measures meant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

"Citizens' contribution is crucial in putting an end to the pandemic. All they need to do is stay at home and implement all the directives in place," she noted

The lockdown only exempts businesses offering essential services like those selling food, healthcare service providers and banks, among others.

The safest way to curb the spread of the virus is to wash hands frequently, avoid touching one's eyes, nose and mouth, cover the mouth while coughing, avoid handshakes and observe social distancing.

In addition, people should avoid crowded spaces and close contact with people who have a fever or cough.

In case one experiences the following symptoms; cough, fever, tiredness and difficulty breathing (severe cases), they should immediately call 114 for medical assistance.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

Tags:Coronavirus
President Trump, shown speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House Sunday, has removed one inspector general and demoted the Pentagon's acting inspector general. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

During President Trumps impeachment trial, there were warnings that if he were acquitted for abusing his power to induce a foreign country to investigate a political rival, he would be emboldened to continue to put his own interests above the nations and resist any meaningful oversight of his administration. Trumps assault this week on the independence of inspectors general  the watchdogs that monitor waste, fraud and abuse of power in government agencies  confirms those dire prophecies.

Theres always been some tension between presidents and the inspectors general who monitor the executive branch from the inside, demanding accountability and calling public attention to missteps. But while his predecessors may have grumbled, Trump has lashed out, putting IGs on notice that "if you cross the president, your job is at risk," John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute, said. Thats an extraordinary threat to the independence of these offices.

Last weekend Trump removed Michael Atkinson, the inspector for the intelligence community, who had informed Congress of the existence of an urgent whistleblower complaint involving Trump last summer. The complaint exposed Trumps outrageous attempt to pressure the president of Ukraine, whose country was desperately dependent on U.S. security assistance, to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

After removing Atkinson, Trump told reporters: I thought he did a terrible job, absolutely terrible. Atkinson gave a more accurate account of his firing, saying that it is hard not to think that the presidents loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial inspector general, and from my commitment to continue to do so.

In removing Atkinson, Trump is pressing on with a purge of officials he seems to blame for his impeachment by the House over his improper approach to Ukraine. But removing Atkinson was more than act of petty vengeance. It also signaled to other inspectors general that Trump has contempt for their watchdog role.

Story continues

Trump continued to send that message this week. On Monday he publicly berated the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services, who had the temerity to issue a report documenting the shortages of COVID-19 tests and protective equipment at hospitals across the country. Its just wrong, Trump said, as if he could simply wave off the interviews the IG had done with hundreds of hospital administrators.

Then, on Tuesday, Trump demoted Glenn A. Fine, the acting inspector of the Defense Department. The move made it impossible for Fine to continue to serve as chair of the pandemic response accountability committee, a group of inspectors general responsible for overseeing implementation of much of the recently enacted $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. This came on the heels of Trump appointing a White House legal advisor, Brian Miller, to be the inspector general overseeing a $500-billion loan program created by the act  a pick that doesn't inspire confidence in the IG's independence.

Although not a household name, Fine is widely respected for his integrity and served as the longtime inspector general of the Justice Department. On Tuesday Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee who had hailed Fines appointment, said that his removal by Trump was a direct insult to the American taxpayers  of all political stripes  who want to make sure that their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, or incompetence or political favors.

Political pressure on these watchdogs isnt new. But Trumps warped notion that the executive branch exists to loyally serve his interests makes it especially important that these watchdogs dont lose their bite  including when it comes to ensuring that funds appropriated in response to the pandemic are honestly and transparently spent. The importance of the panel Fine was to head shouldnt be underestimated; a similar oversight body Congress set up in the 2008 Wall Street rescue bill has saved the government more than $10 billion.

The need for accountability on this issue may embolden even some in the GOP to insist on new protections for inspectors general. With the support of enough Republicans, Congress could include in one of the next pandemic relief bills a requirement that inspectors general be removable only for cause. But Trumps disdain for the role of inspectors general is part of his larger insistence that all departments of government, including the Justice Department, show fealty to him above all. The only certain remedy for that warped attitude is his removal in Novembers election.
President Donald Trump wants an investigation of the World Health Organization, and he might suspend financial support.
Sunrise host David 'Kochie' Koch has expressed great sadness over not being able to meet his sixth grandchild due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 64-year-old TV star's daughter Brianna Jayasinghe gave birth to baby girl called Ella Hope Elizabeth in Perth on Tuesday night.

Kochie shared three photos of the mother-of-three and her newborn daughter on Instagram in celebration of the bundle of joy's arrival.

'Devastated we can't be there for a cuddle': Sunrise's David 'Kochie' Koch (pictured) welcomed his sixth grandchild Ella from afar - since he can't meet her in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic

'Welcome to the family Ella Hope Elizabeth Jayasinghe, you gorgeous little girl,' David captioned the sweet post.

He added: 'You're so lucky to have such a wonderful mum ... and dad and two brothers.

'Grandchild number six, born in Perth and devastated we can't be there for a cuddle.'

'You're so lucky to have such a wonderful mum': The popular breakfast show presenter's daughter Brianna Jayasinghe gave birth to baby girl Ella Hope Elizabeth in Perth on Tuesday night

Sydney-based Kochie and his wife Libby are unable to travel to Western Australian after the state shut the border on Monday at midnight.

Ella Hope's name has a special meaning amid these uncertain times, according to David's London-based daughter Georgina.

'My niece was born today and one of her middle names is Hope. I can't wait to tell her how much that meant during this time,' Georgie wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

Far away: David was unable to see his newborn grandchild in person as he and wife Libby remained in Sydney, after Western Australian enforced a strict border control on Monday at midnight

Brianna also shares two sons with her husband CJ, eight-year-old Jax and four-year-old Teddy.

David's daughter Samantha Brown also has three children, Lila, nine, Oscar, 11, and Matilda, 13.

As of Wednesday morning, there have been 5,988 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 49 deaths.

David has five other grandchildren. Pictured: David with Matilda, Oscar, Lila, Jax and Teddy
Disturbing new footage has emerged of a mother who went on a violent and racist rampage on a Melbourne train in front of her horrified daughter.

The extended video from a Metro train near Oakleigh, in the city's south-east, show the girl begging her mother to stop as she calls two masked Asian commuters 'disease-carrying dogs'.

Later in the video, the woman approaches the men and throws a punch at one of them before commuters wrestle her to the ground.

She can also be seen grabbing her crying child roughly by her sleeve.

Scroll down for the video

Disturbing new footage has emerged of a mother who went on a violent and racist rampage on a Melbourne train in front of her horrified daughter (pictured)

Despite the alleged racist attack, more Australians than ever are choosing to wear masks to protect themselves from COVID-19, which has already infected 6,010, killed 50 and brought the Australian economy to a shuddering halt.

'What's with the coronavirus then?' she says at the beginning of the clip.

'It's my country, I'm an Aussie citizen.'

As the enraged woman stands up, her daughter can be heard saying 'no mumma' and 'let's go.'

A passenger named Amber who was on board when the March 25 incident took place told Daily Mail Australia she tried to intervene to help the two innocent men, but the enraged woman called her a 'German sl*t' - despite her being British.

'She was sat across the two guys and started pointing at them asking if they had a spare cigarette, to which they said no,' Amber said.

'Honestly, they were so timid these lads. They were just normal, keeping themselves to themselves.

'She got up and started pointing their faces, calling them everything under the sun and making racial slurs.

'She then leaned forward and flipped one of their caps back.

A mother screamed racist abuse at commuters wearing masks, calling them 'disease carriers'

'He obviously reacted, he stood up and shoved her back into her seat and then backed off.'

The commuters quickly intervened and tried to protect the two young men, moving them to the other side of the train - but the woman continued her tirade.

'She just wanted more and to keep going,' Amber explained.

'She was weaving in and out, and then coming and screaming in their face. He was sitting down, she literally walloped him in the face - hard.

'The group of us pulled her off, as well as other commuters, and separated them as best we could.'

The group were unable to stop the woman's attack, and feared she could become more violent - having already witnessed her allegedly assaulting the men.

'At this point she'd already gone for them twice, we've all told her to shut up and she's not shutting up,' she added.

A bystander filmed the moment the woman on the train in Melbourne yelled at two men to 'go back to your own country' as her young daughter begged for her to stop

After the woman got off the train, officers received statements from the victims, as well as numerous other passengers.

Metro's general manager for passenger experience, Tilly Loughborough said the 'appalling behaviour' had 'no place on trains or anywhere else'.

'We sincerely thank the passengers who intervened and the Protective Services Officers who responded. Victoria Police is now investigating this incident,' she said.

'Anyone who witnesses such behaviour should immediately alert Metro staff via the red emergency button located in trains and on station platforms, or contact police.

'We remind passengers to be kind to one another. Our staff are working hard to deliver an essential service for Melbourne during this difficult time.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
An Orange County judge ruled Wednesday that most of the $2.5 million in the deal for the Silent Sam Confederate statue will be returned to the UNC System, but not all of it.

Nearly $82,000 has either already been spent on the attorney for the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans or needs to be paid for legal services related to the trust, according to court documents.

Judge Allen Baddour voided the controversial settlement in February. The deal, negotiated behind closed doors, was originally made in November 2019 and gave the SCV ownership of the statue and access to $2.5 million to preserve and display it.

With his decision to overturn that deal, Baddour ordered that the trust fund be dissolved and the money returned to the UNC System.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour, pictured here, voided a settlement on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 that required UNC Chapel Hill to pay $2.5 million and give the Silent Sam Confederate monument to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

But some of the money had already been spent. The SCVs attorney, Boyd Sturges, said the group had used $52,000 from the trust for his legal fees.

The judge also asked for an accounting of other expenses, which were all related to the trust and noted in the court order. Those payments include $9,736 to the law firm of Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP for legal services; $2,582 to the law firm Narron Wenzel, P.A. for legal services and tax advice; and $17,542.50 to Matthew McGonagle, who managed the trust.

The judge approved those costs, saying they are reasonable and necessary and would be distributed within 10 days, according to court documents.

The remaining balance in the trust, which is just under $2.42 million, will be returned to the UNC System within 10 days and then to UNC-Chapel Hill, which initially transferred the funds for the settlement.

At that point, the trust will be dissolved.

Silent Sam, a statue of a Confederate soldier on UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

The judge also extended the time for the SCV to return the Silent Sam statue to the UNC System to May 5 because of the situation with COVID-19.

When the UNC System regains physical ownership of the statue, the court will dismiss the case.

Then it will again be up to the UNC System and its Board of Governors to decide what to do with the Confederate monument.

UNC System Interim President Bill Roper and Board of Governors Chairman Randy Ramsey have said the statue will not be their primary focus. But they, along with UNC-Chapel Hill leaders, have made clear that the statue will not return to campus.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Caretaker Medical, a global leader in Wireless Patient Monitoring, today announced that Australia's first 'virtual hospital', is deploying the Caretaker Remote Monitoring platform for surveillance of COVID-19 patients in their homes to help reduce the surge capacity on the Australian healthcare system.

Caretaker Medical Caretaker Wireless Vital Signs Monitor for Remote Patient Monitoring

Australia's' first virtual hospital program has been the brainchild of Professor Rod McClure, Dean of Medicine at the University of New England, and public health expert. Professor McClure spent several years as a director at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention and has worked with similar virtual hospitals in America.

"With the increasing pressure on hospital emergency and ICU departments and their front-line staff, we needed a way to address this pandemic and we needed to take action now." This issue has become global overnight, and we need to access services when patients are in isolation," he said. "The systems that support virtual access to services are not there yet, however the technology is and now we are deploying it."

Professor McClure added, "The Caretaker wireless devices will be used to monitor patients in their homes who have moderate symptoms of the Covid-19 virus, and will continuously track their vital signs, including heart rate, temperature, oxygen saturation, beat-by-beat blood pressure and breathing. A team of doctors, supported by artificial intelligence technology, will continuously monitor their status, and if their conditions worsen, we will bring them into the hospital for emergency care."

Jeff Pompeo President and CEO of Caretaker Medical commented, "With Caretaker's wire-free ability to monitor patients remotely, and the forward thinking from Professor McClure to help Australia with this global pandemic, we will help improve hospital surge capacity and enable medical staff remain safely distanced from COVID-19 patients while continuously monitoring vital signs. Continuous "Beat by Beat" Blood Pressure, Respiration Rate and other vitals are early indications of patient deterioration, and the Caretaker device can trigger faster interventions that save lives. Caretaker brings "ICU Quality" patient monitoring to all points of care, viewable from anywhere in the world without restricting patient mobility."

Professor McClure had been refining his idea for years as a way of providing better healthcare to regional areas. But the sudden need to care for potentially thousands of coronavirus patients - overwhelming hospitals across the nation - has led him to roll the Virtual Hospital project out now with full support of the University of New England.

More Virtual Hospital expansion plans are under way, as the Australia's healthcare system braces for an enormous surge of coronavirus patients, potentially overwhelming hospital capacity. It is clear that there is an urgent need to find safe ways to keep non-critical patients out of hospital and in the comfort of their own home, and Caretaker Medical is pleased to be part of the solution.

About Caretaker Medical

Caretaker Medical is a Charlottesville, Virginia based wireless medical device firm focused on developing affordable, innovative, wireless patient monitoring solutions that improve outcomes, increase clinician productivity, and maximize patient compliance without compromising patient comfort. Using a small, comfortable finger cuff, the FDA and CE-Mark cleared Caretaker4 wireless monitor accurately measures continuous non-invasive beat-by-beat Blood Pressure ("CNIBP"), ECG-Accurate Heart Rate, and Respiration Rate, along with other hemodynamic parameters. Clinicians can view patient data securely via an Android App, a remote Cloud Portal, or via interface to other monitoring platforms.

For more information please visit: www.caretakermedical.net

PR Contact:

Jeff Pompeo

434-409-1945

[email protected]

SOURCE Caretaker Medical

Related Links

https://www.caretakermedical.net


Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, acknowledging former vice president Joe Biden is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up

Washington: Senator Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the partys establishment lined up swiftly behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, acknowledging the former vice president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.

The Vermont senators announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in a general election campaign that will be waged against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sanders initially exceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to recreate the magic of his 2016 presidential bid, and even overcame a heart attack last October. But he found himself unable to convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination, with "electability fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters.

The path toward victory is virtually impossible, Sanders told supporters Wednesday. If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination I would certainly continue the campaign, but its just not there.

He called Biden a very decent man but didnt offer an explicit endorsement of the former vice president. Sanders said his name would remain on the ballot in states that have not yet held primaries so he can gain more delegates and exert significant influence on the Democratic platform.

Biden credited Sanders for creating a movement and appealed to his progressive supporters.

I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of what it is we have to get done in this country, Biden said. I hope you will join us. You are more than welcome. Youre needed.

Sanders began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees hed be a major presidential contender this cycle.

But Sanders used strong polling and solid fundraising  collected almost entirely from small donations made online  to quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread support from young voters and made new inroads within the Hispanic community, even as his appeal with African Americans remained weak.

Sanders amassed the most votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, which opened primary voting, and cruised to an easy victory in Nevada  seemingly leaving him well positioned to sprint to the Democratic nomination while a deeply crowded and divided field of alternatives sunk around him.

But a crucial endorsement of Biden by influential South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, and a subsequent, larger-than-expected victory in South Carolina, propelled the former vice president into Super Tuesday, when he won 10 of 14 states.

In a matter of days, Biden's former Democratic rivals lined up to endorse him. His campaign had appeared on the brink of collapse after New Hampshire but found new life as the rest of the partys more moderate establishment coalesced around him as an alternative to Sanders.

Things only got worse the following week when Sanders lost Michigan, where he had campaigned hard and upset Clinton in 2016. He was also beaten in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho the same night, and the results were so decisive that Sanders headed to Vermont without speaking to the media.

The coronavirus outbreak essentially froze the campaign, preventing Sanders from holding the large rallies that had become his trademark and shifting the primary calendar. It became increasingly unclear where he could notch a victory that would help him regain ground against Biden.

Though he will not be the nominee, Sanders was a key architect of many of the social policies that dominated the Democratic primary, including a Medicare for All universal, government-funded health care plan, tuition-free public college, a $15 minimum wage and sweeping efforts to fight climate change under the Green New Deal".

Sanders began the 2020 race by arguing that he was the most electable Democrat against Trump. He said his working-class appeal could help Democrats win back Rust Belt states that Trump won in 2016, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But as the race wore on, the senator reverted to his 2016 roots, repeatedly stressing that he backs a political revolution from the bottom up under the slogan Not me. Us".

Sanders, 78, also faced persistent questions about being the fields oldest candidate. Those were pushed into the spotlight on 1 October, when he was at a rally in Las Vegas and asked for a chair to be brought on stage so he could sit down. Suffering from chest pains afterward, he underwent surgery to insert two stints because of a blocked artery, and his campaign revealed two days later that he had suffered a heart attack.

But a serious health scare that might have derailed other campaigns seemed only to help Sanders as his already-strong fundraising got stronger and rising stars on the Democratic left, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsed him. Many supporters said the heart attack only strengthened their resolve to back him.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren outshone him throughout much of the summer, but Sanders worked his way back up in the polls. The two progressive candidates spent months refusing to attack each other, though Sanders offered a strong defense of Medicare for All after Warren offered a transition plan saying it would take the country years to transition to it.

The two longtime allies finally clashed bitterly, if briefly, in January, when Warren said that Sanders had suggested during a 2018 private meeting that a woman couldnt be elected president. Sanders denied saying that, but Warren refused to shake his outstretched hand after a debate in Iowa.

Warren left the race after a dismal Super Tuesday showing in which she finished third in her own state. Any lingering tension seemed to fade by Wednesday when Warren tweeted her thanks to Sanders for fighting so relentlessly for Americas working families".

And Sanders made clear that while he is exiting the campaign, he will keep pushing for progressive principles.

Please stay in this fight with me," he told supporters. "The struggle continues.
Chinese national flags fly at half-mast to mourn those who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and those who died from the disease, in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, April 4, 2020. /Xinhua

Editor's note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language opinion column "The Real Point."

Across China on April 4, its citizens participated in nationwide mourning in commemoration of the martyrs and compatriots who died in the wake of COVID-19. This is the first time that a major public health emergency has sparked grief on a national scale, not because the date coincided with the Qingming Festivala day traditionally used to pay respect to the dead.

In the valiant effort to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, more than 3,000 Chinese people succumbed to the disease. By hosting a day of nationwide mourning alongside the Qingming Festival, we not only remembered our fallen heroes and deceased compatriots, but also underscored our respect for human life and our commitment to putting people before anything else.

Data analysis by experts working with the WHO shows that China's travel restriction measures slowed the spread of COVID-19 outside of the country by two to three weeks. This would not have been possible without the contributions and sacrifices made by countless Chinese people.

Dr. Bruce Aylward, co-head of the China-WHO Joint Mission, was acutely aware of this when he said: "To the people of Wuhan, it is recognized. The world is in your debt, and when this disease finishes, hopefully, we will have a chance to thank the people in Wuhan for the role they played in it."

At the end of January when the Chinese government temporarily placed Wuhan under lockdown, Western politicians and media outlets regrettably preoccupied themselves with chatter about human rights, paying little heed to China's sharing of information on epidemic control.

They wasted precious time and lost the initiative which Chinese people had sacrificed so much to gain. To make it worse, when the pandemic escalated at multiple points around the world, some Western politicians resorted to China-bashing to cover up their incompetence.

During a CNN interview, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence groundlessly tried to pin the blame on China for the United States' slow reaction to COVID-19. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed in vain to include "Wuhan virus" language into a G7 joint statement and accused China of spreading disinformation about the coronavirus. Their distortion of the truth undoubtedly amounts to a deliberate vilification of the efforts and sacrifices made by the Chinese, as well as exposing their disregard for American lives.

Lies don't always outlast truth. Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, defended China against accusations of non-transparency at a briefing. In addition, The Washington Post published an opinion piece by Jackson Diehi, in which he categorized Pompeo as one of the worst secretaries of state ever, because he engaged in a senseless crusade against China on coronavirus that will mean little.

The U.S. national media watch group FAIR, referring to the WHO and multiple reports in medical journals, proved that a claim about China's "fake" numbers were no more than a conspiracy theory. It also suggested that news outlets could better serve the public by quoting health experts on the reliability of health statistics, rather than politicians.

On April 3, more than 90 foreign policy experts and former high-ranking government officials jointly wrote an open letter calling on the U.S. to work closer with China on coronavirus. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, former U.S. ambassador to China Winston Lord, Harvard University political scientist Joseph Nye, and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers were among those who signed the statement.

Orville Schell, director of the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations, helped solicit the signatures. He said: "Whatever the state of grace in the bilateral U.S-China relationship, a global challenge of the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic compels us to do everything we can to find ways to collaborate to save lives."

In fact, China has consistently engaged in cooperation with the international community, including the United States, in the spirit of openness, transparency and responsibility. Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with other world leaders over the phone about epidemic control and put forward a proposal at a G20 special summit on coronavirus. China has since announced emergency assistance to more than 80 countries and international organizations, as well as dispatching groups of medical personnel and experts to many countries. They have also shared complete copies of its diagnostic and treatment guide with the international community.

In doing so, China's motivation was simply to save as many lives as possible. Chinese people know that the virus knows no boundaries and that to help others is to help ourselves in a community with a shared future for mankind.

On what is bound to be remembered as a special Qingming Festival, we will remember those who passed away. We will promote solidarity and cooperation as the means to overcome obstacles in the global fight against COVID-19. The contribution and sacrifices made by our citizens do not merit vilification. The best and only tribute to them is a timely victory over the pandemic.
Not long ago, the post office was completely closed on Sundays. Now, that isnt the case. Thanks to a deal with Amazon, many United States Postal Service (USPS) locations deliver Amazon packages on Sundays. For many, this leads to a degree of confusion. If USPS is hitting the road on Sundays for deliveries, does that mean the post office is open on Easter? What about on other Sundays? If you arent sure whether USPS is operating on Easter, heres what you need to know.

Is the Post Office Open on Easter?

No, the post office isnt open on Easter. In fact, USPS locations usually arent open to customers on any Sunday, even if they support Sunday deliveries. While you can get to unlocked, self-service areas within a post office building, you cant get help from an employee on Sundays.

But, since self-service options may be available, you can still get some mail moving on Easter Sunday. You might be able to get postage from machines, for example. Then, you can place outgoing items in the appropriate drop boxes. While they wont get sorted until Monday, it still lets you complete an important step.

If you need assistance from an employee, youll need to head to the post office on another day. Heres a look at how the post office operates near the Easter holiday:

Good Friday, April 10  Post offices follow regular business hours

Easter Saturday, April 11  Post offices with Saturday hours will follow their usual schedule

Easter Monday, April 13  Post offices follow regular business hours

Will There Be Easter Sunday Deliveries?

For regular mail, dont expect to see any delivered on Easter. Even in areas with Sunday delivery, that only applies to specific packages and not regular mail.

If youre wondering whether you might see a USPS package delivery on Easter Sunday, the answer is a resounding maybe. Easter isnt technically a federal holiday. Since most government agencies shut down on holidays, making Easter an official holiday wouldnt usually be necessary. Most people would have the day off anyway.

However, since USPS offers Sunday deliveries, its possible you could get a package on Easter. This is, albeit, a bit rare. Usually, you have to be in an area with a lot of parcel traffic for this to possibly occur. Many people arent in a zone where that would be the case. While it can happen, its best not to count on it. If you need something by Easter, order with enough time for it to arrive before Sunday.

Are FedEx or UPS Open on Easter?

By and large, no, neither FedEx nor UPS are open on Easter. UPS usually doesnt operate on Sundays, aside from specialty services like UPS Express Critical (which is available on Easter).

As for FedEx, the company did start offering residential delivery every day of the week, beginning in January 2020, including no additional costs for Sunday deliveries. However, the company does recognize the Easter holiday, and only offers FedEx Custom Critical deliveries and FedEx Trade Networks services on Easter, as a result.

Post Office Holidays 2020

The USPS holiday schedule is based on the one set by the government. Here is a list of the 2020 official federal holidays:

New Years Day  Wednesday, January 1

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day  Monday, January 20

Presidents Day (Washingtons Birthday)  Monday, February 17

Memorial Day  Monday, May 25

Independence Day (Observed)  Friday, July 3

Labor Day  Monday, September 7

Columbus Day  Monday, October 12

Veterans Day  Wednesday, November 11

Thanksgiving Day  Thursday, November 26

Christmas Day  Friday, December 25

Are Post Office Locations Open on Sundays?

Even if your region gets Sunday deliveries, post office employees dont assist customers on that day. Operations are limited to specific kinds of package deliveries, so you cannot get assistance from the customer service counter.

Post Office Hours of Operation

Most post office locations follow similar hours of operation. Typically, Monday through Friday, they open at 8:00 am or 8:30 am and close at 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm. There are some locations that have longer hours, but they are fairly rare.

Saturday hours are a bit hit and miss. Not every location opens on Saturdays, so youll want to check at your post office in advance if you might need assistance from an employee. You can get details about each post offices hours of operation on the USPS website.

Do you wish the post office was open on Easter? How about open on Sundays in general? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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One of the most popular pandemic websites for dancers  from appreciative amateurs to laid-off Broadway stars  isnt an advice page from the CDC or a source for DIY mask patterns, but an online repository of classes and streaming performances created by a Portland dancer.

Katherine Disenhof launched dancingalonetogether.org three days after being furloughed by Portlands top modern dance company, NW Dance Project. Almost immediately after leaving the studio with a stash of toilet paper, she noticed that friends and friends of friends were promoting dance-from-home classes on social media, as well as posting links to archived performances available online.

In just over three weeks, Disenhofs project has netted 26,500 Instagram followers at @dancing.alone.together and more than 215,000 unique visitors at dancingalonetogether.org.

That is a lot for a Squarespace site launched in a bedroom, Disenhof said, laughing and sounding a bit shocked after she looked up the analytics.

I was just trying to figure out ways to keep myself in shape, keep myself connected to people and keep up with my own social media networks, Disenhof recalled.

I figured, if I'm going to spend all this time trying to figure out what's out there, maybe I should just put it all in one place for people? Thats how this whole thing came about.  Its been two-and-a-half weeks of crazy growth.

Disenhof now receives more than 50 submissions via a Google form each day. Posts are filed under three categories: Move, classes ranging from Bollywood to ballet; Create, opportunities to share choreography; and Watch, streamable performances. Disenhof sorts through options and adds some herself, like the wildly popular daily Instagram Live classes with New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck.

Its not a perfect system, Disenhof said. Theres a lot of labor on my end. So many people are being affected by these closures, and there are so many dance professionals out there trying to either keep themselves motivated or actually trying to bring in some income to help themselves.

Some teachers ask for donations or some receive in-kind compensation from dancewear companies like Aurora Skirts. Disenhof takes no commissions. Under the About This Project tab, Disenhof shares that she is a member of NW Dance Project experiencing a temporary lay-off and a freelance graphic designer. She also provides links so that those inclined can donate to her via Venmo or Paypal.

Scott Lewis, executive director of NW Dance Project, had the unfortunate task of laying off dancers and studio staff last month, 13 people in all.

She is smart as a whip, and shes very tech savvy, Lewis said of the companys online star. Im not surprised at all that this came from Katherine.

Disenhof, 30, grew up dancing in the San Francisco Bay Area and trained at prestigious programs offered by Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and other companies. As she approached college, however, Disenhof shied away from ballet and entered Stanford University as a pre-med major, thinking of following her mother into medical school. Instead, Disenhof discovered modern dance. She earned an impressive double degree in dance and human biology. After five years as a graphic designer and freelance dancer in San Francisco, Disenhof auditioned for NW Dance Project and moved to Portland, where she says the small band of 10 dancers is like a really great family.

We spend 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the studio together, Disenhof said of the time before the coronavirus pandemic changed everything. Not having the ability to experiment and play with each other in the studio and be creative together has really been hard.  We were launching into a pretty busy time and everything came to a screeching halt.

The list of cancellations for NW Dance Project includes all spring studio classes, a March gala, the companys Rite of Spring show scheduled for April 23-25 at the Newmark Theater and the June Summer Splendors performance at Lincoln Performance Hall.

The company is now facing around $400,000 in lost revenue, Lewis estimates. He and artist director Sarah Slipper expect to take salary cuts, but remain busy with rescheduling efforts and applying for grants. Lewis encouraged all dancers to file for unemployment, but they will continue to receive health insurance for the duration of their furloughs. That will be my last penny, Lewis said.

Hes optimistic, however, that NW Dance Project will not get that desperate. Oregon seems to be managing the curve, in terms of COVID-19 numbers and earlier this week, the company began offering a series of dance classes on Zoom for $5 a piece.

Registration links for the daily classes can be foundwhere else? at dancingalonetogether.org. And while anyone in the world can sign up for Rock Your Body with company member Franco Nieto, Disenhofs hope is that when congregating in studios is once again safe, she can pull the plug on her revolutionary website, and that new students who danced in their living rooms during the pandemic will be inspired to dance in public.

I do you hope that when all is over, Dancing Alone Together will be completely irrelevant, she said. We can return to the studios feeling more connected, with a greater appreciation for dance.

 Rebecca J. Ritzel, special to The Oregonian/OregonLive
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Relay Medical Corp. (CSE: RELA) (OTC: RYMDF) (FSE: EIY2) ("Relay" or the "Company"), a developer of MedTech innovation, is pleased to provide an update on cybersecurity protection on its HemoPalm Corp. devices and the collaboration with world-class cybersecurity company Cybeats Technologies Inc.

The HemoPalm device suite is being developed to bring Point-of-Care (POCT) critical diagnostics analyses to the forefront of patient care, which can be especially important when operating in settings or regions that do not have access to, or the infrastructure to support, a centralized lab. POCT can be defined as medical diagnostic testing at or near the point of patient care, without the need to transport samples to a remote location for testing.

While the interconnectivity of medical devices like the HemoPalm has the potential to greatly improve patient care and system efficiencies, there is also an increased risk of security breaches that could impact not only the safety and effectiveness of devices, but also breach patient privacy or access an institution's local network. Relay Medical is pleased to report on a collaboration with Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) cybersecurity company Cybeats Technologies Inc. to establish protection, monitoring and auditing of cybersecurity for the HemoPalm device suite.

The Cybeats Sentinel has been incorporated into the core system of the HemoPalm-CX prototype devices and provides them with cyber threat screening and defense in-depth.

"Cybersecurity in medical devices is increasingly becoming a concern for both manufacturers and regulators as more devices and connected medical technologies make their way into the connected ecosystem. This partnership allows for unprecedented remote monitoring, auditing and resolution of cybersecurity breaches that we believe will give Relay's clients and partners the protection and confidence they need independent of the region, infrastructure or environment they operate in," said Yoav Raiter, CEO, Relay Medical Corp.

Unlike a firewall, which protects a network from incoming malicious attacks, the Cybeats Sentinel monitors device operations and communications from within the endpoint system. If the device attempts to act outside of the normal operation, this activity will be reported and can be addressed remotely.

The FDA and other regulatory bodies require medical devices to address cybersecurity events in a timely fashion, and then respond and contain the impact of a potential cybersecurity incident. The Cybeats Sentinel allows the HemoPalm-CX device to facilitate some of these regulatory requirements, and the Cybeats vulnerability assessment demonstrates to regulatory bodies the proper documentation.

Market - Novel Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Improved Healthcare Efficiency and Disaster Preparedness

Healthcare systems around the world have been under extreme stress, facing reduced budgets, aging populations, and a rising disease burden from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and mental and substance-use disorders. With the addition of a healthcare crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, currently causing widespread pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the world is seeing health care systems stretched to their limits. While the current pandemic will eventually come to an end, healthcare systems will need to improve their efficiencies and disaster preparedness to handle future crises. Fortunately, novel medical devices can make healthcare more efficient, effective, and flexible.

Relay's HemoPalm subsidiary focuses on point-of-care diagnostic testing (POCT). As we have seen through the COVID-19 pandemic, efficient and widely available diagnostic testing is critical to managing and controlling disease outbreak, triage, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology. As the coronavirus outbreak continues, diagnostics will also be vital to public health policy and economic management. POCT can improve the timeliness, efficiency, cost, availability, and distribution of testing. Ideally, POCT will result in the right clinical intervention at the right time while reducing resource waste such as personal protective equipment (PPE) or healthcare worker's time. Most importantly, POCT can improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

Relay expects that the HemoPalm will be the first handheld blood gas and critical care analyte POCT device to include CO-oximetry, vital to understanding the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. Blood gas measurements are critical in the management of patients with ARDS, such as caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Decisions regarding a patient's mechanical ventilation depend, in part, on assessing blood oxygenation status. By enabling blood gas analysis at the patient's bedside with a HemoPalm device, the caregiver can have results immediately without leaving the patient's side. This can result in more timely clinical intervention and a more efficient clinical workflow. Outside the hospital, POCT blood gas analysis also plays an important role during natural disaster response and critical patient transport.

By improving the timeliness, efficiency, and accessibility of testing, novel POCT devices like HemoPalm can have a profound effect on the preparedness of healthcare systems, enabling them to be ready for the next big healthcare challenge. A key aspect of these new devices will be improved interconnectivity and deployability where cybersecurity will become a key factor. With its collaboration with Cybeats, Relay medical is developing HemoPalm with the necessary considerations to ensure device and data integrity for healthcare systems.

About Cybeats Technologies Inc.

Cybeats delivers an integrated security platform designed to secure and protect high-valued connected devices. Cybeats' unique approach eliminates device downtime due to cyber-attacks and allows device manufacturers to develop and maintain secure and protected devices in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

Website: www.cybeats.com

About Relay Medical Corp.



Relay Medical is a MedTech innovation Company headquartered in Toronto, Canada focused on the development of novel technologies in the diagnostics and data science sectors.

Website: www.relaymedical.com

Contact:

W. Clark Kent

President

Relay Medical Corp.

Office. 647-872-9982 ext. 2

TF. 1-844-247-6633 ext. 2

investor.relations@relaymedical.com

Bernhard Langer

EU Investor Relations

Office. +49 (0) 177 774 2314

Email: blanger@relaymedical.com

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for HemoPalm Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54270
Barefield asked if the cases could be broken out by race to determine if any one racial group is being hit harder.

Not that I have seen (those numbers) in the state of Texas, but in some of our neighboring states like Louisiana, Georgia and certainly up East, the numbers are staggering, Barefield said. In a city where you may have a 23% population of African-Americans, 70% of those that are tested positive are African-Americans.

Hospital capacity

During an interview before the meeting, Kinnaird said officials could be doing a better job of answering questions about hospitals capacity to treat patients.

I think that communication line is getting better, and I think it is something we are continuing to work on and push for, Kinnaird said. I know theres been a little bit of frustration and just great interest in the community at large for better data, and thats something were continuing to work on.

Before the meeting, Councilman Jim Holmes said the city has a good working relationship with the local hospitals, but he hopes more information will be made public.

Its a bit of a tightrope as they put the information out. However I think in this situation transparency is the best policy here, Holmes said. If people arent aware of the capacities, you create more anxiety. If you are aware of the capacities, youre compelled to either do something about it locally or feel comfortable that weve done what we can do.

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Montgomery County Commissioners agreed Wednesday to extend a March 12 disaster declaration through May 11 in an effort secure federal funding and procurement in light of the novel coronavirus crisis.

We want to be able to recoup all our costs, County Judge Mark Keough said during the emergency called meeting.

The 30-day extension does not extend the countys Stay at Home Stop the Spread order which expires April 30. However, County Judge Mark Keough said depending on the rate of new cases, the court could extend that order or rescind it.

Keough added he didnt want the county to come off it too quickly and risk a spike in cases.

The Montgomery County Public Health District confirmed 197 cases and four deaths Tuesday and announced those numbers are expected continue to climb.

Keough addressed the current situation directing comments to residents and encouraging them to continue to follow the stay at home order.

I want to thank our community and praise our community, as difficult as it has been, for the sacrifices they have had to make in order to implement the stay at home order, Keough said. The particular virus has no immunity, no vaccine; so, the only way we can fight this is with some sort of social distancing. We understand you are hurting.

This can have a big psychological affect but we want to assure you we will wind this down as quickly as we are able to do it.

Help for food bank

Commissioners also approved Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts transferring $25,000 from his budget to the Montgomery County Community Assistance Center to help residents in east county.

Metts said the CAC is working closely with the Montgomery County Food Bank and he wanted to support their efforts during this Chinese virus pandemic.

Fellow commissioners said they would like to discuss additional funding for other nonprofits the county currently has service agreements and are providing vital services to the community related to the new coronavirus crisis.

The item will be placed on the court April 14 agenda.

Funding for PPE kits

The commissioners approved allocating $100,000 to the countys office of emergency management to help purchase personal protection equipment for employees and first responders. The funds will also be used to purchase COVID-19 testing kits.

Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Executive Director Jason Millsaps said his office also acts as the EOC for several municipalities in the county and they provide PPEs for those cities as well.

We are burning through PPEs at a high rate, he said.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack asked about community testing however Millsaps said the county has not been able to secure enough tests to open a location. Millsaps also noted testing is backlogged as well.

If you get a test today it can take two to 11 days to return, Millsaps said.

Those testing currently include all hospitals, private clinics, labs and physician offices. Those tests are being given to those exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
Student nurses are applying pressure on post-secondary institutes to resume practicum placements as soon as possible  a move that would be welcomed by the province  so they can support the novel coronavirus response efforts.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Student nurses are applying pressure on post-secondary institutes to resume practicum placements as soon as possible  a move that would be welcomed by the province  so they can support the novel coronavirus response efforts.

As demand for health-care services mounts, alongside an increasing count of COVID-19 cases, students are anxious to start working as registered nurses to alleviate pandemic pressures on the Manitoba health-care system  but schools have delayed practicums.

"Placing nursing practicums on hold is not in the best interest of the public; it contributes to further nursing shortages," said Mitch Podworny, a final-year student at Red River College who was two weeks into his placement when it was called off indefinitely March 19.

It has since been announced Podwornys cohorts will resume practicums in September, which means there will be a six-month delay before the class can graduate.

Red River has suspended all work-integrated learning, citing student safety and government guidelines to reduce the exposure and transmission of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the University of Manitoba has pushed senior practicum start dates back one month for 116 students in order to figure out logistics due to COVID-19 disruptions and swap positions so students are in lower-risk placements.

Lanette Siragusa, Manitoba's chief nursing officer, says delayed graduations have a longer-term impact on health care, but will respect institutions decisions on the matter. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)

At the same time, Shared Health has made clear it will continue to welcome students into "clinically appropriate settings with mentorship and supervision to support their learning." In recent weeks, the province has sent notices to educational institutes about its stance on the matter.

Podworny, 23, said a number of his approximately two dozen classmates want the option to continue with their practicum in order to lessen the load on health-care workers. If liability is a concern, Podworny said, he would be more than willing to sign a waiver.

Red River spokesman Conor Lloyd said in a statement Wednesday the decision to postpone practicums wasnt taken lightly.

Senior nursing students require more than 450 hours of training and oversight from experienced nurses in the health-care system, which is "currently under a lot of pressure," Lloyd said. He also cited the fact nursing students arent supervised by clinical instructors, meaning there is a greater level of responsibility placed on nurse supervisors.

"We, as students, would like the opportunity to help our fellow Manitobans, and provide safe, compassionate and quality care," said Jason Juell, a final-year Red River nursing student who had expected to graduate in the coming months.

Juell said the college has prepared his class with clinical and theory courses for an event such as COVID-19.

Katherine Stansfield of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba is working with educators to figure out if there is any flexibility in how standards are met, but noted practicums are important and can't be shortened. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files)

For the time being, the 33-year-old has returned to the workforce as a licensed practical nurse so he can work on the front lines. Hes hopeful the Winnipeg-based college will reverse its decision and allow students to obtain registered nurse status as soon as possible.

"We wouldn't force them to work with COVID-19 patients, unless they were willing and wanting to, but there's lots of other work that can be done," said Lanette Siragusa, Manitoba chief nursing officer, during a virtual news conference Wednesday.

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While Siragusa said delayed graduations have a longer-term impact on health care, she said she respects institutions decisions on the matter.

Hundreds of students have already volunteered in the pandemic response, assuming roles ranging from data collection in the province's epidemiology and surveillance unit to screening patients for COVID-19 outside hospitals.

Katherine Stansfield of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, the body that approves nursing programs, is currently working with educators to figure out if there is any flexibility in how standards are met. While there are considerations about additional virtual labs, she said practicum is a "very important'' part of a nurses education that cannot be shortened.

There are approximately 13,000 registered nurses, graduate nurses and nurse practitioners in Manitoba.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are on the same page regarding the need for another economic recovery package, with the White House generally on board, too, theres little doubt that something will get done. And soon. Thank goodness.

The $2 trillion economic stimulus act that Congress passed late last month before getting out of town was seen at the time as a much-needed salve for our greatly wounded economy. The widespread stay-at-home orders and the attendant business shutterings put into place because of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus were not yet in full force. But everyone knew what was just around the corner: a sudden and dramatic economic collapse with no clear end in sight.

And that's exactly what's now upon us.

Funds in the latest round of stimulus buoy unemployment insurance, get money into the hands of the people, assist small businesses in dire need. And though there have been significant wrinkles along the way, the stimulus bill will help. But not as much as needed.

This is why Pelosi has wisely been pushing another stimulus package -- to the tune of another trillion dollars-plus -- with McConnell and the White House mostly going along. Pelosi, a Democrat from California, and McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, often have exceedingly differing agendas. Though the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus hasn't altered that basic fact, it has, at least for now, allowed both of them, and others, to set those differences aside so that Washington can do what needs to be done.

When Congress passed the first three phases of coronavirus legislation, congressional leaders, from both political parties, worked closely with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. All sides pulled together. As the next piece of legislation comes together -- so-called Phase 4 -- lawmakers and the White House will be looking to improve upon what came before, and to expand the help that's coming. More aid for the states. For hospitals. More testing.

In a crisis, one can't follow the usual playbook. Effectively, everyone is making things up as they go, looking to implement changes as needed. And then to change some more as conditions merit.

Right now, we are all Americans, in the same perilous boat. Lawmakers and the White House need to keep working together to do whats right, whats best. Partisanship can wait.

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Hundreds of people held under mandatory quarantine in Kenya after returning from abroad are up in arms after the government extended their confinement for another 14 days.

Around 2,000 people were placed in forced quarantine as they arrived in the country from March 22 until international flights were banned three days later, a chaotic process criticised by some passengers as likely to have helped spread the virus.

Mixed with those who had been in contact with patients who tested positive, the quarantined Kenyans and foreigners make up some 80 percent of the country's coronavirus patients.

As of Monday at 1400 GMT the country had recorded 172 cases and six deaths.

Health ministry guidelines initially said that those quarantined would be tested after five days and if their results were negative they would be sent home to self-isolate. Those testing positive would be taken to treatment centres.

An unknown number were discharged. However the rest who had hoped for freedom after their two weeks were up were stunned when the government on Saturday ordered a 14-day extension of quarantine for those in facilities that had registered a positive case.

Those hoping for freedom after their two weeks quarantine were up were stunned when the government ordered a 14-day extension. By - (AFP)

"We are now asking to go home. They test us, if you're positive, go to hospital, if you're negative, go home," said one of those stuck in quarantine who requested anonymity.

Some of those confined are contesting the move and have sent legal letters to the police and health ministry, which were seen by AFP, demanding their immediate release.

"We are aware that this may be inconveniencing to some but in the interest of protecting the public, it is nonetheless very necessary," Health Minister Mutahi Kawge said on Tuesday.

'Prison rations'

Another person in quarantine, using the pseudonym Luke, told AFP the whole process had got off to a bad start.

Upon his arrival at the international airport in Nairobi on March 24, he said passengers were rounded up by aggressive police officers who were not wearing protection gear.

He described "hundreds of people, tense, sweating, in a small space, in an airport that has turned off its ventilation" who after hours of waiting were herded into crowded buses.

The passengers have been forced to pay for their own accommodation, from $20 to $90 a night in often unsanitary conditions. By - (AFP)

"There are no doctors or medical staff anywhere. There is no hand sanitiser. There are no gloves. There are no masks. It's after midnight and everyone looks broken," he recalled.

The passengers have been forced to pay for their own accommodation, from $20 (18 euros) to $90 a night in often unsanitary conditions.

"The meals mimic prison rations, and there aren't enough for everyone," Luke said.

On Sunday, after learning their confinement would be extended, Sheila posted a video on social media denouncing conditions at a school in Nairobi where she was being held.

"We don't have water at times, we lack soap, we don't have masks," she said in the video, adding that they had to wash their own clothes.

She told AFP that five people who had been tested on March 29, and found out on April 2 they were positive for coronavirus, were not removed from the school until two days later.

"We came back to our own country. It's like we're getting punished for coming home," she said in the video.

"We're also humans, we're also Kenyans, we also need to survive this thing."
LONDON

April 8, 2020

Europe's

Niel Marotta

Markus Hoffmann

Patricio Stocker

Alexej Pikovsky

Europe

Niel Marotta

Canada

the United States

Niel Marotta

North America

Europe

Markus Hoffmann

New York

Europe

Patricio Stocker

Toronto

Germany

Alexej Pikovsky

Patricio Stocker

Europe's

Europe

Dusseldorf

Germany

North America

Bilal Mahmood

/PRNewswire/ --Alphagreen,largest consumer marketplace for certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, has today announced the appointment ofandas board advisors and Dras Chairman. They will work directly with co-founder and CEOproviding strategic counsel to scale the business globally.In light of coronavirus, a surge in consumer demand for health and wellbeing products has seen a four-fold rise in visitors to Alphagreen and a 30% increase in sales this month. As people consider new ways and means to strengthen their immune systems, CDB products are proving popular in. The recent fundraise, these new appointments and current trends put Alphagreen in prime position to underpin its market leading position, take further market share and look further afield in the CDB sector.In 2015,took his expertise in business development and capital markets and co-founded Indiva, a Canadian licensed producer of medical-grade cannabis. Today, they are a publicly traded company inand. Indiva produces premium pre-rolls, capsules and edibles. Prior to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Indiva, Niel spent two decades working in the finance industry in a variety of leadership rolescommented: "The Alphagreen team have created a brilliant platform for producers of CBD products. Every producer in South andis looking for distribution channels in. Alphagreen is well placed to enable access to one of the biggest consumer markets globally.", a lawyer by training, worked in private equity for several years covering green-tech, pharmaceuticals and consumer product companies. He has been active in the medical cannabis industry since 2015 spending time inat the Bronfman family office, a shareholder of the biggest European medical cannabis producer, Bedrocan. Most recently, he was part of the founding team of Jacana, a global licensed manufacturer of medical cannabis products looking to export medical cannabis intoDrwas previously Chairman, President and CEO of PharmaCielo, the world's largest licensed cannabis producer based inwith Colombian operations. During his time there, he led the development of the Colombian cannabis industry and transformation by creating consumer-friendly, premium quality cannabis products that were ready-for-market. In 2019, he moved to Blueberries Medical Corporation as CEO, another producer of medicinal cannabis products, before his appointment to chairman of Alphagreen.Before pivoting to the cannabis industry, Dr Stocker was an industry veteran of 20 years in the European and South American automotive industry, chiefly at Daimler. During his time there, he held various positions from country President and CEO for DaimlerChrysler Colombia to Head of Truck and Bus Division for Daimler Latin America.The appointments come at an exciting time for Alphagreen as the business gears for growth and, separately, becomes a licensed manufacturer and wholesaler of cannabis products in, making it one of the first companies selling to pharmacies across the country.On the new appointment,commented: "Health and wellbeing are becoming more important than ever. Our platform has already enabled thousands of customers to discover high quality products and get them delivered to their homes. In preparing the business for the next phase of growth, we are delighted to welcome Niel, Markus and Patricio to the company. Their extensive experience of building businesses and expertise in the cannabis industry will provide just the perspective and guidance Alphagreen requires to consolidate the European market and expand further afield."commented: "Alphagreen is transforming the landscape of the cannabis product industry through a unique transparency for customers. Their focus on quality and the trust bond with consumers and suppliers means they are well placed for growth. Their game-changing and innovative attitude is refreshing. I look forward to working with the team in channeling their drive and ambition."These appointments follow a 500k equity funding round at Alphagreen. Several tech angel investors took part in the funding round alongside the cannabis-focused investment company ENEXIS AB, which has backed several cannabis industry businesses including NOBL, Dragonfly Biosciences and Emmac Life Sciences.Alphagreen Group owns and runslargest consumer marketplace for certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, Alphagreen.io. The UK-based marketplace has the largest number of high-quality products available in. These high-quality non-psychoactive products (e.g. CBD) are from top global cannabis brands such as Provocan, Cibdol, Grass & Co, Wunder Workshop and Mr Nice. Several top vitamin brands such as Nature's Best, Healthspan and Naturelo have also been added to the marketplace to service customer demand and provide thematic sets and bundles.Alphagreen Group also operateswhich is their 100% owned subsidiary inlooking to distribute medical cannabis to pharmacies inThe Alphagreen team has a unique combination of technology and finance professionals, as well as pharmacists. The team is supported by an advisory panel consisting former and current CEOs of the major cannabis companies in South and, as well as prominent technology entrepreneurs.For further information please contact the Alphagreen press office:on bilal@alphagreengroup.com or +44 (0) 20 3640-7759 and +44 (0) 771 400-7257.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europes-largest-cbd-marketplace-alphagreen-strengthens-board-with-senior-hires-301036925.html



SOURCE Alphagreen Group




British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for PMQs at the House of Commons on 25 March, 2020 in London, England.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently being treated in intensive care for the coronavirus, leaving him unable to work.

Johnson was the first world leader to contract the highly-infectious virus but unlike some countries Britain does not have a deputy leader in place to take over power immediately if the prime minister is incapacitated.

Instead, the prime minister asked Dominic Raab, who is the foreign secretary and the first secretary of state, to "deputize" for him.

This includes performing responsibilities such as chairing cabinet meetings of senior ministers on how the government is tackling the coronavirus.

A Downing Street spokesman said the government and cabinet were working together to implement the plan to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, which was set out by the prime minister, and that they were "bound by mutual obligation to carry it out."

Cabinet minister Michael Gove said in a radio interview with the BBC Tuesday, that it would be a "cabinet decision to change things," such as the current lockdown measures.

He said that in deputizing, the secretary of state made sure that decisions that are taken in meetings were followed through, later adding that the "prime minister will always be the prime minister" and that there was a "great team spirit in government."

The lack of clarity over acting leadership in the U.K. is because Britain has no written constitution outlining fixed procedures for such circumstances.

It was announced Johnson had tested positive for the coronavirus on March 27. He was first admitted to St. Thomas' hospital in London on Sunday for tests due to persistent symptoms. He was then taken to its intensive care unit on Monday evening after his condition deteriorated.

However, a number 10 spokesman said Wednesday that the prime minister was "clinically stable" and was responding to treatment after a second night in intensive care.
British Airways employees have overwhelmingly voted to approve a deal to furlough the airline's workers and preserve employment, a union revealed today.

Unite said its members backed the deal by 99 per cent after negotiations between the two sides following most flights being cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

It will see a modified version of the Government's job retention scheme introduced, with workers furloughed on 80 per cent of pay, but with no cap on earnings.

Unite said workers will be able to divert their pension contributions into their pay for a short time, there will be no unpaid temporary lay-offs and no redundancies.

A British Airways plane lands on the northern runway at London Heathrow Airport on Monday

In a clear sign of the severity of the crisis facing industry, London Heathrow - Britain's largest airport - partially shut down on Monday by closing one of its two runways.

Meanwhile, BA has temporarily laid off 36,000 employees and switched to a skeleton service, but many carriers are still repatriating Britons stranded abroad.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said today: 'Unite members at British Airways have recognised the seriousness of the situation facing the aviation sector during this unprecedented crisis, and so have voted to accept the deal negotiated by their union.

'Unite will continue to work on ensuring that members who are still flying remain fully protected. We will also continue to monitor the furlough arrangements throughout the coronavirus crisis.'

Shares in BA's owner International Consolidated Airlines Group fell 0.5 points or 0.21 per cent to 242 points on the FTSE 100 index this morning.

Global airlines warned yesterday that 25million jobs were at risk from the air travel downturn, and held out against offering refunds to passengers as cash runs out.

British Airways planes are parked at London Heathrow Airport last Thursday. The airline has temporarily laid off 36,000 employees and switched to a skeleton service

The International Air Transport Association issued the warning as part of a series of messages about the state of airline industry, while urging governments to help.

Three months of travel restrictions plus lower traffic over 2020 are putting staff at risk, with a third of 2.7million direct jobs in the sector already lost or furloughed.

The aviation industry has been pleading for state aid after being crippled by the coronavirus pandemic, which has already claimed more than 5,000 lives in Britain.

But ministers are reluctant to offer an industry-wide bailout because they feel many airlines are run by tycoons with more than enough wealth to weather the storm.

Budget airline Norwegian, which carries six million British passengers a year, is among the worst-hit airlines and saw demand drop by 61 per cent last month.

Over the weekend hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers had their plans thrown into fresh doubt after the Foreign Office extended its travel ban indefinitely.

The restriction on all non-essential trips anywhere in the world had been due to end later this month. But ministers now admit they have no idea when it will be lifted.

It raises the prosepct of mass cancellations of flights and holidays into the summer, and makes it harder to buy travel insurance with many firms now not selling policies.
Supreme Court wont hear Catholic Churchs challenge to DC Metros ban on religious ads

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The Supreme Court denied hearing a petition from the Catholic Church on Monday challenging the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authoritys policy banning religious advertising as a violation of the First Amendment.

The case was set in motion after WMATA refused to run a Christmas ad from the church in 2017. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit previously upheld the ban on religious messages on buses and trains and in stations as lawful and free from discrimination, The Washington Post reported.

While Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Justice Clarence Thomas agree that the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was wrong, the Supreme Court chose not to review the case because Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was involved with the lower courts ruling, had to recuse himself from the case.

Because the full Court is unable to hear this case, it makes a poor candidate for our review, Gorsuch wrote.

In his dissent, Gorsuch argued that WMATAs policy is a clear case of viewpoint discrimination.

At Christmastime a few years ago, the Catholic Church sought to place advertisements on the side of local buses in Washington, D. C. The proposed image was a simple one  a silhouette of three shepherds and sheep, along with the words Find the Perfect Gift and a church website address. No one disputes that, if Macys had sought to place the same advertisement with its own website address, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) would have accepted the business gladly, he noted.

Indeed, WMATA admits that it views Christmas as having a secular half and a religious half, and it has shown no hesitation in taking secular Christmas advertisements  Still, when it came to the churchs proposal, WMATA balked. That is viewpoint discrimination by a governmental entity and a violation of the First Amendment. In fact, this Court has already rejected no-religious-speech policies materially identical to WMATAs on no fewer than three occasions over the last three decades, he explained.

The Constitution requires the government to respect religious speech, not to maximize advertising revenues. So if WMATA finds messages like the one here intolerable, it may close its buses to all advertisements. More modestly, it might restrict advertisement space to subjects where religious viewpoints are less likely to arise without running afoul of our free speech precedents, he argued.

The one thing it cannot do is what it did here  permit a subject sure to inspire religious views, one that even WMATA admits is half  religious in nature, and then suppress those views. The First Amendment requires governments to protect religious viewpoints, not single them out for silencing.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)

Sen. Bernie Sanders decision to end his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination was probably inevitable, given the string of victories former Vice President Joe Biden racked up after many of the other Democratic candidates rallied behind him. But Sanders deserves credit for announcing his decision now instead of dragging out the contest further.

Sanders also wisely recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has made campaigning a risky distraction. On Wednesday he said that, because of the pandemic and President Trumps failed response, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us. Sanders name will continue to appear on the ballots in subsequent contests, and Sanders delegates will try to push the party platform in a progressive direction. But in suspending his campaign, Sanders has taken an important step toward the unity the party will need to defeat Trump in November.

Sanders retires from the field having moved Democrats with his clarion call for efforts to redress income inequality and the needs of working Americans, even if its an exaggeration to boast, as he did on Wednesday, that his movement has won the ideological struggle. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed inequalities in this society, reinforcing Sanders' arguments and galvanizing even Republicans, including Trump, to join in stitching a stronger safety net for those made jobless by this crisis.

The pandemic also has shown how poorly the U.S. healthcare system performs under stress, underlining Sanders point that we need universal insurance coverage. In sharp contrast to 2016, every Democrat running for president this go-around backed the idea of universal coverage; the fight was over how to get there, and many Democrats (and The Times editorial board) balked at Sanders' government-centric vision of Medicare for all.

Although Sanders campaign faltered in many states on and after Super Tuesday, he also scored several victories, most notably in California, where his emphasis on economic justice resonated in a state with a huge divide between haves and have-nots. The 78-year-old senator from Vermont can also take comfort in the fact that his message proved particularly compelling for younger voters whose preferences may prove decisive in future elections, a fact he cited in a message to his supporters.

Story continues

What we hope Sanders doesnt take from his failed candidacy  or communicate to his fervent followers  is a conviction that the process was rigged against him and that a conspiracy of party leaders and the billionaire class stymied his campaign. The truth is that, as an independent senator who viewed the Democratic Party as an instrument for his ambitions rather than a political home, Sanders faced resistance not just from benighted bigwigs but from ordinary Democratic voters, including older African Americans. Even some voters who might been attracted to Sanders message worried, reasonably, that he would be at a disadvantage in a general election contest with Trump, who would be sure to emphasize the socialist in democratic socialist.

Nor, as Sanders suggested, was there an establishment conspiracy to hurt his chances by pressing other candidates to drop out. Several of those former rivals, including Sen. Kamala Harris of California, endorsed Biden not because of a conspiracy but because they thought he would be the most formidable opponent for Trump and the most helpful to Democratic candidates further down the ballot. Its also true that Sanders presence in the race probably contributed to the poor showing of other candidates whose views put them to the left of Biden, notably Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Biden also has his flaws as a candidate. This page has expressed concerns about his sharpness, his gaffes and his ability to stand up to Trump forcefully during a general election campaign, and we fear that his presence in the race cast too great a shadow over a new and less familiar generation of candidates with compelling ideas. But we also believe that it's vital that voters bring to an end the incompetent and corrupt administration of Donald Trump. It is imperative that Sanders do a better job in 2020 leading his supporters to back Biden in November than he did in getting out the vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Because sadly, some in Sanders' movement continue to flirt with the absurd and dangerous notion that Trump and Biden are interchangeable.

For his part, Biden must show Sanders' supporters that he shares their goals for a more just, humane and equitable society, even if he differs on how to achieve them. He has started to do so, telling young Sanders supporters last month that I hear you. I know what's at stake. I know what we have to do." That outreach will be crucial to his ability to form a coalition between mainstream voters and progressive Democrats that's large enough to beat Trump.

The revolution Sanders promised had an appeal that Biden, the consummate political insider, will find it difficult to duplicate as he challenges Trump in the general election. That is why Sanders must do more than pay lip service to the imperative of ejecting Trump from the White House. He needs to persuade his followers to be part of the solution to the mess that Trump has created in this country. That means campaigning actively and enthusiastically for Biden, who is far more aligned with Sanders' goals  and the public's best interests  than the odious incumbent.




The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Michigan $32,538,568 to assist in the efforts of hospitals that continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a press release from HHS, the money will go to 39 health centers in the state and is designated for help with detecting COVID-19, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and to maintain or increase health capacity and staffing levels.

This new funding secured by President Trump will help our community health centers continue the work theyre doing on the ground against the coronavirus, said HHS Secretary Alex Azar in a press release. HRSA-funded health centers are already playing a critical role by delivering essential services, serving as community testing and screening sites, and alleviating burdens on our nations emergency rooms and hospitals. HHS will continue bringing every resource we have to support heroic healthcare workers across the diverse settings health centers serve, from our cities to our rural towns.

The new round of funding is on top of $2.5 million in grants issued last month to state health centers. The money is being awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration which said the funds will be made available immediately to the health centers.

HRSA-funded health centers are part of the backbone of our nations health care system, serving 1 in 12 people nationwide, said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. Increasingly, people are turning to health centers for the first line of defense in combating emergency public health priorities like the novel coronavirus. Health centers will put these resources to immediate use to respond to emerging and evolving local needs and continue to deliver high quality primary health care services to their patients.

The HRSA funds nearly 1,400 health centers that operate in nearly 13,000 locations nationwide according to the news release.

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

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Heres when federal stimulus payments should hit bank accounts

As coronavirus scare relaxes Michigan transparency laws, experts question long-term effects

Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland has surpassed 6,000, figures from the National Public Health Emergency Team reveal.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan also announced 25 more deaths, bringing the number of people who have contracted the virus to die to 235.

There are also 365 new confirmed cases of the virus in the Republic, bringing the total to 6,074.

Of the deaths just announced, there were 13 in the east of the country, eight in the north, two in the south and two in the west.

There were 15 males and 10 females who died and the median age of the most recently reported deaths is 80, according to the NPHET.

They also announced that 147 people with the virus remain in ICU while 27 people who were in ICU have died and 53 have been discharged.

More than half of all confirmed cases of the virus (3,268) are in Dublin.

Earlier today, there were five new deaths announced in the North, bringing the total there to 78.

Those were five of the 938 more deaths related to the virus in the UK.The UK's Department of Health says the total number of deaths now stands at 7,097 there.

Figures released earlier today showed Ireland's trade deficit for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the

Read More:

While 63% of Ireland's imports come from the EU, the State is heavily reliant on other markets, too, most notably the USA and China.
Americans reported bipartisan distrust of the Chinese governments public statements about the coronavirus pandemic as well as support for reinstating tariffs on Chinese goods in certain circumstances, according to a new Harris poll.

Ninety percent of Republican respondents said that China was to blame for the spread of the coronavirus, and 67 percent of Democrats concurred.

A majority of Republicans (66 percent) said President Trump should take a harder line against China, with 25 percent saying Trumps policies regarding China should remain as they are. Meanwhile, 38 percent of Democrats supported a tougher stance against China, with another 38 percent saying Trumps current stance was sufficient.

In addition, 84 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of Democrats believe Trump should reimpose tariffs on Chinese goods if China fails to buy $250 million in American goods, as required by a trade agreement between the two countries.

Its as much of a consensus issue as you can get in todays divided world, Harris Poll chairman Mark Penn told the Washington Post. Overall, theres very little trust for anything that the Chinese government says or does, especially its premier. Xi Jinping has less than half the credibility of President Trump in this poll.

China has been accused by U.S. politicians of covering up the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak, and one study has suggested Beijing could have prevented the pandemic if it had contained the first outbreak in Wuhan. The coronavirus has infected over 1,400,000 people worldwide and claimed over 81,000 lives as of Wednesday.

More from National Review
[April 08, 2020] The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Creates Online Calendar For Statewide Online Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Programs

MILLBURN, N.J., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services has created an online calendar to promote virtual local community substance use disorder, prevention, treatment and recovery events throughout the state. The calendar, TodayNJ can be found at: drugfreenj.org/community. It aims to reach as many New Jersey residents as possible and make them aware of all of the services and programs that are being held virtually throughout New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic. All organizations looking to increase participation and promote substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support events may submit their event information to the TodayNJ submission page at: drugfreenj.org/request.



"During this difficult time it is vital that we continue to communicate substance abuse prevention messages, as well as, offer resources being made available throughout the state," states Angelo Valente, PDFNJ's Executive Director. "We hope that TodayNJ will be a valuable resource for people in need looking for treatment, recovery and community events in New Jersey." PDFNJ has created TodayNJ web banners to share with any organization that would like to promote and spread the word about the statewide calendar.

Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey: Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership's New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey's history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 180 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-partnership-for-a-drug-free-new-jersey-creates-online-calendar-for-statewide-online-prevention-treatment-and-recovery-programs-301037705.html SOURCE Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey

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Myths that have circulated about deadly coronavirus have been debunked by a prominent Australian GP.

Dr Ginni Mansberg appeared on Sunrise on Wednesday for a Q&A session about the killer virus.

She addressed a wide range of issues from whether flu vaccinations increase the risk of infection and if the virus can be passed onto humans by pets.

Sydney GP Dr Ginni Mansberg answered many questions Australians have about the virus

Air-conditioning vents

Another common myth doing the rounds on social media is whether coronavirus can travel through air conditioning vents, which filter particles through their systems in different ways and at different levels.

But Dr Mansberg said there were no evidence to support those claims.

'There is absolutely no evidence it survives in air-conditioning or is spread from one room to another,' she said.

'I know people are worried about that because they get told someone from work on another level had it - but there is no evidence to support that.'

The GP believed the current 14-day self-isolation period for travellers returning from overseas is an ideal timeframe. Pictured are French nationals at Sydney Airport returning home

'Gloves are no good'

One viewer expressed concerns about retail and hospitality workers using the same pair of gloves to serve multiple customers.

Many retailers have ordered staff to wear gloves to protect themselves from contracting the disease from patients.

But many experts believe disposable gloves are not a perfect form of protection for those hoping to avoid germs in public places.

'Washing your hands is still the best,' Dr Mansberg replied.

'Especially if you use a glove and then pick your nose or scratch your nose. Gloves are no good at all.'

Dr Mansberg said washing your hands frequently is safer than using gloves. Pictured is a child care worker wearing gloves as she wipes down tables and bench tops with disinfectant

Flu vaccine

With the winter flu season just around the corner, this is the time of year Australians are urged to roll up their sleeves to get the flu jab.

Health authorities recommend an annual influenza vaccination for all Australian aged over six months.

A common myth doing the rounds on social media is that vaccine worsens the risk of coronavirus, which Dr Mansberg says there is no evidence of.

In fact, GPs are urging people to get flu vaccinations earlier than usual because of coronavirus.

'There is no evidence it makes coronavirus worse,' Dr Mansberg said.

On the contrary, you want everyone to get their flu vaccine - you dont want to get flu and coronavirus at the same time,' she said.

'We cant prevent coronavirus without social distancing, but we can prevent flu so definitely go and get it.'

If you're worried about being questioned by police for leaving the house, seeking medical care is a valid reason in all states and territories.

There is no evidence to support the common myth that having the flu vaccine (pictured) increases the risk of getting coronavirus

Pets

One pet owner was concerned about the risk of someone infected with the virus patting her dog.

The current spread of virus is a result of human-to-human transmission of a novel coronavirus, not companion animals such as dogs or cats.

'We still dont know because its still a baby virus and we have new information only, but we have got no cases anywhere of humans getting coronavirus from their pets. We have a couple of pets who got it from the owners, but not the other way around,' Dr Mansberg said.

A GP has assured you won't get coronavirus from your pets. Pictured is a woman taking her dogs for a walk along the beach on the NSW-Queensland border this week

Can parents be with their infected child in the hospital?

Concerned parents are assured they can remain with their infected child if they end up in hospital.

While cases have been reported across all age groups, there have only been a handful cases in the 0-9 and 10-19 age groups, according to Australian health figures.

'Luckily we have very few children hospitalised with coronavirus, but were not separating them at this point. Its very important for the little ones to have their mum and dad around,' Dr Mansberg said.

The number of coronavirus cases in Australia rose to almost 6,000 on Wednesday morning

Over the counter medications

The World Health Organisation sparked fears about Ibuprofen after it recently issued a warning when French research claimed the anti-inflammatory drug used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation was unsafe for those infected with coronavirus.

However the Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration assures Ibuprofen is safe as has the World Health Organisation, which reversed its warning.

Codral is also safe to relieve symptoms of coronavirus.

'Yes, Codral has paracetamol like Panadol. You take anything to relieve your symptoms. If you have pains you want to relieve it,' Dr Mansberg said.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia rose to 5,997 on Wednesday morning while the national death toll stands at 50.

Self-isolation

It's been four weeks since Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a compulsory 14-day self-isolation period for all travellers returning from overseas to prevent the possible spread of the virus to other people.

At least two-thirds of Australian confirmed cases of coronavirus have come from people travelling from overseas.

Dr Mansberg doesn't believe extending self-isolation period will make a difference to combating the virus spread.

'Probably not at this stage. Incubation period is five or six days there are a few cases where it has been longer. If you have any doubts, get a test,' Dr Mansberg said.
A Yaba Magistrates Court in Lagos has sentenced 34 persons to one-month community service for violating the social distancing directives of the Lagos State Government.

The court convicted the defendants following their plea of guilty to a one-count charge of working out in a group larger than 20 persons on the Gbagada-Oworonsoki Expressway.

The violators will be quarantined for 14 days at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba, or any other place designated by the government.

Three others pleaded not guilty.

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Boats  both power and sail  are anchored in both Cowpet Bay on the East End of St. Thomas and across the channel in Christmas Cove on the north side of Great St. James Island on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Marvin Blyden is voicing concern over the Bryan administrations decision to shut down public beaches through April 20, insisting the move doesnt apply to private boats from abroad  many of which, in recent weeks, have flooded the territory and moored at beaches with little monitoring and enforcement.
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will divert 19 million barrels of Gulf oil from state-run firms to strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) skipping direct purchases from producers to help refiners get rid of extra oil as their storage is full, three sources said.

India's decision to divert cargoes meant for state refiners will not soak up excess oil from the market following the demand collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but it will help local companies to avoid demurrage charges at a time of expensive freight.

It also secures purchases at a low price.

The Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), a company charged with building SPRs, had planned to buy oil directly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to fill the caverns, sources said last month.

Since then situation has changed as Indian fuel demand has collapsed following a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus, leading some refiners to declare force majeure on crude purchases.

Force majeure exonerates parties from contractual obligations because of circumstances beyond their control.

"It is good for ISPRL as it is getting crude at the April official selling prices of Saudi and U.A.E," one source said on condition of anonymity.

Global oil prices rose to around $32 a barrel on Wednesday, continuing a recovery from 18-year lows hit last week, ahead of a meeting on Thursday of the Organization of the Petroleum Countries and other producers on output cuts to prop up the market.

India's state refiners have resorted to exporting refined products to avoid full closure of their plants after local fuel demand collapsed.

The world's third biggest oil importer, India has built SPRs at three locations in southern India to store about 37 million barrels of oil or about 5 million tonnes to protect against supply disruption. Another source said Indian refiners have until the third week of May to supply oil as the unloading of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) at Mangalore port stops then because of monsoon rains.

Story continues

Hindustan Petroleum will supply 400,000 barrels of Iraqi oil to fill the nearly 7.5-million-barrels Vizag storage in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the sources said. India has already stored Iraqi oil in Vizag cavern.

U.A.E's Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) has leased half of the nearly 11-million-barrel Mangalore storage, while the ISPRL has bought 4 million barrels of Saudi oil for 18.5-million-barrel Padur storage. The facilities are in Karnataka state.

Indian Oil Corp will divert 2 million barrels of Saudi oil and 5.7 million barrels of ADNOC oil, they said.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd will move its 6 million barrels and Bharat Petroleum Corp will provide 4.6 million barrels of Saudi oil for the caverns, the sources said.

The four state refiners did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comments. ISPRL's managing director H.P.S. Ahuja declined to comment.

ISPRL has signed memorandum of understandings with ADNOC to lease half of Padur facility and with Saudi Aramco for a quarter.

Pending final agreements with ADNOC and Saudi Aramco, India decided to help state refiners, one of the sources said.

"It is cheaper to divert the cargoes rather than keeping them floating... it is a win win situation for all," this source said.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; editing by Barbara Lewis)
According to the website worldometers.info, 209 countries around the world have reported more than 1.4 million coronavirus (Covid-19) cases till April 8, 2020. Of these more than 400,000 are from the United States (with 12,857 deaths). The US is followed by European countries like Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

China, where the infection originated, marks its presence at No. 6 in this list. The year 2020 has not had a good run so far and the Covid-19 pandemic is largely to blame. As major economic powers around the world struggle to contain its spread, the global economy stares at a ...
A second stimulus package India is poised to announce in coming days will be worth around Rs 1 lakh crore ($13 billion) and focus on help for small and medium businesses weathering the coronavirus outbreak, two senior officials said on Wednesday.

"The second package could be focussed largely on MSMEs," one of the senior government officials, with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters, using an acronym for micro, small and medium enterprises.

The official said a separate package could be announced for bigger companies after assessing the extent of the hit they have faced due to the lockdown imposed to fight the outbreak.

Last month, India outlined a Rs 1.7 lakh crore ($22.6-billion) economic stimulus plan providing direct cash transfers and food security measures to give relief to millions of poor hit by the nationwide lockdown.

Indian media have been speculating that the government would soon announce more relief.

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 new package aimed at MSMEs could include increases in the limits of bank loans for working capital needs, hiking threshold limits for availing tax exemptions and relaxing rules for deposits of income tax and other dues, the sources said.

A finance ministry spokesman declined to comment.

"The proposals to provide an immediate relief to small firms are being given final shape," the second government source said, adding the government also planned to partially clear tax refunds owed to small businesses within one month, to provide some immediate relief.

Federal and state governments and state-owned companies owe more than $66 billion to small businesses, the government told parliament last month.

Small businesses account for nearly one-quarter of India's $2.9 trillion economy and employ more than 500 million workers, according to government estimates.
(CNN) Doctors in Cameroon helped a 19-year-old, who tested positive for coronavirus, safely deliver a baby girl.

The patient had initially complained about breathing problems but medics at the Central Hospital of Yaounde kept her in isolation after her result showed she had the virus, Dr. Sone Charles told CNN.

Charles said the teenager, whom authorities have not named, went into premature labor on Saturday night and doctors on duty raced to protect the baby and the mother.

The delivery happened within an hour with no complications, according to Dr. Yaneu Ngaha, who led the team that assisted with the birth.

"It was quite fast. The baby came out and we separated her from the mother, who did not touch the child," Ngaha said. "We wore protective jackets and the mother also wore a mask."

The mother and baby are in good condition, Ngaha said.

She added that samples were taken from the baby 14 hours after her delivery and the hospital is awaiting her test results.

"The baby has been transferred to the neonatal unit and kept in an incubator because she is premature, weighing about 2,000 grams. We check her temperature three times per day," Ngaha told CNN.

Cameroon has reported 650 cases of coronavirus within a month of its first case, according to the World Health Organization.

The spike in cases has been blamed on indiscipline from people with travel history abroad who evaded quarantine, Erick Tandi with the Public Health Emergency Operations Center in Yaounde said.

"When the Minister of Public Health announced, before the closing of borders, that those who have come from abroad within early March should quarantine themselves in their homes -- this was not respected fully," Tandi said.

"That is the result of the community Covid-19 cases we are having now," he added.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Teenager diagnosed with coronavirus gives birth to baby girl in Cameroon."
Now that shes working from home as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in New York City, Patty Lynch, 43, has plenty of time to watch her dog, Sadie. When shes away from her Battery Park apartment, she uses a Google Nest to keep an eye on her. Ms. Lynch originally bought the camera three years ago to stream video of Sadie while she recovered from surgery.

I get alerts whenever she moves around, Ms. Lynch said. I also get noise alerts if she starts barking at something. Ill be able to go in and then see her in real time and figure out what shes doing.

Sometimes I just like to check in on her, she said. I just look at her and she makes me smile.

Lionel P. Robert Jr., associate professor at the University of Michigans school of information and a core faculty member at Michigans Robotics Institute, said A.I.-enabled technology has so far centered on the owners need for assurance that their pet was OK while they were away from home.

He predicted that future technology would focus more on the wellness of the pet.

There are a lot of people using these cameras because when they see their pet they feel assured and they feel comfortable. Right now, its less for the pet and more for the humans, he said.

Imagine if all that data was being fed to your veterinarian in real time and theyre sending back data. The idea of well-being for the pet, its weight, how far its walking.

Mr. Robert noted that other parts of the world had gone a step further with technology: Theyre actually adopting robotic pets.
Rome: Doctors in Lombardy, the Italian region hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic, have criticised local officials for their handling of the crisis and said the mistakes they made should be a lesson for everyone.

A total of 17,127 people have died from the virus in Italy, the most anywhere in the world, with Lombardy accounting for 55 per cent of the tally. The region also accounts for 39 per cent of the country's 135,586 confirmed cases.

A mural on the side of a building in Lombardy thanks medical workers. Credit:Getty Images

The particularly large death toll in Lombardy, the wealthiest region in Italy, has raised eyebrows, with local officials suggesting that both the high urban density and considerable elderly population might have played a part.

However, a damning letter by senior doctors, including the heads of 11 provincial health authorities within Lombardy, said failures in the region's health system had exacerbated the greatest emergency Italy has faced since World War II.
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Linkedin Jonatan A Lassa and Miranda Booth (The Jakarta Post) -  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:21 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09ffd1 3 Opinion populism,COVID-19,democracy,Indonesia,Jokowi,politics,Donald-Trump,united-states,The-Conversation Free

The rise of populism around the world  such as in the United States, Brazil and Indonesia  has partly contributed to the global failure to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and has led the world into a recession faster than anticipated.

By April 8, the World Health Organisation reported more than 1.2 million confirmed cases and 72,000 deaths from COVID-19. So far 211 countries and territories have been affected. The worst case scenario suggests the potential of negative economic growth, including in East Asian and Pacific economies.

Populism can be understood as an ideology organised around two core beliefs:

anti-establishment society is divided into two opposing groups: the people (pure) and the elite (corrupt) politics should express the general will of the people.

Populist leaders suggest they alone represent the peoples will, and can solve threats to society on the peoples behalf. Because populism is a thin political ideology, leaders on the left and right of the political spectrum will express different variants of populism. They can do so by identifying socio-cultural threats to society such as immigration or socio-economic threats such as globalisation.

Nonetheless, we have observed common qualities in the way populist leaders across the political spectrum have handled the COVID-19 outbreak such as their optimistic bias and complacency, ambiguity and ignorance of science. These qualities make them unfit to manage emerging crises.

And with the superpower, the United States, being governed by a populist leader that has returned to isolationism, global health security is at stake. The declining US leadership under President Donald Trump has undermined crisis management and put the world at risk.

1. Optimistic bias

We expect leaders to be able to anticipate events, so they understand them and act in a timely fashion.

But, in the current COVID-19 pandemic, populist leaders have been excessively optimistic when judging their competence in responding to the pandemic.

They have shown themselves to be susceptible to complacency, a form of cognitive bias that makes someone believe they are less likely than others to be hit by emerging crises.

When images of the initial COVID-19 epidemic emerged from China and were splashed across global screens and social media walls in January 2020, Trump in the US, Prime Minister Boris Johnson in UK and President Joko Jokowi Widodo in Indonesia were naively optimistic the virus would not affect their countries.

Despite its enormous capacity, the Trump administrations delayed response to containing COVID-19, by creating timely fiscal policy, allocating resources and putting in place mitigation measures in January and February, caused the number of cases in the US to surge to the highest globally.

Likewise, Jokowis administration practically ignored warnings in the beginning of the outbreak, dragging its feet in preparing the health system, including health testing facilities. As a result, Indonesia has come to have one of the highest mortality rates (above 8 percent) from COVID-19 in the world.

In contrast, governments such as Germany, Canada and New Zealand, took less time to act. Germany conducted aggressive COVID-19 testing (at a rate of 160,000 tests per week), helping the country identify cases earlier. There, the mortality rate has remained at around 1.6 percent. A broad testing strategy also helped Canada keep its mortality rate at 1.8 percent. New Zealand has consistently conducted tests and keep its mortality rate far below 1 percent.

2. Leadership ambiguity

Populist leaders, such as Trump or Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, have an incentive to mobilize fake news and misinformation campaigns, as they are not capable of adopting evidence-based deliberation as a strategy. Their ignorance of science reaches a point where truth and lies have no clear boundaries.

In catastrophes, the use of such ambiguity to promote a political agenda is magnified.

Instead of showing commitment to the evidence and listening to subject-matter experts, Trump distracted the American public by employing a symbolic response to COVID-19  he declared a national prayer day on March 15.

Top Indonesian officials have similarly used religious texts and blind faith to calm people, while delaying measures to deal with the epidemic. Indonesia delayed its response for 45 days after the Wuhan lockdown.

Brazils Bolsonaro labeled the COVID-19 pandemic a little flu, a media trick and an absurd campaign intended to force him out of power.

3. Ignorance for science

Populist governments are infamous for silencing science. This is because evidence-based policy is not compatible with their approach to public policy.

Research suggests populist governments tendency to deny scientific knowledge around complex issues, such as health and the environment, for economic and political gain is deeply entrenched.

The Indonesian government, for example, actively restricts research and researchers to protect their economic and political interests.

In a global pandemic like COVID-19, populist leaders like Trump have been hesitant to reverse course and allow scientific knowledge to guide their decisions in mitigating the health crisis.

When these leaders finally acknowledge scientific advice, the public was burdened with the high costs of implementing extreme policy measures. Because policy reversal has often been too late, the most plausible and easiest option to contain COVID-19 is to enforce draconian measures.

For example, delayed actions to contain COVID-19 that led to the dramatic spikes of deaths pushed Italys government  made up of an uneasy coalition between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party  to impose severe restrictions, enforced by police and the military.

Decline of US global leadership

With a populist leader at the helm of the US government, were seeing a floundering of US leadership on the global health stage. Unlike the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, where US leadership during president Barack Obamas tenure was praised as pivotal to the response, such leadership is missing from the present pandemic.

The US has announced a US$2 trillion stimulus packages to save its economy. But funding for the COVID-19 global response from USAID is relatively low (US$37 million), with reports aid funding will need to be redirected from existing projects, such as the Global Fund for HIV, TB and malaria.

Many observers, including academics from around the world, might believe the US is a place where legitimate institutions such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention can inspire global leadership on pandemic management and response.

But having such an enormous capacity does not lead to resilience because weak leadership drives institutions and communities in vulnerable directions. Trump has failed to establish the principal value that life is more valuable than money and the economy.

Not only is weak US leadership potentially pivotal in the global failure to act, it may herald a repetition of complacency in global health security in the future.

Can populists capitalize on the pandemic?

Populist leaders capacity to capitalize on crises for political gains can be seen from Trumps recent high approval ratings.

Populist leaders could capitalize on the knowledge uncertainty around COVID-19 and use it to amplify discriminatory narratives on migration and border issues to discredit progressive opponents.

As a recession looms, voters should resist the tendency to bolster populist parties globally. Voters should be attuned to populist leaders tactics to divide a threatened public from trusting established institutions that have effective solutions.

***

Jonatan A Lassa, Senior Lecturer, Humanitarian Emergency and Disaster Management, College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University and Miranda Booth, Lecturer, Humanitarian, Emergency and Disaster Management, Charles Darwin University

This article was first published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The businessman branded the draft law "anti-Ukrainian."

Businessman Ihor Kolomoisky, co-founder of Privatbank, has commented on the introduction by Ukrainian legislators of 16,335 amendments to Bill No. 3260 on banking regulation.

When asked by journalists about the fact that most of the amendments to the bill were made by lawmakers who allegedly have a positive attitude toward him, Kolomoisky said: "As far as I know, they have a positive attitude toward Ukraine. I didn't ask anyone for anything," the Novoe Vremya news outlet wrote on April 7.

The businessman also branded the draft law "anti-Ukrainian."

"I'd say this [draft] law is 'anti-Ukrainian,' rather than 'anti-Kolomoisky.' This is selling off sovereignty and the Constitution for 30 silver coins, although very expensive ones," he said.

Read alsoUkraine's banking regulation bill passes its first reading, paving way for new program with IMF

Kolomoisky also assured he had never met MP Anton Poliakov and neither did he discuss the bill with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"People have chosen their own path, this is the path to nowhere, as shown by the experience of their predecessors: [Arseniy] Yatsenyuk, [Petro] Poroshenko, [Volodymyr] Groysman, and [Oleksiy] Honcharuk," he added.

As reported earlier, legislators filed 16,335 amendments to the bill, thus setting a Ukrainian record.
The words whatever it takes were made famous during the nadir of the eurozone crisis in 2012 by Mario Draghi, the currency blocs monetary chief.

Now were hearing similar sentiments from politicians and policymakers as they roll out unprecedented economic support packages amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

But not, with a bitter irony, from the countries of the eurozone. Or, at least, their actions are not living up to those sentiments.

The finance ministers of the eurozone  known as the Eurogroup  failed on Tuesday night to agree a common emergency fiscal response package to the health emergency.

This was supposed to sign off billions of euros of financial assistance for governments, businesses and workers across the currency zone.

Accounts suggest the hold-up is a disagreement between the leaders of the Netherlands and Italy.

Italy wants the eurozone to raise money from the capital markets by issuing bonds that are mutually guaranteed by all the members of the bloc, with the government in Rome also insisting that these are termed coronabonds.

But the Netherlands has been blocking this, citing the principle that every member state must remain responsible for its own borrowing.

And Germany, Austria and Finland have been further arguing that any financial assistance to a member state from a central credit pot known as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) must attach certain conditions for post-crisis domestic economic reform in order to increase the likelihood that the funds are repaid.

Its all painfully reminiscent of the battles over eurobonds at the height of the crisis eight years ago, when northern European states such as the Netherlands, Germany and Finland resisted calls for a degree of debt mutualisation, despite pleas from the likes of Spain, Italy and Greece that this was necessary to calm panicking bond investors.

During that deadlock Mr Draghi and the European Central Bank ultimately prevented the eurozones divided house from burning down by promising to buy distressed member states bonds if the private markets shunned them.

The ECB stands ready to do so again in this emergency, having set up a 750bn Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme. And this should, one hopes, prevent the kind of lethal spike in borrowing costs experienced by Spain and Italy eight years ago.

Yet analysts say a failure of eurozone member states to agree on a common Covid-19 fiscal response is nonetheless a perilous moment.

The way in which the EU and the eurozone are perceived to react to the unprecedented emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic can shape attitudes to European integration for decades to come, says Holger Schmieding of Berenberg.

Visible solidarity could strengthen the European project, a perceived lack of such solidarity could undermine the political foundations of the project instead.

Eight years ago, many predicted that the eurozone was doomed to disintegrate amid unbearable economic pain on some member states and a poisonous collapse of political solidarity.

Those predictions proved wrong then.

But it would appear that the blocs existential test has returned.
American multinational music company Warner Music Group (WMG) has announced the opening of Warner Music Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.

The record label conglomerate Monday said Warner Music Vietnam will be led by managing director Lisa Nguyen, former head of Zing Media, which is owned by Vietnamese tech firm VNG Corporation, and will report to Warner Music Asia President Simon Robson.

"This is a crucial moment in the development of Vietnams digital music market and its vital that we have a presence on the ground," Robson said.

"This is a milestone moment in Warners strategy of expanding its international footprint in our ever more globalized music market," he added.

The company has already signed a number of domestic acts, including five-member boy band Chillies.

According to WMG, Warner Music Vietnam had four of the top five tracks on Spotify in Vietnam last week with Chillies' debut single "Vung Ky Uc" (Land of Memories) topping the chart.

The music video for the song has raked in over two million views on YouTube since its March 27 release.

The launch of Warner Music Vietnam comes a few months after label rival Universal Music Group opened a new Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore with a dedicated Vietnam office in Ho Chi Minh.

Besides Vietnam, WMG is tapping into music markets in other countries. The company announced last month that it was opening a new office in India, following its opening of dedicated offices in Turkey and Peru in the past 12 months.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Walgreens is expanding drive-thru testing for the coronavirus to fifteen new locations in seven states across the U.S. later this week. They include Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas.



The drive-thru locations are part of Walgreens' collaboration with the administration, federal health agencies, and state and local authorities to expand access to COVID-19 testing.



Walgreens is finalizing the locations in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or HHS. The locations are planned for select hotspot markets in the U.S. that are witnessing escalating rates of COVID-19 cases.



The new sites will use Abbott's new ID NOW COVID-19 test, which delivers positive results in just five minutes and negative results within 13 minutes.



Abbott's new test recently received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of COVID-19.



Walgreens plans to be able to test up to 3,000 people per day across these new sites.



The company will dedicate temporary space at select locations outside of the stores, where Walgreens pharmacists will oversee the self-administration of the COVID-19 test.



The patients will be directed to testing locations via an online assessment tool that will be available on Walgreens website and mobile app.



Testing will be free for people who meet the criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC. Patients will need to pre-register in advance in order to schedule an appointment for testing.



After a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and major U.S. health-care companies as well as retailers in mid-March, four companies will be hosting drive-thru testing for coronavirus in their parking lots. The four companies are Walgreens, Walmart, Target and CVS Health.



Walgreens activated its first drive-thru testing site in the Chicago area on March 21.



Testing at this site is initially available to first responders and health care workers, while the most vulnerable citizens, including those aged over 65, will later be directed to this location. The testing is not available to the general public.



CVS Health said Monday that it has opened rapid COVID-19 drive-through testing sites in Georgia and Rhode Island.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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That's according to the amendments to legislation on the protection of the population from the spread of infectious diseases, approved at a government meeting today.

The Cabinet of Ministers may be entitled to bar Ukrainian citizens from crossing out of Ukraine amid quarantine.

That's according to Bill "On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine regarding the Protection of the Population from the Spread of Infectious Diseases", approved at a government meeting Wednesday.

"If quarantine is declared, the Cabinet of Ministers may decide on a temporary restriction or ban on entry into Ukraine of foreign citizens and vehicles from countries (areas) where especially hazardous infectious diseases have been registered, as well as on a ban on Ukrainian citizens' crossing out of Ukraine," says the draft law.

Read alsoUkraine may keep part of quarantine restrictions until September  media

As UNIAN reported earlier, the bill was developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine.

The draft law obliges persons suspected of being infected to provide informational consent for anti-epidemic and/or preventive measures, including but not limited to consent to self-isolation during the incubation period.

Ukraine's Parliament is yet to consider the amendments to legislation after they are submitted by the Cabinet.
SEATTLE, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington released the following statement:

An unintentional upload error to our data visualization tool has resulted in IHME issuing incorrect ranges of cumulative deaths in Europe related to COVID-19 in an April 7 press release and on its website. Specifically, the error was associated with the range of possible numbers of cumulative deaths over the course of the pandemic  from the Institute's lowest expected number of cumulative deaths, the "mean" or likely number of potential deaths, and the highest number of cumulative deaths. The figures in the visualization for the range of daily deaths, hospitalizations, ICU bed-days and ventilator need are correct. IHME regrets the data upload error.

The projected deaths below provide the correct ranges. IHME will continue to update hospital usage, ventilator usage and projected deaths on a daily basis.

Upcoming forecasts will reflect our corrected approach. Please visit healthdata.org for information.

Location Mean Lower Upper Austria 385 238 770 Belgium 3546 2024 6232 Bulgaria 303 79 1146 Croatia 166 49 854 Cyprus 54 16 131 Czechia 411 120 1704 Denmark 529 242 1279 Estonia 484 51 2071 Finland 225 56 721 France 15058 9401 27727 Germany 8802 2255 23727 Greece 457 155 1141 Hungary 477 104 1686 Ireland 401 208 626 Italy 20300 18531 22824 Latvia 125 6 858 Lithuania 104 27 445 Luxembourg 69 41 191 Malta 19 1 112 Netherlands 5808 2358 19173 Norway 669 164 1104 Poland 1953 392 6504 Portugal 471 348 765 Romania 804 267 2541 Slovakia 251 13 2015 Slovenia 104 43 424 Spain 19209 14605 30616 Sweden 4182 801 4724 United Kingdom 66314 14573 219211

Contact: [email protected]

For Italy: Gianluca Giansante, [email protected], +39 3409017753

Orsola Randi, [email protected], +39 3393273672

For Spain: Andrea Joseph, [email protected], +54 91159790368

For UK and other European nations: Oliver Courtney, [email protected], +44 7815731889

Jon Date, [email protected], +44 7533011983

SOURCE Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

Related Links

http://healthdata.org/


Initially kickstarted as a 3-week exercise in dedicated social distancing, Indias pandemic lockdown has now closed in on its last week - at least according to PM Modis initial announcement on 24th March.

Despite the original plan, the last fortnight has proved to be a trying time for everyone in the nation, from executives hosting meetings at home to the harrowing, life-threatening challenges faced by Indian doctors out in the field.

 Reuters

The situation has clearly changed, and with India having entered this pandemic with both a political and economic crisis on its hands, several state authorities have been quick to suggest, amidst other things, a nationwide extension of the three-week lockdown.



According to The Times of India, a succession of state governments such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab, and now Madhya Pradesh have come out in favour of extending the lockdown period.

 Reuters

Even central figures such as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu came out to consider a lockdown extension. "Between the considerations of the health of the people and stabilisation of our economy being debated, the former shall take precedence over the later, he stated this Tuesday. In my view, while the concerns of the economy can wait for another day, that of health cant. I appeal to people to abide by whatever decision is ultimately taken by the leadership and cooperate in the ongoing national effort... even if it means continuing with some degree of hardship still beyond April 14."



In order to better plan ahead for this, the GoM (Group of Ministers), led by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh convened to discuss ideas and plans to implement a lockdown extension, as well as how to ease back into normal living conditions once the lockdown ends.

 Reuters

Options such as odd-even and limits on the number of people in passenger vehicles are said to be on the table. The list of exemptions that includes activities relating to harvest and supply of everyday needs could be expanded. Some district administrations have allowed repairmen and caregivers to attend to their duties.



There is no question of opening state borders, a top government official said to a publication. "Though a formal decision is yet to be taken, feedback so far suggests that relaxing restrictions would be hugely risky, he added.

 Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video message to BJP workers on Monday had stressed that the battle against the pandemic would be long-drawn, hinting at the possibility of the lockdown being extended - a move backed by CMs Shivraj Singh Chouhan from MP and Telanganas K. Chandrasekhar Rao.



On social media, ordinary citizens have begun to enter heated debates, discussions and concerns over a possible lockdown extension.

Retired Major Gaurav Arya highlighted the topic as it made headlines this week, focusing on the need to stay motivated and determined to fight off the pandemic.

This Times of India report says that Center is mulling over requests from states for a lockdown extension. Tough days ahead for the nation, if that happens. But if we stick together, this too shall pass.



Astra inclinant, sed non obligant. https://t.co/HWuxExXpI8  Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) (@majorgauravarya) April 7, 2020

Others began to look in the opposite direction, dreading another 21 days spent cooped up at home.



No more extension of the lockdown please, lets have new norms of social distancing, set stricter guidelines and punishments for those not following, get more extensive testing done but no more extensions please@MoHFW_INDIA #myview #IndiaFightsCoronavirus  Charmaine (@charmz_m18) April 4, 2020

Some pointed out the futility of relying on a half-hearted effort.



If lockdown is lifted now, these 21 days of lockdown is wasted. The extension of lockdown is necessary in India for reduction of corona. So every should support this and save our life's and save our country from this virus #ExtendTheLockdown#StayAtHome  Sampath_prathiapti (@Sampath33508708) April 7, 2020

While others called for heavy military intervention to keep people off the streets.



Dear @narendramodi , no need of just one day of lockdown. At 9 pm tomorrow, please announce extension for 1 month. We are a very irresponsible lot, so just force us to stay home & bring Army on the streets. Once the 'fire' starts, there's no looking back, so please save India    (@ggiittiikkaa) March 21, 2020

Whichever way you look at it, its important to stay poised and ready for more surprise announcements from the central government.


The White House is requesting an additional $251 billion for additional small business lending as part of the governments coronavirus response, eliciting a counter from congressional Democrats asking for $125 billion in targeted aid for farmers, women, minorities, and veteran-owned businesses.

Ill be asking Congress to provide an additional $250 billion for the paycheck protection, which will help keep Americans employed, to facilitate a quick and full recovery, President Trump said on Tuesday at the White House during a coronavirus task force briefing.

The Senates phase-three package, which passed last month, earmarked $350 billion to make small business loans through commercial banks to companies with 500 or fewer employees, provided the companies agree to keep workers on the payroll. As part of the Paycheck Protection Program, most or all of the loan would be written off if the borrower retained its workers and didnt cut their wages, with the government repaying the banks for the forgiven portions of the loans.

In a letter to Capitol Hill, the White House Office of Management and Budget said that the program, conducted through the Small Business Administration (SBA), has administered over 220,000 loans  totaling approximately $66 billion. Given the level of demand for the program, the Administration believes the funds appropriated for this program will soon be exhausted, the letter reads.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said in a statement on Tuesday that he hoped to approve the additional funding with unanimous consent or a voice vote during a procedural session on Thursday, without the full chamber present.

It is quickly becoming clear that Congress will need to provide more funding or this crucial program may run dry, McConnell said. That cannot happen. Nearly 10 million Americans filed for unemployment in just the last two weeks. This is already a record-shattering tragedy, and every day counts.

Story continues

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.)  who said she was open to an interim package  countered with their own proposal Wednesday, which placed a number of conditions on the new funding to make sure 50 percent of it goes to farmers, women, minorities, and veteran-owned businesses. The proposal also called for an additional $100 billion in hospital funding and $150 billion more for state and local governments.

More from National Review
We are all in the boat together. Kevin Giles writes from Australia

Who in Australia could have imagined in late February 2020 that Qantas would ground all its planes and stand down 20,000 staff, Myers, would close all of its stores and put off 10,000 staff, by the end of March over one million Australians would be unemployed, the government would be subsidising all wages up to $1500 a month, 9.5 million families would be confined to their home, most children would not be going to school, toilet paper and pasta would be very scarce in supermarkets, retired people with super funds may have lost up to 10% the value of their investments, and all churches would be closed. On Easter day this year there will be a more muted triumphant communal exclamation, He is Risen.

In this critical hour our national leaders are telling us the most import thing we can do to stop the spread of Covid-19 is, Isolate yourself. Do not leave your home except to exercise on your own, go to the supermarket on your own, or visit your doctor if you must, and if you can, work at home and study at home. Keep 1.5 metres between you and anyone else. This regime, our leaders tell us, will last for at least 6 months, possibly longer. It is the new normal. This crisis will not end until a vaccine is developed, and most think this will take about 18 months.

Our leaders must make these rules if large numbers of lives are to be spared so that in the long term we can return to near full employment and prosperity, if we ever get back to the way we were. Mr Morrison, our Prime Minister, at this time has the hardest job possible. We should be praying for him and his team.

Isolate yourself.

Do not mix with others outside of your home is the primary message. If you must go out keep your distance. Any contact you have with someone else - make it brief. The problem is we humans are social beings. Our health is as dependent on social interaction as it is on food. Isolation can be lethal. A sentence of solitary confinement is the worst punishment you can inflict on a human being. For this reason, not surprisingly, some of us are not keeping to the rules we have been asked to obey and are freely mixing with others. We have been told the 20 to 30-year olds are the worst offenders, but it seems to me as an oldie that my age group is not far behind. The blame game takes us nowhere; what is important is the question, Can we keep up this isolation for 6 months to a year? It certainly is going to be challenging and costly.

Image: Photo by Heamosoo Kim on Unsplash

Now I want to address specifically this issue for those of us who identify as Christians. The Christian religion is a communal religion. Jesus called twelve disciples, whom he called apostles, to be his companions on the way. We now recognise that they were proto church, the beginning of the Christian community. When the risen Jesus sent out the Twelve Apostles, after Easter to preach the Gospel, they immediately had their converts meeting together, usually at first in larger homes. They called these gatherings, churches. This English word translates the Greek word ekklesia, and so we get the English word ecclesiastical to refer to churchy matters. The Greek word is best translated, community. The word speaks of those who have a common identity as followers of Christ and in specific locations have a common life together. So, the Epistle of Hebrews, says, Do not neglect to meet together (Heb 10:25). Christian theologians differ on many matters but none would reject this admonition. I have been told a thousand times, You can be a good Christian and not go to church, which in exceptional situations is true, but as a general rule it is not. We need to gather with other Christians to keep faith and hope alive and to encourage one another. This is the very thing  well at least as we have done - we cannot do for at least 6 months.

Yes, we must isolate ourselves but the cost of doing this is not only economic. It will impact also on both our physical and mental health and put huge strain on many families and marriages. And for Christians specifically - my concern - it will make keeping faith and hope alive in this unbelieving world more difficult than ever.

What we must do.

For our general well-being and mental health we must keep in contact with others, and for our spiritual health this is also true. And the one piece of good news is that we can do this in 2020 better than has ever been possible. Almost all homes now have access to the National Broadband Cable (NBN) that gives high speed access to the World Wide Web. On this we can connect with others face to face on Skype, Zoom, Facetime and half a dozen other platforms. We can thus speak, see and join in conferences with those with whom we work, catch up with our extended families and friends - best of all or grandchildren if we are so blessed. What is more we can have church in the home. Our church is using Zoom as are many other churches. On Sunday mornings we join in worship with all our community and during the week with the dozen or so we meet with our home group.

Yes, I am aware that many older Australians, including many church goers are not on the internet. We are told that up to 20% of homes dont have internet connection. Their families and friends will thus need to use the old-fashioned hard-line phone to keep in contact with them and the pastoral team in churches will need to do the same. We cannot meet person to person but we certainly can keep in contact and support one another.

This comment is a reminder that as Christians we should be looking out for others and not worrying all the time only about ourself. I know someone who is ringing each day several people she knows need support and encouragement to talk with them and to ask how she can help. By thinking about others and keeping herself busy by helping others she is her usual positive self. She is coping very well.

Jesus is with us.

To conclude, let me say we as Christians are not in this alone in this dark hour. When Jesus sent out those first disciples to preach the Gospel he said, and I will be with you always. He had been with them physically for 3 years and now he promises to be with them spiritually at all times.

This thought made me think of the Gospel story of the afraid disciples in the midst of a storm on Lake Galilee. This is what we read in Luke 8:22-25.

One day Jesus got into the boat with his disciples, and he said to them, Let us go to the other side of the lake. So they put out. While they were sailing Jesus fell asleep. A windstorm swept down the lake, and the boat was filling with water and they were in danger. The disciples woke Jesus, shouting, Master, master, we are perishing! He awoke and rebuked the wind and the ranging waves; they ceased and there was calm. Jesus said to them, where is your faith?

We like the disciples are hugely afraid, in our case of what this awful pandemic may mean for us and our loved ones  and for our country and other countries. We fear what is happening will engulf us and spell disaster and the world may never return to the way things were pre Covid-19. As Christians, we are not spared from this threat or from any of the other challenges and hurts of life. What we have distinctively is the presence of Jesus. He is in the boat with us. With him we can face whatever life throws at us.
NEW DELHI: Maulana Saad Khandhlawi, the chief of religious Islamic outfit Tablighi Jamaat, which is being blamed for the sudden spurt in coronavirus infections in the country, is quarantined in his Zakir Nagar residence in the national capital, Delhi Police sources said on Wednesday (April 8, 2020).

It was earlier reported that Maulana Saad has gone into quarantine in an undisclosed place.

The Delhi Polices Crime Branch has been conducting raids in search of him at several places in the national capital and in Uttar Pradesh since Sunday.

According to police sources, Crime Branch teams had conducted raids in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh with the help of the local police. Raids were also conducted in three of his residences in Delhis Zakir Nagar and Nizamuddin.

Maulana Saad had courted controversy for not paying heed to the advice of other Islamic clerics who had urged him to cancel the religious congregation Delhis Nizamuddin area between March 13 and March 15. Saads stubborn attitude coupled with the voluntary participation of over 3,000 Jamaatis has now endangered public health and safety.

Caught in the eye of a storm over sheltering more than 2,000 religious followers at Tablighi Jamats Delhi headquarters in Nizamuddin during the COVID-19 lockdown, Maulana Saad claims to have over 100 crore followers in nearly 200 countries.

Maulana Saad had released an audio recording, presumably shot in a studio, appealing to attendees to follow authorities and cooperate with the doctors. He further asked the Muslims to take the name of Allah and pray. Instead of worrying about the disease, say the name of Allah, he said.

He functions from the Nizamuddin mosque, which serves as a global Markaz (center) of Tablighi Jamaat.

Deemed as one of the most influential movements in the Muslim world, Tablighi Jamaat was established by Maulana Muhammed Ilyas Khandlawi, the great grandfather of Maulana Saad.

Tablighi Jamaat is an offshoot of the Deoband movement and aims at revival of the true Islam as perceived by the Prophet Mohammed.
A group of bikies were slapped with $1,652 fines each after they were caught breaking coronavirus restrictions by having a party.

Nine people - seven men and two women - were at the Rebels OMCG clubhouse in Sunshine West, in Victoria, on Tuesday night when police stopped by.

Victoria Police were doing spot checks on homes and businesses to ensure residents are abiding by stage three restrictions, which were introduced on March 31 to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Nine people - seven men and two women - were at the Rebels OMCG clubhouse in Sunshine West, in Victoria, on Tuesday night when police stopped by (Pictured: Members of the outlaw motorcycle gang)

Police conducted 835 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state in the past 24 hours as part of Operation Sentinel and 114 fines have been issued

Under the rules, gatherings are restricted to no more than two people except for members of your immediate household.

Residents are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons, those being for food, work or education, exercise and medical care or compassionate needs.

Each member of the group was issued an on-the-spot fine of $1,652 for breaching the directions of the Chief Health Officer and provided directions to move on.

'As always, Victoria Police will be closely proactively monitoring all activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs,' a police spokesman said.

'This will include issuing fines whenever they are found breaching the Chief Health Officer's directives by congregating in clubhouses.'

Police conducted 835 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state since Tuesday as part of Operation Sentinel and 114 fines have been issued.

Since 21 March, Victoria Police have conducted 16,039 spot checks.

In the past 24 hours seven people were issued infringements after they were caught having dinner party, which is against social distancing rules.

Police have been stepping up spot checks amid the fight against the spread of the virus as Australia's infect rate begins to slow (Pictured: An infringement notice given to a cyclist on Sunday)

Police have been stepping up spot checks amid the fight against the spread of the virus as Australia's infect rate begins to slow (Pictured: An infringement notice given to a cyclist on Sunday)

Four people were fined after they were caught walking the streets seeking drugs.

A group of friends was also issued infringements for hanging out in a park.

Since last month residents in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT have been banned from leaving home except for food and supplies, medical care, exercise, and work or education.

The rules are to slow the spread of the coronavirus to prevent hospitals from being swarmed with patients as scientists search for a cure.
The planned SpaceX launch of a new GPS navigation satellite this month for the U.S. military has been delayed to at least June due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Space Force officials say.

In a statement released on Tuesday (April 7), officials with the Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) announced that they've postponed the launch "to minimize the potential of COVID-19 exposure to the launch crew and early-orbit operators."

The new global positioning system satellite GPS III-3 was originally scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in late April. It will now launch no earlier than June 30, SMC officials said. That target will be reevaluated in May, they added.

"We do not make this decision lightly, however, given our GPS constellation remains strong, we have the opportunity to make a deliberate decision to maintain our mission assurance posture, without introducing additional health risk to personnel or mission risk to the launch," Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, SMC commander and program executive officer for space, said in the statement.

Video: How the U.S. Space Force's GPS III satellites work

Related: Coronavirus pandemic: Full space industry coverage

The Space Force's GPS navigation satellite constellation consists of 31 satellites in orbit now. Like its name suggests, GPS III-3 will be the third of a new modernized series (the GPS III block) to join the constellation. The GPS III design offers three times the accuracy and an up to eight-time improvement on anti-jamming capabilities over its predecessor, the GPS II block, SMC officials said.

"The GPS system supports vital U.S. and allied operations worldwide, unabated. As the COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to national security, likewise, rescheduling the launch is in the interest of national security," Thompson said in the statement. "We have to get it right the first time, and protecting our people is just as important as cost, schedule and performance."

SMC officials aim to launch three GPS satellites in 2020, with GPS III-3 being the first of them. Its immediate predecessor, GPS III-2, launched in August 2019 and entered service on April 1.

But to launch those GPS missions, SMC officials must make procedure and facility changes at the GPS III Launch and Checkout Capability operations center to reduce the number of personnel on site and support proper social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Once these efforts are completed, and the crews have rehearsed and are deemed proficient and ready to execute under these modified conditions, we fully intend to return to our launch cadence for deploying GPS III satellites," Col. Edward Byrne, chief of the Medium Earth Orbit Space Systems Division, said in the statement.

The GPS III-3 launch delay is not the first for SpaceX due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, the company had planned to launch the Earth-observation radar satellite SAOCOM 1B for Argentina, but was forced to postpone the March 30 liftoff when travel restrictions prevented Argentine personnel from reaching the launch site for final preparations.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch its first Crew Dragon with astronauts aboard, the Demo-2 mission, in mid-May. That mission for NASA will launch astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
Iranian lawmakers convened Tuesday for the first time since Feb. 19, when the government officially acknowledged the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In the absence of powerful speaker Ali Larijani, who has contracted the disease, his deputy Masoud Pezeshkian presided over the session, repeatedly rebuking fellow parliamentarians for their failure to maintain the appropriate distance between each other.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki briefed the assembly on the pandemic, saying his ministry had known that the virus would ultimately plague our country and people. But he assured the nation that it will be under full control by May 20. Nearly half of the capacity of Iranian hospitals, according to Namaki, remains unused and not a single patient has been turned away so far.

Nonetheless, a deputy health minister told a virtual briefing in Tehran the same day that intensive care beds are now overwhelmed by the outbreak, contradicting President Hassan Rouhani, who has spoken of infrastructural preparedness for thousands more patients in critical condition.

Amid multiple estimates regarding the tremendous impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Iranian economy, Rouhani has promised loans to help four million Iranian families to the tune of 10 to 20 million Iranian rials ($60 to $120), depending on family size. According to Iranian lawmaker Aziz Akbarian, the figure will do little to help average households.

At least 3,872 Iranians have died from the virus as the community of those infected has now grown beyond 62,000. In a grim estimate, a member of the countrys Committee to Combat Coronavirus put the figure way higher, saying up to half a million Iranians must have contracted the disease so far. Elsewhere, Ali Akbar Haghdoust, the chairman of the Health Ministrys COVID-19 panel of epidemiologists spoke of a definite exponential jump in the coming days.

In his address to the parliament, the Iranian health minister also reminded lawmakers that today is the moment for an all-out war on the pandemic rather than tracing the origins of the virus. Namaki appeared to be addressing conspiracy theories that have gained momentum among Iranian hard-liners in recent weeks. In the latest such claim, conservative Ali Shirazi  who represents Irans supreme leader in the powerful Quds Force  accused the United States of developing the virus with an aim to break its enemies Iran and China.

China has loomed large in the coronavirus debates in Iran. On Twitter, Chinese Ambassador Chang Hua was seen openly clashing with Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour after the latter criticized Beijing for misleading the world about coronavirus mortality rates, calling it a bitter joke that China shared with the world.

While the spokesman backtracked on his criticism later, the Chinese envoy was accused by many social media users of "snobbery" when he advised the Iranian official to check the Chinese government's daily briefings to verify his statements. The fierce backlash has prompted the Chinese ambassador to go on a blocking spree, removing many Iranian followers on Twitter.
As soon as the coronavirus lockdown started in different countries, videos showing that animals are coming to the streets have popped up social media portals. Such types of posts claim that these animals have come out after looking at the absence of human beings. Similarly, a recent viral video shows that whales were spotted in Bombay High's oil rig.

ALSO READ | Fact Check: Did Ex-Vodafone Boss Reveal The Connection Between 5G Towers & Coronavirus?

Claim:

People have shared on their social media portals a video that shows whales coming on the surface of the water. These posts claim that the whales were seen at the Bombay High's oil rig. The video shows a whale swimming in the water and then another one coming out of it, as its shiny skin glistens under the sunlight. The Mumbai High Field is an offshore oilfield which is located some 176 km off the coast of Mumbai.

Said to be a sighting from the Bombay High offshore oil field, would be grateful if someone could authenticate. Even if not, its a lovely sight!!!! pic.twitter.com/HpU4jPPJc0  Nistula Hebbar (@nistula) April 4, 2020

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Rating: Fake

A simple reverse image search with the use of some snippets of the video shows that the video is not from the Mumbai High Field. The video was posted in August 2019 by a user on YouTube. The video shows Nusa Penida, which is an island located in the southeast region of Indonesia's Bali.

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The video is from Indonesia, Bali taken in 2019

Origin:

A video of whales being spotted in Mumbai is getting viral on social media but it is fake. A news source from Indonesia had also tweeted about the whales and the video in the year 2019. The news source informs that the video shows a group of humpback whales crossing the Karimunjawa sea. They also shared that the Indonesian waters are not the annual immigration path of the whales so it was a delight and treat for the people who witnessed the scene.

ALSO READ | Fact Check: Can Police Take Action Against Whatsapp Group Admins For COVID-19 Based Jokes?

This is not the first time that posts like these were shared on social media. People have claimed to spot various animals on the streets after the lockdown. When it comes to Mumbai, in real news, peacocks were spotted roaming around the streets near Hanging Gardens.

ALSO READ | Fact Check: Was Prince Charles Cured Of Coronavirus By Ayurveda And Homeopathy?
Jaish-e-Mohammed Commander Sajad Nawab Dar has been neutralised in an encounter in Sopore, Kashmir Zone Police informed on Wednesday.

Further details are awaited.

On Tuesday, A CRPF jawan succumbed to injuries sustained in an attack by terrorists on a CRPF team in Anantnag district here.

The Indian Army on Monday carried out an operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector, in which five Pakistan supported terrorists were killed and five of Army's own Special Forces troops also lost their lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
by



William Minter and Imani Countess*

* William Minter is the editor of AfricaFocus Bulletin. Imani Countess is an Open Society Fellow focusing on economic inequality.



Thanks to Catherine Sunshine for her editing of the essays in this series.

Our goal in this writing project to not to lay out a comprehensive vision of U.S. foreign policy or of U.S. policy toward Africa. It is rather to suggest that the time is ripe for re-visioning how we think about the U.S. role in the world. Such rethinking is essential for any fundamental changes in policy on pressing global issues, on which Africa both suffers the greatest vulnerability and has significant potential for leading global rethinking about solutions.

1. Beyond Eurocentrism and U.S. Exceptionalism, January 27, 2020

2. The Green New Deal Can and Must Be Global, January 27, 2020

3. National and Global Inequality are Intertwined, February 24, 2020

4. Special Issue: Can Coronavirus Be a Catalyst for Thinking Globally?, March 25,2020

5. Contesting Health and Workers Rights, May 12, 2020

6. Special Issue: Racial Pandemic and Viral Pandemic, June 8, 2020

7. Divest from Violent Policing and Endless Wars, 1, August 24, 2020

8. Divest from Violent Policing and Endless Wars, 2, August 24, 2020

9. Special Issue: Overhauling U.S. Foreign Policy, September 22, 2020

10. Building back a better Africa policy should not mean going back to old ways, November 25, 2020

Note: essays in this series may be freely reposted with attribution. Thanks to Praxis Center, the Global African Worker, Inequality.org, and Sharing.org, which reposted essays from the series in January and February.

The special essay first published in Organizing Upgrade on March 25 as well as in AfricaFocus Bulletin, was also updated and reposted by Foreign Policy in Focus and Praxis Center. Several of the articles in the series were also published in Responsible Statecraft
The guided-missile destroyer Hohhot (Hull 161) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command steams in waters of the South China Sea during a maritime training exercise in Mid-July, 2019. Photo:China Military

US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said at a press statement on Monday that the US is "seriously concerned" by reports of China's "sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel" in the vicinity of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. The statement said the incident was China's action to "assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea."

A Vietnamese fishing boat entered the inland waters off China's Xisha Islands and refused to leave despite warnings by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 3. The Chinese Coast Guard vessel was struck at the bow and the Vietnamese fishing boat sank. All eight Vietnamese fishermen on board were rescued and no one was injured.

The unfortunate incident occurred on the early morning of April 2 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the US, which still issued a derogatory statement and intervened in disputes between China and Vietnam. The US can never miss a chance to interfere in the South China Sea issue. The US stubbornly regards China as a rival, and to achieve its goals, Washington cares only about its political stand and is not interested in determining right or wrong.

The US seeks to hype the South China Sea issue in terms of diplomacy and public opinion, tarnish China's international image and drive a wedge between China and Vietnam. Thus, China should not be surprised by the intervention. Nor should we let the US dominate the situation. As always, China's focus is on the proper handling of related issues with Vietnam and adhering to the position that disputes over sovereignty should be negotiated and settled by the claimants alone.

The US does not really support Vietnam's position or those of other countries that have disputes with China. The US only hopes to use the disputes to sow discord between China and the other countries and turn them into pawns of the US policy of containing China.

If China and the US reach a compromise, or if the situation actually harms US' interests, don't expect the US to continue to be the so-called backer of other countries in the region. These countries are well aware of this. They may coordinate with the US to win some support from Washington, but they will not choose sides as the US attempts to contain China.

Despite US attempts to drive a wedge between China and Vietnam, the two countries' relations are generally stable. This shows that the US is not the main factor in the development of China-Vietnam relations. Although the South China Sea issue is prominent, it is not the whole of China-Vietnam relations. Their bilateral relations are based on deep political mutual trust and economic dependence. US interference will not make the two countries drift apart.

In its statement, the US called on China to "remain focused on supporting international efforts" to combat COVID-19, claiming that China should "stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea."

The US' accusation is flawed.

First, China's claims in the South China Sea have been consistent. China is aware that relevant countries have submitted their own sovereignty claims, which should be resolved through negotiations by claimants. The US' suggestion that China's claims are "unlawful" is an unethical misrepresentation of the facts, which it knows is unfair.

Second, China's normal scientific research and law enforcement activities in the area have long been known to exist. They have not stopped because of China's internal epidemic, nor have they expanded because of other countries' epidemic situation.

Third, China actively supports the global fight against COVID-19 by providing medical supplies to other countries and sending medical experts around the world. It is the US, not China that wants to escalate the situation and interfere with the international community's joint response to the pandemic.

Faced with continuous provocation from the US in the South China Sea, China should respond in a targeted way. China should not regard the South China Sea as an issue in China-US relations. Any response to US accusations must be based on the stand that sovereignty disputes must be settled through negotiations among claimants. Escalating the South China Sea issue will only serve the US, which is attempting to hype the situation.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Li Qingqing based on an interview with Li Kaisheng, a deputy director at the Institute of International Relations, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
US State Dep't to Allocate Another $225 Mln to Boost Efforts to Combat COVID-19 - Pompeo

Sputnik News

14:50 GMT 07.04.2020(updated 15:22 GMT 07.04.2020)

The Trump administration is facing criticism from some members of Congress over shortages of equipment such as protective gowns and masks needed to protect healthcare workers, as well as a lack of COVID-19 diagnostic tests that give results on the day they are taken.

The US State Department will allocate another $225 million in assistance to boost efforts to combat COVID-19, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"Today I can confirm that we are prepared to commit an additional $225 million in health, humanitarian and economic assistance to further boost response efforts worldwide", Pompeo said at a briefing. "We do this because we are good and generous people".

The funding comes on top of roughly $274 million already provided by the US to 64 countries amid the pandemic.

"Right now, given the great need for PPE (personal protection equipment) in our own country, our focus will be on keeping critical medical items in the United States until demand is met here", Pompeo told the State Department news conference.

On 6 April, White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow said that the Trump administration had rolled out $38 billion in loans to small US businesses from its $2 trillion coronavirus (COVID-19) stimulus package, just over 10 percent of what was allocated to the group under the pandemic relief.

Earlier the same day, Kudlow told CNBC that the administration was considering a coronavirus bond issue to help the US economy in its "war" against the COVID-19 pandemic. He said this in response to a suggestion from the network that the government issue an $8 trillion, 30-year bond with a coupon rate of 1.5 percent.

The United States has more than 368,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases with more than 11,000 deaths due to the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre.

 Sputnik

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The "Biodegradable Plastic Market Size, Share Trends Analysis Report by Type (Starch-based, PLA, PHA, PBAT, PBS), by End Use (Packaging, Consumer Goods, Agriculture), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global biodegradable plastic market size is projected to reach USD 7.6 billion by 2027, rising at a revenue-based CAGR of 9.4% during the forecast period.

Increasing use of biodegradable products, owing to strict governmental laws for prohibiting use of conventional plastics and growing awareness among public toward their ill-effects is boosting the market growth.

The starch-based segment led the global biodegradable plastic market, since they are used in various applications such as packaging, consumer electronics, agriculture, automotive, and textiles. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is also one of the most consumed products, which is used in 3D printing, mulch film, and packaging.

Ban on plastics by European Commission is anticipated to drive the packaging segment growth over the forecast period. Novel applications of biodegradable products in the medical sector for drug encapsulation and medical surgeries are also being increasingly practiced.

People across the globe, are facing grave issues of waste as conventional plastics take hundreds of years to decompose. To tackle this issue several countries have banned the use of single-use plastic products and are promoting eco-friendly biodegradable products. Ban of non-reusable conventional plastics in many regions, especially in Europe and North America, is estimated to propel the market demand. Additionally, improving standard of living and increasing disposable income in developing countries are likely to augur well for the market in Asia-Pacific and Central and South America.

Key players are investing in research and development activities in order to create improved products that are strong and can be easily decomposed in natural environment. Many companies have integrated value chain to serve customers better and improve company profits.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

The Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) segment is projected to expand at a significant CAGR of 10% in terms of revenue during the forecast period, owing to increasing use of PHA in medical and other applications

Packaging is the largest end-use segment, followed by the agriculture sector, owing to replacement of conventional plastics in food packaging such as boxes, wraps, cups, plates

Europe is the largest region in terms of revenue as well as volume. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest growing region

Major players in the biodegradable plastic industry include BASF SE, NatureWorks LLC, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Carbion, and Biome Technologies plc.

Key Topics Covered

Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Biodegradable Plastics: Market Variables, Trends Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Biodegradable Plastics: Market Dynamics

3.3 Value Chain Analysis

3.4 Technology Overview

3.5 Regulatory Framework

3.6 Market Variables Analysis

3.6.1 Market Driver Analysis

3.6.1.1 Growing Use of Renewable Bio-Based Products

3.6.1.2 The Shift in Consumer Preferences Toward Eco-Friendly Packaging and Strict Government Regulations

3.6.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.6.2.1 Cost Competitiveness of Biodegradable Plastics Over Conventional Plastics

3.6.2.2 Shortcomings of Biodegradable Plastics

3.7 Penetration and Growth Prospect Mapping

3.7.1 New Market Avenues

3.8 Biodegradable Plastics Market Porter's Analysis

3.9 Biodegradable Plastics Market PESTEL Analysis

Chapter 4 Biodegradable Plastics Market: Type Estimates Trend Analysis

4.1 Biodegradable Plastics Market: Type movement analysis, 2019 2027

4.2 Starch-based

4.3 Polylactic Acid (PLA)

4.4 Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate (PBAT)

4.5 Polybutylene Succinate (PBS)

4.6 Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)

4.7 Others

Chapter 5 Biodegradable Plastics Market: End-use Estimates Trend Analysis

5.1 Biodegradable plastics market: End-use movement analysis, 2019 2027

5.2 Packaging

5.3 Agriculture

5.4 Consumer Goods

5.5 Others

Chapter 6 Biodegradable Plastics Market: Regional Estimates Analysis

6.1 Biodegradable Plastics Market: Regional movement analysis

6.2 North America

6.3 Europe

6.4 Asia-Pacific

6.5 Central South America (CSA)

6.6 Middle East Africa

Chapter 7 Competitive Landscape

7.1 Key Global Players, Recent Developments Their Impact on the Industry

7.2 Vendor Landscape

7.3 Public companies

7.4 Private Companies

Chapter 8 Company Profiles

8.1 Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

8.2 Biome Technologies plc

8.3 Plantic Technologies Limited

8.4 BASF SE

8.5 Corbion

8.6 Yield10 Bioscience, Inc.

8.7 Eastman Chemical Company

8.8 NatureWorks LLC

8.9 Dow Inc.

8.10 Danimer Scientific

8.11 Novamont S.p.A.

8.12 Toray Industries, Inc.

8.13 TianAn Biologic Materials Co. Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c9hpga

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005556/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

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Modern skyscrapers in business district

The world is starting to feel the initial shock of the coronavirus-induced recession. Expect a deep and unprecedented one since the Great Depression. This is a peacetime recession where economies are beleaguered to defeat the pandemic.

One financial adviser is saying the market crash of today is going to be a key risk aversion reference point from here on. The event will be in everyones mind for a long time. The S&P 500 has never dropped from the peak at a rapid pace.

Fastest drawdown

The February to March 2020 selloff was the fastest 30% drawdown in history. In only 22 days, the stock market was cut by a third. The nearest pullback took 23 days and happened back in February 1934 during the Great Depression. Notably, the 2008 Financial Crisis did not record such mind-bending statistics.

Recession fears

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is currently outperforming Wall Street. However, it doesnt mean that Canadas main stock index is not in a bind. The tumbling crude prices are compounding the woes in North America. Even with a fiscal stimulus package, stock movements are very erratic.

The consumer discretionary, energy, financial, and healthcare sectors declined again when the market closed on April 3, 2020. Many top names such as Bank of Nova Scotia. Fairfax, Suncor, and Toronto-Dominion Bank posted losses.

Struggling energy stock

The TSX managed to post gains for two straight weeks now. With oil price surging of late, Cenovus Energy (TSX:CVE)(NYSE:CVE) was able to gain headway as the shares advanced 3.28% to finish the week. The news that Saudi Arabia and Russia are cutting oil production by 10 million to 15 million barrels per day was the boost.

Still, Cenovus is losing by 73.3% year to date. For the second time, this $4.25 billion oil and gas integrated company has announced that it will curb spending by an additional $150 million. From the original guidance of $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion, the total capital spending for 2020 is down to $600 million.

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COVID-19 is hurting global energy demand. Similarly, the outlook for exploration and production appears gloomy. With Cenovus restricting its operations, the upstream activities will be diminished significantly.

Cenovus ended 2019 with $186 million in cash and cash equivalents, while total long-term debt stood at $6.7 billion. To lift the pressure off the cash balance, the company is temporarily suspending its quarterly dividend payout.

The Canadian industry is facing a situation in which it could be curtailing up to 1.7 million barrels daily, or roughly one-third of the countrys total production. The reason is that storage capacity is running out. Cenovus is supporting whatever the Province of Alberta decides to avert a storage crunch.

World economy at a standstill

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on advanced economies to help emerging markets and developing countries to survive the health and economic impacts. But the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) have stern warnings.

The IMF managing director said this recession is far worse than the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, while the WB president sees a major global recession. Certainly, tough times are ahead for everyone.

The post Mind-Bending Stat Reveals How Bad This 2020 Market Crash Really Is appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

Fool contributor Christopher Liew has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA and FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LTD.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020
The son of a Kearny woman who died last week as a result of complications from the coronavirus has also died after contracting the virus, a family friend said.

Thomas Martins died Monday night, the eve of his 30th birthday, at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, said Joni Lewin, who had been a friend of Martins mother, Carolyn Martins-Reitz, since childhood.

Martins-Reitz, 55, had died nine days earlier, also at Clara Maass, after having been admitted for treatment for a fever and an underlying heart condition, Lewin said.

Martins had Down syndrome, and lived with his mother, younger half-sister, Sharon, and stepfather, Rudy Reitz, in Kearny.

Martins reacted badly to his mothers hospitalization on March 20, panicking, then developing symptoms of his own, before he was admitted to the hospital the next day, Lewin said. Both tested positive for the coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The coronavirus has led to at least 1,232 deaths in New Jersey as of Tuesday afternoon, totals that Gov. Phil Murphy said was almost unfathomable.

Martins attended the Over 21 program at the Felician School for Exceptional Children in Lodi.

He sure loved birthdays, said Lewin, of Montvale, who was Martins godmother. His Felician 21 and Over program honored his birthday by sending 30 pizzas and desserts to the staff at Clara Maass that was caring for him.

He was remembered fondly by the Felician School community Tuesday on the Over 21 program Facebook page.

In addition to his half-sister and stepfather, Martins is survived by his biological father, Rick Martins, who raised a second family in New Jersey and remained close to his son, Lewin said.

Following Martins-Reitz death, Lewin launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $15,000 as of Tuesday. The drive was intended to help the family pay medical bills for Thomas and his mother, along with funeral expenses and the cost of a memorial service once gatherings are permitted again.

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.

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Clem Agba, minister of state for budget and planning, says the fire that gutted the office of the accountant-general of the federation...





Clem Agba, minister of state for budget and planning, says the fire that gutted the office of the accountant-general of the federation did not destroy any record.





On Wednesday, fire broke out at the Treasury House, a building housing the AGFs office.





Officials of the Federal Fire Service and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were able to put out the fire after about an hour later.





Many had alleged that the fire was an attempt to cover up wrongdoing by the federal government.





But speaking with journalists after inspecting the affected offices in Abuja, Agba said they are yet to take an inventory of what was destroyed in the fire but all the governments financial transactions were intact.





The minister said the fire was caused by a spark in one of the air conditioners (AC) on the fourth floor.





We have gone round the rooms and offices where the fire affected, and I am glad to report that our data Centre where all our records are kept are fully intact, he said.





There is no destruction, so we havent lost any record. As a government I want to assure you that our records are intact, a few documents are burnt, we havent started recovery to check what actually burnt, but all our financial transactions are intact.





We would be doing a full scale investigation using the right professionals to determine exactly what happened.





Also speaking, Ahmed Idris, AGF, said there would be a thorough investigation of the incident.





For emphasis, our data Centre is intact, no harm in any way except for the cooling system which we are now working hard to put back to operation, Idris said.





We are also glad there is no casualty.




Dublin, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Power-to-Gas Market: Focus on Product, Technology, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2014-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report provides detailed market information for segmentation on the basis of product, technology, and region. The purpose of this market analysis is to examine the power-to-gas outlook in terms of factors driving the market, trends, technological developments, and competitive benchmarking, among others.



The report further takes into consideration the market dynamics and the competitive landscape along with the detailed financial and product contribution of the key players operating in the market. While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also provides a detailed study of the industry that is analyzed. The report also analyzes the cost of technologies used in the power-to-gas facility in terms of electrolysis and methanation.



Key Questions Answered in this Report:

Why should an investor consider venturing into the power-to-gas market, and what are the future growth opportunities?

For a new company looking to enter into the market, which areas could it focus upon to stay ahead of the competition?

How do the existing market players function to improve their market positioning?

How does the supply chain function in the global power-to-gas market?

Which companies have been actively involved in innovation through patent applications, and which products have witnessed maximum patent applications during the period 2013-2019?

Which product and technology segments respectively in the power-to-gas market, are estimated to witness the maximum demand during 2014-2024 and how does their growth pattern vary across different regions and countries?

Which are the key application areas in the power-to-gas market?

Which regions and countries are leading in terms of power-to-gas plant setups and which of them are estimated to witness high demand growth in the period 2014-2024?

Story continues

The concept of power-to-gas has been gaining traction owing to the rising need for deploying utility-scale energy storage solutions. However, even though the technology is theoretically being researched and studied on a wide scale, its practical operation is still upscaling and has not yet reached the stage of full-fledged commercialization. In 2024, an additional capacity of 85 MW is anticipated globally in power-to-gas market reports the analyst.



According to the market intelligence report, titled "Global Power-to-Gas Market - Analysis and Forecast 2014-2024", Europe has a favorable framework in terms of policies and tariffs that lay grounds for market incentives and create an opportunity for the growth of power-to-gas facilities. Countries such as Germany have been heavily investing in power-to-gas plants as an attempt to decarbonize their economy. The energy policies of Germany are focused on increasing investment in favor of renewable energy sources. Germany has a goal of generating around 50% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030 and up to 80% by 2050.



According to Ajeya Saxena, Lead Analyst, Power-to-gas plays a crucial role in achieving maximum return from the investments made in renewable resources. However, currently, the conversion of procured electrical energy into green gases (such as hydrogen and methane) in order to sell them on the existing natural gas grid is not economical and does not generate much profit.



The market report provides a detailed analysis of the recent trends influencing the market, along with a comprehensive study of the future trends, policies and regulatory landscape. It also includes company overview, financial summary, and their strengths and weaknesses in the global market. The overall market has been segmented on the basis of product, technology, and region. The report also includes a comprehensive section on the regional analysis for Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World.



Some of the key players in the global power-to-gas market include Aquahydrex, Inc., Electrochaea GmbH, EXYTRON GmbH, Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Hydrogenics Corporation, ITM Power PLC, MAN Energy Solutions, McPhy Energy S.A., MicroPyros GmbH, Nel ASA, Power-to-Gas Hungary Kft., Siemens AG, Southern California Gas Company, ThyssenKrupp AG, and Uniper SE.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Market Dynamics

1.1 Market Drivers

1.1.1 Transition Toward Renewable Sources of Energy

1.1.2 Government Initiatives to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

1.2 Market Restraints

1.2.1 High Investment Cost of Power-to-Gas Facility

1.2.2 Infrastructural Barriers in Terms of Gas Network

1.3 Market Opportunities

1.3.1 Growing Demand for Hydrogen as a Green Transportation Fuel

1.3.2 Rising Need for Flexibility in Energy Storage

1.3.3 Stringent Regulations that Promote Emission Reduction in Manufacturing and Power Industries



2 Competitive Landscape

2.1 Key Market Development and Strategies

2.1.1 Business Expansions

2.1.2 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Contracts

2.1.3 Investment and Funding

2.1.4 Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Ventures

2.1.5 Product Launches

2.1.6 Other Key Activities



3 Industry Analysis

3.1 Patent Analysis

3.2 Supply Chain Analysis

3.3 Industry Attractiveness

3.3.1 Threat of New Entrants (High)

3.3.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers (Low)

3.3.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low)

3.3.4 Threat of Substitutes (Low)

3.3.5 Intensity of Competition (High)

3.4 List of Planned Power-to-Gas Projects



4 Global Power-to-Gas Market (by Technology), Analysis and Forecast (2014-2024)

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Electrolysis

4.2.1 Alkaline Electrolysis (AEL)

4.2.2 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Electrolysis

4.2.3 Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOEC)

4.3 Methanation

4.3.1 Catalytic

4.3.2 Biological



5 Global Power-to-Gas Market (by Product), Analysis and Forecast (2014-2024)

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Hydrogen

5.3 Methane



6 Global Power-to-Gas Market (by End-User), Analysis and Forecast (2014-2024)

6.1 Market Overview

6.2 Steel Industry

6.3 Transportation

6.4 Gas Grid

6.5 Others



7 Economic Analysis

7.1 Market Outlook

7.2 Factors Determining the Growth of Power-to-Gas

7.2.1 Cost Analysis of the Technologies Involved

7.2.2 Pain Points of Power-to-Gas Market

7.2.3 Policy Recommendations for the Power-to-Gas Market

7.2.4 Analyst Point of View



8 Global Power-to-Gas Market (by Region), Analysis and Forecast (2014-2024)

8.1 Market Overview

8.2 Europe

8.3 Asia-Pacific

8.4 North America

8.5 Rest-of-the-World



9 Company Profiles

9.1 Overview

9.2 Aquahydrex, Inc.

9.3 Electrochaea GmbH

9.4 EXYTRON GmbH

9.5 Hitachi Zosen Corporation

9.6 Hydrogenics Corporation

9.7 ITM Power PLC

9.8 MAN Energy Solutions

9.9 McPhy Energy S.A.

9.10 MicroPyros GmbH

9.11 Nel ASA

9.12 Power-to-Gas Hungary Kft.

9.13 Siemens AG

9.14 Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas)

9.15 ThyssenKrupp AG

9.16 Uniper SE



10 CXO's Perspective



11 Report Scope and Methodology



Companies Mentioned



Aquahydrex, Inc.

EXYTRON GmbH

Electrochaea GmbH

Hitachi Zosen Corporation

Hydrogenics Corporation

ITM Power PLC

MAN Energy Solutions

McPhy Energy S.A.

MicroPyros GmbH

Nel ASA

Power-to-Gas Hungary Kft.

Siemens AG

Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas)

Uniper SE

ThyssenKrupp AG



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a3yw9m

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
How do you like them apples? A lot? Well, weve got the perfect cocktail for you, a refreshing blend of tonic water and the none-more-appley 30&40 Double Jus aperitif from France.

30&40 is named after a card game, trente et quarante, that was popular in France before the war. It was played at the casinos of Deauville, when artists and aristocrats flocked to the playground of the Normandy coast, according to the brands co-founder Vincent Bejot. It was the golden age for Normandy, it was also the golden age of the aperitif, he said.

Bejot, a Norman himself, was living in Paris and, he said, drinking lots of Calvados. He got two friends, Aymeric Dutheil and Thibault Patte, hooked on it too and the idea emerged to create an aperitif based on their favourite drink. They took pommeau, a Norman liqueur rather like Pineau des Charentes made with apple juice and brandy, and mixed it with Calvados, hence the name Double Jus. But they couldnt get the recipe quite right: Bejot explained: Too much Calvados, around 24/25 % ABV, made it taste too much like brandy. But when we put more pommeau in, it was too sweet and heavy like pommeau can be. He didnt want to take the easy way out of using neutral alcohol or sugar.

They worked with a spirits specialist called Alexandre Vingtier to solve the problem. The answer was inspired by the Norman port of Le Havre, which rather like Leith in Scotland, used to be awash with old barrels from sherry, Port and rum, which Calvados producers would age their brandy in. So they experimented with adding rum to the recipe. According to Bejot, the flavour of rhum agricole was too overpowering but a tiny amount, about 2%, of five year old rum from Belize (very expensive, according to Bejot) rounded the whole thing out without adding sugar. In future, however, hes looking to make Double Jus with all local products.

An early supporter was Paris bar Le Syndicat, famous for only using French products. Bejot only had samples in plastic bottles at that stage but the bar placed an order for two cases. I filled the two first cases in my room.Then I thought: now we can get serious, he said. London bartenders too, quickly saw the potential: Erik Lorincz when he was at the American Bar at the Savoy, Happiness Forgets and Three Sheets. They all supported us. Thats how we started. The hobby had become a business.

As well as making a delicious drink, the aim with 30&40 is to help the Calvados category which has been in decline in recent years (though there are signs that it is picking up) and to revive the great French tradition of the aperitif. Bejot explained: In the 1920s, after the war, people were super happy to stop at a local bar or cafe and have a drink after work. The word aperitif comes from the Latin apero, to open. Drinks like Dubonnet and Byrrh with their bitterness were designed to get you salivating.

It was also the time of the soda syphon. According to Bejot, the word spritz comes from Austrian tourists to Italy who ask for a spritz of soda in their bitter aperitif drinks. A cocktail classic was born.

Sadly, the classic French aperitif declined in the 1960s due to changing drinking habits. Bejot explained: Most of the brands died or were bought by big industrial groups whose main focus was to keep affordable products for existing clientele. Natural ingredients were replaced with artificial colouring and flavouring and ABV lowered for tax purposes.

He added: For us the market is not super exciting. Thats why we decided to launch a product like Double Jus, Bejot said, Quite high ABV compared with some aperitifs, and all completely artisanal. Made only from apples grown in Normandy no flavours or colourant. You can tell when you try neat or over ice.

There is still the tradition of going out for a pre-dinner drink in France even if people arent drinking French aperitifs. Instead, its usually wine, beer or, increasingly, Aperol, which has led to a Spritz revival. Bejot said Whether in the UK or France, people are used to Aperol and want to try something else. This is just the right moment to try our product.

And thats the best way to drink 30&40, just with a spritz of soda or tonic water. It could be the drink of the summer, Now, anyone for cards?

50ml 30&40 Double Jus

150ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic (or any tonic water)

Add the ingredients to an ice- filled Highball glass, stir gently and garnish with a piece of lemon peel.

Double Jus is available from Master of Malt. Tonight, Wednesday 8 April at 5pm (BST), theres a live tasting with Vincent Bejot @thelianacollection Instagram page.
[April 08, 2020] Investor demand for advisor communication during COVID-19 pandemic jumps almost 50%: AdvisorStream

Significant spike in March 2020 reflects industry's swift response

to calm growing fears of impact on retirement plans, economy NEW YORK, LONDON and TORONTO, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - For North American financial advisors, March of 2020 came in like a lion -- and went out like a lion. According to new research from industry leader AdvisorStream, the only advisor marketing platform fully partnered with the world's most credible and trusted publishers, investor demand for advisor communication jumped 47% in March from February, underscoring the desire for closer advisor-client contact as the COVID-19 pandemic began rolling through the global markets. "Investors want facts, not fear," says AdvisorStream CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Mulhern. AdvisorStream research reveals that investors want consistent and frequent personalized contact with their advisors in times of crisis, primarily by email, which answers the current and near-future inability to meet in person, and the significant time it takes to phone clients at a high freqency. "The volume of electronic communication between advisors and investors during March is unprecedented across the AdvisorStream platform in the U.S., U.K. and Canada."



In March, AdvisorStream digitally delivered nearly 4 million compliant investor communication campaigns, up by more than 500,000 from February. The spike in investor demand is attributed in major part to growing fears of the pandemic's impact on investor retirement plans, and the increasing anxiety that continues to ripple through the economy. Coupled with the reality that less than 10% of Americans and Canadians have access to premium paywall fact-checked news from trusted publishers, it is not surprising investors are looking to their advisors for credible and substantive information. "With the increasing daily uncertainty, advisors are stepping up to the plate more boldly than ever to clarify, illuminate and lead the conversation," Mulhern says. Of AdvisorStream's almost 120 million articles, commentaries, video, and infographics delivered over the six-month period ending on March 31, more than 22 million were delivered in March.

"Communication is key. Investors are more inclined to leave an advisor for a lack of communication than they are for perceived bad financial advice," says Mulhern. "Communication, in any form, from advisors is a lifeline for investors in volatile times." While advisors are laser-focused on client retention during volatility, Mulhern says there has also been an equivalent spike (38.9%) in prospect leads captured for advisors through the platform over the same period. "It appears there is opportunity in crisis. Potentially, some clients want to move, and other investors who have never had an advisor now realize they need guidance." About AdvisorStream

AdvisorStream is the only marketing platform fully partnered with the world's most credible and trusted publishers. The award-winning service helps financial advisors engage their clients and win prospects through timely, personalized and compliant investor communications. An omni-channel marketing service, AdvisorStream delivers the highest-quality and up-to-date article, commentary, video and infographic content through newsletters, social media, emails, websites, and client portals. Every year, AdvisorStream delivers hundreds of millions of communications materials on behalf of its vast network of financial advisors. Headed by CEO, co-founder and industry thought leader Kevin Mulhern, AdvisorStream has offices in New York, London, and Toronto. For more information, visit AdvisorStream.com or connect with us on social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. ATTENTION EDITORS/PRODUCERS: Kevin Mulhern is available for interviews by phone and video conferencing (Zoom, Join.me and GotoMeeting). SOURCE AdvisorStream LTD.

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Its a really nice day. Sad not to be like going out and eating outside or inviting people over but sacrifices we make sense. Its also really sad to not be able to go to church and do things like that. Really fun. But there will be other Easterners when its safer and better to do things like I met my husband just join the Chan you know how I feel about that. Can you keep people out of this. You know if they can even do maybe its too it is really pretty out that I could. I saw on Twitter that some people have snow today. Nice kitchen. Thank you very much. Matt one of the points of contention in our marriage is that I hate are extremely tiny galley kitchen and mats always like its a nice kitchen. So right now hes quite successfully trolling me on that front. Yeah I know its spring so Im in the white Maxi dress white Maxi dress gang at this point and you guessed it going to be like that even Im in my house I would love to go on true and on I would really like to go on true and on and testing. And I have anything to add the thing that they havent got to it is they would like me I would like to go very much it is pulling the platform left the democratic platform not substantially. I dont know. I wish it were. I wish I wish that it were. Im not big on Cadbury eggs because you kind of bite in there. Theres just like a whole I mean I know people like that fondant but its just not its not me. I guess its too sweet and I didnt. I dont think of myself as being someone who complains about things being too sweet. Do you think Biden has a shot at taking Texas. Not really surprised knowing Texas like Trump quite a favorite day of bowling league. I do like Good Friday a lot. How do we abandon the two party system. I dont know its a good question. I mean you know a lot of it has to do with ballot access and thats really hard. My Amish. Yes its next question. Man ever thought about running for office in some capacity. I think Matt would be a fantastic candidate for office. I think he should run but I I think it would be very difficult to talk him into doing it. I think he likes being a behind the scenes operative. He did hold many student offices for example and participated otherwise in politics and in his time as a student activist. Do I believe in aliens. I wish there were aliens. I think that would be extremely cool. Its Christian polling and its still a thing. It is still a thing. Failed to hold power for getting friends party entity. Thank you very much. I hope you guys are all having a blessed Good Friday as well. Its kind of a difficult day for a lot of reasons. Next step for the American left. I dont know I mean I think the American lefts you know there are lots of kind of down ballot and local races to focus on. I think that makes sense. You know there are a lot of candidates running in municipal offices and in state races and so forth. Could use less support and I think thats where the left is going to be. For the time being age 24 is Green Knight film cant wait. I look like and a single one. Well I am a but Im a married one. What is the best thing about being a. I dont know. I mean I guess sense of purpose and you know its lovely. Its wonderful. Im fond of it is its kind of a luxury. I mean I know thats a little crazy. Its difficult and its challenging. And at times kind of harrowing but also really nice. Weitz is thinking last summer when I would go to bed would sleep with my baby next to me and I always looked forward to going to bed with her next to me. The spirit luxuries which child is my favorite I love both my children very much. Theyre very different. How involved are you in the new opinion series the America we need. Im not involved in that very exciting new project on inequality but you should read should you get, whether its nice to see people put too much pressure on AMC to be perfect. Yeah I mean that happens with figureheads leaders of movements. Does Matt play video games. Matt he used to. He I remember the first time I saw Matt. I walked into our debate classroom in high school and he had his head directly down on a desk not on his arms or on his jacket or a hoodie or anything but he had his head flat on the desk and I assume this was like a troubled genius thing for a long time. Like he knows what a rebel. Its what a troubled and brooding young man. So when I started dating him. He admitted that in fact, he had simply played Madden all summer in a very comfortable gaming chair and had lost next strength and therefore found it very painful to hold his head up when he came right back from school and therefore his head was straight down on his desk. Why more death rate in USA than any other country. I dont know. Hi hi de rate in the United States. The area is taking measures a little bit on the elite side. How to stay optimistic. I wouldnt stay optimistic. Im certainly not optimistic. I think that the better question is how to continue living productively and happily while not being optimistic. I dont know if any of you are the Lord of the Rings maybe but Gilad Arielle the elf queen has this lovely statement about how many years we have fought the long defeat and I think thats generally how I try to approach things. There are victories in that periodically but I dont know. I dont know if its a good idea to especially hang your ability to live a happy and productive and fulfilled life on the expectation of short and medium term victories on the left or even on the side of what is morally good and right because that can be pretty disappointing. Good Friday is Good Friday is a day of mourning in a lot of ways and its just kind of a day that embodies the real difficulties and contradictions in Christianity that are meaningful and that give us strength. And those are that its a religion of great hope and faith. And at the same time religion of sacrifice quite a bit more. So a good day to kind of contemplate this those things in tension and also in conjunction with one another I do love Dorothy Day I do think the stock exchange should be closed on Good Friday thoughts on sleep training its difficult. Its very hard and its very different kid to kid theyre all different in the way that they will or wont sleep train. My favorite Easter Sunday dish I love deviled eggs I make deviled eggs myself all the time and I love making them out of colored Easter eggs I love the movie a man for all seasons I think thats a great Thomas More wonderful movie great play its one I watched me make it a lot growing up actually I do read poetry and reading quite a bit of Mary Oliver lately Im also a big fan of whats the best thing someone can do to improve their writing. I dont know the answer to that question if I did I would do it. My I guess my best tip to try to improve your writing is to read lots and lots of writers that you read and read and read and read the orb is a mapping. Right now you might hear some safari sounds when she wakes up. My favorite bird. I love dress. Theyre beautiful tips on naming babies. I think when you go to name babies you know both parents should get to lay like some ground rules and then you find something within those that fit. So Matt had a one syllable rule but within that he didnt have strong preferences. He didnt have some weird suggestions. He likes the name fern and when he first came up with that I was like no Yeah were definitely not naming a poor child fern. Now I actually think its kind of cute. It grew on me but thats how we did it. You know he would have this kind of basic ground rules. And I think both parents should have veto power because sometimes it just strikes you in a gut way we like to have more children. I think so. That would be wonderful. Now that I do have a favorite tree watch religious order in the church in this pond. I mean I like the Dominicans quite a bit older preachers my confessors a Dominican. I also like the Jesuits quite a bit like the Franciscans. Theres much to love right there is theres so much to love in all the different religious orders, and their special personalities and terrorism. I have a piece coming out on some Dominican Friar sexual the house plants the house plants are dead. They died. Theyre gone. Its very sad. Yeah I I love the house plants. But after Claire was born I did not keep up with them well I know its very sad. Sorry fell by the wayside. I regret it maybe Ill get some more of this spring there. Its like a peace Lily at least. Favorite right wing thinker. Well I like Ross at the times read him quite a bit. Boss Ross its very interesting arguments. If the cost was zero what I send my kids to Catholic school would depend on the school. A lot of questions about the marijuana happening here. Well, if the story is out of yeast and you want to make bread you can always try making sourdough starter which is what everyones doing right now. Essentially use of wild yeast thats floating around your place and try to seed starter that way. Bees are better than wasps. Spitzer pollinators are very important. Love cornbread big corn and bread. Fan Shoshana from girls. I dont think thats a good thing. But at least she got to hang out with driving. I love chocolate chip cookies. I have very strong views on chocolate chip cookies. I dont like crispy ones except right around the edges. So my recipe, that Ive messed with for years and years for chocolate chip cookies is very, very specific and its baked at a low temperature for a longer period of time and has this very specific composition of brown sugar at a weight that keeps them soft and chewy and almost kind of like fudge textured in the middle, which is what I prefer instead of crispy. I love whataburger big time. Ive only got about 2. I like whatever attention what kind of music I like bad music. I mean thats the thing I have great taste in music. I Im always afraid of telling people the music I like. I had this experience with Matt where we were in the car and I was listening to Smashing Pumpkins and I was like really into it and grooving and Matt was like turn that off its awful. And that traumatized me. I accepted that it was awful and now I feel very embarrassed about my music taste. But yeah a bunch of 90s stuff like that I guess kind of pixies fan. There are a lot of shoegaze stuff that I like. I like slow dive quite a bit still. I do like whole quite a lot. And again feel like Matt on me. For that genre of music and that grunge shading into shoegaze stuff and now Im a little bit embarrassed about it marriage tips. How I dont know. I dont know. I like being married a lot. I always thought that I would prefer that to dating and so forth and therefore married quite young. 23 when I got married and I married Matt who was my high school boyfriend. So I took a leap of faith that I wouldnt like dating around. Just kind of skipped it. And Mary you know love grows and grows. I think you have to think of marriage as something that you committed to as an institution which in when experience about Texas beyond stereotype. Having never been I think that the landscapes of Texas are undersold as one of its great assets its unrivaled I think and natural beauty of course and a little bit biased, but go in the different seasons go to Central Texas go to hill country and then go down to Big Bend and see all the different aspects of it. You know Texas has these vastly different regions. There are plains and there are hills and then out west there is sort of Red Desert and mazes and these beautiful dry formations and then out east. There is Piney Woods shading into bayou as you get to the border with Louisiana down in the Gulf. There are beautiful beaches and and then you know just gorgeous gorgeous natural landscapes and the biggest blue sky youve ever seen. So I think you should give that a try. Mr. ever have doubts about your faith. No I dont have doubts about the difficult. I mean its funny that you ask that. I have no problem believing that God exists and that all of the things that God says about himself and revelation tradition are true though things seem obviously and intuitively true to me the most difficult part I think is believing that God loves me. Thats the part that I struggle with. Its not that he loves people generally I have an easy time believing that. But myths typically that can be very difficult feel like an exceptional person or an especially good person. How can god the Lord of the universe love something like me. Thats faith I guess. Take it on faith. I dont know when Im in lockdown. I hope not before its safe to do so perhaps when we have a vaccine. Have you ever been to India. Do I think coronavirus is our collective human conduct coming back on us. Thats certainly what the mad evils thought about the Black Death. I tend to think these things are more random than that. There have been plagues in every era of human existence. The way to think about rotavirus they think is the virus is just a little creature thats doing its thing and were creatures that are doing our things and sometimes we get at cross purposes. And thats unfortunate but its not because nature is punishing us or anything like that. Its just natural. Other animals also die of nurses en masse at times and infections even trees become beset with illness and sometimes to extinction. And thats unfortunate but no more that the dinosaurs were punished by their extinction. Will we be punished by ours when it happens. Right I dont think so heckle debates. And it was formative. I have not read Caros brilliant series on LBJ kirkegaard. Yay Yeah. Tentative yay Kirkuk. I havent read the entire Corbetts which is why its tentative. But what Ive read Ive liked vote by mail. Yes the thing about dinosaurs is that they were really evil. I mean they seem to have lived frightening lives in a lot of respects. I find it very hard to relate to the earth in the prehistoric period. I read once that when dinosaurs were around or at least during a certain phase of their lifetime there was no grass. Instead, the ground was generally covered with moss. And that struck me as terribly alien I think we did watch the Roosevelts docu series from PBS Matt watches nearly everything on PBS. What am I going to do the neo blatant solo guess soon. I hope one of these days Ill get to all the solo cast that I would like to do. Would you say youre someone who enjoys life. Yes tremendously. Before Trump had I ever heard anyone happy Good Friday before. Yes I had heard people say happy Good Friday. Quite a bit. I think people dont really know what to say. And so even Christians know quite pious ones sometimes. Well see. Happy Friday. They want to acknowledge the occasion and give you that respect. But magnolia trees have to be pollinated by beetles because there were no bees when they first existed. Thats very fascinating and theyre quite beautiful. I love magnolia trees. I love magnolias in general. Pretty much anything with a magnolia print on it. Where of course I like florals in general this book on church history. Peter brown recently I think it was had a great book called through the eye of a needle on wealth in the church and I found that to be quite an accessible way into church history. Matt went by himself to Scandinavia but he had a lovely time. And I would love to go someday. There are many things Id like to see. My favorite place in Texas. Its a good question. I dont know I mean its a place where I lived. And so you know the kind of things that people go to see I dont think I really spent a lot at the Alamo and so forth. You know I like my hometown I like Sundance square in Fort Worth. I like walking around the bars all area in Fort Worth. I like Deep Ellum and Dallas. I just miss all of the places that were ordinary to me today study in college. I studied religion I studied at the University. I didnt have a religion major which is just as well. But I went in two different majors English and sociology and focused on religion within those majors So I did a lot of religious literature and then I did the sociology of religion which essentially amounted to kind of track to major religion without it being possible favorite memories of Cambridge. Yeah so my favorite memory of Cambridge is that all winter it rained and rained and rained and rained and it was cold and it never got cold enough to snow or ice or do anything sort of scenic like that it just poured rain and seemed to get dark at like noon and was dark all the time and rainy all the time. And then one day in April I woke up and all of that rain had given rise to the most lush green grass and blooming roses and daisies and pansies and every tree and shrub and bush was in bloom. And this memorial garden to Princess Diana which was near where I lived was in bright bloom in the art of this college around the bend for me was in full bloom. And it was just beautiful. And I remember thinking to myself. So this is the English springtime of poetry right. This is what Ive read about and done and Keats and it was just so romantic and so gorgeous I walked and walked for hours and hours and enjoyed it. From Europe with all due respect who are you. My name is Liz Bruning. Im a writer for The New York Times. I vote on religion public morality and politics. I am quite far to the left for American politics. But for Europe Im what you would know is like a normal Christian Social Democrat give a shout out to Texas Monthly and the Tribune. Yes all Texas publications that are working so hard to keep Texans not only updating them whats going on right now. Virus but work hard around the clock to keep Texans updated on the news of the World and also to keep the really beautiful Texan literary tradition which is a very real and very rich and strong thing alive. I have my internal support. I love Texas Monthly I adore that publication I am a subscriber and there are several other Texas papers. Dallas Morning News Star Telegram which was my hometown paper in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I lived in Arlington. The Houston Chronicle. And so on. I still follow I love them. Love Texas publications love Texas literature. Where are your parents lefties now. My parents are Trump guys. They have always been Republicans and my objective began. I love watching jack especially if I can get some people to play along with me. There is a left tradition in Texas. Absolutely and while Texas was heavily affected by the festival and so you did get quite a few people out of that who have a populist attending left politics to them and I dont think thats unheard of. My grandfather for instance was she grew up in the Dust Bowl. He was born in Childress Texas was deeply affected by the way the Dust Bowl impacted his family. They were itinerant farmers they moved around trying to grow their food. Then when he was 16, he joined the Air Force and wound up going to Korea and so forth and he was always an FDR Democrat. He never voted for Republicans he hated Reagan. He had a sort of anti-austerity politics. He wasnt woke right. He was an older man from Texas who had lived a very rural life. But you know he was a he was a Democratic voter. He had that populist tradition. And so that does exist down there. How can we in Europe help the left in the USA dont give up on us. I guess I keep reading our publications. My favorite period film. Thats a good question. I like Gary Linden quite a bit. He actually like quite a few period films. Honestly I find them extremely watchable whats going on with medically as medically. Its a really smart guy and I like his work and you know perhaps a bit cantankerous on Twitter but such could also be said of my matte. You know someones asking about John Wick and love John Wick love all this. Theres so many good period films. Thats a really nice question. Well there are lots of periods. Theres lots of in some sense like the ice storm is a period film rights about the 1970s. And I loved that film as well. New slick interface is struggling. Crazy Yeah. And know its I clear Im hearing the awe. I havent seen focus. You guys keep asking about Lucas. I hadnt seen it. Ive seen you asked about last riffle. The thing is article first reformed which was good. How do I keep my frustrations and anger in check. I think a lot of angry thoughts. But you know whats the point and can. Can you bring her here. I think the orb is settling down to nap Scorseses silence. I loved loved quite a bit and its a difficult watch. Its kind of spiritual torture porn in certain respects but a fantastic novel and fantastic. I would highly recommend it especially during try to Ingmar Bergman states really love it when we see a democratic socialist when a non deeply district state. I dont know I wish I could give you an answer on that. I would certainly feel better if I felt like I knew who was next up post. Bernie I dont. I dont know. I wish I knew. Wish we had a really deep bench of people who wanted those roles but Im not sure. Sure that we do. I wrote a book. What would it be about. I would like to write a book on evil at some point but thats going to be way on down the line because I have my hands full with regular work in these kids. What makes me angry. I mean a lot of things make me angry. Oh have I read and stuff. Yes I love Lisbeth. Fantastic would I ever run for political office. Thank you. Capitol hill TV. Not I would never run for political office. I have been someone who has covered people who are running for political office. Its very, very, very difficult and very taxing and hard on your relationships and very, very risky for your family and finances. I if invited untrue anon I will happily go on my passion you know beauty. I think thats what Im always trying to get at. And the stuff that I report out. Thats what Im interested the way that it manifests and gets tangled. Ive driven through West Virginia. I mean I wasnt driving, but I was in the car going through West Virginia and I thought it was beautiful. How do my views diverge from my parents. When I was in high school debate and so I was doing a lot of reading on my own and was just sort of convinced as a high school debate. You focus on sort of current events topics. Kevin my friend Kevin Werner has entered the chat room actually Kevin it has just gotten engaged. Kevins going to be a white guy soon. If we could get some congrats. Kevins going in the chat. Hello from New Orleans. I dont know person from New Orleans. If you knew that I got married in New Orleans. I love New Orleans. Its one of most safest cities in the United States. I adore New Orleans. I would love to go back sometime soon. I always go to New Orleans and end up having like six meals a day. How do I come up with column ideas. I have a big I have a big running Google doc or a dump. Evergreen ideas. But in general, they come right off the news. Have I ever been to Rhode Island. Yes well I lived there for a little bit because I was at Brown for my PhD program. And so I spent some time there and I thought it was quite lovely. I mean, I have a great affection for New England especially those cities in New England that feel a little bit nautical like fishing towns. Theyre exotic to me. Having grown up in North Texas its quite quaint and quite lovely. Very very inspiring. Have I ever been to Georgia. Yes I also lived in Georgia for a little while as a child. We lived in Marietta. And one thing I think is underappreciated about Georgia is in terms of its natural beauty it has these fantastic Piney forests and sort of like granite cliffs in these hillsides and sort of dark woods for miles and miles. Its very, very romantic and much more appellation than I would have been led to believe. I thought that it would be sort of green and hilly and sort of treeless and maybe thats because I had seen movies like midnight in the Garden of Good evil which perhaps was not even shot on location. But if it was it was shot in Savannah and thats a very different landscape than where I was in Georgia. But beautiful beautiful beautiful landscapes. The last time I cried and why thats a good question. Sometimes Ill cry out of frustration or stress. I cant remember when that was go dogs are you a bad leftist for wishing Boris Johnson well. I mean, you dont want people to die because theyre wrong. I dont think being wrong about politics should be a death penalty event. So no I dont think thats my favorite Western state aside from Texas. Lets see on the west coast Id love California. I also like Las Vegas. I mean, its not a place where I would want to live. But you know its certainly its certainly fun to visit. Ive been to Las Vegas. And in fact, when I was last in Vegas with Matt he was studying for the bar exam. So I always remember that because I would try to get him to go do things with me and he was like no Im studying for the bar. He was just in a hotel room studying for the bar exam. When I go on. Joe right. Joe Rogans punk ass. Yeah sure. I would love to go into his biggest pet peeve when you call someone who you have a really bad connection. And like its not a critical phone call if theyre not telling you that your parent said heart attack or something but the connection is really bad. But they insist on still having a phone call instead of texting you or something like that that drives me nuts. I hate listening to it and not getting anything but you know let you get off the phone and they wont agree to let you get on the phone. Thats terrible. Livestream seven liturgy Ill probably just be putting some lines. Yeah thats what Ill be doing. What did I mean when I wrote that hope is a thorn in the side of doubt. Not a thing with feathers. I mean that hope is troubling a lot of people talk about hope as this thing thats consoling or soothing. But I find it troubling because its very easy to be despairing and to be nihilistic. I mean its painful but it is a certain thing and its something that you can fully commit yourself to and hold on to but hope disrupts that and so hope can be very disruptive for that reason, instead of soothing it can be painful and difficult. Thats what I meant by how do we solve the problems and wish I knew the answer to that question. David Foster Wallace canceled million he seems to have been a complicated troubled individual. I dont know. I dont know if that should be a cancer level offense or what that should mean but thats true. He was all of those things have I met Matt Stoller in person many, many times. Yes Matt still was lucky. I was at his wedding. He is great and I very much respect him. Good friend good guy person with a lot of integrity and principles. Three books that influence my religious formation. Well I guess since confessions and City of God would be a couple. I was reading a lot of like William Blake not that he would have agreed with my religious trajectory but certainly an important figure from the standpoint of sort of lovely mysticism Yeah we have. Also I have to I should think that we have some amazing folks coming up next week. If you would like to tune back in and get to know our New York Times columnists we have Michelle Cottle coming up Monday. Jamelle Buoy my colleague coming up on Tuesday. Kara Swisher Wednesday and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Coming up next Thursday and then Farhad Manjoo coming up Friday. So lots of opportunities to get to know my complex. The hardest part of my job I mean you know reporting is very time consuming and its a huge commitment and it can be quite difficult in terms of hear a lot of really hard stories and you develop close relationships with people and numb and then you cant always help them. Which is really tough I saw the light house I thought it was wonderful. It was amazing. I loved it. I do work remote for the New York Times. Yes I dont know if I would play anyone pickup basketball. I think Id be pretty easy to dominate seeing as Im four foot 11. I have quite a lot of editorial freedom in driving me on assignments. Ive been very, very pleased with that very fortunate. Someone asked me earlier if I feel lucky and I do and being asked to non Ivy Leaguers have a chance to write for something like The New York Times I didnt go to an Ivy League college. So yes I think so. Matt has written for the New York Times a few times and he went to the University of Oklahoma. So I think he you know I think thats quite possible. Yes for sure. Yeah I mean equal pay. Someone asked do you feel like kept to code switch as a believer working in the mainstream. Yeah I mean, I think everybody you know who kind of speaks to two different or three or four or five whatever different constituencies has to find a way to talk to people that makes them feel listened to and respected and and heard but but still sort of gets the point across. Gary wills fan what is my riding routine. How long does each article take. Not long. I write very quickly. And theres no routine because all the pieces are so different. But you know in general you you get the reporting down and then you work out of there. So we are at 45 minutes. I think thats all the time we have for today. Thank you very much for shooting.
Lerun Hussain, pictured, pleaded guilty at Croydon Magistrates' Court yesterday and was sentenced to three months in prison

A thief caught stealing surgical masks from a busy hospital struggling to treat coronavirus patients has been jailed in the latest incident of Covid-19-related crime.

Police were called to Kings College Hospital in Lambeth, south London, on Sunday morning where Lerun Hussain had been detained by security staff.

The 34-year-old, of Worsopp Drive, Clapham, who was also in breach of a court order, had taken three masks and was arrested and charged with theft.

He appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three months in prison the same day.

It comes after a string of other offences across the country, where criminals have targeted crucial supplies in the fight against the virus.

A doctors' surgery in Worcestershire also had face masks stolen yesterday and urged the thieves to return the items, saying they were necessary to keep the practice open.

Since a social media appeal, Church Street Surgery, Kidderminster, said it had received a number of individual face mask donations which meant it could still continue to offer services.

The box of protective equipment had been donated by a local dental practice the day before.

West Mercia Police said they were aware of a reported theft and would be visiting the surgery on Wednesday.

The equipment was stolen from London's Kings College Hospital, pictured, on Sunday

After the face masks were stolen, the Church Street Surgery said in a Facebook post: 'Could the person who has stolen the only box of masks that we have in the building that were kindly donated by a local dental practice yesterday afternoon please return them to the practice.

'We need to protect our staff to enable us to remain open.'

The surgery then thanked people for their support after a number of face masks were donated following the theft.

In a separate post, the surgery said: 'We are totally humbled by the kindness and generosity we have received today in light of the post we made this morning regarding our stolen masks.

'The messages of support have been overwhelming and we have received extremely generous donations of masks from individuals which now means we have enough to keep our staff safe until our official supplies arrive.

'From each and everyone of us at the practice we thank you for your generosity and your continued support during this extremely difficult and challenging time.'

Inspector Dave King, of the Kidderminster Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: 'My team is aware of the reported theft of face masks from the Church Street surgery in Kidderminster and while not officially reported to us yet, we will be visiting the staff today.

Face masks, pictured, and other important medical equipment have been targeted by thieves during the coronavirus crisis

'In these challenging and difficult times, the theft of vital medical equipment is going to add further strain and demand to the health service and the people looking after our welfare.

'While a crime like this is naturally going to upset and concern many in our community who see NHS staff risking their lives every day, the vast majority of people are doing all they can to support each other however they can.'

Elsewhere, an ambulance service said it has received two reports of staff being approached for their personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and hand gel in a 'way they felt intimidating'.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust described the cases as 'isolated'.

A criminal broke into a patient transport vehicle (pictured, its shattered window) - which had a sign saying it was being used by the health service to move patients to hospitals - in Kirkby, Merseyside last week

It said it has reiterated its existing uniform policy to staff, which states that employees should not wear uniform while off-duty except when representing the service in an official capacity.

Staff are advised to cover up with a jacket if they travel to and from work in uniform.

'This has been historically to protect staff and their vehicles from being targeted by thieves looking for medical supplies,' the trust said in a statement.

'Recently, we have had reports of two isolated cases of staff being approached for their personal protection equipment (masks/hand gel etc) in a way they felt intimidating.

'We would like to reiterate however, that the vast majority of reaction our staff receive when wearing their uniform in public while on duty is very supportive.'

In Kirby, Merseyside, last week, a ruthless thug smashed their way into a patient transport vehicle and stole vital protective equipment, while in the capital, Mark Manley, 35, was jailed for six months for a raid on an ambulance, having stolen items including masks, paper suits and hand gel.
A new support service has been launched for people with diabetes in Northern Ireland who have concerns about coronavirus.

There are over 100,000 people living with diabetes across Northern Ireland and are at an increased risk of severe illness from the virus.

The helpline and email support facility will provide additional clinical support and advice.

People living with diabetes with concerns about COVID-19 can contact the service by phoning 028 9536 0600 or emailing diabetic.helpline@hscni.net

A region wide service is already provided through individual Health and Social Care Trusts diabetes teams from Monday to Friday.

However, this additional new helpline service will run seven days a week including bank holidays from 9am until 3pm and operate for 12 weeks initially staffed by clinical specialists.

Dr Hamish Courtney, Consultant Diabetologist and Clinical Director for the Diabetes Network, said: People living with diabetes have been recognised as a vulnerable group in respect of COVID -19.

"We identified early that a service to support both people living with diabetes and staff providing vital additional clinical support and guidance was necessary.

This service will support those that are not currently covered by Health and Social Care Trust services, patients in primary care as well as those being cared for by district and practice nurse colleagues and inpatient diabetes teams.

Director of Commissioning at the Health and Social Care Board, Dr Miriam McCarthy, said: Colleagues across Health and Social Care are facing unprecedented pressures. I continue to be amazed and impressed by the goodwill of all staff who continue to go above and beyond to treat and support our population.

I thank each and every colleague who has supported us to set up this service in a matter of days. It will be a very positive contribution to the COVID-19 response across Health and Social Care.

Tina McCrossan, National Director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, also welcomed the new service.

We are confident that all the main concerns that people living with diabetes have, will be addressed through this helpline as we have consulted widely with people, including learning from all the calls which have been received to date by the Diabetes UK Helpline (0345 123 2399).

We are delighted to be part of this initiative which will provide invaluable support to people living with diabetes and those that care for them.
Australian jobs could be changed indefinitely by the new $130 billion JobKeeper legislation, with employers now able to cut staff hours, change rosters and even locations of work.

The emergency legislation is due to be passed in Canberra later on Wednesday, and aims to keep millions of families afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

It provides $1,500 fortnightly for businesses to pay staff who they may otherwise have had to be let go because of a fall in business during COVID-19 restrictions.

The government hopes it will support the jobs of six millions workers, as a global recession looms.

But the legislation also allows companies to reduce workers' hours - effectively slashing their pay - adjust the roster and change their duties, and even move the location of their work.

Companies across Australia, even those doing relatively well and not eligible for JobKeeper, can request their staff take pay cuts.

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People are seen lining up at Centrelink in Flemington on March 23, as thousands of Australians struggle to pay the bills during the coronavirus pandemic

Across all industries, staff are being written to to ask them to accept a pay cut - with other companies announcing redundancies - as they struggle to stay afloat with a limited cash flow.

For those using JobKeeper, hours can be slashed so that the employee's earnings equal $1,500 a fortnight, as long as there is not enough business for them to remain on their usual hours.

The changes to the Fair Work Act to allow JobKeeper to pass will bring in a large number of modifications to the country's workplace laws.

HOW YOUR JOB COULD CHANGE Under changes to the Fair Work Act, businesses which are eligible for JobKeeper can make a number of changes to workers' jobs: Hours can be slashed down so that you only earn $1,500-a-fortnight

Rostas can be changed

Locations of work can be moved - but to a 'reasonable' location

You can be asked to do different roles and tasks - provided they are 'safe and suitable'

You can take a second job to tide you over if you lose money

Bosses can ask you take annual leave

Your shift patterns and days of work can also be changed Advertisement

So far, around 700,000 businesses have signed up for the wage subsidies, with cash due to arrive in their accounts at the start of May.

The temporary changes to the Fair Work Act were negotiated by Attorney-General Christian Porter and the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Mr Porter said the changes, which apply only to those eligible for JobKeeper, would formalise the 'common-sense arrangements' already being made and save 'tens of thousands of jobs'.

It means that those businesses that choose to sign up for the subsidies will now be allowed to reduce their hours of work.

If that happens, staff will be legally allowed to take a second job.

While the legislation provides $1,500 for each employee a fortnight, which must be passed on to staff, this is still less than some staff will usually earn.

Changes to the rules mean that if businesses suffer a loss of earnings, they are allowed to reduce staff hours so they earn only the $1,500 a fortnight.

But they are not allowed to reduce their regular rate of hourly pay - meaning no one will be working their usual job but for less money.

The government has refused to include more casual workers in the $130 billion JobKeeper scheme after many bars, including this one in Melbourne on March 18 (pictured), closed

WHAT DOES JOBKEEPER MEAN FOR ME? The JobKeeper plan gives $1,500 to businesses for each employee kept on during the coronavirus crisis. This applies to small companies whose turnover has fallen by 30 per cent, or big companies whose turnover has been slashed in half. That money is passed immediately to the staff member. But it involves making changes to the current Fair Work Act. If companies sign up, they will now be allowed to staff new roles, rosters and even change the location of their work. They can also stand down staff, reduce their hours and ask them to take annual leave. But these have to be within 'reasonable' perimeters, and staff are allowed to cling on to a minimum of two weeks annual leave. Advertisement

It allows always employers to negotiate changes to work locations of staff within 'reasonable' perimeters.

This means that if a person works in Sydney, their boss cannot move their job to Brisbane, but could move it elsewhere in the harbour city.

Sweeping changes to the current fair working rules also leave employees unable to refuse changes to their normal days of work.

They are also unable to refuse requests to take annual leave during the crisis, though they are allowed to keep a minimum of two weeks.

As for changes of job roles, the new work has to be suitable for the staff member's skills.

For example, a restaurant owner could ask a waiter to help with delivery runs if they are able to drive, but could not ask them to go and work on a farm.

According to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report, half of 3,000 businesses surveyed said they had made changes to their workplace because of COVID-19.

Police on horses enforce social distancing regulations to slow the spread of COVID-19 at Bondi Beach on Saturday (pictured)

Of those in the food services and accommodation industry, 70 per cent had cut staff hours and 43 per cent had put workers on unpaid leave.

With strict restrictions brought in on Australians every day lives, many have lost their jobs thanks to the closure of bars and restaurants, not to mention declining sales at many businesses.

Businesses with a turnover of less than $1 billion a year are eligible if they suffer a 30 per cent drop in business, while companies with a higher turnover must experienced a 50 per cent slump.

But the government has insisted that only workers who have been with one business for 12 months are eligible.

A usually busy pub in Melbourne is seen virtually empty on March 21 (pictured), as workers across Australia are laid off thanks because of declining business during the pandemic

Speaking on Monday morning, Mr Porter revealed the decision had been made not to expand the scheme.

He said in a press conference: 'Even with expenditure of this extraordinary size there has to be some definitions and some lines drawn.

'We think this is a fair and reasonable line.'

Labor's Industrial Relations spokesman Tony Burke slammed the government for not including more casuals.

He said: 'Up to 1.1 million casual workers will miss out on a wage subsidy  and potentially be forced into the unemployment queue  because of the Morrison Governments refusal to compromise.'

Parliament will meet with dramatically reduced numbers on Wednesday to pass the JobKeeper payment into law.
Indian market posted its best percentage gain since May 2009 on April 7.

D-Street welcomed some good news from Morgan Stanley amid the mayhem seen in the equity market due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Morgan Stanley came out with a report suggesting that Indias weight is likely to increase in the emerging market index, a report authored by Ridham Desai, and Sheela Rathi.

From April 1, 2020, India moved into a new regime on foreign limits whereby the FPI limit has been increased to the sector foreign limit. Over the next few months, Morgan Stanley expects MSCI to rebalance MSCI India weights to reflect this change.

MSCI India's weight in Emerging Market (EM) is likely to rise by 55bps and India's foreign inclusion factor (FIF) is likely to rise from 0.39 to 0.42 that could result in an incremental $1.3 billion of passive inflows.

Combined with this flow, Morgan Stanley expects active inflow to the tune of $5.7 billion taking the combined expected inflow to around $7 billion.

There are 26 stocks that are likely to benefit the most from this regime. The names include L&T, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Nestle India, Divis Laboratories, Britannia Industries, Shree Cement, Tata Steel, and Bharti Infratel, the report highlighted.
TCS was the top loser in the Sensex pack, falling over 3 per cent

People pass by the BSE bull outside BSE Building.(Photo- PTI)

Mumbai:

Equity benchmark Sensex ended over 173 points lower on Wednesday after a highly volatile session as investors remained jittery on concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Plunging over 1,300 points from the day's high, the 30-share BSE barometer ended 173.25 points or 0.58 per cent lower at 29,893.96. It hit an intra-day high of 31,227.97.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty closed 43.45 points, or 0.49 per cent, down at 8,748.75.

TCS was the top loser in the Sensex pack, falling over 3 per cent, followed by Titan, ICICI Bank, SBI, ITC and Bharti Airtel.

On the other hand, Sun Pharma, NTPC, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Finance were among the top gainers.

According to Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking, volatility in the markets was on account of speculation that the central government was mulling lockdown extension beyond April 14.

Further, traders said Indian markets moved in sync with global benchmarks as worries over the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul ended in the red, while Tokyo closed on a positive note.

Benchmark exchanges Europe were trading around 2 per cent lower in the morning session.

Meanwhile, the rupee provisionally settled 70 paise lower at 76.34 against the US dollar.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, slipped marginally to USD 31.85 per barrel.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases to 5,194 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.

Global tally of the infections has crossed 14 lakh, with over 82,000 deaths.
It should come as no surprise that when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's coronavirus symptoms worsened over the weekend, he was taken to a National Health Service (NHS) hospital in London. Despite the fact that President Trump two years ago declared the NHS "broke and not working," the universally free, taxpayer-funded health service has become the U.K.'s practical and emotional front line during the COVID-19 national crisis. Indeed, no British politician would allow themselves to be treated anywhere else at such a time. The outpouring of support for the NHS has been one of the defining features of the country's coronavirus experience.

U.K. citizens care deeply about their free-at-the-point-of-use, state-funded health-care behemoth. As a British person, and a diabetic since childhood, so do I. It's a system in which no one is refused medical care because they lack insurance, and no one has to worry about whether seeking care for their symptoms will result in bankruptcy. More than 750,000 people volunteered to carry out tasks to ease the coronavirus burden the NHS currently shoulders, delivering food and medicine, driving patients to appointments, and manning virus phone lines. They continue to emerge from their lockdowns in huge numbers every Thursday evening at 8 to show their appreciation by clapping for the NHS carers.

The pandemic has also shone a light on the reality of multiculturalism in Britain. Amged El-Hawrani, Adil El Tayar, Habib Zaidi, Jitendra Rathod, Alice Kit Tak Ong, Areema Nasreen  just some of those who have died treating the infected. Brexit exposed a petty vein of nativism in U.K. society, to which these names are the ultimate rebuke. Already, the 2,800 foreign doctors, nurses, and paramedics who sustain the NHS have been granted an automatic one-year visa extension. Now, campaigns are under way to grant them the right to stay indefinitely  their families alongside them. There's nothing like a crisis to change perceptions of where tribes begin and end.

Story continues

The NHS is not the only British institution to vivify during the pandemic. Moments before the news of Johnson's hospitalization broke, the country took to its collective sofa to watch Queen Elizabeth II deliver only the fifth televised address  apart from her annual Christmas message  of her near-70-year reign. A hollow anachronism, Britain's monarchy survives primarily as nationally-funded soap opera, but on Sunday the 93-year-old Queen brought her unparalleled experience to bear, delivering a speech of poise, subtlety, and power.

Likewise the BBC  the sick man of the U.K.'s media landscape, beset by shrinking budgets and an increasing sense of being left behind by digital progress  has been a source of succor for people locked in their homes, craving information they can trust. Sixty-four percent of Britons now consider it the most reliable source of information about COVID-19, while 53 percent say they are using BBC News more than before the pandemic began.

The contrast with America's handling of the coronavirus is notable. Every night at 7, the streets of New York City resound with applause, echoing the U.K.'s Thursday cacophony. At a national level though, the same solidarity has not been shown. This is partly a function of the country's health-care setup, in which power is devolved to states, and also of the pandemic's progress, which is yet to hit the rest of the country like it has New York.

This, however, is a crisis that calls for strong centralized leadership, and, despite his daily podium performances, such leadership is not being provided by President Trump. Nearly every country to suffer a sizable blow from COVID-19 has responded with draconian measures implemented by the central government  a necessary step, the argument goes, to bring the decisive, collective response from the populace required to combat the contagion. Trump has declined to take this kind of activist role. Perhaps his reasoning is political: With November's election approaching, taking real control of the situation risks him being held responsible for the outcomes.

With the president reluctant to lead, the response to the pandemic will continue to be piecemeal. States will continue to compete with each other and the federal government for medical supplies and ventilators. The absence of a universal health-care system will only exacerbate this discord.

Johnson is in intensive care battling COVID-19, and while he's certainly not out of the woods, the latest reports suggest his condition is currently stable. On Tuesday, many Britons stood outside their homes to clap for their ailing prime minister. That's not to say that the bitter divisions that have characterized British politics for the last few years have suddenly evaporated because of Johnson's misfortune  many of those who declined to clap cited political grievances  but whatever people's opinion of him, Johnson's sudden vulnerability gives Britons pause. Humans are storytellers, after all, and the country's plight now feels personified in its prime minister.

As the British people rally around their shared institutions, they have been revealed as both sentimental and as valuing the linchpins of their social democracy: equal access to neutral, trusted information, and to free, high-quality health care. In times of threat, people move to protect the things they hold dear. It remains to be seen, as the virus continues to spread in the U.S., what values or people Americans will rally around.

Last week, the family of a New Yorker a few degrees of separation from me had been scouring the city, looking for the medication she needed, without success. A Mexican immigrant in her late 80s, she had no insurance, and there had been a coronavirus run on her usual medication. Her blood sugar levels were dangerously high. My neighbor contacted me, asking for my advice, but there was only one course of action  it was an emergency, I gave her some of my insulin. This is a scary thing to do during a lockdown, as diabetics need a steady supply of the drug to live. I couldn't avoid the thought: This would never happen in the U.K.

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Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of top news as of 08.04.2020:

 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 881 in Armenia, and another death has been recorded.

According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 28 new cases have been recorded in a day.

114 coronavirus patients have recovered, whereas nine others have died in Armenia from the disease.

As Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan noted, the 93-year-old person who died of coronavirus Wednesday morning was suffering from cancer.

By the way, the first Artsakh COVID-19 patient, 60, has already been transported to Yerevan as she is in the risk zone. The citizen doesnt have any complaints or symptoms, Artsakh health minister Arayik Baghiryan noted.

 The US, through the International Atomic Energy Agency, has recently provided a total of $6 million to support the agencys efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak around the world - including in Armenia. U.S. funds will provide COVID-19 testing kits, and Armenia is receiving 2,000 tests.

 Hagop Baltayan, one of the active members of the Armenian community of Istanbul, has died of COVID-19.

According to Sariyer, the news about Hagop Baltayans death was reported by the Sariyer district council of Istanbul, which Hagop was a member of. Hagop Baltayan also had other diseases.

 The Central Electoral Commission of Artsakh has summed up the results of the subsequent presidential and parliamentary elections held on March 31. According to the Commission, there were no violations of the Electoral Code before and during the elections that could have had an impact on the results of the elections.

Based on the results the participants of the session decided to hold the second round of the presidential elections on April 14 and declared that day a non-working day.

Meanwhile, the Commission has also distributed the parliamentary mandates.

 Russian Office of the Prosecutor General has granted the request of its counterparts in Armenia to extradite wanted ex-Armenian MP Levon Sargsyan, RIA Novosti reported.

In November 2019, the Armenia police announced the detention of Sargsyan in Russia. He has been wanted by the Armenian law enforcement agencies on suspicion of robbery, and participation in criminal cooperation by an organized group to steal large amounts of property.
An Indiana woman has come up with a unique way to keep her community connected in light of social distancing guidelines. Emily Nelson devised a Walking Eye Spy game, in which residents are encouraged to put decorations in their doors, windows or lawns. In some cases, children who have walked by the decorations have left messages on the pavement in front of participating houses. Some residents have also used Facebook Messenger to ask their neighbors if they need anything from the grocery store. Jill LaFountain, a Sunneymede resident, said that the acts of service and Nelsons game have brought people closer together
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on Tuesday, commissioned a 60-bed isolation centre for Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

Chris Bode, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, made this known while briefing journalists shortly after the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, and the Presidential Task Force for the Control of the Coronavirus inspected the facility

Mr Bode said the minister, the presidential committee, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, came to see LUTH's preparedness and readiness to admit patients.

"It is better for us to rise up to the occasion.

"With the help and assistance of the minister and Lagos government, we have been able to put together a block of four wards containing 60 beds altogether with enough personal protective equipment and all what we need".

Mr Bode said that admission would still be done through the pyramid structure and the hospital would be operating under the command of Lagos State government.

"We have a squad of 120 members of staffs, all warriors to combat this condition in LUTH.

"They have all been trained and are experts," he said.

He said the hospital was expecting COVID-19 patients who were ill enough to warrant admission.

Mr Bode said the hospital has specialists for tougher cases and the isolation centre had been cornered off.

He said that there are corridors and pathways for patients that have no business with the isolation centre.

He said that different ways had been mapped out to circumvent movement.

"We do not want anyone to contact what they did not bring to the hospital.

"We are ready and have informed all our staff that non-COVID-19 patients have no business around the isolation ward," he said.

The CMD said the hospital has always collaborated with the state government in epidemic periods like the Ebola, Lassa fever, Yellow fever, Monkeypox.

He said the hospital infectious disease specialists are working with IDH, Yaba, to treat patients in Nigeria.

(NAN)
New Delhi, April 8 : The coronavirus crisis and the ongoing lockdown in India will severely affect the country's affordable housing sector, according to a report by Anarock Property Consultants.

The report noted that around 6.1 lakh affordable housing units were under construction across seven major cities when the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced (on March 24 midnight), which are now stalled.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is all set to derail the growth momentum of affordable housing in 2020. This will be one of the worst-affected segments. As many as 6.1 lakh affordable units were under construction across top 7 cities when the lockdown was announced. This is over 39 per cent of the total 15.62 lakh under-construction units in the top 7 cities -- the highest share of all budget categories," said the report.

It noted that while the overall unsold housing inventory is likely to shrink by 1-3 per cent in 2020, the unsold affordable stock may actually increase by 1-2 per cent during this period.

This is in sharp contrast to the trend in the past few years when the demand for the affordable housing units has been higher than the higher-end properties.

The slowdown in the segment would be a major setback for the already subdued Indian realty sector, as this very affordable segment has been seen as the silver lining by the market players who have witnessed a number of blows and low demand in the past 5-6 years, largely in the luxury and mid-range properties.

At the end of the first quarter of 2020, there are more than 2.34 lakh unsold affordable homes in the top seven cities, which accounts for 36 per cent of the total unsold stock across all budget categories.

"The government's 'Housing for All' push coupled with multiple sops to buyers and developers brought an avalanche of affordable housing projects in India," said Anuj Puri, Chairman, Anarock Property Consultants.

"As much as 40 per cent of the new supply added across the top 7 cities in the past few years was in the affordable segment (units priced below Rs 40 lakh). Resultantly, there is a huge under-construction supply of about 6.1 lakh units in the affordable segment," he said Puri noted that as the target audience of affordable housing typically has limited income and unemployment fears currently loom large, it could result in deferred property purchase decisions in 2020 and ultimately derail the segments' growth momentum.

National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) alone account for nearly 59 per cent or 3.59 lakh units out of these around 6.1 lakh units, launched between 2013 and 2019.

NCR has the maximum under-construction affordable housing stock with more than 1.87 lakh units, followed by MMR with nearly 1.72 lakh affordable units. The unsold affordable stock in MMR as in March 2020-end is 68,970 units.

In Pune, under-construction affordable housing stock was close to 1.31 lakh units, while unsold affordable homes stood at nearly 46,630 units. Kolkata continues to have the maximum new supply in the affordable housing category, with a current inventory of 55,300 affordable units under construction. The city's unsold affordable housing stock is 27,040 units as on Q1 2020 end.

Bangalore has merely 16 per cent or 32,300 units under construction in the affordable category, out of a total of 2 lakh units under construction. This is the lowest share among all top seven cities. Unsold affordable housing stock in Bangalore is currently just 14,800 units.

Chennai has 19,500 affordable housing units under construction whereas the unsold affordable inventory is just 9,220 units. Hyderabad has the lowest share of both under-construction and unsold affordable housing stock. Under-construction stock stood at 11,000 units and unsold affordable inventory was just 3,370 units.
Michelle Money has continued to keep her fans, friends and family updated on her daughter Brielle's condition after a skateboarding accident left her in a medically induced coma.

The former Bachelor star told her supporters that her 15-year-old was slowly being taken off medications and was one her way to waking up and that the day was full of 'wins.'

While updating fans Money also held up a bag of her daughter's brain fluid for those who were curious, in a set of Instagram stories posted Tuesday.

Casual: While updating fans, Michelle Money held up a bag of her daughter's brain fluid for those who were curious, in a set of Instagram stories posted Tuesday

In Brielle's hospital room, Michelle posed looking suspiciously at a medical bag filled with a golden colored liquid, which she described as brain fluid.

'Just holding a bag of my daughter's brain fluid,' she captioned it. 'What are you up to?'

The former reality TV star stood in front of walls covered in photos of Brielle with friends and family.

She donned tight black leggings and a green Nike zip-up jacket.

Healthy fluid: In Brielle's hospital room, there was a medical bag filled with a golden colored liquid which she described as brain fluid

New hobby: Sharing a photo of her new project that read 'f*** this sh**,' she said 'Just starting some therapeutic cross-stitching over here waiting for my teenager to wake the f*** up'

She also shared that she is taking up cross-stitching while she waits for Brielle to wake up.

Sharing a photo of her new project that read 'f*** this sh**,' she said 'Just starting some therapeutic cross-stitching over here waiting for my teenager to wake the f*** up.'

Giving fans an end of day wrap up, as she left the hospital, she wrote 'So many wins today! Lots of good things happening! So proud of this kid! She is such a fighter and I know she is trying to wake up!'

In the video, she explained 'So many wins today, we got her off of the Propofol, we got her off of the paralyzing agent. I watched my daughter try to cough.'

The latest: Giving fans an end of day wrap up, as she left the hospital, she wrote 'So many wins today! Lots of good things happening! So proud of this kid! She is such a fighter and I know she is trying to wake up'

News: 'You guys she's coming back, it's been such a good day. It's been rough, she's been up and down but she's good, she's stable, she's trying to wakeup' she continued

'You guys she's coming back, it's been such a good day. It's been rough, she's been up and down but she's good, she's stable, she's trying to wakeup' she continued.

Adding: 'It's gonna be a big day tomorrow...It will take a few days for her to actually get the sedation out of her body...It's gonna take quite some time in fact.'

In Instagram stories she also said that Brielle was able to move her hand slightly since coming off of the paralyzing agent and that the cough was likely due to the Pneumonia she has.

Earlier in the day, Michelle told her supporters that Brielle was making great strides in her recovery while sharing an Instagram Story of her daughter's hospital monitor.

There was some good news for Brielle, who Michelle revealed was almost done being weaned off the anesthetic Propofol.

Update: Michelle Money gave family, fans and friends a reassuring update on daughter Brielle's status as she continues to remain in critical condition after her devastating skateboarding injury last week

Michelle had previously expressed her worry that her daughter would come down with Propofol infusion syndrome, a possibly deadly complication people suffer after being sedated with high doses of the drug for extended periods of time.

'Brielle's CPI [a measurement of brain pressure] is still in the teens BUT we are getting her off of Propofol today!,' Money shared in the message timestamped 2:43pm.

'She's down from 175 to 40 right now and heading down 10 more every hour!'

It was going to be a slow journey for Brielle, as Michelle revealed the next steps.

Good news: Michelle revealed was almost done being weaned off the anesthetic Propofol, which mom had previously worried there would be complications from. She was also slowly reducing her dose of other medications

Little by little: Michelle revealed the next steps were to kick the paralyzing agent, then remove the bolts in her head and other sedatives. Above is a flashback photo of Brielle

'Next to go will be the paralyzing agent! Then the bolt in her head then the other sedatives.'

But she was ready to be patient, telling fans: 'This is a 4 day - 2 week process apparently!'

Later in the day, Michelle shared another one of her daily tributes to her only child, a heartbreaking video montage set to Audra Day's inspirational track Rise Up and packed with beautiful photos and video of Brielle.

Brielle was found by some neighbors after coming off her skateboard last Sunday. She wasn't wearing a helmet and suffered numerous fractures to her skull.

Tragic: Later in the day, Michelle shared another one of her daily tributes to her only child, a heartbreaking video montage set to Audra Day's inspirational track Rise Up and packed with beautiful photos and video of her pride and joy

Critical condition: Brielle was found by some neighbors after coming off her skateboard last Sunday. She wasn't wearing a helmet and suffered numerous fractures to her skull

One week ago the Utah based hairstylist revealed the awful news of her daughter's accident on Instagram with a photo of the teen tied up to life support machines.

'She is in a medically induced coma to relieve pressure in her brain,' the Bachelor Pad alum wrote at the time.

'She is in amazing hands up at Primary Childrens Hospital. Please, I am asking for prayers She needs support and healing right now. And if you could send one up for me as well, I would appreciate it. This is the worst experience of my life.'

Money shares Brielle with her ex-husband Ryan Money, who has also been at the hospital with their daughter most of the week as well as providing updates to social media.
A group of 37 national media unions from South Asia as well as global media advocacy and freedom of expression organisations today called for an end to the ongoing communications blockade in Indian-administered Kashmir. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), together called for the Indian government to immediately restore all communications to the Kashmir Valley.

Soldiers stand guard at a roadblock following renewed restrictions on movement imposed as a preventive measure against Covid-19 in Srinagar. Credit: Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP

On April 3, the Jammu and Kashmir government once again extended its ban on 4G high-speed mobile internet services in the region through to April 15. It is the tenth time the ban has been extended since a judgement from Indias Supreme Court on January 10 ruled the indefinite communications shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir as impermissible.

The IFJ and SAMSN said as long as the ban on high-speed internet remains in place, it continues to prevent media workers from carrying out their professional duty to inform the public at a critical time.

The IFJ-SAMSNs campaign, POSTCARDS FROM KASHMIR, is shining a light into the experience of journalists living through the worlds longest communications shutdown in a democracy. The shutdown commenced on August 5, 2019, when the Indian government unilaterally abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India which gave Jammu and Kashmir limited autonomy and put the region under an unprecedented communications lockdown. The shutdown suspended internet, mobile phones and fixed telephone lines, making Kashmir the worlds biggest information black hole and causing acute agony and pain to its people. While communications have been gradually lifted since the January Supreme Court ruling, controls on high-speed mobile internet remain.

With the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, monitors for freedom of expression and freedom of the media are raising concerns for Kashmirs seven million people when internet access is critical. The state-owned high speed Broadband internet is available to just 20,000 subscribers in Kashmir. Private internet service providers subscribers are mainly commercial establishments and media houses, and therefore cover just a few thousand media workers, while the remainder of the regions population including journalists mainly dependent on mobile internet.

The IFJ and SAMSN international action with the International Freedom of Expression Network (IFEX), today sees 37 co-signing organisations call on the Indian federal government and the Jammu and Kashmir state authorities to:

Immediately restore all communications to the Kashmir Valley and ensure that all access is open and without restriction; Allow local reporters to move without restrictions in order to carry out their professional duty of informing the public; Ensure that media houses provide field reporters with standard personal protective equipment to keep them safe while on duty.

The IFJ said the Jammu and Kashmir government has repeatedly extended the ban on mobile internet. In February the ban was extended until February 24, then March 4, March 17, April 3 and now April 15. Meanwhile, Directorate of Health Services in Kashmir, on April 1, directed government officials and health workers not to speak against government efforts to combat the Covid-19 to social media and to the press.

Journalists in Kashmir say they have been unable to access information on the pandemic to disseminate to the public, severelyrestricting the ability of medical professionals and citizens to response to the health emergency. As well as basic journalism functions outlined above, the controls also prevent:

Making video-calls and sharing documents and visuals essential for research and reporting a story of the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic;

Editing and sharing of audio and video files;

Sharing of high-resolution videos and even some high-quality images.

Journalism is vital to stop the spread of fake news, myths and sensationalized stories, at a time when verified information put out by professional journalists in credible media houses could make the difference between life and death, the IFEX global statement said.

POSTCARDS FROM KASHMIRlaunched on April 5 to building understanding and awareness on the impact of the worlds longest and most severe communications shutdown on journalists and media operations as well as the wider community in Kashmir.

SAMSN said: The extension of the internet shutdown by Jammu and Kashmir administration is not only against the human rights of freedom of expression and peoples right to information, but it is a serious violation of health rights amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

IFJ said: With the outbreak of Covid-19, the availability and dissemination of reliable information is to prevent spread of the virus in Kashmir. The IFJ demands the Indian federal government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration revoke the unfair and dangerous ban on high speed internet, and guarantee the free movement and operation of journalism in Kashmir.

Read the letter and list of signatories here.

See the IFJ-SAMSN Postcards from Kashmir campaign here.
India's coal ministry wants electricity generators to keep buying coal, despite a steep fall in power demand due to a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Over three-fourths of the electricity generated in India is coal-fired. Anil Kumar Jain, the secretary of India's Ministry of Coal, last week wrote to Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, the top bureaucrat in the power ministry, to ensure power generators do not cut back intakes of coal from state-run Coal India Ltd. "I request the Ministry of Power to prevail upon central gencos, NTPC Ltd and its JVs, ...
The military is drawing up plans to build nine more emergency hospitals around the country, with eight more sites under consideration, as Britains coronavirus pandemic continues to take a heavy toll.

The field facilities will be smaller than the 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale built at the ExCel Centre in Londons Docklands. Construction has already begun in four of the nine hospitals, which will, among other places, be in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol, Harrogate, Belfast and Cumbria.

Other locations being looked at, it is believed, are the Kent Event Centre, near Maidstone, the largest conference centre in the country, the Brighton Centre in Sussex, and sites in Cambridge and Norwich.

Almost 25,000 service personnel are currently in a state of very high readiness for any emergencies, according to defence officials, with 10,000 of them focusing on Covid-19 duties, and around 3,000 on average deployed each day.

The RAF has been involved in repatriating British nationals stranded abroad, and is now ferrying-in ventilators including, on a recent flight, 200 sets from China.
Mourne View in Skerries where the incident took place. Pic Steve Humphreys

A man is due in court today after a window was smashed in a garda car responding to a public order incident in Skerries, north county Dublin, early this morning.

The man, who is in his 30s, was arrested shortly before 5am after gardai attached to Balbriggan Garda Station were alerted over an incident at the Mourne View estate in the town.

On arrival they saw the man in front of a house and in possession of a hatchet and two knives.

The man then proceeded to threaten gardai with the weapons and subsequently smashed a window of the patrol car. No injuries were reported.

Additional Garda units arrived at the scene and the man was arrested and taken to Balbriggan Garda Station.

He has since been charged and is due to appear in court this morning.
When a Texas angler reeled in something from the Gulf of Mexico at Port Isabel, she wouldnt have hoped it to be something dangerous.

Alyssa Ramirez and her mother thought some seaweed had got entangled onto their fishing gear. But when it started moving a little, they understood it was best left alone; neither of them had ever seen anything like the 3-inch creature with needles sticking out writhing around.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Ramirez

At first glance I thought I snagged some seaweed, Ramirez told The Sun. Then I laughed because that was definitely not a fish, nor seaweed,

The only thing the angler could compare it to was an oversized earthworm ready for combat.

Being a marine life enthusiast, Ramirezs curiosity was definitely piqued. I was extremely curious about it [] so I decided to record it and snap a few pictures, she said.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Ramirez

After Ramirez took some photos of the alien-looking creature and sent them to Texas Parks & Wildlife, the bristly creature was identified as a bearded fireworm, named for its painful sting.

According to Science and the Sea, a fireworm usually gently scuttles across the ocean floor, but when it is threatened, just like the specimen that Ramirez caught was, it forms a protective halo by flaring out its bristles that can inject a powerful neurotoxin.

Anything that ignores the bristles receives a painful sting, the website noted, adding that the injured area hurts like its on fire, and the sensation can last for hours.

(Courtesy of Alyssa Ramirez)

The fireworm usually prefers to eat coral, but it also feasts on pieces of dead marine organisms, such as the squid that Ramirez used as bait. The angler was smart to avoid getting too close to her catch.

Luckily I didnt have to touch it because it let go of my bait, Ramirez told USA Today/For the Win Outdoors. By the way it moved and the red colors it had, I knew not to touch it.

The short video that Ramirez took has captivated many viewers, receiving over 600,000 views on Facebook. Many were terrified by the creatures appearance. I will officially never go near the water on the coast again. Ever, commented one social media user.

Since the video only showed the fireworm moving around on the pier, some viewers were concerned that it might not survive. Texas Parks & Wildlife responded that the species can survive for a short period out of the water as long as it doesnt get too hot or too dry.

Talking to USA Today/For the Win Outdoors, Ramirez said that she placed the fireworm on the rail of the pier, and after wiggling around for a few minutes, it then fell into the water by itself.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Ramirez

The whole experience was a special one for Ramirez; she told The Sun that she hopes it will bring curiosity for those who love and enjoy adventures.

At the same time, the incident also propelled her to brief internet fame.

Now when I Google my name + Fire Worm this comes out!! she wrote on Instagram. I was just enjoying my vacation.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
April 8, 2020

Chris Cole, Kasiska Division Marketing Assistant

POCATELLO  Idaho State University is rising to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic by offering mental health services across their Idaho campuses through video conferencing.

Through a Community Health Improvement Fund grant from St. Lukes Hospital, Idaho States Meridian campus was able to obtain required telehealth certification and laptop computers for virtual counseling sessions. The grant will also cover regional travel and project evaluation. Idaho States main campus in Pocatello will also be offering the services.

Originally, we thought we could stay open and just work as-is while implementing protocol regarding cleaning and social distancing, and things evolved to where there was no way it was reasonable for us to stay open in that way, said Shawn Parmanand, director of the Pocatello counseling clinic.

Parmanand says the training for clinic employees at both campuses was quite comprehensive, and a lot of planning and work was required.

This project has developed an interdisciplinary telehealth counseling and wellness program through the ISU Meridian Clinics to comprehensively address critical mental health needs in rural and underserved Southwestern Idaho communities, said Logan Lamprecht, clinical director for the Meridian counseling clinic. The objectives of the project are to enhance the mental health services offered to individuals in the rural areas surrounding the Treasure Valley, while continuing to provide outstanding patient care that furthers the education of Idahos next generation of counselors.

Parmanand said there was some apprehension in being able to implement such radical changes in such a short amount of time. However, he said students and faculty rose to the challenge.

All of our clinical doctoral students and masters students have shifts they take, and those shifts havent changed, Parmanand said, confirming that they will maintain the quality and integrity of their services.

Parmanand added that its been an interesting experience to make so many changes in such a short amount of time, but that they are always accepting new clients.

We see ourselves as essential. We see our clients as in need of our services, and I think there is this collective not knowing that is generating anxiety for a lot of people, Parmanand said. Were anxious to be able to provide more services to people.

To reach the Pocatello Counseling Clinic at ISU, call (208) 240-1609 or visit www.isu.edu/clinics/ counseling-pocatello .

To reach the Meridian Counseling Clinic at ISU, call (208) 373-1719 or visit www.isu.edu/clinics/ counseling-meridian .
The prime minister gave a rousing speech in Parliament this morning as he vowed Australia would win the 'battle' against coronavirus.

Scott Morrison echoed British wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill and declared: 'We will never surrender.'

But he warned the fight against the virus may last more than six months.

'We have bought Australia valuable time to chart a way out over the next six months. But there are no guarantees, and it could well take far longer,' he said.

Parliament is meeting today to pass the $130billion JobKeeper scheme to pay the wages of six million Australians as coronavirus shut-downs cripple the economy.

The prime minister (pictured today) gave a rousing speech in Parliament this morning as he vowed Australia would win the 'battle' against coronavirus

Mr Morrison's speech was reminiscent of Winston Churchill's address to the UK Parliament in June 1940 as the Nazis swept through Europe. Pictured: Churchill after victory in Europe in 1945

Mr Morrison said the virus was a threat to Australia's very existence.

'Today we act to protect Australia's sovereignty,' he said.

'When Australian lives and livelihoods are threatened, when they are under attack, our nation's sovereignty is put at risk, and we must respond.'

Sovereignty is a country's ability to govern itself. Mr Morrison said Australia's sovereignty depended on a free, open and democratic society, enabled through a vibrant market economy.

'Above all, our sovereignty is sustained by what we believe as Australians, what we value and hold most dear, our principles, our way of life, a way of doing things,' he said.

'We will never surrender this.'

In a message of hope, he added: 'It will be a fight we will win. But it won't be a fight without cost, or without loss.

'Once we have overcome these threats - and we will - we will rebuild, we will restore, whatever the battle ahead takes from us.'

The speech was reminiscent of Winston Churchill's address to the UK Parliament in June 1940 as the Nazis swept through Europe.

Churchill said: 'We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.'

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg bump elbows to avoid shaking hands

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said politicians came to Canberra with open hearts and open minds.

'But we owe it to all Australians to keep our eyes open, too,' he told parliament.

The unprecedented scale of the support package set Australia on a path for a trillion-dollar debt, he said.

'It is a bill that will saddle a generation.'

Mr Morrison noted that when parliament last sat, just over a fortnight ago, the numbers of Australians newly infected with the virus was growing more than 20 per cent a day.

Now that daily increase averages two per cent.

Tough restrictions on people's movements and social distancing measures have bought the country precious time to prepare its health system.

The daily increase in new cases has dropped but health experts are concerned COVID-19 could be widely transmitted among unwitting community members.

Almost 550 people have been infected with coronavirus by someone who didn't know they had it.

Nearly 6000 Australians have caught the disease, and 50 people have died so far.

'Progress can be easily undone, as we have seen in other places around the world,' Mr Morrison said.

'We are only a few days away from Easter, a time that should give us great hope, and the message is clear, though: stay home, don't travel, don't go away. We can't let up now.'

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned abandoning social distancing rules over the long weekend would undo everything done to curtail the crisis.

'The virus doesn't take a holiday,' he told the Ten Network.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he understood people were desperate to do the things that were normal for them at Easter time, like visiting relatives.

'All that will achieve is that we spread the virus and we give back, if you like, all the gains that we've made,' he told reporters.

Restrictions would have to stay in place for the medium term, he warned.

In NSW, leader Gladys Berejiklian said restrictions were being reviewed every month but social distancing would be needed until a vaccine was found.

'If the advice in a couple of weeks' time is that there might be a couple of aspects that we can tweak to provide relief to our citizens, well then we'll take that advice,' she told reporters.

'But that comes with risk and I need to be very up-front about that.

'Every time you relax a restriction, more people will get sick, more people will die, and it's a horrible situation to be in but they're the choices.'
The Federal Reserve releases the minutes from its most recent meeting at 2 p.m. ET. The meeting in question was the emergency weekend session in March when the Fed cut rates to a range of zero to 0.25%. (CNBC)

U.S. stock futures were pointing to a gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average at Wednesday's open. The Dow fell 26 points Tuesday after giving up an over 900-point surge earlier in the session. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also closed modestly lower. (CNBC) The Nasdaq avoided going back into a bear market. But the Dow and S&P 500 remained in bear market territory, defined by declines of at least 20% from recent 52 week highs. All three stock measures hit record highs in February before the worst of the coronavirus crisis took hold in the United States. (CNBC)

U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 400,000 on Wednesday, according to figures provided by NBC News, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide. The world's largest economy has recorded the most COVID-19 infections of any country around the globe by far. Cases in America are almost five times those in China, where the virus was first identified in December.



New York state's over 140,300 cases and 5,489 deaths are the most in the U.S. Half those cases are in New York City, which has more than 70% of the fatalities in the state.

Global coronavirus cases topped 1.4 million with 83,148 deaths and over 281,300 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University data. After the U.S., the worst of the outbreak is ravaging Europe. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, suffering from COVID-19, spent a second night in the intensive care unit at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. Johnson's condition is stable, according to officials. (CNBC)



In the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, authorities started allowing people to leave there for the first time since late January's lockdown. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump is blaming the World Health Organization for getting "every aspect" of the outbreak wrong. At Tuesday evening's White House coronavirus briefing, he threatened to withhold funding from the WHO, the United Nations' health agency. (CNBC)



In hopes of further helping U.S. small businesses, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asked congressional leaders for an additional $250 billion for the small business loan program. Congress late last month approved a $350 billion small business loan program as part of an over $2 trillion stimulus. (CNBC)

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of both Twitter and Square, said he's going to set aside $1 billion in his Square equity to support relief efforts for COVID-19, and other causes, once the pandemic is over. Dorsey said he's pulling the shares from his stake in mobile payments company Square instead of Twitter because he owns more stock in the Square. (CNBC)

Tesla (TSLA) will furlough all non-essential workers and cut salaries as the virus outbreak shuts down the automaker's production. Tesla currently plans to resume production on May 4. (CNBC)

Walt Disney (DIS) may require visitors to have their temperatures checked when it reopens its theme parks, according to Executive Chairman Bob Iger. He told Barron's the temperature check is one way to make the public feel safe.

UnitedHealth (UNH) is moving to speed up payments to doctors and hospitals, with the nation's largest health insurer saying it was making the move to ease the financial stress experienced by health care providers. The accelerated payments will begin with $2 billion next week. (Forbes)

Boeing (BA) is implementing two new software updates for its grounded 737 MAX jet, as it moves toward securing regulatory approval to return the jet to service. (Reuters)
An assistant sub-inspector posted in the traffic unit of Delhi Police has been tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

He has been admitted at the Super Speciality Block of Safdarjung Hospital, they said.

The 49-year-old police official was posted in Hauz Khas circle of the traffic unit.

He was taken to AIIMS on April 1 for a check-up after he complained of having cough and fever, they said.

Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had advised him 14 days of home quarantine following which he stayed at his residence in Kalkaji, police said.

On Tuesday, he was tested for the virus and was found to be positive, a senior police official said.

The authorities of Safdarjung Hospital have noted details of the ASI's health history as well as that of his family members, the officer said.

Three traffic staff working with him have been informed to self-isolate for the next 14 days, he said.

SHO Kalkaji has also been informed about the development, police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race on Wednesday, effectively ending a primary in which he once appeared poised to run away with the partys nomination.

A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders calls for a political revolution resonated with the far-left faction of the Democratic party and young voters who were tired of its establishment candidates and centrist policies. But it isolated rank and file Democrats who overwhelmingly backed the early favorite, former Vice President Joe Biden, as the partys best chance to defeat President Donald Trump in November. Biden now has a clear path to the nomination, though the end of the primary was overshadowed by the global crisis of the coronavirus pandemic as it spread across the U.S.

If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign, but its just not there, Sanders said in a livestream address on Wednesday.

As I see the crisis gripping the nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, he said.

Sanders called his choice to suspend his campaign, made over the course of several weeks with the guidance of his close advisors and supporters, a difficult and painful decision. He characteristically took the opportunity to point to how absurd it is to have employer-based health insurance, in particular in the wake of the pandemic.

After a strong early start in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, Sanders was clobbered by Biden on Super Tuesday and nearly every primary contest since, crystallizing that Sanders strategy of drawing out new voters was ultimately limited in its success.

Story continues

Supporters at the Bernie Sander's Rally and Vampire Weekend Concert in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. | Devin Yalkin for TIME

Despite his loss, the effect of Sanders proposals will likely reverberate throughout the Democratic party for generations to come. After a competitive presidential bid in 2016, Sanders pulled the early, wide field of Democratic candidates in the 2020 race to the left with plans like Medicare for All and offering free college. Some of his signature issues were at the forefront of the conversation among Democrats, and made up a lot of the time on stage during the primary debates.

He has inspired young activists ready to take up the mantle on issues from health care to climate change. Notably among them is the popular U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders most prominent endorser who threw her weight behind him shortly after his heart attack when he was most vulnerable in the race. (Ocasio-Cortez supported Sanders in 2016, long before she was a household name.)

Part of the reason why Bernie Sanders message resonates so much with young people is because we are not caught up in the story of yesterday, says Varshini Prakash, co-founder of Sunrise Movement, a grassroots organization of young people aimed at combating climate change that endorsed Sanders. I think [we] see the problems that the status quo way of thinking led to, and are now saying that system doesnt work, we need something new.

Sen. Bernie Sanders on night of the Iowa Caucus in Des Moines, Iowa on Feb. 3, 2020. | Devin Yalkin for TIME

Though his campaign long argued he was an electable candidate, voters worried that he was too far left to beat Trump. He promised to draw out a diverse coalition with a message that would excite new voters, and he made gains with Latino voters. But he struggled to connect with black voters and bring out the youth vote in the numbers that he needed. And though Biden is also in his seventies, Sanders, who is 78, suffered a heart attack in October that raised sharp questions about his health and nearly ended his campaign after it happened.

Fundamentally, voters did not appear to be ready for Sanders progressive agenda  at least not at the expense of choosing a candidate viewed as better positioned to win the election. Mark Longabaugh, who served as a senior adviser in Sanders 2016 race, told TIME that in retrospect, he believed Sanders had benefited from an anti-Clinton vote more than the campaign had realized at the time.

In 16, he burst upon the scene as sort of this new fresh, insurgent face, and people who were looking for an alternative to the establishment did not see him as this radical, you know, socialist, says Longabaugh. Whats happened to Bernie, unfortunately for him is hes become a more radicalized figure than he was in 2016.

Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign event in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 7, 2020. | Tony Luong for TIME

Born in Brooklyn, Sanders eventually wound up in Burlington, Vermont, where he was elected as mayor in 1981. He served in that position for four terms, and also served in the US House of Representatives for 16 years before being elected to his current position in the Senate in 2006. He is an Independent in Congress, despite running for President as a Democrat.

In the rarified atmosphere of Capitol Hill, hes known for wearing plain suits from Kohls and walking briskly, rarely pausing to rub elbows with his colleagues. If you have your birthday, Im not going to call you up to congratulate you so youll love me and youll write nice things about me, Sanders famously told the New York Times editorial board.

He rarely talks about himself. And while, at the encouragement of advisers, he worked on incorporating more of his own story in his campaign this cycle, his emphasis that his bid for the presidency was about the voters, not him, was central to how he operated on the campaign trail; Not me, us, was his campaign slogan. At its core, his message gave voters permission to be angry at the circumstances that have kept them down.

Sanders decision to exit the race all but guarantees that Biden, whose campaign picked up momentum after he won decisively in South Carolina and swept up much of the South on Super Tuesday, will be the nominee.

A sign for the Bernie Sanders campign in the snow in Concord, N.H. on Feb. 8, 2020. | Tony Luong for TIME

By leaving the race, Sanders is allowing the Democratic party  the very establishment he has long railed against  to focus on defeating Trump. Grappling with the onslaught of the pandemic, there was even less of an appetite among Democrats for a long, drawn-out primary battle as they focus on the crisis at hand.

Its critical that everyone who voted in a primary so far votes for the Democratic nominee in November, says Jared Leopold, an independent Democratic strategist who worked on Washington Gov. Jay Inslees presidential campaign. Democrats cant afford to allow any question about whether people are going to vote in November.

Sanders will continue to influence this election, with progressives in the party looking to him for cues. He will be in a position to pressure Biden like he did Clinton, and  thanks in no small part to the massive grassroots fundraising machine he was able to build  he will be in a position to continue broadcasting his message.

It will just not be from the White House, as he had hoped.
Gov. Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli will provide their daily update on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in New Jersey at a 1 p.m. press conference Wednesday in Trenton.

The briefing at the Trenton War Memorial can be viewed on the governors YouTube.com channel. NJ Advance Media will add the live stream to this post when it becomes available.

The governor is expected to be joined by State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan, and State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan at the approximately 90-minute gathering with the media.

At 10:15 a.m. Murphy and Callahan will be among a small contingent to tour the pop-up field hospital at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison. Major General Jeffrey Milhorn and Lieutenant Colonel David Park of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will also be on hand with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker. That tour is also being streamed live.

Last week, a similar field hospital opened at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus. A third site is expected open next week in Atlantic City. The hospital were built to treat patients with ailments other than coronavirus.

Earlier Wednesday, the governor appeared on CNN New Day to provide a national audience an update on the states response to COVID-19, which has led to 1,232 deaths in New Jersey.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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.
Josh Harycki, a junior at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, founded a "social distancing pledge" to encourage his peers to follow the CDC's guidelines. Read more

When Central Bucks South became one of the first Philadelphia-area high schools to close due to fear of coronavirus exposure in early March, 16-year-old sophomore Andrew Chen knew that things were not going to return to normal as quickly as some of his peers hoped.

But still, the transition from seeing his friends on the swim team during daily practices to learning alone at home was jarring.

I only have three years here at South, and it pains me to see one of them being wasted, Chen said.

The coronavirus has upended everyones lives, but for Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, the disruption feels particularly acute. Schools closed and graduation ceremonies were canceled. Summer plans, like camps and internships, are up in the air. And for recent college graduates, entering the job market in a time of unprecedented unemployment rates is no easy task.

While its still too early to tell what the lasting impact of the pandemic will be on Gen Z, experts and historians say it will undoubtedly affect young people for years to come. But right now, many Gen Zers are trying to stay connected, grappling with misinformation, and figuring out the best ways they can help  all through social media.

Building community

Data show the coronavirus is less deadly in young people, which leaves many teens with the sense that they are in a unique position to help others. Teens around the country have pitched in by teaching seniors how to use video technology to stay connected to their families, creating food pantries for hospital staffers, and writing letters to nursing home residents. A freshman at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square borrowed his schools 3D printers to make face shields for local hospitals in his parents basement.

For Josh Harycki, a junior at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, the best way to contribute was to create a social distancing pledge for young people.

I saw a lot of younger generations not paying attention, he said. They were ... still going out, hanging out with people. I thought that there had to be a way to reach younger folks, who were probably not watching the news.

Harycki launched a call to action on social media and then built a website with a map that tracked the locations of people whod signed the pledge. The site also shares links to accurate sources of information like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Going from being around friends for eight hours a day at school to being isolated at home all day wasnt easy, said Harycki.

Weve definitely had times when we feel kind of bored at home, he said. Were very social beings, and were used to having that school experience.

Harycki knows that his peers are worried they cant connect with their friends in the same way, so he created the social distancing pledge to reinforce that while everyone might be physically distant, theyre still connected.

Part of what were highlighting is that you might feel like youre the only one taking this seriously, but our map shows that youre not in this alone, he said.

Grappling with misinformation

One challenge health officials have faced when trying to get young people to take social distancing seriously is misinformation. Instead of getting information about the coronavirus from the news, many teens are turning to social media for updates, where unproven treatments are being touted as cures and conspiracy theories are left unchecked.

TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms for teens, has tried to combat misinformation by prioritizing content from organizations like the World Health Organization and the British Red Cross.

Like everyone else, Gen Z and millennials are trying to make sense of this phenomenon, said Jessa Lingel, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania studying digital culture.

What Ive noticed is that on three of the main platforms  YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok  theres a lot of messaging, but not a lot of information," Lingel said. "There will be a meme on Instagram on how to best wash your hands, or a 10-second TikTok video on what social distancing really means, but on the negative side, someone will share a TikTok of empty shelves in stores, which creates panic buying and promotes bad behavior.

Lingel cited Gen Zs distrust of older generations as a real battle for sending out legitimate information, but said that enforcing generational divides is also not helpful for combating misinformation. She noted that there are people in every generation not taking the pandemic seriously.

Gen Z and millennials put a lot of faith in sources like celebrities, Lingel said. Ive been relieved that the late-night talk shows have been producing at-home content because its a source of news for a lot of folks. Young people ... trust John Oliver more than Anderson Cooper.

 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.

Chen, the Central Bucks South student, said that hes trying to avoid misinformation on social media, opting instead to ask his parents if he has questions about coronavirus and doing his own online searches.

I would never use social media because details can be exaggerated easily or may not be accurate at all, he said.

Lingels greatest concern is whether technology can provide a sense of community for young people in the long run. She said that while Gen Z is used to living their lives on social platforms, theyre also used to having a lot of face-to-face contact, so its unclear how long technology is going to be able to mitigate the effects of isolation.

This is a generation thats already having less sex, doing less drugs, drinking less, Lingel said. COVID-19 might push people to build all communities online, which is kind of concerning. I believe online communities are great, but theyre not meant to be our entire social worlds.
Kabul, April 8 : Anti-government militants have gunned seven civilians in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, local police said Wednesday.

"The victims went to a mountain side for picnic in Taliban-held area in Sholgara district on Tuesday. They were held by militants and were shot dead later on the Tuesday evening," Sayyid Aref Iqbal, police chief of Sholgara, told Xinhua.

Local villagers shifted the bodies to the district center and their relatives were notified, the police chief added.

Taliban militant group has not made comments so far.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 3,400 civilians were killed and over 6,900 others injured in conflict-related incidents in 2019, according to the figures released by UN mission in the country.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has attributed 62 per cent of the civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 28 per cent to security forces over the period while the rest 10 per cent were caused by other reasons.
The US and UK security agencies have issued a joint security warning about cyberattacks using the coronavirus outbreak as a lure.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Britain's National Cyber Security Center says criminals and what they call persistent threat groups are attempting to transmit ransomware and malware that are tied to the COVID-19 outbreak.

One example includes emails that purport to come from the World Health Organization. Others are phishing attempts that appear to come from Microsoft or other tech companies whose remote tools are often used by people working from home.

The statement says they have not detected an overall increase in cybercrime. But they have noted a growing use of malicious threats involving COVID-19 related themes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In March 1774, the British government issued the Boston Port Act as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. The Royal Navy blockaded the harbor. The idea was to starve the Bostonians into submission, destroying their economy by throwing them out of work and cutting them off from imports. Boston responded by sending a letter to the other colonial governments. The letter did not ask for material aid, only that they cut off their commerce with Britain. The letter was signed "Your friends and fellow countrymen." The other colonies responded by shipping food and supplies to the beleaguered Bostonians  say, a wagon of flour from Rhode Island or a herd of sheep from Connecticut. Virginia declared a day of fasting and prayer in support.

The British planned that their action, one of four punitive measures known as The Intolerable Acts, would destroy resistance by shattering the colonists collective will and dividing them. It had the opposite effect. It served to unite them around a response to a common threat. It also led directly to the First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia that September. There in a tiny room of Carpenters Hall, for the first time 13 hearts began to beat as one. E Pluribus Unum. Well, actually 12 hearts. Georgia couldn't make the meeting, but the imagery is better with 13.

Now we know Oregon would have been there, too. Thank you to the great state of Oregon from "Your friends and fellow countrymen" in New York state.

Al Cavalari, New Windsor, N.Y.
Gregg Wallace's BBC show has sparked fury after visiting an 'unauthentic' Ginsters factory and telling viewers the pasty was not invented in Cornwall.

The presenter went to the company's factory in Callington, which makes three million pasties every week, to show how the baked pastry is produced.

But Twitter users reacted fiercely to the visit and accused the show, which aired at 9pm last night, of doing a 'huge injustice' to the Cornish pasty.

Gregg Wallace's 'Inside the Factory' pasty episode aired last night at 9pm. But Cornish people were left furious after he visited a Ginsters factory in Callington

One said: 'This inside the pasty factory on BBC2, please tell me that it isnt Ginsters pasties?'

Another said: 'Gregg Wallace has gone to a Ginsters factory to learn how to make a pasty. I'm disgusted.'

A third wrote: 'Inside the factory doing a huge injustice to a Cornish pasty. Ginsters are absolutely vile!'

A fourth added: 'Absolute travesty this!'

Another social media user tweeted: '"You can have mince in a Cornish pasty" absolute b***ocks mate, whole episode had me fuming. Ginsters is not and never will be a real Cornish pasty.'

The programme also examined the history of the pasty, with food history researcher Glyn Hughes claimed tales about how Cornish tin miners used the pasty crust as a handle were 'false' and completely made up.

Twitter users, above, reacted furiously to the show, with one accusing the programme of doing a 'huge injustice' to the pasty and labelling Ginsters as 'absolutely vile'

It was previously thought that tin miners used the crimp as a handle to avoid poisoning themselves with arsenic or tin oil that was still on their fingers from working.

But Glyn appeared on Gregg Wallace's Inside the Factory, alongside fellow historian Ruth Goodman, on Tuesday night to rubbish the historic theory.

He told the show that pictures from as far back as the 1890s instead showed miners ate pasties from cloth bags.

He said: 'We've been back through literally thousands and thousands of newspapers and magazines going back to the 18th Century and we can find absolutely no mention of it (miners using crimpers as handles) anywhere.'

And sparking further fury from the pasty community Glyn told the show that the Cornish 'can't lay claim to inventing the pasty either'.

He said: 'People have been folding pastry over fillings for more than 2,000 years.'

Glyn said the word 'pasty' was first used in the 13th Century to refer to one single piece of meat covered by pastry, such as a Beef Wellington.

Mr Wallace in series five of 'Inside The Factory', where he visited a soup factory (file photo)

The show also examined the history of the pasty, with Glyn Hughes and Ruth Goodman claiming tales about how Cornish tin miners used the pasty crust as a handle were 'false'

Researchers and historians on the show claimed that pictures from as far back as the 1890s instead showed miners ate pasties from cloth bags

However, he said that because working classes didn't often write about their food, the first reference of the Cornish pasty in print wasn't until 1861 in the Leeds Times, where it was referred to as the 'standing dish of Cornwall'.

The claims were met with horror by fans of the traditional Cornish pasty.

One wrote on Facebook: 'What rubbish. The Cornish word hogan which evolved to oggy has been in use for centuries which proves pasties have been around in Cornwall for a very long time.

'References to pasties (hogan) are also made in old Cornish folk songs. Recipes were handed down from generation to generation.

'My great Grandmother and her parents before her used to make them. Some mines even had a sort of oven for keeping the pasties warm in.

'Some miners in the 19th and 20th century did use muslin or paper bags to hold their pasty in whilst they ate it, but prior to that they were made with a thick crimp to hold and the pastry was made from barley flour which was a lot harder than the pastry we have now.'

Ginsters have previously said they are 'puzzled' and 'slightly hurt' by Cornish people's opinions of the company, telling Cornwall Live in 2018: 'I think we are misunderstood. We have great Cornish heritage.

'We are very much Cornish. We have no intention of leaving the county. In fact Cornwall is becoming more front of centre on our packs.'
At 3 pm GMT on March 29, Africa World Airlines donated $100,000 to the Ghanaian government during a ceremony at the presidential palace. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Ghana; Togbe Afede, president of the National House of Chiefs of Ghana; Wang Shiting, Chinese ambassador to Ghana; Chai Zhijing, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Ghana; and Luo Cheng, co-chairman of Africa World Airlines, attended the event.

At the ceremony, Mrs. Osei-Opare, on behalf of President Akufo Addo, expressed their thanks to Africa World Airlines. She said that China was the first country to donate to Ghana and that the donation served as a demonstration of the sincere friendship between the two countries and peoples.

The Chinese ambassador, Mr. Wang, said that since its inception, Africa World Airlines has become the leading airline not only in Ghana but also throughout western Africa and that its air services have not only connected major cities in its home country, but also significantly improved connectivity throughout the region. He also spoke highly of the airline's support to Ghana in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

HNA implements the One Belt, One Road initiative by building an "air bridge" creating connectivity along the route

Since the One Belt, One Road initiative was launched nearly seven years ago, HNA, a leader in the civil aviation industry, has been actively engaged in the initiative's implementation. HNA's airlines now operate nearly 50 routes within the regions targeted by One Belt, One Road. Through air transport, the group has created a One Belt, One Road network that plays a key role in achieving the goals of the initiative. Africa World Airlines is the first air carrier to receive an investment from a Chinese company on the African continent. The investment is a breakthrough in terms of China moving from traditional investment and serving as contractors in Africa to the continent's aviation service industry.

In September 2018, speakers at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation once again stressed the need to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Africa, consolidating the impetus in building a closer Sino-African community.

Over the past seven years, Africa World Airlines has grown into the largest passenger airline in Ghana, with 98% local employees and an over 60% market share. The airline has provided great support to Ghana's efforts in establishing the country as the region's aviation hub, and has provided the momentum for the development of a local aviation market and tourism industry.

HNA leverages its experience to help Africa World Airlines accelerate development with Chinese programs

HNA has been following a strategy of encouraging Chinese companies to invest in Africa and support them when they do, opening international routes that connect with African countries and establishing its first overseas airline in the region. Despite the high prices for air transportation, the low number of passengers, the challenges brought about by the Ebola virus, losses in the African aviation industry and the risk of bankruptcy that has plagued most airlines in the region at one time or another, HNA has backed the African subsidiary with an investment of more than US$30 million and watched it turn a profit just two years after inception. By doing so, HNA has created a model for cooperation between the Chinese and African aviation sectors.

Since its inception 27 years ago, HNA has accumulated extensive operation and management experience in the aviation industry. Africa World Airlines is another example of HNA's rich experience in managing airlines in overseas markets. HNA has leveraged its own professional aviation management capabilities and rich management experience in day-to-day operation and safety, and in providing a level of service that shows a real interest in the passenger's experience and comfort, helping its African subsidiary grow and expand.

Based on the local situation, HNA has always taken safety management as a priority. The airline's proven record in terms of safety has been a key factor in why charter flight operators have overwhelmingly chosen to work with its two-year old subsidiary. Meanwhile, by controlling costs, employing local staff, offering systematic training, continuously improving service quality, and fulfilling social responsibilities, Africa World Airlines has become a preferred choice among local travellers. All these factors have played in role in the airline being able to turn a profit in such a short time.

HNA Group has taken many steps in optimizing its own international operation and safety management, corporate culture, brand building and cultural integration, to create a model that is representative of the development of China's civil aviation industry.

Sino-African cooperation in aviation creates an international brand, extending the industrial chain and boosting Africa's economic development

Africa World Airlines' growth has had the knock-on effect of fueling tourism to the degree that it has become the fastest growing industry in Ghana, replacing the timber industry as the country's third largest foreign exchange earner. Ghana has also shifted its focus from primary industries such as agriculture and mining to tertiary industries such as tourism and aviation. In line with the shift, Chinese investors have moved from traditional plays such a mining and project contracting to service-oriented ones. The Chinese-invested Africa World Airlines has won a series of awards including the Best Airline Award from the Ghana Tourism Authority, the first Safest Airline Award from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, and Africa's Best Brand from the World Brand Congress.

In order to promote the adoption of its high-tech, value-added products in Africa and optimize the structure of its fleet, HNA Group, via Africa World Airlines and other airlines, will bring China's technologically mature ARJ21 regional passenger jetliner to Africa to meet local needs for such aircraft. The move will help create opportunities for Chinese manufacturers who are looking to become involved in the civil aviation industry along the One Belt, One Road route, while providing China-made aircraft with wider access to international markets.

In time of need, supporting Ghana's fight against COVID-19

According to a spokesperson for Africa World Airlines, since its investment in the Ghanaian airline, HNA Group has integrated its own development roadmap into the national development strategy, aiming to facilitate the rapid growth of Africa World Airlines with HNA's advanced aviation management experience. In Ghana, corporate social responsibility is particularly important. Operating an airline is a long-term commitment rather than an investment with a short-term exit plan. As a result, being socially responsible must be a key component of corporate development. As Africa now needs to ramp up its efforts in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19, Africa World Airlines needs to focus on its corporate social responsibility and do its part to help local governments fight the epidemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak has served to heighten something that HNA Group has always taken to heart and made part and parcel of its corporate philosophy: being of service to society and helping others in a time of need. The Hainan-based global airline strives to support national diplomacy and local development. The company has to date transported 97,321 pieces of equipment (1,200+ tons) for use in COVID-19 prevention, sent 2,877 medical personnel via 24 charter flights to Hubei, repatriated 713 stranded passengers via 5 charter flights to Hubei, and transported 60 tons of medical supplies in the first freight charter to Hungary in support of the international fight against the epidemic. The various efforts involved an investment of nearly 70 million yuan, demonstrating the social responsibility of the Chinese carrier.

###

SOURCE HNA Tourism Group
A survey by women's business group Network Ireland has revealed strong optimism in Irish business amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Nearly 80% of respondents said they were either "very happy" or "happy" with Government efforts to support business during the pandemic.

The online survey had 219 respondents between March 23 and April 2 and examined the immediate impact of restrictions placed on Irish life from the second week of March.

President of Network Ireland Louisa Meehan said: The level of optimism among these businesses is really encouraging.

"Its important the government works to support these businesses who are so determined to put their best foot forward when the time comes and revive the smaller enterprises that are so vital to the Irish economy.

The survey also showed:

80% of people say their working day has become "dramatically" or "somewhat different."

Almost 50% questioned had decided to or were about to shut their business temporarily.

86% say they believe they will be able to re-open their business at a later date.

Network Ireland has launched a number of virtual seminars and hosted online coffee meetings in support of their members.

Speaking about the online support, President Louisa Meehan said: Network Ireland has always been dedicated to supporting its members.

"In this new environment where our daily lives have been disrupted, were determined to do what we can to maintain vital links and networks in whatever way we can."

Established in 1983, the volunteer organisation aims to support the professional and personal development of women
MH17 tragedy Open source

Ukraine, which is a member of the Joint Investigative Group calls on the Russian Federation to implement UN Security Council resolution No. 2166 in the case of the downed Malaysian Boeing of flight MH17. This is stated in a joint statement by Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany and Poland, following the discussion at the UN.

As a state party to the Joint Investigative Group, Ukraine calls on the Russian Federation to implement UN Security Council resolution No. 2166 and fully cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigation, the document says as published by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN.

The statement also states that the truth about the tragedy will be established, and the perpetrators and customers of the crime will be held accountable.

The crash of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane that performed a regular flight 17 occurred on July 17, 2014 in the occupied section of Donetsk region. All passengers and crew were killed (298 people in total).

As we reported before, Judge Yolande Waynobel who is responsible for working with the media within the MH17 case does not rule out that new materials and new suspects may be involved in the process.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:03:56|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Namibian health minister said Tuesday the speedy completion of a 12 bed COVID-19 isolation facility by a Chinese firm will help Namibia contain the novel coronavirus.

Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula hailed the work that the Chinese firm did, saying that the facility is of top quality.

"The company carried out the task in a very short period of time which is really commendable because it helps the country reach its goals to contain this pandemic before it has destroyed our people's lives. I was really impressed by the company's efficiency, they promised and delivered a state-of-the-art building," said Shangula.

The isolation facility built in one week by the Nami Prefabricated Housing CC has 12 fully furnished self-contained rooms for COVID-19 patients.

Shangula commended the overall support Namibia has received from China since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

"China and Namibia have a very good relationship with regard to health that dates back to the 90's. We have acupuncturists who are rendering their service to Namibia at our state hospitals while we have received several donations over the years," said Shangula.

Namibia has so far recorded 16 COVID-19 confirmed cases.
Nearly 60 per cent of 217 people  many from Australia, Europe and the United States  on board a cruise ship off the coast of Uruguay have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the ship's operator said Tuesday.

There are currently no fevers on board and all are asymptomatic, said Aurora Expeditions, the Australian operator of the Greg Mortimer ship that is working to disembark the crew and passengers and arrange flights to their home countries.

The Greg Mortimer departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia that was titled In Shackleton's Footsteps, a reference to the polar explorer who led British expeditions to the region and died there in 1922.

Of 217 people tested on the vessel, 128 were positive for the virus that causes the COVID-2019 disease and 89 tested negative, Aurora Expeditions said.

Another six people who were evacuated from the ship are in stable condition and being treated in Montevideo.

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 people on the ship are calm but they are eager to go home, said Marcelo Girard, a doctor at an Uruguayan medical facility where two people from the Greg Mortimer are being treated.

Australian passengers, and possibly those from New Zealand, are likely to fly home on Thursday or Friday on an Airbus 340 that has been refitted, with people who have the virus and those who do not travelling in separate cabin areas, according to Aurora Expeditions. The cost per passenger is about $9,300 and the cruise ship operator has asked the Australian government for help with expenses.

The plan would require the passengers to undergo a 14-day quarantine on arrival at a facility in Melbourne, the company said.

U.S. and European passengers who tested negative will hopefully be able to depart later in the week, following a second test and permission from the Uruguayan government, Aurora Expeditions said. Those who tested positive must wait until they test negative before flying home.

In a separate case, a cruise ship anchored in Santos, on the coast of Brazil's Sao Paulo state, had its quarantine extended until at least April 19 after doctors found new suspected cases of the coronavirus, according to Brazilian officials. There are now 40 suspected cases aboard the Costa Fascinosa vessel, which is owned by Costa Cruises. Hundreds of people are on the ship.
SAN FRANCISCO  Jack Dorsey, chief executive of Twitter and Square, said Tuesday that he planned to donate $1 billion, or just under a third of his total wealth, to relief programs related to the coronavirus, in one of the more significant efforts by a tech billionaire to fight the pandemic.

Dorsey said he would put 28% of his wealth, in the form of shares in his mobile payments company Square, into a limited liability company that he had created, called Start Small. Start Small would make grants to beneficiaries, he said, with the expenditures to be recorded in a publicly accessible Google document.

Why now? The needs are increasingly urgent, and I want to see the impact in my lifetime, Dorsey said in a series of tweets announcing his plans. I hope this inspires others to do something similar.

Dorsey, 43, joins a growing list of celebrities, world leaders and technologists who are earmarking some portion of their wealth to fighting the spread of the coronavirus and its effects.

Oprah Winfrey has donated more than $10 million of her personal wealth to COVID-19 relief efforts, while other Hollywood personalities  including Justin Timberlake, Dolly Parton and Rihanna  have also made contributions. Last week, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said he would donate $100 million to U.S. food banks through a nonprofit, Feeding America. And Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook, has also organized relief campaigns through Facebook and his own philanthropic organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Even so, Dorseys contribution stands out for the sum he is putting in and for how much of his net worth that represents.

Square declined a request for an interview with Dorsey. Twitter declined to comment.

In creating a limited liability company, Dorsey is following a model that Zuckerberg has used. In 2015, when Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, set up the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, it was organized as an LLC, holding much of their wealth to fund charitable causes.

At the time, critics said the vehicle was a self-serving maneuver that allowed Zuckerberg to engage in private lobbying, for-profit investment and political donations. Zuckerberg pushed back, saying a limited liability company gave him and his wife more control over how their resources would be put to use.

Dorsey, who has been criticized in the past for his lack of transparency around philanthropic efforts, said he was creating an LLC for flexibility and pledged to use the Google document to update the public on its latest grants, stock transfers and sales.

He said the first $100,000 donation would be to Americas Food Fund, a high-profile effort committed to feeding the hungry. It was started in a GoFundMe page last week by Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurene Powell Jobs and Apple.

After the most pressing matters of the pandemic are resolved, Dorsey said he plans to shift the aim of Start Small to supporting initiatives around universal basic income, under which Americans would get a base level of regular income from the federal government, and womens health and education efforts.

Universal basic income has been a pet issue for some Silicon Valley progressives, made more popular in recent months by the now-ended presidential candidacy of Andrew Yang, a Democrat who ran partly on the idea.

Life is too short, so lets do everything we can today to help people now, Dorsey tweeted, followed by an emoji of a peace sign hand gesture.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
New Milford has closed its parks to anyone who isnt a town resident, Mayor Pete Bass announced Tuesday.

The move comes after he saw people not keeping the appropriate distance from each other over the weekend because the parks were so crowded. He consulted with the towns health director, police chief and town attorney before signing an emergency order allowing only New Milford residents to use the parks.
The former top cop in the William Tyrrell investigation has been hit with four criminal convictions and a $10,000 fine for illegal recordings of an elderly person of interest.

In a heavy blow, former NSW Police posterboy Gary Jubelin was given a criminal record as he was sentenced for phone recordings made between November 2017 and December 2018.

The veteran homicide detective was investigating the little boy's disappearance when he secretly recorded Paul Savage, an elderly pensioner who lived on the same street as William's foster grandmother when the little boy, three, vanished.

Handing down his sentence on Wednesday, Magistrate Ross Hudson said Jubelin's recordings of Mr Savage, 75, occurred over a 12 month period and struck 'across the heart, nature and purpose' of the law banning secret recordings.

Former NSW Police Force posterboy Gary Jubelin was found guilty of four charges of illegally recording an elderly person of interest. On right, his lawyer, Margaret Cunneen SC

The detective -turned-columnist's barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, had asked the court not to convicted Jubelin as he was still of working age and had exemplary character.

But Mr Hudson said Jubelin's illegal recordings could have possibly led to a case against William's killer being thrown out of court or being unable to be prosecuted, as it was obtained illegally.

'This sentence must maintain its integrity to send a message to the offender, and to the general public, in terms of a person's rights in terms of privacy.

'It won't be accepted or tolerated in terms of people being illegally recorded in this regard,' he said.

Jubelin stood up immediately on sentence but was told to 'relax' by the magistrate.

William's foster mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, repeatedly choked up in court as she testified to the officer's integrity in a character reference earlier on Wednesday.

'He has never met William, but he knows William,' she told the court.

The foster mother said she had been told by no less than then-state Premier Mike Baird and police minister Troy Grant that Jubelin was the 'best cop' in the state, and praised his 'courage'.

'We were reassured he was the man that was needed. He was the guy that was going to get it done,' she said.

Little boy lost: William Tyrrell vanished from his foster grandmother's home at Kendall, on the New South Wales north coast, on September 12, 2014

Former NSW police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas, Greens Legislative Council member David Shoebridge and ex Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC also gave character references for Jubelin.

In submissions on sentencing, Ms Cunneen SC said it was 'an exceptional case involving an exceptional man', and that he had made a 'mistake'.

Jubelin had recorded Mr Savage on four separate occasions between November 3, 2017 and December 28, 2018.

Ms Cunneen asked a conviction not be recorded, claiming her client was abused by a passerby on Wednesday saying: 'You're going to have fun in jail mate. You deserve it'.

But Crown Prosecutor Phil Hogan said Mr Jubelin had breached Mr Savage's 'civil rights' not to be secretly recorded by the state.

Jubelin, right, with his son, Jake, and daughter, Gemma, ahead of his sentencing on Wednesday

Mr Hogan said Jubelin had a 'complete lack of contrition and remorse'.

Former NSW deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas gave a character reference for Jubelin in court

'He chose to break the law, he knew he was breaking the law ... and then he was dishonest about it, in interviews, in contact with media leading up to the hearing, and in his evidence before this court.'

He asked a sentence that would deter other police officers from breaching the law - and that was what he got.

Magistrate Ross Hudson, who presided over the case, delivered a scathing three hour judgment against Jubelin earlier this week.

He said Jubelin had 'belittled and humiliated' Savage and pursued him 'at all costs' despite 'no DNA, fingerprints ... no leads, nothing'.

Jubelin said he is appealing the decision.


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P Ramdas By

Express News Service

KOCHI: As Wuhan, where COVID-19 broke out, opened its streets for the public on Wednesday after a prolonged lockdown, the lone Malayali girl who stayed back in the Chinese city is smiling. Its not just the joyful faces she sees all around that make her happy, but also her decision not to travel to India. I thought I shouldnt be a virus carrier to India, Anila P Ajayan, a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB), Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, told The New Indian Express.

We can feel the happiness of people on the streets of Wuhan though everyone is very cautious, said the native of Elavumthitta, Pathanamthitta.



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The only noises I used to hear in Wuhan for more than three months were that of ambulance siren and radio messages in Chinese language. Most people whom I had met, including my professor, looked gloomy. But now I can feel the change. They are happy and calm. Roads have become busier, people have started singing. Students are coming back to IHB to resume their research, said Anila.



But restrictions are still in place for people who go out. Roads and other public places are still being cleaned using disinfectants. To use public transport, one needs to have a Green Health Code. And those who want to go for shopping need to undergo thermal screening. If ones temperature is above 37.2 degree Celsius, then he/ she is not allowed to enter shops. Morning sessions in shops are reserved for the elderly.

COVID toughened Wuhan citys resolve

Those who plan to come back to the offices or institutes should strictly follow norms like 14-day quarantine, temperature screening before entering and leaving the premises and social distancing. Meetings should not exceed two hours. Lengthy meetings should be conducted online. Everyone should wear a mask, even inside the offices. I was worried about contracting coronavirus. I had used public transport and ate from outside. So I was worried to come to Kerala. I had read that one can also be an asymptomatic carrier. I knew travelling in a flight can be risky, Anila said.

So she thought it was better to self-quarantine in her apartment in Wuhan so that her family and native people back home do not panic. She was also not sure when she would be able to return to Wuhan if she travelled to India. I heard that flights were cancelled. The duration of my research is two years and I thought if I go back to India, I may not be able to come back to Wuhan at least till June. So I decided to stay at IHB, she said. Anila spent 77 days in isolation.

Those days werent easy at all. Students of IHB Masters, PhD and Post Docs stayed in the same building. I was living on the second floor and became alone after all other Chinese students in the floor left for their native places for spring holidays. All other foreigners were on the first floor, she said. Days used to be so silent and the screaming siren of ambulances disturbed me.

I couldnt sleep for even two to three hours, she said. Asked what lesson the world could learn from Wuhan, she said: Wuhans story of togetherness should be appealing to the world. The people and authorities in the city fought COVID-19 together, said Anila. During the time of lockdown, medical teams visited every home in Wuhan to check peoples health status. They collected samples of those who showed COVID-19 symptoms and tested them. They later found there were many asymptomatic patients also. By that time, infection rate rose steeply, yet they didnt give up, she said. She believes COVID-19 toughened the resolve of Wuhan. And so did hers.
Jefferson County and Birmingham city schools, with more than 57,000 students combined, announced Tuesday that students in their districts will have access to meals again, starting Wednesday.

The announcements came a few days after district officials announced meal service would end due to safety concerns surrounding the spread of coronavirus.

Birmingham city officials announced the restart in a press release, saying a partnership of the city, the school system, the Birmingham ED Foundation, BhamStrong and others made it possible to serve meals Wednesday and Thursday.

Related: Many Alabama schools stop serving meals to slow coronavirus, others keep serving

Birmingham City school students can pick up lunches on Wednesday and Thursday across the city at 17 recreation centers and in 10 locations where refrigerated trucks will be parked. Heres a link to those times and locations. Meals will not be served on Good Friday, April 10.

Birmingham City Schools students can pick up free lunches at 17 city rec centers, refrigerated trucks and other locations on April 8-9.https://t.co/nABrzkVCt1  City of Birmingham (@cityofbhamal) April 7, 2020

Beginning April 13 and continuing through June 5, meals will be available to students through a partnership between Kikstart and the school district. Those meals will be served at seven Birmingham city schools, but exact times have not been announced.

Our BCSEats Feeding Program will begin on Monday, April 13, 2020 and will conclude on Friday, June 5, 2020. A schedule of times will be forthcoming. pic.twitter.com/WTUHOj8alT  Birmingham City Schools (@BhamCitySchools) April 8, 2020

Jefferson County school officials said they also have a partnership with Kikstart, and meals will be provided Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through June 5. Students can pick up breakfast and lunch.

Here's a link to locations and times when meals for Jefferson County students will be available for pickup.

GREAT NEWS - The Jefferson County School District is partnering with Kikstart, Inc. to continue meal service for students. More Info - https://t.co/MlMn35xZ8O  Jefferson County Schools (@JEFCOED) April 7, 2020

Demopolis City schools, which was the first to publicly announce they were stopping serving meals, announced meals are being made available for students in need through a community organization.

While students in these districts will now have access to meals, other districts including Fairfield City, Enterprise City, and DeKalb County schools, have all stopped meal services, which were grab-and-go, over safety concerns.

Madison County, with 18,000 students enrolled, closed their schools for meal pickup but will donate food from their schools to community partners who will then distribute those meals to students.

Most school districts made meals available for students through the initial school closure period, March 16 through April 3, but it's unclear how many will continue to do so from here on out.

It's a difficult choice for school officials, as they must choose between feeding hungry kids and working to slow the spread of the virus.

Families that need help with food should reach out for help, Alabama Arises hunger advocacy coordinator Celida Soto Garcia said. She recommends texting FOOD to 877-877, a service of No Kid Hungry, a national non-profit organizations that helps alleviate child hunger. Provide your zip code or full address and theyll text back where meals are available near you.

The Alabama State Department of Education's Break for a Plate website is available, though it requires a lot of clicks to get to helpful information and doesn't work well on mobile devices.

United Ways 211 call center is a resource, too. 211 is the number to call when youre in need, said Executive Director Becky Booker. We are the best place to connect you with available resources in your community.

Updated 4/8/2020, 9:50 a.m., with additional information about meals served through June 5 by Birmingham City Schools.
Newmont Corporation NEM recently announced that it is ramping down operations at the Penasquito mine following the coronavirus-related restrictions imposed by the government of Mexico.



The federal government of Mexico published a decree that mandates temporary suspension of all non-essential activities till Apr 30. The move is part of a nationwide effort to slowdown the global pandemic.



Per the decree, mining is not deemed as an essential activity. Newmont is trying to ascertain the impact of the decree on operations. Moreover, Penasquito will work with local governments, employees, contractors and unions to ensure a safe and orderly ramp down of the mine, complying with the directives of the federal government.



Newmont has implemented rigorous controls at all of its sites across the globe to protect workforce and communities from contracting or transmitting the disease. Further, the company has not reported any confirmed COVID-19 case. The company is ensuring that the Penasquito is well positioned to efficiently and safely ramp up operations in a timely manner once these directives are lifted. At present, the company is unable to determine the impact of ramping down of activities on Penasquitos production and costs for 2020.



Newmonts shares have rallied 36.7% in the past year against the industrys decline of 31.9%.





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Newmont currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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The SARS-CoV-2 test kits will be delivered to testing centres across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Out of these, 7,500 tests will be sent to the National Paediatric Hospital in Hanoi.

This is one of CapitaLand and CHFs initiatives in supporting COVID-19 prevention as the situation continues to pose challenges for the country.

At the donation ceremony, Tran Thanh Man, secretary of the Party Central Committee and president of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Government of Singapore and CapitaLand for accompanying Vietnam during this challenging period.

Professor Nguyen Thanh Long, standing deputy minister of Health, also appreciated CapitaLands support in COVID-19 prevention.

We would like to express our most sincere thanks to CapitaLand Vietnam for accompanying the Ministry of Health in the fight against COVID-19. Especially in this decisive phase in Vietnam, this is a source of encouragement for our joint efforts, Long said.

CapitaLand Vietnam presents the certificate of donation to VFFCC and the Ministry of Health on April 7

Chen Lian Pang, chief executive officer of CapitaLand Vietnam said that amidst the complexities of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the contribution of businesses in supporting the local community is important.

We believe that CapitaLands contributions, together with the collective support from the Vietnamese government, other enterprises, and the local community will help Vietnam through this challenging time, Chen said.

Tan Seng Chai, chief corporate and people officer for CapitaLand Group and executive director of CapitaLand Hope Foundation, said that as a socially responsible corporation, CapitaLand is playing its part to support Vietnams fight against COVID-19.

Guided by our credo, Building People  Building Communities, we believe in contributing to the communities where we operate as we have done so for Vietnam through the years. CapitaLands dedication towards building a more caring and inclusive community remains unwavering, Tan added.

In addition to joining hands with the Vietnamese government, CapitaLand has in place business continuity plans (BCP) to enable the company to continue its critical activities and minimise impact to operations.

Under the resolute management of the prime minister, the government, and consensus of the people, Vietnam has achieved promising results in prevention of COVID-19 and has been recognised by the international community.

At CapitaLands properties, the company works closely with the local authorities to support their efforts in containing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the well-being of its stakeholders.

These include limiting mass participation activities and adopting precautionary measures such as intensifying cleaning and disinfecting of its properties, in accordance with guidelines from the health authorities.

Regarding residential operations, CapitaLand has worked with the buildings management to regularly update residents with official information on COVID-19 prevention from the Ministry of Health.

Aside from strictly following the local authorities instructions on precautionary measures, the buildings management are to monitor closely and inform residents in a timely manner of any suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 notified by the local authorities.

CapitaLand is also offering various forms of support to its retail tenants, which include flexible rental payments and rental relief. As COVID-19 has impacted different malls and trade categories by varying degrees, the rental relief will be disbursed to retailers in a targeted manner, based on their individual needs and circumstances.

CapitaLand Vietnam is a business unit of CapitaLand, one of Asias largest diversified real estate groups.

After 25 years of operation in Vietnam, CapitaLands portfolio in Vietnam comprises of two integrated developments, close to 8,600 quality homes across 15 residential developments, two retail malls, one business park, as well as close to 7,000 lodging units in 27 properties across nine cities  Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong, Halong, Hoi An, Danang, Binh Duong, Cam Ranh, and Nha Trang.

In line with CapitaLands credo "Building People  Building Communities", the group is committed to contributing to the Vietnamese economy by seeking opportunities to expand its presence in the country.

CapitaLand will also continue to hire and nurture a strong local team, exchange knowledge and skills with local partners, and contribute to the local communities underprivileged children and environment through corporate social responsibility initiatives.

CapitaLand has also built four CapitaLand Hope Schools for underprivileged children in Phu Tho, Long An, and Hung Yen province.

Every year, CapitaLand allocates up to 0.5 per cent of its net operating profit to CapitaLand Hope Foundation.
As lockdown in Wuhan is finally lifted, a 32-year-old British expat who has been working in the city for several years sends this vivid despatch on the realities of freedom.

At midnight on Tuesday, I was woken up by whoops and cheers of 'Come on Wuhan' as my neighbours in this city of 11 million that spawned the coronavirus pandemic celebrated the formal end of quarantine after 77 long, frustrating days.

For a week, I'd been permitted to leave my compound on specific errands for up to two hours, but yesterday was the first day that I could come and go as I pleased.

The shops are reopening so I can buy razors and give myself a proper shave  re-using the same razor for almost three months has been a nightmare. I can finally get a haircut, too.

And some restaurants have resumed service.

Lockdown in Wuhan has finally lifted. Pictured: Chinese health officials wearing protective white suits as travellers from Wuhan gathered to be taken into quarantine after arriving by train

The first thing I did was to go to my favourite noodle restaurant for its beef special that is so delicious I've had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the same day.

The local Starbucks is busy and a nearby bar has just had its first beer delivery for more than two months. Before the virus hit, life in China was all about convenience. If you wanted to get a toothbrush delivered at 4am, then you could.

But under lockdown we'd wait three days for a community delivery of specific goods: fresh vegetables, meat  mostly pork  rice and flour.

If you fancied something different, tough. I went out early yesterday morning and was surprised by the number of people and cars on the streets.

But it was rush hour and the crowds were an indication of a widespread return to work.

Roadblocks on highways leading in and out of the city have also been removed.

Life is being breathed back into the city, which is the capital of Hubei, a province that has suffered 67,803 cases of Covid-19 and 3,213 deaths, according to official figures.

Life is being breathed back into the city, which is the capital of Hubei, a province that has suffered 67,803 cases of Covid-19 and 3,213 deaths, according to official figures. Pictured: Passengers wait to enter the railway station after the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan, China

Citizens can now travel between cities again and the local airport is back in business.

There were no fewer than 200 flights scheduled to depart Wuhan yesterday, carrying 10,000 passengers.

Tens of thousands more left on 100 high-speed trains. Day care centres, schools and colleges remain shut dependent on a ruling from Beijing on when they can reopen, but it surely won't be long.

Yes, normality is returning but darker undertones persist. Freedom after so long is welcome but nerve-wracking.

Every few days, security guards come banging on my door  it can happen early in the morning or late at night  and three people in full protective clothing, visors and masks will come and have a look around my apartment and check me for signs of fever with a 'thermometer gun'.

The 32-year-old British expat said: 'Freedom after so long is welcome but nerve-wracking.' Pictured: Workers wearing facemasks make a barbecue at a market in Wuhan

Another person records the procedure on a mobile phone.

Out on the streets it's the same story  security guards armed with thermometer 'guns' to do spot checks maintain a highprofile presence, while trucks cruise the streets spraying disinfectant.

And many people are continuing to wear facemasks. There is still tension and wariness here.

Cough or sneeze on the street and people will cross the road to avoid you. Anyone who looks sick is treated like a leper.

To Western eyes, the mass surveillance and monitoring is draconian.

Each citizen is allocated a unique QR code, via the WeChat app, that serves as proof they are healthy.

The QR code is linked to an individual's government ID card and includes details of a blood test and health check that show they are virus-free.

No one is allowed to leave a gated community, use public transport or visit shopping malls or buy food without having scanned their code.

Foreigners like me are not entitled to a QR code. I carry a letter from my doctor testifying to my virus-free status which I show along with my ID card.

This is the reality that has replaced lockdown now. To be checked and checked again.

Will it be enough to stop a second wave of infections? I hope so.

Wuhan is paying a high economic price for the lockdown.

The seafood market identified as the most likely source of this new strain of coronavirus outbreak remains sealed off by blue police tape, and is heavily patrolled by officers.

Walk down any street and you will see stores that have been abandoned because retailers can no longer afford to pay the rent.

Clothing shops, speciality restaurants, and even some banks are still closed with trash piling up outside.

No wonder many of the people who came to Wuhan from the countryside to find work left at the first opportunity yesterday. But people are returning.

The Wuhan quarantine was put in place during the Spring Festival, as the Chinese New Year celebration is known, a time when many people had left the city to visit family in their hometowns.

From my window I see young couples laden with luggage moving back to homes they have not lived in since January.

And this brings me to a problem that many here might rather stayed hidden.

Some of those who left Wuhan to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Rat elsewhere, left their cats, dogs and other pets behind with enough water and food for a few days.

After all, theyd be back very soon...
NEW YORK, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiger Merger Sub Co. (the Offeror), an affiliate of certain investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, Apollo), announced today that it has extended the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase (as defined below)) for the previously announced Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations (each as defined below) relating to Tech Data Corporations (i) 3.700% Senior Notes due 2022 (the 2022 Notes) and (ii) 4.950% Senior Notes due 2027 (the 2027 Notes and, together with the 2022 Notes, the Notes). As a result of the extension, the Expiration Date will now be 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 21, 2020 (unless further extended or earlier terminated).



As previously announced, on March 10, 2020, the Offeror launched tender offers to purchase for cash (collectively, the Tender Offers) any and all of the outstanding Notes of each series. In connection with the Tender Offers, the Offeror also commenced a solicitation of consents from the holders of each series of Notes (collectively, the Consent Solicitations) to amend the Indenture, dated as of January 17, 2017, as supplemented in the case of the 2022 Notes by the Global Security for the 3.700% Senior Note due 2022 and as supplemented in the case of the 2027 Notes by the Global Security for the 4.950% Senior Note due 2027, as further amended or supplemented (the Indenture).

The Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement dated March 10, 2020, relating thereto (the Offer to Purchase). 2022 Notes validly tendered with consents after the Early Tender Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and prior to the Expiration Date will only be eligible to receive the applicable Tender Consideration (as defined in the Offer to Purchase). 2027 Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Date and prior to the Expiration Date will only be eligible to receive the applicable Tender Consideration (as defined in the Offer to Purchase). As contemplated by the Offer to Purchase, the Offeror is no longer accepting consents with tenders of 2027 Notes and therefore holders of 2027 Notes are no longer required to deliver consents with tenders of 2027 Notes. Any Notes previously tendered or tendered at a future time may no longer be validly withdrawn (except as required by law).

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 7, 2020, the previous Expiration Date, the Offeror has been advised by Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender agent and information agent for the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations, that Notes were validly tendered and not withdrawn with respect to (i) $430,576,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2022 Notes, representing approximately 86.12% of the outstanding 2022 Notes, and (ii) $365,586,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2027 Notes, representing approximately 73.12% of the outstanding 2027 Notes.

The Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are being conducted in connection with the previously announced merger agreement pursuant to which, among other things, Tiger Midco, LLC, the parent of the Offeror, has agreed to acquire Tech Data Corporation (the Merger). The Offerors obligation to accept and pay for the Notes tendered in each Tender Offer is conditioned upon the substantially concurrent closing of the Merger and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions precedent.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell any securities or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities. The Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are being made only pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Offeror by one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as dealer managers and solicitation agents for the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations. Global Bondholder Services Corporation is acting as the tender agent and information agent for the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations.

Requests for documentation may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (212) 430-3774 (for brokers and banks) or (866) 807-2200 (for all others).

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC at (212) 538-1862, Mizuho Securities USA LLC at (212) 205-7736 or RBC Capital Markets, LLC at (212) 618-7843.

About Apollo

Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Bethesda, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. Apollo had assets under management of approximately $331 billion as of December 31, 2019 in credit, private equity and real estate funds invested across a core group of nine industries where Apollo has considerable knowledge and resources. For more information about Apollo, please visit www.apollo.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable federal securities laws. The forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements concerning the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, and technological factors outside the Offerors or Tech Data Corporations control that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The Offeror expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Apollo Contacts:

For investor inquiries regarding Apollo, please contact:

Gary M. Stein

Head of Investor Relations

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

212-822-0467

gstein@apollo.com

For media inquiries please contact:

Joanna Rose

Global Head of Corporate Communications

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

(212) 822-0491

jrose@apollo.com

Charles Zehren

Rubenstein Associates, Inc. for Apollo Global Management, Inc.

(212) 843-8590

czehren@rubenstein.com
Signs on the front doors of Dukes Sport Shop show the hours and conditions to comply with conditions to reopen Wednesday, March 25, 2020, after being closed by last week's ordered shut down of nonessential businesses by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, in New Castle, Pa. Read more

As a gun owner, I view local gun shops efforts to remain open for business during the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic excessive and disheartening. As a physician, I view this as a deplorable scheme to trade profit for public health  under the guise of defending constitutional rights.

While COVID-19 spread throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close. Shortly thereafter, a gun industry irrationally clinging to the Second Amendment petitioned to remain open for business. Berks County Attorney Joshua Prince teamed up with a Lancaster County gun shop and gun owners groups to filed a case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court  flying in the face of public health recommendations.

Prince wrote, Against the backdrop of growing uncertainty, the right of law-abiding commonwealth residents to keep and bear arms  is the epitome of life-sustaining and continued, Nothing could be more directly relevant to sustaining life than the right to defend it from mortal threat.

Although the court dismissed the case, Gov. Wolf later modified his order to allow gun stores to reopen on a limited basis  meaning sales are conducted as individual appointments during limited hours.

As a physician, I have been trained to base decisions on published scientific evidence. Many of my decisions involve balancing risk, often forced to choose the lesser of two evils. I have applied that perspective to compare the risk of gun shop closure to COVID-19.

 READ MORE: Im looking to get an AR-15: Gun shops are busy as coronavirus spreads, despite state-ordered shutdown

I estimated an individuals risk of mortality directly linked to the lack of a self-defense firearm during a one-month closure of all gun stores. Defensive Gun Uses (DGUs) are difficult to estimate, though most published studies consistently cite an annual U.S. incidence under one million. A much smaller number is estimated when only looking at cases where someone, to borrow language from Prince, almost certainly would have been killed if they had not used a gun for protection.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work, and life? Ask our reporters.

Yearly life-preserving DGUs  excluding those by police or security personnel who already own guns  was estimated at 162,000 cases per year in one 1995 study. Dividing this number by 12 to account for a one-month closure, and by 329.4 million to account for the U.S. population, puts a rough estimate of an individuals risk of mortality from temporary gun shop closures at 0.004%. This number is also overinflated by not accounting for firearms already owned.

Next, consider the current estimates of risk for COVID-19. Without proper social distancing (i.e., gun shops remaining open), some models predict up to 70% of the U.S. population becoming infected, with a current global mortality rate at around 4%. This yields an estimated individual mortality risk of 2.8%.

Compare the risk: 2.8% vs. 0.004%. Based on these estimates, in the next month, you are 700 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than from needing a firearm and not having it. The real mortal threat here is the firearm industrys obstinate and misguided refusal to avail themselves to the fruits of science and logic.

Even as a gun owner and firm believer in the Second Amendment, I simply cannot rationalize how a temporary closure infringes upon my right to bear arms.

To assuage customers fears and comply with the governors orders, gun shops have promised to enforce measures of social distancing within stores. However, allowing customers to handle the same firearms, when the known dwell time of COVID-19 on plastic and metal is greater than two days, is another example of the industrys refusal to allow scientific reasoning to interrupt lucrative cash flow. Even as a gun owner and firm believer in the Second Amendment, I simply cannot rationalize how a temporary closure infringes upon my right to bear arms  just as I never felt my rights were violated when my local store closed for the evening or had reduced Sunday hours.

 READ MORE: When coronavirus and gun violence collide, it makes both more deadly | Editorial

Most despicably, the firearm industry has fought to sustain revenues during the pandemic under the illogical pretense of a patriotic defense of unalienable rights and benevolent communal protection from mortal threat. Since the governor granted them special permission to continue business with modified operations, perhaps they should prove their altruism by donating 100% of profits to the COVID-19 response.

If they truly desire to serve their communities, local gun shops would reverse their greedy and endangering decisions, bite their bullets, and shut down entirely as the virus goes on.

Colin DeLong, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Penn State College of Medicine, is a general surgery resident in Hershey, Pa.
HANOVER TWP., MI  A mans impromptu beer run to his mothers barn late Tuesday night ended with him being arrested for suspected drunk driving.

Police were called at 11:53 p.m. April 7, to a home on Buckman Road in Hanover Township for a property security check after a woman reported seeing what appeared to be someone with a flashlight rummaging around in her barn, according to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office.

Before deputies arrived, the suspect had left the property in a dark-colored pickup, which the womans neighbor spotted and began following, police said.

Police caught up with the neighbor and the pickup, stopping it on Moscow Road near Masker Road where they identified the driver as the barn owners son, police said.

When asked why he was at the barn unannounced, he simply stated he needed more beer, police said.

The man was arrested for suspected drunk driving. The incident remains under investigation.

More from the Jackson Citizen Patriot:

4 home invasion suspects arrested after police chase ends in Lansing neighborhood

15 employees at Henry Ford Allegiance Health have COVID-19

Its almost like youre drowning, COVID-19 survivor says
(Adds more comments, updates shares)

By Nichola Saminather

TORONTO, April 8 (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic's economic impact on Canada will be broader and more challenging than the 2008-09 financial crisis, with the recovery likely to take longer than expected, chief executives of the country's two major banks said on Wednesday.

"This is much more severe than the financial crisis ... which was really mild for Canada," Royal Bank of Canada Chief Executive Dave McKay said on a media call following its annual shareholder meeting.

"We're facing an economic shock and contagion like we've never seen," he said, adding "significant" fiscal stimulus will help ease the impact.

Canada has announced a massive stimulus package to support the economy during the health crisis, and the central bank has cut the key interest rates to a decade low.

McKay said other measures were being considered, "elements where we see holes," including consumer credit programs, and programs for banks to help corporations separately from the government's current fiscal package.

While the government assistance measures may appear to be taking longer than ideal, they have come together, "very, very quickly," given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, Victor Dodig, CEO of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, said in an interview following its investor meeting.

Both CEOs said they expect a slow recovery, as consumers and businesses make permanent changes to the ways they operate, fueled by wariness about future spikes in COVID-19 cases and the effect of the recession on consumers and businesses.

"Were going to have to support businesses and consumers a little bit longer than we might have planned, even a month ago," McKay said.

Both said predicted V- or U-shaped swift recoveries were unlikely.

"When things start looking more normal, people will feel like their wealth is diminished," Dodig said. "People are going to be cautious overall ... that is going to have a drag on the economy."

Story continues

Both banks said they have sufficient capital and liquidity to weather the crisis, and currently have no plans to change their dividend policies.

RBC had a common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio, the measure of a bank's capital strength, of 12% of risk-weighted assets in the first quarter, when the pandemic's impact was still limited. CIBC's stood at 11.3%.

The minimum CET1 requirement for major Canadian banks is 9%, reduced by the banking regulator last month to increase lending capacity as the coronavirus outbreak's toll grew.

RBC has processed 250,000 payment deferrals for mortgages and other loans for struggling customers, while CIBC has received 250,000 deferral requests.

RBC shares closed up 2% in Toronto, while CIBC shares rose 2.3% in line with the Toronto stock benchmark. ($1 = 1.4045 Canadian dollars) (Reporting By Nichola Saminather Editing by Denny Thomas, Chizu Nomiyama, Bill Berkrot and Steve Orlofsky)
Supporters of a proposed $5.5 billion bond measure that would keep Californias stem cell research institute in business are asking thousands of people to mail in their signatures in hopes of qualifying the initiative for the November ballot.

Backers are resorting to the plea because the states stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus has all but halted signature gatherers who ordinarily collect petitions outside grocery stores and other public places.

Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures, the campaign behind the measure, has launched what it calls an unprecedented mail-in effort to try to collect at least 35,000 more signatures by April 18.

The campaign is asking backers to print out a 16-page copy of the petition on its website and return a signed version via mail.

Bob Klein, chairman of Californians for Stem Cell Research, said the effort is backed by 55 patient-advocacy groups, including some whose members have lost loved ones to diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and diabetes that could one day be treatable because of stem cell research.

Nothing is going to ever stop them, Klein said. They are motivated in an extraordinary way.

The measure asks voters to re-fund the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the states stem cell agency, by allowing it to issue up to $5.5 billion in bonds for research, training and facilities construction.

Voters created the agency with a $3 billion initiative in 2004. But 15 years later, the institute is running out of money and has begun to scale back grants for new research.

More for you Coronavirus halts California ballot measure signature-gathering in its tracks

The state requires 623,212 valid signatures to qualify an initiative for the November ballot. Supporters of the stem cell initiative say they have about 915,000 signatures, but campaigns must typically collect hundreds of thousands more than the minimum to make up for invalid or duplicate signatures.

Adrienne Shapiro, founder of Axis Advocacy for Sickle Cell Education & Support, is one of hundreds of volunteers asking people to sign the petition from the safety of their living rooms.

Shapiro, who lives in Los Angeles and whose daughter was born with sickle cell disease, said her group had planned to gather signatures in person before the pandemic hit. At first, she said they were distraught. Now, theyre determined to get it on the ballot.

When things started shutting down, we were really freaked out, Shapiro said. We cant put it off. We cant say, Well wait until next time. Weve got to do it now.

The initiative would help fund clinical trials for treatments that the institute says may soon be ready for testing. Two federally approved therapies have come from the research the institute has funded to date, according to the agency.

Out of the $5.5 billion initiative, $1.5 billion would be earmarked to fund research and therapy for brain and central nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, strokes and epilepsy.

The agency said last week that it would set aside $5 million to fund research for stem cell and regenerative therapies for COVID-19. Klein said that work would grow if the bond is approved.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the number of federally approved therapies that have come from research funded by the stem cell institute. The agency says two such therapies have been approved.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
DALLAS, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) will hold a conference call and webcast on Friday, May 1st, to discuss the company's financial results and other business matters. The teleconference will begin at 9:00 a.m. Central Time and will be hosted by Chad Crow, Chief Executive Officer, and Peter Jackson, Chief Financial Officer. A copy of the companys press release announcing its financial results will be made available after the market closes on Thursday, April 30th, in the Investors section of the Builders FirstSource, Inc. website, at www.bldr.com .



To participate in the teleconference, please dial-in to the call a few minutes before the start time: 800-479-1004 (U.S. and Canada) and 323-794-2598 (international), Conference ID: 2283654. A replay of the call will be available at 1:00 p.m. Central Time through May 16th. To access the replay, please dial 888-203-1112 (U.S. and Canada) and 719-457-0820 (international) and refer to pass code 2283654. The live webcast and archived replay can also be accessed on the companys website at www.bldr.com .

About Builders FirstSource

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Builders FirstSource is the largest U.S. supplier of building products, prefabricated components, and value-added services to the professional market segment for new residential construction and repair and remodeling. We provide customers an integrated homebuilding solution, offering manufacturing, supply, delivery and installation of a full range of structural and related building products. We operate in 40 states with approximately 400 locations and have a market presence in 77 of the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, providing geographic diversity and balanced end market exposure. We service customers from strategically located distribution and manufacturing facilities (certain of which are co-located) that produce value-added products such as roof and floor trusses, wall panels, stairs, vinyl windows, custom millwork and pre-hung doors. Builders FirstSource also distributes dimensional lumber and lumber sheet goods, millwork, windows, interior and exterior doors, and other building products. For more information about Builders FirstSource, visit the Companys website at www.bldr.com.

Story continues

Contact: Binit Sanghvi

Investor Relations

Builders FirstSource, Inc.

(214) 765-3804



Source: Builders FirstSource, Inc.
Snapchat has stopped working, leaving users unable to send or receive snaps.

The company says it is aware of the issue and is looking to fix it.

"We're aware many Snapchatters are having trouble using the app," the app's support team wrote on Twitter.

"Hang tight - we're looking into it."

Tracking website Downdetector confirmed the issue, with users across the world complaining they were unable to use the app.

Recommended Snapchat launches new lenses to encourage social distancing

Problems appeared to be particularly focused in Europe and the east coast of the US, according to the same website.

The problems come as many people look to use the app to communicate with friends through coronavirus lockdowns.

"Whether its by communicating with loved ones, playing games with friends, or staying informed, we are grateful for the opportunity to help people stay in touch during this time," it said on Twitter last week, after detailing a series of features that could be useful to people stuck at home.

Those included tools such as special filters to encourage social distancing and a feature that allows users to virtually tour the World Health Organisation's headquarters in Switzerland by navigating there in the app's "Snap Map".
With stay-at-home orders in effect for most of the nation and millions of Americans unexpectedly unemployed, the way in which rent can be processed and paid for is changing rapidly."

Today, Zego (Powered by PayLease), the property technology company that powers better resident engagement & efficiency for multifamily and HOA communities, is releasing a new report that analyzes the State of Rental Payments in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic - including digital rent usage and changes to how rent payment trends have changed in April. Most notably, Zego data shows new registrations for digital payments is up 25 percent compared to last month, while credit card usage for processing lease payments was up 30 percent in April.

For weeks, the property management industry has been bracing itself for a potentially devastating April rent cycle, said Dirk Wakeham, CEO of Zego. With stay-at-home orders in effect for most of the nation and millions of Americans unexpectedly unemployed, the way in which rent can be processed and paid for is changing rapidly. As a pioneer in online payment processing for the residential real estate industry, we are committed to helping residents and properties streamline online payments and provide an enhanced virtual engagement platform at a time when they arguably need it most - especially since we understand this is likely just the beginning of a tumultuous time for properties and renters alike.

In addition to a dramatic increase in credit card usage in April, Zegos analysis shows CashPay, the alternative to cash and money orders where individuals pay rent via CheckFreePay retail locations nationwide, dropped nearly 40 percent. In addition, Zego saw a 14 percent reduction in Check Scanning, a process by which onsite managers convert paper checks into digital payments via a desktop scanner, signaling a decline in paper payments. Digital transactions are up 11 percent and theres been a 34 percent spike in new property owners and landlords interested in adopting Zegos digital payment solution.

The ability to process online payments safely and securely through Zego enables us to continue serving our residents and streamline operations during a critical time in our industry, said Andrew Greenberg, Vice President at Trilogy Real Estate Management. Digital rent payment utilization is up nearly 50 percent and we expect that number to continue to climb. Were proactively talking with residents to discuss their situation, including waiving late fees and establishing payment plans.

Zego provides a comprehensive resident engagement platform that unifies critical resident touch-pointsfrom payments and utilities, to communication and smart devicesinto one app. Zego serves 6,000 residential real estate companies and over 12 million units nationwide and is backed by Vista Equity Partners, a leading technology investment firm focused on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses.

About Zego

Zego (Powered by PayLease) is a property technology company that frees management companies and community associations to go above and beyond for their residents. Zegos mobile-first engagement platform for the residential real estate industry unifies the most critical resident touch-points into one app. From payments and utilities, to communications and smart devices, everything is seamlessly integrated into your back-end system. Zego delivers portfolio-wide efficiency, higher NOI, and more engaged residents. Learn more about how Zego drives community engagement and efficiency at gozego.com.


By AFP

SEOUL: South Korea's flag carrier 'Korean Air' will put 70 per cent of its 19,000 staff on furlough, it said, as it scrambles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic that has brought global aviation to a standstill.

The airline industry is among the sectors worst hit by the virus and the ensuing travel restrictions, with thousands of flights cancelled, routes cut, and companies facing financial turmoil.

Korean Air is the flagship of the Hanjin group, one of the multifaceted, family-controlled conglomerates known as chaebols that dominate business in South Korea and played a key part in its rise to become the world's 12th-largest economy.

ALSO READ | About 50 employees of Australian airline 'Qantas' infected with COVID-19

Most of its staff will go on leave from April 16 for six months in response to "deteriorating business circumstances", Korean Air said in a statement.

According to normal South Korean practice, the workers will receive 70 per cent of their normal pay, with most of it -- reportedly up to 90 per cent -- funded by a government scheme for industries in need of special assistance due to the coronavirus.

Korean Air's labour union agreed to participate as part of a "burden-sharing" initiative, the company said -- executives have also agreed to take pay cuts.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

The furlough measure comes after a months-long battle for control of the company between members of its founding Cho family.

Cho Hyun-ah, who had made global headlines for a "nut rage" scandal when she forced a taxiing plane back to the gate over a bag of macadamia nuts, sought to oust her brother Cho Won-tae from the chairmanship.

The brother fended off the challenge, winning 56.67 per cent support in a shareholder vote last month.

The Hanjin group was in financial trouble long before the coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc on airline finances worldwide -- subsidiary Hanjin Shipping was once one of the world's top 10 container lines, but went bankrupt in 2017.
Wednesday, April 8th, 2020 (2:10 pm) - Score 1,765

UK ISP Voneus, which builds Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks in rural parts of England, today restructured its senior management team by announcing three key appointments to help boost their future roll-out plans.

The move follows on from last years news, which saw the provider secure a fresh investment of 30m from Macquarie Capital to help grow their network coverage toward 900,000 UK premises (here). Voneus now aims to rapidly scale operations in order to deliver much-needed broadband services to remote communities.

The ISP will need to be particularly careful going forward as weve seen a number of providers, such as Gigaclear, run into trouble in the past as theyve tried to rapidly scale up operations. Growing too fast from a smaller base can create all sorts of complicated problems and getting the management team right is a vital first step.

As part of the aforementioned effort the provider has created several new positions inside their senior management circle. The positions are set to be filled by Sue Barnes as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mark Bennett as Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Ilan Scorah as the ISPs Head of Strategy. All have quite a bit of experience behind them.

Steve Leighton, CEO of Voneus, said: During the last six months, weve put into motion some truly ambitious plans to connect more communities, more quickly than ever before; having the right people on the team is essential if we are going to hit our goals. Sue, Mark and Ilan bring with them a diverse array of skills and experience in both the telecoms and media markets. They understand what it takes to deliver innovative, high-quality services at scale, so will all play central roles as we continue to ramp up our operations in order to bring an end to the current digital divide.

Barnes joins Voneus with more than three decades of experience in the digital and traditional media industries, including at ESI Media, and will be responsible for overseeing all commercial strategy and activities for business and residential projects including sales, marketing and customer experience.

Meanwhile Bennett is Virgin Medias former head of strategy for its consumer division and will oversee the expansion of Voneus FWA and fibre infrastructures, as well as head up the companys entire network, service delivery and engineering operations.

Finally, Scorah will be responsible for Voneus product roadmap and service innovation, as well as the companys long-term market proposition. He joins after a long stint at BT, where he held senior roles in the companys consumer division and headed up the team responsible for regulatory affairs and commercial relationship with Openreach.
An NHS cancer nurse whose family raised more than 50,000 for emergency private treatment had the procedure cancelled the day before due to staff shortages.

Mother-of-three Heather Wilson, 55, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, initially had planned treatment on the NHS this month cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She had been diagnosed with a rare cancer that had spread in February and was due for surgery to remove her ovaries and part of her small and large intestine.

NHS nurse Heather Wilson's family raised 50,000 to get her into a private hospital after the Grimsby-based mother had been diagnosed with a rare cancer that had spread in February

The treatment would have also assessed the damage the cancer had caused, but last month she was told the NHS operation had been postponed for at least five months.

However, her family managed to raise 50,000 from well-wishers in just over a week on GoFundMe so she could have the procedure done privately.

NHS cancer nurse Ms Wilson, 55, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, holding her granddaughter Ivy

But they were called up just a day before the planned surgery on Sunday and told it would not go ahead at the private hospital because of staffing issues.

Now, the surgery is finally planned to take place tomorrow  with the family hoping that it is not going to be cancelled again at the last minute.

It is now unclear whether the family will still need to spend the 50,000 on the treatment, given an agreement between the NHS and private hospitals this week.

The deal means high-priority NHS cancer patients are now going to be treated at private hospitals with up to 20,000 of them set to benefit over the coming months.

Speaking previously about the fundraising, Ms Wilson said: 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart doesn't seem enough to show my gratitude for your kind words, messages, songs of inspiration and last but by no means least your hard earned cash.

Ms Wilson (centre) is pictured in her younger days as a nurse. She has supported families for nearly two decades as a Marie Curie nurse in Birmingham

'Your generosity is overwhelming. I will when through this surreal diagnosis and treatment return to work to continue to work tirelessly to support those diagnosed with, living with and surviving cancer.

Ms Wilson is pictured (right) after she passed a district nursing degree course

'I will also find a way to repay the community back in which we live for their amazing support.'

Her daughter Amie, 30, said she was 'hopeful' for the surgery to be done this week, adding that everyone who had donated was a 'hero' to her.

Ms Wilson has supported families for nearly two decades as a Marie Curie nurse in Birmingham.

She helps patients from cancer diagnosis to treatment, and has previously worked as a district nurse looking after patients with long-term conditions.

Earlier this year, the mother-of-three suffered pain in her lower abdomen - caused by her appendix.

Doctors removed her appendix and discovered Goblet Cell Adenocarcinoma, a rare type of appendix cancer - which has potential to spread to other organs.

The cancer requires individuals to get immediate surgery to remove nearby organs and contain the spread.
You want flat curves during a pandemic, not flat notes. So go ahead and enjoy this mid-week masterpiece from members of the Auburn University Choir who recently recorded a remote rendition of their schools alma mater.

We would like to introduce the @auburnu "Quarantine Choir."

We hope this select group of students from the Auburn University Choirbrightens your day!@AuburnMusic pic.twitter.com/3y28zETxqh  Auburn Liberal Arts (@AULiberalArts) April 8, 2020

We had just gotten an email saying all music classes and choir ensembles had been cancelled for the whole semester, says choir member Hunter Grace Jernigan, who initially proposed the project to William Powell, professor of music and director of choral activities in the AU College of Liberal Arts Department of Music. I had seen a lot of other university and high school choirs do the same type of thing, and told Dr. Powell I thought it would be neat to do for Auburn.

Powell agreed, and quickly went to work composing individual parts for 22 students, which were then recorded individually and compiled into a single, socially distanced celebration of school spirit.

There were so many people involved in this, says Jernigan, who recorded her part to the home-bound harmony at per parents house in North Carolina. I think everyone who helped put it together did an absolutely beautiful job."
Vietnam called for security to be ensured for the people of Mali during a videoconference held by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on April 7.

A mother carries her child to a hospital in Gao, Mali.

The conference was held to discuss the situation in Mali and the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnams Permanent Mission to the UN, emphasised the importance of ensuring security and safety for people, especially women and children, the Mali security forces and the UN peacekeeping force.

He welcomed the progress made by parties, particularly the efforts of the Mali government to promote the implementation of four resolutions agreed in last December and to implement the 2015 Peace Accord.

The Ambassador also highly appreciated the role of G5 Sahel, the African Union (AU), MINUSMA and France in the fight against terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.

He called for measures to support Mali in the context of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic./.VNA
MILWAUKEE  Wisconsin voters braved extensive lines and hourslong waits as they defied the state's stay-at-home order to vote Tuesday after two courts ruled that the primary election couldn't be postponed.

"This is so wrong," a voter told NBC News. "This election should have been called off. They're telling us to stay in the house and 6 feet from each other, but then, during one of the most important times, they're forcing us to come out here in a group. Stop playing politics with our lives"

State Democrats sought to delay the contest but failed.

Polls are open until 9 p.m. ET for voters to cast ballots in person, although according to the state Elections Commission, voters' designated polling places may have changed because of poll worker shortages. Voters in Milwaukee, many donning masks, faced long lines and large crowds after thousands of poll workers stepped down, forcing the city to reduce the number of polling sites from 180 to just five.

As a result of one of the court rulings Monday, many voters who applied for absentee ballots but didn't get them by Tuesday had only the option of voting in person. Voters who did get absentee ballots had only until 8 p.m. Tuesday to hand them in in person, or they could postmark them so they arrive by Monday.

IMAGE: Voters in Milwaukee (Morry Gash / AP)

Wisconsin's chief elections official, Meagan Wolfe, said in a statement Monday that voters who show up to the polls Tuesday should "be careful and patient" as social distancing procedures would be implemented at each site. The state also recommended that voters wash their hands before heading to their polling places and wash or sanitize their hands when they arrive at the location before they vote.

"This is very unjust. There's no way that there should be thousands of people during a pandemic and five locations," Briana Stevens said before handing out Clorox wipes and other supplies to voters waiting in line. "That's terrible. It's inhumane, and as people we have a stick together, and this is what we can do by helping each other out."

Story continues

In an interview Tuesday on NBC News' "TODAY" show, Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged voters to exercise their right to vote as safely as possible.

"As a black man, I know that people have died for the right to vote. This is very important to our entire country. And if people are going to go out there and vote, then please do it as safely as possible  maintain 6 feet," he said. "Please, especially in Wisconsin, consider wearing a cloth facial covering to protect your neighbor."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the only candidate left challenging the front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, for the Democratic presidential nomination, said in a statement Monday night that his campaign would not participate in get-out-the-vote efforts Tuesday.

"Let's be clear: Holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous, disregards the guidance of public health experts, and may very well prove deadly," he said.

Biden said on CNN Tuesday night that the in-person election should not have been held.

"Well, my gut is that we shouldn't have had the election in the first place  the in-person election," Biden told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "It should have been all mail ballots in, it should have been moved in a way that five other states have done it."

Biden has a big lead over Sanders in the state, according to recent polls; one from Marquette Law School last week showed him ahead by 62 percent to 34 percent. The NBC News delegate tracker shows that Biden has 1,196 delegates to Sanders' 883. A candidate needs to secure 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.

IMAGE: Voting in Janesville, Wis. (Angela Major / Janesville Gazette via AP)

More than 2,500 National Guard troops were dispatched to staff the polls, where they were expected to help perform the normal functions of poll workers while also distributing hand sanitizer. In Madison, city workers erected Plexiglas barriers to protect poll workers, and voters were encouraged to bring their own pens to mark the ballots.

"I haven't seen anything like this in my lifetime. I'm almost 60. You know, it's almost unbelievable. I remember long lines during the Reagan years, but the confluence of events is ridiculous. It's amazing. And I do think Fitzgerald and Vos are setting people up to be killed," said Todd Marsh, a Milwaukee voter, referring to the Republican leaders of the state Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

"They forced us into having this election. It's, it's ridiculous," Marsh added.

After a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, absentee ballots in Wisconsin had to be hand-delivered by 8 p.m. Tuesday or postmarked Tuesday and received by 4 p.m. next Monday to be counted. Any other ballots won't be counted, the state says.

Many requests for ballots hadn't been fulfilled, and many voters who received them hadn't returned them yet. As of Monday night, 1,275,154 applications for absentee ballots had been submitted; 1,264,064 were sent out to voters, but only 724,777 had been returned, according to the Elections Commission.

The Supreme Court voted along ideological lines in a 5-4 decision, overturning a lower federal court's ruling to extend the deadline for the absentee ballot process. The court's four liberal justices dissented, saying it would lead to "massive disenfranchisement" Tuesday. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the ruling "forces voters to choose between endangering their safety by showing up in person or losing their right to vote."

Wisconsin's Supreme Court on Monday also overturned an executive order issued by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers only hours earlier after he tried to delay the election until June 9 because of the coronavirus.

In addition to the Democratic presidential primary, the state was also holding general elections for a number of down-ballot races. Results won't be released until Monday.
Diana Lucio tries each day to keep her six school-age children academically on track during the novel coronavirus pandemic, despite having only three laptops and no broadband internet in her southwest Houston home.

Still, Lucio knows there is no substitute for all that a school offers: teachers, technology, time with friends. Its why, in Lucios ideal world, her kids would return to their Houston ISD schools as soon as possible  even if that meant classes ran throughout this summer.

I feel like they would fall behind less if we did that, said Lucio, whose children range from pre-kindergarten to 11th grade. If we keep doing this, itll be like were starting all over again.

As frustrations mount with the shortcomings of digital learning and parents worry about their children losing ground, a natural question has emerged: why not end online classes now and make up classroom time in person during the summer or next school year?

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

The answer: countless financial, staffing, legal and academic hurdles make it all-but-impossible, leaving online learning as the best available option for minimizing the pandemics impact on students.

It would be worth considering if we could plan on a certain end-date for this pandemic or we could plan upon a time when the pandemic would subside enough, said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. But right now, we dont know when that may be.

To date, none of Texas largest school districts seriously has pushed for ending online classes. State Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, asked state officials last week to end instruction for this school year and focus on 2020-21 amid concerns about lower-income students falling farther behind than wealthier peers, but his request has not gained traction among policymakers.

For districts, the biggest hurdle to canceling online classes now involves money.

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: How access to in-home computers and Internet causes inequity among schoolchildren

Texas Education Agency officials have declared that districts will not receive their regular funding if they do not provide some form of instruction. Without that funding, districts likely would be unable to pay employees at a time when many families already are losing income due to layoffs and furloughs.

Ninety percent of our money pie goes to employees, goes to people, so that would be devastating to us, Klein ISD Board President Doug James said.

TEA officials said districts could, in theory, forego funding over the next several weeks, then receive revenue again if they hold classes during the summer months. That plan, however, carries important considerations and potential X-factors, agency officials said.

The vast majority of teachers work on 10-month contracts, which do not extend into the summer months. Districts would have to negotiate new working conditions with hundreds of thousands of teachers and find fill-in staffers to replace educators who did not return. Roughly 15 percent of teachers retire, leave the profession or take jobs in other districts each year, according to state data. For Houston ISD alone, that could mean finding about 2,000 replacements.

Coronavirus-related closures extending into the summer also remains in play. Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered that all Texas schools remain closed through April, though his mandate could be extended if COVID-19 continues to present a public health risk.

CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com

A far more likely scenario for reducing the impact of COVID-19 on academics involves continuing online classes now, increasing the number of students attending summer school and extending the school day or year in 2020-21. Aldine, Houston and Klein ISDs are among the districts in the earliest stages of analyzing those options.

Were kind of researching all of those opportunities right now and developing plans around what if we do this, what if we do that, HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. But everything is going to be contingent upon when we can get back with our students and staff face-to-face.

In an interview with the Texas Tribune last week, Aldine Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said her administration is evaluating how to reshape class time in 2020-21, weighing whether to target the entire district or specific schools.

Were going to have to look at a different school calendar, Goffney said. It cannot be August to May, because again, I recognize that even under the best circumstances for our district, this is going to put us back instructionally, its going to put us back emotionally.

For now, districts continue to work on improving their online learning plans, delivering more computers and wireless Internet devices to families and maintaining food pickup sites, among other tasks. Robison said he believes districts cannot waste any time connecting with students, particularly given that another round of closures could happen in 2020-21 if COVID-19 flares back up, as many public health experts predict.

We may re-open in the fall, but by the spring, we might be doing this whole exercise again, Robison said. Basically, all educators can do is make the best of what we have.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
Gazprom blocking gas transit to European companies via Ukraine, GTS operator says

23:50, 08.04.20 11827

The Ukrainian side has not imposed any restrictions.
The National Blood Service, Ghana (NBSG), has introduced an appointment system for voluntary blood donors to donate blood at designated Blood Collection Sites with enhanced safety procedures in Accra and Kumasi.



This would help sustain blood supply especially for emergency cases and avert the situation of having to lose lives due to blood shortage for transfusion.



This was contained in a statement issued in Accra by Mr Prince E. Asante, the Head of Administration, NBS, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).



It said the cancellation of nationwide mass blood drives by schools, religious organisations, and corporate institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in acute shortage of blood and components at the three main Blood Centres in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale as these events contributed to 50 per cent of the countrys blood supply.



For this reason, it said, the COVID-19 Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee has approved the issuance of Blood Donation Pass by the NBS to facilitate the movement of voluntary blood donors who have scheduled appointments to donate blood at the designated collection sites, it added



The Aide-Memoire on COVID-19 for Blood Centres, Hospital Blood Banks, and Health Facilities has been developed and disseminated, it said.



This, it explains, emphasises the shift from mass blood drives to walk-in voluntary donations at designated Blood Collection Sites, the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety supplies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and transfusion of blood by Clinicians only when it is absolutely necessary.



It said the NBS has also revised its blood donor screening protocol with an enhanced donor questionnaire as a first line screening tool.



This requires potential blood donors who have a travel history or have had symptoms of common cold, flu or temperature (fever) over the past 14 days are urged to self-defer.



It is important to assure the public that there is no demonstrable transmission of COVID-19 through blood and components, it said.



According to the statement, sufficient precautionary measures are in place to contain any potential risk of COVID-19 transmission through transfusion.



These measures, it said, include deferral of at-risk donors, quarantine of suspected blood and components, laboratory testing, and the use of pathogen reduction technology.



It urged voluntary blood donors to contact the NBS via its Donor Contact Centre for a blood donation appointment to save lives at this critical moment of COVID-19 pandemic.



The safety of donors from COVID-19 infection during the blood donation process has been adequately provided at the Blood Collection Sites, it added.

Source: GNA









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The coronavirus can spread like wildfire through nursing homes, and Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County's public health director, said on Tuesday if families are able, it would be "perfectly appropriate" for them to pull their elderly relatives out of such facilities.

The COVID-19 coronavirus is able to cause devastation at nursing homes because many of the elderly residents have underlying health conditions; one of the country's first outbreaks was at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, where two-thirds of residents and 47 workers became infected, and 35 people died. As of Tuesday, 173 people have died of COVID-19 in L.A. County, and 36 were residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Ferrer said.

Ferrer suggested that people who are now working from home might be able to care for their relatives, but acknowledged that for those whose loved ones have dementia or serious illnesses, taking them out of the nursing home might not be an option.

Dr. Michael Wasserman is president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine, which represents doctors, nurses, and other nursing home employees, and he told the Los Angeles Times if his mother or grandmother lived in a nursing home right now, and he had the "capability and the wherewithal to bring her home, I would." It doesn't matter how good a facility is, most nursing homes in the United States "are going to be challenged by this," Wasserman said. "Some will do better than others, but sooner or later, the virus will find its way in."

More stories from theweek.com

Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously predicts kids will return to school next fall, 'but it's going to be different'

The coming backlash against the public health experts

Trump says he doesn't know who Joe Exotic is, but he'll 'take a look' at pardoning him


The WHO responded Wednesday to President Donald Trump's threat to cut its funding, saying the move would not be appropriate during the global coronavirus pandemic.

"We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding," Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a virtual briefing, according to Reuters.

A day earlier, Trump threatened to withhold funding from the United Nations' health agency, claiming it got "every aspect" of the coronavirus pandemic wrong.

"With regard to us, they're taking a lot of heat because they didn't want the borders closed, they called it wrong," Trump said at his daily briefing. "They really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong."

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 400,000, according to figures provided by NBC, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide.

It's uncertain how the U.S. would withhold funding. Congress has already authorized $122 million for the WHO for this fiscal year, and while Trump has proposed only $58 million of funding in fiscal year 2021, Congress is unlikely to authorize such a drastic funding cut, especially in the the middle of the pandemic.

The president also criticized the WHO's initial response to the outbreak, which originated in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and the time it took to declare the outbreak a global pandemic, on March 11.

"Take a look, go through step by step. They said there's no big deal, there's no big problem. There's no nothing, and then ultimately when I closed it down, they said I made a mistake in closing it down and it turned out to be right," Trump said.

The WHO declared a global health emergency on Jan. 30, nearly a month before Trump tweeted that "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA."

Before his White House news conference, Trump lambasted the WHO on Twitter, calling it "China centric."

Tweet

Another official at the WHO rejected that criticism.

"It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this," Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior advisor to the WHO director-general, said at the virtual briefing Wednesday, Reuters reported.

"This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically."
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission (FC), Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, in his private capacity will today distribute some items to some health institutions as his contribution to the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic.



The beneficiary institutions will be the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ankaase Methodist Hospital, Asonomaso Hospital, Old Tafo Hospital, Kwadaso SDA Hospital and Wonoo Clinic.



Items to be given to the beneficiaries will include Infrared Thermometers, Veronica buckets and stands, gallons of hand sanitizers and hand washing bowls.

Other items will be packs of tissue papers, liquid soap and other toiletries.



The gesture by Mr. Afriyie popularly called 'Sir John ' was in appreciation of the role that health institutions play in the fight against Coronavirus that is wreaking havoc against the whole world.



He believes that individuals and organisations that are in better stead to assist the government in these crucial times should stand up and be counted.



In his estimation, Ghana would be able to confront the pandemic well if health institutions are provided with the needed working tools, something government alone cannot do and must therefore be supported by individuals, groups and organisations.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Around 80 per cent of political parties suggested extension of lockdown during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

"In the meeting today with the Prime Minister, around 80 per cent of political parties suggested extension of lockdown. They have asked the Prime Minister to take a decision," Azad said in a party briefing after the meeting via video conference.

"The Prime Minister said that he has received several requests for extension of the lockdown to contain COVID-19, but he will take a call on it only after consulting experts and the chief ministers of various states," he said.

Speaking further, the Congress leader said: "Some leaders also suggested that there should not be nationwide lockdown and lockdown should be imposed in only hotspot areas like in district or state."

The ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Minister last month will end on April 14.

Azad said that there is "inadequate" testing of COVID-19 in the country and it needs to be doubled or tripled immediately.

"We apprised the Prime Minister of the difficulties faced by health workers. We talked about giving them safety equipment and insuring them. We also talked about the need to take tough steps to eliminate the virus. We advised the Prime Minister to make sector-wise and target wise plans so that special attention can be paid to areas with critical conditions," he said.

"Also, more and more testing is needed. Physical distancing is important and there should be more efforts in that direction. Testing should be free. Our testing capacity is very low right now. Testing is totally inadequate of a population of 1.3 billion," he added.

The Congress leader said the government should give attention to the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to doctors and healthcare workers.

Azad said that Congress raised the issue and problems of workers in the meeting and demanded that they should be given free ration.

He said that crores of labourers work under MNREGA should be employed in harvesting rabi crops.

"Rabi season is going on. The wheat crop is ready for harvesting. MSP and procurement need to be increased. Repayment of loan of farmers should be postponed for 6 months and credit card limit should be increased," Azad said.

"Crores of labourers work under MNREGA. These labourers should be employed in harvesting rabi crops so that they will continue to get wages and farmers will also get their crops harvested," he said.

The Rajya Sabha MP further said that the Goods and Services Tax on fertilisers, pesticides and agricultural equipment should be removed.

Azad suggested that some Chief Ministers, Union Ministers should also be included in the Central Government task force for better coordination.

"Chief Ministers of those states where Coronavirus has more influence can be included, MLAs can also be added to the force," he said.

The Congress leader said that a working group of political parties should be formed so that the government has help in dealing with Coronavirus.

He said that the government should pay GST dues of states and a special financial package should be given to states with high Coronavirus influence but have fewer resources.

Azad said that the supply chain should not stop because of production and essential industries should be allowed to function.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SPRINGFIELD  City officials are planning a televised virtual Town Hall meeting to discuss local coronavirus resources and responses.

The discussion, scheduled for Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m., will include questions submitted in advance by the public. The event will be broadcast live online by Focus Springfield Community TV, and on Springfield Comcast television Government Channel 17.

During this difficult time it is more important than ever for local government to be accessible and transparent, said at-large Councilor Jesse Lederman, who organized the meeting. We know that many of our neighbors are experiencing uncertainty and hardship as a result of this pandemic, and we know it can be overwhelming to navigate the system.

Officials planning to participate in the forum include Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen R. Caulton Harris and Springfield Chief Development Officer Timothy Sheehan.

They and other participants will share information on the municipal response to COVID-19, and best practices to stay safe and healthy, access to medical care, resources available to support workers and businesses, information on food security and access to nutrition, details on benefits for those financially impacted by the pandemic including unemployment, and information for homeowners and renters who have been financially impacted by the pandemic, Lederman said.

Others planning to participate include Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, lawyer Mary Johnson, of the Central West Justice Center, Andrew Morehouse, executive director of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; and Rose Webster-Smith, of Springfield No One Leaves.

"We want our community to know that there is help out there, and it is also important for us to hear directly from our community about the challenges they are facing, Lederman said.

To promote safety, "we are bringing the town hall experience to the people in their homes, Lederman said.

The meeting can be found online at focusspringfield.com/townhall/, and on Ledermans Facebook page at facebook.com/JLLederman, or on Channel 17.

Those who wish to submit questions, concerns and ideas in advance are asked to do so by Sunday at jesseforspringfield.com/virtualtownhall

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OUTOTEC OYJ PRESS RELEASE APRIL 8, 2020 AT 4:00 PM

Outotec to deliver minerals processing technology to First Majestic in Mexico

Outotec has been awarded a contract by First Majestic Silver Corp. for the delivery of minerals processing technology for First Majestic's mill optimization projects in Mexico. The approximately EUR 15 million order has been booked in Outotec's 2020 first quarter order intake.

Outotec's scope covers the design and delivery of an autogenous (AG) mill, counter current decantation (CCD) thickener and a tailings filter for the San Dimas Silver/Gold Mine, and thickeners and a tailings filter for the Santa Elena Silver/Gold Mine. The deliveries are expected to take place in 2020 and 2021.

This project follows previously delivered Outotec HIGmill high-intensity grinding mills to First Majestic. One of these mills is at the Santa Elena operation, where the fine grinding mill has significantly improved the recovery of silver and gold.

"We are pleased to continue working with First Majestic in these projects. The energy efficient AG mill and environmentally sound thickeners and tailings filters will enable First Majestic to improve plant operations in a sustainable way," says Paul Sohlberg, head of Outotec's Minerals Processing business.





For further information please contact:





OUTOTEC

Paul Sohlberg, interim President - Minerals Processing business unit

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Saija Kinanen, Director - Corporate Communications

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  MetroHealths projections for the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Ohio offer a more positive outlook than models cited by state officials, thanks largely to unprecedented social-distancing measures that have helped mitigate the spread of the virus.

The MetroHealth model projects the outbreak will peak with roughly 2,500 new COVID-19 cases per day toward the end of April. Over the last few weeks, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton have used models from the Cleveland Clinic and the Ohio State Universitys Infectious Diseases Institute to project the state could see as many as 10,000 new cases per day at the peak of the outbreak.

The MetroHealth model is offering such a different projection because Ohio has aggressively implemented social-distancing measures to limit the spread, MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros said Tuesday. He credited Ohio residents for their efforts, and estimated theyve reduced contact with others by as much as 95 percent.

Weve never seen this," Boutros said Tuesday. "This is a historic quarantine that weve never seen, and the people of Ohio have been unbelievable.

The MetroHealth projections are much closer to a model by the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which forecasts Ohio will reach its peak on Wednesday without overwhelming hospitals. The IHME model projects Ohio will have enough hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators for the peak.

The fluidity of data surrounding the novel coronavirus makes predicting exact numbers difficult, statistical and epidemiological experts told cleveland.com. The U.S. lags behind countries like South Korea in testing for the virus; Ohio officials have said they only have enough tests for the sickest people.

Acton said during the states daily coronavirus briefing Tuesday that Ohio officials are basing their projections on several different models, including the ones from OSU and the Cleveland Clinic. Ohio is considering the best-case scenarios, but planning for the more dire outlooks, Acton said.

All of it collectively points us in a general direction of decision-making, that we can use to make some guesstimates about maybe when a peak will be, maybe when well need more ventilators than not, Acton said. But its very, very general directional science.

Ohio is still projecting shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, but Acton said the results of Ohios social-distancing measures have been encouraging.

Both Acton and Boutros said Ohios efforts could be undone by relaxing social-distancing measures too soon. Even after returning to work, Ohio residents should continue to practice good hygiene by regularly washing their hands and wearing masks in public, Boutros said.

If we become lax and have a lot of close contact without significant protection, that bell-shaped surge will return, and it will return quickly, Boutros said.

MetroHealth is projecting the virus will remain a threat until a vaccine is developed, and experts have said that could take 12 to 18 months. As a result, the model suggests Ohio could see upticks in cases at various points through the end of 2020.

This is no longer a short, intense war," Boutros said. Theres going to be a really difficult, sustained campaign.

MetroHealth projections say the coronavirus outbreak will peak later this month in Cuyahoga County with significantly fewer cases than anticipated by other models cited by state officials.

MetroHealths projections

MetroHealths model offers projections for Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio. Both are forecast to see fewer cases than state officials have anticipated.

The latest projections from the OSU model say cases will continue to crest over the next few weeks, with Ohio reaching a peak of just under 10,000 new cases per day on April 25. By contrast, the MetroHealth model says Ohio will reach a peak of roughly 2,553 cases in one day by late April.

In Cuyahoga County, MetroHealth is projecting a peak of approximately 422 cases in one day in late April. The OSU model projects a peak under 2,000 new cases per day later this month.

The MetroHealth model operates under the assumption that each person who carries the coronavirus will pass it to 1.3 other people, Boutros said. He noted that only 17 percent of the passengers who remained for weeks aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship contracted the virus.

The MetroHealth model projects a series of peaks and valleys over the next month, causing their curves to resemble mountain ranges. Boutros said those peaks are not intended to be exact estimates; instead, theyre intended to illustrate that a cluster of cases, like an outbreak at a jail or nursing home, could cause those types of increases.

Just last week, a Parma nursing home reported that 14 patients and employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. An outbreak at a federal prison in eastern Ohio has killed three inmates and infected dozens of others.

Acton said during Mondays daily coronavirus briefing that Ohios social-distancing measures are making a difference, but she cautioned that the numbers that state officials are using are not as optimistic as the IHME projections that skew closer to MetroHealths model. Ohio will release updated projections sometime this week, Acton said.

The Cleveland Clinic and OSU have not released underlying data or methodology for their modeling, but OSU has said that information could be released as soon as this week. The Cleveland Clinic has said its using a susceptible, infected, recovery (SIR) model, which is a commonly-used method for projecting a viral outbreak.

Read more from cleveland.com:

University of Washington: Latest projection says Ohio will reach coronavirus peak this week without overwhelming hospitals

Ohio State researchers say state coronavirus modeling will likely be public next week

Why are different coronavirus models predicting a wide range of outcomes in Ohio?

University of Washington projection: Coronavirus wont overwhelm Ohio hospitals and ICU beds
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya and Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bandung  Wed, April 8, 2020 15:43 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09b8b3 1 National COVID-19,Corona,mental-health Free

Staying at home and limiting ones interaction with others is pivotal to curb the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 disease. But while some Indonesians seem to cope well with physical distancing, others find weeks of living in self-isolation hard.

For Indiana Malia, 27, a reporter on a local news portal in Jakarta, being mobile and working outdoors had been daily routine until last month, when her office instructed employees to work from home, in line with government instructions.

The past three weeks have been hard for her as she had to hole up and work in her small rented house in West Jakarta.

It was so stressful that the other day I found myself starting to talk to stray cats in my neighborhood, Indiana said on Friday.

As a journalist, she needs to follow the latest COVID-19 developments, but the constant stream of grim news and her limited mobility have affected her well-being. But what can I do; thats my job, she said.

Now, during the weekend, I cut off everything related to work and the pandemic. I simply enjoy my days off, and Korean drama series has been my distraction of late, she said.

The chairwoman of the Indonesian Clinical Psychologists Association (IPK) in Jakarta, Anna Surti Ariani, said extrovert people and introverts tended to respond differently to long-term self-isolation.

Certain factors, such as daily and work habits, as well as the surrounding environment and support system like family played an important role in determining the level of psychological distress someone had when practicing physical distancing, she said.

Read also: People with bipolar disorder seek strength amid social distancing

The association found that many people were feeling stressed for missing even the simplest aspects of daily normalcy, such as wearing shoes, putting on make-up or hanging out with friends.

People in Jakarta in particular are more anxious, Anna said on Sunday. Some are afraid of getting the virus. Some know someone who has died of the disease. Some cannot visit friends of family members who have fallen ill with the disease. All of these create anxiety and guilt.

Jakarta is now a COVID-19 hot spot with 1,369 confirmed cases and 106 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Health Ministry approved on Tuesday the Jakarta administration's proposal to implement large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the capital, the first region in the country to apply such a measure to tackle the disease.

Read also: Stay safe, stay sane: How to mind your mental health amid COVID-19 pandemic

People living outside Jakarta and having practiced physical distancing since March also feel overwhelmed and disconnected.

Chris Nugraheni, 26, a teacher in Semarang, Central Java, said that being unable to teach her students in the classroom and living away from her husband and family made her feel lonelier amid the pandemic.

Chris husband lives and works in Pasuruan, East Java, while most of her family members live in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta.

Although she calls them every day, she said she started to develop cabin fever while living alone in her quiet rented room in Semarang in the midst of the outbreak.

It is hard to work from home every day. Im not used to spending most of my time sitting in front of my laptop to prepare online lessons for my students. I miss teaching my students, I miss meeting people directly, she said.

Living in self-isolation is more challenging for Chris, because she is nine-weeks-pregnant with her first child. I get tired more easily and have this constant feeling of nausea. [] But I have to take care of myself, so I still go out to restock food and over-the-counter medicine.

IPKs Anna said psychologists in the capital had seen an increase in demand for mental health consultation during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The association, in collaboration with more than 80 psychologists, offers free online consultation sessions from Monday to Friday for people after they register and fill out an online form.

The consultation will use video communication to connect clients with psychologists.

Our team consists of mental health professionals, and they have been screened and trained to assist people during this pandemic, Anna said. Last week alone, we helped 131 people.

Anna said that people who started to feel depressed in self-isolation should start to identify what changes to daily activities affect their emotions and distance themselves from anything that makes them feel overwhelmed.

Once in a while, people should also stay away from their mobile phones and social media and take a break from consuming news. They should instead start enjoying their time and embrace the moment, she said.

In West Java, the province hardest hit by coronavirus in the country after Jakarta, authorities are working with a team of volunteers, psychologists and psychiatrists from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Padjajaran University and some hospitals to offer free online counseling for people experiencing anxiety during the pandemic.

The spokesman of the team, senior psychiatrist Teddy Hidayat, said psychosocial intervention during the pandemic was important to reduce anxiety and stress and keep the immune system strong.

He urged people practicing physical distancing to keep in touch with their families and friends, particularly through video or phone calls, because oral communication rather than text messages helped people feel more connected with others.
Lagos State recorded another death from coronavirus on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Health in the state has said.

Akin Abayomi, who gave the update via Twitter said the deceased is a 66-year-old Briton who arrived in Nigeria on March 17.

More details of the death were not disclosed by the Commissioner.

Lagos recorded another COVID19 related death; a 66 year-old Briton who travelled from India via Dubai to Lagos on 17th of March, 2020. This brings to 3, the total number of deaths from COVID19 in Lagos State, he tweeted.

Lagos has recorded three deaths from coronavirus in the space of one week. The latest fatality means the total number of deaths so far in Nigeria has risen to seven.

READ ALSO:

The first death in the state was a 55-year old patient who died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) last Friday, while being treated for renal infection, unknown to the doctors that he had coronavirus infection.

The second death was recorded last Saturday when a 36-year old male Nigerian who tested positive to the virus died at a private facility.

As of Wednesday, there are 130 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with 93 active cases, 32 discharged cases, two evacuated cases and three deaths.
WOOD RIVER  Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells on Tuesday said the department will conduct an internal investigation involving an incident last month in which two men in surgical masks say they were racially profiled by a police officer who approached them in Walmart.

One of the men, Jermon Best, of Belleville, took cellphone video of the exchange as the officer followed the men out of the store, and posted it to social media.

Watch the video here. Warning, it contains explicit language.

Wells says the officer felt the men were acting suspicious.

With the current pandemic it is understandable why any person is wearing a mask to protect themselves, Wells said. On March 15, 2020, not many people were wearing a mask. A review of video from the store does not reveal anyone else wearing a mask.

State health officials have since recommended face coverings for anyone in public during the coronavirus pandemic.

The officer incorrectly told the men a city ordinance prohibited the masks. It doesnt. However, there is state law prohibiting a person from concealing their identity from police.

The officer tried to identify the two individuals, but they refused to give the officer their identity and indicated they were leaving the store, Wells said. The officer did not escalate the situation and did not pursue their identity any further. The two individuals left the store of their own volition. They were not ordered to leave the store.

The two men have since filed official complaints against the officer.

I dont know this guy personally, Best told The Telegraph for a previous story We just want to shine some light because this happens so often.

I dont know if he was having a bad day, he added. Ive never said that the guy was racist. All Im saying is that his actions were suspect.

Wells said he has contacted the president of the Alton Branch of the NAACP to initiate the investigation. He said hell also request a review of the incident by the Federal Bureau of Investigations when the investigation is complete.

Best said they followed the officers order to take off the masks and left the store rather than show identification.

Being a young African-American male, its kind of hard when you interact with the police because you dont know what state of mind theyre in, he said

Wells said the investigation will be thorough and take some time. The department wont comment on the incident further.

The investigation is active, and a complete review of the incident will be done, not only by the Wood River Police Department, but the NAACP and the FBI, Wells said.

   

Wells full statement is below:

A video has been released over social media in reference to an incident at Walmart in Wood River, Illinois.

On March 15, 2020, an officer with the Wood River Police Department tried to identify two individuals he felt were acting suspicious prior to the two entering the store. The two individuals were wearing surgical masks.

The officer told the two a city ordinance prohibited the masks. A city ordinance does not exist which would prohibit the two from wearing a mask. An Illinois law does prohibit the wearing of a mask, hood, or device to conceal the identity of the wearer from a peace officer with the intent to conceal his or her identity from a peace officer in which any portion of the persons face is hidden, concealed, or covered on any public way, public place, or property, or on any private property, without first having obtained the written permission from the owner or occupier of the property.

With the current pandemic it is understandable why any person is wearing a mask to protect themselves. On March 15, 2020, not many people were wearing a mask. A review of video from the store does not reveal anyone else wearing a mask.

The officer tried to identify the two individuals, but they refused to give the officer their identity and indicated they were leaving the store. The officer did not escalate the situation and did not pursue their identity any further. The two individuals left the store of their own volition. They were not ordered to leave the store.

An initial complaint was not received from the two involved. Since the incident the two have came to the police department and made a complaint.

The complaint is being investigated internally. The Chief of Police with the Wood River Police Department has contacted the President of the Alton Branch of the NAACP to initiate an investigation. The Chief of Police will also request a review of the incident by the Federal Bureau of Investigations when the investigation is complete.

Many requests have been received for comment on this investigation. A complete internal investigation will be done. After the investigation is complete the NAACP and the F.B.I. will be handed a copy of the investigation.

Law enforcement cannot comment on active investigations. Thorough investigations take time to investigate. The investigation is active, and a complete review of the incident will be done, not only by the Wood River Police Department, but the NAACP and the F.B.I.

The Wood River Police Department will also cooperate with any separate investigation the NAACP or F.B.I. conducts.

 

Telegraph reporter Jeanie Stephens contributed to this story.
All three churches said they also adapted to online giving during the pandemic, putting tabs and links on its website for those who want to give an offering. A mail box has been installed across the street from the TurnPoint Pentecostal Church, with the secretary the only person who has access to it, for those who dont have online access and want to give, Herman said. He expects April giving might be down due to the financial effects of the pandemic, but the church is still in good financial shape and giving has increased from those who havent been impacted from the pandemic. Harris said the financial state of the church varies from church to church.
Vista, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2020 -- Estolano Law is a Chula Vista law firm that primarily focuses on family law, divorce, child custody criminal defense, and immigration. Ray Estolano, the firm's founder, is a former prosecutor with extensive experience in family cases, including divorces, child custody disputes, and legal separations. He has ten years of experience, including many heavily litigated trials and hearings. Ray Estolano established Estolano Law in the year 2009 as a way to serve the community that he grew up in. Estolano Law is located a few blocks from the courthouse and across the street from the Chula Vista mall.



"Ray Estolano, the founder of Estolano Law, is a Spanish speaking trial attorney with two decades of experience. He has been a prosecutor and now represents victims in family law, immigration, and criminal defense cases," commented the company spokesperson. "He went into private practice in the year 2005 and has since represented individuals in family law, criminal defense and immigration cases. Estolano Law has had success in each of these three areas. We are client-based, and our philosophy is to settle when it's in the client's best interest. Still, we have successfully litigated long, and complex trials in each area, and Ray Estolano is recognized for his legal excellence."



A DUI or a violation of California Penal Code 23152 can severely impact individuals' life with increased insurance costs, license suspension, and possible jail time. It's essential to have a lawyer that is experienced in DUI Law and who can explain to the individual's options. As a former prosecutor, Ray Estolano has the experience to represent individuals both in criminal court and before the Department of Motor Vehicles. As a prosecutor, Ray Estolano litigated many drug offenses ranging from possession to trafficking. He takes every case equally seriously, be it a truck loaded with drugs or a simple person possession case. As the top San Diego criminal attorney, Ray Estolano will help the individual find his/ her best solution to their drug charges.



"We represent our clients regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, and gender," commented the company spokesperson. "Whether the clients stay in Utah, Japan, or here in San Diego, we can help them with immigration matters. Besides, at Estolano Law, our prices are designed to be cost-effective for the working family. We need to have a consultation before quoting a price, but they'll find that our rates are very competitive."



A divorce lawyer can help victims of divorce determine the grounds necessary for filing a divorce case. He/she can tell whether or not clients qualify for summary dissolution. In California, separation is mostly termed as the dissolution of marriage. The latter helps to make work easier. With the help of divorce lawyers, the partners may not appear in court because they have come into agreement on how the divorce process will be conducted. But, there are many options in how their divorce may be handled. They can decide to have full or limited attorney representation. Individuals faced with divorce lawsuits should contact a divorce lawyer in Chula Vista for legal assistance and representation.



About Estolano Law

Estolano Law is a California-based law firm that has, for years, been helping residents with family law, immigration law, and criminal defense lawsuits. When individuals are in danger of being removed from the USA, they need to go to the immigration office in Chula Vista to hire a lawyer that will stand up for their rights. Estolano Law has the required experience in fighting in court to ensure that clients and their loved ones are defended.
Being overweight is a major risk factor for people infected with the novel coronavirus, France's chief epidemiologist said on Wednesday.

Professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council that advises the government on the epidemic, said up to 25 percent of French people are seriously at risk from the virus because of age, pre-existing conditions or obesity.

He added that Americans are particularly at risk because of rising levels of obesity in the US, with currently 42.4 percent of the adult population being severely overweight.

France's chief epidemiologist, Professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy, says being obese is a major risk factor for those infected with coronavirus (file image)

Delfraissy said he is particularly concerned about this in the US, where 42.4% of the population is obese. Pictured: An patient is loaded off an ambulance

'This virus is terrible. It can hit young people, in particular obese young people. Those who are overweight really need to be careful,' Delfraissy told franceinfo radio.

'That is why we're worried about our friends in America, where the problem of obesity is well-known and where they will probably have the most problems because of obesity.'

Experts suggest that obesity may put the US at risk of of a pandemic similar to that seen in 1918 with the Spanish flu.

According to the CDC, 42.4 percent of the US adult population is obese and 18.5 percent of American children are.

Obesity is known as a risk factor for several chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, strokes, heart attack and even certain types of cancer.

Experts have warned that the proportion of obese adults will only grow as younger generations do.

Rising rates of obesity will not only raise healthcare cost but could spur the coronavirus pandemic, or future pandemics.

A study of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, found that obese people were twice as likely to be hospitalized compared with the state population.

This means that obese people diagnosed with COVID-19 could put an even further strain on already overwhelmed hospitals.

Additionally, a recent study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that obese adults who become infected with the flu are not only at a greater risk of severe complications, but remain contagious longer.

This means that obesity is tied to an increased risk of flu transmission. With 75 percent of US adults predicted to be overweight or obese by 2030, this could result in a loss of thousands more more lives to the flu, or the coronavirus.

Although it is unclear why obese adults are more contagious, scientists believe it may be that that obesity changes the body's immune response and leads to chronic inflammation.

Obesity has been cited as a possible explanation for higher than average per-capita COVID-19 death rates in New Orleans.

A CDC report found that six percent of COVID-19 patients with existing conditions die of the virus

The Louisiana health department revealed 97 percent of COVID-19 patients who died had a pre-existing condition

New Orleans is at greater risk that the national population because 39 percent of residents have high blood pressure, 36 percent are obese and about 19 percent have diabetes - higher rates than the general population.

Worldwide, more than 1.4 million people have been infected and more than 86,000 people have died.

In the US, there are more than 422,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 14,000 deaths.
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China's tax and banking regulators are enhancing coordination to boost credit support for small and micro businesses amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

Lenders will help firms with eligible tax payment ratings ease financial strains in resuming work and production, according to a recent circular jointly released by the State Tax Administration and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Tax authorities will provide banks with tax-paying information of coronavirus-hit small and micro enterprises to enable targeted credit support.

The circular urged banking institutions to roll out credit products that suit the need of the businesses, expand credit lines, extend terms of loans, and expedite implementation of the temporary policies of granting deferred repayments.

The country will expand the coverage of tax-based credit rating for firms in hard-hit regions like Hubei Province, said the circular.
YouTube CPAC

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.

B.C. has now introduced new measures to make sure British Columbians returning home from international destinations self-isolate and keep their communities safe from COVID-19.

These measures include a new legal requirement to provide a written self-isolation plan for 14 days.

"As we welcome British Columbians back home, we must stay vigilant and do everything we can to stop the spread of COVID-19," said Premier John Horgan. "As we follow the advice and guidance of our provincial health officer, it's also important to take care of one another. By supporting people through a self-isolation plan after international travel, we will keep people safe and help flatten the curve."

International travellers (including from the United States) are required to provide a self-isolation plan before or upon arrival to B.C., regardless of their point of entry to Canada.

The document can be submitted online or completed in person on arrival but must show that returning travellers have supports in place to safely self-isolate for 14 days.

The new measures will take effect Friday, April 10, 2020, as provincial officials will be on hand at Vancouver International Airport and major land border crossings to make sure self-isolation plans are complete and to assist those who need it.

The premier also indicated that Emergency Management BC, through a network of community supports and volunteer organizations, will help travellers with necessary food deliveries, prescription drugs and other supplies so people can safely self-isolate for 14 days.

"The Province, through Service BC, will follow up with travellers in self-isolation with telephone calls and text messages to make sure people have the support they need to complete their mandatory self-isolation. If required, the Province will work with travellers to modify self-isolation plans to ensure public safety."

UPDATE 1:29 p.m.

Premier Horgan also indicated that flights from the United States, specifically Seattle will now stop as of tomorrow and the only destination in the west accepting U.S. flights will be Vancouver International Airport. Flights had been landing in Kelowna and on Vancouver Island but that will now end.

UPDATE 1:24 p.m.

B.C. premier John Horgan has announced mandatory self-isolation for all travellers, both on land and at airports, returning to British Columbia from international destinations.

"We need to make sure we are self-isolating if returning from areas where there are COVID-19 cases."

ORIGINAL 1:09 p.m.

B.C. premier John Horgan will address the public at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday ahead of the Easter long weekend about the province's COVID-19 response.

The premier is expected to address new protocols for people returning to B.C. amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. There are reports that the premier will be stepping up measures to enforce the federal Quarantine Act by screening international travellers returning to the province.

The planned announcement comes as the government continues to warn residents to avoid all gatherings over the Easter long weekend and after closing all provincial campgrounds and parks.

Horgan spoke to media from the B.C. legislature last Wednesday.

-with files from CTV News Vancouver Island
A resident carries free boxes of food at the Wharton Square Park in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia on April 2, a food site supported by the City of Philadelphia, Share Food Program, and Philabundance. Share Food Program and Philabundance are two of the local nonprofit groups receiving grants from the PHL COVID-19 Fund, of which the City of Philadelphia is a key organizer. Read more

The PHL COVID-19 Fund on Wednesday announced it has awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 44 nonprofits in the Philadelphia region.

Formed on March 19, the fund has received more than $12 million in pledges and gifts from regional businesses, foundations, and more than 2,000 individual online donors. The fund is a collaboration established among the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Foundation, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to help nonprofits working to respond to the impact the pandemic is having throughout the area.

The fund is being managed by a cross-functional team of leaders from both the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way.

The purpose of the PHL COVID-19 Fund is to rapidly deploy solutions and resources to help our community navigate the near-term impact of COVID-19, Pedro Ramos, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, said in a statement. We want to ensure that critical resources remain available and readily accessible for those in our community who have the greatest needs and are most disproportionately affected.

"The grants named today provide much-needed financial support for organizations that mobilized immediately. In the weeks ahead, hardships throughout the community will expand, and we plan to respond in real time to as many organizations as possible that are answering these unprecedented challenges. Right now, grant requests exceed the total Fund and we are continuing to seek support from donors throughout the region.

With so many nonprofits in need, especially during the pandemic, choosing which ones receive grants is a challenge in itself.

Whether its nonprofits or the individuals they serve, COVID-19 is placing strain on limited resources and forcing organizations to do more with less, said Bill Golderer, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. PHL COVID-19 Fund grants aim to provide vital dollars and resources to the nonprofits on the front lines that need the most support. This first round of funding helps fill immediate gaps facing our communities"  like ensuring access to food and other basic needs and supporting increased health-care demands  "that are so critical to the overall well-being of our region.

Grants will be made weekly to community-based organizations that support residents in three primary capacities: food and basic needs, protection of vulnerable groups, and medical care and information.

The following organizations have received the initial funding:

Advocates for Homeless & Those in Need, $20,000; Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha, $100,000; Broad Street Ministry, $50,000; BSM/Prevention Point/Project HOME, $100,000; Bucks County Housing Group, $30,000; CADES, $50,000; Cathedral Soup Kitchen Inc., $50,000; Catholic Housing and Community Services, $40,000; Catholic Social Services, $25,000; Chosen 300 Ministries Inc., $50,000; Community FoodBank of New Jersey, $200,000; Community Volunteers in Medicine, $50,000; Hedwig House Inc., $10,000.

Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, $65,000; ICNA Relief SHAMS Clinic, $3,000; Jewish Family & Childrens Service of Greater Philadelphia, $50,000; Lutheran Settlement House, $50,000; Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA), $200,000; Mighty Writers, $50,000; Multicultural Community Family Services Inc., $48,000; National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, $15,000; and Neighborhood Center in Camden, $25,000;

Pathways to Housing PA, $25,000; Patrician Society of Central Norristown, $10,000; Penn Foundation Inc., $10,000; Philabundance, $200,000; Philadelphia FIGHT, $50,000; Phoenixville Area Senior Center, $40,000; Prevention Point Philadelphia, $50,000; Project H.O.P.E., $37,000; Puentes de Salud, $48,000; Saint Johns Hospice, $50,000; Saint Miriam Parish & Friary, $10,000; Share Food Program, $100,000; Silver Springs  Martin Luther School, $50,000; St. Ignatius Nursing & Rehab Center, $50,000.

The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, $25,000; The Sunday Love Project, $5,000; Valley Youth House Committee Inc., $25,000; Vetri Community Partnership, $45,000; Weavers Way Community Programs, $48,000; Why Not Prosper Inc.,, $48,000; Womens Resource Center of the Delaware Valley, $35,000; Yardley Makefield Consolidated Emergency Unit, $50,000.

The Inquirer is owned by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which operates under the auspices of Philadelphia Foundation. For more information on how to donate to the PHL COVID-19 Fund, visit phlcovid19fund.org.
This recipe originally appeared on Food52.

When I say Samin Nosrats crackling, golden Persian-ish rice is foolproof, I mean it mostly in the ways youd expect.

I mean it in the sense that, even though Id never before tried the art of making my own tahdig (that prized, crispy bottom-of-the-pot layer of scorched rice), by following Samins precise, encouraging steps, Ithe titular fool to be proofed againsthave been buoyed to success.

Ive turned out batch after batch, with different stovetops and pans and roller-coastering levels of attention. Every time, my tahdig is proud, pristine, and scarfed up immediately.

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Some of this warm welcome comes from the clear, friend-at-your-side writing in all of Samins recipes, and some is thanks to that -ish. Since traditional Persian rice can take years to perfect and hours to make, Samin explains in her now many-times-over bestselling cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Im including this Persian-ish variation, which I accidentally devised one night when I found myself with a few extra cups of just-boiled basmati rice on my hands.

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When I asked her for more specifics on the -ish, she laughed: The -ish was insurance, so that when Persians and Iranian-Americans looked at it and didnt see all of the steps, they wouldnt yell at me for trying to advertise it as super-traditional ricealthough, I have to say, its pretty close.

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The -ish breaks down to three unconventional tricks that give beginners a boost:

1. A Shallower Pan

Not everyone has the deep, nonstick pot many Iranians rely on. But most home cooks will have a nonstick (or very well-seasoned cast-iron) skillet.

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Better still, this means you can easily peek at the sides of the rice, which Samin uses as clues for how the invisible, precious bottom of the pot is faringfirst, by watching for bubbles of oil flickering at the sides, then watching them darken and crisp.

2. Going Lidless

Traditionally, the pot would be covered with a lid wrapped in a towel, which you can see Samin and her mom do in the Heat episode of the Netflix series based on the book. By uncovering the pan, not only is even more of the mystery removed, potentially bottom-sogging excess steam can escape, too. The tahdig crisps happily in its absence. This flexibility leads us to -ish point 3.

3. A Longer Dunk

Cooking the rice in an uncovered pan might sound like a formula for underdone rice (to steam rice, dont you need  steam?). To compensate, Samin cooks her rice a little further in the parboiling step, so the grains are already al dente before you pause the cooking with cold water. Then, as they sizzle in the skillet, the lingering steam wafting through gently finishes plumping the grains, without any chance of leftover chalky rice patches.

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Beyond these three tricks, Samins recipe also thoughtfully spells out the whys of the dance moves you might see pop up in other Persian rice recipes, from salting the water for parboiling the rice (very, very) well to giving the pan a quarter-turn a handful of times as the bottom is crackling, a technique her mom swears by for an evenly golden tahdig.

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Youll take all her lessons with you when you try your hand at more traditional Persian rice recipes (for Nowrooz, the upcoming Persian New Year, for example, Id suggest her herby sabzi polo from the New York Times).

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But maybe most important of all is what actually makes the recipe foolproof: Its not that shes promising it will come out perfectlya shiny shellack of rice landing in front of you every timetempting as it would be to say so. Its that, even if your tahdig breaks apart as you tip it from the pan, or looks more like a blotchy leopard patchwork of hot spots, thats fine.

As she writes in her final step, Do what every Persian grandmother since the beginning of time has done: Scoop out the rice, chip out the tahdig in pieces with a spoon or metal spatula, and pretend you meant to do it this way. No one will be the wiser.

Serves 4-8

 2 cups basmati rice

 salt

 3 tablespoons plain yogurt

 3 tablespoons butter

 3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil

See the full recipe on Food52.

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Meet The Chef Whos Celebrating Indigenous Mayan Food

The True Origin Story of Mardi Gras in America

Meet Hilsa, The Beloved Fish That Connects Bengalis

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Campaign to end tuberculosis in the country sidelined as healthcare workers fight to contain spread of pandemic.

Manila, Philippines  For years, Josefina Marquez, 58, has worked as a laundry helper in Metro Manila, but the coronavirus lockdown which President Rodrigo Duterte imposed on March 15 has not only left her without any income  it has also endangered the lives of four members of her family who are suffering from tuberculosis (TB).

Now the sole breadwinner for her family faces difficulties getting TB medicine for her ailing husband and their three children.

My daughters and husband each take 17 pills a day, but my son takes injections, and I dont know where he can travel to, or who will do his injections now under the lockdown, Marquez said.

Transport has been stopped under the quarantine. When I went to collect their medications on Monday. I had a quarantine pass, but the police at the checkpoint said I need a letter from the clinic giving me permission to go to the clinic. But how can I get the letter without going?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2019 Global Tuberculosis Report, an estimated 591,000 Filipinos had the disease in 2018 [Lynzy Billing/Al Jazeera]

In the meantime, her children and husband have run out of medication.

On April 7 Duterte extended the lockdown to the countrys northern island of Luzon, including Metro Manila, affecting at least 57 million people, as the government continues to wrestle with the continuing spread of the pandemic.

Similar partial lockdowns have also been imposed in the remaining parts of the country by the provincial and town governments, virtually placing the entire country of more than 104 million people under quarantine.

The country has recorded at more than 3,700 coronavirus infections and nearly 180 deaths.





Strain to the health system

With the countrys healthcare facing the added strain of the coronavirus, the lives of tens of thousands of TB patients are now at risk, as hospitals become no-go zones due to the influx of COVID-19 cases.

Government healthcare workers have also postponed immunisation programmes, such as for TB and polio, as the fight against coronavirus takes priority nationwide.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2019 Global Tuberculosis Report, an estimated 591,000 Filipinos were afflicted with the disease in 2018, with 26,000 fatalities, accounting for six percent of the 10 million cases worldwide. The Philippines remains one of the only countries where case numbers continue to climb annually, and the disease remains heavily stigmatised despite being treatable.

The lockdown in the Philippiness northern island of Luzon due to the coronavirus has left many people without jobs for weeks now [Lynzy Billing/Al Jazeera]

Today, an estimated one million Filipinos have active TB infections, giving the Philippines the third highest rate of TB cases globally, trailing only South Africa and Lesotho.

As health facilities across the country rush to deal with the pandemic, patients with TB now also face the threat of contracting coronavirus due to their weakened immune systems, said Dr Alfie Calingacion, who works with tuberculosis patients in the central island of Bohol.

Calingacion said hospitals are battling a lack of basic personal protective equipment such as surgical masks and N95 respirators. Meanwhile there is little room for TB patients in the hospitals.

Our hospitals are jam-packed now with Covid-19 patients, so we have advised our TB patients to stay at home, he said.

Lockdown interrupts TB treatment

While healthcare workers advise TB patients to stock up on medications for one month, according to the Department of Healths (DOH) recommendation on March 24, supplies are not always available, complicating their situation amid the lockdown, said Calingacion.

But even as nations scramble to confront a new pandemic, the WHO is reminding governments around the world of the need to continue tackling TB.





Delivery of TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care services should be ensured in tandem with the COVID-19 response, the WHO said in a statement on March 20.

The UN body said that while data on COVID-19 infections on TB patients is limited, people who are ill with both diseases are likely to have poorer treatment outcomes, especially if their TB treatment is interrupted.

Although garnering far less attention in the media than Covid-19, TB remains the number one killer among all infectious diseases, causing over 1.5 million deaths in 2018, according to the WHO.

TB continues to kill over 70 patients per day in the Philippines, most of whom are poor and voiceless, said Rajendra-Prasad Hubraj, team leader for Communicable Diseases at the WHO Philippines.

Hubraj said most providers are complying with the directive to stock up on medical supplies and the agency continues to monitor the progress of TB patients, even from provinces and towns using a real-time mobile phone application.

Still, there are some challenges on the ground, such as DOH health workers who provide TB testing via motorbikes being stopped at check-points during the ongoing Philippine lockdown, Hubraj added.

Anti-TB drug effective against coronavirus?

Due to the widespread coronavirus lockdown in the northern island of Luzon, poor families have been unable to access medicine for those suffering from other ailments such as tuberculosis [Lynzy Billing [Al Jazeera]

But the fight against TB could prove itself to be an unexpected and vital weapon in addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

Researchers at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, are fast-tracking large-scale human testing to see if a vaccine used for decades to prevent TB can also protect people from COVID-19 infection.

The trial of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine will be conducted on 4,000 health workers in hospitals around Australia.

Although originally developed against tuberculosis and given to over 130 million babies annually for that purpose, BCG also boosts humans front-line immunity, training it to respond to germs with greater intensity, they said in a statement.

The Philippine government announced on Tuesday that it is extending the lockdown of the entire northern island of Luzon until April 30 in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic [Lynzy Billing/Al Jazeera]

Similar trials on the TB vaccine are being conducted in several other countries including the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.

An earlier report from New York Institute of Technology found that the BCG vaccine has been linked to reduced rates of Covid-19 infection in countries where the drug is administered such as India, compared to countries without universal policies such as Italy, the Netherlands, and the US. In the absence of any effective vaccine for Covid-19, this may be an encouraging development. However, further testing will be required.

Meanwhile, as the Philippines continues to juggle its public health priorities, Filipino families such as Josefina Marquez are left waiting for the coronavirus lockdown to be lifted, unable to access medicine or employment, and hoping that their vital medical needs are not swept aside by the Covid-19 crisis.
Two committees tasked with guiding projects to reduce the algae-promoting phosphorus that flows into Lake Winnipeg each year have postponed meetings this month and in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two committees tasked with guiding projects to reduce the algae-promoting phosphorus that flows into Lake Winnipeg each year have postponed meetings this month and in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And that will delay work on two projects meant to reduce the amount of pollution entering local waterways, work the committees were created to expedite.

"Work on this project is difficult to continue at the originally proposed, rapid pace and it is recognized that will affect some of the timelines originally projected," a provincial statement noted.

In December, the province refused to extend a deadline for the city to reduce the amount of phosphorus in effluent leaving its North End sewage treatment plant to 1 milligram per litre or less. The city had asked the province to extend the deadline from Dec. 31, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2021.

The province also ordered the city to participate in two committees to create an implementation plan for a long-awaited $1.8-billion North End sewage treatment plant upgrade that would meet the provincial target. The committees were also tasked with planning out an interim phosphorus-reduction solution that could start before the upgrade is completed.

Those committees were expected to develop a clear schedule for both phosphorus reduction projects by July 31, a deadline thats now been extended to Sept. 30, city spokesperson Adam Campbell said.

In an email, Campbell said COVID-19 has forced lab closures that could also delay the interim project.

"The interim chemical phosphorus removal testing schedule will be impacted as there is no accessibility to laboratory facilities at the University of Manitoba that are required for testing," he wrote.

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Coun. Cindy Gilroy, chairperson of Winnipeg city councils water and waste committee, said the postponement was necessary to ensure municipal and provincial government officials can focus on maintaining the water supply and sewage treatment throughout the pandemic.

"In terms of the people that are all working on this file, every one of these are all part of essential services, so theyre all dealing with COVID-19, plus we have the (spring) flood I support (the committees) taking a break until we can get through some of this," said Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre).

Phosphorus is a nutrient that promotes algae blooms on Lake Winnipeg, which can contain toxins. While the lake receives phosphorus from many different sources, the sewage treatment plant is believed to be the largest single-point source.

A preliminary timeline from the committees set a target date to begin construction on the nutrient-removal phase of treatment plant upgrade in 2026, which would continue until at least 2032. Design work for an interim solution to reduce phosphorus was expected to begin as soon as 2021, though the initial report warned those dates could change.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
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We must never forget the images we saw in Wisconsin this week. Thousands of mask-wearing Americans standing in staggered lines extended over city blocks as they waited to vote amid the most dangerous pandemic this country has faced in a century. None of them could be certain they would avoid taking the deadly coronavirus home with them after they cast their ballots. And, yet, they waited for hourskeeping as much distance as reasonable from fellow voters waiting in lineto exercise the fundamental right that the Supreme Court described 134 years ago as preservative of all rights.

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These images of determined, masked voters waiting in lengthy linessome using canes or in wheelchairsare a macabre snapshot of American failure. Failure of leadership, politics, and our democracy. Without question, the bulk of the blame falls on the state Legislature, which refused to postpone the election even after Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a stay-at-home order. The governors subsequent effort to unilaterally postpone the election by executive order was rejected in a 42 vote by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday. That left it to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether to leave in place the order of a federal district court judge extending deadlines to allow tens of thousands of voters who requested absentee ballots as a result of the pandemicbut hadnt received them due to a crush of such requestsadditional time to mail in their ballots.

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In that April 2 order, federal district court Judge William Conley starkly summarized the dilemma that would face thousands of Wisconsin voters unless the return date for absentee ballots was extended. Voters who did not or could not vote absentee will be forced on election day to choose between exercising their franchise and venturing into public spaces, contrary to the public message to stay home delivered by countless public officials during the course of this pandemic, he wrote.

For black voters, this dilemma was particularly acute. COVID-19 is taking a harsh toll on black communities across the country, including in Wisconsin. Although black Americans constitute only 6 percent of the states population, they comprise nearly half of the states deaths from COVID-19. And, in Milwaukee County, where black Americans are 27 percent of the population, they represent 70 percent of those who have died from COVID-19.

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Poll closures and the absentee ballot processing backlog also fell harshly on black voters. In Milwaukee, the city with the largest black population in Wisconsin, 180 city polling places were consolidated to only five polling places that would be open on Election Day, guaranteeing long lines and mass gatherings. And state measures taken to provide safer alternatives for returning absentee ballots were less accessible for black voters in Wisconsin. For example, the state expanded drive-by drop-off for absentee ballots in several cities, but 26 percent of Wisconsins black population does not own a vehicle.

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The choice facing black voters was especially agonizing because of the unique history of their struggle for full enfranchisement. Death has far too often been the consequence for black Americans who insisted on exercising their full rights as American citizens by voting. Indeed, for the forebears of many black voters standing in those lines in Wisconsin, attempting to vote mere decades ago in countless instances meant a confrontation with death in counties and cities across the South.

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When the Supreme Court announced its decision on Monday overturning the district court ruling adjusting the deadline for the return of absentee ballots from April 7 to April 13 regardless of the postmark date, no details about the dilemma facing voters, or the unique challenges to black voters, made it into the majority opinion. Indeed, the pandemic itselfthe crisis that formed the context of the entire casewas not mentioned until the penultimate paragraph. And it was only included to insist that the courts cynical decision was not what it wasa shocking abandonment of American voters amid a frightening, devastating pandemic.

Like the images themselves of Wisconsins voters, Americans must never forget the courts painfully and embarrassingly narrow justification for this monumental betrayal of those voters. The decision itself was crushing. But the courts refusal to account for this colossal public health crisisto even bother to wrestle with the dilemma created by the state Legislatures decision to proceed with the electionmade the decision particularly galling.

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This refusal to deal in real-world consequences is now a feature of the courts voting rights jurisprudence. From its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder to its 2019 decision in the partisan gerrymandering case Rucho v. Common Cause, the court over and over again has ignored facts that cannot be reconciled with its increasingly rigid and narrow conception of voting and political participation. The fact that its decision would consign voters to choose between exercising their right to vote and risking their lives and health was simply too uncomfortable a truth for the court to even broach. So, instead, it defined the important issue before it as one that was purely narrow and technical, rather than fundamental and defining. It was left to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her dissent to remind the court of its shirked duty: Ensuring an opportunity for the people of Wisconsin to exercise their votes should be our paramount concern.

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The election in Wisconsin plowed through yet another guardrail in the fast-moving descent of our democracy. Power and partisan objectives were placed above public safety, with the acquiescence of Americas highest judicial body. With full knowledge that black voters would be disproportionately imperiled or disenfranchised, an election was conducted in a manner designed to compel those voters to make an unconscionable choice between their lives and their citizenship.

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I salute every voter in Wisconsin who stood in line for hours, risking it all to stand as full American citizens and cast a ballot. Each one of them emerges from this with a nobility and integrity that ultimately will be all that can save this democracy from a further slide into ignominy. As we head toward one of the most consequential elections in the history of this country, we must use the image of those courageous Americans to power our determination that, going forward, every voter will have a meaningful opportunity to cast their ballot and have it counted without risking their life. It is not too late to ensure that this shameful and disastrous episode is not repeated in November. Proposals offered by civil rights groups and by elected leaders like Sen. Elizabeth Warren to expand voting access would protect the next national election in the face of this pandemic. But we must act soon and decisively if we are to honor the courage and resolve demonstrated by Wisconsins voters.
Fire crews were recently called to deal with a massive fire at the Southwest Florida International Airport. The fire ripped through what is described as a "rental car overflow car park."

Every Lee County fire department was on the area where the incident happened, with added support that came from Charlotte and Collier counties.

More so, there were water airdrops along with a combination of efforts that eventually brought the blaze under control by early Saturday.

The blaze covered a 15-acre area, consuming more than 3500 vehicles, almost 50 percent of the number parked in the area.

The remaining 3800 which survived were transferred elsewhere and were able to escape the damage caused by the fire.

The manner of successfully spreading of the fire, according to reports, was easy to see. The cars were packed tightly together on a field that was dry grassy, not to mention, this time of the year when the temperatures typically go beyond 30 degrees.

READ: How American Lives are Likely to Change After COVID-19

Fully Packed Parking Lot Due to COVID-19

It is quite safe to assume that the parking lot was full of rental cars, compared to the usual because of the recession in travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being a parking lot for rental cars, the majority of the vehicles would have been of the more common variety. Nevertheless, given the vehicles' total number that met their fate, a few may have been considered top-tier rental choices, including Chevrolet Camaros and Ford Mustangs, and even a few Corvettes.

How the Fire Transpired

According to reports, no one got injured from the fire, and no damages have been reported at the airport. However, it took roughly 18 hours to extinguish the fire.

Additionally, the local authorities in Florida and Fort Myers received calls reporting the brush fire in a parking lot near the airport, about 20 vehicles were said to be on fire.

When responders reached the affected area, the number had increased to over 100 vehicles. By the time the fire was out, about 3,516 vehicles had been damaged or completely burned, while roughly 3,850 cars were saved.

According to Victoria Moreland, the Director of Communications of the Lee County Port Authority, the said vehicles were being stored for the vehicle rental agencies which were not having cars rented at present because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incidentally, the blaze reportedly created an outburst of black smoke casting a dark sky above the 15-acre field where the rental cars were parked at that time.

READ NEXT: Meet 5 of Mexico's Wealthiest People

18 Hours to Put Out the Fire

Witnesses said there were some outbursts and showers of sparks, and as mentioned, it took 19 hours before the firefighters were able to put the fire out, by Saturday morning, at around 10:30 a.m.

Helicopters helped put the blaze out via the 80 airdrops they were able to complete. Also, the Florida Forestry Service, as well as more than ten departments, assisted in dousing the fire.

READ MORE: Meet Charles Lieber, the Alleged Creator of COVID-19

Among these departments include the Fort Myer Beach Fire Department, the Bayshore Fire Department, the Airport Fire Department, City of Fort Myers Fire Department, and the Estero Fire Department, among others. The cause of the blaze remains unknown until now, although an investigation is reportedly in progress, and the State Fire Marshal is doing it.
The federal government on Wednesday said some pilots who were recently arrested in Port Harcourt for allegedly violating the lockdown order imposed by the Rivers State government, had permission to fly.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the pilots working with Caverton Helicopters Ltd, were arrested after they flew a helicopter into the oil-rich state in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown.

The state government had earlier barred vehicles and flights from entering as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus.

After their arrest, the pilots were subsequently arraigned at a magistrate court and remanded in prison until May.

Caverton, a logistics company, provides support services for oil and gas companies in Nigeria, had kicked against the action, saying aviation authorities granted it the permission to fly into Rivers.

On Wednesday evening, Mr Wike ordered Caverton to leave the state.

Nigeria currently has 254 cases of the virus of which Rivers State accounts for two of these.

Forty-four people have also been discharged having tested negative to the virus and six deaths recorded.

Permission to fly

The minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the pilots had the permission of the federal government to fly.

Speaking at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on Covid-19 in Abuja on Wednesday, he said civil aviation was on the exclusive list as was the Nigerian Airforce and Armed Forces.

He said besides the federal government no other person had the legal rights to legislate on civil aviation.

According to him, the exemption was part of strategies put in place by the federal government to rake in some revenue at this time of global oil price crisis, of which the Rivers State was a beneficiary.

Civil aviation is on exclusive list item number three there. So no other person but the federal government has authority to legislated upon.

The air force officer who jumped the Commander in Chief (President) also jumped the chief of defense staff, also jumped the chief of air staff and ignored him, to call a governor to come into the property of the federal government of Nigeria to make an arrest, exhibited dangerous ignorance and incompetence grossly.

The police that followed the governor to go in there exhibited dangerous ignorance from our perspective in civil aviation, he said.

He also sad the permission was granted to the pilots as a matter of national interest.

Whether we have approval for the flight, yes we did and we did in national interest. All of this flights are for the purposes of improving the national revenue to which Rivers State is the greatest beneficiary.

Those flights by Caverton, Aero Contractor, Arik, Bristo were for national interest and improved national revenue. At a time where oil has gone below $30 per barrel and the cost of production is $30.

In the wisdom of President Muhammadu Buhari, he thought that this be allowed so that the nation will not be crippled and national revenue will not be lost.

It was against the background that we have the authority and being exclusively on the exclusive list and we have the powers in civil aviation, guided by the civil aviation act 2016 to approve such flights, Mr Sirika said.

He said the federal government would do every thing legally possible to secure the release of the pilots.

Those flights were approved lawfully, legally and correct. So yes, we will do everything lawful, legal and reasonable to get those pilots back and operations will continue in the national interest, he said.
Thirty-six people who allegedly flouted the stay-at-home order of the Lagos State Government were on Wednesday brought before a Yaba Chief Magistrates Court in the state.

The government charged Emeka John, Kingsley Jacob, Chukwuma Okwubaba, Luke Eboro and 32 others with being in a gathering of more than 20 people, in violation of the social distancing directive of the state government.

Thirty-three of the defendants admitted guilt while three  Adetutu Adurogbangba, Segun Joshua and Obi Okoye  pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution team led by Cyril Ejiofor from Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, had told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Wednesday (April 8) on Bush Street/Gbagada Express Road, Ogudu, Lagos.

He alleged that the defendants gathered themselves in the above-mentioned address, contrary to the social distancing directives.

Earlier, counsel to the defendants, Oluwafunlola Salam, prayed the court to quash the charge, claiming that the court had no jurisdiction to try the case.

He argued that the charge was unknown to law, saying that it stemmed from the governors directive yet to be presented to the state House of Assembly or passed into law.

The Chief Magistrate, Peter Ojo, however, dismissed the objection.

He sentenced the defendants who pleaded guilty to one month of community service.

He directed that before the commencement of the community service, they should be isolated for 14 days at the Infectious Disease Control Centre, Yaba, or any facility available in the state.

He ordered that they should also be tested for the COVID-19.

If their tests show negative twice, they should proceed to the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, to carry out the community service, he held.

He added that the three defendants who pleaded not guilty should also be kept in isolation at the centre for 14 days and tested accordingly.

The chief magistrate ordered that if certified COVID-19 negative twice, the defendants should be re-arraigned before the court.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should undergo treatment compulsorily and be brought before the court again for arraignment or serve sentence as the case may be.

NAN reports that the offence is contrary to the social distancing directives of the Governor of Lagos State made pursuant to Regulation 8(1) (a) (b) and 17(1) (I) of the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulation, 2020.

It is punishable under Section 58 of the Public Health Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The case has been adjourned until April 21 for mention.

(NAN)
CTS Corporation (NYSE:CTS) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 21% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last five years. Unfortunately its return of 33% is below the market return of 36%.

See our latest analysis for CTS

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Over half a decade, CTS managed to grow its earnings per share at 7.0% a year. This EPS growth is higher than the 5.8% average annual increase in the share price. So one could conclude that the broader market has become more cautious towards the stock.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

NYSE:CTS Past and Future Earnings April 8th 2020

It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on CTS's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for CTS the TSR over the last 5 years was 37%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that CTS shareholders are down 23% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 8.1%. 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. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 6.5% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand CTS better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with CTS .

Story continues

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
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The Vietnamese government reported on Wednesday that doctors are doing everything in their power to save a British pilot whose health has been worsening since his diagnosis of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 43-year-old UK citizen, who is Vietnams patient No. 91, has been hospitalized for 20 days at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases in District 5.

He tested positive for the novel coronavirus twice on March 18 and March 20, after having attended a Saint Patricks Day party at Buddha Bar & Grill in District 2 on March 14.

Since his admission to the hospital, the patient has maintained a high fever, along with gradually worsening respiratory failure, the government said on its verified Facebook account, where it gives updates on COVID-19 every day.

X-ray images showed that his lung damage has been getting worse.

His health condition turned critical with multiple organ failure at the beginning of this week.

He has been receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of outside-body life support, since Monday.

Ho Chi Minh City doctors have sought advice and consultation from their colleagues and experts at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

A group of leading inter-hospital experts spent a lot of time discussing treatment regimes, the patients vital signs, and issues related to testing in detail during a teleconference on Tuesday afternoon.

All of them agreed that the British patient must be saved by all means, the government said.

The medical professionals also discussed the conditions of other critically ill patients among Vietnams 129 active cases.

Patient No. 19, a 64-year-old Hanoi woman, no longer needs ECMO support, while patient No. 161, an 88-year-old woman from the northern province of Hung Yen, is being treated in the intensive care unit of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The Ministry of Health reported two new cases of coronavirus infection on Wednesday morning, raising Vietnams tally to 251, with 122 patients having recovered.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
An Bord Pleanala has refused planning permission to the Comer Group for a fast-track application for 120 apartments in Maynooth.

In the ruling, the appeals board refused planning to the Comer Group's Ladas Property Company Unlimited for the 120 apartments on land to the rear of St Mary's Church, Mill Street, Maynooth, due to potential flooding concerns.

The appeals board also refused planning permission after stating that it was not satisfied the plan would not adversely affect the integrity of the EU-protected site, the Rye Water Valley/Carton Special Area of Conservation.

It stated: "In such circumstances, the board is precluded from granting approval."

The Comer Group was proposing to locate the apartments in four blocks, ranging from three to six storeys.

The Comer company told An Bord Pleanala that the town centre site was an ideal location for a high-density scheme.

The developers told the appeals board that the proposed layout provided for a strong sense of connectivity within Maynooth to encourage high levels of pedestrian and cycle movement.

However, the appeals board refused planning permission after a report by the CEO of Kildare County Council recommended permission be turned down.

The report concluded that the plan would be visually obtrusive, would negatively impact upon nearby protected structures and did not fulfil the uses required for town centre zoning.
Come the fall, there could be one more police officer assigned to the hallways of Rochester Public Schools.

On Tuesday, the Rochester School Board approved a contract that would create a sixth school resource officer in the district. Although the School Board approved the agreement, it still needs to go to the Rochester City Council for approval as well.

"It does not have an impact on the general fund budget," Superintendent Michal Munoz said during the school board meeting, which was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. "We have special Safe Schools funding that we have not used... we believe that that funding will allow us to fund this position for the next two to three years."

Per the updated contract, Rochester Public Schools will pay the city $33,378 per month for the officer's services starting Sept. 1. The new contract would go into effect July 1; for the two months, the district will pay the city $27,636 per month.

The contract includes a 2.5% annual increase for a cost of living adjustment, which is half a percent higher than the previous agreement between the city and the district which was approved in October.

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The contract lists a number of duties for the officer, ranging from "deterring and addressing truancy" to "apprehending and prosecuting criminals."

Of the five resource officers currently working with the district, there is one at each of the three public high schools. A fourth works with the Phoenix Academy and the Rochester Alternative Learning Center. The fifth is split between John Adams and Willow Creek Middle Schools. According to the district, the officer assigned to Century High School also provides assistance to Kellogg Middle School.

If the updated agreement is approved by the city, the sixth officer would help with the needs of the three existing middle schools, allowing the high school officers to concentrate more on their assigned schools, according to information from the district.

Scott Sherden, executive director of operations for RPS, said the school resource officer program has existed for 27 years in Rochester. A fifth officer was added to the school district just last year.

Sherden said there are a couple reasons for adding the two resource officers in two years. One is that the funding became available.

He added, though, that having an officer dedicated to the middle schools would be beneficial by creating a "more consistent approach for the middle schools."

"Basically, the relationship piece was one of the big issues," Sherden said. "When we put a school resource officer in the middle schools last year, it was a huge, huge plus."
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Ghanas sardinella fishery provides food and livelihoods for coastal communities and is more important than ever as coronavirus spreads. It is under severe threat from illegal targeting by industrial trawlers in a trade known as saiko.

Now a report from the Environmental Justice Foundation has revealed that the samples of saiko sardinella it obtained were 99% juveniles. This is extremely worrying since these young fish are crucial to population recovery, says EJF, and sardinella are already on the brink of collapse, having crashed by 80% over the past twenty years.

Saiko is a destructive form of illegal fishing, where foreign trawlers target the main catch of Ghanaian canoe fishers, transfer it at sea to specially adapted boats, and sell this stolen fish back to local communities at a profit.

Last year, EJFs research revealed that in 2017 alone this trade took around 100,000 tonnes of fish, costing Ghana millions of dollars in revenue and threatening food security and coastal livelihoods. According to a recent assessment by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the sardinella fishery shared between Ghana, Cote dIvoire, Togo and Benin is near total collapse.

In the new study, EJF examined 18 blocks of Saiko fish landed at Elmina: sardinella were present in two-thirds of the blocks and 99% of them were juveniles below minimum legal landing size. The NGO also examined the by-catch landed by trawlers and found a very similar picture: 99% of the sardinella were below legal size.

Trawling with illegal nets, with a mesh size smaller than the legal minimum, is a major problem in Ghana. EJF has testimony from crew and fisheries observers working on industrial vessels stating that such nets are routinely used.

A fisheries observer, who preferred not to be named, told EJF: We have the approved net to be 60 mm in measurement. But some of them dont use those nets  they use mesh which is less than the 60 mmIf they use those nets, the fingerlings [juvenile fish] will not be able to go out. So, by the end of the day, they will bring [catch] everything.

A crew member said: The nets that we trawl with are the bigger size mesh nets but the captain wants to catch plenty fish so he puts small mesh size nets into it.

An urgent crackdown on saiko is needed, says EJF. Although saiko transhipments, under-size mesh nets, and landing juveniles are all illegal practices, as clearly laid out in Ghanaian law, they are often allowed to continue unchecked. When sanctions are given out, they are inconsistent and weak. For instance, the statutory minimum fine for use of illegal nets and landing juveniles under Ghanas 2014 Fisheries Amendment Act is US$1 million, yet there are numerous cases of vessels refusing to pay or paying lower sums and then being re-licensed to continue fishing.

This year the government committed to banning all domestic and international vessels found to be engaging in saiko from operating in Ghanaian waters. It must keep this vital pledge, says EJF, as well as immediately investigating all suspected cases of saiko fishing and prosecuting cases transparently through the court process.

Thorough inspections of the landings of industrial trawlers are needed to ensure they are only targeting species of the type and size dictated by their licence, and that the landed fish are above the minimum legal size.

Executive Director of EJF Steve Trent says: In a time when the world is facing coronavirus, stable livelihoods and food security are even more crucial than before. Ghanas fisheries are in crisis, with the country now forced to import half its fish, and canoe fisherfolk coming home from sea empty-handed. The state is losing millions of dollars every year in revenue. The government has the ability to stop this illegal and highly damaging activity now, and it must act to do so without delay.

Read the report

Key facts

 Of the saiko blocks that contained sardinella, the fish made up between 0.3% and 44.6% by weight of individual blocks.

 According to Ghanas fisheries laws, saiko is punishable by a fine of between US$100,000 and US$2 million, with the minimum fine increasing to US$1 million where catches involve juvenile fish or the use of prohibited fishing gears. To serve as a deterrent for potential offenders, it is imperative that at least the minimum fine set out in the law be imposed.

 The trawlers are owned almost exclusively by Chinese operators, who use Ghanaian front companies to bypass laws forbidding any foreign ownership or control of industrial trawl vessels flying Ghanas flag. EJF has revealed that over 90% of industrial trawlers licensed in Ghana are linked to Chinese ownership.

 New vessels have continued to arrive from China, despite a February 2012 moratorium on new industrial trawlers entering Ghanaian waters to address severe depletion of fish stocks. Of the 68 industrial trawl vessels licensed to fish in Ghana from March-June 2018, at least half were built in 2013 or later, after the moratorium on new or replacement vessels came into effect.

 Over 2 million people in Ghana rely on the countrys coastal fisheries for their food and income.

 Saiko catches in 2017 were worth US$ 40.6 - 50.7 million when sold at sea, and US$ 52.7 - 81.1 million when sold at the landing site.

 In 2017 industrial trawlers caught almost the same amount of fish as the entire artisanal sector, when illegal and unreported catches are taken into account. That is 76 trawlers catching approximately the same amount of fish as over 11,000 canoes or 100,000 fishers.

 While canoe fishing offers direct employment for around 60 fishers for every 100 tonnes of fish, saiko means only 1.5 jobs per 100 tonnes  40 times fewer.

 Read a summary of the legal opinion on the practice of saiko under Ghanaian law.

Additional quotes

Fisheries observer, industrial trawler:

Sometimes I tell them [the captain] due to the net they are catching small small fish which is not goodso they have to change the net. But they wont mind me, they will do what they want to do.

Fisheries observer, industrial trawler:

Some they add another mesh to their normal [net] or they change the gears. Some would be 60 [mm] others would be 45 [mm] - it will be joined.

For more information, visit www.ejfoundation.org

The Environmental Justice Foundation is an international non-governmental organisation working to protect the environment and defend human rights. EJF is a charity registered in England and Wales (1088128). www.ejfoundation.org
BlackRock and Microsoft Corp. have formed a strategic partnership to host BlackRocks Aladdin infrastructure on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.



The partnership brings enhanced capabilities to BlackRock and its Aladdin clients, which include many of the worlds most sophisticated institutional investors and wealth managers.



By adopting Microsoft Azure, BlackRock will both accelerate innovation on Aladdin through greater computing scale and unlock new capabilities to enhance the client experience. BlackRock will also leverage Microsoft Azures network of global data centers and capabilities to meet the localized needs of Aladdin clients, all while maintaining Aladdins highest standards for resiliency and security.



As both a user and a provider of Aladdin, this decision reflects BlackRocks ongoing commitment to continuous innovation and scalable operating solutions, said Rob Goldstein, chief operating officer of BlackRock. Aladdin infrastructure deployed on Microsoft Azures cloud platform will provide BlackRock with enhanced capabilities to deliver the best outcomes for our Aladdin clients.



By bringing Aladdin to the cloud, Microsoft will support BlackRock in further enhancing its client experience while also enabling continuous innovation in the financial services industry, said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsofts Worldwide Commercial Business. Together, we will empower an ecosystem of financial services customers running their most critical workloads in the cloud.



As the financial services industry looks to navigate ever-changing markets, institutions need integrated and scalable platforms to adapt to the growing complexity of managing data, risk management and advanced analytics to deliver innovative solutions to clients. To help support this trend, over time, the Microsoft Azure platform will enable BlackRock to accelerate innovation and collaboration between Aladdin and providers across the financial services ecosystem.



BlackRock and Microsoft will also work together on initiatives that leverage technology to improve and expand sustainability data and analytics. The lack of standardized, high-quality data remains a significant hurdle in understanding the impact of sustainability-related risk on investment portfolios and company performance. Big data, machine learning and AI can all play a critical role in improving access to and the impact and quality of sustainability data.



The two firms will invite collaboration  whether from academics, startups, non-profits or others  on sustainability-related data, analytics and technology. As a first step, the firms will collaborate on challenge grants for organizations that use data and technology to understand and drive sustainability.



The firms will also provide technical expertise, leveraging Microsofts scale in computing, big data and AI, and BlackRocks leading investment and portfolio management solutions to support a better understanding of corporate sustainability behaviour.  TradeArabia News Service
Kara Herd, a graduate student at Georgia State University in Atlanta, helps script the campus chatbot Pounce, the voice of the furry blue panther mascot. Speaking recently from the sofa of her apartment, Ms. Herd was testing how Pounce answered those expressing trouble logging into iCollege, the campus online learning platform.

It was sending everyone to tech support, said Ms. Herd. Before this pandemic, that was an appropriate answer because you could always go to class. Now you have to tweak the knowledge, so students also contact their professor, she said.

Like many crafting chatbot responses, Ms. Herd uses an upbeat tone. She channels the way I would talk to my friends. I would use some emojis, I would put in exclamations. (While very partial to the hand emoji, she said, it doesnt work with Covid-19.)

There is a line scriptwriters walk, said Katie Carroll, who manages the chatbot Cowboy Joe, the Shetland pony mascot at the University of Wyoming. Well joke around with students but avoid slang. There is friendliness, but still that level of professionalism.

Ms. Carroll said the school did not hide that Cowboy Joe was an A.I.-fueled robo-pony that loved questions. Nor did it keep students from expressing thanks, you made me feel super welcomed, or affection, even I love you.

To campus leaders across the country who struggle to reach a generation that shuns official websites and mass emails, chatbots cut through the clutter, as one put it, because they feel more personal. For 99 percent of queries, the bot responds in 6 to 10 seconds. (If it lacks an answer, it offers to check with a human and get back to you.)

That means they can hold conversations, said Timothy Renick, senior vice president for student success and professor of religious studies at Georgia State. That was key to helping Mr. Renick solve a problem: In 2015, he noticed more than 300 students who committed to the university did not show up in the fall, a phenomenon known as summer melt. Many were low-income first-generation students who, he found, did not attend any college; they ended up nowhere.
At least seven planes with PCR test systems, rapid tests, protective suits and ventilators, masks and respirators are expected to arrive in Ukraine from China and South Korea this week.

At least seven planes from China and South Korea are expected to arrive this week. They will deliver to Ukraine PCR test systems and rapid tests, protective suits and ventilators, masks and respirators, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in the address to Ukrainians, the press service of the Head of State informs.

He noted that the goal of the authorities was to deliver 50 million masks to Ukraine in the near future.

At the same time, we maximize domestic production. This week we will start manufacturing our own PCR test systems. And Ukraine already produces 900,000 masks every day, the President said.

The quarantine in educational establishments and a number of other measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus was imposed in Ukraine on March 12. Subsequently, the quarantine was extended until April 24.

Since April 6, restrictive measures have been strengthened in Ukraine: one cannot stay in public places without personal protective equipment, including a respirator or face mask, including homemade ones.

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Caverton Helicopters has asked the federal government to prevail on the Rivers state government to release two of its pilots detained ...





Caverton Helicopters has asked the federal government to prevail on the Rivers state government to release two of its pilots detained over alleged illegal flight operations.





According to a statement by the aircraft, two of its pilots were arrested and charged to court on Tuesday on the orders of Nyesom Wike, the governor.





It explained that while the federal government banned flight operations, the aircraft was given permission to continue operations for the oil and gas sector.





It added that despite the approval it got from ministry of aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), its pilots, who tendered relevant documents, were charged to a magistrates court and remanded in custody till May 19.

A copy of the approval granted the aircraft by the NCAA allowed the company to provide support services to the oil and gas sector for an initial period of three months effective April 1.





At the start of the COVID -19 lockdown, we received a letter from our client stating that they have been given approval/ exemption to fly and continue operations. We (Caverton along with three other companies) also received approval from the Minister of Aviation to fly only essential services, mainly in the Oil and Gas industry, the company said in a statement.





When Wike visited Caverton Helicopters office earlier in the day





Lastly, we got another approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly for this same oil and gas sector. We have been flying along these guidelines for the past seven days.





Today, we were informed that the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike was coming to address the operators in Port Harcourt and our people waited. But on arriving, the governor directed two of our pilots to be taken to CID where they were told to write statements.





Despite all pleas by our lawyers who showed all the relevant documents, they were taken to the magistrates court and charged. At the court, our lawyers also presented all the documentations approving us to fly by the federal government but the case was closed and the pilots have been remanded in Port Harcourt prison till the 19th May.





We appeal to the federal government to urge the Rivers State government to release our pilots who violated no law and are being unduly punished for reasons we still do not understand.





In the charge sheet, the pilots identified as Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari, pilot and co-pilot respectively, and some others now at large, were accused of conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by flying and discharging passengers from the Twin-Otter Caverton Helicopters at the Air Force Base.
NASA and the European Space Agency plan to haul pristine Mars samples to Earth in the near future, perhaps in the 2030s .

Receiving pieces of the Red Planet in this way is deemed to pose a low risk to ecological and public safety  but that risk is not zero.

The Mars samples, which will be collected and cached by NASA's Perseverance rover, could end up being biological "hot property." And the material might spark heated debate and public anxiety about creepy-crawlies from Mars chomping away at Earth's biosphere.

Related: The search for life on Mars (a photo timeline)

Hauling back the goods from the Red Planet resonates in some ways as a replay of Michael Crichton's 1969 novel "The Andromeda Strain," which dramatized the idea of alien organisms infecting Earth.

In the book, which was made into a film in 1971, alien germs are brought to Earth by a "Project Scoop" satellite. An elite team of secretive first responders, clad in protective hazmat suits, studies and battles the bug within a hush-hush, high-tech underground facility named Wildfire.

Will this scenario forever remain science fiction, or could it actually happen in real life? And does the ongoing coronavirus pandemic hold any clues about how to handle samples brought to Earth from Mars, a place that could potentially host extraterrestrial microbes?

Stringent containment

Michael Crichton's 1969 novel "The Andromeda Strain" was turned into a popular movie that captured dealing with a deadly extraterrestrial organism brought back to Earth. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

The public certainly should pay more attention to plans for Mars Sample Return, said Cassie Conley, a former NASA Planetary Protection Officer.

"Since the beginning of space exploration, planetary protection has mandated that samples from Mars should be considered 'Restricted Earth Return,' Conley told Space.com. "This requires the most stringent containment to protect both the samples and the Earth."

However, in 2019, NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board recommended lowering the planetary protection category for much of Mars' surface to Category II, which would eliminate any requirement for oversight or containment of samples returned from parts of Mars, Conley said.

"We really don't understand Earth biology very well and certainly don't know that much about Mars ," Conley said. "So, it's premature to conclude there are no Martian biohazards."

Conley said that "the current pandemic demonstrates, tragically well, how overconfidence and short-term perspectives can cause catastrophic harm to people all over the Earth."

Related: The boldest Mars missions in history

In the movie "The Andromeda Strain," a satellite transports an alien germ to Earth. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Molecular locks and keys

"It seems to me that public interest in Mars Sample Return safety issues would likely be sharpened by experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic," said J. Andy Spry, a senior scientist at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California and a NASA planetary protection consultant.

This would hopefully occur "in the same way that the SARS epidemic sharpened the responses of many Asian countries to the COVID-19 hazard," Spry said. "That is, by allowing decision-makers to develop appropriate and timely responses to a microbial pathogen threat."

That said, Spry added, such pathogens usually develop by coexisting with life on Earth, with highly specialized outbreak adaptations as part of an ongoing host-pathogen interaction.

"We can think of pathogenicity as molecular locks and keys which are virtually impossible to develop without repeated contact," Spry said. "Thus, it is extremely unlikely for a biological entity evolving and adapting in an extraterrestrial environment to be able to take advantage of lifeforms on Earth."

Rocketing back specimens from Mars to our planet is now being detailed, including development of a biosafety level retrieval facility to intensively study Red Planet samples. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Containment facility

While major spacefaring nations share a common perspective on containment of Martian material returned to Earth by a spacecraft, Spry also underscored the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) policy language that "no uncontained hardware that contacted Mars, directly or indirectly, shall be returned to Earth." However, implementation details  including those for a containment facility  have yet to be fully worked out, he said.

"This is only because the details of the current Mars sample return mission architecture are still being studied and refined by NASA and the European Space Agency right now," Spry told Space.com. "In the latest scheduling, we are still some 15 years from samples actually being returned to the Earth-moon system, which is still timely in terms of getting containment facility work done."

First things first

Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch at Washington State University has been a longtime advocate for having an on-the-spot life-detection mission on Mars first, before attempting sample return.

"We do have the technology to do so. That way we would also have a better idea what we might bring back," he told Space.com. ( Perseverance , which will launch this summer, will hunt for signs of Mars life on the Red Planet's surface. But the rover will look for evidence of ancient, not extant, organisms.)

Schulze-Makuch said that a retrieval facility would have to have a high biosafety level, just in case. The chance that any life from Mars would be in any way harmful to us or Earth's biosphere at large is extremely low, he said. He thinks that chance is lower than 1%, but it cannot be totally excluded.

"So, I think the public and planetary protection guidelines would warrant a high biosafety level retrieval facility (3 or, better, 4), which, of course, has a very high price tag as well," Schulze-Makuch said. "And since samples can only be brought back once such a facility is in operation, it will also delay the schedule until we can bring samples back. And if so, we should bring rather 'fresh' samples back, not samples that have been in a box on Mars for years  as is the plan right now."

Heated discussion

One thing to keep in mind, Schulze-Makuch said, is that Earth has already gotten Mars samples  lots of them, in fact, over the eons. Many Mars meteorites have landed on Earth, after all, potentially bringing Martian microbes  if they exist  to our planet.

"Studies have shown that the interior, for example, of Mars rock ALH84001 was never heated above 40 degrees Celsius [104 degrees Fahrenheit], and if there would have been (dormant) microbes in it, they would likely have survived the journey from Mars to Earth," Schulze-Makuch said.

And, of course, there is a heated discussion about whether some Martian meteorites  most notably, ALH84001  contain evidence of Martian microbial life.

"Either way, the point is that there is also a natural 'mechanism' to bring potentially Martian life to Earth  and if that didn't have detrimental consequences for life in the past, it is unlikely that it will have those in the future," Schulze-Makuch said. "But again, we have to admit that the risk is not zero."

Leonard David is the author of the book " Moon Rush: The New Space Race ," published by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday broke down a trusted technical analyst's findings in the chart action of the S&P 500 and volatility indexes to gauge the market's next movements.

The "Mad Money" host took a pointer from volatility expert Mark Sebastian, founder of OptionPit.com, who cautions that the recent upside in the market is likely ephemeral.

"The charts, as suggested by Mark Sebastian, the big fear  a total collapse of the economy and the stock market  I think has been taken off the table," Cramer said, "but that doesn't mean we're ready to roar. Instead, he's expecting a choppy market that may give you another leg down as the ugly economic data keeps rolling in."

The CBOE volatility index, known as the VIX, has been trending downward since mid-March, coming from its peak above 82 to under 46 at Tuesday's close. In that same time period, the S&P 500 has risen nearly 12%.

The VIX, which typically runs inverse to the S&P 500, is dubbed the fear gauge and is used to forecast market volatility, measuring risk against investor sentiment. Looking at action in both indexes last week, the S&P dropped 5% and the VIX declined more than 10 points for an 18% decrease.

Cramer said that is a telltale sign for Sebastian that peak volatility has been reached and fear is easing.

"Most of the time, when the VIX moves in a tandem with the S&P, it's a sign that the trend could be about to reverse itself," the host said. "So when they're both going down at the same time, Sebastian thinks that's usually a great buy signal."

Yet, the S&P 500 surged 7% in Monday's session, followed by a mild dip to 2,658.85 on Tuesday. Despite that big rally, the fear gauge fell just roughly 1 point on Monday and ticked up again Tuesday, a sign that the rally is fleeting, Cramer said.

He pointed out that the VIX never fell below 43 during the session, even as the S&P 500 was up more than 3% at one point.

"Here's the problem for Sebastian: It was a good sign when the VIX nosedived along with the S&P 500 last week. It meant the decline in stocks might be temporary, but by the same token, it's worrisome when the market explodes higher and the VIX does next to nothing."

The action reminds Sebastian, who is a risk management expert, of the volatile environment of 2008 when the VIX climbed above 80 months before the market bottomed during the financial crisis.

The same, Sebastian suggests, could apply this time around, Cramer said. The fear gauge peaked near 83 in March of this year. The fear has been taken out of Wall Street, but stocks are not ready to put in a "sustained rally," the host said.

If 2008 is any indication, the market could go through more turbulence until summer, in part because of more negative economic information, Cramer said.

"But, and this is a big but, if VIX doesn't spike the next time the market rolls over, Sebastian recommends doing some buying into weakness," Cramer said. "In other words, there's no need to chase stocks after this week's rally. You can afford to be patient and buy the dips."

"No need to feel any FOMO here," he said.
The city of Mumbai, Indias commercial capital, Uttar Pradesh state and the newly created Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Wednesday made it compulsory for people to wear face masks in public places, warning that action shall be taken against those who dont follow the rule imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued the order on a day that Mumbai reported 72 more coronavirus deaths and six fatalities. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked citizens to wear face masks when they are outside even if they are simple home-made ones.

Any person who doesnt wear a mask when outdoors will be punished with a fine or even arrested failing to wear mask can now be levied a fine or even face arrest under section 188 Indian Penal Code (disobeying a regulation made under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

The circular issued by civic chief Praveen Pardeshi says, Any person moving around in his personal or official vehicle must be wearing masks. No person/ officer will attend any meeting/ gathering, work place without wearing these masks.

In Uttar Pradesh, additional chief secretary Awanish Awasthi told a press conference: Wearing of masks has been made compulsory in the state. There can be legal action also for not wearing masks.

In Jammu and Kashmir, an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) said face masks had been made mandatory for all officers, staff and visitors in the civil secretariat as a preventive measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The Civil Secretariat is presently functional in Jammu as part of the bi-annual darbar move, under which the government functions six months each in Jammu and Srinagar during winter and summer months.

Accordingly, all the administrative secretaries are authorised to effect the purchase of masks, so as to provide three (3) reusable masks for each employee of his/her department in the civil secretariat. The expenditure on this account shall be defrayed from the office expenses (OE) head, additional secretary, GAD, Rohit Sharma said.

In Ladakh, Lehs district magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya ordered the general public as well as government officials (both civilian and armed forces) to mandatorily wear the face masks at public places without any exception.

In case of any violation, penal action under rules shall be taken against the violators. This shall come into force with effect from April 9, he said in his order.

(With inputs from agencies)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 00:55:47|Editor: huaxia

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by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Even as the 21-day lockdown (March 25-April 14) in India has thrown up some big economic challenges like unemployment and overall economic downturn, a new problem of lack of farm labourers for harvesting the wheat crops is staring into the eyes of farmers as the country is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are all the possibilities of extension of the lockdown by at least a month as some of the states have already suggested to continue with the lockdown. The country is slowly moving towards the COVID-19 peak as the number of tests is increased, which in turn throws out more positive cases.

As per the latest figures put out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 773 positive cases were detected in India in the past 24 hours as the number of deaths rose to nearly 150.

In terms of availability of farm labourers, the worst-affected seems to be the northern state of Punjab, otherwise called "Wheat Bowl" of India. Beginning April, the farm labourers used to start reaching the state from eastern state of Bihar and northern state of Uttar Pradesh but are missing this year due to travel restrictions amid the lockdown.

Punjab alone contributes to nearly one-third of the total wheat production in the country every year. According to the latest estimates for the current season, the total production of wheat in the country is estimated at record 106.21 million tonnes in 2019-20, which is higher by 2.61 million tonnes as compared to the wheat production in 2018-19.

According to media reports, the Punjab government on Wednesday extended its curfew (lockdown) till April 30.

It's barely a couple of days for the harvesting season to begin in north India, but farmers in Punjab are totally clueless about how to harvest the wheat crops for want of farm labourers.

Speaking to Xinhua from Ludhiana in Punjab, Harinderpal Singh Gill said that the crops are almost ready for harvest.

"I can see that in another three to four days the crops in my fields should be cut, else it will dry to the extent that it will fall to the ground and wasted beyond recovery," said Gill who owns nearly 40 acres of agriculture fields.

He further said that if present circumstances continued for the next one week to 10 days and the farm labourers are not able to travel and reach their lands, it might lead to a grave problem of hunger in many parts of the country later this year.

"Punjab is called the Wheat Bowl of India and caters to a large portion of wheat requirements in the country. If the crops are not harvested on time, there will surely be a grave shortage in the coming year. For want of farm labourers who used to migrate to this part of India from April - June is missing this year due to the ongoing lockdown to check the COVID-19 spread," he added.

Another farmer, Sachdev Singh Gill, from village "Gill" in Ludhiana told Xinhua that every year farm labourers from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh used to migrate to Punjab from April till June.

"In April these farm labourers used to harvest wheat crops, help in transporting them in the government's open markets called 'Mandis', and then till our lands for sowing rice crops. They used to leave here in later part of June after sowing rice crops," he said. "But this year it seems that the whole cycle of harvesting the wheat crops and sowing the rice crops will be broken."

He further said that there is also a shortage of big agricultural machines like "Harvester" or "Combined Harvester" which had gone to nearby states which sow advance wheat crops, and got stuck there in the lockdown.

The government's open markets, Mandis, are also shut and there is a sense of total uncertainty prevailing in this part of India, as "we are clueless how to harvest the grain crops and then where to store or sell them," added Sachdev Singh Gill.

The problem is a bit different in the adjoining state of Haryana. While in some parts the migrant farm labourers are still available, in other parts labourers from other states substituted for the labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Rajaram Yadav, a farmer in the Rewari district of Haryana, said that this year fortunately labourers from Rajasthan came to their rescue. "Every year farm labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh used to migrate to our lands in April for the harvesting season. But this year they couldn't come due to lockdown. Fortunately, farm labourers from nearby Rajasthan state reached us on time," he added.

Admitting shortage of farm labourers this year, Sandeep Dahiya, a farmer in Sonepat district of Haryana, told Xinhua that the other supplementary problem is that of closure of "Mandis" and no certainty of procurement of foodgrains by the government. "The government-run Mandis are shut and there is no clarification about when they would be reopened. In such a situation we have no option but to store our foodgrains inside our homes," he added.

According to him, very few farm labourers were available in his area and the local farmers in his vicinity were making every possible effort to make them feel comfortable so that they work on their farmlands during the current harvest season.

"We have provided them wheat flour and potatoes, and also given them some cash so that they fulfill all their needs and not think of running away in these difficult circumstances when farmers in general are facing the problem of farm labourers," added Dahiya.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal central agency of the government of India, along with other state agencies, that undertakes procurement of wheat crops (and others) under price support scheme.

Coarse grains are procured by the state government agencies for central pool as per the direction issued by the government of India. The procurement under Price Support is taken up mainly to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce which works as an incentive for achieving better production.

India has two crops seasons. "Rabi" crops are sown at the end of monsoons or beginning of winter season and harvested in April, while "Kharif" crops are sown in June and harvested in October.
DETROIT, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new market research report on Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market by System Type (Active Control System [Hardware {Sensors, Actuators, Controllers, and Communication System} and Software] and Passive Control System [Isolators, Dampers, and Bearings & Others]), by Platform Type (Fixed-Wing Aircraft [Commercial Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, General Aviation, and Military Aircraft], Rotary-Wing Aircraft, and Spacecraft), by Application Type (Cabin, Engine, Airframe, Landing Gear, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of The World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2020-2025.

This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's aerospace vibration and noise control system market realities and future possibilities for the forecast period of 2020 to 2025. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most comprehensive manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available as well as formulate growth strategies.

Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market: Highlights

The aerospace industry is one of the most critical end-user markets for the vibration and noise control systems. The general trend in the industry is to develop more technologically capable, fuel-efficient aircraft, and advanced military systems. Vibration and noise control system is used for noise cancellation and vibration damping, generated from different parts of an aircraft, especially from engines. Vibration generated by engines reaches to cabin or interior, which causes fatigue to passengers and crew members. All the major vibration and noise control system providers have been investing heavily in R&D in order to develop products better addressing the existing as well as teething market challenges. Introduction of stringent regulations regarding passenger safety and comfort further propels innovations in the market.

In 2019, the commercial aerospace industry faced several challenges which led to significant disruption in the entire ecosystem of the aerospace industry. Grounding of B737 Max, US-China trade war, P&W 1100G engine series failure (A320neo), delayed deliveries of upcoming aircraft program (B777X), revised production rates of key aircraft programs (A350XWB and B787) due to cancellation of orders from China and other parts of the world, increase in tariffs on Airbus aircraft in the USA, and potential restrictions on engine (GE Aviation) sales from the USA to China for C919 aircraft programs are the major challenges, negatively impacting the entire supply chain including the demand for vibration and noise control systems.

The industry was expected to rebound from these factors by the first half of the 2020 but fell in the grip of the COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 has been maximum in the aviation industry. All major economies are halting the production of their assembly plants as well as airlines are delaying new aircraft deliveries. The impact of COVID-19 is anticipated to be graver than the SARS which outbroke in 2003. In March 2020, IATA (International Air Transport Association), a trade group, projected a possible hit of US$ 113 billion to the worldwide revenue for the airline industry in the 'Extensive Spread' scenario.

Click Here and Run Through the Detailed TOC of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/824/aerospace-vibration-and-noise-control-system-market.html

Despite the uncertain market environment, the overall five-year growth (CAGR) of the aerospace vibration and noise control system market seems favorable, reaching the market value of US$ 1.4 billion in 2025, imprinting consequential growth opportunities for the market participants as well as investors in years to come. The industry is optimistic 2021 onwards.

Based on the platform type, fixed-wing aircraft is expected to remain the largest segment of the market during the forecast period. The year 2020 seems to be tough, owing to a host of factors such as the grounding of the B737max, the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak leading to the grounding of flights and halt of production in China, France, and Italy, increase in tariffs on Airbus aircraft by the USA, and the US-China trade war. However, the long-term outlook still seems positive with ample opportunities for the market participants.

Based on the system type, the market is segmented into active control system and passive control system. Active control system is further bifurcated into hardware and software in which hardware is again into sensors, actuators, controllers, and communication system. Similarly, passive control system is broken down into isolators, dampers, and bearings & others. During the forecast period, passive control system is expected to remain the larger segment, whereas active control system is expected to remain the faster-growing system type. Passive control systems are used to reduce vibration and noise in the mid- and high-frequency range by making the structure stiffer or via addition of dampers in proper locations. They are used in a wide array of applications including avionics, aeroengine and its accessories such as fuel controls, pressure sensors, and oil coolers.

Register Here and Ask for a Free Sample on the Exclusive Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/824/aerospace-vibration-and-noise-control-system-market.html

In terms of region, North America is projected to remain the largest market during the forecast period, whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the fastest-growing market during the same period. The USA is to maintain its unassailable lead in the market in years to come. Boeing, the leading commercial aerospace manufacturing company, was already in tremendous pain due to grounding of B737Max. The strain of Boeing took to the unmanageable level with the recent outbreak of COVID-19 with many airlines avoiding to receive aircraft from airframers. On 17th March 2020, Boeing called for a US$ 60 billion lifeline from the US government in order to survive in this breath-taking environment.

China is the largest and one of the fastest-growing aerospace markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The short-term market outlook in the Asia-Pacific severely impacted owing to the temporary closure of A320 and A330 assembly plant in Tianjin, China and plummeted air traffic in the region (more than half) due to Covid-19 outbreak. The future of Asia-Pacific's aerospace industry still seems vigorous, as Boeing forecasted an expected delivery of 17,390 commercial and regional aircraft during 2019-2038.

Key players in the aerospace vibration and noise control system market are Lord Corporation (Parker-Hannifin Corporation), Hutchinson SA, Moog Inc., ITT Inc. (ITT Enidine, Inc.), Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc, Ro-Ra Aviation System GmbH, Arkwin Industries Inc., Shock Tech., Inc., Terma A/S, and AB SKF. Formation of long-term contracts, new product developments, and strategic alliances are the key strategies adopted by major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors

This report studies the aerospace vibration and noise control system market and has segmented the market in four ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the four ways in which the market is segmented:

Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market, By System Type:

Active Control System

Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW



Component Type Analysis: Hardware and Software

Hardware Type Analysis: Sensors, Actuators, Controllers, and Communication System

Passive Control System

Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW



Product Type Analysis: Isolators, Dampers, and Bearings & Others

Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market, By Platform Type:

Fixed-Wing Aircraft

Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW



Aircraft Type Analysis: Commercial Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, General Aviation, and Military Aircraft

Rotary-Wing Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Spacecraft (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market, By Application Type:

Cabin (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Engine (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Airframe (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Landing Gear (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW)

Aerospace Vibration and Noise Control System Market, By Region:

North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , The UK, and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , India , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Rest of the World (Sub-Region Analysis: Latin America , The Middle East , and Others)

Stratview Research has number of high value market reports in the global aerospace & defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Aerospace-Defense.html

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New research has uncovered the risk factors for Fijians carrying a pneumonia-causing bacteria.

The collaborative study, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, will help determine further public health interventions to prevent people carrying and transmitting the bacteria.

MCRI's Eleanor Neal said Streptococcus pneumoniae was a leading cause of childhood illness and death around the world.

An estimated 9.18 million cases of illness and 318,000 deaths in children under five years in 2016 were caused by pneumococcal disease, an infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Ms Neal said because carrying pneumococci could progress to a serious infection, reducing community transmission was crucial.

"Mostly, people carry the bacteria around harmlessly at the back of the nose without any symptoms. But it has the real potential to cause disease by invading the bloodstream, resulting in severe infections such as meningitis and bloodstream infection (sepsis), and can cause pneumonia," Ms Neal said.

"Control of pneumococcal carriage is considered a key aspect of controlling disease, as it is the means of transmission and a prerequisite of disease."

The study of 8,109 participants analysed data from four annual (2012-2015) Fijian cross-sectional surveys, before and after the introduction of the ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) in October 2012.

Ms Neal said before this study it was largely unknown what the impact of PCV10 was on the risk factors for pneumococcal carriage in low and middle income countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Senior researcher on the study, MCRI's Professor Fiona Russell, said the study found PCV10 helped to reduce overall and PCV10 pneumococcal carriage in Fiji.

But she said iTaukei ethnicity, which made up 56.8 per cent of the Fijian population, young age, urban residence, living with two or more children under five years, low family income, and upper respiratory tract infection symptoms were still associated with pneumococcal carriage.

The study found toddlers and children aged 2-6 years, and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections were also positively linked to a higher burden of pneumococcal bacteria.

###

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, the Fijian Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Telethon Kids Institute, Fiji National University, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also contributed to the findings, which were published in PLOS ONE.

Publication: Eleanor F.G. Neal, Cattram D. Nguyen, Felista T. Ratu, Eileen M. Dunne, Mike Kama, Belinda D. Ortika, Laura K. Boelsen, Joseph Kado, Lisi Tikoduadua, Rachel Devi, Evelyn Tuivaga, Rita C. Reyburn, Catherine Satzke, Eric Rafai, Kim Mulholland, Fiona M. Russell. 'Factors associated with pneumococcal carriage and density in children and adults in Fiji, using four cross-sectional surveys', PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231041

Available for interview:

Eleanor Neal

Professor Fiona Russell
Catwoman reunites with an old flame (and meets a new mystery man) as Tini Howard takes over DC ongoing comic

Catwoman returns to Gotham City, with a nod to Les Miserables
" " Dr. Ann Schneider holds up the half-pint of blood that black Lab Jackson just donated at the Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank in Severna Park, Maryland. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

A few years ago, Bethany Schultz's dog, Chopper, was diagnosed with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, a condition where the dog's immune system destroys its own red blood cells. Although Chopper's bone marrow was producing an adequate number of red cells, once they were released into the blood stream, the dog's immune system attacked and killed them as if they were an infection or virus.

Not sure what to do, Schultz walked into IndyVet in Indianapolis, where doctors there gave Chopper four blood transfusions. The transfusions helped. Schultz was so happy that she decided that her other dog, Zaha, should become a blood donor. Schultz told her story to the local Indianapolis ABC affiliate, boasting that Zaha was her superhero. The dog, it turns out, is a universal donor and now gives blood monthly.

Advertisement

Zaha is indeed a superhero because right now the nation is in the middle of a canine blood shortage. The situation is so bleak that veterinarians are putting out the call that more dog blood is needed. The shortage has even reached into Canada. "Our donor pool depleted quite dramatically," Beth Knight, laboratory director at the Canadian Animal Blood Bank in Winnipeg told a Canadian TV station. "It's one of those challenges."

Yes, just like humans, dogs  as well as cats  can donate blood. Although there is no centralized blood bank for either species, there are many animal blood banks around North America. In fact, dogs routinely go to the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center near Buffalo, New York to donate. The animals have to be between 1 and 6 years old and weigh 50 pounds (22 kilograms) or more. They must also be current on their vaccinations and free of any long-term medical conditions. The process generally takes about 45 minutes, and there are rarely any side effects.

In return, the dogs get free annual medical checkups, complete with bloodwork and screening for various infectious diseases. If the donor dogs later need blood themselves, they get one free unit for each time they have donated.

In many respects, a canine blood bank works the same as a blood bank for humans. Donor dogs have to be screened for blood-borne diseases. Their blood also has to be typed; dogs have more than eight different antigens compared to human's three, A, B and O. And like human blood, there always seems to be a shortage of supply for our furry friends. Part of the reason is because canine blood has a short shelf-life  just about 30 days  so the stock has to constantly be replenished.

But this current dearth has also been fueled by the warm weather, which increases the risk for infectious diseases and traumas, such as being hit by a car. Plus, according to Dr. Kelly Robertson, directory of Emergency Services & Blood Donation Center at IndyVet, a number of regular donor dogs are "retiring."

It doesn't matter what breed your dog is, every make and model can donate. The blood of a Great Dane, for example, can be transfused into a chihuahua and vice versa. Of course, being a good natured donor dog helps, too.

Now That's Smart If you want your dog, or cat for that matter, to be a blood donor, check out this list compiled by petplace.com to find an animal blood bank near you.
A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Rental car companies are being forced to find new homes for their vehicles as travel demand dries up from the spread of COVID-19.

On Maui, Hawaii former sugar cane fields had been converted to parking lots to house over 18,000 cars.

Car rental agencies across the country have been forced to send vehicles to temporary homes due to a lack of renters.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With travel at a near-standstill as the US prepares for a surge in COVID-19 cases, companies will large fleets of now-unused vehicles are finding locations to store them until travelers feel safe enough to explore the world once again.

The past few weeks have seen unforeseen measures including airlines taking over airports for use as storage facilities for thousands of aircraft.

The rental car industry has also taken a hit as a lack of flyers means fewer renters whether it be tourists, business travelers, or even flight crews. At some rental facilities, including on the island of Maui in Hawaii, thousands of cars are sitting idle in desolate fields awaiting when travel returns to normal.

A reporter with the local newspaper Maui News Matthew Thayer, a photojournalist and author, witnessed thousands of stored cars lined up like dominoes with their bumpers mere inches apart during a helicopter flight over the island. Most of them belong to the rental car agencies that utilize Kahului Airport, one of Hawaii's busiest airports with nonstop flights to US mainland destinations as far as Chicago and Dallas.

Take a closer look at just how devastating COVID-19 has been to the rental car industry in the US.

This is the scene in Maui where rental car companies have been forced to store cars in grass fields due to a stark reduction in demand.

Maui Rental Car Idle

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

What used to be fields for growing sugar cane, a formerly valuable Hawaiian export, is now a temporary resting home for around 18,000 inactive automobiles.

Story continues

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

Vehicles once used by tourists to explore the tropical island are left without a purpose, especially with links to the mainland slowly disappearing and visitor numbers drying up.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

"There's no certainty when we move on from this," Kahului Airport district manager Marvin Moniz said in an interview with Maui News. "We're kind of winding down now. By April 10, there may only be one or two mainland flights, maybe none."

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

According to Moniz, who manages the rental car facilities at the airport, there are only around 2,500 cars were being rented out of an inventory of over 20,000.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

Cars parked in the since-abandoned sugar cane field are parked with the same elegance of a valet lot at a crowded party, bumper to bumper and row after row.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

Thayer estimates that if formed in a single line, the idled cars sitting in the field could span around 60 miles, almost enough to get from one end of Maui to the other with no gaps.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

It's not just in Hawaii that the rental car business is hurting. The American Car Rental Association stated in a letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the pandemic is "wreaking havoc on the American car rental industry," when requesting inclusion in the stimulus package.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

Fields like this are now a common sight across the country with rental agencies hunkering down and preparing for what can be a long summer with few tourists if the US doesn't flatten the curve.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Source: Maui News

Even in major cities, rental car companies are scooping up all available space including the parking lot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers Stadium parking lot in LA filled with unused rental cars.

Source: The Eastsider

While the parking lot in the shadow of Downtown Los Angeles is used to being full, the vehicles' owners are typically excited Dodgers fans and not rental car companies.

The Dodgers Stadium parking lot in LA filled with unused rental cars.

With the MLB season on hold, for now, the Dodgers won't be needing the space any time soon.

The Dodgers Stadium parking lot in LA filled with unused rental cars.

At each one, however, remains the lingering chance for trouble in the form of a fire, as seen on Friday when a field for overflow rental cars was the site of a fire that damaged over 3,000 cars.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Source: Fort Myers News-Press

In a Floridian field with more than half the number of cars as the one on Maui, officials told the Fort Myers News-Press that "3,516 cars were damaged or destroyed," and over 10 fire departments and two helicopters attempted to stop the blaze.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Source: Fort Myers News-Press

What's clear from these photos, however, is that no aspect of the travel industry has been spared as the novel coronavirus indiscriminately has touched nearly every business without regard or concern.

A sugar cane field turned parking lot for unused rental cars.

Matthew Thayer/Maui News

Matthew Thayer is a staff photojournalist for The Maui News and also a novelist. His work includes the five-book 30,000 B.C. Chronicles series and novel Nikki Tiger. All are available on Amazon Kindle.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Seven people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attacking a team of health workers during its visit to a locality in Rajasthans Ajmer district earlier this week for screening residents for coronavirus, police said.

The incident took place on Sunday night when the team was visiting Khanpura Chisti Nagar area, they said.

A total of 22 people have been booked in the case and seven of them have been arrested, the police said.

The health team had visited Khanpura Chisti Nagar to screen residents for coronavirus. Local residents manhandled the team members and even pelted stones at them, following which a case was registered against 22 people on Monday, said Station House Officer (SHO), Ramganj, Narpat Singh.

Seven of the accused named in the FIR were arrested on Tuesday under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Act, he said.

Some people had recorded a video of the incident and it was used to identify the accused. Further investigation in the matter is underway, the SHO said.
At the center of most galaxies is a supermassive black hole. While many aspects of these objects remain mysterious, its clear that they gobble up immense amounts of energy and matter. This forms an accretion disc of plasma, but sometimes that plasma also shoots out from the magnetic poles of the black hole at nearly the speed of light. With the help of the Event Horizon Telescope, scientists have imaged one of those plasma jets in a level of detail that should lend itself to deeper insight into how they form, how supermassive black holes consume energy and more.

The image shows a bright oval, which astronomers believe to be the black holes accretion disc, as well as a darker stream of energy shooting out from it. The fact that the jet is pointed toward Earth gives scientists a better viewing angle of a jet than normal. Weve seen a similar image captured from the galaxy M87 in the visible light spectrum, but this image captures the phenomenon in infrared, meaning astronomers can better understand how hot the matter around the black hole is.

When a supermassive black hole features such jets, its classified as a blazar. Astronomers posit that the magnetic poles of the black hole channel the energy up from the accretion disc and shoot it out with a tremendous amount of energy -- the jet captured in the image is traveling at about 0.995 times the speed of light. Strangely, the jet in question seems to be shooting out from the black hole at an odd angle. This has been confirmed by Dr. Ziri Younsi of University College London, who is a co-author of the paper that featured the image. According to The Guardian, he says that this may indicate a kink at the base of the jet, or that energy is somehow winding itself around the jet.

This image will hopefully help astronomers answer some compelling questions, like how matter and energy are transported from the accretion disc to the poles of a black hole, or why our own supermassive black hole -- which is 200 times smaller than the one in the image -- does not shoot out jets of energy.
A section of India Inc on Tuesday appealed all corporate social responsibility initiatives to unite and focus efforts towards protecting the vulnerable sections of the society from the COVID-19 pandemic

Mumbai: A section of India Inc on Tuesday appealed all corporate social responsibility initiatives to unite and focus efforts towards protecting the vulnerable sections of the society from the COVID-19 pandemic.

IT services major Wipro's chairman Rishad Premji, Edelweiss Foundation's -- the CSR arm of financial services major -- Vidya Shah and Rohini Nilekani of Arghyam have come together and joined hands with global non-profit Oxfam in making the appeal.

The appealed to CSR foundations, funding and philanthropic organisations to focus efforts in protecting the elderly, the sick, the physically challenged, the poor and the informal sector, migrant workers, a statement said.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak

A slew of corporates have made announcements of giving and committing money to the newly-created PM-CARES Fund as the number of positive cases in India increased and the government appealed for voluntary contributions.

The four entities called on large donors to "pledge for providing more effective support to and strengthening of their civil society partners by introducing flexibilities and undertaking measures in their grant-making and monitoring mechanisms" in the immediate term.

The "flexibility" measures include making new grants as unrestricted as possible, so non-profit partners have maximum flexibility to respond to this crisis.

Oxfam's chief executive Amitabh Behar said this is precisely the kind of action needed from big names of Indian industry, philanthropies and foundations for the long-term battle against COVID-19 and its economic and social consequences.
Many commentators have observed that the economic damage of the coronavirus will likely kill more people than the pathogen itself. Too many people then move to arguments like So lets isolate only the elderly1 or We must therefore minimize damage to the economy. Well turn to Martin Wolf of the Financial Times urgings on that front in due course.

The problem is that there are times you cant have what you want and this is one of them, big time. Our old way of living will never fully come back. And too much fixation on We need to relax the lockdowns because economy is bypassing the hard thinking and work that still hasnt been done enough to help more of us function better before we have either effective treatments that greatly reduce the number of serious cases or a vaccine.2

While China has loosened up on its restrictions, its not back to normal due to a combination of some workers reportedly not having returned for duty plus factories not being able to go into full schedules due to lack of new orders thanks to lockdowns in Europe and the US. But there are also rumors that infections have come back. Some countries like Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark are planning to relax their restrictions in the next few weeks; well have a much better picture a month after that happens of how much reversion takes place.

But the big problem for most countries, particularly the US with its hollowed out health care system and the UK with its starving of the NHS, is that doctors and nurses are already at the breaking point even in locations where the disease has not peaked. Medical professionals are at even greater risk of bad outcomes than the public at large due to potential exposure to large viral loads when exhausted. The lack of adequate PPE is a disgrace and the failure of the Feds to step in, even more so.

There are plenty of clips on Twitter showing the sorry state of hospitals; this is a recent one we featured in Links yesterday:

The National Nurses Union has issued repeated press releases on the lack of preparedness and needed safety protections. Yet the Washington Post showcases Matt Bai putting on an n95 respirator and medical googles (not ski mask made-dos) and other coverings. Not saying that Bai isnt still taking serious risk, but that the Post is helping propagate the myth that front-line conditions are better than they are.

This video from the Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC (my old stomping grounds) even though taken outside on a pretty day, still gives a sense of the chaos indoors:

Yesterday, we discussed how the coronavirus is leading hospitals to suspend surgeries and treatments they deem to be postponable, even for cancer. We are now getting reports of cancellations specifically due to the lack of PPE:

Cancer surgery canceled because the hospital doesnt have enough tests or PPE. This virus is killing people who dont have the virus. https://t.co/qWaMjgW1gm  Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) April 7, 2020

In the UK, staff at the Barnsley hospital were provided with PPE 19 years out of date

The big point is that a group obviously and seriously exposed to the coronavirus is medical workers. Ive argued that the big motivation for flattening the curve isnt just to reduce deaths overall by not exceeding hospital capacity but in particular not to decimate hospital staff.

But as we are seeing from strikes among Amazon warehouse workers and other people who are deemed critical and have to work in close proximity with others, we are risking breakdowns in other now-even-more-essential systems.

And coronavirus is hitting key services where there arent many replacement staff, like air traffic controllers. From a late March article in Politico:

FAA personnel at air traffic control facilities from Las Vegas to New York have tested positive in the last week, prompting closures while the buildings were cleaned. The majority of the almost one dozen facilities affected so far have been towers at airports, but two of the incidents have been at centers responsible for controlling airspace over multiple states. Though the airports themselves remained open, buildings had to be closed temporarily and control duties taken over by another facility, creating delays even in this depressed environment for flights. A cascade of more cases spreading throughout the controller community, especially if it hits several facilities in one region at the same time, could be crippling.

How about the staff that manage nuclear reactors? Sewage plants dont take as much day-to-day minding, but prolonged staffing shortages could lead to bad outcomes. Readers might come up with other examples of important infrastructure or systems that would have trouble functioning well if a site or sites were to suffer a coronavirus outbreak.

Steve Waldman made the case for enduring the cost of lockdowns in a post last month:

COVID-19 is not just a disease that is infecting us as individuals. It has infected us as a society. The financial fallout, the flailing markets, these are the social equivalent of a mid-grade fever, an unpleasant and uncomfortable side effect of the work our society is performing to suppress and defeat the infection. There may be ways of reducing the unpleasantness without impairing the effectiveness of the response, various forms of economic stimulus or monetary loosening as a kind of social tylenol. Maybe those are worth considering. Some have been tried. But nothing would be more stupid, more suicidal, than to suppress the immune response in order to suppress the fever. That is what ending our isolation now  what sending everybody back to offices, schools, restaurants, beaches, and bars  would amount to. It might well relieve the fever short term. The stock market is up this morning! But it radically increases the likelihood that the patient  our polity, our society  dies. How would that happen? Whats the microstructure of this purported social collapse? How would putting people to work again be bad? We desperately need people to work. All of us staying home will not save us. But some peoples work is much more critical than others to our societys collective viability. We obviously need medical personnel to work. For them to work effectively, we desperately need the people who are capable of producing and ramping up production of PPE (personal protective equipment) to work. Perhaps more desperately, we need our agricultural and food supply chain to be producing the calories and nutrients each and all of us need to get through this. We need grocery store clerks, stockers, shoppers (for delivery and pick-up orders) to work. We need truck drivers a-truckin. We need Amazon and UPS and FedEx, permitting us to get what we need with minimal opportunity to cough on one another. We need fire departments and police. We need the digital platforms and communications infrastructure. We need people delivering essentials to the elderly. We need the people who can develop and ramp up testing, tracking, and treatment. We desperately need people to work. But if you are not one of these people, your staying at home  working as much as you can if you can or not at all of you cant  is not waste. It is making a huge positive contribution to our society, by delaying the moment when it will be impossible to persuade a critical mass of these very essential workers to do their jobs, because many of them are sick and the rest of them are too afraid of getting sick.

The New York Times ran an article on Monday based on interviews of medical experts on what needed to be in place to relax the lockdowns with reasonable safety. Its four requirements:

Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care. A state needs to be able to at least test everyone who has symptoms. The state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts. There must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days.

Needless to say, the US is not even close to meeting these standards. From the close of the story:

Gregg Gonsalves, a professor of epidemiology and law at Yale, said: Id feel better if we had serological testing, and could preferentially allow those who are antibody positive and no longer infectious to return to work first. The point is, though, that we are nowhere even near accomplishing any of these criteria. Opening up before then will be met with a resurgence of the virus.

A lot of normally capable policy wonks seem not able to come to grips with the fact that the coronavirus has the upper hand. Sure, we can try reopening for business after weve tamped down the infection and death rate with stay-at-home requirements. And maybe the disease wont propagate quite as quickly because the summer will have a mitigating effect.

But I have yet to see an expert opine that warmer weather will do all that much for contagion rates. And I also know too many people who seem to have convinced themselves that they already contracted it, when the second go-round of the past winters flu was nasty and I know personally of only one symptom description that does sound like it was coronavirus. In other words, a lot of people seem to feel the need to tell themselves they arent at risk when their personal factoids are far from dispositive.

So what happens to commerce if restrictions are largely or entirely removed, and in a month infections are back on the march? The resulting stops and gos, particularly at different times in different parts of the US and world, would make the production that was happening more uncertain and likely costly.

The reluctance and inability of Federal or even state governments to set priorities and drive resources and support to critical industries and operations, like Americas one cotton swab factory in Maine, is yet another proof of institutionalized incompetence.

With this backdrop, its frustrating to see Martin Wolf engage in handwaves. From the top of his article:

What we must do instead is focus on the steps right ahead if we are to avoid falling off our narrow path into mass deaths on one side, or economic devastation on the other. If we do not avoid these calamities in the near future, we risk chaos ahead.

There may be no path through this problem. If you watched the video of the professor who practices at Lenox Hill, he argued for the need to build Covid-19 focused hospitals, all with negative pressure treatment rooms, with the medical professionals in them wearing full hazmat gear, as essential to contain the disease. If hes right, we are in deep trouble.

Wolf is correct to stress that the economic costs of shutdowns are very high

.and that the poorest workers and countries will suffer the most.

His next argument:

My view, however, in line with that of health experts and leading economists, is that the lockdowns are necessary to save health systems from collapse and get the disease under control. But they have to be brief. It is impossible to keep people locked up indefinitely, without huge personal suffering and social and economic damage. This is obviously true where governments are unable to offer the costly social protection measures feasible in high-income countries. Lockdowns must be a short breathing space before we move to what a group of German experts calls a risk-adapted strategy. During the lockdowns, governments must do whatever is needed to avoid having to employ such heavy-handed interventions again. They do not have much time to do so: a few months, no more.

Go back to the New York Times list. In China, even with its extensive spying technology, it allegedly took 1800 teams of five each to do contact tracing. And its not clear that that was a prime defense weapon even outside Wuhan. Please tell me how prepared the Federal government or any state would be to devise such an effort and staff it on an emergency basis.

In most major cities in China, people werent allowed out of their apartment buildings if they had a fever (there were monitors at the exits). That form of control is not an option in spread-out America.

Wolf may nevertheless correct about how things will roll even if offices and retail establishments are kept largely closed. A reader in NYC reported that more people were on the street yesterday, wearing masks, apparently of the the view that adhering to the CDC guidance increased safety enough to allow them some liberty. The reality is being outdoors where droplets diffuse quickly is a very different proposition than being indoors or in a vehicle.

So the authorities probably will not have the resolve to keep the lockdowns on even if public health experts mount credible arguments that its too soon to go into Mission Accomplished mode. Expect a very bumpy ride.

_____

1 In case you havent sorted this out: First, models show that isolating the elderly only trivially reduces infection rates. Second, you cant isolate them. They have to eat, see doctors, go to the bank, get their cars and houses fixed if they live independently or be attended to by younger people if they dont. Third, younger people are still getting bad cases and dying, and even those who get bad cases and dont die often do suffer lasting heart and/or lung damage. See this video on how the UK is seeing a lot of ICU cases of people in their 50s and younger:

Fourth, letting the disease rip puts the immunocompromised and those with other morbidities like diabetes at risk.

2 It would be better if I were wrong, but I am concerned that the jury is out on herd immunity. While getting Covid-19 does confer short-term immunity, some experts are worried that it may not last as long as a year.
Press Release

April 8, 2020 Gatchalian commends lockdown extension; urges government to expedite stimulus plan towards economic recovery Senator Win Gatchalian commended the government for extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until April 30 to utilize the time to test and treat COVID-19 patients and slow the rate of infection. He reiterated that the April 14 mass testing will provide a clearer picture of the COVID-19 spread in the country by tracking down those who are infected with the disease so they can immediately be isolated or ordered quarantined. He urged all Local Government Units (LGUs) to coordinate with the national government in the goal to increase testing capacity by up to 7,000 tests a day by April 13, increase of up to 9,800 tests per day by April 20 and finally an increase of up to 20,000 tests a day by April 27. The senator emphasized that mass testing should have a targeted approach and prioritize those who have been exposed to COVID-19-positive patients such as those Persons under Monitoring (PUM), Persons under Investigation (PUI), the frontliners, and include those asymptomatic residents who may unknowingly be spreading the disease. "Sa Valenzuela, ang una naming ite-test ay ang mga may sakit at ang mga kasama nila sa bahay, mga kamag-anak nila, at iba pang nakapaligid sa kanila, pati na mga kapitahay. Sa bahay pa lang pwede na silang magkahawaan. Kapag maaga silang mabibigyan ng babala, maiiwasan ang pagkalat ng virus sa kani-kanilang komunidad", explained Gatchalian. With the two-week quarantine extension, Gatchalian urged the health department and its attached agencies to extend their resources as well. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) for instance, should extend covering the cost of treatment for COVID-19 patients for the whole duration of the expanded quarantine period from the supposed April 14 completion. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is ready to transfer the amount of Php 420.585 million to Philhealth for COVID-19 related packages. While acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dent in the country's economy, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs also urged the country's economic managers to speed up a massive stimulus package to avert a possible recession. Gatchalian said the government can realign the 2020 budget and reallocate budgets of some big projects, for instance the "Build, Build, Build" infrastructure program, to critical health concerns. Gatchalian said the government should ensure that the food supply chain should not be disrupted especially with the newly launched 'Rapid Pass', a system which food farmers and traders can use so they can easily pass through checkpoints. This will provide supplies in the market and accelerate consumer spending. The senator likewise urged all banks, financial and lending institutions to also extend the grace period for loan and credit card payments and residential rentals while the community quarantine is still in effect. The country's economic managers are now in the process of collating all information from the ground so they can plan ahead and get the economy going.
Donald Trump entered the dispute surrounding an ex-US Navy captain dismissed over coronavirus concerns by distancing himself from the former US Navy secretary who oversaw the firing.

I dont know him, said Mr Trump on Tuesday as he accepted the resignation of the acting US Navy secretary Thomas Modly.

On social media, an image circulated of the pair seated together during a sporting fixture between the US Navy and Army  contradicting the presidents comments.

Mr Modly is the latest senior official to find himself among those the president has appeared to not know during controversy, despite contradicting evidence.

The president said he did not know Gordon Snodland very well once the US ambassador to the EU had been a witness during the impeachment process. The president had personally nominated him to the post in May 2018.

Mr Trump also distanced himself from his own campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who was sentenced in the aftermath of the Russia investigation. The president told Fox News that he didnt know Manafort well, despite his position.

I wouldnt have asked him. I dont know him. I didnt speak to him. But he did that I just think to end that problem. And in really many ways, that was a really unselfish thing for him to do., said Mr Trump on the ex-US navy secretary.

Mr Modly resigned from his position on Tuesday afternoon following a public disagreement with an ousted aircraft captain and Democratic lawmakers who had called for the secretarys resignation.

The outgoing navy secretary used his resignation letter to thank Mr Trump and the defense secretary Mark Esper for their confidence in him, according to Politico.

The president had suggested on Monday that he would enter the dispute, before accepting Mr Modlys resignation and commenting that The whole thing was very unfortunate,

Mr Trump did comment on the actions of USS Theodore Roosevelt captain, Brett Crozier, who Mr Modly had dismissed last week because of a written warning about the dangers of coronavirus spreading amongst US sailors.

I hate seeing bad things happen, man made a mistake. But you shouldnt be writing letters, and youre in the military  youre a captain of a great ship., said Mr Trump. He didnt have to be Ernest Hemingway.

Sailors on-board the USS Roosevelt were told by Mr Modly that captain Crozier had been naive and stupid to write a letter, according to a leaked audio tape. He later defended the dismissal by saying that the letter posed a security risk to the US Navy.

Mr Modly had admitted that he was deeply sorry for some of the words and for how they spread across the media landscape like a wildfire,

Democratic members of Congress publicly backed the ex-aircraft carrier captain and denounced Mr Modlys actions despite the apology.

New York senator Chuck Shumer said on Tuesday that it was good that the secretary had resigned

He said on Twitter: Captain Crozier spoke up to protect his crew. Acting Navy Secretary Modlys words and actions were insulting to those under his responsibility. 
08.04.2020 LISTEN

The Kumasi Central Market which was closed on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, is set to run on a shift system.

it will reopen for trading activities on Thursday, April 9.

This was captured in a statement from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and signed by its Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi.

According to the statement, each shift shall be identified by a uniquely designed identity card in red, gold and green colours.

Each group on every shift will be identified with one of the cards.

That the 5,825 food sellers shall be grouped into three, with each group being identified with the card. Only 1,942 members, dealing in all assorted commodities of all trade associations shall be allowed to trade on each day.

Speaking to the media after touring the Kumasi Central Market to check compliance after its closure, the KMA Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, said his outfit will continue to engage the leadership of the traders to spell out some modalities before allowing them to operate.

It is very simple, distance yourself from one another and do your business so that at least, if that person is infected, the virus will not be transferred to you because the virus does not have legs. It needs us to spread it. The central market is managed by the eleven-member committee with KMA having the manger on top of all of them. Beneath the second ladder, we also have the 66 commodity associations. After interacting with them, there was a need to shut down the market to pave way to have another meeting with them.

The city authorities after engaging the leadership of the various groups at the central market resolved to group the traders into three batches to run a shift system to avoid overcrowding.

The meeting came to a point where the traders had to be rotated and the leadership has agreed that it should be rotated. Hence, they will be coming to the market according to colours that would be given to them. So, we have red, yellow and green. In all, we have 5,825 traders at Central Market. We have red-1,942, 1,941 coming for yellow and 1941 coming for green in that order.

The traders expressed their willingness to observe the social distancing protocol and also go by the new arrangements to keep everyone safe.

For the arrangements being made, I agree with them. I agree that we should be grouped so that we can ensure social distancing. We shall follow that strictly because it is a painful situation to get sick, one of the traders said.

Please we like the arrangement. It will really help us, another indicated.

---Citi News Edward Oppong Marfo contributed to this piece
Bagalavan Perier B By

Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: Health officials in Villupuram are in a soup, four of the 26 patients they discharged on Tuesday have now tested positive for COVID-19. While three of them have been brought back for treatment, the police and officials are unable to locate one person.

Officials say that 46 people were shifted to the Health Manpower Development Institute in Villupuram after they tested negative. However, it later turned out that four persons had tested positive. Immediately, three of them were brought back to the hospital. Only a 30-year-old man from Delhi, who had come to Puducherry in December to attend a job interview, is missing. Incidentally, the missing man was arrested a few months back over an accident, in which he allegedly endangered the lives of three persons.

He was released on March 16, and sources say he was spending time with truck drivers in Villupuram, hoping to hitch a ride back to Delhi with them. His efforts did not bear fruit as the lockdown paralysed truck movement in the region. He reportedly stayed with a few truck drivers in the meantime. It was the police who admitted the man at Villupuram GH, as he had symptoms of the viral infection.

"He was discharged on Tuesday because of some confusion among the health workers," the police said. Three police teams have been formed now to find the man. Cops in the neighbouring districts of Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, and Vellore and Puducherry have been alerted.

Villupuram Health department officials were not available for comments, despite repeated phone calls. They initially told reporters that the person escaped from hospital, but later police clarified that he had been mistakenly discharged. State health officials also evaded questions about negligence in discharging the patients. Meanwhile, police identified the truck drivers who the man was in contact with, and have placed them in isolation.

In their attempt to locate the man, Villupuram police had shared some details about the man, including his photo, to the public. A senior police official said this was to alert the public as the man may be roaming around unaware that he was infected. However, Puducherry police released much more information about the man including his Delhi address. They defended this move on grounds that the public would know to stay away from him and would alert the police if they saw him. His photo and personal details are now being widely shared on social media, causing human rights activists to fear the man might be attacked.
MILFORD  The cause of a 91-year-old mans death  changed on Tuesday to being associated with the coronavirus  is at the center of a state investigation into a nursing home facility where nearly half of its residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Chief States Medical Examiner on Tuesday changed the death certificate of Jean Louis Auclair, a resident of Golden Hill Rehab Pavilion who died March 30. His death was originally attributed to respiratory failure.

According to the medical examiners office, Auclairs death certificate now reads acute respiratory infection, probable novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection with an underlying condition of atherosclerosis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Auclair is one of at least two coronavirus-related deaths at Golden Hill and the state Department of Public Health is investigating if there are more. The DPH is investigating whether several recent pneumonia deaths at the Bridgeport Avenue facility were also related to the coronavirus.

The DPH is also investigating staffing levels, when families were notified about the illnesses, and health and safety practices at the 120-bed facility.

There are a bunch of things under investigation there, said Av Harris, a spokesman for the DPH.

At least 44 Golden Hill residents have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 3. Harris said Tuesday he could not provide an update on the number of cases, citing the departments investigation.

In an emailed response to questions sent by Hearst Connecticut Media, Andrew Wildman, executive director at Golden Hill, called complaints about staffing levels and the health of his employees false rumors. He also said the DPH has determined the facility has enough workers.

He did not say how many staff or residents at Golden Hill have tested positive for COVID-19, saying only that numbers are reported to the health department as they change daily.

We have adequate staff to meet all state requirements and meet the needs of our residents, Wildman said. In addition, we have increased all staff wages in appreciation for the hard work they are doing to care for our residents.

Meghan Wright said a family member who works at Golden Hill helped treat 49 patients alone one night at the facility. The family member declined to be interviewed due to concerns of losing their job.

If they have multiple people who are coding at once and they only have one person on staff, its a death sentence, Wright said in a phone interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.

On Sunday, Wright said she received a call from Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who told her the DPH had looked into staffing at Golden Hill and concluded it was adequate. Since then, she said her family member has been contacted by the public health agency again regarding staffing at the facility.

Wright said her relative has not contracted the disease, and continues to work due to a moral obligation to the patients.

Milford Mayor Ben Blakes office referred questions about Golden Hill to the state public health department, and said the citywide figures would have to come from the local health department.

Milford Health Director Deepa Joseph could not immediately be reached Tuesday. There are 113 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Milford as of Tuesday evening, according to the governors daily report on testing in the state.

The family of Johnny Johnson, a patient at Golden Hill, said they learned he contracted the illness after he died when they were notified by the funeral home.

Keisha Johnson, his niece, said the 65-year-old had been recovering from an infection after a colonoscopy. She said the family was told April 1 there had been a change in Johnsons condition, but the following day were notified of his death.

He was a nice, good, humble, loving man, Keisha Johnson said.

She said she was notified Tuesday by state officials about the investigation into Golden Hill.

The outbreak at Golden Hill comes as Gov. Ned Lamont is seeking to place nursing home residents who test positive for COVID-19 in separate facilities, including opening nursing homes that have been shuttered to help those who are sick.

Across Connecticut, 38 percent of the states 215 nursing homes have reported at least one patient with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the governors office said Tuesday. The governors office said 123 more nursing home residents have tested positive since Monday, for a total of 600 confirmed cases.

Among those, 171 have been hospitalized and 81 have died, the governor said.
Today show host Karl Stefanovic has lashed out at Queenland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for one of the state's new coronavirus rules.

Gold Coast Council closed some of its most famous beaches, Surfers Paradise, Coolangatta and The Spit at midnight on Tuesday, but left others open.

But other beaches were left open for both swimming and exercise, in a move Mayor Tom Tate said was aimed at keeping 'out-of-towners' off the sand.

In an interview with Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday morning Stefanovic struggled to get his head around the new rules.

Television host Karl Stefanovic (pictured with co-host Allison Langdon) has lashed out at Queenland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for the state's new coronavirus rule

Gold Coast Council closed beaches such as Coolangatta, Surfers Paradise (Pictured) and The Spit to take away temptation after thousands ignored social distancing rules

Stefanovic and co-host Allison Langdon grilled the Premier over the new rules, but she hit back in support of the mayor.

'What he [Mayor Tate] is saying is, if you are local, you are allowed to go for a walk but if you are not local, you should not be coming down to the beach to do your exercise,' she said.

'You should be doing your exercise in your local areas.'

'I think it's weird,' Stefanovic replied.

'If someone is not a local but they're in the area anyway, they can't go to the beach, but a local can? What's the point of it?' he asked.

'Why should they be in the area? If you're not local, why should you be in the area?' Ms Palaszczuk responded.

The Premier (pictured) was adamant that there should be no confusion on the rule on the beach closure rule

The pair then went back and forth about swimming and holidays, with the Premier insisting that the rule was and clear and holidays were not allowed.

'What if you are 5km away, can you go for a walk? What if you are 6km, if you are not exactly in that area, this is where it falls down?' Stefanovic asked.

Stefanovic then repeatedly asked what the definition of a local was, and where the boundary was.

'I don't think we can get caught up in technicalities here. Now is not the time for a holiday,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

Australia has had 6,010 cases of coronavirus as on Wednesday afternoon, with 50 deaths

If you live locally, go and walk locally. If you don't live locally, stay in your suburb and celebrate Easter with your family.'

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

She said from her understanding locals can still swim at the beach.

Other beaches in the state are still open.

New South Wales has also closed beaches in the eastern suburbs, such as Bondi, on March 21 after thousands breached social distancing rules.

Australians have been warned not to travel during the Easter holiday season as the number of coronavirus cases hit 6,010.

New South Wales residents have also been warned to stay put during Easter.

'We will be going through caravan parks early issuing warnings to people that may think they can get around these laws,' Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.

'It is important over this weekend that we continue the good work and we continue to isolate, as frustrating as that may be.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8

By Yusif Aghayev - Trend:

The Compulsory Insurance Bureau of Azerbaijan is operating normally, Executive Director of the bureau Rashad Ahmadov told Trend.

Ahmadov said that most employees work remotely, that is online, adding that existing procedures and digital solutions in the bureau allow doing this without loss of efficiency.

Touching upon the current situation in the segment of compulsory types of insurance, Ahmadov noted that despite the strengthening of special quarantine measures and restrictions on the movement of citizens, there are currently no special changes in the dynamics of execution of agreements on compulsory insurance.

The conclusion of these agreements on the types of compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (OSAGO) and from industrial accidents and occupational diseases is carried out online and the physical presence of the client for their execution is not required. On the other hand, the introduction of restrictive measures had a positive effect on reducing the number of insured events, the executive director said.

Touching on the increase in loss ratios on compulsory types, especially by OSAGO (increasing the loss ratio in the OSAGO segment from 87 percent in January to 92 percent in February 2020), the executive director noted these are temporary indicators and it is wrong to judge them about the loss-making for the whole year.

There are certain months in the OSAGO segment, during which fees under this type increase sharply, and this is due to the obligation to undergo a technical inspection of a car. In general, I believe that the loss ratios for this type of insurance in 2020 will be even lower than in 2019, due to restrictions on the movement of citizens, he stressed.

The leaders of a number of insurance companies in Azerbaijan, commenting on the situation associated with the economic recession in the country as a result of the spread of coronavirus infection, due to which the insurance sector is severely affected, expressed wishes about a reduction in the contributions that insurers transfer to Compulsory Insurance Bureau.

In accordance with the law on compulsory types of insurance, calendar contributions, as one of the sources of reserves for compensation payments, are regular contributions paid to the bureau by insurers-participants every month in the amount of 5 percent of insurance premiums received under compulsory insurance contracts. Calendar contributions are transferred to the appropriate account of the bureau for each month within 15 calendar days from the last date of the month.

According to Chairman of the supervisory board of the Azerbaijan Insurers Association (AIA) Azer Aliyev, the size of these contributions (5 percent for each type) significantly affects the profits of insurers, especially in the OSAGO segment, where loss ratios show constant growth.

Focusing on this issue, Ahmadov noted that the relevant actuarial calculations in this direction were not made in the bureau, and if necessary they will be made. In any case, all issues related to amendments to the current legislation relate to the prerogative of the financial market supervision authority - the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA).

In accordance with the Action Plan on the implementation of the order of the President of Azerbaijan dated March 19, 2020 On a number of measures to reduce the negative impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and sharp fluctuations as a result of coronavirus in the global energy market and stock market, on the economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, macroeconomic stability, issues of employment in the country and business entities" approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on April 4, the banks and insurance companies in Azerbaijan are exempted from making payments to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan in April 2020.










We could also watch Man of Steel, they put that Patreon episode on the main feed today! YASSSSSSS WHM!We could also watch Man of Steel, they put that Patreon episode on the main feed today!

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My king <33

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Sometimes I say "I'm a Dixie-crat Mr Superman" and laugh. That episode was the best.

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Their Holly Hunter/Gary Busey impressions are so fucking funny.

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during the BvS one (pretty sure it was Andrew), but whichever one yelled "it's so fucking STUPID!" at the Martha moment, and had to pull himself away from the mic for how loud he yelled it, always makes me laugh whenever I think about it. I say it like this all the time when talking about anything I think is also stupid.

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My fave

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AAAH I didn't know anyone on here knew about WHM lol. I love them. I still go back and listen to old eps to laugh especially ones like Batman Vs Superman.



Edited at 2020-04-08 03:39 am (UTC)

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YAYYYY ty, OP! God, I unironically love so many of those trash movies. I've never actually joined any of these parties, but I will in this case!

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I better see you there! As the WHM boys would day Its OK to like a movie!



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*Chris voice* NO IT'S NOT

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A lot of times when I vote on these I have the intention of participating but then I always forget.

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Won't be able to participate but ahhhh, I love WHM so much! I was lucky enough to meet them after their LA show this past tour they did and they were so, so nice and fun.

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Wow. Today while working from home I was listening to WHM. Man, Sound of Thunder had me rollin'.



I also have tickets to the first show on the tour and I bet it's probs canceled now. :/ Shame, because my friend from FL was coming up to visit and see it with my sis and I. Robocop 3, a perfect film.

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Wait, people actually hate Ferris Buellers Day Off? I thought that was a federal crime.

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The name is a bit of a misnomer, as they do talk about movies they love in the Patreon tier, though I haven't heard that episode so they might actually hate it.

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They love it, they playfully rip on it like the other movies they love.

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YES stan WHM!! the only creators i support on patreon! i cannot believe how much content they put out its so worth getting i wish more ppl knew about them

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These movies I wanted to add to the poll as theyre favorite WHM eps of mine, but arent on Netflix currently:



-The Haunting (The beautiful ghost babiessss)

-The Skulls (Do NOT worry about Paul Walker) -The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (the horse voice)

-The Glass House

-The Commuter (new ep)

-Ms. Doubtfire

-Twister

-Perfect Stranger (amazing Lister Request Month find)

-Casper

-The Good Son

-Orphan

The Butterfly Effect

-Taking Lives

-My Best Friends Wedding







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a bunch of those are on Canadian Netflix Dx



The Skulls

The Glass House

The Commuter

Casper

Taking Lives

My Best Friends Wedding



It's literally like they refuse to make most of these movies available in the same jurisdiction at the same time....

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the 1988 Pippi Longstocking? oh man, my brothers and i watched that SO much as kids

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goddamn I've listened to the Butterfly Effect episode SO MANY TIMES

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The Butterfly Effect is a top 3 episode to me. "clink clink...clink clink..."

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Haha Mrs Doubtfire was my first WHM episode!

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What a way to start!

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I love WHM and I support them on Patreon. I'm waiting for them to do another Ducktales episode, since it's on Disney+. Or Gargoyles. I know that one of them must have watched it. lol



Edited at 2020-04-08 12:59 am (UTC)

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I dont join this cuz I hate that Netlfix party things. It would be funner like when we used to comment in FFAF posts cuz then other users would just like hop in without even watching, it was more interactive that way imo.

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Please pick Final Destination. I love that movie sfm!

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ffs i can't even imagine watching the ugly truth, that sexist af movie

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It really is utter trash, but if it helps, the podcast episode really REALLY gets into that.

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omg i didn't read the whole thing and didn't notice the thing about the podcast lol! i'll check it out, thanks

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I'm kicking myself for missing the craft!!!! Fuming.

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Movies available on Canadian Netflix:



Indiana Jones Crystal Skull

three different godzilla movies not listed on this poll

The Watcher

Spider Man 3

Pottersville

Bright

Richie Rich if it's the 2015 version...

The Ugly Truth

OLYMPUS has Fallen

Ferris Bueller



I have now gone through and changed my vote to all of the above in hopes I can join!

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GARDAI will be using extra powers in effect as part of the Covid 19 crisis to clamp down on people having house parties and exercising more than 2km from their homes.

More than 2,500 gardai are operating over 50 checkpoints nationwide between now and the Bank Holiday weekend to ensure compliance with health regulations and travel restrictions as part of Operation Fanacht.

People who have already travelled to their holiday homes have been warned to stay there while gardai will be turning away those who intend travelling to places of temporary residence over the weekend.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, speaking at a press briefing this afternoon, said they have seen people adhering to restrictions "starting to slip a little" with people exercising more than 2km from their home, moving around where travel is not essential as well as gatherings for house parties.

He said these were all areas where there was a need for the new powers to enforce restrictions.

Mr Harris acknowledged they are "extraordinary powers" and that the Garda will need to be "careful and be proportionate in applying necessary powers".

He added that they "want to entirely avoid any scenario of overreach" want to be proportionate in their approach

The regulations, which are now in affect after being signed off by Health Minister Simon Harris, are in place until Sunday at midnight.

Penalties for non-compliance include fines of up to 2,500 and up to six months in prison, but arresting people is the last resort and Gardai will be continuing with their engagement approach.

Read More

The first port of call, Mr Harris said, would be taking an individual's name and address rather than arresting them, while on the spot fines will not be issued.

The Garda Commissioner said that visiting a family member with critical needs is seen as essential travel but children delivering Easter eggs does not fall within this scope and that "people need to realise it is not an essential journey."

He also said they have seen instances where cyclists are travelling further than 2km from their place of residence to exercise and said this needs to stop and occur within the 2km limit.

Garda have also introduced the use of spit guards from today to use in specific circumstances where a person is spitting at a member of the public or gardai.

They will in use for the duration of the current crisis and follow a number of incidents across the country of people, claiming to have contracted coronavirus, spitting at gardai.

Drew Harris also called on the public to report people "blatantly" flouting the restrictions to ensure gardai could move in and deal with the situation.

"What we'll be doing is making sure that movement is essential as prescribed within the regulations.

"If you're movement is not essential you will be asked to return to your place of residence," he said.

"Furthermore, this is also a road safety initiative set against the context if the health of the nation and all of us playing our part in acting together to defeat Covid-19.

"Also today we received regulations signed by the Minister but again out approach is not changing, we're a community based policing service, we're applying the same tactic as we have all week. It'll be of informing people and engaging with them and persuading them to comply with the regulations and enforcement is only at the very end of non-compliance by an individual," Mr Harris added.
President Vladimir Putin offered more aid to beleaguered Russians and businesses as he urged them to maintain a shutdown and warned the country is nearing a critical point in the coronavirus epidemic.

"The next 2-3 weeks will be key" to reining in covid-19, Putin said Wednesday in a televised address to the nation during a meeting of the government's task force for managing the health crisis. "For most, being constantly confined by four walls is the definition of dreary and nauseating. But there is no choice now."
Siemens Gas and Power and Uniper, a pioneer in the use of power-to-gas technology, today (April 8) signed a cooperation agreement for the development of projects on the decarbonisation of power generation and promoting sector coupling.

The agreement extends the long-standing partnership between the two companies, according to a statement.

It is important to look at the energy, mobility and industry sectors together, because they all can and must contribute to reducing greenhouse gases. One focus of the planned cooperation is the production and use of green hydrogen  in other words, hydrogen from renewable energy sources, it said.

The companies intend to implement projects in this field together, addressing the entire value chain.

The scope of the new cooperation agreement also includes the evaluation of the potential of Unipers existing gas turbines and gas storage facilities for the use of hydrogen. The focus of the work is to define what role hydrogen can play in the future evolution of Unipers coal power plants. Uniper recently announced that it would close or convert its coal-fired power plants in Europe by 2025 at the latest. Unipers coal-exit plan is instrumental to make the company achieve its objective of becoming carbon neutral in Europe by 2035.

Siemens Gas and Power is helping its customers achieve their decarbonisation goals. Brownfield transformation projects are designed to decarbonize coal-fired power plants and significantly reduce CO2 emissions from gas-fired power plants, including the integration of storage solutions and the use of green gas. By building infrastructures for Power-to-X, Siemens Gas and Power is making a global contribution to cross-sector decarbonisation. Siemens offers all core technologies for a long-term CO2-free energy supply  from power and heat generation by renewable energies or gas-fired power plants, to power transmission and distribution, to efficient electrolysis for hydrogen production.

Uniper initiated the transition to a more climate-friendly energy supply, as described in its new company strategy recently presented. The company has set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions in the European generation segment from 22 million tonnes today to net-zero emissions by 2035. Uniper already produces around 24 terawatt hours of carbon-free electricity with its hydroelectric and nuclear power plants in Germany and Sweden. Under its new strategy it now intends to gradually increase the share of green gas or green hydrogen in its conventional gas business, in both power generation and energy trading.

Uniper, which makes green hydrogen possible, has been one of the first to implement power-to-gas technology projects. The company has already built the first power-to-gas plant in Falkenhagen in 2013, followed by another one in Hamburg in 2015.

Uniper added a methanisation plant to the Falkenhagen plant in 2018. In addition, Uniper is pushing forward cross-sector industrial projects together with refineries and the automotive industry with various real-life laboratory projects, which could make it possible to enter hydrogen production at market conditions in the near future.

Siemens and Uniper have been partners for many years in integrated products, solutions and services along the entire energy value chain. In addition, the companies share a pioneering role in power-to-gas plants in which hydrogen or methane are produced from renewable energies. Power-to-gas plants can provide a technical answer to one of the key questions of the energy revolution: How can the fluctuating energy sources sun and wind be stored and thus made plannable? The aim of this cooperation is to contribute to improving the economic efficiency and thus the marketability of power-to-gas plants.

Uniper CEO Andreas Schierenbeck says: After the coal phase-out and the switch to a secure gas-based energy supply, the use of climate-friendly gas will be a major step towards successful energy system transformation; therefore, the decarbonisation of the gas industry, including gas-fired power generation, is essential if Germany and Europe are to achieve their climate targets. We are ready to invest and have set the strategic course to significantly accelerate the decarbonisation of our portfolio. In doing so, it is important to bundle energies, act openly in terms of technology, and work with proven high-technology partners like Siemens.

Jochen Eickholt, Siemens Energy Executive Board Member, said: Green hydrogen can contribute to achieving climate targets and is thus a key to a successful energy turnaround. And it can do so across sectors in industry, mobility, and heat and power generation. But were only at the beginning. Joint projects with our customers, such as the partnership with Uniper focusing on brownfield transformation and the design of the green hydrogen value chain, are extremely important here. Here we can show that a CO2-free, environmentally friendly energy supply is possible and makes sense under real conditions and using existing plants. Together, we are working to master the challenges up to series production and use of hydrogen on a large scale and to make this clear to the world: Our future lies in hydrogen. This is what we are committed to as a company. TradeArabia News Service
Two drivers escape death as 260-m bridge collapses in Tuscany.

A large bridge on a normally busy provincial road in northern Italy collapsed on the morning of 8 April, but only two drivers were on the viaduct at the time of the accident, due to the Coronavirus lockdown.

Both van drivers survived - one was injured slightly by falling masonry, the other was reportedly unhurt but in shock, according to Italian news agency ANSA. There are no reports of other injuries.





The incident took place at around 10.30 as the two vehicles were crossing the 260-m long bridge near Albiano Magra in the Massa Carrara area in the northern tip of Tuscany, roughly between Geona and Florence.

The bridge, part of the SS330 road, was reportedly under the management of ANAS, a company controlled by state-owned railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, and Italy's transport minister Paola De Micheli has requested a detailed report.

Photo Tgcom24
Participants of Berkeley Music Circus's World Sing-Along are encouraged to step outside their homes or open a window Wednesday afternoon and sing or play an instrument to "All Together Now," organizers said.

The event starts at noon in every time zone and continues each Wednesday through April 29. Props and costumes are encouraged.

Next week participants can sing "Lean on Me." Photos or videos can be posted on https://www.facebook.com/AnotherBullwinkelShow.

Another Bullwinkel Show, an event management company, helped get the word out about the event and suggested the times surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic need not be so dark.

An Oakland man has been charged with two counts of murder and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders for allegedly fatally shooting two men last month during an argument over the sale of an assault rifle, police and prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Ronyae Haywood, 26, was arraigned on Tuesday for the shooting deaths of Duane Palmer Jr., 28, of Oakland, and Dalton Kline, 27, of Dublin, in a car in the parking lot of the Grocery Outlet store in the 2100 block of East 14th Street at about 11 p.m. on March 13.

Haywood, who's being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, is scheduled to return to court on Friday to possibly enter a plea.

Haywood's girlfriend, Angel Shavers, 20, of Oakland, was arraigned on a felony charge alleging that she furnished the assault rifle to Haywood as well as being an accessory after the fact.

San Leandro police said Shavers admitted that she was involved in the killings because she set up the sale of an assault rifle between Haywood and Palmer, who didn't know each other, and was present when the shootings happened.

San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency ordinance requiring paid sick leave for essential workers like grocery clerks, janitors, and delivery people working for large companies during the coronavirus public health crisis.

The ordinance requires companies with 500 or more employees to provide workers with paid sick leave if they must be quarantined, have COVID-19 symptoms, or are caring for children or someone who is sick.

According to Supervisor Gordon Mar, who introduced the ordinance, the legislation was needed in order to further protect essential workers and their families.

"We are only as healthy as our neighbor," Mar said. "And if they can't stay home when they need to, we are all worse off."

Mar has said Mayor London Breed is in support of the ordinance.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors made clear that they don't know what the future will look like after the county's shelter-in-place order, but teased the idea during their briefing with the county's public health officer Tuesday.

"There's a lot of uncertainty," Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health officer, told the board Tuesday morning. "We have to get comfortable with uncertainty. And we are in this for the long haul."

As county residents stay indoors to curb the spread of COVID-19, public health officials expect case numbers to continue to rise and are working hard to lower whatever the future death count may be.

Cody said that while she and the rest of the county's public health experts wonder what to do after the shelter order is lifted, there are a number of checkpoints the county must reach before then.

"I think the next phase is going to be even harder," Cody said. "I think the decisions are going to be even harder."

The Sonoma County registrar of voters is now mailing ballots to voters in the May 5 Special Consolidated District Election.

The election, conducted entirely by mail, applies only to residents in the North Sonoma County Fire Protection District or the Coast Life Support District.

Voters should receive their ballot within seven to 10 days. Voter information guides should arrive this week. A copy of the paper information guide is online at www.sonomacounty.ca.gov/vote.

Voters who have not received a ballot or a copy of the voter information guide by April 16 should call the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office at (707) 565-6800 or email them at rov-info@sonoma-county.org to request a replacement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily closed the registrar of voters office to in-person visits, but the office can be reached by phone or email Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding holidays.

A search for a possible missing child in Mill Valley has been reduced early Wednesday morning after search efforts didn't find any missing children and none had been reported as of 1 a.m., according to police.

The report came in around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening of a possibly unattended child in the 200 block of Corte Madera Ave., Lt. Paul Wrapp said. The kid was reportedly a boy around 4-to-5 years old with blonde hair and a blue plaid shirt.

Around 10:30 p.m., police said approximately 40 volunteers with Marin Search and Rescue, in addition to resources with the Marin County Sheriff's Office and other regional agencies, searched creeks and steep hiking trails for the reported unattended child.

At about 1 a.m. Wednesday, police reduced the search after the child wasn't found and nobody had reported a missing child.

Wrapp said officers will return to the neighborhood for follow-up investigation on Wednesday.

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly cloudy. Highs will be in the 50s to mid 60s. Southwest winds of 5 to 10 mph will increase to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy. Lows will be in the lower 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday will be mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly cloudy. Highs will be in the upper 50s to mid 60s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
By themselves, the six buildings lining part of River Street opposite Monument Square are not exceptional.

It's the story inside that makes them shine.

The buildings exteriors offer hints of their history. The first four, from No. 271 going south toward where City Hall used to be, were built in the 1880s and have a Victorian flair. Troy historian Kathy Sheehan said they were likely built for mercantile purposes and linked to the Hudson River behind them by warehouses. The fifth and sixth were built in the early 20th century to look like one building from the outside.

Inside, all six buildings are connected, linked by the Arts Center of the Capital Region, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary at this location. Today, in bustling downtown Troy, it seems like an ideal location for a gathering place for exhibitions and classes. In 1996, when the arts center bought the property, it was more of an aspiration than a sure thing.

"There was an ambition to grow," said Liz Reiss, the nonprofit's CEO. "They looked at a lot of properties in downtown Troy with the understanding the potential role the arts had in revitalizing Troy."

The price for six buildings? Just $155,000. The buildings were a wreck. In the mid-1990s, downtown Troy was full of empty storefronts, said Raona Roy, who led the center's move from its previous home in a mansion on Washington Park. The center, then called the Rensselaer County Council on the Arts, was outgrowing the building at 189 Second St. Income hung on classes, and they needed to expand class offerings, Roy said.

Roy said she toured just about every vacant building in Troy with a search committee and Joe Fama, then the director of TAP, a nonprofit design firm in Troy. The property the committee chose had housed Standard Furniture from the 1960s until the early 1980s. But malls drained away customers and the store went out of business. By the mid-1990s it had been empty for 10 years.

"One of the buildings could've been a mushroom farm," Roy said.

It took four years and substantial public funding to create a suitable space for the arts center. The budget doubled from $2.5 million to $5 million because renovation uncovered rotten support elements. Among the most ambitious projects inside was a black box theater, named for former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. It spans two buildings. An I-beam was installed to create support for the buildings, Roy said.

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

The entry space was created by removing a portion of the floor between the first and second stories of the building. Renovation also focused on the basement, where a network of classrooms was built. The roominess of the interconnected buildings allowed the center to meet fire code and install a kiln for firing pottery. The Center now has seven staffers and a roster of 100 faculty members. Four tenants rent spaces at the street level - T&J Handmade Soap at 271, Annick Designs at 269, Karma Hair Studio at 265 and the Museum Association of New York, also at 265.

The center's board of directors in the 1990s left renovation of the third and fourth floors for another time. The buildings are all structurally sound, but the upper floors remain empty. They hold little reminders of the past - the outline along a wall of where a staircase once was; the shape of a former roof line; and, pinned to a wall near a window, a list of phone numbers for the long-gone furniture salesmen. Occasionally, someone visits the center who remembers what the property was like in its former life.

"We had a woman tell us she bought her wedding set here," Reiss said.

Reiss and the center's current board of directors are planning to create a hotel in the upper floors of the building, a move to bring in more money for the mission and to create another public-facing evolution for the set of row buildings on River Street.
Civil rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde sought more time from the Supreme Court on Wednesday for surrendering to prison authorities in the Bhima Koregaon violence case citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Going to jail at the time of the COVID-19 virus is "virtually a death sentence", they said.

The apex court on March 16 had rejected anticipatory bail pleas of the activists, saying it cannot be said that no prima facie case is made out against them. It had however granted them three weeks to surrender themselves to the jail authorities.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra reserved the order on the plea of the activists after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the probe agency, said that this was only a mechanism to buy time and both the accused are facing serious charges.

The counsel for the accused said however that the activists are old having ailments and they be granted more time to surrender.

Earlier, the apex court, while dismissing the anticipatory bail pleas of Navlakha and Teltumbde, had said their petitions cannot be maintained in view of the bar contained in 43D(4) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

Section 43D(4) of the UAPA bars grant of anticipatory bail to a person accused of having committed an offence punishable under this Act.

"The special leave petitions are, accordingly, dismissed. However, since the protection has been enjoyed by the petitioners approximately for one-and-a-half years, three weeks time from today is granted to them to surrender. The petitioners shall surrender their passport forthwith with the investigation agency/officer," the bench had said.

Navlakha and Teltumbde had approached the apex court challenging the decision of the Bombay High Court by which it had refused to grant them anticipatory bail in the case.

The top court had on March 6 extended till March 16 the interim protection from arrest granted to both the activists.

The high court, while refusing to grant anticipatory bail to Navlakha and Teltumbde on February 14, had extended their interim protection from arrest for a period of four weeks to enable them to approach the apex court.

The high court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to Navlakha and Teltumbde saying, "On perusal of all the material on record, it can be seen that there is prima facie evidence showing complicity of applicants (Navlakha and Teltumbde) in the crime."



The high court, after perusing letters allegedly exchanged between the accused persons, had noted that Navlakha, Teltumbde and other accused like Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson and Sudha Bharadwaj prima facie had access to and connections with central committee members and leaders of the banned CPI(Maoist).

Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists have been booked by the Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links and several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. All the accused have denied the allegations.

According to Pune Police, "inflammatory" speeches and "provocative" statements made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 had triggered caste violence at Koregaon Bhima the next day. The police alleged that the conclave was backed by Maoists.

Teltumbde and Navlakha had approached the high court seeking pre-arrest bail in November last year after a sessions court in Pune had rejected their pleas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Life is going to look a lot different after this pandemic.

The first permanent change, and ironically what wed dub a welcome one: We can stop shaking hands.

As a society, just forget about shaking hands, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, in an interview Tuesday with Scott Thurman, Sinclair Broadcast Groups chief political correspondent. We dont need to shake hands. Weve got to break that custom.

What habit should *NOT* return in the futureeven after the #Coronavirus threat is minimized? #DrFauci tells me: pic.twitter.com/piQDQA1hqG  Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) April 7, 2020

Dr. Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, notes that the customary greeting is one of the major ways you can transmit a respiratory-borne illness, as reported by Business Insider.

(Side note: If we can get rid of the fake hug, thatd also be great.)

In its place: Possibly the fist bump, a greeting that could substantially reduce the transmission of infectious disease between individuals, as noted by a 2014 paper by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

Another option? The elbow tap, which some people seem to be taking to heart more than others. For real non-contact, however, National Geographic readers recently suggested everything from a Kiwi head nod to a Vulcan salute.

Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.

The post After the Pandemic We Should Stop Shaking Hands, Says Dr. Fauci appeared first on InsideHook.
At its very core, Judaism is community, and community service.

So when the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic threated the very foundation of the Baltimore Jewish community, religious leaders across the county rushed to find ways to stay connected.

This is an incredible moment of reinvention, a challenge like we have never seen and realities like we've never seen before. But our religion always teaches us that no matter what the circumstances: adapt, reinvent and then do something spectacular, said Rabbi Shmuel Silber, leader of the Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim in Pikesville, Maryland.

So our synagogue has kind of adopted [a saying of] physically apart but spiritually connected, he continued.

MORE: Stop & Shop offers half-price Uber rides for seniors to go grocery shopping

And we've used that as the mantra for everything. For praying together, learning together, helping our elderly and helping those who are isolated with acts of kindness, Silber said, adding that Baltimore hosts multiple organizations, like Ahavas Yisrael, that are dedicated to acts of kindness.

Sometimes, an act of kindness can be found in the simplest of places  a shopping cart, even.

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.

Since the pandemic exploded in America, several Baltimore synagogues have banded together and launched an initiative to protect those grocery shoppers who would be at risk due to older age or pre-existing conditions.

The initiative, run by 38-year-old Dovi Ziffer, gathers a dozen volunteers at one of the kosher supermarkets in town and sends them running around the stocked aisles with a shopping list in one hand and a shopping cart in the other.

PHOTO: After a busy day working as a gastroenterologist, Josh Rosenbloom is seen shopping for the at-risk population in Baltimore's kosher supermarket, Market Maven. (Becky Perlow / ABC News)

Between the bins of fresh fruit and the Passover food aisle, Dovi reiterates the rules to the volunteers and hands out the grocery lists. A few people ask questions, followed by a wave of screeching wheels as everyone heads in different directions. The volunteers weave through the aisles, pulling down cereal boxes, reaching for cartons of milk or sorting through the bushels of apples to find the best one.

Story continues

I try to pick as if Im picking for my own family, said volunteer Zevi Daniel as he reached for a shiny Honey Crisp apple.

Or as if my wife is scrutinizing this, he added with a laugh.

MORE: Online grocery services struggle to meet spike in demand

With his team spread out through the store, Ziffer stops to survey the land. Hes quick to note the precautions they are taking to keep both themselves and their community safe.

We are trying to come here late in the evening when we know there's not going to be a big crowd, said Ziffer, speaking behind a blue hospital mask in the baking aisle at Pikesvilles Market Maven.

We're wearing gloves, wearing masks, he added, continuing, and there's a clear vetting process that gives clear criteria for ensuring that our people are not immunocompromised, that they don't have seasonal allergies, that they are not living in a home with somebody whos 60 years old or that they are not traveling out of the state within the past 14 days.

Ziffers team isnt the only act of kindness in town, though.

After discovering that one of the local restaurants was struggling to make ends meet, community member Ari Gross sat down with some friends and colleagues to discuss how they as a community could help out their beloved deli, the Knish Shop. They decided to kill two birds with one stone  buy dozens of sandwiches from the deli, but then take those sandwiches and deliver them, free of charge, to the hardworking medical team at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.

Really within minutes, though, we had such an overwhelming response of people who wanted to be a part of it, said Gross, who believes its ingrained in people to give back.

PHOTO: Knish Shop owner Mosie Treuhaft is seen making tuna sandwich wraps that will later be donated to medical staff working in Sinai's emergency room in Baltimore, Maryland. (Becky Perlow / ABC News)

The owner of the Knish Shop, Mosie Treuhaft, said Gross idea couldnt have come at a better time.

Catering was a business we always thought was recession-proof, but we were wrong. COVID changed us, said Treuhaft, standing behind the deli counter making a tuna wrap.

Our main business was Bar Mitzvahs, weddings and business lunches and all that is now [coming to] a screeching halt, he added.

According to Gross, it costs about $1000 a day to feed the emergency rooms morning and night shifts.

Its just incredible. The communitys been unbelievable, added Treuhaft, thanking Gross not just for helping his business but also for taking care of those fighting the disease on the front line.

MORE: Coronavirus government response updates: Trump, Fauci confirm black communities especially hard hit

PHOTO: Medical staff at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, receive free lunches donated by Jewish community members. (Becky Perlow / ABC News)

But its not only the community helping the hospital  its also the medical staff helping the community.

Jamie Rubin, a nurse at Sinai Hospital, is part of a team that has been working with religious and community leaders to spread awareness about the novel coronavirus, and how individuals can protect themselves.

Anything from enhanced cleaning protocols to better access to hand-hygiene supplies, facilitating curbside delivery of goods and services like grocery stores, and even advice on how to limit the number of people that are allowed entry into public spaces, like the busy grocery stores, which are typically packed in these weeks leading up to Passover, Rubin said.

Another member of the advice team includes Dr. Jonathan Ringo, a Senior Vice President and COO at Sinai Hospital.

Sinai Hospital was established over 150 years ago by members of the Jewish community in Baltimore [so] the relationship between the Jewish community and Sinai has remained strong throughout its history, said Ringo, who added that members of his medical staff have also given advice on social distancing, the importance of closing synagogues, and even educational services.

One of those educational services includes a newly launched website, JCOVID.com. The online platform, Silber said, is helping to spread information about what the local Jewish community is doing to battle the deadly coronavirus, as well as ways people can volunteer.

Everything we do, even our religious institutions, must adhere to the protocol that Governor Hogan is giving us, said Silber.

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

In many respects, we've actually gone beyond the requirements. For example, technically speaking, we could hold prayer services of less than 10 people. We as a community have chosen not to, though, because we recognize that the best chance we have to flatten the curve is to be able to stop everything, he added.

So how does a community that can no longer pray together stay together?

We had a choice when we closed down our synagogue, said Silber.

Were coming up now on three weeks  we could just shut down operations, or we could figure out how to reinvent our community.

MORE: Lilly Pulitzer creates 27,500 mask covers in iconic prints for medical workers

For 13-year-old Betzalel Tusk, it meant making some last-minute changes to his coming-of-age ceremony.

My original Bar Mitzvah was supposed to be at the Knish Shop, which has a party room. And there were going to be like 60 people there with a DJ and a photographer, and all my friends would be there. And it was going to be a lot of fun, said Tusk, sitting on a couch in his familys home in Pikesville, Maryland.

Having studied and trained for over a year, Tusk was understandably disappointed when they had to change venues.

But I got over it and I thought that maybe there would be something else happening.

That something else? A virtual Bar Mitzvah on Zoom, a video conferencing platform.

PHOTO: Baltimore-based Betzalel Tusk celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on Zoom, a video conferencing platform. More than 150 attended the virtual religious ceremony. (Becky Perlow / ABC News)

Tusk said it was strange, reading his portion from the Torah in a room filled only with his immediate family members.

But there were over, like, 150 people there [too], said Tusk.

So many people were watching in, like people that I didn't even know, he added.

And it just made me feel amazing. And I'm just grateful to everyone who watched that.

His gratefulness didnt go unnoticed. Right as Rabbi Silber began his speech to those watching the Bar Mitzvah on Zoom, Tusk gently interrupted him.

The Bar Mitzvah boy said [to me], Rabbi Silber, can I just say one thing? I just want to thank everyone for coming to my bar mitzvah. So many of you don't even know me. But yet you're here to celebrate with me, said Silber, recalling Tusk on his Bar Mitzvah day.

I learned more from a 13-year-old boy in that moment, than I have learned from all of my teachers throughout my life, said Silber.

About the need for positive disposition, the need for optimism, the need for hope, and the need to make the best of your circumstances even if it's not what you expected.

Amid the coronavirus, how one Jewish community is finding ways to keep the faith originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
MANAGEMENT of Benchmark Production has been directed to pay 20m/-prize to the winner of the popular competitionBongo Star Search (BSS), Meshack Fukuto or risk having the competitions banned indefinitely.

This order was issued on Wednesday by the Deputy Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Juliana Shonza.

The deputy minister issued a one-month ultimatum to the company to ensure that it clears all the dues it owed the artiste or else, punitive measures will be executed.

The move came after Fukuto alias Meshamazing and his parents requested the ministry to intervene.

They argued that for the past few months, they have made efforts to press the company to fulfill their commitment as stated in the contract but such efforts ended up in vein.

Equally, Shonza summoned the top management of Benchmark Production to appear before the ministry to reveal details of their contracts with the artiste on how they were planning to manage and sponsor Fukuto in his career as an upcoming musician.

The deputy minister, who was the chief guest during the BSS finals on December 24th last year, expressed her dismay over reluctance by the company to offset the prize they pledged to provide to the top winner of the competitions.

According to Fukuto, Benchmark Production boss, Madam Rita Poulsen pledged to provide 50m/-award to the top winner, where as 20m/-was to be provided as a cash prize, while the remaining 30m/-would be spent in managing an artiste to produce his audio and video tracks for a period of one year.

However, Shonza said she was very disappointed that she was invited to grace the finals which she described as illegal as organisers failed to abide by the law by not providing an award to the overall winner.

She directed responsible authorities within the ministry to make sure that they make close supervision to companies that are coordinating such competitions to fulfill the requirement of the law.

When we demanded explanations from Madam Rita as to why her company was yet to offer the cash prize, she responded that she was still waiting to be paid by the main sponsor of the competitions, Star Media, but our inquiries found out that Star Media had cleared all the money as per their contract, she noted.
Spain entered its fourth week of confinement on Monday as the country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths relative to its population.

With 13,055 confirmed coronavirus fatalities, or 28 for every 100,000 inhabitants, Spain has already surpassed Italy in terms of the number of deaths compared to the population (not to the number of confirmed cases, which is the more common metric).

Authorities are now placing their hopes on the improving indicators coming out of the emergency rooms, where there has been a drop in the number of admitted patients. This is relieving the pressure on hospitals intensive care units, which have been overwhelmed with critical cases in recent weeks.

The way that you determine the cause of death, whether from the virus or from underlying diseases the patient may have had, also plays a role Pere Godoy, Spanish Epidemiology Society

The downward trend is supported by the overnight death toll, which was 637 on Monday, the lowest figure for a 24-hour period since March 24 (although Monday figures can be lower due to under-reporting during weekends). In any event, it was the fifth day of dwindling fatalities after the peak of April 2, when there were 950 deaths in a 24-hour period. Health Minister Salvador Illa has already described the pandemic as the worst health crisis of the past century.

So why are so many people in Spain dying from coronavirus complications compared with other countries?

An aging population with a high rate of underlying health issues, as well as the impact that the virus has had on senior homes, are some of the reasons, according to Pere Godoy, president of the Spanish Epidemiology Society.

The way that you determine the cause of death, whether from the virus or from underlying diseases the patient may have had, also plays a role. This is not being done the same way across different countries, and it makes comparisons less reliable, notes Godoy.

It is possible that our early detection effort has lagged behind that of other countries like Germany or South Korea Jose Maria Martin Moreno, Valencia University

Jose Maria Martin Moreno, a professor of medicine and public health at Valencia University, adds another factor to the combination of demographics and counting methodology.

It is possible that our early detection effort has lagged behind that of other countries like Germany or South Korea, which conducted mass testing that enabled them to isolate infected people and stop the transmission chains, he says. This early detection may have prevented the virus from reaching particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

Adding to the problem is the fact that not enough investment has been made in public healthcare in recent years, adds this expert.

Densely populated areas

Jesus Rodriguez Bano, head of the infectious disease department at Virgen Macarena Hospital in Seville, underscores two other issues.

Studies still need to be done, but probably it also has something to do with the way we interact socially, with greater physical proximity, he says. And the fact that the worst-hit areas are Madrid and Catalonia shares something with northern Italy: these are all densely populated areas.

It is true that more tests and greater isolation could have stopped the chain of transmission before reaching the more vulnerable groups. But I want to be very humble here, because in a way, we all got it wrong during the first stages, he adds. Its easy to see things clearly in hindsight, but this should teach us to learn and analyze what happened.

Tests and gear

Minister Illa has stated that the government allocated 845 million in the space of three weeks to purchase testing kits, ventilators and masks. We have achieved a regular and permanent supply [...] as a complement to regional governments own purchases, he said.

According to the health minister, the one million rapid tests that are being distributed by his department among regional authorities will serve to conduct quick screenings that can later be backed up by the slower but more reliable PCR tests inside labs.

As for the recommendation that everyone use a face mask, Illa said that this is a measure that is currently being analyzed, but no decision has been made. In any case, national production is being activated.

English version by Susana Urra.
Slashing Red Tape Speeds Up CCP Virus Response; May Prompt More Permanent Deregulation

Commercial truckers hauling essential medical and food supplies were freed from federal rules restricting their driving time when President Donald Trump declared a CCP virus national emergency on March 13.

This declaration will help Americas commercial drivers get these critical goods to impacted areas faster and more efficiently, said Jim Mullen, acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in a statement the day of Trumps declaration.

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) hailed the decision because, the group stated, such rules impose a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to regulation where bureaucrats in Washington mandate when drivers must take a break from driving, rather than relying on professional drivers to make that decision for themselves.

The trucking decision was just one of nearly 200 examples of state and federal regulations that have been relaxed in recent weeks as officials coping with the pandemic bypassed time-consuming red tape to get ventilators, face masks, virus tests, and other desperately needed resources.

Perhaps nowhere was the need for such bypassing illustrated more vividly than in Seattle, Washington, when the illness first gained presence in the United States.

COVID-19 spread because public health officials in Seattle werent allowed to act immediately, Common Good Chairman Philip K. Howard told The Epoch Times on April 8.

They had to sit on their hands for three weeks while they got permission from agencies in Washington to do what was obvious, which was to begin testing people right away and begin to contain the virus, Howard said.

Howard, author of Try Common Sense published in 2019 and the best-seller The Death of Common Sense in 1995, also pointed out that regional medical schools and hospitals werent allowed to develop their own tests unless they got approvals that took more weeks.

Officials were forced to thread the eye of the Washington needle before anybody could act and, in this case, it had tragic consequences, as thousands of people have died, he said.

Dozens of bureaucratic obstacles have been moved aside. At latest count, according to ATR, 193 state and federal rules have been relaxed or waived due to the pandemic.

Among the pandemics long-term consequences may be a shift in the Overton Window, an analytical concept developed in 1995 by Joseph Overton, a vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The Overton Window covers the range of policy options that are widely supported by the public. Options outside of the window exist, but officials are reluctant to endorse them.

But public opinion shifts over time, so the Overton Window moves as well, and ATRs Grover Norquist thinks the response to the pandemic is one such time.

We have certainly opened the Overton Window and shown folks that allowing medical professionals to move quickly and seamlessly across state lines is safe and useful, Norquist told The Epoch Times on April 7.

I believe that one will become permanent and lead to further relaxation of state occupational licensing, he said, adding that, heck, if you can do it for doctors, why not hair-dressers, barbers, real estate agents?

Norquist was referring to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azars decision to temporarily waive federal requirements that health care providers, including doctors, be separately licensed in every state in which they may practice.

Clyde Wayne Crews of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is also tracking regulatory relief being implemented due to the pandemic. As the author of CEIs annual compendium, 10,000 Commandments, Crews is among the nations top experts on the cost of government regulation. He estimated that the hidden tax of federal regulation cost the nation $1.9 trillion in 2019.

Crews believes the time may be ripe for more systematic efforts to make permanent many of the temporary waivers and modifications, possibly by way of creation of a congressional commission.

There can be some real impetus to do a commission in the wake of this health crisis because now theres an economic crisis on our hands, too, and a commission is a way to deal with that, plus its already bipartisan, Crews told The Epoch Times on April 8.

Howard notes that the negative results of burdensome regulators is felt far beyond the health care sector of the economy.

In fact, teachers and doctors and nurses and business managers experience this every day, where a teacher is not allowed to maintain order in the classroom because we have a system that is so imbued with distrust that we require practically a legal trial to get the disruptive kid out of the classroom, Howard said.

Weve created a system that is so obsessed with avoiding error that it doesnt allow success, he said. Weve institutionalized failure in the name of doing things correctly. We have people tip-toeing through the day instead of being Americans and solving problems.

Howard contends the nations regulatory approach should instead be based on a premise he calls guided discretion, which has a presumptive rule that youre allowed to violate the rule or act differently in certain circumstances.

A foster care program social worker wouldnt, for example, be told specifically how to handle certain situations but could deviate as long as they can explain and justify their actions, he said.

Howard sees an opportunity to move in that direction in the present crisis through creation in the White House of a recovery authority with power to slash wasteful and unneeded regulations throughout the economy.

Regulation is no different from the rest of human affairs. It requires judgment to be sensible, and weve tried to create an automatic system where everything is laid out, and it happens to be paralytic, Howard said.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
Period January  March

Order bookings increased by 7 percent to MSEK 203 (195).

However, the current order backlog is not expected to generate equivalent sales since several orders most likely will been cancelled or moved forward because of COVID-19.

Revenue expressed in SEK decreased by 13 percent to MSEK 155 (178).

Revenue adjusted for currency effects amounted to MSEK 150 (178), i.e. an underlying organic decrease by 16 percent.

The operating profit amounted to MSEK 11.8 (15.1), adjusted for termination costs for the CEO of MSEK 2.8.

The operating profit, including termination costs, amounted to MSEK 9.0 (15.1).

Profit for the period amounted to MSEK 5.8 (11.0).

Earnings per share amounted to SEK 0.51 (0.97).

Significant events during the quarter

Revenue was negatively affected during the quarter by the Chinese New Year, which this year fell at the beginning of February and which was succeeded by the COVID-19 pandemic which virtually closed China.

Deliveries from and to customers in China were resumed at the end of March.

At the end of March all of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan were closed due to COVID-19.

Accounting in accordance with IFRS 16 affected the balance sheet total and interestbearing liabilities by MSEK 54. Refer to Note 3 for a detailed description of its effects.

On March 4 CEO, Claes af Wetterstedt, resigned at his own request and Krister Magnuson (CFO for 12 years back) assumed the position as acting CEO.

Termination costs amounting to MSEK 2.8 in connection with the termination of the CEO were charged to the quarter.

Nilorn has and will use the temporarily redundancy funded by governments and re-negotiate agreements where possible to minimize the fixed costs.

Effects attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will have considerable impact on the demand for the Companys products.

It is very difficult to judge if this major impact is of a short-term nature, i.e. a number of months of the effect, or if the effect will be of a more long-term nature.

We monitor the development closely and take continuous measures to limit the adverse effects on the company.

Story continues

Events after the balance sheet date

The Board of Directors proposes no dividend for the 2019 financial year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Krister Magnusson, President & CEO

Mobile: +46-704 85 21 14

E-mail: krister.magnusson@nilorn.com

This information is information that Nilorngruppen is under obligation to publish in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information herein was provided by the contact person named below for publication at 08:00 a.m., 7 April 2020.

Attachment
His parents both tested positive. His dad has recovered, while his mom is in intensive care at Methodist Hospitals with an unrelated illness, he said. Both had underlying health conditions. He wasnt sure if he could have given them the virus since he didnt have symptoms, he said. Neither had respiratory symptoms, Walker said.
The number of Tablighi Jamaat meet



attendees testing positive for coronavirus continued to rise in the southern states with Tamil Nadu alone reporting 42 more new cases on Wednesday.

As many as 679 of the total 738 positive cases in Tamil Nadu were returnees from the religious event held in Delhi last month and their contacts, officials said.

In Karnataka, a total of 808 Jamaat workers have been placed under mandatory quarantine, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said as he asserted his government was working "beyond its strength" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

As regards Kerala, of the nine fresh cases reported on Wednesday, two were Jamaat meet participants.

A total of 212 people from Kerala had took part in the Talbligi meeting and of them 15, including the new two cases, have tested positive, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Of the 48 new cases reported in Tamil Nadu, a total of 42, including a Malaysian national, were connected to the Delhi event, which has become the biggest hotspot for the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

According to the government, of the total 738 positive cases, as on Wednesday 679 people were those who attended "single source event at Delhi and their contacts."



A total of 1,716 samples of those who took part in the event and their contacts have been sent for testing so far in the state.

With the rise in the number of cases, Tamil Nadu has been expanding its testing footprint and as of now it has 12 labs in government and 7 in private sectors with more likely to be added in the coming days.

The state government has been appealing to people who attended the event and their contacts to come forward to approach the health authorities so that they could be tested and treated in the event of them turning positive.

In Karnatka, more than 1,300 people had attended the congregation last month and information regarding all of them had been collected, Yediyurappa said in an interview to PTI.

"...276 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have been identified in Bengaluru and have been kept in quarantine...482 Jamaat workers have been identified in different parts of Karnataka; total 808 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have mandatorily been kept in quarantine in the state" Yediyurappa said.

He said 581 other jamaat workers now in other states have been identified and the respective states informed about them.

Besides, as many as 57 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonging to foreign countries have travelled to various parts of Karnataka such as Bidar, Belagavi, Tumakuru and Bengaluru, they have been identified and quarantined, he added.

FIRs have been registered against them with a direction to blacklist them for violating visa norms, he said.

"Twenty are from Indonesia, one the United Kingdom, four from South Africa, three from Gambia, 19 from Kyrgyzstan, one USA, one France, one Kenya and seven from Bangladesh," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Williamstown Commons COVID-19 Casualties Rise

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit Williamstown Commons hard, with a total of 12 deaths reported as of Tuesday.

The total number of deaths in the state jumped to 356 with 96 new deaths reported from over the weekend and Monday. The total for Berkshire County is now 18, two-thirds of those from Williamstown Commons.

The numbers have risen sharply since the first death reported at the long-term care and rehabilitation center on March 29. Thirty-three residents have now tested positive. A second facility in the Berkshire Healthcare family, Fairview Commons in Great Barrington, also has turned up five COVID-19 positive cases.

The nursing home began instituting guidelines from the Department of Public Health along with other long-term care facilities on March 13, including prohibiting visitors. Staff are being temperature checked on arrival and assessed for symptoms. Anyone with a temperature of 100.3 or higher, or even a sore throat, is being sent home, asked to isolate and contact their doctor, said Lisa Gaudet, Berkshire Healthcare's vice president, business development and marketing.

Gaudet said the facility had received a shipment of test swabs on Sunday night after state Rep. John Barrett III had strongly advocated with the Department of Public Health to begin testing there after the first deaths were reported.

The cases at Fairview Commons were uncovered after DPH had selected the 180-facility as a possible "step down" care center in preparation of a surge in the novel coronavirus cases over the next few weeks.

"On Friday, the Department of Public Health was looking to set up COVID recovery centers. And so they had asked us to stand up Fairview Commons as such a center because it had, at the time, no active cases, was considered a full clean building with sufficient capacity," Gaudet said.

Every resident was tested on Friday but results that came back on Monday indicated five positive cases although the residents showed no symptoms of the virus.

Long-term care facilities have been particularly susceptible for COVID-19 outbreaks because residents -- older, frailer and with existing health issues -- are far more vulnerable to the highly contagious disease.

On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said the state is working on mobile, accessible testing to augment any on-site testing capacity.

"Over the past several days, Massachusetts has launched a robust testing program for our seniors to do on-site tests at our nursing homes," Baker said at his daily update that also announced an infusion of $800 million for community hospitals and other care centers. "It's not only a faster way to test, also presented seniors who may be fragile or ill for other reasons, from being disrupted or having to be brought to a hospital or an outside health-care facility."

So far about 100 facilities out of nearly 1,000 long-term care, assisted living and rehabilitation and rest homes have been visited. There are about 400 long-term care facilities with nearly a third reporting at least one case.

Sudders said state health officials will also be investigating hot spots as part of the move toward testing and tracing to contain the spread of COVID-19.

"So one of the things we are doing a deeper dive on is sort of the regional percentages of COVID-19, and looking at nursing homes, and other places, having to look in the Berkshires, of course, where we had the first community spread," she said.

Rural Berkshire, Franklin and Hampden counties have the highest COVID-19 cases per capita in the state. At one point, Berkshire County (as Pittsfield metro) was listed as one of highest in the nation per capita.

The Department of Public Health has been supportive of the nursing home, Gaudet said, especially as the knowledge about how the disease operates is continually changing.

"I think we feel that they have been responsive. They have been helpful. They have stayed in good communication with us particularly when we have had these situations with positive cases," she said. "They have tried to do what they can to support us."

The deaths are taking an emotional toll not only on families but people who are daily caring for these residents, Gaudet said.

"These are people who we know their families. We know their life stories. We see them day in and day out. The caregivers are extremely attached to these residents. And so the emotional toll that this is taking on them ... ," she said. "We've been fortunate particularly here in the Berkshires with very supportive communities and that's a real blessing."

People have been dropping off donations, bringing cards and letters to residents and putting out signs on the lawns supporting caregivers, Gaudet said.

"I think that's probably indicative of the people who live here, just a testament to how people are understanding that this is so hard for families and for their loved ones and also for the caregivers."
He won hearts as a loveable larrikin on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia.

And on Wednesday, Ryan Gallagher was joking around again, introducing fans to his new 'girlfriend' after his split with co-star Charlotte Crosby.

On Instagram, Ryan shared a photo of himself smiling cheekily, next to a goat in an orange wig.

'Meet Jenny': On Wednesday, I'm A Celebrity's Ryan Gallagher (right) jokingly introduced fans to his new 'girlfriend' Jenny (left)

'Being on a property during isolation with no female contact is hard, meet Jenny we are now seeing each other,' he jokingly captioned the post.

The image was taken on his parent's farm, just outside of Goulburn, New South Wales, were Ryan is isolating during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ryan assists his father Bob, who has Parkinson's disease and his mother Vickie, who is fighting breast cancer, placing them in the 'at risk' category during the outbreak.

Helping hand: Ryan is isolating at his parent's farm, near Goulburn, New South Wales, during the coronavirus pandemic, where he helps out his father Bob, who has Parkinson's disease and his mother Vickie (pictured), who is fighting breast cancer

It comes after Ryan's former girlfriend, Geordie shore star Charlotte, 29, confirmed last week the pair are no longer in contact.

Speaking to Studio 10 via video link last week, the British star confessed: 'I don't think Ryan really likes us as a person anymore'.

'I did try quite a lot to speak with him the last time I was in Australia but he kind of just, ignored us,' she added.

'He's ignoring me!' Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby (pictured), revealed she's had a nasty falling out with Ryan Gallagher during an interview with Studio 10 last week

Shocked at the news, host Joe Hildebrand interjected: 'I thought you guys were still friends?'

'Well so did I,' Charlotte responded, adding: 'But it turns out that didn't happen.'

'I think we both had mutual feelings for each other, and I did try so much. I tried to text him - I think I texted him about eight times,' she alleged.

Ryan and Charlotte split shortly after the last season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia wrapped.
There were wealthy career women and stay-at-home mums; wives of politicians and surgeons, and asylum-seekers reliant on food banks.

Aged from their 20s to their 70s, they often had little in common except one thing: they had all been abused by their partners.

Meeting up for counselling at the charity Womans Trust provided a much-needed respite. The women would hug. There was that warmth and connection of getting out to where they were safe, says Beth Thompson, the therapist who ran support groups for up to 50 women a week.

Since the coronavirus lockdown began on March 23, however, the Womans Trust centre in West London has been closed. The meetings have gone online  helpful for women who have left violent relationships but little use for those still living with abusers, who cant escape to log on and have lost a vital lifeline to the outside world. They are trapped with the person who abuses them, says Thompson. Its like torture.

Experts who offer support to victims of domestic abuse, revealed the difficulty of continuing amid lockdown. Pictured: Kelly Fitzgibbons and her daughters who were found dead in a suspected murder/suicide in West Sussex

If they want support, they must risk the wrath of violent partners who monitor their every move.

Its almost impossible for them to get in touch, says Thompson, who is trying desperately to help by working remotely. Theyll email or text to say they are struggling. They may have to go for a walk to call me from outside. I always ask: Is it safe? Is there anyone in the room? Sometimes its a stilted conversation, where I ask a question and they reply yes or no.

If I felt a woman was in danger and having to whisper, Id have to say: Lets terminate the call. Our primary concern is safety.

For abused women, being put under virtual house arrest gives an already traumatic home life a terrifying twist.

People say: At least you get to bunker down with your family. And that is a lovely thing  if youve got a loving family, says Thompson, who is in her 40s. Being isolated with your perpetrator is a nightmare that can make women feel different and ashamed.

Research shows that when households are under strain, incidents of domestic violence increase. Perpetrators may have lost jobs or have financial stresses, says Thompson. They may be drinking more, which massively increases an already stressful environment.

According to UN Women, a global organisation for womens rights, activists have reported a surge in domestic violence in China, where a coronavirus lockdown began in January. Some police stations had three times as many reports of domestic violence in February compared with that month last year.

Domestic abuse charity Refuge, revealed they've experienced a 25 per cent increase in calls to their helpline. Pictured: Robert Needham, 42, who was found dead with his partner, Kelly Fitzgibbons, and two young daughters in West Sussex

In Britain, the charity Refuge says calls to its helpline have risen by 25 per cent since lockdown began.

Stories that may be linked to domestic violence in lockdown have already emerged. On Saturday, March 28, a man was charged with having committed Britains first self-isolation murder, after his 67-year-old wife was found dead at their home in South Wales.

Just a day later, a man was arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was stabbed to death in South Yorkshire. On the same day, Robert Needham, 42, was found dead with his partner, Kelly Fitzgibbons, and two young daughters in a suspected murder/suicide at their home in Woodmancote, West Sussex.

I think well see an increase in suicide, says Thompson. The women I speak to dont see the point in going on.

Refuge says its staff are working round the clock to keep services open. It suggests abused women keep their mobile phone charged and with them, and try  as best they can  to avoid areas that might contain potential weapons (such as the kitchen and garage).

Other campaigners have written to ask hotel chains to give unoccupied rooms to abuse victims.

Hannah Martin, 47, from Worthing, West Sussex, who was once in an abusive marriage says women in isolation don't have a place for safety (file image)

Home Secretary Priti Patel has reminded sufferers that refuges are still open  though some women may hesitate to use them.

Ive heard there are women thinking about returning to the perpetrator because of the fear of living in communal accommodation with Covid-19, says Lucy Hadley, of the charity Womens Aid.

Hadley stresses that the charity is still open, though with many local services shifting support online.

Even those who have taken the first steps towards freedom may return to the abusive relationship now they are stuck at home.

Karen Holden, managing partner at legal practice A City Law Firm, says she has been asked by women in volatile marriages to stop divorce proceedings, even though courts are still  this week, at least  conducting telephone divorce hearings.

One of the hallmarks of an abuser is their ability to manipulate their partner into thinking they cant escape. And in the current climate, that is easier than ever.

Women in isolation have no place of safety, nobody to hug and no respite from the abuse, says Hannah Martin, 47, from Worthing, West Sussex, who was in an abusive marriage between 2001 and 2006.

With external support harder to come by, a skilled abuser may present a facade of comfort, says Hannah. An abuser will often charm their victim between episodes of violence  and right now, these women are more in danger of going back.

Gemma Evans, 37, who is an ambassador for Womens Aid, has been told by three women that their abuse has got worse since lockdown (file image)

For those hoping to bring criminal proceedings against a partner, or who have done so and now rely on the justice system to keep them safe, the situation is even worse. All criminal trials have now been put on hold.

And even getting to the phone to report violence may now be impossible. Victims are frightened of being seen at their computer or on their phone, says Gemma Evans, 37, an ambassador for Womens Aid, whose independent Facebook support group for victims has 500 members. Since lockdown, she has noticed a dramatic fall in public activity.

Instead, women have started contacting her directly at erratic hours  and those messages are increasingly fraught. You have to make sense of what they are saying. Theyre on edge and frightened.

Three women have already told her their abuse has got worse since lockdown, with perpetrators losing their jobs and taking it out on the victim.

Gemma adds: One woman is a key worker. While shes at work shes worried because her children are with her partner. Hes never done anything to them before, but he has to her . . . its all very well saying make sure the children are safe, but shes got to make sure theres still money coming in.

Gemma says the internet cant replicate face-to-face counselling  and many women are also being robbed of the solace of their careers, which may feel like the one place where they can salvage some control over their lives.

Its a toxic cocktail of circumstances that poses a very real threat to womens safety  and their lives.

Hed kick me off the bed  I still have the bruises

Being trapped at home with an abuser puts victims at great risk. Here, one woman in her 30s tells how she spent two weeks in lockdown with a violent partner, before fleeing for her own safety. She is now staying with relatives.

A couple of policemen stood on the doorstep of the flat I shared with my boyfriend to ask their list of dark questions.

Among them: Are you pregnant? Has he threatened to use weapons against you? Are you scared of him?

Id heard these questions before, after a big row at the start of this year. It had turned violent  the first time hed hit me in our year-long relationship  and Id called the police.

That time, they had come inside and kept my partner in a separate room while I gave my answers. My boyfriend was arrested and spent the night in a cell. But Id asked for the charges to be dropped after the officer in charge (a man) suggested heavily that it wouldnt get anywhere in court: my word against his.

One woman in her thirties, revealed she became afraid of her partner as arguments escalated and the police was called by neighbours (file image)

This second time, two months later, it was our neighbours who had called police. But now we were in lockdown, so the officers couldnt step over the threshold  and as they asked their questions, I knew my boyfriend was listening to every word.

I lied and said no to everything, and the police left.

In truth, our arguments had escalated and I was scared  of him, and of who I was becoming. We are both professionals in our 30s and Id never experienced anything like this before.

But lockdown meant our options were slim. We rented an expensive one-bedroom flat, but the landlord wouldnt let us leave our contract early, despite knowing about the arrest.

We were also still in love, or something was convincing us we were. Love, Ive learned, can have a devastating delusional sway.

You remember the person they were in the beginning. Hed bought me flowers, told me he loved me more than anyone hed ever met, wanted to discuss marriage and kids. He said hed never done that with anyone else, that this was different.

That was the excuse we used when things got bad, too. We were different; this was different. It had to work.

We did break up for a few weeks after he was arrested, and he left the home we share  but came back the day after the lockdown announcement, saying he had nowhere else to go.

The woman recalls her abuser hiding the WiFi box when they weren't getting on, spitting on her face and calling her a 'whore' (file image)

Id enjoyed being there on my own. It was lonely but I could work, as he wasnt there to unplug and hide the WiFi box when we werent getting on. No one spat in my face or called me a whore. Before, if we werent getting on, hed pour drinks over my food or not let me use items hed bought (even though we shared the food shopping).

Once he had come back, I was shocked to realise how unapologetic he was for assaulting me. Instead, he expected me to comfort him for being arrested.

Once lockdown started, I couldnt go to stay with my parents, or rely on friends to give me a bed for the night.

Going out once a day for a walk isnt enough to cool things down when you argue all day and night. If I tried, and he let me leave the house, Id return to find him wanting to carry on the talk (which meant argue).

Ive never been intimidated by a man before  Im tall, strong, confident  but it was frightening. After I threw half a glass of water at him in anger, he held me down and poured another over my head. He wouldnt let me sleep in the bed if wed had a row, and if I tried, hed kick me off.

I still have fingerprint bruises on my arms and theres a pear-sized, greeny-blue bruise on my back, too.

The anonymous woman who is now staying with relatives, said she got away from her abuser after seeing domestic violence reports on the news (file image)

He hurt himself, too  and that was my fault, he said. Seeing someone repeatedly box himself in the face is shocking, the first time. By the end, I was used to it.

But the situation was making me feel weaker and also causing explosive bouts of anger. I lost my cool twice after being screamed and spat at and penned in the corner of rooms.

That feeling of being trapped  both in a tight space with him shouting at me, and more widely because of lockdown  unhinged something in me. I hit him several times trying to get past him, and he threw me over the coffee table. It shocked us both.

After two weeks of lockdown, I knew I had to leave. I hadnt gone sooner because I didnt want to carry the coronavirus back to family members, especially as my dad is in his 70s.

A lot of trains were cancelled and there was talk of 600 fines for unnecessary travel. But domestic violence reports on the news, and the fears of my friends, began to prove to me that it was necessary travel: I wasnt safe.

The relief when I finally got away  Im now staying with relatives  was overwhelming.

Some names in this article have been changed.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womanstrust.org.uk, womensaid.org.uk or refuge.org.uk.
A total of 808 Tablighi Jamaat



workers have been placed under mandatory quarantine in Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Wednesday, as he asserted his government was working "beyond its strength" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

More than 1,300 people from the state had attended the congregation of the jamaat in Delhi last month and information regarding all of them had been collected, he said in an interview to PTI.

Tablighi-Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi has turned out to be the hotbed of COVID-19 spread in the country with several people who attended it and their contacts testing positive for coronavirus.

"...276 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have been identified in Bengaluru and have been kept in quarantine...482 Jamaat workers have been identified in different parts of Karnataka; total 808 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have mandatorily been kept in quarantine in the state" Yediyurappa said.

He said 581 other jamaat workers now in other states have been identified and the respective states informed about them.

Besides, as many as 57 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonging to foreign countries have travelled to various parts of Karnataka such as Bidar, Belagavi, Tumakuru and Bengaluru, they have been identified and quarantined, he added.

FIRs have been registered against them with a direction to blacklist them for violating visa norms, he said.

"Twenty are from Indonesia, one the United Kingdom, four from South Africa, three from Gambia, 19 from Kyrgyzstan, one USA, one France, one Kenya and seven from Bangladesh," he said.

The Chief Minister reiterated that no one should target any particular community for the spread of virus.

"No one should do it (blame), we are taking actions against certain people, booking cases (against those evading tests and spreading virus), unnecessarily making such comments will lead to relationship getting spoiled, don't give opportunity to it. This is my request," he said.

Yediyurappa was responding to comments by certain sections, including his party members, targeting a particular community, despite his warning that action would be taken against those blaming an entire community for isolated incidents.

Stating that his government was working beyond its strength to stop the spread of COVID-19in the state, the Chief Minister said, We have taken strong measures to implement the lockdown.

"We have seized 28,000 vehicles in the state, in Bengaluru alone 18,000 vehicles, 1,670 people were arrested, 1091 FIR has been booked, Rs 40 lakh fine has been collected," he said.

Regarding medical equipment, he said, whether it is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kits or N95 masks or triple layer masks or rapid COVID-19 test kits, we have given orders for it, we have sufficient stock also.

Highlighting measures taken by his government for poor, daily wage workers and needy like supply of food and food grains, deposits into bank accounts of construction labourers among other things, Yediyurappa said, many big organisations, NGOs and industrialists have come forward to help.

Asked whether there was fear of COVID-19 entering third stage (community transmission), he said, "we are discussing with experts... as of now it is under control in our state, but most experts believe that it may increase in April end and May first week. We are keeping watch."



He also said things were not completely in government's hand and people should cooperate by maintaining social distance and staying at home.

"This is the only medicine," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As Manmohan Singh was discharged from the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in the national capital on Tuesday morning, doctors and hospital staff cheered and clapped from him. And naturally so!

This 73-year-old managed to defeat the dreaded coronavirus despite his advanced age and co-morbid ailments such as cardiac problem and high cholesterol which are being considered to be the two biggest risk factors for death.

According to the statistics available, a majority of the patients who have succumbed to COVID-19 so far were senior citizens or those with co-morbidity.

A resident of south Delhi, Singh was admitted to the hospital on April 1 after complaining of difficulty in breathing and high blood pressure.

According to the hospital authorities, he was kept in the intensive care unit for days. The septuagenarian has now fully recovered, according to hospital sources.

However, he would have to remain in quarantine at home for at least 14 days as a precautionary measure and maintain strict hygiene.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain was present when Singh was discharged from the Delhi government-run hospital.

So far, 20 Coronavirus positive patients in Delhi have been discharged after getting fully cured.
An engineer was arrested for attacking his wife at their south Dublin home after an off-duty garda intervened and disarmed him, a court has heard.

Franck Lamour, 52, of Bird Avenue, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, was charged with assault causing harm and production of a kitchen knife with a three-inch blade during an incident at his home on Tuesday.

The two charges can result in sentences of up to five years.

The French father-of-two appeared before Judge John Cheatle at Dublin District Court today.

Detective Garda Alan Conlon objected to bail. It was alleged the defendant repeatedly struck the injured partys face causing bruising to her face.

It was alleged he had had his hands around her throat which caused bruising and restricted her breathing

An off-duty garda was alerted, he said.

The garda intervened and disarmed the accused and after he allegedly found him threatening the injury party with a knife in the kitchen of the house, it was alleged.

Detective Garda Conlon said there may be further charges.

Threats were made to the woman who stated she was in fear for her life.

Mr Lamour has lived in Ireland since November. He and his wife moved here after she got a job here.

Counsel for Mr Lamour said his client was not working but had the funds to get alternative accommodation in a hotel.

The defence argued that he could be granted bail with strict terms.

The detective garda agreed that the man had never been before the court before and said it appeared this was result of deterioration in living circumstances.

Mr Lamour told the court that there had never been problems in 25 years of marriage. He said he understood that he would have to obey bail conditions and stay away from his home address.

With the aid of an interpreter, he told Judge Cheatle he could stay in a hotel.

He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cloverhill District Court next Wednesday.

The bond was set at 1,000, of which half must be lodged, with conditions.

He must provide gardai with his alternative address and he has to stay out of the south side of Dublin. He also has to provide gardai with a contact phone number.

Legal aid was granted.
In a bid to spread awareness about the novel coronavirus, police departments across the country are resorting to innovative ways. From wearing corona helmets to singing to the public, police have left no stone unturned in keeping the audience entertained as well as informed.

Recently, in an interesting move, the police department in Uttarakhands Haridwar came up with a creative solution to explain the importance of staying home. a policeman dressed up as Yamaraj to spread awareness about COVID-19 and social distancing norms. The Yamaraj, i/e the Hindu God of death, appeals to the people to stay at home and take necessary precautions.

#WATCH Uttarakhand: Police are spreading awareness about #Coronavirus in Haridwar through an artist dressed up as 'Yamraj', who is appealing to the people to stay at home and take necessary precautions. (07.04.2020) pic.twitter.com/141egK6ruh  ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2020

Besides, the artist also advises them to wear a mask whenever they have to step outside to buy essential goods such as food or medicine. Senthil Avoodai K Raj, senior superintendent of police, Haridwar, told HT that the artist has been working with the police for the last two days. We have been trying our best to implement the lockdown in a proper manner with the help of various measures. And we came out with the idea take help of an artist dressed up as Yamraja, a symbol of death, to spread awareness among the public about the deadly virus, he said.



This innovative approach by the police didnt go unnoticed on social media. Check out some of the reactions of people on social media here:

      Raees Khan Mehar (@Raeesmehar86) April 7, 2020

Sahi h.

Apne ghar pe raho vrna fir yamraj apne sth apne ghar lejayege :D :D  Saumya mishra (@Saumyamiishra) April 7, 2020

Asli awareness danda lekar ayetho sbko pata chalega  ZindaPakdnaSaaleko (@NorthKorean4) April 7, 2020

Ek bhains bhi de detey....logo ko real waali feeling aati  Team_SCB ## Mishti Bannerjee (@Mishti67234159) April 7, 2020

Points for Creativity   Mansi Arora (@Mansi_Arora_) April 7, 2020

             Devmani Pathak () (@ShriRamaWorld) April 7, 2020

Great initiative.... Thanks you Indian Police  Tejas (@pm_tejas) April 7, 2020

The best part about this whole concept is that the artist delivers awareness messages in complete Yamrajs style on a public announcement system, which has garnered a lot of attention from the general public. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section below.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 12:21:36|Editor: huaxia

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HEFEI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Kangmei Chinese medicinal material price index, a barometer of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) material market, remained flat at 1,293.75 points Wednesday.

Covering more than 500 TCM materials including herbs and minerals from six major markets nationwide, the closely-watched index reflects the overall price trend in the country's TCM material market. It is released daily by Kangmei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, one of China's major TCM companies.

The index was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission of China in 2012 to offer more timely and accurate reference for TCM material growers, traders and pharmaceutical companies.

Traditional Chinese medicines, often given as oral liquid, granule and pills, typically use the combination of a number of medicinal materials, mostly herbs, to address health problems.
Citywide, Oakland, SoMa

Sydney Palmer (left) and Jeanne Henzel-Swartz assemble disposable face shields at Joona Fabriculture in Alameda. | Photo: Maurice Ramirez



On Thursday morning, two tons of rolled sheet plastic arrived at a warehouse in Alameda. By the end of the weekend, it had become 16,000 plastic face shields  a critical tool for frontline medical workers in the fight against COVID-19.

That remarkable turnaround is entirely owed to self-organization by Bay Area makers, who have transformed maker spaces, universities, fabrication shops and almost anyone with their own sewing machine, CNC machine or 3D printer into an ad-hoc corps of medical supply manufacturers.

Self-organized through Facebook groups and Slack teams, something like a distributed factory is emerging in the Bay Area  seeking scale, efficiency, raw materials and funding, with every maker space or fabrication lab filling the most effective niche it can.

Mylla Truong (left) and Vince Stevenson work to distribute donated PET sheets for face shields. | Photo: Maurice Ramirez



One key organizer of the effort is Danny Beesley, the co-founder of the advanced manufacturing program at Peralta Community College District, along with several fabrication labs in schools across the East Bay.

Working with a team of former students and volunteers recruited from social media, he's been rapidly piecing together infrastructure for mass production of masks and face shields from spare parts, holding daily Zoom meetings and coordinating efforts across multiple projects and dozens of teams.

He feels like he's spent nine months scaling a small manufacturing startup. In reality, he says, it's only been about 10 days.

This is chaos. It's a substantially higher level of chaos, but we're used to that.

Rick Rothbard, who manages the fabrication lab at Laney College originally founded by Beesley, said that many people across the Bay Area maker community turned to making personal protective equipment (PPE) when the outbreak started.

A lot of us either lost our jobs, or our jobs have changed significantly, he said. "So a lot of people had the same logical idea, which was, 'We can do something about this.'"

Story continues

With Laney's campus shuttered by the shelter-in-place order, Rothbard and his colleagues Mark Martin and Lenny Williams had just four hours of shop time to look at a mask design provided by Martins wife, redraw it in CAD, and make modifications.

"Every second, we were working on it," he said. "No breaks, no lunch."

His is just one of the Bay Area labs, maker spaces, and small fabricators putting their idled shops and equipment to work. Their ranks include Ace Monster Toys and m0xy in Oakland, Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale, and Neals CNC in Alameda.

Most of these spaces are geared for prototyping or small production runs, not production on the scale thats currently needed.

After a few rounds of testing and prototyping, Rothbard said, they realized they couldnt fill the orders they were getting with their 3D printers  Oaklands Highland Hospital alone requested 10,000 face shields.

So they quickly started looking for other manufacturing methods. First, they tried die-cutting the components, working with a company called Automatic Arts in Oakland. A team of volunteers assembled the first round of 500 masks using the method, delivering them to Oakland's Highland Hospital last week.

But that still isnt fast enough to fill the need in the Bay Area and across the country. Rothbards team is now putting its energy into injection molding, which he said could ultimately scale to 18,000 face shields per week.

Volunteers at the Port Workspaces in Oakland assemble face shields based on the Laney College design. | Photo: Rick Rothbard

Max Niehaus, manager of the Academy of Art Universitys industrial design shop in Nob Hill, is pursuing another novel solution to scale up production of face shields.

After putting together an open-source design modified with feedback from workers at the Tenderloin's St. Francis Memorial Hospital, Niehaus and a team of shop managers are using idle time on the shops nine 3D printers and its water-jet cutter to produce hundreds of shields.

Since industrial design students are currently taking classes remotely, Niehaus usually receives their designs, 3D prints them, and ships them to their homes.

But since many AAU students now have 3D printers at home, the chain has been reversed: he's now having students print face shield parts at home, then send them back to the school for cleaning and assembly.

I think to me, using idle machines and idle hands in a crisis is the bare minimum, he said. "It should be the expectation: where we can pitch in, we absolutely are obligated to.

AAU Industrial Design shop manager Max Niehaus inspects a prototype face shield bound for St. Francis Hospital. | Photo: Madeline Salsich



Despite these innovative approaches, the scale of any one shop remains small. Getting to the 16,000 face shields produced this last weekend required coordination not across just one shop, but across an entire network.

Rachel McConnell, co-owner of Hayward cutting and fabrication shop Neals CNC, said her shop started out trying to produce full face shields on its own.

But after getting connected to the larger network Beesley is helping coordinate, it's begun producing just one component  frames  as fast as it can, allowing the effort to be distributed across multiple shops.

"We're all talking to each other a lot more now, McConnell said. Some people that I might have considered my competitors, I'm working hand-in-hand with."

Neal's CNC is now producing 500 face shield frames per day, which are picked up and transported to other shops for assembly, packing, and fulfillment.

"Some of the people that we're working with, I have not even met," McConnell said. I've talked to everyone I know to find people who have skills, and people are just showing up.

Gerard Dumuk (foreground) and Rachel McConnell inspecting plastic face shield frames at Neal's CNC in Hayward. | Photo: Maurice Ramirez



Beesleys team coordinates its efforts on a Slack team called "All Bay Area PPE." He said the group is doing its best to organize the chaos, take care of the administrative overhead, direct incoming volunteers where theyre most needed, and raise the money to keep production humming.

I don't want people to worry about who's paying for it," he said. "I don't want people to worry about where it's coming from."

The group came together in an ad-hoc fashion. One member, Broadway actress Ashley Chiu, originally jumped into the fray on her own to start sewing face masks. After being connected to Beesley, "essentially, she's the office manager now, he said.

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Chiu, who grew up in San Mateo and now lives in New York, was preparing for a role in the upcoming Britney Spears jukebox musical "Once Upon A Time One More Time."

But after the virus shut down Broadway theaters, she decided to stay with her family in the Bay Area during the lockdown. A plan to sew masks at home quickly blossomed into her current role in volunteer coordination.

I'm good at coordinating, I'm good at sending emails, I'm good at talking to people on the phone, she said. My mom's the one who can sew, and we only have one machine.

Chius volunteer group, "MakeMePPE," now has more than 400 members sewing and delivering masks. Many are from the theater industry, including Theatre Bay Area, the Berkeley Repertory Theater and the Stanford University costume shop. The San Francisco seamstresses' union and a collective called Bay Area Sewcialists are also on board.

From her parents' home, Chiu tracks and distributes orders for face masks, face shields, gowns, caps, booties, hand sanitizer and more.

"That looks like three Slack channels and 100 emails a day," Chiu said. "On Saturday, I gave myself a heart attack, because I sent so many emails that Gmail locked me out of my account for four hours.

Together, the group has been able to achieve an otherwise impossible scale, transforming a massive donation of fabric and materials into ready-to-sew face masks in just three days.

On Sunday, a volunteer with a box truck picked up multiple bolts of fabric from Sacramento. Beesley found an industrial laundry to launder the fabric, and once it arrived, volunteers working out of the Alameda warehouse broke it down to laser cutter bed size.

With the laser cutter, volunteers were able to trim the fabric into individual mask size, packaging it up into sewing kits of 50 masks each. Distributed to individual sewing groups, the kits will become 12,000 masks by next week, says Michelle Diaz, an intensive care nurse working with the group.

Thats on top of another 3,000 to 4,000 masks made from a specialized material Diaz secured, which will provide better protection than the cotton masks many volunteers are sewing all around the world.

Because we're not taking a purchase order from a hospital, our income is not dependent on selling to the hospital, Beesley said. We then have the ability to provide the PPE directly to the people who need it.

Volunteers sort through 4,000 yards of donated fabric destined for mask-making kits. | Photo: Michelle Diaz

Diaz, the intensive care nurse, said she got involved because she was working 16-hour shifts in the hospital with insufficient PPE, then spending a few hours at home sewing her own harm-reduction masks" for colleagues.

Just 10 days ago, she said, nurses at one Kaiser Permanente facility were told they could be fired for wearing their own masks at work. The California Nurses' Union got involved, and now Kaiser is providing a recommended mask pattern on its website.

"Is this a good solution? No, absolutely not. We should be buying true N95s," Diaz said. We all are well aware that this is a hack. We should never have been unprepared. We should never have been putting our healthcare providers at this risk of danger.

Chiu told one story about a nurse who reached out to her with an urgent request, saying that she and her fellow nurses werent getting any masks despite their hospital having a stockpile.

"Within 24 hours, I got 50 masks committed to her," Chiu said. "They were delivered [on Monday]."

Nurse Michelle Diaz poses with completed mask sewing kits. | Photo: Matt Trocker



Unfortunately, the current supply chain issues show no sign of letting up. As a result, the group is now looking to expand into more categories of PPE, including gowns and possibly even hospital beds.

Beesley is optimistic that things can continue to scale.

"What's standing in the way is not production capacity," he said, but money and raw materials. His team is actively working to address those shortages in order to keep Bay Area shops humming.

"Within three weeks' time, the Bay Area could become an exporter of PPE."

To get involved in the effort, visit the MakeMePPE volunteer intake form or the Open Source COVID-19 Medical Supplies - Bay Area page on Facebook.
The Centre has asked the states and the Union territories to invoke a stringent law to punish those indulging in hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities, saying such acts can't be ruled out due to the loss of production and labour crisis in the wake of the nationwide lockdown.

In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the ministry of home affairs, under the Disaster Management Act, has allowed manufacture or production, transport and other related supply-chain activities in respect of essential goods like foodstuff, medicines and medical equipment during the 21-day lockdown.



However, there are reports of loss of production due to various factors, especially because of the reduction in labour supply.

"In this situation, the possibility of inventory building/hoarding and black marketing, profiteering, and speculative trading, and the resulting price rise of essential goods cannot be ruled out," he said.

Bhalla asked the state governments and the UT administrations to take urgent steps to ensure availability of these essential goods, by invoking provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.



These measures include fixing of stock limits, capping of prices, enhancing production, inspection of accounts of dealers and other such actions, he said.



"Offences under EC Act are criminal offences and may result in imprisonment of 7 years or fine or both.



"State/Union Territory Governments may also consider detention of offenders under the Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980," Bhalla said.

The home secretary said the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, is authorising the states and the union territories to notify orders under the EC Act, 1955 by relaxing the requirement or prior concurrence of the central government up to June 30, 2020.

"I would urge you to personally take urgent steps to ensure availability of these commodities at fair prices for public at large," he said.



The country-wide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 in a bid to combat the coronavirus threat.
[April 08, 2020] Europe's Largest CBD Marketplace Alphagreen Strengthens Board With Senior Hires

- Board advisors Niel Marotta, Markus Hoffmann join Chairman Dr Patricio Stocker to scale Europe's largest CBD marketplace - Alphagreen to leverage their significant production, distribution and retail experience - Appointments follow first equity fundraise of 500k earlier this month LONDON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alphagreen, Europe's largest consumer marketplace for certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, has today announced the appointment of Niel Marotta and Markus Hoffmann as board advisors and Dr Patricio Stocker as Chairman. They will work directly with co-founder and CEO Alexej Pikovsky providing strategic counsel to scale the business globally. In light of coronavirus, a surge in consumer demand for health and wellbeing products has seen a four-fold rise in visitors to Alphagreen and a 30% increase in sales this month. As people consider new ways and means to strengthen their immune systems, CDB products are proving popular in Europe. The recent fundraise, these new appointments and current trends put Alphagreen in prime position to underpin its market leading position, take further market share and look further afield in the CDB sector. In 2015, Niel Marotta took his expertise in business development and capital markets and co-founded Indiva, a Canadian licensed producer of medical-grade cannabis. Today, they are a publicly traded company in Canada and the United States. Indiva produces premium pre-rolls, capsules and edibles. Prior to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Indiva, Niel spent two decades working in the finance industry in a variety of leadership roles Niel Marotta commented: "The Alphagreen team have created a brilliant platform for producers of CBD products. Every producer in South and North America is looking for distribution channels in Europe. Alphagreen is well placed to enable access to one of the biggest consumer markets globally." Markus Hoffmann, a lawyer by training, worked in private equity for seeral years covering green-tech, pharmaceuticals and consumer product companies. He has been active in the medical cannabis industry since 2015 spending time in New York at the Bronfman family office, a shareholder of the biggest European medical cannabis producer, Bedrocan. Most recently, he was part of the founding team of Jacana, a global licensed manufacturer of medical cannabis products looking to export medical cannabis into Europe.



Dr Patricio Stocker was previously Chairman, President and CEO of PharmaCielo, the world's largest licensed cannabis producer based in Toronto with Colombian operations. During his time there, he led the development of the Colombian cannabis industry and transformation by creating consumer-friendly, premium quality cannabis products that were ready-for-market. In 2019, he moved to Blueberries Medical Corporation as CEO, another producer of medicinal cannabis products, before his appointment to chairman of Alphagreen. Before pivoting to the cannabis industry, Dr Stocker was an industry veteran of 20 years in the European and South American automotive industry, chiefly at Daimler. During his time there, he held various positions from country President and CEO for DaimlerChrysler Colombia to Head of Truck and Bus Division for Daimler Latin America.

The appointments come at an exciting time for Alphagreen as the business gears for growth and, separately, becomes a licensed manufacturer and wholesaler of cannabis products in Germany, making it one of the first companies selling to pharmacies across the country. On the new appointment, Alexej Pikovsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Alphagreen commented: "Health and wellbeing are becoming more important than ever. Our platform has already enabled thousands of customers to discover high quality products and get them delivered to their homes. In preparing the business for the next phase of growth, we are delighted to welcome Niel, Markus and Patricio to the company. Their extensive experience of building businesses and expertise in the cannabis industry will provide just the perspective and guidance Alphagreen requires to consolidate the European market and expand further afield." Dr Patricio Stocker, Chairman of Alphagreen commented: "Alphagreen is transforming the landscape of the cannabis product industry through a unique transparency for customers. Their focus on quality and the trust bond with consumers and suppliers means they are well placed for growth. Their game-changing and innovative attitude is refreshing. I look forward to working with the team in channeling their drive and ambition." These appointments follow a 500k equity funding round at Alphagreen. Several tech angel investors took part in the funding round alongside the cannabis-focused investment company ENEXIS AB, which has backed several cannabis industry businesses including NOBL, Dragonfly Biosciences and Emmac Life Sciences. Notes to the Editor About Alphagreen Group Alphagreen Group owns and runs Europe's largest consumer marketplace for certified cannabis (CBD, cannabidiol) products, Alphagreen.io. The UK-based marketplace has the largest number of high-quality products available in Europe. These high-quality non-psychoactive products (e.g. CBD) are from top global cannabis brands such as Provocan, Cibdol, Grass & Co, Wunder Workshop and Mr Nice. Several top vitamin brands such as Nature's Best, Healthspan and Naturelo have also been added to the marketplace to service customer demand and provide thematic sets and bundles. Alphagreen Group also operates Alphagreen Med which is their 100% owned subsidiary in Dusseldorf looking to distribute medical cannabis to pharmacies in Germany. The Alphagreen team has a unique combination of technology and finance professionals, as well as pharmacists. The team is supported by an advisory panel consisting former and current CEOs of the major cannabis companies in South and North America, as well as prominent technology entrepreneurs. For further information please contact the Alphagreen press office: Bilal Mahmood on [email protected] or +44 (0) 20 3640-7759 and +44 (0) 771 400-7257.

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BepiColombo, the British-built spacecraft destined for Mercury, will bid a final farewell to Earth this weekend before heading to the Sun's closest planet.

The craft launched in October 2018 and due to its looping orbit, which resembles a penny in a spiral wishing well, is set to fly past Earth at about 4.25am on Friday.

It will be 12,700km above the South Atlantic but will not be visible from the Northern hemisphere.

BepiColombo's five billion mile journey will also feature two flybys of Venus and six of Mercury itself before arriving at its destination after seven years in space.

'Each planetary encounter over the next few years gently slows BepiColombo down, so that we can eventually achieve orbit around Mercury in 2025,' says Professor Emma Bunce, from the University of Leicester's School of Physics and Astronomy.

In 2025, it will place two probes  one European and one Japanese  in orbit around Mercury, the least explored world in the solar system.

BepiColombo, the British-built spacecraft destined for Mercury, will bid a final farewell to Earth before heading to the tiny rocky planet closest to the sun

Pictured, a photo taken on-board BepiColombo shortly after its launch in 2018. The view looks along one of the extended solar arrays (right). The structure in the bottom left corner is one of the sun sensors on the MTM, with the multi-layered insulation clearly visible

'This is an important milestone for the mission, and hence for our instrument on board,' said Professor Bunce, who helped build an instrument on BepiColombo.

'We will not be talking to our instrument during the flyby, but some others will be operating and we look forward to some beautiful pictures of the Earth and moon.

'Following this flyby the spacecraft will be slung in the direction of Venus for the next gravity assist later in 2020.'

The European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany will be tracking its progress as it passes by the Earth.

HOW WILL BEPICOLOMBO GET TO MERCURY? BepiColombo's two orbiters, Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter and the European Space Agency's Mercury Planetary Orbiter, will be carried together by the Mercury Transport Module. The carrier will use a combination of electric propulsion and multiple gravity-assists at Earth, Venus and Mercury to complete the 7.2 year journey to the Solar System's mysterious innermost planet Once at Mercury, the orbiters will separate and move into their own orbits to make complementary measurements of Mercury's interior, surface, exosphere and magnetosphere. The information will tell us more about the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star, providing a better understanding of the overall evolution of our own Solar System. Scientists launched what they termed 'a technological masterpiece' on October 20, 2018 from Kourou in French Guiana on the back of an Ariane rocket. It is due to take up station around Mercury in December 2025. BepiColombo features three components that will separate upon arrival: Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) for propulsion, built by the European Space Agency (ESA) Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) built by ESA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) or MIO built by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Advertisement

During BepiColombo's seven-year trip to Mercury its ion thrusters will be operating for 4.5 years. The resulting 'plasma' is fired out of the thruster at 90,000mph

Protective measures on BepiColombo (pictured) include a heat shield, novel ceramic and titanium insulation, ammonia-filled 'heat pipes', and in the case of the Japanese orbiter, 'roast-on-a-spit' spinning

One piece of equipment on board, the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS), was built by the University of Leicester and funded by the UK Space Agency.

It will work alongside a second spectrometer called SIXS to analyse surface composition via fluorescent X-rays when it arrives at Mercury in December 2025.

The Earth fly-by will provide scientists with an opportunity to test and calibrate some of the instruments aboard the spacecraft.

BepiColombo is hurtling towards Mercury via four Star Trek-style 'impulse engines' that create electrically charged - or ionised - xenon atoms.

The spacecraft has three monitoring cameras on-board the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) as well as a high-resolution scientific camera.

However, this camera is attached to the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) and only becomes available after the two segments of BepiColombo have detached.

BepiColombo was blasted into space from the European space port at Kourou, French Guiana, in October 2018. In 2025 it will place two probes, one European the other Japanese, in orbit around Mercury, the least explored world in the solar system

This will happen as the mission arrives at Mercury in 2025.

BepiColombo's seven-year journey is a joint mission between the ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

It is formed of two orbiters, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).

The former will study the planet's magnetic field as well as its interactions with the sun and latter will map Mercury in great detail.

A key feature of BepiColombo is that it is the first interplanetary mission to employ advanced electric ion propulsion technology.

Four Star Trek-style 'impulse engines', two firing at a time, will emit beams of electrically charged xenon gas to guide the spacecraft throughout its mission.

The ion thrusters will be operating for 4.5 years during the seven-year trip to Earth's closest planet.

The four unique engines will work in pairs and will be used not to accelerate the craft but to act as a brake against the sun's enormous gravity.
The crime branch on Wednesday produced a preliminary charge sheet against the kingpin of a gang which allegedly duped people in Rajouri district of crores on the pretext of doubling their money, officials said.

The accused, Mohmmad Toyab Choudhary, led the gang which operated Habalas-e-Commerce Pvt Ltd. The company allegedly took money from several people after promising to return double the amount of their investment, the officials said.

Choudhary was arrested in Srinagar on February 2 after one Vishal Sudan submitted a complaint before the Rajouri DSP, they said.

Sudan had alleged that Chaudhary and his accomplice Sajjad Ahmed took Rs 6,20,000 from him after promising they will return double the amount in 15 days but closed the company and fled, the officials added.

The charge sheet was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Rajouri, they said.

Earlier, the crime branch had raided the office of Hablas-e-Commerce and seized incriminating documents, the officials said.

Besides, three bank accounts used by the accused in the commission of crime have been freezed, they said. PTI AB.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: In a letter sent to the Governor on Tuesday, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu accused the government of not paying attention to resolve problems of the farmers.

The TDP chief sought the Governors intervention to address the farmers problems and set right the administration to run without highhandedness or discrimination.

He said TDP MLA Nimmala Rama Naidu was forced to take out a bycycle yatra to represent the plight of the farmers as West Godavari Collector did not attend phone calls.

The MLA didnt take anybody else with him, but the police stopped him and sent him back to Palacole. Later, on the same day, the minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries held a review meeting with around 200 officials and YSRC leaders of the district. The meeting, during the COVID-19 lockdown, violated the guidelines issued by the Centre, Naidu alleged.
"Everyone in Virginia needs to be able to vote as safely as possible this year, and Governor Northam made the right call by postponing these elections, Swecker said. We're all in this together, and we know that (COVID-19) doesn't care if you're a Republican or Democrat, everyone is at risk.

While Virginia is taking action to delay its elections, people in Wisconsin took to the polls Tuesday after a lengthy political and legal fight over whether in-person elections should be held with the coronavirus continuing its spread.

As other states have shown, conducting an election in the middle of this global pandemic would bring unprecedented challenges and potential risk to voters and those who work at polling places across the commonwealth, Northam said Wednesday.

In the Richmond region, the towns of Ashland and Louisa were each scheduled to elect three Town Council members on May 5.

As part of Northams plan to push back the May elections, there would be one ballot in November and voters who werent qualified to vote in May but are qualified in November would be able to vote.
The Democratic National Committee is planning to hold talks with Joe Biden's campaign about how the two organizations will work on a joint fundraising effort, which could include teaming up to raise money through a new committee.

"We will have conversations with the campaign and figure out the best path forward that puts our nominee in the best position possible in order to beat Donald Trump," said Daniel Wessel, a representative for the DNC, after CNBC asked whether a new committee was in the works.

These talks will be the next step for Biden and the DNC as they gear up to take on President Donald Trump in November's election, after Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden's sole remaining challenger, dropped out of the primary race Wednesday.

Donors close to the party's leadership say they anticipate a joint effort to be put together rather quickly. Others noted that Biden will see a major bump in fundraising and operational support when they agree to work together.

Biden, meanwhile, called on Sanders' supporters to back his campaign for president after the Vermont lawmaker withdrew from the primary.

"I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of what it is we have to get done in this country. I hope you will join us," Biden said.

Sanders said he would continue to attempt to win delegates in a bid to influence the Democratic platform at the party's convention in August. Yet Sanders' decision to drop out nonetheless leaves Biden as the apparent nominee and allows the former vice president to raise more campaign cash to take on Trump and the GOP's massive war chest.

A joint fundraising committee would allow Biden and the party to bolster their operations. Big money donors often give six-figure checks to these groups. Those funds are then transferred to the campaign, the committee and state parties. Individual donors are allowed to give a campaign a maximum of $2,800 for the primary and general election campaigns.

"It will be a big help once it's underway," Kenneth Jarin, a partner at Ballard Spahr and a bundler for Biden, told CNBC, noting that most party donors expected the former vice president to become the apparent nominee after resounding victories on Super Tuesday. "Everything certainly helps. It's always good to clear the field and have the race defined as one on one against a failing and utterly incompetent president," he added

Other financiers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, said they expect a joint fundraising committee to be crafted in the coming weeks. The DNC's own donor pool is preparing to back it as these types of committees often help at amplifying voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, they added.

"It will happen soon," one bundler on Wall Street close to the party's leadership told CNBC, while declining to comment further. "Bernie was the last obstacle," said another finance executive helping Biden. "It'll be a big deal because the DNC and other committees have their own pool of donors and resources."

Biden's campaign has seen an increase in fundraising since he dominated in the South Carolina primary at the end of February and racked up a sizable delegate advantage in early March. The campaign said it raised more than $30 million online last month. Trump and the Republican National Committee, however, have combined with their joint fundraising groups to raise more than $600 million since January 2019.

A joint committee could also be a boost to the DNC, because, while it has raised over $115 million in the 2020 election cycle, the organization only has $14 million on hand. Its last Federal Election Commission filing shows the committee is $6 million in debt.

"On the political and operational side, I think there's a clear path now for increasing cooperation between the DNC and the Biden campaign," former DNC Chairman Don Fowler told CNBC. "Because, differing from four years ago, there is no Bernie Sanders there and the DNC doesn't have to worry about being fair to him."

Biden, Trump and candidates for other offices have been forced off the trail and onto the digital realm as the coronavirus spread, leading to restrictions on large public gatherings.

While Biden continues to hold virtual fundraising events, the final two weeks of March could show a dip in the amount he's raised. The former vice president has ceded the spotlight to Trump, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and members of Congress who have been fighting the virus and its resulting economic devastation.

Trump and the Republican National Committee already have two joint fundraising accounts in Trump Victory and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. The two organizations have combined to raise at least $247 million this cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Trump Victory has given out $70 million to the RNC and $20 million to the president's campaign.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president, and the DNC worked together through the Hillary Victory Fund. They raised over $500 million, with $158 million going to Clinton's campaign, just over $100 million going to the DNC and the rest divvied up to state parties.

A spokesman for the Biden campaign did not return a request for comment.
Rodeo rider, ranch hand, Navy SEAL and author of "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," Chris Kyle is one of the most celebrated American veterans.

When he joined the service, he didn't want a standard military career. That's what attracted him to the SEAL teams. He almost didn't make it, however. As a young bronco rider, Kyle was injured during a ride and had to have pins set into his arm. But after joining the Navy in 1999, he was invited to attend Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school (BUDS) anyway.

It was his first step to becoming "The Legend."

Kyle's legacy has only grown in stature since his death in 2013. At times controversial, at other times disputed, what is clear about the deadliest sniper in American military history is that he earned that legacy.

Iraq War Service

Kyle served four tours in Iraq, participating in every major American campaign there -- the 2003 invasion, Fallujah in 2004, Ramadi in 2006 and Sadr City in 2008. He wasn't always watching over Marines and SEALs like an avenging angel. Stories abound about Kyle going house-to-house on the streets with Marines, whom he dubbed "my boys."

Those house raids are how he earned the "Legend" nickname, which started out as a joke among his fellow SEALs. With each deployment, Kyle became more and more aggressive, and the stories about his valor grew. He rescued Marines, covered fellow Team Guys under heavy contact and, of course, provided overwatch.

Read: Two Chris Kyle Stories You Won't See in 'American Sniper'

He eventually earned a new nickname, this time from the enemy: "The Devil of Ramadi." And the price they put on his head increased from $20,000 to $80,000. By the time he left the military, he had been shot twice and survived six improvised explosive devices. He would also earn a Silver Star and four Bronze Stars with "V" device for valor.

Medal Count Controversy and Inflated Numbers

In the years since his death, Kyle has been accused of inflating the number of medals he earned, noting in his book, "American Sniper," that he had two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with "V" devices. Kyle wrote these numbers in his book, because that's what was on his DD-214, the form every service member receives when they leave the military.

Three years after his death, a Navy investigation concluded that Kyle's issued DD-214 form had clerical errors that miscounted the number of medals. The Navy clarified that he received one Silver Star and four Bronze Stars.

Kyle's original, incorrect DD-214 also failed to note his Navy Expert Rifle Medal.

Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle signs a copy of his new book, 'American Sniper,' for a Camp Pendleton sailor at the bases country store. (Cpl. Damien Gutierrez/U.S. Marine Corps)

As for his confirmed kill count, he wrote in his book that the number seemed to change all the time. He notes 160 kills, a number consistent with the Navy's own findings. He claimed to have killed upward of 255 people. To be a "confirmed" kill, it has to take place where U.S. troops were present and a body could be recovered.

The U.S. Special Operations Command will tell you it doesn't keep an official tally of "confirmed" kills, but rather tracks what is reported by SEALs and other operators in official after-action reports.

The Jesse Ventura Lawsuit

In "American Sniper," Kyle claimed to have punched out a former Navy SEAL he described as "a celebrity I'll call 'Scruff Face'" during a wake for fallen SEAL Michael Monsoor. Monsoor died throwing himself onto a grenade in Iraq. Back in California, the SEALs came together at a bar called McP's to remember him and hang out with "a few of the older SEALs and [Underwater Demolition Team] members."

Kyle claimed Scruff Face told the current SEALs they "deserved to lose a few" fellow SEALs and was openly criticizing the Iraq War. Kyle then claims the former SEAL moved to belt him, so he "laid out" Scruff Face. Which wasn't a problem until Kyle revealed on a January 2012 "Opie and Anthony" radio show that "Scruff Face" was really Jesse Ventura. He would repeat the claim on "The O'Reilly Factor."

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, file photo, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura talks to reporters at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and United States Courthouse after a defamation hearing, in St. Paul, Minn. Ventura and the estate of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle are apparently working toward a settlement in Ventura's yearslong defamation case. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP) -- The Associated Press

The former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler is a former Navy SEAL. Ventura sued later that same month, claiming defamation, among other charges. After Kyle was killed, Ventura carried on the lawsuit with the Kyle estate. He eventually won and was awarded $500,000 for defamation and $1.3 million for "unjust enrichment" -- making money at Ventura's expense.

The $1.3 million award was eventually tossed out, and the $500,000 award was sent back to trial. Kyle's estate settled with Ventura in 2017 for an undisclosed sum.

Those Other Claims

Decking Ventura isn't the only doubtful assertion Kyle ever made. He also claimed to have been sent to take out looters in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, saying he shot 30 or so armed assailants.

He also claimed to have shot and killed two would-be carjackers who tried to steal his truck at a Texas gas station in 2009. He said the whole thing was caught on security cameras and there were police reports to corroborate the story. No one has ever actually seen either.

Both stories would be difficult to prove, and no evidence exists to support either claim, except for the man himself. Why would someone with the badass bona fides of a person like Chris Kyle need to embellish his legacy by fabricating stories? Only Kyle could tell us. But you can't look up the history of the man and not find these claims in your Google search.

Death and Funeral

What is definitely true about Kyle is that he cared deeply about fellow veterans. He would routinely take troubled vets out to shooting ranges. One of those troubled vets was former Marine Eddie Ray Routh.

Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield took Routh to the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort, a shooting range Kyle helped design, on Feb. 2, 2013. While there, Routh shot Kyle six times and Littlefield seven times, both with guns owned by Kyle. The two bodies were later found by resort staffers.

Routh later claimed to have "traded his soul for the truck," a statement that led at least one psychologist to believe he may have been experiencing paranoid delusions. Afterward, he drove home in Kyle's truck and told his sister what happened. She called the police.

Routh, who was schizophrenic and had spent time in mental institutions, was later convicted on both counts of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Austin NBC Affiliate KXAN's coverage of Kyle's funeral procession.

Some 7,000 people attended Kyle's memorial service, so many that the event had to be held at AT&T Stadium in Dallas to accommodate all of the attendees.

Kyle was buried in Austin's Texas State Cemetery, "The Arlington of Texas," where many other famous Texans are also interred. His funeral procession drove 200 miles from his hometown of Midlothian, Texas, to Austin. Hundreds of Texans lined the roadway of Interstate 35 to pay their respects to the fallen SEAL.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com.

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Domestic workers urged to take all precautions against COVID-19 infection for health and safety of families

Domestic workers urged to take all precautions against COVID-19 infection for health and safety of families

TDT | Manama

Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) has urged domestic workers to practice social distancing and maintain their personal hygiene as they are not only at risk of infecting themselves, but also the families they are working for.

Everybody is busy with their businesses or personal life, yet seeking a comfortable home where all house chores are managed by their domestic workers, said BHRWS general secretary Faisal Fulad. There are about 80,000 domestic workers in Bahrain and their duties vary, he said.

They are responsible to manage all household activities with duties ranging from cleaning bedrooms and opening and closing shutters, to dusting, polishing and cleaning work. Moreover, domestic workers have regular physical contact with their employers or they take care of their employee's children, the elderly or those with illnesses or special needs.

They are all vulnerable to this pandemic. As concern over COVID-19 continues to increase, precautions are being stressed for everyones health and safety at home. BHRWS Foreign Workers Rights Committee director Esalyn Le Altarejos said that there are many things domestic workers can do to help ensure that those under their care, including young children, practice good hygiene.

These include:

 Washing hands frequently with soap, especially before handling food or eating, and after going to the toilet;

 Covering ones mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and immediately disposing of these tissues;

 Avoiding sharing food/ drinks, utensils, toothbrushes or towels with others; and

 Wearing a face mask and seeing a doctor immediately If one is feeling unwell or develops symptoms like cough or shortness of breath. Everyone is vulnerable if they dont follow the hygiene procedures, added Altarejos.

We encourage employers and domestic workers to discuss additional precautions to be taken such as monitoring the health of those under her care closely and highlighting immediately any symptoms, while conducting regular temperature screening for those under their care.

Moreover, experts agree that the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed through the implementation of social distancing measures, limiting human contact; with reduced transmission rates, the slower infection rates will be.

Fulad also stressed the need for cooperation from employers to encourage their domestic workers to not gather in public areas should they be out, and to maintain open communication with each other.
(This story has been updated with additional information.)

FLINT, MI -- Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group says its decision on where to build a new manufacturing plant that could employ up to 2,000 people is now expected to be made by the end of May.

Along with sites in several other states, Flints Buick City site is among those under consideration, Mahindra officials have said.

We are still working (through) the final stages of the site analysis though it has slowed a bit with all our attention on COVID-19 at the moment, company spokesman Richard Ansell said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal. We expect to finalize our plan within the next 30 (to) 45 days although its possible this could be delayed given what were going (through) right now.

Mahindra is in the running to produce the U.S. Postal Services next-generation delivery vehicle, and officials with the company said in January that they expect that sourcing decision, which was delayed previously, to happen in the third quarter of this year.

Even if the company isnt chosen for at least part of that Postal Service contract, Mahindra officials have said they will still need a new plant to handle future production of of additional products they have in the pipeline.

In addition to Buick City, the company has said its considering sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Arizona.

Last August, Mahindra announced it had signed a letter of intent to evaluate property owned by the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust for its new plant. RACER is a trust that was created to sell off troubled assets of General Motors, including the massive Buick City property, when GM went through bankruptcy in 2009.

Bill Callen, a spokesman for RACER, said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal that the letter of intent remains in effect.

All we can add at this point is that RACER is ready to move quickly to coordinate redevelopment of the property with a buyers needs, Callen said.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer referred questions about state talks with Mahindra for an incentive package to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

MEDC spokesman Otie McKinley said in an email that he was not in a position to discuss potential project details that may or may not go in front of the (Michigan Strategic Fund) board, but Mahindras continued growth in Michigan would be great news for the state and we will continue to work with them on opportunities for continued investment in Michigan.

Flint Buick City in the running for new Mahindra Automotive plant, 2,000 jobs

Indias largest SUV maker could decide on Flint plant in weeks
Samsung has announced a battery of new Galaxy A-Series devices headed to the US starting this month with the Galaxy A01 and Galaxy A51. Covering the gamut of pricing and affordability, each delivers top Galaxy features suiting a variety of needs.

The company is also set to deliver a new Galaxy A11, Galaxy A21, Galaxy A51 5G, and A71 5G to the US later this year. As has been a series standard, the company says its also delivering innovations that really matter to end-users. Those are the same features and enhancements typically found in Samsungs Galaxy flagships.

All of that means users can expect the new enhancements in battery life, camera quality, and screen size among other improvements.

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The Galaxy A01 kicks things off at the budget end

Starting out with a price tag of just $109.99, the Samsung Galaxy A01 is one of two phones set to arrive in the US as early as April 9. Because this handset is the most affordable of Samsungs new offerings, it isnt going to be the most well-specced. But its no slouch either. Samsung says it will deliver all of the core Galaxy-brand features. Its also packing a 5.7-inch HD+ Infinity-V display panel and a 3,000mAh battery.

Samsung launched the Galaxy A01 back in January, delivering 16GB storage with microSDXC support for expansion. Android 10 with OneUI 2 is part of that package too, driven by a Snapdragon 439 SoC with 2GB RAM.

One highlight of the Samsung Galaxy A01 is going to be its multi-lens camera. Thats comprised of a 13-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, 28mm wide-angle lens, as well as a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

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Samsung Galaxy A51

Jumping to the other end of the budget spectrum, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is set for a US launch on April 9 at just $399.

As might be expected, the Samsung Galaxy A51 specs push the boundaries a bit more than its A01 counterpart. Samsung has packed its latest handset with 4GB RAM and 128GB of microSD card storage up to 512GB. Thats backing up an octa-core processor with better performance too, with a 4,000mAh battery to power things along.

Android 10 is delivered via a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with this Samsung Galaxy A-Series handset. Cameras take a front-row seat here too thanks to a quad-camera built around a 48-megapixel primary lens.

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Now, Samsung also has a 5G-enhanced variant of this device incoming soon enough. And all of the devices will be available from Samsungs website as well as select retailers and carriers. But the version launching this week is the LTE variant.

Samsungs Galaxy A11 iterates on the A01

Stepping up from the Samsung Galaxy A01 and not set to arrive until this summer is the Galaxy A11. As its branding implies, this handset features a slightly better Android 10 experience delivered by a larger 6.4-inch display. Thats also an HD+ Infinity-O panel this time around.

Samsung says that its Galaxy A11 packs in a tri-lens camera too. Those include a wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, and depth-sensing lens. But the battery and other internals are beefed up as well. The former has been pushed up to 4,000mAh while theres 32GB of expandable storage to work with for apps, games, and media.

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More region-specific details about the Samsung Galaxy A11 will undoubtedly be revealed as the US launch of this handset approaches. For now, the company indicates that pricing will start at $179.99.

Samsungs Galaxy A21 takes things up a notch

Also not set to launch until summer 2020 is the Samsung Galaxy A21. Samsungs Galaxy A22 delivers the same 4,000mAh battery as its smaller counterpart. But thats packed in behind a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-O AMOLED display and charges via 15W Fast Charge.

A quad-camera is utilized this time around too, led by a 16-megapixel primary snapper. An ultra-wide, depth-sensing, and macro lens round out the main camera array.

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Samsung has boosted the internals here too, based on earlier reports. Specifically, Samsung is said to be backing its Exynos 7904 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. All of that places the Samsung Galaxy A21 squarely in the lower-mid-range category compared to the rest of its A-series counterparts.

Consumers looking for a bump up from their budget-friendly smartphone will be able to pick up the Galaxy A21 this summer for $249.99.

Samsung Galaxy A51 5G and A71 5G

Samsung isnt only delivering a series of updates to its A-series lineup with the US launch of these devices. The company is also looking to introduce 5G compatibility at the far reaches of the budget spectrum. That means users will finally have access to the fastest streaming, downloads, and gaming Android has to offer at a fraction of the cost of a flagship.

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Now, 5G support will be largely carrier and region-specific. And 5G handsets will be somewhat pricier than their 4G LTE counterparts. But that all starts, of course, with the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. Samsung says that its Galaxy A51 5G will feature pricing starting out at $499.99 when the device lands in the US.

Beyond the new 5G-enhanced Galaxy A51, Samsung is additionally bringing 5G to its most powerful current A-series smartphone. Thats the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G and the final device announced today with a starting price of $599.99.

Samsung has more than made up for the higher cost of its Galaxy A71 5G though. To begin with, the device starts with a larger, more premium build centered around a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus panel. Samsung set that at an FHD+ resolution and the company has set the selfie-snapper behind it in classic Infinity-O fashion.

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Around the back, the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G packs a quad-camera system. The primary sensor is a 64-megapixel lens. Users will be able to store plenty of photos and videos too, allowing users to take full advantage of the higher-quality lenses. Thats thanks to Samsungs inclusion of support for up to 1TB of expanded storage. The device should feature the same 128GB storage found in the globally launched variant back in January.

Finally, a Snapdragon 730-series processor, backed by plenty of RAM, meanwhile, will help keep the Android 10 experience smooth.


The new coronavirus COVID-19 made Dr. Jag Singh a patient at his own hospital.

A lung infection made it difficult for him to breathe. His doctors at Massachusetts General said he needed to make a decision about life support while in intensive care.

Then, they offered him a chance to test remdesivir. The experimental drug has had some good results when used against other coronaviruses. Singh, a heart specialist, said yes immediately.

COVID-19 patients around the world have been joining remdesivir studies in the past few weeks.

The interest has been so great that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is expanding its study. It has nearly reached its first goal of 440 patients. The California company Gilead Sciences makes the drug. It is increasing its own studies too.

I would enroll my family immediately, said Dr. Libby Hohmann. She placed Singh and nearly 30 other patients in the NIH study at Massachusetts General.

For most people, COVID-19 causes moderate symptoms. Some patients, however, get a lung infection which requires hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older people and those with other health problems.

The drug remdesivir has been used in animal testing against two similar coronaviruses, SARS and MERS. The drug helped prevent infection and reduced the symptoms if it was taken early. The testing is farther along than other possible drugs and may lead to government approval for treatment.

The drug-maker Gilead has given remdesivir to more than 1,700 patients. Its chief executive Dan ODay wrote that many people have asked for the drug but the company is taking the ethical, responsible approach. He said more people will be helped if studies prove the drug to be safe and effective.

ODay said his company has drug treatment for more than 140,000 patients. It is providing the drug for free for now. It has set a goal of making treatments for 500,000 patients by October and more than a million by the end of the year.

Gilead also gave remdesivir to China for two studies expected to have results by the end of the month. Other studies have begun in Asia and Europe.

Theres so much anxiety about the disease that the patients are quite interested and no one offered the chance has refused, said Dr. Arun Sanyal. He is the study leader at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

The NIH study, however, is the most rigorous of all the tests. It compares remdesivir to placebos, and neither patients nor doctors know who is getting what until the end of the study.

I'm Anna Matteo.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words In This Story

enroll  v. to join or to take part in something

symptom  n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present

anxiety  n. fear or nervousness about what may happen

rigorous  adj. doing something with a lot of interest and strength

placebo n. a pill or substance that is given to a patient like a drug but that has no physical effect on the patient
Social distancing markers at a Tesco Extra in Wembley, London. (PA)

Tesco is warning up to 90% of customers will have to shop in stores, despite public concern over the risks to shoppers and staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

The supermarket giant said on Wednesday it had invested heavily and rapidly in expanding its home delivery services for groceries. Its capacity has risen by 20% in the past fortnight, with 145,000 extra shopping slots.

But it warned: Whilst we have already stepped up our capacity on grocery Home Shopping... and will continue to increase this, there is simply not enough capacity to supply the whole market.

Britains biggest supermarket said it would continue to work with the government to offer priority delivery slots for vulnerable people without a support network. Between 85% and 90% of its shoppers will have to continue shopping in stores, it added.

Read more: Tesco shares slump on 925m coronavirus hit despite sales boom

The comments in its preliminary financial results suggest there is a limit to how far the public can follow official government advice to use food delivery services where you can.

With supermarkets now some of the only shops allowed to continue trading and stores busy, there is concern about potential exposure to COVID-19 for shopworkers and shoppers alike.

But stores have been transformed in a bid to limit risks, with limits on customer numbers, floor markings, one-in, one-out policies and in some stores protective screens. Long queues of shoppers on the street all several metres apart are now a common sight outside supermarkets and convenience stores across the country.

Shopworkers union Usdaw has urged the public to wash their hands before shopping, keep their distance from staff and use contactless cards to further minimise the risks.

Tesco has also given its staff a 10% pay boost, with chief executive Dave Lewis praising their unbelievable commitment on Wednesday.

But it also said it had experienced significant absence levels among colleagues, forcing it to hire staff to replace workers on paid sick leave as well as meet surging demand. The companys share price (TSCO.L) slid as it warned this and higher distribution and store expenses could cost up to 925m.

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Read more: Food prices could rise as UK faces seasonal worker shortages

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R Sivakumar By

Express News Service

VELLORE: Vellore district recorded its first COVID-19 casualty late on Tuesday with a 45-year-old man passing away at a private hospital, a week after being admitted. At her evening briefing, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh had put the number of cases related to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu at 690 and deaths at seven.



According to officials in Vellore, the deceaseds test came back positive for COVID-19 only at 6.00 pm on Tuesday. His death was intimated at 8.00 pm, officials said. While this would take the number of cases in TN to 691 and deaths to eight, the State health department has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.



However, Vellore district collector A Shanmuga Sundaram confirmed reporters that the man, who had been admitted at CMC Vellore, died on Tuesday. "The man's samples tested positive for COVID-19," he said.

#COVID2019india Vellore records first death, 45 yr old man, positive, died at @cmcvelloreoff , he has no travel history, doubted to have contracted from infected persons, says district collector A Shanmuga Sundaram@xpresstn

@NewIndianXpress  Sivakumar_TNIE (@sivakumarie) April 7, 2020

Senior health department officials in Chennai also confirmed the death. The deceaseds relatives told Express that he had been at CMC for a week in the general ward.



The deceased was a resident of Saidapet in Vellore city. "He has no travel history as per our preliminary inquiry. Only contact transmission might have been there," Shanmuga Sundaram said.



The body, which has been kept at the CMC hospital, will be cremated as per the procedure laid down by Tamil Nadu government for handling dead bodies of COVID-19 patients, the Collector said.
NEW HAVEN  Yale University has now taken in at least two first responders who have tested positive for COVID-19, allowing the individuals to stay in separate dorm rooms, among many, scattered around its campus, to recover.

There still is no contract with any city governing this, but New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said city lawyers and the university are talking about an agreement that would cover which groups of individuals impacted by the coronavirus would be welcome to use the 300 rooms Yale is clearing for this purpose.

In a related issue, the state Department of Administrative Services Monday signed a deal Tuesday with the Best Western Hotel in West Haven to rent some 96 rooms for homeless individuals currently in New Haven shelters, an agreement that had been threatened last week when West Haven Police Chief Joseph Perno insisted the hotel pay for police security if officers had to be called in.

Steve DiLello, director of individual and family support programs at the state Department of Housing, said residents from the Grand Avenue shelter run by Emergency Shelter Management Services and those at the warming center on Winthrop Avenue will be moved to the Best Western.

In the Yale University arrangement, Elicker would like the option to include not only first responders who are awaiting test results for COVID-19, but also police and firefighters who tested positive and cant go home to a household with vulnerable family members.

One of the first responders sick with COVID-19 taken in by the university was a New Haven firefighter who went there last Thursday. A West Haven firefighter who tested positive for the dangerous respiratory illness is also at the university.

Karen Peart, spokesperson for Yale, said a third first responder was expected at a Yale dorm Tuesday, although his or her status was uncertain. She said a few medical staff, who dont want to expose family members to the virus, are planning to check in later this week.

.

On the Best Western Hotel, following negotiations that extended throughout the weekend and on Monday, differences have been ironed out with Perno giving his blessing to the arrangement as long as it does not swamp his 9-officer shift with calls from the hotel.

If there are issues, it would deplete my force, Perno said. He said his concerns revolve around public safety.

The reason homeless individuals are being moved is to decompress the shelters to allow for social distancing, as the best way to bend the curve on the cornavirus infecting more people.

The agreement that the new residents of the hotel are expected to sign, stipulates that they can leave for a verified reason, such as work and medical appointments, but for the most part they are expected to stay in their rooms. No visitors are allowed. One of the rules is to follow schedules set by their case workers.

DiLello said the state will make arrangements for food delivery, an issue they are working out now, as much of that was done by volunteers who have opted out.

Employees currently at the shelters will be in charge of the individuals moved there.

West Shore Fire Chief Stephen Scafariello said the city got the word on Friday of the states intention to use the hotel when some 5 firefighters who were sheltering there waiting for test results or to not expose family members to the virus were asked to leave as it was going to be used for the homeless.

Scafariello said they were grateful to the hotel, which offered the rooms to the firefighters gratis, as they waited for the University of New Haven to prepare its dorms to take them in, which they now have. Just under 10 first responders from New Haven are also at UNH.

A second firefighter from West Haven who tested positive for the virus is recuperating at home.

West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi said the city was taken by surprise on the hotel arrangement, but she understood the need for the rooms. She said she didnt object to that, but hoped the state could offer rooms for some 40 homeless individuals in West Haven.

DiLello said they will accommodate as many as they can.

Peart said said the rooms being prepared for medical staff and first responders are spread through the campus and are not adjacent to each other. She said they feature private bathrooms, whenever possible, and have fresh linens and toiletries. The university will provide drop-off meals and a third-party laundry service for the guests clothing with nearby parking.

The university said in one of its publications that it had up to 45 volunteers a day moving out student belongings and setting up the dorms for the medical personnel and first responders in the massive effort to get it ready.

Elicker estimated he needed rooms for some 300 homeless persons in its shelters, which includes residents from throughout the region. The mayor said he agrees with the state decision to release inmates from the prisons who were scheduled to complete their sentences, but it is likely to add more homeless to New Haven.

The state said the homeless moved out of shelters in the city are now in La Quinta Inn and Suites, the Village Suites and soon Best Western. DiLello said the Emergency Shelter Management Services facility will continue to be used, with occupancy reduced to 35 from 70. The warming shelter on Winthrop Avenue will also be open with fewer guests.

In his daily virtual update, Elicker said the number of people in the city who have succumbed to COVID-19 has risen to 12 with 361 infected. Public Health Director Maritza Bond said those who died range in age from 42 to 93.

An emergency shelter set up at Career High School is ready to open for homeless patients who are released from the hospital, but still need medical attention. It will be staffed with Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, who are a combination of nurses and non-medical certified individuals. Police will also be on the site round the clock with patients not allowed to leave until they get a medical discharge and a place to stay.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
A couple walk through a deserted Bull Ring in Birmingham as the UK's coronavirus lockdown continues. A top WHO adviser has said lockdowns are not the best way to tackle COVID-19. (PA)

A top World Health Organization adviser has said lockdowns are not the best way to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

More than a third of the worlds nations are under lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has cost more than 83,000 lives.

However, Dr Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the key to stopping this is instead testing, isolation and contact tracing.

Speaking at a WHO press conference, he added: We are in the middle of a war, here  a very, very serious war that we are only beginning to understand.

We have to accept we are in a situation and we have to do everything we can to save lives, reduce transmission, and get societies back to the new normal way of functioning.

Dr Aylwards remarks about lockdowns would appear to be supported by the example of South Korea, where cafes and shops remain open.

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South Korea is seen by many as the worlds leader in restricting the spread of COVID-19 thanks to its extensive testing and contact tracing programme.

As of Wednesday, South Korea  population 51 million  had suffered just 200 deaths and 10,384 confirmed cases.

A coronavirus "walk-through" testing centre in Seoul. (Simon Shin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

This is despite initially being the second worst affected country, behind China, at the beginning of the outbreak. It has carried out 486,003 tests.

This compares to the UK  population 66 million  which has been under lockdown for more than two weeks and now has a death toll of 7,097. There are 60,733 confirmed cases, with 232,708 tests carried out.

Dr Youngmi Kim, an expert in Korean public policy from the University of Edinburgh, said it was the South Korean governments speed at the beginning of the outbreak that made the key difference.

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She told Yahoo News UK last week: They traced all these patients who got positive tests: where they visited and who they met. If they had visited supermarkets, shops or libraries, they closed those venues for two weeks and sanitised them.

Also, they investigated all those people they had contacted and they had the same testing procedure.

Another reason South Korea has been able to avoid lockdown is a special mobile phone app which pings when there is a coronavirus patient nearby: something which raises obvious civil liberty issues.

Coronavirus: what happened today

Coronavirus 100 days on: What do we know?
A recent column in a national newspaper urged people take their loved ones home from long-term care in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The columnist quoted a well-known geriatrician, who recommended the same. With respect, this is exactly the wrong advice to give to Canadians.

The current outbreaks in long-term care homes in Canada are the result of infection with COVID-19 likely two to three weeks ago, with some variability across the country in terms of the timing these outbreaks. The deaths at the home in North Vancouver in March began the national conversation about the terrible toll this virus takes on the elderly in the long-term care setting, followed quickly by similar stories from Quebec and Ontario. This is heart breaking.

The individuals living in long-term care today have very high-care needs, often completely dependent on others for much of their care. The reason individuals are in long-term care is precisely that their care needs cannot be met at home. Only the very wealthy would be able to privately pay for 24-hour-a-day care for a loved one in the home environment.

To suggest that taking people out of long-term care is a solution during a pandemic is simply false. The care needs of these seniors are complex. When individuals are removed from a skilled facility to be cared for in another environment without supports, these frail seniors will end up back in our emergency rooms in crisis.

We know from a March 27 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine reviewing a long-term care outbreak in King County, Wash., that tight infection control practices (no visitors, screening of staff, isolating COVID-19-positive patients, testing, proper staffing and safe equipment) are required to protect residents and staff.

We cannot abandon our elderly.

We cannot allow panic to determine our response in a pandemic.

The best response to improve care in our current crisis in long-term care is to support our long-term care facilities. The way to do this is have strict infection control supported by public health for each of our long-term care homes and ensure that staff have the proper training, and equipment for infection control. We must also ensure that skilled staff are available to work in long-term care and can be available on short or emergency notice.

After the pandemic we need to re-think how we care for our seniors. Some of our seniors will need to be cared for in long-term care settings. There are safe, effective, and high-quality models for care of elders in the home. The best is the PACE model originally out of San Francisco 30 years ago, and now in many communities across the U.S.

PACE is a commitment to keep seniors at home with excellent primary care and high quality community support. The vast majority of seniors who had been approved for long-term care settings have been able to be cared for at home instead of an institution under a PACE model of care.

Today, in our COVID-19 pandemic we are living in extraordinary times. We are afraid and seniors are dying. Our response cannot be to have individuals take on care of the most vulnerable dependent elders  we will fail. We will do the best we can by supporting to the very best of our ability our residents in long-term care.
Actor Zoa Morani, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, along with her sister and father, has said that she is responding to treatment. Zoa and her sister Shaza are the daughters of film producer Karim Morani.

Zoa told Bollywood Hungama in an interview, Im feeling much better. The medicines are working. Ive my fingers crossed. My parents reports too will come soon. Hopefully, they wont test positive, and we can go back home.

Karim, however, tested positive on Wednesday. His brother, Mohomed, told Mirror Online, Yes, we have been anticipating this as he was with his daughters. Karim has tested positive of coronavirus. He has been shifted to Nanavati Hospital.

Also read: After his two daughters, Bollywood producer Karim Morani also tests positive for coronavirus

Shaza is also at the Nanavati Hospital, while, Zoa is at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital. Zoa had previously told Bollywood Hungama, The team at the Kokilaben hospital is taking really good care of me. The entire staff is so loving and caring. I am so relieved that Im in safe hands.

Shed added, My parents cannot see me until I recover and sadly my sister is in another hospital. But, its okay. I am in good spirit. My sister and I will be out of this soon.

Shaza, who had returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March, showed no symptoms but was admitted to Nanavati Hospital on Monday. Zoa, meanwhile, had returned from Rajasthan mid-March.

Karim Morani is known for having produced Shah Rukh Khan films such as Ra.One, Chennai Express, Happy New Year and Dilwale.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has engulfed the world within a span of a few weeks, sending billions into lockdown. Amid the confusion and scare, patient zero has been traced back to a wildlife market in Wuhan, China. Preliminary studies indicate that the coronavirus from bats infected humans, through a wild animal, Malayan pangolins. The genomic resemblance between the Pangolin coronavirus and Sars-CoV-2 (Covid-19 virus) is what has brought about this assumption.

Bats, pangolins and humans are not cohabitants, which acts as a species barrier, preventing the virus naturally found in bats from jumping to other species. But environmental crimes like wildlife poaching and consumption result in the breaking of the species barrier. The presence of Malayan pangolins (natural inhabitants of Southeast Asias forests) in the Chinese meat market strongly points towards illicit wildlife trade and trafficking. Malayan pangolins are hunted for their skin, scales, meat and for ingredients in oriental medicine. All species of pangolins are included in Cites Appendix I, which means their international trade is prohibited.

As per the World Customs Organizations Illicit Trade Report, in 2018, customs administrations from 47 countries reported 2,727 seizures of flora and fauna  which amounts to 59,150 pieces and 3,60,495 kg of various flora and fauna. Being rich in biodiversity, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and South America are most vulnerable for wildlife crimes and trafficking. In most of the cases, the destination remains China. Wildlife animals and products such as rhino horns, ivory, live pangolins and their scales, turtles and tortoises, snakes and their skin, mongoose, sea horses, sea cucumber, crocodile skin and porcupines are trafficked in substantial quantities.

Several Wuhan-type wet and dry markets are operational in China, Thailand and Vietnam that have a demand for exotic wildlife articles. In China alone, domestic wildlife farming is assessed as a billion-dollar industry. The rich and the privileged are the prime consumers of wildlife products, primarily because of the superstitions surrounding traditional Chinese medicine and false pride associated with the ownership of certain wildlife articles. Rhino horn, pangolin scales and tiger bones are used in traditional medicines, aphrodisiac recipes and in body-building tonics. Scientific studies completely condemn and disprove these beliefs. On the contrary, the Chinese wildlife market has seen an alarming rise in demand for rhino horn extract, due to a false belief that it can help treat Covid-19. Wildlife farming and consumption of wild meat in China have historical reasons such as famine and poverty. Gradually, it evolved into a tradition.

Wet markets sell live meat, fish and marine products. Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Burmese wet markets are notorious for selling game meat and other numerous wildlife items. They keep live animals in cages, stacked one above the other. If the topmost cage has bats and those below it have turtles, civets, ducks, porcupine and pangolins, it can lead to the mixing of their excreta and fluids. It makes the entire stock a natural mixing bowl, helping the virus cross the species barrier. Such congested and stressful circumstance reduces immunity and results in the multiplication of the virus, and infection and transmission of the disease.

When humans slaughter or dress the affected animals, they contract the virus. Inside the human body, the virus undergoes mutation, which can result in the pandemic of the current magnitude. The emergence of Covid-19 and the role of the Wuhan market is still under investigation. However, the 2003 outbreak of the Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic was ultimately traced back to masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), traded in Chinas Shenzhen wet market.

In 2010, Indian customs had prevented an attempt to import over 10,000 red-eared turtles from China. Later, it was found that, according to International Union for Conservation of Natures classification, the seized turtles were considered as one of the most invasive species on the earth. Its potential to outnumber the native turtle population and the microbial cargo it would have brought along give an idea about the severity of the crime.

A crazy pet culture poses yet another threat to the environment and global health. Many consider reptiles, turtles, wild lizards and other exotic species as new age pets. Close contact with such pets offers an opportunity for a virus like Covid-19 to cross species barriers and infect humans. Unless strictly prohibited, the illicit trade of wildlife and the new age pet culture have the potential to turn into another pandemic bomb.

Anees Cherkunnath is an IRS officer posted with Indian Customs. He holds a doctorate in veterinary science.

The views expressed are personal
PROVO, Utah, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpine Air Express, Inc. ("Alpine" or the "Company"), a logistics and transportation company providing regional air cargo services throughout the Mountain Western region of the United States, announced today that is has acquired 27 airplanes and associated engines, propellers, spare parts and ground support equipment from Great Lakes Airlines. Alpine is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners, LP ("AEI"), a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"This acquisition is highly strategic for our Company, significantly expanding our market presence and ability to serve our customers," said Michael Dancy, CEO of Alpine. "We are excited to grow our fleet, maintenance support and spare parts availability while also utilizing our proprietary supplemental type certificate (STC) to convert these acquired Beech 1900D aircraft into our expanding cargo operations."

"We partnered with Alpine to help the Company solidify and grow its leading market position providing regional air cargo transportation services," said Jon Nemo, Senior Partner at AEI. "This acquisition is a further testament to our strategy of building our fleet and infrastructure to meet the growing demand for regional air cargo transportation in our targeted geographies."

Akerman LLP served as legal advisor to AIpine.

About Alpine Air Express

Headquartered in Provo, Utah, Alpine is a leading Part 135 air cargo operator with a long and distinguished history providing its customers with safe and reliable air cargo transportation services primarily throughout attractive growth markets in the Mountain Region of the Western United States. Alpine operates a growing fleet of aircraft and owns a proprietary Supplemental Type Certificate ("STC") to convert the Beechcraft 1900D aircraft from passenger configuration to cargo configuration, making it the largest single pilot cargo aircraft in the world. For more information, please visit https://www.alpine-air.com/

About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and relationships throughout its target markets. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.

CONTACT:

Lambert & Co.

Jennifer Hurson

845-507-0571

[email protected]

Kristin Celauro

732-433-5200

[email protected]

SOURCE Alpine Air Express

Related Links

https://www.alpine-air.com


The delay in the provision of special childcare support for frontline workers engaged in the battle against coronavirus has been branded as "unacceptable".

Unions have demanded that plans for providing childcare for medical staff and other workers be unveiled amid continuing uncertainty on the arrangements that will be put in place.

On Monday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar signalled that a scheme was imminent, but last night the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) had still not given the green light for measures to be put in place.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: "We have been seeking childcare for frontline healthcare workers for three weeks. This ongoing delay and uncertainty is unacceptable.

"Our members have lives and families. They want to do their jobs professionally and unselfishly, but that is becoming increasingly untenable when there is nobody to look after their children.

"Ireland is asking its nurses and midwives to provide care in dangerous circumstances. The very least the State should do is ensure it's not costing frontline workers money to go to work, and provide them with safe childcare options."

A Siptu spokesperson urged the Taoiseach to "push the button" and unveil the childcare scheme for frontline workers as quickly as possible.

He said childcare is one of the top concerns being voiced by healthcare workers in calls to the union's Covid-19 information phoneline.

"I was speaking to a married couple last week who are a nurse and radiographer, work seven days between them and are often rostered to work at the same time," he said.

"They have two young kids, and the radiographer had to ring in sick for the first time in two-and-a-half years because he was not able to get someone to mind the kids."

There have been concerns that childcare workers may be reluctant to volunteer for the scheme due to concerns about potential health risks.

Siptu has said they will have to be paid more than a living wage of 12.30 an hour.

Earlier this week, Mr Varadkar said it was taking much longer than the Government would like to put plans in place and he understood people's frustration.

He said public health is the over-riding concern.

"While we're ready to push the button in terms of providing childcare to essential workers, we need clearance from the public health team that it in itself mightn't become a public health risk or mightn't cause the virus to be spread," he said.

Money

"It's certainly not an issue of money, that's there. It's not an issue of staff available, they've said they'll do it.

"It is now an issue of public health clearance and we haven't quite got that yet."

Last night, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the NPHET had given further consideration to the issue of childcare and that further meetings were planned across Government.

"We understand the issue, and the importance of protecting the workforces, and essential workforce in particularly in the healthcare arena, and we're looking to try and find a solution to that as quickly as we reasonably can," he said.
Asteroids has been considered one of the greatest threats not just to Earth but even to Mars.

One example of this phenomena in space is on Earth. On December 2018 a 33-foot meteor exploded over water in the Bering sea. On June 2018, a smaller one exploded in Botswana causing meteorites in the desert. The biggest was 60-feet which exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, creating a shockwave to shatter buildings and hurt 1000 people.

These are rare occurrences that may happen once or twice a century. Lindley Johnson, NASA's Planetary Defense Officer said that is rare for an asteroid to hit the ground and when it does, there's a 90% chance that it will hit unpopulated areas.

Astronaut and spacecraft are vulnerable to asteroid strikes

When the first space expeditions leave Earth for Mars and the moon, they can die in many ways with risks like radiation poisoning, isolation, communication delays, and cramped environments closed in by hostile conditions. If man becomes a spacefaring race, how sure are we that alien asteroid strikers can be avoided at all?

Johnson added that impact is inevitable during space flight, there is no such thing as open space. Once any ship leaves the earth's protection, there's one in a million chance of catastrophic asteroid collision.

We've learned to know what can hit us from space

At this point, experts have the bare technical know-how when it comes to planet-killers or small objects in space that can harm a small spacecraft. An uncountable number of space objects like asteroids are out there, they roam the space highways for millions of years, before hitting anything, some even come close to the Earth.

Also read: Scientists Still Trying to Find Life Existence in Mars



An alarm is sound for Near-Earth Object (NEOs) that can damage the Earth if it comes as close as 30 million miles. If that NEO will be bigger than 450 feet, comes to a intersecting orbit with within about 20 Earth-to-Moon distances are moved up to Potentially Hazardous Asteroid status.

Destination moon

The moon is the closest body to go to set up a lunar base, but it will be a target for any large or small asteroid. Without an atmosphere to slow the meteor down, it will strike it hard. In 2016, a study stated that 200 craters were found by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

One more danger is secondaries as the debris cause by meteorite strikes. Another danger is the faster speed of meteorite bits that can hit the ground at high velocity or faster.

Eric Christiansen, NASA's head of Micrometeorite and Orbital Debris Protection added,"They're much slower than the meteors, but they're still fast enough that we have to worry about them."

NASA wants to setup a base on the moon to get to the red planet Mars. It will be a good place to test technologies that will allow as to similar mars.

What is next for mars?

These are all theoretical for the Mars colonists but for sure asteroids will be a danger, which can be dealt with.

Related article: Alleged Lizard Captured by Curiosity Rover, Theorist Claims Its a Sign of Life on Mars

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The union that represents Halifax Transit drivers says a driver has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508 president Ken Wilson told CBC News a driver called him on Wednesday afternoon to inform him of the positive test result.

The driver last worked on Saturday, according to Wilson. The driver reportedly felt unusually fatigued after his shift, and was experiencing muscle aches and pains, prompting him to call 811 and leading to the test.

Despite still feeling the same symptoms that began on the weekend, Wilson said the driver "seems to be doing well."

Wilson said he was concerned that thousands of people may have been in contact with the driver since he contracted the virus.

Passenger numbers

Since the arrival of COVID-19, Halifax Transit has waved bus fares, instructed all passengers to load through the back door only, and blocked off or removed the seat directly behind drivers.

Wilson said Halifax was the first city in Canada to take those initiatives, but he'd like to see measures go further.

He is calling on Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, to impose tighter load limits on buses and ferries. Buses are currently limited to sitting room only and ferries to 50 passengers.

Wilson said Halifax should follow other Canadian transit services that are limiting buses to 10-15 passengers. On ferries, it should be around 20 passengers, he said.

Some routes are at or near capacity at peak times, Wilson said.

"The rest of the service is pretty well driving around empty. So I think the employer has to come up with a better way to put more service on the busier routes."

'Buses are essential'

The Halifax Regional Municipality confirmed the COVID-19 case in a news release, which said "all workspaces and vehicles, with which the individual was in contact, have already undergone cleanings as part of Halifax Transit's enhanced protocol."

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The municipality said public health officials were tracing the driver's contacts and would notify anyone who might need to self-isolate or be tested for COVID-19.

Strang said during Wednesday's provincial coronavirus update that he wasn't familiar with the details of the case, but he was aware of the union's concerns about crowding.

He said he would consider new ways of keeping transit safe during the pandemic, but it would be maintained as an essential service.

"Buses are essential. We have people that need to get to work and not everybody has the luxury of being able to drive or it's short enough that they could walk," he said.

He added that others may need buses to get groceries or medication from the pharmacy.

"We have to balance safety on the bus with the essential need of many in our community who use the bus."

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Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

Custom crush facility, wine making facilitator and educator, and producer of world-class, direct-to-consumer wines: The Wine Foundry, a boutique Napa Valley winery, does it all. The companys innovative model offers a full range of customized wine services: create a barrel yourself or with a group, launch and market your own brand, wow clients, friends, and family with a custom label, join the wine club for unprecedented access to their ultra premium, small lot Foundry and Anarchist wines, and/or take part in a series of virtual tastings.

Founded by Philip and Valerie Von Burg, The Wine Foundry is a dream fulfilled. Valerie, a California native, and Philip, a New York City native, both pivoted from legal and business careers, respectively, to wine, when in 2012, they purchased the assets and wine inventory of a failed Napa Valley winery. Their combined past experiences, and the counsel of a few key staff members from the former winery, such as winemaker Patrick Saboe, set them on a course for success.

Foundry line-up. Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

For each of The Wine Foundrys offerings, seasoned winemaker Saboe takes the lead. A graduate of the University of California at Davis Enology & Viticulture program, Saboe first served as harvest enologist for Hanna Winery before becoming the assistant winemaker at Keller Estate. In 2006, he became a winemaker and vineyard manager for Petroni Vineyards as well as Consulting Winemaker for Verismo Wines. In 2008, he accepted the Director of Winemaking position at Pezzi King Vineyards. And in 2012 he joined The Wine Foundry team. Saboes winemaking philosophy is simple: exceptional wines are made from exceptional fruit with exceptional care. He collaborates closely with the numerous growers who partner with The Wine Foundry, assuring that quality is paramount.

Anarchist line-up. Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

BESPOKE WINEMAKING: The Wine Foundry has been described as an incubator for luxury brands, and while their team does work behind the scenes for several cult labels, their core mission centers on crafting custom, high-end wines for individuals, groups, companies, and non-profit organizations. Clients capture the rarely attained dream of creating their own wine and sharing it with family and friends. Many choose to start at the very beginning, selecting from the extensive vineyard and varietal options for the upcoming vintage. Some clients prefer to select wine already in barrel from a prior vintage, an offering called an adoption barrel. Clients on a short timeline may choose a custom-designed label on already bottled ultra-premium wines without a label known as shiners. Regardless, clients acquire a world-class bottling that stacks up against the very best.

Heres how it works for those interested in a start-to-finish bottling:

Choose a Vineyard: Browse through The Wine Foundry vineyard guide and pick your favorite. Each features unique character traits; the best way to decide is to sample commercial wines made from the vineyards of interest. Alternatively, discuss with the team the style of wine you enjoy and they will help choose the property best suited to your goals.

Patrick Saboe. Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

Pulling samples. Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

Construct a Plan: Every wine begins with a series of decisions that shape the aromas, flavors, and structures. Consult directly with the winemaking team about the style of wine you prefer, and they will create a plan to achieve your goals. They guide through every step of the process, from vineyard and varietal selection down to the details of corks and capsules.

Monitor the Vineyard: Throughout the growing season, the team shares weather updates, vineyard photographs, and interviews with growers to offer insights on the vintage and to follow development of the fruit on the vine. As harvest nears, they will share estimates for the window of when your grapes likely will be ready for harvest.

Create the Wine: After the grapes are harvested, you are welcome to join at the winery for sorting, crushing, fermenting, and pressing your wine. If you cant be there in person, the winemaking staff will always handle every step of the process, as guided by your wine plan.

Design Packaging: Once you sign up to make wine, youll receive a Packaging Guide that explains the design process and your packaging choices. The Packaging Guide helps you and their design team work together to select your bottle, cork and capsule, and create a unique label specifically for your wine. They feature several bottle shapes, sizes, and weights from which to choose, along with the ability to create customized treatments such as branded corks, embossed labels and silkscreened or etched bottles. If it can be done, they will work with you to make it happen.

Blending: The Wine Foundry specially crafts additional wine each year for the purpose of bringing added depth and complexity to your final blend. As bottling nears, you will have an opportunity to work with a winemaker to fine-tune the aromatics, texture, and balance of your wine through a series of blending trials. Most clients consider this a highlight of the experience, playing with slight variations to dial-in the finishing touches and complete a truly unique signature wine.

Valerie and Philip Von Burg, and Kodiak. Photo courtesy of The Wine Foundry

TWO ORIGINAL LABELS & VIRTUAL TASTINGS: In addition to making wines for/with their clients, The Wine Foundry produces its own two labels: Foundry (what is normally an allocated label) and Anarchist, which can normally be sampled at the Vista Collina Resort tasting room in Napa. Due to current winetasting room closures, The Wine Foundry is hosting virtual wine tastings led by wine educator Stuart Ake whose wine knowledge runs deep and who always presents in an illuminating, understandable, and always entertaining manner. Ake has appeared on The Today Show and his pretension-free wine experiences and materials have received critical praise in Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Mens Journal, Time, and The Chicago Tribune. Participants in these virtual tastings purchase a pre-selected package of four different wines (drawn from the Foundry and Anarchist labels) to evaluate and enjoy with like-minded enthusiasts during live Zoom sessions, which last approximately 45 minutes. The virtual tasting sessions take place every Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. pacific time, and are open to all. Private sessions with a custom selection of wines are also available upon request. To purchase/schedule a wine tasting, email events@thewinefoundry.com.

Shipping Discounts: The Wine Foundry is currently offering shipping discounts such as $1 shipping on case orders: www.anarchistwineco.com. When placing an order use code: stayathome. For residents local to the San Francisco Bay Area, they offer same-day delivery included with any purchase of three bottles or more if the order is placed by 12 noon; next day delivery if placed after 12 noon. Customers can place orders online at www.anarchistwineco.com, and select pick up as the delivery option. And local residents can order/pick up Foundry or Anarchist wines at the Napa winery, ?45 Enterprise Ct Suite 3, Napa, CA. Order at www.anarchistwineco.com and check pick up option pickup option when placing order. All offers include Foundry Wines, normally allocation only, but now available for current promotions.
The distribution of a stimulus package in Lagos has not only eluded many residents, it has also increased the burden of others who had expectations of receiving the packages.

Persons living with disabilities in Lagos are among the worst hit by the failure to properly distribute the stimulus package.

Only 100 packs were given to us by the state government. Not that they even gave it to us, our leaders at the state level went to the Ministry of Agriculture to lobby for the packs, Babatunde Mohammed, the state coordinator for the National Association for the Blind, told PREMIUM TIMES.

The Lagos State Economic Stimulus Package

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on March 27, announced the food relief initiative to cushion the effect of stay-at-home order on the people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor said the stimulus package will be distributed to every local government, with priority to the indigents and most vulnerable people in the state, which includes the elderly, the poor and the physically challenged people.

The stimulus package will contain bags of rice, beans, garri, bread, dry pepper, drinking water and vitamins. We want each ration to last for 14 days as we continue to evaluate the impact of COVID-19, the governor said.

I am happy to announce an economic stimulus package to help our residents cushion the effects of our StayAtHome directive to stop the spread of COVID19.

Mr Sanwo-Olu also said the first stage of distribution would target 200,000 households at an estimation of six people per household.

Following the announcement of the distribution of food packages, many residents were elated, hoping that the stimulus package would be distributed to all eligible residents of the state.

During monitoring of the stay-at-home order, PREMIUM TIMES reporter witnessed clusters of people discussing the food package and how it will be distributed.

I heard they are using the LASRA card, if you have it, you better go and look for it before the distribution starts, one resident said to another.

Distribution Model

The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Gbolahan Lawal, said the government would use the existing database of the state in the distribution of the package.

Mr Lawal said the Lagos State Social Register and about 4000 community development association registers in 377 wards across the state would be used.

PREMIUM TIMES also confirmed from an official of the ministry that those who have the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) card and are Indigents are eligible to receive the package.

Yes, they sent messages to various numbers through the LASRRA registration number, a good number of my members received the message, asking residents to verify their address in expectation of the stimulus package, Mr Mohammed told PREMIUM TIMES.

Things turned around as many, all those who received the messages did not receive any package, he said, expressing displeasure over the distribution.

PREMIUM TIMES reporter who paid a visit to some houses in Kosofe local government learnt that many residents did not receive the package.

Double Tragedy for Indigents and Vulnerable people

Speaking on how the improper distribution of the stimulus package has affected persons living with disabilities, Mr Mohammed said it is a double tragedy for his people.

Before now, many of our people go to churches and mosques to beg for alms, work which they sustain themselves. But now that churches and mosques have closed and the government gave a stay at home order, our people were happy when they heard food packages will be distributed.

Mr Mohammed said many were left stranded and have become dejected that the stimulus packages did not get to them.

The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture gave 100 packs of food items to Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAWD Lagos, which is the umbrella body for all the disability clusters across the state, he said.

Mr Mohammed said the number is grossly inadequate in comparison to the number of disabled people in the state.

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Adebukola Adebayo, the State Chairperson of JONAWD, also confirmed that 100 packs were given to all persons with disabilities in the state

We met with the ministry of agriculture last week who gave us 100 packs which we distributed to five local governments. We distributed 20 each to Agege, Ifako-Ijaye, Surulere, Shomolu and Kosofe, he said.

Statistical Background

A 2019 data by the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that about 15 per cent of the worlds population lives with some form of disability.

This disability exposes then to adverse socio-economic outcomes that persons without disabilities are likely not to face.

In 2018, the National Population Commission of Nigeria (NPC), estimated that no fewer than 19 million Nigerians are living with disabilities.

Lagos State with a population of over 23 million people has no fewer than 500,000 persons living with disabilities, Mr Mohammed said.

The United States says that we are at least 10 to 15 per cent of every population, if the governor says they are targeting 220,000 households, we were expecting that if they cannot give us 10 to15 per cent, they should give us 5 per cent at the worst. But they only gave us 100 packs, Mr Adebayo said.

More Worries for Vulnerable people

Given the speculation about the possible extension of lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory to further curtail the spread of coronavirus, more troubles loom for the poor and vulnerable residents of Lagos.

After the distribution last week, I personally received over 5,000 calls from members. On my phone presently, I have over 300 messages of names and addresses of people with disabilities who need help, Mr Adebukola, the state chairperson said.

I have been receiving calls, people call thinking I have the package in my house that I have not given to them, Mr Mohammed added.

While the possible extension has not been ascertained, residents of Lagos are expressing displeasure over their aggravated sufferings during the lockdown period.

They are sharing the food packages to baales, chiefs, party chairmen, local government chairmen, party members and others, a resident at Kosofe local government said bitterly.

The resident who declined giving her name said she was joyous when she heard that food packages will be distributed.

I heard some people are even complaining about the food, what about those of us that did not get at all? she asked rhetorically.

We dont even know how that food was distributed, 200,000 packs and I have no one around me that I can say collected, Kabiru Azeez, a resident said.

Mr Azeez said the distribution of the stimulus package was only in the media and was not done in real life.

I even live close to the local government council, how will I not know if they are sharing any package? Everything is just a lie, they shared it amongst themselves, he said in his local dialect.

Messrs Mohammed and Adebukola urged the government to include their members in the second phase of the distribution.

We want them to involve us in the second batch of the distribution, we know where our people stay, we know ourselves, they need to include us,  Mr Mohammed said.

This reporter called the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Lawal, and also sent a text message to his known lines, seeking clarification on the stimulus package. However, he did not respond.
A mother and daughter are facing a lawsuit from Jeju Island in South Korea after travelling there for a holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The civil suit alleges the pair had travelled to the island, which is popular with tourists, for a holiday despite the fact that the daughter was already showing symptoms of Covid-19 and should have been following the government recommendation to self-isolate for 14 days.

The mother, 52, and daughter, 19, have both subsequently tested positive for coronavirus.

The plaintiffs, the Jeju Island Provincial Government as well as several individuals and businesses affected, are seeking a total of 130 million won (86,331) in damages.

According to the lawsuit, the daughter, identified only as Ms A or defendant one, is a student at a university in Boston, Massachusetts, where there was local transmission of Covid-19 by 3 March.

With the university subsequently announcing its closure, Ms A decided to return to South Korea, arriving at Seouls Incheon Airport from New York on 15 March.

Ms A and her mother, identified as Ms B or defendant two, had initially planned to take a holiday to Hawaii, the lawsuit said. But after border closures, the destination was changed to Jeju.

Ms A and Ms B enjoyed a four-night, five-day holiday on Jeju Island between 20 and 24 March, where they went to all the major tourist attractions on the island.

Ms A was said to be experiencing symptoms of coronavirus at this point, including chills, muscle pain, and sore throat. Despite already receiving medical treatment for her symptoms, which had worsened, she continued her itinerary, the lawsuit said.

After returning to their home in Seoul, both tested positive for Covid-19 on 25 March.

The lawsuit said that as a result, the government had to close and disinfect 20 locations Ms A had visited, including the medical facility where she had received treatment on 23 March. In addition, 97 people (45 in the province and 52 from outside the province) were forced to self-isolate for 14 days after coming into contact with Ms A.

In a press statement, Jeju government added that Ms A did not fulfil her obligations as a member of the social community.

I hope to send a strong warning against actions that threaten the deadly struggle of the medical workers, the endeavour of the disease prevention workers, and the participation of our people in their fight against coronavirus, Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said in a statement, CNN reports.

At present, South Korea has the second highest number coronavirus cases in the Western Pacific, according to the World Health Organisations latest report.

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

Its not the only lawsuit thats resulted from coronavirus.

An Austrian ski resort is facing a possible lawsuit from thousands of tourists amid allegations that they caught coronavirus after holidaying there.

Ischgl in the Tyrol region is already under investigation after hundreds of cases were traced back to the resort.

Authorities in Ischgl have been accused by the Austrian Consumer Protection Association (VSV) of acting too late in taking steps to stem the outbreak.

The VSV invited holidaymakers whod been affected to register on its website.
By Francesco Canepa and Gederts Gelzis

FRANKFURT/RIGA (Reuters) - It would be irresponsible of euro zone countries to leave the European Central Bank alone in the fight against an economic slump caused by the coronavirus outbreak, ECB policymaker Martins Kazaks said on Wednesday.

Finance ministers failed to agree in all-night talks on more support for their coronavirus-hit economies on Wednesday and suspended discussions until the following day.

Kazaks said the ECB was prepared to do its part, extending and expanding its money-printing programme if needed, but called for governments to chip in too.

"If policymakers leave monetary policy as the only game in town, that would be irresponsible," Kazaks, Latvia's central bank governor, told Reuters in an interview.

The ECB told euro zone finance ministers that the bloc may need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros ($1.6 trillion) this year to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, officials told Reuters.

The ECB has itself beefed up its bond purchase programme to 1.1 trillion euros this year and is offering ultra-cheap credit to banks at unprecedented rates.

Kazaks said the central bank could still increase that figure and even make use of its Outright Monetary Transactions to help individual countries if needed.

"We can talk larger volumes, other instruments," Kazaks said. "If this becomes necessary, within our mandate, we can do it."

He added the ECB would review market conditions towards the end of the year and decide whether it can phase out its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme and its relaxed collateral rules.

"If we see that sharp movements would be harmful then we don't do it. Then we gradually do it," he said.

But he was adamant this did not amount to direct financing of governments, which is forbidden under the EU Treaty.

"You can't draw a line," Kazaks said. "Then you (would) have to assume that the rest of policymakers...are behaving absolutely irresponsibly and that is against their citizens' interest."

Story continues

The ECB effectively came to Italy's aid in March, ditching its predetermined country quotas to focus its bond-buying on Italian debt as the country became the global epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

Kazaks said such deviations from the so called "capital key" should be seen as "short term and operational".

He added the ECB may even manage to stay "in most cases" within a limit on owning more than a third of any one country's debt, which was de facto abandoned last week as governments increase supply.

(Reporting By Gederts Gelzis and Francesco Canepa; Editing by Balazs Koranyi and Nick Macfie)
Authorities in Mexico have arrested two men who were transporting more than 1,000 bottles and cans of booze after the state government banned the sale of alcohol until the end of April in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Francisco and Carlos Manuel were traveling in a minivan ferrying 248 six-packs of beer when they were pulled over by cops Tuesday in Rancheria Gonzalez, a neighborhood in the municipality of Villahermosa.

According to Mexican newspaper Tabasco Hoy, the individuals did not provide a valid reason as to why they were in possession of 1,488 beers.

Officers in the state the southeastern state of Tabasco confiscated 1,488 bottles and cans of beers during a traffic stop on Tuesday. The state issued a liquor sale ban last Thursday and is expected to be lifted April 30 in lieu of Mexico's national emergency to combat the spread of the coronavirus

The two individuals did not provide the police a valid reason as to why they were driving around with 248 six-packs of beers in a minivan

The state of Tabasco banned the purchase of alcoholic beverages as of April 2 after the Mexican government declared a health emergency and ordered all non-essential activities suspended until April 30.

'We are going to take extraordinary measures and actions to provide better attention to the problems that we face with the coronavirus,' said Tabasco governor Adan Augusto Lopez, who has previously tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

He added: 'The government is working very closely to guarantee the health and safety of the people of Tabasco.'

The Mexican government reported 141 deaths and 2,785 confirmed cases due to the coronavirus global pandemic as of Wednesday.

Restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol varies by the state and city government.

For example, the governors of Sonora, Campeche and Quintana Roo  whose tourism-fueled economy has been dealt a huge blow by the global pandemic - are limiting the sale of liquor.

The current ban of the sale of liquor varies by each municipal and state government

Police towed a minivan used by two men in Tabasco, Mexico, to transport more than 1,000 beer bottles and cans less than a week after the state governor placed a temporary ban on the sale of liquor

Liquor in Campeche can only be sold between noon and 6pm. Quintana Roo imposed a dry law from March 27 to April 10, banning the purchase booze between 11pm and 3am from Monday to Saturday and from 5pm to 11pm on Sunday.

The state of Sonora based its liquor sale policy on the number of residents per each of its municipalities.

At least two towns in Mexico City declared a limit on alcohol sale.

The governor of Nuevo Leon shut down all of the state's breweries as of last Friday.

Constellation Brands Inc, the U.S. distributor of Corona beer, said on Wednesday it would reduce production at its Mexican breweries, just days after it announced they were fully operational.

The company said it was taking these additional steps to avoid 'irreversible impact' to its operations and that the actions were in line with those taken by other brewers in Mexico.

Last week, Constellation said its breweries in Mexico were still operational even as rivals such as AB InBev-owned Grupo Modelo and Dutch brewer Heineken suspended operations.

'We are taking these additional steps after gaining more clarity related to the Mexican government's response to this health and economic crisis,' Constellation Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands said in a statement.

The National Alliance of Small Businessowners has called on the federal government to intervene and allow the sale of liquor at businesses, arguing than more than 500,000 are in jeopardy.

'The isolation at home is causing states of anxiety, desperation, [and] fear that could eventually lead to episodes of irritability and intolerance, friction and disagreements between family members,' the merchant's association said in a statement according to Mexico News Daily.

'Spending all day together for over a month will have consequences and in this environment the consumption of beer at home works like a relaxant, a drink for use in moderation that contributes to enduring the strictest terms of this difficult test.'
One day last November, Malia Cruz, a senior at Vintage High School, couldnt sleep. Out of nowhere, she says, she took out her phone and began to write. She said that the words began to flow out of her. It was effortless, automatic. She put into words something she felt, but had not seen. She put into words her truth.

Little did she know that the poem she wrote that night would win the statewide 2020 Poetry Out Loud Competition for best original poem.

It started in her AP English class, where she was practicing the recitation of other poems, when Cruz read the poem to her teacher, Newton Thomas. He knew, in that moment, that they should submit it to the competition.

Her voice is so powerful, and indicative of so much of this moment in our state and countrys history, he said. I didnt want to miss the chance for her to share her perspective. My only role was in convincing her to submit it. The rest was all Malia.

The poem is an excoriating look at the experience of a young brown girl in a white world. She decries the prejudice Mexicans have endured under white rule and how they continue to be persecuted and condescended to. Their struggle against the oppression is real to her, and she articulates it powerfully in the poem.

From my point of view, with every step taken forward, we are forced to take a step back, Cruz said. Although we have been able to gain the right to an education, worker rights and basic independence, we still struggle with prejudice and racism on a daily basis.

Her original poem was not her only entry in the competition. Students also compete to see who can recite a poem by an established poet. Malia chose to recite three. The Only Mexican by David Thomas Martinez and The Contract Says: Wed Like the Conversation to be Bilingual by Ada Limon are both works by contemporary poets that address the role Mexicans play in American society. Her third poem was Batter my Heart, Three-persond God by John Donne, (1572-1631) a dense, ethereal sonnet whose style couldnt be farther from her original poem and the others.

Cruz competed against nine other students from five high schools to win the county competition sponsored by the Arts Council Napa Valley. From there, she went on to the state where she won first place for original poetry, a first for Napa County.

The competition was supposed to have taken place in Sacramento on March 15, but due to the COVID-19 virus, the event was canceled. The organizers decided to hold the competition virtually, so her teachers got together and filmed her reciting the poems.

Jenny LaMonte, adviser of the Poetry Club at Vintage, saw that Cruz was a powerful public speaker. I wish you could hear her read before a live audience because she is remarkable, the way she is able to completely inhabit the voice of the poem and bring her audience with her as she makes her way purposefully and powerfully through each reading, LaMonte said.

Cruz has been accepted into the nursing program at the University of San Francisco and will start there in the fall. But it is unlikely that she will leave poetry behind. Malias poem and her voice speak to the very core of why poetry matters, Thomas said. Malia has a gift that transcends the classroom, taking poetry to its most fundamental, most profoundly human places. Her voice is about connection, finding those moments that remind us of who we are, and by extension, who we might become.

John Henry Martin sees that the difference between journalism and poetry is stark. If you have a favorite poem, or want to read Malias in entirety, email him at jhm@johnhenrymartin.com.
An FIR has been registered against



eight Myanmarese nationals, all members of the Tablighi Jamaat organisation, for allegedly violating self-quarantine rules and staying at a mosque here in Maharashtra without informing the local police, an official said on Wednesday.

These persons did not attend the religious congregation against last month by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi las month, which has emerged as a major coronavirus hotspot in the country, he said.

"They were staying at a mosque in Nagpur without informing the local administration, which also amounts to violation of the Foreigners Act," the police official said.

The eight persons, all hailing from Yangon city of Myanmar, arrived here on March 7. After staying at a mosque in Gittikhadan area till March 21, they shifted to another mosque building in Tehsil area without informing the police and flouted the self-quarantine rules, he said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police recently conducted checking at the mosque where they found the foreign nationals and informed the health authorities, the official said.

All the eight persons, who are currently quarantined at an MLA hostel here, have been booked under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), he said.

They have also been charged under provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Disaster Management Act, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has invited online applications from eligible and interested Indian nationals, who are Graduate Engineers, for filling numerous vacancies to the post of Engineers/Officers in Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering disciplines besides joining as Graduate Apprentice Engineers (GAEs) through direct selection based on GATE-2020 score. The online application-cum-registration process towards the same started on April 7, 2020 and closes on May 6, 2020.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Engineers/Officers and Graduate Apprentice Engineers (GAEs) Organisation Indian Oil Corporation Limited. (IOCL) Educational Qualification BE/B.Tech or equivalent degree in Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering disciplines Experience Freshers can apply Skills Required Desirable Job Location India Salary Scale Rs. 50,000 per month Industry Oil Application Start Date April 7, 2020 Application End Date May 6, 2020

Age Criteria And Fees

Desirous candidates applying for Engineers and Apprentices post through IOCL Recruitment 2020 must not have exceeded 26 years of age (Gen/UR) as on June 30, 2020 with relaxation (upper age limit) up to 5 years (SC/ST) and 3 years (OBC - NCL) respectively as specified in the advertisement.

Candidates', all categories, are exempted from paying fee towards the application processing.

CCI Recruitment 2020 For Officers, Managers And Engineers Post, Apply Offline Before April 30

Educational Criteria And Eligibility

Desirous candidates applying for Engineers and Apprentices post through IOCL Recruitment 2020 must possess BE/B.Tech or equivalent degree in Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering disciplines with 65% marks from a AICTE/UGC recognised University/Institute as detailed in the notification.

Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates for Engineers and Apprentices post through IOCL Recruitment 2020 will be done through Shortlisting based on GATE-2020 score/marks in the concerned GATE Paper, Group Discussion (GD)/Group Task (GT) and Personal Interview (PI).

Candidates selected for Engineers and Apprentices post through IOCL Recruitment 2020 will be paid an emolument of Rs. 50,000 per month.

CGWB Recruitment 2020 For 62 Young Professionals And Consultant Posts, Apply Offline Before April 25

How To Apply

Candidates applying for Engineers and Apprentices post through IOCL Recruitment 2020 must register on online the official IOCL website in "careers section" at https://www.iocl.com/PeopleCareers/job.aspx and submit their applications on or before May 6, 2020 at https://ioclapply.com/

Read the detailed notification about IOCL Recruitment 2020 for Engineers and Apprentices post here https://www.iocl.com/download/GATE_2020_Detailed_Advertisement.pdf
Its not possible to lift the lockdown abruptly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting with the floor leaders of political parties in Parliament in the strongest message yet from the government that the nationwide, three-week lockdown it clamped to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will not be lifted in its entirety when it ends on April 14.

Nobody is saying that lockdown should be lifted. I will talk again to CMs. But as of now, the mood is that entire lockdown lifting is not possible. For us, lockdown is the only way to save our people, Modi added in the video conference.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to have a video conference with chief ministers on Saturday, his third such meeting with the heads of state governments since India declared the lockdown starting on March 25.

Over the past 72 hours, several chief ministers have called for at least a partial extension of the lockdown; and the group of ministers headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh that is leading Indias response to the pandemic has also recommended that even if the lockdown was lifted, the travel bans must remain.

The floor leaders who attended the meeting were Congresss Ghulam Nabi Azad and Adhir Chowdhury, DMKs TR Balu, Trinamools Sudip Bandopadhyay, Samajwadi Partys Ramgopal Yadav, Shiv Senas Vinayak Raut, Lok Jan Shakti Partys Chirag Paswan, CPI (M)s Elamaram Kareem, Biju Janata Dals Pinaki Misra, among others.

In his meeting with the floor leaders, Modi also said that while there is tremendous pressure on resources (during this lockdown period), India is one of the few countries where the spread of the coronavirus is still under control. India ended Wednesday with 5,885 infections and 178 deaths.

I am regularly talking to chief ministers , district magistrates and experts. Nobody is telling me to lift the lockdown. We need strict rules to maintain social distancing.

India has a social emergency-like situation. In this situation, we have to take unprecedented decisions from time to time. And today, I am grateful to all of you for taking all the decisions in a positive approach, keeping in mind the requirement of the country. In the future too, we may have to take such hard decisions, Modi added.

Floor leaders present in the meeting raised the issue of the suspension of the MP Local Area Development Scheme for two years, suggested setting up a task force comprising Union ministers and chief ministers, give financial packages to the states, scrap the 25,000 crore central vista redevelopment and said that food should also be available to those who do not have Aadhaar or ration cards.

The suspension of the scheme has become politically controversial, with opposition MPs saying that this will prevent aid from reaching those who need it most in their constituencies. Trinamool Congress floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said, We are ready to forgo our salaries. But the MPs get a very good opportunity to work at the grassroot level through the MPLAD fund.

On Monday, the Union Cabinet suspended the scheme for two years, and said the amount (roughly ~5,900 crore) would be transferred to the Consolidated Fund of India and spent on Indias effort to fight Covid-19.

Several floor leaders demanded that the government must pump in money to the states as they are in the forefront of the fight against Covid pandemic. While Bandopadhyay requested Modi to release the dues including those from the GST collection and sought a higher fiscal limit under the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) act, CPIMs Elamaram Kareem demanded an increase in the debt ceiling as a % of states GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product). Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, called for a special financial package for the most affected states.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar raised the Nizamuddin Markaz issue and insisted that it is not appropriate to blame any community.

DMK leader TR Baalu said the financial measures announced by the central government so far were inadequate and urged Modi to release 10,000 in two equal instalments for all the BPL families. The CPIM wanted 5,000 distributed in all Jandhan accounts to help the poor.

Azad also suggested that top priority should be accorded to providing adequate personal protection equipment (PPE), ventilators and masks besides insurance cover for doctors, nurses and health workers who are facing acute shortage of such gears.

The Prime Minister also hailed the unprecedented unity that has emerged across the political spectrum over the crisis. I want to thank the state governments once again. Centre and states are working in tandem keeping in mind the requirements and that is the reason that the states, the Centre and the political parties are working together without any prejudice.

The Prime Minister told the meeting he is happy that parties have risen above politics and come together in national interest in this hour of crisis and assured that he will try and implement the suggestions put forth by various leaders, Azad said.

Modi said: Be it the person in lowest or the highest strata of the society, everyone is doing their bit to fight against corona. Its a big thing in this country of 130 crore people. The sense of belonging which the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi used to speak of, today, we can see its deep impact in our daily lives.

We have been trying to take quick decisions and today India is one of the few countries in the world where spread of this virus is still under control. We also have to keep in mind that every day, situations are changing, he said.

As per our communications with the districts and also the experience of the global situation teaches us that for us, lockdown is the only way for us to save the lives of our citizens.

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African American communities hit hardest by coronavirus: US data

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 8:34 AM

Data from US states shows that the coronavirus is wreaking havoc in African American neighborhoods, highlighting disparities in health and inequalities in access to medical care.

African Americans make up just 14.6% of the Illinois' population, however, the state's public health agency says black people account for 30% of the state's cases and about 40% of its coronavirus deaths, showing that African Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19.

In Chicago, black people account for half of all coronavirus cases in the city and more than 70% of deaths, despite making up 30% of the population.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the coronavirus was "devastating black Chicago".

Public health commissioner Dr Allison Arwady said Chicago's black residents already lived on average about 8.8 years less than their white counterparts.

In the state of Michigan, black people make up 14% of the population, but the state health department said they account for 33% of the coronavirus cases and 41% of deaths.

Figures from the state health department showed white residents account for about 23% of recorded cases in Michigan and 28% of deaths.

Also, African Americans in the New Orleans area, where the majority of residents are black, account for 40% of Louisiana's coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths.

"We're going to try to figure out what that is attributable to and what we can do about that is as quickly as possible," Governor John Bel Edwards said.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, black people make up almost half of the nearly 1,000 cases of the coronavirus and 81% of its 27 deaths. This, as they account for 26% of the population there.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers says he wants to know why black communities seem to be hit so hard. "It's a crisis within a crisis," Evers said in a statement.

In Memphis, Tennessee, reports said that most coronavirus screening was happening in the predominantly white and well-off suburbs, not the majority black, lower-income neighborhoods.

The bio-tech data firm Rubix Life Sciences, based in Boston, Massachusetts, found that an African American with symptoms like cough and fever was less likely to be given one of the scarce coronavirus tests.

Dr Summer Johnson McGee, dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven, said she was not surprised that the US black population is experiencing a worse outcome during the pandemic. Racism has led to a lack of investment in African American communities and worse health care for the population in general, McGee said.

"A pandemic just magnifies the disparities in healthcare that many communities of color face," she said.

The World Health Organization has said that people with underlying symptom like asthma, diabetes and heart disease appear to develop serious illness after contracting the coronavirus.

McGee said, "That makes the COVID-19 particularly dangerous for African Americans, who because of environmental and economic factors have higher rates of those illnesses."

Dr Cameron Webb, an African-American physician in the state of Virginia, told BBC News that US racial and economic disparities were being amplified by the pandemic.

"It really exposes our society's fault lines," he said.

Kristen Clarke, executive director of the National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said race data was essential information for leaders to have so that federal, state and city resources can be distributed fairly, Reuters said.

There were over 367,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 10,000 deaths in the US as of early Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University data. US officials warn this will be the toughest week yet.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE:XMG)(FKT:1MG)(OTC PINK:MGXMF) announces as a result of recent advancements by research partner the University of British Columbia (see press release dated April 2, 2020), in the development of a silicon anode for next generation lithium ion batteries, the Company has entered into an investor relations agreement with FXCT Media Inc. ("FXCT"). FXCT will provide corporate, investor and partnership communication services for the Company's Silicon Anode Lithium Ion Battery project. The agreement is for a period of three months, with compensation of $15,000 and 300,000 incentive stock options. The MGX/UBC partnership recently announced completion of a 1,000 discharge lifecycle test of its silicon anode in a next generation lithium ion battery. This next generation battery has an increased energy storage of 400Wh/kg, a doubling of capacity over the current ratio of ~200Wh/kg. The silicon anode was produced utilizing a proprietary advanced materials science etching and coating process for treating silicon creating a nanostructured form suitable for use in lithium ion batteries.

Incentive Stock Options

The Company has filed a Form 11 with the CSE for 5,400,000 at $0.07 with a two year expiration to officers and consultants of the Company within the Company's stock option plan. The Company plans to cancel up to four million incentive options under a previous agreement or as a result of a departure.

About FXCT Media Inc.

FXCT Media is a digital marketing agency specializing in online investor awareness for publicly traded companies. FXCT reaches a broad range of investors and institutions.

About MGX Minerals Inc.

MGX Minerals invests in commodity and technology companies and projects focusing on battery and energy mass storage technology, advanced materials, the extraction of minerals and metals from fluids, water filtration, and gasification. MGX conducts exploration for battery metals (Ni-V-Li-Co-Pt-Pd), industrial and agricultural minerals (MgO-Si-Nb), gold, and hydrogen. At the most recent financial quarter, October 31st, 2019, MGX Minerals had $26.6 million in assets and $6 million in liabilities and loans.

Contact Information

Patrick Power

Chief Executive Officer

ppower@mgxminerals.com

Web: www.mgxminerals.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 release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: MGX Minerals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584377/MGX-Minerals-Engages-Investor-Relations-Firm-for-Silicon-Anode-Lithium-Ion-Battery-Project
W hat makes a boy band? It varies, but there are a few key ingredients. First and foremost, theyre made up of boys rather than men  at the dawn of their 20s at the oldest. Theyre fashionable and, crucially, marketable, often thanks to the industry bigwigs behind the scenes pulling their strings. They sing, they dance, and they deal in crossover pop, drawing in the biggest sounds of the day  even if they dont write their own stuff. Their sexuality, at least on the face of it, is toned-down and vanilla, but its unmistakably straight: these lyrics are wholly hetero, aimed squarely at the hearts and minds of young women and girls.

Its a formula thats been tinkered with for decades. Where it all began is up for debate, but most critics agree that things started in the 1960s with four mop-topped lads from Liverpool. Although they would go on to far surpass their earlier selves with all their later-career experiments, The Beatles laid the blueprint for the modern boy band. Smartly dressed and similarly haircutted, they first gained popularity doing covers of hit songs, and attracted a particularly rabid, female-heavy fanbase.

From then on, a broad line can be traced through the decades  and it involves a lot of copying. Motown boss Berry Gordy clocked the success of Beatlemania and wanted in, so in 1968 he signed a promising young band of brothers, The Jackson 5. Gordy and a team of musicians penned a number of the groups best known hits, including I Want You Back and ABC, which set a trend for faceless songwriting conglomerates.

Then, in the 80s, it was the turn of Maurice Starr. The former musician happened upon a fledgling group called New Edition and, inspired by the Jackson 5, tried to repeat the trick. They had moderate success, but nothing like Starr knew was possible, so in 1984, he created New Kids On The Block.

I honestly believe that if they'd been white, [New Edition] would have been 20 times as big, Starr said in 1990. He may well have been right: New Kids On The Block were all white, and they were massive. By the dawn of the 90s, the five-piece were making more money than Michael Jackson.

New Kids On The Block were pivotal for another reason. They were the first ever group to be widely known as a boy band  up until then, the phrase hadnt really existed, and it created a new breed of pop acts on both sides of the pond. Take That and East 17 were assembled in the UK, and Boyzone followed a couple of years later, formed by manager Louis Walsh. He famously put out an advert looking for an Irish Take That.

Boy bands in the UK took a battering towards the end of the 90s, as the in-your-face authenticity of Britpop exposed these groups supposed superficiality, but their popularity continued to rise. As things moved into a new millennium, Westlife were one of the biggest groups on the planet. Around the same time, back in the States, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were dominating the charts.

One thing shared by all these groups is the fervency of their fanbase. Theres something about boy bands in particular that stokes these devotions  sure, their lyrics are designed to do exactly that, but with more than one person in the act, fan loyalty is split and competes against itself. It only makes things more intense.

Everyone had a favourite of Paul, John, Ringo and George, and its all still happening today  possibly to an even greater extent. Staff at GQ received death threats in 2013 when some One Direction fans took offence after the magazine revealed five different covers featuring each member. BTS, the K-Pop titans, have a worldwide fanbase, passionately supportive online, but also quick to attack in their droves whenever they detect a bad word against the band.

As a group, though, BTS seem bigger than all that have come before. Theyve had Korean-language songs at the top of the US charts, and sold out Wembley Stadium twice over. In South Korea, their latest record sold more copies than the other top 20 albums of 2020 combined, times two. Wherever they go next, one thing is clear  the boy band is here to stay.

Listen: Step By Step by New Kids on the Block

Watch: I'm In A Boy Band (documentary)

Read: Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

A-Z of Music: So far
BRIDGEPORT  A local man claims he suffered serious injury when batteries he had recently purchased to power his electronic cigarette exploded in his pants pocket.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages as well as attorneys fees and costs.

Alex Perry, 33, of Bridgeport filed suit in Superior Court here against Milford electronic cigarette store The Mod House and LG Electronics, the maker of the batteries.

My client has suffered unspeakable pain and suffering from this negligence, says Perrys lawyer Tom Ganim. His quality of life is ruined from extensive scarring, critical medical attention and ongoing treatment with enormous medical expenses and diminished income opportunity.

The Mod House is now closed and its owner, Kurt Buckholz, did not return calls for comment. LG did not return emails for comment on the lawsuit.

People across the country claim in lawsuits that they were injured by exploding electronic cigarette batteries including those made by LG, the worlds largest battery manufacturer. A study at George Mason University stated there were more than 2,000 visits to U.S. emergency rooms from 2015-17 for e-cigarette burns and explosion-related injuries.

The majority of those injured were men who had put e-cigarette batteries in their pants or shorts pockets when they said the batteries exploded, the study states.

According to the lawsuit, on July 14, 2018, Perry purchased two LG HG2 batteries from The Mod House for use with his electronic cigarette.

After the purchase, Perry stuck the batteries into his left front pants pocket and then went to visit a friend in Stratford, the suit states.

In an incident captured on video, Perry is seen talking to his friend in a parking lot when the front of his pants exploded, causing him to fall on the ground. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWFTvfae7v4&feature=youtu.be

The suit states Perry suffered serious burns to his leg and groin area and was transferred from St. Vincents Medical Center to the Burn Unit of Bridgeport Hospital for specialized surgical treatment.

While in the hospital, Ganim said Perry contracted MERS, a serious viral respiratory infection that requires additional treatment.

The defendants sold a defective, faulty and dangerous product that when used for its intended purpose was dangerous and susceptible to exploding, the lawsuit states. It continued that purchasers of the batteries were given no warning of its dangers in violation of Connecticuts product liability statute and Unfair Trade Practice Act.
Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic: - Wuhan outbound travel ban ends - Outbound travel from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first emerged in December, resumed early Wednesday, after a more than two-month ban. Thousands of travellers flocked to catch departing trains, passenger cars lined up as road blocks were dismantled, and outbound air travel was set to resume. The further easing of travel restrictions came after China reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January. Cases on the mainland have been dwindling since March, but the country faces a second wave of infections from overseas. However, there are suspicions -- denied by China -- that Beijing continues to intentionally under-report the real number of deaths and infections. China also announced all nationals returning from the US, Italy and Iran will have to provide daily updates on their health to a WeChat app for up to two weeks before their flights or be denied boarding. - Japan declares state of emergency - Japan declared a month-long state of emergency over a spike in coronavirus cases, ramping up efforts to contain infections but stopping short of the strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world. The move allows governors in seven affected regions including Tokyo to ask people to stay indoors and request that businesses close, but there are no enforcement mechanisms and no penalties for those who fail to comply. The government has come under mounting pressure to tackle an outbreak that remains small by global standards but has raised concerns among Japanese medical experts, with warnings that health care systems are already overstretched. - Stranded Afghans storm home - Afghans stranded in Pakistan by the virus shutdown stormed a border crossing after the lockdown on the common border was briefly lifted. Thousands entered Afghanistan without being screened, sparking fears they may introduce more cases of the coronavirus into a war-weary country already overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of migrants returning from hard-hit Iran. - 'Pandemic bonds' - Indonesia will issue some $27 billion in so-called "Pandemic bonds" to finance efforts to deal with the health crisis and its economic impact. Factory activity in Southeast Asia's biggest economy hit a record low, with Japanese automakers Suzuki and Honda becoming the latest firms to announce temporary production suspensions at their plants in the archipelago. The government has slashed annual growth projections and warned the economy could even contract in a worst-case scenario. It will spend an extra $25 billion to mitigate the economic impact of the virus. Meanwhile, the rupiah earlier dropped to a near-record low and is one of Asia's worst-hit currencies. - Philippines extends quarantine - The Philippines has extended the home quarantine order covering roughly half its population -- around 55 million people. The lockdown, due to end next week, will be prolonged to April 30 as confirmed infections hit 3,660 with 163 deaths. Schools, public places and most businesses have been shuttered since mid-March, with residents told to remain at home except for food shopping and medical visits. - Cambodia cancels public holiday - The much-anticipated Khmer New Year public holiday next week has been postponed, Cambodia's strongman premier said, due to coronavirus fears. Hun Sen, who in February played down the severity of the virus, urged people to celebrate where they were rather than return to their home provinces. - Mask up, or make one - Citizens in Indonesia's Padang city on Sumatra island face a unique punishment if they go out in public unmasked. Violators must produce -- with the help of an online instructional video should they need it -- two cloth masks as a fine, one for themselves and another for a person in need. The consequences if they can't produce a mask on the spot were unclear. - 'Idiot' Kiwi minister - New Zealand's health minister described himself as "an idiot" for breaking lockdown restrictions, but kept his job coordinating the South Pacific nation's coronavirus response. Health Minister David Clark -- whose resignation to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was not accepted -- revealed he took a 20-kilometre (12-mile) drive to the beach with his family. burs-rub-fox/st/sst
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

The total number of coronavirus infected people in Uzbekistan rose to 534, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health.

Since April 1, Uzbekistan announced a self-isolation regime in Tashkent, Nukus and other regional centers. Citizens over 65 are categorically prohibited from leaving their homes. They can go out only to visit pharmacies and shops near their respective places of residence.

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 of the coronavirus began in the Chinese city of Wuhan (an international transport hub), at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 82,000. Over 1.4 million people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 300,000 people have reportedly recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
Huawei Carrier Congress 2020, a key event that discusses the future of 5G in Saudi Arabia and the role it will play in contributing towards the goals of Vision 2030, is taking place for the first time online from March 24 - April 15.

The event is bringing together Huaweis partners from across the kingdom to showcase and experience the latest 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The first-ever online Huawei Carrier Congress event is focusing on three main streams: 5G Gear Up, which showcases Huaweis new solutions and global success; AI-enabling intelligent operations; and a showcase of Huaweis partners in Saudi Arabia who specialise in AI.

Participants have the opportunity to learn how 5G inspires industries and enriches peoples lives, including understanding technologies such as 5G RAN all-scenario solutions, 5G X-Haul for intelligent connectivity, 5G Core for deterministic network, 5G services with AI, as well as other IT innovation. Huawei is also demonstrating its award-winning 5G end-to-end (E2E) solutions, recognized by the GMSA GLOMO 5G Leadership award as industry leaders in 5G technology, R&D, standards and commercial use.

Terry He, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia, said: Moving the Huawei Carrier Congress 2020 event online was an obvious choice, considering the global situation we are all facing. Given the importance of technology in realising the ambitions of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, we felt it necessary to proceed as we help to bring digital connectivity to every person, home and organisation to support a fully connected and intelligent society. The Congress is also a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the capabilities of Huawei connectivity for hosting virtual events. We look forward to enabling hundreds of ICT experts from across the region to experience the Congress in an entirely new way.

The rapid expansion of 5G in the kingdom is already enabling substantial transformation for the telecommunications industry, while also unlocking opportunities across numerous sectors such as financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, government, and more. As an early pioneer of 5G in Saudi Arabia and globally, Huawei believes that the technology will contribute significantly to the countrys economy while creating thousands of new jobs and thus contributing towards realising the digital transformation goals of Vision 2030. - TradeArabia News Service
The past few weeks have not been easy for Nico Jacobs, founder of Rhino 911, a nonprofit that provides emergency helicopter transport for rhinoceroses in need of rescue in South Africa. Thats because times are much worse for the rhinos.

Since South Africa announced a national lockdown March 23 to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, Jacobs has had to respond to a rhino poaching incident nearly every day. On March 25, he rescued a 2-month-old white rhino calf whose mother had been killed by poachers. The next day he was called to rescue two black rhinos whose horns had been hacked off by poachers. When he finally tracked them down it was too late  both were dead.

Just as soon as the lockdown hit South Africa, we started having an incursion almost every single day, Jacobs said.

At least nine rhinos have been poached in South Africas North West province since the lockdown, he said, and those are just the ones we know about.

In neighboring Botswana, according to Rhino Conservation Botswana, a nonprofit organization, at least six rhinos have been poached since the country closed its borders to stop the spread of COVID-19. And last week, the countrys government announced that five suspected poachers had been killed by Botswanas military in two separate incidents.

While poaching is not unusual in Africa  the last decade has seen more than 9,000 rhinos poached  conservationists said the recent incidents in Botswana and South Africa were unusual because they occurred in tourism hot spots that, until now, were considered relatively safe havens for wildlife.

National lockdowns, border closures, emergency visa restrictions, quarantines and other measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus have severely constricted Africas $39 billion tourism industry. That business both motivates and funds wildlife conservation across the continent, leading some experts to fear that threatened and endangered animals may become additional casualties of the pandemic.

These animals are not just protected by rangers, theyre also protected by tourist presence, said Tim Davenport, who directs species conservation programs for Africa at the Wildlife Conservation Society. If youre a poacher, youre not going to go to a place where there are lots of tourists. Youre going to go to a place where there are very few of them.

During this time of year, Africas national parks, conservancies and private game reserves should be teeming with tourists and trophy hunters. But thanks to border closures and crackdowns on international travel, foreigners couldnt visit these countries even if they wanted to.

Its very unfortunate, said Anthony Ntalamo, owner of Tony Mobile Safari, a Botswana-based safari company, who was expecting more than 150 customers in the months to come.

In places like the Okavango Delta and Kruger National Park, where lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants and Cape buffalo are on full display, tourists, hunters and the guides they hire to lead their expeditions have a far greater presence than law enforcement.

Without them, the task of monitoring millions of acres of remote and unforgiving wilderness rests solely on the shoulders of a few thousand rangers.

Without the tour guides, the rangers are like somebody moving without one leg, Ntalamo said.

Nearly all of Ntalamos clients have canceled their upcoming trips. Unless things turn around, he may soon have no choice but to put his 12 employees on unpaid leave.

People are being laid off in the tourism industry by the dozens in Africa at the moment, said Andrew Campbell, the chief executive of Game Rangers Association of Africa. All these things are happening because, without tourists, there is no money.

Rangers and private game guards could be next.

South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya and other African countries rely on tourism to fund wildlife conservation. In South Africa, for example, about 85% of 2018 funding for the countrys wildlife and public lands management authority, South Africa National Parks, came from tourism-related sources, such as park entry fees and trophy hunting permits.

Without that revenue, many parks, private reserves and community conservancies may not be able to pay employees.

Lynne MacTavish, the operations manager at Mankwe Wildlife Reserve in South Africas North West province, is doing everything she can to avoid such a scenario. Her 11,700-acre reserve should be crawling with visiting researchers and tourists. But since the coronavirus arrived, its just been her and a skeleton crew.

Were in a situation of zero income, and our expenses are actually going up all the time just trying to fight off the poachers and protect the reserve, MacTavish said. To say its desperate is an understatement. Were really in crisis here.

To avoid layoffs, MacTavish has stopped collecting a salary and has cut the pay of her fellow managers by 30%. But that will only keep the reserve above water for another three or four months. If things dont improve, she may be forced to make difficult decisions.

Our staff is made up of people from all parts of Southern Africa, and collectively they are supporting 131 dependents. Many of these dependents are from Malawi and Zimbabwe and other countries facing starvation, MacTavish said. They rely heavily on us in order to feed their families, and we cant just turn our back on them.

MacTavish expects to see more poaching in the coming months if the economic situation doesnt improve. Weve had a few incursions recently, but Im expecting an onslaught if this lockdown carries on for months on end.

Map Ives, the director of Rhino Conservation Botswana, shares her fears.

We can expect not only poaching of rhinoceros and elephant and other iconic animals, but we can also expect a spike in bushmeat poaching across the continent, he said. There are going to be a lot of people that are not earning a living and they will turn on the natural world and you cannot blame them. These are hungry people.

In the hopes of alleviating the situation, the Nature Conservancy, a U.S.-based environmental organization, recently began raising money for cash-strapped parks, conservancies and private reserves in Africa that need help paying rangers and guards.

While the full impact of the coronavirus on Africas wildlife remains to be seen, the events of the past two weeks illustrate the risks of relying too heavily on tourism to support conservation.

Catherine Semcer, a research fellow with the Property and Environment Research Center in North Carolina, believes the only way to prevent this from happening again is to diversify the sources of revenue that support wildlife conservation.

We dont want to decouple conservation from tourism, but I think we need to expand the range of sectors that support it, she said.

Until this happens, Africas wildlife will remain in jeopardy and conservationists like Jacobs will continue getting calls about orphaned baby rhinos.

If I get called out 10 times a day, Im going to fly 10 times a day. Ill fly as long as the finances can hold it, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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Amphibious AG600 airplane plans sea test

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/7 20:18:41

The AG600, China's large amphibious airplane that will be capable of covering all of the South China Sea, is preparing in Hubei Province to conduct its first maritime test flight this year as planned, despite the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic.

The AG600 is undergoing status adjustment and design optimization in Jingmen, Hubei, as all members of its development team at state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) have returned to work after the epidemic in the province began to ease, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.

"The aircraft is ready to start test flight subject training," Lu Yang, deputy head of the Zhuhai base test flight center under AVIC's subsidiary China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co, told CCTV.

It is scheduled to make its maiden flight at sea this year, CCTV reported.

Sea-based test flights are more challenging than those conducted over land, lakes or rivers because of factors like the complexity of the sea situation and the corrosive ocean environment, a military expert told the Global Times on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The AG600 conducted its land-based maiden flight in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in December 2017 and its first water-based test flight over a reservoir in Jingmen in October 2018, reports said.

A sea-based test flight will be another milestone in the plane's development, and the COVID-19 outbreak does not seem to have had any major impact on the project, the expert said.

The amphibious aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2022, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

About the size of a Boeing 737, the AG600 can fight forest fires, undertake water rescues, monitor the maritime environment and carry out patrol missions, Xinhua reported in 2019.

When deployed from Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, the AG600 can reach any location in the South China Sea thanks to its endurance of 12 hours and ability to take off and land on water, reports said.

As of March 31, all arms producers in Hubei had resumed operation, with about 65 percent of workers returning to their positions, the Hubei Daily reported on Friday.

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Has Maharashtra moved on to the dreaded stage three (community transmission) of the coronavirus outbreak, which means the source of the infection cannot be traced?

While the state government maintained that Maharashtra is still in stage two, where disease transmission is limited to those with travel history to affected countries or those in contact with the infected person, experts feel that the next few days are crucial, against the backdrop of the infections steep upward curve in the past eight days.

From April 1 to April 8, the state has recorded 833 cases and 62 deaths from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), 73.39% and 86.11% of the states tally and toll respectively.

Nearly 11% of them have no source of infection established, which has prompted the phase three question.

State public health minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said the state is yet to enter stage three. The minister also said that although the numbers are increasing, they are not multiplying.

On Wednesday, Maharashtra recorded 117 more patients and eight deaths, taking the tally to 1,135 and toll to 72. Of the eight deaths, five are in Mumbai, two in Pune and one in Kalyan-Dombivli.

Two of the victims are above 60 years of age, while the remaining six were between the ages of 44 and 59. As of Wednesday, Mumbai has 714 patients, the highest in the country, followed by Pune at 166.

A total of 25 patients are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat programme organised in Nizamuddin in New Delhi last month and which has emerged as the largest hotspot of cases in the country. Of them, eight are in Latur, six in Buldhana and two each in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ahmednagar.

Most of the states cases are from densely populated areas, such as Dharavi, Worli Koliwada in Mumbai and Gultekdi, Market Yard in Pune, where maintaining social distancing has become a herculean task. The state government is now worried if its machinery falls short in containing the spread in the slums.

Tope, however, said that they have been able to trace index cases in positive cases from these areas. If we have reached stage three (community spread) or not will be decided by the World Health Organisation(WHO). Daily data is sent to WHO through the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Based on the data we have collected, we have not reached stage three, Tope said.

Medical education minister Amit Deshmukh said the picture will be clearer early next week. Yes, we have 10% of cases without contact history, but that does not mean we have reached the third stage. Sometimes, the patients are not able to trace their contact links, leading to difficulty in establishing the contact. We are hopeful that we do not slip into the third phase as the timely lockdown in the state has worked. We are way better than other countries like Spain, United States of America (US), United Kingdom (UK) and can easily say that community spread has not started yet, he added.

Dr Om Srivastav, infectious diseases specialist, said that the data can establish if we have reached stage three. To prove if the virus is present in the community and its leading to the community transmission, aggressive testing is required. Only then can we contain the spread in the hotspot. If the government is claiming that we are still in phase two, based on data, we will have to believe it. As far as the current spike is concerned, there is nothing surprising and it is as per the trend witnessed in other countries, he said.

The state government has now intensified its strategy by monitoring the hot spots at a micro level. We are targeting at least 5,000 people around every positive case in the densely populated area and then treat them accordingly. We have also putting more restrictions in these areas to ensure that there is no rapid spread. In some areas, curfew has been imposed by restricting movements for even essential services. The rapid testing being introduced will help in establishing the vulnerability to the Covid-19 infection and the portable clinics started in Mumbai will help us identify more cases, said an official from Mantralaya.

Tope, too, attributed the high mortality rate in Maharashtra to comorbidities in Covid-19 victims. The mortality rate in the state is 6%, which is more than double the countrys fatality rate. The Covid-19 deaths are in a higher percentage in old patients with comorbidities, he said.

The official said that though the number of tests conducted in Maharashra is highest among all states, non-availability of kits is another reason the labs are not running to their full capacity. He said that portable testing centres and the rapid testing facility will, however, help in screening more suspected cases. Still we are not in phase three, which sees the multiplication of cases on a day-to-day basis. Here we are witnessing a rise of just 10% or so. It is true that the mortality rate is high, but its because of a delay in admissions and comorbidity among patients, he said.

Tope said the health department has categorised hospitals and patients will be admitted in these hospitals, depending on the severity of the case. The health department has marked five hospitals where asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases will be treated. The severe and critical cases will be treated at four dedicated hospitals, where specialist doctors to tackle comorbidities in patients will also be stationed.

Asymptomatic patients or those who show mild symptoms will be admitted at Sushruta Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Poddar hospital, Lilavati Hospital and Sai Hospital. Severe and critical cases will be admitted to SevenHills hospital, Kasturba hospital, Nanavati hospital, and Saifee Hospital. All these hospitals will have tertiary care to treat people with other issues. The idea is to try and lower the mortality rate, Tope said.

Tope said the lockdown should be strictly followed in Dharavi, which has seen 13 cases and two deaths. He said that he has instructed the police and officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take all necessary care to reduce crowding and maintain social distancing in the area.

It is a matter of concern as Dharavi is a densely populated areaI have visited Dharavi yesterday. I have informed the home department, local DCP, and Praveen Pardeshi that social distancing should be followed strictly in Dharavi. The crowding in public toilets should be avoided to curb the spread of infection. I do not think there is any need for a lockdown today. Whatever lockdown is there, should be implemented properly in Dharavi, he said.

We are monitoring how the number of cases are increasing in districts. We are also looking at the advisories of the Centre. Based on that, we can decide to relax lockdown in areas where there are no cases. However, the process to lift the lockdown has to be scientific and a protocol has to be followed, he added.

The state health department, in conjunction with the Indian Medical Association, is also planning to start rakshak clinics at taluka level and mobile clinics in urban areas.

The minister said that the Centre did a flip-flop on the clearance for commencing rapid testing or antibody tests. The Centre once said yes for the testing, later said not to do it. Now again it has given its clearance. One thing is that the rapid tests cannot give 100% result on coronavirus cases. We cannot rely on it completely. We are awaiting kits, once they provide it. we can start it in Mumbai and Pune, he said. He added that the state has sought a time frame from the Centre to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks and ventilator. Tope said that if there is going to be a delay, the state government will ask manufactures in Maharashtra to increase its capacity and provide these types of equipment
'There is indeed a link between BCG vaccination and resistance to COVID-19.'

IMAGE: A technician from Dr Dang's Lab in New Delhi demonstrates the sample collection process for COVID-19 tests, April 6, 2020. Dr Dang's Lab has initiated a drive-through COVID-19 testing facility. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo

Last week, the New York Institute of Technology issued a study stating that the 100-year-old BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine could be a 'game-changer' in the fight against coronavirus.

The BCG vaccine, that was developed in Europe to fight TB, is still used in the developing world.

Scientists discovered that countries that did not have a BCG vaccination policy saw 10 times more incidence of mortality from coronavirus.

Doctors in Melbourne, Australia, have started administering the BCG vaccine to physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other healthcare workers.

The director of immunobiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is asking for funding to commence a clinical trial of the vaccine among healthcare workers.

It is against this background that Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier spoke to the well-known immunologist Dr Gobardhan Das, a professor at the Special Centre of Molecular Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is also an adjunct professor, pathology and genomic medicine at the Houston Methodist Hospital, USA.

Dr Das has been requesting the authorities at the health ministry through his Twitter handle for more than a month to start once again immunising India's health workers and the elderly with the BCG vaccine.

"I believe that in India, not only micro bacteria-like organisms, we are often exposed to environmental micro bacteria. So, we are far more resistant to infections like COVID-19," Dr Das, below, says in the first of a two-part interview:

Some of the studies show that countries that had given BCG vaccine to children -- like Brazil, India, Japan, etc -- have shown fewer COVID-19 infected cases and low mortality rate compared to the countries that no longer use the BCG vaccine, like the US and the European countries.

Do you think there is a direct link between the BCG vaccine and resistance to the coronavirus?

Yes. In my opinion, there is indeed a link between BCG vaccination and resistance to COVID-19.

I believe that in India, not only micro bacteria-like organisms, we are often exposed to environmental micro bacteria. So, we are far more resistant to infections like COVID-19.

You take Spain, which has 125,000 infected cases while neighbouring Portugal has only 11,000 cases.

While in Portugal, the BCG vaccine is administered, it is not in Spain.

In Brazil, where BCG vaccination started in 1920, there are only around 11,000 infections.

Japan, which started BCG vaccination in 1947, has 3,500 infected people.

Iran that started the BCG vaccine in 1984, has 58,000 cases.

That's why I say there is a direct co-relation between the incidence of COVID-19 and the BCG vaccination.

BCG vaccination is against a bacterial infection and this is a virus. How does a vaccination that is for bacterial infection work for against a virus?

BCG is nothing but a micro bacterial strain. Immunologists call it adjuvant which is used to facilitate hyper immune responses. In adjuvant, often micro bacterial parts are used, and it is the best adjuvant.

Because of the micro bacteria, our immune response is always higher than those who are not exposed to the micro bacterial antigens.

For example, in the US, they are not vaccinated with any micro bacteria, and the incidence of getting exposed to any micro bacteria is also much less.

Therefore, their immune response is lesser than that of Indians.

You mean, it is not about bacteria or the virus, but about the general immune system?

That is correct. Also, when you immunise with BCG, in immunological terms you get something called Trained Immunity or we call it 'Immunological memory' which lasts long.

When you immunise with BCG to protect against TB, it actually protects against so many other infections. For example, leprosy.

We still do not know the exact mechanism, but this vaccine actually protects against various other infections too.

Scientifically speaking, how does the BCG vaccine work against the coronavirus?

There are two points I have to say. One is, our immune response is higher than many other people. Because our immune response is high, it helps in our response to the virus.

Secondly, because of the BCG vaccine and the adjuvant effect, the moment any virus or any antigen comes in, the trained immunity we have, can eliminate them effectively.

We have been administering the BCG vaccine from 1947 onwards. So, do you feel it is due to the BCG vaccine that India has fewer infected cases and low mortality rate?

Yes. In India, there are three factors that are working in our favour.

First is the early lockdown which the rest of the world failed to do, has had a huge impact.

Second is the human immune response which is already high because of the exposure to various micro bacterial organisms.

If you compare our immune response to that of those from the so-called clean countries, there is always a difference.

This basic immune response of ours is actually favouring us. We are much more resistant to infections than our western counterparts.

Third factor that is helping us is the BCG vaccine that we have been given as children.

So, relatively speaking, we are safer than countries like the US, Italy, Spain, etc.

But you have to remember that it does not mean we do not have to adhere to the precautions. We have to strictly practice social distancing, washing hands, etc.

Does that mean it is better to be living in a less sanitised world so that the immune system will be more resistant to infections?

We often talk about something called the hygiene versus non-hygiene theory. Non-hygiene means living in an environment where you are exposed to various organisms. Among such people, the immune system is strong. Yes, in one way, it is good.

That's why the number of allergy cases in the US and other such countries is higher but infections are much less because there are fewer organisms around.

But in India, despite the fact we are exposed to hundreds of organisms every day, we do not contract diseases that easily. Does that mean you should be living in an atmosphere where you can acquire stronger immune system?

My personal view is that living in non-hygienic conditions and thereby having a better immune system, may protect you from various infections.

However, to have heightened immune response always is not good because it affects the inflammatory response.

Because of the unhygienic conditions, your inflammatory response will not be good, and that can damage your organs.

The after-effect will be, life expectancy may come down. So, this is the flip side of living in unhygienic conditions.
EAGLEVILLE  Montgomery County officials reported five more COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the countys death toll to 32, and revealed that 34 of the 75 long-term care facilities in the county have reported cases of the virus.

The latest COVID-19 victims included: a 94-year-old Upper Gwynedd man; an 80-year-old Norristown woman; a 78-year-old Springfield woman; a 75-year-old Upper Merion woman; and an 86-year-old Whitemarsh man.

Three of the individuals passed away while in a hospital and two died at home, according to county Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh.

We do express our condolences to the friends and loved ones and family of these folks, Arkoosh said.

Officials said there were 160 new positive cases of the virus reported since Monday, bringing the countys total number of cases to 1,294 since March 7.

The new cases included residents from 38 municipalities. To date, 59 of the countys 62 municipalities have reported coronavirus cases.

The new cases in the county included at least 74 males and 86 females whose ages ranged from 17 to 101. Twelve of the individuals are hospitalized, officials said.

We continue to have open hospital beds in all of our Montgomery County hospitals so were extremely pleased to hear that and we want to thank all of those who have been staying home and helping us flatten the curve, said Arkoosh, re-emphasizing the social distancing recommendations of public health officials who say the measures can help prevent the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals and first responders from becoming overwhelmed.

The peak of the virus in the county is expected to occur mid-April.

What were seeing in our numbers and what were hearing from our local hospitals tells me that the vast majority of you are really doing a good job with staying home, that it is making a difference here, Arkoosh said.

We still have beds open and we are very hopeful that if people continue to stay home, no matter what you call 911 for next week, whether its COVID-19 or youre having a heart attack, that there will be a paramedic who can pick you up and there will be a hospital bed for you on the other side of that ride, Arkoosh added. So please keep at it. Stay home now.

On Monday, officials said about 250 individuals are currently hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in county hospitals and that about 70 of the patients require a ventilator for their care.

Officials added on Tuesday that 34 of the 75 long-term care facilities in the county that are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health have reported positive cases of coronavirus.

In total, we have 140 cases that are in the residents of these facilities and 53 cases that are staff members that work at these facilities, said Arkoosh, who was joined at a news briefing by fellow commissioners Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and Joseph C. Gale and Dr. Brenda Weis, administrator of the Office of Public Health.

Arkoosh explained county health and senior services officials have daily contact with the long-term care facilities in the county to assess the real time occurrence of COVID-19 in these sites.

Outreach is being done to our hardest hit facilities in order to assess their needs and provide guidance based on the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines, Arkoosh said.

The countys community-based COVID-19 testing site at Temple Universitys Ambler Campus in Upper Dublin will continue to be open through Friday, April 10. Officials said 4,204 people were tested at the site through April 6.

Sixty-one percent of the test results have been returned and revealed that about 21-percent of the individuals tested positive, according to officials.

Sadly, the site will be shutting down at the end of the day Friday. I want to emphasize that it is not the county that is shutting down this site. As Ive discussed from the very beginning, this asset, this site, was put up with help from partners at the federal government level and the state level, said Arkoosh, explaining the federal government provided the test kits and the contract with LabCorp to test 250 samples every day that the site was open.

That is really the limiting step for us. We dont have any additional kits here in the county nor do we have a commitment from a lab to take those samples and test them every single day, Arkoosh explained. These are incredibly scarce resources and we do not have a way here at the county level to make up for these test kits or make up for that contract with LabCorp. I wish we had a way to magically produce more test kits but we just dont and that is the position that we are in.

However, Arkoosh said the countys hospitals now provide testing, which was not the case when officials opened the drive-thru testing site on March 20.

So there are places all over the county now where people can be tested, Arkoosh said.

Arkoosh added officials are extremely grateful for the partnership that arranged the drive-thru testing site.

By the end of the week, we hope to have tested just over 5,000 people. It has provided an enormous amount of data for us in the county as we tracked this disease, Arkoosh said.

The site will provide testing by appointment only through Friday.

The link to register for a test appointment is available at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 as well as at the countys official social media accounts, officials said.

Individuals who do not have access to the Internet or do not have an email address can call 610-631-3000 at 8 a.m. daily to register for a testing appointment that day.
Many people were feared killed Monday evening as Boko Haram insurgents attacked Kirchinga in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State during which they looted shops and destroyed many houses, locals have said.

The village is at the edge of Sambisa forest, a former Boko Haram operational base.

The attack is coming amidst a lockdown ordered by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to contain coronavirus in the state.

A fleeing resident who said his house was destroyed in the attack, Kumangar Baba, said the insurgents stormed the village at about 5 p.m in pick up vans and on motorcycles.

"We saw hell because the terrorists pounced on us in the evening on Monday. In the twinkle of an eye, they opened fire and people started scampering for their lives," Mr Baba said.

"They burnt my house and carted away valuables. Possibly, many are feared killed," he said.

Residents also said that the Boko Haram fighters were later repelled by troops of the Nigerian Army.

A resident said, "The destruction would have been worse but for the timely response of soldiers stationed in Kirchinga."

The head of the troops in Madagali, Abdulsalam Usman, an army lieutenant-colonel, confirmed the attack.

He said, "Yes, there was an attack but it was repelled."

Also confirming it, the police spokesperson in the state, Suleiman Nguroje, said: "for now I am yet to get details. I will get back to you as soon we get more on the attack."

The attack occurred two days after Chadian troops crossed into Nigeria and pummelled Boko Haram fighters on Saturday.
In the early days of Canada's response to the coronavirus, before the crisis captured the full attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, it was still business as usual on at least one front: immigration.

On March 12, the day before the Canadian parliament was suspended on concern about the spread of Covid-19, Trudeau's immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, unveiled plans to hike immigration levels over the next three years. He cited a growing labor shortage.

But as the nation's economy plunges into recession, millions are being cast into unemployment. In the oil heartland of Alberta, a province that once had a voracious demand for skilled newcomers, Premier Jason Kenney now warns of a 25% jobless rate. Immigration targets will almost certainly be scaled back as the crisis forces a radical shift in Trudeau's priorities.

Attracting more migrants, foreign workers and students has been a pillar of Trudeau's political agenda since he became prime minister in 2015, making his government an outlier at a time when openness to foreigners is waning in Europe and U.S. immigration has fallen to a decade low.

Yet, history shows economic downturns almost always lead to less migration into Canada, even without the unprecedented travel restrictions associated with the pandemic.

"We may be left with a legacy of higher unemployment through 2021 that could cause governments to rethink the near term immigration targets," said Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Toronto.

Lower immigration may represent a third strike against Canada's economy, on top of the widespread business shutdown due to the virus and collapsing prices for crude oil, a major export.

Newcomers have powered the country's growth in recent years, providing a major source of new demand in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where new arrivals tend to congregate. The surge has spurred a housing boom, driving up prices and fueling construction.

If social distancing measures and business closures last for a year, the reduced flow of foreigners will not only hit the real estate market. It could also have lingering impacts on demand for education and other industries that rely on population growth, Shenfeld said.

Last year, Canada added a net 437,000 people from abroad -- including close to 200,000 non-permanent residents like students, temporary workers and asylum seekers -- helping to drive the fastest increase in population among Group of Seven countries. At 1.4%, Canada's population growth was double that of the U.S.

Mendicino's plan was to increase immigration through 2022 -- targeting 341,000 immigrants in 2020, 351,000 in 2021, and 361,000 in 2022. Those targets are now looking optimistic.

For the moment, Canada's borders are closed to most non-residents. The government is still accepting applications, but new immigrants and students are barred for now, except for seasonal agriculture workers.

"The department continues to accept and process applications throughout the period of these temporary measures," Kevin Lemkay, a spokesperson for Mendicino, said by email. "Immigration has, and will continue to be critical to Canada's long term success as we work to recover from the economic headwinds we are facing due to the coronavirus."

Following past downturns, international migration levels have tended to rebound quickly, aided by a broad political consensus the inflows are good for the country. Populist rhetoric against foreigners is largely absent from Canadian political debates.

Yet, the sheer depth of this crisis could undermine public support. For example, analysts say Trudeau's recent decision to turn back refugees coming from the U.S. may be more indicative of the mood.

"We take pride in being an open society and by and large supporting immigration, but that support is not quite as deep as we'd want to believe," said Patrick MacKenzie, chief executive officer of the Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia, an advocacy group. "If we don't tread carefully, we do run the potential of tipping the scales where people don't understand what's going on with immigration."

Immigration isn't the only agenda item Trudeau may be forced to put on pause. Everything from green technology to a national drug plan and indigenous initiatives will be more difficult to finance as pandemic-related spending surges and debt mounts.

Much will depend on how quickly Canada's economy recovers, pollsters say.

A few weeks ago, nothing on the political horizon suggested the government might be forced to back away from its policy on immigration, said Shachi Kurl, executive director at polling firm Angus Reid Institute. "Now it's very different and we are into a time of the unknown."
Paul Kasmin, a British-born art dealer who established a small gallery empire in New York that was both loyal to an eclectic cohort of living artists and dedicated to presenting a distinctive range of historical material, died on March 23 at his home in Millbrook, N.Y. He was 60.

Kasmin Gallery said the cause was cancer.

Mr. Kasmin was known for his independent eye, his genial optimism and his penchant for a spare, subtly British precision of speech.

In a 2018 video interview, when asked why he was participating in an Armory Show art fair in Manhattan when his own galleries in Chelsea were only about a mile away, he replied, As long as people go to art fairs and buy things or look at things, I, too, will go to art fairs.

Over 30 years, Mr. Kasmin built his own version of a mega-gallery, comprising a cluster of exhibition spaces in Manhattan around the intersection of 10th Avenue and West 27 Street. But his was a relatively modest one that lacked the usual blue-chip artists, high-profile auction dealings, global reach, bookstores and so forth that other megas might offer.
Doctors, researchers, even an army officer: the coronavirus pandemic has brought a diverse cast of experts into the media spotlight to guide the public through the crisis.

Many were unknown before the crisis, now they are familiar faces in living rooms across the world, from New York to Madrid to Beijing.

Fernando Simon, the epidemiologist who presents the health ministry's daily televised briefings on the grim progress of the coronavirus in Spain has himself caught the virus.

Despite falling ill at the end of March, he continues to summarise the day's findings, in his hoarse, thin voice, from his room self-isolation.

Simon's relaxed, informal presentation style is clear and instructive.

But as director of the ministry's Health Alert and Emergency Coordination Centre, his initially cautious approach to the approaching crisis earned him criticism from some colleagues.

They also argue he was too slow to recognise the need for the radical lockdown now in place.

Analysis of his performances on social media is rather less technical: some see a resemblance to Barcelona player Antoine Griezmann.

His thick eyebrows and unruly mop of salt-and-pepper hair have been a gift to the nation's cartoonists.

As a doctor who has worked in Latin America and in Africa for the European Union and the World Health Organization, this not his first health emergency.

In 2014, he led the response to the Ebola outbreak, when two Spanish missionaries died in a Madrid hospital of the deadly disease.

Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious disease expert, has led the country's response to every major epidemic since the outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s.

Now he has had to master the art of gently pushing back against the bluster of his boss, President Donald Trump, without actually saying he is wrong.

With his calm, professorial demeanour, pint-sized Fauci is fast becoming a household name as the evidence-driven straight shooter in the administration's coronavirus taskforce.

During one televised meeting with pharmaceutical executives in early March, Trump seemed to suggest a coronavirus vaccine could be ready in "three to four months".

Fauci stepped in.

"You won't have a vaccine," he replied in his gravelly Brooklyn accent.

"You'll have a vaccine to go into testing." It would take 12 to 18 months to determine whether it was effective, safe and can be produced in quantity, he explained.

Fauci has also had to temper Trump's enthusiasm for the prospects of anti-malarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as possible treatments.

While the president is already calling them a "game changer", Fauci has made it clear that it's too early to say -- that any "anecdotal evidence" needs validation in randomised clinical trials.

Fauci, ever the diplomat, has consistently played down these public yet polite disagreements.

China's unofficial spokesman on the deadly coronavirus pandemic might at first seem an unlikely choice: an outspoken 83-year-old doctor who once publicly disputed the government line.

But medical expert Zhong Nanshan, who leads the National Health Commission investigation against the outbreak, has become an authoritative voice in China's virus fight.

COVID-19, which has claimed over 3,300 lives in China, drew parallels with the 2002-3 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in terms of its initial spread.

That was when Zhong became a household name, when he publicly disputed the view that SARS was "effectively controlled" -- revealing a higher number of cases than Beijing was letting on.

He was a "natural pick" for Beijing to break any impression of a cover-up, said Zhao Litao, senior research fellow at Singapore's East Asia Institute.

His reputation as a trustworthy scientist -- and a non-government source -- helped build confidence as Beijing tackled the crisis, say observers. Zhong revealed in late January the coronavirus was spreading between people, making it more infectious than anticipated.

As a result, cities imposed heavy travel and movement restrictions, and two new hospitals were built.

"This time he was tasked to speak the truth, while 17 years ago he had to take the risk for (doing so)," said Zhao.

Every evening at six o'clock, civil protection chief Angelo Borrelli, after a brief "buonasera" -- or good evening in English -- presents the latest figures live to the nation.

The bespectacled former accountant, 55, details the rise in cases, intensive care patients, the cured and, finally, the dead.

But despite is expert status, Italians view Borrelli as one of them rather than part of the distant elite.

When on March 25, some three weeks into Italy's coronavirus epidemic, he went down with a fever and self-isolated, there was nationwide alarm.

Three days later however he was back, having tested negative. Borrelli has been on the frontline of Italy's emergencies since joining the civil protection agency in 2002, taking over as head three years ago.

He was perhaps the natural choice to front the coronavirus crisis and has been praised as a calming influence at a time of mounting panic.

But his critics say he has been overly cautious in his response to a invisible enemy that has killed more than 16,500 Italians.

In a rare personal reflection, he confessed recently to concern that social distancing measures had caused people to "internalise fears and anxieties".

"Reducing the metre that now separates us will be very difficult," he reflected.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This is the first time since January when the authorities began reporting deaths. Quarantine remains in some Wuhan residential compounds. Hong Kong extends airport closure to foreign travellers indefinitely.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies)  China reported no coronavirus deaths yesterday. This is the first time since January when the National Health Commission began reporting deaths.

There were however 32 new cases, all people arriving from abroad, bringing the total to almost 82,000, including 1,033 asymptomatic patients. More than 3,331 people have died.

Although doubts surround the accuracy of government figures, for observers the trend is certainly towards an improvement in the overall situation.

In Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic, the lockdown is set to be lifted tomorrow.

Residents in the capital of Hubei province will be free to leave the city for the first time since 23 January. Some residential compounds will remain locked down because of the presence of asymptomatic cases.

The authorities are now concerned that a second wave of infections could be brought in by foreign arrivals and returning residents.

The same is the case in Hong Kong, which recorded 24 new cases on Monday, six locally transmitted, for a total of 914 cases, more than double from a fortnight ago.

Local authorities responded by extending the airport closure to international flights indefinitely.

Local residents returning to the city must spend 14 days in solitary confinement at home. Quarantine is also imposed on anyone coming from mainland China, Macau and Taiwan.

China has also reduced international flights with both Chinese and foreign airlines only allowed to operate one international flight a week. Passenger and cargo flights must not be more than 75 per cent full.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend

Fruits and vegetables were exported directly from Iran to Oman for the first time, said Farhad Nouri, the head of the commercial services at Trade Promotion Organization, Trend reports citing the official website of the organization.

According to Nouri, the first container with a refrigerator arrived at the port of Sultan Qaboos in Oman on April 8.

Nouri added that previously, Iranian fruits, vegetables and other products were supplied through the port of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

The official said that efforts are being made to use the funds allocated for trade infrastructure to provide refrigerated containers.

"From April 4, the products were shipped by containers for the first time from Bandar Abbas port of Hormozgan province in southern Iran and Sultan Qaboos port of Muscat city in Oman," Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade of Iran and Chairman of the Trade Development Organization Hamid Zadboum said.

Iran exported 133.9 million tons of products worth $41.3 billion last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020). The top five countries in terms of the exports' value were China ($9.5 billion), Iraq ($9 billion), Turkey ($5 billion), the UAE ($4.5 billion) and Afghanistan ($2.3 billion).

In turn, 35.3 million tons of products worth $43.7 billion were imported to Iran. China ($11.2 billion), UAE ($8.9 billion), Turkey ($4.5 billion), India ($3.6 billion) and Germany ($2.1 billion) were the top five countries where from the goods were imported.
Move announced as measures to prevent spread of the pandemic after emirate reports 2,659 infections and 12 deaths.

Marriages and divorces in Dubai have been suspended until further notice as a result of the coronavirus.

The move, announced by the justice department on Wednesday, is among measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic rolled out in the Gulf emirate, which has reported 2,659 infections and 12 deaths.

Justice Khaled al-Hawsni of the family court also said on the departments website that couples who have already completed marriage formalities must not organise wedding parties even among their immediate circles.

On Tuesday, the Personal Status Court in Dubai decided to suspend all legal services related to family matters based on Islamic jurisprudence, which holds that repelling an evil is preferable to securing a benefit, the Arab news reported.

Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, has come to a virtual halt, with its famous malls and sprawling hotels shuttered.

All citizens and residents, other than those in essential services, require a permit to leave their homes.

Following a steep rise in the number of cases, the UAE indefinitely extended a curfew on Saturday that was enforced on March 26 to allow for a nationwide disinfection.

On Monday, UAE carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways resumed limited passenger flights, two weeks after authorities grounded aeroplanes as part of wider shutdowns to combat the coronavirus.

The flights are open to foreign citizens who wish to leave the UAE, but no incoming passengers are allowed.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Firstly, we of the IGBO RENAISSANCE FORUM would want to salute the courage and resilience of our frontline health workers in this fight against this ravaging and rampaging COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria today. We pray that you stay protected by nature as you save lives.

We want to advise everyone to ensure that safety precautions are followed and that citizens should endeavor to stay at home and help stop the spread of this virus.

We received with amazement and shock the inhuman and demeaning treatment currently being meted out on Ndi Igbo and other Nigerians in China. A few days ago, videos of molestation and intimidation of Ndi Igbo and other Nigerians living in China went viral online. We have taken time to investigate the matter and have confirmed the videos that we received in relation to the incidents recorded as factual.

We want to use this medium to speak directly to the South East political leaders, and specifically to the South East Governors. That your deafening silence in the face of obvious life-threatening circumstances facing your people in China is disdainful and insensitive to put it mildly.

It is sad that these people stranded in China and being subjected to inhuman treatments by the Chinese were quarantined for 15 days and subsequently thrown into the streets and asked to leave, without any consideration whatsoever. From information received from reliable sources, we gathered that hotels have been instructed not to take them in, even as some are being evicted from their living places.

It is even more sad that while our people are being treated like animals in China, our leaders, who were always screaming on podiums during campaigns, vowing and pledging to protect and preserve our lives and rights have decided to be VERY SILENT and are acting as if they are deaf, dumb and blind!

We are waiting for Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to address this matter with the urgency it deserves. It is disheartening for us as Ndi Igbo to observe the kind of efforts that goes into rescuing citizens from regions other than ours from unsavory situations, only to see a snail speed action when any bad situation seems to affect Ndi Igbo more.

However, we shall not dwell on the lacklustre attitude of the federal government to issues concerning Ndi Igbo as our focus is on our elected leaders in the South East who have become even more fatally lethargic at taking charge and defending Ndi Igbo in recent times.

Our people are going through unimaginable pain and anguish for no other reason but XENOPHOBIA, and yet we have our own brother, Geoffrey Jideofor K. Onyeama as Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs in GOLDEN SILENCE MODE.

WHAT AN IRONY!

Some people in some quarters have insinuated that most of the people affected are either not legally resident in China or have criminal records that might affect their exit from the country. For us as an Organization, it is absurd to start attributing and conjuring such ideas without any data of the individuals affected, or even a thorough investigation of the matter to ascertain the legal immigration status of these individuals.

OUR RESOLVE

1. We demand that the South East Governors by Friday 10th of April 2010 should tell Ndi Igbo in definite terms, the course of action on how to engage the federal government to evacuate our people facing homelessness, anxiety, vagaries of the weather and ultimately COVID-19 in China at this moment.

2. That the South East Governors constitute adiaspora interface organization at the shortest possible time, made up of credible individuals to get to work and to quickly come up with a comprehensive welfare report on Ndi Igbo across the globe. This is very pertinent for us, as we battle this pandemic and beyond, for R&D purposes.

3. We demand that a database of Ndi Igbo stranded in China be raised immediately. That is the only way we can work out an efficient plan for a successful action.

4. We demand that the South East Governors, the South East Parliamentary Caucus and Ohaneze Ndigbo convene an emergency meeting on or before the 15th of April, 2020 to holistically look at the Igbo nation and its survival through this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond as we are tired of the silence in the face of serious threats to our existence by the effects of the measures to combat COVID-19 globally.

We want to state very clearly that Ndi Igbo are fast losing patience with a leadership that has not inspired any hope in those they lead.

We shall be left with no option but to invoke the PEOPLE POWER in the situation where it becomes obvious that the lives of those who took pains to put our leaders in office does not matter anymore.

Finally, we want to give our people who are caught in this unfortunate situation in China hope, that they are certainly not alone, and that we shall not rest until they are safely evacuated back to Nigeria. We ask that they maintain the peace and be of good conduct as great ambassadors.

We shall no more fold our arms and watch!

SIGNED:

Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Oyi)

International Coordinator - Igbo Renaissance Forum

A results-driven, self-motivated, multi-talented, visionary professional with over 25 years of solid experience in the Media, Marketing Communications and lifestyle industries.

He has worked at management levels in reputable establishments, both within Nigeria and in the West African sun-region, and currently runs his own organization, Pulp Grove Consult.

He is also a writer and a motivational speaker.

He stepped into the shoes of the late former Senate President of Nigeria, Dr Chuba Okadigbo who was the 1st Oyi of Oyi on the 4th of January, 2014 in his native home of Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State in the South East of Nigeria.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:18:06|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race Wednesday, paving the way for the party's only remaining candidate Joe Biden to become the Democratic nominee.

In a speech live streamed to supporters in the morning, Sanders said his "path toward victory is virtually impossible," with some 300 fewer delegate votes than Biden's.

"So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful," he said. "And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."

Senator from the state of Vermont and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, Sanders has been lagging behind former Vice President Biden in several past primaries, starting in South Carolina in late February and culminating in the crucial states of Michigan and Florida last month, before the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the election process.

While admitting he cannot continue a "campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," Sanders insisted that he and his supporters have won on the ideological front.

"Few would deny that over the course of the past five years our movement has won the ideological struggle," said the 78-year-old.

Over the course of the nominating contest, Biden -- a moderate as opposed to Sanders' progressive stance -- has built up a lead in the decisive delegate votes, garnering over half of the 1,991 votes needed for nomination, thus continuously narrowing Sanders' path toward a one-on-one with incumbent President Donald Trump in the general election.

The veteran politician said he will remain on the ballot in states that still expect to have primaries despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and that he will continue to gather delegates in order to carry his message forward. "While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not."

Sanders has campaigned on a progressive policy agenda that includes Medicare for All through a government-led healthcare system, the Green New Deal to cope with the climate change, and College for All that guarantees tuition- and debt-free public college, among other proposals.

Now trailing presumptive nominee Biden in delegate votes 914 to 1,217, Sanders ran for president in the 2016 race but was defeated by Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nominating process.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:39:38|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Two weeks after the Nepali government decided to reopen international border points with China which were closed due to COVID-19 outbreak, Nepal's bordering customs office in Tatopani made first clearance of imported medical goods from China on Wednesday, a customs official said.

On March 25, the Nepali government decided to reopen the two international border points -- Tatopani-Zhangmu and Rasuwagadhi-Kerung (Geelong) for the movement of goods. These border points have been closed since late January.

"We completed the customs procedures for a private firm that had imported N95 masks and sanitizers from China," Lal Bahadur Khatri, chief customs officer at Tatopani customs office, told Xinhua on Wednesday. "It is the first ever movement of goods across the border since Nepal decided to reopen the border two weeks ago."

BM Trading, a Nepali private company, had imported 7,500 pieces of N95 masks and around 300 litres of sanitizers from China. "The vehicles and packets covering these materials were first disinfected on Tuesday as per the safety guideline issued by Nepal's Department of Customs and the customs clearance process was completed on Wednesday," said Khatri.

Nepal has so far nine confirmed cases of the COVID-19 and the Nepali government has been enforcing a nationwide lockdown since March 24 which will last until April 15.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed no fewer than 16 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

According to the NCDC announcement on its Twitter handle Tuesday night, Sixteen new cases of #COVID19 have been reported in Nigeria: 10 in Lagos, 2 in the FCT, 2 in Oyo, 1 in Delta and 1 in Katsina

As at 09:30 pm 7th April, there are 254 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. Fourty-four have been discharged with six deaths, it tweeted.

Ther are now 204 active cases, and about 7000 contacts to tracing.

Lagos still leads with 139 cases, thereby raising concerns about extending the current lockdown President Muhammadu Buhari declared in the state, Ogun, Abuja, and the FCT about seven days ago.

Lago state health authorities have warned the state cannot handle 4000 cases, urging people to stay at home and halt the spread.

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Zainab Ahmed, the minister for finance, budget and national planning, is consulting the national assembly for the revisions to be made...





Zainab Ahmed, the minister for finance, budget and national planning, is consulting the national assembly for the revisions to be made to the 2020 budget.





Ahmed is currently meeting with the leadership of the national assembly with Clem Agba, the minister of state for budget and national planning; and Ben Akabueze, the director-general of the Budget Office.





A drop in crude oil prices and weakened demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a revision of the appropriation act.





Presidential Fiscal Stimulus Committee members led by Minister @ZShamsuna at the National Assembly on a consultative meeting with the leaders of @nassnigeria. Discussions include #Covid19 measures, oil decline & Nigerian budget review amongst others, a post on the official Twitter handle of the ministry read.

The federal government had earlier proposed to cut the 2020 budget size by N1.5 trillion from N10.59 trillion to N9.09 trillion.





Ahmed had also said the benchmark oil price for 2020 would be cut to $30/barrel from $57 and oil production to 1.7mbpd.





We have similarly had to adjust downwards our non-oil revenue projections including various tax and customs receipts, as well as proceeds of privatisation exercises, she had said on Monday while announcing the COVID-19 economic stimulus package.





In this regard, the Budget Office is currently working on a revised 2020  2022 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework / Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) as well as an Amendment to the 2020 Appropriation Act.





Any revisions to the 2020 budget would have to be approved by the national assembly.
Members of the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) are being called upon to make scrubs for frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Women around the country will make medical scrubs from home in response to low supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to workers battling Covid-19.

The ICA's 8,000 members have been urged to make scrubs in an email from National President Josephine Helly.

The initiative is part of a project called Sew Scrubs for Ireland which was set up by Sinead Lawlor and her colleagues in the costume industry.

"The project is to supply some scrubs to areas where they are required as PPE equipment is in short supply," Ms Helly told RTEs News at One.

The ICS would have a tradition of having a lot of sewers in the association and they will all step up to the plate.

The email says: "Members of the ICA who get involved with the project will be supplied with a package including an instruction leaflet and diagram; cut fabric pieces; tape for binding edges and finishing the inside neckline; plus a drawstring for the waist of the trousers.

"It would be helpful if the maker has thread but it can be supplied if needed. The kits will be supplied in sizes S, M, L, XL as required by demand".

Dear members and friends,



Do you want to #sewscrubsforireland and help those on the front-line, who are fighting the brave fight against #COVID19 ?



If so, head onto our website for more information of how to get involved.



Website link: https://t.co/jtV6LVq0Xm https://t.co/Qo8sslhMU0  Irish Countrywomen's Association (@IrelandICA) April 8, 2020

The scrubs will be distributed through the ICA to local nursing homes which can arrange collection from individual members.

"I believe that any organisation or service that has either requested help, or that you know needs the help, will find a way to collect the finished scrubs from your door in any local area," Ms Helly's email said.

The scrubs include a top, tunic, and trousers but do not include face masks.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak in Minnesota (all times local):

7 p.m.

President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration for Minnesota as the state combats the coronavirus outbreak.

Gov. Tim Walz had asked Trump to issue the declaration to allow federal funding to flow to the state. Minnesotas congressional delegation had urged the Trump administration to approve the request.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Tuesday the coronavirus pandemic has caused a public health and economic crisis across Minnesota.

This declaration is a step toward making sure those in need have access to critical resources, Klobuchar said in a statement Tuesday.

Walz wants to use the money for crisis counselling, supplemental nutrition programs, medical assistance, funeral aid and other needs.
Prepare for more of the practically unimaginable. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

COVID-19 is not a climate-change pandemic  as far as we know, nothing about the emergence or spread of the coronavirus bears the recognizable imprint of global warming. But if the disease and our utter inability to respond to it terrifies you about our future staring down climate change, it should, not just as a fire drill for climate change generally but as a test run for all the diseases that will be unleashed in the decades ahead by warming. The virus is a terrifying harbinger of future pandemics that will be brought about if climate change continues to so deeply destabilize the natural world: scrambling ecosystems, collapsing habitats, rewiring wildlife, and rewriting the rules that have governed all life on this planet for all of human history.

Among the many unnerving lessons the two crises share is this one: Nature is mighty, and scary, and we have not defeated it but live within it, subject to its temperamental power, no matter where it is that you live or how protected you may normally feel. As the coronavirus has paralyzed much of the northern hemisphere, for instance, 192 billion locusts, perhaps 8,000 times more than usual, are swarming East Africa in clouds as big as whole cities, thanks to weather patterns scrambled by climate change; a small swarm can destroy the food supply of 35,000 people in a single day, and they are now traveling in swathes as wide as 25 miles, imperiling the food supply of tens of millions. In the U.S., it looks likely we will now be sheltering in place into the beginning of hurricane season. We have been living in a bubble, a bubble of false comfort and denial, as George Monbiot wrote recently in the Guardian. Living behind screens, passing between capsules  our houses, cars, offices and shopping malls  we persuaded ourselves that contingency had retreated, that we had reached the point all civilisations seek: insulation from natural hazards.

COVID-19 is one such hazard we believed, until a few weeks ago, we were mostly invulnerable to. In the future, we may have to reckon also with diseases we believed we already defeated, since in addition to bringing about pandemics of the future, global warming will revive plagues of the past. There are now, trapped in Arctic ice, diseases that have not circulated in the air for millions of years  in some cases, since before humans were around to encounter them. Which means our immune systems would have no idea how to fight back when those prehistoric plagues emerge from the ice. Already, in laboratories, several microbes have been reanimated: a 32,000-year-old extremophile bacteria revived in 2005, an 8-million-year-old bug brought back to life in 2007, a 3.5-million-year-old one a Russian scientist self-injected, out of curiosity, just to see what would happen. (He survived.) In 2018, scientists revived something a bit bigger  a worm that had been frozen in permafrost for the last 42,000 years.

The Arctic also stores terrifying diseases from more recent times. In Alaska, researchers have discovered remnants of the 1918 flu that infected as many as 500 million, and killed as many as 50 million  about 3 percent of the worlds population, and more had died in the world war for which the pandemic served as a kind of gruesome capstone. Scientists suspect smallpox is trapped in Siberian ice, among many other diseases that have otherwise passed into human legend  an abridged history of devastating sickness, left out like egg salad in the Arctic sun. Many of these frozen organisms wont actually survive the thaw; those that have been brought back to life have been reanimated typically under fastidious lab conditions. But in 2016, a boy was killed and 20 others infected by anthrax released when retreating permafrost exposed the frozen carcass of a reindeer killed by the bacteria at least 75 years earlier; more than 2,000 present-day reindeer died.

What concerns epidemiologists more than ancient diseases are existing scourges relocated, rewired, or even reevolved by warming. The first effect is geographical. Before the early modern period, human provinciality was a guard against pandemic  a bug could wipe out a town, or a kingdom, or even in an extreme case devastate a continent  but in most instances it couldnt travel much farther than its victims, which is to say, not very far at all. The Black Death killed as much as 60 percent of Europe, but consider, for a gruesome counterfactual, how big its impact might have been in a truly globalized world.

Today, even with globalization and the rapid intermingling of human populations, our ecosystems are mostly stable, and this functions as another limit  we know where certain bugs can spread, and we know the environments in which they cannot. (This is why certain vectors of adventure tourism require dozens of new vaccines and prophylactic medications, and why New Yorkers traveling to London dont need to worry.)

But global warming will scramble those ecosystems, meaning it will help disease trespass those limits as surely as Cortes did. The footprint of every mosquito-borne illness is currently circumscribed, for instance, but those borders are disappearing rapidly as the tropics expand  the current rate is 30 miles per decade. In Brazil, for generations, yellow fever sat in the Amazon Basin, where the Haemagogus and Sabethes mosquitoes thrived, making the disease a concern for those who lived, worked, or traveled deep into the jungle, but only for them; in 2016, it left the Amazon as more and more mosquitoes fanned out of the rain forest, and by 2017, it had reached areas around the countrys megalopolises, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro  more than 30 million people, many of them living in shantytowns, facing the arrival of a disease that kills between 3 and 8 percent of those infected.

Yellow fever is just one of the plagues that will be carried by mosquitoes as they migrate, conquering more and more of a warming world  the globalization of pandemic disease. Malaria alone already kills a million people each year, infecting many more, but you dont worry much about it if you are living in Maine or France. As the tropics creep northward and mosquitoes migrate with them, you may; over the course of the next century, more and more of the worlds population will be living under the shadow of diseases like these. You didnt worry much about Zika before a couple of years ago, either.

As it happens, Zika may be a good model of a second worrying effect  disease mutation. One reason you hadnt heard about Zika until recently is that it had been trapped in Uganda and Southeast Asia; another is that it did not, until recently, appear to cause birth defects. Scientists still dont entirely understand what happened or what they missed, even now, several years after the planet was gripped by panic about microcephaly. It could be that the disease changed as it came to the Americas, the result of a genetic mutation or in adaptive response to a new environment, or that Zika produces those devastating prenatal effects only when another disease is present, possibly one less common in Africa, or that something about the environment or immunological history in Uganda protects mothers and their unborn children there.

But there are things we do know for sure about how climate affects some diseases. Malaria, for instance, thrives in hotter regions, which is one reason the World Bank estimates that by 2030, 3.6 billion people will be reckoning with it  100 million as a direct result of climate change.

Projections like those depend not just on climate models but on an intricate understanding of the organism at play. Or, rather, organisms. Malaria transmission involves both the disease and the mosquito; Lyme disease, both the disease and the tick  which is another epidemiologically threatening creature whose universe is rapidly expanding, thanks to global warming. As Mary Beth Pfeiffer has documented, Lyme-case counts have spiked in Japan, Turkey, and South Korea, where the disease was literally nonexistent as recently as 2010  zero cases  and now lives inside hundreds more Koreans each year. In the Netherlands, 54 percent of the countrys land is now infested; in Europe as a whole, Lyme caseloads are now three times the standard level. In the U.S., there are likely around 300,000 new infections each year  and since even many of those treated for Lyme continue to show symptoms years after treatment, the numbers can stockpile. Overall, the number of disease cases from mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas have tripled in the U.S. over just the last 13 years, with dozens of counties across the country encountering ticks for the first time. But the effects of the epidemic can be seen perhaps most clearly in animals other than humans: In Minnesota, during the aughts, winter ticks helped drop the moose population by 58 percent in a single decade, and some environmentalists believe the species could be eradicated entirely from the state within the next few years.

In New England, moose calves have been found suckling as many as 90,000 engorged ticks, which often kill the calves not through Lyme disease but simple anemia, the effect of that number of bugs each drawing a few milliliters of blood. Those that survive are far from robust, many having scratched so incessantly at their own hides to clear the ticks that they completely eliminated their own hair, leaving behind a spooky gray skin that has earned them the name ghost moose.

Lyme is still, in relative terms, a young disease, and one we dont yet understand all that well. We attribute a very mysterious and incoherent set of symptoms to it, from joint pain to fatigue to memory loss to facial palsy, almost as a catchall explanation for ailments we cannot pinpoint in patients who we know have been bitten by a bug carrying the bug. We do know ticks, however, as surely as we know malaria  there are not many parasites we understand better. But there are many, many millions we understand worse, which means our sense of how climate change will redirect or remodel them is shrouded in a foreboding ignorance. And then there are the plagues that climate change will confront us with for the very first time  a whole new universe of diseases humans have never before known to even worry about.

New universe is not hyperbole. Scientists guess the planet could harbor more than a million yet-to-be-discovered viruses  many of them, like COVID-19, for now quarantined in particular susceptible species, but which could evolve or jump into humans, either as the result of changing climatic conditions or because the scrambling of native ecosystems and habitats brings the host species into contact with humans in a much more direct way that ever before. The more we pave over and log and deforest the natural world, disrupting stable ecosystems and turning those organisms living happily within them out into the human world, the more diseases, and pandemics, well produce. That is what it means to be living entirely outside the window of climate conditions that enclose all of human history  everything we have ever taken to be stable about our relationship to the planet is thrown into chaos. That chaos will confront us, again and again, with undiscovered disease.

Bacteria are even trickier, and so we probably know about even fewer of them. Perhaps scariest are those that live within us, peacefully for now. More than 99 percent of even those bacteria inside human bodies are currently unknown to science, which means we are operating in near-total ignorance about the effects climate change might have on the bugs in, for instance, our guts  about how many of the bacteria modern humans have come to rely on, like unseen factory workers, for everything from digesting our food to modulating our anxiety, could be rewired, diminished, or entirely killed off by an additional few degrees of heat.

Overwhelmingly, of course, the viruses and bacteria making homes inside us are nonthreatening to humans  at present. Presumably, a difference of a degree or two in global temperature wont dramatically change the behavior of the majority of them  probably the vast majority, even the overwhelming majority. But consider the case of the saiga  the adorable dwarflike antelope, native to Central Asia. In May 2015, nearly two-thirds of the global population died in the span of just days  every single saiga in an area the size of Florida, the land suddenly dotted with hundreds of thousands of saiga carcasses and not one lone survivor. An event like this is called a megadeath, this one so striking and cinematic that it gave rise, immediately, to a whole raft of conspiracy theories: aliens, radiation, dumped rocket fuel. But no toxins were found by researchers poking through the killing fields  in the animals themselves, in the soil, in the local plants. The culprit, it turned out, was a simple bacteria, Pasteurella multocida, which had lived inside the saigas tonsils, without threatening its host in any way, for many, many generations. Suddenly, it had proliferated, emigrated to the bloodstream, and from there to the animals liver, kidneys, and spleen. Why? The places where the saigas died in May 2015 were extremely warm and humid, Ed Yong wrote in The Atlantic. In fact, humidity levels were the highest ever seen in the region since records began in 1948. The same pattern held for two earlier, and much smaller, die-offs from 1981 and 1988. When the temperature gets really hot, and the air gets really wet, saiga die. Climate is the trigger, Pasteurella is the bullet.

This is not to say we now understand what precisely about humidity weaponized Pasteurella, or how many of the other bacteria living inside mammals like us  the one percent we have identified, or perhaps more worryingly the 99 percent we house without any knowledge or understanding  might be similarly triggered by climate, friendly symbiotic bugs with whom weve lived in some cases for millions of years transformed suddenly into contagions already inside us. That remains a mystery. But ignorance is no comfort. Presumably climate change will introduce us to some of them.

This essay was adapted from The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, published by Tim Duggan Books in 2019; the paperback edition came out earlier this month.

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Bidders from India and the US muscled out Northern Ireland in the global race to buy personal protective equipment, Stormonts finance minster said.

An effort to secure supplies from China using contacts in the Irish Republic fell through.

Conor Murphy has been criticised by political opponents over his public pronouncements after he said a significant consignment was expected as part of a joint order with Dublin.

On Wednesday, a former Stormont health minister accused him of giving NHS staff tackling the coronavirus epidemic false hopes which were later dashed.

Irish supply lines quickly dried upConor Murphy

Mr Murphy said: The US has come into the market.

It has brought both its economic and political muscle into the market and attempted to secure significant supply lines from China to satisfy its own demands.

India has come in with a much stronger economic and political muscle.

Mr Murphy appeared before his Stormont scrutiny committee.

He added that he had been arranging to make payment to Ireland for the extra supplies when he learned the proposed deal had come unstuck.

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said: Before you saw a single apron or mask, you were about to send the money to Dublin.

Mr Murphy agreed, but said every country was having to move fast to confront the infection.

Speaking at @niexecutive #COVID19 press conference, Finance Minister @conormurphysf said: "I have been working closely with the Health Minister to procure Personal Protective Equipment & and other supplies based on the needs identified by them. pic.twitter.com/cioElcmCzy  Dept of Finance (@dptfinance) April 2, 2020

He said the Republics officials had a larger presence on the ground in China and were two or three weeks ahead of Northern Ireland in attempting to secure supplies.

He added Ireland had also arranged flights and the intention had been to add Northern Irelands requirements to the Republics through a joint order.

The minister admitted: Irish supply lines quickly dried up.

He had testy exchanges with DUP and UUP Assembly members.

His predecessor Jim Wells claimed: You built up false hopes amongst the staff in the public and private sector which were dashed.

Committee chairman and Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken asked the minister why he was not aware that the order would not be fulfilled.

The DUPs Paul Frew sought email trails and other documentation to give the committee greater assurances.

Northern Ireland is in the process of receiving 5.5 million items of personal protective equipment  including goggles, aprons and masks  from Great Britain.
Tammy Hembrow's half-sister Starlette Thynne has amassed an Instagram following of 227,000.

And while her older siblings have forged careers as models and entrepreneurs, the 19-year-old is setting her sights on environmental science.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the launch of the Boohoo x Hembrows collection last month, the university student said she hopes to become a 'marine biologist'.

EXCLUSIVE 'I want to be a marine biologist': Tammy Hembrow's sister Starlette Thynne (pictured), 19, is keen to use her platform for good as she fronts campaign with her family

'I'm actually at university studying environmental science, so I want to major in ecology and conservation,' Starlette revealed.

'So something along the lines of that... conservation work or even marine biology. A marine biologist.'

For now, Starlette has collaborated with her sisters - Tammy, Amy and Emilee - on a capsule collection for online fashion retailer, Boohoo.

Academic: 'I'm actually at university studying environmental science, so I want to major in ecology and conservation,' Starlette told Daily Mail Australia last month

Front and centre: For now, Starlette has collaborated with her sisters - Tammy (far right), Amy (centre left) and Emilee (far left) - on a capsule collection for online fashion retailer, Boohoo

The brunette described the range as 'a mix of basics and athleisure' as well as 'super glam' pieces, that can suit 'everyone'.

There are also pregnancy styles, with Starlette's half-sister Amy, 29, modelling a few key pieces in the campaign.

Amy sympathised with other expectant mothers who find maternity clothing hard to shop for.

Style: The brunette described the range as 'a mix of basics and athleisure' as well as 'super glam' pieces, that can suit 'everyone'. Pictured: Tammy

'I'm really into just wearing sneakers and a cute kind of dress [of] stretchy material, but still looking cute,' she said.

'I think a lot of maternity stuff can just look the same, and you just feel as if you're wearing the same thing.

'But these are really cute pieces that have their own uniqueness to them.'

Mother-to-be: There are also pregnancy styles, with Starlette's half-sister Amy (pictured), 29, modelling a few key pieces in the campaign

Amy, who is expecting baby daughter Aurora with fiance Rory Carmody, also revealed her pregnancy cravings, telling Daily Mail Australia she's after 'sweets'.

'I'm just [craving] sweets really,' she said with a laugh. 'I'm normally a savoury person but I've been really into cakes at the moment.'

The co-founder of the Tammy Fit app added that wedding planning is well underway.

'I'm really into cakes at the moment': Amy, who is expecting baby daughter Aurora with fiance Rory Carmody, told Daily Mail Australia that she's craving 'sweets' during her pregnancy

'It's been a bit difficult,' she admitted at first. 'I didn't really think about having a baby, starting a new business and planning my wedding all at the same time.

'But it's going alright. It's in October and I'm just working with my wedding planner. It's been amazing to just smooth out the details. All the big things are locked in.'

Amy went on to reveal that she was 'totally caught off guard' by Rory's proposal in Japan in June last year, and that her sisters 'all knew' what Rory had in store.
Over and over as the public health warnings have been updated, Ive assessed the risk of picking up food cooked outside my own home  for myself and my partner, who is immunosuppressed. But what about the risk for the people who prep it, cook it, pack it and deliver it to us?

Restaurant workers make it possible for more people to shelter in place, by putting themselves on the front lines of the pandemic every day. Are we putting them at risk by ordering restaurant food, or are we supporting local businesses? Is it possible were doing both at once?

Each city is on its own timeline. Going into the fourth week of lockdown, the toll of the coronavirus in California has skyrocketed to more than 17,000 cases. Los Angeles County officials have urged people to stay home this week to slow the spread of the virus, to avoid stepping out, even for groceries.

The continuing risk to the restaurant industrys millions of workers  many of whom are already underpaid and undervalued, uninsured and unemployed  is high, and only getting higher.

In a New York Times article about Los Angeles hospitals preparing for the peak of the outbreak here, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, the chief executive of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, made the point that people who were vulnerable to the virus tended to be workers whose job it was to care for others, but who hadnt received care themselves.
Though being housebound, living in a curfew like situation, can get to be frustrating, people arent complaining

Peeking out of windows or strolling on ones balcony gives laymen a glimpse of the silent streets and shuttered shops, reminding them of the vigorous pandemonium thats caught the world by its throat. The sudden, forceful lockdown has certainly thrown life out of gear but there was no other way.

And citizens do agree there should be no place for any negative vibe. We have to take it in our stride.

Anuja Kapur, a Delhiite and psychologist by profession, explains, In times such as these, people are beginning to feel the importance of spending time with themselves and their loved ones. How long can you surf through social media, binge-watch on OTT platforms or play video games by yourself?

Anuja adds that she has observed that solidarity teaches humans to utilise their time better than when they are by themselves in a crowd of a million.

My son lives in the United States and its always been my husband and me at home, but weve hardly been able to spend so much time together. This lockdown makes it all seem different, and we have been spending a lot of quality time together. It feels complete after many years, shares Anuja.

A time to think

The coronavirus outbreak has led to people needing to stay indoors for their own safety as well as that of society. So also, they have limited contact with friends and relatives and are compelled to work from home. Despite how it all happened, the situation is perhaps also what most professionals have been wishing for. In that sense, this global crisis has finally ushered in something good for such people.

Mumbaikar and eminent celebrity tattoo artist Vikas Malani says the situation has helped him. I have finally got time to think about my new project. And this situation shows us that if required, work can be done from anywhere. I have practically transformed my home into a workstation and am currently building the base for Ink Potential. So, as I see it, one only needs to broaden ones perspective to utilise themselves entirely.

For 31-year-old Partha Pratim Patra from Kolkata, the lockdown has been an opportunity to spend time with his brother Ayon. He seldom spends time at home. But now he cant make excuses because now he has to stay home, says an audibly happy Partha.

I think we are never really prepared to face challenges; we just learn as we go, says Partha, a data analyst by profession. Of course, the scene in the citys market as I stepped out a couple of times during these days to buy groceries was sad. With online deliveries almost all shut own, prices at markets are higher than usual.

In this together

Rittam Majumder, who works with the Future Group and has been living in Delhi for a while now, appears to have only one major outlook as regards the lockdown. If I stay alive, I will be able to earn back whatever losses I am facing. And to do so, it is better to spend the lockdown period with a positive vibe so that we do not head towards becoming a depressed country when we win the fight against the deadly virus, says Rittam, who tells us his favourite pastime nowadays has become cooking, binge-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S on Netflix and video calling his mother who lives away at least thrice a day.

Mamta Pallamraju, a lifestyle and food blogger from Hyderabad, believes the lockdown was the only option to contain the virus. It was a sensible decision. And especially in such a medical emergency, which is as contagious too, this is perhaps the most important action to take, she opines.

In fact, for Mamta, the lockdown has given her hours in a day that she can now fully utilise. I think this lockdown has been wonderful for me also because it neutralises my excuse of I dont have the time... about anything I want to or need to do, such as exercising or finishing off pending tasks from long ago, she adds with a chuckle.

As for the negative comments about the lockdown, Mamta believes that every community has a minority of those who stir up issues. But the majority of our society has been moved by the suffering of the less fortunate. I know of many who have come together to help the weaker sections so that they can get through this bad phase too. At the end of the day, we are all one, and we are in this together, she says.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly offered his resignation on Tuesday. The move comes after a leaked audio clip revealed he made derogatory remarks in an address to the ship's crew Monday morning.

In the 2-minute clip obtained by a news outlet, Modly delivered a profanity-laced speech to the ship's crew three days after the Navy fired Captain Brett Cozier.

Modly was heard calling the previous USS Theodore Roosevelt commander "too naive or too stupid" after he allegedly leaked a letter to the media where he warned about a coronavirus outbreak onboard and pleaded for help.

The acting secretary also denounced the Cozier's actions, saying he "betrayed" the army by creating a "big controversy" in Washington. He also berated the media, which he believes are "biased."

Listen to the recording here.





Resignation

This morning I accepted Secretary Modly's resignation. With the approval of the President, I am appointing current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson as acting Secretary of the Navy. pic.twitter.com/FvfgOwuXw4  @EsperDoD (@EsperDoD) April 7, 2020



Modly's speech drew a lot of flak from Capitol Hill. He was later called upon by Democratic lawmakers and members of the House Armed Services Committee to pass his resignation.

Molly apologized to the Navy for his controversial remarks. In his apology, he said he believes Crozier is a smart commander. He also said he believes the letter was sent to draw attention to the situation aboard the ship.

He also offered his apology to Crozier and his family "for any harm my comments may have done."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the Navy secretary's resignation on Tuesday, clarifying it was a voluntary resignation.

"He resigned on his own accord," Esper said. "He put the Navy and sailor above himself, so everyone can move forward."

US President Donald Trump also addressed the Modly's decision during his White House briefing on Tuesday, saying "he did it for his country."

Modly's resignation comes a week after he fired Captain Cozier over a memo warning of a COVID-19 outbreak among the sailors of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. He cited "poor judgment" as the reason why he decided to relieve the captain of his position.

Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson will replace Thomas Modly until a permanent secretary is confirmed by the Senate.

USS Theodore Roosevelt

Brett Crozier, former commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was fired April 2, 2020, after raising the alarm about the spreading pandemic on the aircraft carrier.

More than 114 of 5,000 crew members aboard the ship tested positive for the virus. He penned and released a strongly-worded letter to Navy officials, as well as 30 other people---a letter that leaked and was picked up by numerous media outlets.

Thomas Modly announced his decision to fire the captain after he caused unnecessary panic and worry among the crew's families. He said the decision to fire the captain was entirely his own.

Other Navy officials said Modly's decision was a mistake as it could encourage commanders to suppress bad news in fears of upsetting political leaders and lead to a dismissal.

Senator Jack Reed, a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, is calling for an investigation into the dismissal of the navy captain from duty.

Reed said the dismissal was against the advice of senior Navy uniformed leadership. He also revealed the decision was made without conducting a proper investigation.
Together we can, say students across the globe who are offering "Synchronised Global Prayers" for those infected with COVID-19 and healthcare workers with a group at USA's Princeton University studying the effect on vibes during the period.

The prayers, which have been started by the Indian Yoga Association (IYA) on Monday, can be performed at either 8 am or pm as per Indian Standard Time.

According to IYA authorities, a group involved in the Global Consciousness Project at USA's Princeton University, will also be studying changes in the randomness or vibes during the period.

Student groups in Australia had participated in similar prayers when the country was affected by fires. Several universities in India as well as the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has sent advisories to colleges and technical institutions for students to participate in the initiative.

The Indian Yoga Association is a self-regulatory body of leading yoga institutions of India. Yoga guru Ramdev is the Chairman of IYA's Governing Council and HR Nagendra, Chancellor of the first Yoga university in IndiaVYASA, is the President.

"This is entirely an IYA initiative in which we are trying to involve all traditions and groups, from across different religions. The Protocol for the Synchronised Global Prayers (SGP) is simple and can be practised by anyone," HR Nagendra said.

As per the SGP protocol, the prayer is to be performed in four steps.

"In the prayer, we will chant Bhramari (5 seconds inhalation, 10 seconds exhalation with a low-pitched humming sound 27 times. Then repeat the following loudly 'With all our collective power of peace, we win over COVID-19' nine times with hands raised. There will be clapping after the ninth round and the prayer will end with shanti, shanti, shanti," Nagendra explained in an advisory.

"It is also to be noted that a Global Consciousness Project is being run by the Princeton University, USA where Random Event Generators (called REGs) are already placed in about a hundred locations across the world that check regularly for any changes in the randomness in the string of zeros' and ones' emitted by these REGs at the time of happenings in the world. REGs will be active during our prayers to understand the changes in randomness, too," Nagendra said.

Julie Powe, an Australian student took to Twitter, to share a video of her performing yoga and offering the prayer.

"Stay healthy and pray together for the corona infected and the corona warriors #SynchronisedGobalPrayer #Coronapandemic," Powe tweeted.

A student of City College in London also shared his prayer video on social media saying "Together we can".

The disease's relentless march across the planet has now claimed more than 75,500 lives out of more than 1.35 million confirmed cases.

(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.)
File photo of Union Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi attending the inaugural function of the Odisha COVID-19 hospital through video conferencing, in New Delhi on April 6, 2020. Indian American IT professional Nagaraja Rao opines that the Indian IT industry is built on strong fundamentals and has all the required resilience to absorb the shocks of the Coronavirus crisis. (IANS/PIB photo)
Nearly 16,000 people have signed up to the health service workforce appeal, Robin Swann has revealed.

The Health Minister disclosed the latest figure yesterday at the daily Executive press briefing on the coronavirus crisis.

The workforce appeal has now reached 15,895 registrations, with just over 9,037 of the overall total being formal applicants.

Mr Swann thanked the public for the ongoing positive response to the appeal.

"I never doubted the people of Northern Ireland would rise to the many challenges that we are facing," he said.

The scheme was announced by the Department of Health over a week ago, with Mr Swann telling the public: "Northern Ireland needs you."

At least 1,500 of the total registrations have been made by clinical staff, while 5,300 are support staff such as hospital porters and drivers.

The Health Minister also praised people here for adhering to the social distancing measures.

"Individuals, families and communities are rising to the challenge created by social distancing. I want to thank them publicly," he added.

The Department of Health plans to invite second-year nursing, midwifery and allied health professions, including physiotherapy, radiography and occupational therapy, to further support care delivery as part of the scheme.

More non-clinical workers are also needed for paid employment, including as porters, catering staff, cleaning and domestic services workers.

Across the UK, around 20,000 former NHS staff have returned to the workplace in a bid to support workers in ensuring the health service is not overwhelmed during the crisis.

Meanwhile, the Department for Communities is supporting the Volunteer Now scheme, #HelpEachOther in an effort to support those affected socially by the virus.

So far, over 1,000 people have signed up to the campaign which helps individuals and organisations receive help from the service which is being run by Volunteer Now, the main body for volunteering.
A 79-year old unidentified man from Bulawayo has become the second confirmed person to die from the deadly coronavirus after he passed on in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last Saturday, ministry of health authorities have said.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, the deceased had no history of going out of the country, but had recently travelled for a safari in the resort part of Hwange.

"The ministry would like to report that the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory (NMRL) tested 21 samples. One of these, tested positive for COVID-19 bringing to eleven the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to date. However, the eleventh case passed away in hospital on Saturday 4th April 2020," the Health Ministry said.

The ministry did not state which hospital the deceased was admitted at.

His death comes two weeks after the death of journalist, Zororo Makamba at the Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare.

Below is a tweet from Information Ministry Secretary Nick Mangwana confirming the death.

Number of postitve #Covid19Zim is now 11. 21 samples were tested today and one of these came out positive. This is a 79 year old Bulawayo man who had to receive care in ICU for critical care management pic.twitter.com/tvfNEcusBx

- Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) April 7, 2020
As the pandemic of SARS-CoV2 (the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19) unfolds it continues to impact contemporary forms of sociality and community, health, care, governance, and global interconnectedness. These changes and the myriad challenges they pose are critical fodder for anthropologists of health and medicine, and we are called upon now to document lived experiences, reflexively use social theory and the other tools at our disposal to elucidate what Geertz (1973) might call the web of meaning constructed around COVID-19, and reflect upon existing macro-level social structures and systems. There will undoubtedly be much ink spilled about the ways in which this pandemic has and will continue to alter health and sociality, including systems of power and inequality, and how conditions in the United States have primed the entry of SARS-CoV2 virus for such unprecedented destruction and death.

Here, we offer a glimpse at how policies and practices are being lived in these early weeks. As physician-anthropologists on the frontlines of care in Seattle, where the pandemic first took its domestic foothold in the US, and New York City, where case numbers and fatalities continue to surpass predictions and stagger the biopolitical imagination, our perspective allows us to compare and contrast details of the pandemic that have affected our patients and our communities while thinking across the scales of affected individuals, healthcare practice, and political economy. Our brief contribution to this evolving collection of COVID anthropology bounces from coast to coast; from hospital wards, ICUs, and ERs to living rooms and outpatient clinics. It engages actors from individual patients and family members to state and municipal governments and corporations.

Seattle (Iacobelli)

On February 27, 2020 I was working overnight in the hospital covering for the teams that had left for the day and admitting new patients to the ward and ICU teams. It had been a particularly active cold and flu season, and a large part of the ICU care involved an intricate choreography of providing care for patients with infectious respiratory illnesses while avoiding spreading those to their neighboring patients with recent lung transplants and critically low white blood cell counts. It had been a moderately busy night for me; I had been caring for a patient admitted with influenza who had a cardiac arrest overnight while in the hospital and was transferred to the ICU, and I was glad to see the sun creep over the horizon signaling the near-end to my shift. When one of the critical care doctors arrives in the morning, he was encouraged that the weeks of cloudy skies were finally giving way to some sun on his early morning drive, but that did little to distract from the noteworthy new cases of novel coronavirus in the region, which had heretofore been something happening elsewhere in the world  something we had suspected only in those with known contacts or a history of travel to China and South Korea and of which we vastly underestimated the infectivity. By late February we had reports of confirmed cases in the region without any known exposures. Its all over, the critical care doctor said. Now its just out there, circulating, and we cant track it. Im thinking of writing an op-ed for The Seattle Times about how we should no longer shake hands

What perspective comes in a months time. That following weekend uncovered the outbreak in the Kirkland Life Care Center, which was the first domestic spark of a now devastating conflagration, and along with it the fear of spread among our other patients and hospital staff. We have seen avoiding handshakes give way to physical distancing and to mandates to stay at home unless providing essential work or seeking essential services. Our ICUs are still populated with the critically ill and immunocompromised, but are also now pushing the limits of our resources with additional patients with severe pulmonary symptoms from COVID-19. Many of these patients who ultimately progress to requiring intubation and placement on a mechanical ventilator die despite these interventions. That patient who suffered a cardiac arrest with flu, whose family came to visit and was updated at bedside while I explained his infusions of life-sustaining medications, his ventilator, and the uncertainty of the days to come, would now be isolated from his loved ones because of the new hospital policy on limitations on visitors. Especially so because they were also sick at the time with respiratory symptoms.

Such an event is almost unfathomable now. Indeed, many patients with and without COVID-19 are dying in isolation with families at home quarantined themselves or may  if they are lucky  have a virtual visit on a tablet at the end of life. The novel coronavirus has brought about a new age in the practice of medicine where any new symptom is a call to test, healthcare workers are faced with the devastating impact of deaths that are multiple and morally distressing, new and unproven treatments come with federal regulations meant to ensure that patients who have indications for those drugs can access them and that they are not being hoarded or misused, and virtual outpatient office visits have become the new norm. It has signaled a profound change in the way we structure and deliver healthcare, and we are left to find new ways to comfort, care, and heal.

What has happened in Seattle over the last month, as ad hoc policies have been implemented and resources mobilized, has laid bare the interconnections between health, the state, and private enterprise. In a perfect storm of neoliberal policies, companies like Facebook, Tesla, and Amazon as well as venture philanthropy firms like the Bill and Melinda Gates and Paul Allen Foundations have been relied upon to provide costly healthcare and health security  not only to fill the gaps of an absent social safety net, but also to provide basic resources and guide public policy in a contemporary crisis. The result is a fractured system regulated by a failing economy put in place to bolster production and sustain investments in biomedical capital first and to protect and support the health of the population second. I think  or am at least hopeful  that positive change to the healthcare system will come as a result of the stresses placed on critical points of weakness in these interconnections. Kim references the nationalization of Spains healthcare system below, and others have commented on how COVID-19 may push the United States to develop a single-payer national healthcare option. In the worst case, I fear that once the imminent threat of the virus is somewhat contained, this more intercalated system of enterprise-sustained healthcare will persist as governments and health expert-driven policy recede.

As soon as Vice President Mike Pence was appointed as chairman to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Facebook hosted the WHO and corporate leaders from Google and Amazon to discuss the pandemic response (in lieu of the CDC and the National Security Counsel (NSC)s pandemic response team, which Donald Trump and his administration had dismantled to limit government bureaucracy and reduce the NSCs payroll). On a federal policy level we are seeing corporations become embedded in disaster management, staking claims to response efforts and situating themselves to provide goodwill to communities that are hurt by their operations. While corporate firms shifted to telecommuting, unemployment applications increased in Seattle eight fold immediately following the economic crisis. My young primary care patients, who lack the risk factors to keep them from coming to clinic, suffer from profound anxiety about the state of the world, and I am left with little to offer aside from an understanding ear and a plug for therapy, mindfulness, occasional pharmacotherapy, as well as ways to stay engaged and active. Meanwhile, each time I drive to clinic I see a new homeless encampment. I cant prescribe paid time off. Amazon, which is notorious in the area for its negative impact on local businesses and for fueling a rise in the cost of living associated with what is now the third largest, and one of the fastest growing, homeless population of any city in the United States, and its recent monetary influence on local elections, donated $5 million (or rather created a fund to which small businesses could apply for a grant) to help businesses that surround its offices which will close without their usual Amazon employee patrons.

Private industries are also relied upon to shift production to ventilators and PPE. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and original coronavirus denier, has stated he would buy and ship ventilators. Some masks were distributed around healthcare systems in Seattle, but ventilators were eventually sent to New York as the case burden in the city began to overwhelm their healthcare system. The machines he purchased from a medical supply company and packaged with the Tesla logoturned out to be bi-level positive airway pressure machines, not mechanical ventilators. While bilevel machines (also known as non-invasive ventilators) are useful for people in critical respiratory failure to avoid intubation, they are not indicated for respiratory distress/failure caused by COVID-19 or other pulmonary infections and may aerosolize and hence facilitate the spread of SARS-CoV2. Musk has mentioned that Tesla will also be contracted to manufacture ventilators along with General Motors from the federal government. Companies that capture the public imagination around technoscientific advancement, and to whom the public looks for science news are tweeting misinformation and supplying incorrect and inadequate resources.

Lastly, the Gates Foundation and the Paul Allen Foundation provide philanthropic donations to support research biomedical innovation that drives venture capital investments and promotes profits in the healthcare industry. The Gates Foundation has been providing funding for vaccine research and novel therapies  the most effective of which so far in our practice have not been the cheap anti-malarials touted in the news, but rather expensive biologics and immunomodulators along with antivirals. They have also funded research into additional testing modalities including antibody testing, which will be crucial in helping to investigate the question of immunity and anticipating the afterlives of this and other potential novel coronaviruses, but pumps money into biomedical capital during a time of healthcare crisis.

Two million dollars from the Paul Allen Foundation was allocated to fund testing among patients experiencing homelessness. It is unclear whether this was made as a donation in response to the pandemic and the particular crisis it poses to those without stable housing or if these were un-earmarked funds that were put to this use. Regardless, testing alone does not offer a solution to the pandemics impact on this population or the community at large. As I rotate off of nights, I message our homeless outreach clinics to see how I can help. Im told that tests have not rolled out to this population yet. Patients who are aware of the pandemic and exhibiting concerning symptoms are being tested in the emergency room. In the first few weeks, they were discharged from the emergency room without test results if they were not sick enough to warrant admission to the hospital. Without being able to confirm that they did not have COVID-19, they were barred from acceptance into a shelter, and healthcare providers were instructed to call their shelters and tell them not to let the patients in. Furthermore, patients without cell phones, webcams, or smart phones had no way of following up with a provider as telemedicine was rolled out to limit healthcare-associated exposures. Since then, a lounge has been constructed that is not staffed by healthcare providers where patients can await their results  a process that at best takes about 8 hours. In the beginning of the pandemic we were told that the city was purchasing rooms in a motel where folks could quarantine. I have yet to hear of patients being sent there, though some first responders have quarantined there, and as of this writing we are still waiting for shelter spaces to open up for COVID-19 patients.

It seems as though we are witnessing a reversal of the development paradigm James Ferguson described in Lesotho as an anti-politics machine (1990), where supposedly neutral technical interventions obscured geo-political and financial interests. Instead we have the overt biopolitical control of population health and safety by corporate interest. The federal government has left states to fend for themselves and contracted with corporations for resources. States plead for those resources and compete against corporations and venture investments for the means of scientific knowledge production. Meanwhile, patients and healthcare providers face crises not only to manage COVID-19, but also the challenging chronic conditions that predispose folks to worse outcomes with COVID-19. Patients suffering from all sorts of maladies are staying home  both under quarantine and for fear that if they go to the hospital they will die, alone. They have lost trust in healthcare, and in many ways it feels like all roads were leading here, yet its in the small acts of care like practicing mindfulness with a patient in clinic or using a tablet to provide a virtual end-of-life visit that we are reminded of the intimacies of inhabiting a field of uncertainty, and how binding our human ties are.

New York City (Sue)

I am treating patients for opioid use disorder over FaceTime from my house in my sweatpants. I never thought of seeing patients before over FaceTime technology from the comfort of their and my respective homes. If you can call self-isolation, shelter in place, or quarantine comfort. I just watched the patient, who does about 2 bundles or 20 bags of heroin a day, vomit from withdrawal into the sink while on FaceTime with me. He had experienced an overdose earlier in the week, and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit and then discharged without a prescription for life-saving medication (methadone or buprenorphine). Through a post-overdose program, he found his way to me. I diagnosed him with opioid use disorder, over FaceTime, and prescribed him two weeks of buprenorphine. Thanks, he said, Im so grateful. I was just looking around for things to sell [hustle] in my apartment in order to get money for heroin to alleviate the symptoms of his dopesickness. What does it mean for me to care for him now when I cannot touch him, examine him or sit with him?

As a physician-anthropologist, I have been working to address structural violence and structural vulnerability for people who use drugs and people who are incarcerated or leaving prison/jail for several years here in New York City and in Boston. I have dedicated my clinical practice as well as my research efforts to thinking about people who have fallen through the cracks or even worse, have been systematically abandoned or harmed by a precarious social safety net. These are patients who have always been at a very high risk of harm and death, from homelessness, systematic racism and incarceration, de-institutionalization, red-lining, retrenchment of social services, and bad health policy. And now I fear that they are at even greater risk of death from these harms with the addition of COVID-19.

We will and already are thinking about life and times before-COVID19 and during/after-COVID19. There will be no normal. In the course of a month, the practice of clinical medicine has changed drastically. I think often about how it would have been just and fair, pre-COVID19, if government regulatory agencies, lawmakers, hospitals and clinics cared about giving the flexibility and autonomy for my patients who use drugs to access what they need in such creative ways instead of having them jump through high threshold hoops to see doctors (long waiting lists, urine toxicology, intakes, counseling requirements, and come back next week). Pre-COVID19, we physicians did not trust our patients, especially people who use drugs. We did not trust poor patients, black patients, patients with erratic healthcare-seeking behavior or those with chronic pain. Yet now, we are freed up to literally meet patients where theyre at, in our homes and their homes, as long as we use two-way communication and do not publicly broadcast our visits on TikTok or Facebook Live. Over the course of the last month, the DEA and SAMHSA have made regulatory changes with such speed that its been impossible for addiction experts and practitioners to keep up. Why were my patients with substance-use related conditions ignored, left for dead, or at best, left to contend with high threshold barriers to the care and medications they need?

I am also answering a NYC medical hotline fielding concerned calls from about COVID-19 calls from people around the entire city. As of this writing there are 68, 776 known cases of COVID-19 in New York City. All medical specialties have become COVID-19 doctors in a matter of a month. I am preparing to enter into one of the makeshift hospitals springing up in the city.

On this hotline, I have been fielding questions from the most educated to the least educated, offering phone suggestions and through interpreters telling people what to do and how to best implement what they can to self-treat the symptoms of COVID-19 and how to prevent giving it to others. In many cases, this kind of self-care and prevention is simply an impossibility. There is no one else to go to the store. There are no concerned neighbors checking in. They live in the housing projects. Family is not in this state. There are eight people living in this space, half are sick. Everywhere there is desperation, death, fear, misinformation and panic.

New Yorkers are usually an angry, belligerent and unruffled sort. They are dying en masse and afraid. I tell people to have conversations early on about if they want to receive CPR, or be intubated and placed on a ventilator in case they cant breathe on their own. They recoil in horror, but they see refrigerated trucks for bodies outside every hospital on the television. Having access to a ventilatora talisman, a now fetishized object imbued with almost magical, mystical healing propertieshas become as much an American right as being able to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This, of course, is a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of what a ventilator does and can do, but that is the nature of the fetishized object, taking on mythical proportions. Estimates from China have suggested that greater than 80% of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 died despite the most aggressive interventions (Namendys-Silva 2020).

I sit with patients and discuss what it means to go to the store but have symptoms of COVID-19. There is no one to bring food or medicine. Social isolation is literally killing them or possibly their neighbors. Arthur Kleinman has written about the moral mode of experience and how we can use the notion of exploring what is at stake for all actors to grapple with the realities and decisions ordinary people face. He wrote, And, to be sure, what is at stake in a local world may involve a moral economy of systematic injustice, bad faith, and even horror (Kleinman 1999: 365). And despite and facing all this, people are forced to make everyday decisions about themselves, their families, and their community. These are seemingly impossible choices that people must make. Should I go to the store, despite having a cough and a fever, possibly giving it to two neighbors? There is no one else. We have no food. Should I go to the emergency room, to possibly die alone, or stay here, suffocating, with my family at the bedside?

There is very little access to testing in New York City currently, especially within the public healthcare system, and even though New York State has tested widely, the estimates are still likely that they are vastly undercounted. Where there is testing, one large, well-resourced private hospital might be able to test in-house, getting a result in under 24 hours, while a small community hospital might be sending out tests and getting results back in four to seven days. I am speaking to people who have classic COVID-19 symptoms and we tell them, assume its COVID-19. You cannot get a test, unless youre hospitalized inpatient with presumed COVID.

Hospitals and healthcare systems in New York City and across the country are being forced to compete with each other, and we cannot shift necessary critical infrastructurewhether its ICU doctors or respiratory therapists across regions or the country to meet the inadequate supply and demand. My friend, a pulmonary critical care doctor in California, tried to come to New York and was told he was needed for California. There is not enough PPE, in New York City or anywhere in the country. In our praise of neoliberal government and capitalism, there are and will be so many preventable deaths; Spain nationalized its healthcare system for this reason.

From the frontlines of one of the pandemics, we are just beginning to see how our inequality kills, how the longstanding retrenchment of the social and healthcare systems in the United States, have allowed COVID-19 to change the nature of care and how we live and die. This is a completely new clinical entity for us. Julie Livingston has written that practicing ethnography within the oncology ward in Botswana and examining processes of making do, tinkering, and ad-libbing help us to better understand the nature of biomedicine in Africa and the work of African healthcare workers, for whom improvisation is inevitably the modus operandi (2012:21). Improvisation is now the modus operandi of highly interdependent health ecosystems around the world.

Social science and theory have so much to offer at this time: clarity, analysis, a vision of a better and more just world. Audre Lorde, writing about racism and homophobia and the class struggle, now gives me some solace as I reflect on our inherent interdependence: Within each one of us there is some piece of humanness that knows we are not being served by the machine which orchestrates crisis after crisis and is grinding our future into dust Survival is not a theory. In what way do I contribute to the subjugation of any part of those who I define as my people? (1984: 139).

For Nick and I, as physician-anthropologists on the frontlines, we must toggle back and forth between our various hats and dwell in the unfolding and improvisatory spaces, the moments in-between where our social system strain and crack. Our goals might change by the hour or even by the second, but we are here to witness, to act with intention, to help people navigate seemingly impossible choices for themselves, and to strive to take into account what really matters for our patients and our collective futures.

Works Cited

Ferguson, J. 1990. The Anti-Politics Machine: Development, Depoliticization, and Bureaucratic power in Lesotho. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Geertz, Clifford. 1973.The Interpretation of Cultures.New York: Basic Books.

Kleinman, Arthur. 1999. Experience and Its Moral Modes: Culture, Human Conditions, and Disorder. The Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Stanford University: April 13-16, 1998.

Livingston, Julie. 2012. Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic.Durham: Duke University Press.

Lorde, Audre. Learning from the 1960s. In Sister Outsider. 1984. Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press.

Namendys-Silva, S. A. 2020. Respiratory support for patients with COVID-19 infection. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

Kimberly Sue, MD, PhD, is the Medical Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition where she provides national training and technical assistance to improve the health and well-being of people who use drugs. She is a graduate of the Harvard Medical Schools Social Science MD-PhD Track and completed her medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in Internal Medicine-Primary Care. Her PhD work in medical anthropology examines the intersection of US prison systems, addiction policy, mental health and treatment with women in Massachusetts. She is the author of Getting Wrecked: Women, Incarceration, and the American Opioid Crisis(UC Press, 2019). She currently sees patients in syringe service programs providing low-barrier buprenorphine treatment and serves as an attending physician at Rikers Island Jail system in NYC practicing primary care, chronic disease management, HIV, STIs, substance use disorders and transgender care. Twitter: @DrKimSue

Nick Iacobelli, MD, PhD is an Internal Medicine resident at the University of Washington. He completed his MD PhD in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University if Pennsylvania. His dissertation, Wards of the State: Care and Custody in a Pennsylvania Prison, is based on fieldwork in a mens maximum security prison and examines how the legal right to healthcare in prison operates in the context of privatization and legacies of structural racism and oppression.

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WASHINGTON  Members of Congress grappling with how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic have few reasons to smile these days. But House Democrats have found one, and her name is Earnestine.

Earnestine Dawson is kind of a mystery woman, Democrats agree. Most have never seen her, though they all know the sound of her voice. Their spouses and kids adore her. There is talk of sending her flowers (that would be difficult  they have no idea where she is), and some have invited her to join them for dinner at the Democratic Club once Covid-19 subsides and such things are possible again.

I dont know where we got Earnestine, confessed Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the majority leader. Does she work for us?

Yes, Earnestine does work for the party leadership. She is the digital director for the House Democratic Caucus, but better known by lawmakers for her pandemic side-gig as moderator of a seemingly endless series of conference calls that have become the Democrats only means of communication and deliberation during the pandemic.
Chandigarh, April 8 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced that a task force would soon be set up to find ways for the state to gradually get out of the unprecedented lockdown that is in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing a video conference with the state's leading industrialists, the Chief Minister assured the industry of all support by the government to address critical issues and challenges in these difficult times.

While seeking the industry's suggestions on the way forward, Amarinder Singh invited them to be part of the government's decision-making process in the extraordinary situation that is prevailing in the country and the state.

Among the various issues raised by industry leaders was the demand for declaring tractors and ancillary industries as essential and allowing them to reopen to meet the urgent needs of farmers in the Rabi harvesting and marketing season.

The demand for declaring cycles as essential commodity was also raised.

Another suggestion that came up was to allow the packaging industry to resume operations, given its importance in ensuring streamlined operations of essential commodities.

Other suggestions from the industry included revival of air cargo services to Chandigarh and incentives to health and medical startups in the state.

A suggestion for relief to the tourism industry that had been badly hit by the lockdown was also discussed, a government spokesperson told IANS.

A major issue discussed at the meeting was related to the problems faced by the pharmaceutical companies, which are playing a pivotal role in tackling the Covid-19 crisis.

Among these problems was closure of inter-state transport in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as certain restrictions on movement of goods and labour from Haryana.

Cash flow problems were also highlighted by the industry, which wanted clarity on the payments to be made to the workers during this critical period.

The Chief Minister asked the state's Industry Department to take urgent notice of these issues and resolve them at the earliest, keeping in mind the guidelines in place for certain industries to operate amid the nationwide lockdown.

If anyone wants to operate, they should approach the state government and all efforts would be made to address their requests within the framework of the guidelines, he added.

Even as he thanked the industry for their unstinted support to the state in this hour of crisis, the Chief Minister said the battle ahead was a prolonged one, with far-reaching global implications for the economy and the industry.

Everyone is suffering because of the closures, which India clamped early to check the spread of the pandemic, the Chief Minister said, adding that perhaps the early steps taken have helped.

At the moment, things are under control in Punjab, the Chief Minister added.

The prominent industrialists who attended the conference included Sachit Jain, Rajinder Gupta (Trident), A.S. Mittal (Sonalika), Upkar Ahuja, Harish Chavan (Mahindra), Karan Gilhotra, Sachid Madan ( ITC), Rahul Ahuja (CII), Pankaj Munjal (Hero Cycles), Gautam Kapoor, Rupinder Sachdeva, S.P. Oswal, Kamal Oswal and Dinesh Dua.
[April 08, 2020] State of Alabama Taps Yext to Build Comprehensive COVID-19 Information Hub

NEW YORK, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud company, today announced its collaboration with the State of Alabama on a custom website, powered by Yext, that centralizes accurate information and updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. When someone visits the State's new website, covid19.alabama.gov , and uses the search bar to ask a question about COVID-19, they will receive a direct answer with information sourced from Alabama state agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other resources. "During a global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, getting answers when you need them can make the difference between life and death," said Howard Lerman, Founder and CEO of Yext. "With Yext Answers, we can help every government organization deliver accurate answers and save as many lives as possible." "The outbreak of COVID-19 in Alabama is a rapidly evolving situation and it is critical that our residents have access to timely and accurate information that will keep them safe," said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. "We're grateful to Yext for generously volunteering its services so that Alabamians can have a comprehensive and reliable source to turn to forthe facts, whether they want to know about affected areas, symptoms, or testing locations."



Yext's collaboration with Alabama follows the company's recent announcement that it implemented a comprehensive COVID-19 information hub for the State of New Jersey at covid19.nj.gov . "Based on the high volume of traffic we've seen on the COVID-19 information hub we built for New Jersey and the number of requests we've gotten from across the country, it's clear that people are turning to their state for accurate information about the coronavirus," said Brian Distelburger, Co-Founder and President of Yext. "Implementing Answers on the State of Alabama's new COVID-19 website has given us yet another opportunity to make a positive impact with our platform during the pandemic."

Yext is offering the site search product that powers Alabama and New Jersey's websites, Yext Answers, for free for 90 days to deliver verified information during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the trial, eligible businesses and agencies can leverage Yext's COVID-19 Knowledge Graph plug-in to add Frequently Asked Questions about the coronavirus sourced directly from the CDC to a website's search experience. Visit www.nowronganswers.com for more information about the Yext Answers trial. About Yext

The customer journey starts with a question, and every day consumers search for answers about brands. However, they are increasingly served false or misleading information from sources other than the brand. Yext (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud company, exists to help brands regain and maintain a direct relationship with their customers. With a mission to provide perfect answers everywhere, Yext puts businesses in control of their facts online by delivering brand verified answers straight from the source  wherever their customers are searching. Companies like Taco Bell, Marriott, Jaguar-Land Rover, and businesses around the world use Yext to take back control of the customer journey, starting on their own website. Yext has been named a Best Place to Work by Fortune and Great Place to Work, as well as a Best Workplace for Women. Yext is headquartered in New York City with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, London, Miami, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and the Washington, D.C. area. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/state-of-alabama-taps-yext-to-build-comprehensive-covid-19-information-hub-301037736.html SOURCE Yext, Inc.

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THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) is looking to provide cash assistance to about 150,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

In a statement, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they are set to provide P10,000 cash assistance to each qualified OFW under the "Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong" (Akap) program.

Qualified to receive cash assistance are OFWs, either documented or undocumented, who are stranded overseas or have been repatriated.

Bello said qualified OFWs are advised to get in touch with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in their host country if they are based abroad, or visit the nearest (Owwa) regional office if they are currently in the Philippines.

"The Polo and the Owwa can now start processing the assistance," the Labor chief said.

Bello said they are just awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte's approval of the recommendation submitted by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the program's funding. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)
The economic outlook is bleak: The United States appears to be teetering on the brink of the steepest downturn since the Great Depression. Goldman Sachs economists, for example, expect the gross domestic product to contract at an astounding 34 percent annual rate in the second quarter, with unemployment reaching roughly 15 percent.

That makes the markets recent bounce all the more remarkable.

A month ago, stocks were in a free fall. Investors were panicking over everything they didnt know about the outbreak: how long it would last, how the government and the Fed would react, and how far-reaching the damage would be.

Since then, the Fed has said it was ready to buy an unlimited amount of Treasury and other government-backed bonds, Congress and President Trump have enacted a $2 trillion relief package (with more almost certain to come), and officials in China have lifted travel restrictions in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began late last year.

Even in New York State  the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, where a single-day high of 779 deaths were recorded on Tuesday  officials have said the increase in hospitalizations has begun to slow.

The difference between now and the start of the pandemic is that we can at least see the end, Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network, a privately held investment firm with more than $160 billion under management, wrote in a market commentary on Wednesday. We can see that we have flattened the curve, and we can reasonably project when the pandemic will be brought under control. We are not at that point yet, but at least we can see it.

Energy companies have been a key driver of the rally, with the S&P 500 energy sector up more than 17 percent in April. Exxon Mobil and Chevron are up more than 15 percent, with investors hopeful that Saudi Arabia and Russia can settle the price war that has driven American oil prices down almost 60 percent this year.

Paradoxically, some of the most skeptical investors  short-sellers, who make their money betting that shares will fall  have contributed to the rally.
A global group of researchers including scientists from the Queensland University of Technology have released the full genome of a native Australian plant that can be used to grow vaccine components.

The plant, Nicotiana benthamiana, is already used by scientists as a biofactory to grow proteins for use in medicines and vaccines.

Now the research team has published the entire chromosome-level genome sequence for the plant, which is known in labs as benth.

QUT Professor Peter Waterhouse with some of the "benth" plants that can produce custom proteins for use in vaccines. Credit:QUT

Professor Peter Waterhouse, from the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics (LMG) at QUT, said they had done that because they wanted everyone working on vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 to have as many options available to them as possible.
Platform supported by Ontario Medical Association allows hospitals and health care facilities to book a physician in seconds



TORONTO, April 7, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, BookJane Inc. ("BookJane") announced that they have been selected as the technology solution for the Ontario Medical Association ("OMA") to directly manage the shortage of physicians in hospitals and other healthcare facilities across Ontario. Since launching on April 3, 1500 physicians have registered on the platform to meet the growing demand.



Ontario

Curtis Khan

Ontario

Ontario's

Allan O'Dette

April 3

Ontario

the United States

Canada

"Our BookJane J360 Platform will allow any hospital or health care facility into book a physician when they need one in seconds,' said, CEO and Founder of BookJane. 'We are helping to provide relief to overworked physicians and directly address any short-staffing need."The proprietary BookJane J360 Platform allows any hospital or healthcare facility in the Province to immediately broadcast a service request to physicians across, based on proximity and availability. The requests appear directly on physician's phones through the mobile app to ensure the quickest response time and acceptance of the request."The OMA has been working with BookJane for the past few weeks to tailor the app to ensurephysicians are working where they are most needed to fight COVID-19," explains, Chief Executive Officer, OMA. "Since launching late on the evening of, more than 1500 physicians have registered. We appreciate BookJane's partnership, and thank all the physicians who have signed up. We know many are doing this in addition to their current clinical responsibilities."BookJane is currently working with the OMA to get allphysicians onto the mobile platform. Physicians can register directly through the BookJane iOS or Android app and within minutes can see where there is a need for their services."COVID-19 impacts everybody and we are proud to provide a solution to help meet the evolving needs of our healthcare system and frontline workers as they deal directly with this crisis,' said Khan. 'In hospitals, time is everything. And our system will save valuable time when Ontarians need it most."BookJane is currently working with other caregiver associations to migrate their memberships onto the platform so that hospitals may be able to access one hub for a variety of staffing needs. BookJane's J360 platform has delivered over 1 million caregiver service hours to many health care clients across the province.For more information on BookJane, please visit: www.bookjane.comSOURCE BookJane
A disturbing Instagram video has emerged showing a white Baltimore police sergeant coughing toward black residents at a public housing project, sparking widespread outrage and leading to an internal investigation.

The profanity-laced video has been viewed more than 205,000 times as of Wednesday morning.

It shows the sergeant coughing without covering his mouth as he passes the woman recording the scene, and at least two other people living at Perkins Homes in Southeast Baltimore.

'Ya'll get that s***, black people don't,' the woman yells at the passing sergeant, referring to the novel coronavirus. 'Cough your white a** back where you live at.'

This Baltimore police sergeant is under investigation after being caught on video deliberately coughing on black residents at a housing project

The profanity-laced video of the cop's antics was shared on Instagram and has been viewed more than 205,000 times. It shows the sergeant repeatedly coughing without covering his mouth while passing by the Perkins Houses

An African-American woman yells at the officer, erroneously, that black people do not contract the coronavirus, and threatens to call the CDC on him

As the officer continues intentionally coughing while walking past residents, the woman yells out: 'n*****s don't get that s***. They the ones who get that s***. You need an extra layer of skin.'

The woman calls out after the departing sergeant: 'come here coughing like that s*** is cute. I should call the CDC on his a** and let them know he did some dirty a** s***.'

She then adds: 'you aint going to infect nobody but your co-workers.'

As of Tuesday, a dozen Baltimore police officers have tested positive for COVID-19 and 115 others were in self-quarantine as a precaution.

'After watching the full video, it its entirety, it is not only disturbing, but incomprehensible, especially considering the high-level of strong and clear guidance that we have provided from the beginning, regarding COVID-19,' Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a statement.

'Members are always expected to be sensitive and professional to the community, but what we saw in the video is alarming because this pandemic is affecting lives not only nationally, worldwide, but right here in our own police department.'

The departments bureau of public integrity is conducting the investigation and has reviewed the video and footage from the camera worn by the sergeant.

The video surfaced a day after a Baltimore police station reopened after it was sanitized because an officer tested positive for the new coronavirus, with more than 90 officers there cleared to return to work.

The Southwest District station and all of its cars were sanitized over the weekend after police learned that one of their own was infected.

The department tested all Southwest District employees and had them isolate pending results.

Kobi Little, president of the NAACP Baltimore City Branch, released a statement calling on Police Chief Harrison to condemn the sergeant's actions and to convey to both the force and the public that the department has zero tolerance policy for misconduct during this health crisis.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 422,126 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14,297 deaths nationwide

'This officer must immediately be pulled from contact with the public and subsequently held accountable for his actions,' Little wrote.

He added: 'this incident is emblematic of the Force's failure to respect and build trust with the people of Baltimore. It is hard to justify budget increases and spy planes when the police fail to engage the public with dignity and often are themselves a danger to the public.'

There is no nationwide data available on COVID-19 cases by race, but a pattern of over-representation by black Americans has emerged in states or jurisdictions that are sharing the numbers.

Sixty-eight per cent of coronavirus deaths in Chicago have been among African Americans, who make up just 30 per cent of the city's population.

'Those numbers take your breath away,' the city's mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday at a coronavirus briefing. 'This is a call to action for all of us.'

The trend is repeated in North Carolina, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and the capital Washington. Maryland has not released data concerning the race of its coronavirus patients.

A civil rights group wrote this week to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, calling on him to 'release daily racial and ethnic demographic data related to COVID-19 testing, disease burden and patient outcomes.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

Being one of the largest private banks in Uzbekistan, Ipak Yuli Bank is a strong partner in IFC's efforts to increase access to finance for small and medium enterprises and support growth and financial inclusion in the country, Cassandra Colbert, Regional Manager for Central Asia of International Financial Corporation (IFC) told Trend.

Colbert added that IFC first partnered with Ipak Yuli Bank in 2018 when the corporation provided a senior loan of $15 million denominated in Uzbek soum.

"In March IFC provided a trade finance-guarantee facility to Ipak Yuli Bank to increase the banks international trade-finance business. With that, Ipak Yuli Bank became the third Uzbek bank to join IFCs Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP)," she said.

"IFCs GTFP provides risk mitigation under a $5 billion envelope by guaranteeing trade-related payment obligations of banks in developing economies. The guarantees are transaction-specific and can be supported by a variety of underlying instruments such as letters of credit, trade-related promissory notes, accepted drafts, bills of exchange, guarantees, bid and performance bonds, and advance-payment guarantees," Colbert stressed.

As she said, the corporations advisory services team is working with a number of ministries, state agencies, and other public and private institutions of Uzbekistan to assist on piloting public-private partnerships (PPPs) in a number of sectors, on developing financial infrastructure, promoting agri-financing, and modernizing the cotton sector.

"The IFC is also helping state-owned banks with their institutional transformation into commercial financial institutions," Colbert said.

"Our investment services are focused on sustainable private enterprises. We financed Indorama Kokand Textile, to date our largest investment project in the country, to help expand its existing cotton yarn-spinning complex in Kokand. IFC is working with several of the countrys private banks to expand local currency lending to small businesses," Colbert stated.

Talking about the modernization of Uzbekistan's airports, she said that IFC is ready to provide whatever support is needed to help the Uzbek government attract investors to help modernize and operate Uzbekistans airports.

"The corporation is also willing to support the investors themselves, as part of IFC mandate to promote private sector development," she pointed out.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
Three of the six flight wheels that will travel to Mars can be seen attached to NASA's Perseverance rover (which is inverted on a handling fixture) on March 30, 2020 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The protective antistatic foil covering the wheels will be removed before launch this summer.

We're just 100 days out from the launch of NASA's next Mars rover.

Perseverance, the car-size robot at the heart of NASA's life-hunting Mars 2020 mission , is scheduled to lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a three-week window that opens on the morning of July 17  100 days from today (April 8).

So NASA has been working hard recently to get Perseverance into launch shape. On March 26, for example, technicians finished installing the rover's parachute system. The chute will slow the 2,260-lb. (1,025 kilograms) Perseverance from Mach 1.7 to just 200 mph (320 km/h) in Mars' thin air on landing day, which will be Feb. 18, 2021, no matter when the mission lifts off during this summer's window. (Mach 1.7 is 1.7 times the speed of sound, which is about 767 mph, or 1,235 km/h, at sea level here on Earth.)

More: NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance in pictures

Im  days away from the opening of my launch period, and my team and I are continuing to persevere. We are taking things step by step, day by day to get to the launch pad. Mark July 17 on your calendars and keep checking in for updates. https://t.co/KfJ3JXDZ67 pic.twitter.com/97LBtyLOkHApril 7, 2020 See more

Perseverance got its six wheels just a few days later, on March 30, NASA officials said. These wheels  the mission's final flight versions, not the test ones that Percy used to take a spin in December 2019 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California  are slightly different than the ones aboard Perserverance's predecessor, the Curiosity rover.

"Machined out of a block of flight-grade aluminum and equipped with titanium spokes, each wheel is slightly larger in diameter and narrower than Curiosity's, with skins that are almost a millimeter thicker," NASA officials wrote in a statement on Friday (April 3).

"They also feature new treads, or grousers: In place of Curiosity's 24 chevron-pattern treads are 48 gently curved ones," they wrote.

Curiosity's wheels have taken a beating since the rover touched down inside Mars' Gale Crater in August 2012. Indeed, team members began adjusting Curiosity's driving routes early in the mission, which is ongoing, to minimize damage and wear. But testing in the Mars Yard at JPL, which built both Curiosity and Perseverance, suggests that the new rover's wheel design will hold up better while offering traction that's at least as good, NASA officials said.

Perseverance will explore Mars' 28-mile-wide (45 km) Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and a river delta billions of years ago. The rover will hunt for signs of ancient life on Mars, characterize the region's geology and collect and cache samples for future return to Earth.

Illustrated here, the aluminum wheels of NASA's Curiosity (left) and Perseverance rovers. Slightly larger in diameter and narrower, 20.7 inches (52.6 centimeters) versus 20 inches (50.8 centimeters), Perseverance's wheels have twice as many treads, and are gently curved instead of chevron-patterned. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Perseverance will perform a variety of other science and technology work in Jezero as well. For example, the rover carries an instrument that will generate oxygen from Mars' carbon-dioxide-dominated atmosphere  gear that could help humanity establish an outpost on the Red Planet someday.

Perseverance also will launch with a small helicopter attached to its belly, which will attempt to pioneer aerial exploration of the Red Planet.

Two life-hunting Mars rovers were originally supposed to get off the ground this summer. But the launch of Rosalind Franklin, part of the European-Russian ExoMars program, has been pushed to 2022 to address parachute problems and other issues. (Mars and Earth align properly for planetary missions just once every 26 months.)

Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Se hace necesario e imprescindible extender el estado de emergencia durante dos semanas, hasta el domingo 26 de abril. No podemos bajar la guardia y disminuir el esfuerzo justo cuando se vienen momentos mas dificiles. pic.twitter.com/4K77SSxR07
In a written response, Thilmonys lawyers told the court that Sams had not cited anything specific that he was doing to put their son at risk and that she was seeking to deny him agreed-upon time with his child after they had battled over parenting issues unrelated to the coronavirus. The father should not be denied contact by the mother, through the emergency motion, due to his position as a firefighter, they wrote. Thilmony declined to comment for this article.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio thanks workers at local companies Crye Precision and Lafayette 148 NY that have teamed up to make thousands of protective hospital gowns to supply the citys health care workers at their Brooklyn Navy Yard facilities, in New York on April 6, 2020 . (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

NYC Mayor: Ventilator Need Much Less Than Expected

NEW YORKNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on April 8 that the citys need for ventilators is much lower than projected.

In the last few days, weve actually seen fewer ventilators needed than were projected, de Blasio said. We expected the number of ventilators being needed being more and more going into this week. Weve seen actually much fewer needed than we expected.

Last week, the citys daily need for ventilators grew by 200 to 300 units as hospitals dealt with a surge of COVID-19 patients. The growth has dropped off dramatically this week, with 100 or fewer ventilators added every day, according to de Blasio.

The mayor, a Democrat, said the city had sufficient ventilators for the week ahead. The city still needs more ventilators, but much less than expected, the de Blasio said.

Thats a good sign. The hospitalizations have stabilized. For a long time that just kept going up and up. Were now seeing some leveling off, he added.

New York City is at the epicenter of the nations outbreak of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) viruscommonly known as the coronaviruspandemic. More than 3,500 people died of COVID-19 in the city, which had more than 75,000 confirmed cases as of April 7.

The mayor suggested that the signs of improvement may mean that the stay-at-home order in place statewide is having an effect, adding that this is the time to double down on social distancing measures.

So far so good, but a long way to go, de Blasio said.

New York City hospitals have 5,500 ventilators with an additional 135 in an emergency reserve ready to be deployed where needed.

According to the mayor, the city still urgently needs additional surgical gowns. De Blasio said he asked the federal government for 9.2 million gowns.

The White House CCP virus task force has rushed personnel, equipment, and supplies to the city as the outbreak worsened throughout the month of March. The Army Corps of Engineers retrofitted a convention center into a 1,000-bed hospital. The Navy deployed a 1,000-bed hospital ship. At the request of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, President Donald Trump authorized for both hospitals to be used exclusively for COVID-19 patients.

New York State reported the largest daily CCP virus death toll for April 6, while other hospital metrics suggested that the state is nearing the peak of the outbreak. In neighboring New Jersey, the second-worst hit state nationwide, there were also signs that the outbreak is leveling off.
UPDATE: Michigan begins sending $600 payments, sets date for expanded unemployment eligibility

Roughly 1 in 10 working Michiganders have filed claims for unemployment since March 8, surpassing all of 2019 in about three weeks time.

With much of the states business forced to a halt by Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home executive order to help reduce the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, the states unemployment system is facing historic and unprecedented use, raising questions for those relying on it.

The states Unemployment Insurance Agency has been inundated with laid-off workers seeking to file claims. That has resulted in people having trouble getting through to file their claims.

Related: Bills, stress, fear mount as overburdened system delays unemployment checks

Jason Moon, communications director for the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, said the state is very appreciative of the patience from workers who have experienced difficulties accessing the system.

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity upped its number of call-takers from 150 in early March to more than 300 as of last week. The state is also working with a third-party contractor and will team up with Michigan Works to add more call-takers.

I want to ensure every worker who is eligible for unemployment benefits, they will receive them," Moon said. If for some reason there are continued technical difficulties, we will extend the time frame and you will receive those benefits.

Some common questions have echoed throughout the state in recent days, including when will I get my unemployment money, will it be taxed, and where is the $600 weekly unemployment assistance from the federal government?

We answer those questions and more:

When can I expect to receive my unemployment money?

Michigan residents can expect to receive unemployment money from the state roughly two weeks after they file their claim. The first check will cover your first two weeks of unemployment, according to Moon.

Payment is generally processed after you certify through Michigans Automated Response Voice Interactive Network (MARVIN) that you meet all of the eligibility requirements. Afterward, you must certify every other week to continue to receive your jobless benefits.

How will I get my unemployment money?

When filing a claim for unemployment in Michigan, residents are given the choice between two types of payment method. If a claimant selects direct deposit, they can enter their bank information and have money deposited straight to their account.

The other option is a debit card. If you take that route, the state will issue you a debit card with the money on it and will add money to the card for future payments, Moon said.

Why doesnt my unemployment account include the $600 payment from the federal government?

On March 27, President Donald Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act -- a $2 trillion stimulus comprising the largest emergency aid package in U.S. history. It includes $600 weekly unemployment payments to eligible individuals, for up to four months, on top of state unemployment benefits.

As of early this week, Moon said the state had been waiting on guidance from the federal government regarding that money. Thats why Michigan claimants have yet to see those dollars when accessing the states unemployment website.

Moon said an announcement was coming soon regarding the roll-out of the federal unemployment benefits, but declined to say when. The announcement will also come with an expansion of Michigans benefits to self-employed, 1099-independent contractors and low wage workers, as part of the federal CARES Act.

Once the federal benefits are worked out, those payments will be sent out with the states financial assistance, Moon said. Payments from the federal government for the weeks beginning March 29 will be added as soon as administratively feasible.

If you filed for unemployment with the state, you do not have to do anything additional to receive the $600 weekly payments from the federal government.

Is my unemployment money taxed and if so how?

Unemployment money from the state and federal government is taxable income, according to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. When claimants file for unemployment with the state, they can choose whether or not to have taxes withheld from the payment of their benefits.

In 2021, claimants will be sent a 1099-G form for 2020 payments they received as unemployment benefits.

Can I work a part-time job while still collecting unemployment benefits?

Yes. Moon said individuals can work a part-time job and be eligible for state unemployment benefits, provided their gross wages earned do not exceed 1.5 times their weekly benefit amount. The decrease in benefits is claimant-specific based upon their weekly benefit amount and then the gross wages they earn in a given week.

Im having difficulties getting through to file my unemployment claim.

The best way to file a claim is online at Michigan.gov/UIA. Moon said it should take about 20-25 minutes on average to go through the process. However, the system has been slowed down by the volume of residents attempting to file claims.

Moon recommends trying to access the server outside peak hours, like between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. daily.

Additionally, the state is asking residents with a last name that starts with A-L file claims online Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and those with a last name that starts with M-Z file claims Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Michigan residents can also file for unemployment by calling 866-500-0017. The call center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for those without access to internet.

Residents with last names that begin with A-L should call on Mondays and Wednesdays, and those with last names that start with M-Z should call on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Michigan workers have 28 days after theyre laid off to file their claim, and claims can be backdated to reflect the date you were laid off or let go due to COVID-19.

For more information, visit the states Unemployment Insurance Agency website, here, or check out this state-created unemployment benefits fact sheet.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

More from MLive:

For second day in a row, Michigan reports over 100 coronavirus deaths

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigans state of emergency extended to April 30

Michigan mail delivery slows as coronavirus hits postal service workers

Michigan to open second field hospital for coronavirus patients in Novi
The doctor who prescribed an unproven medication to more than two dozen COVID-19 patients at the Resort at Texas City, the site of one of the largest outbreaks in the Houston area, said the decision was between him and his patients and he did not notify families before the drugs were administered.

Dr. Robin Armstrong said he thought the potential benefits outweighed the risks.

While hydroxychloroquine is not approved for treating COVID-19, which so far has no cure, preliminary studies have suggested it might tamp down its symptoms.

State health officials say 10,000 bottles of the drug  commonly known by its brand name Plaquenil  have also been provided to 61 Texas hospitals for use on coronavirus patients.

Armstrong, who is a Texas Republican National Convention committee member, said the drug has been around for decades and that he understands well how it works.

I am confident that the risk of the medication is low, and the failure rate, if theyre not treated, is fairly high, Armstrong said. So I am making the call that it is worth treating them with medications that were very familiar with that has a very low risk factor profile and its worth doing that as opposed to allowing them to go out into the community, allowing them to go to the hospital where the mortality rate is very high.

FOR THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas

He added, If I had a loved one who was COVID-19 positive and they had the risk factors that Ive outlined, I would certainly start them on it.

Armstrong said most of those that learned about the treatment were excited to hear that the drug was available to try.

Patients were evaluated for eligibility for the treatment based on the severity of their symptoms, such as low oxygen saturation levels, he said.

President Trump has repeatedly touted the drug as a potential cure, though health experts have warned that it could cause major potential side effects, especially for the heart. The governments top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said more testing is needed before its clear that the drug works against the virus and is safe for use.

Armstrong, a former vice chair of the Texas GOP who serves on the advisory board of the Black Voices for Trump coalition, said his politics don't play into his medical decisions.

Completely separate. Completely unrelated, Armstrong said. If the results arent good, well stop it. The science will guide us and lead us there. The political part of it is irrelevant to me.

The cluster of cases at the home was discovered a little over a week ago when an employee tested positive for the virus, leading Galveston County health officials to test 146 residents and employees. Eighty-three residents and employees originally tested positive, and so far, one has died. As of Tuesday, Armstrong said 56 were positive.

A SPOTTED HISTORY: Texas City nursing home at center of coronavirus outbreak recently cited for health inspection violations

In total, 27 patients are taking hydroxychloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin and the vitamin zinc, Armstrong said. Some started as early as Saturday, others started in the two days following. The treatment will last five days.

The drugs became accessible for Armstrong after Amneal Pharmaceuticals donated 1 million tablets to the Texas Department of State Health Services pharmacy.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said he helped arrange the donation after a colleague at his law firm, who is friends with a board member at Amneal, mentioned the company was interested in giving away the drug to patients who needed it.

Many physicians are saying its helpful in treating their COVID-19 patients, Hughes said. So we want to make sure that the doctors have every tool available to them.

Hughes said he has also coordinated conversations between the company and other states about future donations, including Lousiana where officials last week accepted 400,000 tablets, as well as Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia.

DSHS spokesman Chris Van Deusen said the statespharmacy has been giving the drugs out upon request and has provided 559 bottles of hydroxychloroquine to 61 hospitals, including HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood, Twelve Oaks Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Houston. Each bottle contains 100 pills.

Armstrong said he doesnt want to minimize the potential risks of the drug or its interactions with other drugs, but he said he doesnt see the concerns about it causing heart rhythm problems all that different from those involved with many medicines.

Armstrong said its too early to say whether the treatment is working . Some patients have seen improvements in their oxygen saturation levels, but its unclear whether that is related to the treatment.

Were trying to catch these elderly folks very early because what the evidence has shown is that specifically when they get so sick that they have to go to the hospital, their mortality rates go through the roof, Armstrong said. Our ultimate goal is to keep them well and to keep them out of the hospital and to make sure that theyre able to survive through this.

A previous version of this article misstated state Sen. Bryan Hughes' title.
82,000 COVID-19 Deaths Projected in US by Early August

By Patsy Widakuswara April 07, 2020

A computer model used by the White House projects close to 82,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by August 4, assuming the country implements full social distancing until the end of May.

The 81,766-death projection is a slightly less grim figure than the 93,531 cited earlier by the Trump administration. The model projects that the country may need fewer hospital beds, ventilators and other equipment than previously estimated, and that some states may reach their peak of COVID-19 deaths sooner than expected.

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose pandemic messaging has ranged from optimism that the country will "open up sooner rather than later to frustration that "we're paying people not to go to work, has warned Americans to brace for the worst.

"This will be probably the toughest week, between this week and next week, Trump said on Sunday. "And there'll be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasn't done. But there will be death."

Not all states are using the federal government's forecasting model. While the White House projects that coronavirus cases in the nation's capital would peak later this month, the local Washington, DC government is relying on a different computer model that says it won't peak until late June or early July.

In any case, health experts warn against early optimism and say it's best to prepare for worst case scenarios.

The numbers are sobering, but the talk helps both people and health professionals to think seriously about this issue, said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "It helps us prepare psychologically for what's ahead, he added.

For their coronavirus modeling, the White House has relied on projections created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in Seattle. The White House has also reached out to a number of universities, including the University of Texas at Austin.

Mathematical epidemiologist and head of the university's research team, Lauren Meyers, underscored that pandemic modelling is almost never precise.

"There is a lot of uncertainty in the projections that we make because of lack of access to good data, because we just don't understand yet about the coronavirus, and especially because of uncertainty about how people will behave and what kinds of policies will be enacted to change contact patterns in the weeks and months ahead, Meyers said.

Meyers stressed that projections "are not like weather forecasts.

"When you forecast a tropical storm, there's nothing you can do about changing the path of the storm, but when you project that an infectious disease outbreak could lead to many, many deaths, there are actually measures you can take, things you can do, especially if you act early enough, that can change the course of the outbreak, Meyers said.

"The ranges that we estimated really depends on what we put into the model with respect to how much people actually adhere to social distancing, she added.

While the coronavirus has spread to almost the entire planet, not all countries have the tracking capacity, nor the political will to record cases accurately, which will directly impact the ability to come up with pandemic projections and how to prepare for it.

Daniel Runde, an international development analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, urged countries to be transparent with their data and in their pandemic messaging.

South Korea was one of the worst-hit countries in the early stages of the pandemic, but has been praised for its effective, aggressive response, that includes a swift implementation of mass-scale testing, and consistent, transparent messaging to the public throughout the crisis.

"Lying about numbers, suppressing science, suppressing doctors, censoring the media -- this is the absolute wrong time to be doing that, Runde said.

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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warns of grave legal measures against anyone who undermines the fight against the pandemic.

Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency in the country to help curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Home to almost 110 million people, Ethiopia has recorded 55 coronavirus cases and two deaths to date.

Because the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse, the Ethiopian government has decided to declare a state of emergency under Article 93 of the constitution, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement on Wednesday.

I call upon everybody to stand in line with government bodies and others that are trying to overcome this problem, he added, warning of grave legal measures against anyone who undermines the fight against the pandemic.

It was not immediately clear how the state of emergency would affect day-to-day life in Ethiopia.

Authorities have already taken a series of measures to stem the spread of the virus, including closing schools, banning public gatherings and requiring most employees to work from home.

The government has so far refrained from imposing a lockdown similar to those in effect elsewhere in the region, including in Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius.

William Davison, senior Ethiopia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said, There is a quite a lot of uncertainty about the extent to which the coronavirus may have spread so far in Ethiopia.

Not too much testing has been done, but the government has steadily increased that, accrediting other laboratories to do so, he told Al Jazeera from the capital, Addis Ababa. But certainly, theres not been a huge amount of testing thats going on  maybe thats partly why there is not a huge amount of infections.

It is the first state of emergency announced under Abiy, who came to power in 2018 and won last years Nobel Peace Prize in part for expanding political freedoms.

According to the countrys constitution, under a state of emergency, the Council of Ministers has all necessary power to protect the countrys peace and sovereignty and can suspend some political and democratic rights.

The constitution also says legislators need to approve a state of emergency, which can last for six months and be extended every four months after that.

One of the things that the state of emergency does is to give the federal government more authority and ability to work in coordination with regional governments, including their security apparatus, Davison said.

A woman wearing a face mask, runs in front of a truck spraying disinfectant on the street as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Addis Ababa [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]

Since reporting its first coronavirus case on March 13, Ethiopia, a major transport hub, has closed land borders and schools, freed thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding, sprayed main streets in the capital with disinfectant, and discouraged large gatherings.

But Abiy said over the weekend that a harsher lockdown would be unrealistic given that there are many citizens who dont have homes and even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily.

Jawar Mohammed, a leading opposition politician, questioned Abiys declaration, saying this called into question why a state of emergency was necessary.

Officials have been saying the country is too poor to stop population movement. So, why do you need a state of emergency if you are not planning to impose stricter rules? Jawar told the AFP news agency.

During consultations with Abiy earlier this week, the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) voiced worries that a state of emergency would lead to human rights abuses  a well-documented problem under previous states of emergency imposed during several years of anti-government protests that swept Ahmed to power.

We explained our concern that the state of emergency has been initiated several times and it has been abused to violate the rights of citizens and other political activists, OLF chairman Dawud Ibsa told AFP.

It is also unclear how the state of emergency might affect planning for hotly anticipated general elections in Ethiopia.

The countrys electoral board announced last week that voting planned for August would need to be postponed because of the pandemic.

It did not provide a timeline for when the elections would ultimately be held, and legislators constitutional mandates expire in October.
Thousands of New Jersey immigrants with health-related degrees are working in other industries, perhaps giving the state an untapped pool of workers to help fight the coronavirus, according to a new report.

Only four states  California, Florida, Texas and New York  have more immigrants with health degrees than the 14,000 now living in New Jersey, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based research group.

For many of these underutilized immigrants, medicine has been a calling, said Jeanne Batalova, a senior policy analyst with the institute.

A majority of the 14,000 are in the U.S. legally, primarily as citizens or green card holders, and Batalova said helping to fight the COVID-19 virus could get them back into the health care field they were forced to leave.

They are among the New Jersey residents Gov. Phil Murphy said he would like to answer the call he put out last month for retired health-care workers and others with medical training.

The answer is yes," Murphy said Tuesday during his daily coronavirus press briefing. We were pretty definitive."

Many of these immigrants have graduated from foreign schools that few here have heard of, or the language barrier prevented them from getting a license here. Others have have financial responsibilities that precluded them from obtaining the needed certification to work as a medical professional in the U.S., Batalova said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

While some are working as home health aides, most of them have jobs, often low-paying, that have nothing to do with what they studied in college, even though some of them received training to become medical doctors.

They have professional degrees, they have experience and now they are stuck in low-paying jobs, Batalova said.

Still, it remains to be seen how much help they will be allowed to provide. The health care volunteer sheet at www.covid19.nj.gov/volunteer asks applicants to disclose if they are licensed at all in either the U.S. or a foreign country, and that the state will reach out with more details if your skillset can help us.

Murphy has allowed the state Division of Consumer Affairs to temporarily reactivate licenses of health care professionals who retired in the last five years, and to grant temporary licenses to doctors from foreign countries who are in good standing.

Former West New York Mayor Felix Roque has been trying to recruit doctors who graduated from international medical schools to work in New Jersey and fight the coronavirus. None of them are licensed to work as physicians in the U.S.

Theyre anesthesiologists, theyre surgeons," Roque, a Cuban-American surgeon, anesthesiologist and pain management physician, told NJ Advance Media last month. "But now what theyre doing is theyre driving Uber, theyre working in Walmart. And theyre hurting because theyre not in position to help.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Amid the coronavirus crisis, nearly 290,000 Armenian citizens have been granted loan repayment holidays with a total volume of 9,3 billion drams as of April 8, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on social media.

Loan repayment holidays were also granted to 5300 legal persons with a total volume of 15,4 billion drams, he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Rickie Chhoeun, in white T-shirt, poses at a birthday party with two brothers and his sister at her Long Beach home in June 2019. (Courtesy of the Chhoeun family)

Day to day, for Cambodian immigrants threatened with deportation, the struggle is not knowing when you might have your last meal with family, your last bike ride, your last hug with your mother or child, if authorities arrest you.

Rickie Chhoeun, an AT&T service technician from Long Beach, understands this all too well. An agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement first nabbed him in October 2017 when he showed up for a regular meeting at an ICE office. Chhoeun was required to check in there annually because of his 1999 conviction for assault and carrying a firearm.

And it could happen again, he says, harking back to the nightmare of being shackled, then booked into Theo Lacy Jail, a maximum-security complex on the banks of the Santa Ana riverbed where he was detained, then later sent by bus to various detention centers.

He was not given an explanation for his treatment, and at times he had no chance to contact loved ones before his release in March 2018, after a judge found that his abrupt arrest violated his right to due process.

"I always wonder when I leave the house if I will come back. Will the officials ever give us advance notice before they grab us?" Chhoeun, 44, said.

A judge's recent ruling might give people like him  many haunted by prior criminal convictions but who have since transformed their lives  more protection.

In a 2017 lawsuit against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security representing about 900 class-action plaintiffs, advocates alleged that immigrants, including plaintiff Chhoeun, were illegally detained as part of the Trump administration's 2017 unprecedented roundups, in which people of Cambodian descent with criminal records were jailed and, in some cases, deported.

Supporters believe that the administration is targeting Cambodians to fulfill Trump's 2016 campaign promise that he would step up deportations of immigrants with criminal records, including refugees, said Jenny Zhao, an attorney with Asian Americans Advancing Justice's Asian Law Caucus based in San Francisco.

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The sudden actions sparked massive anxiety and pushback in Asian communities where activists said they refused to be silenced when the authorities tried to break up families.

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled last month that ICE should not detain the Cambodians based on old removal orders without notice, saying that doing so violated their due process. He also noted that, among those affected, many are married to U.S. citizens or have children born in the United States and, moreover, that immense barriers existed for them to obtain the paperwork needed to petition their cases from different agencies.

Paige D. Hughes, spokeswoman for ICE, said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

Advocates hailed Cormac's decision "because it's an issue not just limited to Latino communities," which is "a common perception," Zhao said.

The judge's ruling "is a recognition that if people have been living here for decades, and if they've been following all the rules, that we treat them with some respect before we try to remove them," said Sean Commons, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm providing pro bono work for the lawsuit.

This month, attorneys are submitting a proposal outlining what due process should look like: how far in advance notice should be provided, how notice is served and what it should detail.

"If you grab someone on their way to work, who's going to pick up their kids from school? And if they're driving their only car, how will their family members get around? Some of the scenarios we've seen are heart-wrenching or they're a complete disruption," Commons said, adding that advocates are focused on keeping families together.

Class members in the lawsuit are largely Cambodian refugees who fled the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and '80s. In many cases, they grew up in tough neighborhoods with a heavy presence of gangs and, because of resettlement policies, a lot of them were placed in areas with failing schools, according to Zhao. "They made mistakes in their youth, but they've truly worked to pay back their communities."

One example is Chhoeun. Since being convicted, supporters say, he has turned his life around by being a dedicated employee, often asked to train fellow co-workers and winning 2016's "Technician of the Year" at the AT&T job he started in 2014. He volunteered at a nonprofit and has opened his studio apartment to a former colleague who became homeless, helping him to find work and start a new life.

Kimsy Chhoeun, his older sister, said she is scared that hearing of her brother's plight will affect their mother's ailing health.

"We grew up during the Cambodian genocide and she struggled enough," losing relatives and both of her parents during the terror-filled reign of the Khmer Rouge. "She is diabetic and has never been strong. All my brothers and sisters have tried to shield her from this type of news.

"I pray every day and I hope every day that they will never take him away again."




It was almost as if destiny led him to a Guwahati house where he found friendship and warmth many thousand miles away from his home in Italy, says Giovanni Allegrini who is living out his days in lockdown with an Assamese family he now calls his own.

It has been 20 days since the 23-year-old Italian tourist found himself in Guwahati, quite by accident. He is hoping to extend his stay with the Sharmas, content to eat local food and plant vegetables to tide the family through the coronavirus crisis.

Allegrini, who has been in India since February 2 and has visited several places in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, reached Guwahati railway station from Patna on March 18.

The lockdown hadn't come into effect but the fear of the disease was real. He tried in vain to book a hotel. He wanted to stay in the railway retiring room but was not allowed to do so. He put out some requests about couch-surfing but no one accepted.

Someone even told him he could spend the night in a gurdwara but he was not sure how to go about it.

It was then that he met Deepak Sharma, a retired bank official, who brought him home and offered him a room in his house.

Sharma said he informed the DGP office about Allegrini's stay and also submitted his passport and visa copies to the nearest police station.

"It was evening when I saw him talking to some people. He was looking for hotels but they denied him accommodation," Sharma told PTI over the phone.

Allegrini said his decision to go to Assam was as random as his meeting with Sharma. He reached Guwahati after a 48-hour train journey and lots of requests for couch-surfing and hotel websites.

He said perhaps he was destined to stay at Sharma's place.

"I wasn't worried, I never plan anything while travelling and everything has gone well. I love to take risks. It's exciting," he said.

"He (Sharma) was the only one in Guwahati to give me shelter when I somehow, luckily, reached there right before the lockdown."



When Sharma took Allegrini home, his wife and neighbours were more than a little apprehensive. The young man did not just have an extended travel history but was also from Italy, which has more 1,35,000 cases and over 14,500 fatalities.

But over the days, things changed. Sharma said his family is now having a great time with Allegrini.

"I love the Sharma family. It feels like I'm a part of it, a son. Mum and dad are lovely and my brother (Sharma's son) is too. We do so many activities together: we're currently working on the land in front of the house and planting vegetables, just to make sure we'll have enough food throughout this crisis," Allegrini told PTI.

He addresses Sharma as Deepak and his wife as Mum.

He also loves Assamese food. "Mum makes me feel like I'm having lunch and dinner at a five-star hotel. I recommend Assamese food to everyone."



He is not facing any language barrier as the Sharmas speak English. "I'm trying to do the same with Assamese, learn a few words."Just before the lockdown, which came into effect after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 24 speech, Allegrini got a chance to visit the Pobitora national park, which is about 25 km from Sharma's residence in Narengi, and was lucky to see rhinos and a herd of buffaloes.

Allegrini was born and raised in northeastern Italy's Cervignano town. In 2017, he moved to Australia and then to New Zealand and has been visiting a lot of countries in between.

Asked what to plans to do after the lockdown ends, he said, "I don't know what to do, I want to avoid going back to Italy I just want to see if I can extend my visa which expires on May 3. I'm going to apply for an extension soon."



"I was planning to visit Pakistan right after India, it's not possible at the moment though."



Allegrini has been around the world and he doesn't regret his choices. "I decided to start reporting what happens in my life and our planet on my Instagram profile."



His family back home is fine. "They stay at home and respect the restriction rules imposed by the government and they're a bit worried about me. I often talk to them on phone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)




On the initiative and decision of the Board of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL the ordinary General Shareholders Meeting of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL (identification code 121304349, the registered address Gyneju str. 14 Vilnius, Lithuania) is to be held on 30 April 2020 at 4:00 p.m. in the premises located in Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius). Registration of the shareholders will start at 3:30 p.m.

If on the day of General Meeting of Shareholders, the quarantine regime will be valid in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania or Vilnius city municipality and all events or gatherings organized in public and closed areas will be banned, the participation in General Meeting of Shareholders would be possible by voting in writing in advance by filling in the General Voting Ballot (planned to announce by 27 April). The Company cares about the health of its shareholders and employees thus recommends at first consider possibility to get the General Voting Ballot and participate in advance voting remotely, and only in exceptional case, when there is no other possibility, visit the Companys office.

The total number of shares of the Company amounts to 11,918,899. Given that the Company has acquired its own shares, the total number of votes for the quorum of the General Meeting of Shareholders is 11,610,491. ISIN code of the shares of the Company is LT0000102279.

The accounting day of the of General Meeting of Shareholders  23 April 2020 (the persons who are shareholders of the Company at the end of accounting day of the General Meeting of Shareholders or persons authorized by them, or the persons with whom shareholders concluded the agreements on the disposal of voting right, shall have the right to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders).

The day of accounting of rights  15 May 2020 (the shareholders shall use the property rights arising from the resolutions passed during the General Meeting of Shareholders in proportion to the number of shares owned at the end of the day of accounting of rights).

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The agenda of the Ordinary General Shareholders Meeting of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL includes:

1. Presentation of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL consolidated annual report for 2019.

2. Presentation of the independent auditor's report on the financial statements and consolidated annual report of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

3. Approval of the consolidated and stand-alone financial statements for 2019 of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

4. Resolution regarding profit distribution of the public joint stock company Invalda INVL.

5. Resolution regarding purchase of own shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL.

6. Resolution regarding the specific number of ordinary registered shares of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL for which during year 2020 shall be offered stock options contracts and regarding the price of the shares.

7. Resolution regarding the realization of share options granted to Invalda INVL Group employees in 2017.

8. Resolution on approval of the Remuneration Policy of the public joint-stock company Invalda INVL.

The documents related to the agenda, draft resolutions on every item of agenda, documents what have to be submitted to the General Shareholders Meeting and other information related to realization of shareholders rights are published on the Companys website www.invaldainvl.com , in the menu item For investors.

Please note that on 3 April 2020 Invalda INVL informed that it plans to publish a set of annual financial statements with the auditor's report and a draft resolution of the General Meeting of Shareholders on profit (loss) distribution no later than 27 April.

The shareholders are entitled: (i) to propose to supplement the agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting submitting draft resolution on every additional item of agenda or, then there is no need to make a decision - explanation of the shareholder (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes). Proposal to supplement the agenda is submitted in writing sending the proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Lithuania, or delivered in person to the representative of the Company or by sending proposal to the Company by email info@invaldainvl.com. The agenda is supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the General Shareholders Meeting; (ii) to propose draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting at any time prior to the date of the General Shareholders meeting (in writing, sending the proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Lithuania, or delivered in person to the representative of the Company or by sending proposal to the Company by email info@invaldainvl.com) or in writing during the General Shareholders Meeting (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes); (iii) to submit questions to the Company related to the issues of agenda of the General Shareholders Meeting in advance but no later than 3 business days prior to the General Shareholders Meeting in writing sending the proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Lithuania, or delivered in person to the representative of the Company or by sending proposal to the Company by email info@invaldainvl.com. The company reserves the right to answer to those shareholders of the Company who can be identified and whose questions are not related to the company's confidential information or commercial secrets.

Shareholder participating at the General Shareholders Meeting and having the right to vote, must submit documents confirming personal identity. Each shareholder may authorize either a natural or a legal person to participate and to vote on the shareholder's behalf at the General Shareholders Meeting. A power of attorney issued by a natural person must be certified by a notary. The representative has the same rights as his represented shareholder at the General Shareholders Meeting. The authorized persons must have documents confirming their personal identity and power of attorney approved in the manner specified by law which must be submitted to the Company no later than before the commencement of registration for the General Shareholders Meeting. A power of attorney issued in a foreign state must be translated into Lithuanian and legalised in the manner established by law. The Company does not establish special form of power of attorney.

Shareholder is entitled to issue power of attorney by means of electronic communications for legal or natural persons to participate and to vote on its behalf at the General Shareholders Meeting. No notarisation of such authorization is required.

The power of attorney issued through electronic communication means must be confirmed by the shareholder with a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the power of attorney issued through the means of electronic communication by e-mail info@invaldainvl.com not later than on the last business day before the General Shareholders Meeting. The power of attorney and notification must be issued in writing and could be sent to the Company by electronic communication means, if the transmitted information is secured and the shareholder's identity can be identified.

The Company is not providing the possibility to attend and vote at the General Shareholders Meeting through electronic means of communication.

Shareholder or its representative may vote in writing by filling general voting bulletin and signing with a qualified electronic signature, in such a case the requirement to deliver a personal identity document does not apply. The form of the general ballot paper will be available no later than 27 April 2020 on the Company's website www.invaldainvl.com in the menu item Investors.

If shareholder requests, the Company shall send the general voting bulletin to the requesting shareholder by registered mail or ordinary mail.

The filled general voting bulletin must be signed by the shareholder or its authorized representative. Document confirming the right to vote must be added to the general voting bulletin if an authorized person is voting. The filled general voting bulletin must be sent by the registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, Lithuania, or delivered in person (during the quarantine period, the general voting bulletin may be delivered in person to the Company's registered office only by prior agreement) no later than the beginning of the General Shareholders Meeting. Shareholders may also vote by signing the voting bulletin with an electronic signature and sending it to the Company by e-mail. A duly completed and with a qualified electronic signature signed ballot paper can be sent to the company by e-mail info@invaldainvl.com before the start of the general meeting of shareholders.

The person authorized to provide additional information is:

Darius Sulnis, President of Invalda INVL

E-mail Darius.Sulnis@invl.com




My earliest memories of Easter morning are highly American. I woke to find a basket outside my room filled with candy eggs. I was then directed, along with my siblings, into coordinated pastel clothing and special white shoes. After church I looked forward to more candy, to be found on the annual egg hunt in some backyard or another.

I do not mean to denigrate this. My childhood joy and anticipation of these cultural traditions taught me to experience Easter as a celebration even before I understood the its real meaning. The memories reinforce right feelings of gratitude, warmth, and togetherness. But what happens when our traditions get interrupted? No potlucks, no neighborhood egg hunts, no large family gatherings or outings? Most poignantly of all, how do we cope with the loss of corporate worship on the most important day in the Christians year?

The pandemic now forces us to answer these questions. As pastors, realizing our churches will not gather together for Holy Week and Easter is painful. Yet out of our Easter privation, three invitations emerge:

An Invitation to Grieve

Spring 2020 has made its mark on the world as a season of grief. Some grieve the loss of income or proximity to friends and family. Young people grieve the cancellation of high school proms, graduations, and other important rites of passage. Thousands of people around the world grieve the death of a loved one.

By comparison, the loss of gathered worship for Easter feels trivial. But loss invites grief no matter the magnitude. The tangibility of Easter quarantine grants us access to sorrow about other, more ambiguous losses. It grants us permission to grieve our loss of control over school schedules and the welfare of our loved ones; that we cant hug our neighbors or enjoy a meal out with friends. And rather than trivializing any of these experiences, we can allow our sorrow to increase our compassion for others. This in turn will prepare us as pastors to lead them through their own grief.

We can, and must, acknowledge and mourn the loss of corporate worship on Easter. Our online or otherwise distant connections need not be spun as just as good. Easter is lamentably different this year.

Pastors often feel the temptation to be cheerful and optimistic for the sake of their churches. But modeling healthy sorrow is also leadership. We can be permission givers by making space for people to name their grief. This can look like including a short prayer of lament during Sunday worship or encouraging small groups to discuss, What are you grieving right now? When we welcome our sadness, we become more acquainted with our Savior, the man of sorrows (Is. 53:3).

An Invitation to Solidarity with The Persecuted Church

While our inability to worship corporately is novel, it is the norm for persecuted Christians in countries like Iran, China, and Bangladesh. There, churches endure with unmet longing for togetherness and with little chance to gather in safety and freedom. How many Christians around the world already expected to celebrate Easter quietly and solitarily, even secretly? In a small way, our inability to gather grants us solidarity with their struggle. Ours can be a more global experience of Easter this year, a gift instead of a burden. We can identify with the resurrection as true hope for liberation and the promise of all things made new. Our persecuted brothers and sisters know this already in ways we do not. They can be our worship leaders this Easter.

In my tradition, we pray for the persecuted church every Sunday. These prayers mean more to me now than they did before. They have also become more personal: Now that our services are online, some friends from the global south have been able to join us for worship. The unfortunate reality of livestreamed services has become an avenue for global connection. And the painful reality of our scattered worship can give us empathy for Christians around the world.

This empathy can grow through practices like prayer, storytelling, and partnership. What countries or communities is your church connected with? What has the coronavirus pandemic meant for them? How can you remember them during your Easter worship? How might their example encourage or bless your people?

An Invitation to Eschatological Longing

Right before our parish office closed, I spoke to my boss about the likelihood of canceling public worship on Easter. As the founding pastor of our church, he has walked with our congregation for its whole life. With tears in his eyes, he said, Whenever we are able to open our doors againwhenever I get to see their faces and place the bread in their handsit will be the biggest celebration.

His love for our church is but a shadow of Christs love for us. Our desire to be reunited in person is but a taste of Jesus longing for our ultimate reunion with him. Even in our Easter worship, we fervently pray, Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Easter is the pinnacle of Christian worship, the definitive crescendo of the gospel. Jesus conquered death and inaugurated new creation. But our quarantined celebration of Easter reminds us that though Christ has risen, we still walk in the valley of the shadow of death and disease in our world. Until then, even our most joyous alleluias are tinged with a holy longing for the day when he returns and we rise with him.

We can embrace this tension by making space for sorrow on Easter this year. And we can encourage our people by locating their sorrow in the context of the larger story: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. One day, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4).

This collect from the Book of Common Prayer gives us the words to pray: O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life: Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive all our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your kingdom on the last great Day; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hannah King is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, currently serving a parish in Greenville, SC.
The pain for the auto sector is likely to continue for another 6 to 8 months if the lockdown period is extended. The sales numbers of all auto OEMs for March have been terrible though it was expected, Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand.

edited excerpts:

A) The market is nervous as the number of coronavirus cases in India has been accelerating and there might be the possibility of another round of lockdown to contain the community spread.

As testing increased to around 10,000 tests per day, the number of coronavirus cases escalated to over 4,000, which is alarming. If the lockdown is extended beyond April around the world, the economic activity will slump and we could experience a deeper recession than 2009.

FPIs remained net sellers during March and pulled out nearly Rs 62,000 crore from equity markets. In the face of economic uncertainty, FPIs are pulling out the money from risky assets and parking it into safe havens like the US treasury. This is creating panic selling in the Indian markets.

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

From the economic perspective, with 87 percent of the workforce in the informal sector, the pain for lockdowns will be severely felt by India which will trigger unemployment and will squeeze the overall consumption demand.

A slowdown in demand will result in sharp cuts in corporate earnings growth in the coming quarters.

A) The pandemic was a health crisis that has now transformed into a financial crisis. Thus, the need of the hour is to find a cure.

The market is unlikely to see structural relief rally till then.

Other macro factors at this point of time are not so relevant except the massive stimulus package announced by the government to support the ailing economy and RBIs monetary easing.

Q) What is your take on the auto sales numbers - do you think the pain is likely to continue in the sectors, and it is best to stay away?

A) The pain for the auto sector is likely to continue for another 6 to 8 months if the lockdown period is extended. The sales numbers of all auto OEMs for March have been terrible though it was expected.

Thus, the revivals in sales numbers will be delayed given the current economic uncertainties caused by the health crisis. So, it is better to stay away from auto stocks at current market volatility.

A) As we know, "cash is king" in times of crisis and provides a cushion. Companies that have a strong balance sheet and strong cash flows and thus have significant cash per share will be protected from the downside.

Q) What should be the trading strategy of the coming week?

A) Domestic markets will track global market movements and the spread of the virus in both India and globally.

The developments with regards to viruses are very dynamic in nature and evolving and thus it is always better to stay invested in FMCG, healthcare, utilities & telecom stocks as defensive bets in this market.

A) While valuation indicators suggest that the bottom is near the previous levels, nevertheless, one shouldnt forget that this crisis is, after all, a health crisis that morphed into a financial one.

Besides, never in history, economies have been completely shut down choking economic activity. Thus, unless the virus and the spread of the epidemic is contained, there are always risks of the further downside and it could be too early to call the market bottom till the time the cure is invented.

COVID-19 is an unprecedented event, unknown and unknowable at this point in time. The uncertainty of it has led to a crash in the markets world across and the ferocity and pace of the price damage is unthinkable.

Bear markets are always brutal and engulf all of the market participants with fear and make them behave irrationally. A patient investor can only look at the widening gap between value and price with incremental fall and gradually initiate buy in times of extreme fear in companies of his choice, provided the choices are fair in the first place.

Markets never go broke, companies do, and it displays the collective sentiment of the herd from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism from time to time.

The historical valuation metrics reflects the degree of correction from a historical standpoint and gives a good reference point to judge the severity of the fall and the degree of value emerging with incremental decline if at all, from hereon, whether be it P/E or P/B or Earning yield to Bond yield or Mcap to GDP. If there is Panic today, the Unwinding of it is also inevitable.

Nothing stays permanent in space and time and the pendulum of market and emotion swings both ways. Stay Fit & Stay Healthy and introspect in silence the irrationality to arrive at a fair decision.

Q) What are your views on the financial space? Does it look like the smart money is moving from financials towards defensives' names?

A) Financials are likely to be under pressure given the fact that even considering hypothetically the crisis is solved today itself, it will take the economy a significant amount of time to restart and get back to working at the previous levels.

The fall out of the same is rising NPAs and dismal intermittent credit growth. Thus, at this present moment, defensives are clear favourites.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Hackers are now hijacking video calls and posting hate speech together with offensive images that include pornography. This new kind of harassment has been called Zoombombing, and the phenomenon has become alarming enough to concern the FBI and issue a warning to Zoom users. (Photo : Pexels)

Hackers are now hijacking video calls and posting hate speech together with offensive images that include pornography. This new kind of harassment has been called Zoombombing, and the phenomenon has become alarming enough to concern the FBI and issue a warning to Zoom users.

A Ph.D. student Zoombombed

A student defending his doctoral dissertation tells his story to the NPR. Dennis Johnson does many things on the internet. His doctoral defense was made over a video conference using Zoom.

His audience was considerable, estimated at forty people. This group included his closest friends, classmates, family, as well as his dissertation committee. He was studying at the California State University at Long Beach.

Johnson was the first in his family to have graduated with a college degree. No surprise that he is also the first to get a doctorate. Thus, he wanted his family and friends to share this significant moment and success in his academic and professional life.

However, in the middle of presenting his dissertation, the projected screen started showing somebody drawing male genitalia. It confused Johnson at first, saying that he wasn't sure of what was happening.

He was surprised, and he said he froze, and everyone else who was on the video call also started to freeze.

The attacker afterward wrote some racial slur on the projected screen for everyone in the video call to witness.

The event's organizers then blocked the screen from everybody until they can find a way to eliminate the intruder from interrupting the occasion with his dirty act. Johnson and the committee failed to identify the perpetrator.

Johnson still managed to complete his presentation. He shared that once it was all over and the committee gave him their congratulatory greetings, he started to leave, and then all of it started to sink in finally. He could not communicate, and he just had to walk out of his house and not see or talk to anybody.

Other Zoombomer activities

Zoombombers have been documented to disrupt an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the city of New York, saying, among others, that "alcohol is soooo good." Also, a Texas Sunday school was invaded, as well as the University of Southern California online classes, and a Kalamazoo, Michigan city meeting.

With millions at home and schools being closed, Zoom started to rise in popularity, with 200 million online calls made each day last March. It was a rise from a mere 10 million daily calls made last December. That newfound popularity, however, is bringing in new scrutiny from the FBI. The agency is explicitly warning schools to be more careful. It said it had received a lot of reports of video conferences disrupted by hate speech and pornographic images as well as threatening language, according to the FBI's Boston office.

Zoom has started to address the problem and released a guide on how people can protect their conferences. It has also modified accounts of universities and schools by making it have default privacy settings. Letitia James, New York Attorney General, sent a letter to Zoom with queries about its privacy and security protection features.

Security researcher and former NSA employee Patrick Wardle state that strong security, privacy controls, and encryption seem to be missing in Zoom. He, along with other researchers, have found a flaw in the software that can allow hackers to spy through webcams and microphones. Meanwhile, Zoom has said that it already made fixes for such issues last Wednesday.
The auto ancillary industry - one of the worst hit due to the labour exodus - will need at least three months to get its factories up and running.

IMAGE: Migrant workers travel in a crowded bus to their native villages. Photograph: Aftab Alam Siddiqui/ANI Photo

With migrant factory workers leaving Indias major cities after a government lockdown announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, manufacturing companies are staring at the challenge of getting the labour force back once operations resume on April 15.

Factory workers can only be brought back if there is assurance of advance payment and compensation, besides safety at the workplace, say manufacturers.

The auto ancillary industry - one of the worst hit due to the labour exodus - will need at least three months to get its factories up and running.

According to an ancillary supplier to the auto industry, even if the situation normalises in the next two-three months, production will not be more than 30 per cent.

It is mainly because of job losses which will lead to lack of demand for automobiles.

"Also, the industry has been under stress for the past few months and inventories have piled up, he said, adding that in the face of unemployment, automobiles will not be a priority.

His clients include Hero, Maruti, Tata, and Yamaha. Nearly 30 per cent of the labour force engaged in the industry has left the major cities; the rest cannot work at full capacity unless the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is tackled by the authorities.

According to Vinnie Mehta, director general, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India, the auto industry started getting impacted from the time the contagion spread in China, as it relies on imports from the country.

For the auto industry, the impact started in January when China was impacted.

"Now, labour is a challenge. But working capital is a bigger challenge. We have to be particular about cash flows, said Mehta.

If advance payments to migrant workers are made to get them back to work that expenditure will be met through the working capital of auto companies.

Besides, interstate movement of workers will continue to be a problem since free movement will not be allowed even if the lockdown is partially lifted on April 15.

Mehta said, Covid-19-safe workshops should be there. Currently, the auto component manufacturing units employ thousands of workers at their factories. The workspace has to be conducive to work.

The Indian auto component industry contributes 2.3 per cent to Indias gross domestic product and provides employment to 5 million people.

The industry witnessed a growth rate of 14.5 per cent, posting a turnover of Rs 3.95 trillion ($57.10 billion) in 2018-19 (FY19). Exports showed a growth rate of 17.1 per cent, scaling to Rs 1.06 trillion ($15.16 billion) in FY19.

The aftermarket grew by 9.6 per cent to Rs 67,491 crore ($10.1 billion), from Rs 61,601 crore ($9.2 billion) in the previous financial year.

However, for telecom equipment manufacturing companies, stalling work is not an option.

According to spokesperson at Ericsson, Telecom equipment manufacturing has been allowed under essential services and, therefore, factories are working to cater to the demand of the mobile service providers.

It is learnt that the movement of consignment is slow due to delayed clearances at the state level because of the 21-day lockdown.
[April 08, 2020] Emerald Bioscience Joins Alliance for Biosecurity

The Alliance is a government-industry consortium that is a leading voice on biosecurity issues in the United States Long Beach, Calif., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerald Bioscience, Inc. (OTCQB: EMBI), focused on the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics to address global medical indications, especially those of unmet medical need, today announced that the company has accepted an invitation to join the Alliance for Biosecurity. The Alliance, based in Washington, DC, is composed of biosecurity industry leaders, dedicated to the research and development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics against biological threats, including bioterrorism pathogens and emerging infectious diseases. It is an honor for EMBI to join this consortium that advocates for public policies and funding to support an array of public health responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, including the rapid development, production, stockpiling, and distribution of critically needed medical countermeasures, commented Brian Murphy, MD, Emerald Bioscience CEO, who also has extensive experience in both basic science research and clinical drug development against infectious diseases. We are pleased to welcome EMBI as the 21st member of the Alliance for Biosecurity, said Alliance for Biosecurity Chair Chris Frech. It is important that we have well-rounded industry knowledge to address global public health threats. Including EMBIs innovative approach in our collective voice allows the Alliance to accurately represent industry in these situations, Frech added. EMBI has been involved in addressing infections related to resistant organisms since our anti-infective program was inaugurated in late 2015 to develop a cannabinoid cocktail against methicilli resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We plan to expand that established program to assess activity against other types of bacterial, as well as viral, threats to society, noted Dr. Murphy.



About the Alliance for Biosecurity The Alliance for Biosecurity promotes a stronger, more effective partnership between government, the biopharmaceutical industry, and other stakeholders in order to advance their shared goal of developing critically needed medical countermeasures. The Alliance also seeks to develop sound public policy proposals that could bolster national efforts to rapidly develop, produce, stockpile, and distribute medical countermeasures. For more information, visit https://www.allianceforbiosecurity.com/

About Emerald Bioscience, Inc. Emerald Bioscience is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Long Beach, California, focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of bioengineered cannabinoid-based therapeutics for significant unmet medical needs in global markets. With proprietary technology licensed from the University of Mississippi, Emerald is developing novel ways to deliver cannabinoid-based drugs for specific indications with the aim of optimizing the clinical effects of such drugs while limiting potential adverse events. Emerald's strategy is to clinically develop a number of proprietary biosynthetic compounds, alone or in combination with corporate partners. For more information, visit www.emeraldbio.life CONTACT

Douglas Cesario

Chief Financial Officer

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 949-336-3437 FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our product development, and business strategy. Such statements and other statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on managements current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price could be materially negatively affected. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology including anticipated, contemplates, goal, focus, aims, intends, believes, can, could, challenge, predictable, will, would, may or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. We operate in a rapidly changing environment and new risks emerge from time to time. As a result, it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements the Emerald may make. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, our capital resources, uncertainty regarding the results of future testing and development efforts and other risks that are described in the Risk Factors section of Emerald most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by law, Emerald disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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RTHK: Acting US Navy boss quits over coronavirus uproar

US Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday over his mishandling of an outbreak of the coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced.

Modly stepped down five days after removing the Roosevelt's captain, Brett Crozier, for writing a letter, which was leaked to the media, describing the virus-struck vessel's dire situation and alleging the Pentagon was not paying adequate attention to it.

The removal of Crozier, respected in the military and popular with his crew, was seen as heavy-handed and decided too quickly, before an investigation was carried out.

Modly sparked outrage on Monday after he flew from Washington to Guam, where the warship is docked to defend his actions to the crew.

In a forceful, profanity-laced speech he accused Crozier of "betrayal", called him "too naive or too stupid," and suggested the sailors' love for him was misplaced.

Hours later, back in Washington, Modly issued an apology, but President Trump publicly questioned Crozier's treatment and said he would get directly involved.

Modly "resigned of his own accord, putting the Navy and the sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward," Esper said in a statement.

Esper said Modly's replacement as acting Navy secretary will be current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson, a retired admiral. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-04-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
AUG Notice on Convocation of the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of AUGA group, AB on 30 April 2020

At the initiative and by the decision of the Board of AUGA group, AB (code 126264360, address Konstitucijos avenue 21C, Vilnius, Company) the ordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Company is being convened on 30 April 2020, at 10.00 a.m.

The meeting will be held at the conference room at the business center QUADRUM NORTH, address Konstitucijos avenue 21C, Vilnius. The registration of the shareholders begins at 9:30 a.m. Only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders. The record date of the meeting shall be 23 April 2020. Taking into account the recommendations of the Ministry of Economics and Innovations of the Republic of Lithuania and of the Bank of Lithuania, in case on the day of the general meeting of shareholders the quarantine regime shall still be in force in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, all the shareholders shall have a right to participate in the general meeting of shareholders only by a single mean, foreseen in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Companies  by filling the General Ballot Paper and providing it in advance to the Company. If the quarantine regime will already be revoked on the day of the general meeting of shareholders, it shall take place with no limitations regarding the form of attendance thereof. Agenda of the Meeting: 1. Consolidated annual report of the Company for the year 2019 and Auditors report. 2. Approval of consolidated set of annual financial statements of the Company for the year 2019. 3. Approval of the profit (loss) allocation of the Company for the year 2019. 4. Appointment of the auditor to audit consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year 2020 and approval of auditors remuneration. 5. Amendment of the rules for granting Companys shares to employees and (or) members of the bodies of the Company and approval of new wording thereof. 6. Approval of the remuneration policy of executives of the Company. 7. Provision of the Strategy of the Company and its implementation report. Drafts of decisions with related documentation and further information shall be published separately by supplementing this notice. Shareholders of the Company shall have a right to participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders personally or by power of attorney or represented by the person with whom an agreement on the transfer of voting rights is concluded. The total number of the Companys shares of EUR 0.29 par value each and the number of shares granting voting rights during the general meeting of shareholders is the same and amounts to 227,416,252. ISIN code of the Companys shares is LT0000127466. A person attending the general meeting of shareholders and having a voting right must provide a persons identification document. A person who is not a shareholder must additionally provide a document confirming his/her right to vote at the general meeting of shareholders. Each shareholder shall have a right in the manner established by the laws to authorise other (natural or legal) person to attend and vote at the general meeting of shareholders on his/her behalf. At the general meeting of shareholders an authorised person shall have the same rights as would be held by the shareholder represented by him/her, unless the authorized persons rights are limited by the power of attorney or by laws. The authorized person must provide a power of attorney certified in the manner established by laws. A power of attorney issued in a foreign state must be translated into Lithuanian and legalised in the manner established by laws. The Company does not establish special form of power of attorney. Shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communication channels another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on shareholders behalf. Such authorization shall not be approved by the notary public. The power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels must be confirmed by the shareholder with a safe electronic signature developed by safe signature equipment and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the power of attorney issued through electronic communication channels by e-mail info@auga.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 24:00. The power of attorney and notification shall be issued in writing. The power of attorney and notification to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent via e-mail. By submitting the notification to the Company the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download free of charge software to verify an electronic signature of the shareholder. A shareholder or a person authorised by him/her shall have a right to vote in writing in advance by filling in the general ballot paper. Form of the general ballot paper to vote in this meeting shall be provided together with publishing the last update to the notice not later than by 10 days prior to the general meeting date. Upon a shareholders request, the Company, not later than 10 days before the general meeting, shall send the general ballot paper by registered mail free of charge. The general ballot paper shall also be provided on the Companys website at www.auga.lt not later than by 10 days prior to the general meeting date The filled-in general ballot paper and the document confirming the voting right (if any) must be submitted to the Company sending by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice and received by the Company not later than on the last business day until the meeting. As it is indicated above, in case on the day of the general meeting of shareholders the quarantine regime shall still be in force in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, all the shareholders shall have a right to participate in the general meeting of shareholders only by a single mean  by filling the General Ballot Paper and providing it in advance to the Company at the aforementioned address and method. The Company is not providing the possibility to attend and vote at the general meeting of shareholders through electronic means of communication. The shareholders holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing to supplement the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders. Draft decisions on the proposed issues shall be submitted together with the proposal or, if the decisions do not need to be approved, explanations on each proposed issue of the general meeting of shareholders shall be presented. Proposal to supplement the agenda must be presented to the Company sending them by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The agenda will be supplemented, if the proposal is received not later than 14 days before the general meeting of shareholders. Each shareholder holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting shall have the right of proposing draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders, as well as the additional candidates to the members of the Management Board of the Company (if elected). The proposed draft decisions must be presented in writing sending them by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. The shareholders shall have the right to present questions related to the agenda issues of the general meeting of shareholders to the Company in advance in writing, by providing the shareholders personal identification number and consent to process personal data  personal identification number in the letter which should be sent to the Company by registered mail. The Company undertakes to respond if the questions are received not later than 3 business days before the general meeting of shareholders. Responses of a general character shall be posted on the Companys website www.auga.lt. The Company will not respond personally to the shareholder, if the respective information is posted on the Companys website. The shareholders could get familiarised with the documents possessed by the Company related to the agenda of the meeting, including notification on convocation of the meeting, information about the total number of the Companys shares and the number of shares granting voting rights during the general meeting of shareholders, draft resolutions, and other documents to be submitted to the general meeting of shareholders as well as to get information regarding execution of the shareholders rights at the Companys website at www.auga.lt under the heading For investors. In case the quarantine regime shall be revoked in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania the shareholders shall have a right to familiarize with the aforementioned documents at the registered address of the Company at AUGA group, AB, at the address Konstitucijos avenue. 21C, Vilnius, and on the indicated Companys website at www.auga.lt. CEO Kestutis Juscius +370 5 233 5340
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Kuwait City, Kuwait  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:02 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09d28b 2 World Kuwait,five-star-hotel,COVID-19-quarantine,COVID-19,coronavirus-prevention,coronavirus,pandemic,health Free

The meat is too fatty and the staff are slow to clean up coffee stains -- some Kuwaitis quarantined in five-star hotels due to the coronavirus outbreak have a litany of complaints.

Authorities in the oil-rich country have forced citizens returning from abroad to isolate for 14 days in luxury properties before they are permitted to re-enter society.

Kuwait has adopted the strictest measures in the Gulf to combat the spread of coronavirus. It has recorded more than 700 cases, and one death.

Plush hotels have turned into quarantine shelters, preparing to host around 60,000 Kuwaitis returning from countries including Italy, Germany, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon.

The first batch arrived two weeks ago, and for some accustomed to the best in life, their accommodation has proven less than satisfactory.

'Salad with no dressing'

"Dear minister of finance, the food has no taste, it is inedible and we're throwing it away," one woman, who did not reveal her face, said in a video uploaded online.

"We are emotionally tired, and our health is deteriorating because the food is not nutritious," she added as she examined catering trays delivered to her hotel room.

"They served us salad with no dressing, and everything else is also dry."

Her comments prompted a backlash online with some saying she should be grateful.

"I stayed in a hospital for a week with my mother and did not complain, eating bread and cheese," one Twitter user fired back.

Another uploaded footage of people in a developing country standing in line to drink water.

"If only they saw how we opened our fridge to choose the (brand of) water we want. God, don't deny us your generosity," read the sarcastic caption.

Kuwait, which pumps 2.7 million barrels of oil per day, has a sovereign wealth fund worth more than $600 billion, providing a substantial cushion for state finances.

Many of its 1.5 million citizens, who make up just 30 percent of the population, have become accustomed to a life of luxury, especially in Europe where some own palaces and supercars.

One in ten Kuwaitis is a dollar millionaire -- a fact proudly announced by the state airline on flight approaches to Kuwait City.

In one social media video, a Kuwaiti man complains that his luggage has not yet reached the hotel room, which he describes as small with "the bed stuck to the closet".

In another, a woman says there is "more fat than I like in my meat".

Another quarantine guest said it was taking room service "too long to clean a coffee stain on the couch".

'Can you be patient?'

Kuwait has in the past few weeks passed strict regulations to curb the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed more than 75,000 lives worldwide.

It has prosecuted more than 100 people for breaking the dusk to dawn curfew or quarantine rules, with offenders facing up to six months in jail or a 10,000 dinar ($32,000) fine.

On Tuesday it announced a lockdown on two areas that are densely populated with expatriate workers.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's cabinet said anyone caught intentionally spreading the virus could face up to 10 years in prison and a 30,000 dinar fine.

The government has also said it will not tolerate online sarcasm or ridicule of the precautionary measures.

In one case a citizen returning from Germany posted a video mocking flight attendants in protective gear likening them to "beekeepers".

Some responded online, calling for calm and support for those on the frontline of the pandemic, including air crews.

Kuwaiti parliamentarian Ahmed Nabil al-Fadel urged people to be patient and see the bigger picture.

"It's very common that the sink does not work properly or that there are some problems... given the short period of time to prepare the place," Fadel, who was also quarantined after returning from Spain, said of quarantine facilities.

"Can you be patient? There are doctors who have not slept in three days."
XINHUA NEWS Solomon Ayele, a nurse at an Ethiopian hospital, is defying fear on the frontline of the war against COVID-19, while Africa is bracing for its most difficult time.

On Tuesday, confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed 10,000 in Africa, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys tally, and a more troubling crisis looms due to a lack of medical supplies on the continent.

Fortunately, leaders of African countries have already proactively implemented prevention and control measures such as allocating funds, locking down cities and mobilizing medical resources to slow the virus spread. And the international community has also stepped in to help.

More and more medical supplies from China and other countries have been distributed to health workers like Ayele to help them fight the common enemy and safeguard their shared future.

Unified efforts

African countries are fighting the coronavirus against all odds, Ayele said, emphasizing that COVID-19 prevention and control greatly requires adequate financing and well-built capacity.

A lack of medical equipment and experience had restricted his capacity to deal with the increasing caseload.

As a major transit hub in Africa, Ethiopia is among more than a dozen countries the World Health Organization considers as top priority for preparedness against COVID-19.

Since the first confirmed case was reported last month in the country, Ethiopian health authorities have been increasing epidemic response coordination, surveillance, diagnosis and public health education.

The government has also set up quarantine centers and equipped Eko Kotebe Hospital in the capital Addis Ababa where Ayele works to house COVID-19 patients. Ayele is among some 350 healthcare personnel recently trained to help respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

To alleviate the shortage of medical supplies in Africa, the Chinese government and private sector have stepped up cooperation with African countries.

Chinas Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation announced on Monday that they had sent the second batch of aid to Africa including ventilators, and the shipment is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa soon.

With the help of the Ethiopian government, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and World Food Programme, these supplies will be delivered to each of the 54 African nations.

The first donation, including masks, test kits, protective suits and face shields and guidelines on tackling COVID-19, was distributed to Ayele and his colleagues two weeks ago.

Ayele hailed the help of the Chinese government and the foundations, saying the critical medical supplies will greatly contribute to Africas fight against the coronavirus.

The materials would help fill the existing gaps in terms of the pressing shortage of preventive materials and testing kits in Ethiopia and beyond, while the guideline will also help us respond to the epidemic with latest knowledge based on Chinas experience, he said.

Ethiopian Airlines, the continents largest carrier in terms of passenger turnover, will distribute the much-needed donation across the 54 African countries.

Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, said that the Chinese donation is an exemplary move, demonstrating collaboration and joint efforts in the battle against the epidemic.

The message is very important. It is a very good example for all over the world that feel panic and blame is not the answer. The answer is organizations, countries, institutions, and governments bringing their resources together to team up to provide this kind of medical supplies for the protection of the people. So, this is a very good example, Gebremariam said.

Solid support

Although China has made progress in containing the COVID-19 epidemic, its medical supply remains tight. However, its government and people believe that it is imperative to extend a helping hand to friends in Africa to help them overcome their difficulty.

Liu Hongjun is running a clothing factory in Chinas eastern Zhejiang Province, which has turned to manufacture medical equipment such as masks and protective suits.

Not long ago, Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation contacted Liu. I know how important these materials mean to African people, thus I accepted it without any hesitation, he said.

Two shifts have been arranged for key posts, such as protective clothing and mask production lines, in order to ensure the delivery and the quality of the protective materials, Liu added.

Tens of thousands of miles away, Ayele and hundreds of Chinese doctors are using the masks and protective suits produced by Chinese factories like Lius to help African patients.

According to Chinas National Health Commission, there are almost 1,000 Chinese medical personnel working in Africa and the agency has directed them to help local health organizations stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Since last month, Jiang Yuandong, a member of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, has trained more than 140 health workers and introduced Chinas experience in containing the outbreak. He also gave a lecture to Zimbabwes ministry of health officials and medical personnel to improve their understanding of the disease.

By sending medical experts and medical supplies to other countries to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, China has proved to be a friend in need, said Kitojo Wetengere, a consultant professor of economic diplomacy and former lecturer with the Tanzania-Mozambique Center for Foreign Relations in Dar es Salaam.

Close bond

On Monday, another batch of Chinese medical supplies arrived in Accra, capital city of Ghana, and will be delivered to 17 other African countries within a few days.

This effort shows Chinas firm commitment to the China-Africa relations and further strengthens the strong historical bonds between China and Africa, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Wang Shiting said at the Accra airport.

Since the coronavirus was spreading in Africa, China has overcome its difficulties to actively assist the African Union and African countries with anti-epidemic supplies, and organize video conferences for medical experts to share experience.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed a senior technical advisor to Africa CDC to closely work with local experts. More Chinese health experts are on their way to various African countries.

In a phone conversation with Namibian President Hage Geingob on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will continue to step up assistance for African countries in combating the COVID-19 epidemic.

During the most difficult period of Chinas fight against COVID-19, African countries provided China with valuable support, which will be engraved in the hearts of the Chinese people, Xi said.

Chinese enterprises and non-governmental organizations have also extended a helping hand to African countries, he added, pointing out that all these are true manifestations of the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Leaders of African countries have expressed their gratitude for Chinas help and confidence in their victory over COVID-19.

Noting that China is the best friend of Namibia and of Africa, Geingob said he deeply appreciates the Asian countrys timely and precious assistance and support to African countries in their fight against the disease.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa spoke highly of the true act of friendship that is crucial to Africas fight against the virus.

With unity, discipline and cooperation, we can prevail, Mnangagwa said.

======================================

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Yuliang, Yin Xiaosheng, Naftali Mwaura, Li Sibo, Bai Lin, Hu Jinwu, Liu Ruijuan and Zhang Yu also contributed to the story.)

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YEREVAN.  Hayk Alumyan, the lawyer of the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, does not rule out the possibility of withdrawing the civil suit against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and with respect to the protection of the honor and dignity of Kocharyan, if Pashinyan takes back his words. Alumyan stated this at a press conference on Wednesday.

"The decision is up to Robert Kocharyan," the lawyer stressed, and he recalled the circumstances of the previous similar lawsuit and Pashinyan's statement in Paris. "Robert Kocharyan had been released on the basis of [presidential] immunity. In other words, it is possible to organize murders and talk about immunity. Where is that written? he added. "The statement was made after the Court of Appeal released Kocharyan from custody on the grounds of the previous president's immunity.

It is clear that the text refers to Robert Kocharyan. He had appealed to the court, calling it a slander and a violation of the presumption of innocence. Nikol Pashinyan had stated, through his representative, that this statement does not refer to Robert Kocharyan. In other words, they claimed in court, in the presence of dozens of media outlets, that with this announcement they did not mean Robert Kocharyan. If this time, too, the Prime Minister, or his representative, says that he did not mean Robert Kocharyan, we will once again discuss the possibility of withdrawing the lawsuit. But we may not withdraw as well. It is possible that the taking back [of his words] became the reason for continuing Nikol Pashinyan's unbalanced statements. We can go until the end this time so that the situation will not be repeated. "

According to Alumyan, the accusations of robbery against Robert Kocharyan became the basis for this new lawsuit. "Last time I myself advised [Kocharyan] to withdraw the lawsuit; trusting my opinion, Mr. Kocharyan withdrew," said the lawyer. "But this time I will not advise to withdraw, even if they say that they did not mean him [Kocharyan]."
Nigerian military hit criminal entrepreneurs, nab fishing trawler

April 08,2020 | Source: The Guardian Nigeria

Defence Headquarters has said that the Maritime component of the Armed forces had continued to hit hard on criminal entrepreneurs and arrested fishing trawler in the maritime domain.



The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.



Onyeuko disclosed that the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta patrol teams located an illegal refining site around Opumami in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta during its anti-Crude Oil Theft (COT)/anti-illegal bunkering operations during the week.



He added: In the same vein, Nigerian Navy Ship Dorina while on routine patrol arrested a fishing trawler, Hajiya Binta for operating in Nigerian waters without its Automatic Identification System (AIS).



The arrest was effected at about 5 nautical miles off the ESCRAVOS breakwaters.



Upon interrogation, the Captain of the vessel, affirmed that the AIS of the vessel was not operational as at the time of her arrest due to a fault it developed while at sea.



Hajiya Binta was handed over to NIMASA officials on 31 Mar 2020 in line with due process, he said.

 2020 Guardian Newspapers

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
(Photo : NASA ) Moon Mission: Remember Apollo 13? NASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of its 'Successful Failure'

Would you believe that it's been 50 years since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Apollo 13 mission? And for April, the agency will answer all your questions regarding the memorable moon mission to commemorate its 50th anniversary since its launch on April 11, 1970. Do you remember why it's called a "successful failure"?





No celebration for you says NASA to Apollo 13's 50th Anniversary

On April 11, NASA will begin celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 moon mission. For those people interested to know more about this historic mission, the agency will have a tribute episode of Apollo 13: Home Safe starting on April 10, at 8 P.M. EDT-- available on NASA TV and other digital platforms.

The Apollo 13 mission was one of the most extraordinary and memorable space expeditions that NASA has ever done -- not because it went well, but because it didn't.

The mission consisted of Commander James (Jim) Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot John Swigert Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise Jr. They rode the famous Saturn V rocket. It launched at 2:13 P.M. EST on April 11, 1970, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Saturn V rocket was launched successfully at the time. However, on its way to its destination, an oxygen tank in the Apollo service module ruptured. The moon landing did not go as planned. It was during this moment where the now infamous phrase, "Houston, we have a problem," was said by Commander James (Jim) Lovell Jr.

Space history: NASA's 'successful failure' moon mission

With the entire mission now in danger, the team a to return to Earth. NASA's flight controllers and engineering experts in the Apollo Mission Control Center gathered together to devise a plan to bring the valiant men home alive.

Through the collaboration of all those within NASA, a plan was developed to rescue the astronauts by using a somewhat "lifeboat" to sustain the needs of the spacecraft and to return the crew safely back to Earth.

The moon flight mission lasted for only five days, 22 hours and 54 minutes before the crew successfully returned to Earth on April 17.

After that incident, Apollo 13 thus became known as the most successful failure in space travel history. NASA, however, reiterated that all things that happened with this mission have helped all succeeding mission and future space exploration programs of the agency.

"Our goal 50 years ago was to save our valiant crew after sending them around the Moon and return them safely to Earth," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Our goal now is to return to the Moon to stay, in a sustainable way. We are working hard to ensure that we don't need to respond to this kind of emergency in Artemis, but to be ready to respond to any problems we don't anticipate."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Protesters across sub-Saharan Africa have braved bullets and beatings to defend their rights in the face of continuing conflict and state repression, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region.

The organisation highlighted the bravery and defiance of people who took to the streets to demand change, but warned that they are being let down by governments who continue to perpetrate human rights violations across the region.

The report analyses major developments from the past year including the deposition of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the Zimbabwean governments response to mass protests, and increasing attacks on civilians in Mozambique and Mali.

In 2019 we saw incredible people power in mass protests which swept across sub-Saharan Africa. From Sudan to Zimbabwe, and Democratic Republic of Congo to Guinea, people braved brutal crackdowns to stand up for their rights, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals East and Southern Africa Director.

In some cases, these protests led to major changes, following the toppling of Sudans long-time leader Omar al-Bashir the new authorities promised human rights friendly reforms and following protest a raft package of human rights reforms was introduced by the Ethiopian government. Sadly, other changes needed are being blocked by repressive governments, who continue to carry out violations with impunity.

Conflict and crisis

Across sub-Saharan Africa, civilians bore the brunt of deadly conflicts and violent crises.

In Sudans Darfur region, government forces continued to commit possible war crimes and other serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings, sexual violence, systematic looting and forced displacement.

In DRC, dozens of local and foreign armed groups together with the countrys security forces continued to carry out human rights abuses resulting in more than 2000 civilian deaths and at least 1 million were forcibly displaced in the course of 2019.

In Somalia, civilians continued to live with attacks from the armed group Al-Shabaab, while government and allied international forces failed to take sufficient precautions to spare civilians from their attacks targeted at Al-Shabaab.

Armed groups carried out attacks directed against civilians in Cameroon, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso, while governments failed to protect civilians.

Security deteriorated significantly in the centre of Mali, with widespread killings of civilians by armed groups and self-proclaimed self-defence groups. In response, Malian security forces committed multiple violations including extrajudicial executions and torture.

In Mozambique, armed groups continued to carry out attacks against the general population in Cabo Delgado, and security forces were alleged to have committed serious human rights violations in their response to the violence.

In Ethiopia clashes between ethnic communities were met with a disproportionate response by security forces.

In Cameroons Anglophone regions, armed separatist groups continued to commit abuses including killings, mutilations and abductions. Several healthcare facilities were also destroyed by armed separatists. In response the military committed extrajudicial executions and burned homes.

Access to healthcare remains a major concern for people across the region, with underfunded health budgets leading to shortages of beds and drugs in hospitals. Governments from Angola to Zimbabwe, Burundi to Cameroon have failed to respect the right to health, and conflicts have exacerbated the situation, said Samira Daoud, Amnesty Internationals West and Central Africa Regional Director.

With the COVID-19 pandemic looming, there is no time to waste in addressing the inequalities and human rights violations which make healthcare inaccessible for so many.

Violent state repression

Across the region human rights defenders were persecuted and harassed for standing up and speaking out against governments. Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, Zambia and Equatorial Guinea all saw surging crackdowns on activism in 2019.

For example, in Malawi activists who organized and led demonstrations against alleged electoral fraud after the May elections were attacked and intimidated by ruling party youth cadres and targeted for prosecution by the authorities. The vote was later annulled by the courts and the country is preparing for another election later this year.

In Zimbabwe, at least 22 human rights defenders, activists, civil society and opposition leaders were charged for their suspected role in organizing protests against the January 2019 fuel price hikes. Security forces unleashed a violent crackdown, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens of others.

In Guinea where the authorities banned over 20 protests on vague and overly broad grounds, security forces continued to fuel violence during demonstrations and at least 17 people were killed last year.

In 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, journalists were arbitrarily arrested and detained in 2019. In Nigeria for example, 19 cases of assault, arbitrary arrest, and detention of journalists were recorded, with many facing trumped up charges.

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In Burundi, authorities continued to crack down on the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations including by subjecting them to prosecution and lengthy prison terms.

Displacement

Persistent human rights violations forced hundreds of thousands of people in the region to flee their homes in search of protection. There were about 600,000 internally displaced people in CAR; more than 222,000 people in Chad, and over half a million in Burkina Faso.

In South Africa, deadly systematic xenophobic violence continued against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, partly driven by years of impunity for past attacks and criminal justice failures. Twelve people, including South Africans and foreigners were killed after violence erupted between August and September.

Human rights wins

Despite the bleak background, some notable human rights wins emerged last year.

Mass protests in Sudan brought an end to the repressive rule of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 and the new authorities promised wide ranging reforms to improve enjoyment of human rights; and the Ethiopian government overturned the civil society legislation which had curtailed the right to freedoms of association and expression and introduced a new law before Parliament replacing draconian anti-terror legislation. In the DRC, authorities announced the release of 700 prisoners, including several prisoners of conscience.

READ ALSO:

There were also victories for individuals. In Mauritania, blogger and prisoner of conscience Mohamed Mkhaitir was released after more than five years in arbitrary detention.

Although impunity for human rights violations largely continued, there were some small steps forward in 2019.

There was a glimmer of hope for some of the families of victims of U.S. airstrikes in Somalia when the US military Africa Command (AFRICOM) for the first time in April 2019 admitted killing two civilians in an airstrike in 2018, however, neither U.S. diplomatic staff nor AFRICOM had reached out to the family to offer reparation.

There has also been some progress in CARs ordinary courts examining some cases of abuses by armed groups. The Special Criminal Court received 27 complaints and started investigations last year.

Activists and young people challenged the establishment in 2019. In 2020 leaders must listen to their demands and work towards urgently needed reforms that respect the rights of everyone, said Samira Daoud.
Four people who worked in the terminals of Lehigh Valley International Airport have tested positive for COVID-19.

These employees, three of which were not public-facing, were last at the Hanover Township, Lehigh County, airport on March 27, Thomas Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, said in a prepared statement.

The affected terminal businesses, which Stoudt did not name, notified any employee who may have been exposed to these individuals and provided instructions.

The authority, which runs the airport, has had one administrative employee, who had limited contact with the public, test positive.

Recommended disinfecting and cleaning of the impacted areas have been done.

We remain vigilant in the daily sanitizing and disinfecting of all heavy traffic areas of the terminal complex at ABE, which is being performed several times a day, Stoudt said. My thoughts and wishes are for a full and fast recovery for all individuals at ABE affected by COVID-19.

The Transportation Security Administration has posted on its website here confirmed cases of its employees who have tested positive within the last 14 days.

It shows no positive cases for its workers at LVIA, out of the 47 TSA screening officers and 9 non-screening employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks.

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.
[April 08, 2020] Wells Fargo to Expand Participation in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced today that beginning immediately, in response to the actions by the Federal Reserve, it will expand its participation in the Paycheck Protection Program and offer loans to a broader set of its small business and nonprofit customers subject to the terms of the program. "Wells Fargo appreciates the targeted action of the Federal Reserve to support the needs of small businesses through PPP and looks forward to expanding relief to many more small businesses and nonprofits. In the first two days alone, we received more than 170,000 indications of interest from our customers, and know there is much more need. While the asset cap does not specifically restrict Wells Fargo's participation in this program, this action by the Federal Reserve will enable Wells Fargo to provide additional relief for our customers and communities," said Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf. To start the process for PPP with Wells Fargo, customers must meet the overall Small Business Administration program requirements, have a Wells Fargo Business checking account as of Feb. 15, 2020, and be enrolled in business online banking. This afternoon customers will be able to begin the process through the Wells Fargo PPP website (https://update.wf.com/coronavirus/paycheckprotectionprogram/).



Given the public discussion, Wells Fargo thinks it is important that we reiterate our position on the asset cap. "While we are pleased to be able to help more small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program, we note that the Federal Reserve's action does not - and should not - in any way relieve us of our obligations under the consent order," said Scharf. "I have said consistently since arriving at Wells Fargo that management has the responsibility to do the work necessary under the consent order. The consent order exists because of deficiencies that have existed at Wells Fargo for years. The work required under the consent order is clear, has been outstanding for too long, and is a prerequisite for consideration of the asset cap being lifted. While work on our consent orders is our top priority and we are devoting all necessary resources, we still have much to do. Until our work is completed to the Federal Reserve's satisfaction, we will continue to actively make decisions on how to allocate our balance sheet to support the needs of our customers under the existing asset cap."

For additional and up-to-date information on how Wells Fargo is responding to the coronavirus click here. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial service company. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,500 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 261,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune's 2019 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005615/en/

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Artists John Gowdy, right, and Laura Cimador Gowdy, his wife, left, have used their quarantine time to create a 6-ton sand sculpture thanking health-care workers for their courage. Read more

From her South Jersey home, Laura Cimador-Gowdy watched in fear as the coronavirus ravaged her native Italy. Her relatives relayed grim messages about sick friends. Then, the pandemic hit the United States.

Through it all, she could not stop thinking about the courage of health-care workers, who often sit with coronavirus patients as they die, in lieu of family members who are forced to stay away.

Patients die in the arms of the health-care workers. They are our angels," she said. There is no thank-you big enough for these people.

She and her husband, John Gowdy, have done their best to capture their gratitude.

During their time in isolation, theyve created a six-ton sand sculpture that bears the message Thank you health workers." A woman with a surgical mask is depicted, she has a tear in her eye and holds the world in her hands.

The massive tribute sits in the couples backyard in Galloway, and has only been seen in person by the Gowdy family and an occasional intrigued passerby. But images of the sculpture have been viewed and shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.

The couple said they have been overwhelmed by messages from health-care workers, ordinary people, and grieving families, who tell them they, too, are at a loss for the right words to express their thanks to doctors and nurses who were there in their loved ones final moments.

There is nothing bigger that a human being can do for another human being, Cimador-Gowdy said.

For her and her husband, both artists, a sculpture was the natural way to pay tribute.

John Gowdy, a 62-year-old retired Atlantic City Fire Department captain, is a professional sand carver. More than three decades ago, he started making sand castles with shells and Popsicle sticks on Jersey Shore beaches, mostly to entertain his three young children.

Other beach-goers ogled at the familys creations, and they began competing in local sand contests as a team, calling themselves the Rowdy Gowdys." Since then, Gowdy has gone on to win national and international sand-sculpting competitions.

Cimador-Gowdy, a 51-year-old former schoolteacher, does oil painting, and met her husband when he was competing in sand-sculpting on an Italian beach near her childhood home. The couple lived in Italy for more than a decade before returning last year to the Atlantic City area, where Gowdy grew up.

Their most recent creation began with a sketch of a health-care worker holding the outline of Italy, which was for a time the European epicenter of the pandemic. Cimador-Gowdy was born in a town in northern Italy, the countrys hardest-hit area.

Last month, as she heard frightening reports from her family, she and her husband turned that sketch into a sculpture. In their backyard, they have an in-ground pool full of sand  which Gowdy calls his giant personal sand box  from which they built the piece. The first iteration read: Forza Italia. Italy Strong.

As the pandemic spread to the United States, and New Jersey saw death tolls rise, the couple agreed they should update the sculpture. Last week, they placed the finishing touches on the global tribute. Cimador-Gowdys 19-year-old son, Ludovico Menegon, created a time-lapse video of the entire process, showing the sculptures evolution.

The sand creation cannot be moved, Gowdy said. But when the pandemic relents, he wants to re-create the image in marble and display it somewhere. Perhaps outside a hospital, he said, to remind everyone not to forget the people who hopefully rescue us.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in an intensive care unit, fighting for his life after self-isolating for 10 days having contracted the coronavirus.

Johnson was rushed to Londons St Thomas hospital Sunday evening from Downing Street, after his condition worsened and he had problems breathing. On Monday evening he was sent to an intensive care ward.

On March 27, the prime minister announced on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. In upbeat tones he declared, Ive developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, thats to say, a temperature and a persistent cough.  Be in no doubt that I can continue  to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus.

Despite attempts by Johnson, his government and the media to play down how ill he was, it was clear to everyone from the brief video messages he tweeted from Downing Street and when he emerged from the door of Number 10 last Thursday to join in the national clap for the National Health Service that he was in in a bad way.

Trying to downplay Johnsons plight, a Downing Street spokesman issued a statement Tuesday that he was receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance and does not have pneumonia. This prompted banner headlines declaring that Johnson was not being ventilated and was stable.

But while Johnson is not on a ventilator, he is one step away from requiring it. The University of Readings Dr. Simon Clarke said, The NHS, particularly at this moment, doesnt give up intensive care beds just for people to be looked over. It doesnt work like that, even for prime ministers.

Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, commented, Sadly about half of cases (50.1 percent) that go into critical care [with Covid-19] still die. This is much higher than for other viral pneumonias (22.4 percent).

Speaking at a press conference Monday, First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he would be carrying out duties on Johnsons behalf. It was revealed that another cabinet minister, Michael Gove, is self-isolating, and Downing Street issued a statement that should Raab be unable to fulfill his duties, they would be assumed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

It has emerged that attempts to downplay Johnsons predicament were only finally abandoned because the US administration asked directly how bad he was. The Daily Mail reported Tuesday, It took an intervention from our oldest ally across the Atlantic for questions to be asked about just how serious Mr. Johnsons illness was. When Donald Trump revealed that all Americans are praying for the prime minister, it soon emerged this was not typical hyperbole from the President.

Despite acres of coverage, little is being even hinted at regarding the most blindingly obvious fact: Johnson contracted COVID-19 and requires intensive care because he was a victim of his governments own policy of tackling the virus by means of achieving herd immunitythe mass infection of the population. This policy, if carried out as planned, would have resulted in untold thousands dying.

On March 3, with the virus spreading rapidly and 100,000 cases recorded globally and with the World Health Organization warning of a potential pandemic, Johnson told a press conference, I continue to shake hands. He said he had just visited a hospital ward that included meeting COVID-19 patients and had shaken everyones hand.

Two days later, as the UKs first death from coronavirus was announced, and after shaking hands with the hosts of ITVs This Morning show, Johnson was asked why there was no cancellation of public events or closing of schools. He replied, One of the theories is, that perhaps you could take it on the chin, take it all in one go and allow the disease, as it were, to move through the population, without taking as many draconian measures. Later that day he declared, Basically were saying, Wash your hands and business as usual.

Days later, on March 12, Johnson, flanked by his chief medical and scientific officers, announced the herd immunity policy. One day earlier a health minister, Nadine Dorries, announced she had caught the virus. She had been in touch with hundreds of people, including Johnson.

As deaths mounted, Johnson was forced to announce social distancing measures and then a lockdown on March 23.

Johnson and the government clearly believed their own PR and disregarded scientifically grounded warnings from health experts as to how infectious and dangerous COVID-19 is. He continued attending Parliament until it went into recess March 25. The previous day he held a cabinet meeting in Downing Street with three other cabinet members present. Three of the four attending in person, Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty were laid low by the virus.

On March 27, Johnson finally announced he had contracted COVID-19 and had mild symptoms.

The blase attitude to the coronavirus impacted on Johnsons partner, Carrie Symonds, who is six months pregnant. She remained with Johnson at Downing Street until he announced he had been diagnosed. On April 3, Symonds announced she had spent the previous week ill in bed with coronavirus symptoms.

On March 30, Johnsons main adviser Dominic Cummings was seen running out of Downing Street, after developing symptoms over the previous days and has not been seen since.

It was left until the very last minute before Johnson received hospital treatment. He became seriously ill because he was trying to maintain a pretence, for political expediency, that he was fine. To do otherwise would have raised again how criminal his herd immunity policy was. Moreover, going forward Johnson et al were keen to stress that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon spike and begin to level off, after which the UK economy would need to get back to normalmeaning workers must return promptly to their places of employment and begin generating profit for the corporations and banks once again.

Whatever Johnsons personal fate, the herd immunity policy that landed him seriously ill in hospital, in place for weeks before he was forced to abandon it, has contributed to many thousands of people nationwide becoming infected and thousands dying. As the WSWS reported on the day Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital, nine National Health Service workers and 12 public transport workers were reported to have died. Their blood is on the governments hands.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The lifting of the lockdown gave everybody hope, said Chai Roxas, a Filipina overseas worker in Wuhan who shared what life is like after the lockdown was lifted in the original epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Wuhan has finally reopened its borders after closing it for over two months starting January 23 in an effort to contain the outbreak of the deadly virus. The city is the capital of Hubei province, which is Chinas worst-hit area after recording nearly 68,000 COVID-19 cases, including some 3,200 deaths.

Life during lockdown

It was so hard po. Lahat ng worries and fear nandon na lahat during the lockdown, recalled Roxas, who lives alone in the city.

[Translation: It was so hard. All the worries and fears were there during the lockdown.]

Roxas shared that five days before the lockdown was announced, she bought groceries for a supposed Chinese New Year celebration with some Filipina friends. That became her food supply when Wuhan declared border closures, but by the end of February, her stocks ran out.

Though the supermarket is open, sobrang layo naman ng lalakarin ko, she said. And we are not allowed to go outside of our community without important things to do. Ang daming gate pass na kukunin, kaya we had no choice but to buy [food] online. She added that the food she purchased online were usually sold at exorbitant prices.

[Translation: Though the supermarket is open, it was too far for walking. And we weren't allowed to go out outside of our community without important things to do. They were looking for different gate passes, that's why we had no choice but to buy food online.]

According to Roxas, Filipinos in Wuhan had been helping each other during the pandemic.

We have a group chat for Filipinos in Wuhan and Hubei, she said, adding that Filipinos even volunteer to buy groceries for others. She also said many of them have stepped up and extended aid in the community by donating to those who are unable to supply themselves with essentials.

Post-Wuhan lockdown

With border restrictions relaxed, people are able to move freely again as long as they are given the green code, Roxas said.

China has implemented a color-coded health system to determine if one is free of COVID-19 symptoms. Through a phone app, people are assigned a color code indicating their health status. Those who have the green code or the "health code" will be allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan, she said.

Our employer will get a health code or green code para magamit namin everytime theres a checkpoint, Roxas said. Ii-scan lang yung code from our phone and we are cleared to go out to other places.

[Translation: Our employer will get a health code or green code that we can use every time there's a checkpoint. Authorities would just have to scan the code from our phone and we are cleared to go out to other places.]

According to Roxas, she has yet to be assigned a code.

Im waiting for the staff to come here to our house to give us the green code," she said. "Yung Chinese they already have [the code], mga expatriates wala pa po.

[Translation: Im waiting for the staff to come here to our house to get the green code. The Chinese already have their codes, but expatriates like me have yet to be assigned one.]

The Filipina said life would surely be different now in Wuhan, as she expects that people will start becoming more conscious of adopting habits that prevent the spread of the virus.

According to Johns Hopkins University global tracker, China has recorded over 82,800 COVID-19 cases, with over 3,300 deaths as of April 8. Meanwhile, over 77,000 patients in the country have already recovered.
Prominent Sacramento attorney Bill Portanova (pictured) and his wife Shauna both came down with coronavirus after returning from a cruise in Antarctica

A California couple have revealed their shock at contracting COVID-19 after taking a luxury cruise in Antarctica.

Bill and Shauna Portanova set off on the MS Roald Amundsen back in February, and believed they would be as far away as possible from the coronavirus that was beginning to spread across the globe.

'We were in the safest place in the world, literally,' Bill told The Sacramento Bee Tuesday.

The Portanovas spent four weeks on board the MS Roald Amundsen - a plush hybrid powered expedition ship that only completed its maiden voyage last year.

Although there were a 'few hundred' other passengers on board the ship, none have tested positive for the highly-contagious virus.

The Portanovas don't believe they contracted the COVID-19 from one of the other people on board, and it seems near impossible that they picked it up while out exploring the desolate and icy southern continent.

The Portanovas spent four weeks on board the MS Roald Amundsen - a plush hybrid powered expedition ship that only completed its maiden voyage last year

But the cruise liner did dock in Stanley, a small town in the Falkland Islands, on the same day as cruise ship MS Zaandam, which had two people on board later die from the coronavirus.

However, the couple believes it was more likely that they caught COVID-19 on their long-haul journey back to the United States.

The Portanovas flew from Chile to New York, before catching another plane from New York to Los Angeles. From there, they embarked on a third flight home to Sacramento.

The pair initially believed they were exhausted from their 46 hour journey, before other symptoms of COVID-19 quickly developed.

Both Bill and Shauna say they are both doing well, and that their cases of coronavirus have been 'mild' thus far.

'We are really forced to do what I love best, which is binge watch great movies and television from the comfort of the couch, and this is on doctors' orders,' attorney Bill told the Bee.

And the couple have no regrets about going on the cruise - despite disastrous publicity for the industry in recent weeks.

'The ship and crew were incredible, and they took the best care of us... the captain and crew received standing ovations from the passengers for their commitment and professionalism throughout,' they cooed.
The Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP), located near Manaus, Brazil, began in 1979 and is the world's longest-running experimental study of tropical forest fragments. A new paper in The Condor: Ornithological Applications summarizes four decades of data from the project about how Amazonian bird communities respond to habitat fragmentation, a question as relevant today as ever in light of the recent increase in deforestation in the Amazon.

Louisiana State University's Phil Stouffer, who authored the new paper, led bird research at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project from 1991 to 2019. As he describes, studying the changes in bird communities over the forty years following habitat fragmentation led to some surprises. The original plan was to monitor "forest islands" permanently isolated by surrounding cattle pastures, but changes in the Brazilian economy led to the abandonment of the cattle pastures within a few years after their establishment. As trees began to regrow in the areas surrounding the fragments, forest bird species that had initially disappeared began to recolonize the fragments, highlighting the unexpected value of second-growth habitat for rainforest birds. Additional work yielded both good and bad news for fragment-dwelling birds -- for example, non-forest bird species typically didn't invade forest fragments, but even very narrow strips of deforested land could limit the movement of forest-dependent species.

"The long history of the project allowed us to follow changes in the avifauna rather than just trying to interpret what we saw in any particular slice of time," says Stouffer. "This project was important for stepping away from the idea that habitat fragments are analogous to actual islands -- the modern interpretation is a lot more nuanced, and the recovery of birds in second-growth forest provides encouraging evidence that many rainforest birds can use deforested areas that are allowed to regrow. Our challenge now is to determine under what conditions remnant patches and second growth can support rich Amazonian bird communities." Another issue that the BDFFP hopes to address in the near future is one that didn't even exist when the project began: what has climate change done to Amazonian birds since 1979, and what does the future hold?

Working in Manaus once meant being isolated from the global scientific community, but no more -- BDFFP scientists even hosted an international ornithological conference there in 2015. "On the 40th anniversary of the BDFFP, it seems appropriate to summarize what we've learned. It's also important to reflect on how technical advances that we now take for granted in modern fieldwork were incorporated into the project. For example, digital photography helped resolve criteria for determining the ages of Amazonian birds and GPS technology allows us to determine bird locations and movement with high precision, goals unimaginable when I started at the BDFFP," says Stouffer.

###

"Birds in fragmented Amazonian rainforest: Lessons from 40 years at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project" will be available April 8, 2020, at https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/condor/duaa005.

About the journal: The Condor: Ornithological Applications is a peer-reviewed, international journal of ornithology, published by the American Ornithological Society. For the past three years, The Condor has had the number one impact factor among 27 ornithology journals.
[April 08, 2020] BAL Earns Prestigious 'CIO 100' Award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services

DALLAS, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL), the leading immigration law firm in the world, will be honored at this year's CIO 100 Symposium for its work bringing innovative AI and automation technology to the legal industry. The award recognizes 100 organizations for their achievements in technology innovation. Winners' initiatives are evaluated by a team of external judges on their use of leading-edge IT practices that produce measurable results. The award is an acknowledged mark of enterprise excellence. CIO recognized BAL for its innovative Intelligent Automation program portfolio, which combines artificial intelligence (AI)  including natural language processing, machine learning, and decision networks  with robotic process automation (RPA) to enhance quality, speed, and client experience. "This extraordinary honor comes as a result of years of targeted investment in developing next generation technologies," said Vince DiMascio, BAL's CIO. "Our firm demands the best tools for our people and our clients, and I'm very proud to say that, thanks to our groundbreaking work in this area, the technical promise of automation i now being realized in a practical way."



"Our goal is to enable BAL legal teams to focus on the client experience. Automation of certain repetitive administrative and clerical manual tasks allows them to do just that," explains Edward Rios, BAL Partner and Innovation Leader. "By leveraging RPA to accomplish these processes, both internal and client-facing teams are able to dedicate themselves to higher-value and more client-focused interactions, strengthening the underlying service relationship while also improving operational efficiency. We're delighted to be celebrated by CIO 100 as an organization that understands how to use the latest technology in innovative ways." BAL partnered with UIPath, Accelirate, and Synaptiq to enhance business processes using intelligent automation with the goal of driving productivity, eliminating errors, and allowing legal teams to focus less on mundane tasks and more on their clients.

"The possibilities are endless when it comes to automation; but not all automation is created equal," says Ashley Fleischer, BAL Automation Project Manager. "That's why we've partnered with the best minds in AI and automation to develop the most effective solutions in the immigration field." BAL will be recognized at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards Ceremony on Aug. 19 at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP BAL is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and clients more successful. Established in 1980, the firm provides unmatched immigration expertise, top-notch information security and leading technology innovation such as its Cobalt digital immigration services platform. In 2018, the firm formed a strategic alliance with Deloitte UK to create the world's first global immigration service delivery model. BAL and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers, The Legal 500, and Who's Who Legal. See website for details: www.balglobal.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bal-earns-prestigious-cio-100-award-for-innovative-use-of-intelligent-automation-in-immigration-services-301037603.html SOURCE Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP

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- President Donald Trump said the US will review its relationship with the World Health Organisation

- According to him, the US was funding the organisation but it seemed to be taking sided with China in terms of coronavirus pandemic

- The president further accused the WHO of having misguided the country on keeping its borders open to China

- The director-general of the WHO had urged countries not to close their borders to China

- The US, Australia, Singapore and a growing number of other countries were already denying entry to foreigners travelling from China

- More than 10,900 have died in the U.S. from the virus to date

President Donald Trump has hit out at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for having recommended it to leave its borders open to China amid coronavirus pandemic.

According to the United States (US) president, he was glad to have not heeded to the recommendation and that the country will review its relationship with the organisation.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: KNUT rejects use of schools as isolation centres

Donald Trump said he did not understand why the US was funding WHO yet it was siding with China. Photo: CNN.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Irresponsible parents, loitering children will be put on mandatory quarantine- Homa Bay County Commissioner

Trump made the announcement through his Twitter handle on Tuesday, April 7, further threatening to cut US funding to the WHO, accusing it of bias toward China.

"The WHO really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric," tweeted Trump.

"We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?" he posed.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Generous landlord distributes relief packages to students stuck in hostels

During a press briefing at the White House, Trump told reporters that he was going to put a very powerful hold on funding to the WHO whose biggest contributor is the US.

Trump gave no details about how much money would be withheld and minutes later he said he would only look at ending funding.

The US president claimed the health agency had made errors of judgement in its handling of the COVID-19 while praising China for its transparency on the coronavirus.

READ ALSO: Man gives account of how he recovered from disease with no cure, believing Psalm 107

The director-general of the WHO had in February 2, 2020, urged countries not to close their borders to foreigners travelling from China, in response to the coronavirus epidemic in that country.

"There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade," Tedros said.

"We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent. WHO stands ready to provide advice to any country considering measures to take, he added

READ ALSO: Kenyan preacher in London Irungu Wiseman under investigation for selling coronavirus protection oil

The United States, Australia, Singapore and a growing number of other countries were already denying entry to foreigners travelling from China in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Trump issued the directive after his trade advisor, Peter Navarro, issued a memo about the coronavirus addressed to the National Security Council warning of the impending pandemic.

According to the memo, the disease could kill up to half a million Americans and cost the US trillions of dollars if no action was taken to contain the virus.

READ ALSO: Ghanaian professor develops low-cost ventilators for COVID-19 patients

Two days later, Trump blocked most foreign nationals from entering the US if they had been in China during the prior two weeks  a ban that still stands today.

However, as the Times reported, at least 430,000 people have arrived in the country on direct flights from China since Trumps travel ban was imposed.

This also came after leading US manufacturers of medical safety gear told the White House that China prohibited them from exporting their products as the coronavirus pandemic mounted.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Good samaritan uses KSh 90k savings to buy fuel for nurses fighting pandemic

The manufactures told US officials that the Chinese government in January 2020, began blocking exports of N95 respirators, booties, gloves and other supplies produced by their factories in China.

New York Post reported a lawyer of the president said on Sunday, April 5, that the Trump administration is weighing legal action against China over its alleged actions.

In criminal law, compare this to the levels that we have for murder, said Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to Trumps re-election campaign.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Landlord owning 18 apartments cancels April rent for his tenants

People are dying. When you have intentional, cold-blooded, premeditated action like you have with China, this would be considered first-degree murder," she added.

Ellis said the options under consideration include filing a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights or working through the United Nations.

More than 10,900 have died in the U.S. from the virus to date. The White House warned that the final death toll could be 100,000 to 240,000.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
BJP MLA T Raja Singh on Tuesday urged the people to not stop our of their houses on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

"Usually there will be thousands of public going to temples on Hanuman Jayanti, I request everyone not to go any temples and if possible chant Hanuman Chalisa 11 times at your home so that you can stay safe, your family can stay safe and entire Telangana will be safe," Singh said in a video.

The BJP MLA said the positive cases of the coronavirus is increasing every day in Telangana. "Unfortunately we could not celebrate Ugadi and Sri Rama Navami in a grand way and tomorrow its Hanuman Jayanti."

"Akashpuri Hanuman Temple will remain close tomorrow. I request all the priests of the temple to offer prayers to God inside the temple," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While it may be tempting to view the time at home as an extended vacation, job seekers who take advantage of the hundreds of learning resources available right now will prove invaluable to businesses. - Bill Stoller, Express CEO

With millions of workers sidelined by COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders, many are spending the time doing home improvement projects, cooking, working out or binge-watching shows. But business owners say to remain competitive in the job market once guidelines are lifted, job seekers should take advantage of opportunities to learn or improve skills during the next few months.

Express Employment Professionals franchise owner Daniel Morgan in Birmingham, Alabama, says job seekers should do anything and everything they can to gain skills or training right now.

Make professional connections online, update your resume and research companies that will have the most hiring opportunities, he added. Nobody knows how long this will last, so use this time wisely. Ninety-nine percent of people will not use this time in a productive way. Be the 1% and separate yourself from the pack.

Several institutions and universities currently offer free online courses on everything from programming and graphic design to writing and communication. A simple Google search for free online courses reveals hundreds of options.

Krista DiGiacomo, Express franchise owner in Vancouver, Washington, says she is a big fan of podcasts for continued education, but also recommends e-learning courses or online certification programs. Whatever the method, DiGiacomo says one of the most valuable traits in a worker is the dedication to lifelong learning.

The old adage, If were not growing, were dying, is so true, she said.

Using practical examples of upskilling, Morgan suggests administrative assistants should work to improve their words per minute typing score. Salespeople could dig into books on tactics and knowledge.

There could be several applicants applying to the same job, he said. Do anything you can to make yourself better than the competition for the job you want.

Doing anything to beat the competition could mean pivoting your career and gaining experience in an industry deemed essential during this pandemic.

I think the same companies that are busy now will be essential after COVID-19, DiGiacomo said. This is a good time to look at who really is essential to our livelihood.

This could mean looking for employment in warehouses, grocery stores, healthcare, sanitation and manufacturing.

Express Employment Professionals offers the free Job Genius educational video series to help students and job seekers navigate through a career change or career pathing, writing a resume, interview tips, money management advice, job forecasting and more.

For those still on the job, reliability and flexibility are needed to help guide companies through these unprecedented times.

Very few businesses have job descriptions that anticipated working during a pandemic with so many unknowns to deal with, said Reid Bates, Express franchise owner in Aberdeen and Olympia, Washington. Employers will have extra appreciation for an employees ability to be flexible in a fast-evolving environment and reliable when their peers may be absent.

Bates suggested that all companies and employees should brush up on problem-solving since everyone is working without a playbook in this crisis.

Only a small fraction of organizations had contingency plans that anticipated a shutdown of this scale and unknown duration, he said. So, I suggest we all become better at problem-solving to work through the kind of challenges our generation has never seen before.

When the country does emerge on the other side of the pandemic, Express experts predict hot industries will be sales, digital marketing, basic consumer goods manufacturing, accounting, warehouse, distribution, engineering, cleaning and online customer service.

While it may be tempting to view the time at home as an extended vacation, job seekers who take advantage of the hundreds of learning resources available right now will prove invaluable to businesses, said Bill Stoller, Express CEO. Keep networking, stay positive and be prepared for when things bounce back.

***

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Karami, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 825 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, and beginning in 2020 will expand to Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, Express has put more than 8 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, our international network of franchises offer localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve, employing 552,000 people across North America in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.


Sony may have not revealed what the PlayStation 5 looks like but the Japanese company did reveal the controller for the console, last night.

The upcoming console controller is called DualSense and is now being sent to developers so that they customise games according to the various features the controller has on offer.

 Sony

Traditionally, the PlayStation controller follows monotone colours, however, this time around the PS5 controller will have two colours instead. The controller will have a combination of two colours where the primary colour dominates the overall design.



The layout of the controller is almost identical to the Dualshock 4, however, it now has a more ergonomic and curvier shell. It is now closer to the Xbox controllers design in terms of shape but seems a bit wider.

Having said that, Sony has overhauled the design of the controller this time around while Xbox has stuck with the same design.

 Sony, XBOX

The control also comes with an in-built microphone giving players the ability to talk to friends without a headset. It can be used for quick conversations, however, for multiplayer games, Sony still advises to use a headset. The Xbox controller does not have an in-built microphone which means players can only communicate using a headset with a microphone.



Sony has bestowed the name DualSense thanks to the improved haptic feedback in the controller. It has adaptive triggers where the L2 and R2 buttons also have haptic feedback that can mimic friction in games. You can truly feel the tension of your actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow, Nishino said.

The Xbox Series X controller also offers a similar haptic feedback feature on the triggers which weve been before on the Xbox Elite Controller 2.

 Microsoft

Sony also addressed the issue of battery life on the controller due to the new hardware and said: we also took thoughtful consideration into ways to maintain strong battery life for DualSenses rechargeable battery, and to lessen the weight of the controller as much as possible as new features were added.



For example, the light bar has now been moved to the sides of the touchpad and reduced in size to conserve more battery. While the DS5 has a rechargeable internal battery, the Xbox Series X controller comes with replaceable batteries and has the option to buy a rechargeable battery pack separately. Both controllers have a USB-C port for charging and may offer faster-charging speeds on both controllers.

 Sony, Microsoft

Finally, the Xbox Series X controller has slightly more features such as a hybrid D-Pad, Dynamic Latency Input settings and Bluetooth Low Energy Pairing which are not present on the DualSense. The DualSense may have Bluetooth Low Energy Pairing by default but Sony has not explicitly mentioned anything about this feature.



While both controllers have similar features, the Xbox Series X controller is backwards compatible with the Xbox One, however, there is no word whether the DualSense can work with the PlayStation 4.

Which controller do you think is better in terms of features? Do you like the new DualSense design by Sony or do you prefer the traditional Xbox Series X controller design? Let us in the comments which controller fits your needs more.
The Combined troops of Nigerian Military and Niger Republic have dealt another deadly blow to terrorists at Kure village along Tumbun Rago and Tumbun Fulani general areas in Borno State, the defence Headquarters says.

The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, a brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Onyeuko said the recent encounter was in continuation of the ongoing clearance operations in the North East Theatre of Operation against the elements of Boko Haram and Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

He explained that the combined troops of 403 Special Forces Brigade Baga, Nigerien troops supported by Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole had a fierce encounter with the terrorists in the area on Monday.

He said the terrorists suffered heavy casualties and an unconfirmed number escaped with gunshot wounds.

"Some of the items recovered include; one Gun Truck, one Anti-Aircraft Gun and one Motorcycle.

"Other items recovered are one Light Machine Gun, one AK47 Rifle and magazine, 227 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition and 10 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition.

"There were no casualty or equipment losses by the military forces in the encounter.

"Members of the public are once again requested to continue to cooperate and support the security forces with credible information that could aid and hasten the completion of the ongoing clearance operations," he said.

(NAN)
With millions of Americans working from home  their biggest outing being trips to the store to try to score toilet paper  the number of crashes and auto-insurance claims has plummeted in recent weeks.

Several major auto insurers, including San Antonios USAA, have responded by giving their customers credits on their monthly bills or refunds.

On Wednesday, USAA said its auto-insurance customers will receive a 20 percent credit on two months of premiums in the coming weeks, the company said. That amounts to a $520 million benefit to members who had an auto-insurance policy as of March 31.

Members will automatically receive a credit applied to their bill. No action on their part is required.

We understand the impact this pandemic is having on our country, and especially our military community and their families, many of whom also are working on the front lines of the crisis, USAA CEO and President Wayne Peacock said in a statement. Returning premiums provides timely help for our members.

Early data trends show USAA members have suspended nonessential traveling, resulting in fewer miles driven and a reduction in accidents. Most Americans have been following government orders to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused demand for U.S. gasoline to plunge.

On ExpressNews.com: USAA offering curbside meals, grocery pickup for employees

USAA is the countrys fifth largest property and casualty insurer.

Other insurers earlier this week disclosed they were giving back some money to customers because they havent been driving as much.

Geico announced Tuesday it would provide a 15 percent credit to its auto and motorcycle customers when their policies come up for renewal through Oct. 7. That works out to a $2.5 billion benefit to its customers, Geico said.

Also on Tuesday, Liberty Mutual Insurance said it would give customer refunds totaling about $250 million.

Allstate Corp. and American Family Insurance on Monday revealed they would be giving back money to customers.

Allstate anticipates returning $600 million, with personal auto customers receiving 15 percent of their monthly premium in April and May. American Family customers stand to receive a one-time payment of about $50 per covered vehicle under its program, which amounts to about a $200 million benefit.

USAA said it has offered other relief to its 13 million members, comprised of current and former members of the military and their families, during the crisis.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

The insurer said it will not cancel members auto or property insurance policies or charge late fees on insurance coverage through June 17.

Its also expanding auto insurance coverage for members who use their personal vehicle to deliver food, medicine and other goods for commercial purposes.

USAA Federal Savings Bank is offering special payment assistance programs for eligible members, including a 90-day credit card payment deferral, a 60-day payment extension on consumer loans, and special mortgage and home equity line of credit payment assistance.

USAA Life Insurance Co. is offering special payment arrangements on life and health insurance policies, including a 60-day extension to the 30-day grace period.

USAA Investment Management Co. is cutting by 50 percent managed portfolio fees from April 1 through May 20. USAA previously announced it would sell that business, which includes brokerage and managed portfolio accounts, to Charles Schwab Corp. for $1.8 billion. The deal for is expected to close this year, pending regulatory approvals.

As a member-owned association, USAA historically has returned a portion of profits to members. It returned $2.4 billion in dividends, distributions and bank rebates and rewards last year.

Bloomberg contributed to this report.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD
Security chaos continues to plague southern Syria with the assassination of an official from the Baath Party by unknown gunman reports Brocar Press.

The secretary of the Baath Party branch in the city of Nawa, Silwan al-Jundi, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday in the western countryside of Daraa.

Brocar Press reporter Ayman Hourani said unknown individuals on a motorcycle fired directly at Jundi outside his office in the city of Nawa. Jundi succumbed to his wounds after he was transferred to the Daraa National Hospital, added the reported.

A photo of Jundi, which showed him among the residents of the town, was recently shared widely by social media users.

He has been working as the secretary of the Baath Party in Nawa before the Syrian revolution broke out.

The assassination of Jundi coincides with the 73rd anniversary of Baath Party, which has been controlling vital sectors in Syria for the past 10 years and interferes in the affairs of state institutions.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. The EU will provide overall 92million to Armenia to support immediate and short-term needs. The funds will be directed towards supplying medical devices and equipment, training for medical and laboratory staff, support to SMEs and business community, as well as social and humanitarian assistance to those affected by the coronavirus outbreak, ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

Further to our announcement last week on the support of the European Union to Armenia to fight against COVID-19 outbreak and after further restructuring of the existing programmes with the Armenian Government, we are proud to announce that the EU will provide overall 92million to Armenia to support immediate and short-term needs.

The funds will be directed towards supplying medical devices and equipment, training for medical and laboratory staff, support to SMEs and business community, as well as social and humanitarian assistance to those affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The EUs response follows a Team Europe approach. It draws contributions from all EU institutions and combines the resources mobilised by EU Member States and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Working together, Team Europe can muster a critical mass that few others can match.
During this time of year, Africas national parks, conservancies and private game reserves should be teeming with tourists and trophy hunters. But thanks to border closures and crackdowns on international travel, foreigners couldnt visit these places even if they wanted to.

Its very unfortunate, said Anthony Ntalamo, owner of Tony Mobile Safari, a Botswana-based safari company, who was expecting more than 150 customers in the months to come.

In places like the Okavango Delta and Kruger National Park, where lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants and Cape buffalo are on full display, tourists, hunters and the guides they hire to lead their expeditions have a far greater presence than law enforcement.

Without them, the task of monitoring millions of acres of remote and unforgiving wilderness rests solely on the shoulders of a few thousand rangers.

Without the tour guides, the rangers are like somebody moving without one leg, Mr. Ntalamo said.

Nearly all of Mr. Ntalamos clients have canceled their upcoming trips. Unless things turn around, he may soon have no choice but to put his 12 employees on unpaid leave.

People are being laid off in the tourism industry by the dozens in Africa at the moment, said Andrew Campbell, the chief executive of Game Rangers Association of Africa. All these things are happening because, without tourists, there is no money.
Practicing social distancing and self quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic has been challenging, to say the least.

Right about now, boredom-induced delirium is starting to set in (if it hasn't already!) for people around the globe.

Sunglass Hut launched #TheSunWithin campaign for fans to stay connected and joyful while in isolation. Over the course of the week, the eyewear company is calling social media users to share uplifting photos on wellness, fashion, beauty and more on their Instagram accounts.

Alone together: Sunglass Hut' s latest campaign #TheSunWithin is hoping to keep people active and boost moods while in quarantine

Thanks to social media, #alonetogether is possible.

To keep #TheSunWithin campaign interesting, interactive and creative, every day of the week is themed.

To be a part of it, just post a photo or video pertaining to the day's theme on your IG account tagging @SunglassHut #TheSunWithin and the brand will repost on their IG stories.

Monday Mantras

It's Yoga O'Clock! On the first day of the week, share your daily mantras, your visualization and meditation practices, or whatever you are doing to help keep calm during this crazy time.

Post it: On the first day of the week, share your daily mantras, your visualization and meditation practices, or whatever you are doing to help keep calm during this crazy time

Junkies: Share beauty tips that you've been doing for years or the ones you just recently picked up in quarantine

Everyone wants to know: Show what you're doing at home to feel beautiful inside and out

Tuesday Beauty Tricks

Share beauty tips that you've been doing for years or the ones you just recently picked up in quarantine.

Got a skincare routine you swear by? Sunglass Hut wants to know!

There's no better time for homemade face and hair masks made out of natural ingredients in the kitchen.

Never thought you'd get so good at painting your own nails?

Show what you're doing at home to feel beautiful inside and out.

Active: Whether getting the blood pumping means yoga in the living room, ballet in the kitchen or running up and down the hallway, share your experience with your followers

Workout & Wellness Wednesday

With gyms closed, what are you doing at home to stay active?

Whether getting the blood pumping means yoga in the living room, ballet in the kitchen or running up and down the hallway, share your experience with your followers.

In addition to physical exercise, self-care healthy habits like reading, stretching, napping are all good for the mind and body.

Dance Time Thursday

You don't have to be on TikTok to want to boogie down in your kitchen.

Share with your Instagram followers what songs bring out your best dance moves, how you shake it and embrace what The Sun Within means to you.

Yogi: In addition to physical exercise, self-care healthy habits like reading, stretching, napping are all good for the mind and body

Tap into something you love: With all the down time, have you picked up an old hobby like painting, jewelry making or sketching

Get dressed: Rummage through your closet and pull together a look that's Friday Fashion ready. We could all use a little outfit inspo

Friday Fashion Fix

You've probably spent the entire week in sweatpants or pajamas.

Rummage through your closet and pull together a look that's Friday Fashion ready. We could all use a little outfit inspo!

Or, organize your jewelry drawer and take a snapshot of how good it looks.

A fan of the DIY? Show off your latest creation!!! The Fashion Fix possibilities are endless!

Saturday Sun Within Moments

On Saturday, turn inward and share how you are handling and embracing the world's new normal.

Are you staying hopeful by thinking ahead about places you want to go and people you want to see? Or keeping connected with virtual happy hours to lift your spirits up?

With all the down time, have you picked up an old (beloved) hobby like painting, jewelry making or sketching?

Whether it's playing with your pet, cooking or relaxing, share your social distancing sunny moments with your community.

Express yourself: On Saturday, turn inward and share how you are handling and embracing the world's new normal.
A court in Bangladesh has issued a death warrant against Abdul Majed for his involvement in the 1975 coup that led to the assassination of country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The former officer of the Bangladesh Army was arrested in Dhaka on April 7 and brought to the court from prison under heavy security.

The public prosecutor informed that the death warrant was issued by Dhaka's District and Sessions Judge with special permission from the Supreme Court. Majed was immediately sent to Kashimpur Central Jail situated on the outskirts of Dhaka and would await hanging since he has exhausted subsequent legal procedures under jail code.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said that Majed sentenced to death in 1998 and was asked to surrender to avail the constitutional right to appeal before the top court. According to media reports, Majed remained on the run to evade justice and exhausted his right to appeal against his death penalty and could only seek presidential mercy.

"The judge read out the charges and original judgment issued in 1998 in line with the legal procedures ahead of issuing the death warrant, meaning clearance for jail authorities to hang him," said public prosecutor Abdulah Abu.

Read: Bangladesh Arrests Fugitive Killer Of Independence Leader

Self-confessed crime

Majed had publicly announced his involvement in the assassination after the killing and had reportedly been hiding in India for many years. It is still not clear how and when the former army officer returned to Bangladesh. Majed is one of a dozen defendants whose death sentences were upheld by the countrys Supreme Court in 2009.

Read: Bangladesh: Convicted Killer Of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Arrested In Dhaka

After the assassination, subsequent governments and later President Ziaur Rahman shielded the accused by posting them mostly in Bangladeshs diplomatic missions abroad. Rahman  an ex-army chief and the husband of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, an archrival of Hasina  was killed in a military coup in 1981.

In 2010, five others who admitted to taking part in the assassination were hanged to death. One man died of natural causes in Zimbabwe. The other six convicts, including Majed, were at large. At least one of them is in Canada and another in the United States, officials say.

Read: Bangladesh Plans To Release 3,000 Prisoners Amid Coronavirus Fears

Read: Bangladesh Sees Highest Single-day Jump In Coronavirus Cases, Extends Shutdown To April 11

(With PTI inputs)
Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday gave Additional Chief Secretary Mohammed Suleman the charge of the state's health department.

The 1989 batch IAS officer has been given the charge of the health department, according to an official order of the state government. As per the order, Suleman Sudam Khade was also appointed as Director of the state health department.

This comes after two senior officials of the Madhya Pradesh Health Department had on April 4 tested positive for COVID-19.

Principal Secretary (Health) Pallavi Jain Govil who tested positive on April 4 had on Sunday said that she was working from home where she has been observing home quarantine as per doctor's orders.

A statement from the state government on April 5 said that Govil and her son, who had returned from the US recently, were following home quarantine.

"On his return to India, Pallavi Govil's son was tested at Delhi international airport on March 16 and remained in home quarantine till March 30," the statement said.

It also said that other members of Govil family were tested on April 4 after the IAS officer tested positive for the virus.

The Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission had earlier on written to the State's Chief Secretary seeking details of whether proper protocol was followed after several staff members of the state's Health Department tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, 21 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Bhopal taking the total cases to 83 in the district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The aero-engine coating market is expected to grow by USD 48.84 million during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As per Technavio, the impact can be expected to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on full-year economic growth. Request a free sample report

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Aero-Engine Coating Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Coatings such as thermal barrier coating (TBC) and abradable coatings function as thermal barriers and improve the efficiency and performance of aero-engines. They protect engine components such as actuator components, afterburner assemblies, bearing and accessories, combustion chambers, combustion flame tubes, and others from corrosion, wear, erosion, fouling, and heat. For example, abradable coating improves the overall efficiency of engines by achieving high operating temperatures (650F-2,100F) and improving the surge margin. Such operational advantages are driving the growth of the global aero-engine coating market.

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As per Technavio, the growing demand for military aircraft engines will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024.

Aero-engine Coating Market: Growing Demand for Military Aircraft Engines

Countries across the world are increasing investments in new generation aircraft to modernize and strengthen their defense forces. For instance, during 2017 and 2018, the global military expenditure increased by about USD 46 billion, led by countries such as the US, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and France. In June 2019, the Government of Russia signed a contract with United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) to procure 76 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft. Such investments are providing significant growth opportunities for vendors, which is expected to boost the growth of the aero-engine coating market during the forecast period.

"The development of nano-coatings will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

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Aero-engine Coating Market: Segmentation Analysis

This market research report segments the aero-engine coating market by geography (North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America) and application (commercial aircraft and military aircraft).

The North America region led the aero-engine coating market in 2019, followed by APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to factors such as the strong presence of numerous aero-engine and aircraft manufacturers and the increasing number of air travelers in the region.

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

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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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On Thursday, March 19, Frazzetta arrived at Spedali Civili di Brescia wearing a mask, gloves and protective clothing. A helicopter carrying patients whirred overhead, and a car stopped short by the tents. A young woman, wearing a thin mask, dashed out of the drivers side and ran to open the passenger door. Her father, heavy and old, slumped out onto the ground. Paramedics rushed to his aid, but he was soon pronounced dead.

As chaos enveloped the scene, Monica Falocchi, 48, walked through the intensive-care unit where she worked as head nurse. It was quiet but for the beeping of machines ventilating intubated patients. In a nearby room, she stood before Frazzetta and removed the mask that had been hurting her nose and cheeks and drying out her mouth all day. She posed before him with the eyes, he said, of someone just off the battlefield.

He finished shooting in Brescia, and before heading out to Bergamo, he carefully stripped off his protective gear for a break. He called his mother, who asked him how work had gone and if he was careful. She had a fever that was going up and down, she said. He heard her cough.

The next day, Frazzetta gained access to Luigi Sacco hospital. Unlike the hypermodern hospital of Bergamo, Saccos facility was spread over a set of shabby pavilions built around a small park. Roberto Rech, one of the hospitals leading doctors, had personally ridden in an ambulance down to a small town, Codogno, on the first night of the outbreak. He inspected Patient 1, who is believed to have significantly spread the virus. Since then, he had worked constantly, trying to understand the invisible enemy.

Frazzetta saw in Rech the face of a professional in control of the situation, and he felt assured. But he also heard the doctors talk about how the virus sneaked up on people, that it could explode at any time. As Frazzetta shot more portraits, he felt his phone, sealed in a plastic bag, buzzing. It was his mother. He would call her back later.

That night, his mother's fever went up. She called the local emergency medical line and was told to take some fever-reducing medicine. She did, and her fever went down. The next morning, Frazzetta edited his pictures and went to pick up some things for his parents. He got them fresh bread at the bakery, and then at the supermarket picked up milk and disinfectants, and also frozen foods and prosciutto. Things that would keep, he said.

He rang and left the bags at their door, stepping back to talk to his mother through his mask and her front window. Wait, she said, she would give him money for the groceries. Dont be ridiculous, he told her, he didnt want money. He jokingly lowered his mask to blow her a kiss. They decided to talk on the phone from a few feet away so they could hear each other better. Because he had his phone in his hand, he asked if he could take her picture. Fine, she said.

On Sunday night, her fever rose to more than 104 degrees, and her husband, who was sleeping in another room, found her struggling for air. At 5 a.m., the ambulance came and took her. On waking to the bad news, Frazzetta insisted that his father, who himself was feeling sick, also be taken to the hospital. After a half-dozen calls to the emergency line, a dispatcher agreed with Frazzetta and sent an ambulance to take his father to a Milan hospital.

For the next three days, his mother sat in the emergency room under an oxygen helmet. On Wednesday, a doctor put the phone against the clear plastic so his mother could talk to her sister; to her husband, who, unknown to her, was in another ward of the same hospital; and to Frazzetta. Over the hum of the oxygen, the photographer heard her voice. It was distant and wheezing.

Dont worry, she said. Im fine.

Her condition deteriorated, and on Thursday the doctors met and decided that it made no medical sense to intubate her. Anna Maria Mentuni, 69, entered into a coma and died. She never made it past the emergency room.
Life in Spain will slowly begin to return to normal after the state of alarm, introduced three weeks ago to slow the coronavirus outbreak, comes to an end on April 26. Thats according to Finance Minister and government spokesperson Maria Jesus Montero.

Speaking on Spanish TV channel Antena 3 on Wednesday, Montero said that Spain would slowly return to normal life but in progressive stages, following the recommendations of health experts in order to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections.

We cant take anything for granted right now, only that the extension of the state of alarm will last until April 26 Maria Jesus Montero, government spokesperson

We cant take anything for granted right now, only that the extension of the state of alarm will last until April 26, she said. From that moment on, the relaxation [of the confinement orders] will happen progressively so that citizens can begin, in an orderly fashion, to return to normal life, to the streets, to the public squares. The minister added that the lifting of the lockdown rules must be well planned and organized so that there are no [new] peaks and infections.

Montero said the government is working on different scenarios on how the confinement measures could be eased, but refused to go into further details until the experts decide on how to proceed. According to the minister, more information on the spread of the outbreak is still needed before any decision can be made.

Spaniards have been confined to their homes since March 14, when the government implemented a state of alarm in a bid to control the coronavirus crisis. All public-facing businesses have been closed since then, while border controls have been restricting the movement of people.

Taxes

In the interview, Montero added that the governments strict definition of what constitutes a coronavirus victim was responsible for the gap between the Health Ministrys official figures on coronavirus deaths and the death records at civil registries across Spain.

Montero also explained that the government does not plan to suspend tax payments because it needs funds to continue to support citizens who receive unemployment benefits and other social aid. In March, the government approved measures to help businesses and self-employed workers with cash-flow problems, and introduced a six-month moratorium on the payment of several taxes, including income tax (IRPF), corporate tax and value-added tax (VAT). The minister said that the government was considering the possibility of extending the payment deadline of other taxes.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 17:33:23|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China internet giant Tencent will expand its number of employees in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, hard hit by the novel coronavirus, to 4,000 in the next three years, quadrupling the current level, the company said late Tuesday.

The company will further increase investment in the city in areas including smart cities, smart education and artificial intelligence, as part of a cooperation plan it reached with the city.

The company is expected to work with local companies in digitalizing the city's administration affairs, setting up an online education base, and establishing bases and schools for smart vehicles and cultivating relevant talent.

The measures will be implemented step by step before 2023, according to Wu Xuelai, general manager of the Hubei branch of Tencent Cloud, the company's cloud computing arm.

On March 24, Tencent established a global pandemic fund worth 100 million U.S. dollars. The company has partnered with various institutions to donate medical supplies to heavily affected countries and regions.
BISD meal pick-up update

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Plant workers concerned about company's "slow response"

Employees of a major Port Arthur refinery have spoken out to the media about their companys lagging efforts to prevent infection during the COVID-19 outbreak, a conflict the United Steelworkers Union says is becoming common across the entire industry. Read more here.

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Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames has released more information about people in her city and the northern part of the county that have been tested for coronavirus. Read more here.

Confirmed case at Port Arthur refinery

Total Petrochemicals and Refining USA confirmed Tuesday that an employee at the Port Arthur Refinery tested positive for COVID-19. Read more here.
While the ongoing lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus has ground life to a halt for most people across the country, timber smugglers have stepped up their activities in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhadarwah valley to "inflict maximum damage in minimum time".

Over a dozen cases of timber smuggling were reported in Bhadarwah Forest Division (BFD) on Tuesday alone even as forest officials have joined hands with police and ramped up operations to arrest the alarming trend, officials said on Wednesday.

Located at a height of 6,000 feet, Bhadarwah is a mountainous valley home to thick coniferous forests. However, illegal deforestation by timber mafia is depleting the forest cover rapidly.

"We have verified the incidents and found that unscrupulous elements are taking advantage of the lack of movement (of officials) during the lockdown to steal the forest wealth. They use diesel cutters which inflict maximum damage in minimum time," Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Bhadarwah, Chander Shekhar told PTI.

In the first two weeks of the 21-day lockdown, which began on March 25, 10 cases have been registered against 14 people, he said.

Two timber smugglers were arrested on Tuesday and 14 illegally run sawmills were sealed in Neeru range, 1286.9 cubic feet of timber extracted illegally from green cedars and pine trees and nine heavy mechanical diesel cutters were seized from Tanta Panchayat in Chirala range over the past four days, he added.

The DFO said the department has requested the police and Forest Protection Force (FPF) to help it fight the forest mafia.

"The police and the FPF acted swiftly and a joint operation was launched which is going on at various places in the forest division," Shekhar said.

Night patrolling has also been intensified which led to the arrest of two smugglers -- Safdar Hussain of Domail and Sajjad Hussain of Doda -- who were stealing timber scants from the divisional office, Bhadarwah on Tuesday, he said.

To tighten the noose around the timber mafia, Shekhar said, "A dossier has also been prepared against habitual offenders who will be soon booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA)."



He sought people's cooperation to help the authorities deal with the menace.

"The residents need to come forward and provide information about those indulging in looting the forest," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Tyler Perry recently paid it forward to 42 servers who are out of work at an Atlanta restaurant, according to reports.

He left a hefty $21,000 tip for all of them, so each of the 42 workers got a $500 tip from him, WSB-TV reported.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday he has asked the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation to send $1.6 billion in dividends to more than 248,000 employers in the state to ease the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

If approved by the BWCs board of directors, $1.4 billion would go to private employers, and the other $200 million or so would be sent to local governments, the governor said during his daily briefing at the Ohio Statehouse.

The BWC would apply the dividend to outstanding balances first, according to DeWine. Any money that remains after that will be sent to each employer, he said. Checks will likely be sent out later this month.

The bureaus board will hold an emergency virtual meeting Friday to vote on the proposed dividend, according to a release.

We hope that  we know this will help, DeWine said. For those employers, it means one less bill to worry about.

While the governor portrayed the dividends as a coronavirus response, the BWC has been issuing similar dividends for years. Last year, the bureau sent $1.5 billion to employers, marking the fifth time since 2013 that it returned more than $1 billion.

As in previous years, a dividend is possible due to strong investment returns on employers premiums, a declining number of claims each year, and prudent fiscal management, DeWine said.

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Coronavirus claims 3 more pastors; one may have exposed hundreds to disease at funeral

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At least three more pastors have lost their lives to the new coronavirus in just over a week, leaving more churches across the nation mourning in the fallout from the pandemic.

Bishop Timothy Titus Scott, Sr., 88, of St. James Temple Church of God in Christ in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Pastor Alvin Charles McElroy, 79, of Friendship Baptist Church in Riverhead, New York; and Father Gioacchino Basile, 60, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, who had been leading Saint Gabriel Church in East Elmhurst, New York City, all died as a result of the coronavirus.

Scott, who died last Friday, had been the pastor of St. James Temple Church of God in Christ in Clarksdale since 1972, according to the city of Clarkdale's website. He also served as prelate of the Northern Mississippi Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ and prior to his death was the longest serving Jurisdictional Prelate in the Church Of God In Christ.

Bishop T. T. Scott is an icon of fatherly leadership, humble servitude, and unwavering faith, Bishop Robert G. Rudolph, Jr., adjutant general in the Church Of God In Christ, Inc., wrote in a statement on Scotts passing.

Both Scott and his wife tested positive for the virus after attending a funeral on March 7, WREG-TV reported. One of the attendees at the funeral from New Orleans had tested positive for the virus.

Prior to his diagnosis, Scott may have also unknowingly exposed about 300 people to the virus at a funeral held at his church on March 14, WREG-TV said. Due to restrictions on gatherings due to the ongoing pandemic, COGIC said they will wait until after the restrictions have been lifted to celebrate Scotts life.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulting in local and state restrictions on public gatherings to achieve social distancing, the Terry family will hold a private memorial service for this valiant soldier of the Gospel. When the restrictions are lifted, a date will be set for a Jurisdictional Memorial Service that will appropriately recognize the godly life and notable achievements of Bishop Timothy Titus Scott, Sr, Rudolph wrote. During this time of uncertainty, we request the continued prayers as well as acts of emotional and spiritual support for the family. It is with great honor that the National Adjutancy will assist the Scott family and the Northern Mississippi Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction during this most difficult time.

Friendship Baptist Church member Bonnie Cannon told the Riverhead News-Review that Pastor McElroy, who died at the Peconic Bay Medical Center on March 26 after contracting the coronavirus, was a leader who practiced what he preached.

Hed pour into you things that would help you live from week to week. How to have peace and joy even if youre in a circumstance others would see as a bad situation. He wasnt just preaching it, he lived it, she said.

His wife, the Rev. Maryanne McElroy, remembered her husband as a man who loved his community.

He was well-grounded, she recalled. He was very community minded. Most people just think a pastor shows up to preach on Sunday. Its much more than that.

Father Basile, whose death was announced by church officials on Saturday, is the second priest from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to die from the coronavirus in a week, the New York Post reported. A week earlier, Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, 49, who served at St. Brigids Church in Wyckoff Heights, died from the virus.

"Father Gioacchino Basile, a native of Calabria, Italy who died today, was small in stature, but mighty in energy for the Lord. Unfortunately, Father's underlying health conditions made it difficult for him to fight the virus. In addition to English and Italian, Father spoke Spanish fluently and ministered well to all of the people of his parish and the faithful of the Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens," said the Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, bishop of Brooklyn.
SIOUX CITY -- Airmen of the 185th Air Refueling Wing will team with other Iowa National Guard members to help support response to the COVID-19 pandemic in western Iowa.

The 185th Air Refueling Wing and the Iowa Army National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team have joined with the Johnston-based Joint Forces Headquarters to establish Joint Task Force West at the 185th base in Sioux City.

The operations center will provide planning, logistics and coordination support to COVID-19 response efforts in western Iowa and facilitate a faster response capability as needed, according to an Iowa National Guard news release.

The National Guard armory in Sioux City also will be the site of one of six regional medical coordination centers, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, announced Tuesday.

The National Guard is providing facilities and personnel as part of an Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Health Care Coalition initiative to pool resources and share critical information across multiple agencies working to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Soldiers and airmen will staff the centers to gather real-time, validated health care facility status information to help health care providers make informed treatment decisions based on available resources such as open hospital beds, available staffing, personal protective equipment and other assets.

"RMCCs will help facilitate multi-agency and civilian partner communication, critical information sharing and coordination of health care-related resources across the region they serve," Corell said in a news release.

Since March 24, the Iowa National Guard has shipped personal protective equipment to all 99 Iowa counties, and more than 200 soldiers and airmen are currently on duty directly supporting the state's COVID-19 response efforts.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 15:30:15|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, April 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korean banks' corporate lending growth hit a record high in March as companies rushed to raise fund amid the COVID-19 outbreak across the world, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Banks' lending to companies stood at 901.4 trillion won (739.2 billion U.S. dollars) as of the end of March, up 18.7 trillion won (15.3 billion U.S. dollars) from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). It was the biggest monthly increase since relevant data began to be compiled in June 2009.

Lending to big corporations gained by 10.7 trillion won (8.8 billion U.S. dollars) in March, while those to small- and mid-sized firms increased 8 trillion won (6.6 billion U.S. dollars) that included 3.8 trillion won (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) for the self-employed.

Companies rushed to borrow money from banks as the COVID-19 outbreak across the globe caused an economic downturn. The government's stimulus package to support small firms also contributed to the higher lending.

Banks' lending to households advanced 9.6 trillion won (7.9 billion U.S. dollars) from a month earlier to 910.9 trillion won as (747 billion U.S. dollars) of end-March.

It was the biggest monthly expansion since relevant data began to be compiled in 2004. Households rushed to buy home with borrowed money ahead of the tightened regulation on mortgage loans.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:27:33|Editor: huaxia

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A worker weighs drugs at the workshop of a pharmaceutical company in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 3, 2020. (Photo by Pu Xiaoxu/Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China has made all-out efforts to ensure the production and supply of key drugs against COVID-19, an official said Wednesday.

The country's daily production capacity of Chloroquine Phosphate can meet the demand of 100,000 people, Cao Xuejun, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told a press conference.

Daily production capacity of another drug, Arbidol, can meet the demand of 50,000 people. The daily production capacity of Favipiravir can meet the demand of 15,500 people, said Cao.

The country has also stepped up the production of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) against the disease. The daily production capacities of two TCM drugs -- Lianhua Qingwen Capsule and Jinhua Qinggan have reached 2 million boxes and 26,000 boxes, respectively, according to Cao. 
Ten new Covid-19 positive cases were reported from Jawaharpur village of Dera Bassi in Mohali district on Wednesday, taking the district count to 36, highest in Punjab as well as the tricity.

Since a 42-year-old year panch of the village tested positive on April 4, 20 more people 14 part of his extended family  have tested positive for the infection.

Over the past few days, 118 samples were collected from the village to check for community spread, and 10 samples tested positive on Wednesday. Four of them are from the panchs family. As many as 80 samples were negative and results of 28 samples are awaited.

Situated on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway, Jawaharpur village has a population of 3,000.

With the village becoming the new disease hotspot, the district administration has sealed it and the neighbouring Devigarh and Mehmudpur villages, deploying 75 cops with three PCR vehicles to ensure no movement.

Those testing positive from the panchs family include a 53-year-old panch of the village, a 56-year-old man, who is the sarpanchs paternal uncle, and two other cousins of the 42-year-old panch. The other six patients include an employee of the public health department in Chandigarh and another runs a shop in the village. They all either came in contact with the panch or the sarpanch, who had tested positive on Tuesday.

None of the 21 patients has travel history. Most of them were asymptomatic and detected only though testing, said Girish Dayalan, the Mohali deputy commissioner.

He said some Tablighi Jamaat members had stayed in the village, but left before anyone could get information about them.

We suspect that the panch came in contact with his factory workers, who had met the Tablighi Jamaat members, which led to spread of the virus, the DC said, adding that so far they had traced 138 contacts of the 36 positive patients in Mohali district, which will help in containing the spread of the virus.

After the 42-year-old panch tested positive on April 4, his father (67), brother (38) and wife (43) were confirmed to have contracted the infection on April 6.

A day later, his mother (61), brothers wife (35), and her children, aged 16 and 12, also tested positive. The village head (sarpanch), aged 39, her husband (43), who is the panchs cousin, and their daughter (19) were also confirmed positive on Tuesday.

All 21 patients are admitted to Gian Sagar Hospital in Banur.

The village has been totally sealed. No one is allowed to move out. Our effort is to contain the cases in the village itself. Further sampling of all family members of those testing positive will be done, said Manjit Singh, civil surgeon, Mohali.

INFECTIONS SOURCE STILL A MYSTERY

Authorities are still trying to track down the source that brought the infection to Jawaharpur village. We are working to ascertain the source, which is still not clear, said Dera Bassi sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Kuldeep Bawa.

The panch owns a tent house and a tile factory, and had come in contact with eight labourers, who had further met attendees of Tablighi Jamaats Markaz event in Delhi. However, none of these contacts is positive.

He also frequently travelled to Delhi for supplies for his tent house. We are tracing his travel history using mobile phone locations and call details, said Harmandeep Singh Hans, superintendent of police (investigations), Mohali.

HELPDESKS SET UP

As three villages have been sealed in Dera Bassi, a helpdesk has been set up in each village to assist villagers. The villagers will call the helpdesk, and we will provide whatever they need at their doorstep. No one will be allowed to move out, said SDM Bawa. The villages are home to a large number of migrant workers, who will be provided food by the administration. Announcements have been made from local gurdwaras and temples directing people to stay indoors.

NO FRESH CASE IN CHANDIGARH, PANCHKULA

No fresh Covid-19 case was reported in Chandigarh for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday while in Panchkula, too, no new case surfaced for eighth day in a row.

However, reports of seven suspect cases are awaited in Chandigarh.

In Panchkula, even as all 50 people who had attended Tablighi Jamaat events have tested negative in the past two days, the health department on Wednesday confirmed 65 more such persons have been admitted to the isolation ward of the civil hospital and their samples have been collected for testing.

These people were put up in quarantine facilities at the Nada Sahib gurdwara and a village in Raipur Rani last week. Reports of 12 other suspect cases are also awaited.

Meanwhile, the PGIMER, Chandigarh, while appreciating the UT administrations decision to make masks mandatory in public places, cautioned that there is no need to wear N95 masks by the general public as these are required by healthcare workers screening patients.

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Hospitality firm OYO on Wednesday said it has started placing its few employees on furloughs or temporary leaves in the US and other select markets on account of slump in the hospitality industry due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said that India remains unaffected till the lockdown period.

In a video message and letter to employees and all other stakeholders, OYO Founder & Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said the company will be placing a certain number of employees on furloughs or temporary leaves.

He also said that keeping its promise to the Indian government, OYO is committed to zero actions that impact employment status and salaries of ten thousand plus employees on payrolls and tens of thousands of OYO managed assets staff during this period of a 21-day countrywide lockdown.

The company also emphasized, that it is not considering any layoffs at this point of time anywhere despite the significant economic pressures.

"At this point in time, OYO is not doing any job cuts despite the economic pressures. Based on the advice of hundreds of OYOpreneurs I have been in touch with, the key priority is that we do everything possible to minimize job losses," Agarwal said in the message to the employees.

OYO can keep job cuts at bay through a combination of lowered work weeks, pay cuts, temporary leave of absence until business recovers and other such measures, he added.

"We have, therefore, decided that a certain number of OYOpreneurs across the world will go on a temporary leave of absence or furloughs for a minimum period of 60 to 90 days. This will ensure that these jobs are safe while we reduce costs and streamline business operations," Agarwal said.

All healthcare benefits will continue during this period, he added.

"I would also like to reiterate that given the Government advisories in India, we remain committed to ensuring that all employees in India get salary and benefits during the ongoing lockdown scheduled until April 14, 2020," Agarwal said.

None of these actions is easy, but "we have to collectively take the company through this highly uncertain environment and come out winners. I am committed to work hard and see us through these testing times," he added.

Agarwal emphasized that the economic impact brought by coronavirus is dramatic and has impacted every industry and said he can not imagine any other industry that is worse affected than travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

Large hotel chains are laying off people, smaller ones are running out of cash. Guests not walking through the doors means that revenues are disappearing. OYO is not immune to this, he added.

"OYO has been a leading brand in the hospitality industry, hence the revenue impact of the crisis is significant - about 50-60 per cent revenue drop now, which has worsened from the 10-15 per cent since the last time we spoke. For our peer hotel chains in the industry, the revenue drop impact is as high as upwards of 75 per cent," Agarwal said.

OYO has worked hard to minimize the financial impact by reducing controllable costs across the board when it saw the disease spread to multiple countries around the world, he added.

"We began stopping all non-essential travel over a month back and then went on to put it on complete hold to ensure the safety of all OYOprenuers. This was followed by reducing all kinds of other controllable expenses, including future investments, M&As and so on," Agarwal said.

The CEO also said he had decided to forego 100 per cent salary for the rest of the year until we see through the crisis, and the leadership team has taken 25 per cent- 50 per cent pay cuts.

On the positive side, Agarwal said: "... OYO China has started showing signs of recovery as we have seen a consistent and consecutive 5 per cent occupancy rise in the last five weeks. I am hoping that OYO China will set a good example of recovery for all our markets".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
London's Ftse-100 index fell back, as a rising global death toll crushed hopes that the coronavirus crisis was subsiding, while insurers took a hit over halts in dividend payments and Tesco warned of a surge in costs.

Shares of Aviva, Direct Line, RSA, and Lloyds of London-member Hiscox fell between 3.8% and 8% after saying they were cancelling 2019 investor payouts.

Both EU and British regulators had urged restraint on dividend payments and payment of bonuses as a buffer against potential losses from the pandemic.

Legal & General, which said last week it remained committed to distributing its own dividend, was down 3.8%.

Tesco shares fell 0.6% as it forecast costs from the pandemic of up to Stg925m (1bn) and warned it was unable to give a profit forecast for the current year.

However, it defended its decision to pay dividend.

Markets have come to a realisation that its not easy to have a V-shaped recovery.

"Even if we are looking at prospect of easing restrictions, there is still lots of uncertainty, said Ulas Akincilar, head of trading at online platform Infinox.

In Ireland, insurance loss assessor Balcombes Claims Management said the insurance industry was "shooting itself in the foot'' by not paying out on business interruption claims during the crisis.

Director Jim Flannery said that owners of pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, and retailers, have a good case to make claims under their insurance policies. He said insurers are currently saving "hundreds of millions of euros'' in motor claims because the roads are empty and "yet they are refusing to pay out on legitimate business interruption claims."

The insurance industry is shooting itself in the foot.

"While everyone else and all other business are suffering, they are refusing to support small businesses and ordinary workers on whose premiums they will be relying on in the future - yet they are failing to support their survival. he said.

- Reuters and Irish Examiner
Detectives have raided the Ruby Princess cruise ship to seize evidence and question crew members about the docking and disembarkation of passengers in Sydney three weeks ago.

The vessel is linked to hundreds of COVID-19 cases and more than a dozen deaths across Australia.

Strike Force Bast investigators board the Ruby Princess on Wednesday night. Credit:NSW Police

Detectives wearing personal protective equipment boarded the vessel at Port Kembla on Wednesday night to gather evidence about how hundreds of passengers aboard were allowed to leave the ship on March 19.

"Strike Force Bast investigators are conducting inquiries on-board the Ruby Princess this evening," NSW Police said in a statement on Wednesday.
(HedgeCo.Net) The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final consent judgment against International Investment Group, LLC (IIG), a former registered investment adviser, which the Securities and Exchange Commission had charged with securities fraud for hiding losses and selling millions in fake loan assets to clients.

The SECs complaint, filed on November 21, 2019, alleges that IIG grossly overstated the value of defaulted loans in the funds portfolio to conceal losses in its flagship fund. In an effort to continue its deception, IIG later doctored the firms records to show that the defaulted loans had been repaid and that the proceeds had been used to make new loans, when in fact there had been no repayment and the purported new loans were fake. The SECs complaint further alleges that IIG executives sought to raise money to meet investor redemptions and other the liabilities by selling at least $60 million in fake trade finance loans to other clients, including a collateralized loan obligation, a retail mutual fund, and two hedge funds. To deceive clients into purchasing the loans, IIG created fake loan documentation to substantiate the non-existent loans, including fake promissory notes and a forged credit agreement.

Without admitting or denying the SECs allegations, IIG consented to the entry of a final judgment, enjoining it from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940. The final judgment also requires IIG to pay more than $35 million is disgorgement and prejudgment interest. The SEC previously revoked IIGs registration as an investment adviser on November 26, 2019.
An ambulance pulls into Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital, the designated facility for Covid-19 cases in Telangana. Hyderabad has reported 150 coronavirus positive cases as of Tuesday, April 7, 2020. (DC Photo: SSR)

Hyderabad: Telangana reported 40 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 404.

The health department, in its daily bulletin, said that currently 348 Covid-19 positive patients are being treated in various hospitals.

Seventeen of the 40 new cases reported on Tuesday were from Hyderabad, while 10 others were from Nizamabad district, with Jogulamba-Gadwal district reporting nine. The new cases in Hyderabad took the number of active cases in Hyderabad up to 150.

Health minister Etala Rajendar said that almost every single case that Telangana was finding were either of people who attended the three-day Markaz organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin in New Delhi during March 13-15, or their contacts and touchpoints.

Telangana, Rajendar said, has readied isolation beds in 22 private medical colleges across the state, which between them, have made arrangements to accommodate 12,000 patients.
A plane from China carrying medical protection kits commissioned by the Mexican government landed in Mexico City on late Tuesday evening.

Mexico, which has a total of 2,785 coronavirus cases and a reported 141 fatalities, announced the establishment of an airlift with China to bring all kinds of medical supplies from the Asian country.

The first flight brought personal protection items, gloves, N95 masks, caps and goggles.

According to Hugo Lopez-Gatell, spokesman for the federal government for the pandemic and Under-Secretary of health, this first shipment "will cover practically 100% of the necessity of personal protection kits, for the health units of the national healthcare system."

Based on needs identified by the sector, the masks and gloves purchased will be distributed this week to the Mexican Social Security Institute, the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers, Petroleos Mexicanos and the Ministry of the Navy.

They will also be given to the Coordinating Commission of National Health Institutes and High Specialty Hospitals; the Institute of Diagnosis and Epidemiological Reference, and the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Readaptation.

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.
Correspondent Products; Lender Eligibility for SBA PPP Loans; Dir. Calabria Said What?

While in captivity it is important to keep calm. Many parents are discovering that the teacher was not the problem. One of the kids next door phoned in a bomb threat to his own mother! Speaking of home life, when Im in a rascally mood, after my dog eats and wanders off, I will put piece of kibble in his bowl. And hell wander back at some point, see the kibble, and think that he missed it the first time and gobble it down. Always amusing. Now I think hes amused by me, since about every 40 minutes I wander over to the refrigerator or cupboard and look inside to see if I missed anything from 40 minutes earlier that looks appetizing. Nope, nothing magically appears. Good employees rarely magically appear, either, and heres a fun video from Joe Thompson in Austin, Texas about recruiting. What isnt fun is the FHFAs Mark Calabria seeing no evidence of systemic crisis among nonbank servicers, and saying Fannie & Freddie are unlikely to aid mortgage companies as payments dry up. Some would say hes showing his true colors, others ask if he needs stronger glasses. The MBAs response is below.



Lender Products and Services

Prelim, a Y-Combinator backed software company, is providing a free version of its SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) online application to community banks and credit unions with less than $10 billion in deposits to do our part to help U.S. small businesses apply and receive federal assistance. Click here to sign-up. Questions should be directed to CEO Heang Chan.

Lenders now have a viable solution to the challenges and limitations around the recent COVID-19 alternative appraisal guidance. The Property Vision app was designed with the Lenders security interests in mind. Appraisal Logistics, a leading provider of appraisal management technology and compliance solutions, has created Property Vision, a mobile friendly web-based solution to guide a Borrower through their interior and exterior inspection. Property Vision promotes social distancing by allowing consumers to answer questions about their property while taking photographs using any web-enabled device equipped with a camera. It automatically collects geocoding information and other metadata to ensure the photographs are current images and develops a detailed report for the appraiser. Property Vision gives borrowers assurance their lender cares about their wellbeing and gives lenders compliant, accurate valuations. There is no app to download and consumers are provided simple instructions that walk them through the process. To learn more, contact Mark Tague.

We thought 2019 was a wild ride, but we had no idea the chaos 2020 had in store for us. COVID-19 and all of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic has turned the lending world upside down and were all just trying to adjust to our new normal. A new eBook from Maxwell, Lend from Home: Practical Tips for Remote Mortgage Teams, is a comprehensive guide for mortgage professionals adjusting to working from home. A must-read for all lending professionals and managers, get your complimentary copy here (no form required).

Congratulations to Annemaria Allen, Founder & CEO of The Compliance Group named as a Trailblazer in Mortgage Womens Magazine, March/April 2020 edition. She currently sits on the board of directors of at the California MBA and is a proud member of the Women Presidents Organization. The Compliance Group (TCG) is an almost 20-year old firm focused on three core services in mortgage banking: Quality control as an outsource solution; compliance, both file level reviews and broader compliance audit work; and, servicing quality control, assuring agency servicing standards are adhered to. Learn more about TCG at TheComplianceGroup.net.

Looking to sell your loans off faster? TMS is still buying loans on average under seven days! Do you use Encompass? As an Encompass Investor Connect partner, TMS is able to buy your loans even faster and reduce the workload for your post-closing team! Learn more about the benefits of partnering with TMS CAREspondent or bid a tape today at correspondent.themoneysource.com.

A note from Chad Jampedro, President of GSF Mortgage and GO Mortgage: I would like to take this opportunity to thank our industry partners for their diligence and support during a very challenging March and beginning of April. We sincerely appreciate the efforts of our staff along with our warehouse partners, broker-dealers, realtors, builders, manufactured dealers, title companies, appraisers, notaries, vendor partners, and anyone who assisted our company in funding loans during this time. We are unable to be successful without the partners who support our company. We are in this together. We appreciate all of you, and if we can help you in any way please feel free to reach out at GO Mortgage or contactus@gomortgage.com. Stay safe and healthy.

Leadership through a crisis begins with taking action. As a 30-year-lender, Stearns Lending continues to support the Wholesale lending community by providing tools to remain competitive and nimble in this environment. SNAP 2.0 provides the ability to leverage the bSNAP digital application and loan tracking tool, forward lock prior to registration, lock for 60 days with a 30-day-price, and initiate all Broker and Lender disclosures with one-click. Take action, lean on each other and be grateful in these times. Click HERE to learn more about this platform or connect with a Stearns Account Executive.

Property inspections have become increasingly difficult to perform as homeowners shelter-in-place due to the COVID-19 crisis. Land Gorilla has introduced Remote Inspections to aid in the completion of interior and exterior inspections while eliminating in-person contact during the inspection process. Homeowners and other stakeholders work with a Land Gorilla Remote Inspector to validate locations and verify identities using live streaming video. The result is a fast and safe inspection report, allowing homeowners and lenders to overcome major roadblocks in these impacted times. To learn more, visit Land Gorilla.



Corona, Liquidity, Servicing

Lenders and servicers should familiarize themselves with the definitions of, and differences between, deferral, modification, forbearance, and foregiveness when it comes to not making a mortgage payment or changing the terms. (For example, this article states that Chase is offering them, and that deferral and forbearance are interchangeable. And HUD spells it out.) Payments are delayed, not waived! With forbearance mortgage payments are reduced or suspended for a period a borrower and their servicer agree to, and at the end of that time, the borrower resumes (in theory) making regular payments as well as a lump sum payment or additional partial payments for a number of months to bring the loan current. With the CARES Act, no interest is accrued, nor are any additional fees charged. It is as if time stops for 6 months or 12 months. But everyone knows that no one is going to make three or six mortgage payments all at once. Two is a longshot.

And the big issue is whether any lender can deliver a loan to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac not in forbearance but with a forbearance inquiry or forbearance request. The federal financial institution regulatory agencies, in consultation with state financial regulators, issued a revised interagency statement encouraging financial institutions to work constructively with borrowers affected by COVID-19 and providing additional information regarding loan modifications. The revised statement also provides the agencies views on consumer protection considerations.

Ginnie Mae announced that it had approved the inclusion of a servicing advance financing facility under its Acknowledgment Agreement program. Under its Acknowledgment Agreements, Ginnie Mae has permitted a Note Securitization (NS) structure, which was developed in 2016 and allows for the securitization of servicing cash flows through a trust. This structure has been strongly supported by institutional investors that previously lacked a vehicle for investing in mortgage servicing rights (MSRs). Five of Ginnie Mae's top 11 Issuers (by February issuance volume) utilize the NS structure.

As a result of the current transaction, PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. will be able to access financing for servicing advances through the NS trust. This transaction represents the first time that the NS Structure, which was originally designed to provide financing based on the value of the MSRs as a whole, has been expanded to separately finance the advanced payments that a servicer makes in connection with individual loans in its MBS pools. Separate financing for servicing advances under government-insured mortgage lending has been much more difficult for the private market to supply than for conventional loans.

Out of the California MBA comes word from attorney Joe Lynyak (Dorsey & Whitney) about lender and servicer eligibility for an SBA PPP loan. We have confirmed that many mortgage servicers and some mortgage borrowers can qualify as an SBA-eligible borrower because the SBA is generally following its operating manual for its existing SBA lending programs, which is SBA ManualSOP 50 10 5(J) (the Manual). As a general matter, a business that engages in lending cannot obtain an SBA loan, However, in the section which states categories of ineligible borrowers, the Manual contains an important exception: iii. A mortgage servicing company that disburses loans and sells them within 14 calendar days of loan closing is eligible. Mortgage companies primarily engaged in the business of servicing loans are [eligible]. Mortgage companies that make loans and hold them in their portfolio are not eligible.

We discussed this exception from the prohibition and were informed by an SBA staff member working on the PPP program that mortgage servicers are clearly eligible, and a smaller universe of mortgage lenders are also eligible. Accordingly, the refusal by a bank to consider a mortgage servicers PPP loan application because of ineligibility is incorrect and needs to be explained. Until this gets sorted out, we suggest eligible servicers and mortgage bankers insist that a bank take their applications and commence processing. (Of course, all other qualification criteria apply.)

The CFPB outlined the responsibility of credit reporting companies and furnishers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a joint agency policy statement and its own compliance guidance FAQs to facilitate mortgage servicers ability to place consumers in short-term payment forbearance programs such as the one required by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The compliance statement and FAQs also address flexibility concerning loss mitigation notices, early intervention communications, annual escrow statements, continuity of contacts, pay off statements, and electronic communications with borrowers.

The Down Payment Resource, a good source of down payment assistance (DPA) programs and first-time homebuyer information, set up a page for DPA program updates and trends.

By the way, readers should know that any news pertaining to Wells Fargo Funding is the Correspondent division? WFHM retails jumbo purchase is alive and well.

MGIC is temporarily suspending its insuring of investment properties and cash-out refinances, making underwriting and eligibility changes effective for MI applications received on or after May 11, 2020. Until further notice, the following are no longer eligible for mortgage insurance: investment properties and cash-out refinance transactions. Additionally, were modifying our earlier guidance to note that desktop and exterior-only appraisal flexibilities announced by the GSEs on March 23 and March 31 are not eligible for loan amounts that exceed $1,000,000.

Gateway First Bank Correspondent Lending, the master servicer for Texas Vet programs, offering HUD 184 Programs and also servicing for about 3-4 State HFAs Effective immediately, all loans in which borrower(s) are actively seeking forbearance on any mortgage debt obligation, pending acceptance of a forbearance plan or have entered into a forbearance period, are ineligible for purchase by Gateway First Bank. This applies to all loan types and applicable to all borrowers related to the transaction, regardless if the borrower is making a form of payment during the forbearance period. Any loan purchased by Gateway First Bank, is susceptible to repurchase should any borrower(s) related to the transaction enter into or actively pursue forbearance within 14 days of the purchase date.

loanDepot Wholesale has made the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for IRS Tax or W-2 transcripts under all circumstances except for: Jumbo Advantage. As a standard course of business, when federal income tax returns are used to document the Borrowers income, tax transcripts of the Borrowers federal income tax returns (1040s) are required to be obtained directly from the IRS. As a result of the IRS suspension, loanDepot Wholesale has made the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for IRS Tax Transcripts on Jumbo Advantage transactions and utilize the following alternative documentation options. In order to be eligible, IoanDepot Wholesale must verify, via cancelled check(s) and/or bank statement(s), one of the following: evidence of refund received, or proof of payment(s) made to the IRS for taxes owed. Proof of refund or tax payment(s) is required for all tax years used for qualifying income and must be compared to the refund/payment(s) filed on the applicable IRS Form 1040.

Due to increased risk, loanDepot Wholesale will also require IRS tax transcripts under the following circumstances: Handwritten tax returns, amended tax returns within 30 days prior to application date, through note date, wage earner employed by family member, or at the discretion of Underwriting Management. loanDepot Wholesale is not currently requiring tax transcripts on the following Agency transactions: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA, and FHA. A completed and signed 4506-T form is still required on all transactions.

Clients received, Please be advised that First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation will temporarily suspend accepting all new government locks effective tomorrow 04-08-2020. No lock extensions will be permitted.

MBA President and CEO Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB, responded to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mark Calabria's recent comments about mortgage servicers. "The FHFA Directors recent statements send a troubling message to borrowers, lenders, and the mortgage market. Servicers are required to offer borrowers widespread forbearance under a plan devised and approved first by FHFA and then codified by the CARES Act. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are contractually obligated for the payments to investors. Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will eventually reimburse mortgage servicers for the payments they must advance during forbearance, Director Calabria should advocate for the creation of a liquidity facility at the Fed to ensure the stability of the housing finance market.



Capital markets

Rate volatility has quieted down: a good thing. U.S. Treasuries pulled back again yesterday as optimism surrounding the spread of the coronavirus continued. The 10-year yield closed the day +5 bps to 0.73 percent despite a late afternoon rally due to OPEC reportedly ready to agree to production cuts tomorrow if the U.S. is part of the production cut plan. For the day, the Desk purchased $21.746 billion MBS, slightly up from the day prior.

Today will see the same six FedTrade operations with the $25 billion tentative maximum. The MBAs mortgage application survey showed a decrease of 18 percent from one week earlier for the week ending April 3, as economic weakness and the surge in unemployment continue to weigh heavily on the housing market. Purchase activity declined again, with the index dropping to its lowest level since 2015 and now down 33 percent compared to a year ago. Later today will be a $17 billion 30-year bond reopening auction as well as the release of the minutes from the emergency FOMC meeting on Sunday, March 15. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices worse .125 and the 10-year yielding .76 percent.
The number of billionaires in Vietnam reduced by one from last year to four on Forbes magazine's 2020 list of the worlds richest people.

On the list released Wednesday, Pham Nhat Vuong, owner of Vietnam's biggest real estate conglomerate Vingroup and the country's first billionaire, enjoyed his eighth consecutive appearance, ranked as the world's 286th richest person this year.

Vuong also retained his position as Vietnam's richest man with a net worth of $5.6 billion, down $1 billion compared to last year.

CEO of budget carrier Vietjet Air Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao made her fourth appearance on the list as the 1,001st richest person in the world. Vietnam's richest woman has an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion, down $200 million from a year ago.

Tran Ba Duong, chairman of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco), made the list for the third time at $1.5 billion, down $200 million from last year, ranked 1,415th.

The fourth Vietnamese billionaire on this years Forbes list was Ho Hung Anh, chairman of Techcombank. He broke into the list for the second time with a net worth of $1 billion, down $700 million to rank 1,990th in the world.

Fish sauce magnet Nguyen Dang Quang, who entered the Forbes billionaire list last year for the first time, didn't appear this time.

This is the 34th year Forbes magazine has compiled its list of the world's billionaires. This year's list sees a total of 2,095 billionaires with a combined wealth of $8 trillion, down from $8.7 trillion in 2020.

Centi-billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos maintains the top spot in this years ranking, for the third consecutive year, despite his net worth hitting $113 billion, down $18 billion from last year.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains second, followed by CEO and chairman of luxury goods empire LVMH Bernard Arnault.
A gunman threatened to kill two Tulane "affiliates" off-campus Tuesday night after asking if the duo was "Chinese or Japanese," according to a Tulane University crime alert.

The alert was sent to all Tulane students, faculty, staff and administrators at 10:23 p.m. The message describes the people threatened as "affiliates," and Tulane police declined to give more details about their relationship to the school.

Stolen N95 masks returned to New Orleans Convention Center coronavirus hospital Eighty N95 respirator masks meant to protect staffers at a makeshift hospital for recovering coronavirus patients in New Orleans Ernest N. Mo

A man confronted the two people as they were walking on Tulane Avenue near North Claiborne Avenue (map) around 6:40 p.m., authorities said. The location is near Tulane Medical Center and a few blocks from University Medical Center.

He asked if they were Chinese or Japanese, Tulane police said, and said, "If you are Chinese or Japanese, I'm going to kill you." The man lifted his shirt to show a handgun in his waistband, authorities said.

The duo kept walking as the man kept questioning them. One of the people, police said, told the man they were "here to help" and that they work at a hospital.

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The man then said, "Oh, you're here to help," and gave one of the people a fist-bump before walking away, according to police.

Accused New Orleans second line organizer arrested; march defied coronavirus rules, NOPD says New Orleans police on Monday jailed a second man accused of organizing a large second line last month that violated the state's ban on public 

Police described the man as 20 to 30 years old and about 6 feet tall. He had a slim build and was last seen wearing a red or orange shirt with blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Tulane police at 504-865-5381 or New Orleans police at 504-821-2222.
More than 300 people in Pennsylvania have died due to the coronavirus, according to the state Department of Health.

At least 309 have died, including 69 new fatalities reported today, the department said. The number of deaths in Pennsylvania due to the coronavirus has nearly doubled over the last two days, according to state figures.

The department released new data today detailing the impact of the coronavirus.

The department has confirmed 1,680 new coronavirus cases today, raising the statewide total to 16,239. The number of new cases represents a one-day high.

At least 23 people have died in the Harrisburg region, according to state figures. Three new deaths were reported today, with two in Lancaster County and one in Dauphin County.

Cases have been reported in all of Pennsylvanias 67 counties.

On Tuesday, the health department reported 78 new fatalities, which remains a one-day high. While conceding the number was alarming, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine also said the number reflected some deaths that had occurred over the weekend and there had been a lag in the reporting.

There are 82,299 patients who have tested negative, the health department said. The department no longer issues estimates of pending test results since most tests are run in commercial laboratories.

Numbers around the state

The Philadelphia region has been the epicenter of the virus. The city of Philadelphia alone has more than 4,400 cases and 87 deaths, including 29 new fatalities reported today. Neighboring Montgomery County is second statewide with 1,521 cases and 37 deaths.

But cases have been rising across the commonwealth.

In central Pennsylvania, Lancaster County leads the midstate counties with 561 cases and 16 deaths. York is second with 233 cases and two deaths.

Heres a look at cases in the other midstate counties: Lebanon (169 cases); Dauphin (168 cases and 2 deaths); Cumberland (84 cases and 2 deaths); Franklin (43 cases); Adams (33 cases); and Perry (13 cases and one death). Its worth noting that Lebanon has eclipsed Dauphin and Cumberland counties in the number of cases, even though Lebanon has a significantly smaller population.

The Lehigh Valley has been hit hard. Lehigh County has 1,319 cases and 11 deaths. In northeastern Pennsylvania, Luzerne County now has 1,134 cases and 11 deaths.

In western Pennsylvania, Allegheny County has reported 720 cases and 10 deaths.

The health department has not released data on the racial breakdown of those who are infected. Levine said the state is aiming to collect that data, Spotlight PA reported Tuesday. Some cities have reported spikes in cases involving African Americans.

Most people recover from the coronavirus but the health department does not offer statistics on how many recover. Most who contract the virus dont require hospital care but older residents are more susceptible for more serious complications. The state has said hospitals inform the health department when patients are diagnosed but dont say when they are discharged.

Aiming to reduce the surge

Gov. Tom Wolf has taken aggressive steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The first cases in Pennsylvania were reported March 6 and health officials have been alarmed by its growth across the state.

Wolf has issued a statewide order for all residents to stay at home, except for essential trips. The order remains in effect through April 30.

Wolf has also ordered the closure of all businesses that arent life sustaining. Thousands of companies have applied for waivers to remain open. Some businesses and trade groups have complained the order has shuttered some businesses that provide essential services. Critics also say the waiver process has been applied inconsistently and lacks transparency.

State lawmakers are debating measures that would allow more businesses to reopen. More than 1.1 million unemployment claims have been filed since March 15.

Many Republican lawmakers are pushing to open more businesses, arguing it is necessary to prevent an economic catastrophe. Democratic lawmakers have countered that widely reopening businesses could be disastrous from a public health perspective and undo efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

The governor has defended his tough measures to limit the spread of the virus. He said its critical to ensuring hospitals arent overwhelmed by a surge of infected patients.

(Note: This story has been updated to reflect the number of fatalities statewide. The state Health Department initially said there were 310 fatalities but later Wednesday afternoon said the number of fatalities is 309.)

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WASHINGTON - Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the partys establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice-president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this image from video, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks on the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 25, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)

WASHINGTON - Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the partys establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice-president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.

The Vermont senators announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November.

Sanders plans to talk to his supporters later Wednesday.

FILE - In this March 10, 2020, file photo Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., visits outside a polling location at Warren E. Bow Elementary School in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Sanders initially exceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to recreate the magic of his 2016 presidential bid, and even overcame a heart attack last October on the campaign trail. But he found himself unable to convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination amid "electability" fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters.

The 78-year-old senator began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to the party establishments choice, Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees hed be a major presidential contender this cycle, especially as the races oldest candidate.

Sanders, though, used strong polling and solid fundraising  collected almost entirely from small donations made online  to more than quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread support from young voters and was able to make new inroads within the Hispanic community, even as his appeal with African Americans remained small.

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Sanders amassed the most votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, which opened primary voting, and cruised to an easy victory in Nevada  seemingly leaving him well positioned to sprint to the Democratic nomination while a deeply crowded and divided field of alternatives sunk around him.

But a crucial endorsement of Biden by influential South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, and a subsequent, larger-than-expected victory in South Carolina, propelled the former vice-president into Super Tuesday, when he won 10 of 14 states.

In a matter of days, his top former Democratic rivals lined up and announced their endorsement of Biden. The former vice-presidents campaign had appeared on the brink of collapse after New Hampshire but found new life as the rest of the partys more moderate establishment coalesced around him as an alternative to Sanders.

Things only got worse the following week when Sanders lost Michigan, where he had campaigned hard and upset Clinton in 2016. He was also beaten in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho the same night and the results were so decisive that Sanders headed to Vermont without speaking to the media.

Sanders had scheduled a rally in Ohio but cancelled it amid fears about the spread of coronavirus  and the outbreak kept him home as his campaign appeared unsure of its next move. The senator addressed reporters the following day, but also sounded like a candidate who already knew hed been beaten.

"While our campaign has won the ideological debate, we are losing the debate over electability," Sanders said then.
Forbes released the annual Worlds Billionaires list on Wednesday and beauty mogul Kylie remains the planets youngest self-made billionaire at aged 22.

In 2019, the star unseated Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, 35, as the youngest-ever self-made billionaire - he was 23 when he made his first billion 11 years ago in 2008.

Forbes has addressed the controversy that surrounds the title 'self-made' as last year, people were up in arms that Kylie came from an already privileged background.

They penned: ' Yes, self-made (despite a lot of help from her famous family, she didnt inherit her businessshe built it). And yes, billionaire (shes worth $1 billion).'

Impressive: Kylie Jenner, 22, is Forbes' youngest 'self-made' billionaire for the second year in a row (pictured on the 2018 cover)

She IS self-made: Forbes has addressed the controversy that surrounds the title 'self-made' as last year, people were up in arms that Kylie came from an already privileged background

Kylie famously made it onto the billionaires list in March 2019.

Then in November last year, she sold off 51% of her Kylie Cosmetics brand to beauty brand Coty Inc. for $600 million.

The deal, which closed in January, means her business is now valued at around $1.2 billion. She still solely owns the other 49 percent stake.

The site also reveals that money from the sale means she is one of just 2,095 people in the world with a a fortune of ten digits.

Incredible: Jenner, the youngest sibling of the Kardashian family, started her make up line with lipstick kits in 2015. Kylie Cosmetics last year signed a deal with Ulta Beauty Inc to put her products in all of the retailer's 1,163 U.S. stores (above)

Savvy: Kylie brings out seasonal ranges including this collection, which was named after her daughter Stormi, two

Meet the world's youngest billionaires 1. Kylie Jenner, 22 Net worth: $1billion Source of wealth: Cosmetics 2. Alexandra Andresen, 23 Net worth: $1.2billion Source of wealth : Investment firm 3. Katharina Andresen, 24 Net worth: $1.1billion Source of wealth: Investment firm 4. Gustav Magnar Witzoe, 26 Net worth: $2.6billion Source of wealth: Fish farming 5. Elizabeth Furtwaenger, 28 Net worth: $1.2billion Source of wealth: Publishing 6. Jonathan Kwok, 28 Net worth: $2billion Source of wealth: Real estate 7. John Collison, 29 Net worth: $3.2million Source of wealth: Stripe 8. Evan Spiegel, 29 Net worth: $1.9billion Source of income: Snap 9. Pedro De Godoy Bueno, 29 Net worth: $1.1 billion Source of wealth: Diagnostic services 10. Lisa Draexlmaier, 29 Net worth: $1 billion Source of wealth: Auto parts Advertisement

Kylie has previously told Forbes: 'I didnt expect anything. I did not foresee the future. But [the recognition] feels really good. Thats a nice pat on the back.'

Jenner, who is the youngest and richest of the entire Kardashian-Jenner family, started her make up line in 2015 by selling $29 lipstick kits.

The kits sold out within minutes of launching - an early sign of the power of her now 270 million-plus social media following.

Jenner's products were only sold online when it was first launched but in 2018, the brand struck a deal to sell its goods in 1,100 Ulta Beauty stores across the U.S.

She expanded her empire earlier this year with Kylie Skin - a line of moisturizers, under eye creams and facial scrubs.

Jenner brought in sales of an estimated $360 million in 2018, according to Forbes.

Kylie herself responded to claims that she didn't deserve her 'self-made' title when she was given the accolade last year,

In response, Jenner admitted that she'd had 'a lot of help' on her way' but denied inheriting any money that contributed to her cosmetic fortune.

She credited much of her success to the power of social media and told Forbes: 'I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.'

As of last year, Jenner employed just seven full-time and five part-time employees at her cosmetics company. Her mother Kris - like with all of her children- handles her daughter's finance's and public relations for a 10 per cent fee.

Jenner has, until now, outsourced production and sales for her company.

She has very little marketing costs due to her own social media promotion and relies heavily on her social media presence to market her cosmetics.

All change: The company, which has been struggling with falling sales, saw a share increase of 5 percent following the Jenner announcement last year

In 2018, Kylie told Vogue: 'I had Kylie Lip Kit trademarked like two years before it even launched and I was like bugging my mom about it. I see it, like, I need to do this.

'She was like "Okay, put up your own money, like stop talking about the Lip Kit." And then I didn't even order a lot and I was like "Okay, if this doesn't work out you're gonna have, like, a lot of Lip Kits in your garage,"' she recalled.

Kylie decided to take the risk, and it paid off immediately.

'I didn't even make it to my launch party. I like refreshed the page and in two seconds everything was gone and like I just remember me and all my glam people, my friends, we were like screaming.

Bold colors: In 2018, Kylie told Vogue: 'I had Kylie Lip Kit trademarked like two years before it even launched and I was like bugging my mom about it. I see it, like, I need to do this'

Also on the list of young billionaires is Snapchat (Snap) founder Evan Spiegel.

At 29, he has amassed a fortune of$1.9billion.

John Collison, 29, is the founder of the Irish payment company Stripe. He is worth $3.2billion.

Sisters Alexandra and Katharina Andresen, aged 23 and 24, are also on the list.

The Norweigan sisters are heiresses to their father's holding company, Ferd S, and they each now have a personal fortune of $1.1billion.

Motherhood: Kylie, the youngest sibling of the Kardashian family, started her make up line with lipstick kits in 2015. Pictured with daughter Stormi who she shares with Travis Scott

'And then the Kylie Instagram used to be Kylie Lip Kit and then the day after I changed it to Kylie Cosmetics and I was like "This is like gonna be something, like, I can actually do, yeah,' Kylie said.

Finding a business she could run was a big moment for the youngest Kardashian-Jenner.

Having watched her mother help start a modelling career for her sister Kendall, a sock business for her brother Rob, and an online game for her sister Kim, Kylie says she felt adrift.

Impressive: Also on the list of young billionaires is Snapchat (Snap) founder Evan Spiegel. At 29, he has amassed a fortune of$1.9billion

'I struggled for a minute with finding something to do on my own,' she told Forbes.

But she quickly found inspiration in her life long obsession with make-up.

'Ever since I was in sixth grade, I would wear purple eye shadow,' Kylie said. 'I turned to makeup to help me feel more confident.'

She honed her make-up skills through YouTube videos, and when she felt self-conscious about her thin lips, she used lip liner to overdraw her lips and make them look larger.

She also got fillers, but initially denied getting plastic surgery, which caused a bit of scandal around the time that she launched her company.

The $29 Kylie Lip Kits debuted in November 2015 and sold out within seconds. The Kylie Lip Kits went on to start a general trend in the industry for liquid matte lipsticks, with both drug- and department-store brands quickly going to market with similar products.
Stericycle, Inc.SRCL yesterday announced that it has completed the divestiture of the Domestic Environmental Solutions business to Harsco Corporation HSC for nearly $462.5 million in cash. The deal was initially announced on Feb 7, 2020.

Deal Details & Benefits

The deal includes Stericycles Manufacturing and Industrial Services and the retail portion of Hazardous Waste Services, which together employ nearly 2,000 team members across 61 facilities.

Operations of Stericycles regulated medical waste and secure information destruction businesses will not be hampered by this sale. The company plans to utilize the net proceeds from the sale to pay off its outstanding debt.

The company will continue offering solutions for unused consumer pharmaceutical take-back services and provide hazardous waste services to healthcare customers as an integrated services provider. Also, it has subcontracted with Harsco to perform hazardous waste services, which includes collection, transportation and disposal as per requirements.

Notably, Cindy J. Miller, CEO of Stericycle, stated, "The sale of the Domestic Environmental Solutions business is the sixth divestiture we have completed over the last 15 months and demonstrates important progress in our transformation as we focus on our core business, reduce debt, enhance our balance sheet flexibility, and drive long-term shareholder value.

Previously, as part of the portfolio rationalization strategy within Business Transformation, Stericycle completed five divestitures  operations in Chile, the U.K.-based texting business, the North American telephone answering services business, a retail pharmaceutical returns business and all of its Mexican operations  in 2019. Overall, the company earned almost $83.7 million in gross proceeds from these transactions during 2019.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Currently, Stericycle carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Story continues

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Brazils capital has some 24,000 homeless people who face significant risks from their lack of access to proper hygiene.

Despite the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil, Luiz Renato Ribeiro Junior, who is homeless, still tries to sell candy every day in Sao Paulo, Latin Americas largest city. But lockdown policies put in place last month have made it harder for him to earn money.

If I just stay in one place, I will have no income, he said. I have to hustle and try to sell my product.

His plight is shared by many of the citys 24,000 homeless residents, the official tally according to the census.

But the risks are higher in Sao Paulo, the centre of Brazils coronavirus outbreak, which had 700 deaths and nearly 14,000 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.

As the city has shut down, organisations that would normally have catered to the poor have also been forced to vanish.

Instead, the city government has created six shelters for the homeless, including one specifically for those who are ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The state has expanded a subsidy programme for feeding the poor to include dinner, along with the lunch and breakfast currently offered, selling more than 100,000 meals per day at below one real ($0.1914) per meal.

The total investment was of 18 million reals [$3.5m] to help the people who need it the most, who live on the streets, who are unemployed or have minimal income, said Sao Paulo State Governor Joao Doria.

Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has recently given medical assistance to almost 280 homeless residents, 37 of whom have shown symptoms of the disease.

Still, Sao Paulos homeless face significant risks from their lack of access to proper hygiene.

Manoel Jose Silva Junior, a 58-year-old homeless man sitting while eating a meal he bought for one real (0.19 United States dollars) at one of the few affordable restaurants in Sao Paulo, Brazil [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

Where are they going to wash their hands? asked Julio Lancellotti, a Catholic priest who has worked with the homeless for three decades. He is urging authorities to distribute already-scarce alcohol gel for hand sanitation to the citys homeless.

The city, which has a population of over 12 million people, says it has created seven stations where people can shower and wash.

They already face serious risks: hunger, the cold, abandonment, contempt, Lancellotti said. So this [virus] is just one more threat to their lives.
A savvy dad has made personalised McDonald's burger boxes for his children to entertain them during isolation - and the simple invention has been praised by thousands of weary parents at home with their kids.

Sharing the impressive results to the Homemade McDonald's Facebook group, the dad amazed parents with his creative idea and revealed how they can do it too.

'I've not posted on this group before, but have been a member for a while. Got bored during the lockdown and decided to make these for the kids Friday night "treat",' he captioned the post.

The man said the creative project was done one Friday afternoon and only took an hour or so.

Scroll down for video

A savvy dad who is familiar with Adobe Photoshop has made personalised McDonald's burger boxes for his children (pictured)

The man said the creative project was done one Friday afternoon and only took around an hour

The man said the box was made one Friday afternoon and only took around an hour (template pictured)

After publishing the post, the home idea inspired other Australians to recreate the fast food boxes for themselves while in isolation during the coronavirus crisis.

'Great idea, don't suppose you have the [Photoshop] template do you?' one man asked, to which the dad said he did and shared the file.

The dad made the creative design after scanning an original McDonald's box and finding the correct font online.

The man included his name on top of the box and wrote 'Ben Mac' instead of 'Big Mac'.

Once the template was complete, he printed the design on photo paper and crafted the box.

Other social media users praised the parent online, with many calling him the 'world's best dad'.

Once the Photoshop template was complete (pictured), he printed the design on photo paper and crafted the box

The man included his name on top of the box and wrote 'Ben Mac' instead of 'Big Mac'Once the template was complete, he then printed the design on photo paper and crafter the box

'Amazing work. Living the McDonald's dream,' one woman wrote.

'That's brilliant! My kids would loose their tiny minds, I want my name on the box too,' another added.

Since sharing the idea, the Facebook post has since received 426 likes and 74 comments with many more likely to follow.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., started to self-quarantine on a mid-March Saturday out of precaution because of his wife's preexisting condition.

A few days later, Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., couldn't believe how bland his leftover meatballs were, only compounded by the next day's Chick-fil-A tasting awful.

In Salt Lake City, Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, was already reeling, his breathing heavy and fever spiking his temperature to at least 102 degrees.

All three lawmakers were on the verge of joining the sort of congressional caucus no one wants to be a part of, testing positive for covid-19, caused by the virus that has killed more than 14,000 Americans.

So far, five members of Congress have tested positive, with a sixth presumed to be positive for the disease, out of 529 lawmakers. Three are Republicans; three are Democrats. One is a Mormon from Utah, another a Puerto Rican representing Brooklyn, another a Cuban American from the Miami area, and another is of Irish descent from the Rust Belt.

Their diversity is proof positive that the novel coronavirus spares no one based on region, politics or ethnicity.

No member of Congress has died, and each of their cases has run the gamut of symptoms. In interviews with three of the lawmakers, they came away with a deep appreciation for how tough it is to track the disease, some still unaware of how they contracted the virus given how careful they thought they were handling themselves.

"I took it seriously - before I got sick," Diaz-Balart said during an hour-long phone interview this week. "Yet I got it. I have no idea how, when."

Diaz-Balart, 58, had the experience that might be most representative of the over 400,000 Americans who have contracted the coronavirus, a debilitating struggle that floored him but did not require a hospital visit or use of breathing equipment.

Cunningham, 37, had the most asymptomatic experience, while his fellow freshman Democrat McAdams, 45, ended up losing 13 pounds over an eight-day stay in a hospital with an oxygen machine helping him breath. He never needed a ventilator, but the night before he went to the hospital, he could not walk across his bedroom without stopping.

"I felt like I had a belt around my chest that was cinched up," McAdams said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., issued a statement last week saying it took five days for her to feel she was "turning a corner" after developing symptoms on March 29. Her doctors never tested her, presuming she had the virus and preserving tests for those who are in the greatest need as New York remains the state hit hardest by the virus.

On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced that, after more than two weeks since he tested positive, doctors confirmed he was now negative for the virus. Paul, an eye surgeon, has said that he was never symptomatic and is now volunteering at Kentucky medical facilities.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., told local media outlets that his initial suspicion of having the flu gave way to a trip to his family doctor after he lost his sense of taste and his body ached amid feverish chills. That positive test arrived on March 27, a day he otherwise might have been in Washington to support the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue bill, the third relief package.

Diaz-Balart is still counting his blessings. His wife, Tia, is a cancer survivor with a chronic lung condition that can turn a common cold into a hospital stay with pneumonia.

So, on the morning of March 13, the congressman called their doctor and explained how much work he had done that week: On Monday, he flew from Miami to Orlando, Florida, to meet transportation industry officials, then off to Washington for a busy week. He met with about 50 people in his office, including constituents and members of the Spanish parliament. One evening, he walked across the street for a Library of Congress gala celebrating the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Lithuania, attended by a contingent from that nation.

On March 13, he spent about two hours with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and a handful of other members of the whip team, preparing for a late-night vote on a roughly $100 billion coronavirus bill, the second package.

His doctor delivered a blunt message to Diaz-Balart: "You can't bring this home to Tia."

So, without any symptoms, he canceled the next day's flight and prepped for two weeks in his tiny apartment in Washington.

That Saturday morning, March 14, he ordered online groceries, but that night, his world crashed in - a splitting headache, fever and brutal cough that made everything hurt.

"Even my hair - I don't have much of it - that hurt," he said.

The next day, he walked to the Capitol to see a doctor in the Office of the Attending Physician, where he was tested for the flu and covid-19. The test came back positive, and he wasn't surprised, given how terrible he felt just drinking water.

He got through a three-week quarantine, holed up in his apartment, because of the kindness of strangers and his wife's diligent work back home in Miami.

Neighbors he has still never met heard the news he was sick and left a card under his door with their contact information, so Tia Diaz-Balart reached out to them and organized an effort to deliver supplies - extra doses of Tylenol, Gatorade, more food when he felt better - by having friends drop packages on the doorstep of his apartment building.

As Cunningham waited out that late-night March 13 vote, he got together with a few other Democrats, including McAdams. No one realized that, a few days earlier, McAdams had met with a Salt Lake City group that included at least one person who later tested positive.

The next morning, the Democrats flew back to their districts.

A couple of days later, Cunningham could barely taste food. He later learned that McAdams tested positive and began his own self-quarantine in Charleston, South Carolina.

He decided to get a test from his local doctor the following week only when Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatened to force an entire roll-call vote on House passage of the $2 trillion legislation.

"Far enough up your nose to tickle your brain," Cunningham recalled of his test. It came back positive, and he continued his quarantine without ever having more serious complications.

McAdams wasn't as lucky.

Home in Utah Saturday night, March 14, he declined to go out with his friends because something felt off. "I don't think I have coronavirus," he recalled telling his wife, "but I should stay home."

Three days later, after his temperature hit 102, his doctor told McAdams to go to a drive-through clinic in Salt Lake City. He got the positive result the next day but pushed himself all week trying to work with constituents struggling from the economic shutdown.

On March 20, everything went haywire - his fever spiking, his breathing difficult - and he went to a hospital. For eight days, he was on and off an oxygen machine, feeling better in the morning only to "just crash" every evening.

The doctors gave him Tylenol for the fever and for five days used an experimental treatment and also prescribed hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that President Trump and his advisers have been promoting.

McAdams has no idea whether it helped. "I felt pretty awful the entire time," he said. "Maybe it made me feel less awful."

Released on March 28, his doctors told him that his cough will last another month, same with Diaz-Balart.

Cunningham, who suffered the least, has come away adamant about looking for ways that lawmakers could work remotely so they do not create more risk of spreading the virus. "We have to look at other ways to carry on our business," he said.

Diaz-Balart said that he appreciated how bipartisan leaders set up a voice vote on March 27 to pass the $2 trillion legislation, so a few hundred could stay home. A full return to Washington is "the last thing you want," he said.

But McAdams said Congress needs to be ready to act to help fight a virus that has wreaked such havoc.

"There are risks that we may need to take," he said. "We have an essential duty."
Eight members of the family



of a man in Khargone district who returned from South Africa and later attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi have tested positive for coronavirus, an official said here.

One of them was the man's mother who died on April 4. Her test report was received now, said Chief Medical and Health Officer Rajni Dabar on Wednesday.

It took the number of persons in the district who contracted the infection to 12.

The 49-year-old man, a trader, had visited South Africa and then flown back to Delhi to attend the Tablighi Jamaat event, Dabar said.

He returned to Khargone on March 19 and was found to have contracted the virus last week.

Besides his mother, seven members of his family including three minors and his father tested positive, Dabar said, adding that all of them were shifted to Indore late on Tuesday night for further treatment.

Of the 12 COVID-19 patients in the district, two -- the trader's mother and a 65-year-old person from village Dhargaon -- died last week. Other ten are undergoing treatment at Indore.

Among those in the trader's family who tested positive are two boys aged 13 and 16 years, a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man.

Outside this family, a medical student who returned from France and a waiter working at a hotel in Indore were found to have caught coronavirus infection.

District collector Gopalchandra Daad declared areas in the radius of three km from the houses of infected persons as containment areas.

So far, 327 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh with six cases in Bhopal and eight in Khargone coming to light on Tuesday night or Wednesday, health officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The latest confirmation of the online tracking industry's continued flouting of EU privacy laws which -- at least on paper -- are supposed to protect citizens from consent-less digital surveillance comes by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC).

The watchdog did a sweep survey of around 40 popular websites last year -- covering sectors including media and publishing; retail; restaurants and food ordering services; insurance; sport and leisure; and the public sector -- and in a new report, published yesterday, it found almost all failing on a number of cookie and tracking compliance issues, with breaches ranging from minor to serious.

Twenty were graded 'amber' by the regulator, which signals a good response and approach to compliance but with at least one serious concern identified; twelve were graded 'red', based on very poor quality responses and a plethora of bad practices around cookie banners, setting multiple cookies without consent, badly designed cookies policies or privacy policies, and a lack of clarity about whether they understood the purposes of the ePrivacy legislation; while a further three got a borderline 'amber to red' grade.

Just two of the 38 controllers got a 'green' rating (substantially compliance with any concerns straightforward and easily remedied); and one more got a borderline 'green to amber' grade.

EU law means that if a data controller is relying on consent as the legal basis for tracking a user the consent must be specific, informed and freely given. Additional court rulings last year have further finessed guidance around online tracking -- clarifying pre-checked consent boxes aren't valid, for example.

Yet the DPC still found examples of cookie banners that offer no actual choice at all. Such as those which serve a dummy banner with a cookie notice that users can only meaningless click 'Got it!'. ('Gotcha data' more like.. )

Story continues

In fact the watchdog writes that it found 'implied' consent being relied upon by around two-thirds of the controllers, based on the wording of their cookie banners (e.g. notices such as: by continuing to browse this site you consent to the use of cookies) -- despite this no longer meeting the required legal standard.

"Some appeared to be drawing on older, but no longer extant, guidance published by the DPC that indicated consent could be obtained 'by implication', where such informational notices were put in place," it writes, noting that current guidance on its website "does not make any reference to implied consent, but it also focuses more on user controls for cookies rather than on controller obligations".

Another finding was that all but one website set cookies immediately on landing -- with "many" of these found to have no legal justification for not asking first, as the DPC determined they fall outside available consent exemptions in the relevant regulations.

It also identified widespread abuse of the concept of 'strictly necessary' where the use of trackers are concerned. "Many controllers categorised the cookies deployed on their websites as having a necessary or strictly necessary function, where the stated function of the cookie appeared to meet neither of the two consent exemption criteria set down in the ePrivacy Regulations/ePrivacy Directive," it writes in the report. "These included cookies used to establish chatbot sessions that were set prior to any request by the user to initiate a chatbot function. In some cases, it was noted that the chatbot function on the websites concerned did not work at all.

"It was clear that some controllers may either misunderstand the strictly necessary criteria, or that their definitions of what is strictly necessary are rather more expansive than the definitions provided in Regulation 5(5)," it adds.

Another problem the report highlights is a lack of tools for users to vary or withdraw their consent choices, despite some of the reviewed sites using so called 'consent management platforms' (CMPs) sold by third-party vendors.

This chimes with a recent independent study of CPMs -- which earlier this year found illegal practices to be widespread, with "dark patterns and implied consent... ubiquitous", as the researchers put it.

"Badly designed -- or potentially even deliberately deceptive -- cookie banners and consent-management tools were also a feature on some sites," the DPC writes in its report, detailing some examples of Quantcast's CPM which had been implemented in such a way as to make the interface "confusing and potentially deceptive" (such as unlabelled toggles and a 'reject all' button that had no effect).

Pre-checked boxes/sliders were also found to be common, with the DPC finding ten of the 38 controllers used them -- despite 'consent' collected like that not actually being valid consent.

"In the case of most of the controllers, consent was also bundled -- in other words, it was not possible for users to control consent to the different purposes for which cookies were being used," the DPC also writes. "This is not permitted, as has been clarified in the Planet49 judgment. Consent does not need to be given for each cookie, but rather for each purpose. Where a cookie has more than one purpose requiring consent, it must be obtained for all of those purposes separately."

In another finding, the regulator came across instances of websites that had embedded tracking technologies, such as Facebook pixels, yet their operators did not list these in responses to the survey, listing only HTTP browser cookies instead. The DPC suggests this indicates some controllers aren't even aware of trackers baked into their own sites.

"It was not clear, therefore, whether some controllers were aware of some of the tracking elements deployed on their websites -- this was particularly the case where small controllers had outsourced their website management and development to a third-part," it writes.

The worst sector of its targeted sweep -- in terms of "poor practices and, in particular, poor understanding of the ePrivacy Regulations and their purpose" -- was the restaurants and food-ordering sector, per the report. (Though the finding is clearly based on a small sampling across multiple sectors.)

Despite encountering near blanket failure to actually comply with the law, the DPC, which also happens to be the lead regulator for much of big tech in Europe, has responded by issuing, er, further guidance.

This includes specifics such as pre-checked consent boxes must be removed; cookie banners can't be designed to 'nudge' users to accept and a reject option must have equal prominence; and no non-necessary cookies be set on landing. It also stipulates there must always be a way for users to withdraw consent -- and doing so should be as easy as consenting.

All stuff that's been clear and increasingly so at least since the GDPR came into application in May 2018. Nonetheless the regulator is giving the website operators in question a further six months' grace to get their houses in order -- after which it has raised the prospect of actually enforcing the EU's ePrivacy Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation.

"Where controllers fail to voluntarily make changes to their user interfaces and/or their processing, the DPC has enforcement options available under both the ePrivacy Regulations and the GDPR and will, where necessary, examine the most appropriate enforcement options in order to bring controllers into compliance with the law," it warns.

The report is just the latest shot across the bows of the online tracking industry in Europe.

The UK's Information Commission's Office (ICO) has been issuing sternly worded blog posts for months. Its own report last summer found illegal profiling of Internet users by the programmatic ad industry to be rampant -- also giving the industry six months to reform.

However the ICO still hasn't done anything about the adtech industry's legal blackhole -- leading to privacy experts to denouncing the lack of any substantive action to end the largest data breach ever recorded in the UK, as one put it at the start of this year.

Ireland's DPC, meanwhile, has yet to put the decision trigger on multiple cross-border investigations into the data-mining business practices of tech giants including Facebook and Google, following scores of GDPR complaints -- including several targeting their legal base to process people's data.

A two-year review of the pan-EU regulation, set for May 2020, provides one hard deadline that might concentrate minds.
Pre-K 4 SA has become nationally recognized for high-quality early education, and even amid the COVID-19 health crisis, the programs leadership team, teachers and staff continue to innovate and serve students and their families as an integral part of our community.

The program continues to provide a safe haven for families who have been deeply affected by the health and economic crises  organizing food distribution at all four centers and providing more than 1,500 families with groceries and instructional supplies; assisting the San Antonio Food Bank by sorting 15,000 pounds of food, and assembling thousands of snack packs and emergency food boxes; and reaching out to parents and families in need, and creating open access to high-quality classroom content for students and nonstudents alike. Now more than ever, we are grateful for Pre-K 4 SAs exemplary commitment to our kids, our future and our city.

With the economic impact of COVID-19 on our state and our nation still unknown, it is critical we protect the local investment in early childhood education we made eight years ago. Pre-K 4 SA must be renewed. That is why, while we are individually and collectively committed to prioritizing the health of our community during this sensitive time, our focus on renewing Pre-K 4 SA remains steadfast. A City Council vote to move the election to November is the first step, and we look forward to joining with council members in prioritizing education and ensuring voters understand the transformational value associated with Pre-K 4 SA.

We continue to be advocates for the program that develops San Antonios talent pipeline and prepares students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. By the end of its eighth year, Pre-K 4 SA will have served a total of 25,761 children through its education centers and competitive grants program. During that same time frame, after subtracting the costs of the program, Pre-K 4 SA will have returned more than $59 million in economic benefit to the community.

Just one month ago, we kicked off the Keep Pre-K 4 SA campaign with tremendous momentum. We underscored the need to give all children in our city, regardless of social status, an equal opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.

Peter J. Holt, the co-chair of Early Matters San Antonio and Keep Pre-K 4 SA campaign adviser, and CEO and general manager of HOLT CAT, affirmed at the kickoff conference, In San Antonio, our people are our primary asset, and so we have to invest in them. And the earlier we can invest in them, the stronger the outcome for those individuals, their families and our entire community.

In fact, Pre-K 4 SA returns $156 for every $100 invested.

While the environment remains uncertain, one thing is certain: High-quality early education works. Whatever the future may hold, educating children at a critical age remains our citys greatest economic development tool, yielding a significant return on our investment and laying the groundwork for a successful future in grade school, higher education and the workforce.

Elaine Mendoza is founder, president and CEO of Conceptual Mindworks Inc., chair of the board of regents of Texas A&M University System, chair of the Pre-K 4 SA board of directors and one of the tri-chairs for the Keep Pre-K 4 SA campaign.

Rad Weaver is CEO of McCombs Partners, serving a six-year term on the University of Texas Board of Regents, a member of the Early Matters San Antonio steering committee and one of the tri-chairs for the Keep Pre-K 4 SA campaign.
Tesla is slashing employee pay and furloughing all hourly workers in the US after the coronavirus pandemic forced the firm to shutter its California car plant.

The automaker is temporarily cutting pay for salaried employees and furloughing staff on hourly pay, according to a leaked internal email sent to staff Tuesday evening.

The move comes just one month after controversial boss Elon Musk dismissed mounting fears over the outbreak as 'dumb'.

Tesla plans to resume production of electric cars at its Fremont factory on May 4, said the email from the company's head of North American HR Valerie Workman seen by CNBC.

Robots work on a Tesla Model X in the factory in Fremont, California: Tesla is slashing employee pay and furloughing all hourly workers after the coronavirus pandemic forced the firm to shutter the plant

Pay cuts are being staggered by seniority level, with Vice Presidents and above taking a 30 percent cut, Directors and above taking a 20 percent cut, and a 10 percent cut for everyone else.

The reduction in salary will continue until the end of the second quarter, the email said.

Furloughed workers will not be paid but will retain their healthcare benefits, it read.

Tesla was forced to halt production at its main car factory in Fremont, California, on March 23.

The automaker is temporarily cutting pay for salaried employees and furloughing staff on hourly pay, according to a leaked internal email sent to staff Tuesday evening

Tesla plans to resume production of electric cars at its Fremont factory (above) on May 4, said the email from the company's head of North American HR Valerie Workman

CARMAKERS SHUTTER AMID PANDEMIC Honda and Nissan also furloughed thousands of workers at their US operations Tuesday. A spokesman for Honda, which employs about 18,400 workers at plants in Alabama, Indiana and Ohio, said the Japanese automaker would guarantee salaries through Sunday after suspending operations on March 23. Honda's plants will be closed through May 1. Nissan said it was temporarily laying off about 10,000 hourly workers in the US effective April 6. It has suspended operations at its US manufacturing facilities through late April. Operations at Honda's Powersports plant in South Carolina, which makes ATVs, have been suspended since March 26. Automakers are facing a dramatic drop in sales in the US, after some states barred dealers from selling new cars while 'stay-at-home' orders are in place. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Monday extended its shutdown of U.S. and Canadian plants until May 4. Toyota Motor Corp has halted its US and Canadian production through April 17. A Toyota spokesman said it has not furloughed full-time US employees. Advertisement

Its solar panel factory in New York also closed and at the Nevada Gigafactory the workforce shrank by 'more than 75 percent.'

Most workers were placed on paid leave but the leaked email shows workers will now be furloughed and not receive any pay.

The email advises staff to seek unemployment benefits.

Any workers who are sick or 'uncomfortable coming to work' are also encouraged to stay home.

The company will 'respect your decision and you will not be penalized', according to the email.

Musk, who was not referenced in the communication, is known for having notoriously high expectations of his staff.

He has come under fire on several occasions over allegations that his workers are not allowed to take sick days and are expected to spend all their time focused on 'the mission'.

In 2015, he was slammed when he reportedly disciplined an employee for missing a company meeting because he was attending the birth of his child.

Another employee blew the whistle saying that when he asked Musk if he could leave to see his family, he was told he was 'definitely not on board with Tesla's mission and values.'

The move comes just one month after controversial boss Elon Musk dismissed mounting fears over the outbreak as 'dumb'

In the Tesla 'Anti-handbook handbook', leaked in February, employees are told that they must use their 'Paid time off' if they have accrued it for sick leave - otherwise they will go unpaid.

The move to cut pay and furlough staff comes as Musk has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the global health crisis.

On March 6, as the world watched the global outbreak unfold, the outspoken boss took to Twitter to dismiss growing fears as 'dumb'.

'The coronavirus panic is dumb,' Musk tweeted.

His flippant comment came the same day the US death toll from coronavirus rose to 17.

Later in the month, he then sparked outrage for a Tweet many deemed irresponsible where he said children were 'immune' the virus.

'Kids are essentially immune, but elderly with existing conditions are vulnerable. Family gatherings with close contact between kids & grandparents probably most risky,' he tweeted on March 19.

The controversial CEO seemed to backpedal on his flippancy just days later when he pledged to reopen Tesla's New York factory 'as soon as humanly possible' to help make and distribute ventilators for the hard-hit state.

'Giga New York will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York,' the billionaire said in a Tweet on March 25.

Musk also bought 1,000 ventilators in China and shipped them to the US, where he delivered them to a California hospital to help with the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
A section of the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway which will be connected to the North-South Expressway. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh.

A government proposal for the state to fully fund and appoint contractors for building eight North-South Expressway sections is worrisome, experts say.

The experts and several businesses have raised concerns that the proposal to appoint contractors than select them through a bidding process could undermine competition and transparency.

The government proposal made last month would change the investment method for eight sections of the North-South Expressway from private-public-partnership (PPP) projects to wholly state-funded ones.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment suggested that relevant authorities consider appointing contractors rather than select them via bidding in order to speed up work. All appointed contractors must have enough financial, technological and human resources as well as experience in implementing similar projects, the proposal said, adding that priority given to construction firms under the Ministry of National Defence.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Chung, chairman of the Association of Investors in Vietnam Road Traffic Works, argued that the government should only pick some projects, rather than all eight of the North-South Expressway sections, to be state-funded.

"For example, projects that are necessary in terms of national security and environmental protection could use the state budget. The expressway projects that are just 20-30 kilometers [12-19 miles] long could be kept as PPP projects," Chung said.

He felt that the appointment of contractors under the defence ministry should also be done only for sections that have urgent national security and defense implications.

"I lean toward the option of bidding, which would create fairer and healthier competition between businesses, but the state needs to control the issue of underbidding in price and progress made by the project," Chung said.

Economist Ngo Tri Long also supported the option of selecting domestic contractors via bids even if the expressway sections are to be built using the state budget, because it would be more transparent and in line with the Law on Public Investment.

"If contractors are appointed then many people would be concerned about interest groups. I think it's unlikely that the National Assembly would concur with this proposal," he said.

To speed up the bidding process, Long suggested speeding up the approval of procedures and using more appropriate criteria to shorten contractor selection. If contractors are appointed instead, it should be done in accordance with the law and the appointed contractor must meet the criteria for construction capacity, financial capacity, experience and there must be no unfair prioritization, he said.

Vu Duc Nhan, deputy general director of the Phuong Thanh Company, said contractor selection via appointment can be completed in just three months, cutting down the selection time by two-thirds compared to selection via bidding.

However, he noted that this would reduce competitiveness and transparency and create more pressure for state agencies in later stages of project implementation.

State agencies therefore need to come up with criteria for contractor selection and grade contractors' capacities, then appoint the contractor with the highest grades as they had done for projects to renovate National Highway 1, he said.

Nhan also said that the proposal to prioritize appointing companies under the defence ministry was unfair for other companies because the North-South Expressway was not a project for national security and defense.

"Companies under the Ministry of National Defence and civil contractors are all equal before the law, and a more capable contractor should receive more of the work," he said.

"Each method, either appointment or bidding, has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most important thing is that the procedures need to be completed quickly to shorten the investment preparation time. The procedures for selecting investors for the North-South Expressway project in the past have taken far too long."

Use existing shortlist

Le Duc Tho, deputy general director of construction firm Cienco4, said that the Transport Ministry has already completed the preliminary round of contractor selection for many expressway projects, with the shortlist including many transport companies with high capacity that have participated in many build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects including expressways.

Should the government's proposal be approved, the shortlisted contractors could be appointed to participate in the North-South Expressway project, he said.

However, Tho also stressed that since the North-South Expressway was not a "national secret," the contractor selection needs to be done via public bidding to ensure competitiveness between contractors.

The government's proposal to convert the North-South Expressway's sub-projects from PPP projects to state-funded projects is still awaiting approval from competent authorities, according to a transport ministry representative.

The representative also stressed that prioritizing appointing construction firms under the defense ministry is a separate suggestion from the planning ministry, and the contractor selection method post-conversion must still be in accordance with the law.

The eight expressway projects affected by the proposal are part of 11 North-South Expressway sections, work having begun on the three remaining sections, all state funded.

Last year, the transport ministry had tried to find foreign investors for the eight projects, but very few passed the qualification round, which meant low competition between bidders. The ministry then decided that only domestic investors would be allowed in these projects to "ensure national security and expand Vietnamese firms capability in constructing infrastructure."
Is the COVID-19 virus the result of a plot by the Chinese to bring down the United States?

Or is it a plot by the United States to punish China?

Knowing that some of us are prone to believe such alarmist reports, there are those who spend their time making up and spreading far-fetched conspiracy theories.

They are people like Nick Body, a fictional Rush Limbaugh-type who lives in Charlotte. He stirs up his podcast listeners with tales of child abduction and other offbeat alarms and somehow makes a good living from these malicious efforts to influence and mislead.

Body is a major character in A Conspiracy of Bones, the 19th and latest novel by Charlotte-based and New York Times best-selling author Kathy Reichs. Her series of Temperance Brennan novels were the basis of the long running Bones series. Brennan, a brilliant forensic anthropologist uses her dead-body-examining skills to solve complicated and deadly crimes.

The new books evil character, Body, would claim that the epidemic we are experiencing in real life is the result of some carefully contrived plot by the Chinese, the Russians, or our government.
From how the symbiotic relationship between migrant workers and the economy must be acknowledged when the lockdown ends and why normalcy may not return in businesses such as airlines and hotels for an extended period to the role policymakers must play in the long-drawn-out recovery process, here's a selection of Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day.

If the government sees its priority as saving all jobs or protecting all workers, with employers given no flexibility, then it should agree to pay for a part of the wage burden till normalcy returns, says the top edit. Click ...
New Delhi: Young Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal on Wednesday (April 8, 2020) saluted hundreds of corona warriors for their greatest service to the mankind and thanked PM Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Radha Krishna Mathur for their leadership and guidance in containing the coronavirus pandemic in the Union Territory.

In a letter dated April 7, 2020, the young Ladakh MP expressed his gratitude to hundreds of corona warriors including doctors, paramedical staff, police and other employees of the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh who have displayed unflinching dedication in continuing the spread of the deadly virus.

You all have carried out your responsibilities with tremendous risk to your personal safety which shows your courage and selflessness. Your efforts have been in tune with the compassion taught to us by the Buddha, Namgyal said in his letter.

Heres what he wrote in the letter addressed to all corona warriors of Ladakh

APPRECIATION MESSAGE

Thank You All The Corona warriors of Ladakh

It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction that the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully contained in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

I, on behalf of my people, bow my head in gratitude to hundreds of Corona warriors including Doctors, Paramedical Staff, Police and other employees of the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh who have displayed unflinching dedication. You all have carried out your responsibilities with tremendous risk to your personal safety which shows your courage and selflessness. Your efforts have been in tune with the compassion taught to us by the Buddha.

Each citizen of our trans-Himalayan territory has risen to the occasion as a soldier. It is the first major challenge that we have faced after Ladakh becoming a Union Territory and standing together as one, we are courageously standing up toward off all its ill-effects.

Credit goes in equal measure to the timely, sensible and effective leadership provided by Hon'ble Lt. Governor Shri Radha Krishna Mathur Ji, both the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, Senior Officers, District Magistrates and Superintendents of police all the officials and the public representatives of grassroots level of our two Districts --- Leh and Kargil.

All religious, social, political and non-government organisations have pursued the goal of ensuring the health and safety of the people at large with exemplary unity and cooperation.

The manner in which all of us have dealt with the signs of COVID-19 in the containment areas of Chushot Gongma, Sankoo and Sanjak in particular is reassuring and worth emulating elsewhere. It successfully halted a least expected sharp rise in cases which was noticed for a brief period.

I assure the Corona warriors and my people of Ladakh that your contribution to the wider cause of humanity is being widely noticed and applauded in the rest of the country which itself is fully geared up while meeting the threat posed by the virus.

We, the people of Ladakh, are ever grateful to the Honble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, for meeting our demand of a Union Territory status, are warmly responding to his call for social distancing and lockdown. Our faith in the most dynamic, visionary and undisputed leadership of Shri Narendra Modi Ji has been further strengthened and visibly manifests itself in dutifully following his strategy on meeting a most serious threat of our times.

Together we shall overcome Hum Honge Kamyab! Privileged to be sitting on the roof of the country Ladakh is determined to become a beacon for the rest of the country with its unity, humility, courage and compassion at this time of crisis.

With sincere and utmost gratitude,

(JAMYANG TSERING NAMGYAL)

This came as the total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus surged to 5,194 and the death toll touched 149 on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Out of the total cases, 4643 are active, 401 individuals have recovered and discharged from the hospital, one person migrated to another country and 149 people succumbed to the disease. Amongst the total affected people, 70 are foreign nationals.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with a total number of positive cases rising to 1018, followed by Tamil Nadu which has 690 cases, according to the Health Ministry.

The national capital appeared to be fast catching up with 576 total cases so far and nine deaths, as the Aam Aadmi Party government plans to go for random testing at all hotspots in the city.

Besides the two worst-affected states, total cases reported in Telangana stood at 364, Kerala (336), Uttar Pradesh (326), Rajasthan (328), Andhra Pradesh (305), Madhya Pradesh (229), Karnataka (175), Gujarat (165), Jammu & Kashmir (116), Punjab (91), West Bengal (99), Haryana (147), Odisha (42), Bihar (38), Uttarakhand (31), Assam (27), Chandigarh (18), Chhattisgarh (10), Ladakh (14), Himachal Pradesh(18), Goa (7), Puducherry (5), Jharkhand (4), Manipur (2), Tripura (1), Mizoram (1), and Arunachal Pradesh (1).

Among the major hotspots across India are Rajasthan`s Bhilwara which has successfully contained the spread, Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Nizamuddin in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra and Kasargod in Kerala among others.
In 2010, G.G.S of Leeds, Alabama, submitted a post to the Birmingham News Good Neighbors section in search of one thing: a cast-iron muffin pan.

It had to have handles on both sides, make six run-of-the-mill muffins and enough space on each of those ends to avoid burning tender finger pads. The soon-to-be-baker left her phone number and waited.

Four people, scattered throughout middle-Alabama, responded letting G.G.S know that they could purchase just what they needed from the Old Time Pottery store or Cracker Barrel. And one replied, I have a cast iron muffin pan that I will sell. It is a vintage pan and sounds like the one that G.G.S. wants. She may call me.

Ten years later, Southerners are still helping each other out, but today calling each other is the only option.

Southerners, with their Sorry, Im a hugger, brand have struggled to adjust to the stuffy confinement of their suburban homes, and the number of COVID-19 cases are stacking up like butter-soaked pancakes on a Saturday morning. We, as a people, dont seem to be made for the level of disconnect were experiencing today.

And how does one, raised by a southern mother, ask someone in the nestled line at Winn-Dixie to step back  to back away for fear of what someone else might be carrying?

Its just plain uncomfortable, said Angela Stowe, director of the UAB Student Counseling Services. At the heart of our humanity, we want to be liked and accepted and we want to belong. Our roots have taught us to be polite, and we dont want to be the person drawing attention for not being that," she said.

Being impolite isnt an irrational fear considering the states molasses-like speed toward social distancing. Less than a week ago  with just under 1,000 confirmed cases of the virus  dozens of boats were resting heavily on the shore of Robinson Island in Orange Beach, Alabama, while their owners *clinked* ice-cold beverages, according to previous reporting from AL.com. Its almost impossible to not seem like the over-protected hypochondriac if the majority of your city thinks the whole situation is a bunch of hoop-la.

This is completely unprecedented, Stowe said. Our brains and experiences have nothing to compare what we are going through to and trying to wrap our minds around this is almost impossible.

How does a Southerner, raised on hospitality and kindness, tell someone to respect their 6-foot space?

It comes down to refusing to be ourselves in some of the most iconic ways, said Sara Driskell, assistant professor of social psychology. Its helping, assisting, loving and being in Alabama  something that isnt lost after two days of a new work-from-home routine.

And most of us are looking to others on how to act, she said. Just as many teenie-boppers listened to their parents pray before Wednesday dinners awaiting their turn, more than expected in the deep south are waiting to see their groups pull away before making the move themselves, Driskell said.

Its not just friends and close-knit families wrestling with statewide orders -- some of Alabamas most hospitable people are on the job in a weird new way. The key to a memorable greeting is a sincere Good Morning," and a How are you?," said Margo Gilbert, general manager of The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa. And its all in the cadence of that question. You actually have to care how they are doing."

Now, more than ever, the hosts and concierges really care to hear how guests are doing from afar. The hotel has gone from 200% interaction to 5% quicker than they could prepare, she said, and its taking a toll on those who thrive off the connection. Thanks to the masks, Gilbert said, face-to-face communication has really become eye-to-eye communication.

When we do get to talk to people or interact now, its like, Please dont leave,'" she said laughing. They are relying on texts, emails and louder conversations so their voices carry over the 6-10 feet of space.

That space isnt always being left, though, said Stowe, an expert in communicating in hard times, and sometimes people want to make their wishes known. Think, bystander intervention, she said. Direct communication isnt unkind communication.

Stowe recommends thinking about what you want to say ahead of time to the man who stands a smidge too close in the line at Rouses. Something like, I dont mean to be the bad guy, but I was wondering if we could keep our distance so were both safe and healthy. I know this is hard on everyone, she said.

And if thats not your style, go with a sturdy distraction, Stowe said. Pretend you forgot that yeast you needed for your sourdough starter. Reconsider getting that reusable bag. Get yourself out of the situation, she said.

No matter how the situation plays out that stink eye of Mary Joe isnt going to kill you, and giving people the benefit of the doubt will keep us sane and safe, Driskell said.

There might not be the same opportunities to squeeze necks and deliver respectfully strong handshakes as there were five weeks ago, but Gilbert is looking to one positive.

On the backside of all of this, I think were all going to be better listeners. I think were not gonna stop listening to hear what others have to say," Gilbert said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The coronavirus has killed another 26 people in Ohio, according to new figures from the Ohio Department of Health.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 193 people had died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and 5,148 people had confirmed cases of the virus. Cases are in 83 of Ohios 88 counties.

Nearly 1,500 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, including 472 people who have been admitted to the intensive-care unit.

The number of people who have died and are infected continues to rise. By Tuesday, the virus claimed 167 people in Ohio and had infected 4,782. A week ago, there were 2,547 and 65 deaths in Ohio.

On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Mike DeWine announced at his daily coronavirus briefing that corrections Officer John Dawson has died from the coronavirus. Dawson was 55 and from Mansfield.

Dawson tested positive March 30. He was the second officer to test positive in the Marion prison. He worked in the control center handing out equipment to staff. He had underlying health conditions, DeWine said.

Our heart goes out to Mr. Dawsons family, but to all those families that are suffering because they have lost a love one because of coronavirus, he said.

Forty-eight staff members and 17 inmates in Ohio prisons are positive for COVID-19, he said.

New definitions

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said that in several nursing homes with confirmed cases, when other nursing home patients have similar symptoms, they are assuming it is COVID-19, without even testing.

Case definitions have changed nationally, she said.

We have a new definition of a possible or probable case," she said.

Health care workers throughout the country have a lot of experience treating COVID-19 patients by now.

We think we have a good enough understanding of what a clinical case looks like, she said.

Revised peak

Also revealed Tuesday were new projections from the Ohio Department of Health about the virus peak.

Data on its website now shows a peak at around April 19 -- with only around 1,600 new cases a day. Thats much lower than estimates of as many as 10,000 new cases a day that state officials have thrown out in the past.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said that collectively, Ohio is avoiding a worse catastrophe, by following stay-at-home and other coronavirus orders.

The state is still trying to acquire personal protective equipment and other machines for hospitals, he said.

Modeling

Acton provided more information on modeling.

Every single modeler, everyone who talks about it says we must keep doing what were doing, she said. Youre succeeding. but the second you ease back well see ourselves in an outbreak that will overwhelm our health care system.

Since Ohio was aggressive with coronavirus orders -- for instance being the first state to close schools -- Acton said she hopes the state is one of the first out.

Even before the Arnold Classic - which the state shut down - there were people traveling from places that were experiencing a coronavirus outbreak. And the disease started spreading well before any testing came back positive, she said.

There are people who are susceptible, people who are infected and people who are recovered.

If you did nothing, we would have predicted 62,000 cases at our peak, and of course our peak would have been long ago, she said.

Other models said 6,000 to 8,000 new cases a day in Ohio. Now theyre saying 1,600 new coronavirus cases a day -- because of strict social distancing, Acton said.

Acton said that shes concerned people will get lax and assume there was never a big threat in the first place. But thats not true. She said that vigilance pushed the numbers down.

What will it look like when this is over?

Life wont go back to what it was known as pre-coronavirus, Husted said, explaining some measures might still be in place to try to prevent subsequent surges.

Masks will be more common. So will be gloves. People will be reluctant to shake hands for a while. People will continue to be thorough when washing their hands.

Temperatures may continue to be checked. Tables may be spaced farther apart at restaurants.

Its a gradual pulling back on certain restrictions as we try to get society back to normal, Husted said.

Vulnerable populations will continue to have to take care of themselves and be cautious.

Outside Ohio

Worldwide, nearly 1.5 million people had been infected by Wednesday afternoon, including 85,000 deaths, according to a data tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S. nearly 403,000 people had been infected and 13,000 had died of COVID-19.

Hospital masks

There are not enough masks for prison workers, nursing home workers, grocery store workers and others.

Every mask is precious, do not throw one away, DeWine said. We now have a goal in Ohio to use a mask probably 20 times.

Battelle, the Columbus technology firm, has created technology that will disinfect masks, allowing them to be used again.

We are a long way to be able to give appropriate protection to those who need it, he said.

DeWine said that Apple Inc. donated 100,000 N95 respiratory masks to Ohio.

Religious holidays

Acton said shes Jewish and she raised her kids in that faith. Her husband is Episcopalian.

Her family will have a virtual Passover Seder tonight.

I pray and ask of our religious leaders in the state, one of the worst things we can do is congregate, she said.

Possible Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation checks

The Ohio BWC board is meeting later this week and may return dividends to employers.

Possibly $1.4 billion will go to private industry and $200 million local governments, DeWine said.

If approved, checks will go out later this month, he said.

20% state cuts

To control state spending at a time when revenues are down and costs associated with containing it are up, DeWine had previously announced he asked his agencies to slash about 20% from their budgets.

On Wednesday, he said that there will obviously have to be some exempt agencies.

I dont think anyone would want us to be in a position where youve got people who are unemployed to try to get the benefits and the system, and the system crashes and we dont have enough people answering the phones, he said.

Each department submitted their budget plans Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, DeWine said.

He said that he will start to weigh in on the plans.

As you can well imagine, the options are not good, he said.

Other coronavirus coverage:

Gov. Mike DeWine gives Wednesdays coronavirus update: Watch Live

Ohio confirms 167 coronavirus deaths, 4,782 infections: Gov. Mike DeWines Tuesday, April 7 briefing

Gov. Mike DeWine recommends releasing 167 more Ohio prison inmates due to coronavirus crisis

Coingate convict Tom Noe among Ohio inmates Gov. Mike DeWine wants to release early amid coronavirus fears

Columbus-based Battelle is at the forefront of battling the coronavirus: 5 facts about the nonprofit firm

MetroHealth projects coronavirus social-distancing measures have significantly lowered Ohios peak

Northeast Ohio animator creates hilarious Laverne & Shirley theme song for Mike DeWines coronavirus briefings
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:50:13|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects security checks, entry control and prevention measures at the Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 8, 2020. Sun, who is leading a central government group to oversee the COVID-19 epidemic control work in Hubei, on Wednesday conducted an on-site inspection on the lifting of outbound transportation restrictions in Wuhan, the Chinese city hardest hit by COVID-19, urging continuous efforts in epidemic prevention and control to maintain the steady situation. (Xinhua/Li He)

WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Wednesday conducted an on-site inspection on the lifting of outbound transportation restrictions in Wuhan, the Chinese city hardest hit by COVID-19, urging continuous efforts in epidemic prevention and control to maintain the steady situation.

Leading a central government group to oversee the COVID-19 epidemic control work in Hubei, Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, asked for no relaxation or loose efforts after Wuhan lifted its 76-day lockdown which was imposed to contain the outbreak.

Sun learned about the removal of traffic control checkpoints and measures for tracing outbound travelers via video connections at the command center of the Wuhan Public Security Bureau and inspected security checks, entry control and prevention measures at the Wuchang Railway Station.

Strict health checkups should be carried out for people who are leaving Wuhan, Sun stressed, adding that large-scale flows of people and vehicles should be averted by staggering trips.

Sun urged efforts to focus on the control work in crowded places to prevent the epidemic from rebounding, formulating specific standards and plans such as regular temperature checks and disinfection, as well as educating the public on science-based approaches to protect themselves against the virus.

The central government group also inspected the local epidemic control headquarters, passenger transport stations, commercial organizations and other places.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) will hold a conference call on Friday, May 1, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss its first quarter 2020 financial results, which will be released at approximately 6:00 a.m. ET that day.

Webcast link:

https://78449.themediaframe.com/dataconf/productusers/hun/mediaframe/37217/indexl.html

Participant dial-in numbers: Domestic callers: (877) 402-8037 International callers: (201) 378-4913

The conference call will be accompanied by presentation slides that will be accessible via the webcast link and Huntsman's investor relations website, ir.huntsman.com. Upon conclusion of the call, the webcast replay will be accessible via Huntsman's website.

About Huntsman:

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2019 revenues of approximately $7 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.

Social Media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Huntsman_Corp

Facebook: www.facebook.com/huntsmancorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/huntsman

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain information in this release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Huntsman companies' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, volatile global economic conditions, cyclical and volatile product markets, disruptions in production at manufacturing facilities, reorganization or restructuring of Huntsman's operations, including any delay of, or other negative developments affecting the ability to implement cost reductions, timing of proposed transactions, and manufacturing optimization improvements in Huntsman businesses and realize anticipated cost savings, and other financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable laws.

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Several Bay Area school districts announced Tuesday that all of their campuses will remain closed though the end of the school year as a result of the region's response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In an effort to stem the spread of the virus, six Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley issued shelter-in-place orders on March 17.

As a result, school districts in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties temporarily closed their campuses. Initially, those closures were scheduled to last two weeks but as the crisis wore on, the closures were eventually extended to May 1.

Now education officials in those counties say the campuses will remain closed through at least the end of the school year.

"The decision to further extend closures is critical for maintaining social distancing and protecting the health and safety of all San Mateo County and Bay Area residents," explained San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow.

"We will continue to work closely with school leaders and adjust our orders and guidance once the data reflects that we've significantly stemmed the spread of COVID-19," Morrow said.

While the campuses remain closed, the school year hasn't been canceled and students are expected to continue their studies remotely, using digital communication, video conferencing and other strategies in an effort to complete as much coursework as possible.

"It is important to remember that our students' learning and our teachers' instruction is ongoing," said Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke.

Alameda County and several individual school districts had already announced up to a week ago that their campuses would remain closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the year.

The county's top education official acknowledged the burden this puts on families and said that the state would eventually provide guidance on grading and graduation requirements.

"Asking parents and caregivers to take on the daunting task of supporting learning experiences that our incredible, professional teachers normally provide -- on top of their needs that many of our families have to continue their own work responsibilities or to ensure their bills can be paid - adds even more stress to everyday home life," said Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe.

Many districts have been working hard to implement distance learning plans since the first shelter-in-place order was given, but there has been widespread confusion while teachers, parents and administrators struggle to adjust to the new reality.

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.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

When Ghana Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) had their presser on 30th March 2020, the question of "who a frontline health worker is" was the most asked. The president of the association said and I quote, if you're a nurse or a midwife, you're a frontline health worker, unquote.

I was outraged by her answer. I believed she was either dodgy on who a frontline health worker was (per the government definition), or was genuinely ignorant of it. After the presser, I spoke to both the president and the general secretary of the association, and both assured me that frontline health workers as captured on the MoH's letter on insurance package referred to all nurses and midwives. I was kind of convinced even though same letter suggestively referred to frontline health workers as persons who "have been deployed to respond to COVID-19".

When the president gave his 5th address on Covid-19, he stated that health workers were to enjoy 3 months of tax-free salaries. However, frontline health workers would enjoy an additional benefit of 50% more of their basic salary. Clearly, this caveat means not all health workers are frontline workers. So, the big question is, "Who is a frontline health worker?"

Since day one of the logomachy about "frontline", I have always understood it as "persons who directly respond to Covid-19 cases --- contact tracers, isolation centre's nurses and doctors, field epidemiologists among others". As a matter of fact, the Information Minister, KON threw more light on the frontline health worker brouhaha post the president's last speech. Indeed, his adumbrations clearly torpedoed the GRNMA's president's assertion that frontline health workers refer to all cadres of nurses and midwives irrespective of where they are stationed.

For now, there is no operational definition of frontline health workers with respect to the COVID-19 crises. However, communication from government and her underlings kept giving nurses and midwives different and mixed ideas of who truly is a frontliner.

The Information Minister and the Health Minister have both clearly expressed very opposite views on frontline health workers. The latter even said frontline health workers include janitors, cleaners, orderlies, etc.

Well, most nurses and midwives across the country in various health facilities worry if they were not regarded as frontliners. Because, before Covid-19 clients get to the so-called frontliners, they might have gone through the hands of the nurse in a tiny deprived village of Kumbungu where basic amenities are a luxury.

Hence, would feel left out. Nurses who are not at isolation centres or designated for Covid-19 may even stand greater risk as they may not be well PPEed for the virus.

In the light of the misgivings about the frontline health workers, many health professionals especially nurses may be dispirited. It is therefore very important for the government to come out with operational Covid-19 definition of a FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKER to put all these cacophonous grunts to a stop. Only the official word of the government can be considered seriously as she would be obligated to live up to her words.

Until then, I will entreat all nurses and midwives to manage their expectations on any promised Covid-19 emoluments and benefits because there is so much to stress over in these difficult times. Health professionals, in general, should not get overly enthusiastic or thrown into oblivion by Covid-19 benefits but rather focus on the rudimentary measures on IPC. Let's take our personal safety very seriously with or without frontline allowance. The gift of good health is worth more than anything monetarily imaginable.

Hanan-Confidence Abdul

RN

[email protected]

Tamale West Hospital
Remember when Robert Kelly being interrupted by his kids during an interview with BBC News was a really big deal? (BBC News via YouTube)

Remember BBC Dad? You know, Robert E. Kelly, that poli-sci professor in South Korea who in 2017 was being interviewed remotely about the impeachment of then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye when his adorable 4-year-old daughter marched into his office with her baby brother hilariously rolling behind her?

Remember how stricken their mother, Jung-a Kim, looked as she dashed in to haul them out? Remember how the video dominated news cycles for days, briefly sparking conversations about balancing work and family? Nevertheless, since in this country conversations about the difficulty of balancing work and family are ongoing and thus far fairly fruitless, BBC Dad was seen by most as a blooper supreme that made everyone on the planet laugh.

No one's laughing now. In the universal coronavirus-mandated stay-at-home office, youre lucky if one of the 12 co-workers on your Zoom meeting gives you the heads-up before your own 4-year-old empties the fishbowl onto the floor behind you.

Nowadays, every interview, Skype session and conference call is prefaced by the parental warnings  participants listing the number and ages of the children who are currently supposed to be doing schoolwork/watching TV/napping/being amused by another family member but, realistically, could interrupt at any moment. Just so everyones aware.

Those of us fortunate to remain well during the COVID-19 pandemic have learned many new things about people we thought we already knew pretty well. Like, we are all stress-baking way too much. And refusing to acknowledge that no matter how young you are, overhead lighting is not your friend. (Seriously. I cannot stress the benefits of indirect lighting enough.)

Those of us fortunate to remain employed in ways that require regular tele-contact have learned other things as well. Longtime co-workers are suddenly revealed to have a wide range of pets, for example, or an alarming number of snake plants; others have, shall we say, unexpected taste in art or a nearly endless collection of hooded sweatshirts (okay, thats me  but honestly, you all should have known).

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Most important, it has also been revealed that many of us have children. Children who are not, as it turns out, theoretical or compartmentalizable. Children who exist as actual humans, outside the confines of adorable pictures  and are capable of disrupting work in ways far less manageable than the occasional request to leave early so as not to miss a parent/teacher conference.

Here they are, these children, now banned from daycare, school and college, suddenly  and no doubt to some, shockingly  displaying measurable physical dimensions, and immeasurable physical needs, including a near-constant desire to be fed while showing you a really funny TikTok right now. Children, even the older ones, who need to express their frustration, especially now, in a highly unscheduled way. Children who just want show you the latest missive from their university and demand that you promise college will resume in the fall. Or tell you the dog got out again and should they get him? Or show you this very cool ginormous bug they just found, only wait ... it was right there a second ago, where did it go?

Children who need to do all of these things and more even and especially if their mother or father is currently in a Zoom meeting.

Suddenly the BBC Dad video seems less like a blooper and more like an unexpected tear in the Potemkin village we have built at the border of work and family. You know, the one that "proves" everything is just fine  nothing to see here, parents are perfectly capable of juggling two full-time jobs on their own!  so American businesses can pretend that there is no need for things like on-site daycare, flex time, telecommuting or extended parental leave. You know, the kinds of resources that virtually every other first-world nation has had for decades?

Im really hoping that one of the silver linings of this thing is that we can all stop apologizing for having families, a television producer and mother said to me recently. I cant tell you the number of times Ive had to apologize for being interrupted even though I was working at night or on a weekend.

BBC Dad, if you remember, was mortified by his childrens on-camera incursion, and feared it would end his career as a go-to expert on South Korea. Instead, it had the opposite effect  he got even more on-camera gigs the following year and no one seemed to think he had less insight into that country's politics because he also had young children.

Kim took it on the chin for a bit, however. Many people immediately assumed  because Kelly is white and Kim is Asian  that she must be the nanny, while others were concerned at how panicked she looked as she attempted to corral her children. Concerned, it must be added, that she was personally being mistreated in some way, not that social pressures to keep work and family separated could, and do, create such palpable panic.

In fact, it was the look on Kim's face, rather than Kelly's ability to remain calm that spoke to many, in a fairly unfunny way. Working mothers, and to an increasing extent working fathers, know that panic all too well  somehow one of the 85 balls in the air has fallen and everyone will now see that we are incapable of doing the impossible.

When my younger daughter was just 3, I had to interview a very famous celebrity on a Sunday morning because that was the only time he could talk to me. So I locked myself in my bedroom. And when my daughter started pounding on the door, completely ignoring her father and yelling for me, I wedged myself under my bed in the hope that the mattress would act as soundproofing. It didnt. What the hell is wrong with that kid? the (then-childless) celebrity growled, only partly in jest.

Nothing is wrong with that kid, I should have said. She is 3 and it is Sunday morning and she wants her mother. Like 3-year-olds do on a Sunday morning. You work in theater, you must be used to tantrums. Carry on.

Instead I apologized, profusely, and wiggled further under the bed.

Now, any business that is able to remain open is also open to doing business any way it can be done, mostly from home. Homes that are shared by children, who are dealing with their own sequestration side effects and cannot reasonably be expected to pretend that mom is at her office when clearly she is in her bedroom, wearing a nice top over sweatpants and fiddling with the lamp so she doesnt look 108 years old.

A mom like that might very well need a snack during her meeting  and that snack might very well consist of Lucky Charms that then spill all over the bed, and how is that the Lucky Charms-proffering childs fault? He was just trying to be nice.

And you know what? He was trying to be nice. And there is no reason, mid-pandemic or not, why business cannot be conducted while a person also mops up the fallout of a very large bowl of Lucky Charms. Or takes a minute to tell her college student daughter, now stuck at home, where the cheese grater is kept. (The same daughter who has a big sign on her door announcing the hours she is in Zoom class because, while it may be OK for a young-adult child to interrupt an interview with a question asked in hand gestures, the thought of her classmates getting the merest glimpse of an inquiring parent is too ghastly to contemplate.)

It is OK for two things to be occurring at once because for working parents, at least two things are always occurring at once. The boss may not know it, but Mom has been doing this balancing act for years. Whether silently making a grocery list while Simpson from HR drones on in some required meeting or correcting homework during an 8 p.m. conference call, working parents have functioned this way for decades.

The only difference is that now, everyone is seeing it live-streamed.

So maybe, once this pandemic has passed and we emerge from isolation, we can all remember what we have learned: that being at work doesn't mean you temporarily don't have a family any more than being at home means that when you are there you never do any work. That workers need things like flex time, extended leave and subsidized family care.

And if those resources are not going to be provided, well, businesses will just have to deal with the interruptions. Certainly this crisis has put our previous definitions of "interruption" in perspective  when a fear of illness and potential death is what's keeping you from your place of work, ducking out of a Facetime conversation because your kid needs you to proofread an essay due at noon, which is five minutes from now, just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

Because it isn't.
Binghamton, N.Y.  Five inmates with preexisting medical conditions are suing Broome County for early release after an outbreak of coronavirus at the Binghamton-area jail.

It may be the first lawsuit of its kind Upstate; judges have granted more than 100 inmate releases in New York City, the epicenter of the states COVID-19 crisis. (Officials have voluntarily released hundreds more inmates Downstate.) And inmates across the country are using similar arguments.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar has identified the jail as a hot spot," with four inmates and six corrections officers infected. Overall, Broome County has confirmed 83 cases and six deaths, as of Wednesday night.

The inmates call their continued detention a constitutional violation, given the dangers of coronavirus spread, according to the lawsuit filed by Josh Cotter, of Central New York Legal Services, in Syracuse.

Three inmates were sentenced for crimes like drunken driving, petit larceny and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, with one awaiting trial. Cotter said. The fifth was being held on a probation violation.

Three were due to be released in the next month  including one today (Wednesday). A fourth was so poor he couldnt afford roughly $5,000 in bail after violating an order of protection against his mother. The fifth is facing trial on non-violent crimes.

All have underlying medical issues, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and irregular heartbeat, Lyme disease and hypertension, and pneumonia. They range in age from mid-30s to early 60s.

Expect more lawsuits like this across New York  and the nation  as correctional facilities grapple with how to contain the virus in confined spaces. A Broome County judge has agreed to hear arguments, via Skype, on Friday: he could release them all, or make a case-by-case decision.

State judges are being called upon to set the standards for release during the unprecedented pandemic: when does the health of an inmate outweigh societys interest in public safety and just punishment?

Cotters job is to find a diverse group of inmates to take to a judge, whose ruling will set precedent for more inmates going forward.

No cases of coronavirus have been confirmed at Onondaga Countys jails, among inmates, staff or deputies, according to spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber. The county runs the downtown Syracuse jail (for pretrial inmates), the Jamesville penitentiary (for sentenced inmates) and the Hillbrook Detention Center (for juveniles).

But it may be only a matter of time before a facility in Central New York has a COVID-19 outbreak. And that will lead to a lawsuit, like the one going on in Binghamton.

Such lawsuits, called a writ of habeus corpus, are still being heard under essential provisions of the states court system. Theyre allowed to give inmates a chance to challenge government detention. Other laws, like speedy trial and statute of limitations, have been suspended via governors order during the pandemic.

Broome County Sheriff Dave Harder indicated that hell defer to the courts as to whether inmates should be released. He expressed concern, not only for the inmates, but for 300 staff who work in the combined public safety facility.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has released 1,100 inmates across the state, who were being held in local jails under state order for parole violations. The state has said only those charged with low-level "technical violations were released.

Those releases included 18 inmates in Onondaga County jails, Seeber, the sheriffs spokesman, said.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Coronavirus: What the encouraging numbers in CNY tell us  and what they dont

McMahon unloads on unhappy golfers: Are you kidding me? (briefing 4/7)

New York state announces new graduation rules after cancelling Regents exams due to coronavirus

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind.) is calling on the State Department and Department of Justice to bring a case against China to the United Nations International Court of Justice for damages stemming from the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, joining the growing number of lawmakers who want to see China held responsible.

If Chinas leaders hadnt become embarrassed by the outbreak and tried to cover up its spread, the world may have had a better chance to prepare for this or even contain it in Wuhan or China, Banks said in a statement. Instead, we have a pandemic. China shoulders most of that blame. Rather than succumb to the propaganda and spin of Chinese officials, the world must hold them accountable for mishandling this outbreak. If the United Nations cannot even do that, it has completely lost its purpose.

If China refuses a trial in the International Court of Justice, Articles 49-51 of the United Nations Charter hold that the U.S. and other states could suspend their international obligations to China in order to force Beijing to accept responsibility, including by reversing Chinas membership in the World Trade Organization, and by suspending air travel to China.

Banks is currently circulating a letter addressed to Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to gather congressional support for his effort. He also co-sponsored a resolution last month that condemned the Chinese Communist Partys handling of the initial outbreak.

The Indiana Republican is not the only member of Congress who has called for an international investigation of China. In March, Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) and Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) proposed a bicameral resolution that called for an international investigation to determine to what extent Chinas coverup helped produce a global pandemic.

Recent reports have documented how China failed to take the threat seriously and silenced early warnings that the outbreak could turn into a major problem.

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China has also used propaganda to push a conspiracy theory that the virus originated in the U.S., which experts have called a counteroffensive and a kind of blame-shifting.

More from National Review
A total of five long-time members of the Hope College faculty are retiring this year.

This years retirees are Dr. Isolde Anderson, professor of communication; Jean Bahle, assistant professor of theatre; Dr. Edward Hansen, professor of geology and environmental science; Dr. James Herrick, the Guy VanderJagt Professor of Communication; and Dr. Roger Nemeth, professor of sociology. Nemeth retired at the end of the fall semester but has continued to work on research projects. Anderson, Bahle, Hansen and Herrick are all retiring at the conclusion of the spring semester. The five have taught at the college for a combined 152 years.



Anderson has been a member of the faculty since 2003, and chaired the Department of Communication for six years. Her research areas are pastor-parishioner communication, womens leadership, leadership pedagogy and online social support. She developed the first leadership-theory course (Comm 335) in the curriculum, which became a core course for the colleges leadership minor, and she also established the departments Liverpool May Term, now in its seventh year.

She has mentored many students in collaborative research. Her scholarly work includes multiple peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and instructional materials, and numerous presentations during professional conferences. In addition to external grants from the Great Lakes Colleges Association and National Communication Association, she has received a variety of research awards from the college, including being named a Towsley Research Scholar in 2006.

She directed the NCA Institute for Faculty Development, a continuing education for communication faculty, while it was held at Hope during the summers of 2012 through 2016. The conference was founded at the college 35 years ago and continues to be known as the Hope Conference even as it is held at a variety of institutions.

She previously taught at Northwestern University. She is also an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and from 1981 through 2003 held pastorates in Maine, Illinois and Massachusetts.

Anderson graduated from Smith College, and completed an M.Div. at North Park Theological Seminary-Chicago and doctorate at Northwestern University. She was invited to be the commencement speaker for North Park Theological Seminary in 2011.



Bahle started teaching at Hope in 1994 as an acting instructor. She has taught beginning and more advanced acting classes, Play Analysis and Play Writing, and Introduction to Theatre, and co-taught Musical Theatre Workshop.

She has been involved with the arts in West Michigan for about 40 years, primarily as an actor, director and teacher. As an actor, shes appeared in more than 50 shows, working with Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, Grand Rapids Civic and Circle theatres, and most prominently with Actors Theatre. She has directed for Actors Theatre, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, as well as for the Department of Theatre at Hope. As a playwright, she has been commissioned and has had several plays produced.

She has conducted workshops in both acting and writing, and has been, and continues to work as, a freelance talent in radio, television, film and audio books. She has also worked with adults and young people in applied acting skills for careers in fields such as business, communication and education.

Over the years, she has received grants for a variety of special theatre projects. Her accolades for her involvement in theatre in West Michigan include numerous Grand Awards for acting and directing; the 2011 Spotlight Award from Actors Theatre; and the 2015 Norma Brink Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also one of 35 area women featured in the book Amazing Women of West Michigan in 2007.

She is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Her professional development studies have included intensive workshops with the National Theatre in London, independent classes in New York City, and writers workshops and retreats in Vermont and elsewhere.



Hansen has taught at Hope since 1984, and chaired the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences from 1995 until 2001.

His primary research emphasis has been on the history of the sand dunes along the southeastern coast of Lake Michigan across the past 5,000 years. Working collaboratively with student researchers, he has been exploring the history of the dunes from as far south as Michigan City to as far north as Muskegon, with particular focus on the dune complex in the Holland area. In 2008, he received an award through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to spend the fall semester in Europe learning additional research techniques in support of his work. He is also interested in metamorphism, the process by which rocks are transformed in the interior of the earth, and has been working with other scholars internationally as well as with Hope students on a variety of projects, most recently in Sweden.

Hansen has been active in the Council on Undergraduate Research, including as a member of the executive board and as chair of the Geoscience Division. He was president of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters from 2005 to 2007, with his service to the academy also having included serving as a member-at large on the executive committee and leading the section in the geological sciences. His activities also include serving currently as president of the Guild of Scholars of the Episcopal Church.

In 2010, he spoke by invitation through the Last Lecture Series of the colleges chapter of Mortar Board, presenting The Call to Humility: A Scientists Faith.

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in geology, and completed his doctorate in the geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago as a National Science Foundation fellow. He subsequently worked with his thesis advisor as a research associate for a year.



Herrick has been a member of the faculty since 1984, and chaired the Department of Communication from 1993 to 2002. His areas of expertise include history and theory of rhetoric, argumentation, new spiritual movements and the rhetoric of technology.

He is the author of several books, including textbooks on rhetoric and argumentation that are each in a sixth edition. His book The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Religious Tradition was named a 2004 Gold Medallion Book Award Finalist by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and one of Ten Books Every Preacher Should Read by Preaching magazine; and After the Genome: A Language for Our Biotechnical Future was named Edited Book of the Year by the Communication Ethics Division of the National Communication Association in 2013. He has also had numerous articles in scholarly and popular publications in addition to presenting papers at professional conferences, and wrote entries for the New Dictionary of National Biography and The International Encyclopedia of Censorship, and has been interviewed three times by Ken Myers on the Mars Hill Audio Journal.

Herrick has served on the editorial boards of Argumentation and Advocacy and The Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, and was on the founding editorial boards of the Baylor University Press Rhetoric of Religion Series and the electronic journal The Review of Communication. He is a past recipient of research awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. He was chosen to deliver the colleges Opening Convocation address in 1994, and in 2007 he received both Hopes Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award and a faculty appreciation award from students.

Herrick holds his bachelors degree from California State University, his M.A. from the University of California and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.



Nemeth joined the faculty in 1983. He was the first director of the colleges Frost Research Center, chaired the Department of Sociology and Social Work, and was an exchange professor with Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. He has taught courses including social-research methods, environmental sociology and urban sociology; has led student study-abroad programs to Japan, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Romania and South Africa; and has mentored students through collaborative research.

His research interests include comparative and historical sociology, the sociology of religion, environmental sociology and urban sociology. With colleague Dr. Donald Luidens, he studied the Reformed Church in America for more than 20 years. He has also conducted research in Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the Philippines and South Africa. His publications include, as co-editor with Luidens and others, the books Reformed Encounters with Modernity and Divided by a Common Heritage: The CRC and the RCA at the Beginning of the New Millennium, and more than three dozen articles in professional journals and chapters.

Nemeth was named Michigans Outstanding Sociology Professor of the Year by the Michigan Sociological Association in 1989. He is a past president, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the association, which in 1999 presented him its Marvin Olsen Memorial Award for distinguished service to sociology. He also served on the national board of councilors of the Social Science Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research.

His multiple external grants and awards also include a fellowship at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii; a Fulbright Study Award for research in Seoul, South Korea; and a Malone Fellowship to study in Cairo, Egypt. He received the colleges Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award in 2012.

Nemeth graduated from Western Michigan University, and completed his masters and doctorate in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A Vietnam veteran, he served in the U.S. Air Force.
The government will buy 500,000 flight tickets directly from the citys airlines as part of a stimulus worth billions of Hong Kong dollars to the crippled aviation sector.

In the biggest package of financial support for the industry to date, firms will also be able to tap into the governments new scheme that subsidises monthly pay packets by up to HK$9,000 under a wider HK$137.5 billion (US$18 billion) package to shield Hongkongers from the devastating economic impact of Covid-19.

We recognise some sectors are particularly hard hit, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Wednesday, naming aviation among those. Hong Kong International Airport is almost closed.

Hong Kongs leader said she was saddened that passenger traffic had collapsed and acknowledged the severity of the situation faced by 75,000 employees in the airport community.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong, which runs HKIA, will fund a HK$2 billion purchase scheme for half a million air tickets, as well as buying back airport services equipment, bringing the total package of AAHK support to HK$4.6 billion.

One-off government funding is also available to airlines based on the number of aircraft they have registered in the city.

Separately, HKIA has sought a HK$20 billion loan to help fund a third runway, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

Frank Chan Fan, the transport and housing secretary, said the aviation measures were designed to provide cash flow to airlines during this very difficult time and to save the tickets for the future for when Hong Kong is going to relaunch to try attract travellers coming to Hong Kong  when the pandemic is over.

A Hong Kong Airlines spokeswoman said: The new initiatives are more significant this round and will provide concrete support for Hong Kong Airlines and the aviation sector during this challenging period. We are studying the scheme details and will consider making an application later.

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A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said: We welcome the Hong Kong SAR [Special Administrative Region] governments latest announcement of relief measures to help businesses, including airlines, during this challenging time.

David Walker, chairman of Hong Kong Airline Service Providers Association, welcomed the support but added: While these measures will bring much-needed financial support to our industry, cash outflow for airport businesses will continue to remain high and we still face very challenging and uncertain times ahead.

On hearing details of the fresh package, industry sources immediately raised concerns privately, saying the HK$2 billion fell well short  yet again  of the support needed.

If the HK$2 billion was all spent on the 500,000 tickets it would not come close to the HK$46.5 billion passenger revenue losses airlines faced, according to industry estimates.

The volume of tickets would be enough to cover the 100,000 passengers flying Cathay Pacific daily for five days.

Transport analyst Luya You, of brokerage Bocom International, said: Its nice to see Hong Kong do more for aviation, but it still seems like a drop in the bucket considering present outlook though.

The government will also give airlines one-off subsidies, paying HK$1 million for each large aircraft and HK$200,000 for smaller planes registered in Hong Kong.

A government spokeswoman was unable to specify the size categories, but using the accepted definition of widebody and narrowbody planes, Cathay Pacific Groups fleet of 236 aircraft, as of late 2019, would attract HK$198.4 million in the one-off subsidies, according to the Posts calculations.

Separately, wages accounted for 19 per cent of the airlines expenditure last year, amounting to HK$20.1 billion.

Hong Kongs airport is near-empty with the travel ban and flight cuts. Photo: Winson Wong

Hong Kong Airlines, which is close to collapse, would get HK$22.4 million for its 32 aircraft.

Aviation support firms  running services such as check-in, baggage handling, cargo and refuelling  which employ 100 people or more would get HK$3 million, while those with fewer than 100 staff were in line for HK$1 million.

As part of the buy-back scheme, firms will be able to use the equipment rent free.

On Tuesday, 367 travellers flew into Hong Kong and only 272 departed, in a new record-low since the coronavirus crisis took hold of air travel in Asia.

No queues at the departure hall of Hong Kongs airport. Photo: Sam Tsang

The government said the airports typical tally of 200,000 daily travellers had fallen on average to 2,000, with HKIA handling just 1 per cent of its normal volume, underscoring the industrys desperation.

The Airport Authority confirmed it was seeking a loan, which would help finance the latest relief package, warning it faces a significant shortfall in funds following the collapse in air and passenger traffic hitting them from aeronautical to retail and advertising revenue.

The airport continues to modernise with its expansion continuing, which includes the HK$141.5 billion third runway project.

The Hong Kong government last month promised an extra HK$1 billion of relief for the industry through waivers on aeronautical fees, as well as reductions on landing charges and other support.

Singapore's support for the aviation industry includes a wage offset scheme of up to 75 per cent for the first S$4,600 (HK$25,000) of monthly wages, as well as S$350 million in rebates and lower aeronautical charges for airlines.

The Hong Kong governments optimism in getting aviation back on its feet contrasts with a dire warning on Tuesday from one of Europes biggest airlines, Lufthansa Group, which said it would retire 42 of more than 760 of its jets, and one of its carriers, Austrian Airlines, warned pre-Covid-19 travel demand would not return to normal until 2023 at the earliest.

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The passengers are gone, but the crews remain.

Thousands of guests endured being marooned on cruise ships riddled by outbreaks of the coronavirus. Even ships that were virus-free were shunned by normally welcoming ports of call around the world.

Now those same ships bob at anchor or languish at piers, their cruise schedules canceled as the pandemic plays out around the world. The only ones aboard are crew . They, just like passengers, suffered through the spread of virus on some of the oceangoing behemoths. And they've had other issues. Some aren't getting paid anymore, but aren't allowed off the ships.

Without the nonstop party atmosphere, life aboard what come billed as floating pleasure palaces has become humdrum for those who once cooked, served or entertained.

The fun has disappeared, replaced by a mix of boredom and concern.

"At this point, I am ready to go home," said Wesley James, a music director aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sun said in an interview from the ship to which he was transferred when the guests left, the Norwegian Epic, where he had stayed since March 21. "Weve been following the same routine day in and day out."

He's hardly alone. The numbers of remaining crew are staggering.

As of Saturday, there were 52,000 crew members remaining aboard 73 cruise ships either docked or anchored in or near U.S. ports, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. Another 41,000 crew members were aboard 41 cruise ships underway close to American shores.

And that doesn't count the thousands of others aboard ships frequented by Americans scattered across the Caribbean and oceans around the world.

The Coast Guard added: "The cruise industry has an ongoing obligation for the care, safety and welfare of their seafarers."

But it is an obligation that is becoming harder to fulfill. The Coast Guard issued an order March 31 directing ships off Florida, Georgia and South Carolina with more than 50 aboard to boost their medical capabilities to treat anyone showing flu symptoms on their own. It explained that hospitals near Port Miami would no longer accept medevacs from them.

Story continues

Complicating matters for the cruise lines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended over the weekend that anyone trying to make their way home from cruise ships, whether they are ill or not, should take chartered or private aircraft, not commercial flights, in order to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That means cruise lines, instead of simply handing an airline ticket to a departing crew member, now have to line up a plane.

Princess Cruises said Wednesday it is working on a "crew repatriation plan," for its entire fleet, but until it's done, everyone will remainon board.

Carnival Cruise Lines, which now has 27 ships idle with only crew aboard, says it is doing its best to adhere. Nonessential personnel are being returned to their home cities "in most cases via chartered flights," said spokesman Vance Gulliksen. Everyone has their temperature taken daily and when they are leaving the ship.

That's because the coronavirus has taken its toll on crew members, not just passengers.

The deaths of four elderly passengers on Holland America's Zaandam garnered worldwide attention, as did the three deaths associated with the Princess Cruises' Coral Princess. Less noticed was the death of a crew member aboard Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Infinity cruise ship. And two crew members were airlifted off of Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

The CDC lists 21 ships in which travelers have tested positive for the coronavirus either while aboard or after their cruises.

Wesley James, a bandleader and trumpet player, is one of thousands of idle crew members on cruise ships around the world. The passengers have gone home. Now they are trying to get home as well. Photo courtesy of Wesley James.

Madeline Truscott, a concerned mother of a crew member aboard a Carnival ship in the Gulf of Mexico, said she anxiously awaits his return. She declined to give his name to prevent retribution and asked that the ship he is aboard not be disclosed.

She said he's confined to his stateroom. She said she doesn't know the official reason, but surmises it might be so the captain can make a stronger case for being allowed into port. Even if a shipmate were to show flu symptoms, the case could be made that isolation would have prevented its spread to anyone else.

"I think they are protecting him. I really do," Truscott said.

Though he's safe, he's not getting paid anymore since he's considered a nonessential crew member now that no passengers aboard, she said.

Carnival's Gulliksen said some crew members have moved to "non-working guest status" while the cruise line tries to figure out how to get them home. They leave their jobs with 30 days of pay or are compensated through the end of their contracts, whichever comes first. Then, continuing to stay aboard off the payroll, they get "free lodging, meals, medical care and internet service to stay in touch with family and friends."

With cruise companies strapped for cash  fuel-slurping ships, costly crews and no paying passengers  other lines are taking a similar stance.

Wesley James, the music director whose stint aboard the Norwegian Sun ended abruptly with the shutdown, said he was given a two-week severance and has been at sea without any additional pay. He had expected a free airline ticket home -- usually standard procedure in the cruise industry -- but it didn't come through and then travel became complicated and he couldn't leave. "They managed to fly around 50 Philippine crew members home, but the rest of us were out of luck," he said in an email.

Transferred to another ship, the Norwegian Epic, the combined crews headed off to Nassau, the Bahamas, where the seafarers  about 1,500 in all  sat tied up to a pier, not permitted off by authorities. There had been no reports of crew ill with flu symptoms on either ship, he said.

It's been no pleasure cruise. James said the Sun crew were given cabins with roommates, but later were assigned private cabins in the name of social distancing. He passed the time conducting band rehearsals, though much of the ship became off-limits. The gym, which was available early on, closed. Access to the main pool was shut as well.

Norwegian Cruise Line did not respond to requests for comment.

James said the wandering passenger-free cruise is finally coming to an end. On Tuesday, James said by phone that the ship was nearing Miami where he expected to disembark and be able to catch a chartered flight home to Seattle.

"We're super stoked," he said.

More: If you sailed on these cruise ships, you may have been exposed to coronavirus

More: Centuries-old laws may shield the cruise industry from huge payouts in coronavirus suits

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Cruise passengers depart; crews left to battle COVID-19
CASS COUNTY, MI  A motorcyclist was hospitalized early Wednesday, April 8, after he hit a deer on M-62.

James Craft, 42, of Elkhart, Indiana, was injured in the crash, reported at 1:23 a.m. in Cass Countys Jefferson Township.

He was riding south on M-62 near Pine Lake Street when he struck the deer. A 911 caller reported the crash before a passerby took the injured man to the Village of Cassopolis and contacted the Sheriffs Department.

Craft was taken by ambulance to an Indiana hospital. Police said it appears he was not using a helmet when the crash occurred.

Project to repair 8 bridges on U.S. 131 delayed by stay-at-home order

Deer run wild in Grand Rapids neighborhood

Motorcyclist critically injured after leaving road, hitting drainage ditch
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There are grave concerns for how coronavirus will affect members of New York's Orthodox Jewish communities because many are refusing to stay away from one another and adhere to social distancing laws.

In Brooklyn, the worst hit counties are those with some of the largest Hasidic Jewish population.

Rockland County which is 25 miles outside the city, has 13,506 cases of the virus and 135 people have died from it. The county population is 328,868 and there is a large Orthodox community there; according to The Wall Street Journal in 2014, there were 60,000 Hasidic Jews living in the county's towns.

It has the highest per capita coronavirus rate of anywhere in the state of New York.

In Williamsburg and Borough Park - two other Brooklyn neighborhoods - hundreds continue to flout social distancing rules to attend funerals for people whose lives the virus has claimed.

Both Williamsburg and Borough Park have more than 556 cases of infection and it may go as high as more than 1,600, according to New York City health data released on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the NYPD attended one funeral in Borough Park to beg mourners to stay 6ft apart or wear masks and gloves. Local reports say they were ignored.

Three counties with some of the largest Hasidic Jewish communities in New York have some of the highest infection rates. Two neighborhoods in New York City with large Hasidic Jewish communities are Williamsburg and Borough Park - both have high numbers of cases

Hours later, hundreds more piled into the street to attend a different funeral for a rabbi. They too were met by police who blared sirens, but they did not disperse.

While community leaders say it is only a small population that are ignoring public health advice, their continued gatherings are 'maddening' to lawmakers who say they are putting their lives and the lives of hundreds of others at risk by continuing to come together.

'By going to these funerals and being in close proximity to one another, they are going to condemn another person to go into the ground Ed Day, Rockland County executive

Some fear there may also be a spike as Passover, which began on Wednesday, gets underway.

It is not the first time a public health scare has sparked controversy among the communities and discussions of anti-Semitism.

Last year, when a measles outbreak tore through Brooklyn, it was largely attributed to Hasidic Jews who do not vaccinate their children.

Unlike the measles, there is no vaccine for coronavirus, some have pointed out.

'Heres the thing: A 30 percent spike in cases in coronavirus is going to mean dead people

'This is not the measles, where at least you had immunization,' Ed Day, the Republican county executive in Rockland, told The New York Times on Wednesday, calling the situation 'maddening'.

'By going to these funerals and being in close proximity to one another, they are going to condemn another person to go into the ground,' he said.

Some members of the community have claimed anti-semitism and say there is only a small percentage of Jews flouting the rules.

Aaron Weider, who is a legislator in Rockland County, has repeatedly accused Day of 'attacking' Jews.

He has pleaded with residents to stay home and save each other's lives.

Some fear the message is not being delivered to ultra-Orthodox communities.

Orthodox Jews gather for The Burning of the Chametz on the morning before Passover on Wednesday despite being told to stay home

Some of the community wore masks but others held theirs in their hands

There were law enforcement present trying to break up the crowds

A group of children gather on a balcony to watch The Burning of the Chametz on Wednesday morning

'The community is so tight knit, the message has been slow to get to this community because the community is not exposed to the media the same as others.

'People are being told to not do some things they have done their whole life.

'Some people, theres just no changing them,' Naftali Wagshal, a 35-year-old man who lives in Monsey, Rockland County, told the Times.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday, during his daily briefing on COVID-19, that he understood and sympathized with the communities and their desire to bury loved ones but that 'now is not the time'.

He is urging NYPD officers to be more aggressive in breaking up religious gatherings of all denominations, including Orthodox Jewish funerals.

Rabbis in some communities are pleading with their congregations to embrace social distancing.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with people to stay at home during Passover to stop the virus spreading

Aron Wieder, a legislator in Rockland County which is the worst hit in New York state in terms of per capita infections, is pleading with people to stay home

Ed Day, Rockland County Executive, has been accused of 'attacking' the Jewish community there by pleading with them to stay home

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said in a letter: 'As the global pandemic of COVID-19 changes life on planet Earth, there is simply no way that our holiday observance could resemble years past.

'Physical distancing, sheltering-in-place, and pervasive fears are significant obstacles to making Pesach happen at all, let alone embracing it as a time of joy and renewal.

'We need this festival of liberation, now as much as ever... our doors been closed to preserve the health of those inside.

'We can easily set another place at our virtual table.

'This year, let us throw open the technological doors to our homes to all those who may be feeling lonely or isolated or who need the connection and spiritual renewal that our seder can provide.'

Cuomo said at a press conference earlier last week: 'We are coming into Palm Sunday, Easter Week, Passover.

'I had to cancel the St. Patrick's Day Parade. You know a lot of people got offended at that, but you can't have large gatherings where you could have one or two people infecting people.

'And just because it is a religious gathering - you know, the virus is a nonreligious enemy.'

He has increased fines for individuals caught flouting the rules from $500 to $1,000 and is urging the NYPD and other local police departments to enforce them.
Plunder and Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia Receives IRE Investigative Journalism Award

WASHINGTON -- A recent investigative report revealing a massive smuggling scheme in Kyrgyzstan has reverberated throughout this Central Asian nation, mobilizing public attention around crippling graft in a poor country sandwiched between Russia and China. The impact, however, has come at a price. Ali Toktakunov, the journalist leading the investigative team, has received threats on his life.

Toktakunov, a veteran journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, received a credible death threat in February. The threat followed the publication last November of the report, Plunder and Patronage in the Heart of Central Asia, an exhaustive effort by RFE/RL, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and OCCRP's Kyrgyz member center, Kloop. Toktakunov, who had broken the story in an initial report last May, had no doubt about the seriousness of the threat: 10 days before the report was released in November 2019, his key source was shot and killed in broad daylight in an Istanbul cafe.

The Revelations

The six-part investigative report amassed evidence documenting how a powerful Uyghur family operated an underground cargo empire that moved undeclared and falsely labeled goods from China into Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and other Central Asian states, and how this network systematically funneled upwards of $700 million out of Kyrgyzstan into Turkey and beyond. It documented further how the funds were deposited in bank accounts and laundered in real estate investments in the United Arab Emirates, Europe, and the United States. The report exposes the alleged central role of former Customs Service Deputy Director Raimbek Matraimov and other Kyrgyz government officials in facilitating the system.

The Threats

The murder of Aierken Saimaiti, a key source of information about Matraimovs role in the network, left no question about the dangers associated with the investigation. Saimaiti had previously told reporters that he had received death threats because of the evidence he had.

The risks were also amply reflected in a slew of intimidation tactics targeting numerous reporters and activists associated with the expanding investigation. Toktakunov and his colleagues were repeatedly warned by intermediaries with connections to the Matraimov family to drop the investigation. One such message came from a member of parliament claiming to convey a warning from Iskender Matraimov, Raimbeks eldest brother and an influential member of parliament in his own right.

A July 2019 video posted on an anonymous Facebook page was the first in a series of menacing and defamatory posts intended to pressure Venera Djumataeva, a Radio Azattyk director and Toktakunovs editor, to abandon the report. The video, republished on several other social media accounts, alleged that Djumataeva had been given a posh residence by former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev in exchange for her loyalty. In other messages, Radio Azattyk editors were told that their close relatives in Kyrgyzstan should change their addresses; Toktakunov, who has resided in the Czech Republic for years, was warned that he would be in danger if he visited Kyrgyzstan.

In further efforts to intimidate reporters, Kyrgyz authorities abruptly announced an investigation against Ydyrys Isakov, an Azattyk correspondent in the Matraimovs native city of Osh, who began to receive a series of disturbing phone calls. Azattyk cameraman Aibek Kulchumanov was physically assaulted in Osh and his equipment was seized in an incident that local police pledged to investigate, though no demonstrable action has been taken. Several months later, the editor of the local Kyrgyz outlet factcheck.kg, which published a separate investigation into the Matraimov family's wealth, was savagely beaten; journalists with Kloop, which partnered in the investigation, were subject to threats. According to OCCRP, as many as 12 people who reported on or publicly criticized the Matraimov family over the last ten months have been harassed.

Saimaitis murder in November prompted the projects editorial team to speed up the reports release, reasoning that its journalists were less likely to be targeted if the material they possessed was now in the public domain. Accordingly, on November 21, Plunder and Patronage in the Heart of Central Asia was published.

The public response to the report was swift. A protest against corruption was soon mounted online, and was followed by demonstrations near the Kyrgyz parliament building that continued into December and drew over 1,000 protesters who chanted, Down with Raim!

The Matraimovs also reacted quickly. Members of the family filed a defamation suit in December against Toktakunov, Radio Azattyk, Kloop, and 24.kg, an outlet that published summaries of the investigation. In conjunction with the lawsuit, the bank accounts of all three media outlets were suspended by a Bishkek district court. The accounts were unfrozen after an international outcry forced the Matraimovs to drop part of their complaint, but the trial is set to proceed in April.
LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed into his second night in an intensive care unit, where he was being given supplemental oxygen on Tuesday, as Britain reeled under a pandemic that has confined its exuberant leader to a bed reserved for the very sickest.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is carrying out the prime minister's duties in his absence, said Johnson was "receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance. He's not required any mechanical ventilation."

Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, can inflame the airways and make it difficult to breathe. Some patients go on to develop pneumonia, which can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, an often fatal outcome.

Johnson, 55, has no known underlying health conditions. His official spokesman said the prime minister was not suffering from pneumonia, but persistent cough and fever. The spokesman said, "The prime minister's condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits."

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said Tuesday that the government "will ensure the country is updated" on Johnson's status. Before the transfer to the ICU at St. Thomas' Hospital in London on Monday evening, government officials evaded questions about his condition and what tests and treatment he was receiving.

Later on Tuesday, Gove said he himself would have to go into isolation at home for 14 days, after a family member began to display mild symptoms of coronavirus infection.

Asked at a news conference Tuesday evening who would make tough decisions with Johnson in ICU, Raab downplayed his role, stressing that "normal Cabinet collective responsibility" would apply.

The foreign secretary said there was "total unity" and "total resolve" among cabinet members, who had been given "very clear instructions" by the prime minister to continue with their plan to fight the pandemic.

He suggested the country's lockdown would not be relaxed next week, when the government has scheduled its first formal review of the effectiveness of its stay-at-home order.

Britain has confirmed 55,242 coronavirus cases and reported 6,159 deaths. The country, like the United States, expects those numbers to continue to surge for days and maybe weeks.

Johnson's illness has stunned Britain, sparking an outpouring of support for the prime minister and fear of what might come next.

Headlines of newspaper tabloids read: "Sick Boris Fights for Life" and "Still Conscious and Battling."

Queen Elizabeth II sent a message on Tuesday to his family and fiancee, Carrie Symonds, who has been self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms and is pregnant with the couple's first child. "Her Majesty said they were in her thoughts and that she wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery," according to a palace statement.

"I'm confident he'll pull through," Raab said, "because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter."

Raab is not a well-known politician in Britain. He lost a Conservative Party leadership contest to Johnson last summer, and he lacks the prime minister's gift of elocution, his humor and his bombast. Raab, who has a black belt in karate and law degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, briefly served as Brexit secretary under Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May. He was roundly mocked for saying he hadn't quite understood" how reliant Britain's trade was on the Dover-Calais crossing.

Johnson became one of the first world leaders to test positive for the coronavirus, on the night of March 26. He was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening. Until he was moved to the ICU, his staff maintained that he was leading the country from his bed.

"His general air of vigorousness means that many people are shocked that he should be struck down," said Andrew Gimson, author of "The Adventures of Boris Johnson."

Gimson said Johnson was "one of the very few British politicians who can enter a shopping center or mall on a rainy Wednesday afternoon when nothing else is going on and completely change the atmosphere. He has an ability to connect with people."

He said Johnson "has always regarded illness as something you work through, rather than taking to your boudoir and lying in the dark until it all passes, you carry on in a tough energetic way."

That attitude may have kept Johnson from resting more during the early days of his illness.

It is also in keeping with the outlook of his idol, Winston Churchill. In December 1941, during a trip to Washington, Churchill had a minor heart attack. His doctor told him he was just overworking. Churchill continued on his way to Ottawa to address the Canadian parliament.
A large-scale search and rescue operation is under way off the coast of East Sussex.

Coastguard, lifeboats and rescue teams are being assisted by police and Border Force.

The nature of the incident is not known, though it comes amid a surge in attempts by migrants to cross the dangerous waters of the English Channel.

Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive day that migrants have been stopped while attempting to cross.

This increase of migration has been prompted by the improving weather and desire to escape migrant camps in France which have been infected by the coronavirus.

At least three migrants in camps across Calais and Dunkirk - where around 1,500 are living in squalor - have reportedly been diagnosed with coronavirus.

To make matters worse, a number of the associations set up to help migrants in the camps in France have been shut down due to the coronavirus.

There are fears that the poor, cramped conditions in the camps will cause the virus to spread quickly among their inhabitants.

Four migrants found near Hastings are pictured aboard a RNLI lifeboat after they were picked up off the coast of East Sussex having crossed the English Channel

The number of migrants making the journey across the perilous Channel waters have increased in recent days as the weather improves, and cases of the coronavirus are discovered in migrant camps in France. Pictured: authorities help migrants ashore near Hastings

Authorities helping migrants ashore could be seen not wearing PPE equipment to protect themselves from the coronavirus, despite reports of cases in the migrant camps in France

A helicopter is assisting with the operation off the warm south east shores, where temperatures today have been expected to surpass 20 degrees Celsius.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard said: 'HM Coastguard is currently coordinating a search and rescue response to an incident off East Sussex, working with Border Force, Sussex Police and other partners.

'We have sent RNLI lifeboats from Hastings and Rye Bay, coastguard rescue teams from Rye Bay, Bexhill, Langdon Battery and Hastings, Border Force vessel Hunter and the coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lydd.

'We are committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.

'HM Coastguard is only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.'

Pictured: A migrant boat was found by authorities on the shores near Hastings. On Tuesday, more than 70 migrants tried to cross the English Channel, marking the fifth consecutive day migrants have been stopped attempting to cross

HM Coastguard said it is 'only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities'

On Tuesday, more than 70 migrants tried to cross the English Channel, despite lockdown measures remaining in place in the UK, the Home Office said, while a total of 65 asylum seekers were also stopped over the weekend.

Latest figures show there have been more than 55,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, while 7,095 people have died.

A total of 63 individuals in four boats were intercepted and brought to the UK while another nine were taken to France.

However, the MailOnline confirmed earlier today that none of the migrants stopped since the outbreak of coronavirus have been tested for the coronavirus.

Instead, the Home Office says it will observe asylum seekers for symptoms of the virus and isolate those were necessary, despite reports that some of those living in migrant camps in France have been infected with the deadly virus that has now killed over 7,000 people in the UK alone.

Migrants have today been stopped crossing the Channel to Britain for a fifth consecutive day. Pictured: Border Force officers bring migrants into the Ports of Dover on Wednesday

Border Force officers stopped 70 migrants crammed in four small boats on Tuesday, bringing the total number caught this week to more than 130. Pictured: Border Force officers bring migrants into the Ports of Dover on Wednesday

But rather than test asylum seekers, the Home Office say they will instead be examined by nurses and doctors for any symptoms of Covid-19.

How are migrants dealt with when they arrive in the UK? The Home Office say that when migrants are stopped in the Channel and brought into the UK they are first assessed to see if they have any medical need. Those who arrive in Dover are taken to a special intake unit near the Kent town, where officers make immigration checks on those claiming asylum. To be eligible for asylum, the person must have left their country and be unable to go back because of fear of persecution. Those who are likely to be eligible are moved into asylum accommodation, while those who are not, or are deemed a security risk, are moved to a detention centre, where immigration officers explore grounds for removing them from the UK. Advertisement

Any person showing symptoms will be isolated, including those in detention centres, where special isolation areas have been set up, the Home Office say.

A spokesperson said the policy is in line with guidance from Public Health England (PHE).

It has sparked Dover MP, Natalie Elphicke, to call for those attempting to enter the country illegally to be sent back to France or be put in an immediate 14 day quarantine.

Hundreds of refugees have made it to the UK in recent weeks, taking the total number to more than 630 this year.

On Tuesday, a group of 18 Iranian, Iraqi and Kuwaiti men were picked up in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).

Another RHIB carrying 13 men and two women - who presented themselves as Iraqi and Iranian nationals - also arrived around the same time.

At 5.15am a Border Force vessel intercepted an inflatable boat with 14 men who said they were Iranian and Iraqi.

An hour later another RHIB with 14 men and two women was picked up. The group said they were Yemeni, Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian.

On Monday, seven migrants from Sudan and Chad were taken in by a Border Force coastal patrol vessel at 4.55am.

They came after 53 refugees arrived on Saturday and a further 12 on Sunday.

The number of asylum seekers stopped today has not yet been released.

The Home Office said all of the migrants were taken to Dover.

A spokesperson said: 'All individuals were brought to Dover and, in line with established processes, will be assessed to establish whether there are any medical requirements. No issues reported.

'All will be transferred to immigration officials. They will be interviewed and their cases will be dealt with in line with the immigration rules, transferring to detention where appropriate.

The Home Office says asylum seekers will not be tested for coronavirus on arrival, and will instead be checked by nurses and doctors for any symptoms of Covid-19 and will be put into isolation if they are shown. Pictured: Border Force officers stopped four boats on Monday

A spokesperson said the procedure to monitor and isolate those showing coronavirus symptoms is in line with guidance from Public Health England (PHE). Pictured: Border Force officers attend to a migrant on Saturday

The majority of associations helping migrants in migrant camps in places such have Calais have shut down as a result of the coronavirus, making the situation even more desperate for those in the camps. The poor, cramped conditions make infection more likely

'In line with Public Health England guidance, Border Force and all operational staff have the relevant personal protective equipment available to them.'

Last week it emerged that at least three migrants in camps across Calais and Dunkirk - where around 1,500 are living in squalor - had been diagnosed with coronavirus, sparking fears the disease could be spreading like wildfire in the settlements.

Dover's Conservative MP, Natalie Elphicke, is one of those to raise concern.

She said: 'France's lockdown means people need permission just to walk the dog. So how come hundreds of migrants can still pile into small boats and illegally motor into Britain?

Dover's Conservative MP, Natalie Elphicke, is one of those to raise concern about the spread of coronavirus among migrant camps in France

'We know that the coronavirus has infected the French camps.

'The French have been paid tens of millions of pounds to stop these dangerous journeys being made - it's vital the Home Office make the French honour their obligations in order to stop the further spread of the virus into Britain.

'I have long said that anyone seeking to break into Britain should be immediately returned to France.'

She added: 'Given the public health risk, anyone arriving who is not returned must be immediately quarantined for 14 days to protect public health - and safeguard the Port of Dover's vital role in supplying the nation with food and medicines.'

Tony Eastaugh, Home Office director for crime and enforcement, said: 'These crossings are facilitated by criminals. We are doing everything in our power to bring them to justice and stop this illegal activity.

'We are working around the clock with the NCA and French law enforcement agencies to arrest and dismantle organised crime gangs. Since January 2019, 110 people smugglers have been convicted and imprisoned and over 155 people who arrived on small boats have been returned.

'And that's not all, there are now extra patrols on French beaches, drones, specialist vehicles and detection equipment to stop small boats leaving European shores.'
The Winnipeg Free Press is tracking the status of COVID-19 in Manitoba, as reported by provincial health authorities.

The Winnipeg Free Press is tracking the status of COVID-19 in Manitoba, as reported by provincial health authorities.

Note: The number of daily and active cases in the charts below display positive PCR test results. Thousands of COVID-19 tests are in laboratory backlogs awaiting processing, and many Manitobans are now being directed to do rapid antigen testing, which is not included in these numbers. As a result, the active and daily case numbers below are estimated to be much lower than actual cases in the community.

Proportion of positive tests

The percentage of PCR tests that are positive -- referred to as the positivity rate or test positive proportion by the province -- shows the infection rate among those tested for the virus. This is another indicator for the extent of infections within Manitoba.

A higher positivity rate suggests that the virus is more widespread in the population.

However, in January 2022, the provincial government changed eligibility for PCR tests, so not all symptomatic individuals qualify for one. Many individuals are given rapid tests, and return for PCR testing only if their rapid test is positive and they meet certain qualifications.

As a result, test positivity on this chart does not necessarily represent the spread of the virus in the community, but rather test positivity among a subset of the population who qualified for PCR testing.

COVID-19 vaccinations

(Editor's note: Our chart displaying vaccine uptake in Manitoba's health districts is currently out for maintenance.)

Cases across Manitoba

Case rates in Manitoba

Another important statistic is per capita value, which helps compare a value among groups of different sizes.

Generally speaking, more populous areas will have more tests, positive cases and deaths simply because there are more people. To effectively compare areas with different populations, we determine how many tests, cases and deaths there are for each person in the area. "Per capita" means "per person."

Per-capita data is usually reported "per 100,000" to avoid using tiny decimal values.

COVID-19 across Canada

Charts provided by The Canadian Press update weekly.
Over a decade ago, Alabama used federal grant funds to purchase 80 ventilators as part of its preparations for a potential influenza pandemic. But the ventilators went bad over the ensuing years and no money was ever allocated to replace them.

So when COVID-19 hit earlier this year, the state was left without a ventilator stockpile, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health and a review of departmental documents by AL.com.

According to a 2009 ADPH document called Alabama Healthcare Disaster Planning Guide, Alabama had a cache of Pandemic Influenza (PI) Supplies at that time that included 80 ventilators that it planned to distribute to hospitals across the state.

Asked about the current status of the lifesaving medical devices, Dana H. Billingsley, assistant general counsel for the ADPH, provided a statement on March 26 that stated that "the 80 ventilators have exceeded their useful live (sic) and have been pulled from service."

Asked for more detail about what happened to the ventilators and the state's current supply, Billingsley on Saturday provided another statement to AL.com.

"Although no subsequent funds were made available to maintain the ventilators, individual hospitals maintained the ventilators which they housed," the statement said. "With or without maintenance, ventilators have a useful live (sic) expectancy which generally is less than 10 years. The ventilators simply aged out and no funds have been made available to replace them."

PPE shortage

Alabama also stocked up on personal protective gear (PPE) and other items in preparation for a potential influenza pandemic, according to the 2009 ADPH document.

ADPH resources that have been stockpiled include: 1,000,000 surgical masks, 400,000 N95 masks, 500,000 antiviral treatment courses, 200,000 syringes, 100,000 biological hazard kits, 2,000 body bags, 80 ventilators  general clinic supplies, EP team go-kits, lab specimen collection kits, and Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and PI federal assets," the document stated.

But the department did not fully maintain that stockpile over the ensuing years, according to Billingsley.

The department did distribute 1,000,000 surgical masks, 400,000 N95 masks and 100,000 biological hazard kits to hospitals nursing homes and licensed EMS providers last month, according to the March 26 statement. "EP team go-kits, lab specimen collection kits were distributed for use during this emergency," Billingsley wrote, and "Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and PI federal assets were received and distributed" last month.

Plus, "general clinic supplies" and 2,000 body bags remained available for distribution as of March 26, according to the statement.

But when the coronavirus came to Alabama earlier this year, the state did not have enough PPE for hospitals and other health care providers.

"ADPH maintains a minimal stockpile of PPE for public health use. At this time, we are not able to provide PPE to our partner agencies," the department wrote in an FAQ document that was removed from the department's website after AL.com inquired about it last month. "If anything changes, ADPH will make our partners aware. If PPE is needed by other state or local agencies, hospitals, physicians, other providers, and the public, it is our recommendation that they follow their normal procurement procedures to acquire them."

The ADPH claimed in the March 26 statement that the document  which was still posted on the ADPH website as of March 23  no longer reflected the situation on the ground.

"The referenced FAQs document is an outdated document from February 27, 2020 that is not linked anywhere on ADPHs website and has thus been removed," the statement said.

"ADPH received an EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] under which it was able to distribute some PPE that had passed its expiration date but had been tested and demonstrated to still be protective by the FDA. That PPE has been distributed to hospitals, nursing homes and licensed EMS providers. ADPH continues to seek additional PPE on the open market, as well as from federal authorities."

In the Saturday statement, the ADPH provided more specifics about what the department is doing to source additional protective gear.

"The Governor has established an Asset Work Group of agency heads from multiple state agencies as well as private industry to seek vendors with medically appropriate PPE which can be purchased. The Asset Work Group is also evaluating products being offered for sale to the state for medical appropriateness," the statement said.

"Unfortunately, there is currently little PPE available on the market and much of what is being offered for sale to the state is not what it is purported to be. The Department is still seeking sources to replenish stocks of suitable PPE within the state's medical system."

Other supplies

Other supplies that were in the state's stockpile in 2009 were no longer in good enough condition to use when COVID-19 hit.

"[T]he 500,000 antiviral treatment courses are expired and unusable unless the Federal Drug Administration ('FDA') issues an Emergency Use Authorization ('EUA') for them; the 200,000 syringes are expired and have been surplused," Billingsley wrote on March 26.

As of 2009, ADPH had "purchased seven Mobile Medical Stations each capable of supporting 50 patients for seven days. Additionally, ADPH has granted funds to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to purchase three Mobile Medical Stations each capable of supporting 50 patients for seven days. This gives ADPH, with its instate partners, the capability of supporting 500 patients for seven days or a total of 3,500 patient days," according to the pandemic planning document it published that year.

That capacity has diminished greatly since then, according to the ADPH's March 26 statement.

"Due to lack of funding to maintain the Mobile Medical Stations, only one Mobile Medical Station is now available," the statement said. "Together with its in-state partners, including the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, ADPH has the current capability of supporting 200 patients for seven days, for a total of 1400 patient days."
Oil futures rise on hopes of production cuts FILE PHOTO: A maze of crude oil pipes and valves at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil futures strengthened late in the session on Wednesday, buoyed by hopes that OPEC and its allies will strike a production cut agreement on Thursday.

Crude has collapsed in 2020 because of a slide in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic and excess supply. Brent dropped to $21.65, its lowest since 2002, on March 30.

Thursday's video conference meeting between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia - a group known as OPEC+ - was expected to be more successful than their gathering in March, which ended in a failure to extend supply cuts and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

"The pressure is enormous on these countries to cut," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures group.

Market sentiment rose on expectations a deal could be reached after media reports suggested Russia would cut its output and Algeria's energy minister said he expected a "fruitful" meeting.

Russia is ready to cut its oil output by 1.6 million barrels per day, TASS news agency reported, citing an unnamed Energy Ministry official the day before the online conference.

"The meeting will undoubtedly be fruitful in order to rebalance the market through measures we will take tomorrow," Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab, also OPEC president, told Algerian state news agency APS.

A group of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday that economic and military cooperation between the two countries is in jeopardy unless the kingdom helps stabilize prices by cutting crude output.

While OPEC sources have said a deal to cut production is conditional on participation of the United States, doubts remain as to whether Washington will contribute.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy said the country's output was declining without government action.

Brent crude <LCOc1> settled up 97 cents, or 3%, at $32.84 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude <CLc1> rose $1.46, or 6.2%, to settle at $25.09 a barrel.

Story continues

The benchmarks pared some gains, with Brent turning negative briefly, after U.S. government data showed crude inventories last week soared by a record 15.2 million barrels, even as production was cut by 600,000 barrels per day to 12.4 million bpd. [EIA/S]

U.S. crude inventories rose as refiners slashed runs and the delivery hub for WTI at Cushing, Oklahoma, posted a record weekly build of 6.4 million barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. [EIA/S]

(Additional reporting by Alex Lawler and Jane Chung; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
The newly appointed head of a Queensland Health innovation arm will have a delayed start in the role after a personal request from the United Nations head to stay on as its medical director amid COVID-19 response efforts.

Jillann Farmer.

Dr Jillan Farmer, who grew up in Rockhampton, took up the UN position in 2012 after working as a clinical doctor, medical executive and leading patient safety improvements across regional and metropolitan hospitals at a state and federal level.

She was due to start as the head of Clinical Excellence Queensland, which focuses on new care systems, in May but will now begin in June.

In her role at the UN, Dr Farmer functions in an oversight role for the organisations troops deployed on peacekeeping missions and was at the helm of its response to other major global disease outbreaks including Ebola and Zika.

Dr Farmer has been a wonderful contributor to the work of the United Nations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Id like to thank Dr Farmer for her work and Id like to thank Queensland Health for allowing her to stay here a little longer.
Harry Potter creator JK Rowling paid an emotional tribute to actor Alan Rickman in a social media post recently. Rickman played fan-favorite Snape in all eight of the Harry Potter films. In 2016, Rickman passed away at 69 after suffering a minor stroke, which led to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

A Harry Potter fan recently reminded Rowling of Rickman, prompting emotional words from the acclaimed author.

A Twitter user wrote, "Tonight in Italy they air Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 2. As always, Im NOT ready to say goodbye to Severus Snape Loudly crying face Thank you @jk_rowling for this unique character and for convincing Alan Rickman to portray him - we had the perfect Severus Snape (sic)."

In response, Rowling wrote, "In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience. At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan."

In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience. At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan. https://t.co/qC3xxmwz3d J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 7, 2020

Recently, amid the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Rowling had shared a post on her Twitter account, showing techniques she used to overcome the symptoms of Covid-19 after two weeks of illness.

Please watch this doc from Queens Hospital explain how to relieve respiratory symptoms. For last 2 weeks I've had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven't been tested) & did this on doc husband's advice. I'm fully recovered & technique helped a lot.https://t.co/xo8AansUvc via @YouTube J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 6, 2020

Rowling had also announced that Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the first book in the series about the boy wizard, will be available for free worldwide as an ebook and audiobook throughout April, as part of an initiative to help parents, carers and teachers entertain housebound children.

Read: Harry Pottering Around at Home? JK Rowling to Rescue Bored Kids in Lockdown

Follow @News18Movies for more
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BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 /As brokers in international health insurance, the team at International Citizens Insurance ( https://www.internationalinsurance.com/) works with thousands of expatriates and international citizens every month. Recently, clients are more concerned than ever and, as a result, an agent's job has become more important than ever. Advising clients on Coronavirus and international insurance coverage and answering their questions is crucial at this time. Is the Coronavirus covered? Is COVID-19 testing covered while abroad? How do I get access to testing? Here are some answers.To be clear - International Health Insurance plans are not the same as Travel Insurance Plans. Travel Insurance plans are designed for short term emergency coverage and insure trip costs or lost luggage. International Health Insurance plans provide comprehensive medical benefits and are annually renewable, sometimes for life. Therefore, it is important that clients pick the right plan from the start. "An agent is crucial in the process of choosing an insurer and finding the right coverage for your specific needs" reports Joe Cronin, President at International Citizens Insurance. "An expert broker can answer your questions about global health plans - even some you may not realize you had." The below guidance is related to International Health Insurance plans.Is COVID-19 Covered with an International Health Insurance PlanThe first question: Is Coronavirus, or COVID-19, covered in a global health plan? The short answer is yes. The safe answer is probably. If you are covered and get sick, most major plans will treat the illness as any other illness. The insured will be covered for the Coronavirus in the same way she would be treated for the flu or a cold. As long as she purchased a plan with inpatient and outpatient coverage, the plan should cover COVID-19 treatment. The best answer is to check with an agent, the insurer, or review the terms of the policy to be sure. Here is Cigna Global's policy from their website: "Cigna medical plans cover medically necessary claims related to infectious diseases and medical conditions per the terms of the medical plan." (Source: https://www.cignainternational.com/coronavirus-updates.html) Will Global Insurance Plans Cover Coronavirus TestingSecond: Will a Global Health Insurance plan cover testing? Again, most companies will cover this benefit. However, they will most likely require that the client have a doctor certify symptoms and refer the individual to be tested. Most plans will not cover a test if the insured is asymptomatic. GeoBlue, as an example, provides "coverage, with no cost-share, for diagnostic testing for the virus, known officially as COVID-19, consistent with U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines." (Source: https://about.geo-blue.com/crisisalert/covid19-members) How to Access Doctors and Hospitals Through an Expat Insurance PlanFinally, a third question: How do international clients access healthcare or get a doctor's referral for testing without leaving home? A client should make sure to visit a doctor or clinic if there are symptoms. Take all precautions and get to a hospital as soon as possible. One newer option that international insurers are offering is Telemedicine. One insurer, Aetna International, is covering: "telemedicine appointments for any reason, without a co-pay, from anywhere in the world." (Source: Aetna) Telemedicine services provide remote access to an insurer's global network of licensed doctors by telephone or video without needing to leave home.Remember, what happens with the Coronavirus is largely up to all international citizens. There is a blueprint for reducing the spread and keeping the curve flat. Practice Social Distancing. Wash Your Hands. Wear a face-mask when possible. Follow best practices and be safe.Related Resources:US Health Insurance PlansBest Healthcare Systems in the WorldBest International Health Insurance CompaniesJoe Cronin is President, International Citizens Insurance, a leading online brokerage for international health insurance plans serving more than 1,000 expatriates every month. He is also founder of International Citizens Group, a resource for expatriates and international travelers.Contact:Joe Cronininfo@ internationalinsurance.com 877-758-4881Related ImagesRelated LinksCoronavirus and Health InsuranceExpat InsuranceSOURCE: International Citizens Insurance
This Sig Byrd column was originally published in the Houston Chronicle on April 6, 1955.

Capt. Joe McNutt, who was a Houston policeman longer ago than any man alive, still has two nightsticks that saw duty in the years when our town was policed by a total of 29 men. One of these is a New York City dress-parade billie made of mahogany and looped with a fancy braid.

But Captain Mack takes a greater pride in the other one. Its made from an oaken sill of the Capitol of Republic of Texas, that stood where the Rice Hotel stands today. The historic stick was turned by C.L. Bering on a lathe in the shop of the Bering Furniture Manufacturing Co., which was located in the Second Ward back in 1908, the year Captain Mack joined the force.

Although the oaken club is as hard as iron, the knob has been broken off the end of the handle. That happened back in the late teens on a summers night when a drunken drummer gave Officer McNutt a bad time. Ill get around to telling the story in a moment, but first Id like you to take a look at the photograph of Officer McNutt reproduced here.

OUR FINEST

A fine, upstanding policeman he was in 1908, and a strong, handsome man of 78 he is today -- still every inch the officer and the gentleman, still a credit to the department.

Captain Mack lives in a little white frame cottage at 1121 Hogan, with his daughter, Miss Joyce McNutt. His hair is white now but its still thick and bushy. He wears gold-rimmed spectacles and sometimes uses a walking cane. But when I went out to his house the other day he was out in the yard, painting his window screens.

He knocked off from the paint job and we went into the parlor, where Captain Mack told how the oak nightstick got broken.

I was standing in front of the Rice, he said, when this drummer from New York came up. He was full of fighting whisky and was trying to pick a fight with every man on the street. So I started for him. He grabbed my stick right out of my hand and threw it down on the sidewalk.

UNDER ARREST

I reckon that old oak was brittle. Anyway, he broke it and then we had it around and around with our bare hands. I never pulled my gun but he tore my shirt and broke my watch chain before I finally got a hold on him that he couldnt break.

Fred Rexter was the house man at the Rice then and Fred and I took the drummer up to his room, undressed him and poured him into his bed.

The next day, walking my beat, which was Main St. between Texas and Preston, this drummer came up to me again, cold sober. Officer, he said. I want to apologize for last night and thank you.

I told him that was all right, but he insisted on taking me down to Ed Kiams and buying me six new shirts. Then he took me to Sweeneys and bought me a new solid-gold watch chain. And two weeks later he sent me this fancy mahogany nightstick from New York. I used it off and on up until I retired from the force in 1945.

FALLING ARCHES

Joe McNutt figures he walked 150,000 miles as a foot patrolman during his 37 years on the force. After three years in harness he was promoted to day sergeant in 1911, and in the political ups and downs of the following years he eventually became captain of the humane division, with 16 mounted men under him.

Houston was a reasonably law-abiding city in the days of Patrolman McNutt. There was an occasional shooting scrape, and his arrests for drunk and disorderly averaged a dozen a night. But mostly he enforced the anti-spooning ordinance in the picture shows, and shouted: Automobile coming down Main! Hold your horses! when he heard a horseless carriage approaching. When the Prince Theater held a contest to name Houstons most popular policeman, Officer McNutt easily won the first prize of $100 in gold.

Capt. Mack, I asked, do you really believe that there was less crime in your time?

Im sure of it, he said. Juvenile crime was almost unknown. Why, in the old days, even the drunks were gentlemen. And he named a few. But I wont repeat the names here.






The Ministry of Health has defined frontline health workers as personnel working and managing the 56 coronavirus treatment centres across the country as well as those from the three laboratory institutions leading the testing for the deadly virus.



Also, staff of the National Ambulance Service have been categorised as part of the frontline health workers who will enjoy the 50 per cent pay increment announced by the government for covid-19 frontline health workers.



President Nana Akufo-Addo in his 5th address to the nation on the deadly coronavirus outbreak in Ghana announced that all health workers will be exempted from tax payment on their monthly emoluments for the next three months starting from April to June.



He also announced additional package health professionals at the frontline of the virus fight; a 50 per cent increment of basic salary from March to June 2020.



This announcement though lauded by many especially in the health sector, it has triggered discussions on the category of staff to be classified as frontline health workers.



A statement issued by the Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu on Tuesday explained the defined personnel are made up of those involved in triaging, testing and managing patients, doctors, medical laboratory scientist and others.



It said the Ministry recognises the role of quasi-government institutions in the treatment of covid-19 cases and will accordingly consider them in the package announced by the government.



All health workers involved in the above service delivery activities for COVID-19 cases will be regarded as the frontline workers, the statement said, in a bid to end discussions on who qualifies for the 50 per cent basic pay increment for the covid-19 frontline health workers.



130,345 health professionals on govt payroll



According to the Health Ministry, there were 130,345 health professionals on the governments payroll, stating the three-month tax exemption will be enjoyed by all of them.



Meanwhile, the Ministry said teams have been trained for all the 56 treatment centres in various facilities within the Ghana Health Services and Teaching Hospitals including the University of Ghana Medical Centre and Bank of Ghana Hospita

Source: 3news









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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Iran is gradually allowing people back to work amid the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, in what could be a test case for other countries attempting to balance economic revival with public health.

Restrictions that were sometimes imposed piecemeal and often flouted have slowed the spread of the virus in Iran but are nowhere near extinguishing it. Still, the Islamic Republic's leaders are gambling they can restore parts of the sanctions-depleted economy without a new surge in infections and deaths.

It's a daunting challenge, one that tightly controlled China is struggling with and which will test the endurance of rich Western nations with vastly superior health-care systems in the weeks ahead. Politicians in countries with large populations of poor workers are also likely to pay close attention as Iran embarks on a path they may well have to follow.

"It's practically impossible to have nobody leave the house," President Hassan Rouhani said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. "Some people need to go out for production, transportation and other needs."

Leaders around the world are facing similar dilemmas. President Donald Trump has openly mused about ensuring shutdown cures aren't worse than the disease, and the White House is developing plans for the extensive testing that would reopen parts of the U.S. economy, most likely starting in smaller cities and towns not yet heavily hit by virus. Denmark and Austria, among the first countries in Europe to close public life in response to the covid-19 outbreak, have announced gradual relaxations. While in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding regions after earlier avoiding stricter measures.

Iran is especially vulnerable to a protracted stoppage. Three-quarters of working Iranians are self-employed or toil for little pay in small enterprises, said Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, a professor of economics at Virginia Tech who studies Iran's economy. Many of these businesses are unregistered and so beyond the reach of special government loan packages that rely on tax registration data.

"They are balancing economic suffering and the virus," he said of the government.

Rouhani has told two-thirds of government employees and companies deemed "low risk" they can resume work gradually, as he tries to salvage what's left of an economy battered by U.S. sanctions and generate revenue for hospitals pushed to the brink.

The risks are clear. While China is lifting its lockdown of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, after all but eradicating locally transmitted new cases and reporting zero nationwide deaths on Monday, Iran is still registering around 2,000 new infections each day and at least 100 fatalities.

Some cities and provinces have declared themselves "white" -- or no longer reporting new infections -- but the situation in Tehran is still alarming to local officials.

On Monday, coronavirus task force chief Alireza Zali said the virus has reached a "pandemic stage" in the capital and that "not only aren't we at a level to control the disease but it's expanding." Restrictions in Tehran will only be relaxed in a week's time, according to Rouhani.

Restaurants, cinemas, schools, museums and shopping malls will remain closed. A ban on travel between provinces and cities will also stay, and the majority of people are still expected to remain at home.

Iran's ruling clerics reacted slowly to the growing spread of Covid-19, with the holy city of Qom where the first cases were identified left without strict quarantine measures. The virus soon took hold nationwide and has now killed 4,000 people and infected more than 64,000.

Government failings were compounded by the refusal of many Iranians to listen to advice from an establishment they distrusted.

Millions traveled during the Persian new year in late March, defying official instructions to celebrate at home. Within days, a tentative slowdown in infection rates had reversed. Stricter curbs were imposed, and the World Health Organization said Tuesday that new cases in Iran were "flattening off."

Then as Iran's working week began on Saturday morning, central districts in Tehran were again humming with commuters who squeezed into metro carriages and buses even though the city is yet to ease social distancing rules.

The pandemic is expected to add 5 million to Iran's unemployed, more than 20% of the workforce, according to a March 18 government report. Parliament's research center estimates the crisis will trigger an 18.5% contraction in the economy, which had improved after shrinking more than 9% in 2019 as Trump's campaign to force Iran into new talks on its nuclear program shuttered critical oil sales.

Rouhani, 71, has allocated 20% of the $36.6 billion budget to limit the impact of the virus, tapped the country's sovereign wealth fund for one billion euros, and made Iran's first approach for International Monetary Fund assistance since 1960, requesting a $5 billion loan. But any help will take time, and after a year of escalating military tensions with the U.S. and anti-government protests that had to be crushed with deadly force, many Iranians are losing hope.

"Living costs are pretty much the same as before the coronavirus," said 35-year-old Alireza, who runs a mobile-phone shop in Tehran and declined to give his surname. "I have to pay for food, rent and bills -- and now masks, gloves and hand sanitizer -- but I can't make the money for all of this if I stay home."

Only two-thirds of 290 lawmakers were present on Tuesday as parliament sat for the first time since Feb. 25, with Speaker Ali Larijani and at least 40 MPs and other officials being treated for the virus. As proceedings got underway, the government made its intent clear, blocking an effort from some present to legislate for a full lockdown.

The leadership has "to keep the country's wheels in motion and avoid a deeper economic crisis," Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on state television.
An online education model in Russia in which national platforms license STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses from top universities to institutions with instructor shortages could significantly lower instruction costs, allowing resource-constrained universities to enroll more STEM students, according to a new study. "Investments in online education programs could also strengthen instructional resilience of colleges when in-person delivery is not an option, such as right now, when most of the US colleges are closed to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak," says Igor Chirikov, the lead researcher on the study. Chirikov and colleagues found that exam scores remained relatively unchanged based on the form of instruction, although students who took fully online classes reported being slightly less satisfied with their courses than in-person students or those who took courses in a blended format. Universities around the world (and particularly in China, India, Russia, and the U.S.) are working to improve access to STEM degrees - a challenging goal when STEM programs are costlier than programs in other fields. To test an affordable approach to this challenge, Chirikov et al. randomly assigned 325 second-year college students from three Russian universities to take Engineering Mechanics (EM) and Construction Materials Technology (CMT) courses either fully online, fully in-person, or with online lectures and in-person discussion sections. The researchers then estimated how the online and blended formats could reduce per-student instruction costs for 129 Russian universities, finding blended instruction lowers the per-student cost by 19.2% for EM and 15.4% for CMT, while fully online instruction lowers costs by 80.9% for EM and 79.1% for CMT. These savings would allow universities to teach 3.4% more EM students and 2.5% more CMT students through blended instruction or 18.2% more EM and 15% more CMT students through online instruction.

###
BRIDGEPORT  City officials have agreed in principle to pay more than $340,000 to a local man who is shown on video being beaten by several police officers during a birthday party in his sisters yard.

The settlement, totaling $342,500 for Carmelo Mendez, still must be approved by the City Council. Mendezs lawyer, Robert Berke, and City Attorney R. Christopher Meyer declined comment pending that approval.

Its clear from the number of settlements there is a systemic problem in the Bridgeport Police Department and that is a reflection on the departments leadership, said City Council member Maria Pereira. These are not just a few bad apples.

The proposed settlement is another chapter in the largest case of alleged police misconduct in city history.

The citys Office of Internal Affairs Investigation found that 17 Bridgeport police officers and two civilian detention officers used excessive force, lied on official reports and violated a laundry list of department regulations in the 2017 Colorado Avenue incident. Two police officers cited in the OIA report, Sgt. Mark Belinkie and Officer Thomas Lattanzio, committed suicide before the report was released.

Mendezs is one of four civil rights lawsuits brought against the city by Berke for the Colorado Avenue incident. The other suits, filed on behalf of Peter Diaz, Jose Alvarado and Mendezs sister, Wanda Mendez, are currently in settlement talks.

In a letter to the City Councils Miscellaneous Matters Committee, Meyer requested that the settlement be placed on the committees agenda for approval and that the settlement be approved within 30 days to avoid interest charges.

In a civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Mendez had demanded that the city pay him $5 million after police officers allegedly beat him, denied him medical care and arrested him after breaking up a birthday party at his sisters home.

His lawsuit claimed his constitutional rights were violated by Mayor Joe Ganim, Police Chief Armando Perez and 13 police officers.

The suit claims Ganim and Perez participated in an attempted cover up.

The Bridgeport Police Department has a custom of protecting officers who utilize excessive force. the lawsuit claims. These offending officers are frequently taken to the hospital for medical evaluation to circumvent the timely gathering of evidence or statements.

Neither Perez nor Ganim responded to a request for comment.

A Superior Court judge dismissed the criminal charges against Mendez in connection with the incident after state prosecutors agreed to drop the case.

For almost two years, Ive been dealing not only with pain but also with a justice system that has not reached a conclusion on what to do with these officers who violated my rights, Mendez told Hearst Connecticut Media previously.

On Oct. 21, 2017, Mendez was celebrating his nieces birthday by hosting a costume party at the Colorado Avenue home of his sister Wanda Mendez and his brother-in-law, Fernando Morales.

At about 9 p.m., Police Officer Natalie McLaughlin responded to a noise complaint at the home.

Despite the fact that Police Chief Armando Perez evaluation characterized this as a nothing incident, officers placed a distress call with dispatch which requires that all officers respond, the lawsuit states. The chaotic events that followed involved 46 police officers, unrestrained, gratuitous violence by numerous police officers, and a failure by veteran officers to de-escalate the unconstitutional actions of officers under their supervision.

Carmelo Mendez was taking video of the incident with his cell phone.

A few moments later, after Carmelo Mendez videotaped the police aggressively pulling his mother down a flight of steps while handcuffed, several officers engaged in a ruthless beating of Mr. Mendez, the suit states.

It continues that Officer Adam Szeps then struck Carmelo Mendez and threw him on the ground. Before Mendez was handcuffed, the suit claims, Scillia punched and kicked Mendez while he was lying face down on the ground.

After Mendez was handcuffed, Scillia punched Mendez several times and kicked him again, the suit states.

While Mendez was lying on the ground, Stanitis then struck Mendez in the head several times with an unknown object causing bruising and distinct marks, and officers Hugo Stern, Joseph Cruz and Kenneth Fortes joined other officers in the beating of Mendez before and after he was handcuffed, the suit states.

The officers collectively inflicted such a brutal beating that it left a tattoo of multiple quarter sized marks on his head that resemble a police badge on a ring, and contusions over his body, the suit states.

It claims that after the beatings, Mendez suffered serious head trauma that officers failed to have treated immediately. Mendez lost consciousness in the booking area and was taken in handcuffs to Bridgeport hospital for medical treatment.

The suit states that as a result of the beating, Mendez required further medical treatment at the Veterans Administration Hospital and sustained scarring to his head, contusions to his head and body, an injury to his eye and suspected traumatic brain injury.

Defendants Ganim and Perez withheld exculpatory materials of the officers falsehoods, the lawsuit states. Despite an FOI request fielded by the Connecticut Post, defendants Ganim and Perez conspired to conceal the disclose of such exculpatory materials for several months. After learning of the false report and fictitious criminal charges, defendants failed to remedy the wrong.
Revenue from "Core" Customers Up 227% Year-Over-Year to $24.6 Million, or 82% of Total Revenue

Company Achieved Multiple Milestones on its New Strategic Plan to Accelerate Path to Positive Adjusted EBITDA, Including Substantial Reductions in Headcount and Inventory

CYPRESS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX:KSHB) ("KushCo" or the "Company"), the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries, today reported financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended February 29, 2020.

Recent Operational Highlights

Implemented a new strategic plan to align deeper with more established, financially stable, and creditworthy customers (namely multi-state operators, licensed producers, and leading brands); to significantly reduce and right-size the Company's cost structure; and to accelerate the path to positive adjusted EBITDA.

Completed several milestones with respect to the Company's recently announced strategic plan, including substantially reducing overhead and inventory, while also making progress in consolidating its warehouses and enhancing its sales approach toward smaller customers to be more profitable, efficient, and automated.

Appointed Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Stephen Christoffersen, as the Company's new Chief Financial Officer, effective April 10, 2020.

Fiscal Second Quarter 2020 Financial Summary

Net revenue decreased 14% from the prior year period to $30.1 million.

Revenue from the Company's "Core" customers (defined as the Company's top 100 MSO, LP, and leading brand customers) increased 227% from the prior year period to $24.6 million, or 82% of total revenue.

On a GAAP basis, gross profit was (29.6%), compared to 12.9% in the prior year period.[1]

On a Non-GAAP basis, excluding the impact of certain non-recurring items, gross profit was approximately 21.7% (see note below regarding "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for further discussion of this and other non-GAAP measures included in this earnings release).

Sales, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were approximately $27.2 million, compared to $18.8 million in the prior year period. The increase was driven primarily by a substantial increase in bad debt expense, which totaled $9.1 million during the quarter, largely due to the worsening credit conditions in California that have impacted the Company's ability to collect, in part or in full, amounts owed by customers in this market.

On a Non-GAAP basis, Cash SG&A expenses (which exclude non-cash expenses, including bad debt, stock-based compensation, depreciation, and amortization) were approximately $13.6 million, compared to $13.4 million in the prior year period and $15.1 million in the prior quarter.

On a GAAP basis, net loss was approximately $44.4 million, compared to approximately $8.9 million in the prior year period. Basic loss per share was $0.40 compared to $0.10 in the prior year period.[2]

On a Non-GAAP basis, excluding the impact of certain non-recurring charges and gains such as the Company's restructuring costs, net loss for the quarter was $17.5 million and net loss per share was $0.16.

Adjusted EBITDA totaled ($14.8) million compared to approximately ($6.7) million in the prior year period and approximately ($6.8) million in the prior quarter. The increase in adjusted EBITDA loss was driven primarily by the aforementioned $9.1 million bad debt expense, which the Company considers primarily one-time in nature.

Cash was approximately $11.4 million as of February 29, 2020, compared to approximately $3.9 million as of August 31, 2019.

Management Commentary

Nick Kovacevich, KushCo's Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Despite a challenging market backdrop, we are pleased with how we executed according to our plan. Net revenue of $30.1 million was down 14% year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter due to a myriad of factors, namely a slower-than-anticipated rebound in demand for our vape hardware products, following the illicit market vape crisis; a slower-than-anticipated start to our hemp trading business; and continued weakness in the California market, which has been exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the decrease in total revenue, there were several positive takeaways this quarter, including continued robust sequential growth in many of our key markets, such as Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Canada, where sales in those regions nearly doubled or tripled quarter-over-quarter. In addition, we continued to gain traction with our larger MSO, LP, and leading brand customers, collectively referred to as our Core customers. We were able to not only expand this customer base during fiscal Q2, but also cross-sell them additional products and services, with these customers on average purchasing 84 SKUs from us during the trailing twelve months ended fiscal Q2, compared to just 69 SKUs a couple of quarters ago.

"Perhaps most importantly, however, fiscal Q2 was best defined by the significant progress we made in right-sizing our business as part of our newly unveiled strategic plan to accelerate our path to positive adjusted EBITDA. The execution of this plan began in fiscal Q2, during which time we have begun rationalizing all aspects of our operations, including significantly reducing our overhead, implementing tighter expense controls, consolidating our warehouses, reducing our inventory, and drastically altering our sales strategy to focus more on growing, predictable, creditworthy, and financially stronger customers. During the quarter, we completed a 26-person reduction in headcount, which generated approximately $3.7 million in annual cash compensation savings; and in March 2020 we completed a 49-person reduction in headcount, which generated approximately $4 million in annual cash compensation savings. Since we started this workforce optimization process back in September 2019, we have right-sized our workforce by approximately 50%, which altogether is expected to generate approximately $12 million in annual cash compensation savings-an important lever that we have been able to pull to help us move closer toward achieving positive adjusted EBITDA.

"As a result of these restructuring activities, which we are planning to complete in the second half of fiscal 2020, we expect revenues to be more stable and predictable going forward, as we continue to focus our resources on our Core customers. While we don't foresee our overall growth rate in the near future to be as substantial as it has been in the past, we believe that our current growth is more stable and something that we can continue to build a sustainable business around. In fact, while our overall revenue in fiscal Q2 declined by 14% year-over-year, our sales to Core customers actually increased 227%, making up 82% of total revenue this quarter and demonstrating the overall transition in our business toward focusing more on a stable and higher-quality revenue base. Beyond ensuring a more reliable stream of revenue, we also believe that this strategic shift should help us significantly reduce our inventory and warehouse space as less stock SKUs are required, improve collections and cash flow, and perhaps most importantly, provide us with meaningful upside potential once the broader industry begins to rebound and these Core customers ramp up their expansion and consolidation activity.

"In summary, we have made major strides these past several quarters in securing a more established and promising customer base. We have now turned our focus to aligning the rest of our business, namely our cost structure, around this premier group of customers. To that end, we have substantially reduced our headcount and third-party consulting costs, enabling us to target a more than 40% reduction in cash SG&A from $15.1 million in fiscal Q1 2020 to between approximately $7.5 million and $8.5 million in fiscal Q4 2020-which is even lower than the $9.5 million we previously forecasted. The expected end result is that we will have considerably lowered the quarterly revenue levels needed to achieve positive adjusted EBITDA, namely from the $75 million revenue level needed under our previous cost structure to now approximately between $35 million and $45 million under our new cost structure, once all restructuring activities have been completed. We are ultimately encouraged by the progress we have made in executing against our new strategic plan with the benefit of also being aligned with the industry's premier operators that are just beginning to scale."

Conference Call Information

The company will host a conference call on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 4:30 PM Eastern Time.

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time)

Toll-free Number: 1-877-407-9039

International Number: 1-201-689-8470

Conference ID: 13700963

KushCo management will host the conference call and presentation followed by a question and answer session. The call will be webcast with an accompanying slide deck, which can be accessed by visiting the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.

All interested parties are invited to listen to the live conference call and presentation by dialing the number above or by clicking the webcast link available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website.

Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call or webcast, please contact KushCo's investor relations at ir@kushco.com or 714-539-7653.

A replay of the call will be available on the Financial Results page of the Company's investor relations website approximately two hours after the conference call has ended.

About KushCo Holdings, Inc .

KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: KSHB) (www.kushco.com) is the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries. KushCo Holdings' subsidiaries and brands provide product quality, exceptional customer service, compliance knowledge and a local presence in serving its diverse customer base.

Founded in 2010, KushCo Holdings has now sold more than 1 billion units to growers, processors and producers across North America, South America, and Europe.

The Company has been featured in media nationwide, including CNBC, Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, Los Angeles Times, TheStreet.com, and Entrepreneur, Inc Magazine. While KushCo Holdings provides products and solutions to customers in the cannabis and CBD industries, it has no direct involvement with the cannabis plant or any products that contain THC.

For more information, visit www.kushco.com or call (888)-920-5874.

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and the accompanying tables include certain non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect a comprehensive system of accounting, differ from GAAP measures with the same names and may differ from non-GAAP financial measures with the same or similar names that are used by other companies. The Company computes non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter and year to year. The Company may consider whether other significant items that arise in the future should be excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's operating results primarily because they exclude amounts that are not considered part of ongoing operating results when planning and forecasting and when assessing the performance of the organization. In addition, the Company believes that non-GAAP financial information is used by analysts and others in the investment community to analyze the Company's historical results and in providing estimates of future performance and that failure to report these non-GAAP measures could result in confusion among analysts and others and create a misplaced perception that the Company's results have underperformed or exceeded expectations. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, please see the accompanying table titled "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the section preceding such table titled "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking within the meaning of applicable securities laws. While these forward-looking statements represent the Company's current judgments, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and consumer and business practices. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the Company's management only as of the date of this release. Please keep in mind that the Company is not obligating itself to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. When used herein, words such as: "potential," "look forward," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "should," "believe," or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by the Company herein are often discussed in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at: www.sec.gov, and on the Company's website, at: www.kushco.com.

KushCo Holdings Contact

Investor Contact:

Najim Mostamand, CFA

Director of Investor Relations

714-539-7653

ir@kushco.com

KUSHCO HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended February 29, 2020 February 28, 2019 February 29, 2020 February 28, 2019 Net revenue $ 30,143 $ 35,176 $ 65,105 $ 60,496 Cost of goods sold 39,051 30,654 66,742 52,745 Gross profit (8,908 ) 4,522 (1,637 ) 7,751 Operating expenses: Selling, general and administrative 27,183 18,766 48,258 31,312 Gain on disposition of assets - - - (1,254 ) Change in fair value of contingent consideration - (5,602 ) - (5,208 ) Restructuring costs 7,301 - 7,301 - Total operating expenses 34,484 13,164 55,559 24,850 Loss from operations (43,392 ) (8,642 ) (57,196 ) (17,099 ) Other income (expense): Change in fair value of warrant liability 1,391 1,271 4,595 1,055 Change in fair value of equity investment (696 ) (1,128 ) (1,091 ) (592 ) Interest expense (1,619 ) (491 ) (3,107 ) (978 ) Other income (expense), net (59 ) 75 (82 ) 120 Total other income (expense) (983 ) (273 ) 315 (395 ) Loss before income taxes (44,375 ) (8,915 ) (56,881 ) (17,494 ) Income tax expense - - - - Net loss $ (44,375 ) $ (8,915 ) $ (56,881 ) $ (17,494 ) Net loss per share: Basic net loss per common share $ (0.40 ) $ (0.10 ) $ (0.54 ) $ (0.21 ) Diluted net loss per common share $ (0.40 ) $ (0.12 ) $ (0.54 ) $ (0.22 ) Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding 110,008 86,772 105,823 84,305 Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding 110,008 87,066 105,823 84,557

KUSHCO HOLDINGS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

February 29, 2020 August 31, 2019 ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash $ 11,378 $ 3,944 Accounts receivable, net 16,860 25,972 Inventory 26,423 43,768 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 13,920 12,209 Total current assets 68,581 85,893 Goodwill 52,267 52,267 Intangible assets, net 2,630 3,103 Property and equipment, net 9,390 11,054 Other assets 10,665 6,917 TOTAL ASSETS $ 143,533 $ 159,234 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts payable $ 4,743 $ 10,907 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 15,738 9,460 Line of credit - 12,261 Total current liabilities 20,481 32,628 Notes payable 21,011 18,975 Warrant liability 849 5,444 Other liabilities 5,766 833 TOTAL LIABILITIES 48,107 57,880 Total stockholders' equity 95,426 101,354 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 143,533 $ 159,234



KUSHCO HOLDINGS, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended February 29, 2020 February 28, 2019 February 29, 2020 February 28, 2019 Net revenue $ 30,143 $ 35,176 $ 65,105 $ 60,496 China tariff surcharge (2,705 ) - (5,629 ) - Non-GAAP Net revenue $ 27,438 $ 35,176 $ 59,476 $ 60,496 GAAP Gross Profit $ (8,908 ) (30%) $ 4,522 13% $ (1,637 ) (3%) $ 7,751 13% Adjusted for non-recurring air freight costs - 255 - 1,502 Adjusted for non-recurring temporary labor costs - 877 - 1,344 Restructuring - excess and obsolete inventory 11,879 - 11,879 - Purchase order cancellation charges 3,327 - 3,327 - Adjusted for China tariff impact, net (330 ) 1,397 (373 ) 1,397 Non-GAAP Gross Profit $ 5,968 22% $ 7,051 20% $ 13,196 22% $ 11,994 20% GAAP Net loss $ (44,375 ) $ (8,915 ) $ (56,881 ) $ (17,494 ) Adjusted for non-recurring air freight costs - 255 - 1,502 Adjusted for non-recurring temporary labor costs - 877 - 1,344 Adjusted for China tariff impact, net (330 ) 1,397 (373 ) 1,397 Non-recurring litigation and consulting costs 1,970 - 2,829 - Change in fair value of warrant liability (1,391 ) (1,271 ) (4,595 ) (1,055 ) Change in fair value of equity investment 696 1,128 1,091 592 Change in fair value of contingent consideration - (5,602 ) - (5,208 ) Restructuring costs 7,301 - 7,301 - Severance costs - - 623 - Loss (gain) on disposition of assets - - - (1,254 ) Stock-based compensation 3,427 4,362 8,089 6,171 Restructuring - excess and obsolete inventory 11,879 - 11,879 - Purchase order cancellation charges 3,327 - 3,327 - Non-GAAP Net loss $ (17,496 ) $ (7,769 ) $ (26,710 ) $ (14,005 ) Non-GAAP Net loss per share - basic $ (0.16 ) $ (0.09 ) $ (0.25 ) $ (0.17 ) Non-GAAP Net loss per share - diluted $ (0.16 ) $ (0.09 ) $ (0.25 ) $ (0.17 ) Weighted-average common shares - basic 110,008 86,772 105,823 84,305 Weighted-average common shares - diluted 110,008 87,006 105,823 84,557 Non-GAAP Net loss $ (17,496 ) $ (7,769 ) $ (26,710 ) $ (14,005 ) Depreciation and amortization expense 1,070 548 2,032 1,078 Interest Expense 1,619 491 3,107 978 Adjusted EBITDA $ (14,807 ) $ (6,730 ) $ (21,571 ) $ (11,949 )

[1] Gross profit during the fiscal second quarter 2020 was impacted by several restructuring activities the Company implemented to execute its strategic plan of aligning more closely with its Core customers and achieving positive adjusted EBITDA. These activities led to an $11.9 million excess and obsolete inventory write-down and a $3.3 million purchase order cancellation charge, both driven by the Company's decision to discontinue nearly all of its stock SKUs in order to focus more on custom and best-selling stock inventory demanded by its Core customers. [2] Net loss and net loss per share for the fiscal second quarter 2020 were impacted by several restructuring charges and one-time expenses the Company recognized in order to right-size its business and better execute on its new strategic plan. These expenses include a $7.3 million restructuring charge related to severance and asset impairment charges associated with the Company's recent reductions in force and the planned closures and consolidation of its warehouse facilities, which the Company expects to complete in the near future. SOURCE: KushCo Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584369/KushCo-Holdings-Reports-Fiscal-Second-Quarter-2020-Results
Several Bay Area school districts announced Tuesday that all of their campuses will remain closed though the end of the school year as a result of the region's response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

In an effort to stem the spread of the virus, six Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley issued shelter-in-place orders on March 17.

As a result, school districts in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties temporarily closed their campuses. Initially, those closures were scheduled to last two weeks but as the crisis wore on, the closures were eventually extended to May 1.

Now education officials in those counties say the campuses will remain closed through at least the end of the school year.

While the campuses remain closed, the school year hasn't been canceled and students are expected to continue their studies remotely, using digital communication, video conferencing and other strategies in an effort to complete as much coursework as possible.

Elected officials and workers from three different Bay Area cities announced Tuesday they're pushing for emergency paid sick leave ordinances to protect essential workers during the stay-at-home order due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar, San Jose City Councilwoman Maya Esparza, and Oakland City Councilwoman Sheng Thao, workers like grocery clerks, janitors, and delivery people urgently need the protections in order to ensure their family's health and their own.

The ordinances would allow for workers at large companies, defined as having 500 employees or more, to use the emergency paid sick leave if they must be quarantined, have COVID-19 symptoms, or are caring for children or someone who is sick.

The ordinances aim to build on the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, signed by President Donald Trump last month. The act requires that small- and mid-sized businesses, defined as ones with less than 500 employees, provide workers an additional two weeks of paid sick leave during public health emergencies.

Gov. Gavin Newsom reminded California residents Tuesday to take care of their mental and physical health during the novel coronavirus pandemic, especially if they're not working outside their home.

Newsom and state Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris acknowledged that abiding by state and regional shelter-in-place orders can cause people to feel lonelier, more anxious or depressed and more stressed.

Newsom said during his daily address on the pandemic that those feelings can be particularly hard to deal with for children because they may lack the words to describe how they're feeling.

Adults may also cope with stress and anxiety in unhealthy ways such as drinking alcohol, avoiding exercise or not reaching out to a friend or family member for help, Newsom said.

The state has more than a dozen hotlines for residents across the state to seek help and emotional support during the outbreak as well as once the outbreak has passed. Those services include different points of contact for different demographics, including military veterans, teenagers, seniors, people in the LGBTQ community and law enforcement officers.

The number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Contra Costa County is still going up, but at a slower pace than feared, county health officials said Tuesday.

"The numbers are rising, as we expected, but not as fast as in the worst-case scenarios," Anna Roth, director of Contra Costa Health Services, said during a "telephone town hall" meeting convened by 15th District Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks of Oakland and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond. Western Contra Costa County is part of Wicks' district.

Gioia said it appears the public's compliance with shelter-in-place orders and related actions to curb the spread of coronavirus seem to be helping "flatten the curve" of new cases, limiting the crushing outbreaks that have taxed hospitals in New York City, New Jersey, New Orleans and other places.

As of Tuesday morning, Contra Costa County had reported 442 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with seven deaths. That is up from 386 cases and six deaths Monday morning. Roth said 29 county residents were in the hospital Tuesday for treatment of the coronavirus, with 15 of them in intensive care.

Four residents of a Pleasant Hill senior living facility have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Contra Costa County Public Health officers said Tuesday, and three of them remain hospitalized.

Nine staff members at the Carlton Senior Living center on Cleaveland Road just south of downtown Pleasant Hill have also tested positive for the coronavirus, Contra Costa Health Services spokesman Karl Fischer said Tuesday. All nine were isolating at their homes, he added.

Health officials are working Tuesday to identify any other residents and staffers at the Cleaveland Road assisted-living center who may have been exposed to affected workers and residents, and to then test them for COVID-19, Fischer said.

Health officials received their first reports about the Pleasant Hill facility last week. At a news conference Friday centering on a larger outbreak at the Orinda Care Facility in Orinda, Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano mentioned "at least one" additional senior facility being investigated, and Fischer said that was the Carlton facility.

By Tuesday, 27 patients and 22 staff members at the Orinda Care Center had tested positive. One of those elderly residents died this past weekend, Fischer said.

A new mobile medical assessment program launched in San Jose on Friday, targeting the city's homeless population in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The program is run by WeHope, a non-profit homeless services organization, and features an RV, three staffers and a rotating cadre of doctors from Stanford Medical Center who will provide free medical assessments via video links from their offices.

While the project has been in the planning stages for the better part of a year, its launch was pushed up in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to providing general medical assessments, doctor referrals and prescription services, the physicians will be giving presentations about the COVID-19 disease, including advice on social distancing and sanitation.

A Pleasant Hill-based non-profit organization has seen demand for its food delivery services skyrocket as the novel coronavirus pandemic keeps Bay Area residents indoors and puts pressure on low-income families and seniors.

White Pony Express, which delivers surplus fresh food from local grocers and wholesalers to local community groups that serve hungry people, said Monday that demand for its services has more than doubled as people are stuck inside and may be unable to afford necessities like food if they can't work.

The organization usually delivers roughly 7,000 pounds of food daily to local community groups. Last week, however, White Pony Express volunteers and staff gathered an average of 17,000 pounds each day to meet the demand for food assistance.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the city's Department of Public Health launched a new novel coronavirus data tracker Tuesday, offering detailed case, death, demographic, hospitalization and transmission data.

The tracker at https://datasf.org/covid19 is expected to be updated daily, according to Breed. Previously, the city had been reporting just cases and deaths each day. City public health officials plan to add more data points as they become available.

As of Tuesday morning, public health officials have confirmed 622 coronavirus cases and nine deaths in San Francisco.

There are now three confirmed cases of inmates at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin testing positive for the novel coronavirus, Alameda County Assistant Sheriff Thomas Madigan told the Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday.

Madigan said all three inmates are stable and are recovering but didn't provide additional details.

When sheriff's officials reported the first positive test of an inmate on Saturday, they said they were conducting an investigation to identify staff and inmates who may have come in contact with that inmate, and impacted pods were quarantined and professionally cleaned and sanitized.

Madigan said 600 low-level offenders have been released from Santa Rita so far to reduce overcrowding that could lead to COVID-19 transmissions and he thinks another 100 low-level offenders will be released soon to conform with an emergency rule issued by the California Judicial Council on Monday reducing bail to $0 in misdemeanor and low-level felony cases.

Santa Clara County has contributed a decontamination site for first responders to use after possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.

The site, located at the county's Richey Training Center at 155 W. Hedding St. in San Jose, is open 24 hours per day to all law enforcement, first responders and essential medical service workers, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

The sheriff's office said it will have personnel on site specifically trained to handle decontamination after exposure to the coronavirus.

A man was found fatally stabbed inside a vehicle in San Jose on Monday evening, according to police.

Officers responded at 7:34 p.m. to a request for a welfare check of someone inside a car in the 300 block of La Strada Drive and found the victim with at least one stab wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The victim's name is not yet being released by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.

No arrest has been made and no suspect information was immediately released in the homicide, which is the ninth in San Jose in 2020, according to police.

Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, ending a controversy involving sailors contracting the coronavirus aboard an aircraft carrier in a harbor in Guam.

Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, was dismissed from duty by Modly on Thursday for alerting Navy officials about the spreading COVID-19 coronavirus and calling for the quick evacuation of sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

In a letter to his superiors, Crozier called for the removal of more than 4,000 sailors after 150 of them had tested positive for the virus.

Senior Navy officials argued Crozier should have directed his concerns via a formal chain of command instead of sending them to more than two dozen people in a message that was leaked to the media, according to news reports.

Representatives Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, earlier Tuesday asked Esper in a letter to immediately dismiss Modly for his criticism of Crozier.

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.
This story originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia

Seventy-six days after it was plunged into an unprecedented lockdown, Wuhan  the original epicentre of the novel coronavirus  has had its travel restrictions lifted by authorities.

It was welcome news for 11 million people who were forced into the most stringent restrictions seen on the planet more than two months ago amid the outbreak.

Thousands began flocking to train stations ahead of the midnight lifting of travel restrictions.

Cars queued at roadblocks soon to be dismantled, and the citys airport readied itself for a busy flight schedule as of Wednesday.

Passengers are checked at Wuhan's main train station early on Wednesday morning. Source: AP

As the clock struck midnight, buildings, streets and bridges across the citys centre were lit up in a celebration recognizing the landmark moment.

Cars queue up at toll gates to leave the city on Tuesday night. Source: People's Daily

An announcement blaring over Wuhans main train station PA system said: "Wuhan deserves to be called the city of heroes. Wuhan people deserve to be called heroes."

Many of those leaving were either migrant workers or those returning home for Chinese New Year, who became trapped within the city.

"In the end, everyone was stuck here together. There was definitely some difficulty, a 25-year-old man told AFP.

But we just had to restrain ourselves and stay home."

A celebratory light show at midnight in Wuhan. Source: CCTV

He had returned to his hometown Wuhan before the lockdown and will now head back to Guangdong in Chinas south to resume work.

Rebirth of Wuhan! Review the very first moment of Wuhan's reboot after removing its outbound travel restrictions on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/VC5EcEtbvY  People's Daily, China (@PDChina) April 8, 2020

Chinas state media shared uplifting and motivational video across its multiple platforms, prompting thousands to share their appreciation of the fight undertaken by millions in the city.

My hometown Wuhan is amazing... our motherland is amazing! I hope China will continue to cheer, this victory will ultimately belong to us! one person wrote on a CCTV News video shared on Chinas equivalent of Google search, Baidu.

Story continues

Authorities believe more than 50,000 people will leave by rail alone on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported.

The scenes were in stark contrast to the city desolated just months earlier amid an ever-increasing death toll within the city.

Authorities remove blockards at toll booths. Source: Baidu

More than 90 per cent of Chinas deaths from coronavirus have occurred in the province of Hubei, and the majority of those in its capital Wuhan.

Yet the 3,333 national deaths slowed dramatically in recent weeks, and the lifting of Wuhans restrictions coincided with China claiming it had recorded no daily deaths for the first time since January.

Fears easing restrictions could lead to second wave

Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated in a wet market in late 2019, was subject to intense draconian measures including a ban on road travel while one person per household was allowed out of their homes every three days to buy essentials.

And while the travel ban is the latest easing of restrictions, those wanting to leave must provide documentation from health authorities that they are healthy and must pass temperature checks.

Hundreds gather on the streets of Wuhan at midnight to celebrate. Source: CCTV

There are some housing complexes which are still determined high-risk inside Wuhan, and residents within those wont be able to leave.

And all travellers leaving Wuhan will likely face a two-week quarantine period at their final destination.

Many inside Wuhan say there is a long way to go until life returns to normal, while some fear discrimination in other parts of the country if they leave.

There are fears the measures could spark a second wave of the virus in the country, and comes just days after a state in the neighbouring province of Henan was put into a lockdown after a cluster of cases.

China has faced criticism over its initial handling of the outbreak, and has been accused of a lack of transparency in COVID-19s early days.

Passengers taking no chances en-route to Wuhan's main train station. Source: AP

Questions over the reporting of case numbers from China continue to be asked, while the nations communist party only recently included asymptomatic cases in its overall total.

On Wednesday, a further two deaths were confirmed in China alongside 59 new imported cases, and 137 new asymptomatic cases. Only three symptomatic, locally transmitted cases were confirmed in a nation of 1.4 billion people.

Various restrictions on movement inside the city will remain in place in a bid to prevent a second wave, with authorities stressing "even greater vigilance is needed" following the latest removal of restrictions.

The news will come as a sign of hope for countries who are facing a surging death toll, however Chinas unprecedented measures and meticulous implementation is being credited for its swift transition to its current position.

Australia will likely be keeping a close eye on the situation in Hubei, as like the province, which is roughly twice its size in terms of population, it has managed to flatten the curve and is now showing signs of suppressing it.
Jammu, April 8 : Fourteen more persons tested positive for Covid-19 in J&K on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 136.

Government spokesman Rohit Kansal tweeted, "14 new cases today; 11 in Kashmir, 3 in Jammu. 136 cases in all now; 130 active cases; 27 in Jammu Division, 103 in Kashmir. Good news too: 2 patients discharged from SKIMS." Of the 11 new cases in Kashmir division on Wednesday, four are from Bandipora district with history of contact with previous patients.

Five are from Srinagar district with travel history to Nigeria. One is from Kupwara district and one is from Baramulla district.

Three cases from Jammu district also have contact history with previous patients.

Of the 136 positive cases, three have died while three have recovered fully.

There are 130 active cases in J&K now of whom 27 are in Jammu division and 103 in Kashmir division.
Natural disasters and epidemics compound the burden of disease experienced by certain communities. In the 1918 flu pandemic, Jim Crow policies meant blacks received inferior care, if they received any. The 1995 heat wave in Chicago killed more than 700 people, disproportionately in black and low-income neighborhoods.

And numerous empirical studies confirm gross differences in life expectancy by race and ethnicity, gaps that appear at the national and local levels. In Chicago, for example, there is a nine-year gap between the life expectancies for black and white residents, with more than 3,000 excess deaths (deaths that would not have occurred if the black mortality rate were equal to the white mortality rate) among black people there every year. Add Covid-19 to the mix and theres an even richer recipe for devastation.

Black communities have experienced the consequences of structural inequities in wealth, housing and education, to name a few areas. Our scientific data, along with the stories from everyday people, is what sheds light on these realities.

When the time comes to rebuild our health systems, we must commit to finding ways to structure and standardize the collection of all types of demographic data, of information not only about race and ethnicity, but also gender identity, sexual orientation and preferred language that have made people more vulnerable to the blows of public health emergencies. When institutions register patients, they must also have these categories on intake forms. Not everyone collects this information, but it must become the normal way of doing business.

In 1899, W.E.B. Du Bois advised in his seminal study on the black community in Philadelphia that we must study, we must investigate, we must attempt to solve; and the utmost that the world can demand is, not lack of human interest and moral conviction, but rather the heart-quality of fairness and an earnest desire for the truth despite its possible unpleasantness.

Any effective plan to fight Covid-19 must be shaped by an understanding of its spread and impact among communities of color and others marginalized in society. If we ignore structural inequities, we will ultimately increase the burden of disease not just for those most marginalized but for everyone.

This article has been updated to reflect news developments.

Aletha Maybank (@DrAlethaMaybank) is the chief health equity officer at the American Medical Association.

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Forbes' billionaires ranking includes six Ukrainians, Akhmetov slides by more than 600 positions

11:40, 08.04.20 14069

His fortune is estimated at US$2.4 billion.
With concerns mounting over how the country can conduct elections during a pandemic and Democrats pressing for alternatives to in-person voting, President Trump has begun pushing a false argument that has circulated among conservatives for years  that voting by mail is a recipe for fraud.

Mail ballots, they cheat, Mr. Trump said at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. Mail ballots are very dangerous for this country because of cheaters. They go collect them. They are fraudulent in many cases. They have to vote. They should have voter ID, by the way.

The president spoke as Wisconsin voters, many wearing protective masks, were going to the polls on a fraught Election Day, after the Republican-led legislature refused Democratic demands to delay the election and allow for expanded mail-in voting. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump claimed again that there was tremendous potential for voter fraud.

Heres a look at the facts on the matter.

All voter fraud is extremely rare.

Studies have shown that all forms of voting fraud are extremely rare in the United States. A national study in 2016 found few credible allegations of fraudulent voting. A panel that Mr. Trump charged with investigating election corruption found no real evidence of fraud before he disbanded it in 2018.
Pakistan's novel coronavirus cases rose to 4,183 on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed concern that the situation "can further deteriorate" and "our hospitals may not be able to cope" with the increasing number of patients.

The Ministry of National Health Services in its evening update said 42,159 tests, including 3,076 in the last 24 hours, have been conducted so far.

The total number of COVID-19 patients now stands at 4,183, it said.

So far 58 patients have died, including four in the last 24 hours, while 467 have recovered. Another 25 were reported to be in critical condition.

The province and region wise data of cases was not available on the ministry's website as it was being updated.

However, private media and official sources reported that number of patients in Punjab has risen to 2,108, followed by Sindh at 1,036, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 527, Gilgit-Baltistan 212, Balochistan 206, Islamabad 83 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 28.

Pakistan is making frantic efforts to tackle the pandemic. Prime Minister Khan once again warned the people to follow official guidelines on self-isolation or the virus would spread further.

Addressing a media briefing, Khan warned that the situation "can further deteriorate" and "our hospitals may not be able to cope with the patients".

He, however, defended his decision to not impose total lockdown, saying over 50 million were below the poverty line in the country and they could die of hunger if such step is taken.

The prime minister said the government would launch a scheme on Thursday to transfer a total of Rs 144 billion cash to 12 million poor families.

The scheme "Ehsas Emergency Cash Programme" is aimed at providing relief to poor people hit by the lockdown, put in place due to coronavirus.

Addressing media, Sania Nishtar, Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation, said under the programme "Rs 12,000 per month will be provided to eligible families" and the disbursement of the fund would be completed within two to three weeks.

Prime Minister Khan said more than 750,000 youth had registered under the Corona Tiger Force programme to work as volunteers and help the government to provide relief to poor people if the situation worsened.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa also directed his top commanders to provide full support to the federal and provincial governments in combating the pandemic.

Bajwa held a meeting with his top Generals on Tuesday during which he reviewed geo strategic, regional and national security issues with particular emphasis on latest situation arising from COVID-19, said a statement issued by the army.

The generals, who attended the meeting through video link from respective Headquarters, reviewed the deployment of troops assisting civil administration across the country.

"Appreciating the troops in the field for efforts so far, COAS directed all commanders to extend maximum assistance in moving critical resources and reaching out to mitigate suffering of people in far flung areas," the statement said.

At least 50 prisoners in worst-hit Punjab province have tested coronavirus positive.

Inspector General Prisons Shahid Baig told PTI that some 20 cases have been reported in the camp jail Lahore and the remaining in others.

Baig said the outbreak stemmed from a Pakistani citizen who was arrested over narcotics smuggling in Italy and handed over to Pakistan last month. He was diagnosed on March 23.

The government has extended partial lockdown till April 14 and constantly asking people to stay indoors and follow social distancing.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Young Doctors Association (YDA) in Balochistan province has announced to resume services after successful talks with the government.

The YDA was on strike due to lack of protective kits and against police brutality after their rally was baton-charged and several of their colleagues were taken in custody earlier this week.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Zamrak Khan Achakzai said an inquiry will be held against the persons who used violence against the protesting doctors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar, April 8 : Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday rescued a pregnant woman from the Sopore gunfight site while keeping the holed up militants pinned down through sustained retaliatory gunfiring, police said.

The police personnel undertook the rescue operation in Amanpora the moment they came to know about her presence in the gun battle site. Both the pregnant woman and her attendant lady were shifted to a hospital, police sources said.

Reports from the area said the house which the militants were using as a fortified bunker has now been blasted by the security forces. Heavy cloud of smoke was seen billowing from the blasted house.

Security forces including the SOG of local police, Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF had started a cordon and search operation late Tuesday evening after receiving information about a group of militants hiding the Arampora area of Sopore town.

As the security forces closed on the hiding militants on Wednesday morning, the militants fired indiscriminately at the surrounding security forces triggering an encounter.

Firing exchanges have stopped, but the security forces are moving in cautiously to trace the hiding militants or their dead bodies.
Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation Wednesday afternoon that would extend liability protection to health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic to address a fear of some front-line medical personnel who are being asked to work in abnormal conditions, according to an administration source.

The official familiar with the legislation said its intended to protect from lawsuits workers who will be caring for patients in unique settings, like the DCU Center in Worcester or the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston, where the state has set up field hospitals to take COVID-19 patients that overflow from nearby hospitals.

Providers are anxious about caring for patients under circumstances and in facilities with which they are not familiar, the official said.The bill will be filed in Senate, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Baker plans to hold his daily press briefing at 3:30 p.m. from the State House, where he will be joined by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association this week called for such a bill to protect nurses and other licensed health care professionals, volunteers and new medical school graduates who are being pulled into the fight against COVID-19, and being asked to practice medicine that, at times, is outside their field of expertise.

The nurses union said Rep. Denise Garlick, who herself is a registered nurse, plans to file legislation to give medical professionals immunity from civil liability for any injury or death alleged to have been sustained directly as a result of an act or omission by such medical professional in the course of providing medical services in support of the States response to the COVID-19 outbreak, unless it is established that such injury or death was caused by the gross negligence of such medical professional.Similar legislation was signed into law in New York on April 3.

Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin has also filed a bill that would extend legal protections to institutions providing care for COVID-19 during the pandemic. That bill is before the House Rules Committee.

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The Eurozone finance meeting continues on Wednesday as ministers try to find strategies to help member states deal with the coronavirus crisis.

The sticking point seems to centre on whether to issue coronabonds as some members oppose them and some are in favour.

The Euro is steady for now, but the issue could lead to further divisions in an already fragile EU.

The Euro is steady in early Wednesday trading, belying the importance of some of the discussions and events going on in the backdrop. EURGBP is nearly flat 0.8815, a drop of -0.15% from Tuesdays close while EURUSD is around -0.35% lower as the US dollar continues to stage a recovery.

Tuesdays Eurozone meeting between finance ministers failed to reach a conclusion and as such there was no press conference. Discussions went on late into the night and will continue on Wednesday. There is a press conference due, but little expectation for any major announcement.

Ministers are trying to reach a deal on how to assist member states during the coronavirus crisis. The problem is that opinion varies and is divided into two camps. France, Italy and Spain have been some of the hardest hit countries and are in favour of issuing EU-wide debt instruments such as so-called coronabonds. However, Germany, the Netherlands and now Finland are against the idea as they dont want to be saddled with debt tied to Italy and Spain. They remain in support of the current European Stability Mechanism as the main financing tool. This is in-fact an old argument of debt mutilaistion between North European countries and those in the South. Given the scale of the coronavirus crisis there may be some concessions made by the North, but they so far they have been resolute.

What is a Coronabond?

ING provide a brief explanation of how ministers are trying to issue new debt during the crisis,

The ultimate option would be to introduce a Covid-19 perpetual Eurobond or a Coronabond. This would be a one-off Eurobond, exclusively linked to financing the fiscal policies to tackle the current crisis. It would be a common bond, which brings back the old controversy about the advantages and disadvantages of debt mutualisation.

Whether or not the coronabonds are agreed could be a long-term game changer in Eurozone finance but may not change too much in the short-term as far as the Euro is concerned. The Euro, like many markets, is focused on how the crisis develops and the economic fallout. With so much new debt and stimulus in so many countries the general approach of currencies is to assume these are likely to balance out.

That said, the Euro could move lower on sentiment if there is any fallout from continued disagreements. The Eurozone is fragile and in the midst of a crisis so divisions between member states could flare up into separatism.

ECB Ease Further

In the early stages of the crisis the ECB were initially reluctant to ease financial conditions which was understandable given there was already a huge stimulus package in place. This led to a strengthening in the Euro over March but this has now faded and as the coronavirus crisis has grown they have been forced into more and more actions. This week they have again loosened conditions in a move Danske Bank call unprecedented.

The easing of the collateral requirements means that it can accept junk-rated government debt from countries like Greece. The ECB also reduced the haircuts applied to collateral valuation, making it easier for banks to obtain credit from the central bank. The easing of the rules is temporary and will remain during the pandemic crisis and will be linked to the duration of its new pandemic emergency buying programme, PEPP, scheduled to run until at least the end of the year.

The concern for the Euro is that these measures may be hard to reverse. The same could be said for the issuance of coronabonds; once a precedent is set it is there forever. This may be one of the reasons Germany and others will dig their heels in.
(Newser)  A prominent Communist Party member has disappeared in China after insinuating that President Xi Jinping was "a clown who had no clothes but was still determined to be emperor." Ren Zhiqiangthe son of a former deputy commerce minister and a longtime friend of Vice President Wang Qishan, per the New York Timespenned an essay in February blaming party leaders for the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. While Xi isn't named, Renwho has 37 million followers on Weibodescribed a leader who values praise of himself over free speech, per the Washington Post. "He couldn't cover up his ambition to be emperor, and his ambition to destroy whoever might want to stop him," he wrote.

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The 69-year-old tycoon disappeared in Beijing a month ago, per the Times, which reports his assistant and son vanished, too. "When there is no media to represent the people and go report the real situation, we are only left with people losing their lives from the virus, and the collective harm from the seriously-ill political system as the results," the real estate developer wrote in February. He said party leaders use the media "to firmly shut down all calls for finding out what really happened." The party announced Tuesday that Ren was under investigation for "serious violations" of the law and party doctrine in "the first official acknowledgment that Ren was being held by the authorities," per CNN. Friends believe he's being held in west Beijing. (Read more China stories.)
The constant revisions to the government's pledges to support cash-strapped citizens show how an election can end up costing the public an arm and a leg in the long term. The plan designed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance aims to cover half of the population, but then the ruling party sought to woo more voters by expanding financial support to W1 million each for the bottom 70 percent of the income bracket (US$1=W1,218). The conservative opposition party, which should have stopped this nonsense, upped the ante instead by offering every citizen half a million won instead. Sure enough, the head of the ruling party agreed without even consulting the government. This is a familiar tactic in poker games, but if the government really pays W500,000 to 51 million Koreans, the bill will total a staggering W25 trillion. Who will end up paying for it? The very taxpayers who are supposedly benefiting.

Elections are an essential part of a democratic society, but the taint of populism is a very real danger. Few citizens would turn down an offer to reduce responsibilities and get more money. Greece, once a fiscally sound European country, ended up broke after an election due to the populist policies of former prime minister George Papandreou, who pledged to "give everything the public wants," which prompted the opposition camp to match his offer. New pensions were created during every election season, resulting in more than 150 national pension funds at one time. Argentina also fell victim to populism during elections. And now, even the ruling party there, which had been opposed to the Peronist movement, is offering populist policies.

In Korea, populism has only intensified since thenpresidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun proposed in 2002 to relocate the capital. Welfare benefits for the elderly doubled since the 2012 presidential election and increased another 25 percent in 2017. Now, the Minjoo Party wants to raise them by another 20 percent. There were predictions that the payments would rise by W100,000 every election, and this seems to be coming true. Free school meals, 50 percent tuition discounts, free childcare and childcare subsidies were all reckless election pledges.

The mandatory military service period has decreased after every election. One opposition presidential candidate pledged to shorten the draft period to 18 months in the 2012 election, and another candidate from the ruling party followed suit. In the last presidential election, candidates vied with each other to shorten it to 12 months and even 10 months.

To stop this vicious cycle, Koreans must to refuse to accept populist pledges, because they will be the ones picking up the tab in the end.


Given the recent discoveries of significant security flaws in Zooms platform, parts of the German government including the Foreign Ministry have made the decision to ban the use of the platform for official communications. Since the organization has contact with foreign entities who may still be using Zoom, the new policy allows employees to use the platform via personal devices when necessary.This is not the first case of Zooms use being curtailed or banned due to security concerns. reports that the electronic surveillance agency in Canada has stated that the platform is not approved for communications that must be secure. In the U.S., SpaceX has prohibited its officials from using Zoom, and some schools have banned its use and switched to Microsoft Teams.The flaws discovered in Zooms platform include a lack of end-to-end encryption, public access to records of calls and meetings on the Internet, and easy access for hackers and uninvited attendees who have behaved maliciously toward legitimate participants.
Social media should be used to chart the economic impact and recovery of businesses in countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research published in Nature Communications. University of Bristol scientists describe a real time method accurately trialled across three global natural disasters which could be used to reliably forecast the financial impact of the current global health crisis.

Traditional economic recovery estimates, such as surveys and interviews, are usually costly, time-consuming and do not scale-up well. However, researchers from Bristols Departments of Engineering Maths and Civil Engineering show they were able to accurately estimate the downtime and recovery of small businesses in countries affected by three different natural hazards using aggregated social media data.

The method relies on the assumption that businesses tend to publish more social media posts when they are open and fewer when they are closed, hence analysing the aggregated posting activity of a group of businesses over time it is possible to infer when they are open or closed.

Using data from the public Facebook posts of local businesses collected before, during and after three natural disasters comprising the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal, the 2017 Chiapas earthquake in Mexico, and the 2017 hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the team charted the number of smaller urban businesses who were closed and then were able to measure their recovery post-event. The team validated their analysis using field surveys, official reports, Facebook surveys, Facebook posts text analysis and other studies available in literature.

Importantly, the framework works in real time without the need for text analysis which can be largely dependent on language, culture or semantic analysis and can be applied to any size area or type of natural disaster, in developed and developing countries, allowing local governments to better target the distribution of resources.

Dr Filippo Simini, Senior Lecturer and lead author explains: The challenge of nowcasting the effect of natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and pandemics on assets, people and society has never been more timely than ever for assessing the ability of countries to recover from extreme events.

Often, small to medium-sized businesses slip through the net of traditional monitoring process of recovery. We noticed in areas struck by natural hazard events that not all areas and populations react in the same way.

Dr Flavia De Luca, Senior Lecturer in Bristols Department of Civil Engineering and lead author, added: We had the idea of supporting post-emergency deployment of resources after a natural hazard event using public Facebook posts of businesses to measure how a specific region is recovering after the event. It was amazing to find out that the approach was providing information on the recovery in real time.

We would like to test the method to measure the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paper

'Social media usage reveals recovery of small businesses after natural hazard events' by F Simini, F. De Luca, R Eyre in Nature Communications
(Newser)  A mayor in Hawaii is calling a Florida man accused of trying to flout Hawaiis traveler quarantine a "covidiot." Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami isn't taking credit for coining the word borne from the COVID-19 pandemic, but says he "may be the first elected official to bust it out in public." Bobby Edwards, of Boynton Beach, was arrested last week after police said he landed on the island without proof of having accommodations set up, the AP reports. A statewide order requires people arriving in the islands to quarantine for 14 days. Edwards "was exhibiting belligerent behavior toward airport personnel and toward officers during his arrest," police said. Police added that Edwards, 31, "was also showing significant signs of intoxication and was not being cooperative."

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Earlier last week, another Florida man, Dwight Anthony Tucker of Tampa, was stopped in the tourist town of Hanalei a day after he arrived on Kauai. He was arrested after authorities said he disregarded Gov. David Ige's statewide order requiring all visitors arriving on or after March 26 to self-quarantine at their place of accommodation. Also last week, Kauai police arrested Devin Martin of Washington state and accused him of violating the quarantine order. "He did not have reservations for proper accommodations and he allegedly refused to find suitable lodging," police said. "I guess theres varying degrees of how much of a covidiot you can be," Kawakami says. "Those three rank pretty high." The three men have been returned to the mainland US. Kawakami plans to send them invoices for the travel costs.

(Read more Hawaii stories.)
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Business NSW calls for support as pandemic bites Staff shortages and customer falls causing severe problems in recovery

A growing non-bank lender has appointed an industry veteran to the role of head of distribution.

Brighten Home Loans has welcomed Natalie Sheehan onboard to oversee the growth of the groups broker and aggregator networks and help facilitate the lenders expansion into new loan segments.

Sheehan has 30 years of experience in the lending industry, most recently acting as GM at specialist finance lender Resicom Financial. Before that, she was head of distribution and then chief operating officer at Better Choice Home Loans and senior BDM with Homeloans Limited/Resimac and Pepper Home Loans.

Brighten managing director Scott Kelly said, As we rapidly scale up our business in response to strong growth, Natalies knowledge, experience, and networks will enable her to make a major contribution.

In particular, Natalie will spearhead our expansion into the prime and near prime loan segments, drawing on our ability to provide brokers with a streamlined product offering, a simple and competitive pricing structure, and a superior service proposition assisted through our enhanced technology platform.

Brighten was launched in 2017 with an initial product offering catered to non-residents of Australia and Australian residents with income from abroad.

Since then, it has expanded its presence in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In January 2020, Brighten secured a $250m tranche of funding through a warehouse facility with Goldman Sachs, a year after having secured its first $500m warehouse facility from another financial institution.

Sheehan, a MFAA and FBAA accredited mentor under the More than Mentoring program, will be working closely with the lenders broker and aggregator networks.

At Brighten, we value long term partnership and we strive to become a reliable and credible partner to our brokers, said Kelly.

We believe we can not only deliver great lending products for their clients, but also help them grow other parts of their business. This is a significant point of difference for us, and I believe Natalies extensive mentoring experiences will be of great value as we continue to actively invest into the expansion of our broker and aggregator networks.

The group plans to announce further aggregator partnerships in the near future.
Chicago Mayor Signs Executive Order Allowing Illegal Immigrants Access To Virus Relief Funds

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an executive order April 7 allowing illegal immigrants and refugees in the city, regardless of birth country or current citizenship status, access to relief benefits amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

The order says it will ensure that all Chicagoans have fair and equal access to benefits, opportunities, and services provided by the City, including anything provided as disaster relief to help fight the CCP virus pandemic.

This order is more than just an official decree, it is a statement of our values as a city and as Americans, Lightfoot said in a statement.

Since COVID-19 first reached our citys doorstep, we have been working around the clock to ensure all our residents are secure and supported, including our immigrant and refugee communities, who are among the most vulnerable to the impact of this pandemic.

Here in Chicago, saying we are all in this together means that during this crisis, no one gets left out and no one gets left behind, she said.

Illegal immigrants who have no legal status in the United States do not meet the criteria for state unemployment insurance or other economic assistance, or the stimulus checks the federal government is sending out to all registered tax-payers part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill Congress passed in March.

According to the National Review, at least 280,000 illegal immigrants were working in Illinois in 2018 based on a WBEZ analysis of census data. They were mostly concentrated around the sanctuary city of Chicago.

Under the new order, the illegal migrants will be able to receive benefits through Chicagos Housing Assistance Grant program, which provides disaster relief aid for the housing costs faced by those impacted by the current CCP crisis.

Students will also be offered online Enrichment Learning Resources through Chicago Public Schools, and small businesses will have access to the $100 million Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund, which provides disaster relief cash flow to any entrepreneur, including immigrant business owners.

Michael Rodriguez, who serves as alderman of the 22nd Ward in Chicago, said these Chicagoans are vital community members who work in various industries and help our great city to thrive every day, and are family members, co-workers, neighbors, and friends.

Chicago and Illinois are currently under a statewide Stay at Home order that was issued on March 20 until at least April 30.

The order mandates all residents to stay home, unless traveling for essential needs or business, and requires businesses not engaged in essential activities to cease all activities except for minimum basic operations.

According to the latest figures published on the official City of Chicago website, 5,511 cases of CCP virus have been confirmed in Chicago as of April 7, and 13,549 in Illinois. The majority of the known cases in Chicago are in individuals aged between 50-59, while the majority of deaths have occurred in individuals aged 70 or over.
Press Release

7 April 2020

Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the premier technology solutions association for the hospitality industry, today reveals the ten entries that have been selected to advance as semi-finalists in the next round of the 2020 HTNG TechOvation Award competition.

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TechOvation is an annual award program that brings together the latest industry innovations from hospitality technology solution providers all in one place. The first round of the competition hosted participants' solutions online through a hybrid competition format which combined crowd-sourced voting and selection by a panel of judges to determine the semi-finalists.

Every year, the HTNG TechOvation Award continues to draw increasing participation, both in contestant sign-ups and in online views of the participants' videos. This year, 18 submitted videos collectively received more than 45,700 views and garnered over 10,700 "likes." Additionally, during the voting timeframe, HTNG's YouTube account gained 284 new subscribers.

The 2020 HTNG TechOvation Award Semi-finalists are:

Alliants App , Alliants

, Alliants Angie Mobile App , Angie Hospitality

, Angie Hospitality enseoCONNECT , Enseo

, Enseo IDeaS & Amadeus Sales & Event Management Advanced Two Way Integration , IDeaS

, IDeaS ILA - Instant Language Assistant , TranslateLive LLC

, TranslateLive LLC InnSpire ReviewMagic.AI , InnSpire

, InnSpire Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) , Hughes Systique

, Hughes Systique Nomadix Casting , Nomadix

, Nomadix Nonius Cast , Nonius

, Nonius Yoonik ID, Yoonik

Due to ongoing travel restrictions, the second round of this year's TechOvation Award competition will be held as an entirely virtual online event on May 21, 2020. The dynamic online format will leverage the UgoVirtual event and meeting platform to virtualize the traditional TechOvation event. Similar to previous years when the final round was held at HT-NEXT, the semi-finalists will have an opportunity to present four-minute overviews of their solutions and their impact on the hospitality market. The judging panel will vote on the entries to select the top three finalists and online audience interaction will choose the final TechOvation winner. The UgoVirtual platform also allows a range of additional features, which will enhance the virtual experience for both attendees and presenters.

HTNG is now accepting sponsorships for this event, with packages including benefits from speaking slots to branding opportunities. Sponsorships will be secured on a first-come, first-served basis, and a portion of the sponsorship proceeds will be donated to AHLA's Hospitality for Hope initiative. For more information, please contact [email protected] .
Kaleeswaram Raj By

Albert Camuss novel The Plague is a lesson to the human race on valuessocial, moral and political. It is often seen as an allegory for the political plague of Nazism that invaded France. It also vividly described the gravity of genocide caused by the pandemic. Across the world, a big calamity can have a tendency to make the state stronger and the people weaker. The present infestation is no exception.

Along with the miseries that the virus has brought in, the plight of migrant workers, household workers, rag pickers, daily wagers, street vendors and other marginalised among the workforce has now become part of the political discourse. The Supreme Court, on its own, cannot set right the problem. Let us see the relevant laws. The country had promulgated the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act way back in 1979. It stipulates registration of establishments where such workers are employed. There are provisions for licensing of contractors.

The Act also provides for adequate wage rates, displacement allowance, journey allowance, etc., along with other facilities. Section 16 of the Act guarantees just and reasonable pay, suitable residential accommodation, free medical aid, etc. Non-compliance with the provisions could invite penal consequences. The country also designed the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act in 2008, with the laudable objective of providing better quality of life for workers in the unauthorised sector. It speaks about schemes to be designed by the Centre and state governments to improve the habitats of the proletarians.

These legislations were not only breached but even forgotten by the governments at the Centre and states. The radical provisions of the statutes remained a non-starter. Had it been otherwise, and had there been imaginative preparatory measures before the inevitable lockdown, the labour scenario would have been different. The sight of the moving populations of workers on the street once more echoed Camus prophetic words: No longer were there individual destinies; only a collective destiny, made of plague...

Stay at home is a hollow rhetoric for many Indians who do not have a home. The Census of 2011 revealed that there are more than 17 lakh homeless people in our nation. Right to housing has been recognised as a fundamental right in a few modern constitutions (see, for example, Section 26 of the South African Constitution). In India, right to property is longer a fundamental right as Article 19 (1)(f) was deleted from the Constitution with effect from 20 June 1979. Today, it is, at best, a constitutional right, as per Article 300A of the Constitution, which says that persons should not be deprived of property, except by authority of law. This constitutional silence about an enforceable right for residence was sought to be indemnified to some extent by the parliamentary legislations. The efforts, however, met with an executive apathy due to which the country now pays a hefty cost.

As Yale University professor Frank M Snowden demonstrated in his scholarly work Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present (2019), a pandemic can lead to an illiberal regime and an excessive exercise of power over the citizens. After the contagion, right to privacy is curtailed to a considerable extent, as its infringement is often justified by a public health emergency. Control over the media too could be in the states agenda. Journalists were booked for reporting the misdeeds of the persons holding power. There are also instances of human rights violations. During the hard times, free flow of factual information and reports needs to be ensured.

The lockdown and other executive measures in India are backed by the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 and the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The statutes contain penal provisions, and equip the authorities to deal with the offending individuals. Section 3 of the colonial statute makes disobedience of the order issued under the Act punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. The Act, which was made by the British in the background of the bubonic plague outbreak, is not wholly adequate to meet the requirements of the present days globalised India. Obstructions to relief activities, false claims, false warnings, etc., are punishable under Chapter 10 of the 2005 statute.

Article 257 of the Constitution empowers the Union to exercise control over the states during certain exigencies but it does not alter the character of cooperative and collaborative federalism, a basic feature of our fundamental law. The Centre would do well in taking all the states into confidence in our historical endeavour for survival.

It is not enough to impose the rigour of law on the public. The challenge is also to realise the laws humane face. Right to life, which means dignified life, has the protection of Article 359 of the Constitution, which says that it cannot be taken away even by the proclamation of Emergency. This was a significant constitutional correction done by the Janata regime under Morarji Desai by way of the 44th Amendment Act, 1978. It was the indignity attached to the poor Indians that got exposed during the days of pandemic. For them, Article 21, speaking about right to life became non est.

The freedoms under Article 19 also became redundant. As Amartya Sen demonstrated in his celebrated book Development as Freedom (1999), poverty inhibits freedom and access to resources. Poverty is not merely the poor mans problem.National solidarity is an imperative to fight the virus and in the battle, constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity can have a catalytic effect.

KALEESWARAM RAJ

Lawyer, Supreme Court of India

Email: kaleeswaramraj@gmail.com
[April 08, 2020] Toyoda Gosei Invests in Uhuru, an IoT Services Provider

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:7282) has invested in Uhuru Corp., a venture business that provides services and solutions using huge amounts of data in cloud computing and edge devices. "Venture into innovation and new mobility" is one of the key activities in Toyoda Gosei's medium and long-term 2025 Business Plan. The company is exploiting its expertise in rubber and plastics to pioneer new businesses and develop automotive products for CASE technologies. One example is e-Rubber, an innovative material that moves when voltage is applied. It can also function as a thin, flexible pressure sensor. Toyoda Gosei is collaborating with various business partners to develop applications in diverse fields using the unique advantages of e-Rubber. Uhuru has solid track record in the field of IoT services and solutions with abundant experience in projects using cloud computing. Through collaboration with Uhuru, Toyoda Gosei aims to enhance value in products and services using various types of data gained through e-Rubber sensors. Toyoda Gosei will continue to accelerate open innovation through flexible and swift investment in startups that are promising for synergy with its core technologies. Company outline of Uhuru







Company name Uhuru Corporation Headquarters 4th Floor, Hulic Kamiyacho Building, 4-3-13

Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Founder & CEO Takashi Sonoda Founded February, 2006 Capital 1,728,638,500 yen (as of January, 2020)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005009/en/

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Indias decision to lift its embargo on the export of HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) to USA, Brazil and several other countries is not only pragmatic but also a humanitarian gesture in this hour of crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.

The strident appeal for the drug, said to be useful in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, may have come with typical Donald Trump bluster of retaliatory action. In view of the long-term strategic ties with the United States and the convergence of a vast set of interests between two citadels of the free world, it was up to India to take a positive call in this regard.

But it did call for a certain level of maturity to make a change to the drug policy that was put in place as recently as the end of last month to restrict exports in vital drugs like HCQ and paracetamol that are needed in India to treat malaria and influenza.

Trumps threat became the focus of internal politics with sections of the major opposition picking on the need to serve Indians first. Their criticism is misplaced. But then they may not have been privy to New Delhi's decision to clear shipments having been conveyed to the US State Department some time prior to Trumps obstreperous bleating at his White House media briefing on Sunday.

It was unlikely that the stability of India-US ties would have been unduly affected by any one decision on trade like HCQ tablets or Harley Davidson motorcycles. Such a relationship may have been enhanced by the Trump-Modi bonhomie as evidenced in Houston, Ahmedabad and New Delhi, though there is good reason to believe the ties go much deeper than the personal rapport between the current leaders.

India has the capacity to produce about 20 crore HCQ tablets of 200 mg each in about 30 days. A couple of busy months at major pharmaceutical factories would not only leave international customers satisfied but also a domestic surplus built for the drugs primary use, which is in treating malaria, a disease tropical countries are still battling with and which causes more deaths annually than the coronavirus in many parts of the world.

Regardless of the efficacy of the drug against this particular virus and the possible after-effects like heart arrhythmia it has been known to cause, Indias duty is to allow the free sale of HCQ to friendly nations, especially as it handles 70 per cent of the worlds production of this drug.

Quite curiously, Trump has been advocating the miracle effects of HCQ taken in combination with drugs like the antibiotic Azithromycin in combating Covid-19. This flies in the face of the opinion of Dr Anthony Fauci, the expert on infectious diseases who is on the White House Coronavirus Task Force. However, ICMR too has advocated its use in India as a preventive medication by the high-risk population such as nursing staff who deal with Covid-19 patients in close proximity.

Given the alarming nature of the virus threat, it is imperative on our part to realise that nothing is cast in stone and whatever seems to work against the coronavirus must be experimented with, except of course outlandish cures without any basis in science.
Mario Salerno, who owns 80 apartments in the Williamsburg neighborhood, has told his tenants not to worry if they are unable to make rent for the month of April

A Brooklyn landlord has helped ease anxiety for 200 tenants amid the coronavirus pandemic by waiving their rents for the month of April.

Mario Salerno, who owns 80 apartments in the Williamsburg neighborhood, left notes for all his renters late last week telling them not to worry if they were unable to come up with cash.

Salerno's generosity was welcome news for many of them who have found themselves out of work and short of money amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

'I told them just relax, don't panic, it's gonna work out,' the 59-year-old landlord said in an interview with Gothamist over the weekend.

He further told his tenants: 'Just make sure you have food on the table and take care of your loved ones, your family... As for me, God is good to me. I'm successful'.

The average cost of a two-bedroom rental in the area is $2,800 a month - meaning that Salerno stands to lose around $224,000 if all tenants take up his offer of the waiver.

He told Gothamist that, so far, around 30 per cent of his renters have done so.

Salerno owns several apartment blocks in the trendy neighborhood of Williamsburg. Two bedroom apartments lease for around $2,800 a month

One of them, a 29-year-old retail worker, told Gothamist that she was unable to make the monthly payment after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses in the state.

'I'm paycheck to paycheck so it was this huge act of generosity that I wasn't expecting,' she stated.

The tenant said she felt 'a wave of relief' when she spotted the note from Salerno in her lobby last week.

Another renter, a 28-year-old personal injury lawyer, has been furloughed from his firm due to the COVID-19 outbreak and has also taken Salerno up on the waiver.

Salerno (left) was born and raised in Williamsburg, and owns a neighborhood gas station that has been in his family since the 1950s

He told The New York Times that the waiver 'alleviated a huge amount of stress that I have been having with the unemployment system in the state'.

Salerno was born and raised in Williamsburg, and owns a neighborhood gas station that has been in his family since the 1950s.

He says that many of his tenants have offered to help out at his station in order to repay him - but he has told them that it is unnecessary.

'My main concern is for everyone's health,' he told Gothamist.

New York City remains the US epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 74,000 residents testing positive to the highly-contagious virus. More than 4,000 have died.

Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo has extended the closure of all non-essential businesses until the end of April, meaning that many workers will spend the rest of the month without being paid.

Two-third of all New York City's 8.6 million residents are renters and, according to a recent report, up to 40 per cent may be unable to meet their payments in April.

New York state has issued a 90-day moratorium on rental evictions.

New York City remains the US epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 74,000 residents testing positive to the highly-contagious virus. More than 4,000 have died
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As life-saving ventilators grow scarcer worldwide in the fight against COVID-19, an Auburn University research team is racing against the clock to get a device theyve built into mass production. The innovative unitwhich turns a CPAP machine into an emergency ventilatorwas successfully tested on a live goat last Friday.

The device, named RE-InVENT, can be assembled using approximately $700 in readily available components, in addition to a standard CPAP machine. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines are commonly used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep.

On Friday, April 3, a 200-pound male Boer goat was anesthetized and ventilated with a RE-InVENT system for approximately two hours in Auburns College of Veterinary Medicines Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Goats of this size have lung capacity similar to that of humans.

It went better than I expected in being able to ventilate the animal, said anesthesiologist Glenn Woods, who is affiliated with multiple Alabama hospitals. This test confirms RE-InVENTs potential to meet the demand for desperately needed ventilators.

Stuart Clark-Price, associate professor of anesthesiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, supervised the first animal test of the RE-InVENT device.

A functioning ventilator is one of the most important tools hospitals have for helping COVID-19 patients, Clark-Price said. In our test we were able to ventilate the goat and safely maintain appropriate oxygen content his blood. Then he was brought out from under anesthesia and fully recovered to return to normal activity.

Now that the team has successfully tested the new ventilator, its next step is to look for ways to increase the units capacity.

"We knew in the beginning that even though our original concept was pressure-limited, it could serve many patients, said Joe Ragan, a lecturer in mechanical engineering who handled computer-aided modeling for the RE-InVENT and assisted with its mechanical design. Now we're looking to boost pressure in order to narrow the gap between our machine and fully developed ventilators."

The team is currently developing a peripheral "booster box" that would essentially double the device's pressurization capacity by employing an additional CPAP machine.

"Essentially, we are using a CPAP machine to pressurize the air inside an air-tight compartment, and then another CPAP machine to pressurize that pressurized air," said assistant mechanical engineering professor Michael Zabala, who is helping lead the RE-InVENT project. We like the results we are seeing and believe this holds great promise.

For more on the latest Re-InVENT test results, click here.
The Chinese regime responded to the pandemic by covering up and silencing whistleblowers, then when it was too late to ignore, officials enacted brutal, draconian measures on its own citizensall whilst propaganda was spread internally through state-run media.

The U.S. response meanwhile was humane, spotlighting the contrast between how a free society handles a crisis versus a tyrannical regime. Experts told The Epoch Times that free speech and freedom itself is core to how effectively a government responds to crisis, emphasizing the values of transparency and compassion.

During the early stages of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which first emerged in Wuhan in December, the Chinese Communist party muzzled and arrested whistleblower doctors, citizen journalists, scholars, and business people who sought to expose the truth about the virus.

Li Zehua, a former anchor for Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, was the third video blogger arrested in the outbreak epicenter of Wuhan. His story is just one of many similar stories of censorship, as documented by The Epoch Times.

I dont want to shut my eyes and ears.  Im doing this so that more young people like me can stand up, Li, 25, said in a passionate speech live-streamed on YouTube before police entered a hotel he was staying in and presumably detained him.

He at first refused to let them in. He turned his camera on and began alluding to the student-led Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in 1989 which came to a bloody end after Beijing deployed tanks and guns. I feel that its unlikely that I will not be taken away and quarantined, he said, shortly before he opened the door.

The police confiscated his phone and laptop and cut off the signal.

Justin Haskins, editorial director of The Heartland Institute, a free market think tank, said the Chinese Communist party consistently puts itself above the needs of the Chinese people and the rest of the world too.

The coronavirus crisis is no different, Haskins told The Epoch Times. Evidence clearly shows the Communist Party silenced people concerned about the spread of the virus to protect its own interests, and as a result, its very likely thousands of people have died who otherwise would not have.

A China insider told The Epoch Times in January that public health authorities were also attempting to cover up the severity of the virus by limiting the number of diagnosis kits sent to Wuhan hospitals.

As the number of CCP virus cases grew and officials could not censor everything, officials in Wuhan sealed the buildings and doors of residents.

One of these residents, a father of two who was not allowed to leave his apartment because his father got diagnosed, wondered how many more days he could carry on, citing a shortage of cash and skyrocketing food prices.

Chinese authorities have also shut down the internet in some areas. Commentators believed that the authorities are using this method to restrict netizens ability to talk freely about whats happening on the ground.

Draconian Tactics

There are countless examples of Chinas draconian actions against its own citizens, the Epoch Times has reported on many of them. Beijing has deliberately masked the total number of COVID-19 cases in China in a bid to safeguard its image both nationally and internationally.

Last month, in the commercial district of Humen town in Dongguan city, which is lined with shops belonging to middle to high-end fashion brands, riot police were deployed by the communist party to take care of merchants and punish them for still operating, footage showed. Store owners were struggling to pay their rent.

In Xiaogan city, Hubei province, residents are mandated to buy food through community managers, but some purchased cheaper vegetables through their own personal network and had the food delivered. A community manager reported these residents, spurring Chinese police to arrive and arrest them. Residents were outraged upon seeing the police and organized a group protest.

In one Wuhan community, footage showed local cadres giving food to residents, this was limited however to one free apple per household. Chinese citizens also complained about being treated like animals in Wuhans many checkpoints.

In one case, footage showed an old man getting beaten up by Chinese security forces because he tried to pass a checkpoint after failing to provide his QR code.

In yet another example of Chinas thuggish tactics, a family of four in Anlu City, Hubei Province, was publicly humiliated and paraded through the streets by police on Feb. 14 for playing poker at home. Police also ordered them to publicly read out a repentance letter afterwards. After reading the statement, the family was forced to stand for a long period of time before being allowed to return home.

When a system of government puts the welfare of the collective before the rights of individuals, human rights abuses always follow, and thats exactly what has happened in China, said Haskins, who is also the editor-in-chief of Stopping Socialism.

The Communist Party isnt interested in protecting human rights, and it never has been. Its primary goal is always to maintain its own power, at any cost, Haskins said. Youll see governing officials say and do whatever it takesincluding lieto keep people from doubting their role in society.

Corruption is also rampant in tyrannical societies like Beijing. In one instance, surveillance footage depicted local Chinese officials allegedly looting a grocery store in Wuhan, triggering a wave of anger online. At one point the owner tried to close the shop, but is stopped by a Chinese officer who let his colleagues in to take more goods.

Since February, the Wuhan government also began sending CCP virus patients with mild or moderate symptoms to makeshift hospitals with inhumane conditions. These hospitals, set up in places like stadiums and school gyms, are rampant with unsanitary conditions and lacked medicines and treatment, videos posted by patients revealed.

Some trapped inside were on the edge of a mental breakdown and began to destroy furniture out of frustration and anger. Others began fighting with each other.

Free Speech

Sarah Repucci, vice president of research and analysis at the U.S.-based human rights group Freedom House, said in an emergency situation, free speech enables the government to learn the reality of what is happening and respond more quickly.

If people do not feel safe speaking out, they are less likely to spread information that is crucial for helping to contain the pandemic, she told The Epoch Times. The solution to misinformation is not to censor.

Although many countries are still struggling to handle the pandemic effectively, Repucci explained that with time, free societies are more likely to keep restrictions proportionate and limited in duration to the health threat.

Less free societies are more likely to use the emergency to justify repression that consolidates their power, she added. That is the risk for the long term.

China ranks 177 out of 180 in the 2019 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. The regime is also expelling U.S. journalists based in China who work for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, highlighting the countrys dismal track record on press freedom.

Etienne Deffarges, a healthcare policy expert and member of the Executive Council of the Harvard School of Public Health told The Epoch Times it would be much easier to believe the flattering Chinas official statistics if they were validated by a thriving and independent media. China has recently pushed the narrative that there are zero, or little new cases of the virus in the country.

Haskins said without free speech, virtually no other freedoms are possible, noting how China has no such right.

Free speech helps  makes it more likely that government will be held accountable for its failures and abuses, Haskins added.

Free World

Michael Barone, a political analyst and emeritus fellow at American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said countries such as Taiwan and South Korea quickly enacted strict, but not draconian measures to stop the spread of the CCP virus with a transparency thats a vivid contrast with the concealment and lies that are standard practice in the Peoples Republic of China.

I think there is a shocking contrast between the behavior and performance of Communist-ruled China and those of its neighbors with a similar ethnic and/or cultural heritageTaiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Barone told The Epoch Times.

Barone expanded on that argument in an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner, writing that Its clear that regime character makes an enormous difference.

Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong have shown how people raised in Chinese or Chinese-influenced cultures of social cohesion and observation of rules can perform well in a situation of unanticipated stress, he wrote, adding how the countries effectively screened passengers from China, distributed record numbers of protective masks, and introduced intensive testing.

President Donald Trump acted relatively quickly to the CCP virus as well, barring entry to the United States from foreign nationals who had been in mainland China back on Jan. 31.

The United States measures to slow the spread of the CCP virus are much more humane than Chinas. U.S. residents in some of the harder-hit areas of the country are being told to stay home if possible and everyone is recommended to maintain safe social distances.

Meanwhile, federal assistance from the government passed quickly, with Trump recently signing a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill meant to fuel the fight against the pandemic and sustain the economy. The package was the largest stimulus package in the nations modern history.

The United States also never employed draconian measures or thuggish tactics against its own citizens.

Deffarges said the countries who have been responding to the virus well have shown close cooperation and harmony of communication between federal and local governments, something he criticized the United States for not following.

But he noted that free societies will eventually prove better than authoritarian regimes at handling this pandemic crisis, provided they enjoy both good governments and public trust.

Over the next 12-18 months, solutions to beat the pandemic will likely come from the United States unique combination of leading academic medical centers and national institutes of health and private enterprises, large and small, according to Deffarges.

In the U.S., Franklin Delano Roosevelt enjoyed immense trust at the outset of World War II, and used this trust to mobilize the whole of U.S. industry in the war effort, he added.

Cathy He and Eva Fu contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
Sydney's iconic Bondi to Bronte walk will be shut down if too many people flock to it over Easter or ignore social distancing orders.

With gyms ordered closed by NSW Government lockdowns, the popular 4km stroll is choked with thousands of people walking or jogging every day.

Local councilors fear the walk is a 'dangerous' breeding ground for coronavirus and are pushing for it to be closed indefinitely if the huge crowds continue.

Bondi is Australia's biggest coronavirus hotspot with at least 107 cases, and 167 in the local government area, out of 6,010 across Australia.

Sydney's iconic Bondi to Bronte walk (crowds pictured during stage 3 lockdown) will be shut down if too many people flock to it over Easter or ignore social distancing orders

A family of six and their dog walk together along the 4km route on Wednesday

Waverley Council on Tuesday night agreed to a series of crowd control measures in an effort to keep the walk open over Easter, but will shut down if they fail.

'If numbers are excessive we have the capacity to close the walkway down with the staff, contractors, and equipment deployed,' a briefing sent to councillors stated.

Rangers will patrol the path handing out fines to anyone breaching the two-person rule or not staying 1.5m apart.

Council staff and 11 private security guards will monitor entrances from 6am to 6pm and keep track of entrances and crowd sizes.

Additional fencing has been installed at McKenzies Bay and about 60 new signs will be erected advising people to kept left and obey social distancing rules.

These measures will be employed on a smaller scale every day after the long weekend and the trail closed whenever crowds get out of control.

The Bondi to Bronte walk is also a popular jogging track, made even more desirable now gyms are closed and it's harder to travel far from home to work out

Walkers exercise in groups along the Bondi to Bronte trail amid Sydney's coronavirus lockdown

With gyms ordered closed by NSW Government lockdowns, the popular 4km stroll is choked with thousands of people walking or jogging every day

Liberal Party councillor Leon Goltsman is pushing for stricter measures including closing narrow parts of the walk and diverting the route to safer areas.

'Closing should be the last resort but first and foremost is community safety,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Most people are social distancing, but parts of that path make it very difficult because it's very narrow.

'Combine that with backpackers and a lot of young people who are not taking it seriously, sometimes 20 or 30 people in a group. It's becoming dangerous with so many people crossing paths.'

Bondi locals are outraged with backpackers throwing crowded parties in defiance of bans on non-essential travel and gatherings of more than two people.

Three women stop for a chat along the route as other people try to make their way around them

Liberal Party councillor Leon Goltsman is pushing for stricter measures including closing narrow parts of the walk and diverting the route to safer areas

Cr Goltsman said he received dozens of complaints in the past few days about such behaviour and feared the tourists would infect people along the walk.

'People are kissing and getting it on on balconies and even stripping, it's like they don't realise what we're going through at the moment,' he said.

'Those same people could be going out on the walk and spread coronavirus. It just takes one person with the virus and before you know it, you have another hotspot.

'I've been condemned for even discussing [closing the walk] but I can only go by what I think is right and keep my community safe. I'm not trying to win popularity awards, I don't care about getting reelected.'

Paul Pignato walks his three dogs from Bronte to Bondi and back every day and believed shutting off the walk would be the latest governmental overreach.

'Most people are paying attention to the advice they've been given and are staying away from each other,' he told Daily Mail Australia while walking the path on Wednesday.

Paul Pignato walks his three dogs from Bronte to Bondi and back every day and believed shutting off the walk would be the latest governmental overreach

Meg Dalco (left) and Kate Rehoc (right) said though they enjoyed their time outside exercising on the walk, they could survive without it for the long weekend

Best friends Brittany Levick (left) and Bridget Gallagher (right) said the walk was one of their only escapes from the monotony of isolation

'I walk this with my dogs everyday and I'd be shattered if they closed it over Easter, I think these guys would be too.

'I think the whole thing is over the top personally, I think even shutting the beaches was over the top.

'I get why you don't want people to congregate on the beaches, but there is surely nothing wrong with going for a swim and quickly drying off and leaving.

Best friends Brittany Levick and Bridget Gallagher said the walk was one of their only escapes from the monotony of isolation.

'It would be terrible if they closed it off, it's the last thing keeping us sane,' Ms Gallagher said.

'We were literally just talking about what we were going to do over Easter and we have nothing on except doing the walk and drinking at home!'

Two young women take a stroll along the popular route on Wednesday afternoon

The women wore activewear as they swapped the gym for fresh air and an escape from the confines of government-ordered lockdown

But not all were against the walk being shut off, with some understanding the need to keep people at home to aid the fight against COVID-19.

Meg Dalco and Kate Rehoc said though they enjoyed their time outside exercising on the walk, they could survive without it for the long weekend.

'I think it's probably a good precaution to take, especially because runners are huffing and puffing as they pass you,' Ms Dalco said.

'Over the Easter weekend it would likely get busy, and it's only for four days or whatever, so it's not forever.'

Waverley mayor Paula Masselos said she wanted the popular walk to stay open but the council was assessing the risk.

'Most people are observing social distancing and doing the right thing, but at various times it does get crowded,' she said.

The Bondi to Bronte walk on a quieter weekday with overcast conditions - far more are expected to crowd the path over Easter

Bondi Beach has been closed for two weeks since this scene pf hundreds of people flcoking to it on March 20 with no regard for social distancing

'I don't want to shut everything down because people need to get out and exercise so we're trying to manage our facilities instead of summarily shutting them down.

'If people don't do the right thing we may need to shut it down, but I hope not.'

Cr Masselos encouraged residents to 'become a tourist in their own suburb' and explore areas they don't usually go to while getting exercise.

'There's lots to see in Waverley... be a little more creative about how you exercise instead of doing the same old thing,' she said.

NSW Police has not ordered the walk closed, as they did with some beaches, and NSW Health has not provided any 'specific advice'.

Waverley's beaches, including Bondi and Bronte, will stay closed over Easter and Northern Beaches, Randwick, Bayside, and Woollahra will also shut theirs.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 14:38 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd095e86 1 Health maternal-health,COVID-19,WHO,breastfeeding,menyusui,menyusui-ODP-corona,menyusui-PDP-corona,coronavirus,health,pregnancy,pregnant Free

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted questions about the risk the disease poses for pregnant women.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is currently no evidence to suggest elevated risk for pregnant women. However, they could by "badly affected by some respiratory infections" as they were experiencing body and immune system changes.

The WHO advised new mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to continue to breastfeed their babies as well as have skin-to-skin contact and share a room, as these activities help them thrive.

The Health Ministry recently shared some precautionary measures for mothers with COVID-19 to safely breastfeed:

Wear a face mask when breastfeeding and caring for the baby

Wash hands with soap before and after touching the baby

Clean surfaces often touched by you and the baby with disinfectant

Read also: Isolated and afraid: The pandemic is changing pregnancy

For mothers who are unable to directly breastfeed their babies, they can opt to provide the child with breast milk with some precautions:

The breast milk should be processed with clean hands and in a hygiene environment.

The breast milk is given to the baby using a wide cup.

The breast milk should be stored in a closed container. At room temperature, it can lasts up to four hours. If put alongside an ice pack (15 degrees Celsius), inside the refrigerator (between 4 to 5 degrees Celsius) or freezer (-18 to -20 degrees Celsius), it can lasts up to 24 hours, four days and four months, respectively.

Read also: No doctors, nurses or painkillers: Surviving pregnancy in Venezuela

During this outbreak, routine doctor appointments can be challenging for pregnant women and new mothers. Fortunately, some hospitals have started offering online consultation services.

Healthcare platform Halodoc, for instance, recently has added a new "chat with doctor" consultation service for pregnancy and reproductive health in collaboration with the Indonesian Obstetrics and Gynaecology Association (POGI).

This service allows patients to consult with doctors who are members of POGI and are able to provide tele-consultation services on COVID-19 and maternal health in accordance with guidelines issued by the WHO, the Health Ministry and POGI.

According to a statement from Halodoc, the start-up has experienced a rapid increase in tele-consultation services, with obstetrics and gynaecology consultation increasing by up to 60 percent. (gis/kes)
Usually its the worlds major oil-producing countries that step in when a big drop in prices roils the oil market. But these are not normal times.

On Friday, a day after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers led by Russia are set to hold their own meeting, representatives of the Group of 20 wealthy nations are expected to hold a virtual conference to try to stem the recent plunge in energy prices.

The volatile oil markets of recent weeks threaten to bankrupt energy companies across the world, causing enormous job losses and threatening financial institutions that have backed the industry.

The pandemic has played a critical role in this drama, but there is also a lot of jockeying among the three oil superpowers: Saudi Arabia and Russia, two longtime petro-rivals, and the United States, whose rising prominence as an oil exporter has disrupted the industry.
By Kyle Martin

Bay City News Service

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors made clear that they don't know what the future will look like after the county's shelter-in-place order, but teased the idea during their briefing with the county's public health officer Tuesday.

"There's a lot of uncertainty," Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health officer, told the board Tuesday morning. "We have to get comfortable with uncertainty. And we are in this for the long haul."

As county residents stay indoors to curb the spread of COVID-19, public health officials expect case numbers to continue to rise and are working hard to lower whatever the future death count may be.

Cody said that while she and the rest of the county's public health experts wonder what to do after the shelter order is lifted, there are a number of checkpoints the county must reach before then.

"I think the next phase is going to be even harder," Cody said. "I think the decisions are going to be even harder."

She said the county's hospitals must be ready and able to treat every patient that needs care, and the county must be able to test broadly and widely.

While the county's hospitals are currently functioning under capacity, there is no way to open the county's testing capacity publicly. She added that this is the case throughout the entire country, which has a health care system dependent on the help of the private sector.

By Monday, the county had conducted 11,782 tests for COVID-19 - including 1,285 positive and 1,243 negative confirmations. About 250 tests have not been officially counted yet. Furthermore, the county can only process results of a test in about 2.27 days, which is "significantly less" time than it was earlier last month or last week, according to Dr. Karen Smith, the former California Department of Public Health director and a speaker during the board's Tuesday meeting.

Additionally, the county's public health lab has run just 237 tests compared to Stanford's labs' 4,010 tests. And Verily, a Google-backed company, has seen 2,558 test subjects, though their tests are run and confirmed through other commercial private labs which report their data independent of the county's official count.

"The good news is there's more testing (and) the time to getting results is much shorter than it was before, but clearly there is a significant need for additional testing," the former state public health director said, who added that there is a shortage in testing materials - particularly the swabs clinicians use to gather specimens to test - that further limits testing capabilities in the county, the country and the rest of the world.

She also added that the county needs to be able to test any and all workers at the county's health care facilities in order to be able to move forward into post-shelter life, but the county does not presently have that capability.

The board asked for clarifications and timelines on when these new testing measures can happen, but the health officials were not able to offer specific or definitive dates.

The public is simply waiting for a vaccine and waiting for a peak in confirmed cases to signify a turning point. Until then, the county has continued plans to shelter in place to save as many lives as possible.

"People are going to die no matter what, it's just a matter of what risk we're willing to take," the county's executive, Dr. Jeff Smith, said to the board. "This is not going to be an easy thing to do."

Board president Cindy Chavez noted her concern for departments that have seen high volumes of employees in isolation, noting that some departments have seen between 12 and 50 employees. She said she wants to know what can be done to make sure certain departments with a finite number of essential workers can be tested to ensure their department can continue to function in the coming months.

"The testing capacity is not there to test everybody that needs to get tested," Cody told the board.

Jeff Smith added that the county does not "have the authority to tell them what to do, how much they can do or whether they do it or not."

Supervisor Joe Simitian asked Cody to explain what testing for antibodies can do to help locally, to which she replied that it could help health care workers know if they had been infected and had some form of immunity to COVID-19, but that she would need further information to make any official decision on the capabilities of such testing.

Supervisor Mike Wasserman asked if anyone can test positive for the virus, get over the disease and then test positive again, and Supervisor Dave Cortese asked for a new dashboard to display results of homeless individuals who have tested positive for the virus.

Cody said there will certainly be reintroduction of the disease into the public for any number of reasons. Ky Le, the county's office of supportive housing director, did not offer a new dashboard for the county but did update the board by saying "at this point we're not aware of any COVID-positive persons who need non-congregate sheltering" apart from the 17 people identified since last week that have been sheltered and isolated due to possible exposure.

Also, Supervisor Susan Ellenberg asked that the board consider expanded and widely accessible child care services no later than the first week of August.

By Monday, Santa Clara County had 1,285 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 43 deaths.

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Beaumont Police Department / /

Beaumont police are searching for a man suspected of robbing people at gunpoint at an apartment complex Sunday.

Police are looking for Jerrel Marshall, 22, on two aggravated robbery warrants, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
Kolkata, April 8 : The West Bengal government has quarantined 177 people including 108 foreigners who attended the religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Aon Wednesday.

"Ten or 12 days back we shifted to the quarantine centre 108 foreigners who had attended this programme. They came from Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand," she told media persons at the state secretariat Nabanna.

Banerjee said the foreigners are still there at the quarantine centre under the monitoring of the state Health Department and the administration.

"A total of 69 others from Bengal, who had attended the event, are also there. We have done this quietly. But I did not give this information earlier as governments have to maintain secrecy.

"Both centre and the states have to maintain secrecy. If I find a piece of news can create panic in society, why should I give it?" she asked.
Bangladeshs southern district hosts more than a million Rohingya in squalid camps after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

Bangladesh has imposed a lockdown in a southern district that hosts more than a million Rohingya in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the crowded refugee camps.

Entry and exit from Coxs Bazar district is prohibited from now on, Kamal Hossain, chief of the district administration, said in a statement on Wednesday, after the country reported 218 cases of coronavirus and 20 deaths.

Stringent legal actions are to be taken against those who violate the order, Hossain said, adding that the restriction had been imposed in the public interest.

More than a million Rohingya have been living in squalid camps in the southeastern Bangladeshi district after they fled persecution in the predominantly Buddhist neighbour, Myanmar.





Nearly 750,000 of them crossed the border following the 2017 military crackdown on the minority group in Myanmars northern Rakhine state.

Aid agencies fear that an outbreak in the tightly packed Rohingya camps, one of the largest refugee settlements in the world, would be tough because of population density and a lack of medical facilities.

Louise Donovan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)s spokesperson, said the Coxs Bazar district has extremely limited capacity to provide intensive care treatment.

But earlier, the government said efforts were being made to improve hospital beds, isolation and quarantine facilities.

A coronavirus case was reported in the district last month, but the patient, who had returned from Saudi Arabia, twice tested negative and was released from hospital.

Bangladesh imposed a nationwide transport restriction alongside the closure of all non-essential public and private offices, as well as schools, in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont ended his presidential candidacy on Wednesday, concluding a quest that elevated him as a standard-bearer of American liberalism and clearing the way for a general election between the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and President Trump at a time of national crisis.

In a live-streamed speech, Mr. Sanders, eloquent but without his characteristic spark, cast his decision in the broader context of the fight against the coronavirus. I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, Mr. Sanders said, adding, While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not.

If Mr. Biden, the former vice president, can now lay claim to the Democratic nomination, he still faces considerable challenges in uniting the party and mobilizing a broad base of voters for the November election. Unlike Mr. Sanders, Mr. Biden inspired little enthusiasm among young voters, nor did he develop signature policy proposals. He triumphed because many voters rejected Mr. Sanderss policy agenda as too far to the left and prohibitively expansive, and were convinced that Mr. Biden had the best chance to beat Mr. Trump in November.

To motivate liberal Democrats who find him frustratingly conventional, Mr. Biden, 77, will most likely need to do far more to articulate an agenda on foundational Democratic issues like health care and climate change.
(TNS)  Many of Miami-Dades local governments have gone virtual after the COVID-19 pandemic complicated a crucial part of open government: the public meeting.While videoconferencing and live-streaming have allowed the public to watch municipal politicians meet remotely, another thorny question remains: How can governments make sure anyone can participate in these virtual meetings  particularly those without access to technology?The issue is another side effect of efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and one that resonates beyond public participation in government. From job applications to digital unemployment forms, the technological disparities have come into clear focus during the crisis  U.S. Census data show there are approximately 150,000 households in Miami-Dade without any Internet access.Miami-Dade Countys commission grappled with the possibility of hosting an in-person meeting before scrapping the plan and going to a strictly virtual meeting. Public speakers could leave voice messages and send in emails prior to the conference. In Miami Beach, administrators plan to have a hotline so people can call in and offer their comments for their next commission meeting on April 22. In Homestead and Palmetto Bay, the governments have accepted comments online before recent meetings.Miami commissioners are scheduled to hold their second virtual meeting Thursday, where each commissioner will sign on to a video conference in separate rooms at City Hall  but this time, the city will allow members of the public who enter the building to interact with commissioners live through the video call. A computer logged into the Zoom video conference will allow people to speak with elected officials in real time, as opposed to submitting a comment ahead of time.There will be a laptop computer located in the lobby of City Hall if someone from the public does decide to come in person to provide public comment, said city spokeswoman Stephanie Severino. They will be allowed to speak through the laptop computer via Zoom for two minutes. After the speakers two minutes have expired, they will be asked to leave City Hall.The commission met on a video conference March 26, where members of the public were asked to make their comments on the meetings agenda through voicemails, email and videos submitted before the meeting. Several of the audio and video messages were played during the conference. For Thursdays meeting, people will still be able to submit their comments remotely, said City Manager Art Noriega, but the city will also allow people to form a queue outside City Hall, keeping six feet apart from each other, and enter the lobby one at a time to give their comments via the laptop.The only thing that will change is I think were going to have the potential to have people come and speak at City Hall, Noriega told the Miami Herald last week. They would do it one at a time.The arrangement raises obvious concerns about allowing people to congregate at City Hall on Dinner Key. State and local authorities have issued several stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus that can cause severe respiratory illness. These orders also create a dilemma for people who want to address their government but can only do it by physically going to City Hall.Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who pushed to add the in-person option for residents who might not have a computer or smartphone, acknowledged the logistical concerns.There is a digital divide in our community, Diaz de la Portilla said. The people that dont have access to computers have the same right to address their commissioners.Commissioner Ken Russell echoed his colleague, adding that city officials will ensure theres enough space between any people who arrive in person.If people do show up, were going to have full protocol for social distancing. The doors will be open, they dont have to touch anything, Russell said.Russell said he does not expect very many people to head to Dinner Key, nor does he expect the in-person option to be widely advertised. He encouraged anyone who has the capability to use the other formats to submit their comments. For future meetings, the city wants to add a call-in number so people can address the commission live during the meeting.The digital divide was on full display Tuesday in Hialeah, where scores of people lined up outside the John F. Kennedy Library to receive paper unemployment forms, a solution for people who cannot print the forms from a computer at home. Although the site was meant to be a drive-through, many people without vehicles came on foot.Although the Hialeah event drew more people than the typical number who give public comment during commission meetings, the scene illustrated the difficulty of connecting people across the economic spectrum with their government without physical contact.Miamis approach mirrors an initial plan to allow residents to address Miami-Dade County commissioners in person at the county boards meeting on Tuesday. In late March, commission chairwoman Audrey Edmonsons office drafted plans to have commissioners and staffers spaced apart onstage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and seats at least six feet apart marked in the audience. For public comment, microphones would have been suspended from overhead and speakers would have had to keep social distance as they lined up.Edmonson dropped the plan on April 2 after pushback, and the County Commission met on a video call Tuesday. Public speakers were allowed to call and leave a voice message the day before, send an email or call in live to the meeting.Municipalities across Miami-Dade County have allowed residents to submit questions and comments to their clerks in the days leading up to virtual meetings, or to use a dial-in number or video chat to speak during designated public comment periods.In Surfside , Mayor Charles Burkett has read some submitted comments aloud during virtual meetings, and has even let residents submit questions after the meetings have started, either by email or in a chat bar that the GoToMeeting service offers.Its a fantastic tool for everyone to, while the meeting is going on, communicate with commissioners, the manager, anybody else, Burkett said as Surfsides March 31 virtual meeting began. Obviously, please be respectful and courteous.In Opa-locka, residents will have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to submit their comments to the city clerk ahead of a 7 p.m. virtual commission meeting, which will be broadcast live on the citys YouTube channel.Comments submitted by that deadline will be read into the record during the meeting, according to an email from City Clerk Joanna Flores. Comments submitted after the deadline will be included in the record but wont be read aloud. Miami Beach s commission will have a call-in number for its April 22 meeting to allow people to comment live during designated periods of the virtual meeting.
The UK could become the worst-hit country in Europe during the coronavirus outbreak with up to 66,000 deaths, a study has suggested, though a statistics expert cautioned the model could change dramatically as the outbreak progresses.

Approximately 151,680 people will die across Europe during the first wave of the pandemic, researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washingtons School of Medicine said.

Modelling suggested the UK, along with Germany, Norway and Greece, was still in the early stages of the outbreak and would witness a fast-rising death toll through a peak in the second and third weeks of April.

We are expecting a foreboding few weeks for people in many parts of Europe, said the IHMEs director, Dr Christopher Murray. It seems likely the number of deaths will exceed our projections for the United States.

However, Professor Sylvia Richardson, co-chair of the Royal Statistical Society Task Force on Covid-19, said the claims should be treated with considerable scepticism.

The IHME projections are based on very strong assumptions about the way the epidemic will progress, based mostly on using the experience in other countries to fit a smooth curve to the counts of deaths reported so far in the UK, rather than any modelling of the epidemic itself, she explained.

Methods like this are well known for being extremely sensitive, and are likely to change dramatically as new information comes in.

She added: These projections seem both extreme and too precise, especially allowing for the limitations in the daily reports. Time will tell, but I feel these current claims should be treated with considerable scepticism.

And Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge was equally sceptical.

"I am very sceptical of these IHME projections, which are based on assuming a rather simple mathematical model for the whole course of the epidemic. I suspect they will change a lot as new data arrives - we shall see."

The IMHEs model found deaths in the UK were expected to peak in the third week of April, with an estimated 2,932 deaths on 17 April. The research said Italy and Spain were likely at their peak number of deaths at the moment. Italys highest death toll so far came on 28 March, with 971 deaths, while Spains was on 3 April with 950 deaths.

The research showed the UK would not have enough hospital and intensive care unit beds to meet demand and predicted 66,314 total deaths by 4 August.

More than 6,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK so far.

The UKs predicted death toll would put it ahead of Italy, with 20,000 deaths, followed by Spain and France, with 19,000 and 15,000 predicted deaths respectively.

One key factor was a nations hospital and intensive care bed capacity.

During the UKs peak, over 102,000 hospital beds would be needed, according to the research, though only 17,765 are currently available. Some 25,000 ICU beds would also be required, despite the UK having only 799.

The IMHEs research used data from local and national governments and the World Health Organisation, as well as age mortality rate data from China, Italy, South Korea and the US.

It comes as the governments top adviser said the UK could be seeing the beginning of change in the number of new coronavirus cases

The governments top scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, has said the UK could be seeing the beginning of change in the number of new cases of coronavirus as he outlined the new figures.

Sir Patrick said there had not been the acceleration in numbers that ministers had feared, as he revealed new UK coronavirus cases had fallen slightly to 3,634 on Tuesday, down from 3,802 the previous day and 5,903 on Sunday.

With the peak expected within days, the government postponed a review into whether the lockdown would be lifted, which was originally set to take place after three weeks.

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

The IMHE research said most regions in Italy and Spain have passed their peak death rate, as other nations approach their peak and some face peak mortality later in April.

It is unequivocally evident that social distancing can, when well implemented and maintained, control the epidemic, leading to declining death rates, Mr Murray said.

Those nations hit hard early on implemented social distancing orders and may have the worst behind them as they are seeing important progress in reducing their death rates. Each nations trajectory will change  and dramatically for the worse  if people ease up on social distancing or relax other precautions.

Mr Murray warned that easing precautions too soon during the first wave of the pandemic could lead to new rounds of infections, hospitalisations and deaths.

To decrease the risk of a second wave in places where the first wave is controlled by robust social distancing, governments would need to consider mass testing, contact tracing, and quarantines for those infected until a vaccination is available, mass produced, and distributed widely, Mr Murray said.
Wat Brovuyong is nestled among dozens of small homes, most in a state of disrepair. The pagoda is hidden from the street and accessible by a narrow lane, wide enough for no more than two motorbikes. At one end of the lane, a group of six men are playing cards, steps from the pagoda in Phnom Penhs Chamkarmon district, a few other people are casually chatting and loitering not too far from the men. The cramped space makes social distancing all but impossible. Down the alley, Bo Phally, an off-duty police officer, is selling mangoes. She quickly retrieves a face mask, that was drying on a rack from a recent wash. Bo Phally said she has been unable to afford masks to protect herself from the novel coronavirus pandemic, often reusing them after a quick wash. I cannot afford them [masks]. This was given to me, Bo Phally said.

Prices for mask have increased exponentially, making it hard for people to afford them, pricing out poorer sections of Phnom Penhs urban communities. Wat Broyuvong is listed as an eviction site by urban land rights NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut. Bo Phally said she earns $400 a month, which she said she needs to pay rent and living expenses for her two sons in high school and an elderly mother. She said the required health and safety needs for the current viral outbreak were often secondary to buying rice for the family. I will buy rice instead, said Bo Phally. Of course, face masks can protect me, but for poor people like me, what if I dont have money to even buy rice. I will collapse within 3 days even before I am infected with coronavirus. Despite these concerns, she has purchased half a liter of alcohol for $3.5, but has rationed its use. I told my children to use it only when necessary, especially when they go out, Bo Phally said. But when they are in the house, I told them to use soap or lemon, and shower more often.

A few doors down, Luy Sari is selling rice porridge and fried noodles in front of her home. The 68-year-old said she was using her limited supply of masks only when she was in the market; masks distributed at her grandsons school before it was closed in early March. If I dont have money to buy new one, I would wash the used mask and reuse it, Sari said Or use a handkerchief instead. She said earnings from her small food stall were meager, barely $2 from around $20 in sales, with this lack of earnings worrying her further. I am worried because I am poor. I dont have money for treatment if I get sick, Luy Sari said. The Cambodian government has so far provided treatment free of costs for active cases, though foreigners looking to enter the country must have $50,000 in insurance to pay for potential medical treatment if they tested positive for the virus.
The Delhi government on Wednesday issued an advisory to all the staff members working in the office of Ministry of Health urging them to abide by it to curb the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. It has issued two directives asking the staff member to follow both in office and also at home.

The Arvind Kejriwal government asked that the office of the Health Ministry should be sanitized with sodium hypochlorite at 10 am, 2 pm and 4.30 pm and whenever required. It also urged everybody to use his personal soap and sanitizer.

The staff has been directed not to shake hands or participate in gatherings, including sitting in groups at canteens. They have been asked to not touch his or her eyes, nose and mouth. Personal hygiene and a safe distance (more than one meter) from persons during interaction should be maintained. They have also been urged to cover nose and mouth with tissue or elbow while sneezing and coughing.

The AAP government also advised its staff to follow certain steps after they reach home.

The steps to be followed are--1. Ring up home when you start from office. 2. Someone at home should keep the front door open (so that you don't have to touch the calling bell or door handle) and a bucket of water with washing soap powder or bleaching powder added to it in the front door. 3. Keep things (car keys, pen, sanitizer bottle, phone) in a box outside the door. 4. Wash your hands in the bucket and stand in the water for a few minutes. Meanwhile use tissue and sanitizer and wipe the items you have placed in the box. 5. Wash your hands with soap water again. 6. Now enter the house without touching anything. 7. The bathroom door is kept open by someone and a bucket of detergent soap water is ready. You take off all your clothes including innerwear and soak inside the bucket. 8. Then take a head bath with a shampoo and body bath with soap. 9. Wash your clothes / put in the washing machine with high-temperature settings and dry clothes in direct sunlight.

The Delhi government has also identified 20 coronavirus COVID-19 hotspots in the national capital and sealed all of them to combat the spread of the virus. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held the meeting with ministers and top officials to discuss measures to contain the deadly virus.

Talking to reporters after a high-level meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced, "Nobody will be allowed to enter or exit from these areas." The government will ensure delivery of essential items in the areas that have been sealed, he added.
Crowds line up outside the Supreme Court as it resumes oral arguments at the start of its new term in Washington, October 7, 2019.

The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on a major abortion case out of Texas that could resolve whether states may effectively ban the procedure with limited exceptions during the coronavirus pandemic.

An appeal is expected possibly as soon as Wednesday after a federal appeals court panel upheld the restriction on Tuesday. The fight comes as other states, including Ohio, Oklahoma and Alabama, are stepping up efforts to limit abortion access during the public health crisis.

The case would be the second major dispute to come to the justices over coronavirus. The justices on Monday sided with Republicans in Wisconsin to limit absentee ballot voting in the state, which held elections on Tuesday. That vote was 5-4 along partisan lines.

The Texas case concerns an order signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last month barring any medical procedures deemed not to be immediately necessary, an effort to conserve resources during the crisis.

Ken Paxton, also a Republican and the state's attorney general, later said the order applied to any abortion that was not required to protect the life or health of the person receiving it, suggesting it would also apply to abortions carried out via oral medication. He announced that the penalty for violating the order was $1,000 or 180 days of jail time.

Abortion providers in the state challenged the order in court, represented by attorneys for Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Lawyering Project.

The providers called the restriction a "a blatant effort to exploit a public health crisis to advance an extreme, anti-abortion agenda, without any benefit to the state in terms of preventing or resolving shortages of PPE or hospital capacity."

A federal district court sided with the abortion providers. The court acknowledged the public health crisis inflicted by COVID-19, but said the Supreme Court had never addressed whether such a circumstance would limit its past abortion holdings.

"This court will not speculate on whether the Supreme Court included a silent 'except-in-a-national-emergency clause' in its previous writings on the issue," District Court Judge Lee Yeakel, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote. "Only the Supreme Court may restrict the breadth of its rulings."

But on Tuesday, a divided panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived the abortion restriction by a 2-1 vote. It had earlier allowed the restriction to be enforced while it considered the matter.

The 5th Circuit held that the district court's analysis was "backwards." Citing the 1905 Supreme Court case Jacobson v. Massachusetts, the court held that all constitutional rights "may be reasonably restricted to combat a public health emergency."

"We could avoid applying Jacobson here only if the Supreme Court had specifically exempted abortion rights from its general rule. It has never done so," Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote. Duncan was appointed by President Donald Trump.

The 5th Circuit's opinion came over a stinging dissent from Circuit Judge James Dennis, a Bill Clinton appointee. Dennis said the court allowed the restriction "not because of the law or facts, but because of the subject matter of this case," and noted that pregnancies often require the use of more protective medical equipment than abortions.

"In a time where panic and fear already consume our daily lives, the majority's opinion inflicts further panic and fear on women in Texas by depriving them, without justification, of their constitutional rights, exposing them to the risks of continuing an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the risks of travelling to other states in search of timesensitive medical care," Dennis wrote.

In a statement issued after the 5th Circuit's opinion was issued, Paxton thanked the court "for their attention to the health and safety needs of Texans suffering from this medical crisis."

"Governor Abbott's order ensures that hospital beds remain available for Coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis," he said.

Paxton predicted last week in an interview with CBS News that the case would end up at the Supreme Court regardless of who won at the 5th Circuit.

Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, called the decision "unconscionable."

"Abortion is essential, it's time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass," she said in a statement. "Instead of playing politics during a pandemic, Gov. Abbott should be focusing on the health care needs of his constituents. Planned Parenthood won't let this injustice stand."
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:56 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0707b0 1 Business bank-indonesia,repo,Federal-Reserve,US-dollar,rupiah,forex-reserves,COVID-19 Free

Bank Indonesia (BI) has reached a repurchase agreement (repo) worth US$60 billion with the United States Federal Reserve to boost dollar liquidity supply following a fall in Indonesias foreign exchange reserves in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forex reserves dropped $9.4 billion last month to $121 billion as the central bank stepped up market intervention to stabilize the rupiah exchange rate amid heavy capital outflows, it announced on Tuesday.

This will be the second line of defense other than bilateral currency swaps in case we need dollar liquidity, BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said in a teleconferenced meeting later on Tuesday, adding that the current forex reserves level was adequate for further market interventions and the central bank would use the second line of defense if necessary.

Read also: Indonesia sells Asia's first 50-year dollar bond to fight pandemic

The Fed only works with a few emerging countries including Indonesia on such deals, he added. This shows a vote of confidence in Indonesias economic prospects.

The rupiah dropped around 15 percent against the US dollar in March, as investors pulled money out of emerging markets and fled to the safe-haven assets, triggering dollar liquidity shortages.

On Tuesday, the currency appreciated 1.3 percent to Rp 16,200 per US dollar, while the yield on 10-year government bonds fell 4 basis points to 8.16 percent, the first decline in seven days, according to Bloomberg data.

BI has a $30 billion bilateral swap agreement with China, $22.7 billion with Japan, around $7 billion with Singapore and an undisclosed amount with Australia and other central banks to buffer the nations economy in the COVID-19 battle.

Furthermore, the central bank has also sealed a $2.5 billion repo line agreement with the Bank of International Settlements and another $3 billion with the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Read also: BI to dominate ownership of 'pandemic bonds' as debt burden grows

Going forward, we see a higher risk of foreign reserve outflows mainly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bank Mandiri chief economist Andry Asmoro wrote in a research note.

The ongoing pandemic, he went on to say, caused uncertainty in the financial markets, which made investors dump Indonesian assets and delayed the inflow of foreign direct investment into the country as the global value chain has been seriously damaged.

It is also causing a global recession that weakens major commodity prices, disrupting Indonesias export performance, Andry said, adding that the health crisis had heavily impacted Indonesias tourism.

We expect the current account deficit to widen to 2.88 percent of GDP and the financial account balance to notably decline, he said. If the pandemic keeps getting worse, we see the balance of payments in 2020 booking a huge deficit.

A group of economic researchers at the University of Indonesia's Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM UI) said that massive capital outflows during the COVID-19 crisis had an impact on slowing money supply growth in the economy as liquidity dried up.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus worth 2.5% of GDP, lower than Singapore, Malaysia

Considering banks liquidity is a central factor in the money circulation cycle, particularly in terms of loan creation, the threat of liquidity shortages needs to be addressed immediately, the researchers wrote.

"Looking at the trend of capital outflows, which suppressed forex liquidity during the pandemic, the rupiah will still be under pressure until the COVID-19 pandemic tapers off," the LPEM researchers said, projecting that the rupiah would hover at around Rp 16,500 to Rp 17,500 against the greenback this year.
We wish this would not have blown up, he said.

African nations, of course, are no less vulnerable than any other country to the virus  and, in fact, in many ways are far more so. As nations around the world compete for limited medical supplies to battle the pandemic, wealthier ones are elbowing aside poorer ones. That leaves much of Africa and Latin America out of luck.

Even in the best of times, the health systems in many African nations struggle with lack of supplies  including ventilators  making them susceptible to being overwhelmed in a large outbreak.

For now, in many parts of Africa, from areas that are international travel hubs to those that are more isolated, the coronavirus has been slow to take hold. But the number of confirmed cases and deaths is climbing, raising fears about the continents readiness to deal with a pandemic.

With huge populations of vulnerable citizens, experts say the impact could be devastating. Some nations have sealed borders to commercial flights to try to limit the spread of the virus.

China, Russia, Cuba and even Somalia are sending doctors and supplies to Western nations suffering from the pandemic. Some researchers say that African migrants who risked their lives to sail to European countries in search of a better life are now, with rising infections there, returning home.

With this coronavirus, everything is upside down, said Boubacar Boris Diop, a Senegalese author and screenwriter.

In conversations, Americans based in various African countries  to work for governments, aid groups or businesses  gave a variety of reasons for staying put, even if they had the means to leave.
Regarding 51 of Munis 68 bus lines to shut as riders, operators stay home (April 6): Megan Cassidy reported that Muni is set to close a majority of bus lines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I commend her on the auspicious timing of this article because it brings clarity and reassurance of local leadership amidst such unyielding times. My perspective is that individuals are not seeing the severity of the issue at hand. I hope the general public sees the severe decision set forth by the San Francisco transit system as a stark reminder, as well as both a literal and symbolic antecedent as to how seriously they should be conducting themselves in the times ahead.

What people dont realize is every time they go out in public they not only place themselves and their families at risk, but they put essential workers  the lifeblood of societys well-being  at risk, too. Lets help spread a message of physical distancing and compassionate solidarity while keeping receptive to new information. Whether that be by reporting on official public safety measures, or reminding friends and family to stay home, lets all do our part, then maybe we will come out of this safe and with an added compassionate instinct.

Fernando Ramirez, Berkeley

Winners and losers

Regarding How to secure states water future (April 5): Former Rep. George Miller shows exactly how good water plans are short-circuited by the very people presenting them. By espousing a plan that ensures adequate water for farms and cities, safety from floods, toxic algae-free waterways and healthy rivers and fish populations that keep fishermen (fishers) busy and keep local sustainable salmon on our plates, Miller employs the false notion that well all get better together.

All solutions to Californias water issues have winners and losers. Avoiding that binary by claiming everyone wins precludes recognition and empathy for the losers. Along with solar farms, flow standards and floodplain restoration, say up front who is inevitably going to be negatively impacted (or fears that they will, which is just as bad) and how your plan makes them whole. Preempt and address the farmers concerns that wider floodplains take acres from farms, and solar farms take time to become profitable; the Delta Marina operators fear that protecting salmon may impact the recreational non-native bass fishing their business depends upon. Address those fears, sound or unfounded, before they break the this is good for everyone promise. Add a sentence recognizing those people and avoid needlessly creating opponents against your good (not perfect) plan.

Michael Moran, Oakland

Shocking statements

Concerning Navy chief tears into ships fired top officer (Page 1, April 7): First, its both shocking and disgraceful that former Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly berated Capt. Brett Crozier, the former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, as being too naive or too stupid to be at the helm of his ship right in front of the very crew that highly respected him. Second, Modly (like his paranoid boss in the White House) claimed that the media has an agenda and the agenda that they have depends on which side of the political aisle they sit. ... They use it to divide us and use it to embarrass the Navy. Actually, not all of the media has a political agenda. Reliable news sources, like this newspaper, simply endeavor to investigate and present truthful information: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Arthur Leibowitz, San Francisco

Reliance on prop system

In response to A vulnerable revenue system (Insight, March 29), you correctly identified the need for revenue diversification on the part of California. It was interesting to see a number of the responses calling for the passage of the Schools and Communities First initiative in as much as it is the reliance on the proposition system that is a big part of the problem. These special propositions are instantly likable for no other reason than, who isnt for strong schools, roads without potholes, school teachers and children? But, like anything else in the states budget, these funds are all fungible and easily waylaid and made available for far less popular but certainly more crisis-worthy items like a chronically underfunded state pension system, with no net benefit accruing to the favored cause that made it all possible. A good start might be for the assembly to actually do its job, and stop relying on the bait-and-switch of the proposition system to fund its normal operating expenses independent of the usual suspects. With respect to Schools and Communities First, I am anxious to hear how this proposition can extract $12 billion from a currently stressed business community without serious adverse consequences.

Todd Freeman, Belmont

Property rights focus

Regarding Profits over people (Letters, April 6): Kudos to the author for reminding us of the Republican Partys obsession with putting profits over people. I would like to add that profits serve only to enhance the property of those who receive them, and to note that our Constitution is also obsessed with property rights, (and not human rights), which is not surprising, given that the most important property of those who created it was slaves (deemed worthy of three-fifths of a person!), and initially, that only those who owned property would be allowed to vote.

Even when they (reluctantly) got around to the so-called Bill of Rights, the first two were problematic at best: if you think Freedom of Speech is a good idea, I offer Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and President Trump for your approval. Guns are the bane of our existence, intended mainly to protect property rights. I rest my case.
Farmers can shoot dogs that are worrying flocks of sheep, the IFA has warned.

In the lead up to the Easter bank holiday weekend, IFA National Sheep Chairman Sean Dennehy has issued a stark warning to all dog owners.

"Dog owners can be held responsible for any losses involved in dog attacks on sheep, with serious financial and legal consequences. Farmers have a right to protect their sheep flock and can shoot a dog worrying, or about to worry their flock.

His warning comes after a pack of dogs attacked a flock in South Tipperary this week.

IFA South Tipperary Chairperson, Erica OKeefe said IFA has been in contact with the farmer in question.

This horrendous attack by marauding dogs on a sheep flock is an all too common occurrence. The owner is devastated as a number of sheep were killed and more had to be put down.

Ms OKeefe said this is the second dog attack in South Tipperary in recent weeks, with another severe incidence in the Cashel area recently where seven lambs and a ewe were killed by dogs.

Mr Dennehy reminded farmers that IFA has a detailed Protocol to help those who encounter a dog attack on their sheep flock. It outlines important aspects of the law and how the dog warden service and the Garda can help. It also sets out how to keep a full record of the attack, which can be used as evidence at a later stage.

Dog owners who allow their pets to roam without restriction, are acting in a grossly irresponsible, reckless and selfish manner. A family pet can turn into a brutal killer and cause savagery and mayhem if they are not properly monitored, he said.
Availability of the Preparatory Documents

Regulatory News:

The Annual Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders of Lagardere SCA (the "Company") (Paris:MMB) will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 5 May 2020

The notice of meeting has been published at the French official legal announcement publication (BALO) on Wednesday, 4 March 2020. The convening notice, including the agenda and the text of the draft resolutions as amended by the Managing Partners and supplemented by fifteen draft resolutions submitted by shareholders, will be published at the BALO and at the Petites Affiches on Friday, 10 April 2020.

The documents and information relating to this General Meeting required under article R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code are posted on the Company's website, www.lagardere.com, in the section entitled "2020 Annual Shareholders' Meeting" (accessible directly from the homepage) where it is gathered in:

the General Meeting Brochure (reports of the Managing Partners including notably a summary of the Company's operations and results and the presentation and text of the draft resolutions submitted by the Managing Partners to the general meeting, report of the Supervisory Board, information on the candidates for membership of the Supervisory Board, reports of the Statutory Auditors and of the independent third-party entity, );

the Addendum to the General Meeting Document resulting notably from the submission by shareholders of fifteen draft resolutions relating to the removal and replacement of eight Supervisory Board's members (including the agenda of the General Meeting, the text of a draft resolution amended by the Managing Partners, the purpose and the text of the draft resolutions submitted by shareholders, the information on the candidates proposed for membership of the Supervisory Board and the opinions issued by the Supervisory Board and the Managing Partners on these draft resolutions);

the Universal Registration Document Year 2019 (activities of the Company and its subsidiaries, Company's financial statements and consolidated financial statements, comments on the financial statements, internal control and risk management procedures, non-financial statement, Corporate Governance Report of the Supervisory Board, fees paid to the Statutory Auditors...).

These documents can also, under the conditions provided by article R. 225-88 and R. 225-89 of the French Commercial Code, be reviewed by the shareholders at the Company's headquarters at 42, rue Washington, Immeuble Monceau, 75008 Paris, France and sent out, free of charges, upon request received no later than Thursday, 30 April 2020 at the following address:

BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES SERVICES

CTS Assemblees Generales

Les Grands Moulins de Pantin

9, rue du Debarcadere

93761 Pantin Cedex France

As all the Company's shares are in registered form, the General Meeting Brochure, the Addendum and the combined voting and proxy form, will be sent out to all shareholders registered in the nominative shareholders' accounts kept on behalf of the Company.

In view of the ongoing confinement and governmental measures prohibiting public gatherings in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, the General Meeting will exceptionally be held behind closed doors, without the shareholders and other parties habitually eligible to participate being physically present, in accordance with article 4 of French Government Order no. 2020-321 dated 25 March 2020.

Shareholders will nonetheless be able to follow the entire General Meeting, which like each year will be webcast live and recorded for later viewing, in French and English, on the Company's website www.lagardere.com.

A description of the ways in which shareholders can participate fully to the General Meeting, despite the exceptional measures and regulatory constraints designed to protect the health of all is included in the Addendum to the General Meeting Brochure and in the convening notice to be published on Friday, 10 April 2020.

LAGARDERE SCA

French partnership limited by shares (societe en commandite par actions) with a share capital of 799,913,044.60

Divided into 131,133,286 shares of 6.10 par value each

Registered office: 4, rue de Presbourg, 75016 Paris, France

Telephone: 33 (0)1 40 69 16 00

Registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Registry under number 320 366 446

Website: http://www.lagardere.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005245/en/

Contacts:

Lagardere SCA
The research firms insights up until 22 March 2020 show that much higher ratings for local stations during the pandemic are being driven by a much broader demographic representation of viewers than is typically observed during news segments. Several key age ranges are showing significant year-over-year viewing increases, with 18-34 up 38%, and 35-54 up 35%.Across all households in the top 25 markets, Comscore observed a 13% increase in viewing from the week of March 9, 2020 compared to the week of March 16, 2020 and a 33% increase from the week of March 18 in the previous year. Looking at households with adults ages 50+, the analyst found that these homes saw increases in viewership compared to both weeks  a 12% viewing increase from the week of 916 March 2020 and a 29% increase over the previous year's week of 18 March 2020. Households with adults aged1834 showed the largest increase in viewership from the same week in 2019, something of a surprise said the analyst.Across the top 25 markets, Comscore also examined viewership among households in three income groups: $0-$74,999 yearly household income, $75,000-$99,999 yearly household income and $100,000+ yearly household income. Local news viewership was found to have soared from the same week in 2019, especially among middle-earning households in the $75,000-$99,999 yearly income range, which saw a 50% increase in viewership.Looking at overall increase in average audience rather than the percentage increase, Comscore found that local news viewing in the top 25 markets increased by well over a million households making between $0 and $100,000 each year compared with this time in 2019. The $75,000-$100,000 income group constitutes the smallest population of these three income breaks, only making up about 15 million households nationally, which is why it constitutes the largest percentage increase among the other income breaks, yet the smallest gross increase. However, these households were likely among those most impacted by stay-at-home mandates and the closure of non-essential businesses.American households are watching more and more local news across key demographic segments, said Comscore CEO Bill Livek commenting on the research . Advertisers and their agencies can fine-tune their media planning and buying by continuing to work with Comscore to understand these ongoing shifts in local television viewing as engagement remains at unprecedented levels.
Open source

17 citizens of Ukraine have recovered from the coronavirus infection abroad. 174 more are getting the treatment. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported that on Facebook.

The Ukrainian patients are being treated in Italy (121), Greece (22), Poland (4), Germany (4), Austria (3), and other countries. 14,624 Ukrainians returned home within the Protection system, launched by the Foreign Ministry.

The number of those who deceased due to the complications caused by the disease has not changed; five people have succumbed to the illness so far.

Meanwhile, the number of those infected with Covid-19 in Ukraine reached 1,462.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky turned to fellow citizens, urging them to stay at home on Easter and to abstain from attending holy masses in churches - in the view of the upcoming peak of Covid-19 in Ukraine. The President said so during his address to the citizens on April 7.

"We are two in the situation when we've got to change our traditions for health and life. On our side, we'll do everything to provide the broadcast of services on TV channels. And you... I ask you to remember the God's commandment about love for your close ones. In the times of coronavirus, the best manifestation of such love is not to create any danger for health and life of your close ones", he said.
(Newser)  Shares in videoconferencing app Zoom hit record highs at the end of last month as COVID-19 forced people to work and socialize from home. Then came the drop, coinciding with concerns about "zoombombing" and other security and privacy issues. Another drop in stock price came Tuesday, with shares closing at a third of their market value in late March, as one of Zoom's shareholders filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court. Michael Drieu accuses Zoom of concealing failures in software encryption, including that its service isn't end-to-end encrypted, per Reuters. CEO Eric Yuan, who admitted he "really messed up," has said end-to-end encryption is in the works but it's still months off, per Bloomberg.

story continues below

Drieu also claims Zoom discloses personal information to third parties, including Facebook, without authorization, per Bloomberg. SpaceX, Tesla, and New York City's Department of Education have stopped using the app, while Taiwan banned all official use of Zoom on Tuesday. Bloomberg cites a Citizen Lab report claiming Zoom used Chinese developers and routed data through Chinese servers, posing a risk to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China. Zoom has said it will no longer route data to Chinese servers for non-Chinese users and only did so mistakenly as it dealt with a "massive increase" in demand. Zoom claims daily meeting participants now number 200 million, up from 10 million at the end of last year. (Read more Zoom stories.)
US to continue with economic sanctions on Iran despite epidemic: Pompeo

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 6:06 PM

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington will continue with its economic sanctions against Iran as part of its attempts to bring about regime change.

In a news conference at the US State Department on Tuesday, Pompeo once again raised baseless allegations about Iranian support for terrorism and said Washington would press on with its sanctions against the Islamic Republic until Tehran "had a change in outlook."

"Iran will remain under sanctions and Tehran must change its behavior and the Iranian people must understand the importance of taking this step in order to change their system," he said.

The US secretary of state accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons in spite of repeated confirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is involved in no activity to make an atomic bomb.

US President Donald Trump reinstated nuclear sanctions on Iran in May 2018 after he unilaterally left a nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and major world powers in 2015.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ)  known as the World Court  has ordered the US to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran.

Over the past weeks, calls have been growing on the world stage for the US to lift its illegal sanctions, which have severely affected Iran's healthcare system at a time when all countries are trying to join forces against the pandemic.

The coronavirus, which causes a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, is currently affecting more than 200 countries and territories across the globe. It has so far infected over 1.4 million people and killed nearly 80,000 others.

Iran has 62,589 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 3,872 deaths, according to the latest updates provided by the Health Ministry on Tuesday.

Tehran has said it does not want Washington's help in the fight on the epidemic but says the illegal economic sanctions are hampering its efforts to access much-needed medical supplies.

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A student from Cranfield University in the UK has created a dashboard giving information on the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Nnenna Nkata, 27, is from Abia State in Nigeria and is studying for an MSc in Geographical Information Management. The dashboard formed part of the work for one of her course modules and she decided to create something for her country which is now in public use.

Creating data tools that serve humanity

The dashboard shows the extent and development of COVID-19 in Nigeria localised to state level and, as an online tool, it automatically updates with the latest information.

It took Nnenna a week to create the dashboard, integrating information from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. She says, "Data is power, and my motivation is to create useful tools with technology that can serve humanity. I could see that people in Nigeria were not aware of the spread of Coronavirus and took the opportunity to do this dashboard so they can access up to date information about their state."

Inspired to study information technology

Nnenna was inspired to pursue a career in information technology after taking a job as a computer hardware technician after High School. She went on to study Information Technology at Accra Institute of Technology and then worked for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency before joining USAID SENSE project as a Senior Information Technology Assistant all in collaboration with American University of Nigeria. Nnenna won a Commonweath Shared Scholarship place to study at Cranfield University and is still based at the campus.

"My work in the humanitarian sector showed me that there is a real lack of information and data about people, geography and area maps," she continued. "I chose Cranfield to develop skills that I can use in this area, as the course is structured in such a way to make it easy for someone without prior knowledge to migrate to. I have learned so much, beyond my expectations."

Dr. Daniel Simms, Lecturer in Remote Sensing and Course Director for the MSc in Geographical Information Management at Cranfield University, said:

It's great to see Nnenna using the skills she has learnt at Cranfield to get timely and useful information out there, where it can hopefully make a real difference."

As well as giving a visual representation of the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the dashboard also shows information on deaths across Africa and cases in West Africa. The dashboard has garnered a lot of interest from Nigerian organizations and Nnenna is now in contact with groups who are keen for her to develop an equivalent design for Africa as a whole.
The 21-day lockdown has impacted people in India in various ways and at times, we just cant empathize until we actually are in that situation ourselves.

Recently, the Kerala High Court granted permission to a cat owner to travel from Kochi during lockdown to buy food for his cats.

Of course, his beloved pets ran out of food and he was ready to go to court to get his precious cats what they wanted.

 Unsplash

This all started when the man approached the authorities to get a vehicle pass as he wanted to travel to Pet Hospital to buy Meo Persian biscuits for his cats but his request was denied.

Yep, that was not the end of the road for him, though.

N Prakash then moved the Kerala High Court by petitioning that he needed to buy food for his cats and that their right to life was crucial.

 Unsplash

In his petition, he mentioned how he is a vegetarian and non-vegetarian food isnt cooked in his home. So, he couldnt feed his cats if he was not allowed to go and buy biscuits for them.

The Kerala High Court then granted him permission to travel and ruled that the pets also have similar rights as humans being during the lockdown. After all, we all need food to survive!

Checkout the tweet here-

On the plea of a cat owner, the Kerala High Court asked state government to allow the petitioner to travel to purchase "Meo-Persian biscuits for his 3 cats." The petitioner had alleged that he was denied a vehicle pass to travel for the same.#lockdown pic.twitter.com/wL3iq9YtOW  The Leaflet (@TheLeaflet_in) April 6, 2020

The Kerala High Court also said, We are also certain that our directions will help avert a CATastrophe in the petitioner's home.

 Unsplash

So witty and on point.

Heres what the people on the internet have to say about the pet owners petition-

True

This state does so many things right :)  Devina Sengupta (@DevinaET) April 6, 2020





Exactly!

Purrfect   Varun (@airravata) April 6, 2020

Indeed.

Moral of the story- don't try to mess with pet lovers,they can go to any extent to save their pets.i m one of those.  Tk_ydv (@YdvTk) April 6, 2020





Haha, true story.

N Prakash is definitely a hero but Justice Nambiar is a star!!  Trupti (@kanadetrupti) April 6, 2020





Woah..

And this Hero is My Dad  Pratheesh Narayanan (@PRATHEESH_PPN) April 7, 2020





Aww.

My heart pic.twitter.com/3pZoze9xY9  Random human on bird site (@ARonggalonearth) April 6, 2020

Well, the High Court did indeed avert a CATastrosphe and find a happy ending for Prakash and his cats.
Arturo technology has the potential to help reinvent how we support customers, by using accurate property data quickly so that we prioritise customers who need help most after an event like a bushfire or a flood, said Firemark Ventures director Scott Gunther when the investment was announced.

Gunther went on to note: We are pleased to be Arturos first investor outside the US and look forward to working with the team to bring their insights and capabilities to our Australian and New Zealand insurance operations.

According to Arturo chief executive John-Isaac Clark, they will soon begin working with IAG to enhance how the insurer assesses property risk at the quote, pricing, underwriting, and renewal stages of the policy lifecycle.

Delivering accurate property information without people on the ground is revolutionary and necessary in light of current global circumstances, added Clark, who also cited Australias geographically diverse nature.
analysis

By March 27, a month since its first recorded COVID-19 case, Nigeria had confirmed 70 cases of the virus, a speed of spread that pales into insignificance when compared with that of the United States' for the same period.

The U.S. went from 60 cases to 104,126 within that period, and now tops the table as the country with the world's highest number of COVID-19 cases with 367,650 as of April 7, according to Worldometres. Nigeria now has 238 cases, but 35 of the patients have recovered and been discharged, with five deaths in less than six weeks.

Of America's total cases, at least 10,943 fatalities have been recorded since late January, translating to 2.9 per cent fatality rate, compared to Nigeria's 2.1 per cent.

But apart from the US, the numbers from Nigeria suggest that Africa's largest economy has had a better response against the spread of COVID-19 - despite decrepit public healthcare infrastructure - than many countries, including the great powers of the global North.

Depending on statistics from Worldometres, PREMIUM TIMES compared the speed of spread and recovery and fatality rates in the US, the United Kingdom, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Nigeria. By these indicators, our analysis shows Nigeria may have better-managed COVID-19 than many countries including in Europe and America.

On February 27, when Nigeria recorded its first case in an Italian traveller, the UK had only 16 cases. One month later, the Kingdom had documented 14,543 cases, while Nigeria was still below 100. Now, as of April 7, the UK has 51,608 cases, including 5,373 deaths and 135 recoveries.

Thus, the UK has had a 10.4 per cent fatality rate and 0.3 per cent recovery rate, compared to Nigeria's 2.1 per cent and 14.7 per cent, respectively. In the US, the recovery rate is 5.3 per cent, still far lower than Nigeria's.

With 16,523 deaths in 132,547 cases, Italy's fatality rate, 12.5 per cent, is worse than Nigeria's 2.1 per cent and indeed than any other country's.

Nigeria and Brazil recorded their respective first cases on the same day, February 27. Currently, while Nigeria has 238 recorded cases, the American nation has 12,240, including 566 deaths and 127 recoveries, translating to 4.5 per cent fatality and 1.04 per cent recovery rates.

Saudi Arabia had its first record case on March 2, days after Nigeria's; yet, the Islamic kingdom has now reached 2,795 cases, including 41 deaths and 615 recoveries. However, in terms of rates of fatality and recovery, 1.5 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, Saudi Arabia comes ahead of Nigeria.

"We are still learning"

Meanwhile, despite faring better than many countries in terms of speed of spread, fatality and recovery rates, Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, told PREMIUM TIMES, "It is too early to conclude that our response is better than that of most countries.

"We are still learning and continue to do so on a daily basis. Ultimately, our aim is to protect the health of Nigerians and we remain committed to this mandate.

In any case, limited testing capacity may cover Nigeria's true reality. Nigeria has tested only about four thousand people, according to the NCDC, the frontline agency against the virus, compared with nearly two million and over 250,000 in the US and the UK, respectively.

But Mr Ihekweazu suggested limited testing capacity may not be covering Nigeria's true reality. He told PREMIUM TIMES that authourities are testing and tracing "promptly" contacts of confirmed cases, most of whom are returnees and their direct contacts.

"Till date, we have tested nearly 4,000 people for COVID-19," he said. "Surveillance in terms of contact tracing and monitoring is one of the most important yet resource-intensive and rigorous aspects of our response to COVID-19."

"For every confirmed case, intense contact tracing is carried out to promptly detect and treat contacts who may be infected. As at the 3rd of April, 7,868 passengers of interest have been identified and monitored. Over 70% have completed their follow-up period without showing symptoms of COVID-19."

Controlling community-level spread in Nigeria

Nigeria's comparatively better statistics are clearly not results of sound healthcare infrastructure and services. The country's elites barely patronise public hospitals, poorly equipped and staffed as impacts of corruption and years of neglect.

An investigation, based on direct observation by PREMIUM TIMES, showed the public hospitals in the capital Abuja are poorly prepared to help stem the spread of the virus.

Apparently aware of the country's inadequacies, the authorities have ratcheted up efforts to control COVID-19 from becoming a community disease, a case that could prove disastrous.

Apart from lacking facilities to respond to a widespread transmission, measures such as social distancing may not work substantially in Nigeria, where many families live in clumsily compacted manners and would need to go out daily for means to merely survive.

"Currently, the majority of the confirmed cases that have been recorded in Nigeria are returning travellers or contacts of travellers," said Mr Ihekweazu, suggesting that COVID-19 is not a community disease crisis in Nigeria yet.

"In the last one week, we have reviewed our case definition to ensure we can detect cases that are not in returning travellers or contacts of confirmed cases. This will enable us to make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of the disease," Mr Ihekweazu further told PREMIUM TIMES.

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"Hopelessly out of depth"

The efforts of port health officials have also played into Nigeria's performance so far. At the time Nigeria had increased screening at the international airports, passengers arriving UK's London Heathrow could walk out without thermal temperature check or hand sanitiser.

"Just arrived at Heathrow T5 after 4 days in Milan - was fulling expecting a thermal temperature check. Nothing. Straight enough," tweeted Nick Dixon, an ITV correspondent on February 27. In a reply, one Twitter user, @Orwelland30, said, "Yes. I was checked on my way into Bologna 10 days ago but nothing on return. UK government appears hopelessly out of their depth on health issues."

"No surprise we landed at Heathrow from Singapore and nothing, not even hand sanitiser," replied another Twitter user, @1411gibson.

Nigeria has now gone from closing airports and issuing nationwide social distancing and personal hygiene advisory to a lockdown of the capital Abuja, Lagos, Nigeria's epicentre of COVID-19, and Ogun State.

"There is a strong chance that if these interventions are properly implemented and adhered to, we can flatten the curve and control this outbreak," said Mr Ihekweazu.

"By limiting movements, we are reducing the possibility of spread of the virus causing COVID-19, which is highly transmissible. This requires a whole-of-society approach to ensure we do not gravitate towards the worst-case scenario."
Till last month, the tailor shops in Ludhianas small towns were busy making ladies blouses and kurta-pajamas on order. In the past six days, their brief has undergone a swift revision.

Since April 2, the tailors of at least three small towns, three towns of Payal, Doraha and Malout have been stitching at least 450 to 500 cotton masks a day, for which they are being paid Rs 15 a mask by the district administration. The authorities are funding the project through two agencies  the District Red Cross Society and the Local Bodies Department. Till date, an amount of Rs 1 lakh has been incurred by the administration for the project.

Several individuals and even a gurudwara in Payal have offered donations to the project  money, fabric and elastic bands.

There was an acute shortage of masks in the market and so we decided to make best use of our talent. It takes us about 20 minutes to make a mask which can be washed and re-worn many times, said 36-year-old Nihal Ahmad, one of the tailors in Payal, a nondescript town located close to the National Highway 44 that runs through the middle of Punjab and outskirts of Ludhiana city. The tailors themselves are taking precautions like using sanitiser and sitting at a distance from each other inside a shop, Ahmad said.

The administration has sourced the fabric from suppliers in the city. One of the suppliers, Rajiv Grover of Ram Pal and Company in Payal, said he supplied five metres of cotton fabric to the tailors last week but it was a struggle as the shops are closed due to the lockdown. We are getting in touch with traders and manufacturers who are donating, so that the work doesnt stop, he said.

An advisory issued by the ministry of health and family affairs last week stated that homemade protective masks helped maintain personal hygiene and could be used by those who werent suffering from any medical condition or didnt have any breathing difficulty, especially while stepping out. However, such masks were not recommended for Covid-19 patients or those involved in their care including healthcare workers and medical professionals.

The supply of fabric is not an issue, sub divisional magistrate Sagar Setia said, adding that the district authorities have supplied the cloth required to make these masks  all of them are being made using three layers of cloth, covering the nose and mouth of a wearer.

The authorities have given these masks to village authorities to distribute in villages.

We put the masks in the kits meant to supply ration to poor people so that these can reach all homes. At other places we are doing door to door distribution. At some places we are seeking help of the police who also supply it to the villagers and those in need of masks, Pradeep Kumar Bains, tehsildaar of Payal sub division, said. Around 900 ration kits with these cotton masks in them have already been distributed.

Across villages, it is usually the men who wear these masks.

These masks are of considerable benefit to the women who usually use a dupatta to cover their face. But a dupatta usually requires frequent handling which is not good, said Sunita Kumari, one of the tailors making these cotton masks.

I got a mask with the ration kit but wore it only once. My son then took it and plays with it, said Chanda, a 35-yearold resident of Doraha and the wife of a farm labourer.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a meeting with floor leaders of parties in Parliament, whose combined strength in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to 5 MPs, to review the COVID-19 situation in the country. The meeting was held through video conferencing.

With an increase of 773 cases in the last 24 hours, India's tally of COVID-19 cases crosses the 5,000 mark with 5,194 cases, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the 5194 cases, 4,643 cases are reported to be active cases while 401 people have recovered/discharged and one migrated.

The ministry has reported 10 new deaths in the last 24 hours increasing the toll to 149.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Employees from Denroy Group are pictured assembling quantities of the Hero Shield visor at the factory in Bangor, County Down. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 6th April 2020 - Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

A Co Down baby product business that designed a 'hero shield' for front line NHS staff is struggling to get them into hospitals because of red tape.

There are now fears that the group of businesses which began manufacturing the face visors for only 50p a unit will be forced to halt production completely.

Adam Murphy (41), who helped launch the initiative last month, blamed the "complicated" process of securing orders from the Department of Health.

He said: "It seems absurd that all the focus is on importing PPE (personal protection equipment) from China, and local suppliers, who have a quality product at low prices which can be dispatched immediately, are being ignored."

Mr Murphy said his business started putting things in place weeks ago but production only began on Friday. He added: "We eventually got a request from the department to send the items for review, but they lost them and we've had to resend.

"That was a couple of days ago and we have had no feedback.

"We need cash flow to keep doing it, so if we don't get more money we will have to stop."

Mr Murphy co-founded Newtownards-based company Shnuggle with his wife Sinead more than a decade ago following the birth of their first child.

But when orders from over 40 countries around the world began to dry up, the team of 19 staff shifted focus entirely.

"Within three days we devised a final concept for a face mask that we could begin working on immediately," he explained.

The firm's lead designer began working from home on March 21 and came up with 20 designs over the weekend. Using a 3D printer, Fiona Bennington had a prototype by Monday morning.

"But we are not a manufacturing company, and the scale is humongous," added Adam.

The design engineer reached out to other experts which resulted in companies throughout Northern Ireland coming together in a time of crisis.

It resulted in the launch of www.heroshield.net where NHS workers can place personal orders to secure the vital safety equipment free of charge. Over a dozen local companies are helping manufacture the face shields for as little as 0.50 per unit.

The not-for-profit collective has been relying on crowdfunding to allow medics to place orders directly - raising almost 24,000 so far.

"We've raised enough to get started but not enough to keep us going," Mr Murphy said. "We need more money and are thinking of ways to fund it. So far the public has been very generous."

Some 10,000 face shields have already been shipped, and another 50,000 are to be dispatched this week, but Mr Murphy has been forced to put the brakes on new orders. Production has now been paused. "It could get to the point where we will have to stop," he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed measures have been taken to make the process easier due to urgency.

"HSC is making use of the provisions within the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 that permits organisations to set aside normal tender procedures and negotiate directly with suppliers," they said. However, they did not comment on any exchanges with Mr Murphy.
A British court has dismissed an attempt by the country's National Crime Agency (NCA) to seize a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

The properties, owned by companies based in tax havens, have been subject to unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) since May 2019.

Under a UWO, the agency can ask a court to seize property when a suspected corrupt foreign official, or their family, cannot identify the legitimate source of the funds used to buy it.

But the London High Court on April 8 discharged the orders against the companies that own the properties.

The NCA said it would appeal the ruling, with the head of the agency's National Economic Crime Center saying it "always expected there would be significant legal challenge" over the use of UWOs, which were introduced in 2018.

The case involves a vast property -- with an underground pool and a cinema -- located on one of London's most exclusive roads, commonly known as "Billionaires' Row."

Nazarbaev's grandson, Nurali Aliev, his wife, and children lived in the mansion. The three properties involved in the case are considered to be worth more than $100 million combined.*

Lawyers for offshore companies that own the properties said the funding had come from Aliev's mother, Darigha Nazarbaeva, who was economically independent.

Aliev, who presents himself as a businessman and investor, said that the judgement "demonstrates the NCA obtained the orders on an inaccurate basis as part of a flawed investigation."

A spokesman for Nazarbaeva, the former president's daughter and current speaker of the parliament's upper chamber, the Senate, said the judgement "entirely vindicated" her.

"It is frustrating and disappointing that she has had to take this action to fight these draconian proceedings and clear her name," the spokesman said.

The NCA had argued the money used to buy the three properties was linked to Aliev's father, Rakhat, a senior government member who became an opponent of Nazarbaev, according to Reuters.

Rakhat Aliev was found dead in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan.

Nazarbaev, who was president of oil- and gas-rich Kazakhstan for three decades until he suddenly resigned a year ago, continues to play a crucial role in the country's political life as the leader of the ruling Nur-Otan party and as lifetime chairman of the powerful Security Council.

* This story has been corrected to reflect that the combined value of the three properties is $100 million, not just the mansion itself.

With reporting by Reuters
 Close Donald Trump threatens to adjourn both chambers of congress

Donald Trump has said the US will investigate a conspiracy theory surrounding the coronavirus suggesting it originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and was originally intended as a weapon for use in biological warfare, with secretary of state Mike Pompeo urging Beijing to come clean on the matter.

While the president was triggering a new constitutional crisis by threatening to adjourn Congress on Wednesday over a minor political grievance, his supporters were staging protests across the country against ongoing stay-at-home orders, with armed demonstrators chanting Lock her up! outside the offices of Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.

After teasing out the release of a set of "guidelines" for state and local government to begin reopening during the pandemic, the president unveiled his MAGA-referencing "Opening Up America Again" plan, which he said could allow some states to begin reopening "literally tomorrow" despite criticisms that the plan doesn't offer any worker protections or consistent enforcement to prevent a spike in outbreaks.

He said his guidelines offer a "phased, deliberate approach" for states to re-open businesses, after the president has grown impatient with a stalled economy in the wake of the pandemic.

Mr Trump said "a national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution."

The president told governors on Thursday that "you're going to be calling the shots" despite telling Americans just days earlier that he has "total authority" to end quarantine and other mitigation efforts.

Ronald Klain, who led the Ebola response under former president Barack Obama, said that the "plan" is "barely a PowerPoint."

Meanwhile, the president's approval rating dropped six percentage points within the first weeks of April, marking the largest point drop in his presidency, according to Gallup.

His current 43 per cent rating, however, still hovers above his 40 per cent average.

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After trying desperately to



get a bottle of liqour, a 65-year old man fainted and he was later pronounced brought dead by authorities at a government hospital, a senior police official said here on Wednesday.

The elderly man, when he heard that liquor stocks were being shifted from four neighbourhood outlets to a warehouse, lined up in front of the shops at Janakipuram here alongwith scores of other consumers.

They desperately pleaded with officials to sell them any alcoholic beverage.

Despite police presence and in spite of authorities telling consumers that stocks cannot be sold in view of lockdown, they continued to mill around the premises on Tuesday with a hope that officials would relent.

Following incidents of State-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor stores getting burgled in regions including Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli recently, authorities have been transferring inventories from outlets considered vulnerable to warehouses.

As part of the lockdown from 6 pm on March 24 in the state all liquor outlets are shut.

The sexagenarian, after trying his luck in three other shops, came to the fourth one and "he tried his best to get a bottle of liquor but could not and he fainted.

We rushed him to a government hospital in an ambulance, but hospital authorities pronounced him brought dead yesterday," a senior district police official told PTI.

The official said the elderly person was used to consuming alcohol and could not get his dose in view of curbs and was dejected.

The crowd of men, who teemed around the liquor shops were dispersed and they were not sold beverages, he added.

Following the lockdown, at least four men have died recently in Tamil Nadu after they consumed shaving lotion and paint varnish, falsely believing that these would give them a high and were not harmful.

A 43-year old man hailing from Karur district allegedly committed suicide following frustration due to days of alcohol deprivation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

WASHINGTON: A Democratic party's state legislature from Michigan has credited hydroxychloroquine for saving her life from coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, adding the politician has thanked him for promoting the malaria drug.

Amidst an intense debate on side effects of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19, Trump has been actively promoting the drug as an option when there is no viable treatment for the dreaded virus which has so far taken more than 12,800 Americans' lives, including a record over 2,000 in just one single day on Tuesday.

Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett has said she and her husband could save their lives from coronavirus only after they started taking hydroxychloroquine.

ALSO READ | 'China-centric': Donald Trump announces putting hold on WHO funding amid COVID-19 pandemic

She asked her doctor to prescribe this after she saw President Trump touting for this drug on a news channel.

"This is a woman I thought she was going to die. I mean, she is a Democrat representative, highly respected woman, African-American woman, the way she told the story was beautiful. I asked my husband to go and get it. He got it. She is now okay.

"I mean, she was interviewed last night on television, and she thanked me," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"She thanked me even in a tweet. She said I want to thank President Trump. He saved my life. Look, I don't say that happens with everybody, but that's a beautiful story. There are many of those stories.

"And I say try it (hydroxychloroquine)," he said in response to a question.

The US Food and Drug Administration has given temporary approval of the malaria drug in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus: Trump hints at retaliation if India doesn't approve Hydroxychloroquine exports to US

It is being experimented on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating it will work, the Trump Administration has procured more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine.

It has also placed a major order from three Indian companies.

After an initial hold on its export, the Indian government has now allowed its export to the US.

Responding to questions, Trump said he has been hearing great results about it.

But the drug has to be prescribed by a doctor, he added.

"Doctors have to recommend it. I'm not a doctor. I'm just saying we hear great results. And some people say let's go to a laboratory, let's test it for a couple of years. No. We got people dying in this country and all over the world right now, not in a couple of years. They're dying. As we speak there are people dying," Trump asserted.

In an interview to Detroit Free Press Journal, Rep Whitsett said she was tested for the coronavirus and learned Monday her results were positive.

She said that "less than two hours" after taking hydroxychloroquine, she began to feel relief, the daily reported.

When asked by the Free Press if she thinks Trump may have saved her life, Whitsett said, "Yes, I do" and "I do thank him for that."

"I appreciate that woman. She was great. You have to see it to believe it, the way she spoke. It was like a miracle.

"And this was not a fan of mine, but she's a fan of mine now and I'm very honoured by it," Trump told reporters.
Some islands have such low elevation, that mere inches of sea-level rise will flood them, but higher, larger islands will also be affected by changes in climate and an understanding of ancient practices in times of climate change might help populations survive, according to researchers.

"I'm working in a place (Madagascar) where communities around me are sensing, in the span of a few years, that they are seeing climate change," said Kristina Douglass, assistant professor of anthropology, Penn State. "They have seen climate events take out entire reefs."

Douglass is interested in how the archaeological record can weigh in on climate change. She wants to understand how communities adapted in the past and how historical events have increased vulnerability. She and Jago Cooper, curator of the Americas, British Museum, investigated the Caribbean Islands and the islands in the Southwestern Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa from Kenya to Mozambique.

"If we look back we see that all the communities have been displaced into marginal land," said Douglass, who is also an associate of Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment. "If they don't see this, they won't be able to find a solution. They have to consider that around the Caribbean and off of Africa there are historical factors that contribute to the problem."

Both sets of islands have different histories. Indigenous Native American groups originally settled the Caribbean islands around 6,000 years ago, while continental Africans settled most of the Southwestern Indian Ocean islands (SWIO) only 2,000 years ago. Both groups of islands became the target of colonization in the last 1,000 years and both originating populations suffered marginalization. In the Caribbean, introduced diseases decimated the native population which was replaced by colonists and African slaves. Slavery played an important role in both locations.

One of the many problems of colonization was the push in both locations to move from nomadic to stationary lives. The ideal living situation was considered a permanent location with set fields, pastures or fishing areas. Neither group of islanders were stationary before colonization.

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According to the researchers, in the Caribbean, in the past, when sea level was rising, the population would notice their coastal sources of fresh water becoming salty and they would then leave coastal areas and move to more inland, higher ground. This prevented storm surge from sweeping away anyone because the people were no longer living in the flood zone.

"For some islands, archaeological and paleoecological research offer an important record of pre-colonial climate change and its interplay with human lives and landscapes," the researchers report today (Apr. 6) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The archaeological record suggests strategies and mechanisms that can inform discussions of resilience in the face of climate change."

The SWIO islands are in the tropics and rainfall varies depending on ocean warming and the El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Coupled with the legacies of colonialism, varying precipitation regimes can bring on food insecurity in southern Madagascar. As recently as 2016, insufficient rainfall caused a catastrophic famine due to crop failures.

"Being nomadic is a way to deal with highly unreliable climate," said Douglass. "But encouraging sedentary lifestyles made it easier to manage local people."

In the past, the prickly pear cactus, introduced from the Americas, served as cattle fodder; a source of water for cattle, people and other plants; and as a defensive barrier for intruders. The Malagasy pastoralists took the non-native plant and adapted it to protect against the vagaries of climate. However, according to the researchers, in the 1930s, French colonists, in an effort to civilize the south, released parasitic cochineal larvae that destroyed the cactus barriers and their water reservoir. This effort to force the people to cultivate cash crops, use irrigation and improve grasslands led to widespread famine during ensuing droughts.

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Although 1930s farming practices might not be considered modern today, the push for modernization does not always come from outsiders.

"There is a globalizing influence shaping people to the ideal of what seems to be modern," said Douglass.

Pollution, consumption and waste are real problems on all the islands. For example, islanders resistant to "old fashioned" ideas choose disposable diapers rather than cloth ones, even though there is little space for diaper disposal on an island, said Douglass. Tourism, a major source of income on many islands, also brings increased waste disposal pressures and environmental degradation.

According to Douglass, while traditional housing was usually quickly and cheaply built and rebuilt after storms, modern housing forms are far more expensive and labor-intensive to replace.

"The desire to be modern, the elite status connected to things from overseas is real," said Douglass. "We need ways to shape views on what is a good house."

Housing, agricultural, grazing and fishing practices that are adaptable to the changing climate can be informed by both the archaeological and historic past, but much of that knowledge disappears when people and languages disappear, she added.
Donald Trump has warned Republicans to fight Democratic efforts to expand mail-in voting, saying it would negatively affect the GOP's election chances in 2020.

The latest call to action comes after Republicans successfully opposed attempts to postpone the Wisconsin primary amid coronavirus fears.

"Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it," Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday.

"Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn't work out well for Republicans."

The comments follow Republicans' successful attempts to stop the Wisconsin primary election being delayed or provide many voters with mail-in options. The state's supreme court voted along party lines to overturn the Democratic governor's last-minute bid to delay the primary amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While Democrats are concerned at the effects that the on-going coronavirus pandemic will have on upcoming state primaries and November's general election, Republicans have objected to or blocked expansions of mail-in voting in states including Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Speaking at the daily White House press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he was not in favour of using vote-by-mail options if the outbreak stops people from going to the polls in 2020.

He said "a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting", which he claims is one of the reasons he didn't win the popular vote in 2016.

"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," he said.

Wisconsin primary Show all 13 1 /13 Wisconsin primary Wisconsin primary Steve Merriweather waits to vote inside Riverside University High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Aaron Lipski, the assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, stands in a tyvec suit as he monitors health an safety at a polling station inside Hamilton High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters practise social distancing in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Rachel Messenger wears a sign reading 'Thank you for risking your life to vote' outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters in masks wait to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A line of voters outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters filling out their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary People wearing protective masks wait to vote in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A City of Milwaukee Election Commission worker takes a break during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary City of Milwaukee Election Commission workers process absentee ballots during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary Voters waiting to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA Wisconsin primary A line of people wait in their cars for their turn to vote at Riverside High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA

"It shouldn't be mail-in voting. It should be you go to a booth and you proudly display yourself. You don't send it in the mail where people can pick up  all sorts of bad things can happen ... by the time it gets in and is tabulated."

Recommended Fury as Wisconsin voters forced to risk coronavirus at polling station

While more than a dozen states delayed their primaries due to the health crisis, Wisconsin went ahead after the state's supreme court overruled Democratic Governor Tony Evers' executive order postponing in-person voting. The US Supreme Court also blocked a court order on Monday that extended the period to return absentee ballots by six days.

The refusal to extend absentee voting in Wisconsin would lead to "massive disenfranchisement", liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in a dissent to the court's 5-4 ruling on Monday.

"The question here is whether tens of thousands of Wisconsin citizens can vote safely in the midst of a pandemic," Ms Ginsburg wrote. "With the majority's stay in place, that will not be possible. Either they will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others' safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own.

"That is a matter of utmost importance  to the constitutional rights of Wisconsin's citizens, the integrity of the State's election process, and in this most extraordinary time, the health of the Nation," she continued. "While I do not doubt the good faith of my colleagues, the Court's order, I fear, will result in massive disenfranchisement."

While the president criticised mail-in voting, he also said during his press conference that he was "allowed" to vote by mail in Florida's primary because he was out of the state.

"There's a big difference between somebody that's out of state and does a ballot and everything is sealed, certified and everything else," he said.

The president has rejected a Democrat push for election reforms that would include vote-by-mail, same-day registration and early voting for states preparing to hold elections during the Covid-19 crisis.

While Democrats sought $4bn in the coronavirus stimulus package for states to prepare for primaries and the general election during the pandemic, the version signed into law included $400m in funding.

In an appearance on Fox & Friends last week, Mr Trump said the Democrat proposals for the stimulus "were crazy".

"They had things, levels of voting that if you'd ever agreed to it, you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again," he said. "They had things in there about election days and what you do and all sorts of clawbacks. They had things that were just totally crazy and had nothing to do with workers that lost their jobs and companies that we have to save."
Closing schools and working from home has become a global response to stop the spread of COVID-19. However, lack of access to the internet as well as high data costs have made this transition rather difficult in Africa.

Across the African continent, most governments have implemented a lockdown on their citizens to mitigate and ultimately halt the spread of COVID-19. So far, South Africa has been the worst hit country by the virus with about 1,749 cases as of Tuesday (07.04.2020).

As a result, the government under President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a 21-day lockdown on March 27 which included the closure of schools around the country. In an effort to keep education going, teachers have turned to the internet as a channel for teaching content.

Everton Stream lives in Stellenbosch, a town about 50 kilometres east of Cape Town. His daughters are 7 and 11, they both go to school and in order to keep up with the curriculum, their teacher has been sending out homework by email.

However, downloading the homework requires internet and that isn't always easy to come by. The data offered by service providers on mobile phones is often expensive, very slow and expires before the kids have finished the work, he says. In addition, they have to finish homework every day which leads to an accumulation of data costs.

The slow mobile connection means "we have to go to places with some internet" and since "most of the internet places are closed now, it's a real challenge," says Stream. As print shops are shut as well, his kids are having to copy down the exercises from the phone first before finishing them, which adds extra writing practice and is good for them, he concludes.

Internet access linked to income inequality

In South Africa about 53% of the population makes use of the internet, which is relatively good given that only one third of the whole sub-Saharan region has access to the internet, says Chanai Chandi, a research manager at the Web Foundation. She highlights that access disparities are linked to income disparities in rural as well as urban areas.

"The least connected people are usually in the poor regions and mainly marginalised communities, which are usually women and younger people and those living and rural and remote areas," Chandi says. In urban areas these disparities occur when living in areas which "might not have fibre rule outs so they're only relying on mobile networks," she adds.

At the same time, she questions whether mobile service providers have the capacity to ensure the good delivery of bandwidth now that many people are forced to access the internet from home due to the lockdown. She argues that "the crisis is highlighting that we need alternative connection platforms" such as community networks like the Zenzeleni Community Networks in Mankosi in the Eastern Cape.

There is also a need for policies targeting the affordability of internet, she argues.

Return of the radio

In Kenya, both schools and universities were closed in mid-March by the government after new cases of COVID-19 emerged. The closure has left many students as well as teachers without access to the internet and teaching material. This has been a huge problem because this means they cannot "move to a fully online system," says Nanjala Nyabola, a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi.

Only about 12% of Kenyans have a computer in their homes and 70% of those with access to the internet do so through their phones. While there has been a sharp increase in the use of smartphones, it is "certainly not enough for the entire country to switch into internet only teaching," she says.

In addition, most people who log into the internet only buy small data bundles und use them on data light platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. In contrast, academic websites are considered "data-rich, data-heavy websites" and "most people are not going to be able to do that," she argues.

The lack of internet access has forced people to turn to a more traditional media - the radio. Households are more likely to have such in their homes and therefore have access to the increased academic content that has been provided through them. Nanjala Nyabola proposes to enhance the use of traditional media, such as radio but also newspapers, with the use of, for example, WhatsApp.

Nyabola thinks a teacher or lecturer could be holding a lesson through the radio and listeners would be able to send in their questions over WhatsApp. For schools, this is easier to implement because they have a standardised curriculum. This is not the same for academic institutions and so she proposes that universities and libraries could lend basic laptops to students in a concerted effort.

"There are places in Kenya where the national library service delivers through using camels" but there is a general lack of policy coordination on the whole on the side of the government. "We have lots of pieces that are moving independently but not enough coordination" to enable more internet access, she says.

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Communication is key

Unlike schools and universities, companies are trying hard not to shut down and instead have moved their activities - where possible - into home-office.

For Kagure Wamunyu, she is used to poor internet connections. She works as Chief Strategist at Kobo360, a logistics company operating across Africa. The company is like Uber, but for trucks. It's an app-based platform that requires connectivity and good internet access. Their work is classified as an essential service: their trucks deliver medicines and food across a vast area. Now keeping their 200 staff connected is not only proving tricky but also costly.

"If you give people 1GB, it's normally enough, because they can use office internet. But right now we're talking about more than doubling the allocation that we're giving. Internet costs have gone up more than double," Wamunyu says.

Overall, businesses as well as academic institutions are having to adjust to the new stay-at-home policies. For many businesses this has meant extra costs and slower work overall. Schools and universities are also trying to make use of the internet but have not shied away from turning to alternative forms of media to convey academic material.
US Democrats propose additional pay for essential workers

Democrats also ask for a $15,000 recruitment incentive for health and home care workers.

Democrats in the US Senate proposed $25,000 hazard pay for essential workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"Essential frontline workers are the true heroes of Americas COVID-19 pandemic response," Senate Democrats said in the proposal document published Tuesday.

"Senate Democrats believe in providing premium pay to frontline workers during this pandemic to reward essential frontline workers, ensure the retention of essential workers who are working grueling hours on the frontlines of this crisis, and promote the recruitment of additional workers who will be needed in the months ahead."

PREMIUM PAY INCREASE FOR ESSENTIAL FRONTLINE WORKERS

"As the Congress looks at a potential fourth COVID-19 bill, the following proposal is meant for consideration by Members of Congress, key stakeholders, and the American people," they urged.

The bill called Heroes Fund offers a $25,000 pandemic premium pay increase for essential frontline workers, equivalent to a raise of an additional $13 per hour from the start of the public health emergency until Dec. 31, and a $15,000 recruitment incentive for health and home care workers and first responders to attract and secure the workforce needed to fight the public health crisis.

The payment would cap the total maximum premium pay at $25,000 for each essential frontline worker earning less than $200,000 per year and $5,000 for those earning $200,000 or more per year, according to the document.
The small city of Albany, Georgia, has become the fourth worst coronavirus hotspot by capita in the United States.

The city, with a population of 77,000, had 967 confirmed cases as of Tuesday night.

The number appears small when compared to the epicenter in New York City, where there are now over 74,000 cases, but with a significantly smaller population, Albany's figures equal to 659 cases for every 100,000 of the population.

Albany has seen its hospital overrun in recent weeks, where there were only 14 intensive care units available, as officials struggled to find the source of the outbreak.

Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany, Georgia. The city has one of the worst coronavirus cases by capita in the United States with early data revealing a fatality rate of seven percent

A patient is wheeled from Elmhurst Hospital Center's emergency room in New York. Cases in Albany are not as high as it the epicenter but it is hitting the much smaller city as hard

It is now believed to have spread at two funerals in February and early March, one of which was attended by a coronavirus victim from outside the city.

Georgia's first death was recorded on March 12. The 67-year-old victim had visited Albany in February to attend the funeral of a man it was believed died of natural causes.

According to the New York Times, the victim may have unknowingly spread the virus as he attended the funeral. It is not known how be became infected.

It is feared coronavirus may have spread further after a second funeral service on March 7.

'It took one person, whoever that was, and there was no intent,' Scott Steiner, chief executive of the Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany, told CNN.

'It shows this virus can quickly spread.'

The Martin Luther King Chapel in Albany where the state's first coronavirus victim attended a funeral in February. It is feared he may have spread the virus while he was there

Albany, Georgia, where all non-essential businesses have been closed since March 23

The Martin Luther King Memorial Chapel funeral home was identified as a common factor in the coronavirus cases in the city after the pastor at the February funeral and others who attended tested positive.

They were contacted on March 13 by health department officials, a days after the first victim's death.

'Although we have been identified as a common factor in the tracking of the COVID-19 in Albany, know that we are operating within all regulatory safety or health guidelines,' the company said.

Outbreaks in less populous places such as Albany, 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.

According to data from Dougherty County, where Albany is located, there have been 973 total cases in the country and 56 deaths. This amounts to a fatality rate of 5.7 percent for the county's population, the majority of whom live in Albany.

The fatality rate has decreased from 7.65 percent on March 29.

The death rate may seem higher because of a lack of testing for more minor cases of the virus, however, as areas outside of New York are not always testing to the same extent.

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.

In Albany, the increasing number of cases quickly overwhelmed the hospital.

It went through six months' worth of supplies in a week and all 14 intensive care beds were full after just two days.

Deaths also began to spike at the start of April as the outbreak worsened.

Georgia still has less than 100 deaths as of March 30 but the state's death toll now stands at 348.

'The next day it's when we began seeing people coming to our emergency room who were sick,' Steiner told CNN.

'Two the first day, six the next day, eight the next day, and it just began to cascade from that point.'

The hospital was under such strain that, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, nurses were told to keep working even if they had tested positive for coronavirus.

The federal response to the crisis was harshly criticized by the city's Mayor Bo Dorough who claims that more was needed to help in cutting off the spread on a national level.

'I think that this crisis needs to be managed more decisively from a federal and state level,' he told WABE, Atlanta's public radio affiliate.

'I think we have, at a minimum, the whole country should be in a shelter-in-place position.

'We're trying to deal with the situation that was cast upon us, that no one expected and no one was prepared for,' he said.
Syracuse, N.Y.  There have been some encouraging trends in the coronavirus statistics issued in the past week in Onondaga County: The number of people testing positive has dropped, and so has the rate of hospitalizations.

Good news, right?

It could be, but experts say its too early to celebrate. The numbers are small and the trends too recent to reach any conclusions. Nothing illustrates that more than a spike Tuesday in positive cases and hospitalizations after a week of relative stability.

In the past week, fewer people are being tested, which means the drop in positive cases could be simply because were not testing as many people.

Our data is extremely limited, and were just getting these little beeps of stuff going on, said David Larsen, a public health professor at Syracuse University who is studying the numbers locally and globally.

The number of people testing positive and the number entering the hospital tell us two different things.

Positive tests can be misleading, subject to how many tests are conducted and upon whom. Its likely that hundreds of Central New Yorkers have the virus but never get tested or show up in the statistics.

Hospitalizations, and especially of patients sick enough to end up in critical care, are a better way to track the epidemic because theyre raw numbers rather than rates. Theyre also a true indicator of sick people who need help and of the healthcare systems ability to handle the pandemic.

Six county residents have died of the illness, five of those in the past week.

Over most of the past week, the number of COVID-19 patients in Syracuse hospitals remained fairly constant. It peaked at 31 March 31 and had been in the high 20s through Monday. Thats encouraging, Larsen said.

If hospitalizations slow down, that would suggest it may be real that we are slowing the spread and flattening the curve, he said, adding Monday afternoon that it was too early to say that for sure.

It was. The number of people in local hospitals jumped Tuesday, from 29 to 38; thats both the biggest single-day jump and the highest daily total so far. One day doesnt make a trend, so well have to see if that was an aberration or the start of an upward trend.

On Monday, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced the county had just 13 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That was the fewest new cases in 10 days, and represented a big drop from last week, when 20 to 30 new cases were announced each day.

We are starting to see some data this week that shows a little bit of hope, McMahon said, attributing the drop to increased social distancing. If we hunker down for the next two weeks, were putting ourselves in a position for success.

McMahon also touted the fact that the county had just 98 tests conducted Monday, down from as many as 300 on some days last week. A drop in demand for testing is good news, he said.

Not necessarily, experts say. Fewer tests could mean many things, including that tests arent widely available, fewer sick people are getting tested, or that the testing is being increasingly targeted to the sick rather than being used to track the virus among the whole population.

We dont have a good handle on the scope of the epidemic because were not testing enough people, said Brian Leydet, an epidemiology professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. And hopefully people are staying home, so you are likely only picking up sicker individuals.

Mondays 13 positives out of 98 tests mean about 13% of the people tested had the virus. Thats about double the countys average from the start of the pandemic. Thats further evidence that the focus has been on testing people who are sick rather than screening widely. It may also show that fewer people are getting sick with symptoms that mimic COVID-19s; they had to be tested, too.

Since the countys first case March 16, 397 people have tested positive. Twenty of those came Tuesday.

Widespread testing helps get a better handle on how the disease is spreading and identifies people who arent showing symptoms but can still pass along the disease. Leydet noted that New York City is aggressively testing: Each day, he said, about 0.15% of people in the Bronx are tested vs. 0.03% in Onondaga County.

Onondaga County has run a total of 5,676 tests, about one for every 100 residents. New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak, has run nearly four tests per 100 residents.

The countys rate of increase in positive cases has slowed substantially. In late March, the cumulative number of positive cases doubled every three days. It took four days to double again last week, and the county is now on track to double about every 10 days.

Recoveries have climbed slowly, up four cases on Tuesday to a total of 119 cases. The death rate of COVID-19 hovers around 1%, so nearly everyone recovers eventually. A recovery is someone who was sick, either in the hospital or at home, but is now well enough to leave isolation.

When the number of new cases grows faster than recoveries, as it is now, the burden on the health department grows. The county Health Department is overseeing 272 cases, 63 more than a week ago.

One disturbing sign in the numbers is the increase in critically ill patients in Syracuse hospitals. Twelve people were in critical a week ago; on Tuesday, it was 20.

These are beyond sobering stats, McMahon said Tuesday at his daily briefing. He once again urged people to stay home and stay away from each other as much as possible. Residents in Onondaga and surrounding counties are still moving around too much and spreading the virus, he said, based on a website that grades communities by tapping cell phone location data.

We really need as a region to take this seriously, he said. How we get back to normal is not with failing grades or average grades, but with exceptional grades in social distancing. If we have excellent grades here, the data will reflect that.

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He's the New Zealand-born actor who has spent most of his life in Australia.

And Russell Crowe honoured both his home countries by sharing a very patriotic Instagram post on his 56th birthday on Tuesday.

The Gladiator star, who is celebrating his big day in self-isolation amid the COVID-19 panic, uploaded a photo of himself wearing the Australian flag as a mask over his mouth, and the New Zealand flag wrapped around his forehead.

Can't mask his patriotism! Russell Crowe (pictured) wore the Australian and New Zealand flags as a mask while celebrating his 56th birthday in self-isolation amid COVID-19 pandemic

'Fashion tips for shoppers. #anzacproud,' he wrote in the caption.

Russell is one of many local celebrities who have encouraged fans to make their own masks, as PPE (personal protective equipment) shortages have been reported around the world.

On Sunday, Olivia Newton-John urged fans to get creative with their masks, uploading a selfie of herself wearing a leopard print face covering.

Take a walk on the wild side! On Sunday, Olivia Newton-John urged fans to get creative with their masks, uploading a selfie of herself wearing a leopard print face covering

'We don't need masks, because health workers need them desperately and there aren't enough for the general public too!' she wrote.

Meanwhile, The Veronicas' Lisa Origliasso shared a tutorial on Tuesday demonstrating how fans can easily make face masks at home.

'This is just for anybody venturing out for a minute to go and get any essentials. Obviously not for anybody on the frontlines, this will not be sufficient,' Lisa began.

'It's literally that easy!' Meanwhile, The Veronicas' Lisa Origliasso shared a tutorial on Tuesday demonstrating how fans can easily make face masks at home

Easily done! The three items are two sheets of kitchen roll, two rubber bands and a stapler

She then explained how followers must fold the kitchen roll 'into a fan shape' before placing one rubber band over each end.

The songstress then twisted the ends of the paper and folded them over the bands - which are used to secure the mask to your face - and stapled them down.

'It's literally that easy! And then you have a face mask to put over your face,' she beamed, before attaching each band over her ears.
RBG Perfectly Pointed Out The Problem With Wisconsin Going Forward With The Primary Election

Take a second to google social distancing coronavirus. Seriously, do it and then pop back over. Did you see that top result? The one that wasnt the usual blue Google link, but the World Health Organization announcement, with the hand in the stop sign over the words that says STAY HOME. SAVE LIVES. Its in all caps, you cant miss it, but apparently, Wisconsin Republicans did, because they fought and won to proceed with in-person voting in todays primary.

In an effort to keep people indoors, the Democratic governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, issued an executive order to suspend in-person voting and extend the deadlines for vote-by-mail ballots. As of April 7, the states election commission reported about 865,000 of the absentee ballots had been returned out of about 1.2 ballots that had been issued. A district court initially upheld Evers order, but after a series of appeals, the Supreme Court of the United States maintained the original deadline for the absentee ballots in a 5-4 (aka the deadline established before the pandemic and drastic upheaval of societys norms). The state Supreme Court also ruled in favor of the Republicans, denying the governors move to delay the election until June. Surprisingly, by which I mean not at all, both courts have a conservative majority.

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In her dissenting opinion for the Supreme Court case, Ruth Bader Ginsberg effectively summarized what these decisions mean for the voters of Wisconsin: Either they will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own. She went on to speak more truth, saying The Courts suggestion that the current situation is not substantially different from an ordinary election boggles the mind. And RBG articulates some great points, let me just call this as I see it: the Republicans of Wisconsin, and the justices that did nothing to adjust the voting process for a pandemic  yeah, theyre giving the a-okay to straight-up voter suppression.

So what was the official reason Republicans were so hell-bent on holding in-person voting today, the same day New York, Connecticut and New Jersey reported a spike in death rates that totaled over 1,100? For one, they said the governors order was an overreach of his authority. Two, they said that while they advocated for people to vote absentee, voters should still have the right to vote in person. We are proud that Wisconsinites have come together to meet the challenges that this pandemic has created, the Republican state assembly speaker Robin Vos and senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a joint statement. As RBGs comment helpfully points out, these challenges havent really been met, leaving Wisconsin citizens with an almost impossible choice.

"You are incredibly safe to go out." - @SpeakerVos, decked out in PPE because that's the kind of thing I always wear when it's incredibly safe outside pic.twitter.com/vm7Y3LBuOT  Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) April 7, 2020

In a news conference Monday after he signed the executive order to push the election back, Evers explained the reasoning behind his decision. I have been advised by public health experts at the Department of Health Services that despite the heroic efforts and good work of our local election officials, poll workers, and national guard troops, there is not a sufficiently safe way to administer in-person voting tomorrow," he said, according to CNN.

Other than the presidential primary, Wisconsin residents will be voting on local leaders and justices for the state supreme court, according to The Washington Post. In Milwaukee, only five polls remained open off the original 180, with volunteers mandated to maintain social distancing of six feet apart. Some poll workers are even handing out masks. Many poll workers, are members of the National Guard, as they were called in after volunteers declined to work the polls today, according to CNN.

One voter who was able to participate in an early drive-thru vote on Sunday spoke to the Daily Beast. Thank God I have a car and I had the time to do that, but for the people that cant, this paints a bigger picture of the state of our politics, he said to the outlet. A Democratic leader in Wisconsin was a bit more specific in his quote to the Daily Beast about the impact of this election. "Obviously people are going to get sick, they're going to spread the virus and people are going to die. And that's not right. he said.



Wisconsin currently has 2,440 cases and 83 deaths reported.

Header Image: Unsplash / midwestiscool

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This is an opinion cartoon.

Dance like nobodys watching. Sing like nobody can hear. Vote like your life depends on it. Because it does.

You would think dealing with a deadly pandemic that threatens the health and safety of all Americans could be one issue that unifies us. Damn. In Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers forced citizens to make a choice between their health and their vote. All for a primary election that could easily have been postponed until the COVID-19 danger simmers down.

Well be dealing with the same voting vs health issues soon enough in Alabama. Lord help us.

Im all in with the League of Women Voters: LWV calls on states to expand absentee and mail-in voting

I urge you to read every word of Kyle Whitmires column:

Here are some excerpts:

"... Look to Wisconsin, the state that has now made Alabama look responsible. This week the governor there sought to delay the Wisconsin primary until the coronavirus threat had safely passed. The Republican-held legislature, which has more power, refused and fought him all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

"A global pandemic is now the greatest, sickest form of voter suppression. Anyone there who wishes to vote must now risk their health  their lives  to do so.

Wisconsin voters wait in line for hours, risking their health; Voter suppression at its finest

"The president has said that if more people can vote remotely then his party will never win again. The Republican legislature in Wisconsin is following his lead for naked partisan advantage ... this is our future in Alabama.

"Vote-by-mail is not likely to happen here. Its more likely than not that, come November, to vote Alabamians will have a choice  overcome high hurdles to vote by absentee or risk your health at the polls.

"You might have to put your safety at risk to vote.

"That is the most Alabama thing you can do.

"There are lots of reasons to be ashamed of our state, but in the balance, those are outweighed by the reasons to be proud. This is where men and women  alienated and disenfranchised  stood up to be counted. This state is where the oppressed said no more. This is where the disenfranchised crossed a bridge, got beaten back, and then crossed again. This is where blood was shed and lives were risked  and some taken  to vote.

They did it knowing the odds. You can, too.

"We have to.

Theres a fool over there with a Doomsday box, who treats it like a toy.

More cartoons by JD Crowe
It's official: Murray State becomes member of Missouri Valley Conference
The acting mayor of a certain city located in Illinois has recently issued a warning telling citizens about the dangers of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and that it is absolutely necessary that people stay indoors. As a result, the mayor had recently ordered the police to break up different parties and other events as well as issue citations to enforce the state's new stay-at-home orders.

In the mayor's attempts to slow down the virus, he has issued orders to break up a local party at a bar but when the officers arrived on scene, they found an interesting participant, the mayor's wife herself!

The mayor's statement on the issue

According to a statement by Brant Walker who is the acting mayor of Alton last Saturday, "These are very serious times and I'm begging you to please stay at home," continuing with a plea for parents to keep their kids at home since this is vital to our health.

A Facebook statement was released by Mayor Brant Walker on Monday saying that the police have actually found his wife at a bar located in the city that was still operating in violation of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's recent and effective stay-at-home orders!

Bret Walker has expressed his embarrassment and publically apologized to his constituents for his wife breaking the very laws which the mayor was fighting to uphold. The mayor's embarrassment led him to give a direct response to the whole situation.

According to the Mayor, "My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement [sic]," saying that she will then be experiencing the same consequences for her own ill-advised decision as the other individuals who were caught during the event.

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The identity of the wife was hidden from the press

Walker did not publically provide the name of his own wife nor has she been identified by the local news reports.

The police themselves have told the Alton Daily News that their very own officers were the ones to break up a party happening at Hiram's Tavern early Sunday upon orders of the Mayer and that the owner was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to domestic battery while the others who were there received citations for reckless conduct.

Alton is a city composed of 26,000 people altogether and is located about 20 miles on the north of St. Louis Missouri. Although this may seem like a small city, their implementations of the stay-at-home movement have been strong. Further news regarding the Mayor's wife and her consequences have not yet been made public, but one thing for sure, she will still have to suffer the consequence.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 8, 2020

2020/04/08

To help Myanmar fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has decided to send a team of medical experts to Myanmar. The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consists of experts selected by the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission. The team left for Myanmar on the morning of April 8.

CCTV: Nearly 100 former government officials and experts in the US issued a statement calling for China-US anti-epidemic cooperation, which they claim has won bipartisan support. The statement also identified China's problems such as its initial cover-up, its continuing lack of transparency, and its failure to cooperate fully with the US and international medical authorities. I wonder if you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We noted this statement. Former government officials and experts in the US are calling for cooperation between China and the US in an effort to combat the COVID-19, which they believe is very important for preventing its further spreading. This is consistent with the rational voices coming from people with vision in China, the US and the larger international community. We applaud and welcome that.

The virus knows no borders or races. It is a common challenge that can only be addressed by concerted international efforts. Upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China will continue strengthening cooperation with all countries including the US and contributing to global public health. President Xi and President Trump recently had two phone calls and reached important consensus on bilateral cooperation in anti-pandemic response. Health authorities and experts of both sides have been in close contact and held video conferences. Chinese localities, companies and civil groups have been donating medical supplies to the US to support their people. We are also helping the US government and businesses purchase Chinese supplies. Pharmaceutical companies and scientists of both sides are in contact and cooperation with each other on the R&D of vaccines and medicine.

That said, some contents that you mentioned in this statement, like China's initial cover-up and lack of transparency, are completely untrue. China has been open, transparent and responsible since the COVID-19 first broke out. We notified the WHO of the epidemic, shared the genome sequencing of the virus, carried out international cooperation and helped other countries affected, all at the earliest time possible. These are plain, internationally recognized facts, which cannot be denied or erased by anyone.

The fight against COVID-19 could serve as a platform for China-US cooperation. Just as President Xi said to President Trump in a recent phone conversation, both sides stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. Cooperation is the only right choice. We hope the US will work with China toward the same goal, follow the leaders' consensus, enhance anti-epidemic cooperation, develop China-US relations featuring no conflict or confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and deliver greater benefits to people in China, the US and beyond.

Bloomberg: Are you aware of any expected G20 actions on the global oil market? And what role will China play?

Zhao Lijian: I want to state China's principled position on this issue. As a major energy importer and consumer, we hope to see a stable international energy market. There are various speculations on the prospect of the world economy amid the pandemic. At this particular time, stability of the international energy market bears special significance. China hopes the G20 and other multilateral mechanisms will play their due role in this regard.

Shenzhen TV: A special video conference of ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers Meeting was held on April 7 to enhance cooperation in response to COVID-19. Can you give us more details on the meeting? What consensus was reached on epidemic prevention and control?

Zhao Lijian: On the afternoon of April 7, the ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers Meeting on COVID-19 was convened via video conference to enhance cooperation in response to COVID-19. Health officials from China, Japan, the ROK and ten ASEAN countries as well as Secretary General of ASEAN Secretariat attended the meeting and delivered remarks. Attendees also include over 100 representatives from the above-mentioned departments. On the Chinese side, a senior official from the National Health Commission attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the Chinese side talked about our anti-epidemic practices and experience as well as our sharing of information and technology with other countries. We called on all parties to continue supporting WHO's leading role in fighting the pandemic, sharing information in an open, transparent and responsible manner, strengthening communication and coordination, and taking concerted actions to win the global fight against COVID-19.

As we understand, countries are discussing a joint statement after the meeting to jointly safeguard regional and global health security amid the pandemic. Please stay tuned.

Phoenix TV: First question, does the Chinese government plan to take home underage Chinese students from the US by charter flights? Second, yesterday US President Trump said "the WHO really blew it", and that the US is going to "put a hold on money spent to the WHO." Do you have any response to that?

Zhao Lijian: On your first question, the CPC Central Committee attaches high importance to and cares a great deal about the overseas Chinese students. After the COVID-19 broke out in many countries, the foreign ministry, following the decisions of the CPC Central Committee, asked all Chinese diplomatic missions overseas to do their best to convey love and care to overseas Chinese students from the Party and the Government. Now the majority of overseas students choose to stay where they are. Considering some Chinese students, especially the underage students, are facing real difficulties, our ministry is coordinating temporary flights to take these students home in a gradual and orderly way.

On your second question, since the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization, under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, has been earnestly fulfilling its duties, upholding an objective, scientific and fair stance, and playing an important role in coordinating international efforts and advancing international cooperation in response to the pandemic. It has won recognition and acclaim from all over the world. The statement of the recent Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 stressed that member states fully support and commit to further strengthen the WHO's mandate in coordinating the international fight against the pandemic. China will continue supporting the WHO in fulfilling its work and playing a leading role in global anti-pandemic cooperation.

As the COVID-19 spreads rapidly across the world, the US "putting a hold on US funding to WHO" will seriously undermine the organization's normal functioning as well as international anti-pandemic cooperation. We hope countries can work together, help each other amid difficulties and jointly contribute to the global fight against the coronavirus.

The Paper: According to a report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on April 7, China became the top source of international patent application filings in 2019, registering a 200-fold increase over the past 20 years. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said that China's rapid emergence was "down to a very deliberate strategy on the part of Chinese leadership to advance innovation and to make China a country whose economy operates at a higher level of value". What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: The Chinese government attaches great importance to IPR protection. It has taken concrete measures to enhance such protection, including by reinforcing top-level design, improving laws and regulations, reforming institutions and mechanisms, and strengthening judicial and administrative protection, which has brought out society-wide outbursts of innovation and led to world-class achievements. In recent years, China has vigorously implemented the strategy of innovation-driven development and the intellectual property strategy, raised public awareness of "protecting intellectual property rights is protecting innovation", and constantly increased investment in innovation and R&D. In 2019, China's R&D spending totaled nearly 2.2 trillion yuan, registering a year-on-year growth of 10.5%. We strengthened IPR protection by fostering a business environment that respects the value of knowledge and features good innovation ecology. In 2019, about 59,000 Chinese applications were filed via WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System, marking an annual growth rate of 10.6%, and China became the biggest source of international patent application filings. It reflects stronger IPR protection, greater innovative capacity and better public awareness of IPR protection in China. Chinese enterprises are paying more attention to their own IPR protection. China has become a major innovator and IPR holder in the world.

Going forward, China will continue to promote innovation-driven development, strengthen IPR protection, and make greater efforts to promote international cooperation in this field. China is ready to cooperate with WIPO and other countries to jointly promote global innovation and intellectual property development.

Reuters: Can you give us a total number of the medical supplies China has donated to other countries?

Zhao Lijian: While fighting COVID-19 at home, we are helping other countries in need to the best of our ability. We do this to reciprocate these countries' earlier support for us, and out of humanitarian considerations. This is what we've said and done.

The number you asked about is being updated every day. I will consult the competent authority for you after the press conference.

Bloomberg: A question on supply chains. Japan has earmarked 2.2 billion dollars of its economic stimulus package to help manufactures shift production out of China as the coronavirus has disrupted supply chains. Does China have a response to this?

Zhao Lijian: The wide-spreading COVID-19 has had a major impact on the world economy. China has achieved remarkable results in fighting the virus and resuming normal socio-economic development. We hope other countries can also take measures to avoid further impacts on the world economy and global supply chains. We need to make concerted efforts to safeguard the stability of global supply chains and bring the world economy back onto the normal track.

Beijing Daily: The Chinese medical team in Cambodia completed its mission and returned to China yesterday. Could you tell us more about their work in Cambodia?

Zhao Lijian: The Chinese medical team came back to China from Cambodia on April 7 after completing its mission. The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consisted of experts selected by the health commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The team arrived in Phnom Penh on March 23, the first medical team China sent to ASEAN countries in response to COVID-19.

In Cambodia, the team raced against the virus every day. They visited hospitals, communities, airports, hotels and industrial parks, made suggestions to the Cambodian side, and shared their experience in the diagnosis and treatment of severe and critical cases. In addition, the Chinese experts also provided medical guidance and assistance to Chinese citizens in Cambodia.

The team has won universal praise from the Cambodian people. As Prime Minister Hun Sen said, "people fall in love amid poverty and know true friends in adversity". The Chinese medical experts helping Cambodia is an epitome of our true friendship. Cambodian netizens expressed their gratitude to the team by writing Cambodian lyrics to the melody of the traditional Chinese folk song "Liu Sanjie".

China stands ready to continue giving utmost support and assistance to Cambodian friends if such needs arise. Together we will achieve the final victory in the battle against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

Stay strong, Cambodia!
How does an entrepreneur take a loan from the government to avoid layoffs when his companys snack lounge has free kombucha on tap?

The answer: Very carefully. Or, better yet, not at all.

All joking aside about quirky tech perks, the question is front and center for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs in this phase of the coronavirus crisis.

Under the recently passed coronavirus relief bill, the federal Small Business Administration is offering loans through the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program (by way of approved banks). The loans are aimed at providing temporary help for small businesses to make payroll.

Hundreds of thousands of mom-and-pop businesses have been rushing to get the loans to prevent layoffs  despite myriad reports about bottlenecks in the process.
Spain moved on Tuesday to tackle a shortfall of farm workers due to the coronavirus crisis by authorizing the temporary hiring of tens of thousands of immigrants or jobless people.

Border restrictions and lockdowns have forced many foreign workers to stay at home during the peak food-harvesting season in Spain, which has the second highest death toll in the world from the COVID-19 disease.

But to unblock the production chain and prevent food shortages, the government said it would allow farms to take on between 75,000-80,000 people locally, many of whom would normally be barred from working as they receive benefits.

The initiative is especially important for the food basket regions of Andalusia, Murcia, Extremadura, Aragon and Catalonia.

Announcing the measures, Agricultural Minister Luis Planas said they would be in force until June 30 and were also intended to guarantee exports to other European Union (EU) nations.

"Two-thirds of our production goes to EU markets. Freight traffic continues to circulate smoothly and we have to provide for these markets because they are a very important source of income," he told a virtual press briefing.

The government decree would allow jobless people to still receive welfare benefits while they temporarily join the farm sector and legal migrants to extend their work permits, Planas said.

But the measures do not apply to workers temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus as they get other help.

Some 16,000 Moroccan seasonal workers, mostly women, were due to arrive in Spain's Huelva region to pick red fruits under an agreement between the two countries - but less than half have been able to make it.

EU seasonal workers, such as Bulgarians and Romanians, have not been able to move either.

"We can't count on the Moroccan workers this season, but with these extraordinary measures applied to the local workforce, we should be able to address the farmers' needs," Planas said.

The Spanish federation of fruit and vegetable producers and exporters, Fepex, estimates the sector will need 16,000 additional workers in April, 18,000 in May and 28,000 in June.
UFA -- A doctor among some 500 medical personnel and 600 patients placed under a strict coronavirus quarantine in the largest hospital in Ufa, the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan region, says that the medical facility was seeing a rise of cases attributed to "pneumonia" for two weeks.

"The flow of patients was simply enormous," Dr. Rimma Kamalova, the head of the Kuvatov Republican Clinical Hospital's rheumatology department, told RFE/RL on April 8.

"Something strange was happening, some kind of outbreak of viral pneumonia, and it seems they planned on patients arriving with some other diseases," she said, adding that while some were given swabs for flu strains, none were tested for the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

Bashkortostan head Rady Khabirov announced on the VK social network on April 7 that the Russian region had recorded its first coronavirus fatality. The victim, an 80-year-old woman, had died died two days before.

Following the death, the hospital was placed under quarantine for two weeks on suspicion that five staff members and two patients had been infected with the coronavirus.

A dozen patients and medical personnel at the facility have since been sent for treatment at an infectious-diseases hospital.

In a follow-up interview on April 8, Kamalova said that more than 60 patients tested positive for coronavirus, although those numbers had not been confirmed by officials.

Kamalova said that staff members had reported the rise in incidence of pneumonia, but were reprimanded for not working well and not following sanitary standards, accusations that she refutes.

Meanwhile, the number of patients with pneumonia continued to increase, Kamalova added.

Bashkortostan, located about 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow, had recorded 16 coronavirus infections as of April 8, with one fatality.

Russia as a whole had confirmed over 8,670 cases of infection, with at least 63 deaths, although official figures related to COVID-19 have been questioned.

On April 7, the region's health minister, Maksim Zabelin, announced that the entire staff at Kuvatov Republican Clinical Hospital would be tested for coronavirus multiple times.

Zabelin also said that quarantined employees had been provided with personal protective equipment and had enough medication to continue effectively treating patients.

However, Kamalova told RFE/RL that she and her fellow medical workers had been provided only with simple masks, gloves, sanitizer, and alcohol wipes to stave off coronavirus infection, but that full-body hazmat suits and equipment needed to treat serious coronavirus infections had not been made available.

"We will suffer inconvenience," Kamalova said of medical workers. "But for us this is not the main thing," she added, expressing concern for the patients undergoing treatment at the hospital.

"We must now work together, in solidarity, and not throw blame from a sore head to a healthy one," she said. "And don't hide, do not gloss over the true state of affairs."
At least three of the five terrorists gunned down by the armys Special Forces in the April 5 Keran sector encounter belong to Jammu and Kashmir. Investigations into the encounter have revealed the three terrorists had been missing since 2018 when they crossed over to Pakistan for training in arms and explosives.

Five AK-47 rifles, grenades, GPS and wireless sets were recovered from the encounter site at Shalbatoo, Jumgund area of Keran sector, Kupwara in north Kashmir.

The group had infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) on April 1 from Qasim-II post in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. They were on their way to the armys Gulab Post when a squad of the Special Forces went after them.

According to security agencies, the three terrorists have been identified as Sajjad Ahmad Hurrah of Daramdora, Shopian, Aadil Hussain Mir of Mallapora, Liver, Anantnag and Umar Nazir Khan of Liver, Anantnag.

The J&K Police records show that missing reports were filed over the disappearance of Sajjad and Aadil at local police stations.

It was further revealed that the two left for Pakistan separately via the Attari-Wagah border. Sajjid (passport number N 6689233) crossed over on April 12, 2018 and Aadil (passport number P9403541) later on April 27, 2018. Travel history of Umar Nazir, who belonged to the same village as Aadil, is being probed.

According to security agencies, the needle of suspicion for radicalising these youth and recruiting them into terrorism points at Ghulam Nabi Khan, who is currently deputy leader of Hizbul Mujahideen and based in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Nabi Khan also belongs to Liver Village in Anantnag.

The encounter, and the multiple intelligence reports of Pakistan-based terror groups - Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed  assembling at launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir suggests Islamabad is focused on fomenting trouble in Kashmir, a security official said. For one, by radicalising the Kashmiri youth and then, getting them to cross over for training with jihadist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayebba, Jaish-e-Mohammed or the Hizbul Mujahideen and then infiltrate back to Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides, the Pakistani establishment is also trying to smuggle assault rifles across the LoC in order to supply to foreign and local terrorists already in the Valley. This assessment is also backed by the recent seizure of 13 AK-47 rifles, hand grenades and ammunition in Keran sector, Kupwara on March 23.

Apart from the Pakistani attempts to increase the level of violence in Kashmir in the coming months, Islamabad is also propping up indigenous armed groups like the Resistance Front and JK Pir Panjal Peace Forum to get back at India for nullifying the Article 370 in August 2019.

The renewed attempts at infiltration are an attempt to boost the terrorist strength in Kashmir where 50 terrorists have been neutralised in the last three months.

According to an estimate by the security establishment, there are, however, no less than 242 active terrorists in the Valley. About 100 of them are foreign terrorists belonging to the Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

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Australians will need to stock up before the Easter holidays with supermarkets and bottle shops to shut their doors for part of the weekend.

However, the usual Good Friday and Anzac Day alcohol bans for pubs, clubs, and small bars will be lifted - allowing takeaway alcohol and food purchases in an effort to support the struggling businesses.

Prime Minster Scott Morrison has urged Australians to stay at home over the four-day religious holiday rather than visiting friends and relatives, in keeping with the social isolation measures designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Picnics and barbecues outdoors are not allowed, with police able to fine anyone gathering in groups larger than two people.

The majority of Coles and Woolworths stores will be closed on Good Friday, but locals can try a smaller grocer with some staying open on the public holiday

Australians looking to buy alcohol at their local bottle shop might find it more difficult than usual with shops including BWS and Dan Murphys closed for trading on Good Friday

With many businesses already temporarily closed and others running short on supply due to panic buying, shoppers will need to get to stores early to make sure they are stocked up on last-minute groceries, drinks, and of course, chocolates.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are restricted trading days with Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, bottle shops, and even the big takeaway chains closed for business.

The food delivery services such as UberEats, Menulog and Deliveroo will be operating, but the choice of food will be greatly cut as many restaurants will be closed for part or all of the weekend.

Here Daily Mail Australia guides you through what is and isn't open across the country over the long weekend...

Cafes and restaurants can still offer takeaway food and drink over Easter though it is up to the individual business if they open their doors

GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday and Christmas Day are the most restricted trading days across Australia, which means most shops will be closed.

Supermarkets: Aldi stores will be closed across the country.

Some Woolworths stores in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory will open. While stores in Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Tasmania will be closed.

Some Coles stores in NSW, ACT, and the NT will shut and others are expected to have restricted hours of 11am to 5pm. Stores in Victoria, QLD, SA, WA, and Tasmania will be closed.

Some Harris Farm stores are open with normal trading hours.

Supermarkets have advised to check your local store's trading hours online.

Retail: Most retail stores and shopping centres will close over the Easter weekend, even those that have remained open despite lockdown restrictions.

Convenience stores, petrol stations and chemists are exempt and are allowed to trade on Friday but it is up to them whether they open their doors.

Alcohol: Dan Murphy's, BWS, and First Choice Liquor will be closed in all states and territories on Good Friday.

Pubs and clubs will all be closed all weekend in line with lockdown restrictions.

Food delivery services: UberEats, Menulog, and Deliveroo will operate on Good Friday though restaurant choice may be limited.

Most of these delivery services will be operating as normal with many of their participating restaurants trading for the entire long weekend.

Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Crust will be trading on Good Friday, but advise customers to check their local stores for changed hours.

Many McDonald's stores will also be open for delivery only.

Police are empowered to hand out fines to anyone not following social distancing guidelines over the Easter weekend - so picnics and barbecues outdoors are not allowed this Easter

Food delivery services will be running as usual over the entire Easter weekend though restaurant selection may be limited

Australians looking to stock up on chocolates should get in early with most supermarkets closed on Good Friday and operating with restricted hours the remainder of the weekend

EASTER SATURDAY

Saturday is mostly back to what regular trading hours have become during the coronavirus lockdown.

Supermarkets and bottle shops are generally trading with normal hours on Easter Saturday despite it being a public holiday in all states and territories apart from Western Australia and Tasmania.

Supermarkets: Coles and Woolworths stores will be open with their regular trading hours - including designated community hours where vulnerable people have priority in stores.

Aldi will be open on Saturday from 8.30am to 7pm nationwide.

Alcohol: Bottle shops, Dan Murphy's, and BWS will reopen their doors on Saturday across the country from about 9am.

Retail: Kmart will be open from 8am and close at 5pm or 8pm in most locations.

Target and Big W will be open from 9am in most locations.

Food delivery services: UberEats, Menulog, Deliveroo, McDonald's, and pizza franchises will trade as normal.

Westfield shopping centres will be closed on Good Friday though many are already empty because of coronavirus lockdown restrictions (pictured is Westfield Parramatta in March)

Coles will be closed on Good Friday but open the rest of the weekend with restricted hours (shoppers wait outside a Coles supermarket at Firle in Adelaide, Australia, 06 April 2020)

EASTER SUNDAY

Supermarkets: Coles stores will be open from 9am to 6pm in NSW and QLD. Most stores in other areas will trade from 7am to 9pm with the exception of SA and WA whose stores will be closed or open with reduced hours.

Woolworths stores will be open with the exception of SA and WA which will be closed or have reduced hours.

Aldi stores will be closed.

Some Harris Farm stores, predominantly in the metro area, are open with normal trading hours.

Retail: Kmart, Target, and Big W will be closed.

Alcohol: Most bottles shops will be closed across the country, though some Liquorland and Dan Murphy's stores may be open across the states.

Food delivery services: UberEats, Deliveroo, Menulog, McDonald's, and pizza franchises will also run as normal on Easter Sunday, with the same restaurants delivering as Good Friday.

Kmart, Target and Big W will be open on Saturday with restricted hours in many locations

EASTER MONDAY

Supermarkets: Aldi will be open in NSW, ACT, Victoria, and WA from 8.30 until 7pm. While in QLD they will be open from 9am to 6pm and SA from 11am to 5pm.

Woolworths stores in SA and QLD will be open with reduced hours. Stores in other states will trade as normal.

Coles stores in will be open across the country. Stores in SA, QLD, and WA will have reduced hours. Some NSW stores will be open until 6pm.

Retail: Most retail stores that are operating in the lockdown will open their doors on Monday with the exception of some Kmart stores in SA.

Alcohol: There are no restrictions on alcohol sales on Monday and bottle shops including BWS and Dan Murphy's will open as usual.

Food delivery services: Restaurants and cafes offering takeaway orders and food delivery services will operate as normal.
A NSW woman has been found guilty of murder after poisoning her partner in Adelaide with a toxic cocktail of drugs including morphine, valium and tramadol.

A South Australian Supreme Court jury returned the guilty verdict late on Tuesday after deliberating for about six hours in the case against Wendie-Sue Dent.

The 61-year-old, who lived in Dapto before her arrest, had been accused of murdering her de facto husband David Lawrence in December 2015 to claim his $300,000 estate.

Wendie-Sue Dent (left) has been found guilty of murder after poisoning her partner David Lawrence (right) in Adelaide with a toxic cocktail of drugs including morphine, valium and tramadol

She also denied falsifying paperwork, including a will.

At the opening of the seven-week trial, prosecutor Emily Telfer SC told the jury Dent administered a cocktail of dangerous medication, which included valium, tramadol, and morphine that had been prescribed to her.

The court heard a post-mortem examination revealed the toxic levels of morphine alone were enough to kill Mr Lawrence.

'Next to the bed where David Lawrence's body was, was a glass of orange liquid that contained dissolved traces of the same drugs that were found within David Lawrence,' Ms Telfer said.

Dent was accused of murdering her de facto husband David Lawrence in December 2015 to claim his $300,000 estate

'This was no accidental overdose of medication, this was no suicide but was a deliberate killing.'

The prosecutor said Mr Lawrence, 62, who was in good health, was found dead in his bed. He had been dead for some time.

She told the jury Dent quickly moved into Mr Lawrence's home after meeting him and he had his will changed about nine weeks prior to his death.

'David Lawrence signed a document which provided for the entirety of his estate to be paid to Ms Dent in the event that he'd pass away,' she said.

But in his opening remarks, defence counsel had Martin Anders had urged the jury to keep an open mind until all the evidence was heard.

'You'll hear of the suddenness of Mr Lawrence's passing, her sadness and confusion and obvious grief, the vitriol that quickly came her way from Mr Lawrence's siblings, and the scrambling of his brothers and sisters to secure his assets and exclude her,' he said.

He said Dent suffered from an addiction to prescription medication and had future plans with Mr Lawrence, including marriage.

Dent has been remanded in custody for sentencing submissions later this month.
A 30-year veteran of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons said she has developed a system after her shifts in one of the citys largest jails to protect her family from the coronavirus  even as she says her employer isnt doing enough.

She douses her car in Lysol. She sprays down her uniform, disrobes, and leaves it in a plastic bag in her basement. She avoids interacting with her daughters and grandchildren for fear of exposing them.

Working in a jail is a stressful environment on a good day, said the corrections officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions at her job. The fact of not knowing if Im coming into contact with inmates or guards that might be infected and bringing that into my house, its terrifying.

As the number of confirmed cases in the regions detention centers continues to rise, corrections officers are increasingly expressing concern that their employers arent doing enough to protect them.

At Delaware Countys George W. Hill Correctional Facility, where 14 inmates and 24 staff members had tested positive as of Tuesday, guards say theyve been offered extra pay, but only if they work a full 30 days  a measure that they say encourages sick employees to come to work, and fails to compensate those who fell ill because of their jobs.

Corrections officers at federal prisons in Philadelphia and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week, saying the U.S. Bureau of Prisons lagging response is endangering employees, [inmates], and whole communities.

And in Philadelphia, union officials say they cant get a clear picture of how many guards and inmates have tested positive at the four facilities in the largest county-jail system in the state.

The lack of communication has the officers scared, and its creating a hostile environment, said Gregory Trueheart, president of AFSCME Local 159, which represents the citys corrections officers.

Guards there are being sent into quarantined cell blocks with little more than gloves and inmate-made cloth masks, Trueheart said. Staff move between quarantined and nonquarantined units, risking cross-contamination. And up until last week, programs like visits from social workers and therapy sessions, in which inmates are taken from their cells to play board games or color in small groups, were continuing as usual, he said.

Is it that important for an inmate to come out and get a [expletive] coloring book? he said. The less people coming inside off the streets, the better well all be.

But Trueheart remains most concerned with jail administrators refusal to share data on the number of positive tests for each facility with their front-line employees  a situation he says prevents guards from assessing the personal risk they face each day they come to work.

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Correctional staff are continuously denied such pertinent information, which places [them] in a position of possible COVID-19 contamination [and] directly affects  their families, the union wrote in a letter to city officials last week.

As of Wednesday, at least 62 inmates, or three out of every 200 prisoners, had tested positive for the coronavirus  an infection rate that outpaces the overall citys five times over.

The city has declined to release a facility-by-facility breakdown of those cases or identify the number of corrections officers who have fallen ill, citing privacy concerns. Anecdotally, Trueheart said, he knows of about 17.

City spokesperson Deana Gamble said the Department of Prisons has been operating under the assumption that everyone could be positive for the coronavirus and continues to evaluate measures to keep guards and inmates safe.

Last week, jail administrators implemented a shelter in cell policy for inmates, allowing them out only once a day in groups of 10 or fewer to shower and use the phone  an effort to better adhere to social distancing recommendations. The only outside contractors still being let in are medical providers, who are subject to strict safety rules, Gamble said.

The Department of Prisons "has maintained active and ongoing communication with the union from the outset, she said in a statement. We take the feedback and concerns of our staff, partners and inmates very seriously ... and we have responded to everything that has evolved throughout this crisis.

Corrections officers at George W. Hill remain concerned about the shortage of personal protective equipment and testing protocols implemented by the GEO Group, the private firm that manages the facility.

A company spokesperson said that since the jail detected its first positive coronavirus case last month, it has taken unprecedented measures  including installing hand-sanitizer stations, staggering recreation times to limit the number of inmates who are out of their cells at any given time, and taking officers temperatures before they clock in for their shifts.

But one guard, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he passed those daily temperature tests, which are administered by supervisors and not jail medical staff, and still tested positive for the virus.

Another officer who is self-quarantining after contracting the virus at work said staff were provided with only one N95 mask, and were told to keep it in a plastic bag after each shift and to reuse it for three or four days.

We have inmates who have tested positive, and as officers, we work with them, he said. The social distancing doesnt apply at the job. Its more than likely every single one is going to be affected.

County Council member Kevin Madden, chair of the countys Jail Oversight Board, said the jail is pulling from the same pool of protective equipment that is supplying other front-line workers. He acknowledged that guards have been asked to use PPE in a more extended way than what the box intended.

Still, Madden praised the efforts of GEO in attempting to mitigate the virus for both corrections officers and inmates.

Theyve been good partners in combating this, he said.
About 100 Armenians of Istanbul are returning to Armenia in four buses. Naira Harutyunyan, one of the returnees, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the Government of Armenia has solved her and the other Armenians financial issues.

I have worked in Istanbul for six years. I wasnt a registered worker, and when my workplace was closed, I didnt receive a salary. I stayed home for 27 days and decided to address the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. I was provided with the contacts of volunteers in Istanbul who also helped us come together and return to Armenia, she said, adding that she and the others know that they will be quarantined as soon as they arrive in Armenia and that they have been provided with face masks, gloves and dry and wet napkins.
Police have found the body of Robert F. Kennedy's missing great-grandson, six days after he went missing while canoeing with his mother.

Gideon McKean and his mother Maeve went to fetch a ball from Chesapeake Bay last week and vanished for days.

His body was recovered by searchers in Maryland about 1.40pm Wednesday.

'The Maryland Natural Resources Police Underwater Operations Team recovered Gideon deceased in 25 feet of water and 2.3 miles south of his grandmother's residence in Shady Side, Md. where the canoe was launched,' cops said in a statement.

'Gideon was located about 2,000 feet from where his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, was located.'

Robert F. Kennedy's great-grandson, Gideon, was pulled from the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday afternoon

Gideon McKean and his mother Maeve went to fetch a ball from Chesapeake Bay last week and vanished

The Maryland Natural Resources Police, along with allied agencies, were actively searching and the pair were presumed dead

Maeve McKean's mother, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is the eldest daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy and niece of the late President John F. Kennedy.

They are survived by husband and father David McKean, as well as young children Gabriella and Toby.

David said the family had gone to the house 'hoping to give our kids more space than we have at home in DC to run around' amid the coronavirus lockdowns.

Half an hour after getting into the boat, an onlooker from land saw them far out from shore, and called the police as they struggled to return. But after that last sighting, they were not seen again.

On Thursday night authorities had found overturned a canoe matching the one used by the pair. It's believed the boat was flipped by strong winds.

The US Coast Guard stopped searching for the mother and son on Saturday but Maryland Natural Resources Police Underwater Operations continued.

Kathleen's brother, Robert F Kennedy Jr, posted on Instagram: 'Tonight, the Coast Guard informed our family that it has terminated rescue operations. The search for remains continues. Rest In Peace Maeve and Gideon.'

Kathleen herself said in a statement Friday night: 'With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery'.

Robert F. Kennedy's great-grandson, Gideon, and his mother, Maeve were both presumed dead

David confirmed on Thursday that his wife, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean (center right) were missing

The family is usually based in Washington, DC, but had moved to the lakehouse amid the coronavirus crisis

Maeve and David were spending time with their three children at the family lakehouse in Shady Side, Maryland (above), when the tragedy occurred

The mother's body was recovered around 5.30pm on Monday.

Maeve, a public health and human rights lawyer, was found about 2.5 miles south of the Shady Side, Maryland home of her mother.

Gideon was presumed dead alongside his mother.

'Gideon was 8, but he may as well have been 38,' David wrote in a Facebook post before they were found.

He described his son as 'deeply compassionate'.

'He spent hours upstairs reading, learning everything he could about sports, and trying to decipher the mysteries of the stock market. But he was also incredibly social, athletic, and courageous,' David said on the Facebook post.

'For his school picture, he gathered a couple of his many friends to be in the shot with him. He played every sport he could, complaining to me that even though he was often playing six days a week, there was still that seventh day, and why hadn't I signed him up for something else.'

'And he was brave, leading his friends in games, standing up to people who he thought were wrong (including his parents), and relishing opportunities to go on adventures with friends, even those he'd just met. 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.'

Maeve and her husband David McKean are pictured with their three children, Gideon, Gabriella and Toby in a recent Facebook snap

David shared his heartbreaking post to Facebook after the Coast Guard called off the search for his wife and young son
A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi's Bawana after he was suspected of a conspiracy to spread COVID-19, police said on Wednesday.

The victim has been identified as Mehboob Ali, a resident of Harewali village in Bawana, they said.

Police said Ali had gone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for a Tablighi Jamaat conference and returned to the national capital in a truck of vegetables after 45 days.

He was held at the Azadpur vegetable market and released after a medical examination.

Police said when he reached his village, rumours spread that Ali had a plan to spread coronavirus.

He was thrashed in the fields on Sunday. He was rushed to a hospital by police where he died, a senior police officer said.

Police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and arrested three persons, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A new study suggests that a method of treatment used during the outbreak of Spanish Flu in 1918 could also work on the novel coronavirus cases.

The treatment, known as convalescent plasma (CP) therapy, was used during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic before vaccines or antivirals were available. It relies on the fact that the blood of people who have recovered contains powerful antibodies.

Reuters

Apart from the Spanish Flu, doctors in the past also transferred the bloodborne antibodies of patients who had recovered from polio, measles, mumps and flu to those who were in still in the grips of those infections.

Now the same method is being applied for people suffering from COVID-19 disease. According to a Telegraph report, a coronavirus patient was able to come off ventilation just two days after receiving the blood plasma of people who have recovered from the virus.

Twitter

A Guardian report states that two teams of medics working at separate hospitals in China gave antibody-rich plasma to 15 severely ill patients and recorded striking improvements in many of them. The preliminary study emerged from a 'pilot study' published in the journal PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

Doctors in Wuhan gave 'convalescent plasma' to 10 severely ill patients and found that virus levels in their bodies dropped rapidly. The report states that in a 49-year-old woman with no underlying illnesses, COVID-19 infection quickly progressed to shortness of breath and hospital admission. By day seven, after the onset of her symptoms, her chest X-ray had shown the hallmark opacity of ground glass and she had build-ups of fluids or proteins in her lungs.

Source/Abcnews

On day 10, she got an infusion of convalescent plasma. By day 12, she had cleared the virus from her system and her chest X-ray was clearing markedly, reports the LA Times.

According to the LA Times, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on March 24 ,approved the use of such therapy as an experimental treatment in clinical trials and for critical patients without other options. More recently, in Miami Valley, US, a coronavirus survivor donated plasma at the Community Blood Center.

According to a local report, Rabbi Mangel learned about plasma donations from a member of the synagogue who is a physician. Once Menachem tested negative for the virus, he decided to do what he could to help.

As of now, there is still no treatment for COVID-19 and vaccines are unlikely to be available before the end of the year at the earliest. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. - a Japanese drugmaker - is currently developing a new drug for coronavirus, that is derived from the blood plasma.
NEW ORLEANS - A simple gift from a bitter political rival  a medical mask emblazoned with Louisianas state seal  has helped Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards pound home a bipartisan plea for people to stay at home and avoid spreading the new coronavirus.

The token from Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry  and Landrys pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder with Edwards in the fight against the pandemic  marked a jaw-dropping truce in a state known for cantankerous politics.

The rare show of unity comes in an era of deep, political divides nationwide that have persisted, and in some cases, worsened amid the virus pandemic, even as some call for leaving such disputes aside in favour of working together.

And it seems to be having a positive effect: The growth in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Louisiana appears to have slowed, and the number of patients on ventilators was down as of Wednesday afternoon.

Before his recent demonstrations of support, Landry had been at odds with the governor over policy and political turf since both took office in 2016, while Edwards more than four years in office had been marked by ugly budget battles with a Republican-dominated Legislature.

Even President Donald Trump, who called Edwards a disaster while campaigning for a Republican to replace him in last years state election, had rare words of praise for the governor.

In the case of Louisiana, we have a very good governor, John Bel Edwards, though hes a Democrat, the president told Fox News on March 26.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy, a frequent cable news talking head and critic of Edwards, is on board as well. Im not going to second-guess Gov. Edwards, he said. Were all working together.

Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder said he initially thought Edwards went too far with a statewide stay-at-home order, but he quickly changed his mind. Its actually kind of nice that were not all mad at each other right now, he said in a recent interview.

The current atmosphere of bipartisanship marks a striking contrast to 2005, when the response to catastrophic levee failures after Hurricane Katrina was marked by disagreements between the late Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Republican President George W. Bushs administration; and the ineffective efforts of Democratic New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who later went to federal prison for corruption.

Bipartisan unity in the age of COVID-19 may be due to the viruss broad scope, said Pearson Cross, an associate dean and political science professor at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Katrina hit a heavily Democratic part of a state that had a Democratic governor in 2005. It was easy for a Republican administration to lay the problems with recovery at Blancos feet, Cross said. The pandemic affects Republican-led states as well as Democratic ones, making it harder to try to single out a Democratic administration for problems with the response.

That being said, John Bel Edwards has clearly gone out of his way to make nice with President Trump, Cross said.

The unified message in the time of the coronavirus appears to be having a positive effect. Last month there were fears that Louisiana would, by now, have reached a grim coronavirus reckoning on par with the devastated country of Italy, with too few life-saving ventilators to go around and the number of critically ill patients exceeding the number of available beds.

Instead, Edwards is sounding notes of extremely cautious hope.

It appears were trending in a positive direction because of the mitigation measures that people have been taking, the governor said at his daily news conference Tuesday.

The reasons for hope lie in the number of those requiring hospitalization. Although it was nearly 2,000 as of Wednesday, that number had dropped slightly from the day before and officials believe the overall rate of growth has slowed. The number of patients requiring ventilators to do their breathing for them had dropped to 490, down from 519 Tuesday and 552 Monday.

Edwards credited medical professionals with fine-tuning their use of ventilators, lessening the amount of time patients spend on them and easing the need to stockpile them.

Mitch Landrieu, who oversaw a revitalized Katrina recovery effort as mayor from 2010 to 2018, credits his successor, fellow Democrat LaToya Cantrell, and Edwards with strong early responses to COVID-19s emergence in Louisiana in March.

Those efforts included early, firm orders for social distancing and business closures, coupled with measures to convert a convention centre into a hospital space.

Landrieu is harshly critical of Trump for downplaying the viruss threat earlier this year and for lashing out at governors who criticize his handling of the pandemic. Landrieu said Edwards has done a great job of trying to keep his powder dry with the president under difficult circumstances while keeping all state officials, Republican and Democrat, in the loop because youre one team.

Louisianas situation is still far from rosy. Known cases have spread to 63 of Louisianas 64 parishes. The New Orleans area remains a hot spot, with more than half of the more than 17,000 known Louisiana cases, a number that grows daily, in part because the states testing capacity is improving. The number of Louisiana deaths attributed to the disease increased by 70, to 652 as of Wednesday.

Just because we think were starting to flatten the curve doesnt mean our job is over, Edwards said Tuesday. In fact, now is the time to double down.

___

Deslatte reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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US Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaks during a briefing on coronavirus in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Washington, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin listens.

Alex Brandon/AP

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams adopted a positive note Tuesday, saying he felt "a lot more optimistic" that the United States would emerge "stronger" from its battle with the coronavirus.

On Sunday, he said he expected the virus "to be our Pearl Harbor moment and our 9/11 moment, only it's not going to be localized, it's going to be happening all over the country."

Adams credited social distancing for his hopeful demeanor, stressing that Americans "have the power to change the trajectory of this epidemic if we come together like we have after past tragedies in this country."

He said that state-level officials are better equipped to enforce stay-at-home orders, but predicted that the country will be looking at a "different normal" even once restrictions are lifted. That's only likely to change once testing is more readily available, as well as a vaccine.

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US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Tuesday he's feeling "a lot more optimistic" about the coronavirus pandemic, believing there's "light at the end of this tunnel."

"I absolutely believe this is going to be an incredibly sad and an incredibly hard week for our country, but we've had tough times in this country before and we always come out stronger," Adams told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America."

Adams did, however, say he still believed "the hardest and saddest week of most Americans' lives" was imminent  comments he made to Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." He painted an ominous picture about the United States' battle with the coronavirus.

"This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment and our 9/11 moment only it's not going to be localized, it's going to be happening all over the country," Adams told Wallace.

Story continues

The US is not in the clear: More than 378,200 coronavirus cases and 11,800 deaths have been reported as of Tuesday.

But, Adams said, people have the ability to change the trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US by maintaining social distance.

"The good news is that when you look at Italy, when you look at Spain, when you look at Washington and California, and even New York and New Jersey, they have truly started to flatten their curves," he said. "They've seen cases level off and start to come down, and that's what I want people to understand  that it's going to be a hard and tough week, but the American people have the power to change the trajectory of this epidemic if we come together like we have after past tragedies in this country."

Adams said recent data shows good signs

Adams also highlighted the latest data from states like California and Washington that have been "aggressively mitigating from the start."

"Their public health officials should be applauded because they've given us the blueprint for how we should deal with this in the rest of the country," he said. "And I really do believe we will come in under those projections as long as we can continue to do our part for 30 days."

The projections Adams is referring to are from March 29, when the White House coronavirus task force estimated that the coronavirus could kill 100,000 to 24,000 people in the US. Without any mitigation efforts, like social distancing, the number of fatalities could be as high as 2 million.

"The most important thing for the American people now is to really focus on these 30-days-to-slow-the-spread guidelines because we have proof that they work," Adams said. "But we need you all to cooperate, we need you to continue doing your part. And most people actually are. Over 90% of the country is actually doing the right thing right now."

The US has not enforced a national lockdown, with President Donald Trump leaving it to state authorities to issue piecemeal shelter-in-place orders.

As of Thursday, 38 US states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico had asked residents to only leave their homes only for essential services, like buying food and medicine. Some 297 million people, or about 90% of the US population, are following such containment measures. Many experts, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci, say the restrictions should be nationwide, considering the US is dealing with the largest coronavirus outbreak on earth.

According to Adams, the federal government doesn't have "a good mechanism" to enforce stay-at-home orders  unlike state officials.

"We're working with governors, talking with them every single day, working with states to give them the information they need to make the right choices," he said. "And that's really what this comes down to, it's got to happen at the community level."

Asked what the US might look like once the existing restrictions begin to be lifted, Adams, like Fauci, predicted a "different normal" than the nation's residents are accustomed to. That won't change until testing is ramped up and a vaccine is available, he said.

"But I want the American people to know that there is a light at the end of this tunnel," Adams added, "and we feel confident that if we keep doing the right thing for the rest of this month, that we can start to slowly reopen in some places."

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At least six elderly residents who tested positive for Covid-19 have passed away in one Dublin nursing home.

The deaths have occurred on an almost daily basis this week, as staff in the home struggle to contain the outbreak.

The nursing home, which has not been identified in order to protect residents and staff, is among the 67 nursing homes that are currently battling outbreaks of the coronavirus.

At least six people have died there who were suffering from Covid-19.

"We offer our condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones, not only in our home, but throughout the country," said a spokesperson.

In a statement provided to the Irish Independent, the spokesperson said there was an urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPE) as staff try to keep themselves and their residents safe.

The number of private nursing homes that have suffered outbreaks of the virus has escalated amid increasing concern it is now a countrywide problem.

However, most are still waiting for supplies of protective equipment which is coming in "dribs and drabs".

"Nursing homes are disappointed by the pace at which the supports are being delivered," said Tadhg Daly, of Nursing Homes Ireland.

Private nursing homes, which have now been struck by 67 coronavirus clusters, have hit out at the slow pace of support despite being promised a range of emergency aid.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to ensure staff, many of whom deliver close personal care to residents, are guarded from the virus.

The promise of infection control teams visiting homes to advise on how to counter the spread of the virus has also not fully materialised.

Several homes are continuing to struggle with the absence of staff who are in self-isolation and waiting for the return of test results.

Read More

Most of the homes struck by the clusters are in the east, where 44 facilities have reported outbreaks.

HSE-run nursing homes are also affected, with clusters in 16 of these units, while hospitals have been affected by 45 clusters.

As the facility that has already lost six residents battles to prevent more deaths, family members have expressed concern.

"Staff are doing all they can," said one family member.

"However, we are worried that this is spreading so rapidly and taking so many.

"The pressure is on big time for PPE in there and while the priority is the acute hospitals, there is a feeling that the nursing homes have been left behind. They are really struggling with this.

"The home is one of the first with an infection to have been hit a few weeks ago and they seem to be living the future of other homes out there."

A spokesman for the home said: "We appreciate the ongoing support and close working relationship with the HSE and Public Health. There is an urgent need for equipment and resources across the entire nursing home sector.

"We are hoping for the urgent delivery of the PPE equipment and staffing supports announced by the minister on Sunday.

"These will assist the staff in our nursing home and the others throughout the country as they work hard to care for those with Covid-19 and contributing to save lives."

It comes as the HSE plans to transfers hundreds of homecare workers to nursing homes from tomorrow.

In response to queries from the Irish Independent, a spokesperson for the HSE did not comment on specific queries relating to the Dublin nursing home with six Covid-19 deaths.

A statement said: "The HSE is working closely with a wide range of residential care services, including private nursing homes, in relation to the control of outbreaks of Covid-19 in such centres. The range of issues being dealt with mainly relate to advice, access to PPE, Public Health-related measures and in a small number of cases, access to staff where such nursing homes cannot recruit same.

"The HSE will continue to work with all providers to support them in their obligations of providing residential care services to their residence, and to work with them through the critical stages of outbreaks in their centres as is required."
BATTLE CREEK, MI  A Michigan man was allegedly assaulted after he mocked another man who was using thong underwear as a coronavirus mask.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reports the bizarre incident occurred in a home on Lakefront Drive in Battle Creek around 7 p.m. on Monday. The 57-year-old victim told the suspect it looked like the thongs laying around the victims house, which upset the suspect.

A warrant is being sought for the 47-year-old suspect who allegedly returned to the victims house 45 minutes after the initial confrontation, struck the victim in the side of the head and kicked him in the ribs, the newspaper reported.

Officers were unable to find the suspect following the incident. There are 43 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Calhoun County, including one fatality, as of Tuesday, April 7.
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Irelands chief medical officer has acknowledged that the countrys system of contact tracing for the coronavirus is under strain at present as a result of the exponential growth in nursing home outbreaks.

The news comes as Ireland recorded a

Read More:

The latest deaths figure is a 30% drop from the previous days figure of 36, suggesting that the much-feared exponential surge in the rate of people losing their lives has not yet materialised.

Speaking at the daily National Public Health Emergency Team briefing in Dublin, Dr Tony Holohan said that public health doctors involved in contact tracing are quite correctly prioritising the more complex cases that have seen clusters of the illness in nursing homes balloon in number by 51% in just three days.

Dr Holohan was reacting to the news that many patients have first heard of their positive test result for Covid-19, the novel coronavirus, from their GPs as opposed to the public health system which conducted the test, and thus have had no contact tracing initiated, thus calling into question the efficiency of the system.

He stressed, however, that the important message for those who have been tested is to not wait for confirmation of that test, but to continue with isolation for 14 days after that test.

There are currently 1,400 individuals working on contact tracing in Ireland, up from just 60 at the inception of the crisis, with plans in train to grow that number to 4,000.

Dr Holohan insisted that testing capacity now is greater than the demand we have available.

He acknowledged that some of the testing we have done hasnt happened in the timely way that we would have wanted. While NPHET has said that waiting times for test results are between seven and 10 days, anecdotal evidence suggests that many people have been waiting a great deal longer.

He declined, however, once more, to put a figure on the numbers of people who are either waiting for a test or who have yet to receive the result of their own swabs, saying those numbers are not important to concentrate on from a public health point of view.

The issue for us to concentrate on is how quickly in real time can we get tests that are done today reported back, he said with regard to possible future relaxation of the current restrictions.

Dr Holohan discussed the situation in intensive care settings across Ireland at length, the status of which has not received a great deal of clarity in recent days. Along with the death rate, the ability of Irelands ICU system to handle high levels of patients is believed to be a key metric as to how the country is dealing with the pandemic.

He said that 227 of Irelands confirmed cases of coronavirus have to date been admitted to ICU, with 53 people discharged having recovered from the disease, while 147 people remain in intensive care at this time.

Total spare capacity for intensive care berths is 138, out of a pre-Covid-19 stock of 312, with a specially commissioned surge capacity available of over 800 beds, according to the HSEs national director of operations Liam Woods.

Dr Holohan said that, of the 235 people who have died to date, just 27 have occurred in intensive care, with 141 happening elsewhere within the hospital's system. The median age of deaths meanwhile is 81, with the median age for cases in general static at 48.
While their legal battle over an alleged domestic abuse is yet to come to an end, Johnny Depp showed another ace card and revealed that Amber Heard was also involved in a cheating scandal.

Back in 2019, Depp filed a defamation suit against his 33-year-old ex-wife. The legal document further accused Heard of having an affair with tech mogul Elon Musk soon after their wedding in February 2015.

According to the file, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor flew overseas for a shoot in March 2015 when Heard and Musk were first spotted together.

The Eastern Columbia Building personnel proved the statement true and testified that the actress indeed asked for the staff to give Musk a parking garage access before welcoming him "late at night" at Depp's penthouse.

The same building staff claimed that they saw Musk leaving the building only the next morning.

Though Heard and the 48-year-old engineer indeed had a relationship, it was only after the former split with Depp. She actually never got involved in such cheating incident.

However, what made the incident worse was the fact that it occurred shortly after Heard threw a vodka bottle at the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" star while they were in Australia -- causing Depp to suffer from a severed finger.

To support what he knew then, Depp doubled down by subpoenaing the Space X's lead for any texts, emails, or communications he exchanged with Heard during their marriage.

Specifically, Depp badly wants to know what Heard told the tech mogul back on May 21, 2016 about their reported blowout fight which led the actress to seek for a restraining order.

Video Says The Truth?

Since the emergence of the cheating scandal, both Heard and Musk denied the allegations and claimed that they only started to see each other in May 2016 -- the time after Depp and Heard officially ended their marriage.

"Even then, it was infrequent...and didn't become romantic until some time later," Musk's representative said.

However, a new footage obtained by Daily Mail shows otherwise.

The surveillance images display Heard and Musk hugging one another before stepping out of the private elevator at Depp's penthouse.

Musk can be seen in one shot wrapping his arms around Heard, who is only wearing a swimsuit and a towel. This drags the Tesla mogul more into the legal battle.

Although there are no timestamps or clues as to when the video was taken, the building's security guards previously stated that the two spent some time together in the penthouse on multiple occasions before and after Heard filed for divorce in May 2016.

Meanwhile, Heard's representative refused to comment directly on the cheating accusations and instead addressed the lawsuit in general.

"This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depp's repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced," Heard's lawyer said. "Mr. Depp's actions prove he is unable to accept the truth of his ongoing abusive behavior."
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday told the country that once the Covid-19 pandemic is defeated, he will lead the nation in celebrating the life of retired Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki.

Archbishop Mwana a'Nzeki, 89, died in Nairobi on March 31 after a long illness.

He was interred in a crypt at the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family on Tuesday, after a low-key funeral service at the Holy Family Basilica.

CELEBRATION

The President was to attend the funeral service but could not make it due to measures taken to control the spread of the virus.

Mr Kenyatta's condolence message was conveyed by Mr Kennedy Kihara, the Principal Administrative Secretary at the Executive Office of the President.

"We had made arrangements for the President to speak to us via video link but technology failed us in the last minute," Mr Kihara explained.

"That is why he asked that I represent him. His Excellency wants to inform the church and the country that when we are through with these difficulties, he will set aside a day when the life of the late archbishop will be celebrated."

UHURU'S CALL

President Kenyatta described Archbishop Mwana a'Nzeki as a great leader whose absence will be felt across the world.

He asked Kenyans to emulate the archbishop's good character and practice what he preached.

Mr Kenyatta said Archbishop Mwana a'Nzeki demonstrated that in a world of difficulty and challenges, good people can rise to serve God and his creation.

EULOGY

Reading the eulogy, Rev. Fr. (Prof) Lawrence Njoroge, the chaplain and a lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), described the archbishop as a person who always sought to defend the needy and the oppressed.

Rev. Njoroge recalled a situation in 1999 when many parts of the country were struck by a serious drought.

He said that Archbishop Mwana a'Nzeki and the Nation Media Group, through board chairman Wilfred Kiboro, championed the supply of relief to hungry citizens and sought to find a permanent solution to the problem.

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"He fought for truth and justice and it is precisely for this reason that in 1996, St John Fisher College; his alma mater, awarded him a Doctorate of Law (Honoris Causa)," he said.

"He was also honoured with the State Commendation, Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS), by the Republic of Kenya in recognition of his enormous contribution to national service."

GUESTS

Due to the requirement of social distancing, only a handful of people including leaders, relatives and members of the clergy attended Archbishop Mwana a'Nzeki's funeral service.

They included Chief Justice David Maraga, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula and Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa.

Others were Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge and Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa.

Nairobi Catholic Archbishop John Cardinal Njue, who led the service, said there would have been more people had it not been for the difficult circumstances presented by the coronavirus.

He reminded the faithful to greet each other with just a bow, observe social distancing and clean their hands as they partook of the Holy Communion.
PUBLIC transport looks like the puzzle that cannot be easily solved amid enhanced measures to combat the spread of coronavirus in the country.

With the implementation of the levelseat order to curb coronavirus spread in public buses in full swing, a new problem has emerged.

Incidents of commuters scrambling to make it to their destinations and crowds of stranded passengers in bus stops pose yet another big challenge in the fight against the deadly virus, the Daily News can exclusively report.

A week-long survey at different bus stations in the commercial city of Dar es Salaam has revealed terrible scenes of jam-packed commuters pushing one another as they wrestled their way into the buses.

The situation was more evident particularly for buses heading to and from Mbagala, Mbezi, Gongolamboto, Buguruni as well as at the city centre, thus, putting commuters at high risk.

Yesterday, the Daily News captured a scary moment of desperate passengers racing against moving cars while scrambling to get in at Mbezi Main bus terminal.

The frenzied scramble lasted for some minutes, upon which the bus was full with unlucky ones missing out on seats despite efforts and had to step out of the vehicle.

One of the distressed commuters, Mr Hamis Abdallah, who tried hard but failed to get a seat, told this reporter that he was aware that scrambling put him at risks such as contracting the Coronavirus but he had no option but to fight hard in order to get to his working place.

Scrambling is the only thing you can do to get into the bus and have a seat. In the end its a muscular passenger who can make it, Mr Abdallah noted with concern.

The same situation is common at Tazara bus station for commuters heading to Mbagala. The place usually is crowded with passengers waiting for a bus from Gongolamboto or Ubungo to Mbagala.

With buses required to pick passengers according to their seating-capacity, most come at the station already fully-occupied, only a few with some empty seats stop to pick passengers.

Stranded passengers are hence compelled into scrambling in a desperate attempt to occupy the few remaining empty seats.

The survey showed that there are still a few bus operators who ignore the levelseat directive especially during night, taking advantage of the absence of traffic police officers.

Despite repeated calls by health experts and leaders to members of the public to observe social distancing, the crisis in public transport forces means that many commuters fail to heed to the calls.

Under such circumstances efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus are, thus, undermined.

Commenting on the situation, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) appealed to the police force to supervise every bus station to ensure that passengers queue when boarding the buses like it is the case at Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

We request the police force to ensure that there is an officer at each bus stop to control scrambling, LATRAs Director General, Gilliard Ngewe told the Daily News yesterday.

Last week, the authority invited owners of the buses to apply for short-term licenses to start offering transport to city commuters to ease transport chaos.

The LATRA called upon individuals, schools or other institutions that have idling buses to request for temporary licenses for offering services in city areas.

The owners could submit their requests at any LATRAs office near their areas and conditions for providing transport in the cities would be considered.

Speaking over response from the private bus owners, so far, Mr Ngewe said they have received many applications and that more requests for licenses were being submitted by bus owners.

When the Daily News reached Traffic Police commander, Fortunatus Musilimu to find out his units response to the crisis, he said other regions were not experiencing such a situation, except Dar es Salaam.

He therefore referred this reporter to Dar es Salaam Police Commander over the matter.

Acting Dar es Salaam Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP), Camillus Wambura said he would find out from his subordinates whether that was the real situation at the bus stations before issuing any statement.

I have only two days since I have been made Acting Regional Commander so I will ask the OCDs if that is the situation and we will discuss what to do, he assured.

Unveiling new-look uniforms for commuter bus drivers and conductors in Dar es Salaam on Monday, Works, Transport and Communications Minister Isack Kamwelwe hailed operators in the public transport service for responding positively to the governments level seat directive as part of coronavirus prevention measures.

Eng Kamwelwe admitted that he knew challenges would emerge in the wake of the new directive, but the important thing was to join efforts in combating the spread of the deadly disease.

Chairman of the Association of Bus Owners in Dar es Salaam (UWADAR), Mr Kismat Jaffar, meanwhile, appealed to the Traffic Police to reduce fines on bus operators, at least during this time of crises.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Award-winning Ghanaian road contractor, Joshob Construction has donated US$100,000 to the government's COVID-19 Trust Fund.



The company was among seven others who presented cheques of various amounts and PPEs to the fund at the presidency on Tuesday.

The other donors were Cimaf Cement - GHS250,000, Keda Ghana Ceramics - GHS500,000 plus medicals items worth Ghc100,000, Lele Group - GHc 100,000, Ghana Institute of Surveyors - Ghc50,000, A & C Mall - Ghc 100,000, De Simone Ltd - Ghc50, 000 plus medical equipment and PPEs worth Ghc200,000, and CBI Ghana Limited - Ghc50,000 plus medical equipment and PPEs 200,000.

CEO of Joshob, James Osei Brown told Adom News in these difficult times, it is important for local businesses like his to focus on people's health and life, and not on their profits.

He reiterated the president's famous quote that governments can bring economies back to life but they cannot bring people back to life, saying that my principle is you can put everything on hold, but you cannot put life on hold so it is imperative to save lives now and think about profit tomorrow.

James Osei Brown said businesses in his industry are owed a lot of money and they also owe their creditors but COVID-19 is an emergency enough to even drive them to borrow and donate if that is what it takes.

He is there urging his colleague road contractors to follow his example in spite of their own financial challenges and give their support to the state in the fight against COVID-19.

The Joshob CEO also used the opportunity to urge Ghanaians to follow the lockdown regulars and safety guidance to avoid either contract and or spreading the disease.

Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Frema Osei Opare received the donations on behalf of the fund and thanked Joshob and all the other companies on behalf of the President for their kind gesture.

She noted that the frontline health workers in particular, need loads of logistics and protective gear to ensure that as they risk their lives to fight the disease, they do not become victims themselves.

The logistic needs of the frontline health workers in the management of COVID-19 is very huge and donations like this go a long way to boost our efforts at providing them with adequate logistics, she said.

Frema Opare also urged Ghanaians to obey the lockdown and social distancing protocols so that Ghana can overcome the pandemic soon.
The flagship of the French Navy is at the centre of a coronavirus emergency - following a training exercise with NATO allies including a British frigate.

The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, one of the largest warships in the world, is thought to have at least 40 cases of the virus among its force of around 2,000.

It was steaming back to its home port of Toulon, in the south of France, on Wednesday morning as a screening team prepared to board.

A French Armed Forces Ministry spokesman confirmed the Charles de Gaulle was on its way back to Toulon. It has been deployed in the Atlantic as part of the Foch mission and is pictures above off the coast of Frederikshavn in Denmark

A French Armed Forces Ministry spokesman said: 'Around 40 sailors are today under close medical observation.

'They are showing symptoms consistent with possible Covid-19 infection. These first symptoms have appeared recently.'

At the end of March the Charles de Gaulle was the flagship for NATO Maritime Group One and took part in a training exercise off the east coast of Denmark.

The force included the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland, which has a complement of 185.

HMS Sutherland was involved in the training exercise. It was the first vessel assigned to escort Queen Elizabeth when she embarked on sea trials in June 2017

A case of coronavirus has also been reported on the Belgian frigate Leopold 1, which was escorting the Charles de Gaulle.

The Charles de Gaulle is currently in the Atlantic and returning to Toulon as quickly as possible.

It is equipped with a medical platform on board complete with a resuscitation unit, and everything is being done to keep those who are thought to be infected away from their comrades.

Sailors displaying symptoms of coronavirus are all being placed in solitary confinement.

A case of Covid-19 was also confirmed on the Belgian frigate Leopold 1

Beyond sailors and commandoes, the Charles de Gaulle has an air wing of 600 pilots and support crew.

It carries aircraft including Rafale M fighters and AS532 Cougar helicopters and was launched in 1994.

The French Navy flagship carrier is equipped with a medical unit on board complete with a resuscitation unit. All 40 sailors with suspected Covid-19 are being kept in solitary confinement

It was the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier built outside of the United States Navy.

The coronavirus pandemic is worsening in France, as the country's death toll soared past 10,000 last night following hundreds more deaths announced in hospitals and care homes.

Known fatal cases climbed from 8,911 to 10,328, making France the fourth country after Italy, Spain and the US to have a five-figure death toll.




HealthSpace Deploys Automated Contact Tracing Platform for Agencies in British Columbia and Washington - Helping to "Flatten The Curve" for COVID-19

VANCOUVER, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. (the "Company" or "HealthSpace") (CSE:HS) (Frankfurt:38H) (OTC:HDSLF) is pleased to announce it has begun deploying its contact tracing platform, for COVID-19, with Okanogan County Public Health in Washington and Vancouver Island Health Authority.

After its initial outreach to existing customers regarding COVID-19, the Company learned of the growing need to scale contact tracing efforts for public health departments. Contact tracing is a process employed by epidemiologists world-wide that enables them to retrace the steps of a person testing positive for COVID-19 and track anyone who may have had direct contact with them. These agencies then embark on a painstaking process of interviewing each of the potential contacts, calling them daily for a set period of time to monitor if they exhibit any symptoms.

HealthSpace has since extended its HSCloud Suite and My Health Department products to serve as a fully automated contact tracing platform. This new platform replaces the manual process of calling each individual contact with an automated system that sends out a unique and secure link via text message and email with a daily questionnaire for each of the contacts being traced. The questionnaire allows the contact to enter their symptoms, temperature and a variety of other information as directed by each agency.

The platform also allows those filling out the questionnaire to list places they have recently been - such as a supermarket - and people they have been in direct contact with, enrolling these new contacts in the daily contact tracing questionnaire. This multiplies the reach and helps control community spread more effectively. The information is securely stored inside of HealthSpace's secure HSCloud Suite platform for detailed reporting and analysis, helping these agencies make informed decisions in real-time.

This platform is being delivered at a time when unprecedented pressure and attention has been placed on public health agencies. This growing pressure and strain has brought about the demand for increased funding. In the $2 trillion economic stimulus package recently signed into law in the US, $500m has been specifically earmarked for the CDC with the express purpose of providing public health surveillance and data collection system ( https://www.wpxi.com/news/washington-news-bureau/cdc-granted-500-million-surveillance-data-collection-system-fight-coronavirus/BB7YNCIL2FGHZOWL4YCIUFFV4E/ ).

HealthSpace CEO, Silas Garrison commented "In a time when public health agencies and governments across the globe are scrambling, looking for help, I am humbled that our platform has risen to the occasion. Our team has been working tirelessly since we discovered the need for digital contact tracing and were able to stand up, in record time, a platform that truly scales contact tracing to meet the magnitude of this global crisis. I am honored that our platform can have a positive and lasting impact, not just for the agencies implementing it, but for all those directly impacted by this virus. The more we empower these public health agencies, the faster they can react to capping the spread of the virus. This not only helps save lives but will lead to the world and the economy getting back to normal."

HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd.

HealthSpace is a government Software as a Service (SaaS) company focused on providing efficiencies to state and local government agencies through its powerful enterprise cloud and mobile platform. Over the last decade, HealthSpace has successfully developed both cloud and mobile applications currently serving over 500 state and local government organizations across North America. HealthSpace offers one of the only self-serve enterprise suites for government, providing greater power to the end-user. Further, HealthSpace now delivers its government grade technologies to private businesses enabling them to gain visibility and predictability into their own organizations and move from a reactive to a proactive operational status. HealthSpace continues to deliver focused service and innovative solutions to government organizations, while expanding into commercial enterprise verticals to enable new customers with proactive environmental health best practices and policies. HealthSpace has now entered into the FinTech space by creating a payment platform that streamlines the intake of government revenue for the agencies it serves.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "pipeline", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although HealthSpace believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. HealthSpace expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Silas Garrison, CEO, (415) 580-2735, silas@hscloudsuite.com
American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Physics Division (SPD) recently announced the winner of the 2020 Karen Harvey Prize. Professor Tian Hui from the School of Earth and Space Sciences of Peking University received this award. This is the first time that a China-based scholar has got this award in the field of solar physics. The award ceremony will be held at the solar physics annual conference in the United States. Tian will formally receive the prize and give the conference report at that time.

As the official statement goes, "The SPD/AAS early career Karen Harvey Prize, established in May 2002 in honor of the late Karen Harvey, is awarded in recognition of a significant contribution to the study of the Sun early in a person's professional career. The prize is awarded to a person who has not reached 36 years of age, or who has not reached 10 years of professional experience since the Ph.D. or equivalent degree, at the end of the year preceding the award."

SPD spoke highly of Tian's achievements. According to the award speech, "Dr. Tian Hui of Peking University, China, is awarded the 2020 Karen Harvey Prize for his ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet observations of the Sun and what they reveal about the dynamics of the solar atmosphere. Dr. Tian's significant work on small-scale prevalent jets and short-lived ultraviolet bursts has motivated new theories of coronal heating and the solar wind. In addition, his work on sunspot dynamics has significantly improved our understanding of magnetic reconnection inside sunspots. Beyond his research, Dr. Tian has also established a new solar physics group at Peking University. He currently leads his research group there and mentors students ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers."

Since 2015, Professor Tian Hui has been working at the School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University as a faculty member. Now, he is the deputy director of Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology. His research interests include solar transition region, sunspot dynamics, lower atmospheric activities and coronal heating, magnetic reconnection and heating in solar flares, MHD waves in solar atmosphere. He has published many papers in Science, APJ and other leading international journals.

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International business organizations in Hungary have revealed they sent a joint letter to the ahead of the announcement of its economic stimulus plan.

The American and British chambers of commerce, the German-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DUIHK), the Hungarian Association of International Companies (NVMT) and the Joint Venture Association (JVSZ) sent the letter to Minister of Finance Mihaly Varga, Minister Responsible for Managing National Assets Andrea Mager and Minister for Innovation and Technology Laszlo Palkovics.



In it, the business organizations called for the equal assertion of interests of SMEs and large companies. The co-signers say they are committed to the fight against COVID-19, together with the government.



The impact of the international chambers of commerce can be seen through several concrete proposals to alleviate the fallout, some of which have already been implemented in relief measures, they say.



They also back the position of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry from March 30 about conquering the crisis being a shared responsibility of the government, the business sector and the workforce.



However, the chambers add that they consider it important that all economic players participate in the relief efforts in a balanced manner without forcing one segment to bear disproportionate burdens in the process.



Crisis Affects All



The letter says that the crisis affects all the small, medium-sized and large businesses in the Hungarian economy, therefore the governments economic rescue action plan should support all of them equally.



Multinational corporations, according to the co-signers, should receive internationally competitive solutions in order to safeguard the long-term commitment and future of existing investors.



The chambers also insisted that the additional taxes put on the large corporations may affect economic growth, job retention and creation, together with the image of Hungary as an appealing destination for investment.



In their opinion, economic relief actions should not endanger the operation and development of strategically important businesses.



The full text of the letter, in both English and Hungarian, is available on the AmCham website (amcham.hu).



MTI Photo: Noemi Bruzak
To not have any control over anything, to just be waiting and on the edge of your seat, its mind blowing at this point. Janettes fiancee, Michael, is detained on Rikers Island. Hes serving time because he failed to check in with his officer, violating his parole for drug possession. Now Michael, and hundreds like him, are at the center of a public health crisis experts have been warning about for weeks. Two months owed to the city, its not worth somebodys life. Youre giving people a life sentence leaving them there. TV announcers: An inmate who tested positive for Covid-19 died yesterday at Bellevue Hospital. Rikers is one of the largest correctional facilities in the world, and right now, the infection rate there is seven times that of New York City. Is our prison system equipped to handle an outbreak? When the coronavirus seeped into the jails, public officials, public advocates all rushed to address the situation. We will continue to reduce our jail population. Were releasing people who are in jails because they violated parole. When the virus was first identified in New York, there were 5,400 inmates in city jails. To combat the spread of the virus, the Board of Correction recommended the release of 2,000 inmates. Parole violators, people over 50, those medically at risk and inmates serving short sentences. But two weeks later, government officials have released just half. Prisons, jails, are acting as incubators for the virus. Think about the jails as the worlds worst cruise ship. If we get a real situation here, and this thing starts to spread, its going to spread like wildfire, and New York is going to have a problem on their hands. Thousands of employees travel through the citys jails every day, forming a human lifeline to the city. Inmates also come and go. So its particularly urgent to get this under control because its not just about who is in the jails right now, its really about the city. This is Kenneth Albritton. He was being held on Rikers as Covid-19 spread through the city. Its scary in there, thats what I would tell you. When I was in there, you had guys making their own masks with their shirts. They didnt want to breathe in the air with the same people thats in the dorm with them. Kenneth was on parole after serving time for second-degree manslaughter when he was 18. I was brought to Rikers Island on Feb. 5 for a curfew violation. For me reading a paper and watching the news, and Im seeing that theyre saying no more than 10 to a group. But you have 50 guys thats in a sleeping area. Its impossible to tell us to practice social distancing there when theyre being stacked on top of each other. After someone in his dorm tested positive, Kenneth says he was quarantined. But less than 24 hours later, he was released. He was given a MetroCard, but no guidance about how to deal with the potential spread of Covid-19. If they would have tested me on my way out, then I would have felt like, OK, they took the proper steps. When I left the pen to come home, they told us nothing about how we should handle situation. Even though nobody told me nothing, I felt I should quarantine myself. Not much has been considered in terms of what happens to inmates after their release, and once theyre back in the communities and in their homes. When we asked about the pace of releases, the mayors office agreed it was slow, but said they dont have full control of the process. The states Department of Corrections said its working as quickly as possible. My fiancee whos on Rikers, we had our son in September and about two weeks after that, he found out that he had a warrant for his arrest. Oh, you got those boogies. I told you that baby likes that camera  Oh my goodness. This is a person with nonviolent charges. Its like a real health care disaster. The parolees is like the easiest thing they do. Right. Yeah, they said about 500 or 700 parolees. I just had read it last night. Yes, that he signed off on it. The outbreak at city jails doesnt just pose a threat to inmates. On March 27, Quinsey Simpson became the first New York City corrections officer to die from Covid-19. Correction officers every day, despite harm to themselves and their family, are rolling on this island to do this job. Officer Husamudeen criticizes the citys response, though hes arguing for improving jail conditions not releasing inmates. Thats not the answer to solving this problem. They havent served their time. If they served their time, they wouldnt be on parole. But his opposition is in the minority. While the overall population at Rikers has decreased, theres an unusual consensus from public defenders, prosecutors and corrections officials that the releases arent happening quickly enough. We need to reframe our thinking around public safety right now to accommodate the fact that public safety includes trying to prevent viral spread. My brother whos a New York City schoolteacher contracted the coronavirus. Are you OK? Oh, I love you. Oh, you scared? Whats the matter? Oh, God. Dont get into your head that its going to beat you. Youre going to beat this. OK? OK, I love you. OK, Ill call you in a little while. OK. As a teacher, he had a lot of precautions, and thought he was following everything he was supposed to be doing, and he contracted the coronavirus going into a school. This is why Im so adamant about fighting for Michael to get home. The person standing right next to you can have it and you wouldnt even know it. Across city jails, hundreds of inmates and corrections workers have tested positive, and half of all inmates are now under quarantine. Covid-19 and the pandemic has exposed pretty rapidly sort of all of the weakest places in our social safety nets. And it is no surprise that one of those is the ways that jails put people at risk. I know, love  This is just ridiculously scary.
Greg Laurie's Palm Sunday webcast draws 1.3M viewers, Trump: People are open to the Gospel

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California megachurch pastor Greg Lauries Palm Sunday webcast service drew 1.3 million people, including President Donald Trump, with 11,207 people making decisions to have a relationship with Christ.

Harvest Christian Fellowship, a multicampus church based in Riverside with campuses in California and Hawaii, said on Monday that "a lot of new people visited us" because of Trump's tweet, where he announced that he would be watching the service.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of a Holy week for many people of Faith and a great day to lift our voices in Prayer, Trump tweeted on Saturday. I will be tuning into Pastor @greglaurie at @harvestorg Church in Riverside, California tomorrow at 11:00 A.M. Eastern.

In a Facebook post, Laurie said that he was as surprised as anyone when he heard Trump say he would tune in for the service.

I knew he might send a Tweet out about this, but I was not sure when, Laurie explained. Its not like he does not have a lot on his plate! I am thankful the President feels it is important for us as Americans to attend Church, even if it is only online now. Thank you, President Trump!

Laurie, known for hosting evangelistic crusades at stadiums, mentioned that Trump had hoped to join Harvest's upcoming Easter service in person but "unfortunately that has not worked out."

Although Trump said that it is sad that people have to watch Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services on their computers, Laurie cited a verse from Matthew to stress that Jesus said that when two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.

So we are having church in the home or wherever you are watching us, he said. The Lord is here with us.

During the service, Associate Pastor Jason Powell said that the online response the church has received as been unbelievable.

We never anticipated this work that God was prepared to do, Powell said. So what we did is we said, Lord, this is what we got. We offered our fish and loaf, so to speak. God has multiplied and cast a seed far beyond what we could imagine. The past three weeks, did you know we have had over 1 million people that have joined us online for Harvest at Home.

Literally around the globe, from Texas to New York, from Hawaii to Germany and France, he added.

Laurie contended during his sermon that there is a historic opportunity presented to Christians today.

There is an open door for us right now into the world with the Gospel like I have not seen in my lifetime, he said. I have been preaching the Gospel for 45 years. I have never seen an opportunity like this, where people are open. We have the technology to reach them. Sure, we have always had satellite television and radio. But everybody carries [cell phones] around  and you can access information that we are beaming across phones, tablets, and television screens. We can reach them with the Gospel.

Laurie also used time during the service to voice his displeasure with people who dont seem to be responding appropriately to the threat of the coronavirus.

We have been asked to maintain social distancing. So we are trying to do that up here [on stage]. But I hope you are doing it as well, the 67-year-old pastor said. Sometimes people are just ignoring it as though it has not been asked of us. I think we all want to be considerate of others. You could be a young person. You could get COVID-19 and not even be aware of it and pass it on to grandma without even realizing it. Lets respect one another.

He also spoke out about people hoarding commodities like toilet paper, hand sanitizer and food items.

Here is a great time for us to be selfless and not selfish to think of others, he said. He recited Ephesians 4:32: Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Palm Sunday is the first day of the Christian Holy Week leading up to Easter, which will take place next Sunday. Palm Sunday specifically celebrates Jesus journey into Jerusalem before He was crucified.

Many churches across the globe are holding online-only services to observe social distancing in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

This is not the first time that Trump watched a church service online during the coronavirus outbreak. In mid-March, Trump said he watched a March 15 church service led by pastor Jentezen Franklin at Free Chapel in Georgia.
Producer Rhea Kapoor has called her older sister Sonam Kapoor eccentric yet a loving and loyal person in a new post. She also shared a childhood picture with the actor.

Sharing it, she wrote: Partner in everything. Highly eccentric and uncontrollable? Yes. But delightful, loving, protective, generous and loyal and best friend for life. #bigsister #muse. Sonam was overcome by sisterly love, she wrote back: Look at the way Im holding you. Love you. In the picture, the two sisters stand while Sonam has her arm around Rhea. The picture was a family reunion of sorts -- Anand Ahuja commented double trouble ... In the cutest way possible while Anila Kapoors mother Sunita dropped black heart emojis.

Sonam has been in self-quarantine since her return from the UK few weeks back, has been very active on social media. She, like others in Bollywood, were very upset when crackers were burst during PM Modis call for 9 PM 9 Minutes light a diya campaign. She had tweeted, People are bursting crackers. Just FYI . They dogs are freaking out. Do people think its Diwali? Im so confused.

In a separate tweet, the actress expressed concern for the wildlife and shared: There was complete peace and quite, and now the birds, dogs and sirens are freaking out in south Delhi because some morons decided to burst fire crackers tonight.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster: He took money that was supposed to go to me

When the Kanika Kapoor case exploded a few weeks back, Sonam faced a lot of flak for supporting Kanika, who had been accused of hiding her travel history. She had written: Hey guys @TheKanikakapoor came back on the 9th. India was not self isolating but playing Holi.

In mid March, Sonam and her husband Anand returned to India from the UK. In the series of Instagram stories, Sonam had lauded the efforts being made by government to fight coronavirus.

(With agencies inputs)

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The number of daily coronavirus deaths in Spain was 757 on Wednesday, according to official figures released by the Health Ministry. This represents a small rise over Tuesday, which also saw a slight spike in overnight fatalities, to 743.

The upward trend breaks with a series of daily drops that began on Saturday and fed hopes that Spains strict lockdown measures were beginning to curb the effect of the coronavirus.

There were 637 coronavirus deaths reported on Monday, the lowest daily death toll seen in the country since March 24, when there were 514. The drop followed a downward trend that began on Saturday, when daily deaths fell to 809. The figure fell again on Sunday to 674. The peak of fatalities was registered on April 2, with 950.

The ministry also reported on Wednesday that 48,021 patients have recovered from the disease and have been discharged from hospital. This figure represents 32.7% of total registered infections. The day-on-day rise for this figure was 4,813 on Wednesday, the highest since the epidemic began and nearly double Tuesdays total.

According to Wednesdays figures, 14,555 people have died from the Covid-19 disease in Spain since the beginning of the pandemic. There is mounting data, however, such as the number of burials, suggesting that the real death toll is much higher.

On Monday, in most regions, non-essential workers will return to work, apart from those who can work from home Maria Jesus Montero, government spokesperson

As one of the worlds hardest-hit countries, Spain has already surpassed Italy in terms of the number of deaths as a proportion of the population.

The number of infections has also risen day-on-day, according to Wednesdays figures, both in relative and absolute terms. There were 6,180 new infections reported today, a rise of 4.4% compared to 4% on Tuesday. The total number of confirmed cases in the country stands at 146,690.

Authorities are now placing their hopes on the improving indicators coming out of the emergency rooms, where there has been a drop in the number of admitted patients.

However, for the first time today, the Health Ministry did not include the number of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The reason for this is that Spains regions, which each have their own health systems, have been calculating this figure differently. Some were reporting the accumulated number of ICU patients since the start of the crisis, while others supplied the daily number, subtracting discharged patients and fatalities.

As a result, officials will no longer be publishing the total until the administrations are all using the same methodology. The number of hospitalizations was also omitted today for the same reason.

Mass testing

The Health Ministry has announced that it is going to carry out a mass testing campaign in order to get a more realistic picture of the spread of the coronavirus in the hopes that it will help combat the epidemic.

The government is also preparing infrastructure that could temporarily house asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus who work in essential services, such as healthcare employees, workers in senior residences, police and delivery workers.

Hibernation ending

Speaking on Spanish TV channel Antena 3, Finance Minister and government spokesperson Maria Jesus Montero discussed on Wednesday morning the relaxation of confinement measures. The hibernation of the economy ends next week, she said, in reference to the lifting of mandatory paid leave for all non-essential employees who are unable to work from home.

The restriction was introduced last Monday and will officially end this week, coinciding with national holidays in most of Spain on Thursday and Friday for Easter week.

Thanks to this measure, we have managed to reduce mobility, she added. On Monday, in most regions, non-essential workers will return to work, apart from those who can work from home."

She added that there is no guarantee that confinement restrictions under the current state of alarm can be lifted when they expire toward the end of the month. We cant take anything for granted right now, apart from the extension [of the state of alarm] until April 26, she said. I want to express my thanks to the entire population, which is allowing for many lives to be saved. From April 26, we will see how the deescalation can take place, but it will be in a very controlled way.

EU response

In the same interview, Montero reacted to an EU meeting of finance ministers that failed to come up with a coordinated economic response to the coronavirus crisis.

We need help from other countries, thats what Europe was built for, the government spokesperson and finance minister said. Spain and Italy have been pushing for an EU joint debt issuance program dubbed eurobonds or coronabonds, but countries such as the Netherlands and Germany are opposed to the idea.

The Netherlands was and remains against the idea of Eurobonds, we think this will create more problems than solutions for the EU. We would have to guarantee debts of other countries which isnt reasonable. The majority of the Eurogroup shares this view and does not support Eurobonds, tweeted the Dutch finance minister, Wopke Hoekstra.

NL was and remains against the idea of #Eurobonds, we think this will create more problems than solutions for the EU. We would have to guarantee debts of other countries which isnt reasonable. The majority of the Eurogroup shares this view and does not support Eurobonds.  Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) April 8, 2020

Death of doctor

A family doctor from Alcazar de San Juan, in the Castilla-La Mancha region, died on Tuesday from the Covid-19 disease. Jesus Montarroso Martin, 64, has become the fifth doctor to die from the disease in Spain since the epidemic began.

English version by Susana Urra and Simon Hunter.




en-US A proven lead, but questions about succession linger. This fund's subadvisor has a proven lead in Wellington Management's Michael Reckmeyer, but uncertainty about succession drops its People rating to Above Average from High. Reckmeyer's experience extends well beyond his October 2007 start date here. He began in the industry in 1984 and joined Wellington a decade later. In 2008, he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income. He has distinguished himself on all these strategies and was the co-recipient of Morningstar's 2015 Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's success has come amid significant changes to his team in recent years. Since the unexpected March 2015 loss of analyst Alexandra Katthagen, the team has seen six departures in total. Two were retirements, but two were due to poor performance, including the Aug. 8, 2019, cessation of Ian Link's comanager duties here. Reckmeyer has added talent in recent years, including tapping team veterans Adam Illfelder and Matthew Hand as comanagers to replace Link. Still, questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. Reckmeyer invests at least $500,000 here and Hand at least $100,000. Reckmeyer also invests more than $1 million each in Vanguard Equity Income and Vanguard Wellesley Income. Favoring pharmaceuticals. The fund's income orientation shows in its 60- to 75-stock portfolio. At year-end 2019, the portfolio's projected one-year yield of 2.7% (before fees) ranked in the large-value Morningstar Category's top 40%. That it did not rank higher is a tribute to manager Michael Reckmeyer's total-return focus and caution about investing in stocks whose yields have become so high that it signals limited growth prospects or a distressed dividend. Reckmeyer hasn't been perfect, however. The portfolio held Kraft Heinz KHC in early 2019 when the firm cut its quarterly dividend by more than a third. The fund can stand out where Reckmeyer finds opportunity. It has kept a 10%-14% stake in pharmaceuticals stocks since mid-2011, often one of the category's highest weightings. Top-10 holdings Pfizer PFE and Johnson & Johnson JNJ have each been in the portfolio since at least early 2009. Reckmeyer also bought Eli Lilly LLY for its drug pipeline in late 2016 following share-price weakness after a disappointing trial of its experimental Alzheimer's therapy. Reckmeyer departs from the domestically oriented Russell 1000 Value Index by investing in attractively valued overseas dividend payers. Since early 2012, the fund's foreign stake has ranged from 12% to 20%. Most of these holdings are multinationals that pay stout dividends, including Netherlands' Unilever, which has a wide Morningstar Economic Moat Rating. Finding long-term value in short-term fluctuations. The fund earns an Above Average Process rating for its focus on yield without neglecting total return. Lead manager Michael Reckmeyer is a stickler for dividends, valuations, and healthy balance sheets. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. Typically, these stocks offer a yield above the S&P 500's upon purchase. Unlike the strategy he runs for Vanguard Wellesley Income, however, his portfolio here can hold a stock if its yield falls below the S&P 500's. Reckmeyer can be contrarian, adding to out-of-favor stocks whose challenges are more than reflected in their share prices. While he generally holds stocks for about four to five years, Reckmeyer is quick to sell if stocks' fundamentals deteriorate or hit their target price. He can also swap a name for a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Although Reckmeyer's process is fundamentally driven, it's not benchmark-agnostic. He typically keeps the portfolio's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is indexed to the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. Consumer staples stocks, for example, accounted for about 10.6% of the Russell 1000 Value Index in March 2020, versus 15.9% for the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. Exposure to large-cap value stocks, especially those with above-average yields. Core Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's second-cheapest quintile. Based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we think this share class will be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver. F00000U60L Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's costliest quintile. Such high fees stack the odds heavily against investors. Based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we don't think this share class will be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Neutral. FOUSA04B21 Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's costliest quintile. Such high fees stack the odds heavily against investors. However, based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we still think this share class will be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. FOUSA05TX4 Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's second-costliest quintile. That's poor, but based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we still think this share class will be able to overcome its high fees and deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. FOUSA04B1Z Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's second-cheapest quintile. Based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we think this share class will be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver. F00000YLP6 Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's middle quintile. That's not great, but based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we think this share class will still be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. FOUSA05HXY Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's middle quintile. That's not great, but based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we think this share class will still be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. FOUSA05TX6 Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's second-costliest quintile. That's poor, but based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we still think this share class will be able to overcome its high fees and deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze. FOUSA05TX5 Tends to show up when investors need it most. Hartford Equity Income's veteran manager and proven process earn its cheapest shares a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver, its moderately priced shares a Bronze, and its most expensive share class a Neutral. Michael Reckmeyer has distinguished himself since joining subadvisor Wellington Management in 1994. His tenure as a lead manager began in 2008, when he took over this fund as well as a slice of Vanguard Equity Income VEIPX and the equity portion of Vanguard Wellesley Income VWINX. These strategies have flourished, and in 2015 he was the co-recipient of Morningstar's Fund Manager of the Year award in the allocation category. Reckmeyer's process isn't venturesome, but it works. He buys stocks with above-average dividend yields and low valuations but unappreciated growth prospects. He also keeps this fund's sector weightings within 8 percentage points of the Russell 1000 Value Index's. That can lead to sizable differences in financials and consumer staples between this fund and his sleeve of Vanguard Equity Income, which is benchmarked against the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. A buy-and-hold investor, Reckmeyer will sell if fundamentals deteriorate or if he finds a similar stock trading at a better valuation. Not every move pans out, such as swapping Procter & Gamble PG for Unilever UN between late 2016 and early 2017, but his stock-picking talents tend to come to the fore when investors need it most. The fund's performance during 2020's bear market is an example. From the Russell 1000 Value's Feb. 12 peak to its March 23 trough, the Y shares' wretched 34.6% loss was 3.5 percentage points better than the index, even though the fund had modest overweights in hard-hit energy and banking stocks. That showing adds to the fund's superior long-term record. Reckmeyer has had to navigate significant changes to his dedicated team since 2015, though. That team has seen two-performance-related departures, and questions about succession now linger. Reckmeyer, who has no immediate plans to retire, will be hard to replace. 1698 1698 Elizabeth Foos Elizabeth Foos Hartford Funds has improved its stewardship profile in recent years by hiring strong subadvisors, honing its product lineup, and improving some funds' fee structures. These changes support an upgrade of the Parent Pillar rating to Positive from Neutral. The firm moved its fixed-income mutual funds, previously run by an in-house affiliate with mixed results, to well-respected subadvisor Wellington Management Company in 2012. Wellington has long run the firm's equity funds--about two thirds of its roughly $106 billion in fund assets. In 2016, Hartford Funds acquired Lattice Strategies, marking its expansion into strategic-beta exchange-traded funds, and the firm partnered with U.K.-based Schroders to expand its investment platform further. The Schroders alliance added another strong subadvisor to Hartford's lineup, with expertise in non-U.S. strategies. Hartford Funds leaves day-to-day investment decisions to its subadvisors, acting as a distributor for their strategies. In 2013, the firm reorganized and grew its product-management and distribution effort. Since then, leadership has merged and liquidated subpar offerings, introduced new strategies, and lowered fees on many funds. Lower fees on the firm's largest strategies and prudent closures of capacity-constrained strategies would be welcome, but overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses here. Recent changes support an upgrade of this firm's Parent Pillar rating to Positive. 2018-12-21T12:45:00 2018-12-21T18:45:00Z Losing less is more. The fund has a strong record since manager Michael Reckmeyer took over as lead in early 2008. Through March 2020, the Y shares' 6.2% annualized gain beat the Russell 1000 Value Index by 1.8 percentage points and placed in the large-value category's top decile. Over the same period, the fund's risk-adjusted results were superior, too. Reckmeyer's focus on well-capitalized dividend payers and willingness to buy them when they're out of favor has helped limit the fund's losses in faltering markets, including 2020's still-unfolding bear market. From the index's Feb. 12 peak through its March 23 bottom in 2020, the Y shares' dreadful 34.6% loss was still 3.5 percentage points better than the index. Amid the credit crisis, the Y shares' 28.6% loss in 2008 beat the index by 8.2 percentage points. The fund also held up relatively well in 2011 and the 2015-16 correction. The corollary of the fund's superior showings in down markets is that it tends to lag in rallies. Its 2009, 2012, and 2013 calendar-year returns each finished in or near the category's bottom third. The fund's income orientation can also make it sensitive to short-term interest-rate spikes. That happened during 2013's taper tantrum and in 2016's second half, when the 10-year Treasury's yield shot up about 120 basis points between July 8 and Dec. 15. The fund lagged more than four fifths of peers during that stretch. It's critical to evaluate expenses, as they come directly out of returns. The share class on this report levies a fee that ranks in its Morningstar category's second-cheapest quintile. Based on our assessment of the fund's People, Process and Parent pillars in the context of these fees, we think this share class will be able to deliver positive alpha relative to the category benchmark index, explaining its Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver. FOUSA04B22 Live

Hartford Equity Income Fund
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(Kitco News) - The amount of gold held by global exchange-traded funds during the first quarter rose by the largest amount since 2016, with more than half of the increase coming in March, the World Gold Council reported Wednesday.

ETF holdings climbed by 298 metric tons during the January-March period, with 151 tons added during March. This boosted holdings to a new all-time high of 3,185 tons, the WGC said. Over the past year, gold ETFs added 659 tons, the most on a rolling annual basis since the financial crisis, the WGC said.

Meanwhile, in U.S. dollar terms, the ETFs posted net-asset growth of $23 billion during the first quarter, which the WGC said was the most ever.

Trading volumes and AUM [assets under management] reached record highs as gold volatility increased to levels last seen during the financial crisis, yet gold price-performance was mostly flat in U.S. dollars for the month [of March], the WGC said in its analysis. Gold prices denominated in many other currencies, however, continued to reach all-time highs although the price in U.S. dollars remained 15% below its 2011 high. This highlights a continued trend of growth in gold ETFs outside of the U.S. over the past few years  a trend underscored by European funds seeing the largest absolute inflows and Asia and other regions registering the largest percentage growth during the month.

Holdings in Europe-based ETFs increased by 84 tons during March, while North American funds had inflows of 57 tons. Asian funds added 4.9 tons, while those for other regions rose by 4.7 tons.

Among individual ETFs, SPDR Gold Shares led global inflows with 32.7 tons. Another North American ETF, iShares Gold Trust, grew by 13.2 tons.

Two U.K.-based funds led European-fund inflows and outflows, as Invesco Physical Gold and iShares Physical added 33 and 29 tons, respectively. Frances Amundi added 16 tons, while the Xtrackers Physical EUR had outflows of 11.6 tons and WisdomTree Physical Swiss Gold had outflows of 7.6 tons, the WGC said. In China, Bosera Gold added 2.5 tons.

Most gold ETFs trade like a stock but track the price of the commodity, with metal put into storage to back the shares, thereby giving investors exposure to gold prices without having to take on costs such as storage and assaying.
[Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.]

Virus deaths may be undercounted as more people die at home.

The official death figures, awful as they are, may not reflect the viruss true toll. Around the country, according to experts and officials, virus-related deaths are being undercounted because of inconsistent protocols and limited resources.

In New York City, the leader of the City Councils health committee, Mark Levine, wrote on Twitter that people were dying at home at about 10 times the normal rate, presumably in large part because of the virus, but that many deaths were not being counted as virus deaths.

According to the news site Gothamist, the city medical examiners office has not been testing dead bodies for the virus and has instead referred what it considers probable virus deaths to the citys health department.

But the health department counts only confirmed virus cases in its official death tally, Gothamist reported, suggesting that many virus deaths were being missed.

Asked on Tuesday about an increase in people dying at home, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, Im assuming the vast majority of those deaths are coronavirus-related.

[Coronavirus in New York: A map and the case count.]

Donating to E.M.T.s is one way to help.

The anxiety and isolation resulting from the virus outbreak can feel crippling. But for New Yorkers who want to do something constructive, there are ways to help.

The nonprofit EMS FDNY Help Fund provides financial support to the citys emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Like doctors and nurses, these emergency services workers are on the front lines of the crisis, and they have been responding to constant calls over the past several weeks.
The unprecedented global coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout is shining a light on New Jerseys ability to process a soaring number of unemployment claims. And the state is being forced to handle the huge demand while relying on a 40-year-old computer system.

The coronavirus outbreak has forced businesses to close, with more than 300,000 residents putting in for unemployment benefits in recent weeks, eclipsing all previous records for claims.

And as claims surging more than 1,600%, bumps in the road are leaving thousands of residents being laid off  some filing for unemployment for the first time  angry, confused and frustrated. Phone lines are constantly jammed, 404 errors pop up when creating an account or the website is stuck buffering for people who are in dire need of income.

One of those hurdles, experts say, could be largely in part due to New Jerseys dependence on an outdated, legacy programming language and crumbling infrastructure not equipped with contingency plans for a crisis of these proportions.

Literally, we have systems that are 40 years-plus old, and therell be lots of postmortems. And one of them on our list will be, How did we get here where we literally needed COBOL programmers? Gov. Phil Murphy said during his daily press briefing Saturday.

The unemployment system runs on a legacy mainframe, using old programming language COBOL, or Common Business-Oriented Language, which was created in the 1950s in conjunction with the Department of Defense. COBOL is still used today by some financial companies, government agencies and ATMs, but most universities havent offered it in their curriculum since before Y2K.

COBOL is mostly used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments.

But as the saying goes, If it aint broke, dont fix it," said cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg, noting that up until a month ago, everything had been running fine for the last 40 years. Why make an extremely expensive and time-consuming change when unemployment was at record-low levels?

Thats the problem with COBOL and a mainframe: they can be reliable for an extended period of time, but if something major changes, the reaction time to change it is going to be substantially more ... due to technology and human resource limitations, Steinberg said.

State officials maintain there were no computer-related delays in processing claims, and pointed to the high volume of calls and low staffing issues.

The system, although stressed, performed well. And the Labor IT staff performed even better to keep the system up, running, and adding capacity, said Julie Garland Veffer, director of digital service at the state IT office. We are always looking for ways to improve efficiency and modernize our systems.

Its unclear how often the main frame is maintained or how many engineers and tech workers are on staff. The state Department of Labor declined to comment further.

Now, its led to a call out for volunteers knowledgable in COBOL  similar to the states call out for nurses and medical professionals. An intake form on the states Covid-19 website is asking for those who know COBOL and have other tech skills.

For all of you COBOL programmers in particular, now is your chance," Murphy said Wednesday when mentioning the volunteer website during his daily briefing.

Rutgers University computer science professor Ulrich Kremer said the requests for volunteers indicates experts are scarce. Coders proficient in COBOL are also probably older and retired folks, who doctors say are the most vulnerable to coronavirus. They may not have practiced in years, either.

Theres no such thing as like, a brain surgeon as a hobby. This is complex stuff. And if you mess up in this, you have other problems  security, peoples information  its a big risk, he said. They may not have an option there."

Kremer compared maintaining a 40-year-old system to keeping up with an old car. It might work to take you to the grocery store a mile away, but once you have to drive 200 miles, the engine is overloaded and spare parts are hard to find.

It worked, it did the job, but its an old car. Sometimes the only reasonable thing to do is throw it out and start from scratch, Kremer said. But thats not as easy as it sounds.

Upgrading isnt like as going to the app store and hitting update or buying a new computer at BestBuy. An upgrade cant be done until after the crisis slows down, and will be very expensive. For now, Steinberg predicts, the problems will be ongoing.

And during a global pandemic where hospitals are overloaded, theres a shortage of PPE, and people are getting sicker by the minute, its the worst timing.

(Murphy) is dealing with people in the state dying from a pandemic. If at this time he mentions we need COBOL, that means it was escalated to the governor. That illustrates how serious it is, Steinberg said. Thats the last thing he wants to be thinking about, is why the computers arent doing what they need to be doing."

The governor on Wednesday said he would welcome federal dollars for computer system upgrades if it is sent to New Jersey as part of the federal stimulus package. Weve got an overwhelming demand, he said.

The unemployment site isnt the only one running on old equipment, and New Jersey is far from the only state depending on these outdated systems.

Migrating a system can be risky in itself  especially one with so much vulnerable information  but something that should be analyzed, Steinberg said. And it shouldve also been analyzed a long time ago, before it was left to age, he said.

Its like how people get home alarm systems after theyve been robbed, he said. At what point do we say, now its a big risk to have these technologies? And this incident highlights it.

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.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Love was in the air when two distant species of hawks in northern California chose to mate, producing a new hybrid offspring in the process.

It took place near the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Complex in Sonoma County, California, where bird researchers had spent years following the social interactions of a visiting common black hawk and the local population of red-shouldered hawks.

Researchers still aren't sure how or why a common black hawk arrived in the region, as the species is native to South and Central America, and in rare instances have been observed in the American southwest and southern Nevada.

Researchers first observed the common black hawk and red-shouldered hawk mating in 2014, and found they had produced a new hybrid nestling

The new hybrid hawk (pictured above) has physical characteristics similar to both species of hawks, but researchers have not yet been able to draw a blood sample to examine its genetic makeup

Whatever the reason, one lone member of the species wound up in the unfamiliar terrain of Sonoma County and decided to stay for more than a decade.

Researchers had observed the two species socializing over the years but were stunned to see they had mated and produced a hybrid chick.

'That doesnt happen often in hardly anything, especially not in predators,' researcher Jennifer Coulson, of Tulan University, told Gizmodo.

To untrained observers, common black hawks and red-shouldered hawks might appear similar, but each comes from a different genus, the biological category one step above species.

While its not uncommon for members of different species to mate and produce a new hybrid offspring, it generally occurs between species with a close genetic relationship, like coyotes and wolves or polar bears and grizzly bears.

The two hawk species, in contrast, are three to four times more genetically distant than common hybridization pairs, making the coupling extremely rare, more akin to a house cat mating with a jaguar, or a gorilla coupling with a human.

Researchers were surprised to see a member of the common black hawk species in Northern California as the birds typically live in South and Central America, and some parts of the American southwest

The red-shouldered hawks in Sonoma County lived alongside the common black hawk for nearly a decade before the two species finally decided to mate with one another, which eventually led to the creation of the new hybrid hawk

'This is what happened between humans and Neanderthals,' Jente Ottenburghs of Wageningen University told Gizomodo. (Ottenburghs was not involved with the original research.)

'In some cases, the exchanged genes might result in an adaptive advantage for one of the species. So, hybridization can be an important factor in evolution.'

Researchers have not yet been able to collect blood samples from the new hybrid hawk to learn more about its new genetic makeup, but it appears to have the same dark feathering and large torso of the common black hawk alongside the especially rounded head and shallow hooked beak of the red-shouldered hawk.

The team still isn't sure what caused the two species to mate, or why the common black hawk ended up settling in a region so far from home.

'The Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetland is a very rich place that has great feeding opportunities, and so that could be part of it,' Coulson said.
Across America, people are being told "stay in your homes" (even if it bankrupts you), "keep social distance" (even if you're married to each other), and "wear masks" (to help save your fellow citizens). Democrats are the most hysterical about these rules because, after all, they have to make this whole epidemic appear in the worst light possible to tar Trump with it. What's unpleasant is that the same Democrat party that is insisting that everyone will die  and that chloroquine won't work  doesn't think that the rules apply to its leading members.

Yesterday, Americans learned that, lockdown or not, Mayor Bill de Blasio still needs to make the 12-mile drive from Gracie Mansion to Brooklyn's Prospect Park so he can exercise. Unlike other people, he's special:

"I go get my exercise like everyone else," the mayor said on NY1's "Inside City Hall." "I go to my home neighborhood. It's part of what helps me just continue to work nonstop," he said. "I'm on conference calls pretty much the whole time." Hizzoner was responding to a question from a viewer about why he's driven to Brooklyn for a walk in the park when his Upper East Side home abuts acres of waterfront parkland. [snip] De Blasio, in trying to rationalize his long-distance strolls, said, "My situation is particular and I am here serving people ... and I'm just doing something I think will help me to be the most effective."

De Blasio's not the only "special" Democrat politician. Chicago's mayor, Lori Lightfoot, has been adamant that her city's citizens lock themselves away from the world:

"Stay at home. Only go out for essentials. You have to readjust your thinking. Be smart," Lightfoot said. "Not only will our police be deployed to shut them down if you are not abiding by these orders we will be forced to shut down the parks and lakefront. The situation Is deadly serious and we need you take it deadly seriously." [snip] "You cannot go on long bike rides. Playgrounds are shut down. You must abide by the order. Outside, is for a brief respite, not for 5Ks. I can't emphasize enough that we abide the rules."

For Lightfoot, though, all rules she strongly espouses are for the little people. If you're the mayor, you can get your hair styled, a decidedly non-essential job. It turns out that the mayor, in her own words, is "a person who [takes] personal hygiene very seriously and I felt like I needed to have a haircut. So I got a haircut."

All those people who are making the best of things with grown-out hair, gray roots, home haircuts don't matter. Whether they take personal hygiene very seriously or not doesn't matter. But Democrat Mayor Lightfoot, she matters.

We see the same behavior with Democrats in the media. During the second half of March, as media figures were accelerating the panic about COVID-19 to increase the blame they could hurl at Trump, they were sitting in packed White House press briefings. It was Trump who reminded them about social distancing. Even now, if you look at any White House press briefing, none of the reporters is wearing a mask.

There are also whole galleries dedicated to Democrat politicians who don't even make a pretense of wearing masks correctly.

She learned it from her buddy Al Green pic.twitter.com/R0llwX0J4I  J (@cntryboy_55) April 6, 2020

Update: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner doesn't seem to understand how to put on a medical mask either.



Mayor, your nostrils are showing. pic.twitter.com/7gskP480tn  Ken Webster jr (@KenWebsterII) April 6, 2020

I think it's real. The New York Daily news has a photo of him with it too. hahahaha https://t.co/8nLdFpq8w7 #SchumerMask pic.twitter.com/oVttPlSV0u  Mark Dice (@MarkDice) April 7, 2020

None of these behaviors is anomalous. One of the constants among leftists is that their rules apply only to the little people. Perhaps the only communist leader who appeared to abide by the stringent demands of socialism was Ho Chi Minh of North Vietnam  and that was during wartime, when the people had no wealth for the communists to steal.

Outside wartime conditions, there are constants in communist countries (whether Poland, Cuba, Venezuela, the former Soviet Union, or Communist China). The nomenklatura  the party insiders  dine on caviar while the little people stand in line for hours to get a Kielbasa, a little bit of arroz sin pollo, watery borscht sans sour cream, or sweet and sour gristle in place of pork.

With climate change, the people who stoked the panic never changed their high-end lifestyles of large homes and jet planes. They're now doing the same with COVID-19 that they did with climate change: the rules apply only to you, not to them. This time, though, their disdain for the rules may come back and bite them in their collective butts, given that individual behavior directly affects COVID-19's reach.
He urged people to wear masks while going out of their homes and said, "People should inculcate the habit of using homemade masks while stepping out of their homes to buy essentials now, and also later when the situation improves." "I understand that people are facing different types of issues while staying at home. People are getting bored. ...

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Albuquerque Public Schools has shifted gears in its superintendent search, deciding to suspend the hunt until the fall and to appoint an interim leader in the meantime.

Before the coronavirus hit New Mexico, the states largest school district was in the middle of finding a replacement for current Superintendent Raquel Reedy, who is set to retire in June. The Board of Education even named five semifinalists.

But that was put on hold while the state and district grappled with the pandemic.

On Tuesday night, the board voted 5-2 to find someone to head the district for the short term.

Board President David Peercy told the Journal that the interim superintendent would be a current APS employee.

Well have to, as a board, take a look really quickly at who we think might work as an interim and get that process going, he said. We want to stabilize this for the whole district.

He said that when the search picks up in the fall, the district will use the same search firm and will honor the offer to the five semifinalists to move forward in the search  should the semifinalists want to. The plan is also to accept additional applications at that time.

Peercy said that Reedy decided not to stay on past her retirement date.

I have talked with her about potentially staying on for another year, and she wasnt interested in doing that, and thats fine, he said.

Board member Peggy Muller-Aragon, who voted no, said she thought the district should have moved forward with the semifinalists who were already chosen to find a more permanent leader who could head the district during this difficult time.

Board member Barbara Petersen, who could not be reached for comment, also voted no.


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Usman Dalhatu, a 200-level student of Mechanical Engineering at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, designed and produced a manual "ventilator" in just 2 days to be used in treating coronavirus patients.
It was designed for NASA in the 1970s, and it hasnt been back to space since the 1990s. But in 2020, it will head to orbit once more.

Were talking about the worm.

Its a logo that a generation grew up with  a minimalist twisting of red letters that is nicknamed after terrestrial invertebrates. NASA used it from 1975, when it was introduced as part of a cleaner visual redesign for the space agency, to 1992, when it was kicked to the side.

But the familiar yet long unused modern symbol will be seen on the side of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when two NASA astronauts, Douglas G. Hurley and Robert L. Behnken, head to the International Space Station, a mission scheduled for the second half of May. They will be the first to launch to orbit from American soil since 2011, and the new old logo was dusted off to commemorate the milestone.

In 1992, Daniel S. Goldin, then NASAs administrator, decided that the best way to excite people about the future was to harken to the agencys heady early days. He resurrected an earlier insignia with a different nickname  the meatball.
Around 30 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and technicians at the Cardio-Neuro Centre in AIIMS here have been advised to undergo quarantine after a 72-year-old man who visited the facility with neurological problem tested positive for COVID-19, sources said on Wednesday.

The patient had reported to the emergency with brain stroke symptoms around two days back and was immediately shifted to the Neurology ward N-S5 for evaluation and treatment.

"He was then subjected to radiological investigations like CT and MRI and was kept in a cubicle with other patients. He later complained of chest and respiratory distress after which his chest X-ray was done and and he was intubated.

"There was some suspicion over his respiratory problems and his sample was taken and sent for testing which came out positive for COVID-19," a source said.

According to an official, the patient was immediately transported to AIIMS Trauma Centre,which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, and contact tracing has been initiated.

The neurology ward where the patient was admitted is being sanitized and doctors in the emergency department are making robust screening of all patients to identity such cases.

The patient is in critical condition and doctors are keeping a close watch on his health status.

"About 30 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses and technicians who came in contact with the patient have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. After five days, their samples would be tested," the official said.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases to 5,194 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Tuesday 9.45 p.m. showed 5,192 testing positive for coronavirus across the country and at least 162 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A schoolboy left in floods of tears when a thief stole his new bike is now 'overjoyed' after kindhearted teachers chipped in to buy him a new one.

Sam Grant, who is still attending school as his mum is an NHS worker, was 'devastated' when a thief pinched the Carrera Crossfire he spent six months saving for with his paper round, birthday and Christmas money.

It was the first time the 14 year old cycled to school as his grandfather, who usually collects him, was self-isolating due to being vulnerable amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Sam Grant had his bike stolen on his first journey to school with it but now his teachers have raised the 350 needed to buy him a replacement

Sam with his mother, Helen Grant, 42, who is a manager at Elmleigh mental health hospital in nearby Havant

He had locked it up in the school's bike shed and was horrified when he returned to find a thief had taken it.

But after seeing Sam in tears, his teachers at Horndean Technology College in Hampshire rallied together to buy him a new bicycle.

Teachers set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding page and within six hours the 350 needed to replace the bike was raised, with most of the donations coming from the school's staff.

Sam - who had been faced with an hour-long, three mile walk home to Waterlooville, Hants - was presented with the orange Scott mountain bike at school.

Sam said: 'I was really happy when I got the bike. It's a much smoother ride and a much better bike than my last one.

'It's amazing that so many people came together to help me - particularly at what is a difficult time with the coronavirus.'

His mother Helen Grant, 42, a manager at Elmleigh mental health hospital in nearby Havant, added: 'Seeing Sam crying was truly heartbreaking. The worst thing was that he kept apologising for what had happened.

'It's just lovely that the school was so engaged in wanting to help. We are genuinely overwhelmed at the response.

'The school have been so supportive and the majority of money raised has been donated by Sam's teachers.'

Elmleigh mental health hospital in Havant where Sam's mother Helen Grant works as a manager, said 'It's just lovely that the school was so engaged in wanting to help. We are genuinely overwhelmed at the response'

Sam stands proudly with his new orange bike and matching top. The whip-round was arranged by PE teacher Carl Duke, who said the teachers 'wanted to do our bit' after the theft

Headteacher Julie Summerfield said staff felt 'awful' about the theft and PE teacher Carl Duke arranged to buy the bike.

Mr Duke said: 'When we found out what happened to Sam we all wanted to do our bit.

'Sam was so upset when his bike was stolen and it was fantastic to see a smile on his face. He was really overwhelmed and kept saying "it's amazing, much better than my old bike".'

School staff also bought Sam accessories including a bike cage, bottle and specialised pedals.
The coronavirus outbreak essentially froze the campaign, preventing Sanders from holding the large rallies that had become his trademark and shifting the primary calendar. It became increasingly unclear where he could notch a victory that would help him regain ground against Biden.

Though he will not be the nominee, Sanders was a key architect of many of the social policies that dominated the Democratic primary, including a "Medicare for All" universal, government-funded health care plan, tuition-free public college, a $15 minimum wage and sweeping efforts to fight climate change under the "Green New Deal."

He relished the fact that his ideas  viewed as radical four years ago had become part of the political mainstream by the next election cycle, as Democratic politics lurched to the left in the Trump era.

Sanders began the 2020 race by arguing that he was the most electable Democrat against Trump. He said his working-class appeal could help Democrats win back Rust Belt states that Trump won in 2016, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But as the race wore on, the senator reverted to his 2016 roots, repeatedly stressing that he backs a "political revolution" from the bottom up under the slogan "Not me. Us."
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Linkedin Dysan Ismi Aufar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 15:11 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd099aa9 3 Entertainment Movie,Netflix,Thailand,thailand-film,drama,declutter,Marie-Kondo Free

Marie Kondo has set a new trend all over the world since her show appeared on Netflix. Many are now claiming to be obsessed with this thing called minimalism thanks to her influence. Whatever that doesnt spark joy, say thanks to it, dump it and youll live a happy life with less stuff occupying your space. But sometimes tidying up is easier said than done. Its bound to happen that when were going to ditch something, we tend to reminisce about its past before finally deciding to put it away for good. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, through his latest work Happy Old Year, tries to depict the complexity of decluttering and what it takes to actually be able to toss our old belongings.

Here we have Jean (portrayed by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, known for starring in Bad Genius) who has just returned to her hometown after spending three years in Sweden. Shes captivated by Marie Kondos way of getting rid of unnecessary mess and tries to transform her house into one of those trendy minimalist places. This means she has to dump lots of items from the house, and it gets her in a clash with her mother who seems to be unwilling to part ways with a piano that has remained untouched since Jeans father left the family.

Jeans heartless, sporadic method in determining what item needs to go comes to a halt once she gets a taste of her own medicine. When she recovers an analog camera owned by her ex-boyfriend Aim (Sunny Suwanmethanon), shes reminded of her own bad deed years ago: dumping her ex without an explanation right after she went to Sweden. She knows she has to return the camera in person and apologizes to Aim in order to escape from the surfacing sense of guilt, but she doesnt know if she has the guts for it.

While Happy Old Year might appear as a rejection of Kondos method of organizing properties, thats not exactly an on-point description for the film. Nawapol soundly provides his reasons for why its not good to hoard expendable items in your closet but he adds more depth to his message. Decluttering could be a painful phase for someone as things can also contain powerful memories. In such cases, its impossible to go full Marie Kondo and hurl things away without the slightest sign of hesitation.

This point is brilliantly delivered through Nawapols carefully structured approach to developing Jeans on-screen presence. It can feel like he asks the audience to accompany Jean throughout her journey of self-realization. At one point, you despise her for having no empathy and being selfish. At another, you cherish the moment when she finally undertakes what needs to be done. In the end, we learn about Jean as much as she learns about the pros and cons of clinging onto memories. It is a complete cycle of character-driven cinematic experience.

In this film, Chutimon showcases her most compelling performance to date. She understands how to put herself inside Jeans state of mind, demonstrating every inch of her character progression with picture-perfect emotions. The final shot where Chutimon encapsulates the entirety of the film using her superb facial gestures is a testament to her tremendous growth in acting, cementing her name as one of Asias young actresses to keep an eye on.

Nawapol's filmography is full of minimalist-looking dramas. The director and the movie seem like a match made in heaven. as this is the kind of story with which Nawapol excels with his storytelling methods. The movie has a similar vibe to one of Nawapols films, 36, as both titles have the same nuance; the calm color tones, gentle musical scoring and slow-moving shots. Though narrative-wise, Happy Old Year is not as experimental a work as 36.

Happy Old Year can teach us a lesson or two about how memory is a double-edged sword. It is a significant part of our life, yet we have to know when to ditch some memories to get on with our lives. It's also normal if you find yourself having a hard time in doing so. Happy Old Year is highly relatable and personal, though the slow-paced story over two hours might not be everyone's cup of tea. (wng)

***

Dysan is the owner and film screening programmer of an independent film community in Jakarta who also happens to be an avid lover of Asian and European cinema. Writing movie reviews is something he does a lot during his free time. You can find him ranting on a daily basis on his social media platforms: @misbardotid (IG & Twitter) or @distokinema (IG)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is actively spreading throughout the globe, affecting 184 countries and territories. In the United Kingdom, the country has seen the highest daily numbers of recorded coronavirus deaths  854 on Monday and 786 on Tuesday, prompting scientists to race toward determining how vast the virus is spreading in the UK.

Leeds England UK April 6 2020 A UK Government information letter from the prime minister Boris Johnson updating the public on the coronavirus covid 19 pandemic urging people to stay home. Image Credit: Andrew E Gardner / Shutterstock

A team of scientists at the University of Oxford plans to track how common the COVID-19 infection is in the wider community, including asymptomatic carriers. Asymptomatic means people are carrying the virus but have no symptoms. This makes it almost impossible for health authorities to determine the exact number of cases in the UK.

The scientists believe that there is an urgent need to determine how prevalent the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen that causes COVID-19, is in the UK community. This way, proper tracing, isolation, and quarantine measures can be implemented to contain the spread of the virus.

Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like. Credit: NIAID-RML

Volunteers

The team plans to select thousands of volunteers randomly. The participants should be at least 18 years old, a current resident of the UK, those who are not currently admitted to a healthcare facility, and those who had not been previously tested for COVID-19.

For the first part of the study, the testing of participants will be limited to Oxford. Eventually, the team plans to expand to other regions in the UK. Those who are interested but live in other regions, are still welcome to take part in the research, say the researchers.

The researchers emphasize that there is no compensation for those participating in the study. Further, there will be no cost for the participants, and the only benefit is, they will be made aware if they are carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

What tests will be done?

The team intends to compare three types of tests for COVID-19  the serology immunoassay, nanopore sequencing diagnostic approach, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To facilitate sample collection, the researchers will process the courier delivery and pick-up of test kits to and from the homes of participants.

Serology needs a finger prick at-home blood test, which can be discarded after use, while the other two tests require throat swabs processed in the laboratory. The serology test detects the presence of antibodies against the COVID-19 virus.

The PCR test works by detecting short sections of genetic material unique to the virus. The nanopore technology sequences the entire viral genome through a tiny protein known as a nanopore.

The participants will be informed on the schedule of the test arrival. They will also be required to read an instruction manual, which contains a consent form. Also, the team will send an online questionnaire, while those who cannot access the internet, a paper version will be given for them to complete. The two throat swabs need to be picked up and dropped off to the laboratory for processing via courier.

The team promises to uphold data privacy, and personal data will only be used for courier services. The result of the tests will remain confidential.

The team reiterates that they can only assist in testing, but not in the treatment of those who have the virus. They should seek medical advice from the NHS by calling the hotline.

All test kits will be accounted for, and only the person listed in the application who consents to participate can take the tests. If more than one person lives in the household, they are advised to apply online, too.

Mass testing is essential for containing the spread of the virus. Aside from this, social distancing is still recommended by health experts. In most countries, governments have imposed lockdowns and community quarantines to slow down the spread and help flatten the curve.

Worldwide, the case toll has reached 1.43 million, while the number of people who died has topped 82,000. The United States has the most significant number of confirmed cases, with nearly 400,000 people testing positive for COVID-19.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. At the initiative of the Iranian side, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the interlocutors exchanged views on the measures aimed at fighting coronavirus. The Iranian Minister offered condolences to Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on behalf of the Iranian Government over the deaths resulted by the coronavirus and expressed solidarity with the Armenian people.

FM Mnatsakanyan presented the anti-coronavirus efforts of the Government of Armenia and highly appreciated the solidarity expressed by Iran. The sides referred to global fight against coronavirus and the Armenian-Iranian cooperation in that situation.

A broad scope of issues of bilateral cooperation was discussed during the phone conversation.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
(Natural News) While nearly all conservative publishers and journalists tried to downplay the coronavirus for political purposes, ultimately looking foolish for claiming the pandemic was no worse than the flu, Natural News got the story right from day one (and we stood by our original reporting even as much of the pro-liberty publishing community collapsed into denialism).

Once again, we were way ahead of the mainstream media in accurately warning our readers about what was to come. We continue to be the most accurate pro-liberty publisher when it comes to providing science-based analysis and solid mathematical analysis of where things stand (and whats coming).

People who read Natural News had access to stunningly accurate foreknowledge of the stock market crash, the coronavirus infections across America, the quarantine lockdowns and much more.

From the timeline animation video below:

On January 27th, we warned readers about the coming coronavirus quarantines in the USA.

On January 28th, we warned about how both Trump and China were hiding the truth about the coronavirus. (At that time, Trump was in a state of total denial.)

On February 1st, we announced that the coronavirus pandemic would go global and spread across the world. This was at a time when there were near-zero infections in the USA.

On February 3rd, we warned how Facebook and other Big Tech organizations were fronting communist Chinas pandemic lies by pushing WHO propaganda as facts.

On February 5th, we warned how the WHO was covering up Chinas lies and actually helping spread the coronavirus across the world by objecting to travel bans that blocked travelers from Wuhan, China.

On February 8th, we announced in a podcast that the coronavirus had, escaped containment and was no longer to be contained (and would spread across the world).

On February 11th, we warned that the CDC was deliberately releasing high-risk coronavirus-infected individuals in Texas, Nebraska and California without adequate quarantine times.

On February 16th, we warned that the coronavirus pandemic would impact the 2020 elections and wrote that, Democrat cities are the most likely outbreak hubs.

On February 18th, we asked why hundreds of potentially infected people in Washington State were being monitored but not tested.

On February 20th, we released a bombshell podcast: You have advance knowledge of the coming coronavirus wave in the USA that told Americans to prepare for a massive pandemic wave. (Few heeded the warning.)

On February 22nd, we broke the story of the massive gap in coronavirus testing, declaring that fewer than 600 people had been tested across the entire USA, labeling it a CDC cover-up.

On February 24th, we released a podcast with the phrase I coined, Dont Test, Dont Tell, which became a viral meme on Twitter and elsewhere. We were among the first to expose the CDCs total failure to produce functioning test kits.

On February 26th, we announced that the coronavirus would devastate the stock market. (Yes, in February. If only more people had listened)

On February 28th, we explained to the world why the coronavirus was not the flu (as was being falsely claimed by many).

On March 5th, we warned again that almost no one was being tested for coronavirus anywhere in the USA.

On March 8th, we announced that President Trump would soon declare a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. (He then declared a national emergency about 5 days later.)

On March 10th, we projected that hospital beds would be overrun in certain areas of the country by late May (it actually happened much sooner).

On March 12th, we warned that medical martial law was being rolled out across America, and warned retail investors of a coming stock market wipeout.

On March 14th, we warned about pandemic denialism and how conservative publishers were destroying their credibility by trying to deny the severity of the coronavirus outbreak.

On March 17th, we warned that unless health authorities encouraged people to use nutrition to boost immune function and help stop the spread of the virus, we would never get the infections fully under control.

On March 18th, we warned that the economic fallout from the coronavirus would further devastate the stock market.

On March 21st, we warned that the coronavirus would eventually devastate Los Angeles, sweeping across homeless populations there and ultimately killing as many as 100,000 people in Los Angeles alone.

On March 26th, we encouraged readers to start growing food in order to avoid the coming collapse of the food supply chain.

On March 28th, we updated our initial estimates to arrive at a new range of 45,000 to 90,000 deaths for the USA through the end of July. (These projections still stand.)

On March 30th, we declared that the economic world as you know it has come to an end and that a global depression was under way.

For getting it right, we were labeled fear mongers, doom-and-gloomers and conspiracy theorists. Those are the labels assigned by people who were, of course, clueless and in a state of total denial. Many of them have lost as much as 50% of their investment portfolios now, and more losses will mount in the months ahead.

The bottom line? If you want the most honest and accurate news analysis in the world, read NaturalNews.com. We got it right when almost everybody else got it wrong. And we stuck to our analysis despite being accused of spreading fear or attacking Trump.

Our job is to get it right, and we dont bend the facts to carry out some political agenda. When Trump was in denial, we stated that Trump was in denial. When he got it right, we pointed that out, too.

And most importantly, we can do math, which appears to be a basic skills that is utterly lacking among independent publishers and mainstream media journalists today.

Moving forward, if you want the truth  and you want it before everybody else figures it out  read Natural News.

Subscribe at this link to join our email newsletter and receive daily news alerts about whats happening and whats coming.
In order to fight COVID-19, Srikakulam District collector J Nivas on Tuesday inaugurated a disinfectant tunnel at a vegetable market to contain the spread of the disease.

At the entrance of the tunnel, boards suggesting precautions to be taken for prevention of corona spread have been erected.

District collector J Nivas said, "The state government has decided to conduct coronavirus sample tests at the state level. Accordingly, TB sample test centres will be converted to coronavirus sample test centers. Adequate training is being provided to five teams of staff."

The state health department had earlier informed that the total number of coronavirus positive cases in Andhra Pradesh has risen to 314.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leo Varadkar said there is no roadmap for lifting restrictions. Photo: Julien Behal

Business groups and parents of secondary school children have called on the Government to set out how it plans to ease the extraordinary restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus crisis.

Other European countries have begun telling their citizens how they plan to phase out lockdowns.

In contrast, the Government here has yet to provide information on how the restrictions on everyday life will eventually be lifted.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said such planning is taking place here by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and others. But he said there is "no roadmap" for how to do this and the Government will be taking advice and looking at what other countries are doing.

Some countries have set out plans for restarting non-essential industry and construction, while others are planning to reopen schools with staggered timetables and split classes to allow for social distancing.

CEO of business representative group IBEC, Danny McCoy said any preparations on easing restrictions must focus on "the how before the question of the when".

"Public health measures naturally remain the absolute imperative. When it is deemed safe by the relevant authorities to begin gradually easing containment measures, any roadmap from Government need not only provide expected timelines, but crucially must detail the means by which they plan to reboot the economy and begin the recovery," he said.

He added that business and other stakeholders must be consulted in doing this.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland - one of the worst-hit industries - said of the ongoing crisis: "We know there's light at the end of the tunnel, but we don't know how long the tunnel is.

"The Government needs to set out a clearly defined rebooting and reopening of our industry."

Mr Cummins also said his organisation was "1,000pc" behind the advice of chief medical officer Tony Holohan and the NPHET.

"The last thing we want to see is a rushed reopening that damages our recovery from the medical crisis and extends the economic shutdown we have at the moment," he said.

A spokesman for the National Parents Council Post Primary called on the Government to provide certainty on its plans for the Leaving Cert.

He said the organisation is being inundated with calls from parents of Leaving Cert students worried about when the exams will take place.

"The problem is that one word, uncertainty. Nobody knows what's happening.

"If the Government said the Leaving Cert will take place on week three and four of June that would be certainty."

Speaking last night, Dr Holohan said he doesn't expect restrictions to be changed this weekend.

He said he wants to see a planned relaxation of restrictions and not a "haphazard and ad-hoc" process. He said the disease is not at the same phase in European countries and expects to see variation in how restrictions are eased.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has announced that its national spokesperson, Vuyani Pambo, will lay criminal charges against Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Mduduzi Manana.

This follows the announcement from President Cyril Ramaphosa that he has placed Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months. One month will be unpaid.

Ndabeni-Abrahams is the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies for South Africa. Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in her stead during her period of special leave.

Ndabeni-Abrahams came under fire for visiting a friend for lunch during the national lockdown.

The former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, posted a picture to Instagram of Ndabeni-Abrahams and others having a meal at his house.

In his statement announcing the formal censure of Ndabeni-Abrahams, President Ramaphosa said: As to allegations that the Minister violated the lockdown regulations, the law should take its course.

The EFF has stated that it will lay charges against Ndabeni-Abrahams and Manana at the Douglasdale Police Station in Sandton at 14:00 for breaching governments lockdown regulations.

Apology from the Minister

As part of the Ramaphosas censure of Ndabeni-Abrahams, the Minister was required to deliver a public apology, which she issued earlier today.

I regret the incident and I am deeply sorry for my actions. I hope the President and South Africans will find it in their hearts to forgive me, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The President has put me on a special leave with immediate effect. I undertake to abide by the conditions of the special leave.

I wish to use this opportunity to reiterate the Presidents call for all of us to observe the lockdown rules. They are a necessary intervention to curb the spread of a virus that has devastated many nations, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.
Socorro Mojjaro Duran celebrates her 91st birthday on her porch in Alhambra on Monday as her son, Guillermo Mojarro, holds her birthday cake and her family drives past in a caravan celebration. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The family blew kisses to Socorro Mojjaro Duran on her 91st birthday and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Same as every year.

Her great-granddaughter, who also was celebrating her fifth birthday, dressed up in a princess costume.

Only this time, it was from a caravan of cars traveling down a residential street in Alhambra.

Social distancing has restricted normal gatherings and celebrations in the age of coronavirus, so we thought we would show you a few creative workarounds.

Isaiah Huang, 9, left, and his sister Semiah, 11, wish their grandmother Socorro Mojarro Duran a happy birthday from their family's car parked in front of her home in Alhambra. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Analis Ilumuna Mosqueda-Mojarro, 5, held by her mom Victoria Mojarro, wore a princess costume to celebrate her own and her great-grandmother Socorro Mojarro Duran's birthdays on Monday in Alhambra. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

70th anniversary

Libby and Harry Palakow wave to neighbors who gathered outside their Granada Hills home on Wednesday to help the couple celebrate their 70th anniversary. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Harry Polakow was surprised when he heard a knock on his front door. He and his wife Libby are in their 90s and not supposed to have company.

But Wednesday was the couples 70th wedding anniversary. And their Granada Hills neighbors were not about to let the coronavirus make them celebrate the day alone.

Carrying flowers, balloons and homemade chocolate cake, theyd gathered  six feet apart, of course  on the lawn, in the driveway and on the sidewalk to toast the pair and serenade them with the Anniversary Waltz.

 Sandy Banks

Jean Lionelli fixes a sign hung outside neighbors Harry and Libby Palakow's home in Granada Hills to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

A virtual prom

The Stowe family greets neighbors, keeping social distancing, in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

After celebrating with their nephew via a family video feed to help make up for his canceled prom, the Stowe family from Riverside, in role-reversal costumes, greeted their neighbors keeping social distancing in Riverside. The Stowe family has been coming up with themes to dress in costumes for the past three Sundays to keep some fun in their lives. "We are trying to find little glimmers," Julie Stowe said.

The Stowe family, dressed in role-reversed formal attire, dance in their Riverside home to celebrate a nephew's prom that was canceled because of the coronavirus. The nephew, Cole Biehl, and his family in Rancho Santa Margarita took part by video feed, shown on a laptop in the Stowes' living room. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Not breaking tradition

Margaret Jones, center, with Kensington employees, is seen from her second-story window, after celebrating her 91st birthday. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Lucy Cavazos has celebrated Margaret Jones' birthday with her for the last 20 years and wasn't going to break that tradition. Jones currently resides in an assisted living facility in Redondo Beach that is not receiving visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

So, Cavalos and her daughter Amber, climbed onto a mechanical lift and were hoisted up to Jones' second-floor window to keep the tradition alive.

Lucy Cavazos, right, and her daughter Amber of Huntington Park use a construction lift to help Margaret Jones celebrate her 91st birthday at Jones' assisted living facility in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Green Thumb Industries (OTC:GTBIF) is presumably on the hunt for a new president, following the resignation of the man previously occupying the job, Armen Yemenidjian. The move was announced by the company late on Monday. It did not state whether it has yet found a replacement.

According to Green Thumb's press release, Yemenidjian is stepping down to spend more time with his family. However, the company added that he will continue to work with it over the next six months. During that time, it quoted him as saying he is "committed to helping the company do what it takes to continue to achieve its goals."

Yemenidjian's continued efforts will focus on Green Thumb's operations in Nevada, where he resides, and California. Both states have legalized the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana, and are thus considered attractive markets for cannabis businesses.

The cannabis company has a particularly strong presence in the retail segment in Nevada. Its Essence dispensary chain has three outlets in the state, with one located on the high-traffic Strip in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, its Rise brand operates a pair of Nevada stores.

Green Thumb is headquartered in Chicago, which is currently a hotspot in the licensed marijuana market. Illinois is the latest U.S. state to legalize recreational cannabis, taking that distinction on Jan. 1 when its new cannabis law kicked in. Green Thumb has a clutch of dispensaries in Illinois.

The company's stock traded flat on Tuesday. That made it a slightly better performer than most equity markets, which were down marginally on the day.
We all have choices to make. Some that will decide the next hour, others that will effect our lives many years to come. Making these decisions can be extremely difficult. Often we look in hindsight at a wonderful choice, or a disastrous one, but in the cloudy future uncertainty and commitment can be a scary duo.

Knowing that my decisions now may impact the future of myself and others, I often feel decisions as a crushing burden, but maybe some of these ideas will help. I will be examining these choices from rational choice theory and a few of its limitations, then how I think Christians should approach decision making.

Finally I will examine how one might seek to know the will of God and how one ought to reason regarding decisions.

Rational choice theory

Rational choice theory sets up the ideal choice maker as seeking an ideal option and executing it. Under this theory, actors define their goals according to their values. They then produce their action options and rank them. This requires a lot of knowledge to achieve in not only the specific area of choosing but also in cause and effect. However, the optimal option will be ranked number one under this view.

Assuming this to be correct, if I have all the knowledge I need it should be quite possible for me to choose the 'right' choice by going through the process described. I should be able to sit here at my desk and write down what I seek, whether it be what I should do to get the best grades, who to talk to, or even decisions as large as who to marry.

I can tell you just off my experience - that this model does not always apply, and theorists such as Richard Lebow and Robert Jervis (even just within political theory) have put forward some ideas as to why. Potential problems with the theory lie in several of the assumptions and limitations, I will focus on two of them.

Procrastination of decision making is the first, and is seen in the limitations of Rational Choice Theory. This is when the actor fails to actually make the decision. You may have exactly the optimal decision in mind, and yet be unwilling to make the choice. Often this occurs when there is a value clash.

You may have experienced moments like this even in the simple case of deciding when to study. I live in a very fun community and I love to spend time with my friends, and there are many times in which I need to study to continue enjoying university, but sometimes these values of friendship and scholarliness clash. When this happens it can be extremely difficult to choose either option, and procrastination ensues, achieving neither objective to the full potential.

One of the assumptions

The second issue comes from one of the assumptions. Can we ever have enough high quality information to really create and rank all of the action options? We don't know the future, and we may not even have good knowledge of the past either.

It seems that we cannot know for sure if one option will be the best just by looking at the options available. I take the train to the university rather than the bus, I value their reliability, however, the bus is often faster. I am using a strategy of risk reduction, but if I knew that the traffic would be minimal tomorrow I would have access to information about the optimal choice.

In the absence of this information, I choose a sub-optimal option. The risk and uncertainty in any decisions is difficult to manage, but when the consequences are irreversible and life changing, it can seem almost impossible.

This difficulty is so great that prior many of the more serious decisions I have had to make, have had weeks of bad dreams, each setting out parts of the problem.

There might be a more useful way of approaching problems, even ones that are this hard to deal with.

A Christian way

If we set our values in a Christian way, looking to God's glory as primary, we find a better starting point. It won't always be easy, but the example of spending time with friends or my course readers can be evaluated more effectively from this standpoint. Which will lead to God's glory most?

Being upright and exemplary in my studies may glorify God when people see that these people who follow God are exceptional, they might wonder about God because of his people's character. Spending time with my friends might also further this goal, engaging in fruitful discussion to strengthen fellow Christians or point toward why Christ Jesus is worth following to non-Christian friends.

It is not a complete solution to the problem, but it is a step in the right direction.

So what about the second problem of limited knowledge, is there some way that Christians should act differently towards this as well? There may well be. If God is omniscient (all knowing) and in control of all things as Christians like myself believe, knowing that God seeks glory for his son, it follows that what he has revealed to us may be sufficient knowledge to base our decisions on.

This is to say that God's will is revealed in scripture (The Bible) to such a degree that we might know God's will in our own decisions by looking to it. We may never have insufficient accessible knowledge.

Furthermore, if we set God's glory as our highest goal, then the right decision may not even be the one with the best appearance but rather the one that honours God in our own heart. We can reason for the right goal (God's glory) using this knowledge of God's will that is so easy to access, and the very process of this can achieve our ends. Submitting to God, putting his will first, brings glory to God in itself.

So next time you and I have these choices to make, remember the Lord and reason in a way that is glorifying towards him.

Alex Gillespie is an undergraduate student from Wollongong now based in Sydney studying philosophy at Sydney Uni.

Alex Gillespie previous articles may be viewed

http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/alex-gillespie.html
I try to imagine Bella as young and without inhibition, but I cannot conjure up a picture.

Though I worked hard to understand her mishmash of Yiddish and English, she never confided the details of her wartime ordeal. I know she was pregnant with her son when she and her husband fled to the forest from Korytnica, Poland.

Was she in town when Germans forced its Jewish residents into slave labor, when the Germans stole all their valuables and when, in May of 1942, the Gestapo shot most of the remaining Jews in a pit outside the town?

What were her defiant eyes made to see? Bubby would never say. Whatever tenderness she had known as a girl had been erased. How much of her childhood did Bubby remember and how much was she compelled by trauma to forget?

After the war, Bubby and her husband, Victor, buried their histories and moved on. Severed from their roots, the valiant pair and their children, Mark and Ruth, made their way to Philadelphia, where they tended to tradition in a manner that suited them. From her patois to her potato kugel, Bubby was thoroughly Jewish.

Though no longer Orthodox herself, Bubby took great pride in her Orthodox descendants. Just as certain recessive traits skip a generation, a compromised faith can take time to make itself known again.
Connie Meyers said she placed a large grocery delivery order on Instacart last week that never arrived.

The 59-year-old graphic designer didn't mind extended delivery delays amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. But something strange happened on Monday, the day her $351 purchase was set to arrive at her doorstep.

"The order immediately went to 'delivered' after the shopper began shopping," Meyers said. "And the shopper then sent an old picture of my home that was clearly pulled from the internet as proof."

Save better, spend better: Money advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here

Instacart is being bombarded with an onslaught of orders during the stay-at-home era and is struggling to keep up. On Wednesday, it announced plans to bolster its offerings and speed up the process after customers reported having a hard time finding delivery slots.

But there's something else happening, too. Instacart's Twitter feed is rife with complaints from customers accusing personal shoppers of stealing their groceries at a time when more people are out of jobs, behind on rent and afraid to go out to shop for themselves.

'Your roots are showing': Photo editing apps surge after salons shut down amid coronavirus

YOU STOLE MY ORDER TOO! Refund my money!!!  Kara (@shortnsweet732) April 5, 2020

"My InstaCart shopper stole our groceries. And charged us for them," tweeted @ThatLeroyGlow. "My shopper 'Tanisha M.' in South Florida stole my mothers order!" tweeted @Sherly8811.

Krissa Harris tweeted at Instacart saying, "yesterday your delivery driver fulfilled my order & then disappeared. I can only assume she had a terrible accident or stole my groceries."

Instacart encourages customers to contact its customer service department on the website if there's an issue. The company is also working to implement more in-app support features for shoppers.

Story continues

"In the very rare instance that a customer does not receive their order, they can contact Instacart Care to have their order fully refunded or rescheduled," Instacart said in a statement.

Instacart lets you shop from local grocery stores via an app and website. Then it sends a personal shopper to gather your items and bring them to you, typically on the same day. Since more people face stay-at-home orders and want to have their groceries delivered, Instacart added features on Tuesday.

One lets you set up a delivery two weeks in advance. The other pairs users with real-time shoppers to get orders sooner. But neither addresses what's happening with deliveries that seemingly vanish.

Coronavirus: Aloe vera producers squeezed as people make DIY hand sanitizer

Lynne Emmerson, who lives just outside Boston said she was alarmed when she received an alert saying an order she previously canceled was marked as delivered.

Not only that, but she was also charged $50 for an order of Diet Coke. And it never showed up.

@Instacart your driver stole my order & did not deliver. We chatted much through the order. I was charged but she kept it!!  Girl Be Brave (@Girl_Be_Brave) April 4, 2020

"Suddenly, I get an email saying 'your order was delivered and here is your receipt.'" Emmerson said. "Like, what? Nobody ever delivered anything. I even checked my security cameras."

She disputed the charge with her bank and got a refund.

Tabitha Branham of Gallatin, Tennessee, helped her mother-in-law place a $220 order last week. But the bag of fresh meat, canned foods and laundry detergent never showed up on Monday, when it was supposed to.

@Instacart You shopper stole my order. Now you stole my money. #badservice  Timothy Manning (@Tim_Manning118) April 7, 2020

"Everything was going as normal at first," Branham said. "We were watching the interactive map. But as soon as 'Wendy the shopper' stopped shopping, it showed delivered."

She complained about the incident on Instacart's live chat feature and tweeted at the company. Instacart responded on social media asking for more information, but the issue has not yet been resolved.

"There was no refund. No real help. No nothing," Branham said.

Instacart.

Some of the issues Instacart faces stem from an onslaught of unprecedented demand. Instacart has seen its order volume swell more than 300% year-over-year, and the company recently hired more than 100,000 new workers.

The complaints of disappearing packages come just weeks after some of Instacart's shoppers boycotted the company, demanding new protections in the age of COVID-19. Workers wanted disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and better pay.

Instacart responded with a new app setting to help its gig workers earn higher, more consistent tips. And it announced plans to add additional safety measures.

Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Customers accuse Instacart shoppers of stealing their groceries
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

Hillside Supper Club, known for its signature pot pie and other comfort food dishes, has permanently closed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Chef-owners Tony Ferrari and Jonathan Sutton shared the news on Sunday in a Facebook post that said the closure came in light of the circumstances around COVID-19.

We want to thank you for your love and support over the last seven years, the post read. It breaks our heart to go out this way and not be able to continue feeding the neighborhood, seeing your smiles and hearing your laughs.

ALSO: Mountain View's oldest restaurant has closed after 75 years

Last month, Hillside Supper Club announced that it would temporarily close following shelter-in-place orders. They had planned to reopen on April 7 until the orders were extended to May 3 around the Bay Area.

During the temporary closure, Hillside Supper Club didnt reopen to offer take-out or delivery service either. The temporary closure proved that it was too difficult to continue future operations, Sutton told Hoodline.

Its tough running a small business in San Francisco already, Sutton told Hoodline. At the end of the day, with all the added expenses, the return is very, very small.

ALSO: Bay Area restaurants and nonprofits are feeding hospital workers. Here's how you can help

Hillside Supper Club first opened in Bernal Heights in 2013 after a successful run as a pop-up. In 2015, Food and Wine recognized them in a list of the best pop-ups that became full-service restaurants.

In January, Hillside Supper Club celebrated its seven-year anniversary in San Francisco.

According to Hoodline, both Ferrari and Sutton plan to relocate outside the Bay Area where it might be easier to start a business. Ferrari has moved to Cincinnati where he will work with his brother to open Mom 'n Em Coffee. Sutton shared that he will move to Washington state where he hopes to open an Italian restaurant called Storia Cucina.

Hillside Supper Club is located at 300 Precita Ave. in San Francisco.

Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.
In March, Conroe ISD held its annual monthly meeting at its regular time and place but opened an extra room where the meeting was streamed to allow for social distancing. This month, the board held its first virtual meeting over Zoom to comply with CDC guidelines limiting gatherings of more than 10 people to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The board will be holding its regularly scheduled meeting on April 21 over the same format. The next Facebook Live hosted by the district is scheduled for April 13.

The meeting was not a formal meeting, just a workshop, and no actions were taken. No public comments were submitted.

Superintendent Curtis Null and Deputy Superintendent Chris Hines presented an update on the districts COVID-19 response.

Unlike when Imelda hit, the response to COVID-19 is not a maintenance and facilities issue, Hines said. Many different departments within the district have had to step up: technology, communications, child nutrition, business operations, and curriculum, among many others.

By the numbers The district has distributed 500 internet hotspots to students that need them. The district has distributed over 4,000 Chromebooks since school closed 138 new students have been enrolled since registration opened on March 26 See More Collapse

The priorities right now, according to Hines, are to take precautions to keep students and staff safe, continuity of learning, providing nutrition and other supports to students, communicating with the entire learning community, and continuity of business operations.

As long as the district continues to provide educational opportunities for its students it will continue to receive state funding (except for transportation funding, because transportation is not being used. Regardless, the district is still paying its drivers).

Meal distribution continues

Food distributions are still being held on Tuesday and Thursday. As of April 2, the district has distributed 205,868 meals, which does not include the more than 32,000 meals given out on April 7.

The meal distribution has been gradually increasing and we expect that it will, given the economic situation going on right now, Hines said.

The meals given out by the district are reimbursable, Null said, so anyone wishing to help the district through financial contributions is encouraged to instead donate to the Montgomery County Food Bank. The meals provided by the district are only for school-aged children, the food bank can help an entire family.

Focus on learning

When it comes to the final grading period, Hines said they have been working on a plan that is fair, reduces stress, and provides support.

There will be a focus on key objectives that address the skills necessary for success at the next grade level, Hines said. It means were going to put aside some of those other essential elements.

As Null has promised in all of his addresses during this crisis, Hines stressed that lack of access to technology or the internet will not become a barrier for students to succeed. There will not be penalties for late work and grades in the fourth nine-week grading period will not be lower than the previous nine-weeks. Students can only help themselves in terms of their average. There will be no major grades or final exams.

While schools may be closed, behind the scenes continues to work. The payroll department has continued to process payments for full-time employees, long-term substitutes, and regularly scheduled part-time employees. The HR department continues to recruit new staff, and are working on complications with canceled certification tests. The communications department has been hard at work to produce public updates, facilitate Zoom conferences, create new contact options for each campus, and setting up each Facebook Live.

The rest of the meeting was designated to an update of the Oak Ridge High School master plan, and an update to the proposed 2020-21 budget.

Included in the 2019 bond was funding for phase one of the Oak Ridge High School update. Most of the funding in phase one will be used for mechanical updates.

Several months ago the city of Shenandoah approached the district to talk about the road at the school that bisects the campus that causes safety issues and is inconvenient for the community. The option of moving the road to go around the campus on the north-east side was proposed to the board for consideration.

Finally, CFO Darren Rice gave the board another update on the proposed budget for the next school year with minor adjustments to the presentation from the February meeting. The proposed tax rate of $1.2135 is a decrease of 0.0165 from last year.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
Frustrated residents at popular holiday spots have put up signs telling travellers to stay off their beaches due to fears the tourists could bring the deadly coronavirus with them.

At Mollymook, a normally welcoming tourist town on the New South Wales south coast, locals put up hand-written signs telling outsiders to go away ahead of the Easter long weekend.

'We don't have the resources for visitors. No ICU. You may unwittingly bring COVID-19. Our emergency workers need you to stay home,' said one sign which told travellers - in red capital letters - to 'Go Home' and 'Stay Home'.

The path to Narrawallee Beach just south of Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast on Wednesday

Close-up of the sign at Narrawallee on Wednesday. Locals want to protect themselves

A hand-painted sign at Mollymook on the NSW South Coast on Wednesday

'Fines apply for non-essential travel and this pressures our police too.'

Another hand-written sign at the entrance to nearby Narrawallee Beach, just south of Ulladulla, told people to stay home.

'We respectfully ask if you don't live here don't risk lives,' the sign said.

'Our hospital can't cope so please go home. You may pass on COVID-19 to the community unknowingly.'

Caravan parks are closing to discourage tourists from travelling to country towns for the Easter holidays. People have been advised to stay home and foreign tourists have been asked to leave the country for their homes overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic

Caravan parks in the Shoalhaven area at Burrill Lake were closed on Wednesday.

People in New South Wales can be fined if they are seen in public in groups of more than two people due to physical distancing rules brought in to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Other similar signs had been seen all the way up the coast.

At North Narrabeen in Sydney, 'Locals only! #covid-19' was scrawled in graffiti on a wall next to the famous surf break last week.

Several beaches in Sydney's north were closed on Tuesday due to coronavirus distancing fears including popular Manly Beach, Dee Why, Queenscliff, North Steyne and Shelly Beach.

Locals fear the remaining surf breaks will also be closed if social distancing is not strictly adhered to.

This sign was taped to a tree at Palm Beach, Queensland, south of Surfers Paradise

Although North Narrabeen had not been declared shut by the Northern Beaches council, it was closed on Wednesday due to dangerous surf conditions, the council's website said.

Further north on Queensland's Gold Coast, signs appeared around Palm Beach, near Surfer's Paradise, telling non-locals to leave.

'Sorry but if you don't live here, don't surf here,' said one printed sign that had been laminated before being taped to a tree trunk next to a walkway to the beach.

'Local 4221 residents or within a 5km radius only until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted,' the sign said.

Several Gold Coast beaches including Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta were closed on Tuesday to maintain physical distancing in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus

Barricades were set up at The Spit in Queensland to deter those who want to go to the beach

'Locals if it's crowded please spread out or stagger surf times to enforce social distancing.'

'Let's all do what needs to be done to keep our beach open, thank you for your co-operation in these unprecedented times. Stay safe.'

Several major Gold Coast beaches were closed at midnight on Tuesday including The Spit, Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta. Beach car parks were also closed to deter people.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the remaining beaches would stay open for locals only, although it was unclear how that can be effectively policed.

'The beaches will remain open for our locals so that they can continue to walk and exercise,' Mayor Tate told the ABC on Monday.

'We are working through the finer details now, including having parking officers redeployed to the Spit to monitor illegal parking up there.'

Palm Beach local Karen Rowles said the signs were a reminder that now was not the time to go to the beach.

'We dont want to see it packed by people driving down from elsewhere forcing it closed,' she told the Courier Mail.

Bungalow Park at Burrill Lake on the NSW South Coast is shut. The normally thriving nearby tourist town of Ulladulla is encouraging visitors to stay away due to coronavirus

A playground at Mollymook on the NSW South Coast was padlocked shut to deter visitors

Out of order tape blocks a forlorn barbecue next to Mollymook beach on the NSW South Coast on Wednesday. Public gatherings are limited to two people but everyone is urged to stay home

Nobody was buying fish and chips, or a winning lotto ticket at Mollymook on Wednesday as tourist town shops shutter their doors due to the spread of the coronavirus

Ms Rowles supported Mayor Tate's closing of the other beaches as people had been breaking the rules over the weekend with her own mother being mocked as she tried to keep to the 1.5m physical distancing rule, she said.

A man came up behind her and purposefully sneezed into his arm. He said sorry I am not wearing my face mask,' she said.

Australian National University Medical School Professor Peter Collignon has said he thought the coronavirus lockdowns were unnecessarily tight.

'Sitting on a park bench in the sun - how is that dangerous if nobody is near you?' he told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday.

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

Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of Biosecurity at the University of New South Wales's Kirby Institute, supported the lockdown and was concerned it may not have been strict enough.

A paper she co-authored said the gradual introduction of social distancing and the decision to keep schools open during the early part of the crisis meant were cause for concern.

'We are concerned about the possibility of Australia losing control of the epidemic,' the paper said.

As of Wednesday evening there had beem 6010 coronavirus cases in Australia with 2734 - almost half - in New South Wales.

Case numbers worldwide had reached 1.4 million, of whom 315,308 had recovered and 82,535 had died, according to BNO News which has been tracking coronavirus since early January.

The US had the most cases at 401,146 followed by Spain at 141,942 then Italy at 135,586.

The coronavirus can be spread by droplet transmission from people's mouths through the air or onto surfaces when they talk or laugh, breathe, cough or sneeze.

Several countries including the US, China, Israel, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic have urged people not to come outside at all unless they are wearing face masks, including improvised face masks made of cloth due to the shortage of medical masks which need to be saved for health care workers.
*calls for closer look and consideration of relevant extant Enugu State High Court Rules

From Chuks Collins, Awka

An international human rights advocacy group under the aegis of the Igbo Oriental Think-tank has called on the National Judicial Council(NJC) to take a second closer look at its position on the issue of seniority and ranking of judges in Enugu state, based on extant High Court Rules of the state.

The group in a press conference held in Enugu this afternoon noted that in the course of its advocacy and drive for equity, fairness, brotherliness and foster unity among the contending Nationalities in Nigeria, especially among the peoples of the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, especially Enugu State, they discovered a sensitive issue that bothered on the seniority amongst the Enugu State High Court Judges.

According its Coordinating Secretary, Dr Kenneth Anozie, we took a personal study of it, with relevant instant laws as our guide. Our objective was to unravel the truth, and ensure that the Rule of Law is followed to the letter in other to ensure equity and Justice.

In the 3-page statement, Dr Anozie disclosed that the advocacy group discovered that the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria had in a letter ref No AJC/S.3/XXIV/147 dated Oct 12, 1998 approved and communicated the then Provisional Ruling Councils appointment of a list of eleven Judges in Enugu State to the then Military Administrator of the state.

The letter, Anozie pointed out, stated clearly that the appointment of the following in order of precedence as Judges of Enugu State with effect from Sept 17, 1998. In the said letter these were the Judges approved in order of precedence; Benedict Egwuatu Agbata, Mrs N.P Emehulu, Fredrick Chukwuemeka Obieze, Kignsley Ngwu Udeh, Mrs Regina Obiageli Nwodo, Elvis Chile Ajaonu, Stanley Chuks Nnaji, Anthony Okechukwu Onovo, Reuben Nwajiobi Onuorah, Godwin Osita Anibueze and Raymond Ozoemena.

The group, in drawing the attention of the NJC, the Enugu State Government and the public to see and recognize Justice Anthony Okechukwu Onovo as the Number Two judicial officer of the state, next to the incumbent Chief Judge, stated that out of the eleven High Court Judges appointed same day alongside Onovo, only four remain active in the service today. While the other seven have either retired or are deceased. The four still active according to the order of precedence are; Hon Justice N.P Emehelu, (The incumbent Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State), Hon Justice A.O Onovo, Hon Justice R.N Onuorah and Hon Justice A.R Ozoemena.

That in accordance with High Court Rules of Enugu State which states explicitly in Part 11, Section 7(3); for the avoidance of doubt, where on the same day two or more persons are appointed to the office of a Judge, they shall have precedence in order in which they took their oath of office

Based on this, it was therefore clear that Honourable Justice A. O. Onovo is number (2) in the ranking, based on all the relevant laws of Enugu State High Court Rules, and according to the letter of approval sent to the Military Administrator of Enugu State by the then Honorable Chief Justice of Nigeria on Oct 12,1998.

The Rights group bemoaned that in the course of its investigations discovered that the NJC based on a petition by Hon Justice A.R. Ozoemena has somehow waded into the matter and even given a position on the subject. That in its letter dated Dec 24, 2019 Ref. NJC/S.14/HC/EN/11/1/188 to the Chief Justice of Enugu State, Hon Justice N.P Emehelu, listing the Order of seniority as below:

Name. Date of call to the Bar

(1) Hon. Justice N. P. Emehelu. 1981

(2) Hon. Justice A. R. Ozoemena. 1983

(3) Hon. Justice R. N. Onuorah. 1984

(4) Hon. Justice A. O. Onovo. 1987

From the foregoing, the NJC and His Lordship, it would be seen did not take into cognizance the High Court Laws of Enugu State, which states categorically in Part 11, Section 7(3) For the avoidance of doubt, where on the same day two or more persons are appointed to the office of a Judge they shall have precedence in the order in which they took their oath of office.

The Igbo Oriental Think Tank noted that as a rights group founded on equity, good governance and Rule of Law demand that the right things need to be done. So that the Temple of Justice should not be seen as an arena to perpetrate injustice.
Police have sized the black box from the Ruby Princess cruise ship to find out what crew members said to each other and port officials before hundreds of COVID-19 patients disembarked in Sydney.

The fire-proof recorder, similar to those used in airplanes, was seized by police who boarded in hazmat suits in a night-time raid.

Other evidence was seized and the ship's captain was questioned as detectives ramped up their investigation.

About 1,000 crew are still on board the ship which is docked at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong.

Three-quarters of them have said they are happy to stay on board in isolation isolation before they can fly home to 50 countries, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.

Scroll down for video

NSW Police photographs show several detectives entering the Ruby Princess on Wednesday

Police have sized the black box from the Ruby Princess cruise ship. Pictured: The sealed flight data recorder from the 2009 Air France flight that went down in the mid-Atlantic

A team of 30 police from state crime, counter terrorism and marine area command are investigating the communications and actions which led to the docking and disembarking of the cruise ship in Sydney Harbour on March 19.

The first briefing into the investigation was held on Wednesday morning, before officers dressed in gas masks, goggles and white hazmat suits boarded the vessel at 7pm that day.

Photographs show several detectives boarding the ship while uniformed officers spoke with men in suits on the dock.

Police boarded the coronavirus-infected cruise ship at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong

'The operation is being conducted under the strictest health and workplace safety guidelines,' police said in a brief release on Wednesday night.

The cruise ship docked in Sydney on March 19 after a tour of New Zealand, letting 2,700 passengers, some showing coronavirus symptoms, leave for their homes around Australia and across the world.

The incident sparked multiple COVID-19 outbreaks around Australia with at least 600 confirmed cases and 15 deaths linked to the ship - making it the single biggest source of infection in Australia.

A 62-year-old Adelaide woman became the 15th passenger to die from the ill-fated cruise liner late on Tuesday night.

Police wore gas masks, eye goggles, gloves and white biohazard suits during the boarding of the vessel which on Monday had 200 crew members showing symptoms of the virus

Police in uniform on the dock talked with men in suits during the 7pm raid

Police sorted out permissions to board the cruise ship on Wednesday morning

Earlier this week NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller announced a criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Ruby Princess docking.

Thirty specialist detectives from State Crime Command, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area commands along with police intelligence analysts have been drafted to Strike Force Blast to investigate the cruise ship debacle, NSW Police said in a release on Wednesday.

The team is based out of the homicide squad which normally investigates suspicious 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

Police sought approvals to board the Ruby Princess on Wednesday morning and are expected to remain aboard for several days, The Australian reported.

Investigators have already begun interviewing witnesses including senior port authority officials.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has said it it received a phone call from the Port Authority of NSW hours before the Ruby Princess docked, expressing health concerns about the passengers.

The ABF said in a statement on Wednesday the cruise ship was cleared to dock by NSW Health despite several passengers on board being tested for coronavirus, ABC News reported.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said 'all of us' have to take responsibility for the ship docking in Sydney last month.

The coronavirus-infected Ruby Princess remains contaminated with 200 of the 1400 crew members stranded aboard on Monday showing symptoms of the virus and 17 others testing positive, The Guardian reported.

It is not known how the crew will be repatriated to more than 50 different home countries or where the ship will go next.

Daily Mail Australia asked NSW Health in February and March whether it had plans to build field hospitals - which could be used to quarantine mass coronavirus patients such as those on the Ruby Princess - but did not receive an answer.
Youve been stuck inside all day, working remotely or helping your kids with virtual learning. With New Jerseys stay-at-home order, theres not many options to solve the tedium of self quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, its time to get out of the house.

You decide to go for a walk or a jog. Perhaps you want to take a spin on your bike.

The rules of social distancing say its best to avoid close contact with anyone outside of your household, going out for only essential means. And on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the closure of all state and county parks and forests in New Jersey.

But that doesnt mean outdoor exercise needs to be cut out of your life, an expert says.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

According to Dr. Mike Cascarina, the incoming President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, its perfectly acceptable to leave the house for a walk or a run while taking the right precautions. In fact, its encouraged.

The thing is, exercise actually boosts the immune system, Cascarina said. There havent been any studies with the (COVID-19) virus, but there have been with influenza, and people that exercise regularly seem to be less likely to get most infectious diseases, specifically influenza.

"So it is a good idea to keep active. And going outside is a good idea because you get some vitamin D, you get some sunlight and it helps your mood, too. People are so stressed out, just feeling emotionally better is a good idea.

By using the rules of social distancing and guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cascarina said those activities can continue as usual. Staying at least six feet away from other walkers and runners is critical, even if it means crossing the street.

After the CDC recommended wearing cloth masks when leaving the home, Cascarina said its ideal to use that practice while exercising.

And walks or jogs dont have to be taken alone. If youre self quarantined with other people in your household, going outside with them  while maintaining social distancing from others  wouldnt hurt.

If people want to exercise in groups, doing it with people from your families is probably the best idea because youre around them all the time anyway," Cascarina said. "Youre really not gonna put them at any higher risk.

And, if you are going to head outside, be sure its in a place that is open to the public. See a list of all of the parks and forests closed by Murphys order here.

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.

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
[April 08, 2020]

EnergyBot Launches COVID-19 Energy Resource Center

DALLAS, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EnergyBot has launched an online resource center for businesses and residents trying to find information and programs related to their utility bills during the Coronavirus pandemic.

This resource center will be an ongoing effort to put relevant information and data in one place to help those impacted by COVID-19. Users can find utility bill deferment programs, contact information, and other notices.

"Our objective is to help users find information that can help during an uncertain time," says Fred Purches, Chief Product Officer at EnergyBot. "There are new developments every day in the energy industry as utilities deal with the pandemic."

EnergyBot's COVID-19 supplier and utility resource center can be found at: https://www.energybot.com/coronavirus-electric-suppliers-utilities.html

EnergyBot has also assembled a Frequently Asked Questions resource that can help businesses and residents at: https://www.energybot.com/coronavirus-energy-resource-guide.html







About EnergyBot: EnergyBot is an innovative energy broker transforming the energy procurement process for businesses. Driven by a proprietary technology platform, EnergyBot is the first online energy broker to leverage modern A.I. technologies and industry-specific data to offer each business a simpler process and completely transparent experience  ultimately reducing annual energy costs.

Media Contact:

Thad Warren

Phone: 424.372.1995

Email: [email protected]

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EnergyBot COVID-19 Electric Bill Resource Center

EnergyBot's utility resource center helps customers navigate bill deferment, late payments, and avoid disconnection of essential utilities during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Related Links

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COVID-19 State, Utility, and Provider Resources

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/energybot-launches-covid-19-energy-resource-center-301037723.html

SOURCE EnergyBot
By Express News Service

MULUGU / BHUPALPALLY: In view of the latest positive Covid-19 case reported in the district, additional police forces have been deployed in the buffer zones of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, and several barricades set up to prevent the movement of people.

With a Singareni employee who recently returned to the district after attending a religious convention in Delhi testing positive, the district administration has identified four localities as high risk zones where there is a possibility of spread of Coronavirus.

On Tuesday, District Collector Mohamad Abdul Azeem, Singareni General Manager Nireekshan Raj and District Medical and Health Officer Gopal Rao visited the Singareni Millenium Quarters, Jawahar Nagar, Subash Colony and Ramnagar areas to inspect the arrangements there.

It may be mentioned that the residents of these areas are not allowed to even step out to buy vegetables and other essential provisions.The administration promised to deliver all the necessary items at the door steps of these residents.

Speaking to the media, Collector Mohamad Abdul Azeem said: Medical teams are going door to door and conducting health checkups in these buffer zones, which comprise around 800 households. Besides the health survey and checkups, the officials and volunteers have also been supplying vegetables and essential commodities to each household. As many as 49 primary contacts of infected patients have been shifted to a quarantine ward.

Red alert in Mulugu

Meanwhile, the Mulugu district administration declared a red alert after two persons contacted the Coronavirus in Pasara and Eturnagaram villages of the district. Collector S Krishna Aditya informed that the family members of the persons who tested positive have been quarantined. All essential items are being procured from only one supermarket in the area and the other shops are not being allowed to functon, the Collector said.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean with her family, including her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, bottom right. (Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean/Facebook via AP)

Body of RFKs Missing Great-Grandson Found

The body of the grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and the great-grandson of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was recovered on Wednesday afternoon, said the Maryland Natural Resources Police and other officials.

The remains of Gideon McKean, 8, were found two days after his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKeanthe granddaughter of RFKwas found dead in the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan confirmed the boys death on Twitter, asking the public to please continue to keep their family in your prayers as they mourn this devastating loss.

Authorities searched for Gideon McKean for five days and it involved aviation and underwater imaging sonar technology, Hogans office said.

David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and family attend the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Hosts 2019 Ripple Of Hope Gala & Auction In NYC in New York City on Dec. 12, 2019. (Mike Pont/Getty Images for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights)

I want to sincerely thank the MDNRPolice and all of the agencies and dedicated personnel who worked around the clock to support this recovery mission, the governor wrote on Twitter.

Townsend Mckean and Gideon went missing on the Chesapeake Bay around Shady Side, Maryland, where her mother has a home. The pair went out into the water with a canoe to retrieve a ball they had lost, but they were pushed further out into the water.

According to a news release from the Maryland Natural Resources Police, McKean was found dead in about 25 feet of water at 5:30 p.m. ET after they used underwater sonar technology. She was located some 2.5 miles south of her mothers residence in Shady Side, Maryland, officials said.

Her husband, David, wrote that his family was in Maryland to shelter at home during the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic.

It is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away, McKeans husband David wrote on Facebook over the weekend. We were self-quarantining in an empty house owned by Maeves mother Kathleen on the Chesapeake Bay, hoping to give our kids more space than we have at home in DC to run around, he added.

They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay, her husband wrote. 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 capsized canoe, miles away, at approximately 6:30 [Thursday] evening.
NSW Police raided the ill-fated Ruby Princess overnight, questioning its captain and searching for evidence in a rapid escalation of the criminal investigation into the handling of the cruise ship scandal.

A team of 30 detectives from state crime, counter terrorism and marine area command are investigating the communications and actions which led to the docking and disembarking of the cruise ship in Sydney Harbour on March 19.

The first briefing into the investigation was held on Wednesday morning, before officers dressed in gas masks, goggles and white hazmat suits boarded the vessel at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong, at 7pm that day.

Photographs show several detectives boarding the ship while uniformed officers spoke with men in suits on the dock.

NSW Police photographs show several detectives entering the Ruby Princess on Wednesday

Police boarded the coronavirus-infected cruise ship at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong

'The operation is being conducted under the strictest health and workplace safety guidelines,' police said in a brief release on Wednesday night.

The cruise ship docked in Sydney on March 19 after a tour of New Zealand, letting 2,700 passengers, some showing coronavirus symptoms, leave for their homes around Australia and across the world.

The incident sparked multiple COVID-19 outbreaks around Australia with at least 600 confirmed cases and 15 deaths linked to the ship - making it the single biggest source of infection in Australia.

A 62-year-old Adelaide woman became the 15th passenger to die from the ill-fated cruise liner late on Tuesday night.

Police wore gas masks, eye goggles, gloves and white biohazard suits during the boarding of the vessel which on Monday had 200 crew members showing symptoms of the virus

Police in uniform on the dock talked with men in suits during the 7pm raid

Police sorted out permissions to board the cruise ship on Wednesday morning

Earlier this week NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller announced a criminal investigation into the actions that led to the Ruby Princess docking.

Thirty specialist detectives from State Crime Command, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area commands along with police intelligence analysts have been drafted to Strike Force Blast to investigate the cruise ship debacle, NSW Police said in a release on Wednesday.

The team is based out of the homicide squad which normally investigates suspicious 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

Police sought approvals to board the Ruby Princess on Wednesday morning and are expected to remain aboard for several days, The Australian reported.

Investigators have already begun interviewing witnesses including senior port authority officials.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has said it it received a phone call from the Port Authority of NSW hours before the Ruby Princess docked, expressing health concerns about the passengers.

The ABF said in a statement on Wednesday the cruise ship was cleared to dock by NSW Health despite several passengers on board being tested for coronavirus, ABC News reported.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said 'all of us' have to take responsibility for the ship docking in Sydney last month.

The coronavirus-infected Ruby Princess remains contaminated with 200 of the 1400 crew members stranded aboard on Monday showing symptoms of the virus and 17 others testing positive, The Guardian reported.

It is not known how the crew will be repatriated to more than 50 different home countries or where the ship will go next.

Daily Mail Australia asked NSW Health in February and March whether it had plans to build field hospitals - which could be used to quarantine mass coronavirus patients such as those on the Ruby Princess - but did not receive an answer.
Mass Grave Discovered in Rwanda May Contain Remains of 30,000 Genocide Victims - Officials

Sputnik News

14:17 GMT 07.04.2020

The executive secretary of the genocide survivor organisation Ibuka said that work to exhume the bodies has been hampered by water from a dam located near the area and the coronavirus lockdown, which prohibits people from gathering in large numbers.

A mass grave that was recently discovered in Rwanda could contain the bodies of up to 30,000 victims of the 1994 genocide, officials said. The discovery was described as extremely important for Rwandan society. The mass grave was found following a tip-off from perpetrators of the genocide who recently completed their jail sentences. It is located outside the capital Kigali in a valley dam that officials say was built years before the genocide in order to provide water for farming. 50 bodies have been exhumed so far.

"The challenge we face now is that the valley dam contains water, but we are trying to dry it up. But we try our best so that we give the dead a decent burial", Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of the genocide survivor organisation Ibuka, told the Associated Press.

The discovery was made just days before Rwanda marked the 26th anniversary of the start of the genocide on 7 April. This year, there will be no large-scale events, as gatherings are banned due to the coronavirus outbreak.

President Paul Kagame is expected to light the "Remembrance Flame" at the Kigali Genocide Centre. The flame will burn for the next 100 days, the amount of time that the killings went on for in 1994. The whole country will be in mourning for the next 100 days.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted a video statement on his Twitter account, saying the world must say no to hate speech and xenophobia.

Although most of the Rwandan population are Hutus, the country was governed by the Tutsi minority until 1959, when their rule was overthrown. Purges of Tutsis started following the overthrow, forcing them to flee to neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, and Zaire - now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tutsi refugees formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and in 1990 the group invaded Rwanda, which led to the start of a civil war in the country. The conflict ended in 1993 with a peace accord between the RPF and the government of Juvenal Habyarimana.

On 6 April 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan President Habyarimana and Burundi's President Cyprien Ntaryamira, both Hutus, was shot down as it prepared to land in the capital Kigali. The responsibility for the downing was disputed, with the Hutu-led government and the Tutsi RPF blaming each other.

The genocide began the next day. Military and police officers executed key Tutsi political leaders and other prominent figures. Officials and government radio stations called on Hutu citizens to take part in the killings. According to various estimates, between 800,000 and one million people were slaughtered in the ensuing massacre. This number includes Tutsis, Hutus who opposed the genocide, and pygmy people known as the Batwa.

The genocide ended after the RPF took control of the capital, forcing Hutus to flee to neighbouring countries.

In 2017, Pope Francis acknowledged that Catholic priests and nuns took part in the killings and asked for forgiveness.

The international community did little to stop the slaughter and the United Nations was not given a mandate to act, while most of the UN and Belgian troops that were in Rwanda at the time of the genocide were pulled out.

 Sputnik

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Vegetable seedlings at a rooftop hydroponics farm at an industrial estate in Singapore. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)

SINGAPORE  The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is establishing a $30 million grant as part of plans to support the agri-food industry in ramping up local production of eggs, leafy vegetables and fish in the shortest possible time.

The agency plans to meet 30 per cent of Singaporeans nutrition needs with locally-produced food by 2030, which is why it has named its overall plan 30x30 Express.

In a joint media release with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) on Wednesday (8 April), SFA said that the current COVID-19 situation underscores the importance of local food production, as part of Singapores strategies to ensure food security and adapt to the long-term challenges posed by climate change.

Local food production mitigates our reliance on imports, and provides buffer in the event of food supply disruptions, it said in the media release.

Grant call to submit proposal to grow more and grow faster

In mid-April, SFA will be launching an open call for the $30 million 30x30 Express grant. Local agri-food players producing the three food types  eggs, leafy vegetables and fish  cansubmit their proposals to grow more and grow faster. These food items are commonly consumed in Singapore, and which Singapore already has capabilities to produce locally.

The grant call will enable the Government to crowdsource and support ideas from the agri-food industry to develop innovative approaches to grow food productively and sustainably. Local agri-food players will be able to tap on the grant to defray upfront costs to accelerate their farms expansion in production capacity within the next six to 24 months.

The grant will also provide co-funding of productivity-enhancing technology systems. It will complement SFAs existing Agriculture Productivity Fund, which aims to help farms modernise and harness technologies and advanced farming systems, as well as co-fund test-bedding of technologies.

Currently, less than 10 per cent of Singapores food supply is produced locally.

Story continues

Taskforce headed by Masagos Zulkifli

Government agencies will identify alternative farming spaces, such as industrial spaces and vacant sites, to facilitate the ramping up of local food production.

For instance, SFA will launch a tender for rooftop spaces on HDB Multi-Storey Car Parks for the purpose of urban farming from May this year.

A multi-agency 30x30 Express taskforce  chaired by Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli  has been formed to drive and coordinate inter-agency efforts.

The other members are Indranee Rajah (Second Minister for Finance and Education), Dr Amy Khor (Senior Minister of State for Health, and the Environment and Water Resources), Dr Koh Poh Koon (Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry) and Zaqy Mohamad (Minister of State for National Development and Manpower).

The new 30x30 Express initiative is expected to push the envelope for local farming capacity, and accelerate our efforts to reach our 30x30 goal, Masagos said in the media release.

It is important that these efforts are augmented by the support of consumers. Demand from consumers will spur our farmers to become more productive, and allow them to reap the benefits of economies of scale. This in turn will bolster our food security, and create good jobs for our people.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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Boris Johnsons most senior aide is facing fresh allegations he flouted lockdown rules by taking a sightseeing trip on Easter Sunday.

The prime minister is facing mounting calls to sack Dominic Cummings amid claims he made several trips to see his family in County Durham, while the country was being told to stay at home.

Ministers vociferously defended Mr Cummings after it emerged he had made the 260-mile journey, insisting he had obeyed the rules by staying in one place while there.

However, an eyewitness told The Observer and the Sunday Mirror he had seen Mr Cummings on 12 April, 30 miles from Durham in Barnard Castle.

Another eyewitness said they saw the prime ministers most trusted aide in Durham on 19 April, days after he had been photographed returning to Downing Street.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 November 2021 Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 23 November 2021 The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London PA UK news in pictures 22 November 2021 The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 21 November 2021 London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services PA UK news in pictures 20 November 2021 Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 19 November 2021 A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste' PA UK news in pictures 18 November 2021 The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 15 November 2021 Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool Reuters UK news in pictures 14 November 2021 Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London PA UK news in pictures 13 November 2021 Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was caught in a dispute between two states PA

Earlier, Downing Street had described the first trip as essential, saying Mr Cummings needed his familys help to care for his young son because his wife was sick with coronavirus and he feared he was next.

Cabinet ministers lined up to defend Mr Cummings, saying he had put his family first and accused critics of trying to politicise the issue.

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, used the daily Downing Street press conference to suggest that Mr Cummings had not broken lockdown rules because he had stayed put upon arrival in Durham.

But Robin Lees, 70, a retired chemistry teacher, told the papers he had seen Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday.

Mr Lees compared him to Catherine Calderwood, Scotlands former chief medical officer, who stood down after visiting her second home twice during lockdown.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP have written to Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, calling for an inquiry into Mr Cummingss decision to travel from London to Durham.

They want the probe to include when the prime minister was made aware Mr Cummings had left the capital.

Senior Tories also expressed concern that Mr Cummings's behaviour could encourage others to flout the rules, jeopardising the governments plans to gradually lift the lockdown.

The Independent can reveal that senior MPs are set to question Mr Johnson over Mr Cummings later this week, as pressure grows on the prime minister to explain what he knew about the trip under lockdown.

Parliament is in recess until June, meaning Mr Johnson will not have to face MPs at Prime Ministers Questions.

But members of the Commons Liaison Committee, which is made up of the chairs of other select committees, said they expected Mr Johnson to be questioned about Mr Cummings when he makes his first appearance before them later this week.

Pete Wishart, an SNP MP who sits on the committee and is a member of the "quad" which organises its business, said: If nothing has changed and Dominic Cummings is still in post by Wednesday, it would be very surprising if this was an issue that was not raised.

Another member of the committee said: Im sure one of my colleagues will crowbar the Cummings question in.

In a statement defending Mr Cummings, Downing Street said his trip had been essential to ensure his young son was properly cared for. After an offer of help from his sister and nieces, he travelled to a house near to but separate from his extended family.

A spokesperson for No 10, said: "Yesterday [Friday] the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today [Saturday] they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers."

There was confusion about the involvement of police, however. No 10 also said that at no stage was Mr Cummings or his family spoken to by the police.

On Saturday night Durham Police took the unusual step of confirming they had spoken to Mr Cummingss father.

Steve White, the police and crime commissioner for Durham Police, a former head of the Police Federation in England and Wales, said it was "most unwise" for Mr Cummings to have travelled when "known to be infected".

The SNP accused No 10 of a "cover up" after reports some in Downing Street knew Mr Cummings had made the 260-mile journey during lockdown.

Former Tory cabinet minister David Lidington, Theresa Mays de facto deputy prime minister, told Newsnight: "There's clearly serious questions that No 10 are going to have to address, not least because the readiness of members of the public to follow government guidance more generally is going to be affected by this sort of story."

Professor Neil Ferguson, the epidemiologist whose modelling prompted the lockdown, quit as a government adviser for flouting the rules when he was visited at this home by his lover.

At the time Mr Hancock, the health secretary, said he was "speechless" and that he backed any police action against Mr Ferguson.

Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, called for Mr Cummings to quit over the allegations, while a spokesperson for Labour said: "The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for Dominic Cummings."

Asked by reporters on Saturday if he had considered his position, Mr Cummings said "obviously not".
A car passenger was caught on camera taunting an Asian driver with fake sneezes.

The video was filmed and shared on social media by Charlie Lee, who is from South Korea, on Tuesday afternoon.

It showed a white male sitting in a silver Toyota Hilux at the traffic lights in Cairns, Queensland, mimicking sneezing at Mr Lee through the car window and laughing.

The video showed a caucasian male sitting in a isilver Toyota Hilux at the traffic lights in Cairns, Queensland, mimicking sneezing at Mr Lee through the car window

The female driver next to him could be seen telling him to stop after he fake sneezed two more times.

'Embarrassing experience of racism in Aus,' Mr Lee wrote on Facebook.

'What stupid behaviour.'

Friends and locals were disgusted with the man's behaviour.

'This is disgusting. I'm so sorry this happened to you,' one user wrote.

'So sorry and embarrassed that you have to experience this,' shared another.

The video was filmed and shared on social media by Charlie Lee, who is from South Korea, on Tuesday afternoon

Another Cairns resident, originally from Japan, said he had experienced similar behaviour at the supermarket.

Michael Healy, the member for Cairns, was horrified by the incident.

'Any racial abuse is intolerable. It's extremely disappointing and the majority of people living in this citywould find that to be abhorrent and those actions are absolutely disgraceful,' he said, according to 9 News.

It comes as the government took steps on Wednesday to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Pretending to cough on someone causing them to fear they may have COVID-19 is now a criminal offence.
Washington  Millions of gig economy, contract and furloughed workers who were promised they would qualify for unemployment benefits for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic are in limbo as the federal government and states scramble to implement that part of the $2.2 trillion relief package.

It could be weeks or longer before those newly-eligible workers get help as states await clarification from the Labor Department about precisely who qualifies and what documentation is required, and states then race to modify their existing unemployment insurance systems to include the expanded pool of recipients.

In California, officials are discouraging such workers  including those who have seen their hours cut drastically but still have jobs  from even applying at this time.

"I don't have any estimate (of timing)," said Loree Levy, deputy director of the California Employment Development Department, which oversees unemployment insurance claims. "Everybody is working around the clock to make it happen quickly. We're still trying to get an idea of what that (federal) blueprint is going to look like."

Under federal rules, people will receive benefits backdated to when they became unemployed because of the coronavirus, not to when they apply. So in the end, workers should not receive less money due to the delays.

Other parts of the enhanced unemployment benefits included in the massive bailout plan passed by Congress last month are moving faster. The extra $600 a week  on top of state benefits currently provided to those who qualify for unemployment under existing rules  could take effect soon, Levy said, including the extension of those benefits for an additional 13 weeks, once the 26 weeks of state benefits expire. The department initially said the $600 payments could potentially begin flowing this week, but now warns it may take longer.

In California, that extra federal money will boost the maximum payout from about $1,800 a month to about $4,200 a month.

That's a much easier provision to implement since it relies heavily on current rules and practices. California is modifying its computer systems to put those changes into effect, and hopes to be able to say this week exactly when the additional $600 will begin to flow, Levy said.

But creating a new system that expands unemployment insurance to a pool of people who have never been eligible before could take some time. Levy said California would normally take six to 18 months to create such a new program. But such a time frame is not acceptable when millions of Americans find themselves abruptly unemployed, she added.

The federal rescue package expanded the universe of who qualifies for jobless benefits by creating the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program to include people who are self-employed, temporary workers, part-time workers, freelancers, contract workers, and gig economy workers. It also included workers who still had jobs, but had their hours drastically cut.

Delays in rolling out these new benefits potentially put at risk a critical, innovative part of the rescue plan  a promise that the federal government will pay unemployment claims to people furloughed by their employers, not just those who were laid off. It was meant to encourage businesses to keep their staffs so they can reopen quickly once the economy turns around.

California is eligible for up to $118 million of the $1 billion set aside in the relief package to help states cover the administrative and programming costs of adjusting and expanding their unemployment insurance programs, and dealing with the onslaught of new claims as the economy grinds to a halt amid the coronavirus outbreak. Many states are struggling to make programming changes to archaic computer systems.

The increase in unemployment claims across the country has only begun. In the final two weeks of March, nearly 10 million Americans filed unemployment claims. New York saw a 520% increase in unemployment insurance claims processed from the week ending March 21 and the week before, and the number is expected to increase as more workers are laid off or furloughed.

Over the weekend, the Labor Department issued a 43-page guidance to the states providing an overview of what it expects each states Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program to look like.

But California officials say they need more information and details from the Labor Department before they can proceed. Unemployment is a shared state and federal program, and a violation of federal rules can have ramifications for states.

"There are some things in there we have to get clarification on," Levy said. "The federal government pays for it. We have to wait for their rules and regulations, and build it into our system."

The Labor Department did not respond to requests for comment.

California was hoping the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program would mirror its existing emergency unemployment insurance program. But the Labor Department guidance indicates the federal government expects something more detailed.

"That's a tough one because it's a whole new program, brand new," Levy said. "It's their money, so we have to abide by what they want us to implement."

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, questioned in a statement whether the guidance issued by the Labor Department is confusing and narrowly written in a way that "will inevitably prevent workers from receiving assistance they desperately need and should qualify for."

His staff pointed to language in the guidance indicating that a person may qualify for unemployment if they quit their job because they or a family member have tested positive for COVID-19. But that's something that could be difficult to prove when a shortage of tests means many people are being encouraged to self-isolate even without confirmation.

Wyden's office also pointed to language indicating that a person could qualify if they cannot work because they are taking care of a child while school is closed. But they will not qualify once the school year ends. Wyden's office says that ignores that many summer programs and day care centers will likely be closed.

For Mark and Archana Olsen of Redondo Beach, who both fall into the pool of workers who will temporarily qualify for the newly expanded unemployment, the benefits would be welcome.

In recent weeks, Archana, 46, was furloughed from her job in the hospitality industry. Mark, 53, a freelance writer and producer, has seen his work drop significantly as companies have scaled back nonessential work. Previously neither may have qualified for unemployment.

"It's been a little bit devastating for our household," Mark Olsen said. "I'm not living paycheck to paycheck fortunately. But in the mid-term, it would be nice to know there is some relief on the horizon if this goes on for more than a month or two."

He hasn't heard from the state since applying for benefits 10 days ago, which he attributed to the number of new claims being filed.

"I'm trying not to get too alarmed by the whole situation," Olsen said. "I do believe the government wants to put money in our pockets."

Levy said the best thing people who fall into the expanded pool can do at the moment is wait to file their claims and allow the state to clear the overwhelmed pipeline of those who would normally qualify for unemployment.

She said updates about when people should apply and other information will be posted at the department's website.

"Hang tight, which is so difficult to do," Levy said. "But we're going to work through it. We can't really help direct anybody until we know how the federal government wants that to work."

-- By Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:30:27|Editor: huaxia

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"So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful," Sanders said. "And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."



WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race Wednesday, paving the way for the party's only remaining candidate Joe Biden to become the Democratic nominee.

In a speech live streamed to supporters in the morning, Sanders said his "path toward victory is virtually impossible," with some 300 fewer delegate votes than Biden's.

"So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful," he said. "And so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign."

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park of Chicago, the United States, on March 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

Senator from the state of Vermont and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, Sanders has been lagging behind former Vice President Biden in several past primaries, starting in South Carolina in late February and culminating in the crucial states of Michigan and Florida last month, before the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the election process.

While admitting he cannot continue a "campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," Sanders insisted that he and his supporters have won on the ideological front.

"Few would deny that over the course of the past five years our movement has won the ideological struggle," said the 78-year-old.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former U.S. vice president, attends a caucus night rally with his wife Jill Biden at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 3, 2020. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

Over the course of the nominating contest, Biden -- a moderate as opposed to Sanders' progressive stance -- has built up a lead in the decisive delegate votes, garnering over half of the 1,991 votes needed for nomination, thus continuously narrowing Sanders' path toward a one-on-one with incumbent President Donald Trump in the general election.

The veteran politician said he will remain on the ballot in states that still expect to have primaries despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and that he will continue to gather delegates in order to carry his message forward. "While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not."

Sanders has campaigned on a progressive policy agenda that includes Medicare for All through a government-led healthcare system, the Green New Deal to cope with the climate change, and College for All that guarantees tuition- and debt-free public college, among other proposals.

Now trailing presumptive nominee Biden in delegate votes 914 to 1,217, Sanders ran for president in the 2016 race but was defeated by Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nominating process.

(Article by Xinhua Reporter Deng Xianlai; Video by Xinhua Reporter Hu Yousong) 
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I have been reading about the Italian health care system, one of the best in the world, yet unable to keep pace with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Let me be honest and unpopular: the Italian health care system is rotten, and the coronavirus pandemic is showing it to the world.

I am an Italian physician based in Los Angeles. I was 25-year-old when, nauseated by a health care system dominated by corruption and ineptitude, I decided to leave. Poor leadership and scarce resources have shaped a health care system that is overstretched and insufficient at best. My American friends and colleagues ask me why the mortality associated with COVID-19 is so high in Italy. While the elderly Italian population is massive and makes for the majority of the deaths, I believe that this praised health care system plays a key role in the outrageous mortality rate.

Italy is corrupt, and this is no big surprise. Corruption is money being allotted to the health care system, yet distributed into the pockets of politicians, which directly translates into a lack of resources for the Italian hospitals. Corruption is unfit political leaders, at times uneducated, unable to allocate resources even if they were willing to. Providers are forced to work with insufficient equipment and staff, striving to save lives in an inadequate setting. Hospitals struggle to find physicians and nurses willing to work under such pressure without resources to do their job. Those who decide to work in the ER do so by committing to a life of overwork, low salaries, and no protection in case of the inevitable malpractice. The same applies to providers in intensive care. Corruption is a health care system dominated by medical leaders placed in their positions by politicians or friends. Department chairmen are often assigned not because of their achievements or knowledge, but because of who they know.

At times these leaders happen to be good doctors; however, oftentimes, they are not. These are the leaders tasked with making critical decisions during a pandemic. These are the leaders that should educate and shape the next generation of bright trainees. Young doctors are left with few choices: they can either model their unlikely educators or emigrate. In recent years, many young physicians like me opted for the latter, choosing to pursue the rocky path of a career abroad rather than compromising because of a mediocre system. De facto, leaving the already broken Italian health care with fewer providers. The politicians praising the job of so many overworked physicians in the pandemic are the same politicians that have ignored the needs of the medical class. After spending tax money to train the next generation of physicians (medical school is mainly free in Italy), they passively witnessed the exodus of Italian providers to more meritocratic and less corrupt countries.

This dynamic of corruption and incompetence of the Italian system translates into poor care and poor outcomes. I have experience of this both on the provider side and patient side. Only one year ago, my 88-year-old grandma was diagnosed with pneumonia in the ER of one of the most prestigious academic hospitals in Rome. She was left on a stretcher for one week. It was no surprise when, after a few days, she started to develop bedsores. The ER personnel is insufficient and overworked, so nobody could make sure she was fed. Due to starvation, she ended up with pancreatitis (a rather severe inflammation of the pancreas). One day, my mother called me from the ER, still waiting to get news about a bed, telling me about a paranoid young man that was brought to the ER. Nobody could see him for hours, and he eventually threw himself out of a window, breaking some bones but still alive. As a psychiatrist, I feel confident that if something like that had taken place in the United States, that same center would no longer have an ER open.

The faultiness of the Italian system is accepted as normal in a country where citizens are taught that this is, indeed, the best of the best. Many assume that it is the best because it is free, and what is better than dying for free? On the 8th day in the ER, my grandma was transferred to the medical floor. Once there, my family could finally assist her and make sure she could eat and recover. The Italian health care relies on families to fill the void left by the lack of resources. The COVID-19 pandemic separates families from their sick relatives, preventing exactly what the Italian system relies upon. Once hospitalized, it is common to have patients with a catheter in their bladder, not because of any medical indication, but because there is not enough staff to assist everyone to the bathroom. This common practice favors diseases, and my grandmother, like many others, ended up with a urinary tract infection due to the catheter. My grandmother had to survive not only pneumonia for which she initially presented to the ER, but pancreatitis, the bedsores and the urinary tract infection caused by this excellent health care.

The last hospitalization of my grandmother is emblematic of a system praised internationally because of propaganda rather than facts. Medical excellence in Italy does exist, as testified by decades of relevant academic work from the most prestigious universities. However, it is patchy, leaving most of the country in a precarious condition. Italy needed a pandemic to unveil the reality of a collapsed national health care system. COVID-19 does not spare anyone, not even corrupt politicians, and this should be a wake-up call for the Italian government. Italian physicians are fighting at the front line of this pandemic unequipped, in the desperate effort to suffice where the government failed them. Nobody is truly ready for COVID-19. Better health care systems will be hit hard and possibly fail those in need, yet the Italian experience is not to be taken as a model of first-world health care.

Roberta Zanzonico is a psychiatrist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Over 200 doctors and nurses in the country have contracted the coronavirus disease, the Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday.

The agency said 252 health workers have tested positive for the deadly disease as shown in its latest data. Of this number, 152 or 65 percent are doctors, while 63 or 25 percent are nurses.

Twelve healthcare workers also succumbed to COVID-19, DOH said.

The department did not name other professions in the health sector that were included in the count.

This is the first time the DOH released data on the number of infected health workers. The agency recently included medical personnel with COVID-19 symptoms in the list of high-risk people who should get tested.

Earlier, the Philippine Medical Association gave a different number, saying 17 doctors died from COVID-19. The group said these deaths could have been prevented had there been enough protective gear.

Health officials have since procured one million sets of personal protective equipment to be distributed to different hospitals. These sets, containing N95 masks, surgical gowns, gloves, head cover and foot covers, will come in batches until April 24.
She was perhaps best known for her early work on the origin of elements, which culminated in the article Synthesis of the Elements in Stars. Published in the Reviews of Modern Physics, it became known as B2FH after the initials of its authors: the Burbidges, Fowler (who later received a share of the Nobel Prize in physics) and Fred Hoyle, who coined the term big bang but, like Geoffrey, favored an alternative theory known as the steady-state model of the universe.
Teachers at Yongsan Technical High School in Seoul film a lecture on Wednesday which will be watched by students from Thursday./ Yonhap



By Kim Se-jeong



Teachers, parents and students were still unsure about what to expect from upcoming online classes, Wednesday, a day before the start of the unprecedented online-only spring semester for high school students and middle school seniors.



Last week, the Ministry of Education said schools from elementary to high school will open Thursday but lectures should be offered virtually in an effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, plunging teachers, students and parents into panic.



Following high school students and middle school seniors, freshmen and sophomores and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools will begin their online lectures on April 16, followed by first to third graders in elementary schools on April 20.



"I am not sure how things will play out. I haven't done a test lecture with students yet," said a teacher from Daegu who teaches Korean language to senior high school students.



"I made a 50-minute class for my students using content I watched on EBS. I will upload the file on a platform and the students will log in to watch the lecture. I am supposed to be able to see who's watching the video during the class time and I will check attendance based on that. But I am pretty sure students will do something else during the class and only few will have their full attention on my lecture."



A middle school senior in Yongin Gyeonggi Province had a technical problem during a trial class on Tuesday with his teacher.



His computer screen went blank for more than an hour due to a problem caused by overloaded traffic to the e-learning website. The teachers instructed him instantly to sign off temporarily which he did, and he was able to go back to the website an hour and a half later.



"School opening is just two days away and the situation doesn't look good. I am getting more worried," his mother said during an interview with a local newspaper.



Not all students have devices ready for online classes.



"Some of my students still don't have devices," an anonymous high school teacher in Seoul said on Tuesday.



The education authorities said that students could rent devices from schools and the government will subsidize the internet connection fees, but the teacher accused the government of blind optimism.



Many teachers said they chose to record lectures, instead of interactive live lectures.



"We've tried interactive lecture sessions with students and it somehow took me 20 minutes to check students' attendance," one science teacher said. "So my school scrapped live lectures altogether."



The government tried to keep spirits up for teachers and students.



"Online schooling  will be the beginning of a whole new world. Instead of being afraid and pessimistic, I encourage people to stay excited and optimistic about the future opportunities," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a meeting on Thursday.


Russian Aerospace Forces to Get 2 More Modernised An-124 Military Cargo Planes

Sputnik News

12:33 GMT 07.04.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Aerospace Forces will receive two additional An-124 Ruslan super-heavy military transport aircraft, a source in the aviation industry revealed.

"The contract [with the plant] includes the modernisation of individual systems of two An-124-100 super-heavy military transport aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces", the source said.

He did not specify the date the aircraft was commissioned.

In 2019, three such aircraft were modernised and transferred to the military. Ulyanovsk-based aircraft plant Aviastar-SP has been engaged in the modernisation of An-124s since 2004.

The An-124 was developed in the first half of the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in cooperation with leading Soviet research institutes, enterprises, aviation industry organisations and ministries.

A Sputnik

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Recordati Rare Diseases is now the European Marketing Authorization holder of Isturisa (osilodrostat) indicated for Adult patients with Endogenous Cushing's Syndrome

Paris, 8 April, 2020 - Recordati Rare Diseases today announces the transfer of the European Marketing Authorization of Isturisa (osilodrostat). The transfer includes all EU member states plus the UK, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Isturisa is authorized for the treatment of adult patients with Cushing's syndrome. Isturisa is a potent inhibitor of 11-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), the enzyme responsible for the final step of cortisol biosynthesis1. Isturisa has demonstrated rapid and sustained normalization of cortisol levels in a significant proportion of adult patients with a manageable safety profile, making this a novel oral treatment option for patients with Cushing's syndrome2, 3

Cushing's syndrome is an endocrine disorder caused by excessive cortisol, a vital hormone that regulates metabolism, maintains cardiovascular function and helps the body respond to stress. It is a rare but serious disease that most commonly affects adults as young as 20 to 50 years and affects women three times more often than men. It may present with weight gain, central obesity, a round, red full face, severe fatigue and weakness, striae (purple stretch marks), high blood pressure, depression and anxiety. Cushing's syndrome can cause severe illness and death with mortality up to four times higher than in the healthy population4, 5, 6.

'Isturisa (osilodrostat) is an important and welcome new treatment option in the management of patients with Cushing's syndrome, a severe, potentially life-threatening rare disease," said Rosario Pivonello, M.D., Professor at the Department of Molecular and Clinical Endocrinology and Oncology of the Frederico II University of Naples, Italy. "Cushing's syndrome results in an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as hypercoagulability, diabetes, infections, depression, and decreased quality of life. If not appropriately treated, Cushing's syndrome has increased mortality. The primary treatment goal is the normalization of cortisol levels. Until now, patients have had few approved options, either with limited efficacy or with too many adverse effects. With this new oral treatment, having shown efficacy and safety in a prospective long-term setting, we have a therapeutic option that will help address patients' needs in this underserved patient population."

In the phase 3 pivotal LINC-3 study, a significantly higher proportion of patients with Cushing's disease treated with Isturisa maintained normal mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) at the end of the 8-week randomized withdrawal period (week 34) versus placebo (86% vs 29%). Cortisol level control is the primary objective in the treatment of patients with Cushing's disease. Adverse drug reactions associated with Isturisa and occurring in greater than 20% of patients are adrenal insufficiency, fatigue, nausea, headache, and edema.7

"As a company with a strong commitment to Rare Diseases, we are excited to provide Isturisa, an effective treatment option to patients with Cushing's Syndrome", said Mr Massimo Mineo, General Manager EMEA. "Rare pituitary disorders, like Cushing's and the unmet needs of patients with this special subset of diseases, are at the heart of our efforts in endocrinology. Today, April 8th, is Cushing's Awareness day. In memory of Harvey Cushing, who first described the syndrome in 1932, we would like to draw attention to the importance of improving awareness and encouraging accurate and early diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome and other rare pituitary diseases.'

The European Commission granted Isturisa a European Marketing Authorisation as an Orphan Drug. Recordati Rare Diseases expects commercialisation to initiate in Q3 2020.

Recordati Rare Diseases, part of the Recordati group, recently launched an endocrinology business unit and is actively building its commercial, medical, and market access teams. The company is developing a comprehensive distribution model that will support patients and healthcare providers.

1. Bertagna X et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014;99:1375-83.

2. Fleseriu M et al. Pituitary 2016;19:138-48.

3. Biller BMK et al. Abstract OR16-2. Oral presentation at the Endocrine Society Annual Congress 2019.

4. Nieman LK. Endocrinol Metab 2018;33:139-46.

5. Lonser RR et al. J Neurosurg 2017;126:404

6. Dekkers O et al J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2013, 98(6):2277-84

7. Isturisa Summary of Product Characteristics. January 2020.

Recordati, established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of more than 4,300, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations throughout the whole of Europe, including Russia, Turkey, North Africa, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, some South American countries, Japan and Australia. An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new specialties with a focus on treatments for rare diseases. Consolidated revenue for 2019 was  1,481.8 million, operating income was  465.3 million and net income was  368.9 million.

For further information:

Recordati Rare Diseases website: www.recordatirarediseases.com

Head of International Marketing

Gordon J Daniels

(33)0607531337

e-mail: daniels.g@recordati.com



Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.

Attachment






Geico will offer about $2.5 billion of credits to its 19 million auto and motorcycle policyholders, reflecting the decline in driving and therefore car crashes stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The insurer, part of billionaire Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate holding company, will offer a 15% credit on policies up for renewal between April 8 and Oct. 7. That averages up to about $150 per auto policy and $30 per motorcycle policy. Full details of Geico's Giveback Credit program can be found here.

The company has also paused cancellation of coverage due to non-payment and policy expiration through at least April 30, 2020 and potentially later depending on the state the policyholder lives in.

The announcement came one day after Allstate announced its Shelter-in-Place Payback program, which will return more than $600 million to policyholders, mostly through a payback of 15% of premiums for April and May on about 18 million policies.

Geico said vehicle accidents are down considerably, though it expects a return to near-normal levels as the pandemic subsides.

The ongoing crisis has widespread effects that will linger, Geico Chief Executive Todd Combs said in a statement. Our customers have been loyal, and we are committed to doing all we can to help them.

State Farm and Progressive are also reviewing their premium practices in light of the decline in driving, according to Reuters.

Liberty Mutual and its subsidiary Safeco are issuing 15% refunds on two months of premiums, or about $250 million that will go back to consumers. The companies will also pause cancellations for not paying, and won't issue late fees.

American Family Insurance said it's issuing $200 million in refunds or $50 for every car it insures.

Progressive and State Farm are looking at the issue.

Geico earned $35.57 billion of premiums in 2019, and paid out $28.94 billion, or 81.3%, to cover loss claims. Pretax underwriting gains totaled $1.51 billion, after accounting for underwriting expenses. Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, has owned all of Geico since 1996.

Story continues

Material from Reuters was used in this report.

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Headline indices Sensex and Nifty resumed their downward march on April 8, tracking weak global cues amid rising uncertainty and worries over the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian market remained on the volatile track and gave up all gains of the morning session, following a negative opening in the European markets.

Sensex ended 173 points, or 0.58 percent, lower at 29,893.96 while Nifty settled 43 points, or 0.49 percent, down at 8,748.75.

BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices outperformed the benchmark Sensex, closing with strong gains of 1.90 percent and 1.86 percent, respectively.

We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades:

Note: The OI and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of the three-months data and not of the current month only.

Key support and resistance level for Nifty

According to the pivot charts, the key support level for Nifty is placed at 8,557.87, followed by 8,366.98. If the index starts moving up, key resistance levels to watch out for are 9,035.67 and 9,322.58.

Nifty Bank

Nifty Bank closed 0.61 percent down at 18,946.45. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 18,178.17, followed by 17,409.93. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 20,019.37 and 21,092.33.

Call options data

Maximum call open interest (OI) of 15.42 lakh contracts was seen at the 9,000 strike price. It will act as a crucial resistance level in the April series.

This is followed by 8,500 strike price, which holds 8.7 lakh contracts in open interest, and 9,200, which has accumulated 2.14 lakh contracts in open interest.

Call writing was seen at the 9,100 strike price, which added 41,775 contracts, followed by 9,000 strike price that added 30,975 contracts.

A minor call unwinding was witnessed at 8,400 strike price, which shed 48,075 contracts, followed by 8,700 strike price which shed 44,400 contracts.

Put options data

Maximum put open interest of 14.23 lakh contracts was seen at 9,000 strike price, which will act as crucial support in the April series.

This is followed by 8,500 strike price, which holds 14.20 lakh contracts in open interest, and 8,700 strike price, which has accumulated 2.6 lakh contracts in open interest.

Put writing was seen at the 9,000 strike price, which added 98,850 contracts, followed by 8,800 strike, which added 86,100 contracts.

Put unwinding was seen at 8,200 strike price, which shed 10,200 contracts, followed by 8,400 strike price which shed 8,250 contracts.

Stocks with a high delivery percentage

A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks.

26 stocks saw long build-up

Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long build-up was seen.

36 stocks saw long unwinding

Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen.

33 stocks saw short build-up

An increase in open interest, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short build-up was seen.

49 stocks witnessed short-covering

A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on open interest (OI) future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen.

Bulk deals

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Board meetings

Polyplex Corp: The board will meet on April 9 to consider buyback of shares.

OnMobile Global: The board will meet on April 9 to consider buyback of shares.

Gulf Oil Lubricants India: The board will meet on April 9 to consider and approve interim dividend.

Larsen & Toubro: The board will meet on April 9 for general purposes.

Jump Networks: The board will meet on April 9 for general purposes.

Stocks in the news

SBI Life Insurance: Board appoints Mahesh Kumar Sharma as Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

IDBI Bank: Board approved in principle proposal to sell stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company to extent of 23-27 percent.

Manali Petrochemicals: Company recommenced production of Propylene Oxide, feedstock for Propylene Glycol which is a pharmaceutical input, on April 7 at Plant 1.

NLC India: Company resumed mining operations of Neyveli Mines.

Music Broadcast: Qualified institutional buyer bought 4.42 percent stake during Q4FY20.

GRM Overseas: Company restarted its plant operation on April 8.

Fund flow

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,943.41 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares of worth Rs 1,757.79 crore in the Indian equity market on April 8, provisional data available on the NSE showed.

Stock under F&O ban on NSE

No security is under the F&O ban for April 9. Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.
Toyota Motor Corp. is laying off 392 contract workers at its San Antonio truck plant while extending the shutdown of the facility another two weeks.

The workers, employed through outside staffing agencies, will be furloughed effective April 20.

The San Antonio plant is scheduled to resume production of Tacoma and Tundra pickups May 4, six weeks after it closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Toyota also has temporarily shuttered its 14 other plants in North America.

None of 2,800 San Antonio workers directly employed by Toyota were furloughed. But the automaker has reduced pay for the fifth and sixth weeks of the shutdown  the weeks of April 20 and 27  to 80 percent. To receive full paychecks, workers can dip into their paid time off.

Toyota spokeswoman Melissa Sparks said workers will not be paid for the week of April 13.

However, these steps simply have not been enough to respond to the current business condition, and, unfortunately, we will need to take an additional step and release the 392 production and skilled variable workforce team members back to their agencies, Sparks said.

The workers are among 5,000 contract workers Toyota will lay off at its North America plants. The manufacturer will continue to provide health benefits for the workers.

We are also maintaining our relationship with them, so as production demand increases, they will have the opportunity to return, she said.

Toyota never has laid off production workers directly employed by the company in North America. The company released contract workers during the Great Recession more than a decade ago.

In addition to Toyotas contract workers, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said hes worried, too, about Toyotas own workers.

The big concern is what happens if truck and auto sales dont come back, and Toyota has to decide if it needs to close plants, he said.

Last month, sales of the Tundra and Tacoma, the two pickup trucks manufactured by Toyota in San Antonio, declined more than 30 percent from the same month last year. Overall, Toyota sales dropped more than 35 percent compared to March 2019.

One factor in the San Antonio plants favor is that the decline in pickup sales isnt as severe as those of other Toyota vehicles, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at automotive website Edmunds.com. Pickups remain popular, she said, with many workers needing them for their jobs.

Its unlikely the plant would be closed, she said.

However, in 2022, Toyota is supposed to shift production of its best-selling Tacoma midsize truck from San Antonio to its two plants in Mexico.

In turn, the San Antonio plant will start producing the Sequoia, a lightly selling large SUV, thats currently produced at Toyotas Princeton, Ind., plant.

Toyota officials Wednesday said theyre extending the plant shutdowns for an additional two weeks because of the decline in vehicle demand along with the continuing coronavirus outbreak.

Toyotas planned reopening of the San Antonio plant and others has been a moving target. Initially, the company planned to close its plants for two days, March 23 and 24. The shutdown then was extended to two weeks, then four weeks and now six weeks.

Other American and foreign vehicle manufacturers with plants in North America also are scheduled to reopen their facilities in May after pushing back April restart dates.

Workers at unionized American auto plants continue to receive their full pay. But other large automakers, including Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., said they would temporarily stop paying about 27,000 employees at their North American plants until theyre reopened.

randy.diamond@

express-news.net
Iran's parliament convened Tuesday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak forced its doors to close, as the country reported a drop in new infections for the seventh straight day. More than two-thirds of the legislature's 290 members gathered in the absence of speaker and veteran politician Ali Larijani, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. At least 31 members of the parliament, or Majles, which had been shut since February 25, have contracted the disease. State television footage of the opening session showed some MPs huddling together despite guidelines on social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. Parliament debated and eventually blocked an urgent bill to totally lock down the country for a month, with those against arguing it would damage the economy. "This plan is against jobs and growing productivity. Who's going to pay for implementing it?" MP Shadmehr Kazemzadeh said, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA. But Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, who drafted the bill, said Iran had been "confused" about how to contain the virus. "We must urgently make a decision, as history will judge us," he said. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour reported 133 new coronavirus deaths, saying the overall fatalities had reached 3,872. Another 2,089 infections were recorded nationwide, bringing the total to 62,589. Iran announced its first COVID-19 cases on February 19, when it said two people had died from the illness. Jahanpour said that while 3,987 patients were in critical condition, recoveries had increased and a total of 27,039 people had left hospital. Iran is by far the worst hit by the pandemic in the Middle East, according to official tolls. There has been speculation abroad that the real number of deaths and infections could be higher, however. - Virus 'cluster bomb' - In a bid to halt COVID-19, Iran has ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and imposed inter-city travel bans, while refraining from a lockdown. But its taskforce to battle the virus said "low-risk" businesses would be allowed to reopen from Saturday, while observing health protocols. The body said two-thirds of public servants must go to work and the rest could do so from home. It also said newspaper and magazine publishers could resume their print editions from Saturday, after being barred for a week. Authorities are yet to define what low-risk businesses are and have been criticised for sending mixed signals by relaxing social distancing measures. "We're seeing a duality in senior officials' remarks," ISNA quoted the head of Tehran's city council as saying. "On one hand, there's the health ministry asking for more stringent measures, and on the other economic officials decide things that make people feel the coronavirus is not so dangerous after all," said Mohsen Hasehmi. A taskforce member said anyone going back to work could become a virus "cluster bomb" as many of those infected were asymptomatic. "I don't know what's the reasoning for such a decision," state news agency IRNA quoted Hamid Souri as saying Monday. Officials said the reopening of businesses was meant to save the economy. "We cannot shut down industries and production" at a time of "economic war" amid crippling US sanctions, Health Minister Saeid Namaki told parliament.
According to the State Statistics Service, five-six tests were held per million of people

In Ukraine, during Covid-19 pandemic, 7,200 polymerase chain reaction tests were held. It is one of the lowest rates in Europe as the Healthcare Ministry of Ukraine reported.

Thus, as of morning, April 8, 2020, the Public Health Center received 820 reports on the suspicion for Covid-19. Totally, since the beginning of 2020, 7,205 reports were received. 1,668 of them had positive results. According to the State Statistics Service, the population of Ukraine, as of February 1, makes 41,710,267 people. Thus, five-six tests were held per million of people.

Mostly, the tests are held in Kyiv city, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsy and Ternopil regions.

This rate is one of the lowest in Europe according to Worldometers, which analysis statistics from different countries.

For example, over 918,000 tests were held in German (with 83 million population; 90 tests per million of people), in Russia  over 910,000 (population  144.5 million, 157 tests per million of people), Italy  over 755,000 (population  60 million, 79 tests per million of people, Poland  99,000 (population  37.9 million, 383 tests per million of people).

The majority of the tests were held in the U.S.  two million, while the population is 327.2 million.

As we reported, Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers considered extending the quarantine in connection with the spread of the coronavirus.

During the past 24 hours, the number of people with Covid-19 in Ukraine increased by 206 cases. Totally, 1,668 cases of infection spotted in Ukraine. 52 lethal cases spotted, while 35 patients recovered
Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi will interact with Presidents of all Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) through video conferencing on April 11 to discuss relief work related to the COVID-19 crisis.

On Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi gave five suggestions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight against COVID-19, including ban on government ads, suspension of Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista beautification project and official foreign tours of President and ministers.

In the letter to the Prime Minister, she extended the party's support to the Union Cabinet's decision of 30 per cent pay cut from salaries of Members of Parliament.

"Austerity measures which can be used to divert much needed funds to the fight against COVID-19 are the need of the hour," she wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Harris Poll: 77 Percent of Americans Blame China for Pandemic

A survey from Harris Poll on Wednesday shows that 77 percent of Americans nationally blame the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the spread of the virus.

The belief was echoed across the political spectrum (pdf), with 67 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of independents, and 90 percent of Republicans attributing the CCP virus to the Chinese regime.

Another 71 percent said Americans companies should pull back from manufacturing their products in China, 69 percent said they believe President Donald Trump should persist in his tough trade stance against the regime, and 54 percent said the CCP needs to pay reparations to other countries due to the pandemic.

More than 400,000 Americans have fallen ill with the COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and about 13,000 have died.

Chinese health officials detected the virus in Hubei Province in late 2019, but instead of immediately reporting the novel coronavirus to the World Health Organization (WHO), the regime apparently waited for weeks to make the epidemic known. Trump administration officials and other world health experts believe the delay in reporting the virus allowed COVID-19 to spread quickly from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to the rest of China before becoming a worldwide pandemic.

A medical staff member (C) walks at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China on January 24, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

It wasnt until Jan. 23 of this year that the CCP implemented its first containment measure in Wuhan. Whats more, doctors, including Li Wenliang, who reported the severity of the virus early on were detained and rebuked by the CCP. Li reportedly succumbed to the disease in February, although netizens and citizen journalists in China expressed suspicions about his cause of death.

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, told The Epoch Times last month that the CCP will have to bear the responsibility.

The Peoples Republic of China is a treaty party to the International Health Regulations  which almost every country in the world is a party to, Kraska told the Epoch Times. And that treaty requires states to be very forthright or forthcoming, to expeditiously share information on a broad category of diseases, including new influenza-like illnesses, such as the coronavirus.

Following the outbreak in Wuhan, residents said they are skeptical of the official death toll, saying it could be at least 10 times higher than officially reported.

It cant be right  because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died? an Wuhan resident surnamed Zhang told Radio Free Asia last month. They started distributing ashes and starting interment ceremonies on Monday, he said.

According to RFA, some have estimated that around 46,000 people died from the virus, far higher than the 2,500 deaths that were counted by the regime.

As the virus has spread worldwide, the regime has reported fewer and fewer cases and deaths, which experts also said is not credible, adding that the CCP is using the virus to spread disinformation.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended one of his top ministers for two months, including one unpaid, after she was photographed having lunch with a friend in violation of a national lockdown to contain the coronavirus.

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was summoned to explain herself on Tuesday after Mduduzi Manana, a former deputy minister, posted a picture of the pair dining together with his family on social media. South Africans have been ordered to stay home for three weeks with few exceptions, such as buying food or medicine.

Members of the National Executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are having to make great sacrifices, Ramaphosa said in a statement. None of us should undermine our national effort to save lives.



South Africas police and army have been charged with enforcing the rules of the lockdown, which has been punctuated by arrests and allegations of violence by authorities. Whether Ndabeni-Abrahams should be charged with a crime is a matter for the law, the Presidency said.

If prosecuted, she could face a fine of 1,500 rand ($82).

I regret the incident and I am deeply sorry for my actions, Ndabeni-Abrahams said. I hope the President and South Africans will find it in their hearts to forgive me.

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The nationwide lockdown has helped cut down the spread of COVID-19 into the community, as the number of infected patients hasn't risen exponentially so far unlike the USA or Europe, but the next three days are crucial, medical researchers said on Tuesday.

"You have to wait for three more days before you can say India is low. The real test will be the slums of Dharavi. Will Dharavi explode or not? If Dharavi doesn't explode, we can say that the hygiene hypothesis (If a place is dirty, people living there automatically develop immunity) is working" Samir K Brahmachari, former director-general of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research told DH.

The three-week-long lockdown is scheduled to end on April 14. At the moment, there's no clarity whether it would be extended.

"The trend in India follows a relatively flat curve and it doesn't in any way resemble that of the European countries or the USA," added N Devadasan, former director of the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru.

The reasons, the researchers hypothesised, could vary from warmer climate and inherent immunity among the Indians to the initial screening system to pick up international travellers with symptoms and put their friends and families under surveillance to curb the virus's spread.

However, there's little scientific evidence from the ground as it is early days for India's medical research community to explore all the aspects of the disease dynamics.

For instance, the Indian Council of Medical Research currently restricts the serology testing to diagnose even though a section of the researchers says that such tests should be also used for studying the baseline prevalence of the infection.

At a time when the central government discusses the possibility of extending the lockdown, the researchers admit that the pan-Indian closure has helped slow down the virus' march into the community.

"The current lockdown is effective though it was diluted with the mass movement of migrant workers to their home states. The government should have anticipated this and taken measures to either prevent or manage it. There were some minor leakages, but in general, it may have achieved its objective of cutting down transmission," said Devdasan, Technical Adviser, Health Systems Transformation Platform.

"Social distancing is definitely working, otherwise the numbers would have increased by around 2,000 per day," said Brahmachari.

A study (not peer-reviewed) by two scholars at Shiv Nadar University also establishes the efficacy of the lockdown.

"In an optimistic scenario in which 8090% of population contributes to social distancing the projected number of symptomatic cases can decline by nearly 85% at day 20 from the beginning of the lockdown (3,500 against 30,790) and deaths (105 against 619) as well. Thus, intervention (20-day lockdown) may help in slowing transmission and flattening the COVID-19 curve," said Samit Bhattacharyya and Naga Suresh Veerapu from Shiv Nadar University in a statement.
A 23-year-old man wildlife worker who loved taking care of animals was killed by a shark attack at the Australian coast.

The Queensland Police got a report of shark attack of the North-West Island. The attack was near the great barrier reef, where there are several shark species like the notorious Great White shark, one of the biggest shark species with a reputation as a man-eater.

Unidentified friends of the ranger said the attack came when they were on the way to North West Island, Zach Robba was with his friends riding a charter boat to get their destination when the victim got a chunk bitten off by a shark on Monday.

According to his friends, they were swimming when the sudden attack came out of nowhere. No one was expecting the fatal attack on their friend. They did not mention what kind of shark perpetrated the attack that took the victim's life.

Robba was bitten on his leg, hands and elbow which were severe and endangered his life. Although he received treatment after the unfortunate incident, he died from the wounds and expired after 10 PM, said the police on his case.

The shark attack victim

The Wild Life ranger was mentioned in a post by Iona College, a day school located in Queensland where he graduated from in 2014.

His father Michael Twigg remarked that his son was working with the Queensland Park and Wildlife Service. When the shark attack came, Robba and his fellow rangers were doing research and essential maintenance as part of their job.

Also read: Woman Who Shot, Slashed Boyfriend's Face from Ear to Ear, Given life Sentence After Years of Trial

"It is with great sadness, we share the news of the passing of Iona Old Boy Zachary (Zach) Robba (Class of 2014)," the Facebook post said which comes with a photo of the young man.

Remembrances of Zach Robba (RIP)

His father added that it was the job Robba has always wanted, and "he embraced all that it entailed."

Twigg further said that the victim's family is grateful for the outpouring of community support, and was appreciative of it.

He added,"At this difficult time, we keep all Ionians in our prayers who are affected by this very sad loss... Every one of us has a Zach shaped hole in our heart. And each shape is unique."

There was no shortage of kind words from Robba's acquaintances on the post. One said that he was one of the "friendliest and genuine bloke" person he knows.

One more comment said: "You were the most amazing human being and we are so happy that you shared many good times with our family." Another said that he loved life and was amazing.

Also, Queensland State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paid tribute and offered her condolences to his loved ones.

The official response by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) confirmed that Robba was a ranger working with this colleagues. In a statement to CNN, they said that he was bitten and killed later by shark inflicted wounds while doing his duties as a ranger. QPWS offered condolences to the family when he died, it was the third shark attack in the same place on Dec.30 2019.

Related article: Alleged Lizard Captured by Curiosity Rover, Theorist Claims Its a Sign of Life on Mars

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The Ltamenah incidents received scant attention at the time because the town was the scene of active fighting and inaccessible to outside groups. Less than a week later, the deaths at Ltamenah were eclipsed by larger sarin attack in the nearby town of Khan Sheikhoun, where at least 90 civilians were killed and at least 300 injured. It was the Khan Sheikhoun attack that prompted President Trump to order the first U.S. airstrike on Syrian government forces on April 4, 2017.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Union officials representing U.S. Parks Police are calling on the closure of New York Citys national parks, including the Gateway National Recreation Area that encompasses Fort Wadsworth and Great Kills Park, due to coronavirus concerns.

Kenneth Spencer, chairman of the U.S. Parks Police Fraternal Order of Police Labor Committee, said he understands that, logistically, might not be possible to fully close all the parks, but is hoping the National Parks Service will at least closing parking lots at the parks to encourage social distancing.

My officers up in New York City, that are working there, have complained to me multiple times about how many people are gathering at these parks, he said. I understand that people want to visit the parks right now and get out of the house, but its a safety concern for the officers and its a safety concern for the public.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Spencer said he has repeatedly reached out to NPS about safety concerns officers have raised, but has not heard back. The Parks Service did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

As part of their efforts, the union sent letters Tuesday to the offices of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) asking for their help engaging with NPS on closure and cleaning concerns. Great Kills Park is identified in the letter as needing immediate closure.

Spencer said that in addition to closure concerns, usual cleaning crews have been deemed as non-essential employees leaving officers to clean their stations.

He said the union has been speaking with the senators about the concerns, but had not received responses to the letters sent Tuesday. Neither Schumers nor Gillibrands office responded to requests for comment.

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SPRINGFIELD  The total number of cases of coronavirus confirmed by Baystate Health on Wednesday has risen to 533  an increase of 36 from the previous day.

Baystate Health also reported 180 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 or are suspected of having the disease at its facilities.

Currently within BH, we are caring for 170 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, 34 of whom are in our critical care units; we are also caring for 10 hospitalized patients who are under investigation for COVID-19 infection, Baystate Health said in a statement on Wednesday. We are not reporting hospital-specific data to ensure patient privacy is maintained, especially in our smaller facilities.

The provider added, There is some hopeful news: nearly two-thirds of the total confirmed patients with COVID-19 infection either never needed to be admitted or were discharged and are recovering.

To date, Baystate Health facilities in Western Massachusetts have tested a total of 2,400 people for COVID-19 and determined 533 individuals have the virus. Another 1,817 people tested negative.

The Springfield-based health provider in still awaiting test results for 50 others.

Baystate Health is not providing additional details on patients, such age, gender or residence.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has deployed tanker services to supply water nationwide.



As part of implementation of President Akufo-Addo's directive for free water supply across the country, the Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah disclosed at a press briefing today that polytanks will be installed in all urban and rural areas which lack standpipes to ensure that no household in the nation is exempted from free water accessibiliy.



She noted that the expenses of the tanker services have been absorbed by the government, therefore no person is to be charged for the supply of water for the months of April, May and June.



All community-based water systems are to serve water to the community residents for free. All water bills for the above months for all domestic customers and standpipe users will be absorbed by government. Im stressing this so that there will be no confusion. Also, hospitals, clinics and other health centers will enjoy priority supply of water as they have been doing.''



Were also going to install polytanks in urban areas as well as if necessary the rural areas to make sure water is easily accessible. There are areas that have pipelines but are suffering from lack of water, these areas are being listed for tanker services to serve them and these tanker services are being deployed nationwide to supply water, she stated.



She however added that persons with arrears to the Ghana Water Company will have their arrears suspended for the three months and afterwards mandated to pay up their debt.

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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Jammu and Kashmir has joined hands with Tata Technologies to set up two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) in the Union Territory, officials said on Wednesday.

"In a significant decision to strengthen industry-academia partnership and to bring qualitative improvements in technical education, the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC) accorded sanction to establish two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) in the Union Territory," one of the officials said.

They said the decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Administrative Council under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu on Wednesday.

The centre in Kashmir Division will be established at Government Polytechnic, Baramulla and the location for establishment of CIIIT in Jammu Division will be finalised soon, they said.

"This project will be an industry-led consortium as a joint venture between Government of J&K and Tata Technologies to facilitate innovation and skill development of students, industry professionals for skill development and creating entrepreneurships," the official said.

Through this project, the officials said Tata Technologies have proposed to introduce 18 courses and many other subsidiary courses with an annual intake capacity of 2,880 students and professionals for receiving training and skill development.

The move is aimed at providing skill training to students of engineering colleges, polytechnic colleges and ITIs besides, the unemployed engineering degree/diploma holders and engineering graduates who are employed but in need for career enhancement through up-gradation of latest technological skills, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bare-chested pensioner took part in his own passionate tribute to Boris Johnson last night as thousands of Britons sent their best wishes to the Prime Minister as he remains in intensive care.

The Conservative voter was seen clanging a pan with a spoon while shouting 'come on Boris Johnson, you get better' and urging his neighbours to take part in a video that has gained thousands of likes on Twitter.

'Come out your doors, come on, let's clap for Boris Johnson,' he continued. 'You're running the country, you love us, get better soon, come on my son!'

He was joined by Britons up and down the country who took to the streets to 'Clap for Boris' at 8pm, with leading the tributes in a heart-felt video with her family on Twitter.

Mr Johnson is 'stable' in intensive care today with a slightly lower fever than before. It comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK reached 55,242 with 7,095 deaths.

A Conservative-voting pensioner takes part in an enthusiastic personal tribute to Boris Johnson by banging a pot with a spoon

Britons up and down the country took to the streets to 'Clap for Boris' at 8pm, with leading Andrea Leadsom leading the tributes in a heart-felt video with her family on Twitter

The message 'Pray for Boris' and 'Clap for Boris' was shared across social media last night and appeared on signs outside houses.

Though not as celebrated or widespread as the 'Clap for carers' event for NHS workers on Thursday, plenty of well-wishers chose to mark the occasion and send their support to the PM.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries wrote: 'Heard a noise outside, clock is slow. I opened my front door to the sound of my amazing neighbours whistling, cheering and shouting, "come on Boris".

'Ill admit, I cried. For the boss, and everyone everywhere in hospital battling #COVID19 get better soon.'

Her colleague, Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison, also joined the tributes and wrote: 'Tiny street, lots of noise. Get well soon Boris.'

Others put posters in their windows while NHS staff on the Nason Ward at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton held up signs reading 'get well soon Boris'.

Members of the National Health Service applaud outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London for Boris Johnson after he was moved to intensive care

Leave.EU also sent their best wishes to Mr Johnson, writing: 'Thank you for all that you've been doing'

At Solihull Hospital near Birmingham, staff urged the PM to 'get well soon' in a photograph posted to Twitter.

While staff on the ICU at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth held up signs individually in photographs which were later compiled to read 'get well soon, Boris, you can beat this.'

The Royal Family led the national response yesterday, with the Queen sending a private message to the Johnson family and the Prime Ministers pregnant girlfriend, Carrie Symonds.

She said she wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery from coronavirus. Prince Charles, who has recovered from a bout of mild ill health after contracting the virus, also sent a message to Mr Johnson.

And Prince William said: Our thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family, who like so many in the UK and around the world are affected by coronavirus.

Donald Trump led the international response, describing the Prime Minister as a very good friend of mine and offering potential access to treatments being developed in America.

The PM was said to have had breathing difficulties when he was moved to the unit at 7pm on Monday. Pictured is a woman holding a #PrayforBoris sign

Others put notes in windows to send Mr Johnson their best wishes as he continues to battle the virus

A tribute from the Prime Minister's dog was also posted on his official Instagram account

The US President added: Americans are all praying for his recovery. Hes been a really good friend. Hes been really something very special  strong, resolute, doesnt quit, doesnt give up.

Russian president Vladimir Putin sent a letter to Downing Street, offering his sincere support and wishing the Prime Minister a speedy and complete recovery. I would like to express my sincere support for you at this difficult time, he wrote.

I am sure that your energy, optimism and sense of humour will help to defeat the disease.

Messages poured in from leaders of the UKs neighbours in Europe, including Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel.

The EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier sent his best wishes, alongside the leaders of Australia, Canada and Japan.

Staff at the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Nuneaton, show their support for the Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he is treated for coronavirus in intensive care

Pictured: Staff at the Acute Medical Unit at Solihull Hospital near Birmingham this afternoon

Those in the intensive care unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth held up individual signs which read 'get well soon Boris, you can beat this' when put together

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, invited the country to pray for Mr Johnson and his family, saying his illness deepens our compassion.

Staff on the intensive care unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth held up signs individually in photographs that were later compiled to read get well soon Boris, you can beat this.

The Prime Minister, 55, was transferred to the ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in London on Monday night and given oxygen after his health deteriorated sharply over just two hours, leaving doctors fearing he may need a ventilator.

He was said to have had breathing difficulties when he was moved to the unit at 7pm - forcing him to call upon Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to take the reins of government.

Mr Johnson was said to be is 'stable' in hospital today after a second night in intensive care - amid mounting fears about a power vacuum at the heart of government.

The PM's fever is said to have dipped in a positive sign as he remains under constant observation at St Thomas' in central London.

However, there are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.
President Donald Trump said hes considering putting a hold on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization after the agency blew it by failing to sound the alarm sooner about the coronavirus.

Im not saying Im going to do it, but were going to look at it, the president said Tuesday at a White House briefing on the coronavirus. The European regional director for the World Health Organization cautioned against cutting resources to fight the pandemic.

China contributed about $6.3 million (U.S.) to the WHOs $2.2 billion 2018 general fund. The U.S. led all donors for that year with $281 million.

Earlier in the briefing Trump called the Geneva-based international body very China centric. He also said the WHO was wrong to advise against travel restrictions he imposed on China.

Theyre always on the side of China, but we fund it, Trump said. So we want to look into it.

The world is still in the acute phase of the pandemic, and the WHO needs support for projects such as trials of experimental therapies for COVID-19, said Hans Kluge, the regional director for Europe.

This is not a time to cut back on the funding, he said in a press briefing.

Chinas foreign ministry on Wednesday expressed support for the WHO and said a cut in U.S. funding would have negative impacts effect on global co-operation to fight the virus.

We hope countries will stay in solidarity and contribute to this joint global response, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing. China will continue to support the role of WHO and support its leadership in this fight.

Bruce Aylward, one of the WHOs top officials, who helped lead a fact-finding mission to China said it was necessary to work with that country because it was the epicentre of the outbreak. Chinas own travel restrictions helped prevent transmission to other countries, he said.

The WHO has urged countries to avoid blanket travel bans to countries experiencing outbreaks because historically such moves have been ineffective. People often book flights through another hub, which can make their movements difficult for authorities to trace. Restrictions can also prevent countries from receiving medical equipment and vital goods.

The agency has a policy of avoiding public criticism of member countries in order to avoid undercutting their health measures.

The WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic on March 11 after a growing calls to do so from experts around the world. It had called the epidemic an international health emergency at the end of January.

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said Trump was doing a great job by using what the president has called a whole-government approach. He also praised Trump for leveraging research and development, engaging with the private sector on things such as medical supplies, expanding testing and educating the public.

Tedros has also repeatedly praised China, even as Beijing was criticized by other countries and organizations for being slow to respond initially to the outbreak there and for resisting co-operation with international disease-trackers.

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Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Monday said the state's rapid response team (RRT) has identified at least 75 persons who have had contact with persons who tested positive for COVID-19.

Two people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Kwara. One is a recent returnee from the UK while the other is the wife of another returnee who died of suspected COVID-19 at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the teaching hospital suspended a professor it said misled the hospital medical staff by not providing information that a patient he brought to the hospital had COVID-19 symptoms and was on self-isolation. The patient later died while his wife later tested positive for COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Mr AbdulRazaq told a news briefing in Ilorin that he has also signed a regulation, dated April 6, to give legal backing to the government's measures to contain the pandemic in Kwara State -- and said the highlight of the law includes "sanctions against anyone caught endangering public safety in whatever form or seeking to unfairly profit from our collective vulnerability and need for essential commodities at this time."

The governor said the contacts -- who have since begun isolation in line with COVID-19 protocol --include staff of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) who attended to a suspected case who died in the facility last Thursday.

"Our job is cut out for us and we are definitely not dropping the ball. Contact tracing by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee has so far netted 75 persons who have had contacts with the cases and the suspected case at UITH," Mr AbdulRazaq told the live press briefing in Ilorin, flanked by top government officials and statesmen already drafted into Kwara's COVID-19 response effort.

"This is a trying moment for the whole of mankind. But we are definitely not helpless or without reasonable preparation in Kwara State. We are also blessed with committed professionals who are up to the task and willing to stand up and be counted at this time -- while also taking all precautions.

"COVID-19 is a global pandemic. Contracting it is neither a death sentence nor an indication of guilt. We urge Kwarans to avoid crowded space, isolate themselves, and call our helplines if they have just returned from places of interest in the last three weeks. The government will quickly extend the ongoing fumigation exercise to these places of interest, including Offa, where contamination may have occurred as a result of this infectious disease. Notwithstanding our preparation, we are not ashamed to say that Kwara State will be glad to get all the help it can receive at this moment."

Mr AbdulRazaq said the administration is doubling down on its sensitisation efforts across various media platforms, including calling on traditional rulers to help spread the message in the hinterlands.

The governor said the government is "utterly disappointed" at the development at the UITH, demanding immediate suspension of Professor Alakija Salami for his role in the controversy.

"The government is utterly disappointed at the breach of trust that played out in the UITH case. Without prejudice to the internal investigation by UITH, we demand immediate suspension of Professor Alakija Kazeem Salami and every other official of UITH whose professional misconducts brought us down this path," he said.

"Finally, Kwarans, this is no time to panic. Please stay calm. The Government will do everything to keep you safe. But we also need you to play your own role. Stay at home. Keep social distancing. Avoid crowd. Prioritise personal hygiene. And please do not spread unverified news."

The government has commended corporate bodies and private individuals who have donated to the counter-COVID-19 campaign.

"The government is grateful to Sterling Bank Plc for the donation of N30m; Olam Investments for giving us 30 tons trailer load spaghetti, 300 bags of rice, and 50 cartons of sunnola oil; the Christian Association of Nigeria for the gift of cartons of kings vegetable oil and 100 cartons of (70g) Golden Penny; Dr Samuel Akinlaja of Peace Standard Pharmaceuticals for the gift of 5,000 (70ml) bottles of hand sanitisers.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Coronavirus Nigeria By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"We are equally thankful to Ibrahim Olaiya and Sons of Olak Petroleum for giving us N5m; Arshov Solution Cleaning Service for donating 8 cartons of indomie noodles, 10 cartons of bottle water, 2 packs of toilet rolls, 3 packs of spaghetti, and 3 bags of semovita; Adesokan Ibilade Joel for the gift of N100,000; Afolabi Hammed of Haphoo Unisex fashion school for the gift of 29 pieces of locally made face masks; MD Chelfcom Construction Company Nigeria Ltd for giving us N1.5m; a secondary school teacher at ECWA Secondary School Igbaja Mrs Aboyeji Janet Shola for giving us a quarter of her monthly salary; and a student, Mohammadu Sanni Machido for the gift of a part of his savings N3,760. These gifts mean everything to the administration as it ramps up efforts to contain the virus and reach out to the poorest of the poor."

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor/

Spokesman for the Technical Committee on COVID-19.

April 7th, 2020.
The state of Illinois workers and employers are suffering from the effects of the coronavirus. Over 64,000 filed for unemployment since Gov J.B. Pritzker has shut schools and ordered closures of businesses large and small, all while the state struggles to meet the ever-growing demand of doctors, hospitals and caregivers. That is, of course, just the economic impact. There is a growing human toll. Over 1,500 state residents have received a COVID-19 diagnosis, and more than a dozen have lost their lives from the virus  a number that will surely grow in coming weeks.

Congress has moved a relief package to lessen the financial burdens on American families and taxpayers. Unfortunately, however, while Washington has found a way to limit the damage, some in Springfield are continuing to engage in business-as-usual legislating, attempting to force the states most vulnerable residents to foot a massive bill for yet another corporate welfare scheme within the state.

For example, tucked away in the Clean Energy Jobs Act, legislation being considered in Springfield, is a crony insider giveaway that will induce artificial wealth transfers from consumers to a Fortune 100 company. These injustices will hurt those most affected by the current economic slowdown the most, and before legislators consider passing this bill, they absolutely must remove them from the bill.

While the act brings much to cheer about, it also meddles with Illinois energy markets to benefit Exelon corporation, a multi-billion dollar corporation and Illinois lobbying powerhouse. Meddling with the competitive marketplace to provide favoritism to one corporation is never a good idea. However, it becomes especially troubling when lawmakers do so on behalf of a Fortune 100 company that has a storied history of raising rates on Illinoisans.

That is precisely the case with Exelon. The company has pushed for automatic rate hikes within the state in the past. Its net rates are going to climb by $33 million this year alone, and Illinois has already pledged to pay the company up to $235 million annually in subsidies through 2027  or potentially $1.5 billion over the next decade  to prop up its plants.

It will only get worse if state politicians change the rules once again to shower Exelon with more subsidies. In fact, the regional grid operators independent auditor found that the new Exelon bailout provision within the act could increase electricity capacity prices by over $414 million. Customers will inevitably foot part of the bill.

Which raises the question: given how much state consumers already pay the company annually, why are Illinois lawmakers even considering giving it more favors and largesse? It is a simple answer: lobbyists.

For years, Springfield has been packed with connections to the energy conglomerate. The circumstances surrounding Exelon and its activities within the state to have raised so many red flags that even the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Securities and Exchange Commission have gotten involved, opening a federal criminal probe into the companys shady methods of pushing its corporate welfare agenda forward within the state.

One of the most aggressive anti-corruption efforts to permeate Illinois politics in a generation, the feds are investigating whether the company made political hires in exchange for favorable government actions, including rate increases that affect how much Illinois pays for electricity.

The FBI and IRS have already raided the Capitol offices of some Illinois lawmakers. The prospect for government action is so severe that, one week after the issuance of subpoenas, Exelons CEO Anne Pramaggoire retired, likely due to the companys acknowledgement that the investigation can lead to civil or criminal penalties.

So, where does this leave Illinois consumers? Still on the hook for more rate hikes and an expensive bailout. And will they get better service for these raises? Of course not.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act has the potential to do some good things. Providing a company that brings in $35 billion annually more state handouts to raise consumer rates is not one of them.

Illinois lawmakers would be wise to strike these provisions and not let corruption once again triumph over sound policy, especially at a time when millions of Americans are concerned about whether their next paycheck arrives.

Tim Huelskamp of Illinois served as a member of Congress from 2011 to 2017.
(Natural News) Recall that the initial deaths and related costs are only the first-order effects; policy makers have to consider the second-order effects.

(Article republished from CharlesHughSmith.Blogspot.com)

Everyone who reckons that the lockdown is needless and more destructive than the pandemic that triggered it has to answer this question: then why did China lockdown half its economy?

The reasoning of those who reckon the lockdown is needless can be summarized as follows:

1. The lockdown is based on poorly executed extrapolations of faulty data; the death rate is much lower than expected, and most cases are mild or asymptomatic.

2. Therefore, the lockdown is doing far more economic damage than simply letting the pandemic run its course.

3. Alternatively, the pandemic and the lockdown are planned operations of elites, the goal being to further consolidate New World Order control in the hands of a few.

All of these rationales stumble on the question of why China locked down half its economy. It is a real stretch to claim that the Deep State et al. control China, therefore its unlikely Chinas decision to lock down half its economy as the pandemic ravaged Wuhan was a U.S. Deep State operation.

As for the extrapolation of faulty data: what did the Chinese leadership learn that we dont yet know? How can we assume Chinas leadership over-reacted to faulty data in shutting down half their economy? More likely, they had the best available data and balanced the consequences of letting the pandemic run its course or accepting the immense economic damage of locking down most of their productive economy.

Why would Chinas leadership have accepted the staggering economic losses of lockdown if the situation wasnt catastrophically dire?

What other factors might have influenced Chinas decision to lock down its economy that we dont know? The true origin of the virus, perhaps? The true death rate in Wuhan? The actual number of dead piling up like cordwood in Wuhan?

If Chinas lockdown was a decision reached by its leadership based on information known only to them, then it follows that the information effectively forced their decision to absorb the enormous economic damage of a full lockdown as the lesser of two evils.

It is quite reasonable to assume Chinas leadership had the most accurate data available, and that they deliberated very carefully before choosing a response with such grave economic consequences.

Few commentators have speculated what the intelligence agencies of South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the Western nations might have discovered and shared with each other. China is not exactly a closed country, and there are ample intelligence-gathering opportunities via space-based assets, data collection and meta-analysis of that data, and so on.

It seems unlikely to the point of absurdity that all these intelligence agencies werent collating data from every available source and making their own assessments of the risks of letting the virus run its course.

If the lockdown is needless and more damaging than the pandemic in the West, then that is also true in China. Those claiming the lockdown is a planned operation have to explain why China would follow the directives of a Western cabal: how would kowtowing to a Western run operation benefit China, given that the operation required accepting enormous economic damage?

Those claiming the economic damage is much worse than the relatively light casualties of letting the pandemic run its course have to explain why Chinas leadership chose lockdown. Given the extraordinarily high costs of choosing lockdown as the response, they must have had extremely sound reasons for choosing such a painful policy.

As many have surmised based on evidence, it seems beyond reasonable doubt that the actual death toll in Wuhan was somewhere between 10 and 100 times the official counts of around 2,500. Would Chinas leadership shut down most of its economy for a run-of-the-mill flu that caused a mere 2,500 deaths in a nation of 1.3 billion people? It seems unlikely.

As many commentators have pointed out, Chinas leadership is drawn from the ranks of technocrats, not lawyers. Its likely technocrats can grasp the consequences of data presented to them and make rational extrapolations from that data.

If Covid-19 has a very low death rate and therefore wouldnt disrupt the economy any more than a run-of-the-mill flu, then why did Chinas leadership pursue such an extremely costly policy as lockdown? Those claiming lockdown is an over-reaction are also claiming that China made a terrible policy mistake in choosing lockdown.

But since the data that decision was based on is not known, then we cannot know if lockdown was the best available option or perhaps the only available option.

Its likely that the intelligence agencies of South Korea, Japan and the Western nations probably have collected data thats confidential. Its also likely that theyve shared data and that theyve informed their political leaderships of the consequences of various policy choices.

As a thought experiment, lets say 250,000 people died in Wuhan, not 2,500. Is lockdown still needless? Based on what assumptions about the economic damage inflicted by deaths on that scale?

Recall that the initial deaths and related costs are only the first-order effects; policy makers have to consider the second-order effectsconsequences have their own consequences. For more on this, please review my COVID-19 Pandemic Posts dating back to January 24, 2020.

Read more at: CharlesHughSmith.Blogspot.com
The government has made no official announcement about the end of the lockdown but I dont know a single person who believes that it will end on schedule. The most we can expect are staggered and perhaps region-based withdrawals of the restrictions.

Sensing that there might be a backlash, the Centre has chosen to involve the states in the process of consultation. And leaks to the media have made it appear that the extended lockdown will be the Centres response to requests from the states.

I dont think any sensible person can advocate a total withdrawal of all restrictions on 15th April. It is too soon to gauge how much progress we are making in the battle against Covid. And one mistake is all it takes to lose momentum in this effort. And once the toothpaste is out of the tube it wont go back inside.

On the other hand, there are the demands of the economy. Daily wagers are going hungry. Entire sectors are struggling to survive: retail, hospitality, manufacturing etc. And not enough people are talking about the agricultural sector. How can farmers harvest their crops at a time of lockdown? How do they transport them to the mandis?

Just as we wonder about the lockdown, we worry about nearly everything that has to do with the Corona Virus. One reason why we are all so tense is because we know so little. And so, it seems do the scientists.

This is a new virus. Nobody has much experience of it. And scientists dont fully understand its behaviour. So nearly everything that you are told is the truth one day tends to be contradicted a week later.

Worse still, politicians have now got involved. We had Indias junior Health Minister telling us that 15 minutes of sunlight would kill viruses. In Britain, Boris Johnson listened to bad advice, believed in a herd immunity approach and wasted valuable time. Worst of all has been the behaviour of Donald Trump, the worlds most powerful man, who spent weeks acting as though Covid was no big deal, going so far as to call it a Democratic hoax.

Another of Trumps positions shows us how little we really know about the virus. Some weeks ago Trump announced that a drug called Hydroxy Chloroquine (HCR) was a miracle cure for the illness.

HCR is not a new drug. It has been used for decades to treat malaria. But nobody of any consequence in the US had touted it as a cure for Covid till Trump made his claim. Anthony Fauci, the USs top infectious diseases expert, tried to distance himself from Trumps claim but by then it was too late because the President boasted that the US had stockpiled 29 million doses of the drug.

When he was questioned closely about his discovery of a miracle cure, Trump said, In France, they had a very good test. Trump was referring to a single, flawed French study of 36 patients that had already been rubbished by the scientific community as being poorly conducted.

Soon after Trump issued his endorsement, many doctors (including those who appeared on Indian TV) seemed to agree with him. A shortage of HCR in the US (and unusually high demand in India and other countries, for instance) made it difficult for patients who were already taking it (for other ailments) to obtain supplies.

Now, the cycle has turned. US doctors are openly countering the Presidents claims and even in India, doctors have been appearing on TV and other media to advise people not to take HCR without medical supervision and warning of dangerous consequences to healthy patients who take it.

Trump continues to tout HCR - his recent threat of retaliation to India was about supplies of HCR. But it will take time to find out if HCR can cure Covid, though, the odds of it turning out to be a miracle cure or a prophylactic are low to zero.

Take another instance. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US surgeon general declared that masks would not help avoid Corona infection. Then, around a fortnight ago, the conventional wisdom on masks began to change. Even the government of India which followed WHOs lead, has now changed its tune on masks to the extent that now there is even talk of making masks compulsory for anyone who leaves his or her house.

Where does all this leave the average person?

Should we have stocked up on HCR? Should we have bought masks before many shops ran out of them?

We dont know.

Because scientists didnt either.

As with all such pandemics where scientists have too little experience, the non-scientists have sometimes seemed as wise. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the statistician and probability expert (best known for his bestseller The Black Swan) launched a statistical exercise comparing Covid rates in countries where there was a tradition of using masks to those that did not use them. He found that the mask countries were way better off. Though Talebs work was derided by scientists, it contributed to a change in thinking and to the eventual turnaround on the mask issue.

The original US and UK government recommendation had been for health workers to use masks. The general population was told they were unnecessary. This made no sense to many people. How could the same mask which was unnecessary for us suddenly become vital when a health worker put it on? (Presumably the authorities meant that health workers were more exposed to the virus and had greater need but this was not always clear.)

The mask controversy relates to another issue: how does the infection spread?

So far, scientists have said that it spreads through contact. You touch something that has the virus (a surface, for instance) and sometime later you touch a part of your face (mouth, nose, eyes, etc.) from where the virus can enter your system. Hence the need to keep washing your hands.

The second way is through droplet infection. Somebody, sneezes and releases droplets of saliva, packed with the virus, into the air.

You inhale the virus and it enters your system.

But, scientists say, the droplets are large and will soon drop to the ground so, if you maintain a distance from an infected person, you are okay. Hence the policy of social distancing.

Now, some scientists say that yes, droplets do fall to earth but there are other micro-droplets that are smaller and lighter can float in the air for hours.These may be released even through the breath of an infected person.

The problem will all of this that a) nobody knows how much of the virus needs to enter your system to infect you so is a single micro droplet dangerous? b) just because you can detect a virus in a lab test hours after it left the body does not mean that it is still infectious c) Scientists have paid too little attention to the viral load. As the author and doctor Siddharth Mukherjee recently pointed out, just because two separate individuals are both infected by Corona, it does not follow that they both have similar loads of the virus. Studies suggest that people with higher loads of viruses have a bigger chance of dying than those with lighter loads.

Is that true of Covid? Probably: there just isnt enough work on the subject.

Then, there is the fluctuation in rates of infection. In some countries, Corona seems much deadlier than in others. In India, for instance, the virus has been less deadly than we feared. In the UK and America, on the other hand, there have been thousands of infections and many more deaths than in India.

Various theories have been advanced for the disparity: Indians have a natural immunity, we are a hot country, we are afflicted with less virulent strain of Corona, etc.

Last week, an intriguing new theory (statistical, like Talebs work on masks) made the headlines.

In countries where there is a tradition of vaccinating people with BCG against TB, there appears to be a much lower mortality rate. Could it be that BCG gives us a higher level of antibody resistance?

The numbers support this view. Most Asian countries vaccinate their children with BCG but only a few Western countries do this as a matter of course. In Spain, where there is no BCG, mortality rates are high. In Portugal, where children are vaccinated, mortality rates are lower.

The outlier is China, which has a BCG tradition and still has lost thousands to the pandemic. One answer is that the deaths come from Wuhan, which is the epicentre of the epidemic. In the rest of China, mortality rates have been substantially lower than Wuhan and perhaps, such European countries as Italy.

So, should we all take BCG again? Dont most of us already have antibodies for TB anyway? Can we compare responses to Corona (a virus) to TB (spread by bacteria)?

As of now, nobody knows for sure.

Because ultimately, scientists are still groping for answers. They know very little about Covid and what little they know seem to change almost on a weekly basis.

Which is why the best thing for us to do may be to not wait for science to come up with the answers. Everything we know suggests that social distancing works. (No scientist disputes this.) Because the virus is spread though touch, washing your hands works. Staying at home and avoiding crowds works. And its probably a good idea to wear a mask if you are going out. It may or may not protect you but if you do have the virus (and many carriers are asymptomatic) it may stop you from infecting others.

What all of this leads to is a single inevitable conclusion: some kind of lockdown (perhaps not as drastic as by this one) must continue.

Because in the foreseeable future there will be no miracle cure, no silver bullet and no magic vaccine.

Till we can see the light at the end of the tunnel it is up to us to look after ourselves.

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New guidelines for Int'l travellers: From South Africa to Mauritius, here is a list of at-risk countries

What to expect from the Indo-China military commander level talks

Brazil President invokes Ramayana while urging Modi for COVID-19 drug

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 08: After US President Donald Trump, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro urged India to open the export of a key drug that is being tested as a cure for coronavirus.

Brazil's President has invoked Hindu epic Ramayana while making request for Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug, which is fast becoming the most sought-after medicine for countries dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.

"Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama's brother Lakshmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bertimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all peoples," Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bolsonaro was the chief guest for India's 70th Republic Day celebrations this January and the two sides have opened several areas of cooperation.

Brazilian President and Indian PM spoke over the telephone and discussed the global situation in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Donald Trump requests Modi to release Hydroxychloroquine ordered by US

"Had a productive telephone conversation with President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the COVID19 pandemic," PM Modi had tweeted.

The 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.

While India has recorded over 5,000 coronavirus cases and 149 deaths, Brazil has over 14,000 cases and 127 deaths.

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Over 30 countries, led by the US, have been urging India to release anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in the fight against coronavirus or COVID-19.
President Donald Trump shaking hands with John Mascola, the director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in front of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The leading coronavirus expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that the traditional greeting of shaking hands might need to end even after the coronavirus pandemic was under control.

"As a society, just forget about shaking hands," Fauci said. "We don't need to shake hands. We've got to break that custom."

With the outbreak of coronavirus, the CDC has advised Americans to avoid shaking hands and to bump elbows instead.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is a leading member of the White House's coronavirus task force, says the tradition of shaking hands may need to come to an end even after the coronavirus pandemic is under control.

Fauci spoke with Scott Thuman, Sinclair Broadcast Group's chief political correspondent, on Tuesday and said the greeting might be outdated in a post-COVID-19 world.

"As a society, just forget about shaking hands," Fauci said. "We don't need to shake hands. We've got to break that custom."

"Because as a matter of fact, that is one of the major ways you can transmit a respiratory-borne illness," he added.

Fauci also told Thuman that the social implications of the coronavirus outbreak might linger within society long after the virus passes.

"I think what we're going to have embedded and imprinted in us forever is the realization that something as catastrophic as what the world is experiencing now can happen," he said.

The 79-year-old has become one of the most public-facing members of the White House's coronavirus response and frequently appears alongside President Donald Trump in press briefings. He has been an outspoken advocate of social-distancing measures and said early signs indicated that these measures were helping to slow the virus' spread.

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"No crowds more than 10 people, keep 6 feet away, avoid crowded places, telework when you can  those are the kind of things that if we keep doing we're going to see an even greater impact," Fauci said during a White House press briefing. "That's the reason why we need to keep, as I say, putting the foot on the accelerator and not the brake."

Research has indicated that handshakes transfer double the number of bacteria you can get from a high five and that bacterial transmission can be reduced by up to 90% through fist bumps.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised Americans to avoid shaking hands and to bump elbows instead. Vice President Mike Pence has heeded the advice, though Trump was more reluctant to give up the greeting.

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SPRINGFIELD  Paul Kalill, a prominent attorney, onetime radio host and former city councilor, died Tuesday after contracting coronavirus, according to friends, colleagues and family.

Kalill, 77, of Westfield, was a well-known figure in Springfields political circuit as a three-term councilor in the 1970s and a mayoral candidate in the early 1990s. He was a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who was awarded a Bronze Star.

Kalill was a partner with the State Street law firm Kalill, Glasser & Associates and also held a doctoral degree in psychology.

In 2018, he was honored for 50 years of service by the Hampden County Bar Association, according to a staffer with that agency.

Kalill was hospitalized with COVID-19 on March 31, family members said in social media posts.

U.S. Rep. and House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, recalled Kalill as a devoted public servant on Wednesday.

Paul Kalill was the living embodiment of the word service, Neal said. Service to his country as a veteran. Service to his city as a Springfield city councilor. Service to his church, his family, his friends, his clients, the list goes on. It is with great sadness that we mourn his passing to this terrible disease.

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California Street in San Francisco is nearly deserted on March 18. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)

Even as California sees glimmers of hope amid the coronavirus outbreak, authorities warn that the Golden State won't be getting back to normal anytime soon.

Officials expect months more of some social distancing policies and warn that lifting the strict rules too early could worsen the health crisis.

The public should realize that coronavirus cases are likely to rise when stay-at-home orders are eased, officials said.

"There will definitely be individuals who will get sick. And because there are individuals who get sick, there will be individuals who die after the order is released, unless we come up with a foolproof immunization, which is highly unlikely," said Dr. Jeffrey Smith, Santa Clara County executive officer.

Smith on Tuesday told that county's Board of Supervisors that he did not expect there would be "any sports games until at least Thanksgiving, and we'd be lucky to have them by Thanksgiving. This is not something that's going to be easy to do."

In fact, it's unlikely the new coronavirus will be completely eradicated, and the disease could become seasonal, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS this week.

That would make it unlike a different deadly coronavirus scare of the past, the virus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, which killed 774 people worldwide and was fully contained within months.

Coronavirus cases in California (LA Times)

On Monday, Fauci said getting back to normal would mean something different. There will be a gradual process by which society can begin to function again, he said during a news conference, but "if you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense of the fact that the threat is there."

Improving trends

Silicon Valley health officials are now expressing more confidence that the shelter-in-place order implemented March 16 is working to curb the spread of the virus. Instead of projecting 50,000 coronavirus cases by May 1, the stay-at-home order may limit the number of cases in Santa Clara County to 2,500 to 12,000, according to a new estimate.

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In addition, Santa Clara County  the original epicenter of California's coronavirus outbreak, where more than 1,200 cases have been reported and more than 40 deaths  may now be on track to have enough hospital beds to handle more COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks, the county public health officer said Tuesday.

What's next?

There are no easy answers about when state officials could begin to dial back the strict stay-at-home orders.

Public health officer Dr. Sara Cody said at a Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday there were four things that would need to be in place for stay-at-home orders to be eased:

1. Robust hospital capacity

Hospitals must be able to safely treat residents with the care they need when they need it. That also means hospitals must be able to protect healthcare workers, such as with adequate supplies of masks, gowns and gloves.

Hospitals across California are continuing to find more space to prepare for additional hospital cases. In Marin County, with a population of about 260,000, officials say models suggest a continuous increase in COVID-19 cases and a possible surge in the next two to six weeks. They have been able to increase staffed bed capacity from 239 to about 400.

2. The ability to test for the virus broadly

Being able to test any patients who are showing symptoms is essential. The U.S. has been hobbled by a persistent shortage of tests.

3. The ability to rapidly investigate new cases and isolate the newly infected

Local health officials need to be able to investigate new cases, isolate the newly infected, and find those who may have had close contact with them and quarantine them to see if they show signs of illness.

"When we started back in the end of January, thats exactly what we were doing: We carefully investigated every case, we carefully traced every contact, but of course, with the counts that we have today, we are not able to do that, and neither is anyone else," Cody said.

4. Sustained reduction in new coronavirus cases

Finally, "we really need to see the sustained reduction in cases," Cody said, and it would need to persist for at least one incubation period  the time it might take between infection and when a person shows signs of illness.

"We want to reassure ourselves that, for at least 14 days, we see that things have settled down," Cody said.

California, initially one of the hardest-hit states, is now seeing a fraction of the cases and deaths of other states. By Tuesday night, California had reported more than 17,600 coronavirus cases and over 400 deaths; New York has reported more than 139,000 cases and more than 5,400 fatalities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a March 30 news conference. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Caution in California's optimism

Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed optimism Tuesday, saying California has no longer been reporting double-digit increases in hospitalization rates. Still, he cautioned that tougher days are ahead and forecast a peak of sick patients in May.

One vulnerable populations that remains are those in nursing homes, where the virus can spread easily.

A long-term-care skilled nursing facility in a Seattle suburb was an early epicenter of the outbreak, where two-thirds of residents and 47 workers fell ill and 37 people died.

Of the 21 people who have died from COVID-19 in California's San Mateo County, 15 resided in congregate-care settings. The Los Angeles County public health director said Tuesday it would be "perfectly appropriate" for families to pull loved ones out of long-term-care facilities; as of Tuesday, 21% of L.A. County's 173 coronavirus deaths were among residents of nursing homes or assisted living centers.

Risk of ending social distancing too early

Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan, said deploying stay-at-home measures required a degree of patience not to pull back too early.

"If you pull the triggers off too early, not only is there a circulating virus to do what it naturally does, but you will have incurred all the economic and social disruptions of [stay-at-home orders] for nothing," Markel said in a webinar hosted by the American Public Health Assn. last month.

Markel said that during the 1918 flu pandemic, more than 20 U.S. cities that relaxed physical distancing orders too quickly  even as the flu virus was still circulating  soon saw a new rise in cases.

Exactly how officials might envision pulling back coronavirus stay-at-home orders, and to what extent people can return to their workplaces, is not yet known.

"It's very, very difficult to know what parts we can scale back without compromising the progress that we've made," Cody told the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.





Social distancing into 2022?

Some say that periods of social distancing may need to continue over the next two years.

A mathematical model developed by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggested that a one-time effort at social distancing, as the U.S. is undertaking this spring, wouldn't be enough to keep coronavirus case levels low enough to prevent hospital systems from being overwhelmed.

If it's true that the coronavirus can spread more easily in the autumn and winter, there could be a resurgence of infections later this year.

A vendor sells masks for $2 to $10 at the corner of Rosecrans and Vermont avenues in Gardena on Tuesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

As a result, we might need long periods of social distancing, "perhaps with occasional periods of loosening," to keep only a fraction of the population infected with the coronavirus at any one time, until a point at which large future outbreaks would be avoided, the Harvard study said.

Under one plausible scenario, social distancing measures could be fully relaxed by early to mid-2021, with the epidemic concluding by July 2022, Harvard researchers said. At that point, the coronavirus is anticipated to circulate seasonally, peaking in the winter.

Increasing the capacity of intensive care units would permit for longer breaks between periods of social distancing, said one of the authors of the study, Marc Lipsitch, epidemiology professor and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"This is not an easy policy," Lipsitch said at the American Public Health Assn. webinar last month. "I'm not under illusions that this would be easy to do."





How Singapore fell behind

There will continue to be the threat of the coronavirus being reintroduced in areas where the outbreak has eased.

Singapore, which took early, effective action against the coronavirus, was forced last week to order the closure of schools and nonessential businesses for a month as the numbers of cases rose when residents who lived and studied abroad rushed back home.

Officials in Singapore now say it is important to find sustainable ways to slow the virus through the end of the year.

Cases will rise when stay-home orders ease

The public should realize that coronavirus cases are likely to rise when stay-at-home orders are eased, said Smith, the Santa Clara County executive.

Children play in the streets while wearing face masks, in the Golden Hills neighborhood of north Redondo Beach, CA, during the coronavirus pandemic and current safer-at-home orders from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, April 05, 2020. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Fauci said during Monday's news conference that he felt confident that over a period of time  likely 12 to 18 months  a good vaccine would emerge. Along with new therapies coming online, he said he was confident "we will never have to get back to where we are right now. So if that means getting back to normal, then we'll get back to normal."

Times staff writers Jack Dolan and Taryn Luna contributed to this report.
Congressional Democrats voiced Wednesday their support for an interim coronavirus relief package proposed by Republicans to help fund small businesses, but are also demanding more action be included in the bill.

'The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans' lives and livelihoods,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement released Wednesday morning.

'As Democrats have said since Day One, Congress must provide additional relief for small businesses and families, building on the strong down-payment made in the bipartisan CARES Act,' it continued, then detailing what they expect to be included in whatever package gets passed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled this week that he wants to have another round of small business bailouts on the Senate floor by Thursday in an expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (right) are in favor of passing a coronavirus interim relief bill with $250 billion more for small businesses

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed expanding the Paycheck Protection Program as funds from the first round dried up within days of the application process opening last week

Democrats, however, also want to add more stipulations to the package  including $100 billion for hospitals and healthcare centers, including the increased production and distribution of personal protective equipment

The Democrat-proposed package would also include $150 billion for state and local governments to help families who lost their income. Here a massive line formed in Florida on Tuesday for people to receive their unemployment benefits as the number of claims skyrocketed by millions in the last few weeks

'It is quickly becoming clear that Congress will need to provide more funding or this crucial program may run dry. That cannot happen,' McConnell said in a statement Tuesday.

The Kentucky Republican said in the statement that he was working with Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to deliver the additional $251 billion in relief for small businesses before the end of this week.

Schumer did not immediately respond to whether he was in favor of the proposal, sparking concern considering the package will originate in his chamber.

After House Democrats all signaled their support, Schumer and Pelosi released their statement early Wednesday morning.

The Democrats, however, want that interim relief to also include billions more for health care centers and production to support those facilities and more assistance for individuals who have lost their job and have to file for unemployment or food stamps.

In their statement, the Democratic leaders said they are demanding $100 billion for hospitals, including the production and distribution of additional personal protective equipment (PPE).

They also want $150 billion for state and local governments to help address issues brought up in American families by losing their income  as well as a '15 per cent increase to the maximum SNAP benefit to help put food on the table.'

The Paycheck Protection Program, which is the main point the GOP proposed the interim package, aims to help small businesses ensure their employees receive paychecks and that their businesses stay open in the wake of the pandemic.

It was originally passed in an economic stimulus bill last month with $350 billion.

'The small-business Paycheck Protection Program needs more funding,' McConnell asserted in his statement. 'Congress needs to act with speed and total focus to provide more money for this uncontroversial bipartisan program.'

McConnell is aiming to get the measure passed with a voice call vote on the Senate floor Thursday.

Lenders have been flooded with applications for funding since the Paycheck Protection Program launched Friday, and the funds included in the CARES Act, which was signed into law last month, are already drying up.

The loans are capped at a maximum of $10 million for businesses with fewer than 500 employees and lawmakers hope that it will cover about two months of essential costs  like paying rent and keeping employees on the payroll.

The program ensures that the government will forgive the loans if businesses don't lay off their workers.

Schumer, along with a group of Senate Democrats, did not say whether they would block the request for more money for small businesses to ensure some of their priorities are included in the next aid package.

The Democratic leader said during a call with reporters Tuesday that 'one of our very highest priorities' is raising compensation for essential workers, including health-care workers, grocery clerks, transit employees and other essential workers.

He now admits that will be the next priority after the interim bill is passed.

Schumer and Pelosi say after the emergency legislation is through, they will move on to expanding the CARES Act, which was signed last month by Donald Trump  and includes a provision that will send checks directly to American individuals and families.

'After we pass this interim emergency legislation, Congress will move to pass a CARES 2 Act that will extend and expand the bipartisan CARES Act to meet the needs of the American people,' the Democrats' statement reads.
The Gladwin County Community Foundation is gathering information from community partners, organizations and individuals to best understand the needs and how to help Gladwin County during this unprecedented time. In response, the foundation has established a new fund; the COVID-19 Response Fund. The foundation is in contact with various nonprofit organizations to help assess and monitor the needs in Gladwin County so that support can be initiated.

The Gladwin County Community Foundation is committed to serving individuals and organizations affected by COVID-19 in the Gladwin community, said Pamela Cingano, vice chair of the Gladwin County Community Foundation. We are happy to make an impact on the livelihood of our neighbors in need.
Arkansas largest city is banning vehicle caravans during the coronavirus outbreak after a large crowd of vehicles gathered over the weekend.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott announced the executive order on April 6 in response to large crowds that gathered in vehicles at an intersection and nearby parking lots.

Let me make this plain and clear  COVID-19 is not a game, Scott said.

The order, which took effect Monday, defines a caravan as five or more vehicles traveling to a location with the intent of exiting them for recreational purposes.

Little Rock already has a nighttime curfew in effect because of the outbreak. Arkansas has imposed other restrictions, including a prohibition on gatherings of more than 10 people, but has stopped short of a broader stay-at-home order.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday said the number of cases in the state has risen to at least 932, up from 927 the night before. Sixteen people in the state have died from the outbreak.

Related:

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Topics Auto
Weak sentiment surrounding the big bank stocks weighed on the ASX right to the end of Wednesday's session. The S&P/ASX 200 fell to 5121 during the first half-hour of trading but managed to make gradual gains during the day, reaching a peak of 5231 at 3.12pm. However a final sell off in the settlement period saw the index drop to a close at 5206 points, a one-day decline of 0.9 per cent.

Gains of 3.2 per cent in the real estate sector, particularly among shopping centre owners, and 1.7 per cent in the consumer discretionary sector were not enough to off-set falls of 2.8 per cent in the financial services sector.

Banking stocks were under pressure after the prudential authority asked them to suspend dividends and ratings agency Fitch downgraded the banks' credit rating, which could lead to increased funding costs.

Westpac shares fell the most of the big four banks, down 5.4 per cent, or 85, to $15.25. The share price dipped from $15.50 to $15.25 during the final settlement period. Commonwealth Bank dropped 3.3 per cent to $59.81, ANZ and NAB both fell about 4.9 per cent to $15.52 and $15.35 respectively.

The biggest moves of the day were gains of 12.5 per cent in Virgin Money, 10.9 per cent in Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and 10.6 per cent in Vicinity Centres. Stockland and Scentre Group both gained more than 7 per cent.

The biggest decline was a fall of 8.1 per cent in Jumbo Interactive, followed by a decline of 6.4 per cent in SCA, and 5.6 per cent in Afterpay.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today a purposed plan to convert dormitories and a hotel into temporary hospital rooms like the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Justin Heiman | Getty Images

Cash-strapped and empty hotels across the country are finding ways to keep the lights on by converting themselves into coronavirus wards or temporary housing for the National Guard or exhausted doctors and nurses. It provides some much needed revenue for an industry that's been brought to its knees by the COVID-19 outbreak that's spread to more than 1.4 million people in nearly every country across the globe. World, national, state and local leaders have imposed various travel restrictions, shuttered tourist attractions, issued broad shelter-in-place orders and even authorized hefty fines for people who don't adhere to social distancing rules. The financial toll for hotels is worse than during the 2008 financial crisis, according to industry executives and analysts. Up to 4 million hotel employees, from desk clerks to maintenance workers, already have been laid off or soon will be, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the industry's largest trade group. The group, the U.S. Travel Association and hotel CEOs met with President Donald Trump and other White House officials on March 17 to lobby for $150 billion in federal aid to help cover some of the devastating economic impact of the pandemic. Hotels big and small are looking for ways to survive the unprecedented economic fallout, with some finding financial relief in government partnerships housing frontline medical workers and military personnel.

Chicago

Chicago was among the first cities to seal the deal on such a partnership. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced last month that the city began to rent out 200 "underutilized" rooms from Hotel One Sixty-Six to provide a space for infected patients and those awaiting test results who want a space to quarantine. Last week, Lightfoot said the city is leasing The Hotel Essex in Chicago's South Loop to provide housing for first responders, including health workers and emergency medical technicians. "Our healthcare professionals and first responders have been working around the clock and putting their lives on the line to tackle this crisis and keep our city safe," Lightfoot said in a statement. "Just as they've been supporting us, we need to support them. I want to thank our hotel partners for stepping up once again for Chicago during our hour of need. Lightfoot previously estimated that the city will pay roughly $1 million to each hotel to lease all of their rooms for a month.

Breaking even

The money is the "bare minimum just to break even," said Michael Jacobson, CEO and president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. He said Illinois hotels have laid off tens of thousands of employees due to the coronavirus pandemic. "By no means is a hotel making money off of this. The rates that they're negotiating are deeply discounted," Jacobson said. "It is a way to keep some of our hotel employees employed," adding that such deals are unlikely to keep the full staff working. Imprint Hospitality, which owns nine properties across Virginia, Maryland, Colorado and New Mexico, rented out a number of rooms at its Salida Inn & Monarch Suites in Salida, Colorado to house National Guard members, according to managing partner Alex Walterspiel. She says the National Guard was called to the county to assist local health officials with mass COVID-19 testing amid a burgeoning outbreak across the state.

Not a time for profit

Walterspiel says all of Imprint's hotels have remained open as essential businesses, but just 5% of their rooms were rented in March, compared with a usual occupancy rate of around 80%. Of the company's roughly 200 employees, 185 have been furloughed, she said. "We're trying to strike a balance of being supportive of the needs of the people that are coming in while at the same time being able to charge enough that we can bring our housekeepers in and pay for them to come in," she said. "This is not the time that we're going to profit from anything. This is the time where we have to just charge enough in order for us to be able to keep our doors open." Walterspiel said she is actively seeking more partnerships with officials in other communities where Imprint has a property. The American Hotel and Lodging Association, which represents Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Choice Hotels and others, is seeking out similar partnerships all over the country. Troy Flanagan, senior vice president of state and local government affairs for the association, says he's in touch with city and state officials, as well as federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, to connect them with hotels that can support the COVID-19 response efforts.

Keeping the lights on

"Now is a time I think when businesses across the country are looking for nontraditional ways of trying to keep the lights on," Flanagan said. "Our members are coming together with local and state officials to meet their housing needs." Unite Here, which represents 300,000 North American workers across a variety of industries including lodging, supports such partnerships. The union cautioned that the safety of workers needs to be prioritized. "Workers need strong protections, now more than ever," Unite Here spokeswoman Meghan Cohorst said. "Unite Here is working with numerous cities to make sure that our industry steps up to do its part, but all possible steps are taken to limit risk to hotel workers."

The parking lot is nearly at a Hampton Inn hotel on March 24, 2020 in Rockford, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images

California

In California, officials have rented two hotels near Oakland airport for homeless people to quarantine, and is pushing to get 51,000 hotel rooms across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced. Los Angeles announced March 20 that it's renting out the Sheraton Fairplex hotel in Pomona to provide temporary housing for people ordered to isolate or quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19. San Francisco officials are in talks to rent up to 6,500 hotel rooms for patients with mild symptoms and first responders, according to Kevin Carroll, executive director of the Hotel Council of San Francisco. The city is paying up to $213 per day to house and feed patients isolating in hotel rooms, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and that rate drops to $164 per day to house first responders. If the room sits empty, the city will still pay $79 a day to hold the room, the Chronicle reported. "It will hopefully be a win-win situation where the hotels can stay open, and in some cases they can bring employees into work and then it's helping a city need as well," Carroll said. "The hotels are coming in with rates to work with the city."

New York City

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said April 1 the city has leased 20 hotels to add 10,000 beds for both first responders who want temporary housing while they interact with COVID-19 patients and to increase the hospital capacity in the city. De Blasio said the leasing of more hotels will be "key" to the city's COVID-19 response efforts.

Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, speaks at a news conference as the USNS Comfort hospital ship arrives at Pier 90 in New York, U.S., on Monday, March 30, 2020. Angus Mordant | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"I'm very, very sorry what the hotel industry has been through in this crisis. A lot of people have been put in a tough, tough situation to work in our hotels. They're obviously struggling," de Blasio said at a news briefing. "But what it has meant at the same time is a huge number of hotels have become available to the city of New York and we literally can go in and lease an entire hotel building and we can do that dozens and dozens and dozens of times until we get to the point that we have all the beds we need." Last month, officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they are working with Gov. Cuomo and officials in 12 other states to refit facilities like hotels and college dormitories as emergency hospitals and treatment centers.

'People don't have jobs'

"These hotels are empty. The people don't have jobs," Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said at a news briefing. "We would go in and cut a contract to be able to have the state set up a lease with that particular facility, and we would then take the building over."

A view United States Army Corps of Engineer command truck parked outside Javitz Center, a temporary hospital for Covid-19 patients amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on March 26, 2020 in New York City. John Nacion | NurPhoto | Getty Images

In Baltimore, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Baltimore Convention Center and neighboring Hilton Hotel will be used as temporary field hospitals amid warnings of hospital bed shortages. Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit is offering free rooms to first responders, including police, firefighters and EMTs. "Greektown Casino has stepped up and offered free hotel rooms for our first responders who had family members at home that they did not want to go home to and potentially infect," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Tuesday.

Seattle

In the city of Kent, outside of Seattle, local officials rushed to buy a run down EconoLodge for $4 million in early March to convert the motel into a quarantine site. But the decision didn't go over well with everyone in King County, which has been hit particularly hard. Kent Mayor Dana Ralph at the time directed the city attorney to file a restraining order against the county to halt work on the quarantine motel, but it was later denied, according to local news reports.

Frank Riedo, Medical Director of Infection Control at Evergreen Health Hospital speaks speaks following the death of a a King County, Washington resident due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) during a press conference in Seattle, Washington. Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
Cities in Alabama are instituting $500 fines for violating strict evening curfews during the coronavirus pandemic.

But in Mobile, city officials are concerned that expensive fines occurring at a time when much of the economy is stalled, could be more harmful for residents.

The City Council, on Tuesday, officially adopted a curfew and instituted fines of $100 for a first offense and $200 for a second and subsequent offense.

Mobiles curfew essentially functions as a 24-hour decree, with a nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and a stay at home order from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., through the end of April. The curfew was announced on Friday by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson moments before Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced her plans for a statewide stay at home order.

There are very few exceptions for people to be out between 10 pm and 5 am. If you're not going to work at one of the essential businesses defined in the order, stay home.  Mayor Sandy Stimpson (@MayorStimpson) April 6, 2020

It has nothing to do with making money, said Councilman Fred Richardson said. Were seeking compliance and we hope we dont have to give anyone a ticket, and that everyone out there will comply.

Initially, Mobile considered a $50 maximum fine for violating the curfew, but city officials acknowledged the amount was too low.

On the other hand, instituting fines up to $500  in effect in nearby communities like Saraland  are viewed in Mobile as too much.

City Attorney Ricardo Woods said there is a balance and that the city doesnt want to put unemployed residents in costly situations.

We have people losing jobs and we dont want to put someone in a position where $100 plus court costs up to $360 puts them into a financial bind during this economic turmoil, said Woods. But we want them to take it seriously.

Most cities, in recent weeks, have adopted ordinances with maximum fines of up to $500 for violating the city-enforced curfews.

Violations to Birminghams curfew are punishable up to $500 and 30 days in municipal jail. According to city spokesman Rick Journey, the citys intent is not to arrest anyone.

We are primarily focused on breaking up groups and  if required in certain cases  non-custodial arrests, said Journey, in an email to AL.com. He said there have been no citations issued since Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the 24-hour curfew two weeks ago.

(Birmingham police) say people comply when asked, said Journey.

Montgomery and Tuscaloosa have similar penalties in place. Tuscaloosa plans to begin enforcement this weekend, according to Mayor Walt Maddox.

The curfews have popped up at the same time Ivey issued a shelter-in-place ordinance that became effective Saturday. Violators to the governors order can face a misdemeanor by local police.

According to the Alabama Attorney Generals Office, most, if not all, municipalities have adopted state misdemeanor offenses via ordinance which allows for the charges to be heard in municipal court. If there is no ordinance in place, the violates can be brought before a district court.
If he didnt have the test results to prove it, David Herrmann never would have known he had the coronavirus.

Last month, Herrmann, 54, visited his doctor for a regular check-up after returning to San Antonio from a ski trip to Crested Butte, Colo., with his family. Because hed traveled to an area where the virus was spreading, his doctor ordered a test, and within days, it came back positive. But his only symptoms were a brief loss of taste and smell, and a passing fever that never broke 100 degrees.

Herrmann knows others with COVID-19 arent as fortunate. So when he saw that the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center was collecting blood plasma from people who had successfully fought off the coronavirus to give to those who were still critically ill, it felt like the right thing to do.

His plasma donation on Tuesday afternoon  the citys first  has kickstarted local efforts to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients with a therapy that has long been used for other diseases without treatment or cure.

Doctors and researchers hope that the transfusions, which were recently given the green light by federal regulators and are also part of a national clinical trial, will equip those patients with enough antibodies to aid their recoveries.

On ExpressNews.com: A fever that comes and goes, or almost no symptoms at all: San Antonians troubled by milder forms of COVID-19

The experimental therapy has already been used to treat coronavirus patients elsewhere in Texas, including in Houston, Galveston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Elizabeth Waltman, chief operating officer for San Antonios blood bank, said the nonprofit organization jumped into high gear last week, after the Food and Drug Administration lifted the regulatory hurdles preventing blood centers from collecting and distributing plasma on a widespread basis to hospitals with coronavirus patients.

Blood centers already have automated machines that can collect only plasma or a combination of plasma and red blood cells from a donor, and they regularly screen people for a host of illnesses and other disqualifying criteria before they are allowed to donate.

In this instance, Waltman said the blood center is looking for donors who had tested positive for coronavirus and meet the requirements for recovery. That could include 28 days beyond the resolution of any symptoms, a negative test paired with two weeks of no symptoms, or two negative tests.

San Antonians who are interested in donating their plasma to coronavirus patients should email COVID19@southtexasblood.org, Waltman said, so that the blood bank can more easily screen for suitable donors. Once approved, donors will be able to give plasma every four days.

Convalescent plasma has been used during other pandemics and epidemics, including for the 1918 flu and for measles. Most recently, it was successfully used to treat patients with Ebola, a virus more deadly than the coronavirus.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio coronavirus patients enrolled in trial of promising antiviral drug

Each time a new virus pops up in humans, convalescent plasma is one of the first things researchers try, said Dr. Leslie Greebon, director of transfusion services at University Hospital.

In the absence of other treatments, the idea is to give those otherwise at risk of dying from the virus  patients with respiratory failure, septic shock or multisystem organ failure  a fighting chance through the use of another persons antibodies.

The theory behind this has been proven to be effective in other diseases, so it would, based on immune responses, we would think that this would work again, Greebon said.

But with a novel virus, unknowns still abound. Greebon said it is not clear whether the plasma will have the same effect on each patient, or whether it could be used in a targeted fashion for certain groups.

We kind of know that it works, but we dont know what extent its going to work, dont know if it works differently for different people, Waltman said. But its what weve got. Its the best that weve got right now, so lets go ahead and do it.

Waltman said any hospital will be able to request plasma from the blood center after obtaining fast-tracked federal approval. She has already fielded questions from the Baptist, Christus and Methodist hospital systems.

University, which is also testing an antiviral drug on severely sick coronavirus patients, plans to participate in the national clinical trial, which is being led by the Mayo Clinic. Greebon said data from the study could offer coronavirus patients hope beyond supportive care, which is not working very well at this point.

Herrmann, who donated after testing negative twice for the virus, said he wants to encourage other recovered patients to follow his lead.

Hopefully, theres many more, he said.

Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Lauren, become a subscriber. lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba
Mumbai, April 8 : Maharashtra recorded eight new Covid-19 deaths, including an 85-year woman - the oldest victim so far -- on Wednesday while the number of positive cases shot up by 117 to touch 1,135, officials said.

This takes the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Maharashtra to 72, up from 64 on Tuesday, with Mumbai alone notching 45 fatalities.

Among the Mumbai victims are a man and five women, including the 85-year-old, who died in Kasturba Hospital. A chronic asthma patient, she had been admitted on Sunday with fever, cough and breathlessness and succumbed along with causes of Covid-19.

Three of the other women - aged 46, 54, 59 - were admitted to KEM Hospital with identical complaints of fever, cough and breathlessness, and succumbed to Covid-19 plus certain other causes like diabetes and lung ailments. A 55-year old woman from Thane, with complaints of lung ailments, passed away in Babu Jagjivanram Hospital.

The sole man reported here on Wednesday was 64-year-old and was admitted to KEM Hospital on Tuesday with fever, cough and breathlessness besides chronic diabetes.

Pune followed with two deaths - a 44-year-old man with diabetes who passed away in Naidu Hospital and a 55-year-old man who died in Sassoon Hospital - taking the total death tally to 10, plus 183 positive cases till date.

In a positive development, while 117 new cases were reported on Wednesday, 117 fully cured patients have been discharged and sent home till date.

A whopping 34,904 persons are in 'home quarantine' and 4,444 are in institutional quarantine.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday urged people to visit only the designated centres of Covid-19 patients as per clinical criteria divided into three different categories.

The categories are: asymptomatic positive patients or suspects, symptomatic positive patients, and serious cases requiring advanced health management, and the BMC announced it would soon set up the centres accordingly.

Tope also rejected certain reports by a section of media claiming that Mumbai had entered Stage III of the Coronavirus pandemic, but warned that "the next one week will be critical" to contain further spread in the state.

However, he ruled out the need to seal off the congested Dharavi - Asia's biggest slum - which has seen two deaths and 13 positive cases, but where the lockdown has hardly made any visible impact.

In this regard, he said that as per Central guidelines, the government has implemented cluster containment in areas with maximum number of Covid-19 cases or casualties and set up 3,658 teams to survey over 1.10 million people in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Palghar Buldhana, Nagpur, and other cities.

The state, in a significant move, made wearing of facial masks compulsory for Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions with immediate effect until further orders to check the spread of Covid-19 in these two worst hotspots in the country.

The BMC plans to set up institutional quarantine facilities for more than 11,000 people in 24 wards in Mumbai, the worst-hit by Covid-19 in the country so far.

Among the new cases till Wednesday, 25 infectees are those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, which has seen led to a spurt in Covid-19 cases across India.

The new cases in the state are: 8 from Latur, 6 from Buldhana and four from Pune, two from Ahmednagar and one each in Ratnagiri, Nagpur, Hingoli, Jalgaon and Washim.

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Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:13 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09f1a2 1 Art & Culture #art,#culture,#museum,#National-Gallery-Indonesia,#IndonesiaNationalMuseum,#MuseumMACAN,#MuseumAtHome,#VirtualTour,#Indonesia,#Jakarta Free

While the sensation of strolling down an art gallery or museum cannot be easily replicated, many museums have joined a global movement named #MuseumAtHome to support stay-at- home policies to fight the pandemic.

The hashtag was created by museum freelancer Sacha Coward, who recorded explanations he usually gives out during his tours. Soon, the trend was picked up by major art institutions, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, as well as the Musee du Louvre in Paris.

In Indonesia, at least three art institutions in Jakarta have joined in on the virtual path.

INDONESIA NATIONAL MUSEUM

While the National Museum has been closed since March 15 and the building sprayed with disinfectant, eager museumgoers can still take a tour of the museum through two options.

One is Googles Arts & Culture platform, which has included the National Museum in its repertoire along with other historical landmarks such as Prambanan temple and the National Monument.

Through the app, users can walk through the museums interior and exterior with a 360-degree view, similar to its Street View feature. The app also highlights notable items in the collection, ranging from a simbut (blanket) cloth from the Baduy tribe of Banten to a Rangda mask from Bali dating back to 1934.

Another option is via the museums own virtual tour feature, available for computer users only on the National Museums website.

Despite the lags and slowness compared to Googles platform, the virtual tour encompasses all buildings and floors of the museum, and provides clearer images as there are no visitors wandering in front of the images.

The Education and Culture Ministrys Culture Directorate General, which oversees the National Museum, also held a number of virtual discussions and concerts on its YouTube page, Budaya Saya (My Culture)

Livestreamed shows under #BahagiaDiRumah (#HappyAtHome) include a story time session for Indonesian folktales, concerts by Riau Rhythm Chambers Indonesia and Doddy Bagus N Friends, as well as a dance masterclass with choreographer Eko Supriyanto.

MUSEUM MACAN

Despite temporarily closing its doors on March 14, some collections at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) can still be viewed by art aficionados stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Museum MACANs programs includes a wide variety of activities, ranging from virtual tours to mini workshops you could do with your kids at home, all free of charge.

Most of the activities can be accessed on the museums website, which displays a red banner notifying users of the museums closure and a link to its #MuseumAtHome page.

On the website itself, users can download a series of activity sheets relating to Museum MACANs past and present exhibitions, such as a coloring segment inspired by Lee Mingweis The Mending Project and a fill-in-the-blanks sheet for the little ones to create their own manifesto, a la Julian Rosefeldts "Manifesto".

Staying connected: Museum MACAN provides several activities for its #MuseumFromHome program, from virtual artist talks to children's workshops. (Courtesy of Instagram/Museum MACAN)

The museums two ongoing exhibitions, "Manfesto"and performance artist Melati Suryodarmos "Why Let The Chicken Run?", will have their own dedicated virtual museum tours, which will be announced at a later date.

Museum MACAN director Aaron Seeto said in a statement that the program was responsive to the broader ongoing social situation.

We understand that our home country Indonesia is very broad and diverse, with different levels of connectivity in different areas, provinces and islands. With that in mind, we are working hard to deliver content that can be accessed and downloaded easily, while prioritizing creativity and inspirations for parents, caretakers and professionals working from home, and children learning from home.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF INDONESIA

Along with the National Museum, the National Gallery also closed temporarily starting on March 15, just four days after the official opening of painter Srihadi Soedarsonos solo exhibition themed Man x Universe on March 11.

Despite the closure, its Instagram account @galerinasional has been rather active in providing related content, from a brief tour of its permanent exhibition to encouraging sketchers to continue sketching for the KamiSketsa Galnas weekly sketching program at home.

The more you know: Due to the closures, the National Gallery is posting images of artwork from its permanent exhibitions and temporary ones. (Courtesy of Instagram/National Gallery of Indonesia)

National Gallery head Pustanto told The Jakarta Post by phone that a solution offered by the Culture Directorate General amid the outbreak was to go online to allow artists to continue to display their works, thereby providing an opportunity for the public to appreciate them.

Pak Srihadi was really down on his luck. We sought to display his works even with the closure, so we contacted the exhibition committee to obtain the photo files of the works so we could upload them, he said.

Pustanto said the gallery was in talks with the directorate general about working with a television station, as most people at home would either be on their phones or watching TV.

With the pandemic in full swing, he said the gallery had several plans in store to respond to the crisis and judging by the looks of it, going virtual is the likely path.

The pandemic coincides with a scheduled exhibition of Setiawan Sabanas Kitab: Catatan Seputar Diri dan Semesta (Holy Book: Notes About the Self and Universe) on April 21. Its unlikely to happen at this point, so weve offered the option of postponing it until the situation has calmed  likely next year  or hold it in a different way. (ste)
Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Sita Ram Mardi on Wednesday appealed to those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi to voluntary come forward for check-up.

The congregation took place early March in Delhi's Nizamuddin area and several people who attended it and then travelled to different parts of the country tested positive for COVID-19.

Nearly seventy-five per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh are linked to the congregation, Mardi said.

Out of the total 27 coronavirus positive cases in the state, 20 are linked to the event in the national capital, he said in an over 8.30 minute video statement.

The DGP gave the message of live and let live and said we are leaving no stone unturned to break the transmission chain to check the spread of the virus.

There are a total of 28 COVID-19 positive cases in connection with Himachal Pradesh, including that of a 70-year-old Delhi resident woman, who was staying at a factory's guest house in the hill state's Baddi area since March 15. She tested positive at the PGIMER in Chandigarh on April 2 and died there.

Police spokesperson Khushal Sharma said as many as 601 returnees from the Delhi congregation and their close Tablighi Jamaat contacts have been identified and quarantined in Himachal Pradesh so far.

Providing data, Sharma said 97 people who attended the Jamaat's event have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act for curfew violation or deliberately concealing their travel history.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 8 sent a message to a teleconference of heath ministers of the WHO western Pacific region themed Stand in solidarity to combat COVID-19.

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The following is a translation of the message:

Ladies and gentlemen,

The COVID-19 pandemic, the worst global crisis since World War II, is spreading swiftly with heavy tolls on humankind. The WHO should be commended for its role and responsibility in this global endeavour, and I wish to endorse this meaningful virtual conference under the theme Stand in solidarity to combat COVID-19".

Vietnam realised in no time the danger posed by COVID-19 when it first hit international media headlines. With strong political leadership, we understood an array of preemptive measures to fight epidemics as if fighting the enemy. The Governments actions have been rolled out in a resolute and coordinated manner, with prompt adjustments if required. Returning Vietnamese, foreign visitors, and those who came to close contact with positive cases are all subject to mandatory quarantine at designated facilities. A heavy focus was placed on isolating and wiping out the virus hot spots.

Vietnam adopted a dual approach of containing and controlling the outbreak while sustaining socio-economic stability, fending off disruption.We have been resolute in safeguarding the lives and well-being of our people, even at the expense of the economy. Immediate actions have been taken to help people facing hardship, particularly the vulnerable, poor and workers, making sure that no one is left behind. All instructions of the Party, Government and authorities have well resonated among our people. To date, Vietnam has managed to keep the situation under good control. Almost 50 percent of the cases have recovered with zero fatality.

However, as the COVID-19 pandemic knows no borders, the fight requires cooperation from and among all countries. A global pandemic requires global solidarity and an all-out global response. As the UNs specialised health agency, the WHO should continue taking the lead in mobilising and coordinating efforts, particularly in developing vaccine and treatment drugs, and providing medical supplies and equipment. Vietnam in its capacity as the ASEAN Chair 2020 has issued the ASEAN Chairs Statement on concerted actions against COVID-19, and is working closely with fellow member states to step up joint responses.

As called for in UNGA Resolution 74/270 dated April 2 on COVID-19, Vietnam has, within our capacity, shared information and experience, and provided medical supplies and equipment to other countries despite our own constrains. I take this opportunity to thank the international community and the peoples around the world for their support and assistance to Vietnam and for joining this fight against the pandemic.

I have all confidence that our concerted efforts will lead us to triumph. We will be able to ensure the health and safety of our peoples, and together forge ahead toward prosperity and realising the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Agenda./. VNA
Albany, N.Y.  Just because Upstate New York hasnt seen a large influx of coronavirus cases yet doesnt mean the region wont, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

Cuomo spoke as the state has seen several days of promising trends, especially in new hospitalizations. He said earlier this week that the virus appears to be reaching a plateau.

But deaths continue to rise and probably will for several more days, Cuomo said during a press briefing in Albany. The state set a new high point for daily deaths on Tuesday.

Its not time to celebrate yet.

"You will see more cases in Upstate New York," he said. "We're not through it. It's not over. We are in the midst of it."

Cuomo said he worries about people reading too much into the recent positive trends and thinking the danger has passed. If New Yorkers relax on social distancing now, the numbers will turn worse once again.

He said the state would begin to reopen once the infection rate and new hospitalizations fall enough that other measures can effectively protect vulnerable populations. That day will certainly come before those numbers fall to zero since the virus may become a permanent part of life in New York.

"It may never be zero," Cuomo said. "I don't know that we ever get back to zero."

More research in minority communities

The state has started releasing a breakdown of its coronavirus data by new factors including race. The numbers show minority communities have been hit especially hard by the virus.

NY shows fatalities by race, ethnicity and underlying health issue

The State University of New York, the Department of Health and Northwell Health, a large downstate hospital group, will work together now on researching the reasons behind those trends, Cuomo said. That effort will include more testing.

"It always seems the poorest people pay the highest price," he said. "Why is that? Let's figure it out. Let's do the work."

What are the lessons?

Cuomo again said he doesn't think the state returns to normal following the pandemic. It'll be a new normal that must be informed by the lessons we learn now, he said.

He said he wants to work on better preparing the public health system and focus on how technology can help in future pandemics or other emergencies. Schools, court systems and health facilities have all made extensive use of remote technologies during the current crisis, he noted.

The state must also pay attention to how small the world has become, Cuomo added.

"Someone sneezes in Asia today, you catch a cold tomorrow," he said. "Whatever happens in any country can get on an airplane and be here literally overnight."

Hows the health care system?

Hospitals continue to share resources, including staff, equipment and supplies, Cuomo said. Facilities are redistributing patients when needed.

Though staffing and supplies remain big challenges, Cuomo said yesterday the system has enough beds. The capacity has been increased to about 90,000 from 53,000.

If the current trends continue, stress on the system should stabilize over the next couple of weeks. That would minimize the need for the overflow facilities at New York City's Javits Center and on board the Comfort hospital ship.

Social media

The state is starting a social media campaign to encourage citizens to keep practicing social distancing. The idea is to get people to think about who they're protecting.

"I'm staying home for my mother," Cuomo said.

New donation

Mercury Medical of Clearwater, Florida donated 2,400 BiPap machines to the state to help confront the virus. BiPap machines are breathing aids that are not as powerful as full-scale ventilators, but can help many patients.

The state has been converting them for use as ventilators during the pandemic response.

JetBlue flew the new devices to New York from Florida for free

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

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Coronavirus: What the encouraging numbers in CNY tell us  and what they dont

McMahon unloads on unhappy golfers: Are you kidding me? (briefing 4/7)

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months. One month of the leave will be unpaid.

This follows the minister coming under fire for visiting a friend for lunch during the national lockdown.

Former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mduduzi Manana posted a picture to Instagram of Ndabeni-Abrahams and others having a meal at his house.

The President summoned the minister yesterday, 7 April 2020. The President expressed his disapproval of the ministers actions, which undermine the requirement that all citizens stay at home and save South Africa from the spread of the coronavirus, said the presidency.

The President accepted the ministers apology for the violation, but was unmoved by mitigating factors she tendered.

The presidency said that while the minister has been placed on special leave, Minister in The Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in Ndabeni-Abrahams position.

The President has also directed Ndabeni-Abrahams to deliver a public apology to the nation.

The nationwide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans. Members of the National Executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are having to make great sacrifices, said Ramaphosa.

None of us  not least a member of the National Executive  should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation. I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no one is above the law.

DA lays complaint

DA MP Phumzile van Damme previously told The Citizen that she would ask Ramaphosa to take action against Ndabeni-Abrahams.

We will be writing to President Cyril Ramaphosa about Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams breaking lockdown rules, said van Damme.

She is a leader and must set an example. I hope he takes strong action against her.

Visiting Mdu Manana (he is not a public representative) does not constitute the discharging of a duty related to her office. She mustnt even try it with that excuse, van Damme added.

Now read: New features coming to WhatsApp
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (Credit: Focus Features)

Heath Ledger refused to present an award at the 2007 Oscars over a joke in the script about the gay relationship in Brokeback Mountain.

Ledger and his Brokeback co-star Jake Gyllenhaal were to present an award the year after their movie won a clutch of gongs.

Read more: Birds of Prey 2 could feature Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy romance

But according to Gyllenhaal, Ledger didn't see the funny side of a gag about the movie that they were asked to tell.

Speaking to Another Man magazine, Gyllenhaal said: I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it.

And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, Oh, okay whatever.

Im always like, Its all in good fun. And Heath said, Its not a joke to me  I dont want to make any jokes about it.

Heath Ledger, Ang Lee and Jake Gyllenhaal (Credit: AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Gyllenhaal went on: Thats the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke. Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like, No. This is about love. Like, thats it, man. Like, no.

Ledger played Ennis Del Mar in the movie, a ranch hand who meets Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist while working in the mountains of Wyoming one summer.

Read more: McConaughey hosts elderly bingo night

The two men fall in love, but their relationship ends in tragedy.

Directed by Ang Lee from a short story by novelist Annie Proulx, it won Best Director for Lee, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay, though both Ledger and Gyllenhaal lost out on the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor gongs.

The movie also lost out on Best Picture to Paul Haggis's Crash.

Ledger died three years later, at the age of 28, following an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
Research led by scientists at the University of Southampton has found settlers arrived in East Polynesia around 200 years earlier than previously thought.

Colonisation of the vast eastern Pacific with its few and far-flung island archipelagos was a remarkable achievement in human history. Yet the timing, character, and drivers of this accomplishment remain poorly understood.

However, this new study has found a major change in the climate of the region, which resulted in a dry period, coinciding with the arrival of people on the tiny island of Atiu, in the southern group of the Cook Islands, around 900AD.

Findings are published in the paper, 'Human settlement of East Polynesia earlier, incremental and coincident with prolonged South Pacific drought' in the journal PNAS.

"The ancestors of the Polynesians, the Lapita people, migrated east into the Pacific Ocean as far as Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, reaching them around 2800 years ago. But for almost 1500 years humans failed to migrate any further into the pacific," explains lead researcher, Professor David Sear of the University of Southampton. "Our research gives us a much more accurate timescale of when people first arrived in the region and helps answer some key questions about why they made their hazardous journey east."

A team of geographers, archaeologists and geochemists from the UK, New Zealand and the US, worked with the people of Atiu, to collect core samples of lake mud, charting over 6000 years of history. Back in the labs in UK and US, the mud samples were subjected to a range of analyses including new techniques for reconstructing precipitation, and detecting the presence of mammalian faeces.

Apart from fruit bats, the Southern Cook Islands never had mammal populations before humans settled there, so when the researchers found evidence of mammal faeces alongside other evidence for landscape disturbance and burning, it was a clear sign of the arrival of people. Within 100 years the first settlers, most likely from Tonga or Samoa, changed the landscape by burning native forest to make way for crops.

The team, including undergraduate and postgraduate students from the universities of Southampton and Washington, as well as scientists from Newcastle, Liverpool and Auckland universities, also examined lake sediments from Samoa and Vanuata. Using this data, they found evidence for a major climate change which coincided with the newly established arrival time of the settlers.

The data revealed a major change in the climate of the South Pacific region with the main rainbands that bring water to the archipelagos of Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji migrating north. The result was the driest period in the last 2000 years.

This led the researchers to conclude that, alongside growing populations, water stress drove decisions to make dangerous voyages, aided by changes in winds that enabled easterly sailing. Soon after the arrival of people to Atiu, the climate changed again. Rain returned to the eastern Pacific -- supporting a rapid (c. 200 years) settlement of the remaining islands of Polynesia.

Professor Sear adds: "Today, changing climate is again putting pressures on Pacific island communities, only this time the option to migrate is not so simple. Within two centuries of first arrival those first settlers changed the landscape and the ecology, but were able to make a home. Pacific islanders now live with modified ecologies, permanent national boundaries and islands already occupied by people. The ability to migrate in response to changing climate is no longer the option it once was."
AS the world works on fighting the Covid 19 pandemic that has claimed lives and livelihood of many, United Nations Children Fund UNICEF) has called on governments and partners to sustain life-saving maternal, newborn and children health services.

This means continuing to meet urgent needs posed by the virus while carrying forward critical health interventions, like funding for vaccinations, which ensures childrens survival.

A statement by UNICEF on Tuesday said that without urgent action, the current covid 19 crisis risks becoming a child rights crisis.

Disruptions to society have a heavy impact on children: On their safety, their well-being and their future, read part of the statement, noting that in the poorest parts of the world, children in need of basic yet essential servicesincluding protection against diseases like pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea are at risk of not receiving them, because as health systems stretch, infants and children will lose their lives to preventable causes.

The organisation also expressed the need on the governments to ensure availability of water, and make sure that sanitation and hygiene reach vulnerable children.

Protecting ourselves and others through proper hand-washing and hygiene practices has never been more important. But for many children, basic water and hygiene facilities remain out of reach, read another part of the statement.

UNICEF said some children are cut off from safe water because they live in remote areas, or in places where water is untreated or polluted.

Other children lack access to facilities because they are without a home, living in a slum or on the street.

UNICEF calls upon governments to prioritise these children. And we are urgently appealing for funding and support so that we can reach more girls and boys with basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, they said.

UNICEF is working with health experts around the clock to provide tips and guidance for families on everything, from how to talk to children about COV ID-19, to how to help children wash their hands properly, and advice to teenagers on how to protect their mental health.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has urged people not to venture out during the Shab-e-Barat and said all burial grounds in the city will remain closed, except for burials, on the occasion.

The Municipal Corporation issued a notice in this regard on April 3.

"In connection with the ensuing Sab-e-Barat scheduled to be held on April 8 and April 9, and pursuant to the appeal from Mohammedan Burial Board, as well as appeals from various Imams, the congregation of people outside or inside the Muslim Burial Grounds of the K.M.C. is discouraged and it is detrimental to public health under Epidemic Disease Control Act," the notice said.

The mourners are requested not to crowd the burial ground to keep the compulsory maintenance of social distancing and assist in the fight against COVID-19.

"The burial gounds will remain closed excepting for burial purposes with a limited number of entries, mourners if needed," it added.

The notice further requested the concerned to cooperate and act accordingly.

Shab-e-Barat, which in Islamic faith means the Night of Forgiveness or the Day of Atonement, is considered to be an occasion when the Almighty forgives sinners if they pray.

Observed on the night between the 14 and 15th day of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, the occasion is marked by Muslims congregating in mosques and visiting graves of their departed loved ones.This year it is falling on the intervening night of April 8 and April 9.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 23 schools have been brought to task for not following the guidelines issued by the Punjab government.

Punjabs education minister Vijay Inder Singla has said that private schools across Punjab have been issued show-cause notices for demanding fees during the coronavirus lockdown.

As many as 23 schools have been brought to task for not following the guidelines issued by the Punjab government.

The education minister shared a short clip on Twitter, where he revealed the figures and asked private school owners to take a humanitarian approach and not hamper the future of students during these trying times.

The minister urged schools to not send any message to students regarding the deposition of fee during the lockdown. He asked students and their guardians to reach out to him directly on his email to submit complaints against schools which are demanding fees.

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the #COVID19 lockdown situation, strict action shall be taken against all those private schools who are not following Punjab Govts directives of deferring admissions and not charging late fee. pic.twitter.com/wtxjDNWccy  Vijay Inder Singla (@VijayIndrSingla) April 7, 2020

On 23 March, the education department had directed all private schools in the state to reschedule their admissions for 2020-21, reported The Tribune.

Schools were asked to provide a window of at least 30 days to submit their fees after the situation returned to normal.

As per the report, schools were also directed not to charge any late fee from the students for this lockdown period.

Punjab has seen a total of 91 confirmed COVID-19 cases with seven deaths. Across the country, the number of positive cases has crossed the 5,000 mark and over 140 deaths have been reported.
EDWARDSVILLE  Confirmed coronavirus cases in Madison County passed 300 over the weekend. Here is the latest news on what is happening in and around our neighborhood today:

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday reported 2,341 new cases of COVID-19 as Gov. JB Pritzker noted the state is making progress in multiple areas.

Illinois total number of cases is now 63,840. The IDPH on Monday also reported 46 additional deaths  the lowest daily number since April 19  related to novel coronavirus, bringing that total to 2,662.

In Madison County, the Madison County Health Department reports two new deaths  a woman in her 60s and a man in his 90s  bringing the total to 26 cases. The county is also reporting 5 new cases  4 women and 1 man.

The Illinois stay-at-home order is still in place until May 30.

1. Former Edwardsville mayor dies

Former Edwardsville Mayor Gary Niebur died Saturday. A lifelong resident of Edwardsville, he was 64 years old.

2. Democrats push to double funding for health departments

State Sen. Andy Manars plan would increase funding for local health protection grants to $36 million in the states next budget, which Manar says is key to opening the economy.

3. New gourmet eatery delayed to summer

The villages healthy gourmet food shop, Plan Shop Live Kitchen LLC, like nearly everything else in the area, has had its forward progress blunted by the coronavirus.

What if I think I have COVID-19 symptoms?

Madison County Health Department and Anderson Hospital, with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest to call your primary care doctor if you feel sick, develop a fever, have a severe cough or have difficulty breathing. For more information, officials encourage citizens to visit with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov; and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) at dph.illinois.gov or the IDPH COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-889-3931.

Closures and cancellations

If you have an event that has been impacted or your business has changes that you would like the community to be aware of, let us know by using the online form available here: SURVEY: How is coronavirus affecting your business or group?

You can also contact our community liaison, Mary Cox, at mary.cox@edwpub.net.

For up-to-date information about the coronavirus and the Edwardsville and Glen Carbon area, sign-up for the Intelligencers newsletter here: Sign up for news in your inbox from The Intelligencer

For trash pickup issues, call Republic Services at (618) 656-6883.

What if I want to attend city council?

In Edwardsville, city council meetings and committee meetings will be open to the public. Under authority granted by Gov. J.B. Pritzkers proclamation modifying some aspects of the Open Meetings Act, council/board members may attend electronically. Residents may attend in person, but are strongly urged to participate electronically.

City meetings are on the same schedule however, elected and appointed officials can participate via video conference or teleconference depending on the capabilities. Residents who wish to provide public input are directed to either email at publiccomment@cityofedwardsville.com or call (618) 307-1715 to leave a voicemail message.
An absent dog does not bark, says an African proverb. The US press has hardly been absent during the coronavirus outbreak; many outlets have run stories about little else. But the focus on the virus has distracted the press from its watchdog function on other matters of public importance, including the climate crisis. Just as some merchants have exploited the pandemic to price gouge, some government and corporate officials appear to have chosen this moment of anxiety and distraction to engineer financial give-aways and regulatory rollbacks that under normal circumstances would be bitterly contested.

Perhaps the most egregious example is the effort by governments, corporations, and banks in the US and Canada to revive the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Runner-ups include the Trump administrations weakening of vehicle fuel efficiency standards and its halting of Environmental Protection Agency enforcement of some anti-pollution and public health protections, not to mention the White House meeting that president Trump held with the CEOs of seven of the worlds leading fossil fuel companies even as the Keystone rescue effort was unfolding. Meanwhile, three US statesKentucky, West Virginia, and South Dakotahave passed laws that criminalize protesting against the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure such as pipelines.

ICYMI: How tourism drives climate change

In Brazil, Zezico Guajajara, an indigenous leader who for years worked to prevent illegal logging of the rainforest and thus protect the climate, was shot dead on March 31. Reuters (a Covering Climate Now partner) and the Associated Press reported the news the next day, noting that it marked the fifth murder of an Amazon forest defender in the last six months. But among US broadcast outlets, only Democracy Now! (also a CCNow partner) covered the story.

In the case of Keystone, the dog that barked was The Guardian, which ran an impassioned and meticulous column by author Bill McKibben, who has helped lead the grassroots opposition to KXL. Because tar sands are so carbon intensive and Albertas supply of them so vast, James Hansen, one of the worlds foremost climate scientists, has calculated that building the pipeline would mean game over for a livable climate. Trump has nevertheless pledged to revive the project, McKibben wrote. Calling out Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, who recently approved $1.1 billion in public subsidies to help construct KXL; TC Energy, the pipelines builder, which has begun moving workers to the pipelines proposed route despite the risks of introducing the coronavirus to local residents; and JP Morgan Chase, which led a $1.25 billion bond issue for the project, McKibben charged that these actors are using the cover of the pandemic  to do things they could not get away with at any other time.

Most conspicuous in their silence about such assaults on the public purse and health have been the major US television networks, according to an analysis by Media Matters, a research group. Even when a respected outlet such as Reuters, The Guardian, or the Associated Press runs a story revealing apparent skullduggery, the networks almost never follow up. One partial exception: when the Trump administration weakened fuel efficiency standards, two MSNBC newscasts briefly mentioned the move and a third did an entire segment about it, while the PBS NewsHour (a CCNow partner) did two substantive stories about it. In other words, network TV can rise to the occasion when it chooses.

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The solution is not for newsrooms to stop covering the coronavirus story. It is to expand their definition of what qualifies as a coronavirus story to include profiteering from the pandemic, whether financially or politically. Thats exactly the kind of impropriety the presss watchdog function is supposed to expose and inhibit, and there are plenty of dogs capable of fulfilling that function. Its high time more of them start barking.

NOW, HERES YOUR WEEKLY SAMPLING of the latest in climate news, from across the Covering Climate Now collaboration.

Drilled News has compiled a list of all the climate and environmental rules that are being rolled back by governmentsat the federal, state, and local levelsand special favors being doled out to the fossil fuel industry, as the US strains to keep pace with the coronavirus outbreak. These changes are especially worrying right now, because theyre happening even as climate scientists say that for all nations to have a chance of averting catastrophic climate change, industrial nations must slash their carbon pollution within roughly a decade, Drilled writes.

InsideClimate News has a stellar look at the farmworkers on the frontline of the US food supply. They already bear a disproportionate burden from climate change impactstoiling under conditions of record-breaking heat waves, wildfires, drought, and floodsand are now especially vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak . Already prone to respiratory illness due to the nature of their work, they are also excluded from federal virus relief because they are undocumented. The workers are terrified, InsideClimate News reports, but show up to the fields anyway because they and their families need the money. (Also from InsideClimate News, a fascinating look at how an iron mine in the already fragile Canadian Arctic is ruining the local environment , driving away wildlife and staining the snow red .)



Japan, the worlds fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has determined it will not raise its emissions reductions goals by 2030, despite urging from the UN to do so, the Asahi Shimbun reports. Japan, the worlds fifth largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases, relies on coal for nearly 80 percent of its electricity, which has already brought criticism from climate advocates. Now, the head of the Japan Climate Initiative warns that failure to improve will hurt Japans global business prospects by giving it a reputation for a backward looking stance toward a carbon-free society.

The first three months of 2020 were scorchers , relative to the same period in past years, with each month breaking or nearly breaking monthly record temperatures, according to Mashable . The continued onslaught of record and near-record global temperatures is a reminder that, while were understandably preoccupied with another crisis (the Coronavirus pandemic), a more formidable one in the grand schemes of things looms in the background, the climate scientist Michael Mann tells Mashable.

The Columbia Journalism Review unveiled its Spring Issue this week, with stories focused entirely on the medias (often bungled) handling of the climate crisis. I am convinced that journalisms failure to properly report the climate story will be recorded as one of its great humiliations, writes Kyle Pope, CJRs editor and publisher, in the magazines opener . The press struggles with stories that demand subtlety and evolve over timeracism, systemic poverty, and the climate. We owe it to our audience, and our conscience, to be more thoughtful, Pope says. Climate change is the story of our time. Journalism will be judged by how it chronicles the devastating reality.

Finally, a reminder to CCNow partners that from April 19 to 26 we will host a second week of coverage focused on Climate Solutions ! If you plan to participate but havent gotten in touch, please let us know with an email to [email protected] . Not a partner? We hope youll consider joining our collaboration.

READ CJRS NEW CLIMATE ISSUE HERE

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mark Hertsgaard is the co-founder and executive director of Covering Climate Now and the environment correspondent for The Nation.
When Europe faced mass death after a domino of plagues in the 17th century, European states in order to maintain their power  shifted their governance from the right to kill to the ability to let live. French philosopher Michel Foucault theorized this change as biopolitics  a new type of sovereign power under which hospitals, prisons, and schools became a central duty of the state.

These institutions are now being reimagined as civic life comes to a grinding halt. We are bracing ourselves for mass death under the threat of a global pandemic. Our democratic process is at risk and it is time to radically reimagine politics and political leadership.

Politics cannot continue to be politics as usual.

Our nation has come under attack so forcefully by the virus because our government was slow to act. The current administrations inactions are already resulting in devastating losses of human life and economic stability. President Trump failed to heed the warnings of other countries like South Korea and Singapore. His racially motivated, cynical approach has knowingly put American citizens in harms way  a domestic act of violence by the federal government against its people.

Every day, the federal governments misinformation and mixed messages directly raise the death toll and the fallout of COVID-19. It has still not called for a nation-wide, shelter-in-place order. The human, economic, and psychological costs continue to balloon across the country. The federal government failed to prepare frontline responders with adequate supplies of protective equipment, obliging them to risk their lives to save the lives of others. On the day after the World Health Organization warned about a limited stock of personal protective equipment, the Trump administration sent 18 tons of masks, gowns, and respirators overseas. The federal government has abdicated its central duty to protect Americans.

A new form of governance must be designed to protect our country. All of our former and future political leaders must step up. This is an unprecedented time that requires unprecedented leadership. It is incumbent upon former presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush, to come forward and lead. The title of President is a lifetime obligation, and there is no time to worry about stepping on the toes of the current administration. We need leaders across party lines to turn their rousing words into action. Non-partisan coalitions must urgently come together to innovate and strategize solutions to protect us from unparalleled human and economic devastation.

Story continues

Coordinated political leadership can bring together state governments, media, medical facilities, and wealthy individuals. I plead with the former Presidents, and future leaders of this country to do the following.

1) Establish a nation-wide lending library of medical equipment to ship to the areas most impacted, when they are most in need. New York Governor Andrew Cuomos similar call solves the dire shortage of medical equipment facing the entire country. Political leaders have the reach necessary to rally and coordinate a nation-wide effort to pool and mobilize the resources we do have. New York is the American epicenter of the pandemic right now, but other states will soon follow  New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana.

2) Pressure the White House to hand the microphone from the president to non-partisan medical experts who are on the front lines of COVID-19 research and treatment. The partisan approach to sharing information is resulting in confusion, hysteria, and death.

3) Call on the media to stop broadcasting live the presidents briefings, and instead air pre-recorded clips with a fact-checked sidebar. The president has misled the American public about the severity and nature of COVID-19 for more than three months. His briefings are functioning as a platform to campaign for himself and perform the role of president, without actually doing anything presidential.

We must crawl out of the chaos the federal government has dragged our nation into. Before the 2016 presidential election, President Obama was warned of Russian interference into our democratic process. Our data was scraped and stolen; the public was divided into silos and conquered with false information and forged facts. But President Obama pointedly promised a peaceful transition of power to Americans. Trump was inaugurated into office, and Republicans never held him to account for allowing our democracy to be compromised, because it suited their self-interests and protected their power.

Allowing thousands of Americans to die is not peaceful. With a presidential election this year, keeping our nation in crisis suits this administration. Digital warfare triumphed in 2016. Biological warfare cannot prevail in 2020.

The virus clarifies our interdependence on each other. My personal health is related to your health, and our nations collective health. My survival depends upon your survival. We have an opportunity to transform politics and the future of our democracy. Our country deserves leadership that is authentically of the people, by the people  and for the people.

Roya Rastegar is a writer and filmmaker who lives in Los Angeles. She holds a Ph.D in the History of Consciousness from the University of California. She wrote the critically acclaimed WILDNESS (2012) with director Wu Tsang, and produced GAGA: FIVE FOOT TWO (2017), THE OBITUARY OF TUNDE JOHNSON (2019), and the upcoming VENUS AS A BOY (2020).



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The consensus is clear, we need market-neutral actions and regulatory certainty, not a fundamental shift in our market-based system.

That is part of what Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples wrote as a response to Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield, who one week earlier called on President Donald Trump to intervene in the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price conflict and said the largest companies, like ExxonMobil, control advocacy groups like the American Petroleum Institute and the Texas Oil and Gas Association.

Staples wrote in an email to the Reporter-Telegram on Tuesday that Texans do not want to be disadvantaged. The announced capital expenditure cuts confirm the market is reacting sufficiently to the need to curtail production and regulatory intervention is not needed. Now is the time for our industry to rely on measures that will help the most during these extraordinarily difficult times and our members are continuing to develop these solutions.

Staples also wrote that TxOGAs membership is diverse with larger and smaller companies involved in every sector of the oil and natural gas industry: exploration and production, transportation and storage, refining and a host of service companies.

As with most larger organizations, it is not uncommon to have differing opinions on a variety of issues, and we greatly respect our members who may have a different view, Staples wrote. TxOGAs position on proration was absolutely and clearly determined by a wide variety of independent producers and integrated companies representing all production areas of the state, who overwhelmingly opposed proration as a remedy to the current situation.

Sheffield told CNBC last month that opposition to a settlement with the Saudis from companies like ExxonMobil threaten the future existence of independent companies.

Sheffield also said that joining ExxonMobil in its opposition to a settlement was the American Petroleum Institute and the Texas Oil and Gas Association. He said ExxonMobil controls API and TxOGA.

As you know, there's about 74 public independents, there's only going to be about 10 left at the end of 2021 that have decent balance sheets. The rest become ghosts, or zombies, Sheffield told CNBC.

The comments illustrate the differences between operators -- large and small -- who say the production cutbacks and budget cuts being seen are sufficient to address the industry's woes and those, like Pioneer and Parsley Energy, which believe government action would ensure more uniformity and stability in the industry's reaction to the combination of demand destruction from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the anticipated flood of new oil as Saudi Arabia and Russia battle for market share.

While both opponents and proponents agree that unilateral action by Texas energy producers would not have an impact on the market, more proponents say Texas could show global leadership and influence international action to reduce production levels and prevent even more significant damage to the global industry.

--

Mella McEwen contributed to this report.
The expense makes Kawakami upset, but he said they had to get out of Hawaii.

But, you know, when you factor in the risk that they pose to our community, not having a place to quarantine, not having any accommodation, quite frankly, possibly being another homeless individual that we would be asked to take care of, he said. You know, it hurts.

Kawakami plans to send them invoices for the travel costs.

"I have heard that some visitors have been coming here and taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation with cheap flights," said Jessica Lani Rich, president of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.

On Monday, with funding from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, she sent three homeless men back to Los Angeles after they arrived in Honolulu with nowhere to stay.

Officials warned that those wanting to come to Hawaii with no accommodations may not make it out of the airport.
BlowChem Industries Limited, producers of Bel aqua mineral water and Bel Beverages have donated items to three institutions as part of efforts to help curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus in Ghana.



The beneficiary institutions include the Ghana Armed forces , Tema General Hospital and the Ghana Police Service



Items such as drinks, water, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and hand gloves were presented to support the frontliners at these various institutions in their fight to eradicate the global COVID-19 pandemic in the country.



Mr. Moses Koranteng Fei, Marketing Manager for Bel Beverages presented the items on behalf of BlowChem Industries



The Commissioner of Police of the Ghana Police Service, C. O. P Monney received 100 packs of Bel aqua water, 100 packs of Bel aqua Active water, 50 packs of Big Boss Energy drink and 100 bottles of hand sanitizers on behalf of the Ghana Police Service for the fight against the global coronavirus in Ghana.



Chief Staff Officer, Chief Brigadier Amoah received the items on behalf of Ghana Armed Forces -100 packs of Bel aqua water, 100 packs of Bel aqua Active water , 50 packs of Big Boss Energy drink and 100 bottles of hand sanitizers to aid the government's fight against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana.



Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr. Richard Anthony received 100 packs of Bel aqua water, 50 packs of Bel aqua Active water, 40 gallons of Disinfectant, 15 gallons of Bleach, 20 boxes of Hand gloves and 100 bottles of hand sanitizers to aid the government's fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus in Ghana.



The institutions expressed their appreciation, assured the items will be used for its purposes and appealed to other organizations to come forward in donating more items.



They also urged Ghanaians to adhere to the lockdown directive of the president.







Source: Nana Boatemaah Hansen









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ARLINGTON, Va.--Today, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) recognized awardees of the 2020 Young Investigator Program (YIP).

Twenty-six recipients will share $14 million in funding to conduct challenging scientific research that will benefit the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

"It's no secret that our nation is in the midst of a great power competition," said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. David Hahn. "To maintain a military edge over our adversaries, it's critical that we attract the best and brightest scientists and engineers from across academia to address naval warfighting challenges. The Young Investigator Program does just that, and I'm honored to announce the recipients for 2020."

The ONR YIP is a highly competitive early-career award program in which academic achievement and potential for scientific breakthrough are key factors in the evaluation process. The final candidates were chosen from more than 275 applicants--all of whom are college and university faculty and obtained a Ph.D. within the past seven years.

Awardees represent 19 academic institutions nationwide, supporting naval-relevant research including autonomy, wireless communications, energetics, power and energy, machine learning, artificial intelligence, sensors, weather forecasting, bio-tissue repair, hypersonics, metamaterials and nanomaterials.

The YIP awards support laboratory equipment, graduate student stipends and scholarships, and other expenses critical to the planned research. Typical grants range from $510,000 to $750,000 over a three-year period.

Established in 1985, the ONR YIP is one of the nation's oldest and most selective basic-research, early-career awards in science and technology. Its purpose is to fund tenure-track academic researchers, or equivalent, whose scientific pursuits show outstanding promise for supporting the Department of Defense, while also promoting their professional development.

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View the list of 2020 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator awardees at https://www.onr.navy.mil/Education-Outreach/Sponsored-Research/YIP/2020-young-investigators.
By Shu Zhang, Olga Yagova and Julia Payne SINGAPORE/MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - Bargain-hunting Chinese buyers have snapped up very cheap and sometimes obscure crude oil grades, mostly from Europe, where the impact of lockdowns to halt the new coronavirus has devastated demand.

By Shu Zhang, Olga Yagova and Julia Payne

SINGAPORE/MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - Bargain-hunting Chinese buyers have snapped up very cheap and sometimes obscure crude oil grades, mostly from Europe, where the impact of lockdowns to halt the new coronavirus has devastated demand.

Chinese purchases of Brent-linked grades jumped in April, including North Sea, Russian and Caspian oil, eight traders said.

"If there is a buyer in Europe now, it is China," a Mediterranean oil trader said on condition of anonymity.

However, the buying of physical cargoes has eased as expectations of a deal to tackle a global oversupply at talks between OPEC and its allies later this week changed the structure of the oil futures curve.

The Brent discount to Dubai narrowed to $1.35 per barrel from nearly $5 per barrel a week ago, making arbitrage shipments to Asia less attractive.

North Sea grades purchased included Balder, Flotta and Chestnut crude, while Guyana's Liza crude was sold into China for the first time, the trade sources told Reuters. Balder and Chestnut are not commonly seen in the spot market.

"We are seeing these grades for the first time," one of the traders said. "They have no demand in their local markets and have to be sold out of their regions."

Balder and Liza were sold at spot discounts of $7.30-$7.50 to ICE Brent for July arrival, while Flotta crude was sold at a discount of close to $7.00 to ICE Brent for late June arrival, the sources said. The price for Chestnut crude was not immediately available.

"These are absolute bargains and absolutely worth buying," an Asia-based trader said. "It would be a pity not to pick up the cheap barrels."

The low-sulphur grades are also good substitutes to popular ones such as Russia's ESPO crude and Brazil's Lula crude, which were still offered by traders at comparatively high spot differentials in the China market, the sources said.

Independent refiners collectively account for a fifth of China's crude imports and their purchases are restricted by quotas.

Buyers are waiting for a second batch of quotas that could be issued in the second half of April, two Chinese refining sources said.

KAZAKH CRUDE SALES SOAR

Chinese refiners increased purchases of Kazakh CPC Blend after its price collapsed to previously unseen levels, traders said. Last week, CPC Blend was valued at just $5 a barrel taking into account freight and the European physical benchmark.

China's purchases of April-loading CPC Blend could top 5 million tonnes, the equivalent volume of its monthly loading programme, two traders in Mediterranean market said.

Typically, China takes less than 0.5 million tonnes of the grade each month, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data shows.

Chinese refiners, both state-owned and independent, ramped up purchases of Russian Urals crude in April to more than 2 million tonnes - a record volume for monthly imports of the grade, traders said.

Urals and CPC Blend were sold at discounts of $6 and $12 per barrel against July ICE, traders said.

"Urals fits for both - teapots and big refiners. Differentials for April cargoes have been in fine shape thanks to Chinese buying," a source in the Russian oil market told Reuters.

(Reporting by Shu Zhang; additional reporting by Florence Tan in SINGAPORE, Ahmad Ghaddar in LONDON and Gleb Gorodyankin in MOSCOW; editing by Edmund Blair, Peter Graff and Barbara Lewis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
We have to be operating as if COVID-19 is circulating not just in every county but in every community, Pritzker said. We need to maintain our course, and we need to keep working to flatten the curve.
Alec Baldwin will lead a live reading of Lyle Kessler's Broadway drama Orphans on Saturday, April 11, at 9pm ET. The drama will be presented by the Australia-based Red Line Productions and streamed by the Sydney-based Canvas Collective.

Baldwin will take on the role of Harold, which he played on Broadway in 2013. He will be joined by Australian actors Aaron Glenane and Andrew Henry, who performed the work at Sydney's Old Fitz Theatre in 2015. New York stage vet Judy Jerome will read stage directions. All will be performing from the comfort of their own homes.

The Orphans stream is free, though viewers will have the option to purchase a ticket if they see fit, with proceeds going to support Red Line Productions. Click here to watch.

Broadcast times vary depending on timezone. It will air on April 11 at 6pm PT and April 12 at 2am BST and 11am AEST. It is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
[The stream is slated to start at 11 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

World Health Organization officials are holding a press conference to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak, which has now infected more than 1.4 million people globally.

President Donald Trump is blaming WHO for getting "every aspect" of the coronavirus pandemic wrong and threatened to withhold funding from the international organization.

"They did give us some pretty bad play calling ... with regard to us, they're taking a lot of heat because they didn't want the borders closed, they called it wrong. They really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong," Trump said at a White House press conference Tuesday.

The WHO responded Wednesday to Trump's threat to cut its funding, saying the move would not be appropriate during the global coronavirus pandemic.

"We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding," Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a virtual briefing, according to Reuters.

Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:34 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd06bbf1 1 Politics omnibus-bill-on-job-creation,house-of-representatives,NasDem,Gerindra-Party,COVID-19,coronavirus,RUU-cipta-kerja,DPR Free

The House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) has begun discussing the controversial omnibus law on job creation by holding a closed, partially virtual meeting on Tuesday despite extensive public criticism and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting was not scheduled on the Houses Tuesday agenda. According to Baleg deputy chairman Willy Aditya, the meeting began at about 12 p.m. and was physically attended by four leaders of the body as well as about nine other members.

Almost all of the other members attended virtually, Willy told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

However, the press was only invited to join the meeting at 3 p.m. via Zoom, a video conferencing program, just as the meeting, chaired by Baleg chairman Supratman Andi Agtas of the Gerindra Party, was about to finish.

We only discussed the two main points of the meeting. First, the House will hold a hearing with the government next week to ask about its readiness," Willy, a member of NasDem, said.

Read also: Guide to omnibus bill on job creation: 1,028 pages in 10 minutes

In the next meeting, he said, the House and the government would establish a working committee "with Pak Airlangga [Hartarto, the Coordinating Economic Minister], and other related ministers". He added that the body would not set a target date to resolve the bill.

At the Tuesday meeting, factions in the House were asked to prepare problem inventory lists (DIMs).

The body will consider the lists after holding a series of hearings involving various parties, such as labor unions, experts and businesses.

According to the conclusion of the meeting, which was shared by Baleg via Zoom, the deliberation of the bill will begin with noncontroversial topics.

Therefore the government can start with the easier topics of the bill first, the document read.

Read also: Key points of labor reform in omnibus bill on job creation: What we know so far

The public has widely criticized the House for deliberating the omnibus bill during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many said it showed that the lawmakers had little consideration for the opinions of the people it would affect.

One of Indonesias biggest labor groups, the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) plans to hold a massive protest against the bill, despite the pandemic.

The protest will be held in mid-April, involving 50,000 workers from Greater Jakarta, and will take place in front of the legislative complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Civil society organizations, major labor unions and student organizations had previously prepared for street rallies in March to protest articles in the omnibus bill on job creation that  if passed  they said would harm labor rights, the environment and democracy. They also opposed the bills opaque drafting process.

However, the rallies were canceled because of the pandemic.
Another Ruby Princess Passenger Dies in Australias Worst COVID-19 Cluster

In the growing scandal surrounding the Ruby Princess cruise ship, New South Wales has now registered its sixth death associated with the cruise ship where passengers were allowed to disembark before receiving the results of their COVID-19 tests.

On April 8, a 62-year-old woman from Adelaide died in the Royal Adelaide Hospitals intensive care unit, bringing the national death toll to 50. She acquired the virus while onboard the Ruby Princess, and is the second death in two days after a grandfather, Francesco Frank Ferraro, died on April 6.

According to a New South Wales Health statement from April 8, there are 379 confirmed cases of COVID-19 diagnosed among passengers and crew who all acquired their infection while on, or in some cases possibly before boarding, the Ruby Princess.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that at least 19 additional people have tested positive after being in contact with ship passengers.

The Ruby Princess departed Sydney on March 8, heading out for a round-trip journey to New Zealand, and arrived back in Sydney on March 19.

NSWs health department had allowed the passengers to get off the infected cruise ship as they determined it to be a low risk, said Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram at a press conference on March 25.

Ruby Princess docked at Circular Quay while passengers disembarked in Sydney, Australia, on March 19, 2020. (Dean Lewins/Reuters)

NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay wants a public inquiry into the saga and is calling for the NSW health minister to be removed, as it starts and stops with him, she told Sky News on April 7.

Decisions were made largely  in secrecy. Because we still dont know. There has been no apology, no explanation, said McKay.

NSW Police have launched a criminal investigation into the case, and will examine the communications, actions, and other circumstances that led to the docking and disembarking of the vessel at Sydney Harbour. A team of 30 detectives from various divisions have been assigned to the case.
Montana National Guard Soldiers and Airmen began screening incoming passengers at the Bert Mooney Regional Airport in Butte, Montana April 3, 2020. Seventy-three Montana Army and Air National Guardsmen were activated for State Active Duty by Montana Governor Steve Bullock to screen 17 locations around the state in an effort to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 virus. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Michael Touchette)

Editor's Note: This story was originally published by Montana Free Press. For more information, please visit http://www.montanafreepress.org

HELENA - Four days after President Donald Trump signed the largest emergency spending measure in U.S. history, the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, Montana-based stimulus watchers are waiting with bated breath for details about how the act will bring aid to bear on the state economy.

While the CARES Act responds to the COVID-19 pandemic with funding allocations targeting wide swaths of society, ranging from individual Americans and small businesses to airlines, hospitals, and state governments, its language leaves many details about the administration of that spending to executive branch agencies.

So while the gears of the federal government grind out administrative rules and the logistics of delivering promised stimulus checks to millions of Americans, Montana policymakers and citizens don't yet have a complete picture of how, where, and when the state's shuttered businesses and furloughed workers will see relief.

"How this is administered is going to be critically important and could screw it all up," U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, told reporters in a March 25 press call as lawmakers negotiated the CARES Act through Congress. "The goal for Congress is to make these resources available immediately."

"We're seeing small businesses shutting their doors - Montanans need help," said his Republican colleague, Steve Daines, the same day. "This economic recovery package is going to do just that."

The CARES Act is actually the third coronavirus response bill to pass Congress this year, following an $8.3 billion measure March 3 and a $100 billion measure March 18. A fourth bill may also be in the works, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Based on a Montana Free Press review of the bill text, agency statements, and summaries prepared by third-party groups, here's what is currently known about how the CARES Act's provisions affect Montanans:

DIRECT PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS

For most households, IRS-administered stimulus payments will total $1,200 for individual taxpayers, or twice that for couples who file a joint tax return, plus $500 each for children. Individuals who reported more than $75,000 in income on their most recent tax filing will receive lower payments, and individuals who make more than $99,000 won't receive the payments at all.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has stated a goal of getting the payments en route to taxpayers by April 6, according to the Washington Post.

Where it has direct deposit information on file from previous filings, the IRS says, it will automatically place payments in taxpayers' bank accounts. It also says it will set up a web portal in the coming weeks where taxpayers can provide the agency with that information, allowing them to receive payments immediately instead of waiting for a mailed check.

The stimulus payments are technically a tax credit that triggers an immediate rebate from the IRS. According to the Tax Foundation, that means individual stimulus payments will not be considered taxable income.

EXPANDED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

The bill expands federal unemployment insurance benefits for workers who have lost their jobs to coronavirus disruption, providing for an additional $600 per week in temporary compensation for out-of-work Americans on top of existing unemployment benefits administered through state government.

Self-employed and gig economy workers such as full-time Uber drivers or Airbnb hosts, who generally aren't part of the unemployment insurance system and have typically been ineligible for assistance in the past, are expressly covered by the act's "pandemic emergency unemployment compensation" provision. Workers with the ability to telework with pay and those receiving paid sick leave are ineligible.

The CARES act unemployment provisions complement Gov. Steve Bullock's March 17 announcement that Montana will expedite unemployment claims for workers who are laid off, furloughed, or forced into quarantine as a result of the outbreak, waiving the typical one-week waiting period. Employees who intend to return to their job are also exempted from the standard requirement that they apply for new positions on an ongoing basis as a condition of receiving unemployment benefits.

In Montana, state unemployment benefits typically amount to about half a worker's pre-job-loss income, up to $552 a week, according to a Department of Labor & Industry calculator. Montanans can apply for unemployment benefits at montanaworks.gov.

HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS

The CARES Act includes $349 billion targeted for small business assistance through a provision called the Paycheck Protection Program. The program lets small businesses and nonprofits access Small Business Administration-backed emergency loans through private banks in order to cover payroll, health benefits, and other ongoing business expenses.

Paycheck Protection Program loans are capped at 4% interest, and businesses are generally eligible to borrow two-and-a-half-times their average monthly payroll, with a limit of $10 million. In most cases, businesses and nonprofits of up to 500 employees are eligible, though some lodging and food-service businesses can qualify if they have no more than 500 employees per physical location.

A portion of Paycheck Protection Program loans can be forgiven, though the amount eligible for forgiveness is reduced if participating businesses lay off employees or cut pay.

LOANS FOR LARGE BUSINESSES

The bill authorizes Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to extend as much as $500 billion in loans to certain businesses, as well as state and local governments, including up to $25 billion to passenger airlines. Language in the bill aims to restrict participation to U.S.-based companies, and businesses are prohibited from paying dividends to stockholders and are subject to caps on executive compensation while benefiting from the program.

The business-relief fund was criticized by Democrats as the bill was negotiated. Tester, who cited it as a reason for his opposition to an earlier version of the stimulus package, called it a "$500 billion slush fund" in comments to reporters March 25. He also touted the inclusion of a provision in the bill creating a Special Inspector General to police the bill's recovery spending.

SUPPORT FOR STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS

Montana will receive $1.25 billion of a $150 billion relief fund designed to help government entities recover from unbudgeted pandemic-related expenses. In Montana, that money is likely to be directed to the state general fund, state Legislative Fiscal Division staff told lawmakers March 31. The money's specific use hasn't yet been determined, but could include assistance to city and county governments.

For context, $1.25 billion is about half the total general fund revenue Montana had projected to collect in 2020 when lawmakers passed a two-year budget last year.

The $150 billion figure also includes $8 billion intended to provide economic relief to tribal governments nationwide. The Secretary of Interior will determine disbursements to specific tribes.

MONEY FOR HOSPITALS

The CARES Act includes a $100 billion allocation for grants to hospitals and other health care providers nationwide through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The money is intended to help the health care industry recover the costs of unreimbursed care and revenue lost during the crisis.

MONEY FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The bill allocates $425 million to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support behavioral health spending nationwide stemming from the pandemic. Of that amount, $250 million will go to community behavioral health clinics via grants. Another $50 million will go to suicide prevention programs, and at least $15 million will go to American Indian behavioral health efforts.

MONEY FOR OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES

The act also allocates $16 billion to the National Strategic Stockpile, which has been a source of masks, ventilators, and other scarce health care equipment, and $3.5 billion to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to help with vaccine production and diagnostic tools.

An additional $4.3 billion is allocated to the Centers for Disease Control to help with the agency's coronavirus response. The CDC is asked to direct $1.5 billion of that amount to local health authorities for help with disease surveillance and other coronavirus response.

MONEY FOR COLLEGES AND K-12 SCHOOLS

The bill provides for a $30.75 billion Education Stabilization Fund, including $13.5 billion for K-12 education, $14.25 billion in emergency relief for higher education institutions, and $3 billion to be divided among states for governors to allocate as need-based emergency support grants to specific institutions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Of the $14.25 billion in higher education relief, half is designated for emergency financial aid grants for students.

MONEY FOR AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS

Montana National Guard Soldiers and Airmen hang an American flag near their screening station in preparation to began screening incoming passengers at the Bert Mooney Regional Airport in Butte, Montana, April 3, 2020. Seventy-three Montana Army and Air National Guardsmen were activated for State Active Duty by Montana Governor Steve Bullock to screen 17 locations around the state in an effort to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 virus. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Michael Touchette)

The bill allocates $14 billion for the Commodity Credit Corporation, the subdivision of the United States Department of Agriculture that has distributed trade war relief payments to farmers in Montana and other states. The bill also includes $9.5 billion in other assistance for agricultural producers affected by the pandemic, with the bill text explicitly naming dairy producers, specialty crop producers, and "producers that supply local food systems" as intended beneficiaries.

MONEY FOR ELECTION SECURITY

The act makes $400 million in election security grants available to states, with the money intended to address pandemic-caused election administration challenges during the 2020 election cycle.

WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM

The CARES Act will be financed with deficit spending, adding to the U.S. government's existing $23 trillion national debt. That's a tough pill to swallow but a necessary one, said members of Montana's congressional delegation.

"Now is not the time to worry about the debt. The time to pay that debt down is when times are good," Tester said in the March 25 press call. "Now is the time where there needs to be an infusion of money, particularly focused on the unemployed, the sick and the small businesses in the state. So it's borrowed money."

"It does concern me greatly, it really does," Daines said March 25. "I don't like the fact that this adds to the debt of the country, but we don't have a choice at this point in time, because we're risking a $20 trillion economy at the moment."
Cybersecurity researchers discovered a new IoT botnet, tracked as Dark Nexux, that is used to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Dark Nexux is the name of a new emerging IoT botnet discovered by Bitdefender that is used to launch DDoS attacks.

The botnet spreads using exploits and launching credential stuffing attacks against a broad range of IoT devices, including routers (from Dasan Zhone, Dlink, and ASUS), video recorders, and thermal cameras.

 the scanner is implemented as a finite state machine modeling the Telnet protocol and the subsequent infection steps, in which the attacker issues commands adaptively based on the output of previous commands, revealed Bitdefender.

The name Dark Nexus comes from the strings printed on the botnet banner, experts pointed out that despite some botnet features are original its code has similarities with the Mirai and Qbot ones.

Dark_nexus appeared in the threat landscape earlier this year, currently it is composed of at least 1,372 infected devices, acting as a reverse proxy, experts observed infections in China, South Korea, Thailand, Brazil, and Russia.

While it might share some features with previously known IoT botnets, the way some of its modules have been developed makes it significantly more potent and robust, reads a press release shared by the security firm. For example, payloads are compiled for 12 different CPU architectures and dynamically delivered based on the victims configuration.

The analysis of the Dark Nexus code revealed similarities to Qbot banking Trojan and Mirai, but the core modules are mostly original. The code is frequently updated, Bitdefender observed over 30 versions released between December 2019 and March 2020 (versions 4.0 through 8.6).

The startup code of the bot resembles that of Qbot: it forks several times, blocks several signals, and detaches itself from the terminal, continues Bitdefender.

Then, in the vein of Mirai, it binds to a fixed port (7630), ensuring that a single instance of this bot can run on the device. The bot attempts to disguise itself by changing its name to /bin/busybox. Another feature borrowed from Mirai is the disabling of the watchdog by periodic ioctl calls on the virtual device.

Experts analyzed the C2 infrastructure that is composed of several servers, once a brute-force attack succeeds, the bot registers to the C2 server providing details about the device, in turn, it receives a custom payload via Telnet. The experts discovered at customized payloads for at least 12 different CPU architectures.

The malware downloads the bot binaries, and other malware components from a hosting server (switchnets[.]net:80), and then executes them.

Experts noticed that some versions of the Dark Nexus botnet (4.0 to 5.3) implement a reverse proxy feature to allow the victim to act as a proxy for the hosting server. In this way, infected devices could store the necessary executables locally instead of having to access a central C2 hosting server.

One of the most interesting features implemented in the botnet is a set of persistence commands to prevent the device from getting rebooted. The commands stop the cron service and remove privileges to services that could be used to reboot the devices.

According to Bitdefender, the botnet is operated by an individual that goes online as greek.Helios, who is the author of other IoT botnets employed in DDoS-for-hire services. The man advertises its botnets on a YouTube channel.

Using YouTube videos demoing some of his past work and posting offerings on various cybercriminal forums, greek.Helios seems to have experience with IoT malware skills, honing them to the point of developing the new dark_nexus botnet, Bitdefender concluded.

Pierluigi Paganini

( SecurityAffairs  Dark Nexus, botnet)

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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in his third day of intensive care with COVID-19, making him the first world leader to be forced to take a break from their post because of the coronavirus. In his absence, the countrys Cabinet is collectively running the country, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is also the U.K.s First Secretary of State, and therefore Johnsons de-facto deputy, is signing off on key decisions. Unusually, the U.K. lacks a constitutional arrangement that sets out a deputy who would immediately assume office if a leader is injured or dies.

This moment is somewhat unprecedented in British history. In the past, when other Prime Ministers have suffered health issues in office, there have been a variety of workarounds. Heres how three leaders in history have handled their time out of office.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill, who served as Britains Prime Minister from 1941 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, suffered a stroke in his second term, at the age of 79. It was June 1953. With his extraordinary resilience, says Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny (2018), he presided over a two hour cabinet meeting the next day. Although the Cabinet Minister spoke more than usual and [Churchill] spoke less than usual, no one realised hed had a stroke, says Roberts.

Churchill first went to his country house, Chartwell, and then to Chequers, the Prime Ministers official house, for about two months to recover, according to Theakston, A week into his two-month recovery period, he started to meet certain political figures who would visit him, he says.

At the time, Anthony EdenChurchills successor in waiting according to Kevin Ruane, Professor of Modern History at the U.K.s Canterbury Christchurch University, was also seriously unwell after undergoing a nearly fatal series of botched bile duct operations in April. He was in no position to take over and that caused a mini-constitutional crisis, he says. As a result, it fell to then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Richard Austen Butler to chair the Cabinet until mid-August when Churchill resumed this duty.

Story continues

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) addressing a Women Conservatives meeting on 27th May 1954. | Keystone/Getty Images

During July and part of August, Churchill only paid spasmodic attention to certain government business and there are many accounts of him reading novels by C.S. Forester and snoozing, says Theakston. The Prime Minister started to pay more attention to government paperwork as he recovered, he adds.

Roberts says that Churchill mostly worked from his bed and this was not seen as unusual. During his premiership in World War Two, Churchill would work in bed until lunch time, says Roberts, adding that He was never expected to be zooming around much at the best of times. People did not expect to see very much of him anyhow.

Behind the scenes, the day-to-day work of government work was largely carried out by three of Churchills close aides. Often they sent out memos in the name of the prime minister, when perhaps Churchill hadnt even seen the memo. They knew his thinking pretty well, says Theakston.

A big difference between then and now was that all of this was a secret, says Theakston. Almost no one knew about the stroke, apart from Queen Elizabeth and some Cabinet Ministers. It was the last time such secrecy was possible, says Roberts, made possible by the fact that Churchill was a close friend of the press barons who agreed not to publicize it.

By October 1953, Churchill fully returned to work. But the then-80 year old was going deaf and an enormous hearing aid would be placed in the middle of the Cabinet table, attached to his ear, so that he could hear everyone, says Roberts. After Churchill left office in April 1955, he started to have a series of strokes that eventually led to his death in January 1965.

Anthony Eden

Churchills successor Anthony Eden battled with long term health problems, including depression, jaundice and the presence of gallstones depression, and resigned two years into his premiership in January 1957, after his doctors warned him his life was at stake if he continued in office. He stepped down at the height of the Suez canal crisis, precipitated by the nationalization of the canal by then-Egyptian president Abdul Nasser in July 1956. The canal had been owned by the Suez Canal Company, which was controlled by French and British interests.

Fearing a new Arab alliance, Eden cut off oil supplies to Europe and conspired with France and Israel in order to retake the canal through what the U.K. government today calls a badly performed invasion. It drew widespread international criticism and Eden was forced into a humiliating retreat.

British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden in the back of a car, leaving his office at 10 Downing Street for Buckingham Palace, London, January 9th 1957. | John FranksKeystone/Getty Images

The Suez crisis placed a massive strain on Eden that was compounded by a recurrence of illness and then the drugs used to treat that illness, says Theakston.

In November 1956, Eden went to Jamaica for three weeks to recuperate, during which time then-Home Secretary Butler and then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Harold Macmillan, took the lead in deciding on matters in government, says Theakston.

There seems to have been a hidden succession struggle and rivalry between Butler and Macmillan, adds Theakston. When Eden resigned in January 1957, it seems Macmillan ultimately won as the Queen swiftly appointed him to the role of Prime Minister. His number one job on taking office, says Roberts, was to repair the damage that the Suez crisis had done with the U.S. As Macmillan had a very good war time relationship with then-U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, and knew him extremely well, says Roberts, he began to reestablish the special relationship between Britain and the U.S.

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher was generally in good health during her time as Prime Minister from May 1979 to November 1990, famously surviving on four hours sleep a day. However, in August 1983, Thatcher, then 57 years old, suffered a detached retina in her right eye, requiring her to have an eye operation and spend three nights in hospital.

William Whitelaw, then-deputy leader of the Conservative Party, stood by in case he needed to take over her day to day duties, but a spokesman at the time emphasized that Thatcher remained in charge and would keep in touch by phone. According to the 1983 diary of Thatchers Chief Economic Adviser Alan Walters, she stopped working late into the night after her operation. But as parliament was in recess for the summer, her workload was already lighter.

In 1986, Thatcher went back into hospital for two days for an operation on her hand after suffering from Dupuytrens Contracture, a condition that causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. She couldnt use her right hand because it was bandaged up for a while when she came out, says Kevin Theakston, Professor of British Government at the U.Ks University of Leeds.

Thatchers advisors drew boxes next to options on her memos and she used her left hand to tick the box next to the decision she approved. Theakston says that before her operation Thatcher would underline, write exclamation marks, and comment in the margin. She was always active in expressing herself on the paperwork.
The claim: Joe Biden stuck a gun in a woman's mouth in Wisconsin

A manipulated photo that dates back more than a decade is finding new life amid the effort of many Americans to stay at home and engage in social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

An image of Democratic presidential frontrunner and former Vice President Joe Biden shared more than 2,000 times on Facebook purports to show Biden sticking a gun in an elderly womans mouth. The accompanying text claims it happened at a 2019 rally in Wisconsin.

Heres the text of the post:

JOE BIDEN WANTS THIS PICTURE OFF THE INTERNET BUT WE NEED TO KEEP SHARING IT MAGA KAGA Story: In 2019, Joe Biden was confronted by 63 year old Melinda Bares at a rally in Wisconsin. Bares claimed Biden was trying to take guns from law abiding citizens, to which Biden claimed guns are just as dangerous as poison and knives, and I will prove it! He then held a gun to Bares, and said she is even more scared than normal.

It was posted March 23, 2020, but began circulating heavily in early April. The comments showed many Facebook users taking it seriously, calling Biden evil and asserting this as further reason to support Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who remains in the Democratic nomination race along with Biden.

But the image is fabricated.

Heres the background.

Picture dates back more than a decade

The story accompanying the photo is pure fiction. Biden didnt even attend any public events in Wisconsin in 2019, according to records maintained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The original picture is from a Sept. 2, 2008, rally in Deerfield Beach, Fla. It was taken by an Associated Press photographer and published in an online Washington Post story that same day.

Sen. Joe Biden chats with Annalou Trebitz, 87, after a town hall meeting at Century Village in Deerfield Beach, Fla., on , Sept. 2, 2008. (AP/Wilfredo Lee)

The woman was 87, not 63, when the photo was taken and her name is Annalou Trebitz, according to the original caption. There are other clues to the age of the photo, like the Seniors for Obama sticker on Trebitzs jacket.

The picture  with the gun digitally inserted into the scene  has been circulating online since at least May 2012, according to Snopes, which fact-checked the picture (rating it "False") in January 2017.

Story continues

Our ruling: False

We rate this picture and accompanying text FALSE because it is not supported by our research. The picture is actually an altered photo from a 2008 event in Florida, with the gun digitally added. Its been circulating online for at least eight years. Biden wasnt even in Wisconsin in 2019.

Our fact-check sources:

Contact Eric Litke at (414) 225-5061 or elitke@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ericlitke.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Biden did not put a gun in a womans mouth in Wisc.
New Zealand has flattened the curve of novel coronavirus cases after two weeks of lockdown and the next phase is to "squash it," professor Shaun Hendy, who heads a scientific body advising the government on COVID-19, told Axios.

Why it matters: Te Punaha Matatini, the Center of Research Excellence hosted by the University of Auckland of which Hendy is director, released research Thursday showing there could've been hundreds more Covid-19 cases were it not for the lockdown  and there's a good chance the strict measures will help stamp out the virus.

Scientists' modeling showing the effectiveness of the lockdown. Photo: Te Punaha Matatini

The country imposed 15 days ago some of the toughest restrictions in the world in response to the pandemic, despite confirming only 102 cases and no deaths at the time.

How it works: Under alert level 4 restrictions, schools and non-essential businesses closed  including food delivery services. Only essential travel is permitted, and water activities like swimming are banned.

People must remain at home unless they're exercising outdoors  but they have to stick to their neighborhood and only interact with those in their household "bubble," keeping at least 6.5 feet from others.

A New Zealand Police spokesperson told Axios that 367 Covid-19 breaches had been recorded, including 45 prosecutions, as of Wednesday. People have been arrested for offenses like obstruction of a person assisting a medical officer, or being in breach of the Civil Defense Emergency Management Act.

What they're saying: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a briefing Wednesday she's "cautiously optimistic that we are starting to turn a corner," as she announced 50 new cases  the lowest daily coronavirus total in two weeks amid a surge in testing. On Thursday, health officials announced 29 new cases.

Hendy noted there had been a "flattening off" of cases in the past week. "We havent seen any further growth," he said. "We had that big rise in numbers, mostly driven by people coming back from overseas and we seem to have managed to have contained that growth."

"The fact that our numbers have stayed level, thats due to our lockdown. ... We can be pretty optimistic weve flattened it and now its about can we bend it right down, can we squash it?"

 Hendy on the coronavirus curve

By the numbers: New Zealand has 992 confirmed infections, 247 probable cases and one death from 51,165 tests, according to the Ministry of Health. 317 people have recovered from the virus.

What's next: If COVID-19 is contained, New Zealand is expected to drop to alert level 3, which the country only experienced for two days before moving to full restrictions.

Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of health, told a briefing Monday this would involve "more widespread activity happening with more people back at work, but maintaining those strict things around physical separation, hand hygiene ... to prevent infection."

The big picture: Ardern acted decisively early on. New Zealand had six confirmed cases when she announced on March 14 a ban on foreigners entering the country, saying: "We must go hard and we must go early." Businesses and workers have been compensated in a range of measures as part of a $12.1 billion support package.

The response has been bipartisan, with Opposition Leader Simon Bridges offering his support to the government. Following pressure from his National Party and epidemiologists, Ardern announced Thursday all returning New Zealanders must be quarantined in isolation for at least 14 days from their arrival date.

Ardern has been widely praised for her leadership during the coronavirus crisis, and for reassuring children at a news conference this week that the tooth fairy and Easter bunny are essential workers.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details on the modeling, fresh restrictions and more statistics.
Libya War Escalates as Health Care System Crumbles

By Heather Murdock, Walid Ghariani April 07, 2020

Minutes after the explosion on Monday, doctors and other witnesses started circulating videos online. Another hospital compound in Tripoli had been hit.

"Look at this," said one man, filming the fire from a hospital balcony. "We are doctors, only peaceful doctors."

Last month, both sides of Libya's now one-year-old war for Tripoli again agreed to a cease-fire as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world. But since then, bombings can be heard daily from Tripoli homes as the fighting escalates and the health care system crumbles.

An added level of horror hit Tripoli, after an attack Tuesday on a water facility apparently cut pipelines into the city. By afternoon, some families reported their faucets were running dry at a time when their main defense against the virus is hand washing.

"My wife opened the sink and there was nothing," said Ahmed, 37, a goldsmith and father of two on the phone from Tripoli.

Tripoli residents are living under a 19-hour-a-day lockdown to try to prevent the pandemic from spreading beyond the 18 cases and 1 death reported as of April 6.

But the continued battles have left the country vulnerable to disaster, according to local aid workers, and the capacity of the hospitals is rapidly decreasing.

"Countries that used to receive wounded patients from the war are now locked down because of coronavirus," said Mohammed Ghiblawi, a youth-activist leader who is trying to set up field hospitals ahead of a potential outbreak in Tripoli. "Local hospitals are now already almost full with wounded fighters and people with other diseases."

After the attack Monday, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, released a stark warning.

He said 27 health facilities have been damaged in the fighting in the past five weeks alone, and 14 have already closed. The war has killed more than 350 civilians and nearly 150,000 people have fled their homes.

"If Libya is to have any chance against COVID-19, the ongoing conflict must come to an immediate halt," Hillo said in a statement.

Curfew

While confined to their homes, Tripoli residents can hear bombs every day, said Wasef Gelani, 40, a father of four living in a downtown apartment. He fled his suburban apartment after fighting engulfed his neighborhood last year.

Gelani sells paper products to grocery stores in the city but since the lockdown began last month, his limited hours and the rapidly declining economy have stunted his business.

On the phone, Gelani said he can minimize contact with the outside world and wear gloves and a mask for protection against the virus. But he cannot stop the battles from harming him or his family.

"The war is more dangerous than the coronavirus," he explained. "There is no way to cure or prevent falling missiles and bombs."

Fear now colors every aspect of life, added Aisha Salheen Emhemed, a 23-year-old law student in Tripoli. Her university closed more than three weeks ago, and bad internet connections forced the students and professors to give up attempts to hold classes online.

With the health care system in shambles, she said, she fears getting infected and having nowhere to go for help. But like Gelani, coronavirus is not her greatest worry. Prices of basic food items are soaring as incomes for many people are dwindling to little or nothing.

"The hardest thing for Libyan families is the financial situation," she said. "Between the war and the curfew, how will we survive and pass this time without starving?"

War to what end?

Despite the cease-fire brokered in January, an arms embargo and another cease-fire agreement in March, battles have intensified in the past month, with both sides ramping up attacks, supported by international allies.

The war is essentially between Libya's two competing governments. In the east, strongman Khalifa Haftar leads forces known as the Libyan National Army. In the west, forces loyal to the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord hold Tripoli, Libya's historic capital.

In April 2019, Haftar declared his forces would rapidly take Tripoli, but since then neither side has been able to claim victory.

"Can you believe it's been a year?" said one GNA soldier on the phone from his base in the Tripoli suburbs. "Haftar said he would take Tripoli in 48 hours and now look at this. He just ruined our life without any results."

Both sides officially welcomed the latest cease-fire, and both sides claim the continued hostilities are in their own defense.

"It's ridiculous," added the soldier at his base. "I now rub sanitizer on my hands before going off to shoot mortars."

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Kylie Jenner drew controversy last year when Forbes declared her the youngest self-made billionaire ever.

For the second year in a row, the 22-year-old has held onto her title thanks to the success of her beauty empire Kylie Cosmetics.

Some disputed Jenners self-made title as she grew up with both wealth and fame as a member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan.

Forbes clarified in its announcement that despite a lot of help from her famous family, she didnt inherit her business - she built it.

Getty Images

Kylie Jenner has a net worth of $1 billion according to Forbes.

Last year marked a number of landmark developments in Jenners business portfoilio, as she launched her companion skincare brand Kylie Skin and additionally sold 51% of Kylie Cosmetics to Coty Inc. for $600 million. According to Forbes, the sale valued her company at $1.2 billion.

Jenners Kylie Lip Kits first propelled her into fame in 2014, when the beauty entrepreneur launched her business and the matte liquid lipstick kits sold out in minutes.

She took the crown as youngest self-made billionaire from Mark Zuckerberg (who was 23 years old at the time).

(Getty Images ) / Getty Images

Her company also made a number of savvy partnerships with brands such as beauty retailer Ulta, which saw her make $55 million in just 6 weeks, and lucrative collaborations with the likes of Balmain as well as her sister Kim Kardashian.

Jenner is also clearly proud of her billionaire status, as she dropped a limited edition Birthday make-up collection to celebrate her 22nd birthday.

With dollar signs pressed into eyeshadow palettes and campaign imagery which saw her model outfits inspired by American money notes, the collection was branded tone deaf by some users.
No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the period under review.

Russia's hybrid military forces on April 7 mounted 10 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 10 times on April 7," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on April 8, 2020.

The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles.

Read alsoEpidemiological situation in occupied Donbas getting worse  Ukraine's Def. Ministry

Under attack were Ukrainian positions near the towns of Maryinka, Avdiyivka, and Popasna, and the villages of Kamianka, Opytne, Novotoshkivske, Novozvanivka, and Novo-Oleksandrivka.

Moreover, neglecting the norms of international humanitarian law, Russia-led forces on April 7 attacked a civilian car near the town of Krasnohorivka. A VOG-17 grenade being carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle was dropped near the vehicle belonging to a Ukrainian TV channel. Fortunately, none of the journalists and military personnel were injured.

According to intelligence data, one member of enemy troops was wounded and one of their anti-tank missile systems was damaged on April 7.

"Since Wednesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near Maryinka and the village of Pavlopil, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, and heavy machine guns," the update said.

No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the period under review.
T oday, Ive emailed the hundreds of thousands of children across London who attend our churches and church schools. This Easter wont be like any theyve known.

I said I was sure the children are finding the situation frightening, but many of us, older and younger, are feeling the same. Whether youre worried about your family, an older friend, or if youre one of the NHS staff keeping us safe but facing danger every day in the ICU, its okay to be afraid.

Before I was a bishop, I was a nurse. I understand how hard our healthcare workers are working. Please join me in praying for them this Easter. We can pray that God will help them, that God will give them the wisdom to know what to do, and that God will protect them.

The Right Rev Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London

Editor's reply

Dear Bishop Sarah

Whether it is Easter or Passover, which begins today, it can feel unsettling not to be able to celebrate events as usual.

But we can still mark them, even in a small way. So buy a chocolate egg or cook a special meal, take a moment to reflect, and look forward to this time next year, when we will gather with loved ones again.

Susannah Butter, Comment Editor

Transport staff deserve credit

I hope to correct an omission that seems to occur whenever Londons key workers are mentioned. Very rarely are transport workers in that list. Many Londoners who need to go to work rely on bus, tram, Tube and train drivers to get them there safely. Behind the scenes are the people who maintain, clean and schedule the services.
Mukesh Khanna, better known as Shaktimaan, has lashed out at Ekta Kapoor for murdering Mahabharata in the show Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki, which she produced in 2008. The actor had played Bhishma in the BR Chopras Mahabharat that went on air in 1988 and has returned for rerun during lockdown.

Like Mahabharat, Shaktimaan is also set to return for a rerun on TV. Mukesh is willing to make Shaktimaan for the younger generation but said that he wont go Ektas way to bring back the show and is still looking for the perfect cast.

Slamming Ektas Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki, he told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, The new version of Shaktimaan cannot be the way Ekta Kapoor made Mahabharata (in 2008) by putting a tattoo on Draupadis shoulder. She had said that she was making Mahabharata for modern people. Sanskriti kabhi modern nahi ho sakti, putri. Jis din Sanskriti ko modern karoge, khatam ho jayegi (Culture can never be modern, The day you try to make culture modern, the culture will be over).

He further said, If the serial name would be Kyunki Greek Bhi Kabhi Hindustani the, then I would accept Ektas Mahabharat. Who has given them the right to slaughter an epic? They have changed the actual version of Devaraths Bhishma Pratigya to something else and created a vamp-like image for Satyavati, among other things in the show. They tried to be smarter than Vyas muni (Ved Vyasa, who wrote Mahabharata) to which I have an objection. I want to point out that Ramayana and Mahabharata are not mythologies, they are our histories.

Also read: Nitish Bharadwaj: If there was a power cut during Mahabharat, people used to set transformers on fire

Mukesh recently made headlines for his jibe at Sonakshi Sinha, who failed to answer a question related to Ramayan on quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati. He had told The Times of India in an interview, 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.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The USS Nimitz is the fourth US aircraft carrier with a confirmed coronavirus case onboard.

A sailor on the vessel - which is preparing to deploy from Bremerton, Washington - started experiencing symptoms onboard and tested positive for the bug.

The infected person was isolated before being taken off the ship which is now under quarantine so crew can be monitored for symptoms.

The USS Nimitz (pictured in 2007) is the fourth US aircraft carrier with a confirmed coronavirus case onboard

US Navy personnel work on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz in 2013. The ship is now docked in Washington

A second crewmember was also diagnosed but has not been on the ship.

Coronavirus has killed 12,876 and infected more than 398,000 in the US alone.

USS Nimitz is now the fourth aircraft carrier with infected crewmembers.

At least 200 sailors on 5,000-crew USS Roosevelt (pictured), docked in Guam, tested positive for the bug

At least 200 sailors on 5,000-crew USS Roosevelt, docked in Guam, tested positive for the bug.

The ship's commanding officer Captain Brett Crozier was fired four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the outbreak he said was threatening his sailors lives

The ship's commanding officer Captain Brett Crozier was fired four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the outbreak he said was threatening his sailors lives.

The ship is now evacuating sailors and will quarantine them in hotels.

The USS Ronald Reagan - in Japan - and the USS Carl Vinson - in Puget Sound - which are both docked for maintenance also have sailors diagnosed with the bug.

Commander John Fage on the USS Nimitz told Politico that senior crewmen have been instructed 'to bring the crew on board the ship in order to minimize potential COVID exposure in an effort to maximize warfighting readiness and ensure the health of the force'.

He added: 'This direction is in accordance with US Pacific Fleet guidance to ensure we do not spread Covid-19.'

The USS Ronald Reagan (pictured in 2017) - in Japan - also has sailors onboard which have tested positive for the bug
A deserted Westminster Bridge during the coronavirus lockdown. Jeremy Hunt has suggested the restrictions could last another month. (AP/Frank Augstein)

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has suggested the UKs coronavirus lockdown could last at least another month.

As it stands, the lockdown remains indefinite, with a three-week review set to take place on Monday.

Hunt, who was health secretary for six years and now chairs the Commons health and social care committee, said on Wednesday that the lockdown is going to need to continue for a while.

When put to him that it could last for another month, minimum, he told BBC Radio 4s World at One programme: I think thats a reasonable assumption.

Jeremy Hunt (TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Explaining his thinking, Hunt, who stood against Boris Johnson in last summers Conservative leadership election, said: When you have a lockdown, you would expect the impact of that lockdown to feed its way through in the levels of hospital admissions after about two weeks.

But weve seen from Italy and other countries you dont get a peak and then an immediate reduction. You stay in that peak level for some time.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

He also pointed out the outbreak remains at different levels in different parts of the country, with Surrey Ambulance Service said to be one and a half weeks behind London Ambulance Service in its callout levels.

He said: Its not going to be necessarily a single picture, which is why I think its perfectly reasonable to say that the lockdown is going to need to continue for a while, and we dont need to take this decision at the beginning of next week.

In a situation like this, the only thing you can do is look at other countries and get a sense from what happens in the countries that are ahead of us in the disease curve.

In Italy we are now seeing sustained reductions in the death rates, but it took them two to three weeks to get there, so it seems to me [the UK hits] the peak perhaps at the beginning of next week, then you have two to three more weeks before you start to see the numbers decisively turning. Thats what would be reasonable to expect.

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Around the same time as Hunt spoke, Downing Street said the three-week review of the coronavirus lockdown will go ahead as planned, but that the public needed to stick with it at a critical time in the epidemic.

Johnsons official spokesman said the review would take place on or around the three-week mark on Monday.

An empty Regent Street in central London as the UK's nationwide lockdown continues. (WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

At the same time, he said chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty had made clear it was too early to say when the pandemic would reach its peak and when it would be safe to ease the restrictions.

The spokesman said: Our focus for now needs to be relentlessly upon stopping the transmission of this disease while building capacity in the NHS. That is how we will save lives.

We need to keep delivering a very clear message to the public that while this is difficult, we need to stick with it.

We are at a critical time in our fight against coronavirus and they need to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

Coronavirus: what happened today

Coronavirus 100 days on: What do we know?
The final decision on lifting of the 21-day lockdown on April 15 could be taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with chief ministers on Saturday. In his last meeting with CMs on April 2, PM Modi had sought suggestions from the states, especially those affected the most by the coronavirus pandemic. Considering the rising COVID-19 cases, many states governments have reportedly requested the Centre to extend the lockdown to contain community spread.

Eleven empowered committees formed to oversee India's response to COVID-19 pandemic have also reportedly received several feedbacks from states on the lockdown extension.

Some of these suggestions include the closure of all kinds of religious activities, and school and colleges till June; transfers and postings in the government sector to be deferred for six months; closure of hotel, bars and restaurants till the situation improves; and suspension of public events like weddings, funerals, and corporate town hall meetings.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities

Speculations are rife that the Centre may go for a "rational lockdown" -- a micro-managed exit -- as it believes the lockdown has proved to be an effective tool in curbing community spreading. States like Punjab, Haryana and UP may, however, favour partial relaxation in lockdown due to the commencement of wheat harvesting season, which requires huge labour movement.

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: When and how lockdown will be lifted? A primer

Some states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu may want to continue with the lockdown due to rapidly rising number of cases in these states. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend lockdown deadline by two more weeks. He said the situation would become uncontrollable if the lockdown was lifted "hastily".

As of now, Maharashtra has the highest number of cases among all states, with 1,018 confirmed coronavirus cases and 79 deaths. The other states where most numbers of active cases of COVID-19 have been reported are -- Tamil Nadu and Delhi. In Tamil Nadu, the active case tally has surged to 690 and seven patients have died. In Delhi, the active cases have risen to 576, while nine people have succumbed to the disease.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown
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In a growing number of cities and states, local governments are collecting the addresses of people who test positive for the coronavirus and sharing the lists with police and first responders.

Law enforcement officials say this information sharing  which is underway in Massachusetts, Alabama and Florida, and in select areas of North Carolina  will help keep officers and EMTs safe as they respond to calls at the homes of people who have been infected. The first responders can take additional precautions in those cases to avoid being exposed to the virus, state health departments and local police officials say.

But some public health experts and privacy advocates have raised concerns about police departments maintaining a list of addresses of confirmed coronavirus cases. They say that it could make people reluctant to seek medical care or get tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, because of a fear of profiling by law enforcement.

"With any infectious disease, there's going to be stigma and discrimination about who has it," Robert Greenwald, a professor and the director of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, said. "If you're in a situation now where the word starts to get out that if you get screened then your address goes on a list that goes to first responders, it discourages screening for people who don't want to be on this list."

Greenwald and three other public health experts also questioned the usefulness of a list of addresses with confirmed cases, noting that since the coronavirus has spread so widely, first responders ought to assume anyone they encounter could be infected.

Still, police officials and officers said this information is a helpful reminder to exercise extra caution in the field, beyond the usual safety measures.

Officers who are dispatched to an address where someone has tested positive can prepare by donning full protective gear, said Assistant Chief Brian Long of the Burlington, North Carolina, police department, where the local health department is sharing addresses of positive tests. For calls where the risk is less clear, such as when the caller indicates that someone at the home is ill, officers use their own judgment, based on the urgency of the call, on what precautions to take.

Story continues

"Here in Burlington, we only have about 139 cops, so we can't afford to have a significant drop in personnel," Long said. "We have to be able to maintain public safety. That is a primary concern for us as a department  managing the health of our organization so that we're there and ready to go."

How address sharing works

On March 18, Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order making Massachusetts the first state to direct local boards of health to share the addresses of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus with police and paramedics. The names of those who tested positive are omitted from the shared data.

Scott Hovsepian, a police officer in Waltham, Massachusetts, and the president of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, a union, said he appreciates the information sharing. "The health department is getting the information from health care providers, and what they're providing our chief dispatcher with is the addresses."

"All it says there is a confirmed case at this address  it's just the address," Hovsepian explained, adding that in some agencies those addresses are given to police officers during roll call as they go out to their shifts.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Police across the country already collect as much information as possible from 911 callers to protect officers from potential exposure to the coronavirus. Many agencies have instructed 911 dispatchers to ask callers a series of questions to help determine if police, firefighters or paramedics who arrive might be exposed, according to interviews with police and surveys conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum, which is helping law enforcement share information on how to respond to the pandemic.

Those questions, which vary from agency to agency, include asking whether anyone in the caller's household has tested positive or come into contact with anyone who has been or is under quarantine, is exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus or has traveled recently. If the responses indicate a risk, police may be instructed to take a report by phone (in the case of nonemergencies), wear protective equipment or meet the complainants outside.

Some agencies have gone further, asking  or demanding  local health authorities to share addresses of people who have tested positive or are in quarantine, even in cases where there's no statewide directive calling for information sharing. Those addresses are then entered into the Computer Aided Dispatch system, where they pop up if someone calls 911 from one of the listed addresses.

Mike Chitwood, the sheriff of Volusia County, Florida, said he had to browbeat his local health department, in Facebook posts and interviews with the local press, to give his agency addresses of people who had tested positive. The updated lists are sent to his agency nightly.

"I told them they're endangering the lives of first responders," Chitwood recalled. "We're not asking for names and we're not putting signs on front yards, and we're not publishing a list, but it's important for our deputies to know if they're responding to a call from someone who has been quarantined."

Image: An ambulance in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Marco Bello / Reuters)

He added: "This is a no-brainer: If you know someone who may have a deadly disease, why would you not avail first responders to the information?"

On Tuesday, Florida's State Emergency Operations Center said that the addresses of people who had tested positive were now being shared with first responders statewide.

In other cities and counties, police chiefs and sheriffs said that they're desperate to get the addresses of people who have tested or who have been exposed.

Jennifer Tejada, the police chief in Emeryville, California, in the Bay Area, said she has been unable to get such information from her local health department. "It unnecessarily puts first responders at risk," she said in an interview. "Relying on callers to self-report shows how police have been left to navigate the virus on their own."

Rather than relying on data, "we're relying on the good nature of humans," she said.

The Alameda County Public Health Department, which oversees Emeryville, disagrees that the information would be useful.

"Since COVID-19 is widely spread in our community, we worry that disclosure of the names and addresses of known COVID-19 cases would provide first responders with an incorrect assessment of where the risk lies and actually lead to reduced safety for our first responders," Neetu Balram, a spokeswoman for the department, said in an email.

The need for protective gear

Not all first responders who are receiving addresses of COVID-19 patients are government workers. Across the country, it's common for ambulance services to be outsourced to vendors. Arrol Sheehan, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said in an email that the addresses of people who test positive for COVID-19 are landing in the hands of private companies that provide first responder services.

The purpose of the address sharing in Alabama is to protect first responders, she added, stressing that only addresses are shared, not names.

But civil liberties advocates have raised concerns about health departments sharing these addresses  whether it's with police, paramedics or private companies.

"It's not clear how this information sharing is taking place, or what precautions the government is using to share the sensitive data," Carol Rose, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said in an email.

"Who is in charge of making sure the information isn't being misused or abused? How many people can access the data, and who is providing oversight of that access? Who will be responsible for ensuring the information is safely deleted once the order is rescinded? Even in a public health emergency, the government must make every effort to protect the rights of people experiencing illness or at risk of illness."

The ACLU of Massachusetts is concerned that police officers could cross reference addresses with other databases. And if there's only one person at an address, matching the address with a name becomes much easier.

The sharing of addresses of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 isn't a violation of medical privacy laws, according to guidance issued by the Civil Rights Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Still, just because a practice isn't illegal doesn't mean it's accepted as sound public health policy. Public health experts have questioned the value of the address lists, since infected people may be asymptomatic or not realize that they've been exposed.

"You might as well give first responders the telephone book," said Greenwald, the health policy professor, who wrote an open letter last month to Baker opposing his executive order for Massachusetts.

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He and others are concerned that first responders might be less vigilant  or might not be given protective gear  when going to homes that have not been flagged for coronavirus cases.

"I'm worried that sharing this information is giving EMS companies the OK to have employees go into spaces without full protection," Dr. Rohini Haar, an emergency room physician and lecturer in epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, said.

In Alabama, where the state's health department has said information sharing is allowed, some cities, including Huntsville, have chosen not to give the list of addresses to first responders.

"Their policy is to use safety precautions," said Kelly Schrimsher, a Huntsville city spokeswoman, "and assume everyone they come in contact with may have the virus."
Major participants in the global fox nuts market must tap profitable opportunities in lucrative Asia Pacific region along with leveraging online delivery channels for indubitable competitive advantage.

ROCKVILLE, MD / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / The global fox nuts market is projected for solid growth at a robust 9% CAGR over the forecast period (2019-2027). Heightening demand for healthy and nutritious snacks is fuelling the growth of fox nuts market. Further, higher preference for popped and roasted fox nuts is boosting market growth.

"Fox nuts are a rich source of potassium, zinc, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, carbohydrates, iron, and fiber, which pushes their popularity among customers. Shifting lifestyle patterns and greater sentience for health consciousness is bolstering the growth of fox nuts market over the forecast period," concludes Fact.MR.

Request PDF sample of the 170-page report on the Fox Nuts Market-

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=4647

Fox Nuts Market - Key Findings

Flavored roasted fox nuts remain highly favored amongst consumers.

Household & residential buyers will remain prominent consumers of fox nuts through the forecast period.

Europe and North America will drive the consumption of fox nuts in view of rising imports.

Asia Pacific continues to lead the fox nuts market on account of native lotus cultivation from which the product is derived.

Fox Nuts Market - Key Driving Factors

Ecommerce and internet proliferation is inflating the sales of fox nuts over the forecast period.

Availability of manufacturing details and specifications is complementing the growth of fox nuts market.

Superior product transparency is a major driver of growth in the global fox nuts market.

Several discount offers along with competitive pricing is favoring the growth of fox nuts market.

Various health benefits such as low glycemic index and maintaining blood pressure is contributing substantially to market growth.

Explore 93 tables and 109 figures of the study. Request ToC of the report at-

https://www.factmr.com/report/4647/fox-nuts-market

Fox Nuts Market - Key Restraint

Flatulence, constipation, gastrointestinal issues, and allergies caused by inordinate consumption of fox nuts is hindering market growth.

Impact of COVID-19 on Fox Nuts Market

With over a million people now infected with COVID-19, the global supply chain is facing widespread disruption, thereby hampering the growth of fox nuts market. The prominent players in high-growth regions such as India are facing major issues with production capacity since majority of the workers and consumers continue to stay inside their homes during the lockdown. In terms of both demand and supply the current scenario is still probabilistic. The growth of fox nuts market is thus experiencing a slowdown in view of current pandemic. The market is projected to pick up pace through the first half of 2021.

Competitive Landscape

Some of the noteworthy players featured in this Fact.MR report include, but are not limited to, Mahaveer Udhyog, Indulge Foods Private Limited, Edible Desires Pvt. Ltd., MoonLite Foods Inc., Aravali Agri Products, K.K. Products, Shaktisudha Makhana, Manju Makhana, Sattviko, and BAR ITALIA srl. Key stakeholders continue to channel their resources towards Asia Pacific fox nuts market owing to remunerative opportunities in the region. They are also capitalizing on ecommerce channels with more and more people opting for online deliveries in view of hectic lifestyle.

About the Report

This 170-page study offers in-depth commentary on the fox nuts market. The study provides compelling insights on the fox nuts market on the basis of type (raw, processed), buyer type (household & residential, food processors), sales channel (direct sales, hypermarket/supermarket, online retailers, grocery stores, nutritional food outlets) across five regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa).

Explore Fact.MR's Comprehensive Coverage on Food & Beverages Landscape

Vitamin E Market - Fact.MR's panoramic analysis on the global Vitamin E market scrutinizes key growth parameters, emerging trends, and niche players for the predefined projection period (2020-2030).

Bean Pasta Market - Get latest insights on the global bean pasta market through Fact.MR's in-depth analysis covering respective revenue share, product portfolio and key developmental strategies for the course of forecast period (2019-2029).

Snus Market - Obtain Fact.MR's deep-dive analysis on the global snus market covering competitive landscape, key regions, important market dynamics, and performance statistics for 2019-2029.

About Fact.MR

Expert analysis, actionable insights, and strategic recommendations of the veteran research team at Fact.MR helps clients from across the globe with their unique business intelligence requirements. With a repository of over thousand reports and 1 million+ data points, the team has scrutinized the Food & Beverages industry across 50+ countries for over a decade. The team provides unmatched end-to-end research and consulting services. Fact.MR's food market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition.

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PR- https://www.factmr.com/media-release/1408/global-fox-nuts-market

SOURCE: Fact.MR

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584399/Demand-for-Fox-Nuts-Buoyed-by-Nutritious-Snacks-Trend-Production-and-Supply-Upset-Due-to-COVID-19-Pandemic-Reports-a-New-FactMR-Study
It's been a roller coaster for the stock market, and that's certainly had an impact on investors' 401(k) accounts and other employer-sponsored retirement savings plans.

Several major 401(k) providers, including Fidelity, Vanguard and T. Rowe Price, said the overwhelming majority of their 401(k) investors stayed the course and did not trade or change their asset allocation last month, as the S&P 500 lost 30% of its value from its record highs.

Yet new data from Alight Solutions 401(k) Index, which tracks investment activity of about 2 million 401(k) participants, tell another story.

Net trading activity within 401(k) accounts spiked to record-high levels in March, according to Alight. The total amount of money transfers, as a percentage of an account's starting balance, was the highest it's been since October 2008, in the middle of the Great Recession.

While most investors did not shun equity funds completely, nearly half of the 401(k) outflows were from target-date funds, and 29% were from large U.S. equity funds, according to Alight's data. T. Rowe Price also said it saw the greatest increase in activity last month in target-date funds of 401(k) participants who are in or near retirement.

Almost two-thirds of 401(k) money flowed into stable value funds, and almost a quarter into money market funds. Only 6% went into bond funds.

The stock market rallied a bit in early April, but there's been a pause in those slight gains as turbulence continues. Financial advisors warn investors against trying to time the markets.

"You can't control the economy or the markets," said certified financial planner Tim Maurer of Buckingham Strategic Wealth. "Focus on what you can control. Stay the course if you've got a well-conceived portfolio guided by a well-articulated financial plan driven by your deepest-held motivations in life. In fact, practice the art of buying low and selling high by rebalancing your portfolio."

Unfortunately, many 401(k) investors don't have a financial plan and may not have reviewed their retirement investments in years, prior to the March market slide.

T. Rowe Price said more than 98% of 401(k) participants maintained their current contribution rate last month, and changes to average salary deferral rates remained flat.

Also, under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, it is easier now for savers to take money out of their retirement plans. Under the CARES Act, beginning March 27, 2020, and up to 180 days after, you can borrow up to $100,000 from your 401(k). That's double the amount you can normally take. You can also take a hardship distribution of up to $100,000 from your 401(k) plan without the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you're under age 59.

Some advisors worry that this could cause more retirement savers to tap their 401(k), putting their long-term financial security in greater jeopardy.

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The No. 1 personal finance lesson to take away from the coronavirus

The secret to financial success: Paying off debt

Who's eligible for COVID-19 stimulus checks? Your questions, answered

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Farmers Insurance has announced that it will provide relief to more than 115,000 of its business insurance customers under its Farmers Cares initiative. Business customers in the restaurant, office, retail and service sectors  which have been strongly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak  will receive a 20% monthly credit on their business owners policy for the next two months on their upcoming premium notices.

We understand how challenging running a business can be, particularly in these extraordinary times, and we want our business insurance customers to know Farmers cares and we want to help, said Sharon Fernandez, president of business insurance for Farmers. For the next two months, many of our business insurance customers will see a 20% premium reduction.
An Ongoing Coronavirus Series

Weve been trained to think that were invincible. And now our proudest ships have been destroyed by an enemy we considered inferior. Were on the ropes  and thats exactly why we have to strike back now.

 FDR in the movie Pearl Harbor

What was true in 1941 is just as true today. The difference, of course, is that in a traditional war, leaders can send troops into battle with a visible enemy, and bomb adversaries into submission. But thats not the case when dealing with an invisible, and incredibly stealthy, opponent such as the COVID-19 (C19) coronavirus.

America was on the ropes after Pearl Harbor, the result of arrogance (the United States was invincible), and complacency (a nation woefully unprepared to face threats). In many respects, nothing has changed. For years, America has relied on Lady Luck as its default protection policy. And because we kept getting lucky, our guard was lowered in the belief that nothing bad would ever happen here.

Until it did.

As this author pointed out, American complacency has been rampant, despite numerous wake-up calls. Consider these examples from prior columns:

* Hurricane Harvey laid waste to the Houston area, yet a whopping 80 percent of homeowners didnt have flood insurance  even though the average premium was just $555 annually  less than a daily cup of coffee. Despite that regions long history of major storms  the 1915 Galveston hurricane remains the worst loss-of-life disaster in American history  complacency prevailed.

* The arrogance of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina should have taught us about preparedness. Time and again, the Divine watched out for the Crescent City, as hurricanes always veered away at the last minute. The result? City leaders reallocated funds earmarked for stronger levees to pet projects. Had those leaders done their jobs properly, Katrinas damage would have been a fraction of what it was.

* If you live in a Florida hurricane zone, is it really that hard to buy a case of water per month? And store gasoline, food, flashlights, a portable generator and plywood cutouts for your windows? Prudence dictates turning off Netflix and doing those things BEFORE a massive storm approaches. But instead, its always the same: panicked hordes fighting for minuscule scraps, and waiting for hours at a gas station only to learn that fuel is no longer available.

* Just nine years after the September 11 attacks, and mere months after the Christmas Bomber almost brought down a jumbo jet, the Pakistani responsible for the attempted Times Square bombing was able to buy a one-way ticket to the Middle East, IN CASH, and board the plane  despite being on the no-fly list!

* The Obama Administration did virtually everything wrong in handling the Ebola crisis  it allowed healthcare workers back from the hot zone to ignore mandatory quarantines, and it willfully brought the virus onto American soil  which, by the grace of God, never spread.

Given our current situation, its worth analyzing what the government and people did correctly to prepare for the pandemic, and, just as important, what they failed to do. The lessons learned  if we heed them  will be the difference between life and death the next time a virus hits (or if C19 disappears, but re-emerges in the fall).

1) Nobody wants to talk about the unthinkable  a major terror attack right now  but we nonetheless should be beefing up national security. America is on the ropes, which is why adversaries are flexing their muscles: Putins oil war, North Korea missile launches, attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, and China lambasting the U.S. for its virus response, and threatening to withhold medications.

Far worse would be a terror cell taking down the power grid. Overflowing hospitals, filled with patients on ventilators, would be especially vulnerable, since generators might not be able to provide adequate power. And since terrorists aim to create turmoil and inflict maximum pain, they could be planning a suicide truck bombing  straight into a New York hospital, or attempt hijackings of near-empty airliners. Terrorists can never defeat America, but they can employ the adage when your opponent is down, put a knee to his throat. We need to be extremely vigilant.

2) Some ridiculed the message of having two to three weeks of food on-hand, calling it extreme, but its simple common sense, because A) you dont want to venture out during a pandemic, and B) shelves could be empty. The eyerolls made over that last point have now stopped, since the empty shelves can never happen in America mentality has been proven painfully wrong.

Fortunately, most Americans have been able to stock up on food and necessities  a feat largely attributable to the unsung heroes keeping us fed: farmers, food processing workers, and grocery/delivery employees. Hats off to all.

Stocking up doesnt make you a prepper, and its not even an insurance policy if things go south. Short of buying 25 cases of Spam, everything will be used, since you are pre-purchasing items that will be consumed in the future, from canned veggies to toilet paper. And if, by chance, things arent used by the expiration date, that simply means youll be the most popular person at the food bank or church when you donate it  while getting a tax deduction, to boot. Bottom line: stocking up is a tenet of American self-sufficiency, and should be applauded.

Side note: Some have been lambasted for hording paper towels and toilet paper, prompting stores to enact purchasing limits. Thats a mistake. Obviously, you dont want one person buying 500 rolls of TP, but stocking up with 20 or 30 should be commended  not limited. When Person A sees a pandemic coming, and wants to protect her family for the next month by not having to go out, she should not be penalized for that foresight  simply because Person B sat on his derriere watching Netflix, and chose not to prioritize preparedness. To the victor go the spoils  personal responsibility and the free market at their finest.

3) Every American should wear a mask if they venture outside. And kudos to the pioneering Americans who are making their own, because something is better than nothing.

However  and this is a huge however  most of those masks are not effective. The only model that works against corona is the N95, which, inexcusably, is in very short supply. But under no circumstances should people allow themselves to be bullied by the surgeon general and publicity-hound Dr. Oz, both of whom have blasted citizens for wearing N95s. Its true that healthcare workers need them, but so do we  especially if a family member falls ill, as both patient and caretaker would need multiple N95s to properly contain the virus. Americans who had the foresight to buy N95s before C19 became widespread should be lauded for their decisive, lifesaving action.

People should never be shamed for protecting themselves. Quite the opposite, its the government that should be held responsible for its disregard of stockpiling N95s. HHS Secretary Alex Azar originally estimated that his agency had just 30 million of the 300 million masks needed for healthcare workers  but upon further questioning, he amended those numbers. In a full-blown pandemic  which is exactly what were in  he would need 3.5 billion. Translation: Our governments grade for mask preparation is 1.2 percent. Thats abominable. And people are dying because of it. Yet we sent masks to China under the mind-blowingly arrogant mentality that coronavirus wouldnt come to America.

The same failing grade goes to many hospital CEOs, whose primary responsibility of providing personal protective gear for staff fell dismally, and dangerously, short  a topic that will be explored in a future column.
Corps fields next-generation body armor to Marines

US Marine Corps News

7 Apr 2020 | Matt Gonzales Marine Corps Systems Command

QUANTICO, Va. -- The Marine Corps has begun fielding a next-generation protective vest that provides improved fit, form and function for Marines.

The Plate Carrier Generation III is a lightweight plate carrying system that guards against bullets and fragmentation when coupled with protective plates.

"This system protects Marines on the battlefield," said Lt. Col. Andrew Konicki, the Program Manager for Infantry Combat Equipment at Marine Corps Systems Command. "The PC Gen. III is important because it is nearly 25-percent lighter than the legacy technology."

The Marine Corps constantly looks for ways to lighten the load for Marines. PM ICE worked with industry to remove excess bulk from the legacy Plate Carrier, which was fielded in 2011. The elimination of excess material reduces the overall weight of the system and increases maneuverability, said Konicki.

"When you lighten the load, Marines can get to their destinations faster and they're going to have more endurance, which increases their lethality," said Konicki.

In 2016, MCSC conducted a study to analyze the components and effectiveness of a prototype version of the PC Gen. III. Marines tested both the legacy and prototype systems during various obstacle courses, including a 15-kilometer hike at a fixed pace.

The results of the study showed that participants completed the courses faster and appeared better conditioned when using the newer technology. Marines' mobility and ability to handle a weapon improved when using the PC Gen. III prototype, said Konicki.

"The PC Gen. III improves the Marines' ability to shoot and move by eliminating excess bulk from the design, and cutting out the shoulders for a better rifle stock weld," added Lt. Col. Bryan Leahy, Individual Armor Team lead in PM ICE.

Fits men and women

Another advantage of the PC Gen. III lies in its fit. MCSC increased the variation of sizes, enabling nearly 15,000 more Marinesboth male and femaleto fit into the system when compared with the legacy technology, said Konicki. The newer system fits closer to the body, increasing protection and decreasing the risk of injury due to improper fit.

The next-generation system is designed to fit individuals of all sizes and staturesfrom the 2nd percentile female Marine to the 98th percentile male Marine. A curvature in the associated protective plates accommodates chest and abdomen size without compromising protection.

"I think there's a misconception that all females are small, and that's not always true" said Konicki. "We conducted a study that found the smallest Marine is actually male."

According to Konicki, during multiple user evaluations female Marines have said they prefer the newer technology to the legacy system because of its fit and mobility.

Infantry and infantry-like Marines will be the first to receive the PC Gen. III. The new vest body armor will then be fielded to supporting units. The program office expects the PC Gen III to reach Full Operational Capability by fiscal year 2023.

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hieves who stole the only box of face masks from a doctors' surgery have been urged to return the protective gear.

Church Street Surgery in Kidderminster said it needed the items to be able to keep the practice open, after the box was taken on Tuesday.

Following a social media appeal, the surgery said it had received a number of individual face mask donations - which meant it could still continue to offer services.

The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff

The Lowry lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle coronavirus.

Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City FC is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks

The SSE Arena, Wembley, is seen with a lit up sign for the Clap For Our Carers campaign

Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff

Fulwell Windmill in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus

Selfridges lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline

Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff

Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff

The Shard in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting against coronavirus

TODO: define component type apester

After the face masks were stolen, the Church Street Surgery said in a Facebook post: Could the person who has stolen the only box of masks that we have in the building that were kindly donated by a local dental practice yesterday afternoon please return them to the practice.

The surgery later thanked people for their support, after a number of face masks were donated following the theft.

Inspector Dave King, of the Kidderminster Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: My team is aware of the reported theft of face masks from the Church Street surgery in Kidderminster and while not officially reported to us yet, we will be visiting the staff today.

In these challenging and difficult times, the theft of vital medical equipment is going to add further strain and demand to the health service and the people looking after our welfare.

While a crime like this is naturally going to upset and concern many in our community who see NHS staff risking their lives every day, the vast majority of people are doing all they can to support each other however they can.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 15:33:58|Editor: xuxin

Video Player Close

BANGKOK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is not enforcing a 24-hour curfew to stem the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the country as rumored on social media, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Deputy army chief Gen. Natthaphon Nakphanich quoted the prime minister as saying that no 24-hour curfew will be enforced as widely rumored on social media.

The deputy army chief said Prayut, who concurrently acts as the head of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), has been concerned about the welfare of elderly persons staying home alone without anyone else to bring them food and those who have to leave home to make earnings on a daily basis, thus deciding against the possibility of a 24-hour curfew.

Thailand, which is currently under a six-hour curfew between 10.00 p.m. and 04.00 a.m., reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Wednesday, making a total of 2,369, including 30 fatalities, according to CCSA spokesman Thaveesilp Wisanuyothin.

He repeatedly called on people to stay home as much as possible to reduce risks of infection.
NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Wednesday passed a slew of interim directions for the safety of doctors and other healthcare personnel taking care of covid-19 patients.

The directions came on a plea by Nagpur-based doctor Jerryl Banait, on the availability of headcovers, face shields, medical masks, and shower covers among others for doctors in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, along with the metros.

The top court directed the ministry of health and family welfare to ensure the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), including sterile medical gloves, starch apparel, medical masks, goggles, face shields, respirators, shoe covers, head covers and coveralls to all health workers, including doctors, nurses, ward boys, other medical and paramedical professionals attending to patients suffering from covid-19 in India.

The apex court also directed the Centre and state governments to provide security to doctors and medical staff treating patients suffering from covid-19. Security should also be provided if a doctor or nurse visits a patient where the person has been quarantined, the top court said.

Authorities should take action against those preventing doctors, medical staff or government officials deputed to contain covid-19 from performing their duty, the court said.

The Supreme Court also directed the government to explore all alternatives for augmenting domestic production of protective clothing and gear for medical professionals.This includes exploring alternative modes of production of such clothing and permitting movement of raw materials. The government may also restrict export of such materials to augment inventory and domestic stock, said the bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and S. Ravindra Bhat after hearing in the morning through video-conferencing.

The petitioner said it was the governments duty to ensure that medical health professions are provided graded protective gear as they come in constant contact with covid-19 patients and there is no specific vaccine available to cure the disease.

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ARCHIVED - Workers in non-essential services in Spain will return to work next Monday



But hopes of a quick end to the coronavirus lockdown in Spain could lead to disappointment

As the fourth week of the coronavirus lockdown in Spain nears its end people are becoming more and more insistent on looking forward to the end of the restrictions, and with the shutdown of all economic activity other than non-essential services ending over the long Easter weekend the first step along that long path will effectively be taken on Monday morning when millions of Spaniards return to work.

But before the restrictions on the general population can start to be lifted a lot of progress still has to be made, and with daily death totals still at over 700 there is practically no chance of normal life resuming before May at the very earliest. Nonetheless, so keen are people to see an end to the lockdown that some are clutching at statements made on Tuesday to the effect that the state of alarm could start to be de-escalated as of next week, although in truth the actual process of lifting restrictions will take a lot longer.

It could be argued that the return to work of part of the workforce has been forced upon the government by the need to ensure that economic activity does not grind to a halt, and that it would be preferable in some ways to prolong the shutdown.

What has officially been announced is that a working committee is to be set up to analyse which restrictive measures should be lifted first and when, but it is hard to see any relaxation of the ban on leaving home unnecessarily just yet. Apart from any other considerations, it appears to be the intention to make the resumption of activities such as jogging conditional on the obligatory wearing of facemasks, and until a reliable supply of affordable and effective masks can be guaranteed at all pharmacies throughout the country that is not an option.

It is worth considering also that for schools to re-open successfully it would be necessary for parents to be willing to allow their children to attend: in Murcia at present that is, for the moment and in the case of most parents, completely unthinkable and the same can be said for teaching staff .

Manuel Villegas, the minister for Health in Murcia, reports that neither he nor his counterparts in other regions yet knows what restrictions might be lifted first, confirming only that the working committee is to be set up. He also pointed out that if more extensive Covid-19 testing reveals what is suspected, that the level of contagion in Murcia is lower than elsewhere in the country, then this means that fewer people have developed immunity to the virus and greater caution is therefore required.

In short, then, with the latest figures on Wednesday showing another 757 coronavirus-related deaths to take the total up to 14,555, hopes of a quick relaxation of the lockdown would appear to be ungrounded. It may be tempting to pray for an Easter miracle, but it is far more realistic to adopt the attitude that we may be lucky if it turns out that the end of the fourth week marks the halfway point in our confinement to our homes.

From Monday however, non-essential services, which include many trade services, will be permitted to return to work, basically, the same businesses which were allowed to continue working after the first declaration of the state of emergency when restaurants, retailers etc, were forced to close. However, this will NOT include restaurants and the hostelry sector, hotels, tourism businesses, retail shops selling anything other than non-essential supplies or any businesses involved in activities which bring people together.

Current Guardia Civil information about who can work etc as of today. This will change considerably on Monday as the non-essentials return to work: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MfyUQEJGAtV5L6ncDV7kByxADoeeCHX4/view?fbclid=IwAR0c6sUUR7Vi6hcikJ0YVI0gxqYadRdd2n79Q2_Rsrt8Rt6Y4wy_c7gvjW0

Essential services

The essential services and activities identified by the government are the following:

Those which form part of the supply and distribution of food and other essential products (drinks, animal food, hygiene products, medication, health products and any other goods necessary for healthcare). Food prepared for home delivery. The production and distribution of health products and services, health technology, medical equipment and materials, protective equipment, healthcare and hospital equipment and other healthcare products. This includes opticians, orthopaedics, etc. Essential activity for the maintenance of production activity in manufacturing industries: supplies, equipment and materials needed for the adequate functioning of the essential activities listed. Transport services (for both passengers and goods) (including fuel supply) which are being maintained during the state of emergency. Services for prisons, civil protection, maritime rescue, fore prevention and firefighting, mining security, traffic control and road safety. Private security firms working on transport security and in other areas and security services for goods being supplied to the population. The maintenance of materials and equipment for the armed forces. Health centres, services and establishments, carers for the elderly, the young, the disabled and other dependents, those working in R&D centres and other bio-technological centres related to Covid-19. Animal health centres and services. Media sales outlets, the media and news agencies (both publicly and privately owned), as well as those involved in the printing and distribution of the media. And tobacconists. Financial services companies, including banks, insurance and investment firms, for essential services. Telecommunications and audiovisual companies and essential IT services, as well as networks and support facilities and the sectors which are necessary to support them. Services related to the protection and support of gender violence victims. Lawyers and other professionals in the sector, translators, interpreters and psychologists working on procedures which have not been suspended. Services in administrative offices including legal and financial advisers, the prevention of risks in the workplace and others for matters of urgency. Notaries, registry offices and similar services. Cleaning, repairs and maintenance services, security services, waste collection and treatment services, waste water treatment, decontamination activities and others related to the sector. Refugee and immigrant detention centres. Water supply, treatment, distribution and sanitization. Meteorological services including forecasting and observation and the maintenance and security of such activities. Postal services including collection, delivery, transport, classification and distribution. Sectors involved in the import and supply of health material along with companies involved in logistics, transport, storage and customs procedures. The distribution and delivery of products purchased online, by telephone or by mail. Electricity generation and supply. Ports and airports.

Dry cleaners, motor mechanics and others are also exempt, although they may operate only by prior appointment and behind closed doors: a car can be repaired, but the owner is required to deliver it and then leave the mechanics to do their work before collecting it later.

Notable absences from this list include the construction sector, which accounts for around 10 per cent of Spains GDP.

Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/.

Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.

Around Mazarron news, events and local info: Click to join

Mazarron, Fuente Alamo, Aguilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)

Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)

North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join

What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues  and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you dont have a tissue, use your sleeve  and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Dont panic!
(Newser)  A doctor has been arrested in Kentucky after a video allegedly showed him shoving a group of teenage girls, and putting his hands around one teen's neck, in a dispute over social distancing. John Rademaker, a Louisville-area physician, was arrested and charged Tuesday with strangulation and three counts of harassment with physical contact, per WLKY. Police said the incident happened 8:30pm Friday near Louisville's Norton Commons, where nine teens were watching the sunset, per the Courier Journal. A witness tells WLKY that the doctor and a woman angrily approached the teens, cursing at them for being out in public. A video posted on Reddit allegedly shows Rademaker assaulting an 18-year-old woman. WLKY reports it also shows Rademaker's companion putting her hands on a teen.

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The 18-year-old didn't suffer serious injuries, per the Courier Journal. Rademaker, an employee of Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants, was placed on administrative leave as reports about the incident spread. The group said the move was made "pending further investigation." It added Rademaker "was not on official call or due to report to the hospital in any official capacity." He was released from jail Tuesday on a personal recognizance bond and is due at an arraignment hearing on May 8. "Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way," police say in a statement, advising "people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns." (Read more social distancing stories.)
Saudi-based Advanced Petrochemical Company said it has signed an agreement with leading South Korean group SK Gas for the construction and operation of two major petrochemical facilities - a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and a polypropylene unit - in the kingdom at an investment of $1.8 billion.

The Saudi group said, as per the deal, its subsidiary Advanced Global Investment Company (AGIC) will set up a new joint venture, Advanced Polyolefins Company, along with the Korean firm for the smooth operation of these two plants being set up at Jubail Industrial City.

The PDH plant will boast a total capacity of 843,000 tonnes per annum of propylene, while the PDH facility will manufacture around 800,000 tonnes per annum of polypropylene.

According to AGIC, the entire project will be financed 25% by equity from shareholders and remaining 75% will be financed by JV Co through borrowing from lenders.

Under this agreement, AGIC will own 85 per cent equity stake in JV Co which will be financed by Advanced while the remaining 15 per cent will be owned by SKGP.

AGIC already has signed a licence agreement with Lummus Technology, US for the supply of Catofin Technology for the 843 KTA PDH plant besides two other licence pacts with Basell Poliolefine Italia for the supply of Spheripol Technology and Spherizone Technology for two PP plants with capacity of 400 KTA each.

The Saudi group has already signed up project management consultants for the project, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Authorities in Delhi announced on Wednesday a hard lockdown of 23 neighbourhoods with large number of Covid-19 cases and ordered all citizens to wear masks while stepping out of their homes, tightening curbs to combat the outbreak even as 93 new cases took the total number of infections in the national capital to 669.

In these zones, people will need to mandatorily keep indoors and all businesses  including grocery stores and banks that have been exempted from curbs as essential services  will be shut. Critical services such as food and medicine will be home-delivered by government personnel.

There are 20 areas that have become hot spots and are being turned into containment zones. These areas will be completely sealed while the administration will ensure door-to-door delivery of essential items. No one else will be allowed to enter or exit the area, Delhis deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters following an urgent meeting called by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal with his top officials.

These include buildings (such as the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin), neighbourhoods (such as Mandi House, two blocks in Nizamuddin and one in Malviya Nagar), apartment complexes (three in east Delhi, one in Dwarka), and congested alleys in other parts of the city. The curbs will stay in place till the potential threat of Covid-19 is not ruled out in the areas, officials said.

Shortly afterwards, three more zones were added to the list after cluster cases were discovered.

The chief secretary of Delhi, who also attended the meeting, separately issued an order mandating wearing of masks by anyone who steps out of their home. The order specified that the rule will also apply while people are in any indoor area outside of their home  such as bank, hospital, or even their offices  or in any type of vehicle.

Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus substantially. Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anyone stepping out of their house. Cloth mask shall be eligible too, CM Kejriwal said.

The tightening of measures comes at a time when officials are debating whether, and how, the unprecedented nationwide lockdown should be relaxed after April 14, the date when the three-week curbs are scheduled to end.

A hard lockdown has been identified as the key containment strategy at this stage, when India is seeing a steady stream of cases that can still be interrupted by stringent tactics that force people into social distancing.

The size of the containment zones announced on Wednesday, as suggested by the Union health ministrys guidelines, is directly proportional to the population density of the cluster in question and the scale of the outbreak.

At nine, east Delhi has the highest number of containment zones. The Mandi House emerged as the first containment zone in Lutyens Delhi after three people in Bengali Market tested positive.

The order for containment plan of Bengali Market also included action against a bakery shop for keeping workers in highly unhygienic conditions with notes on social distancing not being followed.

The district administration led by New Delhi DM Tanvi Garg screened 325 houses, two markets and about 2,000 people in the area.

Another area that has been a containment zone but did not find a mention in the first list is the South Moti Bagh. slum. In another order by Garg later on Wednesday, she issued a fresh containment plan for the entire Shastri Market and the JJ cluster in South Moti Bagh, and its adjoining area.

The CM also directed all government departments to stop any expense other than the salary of employees. Any expense other than those related to relief work pertaining to the coronavirus lockdown will need special permission of the finance department. The government needs to cut down expenses, said Kejriwal.

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Update: San Antonio Police said Wednesday evening that Amisty was located and reunited with her family.

Police said Amisty returned home on her own and is uninjured.

The special victims unit is still investigating the case.

Original:

San Antonio police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing 12-year-old girl last seen just before midnight Tuesday on the West Side.

Police said they believe Amisty Monrreal left her residence, located on the 200 block of Barrett Place, undetected through her bedroom window, SAPD said.

After police were called, officers used a K-9 Unit to search the area. They also used Monrreal's social media pages to find various possible addresses, but without success, officials said.

Police said they don't believe there are any persons or vehicles of interest involved in the disappearance at this time.

She has a medical condition that requires a doctor's care, police said.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Monrreal is described as 5-feet tall, weighing 90 pounds. She has brown, straight, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black shirt with "No. 45" on the front of it, blue jeans and black and grey Jordan shoes.

If located, call the San Antonio Police Department Missing Person Unit at 210-207-7660.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 13:21:10|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Non-medical essential workers and customers at businesses in Los Angeles will be required to cover their faces starting Friday to help curb the spread of COVID-19, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Tuesday.

"If you're shopping for groceries, if you're picking up your prescription or visiting any other essential business, you will need to cover your face," Garcetti said in a briefing.

All workers who work at businesses, such as grocery stores, water retailers, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, convenience stores, warehouse stores, and other retail establishments for canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet food and medication supply, fresh or frozen meats, fish, and poultry, must wear face coverings over their noses and mouths when working, according to a worker protection order issued by the mayor.

The order will also apply to taxi drivers and workers at ride sharing services, car rental companies, hotels, motels and shared rental units.

Employers are required to provide face coverings or reimburse employees for their cost, provide access to clean and sanitary restrooms on site, allow their employees to wash their hands every 30 minutes, and implement physical distancing measures for customers, visitors, and workers.

Business owners or operators may refuse admission or service to any individual who fails to wear face coverings as required by the order.

The mayor encourages all retail businesses to install plexiglass to separate cashiers and customers at all points of sale. He also encourages all people to wear face coverings over their noses and mouths when they are outside their homes to obtain essential services and goods.

On April 1, Garcetti urged all Angelenos to use a facial covering, non-medical or homemade masks, when they go out amid a statewide stay-at-home order in California.

As of Tuesday evening, Los Angeles County registered more than 7,000 positive cases and 173 deaths related to COVID-19, according to a Los Angeles Times survey of numbers released by local health agencies.
Discovery Drills 1.0 m of 2,153 g/t AgEq as well as 62.8 m of 217 g/t AgEq at its Cordero Project, Mexico

Posted by Publisher Internet

Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) (?Discovery? or the ?Company? -? https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/discovery-metals-well-financed-for-development-further-exploration-at-cordero/ ) is pleased to announce results from ten diamond drill holes completed at its flagship Cordero project (?Cordero? or ?the Project?) located in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The holes are part of a 30,000-35,000 metre (?m?) Phase 1 drill program that commenced in September 2019. The goal of this program is to define a high-margin project with scale that retains excellent leverage to rising metal prices. As previously announced on March 31, 2020, exploration activity at Cordero has been temporarily suspended in response to concerns relating to COVID-19. Business continuity plans have been put in place so the Phase 1 drill program can ramp up quickly once current risks subside.

Taj Singh, President and CEO, states: ?These drill results are particularly positive for two reasons. First, they confirm that higher-grade breccia-hosted Ag-Au-Pb-Zn mineralization extends to the north-east beyond the previously defined limits of the Pozo de Plata zone. Second, drilling along the southernmost vein trend intercepted multiple sulfide veins that returned kilogram per tonne silver-equivalent intercepts. The first-ever drill test of veins highlights the excellent potential that may exist within this and other vein trends on the property. Follow-up drilling that targets expansion of higher-grade resources, is planned on both the north-east extension and the vein targets, as soon as exploration resumes at Cordero.?

DISCUSSION:

Gernot Wober, VP Exploration, comments: ?We have made significant strides in our geological understanding of Cordero since we acquired the Project last year. Our starting point was a very large polymetallic system with over one billion tonnes of mineralized rock containing Ag, Pb, Zn and Au minerals (see 2018 Levon resource estimate), and it is becoming clear that the large size of this system is a reflection of robust and long-lived structures that transported the mineralizing fluids. It seems that these structures define the dominant north-east trends of the historically mined veins and the higher grade breccias. The critical opportunity for the Company, and the focus of our Phase 1 drill program, lies in the delineation of the higher-grade mineralization along these trends.?

Prior to the temporary suspension of exploration drilling activities at Cordero on March 31, 2020, 48 holes totaling 17,500 m had been completed. Assays from 24 holes are pending. All holes have been drilled roughly perpendicular to the northeast trend of higher-grade blocks outlined in the Levon Resources Ltd (?Levon?)3 resource model.

Holes C19-307 through C20-316 comprise the third set of drill results released by Discovery. Drill hole locations relating to the current release are shown in Figure 1.

Five holes drilled in the corridor to the north of the main Cordero Fault (the ?North Corridor? in Figure 1) all intercepted silver-rich breccia mineralization. Two of the holes, located along the northeast extension of the well-mineralized Pozo de Plata zone, both returned higher-grade intervals with excellent continuity: Hole C20-314 intercepted 106.1 m of 139 g/t AgEq2; and Hole C20-316 intercepted 62.8 m of 217 g/t AgEq2. Follow-up drilling is planned to test the potential of the north-east extension of the North Corridor when exploration activities resume.

The other five holes were drilled on the margin of the Southern Corridor into the previously untested southernmost vein trend. All holes intercepted Ag-Pg-Zn rich vein mineralization. The objective of these holes was to improve the Company?s understanding of the structural and geological controls on the sulphide veins. These early results are very encouraging; highlight intercepts include 1.2 m of 1,436 g/t AgEq2 in Hole C20-310 and 0.6 m of 2,929 g/t AgEq2 in hole C20-312. These results will be reviewed in conjunction with a survey of historical underground workings ahead of a planned ramp-up of drilling of the vein targets when exploration activity at Cordero resumes.

Supporting maps and sections, drill hole locations and full assay results can be found at the following link: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5366/20200407_sections.pdf

A copy of this press release with supporting maps and sections included as appendices can be found at the following link: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5366/20200407_pr.pdf

About the Cordero Project

Discovery acquired the Cordero project through the acquisition of Levon Resources Ltd. (?Levon?) in August 2019. Cordero is located on the eastern edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in the northern part of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, Mexico?s premier porphyry and carbonate replacement deposit district. Mineralization at Cordero is similar in nature to well-known nearby bulk tonnage precious metals mines and projects (e.g. Newmont Corporation?s Penasquito Mine and Orla Mining Ltd.?s Camino Rojo project). The bulk tonnage potential of the Cordero deposit was first recognized by Levon in 2009 and the resource was defined by 132,000m of drilling in 292 holes. The most recent resource estimate3 as shown in the table below was released in 2018 (technical report available on Discovery?s website and Levon?s SEDAR profile) and was based on a base case cutoff grade of 15 g/t AgEq (highlighted below). The table includes a sensitivity analysis that also shows tonnage and grade estimates at higher AgEq cutoff grades within the resource shell.

Historical mine workings and prospects at Cordero date back to the 17th century. There are currently about 40 shallow, vertical shafts and associated workings identified at Cordero, generally developed along outcropping, southwest-striking, high-grade silver-zinc-lead-gold sulphide veins as well as high-grade skarn mineralization. Local artisanal miners report most of the past and recent production was direct shipping ore, which was hand-sorted, shipped, and processed in the nearby town of Parral. Despite a long history of mining, these veins have never been explored by drilling, and have the potential to add significantly to the high-grade mineral endowment at Cordero.

About Discovery

Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) is a Canadian exploration and development company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and focused on historic mining districts in Mexico. Discovery?s flagship is its 100%-owned Cordero silver project in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The 35,000-hectare property covers a large district that hosts the announced resource as well as numerous exploration targets for bulk tonnage diatreme-hosted, porphyry-style, and carbonate replacement deposits. In addition, Discovery is also exploring multiple high-grade carbonate replacement-style silver-zinc-lead showings in a land package of approximately 150,000 hectares in Coahuila State, Mexico. The land holdings contain numerous historical direct-ship ore workings and significant underground development, but no drill-testing has ever been carried out on them.

For further information contact:

Forbes Gemmell, CFA

VP Corporate Development & Investor Relations

forbes.gemmell@dsvmetals.com

416-613-9414

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Taj Singh, M.Eng, P.Eng, CPA,

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

TECHNICAL NOTES & REFERENCES:

1 All results in this news release are rounded. Assays are uncut and undiluted. Widths are drilled widths, not true widths, as a full interpretation of the actual orientation of mineralization is not complete. Composites for this release were chosen at a 25 g/t AgEq cutoff, whereby no more than 5m of below-cutoff material is included in any composite interval.

2 AgEq calculations for reported drill results are based on USD $16.50/oz Ag, $1,350/oz Au, $0.85/lb Pb, $1.00/lb Zn, and assume 100% metallurgical recovery. Refer to note four below for metallurgical recoveries assumed in the 2018 PEA completed on Cordero.

3 Refer to the ?About the Cordero Project? section of this release for details on the most recent resource estimate for Cordero. Resource commodity prices used for the resource estimate were (USD): $17.14/oz Ag, $1.11/lb Zn, $0.96/lb Pb, $1,262/oz Au. Further information on the resource estimate is available on Discovery?s website.

4 A PEA was completed by M3 Engineering, Resource by IMC, Mar. 1, 2018 (available on Discovery?s website). Resource commodity prices used ($US): $17.14/oz Ag, $1.11/lb Zn, $0.96/lb Pb, $1,262/oz Au; Mine plan uses a subset of Indicated and Inferred Resources at 15 g/t AgEq cutoff. ?PEA assumes metallurgical recoveries of 89% Ag, 84% Pb, 72% Zn, 40% Au.

Sample analysis and QA/QC Program: True widths of reported drill intercepts have not been determined. Assays are uncut except where indicated. All core assays are from HQ drill core unless stated otherwise. Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located at the project site 40km north of the city of Parral. Core samples from the program are cut in half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to ALS Geochemistry-Mexico for preparation in Chihuahua City, Mexico, and subsequently pulps are sent to ALS Vancouver, Canada, which is an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. All samples are prepared using a method whereby the entire sample is crushed to 70% passing -2mm, a split of 250g is taken and pulverized to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are analyzed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AAS techniques (Au-AA24) from a 50g pulp.? Over limits are analyzed by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Samples are also analyzed using thirty three-element inductively coupled plasma method (?ME-ICP61?). Over limit sample values are re-assayed for: (1) values of zinc > 1%; (2) values of lead > 1%; and (3) values of silver > 100 g/t. Samples are re-assayed using the ME-OG62 (high-grade material ICP-AES) analytical package. For values of silver greater than 1,500 g/t, samples are re-assayed using the Ag-CON01 analytical method, a standard 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Certified standards and blanks are routinely inserted into all sample shipments to ensure integrity of the assay process. Selected samples are chosen for duplicate assay from the coarse reject and pulps of the original sample. No QAQC issues were noted with the results reported herein.

Qualified Person: Gernot Wober, P.Geo, VP Exploration, Discovery Metals Corp., is the Company\-\-s designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?) and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in this news release is accurate.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release is not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ?1933 Act?) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements within this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Discovery believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in market prices, including metal prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the Private Placement will close on the announced terms. Discovery does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable laws.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.The string of Flirt4Free holiday promo contests continues this April. After successful Valentines Day and Saint Patricks Day celebrations, the 2020 Easter Egg Hunt arrives with $20,000 in prizes to be divided amongst the winning cam models.

The sites first major spring event returns at midnight (EST), on Thursday, April 9th and concludes at midnight on Easter Sunday. During that time, F4F members will be able to gift colorful virtual Easter Eggs to their favorite models. There are 28 varieties to choose from, each inscribed a sexy spring message like Egg-Cited and Nice Peeps." Big cash prizes will go to the top 10 male and top 10 female performers who collect the most Eggs overall, as well as the top 10 guys and girls who earn Eggs from the most unique premium subscribers.

With $1,500 going to the four grand prize winners, members should be ready to hop into all kinds of holiday-themed group and party shows to see the sites top stars wag those cotton tails. Easter on Flirt is always a joyful, colorful event, said Jamie Rodriguez, Flirt4Frees director of product. Its really coming at a perfect time, too. With all thats going on in the world, Im sure our models will jump at the chance to get creative, give their fans a splash of spring color, and help them forget their troubles for a while.

Fans and models who follow Flirt4Free on Twitter are also in for a special Easter treat. This year, the site will be doing a Twitter version of the egg hunt as well. Keep an eye on our feed during the Easter Celebration, Rodriguez continued. Well be sending out a special Tweet with instructions on all 4 days of the event. Twitter Egg Hunt winners will win cash prizes and credits they can use for tips and purchases on F4F.

For more information and up-to-the-minute Easter Egg Hunt standings, visit flirt4free.com. Affiliates interested in promoting their network should click here. Models who would like to join their roster and take part in future contests can click here.
A relatively new small business CEO told me this week that he was not sure whether he had identified all of the companys marketing efforts for his 2019 tax deductions.

That is a good reminder, because small business owners can make tax deductions work to their advantage and significantly lower their taxable business income. Any strategy for keeping more cash in your pocket is worth understanding, especially when youre just starting out.

My common advice is to make sure that business owners work closely with their tax accountant on these kinds of questions, but this topic is a good reminder for all businesses.

Most small business owners are familiar with common tax deductions like mileage and business supplies, but marketing expenses and other costs put towards advertising the business tend to get forgotten.

Its easy to rack up expenses quickly with an aggressive marketing strategy. But, even if you have a minimal advertising budget, youre still likely to be eligible for a surprising number of deductions.

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The IRS issued updated guidelines in 2018 through its Tax Cuts & Jobs Act as to what qualifies as a deductible business expense. In the most recent version of that act, the IRS describes qualifying advertising expenses as the costs directly related to your business activities that work to keep your name before the public if it relates to business you reasonably expect to gain in the future.

The list below outlines the types of marketing expenses that typically qualify. Make sure to keep an eye on these costs throughout the year so you can deduct them next tax season.

Website

The only business that doesnt need a website is a business that doesnt need customers. As you probably know, youre going to have to put up the cash and invest in a website for your business if you havent already. Once your website is live and its helping you do business, there are regular maintenance updates, upgrades and continuous tweaks that need to be handled. The amount you pay for a new website is a large, deductible expense. If you work with a website developer or digital marketing agency throughout the year to handle updates, those costs also count as marketing expenses eligible for a tax deduction.

Promotional print materials

Printing costs add up fast, especially if youre printing in color or adding treatments like a gloss finish to a print piece. And, custom print jobs are even more costly.

Promotional print materials are typically eligible for a deduction. These could include: Business cards, postcards, direct mailers, fliers, product brochures, tradeshow displays.

Social media and other marketing campaigns

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Most of todays businesses are involved in some type of digital marketing. Most of these expenses are deductible. Examples of digital marketing expenses you should keep track of for deductions include:

Google AdWords and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns; Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter campaign ads; social marketing media; influencer marketing, networking and lead generation groups, like Business Network International (BNI); display banner ads); and email marketing.

You can add to this the cost of outsourcing digital marketing campaigns if your business hires a marketing consultant or firm.

Traditional advertising

Every type of traditional advertisement, from an ad in the newspaper to a TV spot to a full-page, glossy magazine ad, is typically tax-deductible. If you have a marketing agency purchasing ads on your behalf, their fees become what you claim. For every ad you purchase, maintain a record of the signed insertion order. This is the contract you sign with the media company  the newspaper, TV station, magazine publisher, etc.  that includes a detailed description of which ads youre buying and for what amount. If your agency is handling the insertion orders on your behalf, youll want to keep a record of the paid invoice for their services.

Start-up marketing expenses

Yes, you can even deduct the marketing expenses your business incurs before your official launch date. The IRS considers a start-up expense deductible if it meets two criteria:

Its a cost you pay or incur before the day your active trade or business begins.

Its a cost you could deduct if you paid or incurred that expense to operate an existing active trade or business in the same field as the one you entered into.

This can include expenses like a website, business cards, posters and banners.

Advertising

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Like an established business, a start-up can deduct the expense of hiring a marketing or public relations agency to help prepare a press release, media campaign, launch event or any other number of efforts that help you make a splash when your business begins.

The IRS wants to see a receipt or paid invoice to back up every marketing expense you deduct. But, its also smart to keep a log of what the marketing expense was used for and how it helped your business bring in revenue. The more information, the better, so youre ready to justify each deduction should you ever get audited.

Bridget Weston, Acting CEO of the SCORE Association, wrote recently that "A business marketing budget can tie up a lot of capital, so its critical that you take advantage of every possible deduction at tax time. Managing expenses weekly or monthly rather than once a year when tax time rolls around is one of the best ways to make sure youre ready for tax season."
Earlier this week, it was widely reported that Airbnbs were banned across NSW.

However, NSW Minister Kevin Anderson quickly clarified the governments position, stating, There is no ban on any kind of accommodation.

A spokesperson of the government also confirmed that it is not illegal to list properties on platforms like Airbnb.

There is no ban on any kind of accommodation, and the initial news articles reporting that Airbnbs in NSW are illegal are incorrect and misleading, explains Quirin Schwaighofer, co-CEO and co-founder of AirBNB property management company, MadeComfy.

At MadeComfy, we have a significant number of health care and essential service workers booking our self-contained apartments via Airbnb. It should also be noted that for many people an Airbnb is their home at this time, for many reasons that are not actively being considered by the government's regulations. For example, people who have been stuck in Australia waiting for a return flight to their country, or people who are between rental leases. In all these cases short-term rentals are providing a crucial service at this time to ensure there is appropriate accommodation for a range of needs.

Indeed, the NSW Minister Kevin Anderson has retracted his earlier comments, with a statement issued to clarify that the NSW Government acknowledges that in these circumstances the provision of short-term accommodation is often critical, particularly for our frontline health workers.

For landlords, the onus is not on them to work out the intentions of those who are booking their property, adds Schwaighofer.

Under the current NSW social distancing rules, everyone in the state must stay at home unless they have a lawful reason or reasonable excuse. Hence, it is our clear understanding that it is up to the guest to ensure they have the right reason to travel and book the accommodation, he said.

Our properties are a great solution to help those who need self-contained accommodation. For example, we are working with health authorities, hospitals and retirement homes on arrangements where we help to accommodate frontline staff. Our properties are also booked by family members to isolate from vulnerable members of the same household as a precaution in the event they become sick.
Russian radio journalist accused of justifying terrorism goes on trial

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:37 08/04/2020

MOSCOW, April 8 (RAPSI)  The Second West District Military Court will start hearing a case against journalist of the radio Echo of Moscow in Pskov Svetlana Prokopyeva charged with justifying terrorism on April 20, attorney Vitaly Cherkasov has told RAPSI.

The case read that the journalist voiced on-air an opinion that the state authorities induced the youth to radical actions when discussing the self-destruction of a 17-year student in the premises of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in the city of Arkhangelsk.

The case of Prokopyeva was submitted to prosecutors in late 2019 but it was returned to investigators for further examination.

In October 2019, the Presidential Council for Human Rights applied to a prosecutor in defense of the journalist, stating that her statements could not be recognized as public justification of terrorism.
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the Chinese city hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, had only 181 patients in serious conditions, with 71 being critically ill, as of Monday, dropping from a peak of over 9,000 cases, a health official said Tuesday.

"Notable results have been achieved. However, there are still great difficulties in the treatment of severe patients," Guo Yanhong, the National Health Commission official, said at a press conference, stressing that China has gone all out to save more lives.

The high proportion of elderly patients and patients with multiple diseases have posed challenges to the treatment, Guo noted, adding that some patients also need a longer time to recover due to their unstable conditions.

Highlighting the practice of pooling good medical resources, the official said severe patients are treated at high-calibre hospitals with centralized treatment.

For patients with multiple diseases, coordinated treatment across disciplines has been strengthened, and it is important to reinforce nursing personnel for elderly patients, according to Guo.

Facing increasing imported cases, Guo said more efforts are needed to attend to mild patients and prevent mild symptoms from developing into severe ones, as well as strengthening treatment featuring the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Meanwhile, personalized treatment plans should also be highlighted to take scientific and targeted measures, Guo said.

The Chinese mainland had reported a total of 983 imported cases as of the end of Monday. Of them, 285 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 698 were being treated with 21 in severe condition, the commission said in its daily report.

Wu Xinjuan, with the Chinese Nursing Association, said COVID-19 patients are prone to psychological problems such as anxiety, fear and helplessness.

Doctors and nurses have been encouraged to communicate with patients and give them confidence by sharing successful stories in treatment, Wu said, adding that patients are also encouraged to talk with their family members and friends via mobile phones to ease anxiety.

"We emphasize the management of COVID-19 patients at every single stage," said Wang Guiqiang, an infectious disease expert with the Peking University First Hospital, when responding to a question concerning people tested positive again after being released from hospitals.

Requirements on follow-up visits and self-quarantine for recovered patients have been clarified in the updated diagnosis and treatment scheme, in a bid to reduce the risk of further transmission outside hospitals, according to Wang.

Patients who have been discharged from hospitals after recovery will still be under observation, Wang said, calling for more efforts from local medical institutions on monitoring and health checkups.
On a typical day, the skies in Afghanistan echo with the voice of muzzin, or the person performing the adhan, an Islamic call to prayer. Hurry to prayer and Hurry to salvation are the key messages in the five-times daily call mostly broadcast over loudspeakers to attract congregates to mosques.

But this week, Afghans are hearing a different message. Allah Salu Fee Rehalikum, an Arabic phrase meaning Offer your prayer at home, emphasizes the need to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic that has killed tens of thousands globally.

Some Muslim ulema, or clerics and prayer leaders, in Afghanistan have invoked at old practice used during epidemics to call on congregates to avoid gathering at mosques and instead offer their prayers at home.

A recent fatwa or religious ruling by leading clerics in Afghanistan has asked mosques across the country to amend the call to prayer. Instead of calling on Muslims to hurry to prayer and hurry to salvation at mosques, it calls on them to pray at home.

Muhammad Arif Attaee, a senior cleric in the capital, Kabul, says the adhan now calls on Muslims to offer prayers wherever they live.

The message is that: Dont come to the mosque because you now have a valid excuse, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. The ulema in Afghanistan have recently issued this fatwa or religious edict, which emphasizes the message: pray at home.

The new wording in the call to prayer has surprised many. Faizan, a Kabul resident, says he was stunned to hear this new additional phrase in the adhan but couldn't immediately decipher its message. I dont speak Arabic so didnt immediately understand what the cleric was saying, he told Radio Free Afghanistan.

The new fatwa calling on people to avoid congregating at mosques was issued in Kabul on April 5. It also calls on the warring sides in Afghanistan to end fighting to help prevent the spread of coronavirus infections and helps those suffering from it. The fatwa says a limited number of congregates going to mosques on Friday must observe a one-meter distance between them.

Attaee, says that similar to the permission of offering your prayer through signs when gravely ill or injured, it is permitted to keep a distance because of a valid reason such as preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

As the call for not flocking to mosques is new, so far we have not seen much difference in the number of congregates, he noted while discussing its immediate impact. It might make a big difference if all the Muslim ulema support it.

In some Muslim societies, conservative clerics have defied and even resisted government efforts to close mosques or ban large religious gatherings as part of lockdowns to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, a mob clashed with police after a cleric opposed a local curfew aimed at stopping Friday Prayers in the southwestern Pakistani city of Karachi.

But other Islamic countries have been more successful in imposing lockdowns or even complete curfews. Before Afghanistan, many clerics in various Muslim countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia had issued similar religious rulings to emphasize the stay-at-home message to contain the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 83,000 people globally.

Afghanistan so far has recorded over 400 coronavirus cases and the country has recorded at least 13 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus infections. But the war-torn impoverished country has conducted fewer tests, and its fragmented healthcare system is not ready to deal with an influx of patients suffering from COVID-19 complications.
The head of a top Russian research centre informed President Vladimir Putin his lab was ready to start human trials of experimental coronavirus vaccines in June.

Rinat Maksyutov, who heads the Vektor State Virology and Biotechnology Centre, said his facility proposed first-phase clinical trials of three vaccines from June 29. 180 volunteers will be taking part for the same.



AFP

Maksyutov was speaking during a video-link meeting between Putin and the heads of top research centres.



"Groups of volunteers have already been formed," he told Putin as per a report in AFP.



AFP

"We have already received more than 300 applications," he added.

Maksyutov said scientists at the top-secret lab complex located in Koltsovo outside the Siberian city of Novosibirsk had developed several prototype vaccines.

Tests were currently underway on mice, rabbits and other animals to determine the most promising by April 30, he said.

AFP

Vektor planned pre-clinical studies by June 22 before launching the testing in humans, Maksyutov added.

But the first human trials could begin in May "if the health ministry allows it".

Vektor has vaccine platform technologies that have already been tested in humans for other infections and could be used for the coronavirus, he added.

The Vektor laboratory complex conducted secret biological weapons research in the Soviet era and stockpiles viruses ranging from Ebola to smallpox.

Russia on Tuesday reported 7,497 coronavirus cases and 58 fatalities but the real number of infections is believed to be much higher.


The June 7 date is, of course, also highly speculative and its viability will depend on a large number of factors, many of which are beyond the theater industrys control. These include the lifting of the stay-at-home orders, the approval by authorities for large gatherings in confined spaces and, ideally, the loosening of travel restrictions across the globe.
Grand Junction, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Bullfrog Gold Corp (OTCQB: BFGC) (CSE: BFG) (FSE: 11B) ("Bullfrog", "BFGC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a drill program at its Bullfrog Project ("Project") located 125 miles NW of Las Vegas, Nevada. Arrangements for site preparation and drilling are in place and an accredited laboratory in Reno has been engaged to assay drill samples. The program is fully funded and permitted, cash reclamation bonds have been posted and a cultural-archaeological survey was recently completed to allow drilling on lands leased and optioned to purchase from Barrick Bullfrog Inc. The direct program cost is estimated at $500,000 for drilling, assaying, geological personnel and field services. The program consists of drilling 9,000 feet in 17 holes as described below during a 6 week period starting in early May, unless changes are imposed by the coronavirus crisis.

Drilling priority holes NE of the existing Bullfrog and around the Montgomery-Shoshone pits to expand resources and pit limits. Most of this drilling will be on lands leased from Barrick and is required to meet final work commitments and thereby allow the purchase of said lands by September 23, 2020. After drill results are analyzed, a few additional holes will likely be drilled in a subsequent program to fully optimize ultimate pit limits.

A few priority, but discretionary holes are planned in our new Paradise Ridge exploration target located one mile east of the Bullfrog Pit. Geological studies of this target have identified an undrilled area 2,000 meters long and 350 meters wide that has the identical host rocks as the 2+ million ounce Bullfrog deposit, similar structures and gold in surface samples. Testing the entire target will require much more drilling in subsequent programs.

In summary, the Company is committed to conserve cash during the global crisis but will also meet its 2020 obligations while adding value and advancing the Project.

Story continues

About Bullfrog Gold Corp.

Bullfrog Gold Corp. is a Delaware corporation that controls the commanding land and mineral positions in the Bullfrog Mine area where Barrick Bullfrog Inc. produced 2.3 million ounces of gold by conventional milling beginning in 1989 and closing in early 1999 when the gold price was under $300/ounce.

The large data base obtained from Barrick includes detailed information on 155 miles of drilling in the Bullfrog area. An independent 43-101 report prepared in 2017 estimated mineralization at 624,000 ounces at 0.7 g/tonne gold within expanded pit plans on the Company's lands based on a gold price of $1,200 and heap leaching. An annual production rate of at least 60,000 ounces is currently envisioned by management, or more depending on success from drill programs. Much additional technical and corporate information may be sourced at www.bullfroggold.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including those with respect to the objectives, plans and strategies of the Company and those preceded by or that include the words "believes," "expects," "given," "targets," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "projects," "forecasts" or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward looking information in this press release includes but is not limited to statements regarding increased liquidity for the Company's shareholders and the application of metallurgical testing results.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, the Company's ability to successfully maintain its listings, the stability of industry and market costs and trends and the Company's ability to obtain all regulatory approvals required for its planned objectives. Furthermore, by their very nature, forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, events, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, those related to: (a) adverse regulatory or legislative changes (b) market conditions, volatility and global economic conditions (c) industry-wide risks (d) the Company's inability to maintain or improve its competitive position and (e) the ability to obtain financing needed to fund the continued development of the Company's business.

We use certain terms in this valuation such as "mineralization" and "mineral inventory estimates" that are not defined in Canadian National Instrument 43-101; or recognized under the U.S. SEC Industry Guide 7. The Company is presently an exploration stage company. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks, requires substantial expenditures and may not result in the discovery of mineral deposits that can be mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company currently has no resources or reserves on any of its properties. As a result, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Additional information regarding important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations is disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the United States Securities & Exchange Commission. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in our Form 10-K and other SEC filings, which can be obtained from the SEC's website at http:www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

Qualified Person

David Beling, P.E. has 55 years of project and corporate experience in the mining industry and is a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure or Mineral Projects. Mr. Beling has prepared, supervised the preparation of, or approved the technical information that forms the basis of the Company's disclosures, but is not independent of Bullfrog Gold Corp, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options of the Company. For further information, please contact David Beling, CEO & President, at (970) 628-1670.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54267
The Katsina state government has lifted the ban on Friday prayers with immediate effect. This is coming a few hours after Aminu ...





The Katsina state government has lifted the ban on Friday prayers with immediate effect.





This is coming a few hours after Aminu Masari, the governor, announced that a 60-year-old medical doctor in the state died from the complications of COVID-19.





On March 28, police arrested a cleric for conducting Friday prayers despite a ban on large gathering.





The following day, a group of protesters stormed a police station and set it ablaze.





They also burnt down the official residence of a divisional police officer in Kusada LGA of the state.





One person was killed while seven vehicles and 10 motorcycles were also set on fire.





Mustapha Inuwa, secretary to the state government, in a statement on Tuesday, said the decision to lift the ban was reached after the government held a meeting with religious leaders, traditional rulers and security agencies in the state.





He asked Muslim clerics to avoid long sermons and discharge their followers within a short time.





Following a meeting held today between the Katsina state government, religious leaders, traditional rulers and security agents to review some measures taken by the government to prevent spread of covid-19 in the state, he said.





The Executive Governor has directed that the suspension of Friday prayers be lifted with immediate effect; however, the prayers will be conducted under some stipulated health and security guidelines.





The Jumuat Imams should, however, avoid prolonged sermons in order to discharge their followers within the shortest period.





People are also strongly advised to maintain social distancing and adhere strictly to all the rules and regulations provided by the health experts in fighting the contagious disease.




As many as 57 staff including



nurses were quarantined at two civic-run hospitals in Mumbai on Wednesday after a patient each tested positive there, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sources said.

Further, the BMC also ordered suspension of emergency and OPD services at two private hospitals after a few patients at these hospitals tested positive for coronavirus infection, sources said.

According to union sources, at least 40 staff including nurses and doctors were quarantined at KB Bhabha Hospital in Bandra.

The staff had earlier stopped work and protested after a woman admitted on April 4 tested positive for COVID-19.

Further, at least 17 cleaning staff at KEM Hospital were quarantined after a 50-year-old sweeper tested positive.

OPD and emergency medical services were stopped at Bhatia hospital in Grant road area and another private hospital in Khar after COVID-19 cases were found there.

Bhatia hospital said in a statement that three patients were found to be COVID-19 positive. As a precautionary measure, BMC officials collected swab samples of around 70 staff, and results were awaited.

A senior citizen tested positive at the private hospital in Khar area, and as a precautionary measure new admissions at the hospital have been stopped.

A staff at private-run Breach Candy hospital also tested positive to COVID-19 but it is not yet known if the BMC has quarantined any other staff or asked the hospital to take any preventive measures.

The civic body has already sealed two prominent private hospitals, namely, Jaslok and Wockhardt, after several staff were found to have contracted virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Since joining Wooster Brush in 2014, Ben has served as vice president of national accounts, held a seat on the company's board of directors, and most recently led the team overseeing Wooster's rebranding efforts. Ben brings over 20 years of sales and marketing experience to his new role including time as vice president of sales at Waxman Consumer Group as well as multiple sales and marketing roles while at Moen and Newell Rubbermaid.

A life-long resident of the company's namesake city, Ben is a graduate of both Wooster High School and The College of Wooster. He and his wife, Courtney, have been married for 11 years; together they have three children: Benny, Bo, and Cecily. They enjoy spending time together as a family and attending Smithville Brethren Church. Ben serves on the Wooster City School Board Business Advisory Council and is also an Ohuddle Mentor.

"On behalf of all our employees, we want to thank Bill for his leadership over the past decade," Maibach said. "Following Bill as the next president is quite an honor, but we both agree that the success of Wooster Brush has never been about one person. The combined efforts of our 600+ dedicated employees will always be what makes our company great."

As part of this transition, Bill will maintain certain administrative and financial responsibilities while he continues to assist and mentor Ben in his new role. Bill joined The Wooster Brush Company in 1985 and served as the company's vice president of finance before becoming president. Fagert said, "Ben is the right guy at the right time. He is a bright, proactive, optimistic leader with the skill sets to take Wooster Brush to new, higher levels. Ben has often been involved behind the scenes and is well prepared for his new role."

Scott Rutledge, vice president of marketing, will also be expanding his role as a result of this leadership change. As of May 1, Rutledge will become the new senior vice president of sales and marketing. Scott brings 29 years of Wooster Brush experience to his new position.

About The Wooster Brush Company

Established in 1851, The Wooster Brush Company is the oldest independent manufacturer of paint applicators in the USA. Based in Wooster, Ohio, the privately held company with over 600 employees produces approximately 2,000 products for both professional and DIY painters. A leader in paint applicator innovation, Wooster has been developing tools designed to meet or even exceed the needs of painters for nearly 170 years. Wooster tools are available at traditional paint and decorating centers, hardware stores, paint sundry distributors or retailers, and home centers. Learn more about The Wooster Brush Company at woosterbrush.com.

SOURCE The Wooster Brush Company

Related Links

http://www.woosterbrush.com


China's official news agency has released a coronavirus timeline to hit back at accusations that Beijing tried to cover up the full scale of the outbreak.

State-run Xinhua said that the timeline, published on Monday, proved how the country 'has shared information and advanced international cooperation' in the fight against the killer bug.

The 37-page document included - as described by Xinhua - the 'main facts and measures China has taken' to contain the epidemic. In particular, it hailed the role of President Xi Jinping and other Communist leaders.

However, the mammoth report has left out some of the most crucial events of the health crisis, each of which has played a decisive role in the development of the global emergency.

Here, MailOnline has listed these findings alongside relevant information in previous reports and the Xinhua timeline.

1. The whistleblowers

Dr Li Wenliang, 34, died of the coronavirus in February after being punished for sounding the alarm over the outbreak. The police accused Dr Li and other medics of spreading fake news

Probably one of the most notable stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic, eight Wuhan medical workers who sounded the alarm on the virus at the end of December were accused of spreading fake news and reprimanded by police.

The most famous of them was late doctor Li Wenliang, who died of the coronavirus on February 7 after contracting it on the front line.

As early as December 30, the 34-year-old posted messages to a social media chatting group used by local medics, warning them of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'. His alert came over three weeks before Wuhan went into lockdown.

A statement from Wuhan police on January 1 condemned Dr Li and the others of spreading 'inauthentic' information without proof. Officers said their acts had brought bad impact on society, and they would be 'dealt with' by law, according to a previous report by Xinhua.

This photo taken on April 1 shows medical workers disinfecting a stretcher in Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan. Li Wenliang was a doctor at the hospital before losing his life to COVID-19

These events were not mentioned in the Xinhua timeline.

However, the report did reference Dr Li in a listing under March 19.

It said: 'An inspection team of the National Supervisory Commission released the report of an investigation into issues related to doctor Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist with the Central Hospital of Wuhan.

'Following the report, Wuhan Public Security Bureau decided to revoke the previous reprimand letter and apologized to Li's family over the mistake.'

It did not explain the 'issues related to doctor Li'.

Beijing named Dr Li 'a martyr' this month and mourned for him on the National Day of Mourning for COVID-19 victims.

Although Dr Li was the most famous coronavirus whistleblower, he had been tipped off by a colleague, ER doctor Ai Fen. Read our report about Dr Ai here.

2. The Huanan seafood market

An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26. But its timeline did not mention the market (pictured on March 30)

Since the beginning of the outbreak, researchers and authorities have linked the virus to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a once-popular wet market in the city of 11 million.

Curiously, it did not appear in the timeline.

One of the earliest connections between COVID-19 and Huanan can be traced back to a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.

It claimed that 27 cases had been identified in the market as of December 31 and the city's officials had started to study its association with Huanan.

Some other reports, however, suggested that the very first patient had no connection with the market.

The market was closed on January 1 in relation to the 'pneumonia epidemic' by the local market watchdog, according to a report by state-run China News citing Wuhan Evening News.

Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China. China has been distancing Wuhan's Huanan market from its coronavirus narrative

An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26.

The Xinhua timeline did not refer to the Huanan market or its connection to the pandemic.

In a listing under January 26, it cited Ma Xiaowei, the head of the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC), who claimed that 'the source of infection is yet to be found and studies are still needed to understand its pathogenicity'.

In another listing under March 6, it quoted a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said: 'Though the first case of COVID-19 was detected in China, it does not necessarily mean that it originated from China. We should jointly oppose "information virus" and "political virus".'

Although it remains unclear why the market was omitted from the timeline, Beijing has been rejecting the widely held assessment that Wuhan is the birthplace of the global outbreak after cases started to drop there but soar in Europe.

Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China.

3. 'Gag order'

On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission ordered gene-sequencing labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus, according to a report from Caixin. This photo taken on February 6 shows a laboratory technician working on samples in Wuhan

A high-profile investigative report has accused Chinese officials of ordering labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus in the very early stages of the outbreak.

On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission slapped the gag order on some gene-sequencing companies which had identified a new strain of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27, said the report.

The date was more than a week before the first patient in Wuhan, a 61-year-old man, died of the virus on January 9.

The Caixin report claimed that some labs in China identified a new stran of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27 after studying samples from patients in Wuhan. Pictured, an illustration of the virus released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The revelation was made by one of the most referenced investigative reports about China's coronavirus outbreak, published by pioneering Beijing-based media group Caixin on February 26.

It was shared tens of thousands, if not millions, times on Chinese social media platform WeChat, before disappearing.

An English version of the article still lives on Caixin's website.

Xinhua's timeline did not mention any lab-testing efforts in December.

It said that on January 2, the CDC and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) 'received the first batch of samples of four patients from Hubei Province and began pathogen identification'.

It added that three other institutions began to carry out parallel laboratory testing on January 3.

A team of officially appointed experts said on January 9 that a new type of coronavirus was initially identified as the cause of the viral pneumonia in Wuhan, according to the timeline as well as a previous Xinhua report.

4. When did Xi know

China's President Xi revealed in a speech on February 3 that he first gave instructions on the coronavirus on January 7. A transcript of the speech was published by state media outlet Qiushi on February 15. The picture shows Xi giving a speech at a Wuhan hospital on March 10

It remains a mystery when China's President Xi first learned about the outbreak.

The timeline, as well as many state media reports, claimed that Xi 'made instructions on epidemic response when presiding over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee' on January 7.

However, an investigation into public government documents and official reports reveals that his speech was not mentioned in any reports until February 15 - which was rare for Chinese propaganda, especially those about Xi.

Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus on January 20. Pictured, patients wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25

Qiushi, a political theory periodical run by the Communist Party, published the transcript of a speech by Xi on February 3.

Xi addressed officials: 'On January 7, I raised demands over the control and prevention of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic while hosting the politburo standing committee of the Communist Party of China.'

This article, mentioned in the timeline, became the source of many reports, which claimed that Xi took the helm of the coronavirus task forces on January 7.

A report by Xinhua on January 7 about the political meeting was titled 'Xi Jinping hosted a CCP leadership meeting' and did not refer to the viral pneumonia in Wuhan.

Radio Francia Internacional branded January 7 as a 'mysterious point in time' for Xi.

A commentary on March 3 said that it was 'very interesting' for a Chinese leader his calibre to have to point out a time reference about himself, especially considering China's 'powerful propaganda machine'.

Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus outbreak on January 20.

5. The mysterious 'zero case' days

A picture released by Hubei's Chutian Urban Daily shows residents at Wuhan's Baibuting community gathering for a huge banquet on January 18. The event reportedly invited more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year days before the city went into lockdown

Wuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'.

Nearly 700 officials, lawmakers and government representatives attended the conferences.

By January 5, the city's health commission had recorded 59 cases and no deaths.

The 12 days would have been critical in preventing the virus from spreading, but officials either reported zero new cases or did not release a daily update.

'Like this, Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, missed the key 12 days to block a malignant epidemic disease from spreading further,' criticised Shanghai-based news outlet Yicai in an article from February 1.

Wuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'. This March 18 photo shows people lining up to pick up pork which was delivered to their quarantined compound in Wuhan

The Xinhua timeline listed 25 entries under the 12 days to give details about a variety of official actions, including the isolation of the first novel coronavirus strain, the development of testing kits and a statement from the World Health Organization on the outbreak.

It did not mention any new cases in the period.

Furthermore, officials of a Wuhan community organised a huge banquet on January 18, inviting more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year, reported Caixin, citing local Chutian Urban Daily.

The banquet sparked fears of an impending outbreak among Wuhan residents, who rushed to buy face masks, Caixin added.

The timeline did not mention the banquet.

On the day, Wuhan reported four new cases. A statement said the city had registered 45 cases and two deaths by then.

6. Wuhan mayor admitted slow reactions

Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV in January

One of the most influential interviews in the early days of the outbreak came from Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan.

Mr Zhou confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' to state broadcaster CCTV on January 27.

Mr Zhou disclosed at a press conference the day before that around five million Wuhan residents had left the city before all forms of transport were halted on January 23.

Mr Zhou said those people had left because of the Lunar New Year as well as 'public opinions'. Nine million people were in Wuhan when it was locked down, he said.

The timeline did not mention Mr Zhou's comments, which were widely reported by media outlets in and outside of China.

Wuhan was locked down between January 23 and April 8 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The picture shows residents of Wuhan queuing to pay at a supermarket on January 23

Mr Wu, 56, told CCTV that his government would need to receive authorisation from higher-ups before making any announcement regarding the novel coronavirus.

'On one hand, we did not reveal [information] in time; on the other, we did not use effective information to improve our work to a satisfactory level,' Mr Zhou said during the interview which was live-streamed online.

He said: 'Regarding the untimely disclosure, [I] hope everyone can understand. [Coronavirus] is a contagious disease. Contagious diseases have relevant law and information needs to be disclosed according to law.'

He then explained the restriction his government faced.

'As [the head of] a local government, after I receive the information, [I] can only release it after being authorised. [Many people] could not understand this at the time,' he said.

7. The disease is 'largely controllable'

The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article , citing an expert. The picture shows a worker measuring the temperature of a woman at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan on April 8

The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article, citing an expert.

Professor Hu Ke from Hubei Provincial People's Hospital claimed that most patients had developed minor to medium symptoms and some of the earliest patients had recovered and left the hospital.

This article was published one day before Wuhan reported its first death from COVID-19.

It came five days after another Xinhua report said no evidence showed that the virus could spread from one person to another.

The timeline did not mention either article.

Professor Zhong Nanshan, the leader of Beijing's coronavirus expert team, confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20, according to a CCTV report and the timeline.

The coronavirus pandemic has so far killed more than 81,000 people and infected over 1.4 million worldwide as of writing.

The lockdown on Wuhan, the former centre of the outbreak, was lifted on Wednesday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Department of Foreign Affairs expressed deep concern over reports that the Chinese Coast Guard rammed and sunk a Vietnamese fishing vessel last week in the South China Sea, warning that such incidents undermine relations between Southeast Asian nations and Beijing.

Given the positive momentum on the discussions on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, it is crucial that such incidents be avoided and that differences be addressed in a manner that enhances dialogue and mutual trust, the department said in a statement Wednesday.

The DFA reiterated that provocations in the hotly-contested South China Sea should be avoided, urging forbearance and good behavior from all parties involved while standing by their individual claims of sovereignty, especially as the world faces the threat of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a very real threat that demands unity and mutual trust. In the face of it, neither fish nor fictional historical claims are worth the fuse thats lit by such incidents, the DFA said.

The department also expressed solidarity with Vietnam, remembering that Vietnamese fishermen helped Filipino fishers who were on board F/B Gem-Ver which got involved in a similar incident last year.

Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed and sunk a Vietnamese fishing boat carrying eight Vietnamese fishermen in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea last week.

The above-mentioned Chinese vessels act violates Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, causes property losses and endangers the lives, safety and legitimate interests of the Vietnamese fishermen, Vietnam's foreign ministry said.

It added that Chinas alleged actions also run counter to agreements reached by Hanoi and Beijings leaders and the proposed Code of Conduct that would govern all interested parties in the South China Sea dispute.

Vietnam said it has lodged a diplomatic protest with Chinas embassy in Hanoi, requesting the Chinese side to investigate the incident, strictly discipline the officers aboard the Chinese vessel aforementioned, prevent the recurrence of similar actions, and make adequate compensation for the losses of the Vietnamese fishermen.

The US State Department also condemned the incident, calling it the latest in a long string of  actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea.

We call on [China] to remain focused on supporting international efforts to combat the global pandemic, and to stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea, the US State Department said.

In its defense, Chinas coast guard said the Vietnamese fishing vessel was the one that rammed it, causing it to sink.

Several countries, including the Philippines have overlapping claims over features in the South China Sea. The Paracel Islands, for one, are both claimed by Vietnam and China.

An international tribunal based in The Hague and backed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration has struck down Chinas sweeping nine-dash line claim over virtually the entire South China Sea, but Beijing still refuses to acknowledge the 2016 ruling.

CNN Philippines Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders has denounced the systemic racism he claims is responsible for the huge disparity of coronavirus deaths among the African American community.

Amid growing evidence that people of colour, especially African Americans, make up a disproportionate number of those being infected or killed by the virus, the Democratic hopeful said this was the result of racism embedded in every aspect of society and a dysfunctional healthcare system.

Some 87 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, so many of our people cant afford to go to the doctor. You are aware that we have a housing crisis, and people who are homeless all over this country. People are packed into homes and apartments, where theres just not a whole lot of room, he said in a live-streamed town hall-style conversation.

You are aware that many people living in cities with food deserts, where people cannot go out and get decent quality food fresh produce.

He added: What does that have to do with a terrible pandemic that we are living through right this minute? Well, the answer is, it has a whole lot to do with this pandemic. And its a whole lot to do with who lives and who dies in this pandemic. Who gets sick, who doesnt get sick, who gets treated, who doesnt get treated.

Reports by organisations such as ProPublica and Chicagos WBEZ radio channel have highlighted the high number of people of colour becoming ill and dying from the disease. Experts say a number of reasons  poor diet, lack of access to healthcare and underlying health problems  are the reason.

In his comments, delivered as the Democratic hopeful was hoping to defeat Democratic rival Joe Biden in the Wisconsin primary, Mr Sanders said the numbers were stark.

In Louisiana, 70 per cent of people who have died from Covid-19 are African Americans. But African Americans make up only about one third of the population of Louisiana.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin  twice as many black residents have tested positive compared to white residents, while comprising only 27 per cent of the population. In Chicago, African Americans make up 72 per cent of the coronavirus-related deaths, and yet account for only 29 per cent of the population.

On Tuesday, as the total number of infections from the virus hit 380,000 and the death toll passed 12,000 Donald Trump was for the first time obliged to acknowledge the disparity.

Were doing everything in our power to address this challenge, its a tremendous challenge. Its terrible, he said at the White House.

Dr Deborah Birx, a member of Mr Trumps taskforce, said African Americans were not more susceptible to coronavirus. What our data suggests is that they are more susceptible to more difficult and severe disease and poorer outcomes, she said.

Her colleague Dr Anthony Fauci said African Americans were already known to be more prone to illnesses like diabetes, hypertension and asthma, which can exacerbate coronavirus symptoms.

Dr Barbara Ransby, a professor of African American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said on Mr Sanderss livestream that black Americans were often the canary in the coal mine.

They are the communities that are first affected by a lot of the bad things that happen in this country, and theyre the community that is among the worst affected [by] horrible things like coronavirus, she said.

 Coronavirus in numbers

The livestream included several musical performances, including one by rapper Abhi The Nomad.

Dr Victoria Dooley, a family physician and health care activist from Michigan, said she was not surprised by the statistics Mr Sanders was talking about.

African Americans make up only about 13 per cent of the population but we are 40 per cent of the homeless population, she said. So of course, you dont have a home to live the shelter to be in for shelter in place, youre going to be disproportionately impacted.

She added: The fact that African Americans are disproportionally incarcerated, is a huge factor.
Singapore on Wednesday announced a 30-million Singapore dollar investment in the agri-food industry to speed up the production of commonly consumed food items like eggs, vegetables and fish during the coronavirus crisis.

Called the 30x30 Express grant, it aims to strengthen Singapore's food security, as part of its goal of meeting 30 per cent of the country's nutritional needs with food produced locally by 2030.

"The current COVID-19 situation underscores the importance of local food production, as part of Singapore's strategies to ensure food security," said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a statement.

Proposals will be invited from local farmers producing eggs, leafy vegetables and fish to "grow more and grow faster", reported Channel Asia.

"The grant call will enable the government to crowdsource and support ideas from the agri-food industry to develop innovative approaches to grow food productively and sustainably," read the statement.

Local farmers can use the grant to help defray the cost of accelerating production capacity within the next six to 24 months. This includes co-funding of productivity-enhancing technology systems.

In addition to increasing the country's capabilities to produce food locally, the agencies said the move could also create more jobs for Singaporeans in the agri-food industry and help local small and medium-sized enterprises.

Aside from funding, different agencies are also looking to identify alternative farming spaces. For a start, a tender of rooftop spaces on multi-storey car parks in the public housing estates will be launched in May.

The latest efforts to increase local food production will be driven by a newly formed multi-agency taskforce led by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

Our three strategies of diversifying food imports, growing locally and growing overseas have served us well in ensuring Singapore's food security, even during times of supply disruption," said Masagos.

"The new 30x30 Express initiative is expected to push the envelope for local farming capacity and accelerate our efforts to reach our 30x30 goal," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Furious residents have slammed Gordon Ramsay for moving to his 4.4million mansion in Cornwall amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Nearby villages are reportedly furious with the chef, 53, after he moved there with his family in order to isolate amid the ongoing pandemic.

It comes as locals in the West Country called for tougher action to be taken on people fleeing to their holiday homes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Second home owners were accused of sneaking into the area in the dead of night, and local authorities have now asked for road blocks to be put in place in order to stop people getting into tourist hot spots this weekend.

Not happy: Furious residents have slammed Gordon Ramsay for moving to his 4.4million mansion in Cornwall amid the coronavirus outbreak

According to The Sun, villagers are worried Gordon may have brought the virus with him from London and want him 'the hell out of Cornwall' and have even threatened to expose his address if he doesn't leave.

In messages seen by the newspaper, nearby residents vented their frustration in a Facebook group called You Shouldn't Be Here.

One user wrote: 'The big s*** should take himself and his family the hell out of Cornwall.'

Another said: 'Wealthy second homers think making a few quid means they are immune from the virus and any rules. They are arrogant at this best of times, this has shown how bad some of them are.'

Upset: Nearby villages are reportedly furious with Gordon after he moved there with his family in order to isolate amid the ongoing pandemic

One local accused Gordon of flouting government orders to stay in his primary location.

They wrote: 'He's swanning around the shops as if nothing is wrong.'

Yet a friend told MailOnline: 'The family see Cornwall as their family home when the kids are back from uni and Gordon back from filming around the world it's where they spend all their family time together.

'They've been spending time there for 10 years and Jack actually lives in the house there full time too. Most of their neighbours are so welcoming and they love being part of the community.

'They've been following the government advice along with the rest of the country since they arrived on March 20th and the campaign against them is hurtful and unnecessary at a time when we should all be coming together and supporting each other.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Gordon for comment.

Home: Villagers are worried Gordon may have brought the virus with him from London (Gordon's property in Cornwall pictured under construction in 2015)

The Telegraph also reported that North Devon MP Selaine Saxby had raised concerns with ministers about second home owners sneaking into their properties to get away.

She warned that local service could be swamped if people continue to flout the rules implemented by the UK government.

She said: 'I am deeply disappointed at reports I have heard over the weekend of the ongoing arrival of second home owners over the cover of darkness across the country to avoid roadblocks and I've raised this matter directly with the police'.

So far in the UK there have been 6,159 deaths and over 55,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

London has been hardest hit by the outbreak with 1,353 deaths and over 11,000 cases.

Gordon, his wife Tana and their five children have been residing on the Cornish coast since the outbreak began.

Having fun? The TV chef has been sharing several TikTok videos with his children as they self-isolate in the idyllic tourist location

Food-themed: In March, Gordon posted a video with daughter Tilly, 18, as he joked the food-themed dance could inspire some new recipes as millions around the world self isolate

The TV chef has been sharing several TikTok videos with his children as they self-isolate in the idyllic tourist location.

In March, Gordon posted a video with daughter Tilly, 18, as he joked the food-themed dance could inspire some new recipes as millions around the world self isolate.

The star mastered the TikTok routine, which has been viewed more than two million times, to the song 'juice, sauce and a little bit of dressing.'

With Tilly giggling by his side, the father of five, was deep in concentration as he got to grips with the moves, before gleefully high fiving his daughter at the end.

Gordon also shared a TikTok video of son Oscar, 12-months, crawling out of the family's dog flap to chase one of his play balls he lost. He added the song Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men.

TikTok: Gordon also shared a TikTok video of son Oscar, 12-months, crawling out of the family's dog flap to chase one of his play balls he lost.

The businessman recently admitted that his extended family time has proved to be anything but relaxing, as he's constantly cooking for his sizeable brood.

In an interview with Capital FM's Roman Kemp, the celebrity chef said: 'Being stuck in my house with these five ravenous kids is a living nightmare. Can you please tell me when all of this will end?

'Every single day is the same. I'm the resident kitchen porter, working my fingers to the bone. I have honestly cooked more food in the past ten days than I have in the past ten years of my career.'

The TV personality revealed he is slaving over the stove around the clock for Megan, 22; twins Holly and Jack, 20; Tilly, 18, and son Oscar, who turned one on Saturday.

He said: 'As soon as I get up in the morning, I'm off down to the local butchers to buy some meat for their dinner. When I get home, I make the breakfast straight away.

Busy: Gordon recently admitted that his extended family time has proved to be anything but relaxing, as he's constantly cooking for his sizeable brood (pictured with Tana and son Oscar)

'After that, I'm back over the stove cooking lunch. After they have gobbled up their grub, I try to escape for a quick run every day just to get away, and after that I'm back in the kitchen making bl**dy dinner again.

'I swear that I have blisters on my bl**dy hands from cooking so much.'

However, while the star shared his tongue-in-cheek gripes with Roman, he also said that spending time at home has afforded the family many benefits.

'We have been eating so well,' he explained. 'Now that I have all the time in the world, I have the opportunity to put even more effort in.

'We've had some of the best curries of our lives, and I've been able to curate some fantastic new recipes. So I guess it's not all that bad actually.'

Blisters: 'I swear that I have blisters on my bl**dy hands from cooking so much,' the star said

On Saturday, the star had much to celebrate as the family marked his baby son Oscar's first birthday.

Adorable tot Oscar featured in a slew of snaps posted by his siblings to mark the occasion, including one from the chef himself with his little boy.

In his snap, Gordon had Oscar happily perched on top of his head, with the caption reading: 'Happy Happy 1st Birthday to this little Boy have a great day Oscar love you Daddy.'

The TV star's wife Tana shared an equally sweet post of little Oscar in makeshift den at their home, along with a gushing post to mark his birthday.

She penned: 'Happy happy 1st Birthday little man x this year has flown by and we are just so grateful to share it with you - our absolute joy x have the best day little one x.'

Sweet: Gordon's son Oscar has celebrated his first birthday, and his family marked the occasion with a slew of adorable social media snaps

Gordon's daughter Megan, 22, shared a slew of snaps with her little brother, displaying his array of cute expressions.

She wrote: 'Happiest happiest 1st birthday to my little best friend no idea where a year has gone but all I know is that you make everyday amazing and we all love you so much.'

Tilly, 18, shared her own heartwarming image from a family holiday with little Oscar in her arms, as she wrote: 'Happy 1st birthday to the best. I love you so much.'

Gordon revealed last month that he would be doing his part to help stop the spread of the disease by shutting all 13 of his UK restaurants in line with government orders.

Posting a statement on social media, Gordon wrote: 'To all our Gordon Ramsay family, friends and colleagues.

Cute: The TV chef shared one with his son perched on his head to mark the occasion during the coronavirus lockdown

'In this time of great uncertainty, we hope that you all are looking out for each other and staying as safe as possible.

'As the situation changes daily out focus has to be on the health and safety of our employees, guest and community and to do our part in slowing the spread of the virus, from Saturday 21st March 2020, all our London restaurants will temporarily close.'

He added: 'Whilst we don't know when we will re-open, what we do know is by supporting each other through this terribly challenging time, we will come through this stronger than ever!'

'Huge love and thanks to our amazing staff across the restaurants for all their passion and support. I truly hope we are all back together very soon. Gordon.'

Adorable: Gordon's wife Tana shared her own lovely image of Oscar dressed in a cute white baby grow in a makeshift den
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has undeniably cemented her place in the British royal family. In recent days, she has taken over the spotlight together with husband Prince William after their in-laws left to pursue other endeavors.

Kate is always praised for being the ideal royal and has always been compared to Meghan Markle, but a royal correspondent claims that the mother-of-three is a different person behind closed doors.

Struggle In The Public Eye

When she married Prince William in 2011, Kate was pushed to the spotlight and was expected to hold the torch of the royal family. After all, she will soon be Queen consort.

Now, Emily Nash revealed in her documentary "Kate: The Making of a Modern Queen" that while Kate looks like she's demure in public appearances, she is most likely to be spontaneous when she is around her loved ones -- such as the Duke of Cambridge.

The royal commentator said that Kate is on her most relaxed state as often seen in informal moments, such as in any sporting activity where she is competing with her husband or if she is interacting with children.

"You get these fantastic, fun facial expressions, she looks to be really enjoying herself," Nash shared.

As per Nash, the Duchess is struggling to let her guard down in public because of the attention the British royal family receives.

"She's in a difficult situation because I think she's not always able to be completely spontaneous in front of the camera," the expert added.

The Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most scrutinized royals aside from Meghan and Prince Harry "because of the rise of smartphones and social media - that any tiny slip up or mistake she could make could go viral within seconds."

While Kate is reportedly very conscious of it and sees it as a challenge, she does not allow the high expectations to interfere with how she interacts with others.

Emily Nash said: "When you see her interacting and engaging with people up close, you really do get a feeling of warmth and genuine interest."

The future Queen is also reported to be the type of person who does research and reads up on every little thing about the charities she will be visiting and people with whom she will be engaging.

Royals In Action

Although there are some restrictions of being in the public eye and as a member of the royal family, the Duchess appears to be making her path pleasing the public.

During this challenging time in the U.K. and all over the world, Prince William and Kate Middleton have been praised for their action during the coronavirus crisis.

The couple helped those who are feeling anxious and unsettled amid the pandemic by launching a coping mechanism.

Royal expert Omid Scobie said on his podcast, "They helped launch mental health guidance for Public Health England that gave out a set of tips for anyone that is at home worried about this. "

Kate is also making use of her childhood education portfolio by becoming her children's teacher at home since schools have closed.

Aside from being a loyal member of the British royal family, Kate is also a dedicated parent when it comes to her children's education.
The American Library Association announced this week that Patricia "Patty" M. Wong, city librarian at the Santa Monica Public Library in Santa Monica, Calif., has been elected ALA president for 2021-2022.

Wong received 6,718 votes. Her opponent, Steven Yates, assistant director of the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies, received 2,448 votes.

There is no question that Wong's term as president, like that of incoming president Julius C. Jefferson, who will begin his term in June, will be one of the most consequential in years. ALA is currently in midst of a major organizational overhaul and facing a serious cash shortfall. And earlier this month, ALA was forced to take historic action in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, urging American libraries to close their doors for the first time in the organization's history and canceling the ALA Annual conference for the first time since 1945 during the closing days of World War II. With any luck, Wong will take the helm of a revamped, rebounding organization at a comeback ALA Annual Conference, which is scheduled for June 24-29, 2021, in ALA's hometown of Chicago.

In a statement, Wong thanked her opponent, Steven Yates, calling him "a strong ALA advocate." She added that she was excited to get to start working toward a strengthened association.

 'We all need to work together to advance and build on the success of our 143-year-old institution,' Wong said. 

We all need to work together to advance and build on the success of our 143-year-old institution," Wong said. "Our immediate challenges rest with the impact of COVID-19 on libraries, library workers, advocates, and library users in this country and throughout the world. These outcomes remain to be determined, but the ALA will continue to support our members and libraries everywhere through its continued support of innovation and the evolution of library service."

Wong also hinted at the organizational challenges the ALA is now facing. These include, she said, finances that need to be "rightsized with fiscal controls and practices that reflect transparency and accountability" and the adoption of diversified business models that are "revenue positive and sustainable." She also noted that it would be necessary "to build on the ALAs commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion."

In addition to serving as city librarian at the Santa Monica Public Library, Wong also serves as part-time faculty at the San Jose State University iSchool. An active ALA member for 35 years, Wong has served several terms as an ALA councilor-at-large, and is currently in her second term on the ALA Executive Board, previously serving 2001-05. She is also the recipient of several awards, including the 2012 ALA Equality Award.
More flights to repatriate UK nationals stranded around the world have been announced by the Government (Steve Parsons/PA)

More flights to repatriate UK nationals stranded around the world have been announced by the Government, but travellers will have to pay up to 1,000 for a ticket.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) revealed details of flights to bring tourists back from India, Nepal, the Philippines and South Africa.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world are struggling to return to the UK due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

The FCO last week launched a 75 million operation to charter flights from destinations where commercial routes have been severed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Only people who normally live in the UK are eligible to travel.

Two flights will operate from the Philippines to Heathrow on Tuesday, but tickets cost 1,000 per person.

The flights have been chartered by the FCO and are being operated by Philippine Airlines.

British ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce issued a video message warning that there are no plans for further British Government flights.

He said: Everyone, please dont miss this opportunity. Something better will not come along.

Dear Brit travellers, please book your ticket for our special flights by 5pm TODAY. There are no plans for further British Government flights. Dont delay, book now. Thanks. Daniel pic.twitter.com/k1CaighND8  Daniel Pruce  (@DanielPruce) April 6, 2020

Weve mobilised our resources to help get you home. We now need you to mobilise yourselves. This is your last chance.

The first rescue flight from Nepal will operate on Wednesday, with a second on Friday. Tickets will cost 800 per person.

Other prices for upcoming rescue flights include 855 from South Africa and 681 from India.

Some of the Governments first long-haul coronavirus rescue flights, which brought people home from Peru, cost just 250 per person.

The FCO has said the cost of the flights will be shared between passengers and taxpayers.

Chartering flights for single journeys is often more expensive than commercial operations because the aircraft are often empty on one of the legs and the deployment of staff is not as efficient.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said more than 2,000 UK nationals have been repatriated on charter flights from seven different countries, including Peru, Ghana and Tunisia.

A further 1,550 have been flown home after being stuck on cruise ships such as the Coral Princess and the Zaandam.

He added that the Government had helped many more holidaymakers return on commercial flights, including more than 200,000 from Spain, 13,000 from Egypt and 8,000 from Indonesia.

Speaking at the Governments daily coronavirus press conference, Mr Raab insisted the FCO is working with other governments and airlines to bring home as many stranded British nationals as we possibly can.

He went on: For those travellers who are still stuck abroad, were doing everything we can to keep international airports open, to keep commercial flights running and to charter flights when there are no other options.

Air France said last week it has operated more than 200 flights to repatriate French nationals from 82 countries since March 14.

The German government said it has actively carried out repatriations in 56 countries, bringing back tens of thousands of German nationals.

Airline Lufthansa is operating 10 flights from New Zealand this week to repatriate German nationals.
This week is crunch time for the worst-hit Bay Area counties to ramp up efforts to bring vulnerable and infected homeless people into hotels and overflow shelters during the coronavirus crisis, and the verdict is: So far so good. Generally.

From Santa Clara County to Alameda and San Francisco counties, thousands of hotel rooms and temporary shelters are coming on line, and, thanks to a delay in the surge of COVID-19 cases that health experts had expected to begin statewide around now, they are nowhere near full yet.

Advocates in San Francisco say thats because authorities are moving too slowly in bringing homeless people into the rooms, and that they need to escalate their efforts. But program planners around the region say they need to move methodically and leave some room for that surge  which now is anticipated for May.

It seems that the mitigation steps we all put into place about physical distancing are having a positive effect, and brought a little breathing room, said Ky Le, who runs the coronavirus homeless sheltering effort in Santa Clara County, which Tuesday had the greatest number of overall COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area at 1,285. But were moving fast and will be adding a lot more beds now.

In the past few days, Le secured the bulk of his countys 338 shelter, hotel and trailer beds, and in the next two weeks he expects to add 556 more. They would have had more, but he had to spread out the original 624 beds he secured to reach that 338 baseline number with proper physical distancing.

Were not trying to move toward a specific number right now  were just trying to line up all the resources we can and manage the numbers when they start coming in heavily, Le said.

Thats the strategy so far not just in the Bay Area, but the state as a whole. In mid-March, every health agency was bracing to be swamped with COVID-19 cases this week, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has said in the past few days that Californias surge will now likely come toward the middle of next month.

Newsom said Tuesday that in anticipation of that surge, he wants about half of the states 108,000 unsheltered homeless people put into properly spaced shelters, trailers or hotel rooms. The counties and cities are generating the bulk of those spaces with the help of $850 million in state homeless-aid funding, and Newsom has set an additional goal of state-funded hotel rooms at 15,000. So far hes secured more than 7,600 of those.

Homeless people being routed into those rooms or beds must be vulnerable by age and underlying conditions, have been exposed to the coronavirus, or actually have the disease  and those guidelines are being followed by counties in the Bay Area as well as statewide. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reimbursing the state and localities for 75% of the cost of the hotel rooms if they meet those parameters, but not for homeless people who dont.

Look, its a stretch goal, Newsom said of bringing 50,000-plus homeless people inside. No ones naive. This is unprecedented. ... And theres only so much that we can do from the state. We have to manifest this at the local level, and local partnerships are critical to make this happen.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Aside from the humanitarian benefit of sheltering infected or at-risk homeless people, there is a bald economic incentive. A study led by University of Pennsylvania Professor Dennis Culhane and released late last month found that homeless people are four times more likely than the general public to need intensive care units if infected, and about three times more likely to die of the disease.

Chris Herring, a researcher on homelessness at UC Berkeley, pointed out that a typical stay in ICU costs about $73,000 a week as opposed to about $700 a week for the 4,500 hotel rooms San Francisco intends to rent to take in a mix of first responders, people from residential hotels and homeless folks. About half of those rooms have been secured  and city planners say they intend to adjust upward the target number of rooms as needed.

You save lives, not to mention money, if you move people into hotels, Herring said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

With that same desire in mind, a majority of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday introduced an emergency ordinance that would require the city to lease at least 7,000 hotel rooms by late April for homeless people not yet exposed to or infected by COVID-19. City planners say that many rooms would cost about $30 million a month including rent and the counseling, security and other services needed for many of the occupants. And with the city facing a $1 billion deficit, Mayor London Breed has resisted anything sweeping enough to put all homeless people inside, focusing instead on the most vulnerable.

We all  from the city and the Emergency Operations Center to the advocates and people on the street  would like to house everybody, all the time, but thats not happening right now, said Emily Cohen, spokeswoman for the city Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. I will say this, though. There is a level of urgency that Ive never seen before, as there should be.

In Alameda County, about 400 beds rented in two hotels with the states help for homeless people in the crisis had only about 60 people in them on Tuesday. The county is negotiating for several hundred more rooms in the next few weeks, said spokeswoman Jerri Randrup.

Contra Costa County was in the same situation, with about 300 beds now roped off and ready for use at auditoriums in Antioch and Richmond, said spokesman Will Harper. About 100 people from two shelters have been moved into a hotel to create physical spacing.

Were doing our best to prepare for the worst, Harper said. This is the first pandemic like this in 100 years, so we dont know exactly what to expect.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron
The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has led to a number of conspiracy theories being circulated around the origin of the virus. While some people are calling it a cultivated virus, others are conspiring that the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak is a result of the newly introduced 5G cellular connectivity. Though these conspiracy theories have little to no credible information to back their claims, it does not stop people from believing the things they are presented.

Also read: Fact check: Did ex-Vodafone boss reveal the connection between 5G towers & Coronavirus?

Claim -

It was reported over the weekend that various cellular towers were subjected to arson. Various 5G towers were burned down in the UK in the wake of people deeming 5G responsible for the coronavirus outbreak across the globe. The burned cell towers belonged to Vodafone, EE and Three UK companies who have confirmed that their respective 5G towers were attacked.

5G tower burned to the ground in England. pic.twitter.com/ATh7w3Y4eL   TruthRaider  (@TruthRaiderHQ) April 3, 2020

[The "5G to New Crown" rumors, the signal tower was burned, British officials blamed] Recently, the signal towers in Birmingham and Merseyside in the United Kingdom were arson destroyed, and the rumors of "5G network caused the new crown virus" are also in the UK Prevail. pic.twitter.com/pbG89b34Ko  wangfeng (@wangfen56454009) April 5, 2020

Also read: Fact Check: Was Prince Charles cured of Coronavirus by Ayurveda and Homeopathy?

Rating - True

Various 5G towers in the United Kingdom were attacked by arsonists. The cell towers were burned down as the conspiracy theory of 5G cellular connection being responsible for the ongoing coronavirus outbreak has spread widely on the internet. Four major cellular companies from the UK have also issued a joint statement to stop people from burning down 5G towers.

Also read: Fact check: Did Dr Charles Lieber from the USA manufacture and sell coronavirus to china?

Origin -

The conspiracy theory surrounding 5G data connection and the coronavirus outbreak started from various YouTube channels and spread out to almost every social media platform on the internet. One such theory claims that the coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan City, China after the 5G connection started rolling out over there. Another theory claims that the radiation emitted by the 5G towers deplete oxygen levels in the atmosphere and cause breathing issues for human beings. But, all these theories have been debunked and do not hold any credibility.

Google Trends analysis -

As the news about 5G towers getting burned down in the UK started circulating on the internet, many people were quick to search whether the incident actually took place. This resulted in a surge of Google searches for the same topic. Check out Google Analysis below -

Also read: Fact check: Does radiation emitted by 5G towers cause coronavirus?

Also read: Fact Check: Is Earth's Ozone layer healing? What is the effect of lockdown on ozone layer?
SpendEdge, a leading provider of procurement market intelligence solutions, has announced the completion of their latest article on tracking commodity price movements and shortages in the US energy market to help companies reduce the impact of COVID-19.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005465/en/

Today, companies across all categories are largely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. They are finding it hard to navigate the economic slowdown and sustain their market share. The energy sector in the US is no exception. Oil production in the US is expected to fell by several million barrels per day, thereby, creating the extreme global supply surplus ever recorded in the US. Consumption in different industries is on the decline and prices could reach a new bottom. Hence, it becomes imperative for businesses to keep a close watch on markets and track commodity prices movements to manage the impact of COVID-19.

At SpendEdge, we provide a detailed analysis of the current pricing and possible fluctuations in the price of cost elements. We track commodity price movements and shortages to help companies make informed decisions and navigate through the crisis.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Energy Market

Impact on LNG supply

Operators in the US are extensively focusing on limiting the impact of the virus. They are delaying non-critical maintenance and adjusting workforce patterns to keep the production going. This has not hampered the current output, but uncertainty still prevails due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the US. Companies must track commodity price movements considering the risks to demand to analyze the growth of the LNG market.

Want to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on LNG supply? Request a free proposal to gain insights into our customized solutions.

Impact on the crude oil market

As the demand for oil is dropping in the global market, the crude oil market in the US is facing numerous challenges. The downward pressure in the demand is impacting the crude oil price significantly. Statewide lockdowns and discounts offered by Saudi Arabia to secure sales are compelling companies to monitor commodity price movements to make informed decisions. While assessing the impact of COVID-19, companies should consider Russia's potential to ramp-up supply. To analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the crude oil market and track commodity price movements,get in touch with our experts now!

Impact on the US solar market

Statewide shutdowns are confining workers to homes and solar companies are finding it difficult to keep the workers on the line. Some companies have framed their workers as "essential" in the face of the state-, city- and countywide shutdown order despite the rising risk of the virus. However, such measures would not be able to propel the growth of the solar market when companies like Tesla have decided to shut their facilities in New York to address the impact of COVID-19.

To minimize the impact of COVID-19 and track commodity price movements in different categories, reach out to our analysts now!

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Impact of COVID-19 on Direct Materials Sourcing: SpendEdge Offers Long-term Assurance of Supply Consulting to Help Businesses Manage the Sourcing Process

Is Second Sourcing a Viable Option to Improve Supply Chain Risk Management and Manage the Impact of COVID-19 in the US?

SpendEdge Conducts Supply Market Analysis to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on Government Policies and Implications at a Country-level

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Want to gain detailed insights? https://www.spendedge.com/get-more-info

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005465/en/

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

US: +1 630 984 7340

UK: +44 148 459 9299

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
[April 07, 2020] Chimera Investment Corporation Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Convertible Senior Notes

Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE: CIM) (the "Company") today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of $325 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.00% convertible senior notes due 2023 (the "Notes") at an issue price of 100%, plus accrued interest, if any, from April 13, 2020. The offering is expected to close on April 13, 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions. The Company has granted the underwriter an option to purchase up to an additional $48.75 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes to cover over-allotments. The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Company, pay interest semiannually in cash on April 1 and October 1 of each year at a rate of 7.00% per annum and will mature on April 1, 2023, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased in accordance with their terms. The Notes will be convertible at the option of the holders at any time until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day prior to the maturity date into shares of the Company's common stock at an initial conversion rate of 153.8461 shares of the Company's common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $6.50 per share), subject to customary adjustments in certain circumstances. The Company will not have the right to redeem the Notes prior to maturity, except to the extent necessary to preserve its status as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Company may redeem all or part of the Notes at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Holders of Notes may require the Company to purchase their Notes upon the occurrence of certain events that constitute a fundamental change under the indenture governing the Notes at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of purchase. In connection with certain corporate events, the Company will, under certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for holders who elect to convert their Notes in connection with such corporate event. In connection with the pricing of the Notes, the Company entered into capped call transactions with Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and/or its affiliates. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce te potential dilution upon conversion of the Notes in the event that the market price per share of our common stock, as measured under the terms of the capped call transactions, is greater than the strike price of the capped call transactions, which initially corresponds to the conversion price of the Notes and is subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the conversion rate of the Notes.



The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offering to pay the cost of the capped call transactions. The Company intends to use the remainder of the net proceeds from the offering to finance the acquisition of mortgage assets including residential mortgage loans, non-Agency RMBS, Agency RMBS, Agency and non-Agency CMBS and other targeted assets, and for general corporate purposes such as repayment of outstanding indebtedness or to pay down other liabilities, working capital and for liquidity needs. Credit Suisse is serving as the sole book-running manager for the offering.

The Notes will be offered under the Company's existing shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering of these Notes will be made only by means of a prospectus and a related prospectus supplement, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting: Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Attn: Prospectus Department

Eleven Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10010

Telephone: 1-800-221-1037

Or by email: [email protected] This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities, nor shall there be any sale of such Notes or any other securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. About Chimera Investment Corporation Chimera Investment Corporation is a publicly traded REIT that is primarily engaged in the business of investing directly or indirectly through our subsidiaries, on a leveraged basis, in a diversified portfolio of mortgage assets, including residential mortgage loans, Non-Agency RMBS, Agency CMBS, Agency RMBS, and other real estate related securities. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, readers should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "target," "assume," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believe," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results. For example, the fact that the offering has priced may imply that the offering will close, but the closing is subject to conditions customary in transactions of this type and may be delayed or may not occur at all. In addition, no assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be consummated, the expected effect of any capped call transaction will occur as indicated or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as stated. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. You are urged to read the Section entitled "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on 10-K and other filings from time to time. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the Company or matters attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005867/en/

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A south Georgia pharmacy that gave out 350,000 illegal prescriptions from a doctor running a pill mill agreed to pay over $2 million in fines, authorities said.

Chips Discount Drugs and pharmacist, Rogers Chip Wood, Jr., settled on a federal lawsuit and agreed to penalties, U.S. Attorney, Bobby L. Christine, said in a news release last month.

According to the lawsuit, the pharmacy ignored numerous red flags and dispensed thousands of illegal prescriptions for opioids and other substances written by Dr. Frank Bynes, Jr. over the course of two years. Bynes was sentenced in February to 20 years in federal prison for writing illegal prescriptions.

Pharmacies that turn a blind eye to illegitimate prescriptions are contributing to the opioid epidemic and allowing pill-mill doctors to wreak havoc on the community, Christie said.

According to the lawsuit, the Hazlehurst-based pharmacy and Wood also could not account for more than 9,000 prescription pain medications supplied to the pharmacy, as required by law.

This pharmacist scarred many lives through his actions, said Robert J. Murphy of the DEA in Atlanta, Unfortunately, many of those patients will struggle with addiction for the rest of their lives.

The settlement is the fifth prosecution of pharmacies or pharmacists affiliated with Bynes.

In addition to Chips Discount Drugs, authorities recently announced a pharmacy in Bloomingdale, Georgia, and its pharmacists agreed to pay up to $200,000 to settle claims they illegally filled prescriptions by Bynes.

The U.S. Attorneys office previously announced prosecution of two additional Georgia pharmacies in the investigation.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia Drugs
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Interior Department came to the defense of the University of the East (UE) campus publication editor, following reports that he was threatened with a cyber libel case by his high school teachers.

In a statement Wednesday, DILG Spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said UE Dawn Editor-in-Chief Joshua Molo did not err when he aired his opinion on the government's response to COVID-19 on social media.

He highlighted that Molo "is entitled to free speech."

"The DILG supports the right of Filipinos to free expression. That's a fundamental human right that is protected by the Constitution," Malaya said.

He said what he cannot accept is how the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and Karapatan had once again put the blame on the Philippine government, when it had "nothing to do with the issue" in the first place.

"But we cannot understand why CEGP and Karapatan are again accusing the national government of allegedly suppressing the rights of Molo. The government was never involved here. It was Molo's high school teachers who allegedly pressured him and not the government," Malaya pointed out.

"This is clearly another way of misinformation to malign and blame everything on the government, [when] we should instead be working together to fight the common enemy, the coronavirus," he added.

The DILG spokesperson said the organizations seem to only want to take advantage of the situation at hand.

"Halatang-halata na nakikisawsaw lamang sila sa isyung ito in order to pounce on every opportunity to discredit the government," he said.

[Translation: It is apparent that they are only interfering in this issue in order to pounce on every opportunity to discredit the government.]

Molo was all over social media on April 5, after he was reportedly forced by his high school teachers to issue a public apology for a Facebook post that was critical of the Duterte administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Technavio has been monitoring the automotive OBD dongle market and it is poised to grow by USD 870.68 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 34% 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/20200407005603/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive OBD Dongle 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. Bosch, Continental, Ford Motor, Intel, and TomTom International are some of the major market participants. The conducive technological environment 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.

Conducive technological environment has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Automotive OBD Dongle Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Automotive OBD dongle market is segmented as below:

Application Passenger Cars Commercial Vehicles

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=IRTNTR30367

Automotive OBD Dongle Market 2019-2023: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our automotive OBD dongle market report covers the following areas:

Automotive OBD Dongle Market Size

Automotive OBD Dongle Market Trends

Automotive OBD Dongle Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies emergence of next-generation telematics protocol (NGTP) as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive OBD dongle market growth during the next few years.

Automotive OBD Dongle Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the automotive OBD dongle market, including some of the vendors such as Bosch, Continental, Ford Motor, Intel, and TomTom International. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the automotive OBD dongle market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Automotive OBD Dongle Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2018-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive OBD dongle market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the automotive OBD dongle market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the automotive OBD dongle market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive OBD dongle market vendors

Table Of Contents:

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

Market segmentation by application

Comparison by application

Passenger cars Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Commercial vehicles Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by application

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 10: MARKET TRENDS

Emergence of next-generation telematics protocol (NGTP)

Advanced analytics on telematics data to reduce risk severity

Increasing mobile phone integration with telematics systems and vehicle diagnostics-based insurance programs

Penetration of 5G technology

PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Bosch

Continental

Ford Motor

Intel

TomTom International

PART 13: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005603/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE:XRO)(OTCQB:EXROF) (the "Company") is providing a Corporate update in a letter from the CEO to its shareholders.

Dear Fellow Shareholders:

This week marks six months as Exro's new CEO. These past few months have been exciting and rewarding as we have seen many developments as we execute in our commercialization phase. The team and I are very excited about our future, and I would like to thank you all for your continued support.

During the past months, I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you, our business partners, and key customers and getting to know our key employees. Also, I have spent time learning about our technology and how we move Exro to the next level.

As you all know, my commitment is to close 8 strategic partnerships by the end of 2020. We have four key projects ongoing at Exro.

Motorino Electric Bike- we delivered the first proof of concept in December with outstanding results of exceeding speed and torque by 25%. This was an important project for Exro as it demonstrates the potential of our technology. The patented coil switching algorithms are entirely scalable, so we can take this proof of concept and apply it to cars, trucks, and larger equipment. Potencia - our project was a multi-stage delivery that started with the Exro motor driver. This driver is delayed due to parts from China; we anticipate delivery in June. In the meantime, we, with the agreement of our customer, have moved ahead to stage 2, which is our coil switching module. Now, both stages will deliver together in June, giving Exro its first proof of concept in an electric vehicle. Templar Marine - this project is to optimize the powertrain in an electric water taxi. The initial development time was approx. four months, and we expect only a small delay of a few weeks. We are working with Templar on how to most effectively optimize the system, and while the coronavirus has slowed communications with European suppliers, it has not stopped. We are continuing our development and will have results in Q3. Aurora Snowmobile - is a very exciting partnership for us as there are several opportunities to both integrate our technology into the Aurora powertrain and work with electric motor suppliers in their supply chain. We will start with the 100 volts driver and look to deliver in the third quarter at their request. This project remains on time.

These are four key partnerships as they demonstrate the scalability and versatility of the Exro technology. We are now working with bikes, cars, boats, and snowmobiles. The next four deals are on the horizon, and I am very confident that we will close all 8 deals this year. The team is working hard to ensure the agreements are strategic and the best fit for our resources and financing. There are ongoing discussions with customers small and large in a variety of mobility applications. We continue to evaluate customer provided data which helps us to determine the best fit for Exro and our partners. While there is no guarantee, I am very confident in the current stages of negotiation and to meeting our commitment to these eight deals.

We have also begun a robust rebranding program. I realize this comes on the heels of another rebrand as we moved from DPM (Dynamic Power Management) to ETR (Electronic Transmission) early in 2019. Still, it was a necessary strategic move to align us to the marketplace better.

We remain focused on the commercialization of our Patented Coil Switching Technology but are also continuing to innovate. Our technology roadmap continues to evolve; here are some highlights:

EPM - Electric Program Module (previously ETR). This is a module that integrates our coil switching technology, allowing us to broaden our potential customer base and offer a proof of concept much more rapidly. Our first proof of concept will deliver in June to Potencia.

Integrated Coil Switching Drive - This is a generic integrated driver which incorporates our algorithms. The voice of the customer was loud and clear, and we listened. This built-in coil switching drive will provide a 400 Volt, 150 KW inverter with our technology already integrated inside. This proof of concept will be ready in November 2020

Battery Management - we have had promising results with our AI system and are excited about the future. The team continues with the development, and I have engaged an industry expert to help us to align with the market. We will update these results later in Q2.

Generators - utilizing our coil switching technology in generators will bring efficiency gains to a new group of prospective partners, including the wind industry. We are in discussions with potential partners to bring a proof of concept to market by the end of this year, where we expect to be able to demonstrate the value of integrating our technologies into generators.

Lots is going on; we are listening to the feedback of our partnerships. The basis of our roadmap and our branding reflects our alignment with the market. I assure each and everyone one of you that we are committed to the commercialization of our products that will bring future revenue for the business.

Our Calgary Innovation Center remains on schedule, and I cannot wait to host you all there. We will continue the transition of our Victoria lab, which will continue to operate until the fall of this year-enabling us to execute on our current and upcoming projects while preparing for the growth ahead of us.

Today's environment is unprecedented, and I remain focused on the health and well being of our employees and their families. We have taken many precautions, and while there are some delays, we do not see any risks to existing or upcoming projects. Our bank account is strong, and we are financially prudent with our spending to best execute the business strategy. While this is a turbulent market, I am not shaken and remain very committed and optimistic about the future of Exro.

I am very proud to serve as Exro's CEO. As both the CEO and as a shareholder, I am here to continue building Exro and our future value.

Kind regards,

Sue Ozdemir

About Exro Technologies Inc.

Exro facilitates the transition to clean energy by providing products and services to manufacturers to increase the efficiency and reliability of power systems, including electric motors, generators and batteries. Exro's patented technology enhances energy systems by dynamically sensing and adapting variable inputs and optimally matching them to desired outputs, creating measurable performance gains and extended lifespan. The widespread applications of the technology apply to optimizing the performance of electric vehicles, UAVs, and ship drives, as well as pumps, industrial motors, and energy capture from wind and tides.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Canada: Jake Bouma

Intrynsyc Capital Corp.

604.317.3936

United States: Vic Allgeier

TTC Group Inc.

646-841-4220

Email: info@exro.com

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "believe", "may", "would", "could", "will" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning the Company's intention to commercialize its product in the near term. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

SOURCE: Exro Technologies Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584342/Corporate-Update-in-a-Letter-From-the-CEO-to-its-Shareholders
Now that a worker at Amazons Breinigsville fulfillment centers tested positive for COVID-19, both of the companys Lehigh Valley fulfillment centers have employees who contracted the new coronavirus.

An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the case at the Upper Macungie Township fulfillment center -- dubbed ABE2 -- where more than 1,000 people work. At least two employees at the Palmer Township facility have tested positive.

We are supporting the individuals who are recovering, spokesperson Alyssa Bronikowski said in an emailed statement. We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site.

Any employee who had close contact with a person who tests positive has been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. All Amazon employees diagnosed with the new virus or placed in quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay.

The company is also offering unlimited unpaid time off for all hourly employees through the end of April. Anyone who feels sick is encouraged to stay home, Bronikowski said.

Our employees are heroes fighting for their communities and helping people get critical items they need in this crisis, Bronikowski said. We have nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. alone supporting customers and we are taking measures to support each one.

"Weve implemented a broad suite of new benefits changes for employees in our operations and logistics network including an additional $2 per hour, double time for overtime, and paid time off benefits for regular part-time and seasonal employees.

The company declined to address the number of workers who have tested positive for the virus or say when they last worked.

An anonymous ABE2 fulfillment center employee said workers were notified of the positive case on Friday, April 3, and told the worker was last seen in the warehouse on March 27.

The companys implemented increased cleaning at all fulfillment centers, which are operating under social distancing measures. Employees have access to masks, and disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer are already standard, the company says.

Amazon is temperature-checking more than 100,000 employees per day after starting to roll out the policy at select U.S. sites on March 29. By early next week, the company will be testing temperatures across the entire U.S. and European operations network, as well as at its Whole Foods Market stores.

The Palmer facility in the Chrin Commerce Center off Route 33 largely fulfills big box orders and does not employ as many people as the Amazon fulfillment center in Breinigsville. Amazon employs about 3,400 people across its Lehigh Valley properties

On Monday, workers at Amazons JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island rallied after sources say there are more than a dozen confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported at the facility.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union issued a statement supporting the workers efforts in Staten Island and across the country.

Amazon workers are speaking out across the globe because they need a real seat at the table in expressing their concerns," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the union. It took an 11-day strike for workers at one fulfillment center in Italy to win increased daily breaks, a detailed agreement on cleaning and sanitizing practices at the facility, and staggered break times and working distances.

"We demand that Amazon, at a minimum, listen to their own employees voices and make appropriate policy changes. If they were willing to do that in Italy, they have no justification for refusing to negotiate with their employees here in New York or at any of their facilities across the U.S. The number of Amazons COVID-19 cases continues to grow at staggering rates.

Silive.com 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.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to freeze US funding to the WHO (Alex Brandon/AP)

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cease sending US funds to the World Health Organisation (WHO), claiming that the international body missed the call on the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Trump told reporters the WHO had called it wrong on the virus and that the organisation was very China-centric in its approach, seemingly suggesting that the WHO had gone along with Beijings efforts months ago to minimise the severity of the outbreak.

The WHO has praised China for its transparency on the virus, even though there has been reason to believe that more people died of Covid-19-19 than the countrys official tally.

They should have known and they probably did know, Mr Trump said of WHO officials.

Mr Trump said during Tuesday nights White House press briefing that he would cut US funding to the organisation before minutes later backtracking and saying he would strongly consider it.

He also downplayed the release of memos from a senior adviser in January which warned of a possible pandemic as cases continued to rise across the US.

He told reporters he was not aware of the memos in January but had unilaterally followed some of their recommendations, including taking steps to curtail travel from China. But he added that he would not have wanted to act prematurely when it was not clear how dire the situation would become.

I dont want to create havoc and shock and everything else. Im not going to go out and start screaming, This could happen, this could happen, Mr Trump said.

Im a cheerleader for this country, he added.

Britain has asked the US for 200 ventilators to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Trump also said.

Theyve been great partners. They wanted 200, they need them desperately.

Theyve been great partnersDonald Trump on Britain

The UK Government has said 30,000 ventilators will be needed for the NHS to cope with the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday New York Citys pandemic death toll of at least 4,000 people eclipsed the number of those killed at the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001.

The updated toll came as Wall Streets big rally vanished, undercut in part by another plunge in the price of oil.

Even though economists say a punishing recession is inevitable, investors this week have recently begun to look ahead to when economies will reopen from their medically-induced coma. A peak in new infections would offer some clarity about how long the recession may last and how deep it will be.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Derwent London PLC (DLN.L) said, in the light of recent events, the Group is withdrawing ERV, property yield and EPRA earnings guidance. The Group believes it is appropriate to pay the 2019 final dividend of 51.45 pence per share which will be paid on 5 June 2020 to shareholders on the register of members at 1 May 202. Future dividends will remain under review. The AGM will now be held at on 15 May 2020. Shareholders will not be able to attend in person. The Group advised shareholders to vote in advance either online or by using the Form of Proxy that will be enclosed with the notice of AGM. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Dr Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, the Head of Communication Studies Department of the University of Professional Studies has urged students of the Department to design appropriate communication tools to help fight the COVID-19.



She commended the students for identifying the opportunity offered by the campaign against the spread of the coronavirus, to put what they have learnt into practice to help raise public awareness about the disease.



Mrs Adjin- Tetteh said this when she launched a campaign in Accra, against the spread of the COVID-19 by the Communications Studies Students Association (ComSSA) of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) as part of its civic responsibility.



ComSSA is, therefore, sharing its posters online using social media with messages from students and staff of the department.



The Communications Officer of ComSSA - UPSA, Mr Jude Ankrah, said as the COVID -19 continues to evolve, ComSSA would respond to the information needs associated with the spread of the virus and provide an update as they become available.



He said the content of such messages would include, " stay calm and observe all precautionary measures outlined by the Ghana Health Service, If you wear a face mask be sure it covers your mouth and nose, dispose used mask into a bin, provide accurate details of places you have visited and persons you came into contact with."



Mr Ephraim Danquah, the Vice President of ComSSA  UPSA, said the Association had put in place measures to assist students when school resumed and would make donations to the vulnerable within UPSA catchment area.



Mr Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, the Patron of ComSSA-UPSA, said as students who were trained on how to plan campaigns, it was an opportunity for them to practicalise what they had learnt by developing effective campaigns for the project.



He said the School was currently moving to teaching and learning online and advised the students to use their time judiciously and stay home safely.



The Association appealed to all telecommunication networks in the country to reduce the cost of their data to encourage students to access very useful websites that were not zero-rated.

Source: GNA









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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has again warned there will be no let-up of movement restrictions over Easter, citing early worst-case scenario modelling showing 30,000 Queenslanders dead from coronavirus.

Ms Palaszczuk told a media conference on Wednesday that the modelling, some of which was released by the federal government the day before, had kept her up at night and was the foundation of the strict measures put in place to stop the spread of the disease.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says movement restrictions will stay in place over Easter and beyond. Credit:AAP

Im sorry I have to be stark about this, but the initial modelling I was shown was that if we didnt flatten the curve we would end up with 30,000 Queenslanders losing their lives. I tell you what, that keeps me up at night,  she said.

The reality is the virus is still here, and we will still see tragic loss of life, but by flattening that curve - and now were going to get new specific modelling for the states and territories - we will see that come down dramatically.
US Senator Kelly Loeffler (L), R-GA, and husband Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange and Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, on January 6, 2019. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia on Wednesday said that she and her CEO husband Jeff Sprecher will liquidate their individual stock share positions and related options after weeks of criticism of the couple for selling millions of dollars in stock amid the coronavirus pandemic. Loeffler on Wednesday reiterated her defense of the prior stock sales as legally and ethically proper, and her claim that the couple's trading was handled by third parties authorized to buy and sell securities without telling the couple in advance. And she said that she and Sprecher, who is the chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, are selling off the individual shares not because she had to, but because she wanted to avoid further controversy. Loeffler, who is the richest member of the Senate, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion page article announcing her decision that her stock holdings would be converted to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds by third-party advisors who handle her investments. That Journal article carries the headline, "I Never Traded on Confidential Coronavirus Information," a reference to the fact that Loeffler's and Sprecher's trades came after the senator was briefed with other lawmakers about the virus by federal health officials. In a statement, Loeffler said, "Amid this health crisis, the temptation to circulate lies and misinformation is too great for the media and my political opponents."

"That is why I'm taking steps to remove this temptation so that we can turn our focus back to where it belongs: on combating COVID-19 and restoring our country to health and economic recovery." The liquidation will be done by the end of the week, said a spokesman for Loeffler. The senator was appointed to her Senate seat by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at the beginning of January after then-Sen. Johnny Isakson said he was resigning for health reasons before his term expired. Loeffler faces multiple challengers in next fall's special election for her Senate seat, notably among them from GOP Rep. Doug Collins. Collins has raised the controversy over Loeffler's stock trades in his campaign. While there has not been recent public polling in the race, a recent survey commissioned by the Collins campaign after the fallout over Loeffler's stock trades showed Collins with a huge lead, of 23 percentage points, over the senator. "That's not a real poll. It's as fake as their attacks," Loeffler's spokesman told CNBC on Wednesday. Before the Collins-sponsored poll, surveys conducted by the University of Georgia, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, showed the two Republicans in a virtual dead heat. Those polls were conducted before Loeffler and her husband Sprecher came under fire last month after it was revealed in Senate disclosure filings that that they had sold up to $3 million worth of equities. Those sales came in advance of a massive drop in stock market indexes in reaction to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. The couple's sales may have insulated them from losses in the stocks. The trades came after Loeffler was privately briefed by federal officials about the spread and impact of the coronavirus. Loeffler's trading as well as other similar stock sales and purchases by other lawmakers, renewed calls by some observers to bar members of Congress from owning stock in individual companies. Public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that in addition to those trades, Sprecher on Feb. 26 sold $3.5 million in shares of Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, at an average price of $93.42 each. Other SEC filings show that Sprecher and Loeffler "also sold $15.3 million worth of ICE shares on March 11, at an average price of around $87 per share."
Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse police shut down Tuesday the headquarters of the Syracuse Group, an outcast Alcoholic Anonymous group that continued in-person meetings at its headquarters despite the coronavirus shutdown.

The police move came hours after a Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard story regarding continued meetings there, including a Monday evening meeting with at least 19 people in attendance.

The police order says the group cannot reopen its meeting space at 732 Butternut St. unless it produces a license certifying it as a mental health counseling organization, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

Only with a certificate can the group continue meeting as an organization exempt from Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive order requiring social distancing during the pandemic, Fitzpatrick said Tuesday night.

The group is not a licensed mental health organization. In fact, group leaders are highly skeptical of the psychiatric field and instruct members not to take their doctor-prescribed medications for mental illnesses, according to a Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard investigation published in October.

The Syracuse Group, also known as The Butternutters, has met at the small meeting space for three decades. The space is known by members as the joint.

Fitzpatrick said his office consulted with the police, the Syracuse mayors office and Empire State Development, the states economic development agency that designates which businesses are essential during the coronavirus outbreak.

The district attorney said mental health organizations are technically exempt from the governors order requiring 100 percent of employees to work from home. Still, those organizations are still finding ways to meet with clients and each other virtually.

Also, the state requires that mental health organizations be licensed to be exempt.

Police visited the Butternut Street location earlier Tuesday. An officer noted that meeting organizers took temperatures of those who arrived for the meeting, and that attendees were socially distanced, Fitzpatrick said. However, the meeting hall was sparsely attended at the time, he said.

Also, the group was later unable to produce a license, so police closed the meeting space. On Tuesday evening, the buildings lights were off, the blinds drawn and the door shut.

A Syracuse Group member who declined to give his name said the group provided personal protective equipment to attendees, and that the group declared itself essential as a health organization. He hung up without taking further questions.

In normal times, the group was dangerous enough, an investigation by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard revealed.

Harmful practices include group dogma that forbids the use of doctor-prescribed mental health medications, giving sponsors tremendous control over newcomers, and amateurs detoxing addicts overnight on the floor of the meeting space, the investigation revealed.

The series prompted an investigation by Fitzpatricks office, which continues, and the group was kicked off the AA schedule.

Elsewhere in Syracuse and across the country, alcoholics are meeting in online support groups or finding ways to provide one-on-one support, according to local AA officials and guidelines from AAs central office in New York City.

Reporter Patrick Lohmann can be reached at PLohman@Syracuse.com or on his cell phone at (315)766-6670.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

New York state announces new graduation rules after cancelling Regents exams due to coronavirus

Syracuse man to family before dying of coronavirus: Pray I make it

Coronavirus in NY: Cuomo extends school, business closures until April 29

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
A Wicklow grandad celebrated his 90th birthday in a way in which hell never forget.

Stanley Ferguson (90) celebrated his 90th birthday with his wife Jean Ferguson and the rest of his family, virtually and in real life last Saturday.

Abiding by HSEs social distancing rules, his family pulled together a party for him in his own driveway in Bray, complete with cakes, candles and balloons.

Stationed inside his front door, he was able to receive a cake, accept well wishes from his family and even take video calls, all while abiding by physical distancing measures.

One of his grandsons who lives in Dubai was meant to travel back to Ireland and surprise Stanley but had his flights cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

His family, who live within 2km, were able to come along, visit Stanley from a distance and wish him a happy birthday.

Stanleys family wrote the words Happy 90th birthday in his driveway in chalk and brought cakes as well as champagne to mark his special day.
The scientific basis of medicine can be traced to Hippocrates rejection of disease as having a divine origin. His work has been dismissed before  by the feudal kings of fourteenth century Europe  and is repudiated again today by elements of the Iranian regime. Long forgotten leaders of church and state once directed people toward prayer to ward off the Black Plague. That failed. And so too will the Islamic Republics theocratic and conspiracy-laced approach to combating COVID-19.

The holy city of Qom  where workers were seen last month digging mass graves  is at the center of both the pandemic in Iran and the regimes initial resistance to ordering travel restrictions or quarantines. Qom is the philosophical and academic home of the Shiite sect and home to the most influential clerical seminaries in the country. The first cases of the coronavirus were reportedly introduced there by Chinese seminary students at Al-Mustafa International University.

Despite urgent advice from leading epidemiologists and Qoms representative in the Iranian parliament the regime leadership refused to enforce an immediate city-wide quarantine, and Qom remained open.

Taken further, on February 26, President Hassan Rouhani, a cleric himself, went on national television and rejected all calls to close Qom. The level of dissatisfaction with the regimes performance became so acute, that five former health ministers wrote a public letter to Rouhani urging travel limitations. Only days later did the regimereluctantlybegin to take such steps.

Elsewhere, radical clerics rejected calls by the Health Ministry to close shrines, making absurd proclamations that the shrines are not only immune to any pandemic, but also that they heal those afflicted with the virus. The rejection of modern science-based medicine has been part of a decades-long clerical anti-Western narrative. Some went further, advocating for a concocted alternative Islamic Medicine.

In January, the so-called Father of Islamic Medicine publicly burned a copy of a widely used medical textbook for students and clinicians in his effort to promote Islamic Medicine. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, supporters were urged to cure the virus by using violet oil. These actions inevitably have and will continue to exacerbate the spread of the virus.

The Islamic Republic also has a history of using djinns, or religious, supernatural forces, for political endsfor example, allies of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were arrested in 2011 and accused of black magic due to the challenge they represented to the foundations of Irans theocratic system. Recently, Ayatollah Khamenei has used the supernatural to explain away the coronavirus and to demonize the West. In his speech on the occasion of the Persian New Year, referring to the pandemic in Iran, he said: We have djinn and human enemies that help each other. The intelligence services of many countries work together against us.

In the same speech, Khamenei refused U.S. assistance to fight the outbreak, pushing a conspiracy theory that the virus was a weapon designed by America. He also alleged that the virus could have been specifically designed for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means. On cue, the Ministry of Health rescinded its approval for an intervention by Doctors Without Borders the day after Khameneis speech, a move that certainly exacerbated the severe coronavirus cases the organization would have helped temper.

What has transpired in Iran over the past few weeks is testament to the regimes failure in the face of a national emergency. And there is little hope that the regime will change course in the weeks and months ahead. The Islamic Republics recalcitrance has left nearly 80 million Iranians largely helpless and once again confronted with living in a theocracy, which has prioritized its own survival and religious underpinnings, like medieval Europe, at the expense of the Iranian people.

Seven hundred years ago, the Renaissance was born in the wake of the Black Plague, ushering in unprecedented advances in science and technology. Perhaps the coronavirus will lead ultimately to Irans own renaissance, but only at great cost.

The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily the views of Radio Farda
Soaring past 5,000 confirmed cases this week, the general population is unable to do much more than practice social distancing, a move thats grown all too familiar as we approach week three of Indias lockdown phase. With feelings of helplessness rising, what exactly is it that we can do?

The answer to this question lies in plain sight, and for most of us, right in front of our faces - the mass utilisation and continued use of face masks, through the lockdown and beyond. While many of us are fortunate enough to have stockpiled on manufactured facemasks, a vast population of Indians cannot afford them and given the shortage of equipment faced by medical authorities, perhaps a more hands-on approach will do the trick.

Why Wear Masks?

 Reuters; Even dogs are taking on the spirit of medical safety.

What India currently needs is a logistics-friendly, cost-effective, instantly doable and medically sound approach to preventing coronavirus spread. In no way is this currently more feasible than introducing and promoting the usage of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) facemasks.



While sophisticated N95 masks provide the highest available form of protection, even basic masks can help in lowering rates of transmission, therefore saving potential lives. According to Ben Cowling, a Hong Kong professor of epidemiology associated with the World Health Organisation (WHO), "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.

What Do You Need To Make A DIY Mask?

 Reuters; Stay informed and educated - dont be this guy.

Since you will need to make at least two masks (after use, facemasks need to be either disposed of or cleaned thoroughly to prevent exposure risk), its important to consider which kind of mask youd like to make - weve got two levels that you can try, depending on your supplies and comfort with tailoring.



T-Shirt Cloth Mask/Bandana Mask

No sewing required - absolutely beginner friendly.

Requires a pair of scissors.

A disposable T-Shirt/bandana.

Rubber bands or hair ties.

Sewn Cloth Facemask

Will require sewing skills, but is more sturdy and customisable.

Two 10 x 6 rectangles of cotton fabric.

Two 6 pieces of elastic or cloth strips.

Needle & thread.

Scissors.

A sewing machine.

How To Craft Your DIY Mask

T-Shirt Cloth Mask

 BCCL

Simple and easy to make, this can also help you find a use for old t-shirts and embrace sustainability during these trying times as well.



Bandana Mask

 BCCL

If youre uncomfortable working with scissors and cloth, this one turns out to be even easier than the t-shirt option and can be quickly crafted in a matter of seconds.



Sewn Cloth Facemask

While requiring a person with basic sewing skills to make, this mask is a great way to learn if youve got someone to help you around at home - you can even use prints or colours you personally enjoy to create these handy reusable masks.



Creating your mask is just the first step, however. In order to maximise your safety and the longevity of the mask, the following steps are important too:

Before using a mask, remember to wash your hands - thats even more crucial for virus protection.

Never share your mask with others - each person must have their own pair.

After your mask becomes damp, humid or unclean, it must be washed immediately to be of use again. This is ideally done with a thorough soap wash before leaving the mask to dry under sunlight for 5 hours.

Alternatively, you can boil the mask in salt water for 10-15 minutes.

Keep your mask in a clean, dry and safe place, such as a thoroughly washed plastic bag or container.

Spearheaded by The Times of India, #MaskIndia is an online effort to spread awareness by educating India about the benefits of homemade masks with the goal of ultimately safeguarding every Indian against COVID-19. Share a picture with your homemade mask on your social handles using #MaskIndia. The best picture will be featured in The Times Of India, and on MaskIndia.com.
MANZINI  Casually strolling into the Manzini Bus Rank is now taboo as security forces demand proof of your visit to the city.

The public experienced a firmer grip exhibited by the security forces deployed to disperse crowds within the countrys busy places as the country was yesterday on Day 12 of the partial lockdown.



The partial lockdown, which according to government is to enforce social distancing and encourage the citizenry to stay at home, went a notch up as security forces manning the bus rank denied people entry to the rank.

The security forces, which comprise the three State agencies, stopped any person who was entering the bus rank in order to establish where they were destined to.



Demanded



In their quest to turn away people from the bus rank, the security forces, who comprised of members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), His Majestys Correctional Services and Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), at some point, demanded the public to substantiate their claims with documentation.



This was mostly applied to those who claimed to have been from hospital. One man was seen giving his hospital card to a female police officer; which did not augur well with some of the people who were standing by.

They said the inspection of the card was an invasion of privacy and tampered with doctor - patient confidentiality.



While this was happening, on the terminus, members of the UEDF were telling people who were seated to vacate the bus rank.

This, it was said, was to ensure that people did not end up crowding the rank and in so doing dwarfing the efforts of social distancing which propose that people should be at least a metre apart from each other.



This is because the coronavuirus spreads through respiratory droplets produced when a sick person sneezes or coughs.

The droplets can land on peoples hands or in mouths and noses, and threaten infection.



Contact



In addition to saliva sharing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said COVID-19 could spread through close personal contact, including touching and shaking hands.

Touching somethingdoor handles, phones, remoteswith the virus on it before touching your mouth, nose, or eyes could also lead to transmission if the hands are not washed thoroughly using soap and running water. On the other hand, the effects of the curfew imposed on transport operators to ferry commuters between 5am to 9am and 3pm to 7pm left employees idling outside their places of employment.



Some were seated on chairs as there were no people seeking their services.

The same challenge was experienced by vendors who had their fruits and vegetables on display with no one buying them. One of them said: You can see that we are seated and there are no people to buy.



Challenges



Venting on the challenges posed by the partial lockdown, the vendor said as much as HIV/AIDS caused havoc, it never rendered them broke due to an empty bus rank.

Meanwhile, streets of the hub of the country had ample parking space as there was minimal traffic and most of the shops operating in town have been closed for over a week. On the other hand, the bus rank traffic started to peak just after 2pm when the police permitted public transport to rank.



This saw the flow of people as well who had been waiting for transport. Some were seen lodged in the vehicles as they waited for 3pm when they resumed servicing their routes.

This led to Meintjies Street, which leads traffic in and out of the bus rank, being the busiest.
Boris Johnson is responding to treatment and in a stable condition but remains in intensive care at St Thomas Hospital, No 10 has said.

The latest update comes after the prime minister spent a second evening in the central London hospitals critical care unit after being initially admitted on Sunday  ten days after testing positive for coronavirus.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, the PMs official spokesperson said: The prime minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment. He continues to be cared for in the intensive care unit at St Thomas hospital. Hes in good spirits.

They added: The information in the update we have provided was given to us by St Thomas hospital and it contains all of the information that the PMs medical team consider to be clinically relevant.

The spokesperson also said Mr Johnson will not be working while in intensive care and Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, will be deputising in his absence.

He has the ability to contact those that he needs to, hes following the advice of his doctors at all times, they said.

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

Before receiving treatment at hospital, Mr Johnson had been self-isolating in his Downing Street flat  above Number 11  and was still in charge of coordinating the governments response.

Earlier, the health minister Edward Argar told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that Mr Johnson has been given some oxygen during his time in hospital, but has not required any mechanical ventilation.

Everyone wishes him and Carrie [Symonds] very well, wishes him a swift and full recovery. Hes not just our prime minister, for many of us hes our colleague, hes our boss, and hes a friend and were all keen to see him make that swift recovery.

On Tuesday evening, the US president Donald Trump joined world leaders in wishing the prime minister a speedy recovery, as he said America was praying for Mr Johnson to return to good health.

Hes become a great friend of ours. He loves his country but he loves the USA and he has always been very good to us. Whenever we have a difficulty he has been with us and we appreciate it, he said.

No 10 said they were hugely grateful for the messages of support the prime minister has received from around the world. "I think the public response to coronavirus throughout has been fantastic and that has been best exemplified by the applause they've been giving to NHS staff every week, the spokesperson added.
Lisa Kudrow will star alongside Steve Carell in the forthcoming workplace comedy Space Force.

The Friends alum's character can be seen in new promotional images from the show, released by Netflix.

Kudrow, 56, plays Maggie Naird, wife of Carell's Mark R. Naird, the man tapped to lead the US Government's newly-formed 'Space Force'.

All star cast: Lisa Kudrow [center] will star alongside Steve Carell [L] in the forthcoming workplace comedy Space Force

Maggie is described by Netflix as a woman who 'sublimated parts of herself to her husbands career for two decades.'

She follows her husband Mark to Colorado, after the four-star general and decorated pilot is tapped to lead the titular Space Force.

Once he takes the reins however, Mark is 'squeezed between the politicians and the scientists,' series co-creator Greg Daniels told Variety.

New role: Steve Carell plays Mark R. Naird, the man tapped to lead the US Government's newly-formed 'Space Force'

Rock and a hard place: Once he takes the reins however, Mark is 'squeezed between the politicians and the scientists,' series co-creator Greg Daniels told Variety

The military division is based on US President Donald Trump's actual initiative to build a military force in space.

As well as starring, Carell, 57, serves as co-creator on Space Force.

The show -which is being made by the core team behind workplace comedy classic The Office- is set to hit the streaming service on May 29.

Based on actual events: The military division is based on US President Donald Trump's actual initiative to build a military force in space

The team: Co-starring in the sitcom are John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang [pictured], Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake

Co-starring in the sitcom are John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake.

A video released by Netflix early last year announced news of the show and revealed the inspiration behind it, Trump's 2018 announcement that he had directed the Department of Defense and the Pentagon to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.

VP Mike Pence later announced that the goals of the new branch would be to 'defend satellites from attack and perform other space-related tasks'.

Daniels was responsible for adapting the original UK series of The Office to the hugely successful US version which aired from 2005 to 2013.

And while there has been buzz about a reboot for some time, Carell shut down rumors in October 2018 telling Esquire: 'I just don't think that's a good idea, it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted 10 years ago. The climate's different.'
Last week saw oil move jump in the largest two-day percentage increase in history. A similar movement was seen in Brent, moving back into the mid-$30s. In a market hungry for good news, there were cautiously optimistic murmurings out of the two cage-fighting oil producers, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Murmurings, that they might, emphasis on might, be willing to reach a production compromise that would bring some stability to an oil market in freefall. On such weak tea, a historic rally was seen in the oil market.

Source-OilPrice, Chart by author

I can only imagine the rally that would come with an actual meaningful cut in output between these two hydrocarbon heavy-weights. We shouldnt have long to wait as they will have a delayed from Monday, virtual meeting on the schedule for Thursday, April-9th, with an announcement expected that day.

I am pessimistic that this announcement, assuming that one comes-remember the effect of the lack of such an announcement on March-6th, will bring the kind of relief to the oil over-supply issue I discussed in a recent OilPrice article. Quite simply there is an ocean full of oil floating in oil tankers just waiting to offload, at ports that are already chock-a-block. This does not bode well for the beleaguered oil market that is desperately searching for good news.

Even in the positive case where the announcement covers a substantial portion of the 18-20 mm BOPD global supply excess forecast for the second quarter, that I discussed last week, we are not yet at point where the oil price will rise meaningfully enough to balance the budgets of our two key players. Which was the point of all of this kerfuffle to begin with.

Premium: Oil To Move Above $41 If Trumps Tweet Is True

In this article we will put aside further discussion of the outcome of Thursdays virtual meeting to focus on other signs coming from the oil market. Signs that could bring some the relief for which the market is so anxiously seeking.

A decline in shale production, finally!

This could be it. The long-awaited shale decline is finally registering in the data. For Jan, 2020 total U.S. production is 12,744 mm BOPD, a decline of about 60 K BOPD from December. Not huge, but a change in the direction of the curve. Natty showed a similar fall off from previous highs.

EIA-914, Mar-31st

If you look at the entire report you will see that the losses all came from shale plays. Offshore was up modestly, offsetting some of the decline. The fact that the decline came from shale is critical.

In an earlier OilPrice article I argued The bottom will be firmly set in when production from shale plays actually turns south.

There is so much noise in the market right now, and the decline was so modest, that this moment passed largely unnoticed. It will be the end of April before we get another snapshot of activity from the shale patch to confirm that down is now the trend, or what happened in March was a head-fake.

Tariffs on imported oil are a bad idea

I discussed recently that crude production was likely to be shut-in in a desperate attempt to raise prices. Now, the CEO's of Pioneer Energy, (PXD) and Parsley Energy, (PE) have made a plea to the Texas Railroad Commission to order a cut in production.

We need dramatic government action, because we know the operators cannot uniformly talk together, Matt Gallagher, chief executive officer at Austin, Texas-based Parsley, said in an interview. The pair of shale explorers believe a 20% cut to the states production would be most helpful for the industry, Gallagher said. Pioneer is led by Scott Sheffield, whose son Bryan is Parsleys chairman.

Bloomberg

This one of the sillier ideas I've heard put forth. You want less oil? Stop drilling. The problem will take care of itself. This to me, seems like a self-serving attempt by a couple of fairly well capitalized companies, to put pressure on weaker ones by starving them of any revenue.

Now there is a dichotomy in the oil industry's voice. The big guys Chevron, (NYSE: CVX), ExxonMobil, NYSE: (XOM) are saying one thing, and as you might suspect, the little guys like Parsley Energy are saying something entirely different, as noted above.

A meeting was held in the last week between the big oil chiefs and the president. The subject was intervention in the spat between Saudi and the Russians.

While some in the industry want the Trump administration to pressure the Saudis and Russians, many large U.S. oil companies oppose cooperation between the worlds three biggest crude-producing nations, which would be unprecedented. Exxon Mobil and Chevron have lobbied against any market intervention, and the possibility wasnt discussed in the first part of the meeting.

WSJ

What is on the table is an import fee (tariff) on oil coming to the U.S. The idea is that this will establish a floor price for the commodity that will allow U.S shale producers to drill and produce profitably. In fact, it will do nothing of the kind as the parties being discussed, (OPEC+) will cheat on any quotas established and the big guys know this-hence their opposition.

There are strong arguments to be made against raising tariffs. It is interesting to me that these arguments are being forcefully made by one of the governing bodies of the industry itself, the American Petroleum Institute-API. In an op-ed, Mike Sommers, CEO of the API wrote-

In the short term, tariffs would inflict significant damage at home. They would raise costs for U.S. refineries, create even more uncertainty for global supply chains and likely result in increased prices for consumers. Vital energy projects would be delayed because of the increased cost of critical production materials not available in the U.S.

The Hill.com

I agree with this standpoint and have previously made the point in a prior OilPrice article that variations of what basically amounts to price controls has all been tried before and produced nothing but disaster. I dont really have a lot to add to that position, except to emphasize: Let the free market forces work.

Premium: Oil Market Data Is About To Get Very Ugly

The president is originally a 'free marketer' who was against big government. Hopefully he hasn't been infected by the swamp he pledged to drain.

Rig and Frac Spread Counts for the week

You can see the drillers reaction to $20 oil fairly easily with the Baker Hughes one-week rig count decline. 64 in one week! In an earlier version of this chart I had guestimated a final of 677 at the end of April. I was too modest in my expectations, and now think we'll exit April somewhere around 550.

Data from Baker Hughes

It is the same story with frac spreads. Another precipitous decline extended the trend of the prior week. I don't see anything to stop it before the count reaches 2016 lows of ~150 or so. As noted in the chart below it should happen very quickly.

Data from Primary Vision

LNG and Gas

Like oil, right now the world is swimming in gas. At some point this must result in well shut-ins and production curtailments. You can see in the latest EIA 914, the numbers are off a hair, so we could be seeing the start of this cycle.

EIA-914, Mar-31st

"This unprecedented surge of LNG supply to Europe is certain to cause knock-on effects," said Shankari Srinivasan, vice president of gas and power at IHS Markit. "Storage inventories will build up earlier than normal and that will put additional downward pressure on prices in the third quarter and winter delivery months. It is a chain reaction."

SP Global Platts

My view on anything gas related; LNG, pipeline companies, etc, is to wait for some sign of market bottoming i.e. prices starting to rise just a bit. I understand the dividends yield are compelling, but probably most of them are going to be cut in the near future, if sales volumes fall off. What's low now, could get lower still.

Your takeaway

As your mom used to say, "Its as plain at the nose on your face." (Well, that's what my mom said anyway.) Meaning market forces are already at work. Ruthlessly I will admit, but it's what has to happen to eventually allow the oil market to come into balance.

Government intervention will not save the failing shale producers. I understand why they are reaching out, but only consolidation and efficiency increases can save (what will be) a smaller industry.

The world can live with some shale production, but the 9-mm plus BOD we are currently producing is creating an excess and cheaper oil is going to drive it down.

How we are playing this historic decline in upstream producers and service suppliers

We think the beleaguered upstream service providers, (NYSE:HAL, NYSE:SLB, NYSE:BKR) and major operators, (NYSE:BP, NYSE:RDS.A,B, NYSE:XOM, NYSE:OXY, and NYSE:CVX) are the ways to play this unprecedented decline.

They will be among the first to rebound when oil starts to increase in price. Additionally you can collect sizeable dividends while waiting for improvement in share prices from the oil majors. All of those mentioned above, save for OXY which slashed their dividend for the second quarter, and have gone to the debt market recently to preserve them. Its worth noting that this is a bullish sign long term for oil prices that they are willing to do this, as this sort of action is not sustainable beyond a few quarters.

In fact the big oil companies and big service providers have already made a significant move higher from their recent lows. I'm not buying the bounce, as I believe there is more pain to come when quarterly results are announced and oil falls...again.

We are awash in product as previously noted and that is going to have an impact on activity. Until shale volumes start to fall markedly and estimates of global demand start to increase, its best to wait for rock bottom prices for all of these companies. Anything higher will result in minimizing gains when the real recovery begins.

By David Messler for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Fidan Babayeva  Trend:

The CLARA system can currently be applied to 50 species of plants and livestock, Azerbaijan Micro-finance Association (AMFA), Trend reports with reference to the association.

The system, adapted to the local market, provides a flexible, standardized and quick assessment of credit risk for customers in the entire agricultural sector of Azerbaijan.

Leading non-bank lending organizations engaged in agricultural lending, such as Aqrarkredit CJSC, Inkisaf ucun Maliyy LLC, Viator Mikrokredit Azrbaycan LLC and Qafqaz Kredit LLC have already started using CLARA.

CLARA is an online software service designed for banks and non-bank credit organizations (NBCOs) lending farmers. CLARA simplifies, increases and accelerates risk assessment for agricultural loans, providing the user with a number of options, such as agricultural liquidity prediction, testing, formation of flexible assumptions and a set of tools for financial analysis, said AMFA.

According to the report, in accordance with the agreement signed by the Azerbaijan Microfinance Association with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is part of the World Bank Group, AMFAs credit organizations will increase agricultural lending.

In particular, AMFA members will be able to use CLARA IFC, a Cash Flow Assessment Tool that automates risk assessment and the lending process, to provide farmers with easier access to finance.

Despite the creating possibilities for using this tool, IFC organizes workshops for NBCOs that join CLARA to make better use of the tool. AMFA's subsidiary, Finance and Social Innovation Consulting LLC, provides technical support to NBCOs. Given that microfinance organizations in Azerbaijan need deeper knowledge in the field of agricultural lending, CLARA will help improve the access of micro and small agribusinesses to financing, the association said.
Since the successful release of Netflix's "Tiger King" in March, there have been a lot of debates if tiger breeder Joe Exotic is guilty or innocent of the crimes he was convicted for.

In the eyes of the law, he is guilty of nine counts of animal abuse and two counts murder-for-hire.

But for social media users and Joe Exotic fans, he is not guilty. Celebrities are even calling out the government for his release.

In return, Exotic also filed a $94 million federal lawsuit, suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service, his lead prosecutor, a federal agent and a former business partner.

While people are sympathizing with the rare animal keeper, one source close to Exotic revealed that the Netflix true crime series did not fully expose him and his evils.





Joe Exotic: Did you know that Carole Baskin killed her husband?pic.twitter.com/WWZxwX0zYz Nobody:Joe Exotic: Did you know that Carole Baskin killed her husband? #TigerKing  Robbie Perl (@RJPthree) April 3, 2020

Tiger King Revelation

Exotic's niece Chealsi Putman talked to The Daily Mail to reveal some disturbing allegations about her uncle.

Putman is the daughter of Exotic's younger sister. She worked intermittently with Joe until 2017 before helping the FBI investigate her uncle's animal abuse and plot to murder the CEO of Big Cat Sanctuary, Carole Baskin.

The 31-year-old alleged that Exotic's real-life persona is "100 times worse" than how he is portrayed on the show.

Putman said she wants people to know who the real Exotic is "and not the one you've seen on TV."

According to her, her uncle -- whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Pasasge -- has sold several baby tigers illegally.

He reportedly would use his employee's names to be able to get the cash and keep his own name in the clear.

"He would either take cash under the table for the sale of the tiger or if someone sent a check, it would be made out to another person, or if the money was wired to a store, it would be in another person's name," Putman detailed.

Putman also alleged that Exotic froze at least 10 tiger cubs over the years, even telling her that he was doing so to helpa local university for research. However, the niece later found out he was selling them to taxidermists.

She also recalled witnessing her uncle spray a tiger with a fire extinguisher, which was not done for safety or for a live-saving reason. Instead, the tiger was sprayed "because the tiger didn't react the way Joe had wanted it to."

Another instance includes a newly-born monkey that Exotic wanted to sell.

"Joe shot one dart of tranquilizer into the monkey, but it hadn't worked, so he shot another dart into the mother, and another," Putman recounted, highlighting that Joe shot the monkey a total of five times until the mother of the new -born dozed off.

In far more sinister allegations, Putman claimed that there were videos of people performing sex acts on some of the animals at the zoo, though she has not seen any of them personally and just heard about them.

"If it were up to me, I would have sentenced him to life behind bars. He wouldn't have ever seen the light of day," Putman exclaimed.
New Delhi, April 8 : At a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with all political parties' floor leaders in Parliament, here on Wednesday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar raised the issue of Tablighi Jamaat.

This was stated by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad while addressing the media after the meeting where the leaders suggested that a multi-party working group should be set up.

Rasing the the issue of Tablighi Jamaat, Pawar said the Covid-19 crisis should not be communalised. According to Azad, Pawar said "they erred. But the matter should be laid to rest. We should work together to contain coronavirus." However, the Prime Minister didn't say anything on the issue, Ghulam, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said.

Raising the issue of testing and equipping the frontline health workers with the personal protective equipment (PPE), the Congress leader advised the Prime Minister to take into consideration letters written by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Azad said proper attention be paid to around 45 crore labourers in the country and added, MNREGA should have been used for harvesting of rabi crop to help farmers as well as workers benefit from the government schemes.

The Congress leader also advocated raising credit limit for farmers and waiver of farm loans.

Meanwhile, the government is exploring ways to keep farmers and farming activities, like harvesting of ready crops and procurement of grain, outside the lockdown purview, amid the demands for extension of the shutdown.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is expected to discuss during the day the issue with farm ministers of states through video link.




Group Captain Sam Ewang

A former military administrator of Ogun and Rivers states, Group Captain Sam Ewang (rtd), has warned that the lockdown imposed on Nigerians by the federal and state governments as part of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus pandemic is causing more deaths.

Speaking with Daily Independent at the weekend, Ewang, who said many poor citizens were not provided with the palliatives, said many Nigerians are dying of hunger than from the virus.

According to him, the situation in the country is very unfortunate as the larger population of Nigerians rely on daily and menial jobs to feed their families, which has been impossible due to the restriction of movements.

I am very sorry to say this but the reality is that so many people are dying of hunger rather than the coronavirus. We are still moving backwards with the way we do things. This calls for our politicians to begin to think again, to plan for Nigeria and not themselves.



Even now, if this government had been a planning government, I cannot see why we are unable to do certain things for the poor during this coronavirus pandemic.

Even if we cant do anything some other time for them, I think this is the best opportunity to show that we care for the poor. Wrong decisions are being taken all over the country. They just want to make noise so people cannot say they havent done anything. They are restricting movements yet people are dying.

You have labourers who go to sites on a daily basis and they feed their families with what they get from there. If they dont go out, they cant eat. I tell you that within this period, I have received visits from over 200 people but unfortunately, there is little I can do since I am no longer in government. It is very, very unfortunate, Ewang said.

While commending Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his team for measures taken so far to tackle the disease, Ewang said the Federal Government should have planned ahead when the disease was ravaging other parts of the world before Nigeria recorded her first case.

Its unfortunate. Normally, I wouldnt have loved to make any comment on the issues today because I dont want to compare our nation with anybody. But I think the Federal Government is trying its best. The state governments are equally trying their best.

I really appreciate Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I very much appreciate him for his pre-emptive actions so far in tackling the coronavirus disease. I also want to thank those that are working with him.

Otherwise, this thing came like a thunder entirely; even though I believe that we should have prepared for it because it is a pandemic as it has come to be. We shouldnt have waited but plan ahead but I still thank the government for the efforts made so far.

The problem we have has to do with our population. The population we have is not such that you can lock the people in and bar them from coming out but unfortunately, the situation requires that.

I am also a politician too. We need to think about our people; people are dying not on account of the disease but hunger. Right now, there are some places that people are dying because of the disease, but we are not able to identify them. I will keep emphasising it; people are dying but unfortunately, I am not in a position where I can help so much, he said.
Medical workers wearing protective equipment to bring a patient to St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, London. (AP)

The UK has recorded the third highest daily death toll from coronavirus in the world, behind only the US and France.

On Tuesday it was announced that 786 people had died in the UK in the past day, bringing the total to 6,159.

The number of deaths was higher than that seen in Italy and Spain, the two European countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spains death toll increased by 743 on Tuesday, while Italy recorded 604 new deaths.

France reported a total of 1,417 deaths in 24 hours, while the US saw the highest daily increase of any country at more than 1,800.

A patient is tested for coronavirus in Rome. (AP)

The increase brings the total number of deaths in the US to nearly 13,000.

Spains death toll for Tuesday compared with 637 deaths registered during the previous 24 hours, taking the total number of dead to 13,798, the second highest in the world after Italy.

In Italy, the total death toll now stands at 17,127. There were 3,039 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the virus to 135,586.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

Spain has been living under severe restrictions for more than three weeks, and the lockdown measures have now been extended to at least 25 April.

Family members in Barcelona, Spain, play instruments on their balcony in support of medical workers. (AP)

Health minister Salvador Illa said at the weekend that 1 million testing kits were due to arrive in Spain and would act as "rapid screening" in places such as hospitals and nursing homes, part of an effort to pinpoint the true extent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government ministers cautioned it was too early to say when Spain could start lifting its lockdown on public life.

Italy has been in lockdown since early March.

Now slowing death rates in both Spain and Italy are raising hope that strict social distancing measures are curbing the spread of COVID-19.

It comes as Boris Johnson spent a second night in an intensive care in London.

Story continues

The prime ministers condition remains stable, according to the latest bulletin from Downing Street, issued on Tuesday evening.

Boris Johnson claps during Thursday's nationwide Clap For Carers NHS initiative. (AP)

He was said to be in good spirits in St Thomas Hospital in London, where he is undergoing close monitoring after his condition worsened on Monday.

Read more: Inside the new 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital at Londons ExCel centre

He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance, a spokesperson said.

He has not required mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.

In Johnsons absence, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, will stand in for him whenever necessary, including leading the daily meetings of the coronavirus war cabinet.

The PMs weekly calls with the Queen have been suspended while he remains indisposed.

Ministers insisted that despite Johnsons absence, along with that of other key No 10 figures, the business of government was continuing as normal.

Coronavirus: what happened today
Australian Border Force expressed concerns about the Ruby Princess potentially harbouring coronavirus carriers hours before it was given the green light to dock in Sydney Harbour and let its passengers off, a new report claims.

A report in the Sydney Morning Herald said an ABF official who was aware that up to 140 passengers had symptoms consistent with coronavirus had raised the alarm with a Port Authority official just hours prior to the cruise ship's entry into Sydney Harbour.

As a result, the harbour master offered to have the ship stopped at Bradley's Head, just inside the entry to the harbour, but an ABF official called back after checking with a supervisor and the ship was given permission to dock at Circular Quay.

Some 2,700 passengers were able to walk off without so much as a temperature check, and spread the illness throughout the community.

Since then, at least 650 passengers have tested positive for COVID-19, and 15 have died from the infectious respiratory illness.

NSW Police Rescue officers look on as the Ruby Princess arrives in Australian waters during a previous trip

Australia has now reached 6,010 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 50 deaths across the country

A woman wearing a mask walks along a cordoned off Surfers Paradise Beach in Gold Coast, on March 8

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Sunday confirmed the state would launch a criminal investigation into the debacle, but it could take in excess of 18 months to make its findings.

On Wednesday, the Border Force released an official statement defending the actions of staff, and ultimately placing the blame back on NSW Health, as the federal and state bodies continued to exchange blame.

'The ABF officer made internal enquiries and subsequently advised the NSW Port Authority that the vessel had been cleared by NSW Health,' the statement read.

'The ABF did not seek to shape or influence any view or decision by the NSW Port Authority.'

Ruby Princess is pictured docked at Circular Quay as passengers disembarked in Sydney on March 19

Medical personnel carry equipment to the Bondi Beach drive-through testing centre on Tuesday (pictured), where people are queuing up in their vehicles to test for coronavirus

Police screen incoming passengers at the domestic airport in Brisbane on Friday, April 3

The spokesman argued Border Force's legal role in the ship's arrival was only to ensure everybody had the correct visas and that there was no contraband on board.

Likewise, the Department of Agriculture was responsible for biosecurity.

So far, 15 of Australia's 50 coronavirus deaths have come from the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship.

In total, there had been 6,013 known cases of COVID-19 in Australia by Wednesday evening.

Another three people who died on Wednesday were passengers on other cruise ships, making them the country's most deadly source of infection.

Earlier that morning, health officials announced a 62-year-old Adelaide woman who was a passenger on the Ruby Princess had died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Crew on board the Ruby Princess as the cruise liner docks at Port Kembla

Mr Fuller said there was clear evidence COVID-19 has come off the Ruby Princess (pictured off coast of Sydney on Sunday) and at least 10 passengers have died in Australia because of it

Hospital staff wear protective gear while testing patients with symptoms of coronavirus in northeast Adelaide

She is the second person to die from coronavirus in South Australia.

Over in New South Wales, there are currently 2,734 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with testing now being ramped up in at at-risk areas to combat the killer virus.

While NSW - and Australia generally - was seeing a decline in cases as the rate of infection slows, hotspots continued to spring up across the state, sparking fears of a second wave of community transmission.

Testing was being increased in 13 suburbs: Waverley, Woollahra, Dee Why, Manly, Ryde, Macquarie Park, Broken Hill, Lake Macquarie, Manning, Nowra and South Nowra, Byron and Port Macquarie.

NSW Health urged anyone in those areas with symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath to get tested.

The areas were specifically being focused on as they have high numbers of community transmission where the origin is unknown.

The testing process for coronavirus includes a swab of each nostril and the back of the throat
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Models projecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador suggest cases could peak around mid-November and ICU bed capacity could be exceeded by mid-July, even if current preventive measures remain in place.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

John Haggie, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Health and Community Services, responds to a reporter's questions at a press conference during the Conferences of Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Health in Winnipeg on June 28, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Models projecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador suggest cases could peak around mid-November and ICU bed capacity could be exceeded by mid-July, even if current preventive measures remain in place.

The scenario, run by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, looked at the possibility that 32 per cent of the province's population would be infected with COVID-19 over two years.

Health Minister John Haggie, Premier Dwight Ball and Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, addressed the province by video on Wednesday along with Dr. Proton Rahman, a clinical scientist and professor of medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The presentations showed that, even with a rapid rise in cases over the last month due to a cluster that spread from a funeral home, the curve of the outbreak has been flattening over the last week.

It's now similar to other provinces such as British Columbia, suggesting public health measures like contact tracing, physical distancing and non-essential service shutdowns have been effective so far.

"The organized response has really helped avert a disaster," Rahman said.

The funeral home cluster, which represents 75 per cent of the province's known cases, created a challenge for modelling, Rahman said, adding that it illustrates the immense impact one event can have.

Two people have died from COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, making the sample too small to project for a possible number of deaths, officials said.

However, in the short term, the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information projects that under current measures, a "best case" scenario would see approximately 25 hospitalizations due to the illness by April 30.

In a "worst case" scenario, without public health measures, approximately 200 people would be hospitalized by April 30. Both scenarios are manageable with the province's current bed capacity, the projections note.

Projections related to ICU beds, which looked at 57 of the province's 98 ICU beds as available, predicted that a best case scenario would see about 10 patients occupying intensive care beds by April 30.

In a worst case scenario, the province would exceed its ICU capacity by the same date, with approximately 65 people in ICU beds with COVID-19.

Haggie compared the models, which were adapted to Newfoundland and Labrador's situation and unique caseload, to a weather forecast. He said while it's uncertain to predict the future, the models have practical uses like allowing the province's four health authorities to plan ahead.

Haggie said more scenarios will be run as more data becomes available, allowing for more precise planning.

He said the province is looking into contingency plans to prepare for a predicted shortfall in intensive care beds.

Assuming 32 per cent of the population contracts the illness, the Canadian Institute for Health Information predicts that Newfoundland and Labrador will need more ICU beds by July.

However, the same model predicted the province would stay within its acute care and ventilator capacity over the next year.

Another scenario, in which 51 per cent of the population contracts COVID-19, cases would peak in September, ventilator supply would be exceeded by mid-July and ICU capacity would be exceeded in mid-June. Acute care needs would exceed capacity in July in that scenario.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the second-highest number of infections per capita across Canadian provinces and territories, after Quebec, according to the presentation that used numbers from Tuesday.

Among the 17 people hospitalized, six have gone into the ICU.

Rahman said the people admitted to hospital had a median of two underlying health conditions.

The province reported four new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the provincial total to 232.

Ball said the numbers present a "clear yet stark picture" of why all residents must remain vigilant and keep up with preventive measures like physical distancing as the peak of cases approaches.

"What we do this weekend and beyond will make it or break it," the premier said.

He also pointed to higher rates of hospitalizations and ICU admissions among those aged 55 and above, noting that his province has the highest median age in Canada.

"That's me, that's some of you. We are the ones that end up in ICU and when you look at our population, well, there's more of us than anyone else," Ball said.

Fitzgerald thanked residents for their efforts adhering to public health orders, but stressed that now is a "critical" time in containing the spread.

"While this information is encouraging, I need you all to understand that this is just the beginning and our work is not done," she said.

"If we ease up on our efforts, two weeks from now will be a very different picture and two months from now will be catastrophic."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
Another week of imperfect information and ever-changing decisions at the top about our pandemic and economy makes it difficult to maintain a positive, socially distant, rational weltanschauungs. Our land line went out again, taking with it the email and Microsoft Office in the Cloud. That, and a trip to the Emergency Room for my wife, Nedra for a swelling in the leg she broke (X-ray, new medication, grim looks by overworked, concerned medical staff got her home in a few hours) have added more gravity to our homebound situation. Things are relatively back to normal now.

We are still in the uphill battle with the COVID 19 crisis. The number of reported cases and deaths in Michigan keeps climbing: At this writing the Detroit Free Press reports 9,334 cases and 337 fatalities (April 2, 2020, page 1). That is a 3.6% mortality rate! The flu rate nationally has been one tenth of one percent.

And we still have a prez who waffles on the depth of the problem yet gives himself a TEN on his response. As a medical respondent on the PBS Newshour put it, Yeah, on a scale of 100. Yes, closing our borders to visitors from China was a good idea in January, but he wasted six weeks by not instituting the pandemic protocol developed by the Obama administration. If fact, he reduced scientific input on his staff until convinced to do otherwise, has not taken charge of creating and distributing tests and requested medical supplies where crucial.

He then referred to the disease as the Chinese virus, as if they had concocted biological warfare on us. VP Pence and other cronies parroted the suspicion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when they stated that the impeachment trial distracted the United States government from addressing the threat of the corona virus in a timely manner. They should not try to hide behind an excuse she said I think thats an admission that perhaps the President and the majority leader cannot handle the job. We have a life and death situation in our country and they should not try to hide behind an excuse for why they did not take action, but it does admit that they did not take action. Right now we have to work together to get the job done.

Calling it a Chinese virus has increased attacks against citizens of Asian background significantly. This adds to the domestic terrorism against Jews, blacks, gays, Muslims and other minorities fostered by DonnyT and his followers.

The economy falls ever deeper into recession. The unemployment figures are now above ten million and many small businesses are slated to fail. The money appropriated by Congress continues to be delayed and many cannot pay their bills. On the other hand, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer continues to do whatever she can despite Republican objections to help our local enterprises.

Please do not ignore the national census. Distractions make it easy to forget how important your input is. The Constitution requires the government to count everyone present in order to determine House Representatives, and distribute billions of dollars to the states for schools, infrastructure and disaster relief. You can do this online at https://2020census.gov/en.html or get the form to mail it in.

Also be sure to register to vote in the 2020 election. If you are a citizen you have an obligation to do so. This is the most crucial election in the 21st century.

Ed Fisher writes a weekly column for the Morning Sun.
GVM MART in Tullamore plans to develop a virtual bidding system for buyers and sellers within the coming three weeks if Covid-19 restrictions are not relaxed.

Mart Manager, Antoinette Daly said their preferred option would be to hold cattle sales with a maximum of 50 people at the ringside.

We would carry out all the necessary precautions to ensure that everyone is safe if the Department of Agriculture allow such a development, Ms Daly told the Tribune this week.

She said otherwise the mart committee would move to install the virtual bidding system which has been pioneered by a local company.

She said that the mart was matching up sellers with buyers at present but it was not an ideal system to work with.

Tullamore Mart closed in the middle of last month due to the Covid-19 situation.

At the time, the mart committee stated that the decision had been taken in the interest of our loyal staff, their families, our customers and their families and wider public.

We are postponing our weekly sales i.e weanlings, sheep and cattle until further notice, the statement outlined.

It added: As the number of people getting this virus is increasing everyday we feel if we dont stop and take guidance from the experts in the health organisation this pandemic will only get worse. As our elders always thought us your health is your wealth. We need to stop and think before this totally gets out of control.

We hope the farmers understand our decision it was not easy to do this but we feel the quicker we try stop this virus getting out of hand the quicker we can look

forward to returning to business. Do look after yourselves in the meantime and keep safe, the mart advised its clients.

The President of the Irish Farmers Association, Tim Cullinan last week acknowledged measures announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, including permitting the marts to facilitate trade between farmers.

He 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.

Mr Cullinan stated that the 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.

He 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 have increased state aid limits. While there a lot of other calls for funding, farmers cannot be forgotten and they need help now, added Mr Culinan.

ICSA suckler chair Ger OBrien has said that the necessary closure of all marts on account of Covid-19 is a blow to farmers and hopefully will be for a short period only. Livestock marts play a vital role in Irish farming and are a critical resource in determining a fair price for farmers. ICSA is concerned that prolonged mart closure would lead to a lot of difficulties for farmers who depend on the service they provide.

The livestock mart provides a level of transparent and open competition for livestock and it gives farmers a realistic view of what livestock are making. Many farmers who do not finish cattle on a commercial scale are very reliant on marts for selling stock and they offer the advantage of allowing farmers to see what stock are worth. Moreover, cattle are weighed properly and farmers can rely on prompt and guaranteed payment. Farmers need to be very careful of dealing on farm and need to be conscious of the risk of cheques bouncing.

While farm to farm sales can still take place, it will be vital that marts are available to weigh stock, to facilitate payment and to update the AIM database. This could be a time for innovation in the selling of livestock and farmers who are new to selling cattle need to look at how to offer stock for sale using social media and internet sites. Good photos and accurate information around weights, and ICBF figures in the case of breeding stock are helpful.
A direct flight from Wuhan, the original coronavirus epicentre, will land in Australia on Wednesday evening.

The cargo plane is operated by Chinese carrier Suparna 'Yangtze River' which is part of the Hainan Airlines Group (HNA).

It is due to land at Sydney international airport at 9.14pm after a nine hour non-stop flight from the Chinese city.

The Boeing 747 was due to land at 8.32pm but has been delayed. The plane is carrying freight rather than passengers but does have some crew on board.

It is not known if the plane will be importing or exporting goods to Australia.

A direct flight from Wuhan is arriving in Australia today, only 24 hours since the Chinese government opened its borders after a national lockdown

A Sydney Airport spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that cargo handlers would follow strict disease control protocols.

'Cargo handlers operating out of the airport are following the strictest hygiene and infection control protocols in line with advice from health authorities,' they said.

Aviation expert with Strategic Aviation Solutions, Neil Hansford, guessed the plane could be arriving with the purpose of delivering personal protective equipment or to return to China with Australian exports.

Once the plane lands, it will dock at a freight terminal at Sydney Airport.

The Boeing 747 is operated by Suparna 'Yangtze River'', part of the Hainan Airlines Group (HNA) which has ties to the Chinese communist party

Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton introduced changes to the Customs Act on April 1 to ban the export of 'essential goods' in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hainan Airlines and the Australian Border Force for more information.

The Chinese government lifted its two month lockdown of Wuhan on Wednesday, reopening its borders after 76 days.

Since the outbreak began at least 3,300 people have died in China and 81,740 have been infected with coronavirus.

Wuhan's 11 million residents have been trapped in their homes since January 23 in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Train road and rail connections have reopened however residents need to have clearance via a smart phone application to be allowed to leave.

Relieved residents leave Wuhan on Wednesday morning after restrictions were lifted

Passengers board a flight at the Tianhe International airport in Wuhan on Wednesday

Each user's health status is stored within the mobile phone app, which can be accessed by scanning a QR code.

While restrictions are still in place, 200 flights with 10,000 passengers are scheduled to depart Wuhan on Wednesday.

China reported zero deaths related to coronavirus on Tuesday, and only two new infections in the past fortnight.

A security guard conducts security screening at Wuhan's Hankou Railway station

Passengers wear full hazmat suits and protective gear as they prepare to depart the city of Wuhan on one of the train services opened on Wednesday after coronavirus restrictions were loosened

Train road and rail connections have reopened however residents need to have clearance via a smart phone application to be allowed to leave
At a time when social distancing laws are keeping us apart, one Australian has spearheaded a global movement designed to bring us together.

Humanitarian and international development advocate Hugh Evans is one of the minds behind the Global Citizen and World Health Organisation's One World: Together at Home concert, which has been curated by pop icon Lady Gaga and will see performances from the biggest names in music live-streamed around the world.

Global Citizen chief executive, Australian humanitarian Hugh Evans. Credit:Pip Cowley

Gaga will be joined virtually by Keith Urban, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Billie Eilish, Alanis Morissette, Chris Martin, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Eddie Vedder and more.

Evans is the chief executive of Global Citizen, an organisation that aims to inspire young people to work together to fight extreme poverty.
Critically-ill coronavirus patient may be transferred from Dublin to other hospitals if intensive care capacity is exceeded in the capital, a senior HSE official said.

National director of acute operations at the HSE, Liam Woods, was responding to concerns raised by medics in several Dublin hospitals that they were running out of beds in ICU units.

Mr Woods said the issues related to traditional ICU capacity and stressed that there were surge plans in each hospital to increase critical care capacity by utilising high dependency units.

He said baseline ICU capacity across Ireland was 312 beds, but that number was set to rise to 812 under surge planning. He said the plans depended on training up staff and securing more ventilators.

HSE Director of Acute Operations Liam Woods said all hospitals had surge plans to treat critically ill patients outside of ICUs (Brian Lawless/PA)

But he said if that extra capacity was also exceeded as the outbreak progresses, then patients may be moved elsewhere in the country.

Mr Woods said other cities were not experiencing similar pressures on ICU capacity and he noted that 138 intensive care beds were empty nationally as of Tuesday.

He highlighted that critical care patients are already moved between hospitals in normal circumstances, though he acknowledged that movement was usually towards Dublin, not away from it.

Some of the surge capacity that is available is still available in Dublin, he said at the National Public Health Emergency team media briefing on Wednesday.

Is there a point in time at which one will consider potentially moving patients from Dublin? Of course, if the situation became particularly challenged that will be an option.

Its not happening at the moment because its not necessary at the moment, but should the situation arise, it is something we will look at and individual hospitals would engage with.

Earlier on Wednesday, a senior medic at the Mater hospital in Dublin said the ICU unit was full and some patients had been moved to the high dependency unit.

The director of critical care medicine at The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital said that most of those in the ICU beds are Covid-19 patients.

Dr OLoughlin said: We were lucky in this Covid (-19) crisis that we had a lead-in time to allow us to kind of shut down the normal activity of the hospital and free up a lot of spare capacity that exists in the hospital.

That has allowed us to build a plan for surge one, surge two, surge three, and surge four etc, so we can act on those plans as the surge comes in," he said, speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland
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OTTAWA - One of the companies making ventilators for the federal government is expanding its production capacity more than tenfold to meet demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A prototype of an emergency response ventilator is pictured at a lab in Vancouver Friday, March 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA - One of the companies making ventilators for the federal government is expanding its production capacity more than tenfold to meet demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another one has never been part of making ventilators before but is working with several other companies to update an old prototype and get as many as 10,000 new ventilators built in a matter of months.

It's all part of the federal government's drive to add as many as 30,000 ventilators to Canadian intensive care units in the battle against COVID-19. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the plan Tuesday, saying Ottawa was working with Thornhill Medical in Toronto, CAE in Montreal, Starfish Medical in Victoria, and a consortium known as Ventilators for Canadians.

Ventilators are artificial breathing machines which help people who are too sick to breathe on their own. The most critically-ill COVID-19 patients require ventilators when pneumonia attacks their lungs too harshly.

In Italy and Spain, two of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, the number of patients needing ventilators quickly exceeded the number of devices available, forcing doctors to make gut-wrenching decisions about who would get the artificial support and who would be left to almost certainly die.

Thornhill Medical CEO Lesley Gouldie said Wednesday normally her Toronto-based company would produce at most 50 ventilators in a month, but is scaling that up to as many as 500 a month with help from Guelph, Ont.-based manufacturer Linamar.

"It's been an extremely intense period for our company," Gouldie said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"We're working very hard in conjunction with our manufacturing partners to get these into the hands of Canadians as soon as possible. People are literally working night and day to make that happen."

Thornhill has already shipped eight and Gouldie said more will go out this month and most of the ones Linamar produces will begin to be available in May. In all, Thornhill has a contract for 1,020 devices, with the government considering an order for 900 more.

Canadian hospitals had an estimated 5,000 ventilators at the outset of the outbreak and every province is trying to get more. Several hundred patients are already on ventilators in intensive-care units, and thus far the health system has coped.

If physical distancing is strictly adhered to, most models of the pandemic in Canada already released suggest there will be an adequate supply of ventilators. If Canada doesn't stay close to the best-case scenarios, Canadian doctors will face the same drastic choices of their Italian and Spanish counterparts.

Scott Phillips, CEO of Starfish Medical, said his company is the "pre-eminent" medical-device design company in Canada, but until now ventilators were not among its products. In mid-March, a government-funded industrial "supercluster" group approached Starfish about working with a Winnipeg company that created a ventilator prototype 20 years ago that it thought could help, with some updating.

Starfish and Winnipeg's Cerebra Health are now working together to bring the "Winnipeg ventilator" back to life and, within weeks, start producing thousands of them.

"It's crazy," Phillips said, of the speed with which it is all happening.

Starfish is working with multiple manufacturers to actually produce the machines.

Gouldie said the key element for her company is partnering with Linamar, which normally makes machine parts and motors for cars, boats, wind turbines and farm equipment. Thornhill has the design and technical expertise, while Linamar is bringing its skill at sourcing needed materials, and manufacturing in larger numbers, said Gouldie.

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Gouldie said one of the key challenges is finding the supplies for the 1,500 components that go into each ventilator.

"Every day there has been a different challenge and every day we have worked through the challenge," she said.

Both Thornhill and Starfish say they are getting lots of calls from people all over the world wanting help to fight COVID-19, but both are focused on Canada's needs first.

"We've absolutely been approached by companies or organizations on every single continent," Gouldie said. "It's been quite extraordinary, the range, the geographic diversity of people that have reached out to us, wanting to know if they can access our technology."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version that the government had signed a letter of intent for 900 more ventilators from Thornhill Medical.
Defective medical masks supplied to the city of Toronto were worn by staff in two long-term care homes hit by COVID-19, including one in Scarborough with a disastrously deadly outbreak.

Officials said Wednesday there is no indication faulty masks played a role in infecting residents or staff of Seven Oaks in Scarborough or Kipling Acres in Etobicoke  but city and provincial health and safety officials are investigating.

The city is investigating to determine how many employees in the citys long-term care homes were caring for a patient while wearing these masks, and if there was possible exposure to COVID-19, city staff told the Star.

The mass outbreak at Seven Oaks has killed 16 residents, with the death of another under investigation. More deaths are expected there, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos public health chief.

Of 249 residents at the Nielson Road home, a staggering 101 seniors were by Wednesday confirmed or suspected to have had COVID-19, while 13 staff members had been hit by the potentially deadly virus.

The province is not reporting statistics about individual long-term care homes, so its not clear if Seven Oaks is among the worst outbreaks in the province. It is, however, the hardest-hit facility of its kind in Toronto.

In total, Public Health Ontario reported 58 outbreaks in long-term care homes with 827 confirmed cases and 78 deaths as of Tuesday. The Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., reported 28 deaths at the 65-bed facility on Wednesday.

Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, leading Torontos emergency response to the pandemic, revealed Tuesday that 4,000 boxes of masks made in China and sold to the city by a trusted supplier turned out to be prone to ripping and tearing.

Pegg said Wednesday that, of 200,000 substandard masks, 62,600 were distributed to city-run seniors homes on or after March 28. A third home that has also had COVID-19 infections, Lakeshore Lodge, received but did not use them.

The vendor has promised a full refund. Mayor John Tory said the city is now doing rigorous quality-control testing on personal protective equipment supplies. The Ontario government has pledged to get the city 200,000 masks to shore up supplies diminished by the defective shipment, Tory added.

The city says it expects this month to receive 3.3 million surgical masks already on order, and another 10 million next month from other vendors.

The union representing staff in the city-run homes quickly realized the made-in-China masks ripped easily and seemed poorly made, said CUPE Local 79 president Dave Mitchell.

The city has thankfully quickly removed these masks but we are concerned about our members and their clients who could have been exposed to COVID-19 as a result of this error, Mitchell told the Star in an email.

The general supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers is a major concern in Ontario. We are joining the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions in a day of action (Thursday) to call on the provincial government to bolster its supply of PPE, which includes masks.

In addition to long-term care homes, city officials have been worried about the potential for deadly outbreaks among clients of city homeless shelters and respites as well as community drop-in sites.

As of Wednesday, there were eight people in the shelter system confirmed to have COVID-19.

After a case was confirmed at the large mens shelter Seaton House, city staff transferred the client and the man he shared a room with to the isolation site for shelter clients.

The capacity of that shelter has been decreased by 40 beds to eliminate use of bunk beds and increase social distancing, Pegg said Wednesday.

By the end of the week, 100 clients will have been moved to hotels or community centres operating as shelters to help with those distancing measures, Pegg said.
Producer Baauer, most notably of "Harlem Shake" fame, is back with a new album and apocalyptic lead single.

The followup to 2016's Aa  which featured an all-star cast of collaborators including Pusha T, M.I.A., G-Dragon and Rustie  Baauer's forthcoming album, Planet's Mad, is a return to center for the producer, focusing back on his signature approach to hip-hop and pop. The new album is said to be inspired by the crossover efforts of electronic acts such as Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk while staying true to his own artistic identity. "Conceived within a movie-like plot of a new world appearing above Earth," a press release states, "Planet's Mad takes us through countless micro-genres where we're exposed to the sound of alien creatures, children, news forecasts, burps and cosmic atmospherics  all whipped up into this uniquely maximalist dance record."

Ahead of its June 5 release on LuckyMe, Baauer has shared the title track off the upcoming album alongside a Rick Farin-directed music video that sets up the world of Planet's Mad. The new visual, rendered using video game engines, sees Baauer fleeing Times Square as hellfire rains down on New York City before being transported to a mysterious planet looming overhead, populated by aliens that feel vaguely reminiscent of Will Wright's 2008 cult classic evolution-simulator, Spore. The video also features not one, but two (!) cuts off the record including the aforementioned "Planet's Mad" and its trippy tribal b-side, "Magic."

Watch the official music video for "Planet's Mad" below:
THE State is to provide a 15m emergency package to ferry companies to keep supply lines open during the coronavirus crisis.

The Cabinet agreed yesterday to designate five sailing routes as "public service obligation routes", four of which operate from Rosslare in Co Wexford and one from Dublin.

Minister Paul Kehoe said the move was essential to keep Rosslare routes viable.

"This emergency measure is extremely welcome given the huge collapse in tourism that is affecting the entire industry. It is also vital to ensure the protection of supply chains," said Mr Kehoe, a Fine Gael TD for Wexford.

The routes being supported through June are Rosslare's links with Cherbourg, France; Bilbao, Spain; and Pembroke and Fishguard in South Wales, as well as the Dublin-Cherbourg route. They are operated by Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries and Stena Line.

The Department of Transport said the 15m funding pool "will be targeted at compensating the gap between specified costs and revenues generated on the services", but hauliers and transport firms "will continue to pay shipping companies for the services on these routes as usual".

The move comes as Stena Line announced plans to lay off or furlough 750 of its staff in the UK and Ireland, around 30pc of its work force in both countries. The proposed staff cuts involve both Irish Sea and North Sea services.

About 600 furloughed workers will be reduced to 80pc of usual pay.

"Stena Line is experiencing a significant decline in passenger and freight volumes across all its 20 European routes. We are having to make very difficult decisions that we hoped we would never have to make," said Stena Line director Ian Hampton.

"To secure the continuity of our freight operations, we have no choice but to reduce our costs. We are committed to keep vital supply lines open for the UK and Ireland," he said, adding: "We will do everything in our means to ensure essential supply lines stay operational during what is a very difficult time for the company and the countries that we serve."

Transport minister Shane Ross said only ferry services on Ireland's 'Central' routes - Dublin links with the UK ports of Holyhead, Liverpool and Heysham - are economically viable in the current crisis.

"Measures to control the coronavirus pandemic have now practically stopped passenger traffic on combined passenger/roll-on, roll-off ferries on the Southern and Continental routes to and from Ireland," he said.

"This revenue is necessary for the operations' economic viability."

"Because of this, urgent measures are necessary to assist in the continuation of roll-on, roll-off freight transport on these services."

Mr Ross said all five routes "are of strategic importance to Ireland because they ensure the robustness and resilience of Ireland's lifeline supply chain which is critically important at this time for the movement of goods, including food and medical supplies, into and out of Ireland."

About 90pc of total freight traffic travels in and out of Dublin Port.

A quarter of national freight uses the newly protected routes with South Wales, Cherbourg and Bilbao.

Looking beyond the Covid-19 crisis to the still-unresolved difficulties of Brexit, Mr Ross said the Government must protect Rosslare routes as an active alternative to Dublin and the UK land bridge.
Deepak Nitrite rose 2.44% to Rs 443.65 after it commenced production of 2 Ethyl Hexyl Nitrate (2EHN) at its Nandesari facility effective 6 April 2020, after receiving approval from Vadodara District Industries Commissionerate.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday.

In view of requirement of 2EHN by petroleum refineries to ensure continued supply of diesel oil during lockdown due to COVID-19, the company had applied to the concerned authorities for granting permission to manufacture 2EHN.

Accordingly, the Vadodara District Industries Commissionerate vide their letter dated 31 March 2020 granted permission to the Company to commence production of 2EHN at its manufacturing facility situated at Nandesari.

Amongst other products, Deepak Nitrite is also in the manufacturing of 2EHN which finds application and is one of the essential raw materials / additives used in refining process of diesel oil produced by various refineries.

The company had on 25 March 2020 informed about the temporary suspension of operations at its manufacturing units situated at Nandesari, Gujarat.

Deepak Nitrite manufactures chemicals and fertilizers. The company's products include sodium nitrite/nitrate, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, and hydroxylamine sulphate. The chemical maker's other two divisions manufacture dyes & dyestuffs and nitro aromatics.

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Rep. Mikie Sherrill, whose husband has the coronavirus, said Tuesday that she tested negative for COVID-19.

She is the third New Jersey member of Congress to be tested after coming in close contact with people who had the virus. All three have tested negative.

Im thankful to report that I tested negative for #COVID19 today, she said on Twitter. I think my husband is starting to get to the other side of this, and my family and I continue to pray for all the New Jerseyans and Americans who are dealing with this very real threat every day.

Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said last week that she had been tested for the virus after her husband, Jason Hedberg, had tested positive.

She is remaining at home.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Sherrill was elected to the House in 2018 to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen and 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.

Two other New Jersey lawmakers, Reps. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., and Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., also had negative tests after coming in close contact with people who later were found to have COVID-19.

Congress is out of session until at least April 20.

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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People continually flouting the social distancing laws could face a fine of 2,500 or a six-month jail sentence.

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has said that it was very important that gardai had clarity with regard to regulatory arrangements around Covid-19 restrictions.

The new regulations were signed into law by the Minister for Health Simon Harris last night and are in place until Easter Sunday.

Minister Flanagan told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show that it was likely the restrictions would last into next week.

The regulations are a last resort he said and it was hoped that a high level of compliance would be maintained. We want to ensure that the public health advice is followed.

Mr Flanagan said there was a fear that people may have become a little complacent in this the fourth week of the lockdown.

When asked if gardai could knock on the doors of holiday homes and tell people to go home, the Minister revealed that they could. Gardai will be staging roadblocks and sending people back from where they came.

It was not envisaged that the emergency powers will be widely used. They are there as a deterrent. There will not be an automatic rollover.

Mr Flanagan thanked the people of Ireland for their compliance, but he warned were not there yet. There are still increasing numbers of cases and unfortunately deaths increasing too, he said.

Gardai would be able to stop cars with the box on the roof and the buckets and spades in the back at checkpoints. If there are some who flout the regulations the gardai will now have recourse and people will be required to go back to their place of residence.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Shop for essential food and household goods;

Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;

Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;

Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people

Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing

The vast majority are not going to be affected, he said. The vast majority have nothing to fear here, the vast majority are fully compliant.

The restrictions will have to continue to help flatten the curve, he said.

There will not be an automatic rollover of the new laws, he said, there will be careful consideration and the government will take the advice of Dr Tony Holohan and the NPHET.

Former Attorney General Michael McDowell told the same programme that it was important that people realise that staying home over the holiday weekend will save lives.

He said he would love to be on the Shannon this weekend, but if he went into a local shop to buy a newspaper he could be carrying the virus with him.

Senator McDowell complimented the government on the measures taken to allow gardai enforce social restrictions, he described it is a reasonable measure during a national emergency.

The fact that it was only a five-day imposition of the new garda powers showed how focused the government was on trying to prevent people from moving around the country over what would normally be a travel weekend, he said.

The former Minister for Justice acknowledged there was an element of the restriction of civil liberty, but the fact was that doing so could prevent thousands of deaths, which he said trumped civil liberties.

However, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said the extraordinary powers "should not be used".

The body has urged gardai to take a community policing approach this weekend, but if they are used, they must berecorded and monitored as a safeguard against their abuse and to ensure they are used as minimally as possible, if at all.

ICCLs Executive Director, Liam Herrick, said: "The approach of An Garda Siochana up to this point has been based on consent and has been for the most part successful.

"We urge both Government and gardai to continue this approach. The vast majority of people have been observing the advice to stay at home and restrict movements to what is essential for the past two weeks.

"So it is not clear that there is any demonstrated need to move from consent to enforcement and we urge the Garda Commissioner to make it clear that the introduction of these regulations does not lead to any significant change in the operational approach of the Gardai."

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clinically stable in intensive care on Wednesday and responding to treatment for COVID-19 complications, amid questions about how key CCP virus crisis decisions would be made in his absence.

Johnson, who tested positive nearly two weeks ago, was admitted to St Thomas hospital on Sunday evening with a persistent high temperature and cough but his condition deteriorated and he was rushed into an intensive care unit.

The 55-year-old British leader has received oxygen support but was not put on a ventilator and his designated deputy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said he would soon be back at the helm as the world faces one of its gravest public health crisis in a century.

Downing Street said that Johnson was not working, but was able to contact people if needed.

The prime minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment. He is in good spirits, Johnsons spokesman said, similar to what Downing Street has been saying over the past two days.

As Johnson battled the virus in hospital, the United Kingdom was entering what scientists said was the deadliest phase of the outbreak and grappling with the question of when to lift the lockdown.

Inside the government, ministers were debating how long the worlds fifth-largest economy could afford to be shut down, and the long-term implications of one of the most stringent set of emergency controls in peacetime history.

The United Kingdoms total hospital deaths from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, rose by a record 786 to 6,159 as of 16:00 GMT on April 6, the latest publicly available death toll, though just 213,181 people out of the population of around 68 million have been tested.

Britain was in no position to lift the shutdown as the peak of the outbreak was still over a week away, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

We are nowhere near lifting the lockdown, Khan said.

Acting Prime Minister Raab?

Johnson was breathing without any assistance and had not required respiratory support, said Raab, who said the prime minister, whom he described as a fighter, remained in charge.

There are few precedents in the UK history of a prime minister being incapacitated at a time of major crisis, though Winston Churchill suffered a stroke while in office in 1953 and Tony Blair twice underwent heart treatment in the 2000s.

Johnson has delegated some authority to Raab, who was appointed foreign minister less than a year ago, though any major decisionssuch as when to lift the lockdownwould in effect need the blessing of Johnsons cabinet.

Britains uncodified constitutionan unwieldy collection of sometimes ancient and contradictory precedentsoffers no clear, formal Plan B. In essence, it is the prime ministers call and, if he is incapacitated, then up to cabinet to decide.

Raab said ministers had very clear directions, very clear instructions from Johnson but it was not clear what would happen if crucial decisions needed to be made which strayed from the approved plan.

Michael Heseltine, who served as deputy prime minister to John Major in the 1990s, told the Telegraph Raabs position needed to be clarified.

Former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said most major decisions over the virus strategy had been taken with the important exception of whether or not to ease the lockdown, a call that will need to be made in the next week or soon after.

That is not just a medical judgement. It has to be a balance between the medical considerations and the consequences of leaving the whole economy shut down, Rifkind told BBC TV.

While such a decision would be made by cabinet even if Johnson were not unwell, he said Britains prime minister had authority and sway as the primus inter paresLatin for first among equalsothers did not.

He very often can steer the direction in a particular way. Dominic Raab doesnt have the authority nor would he claim it, Rifkind said.

By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan

NTD staff contributed to this report.
Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmar State Counselor Says State Will Care for Family of Deceased COVID-19 Patient

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi holds a video conference with people from Magwe to discuss their efforts in the fight against COVID-19. / Myanmar State Counselor Office

Myanmars de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said the state will look after the family of a COVID-19 patient from Bago Regions Pauk Khaung Township who died on Wednesday, as all of the patients immediate family members, including two children, have tested positive for the disease.

I feel sorry for the man who lost his life in Pyay hospital, said the State Counselor during a live video conference on Wednesday morning with people in Magwe Region working in the fight against COVID-19.

Losing one person is also a loss for everyone, she added. We feel sorry, but having sorrow alone is not enough. We have our responsibility. We must try not to make the situation worse.

The state will fully look after his surviving family members. It is the states duty. Each of our people is valuable for the country. We value you and will look after each of you as much as we can, she said.

She urged everyone to take care of themselves and their health by staying home and practicing social distancing, as the latest death due to COVID-19 in Myanmar was a case of transmission through close family contact. She repeated that over-worrying wont help, but that each citizens cooperation can help Myanmars fight against the global disease.

At the same time that the State Counselor was holding the video conference with health care workers in Magwe, another COVID-19 patient, a 63-year-old woman, died while in intensive care at Yangons Waibargi Hospital.

The country has now seen three deaths from COVID-19.

The man from Bago who died Wednesday was the township administrator for Pauk Khaung. The administrators wife, 8-year-old daughter, 10-year-old son and 18-year-old niece were also found to have contracted COVID-19. His wife worked at an international medical center in Yangon. After she fell ill two weeks ago, the administrator took the couples children from their home in Yangons Bahan Township to Pauk Khaung.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry was preparing to move the children and niecewho are now in good healthfrom Pyay General Hospital to Waibargi Hospital, where the mother is receiving treatment.

Union Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye also wrote on his Facebook that the ministry will do their best to help look after these children and will also work to provide them counseling.

According to the Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar had reported a total of 22 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday. All 19 surviving patients are in stable condition.

You may also like these stories:

Chinese COVID-19 Specialists Arrive in Yangon

Myanmar Rights Groups Urge Release of Low-Risk Prisoners Amid Outbreak Fears

Myanmar Scraps Restrictions on Movement in Two Regions
Ocean View, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2020 -- In terms of regional landscape, U.S. endoscopy market held a major share of over 40% of the overall industry in 2017 and is projected to procure a substantial chunk of the global landscape over the analysis period owing to rise in number of gynecology and obstetrics surgeries along with technological advancements in endoscopes. It has been estimated that over 500,000 women undergo hysterectomy every year in the U.S. Rapid adoption of advanced technologies across the region is estimated to stimulate endoscopy market size over 2018-2024.



Arthroscopy is another application arena that has been gaining renewed prominence in the endoscopy market of late. The growing concern among the specialists about the disadvantages of a traditional approach to diagnosing femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, and other issues related to hip joints has been encouraging them to innovate next-gen instruments. Recognizing the significance of educating research scholars about the effective treatment of hip impingements, many U.S.-based medical centers and universities have included hip arthroscopy in their syllabus. This approach of medical education centers will help them treat rapidly increasing number of cases of hip impingements effectively, owing to the ample availability of trained professionals. The use of endoscopy in arthroscopy applications leads to the minimization of post-operative pain and other associated comorbidities. The post-treatment benefits of arthroscopy treatment in terms of recovery and comfort are certain to fuel U.S. endoscopy industry size.



Global Endoscopy Market Size will hit USD 40 billion by 2024; according to a new research study published by Global Market Insights, Inc.



Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2655



Once considered a highly risky procedure, minimally invasive surgeries have now gained extreme popularity, fueling endoscopy market share. As this type of surgery delivers an excellent outcome by reducing injury to the tissues, the use of endoscopy has increased lately across the medical domain. Considering the escalating acceptance of this non-surgical procedure across myriad hospitals, endoscopy industry giants have been steadfastly working toward advancing existing endoscopic systems. The frequent launch of technologically advanced minimally invasive surgical instruments along with the development of numerous suturing procedures is certain to propel endoscopy market trends over the years ahead.

Endoscopies come with a slew of advantages, enabling doctors to perform any critical operation without the need for major surgery, while simultaneously facilitating a shorter period of recovery with lesser risk of complications. Taking into account the operational benefits of endoscopy, most of the research communities and leading healthcare facilities are now looking forward to brainstorming new techniques across this vertical. In fact, many healthcare service providers have even been joining hands to establish training centers, through which they plan to deploy minimally invasive endoscopy facilities across the globe on a large scale.



Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2655



Validating the aforementioned fact, few days before, the Thailand based medical facility provider, Samitivej Hospital signed a deal with Sano Hospital, a Japanese healthcare facility specializing in endoscopy. Sano is renowned for its development of gastrointestinal endoscopy techniques, which could be extensively used for detecting cancerous tissues. Through this partnership, the two parties have introduced new gastrointestinal endoscopy techniques that can help in the removal early-stage tissues of esophageal, colorectal, and gastric cancers. As per statistics, colon cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths across the world. Reportedly, cases of colon cancer have been increasing from last few years and it has become a most influencing factor for the rise of mortality rate across Thailand.



Speaking along the same line, this cooperation program will also emerge to be quite beneficial for the Thai medical facility, considering the expertise that Sano Hospital possesses with regards to endoscopy techniques. In addition, with the help Sano's latest innovation, Samitivej Hospital also plans to encourage its Liver and Digestive Institute better serve the patients suffering from alcohol induced problems, colorectal cancers, fatty liver diseases, gallstones, and infections. The Samitivej-Sano agreement is an apt instance depicting the collaborative approach of numerous healthcare service providers and how they will serve to enhance the future prospects of endoscopy industry.



Major industry players contributing towards endoscopy market include B.Braun, Conmed Corporation, Boston Scientific, Cook Medical LLC, Fujifilm Corporation, Ethicon US, LLC, Hoya Corporation, Medtronic, Storz, Olympus Corporation, Smith & Nephew PLC, Stryker and Richard Wolf GmbH. These industry players are focusing on strategies for expansion as well as development of novel and technologically advanced products and devices. Also, they are introducing new endoscopy devices in order to establish their position, in turn augmenting endoscopy market size.

Browse Report Summary @ https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/endoscopy-market



The approach of leading endoscopy market giants and well-known research institutes toward product development and innovations will prove to be one of the revenue generating aspects for this vertical. As the requirement of products for diagnosing various kinds of terminal diseases increases, the deployment of minimally invasive surgery equipment will also observe an upsurge, generating lucrative opportunities for the players in endoscopy industry. In addition, many hospitals specializing in endoscopy have been lately organizing training programs to educate doctors and nurses about newly invented technologies related to the field. With the rise in the popularity of minimally invasive surgeries and the increasing number of R&D programs, endoscopy market will register a CAGR of 6% over 2018-2024.
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2020  Crooner Bing Crosby knew a thing or two about sound. In 1947, recognizing that recorded music sounded better on magnetic reel-to-reel tape than on vinyl records, he invested in a company to develop equipment to record his radio shows. Soon, reel-to-reel tapes and recording and playback machines were a household craze. Now, as reel-to-reel tapes make a comeback among audio buffs, scientists are unraveling the secret of why some decades-old tapes are unplayable, while others retain their original superb audio fidelity.

The researchers are presenting their results through the American Chemical Society (ACS) SciMeetings online platform.

It is a mystery why some tapes hold up and others dont, says Andrew R. Davis, Ph.D. I talked to audio technicians to ask what they do to remedy unplayable tapes. They knew that heating degraded tapes worked, and they used everything from toaster ovens to hair dryers. But no one knew exactly why heat worked, and sometimes the tapes reverted quickly to being unplayable. We are trying to find out why.

The project is of special interest to Davis, a polymer chemist at the Library of Congress (LC), which has nearly 200,000 reels of audio tapes spanning recordings of popular musicians, National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast archives and the American Folklife Center. The collections are used by scholars and documentary producers around the world. Universities, private citizens and museums also have aging reel-to-reel tapes, and Davis emphasizes that his work could help them preserve recordings in their collections, as well.

Reel-to-reel tapes are generally comprised of a multilayer polyester-urethane polymer containing various additives and lubricants. Tapes that degrade often have sticky-shed syndrome, which is created by the deterioration of binders in a magnetic tape that hold the iron oxide magnetizable coating to its plastic carrier or that hold the thinner back-coating on the outside of the tape. Sticky-shed syndrome leaves a residue that can damage the tape and playback equipment.

The sweet spot for thermal treatment of tapes appears to be around 130 F, Davis says. In his studies, Davis used sample tapes from LCs analytical lab that are representative of the librarys valuable collections. On most of the tapes he studied, he observed that residues on the surface of the binder layer were crystalline and polyester-like. He also found that these residues melted back into the bulk polymer layer upon heating, turning an unplayable tape into a playable one. It turns out that the crystals re-appear, or bloom, on the tape surface when they become unplayable again. His studies of thermal transitions in the magnetic layer and polyethylene terephthalate support film indicate that a single component does not account for tape degradation and that the detrimental residues are not isolated to the tape binder layer.

This research also confirmed what we heard from audio technicians, that thermally treated tapes that were wound on reels reverted to a visibly deteriorated condition within a few weeks, Davis says. Surprisingly, we found that when our small unwound test samples of tape were thermally treated, they appeared to be optically fine even after weeks. Clearly being wound has some effect on the tapes.

One explanation is that when you bake and melt the tape residues, they transfer to the backside of the adjacent, nonmagnetic layer of tape. As it cools down, it retransfers to the oxide layer if the tape is tightly wound, Davis says. Or perhaps the pressure of winding the reel has something to do with the melting and recrystallization process. Davis and his colleagues are studying those possibilities now.

Despite the ongoing mystery, Davis has advice for people who love their stashes of reel-to-reel tapes and want to know how to store or restore their old tapes. The best bet is to buy a good technical oven to control the temperature of restoration and good playback equipment, rather than highly specific environmental controls, he says. You probably wouldnt want to store your tapes in a sauna, but normal seasonal changes in temperature and humidity seem to bode well for tape storage.

###

The researchers acknowledge support and funding from the Library of Congress.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. The Society is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder and STN), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Title

Towards understanding the thermal remediation of degraded archival reel-to-reel audio tapes

Abstract

The Library of Congress holds nearly 200,000 reels of audio tape, spanning recordings of popular musicians, the American Folklife Center, and NPR broadcast archives. These tapes are generally comprised of a multilayer polyester-urethane material containing various additives and lubricants, and over the past few decades, many archival tapes have been observed to show signs of surface degradation resulting in unplayability. The most common treatment for an unplayable audio tape is a thermal remediation baking treatment where the tape is exposed to temperatures near 50 C for multiple hours. While this thermal treatment usually succeeds in allowing for clean playback of the degraded tapes, the mechanisms underlying the thermal treatment have remained unclear.

The Librarys Preservation Research and Testing Division has used modulated differential scanning calorimetry, heat-stage microscopy, and artificial aging to study the thermal transitions which occur during remedial tape baking. In most cases of tape degradation, crystalline polyester-like residues were observed on the surface of the tapes polymeric binder layer, and these residues were observed to melt back into the bulk polymer binder. However, as noted by seasoned audio technicians and archivists, thermal baking treatments are not permanent. Baked tapes are known to slowly revert back to unplayable condition. Additional time-based experiments identified phase separation in these treated tapes over time, with melted residues eventually blooming and re-appearing at the tape surface. Thermal transitions were also identified in both the magnetic layer and the PET support film, indicating that one single component cannot be attributed for tape breakdown and that the detrimental residues were not isolated to the tape binder layer.

Learnings from these lab-scale experiments, undertaken on small samples of audio tape, are now being used on full-sized audio tape reels to understand how these thermal processed may proceed in tightly-wound real-world tapes to better inform preservation processes.
Seven West Media's Pacific Magazines is taking Bauer Media to court to compel the German-owned publisher to complete the $40 million acquisition of its business. Bauer Media's takeover of the New Idea and WHO publisher was to be completed on Thursday after the deal was cleared by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on March 26, but the court case has raised concerns the transaction may now be delayed. Bauer Media chief executive Brendon Hill was expected to lead the joint business. Credit:Jacky Ghossien Former Pacific Magazines chief executive Gereurd Roberts told staff on Wednesday that the transaction may still go ahead as planned on Thursday, but staff will be expected to work for Seven West Media's magazine arm for another four to six weeks if there is a delay Bauer Media and Pacific are due in court on April 17. Seven West Media said in an ASX statement the contract was unconditional and Bauer solicitors had contacted the company noting it was aware of its obligations under the agreement. According to Seven sources, the case is a "normal commercial list proceeding" to ensure Bauer Media completes its side of the contractual agreement. It is unclear whether Bauer Media informed Seven its intention to default on the deal.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported in late March that the downturn in advertising had caused Bauer to consider cutting staff and wanted to renegotiate the price for Pacific, which industry sources say could now be worth about $20 million. Pacific sources stressed that Bauer Media was obliged to pay the full $40 million that had been negotiated when the deal was made. But sources familiar with the transaction have said there is no financial guarantee by Bauer Media's parent company, Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG. Seven declined to comment. Loading Bauer Media last week suspended the use of freelance journalists and halted staff expense claims, a further sign the business may not be in a financial position to pay the $40 million. The cost-cutting initiatives by the publisher of Australian Women's Weekly and Woman's Day coincided with a decision by its German parent company to close its New Zealand magazine operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific staff expecting to commence employment with Bauer Media are yet to hear from the company. Multiple industry sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity last week expressed concerns Bauer could be put into administration to avoid going through with the purchase, or be forced to shut down multiple titles if it couldn't renegotiate the price. The Bauer family, which owns Bauer Media, had been looking to exit the Australian market late last year and was in discussions with private equity firm Mercury Capital about a transaction.
Citizens and leaders of the Pueblo of Zuni are increasingly sounding alarms as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise dramatically in their community in New Mexico.

In a social media update on Tuesday, Governor Val Panteah confirmed 14 positive cases. That's double the number from the prior results he released.

And in a separate notice on the same day, Panteah confirmed the first coronavirus related death of a tribal citizen.

"Our hearts go out to the family and everyone who is impacted by the tragic loss of a tribal member," Panteah said in a news release

Panteah on April 3 instituted a curfew on the reservation . But in his post on social media , the governor sounded upset about the lack of compliance.

"One death. I dont know how else to put it but all of you need to stay home! I would ask you, is travel really necessary? Every time you leave your home, you are taking a risk against your health maybe even death!" Panteah said.

Responses to the post have been just as severe.

"At this rate, the entire tribe will be extinct," one person said.

Reminder that a curfew has been implemented until further notice from the Pueblo of Zuni Governor. Posted by Pueblo of Zuni on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Residents have cited some major concerns that appear to be contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. Despite ordering restrictions, Panteah previously said his directives do not apply to religious activities and ceremonies on the pueblo.

"Zunis need to understand that even though everyone at the night dance homes were blessed you can't just rely on religion alone!" one person said.

In response, Panteah said he was going to have people who have been participating in ceremonies tested.

"With the religious activities, we are talking with the state to do mobile testing," the governor said.

Notice: Starting 04/08/2020 we will be limiting the number of customers in our store to 20% of total capacity. We're... Posted by Halona Marketplace on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

A second concern is connected to the lack of social distancing at Halona Marketplace , a grocery store that has continued to serve the community during the pandemic. Amid complaints, the business said it start limiting patron access on Wednesday.

"We're confident that we'll be able to serve you well but we need your help," a post on social media read. "Please help us enforce social distancing by doing your part."

Tribal citizens aren't the only ones concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in Pueblo communities. Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) on Wednesday said Indian Country has been "hit particularly hard" by COVID-19.

"We are getting distressing updates about outbreaks at San Felipe Pueblo and Zia Pueblo," Udall, the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs , told reporters during a conference call.

As of Tuesday, San Felipe has 52 COVID-19 cases while Zia has 31, representing more than 3 percent of its population. The situation at Zia is so dire that the two top officials of the reservation -- the governor and the lieutenant governor -- are among those with the disease, several people familiar with the tribe told Indianz.Com.

"We can't get federal resources to tribes soon enough," said Udall.

But where the federal government has not stepped in, the state of New Mexico is taking action. Gov. Michellle Lujan Griaham (D), who previously served in the U.S. Congress, is implementing widespread testing at Pueblos -- the same kind Panteah referenced -- through the state Department of Health.

"The @NMDOH has conducted extensive testing in both pueblos and is working with tribal officials to contain the spread of #COVID19 in these communities and provide care to those who have tested positive," Lujan Griaham said on social media on Wednesday as the results from San Felipe and Zia sent shockwaves through the state.

With #COVID19 clusters being detected in some of their communities, widespread #Coronavirus testing is occurring among Pueblo tribes in #NewMexico. https://t.co/QGBqZYTBdu  indianz.com (@indianz) April 8, 2020

The Pueblo of Zuni is located in McKinley County, where an outbreak has emerged in Gallup, the largest city in the region. According to the state , 55 cases have been reported in the county, along with two deaths, as of Tuesday.

Though the state has not broken out numbers by race, the data indicates that the overwhelming number of cases are of Native Americans. As of Tuesday, the Navajo Nation reported 32 of its citizens in McKinley County have tested positive.

COVID-19 cases and deaths are growing at a very alarming rate on the Navajo Nation," President Jonathan Nez said on Monday.

When the numbers from Zuni are taken into account, that would mean nearly 84 percent of the cases in McKinley County are citizens of the two tribes.

The 57 hr curfew will apply to all residents in the Ramah Navajo boundary and surrounding communities (Candykitchen,... Posted by Ramah Navajo Chapter House on Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Many people from Zuni travel to Gallup often to shop and to engage in educational, health, social and other activities. The same is true for citizens of the Navajo Nation, both on the main reservation and at the Ramah Chapter

The Ramah Chapter, also located in McKinley County, is separated from the main reservation. Despite its remote nature, 10 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

And just like Zuni, complying with curfews and social distancing guidelines has been an issue.

"We are seeing groups of people driving back from town or from the store. Please stop traveling in groups," the chapter said in a post on social media on Tuesday.

Ramah Navajo Chapter: COVID 19 Outbreak in Ramah Navajo PHHC

The situation is further complicated by the close distance between Zuni and Ramah -- they are only about 20 miles apart. As the outbreaks in the communities were emerging, Zuni officials last month confirmed that people from Ramah were continuing to visit the Indian Health Service center at the pueblo , in addition to utilizing a clinic in their chapter. People from both places have been patients at the Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup.

Both Zuni and Ramah fall within the Albuquerque Area of the IHS , where COVID-19 cases have exploded. The number of positive cases in the region increased by 152 percent in just one day over the weekend.

"The Governor can only do and say so much. Its up to the people to listen and comply," one person from Zuni said on social media.

The total number of positive tests for COVID-19 has reached 426 for the Navajo Nation as of Tuesday  an increase of 42 positive cases since Monday. There is now a total of 17 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/F1driam4zr  Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) April 8, 2020

Leaders of the Navajo Nation have repeatedly implored their citizens to abide by stay at home orders and social distancing guidelines. But it hasn't been enough so the reservation this weekend will be on a 57-hour curfew

"The Navajo Nation can implement and enforce curfews and restrictions, but ultimately its up to you. We must practice Taa hwo ajiteego, self-determination, our Dine people must know that they also have the power to prevent the spread of COVID-19," President Nez said on Tuesday. " We have the power to save lives, especially those that have compromised immune systems. We must work together to protect our people, our way of life and who we are as Dine.

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

E.W. Jackson Sr.

April 8, 2020



OPINION, April 8, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by E.W. Jackson Sr.:

There is much speculation about the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. How long will it take for the economy to recover? Will this forever change the social behavior of Americans? Is shaking hands a practice of the past? Is social distancing the way of the future?



However, there are far more profound questions that no one seems to be asking. Are we witnessing the permanent erosion of respect for the Constitution? Are we allowing state and local governments to exercise power beyond their constitutional boundaries?



America is founded on the principle that freedom and fundamental rights do not come from government, but from God. The Declaration of Independence says that all human beings "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Governments are instituted "to secure these rights."



We are rightly alarmed by the threat of the coronavirus, but an even more dangerous long-term threat is how this crisis is eroding our God-given rights under the Constitution. California Gov. Gavin Newsome, gleaming with satisfaction, said recently that he has the capacity "to establish a framework of martial law."



However, there is nothing in the Constitution which gives him or any other elected leader that authority. "We the people" delegate limited authority to our elected representatives. Martial law exceeds those limitations, even during a national crisis.



New York Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened churches and synagogues with permanent closure if they "...attempt to hold services after having been told...not to."



Is the mere declaration of a governor or mayor all that is needed to suspend the First Amendment? Have we allowed the coronavirus to so erode our national character that no one raises a constitutional objection to a governmental threat to permanently close any house of worship?



Our Constitution is not a symbolic document to be cast aside when it is inconvenient to follow it. We must cling all the more tightly to it during a national crisis because that is precisely when liberty is most fragile.



New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during one of his daily press briefings, "When do we get back to normal? I don't think we get back to normal. I think we get to a new normal." Governors and mayors have turned presidential guidelines into dictatorial orders. Is that the new normal? If so, it subverts the very nature of representative government.



Democrat Governor Ralph Northam recently issued a stay-at-home order in Virginia - Executive Order Fifty Five - lasting until June 10th, the day after the scheduled statewide Republican Primary. Even the most naive find that suspicious. Violators face a possible year in jail and a $2,500 fine.



For his authority, he cited Article V, Section 7 of the Constitution of Virginia, and Section 44-146.17 of the Code of Virginia. Neither of those gives him authority to do what he is doing. Article V, Section 7, says, "The Governor shall be commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Commonwealth and shall have power to embody such forces to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, and enforce the execution of the laws."



Section 44-146.17, says, "The Governor shall be Director of Emergency Management. He shall take such action from time to time as is necessary for the adequate promotion and coordination of state and local emergency services activities relating to the safety and welfare of the Commonwealth in time of disasters."



No reasonable interpretation of these provisions gives the governor power to place citizens under what is effectively house arrest. He can command Virginia's armed forces and coordinate state and local emergency services, but nothing more. Therefore, his Executive Order is unlawful.



No governor, mayor or any other officeholder has the authority to deprive citizens of liberty by edict. That is not "due process of law" as required by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Some employers have taken it upon themselves to issue employees "papers" to prove to law enforcement that they have a right to be outdoors or traveling. It may be well intentioned, but it still evokes images of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and South Africa during apartheid. The very idea of police being ordered to check citizens "papers" should shock the conscience.



Americans are law abiding, courageous and self-sacrificing. That's why there was massive volunteering after the Pearl Harbor and 911 attacks. We respond to duty, not dictates. We dare not allow hype and hysteria over the coronavirus to rob us of our national character as the land of liberty.



Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected...or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."



That remains true even during a pandemic, and we must never allow our elected officials to forget that we do not work for them. They work for us. We give them their marching orders, not the other way around.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2020 | 08:00 AM | GRAVES COUNTY

The Graves County Health Department on Wednesday announced the fifth confirmed case of COVID-19 in Graves County.

Noel Coplen, director of the local health department, said a Graves County resident in her 60s tested positive for COVID-19. She is in isolation at her home.

Coplen said the woman had been self-isolating by remaining at home and limiting contact with family and others, thus reducing infectious contact with other community members.

Coplen urged residents to be mindful of those who are at greater risk for contracting the virus, including older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The Indonesia halal haircare market is estimated to reach USD 1.27 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing preference among the Islamic population regarding ethical consumption of beauty products has contributed largely to industry growth in recent years.

Additionally, rising demand for organic and vegan-friendly products by the consumers owing to increasing awareness regarding the detrimental impacts of chemical-based products has also driven more positive outlook for halal products in the region and across the globe.

Indonesia also proposed a law stating that all products must be halal certified by 2019. This has created huge potential for these personal care products, encouraging numerous multinational cosmetic brands to launch certified products. Expanding middle-class population and their willingness to pay premium prices for quality products has also had a positive influence on industry growth as well.

The demographic structure of the country, comprising of over 60% youth, has proved beneficial for importers and manufacturers of hair care products. Young people are attracted to innovative products as they support their ethical beliefs & changing lifestyles. Labels such as organic, animal cruelty-free, and vegan are not only influencing the Islamic, but also the overall population in the country.

Shampoos were the dominant product category in 2015, with over 33% of the revenue share in 2015 and expected to grow at a rapid pace over the forecast period. Hijab-wearing women often face issues such as dandruff, hair-fall and limp, dull, lifeless hair, which are being targeted using specific shampoos containing natural ingredients.

Access Research Report of Indonesia Halal Hair Care Market@ http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/indonesia-halal-hair-care-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Conditioners are expected to experience highest growth with a CAGR of 12.2% over the forecast period. Conditioners specially catering to issues regarding covered hair, by improving volume and bounce for flat tresses are expected to drive segment growth.

increasing fashion consciousness and entry of multinational companies with extensive product portfolios has also driven growth in the color segment. Men are also latching onto coloring trends, leading to an increase in demand for halal-certified colors with low synthetic content.

Key players include Unilever, Loreal, Procter & Gamble, Clara International, Wardah, Sariayu Cosmetics, Iba Halal and Saaf Skincare among others

Unilever recently signed a partnership with New York based Francesca Fusco for the launch of Sunsilk Clean & Fresh in order to target women wearing hijabs on a regular basis

Grand View Research has segmented the Indonesia halal hair care market on the basis of product.

Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

Shampoo

Hair Color

Hair Conditioners

Hair Oil

Styling Products

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Pets are not likely to contract the coronavirus, or give it to humans, despite new information.

If COVID-19 is transmissible between pets and humans, cats might slightly be more at risk than dogs for getting the virus, based on early research.

There are a "handful" of cases indicating humans could transmit COVID-19 to animals including cats and dogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but no cases of animals transmitting it to humans. Some animal organizations and the CDC recommend caution anyway.

The American Housing Survey, as part of the U.S. Census, found in 2017 that of households surveyed 49% owned pets, the Washington Post reported. A more recent survey by the American Pet Products Association came in at 67%.

"As we continue to learn more, its important to note that since cats and dogs are mammals, the possibility of human-to-cat transmission, and vice versa, does technically exist, a post on Cornells Feline Health Centers website reads.

A new Chinese study concludes cats can contract coronavirus and potentially spread it to each other. Coupled with a series of coronavirus cases in tigers at the Bronx Zoo, the new observations are raising questions, although cats and tigers arent the same species. The two species are part of the same cat

The study, conducted in a lab setting, based its observations on a small sample size of cats. Researchers found viral genetic material in organs and feces of cats given the virus and and those in close proximity, concluding that cats could contract and transmit the virus among one another.

The same study tested dogs, and assessed low susceptibility.

Besides not yet being peer-reviewed, there were other limitations to the study.

Yes, people should embrace their pets. These researchers squirted the virus down the cats nose in high concentration, which is pretty artificial, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Childrens Hospital of Pittsburghs Dr. John Williams told CNN.

A cat in Belgium tested positive after its owner was diagnosed with coronavirus and showed signs of being ill, but researchers need to test for antibodies to see if the symptoms were linked with the presence of the virus, according to Science News.

Although COVID-19 likely originated from an animal source (suspect bats), this does not mean that all animals can be infected with or transmit COVID-19, Linda Saif, an Ohio State University virologist and expert on coronaviruses, wrote in an email. Not all coronaviruses cross-infect other species and some are more species specific.

She noted that there are feline and canine coronaviruses, and none of them affect humans. SARS, the coronavirus that bears 80% similarity to the virus that causes COVID-19, infected cats in an experimental setting, but there were few natural cases and no evidence that the virus could spread from cats to humans.

A house cat is unlikely to have much contact with people outside of its family, and theres not enough research to show how much repeated exposure to an infected human an outside cat would need to get to contract the virus.

Theres little evidence to show that pet fur could be a surface where the disease could spread.

University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine assistant professor Will Sander told cleveland.coms Adam Ferrise that even if someone with COVID-19 sneezed on a pet and then you snuggled it, its unlikely that the pet would transmit the disease.

The only virus known that cats spread to humans is rabies, if the pet is bitten by an infected animal. There are a number of illnesses cats can transmit to humans, but based in bacteria or protozoa, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center.

Despite only preliminary research existing on this topic, both the Feline Health Center and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention issued precautions.

Both recommend anyone with COVID-19 limit interaction with pets and wash their hands before and after interacting with them, if its unavoidable.

Many organizations, including the Cleveland Animal Protective League, recommend preparing a back-up plan for care.

The Feline Health Center recommends in a post on its website to quarantine a pet if owners see signs of respiratory illness or fever, to wash hands before and after handling them and to contact a veterinarian immediately.
Visitors and exhibitors wear masks at the Arab Health Exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 29 January. (Kamran Jebreili/AP)

Troubled Middle Eastern hospital group NMC Health is on the verge of falling into administration after failing to reach a deal with creditors.

NMC, which was until recently part of the FTSE 100, said in a brief statement on Wednesday afternoon it had failed to reach a deal with creditors trying to place it into administration.

As a result, NMC warned it expects the company to be placed into administration in due course.

It emerged over the weekend that Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) has applied to the UKs High Court to forcibly appoint administrators to NMC Health. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday 9 April.

NMC had been trying to convince ADCB and other creditors to abandon the action but said on Wednesday it had not been able to secure their alignment and support despite strenuous efforts to address concerns.

The administration push comes after months of scandal and turmoil at the company.

US short seller Muddy Waters raised questions about the companys true level of debt in December. NMC vigorously denied the allegations and hired a former FBI director to investigate the claims.

Trading in NMCs shares was suspended in February after the independent investigation found inconsistencies in the companys finances. The UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened an investigation into the business at the same time.

Last month, NMC said investigators had discovered $2.7bn (2.2bn) of undisclosed debt, more than double what the company had previously announced. Other inconsistencies have also been discovered and the company has had trouble clarifying the ownership of shares among key investors.

NMC Healths management have largely been cleared out since the start of the year as it struggles to repair the damage.

NMC operates around 200 hospitals in the Middle East, mostly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and distributes medical supplies in the region.

Shares had lost over 60% of their value by the time trading was halted but the company was still worth 2bn at the time of suspension. NMC Health was relegated from the FTSE 100 while trading was still suspended. Shares remain suspended.
Amaravati, April 8 : Four healthcare personnel in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19.

All the four employees, two of them said to be doctors, had treated a 68-year-old patient, who died of COVID-19 at Government General Hospital in Anantapur town on March 26.

As many as 29 healthcare staff of the hospital who had attended on the patient were quarantined.

Anantapur district medical and health officer (DMHO) Anil Kumar confirmed that four of them tested positive. He said they might have been infected because of some lapses in taking care while treating the patient.

Anantapur district on Wednesday registered seven new cases, including the four medical personnel.

In all, the state reported 19 new cases, taking the state's tally to 348. Three of the patients were discharged on Wednesday. With this the number of patients recovered and discharged reached nine.

Meanwhile, the state government took control of 58 private hospitals in different districts as a part of the preparation for the coming weeks. Officials said about 19,500 beds have been readied.

The health department declared 146 red zones considering the number of cases reported from respective areas.
Delek US Holdings (NYSE:DK) shareholders are no doubt pleased to see that the share price has bounced 40% in the last month alone, although it is still down 48% over the last quarter. However, that doesn't change the fact that longer term shareholders might have been mercilessly wrecked by the 54% share price decline throughout the year.

All else being equal, a sharp share price increase should make a stock less attractive to potential investors. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So some would prefer to hold off buying when there is a lot of optimism towards a stock. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

Check out our latest analysis for Delek US Holdings

How Does Delek US Holdings's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?

Delek US Holdings's P/E of 4.34 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. The image below shows that Delek US Holdings has a lower P/E than the average (7.9) P/E for companies in the oil and gas industry.

NYSE:DK Price Estimation Relative to Market April 8th 2020

Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Delek US Holdings shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.

Delek US Holdings's earnings per share fell by 4.4% in the last twelve months. But it has grown its earnings per share by 3.6% per year over the last five years.

Story continues

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.

Such spending might be good or bad, overall, but the key point here is that you need to look at debt to understand the P/E ratio in context.

How Does Delek US Holdings's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Delek US Holdings has net debt worth 88% of its market capitalization. This is enough debt that you'd have to make some adjustments before using the P/E ratio to compare it to a company with net cash.

The Bottom Line On Delek US Holdings's P/E Ratio

Delek US Holdings has a P/E of 4.3. That's below the average in the US market, which is 13.0. The P/E reflects market pessimism that probably arises from the lack of recent EPS growth, paired with significant leverage. What is very clear is that the market has become less pessimistic about Delek US Holdings over the last month, with the P/E ratio rising from 3.1 back then to 4.3 today. If you like to buy stocks that could be turnaround opportunities, then this one might be a candidate; but if you're more sensitive to price, then you may feel the opportunity has passed.

Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.

But note: Delek US Holdings 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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 06:39:47|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member removes barricades near an expressway toll station in northern Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 8, 2020. Wuhan, the megacity in central China, started lifting outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- As cars queued up at expressway toll gates and passengers prepared to board trains to leave Wuhan, the megacity in central China started lifting outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19.

At Fuhe toll gate in nothern Wuhan, cars honked horns and rushed out after barricades were removed at midnight.

Guo Lei, who ran a business in Wuhan, drove his car with six other people aboard to the toll gate at around 8:40 p.m. and waited for a homebound trip.

"I can't wait returning to my hometown," said Guo, a native of east China's Shandong Province. "I have lived in Wuhan for eight years. During the Spring Festival holiday, my relatives came to the city and helped me deliver goods. We were all stranded here due to the epidemic."

Big data from Wuhan traffic police forecasted the expressways would see the peak of outbound vehicles on Wednesday.

As more enterprises resume their operations, Wuhan has seen an increase of nearly 400,000 vehicles in transit in the past half month, and the number is expected to reach 1.8 million after Wednesday, according to the city's traffic police.

Traffic police will release real-time traffic information through radio stations, online social platforms, and map apps.

"I'm very happy to see the lockdown was lifted. The reopening of outbound traffic represents the epidemic situation has improved, and our hard work over the past two months has paid off," said Fang Jing, a staff member of an expressway toll station in Wuhan.

"We still need to protect ourselves from the virus and remind passengers to pay attention to personal health since the epidemic is not yet over," Fang added.

At Wuchang Railway Station, a total of 442 passengers jumped on the train K81 early Wednesday, which is heading for Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

More than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday, and about 40 percent of them are going to the Pearl River Delta Region. A total of 276 passenger trains will leave Wuhan for Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities.

The railway authorities required passengers to scan health codes and have temperatures checked when entering the stations and wear masks to reduce the risks of infection.

Workers have disinfected bullet trains, the entrance and exits, waiting halls and platforms of the railway stations in advance.

"We have carried out maintenance, disinfection and epidemic prevention on more than 100 electric multiple units (EMU) of bullet trains in the past two months to prepare for the day when we resume operation," said an employee of China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The high-speed train G431 will depart from Wuhan Railway Station at 7:06 a.m. Wednesday. It will be the first high-speed train that departs from Wuhan since the city's lockdown is lifted.

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport started resuming domestic passenger flights early Wednesday. The airport is expected to see more than 200 inbound and outbound flights on the day, according to the airport.

"The crew will wear goggles, masks, and gloves throughout the flight," said Guo Binxue, chief attendant of the flight MU2527, the first flight that is scheduled to depart from Wuhan at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday since the city's lockdown was lifted. "It will be very smooth because we have made much preparation for this flight."

Guo said flight attendants would provide masks for passengers if they had fever, cough and other symptoms, and record their personal information and contact history within 14 days. "We have simplified the service process to better protect everyone's health," Guo added.

On Jan. 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains, in an attempt to contain the epidemic.
[April 07, 2020] Digital Realty Powers on Third Data Centre in Singapore

SINGAPORE, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today it has officially 'powered on' Digital Loyang II (SIN12), its third data centre in Singapore. The new, 50-megawatt SIN12 facility marks a significant extension of the company's global roadmap for critical infrastructure deployments on PlatformDIGITAL. The project is partially pre-leased to a major Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation, a global industry leader in digital banking, fintech and sustainability, along with a leading global cloud provider. The SIN12 facility provides an efficient, sustainable, secure and regulatory compliant location that will help customers build a future-proof foundation for their data centre strategy. "Digital Realty's top priority is the health and safety of our employees, partners and customers, and we are focused on ensuring that our global platform supports business continuity for all our customers especially during the challenges posed by the current global pandemic," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "The development of our third data centre in Singapore underscores our long-term commitment to supporting the country's digital economy as well as its fast-growing fintech industry, and to help keep critical industries functioning. The new facility will be one of the most energy-efficient data centres in Singapore and will help our customers realise their digital ambitions as well as their sustainability goals." Digital Loyang II is adjacent to Digital Loyang I, or SIN11. The two facilities are connected by diverse high-count fiber routes, enabling customers in both facilities to connect directly via dark fiber cross-connects and to access numerous network and service providers. The Digital Loyang campus is located less than 25 kilometres from Singapore's central business district and will provide up to 50 megawatts of critical power capacity to regional and global customers. The new development has been designed for highly energy-efficient operation with limited water usage and environmental impact and has already achieved a Platinum certification under Singapore's BCA Green Mark building assessment system. The Green Mark certification scheme is a green building rating system designed to evaluate a building's environmental impact and performance. It provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings to promte sustainable design and best practices in construction and operations.



Both the existing SIN11 and SIN12 facilities are strategically located close to the Changi North Cable landing station, a key sub-sea internet hub for the region. The new multi-story SIN12 facility offers a total footprint of 34,000 square metres and will ultimately broaden opportunities for global enterprise customers to expand their core digital assets on PlatformDIGITAL in the key Singapore market. "We are excited to announce that the power is now on at SIN12," said Mark Smith, APAC Managing Director for Digital Realty. "Singapore is a key global data center market and a global leader in the development and adoption of emerging technologies. Applications including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and blockchain technology are already being used across various industries, and 5G usage is expected to grow with the roll-out of commercial networks in the coming year. With our new facility, we are well-positioned to help our customers drive their next phase of growth."

Singapore is one of the world's leading centres for business and finance, transportation and logistics, as well as technology manufacturing, and is a major digital economy hub. Singapore is currently ranked sixth in the Digital Capitals Index, and is projected to move up one spot in the global ranking to fifth place overall by 2024. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain and 5G are expected to be key contributors to Singapore's growth as a major digital economy over the next decade. The contribution of these four digital technologies to the Singapore economy was estimated to be worth approximately S$12.5 billion in 2019, with the Internet of Things representing 51% (S$6.4 billion). The contribution of these technologies to the annual value of Singapore's economy is expected to grow to S$29.4 billion by 2024 and is projected to reach $49.8 billion by 2029. About Digital Realty

Digital Realty supports the data center, colocation and interconnection strategies of customers across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare and consumer products. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter . For more information:

Omer Wilson

Digital Realty APAC

+65 6505 3951

[email protected] Media & Industry Analyst Relations

Marc Musgrove

Digital Realty

+1 (415) 508-2812

[email protected] Investor Relations

John Stewart

Digital Realty

+1 (415) 738-6500

[email protected] Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to our SIN12 facility, including timeline for completion, expected IT load, square footage and energy-efficient operation, PlatformDIGITAL, our expectations for the Singapore economy, including impact from emerging technologies, and our Digital Capitals Index research. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-realty-powers-on-third-data-centre-in-singapore-301037066.html SOURCE Digital Realty

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[April 08, 2020] Prudential Financial, Inc. to Announce First Quarter 2020 Earnings; Schedules Conference Call

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) will release its first quarter 2020 earnings on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, after the market closes. The earnings news release, the financial supplement and related materials will be posted on the company's Investor Relations website at investor.prudential.com. Members of Prudential's senior management will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. ET, to discuss with the investment community the company's first quarter results. Conference Call Information The conference call will be broadcast live over the company's Investor Relations website at investor.prudential.cm. Please log on 15 minutes early in the event necessary software needs to be downloaded.



Institutional investors, analysts and other members of the professional financial community are invited to listen to the call and participate in the Q&A by dialing one of the following numbers. All others may join the conference call in listen-only mode. Domestic: (877) 336-4437 (Toll Free)

International: (234) 720-6985

Access Code: 2805600

Replay Information The call will be made available from 4:00 p.m. ET on May 6 through May 13 via the following dial-in numbers: Domestic: (866) 207-1041 (Toll Free)

International: (402) 970-0847

Replay Code: 5477753 A replay will also be available on the Investor Relations website through May 20. Questions may be directed to Investor Relations at [email protected]. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2019, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005093/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Macron Calls On Iran To Respect Nuclear Obligations In Call With Rohani

By RFE/RL April 07, 2020

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Iran to respect its nuclear obligations as the world focuses its attention on the coronavirus pandemic.

In a phone call on April 6, Macron told Iranian President Hassan Rohani that the international community must come together to fight the spread of the virus.

Macron hopes Iran will "turn to the respect of its nuclear obligations, refrain from taking new measures contrary to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and contribute to the easing of regional tensions," a government statement said.

Rohani's office said during the call the Iranian president called for an internationally coordinated fight against the new coronavirus and asked for support.

"Without joint global cooperation and exchange of our experiences, we cannot master this critical phase," Rohani said.

Iran is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus. The outbreak has officially infected more than 62,000 people and killed over 3,800 in the country, though many experts and critics of Tehran have said the actual figures may be much higher due to underreporting by officials.

Earlier on April 6, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the United States to ease economic sanctions on Iran and expand the licensing of sanctions-exempt items to ensure the country has access to essential humanitarian resources during the pandemic.

Iran and several countries along with the United Nations and some U.S. lawmakers have voiced similar pleas to ease sanctions.

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered Iran humanitarian assistance, but Iranian officials have rejected the offer.

Iran doesn't "need charity" from Trump, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on April 7.

"What we want is for him to STOP preventing Iran from selling oil & other products, buying its needs & making & receiving payments," Zarif wrote.

France and its EU partners remain available to continue humanitarian cooperation to help Iran fight the coronavirus, Macron said, according to the French government statement.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-france-macron- nuclear-rohani-coronavirus/30537306.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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Nurses at Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) have appealed to their employers to reinstate a special overtime arrangement introduced earlier in the year to address the trolley crisis, but which ended last week.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said it has asked the South South-West Hospital Group (SSWHG) to extend the arrangement given the exceptional circumstances we are now in.

We sought for it to be extended given the exceptional work nurses are doing on the frontline during the current crisis and the amount of goodwill they have shown, said INMO industrial relations officer Liam Conway.

However they (SSWHG) have refused.

A spokesperson for the SSWGH said: A Winter Initiative arrangement was put in place and the date of cessation of same was 31.03.20.

The spokesperson said discussions in relation to pay and conditions during Covid-19 are being managed via national discussion.

Under the arrangement that expired on March 31, part-time nurses who worked above their standard contract hours were paid overtime without having to work up to 39 hours.

Prior to the agreement, introduced in the first week of January, a flat rate had applied up to 39 hours.

The agreement with the SSWHG was part of the Winter Initiative designed to tackle the trolley crisis.

Mr Conway said the arrangement was designed to encourage part-time nurses in CUH and MUH, where the trolley crisis was particularly acute, to work longer hours.

He said many nurses and midwives are part-time as they have families and childcare commitments.

The INMO is reporting difficulties for members trying to source and pay for alternative childcare following the closure of creches.

It has called on the HSE to cover any additional childcare costs to allow its members to continue to work.

In Limerick, where nurses and midwives at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) had also benefited from the overtime arrangement under the Winter Initiative, albeit it expired in February in their case, are still awaiting payments agreed with government following last years nurses strike.

INMO industrial relations officer Mary Fogarty said nurses and midwives in the UL hospital group - which also includes Ennis, Nenagh, Croom and the maternity hospital - are still awaiting payment of a location allowance awarded last year to clinical nurse managers in surgical and medical wards.

The payment is worth 2,230 per year and is nearly a year overdue.

Another payment, the enhanced practice payment for staff nurses and midwives, is only being paid now, Ms Fogarty said.

A spokesperson for UL Hospitals: group said: Nurses who have applied for the enhanced practice contract continue to have their applications processed and payment is made once the agreed HR process is completed. Many nurses are in receipt of the payment.

The spokesperson added that the location allowance is currently been processed by HR for all eligible staff and staff who are eligible will receive the allowance.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
PORTAGE, MI  Crystal Car Wash in Kalamazoo County has agreed to cease operations after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting sent a cease and desist letter because the business was open during Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order, according to a news release from the AGs office.

The governors order went into effect on March 24, causing many businesses to close, in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Attorney Generals office and Getting last week sent a cease and desist letter to the Portage business, as it is not considered critical infrastructure under the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order and should not be maintaining on-site operations, but it was still operating. Following a discussion between the Attorney Generals office and the lawyer representing the business, operators of the car wash agreed to close, the AGs office said in a April 8 news release.

Businesses not considered critical must act responsibly and comply with the Stay Home, Stay Safe order by temporarily suspending or significantly scaling back operations to help keep their employees and customers from contracting COVID-19, Nessel said. Protecting the public health and welfare must remain a priority in this pandemic and we appreciate the cooperation of business owners everywhere that take their responsibility in that effort seriously.

The Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order prohibits any person or entity from operating a business or conducting operations that require workers to leave their homes or places of residence, except to the extent those workers are necessary to sustain or protect life or to conduct basic minimum operations, Nessel said.

A call placed to Crystal Car Wash seeking comment was not returned.

Willful violations of the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order can result in a $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail for each offense, as well as licensing penalties for businesses and other entities. Violations should be reported to law enforcement agencies overseeing the jurisdiction in which the alleged offense occurred., the news release states.

The Attorney Generals office recently added a new section to its website, Know Your Employment Rights, to provide Michigan residents with more information on the legal rights of employees and employers under the executive order. Additional information for employers can be found on the Guidance for Business page on the states website devoted to COVID-19.

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.

Read more:

Heres when federal stimulus payments should hit bank accounts

As coronavirus scare relaxes Michigan transparency laws, experts question long-term effects

GM to build 30,000 ventilators for national stockpile for $489M
Workers wearing protective suits spraying disinfectant inside an airplane as a precaution against the coronavirus at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, in March. Read more

Their public face is smiling and helpful. Greeting passengers and offering words of assurance at a time when things are frightening and uncertain.

But in their off-hours, via text messages and in private Facebook groups and interviews, the anxiety and fear of flight attendants pour out.

"I am 27 weeks pregnant and a FA," a flight attendant wrote in a private Facebook group where she and thousands of her colleagues are sharing stories about COVID-19. "On Sunday I started coughing and a sore throat, my body and chest aches, but I don't have any fever and still breathing ok, so that's my only hope. I got tested yesterday for COVID-19 and I'm praying it comes back negative. So scared for my baby. What a difficult time to be pregnant and being a FA."

A 25-year industry veteran wrote of an incident in which a man refused to ride an elevator with her.

"I feel like a leper now, like people look at us like the nastiest things that walk the earth while other ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES get praise (which is VERY MUCH DESERVED!) I'm Not feeling so great today emotionally and not feeling ver proud to be a Flight Attendant. I think a break from flying may be an option I probably should take."

From Jacksonville to Boston to Denver to Los Angeles, flight attendants say they are increasingly fearful and anxious. They have watched as the number of coronavirus cases has skyrocketed, first overseas and now in the United States, which last month reached the grim milestone of having the most confirmed cases in the world.

And now with news that one of their own  an American Airlines flight attendant based in Philadelphia  died of COVID-19 last month, that fear has deepened.

Paul Frishkorn, 65, who according to news reports died March 23, had been a flight attendant since 1997, starting his career with US Airways.

Lori Bassani, past president of the Association for Professional Flight Attendants, which represents those who fly for American Airlines, called Frishkorn a "tireless advocate for the flight attendant corps."

On Monday, Transportation Workers Union International AFL-CIO announced the death of a second flight attendant from COVID-19. He was Ralph Gismondi, 68, a JetBlue flight attendant based at John F. Kennedy International Airport who had been with the airline for more than a decade. No other details were immediately available.

A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health declined to provide details about Frishkorn's case, saying the agency does not comment on individual cases.

"Paul's death sheds a solemn light on our profession as front line workers," Bassani said, noting that in the weeks before his death, Frishkorn had spent time in the crew room at Philadelphia International Airport answering others' questions about the virus.

"It underlines the risk to our members who continue to work as 'essential workers' in the airlines," Bassani said, adding that it is a reminder that during this difficult time, "no precaution is too much to take."

Airlines have drastically reduced service due to the pandemic. Southwest announced it would fly 2,000 fewer flights this month, a roughly 40% decrease. United has cut its overall schedule by 60%, with many flights carrying only a few passengers. After a crush of travelers rushing to return home from overseas and around the country, many airports have become ghost towns. In some cases, flights are operating at only 10 to 20% full. That leaves some wondering why airlines are flying at all.

"Very clearly if you look at the maps, it's spread through air travel and that's one thing they're not stopping and until they do, they're going to continue spreading [the coronavirus] around the country," said a New York- based flight attendant.

She, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity because she feared retribution from her employer.

It is not clear how many flight attendants have been infected. Airlines declined to release numbers. However, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents those who fly for United, Alaska, Spirit and other airlines, said more than 150 members have reported testing positive for COVID-19 and an estimated 300 suspect they have contracted the virus.

Separately, officials at the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents those who fly for American Airlines, said at least 100 flight attendants have tested positive.

But the industry has adamantly opposed any shutdown of domestic traffic, saying that service needs to be available for medical professionals and first responders.

"Our elected officials want us to continue to provide safe air travel through this crisis," American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker said in a video message to employees. "And they want us to be up and flying when demand for travel picks up again. And that's what we're going to do."

Meantime, many flight attendants remain torn. One flight attendant shared a Facebook post that he said summed up where many of them are today.

"Some of us are stuck between being thankful we still have jobs to go to and terrified we still have jobs to go to."

Constant contact

The very nature of flight attendants' jobs puts them in constant contact with members of the public. In ordinary times, they enjoy these interactions. But it also makes the social distancing recommended by health officials nearly impossible and they worry that even the briefest of exchanges put everyone at risk.

"I can tell you this is the first time after 9/11 that I'm scared," said the veteran New York-based flight attendant. "It's comparable to that."

The fear is also mixed with guilt. Some worry they could have the virus and not know it. In Facebook posts, they tell stories of trying to get tested but being turned away because they weren't in a high-risk group or didn't show symptoms.

"Just statistically speaking there's bound to be people, flight attendants, pilots and passengers who have it but are asymptomatic," said an Oakland-based flight attendant, who is still working.

He feels fine now, but knows that if he continues to fly, he risks contracting the virus.

"It's spreading like wildfire at this point," he added. "It's unrealistic to think that flight attendants, pilots and passengers don't have it. Somebody has it on somebody's plane."

In a video shared by one of her friends with The Washington Post, another flight attendant had a blunt message for her colleagues: stop flying.

From her hospital bed, she recounted how she worked a nearly two-week stretch last month and felt fine. But on her day off, she began feeling congested. She thought it was allergies. Now she's hospitalized with COVID-19.

"I'm asking all of my flight attendant friends to stop flying," she said. "It's not worth it. Forget your mortgage. Forget your bills. Stay home."

Some flight attendants have stopped going home between trips, worried that they might infect their families. Others are meticulous about changing out of their work clothes before going into their houses and bathing before even getting near their loved ones.

"All of us on the front lines  we are scared," said a Boston-based flight attendant who has flown for 26 years. "We have families. I am scared  scared I'm going to bring it home."

They say the airlines have been slow to respond when they've raised concerns.

Take masks. It was only recently that most carriers allowed flight attendants, not just those flying internationally, to wear masks during flights.

Relenting on masks

Airlines said they are deeply concerned about the health and safety of their crew members and passengers and are using guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to set policy. The recommendations however are constantly being revised as health officials learn more about the virus and how it spreads. That has sometimes put carriers in conflict with their crew members.

Take the issue of masks.

Flight attendants pushed for several weeks to be allowed to wear masks while on board, but airlines initially rebuffed those requests noting that the CDC had recommended only certain people, such as health-care professionals, needed to wear them. In late March, however, most major carriers relented.

"Southwest recognizes and empathizes with the level of unease among some of our Flight Attendants, and their safety and peace of mind are important to us," the airline said in a statement outlining its decision.

Just over a week later, the CDC changed its recommendation, saying that all individuals should consider wearing masks in public to help stem the spread of the virus.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered.

Airlines said they are taking other steps to protect passengers and crew members. Delta Air Lines began putting special kits on international and now some domestic flights that include masks, wipes, hand sanitizer and thicker gloves. Other carriers are providing gloves, soap and hand sanitizer  though they acknowledge that those items are in short supply. All say they have stepped up cleaning of their aircraft. Even so, some flight attendants say thorough cleanings aren't always done.

Airlines said they also have taken steps to reduce interaction between passengers and crew members.

Southwest eliminated all snack and beverage service on its flights, though passengers can request cans of water. American did the same on short-haul flights though it still offers meals on longer flights.

And they maintain they have made changes to facilitate social distancing on flights.

JetBlue and American now block off two rows of seats near where crew members sit and seating assignments are made with the goal of maximizing distance between passengers. American Airlines is leaving half the middle seats empty on most flights.

Even with the changes, just the prospect of flying still puts many flight attendants on edge.

"When I'm not working, I can manage it," said a Jacksonville-based flight attendant. "But when I'm going to work, I get super anxious."

Adding to the anxiety, flight attendants may not know they are flying with someone who is sick or have flown with someone who later became sick. Airlines are not required to report when a crew member or passenger contracts the novel coronavirus. That responsibility falls to state or local health officials, who follow guidelines from the CDC recommending who should be notified and what steps should be taken to protect others who may have been exposed.

Some say they feel like they inhabit parallel universes: At home in New York City, one flight attendant said she follows strict rules that have been imposed on residents. She never leaves the house and doesn't interact with anyone outside her immediate family.

But her work life is the opposite: hours spent confined in an enclosed space with strangers.

"I'm trying to do all the things I'm supposed to," she said. "I live in New York City, so I don't go out  except to go to work because I don't have a choice."

Passengers have changed their habits as well, some said.

Another New York-based flight attendant said she worked on three flights to Europe before restrictions imposed by the Trump administration led to mass cancellations. On the first two, both to London she watched as one or two passengers wiped down their seats. By the time she left Barcelona, "everyone was doing it."

She, too, became more cautious: after landing in Barcelona, she headed straight to the hotel and didn't leave until it was time to fly home.

Accommodating the sick

Airlines do say they have changed policies so that flight attendants don't feel pressured to work if they are sick  something that unions have pushed them to do.

Some like JetBlue are offering additional paid time off for those with confirmed cases of COVID-19. The airline is offering flight attendants the ability to take paid time off in advance if they haven't banked enough, but that time will have to be made up in the future.

Southwest instituted an emergency time off program that allows flight attendants to take May or June, or May and June off at half pay with full medical benefits. Others like American are offering extended leaves with medical benefits.

Still, many flight attendants say they aren't sure they can afford to take time off. One New York-based flight attendant said she's worried if she takes time off, she'll have to pay more for company-provided health benefits that cover her and her family.

The Oakland-based flight attendant said even with full medical benefits, he can't afford his company's offer of time off if he's only receiving half his salary.

The reality is that as long as the airlines are flying, flight attendants and others must work.

In an internal memo to staff, Ed Baklor, vice president of flight services at JetBlue, acknowledged that these are difficult times.

Your notes express the gamut of emotions were all feeling  everything from well-wishes, frustration, gratitude, anxiety and uncertainty, he wrote. Many of the questions youve asked are the big ones Is it safe for me to do my job? Why are we still flying? These questions are complex and none of them have perfect answers.

"However with the critical nature of our work comes inherent responsibilities and yes, risks Jet Blue must continue to fly because our industry has been included in the government's list of critical businesses needed to operate during these extraordinary times."

The New York-based flight attendant called the pandemic her worst fear come true.

"I don't want my job to be done, but on the other hand I don't want to die from this either."

Added the Jacksonville flight attendant: "Honestly, I don't know what the right answer is. Should I fly? Should I not fly? I still don't know."

Still every so often, in the Facebook group where flight attendants share their fears and anxieties, there is a bit of good news.

Three days after the pregnant flight attendant first shared her worries, the 27-year-old posted an update. Hello group! I want to take a moment to say thank you for the amazing support i [got] from every one of you. This is the first time I realized the amazing family we are in this industry. My results came back today NEGATIVE thanks God.
Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Wednesday, ending an unprecedented Democratic primary and setting up a general election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

The independent senator from Vermont announced his move in a conference call with staff, after he suffered a series of crushing primary losses and the coronavirus pandemic stalled his campaign for weeks. Speaking to supporters, he said the path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination is "virtually impossible," adding that he did not want to put effort into a doomed campaign as the outbreak rips through the country.

"I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," he said in remarks livestreamed from his Vermont home.

Sanders congratulated Biden on Wednesday but did not explicitly endorse him. He called his former rival "a very decent man who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward." The senator said he would not drop off the ballot in states with upcoming primaries and try to amass more delegates in order to influence the party's platform at its August convention.

"Then together, standing united we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history," he said.

In a statement after Sanders left the race, Biden said his former rival has "created a movement" and "changed the dialogue in America." While he acknowledged that he and Sanders have different views on how quickly to move toward policy goals, he said he would continue dialogue with the senator and his supporters.

"I hope you will join us. You are more than welcome. You're needed," Biden said to Sanders' loyal following.

After early triumphs in the Democratic primary, Sanders failed to pull away from Biden as a field that once numbered more than 20 candidates dwindled. Sanders saw success from Iowa to New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado and California.

But he fell behind in the national delegate race as prominent Democrats, worried that he could become their nominee and face Trump in November, coalesced around Biden. After a string of primaries in mid-March, the former vice president racked up pledged delegates and became the race's clear front-runner. Biden has racked up 1,196 delegates, versus 883 for Sanders.

Biden's push for the nomination ground to a halt in recent weeks as a string of states delayed their primaries until June to slow the pandemic's spread. Wisconsin held its primary Tuesday after a legal battle over whether to delay it, and Sanders verbally eviscerated the conservative-majority state and U.S. Supreme Courts for decisions that led to in-person voting taking place this week. The state will not report results until next week.

Sanders ran on the promise of a political "revolution" and touted his signature single-payer "Medicare for All" plan on the campaign trail. He also promised to cancel student debt and pass free universal child care  popular proposals to expand the social safety net that his rivals nonetheless criticized as unrealistic and expensive.

The senator lapped the field in fundraising with perhaps the most successful small-dollar donor operation ever. Though Sanders saw sustained success among young and Latino voters, Biden consistently won over black voters and older Democrats as he topped Sanders in a series of key states such as Texas and Michigan.

A week after his Michigan triumph, Biden crushed his rival in Florida, another delegate-heavy state.

As centrist candidates dropped out of the race to endorse Biden before and after Super Tuesday on March 3, Sanders decried an effort by the party establishment to defeat him.

After the senator left the race Wednesday, Trump continued his efforts to try to win over disillusioned supporters, many of whom do not identify with the Democratic Party. He tweeted that the "Bernie people should come to the Republican Party," apparently citing their agreement on trade protectionism.

Sanders' period as the race's front-runner followed a remarkable rebound from a heart attack last year. The oldest candidate to run for president this year, Sanders experienced "chest discomfort," during an Oct. 1 event, according to campaign advisor Jeff Weaver.

Testing revealed a "blockage in one artery" and two stents were inserted, Weaver added. Sanders missed only a small amount of time on the campaign trail.

He first vaulted to national fame with a strong 2016 primary race against Hillary Clinton. In his remarks Wednesday, Sanders said that "over the past five years, our movement has won the ideological struggle."

He cited increased support in public polls for a $15 per hour minimum wage and a single-payer health care system, among other issues he said were once considered "radical and fringe."

"In terms of health care, this current horrific crisis we are now in has exposed for all to see how absurd our current employer-based health insurance system is," he said, in highlighting how millions of people who lose their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak will also forfeit their coverage.

Sanders promised to push forward with the movement he has propelled since the 2016 election.

"Let us go forward together, the struggle continues," he said in closing his remarks to supporters.

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Leila Miller

LA Times

April 7, 2020





The criminal case against the leader of a Mexico-based megachurch on charges that included child rape and human trafficking was ordered dismissed Tuesday by a California appeals court on procedural grounds  a decision that will resound heavily with church followers worldwide who have maintained their leader's innocence.





Naason Joaquin Garcia, known among La Luz del Mundo's members as the apostle of Jesus Christ, had been in custody since June following his arrest on accusations involving three minors and one adult between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County, with counts that took place in 2019 later added.





He had denied wrongdoing and was held without bail in Los Angeles.





While in jail, he had remained the spiritual leader of La Luz del Mundo, which is Spanish for "The Light of the World." Garcias arrest sparked emergency prayer services throughout the congregations of his Guadalajara-based church that has claimed more than 5 million followers worldwide. Since then, the organization, which was founded by Garcia's grandfather, had continued to support the apostle.





The appeals court ruled that because Garcia's preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner and he did not waive his right to one after an amended complaint, the complaint filed against him must be dismissed.





This is a long overdue recognition that the government has violated Mr. Garcias constitutional right to a speedy trial and reasonable bond, Alan Jackson, Garcias attorney, said in a statement. In their zeal to secure a conviction at any cost, the attorney general has sought to strip Mr. Garcia of his freedom without due process by locking him up without bail on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations by unnamed accusers and by denying him his day in court.





It was not clear when Garcia would be released. The attorney general's office said it was reviewing the court's ruling. The agency has the ability to re-file charges against Garcia.





The appeals court ruling states that the Los Angeles County Superior Court must dismiss more than two dozen felony charges that range from human trafficking and production of child pornography to forcible rape of a minor. It was not immediately clear how the case of his co-defendants, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, would be affected. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, remains at large.





The case came as a result of a tip to a Justice Department website that was created to help people report abuse by clergy. Prosecutors have described how women allegedly helped procure and prepare young girls for Garcia's pleasure. They have said that the victims were told that if they went against any of Garcias desires or wishes as the apostle they were going against God. Garcias defense team has disputed that account.





Ocampo had been accused of being the groomer and recruiter of the young women who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Garcia. Prosecutors have said that Oaxaca was Garcias assistant.





In a 2019 hearing, a witness for prosecutors testified that pornography had been found on digital devices that had been seized from Garcia. A state law enforcement officer and forensic examiner had testified that a video on an iPad depicts the defendant having intercourse with a woman while she performs oral sex on an underage male. The officer also said that a video found on an iPhone shows four females of a very young age lying nude on a bed performing oral sex on one another.





Garcia's legal team at the time had said that the officer had inadequately relied on a Jane Doe witness to identify one of the people in the alleged threesome  who wore a mask  as an underage male.





In February, a Southern California woman who is a former member of La Luz del Mundo filed a federal lawsuit against the church and Garcia. The civil complaint, which names La Luz del Mundo, Garcia and a dozen other high-ranking church members, seeks damages for involuntary servitude, forced and unpaid labor, human trafficking, racketeering and sexual battery. The church has denied the allegations in the lawsuit.





In a statement following the appellate court decision, the church invited congregants to give thanks to God at home in a special consecration.





"Let us be prudent, and wait on legal proceedings, trusting that the awaited day will come, because the church is confident in the honorability of the Apostle of Jesus Christ," officials said in the release.





Parishioners celebrated the court decision. Upon hearing the news, Alma M. Schutt, a member of the church who lives in San Antonio, was momentarily speechless.





"Oh my goodness, praise God," she said. "That's wonderful news. It just seemed so unfair for him to be there."





Schutt has been part of the church since she was a little girl, which she said had made it very difficult for her to believe the accusations against Garcia.





"He was being punished  it was a great injustice," she said. "Im so happy. It makes me want to cry."





Robert Pelegreen, a retired military officer and a member of the church who also lives in San Antonio, said justice had come after the media had "dragged the reputation of the church in the mud."





The arrest of the apostle had furthered tensions between many former church members and their families. As the church had aggressively backed Garcia, former parishioners had wrestled with the news of his arrest. Many had said they had felt validated in their decision to leave the faith.





A 25-year-old former youth minister of the church who lives in Los Angeles said he was concerned that the church would use the court decision as evidence of the so-called apostle's innocence.





"Im worried that the church will perceive it as hes innocent and they couldn't find anything against him," said the former member, who did not want to be identified because he feared backlash. "Members of the church are so entrenched in their belief that theyre going to make this a victory and wont see it any other way."





https://www.google.it/amp/s/news.yahoo.com/amphtml/case-against-mexican-megachurch-leader-220808337.html


Sen. Bernie Sanders announced he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race Wednesday, setting the stage for a general election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

The independent senator from Vermont made his decision after he suffered a series of crushing primary losses, including Michigan, and the coronavirus pandemic stalled his campaign for weeks.

I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth, Sanders said in an address to supporters. That is that we are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.

So while we are winning the ideological battle and we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful.

Sanders called the decision to end his run difficult and painful, but added it was made after an honest assessment and consultation with his wife, Jane, and his top campaign advisers. He added that the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 in America contributed to his decision.

I know that there may be some in our movement who disagree with this decision, who would like us to fight on to the last ballot cast at the Democratic convention. I understand that position, Sanders said.

But as I see the crisis gripping our nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour. I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win, and which would interfere with the important work required from all of us in this difficult hour.

Sanders, 78, congratulated Biden, who he called a very decent man and pledged to work with in moving progressive ideas forward. Sanders will stay on the ballot in states where voting has not taken place.

After bursting onto the scene during the 2016 presidential race, Sanders overcame a heart attack in October 2019 and won in several states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and California.

However, questions about electability against Trump and whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters eventually arose.

When Biden dominated Super Tuesday, winning 10 of 14 states, Democratic rivals lined up and announced their endorsement of the former vice president, who also has the support of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Things only got worse the following week when Sanders lost Michigan, where he had campaigned hard and upset Hillary Clinton in 2016. He was also beaten in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho the same night.

Sanders ended his address by encouraging his supporters to continue the fight for social justice.
A final year student of engineering has made a robot using PVC pipes, metal sheets and motors that can be used to attend to COVID-19 patients on behalf of doctors.

The internet controlled robot can be operated from anywhere.Yogesh Kumar Sahu who is a student of Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University has made this robot with the help of his two friends.

"I built this with two of my friends. It took us around Rs 5000 to build this. We can connect the robot directly to the internet, it can then be operated from anywhere. Doctors can interact with the patients through the camera in it and give them medicines," said Sahu.

"I request Chhattisgarh government to provide fund so that we can make it better," he added.

"Doctors are risking their lives to save people. Wanted to do something for them," said Sahu.

Speaking to ANI, Civil Surgeon of District Hospital, Dr Rakesh Pardal said, "It is a very good initiative. Robots can help doctors in treating patients so that doctors don't come in contact of the infected persons and can protect themselves."

India's tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 5,194, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.Out of the 5194 cases, 4,643 cases are active cases while 401 people have recovered/discharged and one migrated.

The ministry has reported 10 new deaths in the last 24 hours increasing the toll to 149.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sgt. Brodie VanBrunt takes a patients temperature upon receiving them in the medical bay at the Javits New York Medical Station that is housing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., April 4, 2020.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 400,000 on Wednesday, according to figures provided by NBC, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide.

The world's largest economy has recorded by far the most COVID-19 infections of any country, with the total now almost five times that of China  where the virus was first identified in December.

The U.S. confirmed an additional 169 cases in Missouri on Wednesday, data provided by NBC showed, taking the nationwide number of infections to 400,081.

On April 1, the number of coronavirus infections in the U.S. surpassed 200,000 for the first time, meaning the country has doubled its case count in just one week.

NBC's count is slightly higher than that of Johns Hopkins University, which counted 399,929 cases as of Wednesday morning.
Getting money out to small businesses is a priority for dealing with lockdown.

But it is almost two weeks since the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and just 2,500 loans, worth 453m, have been made.

Given there are 5.9m small and medium firms in Britain and an estimated 300,000 applications, the chances of the cash reaching needy firms before they tip over a precipice looks remote. A US scheme, unveiled a week later than its UK counterpart, also has detractors.

Slow progress: It is almost two weeks since the Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

It processes loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) which then passes on approvals to commercial banks. Bank of America alone has approved 177,000 loans worth $32.6 billion (26.3 billion) in just over a week.

The White House says that 56.5 billon of such loans have been sorted. Indeed, the take-up from America's estimated 30m SMEs is so strong that US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, regarded as one of the few heroes of the crisis, is going back to Congress to ask for an additional $250 billion (202 billion) of financing. The US was eager to get the cash into firms' bank accounts as soon as possible.

To make this happen it insisted applications were made online, using an A4-style form which could be swiftly dealt with. The US had several advantages.

Firstly, the SBA has been around since 1953, has district offices and is much more established than the British Business Bank in assessing the needs of small firms.

Secondly, the US has a developed regional and local banking system and so the SBA has been able to link into 1,800 potential lenders.

There are questions from some American firms as to why they are waiting on the cash even though loans have been approved.

That is disappointing. But they should be grateful that they are not having to deal with UK bureaucracy and sclerosis.

Home help

Tesco was on a hiding to nothing when it decided not just to pay a dividend but to increase the payout.

In the current lockdown and amid huge economic uncertainty, companies are required to take aboard the needs of all stakeholders not just investors.

As a company in the frontline of making sure Britain is fed and can maintain hygiene standards, Tesco is doing most of the right things.

It is enforcing social distancing at stores, promising staff bonuses of 15 per cent and is acting as a kind of super-employment agency as much as a supermarket.

It has recruited 45,000 workers to cover 50,000 absentees self-isolating. So it is fulfilling its social obligations.

The Covid-19 crisis is a mixed commercial blessing. Yes, sales are 30 per cent up as households have locked down, but income from ancillary activities such as in-store cafes is down.

Giving something back to shareholders who had to forgo dividends in 2016 and 2017 because of the accounting scandal is justified.

And of course dividends are the lifeblood of everyone's pensions and savings so we should all perhaps be grateful for small mercies.

But I confess to being a little uneasy. Throughout the current crisis there has been praise for those companies which have decided that in the present atmosphere, with the world falling into the steepest recession in living memory, conserving cash is a priority.

Even if one takes into account the 8 billion cheque on its way from the sale of Thailand and Malaysia operations there should be forbearance.

It might have been sensible to hold the dividend, until there is more certainty as to how the crisis plays out. Citizens and the Exchequer are making huge sacrifices.

Tesco is a big beneficiary of the suspension of business rates. Chief executive Dave Lewis and his executive team could still set an example by forgoing bonuses this year and resetting the long-term incentives plans in line with the spirit of the times.

Tech savvy

Relx chairman Sir Anthony Habgood is among those bosses whose departure has been cancelled as a result of Covid-19.

The exhibitions division has been brought to a shuddering halt. Legal services could also suffer.

Its transformation from the old 64 per cent-print Reed Elsevier in 2000 to 9 per cent-digital in 2020 has proved timely.
Video footage has emerged of a huge container ship crashing into multiple gantry cranes while berthing, bringing two down and damaging another ship.

The major incident saw the Milano Bridge, Panama, attempting to dock at the Port of Busan, in South Korea, on 6 April.

In the dramatic video the Milano is seen sailing quite quickly towards its berthing area.

The more than 365-metre-long vessel is being guided by tug boats working at Busan Port.

However, as it nears its docking station it is clear the Milano is going too quickly and crashes.

At first impact - the Milano Bridge, Panama, seen here crippling the legs of a large blue crane

Moments later the first crane falls in spectacular fashion onto the stern of the Milano Bridge

As the Milano Bridge, Panama, continues drifting, the fallen crane is seen tumbling into the dock

Its rear end veers hard into multiple shoreside gantry cranes, causing at least two to collapse.

The legs of the first crane can be seen being forced backwards causing them to bend and buckle, before the whole thing collapses on the stern of the ship.

The noise when the Milano strikes the crane is tremendous.

In the lead up to when the ship strikes there is a frenzied atmosphere of panic among the Korean dock workers.

Judging by the angle of the ship it is aware impact is imminent.

Moments before impact - the Milano Bridge, Panama, begins to turn away from the shoreline

Too little too late - the Milano Bridge, Panama, strikes the first crane with an almighty crash

And the tug boat behind the 13,900 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) container ship is straining to keep it on course.

(Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit or TEU refers to a ship's cargo carrying capacity).

The footage was captured from at least two vantage points by people standing nearby.

At least two cranes were impacted by Milano Bridge, along with a second ship, the Seaspan Ganges.

No one was injured.
With the number of coronavirus cases in India increasing, the government has issued a set of guidelines on how to manage coronavirus patients. The document states that nearly 70 per cent of cases in India are mild or very mild. As such, these cases might not need to be admitted to dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. In order to make the optimum use of the available resources, the government has clarified that only moderate and severe cases will be admitted to hospitals.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has demarcated different kinds of facilities depending on the severity of the cases. The mild or very mild cases would be admitted to 'COVID care centres', while moderate and severe cases would be admitted to 'dedicated COVID health centre' and 'dedicated COVID hospitals' respectively.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Maharashtra reports another COVID-19 death in Pune; country's toll at 124

Here's how these coronavirus treatment facilities are different from each other:

1. COVID CARE CENTRES -- MILD CASES

These are makeshift facilities and can be set up in hostels, hotels, schools, stadiums etc. Existing quarantine facilities can also be transformed into CCCs. These facilities must have separate areas for suspected and confirmed cases, preferably with separate entry and exit. If suspected cases are assigned, they must be assigned individual rooms. The CCCs must be mapped to one or more 'dedicated COVID health centres' for referrals. All CCCs must also have basic life support ambulances for sufficient oxygen support. AYUSH doctors following the training protocols issued by AIIMS would take care of the patients here.

Also read: Hydroxychloroquine makers Zydus, Ipca, others plan 6 times capacity to meet demand

2. DEDICATED COVID HEALTH CENTRES -- MODERATE CASES

Unlike the CCCs, DCHCs must be a full hospital of a block in a hospital with different entry and exit. Private hospitals might also function as DCHCs. Similar to CCCs, these facilities must have separate areas for suspected and confirmed cases. These facilities must have beds with oxygen support. Every DCHC will be mapped to 'dedicated COVID hospitals' for referrals. These facilities must also have basic life support ambulances with oxygen support.

Also read: Footwear majors Bata, Liberty, others conserving cash to bounce back after coronavirus lockdown

3. DEDICATED COVID HOSPITALS -- SEVERE CASES

These too, must be full hospitals or a block in a hospital. DCHs must provide comprehensive care primarily for the ones who have been identified as severe cases. Like DCHCs, private hospitals could also be DCHs. These facilities must have fully-equipped ICUs, ventilators and beds with oxygen support. These, too, would have separate areas for suspected and confirmed cases. DCHs would also act as referral centres for DCHCs and CCCs.

State governments and UTs could also set up fever clinics in these centres, depending on the availability of sufficient space to minimise cross-infection. The medical officer at fever clinics could also refer patients to DCH, DCHC or CCC.

Also read: Coronavirus: Is Indian FMCG, retail industry heading towards a supply-chain reinvention?
Markets brace for extended period of global instability (AFP Photo/WANG Zhao)

Global equity markets closed out their worst quarter since the financial crisis over a decade ago with an indiscriminate selloff. The longest-ever bull market in US history ended abruptly, with declines so sharp that rarely-used mechanisms to halt trading across the entire market were activated by exchanges on multiple occasions.

Vietnams stocks also saw the largest decline measured over the course of a single day since 2002 as investors grow fearful of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak, coupled with the global oil price war.

Elsewhere, the pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 suffered its biggest quarterly loss since 2002, while Japans Nikkei Stock Average logged the steepest decline since 2008.

Experts are also unsure as to where a V-shaped recovery is, or how long market jitters will last, as uncertainties sparked by the pandemic ebbed and flowed over the past few months. Investors are slowly peering through the fog and trying to see how tough things will become, but essentially they seem to fly blind, economists at Germanys Commerzbank cautioned.

In Vietnam, foreigners confidence fell to a low level, with multiple consecutive selling sessions.

For example, PYN Elite Fund, Thailand-based Finansia Syrup Securities Public, Tundra Vietnam Fund, and Sweden-based Tundra Sustainable Frontier Opportunities Fund continuously reduced their stakes in Saigon General Services Corporation (SVC).

It seems that bears are still the aggressors, with some blue-chips stocks like VIC of Vingroup, HVN of Vietnam Airlines, or MSN of Masan being sold.

A run of poor data from the firms might fuel concerns that the blocs anaemic recovery had ended, threatening uncertainties ahead.

Technically speaking, the downtrend is dominant in the short term as the VN-Index has closed below the moving averages. If the index does not break out a significant resistance at 700 points, the downside risk will be increased. Therefore, traders should stay on the sidelines and wait for the next bullish signal, noted researchers at KIS Securities.

Global gold futures rose 5.9 per cent, their best one-day performance since 2009, in line with the gold price in Vietnam. The price of the precious metal usually rises in times of uncertainty, but previously, it fell amid a broad selloff in assets as panicky investors dumped stocks, bonds, and commodities in a rush for cash.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. Stocks bounced back after the Vietnamese government reaffirmed continuous operations for transportation, distribution, and financial services, as well as essential services and exports during the unprecedented nationwide lockdown.

Last month, local firms ramped up their share buyback plans at roughly over VND3.1 trillion ($134.7 million). Notably, between March 30 and April 1, shareholders repurchased 32.5 million stocks worth nearly VND412.9 billion ($17.9 million), according to fresh data from FiinGroup, a local integrated service provider of financial data and business information.

For example, PAN Group bought 21.6 million of shares; TPBank planned to repurchase up to 10 million shares until April 18; Bui Thanh Nhon, chairman of real estate giant Novaland Investment Group (NVL) completed the purchase of 9.35 million shares, and Tran Vu Minh, son of Tran Dinh Long  chairman of steel giant Hoa Phat Group (HPG)  bought back 20 million HPG shares. Phu Tai JSC also mulls over plans to grasp 1.5 million treasury shares (or 3.2 per cent of the outstanding) via order-matching and/or put-through transactions.

A string of emergency measures by Vietnamese policymakers have helped alleviate some of the most pressing concerns among investors.

As of March 31, 47 out of 79 firms which have just held annual shareholders meetings unveiled their rosy outlook of more impressive after-tax profit targets compared to last year.

Particularly, GTNFoods, Kien Long Bank, and Phuoc Hoa Rubber set the goal for after-tax profit increasing from 88 per cent to 1,375 per cent, according to FiinGroup.

Hoa Phat Refrigerations products such as air conditioners, freezers, and refrigerators all increased sharply at the end of the first quarter, contributing to the increase in sales of 77 per cent on-year.

Also, VNM of Vinamilk  another blue-chip stock  is slated to be the safe harbour in a choppy equity market thanks to its 75 per cent acquisition in GTNFoods last December, coupled with higher-than-expected demands from Vietnam and other markets such as Cambodia and the Middle East.

Other market observers have cautioned that the stocks rally could likely be temporary. The market is showing a bit of relief, but I highly recommend investors to err on the side of caution due to unpredictable market movements, said Nguyen Anh Khoa, head of market analysis and investment advisory at Agribank Securities.

In related news, the State Securities Commission, ratified Official Letter No.2194/UBCK-VP on April 1 in order to classify the equity market as an essential sector  a step to promote additional support for the stock market through the COVID-19 crisis.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A federal appeals court sided Tuesday with Texas in allowing it to ban most abortions while the state is under an emergency order that limits non-essential surgeries during the coronavirus pandemic.

A panel of judges at the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by a lower court that blocked the ban last week. The ruling allows the ban to stay in place pending further legal arguments.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last month ordered hospitals to cancel non-essential surgeries in order to free up hospital space and supplies that might be needed for coronavirus patients and doctors.

Destination revealed: Data shows where Houston-area residents are going amid pandemic

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the the order would cover any abortions except for those needed to protect the health and safety of the mother. Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups then sued to remove abortion from the procedures that should be delayed.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled last week that the Supreme Court has spoken clearly on a womans right to terminate a pregnancy and ruled there can be no outright ban on such a procedure.

Texas immediately appealed. The appeals court's 2-1 ruling noted the escalating spread of COVID-19, and the states critical interest in protecting the public health.

The majority opinion written by U.S. Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, an appointee of President Donald Trump, concluded that when faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some real or substantial relation to the public health crisis."

On HoustonChronicle.com: Doctor explains why nursing home patients received unproven medication

Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the appeals court ruling "unconscionable.

Abortion is essential, its time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass," McGill Johnson said.

Texas bans most abortions after 20 weeks. Abbott's original March 22 order was to expire April 21 but can be extended.

Texas was just one of several states facing the issue of abortion bans during the pandemic as similar legal fights are being waged in Alabama, Ohio, Oklahoma and Iowa.

Abortion rights groups pledged to keep fighting the bans.

This is not the last word. We will take every legal action necessary to fight this abuse of emergency powers," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Actor Ankita Lokhandes social media posts are usually all things happy and chirpy. But recently, she posted about something serious, appealing to people in general, and particularly her followers, to not step out of their homes in this nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus spread.

On what prompted her to finally do this, the actor says it was high time. We all are going through something. I felt so strongly about it, and it was very difficult to resist, as I am actually very scared about the whole scenario, and then we see people going out, talking bullsh*t about it. I saw some videos where some guys are saying mujhe kuchh nahi hoga, rues Lokhande, 35.

The building in Mumbai where Lokhande stays, has been sealed by the authorities after a resident, who reportedly returned from Spain, tested positive for Covid19.

She adds that as a celebrity, it is her duty to utilise her fan base and that she talks to as many people she can. As an Indian, its my responsibility. People follow me, they want to know how I feel about it. Its the first time I came out to openly speak about this. This is necessary. Its not just my fans who will suffer if they step out, but every Indian citizen and also my family. That was the only thing in my mind, she explains.

Not happy with celebrities sounding content with just being talked about their style more than substance, Lokhande further adds, Aap celebrity ho, aur log sirf aapki sundarta ko dekhein, or talk about what you are wearing, what song you are dancing on --this is not the necessity. Speaking out is whats also very important. I feel people are my family, and its my responsibility to tell them whats right and wrong.
As oil traders look with dread and fear to tomorrow's OPEC+ teleconference one day after crude oil tumbled amid speculation that the production cut standoff will not be resolved...

... there was a sliver of hope that oil prices may rebound after Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia, Russia and allied oil producers will agree to deep cuts to their crude output at talks this week but only if the United States and several others join in with curbs to help prop up prices that have been hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

However, in an attempt to have its cake and eat it too, the U.S. DOE said on Tuesday that U.S. output is already falling without government action, in line with the White Houses insistence that it would not intervene in the private markets. And as reported on Tuesday morning, super-major Exxon announced that it would slash capex by up to 30%, which would impact output by several hundred thousands barrels per day... but only in 2021 and onward. In other words, any organic decline would take place slowly, over the course of the next two years.

With regards to media reports that OPEC+ will require the United States to make cuts in order to come to an agreement: The EIA report today demonstrates that there are already projected cuts of 2 (million bpd), without any intervention from the federal government, the U.S. Energy Department said.

That is not enough for OPEC+ however, and certainly not Russia, which on Wednesday made clear that market-driven declines in oil production shouldnt be considered as cuts intended to stabilize the market, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters on conference call.

"These are completely different cuts. You are comparing the overall demand drop with cuts to stabilize global markets. Its like comparing length and width," Peskov says in response to a question of whether Russia would accept for the U.S. to have only a market-driven drop in output as part of a deal to stabilize oil market

Premium: What Will $15 Oil Mean For Producers?

"These are different concepts, they cannot be equated. Tomorrow there will be an exchange of views among specialists."

But not American "specialists": sources said no one from the Trump Administration was expected to attend Thursdays call, which means the call - whose sole purpose is to get the US to join the production cuts - will be moot.

Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh also indicated that OPEC+ now wants the US to actively cut production when he tweeted on Tuesday that "before any meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC there needs to be an agreement on production numbers for any country that will reduce production, adding that the United States and Canada need to play a role in determining production cuts.

While Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members of the group known as OPEC+ have expressed willingness to return to the bargaining table, they have made their response conditional upon actions by the United States and other countries that are not members of OPEC, and it now appears that the US is reluctant to shift away from a organic production cut. No agreement has yet been formalized.

OPEC+ is due to hold a video conference on Thursday at 1400 GMT, after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Riyadh and Moscow had agreed to cut an unprecedented 10 million to 15 million bpd, or about 10% to 15% of global supply. He has not committed to any actions by U.S. companies.

Then there is the elephant in the room, of course, that even a 10mmb/d production cut will not be nearly enough to balance an oil market where demand has plunged by more than 25mmb/d.

The scale of this challenge is so large that OPEC+ cannot solve it, said Jason Bordoff, director of Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy and a former Obama administration official. Only some and not all of the worlds producers have the willingness and ability to limit production.

Finally, and at the same time as the US is being forced to join the cuts, Riyadh and Moscow are trying to overcome the rancor stemming from Marchs talks, when a deal to extend production cuts fell apart. Since then, Saudi Arabia has been flooding the market with extra crude, and it has insisted it would no longer carry what it considered an unfair burden of output cuts.

So while any actual production cut deal appears unlikely if the US does not join in - and certainly if the US does not participate in the teleconference - here is a preview of what Wall Street expects from tomorrow's meeting, courtesy of RanSquawk:

SCHEDULE: The delayed OPEC+ webinar on Thursday will arguably be the most important gathering of ministers to date, with countries outside OPEC+ also poised to potentially tune into the discussions, thus presenting scope for coordinated action. The meeting is due to commence at 15:00BST, with a presser to follow - all times tentative, OPEC+ pressers tend to be delayed. This will be followed by a G20 Energy Ministers meeting on Friday, expected to start at 13:00BST. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Norway, the UK, the US, and Trinidad & Tobago have also been invited to partake in Thursdays meeting, although at pixel time, not all are confirmed to attend. Sources said no one from the Trump Administration was expected to attend Thursdays call. Saudi and Russia have called for other global producers  namely the US, Canada, and Mexico  to share the burden of cuts.

KEY PLAYERS

 OVERALL RHETORIC: Russia and Saudi have blamed each other for the collapse in oil prices. The two sides agreed to discussions following US President Trumps recent intervention but made it clear that any cuts will have to be fair, and a joint global effort.

 SAUDI (12MLN BPD OUTPUT IN APRIL): The Kingdom is mulling an output cut to beneath 9mln BPD on the condition other oil members join in. A Saudi official said if there was no deal, we will have some nice number of floating tankers going nowhere.

 RUSSIA (11.29MLN BPD OUTPUT IN MARCH): Moscows participation is highly contingent on the US, and is unlikely to agree to output cuts if the US does not join the effort; separate reports said Russian producers are ready for oil curbs on the same proviso. Indeed, the CEO of The Russian Direct Investment Fund was optimistic, stating that Riyadh and Moscow are near an accord. The Kremlin has declined to signal Moscows position ahead of the meeting.

 US (13MLN BPD OUTPUT AT END-MARCH): The US has leaned back on calls to commit to cuts. President Trump said he did not make concessions during talks with Saudi and Russia and has not agreed to a US domestic production cuts. Further, he said US producers have already cut back as a reaction to the market. Meanwhile, US independent oil producers reportedly have told OPEC that they will voluntarily cut output, but US oil majors worry about the antitrust issues around any coordinated effort.

OTHER PRODUCERS

 BRAZIL (3.06MLN BPD OUTPUT IN FEBRUARY): State-owned Petrobras said it will curtail production by 100k BPD, according to a statement in March.

 CANADA (5.78MLN BPD OUTPUT IN FEBRUARY): Albertas Energy Minister stated that the country will take part in the talks and will keep an open mind. A senior government official downplayed any suggestions that the country will go along with further production cuts. NOTE: Alberta, like Texas in the US, has the regulatory framework to force producers to curb supply.

 NORWAY (2.07MLN BPD OUTPUT IN FEBRUARY): Norwegian Oil Ministry stated that it would consider partaking as an observer if there was broad participation but said, at the time, that there are no ongoing talks with oil companies on cuts. For reference, the country produces less than 2% of global supply.

Premium: Oil To Move Above $41 If Trumps Tweet Is True

PROPOSED CUTS

 DURATION OF CUTS: Delegates has said that current options being considered range from a 10mln BPD cut to no reduction at all, with a three-month agreement being considered, according to some reports. Some question whether a three-month deal would be sufficient to balance the market. The pact could be extended, but may face resistance from Russia and US, and could be highly contingent on market conditions at the time. Separate reports noted proposals for a year-long agreement.

 TOUTED SCENARIOS: Two scenarios will reportedly be put forward: 1) OPEC+ would no longer bound by production restrictions, which would see a continuation of the current situation. 2) OPEC alongside Russia and other producers would implement joint 10mln BPD reductions through to the end of the year. A separate report touted a joint 10mln BPD cut which would see the involvement of the US, Canada, and Brazil. The cuts will be distributed as follows: Saudi would cut a minimum of 3mln BPD from current levels, Russia 1.5mln BPD, Non-Saudi Gulf 1.5mln BPD, US, Canada, and Brazil almost 2mln BPD with Texas at least 500k BPD.

 BASELINE: It is unclear which production month will be benchmarked in any cuts. This set level could prove to be significant given Saudis output hike. OPEC sources said there is a rift between Moscow and Riyadh regarding which baseline to use, with latter calling for the current production environment to be used as the base line.

HOUSE CALLS

Analysts at Credit Suisse outline five potential outcomes from the meetings:

 1) NO OPEC+ DEAL (5%): Russia and Saudi talks will break down  Brent could be pushed lower to ~USD 20/bbl

 2) NO US DEAL (20%): If the US refuses to partake, Russia and Saudi will also ditch talks  Brent could be pushed lower to ~USD 20/bbl

 3) A LARGE DEAL (20%): around 15mln BPD cut from current levels supported by OPEC+, US and other producers for at least three months with possible extension  Brent could rise to around USD 35-40/bbl.

 4) A SMALL DEAL (35%): Immediate OPEC+ cuts of 12-13mln BPD; US offers mild reductions in Gulf of Mexico and Shale output and the purchase of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)  Brent could see USD 30-35/bbl.

 5) AN EVEN SMALLER DEAL (20%): US relies on natural output reductions and offers to purchase around 0.8-1.0mln BPD for the SPR. Brent could meander below USD 30/bbl with scope for a rise to ~USD 35/bbl should US production markedly decline naturally.

TARIFFS:

US President Trump on the weekend said he was considering slapping tariffs on oil imports, or even take other such measures, to protect the US energy sector from falling oil prices. For reference, the US imports of petroleum were around 9.1mln BPD in 2019, of which Saudi and Russian imports were just over 500k each.

G20 ENERGY MEETING:

The fallout from the OPEC+ meeting would set the stage for the G20 webinar on Friday. Energy Intel notes members outside OPEC+ will be asked pledge additional reductions, over and above 10mln BPD. A Senior Russian source noted that efforts to get the US involved in cuts will be on the agenda for Fridays call. Desks remain sceptical a deal can be reached at this meeting. G20 members such as South Korea and Japan produce little oil, whilst others such as China, India, and the UK are more reliant on imports.

Following the meeting, Saudi Aramco, UAEs ADNOC and Kuwaits KPC are expected to release their OSPs for May.

By Zerohedge.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
An EU-funded project entitled "Vulnerabilities under the Global Protection Regime: How Does the Law Assess, Address, Shape and Produce the Vulnerabilities of the Protection Seekers?" (VULNER) has been launched at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (MPI). Funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 Work Programme and the Canadian Research Council SSHRC/CRSH, the VULNER project has a budget of 3.2 million for a period of 3 years. Combining analysis of the legal and policy framework on migration with empirical case studies, VULNER will examine how nine countries in Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East address the vulnerabilities affecting migrants.

The Migration Challenge

One of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century is the constantly growing numbers of people forced to flee their homelands. The UNHCR statistics paint a clear picture: as of the end of 2018 there were some 70.8 million forcibly displaced persons, nearly half of them children. This poses immense social, economic, and legal challenges - and not just in the countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, or Uganda that have taken in a large portion of the refugees. There is hardly a country in the world that has not been confronted with the global streams of migrants seeking protection. "A central challenge for migrant-receiving countries is the development of efficient migration policies that also protect those in need," explains Dr. Luc Leboeuf, head of the VULNER project coordinated at the MPI.

Addressing the Specific Protection Needs of Vulnerable Migrants

In recent years, policy and legal developments at the EU and global level have increasingly emphasized the need to protect "vulnerable" migrants, including unaccompanied minors and victims of sexual violence. The objective is to tailor protection policies in a way that addresses specific protection needs. But who has specific protection needs and who does not? "This lack of precision is what makes the requirement to address 'vulnerabilities' so complex to implement," says Leboeuf. The UN New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants refers to "vulnerability" 15 times in key places describing the situation of migrants, and the UN Global Compact for Migration similarly asks States to address and reduce vulnerabilities in migration. "But there is still no concrete definition or shared understanding about which vulnerabilities should be addressed, and how," explains Leboeuf. "Over the next three years, the task of our international project partners will be to address this gap by producing scientific evidence that makes it possible to better understand migrants' vulnerabilities, the underlying causes and the effects of these vulnerabilities, and to identify best practices for reducing vulnerabilities and supporting migrants' resilience strategies."

Supporting Evidence-Based Migration Policies

The legal scholars, anthropologists, and sociologists in the VULNER project will examine how State actors in nine countries - Belgium, Germany, Italy, Norway, Canada, Lebanon, Uganda, and South Africa - approach the needs of vulnerable migrants seeking protection. "We are tackling this issue on two levels," explains Leboeuf. "First, we will perform an analysis and comparison of the relevant legal and policy documents and State actors' actual practices. We will then assess the concrete effects of these regulations and practices on the migrants themselves, including how they mobilize existing vulnerability categories to support their survival strategies." The aim of the project is to critically assess whether and under what conditions a focus on the "vulnerabilities" of migrants ultimately enables improvement of protection policies. "The issue isn't merely that every migrant seeking protection can be said to be vulnerable to some extent and therefore it is still largely unclear what exactly is meant by 'addressing vulnerabilities'," notes Leboeuf. "Rather, unless protection policies meant to reduce migrants' vulnerabilities are based on strong scientific evidence and analyses, they risk developing stereotyped approaches that are likely to produce unwanted effects. One such unwanted effect could be to encourage a 'vulnerability contest' in which some migrants seek to frame themselves as more vulnerable than others, with a view to obtaining additional protection."

An International Research Consortium

The VULNER consortium is led by Luc Leboeuf (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and includes the University of Louvain - UCL (Sylvie Sarolea), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Winfried Kluth), Ca' Foscari University in Venice (Sabrina Marchetti), the Norwegian Institute for Social Research (Hilde Liden), and the Centre for Lebanese Studies (Maha Shuayb). The Canadian research team led by Delphine Nakache from the University of Ottawa includes McGill University (Francois Crepeau) and York University (Dagmar Soennecken). Population Europe, the network of population experts hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Andreas Edel), will be in charge of disseminating the research results.

Studying Global Social Change

The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology is one of the world's leading centres for research in socio-cultural anthropology. It was established in 1999 by Chris Hann and Gunther Schlee, and moved to its permanent buildings at Advokatenweg 36 in Halle/Saale in 2001. Marie-Claire Foblets joined the Institute as Director of the Department 'Law & Anthropology' in 2012. Common to all research projects at the Max Planck Institute is the comparative analysis of social change; it is primarily in this domain that its researchers contribute to anthropological theory, though many programmes also have applied significance and political topicality. Fieldwork is an essential part of almost all projects. Some 175 researchers from over 30 countries currently work at the Institute. In addition, the Institute also hosts countless guest researchers who join in the scholarly discussions.

###
Imported COVID-19 cases surge in route from Moscow to NE China

Global Times

Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/7 14:21:28

A transport route from Moscow to Northeast China has drawn widespread attention after the Heilongjiang provincial health authority said on Tuesday that another 22 people had been found infected with COVID-19 on Monday.

All of the imported cases reported were Chinese nationals who returned from Russia through the direct flight SU1700 run by Aeroflot from Moscow to Vladivostok, then to China's Suifenhe Port by chartered bus, said the health authority, noting that all the arrivals were then sent to designated sites for isolation after they arrived at the Suifenhe Port on Saturday.

A total of 20 of the Saturday arrivals were confirmed as COVID-19 cases on Monday, and two asymptomatic patients were also found, said the health authority.

To deal with the situation, Suifenhe port will be closed from Tuesday to next Monday.

According to the data released by Heilongjiang health authority, imported cases through the Moscow-Vladivostoki-Suifenhe route continued to rise for three consecutive days, after 13 were reported on Saturday and 20 on Sunday.

The Chinese consulate general in Vladivostok issued a warning on Monday through its website, strongly advising Chinese nationals to avoid making the journey along the route, which takes about 11 hours.

"Returnees have to crowd into narrow and enclosed spaces, increasing the risk of cross-infection. So please avoid the long journey," said the consulate general.

A Moscow-based overseas Chinese from Heilongjiang also issued a warning through the WeChat public account of the China volunteers' union in Russia. He urged all Chinese in Russia to strictly observe home isolation and not go out or return to China, as "there have been confirmed cases on almost every recent flight from Russia to China."

The man, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Saturday that he reminded overseas Chinese in Russia to return to China as soon as possible following an imported case from Italy reported in Moscow on March 2. "When the pandemic got worse, I told people not to return to China. I've been calling for this for a month."

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Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage asked the state Attorney General to launch an investigation into a nursing home where at least 22 residents died amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, charging that its owners failed to inform family members and the city of the ongoing tragedy as it unfolded.

Its terrible. Theyre not answering calls. Theyre not answerable to anyone, he said on Wednesday. When the owners choose to ignore the process, then someone must hold them accountable.

Bollwage said he called for Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to take action because nursing homes are licensed by the state.

Reached by phone, Zev Fishman, one of principal owners and administrators of the Elizabeth Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Grove Street, denied the mayors allegations and said his staff has been in touch on a daily basis with state and local officials.

Our concern is our residents care, he said. Were trying our best, but its a vicious virus. Something nobody ever dreamed could have happened."

Fishman said letters had been sent out to family members as well, informing them of the situation.

We have enjoyed an excellent reputation, he said. This has been a nightmare for us.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gov. Phil Murphy, at his daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, said he was saddened by what he read about the situation.

Its heart-crushing to see something like that. Tragic, he said.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the department continues to work with long-term care facilities to deliver infection control education to facilities with outbreaks.

We are in an unprecedented situation with a pandemic that has not been seen in the U.S. since 1918, she said. Situations like this show pretty clearly the vulnerability of our systems of care and this is one of them.

She said at least three long-term care facilities in New Jersey are now the focus of the states attention because of a high number of deaths from the coronavirus, but would not name them. The commissioner added that when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, her department will be doing a full statewide evaluation of services, supply and response.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

As first reported on Tuesday by NJ Advance Media, officials in the city closed Elizabeth Nursing and Rehabilitation to new admissions after learning of the mounting number of deaths. As of this week, 22 residents have died since March 21, with at least 12 of them testing positive for coronavirus. Others were never tested, or results of those tests have yet to come back, the mayor said. Eight staff members have also tested positive for COVID-19, according Bollwage.

Meanwhile, another 16 residents have also tested positive, the mayor said. Five others are still awaiting test results.

As of Wednesday morning, there have been no additional deaths.

Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on New Jerseys long-term care facilities. According to the state Department of Health, 188 of the states 375 long-term care facilities  or just over half  have had at least one patient with coronavirus. The state has not made public the list of nursing homes, but said approximately 10% of the deaths in New Jersey were linked to nursing homes. That would represent at least 123 people.

Bollwage said the city had not even been aware of the deaths at Elizabeth Nursing and Rehab, until his city health officer received a call from Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth. Some families of residents in the facility, he added, were never notified at all.

Getting the people in charge who make the decisions has been a chore, he said of the nursing homes administrators.

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.

State health officials said they sent a guidance letter to all nursing homes, assisted living and other long-term facilities about their responsibility under the law to have outbreak plans that include clear policies for the notification of residents, staff and family members when COVID cases have been identified in their facilities. home operators.

But Bollwage said he has received emails and social media messages from family members who only first saw the story of what was happening on NJ.com.

Thats unconscionable on behalf of the owners of this place, the mayor said. It just breaks your heart.

Tonja Green, who said her aunt, Marion Martin, said her family was never notified about the coronavirus or any significant developments.

Wednesday night, my mother received a call asking if she wanted them to send my aunt to the ER. The lady was very rude. My mother asked if it was COVID-19 and she said that they dont test for it," she said.

Meanwhile, Persichilli said the Department of Health is working on a statewide plan to assist nursing homes experiencing large outbreaks and shortages of staff and equipment.

We are surveying their status including current census, available beds, ability to cohort staff and patients, physical layout, supplies, staffing and other resources they might need, she said. We are dividing the state into 3 regions and will look at movement of patients and resources on a regional basis.

The commissioner said any movement of the aging population can be traumatic.

We are hoping that this planning can be implemented with the least amount of stress as possible for our elderly in these homes. Our goal is to keep those who havent been exposed safe and to ensure those exposed or tested positive get the care they need and have the space, staff and supplies to support care of patients with COVID-19, she 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.

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We face unprecedented change in our community as we pause our normal lives in response to coronavirus.

Economic uncertainty looms as businesses shut down and workers stay home to stop the spread. Parents experience the daunting challenge of home-schooling kids. And there is widespread fear about what infection could mean to loved ones.

Sadly, our county recently suffered its first coronavirus deaths, which is why its so important that all levels of government come together to address the pandemic and its impact on public health and our economy. It is something people across our state are already doing by social distancing and sheltering in place. Early indicators suggest Californias efforts to slow the spread of the virus in this way are working. Were encouraged by what we see.

But we cannot let up. State and federal governments are helping doctors and hospitals deal with any surge in COVID-19 patients. Were investing in more beds and equipment as well as testing to get a better handle on how the virus is being transmitted.

The city of St. Helena, Napa County and local groups have stepped up, encouraging continued self-isolation to prevent more people from becoming ill. Donation drives have drummed up supplies of much-needed personal protective equipment such as masks. People are donating blood. Please remember in all volunteer activities that correct protective protocol must be followed. And school campuses, which are closed until at least summer, are transitioning to online instruction.

Fortunately, the state, city and county have been prudent in years past with their own finances and have set aside rainy day funds for emergencies like this. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature are now devoting those resources to this crisis.

In addition to safeguarding public health, much attention is focused on the economic fallout. With the help of our own Congressman Mike Thompson, a federal stimulus program is expected to get checks into the hands of all working Americans. Unemployment benefits have been streamlined to help people who lost jobs. A number of small business loans and grants are now available to help small companies weather closures.

Other welcome measures from the state include suspending all evictions of people who are out of work and cannot pay their rent. The DMV is extending the deadline to renew licenses and registrations for 60 days. In addition, an extension is now in place for filing state income taxes and resources are available to help impacted businesses and workers.

Of course, local government is the backbone of emergency response. Were heartened by their resilience and the leadership of people like Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning and Yountville Mayor John Dunbar as well as Supervisor Diane Dillon. They are all familiar with the unique challenges of our small, Upvalley towns, as well as our county Board of Supervisors, city managers, county CEO and public health and information officers. They continue to provide services such as police and fire fighting  despite the enormous new financial burden. The state needs to continue to support local agencies, providing immediate assistance and resources on the long road to recovery.

We all must do our part though isolation and social distancing. Stay apart to stay together. This is especially important for people older than 65 or those who are medically vulnerable. As always, follow official health guidance including frequent handwashing. If you become ill, call your doctor for advice before going to a hospital or medical office.

Make no mistake  this is a time of hardship. But if we follow the advice of medical experts and limit public contact, we will get through it. St. Helena has weathered fires, floods and earthquakes, and well get through this too as we always have  together.

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/.

Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd. St. Helena Mayor Geoff Ellsworth sits on a policy committee with the League of California Cities, as well as numerous Napa County boards.
Get yourself a very slutty pizza and tuck in for a night of Fleabag on stage. Last year, the shows creator and star did a performance at the West End Theater of the one-woman show on which her acclaimed TV series is based. It was recorded at the time, and now anyone who wants to can watch it on the Soho Theater website for a small donation (a minimum of about five dollars, aka 4), or you can fire it up via Amazon Prime starting on Friday. All proceeds from those donations, however, will go towards charities fighting the coronavirus, and as Waller-Bridge points out, the whole creative team behind the show will forego any royalties so all the money can go to relief organizations.

The Emmy winning writer and actress lays all this out in the video below, which ends with a lovely little cameo no Fleabag fan will want to miss. (Yes, this is Hot Priest related.) So, stick around till the end of the video. Support Fleabag for Charity, and get a little evening pick-me-up.

A very special message from our #Fleabag. Dont miss the surprise at the end!  https://t.co/PaPWrdY4YW  Fleabag (@fleabag) April 7, 2020
Samaritans Ireland has appealed for donations to help ensure its volunteers can continue to support people struggling to cope.

The charity, like many others in Ireland, has been badly hit during the coronavirus outbreak.

It has now issued an urgent appeal to sustain its critical service. Samaritans Ireland answered almost three million calls in the last five years.

Now, more than ever, it says the service is needed. The charity is making every effort to ensure that it is able to provide emotional support to anyone in crisis.

However, Covid-19 has put its services under increased strain.

Samaritans Ireland is now calling on the generosity of the Irish public to help us ensure that it can continue to be there for anyone who needs support.

Executive Director of Samaritans Ireland, Niall Mulligan said: "For more than 50 years, Samaritans has provided a listening ear to anyone

who needs support, which has been possible through the publics kind donations.

"A donation as little as 5 will help volunteers to answer a call for help from someone struggling to cope and be there when people need support the most.

"To make a donation and find out other ways you can support Samaritans please visit: https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/samaritans-ireland/."

The Wheel, the group which represents some 1,700 charities, community and voluntary organisations in Ireland, said the collapse

in traditional fundraising events due to the virus outbreak could have drastic consequences for the sector.

Major and minor fundraising events have been cancelled and curtailed, while volunteering and other efforts are restricted due to physical distancing.

It has previously noted that the Irish Cancer Society lost a projected 4 million due to the cancellation of Daffodil Day, while Pieta House cancelled its primary fundraiser, the Darkness into Light event, which is worth approximately 6 million to the charity.

Meanwhile, ALONE has welcomed the introduction of banking supports for older people restricted by cocooning measures.

The country's five main banks have introduced free phone numbers to offer assistance and advice to older customers required to stay at home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan said: "This is an extraordinarily difficult time for older people with regard to their finances and ensuring they remain secure, and we welcome this booklet from BPFI to support those who are cocooning to carry out their banking safely in what is currently a restrictive environment.

"We welcome the steps taken by the BPFI to provide solutions to support older people to protect their finances, and we recognise that these options are limited by the current restrictions with regard to cocooning.

"These additional supports are necessary and will support anyone who has independently managed their finances up until now to continue to do so.

ALONE has recommended that where possible older people use phone and internet banking, make payments over the phone, to ask for support from their bank and organisations like ALONE when needed, and only use the option to nominate someone to help with their banking if they have no alternative.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday accused the government of adopting miserly and negligent approach towards the poor during the lockdown to break the chain of coronavirus infections and called for providing money to them.

The former Union finance minister quoted Indias unemployment rate, which the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said, could have risen to more than 23% as the economy lost jobs after a nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic in the last week of March.

The nationwide lockdown began on March 25 even as several states had already imposed strict restrictions on movement in some districts.

Also read: Covid-19 cases in India breach 5000-mark, death toll at 149

The business information company, which tracks unemployment data on a weekly basis, estimates that unemployment has risen from 8.4% in the week ended March 22 to 23.

Also read: What you need to know today

With unemployment at 23 per cent (CMIE) and a freeze on daily wages/incomes, the government must immediately find the resources and remonetise (give cash to) the poor.

The miserly and cruelly negligent approach of the government has compounded the hardships of the poor, Chidambaram tweeted.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

The Congress leader said the numbers point to adopting a cautious and conservative approach.

What is sorely missing in the lockdown strategy is putting cash in the hands of poor people. There are several sections of the poor who have not received a single rupee from the government, he said.

As he criticised the government for its approach towards the poor, Chidambaram also had a word of praise.

Also read: Govt looks at ways to restart business ops post lockdown

As among the first to advocate a lockdown, I welcome the central government consulting the states on whether the lockdown should be lifted after April 14, he said.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

Chidambaram was referring to the requests by several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka, to extend the three-week nationwide lockdown. Officials have said the Centre is considering enforcing it beyond April 14 and may also keep the option of lifting the restrictions in a staggered manner.

The Union health ministry has, however, clarified that there was no decision on extending the nationwide lockdown yet, asking people not to speculate.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the sweeping restrictions, including a ban on public transport as well as commercial rail and air travel, on March 24 till April 14. Only people involved in the delivery of essential services, such as health care, are being allowed to function during this three-week period.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were left without work and forced to flee from cities to their homes in villages for food and shelter.

Since then the number of Covid-19 cases has gone beyond the 5000 mark with the Union health ministry saying there are 4643 active cases, 401 people have been cured or discharged and 149 have died.
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

As a corporate catering company, it was pretty early in the coronavirus crisis that Early Bird Tacos found itself facing a multitude of cancellations, as most of the companies it worked with asked employees to work from home.

As business dried up, owner Alex Melzer had to decide whether to close his business during this time, as his catering company went from making over 1,000 breakfast tacos for clients to making none.

But rather than close, Melzer made a decision that could help him keep his team of 14, while doing some good in the community. He pivoted to starting a GoFundMe to raise money and pay for breakfast for frontline workers, making the same product theyve always made: individually wrapped tacos.

We felt like we didn't want to sit around and wait [for shelter-in-place to be over], and we knew our product actually functioned really well in [a hospital] environment, because everything that we do is individually wrapped, Melzer said. We have a pretty safe product to put out there, it's warm, it's kind of unique, so I think when people then get their hands on it, it's a little bit of a treat  at least that's what we've experienced on the corporate catering side. So we hoped that would translate over and be well received in these hospitals.

Working with a nimble team of three  allowing for safe distancing for his employees  inside a commercial kitchen and partnering with Equator Coffee, Melzer said they have been delivering about 200 breakfast tacos each morning to groups such as Stanford Health Care, Kaiser Permanente, California Pacific Medical Center and UCSF thanks to donations.

The word is just one hot meal goes a long way, Melzer said. There's not a lot of opportunity for a lot of these people to kind of leave the hospital facilities during the day, and when they do leave, all of a sudden they've got to be rescreened every time they re-enter the facility. So for the food to come in and be donated, and to know it's been donated from the community, I think is just a nice little thing for these folks to have during their busy days."

SFGATE tagged along on a delivery to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital this past Thursday, where the excited nursing staff accepted breakfast tacos from Early Bird, along with a coffee donation from Equator. The grateful staff, all wearing masks and medical scrubs, asked photographer Doug Zimmerman to take a group photo of them, along with a handmade sign reading, Thank you!

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate

It has been substantial, the impact [on our business], just like any other restaurant that you read about  so there's certainly no denying that, Melzer said. I think [delivering tacos] is a nice way to get food into the hands of the people that are out there every day and doing incredibly hard work, and it's nice that we get to have some people in the kitchen and a little sense of normalcy for Early Bird [staff] as well, while we do this.

To contribute to Early Bird Tacos and fund breakfast tacos for hospitals, go to the company's GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/spread-taco-love.

Heres a look at a few of the other businesses and organizations looking to feed frontline workers during this time:

Frontline Foods

Courtesy Frontline Food

Frontline Foods started as an earnest text between Art.com President Frank Barbieri and his friend Sydney Gressel, a registered nurse in the UCSF pediatric emergency department. Barbieri asked his longtime friend how people can help hospital workers. Her answer? Pizza. What has since blossomed out of that initial conversation is now an organization that has become a nationwide effort to feed hospital workers.

When I suggested to Frank [Barbieri] the pizza party idea, I said it just really kind of gives us a little levity, gives us a moment of a reset. It's a real morale boost, Gressel said by phone to SFGATE. So that was where the idea started. However, since then, just in a couple of weeks, the climate has changed. So now we have shelter-in-place, schools are all closed, restaurants are all closed, and the actual ability for clinicians to get food has become a real challenge, and that wasnt the case when we first started this.

Describing the challenges of finding meals, while worrying about going out and being possible disease vectors through their job of working with COVID-19 patients, Gressel said having food deliveries such as the ones done through Frontline has been a great help to hospital staff, well beyond being a morale boost.

Having a meal in place and knowing that I can go to work and that there will be good food at some point delivered on my shift is a huge help, Gressel said. I'm able to basically make a coffee, grab a yogurt or a piece of fruit, some small item as a snack and then go to work and know that dinner's covered.

Frontline Foods has partnered with chef Jose Andres World Central Kitchen, and has spread to just over 25 areas across the United States, with $1.1 million raised and 7,330 meals served as of Tuesday, through the work of 250 volunteers working nationally. The group is also encouraging other cities to start their own FLF chapters, educating interested parties on how they can start initiatives to feel hospital workers.

To contribute to Frontline Foods, go to frontlinefoods.org.

East Bay FeedER

Courtesy East Bay FeedER

The seeds of East Bay FeedER began on a whim when Berkeley author Ayelet Waldman decided to order 25 meals from Brown Sugar Kitchen and drop them off to staff at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Within six days from that first meal, Waldman and her husband, author Michael Chabon, organized a group of 40 volunteers as East Bay FeedER, expanding quickly to feed frontline workers at five East Bay hospitals  Highland, Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley, as well as Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and Richmond  and working with a roster of local restaurants to make those meals.

The payoff was twofold: help independent restaurants weather this difficult financial time with an influx of funds, while feeding the hospital workers who need meals to get them through their long shifts.

Our restaurants are [the Bay Areas] beating heart and we have to save them; they are on such tight margins, to be able to help them survive is such a privilege, Waldman told SFGATE by phone. And then we know now that ER staff are at the highest risk. We have not provided them with the safety equipment that they need as a country. But [where citizens can help is] a delicious, nutritious, beautifully prepared meal brought to workers by people who are so grateful to you for your service, for your generosity, for your courage  it goes a long way in making them feel loved and supported by your community.

East Bay FeedER has also partnered with World Central Kitchen, and is looking to raise $500,000 to continue feeding emergency department and ICU hospital workers at those five hospitals, twice a day, throughout the crisis. So far, the group has raised over $280,000 with over 2,000 meals served  all this despite being nothing like Waldmans usual day job.

I'm a novelist and a television writer, and my husband always laughs that I cannot not be busy, Waldman said, laughing. And he's like, I should have known that you would found a startup while we are trapped in the house.

To contribute to East Bay FeedER, go to eastbayfeedER.org.

Feed the Line

Courtesy Feed the Line

It wasnt in the plan for San Francisco creative brand consultancy firm Butchershop to have a nonprofit arm of its business feed frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis, but the desire to do good quickly became personal. An employee for the firm with a fiance who worked at UCSF alerted her co-workers to the fact that many frontline workers could use some hot meals during this intense work period, and the company jumped at the opportunity to help.

Using their collective knowledge of websites, technology and user experience, the company was able to work up a website and have it functional within two days, pairing fundraising for restaurants with hospitals that could use the food, while streamlining and automating the process to keep things easy for everyone. Fundraisers are set up so those donating can either select which restaurant gets their money (while seeing how close each campaign is to being fully funded) or to donate to a general fund that will be dispersed among the projects.

Feed the Line is currently working with eight hospitals and 54 restaurants across San Francisco, Marin and the East Bay, with about 1,000 meals delivered and $50,000 raised as of Tuesday.

Butchershop CEO and founder Trevor Hubbard said that the companys ethos is "to help people," and that building the Feed the Line site has rallied his staff, saying other companies should consider how they can help the community as well.

I think one of the things that's really cool is [Feed the Line] is a mascot for our company right now, and it's something that everyone can get behind, Hubbard said during a video call to SFGATE. "Now you have a dozen people at Butchershop working on this every day and spending time at night, and it's not for us as a company, it's for the community. So we feel like we're connected and we're participating, and I think that's really, really important.

To contribute to Feed the Line, go to feedtheline.org.

Andytown Coffee Roasters

Courtesy Andytown Coffee Roasters

Business owner Lauren Crabbe of Andytown said she first saw the idea of restaurants feeding frontline workers via her Twitter feed, as some chefs discussed helping hospitals through their restaurants. At the time, the venture seemed daunting, as the possibility of raising $1,000, for instance, seemed like a large ask for businesses like hers, especially after having to reduce hours for many of their employees.

"I really liked the idea, but I kind of wanted to make it more bite-sized so the average person can participate, Crabbe said by phone to SFGATE. [At Andytown], we make coffee, that's what we do  and in a crisis, we can continue making coffee. So we decided to open up on our website the ability for customers to buy as little as one cup of coffee, to contribute to a large donation for a hospital. That's how it started and people really liked the idea."

That simple idea then grew to $5,000 in donations overnight, and then to $20,000 in donations within two more days of fundraising, all grown out of people offering to buy a cup of coffee at a time for hospital workers. With all the contributions that continue to pour in, Andytown has been working to schedule large deliveries of coffee, cold-brew concentrate, juice and pastries twice a day to hospitals  including night shifts, which Crabbe said are the most excited to get treats and coffee from their team  through the month of May or further.

We're just so thankful to our customers for supporting this project, because it's really them that are the people who are giving. We're just kind of facilitating [the project] and we're so grateful to continue operating our business, even at this much smaller scale, Crabbe said. We're just so happy that we can still be making coffee, even if someone's buying it and we're delivering it to someone else  I don't care. I'm just happy to be making coffee, and the fact that I get to send coffee to the first responders, it's such a gift and I'm really stoked and I'm so thankful to our customers.

To contribute and buy a cup of coffee, pastry or juice for workers, go to andytownsf.com/donate-1.

Are you a business or organization helping to feed frontline workers or the homeless during this time of need? We'd like to include you on this list. Email editor Dianne de Guzman here.

[Editor's note, April 8, 2020: An earlier version of this article misidentified Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital as UCSF in both the story and the photo captions. The article has since been updated throughout.]

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WASHINGTON, DCWhen President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. funding from the World Health Organization on Tuesday, accusing the agency of being very China-centric in its COVID-19 response, a Canadian doctor may have been at the centre of his thinking.

In comments Wednesday morning, that Canadian responded, defending the WHOs co-operation with China as the crisis emerged.

It was absolutely critical that we work very closely with China to understand this disease, Dr. Bruce Aylward, the Newfoundland-born physician helping lead the WHO response to coronavirus, said in a virtual press briefing.

Its got nothing to do with China specifically. It happened to be the place where this started.

He noted his organization was working just as closely with other countries  he discussed his recent work in Spain, specifically, at the press conference  to fight the virus.

Aylward has become the poster-boy for accusations that a too-cozy relationship with China is hampering the WHOs COVID-19 response. The claims began in response to a viral video of Aylward refusing to answer questions about Taiwan (a country Beijing doesnt recognize because it considers it part of China), and cut off an interview with a Hong Kong reporter who insisted on repeatedly asking about it.

Critics on both the left and right have pointed to the video to back up criticisms of the WHO that  when it came to China  it was too slow to share full information, too slow to recommend travel restrictions, among other issues.

Trump seemed to allude to that episode with a surprise announcement Tuesday at his White House press briefing. Were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. Were going to put a very powerful hold on it and were going to see, he said, before clarifying he hadnt ordered the hold yet, but was looking into it.

They called it wrong, he said of the WHOs early advice not to close borders to China. They seem to err always on the side of China. And we fund it. So I want to look into it.

The U.S. is the worlds largest funder of the WHO, contributing roughly 10 per cent of its budget, according to the New York Times.

At the WHO press briefing Wednesday, European Regional Director Hans Kluge responded to Trumps threat. We are still in the acute phase, so this is not the time to cut back on funding.

And in a separate press conference Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said both the U.S. and China should provide honest leadership and stop politicizing the crisis, if you dont want to have many more body bags.

In discussing his work with China, Aylward said that because the virus originated there it was absolutely critical to have full access to everything possible to get on the ground there and work with the Chinese to understand this.

That can be perceived in different ways, potentially, but it was such an important part of what is truly an extraordinary developing public health crisis were all in the middle of, he said.

Asked by a reporter about Trumps criticism of the WHO stance on border restrictions, Aylward defended both the WHO and Chinas response to focus on the travel of coronavirus patients, and those whod had close contact with them.

China worked very hard very early on, once it understood what it was dealing with, to try to identify potential cases to make sure that they got tested, to trace all the very close contacts, to make sure they were quarantined, Aylward said. Then they made it very clear that these people could not and would not travel within the country, let alone internationally.

He pointed further to the lockdown on affected regions of China like Wuhan, where the virus first broke out. Those are the key measures that needed to be put in place to reduce the risk of international spread. Because thats got to be balanced with how do we move goods, services, etc. that are going to be critical to maintaining societies and economies, as well as the international response. So thats the critical thing when it comes to managing the virus and potential movement out of China.

Read more about:
A prime minister incapacitated, his closest lieutenant and heir apparent himself ill and unable to take over, confusion at the heart of the British government, a cover-up of the premiers true condition?

Well, it has happened, albeit in rather easier times than these, and it demonstrates both how administrative life goes on, and how often Whitehall and Westminster have faced such challenges before. More often than not the machine has muddled through, which is perhaps reassurance of sorts.

The story is Winston Churchills and it begins on the evening of Tuesday 23 June 1953. A few weeks after the coronation of the Queen her first prime minister was enjoying his Indian summer as a peacetime premier. He and colleagues had been entertaining the prime minister of Italy and his delegation in the usual style. At the end of the evening some noticed that the prime minister was not talking in his usual expansive manner, and his left arm felt limp. Some at the party put it down to the generous hospitality but when Churchills doctor eventually attended him in the morning it was clear that the old man (79 years of age) had suffered a major stroke. This was on top of a series of cardiac events stretching back to 1941, and his doctor, Lord Moran, thought he would die by the weekend.
Acting Secretary of the US Navy, Thomas Modly, resigned on Tuesday after he was forced to step down for firing an aircraft carrier captain, who had alarmed the high-ranking officials about a novel coronavirus outbreak on board and pleaded for help.

Modly's resignation comes a little more than a week after Capt. Brett Crozier, the then-commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt, sent a memo warning of coronavirus spreading among the sailors on the aircraft carrier. The memo leaked and Modly subsequently removed Crozier from command.

Modly flew to Guam to address the ship, insulting Crozier to thousands of sailors who had given their former captain a standing ovation as he left the ship days before, CNN reported.

The audio of that address was leaked to media outlets and the uproar over Modly's remarks -- calling Crozier "too naive or too stupid" to be in command of the aircraft carrier and saying that going outside of the chain-of-command with his memo represented a "betrayal" -- quickly made his position untenable.

In his resignation letter, Modly, however, did not mention the controversy but later apologized to the whole of the Navy for the incident in a memo.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in a letter that he accepted Modly's resignation on Tuesday morning.

"I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused," he wrote in a written apology, adding "I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused."

Crozier sent a five-page internal letter last week to higher-ranking officials in the chain of command, pleading for help from the Pentagon to contain a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the Roosevelt by transferring 90 per cent of the crew onto Guam for quarantine. The letter led to his removal announced last Thursday by Modly.

"I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship," Modly wrote Monday, backtracking from his previous assertions.

"Sadly, Acting Secretary Modly's actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritize the force protection of our troops," Pelosi said in a written statement Tuesday. "He showed a serious lack of the sound judgment and strong leadership needed during this time. Acting Secretary Modly must be removed from his position or resign."

Some 173 sailors on board the Roosevelt tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Monday, including Crozier himself, according to media reports. Approximately 2,000 of the roughly 5,000 crew members have disembarked the ship, nearing the 2,700 tally planned for evacuation due to the virus outbreak.

Acting Undersecretary of the Army James McPherson has been tapped to succeed Modly in an acting capacity, Xinhua news agency reported after citing several American media outlets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The U.S. recently established a sixth military service, the Space Force. The Air Force and other American defense organizations are transferring existing weapons systems that are suitable for the new service. One of these is an upgraded (in 2014) version of CCS (Counter Communications System) the air force has been using since 2004 as a ground-based satellite communications jamming system. With CCS version B10.2 the United States has a satellite jammer comparable to systems used by other countries, especially Russia.

Russian systems were something of a mystery. But since 2014 many EW (electronic warfare) devices have been used in eastern Ukraine and Syria for testing under combat conditions. This is a unique opportunity to discover weaknesses, fix them and then promote export sales with a combat proven item. Equipment still in development is also tested. One example of that was the truck-mounted Tirada-2 orbital jamming system that showed up during early 2019 in eastern Ukraine. Tirada-2 was there help to hack the control signals and video feeds from American RQ-4B Global Hawk UAVs that regularly operate over eastern Ukraine. A successful hack would provide a look at what these UAVs see when they monitor Russian activity. Some RQ-4Bs are equipped with space satellite quality electronic sensors and the Russians were hoping to get an opportunity to monitor and perhaps hack those systems. Ukrainian and Western intelligence was aware of the existence of Tirada-2 if only because a less capable export model was being offered for sale. But now the more capable non-export Tirada-2 showed up in Eastern Ukraine (Donbas), As one would expect, no one provided any details of who has been able to do what to whom.

Hacking and jamming satellites are nothing new. Even Islamic terrorists are active in this area. For example in early 2015 a major French TV network (TV5) was hijacked by hackers working for ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Calling themselves the CyberCaliphate, this group had apparently spent weeks getting past the formidable network security and did some major damage. TV5 satellite feeds sends programming to over 250 million customers (households and businesses) worldwide. All eleven TV5 channels were dark for three hours before a temporary data feed was established to put something on customer TV screens. It took over a week to clean the network of all the hacker malware and begin work on improving security. Other French media companies were informed of the threat and joint efforts were underway to improve security. Whatever enthusiasm there was for better security will probably not last because this was not the first time something like this happened.

Its not that the threat was ignored or underestimated. Officially the hacker threat is taken very seriously by media companies, especially those who broadcast via satellite. Starting in the late 1990s, growing reliance on data networks and satellite distribution of programming resulted in more and more attacks on these networks by groups seeking to get some attention by briefly seizing control of or shutting down these systems.

These attacks reached something of a crescendo in 2007 when a Chinese satellite television channel was taken over by hackers. For about 90 minutes, the government had no control over the feed, which was replaced by anti-government material. The Chinese government tried to keep details of how this happened out of the news but, because over 130 million Chinese then had access to the Internet and even more had cell phones, it was impossible to completely blackout details of what happened. Senior officials were quite upset, especially because since 2002 there had been over a dozen incidents worldwide of hijacking satellite television signals. Several of these took place in China, but until 2007 the government assured everyone that the "problem" was fixed.

After 2000 the increasing number of incidents of space satellites being "hacked" was believed to be largely the result of an increase in the number of satellites up there, and the number of ground stations broadcasting information up into the sky. Many of these early "hacks" turned out to be satellite signals interfering with one another. Same with cases where people believe their GPS or satellite communications signals were being jammed. On further investigation, the real reasons tend to be less interesting and a lot more technical. All this usually had a large element of human error mixed in. But some of the disruptions were deliberate.

The 2007 China incident clearly indicated a security problem. If you have the proper passwords and security information, you can send commands to the satellite and do whatever you want. The Chinese had a security problem and to Chinese rulers that was more frightening than, well, just about anything. China has since greatly improved its satellite security but as TV5 discovered that is not always enough. Russian EW developers watched all this with great interest and considered the possibility of improving and weaponizing these hacking capabilities.

All of the accidental jammings demonstrated to hackers how easy it was to do it on purpose. There were a growing number of examples of that. In response, the U.S. Air Force has long (decades) been developing electronic tools for attacking and defending satellite communications, and the satellite operators themselves were already training people to attack and defend space satellites. This effort involved figuring out new or improved ways to jam satellites. Then you keep that stuff secret, in case potential enemies have not figured this out themselves. Next, you work on ways to defeat the weapons developed. Most of this is playing around with the signals. You can unjam a jamming signal with another signal. However, a lot of trial and error is required, and you want to get that done way in advance of any actual war. When you do have to use this stuff for real, you have to expect that the enemy may well have come up with some angle you missed. Thus there will be some rapid improvisation, and you will have more time and resources for this if you have worked out, ahead of time, the details of disasters you have already anticipated. No one releases much information about this, for obvious reasons. There isn't much discussion from any government unless there is a terrorist attack using these techniques. Now that has happened in a very public fashion, and it was done using clever and determined hacking of the ground-based networks that control the programming and the satellites.

Some satellite hacking problems have been solved. For example, it has been shown that if there is government jamming that could be identified as such. This was demonstrated back in 2003 when satellite broadcasters transmitting television shows to Iran found their signals being jammed. The source of the jamming was quickly traced to Cuba. A satellite signal is very difficult to jam as it comes down from the satellite. But if you are close to the ground station that beams the signal up to the satellite, you can more easily interfere with that. At first, it was thought that the Cuban government, using an old Soviet era electronic eavesdropping facility outside Havana, was doing the jamming as a favor to Iran (which buys Cuban support with supplies of cut-rate oil.) Back then the Chinese had already paid Cuba a lot of money to take over and revive the old Soviet facility electronic monitoring. The Cuban government denied it had anything to do with the jamming and said it would find out where the jamming was coming from, and they did. Soon the Cuban government reported that they had traced the jamming signal to a suburban compound owned by the Iranian embassy. The Cubans ordered the jamming to stop, and it did.

There have been few additional efforts like this, mainly because it was obvious that you could not easily hide a jammer. Satellite broadcasters also took measures to make such jamming much more difficult to do. There were also efforts to improve defense against hackers, but for TV5 the defenses were not robust enough.

Russia quietly worked on ways to not only hack satellite control and data signals but to easily eavesdrop and monitor them. Encrypted signals can be decrypted and if you can do that you do not talk about it. But now the Russian satellite signal monitoring and hacking equipment are coming out of the development shadows and practicing on American equipment.
Long-dated Treasury yields climbed on Wednesday as investors monitor efforts to slow down the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and around the world.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to price, rose 2 basis points to 0.75%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond edged higher to 1.34%.

Investor focus remains attuned to signals of an end to the outbreak and subsequent market recovery, leading to some volatile trading on Wall Street. Despite its worst day for deaths since the outbreak began, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the country's hardest-hit state was seeing a slowdown in new hospital admissions.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at the World Health Organization (WHO) for getting "every aspect" of the pandemic wrong and threatened to withdraw funding from the international body.

Meanwhile, Trump defended his weeks spent publicly downplaying the severity of the coronavirus even after it arrived in the U.S., despite dire warnings from global health officials and his own trade advisor, by characterizing himself as a "cheerleader."

The U.S. had confirmed 399,886 cases as of Wednesday morning and 12,907 Americans have lost their lives, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Federal Open Market Committee released minutes Wednesday of its March 15 meeting, during which it lowered its benchmark interest rate to near zero. The minutes reflected central bankers concerned about the impact the coronavirus was having on the economy. "All participants viewed the near-term U.S. economic outlook as having deteriorated sharply in recent weeks and as having become profoundly uncertain," the minutes said.

The central bankers also indicated they will keep interest rates near zero until the economy has "weathered" the coronavirus crisis.

"With regard to monetary policy beyond this meeting, these participants judged that it would be appropriate to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to  percent until policymakers were confident that the economy had weathered recent events and was on track to achieve the Committee's maximum employment and price stability goals," the minutes said.

Auctions will be held Wednesday for $40 billion of 103-day Treasury bills, $45 billion of 40-day bills and $40 billion of 154-day bills, along with $17 billion of 30-year Treasury bonds.
Sweden is resisting international trends by not implementing a lockdown or strict social distancing measures to fight the coronavirus.

Researchers and scientists in Sweden have criticized the government's decision to allow businesses to remain open.

More than 2,000 experts signed an open letter calling for stronger action, and some fear that a surge in coronavirus deaths is imminent.

But government officials have defended the strategy.

View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.

Scientists in Sweden are criticizing the government for deciding not to implement a lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

While the Swedish government has encouraged residents to practice social distancing and limit the size of public gatherings, it has stopped short of closing workplaces, bars, and restaurants as other countries have done.

Officials in the country have defended the strategy, but some experts fear it could backfire, including Cecilia Soderberg-Naucler, an immunologist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

"We are scientists. We don't trust authorities. We trust data. And we don't see the data that supports that we should go for this strategy as the only country in the world," Soderberg-Naucler told Reuters. "And when you get into an overload in the healthcare system, you don't have a choice to close down. You will have to close down, and it would have been better to do that earlier so we can keep this in a controlled situation."

Soderberg-Naucler was one of the more than 2,300 Swedish researchers who demanded stricter regulations in an open letter late last month, two days after the United Kingdom imposed a nationwide lockdown.

It's not as if Sweden has escaped lightly. The number of confirmed cases and deaths of people who have tested positive for coronavirus is following a similar incline to other European countries. As of April 8, Sweden had nearly 8,500 reported cases and 687 deaths.

Story continues

Sweden is resisting international trends by not implementing a lockdown or strict social distancing measures to fight the coronavirus.

Reuters

And some experts predict a surge in cases in the coming days. Anne Rosendahl, a nurse at Uppsala University Hospital, told NBC News she's already seeing an increase of patients needing intensive care.

"They are seriously ill," she told NBC News. "Half of the people that I care for are young patients, and most of them have no pre-existing illnesses."

But Anders Tegnell, Sweden's state epidemiologist, is among the proponents of the country's liberal restriction strategy.

"This level of measures that we have in Sweden  there is no problem for us to keep it running for months," he told Reuters. "Closing schools, more stringent measures like that, closing borders  you cannot do that for months or years ahead. But what we are doing in Sweden we can continue doing for a long time, and I think that's going to prove to be very important in the long run."

And the calculated risk seems to have won over many Swedish consumers and business owners, at least for now. Hosep Seropian, owner of Cafe Pascal in Stockholm, said he's seen business drop by about 50% since the pandemic broke out, but the lack of restrictions is helping people maintain a semblance of normal life.

"Here in Sweden if you are young, if you are healthy, then go out and try to live as normal as you can. That's what I'm doing," he told Reuters.

"Many people are coming here to support us because they want us still here after this crisis is over. Support your locals  go out."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, globally, the number of confirmed cases stands at 1,407,123 with 297,934 recoveries and 80,759 deaths. In the United States of America, there have been 385,449 confirmed cases with 20,027 recoveries and 12,216 deaths. Similarly, in Spain, the number confirmed cases stands at 140,511 with 43,208 recoveries and 13,897 deaths. The number of confirmed cases in Italy stands at 135,586 with 24,392 recoveries and 17,127 deaths. Source: Wikipedia 7 April 2020 at 19.45 GMT.

In Ghana, 287 cases have been confirmed with 3 recoveries and 5 deaths. Source: Ghana Health Service. Many Ghanaians have been alarmed by the statistics so far. Let me sound pessimistic, we should expect to see more confirmed cases and other outcomes if contact tracing is effective in the Country. This is because there are many generations of contacts in the general population.

In the coming days we shall reach the peak when enough contact tracing and testing has been done, with confirmed cases isolated and treated. The rates will begin to fall because they may not be further infections due to preventive measure put in place. Also, there would have been many recoveries from the condition. Unfortunately, there would have been enough fatalities too.

In all this, one will say that the Ghana situation looks more favourable compared to the United States, Spain, Italy and other countries considering the strength of the health systems of the respective countries.

What has helped in the fight against COVID-19 so far in Ghana?

Among other strategies the following have stood tall:

1. The closure of the entry points of the country and mandatory quarantine is one of the single most effective strategy that has worked. Many confirmed cases came from this intervention. Though the cross went before the flag, President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo deserves commendations for this intervention.

2. The effectiveness of the lockdown of Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, Obuasi and other COVID-19 endemic areas cannot be underestimated in the fight against the pandemic. This has enabled effective contact tracing and confirmation of cases and other related activities.

3. Massive public education on the Coronavirus by health authorities, civil society mostly through the media and other news outlets has not in any small way contributed to the fight against the virus.

4. The Presidents recent announcement on incentives for health workers has given the fight another big boost.

How can we accelerate the fight against the Coronavirus in Ghana?

There are more opportunities for us to capitalize on to win the fight against the Coronavirus. This includes but not limited to the following:

1. There is the need for intensified contact tracing among the population. The Presidents announcement of incentive of GHS150.00 for Contact Tracers per day is therefore in the right direction. This will help identify more cases and help in reaching the peak of the pandemic early in Ghana. Even though the incentive is good, I believe if it is enhanced, more people will get involved and the existing Contact Tracers will also double-up their efforts. I hear the Ghana Association of Surveys and other individuals have developed software Applications that can assist with contact tracing. Maybe we should leverage this initiative.

2. As mentioned earlier, the closure of borders and other entry points into the country is crucial in the fight against the pandemic in Ghana. The Presidents announcement of the extension of this embargo is welcoming and must be supported by all.

3. Aggressive testing in the general population, especially in COVID-19 endemic communities is another strategy that can be employed to win the fight.

4. Extension of the lockdown in Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and the other areas is necessary in this fight. Though the lockdown maybe inconveniencing, if it becomes necessary from the outcome of the test results pending that it should be extended, I think the government should do so for the period deemed as necessary. This will facilitate more effective contact tracing and related activities necessary in the fight against the pandemic. However, in the event that theres an extension of the lockdown Government, Civil Society, Philanthropists etc would have to look at supporting the poor and vulnerable with food, shelter, clothes, medical care and other essentials of life.

5. Supply of more Personal Protective Equipment to health workers. Generally, the response of the state as far PPEs for Health workers in this fight has been very poor. Checks in many health facilities, especially District Hospitals across the country reveal that very few PPEs are available for health workers to tackle the pandemic. It will be an exercise in futility if health workers are adequately trained, with all the incentives if there are no adequate PPEs for them to use to fight the pandemic.

6. The Group Insurance for health workers is welcoming news. However, many health workers that I have come across feel the Insurance Package is too basic. For many health workers to get onboard the fight and demonstrate full commitment the state must look at upgrading the Group Insurance.

What lessons should we learn as a State from this pandemic?

This crisis has many lessons for us to learn as a country. However, the following readily come to mind:

1. It is abundantly clear that we need to engage in domestic production of essential commodities that we consume. This ranges from food for the general population to Personal Protective Equipment for health workers. It appears many essentials are imported in this country. Going forward we need to aggressively move into and invest in manufacturing and production of essential commodities. Necessity they say is the mother of all inventions. We have seen Obuasi Secondary Technical School lads produce an automated veronica bucket. I understand one individual is working on producing a brand of ventilator for Intensive Care purposes. The state should encourage these initiatives.

2. The pandemic has shown how fragile our health system is. The State must invest more in the health system. This pandemic has shown that there are times that one cannot travel outside the country for health care irrespective of status in society.

3. Generally, there is laxity in health screening at the points of entry into our country. This pandemic should be a wake-up call to all at the entry points, especially Port Health Authorities.

4. Working from home has become an alternative to being physically present at work in many jurisdictions. In the case of schools, we have online courses. In this era of technology, the way to go is to encourage employees to work from home, if their jobs do not require them to be physically present to discharge their duties. Schools, especially tertiary institutions should look at offering online programmes.

5. This pandemic has revealed that we have poor data on people residing in Ghana. This in many cases has made it difficult for contact tracing. We have a great deal to learn from this experience. Maybe the National Identification exercise which has been suspended when it resumes after the pandemic will help us resolve this problem.

So far; so good. As one Preacher put it, a lot will change in the world after COVID-19. Perhaps we may change the way we greet from handshakes to head bows. We may also look at our social and religious gatherings. We may learn to be self-reliant as developing countries than depending on aid and foreign support. Perhaps, we will learn to invest in our health systems to strengthen them than travelling outside for health care. Or perhaps there will be less international travels. We may also look at our hand washing habits as a people.

BY Farouk Adam IDDRISU

[email protected]
European markets closed lower Wednesday as optimism over an imminent recovery from the coronavirus started to fade.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed down almost 0.2% provisionally, with oil and gas stocks shedding 1.4% to lead losses, while the travel and leisure sector gained 3%.

Global markets continue to seesaw on hopes and fears over the direction that the coronavirus pandemic is taking. There was optimism that the virus could begin to slow its spread, but an end to the outbreak appears to be some way off.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the World Health Organization for getting "every aspect" of the coronavirus pandemic wrong and threatened to withhold funding from the international organization.

But the WHO hit back on Wednesday. Dr. Hans Kluge, the organization's regional director for Europe, said: "We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding."

On Wall Street, stocks rose slightly on hopes the U.S. could start to turn a corner on the coronavirus outbreak in the near future.
current-affairs-trends Coronavirus pandemic | Indian firms account for half of hydroxychloroquine supply to US: Report Hydroxychloroquine has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of the novel coronavirus.
As the world lauds healthcare workers and police forces for serving them unconditionally during the coronavirus pandemic, food delivery giants Zomato took the opportunity to highlight the contribution made by the food delivery personnel. Zomato celebrated the unsung heroes that brave all odds to deliver food in time by marking them with a superhero cape on its app.

In the latest update of the app, what used to previously be a tiny person on a bike, denoting a delivery person's location on the map for users to track their orders, is now a person with a red cape with the letter 'Z' printed on it in white. The person is also depicted as flying to the delivery address, implying that the delivery person was, in fact, a superhero.

Marico to tie up with Zomato

Amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, FMCG giant Marico Limited has announced a tie-up with food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato to launch an initiative to enable the delivery of essential food items to consumers. The company has introduced 'Saffola Store' on the food delivery platforms, via which consumers can order food items under the Marico Brand  Saffola Oils, Saffola Plain Oats, Saffola Masala Oats and Coco Soul Virgin coconut oil.

Read: FMCG Giant Marico Ties Up With Swiggy, Zomato To Home Deliver Essential Food Items

In a press release, Marico said the service is already available on Zomato in Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR and will soon be extended to other metros like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad starting next week. Meanwhile, Marico's Swiggy stores have started delivery in Gurugram and the service will be extended to the rest of Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai this weekend.

Read: Zomato Recommends 'ghar Ka Khaana' Amid Lockdown, Netizens Say 'available 24X7'

Sanjay Mishra, Chief Operating Officer- India Sales and Bangladesh Business, Marico Limited, said the company intends to extend its support to the country while it faces the Coronavirus crisis. As one of Indias leading consumer companies, we are working towards ensuring the availability and easy access of essential food items to consumers. In an effort towards this, we have partnered with Swiggy and Zomato to provide Saffola and Coco Soul products to individuals doorstep in a safe manner, he said.

Read: Zomato Asks If People Are 'doing Fine Without Pani Puri', Netizens Can't Stop Craving

Read: Zomato Recommends 'ghar Ka Khaana' Amid Lockdown, Netizens Say 'available 24X7'

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.
Yves here. Wolf Richter highlights a new (April 2) paper posted at New York Feds Liberty Street Economics site, written by Haelim Anderson, a senior economist at the FDIC, and Adam Copeland, an an assistant vice president in the Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorks Research and Statistics Group. This looks like a timely piece of research rather than a policy recommendation (recall that the IMFs research unit puts out all sorts of forward-thinking work that its program side ignores). Nevertheless, the very, erm, timeliness makes one wonder if this piece is a trial balloon.

Readers might wonder why supposedly sophisticated investors and companies would keep more than $250,000 in a bank. After all, the really big boys use repo as an alternative to keeping money in banks (your funds go to a counterparty and you get securities as collateral as your protection) and mere wealthy individuals use brokered deposits to spread their funds around so that no particular bank has more than $250,000.

Its operationally too cumbersome to spread funds used for payroll out among banks. A company beyond non-trivial in size will have more than $250,000 in its accounts for its monthly or bi-weekly payroll. Similarly, any company that gets or places large-ish orders will regularly have transactions larger than $250,000 moving through its accounts.

While there are likely other banks that the authorities are keen to protect with this hide the dirty laundry so as to prevent bank runs routine, its not hard to imagine that one is the long-standing problem child of Citigroups international cash management operations. It was formerly called GTS and was a critical utility for many multinational. It is not clear whether Citi is as clear a leader in this business (and hence has outsized market share) as it did before and shortly after the financial crisis, but it is at least still a very important player, confirmed by Citi getting top marks in an industry survey in 2019.

Immediately below is a description from our 2010 post on GTS and how it made Citi too critical to fail. The bigger point is that any bank with a reasonably large international cash management business would be in precisely the same position. And despite this obvious vulnerability, theres no evidence that regulators have attempted to defuse these bombs.

GTS is a big cash management/information service. It is also a bread and butter earner for Citi. Per the Journal: Otis Otih, the treasurer of candy maker Mars Inc., uses GTS to handle most payments to employees and vendors of Mars operations in 68 countries. Citibank is the only truly, truly global company for us  I dont see any alternative, he says. As an example of what the unit allows multinationals to do, an Asian subsidiary of a European company can deposit funds with Citigroup locally and the money will instantly show up on the ledger of the parent a continent away. The system makes it easier for corporate treasurers to manage their finances, and many corporate and government clients outsource a wide range of other finance work to GTS. Executives told officials with the Treasury Department and the Fed that GTSs technology and presence in more than 100 countries made it too dangerous for the U.S. to let Citigroup collapse. The Treasury gave the bank a second big helping of $20 billion just six weeks after an initial $25 billion infusion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, partly in recognition of GTSs importance to the financial system, according to government and company officials. While Citigroup is primarily known for its retail banking and credit-card businesses, the GTS unit is increasingly integral to the parent companys functioning. Clients that move funds through GTS leave a lot of cash on deposit at the unit, which funnels the money to other parts of Citigroup for lending or other uses. GTSs deposit-gathering muscle has grown more important since the financial crisis began, now providing about 40% of Citigroups $800 billion of deposits. Yves here. GTS is a big piece of what makes Citi a difficult to disarm bomb. One of the swords of Damocles that the big bank had over the officialdom is that, prior to the crisis, it had $500 billion of uninsured foreign deposits. If Citi looked wobbly, sensible depositors would withdraw funds, and that could quickly morph into a run. Moreover, the any other international bank with meaningful cross border deposits could come under scrutiny (although it is odd more of this has not happened in the wake of the implosion of Iceland, which left a number of UK borrowers high and dry until concerted pressure on Iceland produced some restitution). The Journal argues that GTS is essential to Citi. This is rubbish. GTS is a sophisticated payments system and a source of low-cost deposits. It may provide a foot in the door, and help deepen some relationships, but let us face it, cash management and payments systems are at best assistant treasurer relationships at big companies. Proof of the pudding: it is a no-brainer that companies like Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and UBS are doing complex, high margin transactions at companies that are also using GTS.

Another issue with the authorities If we hide bad information, we prevent runs on banks is that it will make interested parties even more eager to seek out information however they can. I was hardly all that plugged to informal sources in 2008, but in August, I was hearing of large-scale withdrawals at Citi and WaMu. If I had this sort of thing being tossed over my transom, dont you think hedgies, who might see both risk and opportunity, would seek out this sort of intel aggressively?

And in the absence of information, rumors will be taken way more seriously than they would otherwise be.

Now to Wolfs important post.

By Wolf Richter, editor of Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

US banks are now finding themselves in a situation where homeowners dont have to make mortgage payments for few months, and renters dont have to pay rent for a while, which leaves many landlords unable to make their mortgage payments  not to speak of the many Airbnb hosts that have no guests and wont be able to make their mortgage payments. Commercial real estate is in turmoil because the tenants have closed shop and cannot or wont make rent payments, and these landlords are going to have long discussions with their bankers about skipping mortgage payments. And subprime auto loans and subprime credit card loans, which were already blowing up before the crisis, are now an unspeakable mess, as tens of millions of people have suddenly lost their jobs.

Amid this toxic environment for the banks, here come the New York Fed and the FDIC and tout the Value of Opacity in a Banking Crisis, explaining, supported by empirical data from the Great Depression, that its better to stop disclosing balance sheet information about individual banks.

So here we go, as to why its important for authorities to lie about banks during a crisis. Its not directed at households, as well see in a moment  but at corporations, hedge funds, PE firms, state and local government entities, and other institutional bank customers whose bank balances by far exceed deposit insurance limits and that would yank their mega-deposits out of that bank at the first sign of trouble.

The authors of the article, a joint production by the FDIC and the New York Fed, cite Great Depression data before the arrival of FDIC deposit insurance to show how lying about balance sheets of individual banks is beneficial in ending runs on weak banks. Theyre talking about accounts that were uninsured at the time, and thats the key for today, as well see in a moment.

Currently, US banks have to provide summary statistics about their balance sheets (call reports), which is made publicly available in a data base by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), a U.S. government interagency entity of banking regulators.

During normal times, regulators have long recognized that disclosure is an important tool that helps the market to discipline banks, the article says. But now are not normal times:

In a crisis, however, theory predicts that undesirable outcomes can occur if the publication of balance sheet information induces runs on solvent banks. As a result, it may be desirable for regulators to suspend the publication of bank-specific information during a crisis so as to make banks more opaque to depositors. Such a policy action prevents depositors from being able to distinguish between banks with stronger and weaker balance sheets, reducing the chance that depositors will run on a weak, but still solvent bank (an inefficient type of bank run).

The researchers relied on data on deposits at New York banks during the Great Depression before the arrival of the FDIC in January 1934. This was the period when deposits were not insured. New York had two differently regulated sets of banks: state-chartered banks and nationally charted banks, each with their own regulators.

To convince panic-stricken households in New York that their deposits would remain liquid and safe, the New York state bank regulator suppressed bank-specific information by not collecting and mandating the publication of call report data in 1933 and 1934 for those institutions under its oversight (banks with a state charter). This policy decision effectively ended the publics ability to observe the balance sheets of statecharter banks for two years. In contrast, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) collected and mandated the publication of balance-sheet statistics for banks under its oversight (banks with a national charter).

Suppressing balance sheet data reduced the outflow of deposits at those banks, compared to banks that disclosed balance sheet data, with state-charter banks faring better in June 1933 because of the New York state bank regulators policy of information suppression.

But in 1934, after the FDIC deposit insurance became effective, deposit flows reversed, with deposits flowing back into banks, and those deposit inflows converged, with both state-chartered banks (that suppressed balance sheet information) and nationally charted banks (that disclosed balance sheet information) gaining deposits at a similar rate:

Having deposit insurance makes household depositors much less sensitive to bank-level information; once they are insured, depositors no longer have an incentive to monitor banks and so they pay less attention to the publication of balance-sheet statistics. As a result, the introduction of deposit insurance makes irrelevant the gains from making the balance sheets of state-charter banks more opaque, placing nationalcharter and state-charter back on an equal footing.

But wait Thats not where this story goes.

It U-turns right at this spot in a conclusion, titled Why Does This Result Matter Today?

Even with the FDICs deposit insurance program, public disclosure of the portfolio of assets held by banks matters because banks issue significant amounts of debt that is not insured (for example, a significant fraction of bank deposits today are not insured by the FDIC).

These uninsured deposits are in accounts that exceed by a wide margin the FDIC deposit insurance limit of $250,000. Theyre held mostly by businesses, institutions, state and local government entities, hedge funds, PE firms, and the like. They may have hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in their transaction accounts.

Few households have daily liquidity needs that exceed FDIC deposit insurance limits, and savers can spread their bank deposits to different banks and stay within the FDIC limits with each deposit account.

Also, these call reports are not easy to dig up and read  though theyre available online. This is something that normal households have neither the time nor the expertise to deal with. So this suppression of information is not directed at savers and households.

But it is directed at businesses, state and local government entities, hedge funds, PE firms, and other institutional bank customers that need big balances in their accounts to fund their operations on a daily basis, engage in transactions, and the like, and that have the staff and expertise to study the call reports and use them as actionable data. And theyd yank their mega-deposits out of that bank at the first sign of trouble appearing in the call reports.

The New York Fed concludes:

Consequently, our results are relevant today and demonstrate there is value in having regulators suppress bank-specific information in a crisis as a way to stem runs on those banks by depositors and other types of investors.

These other types of investors are bond holders who would sell their bank bonds at the first sign of trouble in the call reports, thereby driving up the yield of the bonds and making funding for the bank more expensive and difficult; and these other types of investors include counterparties that might refuse to do business with the bank at the first sign of trouble.

It is interesting that the value of suppressing information about bank balance sheets are being touted now as banks are suddenly finding themselves stuck in a financial crisis so vast that the Fed decided to unleash the biggest amount of money printing in history in an attempt to bail out all aspects of Wal Street.

And it is even more interesting that this is so clearly directed at business and institutional bank customers and counterparties that apparently need to be kept in the dark about the health of their banks, lest they yank out their large deposits.

Runs on the bank dont take place today by people waiting in line at the branch to take out their $500 in savings. They happen when corporations, financial entities, and counterparties lose confidence in the bank and yank their millions and billions out.

Heres what the Fed is doing to bail them all out and keep the Everything Bubble from imploding further. Read... $1.5 Trillion Helicopter Money for Wall Street in 3 Weeks of Fed Bailouts
Aisha* hasnt slept properly in three weeks. The Turkish national moved to the UK with her British husband Jack and their two teenage children two and a half years ago and they have built a happy life in a village in Scotland, but the family risk being ripped apart because they no longer meet Home Office rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 51-year-old was a textile merchandiser in Turkey and now has a business selling products in the UK, but she has had to halt sales due to the lockdown. Jack, 65, has meanwhile been dismissed from his role as an exam invigilator, leaving the family with a dramatically reduced income.

This loss of work means Aisha is no longer able to meet the Home Offices minimum income requirement for spouse visas  introduced in 2012 as part of the governments hostile environment for immigrants  which stipulates that the applicant and their partner must have jointly earned a salary of at least 18,600 per annum.

When I found out my husband had lost his job it felt like there was a big ball of fire in my body, Aisha told The Independent. Im so worried I cant sleep. My children are worried. They say mum, we cant live without you. Im terrified they will come and deport me and I will no longer be here with them. It would devastate us as a family.

Both of us are qualified. We both have university degrees, but under these circumstances nobody wants to employ you. Our income is already drying up. The coronavirus has paralysed us.

Charities warn the pandemic will mean thousands of families across the country risk being torn apart because they may no longer earn enough to be eligible, and are calling on the Home Office to suspend the minimum income requirement until further notice.

A letter to the Home Secretary from 15 NGOs expresses extreme concern about the economic impact of the pandemic on people seeking to remain in the UK as the spouse of a British citizen or settled resident, and warns that this could make some feel they need to work against government guidelines.

It warns that a loss of work, reduced working hours or the need to access statutory sick pay during the pandemic will make it impossible for families to earn the income required for a spouse visa under the current guidelines.

The letter, signed by groups including the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA), states: Families dealing with the economic impact of Covid-19 and doing their best to follow government advice on social distancing should not have to worry that their future in the UK is at risk because of the pandemic.

Nor should applicants and their partners feel forced to continue to work when it is unsafe to do so, because of concerns about being able to satisfy the financial requirements.

Given the extremely uncertain situation, and the emotional distress for people unsure of whether they will be able to continue their family life together in the UK due to changes in their financial situation beyond their control, we ask that you treat this as a matter of urgency and suspend the minimum income requirement for applications until further notice.

Mary Atkinson, family reunion campaigner at JCWI, said: Its not fair, and not safe, to ask people to prove they meet an arbitrary income requirement, or risk having their family split apart, during a pandemic. Families facing this need compassion and clarity from the government, so they can focus on staying safe in these unprecedented times.

A Home Office spokesperson said: These are unprecedented times and we have already introduced measures to support people with immigration status, including automatic extensions of visas and modifying immigration requirements to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

We are keeping family immigration requirements under review, including the minimum income requirement, and will make adjustments where appropriate and necessary.

*Names have been changed
They stopped it for a reason: Trump hails Indias position on hydroxychloroquine

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: India had informed the US State Department about the change in the drug policy before President Donald Trump had spoken about a possible retaliation.

India on Tuesday said that in the view of the humanitarian aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependant on our capabilities.

Meanwhile Trump in an interview with Fox News said that he bought millions of doses. More than 29 million. I spoke with Modi. A lot comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it. He was great. He was really good, Trump said.

COVID-19 diplomacy: Why sharing hydroxychloroquine is essential for India

He also added that India had put a stop because they wanted it for India. "But there are a lot of things coming from that. Lot of people are looking at it and saying, you known I don't hear bad stories. I hear good stories. I do not hear anything where it was causing death. So it is not something like.... You know we are doing vaccines. Johnson and Johnson, they need to test that. It seems that malaria affected countries are unaffected where it is common."

On the other hand, Trump went after both WHO and China. The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation, he said in a Tweet.

India's stand on hydroxychloroquine was largely due to domestic needs and other commitments. An official told OneIndia that there are commitments and responsibilities towards the neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and they both depend on Indian drugs.

Fake News Buster

The Ministry of External Affairs had said that it would supply paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine to countries that are badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Anurag Srivastava, External Affairs ministry, spokesperson said that India will also be supplying essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. We would therefore discourage any speculation in this regard or any attempts to politicise the matter, Srivastava further added.

India has decided that orders from other countries would be cleared only after the domestic requirements are met.

Hydroxychloroquine will be supplied to countries badly hit by COVID-19: MEA

On March 25 the Indian government had banned the exports of hydroxycloroquine to ensure that there was adequate domestic supply. Last week, India further tightened the rules by barring exports of hydroxycloroquine and formulations made from it from special economic zones and export oriented units.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 11:01 [IST]
One million US dollars raised within the span of one hour last Saturday was the result of an amazing outpouring of generosity from members of the Lebanese Diaspora in the United States. It came in response to an initiative by the NGO's Seal, Beit al-Barak and the Lebanese Food Bank to help a growing number of poor and needy in Lebanon.

The deteriorating economic situation and the subsequent casualisation of workforce, that was accentuated by a confinement order to help fight the coronavirus, have prompted the three organizations to join forces and organize a fundraising event. The money raised will cover food needs for 50,000 families, or some 175,000 people, for one month.

Maya Ibrahimchah, the founder and president of Beit el-Baraka, realized how difficult it was to provide assistance locally because of the economic crisis and the financial restrictions imposed by the Lebanese banks. "Last week, I came up with the idea of getting in touch with those in charge at Seal, , a US-based NGO with members of the diaspora settled in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York."

It wasn't Ibrahimchah's first attempt to help the needy. Nearly nine months before the popular uprising broke out on October 17of last year, she opened a "supermarket" in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh neighborhood where destitute elderly can get food supplies for free.

Ibrahimchah contacted Georges Bitar and Norma Haddad, respectively Seal's founding member and executive director, who quickly agreed during a videoconference to organize a webinar (online siminar) to make potential donors aware of the serious humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and secure their support.





95 associations

Securing food supplies to a maximum number of people in all of Lebanon is not an easy mission. Ibrahimchah soon requested the assistance of the Lebanese Food Bank (LFB), a non-profit organization established by Lebanese businessmen in 2012 to fight hunger in Lebanon. LFB provides food on a daily basis to families and individuals in need mainly through the collection of surplus food from partner restaurants, hotels, caterers and supermarkets. The enthusiasm of LFB Executive Director Soha Zeaiter was immediate.

Zeaiter and Ibrahimchah decided to coordinate with 95 other politically independent organizations they have selected in order to increase their chances of success. For five days, these NGOs worked hard to identify those who are in most need from all regions, communities and age groups.

A team of 15 volunteers was charged of preparing food boxes that will be distributed throughout Lebanon, using LFB trucks. Food suppliers will include farmers who have been supported by Seal for several years as part of a cooperative project.

With preparations in place, Ibrahimchah and Zeaiter made a clear presentation at the webinar during which filmmaker Nadine Labaki appeared in a video to comment on the extremely difficult living conditions of a large part of the Lebanese population. Donors in the diaspora and from Lebanon reacted quickly. Within the span of one hour, one million US dollars has been raised.

"I expected a maximum of $300,000!" said Ibrahimchah, thanking BEMO bank, for committing to give the entire amount without retaining any percentage.

Ibrahimchah is happy with the result, but knows that it is a tough mission. "Studies published this year show that extreme poverty has increased enormously: households living on less than $4 a day now account for 20% of the population, compared to 8% before," she noted, adding that a class of "new poor" has emerged in Lebanon. "A large portion of the middle class has become poorer, changing the face of poverty."

Those who wish to donate, can do so via the following accounts:

International transfers:

BEMO bank s.a.l

IBAN: LB89009300000002149313681USD

SWIFT: EUMOLBBE

ACCOUNT: 0214931

Local transfers:

BEMO bank s.a.l

IBAN: LB61 0093 0000 0002 1493 1366 1LB (LBP)

IBAN: LB22 0093 0000 0002 1493 1366 1USD (USD)

[email protected]

www.beitebaraka.org





(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 7th of April)




A Dutch TV personality has come under fire over controversial comments surrounding the allocation of healthcare resources during the coronavirus crisis.

Journalist Jort Kelder, 55, who is a close friend of Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, was forced to defend himself after he questioned the decision to treat certain vulnerable patients and urged for greater attention to be paid to the economy.

'We're currently saving overweight octogenarians who smoke,' Mr Kelder said in an interview with radio channel Omrop Fryslan.

'Statistically speaking, this is what it's all about. At some point, it'd be good to think to balance interests. How much economic damage to save people that would certainly would have ended up dying within the next two years.'

Journalist Jort Kelder, 55, was forced to defend himself after he questioned the decision to treat certain vulnerable patients and urged for greater attention to be paid to the economy. (pictured in front of the Schonbrunn Palace in Austria)

The comments prompted criticism on social media, with one user writing: 'Can Jort Kelder volunteer at a nursing home to finally do something useful? Since he thinks he's just as invulnerable as Trump should be able to, right.'

Another added: 'Why do you want to place "prosperity" above humanity? Beware: in the next crisis, you suddenly belong to your own doom group.'

A third posted: 'Since his comments about not wanting to invest in people he thinks are no longer worth investing ....... the man has completely dismissed this snobbish "HIGH-Society Figure" for me.'

The criticism prompted Mr Kelder to defend his view in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad.

'I was not suggesting to kill obese elderly men,' he said. 'Let's get them better, but let's pay attention to the economy as well. We're always thinking about health, but should it always be prioritised over the economy?'

Kelder is a respected figure in the Netherlands, and appears regularly on TV to discuss the state of affairs.

The comments prompted criticism on social media. Pictured, Mr Kelder in 2009

His words come at a time where an increasing number of people are growing critical of the lack of measures put in place around the country to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The Dutch Prime Minister's decision to not enforce a stricter lockdown on the Netherlands has been subject to criticism as well in recent days as number of cases have reached more than 19,500. There have been 2,101 deaths.

People do not need official documents to leave the house, and are still allowed to travel cross country without having to provide any justification.

Concerned citizens pleaded with The Hague to force the government into a complete lockdown, however, their request was denied on Tuesday.

The Hague pointed out the government was not required to call a lockdown, and indeed could decide on the best course of action regarding the pandemic.

It also stressed that was no evidence that the advice dispensed by the government was truly incorrect.
ATLANTA, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Emergency Medicine Residents' Appreciation Day, ApolloMD is pleased to announce the Third Annual ApolloMD Emergency Medicine Scholarship for Residents is now open to applicants. The application deadline is Monday, June 15. The recipient will be notified in July and officially announced in August.

"Our hope is to continue this annual scholarship as a way to pay it forward to the young physicians pursuing a career in emergency medicine. We aim to support this chapter of growth by making a small financial contribution to one outstanding resident each year," said Yogin Patel, MD, ApolloMD President.

Applicants are required to be in good standing with a U.S. allopathic or osteopathic medical school, as well as pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine. Candidates must also be participating in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) or currently training in an Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Other qualifying factors include scholarly achievements, leadership or membership involvement with accredited medical societies and organizations and philanthropic commitments.

Meet our 2018 and 2019 scholarship recipients:

Dr. Loren Touma received her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She received her medical degree from William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Miss.

"I feel honored and humbled to be selected for the first ApolloMD Emergency Medicine Residency Scholarship. This scholarship will aid me in my journey towards becoming the best emergency medicine physician I can be," said Touma. "In the future, my goal is to work in a leadership role as an advocate on behalf of the medical profession at both the grassroots and national level. As a hopeful emergency medicine resident, I look forward to incorporating my leadership skills and experience with the practice of medicine to support my peers and prospective patients."

Dr. Touma is currently finishing up her first-year with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Northeast in the Philadelphia area. She continues to exemplify her passion for leadership as she joins the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors as a Resident Board Member in April 2020.

Dr. Jana Florian received her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She received her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

"As a new emergency medicine physician, this award is a wonderful privilege to support me as I enter a chapter in my training full of big changes, growth and learning," said Dr. Florian. "Thank you for recognizing and cheering on the next generation of emergency medicine trainees. The magic of this specialty is it is a team effort. I am very grateful for the people on the front lines and behind the scenes who see us and show up with us every day."

Dr. Florian is finishing up her first-year with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.

For more information, or to apply for the scholarship, visit apollomd.com.

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Israels health minister has been accused of flouting his own lockdown rules after continuing to attend group prayers  despite a ban on gatherings.

Yaakov Litzman has tested positive for Covid-19, causing chaos in Israels highest political office as leaders working to tackle the virus crisis are forced into quarantine.

Several senior officials in Benjamin Netanyahus Cabinet, have been forced to go into isolation after the 71-year-old minister contracted coronavirus.

The Prime Minister had already been in isolation after one of his senior aides tested positive for Covid-19.



The Health Ministers diagnosis has reportedly forced 70-year-old Mr Netanyahu back into quarantine.

Mr Litzman is accused of continuing to attend group prayers in breach of his Ministrys own guidelines days before he was diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Times of Israel quoting a television report.

Reports say authorities contract tracing has suggested the senior official most likely caught the virus while grocery shopping.Mr Litzman had already been caught up in serious allegations in recent times.

He has faced accusations he pressured officials in his office to change their psychiatric reports in order to deem an alleged serial pedophile with ties to his own Gur sect as unfit for extradition to Australia.

The controversial political figure had also attracted international condemnation for his homophobic pronouncements, including calling all LGBT people sinners.

Now, the ministers positive test for the virus amid the global pandemic has forced the PM, top political officials, and health chiefs leading the fight against the virus, into quarantine.According to the Times, his Health Ministry confirmed Mr Litzman had frequent contact in recent weeks with Mr Netanyahu and other senior officials before he was diagnosed with coronavirus.

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A Beijing official who blamed China's coronavirus outbreak on the US military has broken his silence and defended his accusation.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson from the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the allegation as 'a reaction to some US politicians stigmatising China', reported state media.

He lent his support to a conspiracy theory and tweeted on March 12: 'It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan.'

He said yesterday that the tweet reflected 'the indignation of many Chinese people'.

Zhao Lijian (pictured on April 8), a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he was reacting to the stigmatisation from US politicians when accusing the American troops

Zhao's bombshell post emerged as China and the US accused each other as the origin of the coronavirus amid an escalating political tussle.

Before Zhao's tweet, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had referred to the bug as the 'Wuhan virus', prompting Beijing to reject the term as 'despicable' and 'disrespecting science'.

Zhao, 47, gave his answer while addressing the controversy for the first time.

He was responding to a question from a Japanese journalist at a press briefing in Beijing yesterday.

Zhao did not give any evidence while accusing the US military of bringing the coronavirus to Wuhan. Pictured, army personnel wearing masks cross a street in New York on April 6

Zhao said: 'As of late, scientists and medical experts from various countries have proposed many research results. Some of their views and opinions are worth attention.

'Everything has a cause and a consequence. The question I raised on my personal twitter [account] was a reaction to some US politicians stigmatising China in the previous period.

'It also reflected the indignation of many Chinese people about such stigmatisation.'

He urged the United States to work with China to fight the pandemic together.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured on April 7) has suggested to name the novel coronavirus the 'Wuhan virus' after the Chinese city where the pandemic first emerged

Zhao's comments were captured on a video of the press briefing released by Chinese state news agency Xinhua on social media.

However, they were not included in the official transcript of the press conference published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its website.

A report about Zhao's response by Communist tabloid Global Times seems to have been taken down.

Born in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, Zhao served as counsellor and minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan before starting his current role in February.

He has already been billed as 'the most hardcore Chinese diplomat' despite taking the post for a short time.

Yesterday's press briefing was the first briefing Zhao had hosted since his controversial post.

With cases falling sharply in China and soaring abroad, Beijing is now rejecting the widely held assessment that the city of Wuhan is the birthplace of the outbreak.

China is now rejecting the widely held assessment that Wuhan is the birthplace of the outbreak and has stopped linking the pandemic to the Huanan Seafood Wholesame market where many of the first patients were associated with. Pictured, a man walks near Huanan on March 31

Zhao challenged American politicians on Twitter after suggesting that the virus could have existed in the United States for months, citing Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He questioned: 'When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals?'

He then accused 'it might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan' - without providing any evidence.

The spokesperson doubled down on his claim the next day by posting a link to an article from a website known for publishing conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks.

Asked if Mr Zhao was representing the government's view, fellow foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters on March 13 that 'the international community, including (people) in the United States, have different views on the source of the virus'.

'China from the beginning thinks this is a scientific issue, and that we need to listen to scientific and professional advice,' Geng said.

Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the United States, however, has contrary opinions on conspiracy theories to Zhao.

Cui Tiankai (pictured in 2018) condemned conspiracy theories surrounding the origin of the coronavirus virus. He said in a new interview: '[It] is not [something] for diplomats or journalists to speculate [on], because such speculation will help nobody, it's very harmful'

Late last month, Cui slammed rumours that claimed the novel coronavirus originated in an American military lab, calling them 'crazy'.

Mr Cui told news program Axios on HBO that, eventually, people would need to find out where the virus originally came from, but he said 'this is the job for scientists'.

'[It] is not [something] for diplomats or journalists to speculate [on], because such speculation will help nobody, it's very harmful,' he said.

'So why not let our scientists do their own professional job and give us some answer eventually.'

US President Trump (pictured on March 27) has stopped calling the bug 'China virus' as critics have said they foster discriminatory sentiments against Asians and Asian Americans

China last month strongly pushed back on Pompeo's insistence on referring to the deadly novel coronavirus as the 'Wuhan virus'.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng accused Pompeo of having 'a very sinister motive'.

Pompeo's call for the virus to be identified by name as the 'Wuhan virus' at a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 leading industrialised countries resulted in their opting against releasing a group statement.

The World Health Organization and others have cautioned against giving the virus a geographic name because of its global nature.

US President Donald Trump has steered away from those terms as critics have said they foster discriminatory sentiments and behaviour against Asians and Asian Americans.

The pandemic has killed more than 83,000 people and infected over 1.4 million worldwide.
07.04.2020 LISTEN

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has urged China to help ease the debt burden of African countries expected to struggle with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

He has already indicated that the cumulative effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic will cost Ghana GHS9.505 billion.

Speaking to a US-based think-tank, the Center for Global Development, on some of the debt challenges of African countries, Mr. Ofori-Atta, said he felt China has to come on stronger on debt relief during this apocalyptic moment.

I think our African debt to China is $145 billion or so. About $8 billion of payments is required this year [2020] and about $3 billion being interests so that needs to be looked at, he noted.

Mr. Ofori-Atta said African countries were seeking ways to increase their special drawing rights (SDR), which are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets managed by the International Monetary Fund.

We need to find a way to enable us not to default on our commercial debt. That should not happen. So we should find a way to increase SDRs or for the Europeans to offer their SDRs as a way out.

Mr. Ofori-Atta is among the African Finance Ministers who have called for a $100 billion stimulus package, including a suspension of debt service payments, to help Africa combat coronavirus.

Of this amount, they want $44 billion to come in the form of debt relief.

The ministers held a virtual conference in March to discuss how to deal with the social and economic impacts of the pandemic on their nations.

Sub-Saharan Africa's debt has shot up to nearly 60 percent of GDP over the past decade.

Possible relief

Ghana is among the International Development Association (IDA) countries that could benefit from temporary debt relief during the pandemic.

The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund called on all official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments from IDA countries that request forbearance.

Ghana has also turned to the International Monetary Fund for financial support to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic in the form of a rapid credit facility.

Figures from the central bank indicate that Ghanas public debt reached GHS 214.9 billion as of November 2019.

---citinewsroom
A man who claimed to have been infected with coronavirus before coughing on police has been jailed for 16 weeks.

Christopher McKendrick was detained on Thursday afternoon after officers were called to reports of someone being abusive and threatening in South Derbyshire, and found him waving a piece of wood in a threatening manner, police said.

When police asked if he had the virus, he replied: Ive already had it, Ive got over it and now I am a super-spreader.

The 58-year-old from Swarkestone then coughed in the direction of three officers, Derbyshire Constabulary said.

He pleaded guilty to a number of charges on 3 April at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court, including common assault and using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He has been given a 16-week prison sentence and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 122.

In London and Northumbria, people have also been jailed after coughing on officers and claiming to have the virus.

Michael Gray was sentenced to 19 weeks in prison on Friday after he admitted assaulting an emergency services worker and using threatening words and behaviour following an incident in Brixton in the early hours of Thursday.

The 41-year-old was found to be wanted on a warrant for failing to appear at Croydon Magistrates Court. On his arrest, Gray, of Ingatestone Road in London, intentionally coughed towards the officers and threatened to spit at them while in custody.

He said he hoped to infect them with Covid-19 so that they would pass it on to their children.

At a hearing before Croydon magistrates, Gray was given eight weeks for the assault on police officers and 11 weeks for a separate drug driving offence, as well as a 100 fine for the public order offence.

Northumbria Police said on Tuesday two men had been jailed after telling police they had coronavirus and coughing over them.

Daniel Taylor, aged 34, claimed he had Covid-19 before coughing over police while in custody on Friday, while Marc Punton spat and coughed at an officer during an arrest for being drunk and disorderly on Saturday.

Both men were charged with assault of an emergency worker and pleaded guilty when they appeared before magistrates on Monday.

Punton, of Affleck Street in Gateshead, has been jailed for 36 weeks while Taylor, of Helena Avenue in Whitley Bay, received a 26-week sentence.

Chief Superintendent Neil Hutchison said: The officers, staff and volunteers who proudly pull on their Northumbria Police uniform every day do it because they want to keep people safe, and this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.

I hope the custodial sentences handed down by the judge underline how seriously offences of this nature are taken by the criminal justice system.

Thieves have also been targeting hospitals as they battle the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 55,000 people in the UK as of Tuesday.

In London, a 34-year-old man was jailed on Tuesday for stealing four face masks from Kings College Hospital.

Lerun Hussain was caught with the masks after taking them from a crash trolley in Lambeth on Sunday.

He pleaded guilty to theft at Croydon Magistrates Court and has been handed a 12-week sentence, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

A theft has also happened at a Worcester hospital, with an investigation launched after car parts were stolen from NHS staff.

West Mercia Police said catalytic converter thieves targeted the Worcester Royal Hospital on Sunday at around 12pm.

Officers were called after a member of staff noticed a strange noise coming from their car following their shift  with a colleague nearby reporting the same thing.

The force said they would be increasing patrols in the area after the disappointing thefts.

Press Association contributed to this report
The Congress on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at the time of a health crisis as it would set the wrong precedent in international diplomacy.

The opposition party's remarks came after US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that his country may "retaliate" if India did not export hydroxychloroquine drug, used for COVID-19 treatment, despite his personal request.

On Tuesday, the government decided to partially lift the ban on export of the anti-malarial drug, paving the way for its supply to the US and other countries hit by the coronavirus pandemic, saying India would export hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol on a case-by-case basis to the countries which have already placed orders for them after meeting domestic requirements.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, "Foreign policy is apolitical and we are with the government on this. But, it should not take any decision out of fear or threats as it sends a wrong signal to the outside world".

Addressing a press conference through video conferencing, Khera said the prime minister should not take any step that goes against the country and its 130 crore citizens as they are his first responsibility while everything else comes later.

Asserting that there was no place for threats in international diplomacy, he said, "Whether we should have buckled under pressure is something that history is watching".

Khera said India is not used to the language of threats and allowing export of the life-saving drug sets a wrong precedent.

"What is the kind of precedent we are trying to set when we buckle up under threats in this hour of crisis," he asked.

The Congress leader said the nation has a "tradition" of not succumbing to threats as Indira Gandhi had "shown some countries their place" when they threatened India during the struggle for a separate Bangladesh.

"We expect our prime minister to learn from our rich traditions and history. We need to remind our prime minister that we should not be bogged down by threats, as we represent 130 crore Indians," he said.

"Please do not forget that our first responsibility is towards India and its 130 crore Indians, and everything else comes later," he told the PM.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who has not held a single press briefing since her appointment in June last year, stepped down on Tuesday and is now set to join as Chief of Staff for First Lady Melania Trump, the White House said.

The change came as President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows shakes up the communications team in the West Wing. Kayleigh McEnany, who served as Trump's 2020 campaign spokeswoman, will fill the vacant space of the White House Press Secretary, the CNN reported.

Meadows may also tap Alyssa Farah, the current spokeswoman for the Defence Department, to be the director of strategic communications. Ben Williamson in Meadows' staff will become Senior Communications advisor.

Grisham has spent the majority of her time in Trump's administration in the First Lady's staff. She is replacing Lindsay Reynolds, who resigned as the first lady's chief of staff early this week to spend time with her family.

FLOTUS in her tweet welcomed Grisham and said that she looks at work ahead.

She said, "Excited to welcome @StephGrisham45 back as new Chief of Staff & Spokesperson. Looking forward to the years ahead as we promote #BeBest & continue preserving the @WhiteHouse & serving our great nation.,"

The First Lady also thanked her former Chief of Staff Reynolds. "Thank you, Lindsay Reynolds, for your hard work, dedication & professionalism over the past 3+ yrs - appreciate all you did for the East Wing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

THANE: A 40-year-old civil engineer here has claimed that policemen took him to NCP minister Jitendra Awhad's bungalow instead of the police station, where the minister's men thrashed him for posting a morphed photo.

The victim, in a police complaint, also alleged that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and belt in front of the minister.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to light diyas or torch to show a 'collective resolve' against coronavirus.

Anant Karmuse, a resident of Ghodbunder, had posted a photo morphed with Awhad's face and a lit-up match stick with a caption, "I protest against the person who has edited the photo. On Sunday night, two policemen came to my house and said that they wanted to take me to the police station as their superior wanted to enquire about some case," he said.

Karmuse said the policemen then took him to Awhad's bungalow.

"Upon reaching there, 10 to 15 men were already present, the security guard informed the minister and soon those men started beating me. They thrashed me with lathis, belt, and bamboos after the stick broke," he said.

Thane police PRO Sukhada Narkar said an FIR has been registered against unknown people following the complaint.

Awhad took to Twitter, posting a screenshot of a photo that was morphed and said, "Do you support this pervert. Will you tolerate this done against you or your family member. I don't support lawlessness."

Leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday demanded removal of Awhad from the state cabinet for the alleged assault on the engineer.

"This is a serious incident where private bodyguards of a minister beat up a civilian by bringing him to his home. The minister was present when the man was being thrashed," the BJP leader and former chief minister said.

BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare said the man was beaten up brutally and no action was taken against Awhad's 'goons'.

Davkhare said Karmuse was beaten up by Awhad's men in the presence of the minister at his bungalow.

BJP vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said he has taken up the matter with the Thane police chief and sought action against those involved in the alleged assault.

"I spoke to the Thane police commissioner over phone from Delhi about this extraordinary aggravating factor in Thane.

The police have promised action, but the critical pointis that those who should be guarding the law are taking law into their hands," the Rajya Sabha member said.

He tweeted that he also spoke to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on this issue.
Contributed photo / Wilton Police Department

WILTON  A New York City man turned himself in to Wilton police on April 2 on an active warrant for his arrest.

Joel Super, 30, of West 129th Street was charged with first degree identity theft regarding an October 2019 report of a stolen check that was cashed for more than $6,000.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing more than just physical harm to people across the country. Fraudsters have found new ways to trick bank customers now. Some bank customers have complained that they have been getting notifications that have an uncanny resemblance to the official communications from banks, on their mobiles, asking them if they want the loan moratorium. If you click the link provided in the text message by mistake, it takes you to a website that looks very similar to your banks website. However, beware! It is a phishing website. You are then persuaded to fill a form capturing your details and, within minutes, a sum of money gets withdrawn from your account.

Fraudsters have also resorted to calling customers, asking them for a one-time password (OTP) to postpone their equated monthly instalment (EMI). Once the OTP is shared, an amount is withdrawn from your bank account.

Here is how you can avoid getting tricked by fraudsters and stay alert to attempts at swindling your hard-earned money.

Fraudulent emails

Fraudsters have also found ways to target those seeking more information and clarity on COVID-19.

Some claim to give you information on how to overcome the ailment  a matter that interests most of us in these times. Under the guise of acting on behalf of organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other government authorities, fraudsters send you emails enticing you to click on a link that promises to give you information (Refer image).

Arpinder Singh, Partner and Head-India and Emerging Markets, Forensic & Integrity Services, EY says, The link in the mail infects your computer the moment you click on it. It takes your browser to a malicious site that extracts your personal and confidential data.

At other times, the mail carries a document which you are asked to download. The effects are as devastating.

Tarun Bhatia, Managing Director and Head of South Asia, Business Intelligence and Investigations says, The fraudster just needs a click from you to get inside your system. So, avoid opening emails from unknown or suspicious mail ids. Dont click on any link unless you can verify it. Also, genuine organisations would never send individual emails to you, especially with attachments; their own websites have all the information you need.

Text messages are also sent. One such SMS message reads, Youve received a new message regarding the COVID-19 safety line symptoms and when to get tested in your geographical area, followed by a link which uses covid19info as part of its domain name. The sender of such scam messages is GOV (Refer image).

Another popular topic of discussion these days is on how to claim refunds for your cancelled trips due to the COVID-19 crisis. Fraudsters are send messages tempting unsuspecting travellers by promising a 100 per cent refund on cancelling flight and railway tickets. Reading such messages, people get influenced and click on spam links for cancelling their tickets.

Fake UPI accounts for COVID-19 donations

To help the government fight the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to the citizens to donate. An exclusive PM CARES Fund was started for the purpose. The original Unified Payments Service (UPI) ID to make payments to the fund is pmcares@sbi. But, fraudsters are creating fake UPI IDs that appear to very closely resemble the PM CARES Fund in their wordings. They have circulated such fake UPI IDs through SMS, social media, emails, etc. Some of the fake UPI IDs are pmcare@sbi, pmoindia@sbi, pmindia@sbi, etc. Also, fake UPI IDs are created on the UPI handles of including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, PNB, etc. to mislead people.

Jayant Saran, Partner, Deloitte India says, Donors need to careful; otherwise, money will be transferred to fraudsters accounts. Its important to verify the account details from multiple authentic sources before making a donation.

These are times when many charitable organisations also crop up, claiming that they help the poor or the jobless. Bhatia says, Before donating money to any charitable organisations or NGOs you need to verify whether they have a registration number and if the donation made to them is exempt for taxation. Dont believe in details given in their website. Its important to assess the impact of that NGO on the society by talking to some of the beneficiaries. Do a thorough check. Also, do a simple Google search for complaints against the NGO before deciding to donate.

Stay away from phishing traps while working remotely

Many of us are working remotely in this lockdown period. The risk of falling to phishing traps increases. For instance, you might get a suspicious email that appears to be sent by a colleague asking you to follow instructions to transfer money, or allow access to confidential product information. You may inadvertently click on the phishing link and confidential data stored can be compromised. Singh says, To avoid such a situation, use instant messaging or a phone call to contact a colleague who appears to be the sender of a suspicious email.

Employees using personal email accounts from their company laptops can end up landing on phishing sites. Kaushik Roy, Vice President and Country leader, South Asia, ACI Worldwide says, "To protect leakage of confidential information while working remotely, companies should allow employees to work only through a virtual private network (VPN), which is more secure."
San Francisco, April 8 : Zoom Video Communications has been sued by one of its shareholders who alleged that the company kept some of its security flaws hidden.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, on Tuesday alleged that Zoom failed to disclose some vulnerabilities and that the services did not provide end-to-end encryption.

Investor Michael Drieu filed the class action suit even as several organisations including the New York City's Department of Education started banning the usage of the app for remote learning and working from home purposes.

Zoom, which on Wednesday announced to hire Alex Stamos, former Chief Security Officer of Facebook, as an outside advisor, came under the scanner for security lapses after its usage skyrocketed due to the widespread COVID-19 restrictions across the world.

Zoom started facing criticism as reports of "Zoombombing" and other privacy issues started surfacing from different parts of the world.

"Zoomraiding" or "Zoombombing" refers to a type of online harassment in which hate speech, pornography or other inappropriate content is suddenly flashed by disrupting a video call on Zoom.

Several schools in the US earlier reported that unidentified persons accessed classes conducted through Zoom.

Zoom Founder and CEO Eric Yuan has already apologized for the privacy and security issues or Zoombombing being reported in his app.

Slammed for the lack of users privacy and security by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and cybersecurity experts, reports claimed last week that Zoom was also prone to hacking.

On April 1, Yuan laid out a 90-day plan to better identify, address, and fix issues proactively and improve the safety, privacy, and security of Zoom's platform.

In a blog post on Wednesday, Yuan announced the creation of a CISO Council and Advisory Board.

"One of the important commitments under our 90-day plan is to conduct a comprehensive security review of our platform, and third-party experts will be critical to this effort," Yuan said.
Technavio has been monitoring the electrolyte mixes market and it is poised to grow by USD 415.93 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 11% 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/20200408005356/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Electrolyte Mixes 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. Abbott Laboratories, Cargill, Fonterra, PepsiCo, and Prestige Consumer Healthcare are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Health benefits of electrolyte mixes has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Electrolyte Mixes Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Electrolyte Mixes Market is segmented as below:

End-user Electrolyte Mixes For Humans Electrolyte Mixes For Animals

Geographic Landscape North America Europe APAC MEA South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30695

Electrolyte Mixes 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 electrolyte mixes market report covers the following areas:

Electrolyte Mixes Market Size

Electrolyte Mixes Market Trends

Electrolyte Mixes Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies introduction of flavored electrolyte mixes as one of the prime reasons driving the electrolyte mixes market growth during the next few years.

Electrolyte Mixes Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the electrolyte mixes market, including some of the vendors such as Abbott Laboratories, Cargill, Fonterra, PepsiCo, and Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the electrolyte mixes market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Electrolyte Mixes Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist electrolyte mixes market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the electrolyte mixes market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the electrolyte mixes market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of electrolyte mixes 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

Electrolyte mixes for human end-user Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Electrolyte mixes for animal end-user 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

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 10: MARKET TRENDS

Introduction of flavored electrolyte mixes

Growing popularity of e-commerce

Increasing use as a hangover cure

PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Abbott Laboratories

Cargill

Fonterra

PepsiCo

Prestige Consumer Healthcare

PART 13: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005356/en/

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Danke, BASF!

BASF got a thank you from Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday, after the German chemical makers North American subsidiary pledged to whip up a 1,000-gallon batch of hand sanitizer at its Washington Township plant in Warren County to combat the coronavirus.

Were greatly appreciative of their efforts, tweeted Murphy, who was U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013.

A huge thank you to @BASF, which is donating 1,000 gallons of hand sanitizer that is producing right here, in-state, at their facility in Washington Borough, Warren County.



Were greatly appreciative of their efforts.  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 7, 2020

BASFs North American headquarters is in Florham Park, and ten of the companys 125 U.S. facilities, are located in New Jersey, said a company spokesman, Bob Nelson.

Nelson said BASF does not normally make hand sanitizer, or any other consumer products, for that matter. Rather, BASF produces chemical additives to enhance the effectiveness or other qualities of different consumer brands, thus its slogan, We dont make the products, we make the products better.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

But in its Washington facility, as at others around the United States, France, Spain and elsewhere during the pandemic, Nelson added, a team of engineers and scientists got together to put a production line in place to let us make a hand sanitizer.

The sanitizer was being manufactured this week and would be shipped to locations where the state says its needed, said Nelson, adding that the company is also donating gloves, masks and other protective gear to medical professionals in New Jersey as well as New York.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:





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 number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Bexar County has surpassed the 500 mark and shows no signs of slowing down.

That increase was apparent on Tuesday when officials announced 47 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed in the past 24 hours. Six new deaths related to the virus were publicly disclosed Tuesday, bringing the countys death toll to 18.

These next few weeks will be difficult, said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. As we test more people, we are seeing more confirmed cases of COVID-19. Thats the reality.

Earlier Tuesday, Metro Health officials reported that five more residents of a Southeast Side nursing home who had tested positive for the virus had died since Sunday, while another woman not connected to the facility also succumbed to the illness.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases totaled 503 as of Tuesday, Nirenberg said at the daily briefing.

Of those, 150 patients were infected by community transmission, while 179 cases were attributed to close contact, such as catching the virus from a family member. Travel-related cases totaled 124, while 50 cases remain under investigation, meaning the source of infection hasnt been determined.

Nirenberg said 88 patients were hospitalized as of Tuesday. Of those, 51 remained in intensive care, while 40 were on ventilators.

So far, 77 patients have recovered from the coronavirus, the mayor said.

On ExpressNews.com: Five more nursing home residents with coronavirus die, bringing the death toll there to eight

The five residents who died at the nursing home since Sunday showed no symptoms of the coronavirus, but all of them had tested positive, city officials said. All of those residents had underlying medical conditions. One was in her 70s, while three were in their 80s and another was in her 90s.

The woman not connected to that nursing home who also contracted the coronavirus died Sunday at Northeast Baptist Hospital, city officials announced. That woman was in her 60s and had underlying health issues.

Comal County officials reported five new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases there to 27. The latest cases arent concentrated in a specific area, but are found at various points across the county  two in the eastern portion of Comal County, near the Hays County line; one in New Braunfels; one south of Canyon Lake; and one in the center of the county.

Two of those patients are hospitalized in New Braunfels, Comal County authorities said.

Two of Comal Countys newest cases were attributed to travel, while the other three are still under investigation.

Its clear from numbers like this that Comal County is still in the acceleration phase of this virus, said Cheryl Fraser, Comal Countys director of public health. It remains vitally important that all county residents follow the countys Stay Home-Stay Safe order and limit their exposure to COVID-19.

So far, Comal County has reported two deaths resulting from novel coronavirus.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

In Kendall County, the home of Boerne, the total number of cases stands at nine. Six of those patients have recovered, while three are still sick. No deaths have been reported there.

In Atascosa County, the home of Pleasanton, a fifth case of the coronavirus was reported Tuesday. The newest patient is experiencing mild symptoms and is isolated at home, according to a Texas Health and Human Services press release.

One of the five cases in Atascosa County  a case reported Monday  involves a patient hospitalized in Bexar County. That case resulted from community spread of the virus, according to another Texas Health and Human Services press release posted on Atascosa Countys COVID-19 Awareness website.

In Wilson County, the home of Pleasanton, eight cases of the coronavirus have been reported. Two of those patients have recovered. Seven of those cases were attributed to travel, while one was the result of community transmission, according to a post on the countys Facebook page Tuesday.

Across Texas, a total of 8,262 cases of the coronavirus have been reported, while 154 patients had died as of late Tuesday morning. Among those infected, 1,252 patients are currently in Texas hospitals, according to a website that state health officials update daily.

Peggy OHare covers demographics, the census and occasionally crime and general assignment stories in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Peggy, become a subscriber. pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare
Alabama has wrapped up Round 1 of storms on Wednesday evening, but a Round 2 is still on the horizon.

NOAAs Storm Prediction Center maintained an enhanced risk for far north Alabama through the overnight hours for a line of storms expected to push into north Alabama overnight.

A few storms were moving across north Alabama this evening, but more are expected after midnight.

7:50pm A few strong storms linger from Decatur to Scottsboro. There's a break in the activity behind this line but STAY WEATHER AWARE as severe storms are expected late tonight!#HUNwx pic.twitter.com/EL2t55YAHH  NWS Huntsville (@NWSHuntsville) April 9, 2020

It has already been a very busy day for the National Weather Service office in Alabama. Forecasters issued multiple severe thunderstorm warnings earlier this afternoon, and several storms dropped hail up to the size of golf balls and downed numerous trees.

There will be a brief lull before things potentially get busy once again.

The Storm Prediction Center has extended a slight risk of severe weather southward to cover the rest of north Alabama, all of central Alabama, and much of south Alabama. A marginal risk has also been extended southward to cover much of the rest of south Alabama.

An enhanced risk means numerous severe storms will be possible. A slight risk means scattered severe storms are possible and a marginal risk means isolated severe storms are possible.

The strongest could bring hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Theres also a risk of a tornado or two in the enhanced risk area overnight.

Storms in the form of a broken line are expected overnight ahead of a cold front.

The storms are expected to weaken as they push southward but could bring the potential for severe weather to central and even south Alabama as well. The Storm Prediction Center has extended the slight risk of severe weather all the way to the Florida state line today.

The weather service in Huntsville cautioned that tonights severe weather threat is conditional.

Forecasters said that means there is lower confidence about storms forming or making it into Alabama, but if any storms are able to form and move into our area, then there is a higher confidence that there will be severe weather.

Tonights storms could develop ahead of a cold front that is expected to enter northwest Alabama by midnight and push southward through the morning.

Storms this afternoon could limit the severe storm potential overnight, according to forecasters.

Another factor they said theyll be watching is whats often called a cap or capping inversion. The weather service said thats a layer of warm air in the lower atmosphere. If a cap is present or strong it could limit storm development. If the cap is weak or nonexistent, then conditions are more favorable for storms.

And if all thats not enough, it now appears that severe weather will also be possible on Easter.

The Storm Prediction Center is looking at the potential for severe weather for all of Alabama except for north Alabama on Sunday.

There are still a lot of details to work out, but right now the weather service said all modes of severe weather will be on the table, including tornadoes.

This has the potential to be a strong system, so it will need to be monitored closely, the weather service said in its Wednesday morning forecast discussion.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday



asked the Maharashtra government and district legal services authorities to check if basic necessities were provided to migrant workers and daily wagers amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

Justice A A Sayed was hearing a PIL filed by the NGO Sarva Hara Jan Andolan, which was seeking relief for migrant workers and underprivileged persons in the state who were severely hit by the lockdown.

The state government on Wednesday told the court that it was providing food, shelter, medicines and other basic facilities to migrant workers and daily wage labourers.

Government pleader P Kakade said the government had started around 4,000 relief centres across the state, where food and other necessary supplies were provided to those affected.

Justice Sayed then directed the state and district level legal services authorities to check the same and report to the concerned state machinery if anything further needed to be done.

The court has posted the matter for further hearing on April 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in the country say they are working to provide free electricity to all Nigerians fo...





The 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in the country say they are working to provide free electricity to all Nigerians for two months.





In a statement on Wednesday, Sunday Oduntan, spokesperson of the DisCos, said this is to mitigate the hardship of Nigerians during the coronavirus pandemic.





The executive director of research and advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body of the DisCos, said the details of the implementation will be provided soon.





The Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOS) recognise the challenging effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the economic and daily lives of our customers, Oduntan said.





In fulfilment our commitments to the nation, we hereby align ourselves with the efforts of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive to mitigate the hardships that are currently being borne by our customers and other citizens all over the country.





We commend the Federal Legislators, the Executive arm and The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for their initiative and we are committed to working with them to ensure more efficient power supply within this difficult period, as the nation battles with the ravages of COVID-19.





We are also completely aligned with the plans to ensure palliative measures, including free electricity supply to all Nigerians for two months, to make life easier, during the lockdown period. Details of implementation to come soon.





Again, as a key utility player in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), we hereby reiterate our commitment to improving service delivery to the nation during this pandemic period and thereafter.





Femi Gbajabiamila, the speaker of the house of representatives, had said the lower chamber was considering a second stimulus bill that will allow Nigerians to enjoy electricity for two months without paying charges.





Meanwhile, Ghana had announced its relief plan for its citizens, which includes 50% pay raise for health workers, free water for all and constant electricity supply for three months.




Scribes of the Julian Assange case must surely gawk with a sense of horrified wonder at each proceeding unfolding at the Westminster Magistrates Court in London. Assange is in a battle that can only be described as titanic, seeking to avoid the clutches of the US Justice Department, not to mention its legal system, and convince District Judge Vanessa Baraitser about the merits of that argument. The gigantic canvass confronting all participants in this squalid tale of vexation and oppression is the nature of journalism itself, and the central point of sharing confidential state information that sheds light on impropriety, atrocity and corruption.

That canvas, however, eludes the judge. Baraitser has insisted through the entire process, including the four days of extradition hearings now passed, that Assange deserves to remain caged and monitored. The farcical show of hobbled justice must go on, including the risk posed to his frail being by the coronavirus.

On Tuesday, April 7, during the course of yet another court duel, Assanges legal team attempted to convince the judge to grant legal anonymity to the WikiLeaks publishers partner. As with so many efforts, it ended in heroic failure, which could only be put down to a judge who does her work in a hermetic chamber mute to the world.

The line taken by the defence was bog standard. Both Mark Summers QC and Edward Fitzgerald QC insisted that the identity of Assanges partner continue to be suppressed. This would also protect the privacy of her two young children yet to attend school. Then came that unsettling issue of US officials having attempted to take a DNA sample from one of the childrens nappies. Surely, their safety would be compromised.

The defence lawyers had not noticed a change in Baraisters mood, whose hostility against fair proceedings in this matter is becoming legend. There was a strong public interest, she found, in having contemporaneous reporting of extradition hearings. She had become a transparency advocate. Nor need Assange and his team have any worry at all about malicious intent on the part of the United States and its emissaries to his family. There is no evidence before court that any US agency intends harm to Assanges partner. Along with this astonishing assessment resistant to history, Baraitser took to the grounds of pedestrian normality, holding firm to the idea that this entire extradition case is business as usual. The evidence provided by the witness is the sort routinely provided by a witness in application bail. In my judgement, the balance falls in favour of open justice.

The issue of furnishing Assange with adequate legal representation also remained a bone of contention. As he has done so often before, Fitzgerald rallied and put the case for a delay of Mays proceedings that remain singularly unmoved before world events. This is not a case where second best will do, where we try to muddle through  it is a case where we are entitled to have his instructions.

A delay till September was suggested, though even that might be looking optimistic. We say the only way he could have a fair hearing is to be present in court, and to see the witnesses. Globally, events have been cancelled and postponed with regularity in response to COVID-19; engagements, facilities and institutions are being put into hibernation. It is an exceptional situation we find ourselves in, urged Fitzgerald. We cannot do justice to Mr Assange if the case goes ahead in May. Not in Baraitsers court, where muddled existence remains unchanging despite the court itself being thinly occupied.

In what can only be regarded as a reasonable point, the defence linked the poor access and means of putting their clients case before the court with the coronavirus lockdown. We have not been able to have any reasonable communications with him at present, explained Fitzgerald despairingly. We cant have access to him physically, cant have any realistic access by video, and sending in correspondence involves long delays and  in some cases  he does not get it. The lockdown conditions meant that the defence team had not been able to take instructions. Assange had been deprived of legal access, and the opportunity to see friends, family and his therapist.

Going ahead with the case during the lockdown, argued the defence, would also violate the spirit of open justice. Journalists could not be present in number. The public would be effectively excluded. Keeping a court process open, something which chimes with the spirit of WikiLeaks own publication agenda, is not a trivial matter. Many in the common law legal system wax lyrical about it. Emma Cunliffe supplies a useful formulation: Accessibility of information about courts and their activities is a necessary correlate to the principle that it should be possible to know the law, and helps safeguard the principle that citizens should be equally subject to law.

This did not concern the judge, whose reading of the equal-before-law idea has been generously tilted in favour of the prosecution. She saw little problem revealing the identity of Assanges partner to the glare of public and prosecutorial scrutiny in the name of open justice, but proved very much against the argument favouring postponement. The case should be heard as a matter of haste, she insisted with reasoning most skewed, and Fitzgerald and the legal team need not be too worried: the second part of the extradition hearings were still five weeks away. In this Baraitser showed the sort of confidence thats very Trump-like: we shall all be open for business by Easter, or at any rate soon after. Keep your barrister wigs and gowns handy, boys and girls; no postponement will be countenanced.

Fitzgerald was quick to remind the judicial head of the sheer improbability of this, and any cavalier assessments of how brief the state of emergency would be. We know the Prime Minister had predicted that the lockdown might continue as much as 12 weeks. That will take us well beyond the start of the hearing, and any time we could reasonably prepare for a full hearing.

But the judge had been bitten by a sense of urgency, even having the temerity to feel she was doing the publisher a favour. It is my current contention to hear as much of this case as possible in May. Mr Assange is in custody, there is some urgency for this to be heard.

The impediments to justice cited by the defence had failed to impress the bench, though not the prosecuting team led by James Lewis QC. We recognise, admitted Lewis, there are considerable difficulties for defence, and considerable practical difficulties. It was another instance of the judge disagreeing with both sides. For Baraitser, the patent inadequacies offered by restricted video links were simply not patent at all; Assange and the witnesses would still be able to participate. If there is a need for a third and final hearing that can take place in July. The reasoning of lockdown injustice, laid bare.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]
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The coronavirus death toll in New York City hit more than 4,000 Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday evening deaths had risen by 806 to 3,544 in just 24 hours. The figure is almost double the number of deaths recorded Monday in the country's coronavirus epicenter.

The nationwide death toll rose by almost 2,000 yesterday - America's deadliest day from the virus yet - and currently stands at 12,953.

It comes Central Park was transformed into a 68-bed makeshift field hospital in just 48 hours to take the pressure off overwhelmed hospitals in the city.

The hospital has 41 patients currently - three of which are in the ICU - mostly from the hardest-hit boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

The coronavirus death toll in New York City has skyrocketed by 806 to 3,544 in just 24 hours

Central Park was transformed into a 68-bed makeshift field hospital in just 48 hours to take the pressure off overwhelmed hospitals the country's coronavirus epicenter

The facility, run by Christian humanitarian group Samaritan's Purse has just over 70 medics and can take 10 intensive care patients.

Samaritans Purse COVID Response team lead Dr Elliott Tenpenny told MSNBC: 'We're taking more patients all the time to help the people in New York City.

'In partnership with Mount Sinai, we're accepting patients and each day a certain number come through and we receive them throughout the day.

The hospital has 41 patients currently - three of which are in the ICU - mostly from the hardest-hit boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens

Samaritans Purse COVID Response team lead Dr Elliott Tenpenny said: 'We're taking more patients all the time to help the people in New York City'

He added: 'The challenge is those two hospitals [Mount Sinai hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens], those two boroughs, are really the ones that have been hit the hardest early on in this pandemic in New York City.

'We've been able to serve a great function here by offloading them and allowing them to treat more people.

'This virus doesn't just attack older Americans. There is greater risk for severe cases.

'This virus doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care how old you are. It's attacking people of all ages.'

The organisation is also running a field hospital in Italy, the first time they have had two facilities open simultaneously.

He added: 'We've only been open three or four days, but if our patients in Italy are any indication they could be here weeks. Two to three weeks even, the sicker patients.'

The coronavirus death toll in the US has hit more than 12,000 with more than 400,000 confirmed cases.

The facility, run by Christian humanitarian group Samaritan's Purse has just over 70 medics and can take 10 intensive care patients with full ventilators

The field hospital is run by Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical group lead by Franklin Graham.

Mr Graham - who has a long history of anti-LGBTQ beliefs - makes all volunteers agree to a Statement of Faith which includes the line 'marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female', NBC News reports.

Activist William Talen - best known for his satirical character Reverend Billy - was arrested at the hospital and escorted away by six police officers, one clutching what is believed to be Mr Talen's rainbow flag.

As he was being escorted away, the 69-year-old shouted: 'They have no business being in New York City. They are the virus.'

Mr Talen allegedly jumped the perimeter of the hospital and planted a flag on the grounds before he was arrested.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio holds media availability on the coronavirus on Tuesday in which he claims that the city may be undercounting coronavirus deaths as those who have died in their homes without being tested or treated may have the virus but are not in official figures

It comes as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted Tuesday that the city's coronavirus death toll may be higher than reported by officials.

De Blasio said that people who died in their homes in the past few weeks without having being tested or treated for COVID-19 likely had the disease.

The mayor also refused to comment on how bodies are going to be stored as the death toll jumped by 806 in 24 hours.

The refusal came after speculation emerged that Hart Island could be used as a temporary grave for COVID-19 victims.

The US is now barreling toward the infection's projected peak day on April 16 when experts predict there will be more than 3,000 deaths in 24 hours.

Healthcare workers wheel the bodies of COVID-19 victims to a refrigerated trailer used as a temporary morgue outside of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on Sunday. De Blasio has refused to comment on how New York City will deal with the surge in bodies from the virus

Medical workers wearing personal protective equipment wheel bodies to a refrigerated trailer serving as a makeshift morgue in Brooklyn. The city's capacity to hold dead bodies has been expanded but Mayor de Blasio refused to comment on whether the current capacity is enough

'I am assuming the vast majority of those deaths are coronavirus related,' de Blasio said during his Tuesday briefing of the people who have died at home.

'It's understandable in a crisis that being able to make the confirmation is harder to do with all the resources stretched so thinThe first use of all of everything we've got  our professionals, our health care workers, our resources  the first thing we are focused on is saving the next life.

'We do want to know the truth about what happened in every death at home,' he added.

'But I think we can say at this point, it's right to assume the vast majority are coronavirus related and that makes it even more sober, the sense of how many people we are losing, how many families are suffering, how real this crisis is.'

The mayor has been pushed in recent days to comment on how the city intends to handle the surge in bodies as the coronavirus deaths continue to increase and as information spread that a city park may be used to temporarily bury bodies.

The story is believed to have come from an incorrect tweet from a city lawmaker.

Drone footage released Tuesday shows inmates in hazmat suits digging graves on NYC's Hart Island suggesting that coronavirus victims could already be being temporarily buried there, as morgues across the city continue to overflow and the death toll ticks up.

The footage taken on Thursday - which is the day bodies are buried there every week - by The Hart Island Project shows inmates in hazmat suits digging graves on the island, possibly for victims of the virus which has claimed more than 3,500 lives across New York City and sickened more than 74,000. Ordinarily prisoners are seen digging in their prison uniforms.

Mayor Bill de Blasio did not confirm whether burials for coronavirus victims had been or would take place there but told reporters Monday: 'We may well be dealing with temporary burials so we can then deal with each family later.

'Obviously, the place we have used historically is Hart Island.'

Hart Island is ordinarily used to bury unidentified or unclaimed bodies. It was used for bodies after the Spanish Flu.

Public officials sparked panic and disgust this week by claiming some of the dead would be temporarily buried in public parks across the city.

That suggestion, made by councilman Mark Levine, has since been dismissed but the question of what to do with the escalating body count remains pertinent.

The mayor said Monday that officials have explored the possibility of temporary burials on Hart Island, a strip of land in Long Island Sound that has long served as the city's potte's field.

De Blasio told TV station NY1 that under such a contingency plan, bodies of COVID-19 victims would be buried individually so families could later reclaim them.

'There will never, ever be anything like mass graves or mass internment in New York City, ever,' de Blasio said.

The city was forced to address the issue of temporary burials Monday after a lawmaker incorrectly tweeted that the city would use a park for that purpose.

The city's 2008 Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan states that Hart Island would be used as a temporary burial site in the event the death toll reaches the tens of thousands and if other storage, such as the refrigerator trucks parked outside hospitals, is full.

The mayor's spokeswoman, Freddi Goldstein, stressed that the city government was not considering using local parks as cemeteries.

But she added that Hart Island, where around one million New Yorkers are already buried in mass graves, may be used 'for temporary burials, if the need grows'.

Rikers Island inmates in hazmat suits dig graves on Hart Island on April 2. The island is where unidentified or unclaimed bodies have been buried for years. Now, the city is suggesting it could become a mass burial site for coronavirus victims. Burials ordinarily take place on Thursdays, which is when this video was filmed overhead

Interments of coronavirus fatalities on the island may already have taken place.

Melinda Hunt, the founder of the Hart Island Project, said drone video footage shot last week appears to show burials of COVID-19 patients who passed away.

De Blasio's comments on undercounting the death toll came after the chair of NYC council health committee, Mark Levine, stated on Monday night that only those tested before they die are counted as COVID-19 victims, sparking fears the actual death toll could be far higher than the 3,500 already recorded.

Mark Levine tweeted: 'Now only those few who had a test confirmation *before* dying are marked as victims of coronavirus on their death certificate. This almost certainly means we are undercounting the total number of victims of this pandemic.'

Levine was commenting on how the city is 'managing its dead' with morgues, funeral homes and cemeteries 'dealing w/ the equivalent of an ongoing 9/11'.

He said 'on an average day' before this crisis there were between 20 and 25 deaths at home in NYC. He said there are now between 200 and 215 every day and 'most of these people are not tested for coronavirus'.

Only those tested before they die are counted as COVID-19 victims, a New York City councilman said Monday, sparking fears the actual death toll could be far higher

For several days, state and city officials have been giving substantially different figures for the New York City death toll, with their counts sometimes hundreds of fatalities apart.

As of Tuesday morning, the city was reporting 3,202 deaths while state officials were reporting at least 4,009. A day earlier, the city's count was 837 deaths lower than the state count.

The city's total now stands at 3,544.

Asked about the discrepancy, state and city officials explained that they pull their numbers from different sources. The state figures come from reports submitted by health care facilities through an automated system. The city's figures come from the city's medical examiner and vital statistics reports.

The New York City Health Department said Tuesday that it would start reporting the state's figures soon on its website 'to ensure that we are being as consistent and comprehensive as possible'.

According to the state's figures, more people have died from the coronavirus in New York City than perished in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

At least 3,400 people have been killed in the city by the virus, according to a new count released by health officials.

The deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil killed 2,753 people in the city.

Another 224 died when hijacked planes slammed into the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.

The coronavirus death toll has mounted over the course of just a few weeks.

The city recorded its first fatality on March 13, less than two weeks after confirming its first infection.
Mrs Cecelia Abena Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has called on the public to support the efforts of their district chief executives as they seek to rid their areas of filth.



Cleaning our surroundings should be an everyday affair and not a nine-day wonder, she said, adding that the government cannot continue to shoulder the responsibility of the cost of clearing filth generated by residents who continue to ignore the assemblys bylaws on sanitation and hygiene.



She said this after inspecting a sanitation drive organized by the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly.



Mrs Dapaah also called on shop owners and households to regularly clean their surroundings and secure bins at designated areas for all to use.



The Ministry, she said, would soon inaugurate the sanitation task force to ensure that these and other sanitation expectations are adhered to by the public.



The clean-up campaign, which was organized and launched by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources is in collaboration with the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies, is intended to help contain the spread of the coronavirus and improve the sanitation situation in affected areas.



The three-day exercise saw assembly members, unit committee members, zoomlion, NADMO, environmental health staff and staff of the assembly desilting drains and choked gutters and clearing heaps of garbage along the streets among others.



The team cleaned areas such as Quaotsuru, Estate, Timber Market, IMS, New Town, Maamobi Market, Maamobi West, Sawaaba and Ladidi.



Mr Aminu Mohammed Zakari, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly, said the exercise is also geared towards meeting the objective of making Accra the cleanest city in West Africa.



In order to sustain the exercise, he said, the sanitation task force has been formed from volunteers within the area and the assembly would soon launch the zero tolerance for littering policy to help the cause.



Mr Zakari advised all residents to comply with the directives to maintain a clean environment and check the spread of the coronavirus.



The assembly, he said, would not relent on its mandate to whip into line all recalcitrant citizens who might want to flout the stated objectives for the general good of all in the society.

Source: GNA









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Shares of Sudarshan Chemical Industries rallied 11 percent intraday on April 8 after India Ratings revised its outlook on the company to "positive" from "stable".

Another reason for the rally could be the recommencement of production at Roha plant, Maharashtra.

The stock rallied 5.67 percent in the previous session, taking the two-day gains to over 17 percent. It was trading at Rs 386.25, up Rs 16.75 or 4.53 percent on the BSE at 13:12 hours.

"India Ratings and Research has revised the company's outlook to"positive" from "stable" while affirming its long-term issuer rating at A+," the company said in its BSE filing.

The rating agency revised the outlook to positive on company's unsecured loans, non-fund-based working capital limits, fund-based working-capital limits, term loans and term deposits while affirming earlier ratings.

"The outlook revision reflects India Ratings' expectation of sustenance of the company's strong credit profile over the medium term, driven by the strategy growth in its profitability amid a supportive demand environment," company said.

"The revenues growth is likely to be underpinned by the increased capacity of existing products and the launch of new products. The margins are expected to remain resilient due to an improved product mix, backward integration, cost optimization, and higher operating leverage," it added.

Further, the company said as it had received the necessary permission to restart Roha site and transport material.

"Production capacities and deliveries will ramp up gradually based on availability of raw material, manpower and transport infrastructure within the conditions stipulated by the letter granting permission," it added.

The company's manufacturing facilities at Roha and Mahad and offices had temporarily suspended due to pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since March 26.
According to some forecasts, the peak may fall on this weekend

Open source

Some Kyiv doctors predict a peak incidence of coronavirus this weekend, April 11-12, while others are talking about April 14-15, as the 112 Ukraine TV channel reports.

"Talking with the doctors of these hospitals, we learned about two options for the peak incidence of coronavirus in Kyiv. The first option is this weekend, April 11-12. According to another forecast, this will happen later, on April 14-15," the correspondent said.

He noted that he talked with the doctors of seven hospitals in Kyiv, where people with coronavirus are hosted. These are mainly specialized infectious disease hospitals, or large multidisciplinary support hospitals.

In the Kyiv City Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital, another department was converted into an infectious department for them (patients with coronavirus - 112 International) They provided 70 beds, including 30 for seriously ill patients. In the children's infectious diseases hospital, they said, they additionally stocked up personal protective equipment for doctors and purchased reusable suits, the correspondent added.

He also said that, as directed by the Ministry of Health, some hospitals began to equip special distribution tents in the yards. One, in particular, was installed near Kyiv Clinical Hospital No. 9.

As reported, the number of cases in Ukraine increased by 206 cases per day. There are 1,668 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the country. 52 deaths were recorded in Ukraine, and 35 patients recovered.

As we reported, the government of Spain plans to begin a gradual easing of quarantine measures imposed due to coronavirus starting from April 26.
Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally issued his executive order allowing the state to redistribute ventilators on Monday.

The order says facilities across the state must report all medical equipment, including ventilators and protective gear, to the Health Department. The department can then shift items not needed now or in the near future to sites with "urgent" needs.

The order says the department will return the items to their owners or pay for them.

It makes no mention of the National Guard being used to collect supplies, although Cuomo said previously that was his plan.

Cuomo first spoke of the order Friday. He said at the time the it would allow the state to take spare ventilators from hospitals across New York and redirect them to facilities in need of the devices to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The actual order doesnt include the specific numbers Cuomo talked about over the weekend. He said then he planned to take 20 percent of unused ventilators statewide, which would provide another 500 to send to stressed hospitals in the New York City area.

Cuomo has been talking for days about the need for hospitals across the state to share resources, including supplies and staff. He said facilities need to redistribute patients as well.

The hospitals have been cooperating, Cuomo has said, although they may not have much choice. One of Cuomos earlier orders allows the state to take over facilities if they dont, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

Patients have already been transferred from New York City to some sites in Upstate New York. And some Upstate staff members have gone to the city to help.

The ventilator plan caused plenty of backlash across Upstate. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, and some other public officials strongly opposed it.

The Healthcare Association of New York State said Monday that its hospital members coordinated a voluntary effort to redeploy devices.

And Cuomo said yesterday that the situation is different now than it was last week. The state has been able to find some additional ventilators for use in the city and the virus appears to be reaching a plateau.

Cuomo on plan to take ventilators: Were not in the position that we were in

You can read Cuomos full order online. The section on ventilators is here:

Any medical equipment (personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, respirators, bi-pap, anesthesia, or other necessary equipment or supplies as determined by the Commissioner of Health) that is held in inventory by any entity in the state, or otherwise located in the state shall be reported to DOH. DOH may shift any such items not currently needed, or needed in the short term future by a health care facility, to be transferred to a facility in urgent need of such inventory, for purposes of ensuring New York hospitals, facilities and health care workers have the resources necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and distribute them where there is an immediate need. The DOH shall either return the inventory as soon as no longer urgently needed and/or, in consultation with the Division of the Budget, ensure compensation is paid for any goods or materials acquired at the rates prevailing in the market at the time of acquisition, and shall promulgate guidance for businesses and individuals seeking payment.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

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McMahon unloads on unhappy golfers: Are you kidding me? (briefing 4/7)

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
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After doorstep delivery of essential commodities such as medicines and vegetables in Indore, the Madhya Pradesh police has now started delivering First Information Reports (FIRs) to the houses of those who, ironically, are violating lockdown orders.

According to a report by Times of India, the initiative was launched in the district of Seoni, where senior superintendent of police Kumar Prateek announced this measure.

"We have registered six such FIRs on the basis of automatic number plate registration (ANPR) detection cameras installed all over the city. Vehicle owners found roaming in the streets without any specific reason are being booked and a copy of the FIR against them is being delivered at their residential address," Prateek said, adding that elderly people and those moving out due to unavoidable circumstances are exempted.

All six have been booked under IPC Section 188, which is disobeying a government order, according to the newspaper. "We will take further action under the Motor Vehicle Act," the SP said.

The initiative, according to the report, was first launched in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, where the officials had said they were being forced to take the step because even after repeated appeals, people were found roaming on the streets in groups.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

"We have decided to deliver FIRs at your homes, if you are found roaming on the streets without any reason," Muzaffarnagar SP Abhishek Yadav had said. This measure is being replicated by MP police, which has formed around 100 teams, each consisting of two personnel to deliver essential services to your doorstep.
Francesco Moro cannot say with certainty how his 65-year-old father contracted the coronavirus, but he figures it has something to do with the fact that he and his older brother both fell ill a week earlier. Though the two sons are grown, they live with their parents in a modest home outside Bergamo, the epicenter of the Italian outbreak.

The kitchen and the living room, the rooms that we share the most, are quite small. said Mr. Moro, 28. The probability of transmitting it is much higher.

That logic has captured the attention of social scientists who are exploring a theory that may partly explain why the pandemic has proved especially deadly in Italy and Spain. In those countries, large numbers of working-age people live with their parents, and the younger people may be bringing the virus home and spreading it to their far more vulnerable, elderly parents.

Far from universally accepted, this hypothesis is the subject of fierce debate, after the publication of a research paper purporting to find a link between incidence of adults living with their parents and deaths from the virus. Some economists have challenged the rigor and validity of that analysis. Italians and Spaniards are pushing back on the notion that an element of cultural pride  multiple generations of families living under the same roof instead of offloading older people to senior homes  is now being construed as a deadly vulnerability.
Kuwait

Kuwait government decided to extend a partial curfew by two hours on Monday to be between 5 pm until 6 am, as well as imposing a lockdown on the Areas of Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Kuwait's Interior Minister announced.

Anas Al-Saleh, Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs said in an online news conference, that the government believed it would be useful to have a gradual extension of the curfew in order to allow people leave their houses but only when necessary.

He urged the public anew to stay indoors even when the curfew ended, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

Al-Saleh said the lockdown would enable the health workers to carry out tests of inhabitants in the two areas for their own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of the public in general.

Al-Saleh thanked the citizens and expatriates for displaying a responsible commitment to the health authorities' instructions which aimed at preserving their safety.
Running a big company is never easy.

Spend too much on R&D and investors scream for not buying back stock. Do a massive share repo and people say you should be investing in the business. (Sometimes the same people complain about both.)

But thats all piddly stuff now.

Today, CEOs are making decisions about whether people can put food on the table. About whether people get horribly sick. Or even die.

This is a time for leaders to be measured and defined. Did you step up? Or did you step down? Heres some of the calculus:

Start with employees. CEOs need to keep them safe. But some of them have to go to work. They probably should be paid more. Others can work from home, and you need to try not to lay them off. Maybe cut their pay, but keep em on the payroll.

And then you want to help. You want to give to hospitals, medical workers, food banks, the sick, the homeless, those in prison. Theyre all coming to you with their hands out, and God knows, everyone of them has a once-in-a-lifetime case theyre making. How much money can your company afford to give?

And then theres the business. Customers may desperately need product, or maybe desperately cant pay. Suppliers, same thing. They might have nothing for you, the supply chain has dried up. Or they may want to get paid now, no terms, or even in advance.

And then you may want to pivot your operation to donating your food instead of selling it, or to making masks, or ventilators or hand sanitizer. And you want to do this before President Trump points his tweet gun at your head.

And then there are the wolves at your door. The bankers, the analysts and shareholders. They want to know, how bad is it going to be? Can you pay us? Is the dividend safe? What are you doing to keep the stock up?

Got insomnia yet?

Rare opportunity to step up

Thinking about all that. I touched base with a number of executives this week to see how theyre coping. I asked Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg if its all a big balancing act.

Story continues

Not now, she told me. We think it's our responsibility in these economic times to step up and do as much as we can. How that impacts our business is just not what's most important here. We are paying all of our employees, all of our contractors, whether they can work, whether they can't work, whether they're home, whether they're sick, we have the ability to do that.

And so are other big companies like Starbucks which just extended pay for employees while its stores are closed, provided enhanced mental health benefits and donated millions to fight COVID-19. And Walmart which is paying $550 million to hourly workers during the pandemic. And Hilton which is waiving its cancellation fees. And Microsoft which will continue to pay its hourly workers and its vendors too. Mars is committing $20 million to fight the disease. Sony is establishing a $100 million relief fund. (Oh! A competition!) And get this. CEOs are taking pay cutssome to zero. The last time you saw that was when?

There are countless other examples too. Sure, these companies arent perfect. None of them are batting 1,000% here and maybe you think theyre doing it just to look good, but understand all this costs real money.

I asked Hans Vestberg the CEO of Verizon, Yahoos parent company who supervises me (a zillion levels up the org chart) along with 135,399 other employees, about prioritizing.

I've tried to manage the four company stakeholders; employees, customers, society and shareholders and seeing that we have a fair balance, said Vestberg, sporting a Verizon T-shirt during a Skype interview from his home. In times like these when it's a crisis, how much time you spend can be a little bit tilted. In my morning sessions with my executive team, we go over the stakeholders to see what we can do for employees, what we are doing for customers. And we decide there with them what we to do for society. And then of course, any financial impact.

What does that mean practically? Well, Vestberg is giving extra pay to mission critical employees who have to go into work, hes giving customers more choices for free and along with his competitors big and small, signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, an FCC initiative to ensure that Americans do not lose their broadband or telephone connectivity because of the crisis.

Of course it helps when youre a big bad telco, but smaller companies are stepping up, too. Andy Rieger, president of Kansas City, Mo.-based distillery J. Rieger & Co., was until recently solely producing spirits (including the intriguingly-named Left for Dead.) Hes now making hand sanitizer. We threw some overproof gin in a spray bottle and people online said I would buy that, Reiger said. Rieger is keeping 60 [employees] gainfully employed. Weve produced now close to 20,000 gallons of sanitizer. This even though Rieger says his core revenue is down some 90% from where hed like to be.

Workers bottle hand sanitizer produced by J. Rieger and Co., a Kansas City, Mo. distillery, Friday, March 20, 2020. People waited as long as two hours to buy the sanitizer, made from overproof gin, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

When you have the opportunity to step up and do something to make a difference, you dont get that very often, Rieger says. Do you buckle and crumble, or step up? Its incredible what weve done, but weve also had moments. The first two weeks everyone was crying because we felt the weight of not just everything on our shoulders but [everything] happening around us. Now were in the hang of it, we got this.

[We] look at each other as family, Rieger continues. Something that we want to continue. If we can come together, survive this together, we do good not just for the community but for ourselves and the company as well. Everybody gets to continue what we loved doing before.

Flexibility is critical now too.

In Sacramento, Amanda Blackwood, CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, says that a group of 10 local restaurants came together and turned into a catering service, creating pre-packaged dinners distributed to seniors in a community that cant leave the house. The group worked with the local housing agency as well as the city.

Are they profitable right now? Probably not says Blackwood. But theyre keeping employees busy and meeting the gap of food insecurity for vulnerable populations. Those guys did that in five days.

Blackwood says grocery stories are trying to hire hospitality workers knowing that the surge that theyre experiencing in deliveries is a result of stay-at-home order, and that the workers will return to their old jobs when the hotel business gets back on its feet. And then theres the Midtown Birthing Center. Part of what they did is in-home training for home births, she says. For women giving birth right now, they may not be able to physically come to a facility.

In the end though it all comes from the top.

I certainly think it's a test of leadership, says Anthony Scaramucci, the voluble founder and managing partner of investment firm Skybridge, (and briefly White House press communications secretary.) I think good culture and good values are going to be represented right here. I tell people. Think about where you are going to be in a year or two when this is over. And how would you like to be defined in the crisis?

If CEOs and leaders do the right thing, Scaramucci says, it's going to be good for their culture. It's actually going to be long term, good for their customers. And people will reflect fondly about them years from now in terms of what they were doing in the breach, what they were doing in the war, were they acting valorously and with high integrity.

The Mooch has a point.

Ask yourself, and your CEO too.

What did you do during the war?

This article was featured in a Saturday edition of the Morning Brief on April 4, 2020. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Andy Serwer is editor-in-chief of Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter: @serwer.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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JACKSON CENTER, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / Premier Biomedical, Inc. (OTCPINK:BIEI), Halberd Corporation (HALB) and Gold River Productions Inc. (GRPS) announce the signing of a multi-faceted agreement for ongoing R&D into a potential treatment and cure for Covid-19 as well as development of Premier's Anti-Addiction Patch.The Joint Venture on Covid-19 treatment starts with Dr. Mitchell Felder's patented extracorporeal therapy (US Patent 9,216,386 and US Patent 8,758,287) for the safe removal of targeted antigens from the blood and targeted organs. Dr. Felder explained, "The extracorporeal treatment is based on the process of removing the underlying basis of the disease. In the case of Covid-19, it entails removal of specific compounds which allow the virus to replicate. We believe this technology is superior to known treatments in that it may potentially eliminate mutations of the virus." Dr. Richard Goulding, Gold River's Chief Medical Officer stated, "Premier's multi-faceted extracorporeal technology can be used to remove the disease-causing antigens and to prevent the "cytokine storm" associated with the disease in severely ill patients." Dr. Felder continued, "With our partners, including a leading university partner, we are now positioned to develop potential cures and mitigation for Covid-19 as well as to alleviate the global drug epidemic for our country and the world. The joint venture includes financial commitments for funding, which if obtained, along with the continued research with our university partner is likely to develop the technology disclosed in our provisional patent application entitled Method for Treating and Curing COVID-19 Infection'. We seek to further develop and establish proof of concept with regard to these promising tools in this worldwide battle. This positions us to facilitate defenses against the growing COVID-19 menace as well as against other viral attacks." See YouTube video, https://youtu.be/BGdZqHH6oew , concerning Dr. Felder's discussion of the scientific basis underlying Premier's extracorporeal treatment process for fighting cancer and other diseases."With COVID-19 spreading at an alarming rate, we have accelerated our efforts to develop effective tools to combat not just COVID-19 but other viruses as they occur. Therefore, we are working on a composite and generalized series of defenses and remedial measures to combat and to otherwise cope with viruses, even as they mutate, adapt or otherwise change," commented Dr. Goulding."Perhaps more importantly," continued Dr. Goulding "this extracorporeal treatment could complement and work in tandem with an effective vaccine. In other words, a vaccine would treat the disease, but often of equal importance is treating the harmful consequences of the disease, including the removal of the deleterious cytokines which ultimately cause the damage to the human body and even death." James Christopher Ledoux, CEO of Halberd, stated, "This is a very exciting alliance! The team we are now assembling is poised to make significant contributions to overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic as well as drug and alcohol addiction throughout the world." William A. Hartman, President and CEO of Premier Biomedical, concurred saying, "We have a very talented and dedicated team to deliver breakthrough technologies." For more information please contact:William A. HartmanPresident and CEOPremier Biomedical Inc.(814) 786-8849w.hartman@ premierbiomedical.com James Christopher LeDoux, CEOHalberd CorporationEmail Contact: support@ halberdcorporation.com Twitter: @HalberdCGold River Productions Inc.support@ grpsinc.com @grpsincgoldriversocialmedia@ gmail.com About Premier Biomedical, Inc.Premier Biomedical, Inc. (OTCPINK:BIEI) is a research-based publicly traded company that intends to discover and develop medical treatments for a wide range of diseases in humans. Premier has obtained, via exclusive license agreements, the technology behind three granted US Patents, multiple pending provisional patents. Founded in 2010, Premier has partnered with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). In 2016, the company began developing a line of all-natural pain relief products which they began selling in early 2017 to address the rising opioid addiction problem. The company's R&D efforts are centered in El Paso, TX, and their business offices are in Western Pennsylvania. The Company is a fully-reporting issuer whose common stock trades on the OTC marketplace maintained by OTC Markets Group, Inc. under the ticker symbol " BIEI." For more information please visit our websites: http://www.premierbiomedical.com and http://www.painreliefmeds.com About Halberd Corp.Halberd Corp. (HALB) is a holding company and incubator for early-stage, high-growth businesses located in Southfield, Michigan. The company manufactures and sells unmanned aircrafts. Its unmanned aircrafts are intended for both private and governmental use in such diverse industries as military, oil and gas, municipal, meteorological, forestry, agriculture and coastal/border surveillance. The company's products provide platforms necessary for aerial imaging in industries and sectors as diverse as agricultural, forestry, livestock ranches, law enforcement, environmental protection agencies, coast guard, and even Hollywood.About Gold River Production Services, Inc.: Gold River Production Services (GRPS) is dedicated to changing peoples' lives. With a unique staff of physicians, cultivators, and CBD experts, we are poised to tackle different disease states on an unprecedented level. Utilizing years of experience in herbals, rare cannabinoids, traditional and non-traditional methods of patient care, we are in the unique position to utilize CBD in the most effective ways possible. Emphasis on what already works, then augmenting effective formulas with high-quality cannabinoids in therapeutic levels to achieve unprecedented symptom control in a myriad of disease states.Safe Harbor NoticeCertain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Premier Biomedical, Inc. cautions that statements, and assumptions made in this news release constitute forward-looking st
A major global credit rating agency has warned Australia's top-tier credit ranking is at risk due to the coronavirus.

Standard & Poor's has lowered Australia's outlook from stable to negative as a result of the pandemic.

'The negative outlook reflects our view that Australia faces fiscal and economic risks that are tilted toward the downside,' the agency said on Wednesday.

A woman is seen at the drive through coronavirus testing clinic in Bondi in Sydney on Wednesday

While it has affirmed the nation's AAA rating, it warned it could be cut in the next two years if the COVID-19 outbreak causes more economic damage than expected.

A credit rating downgrade would not only be a hit to confidence, it could result in higher borrowing costs when companies, banks and government entities seek funding abroad.

However, its credit rating competitor Moody's Investors Service says the government's latest stimulus package is unlikely to generate significant downward pressure on Australia's credit profile.

'The government has effectively reduced fiscal deficits alongside strong levels of economic growth over the last decade,' Moody's vice president Martin Petch said.

Federal parliament met on Wednesday to debate the Morrison government's chunky $130billion wage subsidy scheme.

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe warned following Tuesday's monthly board meeting that a very large economic contraction is expected to be recorded in the June quarter.

Dr Lowe also warned the unemployment rate will increase to its highest level for many years.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann declined to put a figure on the expected drop in economic growth.

'We have deferred the timing of the budget because it is nigh impossible to make realistic and credible economic forecasts in this current environment, he told ABC radio.

Federal parliament met on Wednesday to debate the Morrison government's chunky $130billion wage subsidy scheme

ANZ senior economist Catherine Birch forecast the jobless rate peaking at 9.5 per cent in the June quarter, when other economists had predicted it hitting 17 per cent prior to the government launching its JobKeeper plan.

Even so, that would still be a 26-year high and compare with 5.1 per cent in February.

'That means 700,000 workers could lose their jobs and the number of unemployed could rise to around 1.3 million,' she said.

The JobKeeper package - the third and largest major stimulus measure that will pay claimants $1500 per fortnight - aims to keep workers on the books of businesses who would otherwise be closing down.

'This unprecedented level of support reflects the unprecedented moment we find ourselves in,' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said introducing the legislation to a special sitting of parliament.

He also noted S&P had affirmed Australia's credit rating, but made no reference to the outlook downgrade.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the situation as the 'greatest economic crisis to afflict the world in many generations'.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese told parliament the opposition supported the economic measures but would keep the government accountable.

'We are headed for a $1 trillion debt. It is a bill that will saddle a generation,' he said.

Earlier, Mr Frydenberg ruled out lifting the rate of GST to pay for the billions of spending in its attempt to curb the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.

But he was vague on how three stimulus packages and other assistance measures worth some $320 billion will be paid for once the pandemic has run its course.
Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: 'People are facing difficulty in staying home in densely populated areas of Mumbai because as many as 15 people live in a 1010 feet room. So, we are planning to accommodate them in schools in order to ensure social distancing,' said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.

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The highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 1,018, followed by Tamil Nadu at 690 and Delhi with 576 cases.

Going by the health ministry's data, the increase in the number of cases between 9 am on Tuesday and 9 am on Wednesday is the highest in a 24-hour period.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday that 32 people have died and 773 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in India since Tuesday, taking the death toll due to COVID-19 to 149 and cases to 5,194 so far.

All 16 Indians, including four females, who have tested positive for coronavirus are in self-quarantine. Coming from diverse background, eight of them are from New York, three from New Jersey and rest from other states like Texas and California. They hail from Indian states like Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

One Indian national reportedly died in Florida because of coronavirus. Authorities are also ascertaining the nationality of some other Indian origin people in the States of California and Texas.

New York City has emerged as the US epicentre for COVID-19 spurt, accounting for more than 6,000 deaths and over 1,38,000 cases of infections. New Jersey accounts for 1,500 fatalities and nearly 48,000 infections.

All Indian citizens who have succumbed to the deadly infection in the US are male, with ten of them from New York and New Jersey area. Four of the victims are said to be taxi drivers in New York City.

At least 11 Indians have died of COVID-19 in the United States with another 16 testing positive for the infection which has claimed more than 14,000 lives and afflicted more than four lakh people in the US, reported PTI.

The two doctors of the central government hospital are not on COVID-19 duty, he said.

According to Manish, Safdarjung resident doctors' association (RDA) president, the incident happened around 9.30 pm when the two doctors had stepped out of their houses to buy fruits in the area.

"We have registered a case and arrested an accused in connection with the incident," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

The doctors approached the Hauz Khas police, following which a case was registered and the man was arrested.

Two women resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by a 42-year-old man who accused them of "spreading" COVID-19 in Gautam Nagar area, Safdarjung RDA president said.

After investigation, she was found suffering from pneumonia and accordingly referred to the Jammu hospital where she was tested for coronavirus.

Her contacts are being traced, he added. Officials said the woman was initially admitted to a hospital with symptoms of chest pain and fever earlier in the day.

This is the first death in the Jammu region of the union territory as all previous three deaths took place in Kashmir. Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal tweeted that she was reported to be bedridden and suffering from arthritis.

A 61-year-old woman from Udhampur district succumbed to coronavirus at the Government Medical College hospital here on Wednesday, taking the death toll due to the infection to four in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

"Based on specific information, a raid was conducted at Tank Pakhadi Road in Byculla West and a 32-year-old man, identified as Mohammed Miraj Shaikh, was arrested under sections of the Essential Services Act," he said, adding that a probe is on in this case.

The city police recovered around 57,500 surgical masks worth Rs 17.25 lakh from Byculla here and arrested one person in this connection, an official said on Wednesday. The property cell of Mumbai crime branch seized the masks, which were stocked for sale at a higher price, the official said.

The record-breaking figure of 1,973 deaths (slightly higher than the previous day's toll of 1,939) brings the total number of US fatalities to 14,695. The US death toll now exceeds that of Spain, which has suffered 14,555 deaths, but has not surpassed Italy, whose toll stands at 17,669.

The United States recorded nearly 2,000 novel coronavirus deaths for the second day in a row, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 pm Wednesday (0030 GMT Thursday).

The Sardar Vallabhai Patel stadium at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) complex is close to Worli Koliwada, one of the coronavirus hotspots in the city.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would be using the NSCI stadium in Worli as an observation facility for people who may have come into contact with coronavirus patients, officials said on Wednesday.

He was held at the Azadpur vegetable market and released after a medical examination. Police said when he reached his village, rumours spread that Ali had a plan to spread coronavirus.

Police said Ali had gone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for a Tablighi Jamaat conference and returned to the national capital in a truck of vegetables after 45 days.

The victim has been identified as Mehboob Ali, a resident of Harewali village in Bawana, they said.

A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi's Bawana after he was suspected of a conspiracy to spread COVID-19, police said on Wednesday.

The patient had last visited his shop in the masala market on 21 March, he said. At least 30 residents of Navi Mumbai have tested positive for the infection so far. One of them have died due to it so far, the official said.

The trader, a resident of Sion in central Mumbai, had got himself tested at a private lab, the official said. "His test reports confirmed that he was coronavirus positive. After that, he was admitted to a private hospital for treatment," he said.

A trader, who runs a shop at the masala market in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, has tested positive for coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

Six more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab's Mohali, taking the total number of cases to 36. "We are tracing the contacts of the positive cases," ANI quoted Deputy commissioner Mohali, Girsh Dayalan as saying.

He was posted in the Foreign Regional Registration Office at the Indira Gandhi International Airport''s Terminal 3. His test was conducted on Saturday at Baba Sahib Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital and reports came on Wednesday, a senior police officer said.

A 44-year-old Delhi Police head constable tested positive for coronavirus in Rohini area on Wednesday, officials said. According to police, they received information around 3.40 pm that one head constable in Rohini's Sector-16 has tested positive for COVID-19, reported PTI.

"One more COVID-19 positive case in Bihar, taking the total to 39. A 38-year-old man from Nawada city with a travel history to Delhi has tested positive for COVID-19. We are further ascertaining his travel history and contacts," Sanjay Kumar Principal Secretary of Health Department said. The state has recorded one death so far.

With a fresh positive coronavirus case reported in Nawada, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 in Bihar has risen to 39, officials said on Wednesday.

I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and to the Indian people, for this very timely help to the Brazilian people, Bolsonaro said in an address on Wednesday.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi after New Delhi gave the nod to continue exporting ingredients for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), stressing that the drug could save thousands of lives.

The fund can be used by any of the partner countries to meet the cost of immediate actions. The prime minister had informed that India is assembling a Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists, along with testing kits and other equipment, which will be on stand-by, to be placed at the disposal of the countries, if required.

During a video conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi with leaders from SAARC countries last month had proposed the creation of COVID-19 Emergency Fund based on voluntary contributions from all the countries, with India making an initial offer of USD 10 million for the fund.

A consignment of medicines arrived in Sri Lanka from India on Wednesday, as South Asia battles with the coronavirus outbreak. More than 150 cases of coronavirus have been reported from Sri Lanka. Globally, the virus has infected more than a million people.

"Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases to nine. Four new cases are from Ranchi's Hindipiri area and one from Bokaro," said State Health Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni to ANI. Kulkarni said they are family members of earlier positive cases from Ranchi and Bokaro.

Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases to nine in the state, said an official on Wednesday.

ICMR on Thursday reported that there was an increase of 540 new COVID19 cases and 17 deaths in last 24 hours. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases now climbs to 5734, which includes 5095 active cases, 473 cured/discharged and 166 deaths, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Thursday it received reports of 63 new confirmed coronavirus cases on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday, of which 61 were imported, taking the total tally to 1,104.

The Chinese health authority said on Thursday that two deaths were also reported taking the total death toll in the country to 3,335. The overall coronavirus cases have reached 81,865 in the country.

China has reported 63 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including 61 imported ones, rasing concern of a second wave of infections as the country on Wednesday lifted more-than two-month lockdown of Wuhan, the origin point and epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials said on Thursday.

Health officer Karoria said that Dhan Singh had trouble breathing and had a fever, cough, and cold. Karoria said the samples have been sent for testing, only after the reports are out, we can confirm if the person was infected with the virus.

"A 32-year-old man, Dhan Singh, was admitted to the isolation ward in a district hospital this morning. The patient died after submitting samples for coronavirus test," Chief Medical and Health Officer, Dr AR Karoria told ANI on Wednesday.

A 32-year-old man died at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Wednesday hours after submitting samples for coronavirus testing.

"108 of those who were at the event (at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi) from various countries, we have kept them in quarantine, and 69 people who had attended it from Bengal, they are also in quarantine. The state health ministry is directly monitoring the situation," the Chief Minister said.

As many as 177 people, including 108 from various countries, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have been quarantined in West Bengal, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.

The G-South ward includes areas like Haji Ali, Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Worli, Lower Parel, Currey Road, Elphinstone Road and Sat Rasta. Most part of this ward fall under Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray's Worli Assembly constituency.

The latest BMC data highlights that the highest number of 133 positive cases in the city are from G-South ward, which witnessed almost 71 percent rise in the COVID-19 cases on a single day (on 7 April) as there were only 78 cases till 6 April.

The latest infographic released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on 8 April suggests that 282 of the 590 positive cases were detected in D, E, G-South and K- West wards.

Nearly 50 percent of the total 590 COVID-19 patients found so far in Mumbai, which has emerged as one of the hotspots of coronavirus spread not only in Maharashtra but also across the country, are from four of the total 24 administrative wards of the civic body.

The letter addressed to additional chief secretaries Principal Secretaries/ Commissioners (Health) of all states/Union Territories in India said: "The MoHFW is releasing funds (as indicated in annexure) under the immediate response of this Package for your States/UT under the National Health Mission for implementation of phase 1 up to June 2020.

"With the objectives of emergency COVID-19 response, strengthening national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness, procurement of essential medical equipment, consumables and drugs, strengthening of surveillance activities including setting up of laboratories and Bio-security preparedness," the circular highlighted.

A circular signed by National Health Mission Director Vandana Gurnani, said the 100 percent centrally funded project will be implemented in three phases from January 2020 to March 2024.

The Centre on Wednesday approved a centrally funded 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package' with the objective of strengthening national and state health systems.

Two people in Punjab: a 15-year-old and a 24-year old have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease in Ludhiana. Total confirmed cases in the district are now at 8, said Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Pardeep Aggarwal, reports ANI.

A doctor, a member of nursing staff and a sanitation worker at Delhi State Cancer Institute test positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, as a total of 21 healthcare workers in Delhi have tested positive. The samples of 19 admitted patients also sent for testing, while 45 hospital staff members are kept under home quarantined, reports ANI.

All sectoral indices were trading in the green, while BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices rose over 2 percent each.

At 9.17 am IST, the Sensex was up 748.97 points or 2.51 percent at 30,642.93. The Nifty was up 217.45 points or 2.49 percent at 8,966.20. About 764 shares advanced, 82 declined and 25 remained unchanged.

Nine new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh's Agra district. This takes the total number of confirmed cases in the district to 84, Agra DM Prabhu N Singh told ANI on Thursday.

Four of the new cases are in persons who returned from overseas, two who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Markaz Nizamuddin of the National Capital and the remaining three got the infection from a local contact.

Out of nine fresh cases of the COVID-19 infection, four are from Kannur District, two from Alappuzha district, and one each from Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Kasargod districts.

"Till date, there are 345 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state with 259 patients currently under treatment in hospitals across Kerala," said the State Health Department.

Nine more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Kerala, taking the tally of coronavirus cases in the state to 345, including 259 active cases and 13 recoveries.

A 16-year-old boy from among these Islamic organisation members earlier tested positive for coronavirus on April 4, and was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur, he said.

The man had come in contact with 16 Tablighi Jamaat members who were staying at a mosque in Purani Basti area of Katghora town, he said.

A 52-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 11, officials said on Thursday.

The man was kept in the isolation ward of a hospital after he showed symptoms of the virus on 5 April. He was later tested positive for COVID-19, he said.

A 72-year-old man died of coronavirus in Bokaro district, the first COVID-19 death reported in Jharkhand, a health official said on Thursday. The patient died on Wednesday night, Bokaro District Chief Medical Officer Ashok Kumar Pathak said.

On 6 April, test reports confirmed that she was infected with COVID-19. At 12.55 am on Thursday she died of cardiac arrest." With this, the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 reached six in the state, whereas the total positive cases as on Wednesday evening stood at 181.

According to a senior official in that district, the patient was admitted to a designated hospital a few days ago with severe respiratory problems.

An 80-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with coronavirus after developing severe respiratory problems died of cardiac arrest in Gadag district early on Thursday, taking the toll in Karnataka to six, district officials told PTI.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases in Madhya Pradesh is 229. So far, 13 deaths have been reported in the state.

"First coronavirus case has been reported in Dhar; an area of 3-km near the Bhaktiyar Marg has been sealed," said Shrikant Banoth, Dhar Collector.

One person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar city. This is the first case that has been reported from the area. The COVID-19 patient, who is a resident of Bhaktiyar Marg, has been admitted to the district hospital for the past three days.

The Chief Minister announced this after a review of the situation and control arrangements of the coronavirus in the state with senior officials. The number of coronavirus positive cases in Indore is 173, 96 in Bhopal, 13 in Ujjain, 12 in Khargone and 12 in Morena.

"The district administration should ensure the supply of essential commodities in these areas. No person will be able to go in and out of these areas. Services of all government departments and their resources should be taken in coronavirus related work," Chouhan said. In other districts also, the infected areas should be completely sealed, he said.

The state government also invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) in the state with immediate effect to combat COVID-19 to ensure essential supplies and services are operational during this crisis.

After an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday ordered three major cities Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain to be sealed completely.

"Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Trump said in a tweet, a day after India lifted the hold on the export of the drug to the US.

Modi was responding to a tweet by Trump in which the US President had thanked India for the decision on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) export.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said, "The India-US partnership is stronger than ever. India shall do everything possible to help humanity's fight against COVID-19. We shall win this together.

At the interbank foreign exchange the rupee opened at 76.11, registering a rise of 23 paise over its previous close. On Wednesday, rupee had settled at 76.34 against the US dollar.

Forex traders said a higher opening in domestic equities supported the local unit, while concerns over coronavirus outbreak weighed on the local unit.

The Indian rupee appreciated by 23 paise to 76.11 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday tracking positive opening in domestic equities.

So far, Delhi has reported 669 positive COVID-19 cases. 21 people have been cured/discharged or migrated while nine people have died due to the disease.

Kejriwal said that all the government offices have been instructed to stop all expenses except salary and any expense except coronavirus and lockdown related expense will be incurred only after the permission is granted by the Finance Department.

Meanwhile, as the cases across the national capital continue to surge, Kejriwal on Wednesday said considering the current state of revenue, the state government will have to cut its expenses drastically.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting on COVID-19 with senior officials on Thursday.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday announced that "Till now there have been 669 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Delhi, including 426 from the Nizamuddin gathering," reported ANI.

"We are meeting a lot of stakeholders of the society taking their views," the Minister said, adding, the Cabinet would also hold discussions.

He said a task force of specialist doctors on Wednesday submitted its report to the government, giving its recommendations.

"Day after tomorrow we have a VC (videoconference) with the Prime Minister," Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K, who is in charge of all matters related to COVID-19, noted when asked about the States strategy.

The Karnataka government is currently engaged in discussions with experts, specialists and other stakeholders to decide on its lockdown exit strategy and would take a final view by 13 April, a key Minister said on Thursday.

"As American industry steps up to help, so are America's doctors and scientists. Ten drugs are now in clinical trials and my administration is taking unprecedented actions to make new therapies and treatments available without delay," Trump told reporters during his daily coronavirus news conference on Wednesday.

In the absence of either a vaccine or a drug, the novel coronavirus has claimed more than 88,500 lives and has infected nearly 1.5 million people globally. The United States alone accounts for 4.3 lakh infections and 14,700 fatalities.

As many as 10 drugs are currently under clinical trial in the US as part of the administration's "unprecedented" effort to find a therapeutic solution to the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump has said.

District Magistrate Gautam Budha Nagar took to twitter to realise a full list of fruit and vegetable vendors that will be open to serve hotspots areas.

55 new positive cases of COVID19 reported in Gujarat on Thursday, which includes 50 cases in Ahmedabad, 2 in Surat, 1 case each in Dahod, Anand and Chotta Udepur each. The total number of positive cases in the state went up to 241, said Gujarat Health Department.

In these markets, pangolins find demand both in food and traditional medicine, making them the most-commonly trafficked mammal.

Another recent study had identified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 like viruses in Malayan pangolins smuggled into China to be sold in wet markets.

A recent study, published in the journal Cell, had placed pangolins as a natural reservoir of coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, the one behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

As pangolins come under the scanner as potential intermediate hosts of the novel coronavirus transferred from bats to humans, Indian wildlife conservationists warn that the states of Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are emerging as the hotspots for the poaching of the endangered scaly anteater mammal.

162 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Maharashtra on Thursday, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 1297, said Maharashtra Health Department. Maharashtra continues to remain the state with the highest number of confirmed cases in India.

A doctor who tested positive for COVID19 passes away on Thursday, taking the toll in Indore to 22. The total number of positive cases in Indore stand 213, PRO, MGM Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh told ANI.

Only basic minimum supply of essential commodities will be maintained in these localities, Pandey said.

"All the hotspots in the city are already barricaded and are being sealed completely till the morning of April 15. All establishments will be closed in these localities and the media's entry too will be restricted," he said.

Police teams are carrying out patrolling in these localities to ensure that nobody ventures out of their homes, Police Commissioner, Lucknow, Sujit Pandey said.

Police have stepped up vigil and barricades were erected in eight major and four minor COVID-19 hotspots in the Uttar Pradesh capital that have been completely sealed to check the spread of the deadly virus.

"If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you [politicize the virus]. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it," Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

The president's fresh allegation comes after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned against politicisation of COVID-19 and said that such a move will only result in "many more body bags".

Trump's allegation comes a day after the US President threatened to put a "very powerful" hold on US' funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and criticised it for having "missed the call" in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump slammed the Geneva-based global health agency for its early guidance aimed at countering the international spread of the coronavirus

US President Donald Trump has fired a fresh salvo at the World Health Organization, accusing its chief of siding with China and "politicising" the coronavirus pandemic while repeating his threat to freeze the UN agency's funding.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in the state stood at 348, with 335 active cases.

No new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 12 hours since 9 pm on Wednesday till 9 am on Thursday, it said. All the 217 blood samples tested during the period have returned negative, it added.

The blood samples of over 200 people have tested negative for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh overnight as the total cases remained at 348, a health department bulletin said on Thursday.

Of the 1,502,478 infections, 87,320 people have died across 192 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China late last year.

More than 1.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been registered worldwide, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse at 0530 GMT Thursday from official sources.

So far, 26 coronavirus patients have been discharged after recovery.

The man was also suffering from co-morbid conditions, including high blood pressure, principal secretary, (health) Jayanti Ravi said. He died in the morning at SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad.

A 48-year-old man died of coronavirus in Ahmedabad, taking the death toll due to the disease in Gujarat to 17, an official said on Thursday.

12 new COVID-19 cases (including 10 members of a family in Siwan) have been reported in the state on Thursday, said Bihar Principal Health Secretary Sanjay Kumar. This takes the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 51, reports ANI.

According to multiple local reports, the lockdown period in Odisha has been extended to 30 April. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made the announcement through video conferencing and also said that all educational institutions will be closed until 16 June.

Independent scientists questioned research that suggested that the outbreak of coronavirus disease spreading from China might have passed from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins. James Wood, head of the veterinary medicine department at Britains University of Cambridge, said the research was far from robust, Reuters reports

India had been avoiding a casualty so far, even as doctors complained of dearth of standard protective gear. But today Indian Medical Association announced that the country reported its first death of a doctor. Dr Shatrughan Panjwani, MBBS was a physician who expired at 4am at Arvendo hospital in Indore. He was not involved in the treatment of coronavirus patients.

Doctors and healthcare professionals have emerged as one of the most vulnerable groups, and also as the frontline soldiers against the pandemic. There is no substantial data availabke to know the deaths worldwide, but a study in China's Wuhan found that 29% of a random sample of patients were actually healthcare professionals who contracted the virus while treating others. Likewise, Italy has reported at least 61 deaths of doctors till 30 March.

Bangladesh has imposed a "complete lockdown" in Cox's Bazar district -- home to over a million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar -- to halt the spread of coronavirus, AFP reported. Experts have warned that the disease could spread quickly through the cramped, sewage-soaked alleys where the persecuted Muslim minority are housed in canvas and bamboo shacks. No cases have been confirmed in the camps but one infection has been recorded nearby.

The Municipal Corporation has confirmed that they will come up with door to door supply of essentials in the area, later on Thursday or by Friday.

The total number of positive cases in Maharashtra is 1,297 till now. The BMC has also ordered a ban on all vegetable, fruit markets, hawkers and sellers in the containment area and buffer zone in Dharavi, during the lockdown period. However, pharmacies are allowed to remain open.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has marked out 381 containment zones to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the city, which has emerged the worst-hit by the infection nationwide. With 143 cases of coronavirus reported in Mumbai on Thursday, the total number now stands at 839.

"One committee will have experts, including former bureaucrats and officials from the Maharashtra Finance Ministry. The other committee will be of ministers, including Ajit Pawar (Deputy CM), Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat, Chhagan Bhujbal and Anil Parab."

The state cabinet also approved the formation of two committees for assessing and formulating a revival plan for the state's economy post COVID-19 lockdown.

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal for a 30 percent salary cut for all state legislators for a year starting from April.

With 184 cases of coronavirus in the Worli Koliwada and Prabhadevi areas of the GS ward in Mumbai, it's the worst-affected area in the city, the BMC map showed on Thursday.

News18 Delhi also reported that these tests are likely to happen at these eight private hospitals:

Reports said that the Delhi government is scheduled to begin rapid tests for coronavirus in the hotspots of the city.

State Congress president and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said the task force will work under former CM and MLA Prithviraj Chavan and will have 18 other members with former MP Bhalchandra Mungekar as the coordinator.

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress party on Thursday set up a COVID-19 task force under the leadership of former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to assist the state government in tackling the coronavirus outbreak. The task force comprises various sub-committees, which will study different aspects of the impact that the pandemic caused.

Kerala DGP Loknath Behera on Thursday inaugurated a disinfectant bus in Thiruvananthapuram as a measure to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state. He said, "This vehicle will be useful for police personnel, doctors, nurses and attendees of patients. We will launch this in other districts also."

The GB Pant Hospital in Delhi was on Thursday removed from the list of designated COVID-19 facilities, PTI reported quoting a Delhi governemnt order.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to hold a meeting with the medical directors and medical superintendents of COVID-19 dedicated government and private hospitals, via video-conferencing on Thursday. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and Health Secretary will also attend, ANI reported.

The total toll is 166 across the country, and 17 deaths have been reported since Wednesday.

The Union health ministry said that the total coronavirus cases in India rose to 5,734, with 549 new cases in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, 473 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals so far.

"20 domestic manufacturers in India have been developed for PPEs, orders for 1.7 crore PPEs have been placed and the supplies have begun. 49,000 ventilators have been ordered," he added.

Health ministry joint secretary Lav Aggarwal, in the daily briefing on Thursday, said that the supply of PPEs, masks, and ventilators has begun.

"Their (the railways) chain of 586 health units, 45 sub divisional hospitals, 56 divisional hospitals, 8 production unit hospitals and 16 zonal hospitals are dedicating their significant facilities to fight COVID-19," Joint secretary Lav Aggarwal said.

The Union health ministry said that the Indian Railways has deployed more than 2,500 doctors and 35,000 paramedics staff, and has planned to set up 80,000 isolation beds in 5,000 coaches, of which 3,250 have already been converted.

This is the second death due to COVID-19 in the densely-populated area in Mumbai, which has emerged as the worst-affected city across India, with 839 total cases.

"Positivity rate ranges between 3-5 percent in the last 1-1.5 months. It has not increased substantially. Yesterday we tested 13,143 samples," the statement added.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday said that 1,30,000 samples have been tested for coronavirus so far. Of these 5,734 samples tested positive for the infection till date.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Moon Jae-in, President of South Korea on Thursday. The leaders discussed the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges it poses to global health systems and economies. They shared information about steps taken in their countries to tackle the pandemic, ANI reported.

Reports said that 67 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, taking the total tally of cases to 410.

AIIMS Raipur was on Thursday quoted by ANI as saying that seven people from the Katghora city of the Korba district have tested positive for COVID-19.

The statement said that the amount will be given to panchayat samitis whose annual income is less than Rs 2 lakhs. Panchayat samiti whose income is over Rs 2 lakh can spend Rs 20,000 on sanitation.

Haryana government on Thursday said that Chief Minister released an amount of Rs 5 crore to 2,588 panchayats in the state to carry out sanitisation work.

The Jammu and Kashmir government said that 24 more coronavirus cases have been reported in Kashmir on Thursday. The total cases in the state stand at 184, of which 32 patients are from Jammu and 152 patients are from Kashmir. All are contacts (of patients), said Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning), Jammu and Kashmir.

The Karnataka health department on Thursday said that 16 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state in the last 24 hours, including 10 cases with close contact to other patients and three with travel history to Delhi. Total number of coronavirus cases in the state is now at 197.

Reports said that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore for India's 'COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'.

The Union health ministry, in its daily briefing on Thursday said that there is enough hydrochloroquine available for India's use. The statement added that it should be used as per protocol as it can cause cardiac irregularities. Only those people need to use should use it.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, taking note of the incident when two female doctors of Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly assaulted by their neighbour in Gautam Nagar, said, "I'd like to warn people who misbehave with doctors/nurses that it won't be tolerated. They'll be given strictest punishment."

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "to draw his attention to the plight of Indian migrants in UAE."

The Delhi government said that its initiative, 'Operation SHIELD' has been announced for 21 localities of the National Capital to contain COVID-19 and protect citizens on Thursday.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the state governemnt was working to provide free ration to around 71 lakh people, India Today reported.

An increase of 591 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 5,865 (including 5,218 active cases, 478 cured/discharged/migrated and 169 deaths).

News18 quoted Shiv Sena leader and MP Rahul Shewale as saying that a "special plan" has been finalised "under which door to door testing will begin in Dharavi. Maharashtra medical council will chip in the initiative and 150 doctors, along with staffers of BMC will help in implementation," the report said.

The Maharashtra health department said that three more deaths have been reported in Pune on Thursday, taking the toll in the city to 21.

The MCGM on Thursday said that three hospitals in Mumbai  Jogeshwari Trauma Care hospital, Rajawadi hospita, and Kurla Bhabha hospital  shall be used as designated coronavirus centres in the city.

ANI reported that a police constable has been line attached for allegedly physically assaulting two resident doctors of AIIMS Bhopal.

The Resident Doctors Association at AIIMS Bhopal wrote a letter to the director of the institute regarding "abusive behaviour and physical assault by policemen on resident on-duty doctors".

SpiceJet will also operate a second freighter flight on Friday (April 10) carrying medical supplies from Singapore to Bengaluru.

SpiceJet on Thursday operated its first cargo freighter on the Chennai-Singapore-Chennai route carrying critical medical equipment and COVID-19 related medical supplies. SpiceJets Boeing 737 freighter aircraft was scheduled to arrive in Chennai at around 5.30 pm.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh DGP HC Awasthi said, "We are making all provisions to provide necessary items like milk, vegetables at the door steps of people living in the sealed areas. Entry and exit of vehicles and people have also been stopped in those areas. Police patrolling has been increased in those areas."

Uttar Pradesh government said that 12,236 FIRs have been registered against 39,857 people under Section 188 of IPC for violating the coronavirus lockdown. 78 cases have been registered in connection with circulation of fake news related to COVID-19.

"It's sad that all these cases are linked with Jamaat, some of them are those who had attended the Markaz event in Delhi and others are those who had come in contact with the attendees," he said.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur on Thursday said that at present, 21 coronavirus positive cases are in isolation wards.

"We are imposing complete lockdown and curfew like situation in the localities, areas and villages from where cases have been reported. No one can leave their houses in those areas," said Gupteshwar Pandey, DGP Bihar.

Bihar Police said that some cases of coronavirus have been reported from the Siwan, Nawada. and Begusarai updates.

British prime minister Boris Johnson's health 'continues to improve' after he was admitted to the ICU after testing positive for coronavirus earlier, AFP news agency reported.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that as long as the coronavirus pandemic lasts, those who are involved in care, treatment or testing of COVID-19 patients, will be paid double the amount of their salary.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Over 2 Lakh migrant labourers and stranded people from 16 Indian states are being housed in 711 camps across West Bengal. They are being directly taken care of by state government along with a few NGOs under its supervision. This arrangement since 1st Apr will continue until the need remains."

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday updated its testing strategy for coronavirus. The revised strategy also states 'asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between days 5 and day 14 of coming in his/her contact', ANI reported.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said people must continue to cooperate with local authorities over the coronavirus action plan in the union territory.

"We are planning to deploy the State Reserve Police Force in congested areas for effective enforcement of coronavirus lockdown," he said.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope was quoted by ANI as saying that there are 1,346 active cases of COVID-19 in Maharashtra out of which 746 patients are in Mumbai.

He and nine others were placed under home quarantine on 30 March. The others have tested negative but he tested positive.

He had travelled to Aligarh on 12 March to attend a Jamaat event in the city. He has no connection to Jamaat event in Delhi, Aligarh District Magistrate CB Singh said.

The first case of coronavirus was reported in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh on Thursday, ANI reported. Reportedly, the patient is a 22-year-old man and is a resident of Firozabad.

He added, "All fishermen in Kerala to be given Rs 2,000 each, while lottery sellers and beedi workers will get 1,000 each as financial assistance."

Of these, 11 contracted the disease through local contact, one had returned from a foreign country. Total positive cases in the state are at 357, he said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 12 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the state on Thursday, of which Kannur and Kasaragod reported four each, Malappuram reported two, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram reported one case each.

The Odisha government said that the use of masks has been made mandatory from 7 am on Thursday for everyone. Stepping out of homes without masks to be an offence now, Rs 200 to be imposed as penalty for first three instances and Rs 500 for subsequent times, ANI reported.

The total number of cases are 834 in the state.

"84 persons out of the 96 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 today are from "single source" event. 763 cases out of the total 834 cases in the state are from "single source" event," said Beela Rajesh, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary.

The Tamil Nadu government said that 96 people tested positive for coronavirus in the state on Thursday.

She added that three people have been discharged.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that 12 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 80. The COVID-19 toll in the state is five.

A 44-year-old man, who had tested positive for COVID-19 lost his life in Indore on Thursday, taking the total of coronavirus-related deaths in the city to 23, said Rahul Rokade, PRO, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore.

The Mumbai Civic Administration has converted National Sports Club of India (NSCI) in Worli into a quarantine facility as a coronavirus facility.

"The move has been initiated as these five prisons are located in affected areas of the state and hold very large number of inmates, way beyond capacity."

Sunil Ramanand, ADG prison of Maharashtra on Thursday said, "I have issued an order to lockdown five central prisons (Yerawada, Arthur road, Byculla, Thane and Kalyan). Medically examined prison staff will lock themselves up until further orders and administer the prisons without stepping out.

Additionally, two deaths also reported on Thursday. Total positive cases in the state now stand at 363 (including 10 discharged people and six deaths).

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday said that 15 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Thursday. Of which, 11 were reported in Prakasam, two in Guntur, one each in East Godavari and Kadapa.

The Andhra Pradesh government has given permission to Ola cabs for the operation of emergency medical transport services in state. Services will be for urgent medical care (non-COVID related) like dialysis, cancer, heart ailment. Primarily decided to launch pilot project at Visakhapatnam.

Members of the Wadhavan family of the DHFL group have been placed under institutional quarantine by local police in Mahabaleshwar after they visited the town, violating the lockdown. The process to file a complaint has been initiated at the local police station.

"Including stoppage of recruitment and training; freeze on movements and transfers; stoppage of work, except those related to national security, Health, and essential Services."

Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday said, "We all have soon come around to realising that the danger is real, imminent and unprecedented. For the Navy, we have taken certain measures in consonance with Government of India.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a person from Dhubri, who was in contact with a positive patient (with Markaz linkage) from the same district, has been confirmed as coronavirus positive. The total number of COVID-19 patients in Assam now stands at 29.

A team of Chhatarpur Police and Chhattarpur Nagar Palika have been creating awareness among the people, regarding coronavirus lockdown, through patriotic songs. Police personnel and local artists have been carrying out the drive together in the city.

Delhi Police use drone cameras in Daryaganj area to monitor the situation amid lockdown, in wake of coronavirus outbreak.

The Gujarat health department said that 21 new coronavirus cases were reported in Gujarat on Thursday. Total COVID-19 positive cases in the state stand at 262, which includes 26 discharged and 18 deaths. 212 are stable and three are on ventilator. Meanwhile, four are quarantined for surveillance.

The Delhi government said that 51 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the National Capital on Thursday, including 35 with a history of foreign travel, four cases related to Markaz, three deaths and five discharged. Total number of positive cases in the national capital rises to 720 (including 12 deaths and 25 discharged).

The Madhya Pradesh government has issued the list of COVID-19 hotspots in 15 districts that will be sealed as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

"Cleaning community toilets in densely populated areas in Mumbai is a challenge as around 200 people use a toilet seat throughout the day. So, we are deploying fire brigade to sanitize such community toilets every hour with speed jet pumps," he added.

"People are facing difficulty in staying home in densely populated areas of Mumbai because as many as 15 people live in a 1010 feet room. So, we are planning to accommodate them in schools in order to ensure social distancing," said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.

The Telangana government on Thursday said, "471 positive reported cases so far, out of these 388 related to Markaz. Today 665 samples were tested and only 18 positive cases were found  indicates a decrease in cases. People related to Markaz,who returned on 25, 26, and 27 March,are also being tested today."

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 25 deaths, which is the highest 24 hour spike in fatalities

In order to provide assistance to those in need during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mumbai, the Indian Navy has provided ration packets consisting basic food items to the State Govt. authorities for distribution amongst stranded migrant labourers on 4 and 8 April.

No positive case was reported in Uttarakhand on Thursday. A total of 35 cases have been reported in the state till date (including 5 discharged), said Directorate of Health Services, Uttarakhand.

"As many as 48 schools across the state have been issued show cause notices for defying govt directions. All district education officials have been asked to keep a tab on private schools and immediately initiate action against the violators," he added.

"All schools to release full salaries to staff and schools can't force parents for books, uniforms and transportation fees. No school can demand fees from students on the pretext of online teaching classes during lockdown period," said Vijay Inder Singla, Punjab education minister.

"The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery. He is in extremely good spirits," the statement said.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of the ICU into a general ward as his health gradually improved, a Downing Street spokesman said on Thursday.

Madhya Pradesh government issues the list of #COVID19 hotspots in 15 districts that will be sealed as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/qLeghfgiSf

The Madhya Pradesh government has issued the list of COVID-19 hotspots in 15 districts that will be sealed as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

"Cleaning community toilets in densely populated areas in Mumbai is a challenge as around 200 people use a toilet seat throughout the day. So, we are deploying fire brigade to sanitize such community toilets every hour with speed jet pumps," he added.

"People are facing difficulty in staying home in densely populated areas of Mumbai because as many as 15 people live in a 1010 feet room. So, we are planning to accommodate them in schools in order to ensure social distancing," said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.

The Telangana government on Thursday said, "471 positive reported cases so far, out of these 388 related to Markaz. Today 665 samples were tested and only 18 positive cases were found  indicates a decrease in cases. People related to Markaz,who returned on 25, 26, and 27 March,are also being tested today."

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 25 deaths, which is the highest 24 hour spike in fatalities

In order to provide assistance to those in need during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mumbai, the Indian Navy has provided ration packets consisting basic food items to the State Govt. authorities for distribution amongst stranded migrant labourers on 4 and 8 April.

Punjab: Police in Amritsar prepared food for the needy and distributed among them amid #lockdown , in wake of #CoronavirusOutbreak . pic.twitter.com/0kwZIeOjwz

Police in Amritsar prepared food for the needy and distributed among them amid #lockdown, in wake of coronavirus outbreak.

No positive case was found in Uttarakhand today. A total of 35 cases have been reported in the state till date (including 5 discharged): Directorate of Health Services, Uttarakhand #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/pJoy1j3gYS

No positive case was reported in Uttarakhand on Thursday. A total of 35 cases have been reported in the state till date (including 5 discharged), said Directorate of Health Services, Uttarakhand.

"The expenses of the treatment of all govt officials, govt employees and Corona warriors will be borne by the state govt of they get infected while carrying out their duties during Coronavirus pandemic," the statement added.

"Uttarakhand government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 Lakhs each to the next of the kin of the govt officials, govt employees and all Corona warriors who may lose their lives while carrying out their duties during coronavirus pandemic," the Uttarakhand government said on Thursday.

"As many as 48 schools across the state have been issued show cause notices for defying govt directions. All district education officials have been asked to keep a tab on private schools and immediately initiate action against the violators," he added.

"All schools to release full salaries to staff and schools can't force parents for books, uniforms and transportation fees. No school can demand fees from students on the pretext of online teaching classes during lockdown period," said Vijay Inder Singla, Punjab education minister.

"The Prime Minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery. He is in extremely good spirits," the statement said.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of the ICU into a general ward as his health gradually improved, a Downing Street spokesman said on Thursday.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: "People are facing difficulty in staying home in densely populated areas of Mumbai because as many as 15 people live in a 1010 feet room. So, we are planning to accommodate them in schools in order to ensure social distancing," said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope.

"Cleaning community toilets in densely populated areas in Mumbai is a challenge as around 200 people use a toilet seat throughout the day. So, we are deploying fire brigade to sanitize such community toilets every hour with speed jet pumps," he added.

Members of the Wadhavan family of the DHFL group have been placed under institutional quarantine by local police in Mahabaleshwar after they visited the town, violating the lockdown. The process to file a complaint has been initiated at the local police station.

The BMC said that nine people who had tested positive for COVID-19 lost their lives in Mumbai on Thursday, all of them had comorbidities and age-related factors. Total number of coronavirus positive people who have lost their lives in the city stands at 54.

The statement also said that 79 more COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Mumbai, taking the total number of positive coronavirus cases in the city to 775.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope was quoted by ANI as saying that there are 1,346 active cases of COVID-19 in Maharashtra out of which 746 patients are in Mumbai.

"We are planning to deploy the State Reserve Police Force in congested areas for effective enforcement of coronavirus lockdown," he said.

The first case of coronavirus was reported in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh on Thursday, ANI reported. Reportedly, the patient is a 22-year-old man and is a resident of Firozabad.

He had travelled to Aligarh on 12 March to attend a Jamaat event in the city. He has no connection to Jamaat event in Delhi, Aligarh District Magistrate CB Singh said.

He and nine others were placed under home quarantine on 30 March. The others have tested negative but he tested positive.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that as long as the coronavirus pandemic lasts, those who are involved in care, treatment or testing of COVID-19 patients, will be paid double the amount of their salary.

Uttar Pradesh government said that 12,236 FIRs have been registered against 39,857 people under Section 188 of IPC for violating the coronavirus lockdown. 78 cases have been registered in connection with circulation of fake news related to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh DGP HC Awasthi said, "We are making all provisions to provide necessary items like milk, vegetables at the door steps of people living in the sealed areas. Entry and exit of vehicles and people have also been stopped in those areas. Police patrolling has been increased in those areas."

The MCGM on Thursday said that three hospitals in Mumbai  Jogeshwari Trauma Care hospital, Rajawadi hospita, and Kurla Bhabha hospital  shall be used as designated coronavirus centres in the city.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, taking note of the incident when two female doctors of Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly assaulted by their neighbour in Gautam Nagar, said, "I'd like to warn people who misbehave with doctors/nurses that it won't be tolerated. They'll be given strictest punishment."

Reports said that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 15,000 crore for India's 'COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday said that 1,30,000 samples have been tested for coronavirus so far. Of these 5,734 samples tested positive for the infection till date.

"Positivity rate ranges between 3-5 percent in the last 1-1.5 months. It has not increased substantially. Yesterday we tested 13,143 samples," the statement added.

A 70-year-old coronavirus patient in Mumbai's Dharavi passed away on Thursday, ANI reported quoting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

This is the second death due to COVID-19 in the densely-populated area in Mumbai, which has emerged as the worst-affected city across India, with 839 total cases.

The Union health ministry said that the total coronavirus cases in India rose to 5,734, with 549 new cases in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, 473 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals so far.

The total toll is 166 across the country, and 17 deaths have been reported since Wednesday.

With 184 cases of coronavirus in the Worli Koliwada and Prabhadevi areas of the GS ward in Mumbai, it's the worst-affected area in the city, the BMC map showed on Thursday.

The coronavirus may be reactivating in people who have been cured of the illness, according to Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 51 patients classed as having been cured in South Korea have tested positive again, Bloomberg quoted Korea's CDC as saying.

Rather than being infected again, the virus may have been reactivated in these people, given they tested positive again shortly after being released from quarantine, said Jeong Eun-kyeong, director-general of the Korean CDC.

The coronavirus may be reactivating in people who have been cured of the illness, according to Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 51 patients classed as having been cured in South Korea have tested positive again, Bloomberg quoted Korea's CDC as saying.

Rather than being infected again, the virus may have been reactivated in these people, given they tested positive again shortly after being released from quarantine, said Jeong Eun-kyeong, director-general of the Korean CDC.

Two women resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by a 42-year-old man who accused them of "spreading" COVID-19 in Gautam Nagar area, Safdarjung RDA president said. The man has been booked by the Delhi Police.

Odisha extends lockdown till 30 April, becomes the first state in India to do so. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made the announcement through video conferencing and also said that all educational institutions will be closed until 16 June.

A doctor who tested positive for COVID19 passes away on Thursday, taking the toll in Indore to 22. The total number of positive cases in Indore stand 213, PRO, MGM Medical College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh told ANI.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday announced that 'Till now there have been 669 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Delhi, including 426 from the Nizamuddin gathering.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said, 'The India-US partnership is stronger than ever. India shall do everything possible to help humanity's fight against COVID-19. We shall win this together.' Modi was responding to a tweet by Trump in which the US President had thanked India for the decision on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) export.

Nine more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Kerala, taking the tally of coronavirus cases in the state to 345, including 259 active cases and 13 recoveries.

A doctor, a member of nursing staff and a sanitation worker at Delhi State Cancer Institute test positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, as a total of 21 healthcare workers in Delhi have tested positive.

ICMR on Thursday reported that there was an increase of 540 new COVID19 cases and 17 deaths in last 24 hours. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases now climbs to 5734, which includes 5095 active cases, 473 cured/discharged and 166 deaths, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases to nine in the state, said an official on Wednesday.

A trader, who runs a shop at the masala market in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, has tested positive for coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday that 32 people have died and 773 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in India since Tuesday, taking the death toll due to COVID-19 to 149 and cases to 5,194 so far.

Going by the health ministry's data, the increase in the number of cases between 9 am on Tuesday and 9 am on Wednesday is the highest in a 24-hour period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is facing a "social emergency" like situation as well as serious economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After an interaction with Modi via video conference, several political leaders said that the lockdown might not be lifted completely after 14 April.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that the lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same," Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.

Maharashtra continues to lead among states

New cases were reported from Maharashtra (including in Mumbai's densely-populated Dharavi slums), Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir, among other places.

Ladakh's Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said the virus spread has been successfully contained in the Union Territory, while Sikkim government said not a single case has been detected so far in the state.

The highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 1,018, followed by Tamil Nadu at 690 and Delhi with 576 cases.

Telangana has reported 364 COVID-19 cases followed by Kerala at 336. Rajasthan has 328 cases, Uttar Pradesh has 326 and Andhra Pradesh reported 305 coronavirus cases. The novel coronavirus cases have risen to 229 in Madhya Pradesh, 175 in Karnataka and 165 in Gujarat.

Haryana has 147 cases, Jammu and Kashmir has 116, West Bengal has 99 and Punjab has 91 positive patients so far. Odisha has reported 42 coronavirus cases.

Sixteen deaths were reported from Maharashtra, two each from Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana and Tamil Nadu and one from Andhra Pradesh.

In total, Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 64, followed by Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at 13 each and Delhi at 9. Telengana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported seven fatalities each.

Modi interacts with Opposition leaders, other parties

Interacting with floor leaders of Opposition and other parties via video conference, Modi said states, district administrations and experts have suggested extension of the ongoing lockdown beyond 14 April to contain the spread of the virus.

Modi told the leaders that the country is facing "serious economic challenges as a result of COVID-19, and the government is committed to overcoming them."

After the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said around 80 percent of political parties suggested extension of the lockdown.

The leaders were told by the prime minister that he is receiving requests for extending the lockdown and will talk to chief ministers and experts before taking a decision in the nation's best interest, Azad said.

Modi is scheduled to interact with all chief ministers on 11 April.

Uttarakhand and Goa joined several other states to favour extending the lockdown, while Punjab Government said it will take a call on 10 April on whether to extend the ongoing curfew in the state beyond 14 April.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa told PTI that his government is in favour of lifting the lockdown in districts which have remained free of the infection, subject to approval from the Centre.

He also said that the state intends to relax liquor sales, stopped since the 21-day lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, after 14 April in a bid to increase state revenues.

Doctors are warriors, have to be protected: SC

Doctors and healthcare professionals are "warriors" in fight against coronavirus and have to be protected, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday even as the Centre assured that it is doing its best by providing them personal protective equipment (PPE) and other facilities.

The apex court suggested that the government should create a mechanism to solicit suggestions from people about how to go ahead on the issues related to COVID-19, including on providing treatment, regulatory mechanism for people working from home and also on lockdown.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat, hearing through video-conferencing three petitions seeking protective kits for doctors and healthcare workers amid coronavirus pandemic, was informed by the Centre that PPE kits and other requisite things are being arranged and it is taking steps in this regard.

Analyst predicts significant economic damage

An adverse impact of the pandemic on economic activities was reported from various segments. Global financial giant Goldman Sachs said the Indian economy might see a GDP growth of just 1.5 percent in the current fiscal.

Indian Railways, which was on its way till February to not just meet but surpass its freight loading target, will end 2019-20 with 15.7 million tonnes less than the previous financial year's 1,212.56 million tonnes, official figures showed.

As business has dried up due to the pandemic with operations having been virtually shut down, earnings from freight loading have also plummeted -- from Rs 1,25,354 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,225 crore in 2019-2020 fiscal, a loss of Rs 2,129 crore.

Sizeable chunk of hydroxychloroquine bought by US came from India: Trump

A sizeable chunk of the 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine bought by the US to combat the coronavirus pandemic is from India, President Donald Trump has said as he acknowledged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "great" when he sought his help to allow the sale of the anti-malaria drug to treat the growing number of COVID-19 patients in America.

Trump and Modi spoke over the phone last week. During the call, Trump requested Modi to lift the hold on the American order of hydroxychloroquine, of which India is the major producer.

Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating that it will work, given initial positive results, Trump has bought more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine for potential treatment of COVID-19 patients.

"I bought millions of doses (of hydroxychloroquine). More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it (hydroxychloroquine) comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was Great. He was really good," Trump told Sean Hannity of the Fox News on Monday night.

Late on Wednesday, Trump also tweeted thanking the Indian government.

"Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten!" Trump said, thanking Modi as well.

With inputs from PTI
Disclaimer: The author of this article is married to an employee of one of the companies featured in this article. For the sake of impartiality, the company in question will not be named.

When explaining how countries could control the spread of COVID-19, the Director-General of the World Health Organization was blunt. Dr. Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that countries must isolate, test, treat and trace if they wanted to suppress the pandemics growth. But that approach requires nations to have the necessary infrastructure to identify and test those with the infection. The UK has struggled, with tests being rationed and only used in hospitals or other healthcare settings. The UK purchased 3.5 million finger-prick tests in the hope of harnessing them as part of a wide testing scheme. But researchers, when attempting to validate the products, found they dont actually work.

The situation is little better in the US, with testing numbers falling far short of what experts say is needed. BBC News reported that a retired doctor, Claudia Bahorik, believed she had symptoms, but despite requesting a test on March 9th, she was still waiting for results on the 23rd  the CDC said her profile did not qualify her, at the time, for one of the rationed tests. Her plight illustrates the US failure to follow the test, treat and trace strategy. And The New Yorker reported that in South Dakota, there is just one public health laboratory conducting COVID-19 tests for the entire state of close to 900,000 people.

The New York Times found that the UK government lacked the means to test every suspected case. Reporters even identified a rogue private doctor who bought up tests to sell at a high markup to private clients. Public Health England, the nations public health body, has advised against using these tests, which are yet to be proven accurate. But in desperation, people are turning to these kits as the country struggles to implement a holistic nationwide testing regime. And its not clear where the solution is coming from.

A small private DNA and drug testing company sits in a secure unit on the site of a decommissioned Air Force base in Norfolk, in the east of the UK. It normally supplies DNA relationship testing for court cases relating to immigration and family disputes. It also offers peace of mind tests, a home DNA-testing kit sold in major retailers, that enable people to check their family relationships. The company decided to use its expertise to help out as the coronavirus crisis began to become apparent.

Wed all seen the news about a need for testing, said Dr. Thomas Haizel, the labs managing director, and decided that we could do it. The company believed it could quickly and easily use some of its capacity to bolster the testing facilities at the nearby hospital. Not only did it have the raw materials to produce tests, but it has a number of automated Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines, each one costing up to 100,000 ($122,000). And thanks to the Chinese scientists who successfully sequenced the genome for SARS-CoV-2 back in January, the blueprint for the test is known.

The company emptied out a pair of labs, turning them into a virology suite that would be suitable for COVID-19 testing.

In the UK, labs are graded on their Containment Level (CL), which determines what organisms they can handle. Public Health England said that researchers that propagate, culture or do any form of deliberate work on SARS-CoV-2 must be a CL3 lab. But standard tests for the virus, run on commercially available auto-analyzers, only require CL2. The only requirement that Haizels lab couldnt immediately meet was having a specific form of Microbiological Safety Cabinet, or MSC.

It certainly had several MSCs already, but these were hard-wired into the DNA-testing facilities and so couldnt be moved. Unfortunately, in the early stages of a pandemic, its not a piece of kit thats particularly easy to get. And so began a frantic race to call every lab supplier in the country in the hunt for a spare cabinet. The company found one, 200 miles away, but it couldnt make a delivery for several weeks due to high demand. Rather than wait, one employee -- armed with his own truck -- drove to collect it the following day.

With the MSC delivered, the team planned to have a working test facility up and running by March 23rd. And then the power ran out. The day before we were due to have [the MSC] commissioned, a local power transformer went down, and we lost power to the site, said Dr. Haizel. The company quickly found and set up a generator, and after a short delay, technicians got the system going. The lab now has the ability and capacity to offer COVID-19 tests  its just waiting for approval from official bodies.

How does a PCR Test work? Polymerase Chain Reaction testing involves the application of oligonucleotides to strands of Deoxyribonucleic and Ribonucleic Acid

Okay, how does a PCR test work, and please explain to me like Im five. A strand of DNA is usually represented as a ladder, with two uprights and a series of rungs that connect them. Normally, this ladder is curled, like a spiral staircase, but its easier to imagine a ladder propped up against a wall. RNA (Ribonucleic Acid), by comparison, looks as if someone just sliced a ladder from top to bottom, with one upright and shorter rungs sticking out of the side. Were talking about RNA, by the way, because SARS-CoV-2 is a virus with RNA rather than DNA. Each rung of this half-ladder is one of four different nucleotides, which make up any organisms genetic code. Because the genome for COVID-19, or more accurately SARS-CoV-2, has been sequenced, you can create a primer, essentially a chunk of genetic material that finds and joins on to the SARS-CoV-2 code. Add some more ingredients and you can make a section of DNA that sits on or beside the SARS-CoV-2 strand. But this strand, on its own, is too small to be spotted by an analysis machine. So, to make it bigger and, therefore, readable, you heat the mixture to separate and essentially duplicate the strands, and then let it cool. The more times you do this, the more times the strands will separate and replicate until youve got enough of a sample to see. All you have to do then is add a dye or fluorescent marker to find this material, and you can see if the SARS-CoV-2 RNA is present. This is how Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, tests work.

A number of laboratories in the UK are working to devote resources to help the effort against COVID-19. In a statement, Kings College London said its offering its staff to support Kings College Hospital. Kings also has a commercial DNA lab that offers paid-for relationship testing for court cases and private individuals. It said it would work to free up laboratory space for COVID-19 testing and offered an inventory of all the PCR machines on site to amplify NHS resources.

In the US, Quest Labs told NPR that it has a backlog of 115,000 tests that it has yet to process. And while the company has successfully managed to increase the number of tests it can process, it is still overwhelmed. The report added that Quests tests take between four and five days to process. This, coupled with failures with initial kits and supply shortages, has meant that testing is far behind where it needs to be.

By comparison, Germanys labs are said to be processing tens of thousands of tests each day and began manufacturing test kits in January. Italy, which has been hit hard by the virus, has said it plans to begin nationwide testing in the hope of restarting its economy very soon. The picture is different in some African countries, with Science reporting that several (unnamed) nations on the continent have only one or two facilities capable of conducting the tests.

A number of large international biotech companies, like Bosch and bioMerieux, are developing rapid COVID-19 tests. Tech companies, including Verily, Google/Alphabets life sciences subsidiary, have joined the effort in various ways. A presidential announcement claimed that the company was building a tool to help screen for COVID-19, which, according to The Washington Post, prompted employees to scramble to make one. It has since launched a testing program, offering drive-thru swabs in California as part of the wider Baseline project.

Plenty of other big names in tech have pivoted to help in some way with the effort against the coronavirus. Razer has pledged to make surgical face masks that can be given to healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients. Similarly, Tesla has offered to produce ventilators to cover the likely fall in supply when current resources become overwhelmed.

Employees at Verily administering drive-thru tests. Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

In the eyes of another lab owner, its going to be a long wait before the overwhelmed UK government can approve independent tests. Theres no point going top-down at the moment on anything, says Mike Fischer, the co-founder of Research Machines and Alamy. He has funneled his wealth into the Fischer Family Trust, which bankrolls bodies in education, research and conservation.

One of Fischers tentpole projects is Systems Biology Laboratory (SBL), an Oxfordshire lab that looks into improving healthcare outcomes. SBL specializes in things like DNA instability, cancer immunotherapy and examining the medical applications of vitamin D. It has deep ties with a number of general practitioners (GPs) in the region and offers help when asked.

My chief scientist was approached by a practice asking if [we] could test a couple of their GPs, said Fischer. The doctors in question were showing symptoms of COVID-19 and were concerned that they were putting their patients at risk. We ordered the first testing kit on March 6th, said Fischer, and SBL could see how valuable it was to [doctors] both motivationally and practically.

Since SBL was already involved in biological research, it was an easy process to set up its PCR machines to offer the test. Since then, the lab has reached out to a number of GP surgeries in South Oxfordshire, testing more than 200 medical staff twice a week. That is enabling doctors and nurses who are free of COVID-19 to return to work while carriers can isolate as soon as possible.

These small-scale tests have inspired Fischer to set up the COVID-19 Volunteer Testing Network, a body that helps private labs test healthcare workers. Our big thing is a call to labs, said Fischer, who has the knowledge, resources and equipment to help. Fischer has promised to fund consumable costs for these tests out of his own pocket and will offer additional monetary support where required.

This sort of private largesse shouldnt be necessary, but unfortunately, it is now. In the UK and US, there may be the capability and capacity to offer COVID-19 tests to those that need them, but both countries have so far struggled. Theyve been unable to implement the WHOs isolate, test, treat and trace strategy, and the consequences could be very, very, bad.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior (2 Samuel 22:2-3).

God Communicates in Story and Metaphor

God often communicates using story and metaphor as a way of explaining spiritual truths and His love for humanity in human terms.

For example, Jesus instructed His followers to be salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). He also referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Vine, the Light of the World (John 8:12), and the Bread of Life (John 6:35), while God proclaimed that He was the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 21:6), and the church was His bride, He being the groom (Revelation 19:7-8).

Its one thing to say that God is loving and kind, but when we compare Gods love to that of a fathers love for his children or a shepherds love in searching for a lost sheep, our perspective is widened, and our understanding of Gods love enhanced. This is the power of metaphor.

The writers of Scripture, following the example of their Creator, were also known for their use of figurative language to describe Gods divine attributes.

John the Baptist heralded Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

The prophet Isaiah wrote that God is the potter and we are His clay (Isaiah 64:8).

The sons of Korah sang that God is a sun and shield (Psalms 84:11) and as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God (Psalms 42:1).





And in both the Old and New Testaments, the inspired writers of Scripture frequently referred to God as the Rock.

Why Is God Referred to as the Rock in the Bible?

The obvious metaphor of the rock points to God being strong, steadfast, and consistent, not easily moved or shaken and a refuge for those in need.

Moses wrote, He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just, a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he (Deuteronomy 32:4).

The Psalmists also wrote, Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (Psalms 24:8). Who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength (Psalms 65:6).

In most Old Testament references, God is not just described as a rock, but the Rock. The Israelites understood that God was not just one source of strength and protection. He was their only strength, their only hope, and their only refuge. There is an implied supremacy here that points to the ultimate sovereignty of God.

For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? (Psalms 18:31).

For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede (Deuteronomy 32:3).

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? (Psalms 113:4-6).

In Daniels visions, he even saw the most powerful prophesied nations of the world (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome) crushed by a rock cut out of a mountain. This rock was, of course, referring to the Rock, which is God (Daniel 2:44-45), who will establish His eternal kingdom over the ruins of all others.

More than just a national symbol, Gods power, strength, protection, and provision as the Rock are extended to the personal lives of those who believe in Him.

God Is a Personal Rock and Refuge

After receiving the ability to bear children, Hannah sang, My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:1-2).

David also praised God for being his stronghold, deliverance, protection, and promoter. I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalms 18:1-2).

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock (Psalms 27:5).

When Gods people trust in Him, they find strength, courage, and hope in His strength and the shelter of His love (Proverbs 3:5-6). Its when we rely on our own strength or place our hope in other sources, as the Israelites often did (Deuteronomy 32:18; Isaiah 17:10), we discover how flimsy all other hope and strongholds really are.

This is why God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying, Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one (Isaiah 44:8).

What Does the Rock of Salvation Mean?

King David, one of the most prolific writers of the Old Testament, took this metaphor a step further, calling God his rock and his salvation.

The Lord is my light and my salvation  whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life  of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalms 27:1)

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalms 18:2).

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken (Psalms 62:2).

David was obviously referring to the countless times God had delivered him from the hands of his enemies, but there was also a spiritual component to God being called the rock of his salvation. The Lord delivers those who trust in Him from fear, insecurity, and even sin, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Is the Rock of our Salvation

Jesus taught that those who listened to His teachings and applied them to their lives were like those who build their house on a solid foundation. Those who ignore Him and choose to live life their own way are like those who build their house on the sand. When the storms of life come, the foundation crumbles and with it the house (Matthew 7:24-29; Luke 6:48).

This is, of course, is in line with what David wrote when he said, He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand (Psalms 40:2).

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is hope for eternal salvation and forgiveness for ones sin. As it is written, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) and therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Faith, hope, love, peace, patience, joy, courage, and confidence can all be shaken or taken away when they are placed in the wrong things. Trusting in the promises of God, however, produces confidence in Gods power, protection, and provision.

Those who know that they are loved (Romans 8:38-39), forgiven (1 John 1:9), and redeemed (Hebrews 10:10), know that their lives are anchored to a solid, unshakeable foundation in Jesus Christ, the Rock. Their salvation, likewise, cannot be taken or shaken because it is secure in Jesus Christ who died once and for all for their sins.

As David and the prophets wrote:

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever (Psalms 125:1).

For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? (Psalms 18:31).

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4).

iStock/Getty Images Plus/Orla

Joel Ryan is an LA-based childrens author, artist, professor, and speaker who is passionate about helping young writers unleash their creativity and discover the wonders of their Creator through storytelling and art. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page, he discusses all things story and the creative process.
PITTSBURGH, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "When I was a child, I remember how frustrating it was to open the milk cartons at school," said an inventor from Clarksville, Tenn. "I thought that the carton could be designed differently so that it was easier to open."

He developed the patent-pending EASY OPEN MILK CARTON to be very easy and safe to open. The design eliminates hassles and frustrations, and saves time and effort. The packaging is usable with milk, juice and any other product that comes packaged in a carton. Additionally, it is easy to use for children, elderly or individuals with arthritis and the general population.

The original design was submitted to the Nashville sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-NMJ-444, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

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CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma will lead Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday activities to be held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and streamed live on social media.

All activities may be viewed on the Facebook account of the Cathedral or @katedralsasugbo. The same live streaming will be shared in the Facebook accounts of SunStar Cebu, Superbalita Cebu and SunStar Philippines.

Palma will hold the Mass of the Lords Supper on Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 4 p.m.

On Good Friday, April 10, the Lords Passion will begin at 3 p.m.

For Black Saturday, April 11, the faithful may participate in the Easter vigil mass to be held at 5:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday mass with Palma will be at 6:30 a.m. of April 12.

While churches are closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the faithful are called upon to participate in the mass and other religious activities live via online streaming.

Palmas schedule is available on the Cathedrals Facebook account. (SunStar Philippines)
Hollywood actress describes having a personal relationship with God, says she sat and ate with Jesus

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Longtime actress Essence Atkins recently spoke publicly about an encounter she had with God that solidified her faith.

The account of her experience can be seen in the all-new Urban Movie Channel original docuseries "Behind Her Faith" which highlights four women at the top of their careers and takes a deep look at their personal journeys of faith as their driving force.

"I remember very particularly and specifically having an encounter, a very real encounter with God, and it was undeniable. And after that my life never looked the same, Atkins said on the new Paula BryantEllis show.

The former Cosby Show actress, who continues to have a thriving career both in film and television, said God met with her while she was home alone in her apartment and spoke to her.

"God was speaking to me. I heard Jesus talking to me and it wasn't out loud, but it was a voice that was not my own and the words were not my own, she continued.

Atkins admitted that she initially thought she might be going crazy because she didnt understand it, but she went along with it.

"I went into the kitchen and I made dinner and the voice was like, 'Set a place for me.' So I set the table for two. I cooked and I didn't serve food on the second plate but I prepared a second space. I remember opening the door and sitting down at the table and speaking out loud to the voice that was asking me questions and having a conversation," she explained.

Later that night she randomly opened her Bible and it landed on Revelations 3:20. The scripture says, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

She became overwhelmed with emotion and declared: "This just happened! I just had a conversation with God and He came in and He ate with me. I heard His voice and I talked to Him. And I saw that scripture after and that's the first scripture that I ever memorized and it was undeniable.

"I had no idea that Christ and the relationship is personal. It's not somewhere up there, it's personal, she stressed. It's in the lion's den with you. It is in the fire. It's not like, 'Oh, I'm up here and I'm just hovering and I'm just bestowing,' and it's not fairy dust.

Atkins concluded her testimony by saying: "God is with you. He's right there with you through it all, every second of every moment of every day through everything. And there's no mistake that you can't recover from. There's no sin that makes Him love you less. That was just an astounding practical moment for me.
Andrew Harnik, STF / Associated Press

WASHINGTON  With early data indicating the coronavirus disproportionately affects people of color, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing the Trump administration to release more demographic data on the disease.

Based on early regional data that is available, we are alarmed to learn that the virus is disproportionately affecting communities of color, the San Antonio Democrat and other members wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield. This public health crisis is widening the health disparities faced by our communities, who already face exacerbated risk factors for COVID-19.
Five tonnes of disinfectants were dispatched by Ukraines National Guard aircraft to Rome on Wednesday morning.

"This is the second batch of aid to Italy. We dispatch five tonnes of special sanitizers that will be used to disinfect hospitals and medical professionals' hands. The alcohol content is 70%. The sanitizer meets the requirements of the World Health Organization. We did not allocate any additional funds to purchase it. Our units are provided with disinfectants, said Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Honcharov, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine informs.

According to the official, the Government of Italy thanked Ukraine for the support.

Two teams of Ukrainian doctors have already started to work in two hospitals in Italy. Every evening, we have online conferences with doctors who tell us about medical, epidemiological and prevention measures there. This is the experience we can use today to fight the virus. Our doctors are in a good mood, they feel the support of Italian colleagues and our diaspora, Honcharov added.

Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine Davide La Cecilia thanked President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov for the assistance and support much needed by the Italian doctors.

The Italian side appreciates this contribution. Both colleagues and patients in Italy gave Ukrainian doctors a cordial welcome. They will be given access to treatment protocols. We are very proud of this cooperation, the ambassador said.

As reported, a group of 20 Ukrainian doctors from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Health Ministry agencies started a humanitarian mission in two cities in the Italian region of Marche.

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As thousands businesses seek relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he wants to inject another $250 billion into a paycheck protection program designed to help small businesses secure their lifeblood and remain afloat.

Its very bipartisan. A lot of people want to do it, Trump told reporters during a news briefing at the White House.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, recently signed by Trump, established a $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program thats meant to provide financial relief to millions of small businesses across the country. Department of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said lenders, banks and credit unions have the ability to approve a loan on the same day.

On Tuesday, Mnuchin said he spoke with Senate and House leaders at Trumps direction to secure the added quarter trillion dollars to make sure small businesses get the money they need!

At the direction of President @realDonaldTrump, I've spoken with @SenateMajLdr, @SenSchumer, @SpeakerPelosi, and @GOPLeader to secure an additional $250 billion for the #PPPLoan program to make sure small businesses get the money they need!  Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) April 7, 2020

The loans are up to $10 million for businesses, including non-profits, veterans organizations, tribal concerns, sole proprietorships, self-employed individuals and independent contractors with 500 or fewer employees qualify. If they retain or rehire workers already impacted by the pandemic, some or all of the loans may be forgiven.

Financial institutions are processing hundreds of thousands of loans," the president said Tuesday.

The biggest banks in our country are doing it, he said. One of the reasons is they want to help people.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey said Monday that a delay in guidance from the federal government meant banks were unable to prepare their systems to start accepting applications when the program opened.

We urge you to move quickly to issue additional guidelines and clarifications to ensure that loans are disbursed quickly, that all businesses can participate and that lenders give mom and pop businesses the same access to loans that they give their more sophisticated small business clients. All small businesses need to have equal access to this help, the senators wrote.

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People of St Maarten, both here on St. Maarten and abroad, I hereby address you as Prime Minister and Chair of the EOC for today's update on April 7th. As part of the process to keep the community of St. Maarten informed about the latest developments and governments COVID-19 containment, mitigation and response measures.





Today, I would like to start by updating you on the COVID-19 results. Our results haven't come in from the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe yet, but as of 4:00 PM today, our self-quarantine numbers are down to 117, self-isolation is up to 200, the number of persons totally tested are 112, the numbers positive remain at 40, with 2 confirm hospitalized. Males 28, of the positive, females 12, the number of negatives are 62, the number still pending results are 10, deceased total; we have added 2 to that, even though they passed away over the past week. So now we have 8 that we have confirmed that were COVID-19 patients as 8 deceased.





The reason why the last 2 had not been added as soon as they passed, was due to the fact that it was not clear what the cause of death was. The first, the female, and male, most recently had underlying pre-existing health conditions at the time of their passing. Though it is still not conclusive, as to what caused the death, because they had been tested positive, we must update the matrix to include them as having deceased. Therefore, of the 40 positives, minus 8, there are 32, plus 1 recovered. Hence, we are actively tracking 31 active cases. The 10 that remain pending, hopefully, we will have later tonight, an update for you in the morning. The total persons that have been monitored thus far, by CPS are 739 persons whereby, quarantine and isolation have ended for 422 of those persons.





Due to the fact that we have been doing contact tracing, especially with our last positive cases, specifically those that had not been under CPS, and have been in particular segments of our society, we have been able to identify the hotspots where we will be going in with a team to do intense screening and testing. This is to further identify cases so that we can properly isolate them to further mitigate the spread of the virus. This might sound ominous and I would like to ask the general public not to attach any type of stigma as we all know COVID-19 knows no gender, it knows no color, nor class, as it will just continue to spread with human contact.





I would like to thank all those persons who are adhering to our measures in staying at home. You are safe at home.





CPS would hereby like to also request through me, that all qualified medical health professionals who are willing to go into the field to assist with sample collection should contact them as soon as possible. We would like to get this done within the next couple of days, and as many qualified persons that we can have on the ground with us, the faster we would be able to ascertain all the persons infected within these areas. At this moment, I would like to encourage all persons who are feeling symptoms to call 914 and register with CPS. Register today so that we can have our real numbers. We believe there are more persons out there who are ill but feel afraid to contact CPS.





For those who have passed away over the past week(s), we wish the families, the friends, and all the love ones, much strength. This is a very troubling time to be having the loss of loved ones, especially in a time when we cannot even comfort each other in our usual ways. Lean on the strength of those who can sustain you but always on our God, our large savior, who is always there in time of our biggest needs. We continue to pray for serenity and peace during this time for all who are going through this very, very, stressful period.





The next point I would like to update you on is related to food security. The supermarkets and grocery stores, in our meeting of yesterday, April 6, have identified that they would be very much willing to supply our citizens with deliveries. Several have announced their numbers and delivery statuses today, while some of the smaller grocery stores were only able to get their waiver forms in later this afternoon. So even those within the small communities can look forward to groceries being delivered to their homes.





ESF7 has also continued with food deliveries for vulnerable persons in a meeting just concluded with ESF7 and 10. I was updated, and further decisions were taken as to how we would be proceeding. Once all the procured and donated food and hygiene materials have been delivered, we will then move towards a voucher program to deal with the large numbers of requests that have come in. This will sit in place until the stimulus plan kicks-in. 762 boxes of food and 697 bags of hygiene and sanitary materials have been packed by ESF7 together with their many volunteers.





I would like to thank each and every person who has done everything to make this possible. This continues to be a large logistic undertaking that continues for the next few days. Delivery is on the way and will continue until all the food, as well as the sanitary and hygiene materials, has been delivered. Seeing that the grocery stores are now on the delivery list, we are looking forward to receiving many donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to be able to add to these boxes, to ensure that our vulnerable also get products that will help to boost their immune systems.





Those persons who have not yet filled out the social impact assessment form, so that we can assess which citizens have an acute need right now, are encouraged to do so. Our St. Maarten Government is working diligently to assist you as soon as possible. For those that have trouble accessing the form because of no internet, I ask those that do know of the form, to fill it in for them and send it to the social, welfare and labor department.





Up until today, April 7, 2020, 3444 of almost 5000 forms reflect a need for assistance in procuring food. This is a very serious need that we have been planning for and therefore, you can look forward to getting assistance in one form or the other, either with food boxes or with food vouchers within short.





I am asking you to only register once. The system has noticed that some have registered more than once either by hardcopy or they have also put in their form via the website link. You dont need to register more than once. It all goes to the same department for processing and therefore, that would cut down on the amount of time that is spent to sort for the acute needs. Make sure you have an acute need where you need assistance now, within short, within a week or two for food. The coronavirus COVID-19 button on the Government website, www.sintmaartengov.org/coronavirus is called Forms, Laws, and Protocols. After you click on this, you will find the forms, not only to travel but also the Social Impact Assessment' Form that you would need to fill in online and submit to the social services department for assistance.





Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion was in our meeting today, also Minister of TEATT Ludmila de Weever and Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek, who all took part via video conference. I would like to thank all those who took part in the meeting. Minister Irion informed everyone about the stimulus plan, and this will be presented to the public in a press conference on Wednesday, April 8, at 11:00 AM, after the Council of Minister's weekly press briefing. More information about the Government plans will be provided at the press conference.





In our meeting with the banks today, it was stated that there are still payrolls to be processed and therefore, waivers have been granted to allow banks to operate. However, they will not be open to the public. They are only to facilitate the delivery payment system of the grocery stores and to process payrolls for those who have not received their month-end pay.





Joint controls continue, though we have experienced some glitches. It has not been clear which forms are being used, as things get lost in translation when shifts change. When going to the French side, one must have Form C or a disaster pass. The form must declare what reason you are crossing the border; either for work purposes, or an emergency related to family, care of the elderly or medical. For example, some persons get their medical prescriptions from a French pharmacy or have appointments with a French Doctors or at the French side hospital.





Persons within Dutch St. Maarten must either have a valid disaster pass, a St. Maarten Medical Center ID, or a White and Yellow Cross Foundation ID, or a waiver signed by the Chief of Police Carl John, or the Minister of VSA or by the Prime Minister. Both sides continue to work diligently, and I must commend all those St. Maarteners who remain at home during the lockdown period. Its not a fun time for anyone but you can make the best of the time by sitting down together and reflect and finding ways to communicate with those who are near but far due to the lockdown.





As we acknowledge the significant impact of COVID-19 around the world, and for our tight-knit community, lets give thanks for life. What we do have is life, and for those who are coping with a loss, that they still have life and can comfort each other. Those with underlying health issues are even more prone to get severe symptoms which can lead to death. Stay away from the vulnerable within your families. Stay away, if you are moving around the elderly, from those currently suffering from high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart or lung disease. These persons are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and we would like to see the deaths end and we would not like to see anyone perish from COVID-19 from this day going forward. Please guard against it, keep your areas clean, wash your hands frequently, and if you have symptoms report it on the very first day.





For those with religious and spiritual beliefs in our diverse community, I call on you to pray, let us pray fervently and pray each morning and each evening and ask for safe passage during this storm. May God Bless You St. Maarten. We are doing all in our power to ensure we get through this with minimal damage.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 06:35:24|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday saluted health care workers on World Health Day, which falls on April 7.

"World Health Day this year comes at a very difficult time for all of us," said Guterres in a message, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"My message today is to our health care workers -- the nurses, midwives, technicians, paramedics, pharmacists, doctors, drivers, cleaners, administrators and many others -- who work, day and night to keep us safe."

"Today, we are more deeply grateful than ever to all of you, as you work, round the clock, putting yourselves at risk, to fight the ravages of this pandemic," he said.

"In these traumatic times, I say to all health care workers: we stand with you and we count on you. You make us proud; you inspire us. We are indebted to you. Thank you for the difference you are making, every day and everywhere."

Guterres also expressed his gratitude to nurses and midwives as 2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

Nurses shoulder some of the biggest health care burdens. They perform difficult work and endure long hours, while risking injury, infection and the mental health burden that accompanies such traumatic work. They often provide comfort at the end of life, he said.

Midwives provide comfort at the beginning of life. During a pandemic, their work is even more challenging, as you bring our newborn safely into this world, he said. "To the nurses and midwives of the world: thank you for your work."




ABPA says Brazil meat processors will need to import corn from May



Brazil-based meat lobby group ABPA said domestic prices for corn are reaching record high levels, causing the country's chicken and swine processors to look to import the commodity, reported Reuters.

Prices for corn reached 60 BRL (~US$11.49; 1 BRL = US$0.19) per 60kg bag as there are low stockpiles following record exports last year.

The meat processors are expected to import the corn from Paraguay and Argentina, which have historically supplied the commodity when Brazil has run short of supply.

Imports from the United States, the world's biggest corn producer, are unlikely as the BRL is weakening against the US$.

Francisco Turra, ABPA president said the meat lobby is monitoring the market and expects corn imports to be needed by May. This is because the first Brazilian corn harvest was low due to drought, pushing domestic prices to record highs.

Farmers in Brazil expect the second major corn harvest, accounting for 75% of its overall production, only in mid-June.

Brazil projects 100 million tonnes of total corn crop in 2020.

Turra said meatpackers based in southern Brazil will more likely opt to import corn from Paraguay and Argentina as prices are better compared to the region in the center-west. Plus, both Paraguay and Argentina's currencies have fallen against major currencies, making them attractive corn suppliers.

Turra said meatpackers based in northeast Brazil could purchase corn from the United States, but they have not done so yet.

According to government data, Brazil's corn imports in January and February 2020 increased 235% to 283,730 tonnes, with the highest supplier being Paraguay.

Brazil-based JBS SA confirmed it had purchased 100,000 tonnes of corn from Argentina slated for delivery in May.

- Reuters
By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's big supermarkets fear they won't be able to supply the country's 60 million people without longer opening hours or a relaxation of social distancing rules introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Industry executives speaking on condition of anonymity said they expected a jump in demand once Britons under lockdown had worked through supplies amassed at the start of the crisis and as shoppers stocked up for the long Easter weekend holiday. What's more, the lockdown has temporarily transferred the eating out market - bars, cafes, restaurants, school meals and workplace canteens - to the home, shifting about 30% of the nation's food consumption back to stores.

By James Davey

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's big supermarkets fear they won't be able to supply the country's 60 million people without longer opening hours or a relaxation of social distancing rules introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Industry executives speaking on condition of anonymity said they expected a jump in demand once Britons under lockdown had worked through supplies amassed at the start of the crisis and as shoppers stocked up for the long Easter weekend holiday.

What's more, the lockdown has temporarily transferred the eating out market - bars, cafes, restaurants, school meals and workplace canteens - to the home, shifting about 30% of the nation's food consumption back to stores.

"The problem is, can you feed 60 million people at the rate you can get people through the stores with that social distancing?" one industry executive told Reuters.

In the four weeks before the government restricted movement and announced social distancing rules on March 23, UK grocery sales leapt 20% as Britons stockpiled an extra 1 billion pounds worth of food in their cupboards and freezers.

Sales growth has slowed over the past fortnight as stores cut their opening hours, limited the number of customers allowed in at any one time and restricted sales of some items - all leading to long queues outside many supermarkets.

But executives believe the drop in demand will be short-lived as people shop for the Easter break and because of the pressure on supplies as everyone eats at home. Big supermarkets are budgeting for a 15% to 20% rise in sales volumes during the lockdown, said one source with knowledge of the matter.

That's one reason why Britain's big four - market leader Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons - are recruiting tens of thousands of staff. The other reason is to cover absenteeism, currently running at 15%-20%, according to industry sources.

Supermarket online delivery businesses, which accounted for about 8% of the grocery market before the health crisis, are being ramped up to meet some of the extra demand. But even if delivery capacity doubled, some 85% of the market would still need to be served by stores.

'THE NUMBERS DON'T WORK'

Supermarkets fear that under the current restrictions, they simply cannot physically meet the demand.

"The current social distancing approach that's being taken by the supermarkets can't sell that 85% number," another industry director told Reuters.

"The numbers don't work ... you're either going to have to extend the opening hours, or you're going to have to change the rules on social distancing," he said.

At the outset of the crisis, some supermarkets shortened their opening hours to give staff more time to rest, restock shelves and prepare online deliveries.

"You've got a twin tension here. You'd rather keep the store closed for longer so you can get merchandising done and your online picking done, but you'd rather open the store for longer so that you have less customers in at any given time," he said.

"Mathematically, that's the quadratic equation that you're trying to solve."

Supermarkets may try to boost customer numbers in stores when they are confident all will either be served by a staff member behind a screen, or they can use self-scan tills, industry sources said.

Finding a way to smooth trading through the day would also help supermarkets meet demand, they said.

Many stores are quieter from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., so as more products become available, supermarkets need to find a way of telling shoppers when the shelves are well-stocked. Supermarkets are also considering advising customers to do one big shop a week rather than make several trips for smaller shops.

On Friday, Sainsbury's asked customers to send only one adult per household to its stores to help people keep a safe distance apart and reduce queues.

As the virus spreads, some believe radical measures are needed to get more shoppers in stores at any one time, such as the mandatory use of face masks supplied by the supermarkets.

"It will become as commonplace as picking up a trolley or a basket," said the director.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate Holton and David Clarke)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 100-year-old Berlin tailor has been inundated with orders for colourful face masks sewn by its seamstresses after it suspended production of its signature bow ties two weeks ago due to the coronavirus outbreak. Auerbach, which is famous for its colourful men's accessories like scarves and ties, has received 8,000 orders for its hand-made face masks, which sell for 18 euros a piece, since it advertised them late last month.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A 100-year-old Berlin tailor has been inundated with orders for colourful face masks sewn by its seamstresses after it suspended production of its signature bow ties two weeks ago due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Auerbach, which is famous for its colourful men's accessories like scarves and ties, has received 8,000 orders for its hand-made face masks, which sell for 18 euros a piece, since it advertised them late last month.

CEO Jan-Henrik Maria Scheper-Stuke said he had to hire 20 new seamstresses in addition to the seven he had before the crisis to meet the flood of online orders, which continues unabated with 800 to 1,000 new masks ordered every day.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," said Scheper-Stuke. "We make no profit from making masks. We just want to cover our costs. It is just a survival exercise. We can't wait to return to making ties for weddings and other happy occasions."

Most of the online orders are from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but there have been some from as far as Hong Kong.

"When we advertised that we are looking for seamstresses in the local newspaper, we received hundreds of applications," said Scheper-Stuke. "We had to turn people down. And we had to train the new seamstresses how to make masks."

Germany, which has about 100,000 confirmed cases and just over 1,600 deaths, has not made wearing masks in public compulsory.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that wearing a mask would not necessarily prevent people from catching the coronavirus and that masks made from cloth risk spreading the disease if they are not regularly washed.

"Improper use could be even more fatal," Merkel said when asked if the government would recommend wearing masks. "You need to wash it regularly, avoid wearing it over a long period of time, iron it, or warm it the oven or the microwave."

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused the World Health Organization of minimizing the threat of the coronavirus as he escalated the war-of-words with the humanitarian group.

'The WHO got it wrong, they got up very wrong. In many ways they were wrong. They also minimized the threat very strongly,' President Trump said at his daily White House press briefing.

He also charged the group with claiming there was no human-to-human transmission of the deadly disease.

White House economic adviser Peter Navarro added fuel to the fire Wednesday night when he slammed WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu as one of Chinas 'proxies'.

President Donald Trump accused the World Health Organization of minimizing the threat of the coronavirus as he escalated war with agency

President Trump also accused World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of playing politics with his criticism of Trump

Trump focused his attack Wednesday on WHO's contradicting statements on the virus.

'As you know they made a statement January 14th that there was no human to human transmission -- there was,' Trump said.

The WHO tweeted on January 14, citing Chinese officials who claimed there had been no human transmissions of the virus in its country.

The group later acknowledged there was human-to-human transmission.

In his continued war of words against the WHO, the president reiterated his complaint that the agency was critical when he shut down flights from certain parts of China and he went on to complain about how much money the United States gave the group, which is part of the United Nations.

He said he was thinking about holding back millions of American funding.

'We are going to study and investigation and make a determination as to what we're doing. In the meantime we are holding back,' he said.

His comments came after the head of the World Health Organization warned the president to stop politicizing the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags.'

'At the end of the day, the people belong to all political parties. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people, please do not politicize this virus,' WHO Director-General Tedros said in a virtual press briefing.

'If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it.'

Trump fired back.

'So when he says politicizing hes politicizing, and he shouldnt be,' the president said at his daily briefing when he was asked about Tedros' comment.

'I can't believe he's talking about politics when look at the relationship they have to China,' Trump said and repeated his charge the agency favored China above other countries.

Tedros, at his briefing, made an appeal for global unit and said all leaders of all political parties should focus on saving their people.

'Unity is the only option to defeat this virus,' he said.

'Without unity, we assure you even any country that may have a better system will be in trouble and more crisis. That's our message. Unity at the national level,' he said. 'No need to use COVID to score political points. No need. You have many other ways to prove yourselves.'

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu warned President Donald Trump to stop politicizing the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags'

President Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, calling it too 'China centric' and suggesting that it was hiding information about the coronavirus from the rest of the world

'The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy,' Tedros said. 'They should come together to fight it and the rest of G-20 should come together to fight it, and the rest of the world should come together and fight it.

'We will have many body bags in front of us if we don't behave,' he noted. 'When there are cracks at [the] national level and global level, that is when the virus succeeds.

The organization has become the latest target of President Trump in his blame game as he points the finger for the devastating effects of the coronavirus - an economic down turn and over 12,000 American deaths - at everyone but his administration. Also feeling Trump's fury has been China, the states, governors and the Democrats.

The president has called it 'China-centric' and complained they 'missed the call' when it came to the coronavirus.

Tedros was called a 'proxy' of China by White House economic adviser Peter Navarro in an interview with Fox's The Story Wednesday night.

'The U.N. itself has 15 specialized agencies, including the WHO,' Navarro said to host Martha MacCallum.

'What China has been doing very aggressively over the last decade is to try to gain control of those by electing people to the top. It already controls five of the 15, also, by using proxies, colonial-like proxies, like Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] at the WHO.

'As you can see in this crisis, the damage [done by] that kind of control by China [of] the key health organization has been absolutely enormous. They suppressed the human to human transmission [data], they refused to call it a pandemic,' he added.

Tedros was called a 'proxy' of China by White House economic adviser Peter Navarro in an interview with Fox 's The Story Wednesday night

'What China has been doing very aggressively over the last decade is to try to gain control of those by electing people to the top. It already controls five of the 15, also, by using proxies, colonial-like proxies, like Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] at the WHO,' Navarro said to host Martha MacCallum

Navarro defended the presidents consideration to cut funding to the WHO saying the lack of transparency cost the US 'about five weeks' of preparation for the virus that has already claimed over 14,000 lives

He then made a jab at Tedros' leadership, commenting on how WHO 'basically discouraged travel bans.'

Navarro defended the presidents consideration to cut funding to the WHO saying the lack of transparency cost the US 'about five weeks' of preparation for the virus that has already claimed over 14,000 lives.

Tedros is an Ethiopian microbiologist and internationally recognized malaria researcher, who is the the first non-physician and first African to head the health organization, a role he has held since 2017.

He previously served as Ethiopia's minister of health and minister of foreign affairs.

Tedros, who is black, said he doesn't 'care about personal attacks' against himself, addressing the death threats and insults he's experienced amid the global pandemic, which has seen 1.4 million cases worldwide with more than 82,000 deaths in 209 countries across the world.

'I can tell you personal attacks that have been going on for more than two, three months. Abuses, or racist comments, giving me names, Black or Negro. I'm proud of being Black, proud of being Negro,' he said. 'I don't care to be honest ... even death threats. I don't give a damn.'

Dr. Deborah Birx said the World Health Organization delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic'

Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refused to get involved in the White House war with the WHO

On Tuesday President Trump launched a full-scale attack against the agency when he was withholding the millions of dollars the United States' contributed to it before reversing himself to say there should be an investigation of the group's response to the pandemic.

Dr. Deborah Birx joined the criticism, saying the group delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic.'

Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the administration, appeared to implicate the agency's ties to China - which is rapidly become a conservative talking point - saying the WHO can only respond to information it receives.

'You know, the WHO can only react to the data it's given. And when you go back and look at the timeline, it wasn't until I think almost the middle of January that China reported that there was human-to-human transmission,' she said on CBS' 'This Morning.'

'We have to really investigate reporting and how the reports were received there. I think it did delay the ability to declare this a global pandemic, an emergency. We can do all of that when we get through this as a global community to really understand how to do this better the next time,' she noted.

Birx clarified Trump's remarks when she did a series of interviews Wednesday morning after the White House endured a chaotic day: a shake up in press office, a key watchdog removed by the president, and Trump's contentious press briefing.

'When the president said he was holding funds, he didn't say he was restricting and keeping funds permanently away. But said instead said let's investigate what happened. Let's see what happened in our reporting. We've done that before with previous outbreaks and previous issues that have occurred at WHO,' Birx said on ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

But Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refused to get involved in the White House war with the WHO.

'I can't get involved in that kind of discussion,' he said Wednesday morning on Fox News Channel's 'America's Newsroom.' 'I just need to focus on what my job is, to see what we can do in this country and globally to put an end to this. The interaction between the WHO is -- is something that I really prefer not to get involved with.'

At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Trump accused the WHO of mishandling the coronavirus outbreak and said: 'We're going to put a hold on money.'

When asked by reporters whether it was wise to slash funding to the WHO during a time of emergency, the president quickly backtracked and said he was only looking into a possible suspension of funds.

But he doubled down on his criticism of the group.

'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' Trump said.

'They should have known and they probably did know,' he added, suggesting the group was withholding information about the coronavirus.

Trump's main beef with the United Nations health group is that leadership there said it wasn't necessary to ban travelers coming in from China as the coronavirus started spreading beyond Wuhan, where it originated.

The president has bragged that his early ban of some travelers from China kept it from being a greater threat to the U.S.

Trump has followed the lead of prominent conservatives in complaining that the WHO has been too friendly to China during the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier on Tuesday, the president attacked the WHO for being 'China centric'.

World Health Organization criticized for its response to the coronavirus crisis The World Health Organization has been criticized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic. As concern about the crisis developing in Wuhan grew, the WHO followed the Chinese government's line by stating there was 'no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission'. The United Nations agency then took another week to correct that statement. The WHO has also been criticized for not standing up to the disinformation coming from Beijing, which has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and misreporting its true death toll figures. WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been slammed for his praise of the way China has responded to the pandemic. Dr Tedros has at times called out other countries for their handling of the crisis. In particular he lamented the 'level of stigma we are observing' in reference to the language used by President Trump to describe it as the 'China virus'. On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak. But on February 3, WHO said such bans on travel and trade were not needed. As the contagion began to spread outside of Wuhan where it originated, the WHO reassured the world that the virus was a regional problem. Most countries have since adopted the same stringent 'stay at home' rules and others have imposed lockdowns restricting citizens' movements. In late January, when the virus had already spread to several countries, a WHO emergency committee debated whether to declare COVID-19 a 'public health emergency of international concern'. However Dr Tedros declined amid Beijing's objections and instead traveled to China, before finally making the declaration a week later on January 30. At the time he said: 'The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken. 'I left in absolutely no doubt about China's commitment to transparency.' Also in late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control. Advertisement

He wrote on Twitter: 'The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look.'

The World Health Organization has been criticized for not pushing China to clarify its response and question its numbers on the disease. There is skepticism about the numbers Beijing is reporting.

Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, defended the group.

He said: 'We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding.'

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also rejected Trump's criticism of the WHO and backed director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for his 'tremendous work'.

'For the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] it is clear that WHO, under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, has done tremendous work on COVID in supporting countries with millions of pieces of equipment being shipped out, on helping countries with training, on providing global guidelines. WHO is showing the strength of the international health system', he told reporters.

Dujarric added the WHO recently did 'tremendous work' in putting its staff on the frontlines to successfully fight Ebola, an infectious and often fatal disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on Jan. 30, which was 43 days before President Trump declared a national emergency in the United States.

The group is part of the United Nations and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with 150 offices around the world.

The agency is funded in two ways - through assessed contributions and voluntary contributions.

The assessed contributions, which are like dues to the organization, are calculated by looking at a country's wealth and population.

In its February budget proposal, the Trump administration called for slashing the U.S. contribution to the WHO in half from the previous fiscal year - from $122.6 million to $57.9 million.

While the U.S. pays the most in assessed contributions, that full pot of money has only accounted for less than 25 per cent of WHO's haul over the past few years.

However, Americans NGOs and charity organizations, along with taxpayer dollars, do make up the biggest chunk of the WHO's funding.

Trump said near the start of his virus briefing Tuesday: 'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it.

'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.'

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said, changing the point he was trying to make mid-sentence.

Later in the briefing Trump threatened to cut off the WHO's supply of money from the United States.

Trump added: 'We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it. And we're going to see.

'It's a great thing when it works but when they call every shot wrong that's not good. They are always on the side of China.'

Later when the president was asked if it was a smart move to cut off funds to the major global health organization during a worldwide pandemic he backed away from his previous threat.

'I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm going to look at it,' Trump pledged.

The president was later asked why he thought the WHO was 'China centric'.

Trump responded: 'I don't know, they seem to come down on the side of China.'

'Don't close your borders to China, don't do this, they don't report what's really going on, they didn't see it and yet they were there. They didn't see what was going on in Wuhan...they must have seen it, but they didn't report it,' he said.

Healthcare workers transfer the body of a deceased person for transport at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn

World Health Organisation (WHO) European director Hans Kluge defended the agency after Trump threatened to cut funding. He is pictured (above) during a joint press conference on the Danish handling of coronavirus last month

Trump suggested he might cut the US's funding that goes toward WHO, calling the United Nations agency 'very China centric'

A tweet from the WHO in January pushing out the disinformation fed to it by Beijing about the virus, which it was reticent to declare a pandemic

On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak.

But WHO said such bans were not needed, noting that 'travel bans to affected areas or denial of entry to passengers coming from affected areas are usually not effective in preventing the importation' of coronavirus cases, but may instead 'have a significant economic and social impact.'

And the group noted that 'restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations and may divert resources from other interventions.'

'Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on,' Trump tweeted Tuesday.

'Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?' the president asked.

WHO is also still not recommending that every person wears a mask, while the Centers of Disease Control made the voluntary recommendation last week.

Trump was following the lead of American conservatives including Florida Sen. Rick Scott who placed blame on WHO for 'helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic.'

Other GOP lawmakers have floated a theory that WHO is under China's spell.

Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should resign because 'he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.'

As did Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican.

'They need to come clean and another piece of this is, the WHO has to stop covering for them,' she said of China. 'I think Dr. Tedros needs to step down,' McSally said on Fox Business Network.

'We need to take some actions to address this issue. It's just irresponsible, it's unconscionable what they have done here while we have people dying across the globe,' McSally added.

Scott, the Florida senator, said the Senate Homeland Security Committee needed to launch an investigation into WHO's handling of the virus.

In late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control.

But Xi also controlled the flow of information, with reports coming out of China that the country had been trying to silence whistleblowers.

At the same time, Democratic governors, lawmakers and pundits have condemned Trump's response in combatting the virus, suggesting he did too little, too late.
Representative image

Shomiron Das Gupta

There has been widespread panic across the globe due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and justifiably so. It has infected countless people and claimed many lives, having sent entire nations to a standstill! Businesses have stopped functioning the traditional way and are trying out novel techniques, such as remote working, to stay connected and keep business operations as smooth as possible.

Amidst all this hysteria, there is one group of people that has found a new leash of life  cybercriminals. This global pandemic has proven to be a boon for them because of all the room for vulnerabilities that accompany remote work; it is a known fact that home networks are easy to target compared to the high-end network infrastructures at work. Not just that, hackers have also created thousands of fake coronavirus-related resource websites that they use as bait to exploit the unknowing user.

Recent Incidents



Many malicious spam emails were and are still being sent to the public, under the guise of official organizations containing an update on the virus.



CovidLock, a malicious Android app that supposedly helps track cases of the virus, was used to lock the phones of victims and gave them 48 hours to pay USD 100 in bitcoin to regain access to their phones. Threats included deletion of data stored in the phone and leak of social media account details.



As many as 14 potentially dangerous website domains masquerading as Coronavirus-related resources were identified by the cybercrime division of New Delhi, India.



In another instance, the web browsers of users opened automatically and displayed a message to download a COVID-19 Inform App. It then installed the Oski Info Stealer on the device that intended to steal browser history, payment information, saved login credentials, and so much more.



A suspicious COVID-19 Tracking Map has also been doing the rounds, which reportedly contains spyware that gains access to all your data. It steals information from users including passwords, credit card numbers and other important data stored in the browser.



As a cybersecurity company, weve been at the center of this phenomenon and have been witnessing an increased number of exploitation attempts, taking advantage of the panic surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. Below are a few incidents:

Preventive Measures to be Taken

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



Businesses must have proper security measures and configurations, such as multi-factor authentication, in place when it comes to leveraging remote technologies to ensure seamless and secure business operations even from home.



Individuals should not use unauthorized personal devices for work; even if they do, they must ensure that the devices have the same level of security as a company-owned device.



Be wary of emails and files from unknown senders. Following a few hygiene factors like checking the authenticity of the email address, not clicking on suspicious links, and avoiding emails that ask for personal information such as passwords, can go a long way in keeping oneself secure.



Use trusted sources, such as legitimate government websites  for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19.



Clearly, these attacks exploit peoples fears and their innate need to keep themselves cognizant about the outbreak. Their impact on businesses and individuals alike can be ground-shattering; hence, it is advisable to be wary of such attacks by practicing good digital hygiene. Heres how:

These are testing times; the business community from around the globe has faced a severe blow due to the virus. However, as long as were cautious enough and practice ample digital hygiene to ensure seamless business continuity to the maximum possible extent, we shall all emerge from this stronger!
The Federal Court has given a stern lesson to Canada Border Services Agency and an immigration tribunal about the definition of the word espionage.

Citing both the Oxford English Dictionary and Blacks Law Dictionary, federal Justice Henry S. Brown crushed the border agencys and immigration appeal tribunals decision to keep Elena Crenna, an alleged Russian spy, out of Canada.

Given the constraining legal and indeed common dictionary definitions of espionage, (Crennas) actions do not reasonably give rise to reasonable grounds to believe what (she) did was espionage, Brown wrote in a 47-page decision released Monday.

At issue in the appeal by Crenna was whether she did her spying above board or not.

What (Crenna) did was neither secret, clandestine, surreptitious nor covert. Therefore, her action could not reasonably constitute espionage.

Crenna, now 58, was hired as a translator by a Canadian Crown corporation for a development project in Moscow in the 1990s, during which she met her now Canadian husband, David Crenna, 75, who was her boss at the time.

The two reconnected years later, and got married in 2012. The following year, Elena, an American citizen, was sponsored to Canada as Davids spouse.

Despite clearances by the immigration department and Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the border agency alleged that she helped spy for the Russian intelligence services (FSB) and deemed her inadmissible to Canada in 2016. Thats when the Crennas legal saga began.

In 2018, the immigration tribunal sided with the couple to allow their spousal sponsorship to proceed. The border agency appealed and the appeal tribunal last June ruled in favour of the agency. That decision is now overturned by the federal court.

At the hearing in March, the court heard evidence that Crenna had informed the management of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation-sponsored project when approached by the Russian agents and she was told to co-operate because the housing endeavour was not classified and there was nothing confidential about it.

The Crennas welcomed the court decision.

Mr. Justice Brown cut to the chase that this kind of bureaucratic activity is not and should not be condoned, David Crenna told the Star from his home in Ottawa.

The justice stated very firmly that the defining characteristics of espionage can be considered to be settled law in Canada, rather than being open to ingenious and differing interpretation by officials that ... any communication with the security services of another country constitutes de facto espionage. 

The couples lawyer, Arghavan Gerami, said it was never in the public interest for the border agency to continue pursuing Elena.

This case is instructive for the need for deference to expertise of other departments by the border agency in matters such as espionage, in which it does not presently have expertise, said Gerami.

Not only would this save time and public resources, it would avoid the significant prejudice to the rights of the individual in question.

The court sent Crennas case back to the immigration appeal tribunal to be re-determined.

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(Photo : Mike Segar on Reuters) Coronavirus: Study Predicts Which US State Will Likely Follow New York's Highest COVID-19 Rate (Photo : BRENDAN MCDERMID on Reuters ) Coronavirus: Study Predicts Which US State Will Likely Follow New York's Highest COVID-19 Rate

On Wednesday, Apr. 8, has been the deadliest day in the United States since it started recording Coronavirus statistics from infected patients. Within 24 hours, nearly 2,000 Americans have died due to the virus; almost 800 of this number were in New York. A recent study has discovered that there could be a link between the massive air pollution experienced by the Big Apple and the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Other cities in the United States with air pollution problems could, unfortunately, be next.





Study: Pollution plays a role in Coronavirus spread; Which US state could be the next hotspot?

As of today, Apr. 8, New York has had the highest number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. However, this number could change very soon.

CNN has reported a study claiming that air pollution could be one of the main factors why Coronavirus spread faster in New York than in other states. In a pre-print study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the researchers claim that "long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe COVID-19 outcomes."

The researchers studied air pollution in approximately 3,000 counties in the United States or 98% of the population up until April 4. They found that many other U.S. counties have high air pollution that ranges from fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels above 13 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

"We found that an increase of only 1 gram per cubic meter in fine particulate matter in the air was associated with a 15% increase in the COVID-19 death rate," said lead author Francesca Dominici, who is also the co-director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative.

The study claims that if an area has a higher air pollution standing, the possibility of more positive Coronavirus patients will also follow.

Which US county or state will be the next hotspot of COVID-19?

Since researchers from Harvard already claim that air pollution plays a major role in Coronavirus spread, they also predicted the areas in the country that might be the next virus hotspot. These counties still don't have significant numbers of COVID-19 positive cases, but they do have a problem with air pollution.

"Atlanta stands out as one of the clearest examples," said co-author Xiao Wu, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University. "DeKalb and Gwinnett counties all have PM 2.5 levels greater than 13 micrograms per cubic meter of air across our study period, and still have a relatively low number of confirmed cases and deaths. Baltimore as well stands out as a place with high PM exposure, but a low number of deaths for now."

As a clarification, this study is still on a "pre-print" status. This means that it has not yet undergone peer review and hasn't been accepted by a journal for publication. However, the lead author of the study warns everyone located in these areas to be more aware of the situation they are in.

"That means that in these counties, we need to keep an even closer look at the social distancing measures, and we need to make sure that they are equipped to respond to those hospitalized with COVID-19," Dominici said. "This is really, to me, utterly common sense."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and local pastors are urging Houstonians to remain home for Easter weekend, fearing the spread of coronavirus could be worsened by large religious gatherings.

Were not at the peak of it yet, Turner said at a Wednesday press conference. And if we stay home, have our worship services online or on Facebook then we will help to keep our members safe, our families safe.

Most local churches suspended live services last month as the virus continued its spread in Houston and nationally. Then, last week, churches across the state were given the choice to reopen with some limitations under an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott.

The order deemed churches as essential services, although Abbott asked that congregations practice social distancing guidelines or opt for drive-thru services that allow churchgoers to watch and listen from their cars.

Many churches said Abbotts order didnt change their plans to remain closed. However, a handful of Houston-area congregations have since reopened, and last Sunday roughly 100 people attended Palm Sunday service at Houstons Glorious Way Church.

The churchs pastor, John Greiner, is among a group of local church leaders who are suing Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo over her ongoing stay-at-home order, which they claim violates their constitutional rights.

Were first responders too  in the spiritual realm and in the mental realm, Greiner said on Sunday. People are depressed and cut off  and my job as their pastor is to feed them the word of God.

Rev. Max A. Miller Jr. disagrees.

Miller, pastor of Mount Hebron Missionary Baptist Church, was among those who joined Turner on Wednesday in his plea for Christians to stay home this weekend.

Most area churches are planning to avoid in-person services on Good Friday and Sunday. Miller said he hopes church members will be similarly cautious.

Its not about the building, Miller said. Right now, its about safety. God is large enough that he can penetrate walls whether its in his house or your house.

robert.downen@chron.com
Surgical strikes after Uri and at Balakot have not ended terrorism and infiltration has increased despite lockdown. The post-COVID-19 environment may provide a window to restart process





by Ashok K Mehta





For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the use of surgical strikes has become the new-normal in resolving intractable problems like cross-border terrorism, black money and Jammu & Kashmir. After Balakot, the airstrikes appear to have turned the page in terrorism but in real terms, little has changed. Black money has altered the colour and terrorism is just on pause. The new invisible enemy is COVID-19. Not even a nuclear strike will conquer this pandemic, which only time, more human lives and a vaccine can cure. Preliminary studies are showing how Coronavirus will change the way we live and cohabit. One can only hope that our existential difficulties with Pakistan will ease and end.









The Government and the Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated February 26 as the first anniversary of Balakot. Exaggerated claims were made to perpetuate the ones made last year without new evidence and factoring the Pakistani perspective. It is too early to begin rewriting the doctrine and call the airstrikes as game-changer. Claims on behalf of the IAF have been made mainly by former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, through interviews and parts of an internal IAF report that were leaked to the media. His successor, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, simply reinforced Dhanoas claims through the same medium at a public event titled, Air Power in No War No Peace Scenario, organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies, which was presided by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.





The Pakistan Air Force (PAF)s perspective came from a conference held at the University of Lahore, which was jointly organised by the Centre for Security Strategy and Policy Research and the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS). The event was attended by former PAF Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat. A report was published in the British Air Force magazine by Alan Warnes through his interviews with retired PAF officers. The PAFs response to the IAF air strikes was called Operation Swift Retort.





On the most provocative, emotional and in India even anti-national question of hitting the target, the IAF has stuck to its claim that it hit the target, though the Crystal Maze 142M missile, which was to produce battle damage assessment, could not be fired. Last year, among others who expressed doubts whether the IAF missiles were on target, was Ashley Tellis of the USs Carnegie Endowment and Christine Fair of Johns Hopkins University. The Air Force magazine was more direct: Bombs aimed at a religious boarding school at Balakothit wooded area a few hundred metres awayall bombs overshot their targets. The CASS report refers to the mishit as tactical error and technical inadequacy. Even so, this was the first time after the 1971 war that the IAF bombed Pakistan at Balakot. Perhaps carried away, Bhadauria described the bombings as the most significant air action of the IAF in over four decades. That was a bit unkind to the IAF veterans, who took part supporting the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka for 22 months, and the sterling precision IAF bombings at Kargil for over three months.





Bhadauria further said that Balakot has shown that you can use the IAF and still have escalation control. He was backed by Army Chief, Gen MM Naravane, who said: For years we were told that if and when air (force) crosses the International Border (IB), it would escalate to a full-fledged war. Balakot demonstrated that if you play the escalatory game with skill, military ascendancy can be established in short cycles of conflict that do not necessarily lead to war. Elementary, my dear Watson?





In his paper on air escalation control circulated by the US Stimson Centre in 2003 after Operation Parakram, IAFs Air Commode, Ramesh Phadke, argued that limited air operations against Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were possible with minimal escalation. Reason: IAF to PAF air balance ratio at that time was nearly 2.5 to 1. Today, that ratio has declined to less than 1.3 to 1 (IAF 28 squadrons versus PAF 21 squadrons). The CASS report further says that the probability of crisis recurrence between India and Pakistan is high and during a crisis, neither side will be able to guarantee controlling or dominating the escalation ladder.





PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan told the Air Force magazine that one lesson for India is not to use air power flippantly. He said Operation Swift Retort was inevitable to demonstrate both the resolve and restraint and was designed to de-escalate. Pakistan has found wriggle room in explaining its nuclear bluff being called. The CASS report titled, Deconstructing Balakot reads: Pakistans carefully calibrated response strategy served well in dampening the fears in policy analysis that portray that any attack inside Pakistans territory would invoke Pakistans nuclear threshold. However, Pakistan, through its retaliation, Operation Swift Retort after Indian strikes in Balakot, demonstrated that it has valid conventional means of deterrence to raise the cost of aggression.





As someone who has studied Pakistans military and strategic thought, I do not recall Pakistan seriously threatening the use of nuclear weapons against an enemy airstrike. The four conditions for that were clearly codified by Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, the intellectual custodian of Pakistans nuclear arsenal. He had said  and that has not changed till date  that Pakistan would use its nuclear weapons as weapons of ultimate resort in four eventualities: Loss of large territory, especially in Punjab; crippling military attrition; economic blockade; and largescale political destabilisation. None of these conditions was violated by the Balakot airstrikes.





One year on, AFM has said that PAF will be outnumbered but will innovate to outmanoeuvre the IAF. It does not matter what technology the IAF gets, the PAF will have the capacity to defeat it. CASS has said that for the foreseeable future, it will be in retaliatory mode but the threat of the use of force is essential when Pakistans support for Kashmir will go beyond political, diplomatic and moral paradigm. Kashmir has been made central to crisis and conflict.





Balakot airstrikes had the potential to escalate and spin out of control. One single factor that enabled the daring and risky operation was a strategic surprise. This is not likely to be replicated. Airstrikes are not the new-normal but a one-off like the ground surgical strikes. Surgical strikes after Uri and at Balakot have not ended terrorism. Infiltration has increased despite lockdown and unprecedented troop density in Jammu & Kashmir.





Pakistans support for Kashmir will not cease and despite the internal constitutional changes in Jammu & Kashmir, the dispute will ultimately have to be resolved politically. The post-COVID-19 environment may provide a window to restart the process.





(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander IPKF South, Sri Lanka and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff.)
The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Francis has created a new commission of experts to examine whether women can be deacons, an ordained role in the Catholic Church currently reserved for men.

The 10-member commission, the second of Francis' pontificate to study the fraught issue, includes equal numbers of men and women representing the United States and six European countries.

Deacons are ordained ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests. They preside at weddings, baptisms and funerals, and they can preach. They cannot celebrate Mass.

Married men can be ordained as deacons. Women cannot, though historians say women served as deacons in the early Christian church.

In response to women demanding to be given greater roles in the 21st century, Francis established a commission in 2016 to study female deacons in the early Christian church. But the members failed to reach a consensus and the group effectively ended its work.

The issue was revived during Francis' 2019 summit on the Amazon. The region's bishops called for the question of women deacons to be revisited given the shortage or priests in the vast territory. Francis agreed at the time, and the new commission appears to be his follow-up.

Significantly, the scope of the commission's mandate does not appear to be limited to the early church, as was the 2016 commission. Amazonian bishops had called for the real-life experiences of their region's Catholic faithful to be taken into consideration in any new evaluation.

Advocates for expanding the ministry to include women say doing so would give women greater say in the ministry and governance of the church, while also helping address priest shortages in several parts of the world.

Opponents say allowing women to be deacons would become a slippery slope toward ordaining women to the priesthood. The Catholic Church reserves the priesthood for men, saying Christ chose only men as his 12 apostles. Francis has repeatedly reaffirmed the teaching.

The new commission has as its president the archbishop of the central Italian city of L'Aquila, Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi. An official from the Holy See's powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was named to serve as No. 2.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mayor Ron Nirenberg lent a helping hand to the San Antonio Food Bank on Tuesday to highlight the organization's need for volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Nirenberg was one of about 250 volunteers at Toyota Field on the Northeast Side who helped fill a line of trunks with about 140 pounds of food  the equivalent of one grocery cart. Families receive items such as milk, produce, pre-made meals, eggs and marinated chicken.
Dashing hopes of a complete exit from the ongoing lockdown in one go, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the country is facing a "social emergency" like situation as well as serious economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed a sharp spike in the infections, taking the nationwide tally to over 5,500 with at least 172 deaths.

After an interaction with Modi via video conference, several political leaders said the lockdown might not be lifted completely after April 14 and they were told by the prime minister that the pre-corona and post-corona life won't be the same.

"The situation in the country is akin to a social emergency...it has necessitated tough decisions and we must continue to remain vigilant," the prime minister told the leaders, according to an official statement. He asserted that his government's priority is to "save each and every life".

"The present situation is an epoch changing event in mankind's history and we must evolve to counter its impact," Modi said.

A number of states also indicated extension of the lockdown, at least in the areas identified as hotspots of the deadly virus spread, while wearing masks or face cover was made mandatory in Mumbai as also in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Karnataka said restrictions can be lifted in unaffected areas and sale of liquor can be allowed after April 14 to help generate revenues to fight the crisis.

Uttar Pradesh decided to completely seal seriously affected areas in 15 districts, including some in Noida and Ghaziabad on the outskirts of the national capital. In Rajasthan, the state government decided to open mandis in a phased manner after end of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which entered its 15th day.

The government also issued an advisory against labelling of any community or area for spread of COVID-19, as also against disclosure of names or addresses of those affected by the virus or under quarantine. It also warned against targeting healthcare and sanitation workers or police.

In his daily briefing, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said states have been asked to focus on surveillance and contact tracing as well as on building hospital infrastructure. "We working with a twin approach -- focusing on social distancing and then implementing containment measures," he said.

The Supreme Court also asked the government to issue directions for facilitating COVID-19 tests in government or private labs for free of cost. As per the latest update from the ICMR, more than 1.2 lakh tests have been conducted so far across the country.

In its evening update, the Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 5,274 and 149 have died. Earlier in the day, the Ministry had said the tally rose by 773 in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, the biggest increase in this time period.

However, a PTI tally of cases reported by states as on 6.30 PM showed 5,521 people having been tested positive so far and at least 172 deaths. Approximately 500 people have been cured and discharged.

New cases were reported from Maharashtra (including in Mumbai's densely-populated Dharavi slums), Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir, among other places. Ladakh's Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said the virus spread has been successfully contained in the union territory, while Sikkim government said not a single case has been detected so far in the state.

Interacting with floor leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament via video conference, Prime Minister Modi said states, district administrations and experts have suggested extension of the ongoing lockdown beyond April 14 to contain the spread of the virus. Modi told the leaders that the country is facing "serious economic challenges as a result of COVID-19, and the government is committed to overcoming them."



After the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said around 80 per cent of political parties suggested extension of the lockdown. The leaders were told by the prime minister he is receiving requests for extending lockdown and will talk to chief ministers and experts before taking a decision in the nation's best interest, Azad said.

Modi is scheduled to interact with all chief ministers on April 11.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same," Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.

Separately, Uttarakhand and Goa joined several other states to favour extending the lockdown, while Punjab Government said it will take a call on April 10 on whether to extend the ongoing curfew in the state beyond April 14.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told PTI his government is in favour of lifting the lockdown in districts which have remained free of the infection, subject to approval from the Centre. He also said the state intends to relax liquor sales, stopped since the 21-day lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, after April 14 in a bid to increase state revenues.

In the meantime, further adverse impact of the pandemic on economic activities was reported from various segments. Global financial giant Goldman Sachs said Indian economy might see a GDP growth of just 1.5 per cent in the current fiscal.

Indian Railways, which was on its way till February to not just meet but surpass its freight loading target, will end 2019-20 with 15.7 million tonnes less than the previous financial year's 1,212.56 million tonnes, official figures showed.

As business has dried up due to the pandemic with operations having been virtually shut down, earnings from freight loading have also plummeted -- from Rs 1,25,354 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,225 crore in 2019-2020 fiscal, a loss of Rs 2,129 crore.

More than 14 lakh people have tested positive since the virus outbreak in China last December, while over 79,000 have lost lives. However, China reported no fresh case on Tuesday and the lockdown in its Wuhan city, where the first case was found, has been lifted completely.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ramu Patil By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: With the number of COVID-19 positive cases continuing to increase, the lockdown, aimed at preventing the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, is likely to continue beyond April 14 in the state, albeit with some relaxation.

The Union Government, in consultation with the states, will take a decision on the nationwide lockdown, but a highly placed source in the State Government ruled out the possibility of completely lifting the lockdown in Karnataka as that would fritter away the efforts made in the last few weeks, especially when the threat of community transmission looms large.

In the last few days, the number of positive cases has increased significantly, partly due to an increase in testing and also due to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation that put a spanner in the Central Governments strategy to bring the situation under control during the 21-day lockdown that started on March 24.

There might be some changes and relaxation in the way the lockdown is enforced, but there is no question of lifting it totally as, at this stage, it will be a big disadvantage in the fight against COVID-19, sources in the know of developments in the government said.

It has to be done in a staggered manner as we have to make changes depending on how the situation pans out over the next few days. The Centre, in consultation with the states, will decide if easing of restrictions in a staggered manner will start from April 14 or from the month-end, the sources said.

Expert committee report expected in two days

Restrictions on travel, mass gatherings and reopening of industries that are not part of the essential services sectors are likely to continue in most parts of the state. The government is also likely to identify and categorise COVID-19 hotspots, including regions and districts that require stringent measures to prevent the spreading of the virus, while partially lifting the restrictions in other parts.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who had maintained that lifting of the lockdown depends on how people respond in helping control the virus spread, has been holding meetings to discuss the way forward. In the last few days, the CM is said to have consulted ministers, senior officers, specialists and even economists to discuss the pros and cons of the lockdown.

A task force, consisting of prominent doctors, was also formed to suggest ways to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said discussions are being held and an appropriate decision will be taken after studying the situation and holding consultations with the Central Government and cabinet colleagues in the state.

As of now, the state government has not taken any decision on the lockdown, Primary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said on Tuesday.

Positive cases have been reported from 18 districts and no cases are reported from 12 other districts. We are closely monitoring the situation, he added.

According to the minister, Narayana Health founder Dr Devi Shetty and Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research director Dr C N Manjunath are part of the expert committee, which is expected to give its report in the next two days.
A mere 4,581 passengers traveled through Incheon International Airport on Monday, the fewest since the aviation hub opened in 2001.

The lull came as 53 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in the country on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 10,384, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New infections slightly rose again after dropping below 50 on Monday for the first time in 46 days. The government set fewer than 50 new infections a day as the standard for flattening the curve.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday his government will implement the good suggestions given by the members of Parliament, who represent the national capital, to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

I discussed corona with Delhis Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha parliamentarians Corona by video conferencing. Many MPs have given good suggestions and the government will implement them soon. We all have to fight this battle unitedly, he tweeted after the meeting.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader spoke with the lawmakers on a day the Capital reported 576 cases of the coronavirus disease and nine Covid-19 related fatalities.

According to Delhis health minister Satyendar Jain, 35 of them are in intensive care and eight on ventilator support.

The recent spike in infections in the Capital has largely been driven by the detection of hundreds of patients who attended gatherings of the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhis Nizamuddin last month in a violation of several restrictions.

Cases linked to the meetings have been reported across two dozen states and Union territories so far.

Kejriwals meeting with the lawmakers comes a day after he announced a five-point plan to contain the coronavirus disease in the Capital.

Also read: How Sars-CoV-2 is more insidious than Sars virus

He declared that testing will be ramped up and the scope of treatment widened  an indication that the Capital was bracing for the possible ballooning of the pathogen that has ravaged several metropolises across the world.

Delhi, the chief minister, said has formed a 5T plantesting, tracing, treatment, teamwork, and trackingand the government was prepared to scale up resources to treat up to 30,000 active Covid-19 patients at the same time, if needed.

Kejriwal has already said that rapid testing will be doubled from next week  from around 500 samples per day to 1000 samples per day.

Several experts have said that aggressive testing is the mainstay in the battle against the disease that has killed at least 77,000 people globally because the infection often spreads undetected.

Health experts and private hospitals have welcomed the action plan present by Arvind Kejriwal.

India registered 331 new coronavirus cases in the last 12 hours, taking the number of Covid-19 patients to 5194 and deaths to 149 with 25 new fatalities, according to Union health ministry data.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage
Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Bnei Brak, Israel, near Tel Aviv. (Menahem Kahana / AFP/Getty Images)

Israel Cohen had barely stepped out of the hospital when his phone rang.

Im sorry, Cohen said as a strong wind gusted around him. My grandfather died 10 minutes ago. Ill call you back.

His grandfather, 91-year-old Zalman Cohen, belonged to the insular world of the haredim, the black-coated ultra-Orthodox Jews known as "those who tremble before God."

A Hungarian-born Jew who survived Auschwitz, Zalman Cohen died April 2 of the coronavirus, at a moment of growing peril for his small, vulnerable community. He was the country's 36th victim, a toll that has since nearly doubled, hitting the ultra-Orthodox particularly hard and further raising suspicions of a way of life many secular Jews find alien.

Among the haredim, cultural factors such as big families, crowded living conditions and a bone-deep devotion to communal religious rituals and gatherings have set the stage for the swift spread of the virus, fueled by the community rabbis' traditional resistance to outside authority.

Israeli soldiers distribute food and other necessities in Bnei Brak, Israel. (Anadolu Agency )

Zalman Cohen's death added to the grim toll in Bnei Brak, a haredi-dominated township east of Tel Aviv that has become a locus of Israels COVID-19 infections. The same day he died, the Israeli Cabinet declared Bnei Brak a restricted zone, instituting a military closure on one of the world's most densely populated communities.

Israeli medical authorities fear that close to 40% of Bnei Braks 200,000 residents, who live in a 2.7-square-mile warren of tightly packed apartments, schools and stores, may be infected. As the closure took effect, police helicopters buzzed overhead, paramilitary police patrolled residential streets, and soldiers controlled all entry points at roadblocks.

The clampdown came less than a week before the start of Passover, the major Jewish festival that began Wednesday  a precursor to a wider ban this week on movement across the country to slow the virus' spread.

Israel Cohen has watched the disease march through the neighborhoods of ancestors. A political analyst for the ultra-Orthodox radio station Kol BaRama and a columnist for the liberal daily newspaper Haaretz, he views the unfolding tragedy with a dual perspective rare for a haredi.

Story continues

On the one side is a ravaged community, which feels itself under siege from within and without, a largely sequestered world of prayers and ancient customs. On the other, a wider Israeli society that fears the virus' spread and resents prominent haredi rabbis for encouraging people to ignore government warnings and pay little heed to social distancing.

Bnei Braks significant morbidity and high rate of coronavirus infection justified the sealing off of the community, the government said. As testing intensified and illness spread, the number of patients rose past 1,400, second only to Jerusalem, with five times Bnei Brak's population.

Spurred by deaths like that of Zalman Cohen, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to evacuate all Bnei Brak residents 80 and older 4,500 of them in all  and relocate them to requisitioned hotels, even by force. For many of that generation, the notion of such a roundup carried chilling historical overtones, and in some cases personal ones as well.

Amid an outcry, the plan was dropped. As the Sabbath was about to begin last week, only about 100 infected elderly residents agreed voluntarily to be moved.

Cohen, 38, said he had often asked his grandfather, who was born in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, why the Jews didnt flee before the Nazis stormed Europe. He said his grandfather would answer that no one knew what was coming.

In Bnei Brak, many were also caught unawares while infections silently spread at family and community gatherings.

Nobody could see it, said Cohen. He believes his grandfather may have been infected on March 9, when multitudes crowded into local synagogues to celebrate the joyous Jewish holiday of Purim, drinking wine and dancing together.

The ultra-Orthodox community's standing in the eyes of secular Israelis was further shaken last week after the health minister, Yaakov Litzman, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, announced that he and his wife, Hava, had tested positive for the virus.

Netanyahu, who has since tested negative, was ordered into quarantine due to numerous recent encounters with Litzman, whose ministry is charged with spearheading Israels public response to the pandemic.

Overall, Israel has aggressively fought the outbreak of the conronavirus since January. But for weeks, Netanyahu resisted pressure to take action in Bnei Brak.

That changed, however, for a number of reasons, notably the power Litzman holds as a representative of United Torah Judaism, a small ultra-Orthodox party that plays an outsized role in Israeli coalition politics.

For weeks, Litzman opposed measures affecting his communitys customs and rites, such as crowded Sabbath prayers and regular visits to ritual baths. Israeli media reported that the minister defied his own ministrys guidelines, praying in a synagogue days after communal worship was banned.

In the early days of the crisis, some key sources of authority in the haredi community shrugged off the dangers.

On March 1, the eve of Israel's general elections, the editor of a haredi tabloid tweeted that Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a prominent figure, was promising immunity from the coronavirus to anyone voting for United Torah Judaism. Kanievsky, 92, was also recorded saying that religious studies remained imperative despite the pandemic, causing thousands of parents to send their children to overcrowded classrooms.

He and other community eminences have since changed course, but the virus was already accelerating.

The coronavirus crisis could add to long-standing strains between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up about 12% of the countrys population of 9 million. Unlike other Israeli Jews, they are exempt from army service, subsidized by a state whose authority they question. Their communities are all but an autonomous state within the state, said Shahar Ilan, the author of a book on the sector and its political entanglements.

He said the virus heavy toll among the ultra-Orthodox was the result of years of government capitulation to the demands of haredi political leaders, who in turn deny their followers access to mass media and tools like basic scientific literacy, hewing to traditional teachings and Torah study.

Israeli police, meanwhile, find themselves at the forefront of the nations battle to contain the spread of infection among haredim. That at times gives them the distasteful task of wrestling with demonstrators clad in prayer shawls, or facing down children who shout imprecations at them.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld pointed to the responsibility of local and religious leaders to convey vital guidelines to a community whose members "are not online, dont have telephones, dont have radios, dont have televisions and do not know what is going on in the real world.

Cohen, though, said the government botched its efforts to communicate the dire nature of the situation to his community. He faulted Netanyahu for not dispatching doctors and scientists to win over key rabbis in the outbreak's earliest days.

They didnt speak the language of haredim, he said.

Tarnopolsky is a special correspondent.

For the record:

4:39 PM, Apr. 08, 2020: This story was corrected to reflect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to evacuate elderly residents of Bnei Brak due to coronavirus danger but that the plan was not implemented.


The Centre on Wednesday expressed its gratitude and thanked all those who have been fighting tirelessly to contain the spread of the infection as well as maintaining the smooth flow of essential commodities to the people nationwide. Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share the message and also encouraged the people to thank the warriors. He thanked the doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees.

India stands united in its fight against COVID-19 under the leadership of PM @narendramodi. In this valiant battle for the future of humanity, Corona Warriors are at the forefront. I salute them for their selfless services. Join! #ThankYouCoronaWarriorshttps://t.co/G35PhTG2BS pic.twitter.com/CqB0xPHBsq  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 8, 2020

In this tweet, Shah shared a link to thank the warriors. After clicking on the link, you can scroll to the bottom of the age and click on the 'you too can thank corona warriors' tab which will open a new tab. Here you can change the language, add your picture and name and post it. You can also preview before hitting the post button. After posting, a message along with your picture and name will appear.

In a message to the warriors, Shah tweeted, "Respected Corona Warriors Responding to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's call, the country has united in tackling COVID-19. Citizens from all walks of life have come together in carrying out their part and responsibilities. In this valiant battle for humanity's future, you, Corona Warriors are at the forefront."

He further said, "Your undiluted courage, selflessness, determination and focus have ensured that India remains on track in these difficult times. Placing yourselves at great risk, as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees, you have ensured that we remain safe, we remain comfortable and are well-taken care of."

He lauded them for displaying an unshakable faith and conviction that the infection can be defeated and that India and humanity will ultimately triumph, adding that their actions in these war-like times are deeply inspiring. "You have tirelessly and with deep dedication displayed an unshakable faith and conviction that Corona can be defeated and that India and humanity will ultimately triumph. Your actions in these war-like times are deeply inspiring," he tweeted.

"We pour our heart's gratitude and thankfulness before you. We salute your determination and grit. India shall be safe and emerge victorious in this fight against COVID-19 because of your selfless toil and sacrifice," he also added.
Hal Willner had a dream of connecting musicians who couldnt possibly work together to play music that didnt obviously suit them, and he somehow made it all work, creating albums and concerts that obliterated the lines between rock, jazz, country and soul, or between the mainstream and the avant-garde. And then on Tuesday, the experiment came to an end.

Mr. Willner  matchmaker, yenta, fan, longtime music coordinator for the sketches on Saturday Night Live  had symptoms consistent with the coronavirus and died in his apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where he lived with his wife, Sheila Rogers, a producer of The Late Late Show With James Corden, and their 15-year-old son, Arlo. He was 64.

The death was confirmed by a spokesman, Blake Zidell.

Mr. Willner was best known for assembling diverse casts of performers, including Rufus Wainwright and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, to play a slightly off-center body of work, such as the Disney songbook or the music of Nino Rota, who scored Federico Fellinis movies. The music found a devoted following, but not breakout success.

Maybe youve dreamed of hearing U2 with the horn section from Sun Ras Arkestra in a one-time-only performance at the Apollo Theater. If so, Hal Willner made your dream come true.
<! Sen. Hadi Sirika >

The Federal Government has bashed Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for arresting two Caverton Helicopters pilots and the passengers for flying into the State during Coronavirus lockdown.

Wike had led the police and other military chiefs to arrest two pilots of Caverton Helicopters on Tuesday after the conveyed passengers into the State.

The two pilots, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari, were remanded at the Port Harcourt Custodial Centre on Tuesday.

Management of Caverton Helicopters had written to the Federal Government to rescue its pilots from Wike who arrested and prosecuted them in court for doing a legal duty.

However, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Wednesday, said the Federal Government duly granted Caverton Helicopters the right to fly into Rivers.

He said the Police Commissioner and the Commander of the Air Force Base in Port Harcourt would have to answer for alleged incompetence and for going with Wike to arrest the pilots.

According to him, Civil Aviation is on exclusive list and that it was only the Federal Government that had the power to legislate on aviation matters.

He said the police and air force chiefs who went with Wike to effect the arrest were ignorant.

The Federal Government allowed the flight, we have the authority to approve such flight, we will do everything lawful to get the pilots back, he said.
At least 15 Taliban militants were killed with several local militiamen in northern Samangan province of Afghanistan after a deadly clash on April 7. According to Afghanistans local media outlet, the fighting took place over the past four days as the Taliban attacked the villages and the residents stood up against them and fought. The clashes with residents of two villages in Dara-e-Sof-e-Bala district of Samangan also reportedly killed two villagers.

The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement reportedly said that the Taliban militants attacked the security posts of the local militiamen which left more than 40 people dead or wounded. The Shaheen Corps added that the attack sparked fierce clash which resulted in the killing of 15 Taliban militants and the local militiamen also wounded 22 Taliban militants. Furthermore, the statement read that the fighting has now ended.

READ: Taliban End 'fruitless' Meetings With Afghan Govt Over Prisoner Swap

READ: Taliban Accuses US Of Violating Peace Deal By Carrying Out Drone Attacks On Civilians

Taliban will start killing people

While speaking to the local media outlet, the officials said that the residents still fear that the militant group may attack again and take revenge. The residents also said that the security forces have not yet been sent to the villages to support the fight against the Taliban. They have further reportedly appealed for support and said that if the Taliban take control of the two villages then they will start killing all the people.

Meanwhile, Talibans political spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, reportedly said that Taliban will no longer participate in fruitless discussion with the Afghan government over a prisoner swap that had formed a key part of a deal with the US. Shaheen also blamed the administration of President Ashraf Ghani for delaying the release under one pretext or another. The two have been holding talks in Kabul since last week to try to finalise the prisoner swap that was originally supposed to have happened by March 10.

(Image source: AP)

READ: Taliban Warn Peace Deal With US Near Breaking Point

READ: Taliban Warn Doha Peace Deal With US In Afghanistan Near Breaking Point
Rand Paul tweeted a picture of himself in a white coat announcing he had recovered from coronavirus and that he is volunteering at a hospital

Senator Rand Paul said on Tuesday that he has recovered from the coronavirus and has started volunteering at a hospital in his Kentucky hometown.

The Republican lawmaker tested positive for the virus in March, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the Senate.

Paul, an eye surgeon, is volunteering at TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green while the Senate is on a break amid the coronavirus outbreak.

He worked in emergency rooms early in his career as a physician, his office said.

Paul wrote on Twitter Tuesday alongside an image of himself in a white coat: 'I appreciate all the best wishes I have received. 'I have been retested and I am negative.

'I have started volunteering at a local hospital to assist those in my community who are in need of medical help, including coronavirus patients. Together we will overcome this.'

Paul's refusal to self-quarantine after being tested drew harsh criticism from some of his colleagues.

The hospital's CEO, Mike Sherrod, said on Tuesday that the senator is 'lifting the spirits of patients and our colleagues' by volunteering.

Republican Senator Rand Paul speaking during a Senate Committee meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington last month. He became the first case of COVID-19 in the Senate

'We appreciate Senator Paul and his support in recognizing our healthcare workers and providers at TriStar Greenview for their unwavering response to the COVID-19 pandemic,' he said in a statement.

Paul went into quarantine after learning his initial test results in March.

He later said he had been tested the prior week but continued working at the Capitol because he had no symptoms of the illness and believed it was 'highly unlikely' he was sick.

The Republican also said he did not have direct contact with anyone who tested positive for the virus or was sick.

Dr Ezekiel Emanuel, a former health policy adviser to President Barack Obama, said recently that Paul 'did just about everything wrong' by not self-quarantining in the days before his test results came back.

Last month Paul said he took the initial test because of his extensive travel prior to the start of social-distancing practices and because he's at a higher risk for serious complications from the virus.

The senator had part of a lung removed last year in a procedure he says stemmed from injuries he suffered when a neighbor tackled him outside his Kentucky home in 2017.

In defending his actions, Paul said at the time: 'For those who want to criticize me for lack of quarantine, realize that if the rules on testing had been followed to a tee, I would never have been tested and would still be walking around the halls of the Capitol.

The current guidelines would not have called for me to get tested nor quarantined. It was my extra precaution, out of concern for my damaged lung, that led me to get tested.'

Most people who contract COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization.

The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.

Rand Paul arriving at the Capitol for a vote in March. Paul said on Tuesday that he has recovered from the coronavirus and has started volunteering at a hospital in his Kentucky hometown

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona elected in 2018, chastised Paul on Twitter, saying his decision to return to the Capitol after he was tested - but before he learned the results - was 'absolutely irresponsible'.

Responding to criticism on Twitter, Paul's office said, 'We want to be clear, Senator Paul left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis. He had zero contact with anyone & went into quarantine. Insinuations ... that he went to the gym after learning of his results are just completely false & irresponsible!''

At least 18 House members have self-quarantined, some after prolonged exposure to Diaz-Balart or McAdams, and others from contacts with people from outside the US government. Not all are still in isolation.

They include: Republicans Steve Scalise, Mark Meadows, Tom Cole, Doug Collins, Drew Ferguson, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and Ann Wagner along with Democrats Don Beyer, Anthony Brindisi, Julia Brownley, Jason Crow, Sharise Davids, Kendra Horn, Gwen Moore, Stephanie Murphy, Ben Ray Lujan and David Price.
At the time of our interview, Kanika Karvinkop was supposed to be in New York City for a pop-up event with No Borders, her concept shop based in Mumbai, India. I was literally supposed to be there now to plan our event which was scheduled for Earth Day, she tells me over a WhatsApp call. But everything got canceled.

We spoke on March 23rd, just one day before the Indian government imposed a three-week nationwide lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 within the country.

We also canceled our Spring/Summer 2020 launch, because its not the right time, Karvinkop says.

Kanika Karvinkop is the founder of No Borders, a fashion and lifestyle store in Mumbai that stocks South Asian brands alongside local art and designer vintage. She cut her teeth in fashion as a Junior Stylist at Grazia India and later a freelance stylist in New York, where she had i-D, Nylon, Wonderland, Bullett, V Magazine (and Refinery29) as clients.

No Borders is run by a tightly knit team, with Karvinkop overseeing the general operations while personally handling all of the shops creatives, merchandizing, and social media marketing on her own.

At No Borders, one can find a colorful array of contemporary South Asian clothing next to vintage pieces from the likes of Dior, Hermes, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Oscar de la Renta, most of which are shockingly priced within the USD $200 range. Theres also local jewelry, artwork, and magazines, all from South Asia, South America, or Africa.

Karvinkops mission through No Borders is threefold: First, to grow global brand recognition for and give credit to under-represented international designers; second, to promote sustainable vintage shopping in India whose retail scene is split between the extremes of luxury and fast fashion; and third, to provide a platform for cultural exchange without any borders, a key value that gave birth to the shops name.

No Borders is one of many independent businesses around the world that are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The government has taken measures to see that no one unnecessarily steps out of their homes. As scary as it may seem to have no cars or even bicycles on the street, this is a sacrifice we must make. Karvinkop says. Its just overwhelming.

Story continues

Within the course of one week since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Indias lockdown, the countrys confirmed cases rose from less than 600 to more than 1800, a number projected to increase to hundreds of millions.

But rather than just shutting its doors, No Borders is taking action to continue to tell creative stories, and to inspire, educate, and connect with its followers through the internet and social media.

Karvinkop founded No Borders in April of 2018 upon returning to Mumbai from New York. Inspired by the beauty and history of South Asian fashion, she quickly garnered interest among her network of local designers and launched her first curated collection to much success. No Borders Shop, situated in a 200-year-old heritage building in the quaint village of Khotachiwadi, immediately received positive feedback from visitors, some of whom were skeptical at first. Vintage clothing is a relatively new concept in India. I vividly remember this one customer who asked me, Why would anyone wear hand-me-downs? I took the time to explain all the reasons why not, and she bought more than one piece that day. Along the way, one of my priorities turned into educating and helping customers understand why we do what we do. I want to make a real change in getting the word out there about sustainability.

Even over the phone, Karvinkop exudes a huge amount of energy, so much so that one could imagine her gesturing passionately at the other end of the receiver. While it is precisely this passion that has helped push No Borders so far, Karvinkops business wasnt always fueled by positive energy. My dad passed away one month after I opened the shop. He was my biggest inspiration and I changed after that. I went through a very, very rough period with deep depression, and No Borders was the only thing that kept me going. I took a step back and focused on No Borders, and it was just really nice to meet people who had the same vision as me, who wanted to talk about the same things.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has brought yet another difficult challenge to Karvinkop and her community. But just as she came out of past hardships by focusing on what she can do, Karvinkop is using No Borders to serve as a platform for fostering positivity and awareness at a time when both are in desperate demand.

No Borders is sharing details of the lives of people under lockdown, both in and outside India. The stories, which are posted on Instagram with the hashtag #NBGlobalDiaries, range from a veterinarians efforts to care for stranded pets wrongly accused of spreading the virus, to an international students inability to come home from a semester abroad. Its a great way to truly understand the seriousness of our current situation and help depict the reality of different people, Karvinkop says.

There are also positive stories, like the introduction of Minal Dakhave Bhosale, the Pune-based female virologist who provided India with the countrys first testing kit for COVID-19.

We share personalized encounters as a way of showing how everyone is affected differently, regardless of the fact that were all in this together. The level of suffering or hardship isnt the same for everyone  so many people have it way harder than we could ever imagine.

At its core, No Borders is about bringing together creatives from all fields, with a focus on South Asia. Im very inspired by the diversity of South Asia. Even within India, every state has a different language, different culture and different traditions, Karvinkop explains, from her firsthand experience moving around countless cities in India. My dad was in the Air Force, so we travelled all over the country  I went to a different school every two to three years. When I grew up, all of that sort of came back to me. Besides Indian brands, No Borders also stocks brands from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Morocco, Ghana, Peru, and Puerto Rico.

When buying for the shop, Karvinkop always looks for designers that are inspired by their own country, use raw materials from their region and employ local artisans for production. From No Borders brand lineup, Karvinkops current favorites are Rastah, I am Isigo and Bodice.

In addition to serving as a platform for under-represented designers, No Borders places importance on turning cultural appropriation into cultural appreciation. A lot of people outside India can have a very cliche view on Indian fashion. I feel like some people think it is mostly Bollywood or over-the-top bridal, Karvinkop points out. But although designers are inspired by their history, indigenous techniques and craftsmanship that has lasted for centuries, they are creating pieces for today. They are keeping it modern without losing the real essence of their rich culture. Educating our consumers on this is our responsibility.

While No Borders physical shop will remain closed for the time being, its online store is up and running. In between binge-watching The Handmaids Tale and Black Mirror, Karvinkop is planning a future Brooklyn outpost for No Borders and possibly a modeling agency. All the girls that shoot with us end up signing somewhere and getting famous, Karvinkop says with a laugh. Its kind of crazy.

And of course through No Borders, Karvinkop will continue to tell firsthand accounts of people around the world who are going through the coronavirus pandemic. This is a really hard time. We have to be empathetic towards one another. We have to share, make sacrifices and get creative during this time on how we can reach out and help in whatever way we can.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
German chancellor Angela Merkel attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin. (Markus Schreiber/AFP via Getty Images)

Germany approved changes (link in German) to its foreign investment law on Wednesday 8 April after ministers had warned that German companies could be the target of hostile foreign takeovers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government will now be able to intervene earlier at a lower equity threshold to prevent or put on hold acquisitions from non-EU countries that could lead to "likely interference" in public order or security  before the law stated that a takeover had to pose an "actual risk."

The changes will allow the government more scope to protect key industries such as tech and robotics from strategic investments, such as from state-owned Chinese companies.

As the current situation shows, we in Germany and Europe need to have our own competencies and technologies in certain areas, said economy minister Peter Altmaier.

Markus Soder, the premier of the state of Bavaria, which is home to big brands like Siemens, Allianz, BMW and Audi last month called for foreign takeovers to be banned to protect domestic companies.

"If at the end of this crisis... almost the entire Bavarian and German economy is in foreign hands and we no longer have any control options, then it is not just a medical crisis," he said.

Read more: Coronavirus: German government fears hostile takeovers of weakened companies

Germanys leading economic institutions today predicted that the country was facing its biggest quarterly slump since they began keeping accounts in 1970. The Ifo Institute for Economic research estimates that economic output will shrink by nearly 10% in the second quarter, and by 4.2% this year, as a result of the shutdown.

Berlin last month launched an ambitious 750bn (661bn,$814bn) aid package, a majority of which goes towards helping companies survive during the coronavirus pandemic via loans and grants. It also lowered the bar for them to be granted Kurzarbeit or short-time work support for employees; the government pays between 60% and 67% of a workers salary for an agreed amount of time to avoid layoffs.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexicos oil and gas industry is teetering on a near-shutdown, slammed by plunging demand for oil and an unprecedented global market glut thats slashed prices to 20-year lows.

New drilling in the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico is screeching to a halt, and many producers are starting to shut in existing wells to await better times. That, in turn, foreshadows a double whammy on the state budget, as government revenue tumbles from plummeting oil prices and forthcoming production declines.

Its not pretty down here, said Raye Miller, president of oil company Regeneration Energy Corp. in Artesia. Probably the most activity were seeing now is from folks moving rigs out of the oil fields and into storage yards.

Although unemployment data is not yet available, State Rep. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs, said companies are slashing their payrolls.

Were seeing layoffs, salary reductions and equipment moving back to storage yards, said Scott, a longtime oilman and owner of Lynx Petroleum in Hobbs. I know of several companies that have announced substantial layoffs of 80 to 100 workers.

One industry expert predicts a loss of more than 60% of New Mexicos active oil rigs, which would translate to more than 2,000 layoffs.

Oil producers in New Mexico and elsewhere are hoping for some relief this week, because the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other oil-producing nations plan to meet Thursday to discuss potential, collective cutbacks in output to reduce world oversupply and lift prices.

The collapse of previous supply-control agreements pushed prices into free fall in mid-March, because the participating countries immediately announced plans to ramp up production just as the coronavirus was slicing demand across the globe. The price for U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell to $20.06 a barrel by March 18, its lowest level since 1998 and just one-third the early January price of $60 a barrel.

Most companies in the Permian and other shale-oil producing basins need $50 per barrel to break even, forcing nearly all companies to announce immediate, double-digit cutbacks on planned investments in new drilling and ongoing operations.

Hope or false hope?

The prospect of a new supply-management agreement rallied prices somewhat last week, with WTI climbing briefly to $28.56 a barrel Friday, before settling back down to $26.08 by Monday afternoon. That spike came largely from tweets by President Donald Trump claiming an imminent OPEC-Russia deal could reduce global output by 10 million barrels per day, and possibly up to 15 million.

But longtime industry expert Daniel Fine, an energy researcher with New Mexico Tech in Socorro and an author with the Heritage Foundation, says the coming OPEC-Russia meeting is creating false hope among producers.

For one thing, the producing countries will likely approve far lower cuts in output than suggested, probably between 3 million and 4 million barrels at best, if they manage to reach an agreement at all. The previous accord that ended in March reduced collective production by about 2 million barrels per day, and that deal, in effect since 2017, fell apart when the participants failed to increase the cutbacks by 1.5 million more barrels a day.

Now, Saudi Arabia and Russia are seeking U.S. commitments to also cut domestic production as part of any new agreement, something extremely difficult to enforce given antitrust laws in the U.S. and opposition to any managed-market controls by major producers such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, said Fine, who discussed the current situation with industry representatives in an online conference last week hosted by Four Corners Economic Development in Farmington.

In addition, Saudi Arabia is hedging its bets against major cutbacks by seeking buyers now to unload 3 million barrels of crude on the market in May, Fine said.

If that happens, oil would likely fall to just $15 a barrel, Fine said.

Demand wrecked

Even if OPEC and Russia agreed to cut 10 million barrels per day, it would still have little impact on prices, because the coronavirus is pushing demand back to levels not seen since the early 1970s. With economies across the globe virtually shutting down to contain the coronavirus, Goldman Sachs projects world oil demand will drop by 26 million barrels a day between April and June, or one-quarter of global demand.

In the U.S. alone, international consultant IHS Markit projects total domestic demand for gasoline to fall by 50%.

Weekly gasoline consumption in April will reach levels not seen since President Richard Nixon was in office, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Maryland-based Oil Price Information Service.

Its demand destruction from the coronavirus, and its likely to get worse as the pandemic spreads, Kloza told the Journal.

That, in turn, is building up world crude stocks beyond storage capacity, leaving producers with no place to put their oil.

With all that excess oil flowing in, there is no more land-based storage for Permian producers now, Fine said.

Production slows

As a result, producers in New Mexico and elsewhere are starting to shut in wells. Shutting in a well is a temporary measure that would allow producers to restart production at some point, as opposed to the more permanent step of plugging up wells.

With so much oil in production, storage is filled up, leading to requirements to reduce deliveries in April, said Miller of Regeneration Energy in Artesia. Producers are shutting in their newer, better wells in hopes of better prices in the future. Two-thirds of our production is shut in at this point.

More producers will likely shut in wells the longer the pandemic goes on, said Robert McEntyre, spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.

We can expect a decline in production in the near term as we continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, McEntyre told the Journal.

The number of active drilling rigs in New Mexico fell from a record 117 in mid-March to 100 by April 3, according to oil field service company Baker Hughes. And Fine predicts the total will fall to about 40 as the crisis worsens.

ExxonMobil on Tuesday announced it will cut its 2020 spending worldwide by 30% to $23 billion, with the largest cuts targeted at the Permian Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

The production decline could affect thousands of workers. Fines projection of nearly 70 rigs idled would, by itself, represent between 2,450 and 2,800 layoffs, since 35 to 40 workers are generally connected to each rig.

The crisis also foreshadows a huge impact on the state budget, since every $1 dollar decline in the value of oil translates into about $22 million in lost state revenue over a years time. And as production declines, the losses increase, causing a budget crunch that the state Legislature will likely need to confront in a special session in the coming months.
An elderly woman and her three sons have all died after contracting Covid-19, family members have said.

Antoinette Franklin, from New Orleans, Louisiana, and her three sons all died within less than two weeks of each other at the end of March.

Ms Franklin died on March 23 and her sons Herman Franklin Jr, Anthony Franklin Sr and Timothy Franklin all died between 20 March and 30 March, according to NBC News.

Antoinette Franklin was 86, Herman Franklin Jr was 71, Anthony Franklin Sr was 58 and Timothy Franklin was 61.

Jason Melancon, a spokesman for the New Orleans Coroners Office confirmed to NBC on Tuesday that they all tested positive for coronavirus, but said that a cause of death had not yet been determined for any of them.

Anthony Franklim Srs son, Anthony Franklin told NBC: My uncle passed, my grandmother passed, my dad passed, then my other uncle passed.

Its literally like seven to eight days apart. Its horrific.

The Louisiana Department of Health told NBC that it is unable to comment on individual cases.

Jacqueline Franklin, who had two children with Anthony Franklin Sr, told NBC affiliate WDSU that people need to take coronavirus measures seriously.

I want the world to know if it happened to the Franklin family it could happen to any family.

Lets take this serious. My children have to bury their father, their precious grandmother and their uncles.

All four of the Franklins were African American and the governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, revealed at his daily press conference on Monday that more than 70 percent of those dying of coronavirus in the state are black.

That deserves more attention and were going to have to dig into that and see what we can do to slow that trend down, he said.

Louisiana has upwards of 16,824 positive cases of Covid-19 and at least 582 deaths, according to The Louisiana Department of Health.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 383,256 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 12,021.
Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson was responding to treatment, his spokesman said Wednesday, as the 55-year-old leader spent a third day in intensive care battling the coronavirus.

The disease has struck at the heart of the British government and infected more than 55,000 people across the country and killed nearly 6,200.

The prime minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment, his official spokesman said. He continues to be cared for in the intensive care unit in St Thomas Hospital. He is in good spirits.

Earlier, junior health minister Edward Argar told Sky News the Conservative leader was not on ventilation.

The latest update came as newspapers urged Britons to keep their stricken leader at the forefront of their minds, with the country in lockdown to try to stem the spread of COVID-19 in its third week.

He stayed at work for you... now pray at home for him, The Sun tabloid splashed across its front page. Boris will pull through said the Daily Express.

Deputising for Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the PM a fighter and predicted hell be back, leading us through this crisis in short order.

Johnson is the most high-profile government leader to become infected with COVID-19 and messages of support flooded in from across Britain and the world.

He was admitted to intensive care on Monday evening after spending Sunday night in hospital following concerns he still had a cough and high temperature 10 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

His transfer to intensive care is unprecedented for a prime minister during a national emergency.

For many people, it brought home the seriousness of the disease that has so far seen 6,159 deaths in Britain, with a record 786 more reported in a daily update on Tuesday. Fresh figures are expected later on Wednesday.

Work goes on

Despite the record daily death toll, there was more encouraging news with the number of new daily cases remaining at a roughly stable 3,643.

Downing Street also said on Wednesday that it was still too soon to say whether stringent social distancing measures introduced on March 23 for an initial three-week period would be eased at all.

A review is expected take place next week as planned, despite suggestions of a power vacuum at the top of the British government given the PMs hospitalisation.

Weve set out that we would make a further announcement in three weeks and theres no change to that, no change at all to the timeline, Johnsons spokesman said.

The country does not have a formal constitutional role of deputy prime minister, and experts said Raab would need the support of the rest of the cabinet to make any big decisions.

Enormous shock

Johnson announced on March 27 that he had coronavirus and went into self-isolation in a flat above his Downing Street office.

But on Monday evening he was moved to intensive care in Londons St Thomas hospital after his condition worsened.

The prime minister has received messages of support from around the world, with US President Donald Trump sending best wishes to his very good friend while Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Johnsons energy, optimism and sense of humour would see him through.

For some, Johnsons larger-than-life personality has made his hospitalisation all the more shocking.

His biographer Andrew Gimson said Johnson always made him feel upbeat, and now here he is the stricken one.

This is an enormous shock, completely unfamiliar territory for all those who know him, he told BBC radio.

Experts said it was not uncommon for coronavirus patients to move to intensive care, but said it showed Johnsons condition was serious.

There is no doubt this turn of events means Boris Johnson is extremely sick, said Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging at University College London.

Still shaking hands

The British government was criticised for initially refusing to follow other European countries in requiring people to stay home as the virus spread rapidly across the globe.

Johnson himself said in early March that he was still shaking hands with people.

Two weeks ago, he ordered a nationwide lockdown, but parliament continued to sit for several days after and Westminster became a hotspot for the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, have both been infected, although they have since recovered.

Johnsons pregnant partner, Carrie Symonds, moved out of Downing Street after some staff fell ill.

Meanwhile, Number 10 also revealed on Wednesday that it expected its chief Brexit negotiator David Frost to speak early next week to his European Union counterpart Michel Barnier to agree a timetable for remote talks in April and May.








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There has been no advisory issued by either the Trudeau government in general or Health Canada to support the need for "border controls" regarding Canadians travelling into Quebec.

Yet, Quebec Premier Francois Legault backed by Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin has seen fit to spend huge amounts of Quebec public taxpayer money on two levels of Quebec Police Departments having border controls against traffic coming into the province of Quebec from Ottawa. These two levels of police departments are the Gatineau Police and the Surete du Quebec.

Do you have any idea the huge of money such an ongoing operation like this costs in terms of police salaries and other administrative costs?

I would like to know how many additional healthcare workers could have been saving lives in Quebec hospitals while the Premier Legault and Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin have been indulging their separatist egos and passive aggression against other Canadians? These apparent two political clowns are completely irresponsible on this matter.

How many Quebec lives could Legault and Pedneaud-Jobin have saved during the coronavirus crisis of they weren't spending the money on stupid cops from two different departments?

Premier Francois Legault denies the Outaouais needed money for hospitals. But Quebec City seems to have plenty of cash for wasteful border controls!

But alas, just about every motorist in Ottawa knows that one of the favourite pastimes of the Gatineau Police and the Surete du Quebec is harassing drivers with Ontario license plates.

Now that there's a pandemic, these corrupt cops now get to harass Ontario drivers under the pretext of the pandemic.

But it's more than apparent that these cops have no fear of getting COVID-19 from any of these motorists. I have yet to see any wearing protective gear!

It's apparent that all of these cops know that coronavirus is not the real reason that they are on duty at the expense of Quebec taxpayer dollars which should be allocated to the province's public healthcare system on saving more lives in Quebec.

Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin is flexing his political muscles with his Premier at the expense of saving lives and expediting the health of Quebecers.

Quebecers need more doctors on duty along with more nurses, healthcare workers and public health staff ensuring that all Quebecers are educated on COVID-19.

Quebecers do not need stupid cops asking stupid questions and wasting time and money on the fight against COVID-19.

The mis-allocation of precious resources under the auspices of Premier Legault and Gatineau Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin in such a pandemic where there is so much human suffering is a Crime Against Humanity.

Fortunately, wisdom prevails on the Ontario side.

We dont believe on this side that its necessary, Ottawa's Mayor Jim Watson stated during the conference, adding, "I think this has gone one step too far."

Watson confirmed that Ottawa would not support putting municipal police resources on the five bridges for "24 hours a day" at this stage, describing it as a "complete waste of resources."

While Ontario's Premier Rob Ford is lifting boxes the vitally needed medical supplies, Premier Legault is grandstanding in his $1000 suits portraying himself as the champion of Quebecers backed-up by his ex-colleagues in Quebec's propaganda-makers in the clique that runs the Quebec "mainstream" media.

It is this kind of flawed decision-making that has not worked in favour of Quebecers. Indeed, Quebec has become Canada's new epicentre of COVID.

British Columbia's provincial government has comparatively been able to level-off their experience of the pandemic without putting police on its borders with Alberta.



It's up to Quebecers to hold Premier Legault accountable for the continued waste of their money on such an apparent political activity as "border cops" which is neith endorsed by the federal government nor more more sensible political leaders at the City of Ottawa..





I invite you to read my book Justin Trudeau, Judicial Corruption and the Supreme Court of Canada: Aliens and Archons in Our Midst if you want to explore the world of corruption and manipulative aliens as background to the so-called "coronavirus".





The manipulate aliens I cite my book appear to be connected with the current "coronavirus" pandemic simulation.
Temporary

By Hilary Leichter

Coffee House Press. 208 pp. Paperback, $16.95

---

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours," Thoreau writes in "Walden."

Under quarantine, Thoreau's words seem naive. There is no advancement, much less confidence. All we know now are stasis and uncertainty. Covid-19 is a tidal wave to the modest sand castle of millennial success: People who were just beginning to assemble their personal and professional lives into some semblance of livability are now trapped in an existential limbo. Many are without health insurance or income. Many are "essential workers" risking serious illness to keep buses running and grocery stores open. The once-bleak economic situation of millennials forced to string multiple jobs together has become even bleaker in the economic collapse caused by the pandemic. Everything - work, health, safety - has come to feel temporary.

Enter into this global cataclysm Hilary Leichter's "Temporary," a refreshingly whimsical debut that explores the agonies of millennial life under late capitalism with the kind of surrealist humor that will offer anxious minds a reprieve from our calamitous news cycle. Leichter's nameless narrator is a temp given absurd assignments, including stints as a pirate, an assassin's assistant and a CEO (whose incorporeal form she later wears in a necklace around her neck). Being a temp is a tradition that runs in the temp's family: "We work," her mother, who has filled in for skyscrapers, the mayor of New York City and her own mother, tells the temp, "but then we leave." And even though the temp's contact at the temp agency - the smarmy, all-business Farren, whom Leichter draws with the excessive snark such a character deserves - speaks of the goal of "permanence," the temp seems to know that she's doomed to a life of miserable temporariness.

The novel is punctuated by a series of Genesis-like tracts describing the life of the "First Temporary," whom the gods created so they could "take a break." The idea that temping has existed since time immemorial - and that our world is obsessed with streamlining, productivity and corporate bureaucracy on a depressingly metaphysical level - is fitting for a book about the quashing of free will under capitalism. A lesser writer might have chosen to describe the temp's meandering as a path to her fulfillment, but Leichter smartly uses fantastical ideas (some of the best being a witch whose hair "shines like a wave of charitable donations" and a haunted house whose doors must be opened and closed at odd intervals) to communicate the drudgery of professional impermanence.

Leichter's dry wit is masterful, but her novel suffers from the occasional tonal inconsistency. On the pirate ship, the temp is sexually assaulted: "He isn't the first man to miscalculate what a woman would or wouldn't do ... with his hands under my skirt under the sails under the sky." Similarly, the temp wonders about learning the assassin's trade herself, making a hilarious pro/con list: "Under the pro column: learn the new skill of murdering. Under the con column: whoops, now you've murdered." The levity of the moment feels coarse when her friend's throat is slit seven pages later. It seems as if Leichter wants to pair fairy-tale strangeness with real-world consequences, and the effect often feels more chaotic than appropriately eerie.

Still, as a book about the brutality of the work world, "Temporary" is a great success. Leichter has managed to blend the oddball and the existential into a tale of millennial woe that's both dreadful and hilarious at once. This book should be recommended reading for workers - and essential reading for nonessential workers - everywhere.

---

Frumkin, author of the novel "The Comedown," is a professor of English and creative writing at Southern Illinois University.
The Immigration Ladies Association (IMMILAC) has donated sanitary items to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for distribution to its academy and training school to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus.



The items include 30 Veronica buckets, 20 rubber bowls, 20 pieces of hand washing liquid soaps and 4 packs of tissues.



A statement signed by Superintendent Micheal Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs and copied the Ghana News Agency said.



Presenting the items, Mrs Judith Dzokoto-Lomoh, Comptroller-General of Immigration (DCGI) in charge of Finance Administration and the President of the Association, said IMMILAC is pleased to support and contribute its quota to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19.



She said: "These are not normal times, and as female officers with motherly instincts, it is appropriate to show that motherly care to mankind, especially our would-be officers," she said.



Mrs Dzokoto-Lomoh assured management of the GIS that there are more to come and that the gesture exhibited by IMMILAC was just the beginning.



The Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi expressed gratitude to the Association saying the items would help sanitize the environment of the Immigration Service Academy and Training School (ISATS) against the pandemic.



He assured the Association that the items would be immediately dispatched to ISATS at Assin Foso in the Central Region to augment the operational directives that has already been put in place by the Service.



IMMILAC was formed in December 2009 as an association comprising all female officers of the GIS irrespective of rank to help raise the standard of discipline and professionalism among female officers, nurture individual talents through mentorship and ensure the welfare of members.





Source: GNA









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9. Stacey Abrams Loading Stacey Abrams remains a popular possibility given that she ran a strong campaign for Georgia governor in 2018. But she's still someone who hasn't served in any office beyond the state legislature. It also may be tempting for Biden to pick her in hopes of putting an increasingly purple [red-blue mixed] state in play - and some polls have suggested that's not totally outside the realm of possibility - but you do wonder how much of a priority that will be, ahead of more-competitive states. 8. Senator Tammy Duckworth Senator Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois, arguably checks more boxes when it comes to her profile than anyone on this list. She's a senator, a Purple Heart recipient who lost both of her legs in Iraq and was the first disabled women elected to Congress. In 2018, she became the first US senator to give birth while in office. And she's got a diverse background as the daughter of a Thai mother of Chinese descent. She was one of the most hyped Democratic House candidates in the 2006 election but lost in a good Democratic year (albeit in a tough district). She was later elected to the House and went on to defeat Senator Mark Kirk by 14 percentage points in 2016, while Hillary Clinton carried her state by 17.

7. Representative Val Demings The only House member on the list, Val Demings got her first taste of the national spotlight when she served as one of the House impeachment managers. She's also an African American and former police chief of a major city, Orlando, in Florida. Like Duckworth in 2006, though, she was a much-hyped House candidate in the 2012 election and lost. She went on to run for mayor of Orange County, Florida, but dropped out in 2015. She has also been in federal office for just over three years. A child of an immigrant joins applause as Senator Kamala Harris, joined by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, protest against threats by President Donald Trump against asylum seekers in 2018. Credit:AP 6. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

She's the Latina politician with the best shot at being Biden's pick. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was elected to the Senate in 2016 and previously served as Nevada's attorney-general for two terms. Winning Nevada shouldn't be an issue for Democrats, as it has trended to the left in recent years. But it wouldn't hurt to have an insurance policy. 5. Senator Tammy Baldwin This is the first pick on this list that comes from one of the true battleground states. Tammy Baldwin has served as a senator from Wisconsin since 2012, when she became the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. Two years after Trump's narrow win in her state, she won reelection by 11 points. 4. Senator Elizabeth Warren When it comes to trying to unite the party after the Democratic primary, Senator Elizabeth Warren might be the best pick. She overlaps with Sanders on many policies and could help make sure those voters don't stay home or cross over to support Trump, as some did in 2016. At the same time, she's also a septuagenarian who will turn 71 in June, which isn't ideal as a back-up for Biden. As a liberal senator from Massachusetts and former Harvard University professor with demonstrated struggles over her past claims to Native American heritage, it's not difficult to see how she might be attacked in a campaign.

3. Governor Gretchen Whitmer If Biden wants a running mate who hails from one of the three key states that Trump carried narrowly in 2016 - Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - the Michigan governor makes the most sense. She's also notably among Trump's most vocal critics during the coronavirus outbreak. Trump at one point said he told Vice-President Mike Pence not to call Whitmer because of her criticism. That's not to say she's doing this for any reason other than she's concerned about the federal response in her state, but this could be a key argument for the Biden campaign in the general election, and she's been out front on it. 2. Senator Amy Klobuchar Senator Amy Klobuchar did Biden a favour by dropping out of the race ahead of Super Tuesday and helping him win her state. She also earned strong reviews for her debate performances, and she has the kind of mid-western appeal that could help in a state such as Michigan or Wisconsin. Her electoral history is pretty sterling. One drawback, though, she ran as a more pragmatic candidate in the primary and wouldn't necessarily appeal to liberals who feel strongly about issues such as Medicare-for-all. That said, her Senate record is unmistakably liberal. 1. Senator Kamala Harris
Despite the insatiable appetite for remakes in Hollywood, few remakes offer more than the original masterwork. Shelves of reboots line the programming history books, but lightning does not often strike twice. Party of Five, the 1990s-era teen drama about five siblings forced to raise themselves after the loss of their parents in a car accident, may be the show that bucks the trend.

The second time around Party of Five has been given both a cultural and political facelift, rebooted as the story of a sibling group whose Mexican-American parents are deported by immigration authorities. Such a dramatic reframing of what was, in its first iteration, a somewhat soap-operatic story, manages to tap America's ethno-cultural divisions, contemporary border politics and, unexpectedly, also keeps the parents alive and in the frame.

The cast of Party of Five. Credit:Freeform

"When we looked at the Salinger family in the 1990s, they were having an experience that was really unique and it was their own and they didn't have a lot of people who could relate to it," the show's co-creator, executive producer and writer Amy Lippman says. "One of the things that we're doing with this go-round is it's an experience that is not unique to them. It's happening across the country. So there is the sense that they are not alone in their experience of having to raise themselves."

Unusually too, most remakes are aimed squarely with the purpose of including the original show's audience, a sort of gift-with-purchase that television programmers like to think will bolster the chances of launching a hit show with older, loyal eyeballs. Party of Five 2.0 doesn't offer that much to fans of the original. There is no dimple-cheeked Bailey to be found here, nor an angst-ridden Julia. The dynamics are different, more potent and where the original ebbed towards teen-focused social and sexual issues, this feels more politically charged.
The BJP on Wednesday demanded that



Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari remove state housing minister Jitendra Awhad from the cabinet for his alleged involvement in an assault on a man over a social media post.

Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis led a delegation of BJP leaders which met the governor earlier in the day to raise the issue of the Uddhav Thackeray government's 'failure' to contain the coronavirus spread in Maharashtra.

In a video message afterwards, Fadnavis said, "It is wrong to post objectionable content and target someone. But if, as per the victim's complaint, Awhad is involved in thrashing the person, he should be removed from the cabinet.

"If a minister starts taking law into hand, there will be no law and order in the state. We demand that a First Information Report be registered and strict action be taken," the BJP leader said.

"The way that person was picked up from his home, taken to Awhad's residence and thrashed is not acceptable," Fadnavis added.

According to Anant Karmuse (40), a Thane resident, some police personnel took him to Awhad's bungalow on Sunday night, and he was beaten black and blue in the minister's presence over a morphed picture of Awhad he had posted on Facebook.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority (JKSLSA) is providing help to people at their doorsteps amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The JKSLSA has conducted 354 awareness camps on coronavirus across Jammu and Kashmir and 60 camps in the Union Territory of Ladakh, he said.

It is also running an awareness campaign on social media and providing services to the needy, the spokesperson said.

The legal services institutions under JKSLSA are also coordinating with the municipal corporations and other bodies in sanitizing areas and distributing PPEs to people, he said.

The JKSLSA has one secretary in each district of J-K who monitors and assists the para legal volunteers (PLVs) in providing help to masses, the spokesperson said.

Total 630 PLVs in Jammu and Kashmir have been working round the clock to provide basic amenities, food packets and medicines at the doorsteps of people, he added.

The PLVs are also keeping a vigil in their respective areas to report the arrival of any person from outside,the spokesperson said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kelci Saffery, a standout star of Netflix hit Tiger King, has described his former boss Joe Exotic's fixation with rival Carole Baskin as 'the worst kind of love story'.

The zookeeper, who goes by the name Saff, said 'Carole was the first thing on [Joe's] mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night' in an interview with PEOPLE.

However the feuding animal lovers at least started out 'standing up for what they believed was right,' believes the zoo keeper.

Feud: Kelci Saffery, a standout star of Netflix hit Tiger King, has described his former boss Joe Exotic's [L] fixation with rival Carole Baskin [R] as 'the worst kind of love story'

However as their dislike for each other intensified, things 'started to not be about the animals'.

'I do think they started to focus more on Carole and Joe and less on the bigger picture,' continued Saff.

'And nothing came out of it. Its the worst kind of love story.'

Tiger King, the hit series filmed in Oklahoma followed former zoo owner Joe Exotic, who is currently serving 22 years for 17 counts of animal abuse and a murder-for-hire plot of his arch-nemesis Carole, a big-cat campaigner from Tampa, Florida.

His take: The zookeeper, who goes by the name Saff, said 'Carole was the first thing on [Joe's] mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night' in an interview with PEOPLE

Meanwhile Saff has revealed he was 'misgendered' in the documentary, as he identifies as a man, in a recent interview with Out.

The zoo keeper was lauded as 'the smartest person' in the series and has since discussed the fact that he has been frequently misgendered as he goes by the pronouns 'he/him', which was not recognised.

Since the show - following the trade of exotic cats in America - debuted on the streaming service last month, critics have swarmed social media to blast producers for failing to address his gender and for ignorance towards bisexuality.

Shock: Kelci Saffery, a standout star of Netflix hit Tiger King, has revealed he was 'misgendered' in the documentary, as he identifies as a man

Tiger King has become the stand-out success of quarantine, in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, with the show following the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage - also known as Joe Exotic - and the big cat trade.

Saff was a keeper at Joe's Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, where viewers were left stunned by the story that he was mauled by a tiger in the park before optionally having his arm amputated and returning to work a week later.

While there were no standout comments on Saff's gender identity, he revealed in interviews with Out magazine and Esquire that he had been misgendered - yet was characteristically unfazed by the issue.

Speaking to Out, he said: 'I've always gone by 'him' since I could say that out loud. If people are asking me what I prefer, it's very obvious what I prefer, and that's he.

Hitting out: Since the show - following the trade of exotic cats in America - debuted on the streaming service last month, critics have swarmed social media to blast producers for failing to address his gender and for ignorance towards bisexuality

Standout: The show has been branded the 'hit of quarantine' amid widespread lockdowns in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic

'I'm not going to tell anyone what they need to or should call me. I think that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and I'm obviously as easygoing in that department as I can get.

'I don't think that I personally get offended I think others do. I think everyone should stand up for what they believe in. I just  it's literally one of the last things that I really considered worrying about.'

Furthering his comments to Esquire, Saff went on: 'On a daily basis, I am called 17 different things. I never really took it to heart. I love being able to speak on this

'Obviously it's not something that I've even actively participated in ever, so, for context, my conversation with Rob was that he asked me, 'What do you prefer? Saff or Kelci?' And of course I said Saff because that's what I've been called for the past 20 years.

Hearatche: Saff was a keeper at Joe's Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, where viewers were left stunned by the story that he was mauled by a tiger in the park before optionally having his arm amputated and returning to work a week later

'I was in the Army prior to the park and they always use last names. So, Saff was my preferred name. And I've always gone by 'him' since I could say that out loud. My family was always very supportive  it was never an issue.'

Viewers took to Twitter to vent over the misgendering penning: 'I just found out that my favorite person, Saff, from Tiger King is actually a man and was just misgendered throughout the entire documentary. So huge shout out to this king!!!...

'A reminder that Tiger King misgendered and misnamed Saff who is transgender. So really, f**k this s**t fest of a documentary...

'The amount of misgendering towards Saff in Tiger King makes me sick... It's upsetting how #TigerKing kept misgendering Saff and made no attempt to correctly identify his pronouns - also his coworkers that worked with him everyday, wtf'.

Resistance: Aside from frustration over Saff's gender, fans of the wildly-popular show pointed out that producers of the show failed to recognise bisexuality when documenting Joe Exotic's polygamous marriage to Travis Maldonado and John Finlay

Aside from frustration over Saff's gender, fans of the wildly-popular show pointed out that producers of the show failed to recognise bisexuality when documenting Joe Exotic's polygamous marriage to Travis Maldonado and John Finlay.

Joe joked that he 'fell in love with straight men', after the demise of their marriage when both men slept with women.

Yet many Twitter users alluded to the fact that the narrative failed to recognise bisexuality, despite the comments coming from subjects of the documentary rather than producers themselves.

Users penned: ' my favorite part about tiger king is that apparently none of the people in this show know what bisexuality is...

#DescribeTigerKingIn5Words when you think netflix did some good with the coming out in stranger things then you realize they erase bisexuality and misgender a trans man on tiger king... The whole "Joe's husbands are straight" argument is founded on the idea bisexuality doesn't exist #TigerKing...

'speaking of, @ me when you get to the episode of Tiger King where nobodys heard of bisexuality... Incredibly annoying that #TigerKing never talks about the fact that theres a thing as ~bisexuality'.
The coronavirus in West Michigan is wreaking havoc on the economy, according to a report from Grand Valley State University.

In the last four decades, the economic situation in West Michigan has seldom looked this grim," according to the report West Michigan Economy: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion by Brian Long, director of supply chain management research at GVSU.

Other economic experts dont predict a long-term recession resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. But, both agree, its too early to know for sure what will happen.

Under executive orders from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, businesses considered non-essential were forced to close and applications for unemployment assistance rose over 2,000% in one week, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

The GVSU survey showed decreasing measures of production and purchasing for the third and fourth week of March but did not include data from April, which Long only projects will be worse.

At this early stage, assessing the economic impact of this pandemic is almost impossible, except to say that we are now in a historical collapse, Long said.

In the U.S., the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in March, and nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks of the month.

Related: U.S. unemployment rate hits 4.4% in March as coronavirus recession looms

Since the pandemic began some businesses have already been forced to close. For many small businesses, that closure could become permanent if aid doesnt arrive soon.

Unfortunately, this crisis is still just beginning, Long said.

A challenge with coronavirus is that people can continue spreading it to others without knowing they are infected themselves. While social distancing can help, the study from GVSU said the only solution is to find a vaccine.

The grim reality is that this crisis will not be completely over until we have a vaccine, Long said.

Economic development organizations across Michigan are working to help put money back in the pockets of business owners during the pandemic.

To help struggling employers, the Michigan Small Business Relief Program is sprinkling $20 million throughout the states 83 counties, split evenly between grants and low interest loans. The money comes from the Michigan Strategic Fund. Individual grants are capped at $10,000, but loans are going out between $50,000 and $200,000.

Unfortunately, the money is not nearly enough to alleviate the struggles facing small businesses in Michigan. The money can support 11,000 businesses, Josh Hundt, vice president of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), said in a previous interview with MLive. Thats a fraction of the estimated 873,700 small businesses in the state, which together employ about 1.9 million people and account for nearly half of Michigans total private workforce.

In Kalamazoo, the city commission voted March 31, to allocate $2 million in Foundation for Excellence (FFE) money to establish the Kalamazoo Small Business Loan Fund (KSBLF). The fund will be a partnership with the local United Way office and would offer near-immediate support for small businesses that have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city said.

Southwest Michigan First, Kalamazoos economic development nonprofit, is helping regional businesses apply for assistance, including the Kalamazoo small business loan, CEO Ron Kitchens said in an interview with MLive.

In his talks with regional business leaders and experts, Kitchens said every day he hears of a different conclusion or projection to the pandemics impact on the local economy.

We need to get distance before we can really begin to write history, Kitchens said of analyses of the situation like the GVSU report.

The pandemic is impacting some industries like hospitality and food service harder than others such as manufacturing or retail distribution, Kitchens said.

His nonprofit has helped place people in hundreds of new manufacturing jobs in the region as companies expand production to include personal protection equipment. Kitchens said the partnership between Fabri-Kal, Schupan & Sons and Tekna to make face shields is one of many examples of the innovation that local companies are demonstrating in the time of crisis.

For some companies, it will take longer to start back up. For others, they may never reopen, he said. But, ultimately, Kitchens believes that the fundamentals of the economy will remain strong.

Kitchens said the GVSU report is wrong to use historical examples as predictors of what the economy will do today in response to coronavirus. In other crises like the 2008 housing crash, financial turmoil was predictable, Kitchens said.

Whats different today is that the economic situation was growing and vibrant prior to the public health crisis that is coronavirus, Kitchens said. In the case of coronavirus, hundreds of businesses in the region went from open and thriving to closed in less than eight hours.

This is something weve never faced before, Kitchens said.

Even after officials end the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, people might be fearful of congregating in large crowds. It will take time and hard work to return the local economy to what it was before, but Kitchens is optimistic, he said.

Its going to take a while for the wheel to fully begin to turn, but theres nothing that tells me the fundamentals of the economy are going to change and were going to see a significant recession.

Lakeshore Advantage, a non-profit economic development organization helping businesses in Allegan and Ottawa counties, is polling local companies every week to learn more about their needs and where the nonprofit can help, Amanda Murray, vice president of business solutions, said in an interview with MLive.

Like other nonprofits, Lakeshore Advantage is helping educate business owners on the federal, state and local aid available to them and guiding them through the application process, Murray said.

Our staff is taking calls morning, noon and night to help companies, she said.

The situation is rapidly changing" and unpredictable, she said. Many businesses in their region are pivoting to make personal protection equipment for healthcare workers.

Our companies are really resilient, Murray said.

Also on MLive:

Kalamazoo businesses partner to produce face shields for healthcare workers

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

For second day in a row, Michigan reports over 100 coronavirus deaths
Phuket Songkran ground rules laid out

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department has posted a notice laying out the ground rules for Songkran this coming Monday (Apr 13), which specifically states no water play.

Wednesday 8 April 2020, 07:26PM

Songkran blessings will be kept very simple this year. Image: Ministry of CUlture

The notice, issued by Culture Ministry Permanent Secretary Kitsayapong Siri, specifically orders people to not join or organise any festivals and to not join any crowds or large gatherings.

It also orders people to not return to their place of birth, presumably a persons family home outside the province where the person may be now living and working, and specifically bans any water play.

What people can do, says the order, is conduct blessing ceremonies on Buddha statues at home and offer traditional wai blessings at home with their father, mother and relatives  but people are warned to be careful to maintain distance of one to two metres.

The notice also suggests, What you can do to show your father, mother and relatives that you are a good person is offer your blessings by phone call, video call or online.

Phuket Governor in an interview aired today (Apr 8) explained that by Monday all 17 subdistricts in Phuket will be under lockdown orders.

However, he added that people still allowed outside their homes, but must stay inside their subdistrict.

The Governor has repeatedly urged people to stay indoors to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

This still applies during Songkran, The Phuket News has been told.

The Governor on Monday night issued an order warning that persons in Phuket found not wearing a face mask while in a public area  or conducting any other behaviour that increases the risk of spreading the virus  risk being fined up to B20,000.

Meanwhile, the national nightly curfew from 10pm to 4am still applies. Any persons found breaking the curfew without valid reason face up to two years imprisonment, up to a B40,000 fine, or both.

Before the national curfew was announced, Governor Phakaphong had already kindly asked the cooperation of tourists and local residents to stay off the streets from 8pm through 5am.

Many other restrictions in Phuket have been issued by national or provincial order. For the full list as of Apr 2, see here.
Digital therapeutics solution draws new investments from key U.S. healthcare systems

SilverCloud Health, the world's leading digital mental health platform for healthcare systems and providers, health plans, and employers, today announced a $16 million Series B funding round led by MemorialCare Innovation Fund, which included LRVHealth, OSF Ventures and UnityPoint Health Ventures, elevating the company's total funding to more than $30 million. Existing investors Act Venture Capital and B Capital Group participated in the round as well.

Four of the Series B investors, MemorialCare Innovation Fund, UnityPoint Health Ventures, OSF Ventures and LRVHealth are associated with leading U.S. healthcare systems that currently use SilverCloud, a testament to the quality and results of the platform.

"We are committed to providing truly impactful mental health support to all those with need," said Ken Cahill, CEO of SilverCloud. "The need has never been greater than during this unprecedented global crisis. SilverCloud enables easier, earlier access to clinically validated mental health care that shows results equivalent to face-to-face care for the 1 in 5 people with a diagnosable mental health condition. With millions of people being asked to stay home and health systems needing to prioritize care, we recognize the heightened need for virtual support as the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, SilverCloud is providing its clients, free of charge, expanded access to its platform to even more healthcare professionals, their families and patients to help make a difference for those in need in the current crisis."

SilverCloud's mental health programs are used globally by more than 300 organizations, including over 70% of the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) mental health services, part of the largest single-payer healthcare system in the world. The new funding round is earmarked to further expand program offerings in North America, enhance the current global portfolio, and conduct additional research and clinical trials. The platform has been used by more than 350,000 users, is growing by over 15,000 users per month and has demonstrated results on par with face-to-face therapy in multiple randomized controlled trials. Beyond its industry-leading results in clinical trials, its real-world evidence demonstrates that over 65% of SilverCloud patients, members and employees have shown significant decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms. SilverCloud's programs are evidence-based and involve clinical experts and users in the design and development of mental and behavioral health interventions.

"There is a tremendous unmet need for mental health solutions in today's world," said Caleb Winder, Managing Director, MemorialCare Innovation Fund. "Based on results from more than 30 peer-reviewed studies, SilverCloud Health has a clear advantage in delivering positive clinical outcomes and a remarkable track record of success and unprecedented levels of engagement. With strong global connections to multiple providers already in place, our investment will enable SilverCloud to reach and help even more patients across the U.S. and beyond."

SilverCloud is a HIPAA and GDPR compliant platform with a library of more than 30 mental health programs across the spectrum of mental health from wellness and resilience to severe mental health and chronic concerns. Backed by over 17 years of research including partnerships with leading academic institutions, SilverCloud has seen exponential year-over-year growth since its inception in 2012.

"SilverCloud Health's mission is to make people healthier by providing effective, accessible and affordable behavioral healthcare opportunities filling a massive void in the market today. B Capital Group is excited to back Ken and the team at SilverCloud Health, as they continue to change the way behavioral healthcare is delivered," said Raj Ganguly, Co-founder and Partner, B Capital Group. "Our investment in SilverCloud Health is driven by our confidence in its team, its proven track record working with global health organizations and its esteemed partner network. This new capital will enable SilverCloud Health to continue to innovate, expand and broadly deploy its programs to the millions of individuals who need them."

Recent SilverCloud announcements include joining the digital health formulary of Express Scripts, a research collaboration with Microsoft Research to improve outcomes through artificial intelligence and a commercial partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart, one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing to offer SilverCloud's digital mental health platform in Canada. This further demonstrates how digital therapeutics solutions are becoming a critical component of mental health treatment and support, and how SilverCloud is determined to stay the leader in delivering outstanding results. More than 94% of users of SilverCloud's scalable and responsive platform said the programs are helpful, relevant and supported them toward their goals.

About SilverCloud Health

SilverCloud Health is the world's leading digital mental health company, enabling providers, health plans and employers to deliver clinically validated digital health/therapeutic care that improves outcomes, increases access and scale while reducing costs. The company's multi-award-winning digital mental health platform is a result of over 17 years of clinical research with leading academic institutions. Today, SilverCloud is being used by over 300 organizations globally to meet their populations' mental health needs. Global experts have deeply validated the platform through full randomized control trials and real-world data from over 350,000 SilverCloud users. The platform continues to lead the industry with its effectiveness, engagement and range of clinical programs that encompasses the spectrum of mental health needs. Learn more at www.silvercloudhealth.com.

About MemorialCare Innovation Fund

MemorialCare Innovation Fund (MCIF) brings strategic investment funding to accelerate the development of companies in the healthcare information technology, healthcare services, and medical device sectors that can advance high-quality, effective healthcare. MCIF is focused on companies offering innovative products, services and technologies which help healthcare systems significantly improve performance and outcomes and achieve their community missions. (www.MemorialCareInnovationFund.com)

About B Capital Group

B Capital Group is a global firm specializing in equity investing in venture and growth-stage companies that have achieved traction with customers. Through our extensive global network and exclusive partnership with The Boston Consulting Group, B Capital helps high growth startups navigate business challenges, raise capital and attract talented leadership at key points of their journeys to scale. With offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, B Capital believes innovation can come from anywhere. Our unique multinational presence and deep industry knowledge have enabled us to build a portfolio of B2B and B2B2C startups that are transforming large traditional industries across borders and geographies. Portfolio companies include AImotive, Atomwise, Blackbuck, Bounce, Bright.md, CXA, Evidation Health, Icertis, INTURN, Plastiq, Ninja Van, Notable Labs and SilverCloud Health.

About LRVHealth

LRVHealth is the "Inside Healthcare" venture capital platform. LRVHealth's investors include leading provider, payer, and vendor organizations, comprising a network that touches one in three healthcare consumers across the U.S. Together, this network collaborates to identify, invest in, and adopt innovative solutions to the industry's most pressing needs. Founded in 2000 by an experienced team of healthcare investors, operators, and advisors, the LRVHealth team provides early stage capital, operating experience, and industry insights to build the next generation of great healthcare companies. For more information visit www.lrvhealth.com.

About OSF Ventures

OSF Venturesspecializes in venture optimization, partnering financially and operationally in companies that improve patient outcomes and reduce costs to health care systems. OSF Ventures is a division of OSF HealthCare. More at www.osfventures.org.

About Unity Point Health Ventures

Founded in 2019, UnityPoint Health Ventures makes direct investments in ideas and partners that provide an easier, more personal experience for patients and providers. As the venture capital arm of UnityPoint Health one of the nation's most integrated health systems the firm invests in opportunities that improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of health care. In addition to strategic investing, UnityPoint Health Ventures provides dedicated resources to accelerate portfolio company traction within UnityPoint Health and beyond. Through relationships with more than 315 physician clinics, 21 regional and 19 community network hospitals in metropolitan and rural communities and home care services throughout its 9 regions, UnityPoint Health provides care throughout Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin. More at uphventures.org

About Act Venture Capital

Act Venture Capital is one of the longest established VC firms based out of Ireland. We partner early with visionary founders and support them from inception to scale, and beyond. Act has raised 500m across multiple funds and this investment is made from its fifth expansion fund, Act V.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005140/en/

Contacts:

Jill Gross

Matter Health for SilverCloud

silvercloud@matternow.com

(978) 518-4528
On Monday, Gary Underwood got out of bed at 3am to bring in his 100-strong herd of Friesian cows from the fields.

By the time the rest of us had finished breakfast, his 'girls', as he likes to call them, had long since been milked and led back out to pasture on the 120-acre patch of countryside near the village of Oulton, in Staffordshire, that has been home to his family for generations.

Two thousand litres of creamy full-fat milk, chilled to a temperature of four degrees, were sitting in a tank in his barn, ready to be collected by the lorry sent daily by Freshways, one of Britain's largest dairy companies.

But the lorry never came.

Gary Underwood (far left) with his family (left to right) Felix, Melissa and Alicia own an 120-acre patch of countryside near the village of Oulton in Staffordshire

Instead, just after noon, Underwood received a curt text message telling him the day's visit was cancelled.

With no extra space to store his product, and the cows in need of milking that evening, Gary and his grown-up daughters Alicia and Melissa had to throw it all away.

A video made by Melissa shows it gushing noisily into a slurry pit.

'It makes you sick to the stomach,' she tells me.

'Never in four generations have we been forced to throw out milk. We won't be paid. It's just gone. Money literally down the drain.

'Dad's 58, he has been committed to this farm his whole life. And, through no fault of his own, he is throw into a situation that could break him.'

Britain's 10,000-odd dairy farmers are being forced to pour away millions of pints of fresh milk. Pictured: Dairy farmer Alicia Underwood and the Friesians whose milk is wasted

The 'situation' is one being experienced across the countryside, where every day hundreds of Britain's 10,000-odd dairy farmers are being forced to pour away millions of pints of fresh milk.

To blame are ructions in the food supply chain caused by the coronavirus emergency, which in a few short weeks has shuttered the pubs, restaurants and coffee shops that normally buy about half of the 40million litres of milk we consume each day.

Suddenly, big companies such as Freshways, which only supplies the food service industry  its clients include Costa Coffee, Starbucks, British Airways, P&O and McDonald's  can't sell their highly perishable product, so their tankers are cancelling visits to the farm gate.

Yet the nation's 1.8 million cows keep on producing milk, morning and night. Some estimates suggest that about 1.5million litres were thrown away on Sunday, when there was also a shortage of lorry drivers due to illness.

'What a waste of all the effort that goes into producing quality food,' was how Wiltshire dairy farmer Robert Mallet described the heartbreaking loss of 17,000 litres of fresh milk.

'My grandmother says this is worse than wartime,' Llyr Griffiths told reporters from his farm in Ceredigion, as he tipped away 11,500 litres.

'At least the countryside could carry on producing food for the war effort and local people back then. But with this, we have no control over anything.'

With no extra space for storage, and the cows in need of milking that evening, the Underwoods were forced to throw the milk away into a slurry pit (pictured)

Meanwhile, in a cruel twist, demand in the retail sector has risen dramatically, so the companies that supply shops which sell milk to us all are struggling to get their hands on enough of it.

This has produced an absurd situation where there are shortages of milk, butter, cream and cheese on some supermarket shelves, just as producers such as Mallet, Griffiths and Underwood  who, like almost all dairy farmers, are under contract to sell only to one company  are pouring thousands of gallons away.

'Our local Aldi is only letting us buy one container of milk per customer, and they are limiting purchases of UHT to four bottles,' says Melissa Underwood, 34.

'I have five children, aged from nine months to 18, so in our house one bottle doesn't go far. It's maddening.'

Robin Betts, who farms a herd of 100 cows on the North Downs in Kent and is contracted to contracted to produce milk for Freshways, lost 3,500 litres in one day

For many dairy farmers, whose industry has for years run on waferthin profit margins, the financial implications are frightening.

'The milk price has been at a historic low, so we are on the edge anyway. And now we can't offload it,' says Robin Betts, who farms a herd of 100 cows on the North Downs in Kent.

'I chucked away 3,500 litres on Sunday. When you have worked so hard, when you are raising these cows and feeding them and getting up before dawn to milk them, it just doesn't sit well to chuck it into a lagoon  not when you then see shortages.

'But it's happening across the country. We have no route to market.'

Betts is also contracted to produce milk for Freshways, which usually pays him between 15,000 and 20,000 a month.

He says it has yet to pay for February's supply, and has changed the payment terms so the cheque for March won't now arrive until mid-May.

Even when its lorry does show up, the company has recently cut the price it pays farmers for milk from 24.5p to about 22p per litre (Freshways did not respond to a request for comment).

Other big companies in a similar position have followed suit, and more are expected to follow.

'I'm spending today trying to work out which of my suppliers I can afford to pay,' adds Betts.

'I'm acting like an interest-free lender to a huge dairy company. Farmers everywhere are. This can't go on.'

Some dairy farmers are already going to the wall. In Wales, Abi Reader, chairwoman of the NFU Cymru dairy board, who keeps a herd of 200 cows in the Vale of Glamorgan, says she knows of two local dairy farms that have gone out of business in the past week.

In the UK as a whole, she says, at least 300 have been forced to tip away milk in the same period. 'Milk is a perishable product and it's coming every day,' she says.

'Cows have to be milked. You can't mothball them, or furlough staff. It just keeps on coming and we still have bills to pay.

'About 20 per cent of farms in Britain have already been affected by a price cut, and more are going to be affected the longer this goes on. It is unsustainable.

'The UK is only 80 per cent self-sufficient in dairy as things stand, and this crisis is showing us how important food security really is.'

Ironically, supermarket supply problems are worse in rural areas  which means people who live near farms that are having to throw milk away are less likely to be able to find any in the shops.

'I was bringing the girls in last night and a neighbour called across the hedge: "Where's the milk gone?" She'd been to the local Tesco and there was no butter, no milk and only the odd bit of cheese,' says Steven Evans, who keeps a 450-strong herd in Pembrokeshire.

'I know one farmer who is losing 10,500 worth of milk a day. We think about a million litres are currently going to waste, every single day.'

At 22p a litre, that equates to about 1.5 million of milk being wasted a week.

'It's being tipped into slurry pits, literally going down the drain,' Evans adds.

'It isn't just a crisis of farmers. When you think of the businesses that rely on us  the vets the feed companies, the tractor firms, the seed companies, hauliers.

The amount of money riding on this industry is huge  and when farmers suffer or are put out of business, the effects will be felt right down the economy.'

Scarily, the medium-term outlook for dairy farming is worse still. In the first days of the coronavirus crisis, panic-buying led to a rise in retail milk sales of about a fifth.

Now stockpiling has stopped, retail sales have stabilised at roughly 7 per cent above pre-crisis levels  not nearly enough to compensate for the loss in trade to restaurants, pubs and other food service buyers.

The recent spell of sunny weather has heralded the arrival of spring, when grass-fed cows hit peak production.

'The more sun we get, the more milk they produce,' says Ian Potter, one of Britain's foremost agricultural analysts.

'We already have surplus milk swashing around the system. The price of cream has collapsed. In the space of four days, over last weekend, it went from 1.05 per kilo to 85p. To a processor, that knocks off about 2p of income from every litre of milk.'

On the spot market, which is effectively the open market on which commodities are traded, milk usually trades for between 25p and 30p a litre. Last weekend it hit 7p  and on Tuesday the price was 5p.

'Given that's a delivered price, which includes transport costs of 2-3p, milk is worth almost nothing,' adds Potter.

'As of today, we simply don't have demand for the milk that's available.

'Things are going to get much worse for this industry and everyone who relies on it.'

Yesterday, Muller, one of Britain's biggest dairy firms, instructed its farmers to reduce their daily supply by 3 per cent, in an attempt to rebalance supply and demand.

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers has called for a financial support scheme to be introduced straight away for the 300-odd farmers it believes are at immediate risk of going under.

Others believe this looming crisis shows the degree to which the entire milk market has become dysfunctional.

In Britain and elsewhere (milkdumping is also taking place in the U.S. and across Europe), the industry is dominated by a small number of large dairy firms, which are themselves at the mercy of rapacious supermarket giants.

Consumers have grown accustomed to paying just over 1 for a four-pint carton of milk, making profit margins wafer-thin at every level of the supply chain.

'It is absurd that poor old farmers are effectively pouring milk into a ditch, while consumers are having trouble getting hold of it,' says shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner.

'One of the reasons they can't get it to people who want it is that the way the market is organised has failed. When we come out of this, a lot of people are going to be asking serious questions about the food production system.'

Back on his Staffordshire farm, Gary Underwood has simpler priorities at the moment.

He is just praying that today a lorry will arrive at his gate.

'Dad gets up at 3am and works till 7pm, and apart from a week's holiday each year, he never has a day off,' says Melissa.

'It doesn't matter how sick or busy he is, he'll be out there every single morning, trying to keep the country fed.

'Like every member of the family from my great-grandfather downwards, he has worked hard to build this farm up. If things don't get better, he could lose it.'
While world leaders are scrambling to secure protective gear, Turkey reportedly launched a programme to provide all the nations, approximately 82 million, residents free surgical masks. According to an international media report, Turkey launched a website where the citizens can register to receive five free surgical masks per week, which will web delivered by the national postal service. The new programme comes after the Turkey President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced rules requiring all those in workplaces or markets to wear masks.

Currently, Turkey has more than 34,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 725 lives in the country. While speaking to international media reporters, Erdogan said that the country has enough mask stock and production plans for all of the citizens until the outbreak ends. He further added that the country is determined to provide free masks to all the citizens and official residents.

READ: Turkey Coronavirus Deaths Pass 500: Health Minister

As per reports, Erdogan also banned the sale of the masks amid accusations of price-gouging. Turkey is one of the worlds leading producers of medical personal protective equipment (PPE), although, the ban on sales of the surgical masks potentially kills off a lucrative source of income for pharmacies and medical supply companies. Erdogans new measures have reportedly been praised by the opposition party, however, they have also claimed credit for the free masks programme.

Two 1000-bed hospitals in Istanbul

In a bid to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Turkey also ordered schools to shut down and further also ordered residents over 65 years or under 20 years to remain confined to their homes. However, Erdogan reportedly also vowed to keep the wheels of production and several businesses, factories and construction sites to remain operational. Furthermore, Turkey also announced the construction of two 1,000-bed hospitals to treat coronavirus patients in Istanbul, which is the hardest-hit city but the pandemic.

READ: Turkey Expands Measures To Tackle Virus Outbreak

As per reports, the country has also barred entry and exits from 31 Turkish cities, except for the transportation of essential goods. The government officials have also advised the public to stay at home, however, also resisted calls to impose a total lockdown in the country. Erdogans government has also received criticism from the opposition parties who have demanded more stringent lockdown measures.

Meanwhile, coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 82,000 lives worldwide as of April 8. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 209 countries and territories and has infected more than one million people. Out of the total infections, more than 302,000 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 including Spain, and the economy is struggling.

READ: Imams In Turkey Perform Special Prayer Amid Virus

READ: Pets Abandoned In Turkey Amid Rising Fears Of Coronavirus Spread
Dateline: Des Moines, Iowa. Date: February 3. Time: Around 8pm.

Something was wrong with the voting technology, but it was clear Bernie Sanders had once again had a good night in Iowa.

It was not as good as four years earlier, when hed chased and harried Hillary Clinton to within less than a single point. Nevertheless, it was enough for him to claim victory, of the popular vote, if not the delegate haul.

Ive a good feeling the results would be released at some point, he said. I have a good feeling when they are, well be doing well in Iowa.

It would be the same in New Hampshire and then Nevada. With so many candidates occupying the moderate ground and thus diluting the anti-Sanders vote, the 78-year-old was rapidly emerging as the Democrats' presumptive challenger to Donald Trump.

Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Jessica Canicosa, a precinct captain for Bernie Sanders, waits to greet caucus voters at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Hotel workers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas get to grips with voting papers during the Nevada caucuses AFP via Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A caricature of Bernie Sanders is projected on to a tree during a rally in Las Vegas EPA Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A woman waits to have a photo taken with Elizabeth Warren during a town hall meeting in Las Vegas REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures The threat of coronavirus and other germ-borne illnesses was on some voters' minds at the Democratic caucuses in Henderson, Nevada Getty Images Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Former vice-president Joe Biden takes a selfie with a voter in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucuses REUTERS Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Amy Klobuchar changes her shoes backstage after giving a speech in Exeter, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A warmly-wrapped-up dog attends an Elizabeth Warren event at Amherst Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire AFP/Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Bernie Sanders, who romped to victory in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016, talks to the media in Manchester Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden was hoping to improve on his poor showing in Iowa in the New Hampshire primary Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren, renowned for giving time to supporters for selfies, works the crowd at the University of New Hampshire in Durham Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Joe Biden takes a selfie with a supporter and his child outside a campaign event in Somersworth, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders quarrel after a confrontation in a TV debate in which Sanders claimed that Warren was not telling the truth about a conversation in which she claimed he had said a woman could not win the presidency on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Supporter Pat Provencher listens to Pete Buttigieg in Laconia, New Hampshire on 4 February Getty Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire while awaiting the results of the Iowa caucus Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures Elizabeth Warren is presented with a balloon effigy of herself at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire on 5 February Reuters Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A Trump supporter rides past a rally for Amy Klobuchar in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 January AP Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures A man holds up a sign criticising billionaires in the presidential race in front of Michael Bloomberg in Compton, Califronia. The former New York mayor skipped the first caucus in Iowa and instead campaigned in California on 3 February Reuters

Then everything appeared to go wrong. Firstly Joe Biden, 77, secured a landslide in South Carolina, persuading several other candidates to drop out and endorse him. That was followed by another solid performable by Biden on Super Tuesday, and on two successive rounds of primaries.

After he was trounced in Florida and Illinois, campaigning by then having been largely suspended because of the Covid-19 emergency, many assumed Sanders would drop out of the race.

Now he has. On Wednesday morning, a day after the Wisconsin primary, also overshadowed by the coronavirus crisis, the Vermont senator could not with good conscience stay in the race.

Please note that I do not make this decision lightly. In fact, its a very difficult and painful decision, he said, his face for once looking tired and deflated.

Plenty were quick to praise Sanders, among them young progressives, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Others said he should have vacated the stage some time earlier, better to allow Biden to focus on challenging Trump.

Sanders, who was first elected to office in 1981 when he become mayor of Burlington, Vermont, certainly deserves credit for making mainstream policies that were once limited to the fringes. On issues such as access to healthcare, climate change and reform of the criminal justice, Sanderss success in energising and engaging with young voters, obliged other candidates to reframe their own platforms, Biden among them.

 Biden suggests DNC hold 'virtual' convention

Sanders exits the race having changed whats possible in American politics. He defended the idea of a country built around a government that ensured meaningful equity better than anyone has, says Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of political science at the University of New Haven. He made millions understand that government could effectively create a nation with radically fairer access to healthcare, wealth, and political representation.

As it is, Sanders is not giving up entirely. He said on Wednesday his name will remain in the ballot in the remaining races and he will hold onto his delegates in order to better put pressure on the policy platform process this summer.

As you all know, we have never been in just a campaign. We are a grassroots multiracial multi generational movement, he said.

In that decision was contained much that delighted and inspired his supporters and confounded his critics. To those who packed out stadiums to be part of his revolution, the man from Brooklyn was an unbending, incorruptible beacon. Others saw him as arrogant and inflexible and unwilling to do what was needed to appeal to a broader audience.

Observers say one of Sanderss biggest mistakes was his failure to reach out sufficiently to African American voters, especially older voters. Decisions such as the skipping of the annual civil rights memorial walk at Selma, Alabama, now appear misguided, even as he built support among Latino voters.

As it was, it was Biden who secured key black endorsements, such as congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, among the most powerful elected black officials in the nation.

I think that he definitely focused on Latinx populations, as his path to victory, says Christina Greer, professor of political science at New Yorks Fordham University. But there is no path to a Democratic victory without African American voters. If you dont understand that or appreciate, that and try and cultivate that, then you have zero chance.

Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, suggests this was Sanderss gravest error

Sanders should have spent far more time between 2016 and 2020 cultivating African-American support, he says. The lack of black votes knocked him out cold in South Carolina, enabling Biden to sweep almost any state with a large black vote in Democratic primaries.

An irony is that while Joe Biden is now the Democrats presidential nominee in all but official pronouncement, he will need Sanders and his support more than ever. While Biden will secure money and official help now he is the last man standing, he will not necessarily win the votes of Sanders supporters.

Four years ago, estimates suggest as many as 12 per cent of those who voted for Sanders in the Democratic primary, voted for Trump rather than Clinton in the general election. Given Trump only secured the White House by just 70,000 votes across three states, it is unclear what impact those die-hard supporters of Sanders played.

Some Sanders grass roots supporters see Biden in similar terms to the way they viewed Clinton  an establishment politician who would do little for them. Biden will hope that confronted by the prospect of another four years of Trump, most of Sanderss base will not back the incumbent.

But he cannot take that for granted, something he appeared to recognise in the tribute his paid on Wednesday to Sanders.

To your supporters I make the same commitment: I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of what it is we have to get done in this country, he said. I hope you will join us. You are more than welcome. Youre needed.

Together we will defeat Donald Trump. And when we do that, well not only do the hard work of rebuilding this nation  well transform it.
* No new domestically transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported on the Chinese mainland on Monday, the National Health Commission said Tuesday (April 7). All of 32 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on Monday were from overseas, bringing the total number of imported cases to 983, the commission said in its daily report. A total of 30 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were reported on the mainland on Monday, including nine imported ones.

* The Philippines' main island of Luzon will continue to be locked down until April 30 as the government continues to fight COVID-19 in the country, a Philippine official said on Tuesday. Duterte announced late Monday night that his administration is inclined to extend the lockdown. The Philippines has so far recorded 3,660 COVID-19 cases with 163 deaths and 73 recoveries.

* Thailand reported 38 new coronavirus infections and the death of a 54-year-old man on Tuesday, a spokesman for a government agency said. Since the outbreak in January, Thailand's tally stands at 2,258 infections and 27 death. 824 patients have recovered and gone home.

* Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pledged that his government would do its utmost to protect people's lives as he prepared to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday to stem a worrying rise in new coronavirus infections in major population centres. Tokyo has seen coronavirus infections more than double to 1,116 in the past week, accounting for the highest number in the country. Nationwide, cases have climbed past 4,000 with 93 deaths as of Monday.

* The president of El Salvador warned on Monday that security forces had been ordered to enforce quarantine orders more rigorously to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, confining offenders to "containment centers" and confiscating their cars. El Salvador has confirmed 78 cases of the virus, with four deaths so far.

* US President Donald Trump said on Monday that OPEC had not pressed him to ask US oil producers to reduce their output to support global prices, which have been hard-hit by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump said US oil production had already fallen, anyway.

* The Taliban on Tuesday broke off talks with the Afghan government on a prisoner exchange, a main step in peace talks being brokered by the United States after it agreed on a troop withdrawal pact with the militants.

* India's federal health ministry Monday morning said the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 109 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 4,067. This is a jump of 26 deaths and an increase of 490 cases since Sunday evening. According to ministry officials, so far 292 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

* The Republic of Korea reported 47 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,331. Six more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 192. The total fatality rate came in at 1.86 percent.

* Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has approved the proposal of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on large-scale social distancing to prevent further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

* Fiji confirmed on Tuesday one more new COVID-19 case, bringing the total number of such cases to 15. All of the 15 patients remain in stable condition.

* A range of support is being rolled out across New Zealand to help people look after their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister David Clark said on Tuesday.

* South Australian researchers have begun trialling a potential vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The team headed by Nikolai Petrovsky, a Professor at Flinders University and research director at South Australian company Vaxine Pty Ltd, are testing a vaccine candidate that has progressed to animal trials in the United States.

* Brazil's southeast state of Sao Paulo, the most populated and hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, decided to extend lockdown measures through April 22, Governor Joao Doria said on Monday. The state has also registered 4,620 cases of infection out of the 11,130 reported nationwide.

* The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iran rose by 2,274 to reach 60,500 on Monday, the sixth consecutive day of slowdown in a row. A total of 3,739 COVID-19 patients have died in Iran as of Monday, and 24,236 have recovered and left hospitals, with 4,083 still in critical condition.

* In Turkey, the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East, 3,148 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Monday, bringing the total number to 30,217, and the death toll surged to 649.

* Iraqi Health Ministry said on Monday that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,031 by an increase of 70, and the death toll reached 64 in the country.

* Saudi Arabia announced on Monday a 24-hour curfew in cities including the capital Riyad as part of precautionary measures against coronavirus, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Earlier in the day, the Saudi health ministry announced the registration of 82 new infected cases in the country, raising the total number to 2,605 including 551 recoveries and 28 deaths.

* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to coordinate efforts to curb the outbreak of the novel coronavirus during a phone call, the prime minister's office said Monday.

* The Kuwaiti government has decided to extend the curfew time by two hours, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh announced on Monday. Kuwait reported on Monday 109 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in the country to 665, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced 241 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 2,076.

* World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the WHO has been evaluating the use of medical and non-medical masks for COVID-19 more widely, and it will issue guidance and criteria to support countries in making that decision.

* The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the socio-economic condition of "almost all African countries" and appears to worsen dramatically as the tourism, air transport and the oil industry sectors "visibly impacted," according to a new report published by the African Union (AU) on Monday.

* The National Center for Disease Control of Libya's UN-backed government on Monday announced the first COVID-19 recovery case in the country. The center also announced a new COVID-19 case, bringing the total in the country to 19.

* The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 10 in Zimbabwe after one more person tested positive for the virus, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Monday. Zimbabwe is currently under a 21-day national lockdown that ends on April 19.

* South Africa on Monday reported 31 more COVID-19 cases as massive community testing was gaining momentum, raising the total to 1,686 with 12 deaths, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.
Since the introduction of the 2016 law, 1568 churches have been legalized out of 5540 requests. CSW activist: positive step by the authorities in the fight against the "historic injustices" that affect Christians. But more efforts are needed to tackle practices that limit freedom of worship.

Cairo (AsiaNews) - The Egyptian authorities have approved the legalization of 74 Christian churches and religious buildings.

Christian activists have welcomed the green light which leads to a total of 1568 ecclesiastical buildings, out of a total number of requests equal to 5540 since the introduction of the Law number 80 on the construction of places of worship on 30 August 2016.

In the past, permits were granted by intelligence and security agencies, while today the responsibility for the construction or renovation of buildings is the responsibility of the provincial governors.

According to experts from the activist movement for human rights and religious freedom Christian Solidarity Worldwide (Csw), the new legislation has made the process less complicated but the legislation remains discriminatory because it does not apply to Sunni Muslims.

Furthermore, the norm does not apply to religious groups such as Ahmandi, Baha'is and Shiite communities.

Among the main supporters of the norm on places of worship is President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. The head of state has made religious freedom and the defense of Christians one of the slogans of his own policy, while ending up in the target of activist groups for numerous cases of violations of human rights and a harsh repression of internal dissent. In the past, many churches and prayer houses were built spontaneously, without the necessary permits, given that they were difficult to obtain.

The lack of permits proved to be a source of controversy or confessional violence when exploited by the Sunni Muslim majority. And even in the event of obtaining one, Christians have had to compromise on several occasions including churches without bells or towers.

CSW's chief executive Mervyn Thomas appreciates "the legalization of other churches" and welcomes "the efforts of the Egyptian government" to put an end to "historic injustices affecting the Christian community". At the same time, he gives encouragement to the authorities to "continue on the path of reform" and make greater commitment "to contrast social injustices and practices that continue to limit freedom of worship".

Christians (mostly Orthodox Copts) are substantial minority (10 per cent) in Egypt, a Muslim majority country of almost 95 million people.

In 2016 and 2017, several violent attacks were carried out against the Christian community.

In connection with the attacks, a military court sentenced 17 people to death; however, the iron fist of the authorities did not serve to stop the violence.
It started with a Chatham, New Jersey, resident simply posing the question to Facebook friends in mid-March: Does anyone want to go in on providing a meal to our local hospital?

Well, now lots of meals have been donated, and an organization called FLAG has grown. About $700,000 have been raised across the country to provide some care and comfort to those on the front lines in the effort against the spread of coronavirus.

FLAG stands for Front Line Appreciation Group, and the grassroots organization has grown into 66 different chapters across the United States since the first group started in tandem between Chatham and Madison. The Lehigh Valley is now getting in on the action, with a chapter having sprouted up rapidly in the last week.

Jeanine Vecciarelli, a current Chatham resident who grew up in the Lehigh Valley, posted on Facebook asking if anyone in the Valley wanted to start a chapter. Erica Baittinger saw it just after she had a conversation with her neighbor, a healthcare worker. She feared for her neighbor but was looking to her faith for some way she could help, and when the post from Vecciarelli popped up in her Facebook feed, she had her answer.

Now, Baittinger, Vecciarelli and Kathy McFall (Vecciarellis mother, who still lives in the Lehigh Valley) are the de facto point people for FLAG of the Lehigh Valley, which went live on Facebook a week ago. Since then, the group has raised $4,500 to provide meals or gift cards to hospital workers at Easton Hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Lukes University Health Network.

Were all just jumping into this without really knowing what to expect, Baittinger said. We all just want to give back in some way. The we here is the 722 members that are now part of the group.

Baittinger said that FLAG of the Lehigh Valley donated 185 meals in its first week from restaurants like Union and Finch and The Bayou, and is on pace for another 150 this week from the Easton Wine Project as the group continues to grow. The group is hoping to do more than that, but one of the early hurdles has been coordinating moving parts.

Of course, starting a grassroots donation campaign doesnt come without its fair share of hurdles. But FLAG is already working on jumping those. Currently, all of their communicating, donating and organizing stems through Facebook, but Grace Church Bethlehem donated some staff members time to creating a website for the Lehigh Valley FLAG chapter that should make it easier to donate, organize and get involved.

(Update: FLAGs website is now active at flag-lv.org.)

The proverbial front lines, while people may think its just made up of ER and critical care staff, includes all aspects of the hospitals. There are people throughout the hospital whose daily jobs are being changed by this and are putting themselves on the line, said Baittinger. And she would know  while her current role is being a mom to her children, she has 12 years of experience in hospital administration, and with that comes an understanding of the environment.

The group is working with each hospital to get the relief where its needed most and in whatever form they want it. For example, St. Lukes isnt allowing outside food donations, so FLAG has provided gift cards for hospital employees.

Were looking for local restaurants in need, Baittinger said. Its so rewarding reaching out to them and say hey, can we help support you and your staff in this time? So while FLAG is dedicated to front line workers, its also supporting two birds with one big donation.

And its starting to catch on. Josh Early Candies got in touch with the group to coordinate a donation to Easton Hospital. Another corporation called Baittinger hoping to do something for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. front line workers. The group is starting to look at other opportunities like card-writing campaigns. Its still early in the process, but FLAG is only just starting to really unfurl.

The FLAG of the Lehigh Valley is accepting donations through PayPal at paypal.me/EBaittinger or Venmo at @FLAG-LehighValley. The groups email is flag.lehighvalley@gmail.com.

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.

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.
West Bengal Chief Minister



Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed those doing "communal politics" over the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhis Nizamuddin and asked them to eschew it at a time of national crisis.

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 of more than 200 people. Many of the attendees later tested positive for COVID-19 and several of them died.

Questioning why the event was not stopped when it happened last month, Banerjee said her government took steps to send around 200 Tablighi Jamaat members to quarantine, including 108 foreigners.

"We have been witnessing that some people are indulging in communal politics over the Nizamuddin event. This is completely unacceptable. A pandemic or a disease doesn't attack you on the basis of your religion or caste. I urge everybody not to communalise the crisis," Banerjee told reporters here.

"Why the gathering was not stopped when it was happening? Now a lot of things are being said. This is not right. We should not forget that a riot happened in Delhi just days before the lockdown was announced. This is not the time for communal politics," she said.

On reports about the possibility of the 21-day nationwide lockdown getting extended, Banerjee said she is not aware of any such proposal as of now.

"I am not aware of it as of now. Whenever I speak with the prime minister, I will give my opinion. I won't speak on this issue before that," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

With the circuit breaker in place and many of us now working from home, tips and tricks on how to handle the precious little people in our lives are coming in handy. While we all love our children, sometimes we dont love the noise and mess they make, right? Especially if were on an important video call!

Three fabulous working mums pass on their tips, tricks and experiences of working from home with their kids underfoot.

Trying hard to find the time

Aileen Lalor, 40, has been working from home as a freelance journalist for six years since her first child was born. Now with two children - aged three and six - Aileen is juggling her freelance writing with her part-time topic curator job for content platform Flipboard. Living in Canada, both her children have been at home and underfoot since March 16.

According to Lalor, the main issues about working from home with kids has been finding the time to do everything.

Finding the time to effectively do four jobs  parenting, teaching, working for Flipboard and my writing, though that has pretty much evaporated thanks to the perilous state of the media due to COVID-19, explains Lalor.

Nowadays I work in small blocks  an hour from 8am to 9am while the kids watch TV, an hour from 11am to 12pm while they have free play (no screen time) and an hour or two in the afternoon or evening.

For Aarika Lee, 36, finding time to deal with interruptions and mediating between her 7-year-old and 5-year-old children, impacts on her work as the Marketing Director at Elementary Co.

There are many, many, many, many interruptions - questions about how to work something, how to fix a toy or a puzzle. And there are many times that myself or my husband have to step in to mediate a small scuffle, explains Lee.

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Lees work from home situation is undergoing upheaval due to the latest restrictions due to COVID-19.

It's about to change with the roll-out of full Home-Based Learning, explains Aarika. Before, my husband and I would aim to maximise the time we have when the kids were in school but now we're going to probably have to tag team hours. I work 10am to 12pm straight while he tends to the kids, [and then] he works 2pm to 4pm straight while I watch the kids. [This is] so we both can get work done during the work day. It's going to be challenging.

It's definitely not easy. The kids don't always understand why you're home, but working all the time, and can't play with them. The upside is that you can take little breaks to relax with them and get some hugs when work is getting tiring, Lee adds.

For Afton Chen, 33, her job as a fashion designer came somewhat to a stop with the birth of her son, who is now three months old. Since his birth, Chen has been working at home for two days a week, and spending three days in her studio the rest of the time. With the circuit breaker period and other COVID-19 restrictions, Chens now working from home 100%.

He refuses to nap during the day so hes stuck with me. This means 150% effort for 20% productivity, jokes Chen.

The two days working from home is spent doing conference calls, clearing emails and design work with the laptop. The three days in our studio is for work that I need my drafting table or sewing machine for, explains Chen.

How to keep the kids entertained and organised

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

We usually do no screen time during the week, but that's gone out the window, says Lalor. They get an hour of telly in the morning and one at night, and then my older daughter has some iPad time in the afternoon. We have a vague schedule.

She continues: We're lucky enough to live relatively close to a forest and trails, so we spend the first hour or so outdoors pottering about, and I definitely notice the difference in their behaviour when we haven't been able to manage that.

Lee says she relies on podcasts and some favourite childrens programmes on Netflix that are also educational. These really help when we have to attend to urgent work. My favourite podcasts right now are Circle Round, But Why?, Brain On!, and Story Pirates on Spotify. And my favourite shows on Netflix are Story Bots and Motown Magic.

Chen says she is really grateful that her parents have been able to help with her new baby while she works at home: My parents can help me take care of him but ultimately when he fusses, he looks for me. I will put him in a carrier and work with him attached to me.

Lower your standards and make sure they get outside once a day if that's possible in your neighbourhood, says Lalor. We do some child-friendly exercise videos - Gonoodle.coms Zumba is a favourite - and there are some great drawing tutorials such as Draw with Rob on Youtube and artforkidshub.com.

For Chen, with a new baby, having help at home - while a luxury - has been very helpful in dealing with working from home. She also says that parents need to think about their own health and wellbeing too.

Remember to take a breather. Stretch, breathe some fresh air, listen to your favourite music, have your favourite beverage, she says. Treasure the time with your kids because the days are long but the years are short.

Young mother sitting on floor holding her son on the laps.

I try to remember that it's stressful for the kids to be out of their routine and to hear chitchat about COVID-19 all the time, so we've tried to establish some kind of structure and minimise the really scary COVID-19 conversation, says Lalor.

My older daughter has been quite angry, which is not like her, and she doesn't ever express it in terms of being scared of the virus because I don't think she can articulate that, so I try to make sure I'm spending one-on-one time with her as much as is possible.

We've also found her some global penpals  she sends videos to her cousin in Ireland and to an ex-colleague of mine's daughter in the UK  and we also do some Facetiming and Facebook Messenger for kids with friends.

It's hard to maintain social links when kids don't get to see each other in real life, or when we see her pals who live locally and we can't go over to them, and I'm worried that kids' social skills might be affected in the long term. I try to encourage the kids to say hi and smile at all the people they see so they know other people aren't scary.

Best things about working from home with kids

It's been brilliant to see their relationship grow and I love to watch them play together. My little one just turned three so it's only recently that she's been able to understand the concept of playing a game together and that's been really special to watch. We've also had loads of great family meals and watched some brilliant movies together. My older daughter has learned to roller skate and my younger one has mastered hopping, says Lalor.

Kids and work sometimes dont mix

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

I don't think I've had a Zoom call yet where the kids haven't made a guest appearance. On my first day working from home I had a one-on-one with my boss and out of the corner of my eye I saw my six-year-old standing there in just her knickers, with a pinny turned backwards round her neck. I said, right into the microphone, Why aren't you wearing any clothes? and my boss looked a bit taken aback. My daughter explained that she was being Captain Underpants! explains Lalor.

Lee says dealing with her kids and working from home hasnt been too bad: ... Unless you count them yelling that they need to poop or pee in the back while I'm on a work call. Haha!

Poop seems to be a bit of a theme: I have had to abandon a work call because he had a poonami, exploding and oozing down my leg, laughs Chen.

Are you going to miss your kids when you go back to work?

ABSOLUTELY FINE! jokes Lalor. No, I might even miss them a little! Children grow and change so quickly that by the time all this is over (or nearly over) they'll be different people than they are today, so I'm trying to be present and watch them grow.

Ill be happy because I will be really productive at work, but also guilty for missing out on his moments, says Chen.

I know I'll miss them but I'm going to be VERY thankful for the uninterrupted time at work, says Lee. It literally takes me 30 minutes to type up an email!
AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - Heineken N.V. (HKHHF.PK) said, for the first quarter of 2020, the company expects to announce a total consolidated volume decrease of around 4% organically with beer volume decline around 2%. The impact is expected to worsen in the second quarter, the company noted. Due to uncertainties related to Covid-19 pandemic, HEINEKEN has decided to withdraw all guidance for 2020. HEINEKEN said it has entered the crisis with a strong balance sheet as well as undrawn committed credit facilities and has successfully secured additional financing on the debt capital market in recent weeks. HEINEKEN said it will provide more information on its mitigating actions in first quarter trading update on 22 April. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
B oris Johnson is fighting on and is comfortable and in good spirits after a second night in intensive care, a minister revealed today.

With millions of people around the world anxiously awaiting news, Health Minister Edward Argar said the latest information was that the Prime Minister, left, was in a stable condition.

Hes comfortable and in good spirits, he told Good Morning Britain.

Although he had oxygen when he was admitted, he hasnt needed mechanical ventilation. And I think, judging by the emails Im getting from around the country and indeed right across the political spectrum, the message is everybody sends him and Carrie their very best wishes and wishes him a very full and very speedy recovery.

Boris Johnson spends second night in intensive care

There was no comment from official government sources after a report that Mr Johnsons temperature came down yesterday while being treated at St Thomas hospital, near Westminster, where he was admitted on Sunday night, before being moved into the ICU on Monday evening when his condition deteriorated.

Hopes that the lockdown restrictions in the UK may be eased next week were dashed by senior medical, scientific and political figures this morning.

Mr Argar appeared to rule out a relaxation of the rules next week, when he told Sky: Now is not the time to let up.

Mr Argar said ministers will wait for scientific advice that the time was right.

The World Health Organisation coronavirus special envoy for Europe Dr David Nabarro was clear that the stay at home message must be kept up.

He told LBC radio that, before any relaxation, communities must be able to respond quickly to isolate new cases to stop outbreaks escalating, there must be respect for physical distancing in workplaces plus spare capacity in the NHS.

If you get three things in place, then you can start looking at releasing the lockdown, he said. But you cant release the lockdown before all the defences are in place.

Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and a St Thomas Hospital consultant, said it was really unlikely that the lockdown will be lifted on Monday, which would be the end of the three-week review period announced by Mr Johnson when it started.

It will all be based on science but I think it is unlikely that that is going to happen, she told Sky News. We are seeing the wave of infections moving across the country, we need people to help break the transmission ... so staying at home.

Lockdown London 1 /18 Lockdown London

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has called for tighter restrictions on working, was the most emphatic of all, telling BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We are nowhere lifting the lockdown.

A hard-hitting report at the European Commission said lockdowns in European capitals must continue or there would be a renewed outbreak that would overwhelm hospitals.

Any level of relaxation of the confinement will unavoidably lead to an increase in new cases, warned a draft of the report.

Dr Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the WHO director-general, said the key to stopping this is not through lockdowns, but through testing, isolation and contact tracing, adding: We are in the middle of a war, here  a very, very serious war that we are only beginning to understand.

In key developments:
The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant, negative impact on European business in Vietnam, according to the latest Business Climate Index (BCI) from the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham).

The Business Climate Index reached the lowest point to date in the first quarter of 2020.

BCI is a regular barometer of how European business leaders see the trade and investment environment in Viet Nam and the prospects of their own enterprises.

Following similar trends around the world, where the impacts of COVID-19 have hit international trade and investment, the EuroCham BCI plunged to its lowest-ever score of 26 per cent in the first quarter of 2020. That represents a fall of 51 points from the 77 per cent recorded in late 2019.

Over 90 per cent of business leaders said that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their enterprise, with more than half reporting a significant negative impact. Meanwhile, almost 80 per cent said that their business had incurred higher costs from measures taken to protect their workers and prevent the spread of the virus.

Despite the negative financial impact of COVID-19, European companies are taking important measures to protect both the health and the livelihoods of their workforce. About 80 per cent business leaders are confident that they will be able to retain at least 70 per cent of their staff over the next quarter. Meanwhile, 80 per cent have asked their staff to work from home to prevent the spread of the virus.

EuroCham members also welcomed Government measures introduced in Directive 11 to support businesses during the pandemic. A deferral of tax and land rent was the most popular provision, with a suspension of social insurance contributions coming a close second.

The chamber also asked European business leaders what other measures would be most helpful for their enterprises, and around three-quarters said a deferral of other taxes such as corporate income tax, personal income tax, value-added tax and special consumption tax would be the most welcome support for their companies.

EuroCham Chairman Nicolas Audier said this data shows that COVID-19 is having a deep and serious impact on European business in Viet Nam.

However, it is important to remember that this is a global pandemic, and enterprises around the world are suffering from the impacts of this crisis. There is also no doubt that, without the swift and decisive actions of the Government, the situation here could have been much worse. For this reason, our members welcome the measures announced so far, which will provide a lifeline to companies and their workers during this difficult time, Nicolas Audier said.

He said COVID-19 is a fast-moving health crisis, and it is creating unprecedented challenges for businesses of all shapes and sizes and in all sectors and industries. Therefore, further actions could soon be required to help both domestic and foreign enterprises weather this storm and get back to business as usual as soon as possible.

EuroCham is committed to Viet Nams long-term economic growth, and our members remain available to share their insights and recommendations to help minimise the disruption of COVID-19 on business operations and  above all  to protect the health and wellbeing of people in Viet Nam, he added.  VNS

EVFTA paves way for European investors to contribute capital to Vietnams banks Within five years from the day the FTA takes effect, Vietnam pledges to consider European credit institutions proposals to allow them to hold up to 49 percent of shares in two Vietnamese joint stock banks.
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

So, the natural question for Kingston Resources (ASX:KSN) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

See our latest analysis for Kingston Resources

When Might Kingston Resources Run Out Of Money?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. As at December 2019, Kingston Resources had cash of AU$4.1m and no debt. In the last year, its cash burn was AU$7.1m. That means it had a cash runway of around 7 months as of December 2019. To be frank, this kind of short runway puts us on edge, as it indicates the company must reduce its cash burn significantly, or else raise cash imminently. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

ASX:KSN Historical Debt April 7th 2020

How Is Kingston Resources's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Kingston Resources didn't record any revenue over the last year, indicating that it's an early stage company still developing its business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. Over the last year its cash burn actually increased by 31%, which suggests that management are increasing investment in future growth, but not too quickly. However, the company's true cash runway will therefore be shorter than suggested above, if spending continues to increase. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.

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How Hard Would It Be For Kingston Resources To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Since its cash burn is moving in the wrong direction, Kingston Resources shareholders may wish to think ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash to fund growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Kingston Resources has a market capitalisation of AU$22m and burnt through AU$7.1m last year, which is 32% of the company's market value. That's fairly notable cash burn, so if the company had to sell shares to cover the cost of another year's operations, shareholders would suffer some costly dilution.

So, Should We Worry About Kingston Resources's Cash Burn?

Kingston Resources is not in a great position when it comes to its cash burn situation. Although we can understand if some shareholders find its increasing cash burn acceptable, we can't ignore the fact that we consider its cash runway to be downright troublesome. Considering all the measures mentioned in this report, we reckon that its cash burn is fairly risky, and if we held shares we'd be watching like a hawk for any deterioration. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 5 warning signs for Kingston Resources (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Bullets Fly On The Paseo

Monday evening shootout caught on camera near 67th and Paseo KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Video posted Monday evening shows a group of people hanging out, then shots being fired. Gun shots rang out near a park at 67th and Paseo around 7:30. Kansas City police said no one was hurt, no one filed a report and no one was at the park when they arrived to investigate.

Local Lockdown Gunfire

KCPD investigating shooting at apartment complex KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, police are investigating a shooting that happened at an apartment complex Tuesday morning. The call came from a complex in the 11400 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard just after 11:30 a.m. According to police, the victim said someone fired into their apartment from outside.

There's a great deal of scarcity apparent in Kansas City right now but apparently there's no shortage of bullets and local criminals haven't stopped trying to kill one another.Two high profile shootings today . . .Developing . . .
In the United States and China alike, standard workplace risk management is based on the hierarchy of controls, a system developed in the United States in the 1950s. Under this framework, companies should first look for ways to eliminate a risk altogether  by ordering all employees to stay at home during a pandemic, for example  before turning to risk mitigation methods, like safety training and protective gear in the office.
priya parker

How is this night different from all other nights?

ellen In some ways, its wonderful that were doing it on Zoom, because one of the purposes of the seder is for the elder generation  grandparents, parents  to pass down these rituals to their children.

priya parker

This is a phone call from a woman whos trying to gather her people digitally for the first time after 40 years of gathering for Passover Seder in the same room. And her question is, how do we  even when we cant physically break bread together, when we cant go around a table and actually reach out and pass the salt  how do we make meaning together apart?

priya parker Tell me a little bit more. In this moment this year, like, what is the deepest, most specific need of this community this year? And why is hosting the Seder fulfilling that need? ellen I think it would be sad not to have the Seder, just because we do it every single year and its so important to all of us. Its a beautiful holiday. And its not only about the Jewish people escaping Egypt and going to Israel. But its about everybody. Its about all the people that escape from horrible circumstance that put their children in boats and go across the ocean and try to force over the border in Mexico, try to find a better life. So its a reminder always, about our world and about being aware of other people and the struggles that they have, and how fortunate we are. So in this moment in this time when we are anxious, when theres so much unknown in our worlds, when our worlds may never look the same again, when we dont know two weeks from now whats going to be happening, sort of having this grounding, I think, is a very important thing.

priya parker

In partnership with The New York Times, this is Together Apart. Im Priya Parker.

[music]

In normal circumstances, I help groups meaningfully connect with one another. I get phone calls from people trying to figure out things like how to create a leadership retreat thats transformational and provocative, and actually gets people to talk about the things they actually need to talk about and might have been avoiding, without feeling cheesy or too contrived. Or how does a public official re-imagine a town hall, and do it in a way where theyre actually changing their relationship with their constituents? Or simply a friend finding themselves coaching their seven-year-olds soccer team, and wanting to know how to run each practice so that they feel like theyre becoming part of a team, not just learning a sport? In the past few weeks though, the calls that Ive been getting have been very different. People want to know how do we do this together while were actually apart? And many of the calls that Im getting are related to the core moments that people are still wanting to mark without having the tools that they usually have to mark them with. Many of us right now are in the position where were trying to figure out whether to cancel a gathering altogether, to postpone it until who knows when, or to migrate it into a digital platform. Ellen, the woman who called me about her Seder, is coming already having decided to try and reinvent this night digitally. This is how the email invite to this years Seder reads.

ellen Yes, its almost not possible to imagine a Seder not together. But alas, so when youre given lemons, make lemonade. When you have matzah, make Matzah brei. And when you have coronavirus wreaking havoc, forcing us to isolate, shelter in place, then make a Zoom Seder. Clearly, we will not have a problem answering the question, why is this Seder different from all other Seders.

priya parker

This invitation is brilliant because it does a lot of work. You see, gatherings begin not at the moment people walk through the door or click the Join button, but at the moment of discovery, the moment the guest receives an invitation for this future promised event. And the host also begins hosting from that moment, from the moment the invitation is received, all the way to the actual gathering. And so even more important than conveying a set of logistics, date, time, and place, an invitation is a priming device, a psychological invitation to say on this future date, for a specific moment in time, for this purpose, Im going to be creating this temporary alternative world. Wont you join me and help me build it? This invitation also reminds the entire community of all of the Seders past. It gives context, but it also deeply acknowledges the moment theyre finding themselves in, and invites them to try something new. To better understand the Passover Seder tradition and the history of the holiday, I called up a friend of mine, an Israeli born rabbi, and the spiritual leader of a community called Lab/Shul, Amichai Lau-Lavie. I wanted to better understand the holiday so that I could better help Ellen with her virtual Passover.

amichai lau-lavie What we call the Passover Seder, which it means the Passover procedure, is a Jewish invention of some 1,800 years ago that was a response to a crisis. And the crisis was that the way people did Passover was going to the temple in Jerusalem, sacrificing a lamb together, and gathering in person as part of a pilgrimage. Once the Jerusalem temple went up in smoke because of the Romans and internal strife, Jewish families were stuck with well, how do we do Passover now? There is no temple. Theres no Jerusalem. Theres no altar. How do we still tell the story of the Exodus? And how do we lean into this holiday? And so the sages invented a technology, which is our home ritual. They wrote a text. They came up with a procedure  thats what Seder means  with 14 stops from sanctifying the night, eating ritual foods, telling the story, to give people a DIY Passover at their homes. It was a radical invention. And it took a very long time, as in centuries, for it to really land.

priya parker

As I was listening to Amichai, I was really struck by this idea that the very act of doing Passover in peoples homes was actually a rethinking, an invention, from a moment in time where the way they had been marking Passover had been destroyed. I was also struck by a word that he chose, procedure. And I asked him to say more about it.

amichai lau-lavie It means procedure. It also means order, as in theres so much chaos. How do you bring some order into chaos? And the way you bring order into chaos is with ritual. What comes first? First, you wash your hands. You sing Dayenu, and you then move step by step that gives us a road map, a blueprint, for how to build our way form whatever is holding us in the past and all the oppressions, into a bit more of an expansive state of being. When this ritual works well, its transformational.

priya parker

I was so happy to hear Amichai talk about structure. Because even in our offline gatherings, its one of the things I find people most resist. There seems to be almost an allergy to structure. We find it too controlling or boring or domineering. Who am I to impose structure? What about spontaneity? However, thoughtful structure is one of the keys to creating transformative gatherings. It just needs to be the right structure. Structure gives form to purpose, and allows a group to actually coordinate in a way that helps them fulfill that purpose. Passover is really interesting to me in part, because the structure is inherited and the evening unfolds through the asking of four questions.

amichai lau-lavie I will say the four questions that are in the traditional text were used to make us lean into curiosity, to make especially the children look around and say, hey, why are we eating this? What are we doing that? And the questions are there to be a pedagogy of engagement. So Ma Nishtana, how is this night different than all other nights? Is the framing of the traditional four questions. I made that into the first question. Simply go around as an icebreaker and ask yourselves, whats new? How am I new? How am I different? Whats changed this night from where I was at Passover a year ago? And this year, my god, theres so much we can answer.

priya parker

And one of the reasons we chose this gathering as the first episode in the series is because of the four foundational questions that Passover gives us, and particularly, the magical first question. How or why is this night different from all other nights? This question is generally asked by the youngest at a Seder. The reason is to draw them into the story and make them feel part of the night. And this, to me, is the question, not just for Passover, but for all of our gatherings. Why are we doing this? To what end? How do we make this night different from all the others that came before it? How is this wedding different than all the other ones in our community? How is it unique to the people getting married? Unique to this moment? The first step to creating a meaningful, transformative gathering is to understand the deeper purpose underneath it, and make sure that purpose is specific and unique to the need its trying to serve in that moment. I call this the Passover principle of gatherings. When youre planning a gathering, to ask first, how is this gathering different because of whose planning it, because of who youre inviting, because of what it is youre trying to do, then all of the others? With this in mind, I called Ellen, the woman having the Zoom Seder in California.

ellen The intimacy  how do you bring that into this Zoom platform? So clearly, I mean, its a Seder. And the purpose of us getting together is to have the Seder happen. Its a prescribed ancient service. Its a tradition. Its a ritual. It celebrates freedom. It celebrates people that had encourage, who went out into the desert and carved new lives for themselves. And the very structure of the service is very active. People gets a read. We go around in circles. So theres 45 minutes service, which is why we come together. But then theres all the other stuff. So do we let it go? Is there a way to bring intimacy into this? priya parker So Im hearing actually, two different parts of your question. So the first is, the purpose. And then the second is around that. How do we create intimacy? So what is the deepest need for this community this year to address? ellen Well, thats an interesting question. I mean, I think first and foremost, we wanted to do what we traditionally have been doing for the past 40-some odd years and come together. And one of the purposes of the Seder is for the elder generation, grandparents, parents, to pass down these rituals to their children.

priya parker

As I was listening to her, I realized that perhaps changing the ritual was not the way she was necessarily looking to innovate. Shes been doing this in a very specific way as part of a specific community year after year. And for this group of friends and family, doing over Zoom what theyve always done in person, is already a pretty radical departure from their status quo. So I kept listening, and just kind of poking around to find opportunities where we could start to shift or play a little bit. I wanted to help her loosen some of her assumptions of who holds power, and how this has to happen. And thats when I brought up this age element. One of the very unusual parts of all gatherings right now, regardless of your context or religious belief or country, is that the hierarchy, at least in terms of technology, is being flipped. Its the younger generations that actually have much more knowledge of the digital tools that give us access to these rituals in a way that didnt exist in many communities until now.

priya parker You know, this is a small point. But one of the things, as I listen to you that Im sort of realizing, is that I think, one of the elements of this tradition, this gathering, is the inherently intergenerational part of it. And I know that there is this tradition of centering the youngest child, and having them ask you know, these four questions. I think whats really interesting this year is its perhaps for those who are doing it on Zoom for the first time, which is probably a lot of people, theres actually an inverse of authority and knowledge because of the technology. ellen 100 percent. My son brought that up yesterday, that for the first time, it will be the younger generation teaching the older generation. You know, obviously, well send out notes and tell people how to use Zoom. And they will be available. They will be available for any coaching. So, because what we dont want is for people to be you know, starting and have no idea how to do it.

[music]

priya parker

In any gathering, there are official hosts and unofficial hosts. Every gathering has an opportunity to get your guests to feel like sub-hosts, to help them share in the creation of the event, and also worry about its success. And one of the simplest ways to do that is to give people specific roles and give those roles titles. I had a friend who often, when she was hosting large groups of people, would choose five water ministers for a night, and five wine ministers. And ahead of time, or sometimes when people just walked in the door, she said hey, would you mind doing this role tonight, which is anytime you see an empty glass, would you mind just filling up their water? And by giving it a name, a water minister, she changed an activity or a task into an identity. And in that identity, she elevated their role and gave meaning to the larger group. And this is what Im trying to do with Ellen here  to move away from this kind of obligatory task of getting grandma online or to help somebody download Zoom and make sure they test it, to actually honoring and elevating and seeing that role as part of an essential ritual. When you help somebody plug in to Zoom or Skype or Google Hangout, part of what youre doing is youre moving them from a state of disconnected to connected. So we start to play with that idea on this call.

priya parker Theres always like, the someone leading the charge. But theres a way, if you have 40 different people coming in, to create an element of like sub-hosts. And so if theres this like, almost like, if the major note is these three hosts, this year it may make sense to have some minor notes be technical hosts, allowing the younger ones ahead of time to really say, would you be  you can make up a word for it. I mean, maybe people are already online. But would you be a Zoom guide? Or like, a pun! I dont know if theres like, a Yiddish pun or a Hebrew pun, like between Zoom and  ellen There must be. There must be. Yeah, yeah. priya parker Right? Like, instead of a rabbi, a Zoombi. Or you know, like, just  just really playing around with this idea thats not just this technical happenstance, but part of creating meaningful gathering is making the implicit explicit. And I just  we can keep moving, but I would just really  I would play a lot around with this idea of actually inviting  maybe its like, four or six of the childrens generation or the teenage generation or the young 20s generation, to actually play a role and realizing that its actually  its a different thing to create sacred space on  in a digital world. And were inviting you to actually be our sacred space holders in this world that you understand better than we do. ellen Right. Its a great idea. priya parker You were saying the purpose is to kind of get the Seder done. Or like, to have the Seder. Tell me a little bit more. So again, why in this moment this year, like, you could just say lets pause this year. Tell me, like, what is the deepest, most specific need of this community this year? And why is hosting the Seder fulfilling that need? ellen Its a beautiful holiday. And its not only about the Jewish people escaping Egypt and going to Israel, but its about everybody. Its about all the people that escape from horrible circumstance. So its a reminder always about our world and about being aware of other people and the struggles that they have and how fortunate we are. And then theres also something so beautiful about reciting words that have been around for thousands of years, and that the torch has been passed year after year after year.

priya parker

So Ellen had explained to me that each year every family brought a dish or a sacred object or something to contribute to the ceremony. In offline gatherings, having people bring something isnt just helpful to the gathering, its actually also a form of preparation of the guest. When you spend time slow roasting brisket or stitching a headpiece or baking peanut butter cookies for a neighborhood bake sale, its also a mental preparation of you, on your path to this gathering. And so, in virtual gatherings, even if you cant contribute food for everybody else, one big opportunity, whether its a dinner party or a birthday party or a movement class, is to have people bring virtual offerings to the gathering. So what is a virtual offering? Its something that a guest, any guest, can bring to offer to the group that enhances everybody elses experience of that gathering. It could be setting up your screen to have a beautiful background. It could be the playing of a song. It could be a question. It could be a promise to listen. Just because we cant bring physical stuff, doesnt mean we cant contribute. And this is the opportunity for us to all invent.

ellen Now, the  what comes up for me when I hear that, which is  its a beautiful concept. And what worries me is theres a lot of people. Like, we have done things where we have shared like, whats happening with everybodys kids. And this can go on for a long time. So I worry a little bit  youve got this person reading a poem, this person playing a song, and this person whatever. So I wonder whether or not we could create like, a  and again, this takes some technology  but some sort of separate document where people put their offerings somehow online for all of us to look at before and take away with us, and maybe do a little bit of it? priya parker So a couple of ideas. One is this is a good assignment and a challenge for one of your young digital hosts to figure out. Right? And give them the constraints. And get them to figure out like, whats the best technology in order to do this? ellen Yeah. priya parker But the spirit of the invitation to really explain it, is just like, we are still going through an act, but we have to do it differently this year. ellen Yes. No, thats great. priya parker Right? And then the second thing Id say is, with the offering, I mean, it could be also really simple. Like, everybody send a drawing or photograph or a GIF of what they would have liked to you know, serve. Theres so much  theres so much  it can be very simple or it can be complex. But just really  its also just like a muscle. Its like, one of the things  like the danger of Zoom is its a lot easier to be a passive participant. ellen Exactly. priya parker And so one of the things were building this year, in order to create more meaningful virtual gatherings for the rest of our lives, let alone in a crisis, is what is  what are the different ways we can actually help people meaningfully guest a Zoom gathering? ellen Yes, yes. priya parker So I would play around with that. And then if you go to the second part, and its like, how do you set the room or how to set the table? And here, I would invite each person  I mean, if youre doing it in Zoom, theres a setting in which whoever the host is, like, you almost welcome everybody else into their living room or dining room or wherever theyre hosting it. Thats one option. But the other is each person brings a sacred object or brings a  like a sac  some object that they offer to the collective like, window of 40. And again, it doesnt have to make  like, not everybody will be able to see all of the screens. Like, some of this also is to create a psychological contract. ellen Yeah! Like, some people bring their grandfathers bible. And some people bring letters from their you know, grandparents who died in the Holocaust. Or  there are things. priya parker Yes. They bring a thing. And again, this is also the preparation of the guest, right? So for example, say for the opening ritual, and you tell them everyone bringing a sacred object. And then the host welcomes people. Says in the same way that you have in years past, their kind of like, opening monologue  and then to kind of check in and then invite, almost as if you do like, you know, its like when the communities come together or teams come together, and you get a chance for each team to almost like, call in, to go to each household that has a screen, and just invite them in. And the person whos hosting should like, coordinate this. And maybe you go from east to west, or alphabetical order, or the person who has been to the most Seders down to the person who is like, the newest. Or you know, or vise versa. Like, you can make meaning in order as well. But each person gets like, 10 seconds. And part of this is also practice. Its like, almost like a group poem. And they show their object. And maybe each person ahead of time they think like, how can I explain this object and that significance in 10 words or less? And again, all of this is a challenge. But part of creating meaning is having people work for it, right? You want to suffer a little. One of the opportunities of this moment is like, because we have these constraints, we also have an opportunity to create new meaningful ritual that doesnt take 12 hours.

priya parker

So you may be listening to this podcast in quarantine. Im doing these calls from sheltering in place, sometimes through my cell phone, sometimes on a landline, sometimes even from my car, when thats the only quiet place I can find. And as we settle in together over the coming weeks, I invite you to think about your gatherings, your moments of meaning creation. And begin to think about new ways to invent meaningful gatherings for the people in your life while were physically apart. One of the things that this moment I believe, will reveal is that the core of every gathering is not actually food. Its a convening mechanism, but its not the purpose. Nor is the table, nor is the script. The core of every gathering is its underlying animating purpose. The need that the community is trying to fulfill. How is this night different from all other nights? Asking this question, whether youre celebrating Passover with your family this week, or perhaps gathering apart over Easter or any other holidays or birthday party or a wedding, to ask this question, to think how might this be different? And then to find the right structure can be very powerful. We have structure all around us. If you think about parliamentary procedure is a structure, a fantasy football draft day is a structure, a tea ceremony is a structure, even a karaoke night is a structure. But part of the possibility and opportunity of gatherings is to not assume the specific structure ahead of time. To first ask what is the purpose? And then ask what might be a structure that could help us get us there, particularly while were gathering virtually? I want to close by sharing an example of an invented structure that Ive been playing around with. In 2012, Bruce Springsteen gave this keynote speech at the South by Southwest Conference, a musical and technology conference, that was canceled this year. And in that speech, he gave a musical autobiography of his life, from the songs that most shaped him as a young boy, to a teenager, to a young adult, not only as a musician but also as a human being. And I was telling a friend about this amazing speech. And he said, well, why dont we, why dont our group of friends do that? And heres how it works. Its called the Seven Song Salon. You invite a group of people, could be family, it could be friends. And what theyre committing to is to listen to everybody elses musical autobiography and to share their own. Each person gets one salon. So whether its 60 minutes or 90 minutes over Zoom, you can invite people to do it over dinner, bring your own dish. And the person needs to prepare ahead of time. And you bring the seven songs that most shaped you over the course of your life, from the earliest memories to the present day. These can be songs that, at some moment, you may have listened to on repeat. It could be songs that bring you back to a very specific moment in time. It can be a formative song. It can be painful. It can be beautiful. It can anything. And this is what I mean by powerful structure, that when you have a legitimate need that everybody else agrees on  so in this case, wanting to meaningfully connect with other people in a different way  structure can actually give us a sense of focus and form to make order out of the chaos, to use Amichais language, to figure out how do we actually do this together. I invite you to try it and tell us about it. The reason I focus on gatherings is because I believe anybody can gather well. I dont think you need a fancy house. I dont think you need a fancy fish knives or have to know the right etiquette. I think that we are, even more now than ever before, in a moment of radical invention. And to be a good gatherer, you need to have a relevant need, and have people who want to solve that need with you. The way we gather becomes the way we live. And right now, were facing a moment of massive interruption. And we have an opportunity to also invent, in these very difficult times, new ways to be together that are meaningful and relevant, and help us not only get through this time, but to generate new ways of being together that might survive well past this time.

[music]

announcer

Together Apart is produced by Jesse Baker and Eric Newsom at Magnificent Noise, in partnership with The New York Times. Our production staff includes Hiwote Getaneh, Destry Sibley, Kristin Mueller, and Paul Schneider. The executive producers of Together Apart are Jesse Baker and Priya Parker. And this show would not be possible without Corey Zika, Joanna Nichols, Anya [INAUDIBLE], Julia Simon, Lisa Tobin and Sam Dolnick.

[music]
Travis AFB works to prevent COVID-19 spread, ensure readiness

By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman and Airman 1st Class Cameron Otte, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs / Published April 07, 2020

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- As COVID-19 sweeps across the United States and the world, Travis Air Force Base has taken several actions to prevent further spread of the virus while ensuring readiness.

The 60th Medical Group staff began planning to respond to COVID-19 and its potential impact on readiness weeks ago when the secretary of defense selected Travis AFB as a location to house quarantined people returning to America from Wuhan, China, to avoid COVID-19 exposure.

"We started deliberate planning in early February when we learned Travis AFB would receive repatriated American citizens," said Col. Kristen Beals, 60th MDG commander. "We knew that was a Department of Health and Human Services mission, but we developed teams to assess what a COVID-19 response would look like at David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center and the impact it could have at our installation.

"We developed several teams who would screen patients and visitors to DGMC, as well as ensure we could provide force health protection and mission assurance. To ensure those two things, we implemented a number of things to protect the force and screen patients."

Assessment teams assigned groups of health professionals to screen patients entering the Air Force's largest medical center, and they implemented personal protective equipment and physical distancing procedures to protect health care providers and customers, Beals said.

Additionally, Team AFB leaders took measures to mitigate the virus' impact and to maintain the health and safety of service members and their families.

Col. Jeffrey Nelson, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander, placed the base in Health Protection Condition Charlie March 18, restricted gatherings on base to less than 10 people and limited active-duty Airmen to traveling no more than 150 miles due to the growing spread of COVID-19 in the communities surrounding the base.

The pandemic has also impacted how the medical staff at DGMC provides care, said Beals.

"Routine, outpatient and elective surgeries have been curtailed, and we are leveraging telehealth options to the maximum extent possible," Beals said. "This enables our provider teams in the clinics, who are not currently seeing patients face-to-face due to physical distancing, to handle visits over the phone. That's something we want to continue as Solano County, California, and the president may extend physical distancing measures."

President Donald Trump extended physical distancing guidelines through April 30 during a press conference, March 29. The president also said he would assess the situation at the end of April, but that physical distancing measures could be implemented until June.

While the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes, Beals said her team is focused on providing essential services and maintaining military readiness.

"There are certain services we must continue to provide such as cancer treatments, the pharmacy, laboratory, hemodialysis and radiology; all of those services are still available," she said. "Our emergency department is open. We are still providing urgent care and all of our inpatient wards are open. We are also coordinating surgeries with patients on a case-by-case basis."

The medical group also established two COVID-19 clinics, one consisting of a series of tents outside the DGMC emergency room and another inside the facility.

"The tents outside the emergency room were constructed the weekend before March 16 in concert with the COVID-19 clinic inside DGMC, and within 48 hours we were receiving patients," said Capt. Tyler Padgett, 60th MDG Family Health Clinic physician and one of the physicians working in the Travis AFB COVID-19 clinics.

"Our mission is to ensure people are safe and healthy at this base," Padgett said. "We are creating and implementing plans to keep our Airmen and families safe, whether they're required to be isolated or quarantined, and we are doing all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring we can execute our mission."

Additional measures have been taken to help keep the spread down and keep and keep people safe.

Since March 16, pharmacies at Travis Air Force Base implemented a touchless pickup procedure to help mitigate the spread of the virus, and remain open to all eligible beneficiaries.

"The Touchless Pickup procedure will work similar to the normal way we operate," said Senior Master Sgt. Holly Burke, 60th Medical Group pharmacy flight chief. "Before entering the pharmacy, all patients will be required to answer questions to confirm they don't have any of the common symptoms the coronavirus is known to cause. Once patients have been verified to not have symptoms and are granted access, they will need to get a ticket from one of our kiosks."

The virus can survive for several hours on surfaces, so each kiosk is cleaned every 30-minutes, Burke added.

Base pharmacy professionals also laid out red tapes in lines for the counters and kiosks to let patrons know how far to stand from each other to ensure a safe distance is maintained. Plastic barriers have been placed on chairs in intervals to maintain social distancing while people wait to be called on.

Additionally, pharmacy technicians now have clear, plastic barriers between them and their customers, Burke said. Customers simply hold up their identification cards, and the pharmacy technicians can verify identities and retrieve prescriptions while maintaining physical distance.

One way the medical group is doing that is through screening locations set up across the base including the passenger terminal, satellite pharmacy and child development centers. Hand sanitizer is also now readily available at the entrances of the base exchange and commissary.

Implementing telehealth options has also enabled doctors to discuss concerns with patients without placing additional risk on providers and patients alike, Padgett added.

"The family health clinic where I work, is now mainly seeing patients virtually, but still ensuring our Airmen are mission-ready by completing a variety of requirements including preventative health assessments," Padgett said.

Preventative health assessments are required periodically for military members to ensure they are fit for duty. Much of the responsibility for completing those assessments falls on DGMC's Flight Medicine Clinic, which is now temporarily located in the dental clinic since the internal COVID-19 clinic now occupies the space the clinic once called home.

Over a five-day period from March 1620, the clinic completed 93 physical health assessments, 31 annual flight PHAs and processed 20 medical clearances.

"This is a challenging time as we work to maintain readiness while mitigating the risk of spreading COVID-19," said Maj. Alisha Florence, 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron flight and operational medicine commander. "We have to project a powerful and ready Air Force not just to our country, but to our enemies as well."

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22 Houthi Militias Killed and Injured in Clashes in West of Taiz

Saudi Press Agency

Tuesday 1441/8/14 - 2020/04/07

Taiz, April 07, 2020, SPA -- Seven members of the Houthi militia were killed today and 15 others were injured in clashes with the Yemeni National Army in west of Taiz, Yemen.

The Yemeni army was able to confront the militia attack after hours of battles, accompanied by artillery shelling and intense gunfire.

--SPA

18:51 LOCAL TIME 15:51 GMT

0036

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opinion

In the last week of March, a disturbing incident occurred: A man went into a hospital in Homa Bay County claiming to have Covid-19, causing pandemonium. Like bats from hell, everybody ran out.

This scenario is bound to recur one time too many if urgent safety measures and training are not made available to primary healthcare providers.

The pandemic has made us all alert to health injustice with regard to healthcare financing. In their seminal paper, Agnes W. Kibui, Ruth K. Mugo and other researchers asserted in their introduction: "Global health plays a crucial role in global security. Globalisation, increased international travel, trade and expanding economies prompt the need to think of health in a global context."

The global nature of Covid-19 was properly predicted by the authors and they made it clear that the battleground has shifted; the combatant is no longer flesh and blood foes but a virus that is virulent, unpredictable and incurable.

Of all the coronaviruses, including Mers and Sars, Covid-19 takes the crown in both its benign manifestation and deadly exponential ability to spread. It validates the adage "when it rains softly, it sinks deeper".

Devolving of health services to the 47 counties left the national government with policy functions, research and regulation of the sector.

Key among them are the seven "semi-autonomous agencies". They are Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, Kenya Medical Training College, National Aids Control Council and National Hospital Insurance Fund. The counties are responsible for facilities classified as levels 1-5. This is where the problem is.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Coronavirus Kenya By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The notion gaining currency within epidemiology circles is that the announced Covid-19-positive cases are but the tip of an enormous iceberg. Health workers are ready to pursue their calling and, if need be, risk their lives fighting the virus.

However, the national government should provide them with personal protective equipment (PPEs) and certified biosafety cabinets for the laboratory officers and equip the state laboratories since this is where the safety of the nation shall be determined.

As KPMDU proposed to the BBI task force, health should be managed by a commission -- just like teachers. And the coronavirus pandemic has vindicated the doctors' union.

The national government is a signatory to supranational agreements such as the Abuja Declaration, which requires it to allocate at least 15 per cent of the annual budget to health. Only Tanzania has done that.

When Kenya's confirmed Covid-19 cases hit 25, President Uhuru Kenyatta proclaimed: "I wish to assure you all that, as a government, at both the national and county levels, we are implementing strict evaluation and monitoring protocols designed to proactively seek out and test persons who may be carriers of this virus."

The President means well for the nation but, as his foot soldier, allow me to use the refrain, "Kwa ground vitu ni different (things are different on the ground)." If the swiftness, precision and zeal of security forces in enforcing the curfew were duplicated in the health system, many lives can be saved.

Mrs Ochichi is an epidemiologist and laboratory officer with the Ministry of Health. [email protected]
I Spy Grandma: a fun narrative designed to delight the kids with a series of words that follow the alphabet series. I Spy Grandma is the creation of published author Noreen Anne, who grew up in Chicago and spent time in an orphanage after her mother died at an early age. Her relationship with books was like a best friend and therapy as it always left her uplifted and inspired.

Noreen Anne shares, I Spy Grandma is designed to give parents, grandparents, and caregivers a fun bonding opportunity while relaxing and reading. It is a hands-on reading game designed to promote the alphabet, phonics and beginning sounds, along with memory, recall, and art skills. After reading, there's some hands-on activities at the end of the book where each child can color their favorite objects while improving and developing eye-hand coordination and recall skills. Having fun, bonding, and enjoying the process are the ultimate goals.

While five-year-old Rosa was recently adopted in to a loving, Christian family, she is not the only one learning new things. Rosa is excelling in English and her adopted grandmother is slowly but surely mastering Spanish. I Spy Grandma is a wonderful story about generational, cultural, and educational experiences.

It is hoped that I Spy Grandma will be available for translation in many languages.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Noreen Anne's new book offers young children an enjoyable story with bonding activities while learning the alphabet and beginning sounds. "I Spy Grandma" can be enjoyed together with loved ones via Facetime or Skype to bridge the distance and interconnection for the young and old alike during these times of social isolation.

View a synopsis of I Spy Grandma on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase I Spy Grandma at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about I Spy Grandma contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Seven people who tested positive for the coronavirus have been linked to the same restaurant in China, sparking fears of a looming new outbreak as the country scrambles to get back to normal.

It comes as authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou are investigating a possible series of community transmission of the killer bug after five Nigerian nationals were infected with the deadly disease.

Four of them had recently visited the same eatery 'Emma Food' multiple times, announced the Guangzhou Health Commission yesterday. The restaurant owner, along with her daughter and another child, later tested positive for the contagion.

Seven people who tested positive for the coronavirus have been linked to the same restaurant in China, sparking fears of a looming new outbreak as the country scrambles to get back to normal. People are seen having food in a restaurant in a shopping mall in Beijing

Guangzhou authorities detected five Nigerian citizens with infections between March 28 and March 30, after screening 3,779 travellers from high-risk countries living in the city. People wearing face masks walk on the street in African Village in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

The coronavirus epidemic erupted in China after dozens of people suffering 'mysterious viral pneumonia' were linked to the same seafood market in Wuhan.

Guangzhou is situated 1,028 kilometres (638 miles) south of the former epicentre.

Yuexiu District, where the restaurant is located, has imposed strict measures in a response to the new cluster of infections, according to the press.

The new cases have raised an alarm in Guangzhou which has so far reported 466 coronavirus cases.

The Chinese city Guangzhou is situated 1,028 kilometres (638 miles) south of the former epicentre, Wuhan

Guangzhou authorities detected five Nigerian citizens with infections between March 28 and March 30, after screening 3,779 travellers from high-risk countries who weren't quarantined after arriving in China.

A total of 197 people who had close contact with the patients were isolated and tested.

The owner of Emma Food, known by her surname, Zhuang, was put under quarantine on April 1 after officials discovered four of the patients had recently been to the restaurant. Zhuang, 38, tested positive on April 2.

The owner's daughter, aged 8, and her three-year-old playmate both were diagnosed with the deadly disease on the next day.

The owner of Emma Food, known by her surname, Zhuang, was put under quarantine on April 1 after officials discovered four of the patients had recently been to the restaurant. Boards are seen at a restaurant to separate customers, following the coronavirus pandemic

The Emma Food restaurant has been closed for inspection. Other restaurants in the district have been forced to shut down for 14 days, Chinese media report. People wearing masks walk on the street in African Village in Guangzhou of southern China yesterday

The Emma Food restaurant has been closed for inspection. Other restaurants in the district have been forced to shut down for 14 days, Chinese media report.

Speculation circulating online yesterday suggested that the infections prompted the district to go into lockdown. City police today have crushed the rumours and said residents are still allowed to enter or leave the community through two designated entrances.

Security guards are seen stationed on the streets to take visitors' temperatures, according to the press.

Guangzhou is one of China's major trading and garment industry hubs, attracting many merchants from around the world. The coastal city is also reportedly home to Asia's largest African migrant population.

Experts have warned that the surge of 'imported cases' and asymptotic patients could trigger a new wave of outbreak, spoiling the nation's progress to curb the epidemic. Residents are pictured shopping at a fresh food market in Hong Kong on April 5

Experts have warned that the surge of 'imported cases' and asymptotic patients could trigger a new wave of outbreak, spoiling the nation's progress to curb the epidemic.

The authority has urged officials to step up monitoring 'scattered infections' and possible 'regional outbreaks', triggered by non-native cases and patients with no symptoms.

In a worrying sign, more than half a million people in central China had to go into a new lockdown last week after three doctors tested positive for the virus despite showing no symptoms.

Imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who show no symptoms but can still pass the virus on, have become China's chief concern after draconian containment measures succeeded in slashing the overall infection rate.

With the number of new cases dropping to zero in China but soaring abroad, Beijing now views the coronavirus as a 'foreign' problem and has increased its efforts to screen new arrivals from abroad.

People passing through security at the railway station in Wuhan, a body temperature checking feature is also used

Passengers queue at Wuhan city's main rail station as the lockdown is lifted after 76 days

It comes as People living in the Chinese city Wuhan where coronavirus first emerged were permitted to leave for the first time since it was locked down, despite fears infections could rise if restrictions are eased too quickly.

China sealed off the city of Wuhan on January 23, when it became apparent the deadly Covid-19 virus had started there.

But at 00.50am on Wednesday, trains carrying people out of the city began running, and major highways also began opening up as China's lockdown on Wuhan was lifted.
Oman Air will operate a special flight on April 10 to fly home Omani citizens stranded in Tanzania due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, said a report.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman will operate an Oman Air flight on April 10, which will leave Dar es Salaam at 14:20 and from Zanzibar at 15:50," Times of Oman reported, citing a statement issued online by the Embassy of Oman in Tanzania.

"The Embassy informs all citizens in Tanzania who desire to return to Oman to book their seats with the Omani Aviation Office on April 8, by contacting the number 0685 082 540," the statement added.
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)--ANA Holdings Inc.'s <9202> All Nippon Airways said Wednesday that it will extend the period of flight suspension on three routes between Japan and India until the end of May due to stricter immigration controls amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Japanese airline will newly cancel a total of 180 flights on the routes connecting Japan with Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai between April 25 and May 31.

ANA will offer three special flights each from Mumbai and Chennai to Japan for travelers wishing to return home.

END

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Toilet habits - something not often talked about, but something everyone has.

QS Supplies conducted a "Tweeting on the Toilet" study, where they got over 1000 people from America and Britian to share how they spend time on the loo.

The study begins by saying how normal pooing is. It says females will pass around 11.757 kgs and males will pass around 11,030 kgs of faecal matter in their life times. Now that's a fact you didn't wake up thinking you'd learn.

Now for the results.
COOS BAY, Ore.  A man was arrested and is accused of multiple thefts, the Coos County Sheriffs Office said.

Deputies responded to a home off of East Bay Road at about 4:30 p.m. on April 2. A man told them someone forced entry into his home and took multiple firearms, tactical gear, and other items. The mans wife was inside at the time but the thief didnt enter that room, he said.

Then, deputies responded to a report of a criminal trespass down the road. They said the property owner caught Dallas Bradley-Olson, 27, on surveillance video. He reportedly drove onto the property, took items and left.

The sheriffs office said the car he was driving was a Volvo station wagon stolen out of North Bend, and police there were notified.

Then, on April 4, a resident found the vehicle in the Englewood area. Authorities searched the car and found some stolen items and narcotics, they said. The property was returned.

Bradley-Olson was taken to the Coos County Jail. He faces charges of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree theft, second-degree theft, second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief, six counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a controlled substance.

He was also booked on charges from other agencies, the sheriffs office said.
FILE PHOTO: French Businessman and Lazard France CEO Matthieu Pigasse poses during an interview with Reuters in Paris

By Gwenaelle Barzic and Pamela Barbaglia

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Centerview has hired Lazard's former France boss, Matthieu Pigasse, to lead its newly-launched Paris office and win business from European companies grappling with the economic damage caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Centerview, which currently operates in Europe from its London outpost, has also poached former Lazard bankers Nicolas Constant and Pierre Pasqual.

Pigasse, who left Lazard in October after 17 years at the firm, will head a 14-strong team of bankers focusing on merger and acquisition (M&A) deals as well as corporate restructurings and financing needs for French and European clients.

The 51-year old media mogul, who helped rescue the Le Monde group, will also pioneer sovereign advisory on behalf of Centerview - a business that the U.S. boutique bank has not tackled before.

Pigasse has built a reputation for himself after advising world governments including Iraq, Greece and Argentina in their debt restructuring efforts.

A former advisor to the French Treasury, he boasts long-standing relationships in France's tight-knit world of finance and has worked with companies including L'Oreal <OREP.PA> and Danone <DANO.PA>.

The Frenchman also secured a high-profile mandate to advise state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco on its initial public offering (IPO) last year and will continue looking for opportunities in the Gulf, where oil firms have been hit hard by a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Centerview has been trying to lure Pigasse for the past nine months in a bid to advise France's key companies and ramp up its continental European business in the wake of Britain's departure from the EU.

"Despite current challenges, we are confident that businesses in France and across Europe are resilient and will be essential contributors to the global economic recovery," said Centerview's co-founder Blair Effron.

The boutique firm, which was launched by Effron and co-founder Robert Pruzan in 2006, has ambitious plans for its Paris office located on the upmarket Avenue Matignon.

Story continues

It wants to hire another five to ten junior bankers in Paris in the coming months to boost its ability to provide long-term support to crisis-hit clients on a broad range of topics.

Constant, who quit Lazard just weeks before Pigasse, will serve as his right-hand man having been named partner of the firm alongside Pigasse, while Pierre Pasqual will serve as a managing director.

But the newly-built team will only be able to interact using video-conferencing tools as Paris remains locked down and French authorities have banned outside exercise during the daytime.

With the French economy officially entering a recession, Centerview's Paris hub will gradually try to position itself to advise on deals in other battered economies including Italy and Spain.

Pigasse said Centerview's decision to press ahead with the office launch was "an act of confidence in the future" and praised its "entrepreneurial culture." He pledged to support "French and European companies in dealing with the crisis and preparing for recovery in the best possible conditions."

The U.S. firm ranked poorly in first quarter global M&A league tables, slipping to 21st place, according to Refinitiv data, while its fierce rival Evercore ranked fourth after Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan.

Centerview has typically advised U.S. clients when working on European deals and recently represented jeweller Tiffany <TIF.N> in sales discussions with LVMH <LVMH.PA>, and Synthorx when the U.S. biotech was sold to Sanofi <SASY.PA> last year.

(Reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic, Pamela Barbaglia and Maya Nikolaeva; Editing by Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan)
The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday quashed the FIR filed against Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and disposed of the plea for his arrest for allegedly hurting the sentiment of the Brahmin community by posting a "highly objectionable" photograph on social media. "The court did not find the offence made out against Dorsey and said allowing investigation in the matter by police was absolutely uncalled for," said Dorsey's counsel Sandeep Kapoor.

Kapoor said the court observed that the FIR did not disclose "necessary ingredients" of any cognizable offence to warrant its registration and investigation. The FIR was filed by Raj Kumar Sharma, a Jodhpur resident, through the court in November 2018 alleging that Dorsey hurt the sentiment of the Brahmin community by posting the photograph on Twitter, with a poster in his hand stating "Smash Brahminical Patriarchy" during his India visit.

By posting the highly objectionable photograph on Twitter, the accused maligned the Brahmin society at large and acted in a manner likely to induce religious hatred towards the community on the whole," Sharma stated in his complaint. Allowing the miscellaneous petitions by Dorsey and a journalist, Justice Sandeep Mehta said, "I am of the opinion that allowing investigation in the matter to be continued is absolutely uncalled for."

Referring to the phrase ascribed as objectionable by the complainant, the court said these words could not be construed as having any direct link with the religious sentiment of any section of society. The words in the poster best convey the feelings of the concerned person regarding being strongly opposed to the Brahminical patriarchal system and desirous of denouncing the same," it said.

Dorsey and the journalist Anna M.M Vetticad had moved the court with a criminal miscellaneous petition praying for quashing of the FIR. In December last year, the court did not quash the FIR but stayed the arrest.
"Businesses need to adapt to survive. Customers now expect to communicate with businesses via digital channels  whether it's through an app or a website. However, while businesses recognize this, a lack of skills, coding or technical knowledge has traditionally been a barrier," said Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder and CEO of Builder.ai. "At Builder.ai, we make it as easy and as affordable as possible for businesses to amplify their digital presence."

The first apps will serve the specific needs of businesses across e-commerce and delivery - such as flower shops, grocery stores and clothiers - and can be delivered to a customer in less than eight weeks. The e-commerce app makes selling to an ever-mobile customer effortless, and retailers can showcase their goods with a scrollable carousel and offer a wide range of secure payment methods. The app includes features that will handle the soup to nuts of most e-commerce experiences, the aftercare to keep the app working and the cloud needed to run the app and scale the business. The delivery app makes online distribution smooth and simple with features including payment integration, in-app notifications and FedEx integration. The Studio Store can also serve as a stepping-stone as customers can add features from Builder Studio to make their app more customized over time.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, Builder.ai will help SMBs with e-commerce or delivery needs build their Studio Store app and provide the first three months of live service for free. This offer will remain available for the next three months.

Duggal continued, "We are seeing a disruption across all industries globally by COVID-19, and the way many of us interact with our customers overnight has stopped, changed or morphed. Among those most vulnerable are the smaller businesses without an online presence that depend on their customers to walk through their doors. Although there is a lot of uncertainty right now, SMBs are presented with an opportunity to rethink how they do business. Having a thoughtful digital presence for businesses will be critical, which is why we are offering this assistance to all SMBs so that they can use this time to leapfrog ahead."

Builder.ai plans to expand its offerings within The Studio Store to help improve the wider challenges that businesses face across all industries. With The Studio Store, Builder.ai is furthering its mission to democratize the software market by offering pre-built software for a fraction of the price, giving more companies than ever the opportunity to use technology to grow their business.

The Studio Store apps are currently offered to English speaking customers across the world. The Studio Store is priced at $500 per month and Builder.ai does not take any cut of sales or transaction fees (other than those charged directly by a payment gateway). Builder.ai requires a one-month deposit at the beginning of the engagement. Unlike other SaaS providers, the customer gets a copy of the code after 24 months. To learn more about The Studio Store, please click here .

ABOUT BUILDER.AI

Builder.ai is a leading no-code software development platform that helps entrepreneurs and enterprises build, run and scale their software without ever having to write a line of code and get ownership. Led by serial entrepreneur Sachin Dev Duggal, Builder.ai is reshaping how tailor-made software is built and operated with core products including Builder Studio, Builder Cloud, Builder Care and more recently, Builder Now. Builder.ai is a global brand with headquarters in London, supported by offices in New Delhi, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dubai. Customers include the BBC, NBC Universal and Virgin Unite. Builder.ai was created with the belief that everyone should be able to build their ideas without needing to code.

SOURCE Builder.ai

Related Links

https://www.builder.ai


With the deaths of 48 more nursing home residents from the coronavirus in New Jersey, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Wednesday she was preparing to identify which facilities were too overwhelmed and need to transfer people to slow the spread of the disease among the states most vulnerable citizens.

At least one case of COVID-19 has been found inside 231 of the 375 nursing homes in the state, Persichilli said. A week ago, only 93 were affected.

Persichilli said the state was working with the long-term care center operators to identify which had the room to separate infected residents or those with symptoms from the resident of the population.

"We are surveying their ability to cohort in separate wings and floors, taking an inventory of PPE (personal protective equipment) and reviewing staffing plans, Persichilli said during the states daily coronavirus press briefing.

Facilities who cannot conform will be prioritized for transfer, she added.

The outbreak has claimed the lives of 146 nursing home residents, according to the state Department of Health.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Our hearts go out to folks who are losing loved ones everywhere, anywhere, but particularly in long-term care facilities, Gov. Phil Murphy said.

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 prepared outbreak response plans. Persichilli said her office is also using those to make decisions about transfers, recognizing how disruptive a move would be for many.

On March 25, St. Josephs Senior Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility in the Strawberry Hill section of Woodbridge was closed and its 75 remaining residents transferred to CareOne Hanover in the Whippany section of Hanover Township after the deadly virus swept through the facility.

The Murphy administration alluded to its planning for nursing home patients on Tuesday but added more detail on the same day Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage asked the state attorney general to investigate a nursing home where at least 22 residents died with at least 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Persichilli said there were three long-term care facilities that deserve more attention," but she did not identify them.

The plan will go into effect as we are speaking, and we plan to address this as quickly as we can, she said.

Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, who leads the NJ Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman told NJ Advance Media Tuesday she and her staff have heard dozens of reports of facilities that are already facing serious staff shortages.

In all, New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, now has at least 47,437 cases and at least 1,504 deaths from COVID-19, Murphy said Wednesday. Only New York has more cases among U.S. states.

Clarification: There are 375 nursing homes and 200 assisted living facilities in New Jersey. An earlier version of this story did not distinguish between the two.

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 writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 117 more cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the number of infected people in Indias worst-hit state to 1,135. The state crossed the 1,000-case mark in 30 days, from March 9 to April 7, with a 5.98% mortality rate, more than twice the countrys rate of 2.66%. The past five days accounted for 56.8% (645) of the states cases. Maharashtras capital, Mumbai, is the worst-affected city in India with 714 cases, which is 62.9% of the states total. At 45 deaths, Mumbai recorded 62.5% of the states toll of 72, including eight deaths on Wednesday.

Doctors and medical experts attribute these figures to porous and faulty policies of the state health department, including delayed universal screening of passengers from abroad and inadequate testing  one test per 4,208 citizens  in Maharashtra.

On March 9, Maharashtra reported its first case of Covid-19 when a couple from Pune, who had travelled to Dubai, tested positive for Sars-Cov-2, which is the virus that causes Covid-19.

The next day, three more people in the city who had come in contact with the couple tested positive. All five of them were admitted to Naidu Hospital in Pune.

On March 11, two people in Mumbai who were co-passengers of the Pune couple tested positive, making them the financial capitals first cases. All these people were part of a 40-member tourist group that returned to Mumbai from Dubai on March 1.

They were not screened at the Mumbai international airport as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was not in the list of 12 countries for compulsory screening at airports to find any infected patients. This is despite the World Health Organization (WHO) already declaring an outbreak of coronavirus.

According to the Airport Health Organisation (AHO), universal screening of passengers started from March 17.

In Maharashtra, more than 40% of the infections were owing to travellers who returned from the UAE. Even though Maharashtras first case was of a Dubai returnee, the state government waited for 10 days to start screening travellers from the UAE. This was a major loophole in the screening process, said Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra.

If the government didnt have adequate kits to run tests on thousands of travellers, they should have quarantined them for 14 days, said doctors.

Dr Bharat Purandare, infectious diseases expert, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, said, In retrospect, we can say that the government should have made universal screening of all passengers mandatory much earlier. Also, we should have stopped international flights in the first week of March.

The outbreak of the infection was reported in China in the last week of December. Despite this, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) didnt make arrangements to quarantine international travellers until they started the SevenHills Hospital facility on March 18. Mumbai has one of the biggest international airports, so the government should have kept a more diligent eye on travellers, added Dr Bhondwe.

Doctors have also blamed the states testing policy for the spread of the infection, pointing to the example of a 43-year-old Covid-19 patient with no travel history or close contact with an infected person. She is undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) in Fortis Hospital, along with her son. On March 19, when she developed symptoms, she contacted the civic-run Kasturba Hospital for a test. But the hospital refused as she was not a high-risk patient. On March 27, she was diagnosed with the disease through a test conducted in a private laboratory, but it was too late as her son and mother were already exposed to the virus because of the delay in diagnosis.

Similarly, there are several other patients with no international travel history or close contact with infected people, but owing to the rigid testing policy of the state government, many were refused the test, which further spread the infection, said doctors.

Maharashtra has a population of 11.50 crore, but only 27,090 tests have been conducted till Wednesday night  which is one test per 4,208 citizens.

Experts said this is inadequate as the number of asymptomatic patients in the state has increased to 76%, according to the state health department.

A freely accessible testing policy through both private and public-sector clinics, which is available on demand and with assured privacy of results, should be the first national priority to identify and quarantine asymptomatic patients. This is likely to increase the numbers of Covid-19 patients, but is essential to determine the extent of the spread in order to contain it, said Dr Ramen Goel, president, Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons (IAGES).

Another lapse that has recently come to light is the lack of appropriate standard operating process (SOPs) in private hospitals to diagnose asymptomatic patients. More than 60 medical staffers have been infected with the virus after unknowingly getting exposed to Covid-19 patients.

Nursing associations have criticised the government for not providing adequate training to them in handling coronavirus patients. Along with that, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) has turned into a big hurdle in treating Covid-19 patients.

A doctor from King Edward Memorial (KEM), Parel, said they arent given proper PPE to screen or treat patients. We are using protective kits for HIV while treating Covid-19 patients in ICU or isolation wards, said the doctor, on condition of anonymity.

Dr Manohar Kamath, general secretary of Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), said, In China, due to the same mismanagement, more than 3,000 medical staffers got infected. In this situation, we need more medicos. We cant afford to get front-liners infected. The government should have planned about the procurement process earlier, considering the size of the state.

During the beginning of the outbreak, the state health department stated that surgical masks were enough for medical staffers in hospital setups. But soon, as doctors started contracting the infection from asymptomatic patients despite wearing surgical masks, the health department on Wednesday has made it mandatory for everyone who steps out to wear masks.

This is a new strain of coronavirus, so medical knowledge about the virus is very limited, but health officials should have taken notes of the mistakes done in China. We have done several things wrong, which led to the spread, said a senior epidemiologist, on condition of anonymity.

Some doctors are suggesting bringing in the Army, like in the United Kingdom (UK), to streamline healthcare supply logistics. In addition to immediate policy action, the Indian Army, too, can be asked to step in for the protection of healthcare facilities. Without our soldiers  both literal and proverbial  Indias ability to reduce the fatalities of this war could be severely crippled, said Dr Goel.

Anup Kumar Yadav, commissioner (family welfare) and director, National Health Mission, Maharashtra said, The screening of passengers at the airport comes under the Central government and we just followed their guidelines. Maharashtra has done the highest number of tests so far in the country, so its unfair to say that we havent done adequate testing. We are setting up thousands of makeshift shelters for high-risk people to break the chain of transmission.

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VANCOUVERIm sure this is gonna sound ridiculous or strange, but 

So began many emails in the Stars inbox regarding the plight of Paulina Swierczyna, the 34-year-old Polish ski instructor who was stuck in Whistler, B.C. after the Whistler Blackcomb resort closed because of the coronavirus.

She told the Star about how she couldnt return to Poland because of a ban on incoming international flights, but also couldnt find another job in Canada due to work visa restrictions.

The Star published her story on March 24. Within minutes, calls and emails started to arrive. Some offered a place to stay, others friendly conversation in Polish to fight the loneliness.

This is not my norm to offer a room to a stranger  however my humanitarian value and this current state with COVID-19 has prompted me to contact you, read one email.

A few readers said they were from her hometown of Zakopane, Poland. Many were part of the large Polish communities in Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto. Others simply wanted to help.

Swierczyna received all of the messages, nearly 20 in total.

Im so grateful, she said. Its awesome that there are so many people.

Vail Resorts, Swierczynas former employer and owner of Whistler Blackcomb, also contacted her. She said a company representative told her she could stay in her current apartment  staff housing for Vail employees  rent-free until the end of April.

After that, a company in Kelowna, B.C. offered to hire her as a translator.

Two Hat, a tech company specializing in online content moderation, contacted the Star to reach Swierczyna.

We at Two Hat have been looking for a Polish language specialist for quite some time, the email read.

The message was a relief to Swierczyna.

The most happiest moment was when I saw the first email about the job offer, she said. I thought, OK, maybe there is a chance.

While she said she hasnt done translation work before, she is fluent in Polish and Italian. She was waiting to hear back from Two Hat about possibly finalizing the offer.

Her current sponsored work visa limits her to working for Vail Resorts. Any company that hires her would need to arrange to have that visa switched to an open work permit or one that they sponsor.

Swierczyna is among tens of thousands of temporary foreign workers in limbo during the pandemic. Juliana Dalley, a staff lawyer for the Migrant Workers Centre, estimates more than 130,000 people entered Canada on sponsored work visas last year.

While her future remains uncertain, with no guarantee of housing past this month, she said she feels reassured by the kindness of strangers.

At least you know you are not alone, she said, that in worst case, there is always someone who is willing to help you, somehow.

Read more about:
By Brenda Goh

WUHAN, China (Reuters) - Temperature checkpoints and posters telling workers to keep more than a metre apart at Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co's reopened plant in the Chinese city of Wuhan show how the coronavirus has created a new normal on the factory floor.

The plant, a Honda joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group was shut in late January when authorities ordered a lockdown in Wuhan in a bid to snuff out the coronavirus, which emerged there late last year.

It reopened on March 11 to resume operations in stages and is now back to pre-virus production levels, Li Shiquan, assistant director of the joint venture's No. 2 final assembly plant, told reporters on Wednesday.

Returning workers were asked to report where they had been since the epidemic started and temperature checkpoints were set up, Li said.

About 98% of its 12,000 workers were now back and were putting in over-time to make up for lost production, he said.

The joint venture produced 800,000 cars last year.

"We have many customers who are waiting for cars so this week we have arranged for each worker to work 1.5 hours more," he said, adding that a typical shift was eight hours.

A sign hanging from the ceiling in the factory said the goal was 1,237 cars that day, 17% higher than the 1,060 it usually produced.

Plants at Honda's Guangzhou-based joint venture with GAC are also running extra shifts, GAC's chairman Zeng Qinghong told analysts on its earnings call last week.

The central industrial hub of Wuhan started allowing people to leave the city on Wednesday in what is seen as a turning point for China's fight against the coronavirus.

RUBBER GLOVES, QR CODES

China's factories begun to reopen weeks ago as infection rates in their localities began to drop off.

Now other countries such as Italy and United States are trying to curb the spread of the virus by asking workplaces to shut and the public to stay home.

Honda has suspended operations in the United States and Canada, its biggest manufacturing hub, until May 1. It has also stopped output at plants in countries ranging from Britain to Thailand, and has announced intermittent stoppages at some of its Japanese plants.

Story continues

The Wuhan plant reopened after the government approved its plan to curb infection risks, Li said. The plant's smoking and rest areas have been shut to stop people from gathering while meetings have to be held on video links.

Workers needing a rest from the assembly line are encouraged to sit on red stools spaced out on the factory floor, Li said.

Reuters reporters on a visit to the factory saw workers dressed in white overalls, rubber gloves and masks. Posters told them to keep a metre apart at all times, though that was not always adhered to.

Pasted on pillars were QR codes, which workers use their mobile phones to scan in order to fill in - once a day - forms asking about any coughing or contacts with unwell people.

Li said no coronavirus cases had been found since the plant resumed operations.

The plant's more than 500 suppliers in Wuhan had also been allowed to resume operations on March 11, Li said, adding that Dongfeng Honda had provided them with some help but he did not go into details.

(Additional Reporting by Yilei Sun in Beijing and Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Police officers in Gujarat have



been directed to strictly enforce the lockdown in rural areas of the state to check the spread of coronavirus.

Issuing a circular on Wednesday, state Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha has directed district SPs, Range IGs and police commissioners to ensure that no one comes in or go out of villages.

To ensure this, local villagers along with "friends of police" or Gram Rakshak Dal jawans need to keep a watch in shifts and inform the police if they come across any outsider, it said.

It will be the responsibility of the 'Friends of Police' to make sure that villagers stay indoors and do not gather at one place, it stated.

The DGP also directed the local police to work with Health officials to ensure that people who had come to village from other places get quarantined and do not come in contact with local residents.

It will be the duty of 'Friends of Police' to make sure that no one violates the home quarantine. If someone is found symptomatic, he must be shifted to an isolated place in coordination with health department, according to the circular.

Jha further directed officials to conduct continuous patrolling in rural areas and remain in constant touch with locals.

As on Wednesday, Gujarat has reported 179 coronavirus positive cases.

According to a top Health official, 83 out of the total 179 cases have been reported from Ahmedabad, 23 from Surat, 16 from Bhavnagar, 13 each from Vadodara and Gandhinagar, 11 from Rajkot, five from Patan, three from Porbandar, two each from Kutch, Mehsana and Gir Somnath, and one each from Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Jamnagar, Morbi, Anand, and Sabarkantha.

So far, 16 people have died in the state and 25 recovered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A police officer helps a new mother who was coming from hospital after the matatu she was travelling in was denied access to Nairobi at Komarock roadblock in Machakos.

Chaos marked the first day of a containment order banning the movement of people in and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan as those unable to gain access to the city resorted to circumventing the roadblocks, putting a serious dent on the move's objective.

Tracking coronavirus

With roadblocks placed at all the major entries into the city, some people opted to trek through bushes or use other routes and then rejoin the roads a few kilometres away. Public service vehicles, which found themselves disadvantaged as they could not go past the barriers, easily adopted by creating makeshift bus stops.

There was also the question on where the actual borders of the Nairobi Metropolitan area are located. Those affected told the Nation they were being unfairly inconvenienced as they could not get to work despite living within the Nairobi Metropolitan area.

Pressure of finding housing within the city has over the years forced residents to rent or construct their own houses in satellite towns then commute to work every day.

Created in 2008, the Nairobi Metropolitan area covers 32,000 square kilometres including Kiambu, Limuru, Mavoko, Ruiru, Tala, Kajiado and Thika towns.

In guidelines issued by the Interior ministry, roadblocks are currently in place at Kamulu on Kangundo road, Small World and Katani (Mombasa road), Isinya (Nairobi-Namanga road), Kiserian and Ngong.

Other roadblocks are at Landless (Thika-Garissa highway), Blue Post Hotel (Thika Road), Uplands, Mutarakwa and Tinganga in Kiambu County. All vehicles carrying cargo have been exempted from the containment order but shall not travel at night unless they are transporting food.

"In the case of a cargo-loaded vehicle, the cargo is visible, or the driver bears such documentation of proof of loaded cargo. Police must check and see loaded cargo," said the Interior ministry.

"The vehicle should have no more than four persons on board. That is the driver and a maximum of three designated assistants. Additionally, medical personnel shall check the temperatures of the occupants of the vehicle," said the ministry.

However, some of the affected people resorted to circumventing the erected roadblocks, resulting in daylong cat and mouse game with the police.

At Kamulu on Tuesday, those unable to cross the roadblock alighted from vehicles and crossed the Athi River, which divides Nairobi and Machakos. With the rains and the river unable to stop them, those determined to make it to the city then walked to Kamulu town and boarded matatus to Nairobi.

"The government allowed this thing (the coronavirus) to come into the country when they let planes to continue landing when they knew the whole world is in trouble and now they want to punish us," said Mr Michael Mutisya, a resident of Joska town on the boundary between Nairobi and Machakos counties along Kangundo road.

"Whether they like it or not, we will make it to work. If I am fired, will the government give me a job?" he asked.

In Thika, police forced all public transport to drop passengers at Del Monte Depot that borders Kiambu and Murang'a counties along the busy Nairobi-Nyeri highway near Chania River.

The roadblock was manned by police from Makuyu Police Station but public transport from Thika town to Nairobi was uninterrupted.

Ms Jemmimah Kanyi, 75, told the Nation they were forced to alight at Del Monte Depot that is a few metres from Chania River as bodaboda riders made a killing ferrying passengers to Thika town before police intervened and dispersed them. "I had travelled from Kandara, Murang'a County, using a matatu and we were forced by police to alight at Del Monte, which is not far from Chania River," said Ms Kanyi.

"I paid Sh200 to access Thika town to seek medication since I am unwell. Police told us that President Uhuru Kenyatta said there should be no inter-county movement because of a certain disease that is killing people," she added.

Private motorists were not spared either by police; they had to show the course of their travel and why it was necessary. A good number were barred from accessing Thika town as police feared they were en route to Nairobi.

Riot police comprising both regular police and General Service Unit officers kept vigil, monitoring and approving who accesses Thika town and for what reason.

So strict was the exercise that even a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier who claimed he was reporting back to work from official leave had to convince the police why it was necessary for him to report back to work.

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"I had travelled from Embu hoping to get to Nairobi after arriving here at the roadblock at around 9am. It has taken me nearly five hours to convince police that I am reporting back to work since the matatu I was travelling in was barred from proceeding to either Thika town or Nairobi," said the KDF soldier who sought anonymity.

He was later allowed to proceed to Nairobi after calling his seniors.

Mr Simon Maina, a trader who supplies pineapples to Embu County from Gatundu North, was also affected by the ban. "The government never banned the movement of cargo in affected counties. Why are police barring us from gaining entry to Thika road since we are heading back home after ferrying goods," he told police angrily.

Ms Charity Mwaura, who looked frail, told the Nation her biggest worry is how to get home. She had used a motorbike in the morning to access Thika town where she had gone for a medical check-up after she was discharged from the hospital last week.

"I am exhausted after walking from Thika town to where the roadblock is. As you can see, I am unwell. I don't know how I will get home," she said.
France reported 541 more deaths from the coronavirus in hospitals over the last 24 hours today, bringing its total official toll to 10,869.

Top health official Jerome Salomon said 7,148 people were in intensive care, an increase of 17 from a day earlier, the lowest increase recorded in recent weeks.

There was no daily data available today from nursing homes, he said, due to a technical fault. This implies the overall toll could be incomplete.

It comes as the Government is to further extend its lockdown, with President Macron to address the French public again next week.

The confinement order - imposed on March 17 - 'will be extended' beyond its current limit of April 15, adding that Macron will address the nation on Monday evening to present the new decisions on the fight against the virus.

Only essential trips have been allowed during one of the most draconian lockdowns among Western countries, provided a signed piece of paper is presented.

Nurses take care of patients infected by the coronavirus going for an exam at the scanner unit at the Floreal clinic in Bagnolet, near Paris, amid the raging pandemic

There was no daily data available today from nursing homes. This implies the overall toll could be incomplete (pictured, woman wearing a face mask in Sceaux, south of Paris)

President Macron (pictured) takes part in a video conference with World Health Organisation general director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Elysee Palace in Paris

The WHO said over 1.3million people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus

France has the fourth highest coronavirus death toll in the world, behind Italy, Spain and the US, according to the latest figures.

The death toll from French hospitals was slightly lower than the comparable number from yesterday, which was recorded as 597.

Mr Salomon said the increase of the virus' spread over recent days had been slowed because the lockdown was being largely observed.

'The slowing seen over the last days is linked to your good respect of the confinement rules,' he said at a press conference.

He expressed hope that France would see a flattening in its curve of cases in coming days but emphasised that this 'plateau is at a very high level'.

Meanwhile the Government is working on a smartphone app that could warn users if they came into contact with a coronavirus carrier.

Patient infected by Covid-19 undergoes an electrocardiogram at the Floreal clinic in Bagnolet

Doctors operate a drive-through coronavirus testing site near the Eiffel Tower to test medical professionals for the coronavirus as the country endures a lockdown

Officials are exploring ways to end the restriction on movement, including contact-tracing apps, in a move sure to exercise human rights groups.

'In the fight against Covid-19, technology can help,' junior tech minister Cedric O, told Le Monde. 'Nothing will be decided without a broad debate.'

Users would install the app - project titled StopCovid - on their mobile phones. It would notify all the people who have been in close contact they have been near someone who has identified themselves as positive.

French law forbids smartphone tracking, in contrast with countries like China, Taiwan and South Korea, which use smartphone location readings to trace the contacts of people who have tested positive to a virus or to enforce quarantine orders.

Nurses place a patient for an exam at the scanner unit at the Floreal clinic in Bagnolet

The issue has sparked a debate even within President Macron's majority in parliament, with several lawmakers from his party warning they would vote against any move to use geo-tracking technology.

France and Germany, the EU's two biggest economies, are now bracing for a painful recession as the pandemic crisis slashes output to the lowest levels in decades.

National outport in export powerhouse Germany is expected to shrink by nearly 10 per cent in the second quarter as shutdowns paralyse the global economy.

France is already in a technical recession, the Bank of France said, after official data showed the economy shrank 0.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2019.

Current estimates suggest the economy contracted six per cent in 2020. According to the central bank, France's first-quarter performance was its worst since 1945.

A woman is examined by a doctor at an advanced Covid-19 medical station at the Saint Roch hospital, which houses a coronavirus testing centre, in Montpellier

Municipal police officers check documents as they patrol a street of Sceaux during lockdown

For every two weeks the country is locked down by the virus, the Bank of France said it expects the economy to shrink by 1.5 per cent.

French economic activity plunged a whopping 32 per cent in the last two weeks of March as the coronavirus crisis intensified, it added.

Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned that April was expected to be 'at least as bad' as late March. 'Economic growth will be strongly negative in 2020' before bouncing back in 2021, he told RTL radio.

The French Government has promised a vast rescue package to cushion the coronavirus blow for companies and employees, as have other European capitals.

A man walks on a street in the business district of La Defense in downtown Paris
For the first time in his life, Andrzej Zebrowski will not celebrate Easter with his family. Instead, the Polish surgeon will spend the holiday this year in the German hospital where he works to help his colleagues cope with the coronavirus crisis. Like many others, Zebrowski found himself faced with a heartbreaking dilemma when the Polish government announced on March 27 that anyone entering the country would be placed in mandatory 14-day quarantine. Return to safety and comfort in Poland, or staff the medical front line in Germany? It was a tough decision, and even tougher to tell his family. According to local media, 300,000 Poles provide healthcare in Europe's biggest economy -- some as doctors and nurses in hospitals, others as carers for the elderly. "Our main task as doctors is to take care of patients professionally... I could not let my staff down at this crucial moment," said Zebrowski, who works in Prenzlau, 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border. Zebrowski had been making the 50-minute journey every day from his home in Szczecin. "Of course being separated from my family is not easy, but my wife and seven-year-old son understand and accept my decision," he said. "It is an exceptional situation." - Financial incentives - Polish healthcare staff account for a fraction of the 69,000 workers who commute across the border every day. But without them, German hospitals would have a problem on their hands. In some hospitals near the border, Poles comprise more than 30 percent of the workforce, according to Frank Ullrich Schulz, president of the regional medical association in the German state of Brandenburg. To encourage Polish commuters to stay in Germany, some border regions are offering 40 to 65 euros ($44-70) a day to pay for meals and hotel rooms. At the Prenzlau hospital, around half of the staff are Polish, including 22 doctors. The hospital has no COVID-19 patients yet, but intensive care beds are ready and waiting. "Without them, many urgently needed procedures and operations could not be carried out," said hospital director Marita Schoenemann. Germany appears to be faring better than many neighbours against COVID-19. The country has been lauded for its comprehensive approach to testing and as of Thursday, the official death count was just over 2,100. - Returning to family - "Of our 40 intensive care beds, only three are currently occupied. But we are bracing for a wave," said Ulrich Gnauk, director of the Asklepios hospital in border-town Schwedt, where half of the 40 Polish staff members have decided to stay. Without them, the hospital would have had to close, said Gauk, who believes Europe has "failed" by not imposing blanket rules. Germany will introduce a 14-day quarantine period for anyone entering from April 10, with an exception for cross-border commuters. Many healthcare workers have nonetheless decided to return to their families. "I didn't want to force my entire family into quarantine over Easter because of me," said Jacek Witkowski, a doctor in the intensive care unit at Magdeburg University Hospital. At the end of March, with Poland much less affected by the coronavirus than Germany, he decided to return to Szczecin. The temporary employment agency that had placed him in the hospital refused to pay him during his 14 days of absence, forcing him to stop working for them. "I'm disappointed... but I'm going to rest for a few days before looking for a job, probably in Poland," he said. According to reports, 300,000 Poles provide healthcare in Germany -- some as doctors and nurses in hospitals, others as carers for the elderly The Polish government announced on March 27 that anyone entering the country would be placed in mandatory 14-day quarantine
ILO Country Director in Vietnam Chang-Hee Lee (Photo: VNA)

Lee hailed Vietnam for its efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected via the Prime Ministers message of accepting economic losses to protect peoples lives.

As the fight against the epidemic continues, it is necessary to take immediate action to mitigate its negative impacts on businesses, employment and workers incomes, he said.

According to the ILO, the crisis will cut the total working hours by 6.7 percent worldwide in the second quarter of this year, equivalent to the loss of 195 million full-time jobs. The hardest-hit regions include Arabian countries (8.1 percent of working hours, or 5 million full-time jobs), Europe (7.8 percent, or 12 million full-time jobs) and Asia-Pacific (7.2 percent, 125 million full-time jobs).

The ILO forecast there will be huge losses across all income groups, especially in upper-middle income countries, including those in Southeast Asia.

An estimated 81 percent of the global workforce, or 3.3 billion people, are being hurt by partial or full-closure of their workplaces. The most-affected sectors include lodging and dining services, manufacturing, retail, trade and administrative services.

ILO General Director Guy Ryder said workers and businesses are facing a catastrophe in both developed and developing economies.

The ILO has called on countries to take urgent measures on a large scale in four pillars, namely supporting businesses, employment and income; stimulating the economy and employment; protecting workers; and using social dialogue between governments, workers and employers to seek solutions.

It suggested expanding social welfare, supporting job retainment, tax reductions and fiscal support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, along with several sectors.
Its 2:58 a.m.

God and I have been meeting like this a lot lately. In the middle of the night. In the middle of the mess. In the middle of life. In the middle of open-ended questions. In the very middle of this pandemic. And then I think, Abba, youre in the middle of my story but what about the world?

These thoughts are fresh in my mind as I roll out of bed in the dark searching for the door to go downstairs. There, I snuggle up with my favorite blanket, a cup of coffee, my Bible and journal looking out my windows and waiting for dawn to break.

Self-isolation was only supposed to be two weeks but here we are, billions of us worldwide, a month later bracing for what officials say will be the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak. First schools closed its doors. Next came restaurants, bars, gyms, salons, parks, beaches, and meeting places. Then church services moved from their buildings to online.

These closings had a ripple effect as jobs went by the wayside for some, while the blessed few are working from home. The news is filled with stories of death, the dying, the sick and bracing for the worst. Some countries are threatening military violence for those who choose not to adhere to the staying indoors. There are currently 1,074,290 cases and 56,989 confirmed deaths.

As I sit in the darkness with coffee in hand, my Bible falls open to Psalms 46 and it catches my attention. Smack dab in the middle of verses four and six is something that speaks so softly I almost miss it. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. This passage isnt about some mysterious woman; this psalm was a song written for the nation of Israel.

Its apparent from the language described in chapter 46 that the writer had likely been living through a time of war. It is also possible that Israel itself was facing war as well. Knowing this provides incredible insight into the interpretation of Psalms 46 and we can see how it applies to the war on COVID-19 today.

The Message of Psalm 46

In its historical context, Psalm 46 spoke to a nation that was surrounded by many enemy nations that threatened Israels physical safety. Yet, penned into the words of Psalm 46 was a reminder that God was greater than any natural disaster or enemy (Psalm 46:2-3,8-9).

It is here, in verse five, where we are reminded that God is in our midst. We are his holy city that will not be shaken. We are his holy people whom he will help when morning comes! The subject of Psalm 46 is Yahweh, the Most High God. Its purpose was to rally the troops, heralding the victorious power of God in Israels darkest hour.

Several translations of this passage reveal God is with us in the middle, in the dark before the dawn.

God is within her; she will not fall; God will help her at break of day (NIV).

God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it (NLT).

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns (ESV).

God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns (HCSB).

Since God is in her midst, she will not be shaken. God will help her at the break of dawn (ISV).

As I sat in the dark, God opened my ears to his whispers, Daughter, it does get harder before it gets better, it is darkest before I paint the dawn.

Where Does the Phrase Darkest Before Dawn Come From?

The phrase its darkest before the dawn means that things always seem the worst right before they improve. It was written in 1650 by English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller in his travelogue of the Holy Land: A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine And the Confines Thereof.

But is it truly darkest before dawn or is this just one of those metaphors poised to put our teeth on edge? First, a moment to clarify that dawn and sunrise are two different things  dawn is the moment when it is possible to distinguish light in the sky, sunrise is when the sun reaches the horizon (the time in between is twilight). The darkest part of the night is after dusk and before dawn.

Dawn begins when the first light beings to show over the horizon from the sunrise, which means there is the least light before dawn begins because there is no sunlight. That is also the longest point since last seeing light. We are, however, seeing a light  in others as they become Jesus hands and feet.

People are stocking shelves all night and encouraging the elderly to shop first. General Motors has been shut down because of the virus, unable to make cars but the company stepped up to make ventilators. Construction companies, women, and children are making homemade masks for medical staff. Restaurants, schools, and other nonprofits are feeding children in their community who would go without.

Teachers are harnessing technology to educate and provide a connection to classmates while teaching their own children at home. Churches are holding online communities and taking care of their elderly with meals, groceries, and supplies.

Families are standing outside nursing homes with signs, newborns, and some in their wedding gowns to give hope and some connection to their loved ones. Fitness instructors are holding live classes online and providing additional classes for the elderly and children. Breweries and make-up companies, like Mary Kay, are making sanitizer out of left-over ingredients.

What Does This Mean?

Right now, life as we know it seems very dark. Most of us are scared because we dont know how this is going to affect our ability to pay our bills and feed our families once the quarantine ends. But He is with us! God is with us in the middle  just before dawn.

He is saying in Psalm 46:5:

I will bring you out. I will free you. I will help you. I will heal you.

I will redeem you. I will bring you to me. I will be your God.

As soon as the first ray of light shines through my window, it proclaims the coming day as God's right arm is outstretched for his people. This middle of the night moment is a Holy Awakening.

This middle of the night moment worldwide is a Holy Awakening. The sun always rises. The day always dawns. The darkness doesnt get the final say. God does.

iStock/Getty Images Plus/Simotion

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.
The Israeli government tightened restrictions to contain spread of the coronavirus ahead of Jewish holiday of Passover which begins Wednesday.



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a complete shutdown will be imposed from 4 p.m. Tuesday (1300GMT) to 7 a.m. (1600GMT) Friday and police declared a Safe Spring security plan to implement curfew.



Authorities said police will start observing the measures, including a ban of gatherings and preserving safe social distances.



Health authorities said the hotspot for the virus was among the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, Anadolu Agency reported.



At least 9,248 Israelis have tested positive for the coronavirus and 65 have died so far.
More than half of the misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic that has been debunked by fact-checkers remains on Twitter without any warning label, a record that puts it far behind rival social media platforms, according to a study released Tuesday night by Oxford University researchers.

The study examined 225 pieces of content that independent fact-checkers had rated as false or misleading between January and March. The Oxford researchers found that 59 percent of it remained on Twitter, 27 percent remained on YouTube and 24 percent remained on Facebook.

"It's surprising that so many of the things that have been proven to be false are still living on social media," said co-author Philip N. Howard, director of the Oxford Internet Institute, which conducted the study in concert with the university's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Oxford Martin School.

Researchers also found that the most common subject of coronavirus misinformation concerned false claims about the actions of government or other international authorities, such as the United Nations or World Health Organization.

The most powerful spreaders of misinformation were politicians, celebrities or other public figures, who were the source of about 20 percent of false claims but generated 69 percent of the total "engagement," a term that measures the reach of misinformation on social media. The report cited President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as politicians who have made documented false statements about the pandemic, and all three platforms studied in the Oxford report in March removed some misinformation from Bolsonaro that violated their policies against harmful content.

Independent fact-checkers have increased their focus on false claims about the coronavirus as the pandemic has grown in recent months, with checks on the subject rising more than 900 percent between January and March. The largest category among those items studied - drawn from a list of fact checks maintained by First Draft, a nonprofit group that combats misinformation and disinformation - were partially true information that had been twisted or manipulated to make it misleading. Only 38 percent of the items studied were completely fabricated, the Oxford researchers found.

Twitter said it created a policy against misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic on March 18, which could explain the uneven results from a study whose data set began in January.

"We're prioritizing the removal of content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm," said Twitter spokeswoman Katie Rosborough. "We will not take enforcement action on every tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about covid-19. Since introducing these new policies on March 18, we've removed more than 1,100 tweets and challenged 1.5 million potentially spammy accounts targeting COVID-19 discussions."

YouTube spokesman Farshad Shadloo said in a statement, "We have clear policies against COVID misinformation and we quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged to us."

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said, "Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global public health emergency, we've been taking aggressive steps to stop misinformation and harmful content from spreading, including by making additional investments to our program of over 60 fact-checking partners around the world who are debunking false claims in over 50 languages."
Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming stressed unity and cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 in an Evening Standard article entitled Don't blame China, we want to beat this together, and criticized some politicians in the United States and the UK for spreading lies and stigmatizing China.

The ambassador used a Chinese saying  "the fire burns high when everybody adds wood to it"  in the article, published on Tuesday, to call on countries to join hands in the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Liu stressed China's comprehensive fulfillment of responsibility against the virus, China's transparent and open information-sharing during the outbreak, and that cooperation is the only right choice in the fight against COVID-19.

However, some Western politicians have ignored China's tremendous contribution to global public health and the professional advice of the World Health Organization that the virus should not be linked with any specific country or region, Liu wrote.

"Their attempt to stigmatize China is a 'political virus' that is harmful to all mankind as it undermines international cooperation in the fight against the epidemic," he added.

"The world is fighting the scourge of COVID-19 together. There is no place for the scourge of arrogance, prejudice and discrimination embedded in the remarks of the above-mentioned politicians."

The ambassador also wished UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson a "speedy recovery."

"As Prime Minister Johnson fights a personal battle with the disease, I wish him speedy recovery and come back to lead the British people to overcome the current challenge."
Assam Police has launched a fight against fake news on coronavirus and the lockdown that has hit people's lives no less than the COVID-19 pandemic itself

Besides enforcing the ongoing lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Assam Police has also been fighting against fake information on the dead virus through strict social media monitoring, and has arrested 25 people for the same.

The misinformation in public domain about COVID-19 disease and the lockdown has hit everyone's lives no less than the pandemic itself.

Alongside the doctors and health workers fighting the disease, the police and government authorities are fightng a tough battle against 'fake news' about the novel coronavirus and lockdown.

In Assam, the police force is working on a war footing to control and take action against misinformation peddlers. The cyber cell and police force are trying hard to ensure no rumour monger is left unpunished.

Along with many parts of the country, Assam too is witnessing a storm of fake news on social media and people are seen falling for them without verifying the facts.

Miscreants are taking advantage of this sensitive period to create panic among the people.

Last week, a fake news in the name of a non-existent ministry was spread through the social media across Assam. The Assam Police had to issue an alert about the fake news on social media.

On Facebook, the police wrote:

"There is a Fake WhatsApp - Janasanyog Government Notification being circulated in the name of a nonexistent Minister of Communication & Digital Economy stating that from 4.4.20 all Phone Calls will be recorded, all Social Media monitored and Android phones connected to the Ministry (sic)."

Requesting the people not to believe in such fake news and not to forward it, the Assam Police added: Do not believe this message. It is fake. Do not forward or circulate it either.

According to the fake news, the non-existent ministry through had ordered authorities to record phone calls, monitor WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as connect all Android mobile phones to the a system managed by the ministry. The fake news alert asked people to share the message among friends and family members.

The Assam Police has reportedly registered a case in the matter and asked people to not share the message.

Meanwhile, the Assam govt has expressed serious concern over rumours about the novel coronavirus and lockdown. In a presser on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister's Press Advisor Hrishikesh Goswami had requested all not to forward or share any message circulating on social media.

He informed that the Department of Information and Public Relations of Assam has filed an FIR against Dainik Jugasanka, a Bengali daily published from Silchar, for carrying a false news report about the states first COVID-19 patient.

While the patient is still admitted at Silchar Medical College Hospital, the paper reported that he has been cured of the illness. The newspaper claimed without verifying the information that a second test carried on the patient was found negative.

A case has been lodged against the reporter who filed the story and the publisher of the newspaper under Section 188 of IPC and provisions of Assam COVID-19 Regulation, 2020.

Assam DIPR has formed a five-member committee for monitoring and checking fake news in all forms of media. The committee includes officials from the information, health, police and disaster management departments.

This committee is looking after fake news and also giving directions to district information officers to look after social media handles and activate WhatsApp numbers so that the public can get access to correct information.

In Assam, as of Tuesday, a total of 28 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and several thousands of people are put on home qurantine. Twenty-seven of these cases are linked to a mosque in Nijamuddin in Delhi.

On Sunday night, AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on the charge of spreading communal propaganda regarding the coronavirus and since then Assam Police has been extra cautious in dealing with any unwanted tense situation.

The MLA was arrested after an audio went viral where he is allegedly heard saying that "people are injected with coronavirus and murdered".

The Assam police has so also established a monitoring system to check social media users spreading rumours about the corona virus.

Till Wednesday 9 am, total 52 cases has been registered for spreading rumours/uploading objectionable comment on social media and a total of 25 people have been arrested while eight were detained and then released after issuing notice in this manner.

According to recent available data, 110 people are undergoing counselling and more than 120 social media posts have been deleted and many accounts have been deactivated.

Assam Police's fight against fake news has received support from different individuals and organisations as well. To alert the police about the misinformation flood in social media, Dr Ankuran Dutta, Associate professor and head of the Department of Communication and Journalism in Gauhati University has initiated a mission called 'check the fake.

Speaking to News18, Dutta said, "Fake news in todays world has taken shape of an 'infodemic', ie, a pandemic of incorrect information. It has three forms  misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. Misinformation refers to the false and inaccurate information which is deliberately created to deceive others. Disinformation is also same type of fake information deliberately created to harm a person, social group or country. The third one malinformation is based on reality but used to inflict harm on a person or an organisation. All these inaccurate information types has little difference and fake news is their umbrella term."

During the lockdown period, people are solely dependent on TV and social media for all kind of information about the pandemic and to stay alert on real time, but misinformation and rumours paralyse rational thinking and is seen as threat to the law and order situation of society.

While people are reminded again and again to maintain social distancing due to the novel coronavirus, it would be equally worth following the social media distancing norms laid out by police to destroy fake news or infodemic.
Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has reserved the four main public hospitals in the county for Covid-19 and referral cases only.

The four are Chuka County Referral, Magutuni, Marimanti and Kibung'a hospitals.

In a press statement on Tuesday, Governor Njuki said the move will help reduce congestion at the facilities, which have coronavirus isolation centres.

"We want to reduce crowding in our four main hospitals handling Covid-19 suspected cases so that they can focus more on the pandemic," he said.

The county chief said other patients who go to these hospitals will be required to produce a referral note before they are attended to.

Those seeking special services such as dialysis, CT-scans, digital X-rays, ultrasound imaging and cancer screening, which are only offered at the main facilities, will be attended to.

OTHER FACILITIES

Governor Njuki noted that there are91 dispensaries and health centres in villages across the county, which offer similar services conveniently.

Furthermore, he said, health workers in most of the dispensaries and health centres are idle due to the small number of patients they receive as many opt for the four big hospitals.

"Many people believe they can only get good services at the main hospitals yet similar drugs and medical officers are in nearby health centres, where they can be attended to conveniently and go back home," he said.

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The county boss assured residents of enough drugs and qualified medics in all health facilities.

He added that Tharaka-Nithi and the national government are doing everything possible to fight the pandemic so they should not be afraid.

COUNTY MEASURES

In terms of financial resources, Governor Njuki said the Sh10 million budget the assembly passed is insufficient and that another Sh78 million is needed.

He added that the training of health workers on dealing with the virus was ongoing and that handwashing equipment was being distributed.

"By last week, a total of 103 health workers had been trained and 65,534 equipment, including sanitisers, soaps and buckets issued to members of the public," he said.

Regarding screening, he said every person entering the county must agree to the process and that those from Covid-19 hotspots must isolate themselves for 14 days.

Mr Njuki encouraged well-wishers to support the fight against the pandemic.

He lauded Plan International, Village HopeCore International and other non-governmental organisations and individuals who have given residents handwashing materials and educated them on preventing the spread of the virus.
Hong Kong: 27 to take Morocco flight

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today that the Chinese Embassy in Morocco will charter a flight to bring home Chinese citizens stranded in the country, including 27 Hong Kong residents.

The chartered flight is scheduled to depart from Casablanca at 4pm on April 9 local time (11pm the same day Hong Kong time) to arrive in Guangzhou by noon on April 10. The cost will be borne by the passengers.

Morocco has been in a state of national emergency since early March, imposing strict restrictions on all marine, land and air traffic. As a result, Hong Kong residents in Morocco cannot leave there on their own through normal flight arrangements.

As at noon today, the Immigration Department has received assistance requests from 158 Hong Kong residents concerning home passage from Morocco, and 113 have already returned to Hong Kong on different flights.

The 45 Hong Kong people who are still in the country are scattered in Casablanca, Marrakesh and six other cities. Eighteen of them will not take the chartered flight out of the country because of personal preference or other reasons.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will actively follow up with the Chinese Embassy in Morocco and a number of airlines to assist Hong Kong people to return via other possible means.

Under the Mainland's enhanced in-bound health management, all air passengers are required to undergo local 14-day isolation for medical surveillance, which is also applicable to passengers on board the chartered flight to Guangzhou.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
American senator, Bernie Sanders, has ended his primary contest for the Democratic Party presidential ticket.

Mr Sanders made the announcement to his campaign team via a video conference on Wednesday morning. His departure has now left former Vice-President Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee for the opposition ticket.

Mr Biden, 77, would challenge President Donald Trump of the Republican Party at the poll slated for November.

Mr Sanders announced suspension of his campaign a day after he protested against an in-person ballot that was held in the Wisconsin presidential primary. The senator said the election should have been postponed due to the coronavirus.

Mr Sanders, 78, from Vermont, was once deemed a frontrunner for the ticket after winning the popular vote in the early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But he started lagging behind when the primary moved to South Carolina where Mr Biden started bagging major endorsements.

The moderate wing of the party started rallying behind Mr Biden, handing him consequent victories that placed him well above Mr Sanders in the race.

As of February ending, Mr Sanders had raised $182 million for his campaign with $19 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Mr Biden at the time had raised only $88 million and had $12 million cash on hand.

Still, Mr Bidens campaign also soared when he won the so-called Super Tuesday victories last month. He has vowed to pitch an ardent challenge against Mr Trump, whose leadership strength has again been tested by the raging coronavirus.
GLASGOW, Scotland, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lamellar Biomedical Limited (Lamellar), an innovative biotechnology company pioneering new approaches to address respiratory diseases and complex lung disorders with its LAMELLASOME platform, announces the launch of a program to address the potentially fatal consequences of COVID-19 on respiratory function.

A LAMELLASOME nebulised treatment used at the early stages of COVID-19, in hospital or the community, could reduce the damaging and often fatal inflammatory response known as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) seen in patients. This early intervention has the potential to inhibit fibroproliferative changes during ARDS, markedly reducing severity, mortality and lowering the significant burden placed on the healthcare system.

The time between onset of symptoms of SARS-CoV2 infection and progression to more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 such as viral pneumonia and ARDS, is thought to be between 5 - 8 days. Inhaled LAMELLASOME treatment administered during this period has the potential to halt or reduce the severity of the disease progression of COVID-19 patients to requiring scarce critical care resource.

Lamellar has strong pre-clinical evidence of inhaled LAMELLASOME's protective nature. In a large animal in-vivo model of radiation-induced lung injury, designed to replicate the pathology found in the injured lung, which is representative of COVID-19 patient pathology, inhaled LAMELLASOME treatment protected lung cells and tissues from injury, pneumonitis and fibroproliferation/fibrosis at the alveolar/capillary membrane.

Dr Duncan Moore, Chairman of Lamellar, said: "In the past few weeks we have seen the terrible consequences COVID-19 can have on the respiratory function, particularly on vulnerable patient populations. We believe that that the inherent attributes of LAMELLASOME are extremely well suited to be a potential approach to preventing the onset of the serious respiratory symptoms seen in COVID-19 patients. Lamellar is focused on treating complex lung disorders and we believe that our Lamellasome formulations could make an important difference to patients and healthcare providers globally."

Dr Nik Hirani, Reader in Respiratory Medicine and Associate Medical Director in Lothian and Former chair of NICE Thoracic Interstitial Lung Disease guideline committee, said: "Lamellar has very convincing data demonstrating strong in-vivo efficacy for Lamellasome formulations in a model relevant to pneumonitis, lung injury and ARDS. I have been following the development of LAMELLASOME technology and its development as a respiratory therapeutic over the past few years, and I believe it has real potential to manage the inflammatory respiratory symptoms seen in patients infected withSARS-CoV2."

About Lamellar Biomedical

Lamellar Biomedical Limited (Lamellar), is an innovative biotechnology company, developing our proprietary LAMELLASOME based therapies to transform the treatment of complex and rare lung disorders.

Lamellar's lead products are:

Lamellasome COVID-19 therapy: early intervention therapy to reduce the inflammatory response seen in COVID-19 patients, with the potential to reduce both disease severity and mortality. Lamellasome modifies the actions of a number of key proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators, including TGF-, preventing fibroblast to myofibroblast transition.

IPF-Lamellasome: abates pulmonary fibrosis by reducing both myofibroblasts and collagen production. IPF-Lamellasome has the potential to become the first line therapy and the new standard of care in the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) IPF

Muco-ease: increases the fluidity of thickened human mucus and may slow disease progression in mild and moderate Cystic Fibrosis (CF) by improving mucociliary clearance

In addition, LAMELLASOME technology can be designed to deliver active payloads such as gene therapies, or by utilising intrinsic anti-infective properties which can enhance antibiotics.

Founded in 2007, Lamellar is backed by both institutional and private investors, including Invesco, Scottish Enterprise, Barwell Plc, TRI Capital and has multiple research collaborations with world renowned institutions and universities.

About LAMELLASOME Technology

LAMELLASOME vesicles are synthetic lipidic mimetics of native human lamellar bodies found in lung tissue. These properties provide low immunogenicity and excellent safety, LAMELLASOME vesicles have been shown to have inherent pulmonary protective effects. LAMELLASOME therapies are based on LAMELLASOME's abilities to:

Reduce inflammatory responses in pulmonary tissue

Interrupt the onset and progression of pneumonitis, lung injury and fibrogenesis

Modulate tissue surface tension, moisture retention and lubrication

LAMELLASOME formulations have excellent preclinical safety, a very high NOAEL (taken from inhalation toxicology) and excellent clinical safety and tolerability profile.

LAMELLASOME therapeutics are synthetically formulated. As such, they do not require harvesting or human extraction, and they can be manufactured using standard, scalable industry processes and components that facilitate commercially competitive COGS. They can also be optimised to deliver active payloads such as gene therapies and anti-infectives.

For further information, please contact:



Lamellar Biomedical

Steven Porteous

info@lamellar.com

+44-(0)-1698-748-832

+44-(0)-1698-532-163



Citigate Dewe Rogerson

David Dible/Nathaniel Dahan

david.dible@citigatedewerogerson.com
All inmates being freed early to stop the spread of coronavirus in prisons will be tagged before being let out, following concerns they could have gone un-monitored for a day and a half.

The Government announced on Saturday that 4,000 low-risk prisoners who have less than two months left of their sentence will be eligible for early release.

But with such high numbers, the Ministry of Justice yesterday revealed it could take them up to 36 hours to visit freed prisoners at their new homes to impose tags or curfews.

This would have meant that newly-released convicts would not have been traceable for the first day and a half, reported The Times.

But today the Probation Service has announced that now all those freed early will be electronically monitored before they leave prison.

Thousands of prisoners set to be released early to stop the spread of coronavirus could go untagged for 36 hours on the outside. File image used

Previously Government officials told MailOnline that 'most' of the 4,000 set for early release would be tagged while still behind bars.

This week the Prison Governors' Association has warned another 11,000 should be assessed for early release to ensure the safety of inmates and guards, taking the number to 15,000 and meaning more convicts could be on the streets untagged.

It argues that not all 4,000 inmates should have to be fitted with a tag or comply with a curfew - because this wouldn't be the case if they were freed as normal two months later.

They believe that capacity for tagging prisoners is only around 2,000 and the whole process would delay urgent action needed to stop the spread of the virus in jails.

They stress that no high-risk criminals, such as those who have been convicted of violent or sexual offences, anyone who is a national security concern or a danger to children - or those who have not served at least half of their custodial term, will be considered for release.

The comments came after it emerged the death toll of inmates who had died after contracting the virus had risen to 10.

Three were inmates at HMP Littlehey, Cambridgeshire, with others being held at Birmingham, Manchester, Altcourse in Merseyside, Belmarsh in south east London, Whatton in Nottinghamshire, Sudbury in Derbyshire, and a female prisoner at Low Newton, County Durham.

A total of 116 prisoners had tested positive for COVID-19 in 43 prisons as of 5pm on Monday.

There are 19 prison staff in 12 jails who have contracted the virus as well as four prison escort and custody services staff.

Just six pregnant inmates have been released from prison so far since the Ministry of Justice announced a move to grant temporary release a week ago, according to the Commons Justice Committee.

A total of 116 prisoners had tested positive for Covid-19 in 43 prisons as of 5pm on Monday. File image of Shepton Mallett Prison in Somerset used

Pregnant women - who are considered to be high-risk should they contract COVID-19 - would be granted temporary release from prison 'within days' to protect them and their unborn children from coronavirus, the MoJ said on March 31.

The decision also included mothers who are behind bars with their young children.

But prison governors would only consent if they passed a risk assessment and do not pose a high risk of harm to the public.

There are currently 35 pregnant prisoners and 34 inmates in mother-and-baby units across 12 women's prisons in England.

A Probation Service spokesman said: 'Prisoners released will face strict conditions, be electronically monitored and required to stay at home. All offenders will be tagged in prison before they are released.

'They can be immediately recalled to prison for breaching these conditions or committing further offences.'
P M spends second night in ICU as top team face questions over coronavirus strategy

Boris Johnson is spending his second night in intensive care battling coronavirus while his top team face more questions over the UKs strategy for tackling the illness.

The Prime Ministers condition last night remained "stable" as he stayed in St Thomas's for "close monitoring", Downing Street said.

While Mr Johnson remains in an ICU, concerns have been raised over who will make the big decisions for the government in his absence.

But there was cautious optimism from chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance after he said the fight against Covid-19 "could be moving in the right direction".

First Covid-19 patients admitted to London's NHS Nightingale

The first patients have been admitted to the NHS Nightingale hospital in London's ExCel Centre as the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

Those being admitted will already be on a ventilator and will remain at the hospital until their course of ventilation is finished, the hospital's chief medical director said.

A spokeswoman declined to say how many people were being treated at the custom-built facility in the capital's Docklands.

The ExCel was transformed into a huge field hospital with a capacity for 4,000 patients as cases and deaths in the city continue to soar.

Trump claims UK asking US for 'desperately needed' ventilators

Donald Trump has claimed the UK has asked the United States for 200 "desperately needed" ventilators due to a shortage amid the coronavirus crisis.

The US leader described Britain as great partners as he said weve got to work it out and help with the supply of the life-saving equipment.

Stargazers treated to Super Pink Moon

Stargazers were last night treated to a spectacular pink supermoon that lit up night skies across the world.

Aprils Pink Moon is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year so far and the first following the Spring Equinox.

The celestial event was visible in the UK from about 6.55pm but the best views came after nightfall.

Supermoons are so-called because they appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than a normal moon.

Rising in the east, they can be seen without specialist equipment.

Super Pink Moon lights up night skies across the world - in pictures 1 /28 Super Pink Moon lights up night skies across the world - in pictures The Pink Super moon rises over the Shard in London Reuters A Pink Super Moon is rises over Canary Wharf, London PA A Pink Super Moon is seen over Windsor Castle PA A Pink Super Moon is seen over the Angel of the North PA A Pink Super Moon rises over HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge PA A Pink Super Moon rises over Tower Bridge, London. PA A Pink Super Moon is seen over Belvoir castle in Leicestershire PA The Pink Supermoon rises in Vienna, Austria Reuters A bird sits on a statue on the Musikverein building in Vienna, Austria, as the supermoon rise Reuters The Pink Supermoon rises over the Shard in London Reuters The Pink Supermoon rises next to Danube Tower (Donauturm) Reuters The Pink Supermoon rises by a traffic light in Vienna, Austria Reuters The Pink Supermoon is seen over a block of flats in Gateshead PA The Pink Supermoon rises over Mow Cop in Staffordshire Reuters The Pink Supermoon rises over the city of Venice Reuters The Pink Super Moon rises over the city of Venice in an astronomical event that occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, making it appear much larger and brighter than usual, Venice, Italy Reuters A Pink Super Moon rises over the Rock of Dunamase in County Laois in the Republic of Ireland. PA The super pink moon, the biggest supermoon of the year, is shown shortly after rising on April 7, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada Getty Images the super pink moon, the biggest supermoon of the year, rises over (L-R) Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Getty Images A pink supermoon is seen over the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk PA A pink supermoon is seen over the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk PA

Kelly Brook receives rare Hollwood handshake on Bake Off

Kelly Brook was this weeks lucky recipient of that infamous Paul Hollywood handshake on The Great Celebrity Bake Off.

Last nights episode of Bake Off's Stand Up to Cancer series, Kelly surprised even herself when she received the honour after making a perfect biscuit.

Im speechless, said the model and actress, who previously said she found Paul "terrifying".
By KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H.  A truck driver charged in a crash that killed seven motorcyclists had fentanyl, morphine and a chemical found in cocaine in his system that day, and told authorities he often would take drugs before starting work, prosecutors said in a document made public Tuesday.

The morning of the crash June 21, 2019, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, consumed two baggies of heroin and half a gram of cocaine, prosecutors wrote in a motion objecting to Zhukovskyys request for a bail hearing.

Zhukovskyy's drug use that day was "egregious," not just because of what happened, but also because he was free on bail on a prior charge of driving under the influence in Connecticut, according to prosecutors.

The motion was in response to a request for a bail hearing for Zhukovskyy, which a judge denied. Zhukovskyy, jailed since the crash on a two-lane highway in Randolph, New Hamsphire, awaits trial in November on multiple counts of negligent homicide and driving while under the influence. He has pleaded not guilty.

Zhukovskyy's lawyer argued last month that an independent analysis of the crash showed one of the motorcyclists was drunk and actually was the one who hit Zhukovskyy's pickup and caused the crash.

Prosecutors said only that the findings from the analysis "still demonstrate that the defendant was not operating fully within his appropriate lane of travel at the time he collided with the first motorcycle" and then struck the bikers.

The prosecutors said Zhukovskyy is a danger to himself and others and should remain in jail. Nothing changes the fact that he was impaired that day and has a criminal history, they said.

The prosecutors also wrote that Zhukovskyy, a Ukrainian national, is a flight risk. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has filed a deportation request as a result of his charges.

The motorcyclists who died were members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, a New England group that includes Marines and their spouses. The victims were from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Before the crash, Connecticut officials twice alerted Massachusetts about the drunken driving arrest against Zhukovskyy, but Massachusetts failed to act to suspend his license.
For three Belfast sisters, the Easter weekend should have been the time for a big family celebration.

But the UK's oldest surviving triplets will instead, for the first time the family can remember, celebrate their birthdays in isolation in light of the Covid-19 guidelines.

Primrose Page, Iris Bull and Marigold Milliken all turn 87 on April 16, having been born on Easter Sunday 1933, and have been almost inseparable ever since.

All three still live not too many miles apart in Bangor, Holywood and Castlereagh.

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Instead, the wider family will observe the new social distancing norm and will be making phone calls from around the country, with cakes and cards left on doorsteps.

"It's going to be a different sort of birthday for the three of them," said Page McLaughlin, Primrose's granddaughter.

"We had plans to all get together as usual on Easter Sunday but that's not going to happen now as a result of the coronavirus outbreak in Northern Ireland. My granny and aunties are all still living in their own homes and given their age and health conditions, they know we can't all be with them this year."

Born in the south east of England, the triplets moved to Belfast with their parents and older sister Marguerite not long after the end of the Second World War.

"My great-grandad John Bull had been in the Royal Air Force, but moved to Belfast with the family while working for Shorts," said Page.

Though the celebrations will be muted, Iris Bull said that even though the family can't be together, they'll be with each other in spirit.

"We're always there for each other," she said from the isolation of her Castlereagh home.

"I look a little like Primrose but the three of us always had to fight for our own identity and I think that did us a lot of good over the years. We tried hard to stand out and we're all stronger for it.

"We've enjoyed separate lives, but together.

"We have our ups and downs like all sisters do, but we're still looking out for each other.

"I do recall during our days at primary school when I got punished instead of Primrose and she never spoke up, but I forgave her a long time ago for that!" she laughed.

"You'd think there would be battles over boyfriends to tell, but that was never the case. We were lucky we never went after the same boys, and that the boys always liked one of us and not the others!

"We all try to stay as active as we can, though that's been difficult lately," she said.

"I write and have had stories published, Primrose still plays piano marvellously and Marigold started knitting shawls for stillborn babies some time ago and she's still at the knitting today so we've all got our specialities," she added. "We try to keep our minds active too. Reading newspapers, doing crosswords, that all keeps us in shape!

"We're very big into family celebrations but we'll just have to wait for the next one and make up for lost time when we can. There's a new baby in the family and we were all supposed to meet her when she came over from Scotland at the end of March so that was a disappointment, but we'll make up for lost moments soon enough," she said.

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Primrose worked as a ward sister and superintendent in the health service, Iris for the civil service and as a school administrator, and Marigold was a BT telephonist.

"My grandmother married Wilbur Page and that's where I get my name from," said Page.

"They had two children, my mother Rosalind and her brother Timothy. Marigold also has one son, Edward," she added.

"Family occasions like this become all the more precious as the years go on so of course we'd all love to be together, but the best way we can think of showing them we love them all is by staying away.

"Sure we will make it up to them on their 88th birthdays next Easter!"
A Group of Ministers on COVID19 on Tuesday recommended extension of closure of all educational institutions and restricting all religious activities having public participation till May 15 irrespective of whether the government extends the 21-day lockdown or not, official sources said. A meeting of the GoM chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and participated by Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman concluded that religious centres, shopping malls and educational institutions must not be allowed to resume normal functioning at least for four weeks from April 14 when the current lockdown ends.

The thinking in the government is that schools and colleges will more less remain shut till end of June as the summer vacation will start from middle of May.

The GoM recommended that activities of all religious organisations should not be allowed till May 15 as a precautionary measure to check spread of coronavirus infection, the sources added.

The GoM has been tasked with monitoring the overall situation in the country arising out of the coronavirus pandemic and make recommendations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The GoM also briefly discussed possible scenarios after end of the current spell of the lockdown.

It recommended that the inputs of the states are crucial in taking specific decisions on measures to contain the pandemic.

The GoM also recommended measures to enhance testing facilities for coronavirus infection in medical laboratories, the sources said.

Opposition leaders as well as leading healthcare experts have been pressing the government to ramp up infrastructure to increase coronavirus tests across the country to have a realistic assessment of the situation arising out of the pandemic in India.

The meeting was also attended by several key members of the Union Cabinet including Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were also among those who attended the meeting. The GoM also recommend monitoring of the public places like religious centres and malls through surveillance drones, the sources said.

Thousands of Tablighi Jamaat members gathered at its headquarters in Nizamuddin last month, ignoring warnings by the government against large gatherings. A number of people who attended the congregation were found to be having coronavirus infection.

A sizeable number of people among them travelled to different states, spreading the infection of the virus.

Hundreds of people wered from the headquarters of Tablighi in Nizamuddin.

According to official figure, India has recorded a total of 4,789 positive cases of coronavirus and 124 deaths.

The GoM also expressed gratitude to thousands of health professionals, security personnel and countless others involved in ensuring smooth operation of essential services and supply chain of food and medicines since the 21-day lockdown came into force on the midnight of March 24, the sources said.

The GoM appreciated the decision of Union Cabinet to suspend the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years to facilitate additional resources to fight the pandemic.

In a series of tweets, the defence minister said the GoM held an extensive discussion on the prevailing situation.

He said the ministers shared their insights on how we can overcome the situation and help the people to stay motivated, determined and vigilant in the battle against COVID-19.

The ministers were briefed that supply of essential goods was continuing smoothly and no concerns were reported in this regard, the sources said. Over the past few days, the government has received various suggestions from stakeholders, including experts and states on the strategy to be adopted when the lockdown ends.

Sources in the government said, most of them suggested that exit from the lockdown should be in a staggered manner. Other suggestions included opening primary schools at a later stage and not immediately when the lockdown ends, restricting inter-state movement, plying of public transport for limited time and restricted access in offices where public footfall is high.
U.S. Judge Rules in Favor of Sabre-Farelogix Acquisition Over Justice Departments Antitrust Objections

Sabre successfully defended its acquisition of Farelogix from an antitrust lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice, a Delaware federal court ruled on Tuesday night. The U.S. government failed to prove that the travel technology giants $360 million purchase of Farelogix would substantially lessen competition for booking services for airline tickets sold through traditional travel agencies in the U.S.

Sabres attorneys had asked U.S. District Chief Judge Leonard Stark to offer his decision this week to influence a decision from the UKs Competition and Markets Authority that is due at the end of this week on the same merger. Sabres lawyers believed the British watchdogs would be unlikely to take a different stance from a U.S. federal court, especially given that Farelogix has little business in the UK, they argued.

We now await a final decision from the CMA, which previously stated that it has provisionally decided that prohibition of the merger represents the only effective remedy to its competition concerns, said Kristin Hays, vice president of global communications for Sabre, in a statement.

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The eight-day court trial marked the highest-profile antitrust case ever in airline distribution. Sabres lawyers argued that the judge should think of Sabre as a hotel that provides shampoo to guests and that Farelogix is like a shampoo manufacturer. They dont compete in a pragmatic definition of the same relevant market, they said.

Judge Stark sealed the opinion and sent it to attorneys Tuesday night. Sabre had argued that, while Farelogix and Sabre have airlines as customers, the extent of overlap in businesses wasnt large enough for a merger to be potentially anti-competitive.

Sabre had proposed the deal in November 2018. Sabre spent and set aside $20 million in attorney fees for it and Farelogix to defend the deal. Total litigation costs for the case will likely be higher, once the final tally is in.

Story continues

Sabre had pursued an unconventional legal strategy. The U.S. Department of Justice had held up its acquisition of Farelogix for nine months for an antitrust review. Sabre decided in August it would go ahead with buying the airline distribution technology specialist, effectively daring the Justice Department to stop it. The Justice Department filed its suit in court in response.

Sabre President and CEO Sean Menke will be taking a victory lap this week for its bold stance in fighting the U.S. Justice Department in court over a proposed merger with Farelogix. Victory saves Farelogix from possible ruin in the short-term and could help Sabre fufill its vision of more flexible airline distribution once the coronavirus crisis has passed. Sabre will cut $200 million in costs this year to help weather the coronavirus-related crisis.

In its message to investors announcing the Farelogix merger, the company highlighted the advantages of helping to speed up the companys technology prowess in a market where it had product gaps.

The government could appeal the decision. Sabre could also choose not to pursue the acquisition, given cost pressures due to the coronavirus-related crisis.

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Im hiding in the bedroom, says Izabel Arnold over the phone.

The 26-year-old startup founder and single mom is hiding from her 3-year-old, Arlo, without much success. Hes perfectly aware where the bedroom is and has made cameos on calls with her chief technology officer in New York, her developers in Belarus and a reporter from The Chronicle.

Hes 3. I cant just tell him, Mommy needs three hours to get something done, she says.

Its a familiar struggle for families sheltering in place with young kids at home. Many parents are trying to fill the roles of teacher, nanny and playmate  then, between snack time and FaceTime, maybe get a little work done too. For two-parent households, juggling the demands of the pandemic is a challenge. For single parents navigating child care, custody issues and concerns about getting sick with a single set of hands and often a single income, it can feel utterly overwhelming.

According to the American Community Surveys five-year estimates through 2018, 22.7% of families with children in San Francisco are single-parent households, and 9.4% of adult residents are divorced or separated and not remarried.

For Arnold, the pandemic has put the support she relies on out of reach. She and Arlo usually live in an apartment in Noe Valley. Arlo attends a day care he loves and spends a couple of nights each week at his grandparents house. But now his day care is closed, and Arnold has stopped seeing her parents for fear of exposing them to the coronavirus.

The pair recently left their home for a friends empty place on Twin Peaks after Arnold worried about social distancing because of her roommate. Now Arlo spends days video chatting with his grandparents via the Caribu app, doing arts and crafts projects, watching TV, and splashing in the outdoor hot tub, while Arnold sneaks in work where she can.

Theres never a good time for a global health catastrophe, but for Arnold, the coronavirus has hit at a particularly difficult moment. In the fall, she quit a well-paying job as an investment analyst to launch a startup with her sister. Their company, Arnie, is creating an automated investment adviser that builds portfolios based on users sustainability values, but right now theyre trying to fundraise amid economic upheaval while Arnold lives off savings and wonders how long she can cover her rent.

In the back of my mind, I know this is probably going to go on for a long time, but I sort of try to hold onto that glimmer of hope that it ends in a month or two, Arnold says. This is all pretty overwhelming. And the loneliness of figuring it all out on your own without a partner has only intensified during the virus situation. I think other working single moms share the same sentiment  that we feel were failing at our jobs and at being moms because both require our full attention, but neither can have it.

Arnold has sole custody of her son, but for parents who share custody, the coronavirus is complicating court-ordered visitation agreements and alimony payments.

The short answer is, its a mess, says Debra Schoenberg, founder of Schoenberg Family Law Group in San Francisco. Our proverbial phone is ringing off the hook right now.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Some parents arent in agreement on safe social distancing measures. Others have lost jobs. Courts are closed for all but capital E mergencies, Schoenberg says, so shes spending lots of time talking with opposing parties and their counsel, trying to work things out through mediation. Were really struggling right now trying to find extrajudicial solutions. The system is not set up for pandemics, she says.

Jessica Rose Kwalick discovered that for herself when her 4-year-old son got sick in February. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and adenovirus, and his doctor recommended they quarantine at home. But her sons father has court-ordered visitation every other weekend and didnt want to miss time with his son.

In a perfect world his father and I would be able to agree on the greater good of our son, but thats just unfortunately not the case for a lot of people who are separated or co-parenting or parallel parenting, says Kwalick. Its probably one of the most challenging aspects of my life on a good day.

Eventually, she and her sons father agreed to skip one weekend last month and make up the time later on, but not before the discussion devolved into threats and accusations.

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.

Theres this gray area. In a shelter-at-home (order), for now, visitations are still happening. Kids are still seeing both of their parents, she says. But theres nothing about what if your kid  God forbid  has coronavirus or has pneumonia or is immuno-compromised. There are these pockets that are unaddressed.

Mark Britt and his co-parent, Amy, have pulled closer to confront the pandemic. Theyve turned their two homes in Berkeley into one quarantine zone, with 10-year-old Noah going back and forth every other day. Theyve synchronized errands to reduce shopping trips, agreed on social distancing protocols (no on parks, yes on bike rides), worked together to design a virtual school plan, and had the tough conversations about what would happen if one of them got sick or had to care for someone outside their circle.

Amy and I worked very hard and compromised a lot to get to where we are, Britt says. Times like this, Im very grateful we put in all that work.

Britt considers himself lucky  to have a stable job as a graphic designer, to have a strong relationship with Amy, and to have a son like Noah, whos an upbeat, optimistic kid. But as a single dad, Britt says hes also felt lonely over the past few weeks, segregated from friends and coworkers, wondering how much longer the pandemic will keep people at least 6 feet apart.

However, sheltering in place has provided one unexpected pleasure: bike rides with his son.

Before the coronavirus, biking together was an occasional outing. Now, father and son cruise the neighborhood almost every afternoon. Sometimes theyll ride to a friends house and yell out their names till they come to the windows and wave.

More Information Resources offer some support Safe & Sound: Virtual single parent support group, resources for parenting during the coronavirus pandemic and a 24/7 parenting help line. (415) 441-5437, safeandsound.org La Raza Community Resource Center: Family support groups, parenting classes and enhanced visitation program. www.larazacrc.org Jewish Family and Children's Services: Online parenting classes and single parent support group. parentsplace.jfcs.org Children's Council San Francisco: Parenting workshops and child care resources and assistance. www.childrenscouncil.org See More Collapse

Before shelter in place, we would never do that. And its a real treat, Britt says. The only joy I really get these days is from Noah. I dont know how people get through this without a Noah in their life.

Sarah Feldberg is assistant features editor forThe San Francisco Chronicle. Email: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sarahfeldberg
TAMPA, FL, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Primo Water Corporation (NYSE and TSX:PRMW) (the "Company" or "Primo"), formerly Cott Corporation (NYSE:COT; TSX:BCB), a leading provider of direct to consumer bottled water and water filtration services in North America and Europe, as well as a leading provider of water dispensers, purified bottled water, and self-service refill drinking water in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that the Company will release its first quarter ended March 28, 2020 financial results before the markets open on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Primo will host a conference call, to be simultaneously webcast, on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A question and answer session will follow management's presentation. To participate, please call the following numbers:

First Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call

North America: (888) 231-8191

International: (647) 427-7450

Conference ID: 6669955

This is a live, listen-only dial-in telephone line.

Webcast for First Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call

A live audio webcast will be available through the Company's website at www.primowatercorp.com. The webcast will be recorded and archived for playback on the investor relations section of the website for two weeks following the event.

2020 Annual Meeting of Shareowners

This year, out of an abundance of caution, to proactively deal with the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and to mitigate risks to the health and safety of our shareowners, associates and other stakeholders, the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareowners will be held solely by remote communication, in a virtual-only format on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. ET.

The meeting can be accessed by shareowners at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PRMW2020 using the control number on their proxy card, voting instruction form or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. Primo Water Corporation has designed the format of the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareowners to ensure that shareowners are afforded the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would at an in-person meeting and to enhance shareowners' access, participation and communication through online tools.

Guests can listen to the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PRMW2020, but only shareowners may communicate or vote at the meeting.

At the meeting, shareowners will be asked to receive the financial statements for the year ended December 28, 2019 and the report on those statements by Primo's independent registered certified public accounting firm, elect directors, approve the appointment of Primo's independent registered certified public accounting firm, hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation, and transact any other business that properly may be brought before the meeting and any adjournment of the meeting.

The meeting will be recorded and archived for playback on the investor relations section of the website for two weeks following the event.

ABOUT PRIMO WATER CORPORATION

Primo (formerly Cott Corporation) is a pure-play water solutions provider with a leading volume-based national presence in the North American and European direct to consumer industry for bottled water, a top five position across point of use or water filtration within our 21-country footprint as well as leading positions in water dispensers, purified bottled water, and self-service refill drinking water in the U.S. and Canada. Our platform reaches over 2.5 million customers across North America and Europe and is supported by strategically located sales and distribution facilities and fleets, as well as wholesalers and distributors. This enables us to efficiently service residences, businesses, and small and large retailers.

Corporate Website: www.primowatercorp.com

SOURCE Primo Water Corporation

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Linkedin Robbie Corey-Boulet (Agence France-Presse) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  Thu, April 9, 2020 01:07 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0b29e5 2 World Ethiopia,state-of-emergency,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,coronavirus-prevention Free

Ethiopia on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected 55 people and resulted in two deaths there.

It is the first state of emergency announced under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 and won last year's Nobel Peace Prize in part for expanding political freedoms in the authoritarian nation.

"Because the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse, the Ethiopian government has decided to declare a state of emergency under Article 93 of the constitution," Abiy said in a statement.

"I call upon everybody to stand in line with government bodies and others that are trying to overcome this problem," he added, warning of "grave legal measures" against anyone who undermines the fight against the pandemic.

The attorney general's office issued a statement specifying that the state of emergency would go into effect from Wednesday and last for five months.

Violators of the terms of the state of emergency face up to three years behind bars, it said, although it did not specify what constituted a violation or which rights might be suspended.

It was thus not immediately clear how the state of emergency would affect day-to-day life in Ethiopia.

The government has so far refrained from imposing a lockdown similar to those in effect elsewhere in the region, including in Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius.

According to the country's constitution, under a state of emergency the Council of Ministers has "all necessary power to protect the country's peace and sovereignty" and can suspend some "political and democratic rights".

Wednesday's decree is likely to "beef up security operations with a greater role for the federal government, including the military," said William Davison, Ethiopia analyst for the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention organization.

"While this approach is understandable given the situation, it is critical that there is transparency over the government's extra powers and that there is adequate monitoring of implementation," Davison said.

Opposition challenges move

Since reporting its first COVID-19 case on March 13, Ethiopia has closed land borders and schools, freed thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding, sprayed main streets in the capital with disinfectant, and discouraged large gatherings.

But Abiy said over the weekend that a harsher lockdown would be unrealistic given that there are "many citizens who don't have homes" and "even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily."

Jawar Mohammed, a leading opposition politician, said Wednesday this called into question why a state of emergency was necessary.

"Officials have been saying the country is too poor to stop population movement. So why do you need a state of emergency if you are not planning to impose stricter rules?" Jawar told AFP.

During consultations with Abiy earlier this week, the opposition Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) voiced worries that a state of emergency would lead to human rights abuses -- a well-documented problem under previous states of emergency imposed during several years of anti-government protests that swept Abiy to power.

"We explained our concern that the state of emergency has been initiated several times and it has been abused to violate the rights of citizens and other political activists," OLF chairman Dawud Ibsa told AFP.

It's also unclear how the state of emergency might affect planning for hotly-anticipated general elections in Ethiopia.

The country's electoral board announced last week that voting planned for August would need to be postponed because of the pandemic.

It did not provide a timeline for when the elections would ultimately be held, and lawmakers' constitutional mandates expire in October.

Davison, with the International Crisis Group, said the state of emergency could be used "to formally postpone elections" past that deadline, though such a move risks sparking opposition backlash.

"It is therefore essential that the government works with opposition parties on managing this constitutionally sensitive period and making new electoral arrangements," Davison said.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has dramatically cast aside credit standards it imposes on banks seeking loans.

The ECB announced a raft of temporary changes to ease collateral requirements and ultimately make it easier for banks that are giving risky loans to continue to borrow from the ECB at rock-bottom rates.

The surprise measures were announced after an unscheduled meeting of the ECB Governing Council yesterday.

The changes mean the ECB will accept riskier loan assets as collateral from banks when they borrow from central banks at the lowest rates. That includes risky Greek government bonds but also loans with lower credit quality and foreign-currency loans.

Under the relaxed regime the ECB will accept government-guaranteed loans as collateral and will be less restrictive in accepting unsecured debt as collateral.

Loans will remain acceptable at the Frankfurt lending window even if the debt suffers a downgrade - that means banks won't be forced to re- engineer their own borrowings if and when borrowers fall into financial distress.

The move is a bid to keep credit flowing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and in particular to households amid the economic hit from Covid-19. It also focuses on stricken borrowers who might otherwise be locked out of the market for credit.

It's a sharp contrast to the period of the euro crisis, when regulators repeatedly toughened the credit standards required of lenders.

"The measures collectively support the provision of bank lending especially by easing the conditions at which credit claims are accepted as collateral," the ECB said in a statement.

"The ECB is increasing its risk tolerance to support the provision of credit via its refinancing operations, particularly by lowering collateral valuation haircuts for all assets consistently."

Earlier, two research papers produced by the Central Bank of Ireland indicated that measures that had been taken ahead of Tuesday's surprise announcement had already freed Irish banks to boost lending by as much as 36bn during the Covid-19 crisis.

Those reports cited in particular the ramp-up in quantitative easing (QE) by the ECB, - notably 1bn of additional asset purchases by the ECB for the remainder of 2020 which will mean the main Irish retail banks could potentially borrow in excess of 20bn.

The Central Bank of Ireland's own release of the so-called Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCyB) - additional capital that banks need to have against their lending - from 1pc to zero could boost new lending by 10bn and 16bn, the research found.

The lower capital buffer can also be used by banks to absorb a potentially higher number of customers falling into arrears without having to rein in lending to other customers.

Central banks around the world are taking dramatic action in a bid to prevent the recession caused by the Covid-19 outbreak becoming a more long-lasting crisis.
The lockdown to restrict the spread of Covid-19 has meant an increased workload for police officers for whom there is no work from home option. An average shift runs from 12 to 14 hours, but can go on for longer, and as part of Covid-19 duty, police officers are on the front lines of tackling the disease.

In a video released by Mumbai Police on Wednesday, the police talked about what theyd do if they had the option of working from home. Since the lockdown, police officers are often working longer hours than normal. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Pranaya Ashok said of Mumbai Polices 50,000 police personnel, half are on Covid-19 duty. An average of 12 to 14 hours are devoted [by those on duty, said Ashok, adding that the shifts can go on for longer. If a crowd gathers, one cannot leave just because his shift has ended, he said.

Being on duty in the city, in daytime temperatures that are around 33C, police work is demanding and requires many to make sacrifices. Assistant police inspector (API) with Navghar police, Deepali Kulkarni missed her eight-year-old sons birthday on Wednesday. I would have celebrated my sons birthday with him, she said. He sits in the balcony and calls out to his friends in the society, saying he will celebrate it post-April 14. Kulkarni travels from Kalyan to Mulund daily and is stationed at one of the busiest entry/exit points to the city  the toll plaza bordering Thane. Shes sent her younger son, who is two years old, to stay with her mother.

Sunil Waghmare, a police inspector at Wadala TT police station, also had to miss his sons birthday on March 31.  We couldnt celebrate the birthday at home as I barely got time when I reached home. I was not able to even have lunch or dinner with my son on that special day, he said.

In some police officers families, there are reversals in roles. DCP (headquarters-1) N Ambika said, At times, my daughter cooks food for me when I return these days. My son and daughters schedules too have changed as they remain home, but they have been extremely understanding.

Jayashree Sawant, API, Sion police station, misses her normal routine of putting her two-year-old daughter to bed now that Sawant has to man different junctions. Sawants husband, Sunil Patil, is an officer with Thane rural police and has a daily commute of two hours. The couple decided to send their daughter to live with extended family in Sangli, around 375 kilometres from Mumbai. She demands to see me daily during meals and before going to bed. I use video call to stay in touch. I would have spent all the time with her had I been at home, said Sawant.

When asked what he would do if he could stay home, Dattatray P Bhargude, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Bandra division, said, I would sit with my children, speak with them about life and share my experiences working as a cop. I would also refresh old memories with my colleagues as I am nearing retirement. DCP, zone 10, Ankit Goyal also said he would like to reconnect with old friends if he had more down time. I would have called my old college friends and relived those past days. Watching movies with family is also on the list. There are many books on my shelf which have been remained untouched and I would read them all. Last, I would catch up on sleep, he said.

Balasaheb Satpute, head constable, MIDC police station, said he would have liked to take over the cooking if he could have worked from home. In this way, I would have been able to give some rest to my wife, he said.

The demanding schedules of Mumbai Police leaves most officers with little time to work on their personal projects and hobbies. I hardly get time for myself, said Navnath Chavan, police constable, Oshiwara police station. When asked what he would do if he could stay home, Chavan said, I would have read spiritual books like Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana. API Ratna Khandelwal, who travels from Mumbra to Pydhonie police station daily, said, Had I been home, I would try out new recipes and spend time with my sisters kids and my aging mother. Police officers overburdened with work never get enough time to do these things.

For Hriday Mishra, head constable with Mumbai Polices crime branch, being able to relax at home would have been a good opportunity to go through old cases. I would have revisited those cases, their written notes and study what could have been done better and what were the mistakes committed, said Mishra.

Ashok said there are initiatives to try and give officers much-needed breaks. In a bid to ensure police personnel are not stressed, junior officers and personnel are getting a day off after working for two consecutive days at some police zones. Some police stations staff are rotated every three hours at check posts, he said. At their individual levels, senior officers do their best to look out for their staff. Senior police inspector Lalita Gaikwad, who is in charge of Sion police station, said As a senior police inspector, I see that my staff gets a weekly off so that they get time to spend with family.
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Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Nina Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 09:34 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd075254 1 City COVID-19-in-Indonesia,aid,staple-food,packages,cash-aid,bantuan-dana,bantuan-bahan-makanan,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,bantuan-sosial Free

The government is preparing cash aid for 4.1 million people in Greater Jakarta whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

"[The aid is to be given to] 3.7 million people in Jakarta. [Cash aid for] the other 1.1 million people is to be provided by the Jakarta administration," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Tuesday.

In addition to Jakarta, the government will also distribute aid to 1.64 million people in the capital's satellite cities, such as Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java, as well as Tangerang in Banten, she added.

"The beneficiaries will receive Rp 600,000 [US$37.11] per person [that is supposed to be sufficient] for three months," Sri Mulyani said.

Read also: Avoiding quarantine will inflict greater economic harm, says survey

Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara also said the government was preparing staple food aid for around 9 million people across the country.

"We'll distribute a package of staple food that is worth Rp 600,000. However, we're still calculating the exact number of beneficiaries," Juliari said.

The food aid, he said, would be given to people who were not receiving similar financial assistance from the government, such as through the Family Hope Program (PKH), the non-cash food assistance program (BPNT) and the pre-employment card.

Juliandri said the government would focus the distribution of the food aid in Jakarta, the national epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, and its neighboring cities.

"The staple food packages should be sufficient for the next three month. We'll start the program two weeks from now," he said.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained

While waiting for the program to kick off, the Social Affairs Ministry will start delivering staple food aid worth Rp 200,000 per package for 200,000 people on Wednesday.

Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar said he would also allocate village funds for villagers affected by COVID-19.

"We'll distribute funds for the villagers who have not yet received other types of aid. Those who have lost their livelihood because of COVID-19," Abdul Halim said.

Indonesia has recorded 2,738 COVID-19 cases, with 221 deaths and 204 recoveries as of Tuesday.
The sun sets behind an oil production pump. (Getty)

Oil prices looked set to snap a two-day losing streak on Wednesday as traders hoped that an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia could reduce global output by 10 million barrels per day.

Crude oil (CL=F) was trading 3% higher at $24.34 per barrel. Brent (BZ=F) rose by 0.19% to $31.93.

In comments on Fox News, US president Donald Trump said once again that he expects the two countries to resolve the price war.

I think its all going to work out, Trump said, noting that he had spoken to Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about low oil prices.

Investors now expect significant progress when members of OPEC, which consists of 14 of the worlds major oil-exporting nations, and allied producers meet on Thursday.

Read more: Stocks fall as eurozone leaders fail to agree coronavirus stimulus deal

The price war and a major coronavirus-related fall-off in oil demand has seen prices plunge in recent weeks.

Demand for global oil has dropped by as much as 30%, or about 30 million barrels per day, since the crisis began.

Oil prices declined on Tuesday after the US energy department said that output was declining without government intervention, indicating that the country would not reconsider its refusal to intervene in oil markets.

Read more: Coronavirus sparks biggest drop in hiring since 2009 financial crisis

While members of OPEC have indicated that they are willing to broker a detente, they have thus far insisted that the US and Canada must play a role in curbing output. Recent comments from Trump had suggested the US was willing to participate.

Investors are wary if the US is going to join the production cut tomorrow, and this is what haunting traders now, said Naeem Aslam, the chief market analyst at Avatrade.

Remember, the initial actions of Donald Trump gave the markets the perception that this time the US will join the production cut as well, he said.

What we need here is a strong message, and that is whatever it takes. If the US joins the OPEC+ in the production cut, the message will be strong for the industry.
T he mother of a 36-year-old London bus driver who died after contracting coronavirus has called for Sadiq Khan to see "the real face of the tragedy" by meeting victims' families.

Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, who drove the number four bus from Blackfriars to Archway, died at the end of March after fighting Covid-19 for two weeks.

Fourteen people who worked for public transport in London have died, Mayor of London Mr Khan confirmed on Wednesday, and nine of those were bus drivers.

Mr Khan said he is addressing "all the things that drivers are concerned about", but said Government advice stipulates that protective equipment should only be used in "care settings".

Mr Ihenacho died after contracting coronavirus / Jessica Nyack Ihenacho

But Mr Ihenacho's mother, Anne Nyack, has called for Mr Khan to "get out there" and see what condition bus drivers are working in.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain after Mr Khan, she said: "He needs to get out there and look at the buses and see what condition the drivers are operating in.

"They are at risk. My son was at risk. Sadly he died."

Mrs Nyack, 62, claimed her son had no mask or gloves, and he was asthmatic and "left open to the elements".

She said: "I don't know how Sadiq Khan can turn around and say the buses are being cleaned, because they are not."

Mr Khan said on Wednesday the measures on London buses "are the most enhanced measures of any buses across the country" and transport staff "are the heroes of our city".

"We're using anti-viral disinfectant, the sort of stuff they use in hospitals to make sure everything is clean including the touch points, steering wheels, handles, garages, rest rooms," he told BBC Breakfast.

"We've also made sure there is a perspex barrier between the driver and the passengers with a protective film to avoid particles or droplets coming from people's mouth on the driver.

"We've also made sure no passenger can sit near a driver."

Sadiq Khan said Government advice states protective equipment should only be used in "care settings" / Getty Images

TfL is also piloting a scheme which will see passengers using the back door to board.

But Mrs Nyack has called for Mr Khan to meet the families of the bus drivers who have died as a result of the virus.

She added: "I certainly haven't had a conversation with him. I want him to see the real face of the tragedy - which is me, and all the other bus drivers who have lost their lives.

"He should meet the families."

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

Describing her son, she said: "He was my son, I loved him dearly, his family loved him, his gran is in pieces.

"He was a lovely man, heart of gold, would help anybody - not just me, his family, but his friends.

"[He was] full of laughter, he was a joker, always had a nickname for every one of us and I'm going to miss him.

"I miss him every waking moment. I get up every morning and have a cry for him.

"Why couldn't I be here to stop him from going to work?"

She added: "That will be my fight for my son's legacy - all bus drivers in London and the country and the world get protection.

"That will be my fight for my son."

A Transport for London bus driver wearing a face mask / AFP via Getty Images

In a statement to the Evening Standard, Mr Khan said: Im absolutely devastated to hear Emeka Nyack Ihenacho has lost his life after testing positive for coronavirus.

"My thoughts are with his loved ones at this awful time.

"As Mayor, I am writing to all families of transport workers who have lost their lives, and have contacted Mr Ihenachos family to offer my support and deepest condolences.

"Transport staff are heroes of our city, doing vital work to keep Londons transport links open so nurses, doctors and other frontline workers can get to where they are needed most.

My top priority is keeping Londoners safe and City Hall and TfL are working with unions to do everything we can to protect bus workers and passengers, in line with PHE advice."

Fourteen London Transport Workers Have Died From Coronavirus, Sadiq Khan Confirms

He added: "All drivers are shielded by a clear screen and as of last night a film has been added to this on the vast majority of routes to provide an extra layer of protection.

"We will also be trialling middle door only boarding on several routes by the end of this week following discussions with Unite the Union.

"TfL have also enhanced cleaning, are stopping passengers from sitting near drivers and boosting social distancing at stations and stops.

"We will continue to make enhancements across public transport in London to ensure there are even higher levels of protection for our hard-working staff.

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

Claire Mann, TfLs Director of Bus Operations, added: We are all extremely saddened about the recent passing of Emeka Nyack Ihenacho.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends and we have offered support.

Nothing is more important than the safety of our colleagues and customers and we continue to work closely with the bus companies, the Mayor and Unite the Union to implement changes and improvements to keep the bus network safe for those operating and using it, in accordance with Public Health England advice.

"Hard-working transport staff are on the frontline of the coronavirus effort, keeping the city moving so that nurses, doctors and other key workers can get where they need to be.

Our clear message to Londoners is simple  the transport network is only for critical workers who need to make absolutely essential journeys.
Gilens, Page and their critics basically agree on the same set of facts. Their differences emerge from their conflicting interpretations of those facts.

Take the enactment of Obamacare. For Gilens, the final legislation reflects the failure of the Democratic Party to achieve progressive goals:

In 2009, with unified Democratic Party control and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, the Democratic Party failed even to include a public option in Obamacare, much less establish a health insurance program that would cover all uninsured Americans.

The Affordable Care Act, Gilens continued, is one illustration of the power of interest groups in constraining Democratic Party policy.

Critics of Gilens argument contend that enactment of Obamacare marks the first major downwardly redistributive federal legislation in generations, a major progressive achievement after decades of conservative success in distributing income and wealth to those in the top brackets.

The A.C.A. was less sweeping than it could have been because of the constraints imposed by a powerful health care lobby, but it was more sweeping than anything that had come before, Rhodes wrote by email. The fact that significant health care legislation was enacted in spite of substantial resistance was a testament to the strength of progressive mobilization at the time.

In other words, for Gilens, the glass is half empty, for Rhodes, half full.

Grossmann and Isaac write:

The view associated with Bernie Sanders and some scholars, which suggests that both parties have been bought off by rich donors to represent the rich and big business at the expense of the middle class, is inconsistent with the patterns we observe.

The Republican Party, they contend, perhaps unnecessarily,

does seem consistently responsive to business preferences and its positions are more often associated with those of the affluent. On economic policy in particular, Republican leaders much better represent affluent and business preferences.

But the Democratic Party, Grossmann and Isaac argue, is not aligned with business preferences or affluent preferences in any domain  and actually represents middle-class views over affluent views on economic policy.

Along similar lines, Rhodes and Schaffner found in their 2017 paper that:

Individuals with Democratic congressional representatives experience a fundamentally different type of representation than do individuals with Republican representatives. Individuals with Democratic representatives encounter a mode of representation best described as populist.

In contrast, they continue,

individuals with Republican representatives experience an oligarchic" mode of representation, in which wealthy individuals receive much more representation than those lower on the economic ladder.

In an email, Rhodes noted that

Democrats are on average more responsive to their less affluent constituents than they are to their more affluent constituents, while for Republicans the reverse is true.

If the standard in judging the Democratic Party is whether it would support a radical upheaval vastly expanding the federal government, Rhodes continued, then

its fair to say that few elected Democrats at the national level are contemplating major departures from prevailing economic and political arrangements. Theres little evidence that most elected Democrats want an economic revolution.

But, Rhodes continued, the reality is more complicated than the Sanders claim that the party is dominated by corporate interests and is unresponsive to the demands of the working and middle classes.

Instead, according to Rhodes,

theres a decent case to be made that many Democratic elected officials are indeed representing their working- and middle-class constituents by taking moderately liberal positions on most economic issues.

Interestingly, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party faces another challenge from an unexpected source.




Zimbabweans must stop propagating racial and slanderous publicity relating to the origins of Covid-19, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo said last night.





The ministry has received reports, and in some cases photographic evidence, of Zimbabwe-based companies propagating offensive, racially-discriminatory publicity relating to the supposed origins of the Covid-19 virus, he said.





Discrimination in any way, shape or form is abhorrent to the Government of Zimbabwe. Whatever its origins, Covid-19 is a global threat, affecting each and every inhabitant of planet earth, with zero regard for ethnicity, social status, wealth or any other of the various strata, which have been contrived, over centuries, to set us apart from each other.





Dr Moyo said misguided assumptions with regard to the origin and the consequent attribution of blame take us nowhere, render a difficult situation even more challenging and impact negatively on relations between and amongst brotherly nations and peoples.





He said during colonial rule, Zimbabweans were subjected to worst forms of discrimination and it was, therefore, unthinkable that any Zimbabwean national or resident should seek to dishonour the ethos and sacrifice which led to the sovereign independence by indulging in any form of racially-charged slander or insult, against anybody, for whatever reason.





It is simply unacceptable, said Dr Moyo. True, to this principle, Zimbabwe recently co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution on Covid-19, cautioning the world against any form of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in response to the pandemic.





The resolution was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly and stressed the need for intensified international solidarity.





Said Dr Moyo: Our focus as Government, as a people and as a community, must be on directing all energy and maximum effort towards limiting the spread of this deadly virus and minimising its impact upon our populace and indeed all those who reside in Zimbabwe.





Our efforts do not take place in a vacuum. They are part of a regional continental, and indeed fully global effort, by all nations and all people in alignment with the detailed guidelines set out by the World Health Organisation to compact this disease.





Zimbabwe is playing its part within that global effort. We rely on the support and cooperation of others, from within our region and way beyond.




"This will be probably the toughest week, between this week and next week," Trump said on Sunday. "And there'll be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasn't done. But there will be death."

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose pandemic messaging has ranged from optimism that the country will "open up sooner rather than later" to frustration that "we're paying people not to go to work," has warned Americans to brace for the worst.

The 81,766-death projection is a slightly less grim figure than the 93,531 cited earlier by the Trump administration. The model projects that the country may need fewer hospital beds, ventilators and other equipment than previously estimated, and that some states may reach their peak of COVID-19 deaths sooner than expected.

A computer model used by the White House projects close to 82,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by Aug. 4, assuming the country implements full social distancing until the end of May.

Not all states are using the federal government's forecasting model. While the White House projects that coronavirus cases in the nation's capital would peak later this month, the local Washington, D.C. government is relying on a different computer model that says it won't peak until late June or early July. In any case, health experts warn against early optimism and say it's best to prepare for worst case scenarios.

The numbers are sobering, but the talk helps both people and health professionals to think seriously about this issue, said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "It helps us prepare psychologically for what's ahead," he added.

For their coronavirus modeling, the White House has relied on projections created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in Seattle. The White House has also reached out to a number of universities, including the University of Texas at Austin.

Mathematical epidemiologist and head of the university's research team, Lauren Meyers, underscored that pandemic modelling is almost never precise. "There is a lot of uncertainty in the projections that we make because of lack of access to good data, because we just don't understand yet about the coronavirus, and especially because of uncertainty about how people will behave and what kinds of policies will be enacted to change contact patterns in the weeks and months ahead," Meyers said.

Meyers stressed that projections "are not like weather forecasts." "When you forecast a tropical storm, there's nothing you can do about changing the path of the storm, but when you project that an infectious disease outbreak could lead to many, many deaths, there are actually measures you can take, things you can do, especially if you act early enough, that can change the course of the outbreak," Meyers said.

"The ranges that we estimated really depends on what we put into the model with respect to how much people actually adhere to social distancing," she added.

While the coronavirus has spread to almost the entire planet, not all countries have the tracking capacity, nor the political will to record cases accurately, which will directly impact the ability to come up with pandemic projections and how to prepare for it.

Daniel Runde, an international development analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, urged countries to be transparent with their data and in their pandemic messaging.

Korea was one of the worst-hit countries in the early stages of the pandemic, but has been praised for its effective, aggressive response, that includes a swift implementation of mass-scale testing, and consistent, transparent messaging to the public throughout the crisis. "Lying about numbers, suppressing science, suppressing doctors, censoring the media -- this is the absolute wrong time to be doing that," Runde said.


Actress Sharon Stone continued her long-running trolling of Bernie Sanders ahead of the Wisconsin presidential primary on Tuesday, asking Twitter if he was "actually" going to do a repeat performance of his 2016 campaign and stay in the race.

"Am I the only person that didn't know @BernieSanders was still in the race?" she tweeted. "Is he actually going to do this TWICE?"

Sanders supporters immediately fired back at the Oscar-winning actress, dubbed "Karen" Stone.

"Am I the only person who didn't know @SharonStone still had a career? Nevermind, just checked IMDb. She doesn't," said Twitter user @jvgraz.

Stone, who starred in Basic Instinct and Casino, has a history of criticising the presidential candidate, saying in a 2016 interview that Sanders was in no "way, shape or form" prepared to be president, asking "how much acid has this guy taken?"

"Bernie seems pretty old just in general, and some of his ideas are a little bit old. He's not young doing this, and he didn't really work until he was 40 so I wonder, like, how much acid has this guy taken?" she said.

"I really do, that's not a joke. We were so aggressive asking people, 'Did you smoke pot?' But in reality, how much acid has Bernie Sanders taken? Because there's a certain edge to his personality and way about his behaviour that makes me wonder, 'How much LSD have you taken?'"

In January, Stone endorsed Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who took the contest by storm before dropping out after Super Tuesday and endorsing Joe Biden..

"I support Pete Buttigieg for president because I believe he is the candidate that will take us to a safer, more thoughtful future!" she wrote on Facebook.

Mr Biden was expected to win the Wisconsin primary, a state which Mr Sanders claimed victory in four years ago when he was running against Hillary Clinton.

The former vice president is expected to tie up the race for the Democratic nomination after coming from behind with a series of stunning wins. However, it remains to be seen whether the Vermont senator will press the race all the way to the convention.
While almost 209 countries and territories are affected by the deadly coronavirus, North Korea has not confirmed even a single case of COVID-19 even after testing and having more than 500 people in quarantine. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reportedly said that it had been receiving weekly updates from the health ministry and the country even has the capacity to test coronavirus in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang. Dr Edwin Salvador, who is the WHO Representative to the DPRK also said that since December 31, more than 24,000 people have been released from quarantine.

Last week, North Koreas senior health minister also insisted that the country is free from coronavirus and said that it does not have a single case of the disease. Pak Myong Su, director of the anti-epidemic department of the Norths Central Emergency Anti-Epidemic Headquarters insisted that North Korea sealed its borders late January, shortly after the coronavirus outbreak news emerged from neighbouring China. He said that strict containment measures were enforced, and efforts have been successful.

READ: Turkey Witnesses Fastest Rise In Coronavirus Cases, Law To Release Prisoners Underway

According to the WHO website, North Korea, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Yemen have not reported a single coronavirus case. The UN human rights have also called for lifting international sanctions against the countries to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the pandemic.

Experts doubt Kim Jong Un

Meanwhile, Several foreign experts have expressed doubts that North Korea, which shares a border with China and South Korea, has not detected any infections. While speaking to an international media outlet, Duyeon Kim, who is a senior advisor to the International Crisis Group think-tank, reportedly said that Kim Jong Un is trying to show his confidence and strength to his people. Duyeon further added that Kim is also trying to show that the regime is functioning normally by pursuing its strategic objectives despite the national crisis over a virus they have no control over. Duyeon said that Kim is trying to show that North Korea is invincible in a bid to keep his constituents in Pyongyang happy.

READ: UK-EU Post-Brexit Negotiations Halted Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Even though some foreigners have reportedly said the North Koreas government is actually well placed as it has been successful in slowing the spread of the virus, aid organisations, on the other hand, warned that the countys health system is chronically under-resourced, often fails to meet the daily needs of citizens. The aid organisation reportedly said that North Korea could have dire consequences due to a poor health system and shortage of medical supplies. The organisation further added that it would be hard-pressed for North Korea to handle any major outbreak of coronavirus, which has infected more than one million people and claimed nearly 82,000 lives around the globe.

READ: Couple Creates Tiny Art Museum For Their Gerbils Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

READ: Donald Trump Removes Inspector General Overseeing Coronavirus Relief Spending
A man takes a picture of a General Electric engine during the China International Import Expo, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 6, 2018. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

US Grants GE License to Sell Engines for Chinas New Airplane

The Trump administration on April 7 granted a license to General Electric to supply engines for Chinas new COMAC C919 passenger jet, a spokeswoman for the company said.

Early this year, the United States was weighing whether to deny GEs latest license request to provide the CFM LEAP-1C engine for the narrow-body COMAC jet, which is expected to go into service next year.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, which issues such licenses, declined to comment, saying it cannot discuss individual license applications. The White House also declined to comment.

But in February, President Donald Trump intervened, criticizing U.S. proposals that would prevent companies from supplying jet engines and other components to Chinas budding aviation industry.

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on April 7, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

I want China to buy our jet engines, the best in the World, Trump tweeted on Feb. 18. I want to make it EASY to do business with the United States, not difficult. Everyone in my Administration is being so instructed, with no excuses

Trump downplayed national security concerns. Were not going to be sacrificing our companies  by using a fake term of national security. Its got to be real national security. And I think people were getting carried away with it, he told reporters.

GE had received licenses for the LEAP engines since 2014 and was last granted one in March 2019, as the C919 plane was developed and began to engage in test flights.

Such licenses are typically valid for four years with a defined quantity and value, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The engine is a joint venture between GE and Frances Safran Aircraft Engines.

We received notification that GE Aviation has license approval for engines for the C919, a GE spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday.

Safran confirmed GE received the license approval.

COMAC was not immediately available for comment.

Men work with a jet engine at a General Electric aviation engine overhaul facility in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 8, 2016. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

The license approval comes as U.S. officials have agreed to press forward with new measures to control high-tech exports to China, and to require foreign companies that use U.S. chipmaking equipment to obtain a license before supplying certain chips to Chinas Huawei Technologies.

COMAC is an acronym for Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd.

Trade tensions between China and the United States have flared up since late 2018, with the worlds two biggest economies engaging in a prolonged trade war that saw billions of tariffs imposed on bilateral trade.

Even with a Phase One trade agreement in effect since earlier this year, broad tensions between the two countries are expected to continue.

Trump and some top aides have repeatedly excoriated China over its handling of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

On Thursday, GE said it would furlough about half its workers in the U.S. engine assembly and component manufacturing operations for up to four weeks, a move that would affect thousands of employees.

By Stella Qiu and Karen Freifeld

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
A California appeals court on Tuesday dismissed more than two dozen charges of child rape and human trafficking against a Mexican megachurch leader citing procedural grounds.

Naason Joaquin Garcia, 50, the self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo Church, has been in custody since June following his arrest on accusations involving three girls and one woman between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County. Additional allegations of the possession of child pornography in 2019 were later added.

Garcia has maintained his innocence. It was not clear when he would be released after the appeals court ruled to dismiss the case against him, saying that Garcia's rights were violated because a preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner.

Naason Joaquin Garcia (pictured in court, left, in July 2019), the leader of a Mexico-based evangelical church with a worldwide membership, had all 29 charges of child rape and human trafficking dismissed against him on a procedural technicality

La Luz del Mundo Church (Light of The World) was founded in 1926 in Mexico and claims five million followers worldwide. Pictured: aerial photo of the international headquarters of the Church of the Light of the World in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico

While being held without bail in Los Angeles, Garcia has remained the spiritual leader of La Luz del Mundo, which is Spanish for 'The Light Of The World.' The Guadalajara, Mexico-based evangelical Christian church was founded by his grandfather and claims five million followers worldwide.

The attorney general's office said it was reviewing the decision.

Garcia's attorney, Alan Jackson, said he and his client are 'thrilled' by the decision.

WHAT IS LA LUZ DEL MUNDO CHURCH? La Luz Del Mundo was founded in 1926 in Mexico by Naason Joaquin Garcia's grandfather, Eusebio Joaquin Gonzalez, who said he had received a 'divine revelation.' The church is headquartered in Guadalajara, Mexico, and claims five million followers worldwide. The congregation adheres to nontrinitarianism, rejecting a mainstream Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity. It says it adheres to the earliest beliefs of the Christian church teachings. Naason, his father, Samuel, and his grandfather are regarded as modern-day apostles of Jesus. The church does not use crosses or religious images in its worship services. Female members follow a dress code that includes long skirts and use head coverings during services. More than half a million followers gathered in Guadalajara for six days in August 2018 to perform their 80th 'holy supper,' one of the largest religious ceremonies in the world -- with mass baptisms, 600,000 loaves of bread, 20,000 liters of wine and attendants dressed in white straining to touch Garcia as he arrived at the church's headquarters escorted by his 'royal guard.' Advertisement

'In their zeal to secure a conviction at any cost, the Attorney General has sought to strip Mr. Garcia of his freedom without due process by locking him up without bail on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations by unnamed accusers and by denying him his day in court,' Jackson said in a statement.

La Luz del Mundo officials in a statement urged their followers to remain respectful and pray for authorities.

'(W)e are not to point fingers or accuse anyone, we must practice the Christian values that identify us, such as patience, prudence, respect and love of God,' they said.

The appeals court ruling states that the Los Angeles County Superior Court must dismiss the 29 counts of felony charges that range from human trafficking and production of child pornography to forcible rape of a minor.

The appeals court ruled that because Garcia's preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner and he did not waive his right to one, the complaint filed against him must be dismissed.

In June, Garcia was arraigned on 26 counts and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing - a common move. The following month, he was arraigned on an amended complaint that included three additional charges of possession of child pornography.

That time, he did not waive the time limits for a preliminary hearing.

His hearing was postponed several times - in some instances, because prosecutors had not turned over evidence to the defense - as he remained held without bail, prompting his attorneys to file an appeal.

The appeals court ruled that a preliminary hearing on an amended complaint for an in-custody defendant must be held within 10 days of the second arraignment - unless the defendant waives the 10-day time period or there is 'good cause' for the delay.

Garcia (pictured at a church event in August 2018) has been in custody since June following his arrest on accusations involving three girls and one woman between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County

Faithful prays for their religious leader Naason Joaquin Garcia in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico on June 9, 2019

The appeal only mentioned the dismissal of Garcia's case and not those of his co-defendants, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, remains at large.

It was not immediately clear if the co-defendants' cases would also be tossed.

In February, 33-year-old Sochil Martin, from Southern California, filed a federal lawsuit against the church and Garcia. In it, she said Garcia and his father sexually abused her for 18 years starting when she was 12, manipulating Bible passages to convince her the mistreatment actually was a gift from God.

The lawsuit will continue despite the dismissal, the womans lawyers said Tuesday in a statement.

'The (appeals court decision) does not judge Naason Joaquin Garcia for his guilt or innocence, but addresses a procedural technicality,' Martin's attorney stated. 'It does nothing to change the fact that for years, as the leader of the La Luz del Mundo, he sexually, physically and emotionally abused hundreds of minors and adults.'

The California appeals court ruled that Garcia's rights were violated because his preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner and he did not waive his right to one

Garcia, 50, has maintained his innocence. It was unknown when he would be released

The dismissal is the latest in a series of blunders on this high-profile case for the attorney generals office.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra himself pleaded with additional victims to come forward - a move defense attorneys said could taint a jury pool.

'It would be hard to believe that, based on the information that were collecting, that its only these four individuals,' Becerra said in June, repeatedly calling Garcia 'sick' and 'demented.'

Prosecutors Amanda Plisner and Diana Callaghan also said multiple times in court that they expected to file additional charges based on more victims as the case continued to be investigated.

But ultimately they only added three counts of possession of child pornography to the original complaint.

Plisner and Callaghan were additionally sanctioned by a Superior Court judge in September, who said they had violated a court order in failing to give defense lawyers evidence. The judge later rescinded the sanctions and overturned $10,000 in fines she had levied.
Thousands of relieved citizens streamed out of China's Wuhan on Wednesday after authorities lifted months of lockdown at the coronavirus epicentre, offering some hope to the world despite record deaths in Europe and the United States. China has come under fire for its handling of the coronavirus crisis that originated there late last year and President Donald Trump threatened to cut US funding to the World Health Organization over perceived bias towards Beijing. From Wuhan, the coronavirus spread rapidly to infect nearly every country on Earth, killing more than 80,000, battering the global economy and forcing around half of humanity into some form of lockdown. Its march across the planet has affected every level of society from workers to royals, with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson fighting the illness in intensive care. But the joy of people finally free to leave -- many of them queuing up to depart in hazmat suits -- provided some cheer to a gloomy world, offering proof the virus would not last forever. "You have no idea! I was already up around 4am. I felt so good. My kids are so excited. Mum is finally coming home," said Hao Mei, a 39-year-old single mother rushing to nearby Enshi to see her young children for the first time in two months. "I've been stuck for 77 days! I've been stuck for 77 days!" shouted one man, who arrived at the railway station for a train back to his home province of Hunan. A robot whizzed through crowds of passengers at the station, spraying their feet with disinfectant and playing a recorded message reminding them to wear face masks. - 'Very China-centric' - While China celebrated its first day without coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, the relentless disease chalked up fresh milestones in hard-hit areas of Europe and the US. A total of 1,939 people died in the US over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, as the country approaches tolls in worst-hit Italy and Spain. Virus deaths hit a new daily high in Britain, where 55-year-old leader Boris Johnson was said to be "stable" and in "good spirits" despite receiving oxygen treatment in intensive care. And Paris toughened its lockdown measures, banning daytime jogging to keep people from bending the rules as France breached 10,000 deaths. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state appeared be nearing the peak of its pandemic but urged citizens to continue staying indoors. Trump, under fire for his own response to the virus, lashed out at the WHO and said there would be a "hold on money" provided to the UN body, which he accused of being "very China-centric." - 'Fewer patients are dying' - Exhausted medical staff around the world are battling with a stream of patients as makeshift hospitals spring up on ships, at hotels and even in a New York cathedral. In Barcelona, Antonio Alvarez, a 33-year-old nurse working in intensive care, said his experience of the pandemic was akin to bereavement. "I've had my phases of anger, of denial, you go through all of them. "Now we are still a little overwhelmed but it is better. Fewer patients are dying," he told AFP. The global economy is also on life support as governments pour in unprecedented sums to stem the worst crisis many countries have seen in a century. While Japan agreed a stimulus package worth around $1 trillion, a divided eurozone is battling over whether to pool debt for "coronabonds" to prop up the economy. Individuals have also stepped in, with Twitter co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey committing $1 billion of his personal fortune to the coronavirus fight. And the stock market continued its rollercoaster ride, the Dow Jones index soaring around 1,000 points on Tuesday before ending up slightly lower. - 'Worst global crisis' - The UN's International Labour Organization said 81 percent of the world's 3.3 billion-strong workforce is now affected by "the worst global crisis since the Second World War." Mohamed Said, a carpenter and father-of-three queueing for food parcels in Cairo, spoke for millions as he told AFP of his desperation. "Since this crisis started we've been sitting at home and there's no money coming in," said the 36-year-old. "We don't know how to feed our kids... and if, God forbid, something happens to any of them, I won't be able to foot a hospital bill," he said. Others have been using their skills to try to lift the gloom. In Copenhagen, a troupe of circus performers juggle and do tricks from a courtyard for those stuck at home and watching from their windows. "I hope that in all this catastrophe we can get something good out of it for the arts," said artist Mogens Petersen. burs-ric/sah/hg Passengers in protective gear walk through Tianhe Airport after it was reopened in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province A medical staffer at Sophiahemmet hospital talks on a cell phone inside a tent for testing and receiving potential coronavirus patients in Stockholm, Sweden A woman wearing a face mask amid concerns over COVID-19 walks past a graffiti of wings in Tokyo A health worker walks a patient through a disinfection chamber set tp in front of a hospital in Mitrovica, Kosovo Women take part in the daily 8 o'clock applause in support of medical workers in the French Riviera city of Nice Members of Syria's Kurdish Red Crescent collect samples from passengers upon arrival at Qamishli airport A medical personnel rubs his face outside the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York A mariachi band serenades the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER) in Mexico City A coffin is seen on the pavement outside the Teodoro Maldonado Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador A nurse tends to a patient suffering from COVID-19 in an isolated intensive care unit at the Rafik Hariri public hospital in the Lebanese capital Beirut A patient sits in consultation with healthcare workers before being tested for COVID-19 coronavirus at the Schotsche Kloof Civic Centre in Cape Town
Vedanta Ltd is quoting at Rs 68.6, up 2.77% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 63.89% in last one year as compared to a 24.49% slide in NIFTY and a 47.67% slide in the Nifty Metal index.

Vedanta Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 68.6, up 2.77% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.24% on the day, quoting at 8813.65. The Sensex is at 30035.93, down 0.1%. Vedanta Ltd has slipped around 27.71% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Vedanta Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 18.82% in last one month and is currently quoting at 1637, up 0.17% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 357.6 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 320.42 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark April futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 68.65, up 2.01% on the day. Vedanta Ltd is down 63.89% in last one year as compared to a 24.49% slide in NIFTY and a 47.67% slide in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 7.13 based on TTM earnings ending December 19.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Catholic Church in Ghana through its humanitarian and development agency, Caritas Ghana, has put together an emergency response plan to reach out to the poor and vulnerable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Angela Ofosu Boateng  Accra, Ghana

Speaking in an interview with The Catholic Standard recently, the Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana, Samuel Zan Akologo, hinted that as part of its comprehensive plan, the Church is providing basic needs to the poor especially the homeless and people in great need following the partial lockdown in some parts of the country..

Charitas Ghana working with dioceses

Caritas Ghana, he said, was working closely with parishes in these areas to provide temporary shelter and feeding centres for the homeless. Akologo explained that since the strength of Caritas is community-based, the organisation is working proactively and coordinating support at the level of diocesan Caritas organisations. In the short term, parish facilities are being used to provide shelter and food for the homeless. Currently, Kumasi Archdiocese is hosting about 600 extremely poor persons. At the same time, Accra Archdiocese has around 1, 400 in more than 15 Parishes, he said.

Christ the King Parish Soup Kitchen

Akologo added that Caritas Ghana would also liaise with security agencies to allow its emergency teams reach out to the homeless and marginalised to provide them with critical support. He noted that the Churchs humanitarian service was not just a fire fighting or ad-hoc approach, but that in the long term, the Church would consider replicating the Soup Kitchen feeding programme organised by Fr. Andrew Campbell, Parish Priest of Christ the King Church in Accra.

According to Fr. Campbell, in the past few days, his Soup Kitchen has provided meals to over 800 children around Kanda, Independence Square, Opeibea, Maamobi, Tema Station and the National Theatre, all in Accra with only an initial amount of GHC 50,000 (appx. USD 8, 650).

Appeal for support

Akologo appealed to donors, in the country and foreign partner agencies, for contingency support to enable Caritas Ghana carry out its mandate of supporting the poor and vulnerable in line with the Churchs mission.
A search was launched, but by Friday the effort had turned from a rescue to a recovery mission, involving aviation and underwater imaging technology. McKean was found Monday about 2.5 miles south of Townsends home. She is the daughter of Townsend and David Lee Townsend and the granddaughter of former senator Robert F. Kennedy.
RAMALLAH, PALESTINIAN TERRITORYAt the construction site in Tel Aviv, Jamal Salman and the other Palestinian workers wore gloves and masks, and their employer provided apartments for them to stay overnight.

But his wife, alarmed by the news about the coronavirus outbreak in Israel, called him every night from the West Bank, begging him to come home. He came back early this week.

Now he sits alone in his basement all day, quarantined from his wife and five children and wondering how hell make ends meet. In Tel Aviv he earned $1,500 a month, enough to support his family. Now hes unemployed.

Coronavirus is like an all-out war, he said. Everyone is suffering.

The coronavirus outbreak poses a dilemma for tens of thousands of Palestinian labourers working inside Israel who are now barred from travelling back and forth. They can stay in Israel, where wages are much higher but the outbreak is more severe, or they can return home to quarantine and unemployment in the West Bank.

Authorities on both sides are wrestling with similar trade-offs as they confront a virus that blithely ignores the barriers erected over the course of the decades-old conflict.

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority imposed sweeping lockdowns in mid-March, largely sealing off the occupied West Bank and heavily restricting travel within the territory.

But the labourers were allowed to remain in Israel, where many work in construction and agriculture  sectors deemed essential to the economy.

Palestinians can earn much higher wages in Israel than in the West Bank, where economic development has been hindered by more than a half-century of Israeli military rule. Many support extended families, and their income is vital to the local economy.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority initially agreed that the workers could remain in Israel for up to two months as long as they didnt travel back and forth.

It was left to Israeli employers to provide living facilities for the workers, some of whom were largely left to fend for themselves. The Associated Press spoke to workers last month who left their construction site after several days of living in close quarters, with little if any protective equipment.

Many have chosen to go back to the West Bank, including thousands who returned ahead of the Passover holiday in Israel, when work grinds to a halt. Palestinian Labour Minister Nasri Abu Jaish told local media that 8,000 workers came back on Tuesday alone.

Their return to the West Bank poses a risk, both to public health and to the Palestinian economy.

The Palestinian Authority, which has reported around 250 cases and one fatality, says 73 per cent of the infections have been linked to workers returning from Israel, which is battling a much larger outbreak. Israel has more than 9,200 confirmed cases, including at least 65 fatalities.

Last week, Israel sent around 250 Palestinian workers back to the West Bank after a virus outbreak at a chicken slaughterhouse near Jerusalem, where nine workers tested positive.

With the borders closed, and no tourists or travellers, the only remaining source for coronavirus infections is Israel, where the outbreak is huge, said Dr. Kamal al-Shakhra, an official in the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Palestinian Authority is stopping workers after they cross through Israeli checkpoints and taking their temperatures. Those with fever or other symptoms are taken to hospitals while the rest are ordered into 14-day home quarantine.

All workers are barred from returning to Israel, and security forces posted at the entrances to towns and villages are confiscating work permits.

We cannot test all the workers returning from Israel because we have limited capabilities, said Dr. Ali Abed Rabu, another Health Ministry official. Labs in Ramallah and Bethlehem can only process around 600 tests per day, he said.

Gerald Rockenschaub, the head of the World Health Organization for the Palestinian territories, praised the Palestinian Authoritys response to the pandemic. But he acknowledged that screening and quarantining the returning workers was easier said than done, especially since many are unregistered.

A major outbreak in the West Bank would overwhelm the local health system. West Bank hospitals have around 213 intensive care unit beds with ventilators, according to the WHO. Thats for a population of around 2.5 million.

The situation in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Palestinian militant group Hamas seized power there in 2007, is even more dire.

The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most patients, who recover within a few weeks. But it is highly contagious and can be spread by those who appear healthy. It can cause severe illness and death in some patients, particularly the sick and elderly.

Mohammed Falah, a 24-year-old day labourer from the West Bank, returned from Israel on Tuesday after working on a construction site in Tel Aviv for the last three weeks.

If I had more work, I would have stayed, said Falah, who is engaged and hopes to get married this summer. He makes around $70 a day in Israel, twice the going rate in the West Bank.

Im building a home myself. I cannot afford to stay in with no income, he said.

After he passed through the Israeli checkpoint, Palestinian medics sprayed him down with disinfectant from head to toe. They even disinfected my shoes, he said.

After taking his temperature and finding no sign of fever, they ordered him to go into home quarantine for 14 days.

I will definitely follow the instructions, he said. I have parents and brothers and sisters, and I want to protect them.

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China Announces End to Coronavirus Lockdown in Wuhan

By VOA News April 07, 2020

China announced Tuesday the end of the lockdown in Wuhan, the city of 11 million residents where the coronavirus outbreak began in late December.

The 76-day lockdown ended just after midnight Tuesday after the Chinese government's latest figures reported no new cases, amid ongoing questions about the accuracy of China's count.

Residents are now allowed to move about without special authorization as long as a mandatory smartphone application shows they do not have COVID-19 and have not been in recent contact with anyone infected with the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Vehicles returned to roadways and throngs gathered at transportation hubs to catch trains and take flights out of the city.

The occasion was marked with the display of animated images on skyscrapers and bridges of health care workers helping patients. One image displayed the words "heroic city," a label President Xi Jinping bestowed on Wuhan, which executed coronavirus control measures that have been emulated by other countries.

Meanwhile, Japan on Tuesday declared a coronavirus emergency in parts of the country, while in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained hospitalized with COVID-19. In the United States, officials looked for signs the outbreak might be starting to slow in some of the nation's hardest-hit regions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his decision to enact a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures was based on a need to protect people amid a situation that was "gravely" affecting lives and the economy.

The month-long measure allows for officials to call on people to stay home, and comes coupled with a government stimulus package worth about $1 trillion.

Johnson was hospitalized Sunday after his symptoms persisted while he was in isolation. His office said Monday his condition deteriorated and that he was moved to the intensive care unit, but not placed on a respirator.

Britain has seen a spike in its coronavirus toll, reporting Tuesday there were 758 deaths over a 24-hour period. There were 600 deaths Sunday and 400 more Monday.

The United States has experienced about 12,000 deaths, making it the country with the third-highest official death tally, behind Italy and Spain.

More than 40 percent of the U.S. deaths have been in the state of New York, and the majority in New York City. The state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, reported a potential sign of progress in containing the spread of the coronavirus with a drop in hospitalizations and critically ill patients.

"Right now, we're projecting that we are reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations, and you can see the growth and you see it's starting to flatten," Cuomo said at his daily coronavirus news conference. "Again, this is a projection. It still depends on what we do and what we do will affect those numbers."

Despite the signs of promise, Cuomo said there were 731 deaths on Tuesday, a new single-day record, boosting the state's death toll to nearly 5,500.

He stressed the need to not let up on public distancing efforts, announcing an extension of closures for schools and non-essential businesses through the end of the month.

In South Korea, steady progress remained with 47 new infections reported Tuesday, but officials there also remain concerned about a reversal and urged people to stay at home.

There is also consideration of using electronic wristbands to track those under self-quarantine because of the virus.

A similar idea was authorized Monday in the U.S. state of West Virginia, where a judge gave the go-ahead for local authorities to put ankle monitors on people who test positive but refuse to go into quarantine to protect others.

Progress in some European nations has led to some of the first steps to reverse lockdown measures and begin to return to some semblance of normal life.

Denmark, following a similar announcement this week from Austria, says it will reopen daycares, kindergartens and elementary schools beginning April 15. Middle- and high school would follow on May 10.

The virus has upended presidential primary voting in the United States, but the midwestern state of Wisconsin was going ahead with its election Tuesday after a court order overturned a decision by the state's governor to postpone the voting until June.

In Poland, lawmakers approved a plan to hold their May 10 presidential election entirely by mail-in voting. The measure also allows for the possibility of delaying election day if that is deemed necessary. The bill must still pass the country's Senate and be signed by President Andrzej Duda.

New Zealand has been on lockdown for about one-and-a-half weeks, but that did not stop Health Minister David Clark from taking his family for a walk on the beach.

He apologized for breaking the stay-at-home orders, calling himself "an idiot."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said under normal circumstances she would have fired Clark, but that given the coronavirus emergency she needs senior health officials in place, and instead stripped him of some of his duties.

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Washington: The number of deaths in the US due to the coronavirus on Tuesday crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day, as President Donald Trump sought to assure a grieving nation that new data projections reveal fewer deaths than originally thought.

We're looking to have far fewer deaths than originally thought. I think we're heading in that direction, but it's too early to talk about it, Trump told reporters at his daily White House news briefing.

While the death toll in the US continues to soar and those being infected by the deadly virus now approaching four lakhs, the highest for any country in the world.

New York, the epicentre of COVID-19 in the US, alone accounts for 5,400 deaths and 1,38,000 cases, followed by adjoining New Jersey with 1,200 deaths and 44,416 cases.

The national number of both fatalities and cases of infections are expected to jump during the next week, officials believe, but they exuded confidence that strict enforcement of social mitigation measures, including social distancing, would help bring things under control in the next few weeks.

We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Trump said during a White House meeting on Small Businesses.

Nearly 97 percent of the America's 330 million population are under stay-at-home order. In the last 10 days, the US Army has added thousands of new beds by converting large public spaces like convention centres into makeshift hospitals.

Thousands of ventilators have been distributed, along with millions of face masks, personal protection equipment and essential medical supplies.

A lot of the occupancy is really getting a little bit lower than anticipated, and that is good, Trump said.

I think maybe we are getting to the very top of the curve, he added.

Referring to his conversation with the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo he said he seems to think that he is getting close to the peak.

Hoping that they are soon going to hit the downslide, he said this is, however, going to be a very difficult week.

This week will be a very difficult week because that is the most difficult week when you are at that top position and we will see what happens, Trump said.

As we stand here today in the midst of heartbreaking numbers of losses in New York City, I also want to assure the American people that there is reason for hope, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during the daily White House briefing on coronavirus.

Latest figures from the ground, he said, reflects evidence of stabilization in some of the areas around the country of the most significant outbreak, the New York metro area including New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, New Orleans metro area, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Denver.

This, in a very real sense, is evidence that the American people are putting into practice the social distancing, the president's guidelines, he said.

The social distancing measures have now been extended till April 30.

According to Dr Deborah Brix, member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, "figures from the last three days show that in a series of communities outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is creating a much flatter graph, almost much flatter curve".

"The lower curve parameter in cities like Detroit and Chicago shows the amazing activity of every American in those cities to ensure that they're social distancing," he said.

Americans are understating more and more that while we tend to think of this as one large curve in our minds when it began in our country and we long for the day that it will end and we hasten that day by putting into practice some of these mitigation efforts, Pence said in response to a question.

In an interview to a local radio station in Arizona, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the new models are projecting less than 100,000 deaths as against the previous projection of between one and two lakhs.

Those models that were done, they assumed that only about 50 per cent of the American public would pay attention to
Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders has asked the central government to extend the lockdown period.

The decision was taken based on a survey of senior trade leaders of all states.

The body said that traders are ready to extend their best services to the nation even though they will face several trading, economic and financial challenges. It said the traders were ready for an extension in interest of the nation.

The statement further said that the trading community will follow whatever decision the government comes up with.

Earlier, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) had asked for an extension of lockdown. "We have no other choice except to obey the lockdown. At least we are not seeing deaths like Italy, Spain and the US," KCR had said.

Other states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan too have asked for an extension of lockdown.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has also suggested that the lockdown should be extended in a safe and calibrated manner.

On April 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video conference with chief ministers had told them to plan a 'common exit strategy' for a staggered re-entry of the population when 21-day lockdown ends.

Also Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown

Also Read: Coronavirus: When will lockdown be lifted? PM likely to decide on Saturday
For the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, Please Explain is coming to you five days a week.

In today's episode of Please Explain, national editor Tory Maguire and China correspondent Eryk Bagshaw discuss the theoretical modelling that has shaped the national cabinet's COVID-19 response.

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PG | 1h 58min | Action, Drama, War | Dec. 8, 1978 (USA)

When Great Britains military high command taps Major Mallory (Robert Shaw) and his friend Sergeant Miller (Edward Fox) for a top-secret mission to take out their old enemy, German spy Nicolai (Franco Nero), they dont hesitate to take the job. Force 10 From Navarone, directed by Guy Hamilton (of James Bond 007 fame), is all about revenge as Mallory and Miller were betrayed by Nicolai in the films 1961 predecessor, The Guns of Navarone.

The duo soon learns that Nicolai is hiding out in war-ravaged Yugoslavia (the film takes place during World War II) and that getting to him wont be an easy task. Therefore, their superiors team them up with Lieutenant Colonel Barnsby (Harrison Ford), who leads a Special Ops unit (the titular Force 10), which will afford them the best opportunity to get their shot (pun intended). Mallory and Miller reluctantly join Force 10.

Unfortunately, Barnsby isnt too keen on having to escort the relatively older Mallory and Miller overseas either. He feels that the two will only be a drag on the Force 10 mission: to blow up a bridge. The bridge in question is a critical piece of real estate. The Germans plan to use it to reach a populated Yugoslavian region, and thereby kill a lot of innocent civilians. So, the men are in a race against time in order to destroy the bridge.

Not surprisingly, Force 10 and their two escortees spring into action right away. As they sneak aboard a clandestine plane to fly to Yugoslavia, they are discovered by a detachment of military police who are on their own escort mission: transporting a prisoner, Sergeant Weaver (Carl Weathers). After some feral fisticuffs, the MPs are overcome and Weaver inadvertently joins the Spec Ops unit. He literally jumps into their plane as its taking off, rather than answering to authorities.

Their rocky start gives way to more bad news when they get spotted by some German fighter planes and are shot down over a Yugoslavian forest. Most of the unit is killed, but Mallory, Miller, Barnsby, Weaver, and a young lieutenant named Reynolds (Angus MacInnes) barely manage to survive.

Soon after, they briefly team up with what they think is a group of Yugoslavian partisans (rebels who are resisting the Nazis), including the towering Captain Drazak (Richard Kiel) and Maritza (Barbara Bach). But it isnt long before the now five-man Force 10 discovers that the fighters are actually ChetniksYugoslavian Nazi collaborators. Force 10 is captured by the Chetniks but later manages to escape.

Artwork for the MGM film Force 10 From Navarone. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.)

Force 10 eventually manages to locate both the bridge and their ever-scheming quarry, Nicolai, who is posing as a partisan fighter in Yugoslavia under the alias of Captain Lescovar. Lescovars direct superior, Major Petrovich (Alan Badel), tells the men of Force 10 that a spy was discovered and disposed of months earlier, but Mallory has his doubts since the person he suspects to be Nicolai is standing right next to Petrovich.

As Miller is Force 10s demolitions expert, he surmises that the explosives on hand wont be enough to destroy the bridge, but if he can get to a dam upriver, hes almost certain that hell be able to blow that up. The resulting surge of water should take out the bridge.

Most of the film is chock-full of tension as Force 10 races against time to get the bridge destroyed, without being discovered and killed by the Germans. There are also some double-crossings on display as Nicolai (as Lescovar) attempts to betray Force 10, but luckily there arent any half-baked romantic subplots, which seem to be par for the course with these types of movies.

The films peppy screenplay pairs well with Hamiltons able direction, and most of the dialogue-heavy scenes seem inspired, if a bit casual here and there. This is a lighter-toned film than The Guns of Navarone, which had Gregory Peck and David Niven starring as Mallory and Miller, respectively.

The action choreography is also done well, and the films various set pieces look convincing. This movie was made back before digital effects, so miniature models were used for many of the larger structures, such as the bridge and the dam (in the destruction sequences), and for the most part, theyre impressive-looking.

Overall, Force 10 From Navarone is a rousing, action-packed war drama that is a fun and inspiring. It portrays a small unit of men, which despite tremendous odds against them, attempt to save thousands of innocent Yugoslavians from German liquidation.

Force 10 From Navarone

Director: Guy Hamilton

Starring: Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox

Rated: PG

Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 8, 1978 (USA)

Rated: 4 stars out of 5



Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author based out of Los Angeles. To see more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com or contact him at Twitter.com/ImIanKane
A fire at a two-story apartment complex in Alameda sent plumes of smoke across the bay, drawing onlookers from as far away as San Franciscos Mission Bay neighborhood.

Observers tweeted photos of firefighters battling the blaze at West Midway Ave. near Rainbow Court, which flared up at about 5 p.m. and burned for about an hour.
Exporters will seek immediate roll out of support measures and permission for opening up their factories with 50 percent of workforce during a video conference meeting called by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday

New Delhi: Exporters will seek immediate roll out of support measures and permission for opening up their factories with 50 percent of workforce during a video conference meeting called by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday.

Representatives from various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) including from sectors such as apparel and leather will participate in the deliberations, besides the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).

This will be the third such meeting since 27 March.

The minister will take stock of the situation and the issues which exporters are facing due to lockdown on account of coronavirus outbreak in the country, an official said.

FIEO President S K Saraf said, "Partial opening of factories is very important. We are not able to carry out the maintenance work also. The government should give permission to open factories with at least 50 percent of our workforce".

He said exporters are "eagerly waiting" for roll out of a special package as countries like China have announced huge incentives for their exporters.

"To be in the market, we have to start operations. Small and MSME business are not able to pay wages and salaries," he added.

Sharing similar views, Apparel EPC Chairman A Sakthivel said the government should pay employers'' as well as employees'' contribution for Provident Fund and Employees' State Insurance as it would not have much bearing on the exchequer.

China is rapidly taking steps to tap global markets and India should also take such steps so that domestic exporters don't lose their buyers and fulfill their export obligations, exporters said.

Currently, manufacturing, transportation and trade of essential goods are allowed without any interruption during the lockdown.

Saraf also said that as part of a support package, the government should give loans to companies to pay wages, salaries, rent and power bills for six months.

The loan should be given without additional collateral or paperwork to all industrial units who have a clean record with banks before lockdown, and the repayment should be in 18 equal installments after an initial moratorium of six months, he added.

Ludhiana-based exporter S C Ralhan said fixed charges levied may be waived and industry may be charged only on the actual consumption of electricity, and immediate refund of IGST will help exporters in dealing with liquidity issues
Nairobi  The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has handed over Sh2.2 billion to the coronavirus government's emergency fund to support efforts to contain the virus and mitigate its impact on the economy.

The Sh2.2 billion is part of Sh2.9 billion held by the public prosecutor having been seized over the last two years in anti-graft efforts, DPP Noordin Haji said.

"We had some funds jointly as the multi-agency task force that works on corruption that we had collected with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC), we had roughly 2.9 billion collected over the last two months," he said, "we have allocated Sh 2 billion towards the COVID emergency fund to combat the pandemic."

Kenya has so far reported 172 coronavirus infections and six deaths, including a Kenya Airways pilot and a 6-year-old boy. The virus has shuttered the economy, with tougher times ahead after President Uhuru Kenyatta imposed travel restrictions to and from Nairobi, Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa which have the highest numbers in the national tally.

President Kenyatta last week set up the emergency response fund to mobilise resources for an emergency response towards containing the spread, effects and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the funds will be obtained from Kenyans of goodwill, corporates and multinational institutions

So far, the fund has received donations from Cooperative Bank, Devki Group, World Bank and other multinational institutions.

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Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani who also attended the presentation ceremony said the government had received pledges totaling Sh7 billion from individual donors which will be directed towards the fund.

Yattani said the government is working hard to re-align the budget and is also revising the supplementary budget to ensure Kenyans are catered for.

EACC chief, Twalib Mbarak said his office will be working with the DPP and Treasury to ensure the funds are utilized properly to protect Kenyans against the impact of the global pandemic.

Yattani further said the Interior Ministry was in the process of creating a database of workers in urban areas that rely on daily wages to see how they can be supported through various social protection measures targeting vulnerable people in the society.

"We have a list and names of people considered vulnerable, we are also working with interior ministry to find out those workers in urban areas to see how they can be supported in these times," he said.

While setting up the fund, Kenyatta instituted a board of 11 members from the private sector and two government representatives, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and Governor Wycliffe Oparanya. The board is chaired by East African Breweries Limited Managing Director Jane Karuku.
Washington, Apr 8 (PTI) President Donald Trump has threatened to put a "very powerful" hold on US' funding to the World Health Organization, accusing the UN agency of being "very China centric" and criticising it for having "missed the call" in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump slammed the global health agency for its early guidance aimed at countering the international spread of the coronavirus.

"We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see. It's a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that's no good," Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference on Tuesday.

The Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization (WHO), receives vast amounts of money from the United States.

"We pay for a majority or the biggest portion of their money. They actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it. They were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they're very - they seem to be very China centric," Trump said.

The president said his administration was going to look into the US funding to the WHO.

"We give a majority of the money that they get, and it's much more than the USD 58 million. USD 58 million is a small portion of what they've got over the years. Sometimes they get much more than that. Sometimes it's for programs that they're doing, and-it's much bigger numbers. If the programmes are good, that's great as far as we're concerned," he said.

"But we want to look into it, WHO, because they called it wrong. They (WHO) called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier. They would have known and they should have known and they probably did know. So, we'll be looking into that very carefully, and we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jim Risch, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response.

"The WHO has failed not only the American people, it has failed the world with its flagrant mishandling of the response to COVID-19," said Risch.

WHO Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' apparent unwillingness to hold the Chinese Communist Party to even the minimum standard of global health and transparency hindered the world's ability to blunt the spread of this pandemic, he said.

"It is completely unacceptable that the world's global health organization has become a political puppet of the Chinese government," he alleged, adding that "an independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response is imperative."

The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO.

"Our valuable tax payer dollars should go towards investments to prevent the spread of disease, not to aid and abet cover-ups that cost lives and isolate portions of the world's population on political grounds, as has been the case with Taiwan," Senator Risch said.

A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers announced Tuesday to introduce a resolution to defund the WHO until Ghebreyesus resigns and an international commission investigates the organisation's role in covering up the Chinese Communist Party's failed COVID-19 response.

"The WHO helped the Chinese Communist Party hide the threat of COVID-19 from the world and now more than 10,000 Americans are dead, a number that is expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks," Congressman Guy Reschenthaler alleged.

"The United States is the largest contributor to WHO. It is not right that Americans' hard-earned tax dollars are being used to propagate China's lies and hide information that could have saved lives. This bill will hold the WHO accountable for their negligence and deceit," he asserted.

The United States' intelligence community has reported that the Chinese government hid the threat of COVID-19 and, as a result, made it difficult for the rest of the world to respond early, appropriately and aggressively, said Congressman Fred Keller.

"For reasons beyond understanding, the WHO acted as a silent partner in this effort instead of protecting the lives of millions across the world, including hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not go to a global organization more concerned with not offending the Chinese government than providing accurate information and protecting innocent lives," Keller said.

Senator Marco Rubio accused the Chinese Communist Party of using WHO "to mislead the world."

"The organisation's leadership is either complicit or dangerously incompetent. I will work with the Trump Administration to ensure that WHO is independent and has not been compromised by the CCP before we continue our current funding, he added.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are over 1.43 million confirmed coronavirus cases across the world and over 82,000 people have died due to the disease. The US has nearly 400,000 infections, the highest in the world.


Facebook and Google have launched new tools to gather data on population movements in an effort to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.

Facebook said in a statement it has created new disease prevention maps designed to help researchers identify areas where the virus COVID-19 might spread next.

The information is based on data from users of the social media service. But Facebook says the user data will be processed without any personal information being shared. Facebook said its data is designed to provide information about general movements in and around cities, but not the activities of single individuals.

One of the Facebook tools is called a co-location map. It aims to use data to predict the probability that people in one area will come in contact with people in another.

Another map is meant to measure the effectiveness of stay-at-home orders put in place by governments in many parts of the world. Data is collected in areas to see if people are staying near their homes or are also visiting other parts of the area. Such information is meant to help officials decide whether preventive measures are headed in the right direction, Facebook said.

A third tool creates maps that show Facebook friendships across states and countries. The data can map a percentage of social connectedness in specific areas. The company said this data is provided to medical professionals to help them predict the likelihood of disease spread. It can also help officials learn how social ties can help communities fight and recover from the crisis.

The data is shared on a daily basis with local officials and nonprofit organizations across the world. The new maps are part of Facebooks Data for Good program, which the company says attempts to use its huge supply of data to address important humanitarian issues.

In addition to the maps, Facebook announced it was partnering with university researchers to seek health information from some users willing to share it. The program is part of a research project created by Americas Carnegie Mellon University.

Beginning this week, some U.S. Facebook users will see a link at the top of their News Feed they can follow if they would like to take part in a survey about their personal health situation.

Researchers hope to use the survey data to create heat maps of self-reported coronavirus symptoms. The information could also help officials predict where medical resources will be needed.

Facebook promised it had taken steps to protect the privacy of those taking the survey. The company said it would not share the personal identities of its users with researchers from Carnegie Mellon. It added that the researchers will also not share individual survey answers with Facebook. If results are successful, Facebook says it will make similar surveys available to users in other parts of the world.

Google mobility reports

Google also recently announced a similar data gathering program, which creates community mobility reports for more than 100 nations. Google said the project does not involve use of personally identifiable information, such as an individuals location, contacts or movement.

Google has long collected data for its Maps app to show how movements of people affect how busy different businesses are throughout the day. Public health officials have requested such data now to help fight the worldwide coronavirus crisis.

The reports  which are published online - provide information on the movements of people to several places in the community. These include trips to stores, recreation areas, parks, transportation centers, workplaces and homes. The reports show percentage increases or decreases in visits to those places.

Google said it hopes the information on the most and least visited places can help officials decide on future policies and resources aimed at fighting the virus.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Facebook, Google, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - Facebook & Google Launch New Tools to Gather Virus Data Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

location  n. a place or position

survey  n. an examination of peoples opinions or behavior made by asking people questions

symptom  n. a physical feeling or problem that shows that someone has a particular illness

app  n. a program for a smartphone or other device that performs a special function

recreation  n. activities people do for enjoyment when they are not working
EDWARDSVILLE  With aspirations to work in clinical psychology, specifically neuropsychology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior Josie Wright, of Collinsville, has been competitively selected to participate in the prestigious Summer Program on Neurological Diseases and Aging at Washington University in St. Louis Institute for Public Health.

I am excited to have the opportunity to learn about dementia, stroke and Parkinsons disease, said Wright, a psychology major with a Spanish minor. Through this program, I will experience completing a research study about one of the diseases, while working with a Washington University professor. This experience will prepare me for future research and allow me to learn more in-depth about neurological diseases.

According to Elizabeth Meinz, PhD, professor of psychology in the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, Wright was one of 10 from across the country selected for the two-month, paid program at WashU.

Josie is an excellent student, Meinz said. Shes bright, hardworking and inquisitive. Im not surprised that she was chosen for such a prestigious program, but its incredibly impressive. Such programs, designed to give students research experience at leading research universities, are highly competitive.

Josie is one of the hardest working and motivated students with whom I have worked in my career, added Dan Segrist, PhD, SIUE psychology professor and associate department chair. She is an extremely mature, conscientious and gracious student, who does not shy away from any obstacles. It has been a true privilege to be her instructor.

A future in psychology has been in the cards for Wright since seventh grade. She notes that the show Criminal Minds first piqued her interest in the subject. It was later solidified through her studies at SIUE.

I came to SIUE since it is a smaller school, and I knew I would have the opportunity to become close with students and professors, Wright explained. I plan to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology and work in the field of neuropsychology. I will conduct therapy with those who have brain traumas, developmental and neurological diseases.

I want to thank Dr. Meinz and Dr. Segrist for their support, she added. As a result of learning so much from the psychology department, I have come to realize the focus of my future career.
Morgan County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Frederic M. Baker, 20, of 104 Loren Lane was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:13 p.m. Sunday on charges of disorderly conduct, making a false alarm or complaint to 911 and squealing or screeching tires.

Jacksonville Police

ACCIDENTS

 Logan D. Fry, 18, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of following too closely after the car he was driving struck the rear of a car being driven by Jonathan Wyatt, 28, of Jacksonville while it was stopped in the 1200 block of West Morton Avenue at 3:06 p.m. Monday.

The impact of the crash caused Wyatts car to hit a car being driven by Waylon L. Brickey, 46, of Murrayville, which resulted in Brickeys car hitting one being driven by Carol A. Seymour, 58, of Franklin.

 Marjorie N. Patrick-Hernandez, 38, of Jacksonville was cited on charges of leaving the scene of an accident with damage and operating an uninsured motor vehicle after the car she was driving went off the road in the 800 block of Illinois Avenue, struck a fire hydrant and ended up in a field about 8:26 p.m. Sunday. She told police she had swerved to avoid hitting a raccoon and left the scene because she was concerned about getting in trouble, according to the police report.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 Someone removed a wheel from a car in the 200 block of Capps Avenue, according to a report filed at 11:26 p.m. Saturday.

 Someone broke into a house in the 300 block of North Westgate Avenue between 4:26 p.m. and 6:26 p.m. Saturday and took property valued about $900.

VANDALISM

 A window was broken out of property in the 700 block of North Clay Avenue during the past several days, according to a report filed at 10:42 a.m. Monday.



Brown County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Bryon W. Siekman, age unavailable, of Avon was cited on charges of obstructing identification and obstructing justice after a traffic stop at 2 a.m. March 27 at North and Jefferson streets in Mount Sterling.

 Four people were charged Sunday with battery after an incident on Main Street at West Maple Street in Timewell.

David A. Patton, 59, Blake A. Patton, 23, and Tanner M. Scheer, 25, all of Timewell, and Austin L. Patton, 29, of Mount Sterling were charged about 7:57 p.m. Scheer also was charged with criminal damage to property.

Austin Patton also was involved in a vehicle accident in which several vehicles were damaged, according to a sheriffs department report.

The investigation is continuing.



Cass County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Ram B. Moung, 41, of Carol Stream was booked into the Morgan County jail at 11:22 p.m. Saturday on charges of aggravated driving under the influence, driving under the influence and driving in the wrong lane following a two-vehicle accident.

The vehicle Moung was driving and one being driven by Nathalie Lokula, 35, of Beardstown collided at 9:21 p.m. Saturday at U.S. 67 and Grand Avenue. Lokula was taken to a hospital, but her condition was unavailable Monday.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer and Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree
Health professionals conduct CCP virus tests at a drive through testing site at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17, 2020. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images)

Ohio COVID-19 Cases Under Projected Curve for 9 Days in a Row

Ohio reported just 332 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the ninth straight day the new cases were under projections.

Thats according to WHIO, a local broadcaster that has been comparing the new cases reported each day with a model from Ohio State Universitys Infectious Diseases Institute that state officials have frequently cited.

Modelers projected 1,485 cases for April 7.

The model predicted 375 new cases on March 30, 448 on March 31, and 533 on April 1, before projecting increases of 100 or more on subsequent days. The projected peak is April 25, when modelers project 9,698 new cases.

Modelers said in a previous interview they would be happy if their projections werent met.

We are happy we are overpredicting. Im hoping we are overpredicting and overprepared and all of this will work out better. But we just have to be ready, Grzegorz Rempala, one of the modelers, told the Cincinnati Enquirer last week.

He said more testing has enabled modelers to get a better handle on the epidemic. This model starts to more fully see the effects of distancing. People are figuring out this new way of interacting and that also changes the model, he said.

Polling stations throughout the were shut down as Gov. Mike DeWine called for the states primaries to be pushed back to June in Columbus, Ohio, on March 17, 2020. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)

Rempela said the model is running on a proximity network as modelers work to understand how many people you have the potential to interact with who can potentially be infected if you are carrying the virus. Modelers explained how they came up with the numbers in a white paper (pdf) published this week.

Modelers from MetroHealth revised downwards the projected peak of new cases to a peak of roughly 2,500 new cases a day near the end of April. MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros said the revision stemmed from results seen after unprecedented social distancing measures that have seen most people largely staying home.

Weve never seen this, Boutros told a Cleveland news website. This is a historic quarantine that weve never seen, and the people of Ohio have been unbelievable.

Dr. Amy Acton, Ohios top doctor, earlier this year defended estimates that 100,000 residents had the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Acton told reporters during a briefing Tuesday that officials are using several models, including ones from Ohio State University and the Cleveland Clinic.

The data collectively points us in a general direction of decision-making that we can use to make some guesstimates about maybe when a peak will be, maybe when well need more ventilators than not, Acton said. But its very, very general directional science.

As of April 7, Ohio had 4,782 total cases. Of the 1,354 total hospitalizations and 417 intensive care unit admissions, 167 patients died. About half of those were 80 or older and another 44 percent were 60 or older.

Authorities havent said how many of those who died had underlying health conditions. Most people who die from COVID-19 are elderly and/or have underlying conditions like kidney disease or obesity.

Over 50,800 people have been tested for the CCP virus in Ohio.
TORONTO - A man who filmed up the skirt of a young woman at a fair and then swallowed the camera's memory card as police approached him has had his child pornography conviction overturned because officers violated his rights egregiously, Ontario's top court ruled on Wednesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO - A man who filmed up the skirt of a young woman at a fair and then swallowed the camera's memory card as police approached him has had his child pornography conviction overturned because officers violated his rights egregiously, Ontario's top court ruled on Wednesday.

In acquitting Daniel Adler, the Court of Appeal said it had no choice other than to exclude key evidence against him given the "blatant disregard" for his charter rights.

"In doing so, the court acquits a person who is clearly guilty of serious criminal offences," Justice Ian Nordheimer wrote. "This unpalatable result is a direct product of the manner in which the police chose to conduct themselves."

Adler was at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in August 2016 when a woman told patrolling officers she had seen him doing an upskirt video using a camera hidden in the head of a stuffed owl. As police approached him, they saw him fumble with the head, place something in his mouth, and then swallow, according to court records.

The officers arrested him. They also confiscated several items, including the stuffed owl and digital devices, including a video camera that had no memory card.

For several hours, police did not let Adler speak to a lawyer. They did, however, strip search him and set up a "bedpan vigil." They also went inside his apartment that night without a warrant before withdrawing to await a tele-warrant. Officers then searched the apartment, finding parts of stuffed animals and an external computer hard drive.

The following day, the prosecution delayed his bail hearing for several days without telling the judge it was to see if he passed the memory card. He did, but the card was unreadable.

A search of items police had seized turned up evidence of child pornography. They also found a video of Adler having sexual contact with an unknown woman who appeared to be unconscious, leading to a sexual assault charge, court documents show.

Despite misgivings about the searches, Ontario court Judge Malcolm McLeod convicted Adler on July 20, 2018, of child pornography and sexual assault based entirely on the evidence found on the seized devices. He sentenced him to 3 1/2 years in prison.

In deciding the appeal, the higher court said the tele-warrant for his home should not have been issued because there was simply no urgency to the situation given that Adler was in detention. Nordheimer also found officers were misleading when they applied for their warrants.

The judge, he said, had been "much too quick" to excuse the police conduct that involved seven separate breaches of Adler's rights. Those included delaying his right to a lawyer, keeping an unauthorized vigil for him to eliminate the memory card, misleading the courts during bail hearings, and entering his home without a warrant.

"That litany of breaches is remarkable for a single arrest on a single event," Nordheimer said. "It reflects a sweeping ignorance by the police of the appellant's constitutional rights."

The overall result was that the police misconduct "tainted" all the evidence, leaving no option but to enter an acquittal, the justice said.

Adler had been allowed to remain on bail pending the outcome of his appeal due to the COVID-19 crisis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 8, 2020.
As New Jerseyans cope with social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, museums, aquariums and zoos in the state are using social media accounts and websites to bring exhibitions and programs to residents homes.

Heres a sampling of how lovers of art, animals and sea life can keep connected via virtual exhibits and live stream programs while at home.

Atlantic City Aquarium

Our doors may not be open, but we will be bringing the aquarium to you on our social media, a statement read on the aquarium Facebook page. Each day, the aquarium will be using its social media account to share information about its residents. The aquarium invites the public to comment and suggest sea life theyd like to see shared throughout its social media accounts. For more, go to https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticCityAquarium.

Bergen County Zoo

The Bergen County Zoo is a New World zoo exhibiting wildlife from North and South America where visitors have the opportunity to view such species as Bairds Tapirs, Andean Condors, American Alligators, Golden Lion Tamarins, South American Pampas, and many others. While the Paramus zoo is temporarily closed, the public can stay connected via Facebook live on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. Go to https://www.facebook.com/BergenCountyZoo/.

Cape May County Park & Zoo

The Cape May County Park & Zoo virtual zoo will be available on the Facebook page daily from 11:30 a.m. until noon. According to information on the page, each day, the virtual zoo will feature a short clip of a different animal and challenge visitors to get involved from home.

Grounds For Sculpture

The 42-acre sculpture park, museum and arboretum located on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton which opened to the public in 1992 features works in wood, bronze, stone, steel and paper, according to the museum homepage.

A message on the museum website reads: The park and museum are temporarily closed and "all programming including workshops, events, rentals and tours are canceled. We will work to reschedule when possible. In the interim, we invite you to explore our collection of 400+ works on our website groundsforsculpture.org and our interactive map gfsmap.org, which features sculpture and horticulture throughout the grounds  a chance to discover something new and maybe learn even more about a longtime favorite.

Hunterdon Art Museum

On the museum homepage, it is noted that individuals can easily access virtual tours. The museum has high-resolution, close-up images of the art available on the virtual tours. Visitors to the site will be able to explore exhibits by clicking and dragging the Virtual Reality (VR) screen in different directions. The tours include Art+Design, Explorations in Felt, Young Artist Showcase and Yael Eisner  Member Highlight.

Liberty Science Center

A statement on the website of Jersey Citys Liberty Science Center reads: the LSC team has been hard at work creating online experiences that continue our mission. We are sharing our flagship education program, Live From Surgery, at no cost, so learners of all ages can see a real operating room through a high-def connection and understand what surgeons do to restore our health. We are continually adding new programming on a variety of fascinating science topics. Our planetarium staff is guiding us through the universe, our STEM educators are presenting science experiments, and we are adding new at-home experiments, videos, and more all the time. Those interested are invited to go to LSC in the House to access online experiences. Facebook users are invited to go to https://www.facebook.com/LibertyScienceCenter/.

Morris Museum

The Morris Museum encourages folks to stay engaged through its various social media platforms. A statement on the website reads: While our doors are closed, we look forward to finding unique, creative ways to serve you, our public. Well be exploring virtual opportunities to connect you to the dozens of artists and performers, whom we had planned to showcase for you in person this spring. Were working on engaging activities that can occupy homebound children and caretakers. Visit the museums Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MorrisMuseum/.

New Jersey State Museum

While the museum is closed, it will continue to post about exhibitions. The museum has different collections, research, exhibitions and program in science history and art. During this time of social distancing the museum will be posting about objects, exhibitions and activities that will help childrens stay connected and active. To stay in contact and to learn about their upcoming activities, viewers should visit their Facebook account. https://www.facebook.com/NJStateMuseum/ https://www.state.nj.us/state/museum/

Newark Museum

Using social media during this social distancing is the only way, museums are still having the chance have a close connection with their public. The Newark Museum of Art is working to

bring you digital content and activities to enjoy. This will include, going live on their Facebook page on Tuesdays at 1 PM about Space & Astronomy with two residents of astronomers. Here, people will have the opportunity to ask questions about the universe or anything they are interested. https://www.newarkmuseumart.org https://www.facebook.com/NewarkMuseum/

Princeton University Art Museum

Although The Museum and Art@Bainbridge are temporarily closed to visitors, the museum can be explored online. Exhibits and self-guided family activities are offered. Mobile tours allow visitors to tour the campus and learn about universitys outdoor art. Watch museum videos at https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/learn/explore/museum-videos.

Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers-New Brunswick

The university museum, which includes more than 60,000 works from ancient to contemporary art, is featured in Google Arts and Culture, where collections will be viewable online. The paintings will include background information with date of creation and culture.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University-New Brunswick is also offering online demonstrations to help keep children and adults productive during this period of uncertainty.

We shared a virtual tour of the Everyday Soviet exhibit on Instagram and the response has been very positive, said Amanda Potter, the Zimmerlis art education curator. Were going to continue to share more exhibits this way, as well as permanent galleries, and we plan to post more frequently on all social media platforms to offer different ways that both adults and children can be productive and maybe even be introduced to dive deeper into art.

The staff at Zimmerli is sharing downloadable coloring pages from their permanent galleries so children whose schools have closed can share in some activities during this downtime. At a time when more people are working remotely and schools are closing, there is an opportunity to provide art education in new ways, Potter said.
As this years observance begins tonight, the question could just as easily be: How is this Passover different from all other Passovers?

Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on this holiday celebration just as it is on Christian Holy Week activities and as it will on the upcoming Muslim observance of Ramadan.

Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jewish slaves from Egypt as recorded in the Bible. Its fascinating to examine that story and the Passover traditions that go with it in the context of our current situation.

The good news is that Seders traditionally are held in peoples homes. So rules barring people from gathering at houses of worship wont necessarily keep Jews from observing the most popular ritual of the holiday.

The bad news is that families who hold Seders typically invite plenty of relatives and friends to take part. Having guests is a tradition spelled out plainly in the evenings liturgy: Let all who are hungry come and eat. Many families invite non-Jewish friends to participate, since the story has powerful meaning to Christians and Jews alike, and there are strong theological connections between Passover and the Easter season. But of course this year large gatherings at home are a

no-no.

Nevertheless, Seders will go on, and participants will have plenty to ponder. They will be recounting the plagues that beset Egypt even as they live in a world experiencing a plague right now.

The name of the holiday refers to the final Egyptian plague, in which the first-born sons of Egypt were killed, but the angel of death passed over the homes of Jews and spared them from that punishment. This year Jews will commemorate the holiday while huddled in their own homes in hopes of being spared and sparing others from illness.

One particularly challenging aspect of this years observance is that Passover is a celebration of freedom, but at the moment people are not feeling nearly as free as they usually do in this nation and others that cherish liberty. Thats for good reason, of course. Public health is at stake, and the restrictions in place now will not last forever.

Having to do without certain things can even enhance ones understanding of the holiday. Seder participants are instructed to regard themselves as if they personally had been freed from slavery in the exodus. The hardships we are living through now, trivial compared with what the ancient Israelites and other Jews of the past had to endure, should make people that much more grateful for the gifts they have enjoyed and hopefully will again in the not-too-distant future.

Even if we cant gather in groups, its crucial that people of different religions continue the common contemporary practice of interfaith outreach during this season of tremendously important holidays. Each of us can still learn from the other, regardless of whether or not were in the same room.

With the coronavirus dominating the news, it might be easy to forget that religious intolerance has been growing here and around the world in recent years. For the first time in generations, many American Jews no longer feel secure in their houses of worship or expressing their faith publicly. It is up to all people of goodwill to turn the tide and ensure that Jews and other religious minorities feel welcome in their communities.

To do otherwise is to dismiss the valuable lessons of history so devastatingly and succinctly described in the Haggadah, the Seder prayer book: In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us. And the Holy One, blessed be he, rescues us from their hands. Indeed, to fight intolerance is to do Gods work.

As this most unusual Passover celebration begins, let us pray for better times ahead not just in terms of surviving this pandemic, but with determination to heal the world in the months and years to come.
Three weeks ago, a spring breaker in Miami became a symbol of Gen Z denialism when he spoke to CBS News and said that coronavirus wasnt going to get in the way of his partying.

Outrage was swift, but one person who felt a touch of recognition was Peter Staley, one of the countrys most respected AIDS activists.

Mr. Staley, 59, remembers what it was to be young and dumb.

In the summer of 1983, shortly after graduating from college, Mr. Staley moved to New York City and began inching his way out of the closet. In the East Village, hanging out at places like Boy Bar, he heard in this abstract rumor-mill way of a plague that was killing gay men.

My first instinct was like that kid on the beach, Mr. Staley said. There was this whole thing of, Im hearing its only happening to the older gays and the ones who slept with hundreds of guys. It was so easy to shrug off.
MENHADEN PLC

Annual Report and Notice of AGM

The Board announces that the Company's annual report for the year ended 31 December 2019, including the notice of the 2020 Annual General Meeting (the "AGM"), is expected to be released by the end of April 2020, such release to mark the end of the Company's closed period.

Subject to any legislation issued by the UK Government concerning the timing of annual general meetings, the Company's AGM is expected to be held in mid June 2020.

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

020 3709 8734
Companies around the country are stepping up to help healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some retailers have switched from producing clothes to producing gowns or facemasks, while others are helping small businesses. If youre looking to support or shop at companies that are trying to make a difference, here are 12 to check out.

The company known for its comfy sneakers launched a Better Together initiative where it will donate a pair of shoes to healthcare workers for every pair bought. The company says it has already donated 500,000 shoes to workers.

The maker of cozy hats and durable clothes has redirected their factories in Kentucky and Tennessee to make gowns and masks.

Chewy, the purveyor of pet food, toys, and more, has partnered with GreaterGood.org and other non-profits and will be donating $1.7 million worth of pet food and healthcare supplies to organizations that help animals.

The shoe-maker is donating and shipping free shoes to healthcare workers across the country. They have pledged to donate 10,000 pairs a day.

Known for its vacuums, Dyson has pivoted to making ventilators to help treat COVID-19 patients. The company has pledged to make 15,000 ventilators.

The sports-apparel and accessory maker, Fanatics, suspended production on MLB jerseys completely. They are instead making masks and gowns for hospitals on the East Coast.

Everlane, which makes clothing and accessories, is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the 100% Human Collection to Feeding Americas COVID-19 Response Fund.

Luxury-clothing maker Hugo Boss has switched from clothing production to the production of face masks. The company is donating these masks to healthcare workers. In addition to the face masks, it has also donated 20 percent of their sales in the U.S. to the Red Cross.

The retailer giants partner Kaas Tailoring, which is located in Seattle, and Nordstroms Alteration Team are working to sew 10,000 masks for healthcare workers. The masks will be donated to Providence Health & Services, which is a healthcare provider.

The clothing brand partnered with the City of Los Angeles to make essential workers much-needed face masks.

Spanx CEO Sara Blakely is donating $5 million to fund 1,000 businesses owned by women. She, in partnership with Global Giving, launched the Red Backpack Fund to help small businesses stay afloat.

Uniqlo and Theory

Fast Retailing, which owns both Uniqlo and Theory, will be donating 10 million masks worldwide. One million of those masks are going to New York.
Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Talon Metals Corp. (TSX: TLO) ("Talon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that 7.14 meters (23.4 feet) of Mixed Massive Sulphides ("MMS") has been intersected at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt project ("Tamarack Project"), located in Minnesota, USA. The Tamarack Project comprises the Tamarack North Project and the Tamarack South Project.

Highlights:

7.14 meters (23.4 feet) of MMS has been intersected and logged in new drill hole 12TK0153C starting at 578.45 meters (see Figure 1).

An additional 115 meters (378 feet) of Mixed Zone mineralization ("MZNO") has also been intersected and logged above this MMS intercept, starting at 429.5 meters.

The Company has also identified the possible extension of the high-grade Massive Sulphide Unit ("MSU") outside of the Company's resource area, 55 meters to the east of previous drill hole 13TK0171 (see Figure 2).







FIGURE 1: DRILL CORE FROM DRILL HOLE 12TK0153C: PHOTO FROM ~581 METERS TO ~589 METERS

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2443/54278_f8a967ec2440196c_002full.jpg

"Our winter 2020 drill program has now been successfully completed, and we believe the results are fantastic", said Henri van Rooyen, CEO of Talon. "Today's announcement includes three new positive developments - (1) intersecting 7.14 meters (23.4 feet) of mixed massive sulphides (with assays pending); (2) intersecting an additional 115 meters (378 feet) of Mixed Zone mineralization (with assays pending); and (3) identifying a possible extension of our high-grade Massive Sulphide Unit outside of the resource area."

"We believe that this drill program reiterates to the market that the Tamarack Project is a high-quality, high-grade project that is well positioned to deliver additional shareholder value as the project further progresses. We look forward to sharing the results of the outstanding assays once they are received," said Sean Werger, President of Talon.









FIGURE 2: PLAN VIEW OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE HIGH-GRADE MASSIVE SULPHIDE UNIT WITHIN THE TAMARACK ZONE BELOW THE 138 ZONE. THE MAP SHOWS THE LOCATION OF NEW DRILL HOLES 12TK0153C, 12TK0153B AND PREVIOUS DRILL HOLE 14TK0206, AND THEIR LOCATION RELATIVE TO PREVIOUS DRILL HOLES 12TK0153 AND 13TK0171



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2443/54278_f8a967ec2440196c_004.jpg

Drill Hole: Objective, Design and Results

The primary objective of drill hole 12TK0153C was to test continuity of the high-grade Massive Sulphide Unit ("MSU") between previous drill holes 12TK153 and 13TK0171, with the distance in between these drill holes being approximately 50 meters (164 feet) (see Figure 3). Drill hole 12TK0153 intersected 12.19 meters (40 feet) of MMS grading 6.85% Ni, 3.02% Cu, 0.12% Co, 0.50 g/t Pd, 0.49 g/t Pt and 0.12 g/t Au (8.38% NiEq1) starting at 555.86 meters, and drill hole 13TK0171 intersected 7.34 meters (24.1 feet) of MMS grading 8.3% Ni, 2.95% Cu, 0.15% Co, 0.93 g/t PGEs and 0.19 g/t Au (9.81% NiEq) starting at 573.3 meters.

Drill hole 12TK0153C was designed to intercept the MMS hosted in the sediment wedge which is found between the Fine Grained Orthocumulate/Mixed Zone and Coarse Grained Orthocumulate. The lithological sequence was predicted to be similar to previous drill holes 12TK0153 and 12TK0171.

As a result, drill hole 12TK0153C successfully intersected 7.14 meters (23.4 feet) of MMS at the predicted elevation (starting at 578.45 meters), approximately 30 meters (98 feet) to the east of drill hole 12TK0153 and 20 meters (66 feet) to the west of drill hole 13TK0171.

The primary objective of drill hole 12TK0153B was to test the edge of a Borehole Electromagnetic ("BHEM") anomaly from previous drill hole 12TK0153 that extended beyond the northern edge of the Company's resource area. Drill hole 12TK0153B was drilled approximately two meters north of the Company's resource area and did not intersect significant mineralization; however, a BHEM survey conducted on 12TK0153B identified a strong off-hole BHEM anomaly to the south back towards drill hole 12TK0153 where the Company's resource area is located.

With respect to drill hole 12TK0153C, assays for the observed MMS intercept of 7.14 meters (23.4 feet) and the MZNO mineralization intercept of 115 meters (378 feet) above the MMS intercept are still pending.

FIGURE 3. LONG SECTIONS LOOKING SOUTH. SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE TAMARACK ZONE HIGH-GRADE MASSIVE SULPHIDE UNIT BELOW THE 138 ZONE. SECTION SHOW THE POSITION OF HOLE 12TK0153C WITH RESPECT TO 13TK0171 AND 12TK0153.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2443/54278_f8a967ec2440196c_005full.jpg

Geophysical Survey Results

During the Company's winter 2020 exploration program, the Company has been testing different geophysical methods to try and extend the high-grade MSU. The results of one of the BHEM surveys has identified three stacked BHEM anomalies south of drill hole 14TK0206 (see Figure 2) at a depth of 575 meters to 600 meters. This depth corresponds to the depth of the high-grade MSU in previous drill holes 12TK0153C and 13TK0171. The BHEM anomaly corresponds to a 55 meter step-out from hole 13TK0171 and could represent the down plunge continuation of the high-grade MSU.

We look forward to providing further results from assays and geophysical data processing and interpretation when these become available.

Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Qualified Persons

Please see the technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of the Tamarack North Project - Tamarack, Minnesota" with an effective date of March 12, 2020 prepared by independent "Qualified Persons" (as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Leslie Correia (Pr. Eng), Andre-Francois Gravel (P. Eng.), Tim Fletcher (P. Eng.), Daniel Gagnon (P. Eng.), David Ritchie (P. Eng.), Oliver Peters (P. Eng.), Christine Pint (P.G.) and Brian Thomas (P. Geo.) for information on the QA/QC, analytical and testing procedures at the Tamarack Project. Copies are available on the Company's website (www.talonmetals.com) or on SEDAR at (www.sedar.com). The laboratory used is ALS Minerals who is independent of the Company.

Lengths are drill intersections and not necessarily true widths. True widths cannot be consistently calculated for comparison purposes between holes because of the irregular shapes of the mineralized zones. Drill intersections have been independently selected by Talon. Drill composites have been independently calculated by Talon. The geological interpretations in this news release are solely those of the Company.

The locations and distances highlighted on all maps in this news release are approximate.

Dr. Etienne Dinel, Vice President, Geology of Talon, is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Dr. Dinel is satisfied that the analytical and testing procedures used are standard industry operating procedures and methodologies, and he has reviewed, approved and verified the technical information disclosed in this news release, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the technical information.

About Talon

Talon is a TSX-listed base metals company in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in Minnesota, USA, comprised of the Tamarack North Project and the Tamarack South Project. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60% of the Tamarack Project. The Tamarack Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with numerous high-grade intercepts outside of the current resource area. Talon is focussed on expanding its current high-grade nickel mineralization resource prepared in accordance with NI 43-101; identifying additional high-grade nickel mineralization; and developing a process to potentially produce nickel sulphates responsibly for batteries for the electric vehicles industry. Talon has a well-qualified mine management team with extensive experience in project management.

For additional information on Talon, please visit the Company's website at www.talonmetals.com or contact:

Sean Werger, President

Email: werger@talonmetals.com

Telephone: 416-361-9636

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the possible extension of the high-grade MSU outside of the Company's resource area, the timing and results of the exploration program, including assay results, geophysical data processing and interpretation and the ability to deliver additional shareholder value as the project further progresses. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Table 1: Collar Locations for Drill Holes Mentioned in Press Release

HOLE ID Easting (m) Northing (m) Elevation (masl) Wedge depth (m) Azm Dip End Depth

(m) 12TK0153 490982 5168405 388.36

161.1 -82.3 683.67 12TK0153C 490982 5168405 388.36 362.0 153.4 -83.6 603.00 12TK0153B 490982 5168405 388.36 338.0 179.6 -82.5 600.47 13TK0171 491049 5168348 388.73

157.4 -89.7 641.91

Collar coordinates are UTM Zone 15N, NAD83.

Azimuth and Dip are downhole survey averages for the hole.

For daughter holes; collar coordinates and elevations are same as mother hole; approximate wedge depth given; azimith and dip are the survey averages below the wedge.

____________________________

1Where used in this news release NiEq% = Ni%+ Cu% x $3.00/$8.00 + Co% x $12.00/$8.00 + Pt [g/t]/31.103 x $1,300/$8.00/22.04 + Pd [g/t]/31.103 x $700/$8.00/22.04 + Au [g/t]/31.103 x $1,200/$8.00/22.04

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54278
A worker carries a wooden plank topped with Papad for sun-drying at a manufacturing unit in Amritsar. (Photo- PTI)

New Delhi: Hundreds of thousands of cash-starved Indian small businesses have either deferred or cut their workers wages this month, say industrialists and union leaders, amid a 21-day nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

All India Manufacturers Organisation (AIMO) an industry body representing some 100,000 small manufacturers said more than two-thirds of its members faced problems in paying salaries on Tuesday, the usual day for paying monthly wages.

We have no funds to pay wages, said K.E. Raghunathan, former national president of AIMO, who runs a solar parts manufacturing unit in the Southern Indian city of Chennai.

Our first priority is to pay electricity bills, rent, bank loans and social security contributions of employees, he said, adding that they faced delays in payments from clients, including the government.

Federal and state governments and state-owned companies owe more than $66 billion to small businesses, the government told parliament last month.

Indias nationwide lockdown, set to end April 14, has left millions of migrant workers stranded without any other source of income. And officials have warned that some states may extend the lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise.

India has so far recorded more than 4,200 coronavirus cases a death toll of 114 people.
The man stabbed to death April 1 along the side of a road in Monroe County has been identified as 19-year-old Justin Pinkney-Terry, of Stroud Township, authorities report.

Pinkney-Terry, was found just after 5 p.m. April 1 in a grassy area near Cornerstone Way and Lilium Lane in Stroud Township, Sroud Area Regional police said the next day. He died at a local hospital and the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the torso, police said. They labeled it a homicide.

Pinkney-Terry was a senior at Stroudsburg High School, according to his obituary in the Pocono Record. He was born in the Jamaica section of Queens in New York City and was a son of Danita Pinkney of Putnam, New York, and the late Corey Terry.

At the time of the killing, police asked for help in determining specifics about a car seen leaving the area where Pinkney-Terry was found. In Tuesdays updated news release they didnt say if theyd determined anything about the car. They are still asking for anyone with information on the case to step forward and contact Detective Robert Transue at 570-421-6800 Ext. 1027 or rtransue@sarpd.com.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
NEW YORK - As the coronavirus bore down on New York, Dr. Doug Bass family begged him to work from home. He refused, pointing to his patients at Phoenix House, a drug and alcohol treatment centre where he served as medical director.

He said he was on the front lines and they needed him, his brother, Jonathan Bass, told The Associated Press. Too many people relied on him.

Bass, 64, died suddenly last month after suffering symptoms commonly caused by coronavirus, including coughing, a fever and severe stomach cramping. That made him possibly the first physician still treating patients in New York City to die from the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Except he wasnt counted.

It happened so quickly he was never tested for COVID-19, but his brother believes he was among the hundreds of undiagnosed cases that, for weeks, have been excluded from the official coronavirus death toll.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday the city would begin counting victims like Bass who werent tested, including those dying at home whose symptoms fit certain parameters.

Its just horrendous. The numbers speak for themselves. This used to be a very, very rare thing in New York City and suddenly its jumped up. The only thing thats changed is COVID- 19, de Blasio told reporters.

A year ago, the New York City Fire Department was receiving an average of 64 calls for cardiac arrest per day, generally with no more than half of those patients dying, FDNY spokesman James Long said. Now, in this pandemic, we are seeing more than 300 cardiac arrest calls each day, with well over 200 people dying each day, Long wrote in an email.

Casualties have been undercounted worldwide, experts say, due not only to limits in testing but the different ways nations count the dead  not to mention deliberate underreporting by some governments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued new guidance saying it is acceptable to count undiagnosed COVID-19 cases as probable or presumed coronavirus deaths under circumstances that are compelling within a reasonable degree of certainty.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said he was also interested in trying to find a way to account for people who die at home without being tested.

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 pneumonia.

Bass, the New York City doctor, believed he had been getting better in the days before his death and continued working for Phoenix House, which provides residential and outpatient treatment at multiple locations in New York City and Long Island.

He had a weakened immune system, his brother said, but nothing life-threatening and nothing terminal. He collapsed in the elevator of his building in Manhattans East Village neighbourhood after calling for an ambulance because he could not breathe. Officials at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, the hospital where Bass was taken, declined to comment on his death.

Ann-Marie Foster, the president and chief executive officer of Phoenix House, said her organization had at least two patients who had tested positive for coronavirus, but added it was not clear whether Bass had dealings with them. She said she received an email from Bass at 6:27 p.m. on March 27, the evening before his death.

Weve lost a gem, she said.

There have been similar uncounted fatalities among health care workers.

An emergency room physician at East Orange General Hospital outside Newark, Frank Gabrin, died March 31 from what his loved ones and colleagues described as coronavirus complications. A cancer survivor who also was never tested for COVID-19, Gabrin died in his husbands arms, at home in New York City, days after developing symptoms that included a dry cough, aches and fever.

The actual coronavirus death toll will be better understood when the pandemic is finally over, based on an a review of fatalities in out-of-hospital settings, said Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and chief executive officer of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health system in the country.

If an older person was found dead in their home, it would not be easy to know whether they succumbed to COVID without ever having been brought to diagnosis, or whether they succumbed to cardiac arrest, Katz told reporters recently.

I think there will be ways, when all of this horror that were living through is done, to try to study these things, he added. But I think, right now, everybody is in the moment trying to save as many lives as they can.

___

Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York and David Porter in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report
TTR Sothebys International Realty's dedication to client service, attention to detail, and top-notch reputation made joining the team an easy decision.

TTR Sothebys International Realty is pleased to welcome top-producing real estate agent Brian Klotz to its Alexandria, Virginia brokerage.

A veteran real estate agent, Klotz brings nearly 20 years of real estate experience to TTR Sotheby's International Realty, first as a Certified Public Accountant in the commercial space and now as one of the Washington Metropolitan Area's top residential producers.

"TTR Sothebys International Realty's dedication to client service, attention to detail, and top-notch reputation made joining the team an easy decision," says Klotz.

"After 18 years of building longstanding relationships with my clients, the move to TTR Sothebys International Realty was one of the most important steps to add value and continue to exceed expectations.

With over $160 Million in career real estate sales, Klotz prides himself on delivering sound advice and guidance on key financial elements related to home sales and purchases, including pricing, financing, contracts, and contingencies.

"Im thrilled to have Brian join the TTR Sotheby's International Realty family," says Evan Lacopo, Managing Broker of TTR Sotheby's International Realty's Alexandria, Virginia brokerage.

"For almost 20 years, Brian has been a top producing agent in Alexandria and Arlington. His professionalism and commitment to service are perfectly aligned with the values that TTR Sothebys International Realty is known for."

Following its most successful year to date, with over $3.4 Billion in closed real estate sales for 2019, TTR Sothebys International Realty has its sights set on Alexandria, Virginia as a key area of growth for the firm.

"Alexandria is one of the Washington Metropolitan Area's most important markets," says Mark C. Lowham, CEO and Managing Partner of TTR Sotheby's International Realty.

"And while we are so proud of the growth we have achieved thus far with our outstanding team in Old Town, Brian will help us build further momentum as we continue to expand our commitment to service."

About TTR Sotheby's International Realty

Since 1988, real estate professionals at TTR Sothebys International Realty have ranked among the highest performing in the nation, and are regarded for their integrity, professional service, and community leadership. Through our relationship with the venerable Sothebys auction house, TTR Sothebys International Realty produces extraordinary results for our clients by leveraging proprietary global marketing, cutting edge digital strategies, and unrivaled access to the most affluent and discerning global clientele. TTR Sothebys International Realty is a real estate brokerage licensed in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. To learn more, visit us at ttrsir.com.
Overheated critics of President Trump accuse him of being an authoritarian. Of not caring about checks and balances, civil rights, and constitutional limits on executive power. And yet, today, many of these same critics demand that he nationalize supply chains, deploy the military on our shores and shut down every town in America. Its a curious thing.

The coronavirus presents enormous national challenges that call for a strong federal response. But we should not lose sight of the essential role that states and governors must play. America is better served when presidents respect the diversity of states instead of dictating uniform solutions.

As a governor, when you take the oath of office to serve your state, you dont know what will come your way. During my six years as governor of South Carolina, I dealt with a thousand-year flood, damaging hurricanes, a racially driven church shooting, a white police officer who killed an innocent black victim, and a school shooting.

When times were calm, we would try to get ahead of the curve, holding regular meetings with my emergency team to make sure we were up-to-date on supplies, procedures, logistics and technology. We learned the importance of planning and to control what we could.
AS THE Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause various concerns among the population, the situation causes a great deal of anxiety among Filipinos. To help address this, Globe partnered with organizations that promote mental health, specifically UP Diliman Psychosocial Services (UPD PsycServ) and New Good Feelings (NGF) Mindstrong's Hopeline. These organizations extend free counseling or psychotherapy services to those in need.

"The uncertainties that surround us are a cause of concern for many and may take its toll on mental health," said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications. "Globe hopes to reach out to those in need of support and show our fellow Filipinos that they are not alone in this fight."

For the duration of the enhanced community quarantine, Globe is giving free unlimited call and text to UPD PsycServ to allow volunteers to reach out to those who send them messages via text or viber.

Anyone affected by the current crisis, especially the frontliners, Covid-19 patients, and their relatives, people under monitoring and those under investigation, may get in touch with UPD PsycServ. They can send a text or Viber message to 09063743466 or 09167573157 with their name and concern or accomplish the form on the link http://bit.ly/PsycServPH to receive a call from a PsycServ volunteer. PsycServ operates from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"Indeed physical distancing is hard but we can still enable people to connect for encouragement and comfort. Text man o tawag sa phone, maipapadama ang pagsama," said Dr. Violeta V. Bautista, PsycServ director and Clinical Psychology Program chair of the UP Diliman Department of Psychology.

UPD PsycServ was born in 2017 in response to an increasing number of students who are at risk for psychiatric conditions and those already suffering from them. PsycServ is composed of licensed psychologists and psychosocial support specialists trained to give psychological first aid, counseling, and psychotherapy.

Story continues

Likewise, Globe provides New Good Feelings (NGF) Mindstrong with free Amazon Connect Private Automatic Branch eXchange (PABX) service so that its responders can continue to receive and process calls from the 2919 Hopeline even while they are at home.

The hotline 2919 is toll free for Globe and TM customers. Other Hopeline numbers are (02) 804-HOPE (4673) and 0917 558 HOPE (4673).

Globe also encourages its customers to support frontliners and patients suffering from Covid and other illnesses by posting messages of hope in its Hope Bank site https://www.facebook.com/groups/267986420517932/. Hope Bank is an online community of support for anyone in need of upliftment and encouragement.

On the other hand, Globe continues to support ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.'s Bantay Bata #163 Helpline, which is free for all Globe and TM mobile phone users to make it easier for citizens to report child abuse during the enhanced community quarantine where children are forced to stay at home.

According to the 2018 report on the Situation Analysis of Children in the Philippines, two in three children have been victims of physical violence, two in five of psychological violence, one in four of sexual violence, and two in three of peer violence. Such violence often takes place at home.

Globe is also helping Unicef amplify its messaging for health and nutrition, education, and child protection as the organization noted that children are already confused and distressed over the fear and anxiety caused by the uncertainty of the spread of Covid-19.

Aside from protecting the children, Unicef said that "understanding and addressing mental health and psychosocial considerations will be key to stopping transmission and preventing the risk of long-term repercussion on the population's wellbeing and capacity to cope with adversity."

The mental health and wellbeing of frontline workers should also be addressed and supported both during and after the outbreak, it added.

Even prior to the pandemic, Unicef noted that there is already a huge concern over the significant growth in the number of people worldwide experiencing mental health conditions, with half of such disorders starting before age 14.

According to Unicef, up to 20 percent of adolescents globally experience mental disorders and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds worldwide. (PR)
"People have their health to lose," she said. "Your heart could stop." Trump's interest in the drug was piqued in part by coverage on conservative media. On March 16, Fox News ran a segment on a small French study promoting the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating the coronavirus. Hours later, lawyer Gregory Rigano appeared on a prime-time show and said evidence suggested it could rid the body "completely" of the virus. Almost instantly, just as the projections of the virus' impact on the nation grew more dire, the drug's promise bounced around the echo chamber of the conservative media. Just three days later, Trump himself made the first mention of the drug.

Among the loudest voices in the President's ear has been Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, who has spoken to Trump about the drug and advocated it in interviews and his new podcast. He has had, as guests, several experts touting the drug and made a few late-night phone calls to the White House residence. "I discussed it with the President after he talked about it," Giuliani said. "I told him what I had on the drugs. Others around him believe it too." The President's son, Donald Trump jnr, on Friday tweeted a link to an article about the drugs' possible success and added: "Waiting for others to write this up. The Democrats and the media must be really upset because they tried to destroy @realdonaldtrump for being hopeful that this would be the case." In a heated Situation Room meeting of the White House's coronavirus task force on Saturday, Navarro challenged the top US infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, over his concerns about recommending the drug based only on unscientific anecdotal evidence. Navarro, who has no formal medical training, erupted at Fauci, raising his voice and claiming the reports of studies he had collected were enough to recommend the drug widely, according to a person familiar with the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the blow-up.

Fauci has repeatedly said current studies provide only anecdotal findings that the drug works. In response, Navarro told CNN on Monday, "I would have two words for you: 'second opinion'." Loading Hydroxychloroquine is officially approved for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, not COVID-19. Small, preliminary studies have suggested it might help prevent the new coronavirus from entering cells and possibly help patients clear the virus sooner. But those have shown mixed results. Doctors are already prescribing the malaria drug to patients with COVID-19, a practice known as off-label prescribing. Research studies are now beginning to test if the drugs truly help COVID-19 patients, and the US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the medication into the American stockpile as an option for doctors to consider for patients who cannot get into one of the studies. But the drug has major potential side effects, especially for the heart, and Fauci has said more testing is needed before it's clear that the drug works against the virus and is safe for such use.

Navarro told Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends that doctors in New York hospitals are already distributing the drug to COVID-19 patients and that healthcare workers are taking it in hopes of being protected from infection. Loading Asked about his credentials for pushing the drug, Navarro cited his doctorate in social science and said that "in the fog of war, we might take more risks than we otherwise would." He added, "I'd bet on President Trump's intuition on this one." Administration officials say Trump's embrace of the drug stems from his desire to provide "hope" for the American people as the death toll mounts and he looks to avoid political consequences of the outbreak. Some limited studies have been conducted on the use of hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic azithromycin in concert to treat COVID-19, but they have not included critical control groups that scientists use to validate the conclusions.

Administration officials say Trump's embrace of the drug stems from his desire to provide "hope" for the American people as the death toll mounts. Researchers in China, for instance, reported that cough, pneumonia and fever seemed to improve sooner among 31 patients given hydroxychloroquine compared with 31 others who did not get the drug, but fewer people in the comparison group had cough or fevers to start with. US President Donald Trump urges the use of a drug he has learnt about through right-wing media. Credit:Bloomberg Many questions have been raised about another study in France. Some 26 people given hydroxychloroquine in that test were not counted in the final results, including three who worsened and were sent to intensive care, one who died a day after testing negative for the virus and one who stopped treatment because of nausea. The French study was published in an International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy journal. The society's president wrote on its website that the report "does not meet the society's expected standard."

At least one other world leader has also promoted the drugs. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, saying he's heard reports of 100 per cent effectiveness when administered in the correct dosages. Across Europe, there has also been a recent spike in demand for the drugs even as regulators caution against their unlicensed use. 'Two words: second opinion': Economist Peter Navarro, Trump's trade adviser. Credit:Bloomberg Last week, the European Medicines Agency warned doctors that since there is no proof yet of the drugs' effectiveness, they should be used only in clinical trials or under emergency use provisions. The jump in demand for the drugs has meant in some instances that patients who rely on hydroxychloroquine for lupus or other conditions are seeing their supplies diverted for COVID-19.

If hydroxychloroquine is proven to work well against COVID-19, its sales would jump, but pharmaceutical analysts say they don't know of any company or individual that stands to make a windfall. That's because there's so much competition and the vast majority of prescriptions filled are for generics. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. India says it will lift a ban on some drug exports including hydroxychloroquine after Trump threatened retaliation if India failed to send the anti-malarial drug to the United States. Foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a statement on Tuesday that having confirmed sufficient supplies for India's needs, export restrictions "have been largely lifted." AP, Reuters
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has developed several options for reducing oil output for the OPEC + meeting, which will be held on April 9, Bloomberg reports with reference to the organizations materials.



According to one of them, global output by will be cut by about 10 million barrels a day by the end of the year. Another option provides for the rejection of cutting oil output. OPEC analysis estimates for demand to fall by 11.9 million barrels a day this quarter.



The OPEC + meeting on the possibility of new oil output cuts to stabilize the market will be held as a videoconference on Friday. It will be followed by a meeting of energy ministers from the Group of 20 major economies on energy market stability. The final decision of OPEC + will depend on the results of subsequent negotiations of the G20 energy ministers, a previously informed source said.

The OPEC+ agreement on crude production cuts expired on March 31, 2020. Russia and Saudi Arabia failed to come an agreement on the terms of its extension after March, which triggered an increase in production in OPEC states. Concurrently, the demand posted an unprecedented plunge due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those factors combined pushed the oil price down to $22 per barrel for the first time in two decades. By the end of March, the partners had decided to resume consultations and involve other producers from G20 counties in joint efforts.
Larsen and Toubro CEO and MD SN Subrahmanyan wrote a letter to his employees last week (Business Today has seen a copy of the letter) about how working from home is tougher for women where they have to manage work and domestic chores and adds that he appreciates their effort during the "turbulent times".

The letter is not ill-intentioned but does little in urging male employees to be equal partners. He adds, "With our women colleagues trying to adjust to the new way of life, it is imperative that we keep ourselves out of their way - 'like what I do' - by doing one's job without getting into their way. Wherever possible and if capable of, one should help out in household chores like cooking, washing, etc."

Data from several fronts show how the current crisis situation is more stressful for women where they are not only anxious about the pandemic, but are also dealing with family and mental health-related issues.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown

Puneet Manuja, founder, YourDOST says, "Since the lockdown there is a drastic increase in queries related to anxiety and uncertainty but we are seeing an increasing number of women calling us for issues related to discord in the family and the inability to manage work and home."

He shares the instance of 35-year old Ashmeet Khurana (name changed) who is usually a calm person but has been constantly irritated during the lockdown. She complained how small things, like a switched fan in an empty room or the tiny speck of leftover food started bothering her and would lead to huge fights with her husband. Unable to comprehend the change in her temperament she had reached out to online counselling startup YourDOST to share the travails of her personal life. She was diagnosed with physical and mental fatigue. Managing office work along with household chores was getting to her. To top it all, she was feeling disappointed and wasn't able to articulate it to her husband, who doesn't support her with routine tasks at home.

Also read: Coronavirus: When will lockdown be lifted? PM likely to decide on Saturday

The socio-cultural norms still prevail in many homes in India where managing the household is still a woman's responsibility. During the lockdown, women have to now manage workplace tasks along with the house, without the support ecosystem of house helpers and day care centres. "While husbands help, women are the ones responsible for getting everything done at home. During the lockdown, women have to navigate the new reality of doing office work at home while being a cook, housekeeper, tuition teacher for the kids, caregiver for the elders which is adding stress to their lives," says Nirmala Menon, Founder and CEO of inclusion solutions consulting firm Interweave.

The 2019 report 'Big Small Steps', by Akshara Centre on gender beliefs among urban youth population shows that a high percentage - 79 per cent - of men feel that both genders should have equal rights. However, 50 per cent of men said women shouldn't do paid work if it restricts their ability to manage household chores. What was startling was only 1.5 per cent men said that basic cooking, cleaning and washing was their responsibility too.

Menon adds that the power play of gender roles gets worse in troubled times. "What we have seen is in a crisis situation like the current lockdown, gender role expectations get accentuated because they offer the sense of familiarity and no one wants to try out new behaviour skills amid uncertainty," he says.

Also read: Coronavirus: AIIMS staff told to reuse masks, PPEs as rationing measures

Media reports about data from National Commission for Women (NCW) reiterates the increase in complaints being registered by women. Since the lockdown, NCW has received over 250 complaints from women out of which 69 are cases of domestic violence. China too has reported more cases of domestic violence and divorce since the lockdown was announced.

As more women come out to work, the expectations of stereotypical gender behaviour are likely to get challenged adding to anxiety in domestic lives. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder of talent strategy firm Avtar says, "There is this expectation that women are supposed to instinctively know how to work from home. While the majority of male managers are trying to figure it out for the first time, they are expecting their female colleagues or spouses to have all the answers but they unfortunately don't and that is leading to a lot of stress," she says. She says that what adds to the stress is women are not in roles that facilitate remote work. India is a country in transition and only 15 per cent of India's white collar workforce comprises women, and almost 60 per cent of them are in low value jobs. "What we have seen is jobs in lower and middle order are difficult to be done remotely and that is why it is so difficult for women to work from home," says Rajesh.

Scientists say it takes 14-21 days to form a habit. It is for the first time men will be cooped up at home for three weeks straight and will observe, and hopefully empathise too, the enormity of skills required to run a home. Today's crisis might also lead to the much-required change in mindset where men step up to lead (not help whenever they can) homes, as they do in office.

Also read: Coronavirus: Govt demarcates different facilities for mild, moderate, severe 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.
As India gears up for a surge in Covid-19 cases, policymakers in New Delhi could do well to take a look at Chinas fangcang shelter hospitals, which according to a new study in medical journal Lancet, played a critical role in controlling the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Simply defined, the fangcang shelters for Covid-19 patients in Wuhan, the first epidemic epicenter, were public spaces like stadiums, convention centres, exhibition centres, gymnasiums, factories, and warehouses that were remodelled to become temporary large-scale health-care facilities.

These shelters had their job defined to act as buffers or mass quarantine spaces under medical supervision for patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 but showed mild symptoms and did not need urgent treatment. They were only transferred to a hospital if their condition worsened.

These shelters helped in a major way by freeing up the heavily burdened medical infrastructure in Wuhan in February and early March by taking in and isolating the positive patients with mild or moderate symptoms who would have ended up spreading the infection if allowed to stay in contact with family and community members. It was one reason why home isolation for Covid-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms wasnt allowed.

They served to isolate patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 from their families and communities, while providing medical care, disease monitoring, food, shelter, and social activities, the study by experts from China, the US and Germany, titled Fangcang shelter hospitals: a novel concept for responding to public health emergencies said.

The study said that early epidemiological evidence showed that more than half of Covid-19 patients in China had at least one family member with the disease, and 75 percent to 80 percent of clustered infections were within families.

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19

The shelters had three key characteristics: rapid construction, massive scale, and low cost; and five essential functions, -- isolation, triage (order of treating a large number of patients), basic medical care, frequent monitoring and rapid referral, and essential living and social engagement.

Early descriptive evidence suggests the Fangcang shelter hospitals were a major reason for the successful Covid-19 control in China. The number of confirmed cases in Wuhan steadily declined from February 18, 12 days after the first Fangcang shelter hospitals started admitting patients, the paper said.

Wuhan authorities built 16 such shelters in three weeks in February.

By March 10 (when all the shelters were shut down), the 16 hospitals had provided care to about 12,000 patients. In caring for and sheltering such a large number of patients who would otherwise have been confined to their homes, these shelter hospitals effectively supported Chinas Covid-19 policy of leaving no patient unattended or untreated, the authors said.

According to the paper, in Wuhan, the bed vacancy rate in traditional hospitals designated for the care of Covid-19 patients increased from 4 percent on February 4 to 16 percent on February 22, when 16 makeshift hospitals had started admitting patients.

Are other countries emulating the experiment?

Other countries facing the Covid-19 pandemic should consider using Fangcang shelter hospitals as part of their public health response,says the study.

It also recommends that the future design and construction of large public venues (eg, stadiums, convention centres, exhibition centres, gymnasiums, factories, and warehouses) should integrate features facilitating the conversion of these infrastructures to Fangcang shelter hospitals, such as interior equipment that can be rapidly removed, entrances that are large enough for hospital beds, and ventilation systems that reduce the risk of cross-infection.

Some countries are already following the example.

Serbia is building Fangcang shelter hospitals by converting public venues into health-care facilities to isolate and treat patients with mild to moderate Covid-19.

Iran, the USA, the UK, and Spain are implementing measures that are similar to Fangcang shelter hospitals.

The authors said: It was likely that many other countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will also need to adopt such measures to ensure sufficient capacity to both effectively isolate and care for the large number of people who will experience mild to moderate Covid-19.
Medical staff including nurses and paramedical employees at a municipal hospital staff in Mumbai staged a protest on Wednesday demanding they be quarantined after the death of a COVID-19 patient at the facility.

Employees of the K B Bhabha Municipal General Hospital in suburban Bandra gathered outside the hospital and staged a protest, after a woman undergoing treatment there died due to COVID-19 infection, a staff union functionary said.

The hospital staffers are demanding that they be quarantined as there is a serious risk of spread of COVID-19 in the facility.

Two private hospitals in Mumbai have been sealed after some medical staff members there tested coronavirus positive.

A union leader said the employees have demanded that staff be quarantined as some of them came in direct contact with the woman.

The leader said around 450 staffers work at the hospital. They include nurses, ward boys, sweepers and other paramedical staff, he said.

"The hospital management kept us in dark even after they learnt that the woman had tested coronavirus positive," he said.

According to hospital staffers, the woman was kept in general ward for females for a couple of days and shifted to the casualty ward after her condition worsened.

Some staff members also raised the issue of 'poor quality' of personal protection equipment (PPE) given to them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The people of Kilkenny are being urged to hold onto their Trocaire boxes until it is safe and possible to return them in support of the development agencys Covid-19 response work in some of the worlds poorest countries.

While the agencys Lent campaign continued despite the pandemic, Trocaire cancelled all their face-to-face events and outreach work last month. A Kilkenny woman working with Trocaire says the lack of public events and activities was a big loss.

"That will unfortunately impact our crucial fundraising to support our work and we are still massively dependent on this campaign, which ends at Easter," says Kells native Priya Joshi of Trocaire.

Families in the worlds poorest countries need our support now more than ever. We are urging people to please keep a hold of their Trocaire boxes and return them when it is safe and possible to do so.

In the meantime, we are urgently trying to save lives during the Coronavirus outbreak. Supporters can continue to make donations online or over the phone to fund this work. We know not everyone is in a position to support this work right now, but  if you can  any donation you can give will help us to support the worlds poorest communities through this terrible crisis.

Trocaire is using funds to provide hygiene kits, testing kits, information campaigns and other support to vulnerable communities affected by Covid-19. The virus is now present in 18 countries where Trocaire provides support, including some  Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)  that are amongst the poorest places on Earth.

Many communities where Trocaire works do not have essential but basic infrastructure to fight the virus," says Ms Joshi.

"This means they lack access to clean water and social distancing is often not possible in overcrowded refugee camps and slums.

Most countries do not have a functioning health service to respond to a mass outbreak of illness. Worrying figures include:

Malawi has one intensive care (ICU) bed for every 1million people;

Sierra Leone has no ICU beds;

South Sudan has only two ventilators for 12 million people;

Trocaires experience in fighting previous outbreaks will be utilised in the battle against Covid-19. The agencys teams delivered vital services to affected communities in countries such as Sierra Leone and the DR Congo throughout the Ebola crisis.

Trocaires Ebola response work helped hundreds of thousands of people with water tanks, latrines, water pumps, and chemical treatments to provide safe water. The last affected Ebola patient was discharged from care last month in the DR Congo.

Trocaires Covid-19 response work includes:

Setting up isolation wards and sanitation systems in Somalia;

Adapting humanitarian food distribution programmes to ensure improved hygiene in Honduras;

Support for quarantine facilities where people have access to running water, hygienic products and food in Sierra Leone;

In a number of countries, Trocaire has supported public messaging on radio and social media to raise awareness and prevent the spread.

The publics support for our Lenten campaign and this COVID-19 response work is vital," says Ms Joshi.

We are grateful to everyone in County Kilkenny who has fundraised and collected coins over Lent. We urge people to please retain your boxes to return them at a later date. These generous donations will be put into action as we attempt to battle the Coronavirus in some of the worlds most vulnerable communities.

You can support Trocaires work and Lenten 2020 campaign at trocaire.org/donate or phone 1850 408 408. Please retain your Trocaire box to return donations to Trocaire at a later date.
A mum was spat on and abused by a passing motorist during a disgusting coronavirus-related attack which left her shaken and afraid to leave her home.

Sarah Ouk, from Adelaide, was working from home last Monday when she walked to a nearby Aldi in Salisbury Downs the city's north to pick up groceries during her lunch break.

The mother-of-two, 39, who is also the councillor for Salisbury, was waiting to cross the road when the racist encounter occurred.

'A man drove past and starting screaming 'you Asians bring corona to Australia before coughing and sneezing at me,' Ms Ouk told Daily Mail Australia.

Sarah Ouk (pictured) now prefers to stay at home after she was subjected to a racist attack on her way to the supermarket last Monday

'I was so scared and when I turned around, he had his head sticking out the window as he spat at me.'

Already upset and fearful, Ms Ouk went into Aldi, where she was subjected to weird looks from shoppers, which left her devastated.

'There was couple was looking at me like I was full of viruses,' Ms Ouk recalled.

'I just grabbed what I needed and got out as quickly as I could. I was almost in tears by the time I got home.'

One week on, Ms Ouk is still shaken by the incident.

'I'm trying to not go out unless I need to,' she said.

'I prefer to stay at home, where I feel much safer.'

'To the person who did this to me, I urge them to have a kind heart and peace of mind,' local councillor Sarah Ouk (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia.

She shared her story in a bid to stop the recent spate of racist motivated attacks since the deadly coronavirus first hit Australia's shores on January 25.

'No one deserves this,' Ms Ouk told Daily Mail Australia.

'I want to get the message out there that racism isn't okay. It's not on and it needs to stop. People should feel safe when they go to the shops.'

'In these times of crisis, everyone should help and be kind to one another.'

Ms Ouk didn't report the incident to police as she didn't see the car's registration number or see the man's face clearly.

Ms Ouk shared her story in a bid to stop the recent spate of racist motivated attacks since the deadly coronavirus first hit Australia's shores on January 25

'To the person who did this to me, I urge them to have a kind heart and peace of mind,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Ms Ouk has lived in Australian for more than 30 years after arriving as a Cambodian refugee with her mother in the 1980s and has been on Salisbury Council for almost 18 months.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall condemned the attack.

'There is no room whatsoever for anger, hostility and racism,' Mr Marshall said.

'That is not the response that South Australians want to see.'
BALTIMORE

April 7, 2020

Guatemala

Johns Hopkins University

held a worldwide photo contest about and by nurses

Anabel Franco

Ecuador

yearofthenurseandmidwife.org

/PRNewswire/ -- A Taiwanese nurse in a protective suit standing against COVID-19. A Ugandan nurse cradling a newborn she has helped deliver. A community nurse intending to a farmer alongside his bull. Today more than ever, as a pandemic sweeps across the globe, the impact of nurses can't be underestimated. Nurses deliver care to the majority of people in the worldand it's time to appreciate them as leaders, healers, innovators and educators.In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, Jhpiego, a global health nonprofit andaffiliate,, showing all that they do from a nurse's point of view. These images provide a look into this important world from the eyes of these playerssome of the most important players during this tumultuous moment.Nurses, patients and photographers submitted thousands of photographsfrom all seven continentsto Jhpiego and its hosting partners, Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses.As families and communities come face to face with the uncertainty and confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest put nurses into sharp focus."Every crisis is an opportunity," says, a nursing instructor and contest entrant from. "Society is observing the true value of nursingthey see us as a heroine, courageous and capable, but above all essential. This, for me, is wonderful."View the contest winners on Jhpiego's, and read stories of nurses impacting communities and countries worldwide.Jhpiego brings more than 45 years of experience in health systems, infection prevention and control, and pregnancy and childbirth to the fight against COVID-19. For more information on our pandemic response, visit our COVID-19 page.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covid-19-shows-why-nurses-deserve-our-appreciation-says-jhpiego-johns-hopkins-affiliate-301037160.html



SOURCE Jhpiego




The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged three former executives of Ironclad Performance Wear Corp. with fraud for allegedly inflating the company's revenues through a series of manipulative and deceptive accounting gimmicks. Ironclad's former CEO and CFO have agreed to settle the Commission's claims.

The SEC's complaint alleges that from at least December 2015 through June 2017, Ironclad's senior executives, CEO Jeffrey D. Cordes of Michigan, CFO William M. Aisenberg of Texas, and Senior VP Thomas J. Felton of Texas, collaborated to inflate Ironclad's revenues by prematurely recognizing revenue before it was earned and recognizing revenue that was never earned, including booking nearly $1 million in revenues from a single client for gloves the client never bought, and that Ironclad never shipped. The complaint further alleges that the defendants took affirmative steps to hide their conduct by, among other things, moving products to a warehouse across the street, delaying moving returned product back into inventory, shipping product to different clients, and altering documents, which inflated the quarterly revenues Ironclad publicly reported during the relevant period by as much as 24 percent.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that Cordes, Aisenberg, and Felton violated the antifraud provisions of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) thereunder, or in the alternative that Felton aided and abetted these violations by Cordes and Aisenberg. The complaint further alleges that Cordes and Aisenberg violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(b) thereunder. The complaint also charges Cordes, Aisenberg, and Felton with violating the reporting, books and records, and internal accounting control provisions of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(5) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, 13b2-1, and 13b2-2 thereunder, and Cordes and Aisenberg with violating Section 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13a-14 thereunder.

Cordes and Aisenberg have, without admitting or denying the allegations, consented to the entry of final judgments that impose permanent injunctions and officer and director bars, and require each to pay a $173,437 civil penalty. The settlements are subject to court approval.

The SEC's litigation against Felton is ongoing.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jennifer Turner and Laura Bennett and was supervised by David Reece and Eric Werner of the SEC's Forth Worth office. Jason Reinsch will lead the litigation, under B. David Fraser's supervision.
WeMena, a leading startup online marketplace for wholesalers, is adding more than 1,000 products to its website every week; products to protect workers and their families from contracting and spreading the coronavirus.



Pali Banwait, co-founder, said: In this especially difficult time for everybody, our site, which launched at the beginning of 2020, is proving to be a cost-effective way of helping companies stay afloat during this unusual time.



We are working relentlessly to keep maintaining access to stock levels by working closely with our partners, our prices are kept fair and ensuring key industries have access to PPE, [Personal Protective Equipment] hand sanitiser and disinfection and sterilisation products, for example.



While many businesses are struggling to source essential products  as well as face masks, sanitiser and other essentials  signing up for a free WeMena account brings easy, safe, online access to a myriad of products via the platforms expert sourcing team.



Many traditional businesses are not skilled enough to source products from new channels  especially in the current climate  but WeMena makes it far easier for them, said Banwait.



Were working around the clock with manufacturers and distributors to get essentials into the hands of businesses so they can continue business - and continue to bring in revenue, while ensuring their staff feel safe and protected, added Banwait.



By helping business remain open we are saving jobs and in turn lightening the burden on the state too. Wed like to think we are doing our bit by encouraging businesses to stay home and order online - with free delivery and low minimum order quantities, we hope we are providing something of a lifeline to the SMEs that are the bedrock of the regions commercial activity.



He cited the example of small grocery stores - which can take full advantage of WeMenas large supply sources by buying in smaller quantities with flexible payment terms.



Another recent example was a Dubai-based food production plant, which has been able to remain open after purchasing essential PPE sourced from WeMena for its staff.



Its not only the products that allow businesses to continue working safely during the pandemic. WeMena is a simple, straightforward gateway that brings bulk purchasers together with reliable, trustworthy manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. Buyers include retailers, hospitality outlets, offices and the procurement departments of large organisations.



WeMena provides sellers with hassle free access to new business customers, while providing them with a reliable payment solution, while handling all delivery logistics and post-delivery customer service issues.



The platform provides buyers with easy access through its web and mobile apps around the clock to the latest products at competitive prices, saving them the time and hassle of sourcing products, and visiting tradeshows and wholesale markets  something which isnt possible in the current circumstances



Recent additions to the sites product lines include catering supplies, electronics and stationery and of course personal protection equipment during the pandemic.



WeMenas marketplace is accessible on the web and as a mobile app for Android and Apple devices.  TradeArabia News Service
But Shiites have also been viewed with suspicion by the government and many Sunnis as sympathizers with  or even spies for  Iran, the worlds largest Shiite country and Saudi Arabias regional rival. The two countries have backed opposing forces in the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars and compete for influence elsewhere in the region, for instance in Iraq and Lebanon, fueling the Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions that afflict the Middle East.
A prominent Communist party member who criticised Chinese leader Xi Jinpings handling of the coronavirus outbreak is being investigated on suspicion of a 'severe violation of discipline and law,' a joint government-party watchdog has said.

Ren Zhiqiang, 69, is a former head of state-run real estate conglomerate Huayuan Group and a party member who has become known for his outspokenness on sensitive topics such as press censorship.

A one-sentence notice issued Tuesday by the party-government joint disciplinary watchdog body in Beijings western district said Ren was undergoing a 'review and monitoring investigation' but gave no details and did not mention Ren's article or previous statements.

The ex property mogul dropped from sight in mid-March after publishing an online essay that criticised the leaderships handling of the virus outbreak that originated in December in central China.

Ren Zhiqiang, a prominent Communist party member who criticised Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, is being investigated on suspicion of a 'severe violation of discipline and law'. In this file photo from 2012, the then real estate mogul is seen in his office in Beijing

Since taking over the helm of the party in 2012, Xi has shown himself entirely intolerant of any criticism and has cracked down heavily on free media and civil society. He is seen attending G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing on March 26

In March, the Chinese billionaire has allegedly gone missing after calling President Xi Jinping a 'clown' over a speech he made in February about the government's efforts to battle the coronavirus.

Ren Zhiqiang had not been contactable since March 12, three of his friends told Reuters.

'Many of our friends are looking for him,' his close friend and businesswoman Wang Ying said in a statement to Reuters, describing them as being 'extremely anxious'.

'Ren Zhiqiang is a public figure and his disappearance is widely know. The institutions responsible for this need to give a reasonable and legal explanation for this as soon as possible,' she said.

Calls made by Reuters to Ren's mobile phone went unanswered.

People bow in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing during a three minute national memorial to commemorate people who died in the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak on April 4

A man wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus holds a portrait as he stands outside the Biandanshan cemetery in Wuhan on March 31

In the essay, which does not mention Xi by name, Ren said after studying the speech he 'saw not an emperor standing there exhibiting his "new clothes", but a clown stripped naked who insisted on continuing being emperor,' according to a version posted by China Digital Times, a US-based website.

He also said it revealed a 'crisis of governance' within the party, and that a lack of free press and speech had prevented the outbreak from being tackled sooner, causing the situation to worsen.

The article, since deleted by China's censors, is an example of the various criticisms of Xi and the party's handling of the emergency that have appeared online, the one space where Chinese can exercise a modicum of free speech, albeit under the close watch of party monitors.

Criticism has chiefly focused on allegations of early efforts to squelch news of the outbreak, the true numbers of those who have become sickened and died, and efforts by Xi and the party to portray themselves as riding to the rescue when no others could lead China out of the crisis.

Chinese police also reprimanded and threatened a group of medical workers who spread word of the threat early in the outbreak, one of whom, Dr Li Wenliang, later died from COVID-19.

While government data show COVID-19 apparently subsiding in China, more than 1.4 million people have been infected worldwide. A woman wearing a face mask walks at a residential area blocked by barriers in Wuhan, Hubei Province

Ren had an early military career and his parents were both former high officials in the Communist party, leading some to call him a princeling, an often-used reference to the offspring of the founders of the People's Republic - including Xi.

That status might have provided him with some immunity from prosecution, although he appears to have crossed a line by criticising Xi's personal leadership, whether by name or implication.

Since taking over the helm of the party in 2012, Xi has shown himself entirely intolerant of any criticism and has cracked down heavily on free media and civil society, jailing scores of journalists, lawyers and non-governmental activists on labor and other issues.

While government data show COVID-19 apparently subsiding in China, more than 1.4 million people have been infected worldwide.
A lorry driver from Northern Ireland has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck in Essex.

The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were discovered by emergency services at an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, shortly after the lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium in the early hours of October 23 last year.

Among the men, women and children were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

Five men charged following an investigation by Essex Police appeared for a virtual hearing at the Old Bailey before Mr Justice Sweeney.

Expand Close The container lorry in which 39 people were found dead (Aaron Chown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the truck driver also admitted 39 counts of manslaughter on or before October 24 last year.

He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property.

Robinson appeared at court via video link alongside four other co-defendants including another Armagh man.

British Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Mimosa Close in Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road in Tilbury, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration

Valentin Calota, 37, of Cossington Road in Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

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Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Kennedy and Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faced.

The other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks from October 5.

The hearing was conducted virtually with most lawyers and court reporters attending by Skype.
A panic buying mother and daughter accused of fighting with another shopper in a Woolworths supermarket claim they were just protecting their jumbo pack of toilet paper.

Treiza Bebawy, 60, and Meriam, 23, were charged by police after video of their alleged behaviour at a south-western Sydney Woolworths went viral last month.

The pair, from a Coptic Christian migrant family from Bankstown in Sydney's south-west, were apparently incensed that a woman, 49, was equally determined to get ahold of toilet paper packs in the early hours of March 7.

After hair-pulling, scuffling and screaming, the furious victim spat at the Bebawy family: 'I just wanted one pack!'

Mrs Bebawy is then recorded saying 'no, not one pack!' while shielding her trolley loaded with Quilton four-ply.

Meriam Bebawy (left), 23, and her mother Treiza (right), 60, were charged with affray over the Woolworths supermarket brawl

The Bebawy family members allegedly scuffled with the victim, above, at a Woolworths supermarket after collecting a sizeable amount of toilet paper

The alleged fracas ended with one Woolworths employee overheard telling Mrs Bebawy: 'You are fighting over tissues. Think about what you're doing, yeah?'

The brawl began shortly after the store opened, with police called about 7am on a Saturday.

It came as Australians bizarrely swept the supermarket shelves of toilet paper to an 'unprecedented' extent - sparking store shortages across the country.

This isn't the Thunderdome. It isn't Mad Max Comments from a senior NSW police officer after footage of the fight went viral

The panic buying was sparked by fears the coronavirus pandemic would lead to citywide shutdowns.

NSW Police were called to the Woolworths store and spoke to the victim early that morning, leading a senior officer to make withering comments.

'We just ask that people don't panic like this when they go out shopping,' acting inspector Andrew New told reporters at the time.

'There is no need for it. It isn't the Thunderdome, it isn't Mad Max, we don't need to do that.'

Accused: Mariam Begawy

The victim escaped the brawl uninjured.

The accused pair handed themselves in to police that evening, shielding their faces from waiting TV cameras.

Both were charged with affray, an offence that has a maximum punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Their identities can now be revealed with a court date looming.

The definition of that charge under the Crimes Act is that a person has 'used or threatened' violence and their conduct 'is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his or her personal safety'.

'If two or more persons use or threaten the unlawful violence, it is the conduct of them taken together that must be considered.'

The victim (on right) yelled at the pair that she just wanted 'one pack' - after the Bebawys had allegedly loaded up a trolley full of Quilton toilet paper

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 incredible run on toilet paper seen in early March forced supermarkets Coles and Woolworths to restrict customers to one pack per person.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, suppliers and police agencies were forced to reassure the community the nation was not at risk of running out of loo roll.

Mr Morrison said hoarding was 'not sensible, it is not helpful and it has been one of the most disappointing things I have seen in Australian behaviour in response to this crisis.

'It's ridiculous, it's un-Australian, and it must stop.'

The panic was uncalled for, given most of the country's supply is produced in Australia. Manufacturer Kimberley-Clark quickly forced its South Australian factory into 24/7 operations.

The Chullora incident was one of the most sensational instances of alleged violence surrounding toilet paper amid the hysteria, but it was far from not alone.

On March 4, police were called to a Westfield Parramatta supermarket after a woman allegedly pulled a knife on another shopper in the toilet paper aisle.

The next day, in Tamworth, a shopper, 50, was Tasered and charged after he allegedly 'grabbed a woman's throat' during an argument over toilet paper at a Big W, on March 5.

A common scene in early March: Woolworths shelves stripped bare by shoppers over coronavirus concerns. There are signs the toilet paper hoarding is easing

That same week, police officers are seen speaking to shoppers after an incident involving a knife at Westfield Parramatta, in Sydney's west, about 1.30pm on March 4

Likewise, on March 5, a man, 50 (above), was charged after allegedly assaulting a Big W staff member during an argument over toilet paper in Tamworth

So bleak was the toilet paper shortage that photographs of elderly people staring at empty shelves lit the internet alight.

While the demand for toilet paper has eased, the major supermarkets have confirmed demand is still well above average.

On Sunday, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci said the retailer had sold more than 21.5 million toilet rolls in the previous week.

The supermarket has rushed out 500,000 extra packets of pasta to meet the demands of hoarders. Restrictions have been placed on other products, such as rice and paper towel.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Mrs and Miss Bebawy for comment about their case this week.

A family spokeswoman hung up the phone. The pair face court on April 28.




Britney is so cute 

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I went down a Britney performance rabbit hole yesterday and whew. I WISH she had a super bowl performance bc her discography deserves but her nerves would get the best of her and the NFL is trash and she's not prepared for that kinda backlash. Dream Within A Dream tour is legendary

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she can have a co headliner and they can just have her do a two step on stage and carry her around in a prop/contraption machine the whole time arm dancing.

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I've been on a Britney performance kick, and her ABC television special is so so good. That and her episodes of Making the Video put me in such a better mood.

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I watched the ABC special last night and it was her peak dancing imo. Me Against The Music choreo is amazing.

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strangely me too? I was reading about her timeline and shit. watching making the videos. i have to say, i didn't really listen to her stuff after in the zone though and i probably never will ^_^

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I saw Shakira retweeting healthcare workers today and it made me smile.



The other day she got a lot of flack because she tweeted that she wished the Spanish Government could find a way to make it possible for kids to walk outside for a little because it's important for their development. People get so hostile, there are reports of neighbors jeering at people from their balconies if they see them outside with children, even if the law makes it okay to accompany people with ASD and other conditions.

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Did she apologize for using abused tigers in her VMA performance???!!!!

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this is good but if Shakira wants to help the workers she can pay her taxes

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Came here to say this.

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I don't know a single doctor friend who cares or appreciates these claps and thank you's. They mean nothing when you aren't backing them up with increased pay, more PPE, and greater security for essential workers like farmers and drivers.

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same



it's all very performative

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i honestly find it really dumb and its just gives people a reason to pat themselves on the back when they havent done a goddamn thing.

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that's the era of politics we're living in

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Dems (useless as they may be) are hoping to pass a Heroes Funds but lets see what happens with that.



https://www.newsweek.com/essential-workers-would-get-25000-boost-under-senate-democrats-new-heroes-fund-stimulus-1496639 The fact that hazard part hasnt been initiated tells me that its all lip service for all essential workers.Dems (useless as they may be) are hoping to pass a Heroes Funds but lets see what happens with that.

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It depends on the people, location, and who they are getting it from. Civilians for lack of a better term, and patients going out of their way to thank doctors and nurses, buy them dinner since most of us can't track down PPE, the ones i've talked to say that it means something. It doesn't help the crisis they face, obviously, but that they appreciate the support. that they know the public at home sees them. appreciates them. again, i'm not disputing those you know, and their feelings are valid, absolutely. and a pizza is nice, but you'd rather have PPE. it's just we can't get that for them. so i don't think every medical person is feeling that, since the ones i've talked to, have said what i've stated.



But if those words come from people who do have the money to open their wallets, or affect policy change, and the like, then it's pretty damn hollow. for all of us, because it means shit won't change and we'll keep losing good people to a lack of prep.



I saw it posted in a nursing group on Facebook, "nurses don't want your damn essential oils. They want you to stay the fuck home and if you can't track down PPE, they want coffee. the stronger the better." (call your local hospital first and find out how they are accepting donations for anything. with containment protocols, it's not as easy at every hospital as calling a pizza place and saying send 10 over to the hospital for the staff. but for coffee, i was able to get them gift cards, k-cups, instant, and ground delivered to them since different areas have different kinds of coffee pots.)

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I think it's harmless when regular people do that, but politicians started doing that shit and it's simply a way for them to get asspats without doing shit. The government in my country was calling doctors lazy and entitled just months ago because the doctors wanted a raise, and now they're calling them heroes... while still not giving them the damn raise, and without even an apology.

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they've been doing it in NYC and people are legit CROWDING outside their apartment to do it. Like, you're doing the opposite of what they want you all to do....

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YESSSSS Sweetney Spears!!

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Comrade Brit at it again!!



Also, what are meaningful ways to celebrate and support healthcare workers that dont involve money?

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making masks and face shields then donating them to local hospitals.

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can't do that :(



But it's a great idea!

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Campaign in some way to vote out every asshole who caused harm during this period. Local, state, federal.

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Vote out the assholes that led us to this mess.

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The biggest way, and believe me when I say it took me a little while to come around to the idea, and how big it REALLLLLLY is, because I was already doing that for my own health, and it didn't feel like enough for them. I wanted to help, really help. In times of crisis, I help people, that's how I'm wired. To help directly. I've been involved in volunteering since I was legally old enough. I'm hard wired to do. not sit. But this one, ain't ours to handle that way. Just stay home. The best way to support them, if we have any means to spend a few dollars or not, is to try and be one less patient for them to have to take care of, and that does mean a lot. It really does. We all need to really remind ourselves of how important it is to park it, beyond what that means for us. Again bb, I share my experience, not to chide you or anyone else who has had the thought of wanting to do MORE. i'm not. please don't misunderstand me. because I admit I wanted to do MORE. Well... this is it, for them. not just myself.



Other wise, call and pressure politicians to get our factories to make PPE? GM was given that go ahead and yet it could be in limbo for awhile the last I heard, but I'm not current on them and what they are doing. Ford is making protective gear on their own. Get involved with folks who are making master lists of what companies are helping, and which need to be pressured into it. There is so much information that it's easy to not know whose doing what and when.



There are facebook groups sprouting up that are connecting locals and what their needs are. It could be something as simple as you have an extra frying pan that someone else really needs but it's not safe, or they don't have the money to go to a store. I broke my ice tea pitcher the other day. I figured i'd live without it, or try ordering one and waiting 3 weeks. One of the people who runs errands for me, mentioned it in one of those groups that I could use a glass pitcher. I had someone drop one off on my front doorstep. They'd cleaned it, and I cleaned it again. But there are gophers in these groups that are usually helping get supplies around, so that you don't have to put yourself at risk in helping someone. Right now, it's the little stuff that means a lot in our own backyard.



Even if you end up an online spotter for those who need supplies. I've done that one. A lot of sites, including the big ones, they will put up X number of certain staples every day, or every couple days, usually at weird times. so it can be something as simple as googling toilet paper on walmart for some desperate folks on the look out. 3-4 times a day. middle of the night is a good time finding a lot of supplies. Or even helping people put together lists of which online grocery stores are in the area. or connecting people at high risk, with someone who can run errands for them. All this, can be done from home. I have, and I can't leave until this is over. I'm too sick.



I can't sew so I'm with you there.



even just cleaning out your closet, or bookcase, and putting the stuff you don't want anymore into a bag, for the day when we can do those kind of donations again, safely. it helps. it helps our minds if nothing else. <3 i hope you find something bb.



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i mean it's nice to get these thank yous & what not but like the clapping & thank yous aren't going to solve anything. it's a nice gesture but holds no meaning to actual healthcare workers. what i want is an actual support system, i want more ppe, i want more pay for this shit, i want mental health support that will come in & talk to us rather than us scheduling an appointment & only being on site for a limited number of hours once a week, i want people to stay home & take care of themselves. clapping isn't going to help me from not crying on my off days, not crying before/during/after i work. like i get ppl are trying to be helpful & do their part but this rly isn't the way to do it.

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I mean, messages like that can be motivational to read for health workers I guess? idk it kinda feels like the cringy clapping vids all over again but at least Britney's drawing thing is cute

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Open your purse

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she has.

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Passing it on for those who want to do something for our healthcare workers. Call first. Seriously, call. When you call the main number (at least that's how it worked for me) I asked to be connected to someone who would know what the hospital's protocols were on accepting food and drink donations for staff. Right now a lot of hospitals have changed their procedures for accepting deliveries because of containment risk. Not all of them have, but some have. Sometimes it's a simple case of delivering to one door, with a note, so the staff can take a moment to pass it out and keep delivery workers safe.



But if you can swing it, sending over pizza, or sandwiches to the nursing staff, doctors, and other support workers from janitors to cna, lab techs, etc etc. It's something that if the hospital allows it, and you can't track down PPE, but you want to say thank you, a lot of hospitals are receptive to this. Food and coffee is what I've seen asked for the most since they know the average person can't get them any PPE.



I was able to send the biggest hospital in my area coffee. Nurses love their coffee. They need it on a good day. I was able to get them some ground, k-kup, instant, and gift cards to the coffee place across the street. I called first since I knew they'd need to wipe it down, and to find what their protocols might be. just to be safe. a lot of hospitals, and I know this from my mom being a nurse, won't accept home baked goods since it's a contamination risk. Some DGAF, and they will chow down on your cookies. But they will take things usually from a bakery, since i've sent them donuts in the past. But right now, some hospitals that's changed to where they only want things that are individually wrapped. So really, call first if this sounds like something you want to do.



If hospitals aren't able to find PPE, then most of us aren't going to find it for them either. Us poors I mean, who can't afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get them a days worth of supplies. But a lot of places, are accepting food and coffee for their staff. Some it's vital because they've closed the cafeterias in some hospitals as it's a spread risk.



Tossing it out there for those who want to help, and sharing my experiences in working with a hospital.

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https://lazydogrestaurants.myshopify.com/products/sponsor-a-meal-for-a-frontline-worker Lazy Dog has a really easy way to buy meals for workers. They start at $50 for 5 meals but hey I'm not spending as much as I used to anyway. They're also taking suggestions of places to donate to at the email on the page

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Still wish this video could be official



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eh, I can see why she scrapped it. It's clear she feels uncomfortable doing certain things (hence why she had a body double in the beginning). IDK why her team insists on keeping up this hypersexual imagery. I know that's a part of her brand but also, like her kissing random dudes and stuff can be left out and still make the whole thing sensual. IDK, I hate the finish product of the video but I also am not too keen on this one either. It's like shock value and no concept.

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(Newser)  Prosecutors have charged a teenager with fatally shooting a University of Wisconsin physician and her husband, who were the parents of his girlfriend, and leaving their bodies at the schools arboretum. Khari Sanford, 18, was charged with two counts of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, the AP reports. A friend of Sanfords, 18-year-old Alijah Larrue, was charged as an accomplice and faces two counts of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide. Bail for each was set at $1 million. According to the criminal complaint, Sanfords girlfriend was the daughter of the victims, Dr. Beth Potter, 52, and her husband, 57-year-old Robin Carre. Joggers found the victims at the arboretum near the Madison campus on March 31.

story continues below

Autopsies found both victims were shot in the back of the head, apparently the night before their bodies were discovered. A friend of Potter's told investigators that the couple had moved their daughter and Sanford out of their house and into a rental home because they were not following social distancing rules amid the coronavirus outbreak. Potter's supervisor at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics said Potter's medication put her at greater risk of infection and that she needed social distancing. A classmate at Madison West High School told investigators that he overheard a discussion between the victims' daughter and Sanford in a class shortly before school was canceled last month, in which she told Sanford her parents had "bands" of money and that they were rich.

(Read more Wisconsin stories.)
Mrs Cynthia Morrison, Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Tuesday said the Government's food and other relief items in the wake of COVID-19 are not for only female head porters (kayayei) as being circulated in some quarters, but for all vulnerable persons.



The focus, she explained, was also on itinerary cobblers 'shoeshine boys', the needy in the ghettos, street corners, hospitals, mental homes and people living with disabilities.



At a media briefing, in Accra to update citizens on the COVID-19 situation, the Minister said the Government had targeted five percent of the eight million affected persons in the country, totalling 400,000 in the restriction of movement areas.



She said a total of 250,000 beneficiaries were in the Greater Accra Metropolitan area, with the rest in the Greater Kumasi area.



Mrs Morrison said the Ministry, with support from National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, was reaching the vulnerable in the electoral areas, districts, and constituencies with food and other essentials.



The Government had gotten accommodation for 'kayayei' at Madina, an Accra suburb, to prevent them from staying and sleeping in the streets.



The Minister said some faith-based organisations, especially churches, were also being given money to prepare food for the vulnerable.



Also, some food sellers had also been engaged to provide for people in their localities, she said, explaining that this would be more effective because they were familiar with the beneficiaries in their localities.



She, therefore, urged the vulnerable persons, who had not been reached yet to call 0800800800 for assistance.



Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health, emphasised the need for the citizenry to respect the Health protocols, especially social distancing with humans, farm and wild animals.



He said Government was on course and boosting local capacity in the production of Personal Protective Equipment, especially nose masks.

The Minister said Ghana's COVID-19 positive cases, as on Monday, April 06, were 287. They were recorded from six regions - Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Upper West, Upper East, and Eastern.

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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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 13:12:42|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the heavy shelling, for two consecutive days, of Al Khadra General Hospital in Tripoli, said his spokesman late Tuesday.

Guterres also condemned the continued attacks on medical personnel, hospitals and medical facilities, particularly at a time when they are critical to preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

The secretary-general reminded all parties that medical personnel, hospitals and medical facilities are protected by international humanitarian law and that attacks on them may constitute war crimes, it said.

Guterres reiterated his call for a global cease-fire and a humanitarian pause in Libya in order to save lives and enable the Libyan authorities and their partners to devote all their energies to stopping the spread of COVID-19, said the statement.
After appearing on Koffee with Karan together and having good fun at the expense of Ranbir Kapoor, there were palpable cold vibes between Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone later. Sonam appeared on the chat show with her father, Anil Kapoor, and made a series of remarks against Deepika.

Asked if she had any fashion advice for the Chhapaak star, Sonam said, Create your own style. She added, offering Katrina Kaif as a comparison, Katrina is herself. She does not try to fit into a mould, which I respect a lot. She is not trying to be the fashion icon of the century. Even if Katrina wears jeans and a T-shirt and has her hair in ponytail... Id rather have that than someone who is like I want to be on the cover of Vogue every three months.

Calling Deepika a good girl gone bad, Sonam had said that the one thing Deepika has that she doesnt is an overenthusiastic PR team.

Also read: Deepika Padukone says Ranveer Singh complained about her on family WhatsApp group, calls her phat-phat

It didnt end there, Sonam in an appearance on Neha Dhupias chat show was asked to pick the better actor between Deepika and Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka, came her prompt response.

In another incident, Sonam said in an interview, without naming anyone else, that she doesnt hide the fact that shes looking for offers in Hollywood. If there is something that excites me, and if there is a good opportunity, then why not? I am in Los Angeles, to gauge the possibilities. I am not going to hide it from anybody, and then suddenly announce that I have signed a (Hollywood) film. I am trying my best to sign good films. I am doing the same in Mumbai as well. But I have to see what I enjoy doing, and who I can work with or what I can work on.

Deepika had announced that she would star in Vin Diesels xXx: The Return of Xander Cage by posting a picture of herself hugging Diesel.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
I am excited to be a part of the Crawford team, she said. As an industry leader, there is a clear opportunity to increase our client focus in Asia through the delivery of our market-leading client solutions and expansive range of services. I look forward to working with our team of specialists to bolster our customer value in the region.

Grigg joins the firm with a wealth of industry experience having spent 20 years in the market. Most recently she was CEO for Asia-Pacific at Argo Global and prior to that was head of distribution  major trading partner engagement for Asia-Pacific at QBE. She spent 14 years with the Australian firm and held a host of senior roles there.

Griggs introduction means that the existing president for Asia, Mike Campbell Pitt, will move to take on the role of chief technical officer. He will head up the companys Hong Kong operations centre.

I am delighted that Veronica is joining us as her knowledge and capabilities will allow us to build on recent investment in Asia and our expansion in Japan, said Thomas. With Veronica and Mike now heading up our activities across the region, we will further strengthen our prominent position and continue to expand our service offering across this key region, providing access to the full range of Crawford capabilities to our clients. Such an experienced leadership team provides us with a clear strategic advantage in this highly competitive marketplace.
Coronavirus: Qatar sends Italy 2 field hospitals For phase 2 with special facilities

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 8 - One of the five flights from Qatar with medical aid to Italy landed Wednesday morning at the Pratica di Mare air force base south of Rome. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio welcomed the plane at the base. Another plane landed in Veneto.



Both planes will bring another load to Italy and then another one will arrive on Friday. The flights from Qatar brought two filed hospitals with a 500-bed capacity.



Di Maio noted that ''this material is important for the government's second phase (of efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19, Ed.), which has been under discussion since this morning. It will make it possible for us to build special hospitals for COVID-19 in the regions or at least will enable is to free up COVID-19 hospitals.'' (ANSAmed).




Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, the largest cargo network operator in Africa, is adapting its operations to meet the evolving global demand for air cargo services following the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to the current situation, Ethiopian Cargo has extended its reach to 74 destinations globally in order to cater for charter flights carrying medical supplies.

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In March alone, Ethiopian says it transported a total uplift of over 45,848 tons of cargo around the world using both freighters and its passenger aircraft fleet. The shipments included pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and healthcare products, carried on 86 charter flights using B777 freighters, each with a capacity of 100 tons.

Agility being a key part of our competencies, we have recalibrated our cargo operations and networks in light of the current demand in air cargo business, explained Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group CEO. We are carrying medical supplies in both scheduled and charter flights, using the cabin and belly hold of our passenger aircraft as well as our cargo fleet. Despite the grim situation the world is grappling with, we feel heartened by the small contribution we are making to curb the further loss of lives by carrying critical medical supplies where they are needed the most. I would like to thank my colleagues at Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services who are working 24/7 to provide air cargo service the world needs critically in this difficult time.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopian recently delivered medical supplies  including testing kits, masks and protective suits  donated by Jack Ma and Alibaba Group to African countries with the initiative of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed.
7 Apr  If there is one silver lining from having to implement social distancing to content creator Erwan Heussaff, it would be the chance to be a full-time father to his little darling Dahlia.

As reported on ABS-CBN News, Heussaff, who has been staying in Australia with his actress wife Anne Curtis since the birth of baby Dahlia last month, shared that he wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend so much time with his baby girl and see her grow if not for the current situation.

"For me, it's been amazing to be a full time dad which is something I never thought I'd be able to experience, just being at home every day," he said.

Curtis and Heussaff welcomed their first baby girl on 2 March, three years into their marriage.

As for the current situation in Australia, Heussaff said that it is not much different than what is experienced by the people in the Philippines.

"If you go online, you're berated with the news about the virus, day in and day out. It's happening everywhere in the world. It's the same thing here in Australia. They put it on the radio every hour. It's on TV every hour. The government keeps telling people to stay home," he said.

(Photo Source: Erwan Heussaff Instagram)
Srinagar, Apr 8 (UNI) A top Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander was on Wednesday killed in an encounter which ensued when security forces launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in the apple township of Sopore in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.



Official sources told UNI that following specific information about presence of militants, a joint CASO was launched by Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police, Army and CRPF late on Tuesday night in Arampora area in Sopore.



They said security forces conducted searches in the area and deployed additional forces to completely seal the area to foil any attempts by militants to escape. 'Contact was established with a militant early in the morning,' they said.



They said the militant was killed in the gunfight and his body has been recovered from the encounter site. 'The slain militant has been identified as Sajad Nawab Dar, a top JeM commander,' they said, adding he was active since 2018.



They said the militant was involved in recruiting youth to militant ranks in Sopore and adjoining areas. 'The clearance operation was going on in the encounter site when the reports last came in,' they added.

UNI ABS SV 1810
Bernie Sanders wouldn't let a heart attack stop him. In the end, an unseen enemy provided the final blow to his presidential campaign.

The Vermont senator on Wednesday cited the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe as a decisive factor in dropping out the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. He conceded that his bid to defeat former Vice President Joe Biden in the primaries was "virtually impossible."

"I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," Sanders said in a livestream from his Vermont home.

Though he suspended his presidential campaign, Sanders said he would remain on primary ballots so he could win more delegates and press his agenda at Democratic National Convention in August.

"Let us go forward together, the struggle continues," the democratic socialist told his supporters.

During the campaign, he promised a drastic political and economic overhaul, including implementing a single-payer "Medicare for All" health-care system, canceling all student debt and taxing the wealthy at higher rates.

"It has a Leninist feel to it," CNBC commentator Jim Cramer said in October about Sanders' agenda.

Just last fall, the 78-year-old Vermont independent abruptly canceled all appearances while campaigning in Nevada. In a statement on Oct. 2, campaign advisor Jeff Weaver said Sanders "experienced some chest discomfort" during an event the previous night. Testing found a "blockage in one artery," and Sanders had two stents inserted, Weaver said.

Days later, the campaign acknowledged that Sanders "was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction"  a heart attack. In two more weeks, Sanders made his first public appearance after the hospitalization  robustly taking part in the fourth Democratic debate of the 2020 cycle. At the debate, he thanked well-wishers "for their love, for their prayers."

"I'm healthy, I'm feeling great," Sanders said to a round of applause.

"We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country," he promised. "That is how, I think, I can reassure the American people."

Sanders, who is serving his third term in the Senate, was the oldest candidate seeking to challenge President Donald Trump in November. The Vermont independent is a year older than Biden and five years older than Trump, who is the oldest person elected to a first term in the White House.

Cerebral, forceful, focused, unbending and rumpled, the fire-spewing Sanders twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination even while refusing to join the party. He is registered as an independent, although he caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate.

In the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton had been considered a no-brainer to win the party nomination, but the upstart Sanders grabbed a shocking 23 primaries and caucuses plus pledges of support from more than 4 in 10 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, but still falling short.

"I look forward in the coming weeks to continue discussion between the two campaigns to make certain that your voices are heard and that the Democratic Party passes the most progressive platform in its history, and that Democrats actually fight for that agenda," Sanders said in acknowledging defeat to Clinton. "I also look forward to working with Secretary Clinton to transform the Democratic Party, so that it becomes a party of working people and young people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors, a party that has the guts to take on Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry, the fossil fuel industry and the other powerful special interests that dominate so much of our political and economic life."

In the midst of this year's coronavirus crisis, Sanders called for a massive response that "protects the interests of all our people regardless of their income, or where they live."

"In other words, this is not just about giving tax breaks to large corporations, but about remembering the people today who don't have much money, who are nervous about their economic futures and health-care prospects," he said last month.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Algeria and Russia have held talks on future bilateral cooperation in the areas of industry and mining, Algerian Industry Minister Ferhat Ait Ali Braham told Sputnik

ALGIERS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) Algeria and Russia have held talks on future bilateral cooperation in the areas of industry and mining, Algerian Industry Minister Ferhat Ait Ali Braham told Sputnik.

"I discussed with the Russian Ambassador [to Algeria Igor Belyaev] ways of cooperating in the industrial field, and we have studied opportunities to invest in this area," Braham said in an interview, adding that the two officials also talked about developing mining exploration in Algeria, an industry in which Russia has maintained a leading position since the 1970s.

The official added that Moscow was an important strategic partner that had the capabilities to position itself well within Algeria's mining sector.

"Russia is an important strategic ally. The mining sector in Algeria is developed according to common competition rules and tenders between [the two] countries. Under fair competitive conditions, Russia has all capabilities to take a good position due to its knowledge of Algeria's mining sector," Braham said.

Previously, Braham and Belyaev discussed ways of strengthening bilateral relations on February 10.

Along with Morocco and Egypt, Algeria is one of Russia's most significant trade partners in North Africa. One of the main areas of cooperation between Moscow and Algiers is energy, with Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom Neft developing joint projects with Algerian oil and gas company of Sonatrach.
by Shafique Khokhar

Without his intervention 120 families would starve. The village mosque had refused to distribute aid to Christians. Shakeel Ahmed rescued them by contacting some Catholic organizations. With the coronavirus quarantine, a lot of day workers lose their jobs.

Kasur (AsiaNews) - Without the help of Shakeel Ahmed, a Muslim human rights activist, 120 Christian families in the district of Kasur (Punjab) would have starved.

All of Pakistan is quarantined to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Locked in their homes, unable to work, many Pakistanis - especially day laborers - struggle to survive.

Over 4,000 people have been infected in the country, and 54 have died, but the pace of infections has accelerated in recent days. In this situation, after three weeks of blockade, many Christians were discriminated against in the distribution of aid.

After the case of a Karachi NGO, which refused to help poor Hindus and Christians in the Korangi (Sindh) area, food donations were also denied to Christians in the village of Sanda Kalan.

"Food was only delivered to Muslims," Ahmed tells AsiaNews. The Christians living in this area are almost all wage earners who have lost their quarantine jobs. They are vulnerable and risk hunger without external support. One of them, Zeshan Masihhas, says he hasn't earned a rupee in over two weeks. He is locked up in the house with his wife and children, without food or medicine.

On March 4, aid was distributed to the poor in the village mosque. Sheikh Abdul Rahim Hamid, the local imam, organized the collection and distribution of food rations. Hungry, Christian residents turned up to receive their share, but were rejected. They were told that aid was only for the 500 local Muslims.

At that point, Ahmed came to their rescue. He contacted Christian organizations that brought food to the Christian population of Sanda Kalan. The distribution took place thanks to the collaboration of some local activists. But there is a desperate need for other help for these people.

Ahmed maintains that the treatment received by Christians in his village is inhuman and contrary to the teachings of Islam. Everyone must be helped, regardless of their religious faith.

The Catholic authorities of Pakistan, including Msgr. Joseph Arshad, archbishop of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, asked that every person in the country be protected and helped.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 01:06:53|Editor: huaxia

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BUDAPEST, April 7 (Xinhua) -- National responses to the coronavirus pandemic are the most effective, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said here on Tuesday.

"Everyone made their decisions on a national basis, in accordance with national specificities and interests, while coordination by Brussels was pushed into the background in all areas, be it repatriation or the procurement of health protection equipment," Szijjarto said in a speech in parliament.

Szijjarto also said that to date, Hungary had received nearly 31 million face masks, 133,000 coronavirus testing kits and 152 ventilators from China.

A Chinese production line is already under construction in Satoraljaujhely, northeast Hungary, that will start operation within days to produce 2.8 million masks per month, the minister said.

According to official figures, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary stood at 817 on Tuesday, with 71 reported recoveries and 47 fatalities.
The man deputising for coronavirus-stricken UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a 46-year-old former lawyer, an ardent Brexiteer and a black belt in karate, who until three years ago was not in government but now leads the UK from Downing Street.

Educated in Oxford and Cambridge, Dominic Raab was first elected in 2010 from Esher and Walton in Surrey and held a junior ministerial role in the governments led by former PMs David Cameron and Theresa May, before being promoted as the Brexit secretary by May.

He resigned in protest against Mays Brexit deal in December 2018 and returned as the foreign secretary when Johnson became the prime minister in July 2019, dealing with India in his key role, particularly during the violence outside the Indian High Commission in late 2019.

Raab then interacted with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, deploring the violence outside the mission but also telling MPs in the House of Commons that the Kashmir dispute has implications for human rights.

Before entering politics, Raab, son of a Czech-born Jewish refugee who fled the Nazis in 1938, was a lawyer for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and appeared for various clients in international and competition law.

He ran against Johnson to become the leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister in 2019, criticising his personality style as bluff and bluster, but was eliminated in earlier rounds. He is married to Brazilian marketing executive Erika Ray and the couple has two sons.

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Legal practitioners in Ireland said the Covid-19 crisis means employers and workers are now in uncharted waters when it comes to employment law and issues around safe work practices.

While the majority of businesses around the country have been shut down, large numbers of people still remain in employment in essential areas.

However, concerns have been raised by unions and workers around preventative measures to stop workers from contracting Covid-19.

Amongst them are staff in nursing homes who have raised issues about the lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Brigid ODonnell of Cantillons Solicitors in Cork said the Covid-19 crisis means businesses are now navigating employment law scenarios with which they have never dealt with previously.

She said issues may arise where an employee declines to attend work on safety grounds.

"Where there is non-performance on the part of the employee, this may be a basis for termination of the employment contract by the employer," she said.

"It is important to note, however, that employers have been urged by the Government to be flexible where possible.

"Where an employee is dismissed for not turning up for work upon request by the employer, the dismissal can likely be successfully challenged where sufficient grounds exist for such a challenge and this issue will be decided on a case by case basis.

She said inadequate PPE, no social distancing, no handwashing facilities, no hand sanitiser would be examples of a failure to provide a safe workplace.

"The reasonableness of the employees actions will be a key issue when it comes to deciding whether a dismissal was fair or unfair.

"For example, if a nurse with an underlying health condition was asked to work without the necessary personal protective equipment, but was dismissed when she refused to do so, this would likely be an unfair dismissal," Ms ODonnell said.
Across the country, hospital administrators, doctors and public officials are pleading for ventilators, as the spread of coronavirus is making growing numbers of patients dependent on the machines that pump oxygen into their lungs to keep them alive. The subject comes up at almost every White House briefing on coronavirus, and the administration has even proposed an emergency effort to retool automobile factories to make more of the devices.

In New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Gov. Andrew Cuomo has largely focused his energy on efforts to bolster the states dwindling stockpile of ventilators, while officials in a number of other states have begun developing or updating guidelines for how to ration ventilators in the event of a shortage.

A ventilator at an emergency field hospital in New York Citys Central Park on March 31. (Misha Friedman/Getty Images)

But while hospitals and health care workers grapple with the grim reality that they may soon be forced to deny potentially life-saving treatments to certain patients due to a lack of supplies, some doctors are raising questions about how ventilators are currently being used on coronavirus patients  and whether they may actually be doing more harm than good. Early reporting on coronavirus deaths from China, Italy and the U.S. show that more than half  and as many as two-thirds  of COVID-19 patients who are placed on ventilators dont survive.

What were doing now is not working, and I think making the same mistake over and over is a sign of stupidity, Dr. Paul Marik told Yahoo News. If its not working, weve got to look for something else.

Marik is promoting a treatment of his own devising, a combination of corticosteroids and high-dose ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, as a first-line therapy for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Marik is a respected clinician, chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The protocol is controversial and untested, but the theory behind it illuminates a growing shift in thinking about the disease that may have important implications for how it is treated.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a news conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, in front of stacks of medical protective supplies, on March 24. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Mariks theory is based on an idea that is becoming widespread among researchers: that the cause of death for a significant number of COVID-19 patients, especially younger ones, is severe inflammation of the lungs resulting from an overly vigorous immune-system response. By administering anti-inflammatory drugs early and regularly after a patient is admitted to the emergency room, Marik believes he can prevent this complication, known as a cytokine storm.

In those cases, its not the virus thats killing the host, its the hosts response to the virus, said Marik. Coronavirus is highly contagious and can cause fatal disease in some patients, but immune reactions to the infection varies dramatically from person to person.

People who are doing fine dont need steroids, its the people who get sick from the storm, Marik said. Corticosteroids are really effective in downregulating that storm.

Marik has been touting the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C and steroids since 2017, when he first released the results of a somewhat controversial study claiming that intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine are an effective treatment for sepsis. The treatment failed in a larger study whose results were published in January, but he believes it may still hold promise for COVID-19.

Mariks protocol is untested, and his advocacy of vitamin C is very much a minority view. It is absolutely not something people can or should try for themselves; the corticosteroids are administered intravenously. One doctor who has been treating COVID-19 patients at a New York-area hospital says theres no reason to believe it would work. Marik acknowledged that the World Health Organization has advised against the use of corticosteroids to treat viral pneumonia in patients with COVID-19 (except in clinical trials) citing previous studies on other viral diseases like SARS and MERS, which found insufficient evidence that the drugs were effective.

Ventilators stored at the New York City Emergency Management Warehouse before being shipped out for distribution. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

But Mariks view encapsulates a growing suspicion among doctors treating COVID-19 that the disease has some novel features that may require a unique approach.

In addition to early anti-inflammatory treatment, the protocol followed by Marik and his colleagues includes alternatives to using a ventilator, a machine that delivers oxygen under pressure directly into the trachea by means of a tube inserted through the mouth. This requires deep sedation and prevents the patient from talking. He favors a technique called high-flow nasal cannula therapy, which delivers humidified and heated oxygen through nostril tubes, a less invasive procedure than intubation, and suggests positioning the patient on the stomach to improve oxygenation.

The goal is to delay, or avoid entirely, the need for the patient to go on a ventilator.

Plenty of patients will need to go on a ventilator, you cant help it, but you want to do whatever you can to prevent [that], said Marik, adding that fewer patients that go on ventilators, frees up [more] for those who really need them.

For those who need to be intubated, however, Marik and his colleagues are also recommending a different, gentler approach than the high-pressure ventilator settings typically used for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which Marik and others believe may actually be causing damage to the lungs of patients with COVID-19.

Its becoming a vicious cycle, said Marik. The ventilator is causing lung injury, which causes them to stay on the ventilator longer, and basically is depleting the supply of ventilators for people who need them.

Marik and his colleagues are not the only ones who believe a new approach may be needed to treat this new disease.

While health care providers in the U.S. have been able to glean some insights about the coronavirus from the earlier experiences of doctors in China and Italy, there is much about this completely new disease that remains unknown. As a result, doctors have been forced to treat patients for an illness they dont fully understand, relying on conventional wisdom in scenarios that have proven thoroughly unconventional.

One example of this, some doctors argue, is the use of ventilators for coronavirus patients.

A staffer works on a ventilator refurbishing assembly line at Bloom Energy in Sunnyvale, Calif., in March. (Beth LaBerge/KQED via AP, Pool, File)

In a video posted to YouTube on March 31, which has been widely circulated and discussed among doctors on the front lines of fighting COVID-19, Cameron Kyle-Sidell, an emergency medicine doctor at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, explains how, like most health care workers around the U.S., when he first started providing critical care for coronavirus patients in March, he was under the impression that he would be treating patients with a viral pneumonia infection that would progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome. Its based on this understanding, he explained, that doctors in New York and elsewhere have been using ventilators to treat coronavirus patients who suddenly become unable to breath on their own, in the same way that they would treat respiratory failure in people with ARDS.

However, over the course of nine days, Kyle-Sidell says he concluded that the lung disease developing in patients with COVID-19 was nothing like the typical presentation of ARDS.

COVID-19 lung disease, as far as I can see, is not a pneumonia and should not be treated as one, said Kyle-Sidell. Rather, it appears as if some kind of viral-induced disease most resembling high altitude sickness. It is as if tens of thousands of my fellow New Yorkers are on a plane at 30,000 feet and the cabin pressure is slowly being let out. These patients are slowly being starved of oxygen.

He now believes the treatment method being widely adopted for those suffering from coronavirus-induced lung disease is based on a false paradigm.

I fear, he said, that using ventilators to increase pressure on the lungs in order to open them up, is actually doing more harm than good, and that the pressure we are providing to lungs, we may be providing to lungs that cannot take it, and that the ARDS that we are seeing may be nothing more than lung injury caused by the ventilator.

COVID-positive patients need oxygen, they do not need pressure, he argued. They will need ventilators, but they must be programmed differently. Kyle-Sidell could not be reached by Yahoo News, but he reiterated his observations and concerns in an interview with John Whyte, the chief medical officer at WebMD, published on the medical news site MedScape on Monday.

Other doctors in the U.S. and Italy have made similar observations about the difference between typical ARDS and loss of oxygen that appears to develop rapidly in COVID-19 patients.

A woman arrives at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn on Sunday. (Bryan R. Smith / AFP/Getty Images)

On March 30, the American Thoracic Society published a report titled Covid-19 Does Not Lead to a Typical Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, based on the findings of three physicians treating patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and acute respiratory failure at an intensive care unit in northern Italy. The authors note that while the clinical approach to these patients is the one typically applied to severe ARDS, namely high Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) and prone positioning, patients with COVID-19 pneumonia present an atypical form of ARDS. Specifically, they observed a wide disparity between these patients relatively well preserved lung mechanics and the severity of hypoxemia or low levels of oxygen.

The authors of the report concluded that all we can do ventilating these patients is buying time with minimum additional damage: the lowest possible PEEP [a measure of air pressure within the lungs] and gentle ventilation. We need to be patient.

Its a basic concept of medicine: You treat patients based on the disease they have, not for disease you think they have or the disease you want them to have, said Marik, expressing frustration that top health officials in the U.S. have not responded to his own calls to consider a different approach to treating patients with COVID-19.

It pains me to see all of these patients dying and I know they dont have to die, he said.

A health care worker near the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

While doctors like Marik and Kyle-Sidell are pushing to change the way ventilators are used to treat coronavirus, others are drawing attention to the possible long-term physical and neurological damage caused by the current method of treatment.

In a New York Times op-ed over the weekend, Dr. Kathryn Dreger, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University, urged coronavirus patients and their loved ones to consider the brutal and lasting toll ventilators can cause before they become sick enough to need them.

For many COVID-19 patients who, she explains, must be put into a medically induced coma before being placed on a ventilator, the treatment itself can cause significant damage to the heart, kidneys or brain that may be permanent, or even fatal.

Even among the Covid-19 patients who are ventilated and then discharged from the intensive care unit, some have died within days from heart damage, wrote Dreger. For those who survive, the amount of sedation needed for Covid-19 patients can cause profound complications, damaging muscles and nerves, making it hard for those who survive to walk, move or even think as well as they did before they became ill. Many spend most of their recovery time in a rehabilitation center, and older patients often never go home. They live out their days bed bound, at higher risk of recurrent infections, bed sores and trips back to the hospital.

Dreger clarified that she is not suggesting we shouldnt use ventilators to try to save people, but rather that Americans should consider these facts and figure out out what they would want for themselves and their loved ones now, before its too late.

_____

Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Massachusetts resident Douglas Leighton for a scheme in which he allegedly acquired discounted shares in a microcap company, knowingly failed to disclose his holdings and sales, and manipulated the public market for those shares. Leighton, two entities he controlled, and six investors he directed agreed to settlements ordering them to pay nearly $1.5 million in civil penalties, disgorgement, and prejudgment interest.

The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Boston, alleges that Leighton orchestrated the fraud after acquiring millions of shares in MassRoots, Inc., a cannabis-social-media company now based in Los Angeles, California. As alleged, when MassRoots began selling its shares to the public in April 2015, Leighton directed Michael Sullivan, David Hall, Zachary Harvey, Paul Dutra, Jason Harman, and Jessica Geran to manipulate the public market for MassRoots stock, including by making open-market purchases at specific volumes and prices to create an appearance of active trading in and increase the price of MassRoots stock. According to the complaint, Sullivan also used accounts at two separate broker dealers to further create an appearance of volume in and affect the price of MassRoots stock. The complaint further alleges that Leighton acquired and sold shares through Dutchess Opportunity Fund II LP, Azure Capital Corp., and Bass Point Capital LLC, which along with Leighton and the other defendants never disclosed to the investing public, through required SEC filings, their sales and significant ownership of MassRoots stock.

Leighton, Azure Capital, Bass Point, Sullivan, Hall, Harvey, Dutra, Harman, and Geran have agreed to settle the matter by consenting, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, to the entry of final judgments, which are subject to court approval. The judgments would permanently enjoin all of the defendants from violating the beneficial ownership reporting provisions of Sections 13(d) and 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 13d-3 and 16a-1 thereunder; Leighton, Bass Point, Azure, and Sullivan from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933; Leighton, Bass Point, and Azure from violating the antifraud provisions Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; and Leighton and Sullivan from violating the market manipulation provisions of Section 9(a)(2) of the Exchange Act. In addition, the judgment would bar Leighton from serving as an officer or director of a public company and order him to pay a civil penalty of $160,000, and would bar Leighton, Azure Capital, and Bass Point from trading in penny stocks, impose a conduct-based junction restricting their future trading in any stock, and order them jointly and severally to pay disgorgement plus prejudgment interest of nearly $1 million. Leighton has also agreed to settle a follow-on administrative proceeding that bars him from the securities industry. Sullivan has agreed to be barred from trading in penny stocks for five years and to pay a civil penalty of $40,000 and disgorgement plus prejudgment interest of $63,228. The final judgments would order Hall, Harvey, Dutra, Harman, and Geran to pay civil penalties of $15,000 each, and would order payments of disgorgement plus prejudgment interest of $67,080 by Hall, $32,720 by Harvey, and $28,906 by Dutra.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jonathan Allen, Sofia Hussain, Alexander Pevzner, Rachel Hershfang, and Amy Gwiazda of the Boston Regional Office, with assistance from Robert Nesbitt in the SEC's Office of Market Intelligence. The investigation originated from an examination conducted out the Boston Regional Office by Marie Hagelstein, Kenneth Leung, and Mayeti Gametchu of the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations.
A militia leader is rallying people to attend a mass gathering in Idaho on Easter Sunday in defiance of the governor's orders to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report in The New York Times Tuesday, Aamon Bundy says he and his allies are willing to 'physically defend' the event, which is scheduled to take place in the city of Boise and could attract upwards of 1,000 people.

'I will be there, and I will bring as many people as I can,' Bundy reportedly told a group of supporters on March 26, a day after the state's stay-at-home order was issued.

'We will form a legal defense for you. We will perform an active political defense for you. And we will also, if necessary, provide a physical defense for you, so that you can continue in your rights.'

Idaho has recently experienced an explosion of COVID-19 cases, and now has more confirmed cases per capita than California. 13 people across the state have died from the highly-contagious virus.

Milita leader Aamon Bundy is rallying people to attend a mass gathering in Idaho on Easter Sunday in defiance of the governor's orders to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic. He is pictured in 2016

The alarming statistics prompted Governor Brad Little to issue the stay-at-home order for 21 days, stating that he was following the guidance of public health experts.

However, Bundy, who is best known for his armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016, believes that such an order violates the constitutional rights of US citizens.

'If it gets bad enough, and our rights are infringed upon enough, we can physically stand in defense in whatever way we need to,' Bundy is quoted as telling followers at a recent meeting.

Idaho has recently experienced an explosion of COVID-19 cases, and now has more confirmed cases per capita than California. A local healthcare worker is pictured performing a coronavirus test at a drive-thru facility

A large majority of America's 327 million citizens are under stay-at-home orders in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. Many in Idaho believe the orders violate their constitutional rights

The militia leader also stated that he has no concerns about contracting COVID-19, claiming it is not dissimilar to the flu.

Meanwhile, other public figures in Idaho have also expressed skepticism about the virus, and disdain for the new stay-at-home orders, which they believe is drastic government overreach.

Bonner County Sheriff Darryl Wheeler recently posted an open letter urging people to continue with business as normal if they feel healthy enough.

'I do not believe that suspending the Constitution was wise, because Covid-19 is nothing like the plague,' he wrote.

Republican Representative Heather Scott, has allegedly encouraged locals to push back against the government order.

Medical personnel are pictured outside a hospital in Idaho last week

Rep. Scott reportedly sent a newsletter to constituents which called COVID-19 'The Virus That Tried to Kill the Constitution', before claiming that they had 'a God-given constitutionally protected right to peacefully assemble.'

The vocal defiance has alarmed many healthcare workers in the largely rural state, who say that most hospitals are unprepared for the rise in cases.

'If we stop doing what we're doing, it could deteriorate so quickly, and our resources could be overwhelmed so quickly,' one doctor told The Times.

As of Monday, Idaho had 1,170 cases of COVID-19. There are nearly 400,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the US, with a majority of states locked down in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- We are seeing glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel that is the Covid-19 crisis. China, where the pandemic first struck, had its first day with no new deaths to report. Europes worst hit countries, Italy and Spain, are recording a slowing of their respective death tolls. And governments are now talking openly about lifting draconian lockdowns that have restricted movement for half of the worlds population, torpedoed economic activity and imposed a global recession. This is a big moment.

The tunnel is a long one, though. The coronavirus outbreak hasnt spread uniformly, and, in Europe, country-by-country lockdowns have been applied in haphazard ways. For now, only a handful of states are outlining plans to lift restrictions within days.

The most confident public signals arent coming from countries with the most heavy-handed measures, such as Italy or Spain, or those taking a more lax stance, like Sweden (which is belatedly getting tougher). Theyre coming from Austria and Denmark, which acted early relative to their coronavirus outbreaks and saw their infection rates come under control. Data compiled by Oxford Universitys Blavatnik School of Government shows these two countries introduced lockdowns when they had fewer than 1,000 cases and almost no deaths. When France and Spain began theirs, their case count was closer to 10,000 and their death tolls in the hundreds.

If theres a lesson to heed from the likes of Austria and Denmark  which were themselves following in China, Italy and Israels footsteps  its twofold. First, as Bank of Americas Ethan Harris put it last week, the least expensive shutdown for ones economy is a quick, air-tight one, rather than one thats slow and indecisive. And second, ending such a shutdown should be done very, very carefully.

Its already clear that 9 million Austrians will not suddenly swarm the streets of Vienna or the mountains of Tyrol to toast and sing their liberation, Sound-of-Music style. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has laid out his plan for a step-by-step re-opening on April 14, which is as cautious as it sounds. Everyone will have to wear a mask on public transport, in supermarkets, and in the stores that are due to re-open. The resuscitation of the economy will happen in two-week phases, starting with small stores and parks, then bigger stores and malls, then restaurants and bars. Schools are going to remain closed for the time being. Its a broadly similar story in Denmark.

Story continues

This speaks to the underlying fear that stalks life after lockdown: A potential flare-up in infections and deaths as the virus becomes free to mingle once again, overloading critical-care facilities. It would be a nightmare if a country opened the flood-gates only to shut them again a few days or weeks later. How long would Europeans support for being confined to their homes last if lockdowns ran through spring and summer, making partial unemployment potentially something more permanent? Enforcing a shutdown would be doubly hard the second time around. A phased recovery is calculated to avoid the possibility of that happening.

Yet it also suggests that hopes for a sharp bounce-back in the economy  the longed-for V-shaped recovery  are looking distant. More movement, more spending and more activity are clearly good for private consumption in Austria, which according to Raiffeisen Bank International analyst Gunter Deuber accounts for just over 50% of GDP. But how much pent-up demand will be unleashed in a country of masked consumers, respecting social-distancing measures and grappling with the highest unemployment rate since World War II?

Google location data for Austria points to a drop-off in shopping trips and recreation of around 87% from the pre-virus baseline, and 64% fewer trips to the grocery store and pharmacy. Thats not all going to be clawed back immediately. Research by RBC Capital Markets found that in China, where restrictions first began to be eased last month, there had been no return to normalcy on a countrywide basis.

And if no man is an island, so it goes for Austria, a small land-locked European Union country deeply integrated into the blocs single market. Some 70% of Austrias foreign trade is with other EU members. There wont be much victory in leap-frogging ones closest partners given the trade disruptions that will remain; Austrias border closures and travel bans will probably be the last measures lifted. That suggests energy still needs to be expended in backing more cooperation and resource pooling to fend off the coronavirus at the European level.

So while the overall direction is positive, it could be months before post-lockdown life looks anything like normality for Austria or its neighbors. A vaccine is likely a year away, and Europe hasnt ramped up its testing capacity enough to start sending people back to work without heavy-handed safety measures.

Until then, though, Austrians can at least start planning their next trip to the park  to model the latest mask fashions.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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LOS ANGELESSex workers in countries as diverse as France, Japan, South Africa, and Bolivia have seen their incomes devastated by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, while their governments sit by and allow them to suffer.

On Wednesday, a United Nations agency issued a statement calling for the exclusion of sex workers to end.

In those countries and others, governments have specifically shut sex industry workers out from the financial relief packages designed to allow people to endure the widespread lockdowns and stay-at-home orders that have brought economic activity to a near-standstill, though sex workers were among the first groups to feel the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In its statement, UNAIDSthe U.S. body created to battle the four-decade HIV/AIDS pandemiccalled on countries to ensure the respect, protection and fulfillment of sex workers human rights.

UNAIDS issued the statement in conjunction with the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), saying that, as sex workers and their clients self-isolate, sex workers are left unprotected, increasingly vulnerable and unable to provide for themselves and their families.

The group also said it had heard reports of punitive crackdowns on sex workers amid the pandemic, including raids on the workers homes, and threats to deport migrant sex workers.

The U.N. agency called for access to national social protection schemes for sex workers, including income support schemes, as well as emergency financial support for sex workers facing destitution, particularly migrants who are unable to access residency-based financial support.

UNAIDS and the NSWP also demanded an immediate end to arrests and prosecutions of sex workers, as well as a firewall between health services and immigration authorities, to guarantee that sex workers who seek testing and treatment for coronavirus can obtain those services without risking arrest and deportation.

While UNAIDS also said that the criminalization of sex work must end during the coronavirus pandemic, even in countries where the occupation is legal, workers have suffered as a result of the global outbreak, which has so far killed more than 87,000 worldwide, and infected nearly 1.5 million.

In Bolivia, where sex work is both legal and unionized, the government has ordered tight curfews and brothel closures that have left already struggling sex workers with no incomes. Sex work is also decriminalized in Singapore, but brothel closures and other shutdown measures have left sex workers destitute.

Bangladesh is home to what is believed to be the worlds largest legal brothel, with 1,500 sex workers employed there. But they were all put out of work about two weeks ago, when the government banned patrons from visiting brothels as part of efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

The Bangladesh government has promised an aid package for sex workers howevera one-time payment equivalent to $25, and one 65-pound bag of rice per person.

Photo By SG ZA / Wikimedia Commons
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with Parliamentary floor leaders of different parties on Wednesday morning at 11 am through video conference, to decide the future course of action as far as coronavirus outbreak in India is concerned, among other key issues.

The primary point on the agenda will be whether to end the shutdown or extend it and if the government wishes to withdraw it, what should be the approach. The current shutdown is slated to end on April 14.





Another point of discussion will be the economic impact of the shutdown on India and how to deal with it. Money released to states, future of daily wage workers who are the worst hit due to total shutdown and scope if any possible economic package will be discussed in the meeting, say sources.



The government is expecting some opposition to the ordinance to suspend MPLADS for two years. Modi will hear their views and try to reason with them, the sources said.



Explaining the current food supply chain, and availability of essentials will definitely feature in the discussion in view of a extension of the ongoing shutdown. Government sources indicated on Tuesday that the government is 'considering request' by various Chief Minister against ending the current shutdown on April 14.



Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Pralhad Joshi, Nirmala Sitharaman among others will be present on behalf of the government along with PM Modi.



The Shiv Sena will be represented by Sanjay Raut, the Lok Janshakti Party by Chirag Paswan, the Samajwadi Party by Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, the Bahujan Samaj Party by Danish Ali and Satish Mishra and the Biju Janata Dal by Pinaki Misra.
The April 5 Sunday South Jersey Times raised several different matters of concern about COVID-19. Ill add a couple more.

In late March, President Donald Trump said something like that he hoped that the cure (wide economic disruption and social isolation effects) was not going to be worse than the disease. He has since repeated the idea in more delicate terms.

As a matter of background, I am as liberal as one gets and as far from Trump as one can get politically. I am also 85and have shortness of breath, which puts me into the group most vulnerable to COVID-19.

My first concern is that we are just beginning to hear statistics about how many of those who die from the disease have a co-morbidity that would have ended their lives relatively shortly, even without the virus?

My second question is: How many asymptomatic people in the total population would show positive for COVID-19 if theyd been tested? We would have that answer if we could test as many asymptomatic persons as we currently test because of related symptoms.

If the answer generated by the missing data suggests that, regardless of all of the economy-related sacrifice, the actual death rate is, say, less than 2%  and half of them would have died soon from pre-existing conditions anyway  how would that compare with deaths from the economic fallout ?

There were a lot of suicides during the Great Depression. Starvation and malnutrition followed. And, many people had their life savings wiped out.

So, which is worse, the disease or the cure?

I cannot answer this question. No one can right now. But, if the nation had been prepared to test at a rate 100 times what actually occurred at the outbreaks beginning, we and our leaders could have made the difficult decisions with more reason and less panic.

Howard Leroy Davis, Pitman

CNN disgustingly keeps hammering Trump

The president attacks the virus; CNN attacks the president. When you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Because of their loathsome disdain for President Donald Trump, CNN and some other media outlets have sought or manufactured a dark cloud for every silver lining hes produced.

When I watch a two-hour press briefing from Trump, replete with information and insightful input from the most talented people in their fields of medicine, I see our the president offer hope  not certainty  in a time of immense darkness and unease.

If CNN and MSNBC dont cut off the live briefing coverage in midstream, their first impulse afterwards is to slam and degrade what the president just said. Rather than discuss the hard work and the relevant information, its Hammer Time. This is a total insult to the amazing people who are around the president and working tirelessly to save lives.

I watch the news conferences in full with my wife. As a nurse, she is pleased with the education and insights provided and the exhaustive efforts of the presidents team. Then we scan the post-event coverage. Its jaw dropping to see how insincerely they report what we just watched with our own eyes. Its despicable and insulting. They are trying to fake us out in order to serve their own agenda.

Even in a time such as this  Disgusting!

Ken Frank, Pitman

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Together we can, say students across the globe who are offering "Synchronised Global Prayers" for those infected with COVID-19 and healthcare workers with a group at USA's Princeton University studying the effect on vibes during the period.

The prayers, which have been started by the Indian Yoga Association (IYA) on Monday, can be performed at either 8 am or 6 pm as per the Indian Standard Time.

Students from universities across the world are sharing videos and pictures of them offering prayers using hashtag "together we can" and "synchronisedglobalprayers".

According to IYA authorities, a group involved in the Global Consciousness Project at USA's Princeton University, will also be studying changes in the randomness or vibes during the period.

Student groups in Australia had participated in similar prayers when the country was affected by fires. Several universities in India as well as the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has sent advisories to colleges and technical institutions for students to participate in the initiative.

The Indian Yoga Association is a self-regulatory body of leading yoga institutions of India. Yoga guru Ramdev is the Chairman of IYA's Governing Council and HR Nagendra, Chancellor of the first Yoga university in IndiaVYASA, is the President.

"This is entirely an IYA initiative in which we are trying to involve all traditions and groups, from across different religions. The Protocol for the Synchronised Global Prayers (SGP) is simple and can be practised by anyone," HR Nagendra said.

As per the SGP protocol, the prayer is to be performed in four steps.

"In the prayer, we will chant Bhramari (5 seconds inhalation, 10 seconds exhalation with a low-pitched humming sound 27 times. Then repeat the following loudly 'With all our collective power of peace, we win over COVID-19' nine times with hands raised. There will be clapping after the ninth round and the prayer will end with shanti, shanti, shanti," Nagendra explained in an advisory.

"It is also to be noted that a Global Consciousness Project is being run by the Princeton University, USA where Random Event Generators (called REGs) are already placed in about a hundred locations across the world that check regularly for any changes in the randomness in the string of zeros' and ones' emitted by these REGs at the time of happenings in the world. REGs will be active during our prayers to understand the changes in randomness, too," Nagendra said.

According to the group at Princeton, it has experimental evidence of the establishment of a "consciousness field" from which everybody will benefit more than if they pray alone.

Julie Powe, an Australian student took to Twitter, to share a video of her performing yoga and offering the prayer.

"Stay healthy and pray together for the corona infected and the corona warriors #SynchronisedGobalPrayer #Coronapandemic," Powe tweeted.

A student of City College in London also shared his prayer video on social media, saying "Together we can".

For Nathalia Butti, from Brazil, "Anything when done collectively will yield better results and what more than generating positivity in such gloomy times".

Last month, Pope Francis had also delivered an extraordinary "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing - normally given only at Christmas and Easter - and called for worldwide prayer to respond to the crisis.

The Harvard Medical School has also said in its latest health guideline that, yoga, meditation and controlled breathing are "some tried and true ways to relax" and can help in addressing anxiety issues related to the novel

The disease's relentless march across the planet has now claimed more than 75,500 lives out of more than 1.35 million confirmed cases.

(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.)
SEATTLE  After a massive infusion of new data, modelers at the University of Washington are painting a much more optimistic picture of the novel coronavirus epidemic in the state, revising sharply downward their estimate of how many people are likely to die and suggesting Washington may have already passed the peak of hospitalizations.

The UWs Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) says the state can expect roughly 632 deaths, compared to an estimate 10 days ago of more than 1,400 fatal cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

IHME Director Christopher Murray said the analysis shows that Washington  the state where the virus first took hold  is also among the first places in the country to begin bringing the epidemic under control. Gov. Jay Inslee cited the improved forecasts in his decision to return 400 ventilators to the national stockpile for use in harder-hit areas.

Nationwide, IHME is now projecting about 82,000 deaths through early August, down from an earlier estimate of 93,500. And while shortages of hospital and ICU beds will continue to be acute in hot spots like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, many other parts of the country seem to have enough capacity to deal with a wave of severe infections expected to peak in most states by April 16, the analysis finds.

But the improved outlook is contingent on maintaining strict social-distancing measures, including closure of schools and nonessential businesses, at least through the end of May, Murray said Monday in a press briefing via Zoom.

If you ease up prematurely  the potential for rebound is enormous.

No model is perfect, and the numbers and trends are not guaranteed to be correct. But new information pouring in from Italy, Spain and the East Coast has greatly improved the researchers confidence in their results, Murray said. The UW group is currently the only source of state-by-state projections.

We are acutely aware of the importance for us to get this right, because we dont want to mislead decision makers, he said. At least for now, I think our models are the best that are available for  looking at the course of the epidemic across states.

The possibility that Washington has already flattened the curve of the epidemic is borne out by observations at area hospitals. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infections at UW Medicines three Seattle hospitals has held steady at about 120 over the past five days, said Lisa Brandenburg, the facilities president.

The new UW forecasts also aligns more closely with patient counts at Swedish Health Services five hospitals in the Seattle area, said Chris Dale, chief quality officer. The peak number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at Swedish so far was 102 on April 2. By Monday, it was down to 97.

Earlier in the spring, Swedish was bracing for up to 256 patients in intensive care units. But through Monday, there had been fewer than 60 at a time.

The UW hospitals havent had to add bed capacity or boost their staff above normal levels, thanks to the cancellation of most elective surgeries and other procedures. There also doesnt appear to be a statewide shortage of ventilators, Brandenburg said.

We are feeling increasingly confident we can handle the surge.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19-like symptoms statewide also suggests a downward trend, according to information released last week by the Washington Department of Health.

But DOH reported an additional 400 confirmed cases and 34 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday  which, if validated as one-day counts, would be unusually high.

Social distancing appears to have been particularly effective in reducing infections in King and Snohomish countries, where companies like Amazon and Microsoft began ordering employees to work at home long before Gov. Jay Inslee closed schools and nonessential businesses and issued a stay-home order, Murray said.

Thats tremendously good news.

Though testing levels are inconsistent, the number of new cases confirmed daily in King County has been generally declining since March 26. An apparent spike of 269 new infections reported April 5 included delayed results from previous days testing, health officials said.

I think its too early to be confident, but I do feel we are moving in the right direction, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health  Seattle & King County. The progress is very tenuous because as soon as we start getting together again and having more contact, the number of serious infections and deaths will start to rise.

The UW modeling has been in the national spotlight since President Donald Trumps team cited it as one of the reasons for extending social distancing recommendations through April. Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the groups projections were one of the sources used in the administrations estimate that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die of the new virus.

Some critics have said the UW estimate is too rosy because it assumes uniform social distancing across the country, even though some cities and states still have not imposed restrictions. Murray said he thinks its likely those outliers will fall in line within the next few days.

The UW modeling effort began as a way to help UW Medicine plan for the epidemic and was expanded after other hospitals and states began clamoring for similar insights. Even though the estimates for Washington have steadily decreased, they were extremely helpful for planning, Brandenburg said.

Hospitals need to be ready for the worst-case scenario, she explained. While shes delighted the new estimates veer more toward best-case territory, she still worries. In the back of my mind, Im still thinking we need to be prepared for those (higher estimates) because we dont know for sure.

Murray and his team will continue updating their model results daily, even as they begin to look ahead to what is likely to happen next. Society cant remain locked down indefinitely.

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On Sunday, the Queen got something right  not anything named Charles or Andrew, thats for sure  and it is the essence of our response to this current plague.

I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, she said, with the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling. Clearly, she had been taking notes when I tweeted earlier, Were all being tested on how well we personally respond to this public emergency.

What Im saying is that you will look back and assess how badly or well you behaved. No one will judge you, not really. It is a time of great stress. But you will judge yourself. Will you find yourself wanting?

On the same day as the Queens speech, an Ohio lady interviewed by CNN as she drove away from church was dead certain that she was safe from COVID-19. I urge you to watch the video.

Arent you worried you could impact other people if you get sick inside? the reporter asked her. No, Im covered in Jesuss blood, she said flatly. (Actually, she said Now, ahm cov-ed in Jaysuss blaawd.)

There are other people who dont go to this church who you might infect, the reporter said. I go to the grocery store every day! the woman exclaimed. Im in Walmart, Home Depot. Look at those people. They could get me sick! But theyre not because Im covered in his blood, she added before driving off.

I have two questions. Will she realize that she morally flamed out? And why was she wearing a seatbelt?

Im covered in Jesuss blood, has become my earworm, my private code for bad COVID-19 behaviour, and theres a fair bit of it, given that people left to their own devices will behave like animals let out of a zoo. They explore. They mess about. They gather and shed a viral load.

A Toronto artist named Dreeem made a terrific $16 poster in the font of old Honest Eds store signs, saying Were all in this together! I contemplated buying one but didnt, given that I am dubious about chirpy cheerleading slogans followed by exclamation marks. Theres no I in team, as the Americans say, which is why theres no Heather in team either.

Still, I was sad. When I reconsidered, the website said the posters had been pulled and I couldnt put one in my front window beside the teddy bears for local toddlers. It turns out that one of the original Honest Eds sign painters claimed Dreeem had lifted his (uncopyrighted) lettering and style.

Its in a good cause, which is lifting peoples spirits, Dreeem said, saying he was bummed that theyre bummed.

But the ex-sign painter (I wont name him) was adamant, the Globe reported. The sign painter is now selling his own signs for $250, with half going to a food bank, but laid-off people dont have $250.

I was so upset that I took the Very Hungry Caterpillar and the Goat mask out of my front window. The next morning, I put them back and added an owl. But that painter failed the moral test. Ask the Queen.

We are all on a straight path, six metres apart, to flatten the curve. But inevitably people will turn away, as a tree branch does from the main trunk.

It was suggested I contact an older neighbour who lived alone. I did, arriving at her door with a fresh home-baked loaf of bread or an attempt at one.

She opened a window cautiously. I dont eat bread. Now I would have just politely picked the damn loaf off the porch and quietly binned it. But no. She did not eat bread. I dont eat bread, she said again.

In other words, she is covered in the blood of Jesus. But unlike the blood-soaked Ohioan, she is covered in a way that soothes her and troubles no one. Theres an elegance in that. Its a kind of cool independence, very Toronto.

And then she sent me a kind note. Are we all in this together in admiring this strong woman? Yes. I mean, Yes!
President Donald Trump named a new press secretary on Wednesday after Stephanie Grisham left the role on Tuesday.

Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for Trumps reelection campaign, will serve as White House press secretary after Grisham returned to the East Wing to serve First Lady Melania Trump as her chief of staff.

Alyssa Farah, who was press secretary for the Department of Defense, is also joining the White House as director of strategic communications.

A third addition to the team is Ben Williamson, the senior advisor to the White House chief of staff, who will work with McEnany and Farah as senior communications advisor.

Farah said in a statement that she was honored to join the White House during a critical moment in our nations history.

Trump is the leader we need to get us through it, keep us safe, & recharge our economy on the other side, she wrote in a statement on Twitter.

The shake-up comes shortly after former Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) departed Congress to become Trumps chief of staff. He replaced Mick Mulvaney, who was appointed the new Northern Ireland envoy.

The first lady said her outgoing chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, resigned to spend more time with her family.

Grisham in a statement thanked Trump for the honor of a lifetime and said she was looking forward to the future.

From The Epoch Times
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials have issued a state permit to the controversial Annova LNG export terminal project at the Port of Brownsville.

The agency's commissioners met in a virtual Wednesday morning meeting where they denied requests for opponents to gain legal status in the case and voted to approve the permit for the liquefied natural gas project.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officials issued a permit to Annova LNG in November giving the company permission to build a plant that can make up to 6.5 million metric tons of LNG per year, a project that represents billion of dollars of investment, hundreds of construction jobs and more than 100 high-paying permanent jobs in the impoverished border region.

Annova LNG has yet to land contracts with customers but has already entered into a deal to get its natural gas from Enbridge's Valley Crossing Pipeline, which begins at the Agua Dulce Hub near Corpus Christi and goes through the port before heading to the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to setting aside more than 1,400 acres of land for wildlife, the LNG plant has pledged to use electric turbines that reduce noise and pollution, and to get all of its power from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

The Great LNG Debate: Growing industry faces stiff opposition in Rio Grande Valley

Annova LNG and two other proposed liquefied natural gas export terminals at the Port of Brownsville face stiff opposition from a coalition of shrimpers, fishermen, environmentalists, Native Americans and neighboring communities.

Working under the banner of Save RGV From LNG, opponents filed comments in opposition to state and federal permits for all three projects. Opponents succeeded in convincing Point Isabel ISD school board members to vote down a tax break for Annova LNG but Cameron County Commissioner's Court gave one to the project.

Opponents of the project also filed a federal lawsuits in March challenging federal permit decisions for all three proposed LNG projects at the Port of Brownsville.

We're disappointed that TCEQ has ignored serious concerns about the pollution this dirty, dangerous fracked gas facility would pump into the air we breathe," said Rebekah Hinojosa, an organizer with the Sierra Club in Brownsville. "Annova LNG still faces legal challenges at the federal level, and we are determined to ensure that it is never built."

Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox

Launched in 2013 and headquartered in Houston, Annova LNG is owned by a consortium of four companies. Chicago utility company Exelon owns 80.55 percent while Enbridge, the Canadian pipeline company, holds a 10.5 percent stake. Nebraska engineering, procurement and construction firm Kiewit and Kansas energy technology firm Black & Veatch each own 4.475 percent.

Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com
HALIFAXThough international shipping lanes and Canadas major ports remain open for business, the COVID-19 pandemic is making life miserable for many seafarers.

Under the latest rules, Canadian crews aboard most Canadian-flagged cargo vessels have agreed not to leave their ships when they arrive at their destinations, which means they can be restricted to their vessels for up to three months at a time.

The crews on some foreign-flagged ships, meanwhile, are being told theyll be stuck on their ships  without shore leave  for up to nine months.

Its a real stressful situation, Jim Given, president of the Seafarers International Union of Canada, said in an interview Wednesday.

That outside contact is being lost for those seafarers. As a maritime community, were going to have to figure out how we handle this. Everybody is trying their best, but its very difficult.

Helen Glenn, manager of the Mission of Seafarers, said her non-profit group is doing its best to help, even though the missions building on the Halifax waterfront has been temporarily closed.

Glenn said she has been making arrangements through shipping agents to contact each ships captain via cellphone or email to determine what crew members need before their ship arrives at the Port of Halifax.

At the top of every shopping list is a request for cellphone SIM cards, which give users access to long-distance calling and the internet.

They would be unable to connect with their families without getting a data card or SIM card, Glenn said, adding that she and her volunteers no longer board the vessels. Instead, theres a brief exchange at the bottom of the gangway.

It gives them the ability to make calls, send email, Skype and use FaceTime. Without these, they literally cannot reach their families.

Glenn said communication tools like Wi-Fi and satellite phones are often unavailable aboard cargo ships, which contributes to a sense of isolation.

Mental health during this tumultuous time is of the utmost importance, and these guys cant even get off the vessel, she said. Shore leave is critical to their mental health. This situation is very sad.

However, Glenn said everyone in the shipping industry understands how important it is to keep commercial ships virus-free.

Given, whose union represents about 90 per cent of the Canadian-flagged fleet of cargo vessels, said federal and provincial rules regarding shore leave has been changing in recent weeks.

Right now, its a bit all over the map, and were trying to get it pinned down, said Given, whose organization speaks for about 6,000 non-officers working aboard bulk carriers, oil tankers, passenger ferries and other commercial cargo ships.

Given said Canadas shipping companies and their unions have agreed that crew members should not have shore leave to ensure they do not get infected with COVID-19.

We think thats the best way to keep our members safe and the economy rolling, he said in an interview from his home in St. Catharines, Ont.

Not all of our members are happy about being restricted on board the ship. Some of them still want to get off. Our job is to make sure they are safe.

However, Given agreed that mental health becomes a key concern when there are long stretches without shore leave.

Weve given out numbers and our companies have employee-assistance programs set up so the members can call if they are feeling stressed or fatigued, he said, adding that talks are underway to determine if crews can work longer than three months at a time.

Some foreign shipping companies have already extended their crews contracts by a month, and there are ongoing negotiations aimed at extending some contracts to a year.

When you get to that length on board, it gets dangerous, Given says. Fatigue sets in. There are stress factor that are enormous.

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Seoul: Today, the coronavirus, which is intensifying its killings all over the world, has become the period of thousands of human lives. Every day many thousands of families are falling prey to this virus due to the virus. Now due to corona, the number of infected people is also increasing. Every day millions of people are getting infected due to this virus.

Number of deaths in America increases to 11 thousand

The coronavirus has not only become an enemy of people's lives but today it is also taking the form of a big epidemic, the scarcity of mines in people's homes is increasing. Poor families are becoming victims of death due to this epidemic.

Nepal PM KP Sharma's big statement, says, 'next two weeks important'

According to information from sources, South Korea has planned to further tighten border controls to slow down the Coronavirus infection imported from abroad, as its outbreak in Europe and America has increased. During an anti-virus meeting on Wednesday, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Seo-Kuen said that Seoul was preparing to ban entry into South Korea without a visa. Unnecessary or non-travelling foreigners will also be banned. Officials are expected to formally announce the measures later on Wednesday.

Delhi Government launches new initiative, now drone will monitor street
MIDDLETOWN  A witness description of the man charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the March 4 deadly hit-and-run that killed a city mother of three does not match that of his client, his lawyer claims.

Brooke Rich, 41, of Middletown, was crossing the intersection of High Street and Washington Street / Route 66 at about 9 p.m. that evening when an individual driving a dark-colored sedan struck and killed her while she was crossing the road, police said.

The vehicle sped off at a high rate of speed, the arrest warrant said.

Rich, who was reportedly thrown 137 feet following the impact, was pronounced dead at the scene. She died of blunt force injuries of the head, neck, torso and extremities, the state medical examiner ruled.

For 13 years, she had worked as the Wesleyan University dining services manager, according to her obituary. Brooke was a very confident, sassy woman who was obsessed with different color lipstick and hair. On any given day, you could see Brooke with a different color hair and lips inspiring her mood for the day, it said.

Last week police charged Jerod Wilson, 34, with first-degree manslaughter, misconduct with a motor vehicle, evading responsibility in a fatal motor vehicle accident, speeding, failure to obey a traffic signal, interfering with an officer, driving a vehicle without a license and using a cellphone while driving.

First they have to prove he was the driver, said Hartford defense attorney Gerald Klein, who cited that one eyewitness attested the suspect is a white male. My client is not white-skinned. Hes African-American. Hes very dark, Klein said of Wilson.

Certainly, theres circumstantial evidence he may have been the driver of the car, but theres no video showing his client was in the intersection at the time, Klein said.

When investigators began assessing the scene, they found a chrome logo belonging to an Infinity sedan and red wig Rich had been wearing among the debris, according to the warrant.

Those at the scene said Rich was crossing the street as the walk light flashed. She was about three-quarters of the way to her destination when she was allegedly hit by the car driven by Wilson with massive force, the affidavit said.

One bystander described the impact as a sickening sound, and that Rich just disappeared after she was struck, the report said.

The evading vehicle, allegedly a black 2012 Infinity G37 that ran the red light at Washington Street, was traveling at a high rate of speed and did not stop, witnesses said.

One witness said she believed the car was a red sedan driven by a white male with dark eyes and short black hair, according to the warrant.

An officer attested he had seen a vehicle he believed fit the description shortly afterward traveling near Aresco Drive. The next day, at 1 a.m., police found a dark-colored sedan with tinted windows parked in the driveway of a home nearby on Schaefer Road, where Wilson lives, the warrant said.

The vehicles windshield was allegedly shattered and had inward intrusion on the passenger side.

Upon examination, one officer saw a blood-like substance on the front bumper, roof and trunk of the Infinity, as well as red hair attached to the windshield  the same color as the wig, the warrant said.

Police knocked on the door of Wilsons home several times, but there was no answer, they said. One detective allegedly saw a light-skinned male inside.

When the car was being towed, a single black sock was found on the driveway where the vehicle was parked, which appeared to match another black sock at the scene, police said.

The registered owner of the vehicle, Wilsons fiance, came into police headquarters March 5 at 9 a.m. accompanied by Wilson, wondering why her car had been towed, according to the warrant.

The woman told detectives a detailed story about going shopping with Wilson at Westfarms Mall in Farmington around noon the prior day. There, she told officers, she met up with an old boyfriend whom she asked to come to her home after 6 p.m. because Wilson would be leaving with a family member before then going to New Haven.

The woman and the person she described as a former boyfriend went to her house at about 6:15 p.m., the warrant said, and the man used her car to get cigars. He returned around 9:15 p.m., the warrant said, but told her nothing about an accident.

The woman couldnt provide a phone number or the last name of the man she was with, but claimed he had a tattoo and was 32 years old, detectives said in the warrant, also alleging the evidence disproved her account.

Wilson arrived home between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m., she told police.

When interviewed, Wilson allegedly told police he went with his cousin to New Haven and West Haven, then, around 7 p.m., he called his fiance.

Wilson stated he was not driving the Infinity at the time of the accident and was in New Haven when it happened, the affidavit said.

Wilson also claimed he didnt see vehicle damage when he returned home.

The investigation reportedly shows surveillance footage from the mall indicates the car parked in the lot at 12:15 p.m., and both Wilson and his fiance exited the Infinity. They left at about 1:30 p.m., police said.

A city mechanic who inspected the car March 16 found no significant mechanical defects that would have contributed to the accident, the warrant said.

Detectives used data from the cars infotainment system, which collects historical information on the vehicles movements. It allegedly shows the cars turn-by-turn travel March 4 between 7:35 and 9:08 p.m.

That night at 9:04 p.m., the fiances cellphone records showed it was being used for a call to Wilsons phone for two minutes, authorities said. Police said Wilsons phone also registered that it was near Washington and Main streets at the time of the accident, and connected to a call tothe fiances phone.

Just before the incident, GPS coordinates indicate the car was traveling on Washington Street at Broad Street at 9:06 p.m., 0.17 miles east of the accident, police said.

Information from the vehicle reportedly indicates the Infinity crossed the intersection of Washington and High streets at 9:06 p.m., traveling 61.1 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone. There were no cameras at the scene, the warrant said.

Police said that matched the time Rich was hit.

He was not going 60 in a 30 (mph), in my opinion, said Klein, who also disputes the first-degree manslaughter charge, citing the statute. Clearly, there was no intent.

Evading responsibility is a more serious charge than manslaughter, Klein said. It it is a felony that carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence with up to 20 years of jail time. The charges are left to be seen, Klein said.

Wilson is being held in lieu of a $500,000 bail and expected back in court May 5.

A GoFundMe drive, Help Brookes Family Cover Funeral Expenses, gathering donations to help cover funeral expenses for Rich, has raised $22,300, far surpassing its $10,000 goal. A makeshift memorial remains under the sign marking the entrance to Wesleyan University.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues. Anyone with any information is asked to call Officer Peter Botsacos of the Traffic Unit at 860-638-4061.
A child cancer nurse has died from coronavirus as her friend paid tribute to the 'accident-prone, stubborn, chatterbox' who 'helped more people than most will in a lifetime'.

Rebecca Mack, who once worked at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, died aged 29 and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to her today.

Her heartbroken best friend, Sarah Bredin-Kemp, revealed her sorrow in a touching Facebook post about the medic, who most recently worked as a 111 operator

She wrote: 'Becca was one of the best friends I've ever had. She was a devoted friend, an incredible nurse and a unapologetically imperfect person: She was the most accident-prone, stubborn, chatterbox with a bizarre catchphrase and inappropriate joke for every occasion.

Rebecca Mack (pictured) died aged 29 after contracting coronavirus, her friends said today

Tributes have poured in for Rebecca Mack (pictured), a child cancer nurse from Newcastle who's died from coronavirus

Rebecca (pictured) has been praised by friends on social media after dying of coronavirus

'Her iconic love of leopard print and statement earrings was rivaled only by Pat Butcher herself.

'She would never take 'I'm busy, I'm not coming to the pub' as an answer. She was useless at hiding her emotions: she would just describe things she didn't like as as 'interesting' or 'alternative', with an expression of pure loathing.

'She was a high maintenance, foot-in-mouth oversharer with a love of cheesy music, crappy tv and an inexplicable hatred of small animals.

'But she would be the first in line to tell you off when you were doubting yourself.

'She was honest, warm and charismatic. She worked hard and made her family proud every single day.'

Rebecca's colleague, Jamie Young, added: 'Today, the NHS lost an absolutely amazing and beautiful nurse, myself and my colleagues lost the most tremendous clinician. At the age of just 29, she had her entire life ahead of her.'

Cheryl Murphy said: 'Tonight we light a candle for a kind caring nurse who sadly lost her life to covid-19 just starting her life getting ready to buy her first home always smiling rest in paradise and if any one can learn something from this please stay at home and stay safe keep your babies home!'

Keith Cowell, from Newcastle, told The Sun how Rebecca cared for his daughter Sarah when she was 13. Sarah has been in remission for three years following chemotherapy.

Mr Cowell said: 'Becca was a lovely girl always full of smiles and fun during a scary time for the kids having treatment. It's so scary when it is someone you know. Heaven has just gained a real angel.'

Another wrote on Twitter: 'Becca was a specialist nurse who cared for my daughter at the RVI Hospital on the children's cancer ward. A life taken far too soon and that of a selfless person dedicated to others. RIP Becca.'

Rebecca Mack (pictured) has died of Covid-19 and friends and well-wishers have let loose an outpouring of tributes to her on social media

Cousin Chrissy Mack said on social media: 'So so nice to see so many people saying such lovely things about my cousin.

'The next NHS doorstep clap will certainly have extra meaning to me, these people are literally heroes. Rest In Peace Becca'

Rebecca's colleague, Lauren Callender, added: 'Sleep tight hunnie Rebecca Mack you truly were an amazing girl and will be missed by many!

'You could light up a room, so bubbly and caring, honoured to have worked along side you at 111, devastated beyond words.'

It comes after a 'completely dedicated' 70-year-old nurse who served the NHS for 44 years has died from the coronavirus.

Alice Kit Tak Ong, 70, died from the virus on Tuesday morning, two weeks after being admitted to the Royal Free hospital in London.

Her family have since said she was 'dedicated' to her work and continued to work until the moment she fell ill.

This is while a doctor caring for patients with the coronavirus has also died of the deadly disease after being admitted to intensive care just days before his death.

Dr Anton Sebastianpillai is the thirteenth frontline medic to die from the virus. So far in the UK there have been 6,159 deaths from the disease, with over 55,000 confirmed cases.

NHS nurse Alice Kit Tak Ong died from the coronavirus, she moved to the UK when she was 23-years-old to study nursing

Dr Anton Sebastianpillai is the thirteenth frontline medic to die from the virus. So far in the UK there have been 6,159 deaths from the disease

The consultant geriatrician died on Saturday at Kingston Hospital in South West London after he was admitted to its intensive care unit on March 31.

In a statement, a spokesman for the hospital said Dr Anton had completed his last shift with the hospital on March 20.

'It is with great sadness that I confirm the death of a consultant geriatrician who was part of the teamDr Anton Sebastianpillai died on Saturday 4 April 2020 having been cared for in the hospital's intensive care unit since March 31.

'Dr Sebastianpillai completed his last shift with us on March 20 and we would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family.'

The Peradeniya Medical School Alumni Association of the United Kingdom said the doctor had retired from his career and had volunteered to work with Covid-19 patients.

Dr Anton Sebastianpillai died on Saturday at Kingston Hospital in South West London on Saturday

London has been the worst hit are of the UK, with 1,353 deaths and over 11,000 cases.

Speaking to The Guardian today, Ms Ong's daughter said her mother had spent her life helping others. Melissa Ong said her mother 'loved her job and she loved her patients'.

'She was completely dedicated to her work, that's what she was doing until the moment she was taken ill', she said.

It is believed that she may have contracted the disease while working at a hospital without protective equipment. She had first come to the UK at just 23-year-old to study nursing.

The government and NHS England have been criticised for the lack of protective equipment such as face masks and gloves that have been provided to health care workers battling with the disease.

Mother-of-three Aimee O'Rourke, 39, passed away last night at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, Kent, following the surfacing of symptoms two weeks ago.

Aimee O'Rourke, 39, passed away last night at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, Kent, following the surfacing of symptoms two weeks ago

Ms O'Rourke had three daughters, Maddie, Mollie and Meghan, who described her mother as an 'angel' who will 'wear [her] NHS crown forever more'

Ms Nasreen (left) with Rubi Aktar (right), a nurse who paid tribute to her 'best friend', who she described as the 'most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet'

Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, (pictured) fell ill on Tuesday and died in intensive care at Southend Hospital in Essex on Wednesday

Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, (left) died on March 28 after contracting the virus at the Hereford County Hospital and Dr Amged El-Hawrani, 55, (right) an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist at Queen's Hospital Burton, died on March 29

Nurse Thomas Harvey, 57, picked up coronavirus when treating a patient in London and died of the virus

Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, died on Tuesday after working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

Just hours later, Areema Nasreen, 36, died shortly after midnight in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands, were she had worked.

Ms Nasreen, 36, died shortly after midnight in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands, were she had worked.

The NHS employee of 16 years, who started in housekeeping before training as a nurse, was diagnosed with the infection in late March after developing a soaring temperature, body aches and a cough.

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.

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
Israel makes masks in public compulsory as Passover lockdown begins FILE PHOTO: An ultra-Orthodox Jewish family wearing masks walk on a pavement in Bnei Brak, a town badly affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and which Israel declared a "restricted zone" due to its high rate of infections, near Tel Aviv

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli government issued orders on Tuesday requiring citizens to wear face masks in public to try to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus as the country enters a lockdown for the Jewish Passover holiday.

The government also approved a timeline for tightened travel restrictions throughout much of the week-long festival, which begins on Wednesday when Jewish families gather for a meal commemorating the Biblical exodus from slavery in Egypt.

Israel has introduced the tougher measures in the hope the coronavirus will have been sufficiently contained once the April 8-15 festival is over to begin a gradual easing of restrictions.

But national leaders have made clear a recovery will take time.

"We will return to full routines within a year," Defence Minister Naftali Bennett told Army Radio on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week urged Israelis to wear masks in public, a measure the government said would become compulsory on Sunday.

Children under six, the mentally disabled or those alone in vehicles or workplaces are exempt. The government said masks could be homemade.

A ban on unnecessary out-of-town travel began on Tuesday evening and will last until Friday morning, effectively preventing large gatherings for Passover.

Food shopping within towns will be forbidden from 3 p.m. Wednesday, a few hours before the meal begins, until the following morning.

The government said the holiday shopping ban would not apply to non-Jewish minorities. Around a fifth of Israeli citizens are Arabs, mostly Muslims, Druze and Christians.

Israel has more than 9,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. At least 60 people have died.

Ahead of the holiday, Israel's military distributed some 50 tons of fruit and vegetables to residents of an ultra-Orthodox town that has been hit hard by the coronavirus and was sealed off last week, the military said on Tuesday.

Bnei Brak, a town of some 200,000 near Tel Aviv, was declared a restricted zone on Thursday and police have restricted access.

Story continues

Around one third of Bnei Brak residents who were tested for the virus were found to have it, Israeli media have reported, citing health ministry data.

Many of the town's residents are poor and some have heeded rabbis who, distrusting the state, spurned anti-virus measures.

In a broadcast Passover benediction on Tuesday, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar sought to reassure the country.

"May the Lord lift the dark and heavy cloud of this pestilence from over us," he said.

(Reporting by Dan Williams; editing by Jeffrey Heller, Raissa Kasolowsky and Barbara Lewis)
The call came on March 24. Bob McGuire, the executive director of CP Nassau, a nonprofit group that cares for the developmentally disabled, received a report from a four-story, colonnaded building in Bayville, N.Y., that houses several dozen residents with severe disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy to autism. For many of them, discussions of social distancing or hand washing are moot.

Bob, were starting to see symptoms, Mr. McGuire was told.

Fevers were spreading. Within 24 hours, 10 residents were taken to the hospital. Now, little more than two weeks later, 37 of the homes 46 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. Two are dead; nine remain hospitalized. At least eight members of the staff have tested positive as well.

Forgive me if I get emotional, Mr. McGuire said in an interview, choking up. People discount people with disabilities and presume they understand them when they dont know them. They think their lives are not worth the same as yours or mine, and thats just not true.

As the coronavirus preys on the most vulnerable, it is taking root in New Yorks sprawling network of group homes for people with special needs.
Advocates for victims of crime in Alabama responded Tuesday to calls for the compassionate release of at-risk state inmates amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, a group of concerned law students and alumni of the University of Alabama School of Law penned an open letter to Gov. Kay Ivey urging her to act immediately to ensure the safety of all inmates and staff in state prisons as confirmed COVID-19 cases skyrocket in the state.

Current levels of overcrowding and lack of sufficient medical care create an unprecedented risk that the virus will spread rapidly in Alabamas prisons. The possibility of widespread infections and deaths raises serious concerns under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution the open letter stated. To avoid potential violations of the Eighth Amendments prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, we ask that you rely on your authority and responsibility as the chief executive of the State of Alabama to order the release of those inmates at increased risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19.

The group, as well as other similar groups, seeks the release of all inmates over the age of 60; those with chronic illnesses, complex medical needs, compromised immune systems, and disabilities; and pregnant women.  In the letter, the students and professors from the law school specifically reference the Alabama Emergency Management Act, which asserts that the Governor has the power to exercise any functions, powers and duties as are necessary to promote and secure the safety and protection of the civilian population.

Janette Grantham, state director of Victims of Crime and Leniency, said the group failed to consider another vulnerable group of citizens in need of safety and protection: victims of violent crime and their families. Unfortunately, this lack of sympathy for victims and their families has become a popular trend in institutions of higher education across the country. It is quite telling that victims and victims advocates are rarely invited to speak on campus in addition to the public defenders and felons who are, Grantham said. This reveals a grievous lack of sympathy for those who have endured mental and physical trauma at the hands of convicted felons.

From their open letters and choices of keynote speakers, to their professor appointments and school organizations, it has become obvious that many law schools, including Alabamas School of Law have little regard for victims of crime, the very ones who would be most affected by a broad release of prisoners, Grantham said.

Grantham said there are other, less dangerous ways of halting the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and to refuse to acknowledge the plight of murder victims and their survivors is a dangerous form of denial.

If the students and professors at the University of Alabama Law School want to help the marginalized and the neglected, then we urge them to consider victims of violent crime and their families. Read about the experiences of victims and try to understand their fears before you recommend the release of nearly 1,000 individuals to homes with loving family members or in any of the vacant dorm rooms or hotel rooms in the state, Grantham said. Consider the grieving families of victims; consider the family members who were the victims of these felons acts. Consider those whose greatest fear is finding their assailants once again on the streets.
Kayleigh McEnany, the Trump 2020 campaign press secretary, before President Donald Trumps MAGA rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on March 28, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Trump Names Kayleigh McEnany as New Press Secretary

President Donald Trump named a new press secretary on Wednesday after Stephanie Grisham left the role on Tuesday.

Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for Trumps reelection campaign, will serve as White House press secretary after Grisham returned to the East Wing to serve First Lady Melania Trump as her chief of staff.

Alyssa Farah, who was press secretary for the Department of Defense, is also joining the White House as director of strategic communications.

A third addition to the team is Ben Williamson, the senior advisor to the White House chief of staff, who will work with McEnany and Farah as senior communications advisor.

Farah said in a statement that she was honored to join the White House during a critical moment in our nations history.

Stephanie Grisham in a file photograph in Anchorage, Alaska. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump is the leader we need to get us through it, keep us safe, & recharge our economy on the other side, she wrote in a statement on Twitter.

The shake-up comes shortly after former Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) departed Congress to become Trumps chief of staff. He replaced Mick Mulvaney, who was appointed the new Northern Ireland envoy.

The first lady said her outgoing chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, resigned to spend more time with her family.

Grisham in a statement thanked Trump for the honor of a lifetime and said she was looking forward to the future.
Releasing 2030 year-olds who no longer live with their parents could be the best route out of lockdown and avoid an 'extraordinary recession', experts suggested.

This section of the population  unlike the older generations  is statistically less likely to die from coronavirus, or develop severe symptoms.

Like many countries, the UK is presently in lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by too many cases at once.

However, the researches have suggested that there is 'no clear exit strategy' at present to show how the country might eventually return to normal.

The researchers argued that young adults could become increasingly restless over time and may end up choosing to flout lockdown restrictions, risking public safety.

In the proposal, young adults living with their parents or other older adults would need to remain in lockdown to avoid passing the virus on to their households.

Older adults might subsequently be returned to normal life through staged releases, using antibody tests to identify those who had already recovered from COVID-19.

Releasing the 2.6 million young adults who work in the private sector could give the economy a boost, the team argued  and potentially save jobs.

Scroll down for video

Releasing 2030 year-olds who no longer live with their parents could be the best route out of lockdown and avoid an 'extraordinary recession', experts suggested (stock image)

The suggestion have been made in a new briefing paper entitled 'The case for releasing the young from lockdown: A briefing paper for policymakers.'

'The rationale for lockdown is to save lives in the short-to-medium-term, said economist and behavioural scientist Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick.

'However, severe damage is being done to the economy, future incomes, unemployment rates, levels of national debt and the freedoms we enjoy as a modern society.'

'Before long, some balance will have to be struck,' he added.

If implemented, such a policy might see as many as 4.2 million young adults be able to resume their normal daily lives, data from the Office of National Statistics and the Annual Population Survey suggest.

Of this number, 2.6 million work in the private sector and are therefore more likely to lose either income or their jobs entirely in the event of a prolonged lockdown.

According the researchers, releasing these workers could allow small business to be opened to stimulate the economy, or to play vital roles in the UK's delivery and transport network.

Furthermore, preventing half of young private sector workers from losing their jobs could generate a 13 billion per year for the economy, researchers found.

The researchers argued that young adults could become increasingly restless over time and may end up choosing to flout lockdown restrictions, risking public safety (stock image)

The researchers did outline some potential issues with the implementation of their proposed strategy, however.

Even though young adults between the ages of 2030 are less likely to die from coronavirus or develop severe symptoms, the team estimate that their proposal could lead to around 630 premature deaths compared with a longer lockdown.

The UK Government would also need to clearly communicate the rationale for the aged-based release to alder adults in order to minimise resentment, the team said.

Police would also be required to enforce the new partial-release policy, as they have been the present lockdown.

'We support the existing lockdown strategy, but in the future it will be necessary to allow citizens to go back to some kind of normal life,' said behavioural economist Nick Powdthavee of the Warwick Business School.

'Unless a vaccine is suddenly discovered there are no risk-free or painless ways forward,' he added.

'If this policy were enacted, there would still be tragic cases and some pressure on the NHS, but the effects would be far smaller than if the wider population were released.'

'It could allow our society and economy to move forward in the footsteps of the young, while allowing older workers to share the economic rewards by providing supervision, mentoring, and managerial assistance electronically.'

The full recommendations of the briefing paper were published on the University of Warwick website.
Iran's Oil Minister, Bijan Zanganeh, said his country does not agree with holding any OPEC+ meeting in the absence of a clear proposal and expected outcome from such talks for the oil market, according to a letter sent to OPEC.

"The vague circumstances around which the upcoming OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial (meeting) is being organised is of grave concern to me," Zanganeh wrote in the letter dated April 7 and addressed to the Algerian oil minister, who holds the presidency of OPEC.

OPEC+ is due to hold a video conference on Thursday at 1400 GMT, after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Riyadh and Moscow had agreed to cut an unprecedented 10 million to 15 million barrels per day, or about 10% to 15% of global supply.
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Boris Johnsons condition is improving and he is now sitting up in bed, the chancellor has revealed.

Rishi Sunak gave the optimistic update, two days after the prime minister was admitted to intensive care when his coronavirus symptoms worsened.

The latest from the hospital is that he remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving, he told the daily Downing Street press conference.

I can also tell you he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.

The update came just hours after Downing Street signalled that Dominic Raab was taking on increased duties, deputising for the stricken prime minister.

And it followed the announcement of 938 deaths in the UK  the highest daily toll and just 31 short of the peak of 969 announced by Italy on one day at the end of March.

However, Mr Sunak refused to confirm the lockdown will continue past the original three-week timetable  expiring next week  after the Welsh government announced it would.

He described such predictions as speculation, ahead of a meeting with the devolved leaderships on Thursday to talk about the approach to the review.

Asked if some areas could escape the lockdown before others, he replied: I dont want to start speculating about the future  I dont think thats helpful at this juncture.

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

Angela MacLean, the deputy chief scientific adviser, hinted that schools could reopen before restrictions are eased on other parts of society  although she refused to say if that could happen before the summer.

There is very interesting work into all sorts of different things that we might do in the next stage, she said, adding it would explore those sorts of questions.

Mr Sunak also denied Mr Johnson had fallen sick because social distancing guidelines were flouted, saying everyone was doing their best, adding: None of us are superhuman and impervious to getting sick.

He dismissed growing calls for the post-Brexit transition period to be extended beyond the end of the year, to avoid further economic pain when a recession looms.

We have left the European Union  that has happened. We are just negotiating the final terms of our trading arrangements. That work is carrying on, Mr Sunak insisted.

The negotiations are currently stalled in talks about talks, but the chancellor vowed: We remain committed to the timeline for concluding those talks.
RABAT - Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday sacked the Hassan Abyaba, Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture and government spokesman.



The decision came in a single afternoon after Ayaba accused foreign media of spreading false news on COVID-19. Minister of Education Said Amzazi will replace Abyaba as spokesperson of the government, while Othman El Ferdaous will take over the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture.



Tension had been mounting for months, however. Since he was sworn in at the beginning of October 2019 after a government reshuffle, Abyaba had become well known for regularly appearing unprepared at press conferences and failing to answer questions from the press. During his first meeting with the media immediately after he was sworn in, he answered ''maybe'' to every question - even about the government program - and the video went viral online, becoming as popular as rap songs.



During a parliamentary session and questioning on measures to support Moroccan youth, Abyaba answered by reading his answer to the following question. Royal anger reached a peak on Tuesday shortly after Abyaba raged against foreign journalists accredited to work in Morocco by saying that ''they are not very professional and spread inaccurate news and figures about COVID-19 in Morocco''.
An official publication of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday called on authorities to take measures to placate China for the "irresponsible statements" of a health official who has questioned China's honesty about the dimensions of its coronavirus epidemic.

Kianush Jahanpur, Spokesman of Iran's Health Ministry on April 5 called China's reports of the coronavirus epidemic "a bitter joke" for creating the impression the virus caused an illness "just like influenza with even fewer deaths". In his criticism he added, If in China they say an epidemic was controlled in two months, one should really think about it.

Dr. Jahanpur was joined by several other health officials in questioning China's honesty in its reports but drew the ire of the government of China and its ambassador in Tehran. The ambassador chastised the Iranian official on Twitter, which angered many Iranians who in turn took to his Twitter page to protest his "rude" responses to Dr. Jahanpur.

The incident has led to a diplomatic and political uproar in Iran. The Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his hardliner supporters consider China and Russia as Iran's closest allies in its war against the West and the United States.

The commentary in the latest issue of Sobh-e Sadeq which is published by the Political Mentors Department of the IRGC, said Dr. Jahanpur has offended "the government of China" with his "non-expert remarks" and has put relations with China in jeopardy.

Rather than criticizing the Chinese ambassador's patronizing tone in his tweets, the Revolutionary Guard commentary took the side of the Chinese ambassador.

The commentary also called Dr. Jahanpur's statements about China's coronavirus data "irresponsible and against [Iran's] national security" as well as a "reiteration of what the Western and American media have repeatedly alleged".

"The reiteration of such allegations [against China] by an official of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the current circumstances practically sends a significant negative message to one our country's supporters," the commentary said.

The Revolutionary Guard "political mentor" also called on the ministers of health and foreign affairs "to counteract the consequences of these irrelevant statements" and investigate the possible "behind-the-scenes dimensions of such remarks" to ensure "Iran's national interests and to prevent any harm to relations between the Iranian and Chinese".

In a tweet prompted by the Health Ministry Spokesman's allegations against China, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi on April 5 had praised the government and people of China for "leading the way in suppressing coronavirus and generously aiding countries across the world. "The Chinese bravery, dedication and professionalism in COVID-19 containment deserve acknowledgement," he had written and added: "Iran has always been thankful to China in these trying times".

Some lawmakers on Wednesday indirectly criticized the Revolutionary Guard's stance on the matter by chastizing the Foreign Ministry. On Wednesday the outspoken reformist lawmaker Mahmoud Sadeqi (Sadeghi) in a tweet announced that he and 16 other lawmakers have used their powers as members of parliaments to officially admonish Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif for his spokesperson's "undignified response". "Admonishment" by lawmakers is usually the first step towards impeachment of ministers by the parliament.

Calling the Chinese ambassador's response to the Iranian health official "against diplomatic protocols", Sadeqi said the Iranian Foreign Ministry should have summoned the Chinese ambassador and issued a warning to him.

The lawmakers' letter to Zarif reiterated the allegations that the data released by China misled other countries in their approach to the coronavirus epidemic and says the Foreign Ministry's stance is against the "Neither East, Nor West" motto of the Islamic Republic in its foreign policy. The motto is inscribed above the Iranian Foreign Ministry's entrance.

"You are advised to have more supervision on the stances expressed by the Foreign Ministry in order to prevent the Iranian people's national dignity from being undermined any further," the letter told Zarif.
Even in the days of coronavirus, when big public weddings are banned, marriage in the Middle East is an expensive business, particularly for the grooms family. Besides shouldering the ceremony costs, the groom is expected to pay a sum known as mahr to the bride.

Grooms are expected to pay this money in the Gaza Strip and other traditional parts of the Muslim world. Mahr comes from the Syriac word "mahra," meaning bridal gift and also purchase-money. While the word does mean gift, in Islam, it is part of the marriage contract. And though it is supposed to belong to the bride, in many countries, the brides family sets the sum and takes it.

Mohammad Yassar, a 35-year-old electrician from Rafah, had been trying to tie the knot for the last five years but has been unable to afford a mahr, let alone a luxury wedding.

I gave up when a member of the family of the woman I wanted to marry told me that I could never find a wife if all wanted to spend was 1,000 dinars, he told Al-Monitor. He told me that sum was for buying tomatoes, not to get a wife. The price for a wife, his mother was told, would be four times as much.

The average mahr demanded in the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Islamic laws and traditions, ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 Jordanian dinars ($4,231 to $7,052), depending on the young womans education and her familys social status. The figures are far beyond the means of Yassar, who makes 700 shekels ($201) per month and lives with his parents in Rafah governorate in the southern Gaza Strip.

Fortunately for him, he came across a matchmaking service on Facebook. Two weeks after I signed up, I married a young woman for a mahr of 1,000 dinars. My fiancee will live with me in my room at my parents house. We have yet to decide on the wedding date, Yassar told Al-Monitor.

Behind the project is Mahmoud Kalakh, a biology teacher at al-Jinan High School in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. He told Al-Monitor that he created the service last August after he read about Israels intention to facilitate the immigration of Gazans to Europe via Eilat Airport.

I believe that poverty is the main reason for the migration of young people. They cannot get married, especially with the high cost of marriage in Gaza. The idea hit me and I posted about it on Facebook. On my page, we enable young women who do not demand more than 1,000 dinars to find a suitor who has scarce or limited income, he explained. Another condition is that the brides are willing to live with their in-laws until the couples can afford to live alone.

On Oct. 20, 2019, Kalakh made a page for the initiative after receiving many requests.

Applicants fill out a personal form and send it Kalakh, who provides the names of three young women applicants. The parents of the suitors visit the young woman and if the young couple hit it off, they get engaged.

There have been 1,500 applications, 54% of them from women, and 100 wedding ceremonies have been held, most recently on Nov. 20. The service also helps them find affordable wedding halls. Before the wedding halls were closed due to the pandemic, Kalakh arranged discounted prices at 10 wedding venues for his couples.

Fatima al-Daama, a 32-year-old journalist with Mashreq News, told Al-Monitor, I would agree to get married for a low mahr if my husband were a decent and good man. But to live under the same roof with my in-laws is out of the question. Id rather stay single.

Living with ones in-laws is not the best solution, admits Kalakh. But what are the alternatives when a 40-year-old man still cannot afford to buy an apartment?

Hassan Al-Jojo, the head of the Supreme Religious Court in Gaza, said the bad economic conditions are the main reason so many young people are reluctant to get married.

They do not have the bare minimum to hold a wedding ceremony, let alone start a family and build a future. Their priority is to survive. This situation greatly undermines the civil peace and the community security and leads to sexual encounters out of wedlock, which is not permissible in Islam," he said.

Egypts top religious authority Al-Azhar offers support for men who want to get married but have limited means. Earlier this year, Al-Azhar called upon families to reduce the high costs of marriage in an effort to lower the growing numbers of unmarried women.

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb said Jan. 21 that exhorbitant marriage costs destroy the family before it is built," and "results in high levels of unmarried people.''

The push is part of the Al-Azhar International Center for Electronic Fatwas' efforts to address many social issues, particularly family-related ones, and spread Islamic awareness and teachings.

Economists and religious scholars have backed the campaign, saying that it is important to raise awareness about this issue across Egypt, especially in rural and underprivileged areas.

Parliamentarian Amna Noseir, a religious scholar, has praised the campaign, saying that she has repeatedly called for easing the demands on those who want to get married, saying women's families should only take into consideration the mens morals.

Mohamed Abu Hamed, another parliament member, said that mahr and other marriage costs have been growing in Egypt despite the appeals of the government as well as some preachers and imams to abandon the practice to facilitate the marriages of young people.

Some Egyptian families in poor rural areas ask the groom to buy about 100 grams of gold  as well as prepare an apartment with new furniture. Meanwhile, the womans family is required to buy the home electronic devices, which are very expensive, he told Al-Monitor.

Al-Azhar is also planning to offer educational courses to combat the high costs of marriage.
[April 08, 2020] Mobile Giving Foundation Canada donations up 980% during COVID-19 pandemic

Canadian donors using wireless giving and making a difference TORONTO, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - As Canadians from coast to coast adapt to the rapidly changing economic, social and physical realities being posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, one thing has not changed: their overwhelming generosity. Data provided today by the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) shows donations in March were up a staggering 980% over the same time period last year  a tenfold increase. In addition, more than 21,000 people used their mobile device during the month to respond to appeals from qualified registered charities. "Despite the unprecedented challenges being faced by people in communities across this country, Canadians are stepping up like never before to support those who need it the most," said Rob Ghiz, President & CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Associaton (CWTA). "Everyone knows that Canadians are some of the kindest and most supportive people in the world, and the response to this crisis further proves it."



MGFC was founded ten years ago by key members of Canada's wireless industry, working in partnership with the CWTA. The concept behind MGFC is simple: provide Canadian wireless users with a single "mobile giving channel" where they can donate money to qualified charities via text message, which are then remitted through their wireless service provider bills. These extraordinary times have shown the importance of these services, and the robust wireless networks that make them possible. Since the global pandemic was first declared, MGFC has also been waiving application and renewal fees for new and returning charities, saving them upwards of $350 in the process.

"In addition to the increase in total amount of money raised, we are also seeing a marked shift in donor behaviour," added Caitlin O'Neill, Manager, MGFC. "Donors are giving higher amounts when presented with multiple options, which means more money is being funneled directly to each charitable organization." MGFC encourages all Canadians to follow the organization on both Facebook and Twitter (@MGFCanada) for updates on charities that are activating COVID-19 relief campaigns. For further information about MGFC, and to see a list of active charities Canadians support using mobile giving, please visit www.mobilegiving.ca . About the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada

The Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC) was founded in 2009 to create a "mobile giving channel" that empowers non-profit organizations and donors. MGFC provides the organizational layer, operational guidelines and technical infrastructure for registered charities and donors to use the incredible power and convenience of mobile technology. The mobile giving channel gives Canadians a simple and immediate way to respond to appeals from worthy causes and have their donation charged to their wireless phone bill. 100 per cent of the donation is then remitted to the designated charity. Mobile giving campaigns are supported by Bell, Bell MTS, Eastlink, Fido, Freedom Mobile, Rogers, TELUS, Tbaytel, Videotron and Virgin Mobile. About CWTA

Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) is the authority on wireless issues, developments and trends in Canada. It represents companies that provide services and products across the wireless sector. SOURCE Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association

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Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 117 more cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the number of infected people in Indias worst-hit state to 1,135 (72 of them have died). The state crossed the 1,000-case mark in just 30 days, from March 9 to April 7, with a 5.98% mortality rate, at least twice the overall mortality rate of 2.66% across India. The past five days have accounted for 56.8% (645) of the states cases. And Maharashtras capital, Mumbai, is the worst-affected city in India with 696 cases, 61.32% of the states total. At 45 deaths, Mumbai accounts for 62.5% of the states toll.

Doctors and medical experts attribute these figures to porous and faulty policies of the state health department, including delayed universal screening of passengers from abroad and inadequate testing  one test per 5,400 citizens  in Maharashtra. To be sure, some of these fall under the purview of the Centre.

On March 9, Maharashtra reported its first case of Covid-19 when a couple from Pune, which travelled to Dubai, tested positive for Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The next day, three more people in the city who came in contact with the couple tested positive. All five of them were admitted to Naidu Hospital in Pune. On March 11, two people in Mumbai who were co-passengers of the Pune couple tested positive, making them the financial capitals first cases. All people were part of a 40-member tour group that returned to Mumbai from Dubai on March 1.

They were not screened at the Mumbai international airport as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was not in the list of 12 countries for compulsory screening at airports. Universal screening of passengers started only from March 17.

In Maharashtra, more than 40% of the infections were owing to travellers who returned from the UAE. Even though Maharashtras first case was of a Dubai returnee, the state government waited for 10 days to start screening travellers from the UAE. This was a major loophole in the screening process, said Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra.

If the government didnt have adequate kits to run tests on thousands of travellers, they should have quarantined them for 14 days, said doctors.

Dr Bharat Purandare, infectious diseases expert, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, said: In retrospect, we can say that the government should have made universal screening of all passengers mandatory much earlier. Also, we should have stopped international flights in the first week of March. Stopping flights, again, is a call that only the central government can take.

The outbreak of the infection was reported in China in the last week of December. Despite this, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) didnt make arrangements to quarantine international travellers until they started the SevenHills Hospital facility on March 18. Mumbai has one of the biggest international airports (in India) , so the government should have kept a more diligent eye on travellers, added Dr Bhondwe.

Doctors have also blamed the states testing policy for the spread of the infection, pointing to the example of a 43-year-old Covid-19 patient with no travel history or close contact with an infected person. She is undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) in Fortis Hospital, along with her son. On March 19, when she developed symptoms, she contacted the state-run Kasturba Hospital for a test. But the hospital refused one as she was not a high-risk patient. On March 27, she was diagnosed with the disease through a test conducted in a private laboratory.

Similarly, there are several other patients with no international travel history or close contact with infected people, but owing to the rigid testing policy of the state government, many were refused the test, which further spread the infection, said doctors.

Indias testing policy was put in place by the Union health ministry, which initially did not allow the testing of symptomatic patients with no travel history or contact with an infected person.

Maharashtra has a population of 115 million, but only 20,090 tests have been conducted in the state till Wednesday night  one test per 4,208 citizens.

Experts said this is inadequate as the number of asymptomatic patients among those identified as infected in the state has increased to 76%, according to the state health department.

To be sure, no Indian state does well on testing (and Maharashtra, in fact, does better than some). Kerala has carried out one test for every 2,794 citizens; Tamil Nadu 11,837; Delhi, 26,816; and Uttar Pradesh, 1,798.

A freely accessible testing policy through both private and public-sector clinics, which is available on demand and with assured privacy of results, should be the first national priority to identify and quarantine asymptomatic patients. This is likely to increase the numbers of Covid-19 patients, but is essential to determine the extent of the spread in order to contain it, said Dr Ramen Goel, president, Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons (IAGES).

Another lapse that has recently come to light is the lack of appropriate standard operating process (SOPs) in private hospitals to diagnose asymptomatic patients. More than 60 medical staffers have been infected with the virus after unknowingly being exposed to Covid-19 patients.

Nursing associations have criticised the government for not providing adequate training to health care workers in handling coronavirus patients. Along with that, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) has turned into a big hurdle in treating Covid-19 patients.

A doctor from King Edward Memorial (KEM), Parel, said the staff wasnt given proper PPE to screen or treat patients. We are using protective kits for HIV while treating Covid-19 patients in ICU or isolation wards, said the doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Dr Manohar Kamath, general secretary of Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), said, In China, due to the same mismanagement, more than 3,000 medical staffers got infected. In this situation, we need more doctors. We cant afford to get front-liners infected. The government should have planned about the procurement process earlier, considering the size of the state.

At the beginning of the outbreak, the state health department stated that surgical masks were enough for medical staffers in hospitals. But with doctors starting to get the infection from asymptomatic patients despite wearing surgical masks, the health department on Wednesday made it mandatory for everyone in the city who steps out to wear masks.

This is a new strain of coronavirus, so medical knowledge about the virus is very limited, but health officials should have taken note of the mistakes done in China. We have done several things wrong, which led to the spread, said a senior epidemiologist who asked not to be named.

Some doctors are suggesting bringing in the army, like in the United Kingdom (UK), to streamline healthcare supply logistics. In addition to immediate policy action, the Indian Army, too, can be asked to step in for the protection of health care facilities. Without our soldiers , Indias ability to reduce the fatalities of this war could be severely crippled, said Dr Goel.

Anup Kumar Yadav, commissioner (family welfare) and director, National Health Mission, Maharashtra said, The screening of passengers at the airport comes under the Central government and we just followed their guidelines. Maharashtra has done the highest number of tests so far in the country, so its unfair to say that we havent done adequate testing. We are setting up thousands of makeshift shelters for high-risk people to break the chain of transmission.

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The Syrian government has expressed its dissatisfaction with the efforts and comments of the EU, regarding the lifting of sanctions, during the coronavirus pandemic writes SANA.

On Tuesday, the Foreign and Expatiates Ministry said that statements made by some EU officials about alleviating illegitimate, unilateral sanctions on Syria still come in the framework of the political work.

The statements havent been yet up to the level of actual and real work to lift those sanctions, particularly as the European Union is a basic partner in the blockade against Syria, despite the dangers posed by spread of coronavirus during the current period, an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said.

The source added that Syria, whose people have suffered from those unjust sanctions, join the states and bodies which stress the importance of the immediate, unconditional lift of all the sanctions, including banking transfers, which were imposed by the US and EU for political purposes in a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the simplest human rights.

It went on to say that Syria affirms those statements will not exempt the European officials from responsibility towards the impacts of those sanctions in hindering efforts aiming at providing needed means and infrastructure to confront coronavirus.

Syria, at the same time, calls on countries that falsely raise the motto of human rights, to abandon those policies that have proven their failure and to unify with the international community in its efforts to rescue humanity from this epidemic which has claimed the lives of tens of innocents around the world.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said it was not the time to criticize the early response to the coronavirus pandemic, after US President Donald Trump attacked the World Health Organization.

"Once we finally turn the page on this epidemic there must be a time to look back fully ... But now it is not that time," Guterres said in a statement.

"Now is the time for unity, for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences."



Trump, whose own response to the crisis has been widely criticized, on Tuesday accused the WHO of reacting slowly.

"They called it wrong. They really missed the call. They could have called it months earlier," he said.

He questioned why the WHO had given "such a faulty recommendation," apparently referring to its earlier advice against curtailing international travel to stop the virus which first spread from China.

Guterres said the WHO "is on the front lines, supporting member states and their societies, especially the most vulnerable among them, with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving services." WHO chief Tedros Adhanom



Ghebreyesus on Wednesday also urged leaders to stop politicising the pandemic and issued a stern defense of the body's work.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The driver crashed into a fence at a home in Chelmsford while driving during lockdown. (Twitter/@EP_RPU_South)

A motorist has been criticised by police after they crashed into a metal fence while allegedly out for a drive because they were bored during coronavirus lockdown.

The Ford Fiesta came off the road while on a non-essential journey in Chelmsford in Essex on Tuesday, Essex Roads Police Unit South said.

Pictures from the scene show part of the fence bent over, while rubbish from a bin is strewn over the ground.

Police criticised the driver for breaking lockdown guidelines. (Twitter/@EP_RPU_South)

The police unit wrote on Twitter: "Driver of this car was bored so went out for a drive!

"Us and the ambulance crew are both really busy and don't need extra work.

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"Another person breaching the regulations. Please don't, please stay home.

"Driver has been reported.

The incident came as Britain entered its third week of lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Police have been given powers to disperse, fine or arrest people they feel are breaking the rules set out by the government to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Police move on sunbathers in Regent's Park, London, as the UK continues in lockdown. (PA)

A YouGov poll found that nearly half of the public support the police approach to enforcing lockdown rules, but a third think officers' actions have gone too far in some cases.

The research indicated 42% of respondents fully support the approach taken by the police, but a further 32% felt in some cases the police had gone too far.

The findings come after there were claims some forces had been overzealous in their approach to policing the new laws and guidance and how officers should act.

Some 14% of people who took part in the survey said the police should take tougher action, while 6% felt the police approach to date had been too heavy-handed.

Just 2% of the public said the police should have no role in enforcing the lockdown.

According to the survey, 72% were comfortable with the police arresting people who failed to comply with an instruction to return home, while 22% were uncomfortable.

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A similar proportion (75%) were comfortable with police issuing fines to people who breached lockdown rules, while 19% felt uncomfortable about this.

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt said: "This is a public health emergency and we need the support of the public in ensuring these social distancing measures are adhered to.

Help the NHS and those most vulnerable in our communities by staying home unless your journey is essential. We are grateful to everyone who has already followed this advice.

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As confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to mount  now up to nearly 1.5 million globally and 400,000 in the United States, millions of businesses have had to adjust and either close  hopefully temporarily  or leverage teleworking technologies. But, there are still countless essential businesses and employees that are still heading to their workplaces every day. That includes healthcare workers and first responders, who are constantly at risk as they deal with patients who have or may have contracted the virus.

If there was ever a case tailor-made for telehealth, its a pandemic like this. The same kinds of technologies that are enabling remote communications for millions of businesses can be used to diagnose, consult, and treat patients over distance, reducing the risk of spreading the disease.

Thats what VCU Health physicians in Essex, Westmoreland, and Richmond counties in Virginia are doing to try to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Using telehealth technologies, physicians are communicating with first responders to provide initial patient evaluations and determine the best course of action in each case  whether to send them home for self-treatment and quarantine or admit the to a hospital. The idea is to reduce exposure for medical professionals and other patients, while also reducing the burden on strained healthcare providers.

As an agency that has been exploring telemedicine for some time, this propels us into a platform that allows for direct physician consult on the scene with existing infrastructure, said Blake Byrd, assistant chief of Westmoreland EMS. By having this capability in the field with our providers, we have the potential to screen patients that meet a pre-determined protocol and potentially keep our limited resources available for additional volume that may result from COVID-19. This capability is crucial for our system from both a management and pre-hospital care perspective.

Its the first time telehealth is being used in Virginia to treat COVID-19 patients  but, frankly, its something every state and municipality should have implemented long ago.

Still, better late than never, and the program can help ensure that more critical patients have access to the care they need, while still giving patients with more minor symptoms and those deemed likely to recover on their own the instruction they need. Through the telehealth platform Pulsara, first responders are able to connect with VCU health staff to conduct video conversations between EMS personnel, VCU physicians, and patients.

In fact, by leveraging telehealth solutions, VCU Health can receive assistance for initial consultations from doctors wherever they are  including home  to reduce the demand on hospital staff even more.

Harinder Dhindsa, M.D., associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the VCU School of Medicine, and medical director of VCU Critical Care Transport, says the program will help emergency departments better handle patient volumes, maximize EMS resources and protective equipment, and enable faster response times. Dhindsa also says theres potential for expanding the program to additional counties, as well as to handle other patient conditions.

Edited by Erik Linask
Rep. John Lewis, an iconic civil rights leader and one of the nations most prominent black lawmakers, on Tuesday endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential contest, in the latest illustration of Bidens strength with many African-American voters.

Lewis, D-Ga., called the former vice-president a friend, a man of courage, a man of conscience and promised to travel around America to support him. He also expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of a woman of colour on the Democratic ticket.

The congressman, a veteran of some of the most significant moments in the history of the civil rights movement, including the Bloody Sunday march in Alabama and the 1963 March on Washington, announced in December that he had advanced pancreatic cancer. But in a call with reporters Monday evening, he said that he wanted to campaign aggressively for Biden  although the coronavirus outbreak has shuttered the traditional campaign trail for now.

Since then, Biden has sometimes struggled to break through, overshadowed by President Donald Trump and the bully pulpit of the presidency, as well as by governors on the front lines of the crisis.

I know what it is to campaign hard and to work hard, Lewis said, acknowledging that he faced some problems now, but they will not be with me forever. And I will be out there working and campaigning for Joe Biden as president of the United States of America.

Biden has not yet clinched the Democratic nomination; Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continues to campaign too. But with Biden holding an almost insurmountable lead in delegates, his campaign has started the process of looking for a running mate. He has said he will pick a woman.

Older black voters, in particular, revived Bidens once-floundering candidacy and played a decisive role in propelling him to the cusp of the Democratic nomination. Some Democrats  including Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress and a top Biden ally  have expressed a preference for a black woman on the ticket with Biden.

I think Vice President Biden should look around, Lewis said, when asked if he believed that Biden should select a woman of colour. It would be good to have a woman of colour. It would be good to have a woman. It would be good to have a woman who looks like the rest of America.

Lewis noted that there are plenty of able women. Black, white, Latino, Asian-American, Native American. The time has long passed, he said, for making the White House look like the whole of America.

Also on Tuesday, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, endorsed Biden. Brown, who has voiced skepticism about Biden in the past, was once considered a potential presidential candidate himself, but he passed on the 2020 race. He represents a critical general election battleground.

Should Biden win the Democratic nomination, one of his biggest challenges will be energizing younger, more progressive voters, many of whom remain skeptical of him. Asked how Biden should engage younger black voters who are less enthusiastic about turning out for Biden, Lewis, who is 80, said simply that they faced a choice in elections, and, noting the sacrifices others had made for the right to vote, urged them to turn out.

If we fail to vote, we dont count, he said.

But he also expressed concern about voting against the backdrop of a pandemic, in a nation that has struggled with voter suppression, saying that he worried about whether the country would have a free election.

I just hope that, in spite of whatever is going on now, that people will not be afraid to come out and vote, he said. We have to vote.
[April 08, 2020] Divvy Launches All-digital Payment Protection Program Loan Applications with Cross River Bank

LEHI, Utah, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Divvy , the leader in spend and expense management, today announced the immediate availability of its 100%-digital application for SBA-backed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, through its partnership with Cross River Bank (CRB). "This is the fastest, easiest solution for PPP applications available today, because it all takes place online," said Sterling Snow, Senior Vice President of Revenue at Divvy. "We're seeing customers take their applications from start to finish in 15 minutes." Divvy partnered with Cross River Bank due to CRB's tech-first approachmany other banks have been processing applications on paper. In the first five hours of accepting applications, Divvy processed over $800 million of loan requests. For small businesses struggling to keep the lights on or retain employees during the COVID-19 crisis, speed to funding is the top priorit.



"Cross River Bank has been an incredible partner," said Snow. "Since the PPP program is first come, first serve, we knew we'd need a banking partner who could process lots of loans quickly, without applications getting stuck. And CRB has done just that." PPP loans are issued by banks and backed by the SBA, so they require no collateral and no personal guarantees. PPP loans offer businesses affected by COVID-19 up to 2.5x their average monthly payroll costsand in many cases, are 100% forgivable.

Divvy has opened its digital application to customers and non-customers alike, and has a dedicated team of professionals trained on the application process walking small business owners through the system, free of charge. For more information, or to apply for a PPP loan, please visit: https://getdivvy.com/covid-19/sba-ppp-loans/assistance/ About Divvy Divvy modernizes finance for business by streamlining expense management and eliminating expense reports. With Divvy, businesses can make one-time or recurring payments using integrated virtual and physical corporate credit cardseach tied to dynamic limits controlled by centrally-managed budgets. Divvy gives financial leaders real-time visibility and control of companywide spending through elegant and powerful web and mobile apps. Learn more at www.getdivvy.com . Media Contact

Divvy PR

Sterling Snow

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/divvy-launches-all-digital-payment-protection-program-loan-applications-with-cross-river-bank-301037271.html SOURCE Divvy

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The abject failure of the Johnson government to prepare frontline National Health Service (NHS) staff for the COVID-19 crisis has taken a sickening turn, as reports emerge of health workers facing disciplinary measures for speaking out and even for wearing their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where none was provided.

The shortages of PPE were graphically illustrated when NHS workers were photographed donning makeshift aprons made from bin liners.

On March 28, the BBC reported that a GP in Ludlow in the west of England, who was called upon to help the town respond to the crisis, was barred from working at the 40-bed community hospital for wearing PPE and raising her concerns that the community hospital had been very slow in protecting staff and patient isolation. Shropshire Community Trust told Dr. Catherine Beanland that they were following national guidelines and that her wearing of PPE was frightening both patients and staff.

On April 4, the Guardian reported that a health care assistant at Hillingdon Hospital in west London resigned after her managers denied her permission to wear a protective mask she had supplied herself. Tracy Brennan had just returned from 14 days isolation because her daughter had self-isolated after developing symptoms. She was called into a meeting and instructed by managers that wearing the face mask was not Trust policy. She complied with the instruction, but later that day was coughed on by a patient while taking blood samples. She reported this to management, but they continued to deny her use of the face mask.

The Doctors Association UK (DAUK) has compiled a dossier of evidence concerning threats made by NHS management. The examples cited include:

 a GP consultant at Chase Farm hospital in London being instructed to leave work after voicing concerns;

 an intensive care specialist called into a meeting with managers and being disciplined after raising worries;

 a GP who made an appeal to her community via social media for more supplies of PPE being blocked from making any further appeals by her local Clinical Commissioning Group.

DAUK has repeatedly exposed the desperate plight faced by doctors and nurses. On April 1, in an article based on its own interviews and the DAUK, the Guardian noted that NHS staff were making improvised masks out of snorkels, buying protective kit from hardware stores and using school science goggles to protect themselves. One consultant anaesthetist working in south-east England reported buying 60 snorkels to adapt into respirator masks.

Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of DAUK, said, Many doctors have told us they have also had to buy their own respirator masks from hardware stores, while others have reached out to schools and laboratories for protective glasses. Some have approached 3D printing companies to have batches of visors made.

Less than a week later, Batt-Rawden reported doctors being bullied and shamed, explaining, Lack of personal protective equipment continues to be a critical issue. It is heartbreaking to hear that some staff have been told to simply hold their breath due to lack of masks.  Doctors are dying. Nurses are dying. We are devastated, and can no longer stand by and watch as more dedicated colleagues lose their life.

The threats to health workers have been particularly directed at any use of social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Accident & Emergency staff at Southend hospital were warned via a memo on March 26 that they could face disciplinary action if they aired their concerns about PPE publicly on social media.

Medics subsequently warned that they would be forced to reduce treatment to coronavirus patients to a bare minimum by April 1 unless the availability of PPE improved. In letter sent to CEO Clare Panniker, they report that PPE is being rationed, that there is limited stock and what is available is being locked away from staff and not accessible and staff are petrified over the working conditions.

To date, the figures of COVID-19-related deaths in the UK do not specify the number of doctors and nurses who have died as a result of the virus. They also exclude all those who have died outside of hospital. This methodology results in an underestimation of the real numbers of lives claimed by the disease, an issue which has not been contested within the mainstream media.

But the lives of at least 13 doctors and nurses have been taken by COVID-19 in the UK. The youngest, John Alagos, was just 23, a nurse at Watford General Hospital. He collapsed and died after completing a 12-hour shift where he was treating COVID-19 patients. His mother, Gina Gustilo, told the Telegraph that he had become ill during the shift but was not allowed to go home because of staff shortages. She also said that her son had not been wearing the right PPE.

These outrages and the threats levelled against health workers exposing them are the inevitable result of government dissembling, abetted by the mainstream media, which is aimed at concealing the impact of official criminal negligence.

Ever since the Johnson government belatedly announced its guidelines for social distancing, the media spotlight has focused almost exclusively on berating sections of the general public for their failure to comply, which is identified as the sole threat of the NHS being overwhelmed by the virus.

This is propaganda on a truly Orwellian scale. The British ruling class is well aware of the fact that the NHS is one of the few institutions in the country which commands popular respect, because it is identified with the principle that access to health and the preservation of life should not be determined by ability to pay. But its attempts to use the NHS as a fig leaf for its calls for national unity and shared sacrifice are deeply cynical. Both Labour and Conservative governments have worked to dismantle the NHS.

The impact of cuts and privatisation on critical infrastructure has been compounded by the Johnson governments herd immunity policy, which declared that it was neither possible nor desirable to contain the virus. Even now, the governments social distancing policy has exempted corporations performing supposedly non-essential work and failing to ensure safety practices and those that are considered essential but have failed to take adequate steps to protect their workforce.

The idea that the NHS stands above politics or the class divisions wracking society is being completely refuted. NHS staff are being exposed to unnecessary levels of risk and forced to work in conditions where their lives could be taken as a result. This was evidenced by the recent announcement by leading UK specialist, Farewill, that it was offering free wills to NHS staff after it reported receiving a 12-fold increase in enquiries from NHS staff over the last few weeks. NHS workers are fully aware of the risks they face, given that fatalities among doctors and nurses in Italy, one of the initial epicentres of the virus, has surpassed 100.
Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmar Rights Groups Urge Release of Low-Risk Prisoners Amid Outbreak Fears

The central prison in Mandalay / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAYRights groups in Myanmar have called for the release of prisoners who pose a low risk to public safety as fears grow of possible COVID-19 outbreaks in the countrys overcrowded prisons. The calls come as the number of fatalities from the disease rose to three on Wednesday with 22 total infections.

In a statement, more than 40 rights groups urged prison authorities and the government to adopt immediate additional measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in prisons and labor camps across the country. Among the groups signing the statement were the Drug Policy Advocacy Group, the Metta Development Foundation, Paung Gu, the Transnational Institute and Medecins Du Monde. Among other steps, they called for the release of low-risk offenders to reduce overcrowding.

We call upon the Myanmar government and relevant departments and authorities to adopt immediate additional measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in the countrys prisons, including the release of all prisoners with underlying medical conditions as well as those detained for non-violent offenses, the statement reads.

The statement from local rights groups follows calls for the release of prisoners across Myanmar made earlier this month by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The countrys 46 prisons and 50 labor camps have a maximum capacity of slightly more than 66,000 inmates. However, all of the facilities are currently overcrowded, housing nearly 100,000 prisoners and detainees, according to HRW.

Yangons Insein Prison has capacity for about 3,000 inmates but currently houses more than 10,000. Mandalays Obo Prison houses more than 8,000 prisoners and detaineesabout four times the number it was designed to hold.

Citing the high risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons, the groups said prisoners who represent a low risk to public safetysuch as those above the age of 50 or under 18, and those suffering from TB, HIV, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseasesshould be released from all prisons, including labor camps, as a matter of priority. They also called for the release of people in pretrial detention, those detained for bailable offenses and those convicted of nonviolent crimes.

Successive governments have made extensive use of presidential pardons. Under the current circumstances, the traditional New Year amnesty is, more than ever, crucially important. The risks of COVID-19 outbreaks in Myanmar prisons are real, the statement adds.

The groups warned that the potential for outbreaks of COVID-19 could become a source of tension and unrest in prisons, as the pandemic threatens not only inmates, but also prison staff, their families and the local communities.

Potential outbreaks of COVID-19 in Myanmar prisons directly threaten the health of thousands of inmates, prison personnel and their respective families. These could also result in deadly spillover of the virus into neighboring communities. Moreover, the greater vulnerability of prisoners to infection could rapidly lead to mounting tensions, unrest and security concerns within prisons, the group warned.

Lawyer U Thein Than Oo, a rights activist and ex-political prisoner, agreed with the groups call, saying inmates incarcerated in overcrowded prisons across the country are most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.

If just one positive case was found in a prison, the outbreak would be uncontrollable. All institutions, including the government and the military, must think about this and should release as many prisoners as possible, as quickly as possible, he said.

The lawyer said the government and all relevant authorities and institutions should cooperate on implementing an amnesty of prisoners in order to prevent unrest and outbreaks inside prisons.

Normally, the government releases prisoners on Burmese New Years Day, especially those who have almost finished serving their prison terms or who have just a few months left. However, in this time of crisis, there could be unrest in the prisons, as those left behind will grow dissatisfied, explained the lawyer.

In my opinion, the government must cooperate with all relevant institutions to release all prisoners who do not pose a threat to public safety and all those in detention whose trials are ongoing, he added.

The AAPP said prisons across the country are so overcrowded that the immediate release of inmates who pose a low risk to public safety is needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Prisoners who were sentenced for prostitution or drug abuse, prisoners who are sick, and prisoners who have served about half their sentences should be reviewed and released as soon as possible to reduce the prison population, said Ko Bo Kyi of AAPP.

He urged the government to act quickly and include as many low-risk prisoners as possible.

To limit prisoners contact with the outside world, the Prisons Department has reportedly already instructed all prisons to allow only one family member to meet with each prisoner, once every 14 days. Visiting family members must also present health certificates from their respective township health authorities.

Visiting relatives must undergo body temperature screening and all those entering prisons must observe hand-washing regulations before meeting inmates. Disinfectant spraying has been carried out inside prisons across the country, according to an announcement from the Prisons Department in early April.

The departments spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

The rights groups also called on the government to come up with a more comprehensive plan to combat COVID-19 in all detention facilities across the country, including those in conflict areas, and to enhance medical services for prisoners and prison staff.

The rights groups also called on international organizations and medical teams to provide assistance to prisons across the country in the form of medical equipment, medicine, disinfectants, protective equipment and medical care.

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Tabby Granville, left, returned home to husband Kenneth Frazier and 6-year-old son Kadien in Baton Rouge, La., on Tuesday after taking her 79-year-old father to the hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

At first, COVID-19 did not seem to discriminate. The patients who walked into Dr. Uche Blackstock's urgent-care clinics in Brooklyn, N.Y., with coughs and fevers were white, black and brown.

But in the last few weeks, she has witnessed a notable shift: Fewer white people have showed up, while there has been a dramatic uptick in the number of black and brown patients.

Many are lower-income service workers and essential workers  delivery drivers, police officers, subway workers, corrections officers  who do not have the luxury of working from home or retreating to a second home in a less dense community.

People say that COVID-19 is a great equalizer and that everyone's going to be impacted, said Blackstock, chief executive of Advancing Health Equity. But the fact is that certain communities are more harshly impacted than others.

la-na-coronavirus-deaths-african-americans-racial-disparity.png

The available data of the race of coronavirus victims  released by only a handful of states  bear out that observation, revealing a stark disparity between white and black residents.

In Michigan , black people have died at more than eight times the rate of white people. In Illinois, they have died at nearly six times the rate. In Louisiana, the difference is fivefold.

Public health experts said those figures reflected deep-rooted social and economic inequalities.

Not only are black Americans less likely to be insured and able to afford testing, but they are more likely to have underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease that could put them at higher risk for severe illness.

They are 60% more likely than white Americans to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40% more likely to have high blood pressure, according to the U.S. government.

This virus is treading a glide path that unfortunately our society has paved through structural racism and poverty, said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a former director of the Detroit Health Department. It is finding its way into our most vulnerable communities, who in our country tend to be disproportionately black and brown.

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The problem is compounded by the fact that many of the most vulnerable people work in service jobs that increase their risk of being exposed to the virus. Fewer than 20% of black workers are able to work from home compared with about one-third of their white counterparts, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Last week, Jason Hargrove, a 50-year-old bus driver from Detroit, died from complications of COVID-19 just 11 days after he posted a video railing against a woman on his bus who had just coughed four or five times without covering her mouth.

Were out here as public workers, doing our job, trying to make an honest living to take care of our families, he said on the video. But for you to get on the bus, and stand on the bus, and cough several times without covering up your mouth, and you know that were in the middle of a pandemic, that lets me know that some folks dont care.

On Monday, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and hundreds of doctors called on the federal government to begin reporting the racial and ethnic demographic data on COVID-19 immediately.

Systemic racism and bias in the healthcare system have resulted in chronically poor health outcomes for black Americans, Kristen Clarke, the president of the committee, wrote in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These co-morbidities render black Americans more susceptible to severe respiratory complications and death resulting from COVID-19."

The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said at a White House briefing Tuesday that health disparities had always existed for the African American community, but the pandemic was shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is.

"It's not that they're getting infected more often, he said. It's that when they do get infected, their underlying medical conditions ... wind them up in the ICU and ultimately give them a higher death rate."

Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the administration would soon release more demographic data.

Such racial data are needed to improve access to testing and treatment, according to public health experts.

We need to know which communities are going to need more resources so that we can allocate them equitably and mitigate the potential devastation, Blackstock said. What communities are going to need more healthcare workers? Whos going to need more personal protective equipment? Who's going to need more ventilators ? Who's going to need more trained personnel who can work in an ICU setting?

In New York, the discrepancy between rich white and poor black neighborhoods is so stark that Blackstock has closed a clinic in the relatively white, affluent area of Brooklyn Heights so that she can shift staff to clinics dealing with the surge of infected black and brown patients in Prospect Park South and Crown Heights.

Already before the COVID-19 pandemic, these communities were in crisis," she said. "And now we have a crisis within a crisis."

In Chicago, where black people constitute 30% of the city's population but 68% of COVID-19 deaths, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that officials would mount an aggressive public health campaign targeting minority communities.

We cant simply stand by and let this disease wreak havoc in our communities," she said. "Lives are truly at stake.

In Louisiana, Dr. Joseph Kanter, assistant state health officer and medical director for the New Orleans region, said the disproportionate number of African Americans who had been infected and died with COVID-19 was "concerning and disheartening," but "not entirely surprising given the degree of health disparities and inequity we know exist in Louisiana."

Dr. Joshua Denson, an intensivist at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, said he had seen many African American patients with COVID-19 in recent weeks, many with preexisting conditions that made them vulnerable, like obesity and diabetes.

Our first cases were occupations that had a lot of exposure, he said. Whether Uber driver or bus drivers, service workers, teachers.

We have to look into the data and see what could potentially explain this, he added. New Orleans is a city thats known to have a lot of health disparities.

Some black residents say that the problems are further exacerbated by members of the community who resist calls to social distance and refuse to wear masks.

In Baton Rouges Uptown neighborhood, James Harris, a 63-year-old mechanic, has been quaranting at home  wearing a mask when he goes out to Walmart and not giving friends rides in his car.

But even after a neighbor died on March 24, he said, many of his neighbors were not taking precautions.

Theyre not worried about the virus, he said.

In the mid-city subdivision of Timberwoods, Tabby Granville said she did everything she could to keep her 79-year-old father, Felix Phillips, out of the hospital after he started feeling sick.

But on Tuesday, the family decided it had no choice but to take him to the hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19. By that night, doctors were deciding whether to put him on a ventilator.

Phillips didnt have any underlying conditions and still worked as a janitor at a nursing home, where his daughter suspects he caught the virus.

Granville, 44, worried whether she or her husband, Kenneth Frazier, who both have a history of diabetes, had been exposed to the virus.

On Tuesday evening, Frazier was called back to his job as a scaffolder at a chemical plant.

He decided to tell his boss he was not ready to come back in.

Jarvie reported from Atlanta and Hennessy-Fiske from New Orleans.
A garda investigation is underway after a man was stabbed in Cork city last night.

The man, in his early 20s, is believed to have suffered a number of stab wounds following an incident in the Pearse Square area of Ballyphehane, on the city's southside at around 9.30pm.

It's understood the incident occurred following an altercation involving a number of people outside a local shop, a number of whom were armed with what is believed to be knives and bats.

Gardai and HSE paramedics were alerted and were on the scene quickly.

The victim was treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where his condition was described as stable.

Officers said they are investigating a serious assault incident and have not yet made any arrests.

Gardai have sealed off the area for a technical and forensic examination and they have spoken to several people who were in the area at the time.

It is also hoped the CCTV from businesses in the area will shed light on what happened.

Gardai at Togher Garda Station are investigating and have appealed for witnesses to contact them.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  There are now 25 policemen who have contracted COVID-19, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Archie Gamboa told CNN Philippines on Wednesday.

Gamboa said among those infected, two have already died while two have recovered, adding that they are waiting for the test results of four more who have appeared to have gotten well from the viral disease.

In response, Gamboa said they have segregated personnel based in their headquarters in Camp Crame according to their rapid COVID-19 test results.

Hindi naman kami robot at nai-infect naman kami. We require a certain strength who can actually go on quarantine, then after that ire-replace nila yung hindi pa naka-quarantine, Gamboa said.

[Translation: We are not robots and we get infected too. We require a certain strength who can actually go on quarantine, then after that they will get replaced by those who have not been quarantined.]

Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the police force, Gamboa said no regional police office has requested for augmentation of forces.

He also assured that policemen who are deployed to man checkpoints while Luzon is on an enhanced community quarantine have personal protective equipment.

The Health Department confirmed 106 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the country total to 3,870.

Twelve more people have been cleared of coronavirus infection in the country, bringing the total number of recoveries to 96 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Health Department also reported that the nationwide death toll is now at 182, after five more patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease.

The figure is relatively lower than previous daily reports, as the DOH confirms a surge in new infections amid efforts to expand coronavirus testing. The highest number confirmed in a day was 538 last week. On Tuesday, the DOH confirmed 104 new infections.

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.
For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

Are masks effective controlling the spread of COVID-19? San Francisco's response to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, when the city government mandated that everyone wear masks, offers some clues.

The deadly Spanish flu killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people around the world. In San Francisco, influenza would infect over 45,000 people and cause the death of over 3,000 between Fall 1918 and Winter 1919.

Initially San Francisco, was slow to combat the virus.

The first reported case was on Sept. 24, 1918 when Edward Wagner fell ill after returning from Chicago. Dr. William C. Hassler, San Francisco's top health official, told the Examiner there was no cause for public worry after Wagner was quarantined.

But new cases continued to pop up. By Oct. 19, San Francisco had 3,733 infected people and 70 deaths.

ALSO: Social distancing is working. Here's why California's coronavirus peak is still projected for May.

Taking drastic action to slow the spread of influenza, Hassler ordered all amusement parks, theaters, movie houses, churches and prize-fight arenas closed, and all indoor meetings were prohibited. Public and private schools shuttered.

But the silver bullet in Hassler's holster was masks. He felt it was the most effective medium to mitigate the spread of influenza. If universally worn, Hassler told the Chronicle, the spread of the virus would be under control in a week.

So the Board of Health passed a resolution requiring all employees serving the public to wear gauze masks. Face masks were to be five-by-seven inches wide and made of four layers of fine gauze with string fasteners sewed to the four corners. The upper pair should tie around the back of the head, the lower pair around the neck. The board also urged the public to wear a gauze mask or chiffon veils.

The Red Cross stepped in to provide masks. They set up booths to sell masks to the public for 10 cents each. The Chronicle reported that Levis Straus and Company would manufacture masks, and provide one for every citizen of San Francisco, if needed.

Gauze masks were intended to be worn outside during the day. At night the health board instructed reusable masks be dipped in alcohol or boiled for five minutes and hung up to dry to be ready to use the next day.

The Red Cross placed an advertisement in the Chronicle urging the public: "WEAR A MASK and Save Your Life!" In the social pressure message of the day the ad continued: "Doctors wear them, Those who do not wear them will get sick. The man or woman or child who will not wear a mask is now is a dangerous slacker."

Chronicle Archive

The Chronicle reported the Red Cross distributed 5,000 masks by noon. A second delivery of 10,000 masks in the afternoon sold out within a matter of hours. Overwhelmed by the response, the Red Cross asked women to make their influenza masks at home. "As the fullest resources of the Red Cross are inadequate to supply the demand for masks, it is the duty of every woman to provide her family with them," their statement read.

As the death count continued to mount steadily, the Board of Supervisors passes a resolution on Oct. 24 that wearing of mask in San Francisco was compulsory during the epidemic. City officials declared the penalty would be fines and the possibility of imprisonment.

In one day in October, 100 people in San Francisco were arrested for disobeying the mask order. "When the maskless ones found that the police meant business all manner of excuse were advanced for not wearing masks, the favorite excuse being that the mask had just been removed to permit of smoking," The Chronicle reported.

At the end of October, a full-page headline on the Chronicle lauded the mask order stating, "INFLUENZA MASKS PLAY BIG PART IN CURBING EPIDEMIC."

Chronicle Archive

In early November new cases of Spanish influenza started to decrease slowly. City officials reported only 552 new cases on Nov. 2, with deaths below 100. Within a week, those numbers had fallen by half.

With new cases quickly dropping, Hassler declared the mask order a success while asking the public to remain vigilant. "The bars are not to be lowered an inch until this thing is stamped out. I believe San Francisco will be wearing masks for two months," he added. The health official credited the covers for preventing 20,000 cases of illness and 1,500 deaths in San Francisco.

By mid-November, with only a handful of new cases, restrictions on public gatherings ended and life in the city slowly began to return to normal. Hassler's two-month prediction did not come to pass, and the order to wear masks rescinded to take effect on Nov 21. That day at noon, sirens shrieked across the city  the signal for people to throw away their masks.

Minutes after the clock struck noon, the vast majority of people had taken off their masks, "laughing back at the sunlight and into one another's faces as if they had just made a great and delightful discovery," the Examiner reported.

A few were reluctant to take off their coverings, including a man working on Market Street. The Chronicle noted a dozen boys followed him shouting in a chorus, "Take off your mask." He refused their invitation.

After the mask rule was relaxed, the city was not entirely out of the woods.

MORE: How a quarantine saved everyone on Yerba Buena Island during the 1918 flu pandemic

An uptick of new flu cases in December prompted the mayor to ask, but not order, residents to don masks. He did not close businesses or prohibited social gatherings. Cases dropped once again, and people once again took off their masks.

In early 1919 new infections once again spiked. On Jan. 10, the health board reported 612 new influenza cases and 37 deaths, which led to Hassler to ask for reinstatement of the mask order.

Many San Franciscans were growing frustrated by the repeated calls to re-mask by government officials. Several people complained loudly against the order to mask at the Board of Supervisors meeting considering the issue. One man wrote the mayor complaining that San Francisco was the only city to compel residents to wear masks. "If Dr. Hassler feels inclined to wear a mask, let him do so, and as far as I am concerned, I hope he will have to wear one for the next five years," he wrote.

Despite their pleas, the board once again ordered the public to wear masks. However, many people fed up with wearing masks organized an "Anti-Mask League." They declared the mask order "contrary to the desires of the majority of the people," according to the Examiner. The organization asked for the law to be stricken from the books.

Hassler was against rescinding the mask order, believing it saved hundreds of lives. But public sentiment had turned against him.

With few new influenza cases, Hassler finally dropped his opposition, and anti-maskers got their wish. On Feb. 1, Mayor James Rolph, with the backing of the Health Board, declared the epidemic over and "the necessity for the wearing of the mask to have ceased."

Were masks useful saving lives in San Francisco during the pandemic?

In 2007 a study by the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. found that the measures the city put in place, including face masks, to respond to the Spanish Flu reduced the mortality rate by at least twenty-five percent.

Inspired by San Francisco, a ship captain ordered all passengers wear masks from a trip from New York to England and there were no influenza infections on the journey.

However, according to a 2011 study from the National Institutes of Health, San Francisco's per-capita death toll ranked the 13th-highest of 66 large U.S. cities. The rate was significantly above the death rate of neighboring Oakland.

Another NIH study concluded the best, most effective way to limit deaths during a viral outbreak depends on a city quickly enforcing multiple social containment measures to contain an outbreak. "A primary lesson of the 1918 influenza pandemic is that it is critical to intervene early," explained Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and a prominent member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

In other words, a combination of factors (wearing masks, banning public gatherings, and enforcing social distancing) were likely responsible for ultimately taming the spread of influenza infections in San Francisco.

Online Photo Editor Douglas Zimmerman oversees SFGATE's Instagram and covers the Bay Area soccer scene on SFGATE's Beautiful Blog. View his latest stories and send him news tips at dzimmerman@sfgate.com.
Dr. Elizabeth Agyare

08.04.2020 LISTEN

Cape Coast, 8th April 2020. - The Infectious Disease Specialist at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) Dr. Elizabeth Agyare has advised Ghanaians not to be scared of the coronavirus pandemic but rather should be careful with themselves.

She said all we have to do is to be very cautious and adhere to all the necessary protocols but not to be afraid to the extent that we cannot go about our normal duties. In explaining further, she was quick to add that "if you're an individual who likes buying things from the market daily, then you need to learn how to buy things in bulk and reduce the number of times you visit the market". "If you've nothing important to do in town, stay home".

When asked what are the common signs of COVID-19, she said common colds, running nose, fever, high temperature plus others are a few of them.

Dr. Agyare was speaking to Ben Nartey, host of Central Morning Show on GBC Radio Central today, Wednesday 8th April 2020.

Advising all Ghanaians, she said it would be expedient for everyone to do regular check-ups. "If you're between 35 and 40 years and have done check-ups and all is well, then you can repeat every 2 years but if there is a problem, then you can arrange with your doctor as to what to do".

In answering a question about Cerebrospinal Meningitis, she said that is even more deadly than COVID-19. CSM kills about 40% of patients while COVID-19 does about 3%. She rather added coronavirus has taken our attention so much that we're not focusing much on CSM. "I fear CSM than coronavirus".

In concluding her discussion, she advocated for assistance for CCTH and said that the campaign being waged by GBC Radio Central for assistance to CCTH has yielded a lot of positive results with the MP for Cape Coast North Barbara Asher Ayisi donating some items to them and Coastal TV providing them with one hot lunch everyday. "We need more support and that serves as a good motivation for us".
The fire that gutted a flank of the Treasury House, office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, was caused by an electric spark at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, says.

Mr Agba spoke with journalists after the fire was put out. He said the fire started in an office on the third floor of the building.

He further explained that the fire occurred after an officer came to the office. He said he put on the air conditioner and there was a spark and immediately he put it off.

Earlier, the Federal Fire Service announced in a tweet that its team had put out the fire, with combined efforts from sister-agencies.

This was buttressed by Mr Agba who said the fire service initially had difficulty getting into the building, but after about 35 minutes the fire was contained.

They got inside and fought the fire. Five fire trucks were used within 35 minutes, he said.

Already, there are subtle innuendos on social media that the fire was staged to excuse the government of accounting for funds meant to fight COVID-19 in the country.

But Mr Agba brushed this aside, saying that not only is its data intact, its operations are largely digital.

We have gone round the offices that were affected, our data centre where all our records are fully intact. There is no disruption. For a while now we have gone digital, the minister added, a mask strapped around his mouth, himself and his audience violating the physical distancing directive.

Even if the data centre were to be affected, we have a backup centre that is outside Abuja, in the event we experience loss of any data.

The only thing that happened to the data centre is the cooling unit which is in the exterior at the back. The cooling unit will be put in order, he noted, saying that the unit has been closed temporarily.

Meanwhile the FCT police commissioner, Bala Ciroma, who also briefed journalists at the scene of the incident, said an investigation into the cause of the fire had commenced.

The minister alluded to this, too. He said while a few documents were burnt, the extent of the damages is yet to be ascertained.
April 8 (Reuters) - Air Canada said on Wednesday it intends to adopt the government's wage subsidy for its 36,000 Canada-based workforce, in a bid to keep its employees on payroll as the carrier wrestles with the coronavirus fallout.

The Canadian government had recently announced the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to reimburse employers suffering revenue declines exceeding 30%.

The CEWS aims to help employers keep and return Canadian-based employees to payrolls for a period between March 15 to June 6, in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian carrier now expects its cost reduction and capital deferral program to be at least $750 million for the year, up from its previous target of $500 million.

"Depending on wage levels, many furloughed employees will get a somewhat higher amount under CEWS," Chief Executive Officer Calin Rovinescu said.

Major airlines across the world have announced layoffs, wage cuts and unpaid leave for staff amid the pandemic which has dried demand and brought travel to a virtual halt.

Air Canada had said in March it would cut second-quarter capacity by 85%-90%, place about 15,200 unionized employees off duty and furlough about 1,300 managers, beginning on or about April 3. (Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Two new positive coronavirus cases were recorded Wednesday in Midland County, bringing its total to 24 cases and one death, according to the state report released Wednesday afternoon.

Bay County added eight cases for a total of 39, with Saginaw County adding 33 cases and three more deaths for a total of 186 cases and six deaths. Isabella County and Gladwin County had no new cases and remained at 22 (two deaths) and four cases (no deaths), respectively.

The state recorded 1,376 cases and 114 deaths Wednesday, bringing its total to 20,346 cases and 959 deaths.

To date as of Wednesday, April 8, MidMichigan Health has completed a total of 1,039 tests, according to information received from the hospital. Of those, 883 were negative, 46 positive and 110 are pending. The health system covers a 23-county region with medical centers in Midland, Alpena, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Mount Pleasant and West Branch.

The state is reporting, as of Tuesday, April 7, a total of 43,503 specimens have been tested, and that includes those that were negative, positive and inconclusive.

Counts represent the total specimens tested, not total patients tested, according to mich.gov, the state website where daily updates are reported. A patient can have more than one specimen tested, therefore the number of specimens tested may be more than the number of patients tested.

The specimens are tested by commercial, hospital and public health labs, with hospital testings accounting for 30,506 of those tests.

Of the 43,503 specimens tested, 31,362 were negative, and 12,021 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, 9%, 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 11% of the cases, with people ages 60-69, 19%; people 40-49, 5%; people 70-79, 27%; people 30 to 39, 2%; people 20 to 29, 1%; people 80-plus, 34%, and people 0-19, 0%.

The state lists the majority of races in positive cases as 33% Black/African American; 23% Caucasian and 37% unknown, and the top three races in deaths as 40% Black/African American; 29% Caucasian and 25% unknown

The positive cases involve male and female equally, with 46% men, 51% women and 3% unknown.

State statistics show 58% of coronavirus deaths are male and 42% are female. Those who have died range in age from 20 to 107, with the average age 72.2.

We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Public Health director/health officer. "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."

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.

If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If he/she isn't available call MidMichigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989- 633-1350 or MidMichigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100.

MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also send an e-mail to: COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to Community Mental Health for Central Michigan by calling 800-317-0708.
A cyclist was fined $1,652 fine for breaching coronavirus laws after being stopped by police while driving to a mountain bike trial.

Pat Riordan, 34, thought he was complying with the social distancing measures when he left his home in Bonbeach, in Melbourne's south-east, on Sunday to go mountain biking alone.

Under the restrictions introduced on March 31 to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, residents are only allowed to leave their houses for essential reasons, including exercise and work.

No more than two people can gather together outside under the rules.

Mr Riordan was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over.

He was stunned when he was slugged with the $1,652 fine for unnecessary travel.

Scroll down for video

A Melbourne man was hit with a $1,652 fine for breaching coronavirus regulations after he was stopped by police while driving to go mountain biking (stock image)

Pat Riordan, 34, was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over (Pictured: The infringement notice)

'I had my bike in the back of my car. I was on my own. I was just headed off to the trail to have a ride and do some exercise,' he told The Age.

'The policeman said it was a routine stop and asked what I was doing today. My answer was ''I'm going mountain biking alone''. I didn't think I was in the wrong at all.

'The police officer said you shouldn't be leaving your home unless it's for work. If you want to exercise you should do a run around your local area.'

He said he felt he was caught out by vague guidelines and should've been issued a warning, instead of a fine.

Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend

The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules (pictured: Ms Reynolds with her mother, Sharee)

Chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton tried to clear up the confusion by tweeting: 'Yes, you can drive directly to a place of exercise if there's nothing adjacent to your home'.

The infringement comes amid confusing enforcement of coronavirus restrictions around the country, which have seen thousands of beachgoers allowed to break social distancing rules while others have been penalised for taking a breather on a park bench while staying more than 1.5 metres apart.

Hunter Reynolds, 17, was slapped with a $1,652 fine for unnecessary travel on Sunday too.

She had been learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother, Sharee, as the passenger, when she was pulled over by police.

She was slapped with a huge fine but after publicly sharing their story, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine

The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria.

The teenager was issued with a $1652 on-the-spot fine for breaching the stage three restrictions relating to COVID-19.

She had planned to fight the fine in court, however, after sharing her story publicly, the police hierarchy reviewed the fine.

Since last Monday, residents in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT have been banned from leaving home except for food and supplies, medical care, exercise, and work or education.
Authorities in Kargil district of Ladakh on Wednesday appealed to religious heads and people not to hold any gatherings on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat and remain indoors in view of the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of forgiveness, will be observed on April 8-9. Members of the Muslim community usually hold night-long prayers at places of worship and also visit graveyards to seek forgiveness for their departed loved ones.

District Magistrate, Kargil, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary urged people "to commemorate Shab-e-Barat at their homes and avoid social gatherings for their own safety and the safety of others".

He appealed to religious heads and people to follow the directions and guidelines issued by the health department, adding that social distancing should be followed.

Choudhary also asked people to pray for the safety and well-being of the humankind.

Meanwhile, an official spokesperson said 91,906 people are being given 15 kgs free rice for the months of April, May and June at the scale of five kgs per person per month under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) in Kargil district.

The process of distribution started on Wednesday with the distribution of 124 quintals of rice to 557 priority households (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households in four villages in the district spread over Drass, Bhimbhat and Padum Zanskar blocks, he said.

In a related development, Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan convened a meeting to review the supply and distribution of ration and other essential commodities in all parts of the district amid the lockdown.

Door-to-door delivery of ration, LPG cylinders and kerosene oil distributed among consumers till date and distribution of ration among beneficiaries under the PMGKY were discussed during the meeting, the spokesperson said.

The distribution of vegetables and other essential commodities among people in different zones as well as the transportation of essential commodities to the district from Jammu through the Zojila Pass were also discussed, he said.

According to the spokesperson, the administration has delivered 5,620 quintals rice, 4,862 quintals wheat flour, 2,788 LPG cylinders and 33,460 litres kerosene oil to 20,300 households in 180 villages in 12 blocks of the district.

India has been under a lockdown since March 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sydneys public transport patronage has fallen by about three-quarters amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the fewest number of people using the network in almost a century.

About 51 million fewer trips were taken on Sydney's rail, bus and ferry network last month compared to March 2019, as cities across Australia shut down and unemployment rose.

The last time so few people were travelling on the citys rail network was the 1920s, said University of Technology Sydney transport expert Mathew Hounsell.

Transport is a derived need. Road and rail usage drop dramatically during recessions, he said.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with snow showers developing during the afternoon. High 2F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers mainly during the evening. Low 2F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Jean Ann Grafenberg, 72, formerly of Winona passed away peacefully in her sleep at home Saturday, March 14, 2020.

Jean was born Nov. 14, 1947, in Postville, Iowa, to Lawrence and Ida Baade. She was raised in Luana, Iowa, and spent her entire childhood in a farmhouse across the street from her original church, St. Johns Lutheran. She graduated from Monona-Farmersburg-Luana (M-F-L) High School in 1966 and received an associates degree from Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. in 1968.

She met her future husband, Paul Grafenberg, while he was in Veterinary School at Iowa State University and the two were married in her childhood church in Luana, Aug. 29, 1970. The two lived in Ames, Iowa, while Paul finished veterinary school and moved to Winona, in 1972, when Paul accepted a job at the Winona Veterinary Clinic. Paul and Jean had two children, Matthew Ryan and Megan Leigh. Jean raised her children in Winona and made many close friends during her time there.

She and Paul divorced in 1998 and Jean started the second phase of her life in Branson, Mo., at that time. Jean had a passion for country music, which was a huge influence on her decision to move to Branson. She worked in several music theatres as well as the visitors center in Branson. She loved attending music shows and going out for lunch and dinner with her friends. She even found a partner later in life, Tom Brown, and the two resided in Branson together until her death.

She enjoyed keeping up with her grandkids, Ryan, Maggie, Mollie, Addison and Sydney. Even though her son and his family resided in North Carolina and her daughter and her family in California, she kept up with them on Facebook. She loved to watch videos of Ryan playing the piano and guitar, Maggie dance, Mollie compete in gymnastics, Addison overcome unfathomable physical hurdles and Sydney just being a kid. She was able to visit Matt and his family in North Carolina, this past year for Thanksgiving and Megan and her family for Christmas. Jean had a strong Christian faith and we are sure that she is ecstatic to be reunited with her parents in heaven. Our hearts hurt and life will never be like it was, but we take solace in the fact that her broken body has once again been made whole.

Jean is survived by her ex-husband, Paul Grafenberg, of Winona; her son, Matt (Gina) Grafenberg, Pinehurst, N.C.; her daughter, Megan (Craig) van Rooyen, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; five grandchildren, Ryan, Maggie and Mollie Grafenberg and Addison and Sydney van Rooyen; along with all her friends and cousins. Special friends include Cindy Pickering and Cindy Kendall.

Memorial services will be planned in the near future for both Branson, as well as in her hometown. Jean desired that her remains be cremated and she will be laid to rest next to her parents, in Luana. Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Cremations of the Ozarks. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.cremationsoftheozarks.com.
As mayors, nurses and doctors across South Dakota urged Gov. Kristi Noem to take action to restrict daily activity, the Republican governor on April 6 dialed up the pressure on businesses and people to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but also doubled-down on allowing businesses to stay open.

Noem has stuck to an approach that errs on the side of limited government action, even as shes received letters and petitions asking for more action. On Monday she budged a little  issuing two executive orders that more forcefully tell businesses to limit group gatherings to 10 or fewer and urge people in the hardest-hit area of the state to stay home for the next three weeks if they are over 65 or have chronic health conditions. That order only applies to Minnehaha or Lincoln counties, where infections are spreading.

Noem also announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the year.

When Noem was asked what consequences there would be for people that dont follow her orders, she did not go into specifics.

During her daily briefing, Noem focused attention on the global pandemics ripple effects, having members of her cabinet address issues like mental health, massive layoffs and a drop in tourism revenue.

Its all hands on deck to get through this, Noem said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.

State health officials earlier in the day reported the highest day-to-day jump in confirmed coronavirus cases as 48 more people tested positive for the disease, bringing the states tally to 288. Health officials reported two more people in the state have died, bringing the total to four.

Noem has pointed to the relatively low number of people who have tested positive as evidence her approach is working, saying that the states rural geography justifies a different approach than the countrys major cities.

But as the number of cases continues to climb, more South Dakotans are expressing frustration with Noems limited action.

More than 160 city and county officials signed onto a letter from the South Dakota Municipal League urging the governor to have the Department of Health declare a public health emergency. The letter argues that declaring a public health emergency would allow them to take more action like ordering non-essential businesses to close.

Noem said she reviewed the letter but did not commit to any action.

Many cities have already ordered businesses to close. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken took the step of issuing a safer-at-home proclamation on Monday. The mayor said the proclamation is not legally enforceable, but hoped the recommendations would cut unnecessary group gatherings.

Noem is also receiving backlash from people online. A change.org petition asking the governor to issue a stay-at-home order has gained more than 25,000 signatures since it was started on Wednesday.

Amy Taylor, the Sioux Falls nurse who started the petition, said, My fear is that were going to wait until its too late.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics South Dakota
New Delhi: The Income Tax Department on Wednesday (April 8) decided to release all pending income tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh immediately, said a government statement issued by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. The move will benefit around 14 lakh taxpayers amid 21-day nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The government will also issue pending GST and customs refunds of Rs 18,000 crore to provide relief to business entities.

The statement said, "In the context of the COVID-19 situation and with a view to providing immediate relief to the business entities and individuals, it has been decided to issue all the pending income-tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh, immediately. This would benefit around 14 lakh taxpayers."

"It has also been decided to issue all pending GST and Custom refunds which would provide benefit to around 1 lakh business entities, including MSME. Thus, the total refund granted will be approximately Rs 18,000 crore," it added.

The number of fresh cases linked to COVID-19 has risen to 5,194 and the death toll stands at 149, said Health and Family Welfare Ministry today.

The Centre has also directed states to continue its focus on building hospitals and on surveillance and contact tracing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held an hour-long meeting via video conferencing with Parliament floor leaders of all major political parties over the lockdown situation in the country.

PM Modi hinted that the lockdown may be extended beyond April 14 as almost everyone present in the meeting advocated for the restrictions to continue as of now.
Back in January, before COVID-19 bolted the doors to my public library, I entered the vestibule and saw that the tiny used bookstore located there, the proceeds from which help support the library, sported a cart in the hallway containing volumes from the classic War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, with a sign reading Make An Offer. Stunned that the library was discarding this magnificent 128-volume resource, and certain that the librarian I knew at a small nearby college would love to own these books, I stepped into the store and offered the volunteer behind the desk a low-ball price of $60. We cant do that, she said. Weve been selling the books for $4 to $5 apiece.

Her answer shocked me. Not only was the library selling off a seminal historical work, but the volunteers in the bookshop were letting it go piecemeal, one or two books at a time.

The library had once kept War of the Rebellion in its Virginia Room, so I went there and mourned the empty shelves. Did the librarians get rid of the set because they needed the space? Possibly. Did they let it go because no one was reading these books? Possibly.

Did they make a mistake? Definitely.

Discarding the Past

As a former bookseller and a lover of history, I believe those books should have been sold as a setnot for the price I was offering, which was ridiculously low, but for hundreds of dollars to a history buff or to another library.

Much more importantly, I believe the library should never have sold the War of the Rebellion at all.

On a much smaller scale, the careless discarding and breakup of that monumental collection is like knocking down the Lincoln Memorial and selling it off in pieces. During the Civil War, the capital of the Confederacy was in Richmond, many of the Souths greatest military leaders were Virginians, and the state saw more major battles fought within its borders than any other. If nothing else, the library should have kept War of the Rebellion as a monument commemorating the states history.

Are we to forget or pretend the Civil War never happened? A Harpers Weekly newspaper features the famous Bayonet Charge by Winslow Homer. (Public Domain)

Rewriting the Past

The library was guilty of negligence in shedding itself of these volumes, but others today often seek to reevaluate our history and civilization in the light of their own prejudices. In Americas Big Museums on the Hot Seat, which appeared in The New York Times in mid-March, Holland Carter calls on art museums to use the closures brought by the pandemic to take stock of themselves, and for us to acknowledge their virtues but also to consider the present turbulent state of the art institutional soul.

Though many readers of Carters piece, including me, were probably unaware that museums and their institutional souls were in a turbulent state, Carter offers several recommendations to museums during this shutdown:

In 2020, after the decades-long surge of identity politics, with its demands for inclusiveness and historical truth-telling, the traditional museum is on the hot seat. And a political present charged with racial bias, misogyny and economic inequality, has upped the heat. The result is a new institutional self-consciousness. Our big museums are feeling compelled to acknowledge that they are products of an earlier, ideologically fraught time. To retain credibility they need to rethink what they were and are.

They need to rethink the Temple of Beauty branding theyve coasted on from the start. They need to acknowledge the often conflicted relationship between aesthetics and ethics. They need to address what their collections leave out. They need to reconsider their own role as history-tellers and history-inventors. In short, they need to redefine what encyclopedic and museum and art can mean.

In short, lets give our museums a makeover by applying identity politics, judging art and the past through the lens of race, feminism, and gender.

Carter has a five-point plan for art museums in a post-coronavirus future. These are Go for Truth, Rewrite History, Redefine Expert, Rethink Big, and The Answer Is in the Art. His first two points are the ones most likely to confuse his readers. In a culture that worships relativity, promotes narcissism, and spurns the ancient triad of truth, goodness, and beauty, how does one go for truth? As for rewriting history, many in the last 50 years have labored long and hard to do that very thing, most often judging our ancestors not by the times and circumstances in which they lived, but by our own beliefs and prejudices. How much farther down that road must we go?

Planned Ignorance?

In addition to our careless approach to our civilization and the incessant demands by our intelligentsia that we reconstruct our history, we encounter another foe in our culture wars: ignorance.

In his online article How Low Can Higher Education Go? John Ellis has excerpted part of his new book, The Breakdown of Higher Education: How It Happened, The Damage It Does, and What Can Be Done. Ellis scores many points regarding the failures of university education, one of which addresses this cause for the plunge in literacy rates among graduates:

The period from 1992 to 2003 was the crucial time when the politicization of the nations college and university faculties suddenly gained enormous momentum, resulting in an already pronounced tilt to the left, which quickly turned into the virtually one-party campus. Can it really be a coincidence that the literacy of college graduates plunged disastrously at the same time?

In his new book, John Ellis, chairman of the Board of the California Association of Scholars, examines why most college graduates are woefully undereducated.

Ellis is the chairman of the Board of the California Association of Scholars, an organization persuaded that only through an informed understanding of the Western intellectual heritage and of the realities of the contemporary world can citizen and scholar be equipped to sustain our civilizations achievements. He points out that the radical politics of the campus are now wending their way through government and the private sector, infecting everything from state bar associations to journalism, and even art schools, where students learn social justice activism from politically motivated professors rather than the ideals of beauty and the mechanics of drawing and painting.

What Can We Do?

Philosopher Roger Scruton once wrote, Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it did not matter.

A civilization can vanish in the same way. The careless, the malicious, and the ignorantthey are, wittingly or unwittingly, allies in this destruction. They live as though culture did not matter.

We can resist this demolition by turning Scrutons quotation on its head and live as though culture does matter. We can learn and honor our history, study and treasure the arts, and live by the ancient virtues rather than by slippery values. We can educate our children to do the same.

And we have comrades in this fight, warriors like John Ellis, outfits like The Epoch Times, our like-minded friends, and our family. In addition, we have the examples of such men and women as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, George Washington, Emily Dickinson, and a host of others whose bones may now be dust but whose ideas, words, and deeds shine brightly as the stars.

If we stand with this stalwart company, the living and the dead, we can and will preserve our culture.

Portrait of Jane Austen, 1873. (Public domain)

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.
Leonardo DiCaprio worked in the movie Blood Diamond in the year 2006. Though the film received mixed reviews, Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Danny Archer was praised in the movie. The star cast of the movie also included Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen Arnold Vosloo and many more. The film also has some interesting facts that you probably did not know. Take a look at 5 things that you did not know about Blood Diamond:

ALSO READ | Leonardo Di Caprio's Favourite Movies As A Child Were These Classics

5 things you did not know about Leonardo DiCaprio's Blood Diamond

Leonardo DiCaprio's mother worked in the movie

A scene in the movie when Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in South Africa, there are two women standing in front of him. Danny does not pay attention to them. These women are Leonardo DiCaprio's mother and grandmother.

ALSO READ | Leonardo Di Caprio: Here Are The Best Dialogues Of The Hollywood Actor

The cast of the film includes two Oscar winners

Yes, you heard that right. The cast of the film includes Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly who are Oscar winners. Leonardo DiCaprio won the award for Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance in The Revenant. Jennifer Connell received the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in A Beautiful Mind.

ALSO READ | Leonardo Di Caprio: Here Are The Best Movies Of The Birthday Boy

Jennifer Connell's injury

Jennifer Connelly suffered a neck injury during the shoot of the film. The scene was a car chase in Blood Diamond where Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) was chasing some people with Danny Archer. However, she also recovered from it soon.

ALSO READ | Leonardo Di Caprio And Greta Thunberg Join Hands For Climate Change

A dog in the movie was bred in 1800s

A scene where Danny Archer meets with Coetzee (Vosloo) has a dog shown in the scene. That dog is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. The dog was bred in the late 1800s in the Rhodesian territory and today it is largely a part of the country Zimbabwe.

Leonardo DiCaprio role in the movie

Leonardo DiCaprio gained muscle and weight for his role. He trained with former Rhodesian soldiers for his role in the movie. Apart from this, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe were the director's first two choices for the role of Danny Archer in Blood Diamond.

Check out the trailer of the movie

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.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at the Health organisation accusing it for being "China centric" and said he is considering a "very powerful hold" on funding to the global health body, which is leading the world's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're going to put a hold on money to the WHO, we're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see," Trump said at the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.

However, later in the briefing, the US President told media persons "I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but we are going to look at it."

When asked specifically about possible impact a hold on the funding may have on the specialised United Nations agency, Trump said: "I said we're going to look at it. We're going to investigate it, we're going to look at it. But we will look at ending funding."

Trump was critical of the health body stating that it was aware of the dangers of the coronavirus months before it took action.

'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' he said.

Stating that the United States in one of the biggest contributors to the WHO, he said may have to re-examine the funding.

He said, "WHO receives vast amounts of money from the United States"

According to Trump, WHO has had several "worthwhile" programs but overall has made mistakes. He talked specifically about WHO opposition to his decision to temporarily ban travel from China, the epicentre of the virus.

Earlier in the day Trump had taken to Twitter to post: "The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China-centric. We will be giving that a good look".

"Fortunately," Trump wrote, "I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?"

Meanwhile, Trump and Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also talked about a disproportionate impact of coronavirus on the African-American community in the US.

Dr Fauchi, said "We've known, literally forever, that diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and asthma are disproportionally afflicting the minority populations, particularly the African Americans," Fauci said.

"Unfortunately, when you look at the predisposing conditions that lead to a bad outcome with coronavirus, the things that get people into ICUs, that require intubation and often lead to death, they're just those very comorbidities that are unfortunately disproportionately prevalent in the African American population."

President Trump echoed Fauchi's suggestion.

Trump said, "We're actively engaged on the problem of increased impacts -- this is a real problem and it's showing up very strongly in our data -- on the African American community. And we're doing everything in our power to address this challenge. It's a tremendous challenge. It's terrible."

As of March 8, the United States has 387,547 active cases of coronavirus. 12,291 deaths and 20,395 have been recovered as per the Johns Hopkins University data.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Update: Sanders announced hes ended his 2020 presidential bid and congratulated Joe Biden on Wednesday.

* * * * *

Sen. Bernie Sanders is suspending his 2020 presidential campaign, he announced Wednesday morning.

The Vermont senator will make a formal announcement in a livestream beginning at 11:45 a.m. ET, according to a statement from his campaign. The stream will be broadcast at https://live.berniesanders.com/.

BREAKING: Bernie Sanders just announced he's suspending his campaign. pic.twitter.com/uYq40QpLiv  Hunter Walker (@hunterw) April 8, 2020

Sanders said last month he was assessing his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after losses in multiple states, including in South Carolina and the major delegate haul of Florida, to former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders admitted we are losing the debate over electability," but said he wanted to stay in the race at the time to force Biden to confront issues of economic inequality and other issues important to Sanders supporters.

Its unclear if Sanders will endorse Biden.

Biden, a Syracuse University College of Law alumnus, became the Democratic front-runner after decisive wins in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi. As of Wednesday, Biden has 1,217 delegates and needs 774 to secure the nomination; Sanders had 914 delegates.

Many states, including New York, have delayed their primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic, potentially allowing Sanders to stay in the race until late June. The Democratic National Committee delayed its presidential nominating convention until the week of Aug. 17 after prospective nominee Biden said he didnt think it would be possible to hold a normal convention in mid-July due to COVID-19 concerns.
Asian News International

The upper layers in the atmospheres of gas giants  Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune  are hot, just like Earth's. But unlike Earth, the Sun is too far from these outer planets to account for the high temperatures. Their heat source has been one of the great mysteries of planetary science.

A new analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft finds a viable explanation for what's keeping the upper layers of Saturn, and possibly the other gas giants, so hot: auroras at the planet's north and south poles. Electric currents, triggered by interactions between solar winds and charged particles from Saturn's moons, spark the auroras and heat the upper atmosphere.

The recent study which was published in Nature Astronomy is the most complete mapping yet of both temperature and density of a gas giant's upper atmosphere  a region that has, in general, been poorly understood.

By building a complete picture of how heat circulates in the atmosphere, scientists are better able to understand how auroral electric currents heat the upper layers of Saturn's atmosphere and drive winds. The global wind system can distribute this energy, which is initially deposited near the poles, toward the equatorial regions, heating them to twice the temperatures expected from the Sun's heating alone.

"The results are vital to our general understanding of planetary upper atmospheres and are an important part of Cassini's legacy," said author Tommi Koskinen, a member of Cassini's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) team.

"They help address the question of why the uppermost part of the atmosphere is so hot while the rest of the atmosphere  due to the large distance from the Sun  is cold," Koskinen added.

Managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Cassini was an orbiter that observed Saturn for more than 13 years before exhausting its fuel supply. The mission plunged it into the planet's atmosphere in September 2017, in part to protect its moon Enceladus, which Cassini discovered might hold conditions suitable for life. But before its plunge, Cassini performed 22 ultra-close orbits of Saturn, a final tour called the Grand Finale.

It was during the Grand Finale that the key data was collected for the new temperature map of Saturn's atmosphere. For six weeks, Cassini targeted several bright stars in the constellations of Orion and Canis Major as they passed behind Saturn. As the spacecraft observed the stars rise and set behind the giant planet, scientists analyzed how the starlight changed as it passed through the atmosphere.

Measuring the density of the atmosphere gave scientists the information they needed to find the temperatures. (Density decreases with altitude, and the rate of decrease depends on temperature.) They found that temperatures peak near the auroras, indicating that auroral electric currents heat the upper atmosphere.

And both density and temperature measurements together helped scientists figure out wind speeds. Understanding Saturn's upper atmosphere, where planet meets space, is key to understanding space weather, and its impact on other planets in our solar system and exoplanets around other stars.
A new study provides some of the earliest pieces of evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak affected people mentally as well as physically.

The preliminary results reveal adults in locations more affected by COVID-19 had distress, and lower physical and mental health, and life satisfaction.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide, Tongji University and University of Sydney surveyed 369 adults living in 64 cities in China after they had lived under one-month of confinement measures in February this year.

Led by Dr Stephen Zhang from the University of Adelaide, the study identifies adults with existing health conditions and those who stopped working as most at risk of worse mental and physical health.

"As many parts of the world are only just beginning to go into lockdown, we examined the impact of the one-month long lockdown on people's health, distress and life satisfaction," said Dr Zhang.

"The study offers somewhat of a 'crystal ball' into the mental health of Australian residents once they have been in the lockdown for one month."

More than a quarter of the participants worked at the office during the lockdown period while 38 percent worked from home and 25 percent stopped work due to the outbreak.

Published in Psychiatry Research, the study suggests adults living in locations more affected by COVID-19 reported negative life satisfaction only among adults with chronic medical issues but not for those without existing health issues.

Co-author on the study, Professor Andreas Rauch from the University of Sydney said; "We weren't surprised that adults who stopped working reported worse mental and physical health conditions as well as distress. Work can provide people with a sense of purpose and routine, which is particularly important during this global pandemic."

Study participants who exercised for more than 2.5 hours per day reported worse life satisfaction in more affected locations while those who exercised for half an hour or less during the lockdown reported positive life satisfaction.

"We were really surprised by the findings around exercising hours because it appears to be counter-intuitive," said lead author Dr Zhang.

"It's possible adults who exercised less could better justify or rationalise their inactive lifestyles in more severely affected cities. More research is needed but these early findings suggest we need to pay attention to more physically active individuals, who might be more frustrated by the restrictions."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) THIRD GENERATION COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN NICHOLAS HAWORTH SAYING:

"Our business selling to restaurants and wholesalers has basically stopped."

Third generation commercial fisherman Nicholas Haworth, like others in the food industry across the US, must now find new ways to make ends meet.

With restaurants closed and a big catch of fish to sell, his only option is to sell directly to the public.

So he set up at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego, California and started doing door-to-door deliveries of fresh fish.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) THIRD GENERATION COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN NICHOLAS HAWORTH SAYING:

"we've gotten a lot of support from the public and they're able to help us out and, yeah, they've been buying a lot of our fish and we've been giving the public a lot of our fish here."

Last Saturday, Haworth had about 300 people line up to buy fish at his market, standing six feet apart on taped markers.

After selling his initial haul, Haworth has also turned to processing catches from other fishing crews and packaging the fish to sell.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) THIRD GENERATION COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN NICHOLAS HAWORTH SAYING:

"Demand is really high right now. People are buying a lot more fish than they normally would. Normally somebody comes down and gets 2 or 3 pounds. Now they're coming down and getting 10 pounds, 15 pounds, stocking up for their freezers."

With over 90% of the U.S. population under orders to stay home, direct-to-customer sales and delivery are increasingly necessary.

Among a new class of front-line workers delivering food to people's houses is grocery delivery shopper Eric Cohn in Tucson, Arizona.

When the stay at home orders threatened his primary job of restoring homes, he took on a part-time job with the app-based delivery company Instacart.

Although he wears a respirator mask, goggles and gloves - items he used during his restoration job - Cohn said he often feels vulnerable in the supermarket checkout line as other customers get closer to him than the recommended 6 feet.

Story continues

And concerns like those have led many restaurants to forgo delivery and close altogether including the Guatemalan restaurant IX in Brooklyn.

The owners of IX - which opened three years ago, said they decided to close their three restaurants over concerns about staff safety.

Their final food deliveries, they said, were sent to police, doctors and nurses -- free of charge.
The US has hit a new record for the highest number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day, hitting 12,935 deaths by Tuesday evening following a spike of 1,917 fatalities in 24 hours.

The previous record for most new US COVID-19 deaths in a single day was on April 4 with a spike of 1,344 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Across the country there are 402,383 cases of the virus reported as of Tuesday evening.

In the US there's a reported fatality rate of 3.2 percent from the virus. More than 22,000 people have recovered from the respiratory illness.

The US has hit a new record for the highest number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day, with 12,935 deaths by Tuesday evening

Across the country there are 402,383 cases of the virus reported as of Tuesday evening

Figures show the number of fatalities has increased drastically by more than 8,000 in the first week of April compared to the entire month of March when 4,000 deaths were recorded.

The harrowing figures come as health officials warned this week would be one of the hardest for Americans given the death toll is expected to continue to rise in stark numbers.

Data has predicted the peak of the pandemic is still set to hit on April 16 when 3,000 deaths are expected to occur in 24 hours, according to forecasters at the University of Washington's School of Medicine.

Health officials have warned that the death toll from coronavirus is likely much higher than is being reported because there is no national, streamlined way of reporting fatalities amid the pandemic.

The epicenter of the outbreak in the US lies in New York , where 731 new fatalities were reported Tuesday - its biggest one-day jump yet - bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 5,489 deaths.

There are now 139,876 confirmed infections across the state following an increase of 8,046 cases in 24 hours.

New York City's death toll from the coronavirus has increased to more than 3,500, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The deadliest terror attack on American soil killed 2,753 people in the city.

'A lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers,' Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.

He said as alarming as the one-day increase in deaths might sound, Cuomo said that's a 'lagging indicator', reflecting people who had been hospitalized before this week.

Over the past several days, in fact, the number of deaths in New York appeared to be leveling off, Cuomo said.

Cuomo went on to say that the state was seeing some leveling out in the number of hospital patients - a hopeful sign even as deaths there and in neighboring New Jersey hit single-day highs.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said his state recorded 232 coronavirus deaths in the past day, bringing its total death toll to 1,232.

New York, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, California, Florida, Washington and Connecticut are the current hot spots in the country due to rising death tolls and the number of infections. A mobile testing sight in The Villages, Florida pictured above on March 23

Meanwhile, the number of deaths and infections in Michigan has almost trebled in just one week with that state now reporting 845 deaths and 18,970 confirmed cases.

The state has seen its death toll and number of infections triple in the first week of this month alone. A week ago, Michigan had reported 185 deaths and 6,495 new infections.

A recent spike in Michigan's figures means it is the third highest state in the country - behind New York and New Jersey - in term of total deaths and infections as a result of the pandemic.

Pennsylvania, which health officials warned this week was an emerging hot spot, has seen its death toll and new infections almost double in a week.

The estimated peak day of the US outbreak is expected to occur in nine days on April 16 with a projected 3,130 deaths that day, the data shows

Peak resource use for hospitals is predicted to occur on April 15 - the day before the peak death toll - where an estimated 25,000 ventilators, 140,000 beds and 29,000 ICU beds will be needed. The data shows the pandemic could be over quicker than initially thought and level out as early as June

While the data still shows a predicted 81,000 deaths from COVID-19 over the next four months, the estimated range has lowered. It was initially thought the range could be as high as 162,000 deaths but it is now predicted to be as high as 136,000 fatalities

The total number of fatalities in that state are now at 250, which is up from 50 a week ago.

The state has recorded 14,956 new infections - up from 4,203 this time last week.

Meanwhile, Louisiana - currently a pandemic hot spot - has experienced a spike in the number of new infections with 1,418 new cases in 24 hours, bringing the state's total to 16,284. The state currently has 582 deaths.

Georgia has recorded its largest spike in deaths to date with 57 new deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total to 348 fatalities. The state currently has 9,156 confirmed infections.

The spike in Georgia's death toll and infections came around the same time the governor allowed some beaches to reopen despite ordering residents to stay home.

New York, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, California, Florida, Washington and Connecticut are the current hot spots in the country due to rising death tolls and the number of infections.

Health officials have warned that Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington DC are now also become emerging coronavirus hot spots due to the increasing death tolls there.
[April 08, 2020] 30% Remote Systems Expected to be Compromised: Infopercept

Work from home concept due to the nationwide lockdown has made systems more vulnerable to cyber-attacks AHMEDABAD, India, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of us receive anonymous emails with the latest updates about COVID-19. There are high chances that these emails are the handiwork of cyber attackers who are keen to exploit the pandemic by spreading malicious activity and launching spam campaigns relating to the outbreak of the virus, according to the Global Threat Index of a leading security solutions provider. At the same time, the unique situation, where lakhs of people across India and the world over are working from home, has also given rise to a whole new set of cybersecurity challenges, especially advance attacks. Cybersecurity experts foresee a huge jump in cybercrimes in the coming days, and expect at least three times more cyber-attacks in 2020 as compared with 2019. "Millions of people are working from remote locations. The main concern is that the remote network is vulnerable. There is not much patching or monitoring, and there are no controls. Cyber attackers are targeting remote networks through fake documents, emails, and apps to execute advance attacks on the endpoints. We believe that in the absence of adequate safeguard measures, at least 30% of the systems which have moved to vulnerable remote networks will be compromised," said Jaydeep Ruparelia, Co-Founder of Ahmedabad-based Infopercept Consulting, a leading cyber security specialist and IT solutions provider. "The compromised systems will create a nightmare for businesses when they get back to their actual network. The compromised systems will scale horizontally, severely impacting digital assets of businesses. While companies are ready with Virtual Private Networks, Anti-Virus, 2 Factor uthentication, Best Practices, and Compliances, the real challenge lies in advance attacks, against which these measures are not sufficient.



Cyber attackers fool users and take advantage of system vulnerabilities by creating fake documents, websites, apps, and emails, which cannot be detected using traditional solutions, to plant malware in vulnerable systems. Infopercept provides an additional layer of security using a disruptive solution that diverts the hackers to decoys and not affecting the actual environment.

We adopt the same methodology as the attackers, but to safeguard the systems. We morph applications and use the concept of moving target defence to protect the system from advance attacks. In simple words, the target keeps on moving, and the attacker is not able to hit the right target," Jaydeep Ruparelia added. . Jiten Bhalgama, Director Technology Optimization Centre, Infopercept Consulting, said, "Most companies do not have the required tools and techniques to fight the advance attacks at end points and servers." "Infopercept is among the very few vendors that has the required resources for the comprehensive strategy to fight advance attack," said Deepak Bhavsar, Director Security Optimization Center. Infopercept urges businesses to opt for a compromised assessment of remote systems before connecting them to the actual network. "We isolate the systems and do a compromise assessment by planning traps to catch the attackers. This approach is similar to the physical world wherein to prevent spread of Coronavirus, users coming from abroad are isolated for 14 days, monitored and allowed to go home only if they show no symptoms," added Satyakam Acharya, Director Red Team, Infopercept. About Infopercept: Based out of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Infopercept Consulting is a leading cybersecurity solutions provider and a one-stop-shop for cybersecurity and accreditation needs of its clients and partners. The firm is led by partners Jaydeep Ruparelia, Jiten Bhalgama, Deepak Bhavsar, and Satyakam Acharya, who are working in this domain for more than 15 years. It has presence across several cities in India and overseas in USA, Sri Lanka. Infopercept's specialized core team comprises experienced veterans, technical experts, and security enthusiasts who have strong practical experience and are equipped with the latest knowledge in the cybersecurity domain, latest trends and security innovations. Infopercept runs a 24x7 Cyber Hospital with four different remote centres dedicated to Cyber Security, Security Optimization Center (SOC), Technology Optimization Center (TOC), Compliance Optimization Center (COC) and Automation On-boarding Center (AOC) where its team remotely works for customers to provide various Cyber Security Governance, Monitoring, Implementation and Testing for Secure Digital Assets. For media query: [email protected] For more information, please visit www.infopercept.com

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A plurality of Americans prefer the leadership of President Trump to that of former vice president Joe Biden amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday.

Trump led Biden by an eight-point margin, with 44 percent of voters seeing Trump as a better leader during the crisis than Biden (36 percent), though the two evenly divided opinion when voters were asked whom they would trust to handle the issue.

A majority of voters  52 percent  prefer former president Barack Obama to Trump, with 38 percent saying Trump would be the stronger of the two leaders during the crisis. Ten percent did not have an opinion.

Biden slammed Trump last month for a colossal failure in ramping up testing, and said that the stock markets volatility was a reflection of Trumps poor leadership. The Trump campaign responded by criticizing Biden in a statement over past terrible judgment and incompetence in the face of public health issues.

The president spoke to Biden, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, over the phone on Monday to discuss the governments coronavirus response, after Trump suggested Bidens initial proposition for a phone call had never materialized.

Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a Virtual Convention, one where he doesnt have to show up. Gee, I wonder why? Also, what ever happened to that phone call he told the Fake News he wanted to make to me?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 6, 2020

Vice President Biden and President Trump had a good call, Bidens deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield said in a statement afterwards. VP Biden shared several suggestions for actions the administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and expressed his appreciation for the spirit of the American people in meeting the challenges facing the nation.

Story continues

Last week, Trump said New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whose approval rating has risen during the pandemic, would be a better candidate than sleepy Joe.

More from National Review
Exchange can take place according to 8 on 10 formula

The exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and the militants of the occupied Donetsk region ("DPR") may take place before the end of the next week. Russian news agency RIA News reports that quoting the words of the "Commissioner for Human Rights in the DPR" Daria Morozova.

"After long negotiations, we still managed to convince the representatives of Ukraine to conduct an exchange before the Easter holidays. The parties were able to agree on an exchange of imprisoned persons using the 10 by 8 formula," - she said.

In late March, Morozova said that during the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), DPR suggested to exchange prisoners with Kyiv, but the Ukrainian side allegedly refused.

At the same time, the Presidents Office reported that, on the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian side in the TCG had initiated a negotiation process in the video mode and agreed on the mutual release of prisoners of war, which should take place no later than Easter.

In addition, at today's meeting of the TCG, issues of humanitarian demining were discussed.

As we reported before, the occupied Donbas announced the names of people who could be passed to Ukraine during the prisoners exchange.
The first President of the Republic of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan published an article, where he, particularly, noted: While the authorities are engaged in almost everyday hard work, a huge army of unappreciated geniuses, provocateurs and malevolents, with countless media outlets and hundreds of fake accounts controlled by well-known forces, has in fact opened up a second front of war against them, the Media Advocate initiative noted this in a statement which also reads as follows:

In fact, Ter-Petrosyan deepens the misconception that some media outlets are just propaganda tools which are under the influence of this or that political force. Such allegations diminish the role of the free press in the Republic of Armenia, lowering them from news disseminators to the level of a politics tool. The first president adds: By all means of propaganda and upbringing, to oblige the society to obey the instructions of the Commandant controlling the State of Emergency and the Minister of Health and strictly follow their instructions. Stop the propaganda and actions of sowing the seeds of distrust and hatred towards the authorities, leaving the issue of demanding answers from them in the future.

When declaring the state of emergency, Nikol Pashinyans government envisaged restrictions on the press, which received a very harsh response from both our society and the international community. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, actually, demands a much harsher approach from the authorities than they have adopted. He also expressed hope that the second and third presidents of Armenia will instruct the media outlets under their control to immediately stop their fierce struggle initiated against the current authorities and will not lose this proper moment to behave like statesmen. In fact, Ter-Petrosyan does not accept that there is a free press in Armenia, and if the media outlets report anything different from the official point or contradicting it, then they are under the control of the second or third president.

Such political simplification not only helps Nikol Pashinyan, who from the very first day of coming to power has been fighting against media outlets that are not controlled by him, but also show that Pashinyan does not bother himself to look through the media outlets controlled by the first president, spreading hostility and propaganda on a daily basis.

Media Advocate initiative condemns such harsh attacks on media under the guise of consolidating the society and hopes that the current Armenian authorities will not listen to the calls of the first president and will remain faithful to their constitutional duty of protecting the freedom of the press.
Ithaca, N.Y.  Police have asked the public for help finding a man who robbed a gas station in downtown Ithaca early Wednesday morning.

The robbery was called in at 1:52 a.m.

A man walked into the A Plus Mini Mart at 210 S. Cayuga St. and demanded money  threatening that he was armed, said the Ithaca Police Department. The man stole money from the stores cash registers, police said, and then fled.

The suspect is a black man between 5 feet 9 inches tall to 6 feet tall, police said. He was wearing a black hat, a gray zip-up hoodie and a blue bandanna that covered his face below his eyes, police said.

Police have asked anyone with information about the robbery to call or email tips. The departments phone tip line is (607) 330-0000. The departments email address for tips is policeinfo@cityofithaca.org.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety for Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Have a tip or a story idea? Email shouse@syracuse.com.
Swinburne University will delay the start to its next academic year and consider students year 11 marks from 2019 as well as this years VCE results when offering them places in 2021.

The university, in Melbournes east, said it would ensure students had options beyond the traditional competitive ranking system when it came to gaining entry to tertiary study next year.

Swinburne University will delay the start of semester one next year.

The move comes after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday he would ask universities to delay the start of the academic year, following his governments decision to push back end-of-year exams until December or even January.

The exams are a major determinant of a VCE students study score and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank  the competitive ranking system universities use as a gauge to control entry into many courses.
As France entered its fourth week of lockdown, the coronavirus epidemic still hit hard, claiming 1,417 more deaths in hospitals and nursing homes, making the combined fatalities at 10,328, a French health official said.

Data unveiled by General Director of Health Jerome Salomon showed a fresh daily record of deaths in hospital where 607 people have succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday, representing a daily increase of 9.4 per cent to a cumulative total of 7,091, compared with a 10 per cent rise registered on Monday, reported Xinhua news agency.



The human loss caused by the epidemic had also risen in retirement homes. Some 3,237 have died since early March, up from Monday's 2,417.





Less than two months after the first COVID-19 death, an 80-year-old tourist from China, was reported on February 14, France now became the fourth country globally after Italy, Spain and the United States to report more than 10,000 deaths.



However, pressure was easing in intensive care units thanks to slowing rise in serious cases and a growing number of cured patients.



Some 30,000 are now receiving treatment in hospitals, including 7,131 who need to be put on ventilator, a one-day increase of 59 compared with 94 on Monday.



"It is an important indicator which allows us to assess the tension in hospitals and the need to mobilize all the human and logistical resources," Salomon said.



Also, the number of people who have recovered "is increasing every day," the official noted. In total, 19,337 patients in France have come out of hospital cured.



Despite some good signs, Salomon said that the time for lifting the confinement has not come yet.



"Relaxing efforts will be extremely dangerous for patients and caregivers," he warned, urging people "to absolutely be mobilized on containment, barrier gestures and social distancing."



France decided on March 17 to put its 67 million residents into lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. The measures have been extended until April 15, and are likely to be extended again.



"The time of lockdown will last. This is essential. What matters is to ensure that confinement works, that the virus circulates slowly enough so that the number of severe cases in intensive care units does not exceed the overall capacity of our hospital system," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said early Tuesday.



During a question session at the National Assembly, Philippe told lawmakers that the government was working on lifting the confinement, but "it won't be for tomorrow."



"This is the reason why we are preparing. To prepare does not mean that it is ready. That meant to work on technical, scientific and logistical levels to be ready when the time comes," he said.
For Robert Turner, it wasn't much of a choice.

The Ontario man had the option of flying home last week on a government-organized flight out of Lima, Peru, or stay behind with his pregnant wife, who didn't qualify for a seat on a repatriation flight.

"I'm not abandoning my wife and child," Turner, 55, said.

His wife of two years, Angelica Turner, 40, a Peruvian citizen, can't travel to Canada because her application for permanent resident status in this country, submitted 15 months ago, hasn't been processed yet, said Turner. He said he's unwilling to leave her behind alone, but also "terrified" of staying in Peru with an expired visitor visa during a nationwide lockdown enforced by the military.

The prospect of being separated by travel restrictions is nerve-racking and heartbreaking for some couples and families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It's compounded, at times, by confusion and frustration over the criteria to board a repatriation flight back to Canada.

More than 12,000 Canadians who were trapped in foreign countries by COVID-19 border restrictions and flight cancellations have managed to get back on home soil due to the repatriation efforts of the Canadian government, according to Global Affairs Canada.

The government has worked with airlines and foreign governments to arrange dozens of flights from 40 countries, including Peru, India, Nigeria, Ukraine and Cuba.

Submitted by Harminder Sandhu

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office on March 21 said flights would "prioritize stranded travellers who are Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents, or immediate family members of Canadian citizens ... holding a valid travel document." It also says foreign nationals who are working, studying or "making Canada their home" would also be permitted to board a repatriation flight with valid travel documentation.

Angelica doesn't have a visitor visa for Canada or a permanent resident card, so she doesn't fit the criteria to board a rescue flight.

Story continues

Mother begs to be reunited with her children

For Harminder Sandhu, 37, a licensed practical nurse, her permanent resident status wasn't enough to get a ticket home.

She is stuck in India and separated from her three kids and husband back in Saint-Hubert, Que. She's been told she can't get on a repatriation flight back to Canada because she's a permanent resident who is not travelling with a Canadian citizen.

Sandhu made an emergency trip to India on March 8, with plans to return two weeks later. But India closed its airspace to all commercial flights on March 22.

"My father-in-law had a heart attack and I came here just to attend his surgery and clear medical bills," Sandhu said in an email to Canada's emergency response centre. "My youngest daughter is only four years old. I am not able to control my tears when I see her crying on a video call and asking every day, 'Mommy, when would you come back?'"

She contacted Canadian consular staff in India and Ottawa last week to plead for permission to book a ticket on one of the government-organized flights out of Delhi. She explained that her husband and kids need her in Canada.

She received a rejection email that said for a permanent resident to be granted a seat, they would have to be travelling with an immediate family member who is a Canadian citizen.

Submitted by Harminder Sandhu

So, Sandhu remains stuck, desperately missing her family.

"I am a nurse and Canada needs nurses during this hard time," she said.

Digging up old leases

Toronto resident Taryn McKay, 34, counts herself lucky.

She and her boyfriend of two years, a Brazilian citizen who holds a work visa in Canada, were travelling in Peru when the country enforced a nationwide lockdown to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. The couple, facing potential border restrictions in both Canada and Brazil, wasn't willing to separate. They prepared to ride out the pandemic at a hotel in Peru.

McKay later discovered that her boyfriend, a professional photographer, would be allowed on a repatriation flight to Canada with her if she could prove their common-law status. She quickly contacted their former landlords to get copies of old leases, which had both their names.

"In the end, we showed two old leases and one future lease, because we had rented a place in Toronto for May," McKay said. "That seemed to do the trick."

The couple is back in Toronto in isolation after arriving last week on a flight organized by the government.

"I'm super relieved we could come back together. ...The uncertainty of not knowing where we would go, or when we would be able to see each other again if we separated, was the worst part," McKay said.

'It simply feels hopeless'

Robert Turner was already impatient with Canada's immigration system, which he calls "an apathetic, bureaucratic mess," but now says he's beyond frustrated that delays have put his family in a precarious legal limbo in the middle of a global health crisis.

Turner, a former machinist whose hands were crushed in a workplace accident, says he's been travelling to Peru for the past eight winters to escape the cold.

In February 2016, he took a morning walk in Lima to find a coffee and noticed Angelica, a chef, opening the doors to a cafe.

"Her smile captured my heart immediately," Turner said.

The couple was married two years later. Turner splits his time between Chatham-Kent, Ont., where he owns a house, and Peru, where he stays with Angelica in their apartment in Lima.

He tried to get Angelica a visitor visa to Canada after they were married, but she was denied.

Submitted by Robert Turner

Turner said he's spent $7,000 on immigration consultant fees to help with his wife's permanent resident application. They submitted the paperwork 15 months ago, in January 2019, and soon after he was approved to become her sponsor.

So, when Turner arrived in Peru four months ago, he was confident, he said, that his wife would be granted permanent residency in Canada before March 2020. That's when he expected the two of them would fly to Canada together.

"The immigration consultant guaranteed us this process wouldn't take any longer than 12 months," Turner said.

Turner received an email from his member of Parliament's office two weeks ago, which he provided to CBC News, that advised him that Canada's immigration department only expedites applications in extreme circumstances.

"I need to stay together with my husband," Angelica said. "I need the visa application and the embassy is very late for this, and I don't know when they answer."

Turner and his wife are staying inside their apartment, abiding by a nationwide curfew, and following rules that prevent non-essential movements and only allow women and men to go out in public on different days.

He's worried about how long the pandemic will last, where his baby will be born, and whether his family will run out of food and money. They're already rationing rice and beans.

"The banking systems are closed here. You are lucky if you can find an ATM with any money," Turner said. "It is going to become, very soon, dangerous to walk down the streets with groceries. People have no money. They cannot access money.

"I would like our child to be born in Canada. It simply feels hopeless having any faith."
Pulling off a romantic date night has become quite the challenge in a time of coronavirus, but it's a challenge that Georgia Leathart and Matt Cranley are up for.

Georgia had planned that wed go and do a ceramics class with wine and cheese, so I found somewhere where you order [clay] and you can make it at home, Cranley says.

Georgia Leathart and Matt Cranley are keeping the romance alive in isolation. Credit:James Brickwood

The Sydney couple, in their late 20s, is determined to not let their weekly date nights be lost. Among their plans have been a night with food ordered from different restaurants before going on a virtual tour of a Russian museum. The rules: ditch the activewear and dress up.

It's a similar story for Fay and Bruce Stratford, who thankfully cancelled their trip aboard the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise and instead celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at home. They had a local restaurant deliver a three-course meal, during which Fay got a surprise.
Photojournalist Bob Owen of the San Antonio Express-News has been honored in four separate categories of the 2020 National Headliner Awards for excellence in journalism.

The Express-News and the Houston Chronicle also were recognized for Abuse of Faith, a joint investigation that documented pervasive sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches.

The award winners were announced Wednesday.

On ExpressNews.com: I didnt want to wait  Border Patrol rescues nine migrants from Rio Grande

Owens four citations reflected the breadth and quality of his work. His pictures of a dramatic Border Patrol rescue of Central American migrants foundering in a rain-swollen Rio Grande won second-place honors in two categories: spots news photography and single day photo story.

His pictures of migrants struggling with new entry restrictions and other hardships won third place in the individual photo portfolio category.

On ExpressNews.com: A dangerous dream: mother and three children die in dense brush near the border

Owens photos of people coping with the threat of eviction, which accompanied an Express-News series on San Antonios eviction epidemic, took third place in the multiple day photo story category.

Luis Rios, director of photography at the Express-News, lauded Owens work ethic and commitment to photojournalism and said his dedication to storytelling is matched by his exceptional photography.

On ExpressNews.com: Evictions in San Antonio have risen faster than in any other large Texas city

The Express-News and the Houston Chronicle won third place in the news series category for Abuse of Faith.

Owen was born in Charlottesville, Va., and earned a bachelors degree in art from Berea College in Kentucky. The son of social workers, he grew up doing humanitarian work in Latin America. He started his photojournalism career with a group of weekly papers in Louisville, Ky. He joined the Express-News in 1983.

In 2015, Owen and two Express-News colleagues  Jerry Lara and Lisa Krantz  were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for what the jury described as chilling photographs that document the hard road Central American migrants must follow to seek refuge in the United States.

The National Headliner Awards were founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, N.J. The annual contest is one of the oldest and largest in the country recognizing journalistic merit.
To my fellow educators throughout the state of Connecticut:

We educators have the opportunity to write the narrative that history books will talk about for years to come. What do we want it to say? Do we want it to say that we did a good job of putting our classes online? Or do we want it to say that we fostered an amazing learning community that inspired, educated and developed strong digital citizens?

In this unprecedented time, when educators are rapidly putting courses together for remote learning, there is a lot of advice and not all of it is good. Yes, we need to treat ourselves with grace, but only insomuch as we dont give ourselves permission to quit or give less than what we are able. Its OK if your best effort isnt the most amazing class that youve ever taught. Most of our curriculum was designed for face-to-face interaction and some educators may not know how to navigate online learning programs. That is where the grace comes in.

What is important is that we model those traits we expect from our students. Demonstrate what it means to be an out-of-the-box thinker who has creative solutions to extraordinary challenges. You can even get students to help you brainstorm and sometimes create plans to ensure that their learning continues. Make the most of your situation and teach your students the same. Model what it looks like to not give up and forgive yourself for making mistakes. Just like you didnt ask to teach this way, your students didnt sign up to learn this way. Were all in this together, so lets make it work.

I want to remind my colleagues that its not enough to do well. We have to do good. Just like we may feel anxious, confused, scared, unsettled and angry with our current situations, so do our students. We have the unique ability to help students process everything and feel more in control of their surroundings.

Ask students to keep a journal of their experiences and let them know that what they feel is OK and that their voices are being heard. Generate ways for students to connect on your digital learning platform. Perhaps you have a theme for the day like silly hats or crazy hair and everyone posts a selfie/picture/drawing pertaining to that theme.

Maybe its a class playlist. Maybe its an online hangout session for students to drop in and see each others faces. You could also make a discussion board that has nothing to do with class but is there to help feel students feel less alone. Pick random topics for discussion like food, shows to binge watch, or strangest thing youve seen while social distancing.

Whatever it is, let students know that even though they dont get to see their friends at school, they are not alone. Even though they dont get to see you, youre still thinking of them and are ready to listen. This is important to all ages and that sense of connection makes a difference in each and every one of our lives.

We are witnessing history in the making and educators should not be bystanders. Lets be known for playing a key role in connecting, educating, and inspiring tomorrows future.

Melanie Savelli is an assistant professor of communication at Southern Connecticut State University. She can be reached at savellim3@southernct.edu.
WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases

Covid-19: Chhattisgarh student designs Rs 5,000 robot to attend to patients on behalf of doctors

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Chhattisgarh, 08 Apr: In a bid to prevent doctors and medical staff from getting infected with coronavirus, Yogesh Sahu, a final year engineering student from Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh has built a robot that can be used to attend to patients on behalf of doctors.

According to a tweet by ANI, Sahu claimed that he built an internet-controlled robot that can be used to attend to patients in place of actual doctors.

I built this with two of my friends. It took us around Rs 5000 to build this. We can connect the robot directly to the internet, it can then be operated from anywhere. Doctors can interact with the patients through the camera in it and give them medicines: Yogesh Kumar Sahu https://t.co/tfF8kDfJ4K  ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

He further stated that the doctors are risking their lives to save people and so he wanted to do something for them which will keep them away from the risk.

Fake News Buster

Yogesh Kumar Sahu said he and his two friends built the robot, and it took around Rs 5,000. The robot can be connected directly from the internet and then it can be operated from anywhere. Doctors can interact with the patients through a camera in it, and prescribe medicines.

"We learnt to make this through YouTube. The fact that I'm electronics & telecommunication student helped too", he added.

Sahu further added that the specialty of the robot is that one can talk to it. He urged all the state governments and Centre to provide them funds so that they can make more of this robot that can help people, especially doctors and nurses amid this pandemic.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 16:20 [IST]
Indian Army on Tuesday facilitated the safe return of 21-yr-old Togley Singkaman of Arunachal Pradesh who crossed to China on March 19, said PRO Defence, Tezpur.

The Army had approached the Chinese Army and he was handed back yesterday. He is quarantined for COVID-19 by the Army.

Meanwhile, a person who returned recently from Saudi Arabia and linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in Assam, taking the total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state to 28, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The number of positive cases in India as per the Union health ministry update is now at 4,789, with 4,312 active cases, 353 who have been cured/discharged/migrated and 124 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the surge of the coronavirus outbreak in Pennsylvania looms, so does the risk that there will not be enough lifesaving resources to treat every patient. All over the country, states are rushing to develop and adopt guidelines to help hospitals and health workers with the extremely difficult decision of medical rationing  Who gets the last ventilator? ICU bed? Medication? Scarce staff time? These questions raise a series of ethical dilemmas  and impossible choices.

Pennsylvania does not have statewide rationing guidelines, yet. Last week, the New York Times published a draft of Pennsylvanias rationing guidelines, which, according to the Department of Health, was meant for hospitals and not for wide distribution. The draft guidelines are based on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers scoring system that prioritizes patients who are more likely to survive the current illness with treatment (for example, surviving COVID-19 with ventilation) and who dont have another condition (like cancer or heart failure) so advanced that near term survival is unlikely.

Under any guidelines, in times of severe scarcity, someone will not get the care that they deserve  but that is not an invitation for discrimination against any group, particularly people with disabilities.

On Friday, Disability Rights Pennsylvania and other advocacy groups filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights, arguing that Pennsylvanias draft guidelines are discriminatory. According to DRP, the guidelines allow for bias and myths about the impact of disabilities on prognosis, which could improperly leak into rationing considerations.

 READ MORE: The coronavirus surge is coming: Racing for supplies, Pa. hopes to avoid disaster and New Jersey fears its here

With the apex of the coronavirus approaching, it is critical that Pennsylvania finalize the guidelines quickly to give health workers time to study them. The Department of Health says they are working with stakeholders on a final version, a process that needs to include the disability community  a group that does not deserve to bear the brunt of the inability of the richest country in the world to prepare for a pandemic.

In addition to the guidelines, Pennsylvania should follow the lead of states like Maryland and enact civil and criminal immunity to health workers during health crises. Following Hurricane Katrina, health workers in New Orleans faced civil and criminal lawsuits for efforts to provide care in unimaginable scenarios  often risking their own health.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Health workers who are asked to make impossible decisions should not fear litigation. Providing civil and criminal immunity at times of health crises doesnt eliminate ways to hold bad actors accountable. According to Diane Hoffmann, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, for a physician to get immunity under Marylands law, they would have to comply with guidelines in good faith. In addition, state-level immunity does not protect from lawsuits under federal law  like the Americans with Disabilities Act  in cases of discrimination.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus could mean even hospital-rich Philly wont have enough intensive-care beds, experts warn

Medical rationing guidelines would not have become a necessary evil had the federal government acted to ensure that hospitals have enough resources  preventing states from bidding against each other and utilizing the Defense Production Act to increase supply. But it is on states like Pennsylvania to ensure that if rationing is required, people with disabilities get a fair shot at survival  and health workers know that we have their backs.
Joe Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, after Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign Wednesday morning.

The next big question in the race - beyond when and how Biden will be formally nominated amid a pandemic - is who is going to fill out the ticket as Biden's running mate. The pick carries unusual importance, especially given that Biden, who will turn 78 shortly after Election Day, would be the oldest president ever electedfar.

We already know one thing about that pick: It will be a woman, as Biden pledged in a recent debate.

Below is a ranking of who makes the most sense to be that running mate.

11. Susan Rice

Hers may be the most outside-the-box name on this list, but Susan Rice has the resume: She served on the National Security Council and in a high-ranking State Department role in the Clinton administration, and she was United Nations ambassador and national security adviser in the Obama administration. She's also an African American woman and has recently shown an interest in elective politics, considering a run against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, this year. The one most obvious drawback here: She was in line to possibly become President Barack Obama's secretary of state but withdrew after the Benghazi, Libya, attack threatened to make her confirmation "lengthy, disruptive and costly," in her words. She had come under sharp criticism for being misleading about the nature of that attack. That may not be a dealbreaker, but her public pronouncements turned her into a lightning rod, and Republicans would be happy to make Benghazi an issue again.

10. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

New Mexico's governor won't be a familiar name to many who follow national politics, nor is her state a battleground. But Michelle Lujan Grisham is among the relatively few Hispanic women who serve in high office in the United States.

9. Stacey Abrams

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Stacey Abrams remains a popular pick on this kind of list, given that she ran a strong campaign for Georgia governor in 2018. But she's still someone who hasn't served in any office beyond the state legislature. It also may be tempting for Biden to pick her in hopes of putting an increasingly purple state in play - and some polls have suggested that's not totally outside the realm of possibility - but you do wonder how much of a priority that will be, ahead of more-competitive states.

8. Sen. Tammy Duckworth

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., arguably checks more boxes when it comes to her profile than anyone on this list. She's a senator and former member of the House. She's a Purple Heart recipient who lost both of her legs in Iraq and was the first disabled women elected to Congress. In 2018, she became the first senator to give birth while in office. And she's got a diverse background as the daughter of a Thai mother of Chinese decent. She was one of the most hyped Democratic House candidates in the 2006 election but lost in a good Democratic year (albeit in a tough district). She was later elected to the House and went on to defeat Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., by 14 percentage points in 2016, while Hillary Clinton carried her state by 17.

7. Rep. Val Demings

The only House member on this list, Val Demings got her first taste of the national spotlight when she served as one of the House impeachment managers. She's also an African American and former police chief of a major city, Orlando, Florida. Like Duckworth in 2006, though, she was a much-hyped House candidate in the 2012 election and lost. She went on to run for mayor of Orange County, Florida, but dropped out in 2015. She has also been in federal office for just over three years.

6. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto

She's the Latina politician with the best shot at being Biden's pick. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was elected to the Senate in 2016 and previously served as Nevada's attorney general for two terms. Winning Nevada shouldn't be an issue for Democrats, as it has trended to the left in recent years. But it wouldn't hurt to have an insurance policy.

5. Sen. Tammy Baldwin

This is the first pick on this list that comes from one of the true battleground states. Tammy Baldwin has served as a senator from Wisconsin since 2012, when she became the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. Two years after Trump's narrow win in her state, she won reelection by 11 points in 2018.

4. Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Expand Close Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters / Facebook

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When it comes to trying to unite the party after the Democratic primary, Sen. Elizabeth Warren might be the best pick. She overlaps with Sanders on many policies and could help make sure those voters don't stay home or cross over to support Trump, as some did in 2016. At the same time, she's also a septuagenarian who will turn 71 in June, which isn't ideal as a backup for Biden. As a liberal senator from Massachusetts and former Harvard University professor with demonstrated struggles over her past claims to Native American heritage, it's not difficult to see how she might be attacked.

3. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

If Biden wants a running mate who hails from one of the three key states that Trump carried narrowly in 2016 - Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - the Michigan governor makes the most sense. She's also notably been among Trump's most vocal critics during the coronavirus outbreak. Trump at one point said he told Vice President Mike Pence not to call Whitmer because of her criticism. That's not to say she's doing this for any reason other than she's concerned about the federal response in her state, but this could be a key argument for the Biden campaign in the general election, and she's been out front on it.

2. Sen. Amy Klobuchar

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., did Biden a favor by dropping out of the race ahead of Super Tuesday and helping him win her state. She also earned strong reviews for her debate performances, and she has the kind of Midwestern appeal that could help in a state such as Michigan or Wisconsin. Her electoral history is pretty sterling. One drawback, though, is that she ran as a more pragmatic candidate in the primary and wouldn't necessarily appeal to liberals who feel strongly about issues such as Medicare-for-all. That said, her Senate record is unmistakably liberal.

1. Sen. Kamala Harris

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There's a reason Sen. Kamala Harris, Calif., tops many of these lists: She's perhaps the most logical choice. She's the only black woman serving as either a governor or senator right now. Her presidential campaign flamed out after an early surge, and given her background as a prosecutor, it is easy to see playing the traditional VP role of attacking the opposition. At the same time, one person she attacked in rather personal terms during the primary was Biden, whose past position on busing she vehemently criticized, while comparing her own experience with the issue. The main criticism of her campaign was that it wasn't really about anything, and even on busing, her position didn't wind up being much different than what Biden's had been. Perhaps having her own message will be less of an issue, though, when she's running as part of a ticket.
Vivian Acevedo's husband is serving a 20-year sentence at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, and she anguishes over his safety, she said, "every waking moment." Parchman, the only maximum-security prison for men in the state, has been the focus of several lawsuits and a recently opened federal investigation into poor sanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, chronic understaffing and deadly violence.

The fears that have kept Acevedo up at night are only exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. So far, state officials say, no inmates at Parchman or Mississippi's other state prisons have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. However, a federal prison complex in Yazoo City in the Mississippi Delta reported Tuesday that 25 inmates and three staff members have the coronavirus.

Parchman isn't immune from a similar fate, Acevedo believes.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

"It's beyond my comprehension to think how my husband could die in there because he was arrested on marijuana charges," she said. "He has a home, a family, and he is living in something similar to being in hell."

Acevedo's husband, in his 50s, was sentenced last year on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to commit a crime, court documents show.

She would like for him to be released early, and he is eligible for parole after his fifth year behind bars. NBC News is not identifying her husband because Acevedo said she fears for his well-being.

She said her husband told her that there isn't any protection, such as masks, being made available to inmates. She reminds him to wash his hands after using the shared phone in his unit and to put a cloth over his face.

Acevedo, who lives in Florida, hasn't seen her husband in a year. She was planning to visit him a few months ago, but the trip was put on hold when the prison was placed on lockdown following a spate of riots and violent attacks that claimed the lives of several inmates. Now, the coronavirus has led the Mississippi Department of Corrections, or MDOC, to suspend visitations, except for attorneys.

Story continues

Mississippi's prisons remain overwhelmed with one of the highest per capita incarceration rates in the nation, born out of the state's tough-on-crime legacy and a circumstance that has prompted criminal justice reform advocates to seek changes to the legal system.

A push in Mississippi to release certain prisoners, in particular low-level offenders and those who are already sick and elderly, has also become a nationwide issue as some prisons have become inundated with a rise in COVID-19 among staff and inmates.

News

In New York City, a 53-year-old inmate with underlying health conditions at the Rikers Island facility died after contracting the virus, his legal team announced Monday. Across the city's jails, more than 270 inmates and 320 staffers have tested positive, and legal and civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit asking for the release of higher risk inmates.

The federal prison system, which has more than 174,000 inmates nationwide, is also grappling with the coronavirus. One inmate who became infected with COVID-19 at a low-security prison in Oakdale, Louisiana, died last month, and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit Monday after more deaths and infections there.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said he would expedite the process of sending certain federal inmates in Connecticut, Louisiana and Ohio to home confinement because of the threat caused by the outbreak in those states.

With cases prevalent elsewhere, prisoner advocates and attorneys aren't convinced a place like Mississippi, where prisons have been under scrutiny for documented health and civil rights violations, ranging from inoperable toilets and sinks to filth and mold in cells, can handle an outbreak.

Image: An inoperable toilet inside a cell at Parchman. (Mississippi State Department of Health)

"How can you practice social distancing in a prison system? Keeping people 6 feet apart in a small cell is impossible," said attorney Jordan Siev, a partner at Reed Smith LLP in New York, which is working with rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z's Roc Nation philanthropy team to assist Parchman prisoners.

"Lay on top of that the workers who go in and out of the prison the whole day, and you have guards who are potentially bringing it into the prison. It's an absolute disaster to put people in this situation," Siev added.

Last week, the REFORM Alliance, a justice reform organization started by Jay-Z and the rapper Meek Mill, helped to donate more than 130,000 surgical masks for inmates at Rikers Island, the Tennessee Department of Corrections and Parchman. Siev said Tuesday that prisoners at Parchman had not yet been provided those masks.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

On Monday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves gave a glimpse into how the spread of the coronavirus is affecting the state prison system, revealing at a news conference that three MDOC employees have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, he said, two inmates who were tested had negative results, while a third inmate's test is pending.

Reeves did not provide further details about the situation, but said that "to my knowledge, none of [the employees] were working at specific facilities." State and prison officials did not immediately return requests for comment Tuesday about whether the employees worked closely with state prisoners and at which facilities the inmates are housed.

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The perceived lack of transparency has led to an online petition urging Reeves and the MDOC to prevent the spread of the virus by granting reprieves to certain inmates and the early release of elderly and sick prisoners.

Mississippi Dreams Prisoner Advocacy and the nonprofit Families Against Mandatory Minimums are urging the state to create a public dashboard so people can know how many inmates and staff have been tested, what the results are, the total hospitalizations and deaths, and if prisons are on lockdown or quarantine.

"Family members along with the inmates have little faith in MDOC due to all the previous issues and everything that had been exposed prior to the riots," Ashley Lukens, president of Mississippi Dreams Prisoner Advocacy, said.

Even before the pandemic, the hope for advocates was that substantive changes could be made at Parchman and other prisons in the state under Reeves, a Republican who took office this year and had pledged to close Unit 29 at Parchman, an area plagued by violence and alleged corruption.

"We will do better," Reeves said during his State of the State address in January. "We will right the wrongs of the past, and we will do everything in our power to protect the dignity of every Mississippi life."

But now, the unit's closing appears to be in limbo. Acevedo is still nervous for her husband's safety at Parchman.

"Families like mine are begging and praying that this prison doesn't become a death trap," she said. "If this virus reaches Parchman, they have no way out."
San Antonio's daily reports of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 dont include dozens of people who have been admitted to local hospitals with symptoms of the disease but still are awaiting test results.

The city reported 88 patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, were hospitalized Tuesday. But at the same time, hospitals said they were caring for 151 patients with COVID-19 symptoms  the 88 who had tested positive, plus an additional 63 under investigation, who were suspected to have the disease but had not yet tested positive, according to data collected by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.

The tally of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 hospitalized patients is important because it indicates the total demand on hospitals.

When the coronavirus began to spread across the area, the number of unconfirmed cases in hospitals sometimes was nearly double the number of patients diagnosed with it, according to data collected by STRAC, which oversees emergency medical response in Bexar County and 21 neighboring counties.

But as testing increased over the past couple of weeks, that number has shifted so that hospitals now are caring for more people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 than for those awaiting test results.

Some of the patients included in the suspected tallies also can end up testing negative for the disease.

It really relates to testing, said Eric Epley, executive director of STRAC. If you have a test you can do in 15 minutes, versus a test that takes seven days, that number (of patients under investigation) can vary widely.

Across the state, it sometimes has taken up to 10 days to get COVID-19 test results back from private labs. Combined with Texas slow start on testing, that has meant local officials have been forced to navigate the pandemic with a limited understanding of the extent of the coronavirus in their communities.

Theyve also received little guidance from the federal government or state about how they should be reporting the demand on hospitals to the public. There has been a wide variation in what government leaders decide to release  or hold back.

On Friday, for example, Gov. Greg Abbott said 827 patients were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases across Texas.

But when counting both confirmed and suspected cases, more than 700 patients with COVID-19 symptoms had been hospitalized in Harris County alone the day before, Hearst Newspapers reported. Officials in the Houston area have been reporting information on both confirmed and suspected cases for at least a week.

Lets say even half the (unconfirmed cases) are positive  thats still a substantial number, said Dr. Chris Amos, director of the Institute of Clinical and Translational Medicine and interim chief of epidemiology and population sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.

In Houston, Amos is using numbers of both suspected and confirmed cases to predict how the coronavirus could spread and send a surge of sick patients to hospitals.

Right now, one of the greatest challenges he and other researchers face is the absence of widespread data showing how many of the suspected cases eventually turn out positive for COVID-19.

The uncertainty has made some hospitals and government officials reluctant to release those figures. But when it comes to understanding how the coronavirus could affect hospitals and the communities they care for, counting both the suspected and confirmed cases can be key, Amos said.

Counting patients who might not have COVID-19 potentially overestimates the demand on hospitals, Amos said, but hed rather do that than underestimate a potential influx.

I think its better if its available, Amos said. I am in favor of that because it helps everybody understand how the epidemic is unfolding.

Health officials in cities such as Seattle and New Orleans, both hotbeds for the disease, have reported similar figures showing the demand on their health care systems.

But many other communities, including San Antonio, are reporting only information about confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Some local officials are pushing to change that.

It's more important for the community to be prepared for getting resources down to our hospitals and enlisting the help, Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert said. I think we have to stop downplaying the pandemic.

In San Antonio, hospitals arent close to running out of space, at least for now. As of Tuesday, more than 43 percent of hospital beds and 70 percent of ventilators still were available for patients.

Whether patients are confirmed to have COVID-19 or not, health care workers must treat them the same way once they arrive at the hospital with symptoms. Those patients still need nurses and doctors to care for them, intensive care beds and life-saving ventilators.

In the most serious cases, people can become too sick to breathe on their own and can die if their lungs arent assisted by the oxygen-pumping machines.

If a test shows a patient doesnt have COVID-19, thats when health care workers can forgo suiting up in scarce protective gear to care for that person. Hospitals are trying to conserve protective equipment such as respirators masks, gowns and gloves, which are in short supply.

Of 151 patients who were hospitalized in San Antonio with both confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, 47 percent were being cared for in intensive care units. Nearly one in three was relying on a ventilator.

Are you a health care worker, hospital administrator or employee on the front lines of the pandemic? We want to hear from you. Marina Starleaf Riker is an investigative reporter for the San Antonio Express-News with extensive experience covering affordable housing, inequality and disaster recovery. To read more from Marina, become a subscriber. marina.riker@express-news.net | Twitter: @MarinaStarleaf
Tesco's annual results may have been overshadowed by the steps it is taking to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, but the nitty-gritty of today's numbers deserve a closer look.

The supermarket's latest preliminary results cover the year to 29 February and do not cover the spell of mass panic buying in the last few weeks.

They do, however, shed light on the state of Britain's biggest supermarket in terms of profits, costs, sales and the outlook for its shareholders.

Paying out: Tesco's shareholders will receive a total dividend of 9.5p a share for the last year

Dividend boost

The supermarket, which is the biggest in the country, has defended its decision to pay its shareholders over 900million in dividends despite raking in 585million from the Government's business rates relief holiday scheme.

Shareholders will now pocket 9.15p a share for the last year, marking an increase of over 58 per cent on a year ago.

Sales surge: Tesco published a map showing where sales had surged amid the pandemic

Impact: During the pandemic, Tesco has seen sales of hand-wash 363% higher than in a normal week

Before its accounting scandal a few years ago, the supermarket often paid around 15p a share dividend for the year.

Today, Tesco's boss Dave Lewis acknowledged the sensitivity surrounding the issue, but noted that the dividend was based on its results up to the end of February and not when mass panic buying began in March.

Mr Lewis said Tesco is in a strong position to pay out a dividend and has thousands of small investors who hold less than 1,000 shares each and rely on the payout to help supplement their incomes.

'We would not be paying a dividend if we felt it would jeopardize the business in any way', Mr Lewis said.

Defending: Tesco boss Dave Lewis says the supermarket has many shareholders with fewer than 1,000 shares in the company who rely on the dividend to supplement their income

The supermarket also confirmed its plan to distribute a further 5billion to shareholders from the sale of its operations in Thailand and Malaysia.

Before publishing its figures today, there was some uncertainty and controversy about whether or not Tesco would pay its shareholders a dividend at all. Some firms, like banks, have been pressurised into axing their payouts to shareholders amid the pandemic.

City experts remain divided over Tesco's revelation that it will be paying out to shareholders.

We have thousands of shareholders with less than 1,000 shares in Tesco who rely on the dividend to supplement their income - Dave Lewis, Tesco CEO

'It appears there are no signs of Tesco taking the foot off the pedal on its dividend distributions, something that will please investors', Joe Healey, an analyst at The Share Centre, said.

He added: 'In my opinion, this is a somewhat aggressive move by a company who has openly announced a significant uptick in costs associated with the pandemic, defying similar companies such as Morrisons which has deferred dividends in an effort to preserve cash.

'Although the group has seen a sales surge in the first part of the year driven by the highest industry sales growth in history at 21% in the four weeks to March, the dividend will be met with some critics around the issue of taking advantage of business rates break which the supermarkets tends to pay a substantial sum on each year.'

But, speaking to This is Money, Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets UK, disagreed, and said: 'I see no problem with the dividend - the business is in a good place, and they are looking after their employees as well.'

Share price matters

This morning, Tesco's share price has been in the red and is currently down 3.66 per cent or 8.2p to 216p. Earlier today, it fell around 7 per cent. A year ago, the shares stood at around the 238p mark. The shares are still outperforming Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 index.

Tesco shares have struggled for momentum in the past year but the last six months have seen them gain some ground, and at certain points in the last few weeks, they have jumped up sharply.

Share price performance: Tesco shares have struggled for momentum in the past year but the last six months have seen them gain some ground

Easter treats: Tesco is expecting a further jump in sales this Easter

Ed Monk, an associate director at Fidelity Personal Investing, told This is Money: 'After a few false starts, the markets had begun to buy in to Tesco's expansion plans and the company was growing market share again, with Christmas trading at Tesco was relatively strong versus its rivals.'

'The supermarket's share price is currently at the bottom end of its recent range and the grocery sector does have high fixed costs, CMC Market UK's Michael Hewson told This is Money.

Mr Hewson thinks that, despite today's blip, Tesco's share price will continue to do well as 'everyone still needs to eat.'

Profits, sales and coronavirus costs

Over the last few weeks, panic buying has hit supermarkets up and down the country. In the last month, Tesco saw its monthly sales jump by 30 per cent due to 'significant panic buying.'

A chart published by Tesco today shows that weekly sales of handwash are over 360 per cent higher at the moment than they are during a typical week outside the pandemic.

While Tesco has enjoyed a predictable surge in sales, its costs are on the up as well. Tesco estimates it will need to spend an extra 650million to 925million on additional staff costs.

Tesco has added more than 45,000 employees in the last two weeks alone to help cope with demand and cover staff absences due to Covid-19.

Stay back: Over the last few weeks, panic buying has hit supermarkets up and down the country

Boss Dave Lewis Lewis told reporters the company currently had around 55,000 employees absent from work. According to its website, Tesco employs around 320,000 people in Britain and 3,800 stores across the UK and Ireland.

Supermarkets are struggling to keep up with shopper demand both online and in store and Tesco's admission shows that while supermarkets will benefit from the pandemic, they face forking out huge and expected sums during the crisis as well.

Like many companies, Tesco has not provided any forecasts for its finances for the coming year.

But, it said: 'If customer behaviour were to return to normal by August it is likely that the additional cost headwinds incurred in our retail operations would be largely offset by the benefits of food volume increases, twelve months' business rates relief in the UK and prudent operations management.'

For the year to February 2020, Tesco reported a pre-tax profit of 1.32billion, down 18 per cent from the previous year. The group's underlying net debt stands at 2.6billion, down from 2.7billion a year earlier.

Over the last year, Tesco's total sales fell by 0.7 per cent from 56.9billion to 56.5billion.

While some retailers like Debenhams and Cath Kidson remain in dire straits, Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said he was reassured that there were 'no doomsday concerns playing out' at Tesco.
You'll want to step outside Tuesday night and look up.

The biggest, brightest moon of 2020 will light up the sky and the weather forecast calls for clear conditions perfect for viewing.

Maybe you'll even be inspired to howl.

The so-called "supermoon" occurs when the moon is close to what we call "perigee" in scientific terms, the point when the moon is closest to the earth in its orbit.

"Tonight, we will have the third supermoon of 2020," said Gerald McKeegan, an astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland. "And it will be the closest of the three. The Moon's orbit is an ellipse, and as it travels around the Earth its distance varies by roughly 30,000 miles. So tonight at 7:35 p.m. Pacific time, the full Moon will be closest, appearing 14% larger that when it is farthest."

Tonight will mark the first full moon of spring, which is sometimes called the Pink Moon or the Sprouting Grass Moon. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.

Full moons are known for triggering animals such as coyote to howl. During these unusual times of the coronavirus, a lot of humans in the Northern California town of Mill Valley have also been howling from their front porches nightly at 8 p.m. in an act of gratitude for the nurses and doctors on the front lines of the pandemic.

"The Mill Valley Howl" as it's known was started by Hugh Kuhn with a post on NextDoor and he said in the days leading up to tonight's big moon, he has heard some coyote activity rivaling the nightly cry from locals in recent weeks. "Last night around 11 p.m. they were LOUD," Kuhn wrote in an email.

He imagines Mill Valley folks will make a solid showing tonight amid the astronomical event, but he thinks nothing will compare to the howl that will come after the coronavirus crisis is over.

"In the end I believe our towns loudest and most engaged howl - and general outward thanksgiving and celebration of community - will occur on the final night of shelter-in-place whenever that arrives," he said.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.
German ministers approved Wednesday a draft law to tighten controls on foreign takeovers of domestic companies, in a long-planned reform lent fresh urgency by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Though already in progress before the COVID-19 crisis, the change -- which must still be voted on by MPs -- comes amid concerns over a shortfall in critical supplies, and just weeks after an alleged US bid for a German biotech firm's cutting-edge vaccine research.

"The current situation shows that we in Germany and Europe need certain capabilities and technologies... to better protect our security interests", said Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Wednesday.

He added that the new law would serve "essential German security interests, including the provision of vital goods such as vaccines".

Last month, German biotech firm CureVac was forced to deny newspaper reports that the US had offered to pay "a billion dollars" for exclusive rights to its research into a coronavirus vaccine.

The company denied all knowledge of the offer, and a US official dismissed the report as "wildly overplayed".

Yet it sparked outrage in Berlin, with Altmaier insisting that "Germany is not for sale".

On Wednesday, the economy minister did not mention CureVac by name, but said that some "cases" showed "we need to act in the coronavirus crisis".

The new law "provided an example to our European partners," he claimed.

A key element of the reform is lowering the threshold for Berlin to block a takeover by an investor based outside the EU.

Instead of demonstrating that the acquisition presents a real danger to German security, in future officials will only have to prove a "likely impact".

Meanwhile takeovers will be placed on ice while the government makes such assessments, preventing the new owners laying hands on any of the target firm's intellectual property.

The government would also be able to assess investments in a more "thorough and forward-looking" way, said Altmaier.

As well as medical companies, the measure will extend to vital infrastructure and companies in other areas such as telecommunications, he added.

In line with the rest of the European Union, Germany has moved to tighten controls on investments from abroad in recent years.

The coronavirus pandemic has ramped up the pressure as crucial supplies like protective clothing and masks run short.

On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe needed to become "self-sufficient" in the production of medical gear as a result of the crisis.

The German government would "decide in the near future how we can install the production of medical equipment more strongly in Germany and Europe," said Altmaier on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Second-grader Paulina De Loza and her mother pick up computers at the Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Parents across California are more stressed than usual, and school  or lack thereof  is a major source, according to a statewide survey of 1,200 public school parents commissioned by a nonprofit research and advocacy group.

Most parents gave their schools and districts credit for short-term crisis planning, but worry about their kids falling behind academically. The same equity issues long entrenched in California education remain so during the pandemic, said Elisha Smith Arrillaga, executive director of Education Trust-West, which sponsored the survey conducted by the research firm Global Strategy Group from March 26 to April 1.

According to the poll, 89% of parents are concerned about ensuring their children do not fall behind academically during school closures, and 79% are worried about their children's mental well-being while at home. The poll showed that 80% of parents said their own stress is higher or much higher than usual, and 49% reported that their children's stress was higher than usual.

Our poll finds that parents crave consistent contact with teachers and equitable access to academic resources, Smith Arrillaga said. The poll found that access to remote learning was not equal. Parents that were either low-income parents, African American parents or Latinx parents were less likely to have been in contact with their child's teacher," she said.

At first, when school closures were thought to only last through spring break, parents felt the expectations were manageable, said Araceli Simeon, project director for the Parent Organization Network. But now, as the length of closures stretch into the unknown and financial burdens increase, parents' stress is growing, she said.

"The length of time has been extended as days and weeks go by," Simeon said. "So right now a part of the stress is coming ... from the uncertainty, and really from not having a clear plan" for long-term distance learning or childcare.

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Schools should now think about distance-learning plans that extend for six to nine months, and help families understand how to track their students' progress, she said.

Beyond income and race, parents of students with disabilities and English learners reported greater challenges.

According to the survey, 31% of parents said their school or district is providing instructional materials for English learners, and 24% for students with disabilities, compared to 61% overall.

Parents of English learners in particular may not have the finances to augment their child's education, since they are more likely to come from mixed-status family in which one or more adults are in the U.S. illegally. Households with any member who does not have work authorization will not receive the federal aid checks approved by Congress last week.

Also undocumented parents "will not be benefiting from the federal relief that many of us will be benefiting from, said Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, president of the California School Boards Association and an Azusa Unified school board member. Because of that financial uncertainty, she said, it is important to make sure we are communicating with the parents in the language they understand.

A group of educators and school leaders is working to address achievement gaps that are exacerbated by the crisis, and the state Department of Education will continue to provide directions and learning models through guidance and webinars multiple times a week, said state Supt. of Instruction Tony Thurmond. A webinar on Thursday, for instance, will cover mental health services for students.

The state and school districts are also beginning to plan how to provide additional support to students through Saturday classes and summer sessions, Thurmond said, but decisions have not been finalized made about how to use state and federal funding.




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One of the major buzz titles over the last seven days Series Mania/MipTV virtual marketplace, No Mans Land starts in Paris, as Antoine, a construction engineer corroded by guilt at his sisters death in a terrorist attack, thinks he glimpses her in TV footage of the Kurdish YPG militia.

Minutes later in series terms, he has made it over the border from Turkey into Syria and into an extraordinary, if highly grounded true-facts-based, world where the YPG has since 2013 fought ISIS yihadists.

More from Variety

The geographical coordinates of Syria are hazy  the series uses no location credits; its landscape is other worldly; its gender are reversed  its the women who bear arms given the Islamic belief that a man killed by a woman will have a hard time getting to heaven; and its stakes humble Antoine as the YPG wage a war for freedom, which Western powers yet prefer to ignore.

A series of geographical, and even larger emotional, sweep, No Mans Land is at once intimate drama and a geo-political eye-opener, a thriller then war movie, that also serves testament to the globalization of high-end series finance.

Under the title of Fertile Crescent it won best series at Series Mania, where it won best project, presented by prestige French film-TV producer Haut et Court TV and Israels Masha Productions and Spiro Films. Fremantle boarded soon afterwards in a competitive bidding situation, Arte France and Hulu acme in after that.

Created by Mashas Maria Feldman and Spiros Eitan Mansuri, No Mans Land was written by Amit Cohen (False Flag) and Ron Lesham (Euphoria) who, in a remarkable achievement, had two series in Series Mania main competition: No Mans Land and Valley of Tears. It is directed in what looks likes a very effective unaffected style by Oded Ruskin (False Flag).

Story continues

Commissioned by Arte and Hulu, No Mans Land stars Felix Moati (The French Dispatch, Le grand bain), Melanie Thierry (La Douleur, Au revoir la-haut) and James Purefoy (Altered Carbon, Following, Rome).

The series is produced by Feldman, Mansuri and Jonathan Doweck for Spiro Films, Caroline Benjo, Simon Arnal and Carole Scotta for Haut et Court TV, and co-produced by Arte France and Versus Production. Fremantles Christian Vesper will also co-produce; Fremantle distribute internationally.

Variety spoke to Cohen, Leshem and Vesper as Fremantle launched No Mans Land on the virtual marketplace.

When did you board No Mans Land?

Cohen, Leshem: We wanted to deal with this unimaginable tragedy in Syria for a long time, and after Maria Feldman, Eitan Mansuri and Caroline Benjo won the competition at Series Mania in 2017, we got the opportunity to join forces with them, and work on it together. That work was really rewarding. After that Series Mania there was competition for this project, and eventually we ended up at Fremantle. Almost immediately we went into development, ultimately setting up with Hulu and Arte.

Vesper: Haut et Court and Masha Films brought this to my attention at Series Mania, and we were immediately engaged and excited. It was a competitive situation, but we were able to finance development quickly and get the guys writing, and shortly thereafter pitch to commissioning broadcasters/platforms. Ultimately we found partners in Arte and Hulu, who were both terrific in terms of their creative understanding. With those networks on board, and with Fremantle International stepping up to support the production, it was rather a perfect Series Mania, global co-production, story.

The fascination of the story is what Eric Rochant refers to a credible realism within a genre, here a war, action series.

Leshem: The story was an incredible gift for us, having the most unique voices we could only dream of writing: An army of women fighting for freedom with hope, bravery, where we could explore the inner life of their resistance, and the voices of U.K. born-and-raised ISIS fighters; and Americans, who not only choose to fight but get addicted to the war. This makes for a character-driven thriller but gave us the huge responsibility of telling this untold chapter of history with all dramatic and deadly tragedies of our lifetime.

The series is critical of Western governments.

Leshem: Yes, their hypocrisy. Five years ago, Europe was so fearful of ISIS European fighters coming back home, that European intelligence forces thought it would be better to maintain the war.

This first stretches of the series play out as a kind of organic thriller, grounded in character decisions, which up the stakes until Antoine, from a secure Parisian life, is begging for his life and way outside his comfort zones. Can you comment?

Cohen: We knew it was a huge challenge, covering a major geopolitical subject like Syrias Civil War. But its about the characters. The social part evolves from the characters. Its drama, not a documentary. Theoretically, audiences want to hear about it, but it could antagonizing because they hear about the Middle East on the news. We wanted audiences to listen to what we had to say. To that end, we needed to follow some dramatic rules.

Which were?

Cohen: We use this challenge to shape the emotional journey of Antoine. There are thriller elements and also a love mystery, of what happened to his sister. Also, in a way, Antoine symbolizes the audience. When he starts the journey hes aware of the tragedy in Syria, of course. But it doesnt concern him. Hes driven by a personal agenda. We want his character to gain a sense of belonging, be transformed, and we hope the audience will share the same experience. At one point later in the story, Antoine looks around and sees its not about him anymore, that hes part of a bigger story.

Theres a progressive lack of clarity as to where Antoine is. You dont name locations, for example..

Cohen: Thats right. Part of the journey is the disorientation. Going to a different place and not knowing where you are. That came from personal experience. Both of us were journalists working during rough times in the history of Israel and Palestine.

What was the development process like, and how did you decide on the aesthetic for the series?

Leshem: We always focus heavily on research. On this series we worked with intelligence officers and learned that arena well, studying it both directly and indirectly. We didnt just want to be accurate in the settings, although we know how important that is, but we wanted to make the audience feel the story was real. We wanted to focus on the visceral side of this story, but without feeling like a frenzied war documentary.

And what is the timeline for the series now? Series Mania was meant to be a world premiere, are you bringing it to market now?

Vesper: Series Mania last week was very much meant to be the launch, and yes, it is coming to market now. This is part of the effort with Hulu and Arte, and air dates will be announced soon. The whole series is shot, and now were in post.

Is this a limited series? Or is there a possibility for another season or seasons?

Leshem: Its hard to say for now. Weve talked about other plotlines. It starts as this epic about a French guy and impossible danger and reward for crossing the border. Hes our link to the setting, but there are other points of view, like these three British best friends that go together to fight for ISIS.

Cohen: We asked ourselves what makes a person go fight in someone elses war. Thats one possible description of the show as Antoine is our main character and its told through his eyes. But we want to represent the other side as well. Hundreds of men from our country went and fought for ISIS as well, and we asked ourselves why. What drove them to do that? We didnt just want to tell the story of obvious ISIS members who fit into stereotypes.

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Nairobi  Tanzania has one of the world's highest teen pregnancy rates amid widespread sexual violence and poverty

Thousands of pregnant girls will attend school in Tanzania as part of a $500-million World Bank loan which had been delayed for years due to the country's ban on expectant students.

Tanzania's education minister Joyce Ndalichako said the loan aimed to improve access to and the quality of secondary education for all Tanzanian students - without bias.

"The target is to reach more than 6.5 million secondary school students across the country, without discrimination and shall include girls who drop out of school for various reasons, including pregnancy," said the statement.

"The government is committed to ensure that they continue with their education as prescribed in the project."

Government officials were not immediately available to confirm whether the policy would extend to students who were not part of the World Bank initiative, but women's rights groups said they were cautiously optimistic.

Tanzania has one of the world's highest teen pregnancy rates. About 27% of girls aged 15 to 19 are pregnant, the United Nations says, amid widespread sexual violence and poverty, which forces girls to exchange sex for school fees, food and shelter.

About 5,500 pregnant girls drop out of school each year in Tanzania, the World Bank said on its website. The project will enable them to attend alternative education centres to sit their exams and later return to state schools, it said.

President John Magufuli drew criticism from activists and donors in 2017 when he voiced support for a ban on pregnant girls and teenage mothers in state schools, which dates back to 1961, describing their behaviour as "immoral".

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tanzania Education International Organisations By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

The World Bank froze $1.7 billion in loans to Tanzania in 2018 after both the pregnant student ban and a law making it illegal to question official statistics. It started releasing funds again to the country last September.

Women's rights groups called on authorities to officially revoke the ban, which had locked thousands of girls out of education for life, and ensure all schools gave access to pregnant teens and young mothers.

"It is the first time the government of Tanzania has publicly announced in an official state document that it will include pregnant girls in secondary school education," said Judy Gitau, regional coordinator for Equality Now Africa.

"We are cautiously optimistic and will continue to hold the government of Tanzania to account to put in place a clear re-entry policy for the pregnant school girls already out of school and those to come."

(Reporting by Nita Bhalla @nitabhalla, Editing by Katy Migiro. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, and covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
SYDNEY, April 6 (People's Daily Online) - A criminal investigation has been launched in Australia into the circumstances surrounding the docking and disembarking of the Ruby Princess which was allowed to dock in Sydney last month despite some passengers exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

To date, eleven deaths and more than 600 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the ship. No cases of COVID-19 were identified on board the ship before it docked, said by New South Wales (NSW) Health.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said his initial assessment of the vessels pratique left questions about the transparency in conceptualizing the health conditions of passengers and crew in relation to COVID-19.

There appears to have been an exceptional amount of effort put in by Ports to determine the true nature of the conditions on board  and even delayed the vessel arrival until they were provided additional information, he stated.

After reviewing the information at hand, the only way I can determine whether our national biosecurity laws or our state laws were broken is through a criminal investigation.

The commissioner added that investigators will examine the actions of everyone involved  whether from the cruise company or government agencies.

This is a complex issue and we will need information from many witnesses to answer all the questions about how this ship ended up docking last month, the commissioner said.

Police have been advised that up to 200 of the 1040 crew members currently on board the vessel are displaying symptoms, while 16 crew members are confirmed to have returned positive results for COVID-19.

Aspen Medical is continuing to assess the health of the crew on board the Ruby Princess and have developed a plan in conjunction with NSW Health, the NSW Police Forces Marine Area Command, and Australian Border Force to manage their welfare until they can depart Australian waters.

Currently, the Ruby Princess has voyaged to Port Kembla south of Sydney with sick patients being treated on board or subjected to transferral to a hospital. NSW works with the ship's owner to repatriate 1400 crew, who come from 50 countries.
Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the D&G Technology Holding Company Limited (HKG:1301) Executive Chairman, Hung Nang Choi, recently bought HK$365k worth of stock, for HK$1.24 per share. However, we do note that it only increased their holding by 0.9%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either.

See our latest analysis for D&G Technology Holding

D&G Technology Holding Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Executive Chairman Hung Nang Choi was not the only time they bought D&G Technology Holding shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid HK$1.27 per share in a HK$1.0m purchase. That means that even when the share price was higher than HK$1.25 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Hung Nang Choi was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

Hung Nang Choi bought 15.98m shares over the last 12 months at an average price of HK$1.32. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

SEHK:1301 Recent Insider Trading April 7th 2020

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership of D&G Technology Holding

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Our data indicates that D&G Technology Holding insiders own about HK$71m worth of shares (which is 9.1% of the company). We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing!

Story continues

So What Does This Data Suggest About D&G Technology Holding Insiders?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. Insiders likely see value in D&G Technology Holding shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 1 warning sign with D&G Technology Holding and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Warning that cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have doubled in a week in the Region of the Americas, Pan American Health Organisation Director Carissa F. Etienne has urged countries to take measures that protect health care workers to ensure they have access to the personal protective equipment and supplies they need to care for patients affected by the disease.

Shortages of the most basic protective equipment leave doctors, nurses and other frontline workers dangerously vulnerable as they care for COVID-19 patients, Dr. Etienne said in a press briefing.

Through April 6, 384,435 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Americas, and 11,270 people have lost their lives. In just seven days, we witnessed cases and deaths more than double in our region. The pandemic is accelerating rapidly, and I urge governments to prepare and respond at the same speed, she said.

Etienne urged countries to follow PAHO guidelines and recommendations including social distancing measures to lessen the burden on health systems. All of us need to be prepared for more difficult weeks ahead, she said.

The PAHO Director said: A pandemic like COVID-19 would overwhelm any health system, but its impact on those without sufficient health workers will be devastating.

Limited supplies of gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles and gowns can lead to a wave of preventable infections among health workers, she said.

Countries must work together to ensure that supply chains are able to deliver protective equipment to the hospitals and health centers who need it most. Solidarity and coordination among countries will be essential to ensure we make the most of the limited supplies available, Etienne added.

Noting that today, April 7 is World Health Day, Etienne said this is a time to acknowledge and celebrate doctors, nurses, midwives and the many other people working to keep our communities healthy. Our health workers deserve our recognition, our praise and our gratitude. Above all, they deserve to be able to protect themselves while they do their jobs.

Now is not the time to hoard and stockpile. It is a time for easing export restrictions and embracing flexible regulations that enable access in the places that will be hardest hit in the next few weeks. Governments and the private sector should also seek innovative solutions to boost production and repurpose industrial capacity to expand supplies, she said.

We must also care for our health workers through support networks that allow them to preserve their mental and physical health. We must celebrate them for the heroes they are and protect them from stigma. We should encourage and admire our health workers, not fear and disrespect them, Etienne said.

In addition to developing technical guidelines, PAHO has trained national staff on the reorganisation of health services and has also advised countries regarding stocks of medical supplies and personal protection equipment (PPEs). It has supported countries to obtain shipments of PPEs to 35 countries and 1 territory, and COVID test kits to 25 countries, among other actions. -- Tradearabia News Service
About 80 firefighters were on site until the fire was extinguished, Bjorn Radunz, a speaker for the Berlin fire department, said in a telephone interview. Thirty remained on site to perform safety checks, Mr. Radunz said.

Soon after the blaze was extinguished, the Berlin police department wrote on Twitter that it was being treated as an accident.

Smoke had blackened one of the museums entrances, Mr. Mathis said, but he would not comment on whether the explosion would cause further delays. Were also facing coronavirus, and what that means for the opening in September, he said.

Berlin, like all of Germany, is on lockdown, although people are allowed outside their homes for reasons including essential work, shopping, exercising and buying food. Though playgrounds are closed, parks have been full as the city enjoyed spring weather in recent days.

Institutions like museums are closed, but construction sites are exempt from the lockdown. The fire department said work could resume on part of the museum site shortly after the fire was extinguished.
The UK's coronavirus testing tsar today admitted none of the antibody tests assessed by the government worked well enough to be rolled out across the country.

Professor John Newton has been tasked by Health Secretary Matt Hancock with overseeing the acceleration of Britain's testing programme.

But he told MPs this afternoon that the government was yet to find an antibody test which is sufficiently accurate and that of the ones which have been examined 'none of them performed well enough'.

He said experts had set a 'clear target' for the reliability of the tests but that of the devices assessed so far 'none of them frankly were close' to hitting it.

Despite the bleak outlook, Prof Newton insisted he and his scientists are still 'reasonably optimistic' of a breakthrough in the near future.

Professor John Newton today told the Science and Technology Select Committee that none of the antibody tests assessed by the government so far were up to scratch

The UK's testing strategy is split into two sections: Antigen testing and antibody testing.

Antigen testing shows if someone currently has coronavirus and it is these tests which are in use in hospitals. They are also being used on NHS staff who are in self-isolation to determine if they have the killer bug or not, with those who are clear able to return to the frontline.

Antibody testing shows if someone has already had the virus and if they have some immunity.

This is viewed as a potential game changer because it would allow those identified as already having had the disease to go back to work.

However, mass scale antibody tests are yet to be rolled out anywhere in the world because the technology is new and there is concern over how reliable they are.

Mr Hancock has set a target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. This target only relates to antigen testing.

Prof Newton told the Science and Technology Select Committee that all of the antibody tests assessed by the government were not deemed to be good enough.

He said: 'All the tests that have been made available have been tested and none of them performed well enough.

'In particular they didn't have sufficient sensitivity which is the ability to correctly identify the people who have been infected.

'We set a clear target for a test to achieve and none of them frankly were close.

'Now, that doesn't mean to say that they don't have any value but it is considered that that is not good enough and it is possible to improve on that.

'There is an active partnership going on with industry in this country and abroad and with our academics to improve on the underlying molecules which make up the tests.

'So there is the specificity and the sensitivity of the tests are determined by the design, the scientific design of the components.

'If we could get that right and our scientists are really quite confident that they can do that, then the manufacturers could scale up the production of that test and make it available really quite quickly.

'So we are reasonably optimistic that we could produce a test that does meet the standards in the time when it is needed at very high volumes.'

The government had put in holding orders with manufacturers for some tests, only purchasing the minimum amount needed for assessment. It is now in the process of cancelling those orders.
Mob boss Wayne Dundon and his killer brother have been celebrating the murder of hitman Robbie Lawlor after he was shot dead in Belfast.

Two senior members of the Dundon gang are being questioned by the PSNI over the fatal shooting at the weekend and are suspected of double-crossing the Dublin criminal.

Lawlor (36) was the chief suspect in at least six murders - including the abduction and dismemberment of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods in January - as well as three botched hits.

He was shot dead shortly before midday on Saturday on Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area by a lone gunman.

Protection

The Herald has learned that convicted killers Wayne and Dessie Dundon have been openly celebrating the murder behind bars in their Dublin cell.

The pair are being held in the protection area of B Base at Mountjoy, where they are locked up to keep them away from their gangland associates.

Gardai suspect that 50,000 in cash seized from a female associate of the mob on Monday was payment for Lawlor's murder.

"They have been cheering and celebrating the murder since Saturday. They're walking around now with their chests out," a source told the Herald.

"Neither are saying they were involved, of course, but they're happy out going around the jail. They aren't subtle about it either."

Wayne Dundon (41) is serving a life sentence for the murder of innocent businessman Roy Collins in Limerick in 2009.

Dessie Dundon (35) is also serving a life term after he was convicted of involvement in the murder of Kieran Keane in 2003.

Gardai, who are liaising with the PSNI over Lawlor's murder, believe he travelled to Belfast with three Limerick men before being shot dead.

The PSNI are continuing to question these three, who include a 33-year-old senior member of the McCarthy/Dundon gang and his 17-year-old nephew who is also well-known to gardai.

Earlier this week, the Herald revealed how detectives suspect the Dundon associates doubled-crossed Lawlor after travelling to Northern Ireland to collect a drugs debt.

On Monday afternoon, gardai arrested two women and seized 50,000 in cash on the M7 in Co Laois.

Feud

The women, aged in their 20s and 30s, were questioned on suspicion of money-laundering before being released without charge yesterday.

It is believed the cash had just been passed from associates of the Maguire gang, which is involved in the deadly Drogheda feud, to an associate of the Dundons as payment for helping in Lawlor's murder.

The Maguire mob had been involved in a bitter battle with the murdered hitman, and are still at war with his associates. The feud has resulted in four murders.

Lawlor was also the suspected gunman when Owen Maguire (36) was shot eight times outside his Drogheda home but survived.
There is a global shortage of nurses, a new report from the World Health Organisation, Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses has warned.

The first State of the Worlds Nursing report, which is published to mark World Health Day on Tuesday, warns that there is a global shortage of 5.9m nurses, an ageing nursing workforce threatens the stability of nursing, particularly in Europe, and

high-income countries like Ireland have an excessive reliance on international nursing mobility.

The report looked at data on the worlds 27.9m nurses, from 191 countries. Globally, nurses make up 59% of the healthcare workforce, compared to 32% in Irelands public health service. As in Ireland, over 90% of nurses globally are women.

To meet current and future health needs the report recommends:

- an 8% increase in the number of nursing graduates each year to 2030,

- an expansion of advanced nurse practice and nurse-led units,

- more nursing positions funded globally,

- fair remuneration and strong retention measures.



International Council of Nurses President, Annette Kennedy, said: Every penny invested in nursing raises the wellbeing of people and families in tangible ways that are clear for everyone to see. This report highlights the nursing contribution and confirms that investment in the nursing profession is a benefit to society, not a cost."

WHO Secretary-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, said: The world needs to learn from COVID-19 that it is essential to invest more in nursing. This report is a stark reminder of the unique role nurses play, and a wakeup call to ensure they get the support they need to keep the world healthy."

INMO President, Martina Harkin Kelly, said: COVID-19 has shown us how vital nursing and midwifery is to global health and wellbeing. Many warnings on staffing were not heeded before this pandemic  we cannot allow a global nursing shortage to hamper our response to future public health emergencies. This report must be the basis for immediate action in Ireland and globally to support the retention of nurses.
Two weeks after Daniel Manduku's resignation as the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director, the agency has initiated the process to replace him.

On Tuesday, KPA announced through an advert that it's seeking to recruit an individual to the MD's position left vacant on March 27.

"The authority is seeking to recruit an individual with a high degree of integrity and professionalism, impeccable administrative capabilities and strategic orientation to fill the position of managing director," stated the advert signed by the board chairman Gen (rtd) Joseph Kibwana.

Applications should be sent before April 24.

The appointment will be on a contractual term of an initial period of three years, renewable based on performance.

Recently, Mr Rashid Salim was appointed as the acting MD. Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia had said Mr Rashid will act for a month as the government seeks to find a substantive person.

"He will act for four weeks as we head-hunt for a substantive MD," Mr Macharia told the Nation last week.

Once recruited, the new MD is expected to streamline the procurement department and firmly deal with tendering scandals.

Managers in the finance, procurement and engineering departments are on the spot after they were asked to explain several malpractices.

KPA has lost billions of shillings due to poor practices, according to a board audit and risk committee report released on March 18.

The new MD will become the 15th boss to head the agency, a position that is now too hot for corporate honchos, with the last two heads lasting only four years between them.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Michele Pedicone sees the anxiety in her sons eyes every time she leaves home. Hes worried about her getting sick.

Pedicone, an educator and former respiratory therapist, is among many former and retired doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who are returning to the frontlines to meet the demand as the number of coronavirus patients climbs.

Across town, Rich Nojaim grunts out an expletive as he discovers he only got 40% of his expected delivery. This is his new normal these days at Nojaim Brothers of Marcellus grocery store. The pandemic has damaged grocery supply lanes, leaving him and grocers all over the country lacking much-needed items.

And yet when he talks to his customers, more often than not he doesnt hear complaints. They ask how he is first, and thank him for being there  open and available.

As we continue to grapple with the spread of coronavirus in Central New York, we turn to our frontline defenders  the doctors, hospital staff, first responders, grocery store workers  for insight into this new threat that has so dramatically changed our lives.

Syracuse.com introduces a regular check-in with several of these folks to hear their experiences, their concerns, and their hope for the coming weeks.

Dara Kibby is a nurse who is currently staying at home with her two children while her husband, an orthopedic physicians assistant, works at several hospitals assisting orthopedic and emergency cases.

Rich Nojaim, owner of Nojaim Brothers of Marcellus, is working tirelessly to keep his staff and customers safe and negotiate the upheaval in the supply chain of needed products at the store.

Michele Pedicone, a respiratory therapist assistant professor at Upstate Medical University jumped back into the field helping COVID-19 patients at Crouse Hospital who will need respiratory specialists to survive, as respiratory failure is the chief cause of death from the illness.

Check back for regular updates as Syracuse.com follows along.

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Special Advisor to President Akufo-Addo on health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, has said that Ghana's low death rate in relation to the novel coronavirus is the fact that health workers and the government are working according to the directives put in place to contain the spread of the virus.



According to him, unlike other countries where they did not take the COVID-19 outbreak serious and disregarded all stay-at-home instructions in order to contain the disease, Ghanaians have so far taken the disease serious even though some remain recalcitrant and move around town, posing danger to others.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Dr Nsiah-Asare reiterated that the virus has no legs to move except human beings carry them.



The secret is that we are doing our things according to the directives we have put in place. In other countries, they didnt take the disease serious . . . those citizens refused to obliged as some of our people are doing, he said.



He feared that Ghana may experience what the European countries are going through if citizens refuse to comply with the directives given by President Akufo-Addo by observing the social distancing, regularly washing hands and the usage of hand sanitizers, as well as staying at home as directed.



Dr Nsiah-Asare again advised Ghanaians to desist from certain lifestyles like chain smoking and other activities which will end up weakening their immune system.



He said the virus is so dangerous to the extent that failure to adhere to the directives of the Ghana Health Service will spell doom for majority of Ghanaians.



287 Cases, 5 Deaths



According to the Ghana Health Service, "as at 6th April 2020, 23:30 hr, a total of 287 cases of COVID-19 with five (5) deaths have been recorded. The regional distribution of the cases are as follows: Greater Accra Region has most cases (256) followed by the Ashanti Region (18), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1) and Upper East Region (1).







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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Dublin City Council has parked an investigation into how public money was used for protection racket payments, citing a garda investigation into the issue, the Herald can reveal.

Since September 2016, council officials were aware that a notorious gang led by criminal Derek 'Dee Dee' O'Driscoll was providing 'security' at a public housing site in Cherry Orchard.

That arrangement was raised in court by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) last October when it succeeded in freezing bank accounts containing more than 250,000 controlled by O'Driscoll and an associate, David Reilly.

However, the council's response to the scandal has been shrouded in secrecy.

It refused to disclose the outcome of the 2016 investigation, launched after the Herald revealed the payments.

Last year, the council's most senior official, chief executive Owen Keegan, urged councillors not to hold a meeting to discuss the matter.

At the time he said he had "grave reservations" about the meeting "while the matter is under investigation by the city council and external agencies".

The meeting was eventually cancelled.

In November, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy appointed senior counsel Patrick Butler to investigate the allegations.

His investigation was completed in December and has been passed to the Office of the Attorney General "to seek legal advice on publication and next steps".

This was due to its "complexity" and an ongoing garda investigation, the department said.

Questions

However, the council has now confirmed the investigation announced five months ago is no longer under way.

"The internal team has been stood down pending completion of these separate investigations," a statement said.

"The city council is not in a position to give any further information on this matter."

City councillor Mannix Flynn, who has tabled questions to Mr Keegan about the progress of the internal investigation, expressed anger at the council's actions.

"We were not told about the decision about the internal report and this raises very serious questions for the council and officials," he said.

"On whose authority was this report shelved? The executive has a responsibility to the elected members here. This is public money we are talking about.

"Why was this report shelved? When was that decision taken?"

Mr Flynn said there was a lack of clarity about the current garda investigation.

In December, a senior employee of the council was arrested as part of the probe.

The 61-year-old, who worked in the council's housing department, was questioned at Clondalkin Garda Station before being released without charge.

He was previously quizzed by the CAB, along with a now retired council worker, in relation to money being paid over to the mobsters but was not arrested on that occasion.

Notorious criminal Dee Dee O'Driscoll has multiple previous convictions including for bribing a garda, violent disorder and perverting the course of justice.
A range of Chinese tech products from nucleic acid test kits and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to drones are playing an important role in helping countries in the global battle against the COVID-19 outbreak.

A Chinese medical worker uses an AI-based COVID-19 diagnosis platform developed by China help Irans efforts to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Chinas top gene-sequencing provider BGI Genomics and an Abu Dhabi-based technology firm recently opened the Huo-Yan, or Fire Eye lab, for the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates. The lab is the first of its kind in the world outside China capable of carrying out tens of thousands nucleic acid tests per day.

The Chinese company also received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its novel coronavirus test kits, which are eligible for use to expedite clinical testing for virus.

By March 27, BGI Genomics had produced more than 7 million test kits and exported them to over 70 countries and regions in the world.

In addition, Chinese AI and speech technology pioneer iFlytek has provided AI solutions for an AI outbound calling system in South Korea, offering information to individuals who have been in close contact with or have had a confirmed coronavirus case. The system provides a mechanism for following up on recovered patients while saving manpower and time, which has been of significant help to South Korea in fighting the outbreak.

Our AI-powered calling system has benefited some 40 million people in China, said Zhao Zhiwei, senior vice president of iFlytek.

Zhao added that the companys AI-based COVID-19 diagnosis platform also helped Irans efforts to contain the virus, which can read and analyze a patient's CT scans in just three seconds.

The AI giant is currently providing its products to countries free of charge to support the international community in its attempts to defeat the virus, according to Zhao.

Moreover, Chinese drones will also be deployed in foreign countries for epidemic prevention and control work.

Police in Chula Vista, California, plan to use drones equipped with loudspeakers and cameras to enforce a coronavirus lockdown, and have bought two $11,000 drones made by the Chinese drone maker DJI.

One of the police captains said that the DJI drone can help them if they need to cover a large area to get an announcement out, or if they need to disperse a crowd somewhere without getting police officers involved.
If theres a silver lining in every storm cloud, the Beaumont ISD is discovering something akin to one in the current shutdown over coronavirus. With all public campuses closed for now  and possibly for the rest of this school year  the state has suspended accountability ratings for the 2019-20 school year. BISD campuses like Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School were facing closure unless those numbers improved, so the reckoning is postponed for a year.

That gives the BISD trustees and administrators a little more time to figure out how to bring the students performance up to state standards. This delay happened after the chaos from Harvey, and the district has applied for a similar waiver for Imeldas disruptions. Those requests were justified, because the natural disasters closed campuses and kept students away from school for weeks. But if those storms hadnt occurred, the district might have to close some doors and shift students to other campuses.

It probably has the capacity to do that, but its not the ideal move. The goal is to have schools in each neighborhood, to keep campus enrollments manageable and shorten the commute for students. Trustees and administrators undoubtedly prefer that model, too, so they must do whatever is necessary to improve test scores at MLK Middle School and all other struggling campuses.

Thats not easy, but we know that students from disadvantaged backgrounds can learn. They do all over Southeast Texas and the entire state. This challenge requires teachers who can motivate struggling students and principals who can provide the discipline and order those educators need to succeed.

If the district doesnt have those kinds of teachers and administrators at MLK and other troubled schools, it needs to find them. BISD officials have also discussed putting together a special team of principals to oversee the turnaround at King or other schools with a separate nonprofit organization and governing board.

Another option is to hire a charter partner to take over a school like MLK, something the district has already done at three other campuses. The Bob Hope School in Port Arthur has proposed taking over a fourth school in BISD, but no agreement has been reached yet.

One way or another, the status quo must improve. The district currently has eight schools with an F rating, and that is unacceptable. Its not good for the students trying to learn on these campuses, and it doesnt encourage people or businesses to move to Beaumont.

This district has come too far through the turmoil of a state takeover to founder now. In the coming months, trustees and administrators must sort through their various options and be prepared to think big. This is probably the biggest challenge they will face in their oversight roles. They must come up with a bold, aggressive plan to get these schools back on track, and keep them there.
An outspoken Chinese Communist Party critic and millionaire property tycoon, Ren Zhiqiang, has been placed under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law", an anti-graft watchdog said. The Beijing Commission for Discipline Inspection announced late on Tuesday that the 69-year-old former chairman of the state-owned real estate developer Beijing Huayuan Group was under investigation. Rights campaigners accuse President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of using charges such as "disciplinary violations" -- often considered to refer to corruption -- as a way to silence dissent. Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers. Ren disappeared from the public eye in March, shortly after penning an essay that was fiercely critical of Xi's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The retired entrepreneur has emerged in recent years as one of the Party's most prominent critics in the business world. His essay has been scrubbed from China's internet, which regularly censors content that challenges the authorities, but it has been shared online outside China and a copy has been saved by news aggregator China Digital Times. "This epidemic has revealed the fact that the Party and government officials only care about protecting their own interests, and the monarch only cares about protecting their interests and core position," Ren wrote, without referencing Xi by name. It also accuses the government of concealing the initial outbreak. Nicknamed "Big Cannon" for his fiery rhetoric, Ren formerly enjoyed close links with major figures in China's political establishment, including his former classmate Vice President Wang Qishan. A Communist Party member for decades, Ren was also an influential blogger on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, where he had millions of followers. His account was closed by authorities in 2016 after he repeatedly called for greater freedom of the press. Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the probe against Ren fitted a pattern of the Communist Party using charges such as "disciplinary violations" to silence its critics. "It is quite clear that the Chinese government is punishing Ren for his speech critical of President Xi Jinping and Chinese government under the veneer of law," Wang said. "The government has a record of criminalising peaceful speech using bogus charges." According to Wang, Ren is likely to be being held in a form of extrajudicial secret detention known as "liuzhi". "Under liuzhi, detainees are held incommunicado -? without access to lawyers or families ?- for up to six months," said Wang. Human rights lawyer Li Fangping said the announcement was deliberately timed to minimise its public impact, coming just hours before travel restrictions were lifted in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus epidemic. Beijing has increased its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining hundreds
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the COVID-19 pandemic has created a social emergency-like situation in the country and lifting the lockdown may not be desirable at this stage.

Interacting with floor leaders of political parties in Parliament through video-conferencing on Wednesday, Modi said the world is currently facing grave challenges due to COVID-19 and We must evolve to counter its impact.

The PM has already held similar virtual interaction with all chief ministers twice in the recent past. He will again meet the CMs on April 11 through video-conferencing where he is likely to unveil the roadmap to contain the pandemic as the 21-day lockdown ends on April 14.

In a two-minute video clip that surfaced on social media in the afternoon, Modi is heard telling the leaders that given the gravity of the ground situation there is no option but to continue with the lockdown.

The video was allegedly leaked by one of the participants, which invited censure from the PMO which termed it unfortunate.

The country has been forced to take tough decisions and must continue to remain vigilant. Several state governments, district administrations and experts have asked for an extension of the phase of lockdown, Modi told the political leaders.

He added the country should simultaneously try to bring about a change in its work culture and working style. Modi assured them that serious economic challenges would be overcome.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said 80% of the participants spoke in favour of extension of the lockdown period.

A number of Opposition parties, including TMC, urged the Prime Minister to revoke the decision to suspend the MPLAD funds for two years.

Suspension of the MPLAD will affect the development works at the grass-root level, said Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, leader of the TMC in the Lok Sabha, who also sought a financial moratorium for West Bengal.

Leader of the DMK in Lok Sabha T R Baalu stressed on low testing numbers while seeking the Central intervention to address the issue of inadequate PPEs.

Final call on lockdown likely on April 11

Modi will hold his third virtual meeting with all chief ministers on April 11, three days before the 21-day lockdown ends. Based on inputs from the CMs, the PM will decide whether the lockdown should continue.
A vicar is hoping to lift the spirits of Londoners by offering a mobile church service in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Portable priest Pat Allerton has been visiting residential streets in the capital to deliver a prayer and play a hymn through a speaker amid mass closures of places of worship.

The 41-year-old, who says he is observing social distancing and regards the travel as essential, holds a 10-minute service from his car at a different spot every day.

Its just a community activity and its not as if weve got a lot else to do, why dont you just join in, he told the PA news agency.

Come to your window or your doorway and join in the singing, be part of your neighbourhood and community for that brief moment.

The vicar at St Peters church in Notting Hill, who was ordained in 2010, said he would stop in a moment if told to do so by authorities.

But he hopes he will be able to continuing lifting spirits during the pandemic after receiving thousands of messages of thanks online.

Rev Allerton said: I think any Christian community and faith community would see it as essential work, because in these times hope is essential.

And thats what it is all about, its about bringing hope to people. And what is more essential than hope in the last few weeks?

I know it is sensitive and driving around has been tricky because I do recognise there is a lot of worry, theres a lot of fear, and I dont want to add to that in any way.

Rev Allerton said he is now considering walking to the destinations rather than driving to minimise his travel.

He said: I felt it could be a battle, not everyone is open to faith, and thats why you have to get the balance right and not impose it on people.

I recognise at every moment someone might shout why dont you just do one but we havent had that yet.

It seems to have captured a bit of the imagination and brings a bit of joy, Im here just to lift spirits a bit, if nothing else.
Another Zimbabwean has died of coronavirus in the southern African nation amid concerns of the governments lack of preparedness in tacking the highly contagious disease.

According to the Ministry of Health, the persons death brings the number of people who have succumbed COVID-19 to three. There are eleven cases recorded so far in the country.

In a statement, the ministry said the person died Wednesday at the Wilkins Hospitals Intensive Care Unit in Harare.

He was a 50-year-old male resident of Harare, who had travelled to the United Kingdom and returned home on the 21st of March 2020. He started exhibiting mild symptoms and alerted the local COVID-19 Rapid Response Team on the 1st of April 2020, which went to assess him at home and collected samples for testing.

He was diagnosed of COVID-19 with an underlying comorbidity on the 2nd of April 2020 and initially, was being managed at home. His condition however deteriorated and the local medical team immediately went to stabilize him.

The ministry says the deceased will be buried in line with Public Health Act regulations. Health expert say people who die of coronavirus COVID-19 are buried 24 hours after their death with a couple of less than 10 witnesses.

Zimbabweans have questioned the countrys preparedness in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed thousands of people in various countries.

The Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights on Tuesday claimed that the Zimbabwean government does not have the capacity to handle disease at local, regional and national level. Their criticism stemmed from the death of a Bulawayo man, who died at a top hospital in the nations second largest city without knowing his status as the results of his diagnosis were delivered by the government after his death.

The doctors association noted that the dead person may have infected nurses, doctors, patients and other people while he was inside and outside Mater Dei Hospital in the city.

The Ministry of Health claims that it is following regulations laid down by the World Health Organization in handling coronavirus COVID-19 even if it faces serious constraints like shortages of funds.
Jack Dorsey pledged $US1 billion ($1.6 billion) of his stake in Square Inc., the payments firm he co-founded and heads, to coronavirus relief efforts - the largest pandemic-related donation yet.

"After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl's health and education, and UBI," Dorsey said Tuesday in a tweet, referring to universal basic income. The donation represents about 28 per cent of his wealth, he said.

"I hope this inspires others to do something similar," Dorsey said Tuesday in a tweet. "Life is too short, so let's do everything we can today to help people now."

Jack Dorsey's pledge is so far the biggest by America's billionaires announced so far. Credit:Bloomberg

Dorsey has been working from his home in San Francisco's affluent Sea Cliff neighbourhood, following shelter-in-place orders that are keeping many people from their regular activities. Also the co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter, he has a net worth of about $US3.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The clouded leopards were born in February (Ron Magill/ZooMiami via AP)

A zoo in the US has shown off two baby clouded leopards.

The male and female have been secluded in a den with their mother, Serai, since their February 11 birth so that they could properly bond while avoiding external stress, according to Zoo Miami.

Zookeepers took the kittens on Tuesday to check their development and give them their initial vaccines.

Both offspring appear to be thriving, and the mother continues to be attentive and nursing them on a regular basis, officials said.

Expand Close In this Feb. 26, 2020 photo made available by ZooMiami, a newborn clouded leopard is held by a staff member for their neonatal exams at the zoo in Miami. Clouded leopards are secretive cats native to the forests of Southern China, Taiwan and Malaysia. (Ron Magill/ZooMiami via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp In this Feb. 26, 2020 photo made available by ZooMiami, a newborn clouded leopard is held by a staff member for their neonatal exams at the zoo in Miami. Clouded leopards are secretive cats native to the forests of Southern China, Taiwan and Malaysia. (Ron Magill/ZooMiami via AP)

Amid all of the stressful news that we are all dealing with, I hope that this can bring a smile to some of your faces, the zoos communications director, Ron Magill, said.

Hopefully, once this pandemic has run its course, the public will be able to return to the zoo to personally see these precious new additions.

Clouded Leopards are highly endangered in their natural forest habitat in Southern China, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Adults usually weigh 30-50lbs (13-23kg).

They have a very long tail with relatively short legs and large paws, which helps them stay in trees.

Their numbers are depleted due to hunting.
President Donald Trump railed Tuesday against expanding voting by mail to keep U.S. citizens safe during the coronavirus pandemic, calling the process "horrible," "corrupt" and prone to widespread fraud.

It's a controversial marker for the president to set down when many states have had to delay their primary elections because of fears that in-person voting could spread the virus. And it puts him at odds with congressional Democrats pushing for billions in federal money to ensure no-excuse absentee voting for all Americans in November - as well as many Republican state officials in places like Georgia and West Virginia that are rushing to broaden mail-in votingduring the pandemic.

Trump's pointed criticism could cast doubt on the validity of mail-in balloting for some of his supporters and make it awkward for Republican state officials who want to pursue the strategy in case in-person voting is still a problem in November.

"Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because they're cheaters," Trump said during his daily coronavirus news conference, though there is no evidence that mail in voting substantially increases fraud. In fact, election security hawks may be pleased to see an all-paper ballot election that by nature limits the hacking and other dangers of an electronic process.

Nonetheless, the president went on to charge that widespread voting by mail would lead to thousands of forged ballots. But the president defended his own decision to vote by mail in Florida, saying out-of-state mail votes are more acceptable and suggesting his absentee ballot was better verified than others.

"I can vote by mail because I'm allowed to," he said. "I happen to be in the White House, and I won't be able to go to Florida to vote."

The declarations came the same day Wisconsin held a primary election bedeviled by closed polling sites, long, snaking lines and voters who said they were forced to show up at the polls after absentee ballots they requested after the pandemic struck never arrived, as The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck, Amy Gardner, Dan Simmons and Jan M. Larson report.

Wisconsin is the only state with an April primary that didn't delay voting because of the pandemic. The election went forward after the Republican-led legislature and state Supreme Court blocked efforts by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to postpone voting.

More News Coronavirus unlikely to diminish with warm weather, National Academies of Sciences panel finds

That prompted Democrats to accuse Republicans of forcing voters to risk their health to exercise their democratic rights. They also fretted that if the federal government doesn't move fast, it could result in millions of Americans being disenfranchised in November.

Trump has also played into Democrats' fears, seeming to suggest during an earlier news conference that voting by mail would favor Democrats and that if he had agreed to Democrats' demands for $4 billion for voting by mail and other reforms in the recent $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, "you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again."

Democrats were able to secure only $400 million with no mandates on how states must spend the money in the stimulus bill. A Senate bill mandating nationwide access to absentee ballots and expanded early voting days sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Chris Coons, D-Del., hasn't won over any Republicans.

The fight also "foreshadowed the likelihood that Wisconsin, an important presidential battleground state, could become the epicenter of partisan rancor as the health crisis continues to upend the 2020 race," as my colleagues noted.

State officials don't plan to release results in the race until Monday.

Trump Tuesday described alleged instances of absentee voter fraud where "you get thousands and thousands of people sitting in somebody's living room signing ballots.".

There's no evidence at all of absentee voter fraud on that scale, and states that vote entirely by mail range from left-leaning Washington and Oregon to conservative Utah. Absentee voting is at the center of a handful of voting fraud scandals, however, most notably during a 2018 North Carolina congressional race, which led the State Board of Elections there to order a new vote and produced criminal charges against a Republican operative among others.

Trump also charged, incorrectly, that Evers tried to delay the vote only after the president endorsed the Republican in a hotly contested state Supreme Court case. In fact, Evers pushed to delay the election before Trump's endorsement and has been seeking other remedies - including sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters. But he is barred from acting without the legislature.
The Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI) and News Broadcasters Association (NBA) have strongly opposed the statement issued by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, recommending a complete ban of two years on media advertisements by Government and PSUs. As part of her suggestions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Gandhi had called for imposition of a complete ban on media advertisements  television, print and online  by the Government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for a period of two years.

AROI in a statement issued said, The last year has been a very difficult one for Radio, especially for radio stations in small towns, due to a huge drop in Government advertising.

The Association pointed out that Radio has been wholeheartedly supporting the national war on COVID-19 through 380 private FM stations across India.

The radio industry body urged the Government to restore its advertising on Radio to normal levels.

We also request Mrs Sonia Gandhi to please review and withdraw her suggestion and thereby demonstrate her support for one of the crucial pillars of democracy  Media, the statement added.

The NBAs statement stated, At a time when media personnel, without fearing for their lives, are doing their national duty, by disseminating news on the pandemic, a statement like this from the Congress President is highly demoralizing.

NBA pointed out that on the one hand there has been a slump in advertisement revenues of electronic media due to recession, on the other hand it is suffering from financial blows due to nationwide lockdown of all industries and businesses. Moreover, news channels are spending heavily on providing safety to their reporters and production staff. To suggest a "complete ban" on government and PSU advertisements is not only ill-timed, but highly arbitrary, the statement added.

NBA called upon Gandhi to withdraw her suggestion made to the Prime Minister about "complete ban" on media advertisements for two years in the interest of a healthy and free media.
Jim Gehrz, MBR / McClatchy-Tribune News Service

(Bloomberg) -- Parsley Energy Inc., one of two shale drillers pushing Texas to coordinate a statewide cut among all producers, said the 20% curtailment theyve proposed may not be enough to buoy oil prices.

Chief Executive Officer Matt Gallagher said Tuesday in a Bloomberg TV interview hes willing to reduce his own companys oil output by 20% if others agree to the same deal and has already started shutting in about 400 lower-producing wells. But Americas biggest oil-producing state cant be the only one curbing supply to solve a global problem of low crude prices, he said.
CXO-level hiring--top level chief executives; finance, operations and tech chiefs, among others, are hired for critical roles.

The good news first. In the time of forced work from home due to the government announced lockdown, some organisations are honouring the commitments made to fresh hires. The new hires are working remotely, given the circumstances prevailing across the country due to the outbreak of coronavirus, and have provided the laptops and connnections to begin work seamlessly, as it were.

"Whoever thought a new joinee and a CEO at that, could work remotely?," asked Kamal Karanth, CoFounder, Xpheno, a specialist staffing company. Given the times and circumstances are unprecedented, it is commendable, he said, that organisations are not deferring or cancelling offers.

There are a few exceptions but the large number of organisations have not been able to honor the commitments made to new hires, especially when it comes to CXO-level hiring. A manufacturing firm had given an offer letter for a plant head who had accepted it. However, the company deferred the joining date to May instead of April, said Agamjeet Dang, Managing Partner - Financial Services, Executive Access--executive search firm.

In some cases, the candidate herself decided to let go of the new offer after accepting the offer letter. A HR professional who was offered a senior position at a higher salary, decided not to take up the job offer in the changed circumstances with COVID-19 and the prevailing dismal business climate. "I decided to let go of the offer as I did not want to take any risks and went back to my management and told them about my change of plans to move on. Luckily for me, they were more than happy to retain me," she said.

CXO level hiring--top level chief executives; finance, operations and tech chiefs, among others, are hired for critical roles. These hires are done months in advance. However, the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown has put a spanner in the works of organisations.

Kris Laxmikanth, CEO and Managing Director, The Head Hunters India, recalls the change in perceptions of those who were head hunted for CXO-level jobs. "A mid-sized firm had given an IT giant, a CEO role. The offer letter was given last week but the candidate turned it down and preferred to stay back in his old role at the IT firm," Laxmikanth said.

The mandate earlier given to CXO-level recruiting firms was to close recruitment negotiations and offers in March. Now, the organisations are asking for more time and some candidates are willing to wait, he said.

The lockdown was announced on 24 March. However, the payroll for the month of March was smooth with minimal hiccups but no one wants to hazard a guess about April. The situation is distressing for all sectors--no one knows if there will be a demand. The focus for organisations is to conserve the cash. "Unless the CXO-level hiring is absolutely necessary, the position will not be filled," said Rituparna Chakraborty, Co-Founder and EVP, TeamLease Services, staffing solutions provider.

CXO-level hiring is not a priority for any organisation post-lockdown, said CXO-level hiring firms. "There are more battles to win. Unless the position is critical, the hiring can be paused. In fact, there will significant freeze on CXO hiring," said Chakraborty.

The hiring for critical roles will come down to almost 40-50 percent in the next two quarters, said Karanth. Hiring high cost resources will be the last priority of any organisation post-lockdown, he said. He felt, the CXO-level hiring activity will take at least a quarter to be activated. "In the next quarter, there might be an 80 percent freeze; and post-reassesment of the need to hire, it may still have a 50 percent impact in the second quarter," Karanth said.

Organisations will hire for critical roles unless absolutely necessary or may hire a notch lower, said Dang of Executive Access--executive search firm. He said that job offers for even critical sectors like e-commerce, logistics, may be paused for some time. He felt that budgets being constrained, some organisations may hire a notch lower. "They won't compromise on the quality but will be willing to pay a few lakhs lesser and hire not the top guy for the role but a notch lower," he said.

The situation is fluid. Sectors like retail, hospitality, logistics, manufacturing and construction will be among the worst hit and may take months to stabilise, post-coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown. Multinationals have frozen hiring and coupled with the high unemployment rates predicted across all sectors, post-lockdown CXO-level hiring may plateau off for some time. The only comforting factor, if it can be called that, is that it is not a India-specific issue but a global one.
MICHIGAN  More than 20,000 people in the state have tested positive and nearly 1,000 people have died from the coronavirus as of April 8.

According to the states daily update, approximately 20,346 people have tested positive and an additional 112 people have died, bringing the states total to 959 people who have died from complications related to the virus. The day prior, the state saw its single largest increase in coronavirus deaths with 118 over a 24-hour period.

Locally, Huron County saw another positive case, for a total of five cases and no deaths. Tuscola County saw an increase of one case, bringing the county total to 27. There was also another death recorded in Tuscola County at Tuscola County Medical Care Community, for a total of three deaths. Sanilac County is reporting an additional five cases, bringing the county total to 22 and two deaths. All together, the Upper Thumb now sits at 54 confirmed cases.

Huron and Tuscola County health departments Health Officer Ann Hepfer has repeatedly stated that people should not give much credence to the low number of reported cases, because she suspects they are much higher in reality. Hepfer said the state does not have enough testing capabilities, and because of that, people need to assume everyone is infected with the virus when they are in public.

Local and national health departments recommend wearing some form of protection, such as a bandana or mask when in public, maintaining and following the states social distancing guidelines, following the stay-at-home order and frequent washing and disinfecting of hands and surfaces.

Other recommendations include:

 Wash your hands.

 Stay home when sick.

 Avoid close contact with sick people.

 Avoid touching your face.

 Disinfect commonly touched surfaces.

 Avoid shaking hands.

 Follow suggested guidelines for social distancing.

For social distancing:

 Keep six feet between yourself and others when possible.

 Avoid public places at their busiest times.

 Work from home when possible.

 Limit travel.

People who are concerned that they may have COVID-19 should contact their healthcare provider and call ahead before visiting any healthcare facility. Mildly ill people are encouraged to stay home and contact their healthcare provider by phone for guidance. If you feel well, you do not need to be tested. Testing is determined based on a CDC risk assessment.

Information about the COVID-19 is rapidly changing. For general questions about COVID-19, call the state hotline at 1-888-535-6136. For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus, www.tchd.us and www.hchd.us.
MONTREAL - Former SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. CEO Neil Bruce earned a full $7 million in 2019, though his tenure came to an end less than halfway through the year.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Neil Bruce, president and CEO of SNC-Lavalin, addresses the engineering company's annual shareholders meeting in Montreal on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Former SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. CEO Neil Bruce earned a full $7 million in 2019, though his tenure came to an end less than halfway through the year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - Former SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. CEO Neil Bruce earned a full $7 million in 2019, though his tenure came to an end less than halfway through the year.

Bruce, who ceded the top spot to Ian Edwards in June, received a base salary of $1.3 million, according to the company's proxy circular.

He also took in $4.2 million in share-based awards, a bonus of about $670,000 and "other compensation" of $891,000.

The latter includes a half-million dollars in reimbursement costs to cover Bruce's move from Montreal to the United Kingdom to join his family upon stepping down. He stayed on as an adviser to the board of directors through the end of the year.

The document states that Bruce, whose total compensation was $5.4 million in 2018, "did not receive any severance payments as a result of his retirement," adding that his contract was modified on June 11 in the wake of the head-office shakeup that day.

Bruce's departure 10 months ago capped a near four-year stint at the helm of SNC-Lavalin that was marked by a 42 per-cent plunge in share price and a political controversy tied to a now-settled corruption case.

The moving costs covered by SNC stood out to some.

"You can go and live where you want, but was the company obliged to pay for the move?" asked corporate governance expert and Concordia University business professor Michel Magnan in a telephone interview.

"Unless it appears in his contract of employment, it indicates that there was a private agreement."

For comparison, total compensation of Alexandre L'Heureux, chief executive at WSP Global  SNC's Quebec rival  also stood at $7 million last year, according to documents filed with regulatory authorities.

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Edwards, the current CEO, received compensation totalling $3.7 million, including a salary of $949,000, share-based awards of nearly $2 million and a $532,000 bonus.

SNC's five top executives took in $14 million collectively last year, not including Bruce's $7 million in total compensation.

Since striking a plea deal last year, SNC has been working to set a new direction, pivoting away from big, fixed-price construction contracts  where the bidder shoulders any cost overruns  toward a more stable business model that revolves around engineering services.

SNC settled criminal charges in December when its construction subsidiary pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud related to projects in Libya, tying off a long-standing scandal that tarnished the firm's reputation and ensnared the highest office of the Canadian government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC)
Annelise Hill was attending a conference in the Bohol Province of the Philippines  where she worked as an environmental Peace Corps volunteer  when she received a devastating alert from headquarters in Washington, D.C., urging her and others to evacuate their host countries.

Hill had 24 hours to pack her belongings, say goodbye to her friends and people in the community shed helped and rush to the airport.

It was very stressful and shocking to know that we were leaving, said Hill, a 24-year-old Novato resident who worked as a coastal resource manager for eight months in Getafe, a city of about 30,000 people. I knew that if I thought of it as, Im not coming back, I was going to break down. I kind of had to lie to myself to get out of there. I felt like I was abandoning my community and my office.

In an unprecedented decision last month, the Peace Corps evacuated an estimated 7,000 volunteers from 60 countries. The decision to recall volunteers was made to prevent them from getting stranded abroad as countries shut down their borders and airports while enforcing shelter-in-place orders because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Many of these volunteers hail from the Bay Area, including 56 UC Berkeley alums, according to the Peace Corps. Over the years, Cal has contributed more alumni  3,741 in total  than any other university in the country.

The decision to flee was a devastating blow for Hill and many volunteers who were plucked out of life-changing assignments in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the world  only to land back in the U.S. with tenuous housing situations and dismal job prospects. Many volunteers told The Chronicle they feel as if they abandoned their posts and fear they wont get a chance to return.

Its being ripped from the community where you thought you were going to be living for many more months and transported back to the U.S. in the middle of a pandemic and global recession, Hill said.

The Peace Corps is a 59-year-old government program designed to provide aid to developing countries. Volunteers complete three months of training and two years of work in their host countries, filling critical educational, health, environmental and cultural roles. The sudden absence of these volunteers likely will leave many communities without critical resources and enrichment programs, from learning English and reducing food insecurity to promoting health through sports.

Hills main focus was assessing the health of Getafes ecosystems, including surveying residents and the regions groves, seagrass and corals.

We were developing a work plan and applying for a grant to implement a lot of projects that were directly related to my work, she said.

In the weeks since the evacuations, the Peace Corps has been partnering with a dozen other government agencies to host virtual job fairs starting this month, as well as provide webinars and online classes to help volunteers update their resumes and navigate the federal hiring system.

The organization also promised to provide evacuation and readjustment allowances, extended health insurance coverage and lodging reimbursements for volunteers who are unable to self-quarantine at home for the recommended 14-day period. Volunteers will qualify for noncompetitive eligibility, which makes it easier to obtain federal jobs.

To be clear, the Peace Corps is not closing posts, and volunteers will be able to return to normal activities as soon as conditions permit, Dr. Josephine Olsen, the Peace Corps director, wrote on the organizations website after the evacuations. We are already planning for that day.

Volunteers have given the Peace Corps credit for doing what it can under the circumstances and many said they feel supported. But they fear the organizations efforts simply wont be enough to ensure the 7,000 volunteers find an immediate job during such dire economic times.

Theyre coming back to an economy that is certainly not a good job market amid a global health issue, which creates so much uncertainty for them, said Glenn Blumhorst, president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association in Washington, D.C., which acts as an alumni group to help volunteers re-acclimate to life in the U.S. after they complete assignments abroad.

Its an emotional trauma for these evacuated Peace Corps volunteers, Blumhorst added. They were in the middle of something really meaningful in their life and it was disrupted.

Noah Bratcher, 28, of Humboldt County was in Kyrgyzstan for nine months before he was evacuated March 20. He had hoped to become a teacher after completing his volunteer work.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

But the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which offers credentials to Peace Corps volunteers who serve 18 months as education volunteers, told Bratcher it has not discussed waiving the requirement for returned volunteers whose experience was cut short, leaving him and many others in limbo.

This opportunity was one of the reasons I considered Peace Corps service, Bratcher said. We dont really know if well be able to go back at all. I dont know if Ill be able to reach the 18 months somehow. Its quite disappointing.

The commission on Tuesday said it does not have the legal authority to suspend or waive the requirement.

We are currently looking into this matter as well as more than a dozen other issues affecting people in teacher credentialing programs who are impacted by the COVID-19 situation, a commission spokeswoman said in an email.

Eddy Holman of San Lorenzo left the Oromia region of Ethiopia, where he had worked as a community health educator since January 2019. Holman was visiting family in New York when the evacuation order came down and was unable to return and say goodbye to his community.

I was about to get on my flight to Ethiopia and my Peace Corps director sent me an email in all caps saying, DO NOT GET ON THE PLANE, he said. I got no closure with my community, with any of my Peace Corps volunteer friends. I didnt even get to pack anything.

Holman was living with his 77-year-old grandmother before he left for Ethiopia. He feared exposing her to the coronavirus if he returned home, so he opted to temporarily stay with his mother.

Its like the rug is pulled out from under you, he said. I almost felt robbed of my second year.  I felt in denial up until the end.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Americas supply chain could be in jeopardy if the government doesnt act swiftly to help protect the countrys truckers, some industry officials and drivers are warning.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues its devastation across the U.S., they say, truckers are hauling into COVID-19 hot spots every day with no protective equipment, testing capabilities or ways to self-quarantine or seek treatment if they become sick.

HELP  MAYDAY  9-1-1, are the words in all caps across the top of a letter the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent to President Donald Trump on Friday.

Urgent and immediate action is demanded to safeguard our nations supply chain, said the letter, signed by Todd Spencer, president and CEO of the Grain Valley-based organization. Small-business truckers and professional drivers are the vital link to it all, putting their lives on the line for the good of the nation.

Truckers are exposed to COVID-19 because of the critical service they provide, Spencer said.

They run in and out of the hot zones and without question they are exposed, he said. They dont have access to PPE or any practical means to know when they may be falling ill or any practical solution if they need treatment or self-isolation.

Drivers need access to testing, Spencer said, along with a strategy for treatment or self-quarantine that could take place at nearby motels.

Right now professional drivers are busting their butts to care for the nation, he said. Their hard work and personal sacrifice should not include their health or even their lives if at all possible or preventable.

Once word spreads that drivers are testing positive, he said, we could very well see a tremendous reduction in drivers willing to risk everything for the rest of us.

We need a plan for them. We need help. Do it.

The nations truckers for weeks have been scrambling to deliver food and critically needed supplies from coast to coast. But theyve faced increasing challenges as the virus has spread. With most of the country now under stay-at-home orders, decent meals are hard to come by and they struggle to find parking spots for sleeping and even places to use the restroom or wash their hands. All while performing a job that puts them at an increased risk of contracting the virus.

These are unprecedented times in the freight industry, a Teamsters official said in an update to members last week.

Unfortunately, it appears that things are going to get worse before they get better, said Teamsters National Freight Division Director Ernie Soehl. We have seen a few terminals this week where an employee tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

At one terminal, Soehl said, a lower-level supervisor tested positive and the terminal was temporarily shut down while it was disinfected.

There are, however, approximately 18 members and six non-bargaining unit employees who had been in contact with that supervisor, and they have now been placed on a mandatory 14-day quarantine, he said. That terminal has since reopened. At another location with a different company, the terminal was also temporarily closed, disinfected and affected employees similarly placed into quarantine status.

In all cases, Soehl said, the appropriate governmental authorities were promptly notified.

Monte Wiederhold, an Ohio trucker who owns a small fleet, said concerns about coronavirus exposure are constantly on drivers minds.

Obviously, its an issue to think about, he said. Ive stressed to all my guys to exercise proper hygiene as much as possible, make sure theyve got hand sanitizers. Were keeping our distance from the forklift operators, things like that.

Wiederhold keeps a container of anti-bacterial wipes next to the door in his cab so he can clean his hands after loading, unloading and filling out paperwork. But trying to find places to more thoroughly clean up or use the restroom is getting harder all the time, he said.

One of my drivers went to Pennsylvania this week on Interstate 70 right outside of Wheeling, W.V., and the Welcome Center was blocked off with no truck parking, he said. These are really just basic human decencies that we should have. We shouldnt have to beg for these things. Were trying to keep the lights on and the doors open.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last week praised truckers and said the agency stands ready to build on actions it already has taken to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

I dont think many Americans think about the supply chain much during ordinary times, she said in an interview with Transport Topics, but now that phrase  the supply chain  is being talked about everywhere. So many more people now understand that its due to truckers and trucking companies that food shelves in a supermarket get stocked, or that gasoline stations are able to sell gasoline.

On Friday, the DOTs Federal Highway Administration took action aimed at helping truckers find meals along their routes. The agency notified state transportation departments that it was suspending a law that prohibits commercial activity in interstate highway rest areas. That means commercial food trucks will now be allowed in those areas.

The nation is experiencing extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances due to the current COVID-19 national public health emergency, in which states have been forced to close restaurants and other available food service accommodations, including in Interstate highway rest areas, the notice said.

FHWA recognizes that in those states food trucks may provide vital sustenance for interstate commercial truck drivers and others who are critical to the nations continued ability to deliver needed food and relief supplies to the communities impacted by the economic disruptions and healthcare strains caused by COVID-19.

Thats good news, truckers say, but just trying to outrun the virus is their biggest concern right now.

Waiting for the virus to spread through the trucking industry, one wrote on Facebook last week.

Added another: Im just afraid as sneaky as this little bugger is, its gonna sneak up on us.



Judy L. Thomas of The Kansas City Star wrote this story.

2020 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)

Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com

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An evangelical pastor who is refusing to abide by Louisianas ban on large public gatherings and continuing to hold in-person church services suggested his parishioners would not mind dying for their faith.

Rev. Tony Spell, pastor of Life Tabernacle Church in the city of Central, is facing six misdemeanor charges after defying Gov. John Bel Edwards orders aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Each count carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine.

Palm Sunday services at Spells church, held last weekend, are reported to have drawn hundreds of parishioners. Local police said many arrived in a fleet of 26 buses that the church, which is located near Baton Rouge, sent to pick them up.

In a TMZ interview on Wednesday, Spell shrugged off critics who say he is putting his congregants at risk of contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The Bible teaches us to be absent from our bodies as to be present with the Lord, said Spell, a Pentecostal preacher. Like any zealot or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcome friend. True Christians do not mind dying. They fear living in fear.

Watch TMZs full interview with Rev. Tony Spell below.

In previous interviews, Spell has argued that hes being persecuted for his faith. He reiterated that point on Wednesday, comparing the stay-at-home orders that now cover most Americans to tyranny and prison. Moving his services to Zoom or other streaming platforms, he added, was out of the question.

As for those who have already lost their lives to COVID-19, he told TMZ, They died like free people, fighting for their convictions.

Louisiana residents have been under a stay-at-home order since March 23. Last week, the governor extended that order through at least April 30, once again directing residents to leave their homes only for essential needs. Houses of worship are not included on the...

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Wisconsin wont know the results of Tuesdays election until next Monday, but chances are the results will be challenged via a cascade of lawsuits in state or federal court if the margins in major races are as razor-thin as they have been in recent years.

Possible legal challenges to the election results, fueled by voter complaints about voting hurdles Tuesday, threaten to further undermine the perceived integrity of the election and the legitimacy of those elected as a result.

In every election theres a stray story of a voter who got stuck in a long line or had difficulty getting their ballot, but those stories are pretty widespread in this election, and especially in some communities like Milwaukee, said UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. That will certainly lower peoples confidence that the election was run properly and that all voters were treated equally and fairly.

Due to federal court orders, Wisconsinites wont find out the results of the election until Monday. Elections clerks are barred from disclosing them partially because absentee ballots postmarked on or by April 7 will be received until Monday.

Voting in most cities appeared to go smoothly, especially given the immense challenges elections officials faced from the COVID-19 pandemic. But some voters, particularly those in Milwaukee, which includes a large portion of the states African American population, faced snaking lines and long waits at far fewer polling places than usual.

Statewide, more than 10,000 voters who didnt receive requested absentee ballots by Election Day, according to Wisconsin Elections Commission data, were forced to make the choice between sitting out the election or voting in person and risking their health.

On top of that, there are some eligible voters whose ballots have been disqualified. During a roughly 24 hour window last week, a federal court ruling gave voters the option to certify on their absentee ballot they could not find a witness and have it counted. A later appellate court ruling invalidated that option.

Voters who used that option during the legal window were left without an option. They cant have their absentee ballots counted, and they were barred from voting in person under Wisconsin law.

If the results of Tuesdays state Supreme Court election, the Milwaukee mayors race or other races are close next Monday, election law experts say the conditions on the ground on election day would make a recount or lawsuits highly likely.

Its unclear, if not doubtful, however, that the Wisconsin Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court, which created some of the voting difficulties with a ruling on the eve of the election that canceled a lower courts absentee voting accommodations, would welcome any challenges based on voter suppression or disenfranchisement, and the likelihood of a complete election do-over very low.

The losers are going to be upset that because of the way the election was conducted under the pandemic circumstances, it was fraught with problems and wasnt fair and didnt comply with the voting rights act, said Michael Maistelman, a liberal Milwaukee attorney. My guess is that the folks that feel disenfranchised will bring lawsuits to try to undo the election or for other similar relief.

Maistelman and others, however, say those lawsuits are unlikely to be successful. Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, expects the U.S. Supreme Court would be unlikely to favor arguments of voter suppression or disenfranchisement if such voting difficulties affect the broad population. If hurdles for voting do affect a specific voting group more than others, he said, the majority conservative court would likely need to find that it was targeted.

I think the (U.S. Supreme) Court signaled that a state elections scheme does not have to be perfect, Esenberg said.

Doug Poland, a voting rights attorney, said the likelihood of litigation being filed related to the election results pivots on whether the margins are narrow. He also said a lawsuit will hinge on which races are affected.

Liberal-backed Supreme Court candidate Judge Jill Karofsky said its too early to think about legal remedies for the election, but said it put voters in an impossible position. A spokesman for her opponent, conservative-backed Justice Daniel Kelly, said the campaign is preparing for the possibility of litigation if he wins.

Burden said the result of the April 7 election, especially if its close, is likely to further erode confidence in the Wisconsin Supreme Court given the winner of the Supreme Court race could very likely face criticism over whether they legitimately won.

If there is a narrow outcome in this April election, and there are obvious flaws in the election as everyone can see, it just becomes so easy to say the winner is not legitimate, Burden said. That temptation is always there, but it will be stronger and easier to allege if the elections close.

Voting difficulties

People who didnt receive their absentee ballots by Tuesdays deadline to turn them in faced a difficult decision  prioritize their health or their right to participate in democracy.

We frankly have hundreds of people on record as facing this issue, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman Courtney Beyer said.

Aly Robinson, 23, woke up Tuesday morning in her Milwaukee apartment and checked the mail one last time. The absentee ballot she said she requested about three weeks ago still had not arrived.

Then she saw pictures online of her polling station, Riverside High School, where the lines snaked for blocks and people reportedly waited more than an hour to cast their ballot while donning masks.

Robinson spent most of the day wracked with indecision on whether to brave the lines and cast her ballot, opening herself up to potentially contracting the coronavirus or missing out on having her voice heard. In the end, she stayed home.

I dont think this is the sort of thing that happens in a legitimate democracy, she said. Asking people to put their lives on the line if they want to cast their vote isnt right or fair. This is just blatant voter suppression.

Stories like Robinsons may become the basis in the next round of litigation related to Tuesdays election.

Milwaukee resident Saul Newton said he requested his absentee ballot March 20 and the Wisconsin Election Commission website indicates his ballot was sent two days later. But he said he never received it.

Newton, who serves as executive director of the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, is sitting this election out because he has family members at increased risk of the virus and he does not want to risk it. The only other elections Newton has missed came in 2010 and 2011 when he was deployed to serve in Afghanistan.

No one should have to choose between their health and safety or casting their ballot in a free and fair election, he said. Its hard not to feel disenfranchised.

Adding to Newtons frustration were all of the changes and legal decisions that came Monday.

There was so much conflicting information on where to vote and when and how, he said. No one seemed to know what was going on.

Madison vs. Milwaukee

Milwaukee, the states largest city with just under 600,000 people, had just five of 180 polling stations open whereas Madison, with a population of 260,000, had 66 of its 92 sites open.

About 1,700 Madison poll workers sat out of working this election, according to deputy city clerk Jim Verbick. Many of them were older and at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.

But the city was able to fill the shortage and had nearly 1,400 workers on hand for Tuesdays election, he said. The clerks office recruited new poll workers by contacting city staff, emailing licensed bartenders and coordinating with UW-Madison.

A lot of good collaboration, Verbick said.

The clerks office has been swamped with processing absentee ballot requests, so four members of the citys planning division offered their assistance in identifying which sites to keep open and which to consolidate, he said. They cross-referenced the number of registered voters at each site with how many had already requested an absentee ballot to minimize the number of people  and potential disease spread  at any particular site.

While few, if any, lines were reported at Madison polls, some residents still voiced frustration at having to show up because their absentee ballot didnt arrive in time.

Milwaukee Election Commission executive director Neil Albrecht said the reason for Milwaukees low polling site number is because there wasnt enough time to expand voting sites once they learned in recent days how much support the city would get from National Guard members. He also said Madison may have had more success finding poll workers because it tends to be more politically engaged than Milwaukee.

A city changed: See photos of Madison before and after COVID-19

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The COVID-19 pandemic is now the worlds top economic, as well as public health, story. But the Sino-American economic relationship remains a vital factor influencing the global economys wellbeing. The trade war appears calm for now, but the author warns that the high-tech cold war continues, and China could well come out on top.

Trade Warriors Lay Down Their Arms

US President Donald Trump is known for his sheer unpredictability, but when it comes to the recent trade frictions between the United States and China, he has been remarkably easy to read. He has made a series of flamboyant bluffs in his dealings with Beijing, but in the end, he has pursued a limited set of priority areas where results can be expected relatively quicklysuch as getting China to increase its US imports and provide better market access, or to improve its protection of intellectual property rightsand has put off for later thornier areas like Chinas industrial policy and subsidies for domestic enterprises. President Trumps desire to avoid a full-blown trade war, with maximum punitive tariffs deployed by both sides, has been evident. He likely sought to avoid any severe blows to the US economy, and in particular to its stock market, that could threaten his reelection chances.

The Chinese side, meanwhile, has also displayed a clear willingness to seek the second-best option. Beijing cannot have been happy that a majority of the new American tariffs remained in place despite its considerable concessions on import levels and market access, but it, too, lacked both the will and the economic capacity to opt for an all-out trade war instead.

Based on the above, we might say that both China and the United States viewed the phase one trade deal announced in January 2020 as little more than a clumsy charade with predetermined outcomes. Today, though, as the dramatic slowing of Chinas economy puts the agreements import targets out of reach and the approaching US presidential election this autumn threatens to trigger the trade conflict once more, caution is called for.

Cold War Continues in the High-Tech Sector

Despite the seeming thaw in trade relations described above, Washington has maintained a hard line for more than a year now on the high-technology front. US measures have included more stringent restrictions on Chinese inbound investment, implemented in part through stronger oversight by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. This escalation has also included bans on the use of certain devices manufactured in China by American governmental agencies or corporations, as well as bans on the export of IT devices to Chinese companies and other organizations appearing on the so-called Entity List, including re-exports of US technologies via third countries. Washington has also been pressuring its allies to avoid the use of communications technology produced by the Chinese manufacturer Huawei as they roll out their 5G wireless networks. There has been a steady stream of tough measures aimed at reducing Chinas role in the high-tech sector.

On the security front, meanwhile, there is no shortage of China-related concerns for the United States, and many believe that the Americans are likely to continue bolstering their controls aimed at addressing these concerns.

How should Japan respond to the security risks that Washington believes are posed by China, and the US measures taken to address them?

I believe, first, that Japan needs to face squarely the risk China poses on the security front. This is more than evident in the way that China has attempted to chip away at Japans effective control over the Senkaku Islands, as well as the highly organized Chinese cyberattacks mounted against Japanese defense-related corporations.

Secondly, for better or for worse, Japan will find it extraordinarily difficult to completely turn its back on requests in the name of security that come from the United Statesthe ally that provides that security for Japan. As I will explain below, going along with the United States does threaten to deal considerable damage to Japans industry and economy, but this will likely be swallowed as part of the cost of maintaining the alliance.

Be this as it may, though, the American high-tech cold war against China remains an extreme policy, and one that could bring about the isolation of the United States and its backers on the global stage, as I describe next.

Americas Counterproductive IT-Related Security Policies

Ever since 1996, when the World Trade Organization concluded the Information Technology Agreement aiming to completely eliminate tariffs on IT products, the industry has advanced rapidly along on waves of trade liberalization and globalization. The hardline stance taken by the United States recently flew in the face of these trends, amounting to a sudden declaration that IT would be treated as an industry excluded from free-trade principles.

The US measures like bans and boycott-style restrictions on trade with specified counterparts, backed by the threat of severe punishment for those circumventing them, can have a major impact in terms of the contraction they bring about in business activities. They also threaten to sever links in the IT supply chain, which has grown into a truly global web over the years.

If Western IT firms are forced to halt their dealings with China, the blow to them will be immense. In Japan, where the electronics sector has withered as a whole, the high-end electronics parts supply industry has remained one bright spot. But if Washington continues to beef up its tough trade policy, this industry, too, will inevitably decline. And a similar fate awaits IT industries in South Korea, Taiwan, and even the United States itself.

The Chinese side, meanwhile, which has found itself facing the risk that its supply of semiconductors could be cut off by the American trade-ban measures, has redoubled its efforts to get its own domestic semiconductor industry off the ground. The US-made chips that once powered Huaweis devices are apparently being replaced one after another with China-produced alternatives. In this case, the US hard line may have had precisely the opposite effect from what was intended.

The United States has also sought to freeze products from Huawei and other Chinese firms out of the 5G networks that are now being rolled out around the world. As of today, though, only three nations have agreed to go along with American wishesJapan, Australia, and Vietnam. Even among G7 nations, members like Britain and Germany are planning to implement Huawei equipment with some conditions; furthermore, most G20 members other than the G7 are openly expressing their welcome to Huawei. The excessively aggressive US efforts to boycott Chinese products bring about too many demerits in purchasing countrieshigher costs, delayed network rollouts, and lower telecommunication quality.

China Winning in the Global Data Economy

The twenty-first century is expected to be one when competitiveness in the data economythe ability to amass more data than other playerswill determine the outcome of economic competition as a whole. The United States and China are also clashing in the struggle to decide what the rules and frameworks governing the data economy will be. As a result, some predict, the global economy will see itself split into blocs as decoupling proceeds between the portions of the data and digital economies split between the Beijing- and Washington-led camps.

The United States argues that China has steadily erected barriers around its own data, protecting it from the rest of the world; Other nations, meanwhile, have given all comers free access to much of their data. It further argues that this has brought about an unequal, unfair competition between China and these freer societies, posing threats to data privacy and security as a result.

There are certainly reasons to agree with this criticism, but there is also cause to worry about the possible US intention to craft a bloc that can stand up against this Chinese menace.

A look at another set of countriesin Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, for exampleshows them to be moving their economies onto a smartphone-driven digital footing at a far faster pace than the developed world has done. In these regions, Chinese telecoms giants like Huawei and ZTE enjoy massive hardware market share; in software and apps, meanwhile, Chinas Alibaba and Tencent have engaged in robust M&A activities, building up formidable private-sector alliances with local players. When it comes to the formation of new blocs for the data economy era, in other words, China is in the lead.

One reason China has stolen a march here is that its efforts have been led by business. The US strategy, on the other hand, has been guided by the government and has consisted mainly of browbeating allies to take part in systems with exclusionary measures and other downsides. The market share competition between the two blocs will be won by offering merits and benefits and attractive alternatives; America cannot hope to beat China with its current approach.

If Washington adheres to this course, the United States and the nations going along with it will find themselves isolated from the rest of the globe, eventually falling behind in the technological competition of the twenty-first century.

Hoping for an American Course Correction

There are two reasons to remain hopeful, though. The first is the potential of technological innovation. Today, new technologies appear to be strengthening the domineering single-party rule seen in China, but the tide could turn one day, and technological advances could instead mark an end to the Communist Partys control.

The second reason to hope is the possibility of change in the United States. American history is filled with mistakes made by the country, but it is also one with a powerful corrective capacity. Its struggle with China for supremacy is likely to continue for some time to come, but the extreme policies it is now implementing could well be improved.

Japan, for its part, remains reliant on the United States for its security needs and must toe the line to an extent. But we must be willing to warn our ally about the negative impact of its more extreme choices, and to follow along with this ally with sufficient expectations and readiness for future change.

(Originally written in Japanese. Banner photo: US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit held in Osaka in June 2019.  Jiji.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 03:49:10|Editor: zyl

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Police officers wearing protective masks are seen on a street in Paris, France, on April 7, 2020. As France entered its fourth week of lockdown, the COVID-19 epidemic still hit hard, claiming on Tuesday 1,417 more deaths in hospitals and nursing homes, making the combined fatalities at 10,328, a French health official said. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

PARIS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- As France entered its fourth week of lockdown, the coronavirus epidemic still hit hard, claiming on Tuesday 1,417 more deaths in hospitals and nursing homes, making the combined fatalities at 10,328, a French health official said.

Data unveiled by General Director of Health Jerome Salomon showed a fresh daily record of deaths in hospital where 607 people have succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday, representing a daily increase of 9.4 percent to a cumulative total of 7,091, compared with a 10 percent rise registered on Monday.

The human loss caused by the epidemic had also risen in retirement homes. Some 3,237 have died since early March, up from Monday's 2,417.

Less than two months after the first COVID-19 death, an 80-year-old tourist from China, was reported on Feb. 14, France now became the fourth country globally after Italy, Spain and the United States to report more than 10,000 deaths.

However, pressure was easing in intensive care units thanks to slowing rise in serious cases and a growing number of cured patients.

Some 30,000 are now receiving treatment in hospitals, including 7,131 who need to be put on ventilator, a one-day increase of 59 compared with 94 on Monday.

"It is an important indicator which allows us to assess the tension in hospitals and the need to mobilize all the human and logistical resources," Salomon said.

Also, the number of people who have recovered "is increasing every day," the official noted. In total, 19,337 patients in France have come out of hospital cured.

Despite some good signs, Salomon said that the time for lifting the confinement has not come yet.

"Relaxing efforts will be extremely dangerous for patients and caregivers," he warned, urging people "to absolutely be mobilized on containment, barrier gestures and social distancing."

France decided on March 17 to put its 67 million residents into lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. The measures have been extended until April 15, and are likely to be extended again.

"The time of lockdown will last. This is essential. What matters is to ensure that confinement works, that the virus circulates slowly enough so that the number of severe cases in intensive care units does not exceed the overall capacity of our hospital system," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said early Tuesday.

During a question session at the National Assembly, Philippe told lawmakers that the government was working on lifting the confinement, but "it won't be for tomorrow."

"This is the reason why we are preparing. To prepare does not mean that it is ready. That meant to work on technical, scientific and logistical levels to be ready when the time comes," he said.
The Government has again pleaded with the public not to go to holiday homes or make unnecessary travel during the Easter holidays.

Liz Canavan, assistant secretary general at the Department of the Taoiseach, said: If you do all of the work you put in so far to suppress the virus wont be enough.

The only way to slow the spread is to stay at home.

Its hard but we need to continue what we are doing to protect our lives and those on the front line.

Ms Canavan also said that some 19,000 people who were claiming the Covid-19 pandemic payment of 350 a week are closing their claims.

A total of 507,000 people have been using the scheme.

Ms Canavan said that thousands of people closed their claim as they were not aware their employer had registered to use the wage subsidy scheme.

Ms Canavan also said the Department of Employment is carrying out checks to ensure all payments are warranted.

Ms Canavan said that students expecting to graduate this year will be prioritised.

She said the Government is focused on running both sets of State exams for the junior and Leaving Certs.

The Minister for Education (Joe McHugh) has said he would prefer to see students get at least two weeks class time in school before they have to sit any exams, she added.

We know that students and families need clarity on this and we know you are feeling a lot of pressure.

We are asking you to keep studying and keep focused.

The national emergency public emergency team will meet again at the end of this week and the minister would hope to be in a position to provide clarity on the junior cycle and Leaving Cert in the coming days.

This story was amended

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Some kids are raised by a single mother, while others may have two moms. There are plenty out there whove been adopted, or else share their parents with half-siblings from multiple marriages. For every normal family we see on TV, there are countless others in the real world that defy all the stereotypes  although youve gotta admit, the home life depicted in Abe, whose Big Apple-based 12-year-old title character (played by Stranger Things trouper Noah Schnapp) is the product of a Palestinian father (Arian Moayed) and an Israeli mother (Dagmara Dominczyk), skews awfully far from the ordinary.

Family dinners, which bring together grandparents from both sides to rehash the religious and political disputes of their respective faiths and countries, are never less than awkward. But Abe has an idea, and an obsession. Abe loves to cook. Hes like Julia Childs inner child, and has more spirit than Rocco DiSpirito. In an early scene, when its time to plan his birthday party, Abe sets out to make his own cake. His dream is to use cooking to unite the two sides of the family, Jewish and Muslim (his parents consider themselves agnostic atheists, but their son wants to attend mosque and have a bar mitzvah, and he dreams of dishes that will combine the two sides of his heritage).

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Sure, his plans naive, but it just might work  at least, thats the attitude first-time director Fernando Grostein Andrade adopts in a debut that

We all know kids like this. And if you happen to have one with an aptitude for cooking, Abe could well be the perfect thing to be watching at home during the coronavirus shut-in (originally scheduled for a day-and-date theatrical release, the film will now pivot to a digital and VOD release on April 17, some 15 months after premiering in the Kids section of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival). Schnapp brings a quality thats simultaneously relatable and just the slightest bit awkward, such that one can watch him fixate on cooking and feel inspired, without necessarily being tempted to take things to quite the extreme his character does here.

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Abe takes place in New York, importing its Semitic ingredients from contemporary Middle Eastern cinema (screenwriters Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader have Palestinian roots, although it wouldnt have been the slightest bit surprising to find the same film helmed by an Israeli director). And yet, Grostein Andrade is neither; he hails from Brazil, bringing yet another surprising flavor  a dash of his own cultural background  to this intriguing fusion dish.

Sensing (but not entirely understanding) their sons interest in all things culinary, Abes parents indulge the hobby, enrolling him in a summer cooking camp  which turns out to be as basic as they come. Abe has prodigy-level kitchen skills, and rather than waste his time playing with food coloring and cookie dough, he makes the bold decision to ditch class and sneak out to Brooklyn, where he has discovered a forward-thinking street chef named Chico (Seu Jorge), who is, you guessed it, a Brazilian transplant to New York.

Chico has no interest in babysitting, but Abe is both persistent and persuasive, winning over the self-made chef, who sees potential and takes him on as an apprentice, without realizing that Abe doesnt exactly have his parents blessing. In fact, Abes folks have absolutely no idea where he is, which is bound to become a problem, although the movie lets him get away with it for long enough to pick up some key skills (practical tips for aspiring chefs in the audience) and indulge several mouthwatering montages before the consequences catch up with him.

Grostein Andrade directs with energy and enthusiasm, especially when it comes to communicating the online dimension of Abes social life (all his friends are virtual, though negative comments can still feel intensely personal). Among Abes strengths is that the film never talks down to its child characters or the audience. Over dinner with his maternal grandfather (Mark Margolis) and Uncle Ari (Daniel Oreskes), Abe asks permission to taste the wine the adults are drinking. This is the Jewish side of the family, where alcohol is allowed. But on the Muslim half, his grandparents (Salem Murphy and Tom Mardirosian) are disapproving of such behavior, and not shy about picking fights about Israel, as if the other half of the family were directly responsible for these grievances.

No wonder Abe finds it all so overwhelming. His solution  to organize a meal in which he concocts original recipes mixing Palestinian and Israeli ingredients  plays out in a similarly realistic fashion, with entirely plausible results. Here, it might actually have been nice for the film to be more fanciful. Its kind of a tradition among cooking-themed movies (from Like Water for Chocolate to Chocolat) for a bit of magical embellishment to sneak into the kitchen. Abe is stubbornly earthbound by contrast, but thats OK. Its more responsible this way, and young audiences will devour it with no less enthusiasm.

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Sacramento, CA  Acknowledging that the coronavirus has added another stressor for children and parents, the Governor today declared April Child Abuse Prevention Month.

In his written proclamation, Governor Gavin Newsom called on all Californians to help keep kids safe every day and especially during this health crisis. Newsom adds the virus outbreak presents unique and serious risk factors for many families.

Noting that children are especially vulnerable to the stresses of health risks, school closures, isolation and economic instability in their families, Newsom points to a lack of structure with schools closed as a major factor, stating, children who were already vulnerable to abuse and neglect at home face a greater threat.

However, the governor also recognizes that parents are also feeling the pressure as he suggests, Many parents who have lost jobs and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be feeling overwhelmed and strained. Newsom recommends input and a simple action from everyone by reaching out to support a parent who is struggling.

The Governors proclamation can be found here.
Another state prisoner has died as a result of the coronavirus. The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed the second inmate death Wednesday.

The inmate was housed at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. He died Tuesday.

So far, 33 inmates in the facility have tested positive for the virus.

As of Tuesday, there are 262 prisoners who have tested positive across the state.

MDOC reported it's first inmate death back on April 1. That prisoner was housed at Parnall Correctional Facility. That prisoner had not been tested and had not told healthcare workers that he was feeling unwell according to the department.

The department's employees are also being affected by Coronavirus. As of April 7, 118 employees have tested positive. Two of them have died.
Chinese Doctors Set To Arrive Today To Aid In The Fight Against Coronavirus

Despite opposition by the Nigerian Medical Association, the visiting 15-member medical team from China will arrive the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on a chattered Air Peace aircraft on Wednesday (today).

The personnel, who are experts in infectious diseases, respiratory illness, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and anesthesiology, will be coming with their drugs, and equipment to carry out COVID-19 tests on the staff of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in the country.

The Executive Director, CCECC, Mr Jacques Liao, said in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, that the medical team would be coming with 16-ton test kits, ventilators, disinfection machine, disposable medical masks, drugs, infrared thermometer and other items ordered by the Federal Government.

Liao dispelled what he described as the controversy about the teams visit, stating that the primary purpose of the team is to provide CECC employees with critical and necessary healthcare.

He added, All members of the working team have tested negative for COVID-19 and shall commence their stay in Nigeria by spending 14 days in quarantine.

The primary purpose of the team is to provide CCECC employees with critical and necessary health care assistance. They are also coming with adequate personal protective equipment and medical items for the employees.

The director explained that under the directive of the Embassy of China in Nigeria and in response to the Federal Governments request, the team may also share with their Nigerian counterparts effective methods on COVID-19 containment.

Liao explained that in keeping with CCECCs corporate value, stride with Nigeria, the firm would be participating in the construction of two COVID-19 response facilities in the Federal Capital Territory for free.

Meanwhile, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has rejected the decision of the Federal Government to bring in Chinese doctors and nurses to assist in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawmakers on Tuesday said the decision to bring in people from the hotbed of the plague was not in Nigerias best interest. They urged the Federal Government to suspend the plan.

Their position was contained in a statement signed by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Elumelu said the caucus wanted the Federal Government to rescind its decision to import doctors from the hotbed of the plague into our country at this critical time.

The statement read in part, The lawmakers note that Nigerian doctors and nurses are doing well so far in managing the scourge, and express fears that bringing in Chinese medical personnel, whose status, intentions and scope cannot be easily ascertained and controlled is totally against our national interest.

The Federal Government should note the apprehensions of Nigerians and professional bodies including the Nigeria Medical Association over the decision. The caucus notes that this is particularly after alleged escalation of the pandemic in certain countries after Chinese doctors were reportedly involved, in addition to widespread trepidations over the safety of medical equipment and kits from China at this point in time.

At such critical time, the safety and wellbeing of our citizens must be paramount and anything that is capable of further jeopardising their lives must be avoided.
From 1 April 2020, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle will no longer be senior members of the Royal Family.

It means they will not receive any money from the Sovereign Grant - and will not carry out any engagements on behalf the Queen.

The news that they wanted to leave the role behind came as a huge shock. The couple spent Christmas and an extended break in Canada, and came back in January, when they announced they did not want to be senior royals any more.

Yahoo UK looks at the key factors in the decision to step back - and how we got here.

Read more: 'You may not see us here': Harry and Meghan share final Instagram post from royal account

The press

Harry has spoken on a number of occasions about press intrusion and said it is something he has struggled with as a member of the Royal Family.

Speaking to Tom Bradby during the filming of a documentary of their tour in South Africa, he said: I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash it takes me straight back so in that respect it's the worst reminder of her life as opposed to the best.

Harry and Meghan took on some final duties in the UK in March. (Getty Images)

Read more: 'LA paparazzi don't play by the rules': Harry and Meghan warned they will be 'fair game' in California

The prince has always criticised the press for the role they played in the death of his mother. Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after being hounded by paparazzi.

When he started dating Meghan, he issued a powerful statement which spoke about racist undertones in reporting of her, and called for those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done.

He also knew that press attention had contributed to the end of previous relationships - with Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.

Together, Harry and Meghan have sought to establish a bit more control around how they are reported on. They organised a photocall when their son Archie was born. While Meghan was in the UK she chose one photographer to accompany her on a number of her private engagements.

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In a statement on their website, they said the move to be private individuals will remove the supposed public interest justification for media intrusion into their lives.

Harry and Meghan at the WellChild awards in October 2019. (Getty Images)

They also expressed a wish for the way they are covered to change, saying they want to engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists and no longer participate in the Royal Rota system.

Harrys other life

Prince Harry has never made a secret of how much he loved being in the military. He talked about preferring his military title of Captain Wales to his royal titles, and said on patrol bases he could be one of the guys.

Read more: Meghan Markle's six most significant royal moments in 600 days

His friend Dean Stott, told This Morning tour in Afghanistan was the only place he could be himself.

Harry has admitted in the past that he didn't always want to stay in the royal family.

"There was a time I felt I wanted out," he told the Mail on Sunday.

"But then I decided to stay in [The Firm] and work out a role for myself."

Harry will likely keep working with the military in the future. (Getty Images)

Military affiliations have been a recurring theme for Prince Harry too. He launched the Invictus Games, a sporting event for disabled and injured former servicemen, and continues to play a major role in the organisation.

Its likely he will continue his work with the military after he leaves the Royal Family.

Making their own money

In their statement in January, Harry and Meghan spoke about wanting to earn their own money.

As senior royals, they received 5% of their money from the Sovereign Grant - the money paid by the taxpayer to the Royal Family to fund their duties, their travel and other expenses.

Read more: Meghan leaving the Royal Family was the British people's fault, documentary claims

The couple had wanted to come to an arrangement which would allow them to continue to represent the Queen but earn their own money. However no such deal could be reached with the Royal Family.

The statement said: We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

The phrase financially independent seems to be a key figure for why this happened - they wanted to go to work and earn money like others can.

While Harry would always have made his money by working for his grandmother, Meghan would have been much more used to going to work and earning her monthly paycheque.

How did we get here?

In November 2019, after a successful tour in South Africa and the announcement they would be suing the Mail on Sunday, the couple took Archie to Canada for an extended break, missing Christmas at Sandringham.

In January 2020 they came back to thank the officials at Canada House in London for their time there.

But the visit to the UK turned out to be brief, especially for Meghan. It emerged they had left Archie in Canada, and she returned swiftly after they made a statement that they wanted to step back as senior royals.

Harry and Meghan popped back to say thank you for their stay. (Getty Images)

They said they had come to the decision after many months of reflection and internal discussions.

Buckingham Palace warns there are complicated issues that will take time to work through.

The Queen directed her staff to find solutions quickly, and a few days later summons Harry alongside Prince William and Prince Charles, for discussions. This became known as the Sandringham Summit.

While in Canada, Meghan makes some secret visits to local charities and organisations, while Harry continues with official engagements.

Read more: Lecturer who clashed with Laurence Fox over Meghan says 'I've had to grow a pair'

The Queen expresses regret at their decision, but they eventually come to an arrangement. Its dubbed a hard Megxit and is not what the couple wanted. They will not use their HRH styling, they will not be able to represent the Queen, and Harry will lose his honorary military titles.

The next day, Harry tells supporters at a charity dinner there was no other option. Soon after, he jets back to Canada.

Over the next month, they release some videos and photos of past projects on social media, but more information about their future leaks out. They discover they wont be able to use the word royal in any of their branding in the UK, and reluctantly agree not to use it worldwide.

Problems with their future security emerge too, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police refusing to cover their side of the costs.

The home in Canada where Prince Harry and wife Meghan lived. (Getty Images)

Read more: 'Thank you, Meghan': Charity pays tribute to Duchess of Sussex for new film

In early March, they perform their farewell tour - a series of engagements around Britain which marks the end of their time as senior royals.

As they edge closer to their final day, it emerges they have left Canada and will set up home in Los Angeles, having left before the border between the two countries closed to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

But the plan to reveal their new work has been delayed. However, they have revealed that Harrys project Travalyst will be based in the UK, and Disney revealed Meghan was the narrator of honour on their documentary Elephant.

The royals want to retain a global focus on dealing with coronavirus and have decided to concentrate on their family and the role they can play to help in the pandemic.
Wine is the most social of beverages, and these are the least social of times. Fortunately, ordering bottles to go with food from restaurants has become an option, and online purchasing followed by curbside pickup or delivery saves us from the worst of the risks attendant to strolling shop aisles.

Bantering with our favorite salespeople on the floor at Specs, Total Wine, Houston Wine Merchant, et al., is a pleasure that cant be duplicated. Staring at a computer screen is hardly as edifying or enjoyable. But picking up the phone and calling, as old-fashioned as it may sound, is a way better-than-nothing Plan B.

Houston Wine Merchants Antonio Gianola (713-524-3397) is a particularly knowledgeable, engaging fellow and will happily offer his 2 cents worth for free, then greet you at your car door with a smile and your order. Go to houstonwines.com to peruse the list, which Gianola is updating twice a day to reflect current inventory. And, like its larger chain competitors, HWM continues to reorder its wines on a regular basis, a luxury our cash-strapped restaurants can hardly afford right now.

Another pickup spot to consider is the Postino Wine Cafe in the Heights. Im a huge fan of Phoenix-based beverage director Brent Karliceks carefully curated, well-priced list of off-the-beaten-path producers (postinowinecafe.com). One of my favorites is the edgy Viso, a flavorful nebbiolo-barbera blend ($38) thats named in honor of the famous pyramid-shaped Alpine peak that soars high above the Piemonte. Postino is offering wine for as little as $15 and four-packs for only $55. Remember, back in normal times, it had 20-plus wines on offer for $5 per glass until 5 p.m. every day.

Oh, for the good ol days.

Speaking of which, the Chronicles tasting panel is on hiatus until further notice, but Ive got a nice backlog of our recommendations in the queue for your consideration. All can be purchased online from the wineries or through wine.com, and some may be available from local outlets.

TOP PICK

2017 Shafer TD-9 Merlot

Overall score: 18.6 (9.1 for quality, 9.5 for value)

Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation and seven scores of at least 9. Plummy, velvety and juicy. Full of black cherries.

My score: 9.3. TD-9 refers to the 1950s-era International Harvester tractor John Shafer inherited when he bought his Stags Leap District property, then taught himself to drive after shedding his corporate-world coat-and-tie uniform in 1973 to become a vintner.

Winery/vineyards/winemaking: Winemaker Elias Fernandez blended merlot (58 percent), malbec (26) and cabernet sauvignon (16) grapes from both the estate vineyards and nearby properties in the Vaca Mountains foothills to the south and across Napa Valley in Yountville. The wine spent 20 months in new 60-gallon French oak barrels. Alcohol: 15.3 percent.

More Information TOP PICK 2017 Shafer TD-9 Merlot Overall score: 18.6 (9.1 for quality, 9.5 for value) Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation and seven scores of at least 9. "Plummy, velvety and juicy. Full of black cherries." My score: 9.3. "TD-9" refers to the 1950s-era International Harvester tractor John Shafer inherited when he bought his Stags Leap District property, then taught himself to drive after shedding his corporate-world coat-and-tie uniform in 1973 to become a vintner. Winery/vineyards/winemaking: Winemaker Elias Fernandez blended merlot (58 percent), malbec (26) and cabernet sauvignon (16) grapes from both the estate vineyards and nearby properties in the Vaca Mountains foothills to the south and across Napa Valley in Yountville. The wine spent 20 months in new 60-gallon French oak barrels. Alcohol: 15.3 percent. Winemaker notes: "This juicy red blend is loaded with vivid summer fruit - red plum, red cherry, black cherry, and strawberry - along with rhubarb, spice, and red licorice. All this tantalizing freshness comes with energy and ripe tannins for a long, luscious finish." Critical acclaim: The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck all awarded scores of 92. Pairings: Beef carpaccio with reggiano parmigiano. Grilled ribeye steak. Price: $62.39 at Spec's, $59.99 at wine.com BARGAIN TOUT 2017 Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne Overall score: 19 (9 for quality, 10 for value) Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with a high score of 9.4. "Floral nose, black plums and spice on the palate. Powerful!" My score: 8.9. Vietti is the lone major American-owned producer in Italy's Piemonte, but winemaker Luca Currado has retained total autonomy and stayed true to the family's deep roots in the region. Winery/vineyards/winemaking: The fruit is sourced from three parcels in the hills around Asti. After cold maceration in stainless-steel tanks, malolactic fermentation follows. Aging then lasts for 18 months in both tanks and large oak barrels. Alcohol: 14.5 percent. Winemaker notes: "A dry, medium-bodied red wine with refreshing acidity, it's well balanced with good integration of oak, good complexity and a long finish of red cherries. Critical acclaim: The Wine Spectator awarded a score of 91 and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate a 90. Pairings: Antipasti. Grilled seasoned vegetables. Pasta, pork and chicken in light sauces. Price: $15.79 at Spec's, $17.99 from wine.com sportywineguy@outlook.com twitter.com/sportywineguy See More Collapse

Winemaker notes: This juicy red blend is loaded with vivid summer fruit  red plum, red cherry, black cherry, and strawberry  along with rhubarb, spice, and red licorice. All this tantalizing freshness comes with energy and ripe tannins for a long, luscious finish.

Critical acclaim: The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Jeb Dunnuck all awarded scores of 92.

Pairings: Beef carpaccio with reggiano parmigiano. Grilled ribeye steak.

Price: $62.39 at Specs, $59.99 at wine.com

BARGAIN TOUT

2017 Vietti Barbera dAsti Tre Vigne

Overall score: 19 (9 for quality, 10 for value)

Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with a high score of 9.4. Floral nose, black plums and spice on the palate. Powerful!

My score: 8.9. Vietti is the lone major American-owned producer in Italys Piemonte, but winemaker Luca Currado has retained total autonomy and stayed true to the familys deep roots in the region.

Winery/vineyards/winemaking: The fruit is sourced from three parcels in the hills around Asti. After cold maceration in stainless-steel tanks, malolactic fermentation follows. Aging then lasts for 18 months in both tanks and large oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.5 percent.

Winemaker notes: A dry, medium-bodied red wine with refreshing acidity, its well balanced with good integration of oak, good complexity and a long finish of red cherries.

Critical acclaim: The Wine Spectator awarded a score of 91 and Robert Parkers Wine Advocate a 90.

Pairings: Antipasti. Grilled seasoned vegetables. Pasta, pork and chicken in light sauces.

Price: $15.79 at Specs, $17.99 from wine.com

sportywineguy@outlook.com

twitter.com/sportywineguy
SPRINGFIELD - A GoFundMe page created to feed healthcare workers and first responders has received more than $8,000 in donations on its the first day.

Its been a great first day, said Danielle Veronesi, director of marketing for Peter Pan, which partnered with the Yee familys Bean Restaurant Group to launch the Stuff The Bus  Feed the Fight Western Massachusetts campaign.

On Tuesday, an assembly line of healthcare workers gathered outside Mercy Medical Center to grab bags of food from Frigos in the citys South End.

Other restaurants that will be providing food include Bella Napoli in West Springfield, and Mom and Ricos and the Koffee Kup Bakery in Springfield, the Delaney House in Holyoke as well as all of the Bean Group restaurants including The Student Prince and The Fort in Springfield, Johnnys Tavern in Amherst and Johnnys Bar and Grill in South Hadley.

Today we are delivering over 250 meals to Mercy as well as three Springfield fire departments, Veronesi said.

The fund was set up to be a two-fold campaign. We are raising money to support hearth care workers and firs responders, while purchasing the food from local restaurants so we can help the community both ways, Veronesi said.

Deborah Bitsoli, president of Mercy Medical Center, said her staff appreciates the meals being donated.

One of the things I know about our healthcare workers is that they do enjoy a nice lunch or a nice dinner and this allows them to really take a few moments and get some nourishment, because they are very busy, she said. The food donations are rotated through all of the departments.

Bitsoli said the community response has been overwhelming.

We have had an outpouring from many local restaurants as well as local business owners with everything from food to surgical masks and other personal protective supplies and I can tell you its heartwarming. The love that people have for Mercy Medical Center means so much to us, she said.

Beyond supporting healthcare workers and first responders the fund is also meant to give an economic boost to local restaurants.

Donations can be made to www.gofundme.com/feedthefightwesternmass

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Meet New Press Secretary

New White House Press Secretary Said a Month Ago That the Coronavirus Would Never Spread to the U.S. , TV talking headturnedTrump 2020 spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, is taking on a job whose ostensible current purpose is informing the public about the governments response to a pandemic, despite having claimed a little over a month ago that a pandemic could never and would never take place while Donald Trump was president...

Show-Me Tough Political Comeback Amid Pandemic

Missouri lawmakers return to Capitol for virus funding bill COLUMBIA, MO (AP) -- Missouri lawmakers are taking extraordinary steps to return to the usually crowded state Capitol on Tuesday to pass an emergency coronavirus funding bill. The Capitol has been closed to everyone except essential staff since March 24. But lawmaker approval is needed for Gov.

Newspaper Blames Church For Outbreak In Kansas

Coronavirus death connected to Kansas City, Kansas church conference in March At least one coronavirus-related death of a resident from southeast Kansas has been found to be connected to a Kansas City, Kansas, church conference where more than a dozen people have since contracted the virus, according to the state department of health.

Social Justice Advocates Demand Resignation

Group wants Riley County official gone over coronavirus remarks An activist group is pushing for the resignation of Riley County Commissioner Marvin Rodriquez over comments he made related to coronavirus and Chinese people. The Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice said Monday that Rodriquez should resign for saying at a March meeting that Manhattan, Kansas, wasn't at high risk for the coronavirus because it doesn't have many Chinese residents.

Show-Me Powerful Gesture

Deadline extended for help with utility bills in Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Although nearly all of the region's utilities have imposed a moratorium on cutting off service during the coronavirus pandemic, for many struggling families, the bill will soon come due.

Rush To Manufacture KC Masks

Public Demand For Masks Spurs Production In Kansas City Some local businesses that recently began producing facemasks for hospitals and other large-volume customers are now beginning to sell masks to the general public. In a reversal from its previous position, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised people to wear a cloth or fabric mask while in public.

Golden Ghetto Pay Bump Proposed Amid Pandemic

Overland Park council members propose hazard pay for first responders OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - There's a new proposal from three Overland Park City Council members to give that city's first responders hazard pay during the community-wide pandemic shutdown. Council members Scott Hamblin, Gina Burke and Doctor Faris Farassati are proposing an extra $500 a month for each first responder retroactive to March 15.

KC MDs & RNs Help NYC

Local doctors head to New York to help fight COVID-19 LENEXA, KS (KCTV) - KCTV5 News talked with several doctors that are heading to New York Wednesday morning. They say they have been closely monitoring news reports and doctor chat groups about the situation in New York, but say they're going because they're so desperately needed.

Kansas City Supports The Troops During Pandemic

Veterans Community Project volunteers busy amid COVID-19 pandemic KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Volunteers with the Veterans Community Project have been busy to help the veteran population during the coronavirus pandemic. Many veterans who live in the community offered to take part. So many, in fact, that organizers had to turn some of them away.

Lenexa COVID-19 Life Lesson

'It doesn't discriminate': Once healthy, Lenexa man has been battling COVID-19 for weeks now LENEXA, Kan. -- A Lenexa man is still fighting his way back after being diagnosed with the coronavirus three weeks ago. The good news is he's slowly recovering, but his family says what happened is proof COVID-19 can affect anyone. Eric Goodman is just 43 years old and a married father of two.

Cowtown Shares Kindness With Hobos Amid Coronavirus

Heart to Heart International, Hope Faith Ministries provide medical care to those who are homeless KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Heart to Heart International and Hope Faith Homeless Assistance have partnered to offer medical care for people experiencing homelessness. Each Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., doctors and nurses will provide primary care assistance, wound care and prescription refills.

Pandemic Retail Redux

Indian Springs Mall turned into drive-thru pickup location for Harvesters KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) - Tuesday the vacant lot of Indian Springs Mall turned into a drive-thru pickup location for Harvesters to give food to families of Schlagle and Washington High School students. As families slowly inched their way closer to the front of the line, Kansas City, Kansas, police officers worked quickly to fill cars with fresh food.

The pandemic continues and tonight we share thisroundup of some of the most importantalong with some of teh more important national news out there tonight . . .First here's where the numbers stand at the end of the day:Again, after the jump, here are the headlines and stories that stood out today . . .Developing . . .
Ryanair jets parked up on the runway of Dublin airport (Niall Carson/PA)

There are fears that air traffic will drop by up to 90% over April and May, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has said.

It comes after the air travel safety watchdog said that it dealt with a drop of 29% in flight levels in March.

The IAA said it handled 62,449 flights last month.

This represents a decrease of 28.6% compared to the number of flights handled in March 2019.

Expand Close Aer Lingus jets parked up on the runway of Dublin airport as flights are down by 83% due to Coronavirus (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Aer Lingus jets parked up on the runway of Dublin airport as flights are down by 83% due to Coronavirus (Niall Carson/PA)

This reduction reflects the impact of Covid-19 on the aviation sector across the world.

In a statement, the IAA said it is concerned that flight levels will drop by up to 90% over the next two months.

Many flights have been grounded and passenger numbers have dropped significantly because of worldwide travel restrictions to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

IAA chief executive, Peter Kearney said that flights operating daily in European airspace had declined by 90% due to Covid-19, placing many airlines in a difficult financial position.

We in the Irish Aviation Authority welcome the 1.1 billion euro financial package to assist the airlines, Mr Kearney added.

This will allow Air Traffic Control providers, including the IAA, to defer certain charges owed by airlines until late 2020 and into 2021.

We are committed to helping the airlines to weather this unprecedented collapse of business. Ireland is an island relying on a strong airline service for our economy.

So, these financial and regulatory mechanisms make absolute sense to help the airlines during this period.

It will help the airlines bounce back quicker, when we come out of this pandemic.

In turn, jobs will be saved and business across Europe will grow again. As a key stakeholder in the Irish aviation sector, it is our duty to do all we can to assist the national effort to combat Covid-19 and ensure that the Irish economy recovers quickly.

The measure allows airlines to defer paying their air traffic control charges due for February to May 2020, until between late 2020 and the third quarter of 2021.

The IAA said it is implementing this mechanism as well as several others to help airlines through the unprecedented health crisis.

The IAA said the measures will help airlines get their fleets airborne once the current restrictions are eased.

State airport traffic during March 2020:

 Total flights handled at State airports was 18,250, down 22.7% on 2019

 Dublin airport recorded 13,012 flights, a 29.2% decrease

 Cork airport traffic was 3,778, up 10.2%

 Shannon airport reported 1,460 flights, a 19.2% decrease in movements

 There were 14,479 commercial terminal flights, down 30.2% on March 2019
The prime minister urged measures to smooth out the export of medical supplies

This is part of the prime ministers conclusion speech at a recent government meeting reviewing measures in combating COVID-19.

On recent days, customers from different markets such as the US, EU, Spain, and most recenty Russia and Canada have voiced the rising demand to import medical supplies, such as protective gear, gloves, and face masks to serve the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, deputy director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, has told the media that customers from different markets have continuously asked about the capacity for medical supplies provision from Vietnamese companies.

For instance, the Russian market would need one million sets of single-use protective gear, more than five million medical face masks, one million anti-bacterial masks, two million fabric-made masks, 100,000 protective glasses, one million medical blouses, and more for shipping to Saint-Petersburg.

"Vietnamese businesses need to pay due regard to preparing legitimate papers showing the products are eligible for exportation from Vietnam, plus other necessary documents when anchoring at Saint-Peterburg port," Thuy noted.

Facilitating the export of fabric masks and other measures aims to support local businesses that are short of export orders as many of them were delayed or cancelled due to the pandemic.

In addition, the Canadian market is showing demand for millions of medical supplies, such as single-use N95 face masks, single-use surgical masks, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves, medical blouses, and protective medical gear, hand sanitiser, and protective eyewear, among others.

Functional Canadian bodies will take the initiative in selecting the export firms and soon contact businesses meeting their demands.

Earlier, the government enacted Resolution No.20/NQ-CP dated February 28, 2020 on licensing the export of medical masks during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health shall provide licences allowing the export of medical face masks while the country is combating COVID-19 with the purpose of providing aid and international support on behalf of the Vietnamese government.

This policy does not apply to the export business of export-processing enterprises having acquired investment certificates and those engaged in processing medical masks for foreign clients on contracts signed before March 1, 2020.

Right after the enactment of the resolution, the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) has reported rising orders for fabric-made face masks.

The General Department of Customs has also improved processes in checking the export of fabric-made face masks to facilitate business activities during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Facilitating the export of fabric masks and other measures aims to support local businesses that are short of export orders as many of them were delayed or cancelled due to the pandemic.

Of the proposed measures to help textile and garment makers weather difficulties in the current context, The Vitas has sought the government's permission to allow those in the sector to engage in production and export of items serving the fight against COVID-19 to partly cover expenses in these difficult circumstances.
Dr. Deborah Birx on Wednesday joined President Donald Trump in criticizing the World Health Organization, saying the group delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic.'

Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the administration, appeared to implicate the agency's ties to China - which is rapidly become a conservative talking point - saying the WHO can only respond to information it receives.

'You know, the WHO can only react to the data it's given. And when you go back and look at the timeline, it wasn't until I think almost the middle of January that China reported that there was human-to-human transmission,' she said on CBS' 'This Morning.'

'We have to really investigate reporting and how the reports were received there. I think it did delay the ability to declare this a global pandemic, an emergency. We can do all of that when we get through this as a global community to really understand how to do this better the next time,' she noted.

The organization has become the latest target of President Trump in his blame game as he points the finger for the devastating effects of the coronavirus - an economic down turn and over 12,000 American deaths - at everyone but his administration. Also feeling Trump's fury has been China, the states, governors and the Democrats.

Dr. Deborah Birx said the World Health Organization delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic'

President Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, calling it too 'China centric' and suggesting that it was hiding information about the coronavirus from the rest of the world

But Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refused to get involved in the White House war with the WHO.

'I can't get involved in that kind of discussion,' he said Wednesday morning on Fox News Channel's 'America's Newsroom.' 'I just need to focus on what my job is, to see what we can do in this country and globally to put an end to this. The interaction between the WHO is -- is something that I really prefer not to get involved with.'

On Tuesday President Trump called the World Health Organization, which is an agency of the United Nations, 'China centric' and complained they 'missed the call' when it came to the coronavirus.

And he launched a full-scale attack against the agency when he was with holding the United States' contribution before reversing himself to say there should be an investigation of the group's response to the pandemic.

Birx clarified Trump's remarks when she did a series of interviews Wednesday morning after the White House endured a chaotic day: a shake up in press office, a key watchdog removed by the president, and Trump's contentious press briefing.

'When the president said he was holding funds, he didn't say he was restricting and keeping funds permanently away. But said instead said let's investigate what happened. Let's see what happened in our reporting. We've done that before with previous outbreaks and previous issues that have occurred at WHO,' Birx said on ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Trump accused the WHO of mishandling the coronavirus outbreak and said: 'We're going to put a hold on money.'

When asked by reporters whether it was wise to slash funding to the WHO during a time of emergency, the president quickly backtracked and said he was only looking into a possible suspension of funds.

But he doubled down on his criticism of the group.

'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' Trump said.

'They should have known and they probably did know,' he added, suggesting the group was withholding information about the coronavirus.

Trump's main beef with the United Nations health group is that leadership there said it wasn't necessary to ban travelers coming in from China as the coronavirus started spreading beyond Wuhan, where it originated.

The president has bragged that his early ban of some travelers from China kept it from being a greater threat to the U.S.

Trump has followed the lead of prominent conservatives in complaining that the WHO has been too friendly to China during the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier on Tuesday, the president attacked the WHO for being 'China centric'.

World Health Organization criticized for its response to the coronavirus crisis The World Health Organization has been criticized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic. As concern about the crisis developing in Wuhan grew, the WHO followed the Chinese government's line by stating there was 'no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission'. The United Nations agency then took another week to correct that statement. The WHO has also been criticized for not standing up to the disinformation coming from Beijing, which has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and misreporting its true death toll figures. WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been slammed for his praise of the way China has responded to the pandemic. Dr Tedros has at times called out other countries for their handling of the crisis. In particular he lamented the 'level of stigma we are observing' in reference to the language used by President Trump to describe it as the 'China virus'. On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak. But on February 3, WHO said such bans on travel and trade were not needed. As the contagion began to spread outside of Wuhan where it originated, the WHO reassured the world that the virus was a regional problem. Most countries have since adopted the same stringent 'stay at home' rules and others have imposed lockdowns restricting citizens' movements. In late January, when the virus had already spread to several countries, a WHO emergency committee debated whether to declare COVID-19 a 'public health emergency of international concern'. However Dr Tedros declined amid Beijing's objections and instead traveled to China, before finally making the declaration a week later on January 30. At the time he said: 'The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken. 'I left in absolutely no doubt about China's commitment to transparency.' Also in late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control. Advertisement

He wrote on Twitter: 'The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look.'

The World Health Organization has been criticized for not pushing China to clarify its response and question its numbers on the disease. There is skepticism about the numbers Beijing is reporting.

Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, defended the group.

He said: 'We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding.'

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also rejected Trump's criticism of the WHO and backed director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for his 'tremendous work'.

'For the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] it is clear that WHO, under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, has done tremendous work on COVID in supporting countries with millions of pieces of equipment being shipped out, on helping countries with training, on providing global guidelines. WHO is showing the strength of the international health system', he told reporters.

Dujarric added the WHO recently did 'tremendous work' in putting its staff on the frontlines to successfully fight Ebola, an infectious and often fatal disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on Jan. 30, which was 43 days before President Trump declared a national emergency in the United States.

The group is part of the United Nations and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with 150 offices around the world.

The agency is funded in two ways - through assessed contributions and voluntary contributions.

The assessed contributions, which are like dues to the organization, are calculated by looking at a country's wealth and population.

In its February budget proposal, the Trump administration called for slashing the U.S. contribution to the WHO in half from the previous fiscal year - from $122.6 million to $57.9 million.

While the U.S. pays the most in assessed contributions, that full pot of money has only accounted for less than 25 per cent of WHO's haul over the past few years.

However, Americans NGOs and charity organizations, along with taxpayer dollars, do make up the biggest chunk of the WHO's funding.

Trump said near the start of his virus briefing Tuesday: 'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it.

'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.'

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said, changing the point he was trying to make mid-sentence.

Later in the briefing Trump threatened to cut off the WHO's supply of money from the United States.

Trump added: 'We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it. And we're going to see.

'It's a great thing when it works but when they call every shot wrong that's not good. They are always on the side of China.'

Later when the president was asked if it was a smart move to cut off funds to the major global health organization during a worldwide pandemic he backed away from his previous threat.

'I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm going to look at it,' Trump pledged.

The president was later asked why he thought the WHO was 'China centric'.

Trump responded: 'I don't know, they seem to come down on the side of China.'

'Don't close your borders to China, don't do this, they don't report what's really going on, they didn't see it and yet they were there. They didn't see what was going on in Wuhan...they must have seen it, but they didn't report it,' he said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) European director Hans Kluge defended the agency after Trump threatened to cut funding. He is pictured (above) during a joint press conference on the Danish handling of coronavirus last month

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been criticized for his response to the coronavirus outbreak

Trump suggested he might cut the US's funding that goes toward WHO, calling the United Nations agency 'very China centric'

A tweet from the WHO in January pushing out the disinformation fed to it by Beijing about the virus, which it was reticent to declare a pandemic

On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak.

But WHO said such bans were not needed, noting that 'travel bans to affected areas or denial of entry to passengers coming from affected areas are usually not effective in preventing the importation' of coronavirus cases, but may instead 'have a significant economic and social impact.'

And the group noted that 'restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations and may divert resources from other interventions.'

'Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on,' Trump tweeted Tuesday.

'Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?' the president asked.

WHO is also still not recommending that every person wears a mask, while the Centers of Disease Control made the voluntary recommendation last week.

Trump was following the lead of American conservatives including Florida Sen. Rick Scott who placed blame on WHO for 'helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic.'

Other GOP lawmakers have floated a theory that WHO is under China's spell.

Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should resign because 'he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.'

As did Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican.

'They need to come clean and another piece of this is, the WHO has to stop covering for them,' she said of China. 'I think Dr. Tedros needs to step down,' McSally said on Fox Business Network.

'We need to take some actions to address this issue. It's just irresponsible, it's unconscionable what they have done here while we have people dying across the globe,' McSally added.

Scott, the Florida senator, said the Senate Homeland Security Committee needed to launch an investigation into WHO's handling of the virus.

In late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control.

But Xi also controlled the flow of information, with reports coming out of China that the country had been trying to silence whistleblowers.

At the same time, Democratic governors, lawmakers and pundits have condemned Trump's response in combatting the virus, suggesting he did too little, too late.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave rare input on current politics Tuesday, tweeting that the U.S. needs to do better to ensure voting is safe for all voters as Wisconsins decision to go through with its primary vote on Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic came under fire.

Today, Wisconsin voters had to choose between making their voice heard and keeping themselves and their family safe, Mrs. Obama, 56, tweeted. No American should ever have to make that choice.

Wisconsin decided to continue with its state primary vote, despite health officials warnings for Americans to practice social distancing and refrain from public gatherings.

Scenes at polling places in Wisconsin showed voters waiting in long lines, many wearing protective masks, in order to vote on Tuesday. Some voters showed up wearing gas masks, while others handed off their ballots at a distance.

We must do better to ensure voting is safe for all voters, the former first lady continued, sharing information on how voters in Wisconsin can make sure their absentee mail-in ballots will be counted.

The New York Times reports that 15 other states and one U.S. territory have postponed their state primary elections until later in the summer because of the virus.

Today, Wisconsin voters had to choose between making their voice heard and keeping themselves and their family safe. No American should ever have to make that choice.



We must do better to ensure voting is safe for all voters. The latest Wisconsin voting information is below. https://t.co/x1LwEb9H4N  Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 7, 2020

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers made an executive order to postpone his states primary election, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday overturned the order.

Also on Monday night, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 vote to allow Wisconsin to discount any mail-in votes postmarked after Tuesdays election  a decision that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said, will result in massive disenfranchisement.

Story continues

In Milwaukee, the states largest city with more than half a million residents, the Times reports just five out of 180 polling places across the city were kept open on Tuesday.

Thousands across the state say they never received the absentee ballots they requested, according to official state figures gathered by the Times. State numbers show 1,282,762 people across Wisconsin requested absentee ballots.

RELATED: Wisconsin Voters Head to Polls Despite Coronavirus Concerns After Effort to Postpone Election



Angela Major/The Janesville Gazette via AP Robert Forrestal, left, wears a full face chemical shield to protect against the spread of coronavirus, as he votes Tuesday, April 7 at the Janesville Mall in Janesville, Wisconsin.

A push for states to bolster their remote voting capabilities has swept across the U.S. since mid-March when the coronavirus shut down nearly every facet of American public life, including the ongoing 2020 Democratic primary campaign between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

There have been at least 12,000 U.S. deaths due to the coronavirus and more than 395,000 cases, according to a Times tracker. Mail-in voting, proponents like Mrs. Obama argue, would allow U.S. voters to still cast their votes while maintaining the safe social distance that federal health officials say is necessary to slow the spread of the virus.

President Donald Trump, however, has maintained that he believes mail-in voting is corrupt.

The president  who voted by mail in last months Republican primary in Florida  told reporters at the White House Tuesday he believes mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because theyre cheaters.

Trump, 73, also claimed there was no concern in Wisconsin about holding in-person voting on Tuesday until he endorsed Republican candidate Daniel Kelly for the states Supreme Court.

The Democrats in Wisconsin, they had no problem with the election being today until I endorsed the Republican candidate Justice Kelly, Trump said. As soon as I endorsed him, they went crazy.

In the Democratic primary race there, polls indicated Biden held a substantial lead over Sanders in Wisconsin.

Biden currently leads Sanders in the total delegate count by a 1,215-909 margin.

A candidate needs at least 1,991 delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination and go on to run against incumbent President Trump in the November general election.

That candidate  either Biden or Sanders  will be nominated at the Democratic National Convention on August 17, after it was postponed from its original mid-July date because of the coronavirus.

As questions about voter safety in the era of social distancing start to dominate election days, Trump has said there are no plans to postpone the November presidential election due to the coronavirus.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
Scientists and healthcare works across the world are set to being trials on two preexisting anti-malarial drugs that could help safeguard them against a novel coronavirus pandemic.

As noted by Science, the trial will include 40,000 doctors and nurses in Asia, Africa, and Europe who will be given chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine - two older anti-malarial drugs.

The drugs will be used in a strategy now associated with HIV prevention called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and could begin this month despite what one Malaria researcher, Matthew White, called 'an incredibly difficult' and 'bureaucratic process' according to Science.

The trial will test two different drugs used to treat malaria and could be used to safeguard healthcare workers who are in direct contact with infected people (stock)

'In fragile health care systems, if you start knocking out a few nurses and doctors, the whole thing can collapse,' White, who is based at Mahidol University in Bangkok, told Science.

'So we realized that the priority would be to protect them.'

The trial would entail giving randomized participants in Asia taking chloroquine or a control placebo for three months while hydroxychloroquine will be given to participants in Europe and Africa.

Those participants will be required to report their temperatures through an app or a website and then researchers will compared those who are symptomatic and asymptomatic in addition to severity of symptoms.

Among the benefits of testing those drugs in particular are the fact that they would be readily available and could be deployed en masse on a timely basis.

'The attraction of these drugs is that they are potentially readily deployable and we know an awful lot about them,' White told Science.

On the other hand, researchers have also been cautious to deploy those drugs even if there is initial evidence that they may be effective since people with other conditions rely on the drug to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

A concurrent study is underway in the US where the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are testing the same drugs

If the supply were to decrease, it could affect those people's access to the drugs.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are running a concurrent study on the same drugs in Africa, North America, and Europe while separate studies are ongoing in United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, and Mexico.

A different preventative drug, nitazoxanide, is also being considered by researchers and is typically used to treat parasitic infections as well as an anti-body rich serum made from people who have recovered from the virus.

'If there was a drug that could prevent infections and that health care workers could take, that would be an enormous public health benefit,' Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, which is funding Whites efforts, told Science.
She urged fans to help 'Flatten The Curve' amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And just hours after sending her impassioned plea on Twitter, Victoria Silvstedt was spotted stepping out in her resident Monaco on Wednesday.

The model, 45, kept things low-key in skin-tight exercise gear while chatting on the phone and squeezing in some exercise in the midst of lockdown, which was implemented in the principality on March 17.

Out and about: Victoria Silvstedt was spotted stepping out in her resident Monaco on Wednesday

Victoria managed to make sportswear glamorous as she donned skin-tight black Nike leggings with a figure-hugging white top.

She clutched a croc-effect bag while going for full on glamour with bouncy waves and shielding her eyes with over-sized sunglasses.

While getting in her exercise for the day, the stunner chatted animatedly on the phone before tuning into some music.

Victoria's jet-set life has skidded to a halt in the midst of the pandemic.

Stunner: The model, 45, kept things low-key in skin-tight exercise gear while chatting on the phone and squeezing in some exercise in the midst of lockdown, which was implemented in the principality on March 17

The model had been lapping up the sunshine in St Barts since the start of 2020, with many celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bella Hadid and Rita Ora jetting to the Caribbean to ring in the New Year.

Victoria goes to St Barts every year and has enjoyed a lengthy stint in the spotlight after being chosen to represent her country in the Miss World pageant in 1993.

After her pageant days, the Scandinavian stunner was spotted by Hugh Hefner and went on to become a Playboy Playmate.

Tough times: Victoria's jet-set life has skidded to a halt in the midst of the pandemic

Since her career rocketed, Victoria has modelled for some of the world's most prestigious fashion houses, including Chanel, Dior and Valentino.

Despite the glamorous veneer to her lifestyle as a young model, she revealed there was a dark side in a recent interview with Female First.

Victoria said: 'I started very young to model in Paris when I was 18, I remember like starving myself to fit into the clothes and it was an amazing experience but you know I did shows for Valentino, Chanel, so it was really prestigious.




The first week of April, Germany had 91,000 people infected with COVID-19 but the fatalities stood at 1.3%. This contrasts with Italy at 12% and the United States currently at 3%. How has Germany managed to do so much better in addressing the pandemic?

A recent article in the New York Times (April 4) outlines several answers to this question. First, when COVID-19 appeared in Germany, they had a stockpile of testing available because they immediately took seriously the initial outbreak in Wuhan, as opposed to minimizing or denying it. Early and widespread testing slowed the epidemic by tenacious tracking that allowed segregating the infected before they deteriorated to the point of needing a ventilator.

Germany also has a robust public health system with 29/100,000 intensive care beds before the coronavirus pandemic, versus 17/100,000 per in the U.S. Before COVID-19 swept across Europe, the German health care system ramped up to create sufficient intensive care beds with ventilators. Germany now has so much capacity they are accepting patients from Italy, Spain and France.

By comparison, the testing in our country has been an abysmal failure. On Jan. 3, President Trump received his first daily briefing about the threat of COVID 19. He squandered critical preparation time, claiming, Its a hoax We have it under control.

He abolished the White House office on pandemic preparedness and cut three-fourths of the offices at the Centers for Disease Control made up of experts responsible for tracking diseases around the world. On March 6, he boasted, the tests are all perfect Anybody that wants a test can get a test"  a promise that remains unmet.

When our Gov. Steve Bullock recently spoke to Trump about Montanas dire need for more testing equipment, he retorted, I havent heard about testing being a problem. It is time for honest leadership in the face of grim facts.

Germany and other countries that have successful responses to COVID-19 have created a single nationally coordinated response. Our administration has refused this approach, resulting in piecemeal reactions by individual states and communities. Our administrations process of allocating medical supplies is a mess.

President Trump invoked the National Emergency Act on March 13, 2020 giving him an extraordinary range of powers, but the act also clarifies the president is now responsible for managing a response to the emergency. Rather than assuming authority, President Trump takes no responsibility, diverts blame and rages against governors who ask for his help.

Governor Cuomo pleads daily for help, as has Governor Bullock. Why cant our government have a clear plan for national distribution of supplies rather than the current catastrophic approach with states bidding against each other and FEMA? Instead, President Trump remarked, Governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work You know, were not a shipping clerk.

We cannot help but wonder what the president thought when he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, and invoked the War Defense Production Act? He simply said these words, but does nothing to take national leadership other than appoint Vice President Pence and then upstage him by personally providing a daily talk show performance.

This highlights another reason that fatality rates in Germany are low compared to other countries. Chancellor Angela Merkel is clearly in charge and has developed a consistent, national message. Germans recognize her intelligence and honesty. The public trusts her and consequently respects the national restrictions placed on social distancing and the closing of non-essential businesses.

Whos in charge in the USA? Is it President Trump, Vice President Pence or perhaps Jared Kushner? While President Trump makes a show of national leadership with daily briefings, they are ineffective, as we cannot trust anything he says. In fact, he often undoes what he says in mid-sentence, e.g., when reading the CDC recommendation that everyone wear face masks, he added off the cuff that it is not required, and he wont wear one.

Why hasnt the president led the way with a national policy of shelter-in-place? The coronavirus was first confirmed in December of 2019. By March 23, 2020 nine states had issued shelter in place orders. For three months President Trump and the federal government did nothing to lead, encourage or order everyone to shelter in place. As of April 3, nine states remain unwilling to act. COVID does not respect state boundaries. The safety of everyone depends on a strong, clear message from a trusted leader.

More than 377,500 Americans are sick and over 11,800 have died. Every night we watch the news feeling helpless and tearful seeing exhausted nurses and doctors bravely going on shift in the absence of protective gear and being overwhelmed by the human suffering they try to mitigate. Many are terrified, living without their families in order to protect them, putting their own lives on the line asking only for help from our government.

Our brave medical staff is truly on their own, and in spite of their heroic efforts many patients will die because of a sickening lack of leadership and resources in the richest country on earth.

John and Carol Santa write from Marion, where John is a clinical psychologist and Carol was the curriculum director for the Kalispell school system and a writer. They are both former professors at Rutgers University.
Sheryl Pabatao could hear machines beeping furiously through the phone when she told her hospitalized mom Susana that her husband of 44 years died from the coronavirus. Lying in a bed floors away in the same facility, Susana was waiting for her own COVID-19 test results.

I could hear her vitals going down," Sheryl Pabatao said of the March 26 phone call. Then, the line went silent.

A half-hour later, Sheryl Pabatao said her 64-year-old mother called her back sounding defeated. Doctors put Susana Pabatao on a breathing and feeding tube later that night and she fought for four days before dying.

Even though my parents were in the same hospital, they werent able to see each other, Sheryl Pabatao said. I dont know how that feels to lose the love of your life of four decades.

As COVID-19 sweeps across the country, entire families have been hit by the illness. One New Jersey family from Freehold ravaged by the virus lost four members, while 19 others were tested and quarantined.

Sheryl Pabataos parents, both health care workers from Palisades Park who had underlying conditions including diabetes, began feeling sick about three weeks ago. The weekend prior, the family had a small gathering after an uncles death, and a majority of the 12 people at the service ended up ill, Sheryl Pabatao said.

On March 17, Sheryls father, Alfredo Pabatao, 68, started experiencing a fever that reached 102 degrees. He went to his doctor two days later, who told him to go to an emergency room. He admitted himself that night to Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, where he works as a transport aide, walking patients from room to room.

That night, Susana Pabatao, an assistant nurse at a nursing home, started experiencing symptoms too. She had a fever that fluctuated, but hovered around 103 degrees. So Sheryl Pabatao and her mother tried to get tested.

For three days in a row, the pair woke up at 7 a.m. to wait in line at the Bergen County Community College test site. Her mother, tired, fought through her illness while waiting for hours in their car. But the site hit capacity each time, and they were turned away.

Sheryl described the experience as frustrating and helpless.

Susana Pabatao waiting on line at the Bergen County Community College coronavirus test site before being turned away. "It's frustrating," her daughter said.

By March 23, with her husband still hospitalized and on a ventilator, Susana Pabatao had trouble breathing and swallowing. Her fever reached a high of 103.9 degrees. Finally, Sheryl Pabatato was able to convince her to also go to the hospital where her father was.

She said she didnt want to go because she didnt want to be alone, Sheryl Pabatao said.

At the hospital, Sheryl Pabatao said her mother was doing well until her father died on March 26.

When Sheryl Pabatao told her mother the news, she tried to calm her down. But Susana, sounding resigned to the illness, asked her daughter to find her parents life insurance and 401K paperwork. Susana also asked Sheryl to locate her Do Not Resuscitate order because she wanted to sign it.

She said I cant do this anymore. Im having such a hard time breathing... I dont want any tubes on me, Sheryl Pabatao said. I said Mom, I know youre sad. But please dont say this. Youre not going to die. I was just trying to put positivity on her.

That night, Susana Pabatao had a rapid decline in vital signs, and doctors intubated her.

Sheryl and her siblings debated whether they should ask the physicians to remove the breathing tube at their mothers wish, but ultimately decided to let her fight the virus.

Four days later, she died. Alfredo Pabatao ultimately tested positive for the virus about six days after being swabbed, but the family is still waiting for Susanas results.

She tried to fight. But she had no progress or regression. We were probably just keeping her alive," Sheryl Pabatao said.

Her parents met in their early 20s, when the two were neighbors in the Philippines each dating different people. Both broke up with their significant others, and gravitated toward each other, Sheryl Pabatao said. After dating for seven months, they got married and immigrated to the U.S. in 2001.

She says shell remember her parents as simple people, who loved going on walks together, shopping and traveling.

Sheryl Pabatao hopes her parents story pushes others to take social distancing guidelines to heart.

My parents went from 0 to 100, Sheryl Pabatao said. I think people need to take this seriously. We all need to care for each other at this point. This is the time to care for our community and our neighbors."

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Writer Cynthia Ozick. (Ulf Andersen / Getty Images)

Thanks to COVID-19, journalists suddenly have to make up their own minds about whos worth talking to, regardless of whose new novel or show or 45th anniversary re-release is coming out. Cynthia Ozicks most recent book, Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays came out fully four years ago, and yet her voice  forthright, erudite, word-smitten, ringingly lucid  seems more worth listening to right now than ever.

Ozick is the author of six novels, eight books of essays and seven collections of short stories. David Foster Wallace once put her alongside Cormac McCarthy and Don DeLillo as "pretty much the countrys best living fiction writers." I met her when the Big Read, the national reading initiative I was running at the National Endowment for the Arts, inspired several American cities and towns to delve into her slender, haunted novella of the Holocaust, The Shawl.

Cynthia Ozick was born April 17, 1928, shortly after Thomas Hardy died. She will be celebrating her 92nd birthday under lockdown at her home in a modest New York City suburb that suffered one of the first outbreaks of coronavirus in the U.S.

Midway through her rereading of George Eliots last novel  about love and Judaism in Victorian London  Ozick settled in recently for an extended email chat (Cant do breezy, shed warned) about pathology, prejudice, literature and longevity.

First, how are you? Whats it been like for you to experience all this awfulness from an unwanted ringside seat in your own backyard?

On the morning of March 3, I woke to learn that I lived in the blazingly perilous epicenter of a pandemic. And then! An entire community was cordoned off into a notorious zone of pariahship: "contained," a euphemism for the confinement of untouchables. Hygiene became hardship, though of a relatively cushioned kind; this was, after all, America. An America in which lethal disease was democratically in favor of full diversity and unquestioned equality.

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For a time. Then the breaches began. Because of a crowded funeral followed by a crowded celebration of a bar mitzvah in a single synagogue on a single street, 2020 suddenly became 1348, the year of the start of Europe's Black Death. In the 14th century the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells and were massacred by the thousands. In the 21st, in the absence of wells and slickly updated with social media, the medieval mobs are once again charging the Jews with deliberately hatching the plague. In my hometown and elsewhere (elsewhere nowadays being everywhere) this old disease of enduring hatred has come to perch on the head of the coronavirus like a bubonic flea on the head of a rat.

Ozick's 2006 essay collection, "The Din in the Head." (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The Spanish flu missed you by a good decade. Do you remember anything about its aftermath?

A few months ago, my fathers World War One draft card turned up unexpectedly. It gave his name, age, residence, a draft number, a date (1918) and a notice of exemption. What happened was this: He was standing on line in the draft office, awaiting induction, when he suddenly collapsed. As my mother told the story long afterward, she and a male nurse pulled him through to recovery. His fever was stratospheric, and penicillin hadnt yet been invented.

So they filled a bathtub with very cold water and tossed in a quantity of bed sheets, and wrapped him in one set of sheets and then instantly with another when the earlier one rapidly turned blazingly hot. In the morning the fever broke, and his life was saved. They married in June of 1919, and took the Albany night boat for a honeymoon, though Ive forgotten its destination. The Albany night boat! Somehow a Gatsbyish ring to it. And I still have a souvenir of that journey: three small soapstone monkeys: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.

So if the 1918 flu pandemic hadnt spared your father from the war, you might never have been born? Could you ever imagine something remotely as good coming out of what we're all living through now?

Thank you. A very nice birthday greeting. Its good that you question whether anything constructive can come out of this crisis rather than speak of a gossamer silver lining, of which there is none. Most constructive of all: authoritative societal voices, medical and governmental, and not excluding the authority of the voice of individual conscience.  Are we witnessing the resurgence of the idea of nationhood? Not in the sense of hierarchical flag-waving jingoism, but pragmatically, through the locally responsible sovereignty of neighbor-with-next-door-neighbor?

Let's hope. What are you reading at a time like this?

Daniel Deronda.

Why? And how many times does that make for you?

Two or three, the first lost in the mists of long ago. Why now? Because of the siege by intellectuals (never mind the dregs) on Jewish sovereignty and liberty and independence. And because of the trashing of history in favor of narrative. (Thank you, Edward Said.)

How do you generally decide what to read next?

Dunno. Its harder to decide what to write next.

OK, you brought this on yourself: What are you writing next? Are you in the same predicament as a lot of us, whose novels-in-progress suddenly look like period pieces?

When all this happened, I was just finishing a novella (that homeless misfit). If it looks different under the carapace of our pervasive gloom, then there must be something wrong with it. The germ that generates Story ought to be able to withstand the germ that generates plague.  A hot book, even (or especially) one gone viral, will be stale meat in a matter of weeks.

A Passage to India is a topical novel, and at the time of its publication a seriously political one. ... But today, a century later, India is a free and independent polity, while the novel is more alive than ever, and why? Because of Mrs. Moore, because of Aziz and Professor Godbole, because of the echo in the Marabar caves. Because the humane and the metaphysical outrun the stations of history.

Ozick's 2004 novel, "Heir to the Glimmering World." (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

What among your work, maybe your essays especially, might have some special relevance to the way we're living now?

The way we live now: frightened and masked and confined and ordered to stand six feet apart. I suppose we must give this world-infestation of Plague a name beyond its viral specificity. Then call it history-in-waiting, certain as we are that it will become as indelible as the Spanish flu of 1918, or the Black Death of the 14th century, or, for that matter, the typhus epidemic that engulfed Athens in 430 BCE.

But think: it was, in that same hour, the Golden Age of the Parthenon, and of the philosophers and historians, and of Socrates. Plagues, though shattering, are intermittent. Socrates is timeless  which is to say that the timeless is always timely. Are there less distant essayists who address the urgency and crisis of their moment, and still are of immediate relevance to the way we live now? Who have the power to confront even the terror of pandemic with stoic and merciful historic perspective? Who have mettle enough to catch hold of the demons of our era and blow them to pieces?

If so, I am not one of them.

Says you.

You are a buoyer-upper!

So whats your secret? How can we still be writing well at 92?

I am murderously ferocious on this matter. If a 6-year-old were to write a novel, it would be appropriate to remark, in genuine wonder, at the writers prowess. That 6-year-old would deserve to be marveled at as a prodigy. But to treat longevity as an accomplishment in itself, let alone a literary accomplishment, is idiocy.

Then what are you doing for your birthday?

I plan to spend my birthday contemplating mayhem.

Kipen is the founder of the nonprofit lending library Libros Schmibros and the author of the forthcoming "Dear California."

For the record:

10:42 AM, Apr. 09, 2020: Ozicks just-finished novella is not titled That Homeless Misfit; that was her description of the form.


The break-up of Public Enemy  whether permanent or temporary  is the most alarming calamity to befall black music culture since Aretha Franklins funeral was turned into a Democratic National Committee stunt. Artists who once united us no longer know how to do so. Theyve become just that triggered.

And its gotten personal: Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour) and Flavor Flav (William Drayton), vocalists for the legendary rap group, have split up over politics. Their disagreement began when Chuck D used Public Enemys renown for a campaign concert on March 1 in Los Angeles for socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Flav refused to participate, sending a cease-and-desist letter to the Sanders team, preventing use of Flavs likeness. Next, Chuck D, the groups founder, publicly fired Flav, but then tried walking it back on April Fools Day. Flav fired back, charging that the dismissal was real.

This unexpected rap battle pits Flav  Public Enemys most iconic member, instantly recognizable for wearing a clock to symbolize that he knows what time it is existentially  against Chuck D, its lead rapper, songwriter, and always politically agitated spokesperson. (Chuck D has since revamped the group as Enemy Radio, a retrogressive moniker.)

This is more than a minor, subcultural rift. It goes to the heart of pop politics, exposing how music culture boasts about freedom and liberty while often hiding an insistence on liberal conformity. If you havent heard about the Public Enemy schism, thats because it embarrasses the mainstream media, with its mission to protect the illusion of leftist solidarity. The media cant handle the truth that Public Enemys fracture is evidence of a significant political shift in black America toward new individuality. Flav himself prophesied this disobedience in one of PEs greatest tracks, Cant Truss It (1991), with his opening exhortation Confusion!

When Public Enemy first appeared in 1987, the rap group from Long Island, N.Y., updated the romantic black radicalism of the 1960s and 70s to answer the miseries of urban life at the end of the 20th century. Chuck Ds concept for the group paid honor to the leftist fealty that has informed so much black American social messaging since the Sixties era of civil rights and the Black Panthers. PEs logo was a silhouetted, beret-clad Black Panther, targeted in the crosshairs of a shotguns eyepiece. That model of fashionable radicalism unraveled with the arrival of gangster rap and now the inarguable example of PEs own discombobulation. Not showbiz as usual, it shows that political cohesion has broken in the black community.

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Obama used to be my man! Chuck D hectored at the Sanders event. His gnomic statement reflects that period when Public Enemy waned. It had been the most aesthetically brilliant  and rhetorically daringof all American pop groups. But as the ingeniously inventive hits stopped coming, 9/11 happened  and then Obamas promise short-changed political romance for the opiate of false hope.

PEs relevant moment was eclipsed. Poor Chuck D, bred on leftist pop sentiment  and being the cleverest student of Malcolm X, Gil-Scott Heron, Frank Zappa, Oscar Brown Jr., and Jean-Luc Godard  has lately been grasping at straw men. He aligned PE with the obtuse proto-Antifa band Rage Against the Machine and now, in a last grab at political significance, with Bernie Sanders. This mistake connected Chuck D to ancestral race men Paul Robeson, Richard Wright, George Schuyler, Harold Cruse, and Ralph Ellison, who were smitten by the black protestors dream of change and who, for a while, trusted white empathy. Chucks foolhardy radical infatuation places him in familiar Communist-socialist gun sights.

Flav, As PEs hype-man, was not so susceptible. His humor provided the reality check on Chucks virtuoso agitprop tirades. (Gossip columnist Wendy Williams put it best: When Chuck gets through yelling at you, I want to hear Flavs 911 Is a Joke.) It took Flavs dissent to show how Chuck out-radicalized himself. To support Sanders, Chuck must ignore the candidates recent debate statement that black communities should be put in charge of selling marijuana as a business path out of race-based income inequality. Yet it was on Cant Truss It that Chuck strongly cautioned, Put the Buddha down! Did he forget how that colloquial phrase associated laid-back escapism with the rise of crack-cocaine indolence in the hip-hop community? Did Sanders himself ever hear Cant Truss It?

Sanders must symbolize some Marxist professor Chuck wanted to please at Adelphi University for having mentored him in his political awakening. Although an R &B adept, Chuck has always inclined toward left-leaning rock-music culture, embracing the standard of Village Voice radicalism, which coddled PE until 1990s Welcome to the Terrordome provoked allegations that the groups former Minister of Propaganda, Professor Griff (Richard Griffin), had made anti-Jewish statements  a controversy that Chuck also mishandled.

When listening to PE at its peak (songs such as Rebel without a Pause, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, Nighttrain, Revolutionary Generation, and Caught. Can I Get a Witness?), one implicitly felt that Flav and Chuck D knew that they both stood to lose and gain the same things in life. That is the fact of their essential appeal, the rich source of their opposites-attract camaraderie. It doesnt mean that Flav and Chuck D think alike  the former dogmatic, the latter uninhibited  only that each understands and respects the others temperamental difference as a true representation of black American plurality and, overall, harmony.

Now thats gone. And it seems the political basis of their fracas comes close to confirming LBJs dire prediction after signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act: Well have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years. But Flav has brought the instinctual displeasure and distrust of Blexit (blacks exiting the Democratic Party) against Chuck Ds blinkered optimism.

Out of desperation to maintain ties to the far Left (his perceived comrades in the overall political struggle), Chuck D has succumbed to the communist-socialist treachery of candidate Sanders (and of white liberal music journalists who think of him and his group in single-minded terms), rather than support independent black struggle. It would have been glorious to see Public Enemy join Kanye Wests campaign for free thinking. Given the fractious state of social relations that turns longtime collaborators Chuck and Flav against each other, the axiom the enemy of my enemy is my friend should take on new meaning.

The new Enemy Radio single, Food as a Machine Gun is a failure when compared with Public Enemys past work. Back on Cant Truss Its magnificent slavery narrative, Chuck pointed to 1555 as beginning the tragedy felt by American descendants of slaves  an insight that helpfully contradicts the New York Times 1619 Project. But Food as a Machine Gun is embarrassing self-parody, a mediocre track with an anonymous minion nostalgically faking Flav.

With the exception of Morrissey and Kanye West, Chuck D was the most impressive pop-music artist of past 30 years. PE was the most musically exciting, sonically innovative pop group of its time. But Chuck Ds self-betrayal is dismaying. He hasnt reached the stage of disillusionment with Communist-socialist enablers that marked the maturation of Wright and Ellison. Instead, the disillusionment is ours.

More from National Review
Donald Trump is trying to do something no US president has dared to do in decades: Drive up the price of oil.

For more than three decades, US presidents proclaimed cheap fuel as an almost God-given right for American motorists and homeowners, shaping the country's foreign policy in pursuit of lower prices. As president, Trump didn't just back cheap crude, he was its biggest supporter, frequently attacking OPEC and celebrating the shale boom's deliverance of "energy dominance."

President Trump has done a remarkable u-turn on oil. . Credit:AP

Now, the Russia-Saudi price war and a killer pandemic have caused prices to plunge, putting Trump in the awkward position of begging those same countries to turn off the taps, even though retail gasoline will become more expensive as well. The U-turn comes as America has gone from being the top importer of oil to the top producer, aligning its interests more closely with Saudi Arabia and Russia in a shift that holds the potential to reverberate through foreign policy for years to come.

"It used to be very clear. For decades, when the US was the largest importer, low oil prices were a real benefit to the country," said Dan Yergin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning oil historian and vice chairman of IHS Markit. "But now, it's very different. It's become such an important industry again, with the supply chains that go all across the country."
As stocks of masks and smocks run low, health care workers at local nursing homes are being asked to fashion their own protective gear from plastic trash liners and paper bags, according to the head of a Connecticut health care workers union.

Rob Baril, president of SEIU 1199 New England, said Wednesday during a news conference that at least one nurse in the union has died.

Were aware of a number of different workers who are quite active in the union, who are very sick, Baril said, indicating there could soon be more deaths.

The union represents some 22,000 health care workers, including those in nursing homes, according to Baril.

The organization has written a letter asking Gov. Ned Lamont and Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell to use emergency funds to provide protective equipment and safety-net benefits for health care workers.

The coronavirus has exacted a heavy toll on the states nursing home population. According to testing data from Lamonts office, 39 percent of the states 215 nursing homes now have at least one person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Tuesday evening, 82 of the 215 nursing homes in the state have reported COVID-19 cases. In total, 600 residents have tested positive for the disease, with 171 hospitalizations, while 81 have died.

Our lives are in jeopardy, said Chelsea Daniels, a licensed practical nurse at Fresh River Healthcare, a nursing home in East Windsor.

We dont have the option to work from home. We are reusing PPE, Daniels said, referring to personal protective equipment, which includes masks and smocks.

Baril said health care workers have been instructed to fashion their own protection against the virus, and showed a photograph of one woman who created a smock out of a clear plastic trash bag.

Were at risk and nobody seems to care, Daniels said. If we die, whose left to take care of the residents and patients?

Baril called the lack of protective equipment unforgivable, and said the state needs urgent action to protect nursing home residents, workers and their families. He said the state should ensure workers are given hazard pay to keep nursing homes staffed.

Eulalie Simasiky, a certified nursing assistant at the Apple Rehab Rocky Hill nursing home in Rocky Hill, said she has worn the same mask for a week and keeps spraying it down to sanitize it.

We are asking, begging, pleading for PPE, Simasiky said Wednesday during the news conference, which was held over Zoom.

Her colleague, Paula Cousino, also a CNA, described reusing medical gowns after spraying and wiping them down. A lot of the staff members are already sick, Cousino said.

Baril said workers who have health insurance could face out-of-pocket costs as high as $20,000 if they require treatment for the disease  assuming they even have health coverage.

Its going to drive some of those families into medical bankruptcy, Baril said, pointing out that nursing home workers also have to face the possibility they could pass the virus to family members.

In response to the outbreak among nursing homes, Lamont last week announced plans to move nursing home residents who test positive for the disease to COVID-19-only facilities.

Days later, Lamont doubled the states Medicaid payment for patients at those facilities, after one backed out of the plan and two others said they were never considered as sites.

There are around 2,000 empty beds in nursing homes around the state, said Barbara Cass, section chief for the Department of Public Healths health care quality and safety division.

Two nursing homes in the state will be converted to care for residents who test positive for COVID-19, Cass said during Lamonts afternoon press conference. Cass did not name the two COVID-only homes, but said one is an Athena-owned home in Fairfield County, and the other is in Sharon.

Other sites in Torrington and New Canaan will provide care for people recovering from the disease, Cass said.

Daniels, the nurse at the East Windsor nursing home, said she had not heard where the additional money for COVID-only nursing homes would go. But the lack of protective equipment gives her pause.

The way things are going right now, I dont want to work in a COVID-only building, she said. I dont feel safe.
UCF scientists seek novel material to kill COVID-19

Masks that protect doctors and nurses from COVID-19 only block the virus before it reaches their faces, but UCF researchers are working to create a protective coating that would include a novel mask material that would catch the virus and kill it within seconds.

Sudipta Seal, an engineer specializing in material science and nanotechnology, initiated this project working with Griffith Parks, a virologist who leads research efforts at UCF's College of Medicine.

Seal came up with the idea, which the National Science Foundation funded last week, approving the research proposal through a rapid review process that took about a month.

"Why not come up with a protective film made of nanostructures that could catch and kill the virus?" Seal said. "I could come up with the nanoparticles, I was sure, but would the concept work with a virus? I called Dr. Parks and yes, he thought it could work."

Seal will create nanostructures that can capture the virus and then trigger a chemical reaction using ultraviolet light to destroy it. The scientists said that if successful, the coating could be added to masks, gloves and gowns, which could keep healthcare providers safer as they battle COVID-19. The virus has infected more than 374,000 people in the United States and resulted in more than 12,000 deaths (and climbing). Worldwide more than 1 million have been infected with more than 81,000 deaths. (statistics as of April 7)

The nanostructures will be created at UCF's main campus and then shipped to Park's lab at the College of Medicine to test against a "dictionary of viruses" he has stored in a freezer.

"I make the recipe and Dr. Parks checks against his dictionary of viruses," Seal said. "The viruses are similar in their RNA and DNA structure to the coronavirus, but not as contagious or lethal. If it works on these closely related viruses, then we go the next step."

After Seal creates the materials, Parks will put them through a battery of tests to see which materials kill specific viruses and how fast. While one material might kill all viruses, Parks expects that some materials will work better on particular types of viruses - a finding that would allow them to tailor the materials in the future for a specific outbreak by a specific virus type. If Seal and Parks are successful, they hope to develop materials that can also kill disease-causing organisms such as bacteria.

Because Parks' lab is not Biohazard Safety 3 certified, he cannot test using the actual COVID-19 virus, which requires high-containment facilities. If a material Seal develops proves effective at killing viruses in the coronavirus family, the UCF scientists will send it to a certified outside lab. From there it would go through necessary testing before getting approval to be used in the field.

It could be months, but the approach could prove useful for other potential pandemics as well as the varied viruses and bacteria that healthcare providers face in caring for their patients. "This is a terrific example of two scientific experts - who see things in very different ways and have very different backgrounds - coming together to tackle an important problem. The fact that this interdisciplinary approach might help the world deal with this pandemic makes it even more rewarding," says Parks.

###

Seal is chair of the Materials Science and Engineering Department, has an appointment at the College of Medicine and is a member of UCF's prosthetics Cluster Biionix. He is the former director of UCF's Nanoscience Technology Center and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. His expertise is engineering materials with nanoparticle additives. He has used this approach to create novel products, including cancer therapies and substances that clean up oil spills. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.

Parks is the College of Medicine's associate dean for research. He came to UCF in 2014 as director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences after 20 years at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, where he was professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was an American Cancer Society Fellow at Northwestern University.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Bhopal, April 8 : The Madhya Pradesh government finally rejigged the Health Department on Tuesday night, bringing Additional Chief Secretary Mohd Suleiman as the Commissioner (health) and appointing former Bhopal Collector Sudam Khade as the Director (health). From all indications, it seems to be a stopgap arrangement.

The rejig follows the isolation of Principal Secretary (health) Pallavi Jain-Govil and removal of Prateek Hajela as the Director (health).

Suleiman will continue to hold the charge of Energy, Planning and Economics and Statistics Departments, and Khade a the Managing Director of the State Road Development Corporation and CEO of the Inter-state Transport Authority.

Incidentally, Khade is also under isolation for coronavirus.

While the number of Covid-19 cases has been rising alarmingly, questions were raised over the officials attending meetings with the Chief Minister in the war room.

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister had gone to the extent saying people hiding coronavirus infection could even face case for culpable homicide.

However, can the government act against officials who have been breaking the coronavirus protocol with impunity? The department responsible tackling Covid-19 has become its carrier with 40 employees testing positive.

Even the Human Rights Commission has served a notice to Chief Secretary Iqbal Sigh Bains as how officials, like Jain-Govil and Vijay Kumar, got away without even a rap on the knuckles for hiding their infection, travel and contact history.

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, who held the Health Department's charge till Tuesday night, and had gone for self-isolation, said the travel and contact history of most health staff was being traced.

Jain-Govil, a 1994 batch IAS officer, and Veena Sinha, Additional Director (health), have tested Covid-19 positive.

The state government is likely to shunt out both Jain-Govil and IAS Vijay Kumar, Managing Director of Ayushman Bharat that is involved in purchase of all equipment to deal with the corona crisis. Kumar has been allowed to function despite testing positive.

According to Health department sources, 33 people, including the Principal Secretary, the Deputy Secretary and the Deputy Director (health) have been referred to different hospitals. Five of them were forced to be admitted to hospitals.

Top bureaucrats who have finally quarantined themselves inluded Nishant Barwade, S. Dhanaraju, Sudam P. Khade. Their families have been quarantined at home. Prateek Hajela is also staying at home. Chief Secretary Bains has also quarantined himself.

Right to Information activist Ajay Dubey has sought to know why FIR could not be filed against the officials who misled the government about their health status or about relatives arriving from abroad.

Dubey has requested the Chief Minister to act against officials who have been hiding their travel and contact history.

Jain-Govil is facing a barrage of queries over hiding the information about her son's return from the US on March 16. She said when her son arrived from the US, it was not among the 12 nations notified by the government for restrictions, and he remained in isolation till March 30.

Jain-Govil said her family had undergone mandatory tests and despite being tested positive, she was fit to perform her duties. Some of the staff who have been meeting her for preparing daily health bulletins have not been screened for the virus.

Son of Veena Sinha, tested Covid-19 positive, had arrived from the US after the Covid-19 outbreak. Deputy Director of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme Pramod Goyal had travelled to Indore, the coronavirus hotspot in the state. He also tested Covid-19 positive.
B ritains largest insurers suspended 1.3 billion of dividends on Wednesday after caving into pressure from regulators to curb shareholder payouts.

RSA, Direct Line, Hiscox and the UKs biggest general insurer Aviva said they would suspend payments due later this year after the Bank of England urged them to be prudent with distributions.

The move, which was welcomed by the Bank, sent shares in the four companies falling up to 8%.

However the decision has left industry bellwether Legal & General isolated after it said on Friday it would plough on with a dividend.

M&G and Phoenix Group, two other large life insurers, have already committed to paying a dividend and their current position is unchanged.

Insurers have strong capital buffers and could easily meet the payouts so the suspension has been widely seen as a way to generate goodwill towards the sector and curry favour with regulators.

The sector was widely criticised for its unsympathetic handling of firms which may have had business interruption claims over coronavirus, with the Treasury Select Committee investigating.

Bank of America said press and political attention for business interruption cover could have been a driver.

The cut could lead to bad blood in the City, with some fund managers who rely on the steady stream of insurance divis set to take a dim view of the move.

Redburn analyst Charles Bendit said the suspensions could have material long-term consequences for the make-up of its shareholder register, as investors quit dividend-cutting stocks.

Dividend income is critical for much of its retail and institutional shareholder base, he said.

The insurance sectors move today is in contrast to the banks like Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds, which had to be explicitly told by regulators not pay dividends after gentle pressure failed.

Insurance is one of Britains key financial services, with three in four households having some form of insurance policy.

The size of the dividends suspended are: Aviva 840 million, Direct Line 197 million, RSA 161 million and Hiscox 71 million, according to AJ Bell.
ELK RAPIDS, MI  The leader of a small Northern Michigan town with a vulnerable population is concerned about part-time residents coming and going from their summer homes during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Elk Rapids village President James Janisse is asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to make Michiganders choose one residence to stay at during the statewide stay home, stay safe order that is in effect through April 13.

The order is meant to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Janisse is asking Whitmer to strengthen the order by giving people with more than one home a one-time choice between residences.

RELATED: Michigan snowbirds face tough choices during coronavirus pandemic, communities fear further spread

People from across the country and state are arriving in Elk Rapids to open their vacation homes early as they seek shelter from areas of high coronavirus community spread.

House activity rivals that of Independence Day and Harbor Days, Janisse said in a letter to Whitmer. At any other time, this would be cause for celebration, but right now it is not.

Janisse claims that people arriving in small Antrim County town (about 15 miles north of Traverse City) are not practicing the recommended 14-day self-quarantine. Instead, they are frequenting grocery and hardware stores, and gas stations. Children are playing on playground equipment that is closed off due to the pandemic. They are mingling with friends. Propane companies are overwhelmed with service requests.

The year-round population of Elk Rapids is the most elderly in northwest Michigan, he said. Northwest Michigans population is older than that of the state. In addition, the county has no intensive care unit beds and limited regional medical resources, Janisse said.

As of Tuesday, April 7, Antrim County has six confirmed coronavirus cases and zero deaths.

By allowing people a one-time choice between their first and second homes, and banning future travel between homes, you would emerge as a gubernatorial leader, balancing smart statistics with personal freedoms, Janisse said in the letter.

This is not the first time rural Michigan leaders have expressed concerns about people coming in during the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Western Upper Peninsula Health Department warned about seasonal residents putting strains on the local supply chain and potentially the healthcare system. A day later, the Chippewa County Health Department in the eastern U.P. urged people to limit travel.

RELATED: Western UP sees influx of people coming from areas of high coronavirus spread

RELATED: Eastern U.P. health officials strongly urge limiting travel to region during coronavirus outbreak

As of Monday, April 6, Michigan had 18,970 confirmed coronavirus cases and 845 deaths from the virus.

Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE:

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Heres when federal stimulus payments should hit bank accounts

Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more

Its been four weeks since Michigans first confirmed coronavirus cases. We mapped its spread through the state
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its protest to the Russian Federation over the unlawful judgment of a "court" in the territory of the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea which sentenced citizen of Ukraine Denys Kashuk to 3 years and 8 months in prison on trumped-up charges of purchase and storage of explosives.

The occupation authorities deprived Kashuk of a proper right to defense, in particular, allowed an independent lawyer to familiarize with the case files only at the stage of the court hearing and also exerted psychological pressure on the detainee in the form of threats against his relatives. As a result of such threats, some family members were forced to leave the occupied peninsula, the Foreign Ministrys press service informs.

"We regard such actions of the occupation authorities of Crimea as a continuation of political repression against the citizens of Ukraine who live under the occupation," the statement reads.

The Foreign Ministry also underscores that the occupation authorities deliberately take steps that seriously endanger the life and health of Ukrainian citizens amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 virus, the lack of adequate medical protection in the occupied territories and the associated peculiar epidemiological vulnerabilities in Russian prisons.

Ukraine demands to ensure in full force and effect the right to life and access to medical care for illegally imprisoned Ukrainians, to ensure unhindered and safe access for international monitoring missions, the International Committee of the Red Cross to the temporarily occupied territories and illegally detained Ukrainian citizens for the purpose of qualified medical examination and treatment, the Ministry notes.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:35:52|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The strong societal bond in Africa could negatively affect ongoing continental and national efforts against the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Africa, an Ethiopian scholar warns.

"There are several factors unique to the continent that could make it difficult to reduce the rate of infections, and make the pandemic more deadly for Africa," Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), told Xinhua on Wednesday.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic's late entry into the African continent, the highly contagious disease is rapidly spreading across the continent of 1.3 billion people, with 52 countries having reported confirmed cases.

Latest figures from the Africa CDC also show that Africa's confirmed COVID-19 cases have surpassed the 10,000 mark as the number of positive cases reached 10,252, while the death toll also rose to nearly 500.

Noting the "near-impossibility of social distancing in many African societies as most African communities harbor strong social culture built around extended family ties," Costantinos also argued that the strong social bond exhibited by African societies could further exacerbate the spread of the virus, and should be "cautiously considered as a daunting challenge" in containing COVID-19 in Africa.

"In many cases across Africa, children are taken care of by grandparents. Much of the urban population lives in informal settlements, where it is impossible to distance yourself from your neighbors," the expert said, highlighting the extent of the challenge.

Costantinos, noting the burgeoning number of conflict, poverty and natural disasters affected refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Africa, also stressed that the "fragile condition of refugees and IDPs is further complicating the fight against COVID-19 in Africa."

He also said that "African countries, equipped with nearly broken public-health systems, deprived public-health sectors and a very small number of specialized hospitals, have little capability for identification, testing, confirmation, isolation and treatment of those people infected."

Costantinos, also professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in the Ethiopian capital, also argued that Ethiopia - Africa's second most populous nation with over 107 million people - "faces a greater and more dangerous challenge, given that disrupting daily economic life would threaten fragile livelihoods for millions of Ethiopians."

The expert, however, underscored the crucial significance of replicating the positive experience of countries that were able to reduce the spread of the virus by limiting public gatherings and enforcing social distancing measures.

"As China's cases dwindle, Beijing has been recently striving to take the lead against the coronavirus crisis," Costantinos said, as he emphasized that both the Chinese government and multinational Chinese enterprises have in recent weeks continued to send shipments of medical supplies to hard-hit countries across Africa and the rest of the world.

"China makes massive donation of medical supplies to fight coronavirus in Africa. Ethiopia started distributing China's donations of medical supplies to other African states," Costantinos said, referring to the recent medical supplies donation provided to African countries by the Jack Ma and Alibaba foundations.

The foundations had announced their commitment to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 nations on the African continent.

Meanwhile, more of China's medical supplies for 18 African countries have arrived in Ghana on April 6 to help them fight against COVID-19. The supplies are scheduled to be delivered to the other 17 countries within a few days.




Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 8, 2020 - Ahold Delhaize today held its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Unlike past general meetings, due to the COVID-19 health risk, Ahold Delhaize had urged shareholders not to attend this AGM in-person. Instead shareholders were asked to vote and submit questions in advance of the meeting.







The voting rights of approximately 655 million shares were represented and exercised through electronic or written proxy during or in advance of the meeting. The meeting was webcast live via the Ahold Delhaize corporate website.







Shareholders adopted Ahold Delhaize's 2019 financial statements and agreed to the proposed 2019 annual dividend of 0.76 per common share, to be paid on April 23, 2020.







Shareholders adopted all other proposals on the agenda, including the appointment of Natalie Knight as Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Management Board and the appointments of Helen Weir and Frank van Zanten as members of the Supervisory Board. They also bid farewell to Jeff Carr, outgoing CFO and Member of the Management Board, and Jacques de Vaucleroy, outgoing Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board.?







Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words such as to be or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the "Company") to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to the risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company's management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company's management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.




This article is part of the Free Speech Project , a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech.

On the evening of March 16, Facebook made a quiet announcement on its growing page of COVID-19-related responses. There, the company revealed that it would soon be sending home its content moderators, the often-unheralded group of human workers who evaluate social media platforms content for material thatper the platforms rulesdoesnt belong. By virtue of their own lucrative business models, social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snap, various Microsoft properties, gaming platforms, and others rely on user-generated content to get and hold the interest of their user bases. For this reason, they all have the massive task of sorting out the good from the bad, the junk from the fair game, the rule-breaking material from the stuff that passes muster. That work of sorting and adjudicationcontent moderationis a tough job on a good day, exposing workers to thousands of potentially problematic posts through the course of their shifts, ranging from the relatively benign but inappropriate (too much skin, a bit too violent) to the downright disturbing cases of abuse, exploitation, hate speech, mistreatment of animals, bloody violence, and gore. The list, unfortunately, goes on.

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The work is taxing psychologically, but its also stressful in terms of the production metricsthe sheer amount of content the moderators are expected to look at every day. Despite treating these (very underpaid) workers as something of an underclass, most people on the inside of big tech firms would classify their services as mission-critical. Now, these many thousands of workers would be sent home from the call-centerlike installations where they typically labor. In their stead, Facebook said, artificial intelligencebased computational tools would come online. In an uncharacteristic display of candor and prescience, the company advised its users, We dont expect this to impact people using our platform in any noticeable way. That said, there may be some limitations to this approach and we may see some longer response times and make more mistakes as a result.

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But what constitutes a mistake at the scale and scope of a global informational platform? Presumably, it would include content that might be removed through an automated big net but would likely be able to stand under review and discernment from a human moderator. There may be policy exemptions that could be applied to material that would look, to a machine, like excessive blood and gore but, in fact, was the video of an unlawful attack on civilians in a conflict zone. Facebooks warning message about errors and lag time suggests that it would be impossible for A.I. to take into account those exemptions. That should worry us all.

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Unspoken, too, in the announcement was the fact that 72 hours prior, far from the cradle of American high-tech that is Silicon Valley, the entire metro Manila area of the Philippines had just gone under quarantine. The Philippines is the world capital of the offshoring and outsourcing of business process operations doing call centerbased service workhuman resources, accounting, programming, and, yes, content moderationfor the globes corporations. Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are just a handful of the top firms known to have outsourced content moderation in the Manila area. In other words, Facebook may have had little choice in the matter.

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As the call center employees in Manila and around the world logged off and turned out the lights, the top social media firms faced a worrisome new chapter. Typically they use automated computational tools in very specific and narrow instances and for cases that could produce a high probability of yielding appropriate, computationally discerned hits for takedown. Think spam, copyright violations, child sexual exploitation material, and other, already known bad content. Now these computational mechanisms would be the front line of defense for a vast amount of platforms content.

While companies have long been building and tweaking such toolsusing methods like machine learning via the processing of presorted datasets, natural language processing, and algorithms designed to seek out and cull undesirable postingsthe typical social media ecosystem has seen firms using them in concert with its significant pool of human moderators. Despite their technological sophistication, such automated tools fall far short of a humans discernment. The A.I. tools are a blunt instrument. They can easily function at scale in a way that humans cannot, but with the terrible downside of being overly broad in yielding hits, unable to make fine or nuanced decisions beyond what they have been expressly programmed for.

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A move to fully automated moderation has long been the nightmare of many human rights and free expression organizations.

These serious shortcomings were clear to the companies that had elected to employ the class of tools in the absence of human staffers. By March 31, industry leaders Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube had all made statements about the expected impact of automated moderation systems, and each characterized any unwanted outcome as some form of mistake. An important choice of words, perhaps, but also more demonstration that computational tools can do only what they are designed to doa result that can indeed vary from what their designers had intended or what their users had come to expect. In this new ecosystem of reliance upon computational moderation tools, the firms were essentially demanding that all their users suffer through the pains of such systems. In effect, they have made unwitting beta testers of us all.

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It would be one thing if the results of bad A.I.-tool-informed moderation decisions could always and easily be considered nothing more than a mistake, a gaffe, or an accident. But a move to fully automated moderation has long been the nightmare of many human rights and free expression organizations, which see the overly broad bluntness of these tools as less of a mistake and more of an infringement on the right to create, access, and circulate information. Under a global health crisis that has also become a political one, those rights become more important than ever.

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And yet human moderation of complex contenta major mechanism to ensure that users can access good information on these notoriously opaque, undemocratic commercial platformshas disappeared, leaving us with a flawed and even more impenetrable ecosystem in its wake. Ever tried to interview an algorithm to find out why it has made the decisions it has? Good luck on that one. The A.I.-based automated tools represent a worrisome black box of which any external auditing or measuringalready difficult under a hybrid regime of humans and computationwould be nearly impossible.

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Stakeholders from the global community for freedom of expression and human rights have long sounded the alarm about what content will bear the brunt of this new form of moderation: political and social advocacy, material and footage from conflict zones, and so on. In a recent post, Witness Dia Kayyali wrote that automated content moderation has not been working well. Theres no reason to expect its suddenly going to work now. As an example, Kayyali points to the work of advocates in war-torn Syria to get out important video documentation of their plight. Social network moderation regimes have deemed such photos and video too gory (rather than a more complicated, and yet perhaps more honest, reason of too political) to stand. Activists have spent countless hours discussing this issue with social networks, but their work presupposes the sophisticated mind of a human moderator making the decision. When decisions are rendered in automated fashion, bluntly and for expediency at scale, it is precisely these kinds of users, advocating for their own rights from the worlds conflict zones, who stand to lose.

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Despite my own decadelong work to unveil the working conditions and psychological impact of commercial content moderation work and to advocate for the people who do it, I do not think that a turn to computation is a scenario that benefits the public in the long run. As Kayyali points out, we must be mindful that this situation not be an excuse to diminish and dismiss the already undervalued work of human moderators. Rather, the fault lines of problematic moderation decisions that will now be visible to countless more usersthrough the issuing of blanket warning statements, dialog boxes that describe these shortcomings when users go to report abusive content or, on the flip side, when a user notices her video or post has disappeared when similar material had stood beforeshould be used to open up a much larger social debate about the role of social media as the de facto (but certainly not de jure) public square of our age. They should be used to further tie that discussion to one about content moderation in general, the decisions those moderators and A.I. tools make, and the policies and politics that go behind them. Only then should we even consider a move to fully automated moderation as first-order social media policing. Now that we are all beta testers, we must be mindful that this great A.I. moderation beta test not become status quo.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
: Coronavirus cases continued their upward surge in Andhra Pradesh with 19 more reported on Wednesday, taking the total to 348, state government said.

At the same time, three patients recovered and got discharged from hospital in Visakhapatnam, the latest bulletin issued by the State Nodal Officer said.

Since Tuesday, 34 new cases were added to the victims list in the state. The total number of patients who got cured and discharged from hospital now stands at nine.

The toll due to COVID-19 remained at four and the number of active cases stood at 335.

Official sources, meanwhile, said the son of the 64- year-old patient, who succumbed on April 4 in Anantapuramu, contracted the disease from his father.

Also, four medical staff, including the doctor who attended on the patient, of Anantapuramu government hospital also contracted the disease from the same source.

The 64-year-old man tested positive upon his return from Mecca.

Wrong handling of the patient and violation of prescribed protocols after his death led to the transmission of the virus to these five people, the sources said.

These five apart, two other COVID-19 positive cases were also reported from Anantapuramu district on Wednesday, taking the district tally to 13. These two cases were related to the Tablighi Jamaat, the sources added.

Eight fresh cases were added in Guntur district since Wednesday, three in Prakasam and one in West Godavari.

Kurnool continued to be on the top with 75 cases while Guntur jumped a spot to the second with 49, followed by SPS Nellore 48.

Significantly, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram maintained their clean record with zero cases so far.

Fortunately, no one from our district went to the Tablighi Jamaat event and also our district foreign returnees didnt go to much vulnerable countries. We are, however, keeping our fingers crossed while doing surveillance and testing for all vulnerable returnees from Delhi, Mumbai and other states, the Collector of a district told PTI over phone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BURLINGTON, ON, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, IKEA Canada announces its commitment to provide approximately $2.3M in product and supply donations to support local communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The retailer will first focus its relief efforts on vulnerable communities, including homeless, newcomers, refugees and children, providing home furnishings to ensure they have a safe and comfortable home during these challenging times. It will also support those leading COVID-19 relief efforts by providing relevant supplies from its range to medical services and facilities.

"At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Now more than ever, we know that home is the most important place in the world," said Michael Ward, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada. "By providing home furnishings to some of our most vulnerable and at-risk communities, we ensure that not only are their basic necessities met, but also that their home is a place of comfort and safety when they need it most."

IKEA Canada has established a national task force and is currently engaging with its network of trusted partners, government agencies and registered charities to determine where donations can have the greatest impact. The retailer has already collaborated with Furniture Link, an organization that connects businesses to vulnerable communities and will support more than 1,500 families with needed home furnishings in communities across Canada. IKEA is also working closely with its network of national refugee employment partners to provide home kits to newcomers in need.

From coast-to-coast, IKEA Canada stores and distribution units have already started making contributions to medical services and facilities. The furniture retailer has donated nearly 230,000 N95 masks to local hospitals and healthcare centres across the country. IKEA Canada will continue to work closely with medical services to donate urgently needed supplies from its range such as bedding, mattresses, children's toys and food.

"We're committed to supporting the communities in which we serve and we want to do all that we can to support our front line healthcare workers who continue to work tirelessly for our health and well-being during this unprecedented time," said Melissa Barbosa, Sustainability Manager, IKEA Canada.

IKEA Canada's donation is part of Ingka Group's global commitment to provide emergency relief efforts in the 30 countries in which it has operations. Ingka Group has allocated 26m to protect the health and livelihoods of communities, co-workers, suppliers and consumers impacted by coronavirus.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA

Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 374 IKEA stores in 30 countries, including 14 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 31 million visitors to its stores and 117 million visitors to IKEA.ca. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca.

SOURCE IKEA Canada

For further information: IKEA Canada, [email protected]; For media inquiries: Kristin Newbigging, IKEA Canada, Public Relations Leader, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.ikea.ca


Jharkhand Finance Minister



Rameshwar Oraon on Wednesday said that ration and vegetables are being provided to the needy across the state.

Besides the state government's initiatives, the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Relief Vigilant Committee on COVID-19 is also providing relief to the people, Oraon, who heads the committee, said.

Oraon, also the Pradesh Congress Committee president, said a control room has been set up in the party office here to provide assistance to the people in the state as well as to labourers from Jharkhand who are stranded outside the state.

"Members of the committee are attending to calls made by the needy and assistance is being provided," a release issued by PCC spokesperson Alok Kumar Dubey said.

Dubey said the Congress and the state government are working together to mitigate the crisis.

"Employment generation will be a big challenge after lockdown is lifted. Effective measures will be taken in this regard so that the economy gets back on track," Oraon, who also holds the food and economic affairs portfolio, said.

Meanwhile, the BJP said its workers are distributing foodgrains among the poor as the party's present focus is to ensure that no one remains hungry during the lockdown period.

Five kg of rice, one kg of pulses, two kg of potatoes and 500 gm of onions are being distributed to each family, BJP's 'Seva Karya' convener Pradip Verma said.

Members of the party's women wing have made and distributed 1.92 lakh masks among people so far, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Photo: Central Mountain Air

Another airline is cancelling its flights due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Mountain Air has announced, as of this Saturday, through to June 7, all scheduled flights will be suspended. Charters will remain available.

"As we continue to address the unprecedented challenges the current COVID-19 health crisis presents, Central Mountain Air is taking dramatic measures to protect our business, employees, customers and the larger communities we serve," a release from the company states.

The Smithers-based airline serves Prince George, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort St. John and other cities.

Booked passengers will be contacted by the reservations team.

"We thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Rest assured our team is devoted to ensuring our serviced communities are impacted as little as possible," the statement reads.

"We will keep you updated on any future changes as the global COVID-19 situation rapidly develops and we urge you to take the critical precautions outlined by the WHO and Public Health Agency of Canada."
L ike so many, I have been humbled by our NHS staff working tirelessly at huge personal cost and heartbroken by the loss of life. Doctors, nurses and care workers have now joined the rising death toll. Many have been from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds and it has been such a stark reminder of how much we depend on immigrants and their children to look after us.

My dad was a GP who came here in the late Sixties from India and my brother is now a surgeon in Glasgow. Every child of immigrants will know the pressure on them to become a doctor. I joke about it, but I suddenly get it. Immigrants like my dad had this desire to work hard and make a better life for us, but he also wanted to serve a country which gave him opportunity. Yes, it was about professional and financial security but when immigrants come to this cold, faraway country they also want to find a proper role, a place and a sense of belonging which is why they often provide care and services but also work so hard, particularly in the NHS.

I remember as a wee girl going to social functions organised by the Overseas Doctors Association, where I would meet my dads colleagues from South Asia and Africa with their families. It was tough for that generation who didnt really fit in. They often experienced racism from their patients and it was hard for them to get promoted, but they treasured the important role they had as doctors because they had a huge sense of patriotic duty to what they called their host country, and of course they loved the Queen. Who doesnt?

They had a sense of honour, dignity and pride in their work caring for the sick; and we still see that spirit today with so many staff from all across Europe and the rest of the world working in our hospital wards, which have become the trenches of this battle. Like Dr Anton Sebastianpillai, a respected consultant geriatrician in his seventies, originally from Sri Lanka, who had retired but returned to serve on the front line to help in this crisis. He died on Saturday in Kingston hospital.

We are all moved by their bravery, but the nation has suddenly woken up to how reliant we are on them. Even Piers Morgan has been rightly praising the work that immigrants do, not just in the NHS but across society. But it feels odd to hear that acknowledgment after so many years of sustained attacks on immigration.

All those accusations of invasion, scrounging and being a drain on the NHS feel so moronic and spiteful right now. Lets hear no more of it. This crisis has proved that immigrants come here to build homes, pick our food, drive our buses, run our cornershops, cook, clean and care for us. We cant actually cope without them. When we get through this nightmare, I would like there to be a statue, or commemoration, to mark the untold contribution that immigrants have made to Britain. The least we should do is show some appreciation.

Time-wasting with Trinny

Trinny Woodall / Dave Benett/Getty Images
If you own shares in Chilean Metals Inc. (CVE:CMX) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market.

Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price.

Check out our latest analysis for Chilean Metals

What CMX's beta value tells investors

Zooming in on Chilean Metals, we see it has a five year beta of 1.63. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. If this beta value holds true in the future, Chilean Metals shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Chilean Metals fares in that regard, below.

Story continues

TSXV:CMX Income Statement April 7th 2020

Could CMX's size cause it to be more volatile?

Chilean Metals is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of CA$496k, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it is fairly actively traded for a company of its size. Because it takes less capital to move the share price of a small company like this, when a stock this size is actively traded it is quite often more sensitive to market volatility than similar large companies.

What this means for you:

Since Chilean Metals has a reasonably high beta, it's worth considering why it is so heavily influenced by broader market sentiment. For example, it might be a high growth stock or have a lot of operating leverage in its business model. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Chilean Metalss financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following:

Financial Health: Are CMXs 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. Past Track Record: Has CMX been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of CMX's historicals for more clarity. 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.

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 global pandemic, COVID-19, is reportedly killing an overwhelming number of Black Americans at a much higher rate compared to other races in cities across the nation.

Health experts voiced their concern for the nation's vulnerable population as federal officials and states are, allegedly, not keeping track or releasing racial profiles on COVID-19 victims.

Cities with a significant number of black populations such as New Orleans and New York are seeing a surge in coronavirus-related deaths. Civil rights groups and the White House are urging authorities to release racial data on all coronavirus victims, saying it will ensure proper information reaches all communities affected by the pandemic.

In a White House briefing on Tuesday, the US President Donald Trump and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci, revealed African Americans were struck hard by the virus---a figure that represents a "tremendous challenge" for the country.

Trump said the national data would be available later this week. Meanwhile, Fauci said health disparities have made the outbreak worse for people who belong in the black community. He urged medical professionals to give the African American resident the best medical care possible to avoid further complications.

The Figures



Racial data released by a handful of states showed black Americans are dying at a much higher rate than the whites. Hardie Davis Jr., mayor of Augusta, Georgia, said the data is a cause for concern as it represents a critical issue within the African-American community.

In Louisiana, 70% of the 512 COVID-19 deaths involved African-American patients. Only 28% of all coronavirus-related deaths in the state were white, although black people comprise less than a third of Louisiana's population.

Illinois' Health Department reported more than 12,200 coronavirus cases and 307 fatalities on Monday. Black Americans made up for 29.4% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases and 42% of the state's virus-related deaths. According to the United States Census Bureau, African Americans comprised 15% of the state's total population.

Black people account for 14% of Michigan's population. However, they compose 33% of the state's COVID-19 cases and 41% of deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are working to collect all racial data from states. A spokesperson for the federal health organization said data about COVID-19 hospitalizations, including race and ethnicity, will be released after all necessary information is received.





Pre-existing Medical Conditions

In the data released by Louisiana's Health Department, many of those who died from COVID-19 had medical complications.

US Representative Robin Kelly urged Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to release national data by race. The data will help state governments to impose necessary policies and programs as well as allocate resources needed by communities.

Lawmakers and advocates are calling the Department of Health to release racial breakdowns for all cases. They said data on testing, hospitalization, and mortality rates should be dispersed to ensure all residents are receiving proper medical attention.

"Without everyone reporting the data, you can't see the magnitude of the problem," Lovely Warren, mayor of Rochester, New York, said.

Read More Coronavirus-Related News:
Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad on



Wednesday urged Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to expedite the process for setting up a laboratory in the state for testing samples of persons suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

He said a testing laboratory will enable early detection and treatment of COVID-19 patients.

During the second review meeting on coronavirus outbreak with Tamang and senior officials at the Raj Bhawan, Prasad said the state government must accord top priority to establishing a testing laboratory in the state in collaboration with the ICMR.

He asked the state government to strengthen its mechanism and preparedness to keep coronavirus at bay in Sikkim.

Preventive measures have become all the more important since there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases across the country in April, the governor said.

He said the state government must look after vulnerable sections of the society in view of "the likelihood of lockdown being extended beyond April 14".

The chief minister assured the governor that the state government was doing its best to tackle the coronavirus outbreak and is distributing relief materials among vulnerable sections of the society.

No coronavirus case has been detected in Sikkim so far, Tamang told the governor.

Agreeing with the governor that there was a likelihood that the lockdown might be extended beyond April 14, Tamang said the state government has decided that all educational institutions in Sikkim shall continue to remain closed till the situation normalises.

He said that buffer stock of all essential commodities, including medical consumables, has been maintained.

Strict vigil has been maintained at the border check- points to restrict the movement of people and vehicles even if neighbouring states lift the lockdown, Tamang said.

Partial relaxation of lockdown norms, if any, after the stipulated time will be in line with the guidelines issued by Centre, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When it comes to loading up the big guns, Japan is market leader. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unsheathing a 732billion fiscal package to shore up demand as the country places its cities under a state of emergency to defend itself against Covid-19.

The scale of the package amounts to 20 per cent of national output, which is proportionally a far bigger dollop of help than Donald Trumps 1.6trillion for the much worse-stricken United States.

It is more than the 663billion unveiled by Germany (including 350billion of UK-style loan guarantees) and the 70billion of direct borrowing costs, or 3 per cent of GDP, pledged by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unsheathing a $990bn (732bn) fiscal package to shore up demand as the country places its cities under a state of emergency

Of all the G7 countries, Japan has long been the boldest in using government borrowing to keep the economy afloat.

Abe is acting against a background of plunging household spending, falling national output in the first quarter and the debilitating blow of the cancelled Olympics.

Persuading its citizens to spend is always a struggle so Japan is relying on fiscal policy to do the trick as in the lost decade of the 1990s and after the financial crisis.

The larger proportion of the package will go on public spending, with big investments in healthcare. Cash handouts will go to ordinary households and small enterprises.

Much will be funded by issuing Japanese government bonds or JGBs. These will end up on a government balance sheet where the national debt already tops 200 per cent. That compares to the UKs 77.4 per cent pre-emergency pile of debt.

How will this be financed? There is still public appetite among Japanese domestic investors to buy JGBs.

But the principal buyer will be the Bank of Japan, the G7 central bank closest to monetising its debt, converting it into credit or cash.

That is a policy which Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey ruled out this week. A long lockdown may yet require Bailey to do whatever it takes.

Tech flight

Among the reasons to be cautious about financially-driven buyers is that you never quite know where the assets, including valuable intellectual property, will end up.

In the case of the capture of Imagination Technologies by Canyon Bridge for 550million in 2017, there should have been no mystery.

In spite of its reassuringly American name, Canyon is Chinese-controlled and the US had barred it from buying tech assets.

With much of the worlds eyes diverted by Covid-19, an attempted coup by investor China Reform, a state entity, has been seen off due to the current aversion to Beijing.

The idea of a reckoning with China over responsibility for a contagious disease is morally abhorrent.

What is unacceptable has been the insouciance of successive UK administrations to deals in which the assets could end up in wrong hands.

This is why this paper lined up against the Soft Bank takeover of chip maker Arm Holdings, Melroses absorption of GKN and, most recently, Advents purchase of Cobham.

There was nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these transactions other than the fact that, at some point in the life cycle of the companies purchased, they likely will be sold on to buyers with no interest in keeping the technology or sensitive national security assets in the UK.

The Chinese limb of Arm Holdings has already been sold off to a Beijing state-controlled enterprise by Japans Soft Bank.

Given the current difficulties of Soft Bank, after the governance implosion at property sharing pioneer We Work, who is to say that the whole future of the Cambridge-based smart-chip creator is not in danger?

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has clambered onto his high horse and is promising legislation to prevent valuable UK tech and national security assets falling into the wrong hands.

By the time we see the new regime, the carcass may have been eaten clean.

Bottom fishing

There is no better time for snaring assets at knockdown prices than during a downturn.

Warren Buffett is master of this, grabbing stakes in Goldman Sachs and General Electric when they were on their knees in the financial crisis.

Ivan Glasenberg of Glencore looks to be on a similar track, offering 264million for the minority stake in Argentinas world-beating soy crushing plant Renova.

The stake is held by bankrupt family group Vicentin. Fortune favours the brave.
Suspect in coronavirus church vandalism arrested in St. Petersburg

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:50 08/04/2020

ST. PETERSBURG, April 8 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  A suspect in the writing of the coronavirus comments on the wall of one of the St. Petersburg churches has been arrested by anti-extremism police, RAPSI has learnt from the citys Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry.

The 27-year man is suspected of vandalism. He was released under personal recognizance to appear.

According to the statement, the church senior priest turned to the police over phrases printed on the wall. Later, a photo of the graffiti appeared on social networks; the comments author challed coronavirus a new Jesus.
Cardinal George Pell has been spotted buying a phone charger and newspapers at a service station on his first day of freedom.

Cardinal Pell - whose convictions for child sex offences were quashed on Tuesday - was seen shopping at the petrol station on the Hume Highway in Victoria.

He was filmed getting out of the back seat of a car and going inside the Woolworths BP at Glenrowan North, near Wangaratta, about 1.30pm on Wednesday.

It's understood he may be driving from Melbourne to Sydney, although it's not clear if his trip may be affected by coronavirus restrictions.

When asked how he was feeling after the High Court's ruling yesterday, the Cardinal said he was 'very pleased' to be free.

'Before you arrived, it was better here,' he told media at the service station when asked about life behind bars, before adding his prison experience was 'not too bad'.

'I'm sorry I'm not dressed a bit better,' he said.

Cardinal George Pell has been spotted buying a phone charger at a service station in Victoria on his first day of freedom

He also asked reporters to adhere to social distancing and not get too close to him.

The Victoria-NSW border, which is 100km away from the petrol station, remains open for traffic.

But under stringent COVID-19 measures people aren't allowed to travel unless it's for 'essential' reasons.

Victoria is enforcing the two-person limit inside and outside the home rule.

Victorian residents should only leave the house to shop for essential supplies, medical care or compassionate needs, exercise, or work and study.

They face on-the-spot fines of $1,652 if they're caught breaching the directions.

Earlier on Wednesday, Cardinal Pell left the Carmelite Monastery in the Melbourne's east, where a protester left a lone tricycle overnight.

It's presumed Cardinal Pell is headed for Sydney. He has family in NSW.

His swift departure from the monastery - through several red lights in an effort to seemingly shake off the tailing media - comes as police investigate the vandalism of Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral.

'Rot in Hell Pell' was emblazoned on the doors of the cathedral where he was alleged to have abused two choirboys in the 1990s.

When asked how he was feeling after the High Court's ruling yesterday, the cardinal said he was 'very pleased' to be free

It's understood he may be driving from Melbourne to Sydney, although it's not clear if his trip may be affected by coronavirus restrictions

The High Court ruled on Tuesday there was insufficient evidence to convict Cardinal Pell, quashing five convictions.

The spread of the coronavirus means he cannot celebrate Easter with any congregation and any thoughts of a quick return to Rome have been scuppered by international travel bans.

Cardinal Pell released a statement saying a serious injustice had been remedied and he bears no ill will toward his accuser.

The accuser, now a man in his 30s, came forward after the death of the second choirboys in 2014.

'I respect the decision of the High Court. I accept the outcome,' he said in a statement.

He also hopes the outcome won't discourage child sexual abuse survivors from coming forward, reassuring them 'most people recognise the truth when they hear it'.

Cardinal Pell spent a total of 405 days in Barwon Prison, in regional Victoria.

A child's tricycle is seen on the gate of the Carmelite Monastery (pictured) where Cardinal George Pell stayed on Tuesday night after being released from Barwon Prison

St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne was vandalised with red and white paint overnight (pictured)

He was spotted being driven away from the jail on early on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after his convictions were quashed.

Roads were closed to allow the cardinal's convoy to make his way to the Carmelite Monastery in Kew, in east Melbourne where he was greeted by a nun and a case of wine.

Cardinal Pell was charged by Victoria Police officers after a man came forward in 2014 alleging he and another choirboy had been sexually abused at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996.

That boy, now in his 30s, gave evidence in court, revealing he felt compelled to come forward after the death of the other boy.

A jury convicted Cardinal Pell of five charges in December 2018 after an earlier jury was unable to reach a verdict.

Victoria's Court of Appeal upheld the convictions last year.

With coronavirus sending Queensland into lockdown, the forecourt and road outside the High Court in Brisbane were empty for the handing down of the decision.

Only three journalists were allowed in the courtroom as Chief Justice Susan Kiefel handed down the decision.

'There is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof,' the full bench of seven judges said in their judgment.

Cardinal Pell has always maintained his innocence, a fact noted in the High Court's 26-page decision.

He told Victoria Police officers in Rome in 2016 that the most rudimentary interviews with staff and choirboys would tell them the allegations were 'fundamentally improbable' and 'most certainly false'.

The High Court ruled on Tuesday there was insufficient evidence to convict Cardinal Pell, quashing five convictions. He was freed from Barwon prison within hours (pictured)

Cardinal George Pell leaves Barwon Prison near Geelong, Victoria, on April 7 after his child sex abuse convictions were overturned

The High Court found the Victorian Court of Appeal majority - Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and President Chris Maxwell - had failed to engage with the idea that against a body of evidence, the complainant's account was not correct.

The judges put aside the likelihood of the boys slipping away from the post-Mass procession without detection and the possibility Cardinal Pell could have exposed himself through his ornamental robes.

Instead, they focused on the evidence that placed Cardinal Pell at the front of the cathedral for at least 10 minutes after Sunday Masses in December 1996.

They pointed to the fact Cardinal Pell was in the company of Monsignor Charles Portelli when he returned to the priest's sacristy to remove his vestments and there was continuous traffic in and out of the sacristy for up to 10 minutes after the altar servers completed their bows to the crucifix.

A fifth conviction relating to a second alleged incident, in which the surviving choirboy claimed he was molested by Cardinal Pell in a corridor, was also quashed.

The assumption that a group of choristers, including adults, would fail to notice the Archbishop in full regalia pin a 13-year-old boy to a wall 'is a large one', they said.

'The capacity of the evidence to support the verdict on this charge suffers from the same deficiency as the evidence of the assaults involved in the first incident,' the judges concluded.
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that his administration inherited broken coronavirus tests, experts have said.

In February, it was revealed that government-issued tests sent out to New York were faulty and unable to provide an accurate result.

Testing for coronavirus is not available yet in New York City, city Department of Health spokeswoman Stephanie Buhle told ProPublica.

The kits that were sent to us have demonstrated performance issues and cannot be relied upon to provide an accurate result, she added.

On 30 March, Mr Trump first claimed that the first faulty coronavirus tests were inherited from the previous administration, while making an appearance on Fox and Friends.

He repeated the claim on 1 April during one of his daily briefings at the White House and elaborated on his claim on 3 April.

And remember this: We inherited  the word is we inherited bad tests. We really inherited bad tests. These are horrible tests. And it was broken. It was all broken. And we fixed it, the president said.

Mr Trump repeated the claim on 6 April during another briefing, saying that initially speaking, the tests were old, obsolete, and not really prepared.

Recommended Morning Joe calls on his own network to stop running Trump briefings

CNN report that despite Mr Trumps repeated claims about the coronavirus tests, the Trump administration did not inherit them.

Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told the outlet this virus did not exist in the prior administration.

He added: The technology used to test for this virus is technology that is routinely used in clinical microbiology laboratories. It is not faulty.

Gregg Gonsalves, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health, told the outlet: He is lying. He is lying 100%. He is lying because he is trying to shift blame to others, even if the attempt is totally nonsensical.

On Wednesday morning, former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBCs Morning Joe, criticised networks including his own for not fact-checking the president.

Hes spreading disinformation, hes trying to cover up all the mistakes hes made over the past two months, he said.

However, the White House insisted the system inherited from the previous administration has created problems. A White House spokesperson told The Independent: "The president inherited a system that was hamstrung by red tape. The presidents team has worked day and night to meet the new challenges posed by the coronavirus by cutting red tape, expediting new commercial tests, and expanding accessibility across the country."

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 419,975 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 14,262.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - During the Iraq war, Democratic congressional candidate Hillary OConnor Mueri served as a naval flight officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier - the same ship whose captain was abruptly dismissed after he broadly disseminated a letter that sought help in containing an onboard coronavirus outbreak.

Now, shes making a campaign issue of Captain Brett E. Croziers firing, which she regards as part of a disturbing Trump administration pattern of political interference in U.S. Navy matters. On Wednesday, her campaign released its first radio ad, which calls Crozier a hero who was smeared by President Trump for protecting his crew.

When I was on the Theodore Roosevelt, I was taught to never leave a shipmate behind, says Mueris ad, in which says she stands with all the other men and women on the USS Theodore Roosevelt to thank Crozier for his service, and declares that shell never leave anyone behind.

A news release from her campaign said the ad will run on diverse news and community programs and podcasts and--to ensure that this message gets heard across the district--it will also run during Rush Limbaughs radio program.

In an interview, Mueri, who is trying to unseat Republican Rep. Dave Joyce of Bainbridge Township in the 14th District, said she did not know Crozier, but knows the ship well after spending several months on board during the Iraq war. Given its close quarters, she said she "cannot imagine a better place for the virus to spread unchecked than on a naval vessel.

There is no privacy, no way to space yourself out from other people, no way to completely sanitize every surface, Mueri recalled. There is zero chance you could stay six feet away from everybody. You are talking about nearly 5,000 people on one vessel.

Although Crozier was dismissed by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly - another native of the Cleveland area - for distributing the letter outside his chain of command, Mueri argues that Crozier did so when he didnt get relief in a matter that endangered his crew. Modly resigned Tuesday amid a firestorm over the firing.

If you look at the career path of the captain of an aircraft carrier, very few officers have that opportunity, said Mueri. There are only 11 aircraft carriers in the entire fleet. He was obviously a stellar leader and a stellar aviator to have that opportunity. the fact that he risked all he worked for all his life for the lives of his sailors means people should listen very closely to what he has to say. The Navy tradition is service before self, ship and sailors before self. He was executing everything we were taught as far as core values.

She says Crozier should be returned to command of the ship, and argues his dismissal is part of a pattern of political interference in Navy issues by President Trump, who fired former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer in a dispute over discipline of a Navy SEAL who was charged with war crimes. Trump repeatedly intervened in the case.

In a Sunday news conference, Trump said he did not make the decision to dismiss Crozier, and the decision involved the Secretary of Defense and a lot of people. He subsequently said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will decide Croziers fate.

The whole thing was a very unfortunate -- the captain should not have written a letter," Trump said Tuesday. He didnt have to be Ernest Hemingway. He made a mistake, but he had a bad day. And I hate seeing bad things happen. The man made a mistake.

More coronavirus coverage:

Cleveland-area native Thomas Modly resigns as acting Navy secretary amid coronavirus firing flap

Would you want these common coronavirus medical interventions?

Tariff on Purell packaging overturned due to coronavirus, a break for Akron-based Gojo Industries

State Department works to return Americans stranded abroad in coronavirus pandemic

Nearly a quarter of small businesses may permanently close because of coronavirus, says U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Social Security recipients wont have to file tax forms to get coronavirus stimulus checks after all, Treasury says

Sen. Sherrod Brown objects to making Social Security beneficiaries file tax returns to get federal stimulus payments

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Sen. Sherrod Brown wants some workers to get hazard pay during coronavirus emergency

Amid coronavirus emergency, Sen. Rob Portman seeks Chinese tariff exemption for Ohio firm that makes Purell hand sanitizer

Ohio authorities ask President Trump for federal 'major disaster designation

Trump-branded coronavirus government mailing spurs criticism
[April 08, 2020] Kenneth R. Bearley Promoted to Divisional Executive Vice President within Great American's Property and Casualty Group

Great American Insurance Group is pleased to announce the promotion of Kenneth (Ken) R. Bearley to Divisional Executive Vice President within its Bond Division. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005050/en/ Kenneth (Ken) R. Bearley has been promoted to Divisional Executive Vice President within Great American's Bond Division. (Photo: Business Wire) Ken joined Great American in 1994 as an underwriter in the Bond Division's Pittsburgh office and transferred tothe Cincinnati home office in 2009. He has served in various leadership roles with increasing responsibility, including overseeing contract surety written for all offices east of the Mississippi River. In his new role, Ken will expand his duties to oversee all contract surety written in the United States and Europe.



Ken earned a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Queens University of Charlotte. About Great American Insurance Group

Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed and indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions, broker-dealer and registered investment advisor markets. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for more than 110 years (most recent rating evaluation of "A+" (Superior) affirmed September 11, 2019). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFG. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005050/en/

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New Delhi, April 8 : Joining the chorus for action against the Tablighi Jamaat for organising a congregation at Nizammudin despite prohibitory orders, the Congress said, on Wednesday, it had maintained the stand that action should be taken against the law violators.

"The Congress has been saying from the day one that those who violated the prohibitory orders, be it Tablighi Jamaat, some other organisation or any individual, be taken to task.

"If anybody has violated the tourist visa rules, there should be action against him as per the law of the country. The whole nation stands together over that," said chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

He, however, demanded to know who allowed the congregation as "the Delhi's law and order comes under the purview of the Union Home Ministry." The Maharashtra government, he said, had denied permission for such a congregation.

The Congress also raised the question that who sent National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to Nizamuddin and how Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi, head of Tablighi Jamaat, was absconding.

The Jamaat has also invited criticism form Muslim intellectuals. They say the community expected the Jamaat followers to have "scientific approach".

"The community is suffering because of lack of vision of Maulana Saad in dealing with the issue, which could have been dealt in a better manner," said Navaid Hamid, President of the Majlis Mushawarat.

Had Maulana Saad showed some vision, "the community would not have been maligned the way it's being done by the adversaries," Hamid said.

As the chorus for action against the Jamaat grows, India's largest independent news agency, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), on Wednesday sent a legal notice to a member of the Tablighi Jamaat after he attempted to harass and criminally intimidate the agency's media subscribers for running an IANS exclusive report on the Islamic missionary's dubious background in their digital editions.

IANS has decided to stand by its legacy of fearless journalism and not take this criminal intimidation by the dubious Jamaat member lying down. The overwhelming support pouring in from different quarters only strengthens its stand.
Chief of All India Imams Organization, Umer Ahmad Ilyasi, on Wednesday appealed to all Muslims to not violate coronavirus-related lockdown on Shab-e-Baraat on April 9.

"I want to appeal to all the Muslim brothers to not violate the lockdown on Shab-e-Baraat and stay at home. I request all of you to pray for the people who are fighting against COVID-19," he said.

On Shab-e-Baraat, Muslims visit the graveyards in hordes. Some of the youth are seen performing stunts on motorbikes and riding without helmets.

Ilyasi said that this is a time to pray and "we all should pray for the people who are helping us" in this period.

"We should follow the guidelines of government and maintain social distancing and those who won't follow this rule will be the culprit," he added.

Expressing grief on the news of doctors being attacked he said, "I am very sad to hear that people are attacking doctors and misbehaving with them. I request all to cooperate with doctors who are helping us at the risk of their own safety."

Ilyasi said that we all should stay at home and help in curbing the spread of the disease as the only "cure" to coronavirus is social distancing.

With an increase of 773 cases in the last 24 hours, India's total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 5,194, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. As many as 32 people died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 149.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hong Kong: CE unveils $138b relief package

The Government today announced a $137.5 billion package of relief measures to help individuals and businesses tide over financial difficulties during the COVID-19 epidemic, including the introduction of an $80 billion Employment Support Scheme.

Announcing the new measures at a press conference this evening, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said this third round of relief is in addition to the $120 billion package announced in the Budget and the $30 billion Anti-epidemic Fund.

Mrs Lam explained that under the $80 billion Employment Support Scheme (ESS), the Government would provide wage subsidies to eligible employers to retain their employees in return for employers undertaking not to implement redundancy.

We very much welcome the assisted employees to stay in the job, so that they will get not only our subsidy but will continue to get some pay from the employers. And this is also, in my view, a healthier development, because we want the staff to be engaged in work, so that when the epidemic situation stabilises, then there will be more business.

The Chief Executive noted that there would be safeguards to ensure the workers received the subsidies.

We will put in place a very robust audit (mechanism) after the event because I do not want to have detailed vetting before paying out. The employees and employers are now very short of cash, they need money. But we reserve the power to do auditing in order to ensure that the money is spent on wages.

Secondly, the employers have to promise that there will be no redundancies.

And of course thirdly, we will operate in a very transparent way. So all the employers who have applied and are approved to enjoy the ESS, we will tell everybody, particularly the employees. So the employees will know that their employers have received wage subsidies which are supposed to be for them, not for their employers. And if they do not get it, then I am sure they will complain, either to us directly or through trade unions.

"So there are safeguards all the way to ensure that the money will go to the employees.

Mrs Lam noted that employers making MPF contributions will be eligible except those on the exclusion list, ie the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, statutory bodies, and government subvented staff.

The government subsidies are calculated on the basis of 50% of wages, subject to a wage cap of $18,000 per month for a period of six months.

We have to ensure that the money that we are providing is reasonable to enable the employers to keep the employees in the job. If we provide too small an amount the employer will continue to have difficulty in keeping that employee in the job. But if we provide too large an amount, then it is a question of affordability. Now this package at 50% of wage cap of $18,000 already costs $80 billion. So I would say that 50% is about the right percentage.

Payment will be made to employers in two tranches, with the first payout no later than June. It is estimated to cover 1.5 million employees.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Tom Arnold

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Plans to provide debt relief to lower-income countries could increase the risk of default if payment obligations to private sector creditors were restructured, credit-rating agencies warned on Tuesday.

In a bid to help the poorest countries struggling with the effects of the coronavirus, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have urged official bilateral creditors to provide debt relief.

But both Fitch and Moody's warned that any linking of official debt relief to restructuring of private-sector debt could qualify as a distressed debt exchange, triggering a move to restrictive default, Fitch said.

If relief were applied only to debt held by official creditors it would not be counted as a default, Fitch said. It would offset rising liquidity pressures on weaker frontier-market sovereigns, acting as positive for their credit, Moody's said in a note.

But Moody's warned: "The lack of clarity so far around potential private-sector participation suggests a heightened risk of delay to debt service payments, which could constitute defaults under our definition."

In a joint statement, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund last week called on official bilateral creditors to immediately suspend debt payments from International Development Association (IDA) countries, which are home to a quarter of the worlds population.

France added its support for the move, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire saying on Tuesday that France would seek a debt moratorium for the poorest countries.

Goldman Sachs said in a note this week that IDA countries, those with a GDP per capita below US$1,175 in the fiscal year 2020, made up around 10% of the JPMorgan Emerging Market Bond Index. Zambia and Sri Lanka would in particular stand to benefit from the move, it said.

Moody's said Ghana, Pakistan, Zambia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka were among those suffering from a sharp drop in economic activity because of the coronavirus, a collapse in commodity prices, strained government revenue and market dislocation, threatening their debt sustainability.

But it added risks from the crisis went beyond frontier markets subject to the initiative to encompass emerging markets such as Turkey and Tunisia most reliant on foreign currency debt. (Reporting by Tom Arnold, editing by Larry King)
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Lieutenant General Artak Davtyan has congratulated the relatives of National Hero of Armenia Yura Poghosyan and all Armenians on Yura Poghosyans birthday.

As reported the news service of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, Artak Davtyan wrote the following in his congratulatory message: They say the best lead a war, and this is the case of Yura Poghosyan. He was a wonderful soldier, a strong commander, a reliable and self-dedicated friend, an exemplary son and father.

Yura Poghosyan was a smart and gifted person and could show himself in any field, but he dedicated his life to the liberation of the homeland and used his knowledge and skills. He had three little children, but he fought courageously because he knew he was responsible for the peace and security of his and others children.

The National Hero of Armenia participated in almost all the battles of the self-defense forces of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and made weapons with his hands. Unfortunately, he died during the battles and never enjoyed the peace he had dreamed of, but he did witness the liberation of Shushi, which was already the start of the big victory.

Glory to you, hero! You went down in Armenian history and will live on in our memories.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
The Director of Critical Care Medicine at the Mater Hospital in Dublin has warned that the biggest challenge in the treatment of Covid-19 patients will be staffing problems.

Dr Cormac OLoughlin told RTE radios Morning Ireland that while the hospital has plans to move patients into other wards with ventilators, the biggest challenge will be the staffing problem.

He said: To run an intensive care bed requires a huge amount of medical staff, in particular nursing staff. We have a standard of care which is one-to-one nursing so every patient has a dedicated nurse 24 hours a day to run our normal standards of care for intensive care in Ireland.

That would be threatened, that could be diluted if we stretch beyond the numbers we're comfortable with, so that's a bit of an unknown yet, but we have plans - all we can do is our best.

Dr OLoughlin, who is president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland, said that the intensive care unit at the Mater hospital is full and some patients, who have been ventilated, have been moved to the high dependency unit for care.

He said: There are 18 beds in our standard ICU, we have been running 17-18 beds for the last few years, between the mix we are full, we have also had to move some of our sicker patients out of ICU and into the high dependency for ventilation.

"That happened just before the weekend, we're lucky that we had a lead-in time to allow us shut down the normal activity of the hospital and free up a lot of space capacity, which has allowed us to build plans for surge activity.

Dr O'Loughlin added that he is already beginning to get referrals from the wards this morning, where some patients are beginning to deteriorate.

He went on to describe Covid-19 as a unique disease without a definitive treatment, but he pointed out that some patients have done very well in the ICU and have been discharged back to the ward.

Dr O'Loughlin said: These patients are very sick, this is a devastating lung injury, the ones that require admission to intensive care - some are lucky enough that they have the physiological reserve, the strength to fight this off on their own immune system, without intervention from intensive care.

Unfortunately some are not so lucky and the process that undermines the pneumonia continues to worsen while they're in intensive care and it goes back to the original problem - there is no definitive treatment for this, there's no anti-viral agent that has been proven to work, there's no other agent that we can give them, as opposed to a bacterial pneumonia - we give them antibiotics and it helps.

All we're doing is giving support, we're doing organ support, we're supporting lungs, kidneys etc. and we're giving the patient a chance to recover. We're trying to minimise complications - if they recover then that's fantastic and it makes everyone feel great about the interventions that we're using, but there's certainly the fact that some patients are not recovering and some have passed away in intensive care. It's very hard for us to do more than support them as best we can."

Dr O'Loughlin said the hospital will do everything it can for families in this very difficult time and offers the opportunity for family members to come in and wear personal protective equipment in order to say goodbye.

Many families had been reluctant to do this and he said that staff will do all they can to be with a patient when they die.

He added: It's extraordinarily difficult we've never seen anything like this before - we have a very well established end of life pathway in the hospital in intensive care and a lot of that has gone out the window because of this disease.

As best we will do everything we can to help them to be with them in this very difficult time. There's huge challenge around us, there's a lot of fear in the community, theres a lot of fear in the intensive care community, among medical staff, about this disease.

"We're seeing a lot of our own staff getting sick, that's been reflected throughout the world, it's extraordinarily difficult, our job is to look after patients and by extension their families and we will do everything we can to help them in this time.

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States have to figure out who qualifies, and the federal guidance isnt clear, according to employment experts. For example, a music teacher who gives private lessons and has kept records for years may be able to show how your nonessential business has been affected by the pandemic, Stettner said.
The vehicle management system described in this patent is employed widely in modern transportation services, such as ridesharing. It is remarkable that the inventors of this now ubiquitous technology were able to understand its importance two decades ago.

Blackbird Technologies and Lyft Resolve Patent Suit

On March 26, 2019, Blackbird Technologies filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Lyft, Inc. in the US District Court for the District of Delaware (19-cv-00566), concerning an unconventional vehicle monitoring and guidance system that allows for adaptive real-time vehicle management and route navigation. The patent at issue is US Patent No. 6,754,580, entitled System for guiding vehicles. Last month, Blackbird Technologies and Lyft resolved the case.

Wendy Verlander, President and CEO of Blackbird Technologies, stated, The vehicle management system described in this patent is employed widely in modern transportation services, such as ridesharing. It is remarkable that the inventors of this now ubiquitous technology were able to understand its importance two decades ago.

About Blackbird Technologies

Blackbird Technologies provides a unique opportunity for individual inventors and small companies to realize the value of their patents. By using in-house expertise, rather than expensive law firms, Blackbird Technologies is able to litigate at reduced costs and achieve results that equal or exceed what a law firm would recover. This company creates efficiencies that make it possible for individual inventors and small companies to see the end game  realizing the true value of their patents.


Just like the United States, the United Kingdom is kicking against the plan of the Buhari administration to transfer $110 million stolen from Nigerias treasury by the late military dictator, Sani Abacha, to the governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, who was Mr Abachas main money launderer, recently obtained court papers have revealed.

In February, the U.S. government, according to a court filing, resisted the plan to transfer the money to Mr Bagudu and his family trust, Blue Holding Assets. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the U.S. had argued that a 2018 agreement between the Nigerian government and the Bagudus is a ploy designed to wrest control of the proceeds of corruption away from the U.S and U.K courts so that $110 million can be secreted into the hands of one of the primary architects (Mr Bagudu) of the kleptocracy scheme.

Recently obtained ruling from the U.S. District Court of Columbia revealed that the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) had not only obtained an order on behalf of the U.S. government to freeze the funds in Blue Holding trusts but it also filed an application before a UK court opposing the decision of the Buhari administration to transfer the money to the Bugudu.

On July 2, 2014, the U.K. National Crime Agency (the NCA), on behalf of the Government, obtained an order from a U.K. court freezing the Blue Holdings Assets in connection with this litigation (the Prohibition Order).

The NCA is opposing the FRNs application and it remains pending before the U.K. court, the court document stated.

Agreement between Nigeria and Bagudu

According to the 2018 Amended Agreement, Nigeria is the legal owner of the relevant trust assets. This effectively transfers the ownership of the funds held in Blue Holding companies from Mr Bagudu to Nigeria.

The 2018 amended agreement also stated that parties will use all reasonable endeavours to obtain a variation of the UK courts prohibition order in order for the assets which is worth 141 million ($157.5 million), to be transferred to Nigeria, which effectively clears Nigeria of any liability of the breach of the 2003 Settlement Agreement.

The 2018 amendment then stated that having received the money, Nigeria will then send 98.5 million ($110 million) to an account identified by the trustees of Blue Family Trust, owned by the Bagudu family, thus allowing Mr Bagudu and his affiliates to have peaceful enjoyment of the money.

The parties (Nigeria and Mr Bagudu) to the 2018 Amended Agreement argued that the payment of the money would satisfy Mr Bagudus default judgement against Nigeria for breaching the 2003 Settlement Agreement.

Former Head of State, Sani Abacha

But the U.S. argued that the 2018 Agreement, which was reached just seven weeks after the court had forfeited another Abacha loot related fund held by the Bagudu in another trust, serves to conceal the forfeited and remaining assets out of the United Kingdom and away from the courts judgement and the arrest warrant placed on the assets.

Ibrahim Bagudus annuity

According to the court document, Ibrahim Bagudu, the elder brother of the Kebbi governor, is entitled to an annuity of $100,000 from income generated by one of the two Blue Holdings family trusts. The U.S. government, alongside placing a freeze order on the funds, had also sought to stop the payment of the annuity to Ibrahim.

However, the court had dismissed the request stating that as a director of the Blue Holdings family trust, Ibrahim was in fact entitled to the annuity.

Government (U.S.) conveniently ignores the facts that, unlike Governor Bagudu and the other beneficiaries, Claimant has also served as a director of the trustee of the Blue Family Trusts and he, alone, receives a dedicated annuity. Thus, it is only right and proper that Claimant would file a claim to protect the trust assets. Rather than deal with these actual facts, the Government continues to refer to Claimant as Governor Bagudus nominee claimant, despite the Courts ruling that Claimant has a cognizable financial interest in the Blue Holdings (2) Assets.

The March 30, 2020 ruling also rejected the request to stop Ibrahims annuity on the ground that the 2018 Settlement Agreement between the Nigerian government and the Bagudus are not operable as they are prohibited by the prohibition order.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Thus, while the FRNs(Federal Republic of Nigeria) application is pending, neither the legal title nor ownership of the Blue Holdings Assets has changed. Nor will ownership of those funds ever change unless and until the U.K. court grants the variance to the Prohibition Order sought by the FRN.

Unless and until a U.K. court varies or dissolves the Prohibition Order, it is entirely speculative as to whether the FRN will ever take legal title to the Blue Holdings (2) Assets pursuant to the 2018 Settlement Agreement. Therefore, it would be a complete waste of judicial resources for this Court to determine whether Claimants standing in this U.S. District Court case is impacted by the 2018 Settlement Agreementan agreement between and among a sovereign state, its citizen, and three Singaporean companies that is governed by U.K. law and contingent upon a decision by a U.K. courtwhen its pertinent portions may never become effective, the court ruled.

Settlement discussion

Court papers also revealed that while the US is trying to stop the Nigerian government to transfer the funds in Blue Holding to the Bagudus, it has also commenced talk to reach a settlement agreement with the Bagudus.

In a separate motion filed at the court, the U.S. requested a two-month extension of all expert discovery deadlines. According to the court papers, the U.S. made the request because of the ongoing uncertainty and widespread disruptions cause by the coronavirus pandemic and because it has recently commenced preliminary discussions for a potential negotiated resolution of the matter.

The remaining discovery deadlines in this matter pertain only to expert discovery. On February 14, 2020, the Court granted the United States unopposed request for a one-month extension of the expert discovery deadlines. February 14, 2020, Minute Order. The current deadline to submit expert disclosures is March 26, 2020; rebuttal expert disclosures are due by May 8, 2020; and the deadline for the completion of expert depositions is June 26, 2020.

On March 3, 2020, Claimant requested that the Parties postpone that deposition due to travel concerns in light of the coronavirus outbreak. The United States agreed to reschedule the deposition to a mutually agreeable date in the near future.

Since then, there have been reported increases in the number of coronavirus cases, here and abroad, and institutions have taken an array of precautionary measures in response. Those measures, which have included school closures, travel restrictions, and telework directives, continue to evolve daily. Notwithstanding these disruptions, the Parties have commenced, and continue to engage in, preliminary settlement discussions, the court stated.

Ibrahim, who is the main claimant in the case, did not oppose the request for the two-month extension.
The COVID-19 pandemic is all set to derail the growth momentum of affordable housing in 2020. Budget-conscious homebuyers will feel the maximum heat of COVID-19 with limited income and unemployment fears forcing them to defer purchase decisions.

A lower demand could push up unsold affordable stock by at least 1-2 percent in 2020, a report has said.

Around 6.1 lakh affordable units were under construction across top seven cities until the lockdown was announced, said a report by Anarock. This is over 39 percent of the total 15.62 lakh under-construction (UC) units in the top seven cities  the highest share of all budget categories.

While the report estimates overall unsold housing inventory will shrink annually by 1-3 percent in 2020, the unsold affordable stock may actually increase by 1-2 percent in this period. As on Q1 2020 end, there were more than 2.34 lakh unsold affordable homes in the top seven cities - 36 percent of the total unsold stock across all budget categories.

The Governments Housing for All push coupled with multiple sops to buyers and developers brought on an avalanche of affordable housing projects in India," said Anuj Puri, Chairman - ANAROCK Property Consultants.

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 much as 40 percent of the new supply added across the top 7 cities in the past few years was in the affordable segment (units priced less than Rs 40 lakh). Resultantly, there is a huge under-construction supply of about 6.1 lakh units in the affordable segment, he said.

There are altogether over 6.1 lakh affordable units under construction across the top seven cities, of which NCR and MMR alone account for nearly 59 percent - or 3.59 lakh units. These units were launched between 2013 to 2019. Both cities together also have a 57 percent share (approximately 1.34 lakh units) of the overall unsold stock of 2.34 lakh units in the budget homes category.

NCR has the maximum under-construction affordable housing stock with more than 1.87 lakh units. Unsold stock in this budget category is nearly 64,430 units in NCR.

MMR is next with nearly 1.72 lakh affordable units under construction. The unsold affordable stock as on March 2020-end is 68,970 units.

In Pune, under-construction affordable housing stock is close to 1.31 lakh units, while unsold affordable homes stand at nearly 46,630 units.

Kolkata continues to have the maximum new supply in the affordable housing category, with a current inventory of 55,300 affordable units (priced within Rs 40 lakh) under construction. The city's unsold affordable housing stock is 27,040 units as on Q1 2020 end.

Bengaluru has merely 16 percent (or 32,300 units) under construction in the affordable category, out of a total of 2 lakh units under construction. This is the lowest share among all top seven cities. Unsold affordable housing stock in Bangalore is currently just 14,800 units.
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Extensive renovation work is underway at the iconic 29-room Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.

Aerial images of the huge project come as California enters its third week of a sweeping lockdown which has seen all non-essential work banned.

But the state has deemed construction work 'essential' meaning that workers are allowed to come and go from the site.

The landmark super-home in Holmby Hills belonged to Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner for 43 years.

After his death aged 91 in 2017, the mansion - which also boasts a wine cellar, grand hall and swimming pool - was taken over by billionaire Daren Metropoulos who bought it in 2016 for $100 million. Hefner was able to live in the house until he died.

Extensive renovation work is underway at the iconic 29-room Playboy mansion in Los Angeles. Aerial images show Hugh Hefner's grotto drained

Aerial images of the huge project come as California enters its third week of a sweeping lockdown which has seen all non-essential work banned

Three workers wearing protective face masks are seen outside the Playboy mansion. The landmark super-home in located in Holmby Hills

Hugh Hefner poses with some of his playmates as Playboy Magazine searched for the 50th Anniversary Playmate at the mansion in 2003

Billionaire Daren Metropoulos bought the property in 2016 for $100 million. Hefner was able to live in the house until he died

Aerial images appear to show work on the roof of the house (left), which is covered in plastic, while all the landscaping is gone

The famous grotto, which was the epicenter of Hefner's legendary parties, appears to have been drained (right)

Who is billionaire Daren Metropoulos who owns the Playboy mansion? Billionaire Daren Metropoulos is a principal at private-equity firm Metropoulos and Co. The company co-owns Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, an iconic American snack. Metropoulos bought the Playboy mansion from Hugh Hefner in 2016 for $100 million. Hefner was able to live in the house until he died. After Hefner's death, Daren said: 'Hugh Hefner was a visionary in business, a giant in media and an iconic figure of pop culture whose legacy will leave a lasting impact. Billionaire Daren Metropoulos is a principal at private-equity firm Metropoulos and Co. 'I was fortunate to know him as a neighbor and friend and I extend my deepest sympathies to his family.' He previously said he intended to connect the two estates into a combined 7.3-acre compound after Hefner's death, according to the Wall Street Journal. Metropoulos said the mansion's heritage 'transcends its celebrity' and that 'to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege.' Advertisement

When the Playboy mansion was sold, it was agreed that the main structure of the residence would be protected from any renovations.

Aerial images appear to show work on the roof of the house, which is covered in plastic, while all the landscaping gone.

The famous grotto, which was the epicenter of Hefner's legendary parties, appears to have been drained.

California has been under strict lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus which killed 12,876 and infected more than 398,000 in the US alone. California is one the country's worse-hit states with 15,865 cases and 374 deaths.

Newsom ordered all of the state's 40 million residents to stay indoors and to maintain social distancing under a sweeping lockdown announced on March 19.

All non-essential businesses have been ordered to shut.

Manual labourers are able to keep working if they 'provide services to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation to properties and other essential businesses'.

Newsom did not give an end date for the order but suggested that it would last for at least eight weeks.

The governor said the order was essential in light of modeling by experts that showed roughly 56 per cent of the state's residents, or 25 million people, would contract the respiratory illness eight weeks from the start of the lockdown.

The Playboy Mansion was built in 1927 and bought by Hefner for $1 million in 1971.

It was emblematic of Hollywood's excess, hosting parties with lingerie-only dress code for the female guests who cavorted in the caved grotto.

Elvis reportedly slept with eight Playmates at once at the home, while John Lennon once burned a Matisse original with a cigarette.

Donald Trump even filmed an episode of The Apprentice at the mansion where contestants got to meet Hefner and his girlfriends.

The mansion also has a sinister past after getting caught up in the Bill Cosby sex abuse allegations.

Judy Huth claimed Cosby assaulted her when she was 15 at Hugh Hefner's home. Chloe Goins claimed she was assaulted by Crosby at the mansion, but criminal charges in this case were ruled out.

In another scandal in 2011, health officials confirmed that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease was found in a whirlpool spa at the Playboy Mansion where more than 100 people fell ill.

The Los Angeles County Health Department presented its findings at an annual conference at the Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The legionella bacteria also causes a milder illness called Pontiac fever.

Symptoms, which include fever and headache, are the same as those suffered by the Playboy Mansion partygoers.

Hefner's widow, Crystal, 31, was the third of his wives, having married him in 2012.

He had previously been married to Mildred Williams from 1949-1959, with whom he had two children, and Kimberley Conrad - 1989's 27-year-old Playmate of the Year - from 1989-2010.

Cooper, Hefner and Conrad's elder son, said that he and brother Marston grew up with a framed photo of his mom's nude centerfold in the home.

'Yeah, that was weird,' he admitted. 'It was like the elephant in the room.'

Hefner also had a bevvy of 'girlfriends' who lived with him - usually several at a time - at his famed Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

Despite declaring that he had slept with more than a thousand women, Hefner spent much of his life 'looking for love in all the wrong places,' as he tearfully told The New York Times in 1992.

Hefner married Crystal - and took up a life of monogamy - in 2012 after briefly calling off the engagement. 'Maybe I should be single,' he said a few months later.

'But I do know that I need an ongoing romantic relationship. In other words, I am essentially a very romantic person, and all I really was looking for, quite frankly, with the notion of marriage was continuity and something to let the girl know that I really cared.'

The year before their marriage, he had mused: 'I never really found my soulmate.'

The property's roof can be seen covered in plastic while the house's former front lawn is now a car park for multiple vehicles

The Playboy Mansion was built in 1927 and bought by Hefner for $1 million in 1971. Pictured: Renovation work is being carried out

The mansion was emblematic of Hollywood's excess, hosting parties with lingerie-only dress code for the female guests who cavorted in the caved grotto

Elvis reportedly slept with eight Playmates at once at the home (pictured now), while John Lennon once burned a Matisse original with a cigarette

The 29-room Holmby Hills mansion belonged to Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner for 43 years before he died aged 91 in 2017. Pictured: Hugh Hefner and model Crystal Hefner in 2014

Donald Trump even filmed an episode of The Apprentice at the mansion where contestants got to meet Hefner and his girlfriends. Pictured: Hefner with Playboy bunnies Sheila Levell and Holly Madison
An Afghan government announcement that it freed 100 Taliban prisoners Wednesday has been rejected by the militant group, putting the prospect of peace talks between the two parties in further peril.

The announcement came a day after the Taliban said it was pulling out of talks aimed at facilitating a larger swap of thousands of prisoners.

Announcing the release of the 100 prisoners, Javid Faisal, a spokesperson for Afghanistans National Security Council said in a statement Wednesday: "The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan remains open [to] continuing joint technical work with the Taliban in order to advance the peace process."

But the Taliban rebuffed the overture saying they were unable to verify which, if any, prisoners had been released, adding that as far as they were concerned the prisoner exchange negotiations were still suspended.

We dont know who these 100 people are who the Afghan government claims to have freed today, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told NBC News.

The prisoner exchange was part of the deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha in February, under which America agreed to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The deal called for the release of thousands of prisoners ahead of peace talks between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation, which includes government officials.

The swap was meant to build confidence between the two sides but instead has become an obstacle in the path toward peace for Afghanistan. As a result, it threatens to undermine the success of the Trump administration's landmark deal that endeavors to bring an end to America's longest war.

The Afghan government was not involved with the U.S.-Taliban deal and has been reluctant to agree to release the 5,000 Taliban prisoners that Washington said it would work to secure under the agreement. In exchange, the Taliban had agreed to release 1,000 of its prisoners.

Story continues

Meanwhile, a political crisis in Kabul, with President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, attempting to stand up parallel governments, has made it more difficult to get peace negotiations with the Taliban off the ground.

This led to a warning from the White House.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to the Afghan capital two weeks ago to deliver a message to the feuding Afghan leadership, telling them they should resolve their differences and broker a deal with the Taliban or President Donald Trump could not only cut $1 billion in financial aid to Afghanistan but could also pull all U.S. troops out of the country, according to two current senior officials, one former senior official and a foreign diplomat.

Image: A newly freed Taliban prisoner (Reuters)

The Afghan government had agreed last month to a staggered and conditions-based release of prisoners. So the Taliban said they sent a three-member team to Kabul to identify and verify the 5,000 connected to them.

But on Tuesday, the Taliban said it had recalled this team and suspended prisoner exchange talks, claiming that the government refused to release 15 prisoners it had earmarked to help verify other inmates in the jail. The Afghan government said the 15 prisoners were Taliban commanders accused of carrying out attacks.

"The Afghan government proved that it is not sincere in the peace process and created hurdles for our team to identify our prisoners, Suhail Shaheen, another senior Taliban spokesman, told NBC News on Wednesday.

In an apparent bid to salvage the prisoner exchange, the Afghan government later said it had released the 100 prisoners.

It remains unclear what these obstacles on Afghanistans path to peace will mean for America, beyond its potential to undermine Trumps ability to tout the U.S.-Taliban deal as a resounding success on the campaign trail.

Despite political chaos in Kabul, the U.S. military has pushed ahead with its troop withdrawal. America has had boots on the ground in Afghanistan for 18 years since its invasion in 2001 when it toppled the Taliban regime after it sheltered Al Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
NEW YORK - Some people, the songs just come out of them. For nearly half a century, they tumbled out of John Prine like nothing.

His songs -- compassionate, funny, sage -- make up an American songbook that would be staggeringly intimidating if it wasnt so warm and welcoming. He began -- with a dare at an infamous open mic -- a fully formed songwriter who through calamity and cancer never once wavered in his wry, homespun humanism. He was, anyone would say, as good as they come.

Prine was raised in the blue-collar suburbs of Chicago by parents from Western Kentucky. He learned guitar from his brother. He was a mailman for a time, writing lyrics as he delivered letters. The first song he performed -- when coaxed onto that Chicago open-mic stage -- was Sam Stone. It remains one of Prines most heartbreaking songs. In it, he sings with a deadpan hopelessness about the fate of a drug-addicted veteran: Theres a hole in daddys arm where all the money goes/ Jesus Christ died for nothin, I suppose.

In songs that straddled Nashville country and Appalachia folk and fell somewhere in between Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, Prine sang about characters like Sam Stone. The lonely housewife of Angel From Montgomery. The elderly couple of Hello in There. He did so with humour and understanding, and a keen Mark Twain eye that saw us all for what we are -- and loved us anyways. On Far From Me, Prine, who grew up next to a junkyard, sang: Aint it funny how an old broken bottle/ Looks just like a diamond ring?

Picking only a handful of songs by Prine is an errand that even a fool wouldnt dare. But heres trying.

 Angel From Montgomery: A masterpiece that will be sung for as long as songs are sung. Recorded on Prines absurdly packed self-titled 1971 debut album, it gained far greater renown when Bonnie Raitt covered it. It has one of the great opening lines: I am an old woman, named after my mother/ My old man is another child thats grown old. Songs this good dont belong to anyone. They belong to everyone.

 Spanish Pipedream: In this bouncy anthem about dreaming of a more pastoral life, the advice of a level-headed dancer rings as true today as it did in the early 70s: Blow up your TV/ Throw away your paper/ Go to the country/ Build you a home.

 Paradise: Prine wrote this one for his father, about a town in Kentucky. When Prine was serving in the Army in Germany, his father sent him a newspaper article about how a coal company had bought out the town, named Paradise. After Prine recorded it, he played a tape of it for his dad. When the song came on, he went to the next room and sat in the dark while it was on, Prine recalled. I asked him why and he said he wanted to pretend it was on the jukebox.

 The Late John Garfield Blues: A lot of Prines songs are so vividly told that they can seem like little movies. In this one off 1972s Diamonds in the Rough, Prine uses the 1940s matinee star -- a brooding, working-class actor who died young but was a forerunner to Marlon Brando -- as a symbol of a sadness that leaks through tear-stained cheeks.

 Souvenirs: Prine said he wrote this on the way to an early gig on a Thursday night after a day of delivering mail. For a song that sprung from such a songwriting sprint, it holds incredible, elegiac beauty. Its about memory and death. Prine sings: I hate graveyards and old pawn shops/ For they always bring me tears/ I cant forgive the way they rob me/Of my childhood souvenirs.

 Summers End: Prine released his first album of original material in 13 years in 2017, The Tree of Forgiveness. By then, surgeries had changed his throat, leaving Prine with a more gravely, weathered voice. He liked it more because he thought it made him sound friendlier. In the achingly tender Summers End -- a kind of bookend to Sam Stone -- Prine sings about a parents opioid addiction from the perspective of a child.

-- Lake Marie: This song, off 1995s Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, was often the rousing finale to Prines live show. With its oft-repeated chorus  We were standing, standing by peaceful waters/ Whoa, wah, oh wah, oh  Lake Marie is Prines great goodbye song. In disparate tales that span decades, through love and death, it builds into a stirring, even cleansing jam and Prines farewell: Awww baby!/ We gotta go now.

See also: Sweet Revenge,Illegal Smile,Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow),  Mexican Home and all the others.
China, which upholds the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, would like to share its experience in disease prevention and control with other countries, launch joint research and development of medicines and vaccines, and offer as much assistance as possible to countries that are affected by the disease.

Chinese President Xi Jinpings remarks at the recent G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 well explained to the world Chinas highly responsible actions. China, always actively promoting international cooperation to combat the virus and offering assistance to other countries with humanitarian spirit, is showing its caring and respect for lives.

As the novel coronavirus has taken the life of many, the world must seize every minute and do everything it could to both defeat the virus and care for the people. It is a time when humanitarian spirit is particularly needed  every life shall be taken care of; every individual shall be respected; and every patient shall be treated.

To protect peoples lives and health calls for humanitarian spirit, and so does the global victory over the pandemic. We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable  millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves, said United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres when launching a COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan.

The UN has allocated $75 million for emergency response to protect the worst-affected in the pandemic and to support water supply and health services.

The world must react with solidarity to cope with the pandemic. China, securing a phased success in epidemic control at home, is doing its best to offer assistance to the world with the humanitarian spirit. It has dispatched medical expert teams to Iran, Iraq, Italy, Serbia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos, Venezuela and the Philippines, and offered material assistance to 120 countries and four international organizations. Besides, it also shared its epidemic control experiences with over 180 countries and 10 international and regional organizations.

China's anti-virus international assistance is the most intensive and wide-ranging emergency humanitarian operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The country has earned wide applause from the international society.

Chinas timely assistance received warm response. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban received Chinese assisting expert teams and supplies at the airports. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen livestreamed the arrival of the Chinese experts in Phnum Penh, which was watched by 600,000 people online. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio noted that Chinese experts and the supplies they brought would save Italy.

Such appreciation fully proves that China is doing the right thing, and the humanitarian spirit of the Chinese aid is well respected.

A just cause should be pursued for common good. To offer assistance for those in need is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Over the past 70 years of Chinas foreign aid, the country has always adhered to internationalism and humanitarian spirit and offered assistance within its capability to the countries threatened by natural disasters and major epidemics. It has offered sincere aid in multiple deadly emergencies, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the major earthquake in Nepal.

China never sits back and watch when its friends are in trouble, or attaches any string to its foreign aid  this is what the country values.

The arrogance and prejudices of some Westerners, as well as their narrow-minded geo-political calculations that distort Chinas humanitarian aid and smear the countrys kind acts, are totally tarnishing the humanitarian spirit.

The world witnesses that China has gone in harms way with bravery to protect the lives and health of the people around the world, which signals the significance of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and marks concrete actions to build the vision. Chinas practices demonstrate its love for the world, and shines with the humanitarian spirit which is also a part in the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

People and their lives are the most valuable, and this should be always remembered in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Solidarity and cooperation remain the most powerful weapon, and humanitarian spirit deserves particular attention. As long as countries around the world prioritize peoples lives and health, and take action to cooperate without ideological prejudices, they can build strong cohesion in enhancing international cooperation and jointly achieve the final victory over this major infectious disease.
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Wednesday alleged that despite several requests to the Centre for funds to tackle the current situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the union territory has received no aid.

Talking to reporters here, he claimed that the NDA government has allocated money to a number of states to meet the exigencies but the Puducherry government's pleas have gone unheeded.

He said Puducherry was at the "crossroads with the Centre not extending a helping hand" and the union territory also "not able to mobilise funds from its own sources".

The closure of industrial undertakings, liquor shops, decline in power tariff and also the proceeds from the registration department during the ongoing lockdown had "worsened the financial position", Narayanasamy said.

He appealed to industrialists and the public to contribute to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

"So far Rs 5 crore has been mobilised for relief work in the context of COVID-19 here. This money is, however, not sufficient to meet the requirements of the hospitals, strengthen the infrastructure, posting of doctors and para-medical staff, supply personal protection equipment, purchase ventilators and provide other facilities to hospitals to treat patients.

Narayanasamy said Puducherry is in a "very critical condition and liberal contributions to the relief fund alone would be of help to tackle the COVID-19 situation here.

He said his government would try and come out with certain important decisions to help the machinery meet the current situation but did not elaborate on the measures it would implement.

Noting that a large number of people from neighbouring districts of Cuddalore and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu are entering Puducherry in droves every day for daily essentials forcing the territorial government to seal the union territory's borders.

"This measure is aimed at preventing the spread of the infection," he said.

Police have also asked those who had returned to Puducherry after attending the religious congregation in Nizamuddin area of Delhi last month to disclose the details of their visit so that they can be screened medically.

Those who returned to Puducherry from abroad in the past two months should also furnish details so that the safety of their near and dear ones and also the society could be ensured, a release from the police department said.

Meanwhile, Pondicherry University announced postponement of theory and practical examinations in its affiliated colleges because of the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

A release from the controller of examinations of the university said fresh dates of examinations would be announced shortly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kievs District Administrative Court has suspended the decision to cancel the licence of CDMA operator Intertelecom.

On 1st April, Ukraines regulator NCCIR (National Commission for State Regulation of Communications & Informatization) confirmed that it planned to cancel Intertelecoms licence as it had not received payment from the operator.

After its please to extend the payment deadline were refused, Intertelecom began legal proceedings against the regulators decision. The court has now ruled that until such time as it has reached a final decision on this case, the operators licences remain valid.

In addition to this decision to cancel Intertelecoms licence, the court has also suspended the NCCIRs move to revoke CDMA-800 licences that Intertelecom was obliged to relinquish due to spectrum refarming agreements that the regulator has in place with the countrys main operators.
President Trump unleashed a tirade against the World Health Organization on Tuesday, accusing it of acting too slowly to sound the alarm about the coronavirus. It was not the first time in this pandemic that the global health body has faced such criticism.

Government officials, health experts and analysts have in recent weeks raised concerns about how the organization has responded to the outbreak.

In Japan, Taro Aso, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, recently noted that some people have started referring to the World Health Organization as the Chinese Health Organization because of what he described as its close ties to Beijing. Taiwanese officials say the W.H.O. ignored its early warnings about the virus because China refuses to allow Taiwan, a self-governing island it claims as its territory, to become a member.

Critics say the W.H.O. has been too trusting of the Chinese government, which initially tried to conceal the outbreak in Wuhan. Others have faulted the organization and its leader, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for moving too slowly in declaring a global health emergency.
Trump says African Americans having higher rates of COVID-19 infection in U.S.

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday evidence shows that African Americans have higher rates of COVID-19 infection in the United States.

Trump said his administration is actively engaging on the increased impacts on the African American community, and doing everything to address this challenge.

"It's been disproportional," Trump told a White House press briefing, adding he is very concerned about the terrible numbers of infected African Americans.

Higher rates of pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma, within black and minority communities may contribute to the phenomenon, as well as their higher use of public transportation, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"We are very concerned about that. It is very sad. There is nothing we can do about it right now except to give them the best possible care to avoid complications," Fauci said.

Trump said the White House would release data on coronavirus cases by race in the near future.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the "risk of tragedy" is "very real." "It is a reminder that we have to be very careful with people with underlying health conditions."

Los Angeles County released a partial racial breakdown of coronavirus fatalities for the first time on Tuesday, showing African Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19.

"When we look at these numbers by the total population of each group, African Americans have a slightly higher rate of death than other races," said L.A. County Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has topped 396,223 as of 20:00 on Tuesday (2400GMT on Wednesday), with 12,722 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
When Mindy Domb worked on the HIV epidemic in the 1980s and 90s, she recalled seeing data on cases reported by town, age, race and ethnicity, among other characteristics.

Three decades later, Massachusetts is one of several states trying to stem the spread of a contagious virus that has killed more than 13,000 in the United States and more than 86,000 people worldwide. Now the Amherst Democrat, who serves in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, says local officials can quickly and effectively respond to clusters of coronavirus in their communities with more data.

Domb, Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. Natalie Blais sent a letter to the Baker administration asking for countywide surveillance reports containing demographic data on coronavirus cases.

Ideally, they wrote, the reports would contain a breakdown of cases by gender, age, race, ethnicity and deaths by county, as well as the number of cases by municipality if a community has more than five cases. That data could highlight whether any segment of the population has been underserved during the pandemic.

The Western Massachusetts legislators also requested countywide numbers on testing sites, tests performed, hospitals of diagnosis and hospitals where patients were hospitalized in hopes of catching potential gaps in supplies and treatment in some regions. That information could help lawmakers make sure their constituents arent being left out of decisions over where to send supplies and treatment.

We just want to make sure it doesnt happen, said Comerford, a Northampton Democrat. We have a tradition out in Western Massachusetts of not feeling like Boston is going to serve us adequately.

Thats not to say that Western Massachusetts has received disproportionate levels of supplies or assistance from the state during the pandemic, Comerford adds. The data would help public officials spot that as a possible trend, analyze why and respond if necessary.

Today I join @repblais and Sen @Jo_Comerford in asking @MassDPH for specific county-wide data about the #COVID19 pandemic in MA -- even with its limitations - it's critical to understanding the impact of the pandemic on our communities and in our region. /1 #mapoli pic.twitter.com/GiMvEytqDc  Mindy Domb (@MindyForMA) April 7, 2020

When asked about data collection on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said the state is working on a deeper drive of death per capita figures by region. She also said the state is looking at breaking down the number of cases by race and ethnicity, but officials found that some labs initially left those fields blank when they reported cases to the Department of Public Health.

On Wednesday, Sudders said the states daily report would include data broken down by race and ethnicity as of April 5. The data have their limitations because labs conducting tests didnt always submit that information and because not everyone who self-reported has shared racial or ethnic information.

But Sudders said an executive order issued on Wednesday requires labs to include the information unless a participant refuses. The form that labs have used to submit information will reflect the new requirements under the executive order and that the state will take more steps to compile more comprehensive data.

Obtaining racial and ethnic data on cases of COVID-19 is crucial for examining where and on whom the burden of illness and death is falling, she said. Its important. Its actually essential for the commonwealths response to the pandemic.

New Orleans, Detroit and New York are seeing more coronavirus cases and higher death rates among black people, prompting Democratic lawmakers and the White House to ask federal health officials to release data on race and ethnicity of coronavirus patients.

While state lawmakers and grassroots organizers suspect the coronavirus may be affecting black and brown people more than others in Massachusetts, they dont have the data to verify those disparities and analyze why.

The data could also help explain why the Berkshires have had so many COVID-19 deaths, whether its because of the number of nursing homes they have there or another reason.

You want to be able to dig deep to determine where there might be gaps in service, said Blais, a Sunderland Democrat. You want to better understand who is impacted and certainly ensure that the communities are receiving the resources that we need.

In a letter sent last week to Sudders, Blais and four other Western Massachusetts lawmakers raised concerns about higher death rates per 1,000 people in Franklin and Berkshire counties. The letter said Berkshire had the second highest death-per-capital rate in the state with 0.055 deaths per 1,000 people.

I dont want to be alarmist in those numbers, Blais said. The reason that we pulled them together was to see what it looked like. The reason we sent the letter is that we want to make sure that we understand the data ... so we can get the full range of data and discuss what the commonwealth must do to address what appears to be a pressing issue.

In some areas, the Baker administration has shared information about resources, but has not released data. The state has a list of COVID-19 testing sites that is updated daily. As of Wednesday, the state listed four testing locations west of Worcester County.

When asked about the testing site locations, Sudders and Gov. Charlie Baker said the list does not account for test sites launched by private businesses without state involvement.

The thing to remember here is every testing site is not necessarily ours. In fact, there are many people who test in provider organizations all over the commonwealth who rely on other labs to process their tests, Baker said.

Another data point that the Western Massachusetts lawmakers could help communities better understand how the coronavirus has affected them is town-level reporting on cases. Domb said when she worked on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, communities with more than five cases released numbers to the public.

MassLive asked Baker and Sudders last month why cases were not reported on a town-by-town level. Sudders said the state held off on breaking down cases by town after the first people who became infected were identified and cyberbullied.

Theres stigma attached to all sorts of communicable diseases, and there were several individuals very early on who tested positive through social media were identified locally, and they were really cyberbullied, Sudders said at the time.

In a call with health departments across the state last month, several town health directors told MassLive they were advised not to release town-specific data of confirmed cases and deaths.

When asked again a week later, Sudders said, the decision would ultimately be up to towns and cities to disclose those numbers as long as they pay close attention to patient privacy laws.

Comerford, Domb and Blais all insisted the letter is not meant to suggest the states response to COVID-19 has been inadequate, praising the states decision to publish daily reports, but rather they suggested that more data could help take the response to the next level while keeping the public informed.

When were dealing with a pandemic, and were looking to be transparent and accountable, providing that information  even if we dont have an explanation for it at the time that we provide  is important, Domb said. The public can take it.

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FILE PHOTO: Airplane fuselages bound for Boeing's 737 Max production facility sit in storage at their top supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc, in Wichita

(Reuters) - Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc <SPR.N>, Boeing's top supplier, said on Wednesday it had stopped production for the planemaker for an indefinite period and would furlough workers supporting Boeing programs in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Spirit's announcement comes days after Boeing suspended production of its 787 Dreamliner airplane, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Boeing has already suspended production of its smaller 737 MAX airplanes, which await government approval to fly again following two deadly crashes.

Spirit previously announced plans to suspend production for Boeing for two weeks ending April 8.

The company said its factories in the United States will continue producing parts for Boeing rival Airbus SE <AIR.PA>, its second biggest customer, which accounted for 16% of its sales last year, while also carrying on work for Spirit's defense contracts.

In January, Spirit said it would lay off 2,800 workers at its marquee facility in Wichita, as the 737 MAX grounding prolonged.

Spirit said on Wednesday it will reduce pay for all U.S.-based executives by 20% until further notice, and that Boeing production-related furloughs in Kansas and Oklahoma were for 21 calendar days.

The company had 18,200 employees as of 2019 and 15,900 of them in the United States.

Spirit's shares were up about 6% at $19.50 in premarket trading. The company's stock has fallen about 75% this year.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Shounak Dasgupta)
Minute by Minute - Norwegian TV

In the summer of 2011, NRK (Norways equivalent of the BBC) set a Guinness World Record. They broadcast live, continuously, minute-by-minute from 11 cameras set up on MS Nordnorge during a Classic Voyage North.

With a backdrop of the spectacular Norwegian coast under the Midnight Sun, this broadcast became the world's longest live television documentary, totalling 134 hours.

Approximately half of Norways population tuned in to see MS Nordnorge enter Trollfjorden; and as she arrived in ports, she was greeted by well-wishers in small boats, and flag-waving locals on the dockside. 9 years later, this event is still fondly remembered along the coast.

The link below takes you to NRKs website (in Norwegian), containing the broadcast, cut into 68 individual episodes. This site may test both your Norwegian language skills, and your knowledge of the ports along Hurtigrutens famous route, but we invite you to virtually explore the spectacular coastline of Norway from the comfort of your couch.



https://tv.nrk.no/serie/hurtigruten-minutt-for-minutt

?utm_source=hurtigruten&utm_

medium=email&utm_campaign=

UK_B2C_Sendout1_w144/7/2020&email=

UK_B2C_Sendout1_w144/7/2020
The current class of recruits at the Massachusetts State Police training academy will be pressed into service as state troopers earlier than expected due to the COVID-19 emergency, according to officials.

The training class, 85th Recruit Training Troop, consisting of 241 recruits, had been on pace to graduate from the academy in late June. But now plans are underway to close down the New Braintree facility, to have recruits complete an accelerated curriculum online, and have the recruits then be deployed as state troopers earlier than planned.

No date as yet has been set, said state police spokesman David Procopio.

We anticipate that, in the very near future, 241 new troopers will graduate from the academy ready to join our public safety mission, including our responsibilities during this public health emergency, he said.

The need for trained public safety persons has never been higher, he said.

State police superintendent Col. Christopher Mason is finalizing plans to close down the academy and to shift to online instruction for the remaining coursework.

A typical state police academy runs 25 weeks. This academy class is in its 14th week.

Accelerating training and pressing the recruits into service sooner than planned will benefit both state police and individual communities during the pandemic, Procopio said.

The additional troopers are needed to help the state police support local police departments and backfill vacancies caused by COVID-19 exposure, to maintain state police operations, and to provide security at testing sites, he said.

In recent weeks, the state police have redeployed troopers to assist with policing in Springfield and to provide security at a testing site in Foxborough and the temporary medical examiners site in Fitchburg.

The training academy had remained in operation over the last several weeks, despite just about everything else in the state closing down.

The academy is a residential facility during the week, meaning recruits live on campus during the week and go home for the weekends.

No recruits, instructors or staff at the academy have tested positive for coronavirus, Procopio said.

For the last few weeks, the academy has incorporated several measures related to limiting the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing in the classroom, drills and study groups, the emphasis on smaller groups for instruction, revised food service in the cafeteria, and strict adherence to recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those going home for the weekend were reminded each Friday of the need to practice social distancing at home, and each recruit was screened at the start of the day on Monday.

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An India-born beauty queen, who has put her pageant life on hold to return to the National Health Service (NHS) frontlines as a doctor at a hospital in eastern England, is petitioning the UK government to address exorbitant staff accommodation rates for medics fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Bhasha Mukherjee, who competed in Miss World 2019 as Miss England last year, was in India as part of a charity mission but decided to return to her job as a junior doctor to join her colleagues at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, to help with the coronavirus workload pressures.

The Kolkata-born 24-year-old, currently in self-isolation for the stipulated 14-day period after flying back from India last week, launched an online petition, calling for at least 50 per cent discount on hospital accommodation.

"I speak not only for myself but also for all the medical staff that are being forced to choose such accommodation when they're working 13 hour shifts a day almost seven days a week, hardly using the living spaces and paying prices comparative of cities like London, in a place like Boston, a small rural town in Lincolnshire," Mukherjee said.

"I am not asking for a freebie. All I ask is for hospital accommodation providers like Progress Living and others around the country to match the market! Give us a 50 per cent discount for the 50 per cent of every 24 hours we're slogging at the front line, risking a 50 per cent chance of contracting COVID-19 and 50 per cent chance of losing our lives," she said.

Mukherjee, from the town of Derby in the East Midlands region of England, would have to move miles away from her family home to return to her junior doctor post next week.

She said previously whilst working at the same hospital she was living in a shared house with affordable rent. Now with the constraints of the pandemic, she would be potentially risking non-medical housemates and the community if she opted for similar living conditions.

"Thus, I am left with no choice but to opt for hospital accommodation which is an extortionate 605 pounds minimum for doctors of my pay grade. This is double the market price for a tiny room with an uncomfortable single bed, en suite bathroom and has been reported frequently for pests and bed bugs," the doctor noted.

"Why when there are countries like India, who are putting staff up in the empty hotels for free to incentivise and reward their hard work?" she questioned.

Mukherjee's petition, addressed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Progress Living, has attracted over 300 of the 500 target signatures within days.

Progress Living, a charitable organisation part of the UK's Progress Housing Association, said it has worked closely with the hospital's United Lincolnshire Health Trust (ULHT) to provide much needed hospital accommodation for nearly 15 years and that its rents are set in line with independent market valuations.

Bernie Keenan, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director (Services and Growth), Progress Housing Group, said: "Like our colleagues in the NHS, our own staff are working incredibly hard, night and day, seven days of the week, to keep our accommodation available, clean and properly maintained for the increased numbers of medical staff requiring places to stay.

"We will continue to work closely with the Trust and with the NHS to respond to any additional requirements they have during this very difficult period."



In her petition, Mukherjee also highlighted the UK-wide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and aprons for frontline NHS staff, including at her particular hospital.

She said: "Those of us still going to work/returning to work are choosing to do so knowing the risks. Junior doctors like myself are being given additional responsibilities, beyond our training and not even being offered a pay raise to match the new job role and responsibility.

"Our mandatory training has been compromised, our teaching hours have been almost zeroed and same with opportunities for us to do rotations at different specialties that we had opted for. Junior doctors are having to purely focus their time on shift work."



Mukherjee, who spent her early childhood in Kolkata and moved to the UK with her parents aged 9, speaks five languages and has a Bachelor's degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nottingham.

She believes her Miss England and Miss World participation connects with her medical profession as a platform to spread the message of healthy living, especially within the UK's Indian community.

"I want to take this platform of Miss England and empower people to take control of their own health and stay well in the community," she said at a charity fundraiser last year for Hope Foundation, a UK charity working with street-connected and slum children in Kolkata, which she supports as part of her beauty with a purpose mission.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chandigarh, April 8 : An all-party meeting called by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday decided that the legislators would contribute at least 30 per cent of their salary for one year for the Haryana Corona Relief Fund.

It appreciated the state's efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and to procure crops despite the financial crisis.

The meeting via video conference unanimously decided to fight the health crisis and to fulfil the basic needs of every individual at all costs, a statement by the government said.

The political leaders assured their support in every decision and effort made by the state.

They agreed that the legislators would make a contribution of at least 30 per cent of their monthly salary for one year to the Haryana Corona Relief Fund.

The former legislators will contribute according to their capacity.

The meeting appreciated the hard work being done by health workers, police personnel, district administration, and social institutions.

It hailed a contribution of nearly Rs 70 crore by state government employees towards the relief fund.

The Chief Minister appealed to the leaders to deal with the pandemic by rising above political lines and work in solidarity.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to completely seal off coronavirus hotspots in 15 districts to stop to the spread of the infection, announcing curfew-like restrictions there.

The orders came as the state's coronavirus count reached 343 with 11 fresh cases being reported.

The triggered panic buying with earlier reports wrongly saying that entire districts will be sealed off.

"People were buying 10-15 packets of milk, said Khusro Ather, a resident of Noida on the outskirts of Delhi. Some people had come along with their domestic helps to carry the large amount of stuff they were buying."



The restrictions in these pockets will be stricter than those under the lockdown already in place.

Unlike in the lockdown so far, people will not be allowed to go out to buy groceries. Officials said the administration will ensure doorstep delivery of items like vegetables and milk in these clusters.

Passes issued to allow essential movement are cancelled in these hotspots which will remain sealed up to April 15 morning, when the current three-week nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end.

In addition to the creation of these containment zones, the government said it is doubling testing for coronavirus about 1,500 tests will now be conducted in the state every day and will make wearing face covers mandatory for those moving out of their homes.

The identified hotspots include 22 clusters in Agra, 13 in Ghaziabad, 12 each in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Kanpur, seven in Meerut and four each in Varanasi, Sahanaranpur and Maharajganj.

There are three hotspots in Shamli, Bulandshahr, Basti and Firozabad, and one each in Bareilly and Sitapur. State capital Lucknow has eight major and four minor coronavirus clusters.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Awanish Awasthi urged people not to anic.

Only the hotspots will be sealed off and not the entire district, he clarified. In other areas, the lockdown will be in place as before.

The clusters were identified during a video conference with district magistrates and superintendents of police, Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said.

The DGP, who attended the video conference with the district officials, said they have been asked to ensure 100 per cent lockdown in these clusters.

Enhanced sanitation drives, doorstep delivery and restricting movement of people by setting up barricades will be undertaken in these areas, the DGP said.

The passes issued to people for the lockdown period are also being suspended, he said.

He said all supplies will be made at the doorstep and movement of people will be restricted, as when a curfew is imposed.

Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi said loudspeaker-fitted vehicles will be deployed to convey messages in these areas. Fire tenders will be used for sanitisation.

"Drones will be used, if required, he said. Media will not be allowed in the sealed-off areas.

Only medical vehicles will be allowed and nobody will be allowed to perform any other activity," he said.

The directive came from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after a review meeting here.

Out of the 343 people testing positive for coronavirus so far in Uttar Pradesh, 187 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The congregation was held in Delhi's Nizamuddin area in March and several people who attended it later travelled to different parts of the country, carrying the virus.

So far, three people have died of COVID-19 in the state and 26 patients recovered. A woman from Shamli district is likely to be discharged from hospital soon, an official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Warc has released Lessons from the World's Most Awarded Brands, a report based on an analysis of the recently released three Warc Rankings - Creative 100, Media 100, Effective 100.

Joe Stubbs, Interbrand. Image supplied.

To learn from the best, we've interviewed the teams behind some of the highly ranked work to see how it came about, and what they learned from it. At a time when marketing budgets are coming under pressure as the threat of recession looms, these are some of the ways marketers can make sure their brands stay relevant.

SOUTH AFRICA Warc Rankings announces Effective 100

1. They are marketers, not just communicators

2. They know how they're contributing

3. They have one eye on the long term

GLOBAL Warc Rankings Creative 100 announced

4. They know creativity is key - but only when applied in a business context

5. They tolerate risk

6. They execute flawlessly - even if it takes time

7. Their purpose is focused

8. They look for the human stories in data

SOUTH AFRICA Warc Rankings announces Media 100 results

9. They build an ecosystem of trusted partners

The study looks at the strategies and approaches of some of the brands placed highly in the 2020 Warc Rankings, an independent benchmark of the world's most awarded campaigns and companies based on their performance at the industry's most important global and regional award shows of 2019.David Tiltman, VP Content, Warc, says:Warc has found nine common marketing themes used by highly successful brands:While a lot of the work featured in the rankings is communications, the stories behind that work reveal marketers working across the classic 4Ps spectrum - product, price, place, and promotion.Ikea identified a product opportunity to appeal to a new audience and ensured distribution through 3D printing. NRMA Insurance took the marketing communications budget and effectively reinvested it in cash back to its customers via its Safety Hub. There is also a growing interest in the breadth of the customer experience, and how to align all interactions with a brand - McDonald's talks about "feelgood moments" that span ads to packaging to design.A consistent theme through the interviews in the report is that marketers know how their work contributes at a business level. Meaning brand metrics are joined up to commercial objectives. For retailers that link might be very direct - as Colin Mitchell, CMO of McDonald's points out, they receive sales data very quickly and can see what is working. For others, it requires more work. Samsung and its agency Starcom, use search data as a leading indicator of business impact.Long-term marketing investment versus short-term is a very live debate at present. This might involve splitting budgets between distinct 'brand' and 'activation' work. It also involves the nurturing of 'distinctive brand assets' over time, which demands consistency as well as creativity.Volkswagen balances brand investment like the 'Road Tales' project with very sales-focused work. Meanwhile, Fernando Machado, CMO of Burger King is criticised by some for a 'stunt' approach. But as he points out in the report, that is only one element of his marketing plan as he balances high-impact brand activity with everyday executions designed to drive footfall.Creativity is a key element as brands seek distinctive and innovative products and communications. Whilst creativity drives distinctiveness, and in some cases delivers a cultural impact, it means nothing if it isn't achieving broader commercial objectives.An example is Burger King's Whopper Detour: fantastically creative, but with a real business purpose underlying it - to drive downloads and orders through an app.The decision to do something different - for example, to run a campaign that does not play by category rules, or to divert budget into an untested proposition - can seem risky. But the rewards are potentially much higher. The marketers in this report understand that trade-off. Indeed, some of the brands in the report - even big ones like Samsung and Burger King - take a 'challenger' approach. They deliberately flout category rules and use attention-grabbing tactics that court controversy to position themselves against a bigger competitor.The scale of some of the work in the Warc Rankings is breathtaking. 'Whopper Detour' took a year to come to market due to the technical and legal complexities. Carrefour's 'Black Supermarket' also took a year as the marketing team convinced colleagues, lawyers and lobbyists it should deliberately flout the law to gain an advantage. IKEA's ThisAbles project took even longer. A genuinely great idea is worth the wait if that's what it takes to land it seamlessly.Purpose has become synonymous with 'save the world' communications that have little alignment with a brand's actual objectives or its impact in the world. In this report, a lot of the marketers use the word 'purpose' - but that purpose is usually focused on their customers and their pain points. In other words, they know why their brand exists and how it ought to behave.Ikea's approach to developing add-ons for the disabled community is a textbook example of spotting a new way to serve a specific group, and Volkswagen's 'Road Tales' was built on the simple need to entertain children during a car journey.While a lot of modern marketing revolves around data-driven ideas and tech innovation, successful brands have the ability to spot human stories or 'small data' and turn that information into a source of creativity and competitive advantage.Much of the success of KFC's work in China is built around Chinese gaming and e-sports. This, in turn, was built on the observation that KFC's meals can be eaten with one hand, leaving the other hand free to hold a controller. Volvo's EVA initiative was all about data; but what made it powerful was the message that crash test data had become a gender issue.Most marketers work with external partners, but much of the work in this report springs from relationships that go beyond supplier and contractor. Some projects involve broader ecosystems, as clients and agencies bring in specialist support. A common thread: it's not just about hiring the right people - it's about sharing data, giving them access across the organisation, and setting them briefs that will bring out the best from them.Joe Stubbs, vice president of Global Brand, Interbrand, who provides expert commentary in the report, comments: "Becoming a successful brand is not as easy as having great products and services. Becoming a successful brand is about having the courage to continuously make bold and iconic moves that will drive exceptional results."A sample report of the Lessons from the World's Most Awarded Brands is available to download here
In courtroom 303 at the Winnipeg Law Courts, provincial court Judge Lindy Choy listens as Crown prosecutor Bryton Moen and defence lawyer Tara Walker make their submissions in the case of a man charged with illegal possession of ammunition.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In courtroom 303 at the Winnipeg Law Courts, provincial court Judge Lindy Choy listens as Crown prosecutor Bryton Moen and defence lawyer Tara Walker make their submissions in the case of a man charged with illegal possession of ammunition.

Submissions over, Choy accepts a joint recommendation that John Harold Stove be sentenced to five months in jail.

"I am satisfied the recommendation is fit and appropriate and I am prepared to impose it under the circumstances," Choy tells Stove, 38.

But for a clerk and a single reporter, Choy is alone in the courtroom: Stove is appearing via video link from Headingley Correctional Centre and Walker and Moen are on the phone.

This has become the new normal in the time of COVID-19 and social distancing, and it has some in the legal community suggesting changes like this could point a new way forward for the justice system when the crisis is over.

I think when you get to more complicated sentencings, when you are looking at half-day or full-days sentencing, this system is going to have some challenges, but for regular dispositions, and especially ones that are not complicated, this works very well.  Defence lawyer Tara Walker

Pre-pandemic, Walker might have had to wait up to an hour or longer in docket court before Stoves case could be heard by a judge. Instead, she waited at her office for an email from a court clerk alerting her she was next in the queue and then logged in to the court phone system

"I think when you get to more complicated sentencings, when you are looking at half-day or full-day sentencing, this system is going to have some challenges, but for regular dispositions, and especially ones that are not complicated, this works very well," she said.

Manitoba Justice and the provinces three court levels have, over the past month, introduced several measures in order to continue functioning, including more teleconferencing and video hearings and changes to bail proceedings.

Changes to the bail triage process mean defence lawyers no longer have to be in court to receive particulars for their clients; they are instead emailed to lawyers, along with a schedule telling them when to appear in bail court.

"There are going to be changes that I dont know that the courts are going to go back from (when the pandemic is over)," Walker said. "Its so much more efficient."

I think(the pandemic) has brought to light the point  do we really need to put that many people in one room when nothing is happening with any of the cases?  Lawyer Scott Newman

"I think if you look at it again in a couple of weeks from now once the learning curve is over, there is going to be a lot of time-saving ways of creating communication and efficiencies," she said.

Lawyer Scott Newman said an increase in video appearances for accused offenders has meant a reduction in unnecessary travel from jail, especially for those who may be sentenced to time served.

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"Obviously somebody should be in court for their trial, but if youre pleading guilty and getting time served, you are adding two to four hours to the processing time to bring them in and send them back and then release them and bring them back from Headingley or Milner Ridge," he said. "It just adds unnecessary time and delay to matters."

Newman said he hopes the move to streamlining court processes will cause the courts to look more closely at out-of-custody remands. Currently, all out-of-custody cases are being automatically adjourned up to two months. Pre-pandemic, alleged offenders could show up to court four or five times before anything substantive in their cases happened, Newman said.

"I think(the pandemic) has brought to light the point  do we really need to put that many people in one room when nothing is happening with any of the cases?" he said. "What is the utility in that? Is there a better way we can do that, whether that means they send an email to the court staff, instead of having somebody who is employed or has kids sit in a court for two hours?"

While these changes to the court process can be positive, there are possible pitfalls as well, said Criminal Defence Lawyers Association president Gerri Wiebe.

"One of the tenets of the justice system is that not only must justice be done, it must be seen to be done," she said. "So, the more we do remotely, the more we do by teleconference, the more that we do in a more impersonal way, the less justice seems to be done, is the concern."

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Raymond Daniels and his accomplices netted more than $300,000 in loot during a brutal home invasion robbery that terrified a Pennsylvania family.

So, a state Superior Court panel has ruled, the 30- to 60-year-old prison sentence Daniels is serving is a just repayment for that crime.

As Judge Victor P. Stabile noted in the state courts opinion denying Daniels appeal, the robbers even held a gun to the head of a 12-year-old girl.

This horror unfolded at a home in Newtown, Bucks County, around 2 a.m. on Aug. 21, 2017. Police said Daniels, 27, and accomplices Brandon Davis, 25, and Sadeen Jones, 43, all of Philadelphia, burst into the house, which was occupied by a husband and wife, their two daughters and the girls grandmother.

Every member of the family was awakened and threatened at gunpoint. A pistol was placed to the head of the 12-year-old to force her dad, the owner of a clothing store, to open a safe. As they left, the robbers told the family that another relative, a daughter who was away at college, would be murdered if they called the police.

Investigators said the heist netted $40,000 in cash, plus jewelry including a Rolex watch and other items that pushed the total value of the take to $305,976.

Hours after committing the crime, the robbers started texting one another about it, contributing to their downfall. In one of those exchanges Daniels texted, That watch worth 34 grand online.

Stabile noted the robbers began using the stolen credit cards. Daniels wrote out one of the stolen checks for $5,500 and gave it to his girlfriend. Only one of the stolen items was recovered.

Daniels pleaded guilty to robbery, burglary and conspiracy charges as the jury was being selected for his trial in January 2019. County Judge Diane E. Gibbons immediately sentenced him to 40 to 80 years behind bars, but later reduced the penalty to the sentence Daniels appealed to Stabiles court.

In nixing that appeal, Stabile found Daniels had merely made a bald assertion that his sentence is excessive without providing any real argument to back up that contention.

Daniels received the shortest sentence handed out for the robbery. Jones, who had a prior conviction for a murder in Philadelphia, was sentenced to 70 to 140 years behind bars, a de facto life sentence. Davis is serving a 40- to 80-year jail term.
The federal government on Tuesday said it has commenced the local production of ventilators and disinfectant spraying devices to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A statement sent by the ministry of science and technology on Tuesday, said the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, launched the newly produced devices on behalf of the government in Abuja.

The statement signed by the ministry's spokesperson, Olusegun Ayeoyenika, said the ventilators and other devices were produced by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), under the ministry.

The statement said the first consignment of the devices will "support breathing efforts of Nigerians who are already down with the pandemic".

It said the Nigerian government was determined to contain the epidemic in the country.

NASENI is the federal government's agency for research, development and the manufacturing of capital goods, machines and equipment.

"As its response to the COVID-19 disease, the Agency has manufactured a set of disinfectant sprayer devices to assist in sanitising Nigerian cities, streets and the environment including ventilators," he said.

Mr Onu, represented by the minister of state, Mohammed Abdullahi, said the Buhari administration was not resting on its oars to prevent Nigerians from dying as a result of COVID-19.

Ventilators are currently scarce all over the world as countries continue to conserve the ones they have for their own citizens.

"Aside the ventilators which aid COVID-19 patients in breathing, NASENI had manufactured sprayer devices ranging from NASENI-Safety Tunnel (O shape), NASENI-Single Disinfectant Chamber, Disinfectant Delivery on KEKE NASENI(tricycle), Disinfectant delivery device on Hilux, Disinfectant delivery device on Tanker and the environmental disinfectant blower," the statement also said.
By Jan Strupczewski and Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers failed in all-night talks to agree on more economic support for their coronavirus-stricken economies, spurring Spain to warn the bloc's future was on the line if it did not forge a joint response to the crisis.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said a deal was close after a 16-hour videoconference that stretched through the night from Tuesday afternoon, and that he hoped a deal on the package worth half a trillion euros could be clinched when the ministers meet again from 1500 GMT on Thursday.

A persistent stand-off between a camp of financially ailing southern European Union states led by Italy on one side and the Netherlands acting as the bulwark of the fiscally conservative north on the other was blocking progress.

"This is a crucial issue on which the European Union's future is at stake," Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said of the fraught talks on Wednesday.

While the ministers sparred over more economic aid, the European Central Bank warned them that the bloc may need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros ($1.6 trillion) this year to tackle the economic free-fall caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, officials told Reuters.

The EU has already relaxed limits on state aid and public spending to help its 27 member states combat the slump and restart growth.

But it has struggled to present a united front in the face of the epidemic, with countries disagreeing over how much more financial aid was needed, fighting over supplies of medical equipment, and imposing emergency border controls inside what normally is Europe's Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

"Shame on you, shame on Europe. Stop this clownish show," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire was quoted as telling the feuding finance ministers, according to one official who participated in the talks.

MORE AID

Officially, in a coordinated message with Scholz, Le Maire said: "We call on all European states to be up to the challenge posed by these exceptional times so that we can arrive at reaching an ambitious agreement."

Story continues

The aid package under discussion would see credit lines from the euro zone's European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund providing cash worth up to 2% of a country's economic output or 240 billion euros in total for the 19-nation euro zone.

Officials said the ministers could not agree the detail because the Netherlands insisted euro zone credit should come with conditions that would take into account economic criteria specific for any country willing to use the funds.

Italy was ready to accept a generic reference to the need to stick to EU budget rules, but nothing more specific, they said, adding that with the uncertainty of the epidemic's effect on economies, it was impossible to design detailed criteria.

"This is largely about language," said a second official present at the talks. "There is a broad understanding that in the short run conditionality should focus on health, and in the long run on the effort to return to a stable position.

The ministers did agree, however, to give the European Investment Bank guarantees that would boost its lending by an additional 200 billion euros to prop up struggling companies.

They were also in support of a proposal that the EU borrow 100 billion euros on the market to subsidise wages of individuals so that companies can cut working hours, not jobs.

Separately, there was broad agreement among the ministers that the EU would need a recovery fund to help the euro zone economy rebound from the recession, which in Germany alone will have shrunk output by 9.8% in the second quarter.

But the ministers disagreed on how such a recovery fund should be funded because that discussion involves the highly contentious issue of whether the EU should jointly issue debt.

Mutualised debt is a red line for the Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Austria, while Italy, France, Spain and several other countries believe that the extraordinary challenge of the pandemic requires such a decision.

(Additional reporting by Michelle Martin, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The African American community are more susceptible to coronavirus, the latest COVID-19 testing data from the ground reflects, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

We are actively engaging on the problem of increased impacts there's a real problem, and it is showing up very strongly in our data on the African-American community, Trump told reporters during the daily press conference of the White House Task Force on coronavirus.

The US, so far, has conducted 1.87 million tests, he said.

We are just seeing tremendous evidence that African Americans are affected at a far greater percentage number than other citizens of our country," he said in response to a question.

We are doing everything in our power to address this challenge. It is a tremendous challenge, is terrible and provide support to African-American citizens of this country who are going through a lot, but it has been disproportional. They're getting hit very, very hard, in fact, Trump said.

Dr Anthony Fauci, Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institute of Health, said the African American community traditionally have been disproportionately afflicted by diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and asthma.

Unfortunately, when you look at the predisposing conditions that lead to a bad outcome with coronavirus, the things that get people into ICUs that require intubation and often lead to death, they are just those very co-morbidities that are unfortunately disproportionately prevalent in the African-American population, he said.

We are very concerned about that. It's very sad. It's nothing we can do about it right now except to try and give them the best possible care to avoid those complications, Dr Fauci told reporters at the conference.

Dr Deborah Brix, a member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, asserted that they do not want to give the impression that the African-American community is more susceptible to the virus.

We don't have any data that suggest that. What our data suggests is they are more susceptible to more difficult and severe disease and poorer outcomes, and we really need to make sure that every household is aware of what it's going to take to protect the individuals in that household that have pre-existing conditions, she said.

She called on the indigenous nations, the real tribal leaders, to also be working very closely to protect elders of their communities.

We know this is more difficult in multi-generational households, and it's really going to call for really unbelievable attention to details of hand-washing and protecting others from each other, particularly if you don't feel well, she said.

Dr Fauci said it is not that the African Americans are getting infected more often, but when they get infected their underlying medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma that wind them up in the ICU and ultimately give them a higher death rate.

So when all of this is over and as we have said it will end, we will get over coronavirus but there will still be health disparities which we really do need to address in the African-American community, he said.

I expect that when African-Americans get infected, given the disproportionate disparity of the underlying conditions that lead to complications like the ones I mentioned, I expect that we will still see the pattern that, when you look at the proportion of people who get into serious trouble and die, again, it's going to be disproportionate towards the African-Americans. I do expect that, Dr Fauci said in response to a question.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Space) Air Vice Marshal Surat Singh on Wednesday said that the Air Force is ready to tackle any contingency that may arise both within and outside the country amid the coronavirus lockdown.

"We had sent our aircraft first to Wuhan and then Iran to bring back our people. Then to support the Maldives in terms of medical supplies, we had sent an aircraft there under Operation Sanjeevani. We have also supplied material to Nepal. We are ready to tackle any contingency both within and outside the country," Singh told ANI here.

He said that the Air Force is fully prepared and have all the resources in order to meet its critical capabilities and at the same time giving support to the nation in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are in constant liaison with the Department of Defence and Department of Military Affairs at the Ministry of Defence. A critical management cell has been created, both at Air HQ and Command HQ, and there is a constant liaison with the Air Force and outside agencies," Singh said.

"We have also pre-positioned a large number of white-bodied aircraft and helicopters at various places across the country in order to ensure that we react very promptly to any situation that may arise, primarily at supporting government's efforts towards fighting coronavirus," he added.

Singh said that regular video conferencing are also being held to review the efforts.

This comes as the country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which according to the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs has claimed the lives of 149 people and infected 5,194 people as on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cars and buildings at a Tripoli hospital complex were seriously damaged during heavy bombardment by the Libya's eastern-based forces.

Rockets continued to rain down on the country's capital on Tuesday, health authorities in the UN-backed government in Tripoli said.

The barrage of Grad rockets hit Al-Khadra Hospital, where over 300 patients were being treated, including two for the coronavirus and many for shrapnel wounds and burns from bombs.

The assault a day earlier wounded a Bangladeshi medical worker and forced a group of patients to evacuate when missiles hit part of the maternity unit and the power system failed, Tripoli health ministry official Amin al-Hashemi said.

In recent weeks, eastern-based forces under the command of Khalifa Hifter have escalated their year-long siege of the capital, despite appeals for a ceasefire so authorities can focus their resources on the coronavirus pandemic.

Their attack on the Al-Khadra Hospital was the third such strike on a Tripoli medical facility over the past month.
Bengaluru, April 8 : The 21-day lockdown should continue after April 14 for at least two more weeks in coronavirus-hit hotspots like Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka, said a panel of eminent doctors on Wednesday.

"The panel has recommended to the state government to continue the lockdown till April 30 in hotspots like Bengaluru and Mysuru where the number of Covid patients is still high," an official told IANS, quoting its report.

The panel, headed by eminent state doctors Devi Shetty, C.N. Manjunath, Nagaraj, Ravi and Sudarshan, was set up by the state government in March to assess the pandemic and measures to contain its spread across the southern state.

"Buses, trains, metro rail and flights also should not be operated till April 30 to and from the hotspots to prevent movement of people," said the official.

On the panel's recommendations earlier, the state government had declared partial lockdown in Bengaluru for a week from March 14 and extended it on March 21 up to March 31 even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on March 24 night the 3-week lockdown from March 25 across the country and suspended transport services, including private vehicles to ensure the people stay home and break the virus chain.

"Quarantine measures should be strictly enforced in the hotspots and places where the affected patients are under treatment," said the panel.

Besides Bengaluru and Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada (DK) on the state's west coast and Bidar in the northern region are the other two hotspots with positive cases in double digits.

Of the 181 positive cases across the southern state till Wednesday, Bengaluru has 63, including 46 active, 16 discharged and 1 dead, while Mysuru has 35 active cases, followed by DK 12, with 8 active and 4 discharged and Bidar 10 active cases.

According to the state health department, the state has reported 5 deaths so far while 28 of the 181 cases were discharged and 148 are active in the designated hospitals across the state.

"Of the 30 districts across the state, only 18 are affected by the virus while the remaining 12 districts have cases in single digit between 1 and 9," said the official.

Shetty submitted the panel report to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa at a meeting in the city centre, where ministers were also present.

Private-run buses should also not be allowed to operate, while transportation of goods, including essential supplies can be allowed.

"Three-wheeler auto-rickshaws can be allowed to operate and private vehicles too could be permitted with no standing passenger and one-foot minimum space for physical distancing should be kept," said the official citing the panel report.

The panel also recommended odd-even transport system with precautions to prevent crowding and gridlock on main roads during normal days.

"Restrictions should be minimised in districts where there is nil or minimum cases," the report noted.

"Industries, including IT, BT (biotech), garments, manufacturing and construction, can work with 50 per cent of their strength or capacity", said the panel.

The other recommendations are educational institutes should be closed till May 30 and online classes should be encouraged.

Construction workers should be allowed to work on 50 per cent strength.

Garments workers should be allowed to stitch personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet their heavy demand and make up for the shortage in hospitals, clinics and isolated wards.

Covid and non-Covid patients should be segregated and online health services should be encouraged.
Shanice Holmes hasnt contracted the coronavirus, but the pandemic has infected many aspects of her life.

Shes been managing a juggling act of responsibilities the past few weeks.

Phone calls to her hometown of New Orleans have become a daily ritual since two of Holmes family members have tested positive for COVID-19. As a travel agent, shes helping her clients receive refunds as vacations are cancelled.

As a senior at Miles College, a historically black college and university located near Birmingham, Holmes doesnt know when she will walk across the stage after earning her child development degree.

This pandemic has affected my family, my work - it just affected a lot, Holmes said. Its all a big change. Im just trying to stay optimistic about everything and hope everything will turn around soon.

Social distancing regulations enforced by health officials have postponed graduations for Alabamas class of 2020.

Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tysons organization, Ignite! Alabama, is helping students cope with the limbo by organizing a virtual graduation party on April 26th. The ceremony, which will be livestreamed, will feature multiple celebrities and will be open to the public to view.

Ignite! Alabama has been collecting stories, pictures and videos from high school and college seniors since March 26 and will continue to do so until April 19. The organization has been posting about each student on Facebook and Instagram. All of the students will be honored during the virtual party. But only the student who receives the most likes and shares on Ignite! Alabamas social media accounts will win a $2,020 cash prize the day of the ceremony. Students can submit their information by filling out this form on the organizations website.

Almost 200 students have signed up participate in the party as of Wednesday morning, but Tyson expects about 500 students to join in on the fun. She has listened to many students vent about how COVID-19 has interrupted an important rite-of-passage in their lives.

You go to school all of these years and think, I just cant wait until I graduate. I cant wait to go to prom, Tyson said. Can you imagine struggling to pay tuition and go to work and go to school and you cant march across the stage? We wanted to give them something to look forward to.

Wenonah High senior Miyonna Price may not slip into her black and rose gold gown for prom, but she is still having a celebration in her heart. Thanks to a decision from Alabama State Department of Education to declare seniors as graduates, Price is on her way to become a first-generation college student who plans to attend Alabama State University.

She knows it may be a while before Birmingham City Schools decides when to have graduation ceremonies this year, but Price is still proud of all the community service she has done throughout her high school career. She has helped plan fundraisers for Childrens of Alabama, encouraged young people to vote during a visit to Washington, D.C., and she said she has chatted with U.S. Sen. Doug Jones about the importance of ending gun violence.

Price said she cant allow the troubles of today to block the view of her future. She still sees herself as salon owner who will pamper parents while providing childcare.

I cant keep looking back on the past saying, Oh my god, this isnt gonna happen and this isnt gonna happen, Price said. I have bigger plans.

Ignite! Alabama also partnered with Nu York, a radio personality with 95.7 Jamz, to add to the fun leading up to the online graduation. She said her radio started a TikTok challenge so seniors can show off their graduation walks. The challenge is Nu Yorks way of giving back a moment that shouldnt be taken away.

The graduation is the most important part. Its your celebration of you making it, getting through your courses and showing your family you did it, Nu York said. I feel like thats something every student should experience, and I hate that it could be taken away or at least postponed.

As a woman who often has her passport in hand, Holmes said the coronavirus outbreak has taught her to appreciate whats in front of her. Shes used to trips to places like Dubai, Puerto Rico and Mexico. She still has plans to be teaching English oversees by December.

But for now, shes taking trips to her grandmothers porch, where she speaks to grandmother over the phone. Holmes said the social distancing has brought her family together. If she wins the $2,020 prize, she plans to give it to her mother after paying a few bills. When Holmes struggled in college, it was her mother who taught her how to be an overcomer.

Before, I didnt check in as much. But now, this kind of makes you take a step back and be like, Whoa. Stuff can happen at any moment, Holmes said. My mother is a very strong person. Ive watched her persevere through some tough situations. The most valuable thing she has taught me is perseverance.

Perseverance is a lesson Price said her classmates have already learned. And even with the whole world on pause, they are still pushing through towards their futures.

There have been some struggles throughout this year, she said. But I know with my class  the class of 2020 - we will get through anything and everything possible together.
MIDDLETOWN  To help medical personnel safeguard themselves during the coronavirus outbreak, two Wesleyan University makerspace labs on campus are manufacturing much-needed protective masks using 3D printers.

Wesleyan donated its first set of 100 face shields April 1 to medical personnel at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, and others to Wesleyan staff who must work on campus to support the remaining students. The mask, which offers a barrier from the spray of liquids, can be used with or without additional medical masks that cover the nose and mouth.

The face visor frames are printed on 3D printers, and the plastic shield locks on to the small nubs. The completed product protects the entire face.

Our 3D printers have been running at full speed, said Francis Starr, professor of physics and Integrated Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences program coordinator.

Shawn Lopez, the IDEAS Lab coordinator, initiated the project at Wesleyan after weighing the potential benefits (vast) against the potential harm (nonexistent).

Designs for hand-sewn masks and 3D-printed visors were making the rounds on makerspace blogs and websites. It was clear that we could jump in and make a difference here at Wesleyan, Lopez said. As the coordinator of the lab, I understood that it was within my purview to undertake a project of this nature.

The IDEAS Lab is building a full-face protective visor based on a design by 3DVerkstan in Stockholm, Sweden. The Verkstan masks require only a 3D printer, filament, a semirigid clear plastic, and a hole punch to build.

The advantages of the Verkstan model were the speed of printing (less than an hour per visor mount), the relatively low amount of filament required (approximately 20 grams per mask), the ease of procuring the shields to go along with the mounts (available at local stores and modified with a three-hole punch) and the overall simplicity of the design, Lopez explained.

One hundred pieces can ship in a tiny box as separate components and can be assembled in less than 30 seconds. Many other designs cant be shipped as easily, take a long time to print, and require up to 10 times as much filament per piece, he said.

Chris Chernier, adjunct assistant professor of art, and a digital design technologist, is using the 3D printers at Wesleyans Digital Design Studio to print similar masks. Daniel Moller, assistant professor of the practice in integrative sciences, is producing copies from his 3D printers at his home.

In addition, students may be employed to keep the operations running when Lopez and Chernier are off campus.

I thought I could add to the volume of output (even if by a small amount) since I can care for and feed my printer for longer hours if Im at home, Moller said.

My printer is set up next to my sons gaming area, so between him (who Ive trained to remove, prep, and restart prints) and me, we have just been tending it as frequently as possible throughout the waking hours. We were able to make more than 30 over the course of a long weekend, which is pretty good, Moller added.

Unfortunately, the number of requests from health care providers is already exceeding the capacity of Wesleyans two makerspaces.

As a result, donations are being prioritized to protect essential Wesleyan staff, Middlesex Hospital, and Middletown health-care partners. Any excess supply will be donated to other local health providers, Starr said.

The next 50 masks will go to Bon Appetit employees who continue to cook and serve food to the nearly 250 students remaining on campus. Another 50 will go to the essential personnel working in Physical Plant-Facilities.

Well continue to produce and distribute to the folks in need, beginning with the home team and moving outward from there, Lopez said.

On its website, the IDEAS Lab offers suggestions and directions for creating various protective masks, using tools that range from simple scissors or a sewing machine to a 3D printer or laser cutter.

Personally, I have a tendency to throw myself into things like this, Lopez said. I cant just watch events happen, especially knowing theres an option to get involved. I was so happy to find a project that could potentially make such a difference. It galls me to no end to see that it is necessary, but this is the reality were all facing.

Wesleyan President Michael Roth 78 also blogged about the IDEAS Labs efforts on March 31, in a post titled Making Face Shields in the Crisis.
Social distancing is one of the proven measures to limit the spread of coronavirus, so we must learn to change our behaviour to save lives.

Brazzaville/ Cairo  The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has risen to more than 10 000 and caused more than 500 deaths. While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infection has grown exponentially in recent weeks and continues to spread.

Reaching the continent through travellers returning from hotspots in Asia, Europe and the United States, Africa's first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on 14 February. Since then a total of 52 countries have reported cases. Initially, mainly confined to capital cities, a significant number of countries in Africa are now reporting cases in multiple provinces.

"COVID-19 has the potential not only to cause thousands of deaths, but to also unleash economic and social devastation. Its spread beyond major cities means the opening of a new front in our fight against this virus," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. "This requires a decentralised response, which is tailored to the local context. Communities need to be empowered, and provincial and district levels of government need to ensure they have the resources and expertise to respond to outbreaks locally."

WHO is working with governments across Africa to scale up their capacities in critical response areas such as coordination, surveillance, testing, isolation, case management, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, and laboratory capacity. Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco,Tunisia and Nigeria have expanded national testing to multiple labs, allowing for decentralized testing.

These combined measures will ensure the rapid identification of cases, the tracking down and quarantining of contacts and the isolation and treatment of patients. It is also crucial that people are provided with accurate information which will promote healthy behaviours. Protection of health workers is a vital component of the response and when governments implement physical distancing measures, the basic needs of people should be taken into account.

"Africa still has an opportunity to reduce and slow down disease transmission. All countries must rapidly accelerate and scale up a comprehensive response to the pandemic, including an appropriate combination of proven public health and physical distancing measures. Within that process, Member States should target effective control of the outbreak, but plan for the worst," said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

"Early isolation of all cases, including mild cases, is one of the key control measures, along with early detection, early treatment and contact tracing. Timely and accurate epidemiological data is one of the most important tools to inform and drive the response. We must protect our health care workers and ensure that they are appropriately equipped - they are on the front lines and need our unwavering support. We owe them a great deal."

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There is concern about the impact of the pandemic on countries with fragile health systems and those experiencing complex emergencies. The international community should extend technical and financial support to these countries to enhance response capacities to minimize the spread of the outbreak. Some countries in Africa may not have adequate intensive care unit capacity such as beds, ventilators and trained personal.

It is critical that countries do all they can to prevent this outbreak from intensifying further. This means a strong public health response by every arm of government and every part of society. WHO is working across Africa to deliver essential equipment, train health workers, clinicians and public servants on how best to respond to COVID-19, and to tailor global guidance to challenging local contexts. We are also working to address global market failures and ensure a reliable and equitable distribution of essential supplies and equipment to low- and middle-income countries, including those in Africa.
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There is no freedom in America that cant be put on hold during a public emergency like were facing now.

Not the right to speak. Or to march. Or to worship in groups. Or to seek an abortion.

Thats the heart of an extraordinary ruling issued Tuesday by a bitterly divided three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court granted Texas request to toss out a restraining order that was keeping the state from enforcing an abortion ban issued in response to the novel coronavirus.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel last week blocked Texas decision to make illegal almost all abortions in the state while the state of emergency stemming from the global pandemic persists. He said there are no conditions which justify a states blanket denial of womens right to whats called a pre-viable - that is, not late-term - abortion.

Abortion providers had sued after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had threatened jail time for any doctors or staff who provide an abortion during the pandemic emergency, excepting only procedures deemed necessary to save the mothers life. The providers called it a pretext to shut down abortions in a state where Republican leaders have been trying - and failing - to find a legal way to do that for decades.

But Tuesdays Fifth Circuit 2-1 decision declared Judge Yeakel flat wrong: The bottom line is this: when faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some real or substantial relation to the public health crisis and are not beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law.

In allowing the abortion ban to go into effect, the Fifth Circuit noted that Gov. Greg Abbotts order includes exceptions in extreme cases - by permitting abortions if the mother will die without one.

But what about that the courts role in scrutinizing emergency orders to make sure they are not arbitrary and oppressive, and that they have substantial relation to the crisis?

Like Winston Churchills reputed recipe for a dry martini - when it came to adding the vermouth, just wave the glass in the direction of France  the court merely waves in the general direction of those concerns.

To be sure, the majority writes, the judiciary is not completely sidelined during a public health crisis  A court may inquire whether Texas has exploited the present crisis as a pretext to target abortion providers

And thats precisely the rub. Whats so big a deal in this ruling isnt the fact that it says states have the power to curtail even our most cherished rights in the current emergency. From keeping pews empty on Sundays to shuttering gun shops, states all over America have already acted to curtail our rights.

Under normal circumstances, just about any 10 people with a cause could legally organize a march on city hall. That wouldnt fly in the age of social distancing. But all those restrictions  whether they infringe the right to buy guns, march against the government, or to gather for Sunday services  are directly related to efforts to minimize the risk of spreading the virus in large groups.

By refusing to even entertain the argument that the abortion restrictions go too far, the judges have shirked their responsibility to ensure the ban is really related to health concerns.

Abortions arent done in large groups. They generally arent done in hospitals. They often arent procedures at all, but rather a set of pills.

The majority also slaps Judge Yeakel for calling the ban a total bar to abortion, when after all, the public health emergency wont last forever. Of course it wont. But it could last long enough to permanently bar a woman from ending her pregnancy. .

Abortions that are delayed get more complicated and  within just a few months  they become illegal.

For the women seeking an abortion now, a temporary delay is very likely a permanent prohibition, and thats exactly what Paxton and the others had in mind.

Abortion is a decision best left to a woman and her doctor, even in a global pandemic. Exercising that right does not impede others safety or endanger society. Texas officials have tried before to falsely justify draconian abortion restrictions in the name of health.

In 2016, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer called their bluff in a decision overturning H.B. 2: When directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case."

Nor is there a shred of evidence here that this abortion ban will save a single coronavirus patient. Using a national emergency to further a political agenda is reprehensible. If the Fifth Circuit cant see through this ploy, lets hope the Supreme Court can.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzlers use of the Code Red warning system for a stay-at-home message took up much of Mondays Public Safety Committee meeting.

Committee Member Mike Parkinson, D-Granite City, questioned the systems use for the announcement, saying he had never seen it used that way before. It was agreed that Parkinson and John Eric Foster, R-Granite City, will talk to the coutys Emergency Management and Health departments on guidelines for the systems use.

The 32-second PSA, also on the Madison County Health Departments Facebook page, reminds people to stay at home and maintain social distancing, saying it will help the elderly and those with medical conditions more susceptible to the coronavirus while also helping medical professionals dealing with COVID-19 cases. It became a political issue after former Regional School Superintendent Bob Daiber, who is running against Prenzler for the board chairmans seat in November, issued a news release criticizing the message.

Administration officials have said the announcement was an appropriate response to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases being reported in Madison County.

Parkinson echoed some of Daibers criticisms Daiber, calling the usage unprecedented.

A politician got into the system and changed it, Parkinson said. We are going to make people not want this and unsubscribe to this. I think we water it down when we use it for something that everybody already knows.

Committee Member Ray Wesley, R-Godfrey, the countys Republican Party Chairman, argued in favor of the systems use.

I would think any resource we could use to announce public safety would be something we would use and urge, he said. We never used it in the past, but never had coronavirus on the past.

Recently-appointed Emergency Management Director Tony Falconio said the call was sent to about 100,000 land lines and cell phones county residents had signed up for the service.

I listened to my boss and did what I was told to do, he said, adding Madison County Public Health Director Toni Corona was part of the conversation.

Falconios concerns were more about the timing of the message.

We discussed it with the administration, he said. We didnt think it was good timing. We wanted to wait until Easter weekend.

There was also a brief discussion Monday about the reduction of inmates at the Madison County Jail. On Friday the Judiciary Committee was told jail numbers were down to 191 because of a reduction in prisoner intakes and releasing prisoners, some with ankle monitors.

The jail also has set aside an entire cell block to use for quarantine if necessary.

The committee on Monday also approved two purchase requests: $5,512.76 for portable radios for the coroners office and $7,042 for lighting and radio equipment for a new pickup truck being purchased by Emergency Management.
The National Commission for the State Regulation of Energy and Utilities of Ukraine has approved a resolution on the actions of electricity market participants during the quarantine and restrictive measures related to the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The document was approved at a meeting of the commission on Wednesday, April 8, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

In particular, the commission ordered the annulment of all the results of annual auctions at which cross-border capacities for 2020 were allocated between Ukraine and non-Energy Community countries, as well as the reimbursement of funds paid for cross-border capacities.

The commission also ordered limitations to zero megawatts on available cross-border capacities between Ukraine and non-Energy Community countries that will be offered at monthly and daily auctions.

"Amid the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus Covid-19 in states that are not parties to the Energy Community, the political risk of the implementation of contractual obligations on the part of such states leads to the risk of the physical ability to perform the relevant contractual obligations, which is associated with the sufficient number of able-bodied personnel providing electricity generation and transmission," the commission said.

The commission considers that the security of electricity supply in the short term, given the situation with the spread of the coronavirus, could be disrupted, which, in turn, could lead to uncontrolled consequences.

"In view of the above, NEC Ukrenergo is invited to take temporary measures that, in their totality, will lead to restrictions on the commercial importation of electricity from countries that are not parties to the Energy Community," the commission added.

The Cabinet of Ministers on March 18, 2020 approved the decision to introduce a special duty on Russian electricity and coal, except for anthracite and coke coal, from April 1, 2020.

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Olaf Scholz, Germany's finance minister at a press conference after the Eurogroup negotiations in Berlin. (Michael Kappeler/Picture alliance via Getty Images)

Financial ministers from EUs 19 eurozone states met late into Wednesday morning via video-conference, but failed to thrash out an agreement on a stimulus package to help EU states withstand the economic ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Discussions have now been postponed until Thursday 9 April. The main bone of contention is whether member states should pool their debt.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters news agency that: The Italians want a reference to debt mutualisation as a possible recovery instrument to be analysed more in the future. The Dutch say no.

German finance minister Olaf Scholz said this morning that the finance ministers  also known as the Eurogroup had almost agreed but not quite. Scholz said there were three proposals under debate, with a combined volume of 500bn ($542bn, 440bn).

Ahead of the meeting, it was clear that the Eurogroup would discuss three main measures including the European Stability Mechanism, a pot originally set up during the euro crisis, but loans come with stringent conditions, and are subject to oversight by the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund.

Scholz reiterated his recommendation that the tough conditions to access ESM funds needed to be relaxed, so that that if a country says it wants to use these funds there's not then a load of commissioners who go there and first spend weeks discussing with them how they should change their policies in the coming years.

The Commission is also putting forward 100bn into a short-time work initiative called SURE, modelled on Germanys Kurzarbeit scheme, where the government pays companies 60% or more of an employees salary whilst they are stood down or have their hours reduced.

The European Investment Bank proposed a pan-European fund of to guarantee up to 200bn in loans to small and medium-sized companies.

However, the debate about debt mutualisation, which has been wrangled over since the financial crisis, is now centre stage again.

Story continues

Read more: Angela Merkel: EU facing its greatest test since its founding

Nine countries, led by Spain and Italy, have been very vocal about how they feel debt mutualisation would strengthen EU solidarity. They say they should not have to borrow and be subject to rigorous checks and repayment schedules  or forced to later enact austerity measures  as the coronavirus pandemic is a symmetrical shock and called for corona bonds.

Eurobonds were much debated during the euro crisis a decade ago but ultimately rejected by Germany and a few other countries, who were loath to assume debt liability for countries like Italy and Greece, whose economies needed an overhaul.

Corona bonds would be more or less the same idea: they would allow heavily indebted countries to borrow money at better terms as countries with robust economies, like Germany, would be co-guarantors, making the weaker ones a safer bet.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez wrote in the Guardian that Europes future was at stake and that it is time to act with solidarity in creating a new debt mutualisation mechanism.

Scholz stands with chancellor Angela Merkel in opposition to corona bonds.

Read more: Merkels final act is her biggest challenge so far

Some German finance experts, including the president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) are pro-debt mutualisation. Marcel Fratzscher told the Rheinischer Post (link in German) newspaper that the German economy is an integral part of a European economy that can only be as strong as its weakest link  and these are Italy and Spain at the moment.

Sharing financial risks is the next necessary step in European integration," OECD secretary general Angel Gurria told Germanys Suddeutsche Zeitung (link in German), noting that he was absolutely in favour of the euro states issuing issue community bonds to combat the economic consequences of the corona crisis.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Although people who are elderly or have preexisting health conditions are most likely to die from COVID-19, public health officials are urging young people to heed state and federal social distancing guidelines.

The World Health Organization said last week that new data from Europe suggest young people are at greater risk of complications than previously thought. The revelation could be a turning point for young adults who continue to gather during the pandemic, says a Purdue University expert in risk communication, persuasion and decision-making under uncertainty.

Social science concepts can explain their behavior, says Torsten Reimer, a professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts.

Norms and influences: Reimer has written about the ways in which people are influenced by the behavior of their peers in times of risk and uncertainty. These processes are known as normative and informational influences, and descriptive norms.

If uncertainty is high, we try to find out what similar people are doing in the same situation, he says. If I see that many young people are hanging out together, that influences me to imitate them and infer that it would be an overreaction not to join them.

Perceived risk: A persons behavior also is shaped by their likelihood to suffer or be endangered in times of risk and uncertainty, Reimer says.

Young people believed that they might be susceptible to get infected, but because the severity was very low, they perceived their personal risk as being smaller, Reimer says. That is changing right now because we are getting more and more numbers that show that younger people also are at risk for severe symptoms.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Joseph Paul, paul102@purdue.edu (working remotely but will provide immediate response)

Source: Torsten Reimer, treimer@purdue.edu (also available for phone and webcam interviews)
High school senior Emma Rehac can't help but feel resentful as leaders across the country scramble to keep families afloat through mounting unemployment and an unprecedented public health crisis.

She hears politicians looking for emergency cures to problems she and other activists were talking about long before anyone had heard of covid-19: affordable housing, utility shut-offs and health-care access among them. Now Rehac, 18, is trying to get unemployment benefits after losing her part-time teaching job at a school closed by the novel coronavirus outbreak. She's part of a historic wave of layoffs, coming of age at a hot spot of the pandemic in New York City, where drastic moves to blunt the fallout seem to Rehac to be too little, too late.

"There's so much anger and frustration that these are things that have been impacting us for so long, and it took a pandemic?" Rehac said. "Here's all of this attention and, all of a sudden, all of these resources that everyone said didn't exist."

Generation Z was already politically liberal, increasingly activist and fed up with the status quo. The oldest members of the generation - which includes those born from 1997 to 2012, according to the Pew Research Center - grew up amid soaring inequality and overwhelmingly backed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Democratic primaries for the presidential nomination.

Now the coronavirus crisis may solidify their political identity, experts say. As the pandemic and its economic havoc exacerbate disparities, some Gen Zers see grim validation of their support for the government-run programs and social-welfare policies less popular with their parents and grandparents. Seventy percent of them believe the government should be doing more to solve problems, compared to 53 percent of Gen Xers and 49 percent of baby boomers, according to Pew.

Gen Z cares "really deeply about inequalities and addressing that directly," said Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, who directs the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. "And that's part of the reason big government appeals to them . . . universal health care, universal income and all that. And I think this pandemic, if anything, would really kind of affirm their position."

Images of carefree spring breakers, who traveled to beach towns last month as concerns mounted about the virus's spread, have dominated popular views of the generation. The nation erupted with fury at Miami Beach revelers who griped about bar shutdowns. They fed the worst stereotypes of young people as self-absorbed and thoughtless about the elderly most likely to die if they didn't help "flatten the curve" to slow the spread of infection so that the health-care system isn't overwhelmed.

But for another segment of the generation - which turned the trauma of school shootings and grim forecasts about the climate into millions-strong movements - the virus has energized their political activism. They see this crisis as inextricably linked to other problems that plague them and wonder whether the coronavirus pandemic could bring more people around to their calls for radical change.

As the seriousness of the crisis settled in for 17-year-old Xiye Bastida, she canceled a trip to Mexico and drew up a strict "quarantine schedule" for her weekdays holed up indoors, limiting herself to one hour of Netflix.

Sacrifice is a driving philosophy of Bastida's politics. The climate activist, whom news outlets have dubbed "America's Greta Thunberg," has begged others to make big, uncomfortable changes to avert disaster.

"It's for the greater good," she says of the societal shutdown that put her senior year in limbo.

She and other young activists have been using some of their time in self-quarantine to organize protests and grow the movements behind their own causes. They have incorporated the pandemic into their messaging about health care, climate change and income inequality.

Written into Bastida's Friday schedule: "Strike for Climate and an appropriate government response to COVID-19. "

"They will see this as a life-changing moment in many ways," Kawashima-Ginsberg predicted, "whereas older adults may see this as a really major disruption in our lives, hopefully going back. "

Bastida doesn't want the world to go back to normal, even as her life in New York City is upended. Yes, prom was canceled; her parents' jobs and work visas are newly uncertain; her family has fled their apartment for a friend's home in Massachusetts, worried about staying in the building where young and old share the same elevator.

But for Bastida, back to normal would mean returning to a society in which individual interest reigns and each generation fends for its own well-being.

"Emotionally, a lot of people are very unsettled . . . feeling like this is a crisis," Bastida said of the pandemic. "And this is how we feel every day. "

In a Pew poll conducted in late March, the majority of adult Gen Zers said the virus is a "major threat" to the country's economy and the health of the population. While only 22 percent saw it as a threat to their own health, a majority believe the pandemic put their personal financial situation at risk.

Recent data from the center found workers age 16 to 24 - half of whom work in the hard-hit service sector - will be disproportionately affected by layoffs due to the virus, although most high school and college students won't get checks from the government's massive stimulus plan. Researchers are wondering whether the coronavirus pandemic will become to Gen Z what the Great Recession was to millennials.

Millennials "came into adulthood in a really difficult economic time, and they really struggled to get their footing," said Kim Parker, director of social trends research at the Pew Research Center. "We thought it was going to be different for Gen Z. But now this sort of turns that all upside down."

Rather than be sidelined by that turmoil, many young activists are finding ways to push their political efforts forward.

Normally, Bastida would march out after AP Calculus and set up at city hall for a climate change protest. But in these strange new times, it was a digital strike, with video chats and tweeted pictures of cardboard signs. Social media savvy and already serving as tech support for work-from-home parents, Gen Z was perfectly fine moving online.

Joe Hobbs, a 17-year-old volunteer for Fridays for Future, the youth climate movement that Thunberg founded, said the pandemic has only intensified many young people's commitments to their causes.

"We're finding that across the globe, Fridays for Future activists and organizers are doing even more because they have nothing else to do," Hobbs said from Columbia, Md., where he's under a stay-at-home order. "They don't have school to distract them. "

March for Our Lives, the student-led group that mobilized for gun control after the Parkland, Florida., school shooting in 2018, has been tweeting about two public health emergencies: "Denial isn't a policy: not for #COVID19, and not for the gun violence epidemic."

"We need our leaders to ACT to save lives," the group wrote. "We need REAL policy solutions. "

In Harlem last week, Rehac was talking about rent cancellation at a pro-Sanders town hall held by video. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has halted evictions for 90 days, but Housing Justice for All, a coalition that Rehac belongs to, is pushing him to completely wipe out those months of rent. Rehac argues it's necessary as people stare down weeks and maybe months of unemployment.

She thinks the cancel-rent campaign is gaining steam. And maybe, she added, the pain of shutting down New York City could get more people to listen about the bigger ideas: more stringent rent control, more money for affordable housing.

"If we had a #HomesGuarantee millions of people wouldn't be worried about paying rent tomorrow," Housing Justice for All tweeted as the April 1 rent due date loomed. "Or on May 1. Or on June 1. Imagine that. "

Other young devotees of Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, also say the virus has underscored vast gaps in wealth and a broken health care system. Voters age 24 and younger favored Sanders by huge margins in this year's Democratic primaries, with three-quarters choosing him in California and Michigan exit polling.

While their turnout lags behind their elders, Gen Z will account for 1 in 10 eligible voters at the time of the November presidential election, according to Pew.

The coronavirus crisis "really does expose all the inequities that people knew existed but maybe couldn't see as clearly until this point," said Roxie Richner. Her high school in Michigan has turned to non-graded "enrichment" activities, she said, unsure how to handle the fact that not everyone has laptops and Internet access.

For years, Richner has been a fervent Sanders supporter - holding a campaign kickoff party in her living room, volunteering ahead of the March 10 Michigan primary and feeling crushed when her candidate lost every county. But maybe, she thought, this moment of upheaval could shift politics in the United States for good. The senator from Vermont has been tweeting about the millions of Americans laid off with "nothing in the bank," the big companies that said they couldn't afford paid sick leave, and the people who would die because they waited too long to go to the hospital, anxious about the bill.

A day after celebrating her 18th birthday on March 26 with friends over FaceTime - someone tried to light a toothpick because no one had candles - she was feeling stir-crazy and scared, but also wondering if the country might emerge from all this a bit more open to her generation's demands.

"I think it does give people some insight into what it's like experiencing a time of crisis," Richner said, "and that realization that a lot of America lives in crisis mode 24-7, whether there's a pandemic or not. "

Bastida is wondering whether the needle could move on climate change, the issue that she says became personal for her when her Mexican hometown flooded. She spent the last Friday night in March tuning in from her family friends' kitchen to a "Zoom party," which was really a planning meeting for the Earth Day demonstration that would now have to take place fully online.

"Every crisis needs to be treated like a crisis," her fellow activist Thunberg had said on a public Zoom call last month, not long before announcing she was recovering after exhibiting symptoms of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Bastida ran down to-dos with 11 high school and college students calling in from various time zones, some of them wearing pajamas. They wondered who they could get to appear in an Earth Day video. Willow and Jaden Smith? What about Miley Cyrus? TikTok star Charli D'Amelio?

Someone had reached out to about 50 social media influencers and gotten encouraging responses, although one had asked whether the video would be a "paid gig. "

Bastida and her friends laughed: No.

Back in the city she left, her 22-year-old friend Daphne Frias is fighting the coronavirus and pneumonia, isolated in a hotel room that ambulances wail past a dozen times a day.

Immunocompromised with cerebral palsy, Frias spent so much time in hospitals growing up that she calls herself a "professional patient." She has gotten pneumonia almost every year for the past seven years. She didn't wait for a stay-at-home order, retreating indoors before a single case of the coronavirus was confirmed in New York.

But March 9 was a beautiful, warm day, she said, and she allowed herself a trip outside. Four days later, she was coughing and tired, then dizzy and feverish. She tested positive for the coronavirus.

Her mother and sister quarantined with her at home, donning masks and gloves to throw out the garbage. Friends dropped off groceries outside their apartment. But after making a slow recovery, Frias's fever came roaring back last week, and she decided she needed to separate from her family.

Some of Frias' health-care costs were covered, she said, but other bills - the hotel room, the medications, the four-times-a-day inhalation treatments that clear her already-weak lungs - are adding up to the point that her bank sends fraud alerts. She needs savings to move to Baltimore in a few months for graduate school, where she'll work toward a medical degree and master's in public health. While she found financial relief in a friend's GoFundMe campaign, she knows others are less fortunate.

Like Bastida, her friend and fellow activist, Frias sees an opening. The usual election-year politics seem distant to her as the ups and downs of campaigns gave way to headlines about the struggles of average Americans amid the pandemic.

"We're able to listen in a way that we haven't been able to before," Frias said. "And I hope that when things go back to normal and it gets noisy again, we can remember to still listen and help people the way that we have now."
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Crestview Exploration (CSE: CRS) (FSE: CE7) ('Crestview' or the 'Company') has been made aware by regulators in Canada, that buy recommendations and letters including unsolicited and unfounded forward-looking statements are being circulated by mail in Canada. Crestview advises all investors and potential investors, to properly verify the information provided by any individual and or third parties regarding buy recommendations. These verifications should include namely but not exclusively, verifying all sources, especially if said sources are inducing investors and or potential investors that the Company should be generating profits, while it is still an Exploration Company. Furthermore, the information discussed herein is not emanating directly or indirectly by the Company and should not be construed as such.

For better clarity and to the best of the Company's knowledge, no Officers and or Directors were involved in disseminating this letter. Crestview has not paid any compensation nor has it requested for this analyst to endorse the Company nor its stock.

Investors can visit the Crestview website for up-to-date information pertaining to the Company and its mining assets.

About Crestview Exploration Inc:

The Rock Creek Project is a volcanic and sediment-hosted, epithermal precious metal property, which is adjacent to mines with historical production, situated in the Tuscarora Mountains of northern Elko County, Nevada. Together the property comprises 74 unpatented lode mining claims. The Tuscarora Mountains host the northern end of Carlin-trend mineralization, a cluster of major, large gold deposits.

For further information please contact:

Glen Watson, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 1-604-803-5229

Email: Glen@crestviewexploration.com

www.crestviewexploration.com

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address acquisition of the Property and future work thereon, mineral resource and reserve potential, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects is forward-looking information. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include the results of the Company's due diligence investigations, market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company's public filings at www.sedar.com. 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, other than as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54265
Shevchenkivsky court of Kyiv sentenced colonel of Ukraines Armed Forces Ivan Bezyazykov to 13 years in jail and deprived him of a military rank as the Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine reported.

It is established that a military, while in captivity since August 25, 2014, in the territory of Donetsk uncontrolled by the Ukrainian authority, entered the composition of the intelligence agency of the illegal armed formation of Russia and occupied the position of the so-called deputy head of the first unit on analytics. This unit of the Donetsk Peoples Republic was created and controlled by officials of the Armed Forces of Russia, FSB of the Russian Federation and representatives of the authority of the state-occupant in the uncontrolled territory of Donetsk region, the message said.

The trial lasted since 2017; the prosecutors office stated it proved that Bezyazykov collected intelligence information on the movement of the forces and hardware of the Ukrainian military detachments, participating in the combat actions in the east of Ukraine and questioned captured Ukrainian military.

He acted deliberately and realized that such activity inflicts harm to the state security of Ukraine, the message said.

Meanwhile, the human rights organization Media initiative for human rights states that in the court, commander of Bezyazykov, General Petro Lytvyn was not questioned. Besides, the defendant did not conceal that the militants disposed him to fulfill particular work  with papers, hold phone talk  the activity of Bezyazykov be no different from the work of other prisoners who, according to evidence, equipped surveillance, cooked or unloaded ammunition.

Bezyazykov states that fulfilling his activity, he hoped that the Ukrainian side would find him and release from captivity and his actions did not harm the Ukrainian state and citizens.

Moreover, according to the defense, during captivity, Bezyazykov tried to use the knowledge of intelligence officer and after the exchange, he appealed to Ukraines Security Service to provide information to intelligence and joint investigative group on MH17 case. During the last meeting, he said the way the military intelligence agency of the militants' works, who headed it, who worked in the units. Particularly, about citizen of Russia Sergey Dubinsky, one of the defendants in the MH17 case and another person of interest in the MH17 case Oleg Pulatov.

The human rights group states that the SBU investigators and prosecutors decided to use Bezyazykov and tried to persuade him to think up evidence about financial flows of the terrorists.

Before the court sessions, according to the defense, the prosecution did not provide any direct evidence of participation in the terroristic organization or state treason. Any witness testified about his cooperation with militants. Someone saw him in the uniform, someone was told that he does not want to return from captivity, someone was told that he is at the intelligence agency building, the message said.

In the conclusion, the human rights group recommends the leadership of the Prosecutor Generals Office to pay attention to the fact that the previous group of the prosecutors along with the SBU investigators, probably, prepared potential fake witnesses who are able to lie about downed MH17 flight and financing of terrorism.

As it was reported earlier, the Ukrainian officer was released from the captivity of pro-Kremlin rebels in July 2016. Earlier, Bezyazykov was detained by the SBU and brought to trial under charges of collaboration with the militants.

On December 29, 2016, the investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine in coordination with the Prosecutor-Generals Office served Ivan Bezyazykov with high treason charge.
New Delhi, April 8 : ReNew Power on Wednesday announced that it will contribute a total of Rs 20 crore for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"Out of this, Rs 10 crore will be contributed to the PM-CARES fund, and Rs 5 Cr will go towards the Chief Minister's relief fund in various states. The rest will be spent on several activities targeted to directly help communities impacted by the lockdown and to bolster the health infrastructure to tackle the pandemic," the company said in a statement.

ReNew Power will also focus on feeding migrant labourers, daily wage workers and locals around its sites spread across the country by distributing dry ration packets in conjunction with the local administration.

The company will be working across its sites in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and will cover around 140 villages. Additionally, ReNew is adopting a village in Haryana, where around 350 vulnerable households will be provided with dry ration and hygiene kits, it said.

The company's employees led by their CMD and other members of the senior management, are also contributing a part of their salary to fund various activities to fight COVID-19, it said.

Meanwhile, ReNew Power's senior leadership team has also joined with other corporate leaders from Gurugram to provide critical support to the authorities, including distributing PPE kits for frontline healthcare providers, helping hospitals with ventilator supplies, meals and dry ration for affected communities.

Sumant Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director of ReNew Power said, "ReNew Power is already at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 by keeping its clean power generating sites operational amidst the lockdown and ensuring regular power supply to people from more than 100 sites across the country." "But we all know that these difficult times require us to act beyond the call of duty to assist the government with financial as well as infrastructure support to ensure that it is equipped to fight this disease. As the nation navigates these uncharted waters, we hope that our endeavour to help equip the hospitals and their staff with the right medical equipment will strengthen local efforts in tackling this emergency," Sinha said.
For the last five years, Seum Sreyoun has woken up at 5 a.m., rushed to finish her housework and then gotten ready for the 5:30 a.m. truck to her workplace. The 39-year-old would then brave an hour-long treacherous ride to the garment factory crammed into the back of a flatbed truck with other workers. However, now she no longer has to wake up at 5 a.m. because her factory, Winning Dragon Leatherwear Cambodia, suspended work last week due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. That pandemic has also infected 117 people in Cambodia, so far. Seum Sreyoun, a mother of four girls, is concerned about her childrens wellbeing but is particularly worried about a large loan she has to repay. My children will stop studying if I dont have money for them, she said. What I am concerned about the most is paying the debt, but I still hope that I can find a job and pay it off, bit by bit, said Seum Sreyoun at her home in the provinces Svay Chacheb commune, Borseth district. Like many Cambodians, Seum Sreyoun took on a debt to pay for household expenses. She borrowed around $2,500 from a financial institution, of which $1,600 was spent on buying a new Honda Dream motorcycle for her husband and the rest was used to run her home. Those expenses are a heavy burden, especially with her dwindling, uncertain monthly income. She still has 14 months of payments before the loan is repaid.

Initially, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that workers would get 60 percent of their minimum wage, split unequally between the factory and the government at 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively. This meant that workers could only expect a meager $114 per month, with the condition that they attend job training sessions. The prime minister then changed his tune on Tuesday, announcing that the workers would now receive even less, only $70 a month, which is roughly a third of their current minimum wage. The job training sessions have been discontinued.



Factories are unable to pay. We cant force them, he said. This is our best ability, Hun Sen said at a Tuesday press conference. While the government was quick to consider the constraints faced by private enterprise, it seems to have disregarded the financial obligations  such as Seum Sreyouns $130 monthly loan payment  workers have every month. The out-of-work garment worker said she had received her last salary in March but was expecting to receive the factory's 40 percent contribution at the end of April. It is unclear if this would change given the premiers announcement on Tuesday. If I have no job, I will ask my husband to find a job. I will stay home looking after the children. I am a bit old and it is hard to look for a job, she said, rocking one of her toddlers to sleep in a hammock. There is a small ray of hope for the family. Her 19-year-old daughter, Leang Theara, still has a job because her garment factory has not yet suspended work. Our living condition is poor and I need my daughter to help earn income, said Seum Sreyoun. The same cannot be said of Seum Sreyoun's sister, Seum Nem, who works at the same factory. After ten years of working in the garment sector, Seum Nem now has no income or savings to cover the monthly installments on a $5,000 loan she took to build a home. I am also concerned that I cannot pay [the loan]. I dont know whether I can go back to work or not, said Seum Nem, who has one child. Local rights groups Licadho and Sahmakum Teang Tnaut released a report in 2019 highlighting human rights violations linked to the profit-making microfinance industry, especially land tenure insecurity, child labor, and forced migration.

The findings demonstrated that there were some 2.4 million Cambodian borrowers at the start of 2019, holding a total debt of $8 billion. This meant each borrower held an average of $3,370. This was almost as much as the total median disposable income for a rural Cambodian household and much higher than the countrys 2017 GDP per capita of $1,427. In 2014 the World Bank found that 4.5 million Cambodians were teetering close to the poverty line. This low-income level, combined with the increased debt burden, has severely impacted rural standards of living, especially in light of current job insecurity. In the nearby commune of Tuol Sala, Ek Moeun, the commune chief, said many residents in his constituency were reliant on garment factories for work  at least 1,200 villagers of a population of approximately 8,000 were garment workers. It will affect them more or less. But they can work at their farms since their families also have farms, he said, repeating a common rationalization pushed by the government to conceal low job creation in rural provinces. They still have some remaining money. There should be no problem. Wait until the government helps to recover the situation, added the Cambodian Peoples Party member. The work suspensions started when Cambodian garment factories claimed to have no raw materials to feed their production lines, due to Chinas production slowdown in January and February. Now the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia has said buyers have canceled or stopped accepting produced goods, leaving thousands of Cambodians suspended or fired from their work.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday called for speeding up the process of disbursement of financial assistance to those who were stranded at places far away from their homes, within the state or in other parts of the country.

At a high-level meeting he chaired to review the coronavirus situation, Kumar noted that 3.80 lakh requests for aide have been received from migrant workers stranded in other states and financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each has been provided to 1.42 lakh by way of direct cash transfer.

Besides, efforts were being made to ensure that such people were provided with items like rice, pulses and edible oil wherever they were and messages of gratitude have been received from many such beneficiaries, most notably some residents of Vaishali district in Tamil Nadu who have sent videos on WhatsApp, sources in the Chief Ministers office said.

The chief minister also directed that seeding of ration cards with Aadhar be completed at the earliest so that the state governments resolve to reach out to every poor family with a financial assistance of Rs 1000 was achieved.

We are treating the pandemic as an aapada (disaster) and it is a stated policy of our government that those affected by a disaster shall have the first claim on the governments resources, Kumar said.

He also took stock of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which has afflicted a few children in some north Bihar districts and claimed one life.

He issued instructions for taking preventive measures to halt in its tracks the spread of the brain fever which had killed nearly 200 children last year.

Instructions were also issued by the chief minister for putting a check on bird flu and swine flu of which a few cases have been reported.

Besides, officials were directed to ensure that compensation be expeditiously paid to those who have suffered crop losses on account of untimely rainfall and hailstorm.

A sum of Rs 518.42 crore has been allocated for the aforementioned purpose, the chief minister underscored.

Meanwhile, several religious, social, medical and business organizations came out with contributions to the chief ministers relief fund from which money is being drawn for providing relief to those suffering economically on account of lockdown.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  It appears the health of the Berea City Council members is more important than the publics during the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. That seems to be the message sent by Council President Jeff Dettmer.

You can listen online here.

Dettmer and other council members are meeting remotely, but a person who wants to see the meeting live still must go to City Hall and watch it there, along with anyone else who shows up. In todays The Wake Up podcast, cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn challenges Dettmer to change this arrangement. Among the other topics: a MetroHealth model indicates the COVID-19 peak in Cuyahoga County might be lower than expected, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to release 167 non-violent inmates early to slow the spread of the virus in prisons, and alcohol is now available through takeout.

These are just some of stories included in todays podcast.

The podcast is a summary of cleveland.coms morning newsletter The Wake Up. You can receive The Wake Up through email at 5:30 a.m. each weekday by subscribing here.

You can get our podcasts delivered directly to your phone, and we have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here.

Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here.

If you use Stitcher, we are here.

RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here.

On Google Podcasts, we are here.

On PodParadise, find us here.
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, medical and health questions have flooded in from readers.

Where is it safe to go, and how does the virus spread? Who is at higher risk? How do I keep myself and my family safe?

From day one, our reporters began looking for answers.

Two weeks ago, we brought you a round of answers to your medical questions.

This week, we went back to one of the experts who previously helped us: Dr. Dennis Brown, who heads Quinnipiac Universitys physician assistant program. Brown specializes in emergency management and community health.

Although the busy professor did not have time to sit down for a video interview early this week, he answered some questions via email.

Many of the questions came directly from readers, while reporters came up with some of their own inquiries based on what they had learned in the field.

Heres what Brown had to say.

Question: Is it unsafe for people with COVID-19 to take ibuprofen?

Answer: When it comes to using ibuprofen when you have COVID-19, medical recommendations vary, according to Brown.

Because the drug works by decreasing the bodys inflammatory response and that response is part of the immune systems reaction to try to kill the virus, some have expressed concern that the virus could do more harm in patients taking ibuprofen, Brown said.

To be safe, the professor recommended using acetaminophen (Tylenol) to ease fever and pains.

Q: Can multiple patients use the same respirator? If so, are there drawbacks?

A: Ventilators are designed to serve one person at a time, according to Brown.

While they can be adjusted to serve more than one patient, that measure is only taken in serious emergencies, when there are no other ventilators are available, Brown said.

There are drawbacks, especially as the best ventilator settings for each patient varies, he continued.

Q: How long after recovery from coronavirus would a test be able find a trace in your system?

A: Most recent data is suggesting that people are still shedding the virus up to three to five days after a severe illness, Brown said.

Q: Is there free testing available? Where?

A: For information on testing, Brown directed readers to use their local hospital COVID-19 hotlines, Connecticuts information hotline (211) or the state Department of Public Healths coronavirus FAQs, which are updated regularly and include a section on testing.

Q: If youre not leaving the house at all, is it still necessary to disinfect all surfaces inside daily?

A: While a full disinfection is probably not necessary, keeping the house clean is a great way to get rid of other bacteria and viruses that are still around, and to prevent illnesses such as the common cold, according to Brown.

Q: Will Connecticut hospitals accept home sewn face masks made of cotton pillowcase or T-shirt material?

A: Most hospitals are accepting homemade face masks, Brown said, adding that donors should check with the health-care facility beforehand as it may request specific patterns.

Q: Should blood donors be tested for COVID-19?

A: If the donor does not show symptoms, they will not be tested at this time, Brown said.

Anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 should self-isolate for two weeks, according to Brown. Blood donors should then inform the Red Cross about any possible exposure when they give blood, he said.

Q: Are people with well-controlled diabetes still at very high risk for severe COVID-19?

A: Diabetics are more susceptible to having more severe infections because of a decrease in their immune systems response, Brown said.

Even someone whose diabetes is well controlled will not react to stress or illness in the same way as someone who does not suffer from the disease, according to Brown.

Q: My son has henoch schonlein purpura. Does this make COVID-19 more serious for him?

A: Brown could not find any literature on the topic, he said.

Given how many unknowns there are surrounding the virus, he recommended that the reader contact their pediatrician or hematologist.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
Former vice president Joe Biden on Wednesday credited his former 2020 rival Bernie Sanders with starting a powerful progressive movement that will continue despite Sanderss decision earlier in the day to suspend his presidential campaign.

He hasnt just run a political campaign, hes created a movement, Biden, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, said in a statement after Sanders announced he was dropping out of the race.

And make no mistake about it, I believe its a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday, Biden added. Thats a good thing for our nation and our future.

Biden noted that the Vermont senators progressive platform has shaped discussions around a number of issues. Sanders supported Medicare for all and free four-year public colleges and influenced how Democratic candidates fundraise, prodding them to eschew high-dollar fund-raisers.

However, his candidacy unnerved Democratic Party brass, who worried his left-leaning agenda could alienate more moderate Democratic voters.

Sanders announced his decision to end his campaign earlier on Wednesday but said he would remain on the ballot in the remaining primary states in order to assemble as many delegates as possible at the Democratic Convention where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform.

I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, he said in a statement to supporters. While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not, he added.

Sanders closed by congratulating Biden, who he called a decent man, and vowing to cooperate with the now presumptive Democratic nominee to advance a socialist agenda.

More from National Review
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused the U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused the U.S. Health Department's inspector general of having produced a "fake dossier" on American hospitals suffering shortages on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak.

The president, taking aim at yet another federal agency watchdog, did not provide any reason for questioning the health department inspector general's report on critical shortages.

The findings confirmed what governors, mayors and local health officials have been saying for weeks: that hospitals nationwide had insufficient capacity to handle the surge of coronavirus patients.

But Trump suggested the inspector general was politically motivated and asked why she had not spoken to admirals, generals, the vice president or others in charge before doing the report.

"Another Fake Dossier," he wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's Office of the Inspector General is led by Christi Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general, who has served in the office since 1999.

The office did not return a request for comment on Trump's tweet.

Trump's criticism came less than a week after he notified Congress on Friday he was firing the inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community, who was involved in triggering an impeachment probe of the Republican president last year.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government agreed on Wednesday to tighten rules to protect domestic firms from unwanted takeovers by investors from non-European Union countries, two government sources said.

The move comes at a time when Europe's biggest economy, and the EU as a whole, is reconsidering relations with China in the face of increased investment in critical sectors by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

In future, transactions which have implications for German security should be provisionally put on hold pending a final decision.

In a first step, the law will be changed so that a review of a potential deal can be undertaken if there is "likely harm" to the public system or security. Previously, an "actual danger" was needed. The security of EU partners should also be considered.

The economy ministry plans a second step requiring investors in artificial intelligence, robotics, semi-conductors, biotechnology and quantum technology to make public any purchases of 10% or more and allow Germany to screen them.

Previously, only investments in areas such as energy, water, telecommunications and defence could be screened.

German officials have described the Chinese takeover in 2016 of Bavarian robotics firm Kuka as a wake-up call that underlined the need to shield strategic parts of the economy.

An attempt by China's State Grid in 2018 to buy a stake in power grid operator 50Hertz also focused German minds. After Berlin failed to find an alternative private investor in Europe, German state-owned bank KfW stepped in to keep the Chinese out.

(Reporting by Christian Kraemer and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)
Navy SEAL Training Supplies Mental and Spiritual Tactics to Facedown COVID-19 NEWS PROVIDED BY

Larry Fowler

April 8, 2020



DESTIN, Fla., April 8, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- L.C. (Larry) Fowler (photo), a graduate of Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) Class '89, an invited guest at the White House, has trained along with Christian personnel across the globe, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and China. He argues that to follow Christ today requires Navy SEAL-like toughness. That opinion seems more relevant than ever in facing the coronavirus.



Larry Fowler says, "Any great achievement like surviving SEAL training requires extraordinary focus. Could there be a better time to lock-in and focus on your God-given purpose in this life than now with this virus?



"When the BUD/S instructor tied both hands together behind my back then my ankles I knew that trouble was on its way during the oncoming 50-meter swim. This will be my second swim because they knew I was a weak swimmer as my wrists were already rope-burn bleeding from my first swim. But then he also tightly pulled my elbows back together and tied them too. It's moments like this you must rely on an inner strength beyond human reasoning. It's called real-time faith.



"Ominous circumstances often cause one to be consumed about one's self. A solution is to focus on serving others or the team. Yet no matter how dire the circumstances, a SEAL will never give up, nor should any Christian." In that spirit Fowler is offering his book, Dare to Live Greatly, for free until Easter.



Fowler adds, "This is not just another SEAL book. No other book juxtaposes Christian living to something as demanding as Navy SEAL training in Coronado, California.



"Our BUD/S Class '89 motto was the original 'The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday' and our class plaque is the only one that hangs in the BUD/S compound today. It means thriving forward every day with a positive attitude while looking forward. For Christians, it means thanking God upfront and in advance for all the days to come. No matter how dire the circumstances, we prevail. Not running from our fears, but to them." Larry Fowler originally a Chattanooga TN native now resides in Destin, Florida. He is a Lymphoma cancer survivor and he has learned to live each day to the max.



Download



SOURCE Larry Fowler



CONTACT: 404-358-2224,



Related Link



www.amazon.com/Dare-Live-Greatly-Powerful-Christian-ebook/dp/B0818D32F2



Share Tweet In that spirit Fowler is offering his book, Dare to Live Greatly, for free until Easter.Fowler adds,Larry Fowler originally a Chattanooga TN native now resides in Destin, Florida. He is a Lymphoma cancer survivor and he has learned to live each day to the max.Download Dare to Live Greatly free, now through Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020.SOURCE Larry FowlerCONTACT: 404-358-2224, l.fowler@mindspring.com Related Link
The patriarch and retired president of Ravitz Family Markets, which operates five ShopRite stores in South Jersey, has died from the coronavirus.

Steve Ravitz, 73, who headed the company for four decades and was known for his warmth and philanthropy, died after fighting the virus for 13 days in the hospital, his son Jason Ravitz said online.

Ravitz Family Markets runs the PriceRite of Camden and five ShopRites: two each in Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel, and one in Marlton.

We are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved father and friend Steve Ravitz, the patriarch who guided our family business, Ravitz Family Markets, for 40 years before retiring in 2019, the family said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. Steve died on Tuesday night at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia from complications due to the coronavirus.

As news spread about his passing, numerous friends, employees and customers remembered him online as a kind and generous man who smiled easily and was always happy to chat with shoppers.

Our hearts are  on the loss of our beloved father/grandfather/brother/uncle Steve to the corona virus - he battled for... Posted by Jason Ravitz on Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Steve Ravitz, who lived in Cherry Hill for years before a recent move to Philadelphia, also led the Ravitz Family Foundation for two decades before retiring in 2016 with the title chairman emeritus. The foundation gave over $5 million in donations to nonprofits and community groups to help children and families in need in Burlington and Camden counties, the family said.

Steve had philanthropy in his DNA, from his parents and now on to his children, said Susan Bass Levin, former Cherry Hill mayor, who has called Ravitz a friend since the 1980s. They also served together on the Cooper Hospital Foundation board.

Whatever else was going on, it didnt matter, he was always willing to lend a hand. You see that now from his family. Their dad is sick in the hospital and they continue to press forward with the mission," she said. While trying to keep the stores stocked and safe, the Ravitz family also started a Facebook group for shoppers to get updates and ask questions.

What theyre doing shows the very best of the community. Steve would be very proud of them, Bass Levin said.

She and Steve Ravitz often got into long text conversations, she said, and most recently talked about the state of the world back in November of December. His last text, she said, read: I have learned some very hard lessons and hope to spend my remaining days doing good stuff.

Just months ago, Steve Ravitz was in the news for offering $14,000 to pay off student lunch debts at the Cherry Hill public schools.

In a statement Wednesday, Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash said the Ravitz family stepped up to help the community during the coronavirus crisis, as they have for decades.

Steve and his family didnt think twice about providing the county with $10,000 to feed seniors and anyone who was at risk of going hungry in these historic times," Nash said. We will miss his willingness to serve our region from his position with Temple Beth Sholom to his support of the arts in Cherry Hill. He was a good man who always saw the best in society."

He was the president of Temple Beth Sholom when Rabbi Micah Peltz interviewed for his job 13 years ago.

From the first time i met him, he had such a big heart and was so generous and helping, Peltz said. Ravitz took him to see the Kosher Experience, a special section of his grocery stores for kosher food, not just to show off the food, but to introduce him around.

He was a very warm person. He loved to schmooze, Peltz said of his friend. At the store, someone would ask for something and he would take a notecard out of his pocket and write it down.

Ravitz would stop by the temple regularly just to chat and ask if there was anything he could do. He spoke often about the charitable example set by his parents, Stanley and Doris Ravitz, who started the business, Peltz said.

And while the Ravitz Family Kindness Fund at the temple helped many people, Peltz said there were also other families in the community that Steve Ravitz helped anonymously who never knew it was him.

The family said Steve Ravitz was also a board member of Wakefern Food Corporation for 27 years and on the Jefferson University Hospital board of directors.

He grew up working in his fathers first grocery store in Philadelphia and served in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Dix before joining the family business, now run by his sons, Jason, Shawn and Brett Ravitz.

Steve Ravitz is also survived by his son David; his daughter, Remy Strause; daughters-in-law Debbie Ravitz and Lauren Ravitz; son-in-law Brett Strause; his brother, Ron Ravitz, and eight grandchildren, the family said.

ShopRite stores in New Jersey, which are owned in groups by various corporations, have been regularly disclosing positive coronavirus cases among workers during the outbreak and outlined steps to clean and disinfect those stores.

This story has been updated to reflect that Ravitz retired as president of the company in 2019.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Circumstances can be changed by revolution and revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thoughtOsygyefo Kwame Nkruman (1909  1972). (First indigenous president of independent Ghana)

Before it was infested with crisis that later caused its downfall in the 2015 general elections, there were, several news reports originating from PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza primarily as a campaign strategy to demoralize opposition parties in the contest. Some of the reports were factual and strong while many were the usual political talks to win elections.

PDP had warned against a call for violent change of government which inspired this comment for sharing to remind Nigerians that all hands must be on deck to continue to protect and defend the democracy, no matter what it may take.

Nobody, especially someone versed in democratic ethics would advocate for violence when peaceful dialogue has not been closed. Giving all benefit of doubt, the road to dialogue has not been completely foreclosed in the Nigerian state even though the populace is getting weary of the antics of elected leaders who have no regard for their votes. Yes, in view of the desperation and frustration of the people and the excruciating economic atmosphere, the only way out to escape unscrupulous thoughts is to ensure that the peoples votes always count in elections. That is where the message of several Civil Society Groups really comes to the fore. The clamor for reform assumes devastating dimension when successive administrations in the country compounded the misery of their people and made their situation looked hopeless. At every point in history where people advocate for a revolution, the situations are usually bad. Ab initio, it was a tussle between the colonialist and the colonized but now, it is a battle between despotic/bad governments and the people. Is Nigeria at that stage? A look at the brief history of countries where clamor for reforms/revolution once assumed centre stage can provide answer to this nagging question.

Cuba for example was a Spanish colony since 1492 that witnessed early mixture of draconian colonial master and tyrannical national government. In 1898, the United States of America declared war on Spain and captured Cuba along with several other Spanish possessions. The Cuban Republic was founded in 1902. However, its independence was limited by the insistence of the United States that it had the right to intervene in Cuban internal affairs. When Cuban leader, Ramon Grau Martin enacted legislation that reduced the influence of the United States government and businesses in Cuba, the US responded by supporting Cuban military officer Fulgencio Batista, who overthrew the Grau government in 1934.

As Cubas army chief, Batista functioned as the real power in Cuba, installing series of puppet presidents. He served a four-year term as president himself from 1940  1944 and returned to the presidency in 1952 when he organized a military coup that overthrew the elected government. During his second regime, Batistas government grew increasingly repressive and corrupt.

Resistance to Batistas government developed among university students and gradually spread to include varied segments of Cuban society. Because the Cuban economy was growing in the mid-1950s, the opposition to Batista focused mainly on the repressive nature of the dictatorship and Batistas suspension of constitutional government. A number of Cuban revolutionaries, however, advocated major social/economic reforms to end peasant land evictions, to reduce chronically high seasonal unemployment, and to narrow social and economic inequalities.

One of the people opposing Batista was Jean Fidel Castro. On July 26, 1953, Castro and associates attacked an army barracks (Moncada) in Santiago. The attack failed and Castro was arrested but the bravery of his actions and his defence speech at his trial won him widespread attention. Castro was jailed, but Batista released him in 1955. He traveled out to Mexico and to the United States to gather extra forces, experience and funds to invade Cuba. While in Mexico, he met an Argentine Revolutionary wizard, Ernesto (Che) Guvera, who proved a valuable ally that, brought Castro to power. Cuba ever since then, has been witnessing giant strides in all fronts.

The English revolution is also traced to social, economic, constitutional and religious developments over a century. In focus were questions of sovereignty in the English state and Puritanism in the Church. The political quarrel became an armed conflict in 1642. The result was the clearly waned influence of the Church in Britains governance today.

Also the French Revolution was the bedrock of serious transformation of France political system lasting from 1789  1799.During the course of the revolution from an absolute monarchy to a republic of nearly free and equal citizens. The effects of the French Revolution were widespread as it ranks as one of the most important events in the history of Europe.

In 10 years of the revolution, France got transformed and then dismantled the old regime. That is the political and social system that existed before 1789, and replaced with different governments. These governments were short lived but altered Frances political system for good. The French Revolution provided the most influential model of protest against absolutism in public affairs.

The history of revolution in Russia is also instructive. The people goaded by the workers, protested the absolute rule of the period, leading to the October Revolution of 1917 masterminded by the Bolshevik. It led to the emergence of communist rule in Russia that changed the face of the country for good and its interface with the outside world.

The Irish Revolution was anchored on the struggle to domesticate governance in Ireland from British control. Even though the Irish were twice unsuccessful at this in 1886 and 1892, the British House of Commons forcefully passed the third Home Rule Bill in 1914. The Irish Free State was established in 1922.

Ghana, an African country, witnessed a semblance of revolution with military coloration when John Jerry Rawlings did a cleansing of its political landscape. My fervent prayer is that military option will not happen again in Nigeria and achieving this could be bolstered through promising actions and utterances from the politicians and those piloting the affairs of governments of the day and not veiled threat. Neither would a PDP empty boast that was scattered by its own members in 2015 of ruling the country for the next 60 years that was in contempt of the peoples votes suffice here.

Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable. The sense in this aphorism is that whether or not we like it, any regime of electoral corruption, insecurity and economic despondency cannot be accepted by the gullible. The option of a mass protest should not be foreclosed if helpless trend in many states of the federation continue where the people are deceived.

The antidote to this is good governance that is currently lacking in several states of the federation under the guise of opposition to the ruling party.

According to a Greek Philosopher, Aristotle (384BC  322BC), Inferiors revolt in order that they may be equal and equals that may be superior. Such is the state of mind which creates revolutions. And this state of mind is highly common among the people of Nigeria due to bad governance and insincerity of leaders.

Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
Footage has emerged of the horrifying moment a man was shot dead by police after he allegedly doused himself in fuel and erupted into flames in a McDonald's car park.

Queensland Police and its respective union claim officers had no choice to open fire as the 'human fireball' allegedly charged towards them in Sunnybank Hills south of Brisbane on Monday night.

Dramatic footage obtained by the Courier Mail shows the burning man, 43, on fire running towards a group of officers.

Screaming can be heard as police tried firing less-lethal shots in an attempt to stop the man in his tracks.

He drops to the ground only after officers opened fire with Glock pistols.

This is the moment officers shot dead a man who allegedly set himself on fire on Monday night

Police can be seen extinguishing the fireball before rendering first aid to the man, who died en route to hospital.

Officers had been responding to a reported disturbance involving a man who allegedly doused himself and a woman in fuel in nearby Wynne Street.

It's understood the woman's children called triple-0, the Courier Mail reported.

The man left the scene prior to police arriving but was located an hour later in a car in a local McDonald's car park, where officers tried to negotiate with him.

Police were forced to open fire as the man engulfed in flames ran towards them

'During the course of those negotiations, we will allege the man set himself alight,' Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming said.

'The man came from his vehicle, we will allege he then ran at police and unfortunately it was necessary for a police officer to discharge his firearm at the man who was burning at the time as he ran at police.'

Queensland Police Union supports the brave actions of all officers involved.

'I attended this incident and we are just lucky we don't have seriously injured police or members of the public and I know the actions of police ensured that no other person was injured or worse,' union president Ian Leavers said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'I am limited in what I can say however I can say all police acted in a highly professional and restrained manner and were left with no option than what occurred.'

Superintendent Tony Fleming (pictured) has defended the actions of the officers involved

Mr Levers acknowledged mental health and domestic violence issues could become more prevalent as the coronavirus lockdown gets stricter.

'Now more than ever those people who have family members with extreme mental health issues, or are not coping with the current situations in their lives, need to ensure that they are getting the care they need.

An investigation into the fatal incident by the Ethical Standards Command continues which will subject to an oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Venezuelas crisis deepens each day as oil prices fall and COVID-19 spreads.The United States has announced a plan to help Venezuelans escape from years of repression and political conflict.

The Democratic Transition Framework proposed by U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo calls on both the Nicholas Maduro regime and Interim President Juan Guaido to step aside so that the National Assembly can create a Council of State to serve as the transitional government, which would hold free and fair presidential elections.

U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams cautioned in a recent newspaper editorial that democracy isnt only about elections.It requires establishing a new, balanced, and independent National Electoral Council  and it requires replacing the current Maduro-run Supreme Court with independent justices. Moreover, A vibrant democracy also demands a free and independent media with an end to the regimes pervasive censorship, wrote Special Representative Abrams.

The United States supports a return to democracy in Venezuela and this means that every political party must be able to compete on a level playing field in free and fair elections. The U.S. will recognize the results of a free and fair election, said Special Representative Abrams, no matter which party wins; what we oppose is the abuse of state power that enables one party to rule indefinitely.

U.S. sanctions have not prevented food or medicine from reaching Venezuelans, said Mr. Abrams.Instead, U.S. economic pressure is aimed at depriving, the [Maduro] regime of the income it uses for repression -- or steals through vast corruption -- and forc[ing] the regime to agree to presidential elections.

The military will play an essential role in bringing about peaceful change and shaping Venezuelas future.The military and police, said Mr. Abrams, must abandon the role the Maduro regime has forged for them -- carrying out the repression of the Venezuelan people.The military must also join in expelling the Cuban intelligence agents.

The United States is prepared to work with all Venezuelans and with other nations and lift sanctions when the necessary conditions for free and fair elections are met. The Democratic Transition Framework, said Secretary Pompeo, can provide a path that ends the suffering and opens the path to a brighter future for Venezuela.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals are at the crux of it all and key to the resolution of the emergency. They have been hailed "heroes" for this very reason, and across Europe and the rest of the world, neighbourhoods and cities have been applauding their heroism.

Healthcare professionals, and this includes nurses and midwives, are on the front line of the battle with COVID-19 pandemic. And although this year's World Health Day theme was conceived without a thought to the threat of a pandemic, we even celebrate them more at this crucial time!

On April 7 every year the world celebrates World Health Day, a day set aside to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organisation.

This year's theme, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, focuses more on the vital role played by this cadre of staff within healthcare systems. No doubt this will resonate well with a lot of us in this region of the world with under-resourced health systems. Nurses and midwives play a vital role in our healthcare system, oftentimes being the only available workforce within a given health facility in a community.

The price of heroism

In a country such as Nigeria where doctors are in limited numbers and mainly function at the expert level of human resources for health; nurses and midwives provide the day to daycare, are more in contact with patients and are likely to be more at risk during pandemics.

At about mid-March, Nursing Times reported that the International Council of Nurses was getting reports from its member associations of increasing deaths of nurses who have contracted COVID-19. In Italy, so far, 10 per cent of health care workers (HCWs), totaling over 6,000, have been infected in their fight against this virus, most of them doctors and nurses. In Spain, over 100 doctors and nurses have died from the virus, with a similar increasing death toll of HCWs in the US, UK, France, etc. In one particularly heartbreaking death of a nurse, Kelly had texted his sister "I'm okay. Don't tell Mom and Dad. They'll worry," while on ventilator care at the hospital where he worked.

But amidst this rising death rate of HCWs across Europe and America is a little ray of hope from Germany, with so far the lowest death rate from the disease, even as it is seeing the same age category of people infected. It has in part been attributed by Epidemiologists to Germany's robust public health care system, with a 40,000 ICU bed capacity and a highly larger number of nurses to patient ratio. In fact, Germany has the highest number of this at a significant 13.8:1,000.

While in Nigeria, with a total estimate of 128,918 registered nurses and 90,489 midwives, we have on average one nurse to 1000 patients in hospitals, but with this number more likely to be concentrated in the urban areas due to reasons we are perhaps more familiar with.

The global outlook in terms of nurses/patients ratio is also nothing to cheer. The standard recommendation, for instance, is that in critical care units such as ICUs (intensive care units) the ratio is to be 1:1 for the sickest patients or 1:2 or 1:3 for patients who are acutely ill but stable. On general care units, the nurse to patient ratio is set higher, for example, 1:5 or 1:8 depending on the type of unit and the needs of the patient(s).

In our situation, this is a rather worrisome statistics that underscores the dearth of nurses/midwives in the country. In fact, estimates have put the country as running on a 32 per cent average deficit of this category of HCWs.

How is this fight looking like for us as our nurses and midwives are the only line of defence most of our communities would have during this period? We examine the crucial role nurses and midwives have been playing in infection control at our primary care units, especially with the endemicity of Lassa fever, and the emerging COVID-19 pandemic which has to date over 200 persons infected in Nigeria, more than a million cases worldwide and projected to rise further. With an increased rate, there will be more strain on health systems and human resources, especially nurses and midwives in Africa, along with them.

A nurse's perspective

Mindful of the issue, Premium Times had collated a number of voices of nurses and midwives currently on the field at COVID-19 isolation centres across the country. In what seems like a cry of dissatisfaction with the working tools, and staff welfare, nurses/midwives at our frontline have expressed their opinion on the lack of appropriate gear and pre-field deployment practice or simulation of infection control measures.

But the risks from COVID-19 seem to be already apparent from the news of rising cases among nurses and other healthcare workers. According to the United Nations, nurses are working in under-protected settings in many parts of the world. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and in particular the much needed N95 face masks are in severe shortages. Nurses at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York had staged a protest, for instance, demanding PPE. Watching and reading stories of shortages in Europe makes us wonder what number we have and plans of bridging the gap if/when shortages start happening as we are seeing elsewhere.

In the mentioned report by Premium Times, the chairperson of the association of nurses and midwives, University College Hospital, Ibadan had mentioned the need for ". . . nurses attending to those tested positive must be trained", perhaps pointing to the fact that infection prevention and control strategies are not part of our focus at primary levels of care.

Avoiding HCW fatalities

All evidence and history also point to the fact that nurses are always disproportionately affected in the face of an outbreak, epidemic or pandemic. Take the SARS epidemic, for example, healthcare workers, which primarily include nurses, accounted for one-fifth of the disease incidence rate.

However, recent studies on infection control among HCWs in Nigeria, have consistently emphasised the importance of knowledge, skills and practice behaviour of basic infectious disease control principles for survival. This is because apart from providing the needed care for sick patients at contact points, there is an increasing report of HCWs contracting infections for which they are treating patients. This is an important issue to look at since these usually lead to the death of such HCWs themselves, and they become points at which such infections re-enter the community, especially in a circumstance of an epidemic.

In one study that looked at the effect of training on infection control among nurses in selected Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria, the results showed that most nurses became more experienced at infection control as they stayed more on the job, with occasional training adding to this experience. Furthermore, training tended to boost this vital skill set significantly.

Similar findings were observed in another study that looked at Infection Control and Practice of Standard Precautions Among Healthcare Workers in Northern Nigeria. Here although a majority of the HCWs reported good knowledge of universal precaution and infection control, recognise handwashing technique, sterilisation process, and various equipment used for personal protection, and appropriate handling of waste as essential technique of universal precautions for infection control, there was an almost all percentage of workers having no knowledge of vital policy guidelines such as the National Injection Safety Policy and Policy on Sharps Disposal. A majority of the sampled HCWs had not also received any training on infection control in the last two years.

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Also during the Lassa fever (LF) outbreak of 2018, research looking at infection control among HCWs at the designated treatment centre for LF in Ebonyi State, it was found that those with better knowledge on infection prevention and control were those directly involved in the responsible units and had mostly spent an average of 15 years in the facility.

On the whole then, what this deficit in infection prevention and control readiness, coupled with the available number of nurses/midwives in our communities, tells is the dire situation we are perhaps running into.

A Gap to be filled?

Although several healthcare programmes are implemented across the country with a focus on infection control, these efforts seem to have been single, and without a focus on epidemic awareness and preparedness at our basic levels of care. The HIV epidemic saw the development of the Infection Prevention and Control Manual, focusing on safe injection for Health Workers in 2015. But this may have only been put in place among nurses/midwives working with an HIV/AIDS programme.

One study in Northern Nigeria identified the need for formal and periodic refresher training. We may have therefore been missing an important part of being ready for a disease outbreak; having trained our nurses/midwives poorly on infection control and disease surveillance. As this outbreak may show here too, it is not all about the available equipment, PPEs when used incorrectly do not have many advantages and may even pose greater harm.

We consequently call for the protection of these heroes with in-service training that is extensive and supported by job aids pasted on facility walls, to save nurses/midwives lives who are on the frontline of the pandemic.
The stock market's climb back from the pandemic induced fall is likely to be very different in nature to those which occurred after other crashes.

Some leading indices such as Germany's DAX have already returned to a technical bull market, generally defined as prices being 20 per cent higher than the recent low point.

It's no coincidence that Germany has had among the lowest number of deaths from the crisis and its stock market is among the best performers. South Korea paints a similar picture.

The core reason for why the recovery will look different is that this crash has been caused by a single, surprise event.

Germany's DAX index has returned to bull market territory very quickly thanks to the crisis being managed well there

Market plunges and the related economic slumps are typically caused by a confluence of factors slowly building in the underlying economy, such as reckless mortgage lending creating a domino-like crisis in the banking system in 2008.

In this case though, a wildcard biological disaster forcing everyone to suddenly stay at home is responsible.

While shares were already looking expensive and there were signs the global economy was due for a pullback, a crash like the one we have seen would not have happened without the novel coronavirus.

The fact that many things go into a crash like the 2008 one, means that many things have to go right for the stock market to improve.

In this case however, markets are almost entirely being driven by the virus outbreak first getting gradually worse and now, getting incrementally better.

Fiscal and monetary measures being taken by various governments and central banks are a compulsory foundation to any recovery in shares prices, but they would have little effect if the virus outbreak was not showing any sign of easing.

The stock market recovery from the pandemic is likely to be very different to other market crashes such as the one in 2008

Because of the unique circumstances of the social lockdowns forced by the virus, any economic recovery stems from loosening and ultimately removing the lockdowns in place in many countries.

The best gauge of when these lockdowns will be lifted are the daily statistics of new Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions.

These have taken turn for the better in European countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany, with the UK and US expected to follow suit at some point in the next week or so.

China has already ended its own lockdown and the economy there has picked up as a result.

Investors are taking the collective view that although we are still in the midst of the crisis, shares are worth a lot more with light at the end of the pandemic tunnel than they were when it was only darkness ahead.

How far this stock market recovery can go in the short term before it either hits a long plateau or falls back is very hard to say, but it has already been striking in its speed and magnitude.

If Covid-19 cases can be whittled down to very small numbers and ultimately eliminated entirely the bounce in prices we have seen will turn into a full recovery. If there is a rebound in the pandemic though, new market lows could still be reached.

So with the stock market climbing back quickly, should we expect the economy to do the same? In short, no. Not as fast.

The stock market gives us the direction of travel for the global economy, not the speed and journey time.

While the economic slowdown is almost entirely the consequence of countries deciding to go into lockdown to 'flatten the curve' of the pandemic, removing the lockdown will not on its own be enough for economies to fully recover.

The FTSE 100 has recovered a good amount of ground but has since plateaued

Repairing the damage of the sudden halt in many aspects of our lives will take time as it involves a big element of human psychology and a number of practical obstacles.

Households and businesses will need to pay down debts, rebuild savings and grow confident we won't see the pandemic return to any great extent before they start spending freely again, or hiring staff in the case of employers.

Even when people do go out shopping again and companies put up job adverts, it takes time for these decisions to filter through to lifting the economy.

There will also be long term drags on economic growth after the pandemic has ended, such as much greater restrictions on people travelling between countries to reduce risk of SARS-COV-2 resurging, or another virus causing such havoc.

The key thing for investors to remember however, is that the economy does not need to recover for share prices to rise, there just needs to be a majority of people in the market who believe a recovery is coming.

It certainly won't happen overnight, but it will happen.
Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo

The Tuolumne County Health Department has heard concerns voiced by members of the community about a perceived lack of testing being done locally for COVID-19.

At yesterdays board of supervisors meeting, Interim Public Health Officer, Dr. Eric Sergienko, stated, I wish we had some more testing capability, but like everywhere else in the state, we are seeing a lack of capacity, and it is a supply chain issue, and not so much an issue we can resolve locally.

The Tuolumne County Public Health Department reported late yesterday that 279 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the county to this point.

The public health department has put out a further statement, adding, Though no extreme shortages of materials have been reported locally, rural communities throughout California have been struggling with access to more testing and we are currently advocating to our State Officials to be able to increase testing in our community. If you have concerns regarding access to testing, something that you can do is to reach out to your State and Federal elected officials. We want to reassure the community that we and our healthcare partners are doing the best we can with the resources given.

The health department argues that despite the inability to test everyone in the community, the number given to this point, per capita, is on par, or higher, than larger cities in the state.

The latest information related to the public health departments response to coronavirus can be found by clicking here.
The amount of people using streaming services has skyrocketed recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic quarantines. With this increased viewership, the chances of younger audiences coming across inappropriate content is also high. To combat this, Netflix is introducing new parental controls for families to help parents make the right viewing decision for their children.

With the new options, parents will have a lot more control over the types of content that they will be exposing their kids to. These settings will be available in the account settings of the parents account, accessible via both a laptop or a mobile browser.

The new settings include:

PIN protect individual profiles to prevent kids from using the

Tailor their kids Netflix experience by filtering out titles that are not appropriate for their age

Tailor their kids Netflix experience by filtering out titles that are not appropriate for their age Remove individual series or films by title. When this filter is used, the blocked title(s) wont show up anywhere in that profile

Easily review each profiles setting using the Profile and Parental Controls hub within account settings

See what their kids have been watching within the profile created for them

Turn off auto play of episodes in kids profiles.

Commenting on the new features, Michelle Parsons, Kids Product Manager, Netflix said:

Choice and control have always been important for our members, especially parents. We hope that these improved controls will help parents make the right choices for their families.

Stephen Balkam, Founder & CEO, Family Online Safety Institute said:
Prince William and Kate Middleton are one of the worlds most-loved couples. These two have been married since 2011, but they first started dating way back in 2002  giving them nearly two decades of history together.

Though a lot of their relationship has been blissful, William and Kate hit a major speed bump back in 2007 when William broke up with the now-duchess. But it was Kates costume at a summer party that made William even more determined to win her back.

Prince William and Kate Middleton | Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

William and Kates relationship struggled for a few months before their split

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge first met when they both attended school at University of St. Andrews, but there were no sparks in the beginning. The two were just friends, but once William saw Kate walk in a fashion show in 2002, he knew he wanted to be more. The couple started dating shortly after, and though things were great at first, they went through a brief breakup in 2004.

The two were back together shortly, and for a while, everything was good. But in late 2006, William declined an invitation to spend the holidays with Kates family, and it was clear things were starting to fall apart. By early 2007, William and Kate were living several hours apart, and his late nights out with other women, plus the pressure of proposing, resulted in the couples official breakup.

Kate Middleton attends Prince Williams graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell in 2008 | Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage

William reportedly wanted Kate back right away

Though William had been having second thoughts, once he actually broke up with Kate, he reportedly regretted it. It took less than two months for William to reach out to Kate and say he wanted her back.

The breakup was hard on Kate, though, and she wasnt so quick to forgive him. Kate had been spending a lot of time with her sister, Pippa, during her time apart from William, and Pippa helped get Kate back on her feet and prompted her to go out and enjoy herself despite going through heartbreak. Though Kate was still in love with William, she wanted to take things slowly.

Kates outfit at a costume party made William realize he wanted her more than ever

William and Kate didnt rush back into things; she made sure he knew that she wasnt going to take him back with the snap of a finger. Instead, the two spent time together, but they werent officially back together. That was, supposedly, until Kate showed up at a costume party wearing a sexy nurse costume.

According to Marie Claire, the party took place at Williams barracks in Dorset  and he invited Kate. And when Will saw her, he knew he couldnt go another minute without making things official between the two once more. Will pleaded with Kate to give their relationship another go, Katie Nicholl, a royal biographer, wrote in her book Kate: The Future Queen. Kate agreed, and the two have been together ever since.

Kate has since said she learned a lot from the breakup

William and Kate were engaged in 2010, and during their engagement interview, they were asked about their 2007 breakup. Kate noted that she was very unhappy with it at the time but that she now believes it has made her stronger. And it clearly worked for them, since they were married in 2011 and have been seemingly very happy ever since. These days, the two are preparing for their roles as future rulers of the monarchy.
(Newser)  WeWork is suing the Japanese bank that offered to save it from insolvency before backing out of a $3 billion stock takeover. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the special committee of WeWork's board said SoftBank and CEO Masayoshi Son took "desperate" actions to back out of the tender offer agreed to last October as a result of "buyer's remorse" and an "increasingly dire" financial situation, per CNN. In responding Wednesday, a SoftBank rep reiterated that conditions weren't met and several criminal and civil investigations were now targeting the startup. But the WeWork committee argues SoftBank was aware of those investigations when it signed the agreement on Dec. 27. The committee adds SoftBank went so far as to convince minority investors of its joint venture in China "not to waive certain first refusal and co-sale rights," thereby creating an unmet condition.

story continues below

"The practical effect of the investors' non-waiver was that the roll-up of ChinaCo could not be completed in accordance with the [Master Transaction Agreement], preventing a condition to the Tender Offer from being satisfied," the lawsuit says, per CNBC. While "SoftBank has already received most of the benefits provided to it under the MTA, including broad control of WeWork and additional economic benefits," WeWork's minority stockholders have been deprived "of the liquidity that they were promised." But a rep for SoftBank notes the equity owned by WeWork founder Adam Neumann, his family, and Benchmark Capital constituted "more than half of the stock tendered in the offering." The lawsuit is a "desperate and misguided attempt" to rewrite the agreement, the rep adds, noting SoftBank has invested more than $5 billion in WeWork since October. (Read more WeWork stories.)
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On Tuesday, thousands of Wisconsinites waited in line for hours to cast a ballot in the middle of a pandemic. They shouldnt have had to; Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, had begged the Republican-controlled legislature to postpone the election, citing public health officials concern that in-person voting would spread coronavirus infections. But the legislatures Republican leaders refused to move the date. Evers then tried to delay the election himself through an executive order, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck it down. Then, in a final act of judicial cruelty, the U.S. Supreme Court nullified any absentee ballots mailed after Election Day. Wisconsin election officials had failed to send out many absentee ballot requests in time, so this decision prevented tens of thousands of citizens from having their vote counted.

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To Ann Jacobs, a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Elections Commissionwhich administers and enforces state election lawthis chaos was grimly predictable. On March 19 and then again on April 5, Jacobs urged the legislature to postpone the election so voters would not have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their constitutional rights. On Monday and Tuesday, she watched with disgust as the courts forced citizens to make precisely that choice. At least 7,000 poll workers declined to participate, citing fear of COVID-19 infection, forcing cities to shutter the vast majority of their polling places. Milwaukee consolidated its polling locations from 182 to five; Green Bay consolidated its polling locations from 31 to two. Because urban centers are heavily Democratic, these closures disproportionately burdened liberal voters. That was the point: In addition to the presidential primary, there is a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat on the ballot, and Republicans sought to exploit the pandemic to suppress Democratic turnout.

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On Wednesday, I spoke with Jacobs to get her thoughts on Wisconsins coronavirus election. Our interview has been edited for clarity.

Mark Joseph Stern: How do you think the election went?

Ann Jacobs: I went down to see the voters at Riverside Park, my usual polling site. The line stretched from the high school gym down the block, around the corner, and through the park down the next block. It was a good two- to three-hour wait. I saw people 6 feet apart yet engaging in togetherness. It was awe-inspiring to see them endure that wait with equanimity. Even when it started literally hailing, they huddled under plastic garbage bags and umbrellas. They waited it out, stayed in line, drenched but resolute. It was an awesome sight to see. I hope with every bone in my body that they remain healthy and safe.

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The state did the best it possibly could under the circumstances, but there were some really disturbing discoveries. There was at least one community, Fox Point, whose clerk didnt mail the absentee ballots. This was a learning curve on how to improve early mail-in voting. But we saw a strong showing by the clerks and by the voters.

I will say that watching [Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly] Robin Vos dressed up in full PPE from face mask to body covering saying its totally safe, come on out was the height of absurdity. It rendered me speechless. He told people to come on out, in contradiction of every recommendation of every possible health officialit was just amazing. Tone-deaf doesnt even cover it.

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I just didnt think they would sacrifice peoples lives on the altar of partisanship.  Ann Jacobs

What do you think of the judiciarys conduct during this episode?

I think it was grotesque. A judiciary that shut its own doors because of fear of the coronavirusand literally shut down the courtsmet remotely and sent ordinary persons to the polls without even a hesitation. Without even a recognition of the fact that it was forcing people to risk their health and their lives to vote. Thats something that I thought we were done with. The fact that people had to vote in person is an abomination and a stain on our democracy. The fact that the voters turned out is the bright light in that darkness.

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What was your reaction to the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision reinstating the election?

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Intense disappointment and incredulity. We know that Wisconsin is a hyperpartisan state, and we know that our Supreme Court is hyperpartisan as well. I just didnt think they would sacrifice peoples lives on the altar of that partisanship. And I was wrong.

And how did you feel about the U.S. Supreme Court nullifying mail-in ballots postmarked after Election Day?

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The legislature told the court that it would confuse voters to allow ballots to be received for an extra week after Election Day, and that confusion was worse than getting a virus that can kill you. The court simply parroted that. And the idea that the risk of voter confusion was greater than the risk of death is just incredible.

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The pretense of calling it a narrow question was absurd, as Justice Ginsburg indicated in her dissent. The idea that you could parse out this narrow issue was silly, because it was so much broader than that. They were pretending that there werent 8,000 other issues going on at the same time. Weve got a pandemic. Weve got absentee ballots not going out. Weve got absentee ballots that, we now know, never went out. And the courts answer was safety for me but not for thee, much like the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The majority said: Were going to cancel oral arguments, were not going to be exposed to anything, but you all go ahead. And every attempt by every person to try to mitigate this harm was thwarted by courts that are so afraid of the virus that they themselves dont meet in person.

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Have you lost faith in the courts?

I think whenever we see injustice, it shakes all of us. And I will confess that Monday was a challenging day for me as a lawyer and as a state official. It really challenged my faith in the courts. But at the same time, I dont have the luxury of wallowing in my own feelings. My job is to do the best I can in the system we have. So I will continue to advocate for the right of people to vote safely. I will do everything I can to make that happen. Thats what I signed up to do, and my own feelings need to be put aside so I can move forward in the reality I have, not the one I wish I had.

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Im sure youve seen the stories of voters disenfranchised because they didnt receive their absentee ballots in time and couldnt vote in person.

Its heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. We will be tallying those late-arriving ballots. We will know in less than a week how many of those there were. We had forecasted that thousands of people were going to be disenfranchised. That is turning out to be absolutely true. My guess is that it will be in the tens of thousands.

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This episode was a dry run for November, when the whole country will have to figure out how to hold an election during a pandemic. What did you learn?

Well, this was a crash course in issuing 1.2 million absentee ballots instead of 200,000 like we normally would. I know that the clerks offices are going to figure out what it is they need so they can do this againso if we do have to issue 2 million absentee ballots in the fall, I think were going to be looking at some easier logistics. Lets make sure we have enough envelopes. Lets make sure we have coordination with post officials. Lets create a process whereby people who do not have a ballot when theyre supposed to still get a ballot. Were learning best practices on how to conduct what is essentially a mail-in election if we have to. Considering the fact that clerks issued 1.2 million ballots when they usually issue one-sixth of that is a testament to how hard the clerks worked. Obviously there were still failures in that system. Thats not surprising. So we need to learn from that.

What would you say to people who look at what happened in Wisconsin and just lose hope for democracy? I know I felt that way on Tuesday.

I would say now is the time to go out and advocate and vote so that the people in power dont get the chance to do this again. The ballot box is the only remedy we have.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday questioned the way Delhi Police and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval handled the recently-held Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi.

He also accused the Union Home Ministry of spreading coronavirus in other states with the help of Markaz attendees. "The BJP-led government allowed the religious event for spreading coronavirus across India", Deshmukh said.

The minister said Maharashtra government had turned down the permission to Nizamuddin Markaz for its 'congratulations meeting' of about 50,000 people at Vasai scheduled on March 14-15. The permission was sought on February 5. However, in wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the state government didn't give nod to hold the programme, the minister said.

Anil Deshmukh, in his letter to the Centre, raised eight questions to Union Home Ministry, Delhi police and NSA Ajit Doval.

"Doval went to meet Markaz chief Maulana Saad at 2 am. Why did the NSA go to meet him? What Was the job of Doval or Delhi Police there? Why both Doval and Delhi Police chief have not spoken yet on this issue? What exactly transpired between Maulana and Ajit Doval should be disclosed to the public," Deshmukh demanded.

"Again, why did the Maulana go into hiding after meeting Doval? Where is he now and what connection the NSA has with this Maulana," asked Deshmukh.

He also asked why the Delhi police gave permission to Nizamuddin Markaz to hold the event. "The Nizamuddin police station is near the place Tablighi Jamaat event took place. Why the police didn't stop this programme immediately. This congregation spread coronavirus to other states. For this act, the Union Home Ministry is responsible as Delhi Police functions under it," Deshmukh alleged.
Camillus, N.Y.  Two Central New York brothers celebrated their birthdays this week with the best celebration theyve ever had.

They couldnt have their usual party with friends and family. Instead they stood on their front lawn and watched an impromptu parade of fire trucks and police cars with flashing lights and blaring sirens.

Jacob Fetter turned 6 on Tuesday. His brother, Ben, turns 3 on Thursday. Amanda Fetter said her sons typically share one large birthday party. They set up a bounce house in the yard and invite neighbors, family and friends. They make a huge thing of it, she said.

All that came to an abrupt halt this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The statewide rules on social distancing and ban on non-essential gatherings means that birthday parties and all other gathers would have to come at a distance. Fire departments and law enforcement agencies across Central New York have helped fill that void with impromptu parades to offer even just a little bit of cheer during a trying time.

The Fetter family and their neighbors stood in front lawns and driveways Tuesday evening in their Golden Meadows neighborhood, a suburban development just west of Lakeland, as they had a front-row seat of fire trucks, police cars and other decorated vehicles parading through their neighborhood.

When you live in the best neighborhood ever and your sister in law is in charge of bringing a few extra friends. There are no words to thank everyone. We love you all!!! And thank you to the Lakeland Fire Departments as well as the Numerous police departments who helped to make our boys day beyond amazing!!! Posted by Amanda Fetter on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Led by six fire trucks from the nearby Lakeland Fire Department and Onondaga County Sheriffs Office cars, the parade spanned more than 30 vehicles and lasted around 10 minutes, Fetter said.

It was just unbelievable, she said. Its hard to describe in words how incredible it was."

This was the third such parade the neighborhood has had so far, but Fetter said the response and enthusiasm from her neighbors hasnt wavered. People of all ages came out of their homes and cheered and waved signs just as enthusiastically now as they did before.

Jacob Fetter, 6, waves to firetrucks as they pass by his home. The firetrucks paraded by to celebrate Jacob's birthday on April 7.Courtesy of Amanda Fetter

Jacob was ecstatic, jumping up and down as he made his way back inside after the parade. He told his parents it was the best birthday he ever had. Ben, perhaps too young to comprehend the situation, was excited because his brother was excited.

Amanda and her husband, Joe, were reduced to tears.

Thanks for making their life, not just their day," she said of the firefighters and law enforcement who rode in the parade.

Fetter credited her sister-in-law, Jennifer, who lives only a few houses away, with making the arrangements for the parade. It was a secret and even when Fetter did find out, she only expected it to be a single fire truck, let alone a battalion of fire trucks leading a whole parade.

For the Fetter family, the parade was more than just celebrating a birthday. It was about a neighborhood coming together, even if theyre kept apart.

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Brisbane, Australia  Wed, April 8, 2020 07:05 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0645ae 2 Environment Great-Barrier-Reef,coral-bleaching,travel,environment,destination,Australia Free

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered its most widespread coral bleaching on record, scientists said Tuesday in a dire warning about the threat posed by climate change to the world's largest living organism.

James Cook University professor Terry Hughes said a comprehensive survey last month found record sea temperatures had caused the third mass bleaching of the 2,300-kilometer reef system in just five years.

Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures, causing them to expel algae living in their tissues which drains them of their vibrant colors.

"We surveyed 1,036 reefs from the air during the last two weeks in March to measure the extent and severity of coral bleaching throughout the Barrier Reef region," Hughes said.

"For the first time, severe bleaching has struck all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef - the northern, central and now large parts of the southern sectors."

Read also: Go snorkeling through the Great Barrier Reef with Sir David Attenborough

The damage came as February brought the highest monthly sea temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef since Australia began keeping records in 1900.

The reef is worth an estimated $4 billion a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy, but is at risk of losing its coveted world heritage status because warmer oceans brought about by climate change have damaged its health.

Back-to-back bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 prompted the government agency overseeing the reef to downgrade its long-term outlook to "very poor".

Bleaching was first seen on the reef in 1998 -- at the time, the hottest year on record -- but as temperature records continue to tumble its frequency has increased, giving coral less time to recover.

James Cook University professor Morgan Pratchett said although bleaching did not necessarily kill all corals, some were expected to fare worse than others.

More than half of shallow-water corals in the reef's northern reaches died in the 2016 bleaching.

"We will go back under water later this year to assess the losses of corals from this most recent event," Pratchett said.
The Microsoft Surface Duo was first announced last year at Microsofts Surface event and is Microsofts vision of what a smartphone should be able to do with its dual hinged display form factor.

Today, Panos Panay, Microsofts Chief Product Officer posted the first image shot with the Surface Duo to Instagram. If you recall the product video of the Surface Duo, it doesnt have any cameras on its exterior, so we do believe were looking at an image shot with the internal/selfie camera.

Panay says the photo was shot by his son Costas working from home. Of course, Instagram applied a considerable amount of compression on the image and likely the lighting wasn't great seeing how it's taken indoors.

Given the circumstances it's hard to read much into the image quality. The photo certainly doesnt look bad with decent colors and dynamic range, but we'll reserve final judgement for when we get more representative samples. For what it's worth Microsoft promised a world class camera.

Microsoft still plans to launch the Surface Duo at the beginning of the holiday shopping season 2020. This disproves a report from February suggesting that Microsoft may bring the device to market ahead of schedule, but with 2019 hardware.

The Sufrace Duo is a dual-display device with two 5.6-inch displays and support for the Surface Pen. The device will run a Microsoft-skinned version of Android, but the majority of its hardware is yet to be confirmed.

Source (Instagram)  Via
Sophie Monk will front a hilarious new show on Channel Nine that will offer some light relief amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 39-year-old has teamed up with comedian Nick Cody to co-host Accidental Heroes - a show very similar to the now-defunct Australia's Funniest Home Videos.

The series will feature 10 episodes with videos from all over the world that revolve around a theme - including Kids, Epic Stuff-Ups, Home Sweet Home, Family Fails, and so on - according to TV BlackBox.

'Anyone else need an escape from the news?' Sophie Monk (right) is set to host brand new Channel Nine show Accidental Heroes, alongside comedian Nick Cody (left)

Sophie told the website: 'This show is the content we all search for on social media everyday for hours, combined into one hilarious show.

'It was so entertaining to watch the viral videos, I forgot I was hosting. Legit!

'So if you can ignore my lame jokes, I promise it'll entertain your whole family. It's the fun we all need right now.'

Family fun: The series is similar to the now-defunct Australia's Funniest Home Videos. It will feature 10 episodes with videos from all over the world that revolve around a theme - including Kids, Epic Stuff-Ups, Home Sweet Home, Family Fails and so on

Sophie also posted the promo for the new series on her Instagram on Wednesday.

'Anyone else need an escape from the news? This show made me proper laugh out loud,' she wrote in the caption.

It comes after filming for Love Island Australia, also hosted by Sophie, is unlikely to happen due to restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Nine's programming director Hamish Turner told TV Tonight last month that the network is in discussions with ITV over the future of Love Island Australia in light of the 'current circumstances'.

Turn of events: It comes after filming for Love Island Australia, also hosted by Sophie, is unlikely to happen due to restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19

'Last time we were discussing what the future of that held and where we were going to shoot. That conversation has obviously shifted again with the current circumstances that we're in,' he added.

'We're still working with ITV if there is a show this year how you can get that to air.

'We're obviously in extraordinary times and there are certain things out of our control that have put a bit of a spanner in the works. We're working through those at the moment.'

Accidental Heroes will premiere Thursday April 9 at 7:30pm on Channel Nine.
This article is part of our latest Artificial Intelligence special report, which focuses on how the technology continues to evolve and affect our lives.

Adjusting to technological developments is not a new concept for the art world.

Wood panels were once the standard for paintings, but by the 17th century they were largely overtaken by canvas, and the paint itself changed, too. Video art, a mainstay now, was a new phenomenon in the 1960s.

More recently, augmented reality and virtual reality have captured the imagination of artists as ways to tell stories that we could not have imagined even 20 years ago.

But the rise of artificial intelligence in art, a phenomenon in recent years, has a different cast to it. Not only is A.I. a tool for artists, who are employing machine intelligence in fascinating ways, it is also frequently a topic to be examined  sometimes in the same piece.
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the region's information centre said on its Facebook page.

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the region's information centre said on its Facebook page.

The mountainous region is run by ethnic Armenians who declared independence during a conflict that broke out as the Soviet Union crumpled in 1991, and survives largely through aid from Armenia and donations from the Armenian diaspora.

The statement said the infected person had recently returned from Armenia, which had 853 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, with eight deaths.

Nagorno-Karabakh held parliamentary and presidential elections last week, and around 1,000 observers and journalists went there from Armenia for the event. A presidential run-off is scheduled for April 14.

Azerbaijan had reported 717 cases by Tuesday, including eight deaths, and the other major South Caucasian country, Georgia, said it had 195 confirmed cases, with three deaths.

Another breakaway territory, Abkhazia, also reported its first case.

Abkhazia broke away from Georgia in the 1990s and is recognised as an independent state by Russia.

Its chief sanitation officer, Ludmila Skorik, said the patient had returned from a business trip to Moscow, according to the Tass news agency.

(Reporting by Nvard Hovhannisyan and Margarita Antidze; writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
(Alliance News) - Boris Johnson is "responding to treatment" as he remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit where he is being treated for coronavirus, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister continued to be in "good spirits" on Wednesday after spending his third night in St Thomas's Hospital in London, his official spokesman said.

Johnson was said to no longer be working while following the advice of doctors and receiving just the "standard oxygen treatment" and "breathing without any other assistance".

When asked about further specifics about his condition or treatment, the spokesman said the update includes all the information the PM's medical team "considers to be clinically relevant".

As the government prepares to review the restrictions imposed across the UK, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said the lockdown will not end in Wales next week.

"We will not throw away the gains we have made and the lives we have saved by abandoning our efforts just as they begin to bear fruit," he added.

With the death toll across the UK continuing to rise, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab again chaired the daily Covid-19 meeting on Wednesday morning as he deputises for Johnson.

Asked if anyone has been in contact with the prime minister, his spokesman said: "The PM is not working, he's in intensive care, he has the ability to contact those that he needs to, he's following the advice of his doctors at all times."

At least 7,097 patients have now died in UK hospitals after testing positive for Covid-19 as of 5pm on Tuesday, the Department of Health said, a rise of 938 from the day before.

Meanwhile, No 10 said the three-week review of the lockdown will take place "on or around" the three-week mark on Monday, the date Johnson committed to when he announced the measures last month.

The PM's spokesman urged the public to "stick with it" at the "critical time" and highlighted the government's key advisers having said it was too early to say when the pandemic would reach its peak, making it safe to ease the restrictions.

As the drive to boost care capacity continues, No 10 said the second NHS Nightingale Hospital will be opened on Friday at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

It follows the first of the temporary hospitals, at the ExCel centre in London, taking its first patients on Wednesday. A third facility was expected to be opened in Manchester in "the next week or so".

By Sam Blewett, Political Correspondent, and Gavin Cordon, Whitehall Editor, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
[April 08, 2020] UBS launches new client initiative providing access to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program

To help small businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, UBS announced today that it has created a new initiative to expand its current referral lending network to enable clients to access the Small Business Administration's ("SBA") new Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), a subset of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). UBS has currently made over 2,200 referrals of PPP loans to date, which represents over $1 billion of loans. The firm developed a solution enabling small businesses to participate in the PPP. Through its current referral lender, Newtek Business Services Corp. ("Newtek"), UBS Financial Advisors and Client Service Associates, in addition to the banking specialists in UBS's US wealth management business, are now able to make PPP loan referrals through Newtek's online platform. This will help UBS's clients access the short term capital they need. It will also help provide an alternative for those clients who have not previously been SBA borrowers. Additionally, UBS Bank USA expects to initially make up to $2 billion available to support America's small businesses looking to gain access to the benefits provided by the CARES Act and the PPP. "This new initiative will allow us to help a number of our clients and other mall business owners obtain the loans they need to keep their operations running during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Tom Naratil, UBS Co-President Global Wealth Management and President Americas. "The flexibility of our model enables us to quickly implement new initiatives and have the ability to support our economy and the communities in which we do business during these challenging times."



"We believe it is our duty to help the economy, our clients and our community get back on their feet as quickly as possible," said Michael Blum, UBS Head of Banking Americas and UBS Bank USA Chairman. "We have already seen significant client interest in the PPP and are pleased that we have the ability to extend this opportunity to our Financial Advisors and Client Service Associates to support our clients." The firm will also be redirecting fees associated with this initiative in order to continue to support small businesses across the US. Any fees generated will be donated to provide relief through emergency grants and funding to small business owners in underserviced populations. UBS will work through its network of community partners to manage this effort.

#AmericaWorksTogether About UBS UBS provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as private clients in Switzerland. UBS's strategy is centered on our leading global wealth management business and our premier universal bank in Switzerland, enhanced by Asset Management and the Investment Bank. The bank focuses on businesses that have a strong competitive position in their targeted markets, are capital efficient, and have an attractive long-term structural growth or profitability outlook. UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 regions and locations, with about 31% of its employees working in the Americas, 32% in Switzerland, 19% in the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 18% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG employs over 67,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005780/en/

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When Ellie Bradish and her husband showed up Tuesday morning at Milwaukee's Riverside University High School, it was their third attempt to vote in Wisconsin's spring elections. The absentee ballots they requested never showed up, she said. The couple tried to vote at a drive-through site last weekend, but the wait was two hours long.

So they took their final chance in person despite fears of coronavirus infection, trying to keep a safe distance from the hundreds of others waiting in line.

"We decided to risk our lives to come vote," said Bradish, 40. "I feel like I'm voting for my neighbors, all the people who don't have the luxury to wait this long."

The snaking lines in Milwaukee and other cities illustrated the fallout from the Wisconsin Supreme Court's order to proceed with Tuesday's elections over the objections of the governor and public health officials - and showed the determination of many voters to participate despite the pandemic.

The nearly unprecedented challenge for election officials hit hardest in Milwaukee, which opened five voting locations out of the typical 180 because of worker shortages, and Green Bay, which offered two polling locations instead of the usual 31 and had waits of two to three hours.

But confusion and partisan rancor reigned across the state after a series of events Monday, when Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, tried to suspend in-person voting but was defeated in court by the GOP-controlled legislature.

Republicans argued that canceling elections would sow chaos, while Democrats accused them of trying to suppress voter turnout to help a conservative incumbent on the state Supreme Court.

The drama in Wisconsin offered a preview of what could play out in upcoming primaries - and possibly in the November election - as the health crisis upends voting across the country.

The state court's decision late Monday made Wisconsin the only state to proceed with a presidential primary this month, defying the public health emergency that led more than a dozen other states to postpone their contests.

"It's unlike anything I've seen in 30 years of local government," said Dale Peters, city manager of Eau Claire.

Voters cast ballots in thousands of local elections, as well as in the race between former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for the Democratic presidential nomination. The results will not be released until Monday, according to the state election commission.

Sanders was outspoken in urging the state to postpone the election, saying last week that "people should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote." Biden deferred to state officials, saying that absentee ballots are preferred but that in-person voting could take place as long as voters kept a distance and poll workers cleaned equipment.

The hotly contested Supreme Court race, between conservative Daniel Kelly and liberal candidate Jill Karofsky, attracted the most attention among the day's contenders - including a tweet from President Donald Trump.

"Wisconsin, get out and vote NOW for Justice Daniel Kelly," the president wrote. "Protect your 2nd Amendment!"

Some voters complained that they had to go to the polls in person after requesting absentee ballots that never came, while others said they were too fearful to vote because of the risk of infection.

According to a tally compiled by the state election commission, more than 9,000 requested absentee ballots had not been sent to voters as of Tuesday, though some officials cautioned that the figure was not up to date.

The day began with long waits in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Waukesha.

Outside Riverside University High School, anger mixed with resolve at the end of the line of about 400 voters, who alternated between standing six feet apart and drawing closer together as they shuffled forward. A poll worker handed out light-blue masks.

"I have to wait," said John Carter, a retired bus driver, 71. "I have to cast my ballot. I don't have anything going on, except the legs get tired. I'm an old man."

Normally, he said, he walks four blocks to his neighborhood polling site, and it takes 20 minutes, tops. Like many, Carter felt angry.

"I think the Republicans in Madison wanted this," he said, shaking his head.

Leaders of the GOP-controlled legislature defended their position, saying they advocated for voters to cast absentee ballots.

In a video interview Tuesday with The Journal Times of Racine, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told voters they were "incredibly safe to go out."

Vos, who was dressed in head-to-toe personal protective equipment as he volunteered as an election inspector in Burlington, said it "made no sense" to delay in-person voting because there is "no guarantee that in May or June, we are going to be safer."

The election proceeded after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4 to 2 late Monday that Evers' order exceeded his constitutional powers as governor.

Dissenting Justice Ann Walsh Bradley accused the court's majority of "risking the health of our families, neighbors and friends."

As of Tuesday morning, the Wisconsin Elections Commission reported that 1,273,374 absentee ballots had been mailed and that 864,750 were returned. The latter figure already exceeds the record 830,763 absentee ballots received in the 2016 general election.

But many voters still turned out in person, despite the health risks.

In the morning, Rosie Redmon, 79, sat in her wheelchair at the front of the line at Riverside University High School. She arrived with her son and daughter-in-law at 5:45 a.m., knowing that the polling location would be packed.

"I'm a voter," she said. "I do not miss voting." Absentee was never an option - too much can go wrong, she said.

Redmon, like a majority of voters in line, is African American. She wore a mask and latex gloves.

"I sleep in my mask," she said. "People laugh, but this is serious."

Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city's election commission, said Milwaukee's five voting sites were processing ballots as quickly as possible, but he acknowledged an average wait time of an hour to two hours.

He credited patient voters and poll workers who were diligently moving people through the lines as quickly as possible, keeping the process running smoothly.

"I believe they are the true heroes of the very unfortunate decision that was made yesterday" to continue the election, Albrecht said. He was referring to the poll workers, who were being supplemented by about 170 National Guard troops spread throughout the city, plus at least four city public health workers at each site.

Meg Wartman, the Waukesha County clerk, said that although the line at the city of Waukesha's single voting place was long when polls opened, it quickly disappeared. She said several of the county's towns set up drive-through voting locations for people who preferred staying in their cars.

In a statement Tuesday, Evers urged Wisconsinites to "stay as safe as possible."

"I am overwhelmed by the bravery, resilience, and heroism of those who are defending our democracy by showing up to vote, working the polls, and reporting on this election," he said.

Still, thousands of poll workers refused to show, saying they were being asked to risk their health as the coronavirus spreads.

"I don't understand the logic of why this election has to be held today," said David Tschida, who previously served as a chief election inspector for the city of Eau Claire.

The exodus left administrators scrambling. Reid Magney, spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said officials had to hire more workers and deploy the National Guard to assist 111 municipalities that last week warned that they didn't have enough poll workers to open a single voting location.

"We're not aware of any municipality where somebody is showing up and there's no place to vote in that municipality," Magney said.

Voting proceeded smoothly in the capital, Madison, and surrounding Dane County, according to the county clerk. Unlike Milwaukee, which is more than twice as big, Madison was able to secure enough poll workers to open 66 voting sites, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said.

Turnout was light, he said, in part because so many Dane County residents voted by mail but also, he feared, because voters were staying home out of concerns about infection.

Multiple voters told The Washington Post that they had not received their requested absentee ballots.

Marcelia Nicholson, a member of Milwaukee's board of supervisors, said she made her request March 21, but the ballot had not arrived by the end of Monday.

Nicholson was up for reelection Tuesday, and while she was running unopposed, she was unsure whether she would be able to cast a vote for herself.

"I do not consider this a legitimate election, and I myself have experienced disenfranchisement," she said. "If I'm having that issue, as a high-information voter who shows up for every election, how many other people are being disenfranchised? Even one would be too many."

In Eau Claire, Deann Mattson, 66, said she requested an absentee ballot three weeks ago, but it did not arrive. So she donned a teal face mask and headed to the polls.

Mattson said her polling site was well-sanitized, and she expressed hope that "in November, if this mess isn't over, that things go as good."

Still, if she had her way, the election would have been done by mail.

"I'm not too happy with the Republican Party," said Mattson, a registered Democrat. "I just don't think it's right to put people in harm's way because they want to try to suppress the vote. Government shouldn't do everything they can to stop you from having your voice."

Many voters have asked to be reissued absentee ballots that never arrived, Albrecht said, but state law forbids the city from doing so.

For those people, "your only option is in-person," he said. "I think this is a very sad situation."

- - -

Larson reported from Eau Claire, and Simmons from Milwaukee. The Washington Post's Scott Clement, Sean Sullivan, Matt Viser and David Weigel in Washington contributed to this report.
CAIRO  Ahmed Refaat, member of the parliamentary Telecommunications Committee, submitted April 1 to parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal a proposal, to the attention of the communications and information technology minister, and health and population minister, to create an app tracking the location of confirmed and suspected coronavirus cases.

Refaat said that the app would provide daily updates on the latest number of cases, and full names and locations of those infected in the governorates and villages, so as to allow citizens to be cautious and avoid being in close contact with those infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

The app would allow people who have been tested at a health care center to find out the result of the test without having to go back to the center.

Speaking to Al-Monitor by phone, Refaat said that if someone suspects they or others have the coronavirus, they are required to immediately report that to the competent authorities in order to avoid an outbreak and allow the treatment of patients.

He noted that the app proposal is a means to stop the coronavirus from spreading, and he explained that catching the virus is not looked upon in a negative way and that identifying patients is not wrong because everyone is at risk of contracting the virus.

In Egypt, social rejection is a reason people sometimes try to conceal their health status.

On April 7, the Ministry of Health confirmed 1,450 coronavirus cases, including 276 people who were discharged from isolation in hospitals and recovered, and 94 deaths.

Ahmed al-Baali, member of the parliamentary Telecommunications Committee, said that parliament is in favor of any proposal that could help stop the virus from spreading as long as it is can be applied on the ground. He explained that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is responsible for approving the proposal. If applicable, I hope that the app contributes to curbing the spread of the illness and raising awareness among the citizens on a large scale, he said.

Commenting on the proposal, Ayman Abul Ela, a member of the parliamentary Health Committee, told Al-Monitor over the phone that the proposal does not comply with global health protocols, because disclosing a patient's name is a violation of privacy. He added that it is part of the states role to isolate those who have been in close contact with infected people and areas where the virus runs rampant.

Apple recently launched a COVID-19 app accessible to everyone in order to help users take the right steps to protect their health in light of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Apple app asks a number of questions about symptoms and makes recommendations including on social distancing, self-quarantine, monitoring symptoms and testing for COVID-19, and when to resort to a health care provider.

Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed decided April 1 to add the coronavirus to the first part of the infectious diseases table that is annexed to the law to prevent infectious diseases. The decision stipulates applying the monitoring provisions, preventive measures and penal sanctions under Law No. 137 of 1958, which was issued under the rule of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, relating to the precautions to prevent infectious diseases. The first part of the table includes multiple epidemics such as cholera, the plague, smallpox, anthrax, relapsing fever and yellow fever.

In his comments to Al-Monitor, Refaat said the app would help implement Zayeds decision and support the Health Ministry in its fight to prevent infectious diseases from spreading.

Article 10 of Law No. 137 of 1958 authorizes the health minister to issue the necessary quarantine or monitoring decisions, including for individuals coming from abroad. The minister is also entitled to issue decisions on the health requirements for the entry of goods from abroad in order to stop the spread of infectious diseases.

Article 12 of the law stipulates that anyone infected or suspected of being infected with an infectious disease shall be reported to a competent health practitioner within 24 hours, or to the administrative authority in areas where the person resides if there is no health practitioner present.

The law requires specified individuals to report suspected or confirmed cases, including any physician who has witnessed a case, the head of a patients household, or any person who provides for him or accommodates or serves him, his manager at work, the person in charge of the transportation means where symptoms were identified or suspected, or the mayor or representative of the administrative party. The law also stipulates that when reporting a case, the name, family name, date of birth, place of residence and job title of the person shall be stated in order to allow the relevant health authorities to reach him.

The judicial police officers shall search homes and places for suspected infected cases, and issue orders to place the suspected individuals and those who were in close contact with them in quarantine, to get vaccinated (if possible), and to disinfect the accommodations, furniture, clothes, transportation means and so on, as per the law. They may also destroy what cannot be disinfected or resort to the police, under the law.

The law stresses the need to place in quarantine those suspected or confirmed to be infected with one of the diseases set out in the first part of the table annexed to the law. The suspected or confirmed cases shall be subjected to quarantine measures in a place of quarantine designated by the competent health authority. In case the patients condition prevents him from being transferred to the place of quarantine, the competent health authority may allow him to self-quarantine at home, before moving him to the place of quarantine it specified, once his condition allows that.

The law sets forth that the health authorities may continue to monitor those who were in close contact with the patient for a period of time they determine.

Rashwan Shaaban, member of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, told Al-Monitor that the law on infectious diseases has been in effect since 1958. He said that adding COVID-19 to the first part of the table annexed to the law does not grant material advantages to either those infected by the virus or the medical teams providing them with health care. Rather, it is a legal and administrative regulatory health matter.
The symbol of unity is habitually upheld and characterised by political parties and incontestably the driving force to every victory.

Over the years, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) under the leadership of Former President, John Dramani Mahama has portrayed such unity in their struggle to the 2012 election, thus won the elections.

Fast forward in 2016, the NDC lost abysmally to the NPP.

In 2018, John Mahama was elected the partys flag bearer to contest the 2020 general elections.

In his bid to winning the 2020 elections, the former president issued some directives to his appointees and followers.

Notable among them was for the appointees to adopt a constituency.

Owing to this, many including his special aid, Joyce Mogtari Bawa have since set the pace.

She has adopted the Salaga South Constituency which is her home constituency naturally.

She has over the years supported party activities in her own way

Two weeks ago, Hon Joyce donated a brand new Mitsubishi double cabin pick up to aid in the activities of the party.

This single gesture though received commendation is also the most criticized because of how it was presented.

Hajia Zuweira Ibrahima contested for the 2020 NDC parliamentary candidate for the Salaga South constituency and won to represent the party in the 2020 general elections.

For records sake, she is the first female to have ventured in that regard and eventually won.

It is imperative to also note that Hajia Zuweira and Hon. Joyce Bawa are from the Sungbun royal gate of the Kpembe traditional area.

I dont want to delve into the trajectory of how they got closer to the Johns but it is public knowledge that the two are close with the Johns.

Hajia Zuweira was conspicuously missing at the handing over of the Mitsubishi double cabin pick up donated by Hon. Joyce.

Pictures of Hon. Joyce flouted various social media handles without a single of the pictures showing the PC in attendance.

Many party faithfuls including my good self are unhappy and have these questions;

Is there a problem between the two loving sisters? Why will the special aid to a presidential candidate hand over a pickup without the PC knowing well the implications? Does she have any ulterior motive? Is she eyeing the Salaga south seat? Couldnt the pick up be handed over to the PC for onward submission to the party executives? Couldnt the pick-up be given without branding it in her name, as in the case of other constituencies?

What happens if the PC brings her branded cars to the constituency for campaigns? Will she be allowed to brand the one donated by Hon Joyce?

Hon. Joyce being a politician should understand the dynamics of politics especially the key role unity plays in winning elections.

The aid is seen on several occasions sponsoring a certain NDC vigilante group Bamuyarda to cause disunity among the party.

Hon Joyce should know she isnt contesting any elections and so should channel any support she has for the party through the PC.

The party needs the Salaga south seat in Parliament come December 2020 and all including Hon. Joyce should recognize that.

What does this mean to the success of the party come 2020 elections

This is the second time Hon Joyce is seen playing the devil's advocate.

In 2016, she diverted items meant to canvass for votes to her aunty, Hajia Hawa Doshie who is the NPP womens organizer for Salaga south.

Certainly, you cannot be doing the same things and expect different results, the disunity characterised if left unchecked will result to another embarrassing defeat in 2020.

Hon. Joyce must explain to the good people of Salaga South why she handed over the pick up without the PC.

The former President should take interest in calling his immediate officers who are playing divisive tactics to order or the defeat in 2016 will be better than what will come in 2020.

Hajia Zuweira is the PC elect and all must respect and support her to oust the incompetent MP for the area.
TWIN FALLS  As Idahoans shelter in place and practice social distancing, one segment of the population finds itself in cramped quarters: jail inmates.

The crowded conditions existed before the pandemic and were bad enough that two Magic Valley counties, Twin Falls and Gooding, tried and failed to pass bonds last year to expand their jail.

And now as health officials suggest people stay 6 feet apart, county jails are packing in more people than they have space for.

Twin Falls County has about 270 inmates in a jail built for 194.

The jail is checking those who are coming in to serve time for a high fever and turning away any with symptoms. But a study by researchers in Singapore estimated that about 10% of new infections may come from people who carry the virus but have not had symptoms.

Jail representatives said staff is working to maintain hygiene protocols and follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but that most who are currently incarcerated cant be released.

Weve been talking with judges, public defenders and the sheriff to get some released, said Capt. Doug Hughes, the Twin Falls County Jail administrator. Only 17 are misdemeanors serving a short amount of time, but some cant be let go because they havent showed up (to court) the last three times. When 44% of inmates are felons theres not a lot of people you can cut back to the community.

Things are a lot quieter in Gooding County where the public is blocked from entry at its courthouse and potential inmates are also being screened prior to being admitted to the jail. Calls to police are on the decline and the Gooding County Sheriffs Office is changing its policing to stop the virus from entering the jail by citing and releasing as often as it can and issuing summons and warrants for a later date.

I hate to say it, but unless youre an absolute threat to society youre not going to go to jail, Gooding County Sheriff Shaun Gough said. Thats a bad way to do business, but we cant afford it right now.

Most jails around the state are citing and releasing for misdemeanors, assessing the risks of releasing people arrested for felonies and are screening for illness before letting anyone in, the Idaho Sheriffs Association said. There is no universal plan for the states jails for handling the pandemic.

Every sheriff has to make his own decisions for what hes going to do in his jail, Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland said on behalf of the Idaho Sheriffs Association.

Jails around the country have become a hotbed for the spread of the virus, something the CDC warns on its website citing close quarters and new inmates arriving from many locations as issues that could endanger inmates and prison staff. Rikers Island in New York City, the city at the epicenter of U.S. coronavirus cases, is believed to have the highest infection rate in the country with some estimates suggesting almost 6% of inmates are infected compared to 0.51% of people in New York City.

Salt Lake County in Utah announced Tuesday that six of its 1,564 inmates and seven jail staffers have tested positive for the virus, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. And jail officials are waiting for test results for five more inmates.

Such cases alarm inmate rights activists.

The consensus among health professionals is that the transmission of COVID-19 in jails could be catastrophic if major changes arent made, said Ritchie Eppink, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho.

Gough said that he doesnt know what steps his jail would take if someone began showing symptoms other than to quarantine them. Jails around the Magic Valley all have similar plans and say there are places to do so safely, but advocates say that without significant changes to policing an outbreak will come to an Idaho jail and that hospitals may not be able to sustain it.

We havent heard of a plan from a jail ... for what theyre going to do if inmates get sick other than send them to the hospital, Eppink said. But that could overload the health system. We already have overloaded hospitals that may not be able to handle people being moved out of jails for care.

The Gooding County Sheriffs Office is also trying to work with the South Central Public Health District to get locations of people who have tested positive to help officers take precautions if called to the home of an infected person, but it is being met with opposition due to concerns about violating federal laws that protect patient data and identity.

Many police departments around the state are using personal protective equipment like gloves and masks, but as with arrest policy it varies by county.

Everybody seems to be operating by different rules right now, Gough said. But were hoping we can come together on this.

States such as California and Washington are expediting the release of inmates and have comprehensive plans for its policing tactics going forward. The ACLU is calling for the state to take the lead on these plans as opposed to the locally-driven approach the state has taken on the virus.

Other than changes in the amount of calls (to police), were still seeing arrests for failure to appear and marijuana, Eppink said. We shouldnt be putting people into a possible death sentence for minor offenses.

Megan Taros is a Times-News reporter and Report for America corps member covering the Magic Valleys Hispanic community and Jerome County. You can support her work by donating to Report for America at http://bit.ly/supportRFA.
The brand value of the worlds biggest companies is set to fall as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. However, the telecoms sector may not be as hard hit as other sectors, according to the latest analysis by independent brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

Every year, Brand Finance values 5,000 of the worlds biggest brands. The 150 most valuable telecoms brands are included in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 report.

In particular Brand Finance has assessed the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak based on the effect of the outbreak on business value, as at 18 March 2020, compared to 1 January 2020. While every sector will be affected well into 2021, it appears that the telecoms sector can be seen as much more resilient in the face of COVID-19, while it experiences a faster revolution in data handling as a result of the remote working revolution.

As David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, says: Telecoms brands are in essence already being pressure tested, having seen an immediate spike in demand  and now is the time to engage with customers and promote their offerings during this crisis.

Among the major operators Verizon is now the worlds most valuable telecoms brand, overtaking its US rival AT&T, and Deutsche Telekom is the most valuable European telecoms brand.

Meanwhile Emirati telecoms giant Etisalat, whose footprint covers 16 countries, remains the most valuable telecoms brand in the Middle East. Less expected perhaps is that the fastest-growing brand is Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), recording an impressive 42 percent growth to $2.4 billion.

VNPT has invested in 4G networks in order to meet customer demand and has ramped up efforts to increase its fibre optic cable speed. The Vietnamese governments plans for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, smart cities and start-ups, as well as the National Innovation Network Program, 4G and 5G, IoT, and mobile telecommunication networks, are helping to boost the countrys telecommunications sector.

Brand Finance also evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation. According to these criteria, Thailands AIS is the worlds strongest telecoms brand with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 92 out of 100.

Despite a drop of 12 per cent in its brand value since last year, China Mobile has seen success through powering ahead with its 5G+ Plan. However, rising up through the ranks of this years Telecoms 150 report is South Africas MTN. Africas biggest telecommunications brand, MTN has grown its subscriber level steadily over the past year and boosted its revenues. Customers spending more on data services and MTNs 5G rollouts have meant the brand is well placed to cater to this growing demand.

So far, it seems, operators have responded well to the ongoing health crisis. Indeed, as we have noted in these pages, they have needed to react quickly to increased consumer demand, and many have done so. However, as VNPT and MTN also show, its not just about the coronavirus. Planning ahead is important; demand will continue to grow.

For more information on this report, and to purchase the report in full, go to https://brandirectory.com/rankings/telecoms/
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Islands city and state political delegation are calling on City Hall to give the borough its fair share of medical personnel after the Island was left out of two rounds of the citys coronavirus surge plans for its public hospitals.

Last week, the Advance reported the city left Staten Island out of plans to add 3,000 more ICU beds by May 1 at hospitals within its Health + Hospitals network. As part of that plan, the city also said it would equip public hospitals with more than 2,500 doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians and provide free Covid-19 testing for its staff at their request.

Days later, the Island was once again left out of the citys planning, this time for additional medical personnel.

Mayor Bill de Blasio last week had called on the federal government for 1,000 nurses, 150 doctors and 300 respiratory therapists. However, once some of those medical personnel arrived in New York City, City Hall deployed 291 of them only to the citys public hospitals.

While Staten Island does not have a public hospital, the city should be providing our boroughs hospitals and healthcare workers with the same resources it is giving the other boroughs, especially during this crisis, read the letter to the mayor signed by Borough President James Oddo (R); Assemblymembers Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn), Micheal Cusick (D-Mid Island), Michael Reilly (R-South Shore), Charles Fall (D-North Shore); State Sens. Diane Savino (D-North Shore) and Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island); City Councilmembers Steven Matteo (R-Mid Island), Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), Debi Rose (D-North Shore); as well as District Attorney Micahel McMahon (D).

Our healthcare workers need and deserve testing to identify those who are ill and isolate them to stop the spread, they said. Likewise, our hospitals, Staten Island University Hospital and Richmond University Medical Center, should be receiving a portion of the 1,000 military medical personnel provided by the federal government to give assistance to and relieve the burden being placed on doctors and nurses, who are working hard, long hours to meet the mandate to increase capacity by 50%. the continued.

SOUTH BEACH PSYCHIATRIC CENTER WILL NEED MORE NURSES, ISLAND DELEGATION SAYS

Their letter to the mayor came on the heels of the opening of the 262-bed hospital at the South Beach Psychiatric Center, which was set up to exclusively treat coronavirus patients.

The Islands political delegation said the South Beach Psychiatric Center would need more medical staff, in particular nurses, to be able to fully function.

The Islands two private hospitals RUMC and SIUH have also said that in order to expand their hospital capacity, they would need more medical staff.

Though RUMC did not provide a specific breakdown of exactly how much more medical staff it would need, the hospital said they recently asked the city for more nurses and respiratory therapists.

SIUH also warned that a staffing challenge would arise as its patient surge grows but did not specify how much more medical staff it would need.

Earlier this week, City Hall would not say why it did not send any military medical staff to Staten Island or whether the Islands hospitals would receive any of the 1,000 nurses, 300 respiratory therapists or 150 doctors from the federal government the mayor had called for in the future.

The mayor had said that under the citys current approach, 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.

This borough has never received its fair share from the HHC but, now, during this crisis, we need to be treated equally. We need help and we need it now. We strongly urge you to work expeditiously with us on these two issues: testing for health care workers and staffing at our hospitals. In the midst of a global epidemic, we must help one another. Staten Island cannot be expected to fight this battle alone, the lawmakers said.

City Hall did not return requests to comment on the delegations letter.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

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The coronavirus is taking its toll on NJ Transit.

The agency is caught up in the same scramble as hospitals, police and others on the front lines of the coronavirus battle to get personal protective equipment for workers who come in close contact with the public.

Meanwhile, service has to be provided for essential workers to get to and from the job, despite a 90% ridership drop. And some riders are concerned about riding too close to one another on some rush hour bus routes as NJ Transit closes off part of the bus to keep drivers distant from passengers.

Meanwhile, worried transit workers and some of their unions complain not all who need the equipment are getting it and dispute some of the agencys statements. Bus riders on some lines still report buses where passengers have to decide between social distancing or getting to work on time.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that a new link will be included on the states COVID-19 website to report bus crowding.

@NJTRANSIT not quite sure how youre protecting your drivers or your riders when there are 23 people sitting on top of each other because 6 rows are empty for the driver to practice social distancing  jasmine nicole  (@jasmine_nicolea) April 8, 2020

Like its sister agencies in New York and Boston, NJ Transit is in a tight spot.

NJ Transit is providing all service we canour workforce is subject to same COVID-19 conditions, said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO and vice-president. We dont have the manpower to add more service.

The agency might be in worse shape if it hadnt embarked on a hiring blitz during the last two years of bus drivers, locomotive engineers and conductors, he said.

Coronavirus claimed the life of a veteran NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line conductor Joe Hansen on Tuesday. Another 87 of its 12,000 employees tested positive for COVID-19. Fifty-seven of those employees are front line employees.

Joe was such a kind person. Just the perfect smile and hello when you needed it most. He will be missed  RIP Joe.   Jill Hickle (@jhickle511) April 8, 2020

Another 517 employees are in quarantine or awaiting test result and 159 were off the job and coming back, Corbett said.

The sacrifice of NJ Transit employees has been noticed by riders and transit advocates.

I thank every one of NJ Transit employees for maintaining service. NJ Transit is a lifeline for many including myself, said Norm SutarIa to NJ transits board on Tuesday. I speak for essential workers from grocery clerks to surgeons who use NJ Transit. We are grateful the service is intact, even at reduced levels.

Meanwhile, some employees have complained to NJ Advance Media that masks and gloves arent available or that workplaces, especially in remote locations on the sprawling rail system arent being sanitized.

@NJTRANSIT Just talked to one of your conductors and asked what protections you are giving them as far as masks and gloves and was told you aren't giving them anything. Take care of your people on front lines or don't run at all  Rocker (@mopegdan) April 1, 2020

NJ Transit officials said masks and gloves are being sent to workers, but there are delays in the distribution process and they are constantly trying to restock items in heavy demand.

Were competing with the healthcare industry. We are getting a lot and the issue is getting timely delivery, Corbett said. We are working with labor and there were sporadic shortages. Weve been diligent.

The agency currently has enough and is working on the supply and logistics chain to get protective gear to employees, he said. Meanwhile, employees who can work from home have been told to do, he said.

We received masks last week and began to distribute them, Corbett said. We have a sufficient amount of gloves which are being distributed.

@NJTRANSIT how is your bus drivers cutting off HALF the bus... instead of the the proposed 6 feet going to make your customers safe?

I understand the first 6 feet (first 3 seats on the right, 4 seats on the left) for social distancing, but cutting off an additional 9 seats? pic.twitter.com/RxKIVTIO1s  World Championship Cinema (@moviemarkspod) April 8, 2020

A tougher issue to solve is social distancing on some bus routes during rush hours when essential workers are traveling. The problem started after NJ Transit reduced bus service to a weekend schedule to cope with a 90% ridership loss.

The following Monday, passengers started reporting and photographing buses with people standing in the aisles and sitting next to one another, which wasnt in line with social distancing recommendations. Part of the problem is the front portion of buses is closed to passengers to protect the bus driver.

Even if we had full bus service, we cant have five people riding a bus. Corbett said. If 40 people show up for one bus, we ask customers to use their judgment.

That means, take the next bus or ride an earlier bus the next day, he said. Where officials see a pattern of social distancing issues due to crowding, the agency will add buses. By Friday April 3, NJ Transit added buses to 17 routes.

On major routes where we have flexibility, we have thrown more buses on, Corbett said. Weve added 50 trips on route that go to certain hospitals.

But the solution is as immediate as adding more buses the day after a problem is reported.

Were seeing variations day to day, Corbett said. We need several days to see a pattern.

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.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
The Karnataka government has granted permission for the celeberations of the annual Karaga festival with certain restrictions.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that not more than five people would participate in the event, which starts at the city's Sri Dharmarayana Swamy Temple, old Bengaluru from today.

"Only 4-5 people will be allowed to be present during celebration of the festival at Sri Dharmarayana Swamy Temple," he said while speaking to media here.

The event which is associated with the Thigala community attracts thousands of devotees every year. But due to the coronavirus spread, the government has banned all the festivals and events across the state which involves public gathering.

According to the Health Ministry, India has so far recorded 4312 cases of COVID-19. Out the total, 352 have been cures/discharged and 124 have lost their lives to the lethal infection.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amber Heard's 'sexual violence' evidence against Johnny Depp will be kept secret at his libel trial against The Sun newspaper despite him arguing that the claims be made public.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star is suing the tabloid's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which referred to the 56-year-old as a 'wife-beater'.

A two-week trial was due to start in London on March 25 at which the actor, Ms Heard, 33, and a number of Hollywood figures would have had to give evidence, but it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a remote Skype hearing on Wednesday, Mr Justice Nicol ruled part of Ms Heard's evidence relating to allegations of sexual violence will be heard in private during the forthcoming trial.

Amber Heard's 'sexual violence' evidence against Johnny Depp will be kept secret at his libel trial against The Sun newspaper despite him arguing that the claims be made public

At a remote Skype hearing on Wednesday, Mr Justice Nicol ruled part of Ms Heard's evidence relating to allegations of sexual violence will be heard in private during the forthcoming trial (pictured: the High Court in London)

He made his ruling following an application by lawyers for NGN, saying the orders sought by the publishers were 'necessary and proportionate'.

Mr Justice Nicol said: 'I stress that nothing in this judgment will pre-judge the issues that I will have to decide at trial. Neither party will be disadvantaged by the fact that part of the trial will take place in private.

'Either in public, or in private, the claimant (Mr Depp) will have a full opportunity, so far as is proper, to challenge the evidence of Ms Heard by cross-examination.'

NGN's counsel Adam Wolanski QC told the court Ms Heard, who is a defence witness in the case, had said she found the prospect of having to give evidence in public on the confidential matters 'terrifying'.

He said: 'Your lordship will know this case has generated a great deal of publicity already and one of Ms Heard's concerns... is that she has been the subject of a great deal of vilification in the press, in particular on social media.

'She is very concerned that the nature of these allegations is such that that would be the case if this confidential material is reported.'

David Sherborne, for Mr Depp, argued that allegations Ms Heard has made of both sexual and physical violence against her former husband - which Mr Depp vehemently denies - have been published previously and aired in open court.

He said Ms Heard was 'no ordinary witness', adding: 'She has consistently promoted herself as a victim... and characterised her allegations as being not just about physical abuse, but sexual violence.'

Mr Sherborne said Ms Heard has 'promoted herself as an activist' during an appearance before the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in 2019, and in an opinion article for the Washington Post, which is the subject of separate libel proceedings by Mr Depp in the US.

However, Mr Justice Nicol found the part of her evidence which will remain confidential was 'of a different order' to allegations already in the public domain.

The exact nature of the allegations was not disclosed to the press or public and remain unknown.

Mr Depp (pictured leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in February) claims Ms Heard threw a glass bottle at him which smashed and fractured his finger before she 'put a cigarette out on the claimant's right cheek'

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star, 56, (pictured in February) is suing News Group Newspapers - the publishers of The Sun - and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which alleged he was violent and abusive towards Ms Heard and referred to him as a 'wife-beater'

The libel claim against NGN and Mr Wootton arises out of publication of an article in The Sun in April 2018, under the headline 'Gone Potty - How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?'

Mr Depp has brought separate libel proceedings against Ms Heard in the US, which the court has previously heard are 'ongoing'.

Timeline of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's relationship February 3, 2015 Johnny Depp and Amber Heard marry in a private civil ceremony at their LA home, four years after they met as co-stars on the set of The Rum Diaries. The couple celebrate with a lavish reception on an idyllic private island in the Bahamas that Depp bought in 2004 for $3.6 million. April 21, 2015 Heard breaches Australia's biosecurity laws after she and Depp fail to declare their two Yorkshire terriers when they arrive Down Under on a private jet for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Charges of illegally importing animals are dropped but Heard admits falsifying quarantine documents and is placed on a $1,000 one month good behavior bond. May 23, 2016 Heard files for divorce after 15 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Four days later a judge issues a temporary restraining order against Depp over domestic violence allegations. Pictures of Heard's alleged injuries hit the tabloids but the LAPD finds no evidence of a crime. August 16, 2016 Heard retracts her allegations as she and Depp reach a $7 million divorce settlement. Their marriage was 'intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,' the former actors say in a statement. 'There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm'. December 18, 2018 The Washington Post publishes an op-ed by Heard, an ambassador for women's rights at for the American Civil Liberties Union, urging support for women who suffer domestic violence. 'Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out,' Heard writes. March 1, 2019 Despite not being named in the article, Depp files a $50 million defamation suit in Fairfax Circuit Court, Virginia saying it insinuated he was an abuser and got him fired from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Depp dismisses Heard's allegations as a 'hoax' and claims he was actually the victim of her violence. April 10, 2019 Heard files a motion to dismiss the complaint, cataloging more than a dozen instances of abuse between 2012, when she moved in with Depp, and the May 2016 bust up that preceded their divorce. She refers to him as 'the monster' in the 300-plus page filing. May 20, 2019 Depp hits back against the motion to dismiss claiming Heard painted bruises on her face, scrubbed metadata and fabricated evidence against him. He denies ever abusing any woman and says of her allegations: 'I will continue to deny them for the rest of my life.' Advertisement

A spokeswoman for Ms Heard said: 'We welcome Mr Justice Nicol's decision to allow evidence relating to 'sexual violence' to be heard in closed court.

'There is simply no reason for such sensitive evidence to be exposed to the world's press.

'We are pleased that the court made this order despite Mr Depp's troubling argument that Amber should not benefit from the right to privacy in relation to sexual violence, because of her public association with the #metoo movement and her advocacy for victims of sexual violence at the United Nations.'

The former couple met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, married four years later but split in May 2016 amid a slew of blood-curdling domestic violence allegations and tabloid headlines.

They looked to have put their feud behind them after agreeing to a $7 million (5.5 million) divorce settlement in 2017 until Ms Heard wrote her Washington Post article in December 2018 about being a domestic abuse victim.

The article did not mention Mr Depp by name but he filed a $50 million (40 million) defamation suit in Virginia in March 2019, saying it led to speculation that he was the abuser and caused him to lose the role of Captain Jack Sparrow.

'Ms. Heard is not a victim of domestic abuse; she is a perpetrator,' Mr Depp's US suit claimed.

'She hit, punched and kicked me. She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles, soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls and paint thinner cans, which severely injured me.'

The American lawsuit is due to be heard in August.

Mr Depp has always argued that he was the victim of an 'elaborate hoax' instigated by his ex-wife, who 'faked' her injuries with makeup after a blowout May 2016 fight that finally ended their toxic marriage.

Ms Heard responded with a lurid 300-page filing of her own, cataloging the 'horrific' abuse she claims to have suffered at Mr Depp's hands, describing him as 'the monster' and recalling many of the allegations she made during their divorce.

The filing included photos of bruises and scars, clumps of hair apparently torn from Ms Heard's head and pictures of smashed up furniture to illustrate the violence she was allegedly subjected to.

Ms Heard had a restraining order slapped on Mr Depp following an altercation on May 27, 2016, during which she claimed the actor threw a cellphone at her face at their downtown Los Angeles condominium.

Ms Heard claimed police had evidence of the attack but two LAPD officers later said in a deposition that they found nothing to suggest a crime took place.

DailyMail.com obtained exclusive tape recordings which were made in 2015, around a year before the alleged fight, as the pair tried to talk through their caustic marriage problems.

Their heart-to-heart quickly descends into bickering as Ms Heard accuses Mr Depp of taking her for granted, behaving like a 'vacation husband' and 'splitting' every time they have an argument.

Mr Depp complains he's forced to leave when she becomes 'manic and angry', telling Ms Heard: 'I'm not going be in a physical f**king altercation with you... you f**king hit me last night.'

He goes on to add: 'I'm not the one who throws pots and whatever the f**k else at me.'

The vodka bottle Ms Heard allegedly threw, exploded and tore off Mr Depp's finger (above after surgery). He said he had to undergo multiple surgeries and almost died after contracting MRSA three times

Ms Heard responds: 'That's different. That's different. One does not negate the other. That's irrelevant, that's a complete non sequitur.

'Just because I've thrown pots and pans does not mean you cannot come and knock on my door. '

When Mr Depp cuts in to suggest he's also had vases hurled at him, she replies: 'Just because there are vases does not mean that you come and knock on the door.'

'Really, I should just let you throw?' Mr Depp replies, tailing off as they carry on sniping.

'The only time I ever threw anything at you was when you f**king threw the cans at me in Australia,' he admits.

Ms Heard asks: 'Why are you trying to justify who throws things based on whether or not you come knocking on the door? I don't get why one informs the other.'

Mr Depp says, raising his voice: 'Because that is a f**king irrational and violent f**king maneuver. So a man would want to get out of that area so that he doesn't get so f**king angry that he actually does pop the f**king wife.'

The exchange doesn't point to any specific event but it has a possible reference to the contentious and bloody incident in which Mr Depp suffered a severed finger one month into their marriage in Australia in March 2015.

Details of that incident were ventilated at the High Court earlier this month, during which NGN's barrister Mr Wolanski QC said Mr Mr Depp lost the top of his finger 'whilst in an alcohol and drug-addled rage against Ms Heard.'

He told the court Ms Heard alleges Mr Depp had 'shoved Ms Heard into a ping-pong table', grabbed her and then 'tore her nightgown' before he 'slammed her against the countertop and strangled her'.

She claims that during the attack, which left her 'scared for her life', Mr Depp 'severely injured his finger, cutting off the top' while he was smashing a telephone against a wall, Mr Wolanski said.

Mr Depp, however, claims Ms Heard threw a glass bottle at him which smashed and fractured his finger before she 'put a cigarette out on the claimant's right cheek'.

Mr Wolanski said there were 'diametrically opposed accounts of what happened' in Australia, and submitted that two 'highly damaging' text messages sent by Mr Depp to his personal doctor, Dr David Kipper, later in March 2015 undermined his account.

One message sent shortly after the incident read: 'I cut the top of my middle finger off... What should I do!?? Except, of course, go to a hospital... I'm so embarrassed for jumping into anything with her... F*** THE WORLD!!! JD.'

Two 'diametrically opposed' accounts of how Johnny Depp lost the top of his middle finger in a heated row with ex-wife Amber Heard (pictured together in 2016) is at the centre of his libel battle against The Sun newspaper

A second message, sent around two weeks later, read: 'Thank you for everything. I have chopped off my left middle finger as a reminder that I should never cut my finger off again. I love you brother. Johnny.'

Mr Wolanski said the texts had been disclosed in a separate libel case between the pair in the US but had only recently been disclosed to NGN's lawyers, which he said demonstrated 'the claimant just cannot be trusted when it comes to disclosure'.

The barrister also said that after another alleged attack, Mr Depp had told Ms Heard 'it was as if there was another personality having done it', which he referred to as 'the monster'.

Mr Wolanski added that Ms Heard said: 'He would blame all his actions on a self-created third-party... he would speak about it as if it was another person or personality.'

He applied for further disclosure of Mr Depp's medical records from a psychiatrist and a relationship counsellor who treated him while he was in a relationship with Ms Heard and when, Mr Wolanski said, 'he was under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription drugs'.

He added Ms Heard's evidence was that Mr Depp would 'usually when under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but not always, flip and suddenly turn into 'the monster' and it was on those occasions that, she says, he lost control and attacked her'.

Mr Justice Nicol ordered Mr Depp to take further steps to secure evidence from consultations he had with the two doctors.

Adam Waldman, Depp's lawyer, said afterwards: 'Amber Heard and her friends in the media use fake sexual violence allegations as both a sword and shield, depending on their needs.

'They have selected some of her sexual violence hoax 'facts' as the sword, inflicting them on the public and Mr. Depp.

'Today Ms. Heard appropriated important court privacy rules designed to protect real victims as a shield behind which Ms. Heard's most absurd new claims can hide.

'Mr. Depp, contrary to the desperate claims of Ms. Heard, took a 'neutral' position in today's hearing.

'Public or private, it will make no difference to our obliteration of Ms. Heard's new-but-not-improved hoax with mushrooming evidence including her own secretly recorded audio tapes.'
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Russia is preparing to open a brand new emergency coronavirus hospital built from scratch in less than one month.

These first pictures show the wards at the new 92million clinic in Moscow which in recent days has seen 10,000-plus construction workers deployed round the clock.

It is the largest of 18 new-build hospitals now being built across Russia to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, and the only one not constructed by the army.

Almost half the beds in the new Moscow clinic will be in intensive care units.

The hospital's opening comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin warns the public that they are still to see the infection's peak.

Pictured: A ward at Moscow's new 92million hospital complex which has seen over 10,000 construction workers deployed there in recent days

Pictured: An intensive care room at the new Moscow hospital complex. The facility is the largest of 18 new medical spaces being built across the country, and the only one not being built by the Russian armed forces

Pictured: Three beds at the new Moscow hospital. Cases of coronavirus in Russia rose today by more than 1,000 for the second day running

Moscow's existing Kommunarka infectious diseases hospital is reported to be packed with 'elite' patients suffering from coronavirus or its symptoms.

One patient in Kommunarka is the hospital's head Dr Denis Protsenko who caused a health scare after meeting and shaking hands with President Vladimir Putin and subsequently being diagnosed to Covid-19.

There is concern because 69 per cent of all registered Russian coronavirus cases are in the capital city.

Pictured: A view of the 92million Moscow hospital complex from above. Over 50 per cent of the beds at the new facility will be designated intensive care units

Pictured: A ward at the new 92million complex in Moscow, Russia. Moscow's leading infectious disease hospital is overflowing with 'elite' patients said to be infected with the deadly virus

One of the patients at the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow is the facility's own chief and virus specialist Dr Denis Protsenko, pictured, who caused a national health scare after meeting and shaking hands with President Vladimir Putin and subsequently being diagnosed to Covid-19

The new 656-bed Voronovskaya hospital is now hiring medics at boosted salaries to work at the hospital and live on the 861,113 square feet site in dormitory blocks.

Work began here on 12 March and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said: 'We can now undertake finishing work and the installation of the medical equipment.'

He said the scale of the project was unprecedented in Russia, with an opening by 20 April.

In this file photo taken on Monday, March 23, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right shakes hands with the hospital's chief Denis Protsenko during his visit to the hospital for coronavirus patients in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia. The chief doctor of Moscow's top hospital for coronavirus patients said last week that he tested positive for the virus

Pictured: A view of the 92million Moscow hospital from above with hospital wards to the right and dormitories for the staff to the left

Pictured: Construction workers put the finishing touches to the exterior of the staff dormitories at the new Moscow hospital

'The number of workers at the construction site has been doubled,' he said.

'Today, more than 10,000 people work here.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia rose by more than 1,000 for the second day running, taking the total to 8,672, the country's crisis response centre said today.

The number of reported cases rose by 1,175, a record daily rise, while deaths increased by five to 63, the centre said.

Meanwhile, Putin is warning Russians that the peak of infections is in the future.

Pictured: A dumb waiter, allowing medical staff to transfer food to patients without coming into contact with them, at the new Moscow hospital

'We carefully monitor the situation and take into account the positive and negative experiences of other countries,' he said.

'I acknowledge that the peak of the epidemic has not yet passed.

'Now it is extremely important not to repeat other countries' mistakes - and not commit our own.

'We need to learn and make conclusions based on the position of the medical and scientific community.'

Russians are on an enforced vacation until the end of April.

'Motivational posters' designed by the mayor were deployed at the building site.

One shows the powerful mayor pointing his finger and saying: 'Construction workers! We are counting minutes.'

Another reads: 'Tired and given up? Make way for real fighters!'

The Russian army is currently building 16 coronavirus hospital.

A separate prefabricated infectious diseases clinic was also mooted for Khabarovsk close to the Chinese border.
Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung (R) gives a box symbolizing a batch of face masks to Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro in Hanoi, April 7, 2020. Photo courtesy of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam has handed over 550,000 antibacterial cloth masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. to support their Covid-19 fight.

A ceremony to mark the donation was held Tuesday wherein Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung symbolically handed over the made-in-Vietnam masks to the ambassadors of the five nations.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that in the spirit of strategic partnership and traditional friendship, Vietnam has devoted part of its resources to helping European countries, so that they can have more means to protect people's health and overcome the current difficult period, when the Covid-19 pandemic has been having "very serious impacts" on the continent.

Europe has emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic alongside the U.S., with Italy leading the world in the number of deaths at over 17,000, followed by Spain with more than 14,000. The U.S. is third with more than 12,800 deaths, followed by France with more than 10,300, U.K. more than 6,000 and Germany more than 2,000.

Dung said in this global health crisis, no single country can effectively deal with the spread of the disease, and international cooperation and strengthened solidarity are important factors in protecting the health and ensuring safety of the people.

All nations are beholden to contribute to minimizing the enormous impacts of Covid-19, he noted.

"Vietnam is always ready to cooperate closely, exchange experiences, and join hands with other countries to implement necessary measures in accordance with bilateral and multilateral frameworks such as the ASEAN - EU, the G20, and the United Nations with a strong determination to soon repel and control the pandemic," Dung added.

Ambassadors of the five nations and Pier Giorgio Aliberti, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, expressed their gratitude to the Vietnamese government and people.

They and their nations have been touched by what Vietnam, which has also been hit by the pandemic, has done to help foreign nationals overcome the Covid-19 disease, the envoys said.

They also pledged that their nations will ensure tight cooperation with Vietnam in all activities to prevent and fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has claimed more than 82,000 lives as it reached 209 countries and territories.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research's (CIHR) Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health has awarded a CAD$3.5 million operating grant to Dr. Treena Wasonti:io Delormier of McGill University's School of Human Nutrition. The grant will help to establish a Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) over the next five years in the province of Quebec.

The purpose of the NEIHR program is to establish a network of centers focused on capacity development, research and knowledge translation centered on Indigenous Peoples, and is an integral component of CIHR's $100 M action plan for building healthier futures for Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Metis) peoples living in Canada. Multiple indicators show that Indigenous Peoples across Canada suffer a significant health gap compared to non-Indigenous populations. This includes reduced life expectancy, higher children mortality rates and increased rates of Tuberculosis infection, all of which underline the pressing need for medical research that focuses on Indigenous health issues.

The NEIHR is an incredible opportunity for Indigenous communities, Indigenous serving organizations and academic institutions to bring together the many positive examples of respectful and rigorous health research. It will build on current efforts in academic institutions to create supportive spaces for Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous students and knowledge holders." Dr. Treena Delormier, the Nominated Principal Applicant of the grant

The network is entitled: Tahatikonhsontontie' - 'the faces that are coming '-- Community Mobilization for Indigenous Health Research Capacity and will be hosted at the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP) in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake. The Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project is a nationally and internationally recognized best practice in community-based research with 25 years of experience.

The mission of the Tahatikonhsontontie' Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research is to be the center for research and training in community mobilization and knowledge translation for Indigenous health promotion. Network partners include Indigenous communities, Indigenous-serving organizations, academic researchers and institutions, and decision-makers and knowledge users. The Network aims to develop research opportunities, share research expertise and wise practices, and enhance access to training, research tools and methodologies that support the self-determination of Indigenous communities in attaining their visions of health and well-being. Within these community-centered research spaces, Indigenous knowledge will be honored and privileged, and bridge the strengths of western ways of knowing when appropriate.
New Delhi, April 8 : The outlook for the Indian economy looks bleak as the Goldman Sachs has revised its forecast for the country's real GDP growth rate for the financial year 2020-21 to 1.6 per cent.

In a report, it said that with the spread of the pandemic and the eventual lockdown have resulted in a significant contraction in economic activity.

The outlook has been revised downwards from the previous forecast of 3.3 per cent.

"The 1.6 per cent growth for FY21 would be deeper compared to widely perceived 'recessions' India experienced in the 1970s, 1980s, and in 2009. Notably, the global COVID-19 crisis -- or more precisely, the response to that crisis -- represents a physical (as opposed to purely financial) constraint on economic activity that is unprecedented in postwar history," it said.

It said that despite the policy support provided so far the nation-wide shutdown, and rising public anxiety about the virus are likely to lead to a sharp deterioration in economic activity in March, and in the next quarter.

The report, however, said that a strong sequential recovery in the second half of the fiscal year is expected based on three assumptions.

First, the 3-week nationwide lockdown, which is expected to be removed only in a staggered fashion, and social distancing measures reduce new infections over the next 4-6 weeks. Second, while the fiscal easing so far has been limited, the expectation is for further fiscal stimulus by the Centr and the states.

"Third, we expect the RBI to continue with its monetary easing policy, along with liquidity infusion measures. While more forceful policy support could present some upside risk, the recovery could further be delayed if the pandemic is not brought under control globally and domestically over the next few months," it added.
NEW YORK (AP)  Convicted former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli, known as Pharma Bro, wants to get out of prison so he can help research a treatment for the coronavirus, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Defense attorney Ben Brafman said that he will file court papers asking federal authorities to release Shkreli for three months so he can do laboratory work under strict supervision.

His client  best known before his arrest for drug price-gouging and his snarky online persona  is housed at a low-security prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

I have always said that if focused and left in a lab, Martin could help cure cancer, Brafman said in a statement. Maybe he can help the scientific community better understand this terrible virus.

In a research proposal posted online, Shkreli called the pharmaceutical industrys response to the pandemic inadequate and said researchers at every drug company should be put to work until COVID-19 is no more.

Shkreli wrote that his background as a successful two-time biopharma entrepreneur, having purchased multiple companies, invented multiple new drug candidates would make him a valuable asset.

I am one of the few executives experienced in ALL aspects of drug development," he said, adding, "I do not expect to profit in any way, shape or form from coronavirus-related treatments.

Shkreli, 37, was sentenced to seven years in prison 2018 for crimes that included lying to investors about the performance of two hedge funds he ran, withdrawing more money from those funds than he was entitled to get, and defrauding investors in a drug company, Retrophin, by hiding his ownership of some of its stock.

A judge ordered Shkreli to forfeit $7.3 million.

Shkreli first gained notoriety by buying the rights to a lifesaving drug at another company in 2014 and raising the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

He is also known for attacking critics on social media and offering a bounty to anyone who could give him one of Hillary Clintons hairs.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS:

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The on-going COVID-19 crisis has sparked a spike in demand for laptops in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa as Europe, the Middle East, and other continents face a scarcity of devices occasioned by the global pandemic which has disrupted supply chains across the world.

Investigations reveal that the COVID-19 crisis has necessitated a de-emphasis on mass gatherings, thereby prompting businesses and educational institutions in Europe and other continents to turn to virtual work in order to keep the wheels of their enterprise and academic pursuits turning. Consequently, staff and students have been encouraged to work and learn from home.

The development has seen increased demand for laptops and other work tools to enable staff who would otherwise have relied on work systems in the office; to be able to turn in productive work on personal laptops. Also, a number of educational institutions in these advanced climes have embraced e-learning as a way to bridge the gap between tutors and students/pupils while complying with the lockdown being enforced in many of these countries. Furthermore, parents and other social media-savvy youth have had to purchase laptops in view of the lengthy stay at home as a means of enjoying more convenient screen time for leisure activities such as chatting or seeing movies on Netflix.

These factors have all combined in engendering a scarcity of laptops in these zones; with supply stunted and few available units all being snapped up by eager shoppers.

Consequently, attention has turned to Africa and to a larger extent, its biggest market, Nigeria for inventory.

Businesses have bought up almost all available laptops in Europe for their staff working from home. The benefits of e-learning as a tailor-made solution for the lockdown in most countries has also seen increased demand for these tools. Most professionals and social media users have also considered bigger screens as a better option for the long stay at home as against mobile phones. This has seen a massive demand for laptops from other parts of the world, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed Ravi Zack, a supply chain specialist based in Germany.

Furthermore, he disclosed that Nigerian businesses with international outlook are being looked up to for help in meeting the supply gap in Europe and further afar.

As a matter of fact, Konga, one of the foremost e-commerce companies and largest stockists in Nigeria had fielded enquiries from some of the biggest products merchants in the UK and other parts of Europe.

Konga has been identified as a credible outpost with the capacity to retain huge inventory which could come in handy to bail out a lot of people in Europe, says Vipin Shaw, a mega electronics business owner based in Dubai. In fact, few international computer OEMs had recommended Konga as one of the structured sources that could be of assistance. TD Africa, another Nigerian-based tech firm, was also mentioned as a reliable HP partner which could be in a position to make some stock available.

When contacted to verify these claims, Vice President, Konga Offline, Kalu Johnson admitted that some enquiries had been received over the past few days on the possibility of supplying laptops abroad at double the market price. Nevertheless, he affirmed that the management of Konga was considering the needs of Nigerians.

Yes, Nigerians are not heavy on e-learning and we will make more money selling these devices over there. However, we are not so keen to push these devices abroad as we also have thousands of Nigerians who are in need of these PCs and laptops. Same goes for schools, businesses and other establishments in Nigeria.

The Federal Government is enforcing a lockdown and the Ministry of Education has also urged educational institutions to go online to continue teaching and learning. Millions of Nigerians are also working from home this period. If we offload these devices overseas, who knows when we will be able to achieve such inventory capacity to serve the local needs, especially as no one has an idea when the COVID-19 crisis will end, he said.

Nigeria is currently looking to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as confirmed cases rise across the country.
The Pound Sterling Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate slumped by around -0.3% this afternoon. This left the pairing trading at around AU$1.9974.

Sterling edged lower on Wednesday as demand for the safe-haven US Dollar rose as concerns that the coronavirus pandemic was far from over.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent his second night in intensive care due to worsening coronavirus symptoms.

Earlier this week, the Pound suffered knee-jerk reactions to the reports of the Prime Ministers condition. Although, it has been reported that he is in a stable condition.

Commenting on this, Viraj Patel, global FX and macro strategist at Arkera noted:

The Pounds been pulled around by external factors at the moment - largely the broader risk and Dollar environment - with key themes in equities and oil markets driving FX sentiment.

Weve seen a couple of knee-jerk moves lower on the headlines over PM Johnson being in hospital. But these have faded quickly, with the short squeeze and positioning adjustment in high-beta currencies dominating FX markets.

Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar benefitted from recent Sterling weakness despite growing concerns over the pandemic from investors.

Aussie gains against the Pound were limited as risk appetite remained under pressure and traders began to flock back to the safety of the US Dollar.

The Australian Dollar also suffered earlier today after ratings agency S&P slashed its outlook for its sovereign AAA rating to negative.

Meanwhile, AUD likely benefitted from signs of slowdowns of coronavirus hospitalisations, and some European countries announced they would start to ease their lockdowns as the number of deaths eased.

Added to this, Wuhan, China where the virus first emerged ended a two month lockdown today. However, concerns that a second wave of infections could hit the country remain.

According to National Australia Banks head of FX strategy, Ray Attrill:

What we see and hear from Wuhan will be quite important for whether any improvement in sentiment can be maintained.

There is very keen interest in how willing Wuhan residents are to get out and about, and hope there wont be evidence of re-infections any time soon.

Looking Ahead: Coronavirus and RBA in Focus

Looking ahead to Thursday, the Australian Dollar (AUD) could give up some of todays gains against the Pound (GBP) following the release of the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) Financial Stability Review.

If the RBA is overly dovish and highlights the economic damage the coronavirus pandemic will have on the economy, the Aussie will slide.

Meanwhile, markets will be focused on the latest US jobless data release. If the number of Americans out of employment rises to another record high, risk appetite will plummet and traders will flock to the safety of the US Dollar (USD) and away from the risk-sensitive Aussie.
Quaker Voluntary Service fellow Sarah Bluett (left) and community engagement specialist Joanna Rosenhein (middle) help a client review their health coverage options at The Friends Center in Philadelphia in November. Read more

Julia Ramsey felt shell-shocked when she was laid off from her IT job in early March. Shed heard about the new virus that was hospitalizing thousands in China and Italy, but it hadnt yet become widespread in the United States, where schools and businesses were still humming along.

It all sort of came at one time, said Ramsey, 38, of Glenside. I lost my job. A couple days later the lockdown in Montgomery County happened. ... I wasnt so concerned at first, but I quickly realized things were changing pretty rapidly.

Not only had Ramsey lost her job, her family lost their health insurance.

Employer-sponsored health insurance is the most common type of health coverage for individuals under age 65, when most Americans become eligible for Medicare. And with millions of Americans out of work as businesses shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, analysts say the ranks of the uninsured also will rise.

Newly unemployed  and uninsured  individuals may be eligible for a plan through the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Others may have low enough family incomes to qualify for Medicaid.

Even if you anticipate being rehired in a few months, its worth finding out if you are eligible for another insurance plan, said Antoinette Kraus, executive director of Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), which helps people enroll in healthcare.gov plans and Medicaid.

You never know when you might get sick or need health coverage, she said.

How to get Medicaid

Medicaid may be an option for people whose income has dropped to within 138% of federal poverty  $17,618 a year for an individual and $36,158 a year for a family of four.

The program uses both annual and monthly earnings to calculate income eligibility, making it relatively easy to determine if youre eligible after losing a job. Individuals who earn less than $1,468 a month and a family of four earning less than $3,013 a month can qualify.

 READ MORE: How to sign up for Medicaid

Unemployment pay (typically half your regular pay) counts as income, but the federal stimulus payments promised by the federal government do not.

Medicaid coverage is retroactive, but processing the application can take up to 30 days. If you have an urgent medical need, note that in your application  state reviewers may expedite your case.

Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

CHIP, a state health coverage program with low out-of-pocket costs, is available for all children. Monthly premiums vary by household income, and families that earn up to 300% of federal poverty are eligible for a discount, said Colleen McCauley, health policy director for Public Citizens for Children and Youth, which helps families enroll children in CHIP. People who are currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP cannot be removed from the program during a declared public health emergency. Families already paying a premium for CHIP who have lost income should call to find out if they are eligible for a decreased rate, McCauley said.

Shop healthcare.gov

People who lose a job with health benefits are eligible for a special enrollment period for individual and family plans sold through healthcare.gov.

Plans arent cheap, but are often more affordable than the COBRA payments needed to hold on to an employer-sponsored plan, and you may be eligible for an income-based tax credit  especially if you have lost your job. Individuals who earn less than $49,960 a year are eligible for some amount of tax credit.

Unlike Medicaid, which can calculate eligibility based on monthly income, the marketplace uses annual income, which may be tricky to estimate in such uncertain times.

 READ MORE: Tips for buying health insurance through healthcare.gov

Patrick Keenan, director of consumer protections and policy for PHAN, recommends first calculating how much youve earned so far this year, by looking at a past pay stub. Add 39 weeks of unemployment pay  the maximum amount of unemployment benefits allowed under the federal coronavirus relief package that was signed into law at the end of March.

During the pandemic, the federal government has suspended penalties for taking retirement funds early, but any withdrawals will count as income for those applying for healthcare.gov plans, Keenan said.

Beyond that, youll need to make an educated guess about how much more you may earn before the end of the year. Theres no penalty for estimating incorrectly, but Keenan said its important to be realistic about potential earnings. If you end up earning more than you estimated, you will need to pay back part of the discount you received when you do your taxes.

People who sign up now will have coverage that takes effect May 1.

 READ MORE: How to avoid insurance scams

Ramsey, of Glenside, said she was relieved to enroll in a healthcare.gov plan  even though she, her husband, and 3-year-old son dont use much health care. At $90 a month, after a tax credit, the premium for their new plan is less than the $300 she paid through her employer, but she now has a much higher deductible  about $16,000 for the family.

I wanted to make sure that if something happens with COVID-19, if one of us has to be hospitalized  she said, trailing off. The deductible is high, but its less than what wed face without it.

Need help?

Pennsylvania Health Access Network assists with marketplace plan and Medicaid enrollment. Call 877-570-3642 or email helpline@pahealthaccess.org.

Public Citizens for Children and Youth assists with CHIP enrollment and can connect parents to coverage. Call 215-563-5848 ext. 17.

Center for Family Services assists with marketplace plan enrollment in New Jersey. Call 877-962-8448 or visit getcovered.nj.gov.

NJ FamilyCare, the states Medicaid and CHIP, offers enrollment support. Call 800-701-0710.
In this photo illustration a Zoom App logo is displayed on a smartphone on March 30, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

Millions of Americans Using Zoom, Which Sends Some Data to China

Video-conferencing app Zoom, which has surged in popularity amid the global CCP virus pandemic, is facing mounting privacy and security concerns after research reports and the CEOs disclosure revealed its encryption keys were being transmitted to servers in China in some cases.

The backlash reached a crescendo recently with Taiwans recent banning of any government use of Zoom, citing security concerns. The April 7 measure marked the first time a government had imposed a formal action against the company.

In the United States, a similar picture is emerging. Experts told The Epoch Times that concerns related to Zooms alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party are absolutely warranted.

Watchdog group Citizen Lab recently examined Zooms encryption during multiple test calls in North America, in which they found keys for encrypting and decrypting meetings were transmitted to servers in Beijing. The report stated that Zoom used non-industry-standard cryptographic techniques with identifiable weaknesses.

An app with easily-identifiable limitations in cryptography, security issues, and offshore servers located in China [that] handle meeting keys, presents a clear target to reasonably well-resourced nation-state attackers, including the Peoples Republic of China, the authors wrote in their April 3 report.

The app has gained immense popularity in recent weeks as millions of Americans under lockdown are required to work from home. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Zoom reached more than 200 million daily users worldwide in March, a massive increase from the 10 million daily participants at the end of December.

Zoom also appears to own three companies in China, the report states, adding that according to a recent SEC filing, the company, through its Chinese affiliates, employs at least 700 employees in China that work in research and development.' This arrangement, researchers noted, may make Zoom responsive to pressure from Chinese authorities.

Casey Fleming, chairman and CEO of intelligence and security strategy firm BlackOps Partners, said Americans should be very wary of any software or hardware created or manufactured in China.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) completely controls all production and exploits every opportunity to steal intellectual property and innovation through every means possible, Fleming told The Epoch Times. Economic espionage is part of the CCPs grand strategy of Hybrid Competition (Warfare) to defeat the United States, capitalism, and democracy to ultimately control the world.

The world is waking up to how ruthless and evil the Chinese Communist Party really is and their true intentions, he said. Recent CCP actions and statements reveal this point. The CCP is very much like a nefarious and dysfunctional crime family running a nation-state.

The Epoch Times reached out to Zoom for comment but didnt receive a response.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security said in a positively worded memo that the company had been responsive to the concerns raised about its software, according to Reuters. The memo was recently distributed to top government cybersecurity officials.

Growing Scrutiny

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan admitted in an April 3 blog post that the company mistakenly added servers for the app in China.

In our urgency to come to the aid of people around the world during this unprecedented pandemic, we added server capacity and deployed it quicklystarting in China, where the outbreak began, Yuan said. In that process, we failed to fully implement our usual geo-fencing best practices. As a result, it is possible certain meetings were allowed to connect to systems in China, where they should not have been able to connect.

In February, to handle an increase in demand, Yuan said Zoom added two of its Chinese data centers to a lengthy whitelist of backup bridges, potentially enabling non-Chinese clients tounder extremely limited circumstancesconnect to them (namely when the primary non-Chinese servers were unavailable).

He added that Zoom immediately took the mainland China data centers off of the whitelist of secondary backup bridges for users outside of China after learning about the oversight.

In an October 2017 interview with Medium, Yuan said he decided to move to the United States in the mid-1990s because of the growing internet wave, which he said had not taken off in China. He said he got his U.S. visa on his ninth attempt.

The first time I applied for a U.S. visa, I was rejected, Yuan said. I continued to apply again and again over the course of two years, and finally received my visa on the ninth try.

The FBI also warned about Zooms security vulnerabilities in a March post saying there were reports of video calls being hacked with pornographic and/or hate images, and threatening language. The Justice Department also issued a similar release.

Experts said the criticisms they have seen against the app are similar to the ones about the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, which is facing a national security review.

On April 3, a group of 19 House lawmakers sent a letter to Yuan asking him to shed light on the companys data collection practices, including information on attendee attention tracking, cloud recording, and automatic transcriptions of conferences.

And according to The New York Times, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked Yuan in a letter about the new security measures that Zoom has put in place. The New York City Department of Education has also banned teachers from using the app.

Zoom is dealing with a heavy load of backlash against a multi-faceted and often mind-boggling shortsightedness with regard to user privacy and the overall security of its platform, Attila Tomaschek, data privacy expert at ProPrivacy, told The Epoch Times.

Beijing theoretically could demand that the encryption keys for those calls be handed over for decryption by Chinese authorities, allowing them full access to the contents of those calls and the ability to listen in on supposedly private conversations, he said.

Meanwhile, Zoom was hit with a class-action lawsuit by shareholder Michael Drieu, who accused the company of overstating its privacy standards and failing to disclose that its service wasnt end-to-end encrypted.

Also, Google on April 8 banned the use of Zoom on employee computers, citing security concerns. A spokesperson told The Hill the move was part of Googles longstanding policy of not allowing the use of unapproved apps for work.

The fact that Zoom effectively gave Chinese authorities access to the call data of users in North America, well outside the normal reach of the communist regime, raises the alarm to a whole new level, Tomaschek said.

[Zoom] represents a particularly attractive target for government agencies in gathering intelligence, he added. When the company quite literally hands over the keys to an authoritarian government, it presents massive issues with regard to user trust and its overall security practices.
'You cannot start an MSME again.'

'It is not like a Yes Bank that someone comes and saves the bank.'

' Once the shutter is down for an MSME, nobody will come to its rescue.'

An MSME unit. Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: Reuters

According to a survey conducted by the All India Manufacturers Organisation, over 71% of its member establishments are unable to pay wages owing to various reasons following the 21-day national shutdown to prevent the coronavirus outbreak.

The AIMO, an apex trade body focused on the interests of the medium, small and micro enterprises (MSME) sector, surveyed 5,000 traders and MSMEs across the country over the last few days, to gauge the impact of the national lockdown.

The survey's findings showed that 63% of entrepreneurs quoted cash flow problems for their inability to pay wages at this time.

"To know the feelings of a small entrepreneur you have to be in his shoes," K E Raghunathan, past president, AIMO who conducted the survey, tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Why did you carry out this survey among your members?

We have been saying for the last 10 days that the first 10 days of a month are the most crucial for any MSME and the cash flow problems are likely to come up while paying the salaries. Because from the 1st to the 5th of every month we have (payment) commitments and so we wanted EMIs to be safeguarded for us.

Unfortunately, the advice from the RBI (on deferment of EMIs) came on March 27. but the clarity never came.

The banks individually took a decision on how they wanted to implement it on April 2. By the time people could make use of this scheme the money was removed from their accounts due to ECS.

Now the field level problem is that this 21-day lockdown has dismantled many people. We did a study across the country as to what happened to payments in the informal sector.

In the formal sector, payment is easy because you transfer it from banks and you can work from home.

In a small enterprise, say, if you have 15 people in an informal sector job out of which two people say are finance guys working from home and 12-13 people are factory workers where there is no work.

How can I then pay salary to these 12 people, that too full salary, when there is no work? And I will have to pay the other two people also who have been working from home.

Is the government telling you to pay the full salary?

There was a directive from the ministry of labour that businessmen must not deduct any salary for the days not worked.

This is a very serious matter because once the direction comes from the Government of India and if somebody violates it, then you are finished.

But that directive is only for one month, isn't it?

During the curfew period no deduction shall be made as a non-working day.

In big companies the managing directors don't even know their employees's names and how many of them work in their company, but here in MSMEs the owners know each and every worker's name and their extended families too.

MSME companies are heart-driven while in big companies it is system-driven.

MSMEs works in emotional and sentimental ways in handling people rather than commercial and financial.

In our survey we asked, have you paid salaries? If the answer is yes, then the next question was, whether you paid full salary or half salary? If not paid, then what is the reason for not paying?

The number one problem they could not pay was because of computation problems as people could not reach their offices to pay the salary. The police did not allow them to come out of homes and they were beaten up when they tried to reach office.

There is a lockdown, so how can we pay salaries? I am not able to compute the salary because curfew is in place.

The chequebook is in the factory which we cannot reach and banks too are not working in full capacity.

I am myself unable to go to the bank and withdraw cash. There is a logistics issue.

The intention to pay salaries is there, but the means are not there as there are operational problems.

The government is not saying they will take harsh action if you don't pay salaries. There is no government notification as such, either.

It goes without saying. Why do you then say, pay. Don't say such things then.

How can I pay? But please tell me, how to make me pay (as there are logistics problems)?

Are businessmen afraid that if they don't pay salaries on time then action will be taken by the government?

It is a legally tenable notice from the ministry of labour. The joint secretary has already issued directions.

No deduction of salary on account of people not able to come to office during the curfew shall be done by any establishment or enterprise.

And when we go to file provident fund and ESCI, the government will come to know the details.

And now I am worried about how to pay as I have three problems. Will the government find a solution or not?

I have a computation problem, a logistics problem and a cash problem.

How long do you expect this crisis to go on?

I don't know for how long, but whether it goes on or not my life will be miserable, that much I know.

If I don't pay people they are not going to come to work.

The kind of salary I am now able to afford to pay, only the people staying in and around my area will be able to come to work.

I am not a Tata or Birla where I can attract talent from across the world. I am not a public sector undertaking or a big corporate.

We have been warning and saying avoid the situation, but nobody cares.

Who did you say this to?

Ten days ago we submitted proposals for assistance required to the government to please avoid a cash crunch in the first week of April.

If only the banks had given us an overdraft facility, we would have been happier, but nothing came.

Before the interview began, you were talking about the impact of the lockdown on industry.

Yes, I fear that a lockdown will lead to shutdown.

Those are strong words to use.

Of course. But the media does not want to listen.

Today I am seeing that newspapers's thickness is becoming less and less.

Salaries will not come and it is a serious problem. Just like coronavirus, salary issue will also be a serious problem.

You cannot start an MSME again. It is not like a Yes Bank that someone comes and saves the bank. You cannot re-start an MSME later.

Once the shutter is down for an MSME, nobody will come to its rescue.

Businessmen and entrepreneurs are positive people by nature, they always live on hope and optimism, but here you are painting a very dark picture.

It will now be very difficult to wake up, get up and walk. We can go on limping.

In small scale industries we don't have computer-aided machines. We have lathes and small machines. Suddenly if they are unused for 25 days with no maintenance and no care, it will not work again.

And all my existing stocks will become outdated when I re-start. It will need refurbishing, polishing, painting and refurnishing.

To know the feelings of a small entrepreneur you have to be in his shoes.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/08/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Jessica Studer has revealed she felt much better and relieved after she told her husband Austin Hurd she was in love with him.During the April 1 broadcast of : Unfiltered, Jessica watched back a Season 10 clip in which she overcame her fear of being rejected and told Austin during a counseling session with Dr. Viviana Coles, "I do love you, Austin.""For me to say it," Austin replied, "I just need a little more time."Unfiltered host Jamie Otis teared up when watching Jessica share her emotions, and Viviana joked she's "so pregnant." (Jamie and her husband Doug Hehner, whom she married on Season 1 of , are currently expecting their second child together)."Jessica, how does it feel watching that back?" Jamie asked after composing herself."It feels really good to watch that again and relive in that moment, and I really did feel so much better and relieved after I said it," Jessica shared."Do you feel he received it [in] the way you wanted him to?" Jamie asked."He had already said he wasn't ready to say it, so I wasn't expecting it. I knew that I was saying it because I wanted to," Jessica said.Austin has gushed about how he's "crazy" about Jessica and cares for her immensely. In fact, he said he never felt so strongly about a woman so quickly before.However, Austin just didn't want to rush saying "I love you," recognizing the significance and magnitude of such a claim.When asked for his thoughts on Austin waiting to profess his love back to Jessica, Season 10 participant Zach Justice said, "It's so funny how it's engrained in us that you're supposed to say these things at the same time.""You know, good for them for having a true demonstration of vulnerability in saying something or doing something and not expecting anything in return, and [Jessica] just handling it very well," Zach added.Viviana said she doesn't understand where the mindset comes from that a man should say "I love you" first in a relationship."We think the more alpha person in a relationship should take the reins when it comes to saying that, but I think it's antiquated. If you feel it, say it!" Viviana urged."Yeah, yeah," Jamie agreed."Jessica is the alpha," Zach joked."I guess that's not surprising then," Jessica said in reply."I could see you being the alpha in the relationship!" Jamie pointed out to Jessica."Well, [Austin] is a mama's boy, so what do you expect?" Zach joked."For sure," Jamie replied.Jessica said on the March 4 episode of Unfiltered she was convinced Austin was going to be the first one to say "I love you," even though he kept insisting he didn't take those three words lightly and it would take a while for him to say them."I still feel like [Austin] will probably be the first one to say it," Jessica proudly stated at the time."I think that he is someone who is more in check with his feelings and emotions, and I usually put up a lot more walls. So, I kind of feel like it's going to be him that says it first... I mean, if he wants to say it, I might say it back!"Jamie therefore asked Jessica if she loved Austin and wanted to say "I love you" but was holding back."I think that I'm definitely growing those feelings," Jessica shared. "I'm getting to that point... I am pretty happy with Austin... I'm at, like, a 10 [out of 10 on a scale of my feelings for him]."Jessica and Austin, who are both quirky and want to start a family in the near future, seemingly have the strongest and most stable relationship on 's tenth season.In fact, the pair actually toned down their affection for each other when in the presence of the other struggling couples.Jessica and Austin consummated their marriage early into their honeymoon in Panama and have succeeded in navigating daily life together.Austin, for example, cooks and cleans the apartment when Jessica works late, and for those reasons, Jessica doesn't mind she makes more money.Jessica and Austin had a little tiff about how much Austin would have to travel for work in the future, but a little communication went a long way for these two and they eventually hashed out the issue rationally and maturely.At this point, it appears Jessica and Austin have no hurdles to overcome other than the fact Jessica is waiting for Austin to profess his love for her.'s tenth season, which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Mindy Shiben Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group
Radio presenter Ray Hadley has slammed rival Alan Jones over his morning interview with columnist Andrew Bolt about Cardinal George Pell's acquittal.

Sydney radio 2GB mornings host Hadley claimed Jones had aired 'poorly researched rubbish' on his breakfast show.

Melbourne-based Bolt, a newspaper columnist, blogger and Sky Television host, had appeared on Jones' show demanding Hadley apologise for calling him 'creepy' for defending the cardinal.

But Hadley said Bolt was wrong because he only called him 'creepy' in reference to a separate case concerning a pedophile.

Pictured right is radio broadcaster Ray Hadley. He has slammed Alan Jones for airing 'poorly researched rubbish'

'I won't be apologising for calling him 'creepy' in relation to Pell because I did not,' Hadley thundered at the start of his 9am show on Wednesday.

'So Mr Bolt don't hold your breath ... check your facts.'

Hadley then told his audience Bolt was on his open phone line before saying 'you've had your say' and declining the call.

At 9.25am, Bolt hit back on his Herald-Sun blog, saying 'Ray Hadley is a coward.'

'I asked to go on air for a right of reply but he refused.'

Jones (pictured) had aired 'poorly researched rubbish' on his breakfast show, Sydney radio 2GB mornings host Hadley claimed

Bolt said he tried again to get on air and spoke to a Hadley program staffer.

'Once again Ray refused to take my call, and then went on air again to accuse me of bullying his staffer. Falsely claimed I said I would have his staffer sacked.'

Bolt admitted telling the staffer he should be ashamed of working for Hadley and that 'I would remember him', according to his blog post.

The furore began when Bolt spoke to Hadley's 2GB stablemate, breakfast host Alan Jones, just before 9am and demanded the apology.

Cardinal George Pell leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne in June. The High Court acquitted him of five child sexual abuse offences on Tuesday

The pair had been discussing the outcome of a High Court hearing into the Pell case.

The court on Tuesday acquitted Cardinal Pell of five child sexual abuse offences because there was 'a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof'.

Cardinal Pell spent more than 400 days - first in Melbourne's Metropolitan Remand Centre and later the maximum security Barwon Prison - in jail before he was released within hours of the High Court judgment.
Lenovo is boosting its ties to Microsoft with an edge-to-cloud platform that runs Microsofts Azure Stack in a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), putting HCI on the edge of the network rather than in a data center.

The Lenovo ThinkAgile MX1021 server analyzes data at the edge near where it is gathered, a change in direction for the usual edge strategy. In earlier edge schemes, data collected at an edge endpoint is merely sorted, and only the relevant data is sent up to the main data center where it is analyzed.

The ThinkAgile MX1021 platform is a ruggedized, half-width, short-depth, 1U compact server that can be installed almost anywhere: hung on a wall, stacked on a shelf, or mounted in a rack. For connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G.

It comes with an Intel Xeon-D processor with up to 8 cores, 256GB of DDR4 RAM, and 16TB of internal M.2 solid-state storage. It can handle temperatures from 0 to 55C, as well as tolerate locations with high-dust and vibration.

It also integrates with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub and Azure IoT Hub, allowing customers to tier and move data between the edge, their main data centers running Azure Stack, and the Azure cloud service. Azure Stack is an on-premises software product that replicates the Azure cloud experience on premises and allows for seamless movement of applications and data between on-premises and the cloud.

The ThinkSystem DM7100 is an all-flash or hybrid SSD/HDD storage array, capable of offering end-to-end NVMe technology while delivering integrated, secure hybrid-cloud capability for Microsoft Azure and other public-cloud-provider solutions.

Lenovo says that data deduplication will allow enterprises to reduce their cloud footprint by up to 66% and that with all-flash arrays, analytics are performed 30% faster than by older Lenovo storage arrays.

Kamran Amini, vice president and general manager of Server, Storage and Software-Defined Infrastructure at Lenovo DCG, said the two systems are validated by Microsoft Azure and designed to fit into existing architectures.

He said this deal is not exclusive to Microsoft, and we can expect HCI edge products running Nutanix and VMware in the future. But for now its leading off with Microsoft because Microsoft is being aggressive on the edge, he says. Microsoft is moving outside the core data centers to offices and manufacturing lines. In a Microsoft environment, customers can use [the new hardware] as an end-to-end solution, from edge to the core to the cloud.

So Lenovos target markets for these devices are areas Amini sees as offering huge growth: manufacturing, retail, health care, remote offices, education, and smart cities and campuses.

Customers see the edge becoming a more relevant space and where computing growth is going to happen. A lot of customers want to put more analytics at the edge. We are also seeing customer demand for higher reliability and throughput but also ease to put [edge] data on the cloud or on prem, he adds.

The ThinkAgile MX1021 server and ThinkAgile MX1021 platform are available through Lenovo and partners or through Lenovos TruScale pay-per-use program, similar to HPEs GreenLake.
Ten years ago, on April 8, 2010, Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) was signed between Russia and the U.S. in Prague.

The document called for the reduction of up to 1,550 nuclear warheads, up to 700 units of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and heavy bombers. The document entered into force on February 5, 2011, and on February 5, 2018, the parties announced the fulfillment of their obligations.

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia is ready to extend the New START immediately, but the United States does not seek to "conduct honest dialogue." "Our position, voiced by President Vladimir Putin, remains unchanged," Medvedev wrote in his exclusive op-ed for TASS.

According to Medvedev, the extension of the Treaty "could allow time for the development of a new and, possibly, even a multilateral strategic arms control system." "If the New START deal ceases to exist, its demise will have extremely serious consequences for international security," the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council warned.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) today announced that it has entered into sale and leaseback agreements with affiliates of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, LLC ("Oak Street") relating to the company's distribution centers in Columbus, OH, Durant, OK, Montgomery, AL, and Tremont, PA. The transactions are expected to close in the company's fiscal second quarter, subject to continued due diligence, final documentation, and other customary closing conditions.

Gross proceeds from the transactions are expected to be $725 million. Net of expenses and taxes, the company expects to receive estimated net proceeds of approximately $550 million.

The company intends to use the net proceeds from the sale and leaseback transactions to fully pay down debt on its revolving credit facility, provide additional liquidity and, when market conditions normalize, for other corporate purposes including investments in growth initiatives and potential share repurchases pursuant to future authorizations from the company's Board of Directors.

Commenting on today's announcement, Bruce Thorn, President and CEO of Big Lots stated, "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Oak Street for the sale and leaseback of our four company-owned distribution centers. Our Board and management team regularly evaluate ways to optimize our balance sheet while maintaining a conservative capital structure. The transactions will provide the company with significant additional liquidity to navigate the current uncertain environment. In addition, when we return to more normal conditions, it will enhance the company's ability to take other measures to drive shareholder value."

About Big Lots, Inc.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is a discount retailer operating 1,405 BIG LOTS stores in 47 states with product assortments in the merchandise categories of Furniture, Seasonal, Soft Home, Food, Consumables, Hard Home, and Electronics, Toys & Accessories. The company's mission is to help people Live BIG and Save Lots. The company strives to be the BIG difference for a better life by delivering unmatched value to customers through surprise and delight, being a "best places to work" culture for associates, rewarding shareholders with consistent growth and top tier returns, and doing good in communities as the company does well. For more information about the company, visit www.biglots.com .

About Oak Street Real Estate Capital, LLC

Oak Street Real Estate Capital, LLC ("Oak Street") is a Chicago-based real estate investment firm focused on acquiring properties net-leased to investment grade rated tenants. Oak Street specializes in providing unique and flexible real estate solutions to a variety of organizations including corporations, healthcare systems, universities, and government entities. For more information, please email [email protected].

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and such statements are intended to qualify for the protection of the safe harbor provided by the Act. The words "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "objective," "goal," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "may," "target," "forecast," "guidance," "outlook" and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. Similarly, descriptions of objectives, strategies, plans, goals or targets are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to the expectations of management as to future occurrences and trends, including statements expressing optimism or pessimism about future operating results or events and projected sales, earnings, capital expenditures and business strategy. Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions concerning future conditions that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. Although the company believes the expectations expressed in forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of knowledge, forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, any one or a combination of which could materially affect business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Forward-looking statements that the company makes herein and in other reports and releases are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, current economic and credit conditions, the cost of goods, the inability to successfully execute strategic initiatives, competitive pressures, economic pressures on customers and the company, the availability of brand name closeout merchandise, trade restrictions, freight costs, the risks discussed in the Risk Factors section of the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors discussed from time to time in other filings with the SEC, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. This release should be read in conjunction with such filings, and you should consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating forward-looking statements.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures the company makes on related subjects in public announcements and SEC filings.

Important Information

Big Lots, Inc. (the "Company") intends to file a definitive proxy statement and associated proxy card in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting with the SEC. Details concerning the nominees of the Company's Board of Directors for election at the 2020 Annual Meeting will be included in the Proxy Statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY'S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company's shareholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to Big Lots Inc. at 4900 E. Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, Ohio 43081, or from the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.biglots.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, its directors and certain of its executive officers will be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders in respect of the 2020 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the names of the Company's directors and executive officers and their respective interests in the Company by security holdings or otherwise is set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020 and the Company's definitive proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the SEC on April 16, 2019. To the extent holdings of such participants in the Company's securities have changed since the amounts described in the proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, such changes have been reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in any proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will also be included in any proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC, if and when they become available.

SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.biglots.com


Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect comment from the Pentagon.

As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through Chinas Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting.

Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military's National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the documents contents.

The report was the result of analysis of wire and computer intercepts, coupled with satellite images. It raised alarms because an out-of-control disease would pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in Asia -- forces that depend on the NCMIs work. And it paints a picture of an American government that could have ramped up mitigation and containment efforts far earlier to prepare for a crisis poised to come home.

"Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event," one of the sources said of the NCMIs report. "It was then briefed multiple times to" the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagons Joint Staff and the White House. Wednesday night, the Pentagon issued a statement denying the "product/assessment" existed.

MORE: CDC director downplays coronavirus models, says death toll will be 'much lower' than projected

From that warning in November, the sources described repeated briefings through December for policy-makers and decision-makers across the federal government as well as the National Security Council at the White House. All of that culminated with a detailed explanation of the problem that appeared in the Presidents Daily Brief of intelligence matters in early January, the sources said. For something to have appeared in the PDB, it would have had to go through weeks of vetting and analysis, according to people who have worked on presidential briefings in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Story continues

"The timeline of the intel side of this may be further back than were discussing," the source said of preliminary reports from Wuhan. "But this was definitely being briefed beginning at the end of November as something the military needed to take a posture on."

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: Ambulance medical staff arrive at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital with an elderly woman, who recovered from COVID-19, at Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, March 30, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

The NCMI report was made available widely to people authorized to access intelligence community alerts. Following the reports release, other intelligence community bulletins began circulating through confidential channels across the government around Thanksgiving, the sources said. Those analyses said Chinas leadership knew the epidemic was out of control even as it kept such crucial information from foreign governments and public health agencies.

"It would be a significant alarm that would have been set off by this," former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Mick Mulroy, now an ABC News contributor, said of the NCMI report. "And it would have been something that would be followed up by literally every intelligence-collection agency."

Mulroy, who previously served as a senior official at the CIA, said NCMI does serious work that senior government leaders do not ignore.

"Medical intelligence takes into account all source information -- imagery intelligence, human intelligence, signals intelligence," said Mulroy, who hasn't seen the reporting. "Then theres analysis by people who know those specific areas. So for something like this to have come out, it has been reviewed by experts in the field. Theyre taking together what those pieces of information mean and then looking at the potential for an international health crisis."

MORE: Trump abruptly removes inspector general named to oversee $2T in stimulus spending

NCMI is a component of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency. Together, the agencies core responsibilities are to ensure U.S. military forces have the information they need to carry out their missions -- both offensively and defensively. It is a critical priority for the Pentagon to keep American service members healthy on deployments.

Asked about the November warning last Sunday on ABCs "This Week," Defense Secretary Mark Esper told Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, "I can't recall, George. But we have many people who watch this closely. We have the premier infectious disease research institute in America, within the United States Army. So, our people who work these issues directly watch this all the time."

Pressing the secretary, Stephanopoulos asked, "So, you would have known if there was briefed to the National Security Council in December, wouldn't you?"

Esper said, "Yes. I'm not aware of that."

.@Gstephanopoulos: "Did the Pentagon receive an intelligence assessment on COVID in China last November from the National Center for Medical Intelligence?" Defense Sec. Mark Esper: "I cant recall, George, but we have many people that watch this closely." https://t.co/d9XlhTygln pic.twitter.com/E89i7DjF4t  ABC News (@ABC) April 5, 2020

The Pentagon did not comment Tuesday, but on Wednesday evening following the publication of this report, the Defense Department provided a statement from Col. R. Shane Day, Director of the NCMI.

"As a matter of practice the National Center for Medical Intelligence does not comment publicly on specific intelligence matters. However, in the interest of transparency during this current public health crisis, we can confirm that media reporting about the existence/release of a National Center for Medical Intelligence Coronavirus-related product/assessment in November of 2019 is not correct. No such NCMI product exists," the statement said.

The White House National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

Critics have charged the Trump administration with being flat-footed and late in its response to a pandemic that, after sweeping through Wuhan and then parts of Europe, has now killed more than 12,000 in the U.S.

For his part, President Donald Trump has alternated between taking credit for early action and claiming that the coronavirus was a surprise to him and everyone else. He has repeatedly touted his Jan. 31 decision to restrict air travel with China, but at the same time, he spent weeks telling the public and top administration officials that there was nothing for Americans to fear.

On Jan. 22, for instance, Trump made his first comments about the virus when asked in a CNBC interview, "Are there worries about a pandemic at this point?" The president responded, "No. Not at all. And we have it totally under control. Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. Its going to be just fine."

PHOTO: Passengers wear facemasks as they form a queue at the Wuhan Wuchang Railway Station in Wuhan, early April 8, 2020, as they prepare to leave the city in China's central Hubei province. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

As late as Feb. 19, Trump was offering positive reviews for the way Chinas leaders had handled the coronavirus.

"I'm confident that they're trying very hard," Trump told an interviewer from Fox 10 in Phoenix. "They're working it -- they built, they built a hospital in seven days, and now they're building another one. I think it's going to work out fine."

It was not until March 13 when Trump declared a national emergency and mobilized the vast resources of the federal government to help public-health agencies deal with the crisis that was poised to crash on to the homeland.

If it were true that Americas spy agencies were caught that off guard, one intelligence official told ABC News, "that would be a massive intel failure on the order of 9/11. But it wasnt. They had the intelligence."

ABC News contributor John Cohen, who used to oversee intelligence operations at the Department of Homeland Security, said even the best information would be of no use if officials do not act on it.

"When responding to a public health crisis or any other serious security threat, it is critical that our leaders react quickly and take steps to address the threat identified in the intelligence reporting," said Cohen, the former acting undersecretary of DHS. "Its not surprising to me that the intelligence community detected the outbreak; what is surprising and disappointing is that the White House ignored the clear warning signs, failed to follow established pandemic response protocols and were slow to put in place a government-wide effort to respond to this crisis."

ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Luis Martinez and Terrance Smith contributed to this report.

Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  There are two types of rituals: those that push us to be more productive, and ones that remind us to pause from the daily grind. Both are equally important, but as we condition ourselves to work non-stop  thanks to our virtual interconnectedness  we tend to forget the importance of these pauses.

Judd Figuerres is no stranger to the grind. As one of the most sought-after commercial directors in the country, Figuerres has helmed television and digital ads for some of the most recognizable brands today, such as Bench, Globe, and Sunnies. His film credits also include working as an assistant director and editor for several local shorts and full features. And while he spends his time behind the lens, hes also one-third of Perea Street, an Instagram-based collective that celebrates the best of fashion and streetwear, with their signature brand of humor.

Anyone in the production industry will tell you, its the kind of work that demands a huge part of your life. But as Figuerres himself says, its important not to let the stress get to him. While hes proud of his commercial work, Figuerres also enjoys letting his imagination run a little wild, shooting footage purely for the sake of it. Hes recently expressed nostalgia over some videos he shot in his native Subic.

While that remains to be a challenge, Figuerres spends his time during the enhanced community quarantine as a brief respite from all the work, choosing to stay creative within the confines of his home. In this interview, the director talks about unwinding through music, owning up to mistakes, and why making his bed is an essential part of his day.

Whats the first thing you do each morning? How does that affect the rest of your day?

The first thing I do every morning is fix my bed. This mundane task gives me a jumpstart. It gives me a sense of control, and I like starting my day with that kind of energy. Its a good and simple preface for the coming challenges of the day.

What time of day do you feel most productive? Why do you think that works for you?

With my line of work, I have to force myself to be productive all throughout the day. However, I do feel most productive when Im surrounded with creative people. My job heavily relies on collaboration, and its always energizing to volley with like-minded people. It makes everything more interesting and layered.

What do you enjoy most about your job, and what do you find most challenging about it?

I love the whole process: pre-production to post-production. I super enjoy seeing my ideas come to life. And its always interesting to see how other collaborators interpret and execute my vision. I am very lucky to be always working in an environment with a high creative spirit. I love managing each department, but its also the most stressful part. I always have to see that everyone is on the right track and is going the same direction. Production is such a team effort, but its also a war of egos, and thats something that I try to be sensitive about. I want my collaborators to work at their optimal level without any distractions, and I feel like its my job to make them feel creatively safe.

How do you deal with distractions?

This is a big problem for me because I have a short attention span and my mind is always all over the place. It takes extra effort for me to focus so I really work hard on that. Sometimes, I like to isolate myself so I can make some progress without any distractions. I also like calming myself down with music  it really helps.

With regard to day-to-day challenges, do you have a ritual that helps you through it?

Every day is a different battle for me, and my mindset is to always not let the stress get the best of me. I feel like stress is the villain and the moment it takes over you, you lose all the faculty to make sane decisions for you and your team. When Im high on stress, I usually do something mundane like clean the dishes or buy myself a cup of coffee. It takes my mind out of it and it counters the negative energy.

Are you always able to accomplish this ritual? Does it have any bearing on your mood and your productivity?

There are moments at work where decisions have to be made on the spot and theres not enough breathing time for the people involved. During these times, I rely on my gut feel and if my decision is wrong, I always admit to my mistake. I guess thats my formula: mistakes happen and I just have to accept it. In any kind of mistake, theres always a chance for troubleshooting, and that is what I tell myself when I feel like Im in a tight spot.

Would you recommend this ritual to other people? Why or why not?

I feel like rituals are personal. What works for me might not work for other people. But I do recommend to always be sensitive. Keep a positive mindset when finishing tasks and be sensitive on how your mood affects the whole workplace. And always teach yourself how to handle stress  its enemy number one.

Are there any apps you use for productivity?

I am not that app dependent but I do have a lovely team that helps me manage my projects. I talk to them all the time through different messaging apps. Information dissemination and open communication is the key. A lot of people dont see the value of these group chats but I feel like theyre the backbone of every collaboration nowadays.

How do you unwind after a busy day?

I like unwinding by watching vlogs. I love watching people who live simple, uncomplicated lives. Its like a quasi-fantasy that relaxes me and makes me happy.
The contact tracing team of the municipal corporation has completed the task of tracking all those who came in contact with the 18 Covid-19 positive patients of Chandigarh, seven of whom have recovered. The count is 245 and they all are under home-quarantine.

A total of 1,446 people were put under home-quarantine, of which 245 had come in contact with positive patients; 163 people attended or came in contact with persons who attended the Tablighi Jamaats Markaz event in Delhis Nizamuddin area; and 103 had attended a kirtan function in Sector 27 by Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa, who died of Covid-19.

So far, 900 persons have completed their home-quarantine period.

Chandigarh had reported its first positive case on March 18  a 23-year-old woman from Sector 21 with foreign travel history. She had come in contact with 60 people before she was admitted to an isolation ward, hence, all 60 were put under home quarantine.

Five people, including her mother, brother, cook and two friends, contracted the infection from her in Chandigarh, besides one in Mohali and a salon worker in Panchkula, the districts first case. The only other positive case so far in Panchkula is a nurse who attended to the salon worker at the local civil hospital.

The 23-year-old has since recovered and was discharged on April 6.

The highest number of contacts were traced back to a 22-year-old man from Sector 30, who had returned from Dubai and tested positive. He came in contact with 130 people and ended up infecting three  his mother and two friends.

Another positive case, an NRI man from Sector 33, came in contact with 29 people and infected three, including his mother, wife and a 10-month-old daughter. His wifes mother also tested positive in Mohali. Similarly, a man from Sector 35 came in contact with 15 others before he tested positive.

After that, a nursing officer at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education And Research, came in contact with two persons, while a doctor from Sector 49 came in contact with six others before testing positive. They were all home-quarantined.

An MC official requesting anonymity said, This does not mean that our work of contact tracing is over. Now, the focus is on the list released by the central government and other updates regarding persons returning from other high-risk cities or states.

NOW, APP TO MONITOR PEOPLE IN ISOLATION

The municipal corporation has started monitoring people who are quarantined at home through a mobile application.

The app makes it mandatory for the person in isolation to update their medical condition on a daily basis. In the last two days, all those under home quarantine downloaded the app. An official involved in the process said it was a far better way to keep tabs on those in quarantine instead of keeping in touch through phone.

The total number of persons in home quarantine has crossed over 1,000, making it hard for authorities to keep a daily track of their health, especially when UT has extended the quarantine period for those in isolation. Even those who have served a quarantine period elsewhere are being put under another 14-day isolation term upon reaching Chandigarh.

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This report presents the results of the Basel Committee's latest Basel III monitoring exercise, based on data as of 30 June 2019. The report sets out the impact of the Basel III framework that was initially agreed in 2010 as well as the effects of the Committee's December 2017 finalisation of the Basel III reforms and the finalisation of the market risk framework published in January 2019. Given the June 2019 reporting date, the results do not reflect the economic impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on participating banks. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that the information contained in the report will provide relevant stakeholders with a useful benchmark for analysis.

Data are provided for 174 banks, including 105 large internationally active banks. These "Group 1" banks are defined as internationally active banks that have Tier 1 capital of more than 3 billion, and include all 30 institutions that have been designated as global systemically important banks (G-SIBs). The Basel Committee's sample also includes 69 "Group 2" banks (ie banks that have Tier 1 capital of less than 3 billion or are not internationally active).

As recently agreed by the Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision, implementation of the final Basel III minimum requirements has been deferred to 1 January 2023, and they will be fully phased in by 1 January 2028. The average impact of the fully phased-in final Basel III framework on the Tier 1 minimum required capital (MRC) of Group 1 banks is lower (+2.5%) when compared with the 3.0% increase at end-December 2018. For this calculation, for two G-SIBs that are outliers due to overly conservative assumptions under the revised market risk framework, zero change from the revised market risk framework has been assumed for the calculation of 30 June 2019 results. If these two banks are reflected with their conservative market risk numbers, there is a 2.8% increase.

The report also provides data on the initial Basel III minimum capital requirements, total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) and Basel III's liquidity requirements.
With several Indian students



stranded in Germany due to the lockdown, the Frankfurt Indian Scholars Association (FISA) has assured they are safe and appealed to their parents not to panic.

FISA executive member Abhishek Acharya in a statement issued on Tuesday said all Indians in Germany are safe and that it is arranging webinars (live, virtual interactive sessions), answering queries and providing authentic information to students.

The Embassy of India in Berlin has released helpline numbers to provide help to Indians staying in Germany, the statement said, adding that the German government has announced relief packages for students who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Acharya also mentioned that Germany has relaxed its lockdown and grocery stores are open, and the online delivery systems are also working normally.

Nupur Kulkarni, who hails from Maharashtra's Aurangabad district and is currently pursuing a finance course in Frankfurt, in a message said she has been at home for two months now.

"Lectures and exams are conducted online and (assignments) submission dates are also extended because of the pandemic. Food items having long shelf-life are available in stores and public transport is also operational," she said.

Aurangabad native Vaibhav Rajkarne, who is studying at the Hamburg University of Technology, said the situation there is under control.

"Though coronavirus cases are increasing, essential services are running smoothly. We are being taken care of and some industries have also started functioning in shifts by maintaining social distancing," he said.

Ashish Keshkamat, a native of Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka and currently staying in Hamburg, said a recent video showed Indians were facing problems in Germany, but it is not the case.

Ticket counters for public transport are closed but people can buy tickets online, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taliban Look to US for Prisoner Release After Calling Off Talks With Kabul

By Ayesha Tanzeem April 07, 2020

The Afghan Taliban said Tuesday they will now approach the Americans to resolve the prisoner release issue, after telling its technical team in Kabul to stop participating in what they called "fruitless meetings" with representatives of Afghan government.

The release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners was among the promises in the landmark agreement signed between the U.S. and the Taliban in February.

"We will talk to the Americans and remind them that they made a promise that they need to fulfill. If they fulfill it, this process (of starting negotiations with other Afghans) will move forward. If they don't, the process will not move forward," Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman for Taliban's Doha-based political team told VOA.

He announced the decision to call off talks with the Afghan government early Tuesday morning in a series of tweets.

Shaheen said President Ashraf Ghani's administration was violating a promise it made in a video conference last month which was also attended by representatives of the United States and International Committee of the Red Cross.

"We all agreed the prisoners will be released on March 31. We were asked to send a technical team to Kabul to identify and verify our prisoners. When we sent our team, the Kabul administration did not fulfill its promise. Instead, it is using delaying tactics," Shaheen said.

The Afghan government, on the other hand, blamed the delay on the Taliban. Matin Bek, the head of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance, told journalists Monday in Kabul that the Afghan government was ready to release 400 Taliban prisoners instantly, but the Taliban wanted the release of 15 senior commanders who had been involved in major attacks and were believed to be a serious security risk.

If those commanders returned to the battlefield, he said, it might lead to some of the provinces falling into the Taliban hands.

He added that the government wanted to start the process with lower level Taliban fighters and then release the rest in phases in return for a reduction in violence as well as a guarantee that the released prisoners would not return to the battlefield.

Shaheen denied that the 15 were senior commanders.

"These 15 were selected from the list of 5,000 prisoners because they can help in identification and verification of other Taliban prisoners," he said.

He added that the Taliban have already guaranteed, as part of the agreement with the United States, that its prisoners would not return to the battlefield.

The agreement between the U.S. and Taliban, signed in Doha Feb. 29, said up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and up to 1,000 prisoners from the other side, would be released by March 10, 2020, a date that has long passed.

The release was supposed to jump start the second phase of the agreement, a formal negotiation process between the Taliban and other Afghans, called intra-Afghan negotiations.

The Ghani administration has announced a 21-member team to negotiate with the Taliban that seems to have received widespread acceptance.

The Taliban originally issued a statement rejecting the team as non-representative but Shaheen said they might reconsider.

"We received a complaint from them (various Afghan factions) that it was a government team. If everyone says it's a representative team then we will reconsider our stance," he said.

Shaheen said the Taliban were still committed to the agreement they signed but accused the other side of violating its terms by attacking its forces not engaged in a battle. The agreement, he said, allowed for self-defense but not initiating attacks.

A spokesman for the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Sonny Leggett called these accusations "baseless."

"USFOR-A has upheld, and continues to uphold, the military terms of the U.S.-TB agreement," he tweeted but added that they would defend their Afghan partners if attacked.

The U.S.-Taliban agreement said a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire would be an item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan negotiations.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the $367bn federal program green lighted in March to help small businesses through the coronavirus crisis will need more money in a follow-up bill, which he hopes to pass through the Senate as early as Thursday.

Mr McConnell's statement Tuesday on providing more small business relief marks the first time he has commented on the substance of a follow-up bill to the the $2.2trn "phase three" economic stimulus package passed in March, and could be a jumping off point for negotiations on a phase four package with Democrats.

As the Administration works to implement this historic legislation and push money out the door, Senate Republicans believe any potential further action will need to be tailored to the actual needs of our nation," Mr McConnell said Tuesday. "One such need is already clear: The small-business Paycheck Protection Program needs more funding."

The majority leader's comments reflect Donald Trump's growing realization that the loan program, commonly referred to as PPP, will need an infusion of cash from Congress well before the eight weeks is up that it was previously projected to last.

"We're going to have to probably add more money to this to save and to keep our small businesses going and to keep the employees of those small businesses working," the president said at his daily coronavirus press briefing Monday.

Mr McConnell hopes to fast-track approval in the Senate this week for billions of dollars more for the small business relief program, he indicated Tuesday.

"Congress needs to act with speed and total focus to provide more money for this uncontroversial bipartisan program," he said. "I will work with Secretary Mnuchin and Leader Schumer and hope to approve further funding for [PPP] by unanimous consent or voice vote during the next scheduled Senate session on Thursday," he said.

It is not yet clear whether Mr McConnell can pass such legislation without objection from senators. All it takes is one, and Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah are always wary of passing bills with a large federal price tag without proper debate.
Research teams at Dublin City University, NUI Galway and the Insight SFI Centre for Data Analytics (NUI Galway) are working together on a population-wide survey to find out about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictive measures on daily life in Ireland.

The Corona Citizens Science Project is a national anonymous online survey seeking to understand how people are dealing with the pandemic and how it has impacted on their home life; working life; childcare arrangements; physical and emotional wellbeing.

The survey asks about the impact of the measures imposed by the government starting from the Containment Phase (February 29); the Delay Phase following the March 12 announcement regarding the closure of all schools, colleges and childcare facilities and the restrictions imposed on March 27 requesting people to stay at home until April 12, and including for at-risk groups, and over 70s to cocoon.

The findings will be used to contribute to informing the government response to the pandemic and to also assist in planning future measures for Covid-19 and beyond.

The survey will go live on Wednesday, April 8 and people nationwide are encouraged to fill in the questionnaire from 6.00am for a period of 24 hours. It is anticipated that the survey will be repeated again.

Dr Akke Vellinga, Epidemiologist/Senior Lecturer, NUI Galway, joint research lead said:

The response of the Irish people to the restrictive measures has been great, but are they taking their toll? This is an opportunity for the Irish people to let us know how we can help. We are calling on everyone to fill out the survey and share the link. We need your help.

Professor Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Systems, DCU and joint research lead said:

This is a unique opportunity for all Irish people to shape our Governments response to this unprecedented crisis, and start the long journey back to a more normal life, as the pandemic recedes."

The Corona Citizens Science Project follows a similar study carried out in Belgium by the University of Antwerp. The survey was conducted on three separate occasions; commencing on March 17 and gathering responses from over 1.5 million people.

Key takeaways showed that 32% of respondents had trouble concentrating; 30% were sleeping less and 42% felt under more pressure. The research team found that as the weeks progressed, the percentage levels began to increase.

The information was used to inform government policy on how well the population was responding to the measures imposed.

You can find out more and take the Irish survey HERE.
Just hours after Montgomery County Commissioners Court extend a disaster declaration, the county logged 13 more cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 210.

The declaration will be effective until May 11. The current stay at home order for residents is effective through April 30 unless the commissioners agree to extend it as well.

The countys death toll from COVID-19 remains at 4. However, officials with the Montgomery County Public Health Department reported 53 people have fully recovered.

Health officials urged a 14-day quarantine for everyone in a household if someone in the home is having symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, fever and/or shortness of breath regardless of whether they have been tested or not been tested.

You should also monitor symptoms of everyone in the household, including twice-daily temperature checks  once in the morning and once in the evening, MCPHD officials stated in a release. If you and your entire household are well with no symptoms, you should still be staying home and only leaving your home if necessary.

As of Wednesday, the county had 153 active cases with 124 in self-isolation and 29 hospitalized.

The case counts per ZIP code for Montgomery County are: The Woodlands, 43; Spring, 39; Montgomery, 27; Conroe, 49; Oak Ridge North, eight; Porter, 16; Shenandoah, four; Magnolia, seven; Willis, four; Hockley, one; Pinehurst, one; New Caney, five; Kingwood, two; and Splendora, two.

Details on Montgomery County cases can be found at https://mcphd-tx.org/coronavirus-covid-19/confirmed-cases.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
By Colm Fulton

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedbank will report its first quarterly loss since 2009, as it braces for both coronavirus-related credit losses and a fine for poor anti-money laundering controls, the Swedish bank said on Wednesday.

The lender was hit with a record 4 billion crown fine in Sweden on March 19 when the country's financial watchdog found serious deficiencies in the bank's anti-money laundering policies in the Baltic region.

Since then, businesses have also begun to feel the effects of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, suspending production and sending staff home. Some are likely to shut for good, raising the prospect for banks of losses on loans.

"The Swedish Financial Supervision Authority imposed administrative penalty of 4 billion crowns ($397 million), credit impairments equivalent to around 2.2 billion crowns together with rising expenses are expected to lead to a negative result during the first quarter of 2020," Swedbank said.

Its shares were down 5.3% at 0912 GMT.

Swedbank is one of the first major European banks to provide an estimate for impaired loans during the first quarter, with many expected to disclose a jump in soured debt.

"The financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be extensive in our home markets," the bank said, adding: "Deteriorating macroeconomic forecasts ... lead to an increase in our credit impairments."

The spread of the coronavirus has shut businesses around the world, with a record number of hotels and restaurants going bankrupt in Sweden in March.

Soaring unemployment is also likely to mean some heavily indebted households will have trouble paying their mortgages.

Swedbank said its "strong capital and liquidity position ... provides a solid base for supporting our corporate and private customers, and for managing the arisen COVID-19 related crisis."

A recent European accounting rule, IFRS 9, now requires banks to take expected losses from a crisis up front, rather than at a later stage, as was the case during the 2008 financial crisis.

Story continues

"This is the first clue for Nordic banks on how this rule will be applied during the crisis," said Robin Rane, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux.

"It makes banks more dependent on macro economic forecasts to make provisions for credit losses, which will be a major theme in the banking sector as it prepares to report for Q1," he added.

Swedbank said 800 million crowns of the losses were oil industry-related.

It expects its total expenses for 2020 to be around 21.5 billion crowns, up 1.5 billion from its previous view, with much of the increase down to fixing anti-money laundering controls.

The bank's own internal investigation into its money laundering controls is expected to cost 1.55 billion crowns in 2020, up 750 million on previous estimates, it said.

($1 = 10.0833 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom, editing by Simon Johnson and Mark Potter)
Epidemiologists urge Americans not to gain a false sense of confidence and continue to practice social distancing, even as the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus appears to be slowing in some states.

In New York, the state most impacted by the virus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there was a "possible flattening of the curve" on Monday after the total number of hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and daily intubations were down. In New Jersey, the second-most affected state, Gov. Phil Murphy similarly said that the state saw its "very first potential signs the curve may be finally flattening."

MORE: CDC director downplays coronavirus models, says death toll will be 'much lower' than projected

Dr. Todd Ellerin, the chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, a nonprofit health system in southeastern Massachusetts, called the possible slowing in cases a "positive sign."

Yet, he said it was perhaps only made possible because of the practices in place now, making it all the more important not to do away with them completely.

"Remember, [social distancing] could be one of the major reasons why we're seeing less hospitalizations. a Does that decrease the hospitalizations you would normally expect by a third? Half? Those questions no one really has the answers to," Ellerin told ABC News.

PHOTO: People sit on a park bench at Eisenhower Park, on March 21, 2020, in East Meadow, New York. Authorities have encouraged people keep a social distance of six feet or more to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

"We can't say we're out of the waters and safe, but it is a good sign" he added.

Any sort of opening of the country would have to come slowly, according to Ellerin.

Such measures could include letting young people go back to school or camp, but ensuring that they still aren't visiting their grandparents, who are at higher risk.

The best possible scenario, Ellerin said, would be letting the healthy become immune to the virus after getting infected and have them slowly get back to work.

"I don't believe in ripping off the Band-Aid," he said. "I also realize that we can't live like this for that long. We have to find our new normal."

Story continues

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was less confident in the possible decrease some states are reporting, noting that any sort of decrease is only significant if the rate of testing has remained the same or increased.

And for the testing that is happening, it doesn't apply to the majority of Americans. In New York, he noted that only those who have been hospitalized are tested, creating a gap in the actual number of cases.

"With all these caveats, I'm very skeptical if they're truly representing a drop in cases yet," Feigl-Ding told ABC News. "We don't know if it's real."

PHOTO: A woman jogs in Brooklyn's Fort Greeene park, April 5, 2020, beneath a sign demonstrating the distance people should keep from each other during the coronavirus outbreak in New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)

He thinks any real promise will come after numbers slow for at least a week.

"One day is a hint, but I want to see sustained improvements," Feigl-Ding said.

Both Feigl-Ding and Ellerin noted that the fatality rate will take longer to drop because, most often, people do not die immediately from the virus.

Feigl-Ding said he hopes people won't look at the numbers and gain any sort of false sense of hope. If anything, he said, social distancing becomes "even more important."

He gave the example of battling a wildfire.

"If you are super aggressive and put out a raging wildfire before it starts, people will think, 'Oh, you overreacted. Nothing happened,'" Feigl-Ding said. "Well, nothing happened because you were aggressive."

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map

Experts urge caution on possible 'flattening' of coronavirus cases: 'Can't say we're out of the waters and safe' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
TERRELL, Texas, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Unified Power continues its objective to broaden footprint and service offerings, delivering the most effective critical power services in North America. Unified Power is proud to announce its two most recent acquisitions, Computer Power Systems, Inc. and Tristar Power Solutions.

Computer Power Systems, Inc. , based in Orlando, has served Florida and its Space Coast for over 38 years. CPSI offers UPS and Generator equipment, installation and services, along with complete electrical design-build solutions.

Founded in 1982 by Ken Kuzmick, the company enjoyed many successful years under his watch. In 2003, leadership changed hands, but Ken's founding principles endured. Rick and Jeff Kuzmick grew-up in the business, managed a seamless transition and continue to lead the business today. "We believe the new relationship between our two companies will be mutually advantageous to our customers. CPSI brings turn-key electrical solutions that will enhance the national field coverage offered by Unified Power," said Rick Kuzmick.

Tristar Power Solutions, a Minnesota-based service provider of UPS Systems and Generators, was founded in 2008 by Ameer Shah. With a BS in Electronics Engineering and 32 years of UPS and Generator industry experience, he and his company bring an entirely new service market to Unified Power. Ameer Shah commented on the merger: "Along with robust UPS services, Tristar also brings Generator service and maintenance capabilities. This combined with Unified Power's national reach will open up new opportunities for both companies."

Based just outside of Dallas in Terrell, Texas, Unified Power has provided companies across the nation with affordable and reliable critical power services for their UPS's, DC Plants, Inverters, Battery Systems, PDUs, Generators, and ATS's for more than two decades. Unified Power delivers proven technical competency combined with a commitment to customizing solutions and services that are in the best interest of each individual customer.

The Unified Power brand began in January 2011, when On Computer Services, a national critical power service company began seeking mergers with high-quality, reputable critical power services providers across the nation. In March 2020, Computer Power Systems & Tristar Power Solutions became the 12th and 13th entities to join Unified Power, thereby creating a much stronger national presence and expanding the critical power services offerings.

Today, Unified Power supports over 6,000 customer sites, and the company continues to grow via its commitment to market-leading customer service and continued focus on acquiring relationships with entrepreneurs like Rick and Jeff Kuzmick of CPS and Ameer Shah of Tristar.

Companies under the Unified Power brand include On-Computer Services, Power Protection Unlimited (PPU), Sun Sales, PowerPlus (UPS Services division), UPSCO, Power Protection Services (PPS), Lionheart Services (UPS Services division), 247 Technologies, Critical Power USA, SEPS, Core Power Services, Computer Power Systems, Inc. and Tristar Power Solutions.

Media Contact:

Chase Hanna

Phone: 972.524.7951

Email: [email protected]

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The army has indefinitely deferred a conference of its top commanders that was scheduled to begin in Delhi next week amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a senior officer said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

The Army Commanders Conference, a biannual event headed by the army chief, covers key issues such as the countrys security dynamics, emerging security scenarios, enhancing operational capability, taking steps to stay prepared for all challenges and budgetary aspects.

This years conference was planned from April 13 to April 18.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Issues related to theaterisation would have also been discussed at the conference but the coronavirus outbreak has put many things on hold.

The conference was to take place at a time when there has been an unusual spike in ceasefire violations on the Line of Control by the Pakistan army to help infiltrators sneak into Jammu and Kashmir, as reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

Click here for the latest updates from the coronavirus outbreak

The neighbouring army has carried out more ceasefire violations during January-March this year compared to the corresponding periods of the previous two years.

Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,144 times between January and March), with the highest number of violations (411) being recorded last month when Covid-19 cases started peaking globally. Figures show that the Pakistan army violated the cease-fire 685 times in 2019 and 627 times in 2018 for the period January to March.

The armed forces issued a string of advisories last month that put a bar on several activities till April 15. These included conferences, seminars, temporary duties, courses, foreign assignments and even annual medical examination of personnel.

Another senior officer said the advisories will be reviewed in the coming days on the basis of how the overall Covid-19 situation unfolds in the country.

Last month, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said contingency plans were in place and spread of Covid-19 will not affect the core efficiency of the army. He said the temporary phase of postponing the armys routine activities will soon be overcome by rescheduling them as and when the situation stabilises.
Post-secondary students are being given a six-month grace period for both federal and provincial student loans due to financial uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Post-secondary students are being given a six-month grace period for both federal and provincial student loans due to financial uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister and Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler announced Tuesday afternoon that Manitoba would offer student aid relief, three weeks after Ottawa introduced an interest-free moratorium on federal student loans.

Manitoba has suspended all repayments of loans under the Manitoba Student Aid Program, effective April 1 through Sept. 30. The temporary measure mirrors the announcement made by the Canada Student Loan Program. Neither the provincial or federal policies cover private loans.

"Manitobans carrying student loan debt have become vulnerable to programming and labour market changes resulting from COVID-19," said Eichler, in a prepared release. "This deferral of loan repayments is going to significantly lessen the hardship for them, at a time when they really need it."

One of the few provinces that dont charge interest on student debt, Manitoba is the last province to announce a student aid payment suspension. In recent weeks, student loan payments and interest attached to them have been put on pause from coast to coast.

The overall impact of COVID-19 on student aid in Manitoba will be assessed as the situation continues to evolve, according to the Tuesday release.

Manitoba Economic Development and Training expected to receive a total of $1 million in repayments from student borrowers on April 1. In total, the suspension of repayments until autumn will defer collection of an estimated $7 million for 2020-21.

At the same time, loan disbursements  tuition and grant payments included  will continue to be transferred to students.

Students will also be able to repay their loans via cheque or electronic fund transfer, should they choose to continue to do so throughout the deferral period.

Chairman of the local chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, Brenden Gali, called the announcement "a victory for students."

"I pay student loans myself, so thats going to help me," he told the Free Press. "Now, I have to consider all the floating pieces  What about the Canada Summer (Jobs) Program? If students arent working over the summer time, will they even be able to pay them off in the fall?"

Under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, otherwise known as CERB, Canadians who have lost work due to COVID-19 are eligible for a taxable benefit of $2,000 per month for the next four months. Students, Gali included, have criticized the limited eligibility requirements  including a requirement that individuals have earned at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application  that may exclude students.

Gali said he's heard from students who have had interviews for internships and summer jobs postponed as a result of COVID-19. Many students have also lost significant wages earned in the hospitality sector, which has taken a hit as all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close their doors.

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"CERB needs to be expanded because its so limited, and it doesnt affect people who are looking for jobs for the summer and the future," said Emily Leedham, a Winnipeg-based organizer with Fight for $15 and Fairness.

"They havent lost employment, but employment they could have potentially had is now going to be unavailable to them."

Leedham added she hopes students and all other employees in low-wage positions such as grocery store clerks are recognized for their important work long after the pandemic.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the financial hardships students across the country are facing at present. Trudeau said work is underway to address the uncertainty of summer jobs for students.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Here's why the WHO is coming under attack. The WHO has not pushed China on early missteps When cases of a mysterious viral pneumonia first appeared in Wuhan in December, Chinese health officials silenced whistleblowers and repeatedly played down the severity of the outbreak. Even as late as mid-January, as the virus spread beyond China's borders, Chinese officials described it as "preventable and controllable" and said there was no evidence it could be transmitted between humans on a broad scale. The WHO endorsed the government's claims, saying in mid-January, for example, that human-to-human transmission had not been proven.

Critics say the organisation's repeated deference to Beijing exacerbated the spread of the disease. A group of international experts was not allowed to visit Wuhan until mid-February. "They could have been more forceful, especially in the initial stages in the crisis when there was a cover-up and there was inaction," said Yanzhong Huang, a global health expert specialising in China at Seton Hall University. Chinese health officials in protective suits process Wuhan travellers going into 14-day quarantine on arrival in Beijing on Wednesday. Credit:Getty Images Huang noted that during the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003, which killed less than 800 people worldwide, the WHO pushed the Chinese government to be more transparent by publicly criticising it for trying to conceal the outbreak.

At one point during the SARS epidemic, officials at hospitals in Beijing forced SARS patients into ambulances and drove them around to avoid their being seen by a visiting delegation of WHO experts, according to reports at the time. Loading WHO officials were slow to declare a public health emergency, critics say Even as the virus spread to more than half a dozen countries and forced China to place parts of Hubei province under lockdown in late January, the WHO was reluctant to declare it a global health emergency. WHO officials said at the time that a committee that discussed the epidemic was divided on whether to call it an emergency but concluded that it was too early. One official added that they weighed the impact such a declaration might have on the people of China.

After the United States announced a ban on most foreign citizens who had recently visited China, the WHO again seemed to show deference to Chinese officials, saying that travel restrictions were unnecessary. The group officially called the spread of the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. Some experts argue that the institution's delay in making such declarations deprived other countries of valuable time to prepare hospitals for an influx of patients. "It reinforced the reluctance to take early strong measures before the catastrophe had actually landed on other shores," said Francois Godement, senior adviser for Asia at Institut Montaigne, a non-profit group in Paris. "The WHO's tardiness or reluctance to call out the problem in full helped those who wanted to delay difficult decisions." The WHO defended its actions, saying on Wednesday that it had "alerted member states to the significant risks and consequences of COVID-19 and provided them with a continuous flow of information" ever since Chinese officials first reported the outbreak on December 31.

Guterres said, "It is possible that the same facts have had different readings by different entities. "Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe and how all those involved reacted to the crisis." President Donald Trump said the WHO is "very China-centric". Credit:AP China's influence at the WHO is growing Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it a priority to strengthen Beijing's clout at international institutions, including the WHO, seeing the US-dominated global order as an impediment to his country's rise as a superpower.

China contributes only a small fraction of the WHO's $US6 billion ($9.6 billion) budget, while the United States is one of its main benefactors. But in recent years, Beijing has worked in other ways to expand its influence at the organisation. It has lobbied the WHO to promote traditional Chinese medicine, which Xi has worked to harness as a source of national pride and deployed as a soft-power tool in developing countries, despite scepticism from some scientists about its effectiveness. Last year, the WHO offered an endorsement of traditional Chinese medicine, including it in its influential medical compendium. The move was roundly criticised by animal welfare activists, who argued that it could contribute to a surge in illegal trafficking of wildlife whose parts are used in Chinese remedies. 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. China has sought to promote traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of symptoms of the coronavirus both at home and abroad. Last month, the WHO was criticised after it removed a warning against taking traditional herbal remedies to treat the coronavirus from its websites in mainland China. China's role at the WHO will probably continue to grow in the coming years, especially if Western governments retreat from the organisation, as Trump has threatened.
Fecal Matter's otherworldly creations have long explored ideas around body modification. Its infamous skin heels  fleshy boots that blend into the wearer's legs complete with devilish horns  immediately come to mind. Now, Montreal-based brand has its sights set "skin gloves" that resemble human flesh.

"We've been working with a private rubber dolling company that has been manufacturing our Skin Gloves designs," said co-founders Dalton and Bhaskaran. "[They're] are also functionally useful during these times as they are made of silicon and totally washable. They really can help protect you from catching the virus."

Selling for $1,599, the opera-length gloves are custom-molded to fit your arms and are available in all skin tones. It features the brand's signature flesh horn and comes with optional overgrown nails.

Dalton and Bhaskaran originally wanted to debut the gloves with a fashion presentation in May, but the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to those plans. "Self-expression is a key part of our own happiness and survival," they said. "The fact of the matter is, we can't express ourselves and dress up anymore due to self-isolation. The motivation to serve a look was fading away and we saw so many people feel it also, that's why we think it's a good time to release the Skin Gloves."

They hope that these gloves will provide fantasy and inspiration during these dark times, adding that people can still be creative and have fun with fashion. "That's really also why we wanted to launch the skin gloves to hopefully inspire other people in our situation to keep creating and pushing the boundaries during these times," they said.

The Skin Gloves are available for pre-order on www.matieresfecales.com.
Coronavirus hospitalizations in New York City appear to have stabilized and reduced the immediate need for ventilators, showing that the city needs to "double down" on social distancing measures that are helping to curb the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.

De Blasio cautioned that the data was preliminary and there is a risk that coronavirus cases could begin to increase at a faster rate if residents do not adhere to social distancing and shelter-in-place policies.

The data, the mayor said at a press conference, "tells us we actually have to double down, stick to the strategies that are working."

"We know we're not out of the woods; it's too early," de Blasio said, cautioning that the data should not be used to draw "bigger conclusions."

He warned that COVID-19 infections are "going to reach a huge percentage of us," most likely more than half the population.

As of Wednesday morning, the city reported 77,967 total cases of coronavirus, a 7.8% increase from Tuesday morning. There have been 3,602 deaths from the virus as of Wednesday morning, 400 more than the prior day's tally, a 12.5% jump, according to city data.

Hospitalizations stood at 19,177 as of Tuesday night, with 3,844 more hospitalizations than the night before, a 25% jump, according to the most recent available data.

Coronavirus hospitalizations as of Tuesday represented 26% of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the city, compared with 22% of all cases the prior day.

For the first time, the mayor released demographic information about fatalities from coronavirus infections, showing a disparity in deaths among minority groups.

Hispanics, who account for 29% of the city's population, have accounted for 34% of the COVID-19 deaths, while blacks, who account for 22% of the population, made up 28% of coronavirus deaths.

De Blasio said whites, who comprise 32% of the population, account for 27% of coronavirus deaths.

And 7% of the fatalities are Asians, who make up 14% of the city's population.
Impenetrable boundaries in hotel lobbies, officials in hazmat gear, and voices over loudspeakers warning hotel guests not to leave their rooms. This isnt the opening scene from a Hollywood movie, but the real-life scenario that coronavirus COVID-19 is causing in hotels across the globe. In China, the United Arab Emirates and Spain, health authorities have ordered lockdowns of entire hotels where individuals tested positive. With no end to the pandemic in sight, additional lockdowns are certain.

For hotel owners and operators already facing nosedives in revenue, the corresponding guest costs, whether over a daily, weekly or monthly basis, can be significant. So whos picking up the tab resulting from these quarantines, and what can hotel owners and operators do now to limit their possible economic exposure later?

Business interruption insurance coverage

Business interruption insurance will be a focus for hotel owners and operators. Policies are normally taken out by owners in combination with standard property damage insurance cover and is required under most hotel management agreements. Such policies typically cover loss of revenue flowing from interruptions to business operations for a specified period of time, and subject to other liability caps. However, recovery under such policies typically depends upon the insured showing that the business interruption has been caused by physical loss or damage to the insured property. In addition, policies may contain express exclusions in respect of infectious or communicable diseases.

Therefore its unlikely that coronavirus COVID-19 would be covered under most standard policies. Coverage extensions which do not require physical damage for business interruption cover to be triggered are available for an additional premium, for example where a local authority or governmental direction results in the closure of or denial of access to the business premises, but these are not commonplace and may be subject to their own limitations and exclusions in respect of infectious diseases.

Other insurance products such as event cancellation policies may be relevant but are themselves often subject to exclusions in respect of communicable diseases. Liability policies, such as employers liability and public liability insurances, will typically only respond if the insured has been negligent, for example in relation to health and safety procedures, and thereby caused an employee or third party to suffer injury or disease.

The reality is that many hotel owners may not be covered for the business consequences of coronavirus COVID-19 under their existing property-related or other policies, and therefore are advised to discuss coverage with their insurance brokers, and before losses snowball. Operators may also wish to discuss with their insurance broker whether other risk transfer options are viable, such as establishing a self-captive, where the insurance provider could front the policy limit and cede the risk to a protected cell captive. Many insurers are creating products to fill the void.

Government Assistance

Industries around the globe are lobbying their local governments to lessen the blow of coronavirus COVID-19 by establishing emergency assistance funds. In Singapore and France, such funds are being combined with property tax rebates and rental waivers to cushion the impact of flagging demand in the tourism sector.

Nonetheless, the pandemic is still in its infancy and because there will be a limit to government assistance, it is important for hotel associations in affected jurisdictions to ensure that quarantined hotels seek priority of payout. It is also recommended for owners and operators to confirm whether government assistance will be proscribed from those carrying business interruption insurance.

Guest Responsibility

A harsh reality is that in certain jurisdictions, particularly those lacking strong consumer protection legislation, hotel guests are likely to shoulder responsibility for the costs incurred during quarantines. Practically speaking, however, hotel owners and operators may assume the costs in light of possible reputational fallout from seeking payment from individuals subject to a government-imposed quarantine. Any guest subject to quarantine is advised to check their booking terms, whether booked directly or through an online travel agent and seek clarity on future costs at the advent of any lockdown.

Hotel Operator V Owner Responsibility

In the absence of insurance coverage, government assistance and pushing payments to hotel guests, costs arising during a quarantine are likely to fall to either the hotel operator or owner. It is unlikely that an operator in a hotel management arrangement would be directly responsible for costs arising from a quarantine. Except to the extent that the operator may provide guarantees regarding the hotels performance, costs related to hotel operations are typically the responsibility of the owner.

Rather, a hotel management agreement should allow for the costs arising from a quarantine, including cancellations, to constitute operating expenses, and to be incurred even if not budgeted. Hotel management agreements often will include broad language for the hotel operator to incur expenses that the operator deems reasonable or necessary to run the hotel business. Elsewhere in the management agreement, there is likely to be an obligation on the owner to comply with all laws and for the operator to make unbudgeted expenditures in cases of emergency and to comply with legal requirements. A quarantine comes at the directive of the government, and therefore the hotel operator should be within its contractual rights to incur costs arising from quarantine as operating expenses even if not approved in the annual budget.

From an operators perspective, it would be ideal for these costs to be for the account of the owner, rather than as operating expenses of the hotel. However, unless the government directive was to stipulate a legal obligation on hotel owners to shoulder these costs, these costs are unlikely to be for the account of the hotel owner.

Much of the world has shown it is prepared for coronavirus COVID-19, and the hospitality industry is no different. Before being placed under quarantine, hotel owners and operators must understand the legal standing under their hotel management agreements and hedge against the downside risk.
ACCRA, Ghana, April 8, 2020  Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), has announced the creation of an Emergency Program to support micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups in Ghana during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Program, with an initial commitment of approximately GHC90 million from Mastercard Foundation and NBSSI, is in line with the governments support for Ghanaian MSMEs and will receive additional investment from other donors and institutions.

The Program will focus on supporting the following MSMEs and start-ups:

...MSMEs who need support to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

...Businesses in growth sectors where the employment of young people, especially young women, will be negatively impacted as a result of business operation disruptions, supply chain challenges, liquidity shortages, declining sales and profits, and business closures.

...Businesses providing services that will be in demand during the pandemic and that have the potential to grow and positively impact communities affected by COVID-19.

...Businesses that will focus on digitization to support MSMEs.

The creation of the NBSSI Mastercard Foundation Recovery and Resilience Program for MSMEs follows the Foundations recent announcement of its West, Central and Northern Regional office opening in Accra to drive its Young Africa Works strategy in the region.

Young Africa Works, developed in consultation with young people, policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs, is Mastercard Foundations strategy that aims to extend dignified work to 30 million young people in Africa, with 3 million in Ghana, 70 percent of which will be young women, over the next 10 years.

The effects of COVID-19 are multifaceted and unfolding rapidly. We expect that the prospects of young people in Ghana, and the rest of Africa, will be deeply impacted, says Mastercard Foundation President and CEO Reeta Roy.

We will continue working with young people to better understand their needs, amplify their voices, and co-create solutions that will enable them to reach their full potential. We are also keenly considering what lessons we can glean during this time to better equip young people for a future in which work will be increasingly digital.

The NBSSI Mastercard Foundation Recovery and Resilience Program for MSMEs will provide financial assistance, in the form of grants and soft loans, via participating institutions  banks, microfinance, mobile lenders, NGOs and Business Development Services  to eligible, qualified micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, both formal and informal. The amount and type of financial support provided will vary depending on the size of the enterprise, their need, and repayment capacity.

Once participating institutions have been onboarded, NBSSI will put out a call to MSMEs and start-ups to apply for funding via a centralized web-based platform. Information will also be made available via NBSSIs 178 Business Advisory Centers and 37 Business Resource Centers across the country.

The Executive Director of NBSSI, Mrs. Kosi A. Yankey-Ayeh, stated that, MSMEs are always at the heart of the work of NBSSI. It was based on this that the MSME Emergency Program was conceived and set up, and it is the first of a series of interventions outlined to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MSMEs. This is extremely vital for economic sustainability to support the MSMEs in these challenging times. She further stated that the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, prioritizes supporting the contribution of MSMEs and the need to ensure their survival and growth to reboot the economy in Ghana. This initiative will be enhanced to provide the platform for various partners to support all the interventions that will alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs, the backbone of our economy.

MSMEs employ over 80 percent of Ghanas workforce and we need to move quickly to support the engines of the Ghanaian economy, explains Nathalie Akon Gabala, Mastercard Foundations Regional Head for Western, Central and Northern Africa, and Country Head in Ghana. If MSMEs are going to weather the storm, and even thrive during these uncertain times, then proactive measures such as working capital, grants, and advisory services are essential to ensure they survive COVID-19s ripple effect on business, productivity, revenues, and employment.

About the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI)

NBSSI is the main governmental body under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, mandated to strengthen, grow and develop micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana. NBSSI has the largest footprint of any agency or organization in Ghana in its work with entrepreneurs and women-led MSME development. It operates 178 Business Advisory Centers and 37 Business Resource Centers across Ghana.

For more information about NBSSI please visit http://www.nbssi.gov.gh. Follow NBSSI at @NbssiGhana on Twitter, @nbssighana on Facebook and nbssighana on Instagram.

About Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. Through its Young Africa Works strategy and Canadian EleV program, the Foundation works with partners to ensure that millions of young people, especially young women, access quality education, financial services, and dignified work. Mastercard Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. The Foundation is independent with its own Board of Directors and CEO. For more information and to sign up for the Foundations newsletter, please visit http://www.mastercardfdn.org/. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at @MastercardFdn.
The deadly Pacific storm Cyclone Harold has slammed into Fiji, tearing off roofs and flooding towns as it causes mass devastation across the country.

The storm made its way to Fiji after leaving a trail of destruction in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and battered the country with winds of 150mph.

Videos posted on social media show monstrous winds blasting trees over as rain pounds down and causes mass flooding.

The roof of a temple is blown off as strong winds rage through Sigatoka, Viti Levu, in Fiji

Rescue workers make their way through a village during flooding caused by the Tropical Cyclone Harold in Nasolo in Fiji today

Tropical Cyclone Harold is now heading towards Tonga, where it is expected to hit early Thursday

Roaring winds can be heard as trees whip against houses and look as if they could be pulled from their roots.

Pool water bursts onto the decking having been lifted by the ferocious strength of the winds while residents watch in horror from the safety of their homes.

The official NaDraki weather service said Tropical Cyclone Harold was offshore south of Fiji's main island Viti Levu, but passing closer to land than initially expected.

Despite being downgraded from a scale-topping Category Five to Four, the weather serviced warned Harold remained 'extremely dangerous' as it barrels eastward, threatening further damage in Tonga on Thursday.

Photos posted on social media reveal mass destruction being caused by the storm as winds battered across the country and flattened homes

Trapped residents are rescued from their homes amid extensive flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Harold after it hit Fiji

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said: 'Emergency authorities are the only personnel allowed to travel, all Fijians should stay indoors.

'There are a number of reports of winds whipping up flying debris in the Suva area. It can be deadly. Keep yourself indoors and out of harm's way.'

Trees are nearly ripped from their roots as ferocious winds cause them batter against buildings

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) urged residents along the south coast, home to many of the country's major tourist resorts, to evacuate.

Gallons of murky floodwater can be seen rapidly climbing towards storefront entrances in what will have caused unprecedented financial damage across the country.

Rescue missions are taking place to reach trapped survivors homes.

Images posted by locals also showed extensive damage at Nausori, just outside the Fijian capital Suva, with corrugated iron roofs peeled back by the ferocious winds.

The main street of Ba, north of the island, was submerged after the local river burst its banks.

The cyclone formed off the Solomons last week, where it washed dozens of passengers from an inter-island ferry into the sea.

It was initially expected to only reach Category Three but quickly evolved into a Category Five storm - the highest possible.

Latest forecasts say it will brush past Tonga early Thursday, still at Category Four strength, before petering out over the sea by the weekend.

Tonga's Fua'amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre said some coastal areas should expect to be pounded by massive 20ft waves.

NDMO director Vasiti Soko said 85 evacuation centres had been set up and officials were attempting to maintain social distancing to ensure COVID-19 did not spread among those fleeing the cyclone.

Damage caused by Harold near Vanuatu's capital Port Vila is shown on April 7

Aerial images show the devastating damage caused by the Cyclone on Santo Island,, Vanuato, on April 8

Fiji has 15 cases of the coronavirus, with all known sufferers in quarantine before the cyclone hit.

Harold claimed 27 lives in the Solomon Islands last week, and on Tuesday ripped through Vanuatu, destroying much of the country's second-largest town Luganville.

World Vision's Vanuatu director Kendra Gates Derousseau said an aerial survey carried out by disaster officials late Tuesday showed the town of Melsisi on Pentecost island had also been devastated.

She said: 'We've done some programming there in the past, so I can recognise the landmarks -- you can see that 90% of all buildings are obliterated, is the term I'd use.'

A massive international aid effort was launched after the last Category Five storm to hit Vanuatu, Cyclone Pam in 2015, flattened the capital Port Vila.

But Vanuatu's international borders are currently closed as the impoverished Pacific nation bids to remain one of the world's few places with no confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The government has revoked a domestic travel ban imposed as part of its virus response, which will allow disaster relief to flow from Port Vila to the worst-hit islands in the north.

Local residents walk past debris as a wave breaks nearby in Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu amid mass destruction caused by Cyclone Pam in 2015

New Zealand deployed a P-3 Orion aircraft to help with damage assessments and allocated $300,000 worth in aid funding for essential supplies.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington would provide further assistance if requested by Vanuatu.

He said: 'We are aware that the government of Vanuatu is running a 'keep it out' strategy, and we will give serious consideration to ensure that any response to the cyclone does not lead to the spread of COVID-19 to Vanuatu.'
All passengers arriving at HCM Citys domestic airport and train and bus stations and by private vehicles will need to get a quick test for COVID-19 from April 9, according to southern city authorities.

The otherwise crowded and busy Tan Son Nhat airport in HCM City is quiet admist the COVID-19 outbreak. From April 9, all passengers arriving at the airport and at the train station and bus stations have to get tested for the disease on arrival.

If the result is positive, they will be isolated at public quarantine sites and tested again using the RT-PCR test technique, according to the city Department of Health.

Until now, only air passengers needed to get tested.

Speaking at an online meeting on COVID-19 on Tuesday, Nguyen Thien Nhan, secretary of the city Party Committee, said there are 2.4 infected people for every million people in Vietnam, which is relatively low compared to other countries.

COVID-19 has spread to 25 out of 63 provinces and cities in the country, he said.

The quarantine areas could accommodate up to 12,600 people, and 8,400 beds are now vacant, he said.

While the rate of spread is under control and the number of people coming from abroad to the city has decreased, authorities plan to expand the quarantine capacity by 12,000 beds, he said.

The city also has 2,300 hospital beds to treat people with COVID-19, of which only 5 per cent are in use, he said.

The city should strengthen social distancing and other measures like scrutinising those at risk of spreading the disease, wearing masks in public places and washing hand regularly.

The city has adopted GIS (geographic information system) technology to monitor crowds and on average tests 1,800 samples a day.

It has also set up 62 round-the-clock posts and stations for COVID-19 prevention and control, and they will function until April 15 or further notice.

The personnel there, drawn from public security, the military, health, inspection, and food hygiene, provide clear information about preventive measures against the disease and social distancing.

Anyone who fails to wear a mask in public or is in a gathering of more than two people is fined.

Risk assessment indicators

The HCM City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Disease Prevention has issued a set of indicators to assess the risk of the novel virus infection at businesses, and those scoring more than 80 per cent in the index will be asked to shut completely.

Business scoring from 50 per cent to 80 per cent will also be asked to shut unless they manage to come up with solutions to mitigate the risk.

Other businesses can operate normally but will be supervised constantly by the authorities.



The indicators are based on factors like number of workers, density of workers, workers washing their hands with alcohol-based sanitisers before entering and leaving the factory, percentage of workers wearing masks while working, ratio of workers whose temperatures are checked before entering the factory, distance between workers at the cafeteria, and number of workers going to work by pick-up vehicle.

As of April 6, the city had a total of 53 COVID-19 patients, of whom 34 had contracted it abroad. VNS

High risk of Covid-19 infection warned in HCM City Ho Chi Minh City is facing a big threat of Covid-19 infection as patient numbers have been on the rise.
Foreigners equally treated, must abide by Chinese laws in epidemic control: FM

Global Times

Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/7 18:38:31

All foreigners in China should abide by Chinese laws and regulations in epidemic control work, and China is against any kind of discrimination and prejudice, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday in response to reports claiming "anti-foreign sentiment" is on the rise in China.

The Chinese side has always paid great attention to the safety and health of foreign citizens in China and ensure their rightful interests in accordance with law, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

Since the COVID-19 broke out, China has been making maximum efforts to guarantee their needs in daily lives, epidemic prevention and medical care, and treating foreigners infected with COVID-19 in China the same way as anyone else, which has won support, appreciation and cooperation by most foreigners in China, according to Zhao.

Zhao's statement came after a question at the press conference saying recent reports claimed some foreigners complained that they were being discriminated against in China, and they thought "anti-foreign sentiment" was rising in the country.

China is against any kind of discrimination and prejudice, and China's recent border control measures were only implemented to counter the current epidemic situation and are temporary, Zhao said, noting that these measures are being carried out regardless of whether people are Chinese or foreign citizens, and no extra measures were added because of foreign identity.

All foreigners in China should abide by Chinese laws and regulations in epidemic control work, Zhao said.

Many Chinese netizens said foreigners who failed to respect Chinese rules amid the battle against the coronavirus are not welcome in China.

A Nigerian man who tested positive for COVID-19 in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, refused to undergo medical quarantine and assaulted a nurse on April 1, beating her and biting her face, reports said on Thursday, noting the police are investigating the case, which will be dealt with severely with after the man's recovery.

The government of East China's Qingdao in Shandong Province also announced on Thursday that they are investigating a case in which three foreigners were allegedly found to be queue-jumping during a coronavirus test and making disrespectful remarks against Chinese citizens at the scene. The incident also caused great dissatisfaction among Chinese Internet users.

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ExxonMobils CEO Darren Woods said his company is expecting oil demand to decline by 20 to 30 percent because of the global pandemic and economic downturn. In response, Woods announced that the oil major could cut spending by 30 percent this year, with much of the pullback concentrated on its Permian operations. Exxon had held out longer than its rivals, waiting a month after the collapse in prices to revise down its spending program.

Woods did not reveal how much Exxon would spend in the Permian this year, but RBC Capital Markets analyst Biraj Borkhataria estimates that the company is likely spending around $6 billion, and we see no reason why capex and the rig count cannot be reduced by 50% at a minimum in 2020, according to Reuters.

The spending reductions could translate into Exxons Permian production coming in 15,000 bpd below its target of 360,000 bpd in 2020. Next year, the impact will be more pronounced, with cuts translating into 150,000 bpd lower than the 600,000-bpd target. The reductions we are making in the Permian will not compromise the scale or functional excellence of Exxons operations, Woods said.

Exxon now plans on spending $23 billion in 2020, down from a previously expected $33 billion. The move comes after the oil major suffered credit downgrades and scrutiny over its dividend program.

Premium: Oil Market Data Is About To Get Very Ugly

The major has refused to cut its dividend despite the fact that the company was not generating enough cash to cover both its spending program and its shareholder payouts. For years, Exxon and other oil majors have had to paper over the gap by selling off assets and taking on more debt.

A new study from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) finds that both Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell saw their cash flow fall far short of shareholder payouts last year. For instance, Exxon dished out $15.24 billion to shareholders in dividends and share buybacks in 2019, but only generated $5.35 billion in free cash flow. Royal Dutch Shell was in a similar boat  generating $19.2 billion in free cash flow, but sending $26.56 billion to shareholders.

BP, Total, and Chevron generated enough cash to cover their dividends in 2019, but BP and Total posted a deficit the year before. For the oil and gas supermajors, the troubling and persistent gap between free cash flows and shareholder payouts has been one of many factors contributing to sustained stock market underperformance, IEEFA analysts wrote.

The majors have taken on debt as a result. In the past few weeks alone, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total have taken on $32 billion in new debt to cover their spending programs and dividends.

ExxonMobils Darren Woods justified the strategy in a CNBC interview. A lot of our shareholders are retail shareholders  people who depend on that dividend  so weve been pretty committed to maintaining that and if necessary in the short-term using the balance sheet to support it, Woods said Tuesday on CNBCs Squawk Box.

Premium: Oil To Move Above $41 If Trumps Tweet Is True

Meanwhile, Exxon is willing to take on short-term pain in order to consolidate its position in the Permian. Exxon has adamantly resisted several proposals from smaller shale companies for help from the Trump administration. Exxon and the American Petroleum Institute, a lobby group over which Exxon has a lot of influence, have argued against U.S. mandated production cuts as part of a global agreement with OPEC+, as well as U.S. tariffs on imported oil.

Our position has always been that free markets for our industry work best, Woods said on Tuesday. It allows the free flow of product, it also ensures that the most efficient producers continue to produce.

It remains to be seen if the Trump administration will side with Exxon and let the free market sort things out by letting dozens of shale companies go bankrupt, or if the U.S. government will intervene in one way or another to prop up unprofitable shale drilling.

For now, aside from a substantial cut in spending, Exxon is staying the course, despite its own problems living beyond its means.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Medical City, the official laboratory partner of Valenzuela City for its "localized, targeted mass testing," got a green light from the Department of Health on Wednesday.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian announced in a social media post that the private healthcare facility received its Stage 5 laboratory accreditation from DOH  allowing it to conduct confirmatory tests for patients infected with the coronavirus disease.

He said the mass testing will kick off on Black Saturday.

"Start na po tayo this Saturday! We hit the ground running!" Gatchalian said in a tweet.

[Translation: We'll start this Saturday! We hit the ground running!]

The city mayor earlier stated that testing will be free for all COVID-19 patients under investigation (PUIs), patients under monitoring (PUMs), health workers, and other frontliners.

The public-private mass testing partnership between Valenzuela and The Medical Citywhich is regarded as the first in the countrywas inked on April 3.

The Medical City is now one of the facilities nationwide that can conduct COVID-19 tests.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8) - With the government's move to extend the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine until April 30, economists are saying a more relaxed approach may be explored in the months after to resume economic activity.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia earlier raised the idea in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has stunted economic activity nationwide.

Pernia told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that a modified community quarantine would allow some manufacturing and service industries to resume operations.

"Export industries, export firms, firms that are exporting products are exempted, agricultural work and agricultural production is exempted, and several other manufacturing enterprises like BPOs is exempted," Pernia said in an interview on CNN Philippines

"Those working in special economic zones like the PEZA, they are also exempted," he added.

However, Pernia made it clear that the government would not be able to hit its previous 7 to 8 percent growth target amid the public health crisis.

RELATED: BSP governor expects PH to go into technical recession due to COVID-19

Economists agreed that a modified community quarantine may be a viable alternative to the enhanced community quarantine after April 30.

BDO chief market strategist Jonathan Ravelas said a modified quarantine would allow the local economy to slowly restart.

"However, government should prioritize health, social protection and economic viability, in that order," he told CNN Philippines.

Ravelas also stressed the need to implement mass testing, saying premature modifications could create another wave of infections.

"We don't want this virus to remain at large till the rainy season as it could get worse," he said.

"I prefer that we do the modification in May," he added.

But Union Bank of the Philippines chief economist Carlo Asuncion said this would need to be implemented properly.

"A modified community quarantine entails an effective testing, tracing and quarantine strategy to help the goal of virus containment," Asuncion told CNN Philippines.

Asuncion cited a recent study by the University of the Philippines that showed a shift to a modified community quarantine would still yield a peak, but one that is lower than if there were no interventions.

"However, if communicated well and effectively, the rise should not come to a point where our health care systems will be overrun and overwhelmed," Asuncion said.

He clarified that a more relaxed approach would only work if every individual takes responsibility of their personal health and safety.

"Wearing masks in public, physical distancing, personal hygiene should continually be communicated through efficient channels," Asuncion said.

"It should be clear that we cannot return to the 'usual way of life' until an effective anti-viral drug is readily available and that a working vaccine be available globally," he added.
North Korea has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday. Yonhap



North Korea, one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday.



The WHO, which said it had been receiving "weekly updates" from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang.



"As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There is no report of a COVID-19 case. There are 509 people in quarantine ? two foreigners and 507 nationals," Dr. Edwin Salvador, the WHO Representative to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in an email reply.



"Since 31 December, 24,842 people have been released from quarantine, which includes 380 foreigners," he said.



The WHO has been informed that North Korea received primers and probes for use with PCR diagnostic tests from its ally China in January, he added. The WHO has sent supplies of protective equipment.



The WHO's website shows the latest global tally at nearly 1.3 million officially reported cases and 72,614 deaths in some 206 countries and territories - appearing to exclude North Korea, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Yemen.



Click for a Reuters GRAPHIC tracking global cases of the new coronavirus.



A U.N. human rights expert has called for lifting international sanctions against countries including North Korea - imposed for its nuclear and missile programmes - to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the pandemic.



The Geneva-based WHO said in February that North Korea had reported checking nearly 7,300 travellers over a six-week period to Feb. 9. The health ministry said 141 travellers with fevers had tested negative for the novel coronavirus, it said.



Some foreign experts have expressed doubts that North Korea, which shares borders with China and South Korea, both hard-hit by epidemics, has not detected any infections.



North Korea has stepped up border checks and imposed quarantine measures. The head of U.S. forces in South Korea said in mid-March that North Korea had its military forces on lockdown for about 30 days and had recently resumed training.



"We are on lockdown ... We are very cautious about the spread of this virus," a North Korean diplomat at its U.N. mission in Geneva told Reuters. "I understand we have no cases, zero cases." (Reuters)


NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin has been fined $1000 by police for breaching social distancing laws after visiting his Central Coast holiday home last month.

Police say they issued the fine after they were alert to the fact that the 55-year-old had relocated to a holiday home at Pearl Beach "in contravention of current Ministerial Direction under the Public Health Act".

Arts Minister Don Harwin photographed shopping at Eastgardens Westfield Credit:Isabella Porras, supplied

"As part of inquiries, investigators from Central Metropolitan Region attended the Elizabeth Bay home unit and spoke with the man," a police statement read. "Following further inquiries, the man was issued a $1000 PIN via email just before 9pm."

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said people are "dying" when appropriate measures have either not been established or are ignored".

No one individual or corporation is above these laws  anyone suspected of breaching the orders will be investigated and if a breach is detected, they will be dealt with in accordance with the Act," he said in a police statement.

Harwin was also recently seen clothes shopping during one of two trips to Sydney.
Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has sentenced Colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ivan Beziazykov to 13 years in prison for high treason, the Office of the Prosecutor General has reported.

According to the report, the court found Beziazykov guilty of treason and the creation of a terrorist group and sentenced him to 13 years in jail, stripping him of his military rank.

It was established that the serviceman, being in captivity from August 25, 2014, in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, in Donetsk, joined the intelligence department of a Russian illegal armed formation and held the post of "deputy chief of the 1st analytical department." This "DPR" unit was created and supervised by officials of the Russian Armed Forces, FSB and representatives of the authorities of the occupying country in the occupied territory of Donetsk region.

The trial of the colonel has been ongoing since August 2017. The court proved that he had collected intelligence on the movement of Ukrainian troops and military hardware involved in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine, interrogations of other captured Ukrainian servicemen, and performed a number of criminal functions. He acted deliberately and was aware that such activities would be detrimental to Ukraine's national security.

The main investigation department of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted the pretrial investigation.

In December 2016, law enforcers detained Colonel Ivan Beziazykov on charges of cooperation with Russian special services. According to the investigation, while staying in terrorists' captivity, he worked in the "DPR's intelligence department."

Beziazykov is a staff officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, head of intelligence of the former 8th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In August 2014, he was captured by "DPR" militants and was released two years later during a special operation conducted by the SBU.

op
Five civilians are dead following a car bombing in Turkeys restive southeast, local officials said Wednesday. According to a statement from the governors office in the Kurdish-populated Diyarbakir province, roadside bombs hit a car carrying a group of forestry workers in the town of Gulec in the Kulp district.

Security forces are now looking for the perpetrators, which the governors office said were "members of the PKK terror organization," referring to the armed insurgent group inside Turkey known as the Kurdistan Workers Party.

On Twitter, Turkey's parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop accused the PKK of orchestrating the treacherous attack, writing, "The separatist terror organization PKK has shown its nefarious face once again. The traitors will get the response they deserve.

Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted that the "fight against terrorism does not slow down, even today."

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The PKKs decades-long violent insurgency against the Turkish state has left more than 40,000 people dead on both sides. After the collapse of a two-year-old cease-fire, fighting reignited between Turkey and the group in July 2015. Last year, several people died in a similar bombing in Kulp that authorities also blamed on PKK militants.

Ankara, the United States and the European Union all label the Kurdish militant group a terrorist organization.

In October 2019, Turkey launched a military operation in northern Syria to drive away from its border the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, elements of which Ankara views as terrorists linked to the PKK.

Last year, more than two dozen democratically elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were sacked and replaced with state appointees over alleged ties to the PKK. Accused of terror links, former HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas has been in jail for more than three years.

This story contains reporting from Agence France-Presse.
What is the CMMC?

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a unified standard for implementing cybersecurity across the defense industrial base (DIB), which includes over 300,000 companies in the supply chain. The CMMC is the DoD's response to significant compromises of sensitive defense information located on contractors' information systems.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) released the much-anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) version 1.0 on January 31, 2020. It was drafted with significant input from University Affiliated Research Centers, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and industry.

Previously, contractors were responsible for implementing, monitoring and certifying the security of their information technology systems and any sensitive DoD information stored on or transmitted by those systems. Contractors remain responsible for implementing critical cybersecurity requirements, but the CMMC changes this paradigm by requiring third-party assessments of contractors' compliance with certain mandatory practices, procedures and capabilities that can adapt to new and evolving cyber threats from adversaries.

What actions should DoD contractors take now?

DoD contractors should immediately learn the CMMC's technical requirements and prepare not only for certification, but long-term cybersecurity agility. Details on how the CMMC assessments will be conducted, and how to challenge those assessments, are anticipated soon. DoD contractors that have already started to evaluate their practices, procedures and gaps when the details are finalized will be well-positioned to navigate the process and meet the mandatory CMMC contract requirements for upcoming projects.

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment maintains a CMMC FAQ where contractors can keep up to date on the certification process.

The CMMC framework

The CMMC establishes five certification levels that reflect the maturity and reliability of a company's cybersecurity infrastructure to safeguard sensitive government information on contractors' information systems. The five levels are tiered and build upon each other's technical requirements. Each level requires compliance with the lower-level requirements and institutionalization of additional processes to implement specific cybersecurity-based practices.

Below is an overview of the relevant processes and practices of each level:

Level 1: A company must perform "basic cyber hygiene" practices, such as using antivirus software or ensuring employees change passwords regularly to protect Federal Contract Information (FCI). FCI is "information, not intended for public release, that is provided by or generated for the Government under a contract to develop or deliver a product or service to the Government." It does not include public information or certain transactional information.

A company must perform "basic cyber hygiene" practices, such as using antivirus software or ensuring employees change passwords regularly to protect Federal Contract Information (FCI). FCI is "information, not intended for public release, that is provided by or generated for the Government under a contract to develop or deliver a product or service to the Government." It does not include public information or certain transactional information. Level 2: a company must document certain "intermediate cyber hygiene" practices to begin to protect any Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) through implementation of some of the US Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NISTs) Special Publication 800-171 Revision 2 (NIST 800-171 r2) security requirements. CUI is "any information that law, regulatio, or government-wide policy requires to have safeguarding or disseminating controls," but does not include certain classified information.

a company must document certain "intermediate cyber hygiene" practices to begin to protect any Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) through implementation of some of the US Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NISTs) Special Publication 800-171 Revision 2 (NIST 800-171 r2) security requirements. CUI is "any information that law, regulatio, or government-wide policy requires to have safeguarding or disseminating controls," but does not include certain classified information. Level 3: A company must have an institutionalized management plan to implement "good cyber hygiene" practices to safeguard CUI, including all the NIST 800-171 r2 security requirements as well as additional standards.

A company must have an institutionalized management plan to implement "good cyber hygiene" practices to safeguard CUI, including all the NIST 800-171 r2 security requirements as well as additional standards. Level 4: A company must have implemented processes for reviewing and measuring the effectiveness of practices as well as established additional enhanced practices detect and respond to changing tactics, techniques and procedures of advanced persistent threats (APTs). An APT is defined as an adversary that possesses sophisticated levels of expertise and significant resources that allow it to create opportunities to achieve its objectives by using multiple attack vectors.

A company must have implemented processes for reviewing and measuring the effectiveness of practices as well as established additional enhanced practices detect and respond to changing tactics, techniques and procedures of advanced persistent threats (APTs). An APT is defined as an adversary that possesses sophisticated levels of expertise and significant resources that allow it to create opportunities to achieve its objectives by using multiple attack vectors. Level 5: A company must have standardized and optimized processes in place across the organization and additional enhanced practices that provide more sophisticated capabilities to detect and respond to APTs.

Who must comply with the CMMC?

All DoD contractors will eventually be required to obtain a CMMC certification. This includes all suppliers at all tiers along the supply chain, small businesses, commercial item contractors and foreign suppliers. The CMMC Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB) will coordinate directly with DoD to develop procedures to certify independent Third-Party Assessment Organizations (CP3AOs) and assessors that will evaluate companies' CMMC levels.

When will CMMC compliance be required?

The DoD predicts that it will begin to include minimum certification requirements in requests for information (RFIs) as early as June 2020 and in select requests for proposals (RFPs) in September 2020. DoD has also indicated that a prime-level certification requirement will not necessarily be the same certification level required throughout its entire supply chain for a given contract. Differing certification levels on a single contract have the potential to raise complex implementation challenges for primes and subcontractors alike.

CMMC legal implications and takeaways

Certification preparation starts now. Accreditation procedures and accreditors have not yet been established, but we expect details soon. The DoD estimates that the DIB includes more than 300,000 contractors that will all need certification to continue to compete for DoD contracts.

Early preparation could result in a more efficient assessment with positive end results. Contractors should begin taking immediate steps to:

Clearly document practices and procedures with those requirements that already comply with CMMC practices or processes.

Plan for and implement further procedures and practices to obtain the highest certification level possible.

Prime contractors also should begin (or continue) working with subcontractors throughout the supply chain to assist in developing compliance programs where necessary or reviewing programs already in place.

Engage with agencies. Offerors should closely review RFIs and RFPs that include minimum certification requirements to ensure the assessed level is not unnecessarily burdensome and that it provides enough clarity for the certification level required throughout the supply chain. Offerors should consider providing feedback to DoD during the market research stage and during an RFP's question and answer process.

If the issue is not resolved to the offeror's satisfaction, the offeror could consider bringing a pre-award protestalthough, as a general matter, the US Government Accountability Office and the Court of Federal Claims likely will be deferential to DoD on questions related to national security and technical requirements.

Follow the development of assessment challenges. One of the most significant concerns for contractors of all sizes is what type of due process will be available if a certification level or audit result is erroneous. The CMMC assessments could have a significant impact on contractors' ability to meet minimum contract requirements, and a low rating could limit a contractor's ability to meaningfully compete for work.

Currently, the CMMC does not establish a contractor's right of appeal, although DoD indicates it is coming. This is an important development to follow. Where possible, contractors should provide DoD detailed feedback on any proposed due process procedures to ensure it is adequate.

Prepare to be agile. CMMC certification will soon be a minimum requirement to be eligible for DoD contract awards, but this does not mean that contractors should view their cyber-compliance as complete once certification is achieved. DoD has emphasized that the CMMC is a starting point for transforming contractors internal cybersecurity culture and that industry must focus on preparing for evolving threats, not simply achieving CMMC certification. Contractors that foster a culture of cyber resiliency and flexibility within their organizations, in addition to obtaining CMMC certification, will be best positioned to compete in a marketplace that is and will continue to be less tolerant of accepting cyber-related risks.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called for giving relief to farmers during the COVID-19 lockdown by allowing them to harvest crops while maintaining safety, saying this is the only way out as they are facing a double whammy.

"The Rabi crop stands ready in the fields but harvesting of the crop due to Covid19 lockdown is difficult. The livelihoods of hundreds of farmers are at risk," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Those farmers who feed the country are today in dual trouble. The only way out is to give relief to them in the lockdown while maintaining safety is to allow them harvesting," he said.

The Congress leader has earlier called for adopting a nuanced approach to tackle the situation in India, as the situation here is different from other nations.

The country is under a 21-day lockdown from March 24 to control the spread of coronavirus.
Ad filmmaker Prasoon Pandey says there is an "incredible back story" to how a dozen of India's top actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth and Mohanlal, came together for "Family", his virtually directed short film on the importance of social distancing in times of coronavirus.

Pandey said Bachchan was most excited about the idea of the film and also came up with the idea to include an appeal about helping the daily wage workers in the film industry while Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt suggested the director to not limit it to just the Hindi film industry.

"Family" features Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Ranbir, Alia, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Diljit Dosanjh, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni, Shiv Raj Kumar and Prosenjit Chatterjee. All the stars speak in their respective local languages, giving it a pan-Indian appeal.

The film chronicles a family's effort to find a misplaced pair of sunglasses belonging to Bachchan's character.

"The back story is incredible. Amit Ji's portions were shot by Abhishek. Nick Jonas shot Priyanka's segment, Rajinikanth ji's was shot by his daughter Soundarya. Ranbir and Alia went behind the camera for each other. Everyone was so gracious. They didn't come into the frame, but they were simply helping. They were so selfless," Prasoon told PTI. The director even toyed with the idea of releasing a behind-the-scenes but it could not be possible in the short time he had. Prasoon said he first came up with the idea when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has praised the film on Twitter, announced the nation-wide lockdown of 21 days. He discussed with his brother, renowned adman Piyush Pandey, about making a short film that is shot, edited and acted while staying at home. They called up Bachchan who was "the most excited." "But he said why just stop at giving message to people. We should help daily wage workers also and do something," Prasoon said. The 77-year-old actor then undertook the initiative to provide ration for daily wage workers, which was supported by Sony Pictures Networks India and Kalyan Jewellers.

"People were not just becoming a part as actors, they were becoming part of a project. Then I talked to Ranbir and Alia, who gave me another idea: why stop at only Mumbai film industry? Why not make it pan-India. So everyone started contributing to the idea, it became even bigger." The filmmaker added more characters to his story and got Bachchan to speak to all the other stars, who instantly agreed to come on board. As there was no physical meeting, Prasoon shot a template film at his house where he played all the characters. His son shot the template film.

"We sent that to all the actors so that they could see each shot precisely, how to frame, which direction to look, so that it connects to the next shot. I sent it on April 2 and told them it'd be great if they can shoot it by the next day and they didn't bat an eye lid. They started shooting on April 3." Still there were glitches and retakes but all the actors cooperated without any hassle. "Their families were shooting them as they were inside the house. I had made the template so simple, that even a 10-year-old kid could shoot it. So their own families started shooting and that's when I thought this film can be called 'Family.'" It was harder to coordinate with Priyanka, who is currently in Los Angeles, because of different time zones, but the "Quantico" star sent in her clips just in time: day before the final submission of the film.

"We started working on the music even before the film was ready. Because the film kept changing with more shots coming in, the music kept changing too. My editor, music director were working from their respective houses and all through the night we were on call, doing back and forth on the film, making the final cut," he added. The director is relieved and overwhelmed with the response, with even PM Modi tweeting about the short film. "When you're in a project, there comes a time when you suddenly get cold feet. We were with the story right from the beginning but just before I shot the template film, as a team we started having butterflies in our stomach.

"We thought will people think that we were making a light-hearted film in these dark times? We called up Piyush and he assured us to not worry at all. He said, 'That's the job of artistes. In dark times we have to lift everyone's spirit, so don't lose your heart'. Hence the response is so heartening," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hailing from Bihar, a labour contractor in the district sent an e-mail to the Bihar government claiming that he has nothing to eat at home and is starving due to the lockdown.

When the police reached his home at Kohara village following a communication from the Bihar government, they found that the man had hoarded grocery, which is sufficient for his family for at least one month.

The Focal Point police arrested the accused, identified as Bharat Singh, 47, who hails from Siwan district of Bihar. They registered an FIR against him for furnishing false information.

Assistant sub-inspector ASI Surjit Singh, Incharge of police post Ishwar colony, said that zone level teams have been formed in Ludhiana to provide grocery to the people in need. As the Bihar government intervened, a Ludhiana police team reached his home to provide food.

He was stocking 18kg rice, 20 kg flour, other grocery items, including vegetables, sufficient to last a month for a family, while he has been living alone.

A case under Sections 68 of Police Act and Section 182C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused at Focal Point police station.

It is second such case in Ludhiana. On April 5, a resident of Azad Nagar had made a similar call to control room dealing with coronavirus outbreak claiming that he and his family members were starving. When the police reached his home to deliver essentials, it was found that the family had adequate grocery items at home.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has promised swift attention to Nigerias request for a $3.4 billion credit facility in support of its fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, noted the impact of the pandemic, which has threatened the Nigerian economy as a result of the shocks associated with sharp falls in international crude oil prices.

Following the outbreak of the virus, also known as COVID-19, crude oil price was drastically forced down to about $30 per barrel, more then 59 per cent below the approved $57 per barrel benchmark price in the 2020 Appropriation Act.

Panic adjustment

As a result, the Nigerian government was jostled into a panic adjustment of the fiscal fundamentals in the budget. It reviewed the underpinning projections for the year.

Because the 2020 Appropriation Act was based on certain fiscal assumptions, we have been compelled to revisit them given the emerging economic realities as a result of the impact of COVID-19, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said on Monday at the launch of the N500 billion stimulus package against the pandemic.

The minister said with projected oil revenues significantly affected, the Nigerian government was compelled to revise the benchmark oil price for 2020 from $57 per barrel to $30 and oil production to 1.7 million barrels per day.

Similarly, she said the government resolved to adjust downwards its non-oil revenue projections, including various tax and customs receipts as well as proceeds from the privatisation exercises.

The IMF noted the various interventions adopted by the Buhari administration to contain the spread of the virus and its impact on the economy.

The Fund identified some of the measures to include swiftly releasing contingency funds to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and working on an economic stimulus package to help provide relief for millions of households and businesses devastated by the unprecedented global economic downturn.

To support these efforts, Nigerias government has requested financial assistance under the

Funds Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), the IMF said, confirming the disclosure by Mrs Ahmed last Monday of Nigerias request.

Nigerias finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed [PHOTO: Pulse.ng]

This emergency financing would allow the (Nigerian) government to address additional and urgent balance of payments needs and support policies that would make it possible to direct funds for priority health expenditures and protect the most vulnerable people and firms.

We are working hard to respond to this request so that a proposal can be considered by the IMFs Executive Board as soon as possible, Ms Georgieva assured.

On Monday, the finance minister announced the Nigerian governments request for 100 per cent of its contribution to the international finance body as part of a $7.05 billion mobilization of financial support from multilateral organisations to battle coronavirus.

The minister said details of the other financial support include a request for similar credit facilities from the World Bank ($2.5 billion) and $1 billion from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

These would be in addition to another $150 million to be drawn through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) from the Stabilisation Fund, a special fund established to help support the governments economic recovery in times of emergencies.
Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same'

local
A man, 32, has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. accused of the murder of his former partner Nadine Lott who died after she sustained serious injuries in her Co Wicklow home.

Mother-of-one Nadine Lott died on December 17 in St Vincent's Hospital where she had been in a critical condition for the previous three days.

The beauty therapist had sustained serious injuries when found at her home in St Mary's Court, Arklow, at around 4am, on December 14 last.

On December 16, her ex-partner Daniel Murtagh, of Melrose Grove, Clondalkin, Dublin appeared at Bray District Court accused of a serious assault of Ms Lott.

The charge was under section four of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act for causing serious harm which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He had said sorry when that charge was put to him.

The case was later upgraded and a murder charge was brought at which he was remanded in continuing custody.

The district court heard he made no reply when the murder charge was brought.

Detective Garda Darren Mulhall had said the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment

Mr Murtagh faced his seventh hearing when he appeared again at Cloverhill District Court today.

A book of evidence was served on the accused who was told by Judge David McHugh that he was being returned for trial to the Central Criminal Court.

The judge told him he must notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intended to use an alibi in his defence.

Judge McHugh acceded to a request from defence solicitor Padraig ODonovan to grant legal aid to include senior counsel representation.

He also agreed to the solicitors request for continued psychiatric assessments of the accused.

Mr Murtagh, who has not yet indicated how he will plead, has yet to be given a date for his appearance before the Central Criminal Court, but it will take place in the next term, which runs from April 20 to May 28.

The judge made an order of copies of video evidence is to be handed over to the defence.

The district court cannot consider bail in a murder case and an application will have to be brought to the High Court if the accused seeks to get released pending his trial.
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Korea Telecom Rwanda Networks (KTRN), a 4G LTE distribution company has donated internet to every designated centres taking care of coronavirus patients and suspected cases who are in treatment, isolation and quarantine centres around the country.

Treatment and isolation centres are for those who have been positively diagnosed with the virus, while quarantine centres host those that have recently travelled out of the country or contacts met by those that have tested positive.

RBC has designated at least 9 of such facilities, of which there is one exclusive treatment centre (Kanyinya Health Centre) and two centres offering treatment and isolation services while the rest are quarantine centres.

There are currently 101 patients left in treatment and isolation facilities after four were discharged on Sunday, while an unspecified number remain in quarantine centres.

KTRN said they will supply each COVID-19 facility with fast internet worth 18.6 million per month and it will be provided until the pandemic loosens.

Mark Karomba, the Chief Corporate Relations, told The New Times that the donation is in a bid to support medics at these facilities get fast internet and also help those who are in quarantine to stay connected.

"There is a need to join efforts to support each other. As an LTE company, we donated internet because it is becoming a basic need for people to connect," he said.

He added that the isolated people who need to connect with their families and friends will definitely need internet, let alone health care facilities that also require internet.

"We know most people in quarantine will be in need of support from their families and friends and that's why we decide to give such an offer."

Karomba added that KTRN is ready to contribute more on the fight against COVID-19.

"This is not the last contribution in our fight against COVID-19. We shall always be ready whenever we shall be called upon," he said.

Dr. James Kamanzi, Deputy Director-General of Rwanda Biomedical Center, told The New Times in a phone interview that as then number of patients increases, the centers also increase and so does the demand to provide for them.

"The centers accommodate diverse kinds of people, we want to be connected and feel at home," he explained.

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Among the cases that have been positively indentified include foreign nationals, whom officials said need to keep in constant connection with families back home.

In an interview with The New Times, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana the Director General of RBC said; "At some of these centers, we use advanced technology to treat COVID-19, the faster internet will be of use both for medical and social purposes even for the patients."

Currently, Rwanda has recorded 105 cases of COVI 19 of which four have recovered . All the patients are accommodated at these facilities of which eight are in Kigali, while two are in Bugesera and Muhanga districts respectively.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:08 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0675b3 1 Editorial Jokowi,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,science-and-technology Free

Many would argue that  regardless of his moral and political choices  President Joko Jokowi Widodo is a man of action. But few, even among his voters, would say the former furniture businessman was a man of science. Since taking over national leadership in 2014, Jokowi has put science on the back burner. Throughout his presidency, he has focused instead on turning Indonesia into a robust economic engine, allocating a significant portion national resources towards strategic programs designed to boost the economy.

The President cares about science, too, but only applied science, which tends to have a much larger impact on the economy. Schools and universities have been redesigned to function as human factories to produce skilled workers. Pure science? Thats a whole different story.

In recent years, some scientists have complained about what they perceive as a sort of hostility on the part of the government toward scientists. A number of foreign scientists have either been barred from entering the country or expelled for many reasons, ranging from biopiracy allegations to simply saying the wrong things.

Sadly, the situation has not changed at all, even as the worst global pandemic in recent memory claws its way into the country, with at least 200 dead on Indonesian soil. Still, Jokowi seems to have little regard for scientists, the people who know far more about pandemics than any of his economic or political advisers at the State Palace.

Read also: Indonesia's latest official COVID-19 figures

The Jokowi administration has practically ignored warnings from scientists from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, dismissing reports that Indonesia might have failed to detect cases as insulting. The special task force he created to fight the highly contagious disease is dominated by military figures, while economic considerations have always been the determining factor in decisions about how to fight the outbreak.

Calls made by a number of prominent physicians and epidemiologists for a partial lockdown and aggressive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to prevent the virus from spreading throughout the country have been largely ignored.

Mathematical models showing a grim coronavirus forecast over the next few weeks have been met with the quasi-propaganda of cherry-picked scientific studies, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, about how the virus is less virulent in tropical countries, ignoring the caveats made by other scientists that the studies are far from conclusive and should not be factored in a strategy to defeat the virus.

Jokowi is now facing the worst health crisis in decades, and we understand that he has to make an extremely difficult choice: saving the people, saving the economy or doing the virtually impossible: saving both. But the President is making a mistake in sidelining scientists.

Social and economic considerations should indeed be weighed in the governments decision-making process. But the primary guideline in this battle should be scientific modeling and a set of policy recommendations designed by doctors, epidemiologists and mathematicians. To beat the virus and to save lives, the President must listen to scientists.
Meadows is Trumps fourth chief of staff in as many years  with his predecessors each entering the position hoping to leave a distinct mark but exiting far more diminished in the job. And with Trump intent on serving as his own unscripted spokesman in daily coronavirus briefings, even Meadowss supporters acknowledged on Tuesday that he faces many challenges ahead as he tries to revamp the communications shop and establish himself in the job.
The U.S.-Taliban peace deal called for thousands of prisoners to be released as a confidence-building measure ahead of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The Taliban had previously demanded that all of its prisoners be released at once, but the Afghan government objected to that, citing logistical concerns. The two sides later agreed to move ahead with smaller groups.
Seth Tom Davis was stuck at LAX with his support dog, Poppy. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

These are the kinds of problems Seth Tom Davis hasnt faced since he left North Dakota four months ago and got stranded at Los Angeles International Airport during the coronavirus outbreak:

Where to buy pots and pans? Will the grocery store have Fritos and ranch dressing  key ingredients for his specialty, taco salad? And a new one: Are any veterinarians offices open during the pandemic to care for Poppy, his seizure dog?

Davis was on a long layover at LAX on Christmas Eve when he fell asleep and his wallet was stolen. The thief raided his bank account, hijacked his identity and waylaid the Social Security payments he and Poppy survive on. Davis has Asperger syndrome, epilepsy and dyslexia.

So, navigating the world can be difficult for him in the best of times. The last four months have been far from the best.

After The Times wrote about Davis and Poppy and the months during which Terminal 6 was their home, bighearted readers donated more than $11,500 through PayPal and GoFundMe accounts. The problem, though, was that PayPal had frozen most of Daviss funds.

But on Tuesday, after four days of work, PayPal was able to get Davis access to the money. The first thing he did was book a month at an extended-stay motel in Albuquerque, where he and Poppy have landed. That will allow him to hunt for an apartment that accepts federal Section 8 subsidies without having to worry about ending up on the street. The second thing was a grocery run, the third was a visit to the vet.

Seth Tom Davis with his support dog, Poppy. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Our teams have been working closely with Mr. Davis for several days to alleviate the complexities and issues associated with his account, said Bernadette Guastini, a PayPal spokeswoman. It was never our intention to delay Mr. Davis access to critical funds, and we appreciate his understanding during these challenging and unprecedented times.

One problem was the pandemic itself. Because of coronavirus safety precautions, PayPal shut down its customer service phone line. And those seeking online troubleshooting faced lengthy waits. In addition, because Davis identification was stolen, the company struggled to validate his identity. And the flood of deposits to a new account, Guastini said, raised security red flags.

Story continues

Tuesday afternoon Davis was relieved and exhausted. His temporary home, he said, is good. I have a bed, a stove, a TV, a dresser and a bathroom and stuff. I have pretty much everything. I feel good. I feel really good.

And Poppy? Shell feel better soon, too. The diagnosis for her coughing, sneezing and lethargy was simple: allergies. The solution is pretty easy, too: Benadryl.

I have to go find a place to get Benadryl and a giant bowl for taco salad, Davis said, after they left the vet's office. Those are the best problems Ive had in my life.




MENANDS  B.J. Aviza is one of the last 10 volunteers working at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society delivering pet food from the Furry Friends Pet Food Pantry to people unable to pick it up themselves because they are either too sick or in self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Aviza, 65, usually is at the Oakland Avenue animal shelter walking dogs nearly every day in addition to her work delivering packages of pet food.

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I like the food pantry. I package the food and figure out where I go. There are 10 of us who volunteer to do it, Aviza, who lives in Albany and is retired from National Grid, said Monday outside the building.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society had to put most of its volunteers on hold late Friday as a result of concerns about coronavirus contamination inside the facility where the animals are located, said Marguerite Pearson, a spokeswoman for the society.

Aviza and the other volunteers pick up the pet food without entering the main building. Thats the closest theyre allowed during the crisis.

Aviza became involved with Mohawk Hudson about five years ago. Since then, shes fostered puppies, helped out by taking others on their daily walks around the grounds, and delivered pet food from the society's pantry.

"I love my volunteer duties, she said.

Mohawk Hudson has run the Furry Friends Pet Food Pantry since June 2016. Last year, the program provided 53,703 meals for pets.

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

B.J. is one of the crucial volunteers that let us do food pantry deliveries, said Nikki Gagnon, who coordinates the program.

During this time, when people cant or don't want to leave home because they're in quarantine or following the state's stay-at-home order, Mohawk Hudson is using the deliveries to supplement its pantry pick-up program. The deliveries can range from six to 24 stops a day.

Mohawk Hudson isnt accepting donations for the pantry at this time from individuals as several companies are providing pet food, Pearson said.

Mohawk Hudson serves pet owners in Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. The Animal Protective Foundation covers Schenectady County and is starting its delivery program Tuesday, said Nancy Benz, a spokeswoman for APF, which began its pet food pantry in January 2019.

Those who need pet food due to being in isolation because of coronavirus may contact Mohawk Hudson through its website at mohawkhudson.org under the COVID-19 section. APF may be reached at animalprotective.org or at 518-374-3944, ext. 118.
Industry Consulting Firm G. Palmer & Associates Quarterly Forecast Assists in Previewing Near-Term Hiring Patterns

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Demand for temporary workers in the United States is expected to decrease 28.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the 2020 second quarter, when compared with the same period in 2019, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, according to the Palmer Forecast, released today.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), results for temporary help for the preceding 2020 first quarter decreased by 1.1%. There were 49,500 temporary jobs lost in March.

The 2020 first quarter marked the second consecutive year-over-year decrease in demand for temporary workers in the past decade, but the reported first quarter decrease just marks part of the story, since the data provided by BLS is only through March 12, said Greg Palmer, founder and managing director of G. Palmer & Associates, an Orange County, California-based human capital advisory firm that specializes in workforce solutions. Since the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States, we have seen an unprecedented 9.9 million initial unemployment claims filed in just the last two weeks of March, with expected GDP declines. It is now estimated that the 2020 second quarter will find the unemployment rate jumping above 10% and the GDP dropping by 10%. If this scenario occurs, the second quarter forecast we are putting forth will be substantially lower than the current forecast of a 28.7% decline.

Without a doubt, labor numbers for April will be significantly worse than those of March. Putting this into perspective, the latest unemployment numbers for the week ended March 28, 2020 were ten times worse than the worst week during the Great Recession in terms of initial jobless claims, when 15 million jobs were lost over the 18-month period between 2008 to 2010. Many economists are excepting the job loss numbers to exceed those of the Great Recession in the next 90 days, Palmer said.

Story continues

For reporting consistency and accuracy purposes, the following statistic will reflect data provided by the BLS through March 12, 2020.

According to the BLS, 29,000 temp jobs were lost for the 2020 first quarter. The BLS reported that, 42,000 temp help jobs were lost in 2019, an average of 3,500 fewer jobs per month. In 2018, more than 99,000 temp help jobs were added, an average of 8,200 per month. Additionally, 96,000 temp jobs were added in 2017, an average of 8,000 per month, versus 32,000 temp jobs added in 2016, an average of 2,600 per month. In 2015, approximately 97,000 temporary jobs were added, compared with 162,000 new temp jobs in 2014, 139,000 in 2013, and 142,000 in 2012.

The Labor Department reported a decrease of 701,000 seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs in March, which was far below consensus expectations of 10,000 jobs lost. In addition, January and February job numbers were revised down by 59,000 and 2,000, respectively. There were 176,000 jobs added on average per month in 2019 and 2.1 million total for the year, less than the 220,000 added per month in 2018, and 2.6 million total for the year. For 2017, a total of 2.1 million new jobs were created, versus 2.2 million new jobs in 2016.

The key job categories of jobs reduction are as follows:

Non-farm jobs: -701,000

Government sector: +12,000

Hospitality and leisure: -459,000

Education and Health Services: -76,000

Service providing employment: -659,000

Professional and business services: -52,000

Construction: -29,000

Goods Producing: -54,000

Temp help Services: -49,500

In March 2020, the participation rate dropped 70 bps from February to 62.4%. The U3 unemployment rate, generally reported as the official unemployment jumped 90 bps from February to 4.4%. The expected U3 is expected to reach 10% in the very near future. As reported by the BLS, the rate of unemployment for workers with college degrees ticked up 60 bps in March from February, to 2.5%, and the unemployment rate for workers with less than a high school education increased 110 bps to 6.8%. The U6 unemployment rate, which tracks those who are unemployed, as well as those who are underemployed and are working part-time for economic reasons, was up 170 bps from February, to 8.7% in March. The U6 rate is considered the rate that most broadly depicts those most affected by the last economic downturn and measures the rate of discouraged workers.

One of the most revealing indicators to watch is the temp help penetration rate, because it measures temp help as a percentage of total employment. In March 2020, the temp penetration rate declined 20 bps to 1.91% of the total labor market, versus a low of 1.3% in June 2009, Palmer said.

The next few quarters

The temp help employment market is expected to be down significantly over the next couple of quarters, until the GDP begins to rebound, Palmer added. With the single largest increase in unemployment claims filed in the last two weeks of March, since tracking began, the next few quarters will likely be the most volatile in recent memory.

About the Palmer Forecast

The Palmer Forecast is based, in part, on BLS and other key indicators. The model was initially developed by the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University and serves as an indicator of economic activity. Companies that employ temporary staff use the forecast as a guide to navigate through fluctuating economic conditions in managing their workforce to meet business demands.

About G. Palmer & Associates

G. Palmer & Associates, founded in 2006, provides advisory services in the human capital sector. Founder Greg Palmer has served on the board of the American Staffing Association and was president and chief executive officer of RemedyTemp, Inc., one of the nations largest temporary staffing companies, prior to its sale in June 2006. For more information, visit www.GPalmerandAssociates.com .

Contact: Roger S. Pondel/Judy Lin Sfetcu

PondelWilkinson Inc.

310.279.5980



Philip Boronow, Analyst

G. Palmer & Associates

949.201.7296

www.GPalmerandAssociates.com




Australian insurer IAG announced that Peter Harmer, managing director and chief executive officer, plans to retire by the end of 2020.

A flexible nine-month period of transition has been agreed with Harmer to ensure a smooth changeover, said Sydney-based IAG in a statement.

The company noted that a search for his replacement is underway, supported by the boards ongoing succession planning, which ensures an available field of strong internal and external candidates.

In a separate announcement, IAGs Chief Financial Officer Nick Hawkins has been appointed deputy CEO with responsibility for the management and performance of IAGs day-to-day operations during the transition period. He will start in this role immediately.

Prior to Hawkins 12-year tenure as IAGs CFO, he was the CEO of IAG New Zealand and also held a number of roles within finance and asset management since joining the group in 2001. Before joining IAG, Nick was a partner with the accounting firm KPMG.

Hawkins is a Fellow of Chartered Accounts of Australia & New Zealand and a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program.

IAG CEO Australia Mark Milliner will continue to lead the Australian business and remains focused on business growth, the response to the bushfire recovery process, as well as the ongoing operational challenges of COVID-19.

IAG Chair Elizabeth Bryan said that the company is fortunate to have two such experienced and well-respected executives in Hawkins and Milliner, during the transition period.

The arrangements we have announced today reflect the strength and stability of our senior management team and will ensure the smooth operation of the company through challenging times. The board has been in discussion with Mr. Harmer for some time about his plans, following a period of illness last year, and the company is well prepared for a transition, Bryan said.

Harmer will remain responsible for the overall strategic direction and performance of the group during the transition period and will directly lead the companys response to the COVID-19 emergency, said IAG.

Michelle McPherson, CFO Australia, has been appointed acting group CFO. Before joining IAG, McPherson was chief financial officer and deputy chief executive officer for nib Group, an Australian health and medical insurance provider.

Harmer has made an enormous contribution to IAG and was widely regarded as one of the best insurance executives of his generation, Bryan commented.

Peter has been pivotal to the creation of a more innovative and customer-focused IAG. He has taken important steps to simplify the company while driving a culture that values digital innovation and puts the customer first. Peter will leave IAG in a strong position for future success, she said.

It has been a tremendous privilege to lead IAG and after five years in the role, I believe its the right time to hand over the reins to my successor, who will lead the next stage of IAGs growth and evolution, Harmer said.

My immediate priority is guiding IAGs response to, and recovery from, COVID-19 as well as managing our key external stakeholder relationships in what is an increasingly complex and dynamic environment, he added.

During his 40-year career, Harmer has held senior roles in underwriting, reinsurance broking and commercial insurance broking. He joined IAG in 2010 and became CEO in November 2015. Prior to that, he was chief executive of the IAG Labs division, responsible for driving digital and innovation across IAG and its brands. He also held the role of chief digital officer and was formerly chief executive of the Commercial Insurance division. He joined IAG as CEO of CGU Insurance.

Before joining IAG, he was CEO of Aon Limited UK, a member of Aons global executive board, and spent seven years as CEO of Aons Australian operations and was chairman and chief executive of Aon Re.

Source: IAG

Topics Carriers Aon Australia
Labour has removed the whip from a town mayor who provoked outrage for claiming Boris Johnson completely deserves this after he was admitted to hospital with coronavirus.

It comes as the prime minister spent a second night in intensive care at St Thomas Hospital after being admitted to hospital on Sunday evening with persistent symptoms of covid-19.

Mr Johnson was moved to the central Londons critical care unit the following evening after his symptoms worsened, but No 10 have said the prime minister is responding to treatment and remains in a stable condition.

In response to a Facebook post on Monday, calling for people to say a prayer for Mr Johnson, Sheila Oakes, who is mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire and a Labour district councillor, said: Sorry, he completely deserves this and he is one of the worst PMs weve ever had.

Since the comment emerged, the Labour leader of Amber Valley district council Chris Emmas-Williams said Ms Oakes had had the whip withdrawn. In a statement, he spoke of being appalled and very disappointed by his colleagues behaviour, adding she had apologised to me personally, on Facebook and BBC Radio Derby.

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

Mr Emmas-Williams said a full internal party investigation would get underway and could eventually take place by video conference, given the lockdown.

Ms Oakes apologised for the remark and for upsetting people, telling the BBC: I didnt think what I said would upset so many people. It came across as not a nice thing to say.

Im concerned about nurses and doctors who dont have protective equipment. I said something when I was angry without thinking about the prime minister or his family.

On Facebook, a statement from Amber Valley Labour group said: Following comments from Cllr Oakes on social media, which we utterly condemn, the Amber Valley Labour group withdrew the whip this morning, and can announce this now that the whip has spoken to Cllr Oakes.

This means that Cllr Oakes does not currently sit as a Labour councillor, and further due process will follow. We wish the prime minister, and all who are suffering this awful disease, a speedy recovery and send love and solidarity to them and their families. It would be inappropriate to comment further until due process has taken its course.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, and even the most optimistic analysts expect a global recession.

Covid-19 shakes mining sector

Mining industry more exposed to pandemic

Industry to fast-track automation?

Mining companies have been affected by Covid-19 outbreaks, and global restrictions to encourage social distancing have meant that mining projects have either slowed or been put on hold until further notice. There is no doubt that mining executives are beginning to feel nervous as the spread of the virus accelerates.Share-prices of listed mining companies are in a downward spiral. Commodity prices across the industry have been tumbling as the industry considers the devastating aftershocks of this Black Swan event. To single out one example: platinum and palladium prices have dropped by more than 40% in just three weeks.Mining companies are feeling the pressure, despite recent positive results brought by surging commodity prices and various cost-cutting initiatives. South African miner Sibanye-Stillwaters share price has lost over 60% in the past four weeks while Impala Platinum has lost a similar percentage, and Anglo American is down by as much as 40%.The response to the pandemic from governments and markets has shaken the mining industry. Restrictions imposed on mining companies has seen production shut down across multiple markets. Alta Zinc has shut-down production at its largest project in northern Italy. In Mongolia, Rio Tinto suspended non-essential operations following the countrys first confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis. And Anglo American is in the process of demobilising most of the 10,000-strong construction workforce at its copper project in Peru.Were also witnessing a halt on capex growth. While capital expenditure for the worlds 20 largest mining companies grew by 12% in 2019 to reach $49.1bn, were now seeing delays in project work and investments being put on hold.The recent announcement of a 15-day quarantine in Peru, the worlds second-largest copper producer, has meant miners such as Anglo American, Pan American Silver and Newmont, have had to put a halt to operations, which includes the slowing of work on Anglo Americans major copper project.South Africas 21-day period of national lockdown has similarly ground all local mining operations to a halt until at least 16 April. Even where shutdowns are not occurring, restrictions on the movement of people and supplies will inevitably delay development work.South Africas mining sector is particularly exposed to the spread of Covid-19. According to the Minerals Council of South Africa, the industry employs a workforce numbering almost 420,000, many of whom are underground on any given day. Some mines have thousands of men and women underground, descending into the depths in crowded cages. Before and after, dressing rooms are filled with miners preparing for their shifts or cleaning up afterwards. It does not take an epidemiologist to realise that the mining work environment is a catalyst for spreading the Covid-19 pandemic.In South Africa, this is exacerbated by the fact that the mining labour force remains migrant, with constant movement between the gold fields and platinum belt and Lesotho, Mozambique and the Eastern Cape. In addition, the average age in the industrys workforce is over 40, increasing their vulnerability to an illness that poses a greater risk the older the infected person is.On a slightly positive note, the South African mining industrys experience with AIDS and tuberculosis should stand it in good stead: It has invested in health infrastructure and has experience with contact-tracing because the procedure with a tuberculosis diagnosis is similar to that of coronavirus.The Minerals Council of South Africa has also published a 10-Point Action Plan for Covid-19 which outlines several measures to deal with Covid-19, however it will take its lead from agencies like the World Health Organisation and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.The Covid19 outbreak has made the immediate future of several mining operations around the world uncertain. As a result, there may be an increased appeal and demand for solutions to reduce the human workforce at mine sites.The uptake of automated mine solutions including self-driving haul trucks and remote operations centers has been slow but steady. One of the earliest moves into automation came with global mining giant Rio Tintos Mine of the Future initiative in 2008. From a remote operations center in Perth, Western Australia, workers operate autonomous mining vehicles at mines more than 1,200km away in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Today, around a third of the haul truck fleet at Rio Tintos Pilbara mines are autonomous.The Syama underground gold mine in Mali, became the worlds first fully autonomous mine operation. Designed in partnership with Swedish engineering company Sandvik, the mine operates with fully automated trucks, loaders and drills. The fully autonomous operation means that the mine can operate 24 hours a day, with all operations overseen from a remote operation centre.Depending on how long this crisis lasts, the mining industry could see big moves into autonomous mining technologies in the not-too-distant future.While it is not possible to predict how Covid-19 will further disrupt the mining industry, what is certain is that the mining industry must reconfigure and prepare itself to operate under a new normal, one in which it can operate and sustain itself under the new constraints and challenges that such pandemics bring with them.
Srinagar, Apr 7 (UNI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was on Tuesday shifted from a Srinagar sub-jail to her official residence, where she was put under house arrest.



Official sources said Ms Mehbooba was on Tuesday shifted to her Gupkar Road official residence. She has been put under house arrest at her residence, which has been converted into a sub-jail, they added.





In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (b) of Section 2 of the Prisoners Act, 1990, the government hereby declares Fairview, Gupkar Road, Srinagar as Subsidiary Jail, read an order issued by Principal Secretary to Government Shaleen Kabra on Tuesday.



Another order, read, In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 10 (b) of the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978, the government hereby orders change of place of lodgment of Mehbooba Mufti D/O Late Mufti Mohammad Syeed, detained by the District Magistrate Srinagar, from Subsidiary Jail, Transport Yard, M A road, Srinagar to Subsidiary jail, Fairview, Gupkar raod with immediate effect.





Ms Mehbooba, former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, besides dozens of mainstream leaders, including ex-ministers, were detained on August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 and Article 35 A, besides bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. The PDP president was later booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and stayed in solitary confinement for over eight months.



Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah, who was released last month after about eight month detention, demanded for the release of Ms Mehbooba, saying shifting her home while continuing to keep her detained is a cop out. @MehboobaMufti must be set free. Shifting her home while continuing to keep her detained is a cop out, Mr Abdullah tweeted.



Dr Farooq, who is MP from Srinagar, was also released last month after remaining under detention for about seven months. The NC president was released after his PSA was revoked by the J&K administration.

UNI ABS SB 1402
When students cannot go to school, their home circumstances will define their education, which means coronavirus threatens to widen educational inequity in America.

With many schools closed across the United States to prevent the spread of coronavirus, DonorsChoose has launched a new initiative to support public school teachers and students as they transition to learning from home. The education crowdfunding nonprofits Keep Kids Learning program provides funding credits that teachers can redeem for educational resources including books, basic supplies like notebooks and pencils, art supplies and other enrichment materials, and groceries for students who rely on school to provide meals. Teachers will be able to have these resources shipped directly to students homes while schools remain closed.

Over 4,000 public school teachers responded to a DonorsChoose survey in early March, in which 97 percent of teachers expected that coronavirus-related school closures would negatively impact students learning this school year. Teachers estimated that 68 percent of their students did not have the proper resources to continue learning from home.

When students cannot go to school, their home circumstances will define their education, which means coronavirus threatens to widen educational inequity in America, said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose. With Keep Kids Learning, weve expanded upon our traditional model at DonorsChoose while schools are closed to support teachers in our highest-need communities as they face a new set of unprecedented challenges.

To date, donors and corporate and foundation partners have contributed over $6.2 million to the Keep Kids Learning program. Inaugural funders of the program include Bill & Melinda Gates, General Motors, Chevron, Equitable Foundation, SONIC Drive-In, Chris and Crystal Sacca, Theresia Gouw, Townsend Press, Lightbay Capital, Horace Mann, Oak Foundation, Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation, and NRG Energy.

In the initial phase of Keep Kids Learning, DonorsChoose is reaching out to teachers who have previously used DonorsChoose at schools where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the national standard for measuring need within a school community. Eligible teachers receive $1,000 in funding credits to spend on educational resources to ship to their students homes. DonorsChoose is contacting teachers and issuing credits on a rolling basis as funds become available. To date, 2,200 teachers have participated in the program. The organization is also working to expand at-home learning support to more teachers and students, offering donors the chance to give to a specific teacher or community, similar to the traditional DonorsChoose model.

Ms. Akowitz, an elementary school teacher from Michigan, recently sent her students care packages through the Keep Kids Learning program. My students have been sending me pictures of the packages theyre receiving and have been overjoyed that I am still thinking about them even though we cant be together, she said. Thank you so much for helping me bring some joy to my students while I cant be with them.

To support the Keep Kids Learning program, please visit http://www.donorschoose.org/keepkidslearning. Learn more about the DonorsChoose response to coronavirus-related school closures at http://www.donorschoose.org/coronavirus-how-to-help.

ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE

DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, more than 4.2 million people and partners have contributed $950 million to support 1.6 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the classroom, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit http://www.donorschoose.org.
Mayor De Blasio announced in his press conference this morning that the city has asked the government for over 9 million surgical gowns.

The COVID-19 crisis has inspired fashion and textile companies to refocus their businesses and utilize their supplies and resources to help address the deficiency in medical equipment.

Luxury label Lafayette 148 and combat apparel manufacturer Crye Precision have partnered to aid the cause.

Doing what they can: The COVID-19 crisis has inspired fashion and textile companies to refocus their businesses and utilize their supplies and resources to help address the deficiency in medical equipment. Pictured: Lafayette 148 Co-Founder and CEO Deirdre Quinn

Power players: Luxury label Lafayette 148 and combat apparel manufacturer Crye Precision have partnered to aid the cause

'We will do anything and everything to make a difference for New Yorkers, for the city, and for the good of what the gowns can do for people,' said Lafayette 148 Co-Founder and CEO Deirdre Quinn.

Mayor DeBlasio spoke about the Brooklyn Navy Yards incredible tradition of service in times of crisis, saying 'Were seeing, once again, the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a symbol to this city and to this whole nation of extraordinary and selfless service leading the fight against the coronavirus.'

Lafayette 148s patternmakers created patterns for the surgical garments, which were then digitized and sent off for prototyping and production.

In New York: Lafayette 148s patternmakers created patterns for the surgical garments, which were then digitized and sent off for prototyping and production

Generosity: In addition, Lafayette 148 is also supporting NYCs heroes on the front lines by donating 20% of sales from April 12 through April 30 to The Brooklyn Hospital Center

In need: Lafayette 148 will also be donating 28,000 masks to NYC-area hospitals, including 18,000 surgical masks and 10,000 N95 masks, with plans for more in the coming weeks.

Big Apple: The hospital, which is just a stones throw from Lafayette 148s corporate headquarters, has served the Brooklyn community since 1845

The initiative between Brooklyn Navy Yard & New York City Economic Development Corporation, including Lafayette 148 and their BNY neighbor Crye Precision, is expected to produce 9,200 surgical gowns by the end of week, and 320,000 by end of the month.

In addition, Lafayette 148 is also supporting NYCs heroes on the front lines by donating 20% of sales from April 12 through April 30 to The Brooklyn Hospital Center, located around the corner from the fashion house's corporate headquarters.

'Im on the board of the Brooklyn Hospital Center, so Ive gotten to see firsthand the tragedy thats going on. They exemplify the everyday heroes coming together across our city to protect us and save lives,' said Deirdre.

Lafayette 148 will also be donating 28,000 masks to NYC-area hospitals, including 18,000 surgical masks and 10,000 N95 masks, with plans for more in the coming weeks.
Read what is in the news today:

Society

-- Vietnams Ministry of Health reported two new cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Wednesday morning, with the countrys tally climbing to 251. A total of 122 patients have recovered so far.

-- A riverside pedestrian street that snakes along the To Lich River in Hanoi has become crowded over the past days as residents flock to go for a walk or jog there, as the capital city has closed all public parks to discourage citizens from going outside unnecessarily.

-- Police in the southern province of Binh Phuoc said late Tuesday they had arrested a 92-year-old man who had been living under a new identity for 37 years after escaping from prison in 1983 while serving a life sentence for plotting against the peoples government.

-- The Peoples Committee of Me Linh District in Hanoi decided late Tuesday to impose a lockdown on the entirety of Ha Loi Hamlet in the districts Me Linh Commune  home to nearly 3,000 households and 10,900 residents  for 14 days in relation to Vietnams COVID-19 patient No. 243.

-- Doctors at the National Hospital of Pediatrics in Hanoi have successfully performed a bone marrow transplant on a two-year-old patient born with a rare disease known as Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, which has been diagnosed in only 1-9 out of one million children globally.

-- The investigative police agency under Nha Be District Police has transferred case files on the death of Dr. Bui Quang Tin  who fell from the 14th floor of an apartment building to his death on Sunday  to investigators at the Ho Chi Minh City police bureau for further investigation.

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project to archive electronic documents of state-run agencies in 2020-25, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

Business

-- Three Vietnamese entrepreneurs have been honored in the American magazine Forbes annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, said the Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday. They are among six entrepreneurs receiving the ministrys support via a start-up support scheme.

Lifestyle

-- Son Doong 360  a project by National Geographic aiming to preserve Son Doong Cave in north-central Vietnam in digital form  has been nominated by UK newspaper The Guardian as among the ten best virtual tours of the world's natural wonders to take from the comfort of ones own home.

World News

-- The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 1.34 million people and killed more than 74,600 around the world as of Tuesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. More than 278,200 patients have recovered.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
As Grand Island continues to work hard to battle the impact of the coronavirus on the community, the city of Grand Island is taking steps to protect its employees and make sure essential city services continue to be provided.

Because people are being asked not to congregate in crowds of more than 10 people, the city has had to close some of its facilities, such as the library and city parks.

Unfortunately, we have been in a position where we have had to lay off employees at the library, said Jerry Janulewicz, city administrator.

Janulewicz said that last Friday the city laid off 23 people who worked at the city library. Those employees have been added to a recall list. When the library reopens, the city will be rehiring those employees on the list.

He said the city is currently looking at potential layoffs in other departments.

The city is holding up pretty well, considering the spread of the coronavirus in the community, Janulewicz said. He said most employees who work at City Hall and at the various utility offices are now working at home, though they are maintaining skeleton crews in those offices.
After Kanika Kapoor, another Bollywood family has been tested positive for coronavirus.

This time its Bollywood producer Karim Morani along with his two daughters- Zoa and Shaza Morani who are undergoing treatment for this novel disease.

First, it was Shaza Morani who had tested positive for Coronavirus after returning from Srilanka. A couple of hours later, her sister and actor Zoa Morani tested positive and now Karim Morani has also been tested positive.

Reuters

Karim Morani in a statement said that both the daughters were under observation. "Shaza had no symptoms but has tested positive. Zoa, my other daughter, has a few symptoms so we got both of them tested. Zoa has also been tested positive. Both have been admitted to Nanavati hospital. They are in isolation and under observation."



Zoa Morani / Instagram

Mohammed Morani, brother of Karim Morani, has stated that their family had been anticipating this diagnosis as Karim had spent time with his daughters before they tested positive for the virus.



We should take this as a prime example that if we are not cautious and don't follow any precautions, we will be inviting coronavirus in our house to our family members. That's why please stay at home and stay safe.
Courtesy Miami-Dade Fire Rescue(MIAMI) -- After one of their own fell sick, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue squad found a way to safely pay a visit to their coworker at the hospital.



Kenneth Wood, the battalion chief of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue 13, helped organize the visit to the unnamed firefighter, who has been hospitalized three times since March 19 due to complications with the coronavirus, according to Wood.



"The lieutenant [in the hospital] is one of mine that Im responsible for," said Wood, who added a few other members of his crew are also sick with coronavirus-like symptoms. "I set up a text group so that we could see how everybodys feeling during the day and to keep the [camaraderie] going throughout the whole process. We mess around with each other, to keep things light."



Together, with the help of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 37, Station 36, Station 13 and the hospital, Wood said the fire squad used the fire truck ladder to visit the lieutenant on the fourth floor of the Florida hospital, that's left unnamed for privacy, on April 3, 2020.



"You cant really go visit [the sick firefighters], youre not allowed to go visit them  [We visited] this lieutenant because hes been the most sick," said Wood. "I made the appropriate phone calls and we set it in place and set the time and then went out and did it."



Firefighters from each station were able to take turns using the fire truck ladder to visit the sick lieutenant at his hospital window. Emotions were high, Wood said, and everybody could hear how excited and touched the lieutenant was during the visit.



"I think that [visiting him] really put things in perspective for everybody just how serious this whole thing is. He was short of breath the entire conversation and it was chilling the emotion in his voice," said Wood, who has been colleagues with this lieutenant for about 16 years. "[Hes] been cooped up there with stress and hes been isolated."



Wood said the visit was a welcome break for the crew since most of their recent calls have been coronavirus-related and the crisis has taken a toll.



"Everythings just been so negative lately," said Wood. "So I think it was nice to finally have a good feeling, opposed to all the bad stuff thats been happening."

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Defence Minister of Ukraine Andriy Taran discussed during a phone conversation with Minister of National Defence of Canada Harjit Sajjan the security situation in Ukraine and around the world amid coronavirus pandemic.

Yesterday, April 7, Defence Minister of Ukraine Andriy Taran had a phone conversation with Minister of National Defence of Canada Harjit Sajjan. The main topic of the dialogue was the discussion of the security situation in Ukraine and around the world in the context of the current epidemiological situation in the armed forces of both countries. The Minister of National Defence of Canada reiterated the continued unconditional support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the willingness of the Canadian Defence Ministry to assist in enhancing the military capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the parties discussed the continued support for the training mission of Canada in Ukraine and resumption of its activities in full after the completion of measured related to combating coronavirus pandemic, the press service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine informs.

In the context of enhancing the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Taran emphasized the invariance of the continuation of consistent defence reform in Ukraine. In turn, Minister Sajjan welcomed the continued reform of the Ukrainian military under NATO standards and assured of support for Ukraine's accession to the NATO EOP and unblocking of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

The Defence Minister of Ukraine confirmed the priority of continuation of the Euro-Atlantic integration policy in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and also informed the Canadian counterpart about the key goals and priorities of the Ministrys activity.

As noted, Harjit Sajjan stressed that the Canadian side was ready to use the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine as a point of contact to promote the mentioned issues among its allies.

The parties also discussed a number of issues regarding the continuation of Canada's advisory assistance to Ukraine and the intensification of military and technical cooperation.

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About 40 crore workers in India working in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a report today that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting 2.7 billion workers globally due to lockdowns.



COVID-19 is already affecting tens of millions of informal workers. In India, Nigeria and Brazil, the number of workers in the informal economy affected by the lockdown and other containment measures is substantial.



In India, with a share of almost 90 per cent of people working in the informal economy, about 400 million workers or 40 crore in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty during the crisis.





ILO said that the current lockdown measures in India, which are at the high end of the University of Oxford's COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index, have impacted these workers significantly, forcing many of them to return to rural areas.



The report said that particularly in low- and middle-income countries, hard-hit sectors have a high proportion of workers in informal employment and workers with limited access to health services and social protection. Without appropriate policy measures, workers face a high risk of falling into poverty and will experience greater challenges in regaining their livelihoods during the recovery period.



ILO noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated in terms of intensity and expanded its global reach. Full or partial lockdown measures are now affecting almost 2.7 billion workers, representing around 81 per cent of the world's workforce.



Employment contraction has already begun on a large (often unprecedented) scale in many countries. In the absence of other data, changes in working hours, which reflect both layoffs and other temporary reductions in working time, give a better picture about the dire reality of the current labour market situation.



Using this approach, as of 1 April 2020, the ILO's new global estimates indicate that working hours will decline by 6.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, which is equivalent to 195 million full-time workers.



The majority of job losses and declining working hours will occur in hardest-hit sectors. The ILO estimates that 1.25 billion workers, representing almost 38 per cent of the global workforce, are employed in sectors that are now facing a severe decline in output and a high risk of workforce displacement.



Key sectors include retail trade, accommodation and food services, and manufacturing. Workplace closures have increased so rapidly in recent weeks that 81 per cent of the global workforce lives in countries with mandatory or recommended closures.



Employment in countries with mandatory or recommended workplace closures represents 87 per cent of the workforce of upper-middle-income countries and 70 per cent of the workforce in high income countries.



COVID-19 is now also impacting the developing world, where capacities and resources are severely constrained. Through the massive economic disruption, the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the world's workforce of 3.3 billion.
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The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has formally requested Parliament to spend over GHS1.2 billion from the Contingency Fund as part of measures to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Speaker of Parliament has referred the Finance Minister's request to Parliaments Finance Committee.

These are extraordinary and sobering times and we must respond with a deep a sense of social justice so that our very humanity is not compromised, Mr. Ofori-Atta noted when he presented the statement on the Floor of Parliament today, Wednesday.

The money from the fund will be used for the GHS1 billion Coronavirus Alleviation Programme.

His statement outlined areas where the program will be targeted including a stimulus package for businesses and households, tax waivers and incentives for health workers and soft loans to small businesses.

The Finance Minister has already indicated that the cumulative effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic will cost Ghana GHS9.505 billion.

As part of other measures, the government has put in place a GHS600 million soft loan scheme with a two-year repayment plan for micro, small and medium scale businesses.

This is in collaboration with the National Board for Small Scale Industries, Business & Trade Associations and selected Commercial and Rural Banks.

Persons who access these loans will have a one-year grace period before beginning repayment.

Mr. Ofori-Atta is also seeking the support of Parliament to amend the relevant laws to lower the cap of the Stabilisation Fund from US$300 million to US$100 million.

This is to enable the government use the excess funds to bridge the gap created by the economic impact of the pandemic.

Among other interventions, the government will be taking care of the water bills for all Ghanaians for April, May and June 2020.

Six regions have so far recorded cases of the novel coronavirus with Ghana's count standing at 287.

----citinewsroom
Today, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Delta State.

Reacting to the development, the Delta State Government, while calling for calm amongst its citizens, said the patient is already receiving the necessary treatment at an isolation center.

Special Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on New Media, Miss Victoria Abang in a tweet via her Twitter handle, @abangdove, said the state is prepared and the case will be handled with utmost care.

She tweeted:

This evening, an index case of #COVID19 was reported in Delta State and the patient is already receiving the necessary treatment at an isolation center. Tomorrow, Governor @IAOkowa will be addressing citizens on developments surrounding this case in an early morning broadcast.

All citizens and residents are advised to remain calm at this time, while we all continue to adhere to the precautionary measures and isolation directives that have been put in place. The state is prepared and this case will be handled with utmost care.

All citizens and residents are advised to remain calm at this time, while we all continue to adhere to the precautionary measures and isolation directives that have been put in place. The state is prepared and this case will be handled with utmost care.  The Abang! (@abangdove) April 7, 2020
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: According to data collected by the Maharashtra Health Department, a large number of male patients are getting tested positive for COVID-19 and dying due to coronavirus as compared to females.

The study by Medical Education and Drugs Department and the public health department of Maharashtra stated that 62 per cent with 534 coronavirus male positive patients getting infected against 38 per cent with 331 female patients reported.

'The death percentage in male patients are high than the female. The 73 per cent male (38) died against 27 per cent female (14). While in the swab testing, only four per cent people getting coronavirus positive while 96 per cent peoples test is turning negative,' the report read.

Senior doctors said that males are more likely to travel abroad, which could be one of the reasons for this distinction. 'But immunity power of male is stronger than female they should not succumb to coronavirus. There is authentic data particular over this female and male so, it is very difficult to state the reasons here,' he added while requesting to be anonymous.

The report further reads that the 76 per cent, with 660 coronavirus positive patients, are asymptomatic cases while two per cent, with 16 cases, are symptomatic. The six per cent cases are critical while nine per cent of patients got cured and got discharged and six per cent people succumbing to coronavirus.

In Maharashtra, the largest numbers of coronavirus positive cases and deaths are taking places in Mumbai and its adjoining regions including Pune. In Maharashtra, a total of 1135 COVID-19 positive patients were reported and 72 death cumulatively. On Wednesday, Mumbai reported 106 coronavirus positive cases and five deaths and 33 positive cases in Pune.

India is in the 10th week since the pandemic spread in the country. In 9th week, India reported 1,112 coronavirus cases while in the 10th week, it jumped to 4125 cases. In the USA it was 1,22,653, France 37,145, Japan has 1693 while China had 81,601 total cases in the 10th week.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that it is true more number of coronavirus cases are reported in Maharashtra, but they are confident to defeat this virus in this global battle. He appealed people to stay at home by treating it their safest fort in time of war. '

People who are having a high temperature, bad throat, body pain, cough etc should report to the closest health centre. In this war, social distancing and staying at home is the only weapon we have to fight against coronavirus. We want to bring down the growing graph on zero so cooperate with the government and police,' Thackeray appealed.
WASHINGTON  The administrations primary relief mechanism for small businesses, the Paycheck Protection Program, has been swamped with applications and snarled with technical and administrative issues since it launched Friday. After less than a week of approving loans, the administration says the program is running out of money.

Congress may approve $250 billion in additional funds for the Small Business Administration program as soon as Thursday. But Democrats believe more funding for the program should be part of a broader conversation about the next coronavirus relief effort in Congress.

Nationally, the Small Business Administration had approved over $70 billion in guaranteed loans as of Tuesday, President Donald Trump said. The SBA declined to provide any state-specific information about the number of loans applied for or approved Wednesday.

Applying for the Paycheck Protection Program has been frustrating for many struggling businesses owners. Some have been approved after a few days, but many face significant challenges before they can apply.

Application process

Benjamin Karz, who owns a three-office tax franchise based in East Greenbush, New York, said he has called five banks that told him they would only provide the Paycheck Protection Program loans for their existing banking clients and would not take applications from new clients. Bank of America lists an existing client only policy on its website.

Karz, who does not normally bank with an SBA lender, is worried he wont be able to access the program, which offers up to $10 million in loans which can be forgiven if the employer maintains its payroll. Karz has enough money to pay his five employees through April 15, but after that hell have to furlough them, he said.

Theres going to be nothing left and I wont get anything, Karz worried. Im going to go belly up because I cant pay payroll.

For their part, banks have strict regulations they must comply with to conduct due diligence on new customer accounts. The process involves gathering a lot of information and can take days  something that is largely incompatible with the idea of getting money out the door to small businesses as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, not all banks can access the SBA platform to administer the loans, resulting in gaps for which business owners can get one and which cannot.

Over 3,000 banks are lending under the program, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said Tuesday, including about 300 new lenders. But in a videoconference Tuesday afternoon between Trump, Mnuchin, other White House officials and chief executives from some of the top banks around the country, two regional banks urged the president to help more community banks offer the loans.

Only one-third of smaller community banks are now able to administer the loans, affecting rural areas disproportionately.

Noah Wilcox, CEO of Grand Rapids State Bank, told Trump these community banks are "boxed out," meaning fewer small businesses can get Paycheck Protection Program help.

Asked by reporters about the issue after the call, Mnuchin said, "Theres just a lot of new users coming onto the system. Theyre all getting authenticated. Well get them all approved.

During the White House briefing Tuesday night, Trump was asked if he would direct banks currently approved to lend in the program to work with all applicants so some small business owners do not have to wait. He insisted the problem was being resolved.

"They will be doing that," said Trump. "I did ask that question and they are working on that."

Glitches and spiking demand

After finding a lender, the process of administering the loans has been slowed due to issues between the SBA and the banks.

After Congress passed legislation creating the Paycheck Protection Program on March 28, the SBA had days to launch it. It did not provide interim final guidance to the banks on lending procedures until roughly 7 p.m. Thursday, hours before the program kicked off Friday morning.

Paul Martterer, owner of an art gallery in Latham, said it took until Monday for his bank, M&T Bank to launch its online form so customers could apply for the loans. He applied Monday night and has not yet been approved, he said. Generally, he said it was a difficult application process and even harder to find good information from the SBA.

It feels like we are trying to crawl through an attic window to get where we need to be," Martterer said.

Banking sources said guidance to lenders on what information they need to provide about business owners to the SBA has been unclear and changing, as the SBA has released updated information every few days after the program has launched, including more Wednesday. Banks are concerned about their liability if they execute the process incorrectly or dont conduct enough business oversight now or down the road, when parts of the loans are forgiven.

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

Additionally, the SBA program experienced technical difficulties Monday, when the online system used to authorize the loans was crashing.

The chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, asked the Treasury to prioritize fixing the platform and clearing up the guidance in a letter to Mnuchin Sunday.

Finally, lenders are simply being overrun by the need.

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, said his company is receiving "several thousand applications every hour" and had received over 250,000 applications as of Tuesday afternoon. JP Morgan Chase had 375,000 requests from small businesses as of Tuesday afternoon, JP Morgan's Gordon Smith, co-president and chief operating officer, said.

Paycheck Protection Program is open to businesses and nonprofits with up to 500 employees with some exceptions under SBA guidelines. Independent contractors and other solo entrepreneurs can apply as well beginning Friday.

The SBA also offers other aid for coronavirus-hit businesses. More information is available at: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options

Congress will debate more funding

As early as Saturday  one day after the Paycheck Protection Program started accepting applications  Mnuchin wondered how long the $350 billion that Congress approved for the program would last. He picked up the phone and called Trump about it, he said.

"I told the president it was so successful we were concerned we've run out of money," Mnuchin said. "The president made very clear that we should go back immediately and ask for more money to make sure we can support small business."

Mnuchin has spoken to congressional leaders to request an additional $250 billion for the program. Mnuchin and Trump said Tuesday they believe that appropriation should be separate from any new proposals Congress proposes to bolster coronavirus relief.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he hoped to approve the request unanimously by the Senate on Thursday.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday they have other ideas they hope to tie to the supplemental small business funding.

They requested that $125 billion of the $250 billion in assistance for small businesses be channeled through community banks. They also sought $100 billion in additional funds for hospitals and health centers, $150 billion in more funding for state and local governments and a boost for how much assistance families can receive in food stamps. They said those "interim" measures would be in addition to a future coronavirus package they hope to prepare.

The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans lives and livelihoods," Schumer and Pelosi said in a joint statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during a Los Angeles County Health Department press conference on the novel coronavirus, (COVID-19)on March 4, 2020 in Los Angeles, California, along with Los Angeles County Public Health director Barbara Ferrer(L) and Supervisor Hilda Solis(2ndR).

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

As of Friday, Los Angeles residents will be required to wear some sort of face-covering to go to the grocery store or many essential business.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the order on Tuesday and said that businesses "may refuse

admission or service to any individual who fails to wear face coverings."

The measure is meant to protect workers.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered that facial coverings be worn by all essential workers and by customers visiting many essential businesses.

Garcetti made the announcement on Tuesday and also added that customers not wearing masks could be denied service.

"Cover up, save a life  it's that simple," Garcetti said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The measure is meant to help protect workers.

Four grocery store workers have died from the coronavirus across the country, The Washington Post previously reported.

The measure will go into effect on Friday, according to the order. Garcetti's mandate requires employers to provide facial coverings or reimburse employees who get them for themselves.

"This has always been about saving lives and so we put out the first in the nation recommendations last week of any big city to say please use a facial covering distinct from a medical mask because it can help protect people from your droplets and help prevent the spread," Garcetti told NBC Los Angeles.

The masks do not have to be N95 or surgical masks and can be made from fabric like scarves or bandanas. In fact, officials have urged the public not to buy the medical-grade masks amid shortages for healthcare workers.

Garcetti also encouraged essential businesses to install plexiglass between cashiers and customers at "all points of sale." He explained that the order was meant to protect frontline workers in essential businesses and the measure extended beyond just requiring facial covering. but that businesses also ensure employees have a safe environment to work in.

Story continues

"These businesses that we are singling out ... must also make sure that their employees have access to a clean and sanitary restroom along with proper cleansing products like soap and sanitizer and allow their employees to wash their hands every 30 minutes," he told NBC.

While the order says those who don't follow the mandate could be charged with a misdemeanor and imprisoned and fined, Garcetti told NBC, "Our idea is not to be arresting and fining people for the face coverings. This is about self-enforcement."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic plagues the world, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali told the Security Council on Tuesday that the mission continues to fulfill its mandate while doing whatever it can to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from overrunning the country
To the Editor:

Re Black Americans Bear the Brunt as Deaths Climb (front page, April 8) and The Racial Time Bomb in the Covid-19 Crisis, by Charles M. Blow (column, nytimes.com, April 1):

Though the virus may not be racist, structural inequalities  the sturdy products of racial discrimination  shape health outcomes.

The devastation handed to us after this pandemic will be no exception. This raises the question of how we engage some of our most systemically vulnerable populations.

First, we need more states to follow New York, Michigan, Louisiana and the Carolinas and make Covid-19 outcomes by race and ethnicity available. Dont keep people in the dark, including local advocates who can develop strategic interventions.

Next, be inclusive of more disenfranchised populations in public health messaging by drumming home more nuanced statements like if you have had limited access to quality health care before now, be especially vigilant for progression of your symptoms.
The Delhi State Disaster Management Committee headed by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal is meeting on Thursday to review all measures taken, best and worst case scenarios, hospital infrastructure facilities and containment measures to counter the pandemic.

With Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev and General Officer Commanding Delhi Area in attendance, the committee will also deliberate on the citys stand on extending the 21-day lockdown, and if so, for how long.

This view will be largely communicated by Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the chief ministers conference via video on April 11.

The 21-day lockdown is due to expire on April 14 if not extended further.

The day before the meeting, Delhi government officials reported a spike in the number of people who have tested positive to coronavirus disease.

The Covid-19 count, which stood at 576 last evening, ricocheted to 669 cases after 93 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, a home department official in the Delhi Government said.

All the 93 people were already in state-run quarantine facilities after their evacuation from the Nizamuddin headquarters of the religious sect.

It is understood that the Delhi Lt-Governor has asked the administration to find out whether all the contacts to the Tablighi Jamaatis who attended the congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin had been traced, quarantined and tested for the coronavirus.

The administration has also been asked to inform the committee whether there were women accompanying the Tablighis had also been traced in order to plug any leakages.

Officials said the national capital had been implementing a containment plan in areas where Covid-19 cases had been detected. By Wednesday evening, Delhi chief minister Manish Sisodia said there were 20 such hotspots where the containment plan was in force.

The Markaz at Nizamuddin was one of the first places in the city to be notified as a Covid-19 hotspot.

Complete List of Delhi Hotspots Here Street near Gandhi Park, Malviya Nagar Gali No 6 , L1 Sangam Vihar, New Delhi. Shahajahanabad society, Plot no 1, Sector 11, Dwarka Dinpur Village, Najafgarh, south-west Delhi Markaz Masjid and Nizamuddin Basti, central Delhi Nizamuddin West (G and D block) areas. Central Delhi B Block Jhangirpuri, north Delhi H. No 141 to H. No 180, Gali no. 14, Kalyanpuri, east Delhi Mansara Apartments , Vasundhara Enclave, east Delhi 3 Galis of Khichirpur east Delhi Gali No 9, Pandav Nagar, east Delhi Vardhaman Apts, Mayur Vihar, Phase I, east Delhi Mayurdhwaj Apts, Patparganj, east Delhi Gali no. 4, near Nagar Dairy Krishan Kunj Extn, east Delhi Gali No. 4, from No J-3/101 to J-3/107 Krishan Kunj Extn Delhi. Gali No. 5, A Block, West Vinod Ngr, east Delhi J & K, L and H pockets Dilshad Garden, east Delhi G, H, J, Blocks old Seemapuri, east Delhi F- 70 to 90 block Dilshad Colony, east Delhi Pratap khand , Jhilmil Colony, east Delhi

While the final call on lifting of lockdown will be taken by Prime Minister Modi after consultation with chief ministers and medical experts after March 11, the Delhi administration is of the view that there should be a graded response to lifting of the lockdown with the capability of immediately seal any part of a cluster in case of any further positive cases.

The final call will have to balance between the loss of income and jobs for the workers and labourers and their health and safety. Already, a number of these people have picked up private loans to cater to their daily requirements in times of pandemic.

Ahead of the review meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that the government had identified 20 hotspots in the national capital. Sisodias remarks came after some more positive cases were reported in the old citys Sadar area.

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A nurse who raised money to provide her colleagues with protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus has been temporarily suspended for distributing unauthorised protective gear, according to a report.

Olga Matievskaya raised more than $12,000 on a GoFundMe page to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for her colleagues at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey.

The intensive care nurse used some of the donations to buy about 500 masks, 4,000 shoe covers and 150 jumpsuits to help protect colleagues and patients from the novel coronavirus, according to a report by ProPublica.

In retaliation, hospital administrators placed Ms Matievskaya on temporary suspension for distributing unauthorised protective gear on Saturday, the report said.

No employee is allowed to distribute unauthorised medical supplies within the hospital, the hospital told ProPublica in a statement.

The nurse in question was temporarily suspended for inappropriately distributing unauthorized medical supplies, against this policy.

On the GoFundMe page nurses wrote: PPE are desperately and urgently needed for health care frontliners staff in ICU/CCU.

Money will be used to order overalls, shoe covers, masks, filters for respirators, sanitisers and wipes.

Hospitals in the worst hit areas of the US are facing increasing pressure from medical staff to provide adequate supplies of PPE to allow workers to safely carry out their duties amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result of nationwide shortages, many workers say that supplies are being stretched and they are being expected to re-use or go without protective equipment while treating patients.

Last month, colleagues of a nursing manager who died of coronavirus alleged to The New York Post that their co-workers death may have been linked to PPE shortages.

Kious Kelly, 48, died at Mount Sinais flagship hospital on 24 March, workers told the newspaper.

A photo showing nurses wearing trash bags as protective gear at the same hospital where Kelly worked later circulated online.

A spokesperson for Mt Sinai denied the claims about equipment shortages at the time to The Post.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center told ProPublica that it ensures clinicians have adequate supplies of PPE in line with regulations.

We are working 24-hours a day, 7-days a week to ensure that the appropriate PPE gets to the right staff, at the right time, the hospital said in a statement to the outlet.

No one person, institution, or hospital can independently correct this global supply shortage.

Four nurses who spoke to ProPublica on the basis of anonymity claimed the administration has failed to provide them with enough protective supplies.

One of the nurses alleged that there was no information distributed about not being allowed to purchase supplies.

ProPublica noted that Ms Matievskaya did not criticise her administrators and had not declined to comment since her suspension.

We understand this is what we signed up for, one ICU nurse told ProPublica. Just provide us with sufficient (protective equipment) so we can give these patients the optimal care that they need, and so we arent contaminating others or ourselves.
Maharashtra chief minister Udhhav Thackeray on Wednesday apologised for the lockdown and referred to the Chinese city of Wuhan to say that things will get better even as the state became the first in the country to report more than a thousand Covid-19 cases.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra had breached the 1,000-mark, as 150 new cases were reported, included 116 in Mumbai alone.

Maharashtra recorded 60 new coronavirus disease cases on Wednesday morning, taking the total tally to 1,078. Of the 60 new cases, 44 tested positive in Mumbai, nine in Pune, four in Nagpur and one each in Ahmednagar, Akola, and Buldhana.

The Shiv Sena chief thanked the citizens of the state and also apologised for the inconvenience caused due to the lockdown.

I understand that people are facing different types of issues while staying at home. People are getting bored. I am sorry about that but there is no option other than staying at home to beat Covid-19, Udhhav Thackeray said while addressing people on Facebook.

As he asked people to stay home and stay safe, the chief minister also requested them to use masks while stepping out of their homes, if they have to.

I am getting news from all over the world that things in Wuhan have returned to normal and the restrictions are being removed. Its good news. This means things can be better with time, Udhhav Thackeray said.

The Maharashtra government is focusing on aggressive testing and adding more containment zones in urban areas to prevent the viral outbreak.

Anil Deshmukh, the states home minister, has warned of strict police action against all those people who are hiding across the state after they returned home after attending the international congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhis Nizamuddin held between March 13 and 15.

The minister said on Twitter that up to 60 Jamaat attendees are still hiding.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Two local doctors proposed isolating all Lane County coronavirus cases in one Eugene hospital, but the idea was rejected by hospital administrators as unnecessary.

Last week at a staff meeting between Tony Ballinger and myself, we came up with the idea that isolating the COVID patients in one facility would be beneficial to both the other hospitals who are basically sitting on their hands right now, Eugene neurosurgeon Dr. Glenn Keiper said.

Keiper said PeaceHealths University District Hospital should be the designated facility, so RiverBend Hospital and McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center could focus solely on non-COVID cases. He said the fear of COVID may be keeping some patients away from the hospitals, leading to lost productivity and worse.

If a person has chest pain and doesn't go to the hospital and ends up dying of a heart attack because theyre scared of being infected with COVID that would be a tragedy, Keiper said.

Keiper said he contacted Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis about the proposal.

"(She) thinks its a good idea but its dependent on health care professionals being positive about the idea and being willing to implement the idea, Keiper said.

Dr. James McGovern, Incident Commander for PeaceHealths COVID-19 response and Vice President of Medical Affairs for PeaceHealth Oregon, suggested that a COVID hub is not needed at this time.

At this time, all of PeaceHealths local suspected and confirmed COVID-19-positive patients are being cared for in two designated units at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, McGovern said. We have contingency plans in place to care for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients within additional units at RiverBend, as well as our other hospitals in Lane County, while also tending to those non-COVID patients. We feel prepared to deliver excellent care to all our patients, even if we were to see a large local surge.

Jason Davis with Lane County Public Health said that a triage site is something officials have considered, but it is not a needed strategy at the present time.

We convene all of our hospital partners and other responders weekly and we talk about the different objectives and different strategies to employ, and that meeting is happening tomorrow, Davis said.

KEZI 9 News did reach out to McKenzie-Willamette for comment but have yet to hear back.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda



Rajapaksa has called for unity in the fight against the spread of coronavirus, saying it is the only enemy of the country and can be defeated only by working together without any differences of race, religion or party, as the total number of positive cases on Wednesday rose to 189 and the death toll to seven.

Delivering a special statement on the current situation of the country and the measures taken by the government to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the premier praised the health care providers for their sacrifice and commended the tri forces and police for their tireless efforts' to keep the spread of COVID-19 at bay, the Colombo Page reported.

I would like to remember the sacrifices made by our health care providers who have sacrificed their families, time and even their own health so that you and I are safe. We thank you and we are grateful for all the sacrifices you have made to ensure Sri Lanka stays safe, the premier was quoted as saying.

He said, COVID-19 is the only enemy of the country and it can be defeated only by working together without any differences of race, religion or party.

Whether we live or not depends on how we fight this scourge. Our focus, our commitment and our discipline are what determine whether we live or die in an epidemic like this, he was quoted as saying.

The Indian ocean island nation has taken strict measures to contain the spreading of the disease, including a countrywide curfew since March 20.

India on Tuesday gifted a 10-tonne consignment of essential life saving medicines to Sri Lanka to help it battle with the coronavirus pandemic.

The medicines provide by India were requested by Government of Sri Lanka. The consignment was brought to Sri Lanka by an Air India special charter flight on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa thanked India for sending the essential life saving medicine.

Sri Lankan police on Wednesday announced that currently enforced curfew in six districts would continue indefinitely in the ongoing lockdown.

In 19 districts, the curfew will be lifted at 6 am on Thursday and will be reimposed at 4 pm.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka police on Wednesday two people for spreading fake on coronavirus. On April 1, the police had informed all media institutions that strict legal action would be taken against those who spread false

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 08, 2020 | 01:47 PM | PADUCAH





City officials are asking everyone within the faith community to continue providing only virtual services as officials continue implementing state and federal guidelines regarding COVID-19.





City of Paducah Mayor, Brandi Harless, encouraged the virtual services.







"With the upcoming Easter Sunday, we know that people want to be together to worship. However, the safest way is by worshiping at home and participating in virtual services," She continued, "I praise our local faith community for being adaptable and using technology to reach their congregations. During this pandemic crisis, I ask them to join us in continuing to make the sacrifices we are all making and to not hold in-person or drive-in services in parking lots or other locations."







Governor Andy Beshear has continuously reiterated the need for churches and other houses of worship to cancel any in-person services.







"If you are still holding mass gatherings, church or otherwise, you are spreading the coronavirus and you are likely causing the death of Kentuckians. Its that clear, said Beshear. "My church is incredibly important to me. My faith is incredibly important to me. Its an important part of our families lives. We care about each other in this state, and our faith guides us and gives us the wisdom to do the right thing to protect each other.







You can learn more about COVID-19 at the link below.

City officials are encouraging all Paducah residents to hold virtual services only this Easter.

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GREENWICH  The birth of every baby is exciting. But Myles Mackenzie Mangan, who was born Wednesday at Greenwich Hospital, was greeted by his own cheering section  from a distance.

Baby Myles, who came into the world at 8:49 a.m. Wednesday via caesarean section, was welcomed by his parents, Miranda and Nick Mangan of White Plains, N.Y.

The hospitals current no-visitor policy due to the coronavirus outbreak means that extended family members cant be present for births or come in to meet the new arrival. But that didnt stop four relatives from driving nearly two hours from Patchogue, N.Y., to Greenwich Hospital to wish the couple good luck and await the birth of baby Myles.

The family members stood outside on the sidewalk, holding a homemade sign that said, Welcome Baby Mangan, facing Mirandas hospital window. News of Myles birth came less than an hour later through a text message from his father. Myles weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces at birth, hospital staff said.

This isnt exactly how I pictured it, said Jason Lustig, referring to the arrival of his first grandchild. Mom is doing well in recovery. Thats all we wanted to hear.

Myles is the first child for Miranda and Nick, who are both physical education teachers in New York state. His mother works for the Lakeland school system and his father works in the Mamaroneck school system.

Miranda Mangan has been on bed rest at Greenwich Hospital for more than a week. Nick Mangan arrived at the hospital Tuesday night in anticipation of the caesarean section. As established Greenwich Hospital patients, Nick Mangan was allowed to be present for the birth, hospital officials said.

Under hospital rules, both mom and dad wear masks for the duration of their stay and they must remain in their room.

Greenwich Hospital has been terrific, said Lustig, the babys grandfather. Theyve been treating Miranda like royalty. We couldnt be happier.

Every newborn at Greenwich Hospital receives a copy of the book, On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman. Some day, Myles will have an interesting story of his own birth to tell.
Observing that doctors and medical staff are the "first line of defence of the country" in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to ensure that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) are made available to them for treating coronavirus patients.

While passing a slew of interim directions to ensure safety of doctors and healthcare professionals, the apex court expressed concern over the recent incidents of attack on them and directed the Centre, all states and union territories to provide necessary police security to the medical staff in hospitals and places where patients, who are either quarantined, suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19, are housed.

The top court directed that "states shall also take necessary action against those persons who obstruct and commit any offence in respect to performance of duties by doctors, medical staff and other government officials deputed to contain COVID-19".

The court passed the order on three petitions seeking protective kits, other requisite equipment and safety measure for doctors and healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The apex court directed that necessary police security be extended to doctors and other medical staffs, who visit places to conduct screening of people to find out symptoms of the disease.

"The government shall explore all alternatives including enabling and augmenting domestic production of protective clothing and gear to medical professional. This includes exploring of alternative modes of production of such clothing (masks, suits, caps, gloves etc.) and permitting movement of raw materials," a bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat said.

It said that the government may also restrict export of such materials to augment inventory and domestic stock.

The bench noted that the doctors and medical staff are the "most vulnerable to fall prey to the virus, while protecting others from it".

"The doctors and the medical staff who are the first line of defence of the country in combating this pandemic have to be protected by providing personal protective equipment as recommended by WHO on February 27, 2020," the bench said.

Observing that it is the "first responsibility of the state to protect its citizens from the pandemic", the bench noted in its order that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued guidelines on January 25 which prescribe procedures and practices to be adopted for infection prevention and control.

It also referred to the February 27 and March 24 guidelines issued respectively by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Union health ministry on rational use of PPE for COVID-19.

Referring to the March 24 guidelines of the health ministry, the bench directed the authorities to ensure availability of appropriate PPEs, including sterile medical/nitrile gloves, starch apparels, medical masks, goggles, face shield, respirators to all health workers and paramedical professionals who are actively attending to and treating patients suffering from COVID-19 in metros, tier-2 and tier-3 cities across the country.

The bench referred to certain incidents, including the one on April 2 in Tatpatti Bakhal's locality at Indore where medical staffs who had gone to screen certain persons regarding coronavirus were attacked and stones were pelted on them.

"The pandemic which is engulfing the entire country is a national calamity. In wake of calamity of such nature all citizens of the country have to act in a responsible manner to extend helping hand to the government and medical staff to perform their duties to contain and combat the COVID-19," it said.

"The incidents as noted above are bound to instill a sense of insecurity in doctors and medical staff from whom it is expected by the society that they looking to the call of their duties will protect citizenry from disease of COVID-19. It is the duty of the state and the police administration to provide necessary security at all places where patients who have been diagnosed coronavirus positive or who have been quarantined are housed," it said.

The bench noted the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who said that steps have also been taken for procuring PPEs from domestic manufacturers.

Regarding safety and security of medical professionals, Mehta said the "government will go an extra mile to augment the security as existing today.".

Mehta also submitted that appropriate instructions shall be issued by the Directorate General of Health Services to private hospitals not to deduct salary of doctors and para-medical staffs working in private hospitals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is likely to extend the coronavirus lockdown beyond April 14, the Congress indicated on Wednesday after an all-party meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said Modi told the meeting that he has received several requests for extension of the lockdown to contain Covid-19, but will take a call on it only after consulting experts and the chief ministers of various states.

As of Wednesday morning, official data showed that India has 5,194 cases with 149 deaths. The government now admits that India is ...
Home testing, a COVID-19-fighting virus and new applications for treatments designed to mitigate inflammation, could be on the horizon as Connecticut bio-technology companies scramble to meet the demands brought on by the novel coronavirus.

Representatives from a group of innovative biotechs from throughout the state convened Wednesday for a teleconference hosted by BioCT and AdvanceCT to provide updates on solutions aimed at curbing the pandemic that has killed more than 300 people in Connecticut as of Wednesday.

This is not a surprise and well known that COVID-19 has posed a major global challenge, impacting nearly everyone, everywhere, and in response to that, there are a multitude of activities, in a number of sectors, said panel moderator Dr. Mostafa Analoui, executive director of venture development for the University of Connecticuts Office of the Vice President for Research & Technology Incubation Program.

The panel included representatives from biotechnical companies like The Jackson Laboratory and CaroGen Corporation, both of Famington, 4Catalyzer, of Guilford, NanoViricides, of Shelton, and Thetis Pharmaceuticals, of Branford.

Dr. Anil Diwan, executive chairman and president of NanoViricides, described his companys efforts to develop a vaccine and treatment for the virus. Diwans laboratory had particular experience with the coronaviruses, after being approached in 2014 by Englands Department of Public Health to examine the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), another type of coronavirus that was first reported in humans in 2012.

We had done a lot of molecular modeling around coronaviruses at that time, Diwan said.

Based on the viral samples already at its disposal, work began in January on the development of several drug candidates to be tested. Diwan said his company specializes in creating nanoviricides, which unlike antibodies and vaccines, bind, encapsulate and destroy viruses without the help of a patients immune system. While the search for an effective vaccine could be a year to 18 months away, Diwan said he hoped to quickly advance the potential treatment to the clinical stage of testing in the coming weeks.

Dr. Bijan Almassian, president and CEO of CaroGen, which creates immuno-therapies for infectious diseases and cancer, said his group was working on a similarly innovative solution, drawing on the experience of Yale University School of Medicine Professor Dr. John Rose, who in the early-2000s, developed a vaccine for the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related conavirus (SARS).

Basically, our approach is very different than many other approaches,Almassian said. Here we are fighting a virus with another artificial virus.

Using that technology, a vaccine has been created, Almassian said, and testing could begin within the month.

"I'm very pleased to report to you, in a very short period of time, we have already built a vaccine, Almassian said. We have tested in terms of the quality control of this vaccine to make sure it does what it's supposed to do.

Gary Mathias, co-founder and CEO of Thetis Pharmeceuticals, said his company had been focusing on the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is the leading cause of death in COVID-19 patients. According to Mathias, 42 percent of COVID-19 hospitalized patients develop ARDS and of those, 50 percent die. Independent of coronavirus, there are nearly 250,000 cases of ARDS each year in the U.S., and no available treatment, which provides an additional, overarching need.

Mathias work also assumes that a vaccine will not be available by the fall, when experts predict a second wave of the pandemic. Without preventative measures, treatment will become paramount.

It is expected that there will be a rebound in COVID-19 in the fall and winter before a vaccine is likely to be developed, Mathias said. And, therefore, the urgency around treating acute respiratory distress syndrome will continue.

Strides are being made in testing, too.

Were developing a test that can be run completely in the home setting by untrained users with no special equipment, said Eric Kabrams, of 4Catlyzer, a biomedical incubator for startups.

The test could be conducted by users and then would either return results on the spot or the sample could be shipped to a lab for interpretation. Results would then be digitally recorded and reported to relevant state and federal agencies.

According to Kabras, the at-home test came in response to what the company identified as the need for a massive scale-up of our testing capabilities, which several panelist said was crucial to preventing the spread of the disease.

That need is especially pronounced, said Dr. Mark Adams, professor, director and general manager of Microbial Genomic Services at the Jackson Laboratory, as the result of the Centers for Disease Controls botched initial diagnostic tests of the virus.

That initial misstep led to delays and since, thanks to the relaxation of federal guidelines governing who can process tests, increasingly more providers have entered the ring, Adams said.

He warned that while the number of infections might soon peak, the amount of needed tests will continue to rise, even as cases fall. His lab is processing roughly 2,000 samples a week and is working diligently to increase its capacity.

I think that certainly as we make attempts to come back to normal in terms of the economy, in terms of health care, in terms of a wide variety of personal interactions, theres going to be a large and continually increasing demand for testing to identify people who may have been exposed, who have symptoms and get the appropriate treatment and isolation, Adams said. I think this is an aspect of the coronavirus world that were going to be living with, an evolving landscape, for quite a long time to come.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586

Correction: An early version of this story incorrectly stated the Jackson Laboratory was processing 200 test samples a week. The laboratory is processing roughly 2,000 samples a week.
There were no new ODA projects signed during March according to a report sent to the Government by the Ministry of Planning and Investment on socio-economic performance during the first quarter of the year.

No new ODA projects were signed during March (Illustrative photo)

As of March 20, approximately US$90 million in ODA and concessional loans of foreign sponsors had been disbursed. Since the beginning of the year, the total amount of ODA and preferential loans signed has reached US$105 million, while the total ODA and disbursed loans were estimated to stand at US$424 million, equivalent to VND 9,834 billion.

Regarding foreign investment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment stated that the complicated nature of the novel coronavirus pandemic has greatly affected the travel of investors, along with their new investment plans to expand existing projects. This therefore contributed to reducing the attraction of foreign investment in the first quarter of 2020, in terms of both number of projects and total registered investment capital.

The total registered foreign investment capital, including FDI, had reached nearly US$8.55 billion by March 20, equal to 79.1% of the figure from last years corresponding period.

If large projects over US$1 billion are excluded, then the total value of newly registered and adjusted capital, capital contributions, and shares purchases by foreign investors is equivalent to 64.6% of the figure from the same period in 2019.

FDI disbursement during the years first quarter is estimated to be US$3.85 billion, equal to 93.4% of the figure from last year.

The sectors which were able to attract the most FDI capital include electricity production and distribution, accounting for 47.5% of total registered capital, along with the manufacturing and processing industry, making up 31.9%.

Throughout the reviewed period there were 31,665 valid projects with a total registered capital of US$ 370.1 billion taking place in the country, along with disbursed capital of US$215.6 billion, equaling 58.3% of the total registered capital.

The Republic of Korea topped the list of the nations largest FDI investors with a total registered capital of US$ 68.6 billion, making up 18.5% of all investment capital, trailed by Japan with US$ 59.7 billion, equal to 16.1% of the total, and then Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (China). VOV
A federal prison in Louisiana has come into focus after five inmates housed at the facility died after contracting the coronavirus. Attorney General William Barr has urged the Bureau of Prisons to allow vulnerable inmates who qualify at FCI Oakdale I and other federal prisons to serve the rest of their sentences from home.

Oakdale, a low-security facility located about 200 miles west of New Orleans, typically houses 971 male inmates. The prison has reported 42 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff and inmates.

The Bureau of Prisons, which is responsible for 146,000 inmates spread across 122 facilities nationwide, said it had increased home confinement by 40%  affecting approximately 615 inmates since Barr's original request on March 26.

Advocates argue that Barr's directive, which now prioritizes some of the hardest-hit facilities like Oakdale, doesn't go far enough. On Monday, the ACLU filed a lawsuit seeking the release of inmates at the facility who are at a higher risk of serious illness or death from the virus. The suit argues that the attorney general did not establish concrete timelines and guidelines for local officials to release at-risk inmates.

CBS News spoke with four employees of FCI Oakdale, two of whom are union officials, and two mothers of inmates in the facility who expressed concerns about how the lack of preparedness for the virus has left inmates and staff sick and scared for their lives. CBS News agreed to let employees speak on the condition of anonymity.

One prison employee and a union official who works at the facility told CBS News that some of their colleagues who have been exposed to the virus in the main building have been assigned to work in Oakdale II, a smaller, adjacent facility on campus. That facility now has one confirmed case of the virus.

The bureau issued the following response when asked about the practice: "As much as possible, staff are being assigned to the same posts and not rotating, as an additional measure to mitigate the spread of the virus. Accommodations for staff who prefer to stay at the institution are available in the form of the previously-mentioned bunkhouse, shower and bathroom trailers and sleeping quarters in the staff training center."

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Donald Fugitt, 35, is an inmate at the smaller facility, serving 17 and a half years for marijuana conspiracy. His mother, Carla Lunceford, said he suffers from asthma and was born with one lung smaller than the other, making him predisposed to respiratory illnesses.

Lunceford is also the primary caregiver and breadwinner for her family, taking care of Fugitt's two children while sending him commissary money and putting aside $4 for every 15-minute phone call they can get. Before the coronavirus pandemic, she worked as an inventory supervisor at a retail store in Texas, but she has since been laid off and is concerned that her son will suffer as a result.

"It's very devastating for us because to me that's the one thing that I can do for him, that's the one thing I can support him in, is to make sure he has what he needs," Lunceford said. "And now for us to not be able to do that as often as I could before  you know every time I sit down and make dinner for my family I think about, 'What is he doing without?' It's just heartbreaking."

Laurie Draper Jones is part of a group of mothers who offer each other support and exchange information about what goes on inside the prison. She is the mother of Jesse Ward, 39, an inmate in Oakdale I, who is serving 20 years after pleading guilty to a child pornography charge.

Jones works as a truck driver in Virginia, and since she still has a job during the nationwide economic downturn, she has chipped in, most recently by helping one out-of-work mother send money to her son inside Oakdale.

"When you have a loved one in prison you're serving time, too. We are all serving that sentence together," Jones explained. "It is not just one person behind bars and we go about our life, it is not that way. Every one of us was issued that same sentence. Every single day. Because you're going to sleep every night, not knowing if they're safe."

Jones has put in a request that her son is released to home confinement, but in the meantime, Ward has been assigned to work in the kitchen, cooking meals for the prison alongside 10 other inmates. She worries that inmates will hide symptoms out of fear of being transferred into solitary confinement to be isolated from others.

Jones communicates with inmates on the inside and produces a newsletter for them called the "Offender Connection," where she updates them on new cases or state laws that could affect their own cases. "Mostly, I try to always remind them that they matter and have not been forgotten."

Last week, an inmate wrote to her saying, "They've been hiding out in their cells, probably not wanting to get moved to quarantine. They discovered a couple guys in our dorm who were apparently in pretty bad shape and got taken out. Anyway, for the first time yesterday, they came around and took everyone's temperature instead of relying on self-reporting. That nabbed another two people that evening."

"I understand that the prison is not set up as a hospital, they are not set up for this. I totally understand that," Jones said through tears. "I believe the staff is afraid, just as afraid. They're all in this together. If this doesn't equal things out, I don't know what does. Staff and inmates alike are susceptible to the coronavirus so I understand everybody's scared."

Some correctional officers have been pulling far more than their normal eight-hour shifts, working overtime, sometimes more than 16 hours, due to a staffing shortage that has plagued the bureau long before the virus took hold, according to the prison employees CBS News spoke to. When asked for comment about the allegations of being overworked, the bureau did not address the issue and responded by saying, "We understand these are stressful times for both staff and inmates."

The bureau has, however, provided on-campus accommodations for staff. The "bunkhouse" has a sleeping area, shower and bathroom trailers.

Last week, the union that represents Oakdale's staff, as well as 700,000 other federal employees, filed a class-action lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons and other agencies seeking "hazard pay," which would increase their hourly wage by 25%.

"The staff are stretched too thin down there," said Heidi Burakiewicz, who represents the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in the lawsuit. "They are doing a miraculous, amazing job, but I am so worried about how they're going to keep this going, especially if additional people keep getting sick."

After the rise in cases, correctional officers have been issued more personal protective equipment, or PPE. Employees report they were initially given gloves, but they are now also provided with a mask and gown, according to the BOP. While the masks are not N95s, employees are pleased with the progress and have been told N95s will reach their facility soon.

"The BOP is using multiple acquisition strategies to obtain more PPE in competition with other organizations," a bureau spokesperson told CBS News. "Globally, all supply chains for PPE are stretched thin but the BOP continues to work through a variety of sources to maintain the supplies needed to maintain normal operations."

The bureau on Monday issued guidance on the use of facemasks. The memo, obtained by CBS News, indicates inmates will be issued one cloth mask per week, and staff will be issued two until shipments of cloth masks, made by prison industries, arrive. When ready, those shipments of cloth masks will be prioritized to Oakdale, Elkton, Danbury and other high-risk institutions.

"Staff and inmates should be advised that masks are to be used in interacting with persons when social distancing is not possible," the memo explains. "The masks are to prevent spread by asymptomatic persons of COVID-19; they are not being used as Personal Protective Equipment."

Upon entry to the prison, all employees are subject to a health assessment and get their temperature taken by medical staff. The screening tool, available on BOP's website, asks employees whether they have a cough, trouble breathing and a runny or stuffy nose.

While more resources are being provided and additional help is reportedly coming, the employees and inmates who spoke with CBS News said the institution wasn't prepared.

"It's just something you never thought would have happened when it started happening. It was taken very lightly. Then when we started sending inmates out, then it became very serious," an Oakdale employee told CBS News in a phone interview.

"I have worked at a penitentiary where we've had disturbances on the yard and those things we're prepared for," the Oakdale employee explained. "This is something that's unlike anything I've ever experienced. This is nothing we could have prepared for. However, something that we should have possibly had supplies for considering our care level at our institution."

Ronald Morris, president of the AFGE Local 1007 union and maintenance worker foreman at the prison, said the situation at the prison is dire. "A lot of staff have the attitude that because we're law enforcement staff, you know, first responders, that we can't stay home," Morris told CBS News. "If we stay home, who's gonna operate the institution?"

The bureau, however, says it has sent an additional 43 health care staffers to the prison. The employees come from a "variety of disciplines ... to relieve and supplement the existing staff." Over the weekend, staffers were also provided an anonymous support hotline with a Washington, D.C., area code, "to share your concerns, receive support, and engage in problem-solving."

The community around the Oakdale facility in Louisiana have started showing their support. An Oakdale employee shared photos with CBS News showing the town's support for federal workers, with prayers on signs and balloons lining the road to the facility.

Oakdale, Louisiana, Prison, Coronavirus

A sign in Oakdale, Louisiana, shows support for federal workers. Handout

"We are deeply concerned for the health and welfare of those inmates who are entrusted to our care, and for our staff, their families, and the communities we live and work in. It is our highest priority to continue to do everything we can to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our facilities," the bureau said in a Sunday statement.

But as for the inmates at Oakdale, Jesse Ward's mother, Laurie Jones, explains they are worried they have already been abandoned.

"It seems like it's fallen on deaf ears, nobody cares about the ones inside, " Jones told CBS News. "That's how they feel, they feel forgotten. They feel like they're the worst of society and nobody cares, and nobody cares if they live or die. But their family cares a lot. My son has served 13 years of a 20-year sentence. And we're afraid this is gonna be a death sentence now. He's four years from coming home, and this is not how it's supposed to end."

Cassidy McDonald contributed to this report.

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A dead infant was found by a passerby on a beach in Melbourne's south-east on Wednesday afternoon.

The baby, which police believe was a newborn, was discovered at 4.30pm on a beach near the Nepean Highway in Seaford.

Police do not know any details about the circumstances of the death.

They are appealing for the mother to contact police as soon as possible. They hold concerns for the health and welfare of the mother.
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold US funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) because he claims the group did not react well to some of his regulations against China during the coronavirus pandemic.

The threat came during the White House's Tuesday press briefing where the president said his administration would 'look at' pulling funding from the WHO.

"We're going to put a hold on money spent for WHO," he said during the briefing before rolling back the statement to say the pulling of funding was up for consideration. Reasoning behind pulling the funding was over claims the WHO "missed the call" for the novel virus.

"They seem to be very China-centric. And we have to look into that so we'll look into it we pay for a majority of the money that they get," the president added.

While Mr Trump said he thought certain programs created by the WHO were worthwhile, he also said the organisation made mistakes, specifically opposing his decision to put a travel ban on China.

"We have to look into that, so we're going to look into it," he said.

One decision made by the Trump administration consistently praised by the president was pushing travel bans on China in late January. Mr Trump has often boasted this ban was a bold move on his administration's part to curb the spread.

The regulation contrasted WHO recommendations stating that "travel bans to affected areas or denial of entry to passengers coming from affected areas are usually not effective in preventing the importation". WHO added it could instead cause a severe "social and economic impact" on the countries involved.

In general, evidence shows that restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations and may divert resources from other interventions, the WHO reported at the time.

The WHO said travel bans would be rationale at the very start of an outbreak to help the countries involved control the spread within their borders, but these restrictions need to be short in duration, proportionate to the public health risks, and be reconsidered regularly as the situation evolves, the organisation added.

Mr Trump and his administration made the travel ban after the disease had spread across China for weeks, and it included exemptions allowing an estimated 40,000 people to travel on direct flights from China to the US, the New York Times reports.

Threatening to decrease funding follows the president already proposing Congress slash funding in half to the WHO for the fiscal year of 2021. This would diminish the funding given from nearly $122m to less than $58m.

The WHO receives funding from 194 states to make up its budget of about $4.8bn, and the US has remained the budget's largest contributor.

Mr Trump also tweeted against the WHO earlier on Tuesday prior to the press briefing.

"The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric," he wrote. "We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?"

The WHO has not responded to the Trump administration threatening to pull funding.
Stocks rose Wednesday after Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the U.S. presidential race, adding to early gains as hopes grew the number of new coronavirus cases were beginning to fall.

The Dow Jones industrial Average climbed 779.71 points to close at 23,433.57, a day after it suffered its worst intraday reversal since 2008. The Standard & Poors 500 rose 3.4% to end at 2,749.98, driven by gains in beaten down energy, real estate and utility shares. The broad index has jumped nearly 23% since it hit a low two and a half weeks ago.

A strong showing by former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic primaries buoyed investors who view him as a more business-friendly alternative to Sanders, a strong critic of Wall Street.

Many investors feared a Sanders nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate because of his policy proposals on health care and the economy, which analysts warned could crimp profits at insurers and other companies. Shares of health insurers Anthem, Humana and Cigna rose 10%, 5.4% and 5.1%, respectively.

News that Senator Sanders has dropped out of the presidential race is not that surprising given the large lead that Senator Biden enjoyed over him, Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Independent Advisor Alliance, said in a note. Normally the news that Biden is now the presumptive nominee would likely have been viewed as net-positive for the market, however, this was already the assumed outcome and was likely 99% priced into the market already.

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Stocks also received a boost Wednesday on hopes the number of new coronavirus cases is beginning to fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Fox News Wednesday the U.S. death toll from the virus was lower than initially thought. U.S. health officials are planning ways for Americans to return to normal activities if social distancing measures are successful in curbing the outbreak, he said.

Story continues

If in fact we are successful, it makes sense to at least plan what a re-entry into normality would look like," Fauci said. "That doesnt mean were going to do it right now, but it means we need to be prepared to ease into that."

The U.S. reached 402,000 confirmed cases and surpassed 13,000 deaths Wednesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. Worldwide, there are 1.4 million confirmed cases and more than 85,000 deaths.

Small businesses: Emergency loan program is off to shaky start amid blitz of applications

To be sure, Tuesday's brief rally on Wall Street proved to be short-lived in a market dominated by sharp swings responding to the ups and downs of the news about the pandemic. Even though economists say a punishing recession is inevitable, some investors are hoping a peak in new infections might provide clues about how long and durable the downturn might be.

First quarter earnings season is slated to kick off next week with the release of results from several banks. Analysts expect profit growth at S&P 500 companies to decline 5.2% from a year ago, according to FactSet. Investor focus will be on tone and mindset around how companies may operate during the remainder of 2020.

The stock market is at a very uncertain point now, Nancy Davis, chief investment officer of Quadratic Capital, said in a note. The impact of the coronavirus on future earnings is yet to be determined. We aren't out of the woods.

Traders works after the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wall Street, August 1, 2019, in New York City.

Another bounce came in the afternoon after the Federal Reserve released minutes from its meeting last month, where it slashed short-term interest rates back to nearly zero.

The minutes confirmed expectations that the Fed will do whatever it takes to support markets, according to Bob Miller, head of Americans fundamental fixed income at BlackRock.

Treasury yields, which signaled worries about the economic damage coming from the coronavirus outbreak earlier than the stock market, were relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury ticked up to 0.75% from 0.73% late Tuesday.

While many investors are preoccupied with the pandemic, energy remains another major factor driving trading.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose $1.54, or 6.5%, to $25.17 a barrel Wednesday, recovering some of its 9.4% slide from the prior day. It started the year above $60 per barrel.

Oil prices have been even more volatile than stocks recently as Russia and Saudi Arabia argue about whether to cut production in the face of withering demand. Oil producers are set to meet on Thursday, and an announcement for production cuts to prop up the price of crude is possible.

Falling oil prices are hurting profits, Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S.Bank Wealth Management, said in a note. Low energy prices add stress to highly-leveraged energy companies and banks with significant exposure to the oil industry.

In Europe, Frances CAC 40 index was little changed after the national central bank said the economy was in recession and was estimated to have contracted by 6% in the first quarter. Germanys DAX slipped 0.2% and Britains FTSE 100 fell 0.5%.

Japans Nikkei 225 gained 2.1% on stronger than expected machinery orders. Hong Kongs Hang Seng fell 1.2% and the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.2%.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dow: Stocks rise as Bernie Sanders drops out of US presidential race
Boris Johnson's course of intensive care treatment is being steered by one of the UK's most distinguished lung doctors, it was revealed last night.

Dr Richard Leach, senior clinician at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, is responsible for the Prime Minister's coronavirus recovery and has visited his bedside, according to the Daily Telegraph.

A veteran physician, colleagues last night waxed lyrical over the 'brilliant doctor' who has 'saved thousands of lives' during his medical career.

'He's the most knowledgeable respiratory specialist in the country, and he's a straight talker,' said one.

'He would find the attention mortifying, but the Prime Minister couldn't be in better hands.'

Dr Richard Leach, senior clinician at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, is responsible for the Prime Minister's coronavirus recovery and had been at his bedside

Downing Street yesterday announced that the PM (pictured in early March) is in a stable condition and 'remains in good spirits'

Mr Johnson, who tested positive for the disease on March 27, was taken the short drive across Westminster Bridge to St Thomas' on Sunday night after his symptoms persisted.

He was transferred to intensive care at around 7pm the next evening after suffering breathing difficulties and reportedly given four litres of oxygen.

Medics at the hospital who have worked alongside Dr Leach assured that his expertise meant he was best-equipped to oversee the PM's treatment.

Dr Leach has worked at the central London hospital for 26 years and in 2018 was made director for pulmonary and critical care medicine.

His encyclopedic knowledge of the respiratory system has even been laid down in five leading textbooks.

While Dr Leach has reportedly assumed ultimate responsibility over Mr Johnson's treatment, hospital sources warned against exaggerating how hands-on a role he was playing.

Downing Street yesterday announced that the PM is in a stable condition and 'remains in good spirits'.

Mr Johnson, who tested positive for the disease on March 27, was taken the short drive across Westminster Bridge to St Thomas' on Sunday night after his symptoms persisted

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Mr Johnson, hailed his 'boss and friend' as a 'fighter' who he was confident would pull through.

Mr Johnson has not yet required ventilation, although some medical experts warned that such treatment was 'very likely'.

The fact Mr Johnson has not yet been put on a ventilator, particularly in the first 24 hours of his admission to intensive care, has greatly improved his prognosis.

Research has found that 84 per cent of patients in intensive care who only require basic respiratory support leave the unit alive.

This compares to just 33 per cent of those who need advanced respiratory support  such as ventilation  according to data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre.

Dr Nathalie McDermott, a clinical lecturer at Kings College London, last night questioned why Mr Johnson was in intensive care rather than a ward or High Dependency Unit if he only needed standard oxygen therapy.

She said: 'Downing Street are saying he's not requiring anything other than oxygen which I find interesting because someone requiring oxygen wouldn't normally be on intensive care.

'They might be on a High Dependency Unit, they might have two to one or one to one nursing, but normally you go to intensive care when you need additional breathing support. It's difficult to know.'
As new data and empirical evidence is becoming more available, such as a study produced by Akilah Johnson and Talia Buford in ProPublica, Early Data Shows African Americans Have Contracted and Died of Coronavirus at an Alarming Rate, red flags have been raised that suggest that African-American, minority and poor communities are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the coronavirus. In Chicago, black residents have contracted the virus at more than seven times the rate of other racial groups and have accounted for 70 percent of the city's deaths despite being 30 percent of the population. In Milwaukee County, 50 percent of the coronavirus cases are black. Michigans state health office conveys that nearly 5,700 of the more than 17,000 statewide cases are black, who also makeup 33 percent of the deaths. In the Charlotte metropolitan area, 44 percent of the cases are black. Similar trends can be seen in communities across the country including Philadelphia, New Orleans and Memphis. This is a clear indicator that disadvantaged and communities of color are bearing the brunt of coronavirus infections and deaths.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health notes, According to Census Bureau projections, the 2015 life expectancies at birth for blacks are 76.1 years, with 78.9 years for women, and 72.9 years for men. For non-Hispanic whites the projected life expectancies are 79.8 years, with 82.0 years for women, and 77.5 years for men. The death rate for African Americans is generally higher than whites for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.

In our estimation after reviewing these facts, we can only surmise that African-American and minority communities are being directly and disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 This is because:

Preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, and other chronic medical illnesses.

Environmental Justice Issues: Such as toxic streams, brownfields and air pollution because of proximity to non-environmental friendly industries, major thoroughfares and roadways that dissect the community, landfills, and the prevalence of lead in land and water systems which have led to chronic illnesses like asthma, lung diseases and cancer.

Face to Face Working: Oftentimes members in black, minority and poor communities work in manufacturing sectors, warehouses, retail and restaurant jobs, serve as drivers and first responders in addition to other employment that is deemed essential. Many will not be able to work from home; many must continue to work to maintain sustainability.

Social Density: These environments represent perhaps the greatest factor. Black, poor and minority communities are closely aligned due to spatial concentration and economics.

Lack of Adequate Testing: We agree with the assessment given by Ibrahim Kendi in a recent article in the Atlantic entitled: What the Racial Data Show, he urged, "States, counties, and private labs to begin reporting the racial demographics of the people who are being tested for, infected with, hospitalized with, or killed by COVID-19." We wholeheartedly agree racial demographic information is needed in reporting.

Minority, Immigrant Groups and Disadvantaged Communities: Minority and immigrant groups are also disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 because of health disparities, density and economics. In many cases it is a question of availability and accessibility, particularly in a right to work state where employers are not required to provide health benefits and Medicare/ Medicaid has not been expanded.

The Unity Group is making our membership aware of these things out of an abundance of concern and caution. We urge all to follow the CDC guidelines and recommendations, which include extra precautionary hygiene measures such as intense cleaning of surfaces, handwashing, and checking for symptoms. Most importantly, the general public must take to heart that COVID-19 is not only spread because one demonstrates symptoms, but you can be asymptomatic, meaning you can be a carrier and spread the virus but don't notice any outward symptoms. Likewise, young people and young adults are not immune as the disease has stricken infants and elderly alike. This is why we believe social distancing is now our best recourse, which means limiting your contact with anyone outside your general sphere of influence as much as possible.

It also behooves us to have more free universal testing. Many must still travel to and from work or perform essential tasks.

Equally important, in many instances, disadvantaged communities do not have the luxury of having adequate health insurance and by virtue will not be referred for testing under the current system devised. In fact, even those who may be demonstrating signs of the virus, despite being insured and that have primary care providers, are seeing difficulty in getting tested because of limited availability and capacity.

We must raise the education and awareness levels in our community. First, we must work to address health disparities found within African-American, minority and disadvantaged communities that were already ever-present pre- COVID-19. We also believe education is needed that continues to stress the need for continued social distancing, what to do if you believe you have symptoms, and how to get necessary testing and treatment. We must "test, test, test" and make it as readily available to all as HIV/ AIDS prevention and other vaccinations/ inoculations have been. This also must include community impact, from those who must report to work on a daily basis, to those who are resigned to enclosed spaces such as in all forms of mass transit, nursing homes, in prisons and homeless communities.

Second, we must talk about the economic impacts that have the potential to disproportionately effect minority and impoverished communities. They must not be excluded as they were with the opportunity zones. Quite simply put, stimulus and relief measures should not leave communities of color and the poor behind. Lastly, we must identify adverse effects that will be endured as furloughs, layoffs, terminations and business closures abound, and demand that we include the poor, small businesses, churches, and non- profit groups as part of any stimulus or mitigating relief efforts, many of whom have historically represented disparities in availability and utilization of services , employment and opportunities. We all must be geared towards preparing communities of color and those that are disadvantaged to deal with this pandemic and progress forward in the days to come.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, is quoted in Joseph P. Williams's U.S. News and World Report article, Disproportionately Getting and Dying From COVID-19 Early data indicates African Americans are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., as saying, "We have always known that we've had these enormous social determinants that impact health and create an unequal society ... I'm not surprised that we have had these enormous disparities in illness and deaths from COVID-19. They exist for everything else."

We are also not surprised. This is why we must begin to advance a program in African American minority and disadvantaged communities that is revolves around free, universal and easily accessible prognosis, testing and treatment. Afterwards, we must deal with the other mitigating factors such as job sustainability and employment, support to businesses, and the impact on the vote. We pray for renewed strength for all throughout Chattanooga Hamilton County, the United States, and the world community as a whole.

Unity Group of Chattanooga

Sherman E. Matthews Jr., Chairman

Eric Atkins, Corresponding Secretary
NEW YORK, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakthru Beverage Group, a leading North American beverage distributor with operations across the United States and Canada, today announced a $500,000 commitment to partner with local nonprofit organizations, restaurants, and restaurant groups to purchase meals for front-line responders battling the COVID-19 outbreak and vulnerable populations affected by it, such as children and the elderly. This includes a contribution to the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation (RWCF) in addition to supporting Breakthru's 13 U.S. markets and Canadian operations by partnering with non-profits, local restaurants and restaurant groups.

Breakthru is proud to partner with the RWCF, a 501c3 nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers whose mission includes advocacy and support of those in the industry. Funds directed to RWCF during the COVID-19 crisis will offer relief to individual out-of-work restaurant workers through non-profit organizations serving restaurant workers in crisis.

"During these uncertain times, we have been inspired and motivated by the camaraderie of our industry. Together, we are resilient, and I am confident that we will overcome the challenges we're currently navigating through partnership," said Greg Baird, President and CEO of Breakthru Beverage Group. "We want to thank the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation for the support they offer to this critical industry and employees during this crisis and year-round. Their commitment to those who help our industry thrive is inspiring and we are honored to support their efforts."

"With thousands of restaurants closed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, we've seen the devastating impact it has had on restaurant workers and their families across the country," said John deBary, RWCF Co-Founder and Board President. "Breakthru Beverage has truly stepped up to support struggling restaurant workers and we're grateful for their partnership and generosity."

Across its local U.S. markets and Canada, Breakthru Beverage Group is also providing financial support to local nonprofit organizations, restaurants or restaurant groups that provide meals for front line responders including healthcare workers and vulnerable populations such as children or the elderly during these challenging times.

"Across our footprint, our support for local communities has been a defining characteristic of Breakthru for generations," added Baird. "We recognize that we are in a unique position to leverage our scale and resources to offer relief and feel honored to help support those who have put their lives on the line and those who are particularly vulnerable today."

As the impacts from the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to unfold, Breakthru Beverage Group remains committed to serving as a responsible and attentive partner across its North American footprint. Breakthru will continue to evaluate opportunities to make a positive impact in the communities in which its associates live and work while keeping the health and wellness of its associates and partners at the center of its decisions. Additional information regarding Breakthru's market efforts will be shared locally concurrent with related activities.

About Breakthru Beverage Group

Breakthru Beverage Group is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in the United States and the largest broker in Canada representing a full total beverage alcohol portfolio of spirits, wine and beer. Across all markets  Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin  and Canada, Breakthru aligns a nimble and insightful approach to sales, marketing and operations. Family ownership is active in the business and committed to being stewards of heritage and champions of innovation. For more information, visit www.BreakthruBev.com .

About Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation

Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation (RWCF) is an advocacy and action 501c3 nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. RWCF was founded in 2018 to advocate for gender equality, racial justice, fair wages, and healthy work environments in the restaurant industry. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, RWCF's full focus is on supporting workers, small business owners, and an industry in crisis through its Restaurant Workers COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund. The fund is structured to address three needs: the majority of funds will go to Southern Smoke Foundation to support restaurant industry workers who are in immediate financial crisis; remaining funds will support organizations working to provide crisis relief (in areas such as mental health support, childcare, and food pantries), and to establish a no-interest, no-collateral loan program to help small businesses get back up and running after this crisis has passed. For more information, please visit www.RestaurantWorkersCF.org.

SOURCE Breakthru Beverage Group

Related Links

http://www.BreakthruBev.com


Actor Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed that his "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Heath Ledger had declined to present at the 2007 Academy Awards over a joke about the film.

Directed by Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain" featured Gyllenhaal and Ledger as Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, two sheep herders who develop a passionate relationship in the 1960s in Wyoming, USA.

Talking to Another Man magazine, the actor said the awards organisers wanted to include a joke about the movie's gay romance in the opening act but Ledger was not okay with it.

"I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it. And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, Oh, okay... whatever.' I'm always like, It's all in good fun.' And Heath said, It's not a joke to me I don't want to make any jokes about it'.

That's the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke. Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like, No. This is about love. Like, that's it, man. Like, no', Gyllenhaal said.

At the 78th Academy Awards, the film had received eight Oscar nominations eventually won three for best director, best adapted screenplay and best original score.

Ledger, who was nominated for best actor trophy at the ceremony, died in January 2008 due to due to an accidental overdose of prescription medications.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) announced today that due to the emerging public health impact of COVID-19, and to protect the health and well-being of its shareholders and employees, it will conduct both its Special and Annual Meetings of Shareholders in a virtual format.



Special Meeting Details

The Special Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Friday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. Shareholders as of the close of business on February 24, 2020, which is the record date for the Special Meeting, can attend online at https://web.lumiagm.com/272142770 . A direct link to the virtual meeting site will also be posted on the Events and Presentations page of our website at https://ir.fhnc.com . Shareholders will be able to participate in the Special Meeting by entering the control number found in their previously received Special Meeting proxy materials, along with the meeting code: FIRSTHORIZON2020 (case sensitive).

Annual Meeting Details

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. Shareholders as of the close of business on February 28, 2020, which is the record date for the Annual Meeting, can attend online at https://web.lumiagm.com/210087576 . A direct link to the virtual meeting site will also be posted on the Events and Presentations page of our website at https://ir.fhnc.com . Shareholders will be able to participate in the Annual Meeting by entering the control number found in their previously received Annual Meeting proxy materials, along with the meeting code: FIRSTHORIZON2020 (case sensitive).

Legal Proxy

Shareholders holding shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, must obtain a legal proxy in advance to attend either virtual meeting by contacting their broker, bank or other nominee.

Technical Assistance

Help and technical support for accessing and participating in either virtual meeting will be available before and during each meeting by calling 877-536-3558. Online check-in will begin 30 minutes before each meeting. To access the proxy materials for either meeting, please visit: https://ir.fhnc.com/corporateprofile .

About First Horizon

First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) provides financial services through First Horizon Bank, First Horizon Advisors, and FHN Financial businesses. The banking subsidiary was founded in 1864 and has the largest deposit market share in Tennessee. The company operates approximately 270 bank locations across the Southeast U.S. and 29 FHN Financial offices across the entire U.S. First Horizon Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial professionals and about $4.8 billion in assets under management. FHN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. The company is recognized as one of the nations best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. bank. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com .

FHN-G
An employee at a Giant store in Enola has tested positive for COVID-19, the company learned Tuesday.

A statement from the company said the employee would not be identified, but that the employee worked at the 4510 Marketplace Way store. The employee has not worked at the store since April 4.

We are supportive of this team member who is currently at home, and we wish them a speedy and complete recovery, the company said.

Other employees at the store were informed and are being supported, the company said. There are no other reports of other cases at the store. Additional and thorough cleaning and sanitation of the store was done after the company was notified of the positive test.

The company has been in contact with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Giant has implemented extra measures to assist at-risk customers and encourage social distancing in stores.

Read more on PennLive:
Easton held its first in a series of virtual town halls Tuesday afternoon, offering updates on the citys response to and efforts to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says the sessions will continue at 4 p.m. Tuesdays as long as the outbreak continues. The town halls are live-streamed at easton-pa.com.

Here is a look at some highlights of Tuesday's town hall.

1. .Some enforcement efforts have been suspended

Motorists will still cited for violations like parking in a spot reserved for someone with a disability, but some enforcement efforts are on hold, Panto said. That includes booting of cars over unpaid parking tickets through April, and vehicle inspection citations won't be given out for 30 days after Gov. Tom Wolf reopens the statewide economy. The start of street cleaning season is also delayed, from April 1 to June 1.

Code enforcement, along with public works, are the city departments hardest hit by worker furloughs that began Monday and continue through April, city Administrator Luis Campos said. The administration hasnt ruled out permanent layoffs as it contends with a $5.5 million loss of revenue budgeted for 2020 due to the statewide orders closing non-life-saving businesses and ordering residents to stay home. Counting police officers and firefighters, who are not subject to the unpaid leave, 30% of the citys workforce is on furlough -- 50% if you dont count police and fire.

2. There is help for, and from, businesses

Easton has created an online toolkit at easton-pa.com with resources to help city businesses weather the pandemic, said city Community and Economic Development Director John Kingsley. Scheduled to go live Tuesday night was a $300,000 no-interest loan program, with payments deferred for the first six months, he said. Kinsgley said businesses can apply until the end of this week for $10,000. He expects the pot to be exhausted quickly: It likely will be oversubscribed, Im sorry to say.

The citys businesses are also continuing to step up to help their community and region in the face of the coronavirus. Along with County Seat Spirits and Eight Oaks Farm Distillery converting their production lines from liquor to hand sanitizer, and Kaplan Awnings and Mercantile Home sewing face masks, 3D Reactions on Northampton Street has begun creating protective masks, as well, Panto said. During Tuesdays town hall, Easton Boys and Girls Club Executive Director G. Dean Young texted the mayor to open up discussions on hosting a point of distribution, should the need arise, for protective equipment or other supplies, Panto said. Im very proud of our citizens, the mayor said, noting, Its cooperative efforts that are going to get us through this.

3. Police and fire say they have sufficient gear

Easton Fire Director Mike Krill said the fire department started Jan. 27 on updating its protocols for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus pandemic. That included immediately trying to obtain sufficient personal protective equipment for firefighters, though very quickly the supply chain fell apart, he said. With some donations from Lafayette College and Boston Beer Co., Krill said he believes PPE supplies are at an adequate level for this time. Firefighters are also carving out time to make their own gear, including using office supplies with 3D-printed headbands to create face shields.

In the police department, Chief Carl Scalzo said supplies were "pretty good going into the crisis" and that officers have gotten good support from Northampton County and from vendors.

Both fire and police officials touched on increased efforts to clean and sanitize their stations and vehicles.

"Overall we're doing pretty well and we're just watching the amount of equipment we have," Krill said. "We're trying to gauge our burn rate on it and trying to project as things change how much additional equipment" will be necessary.

4. Everyone must continue social distancing

With schools closed and, increasingly, parks sealed off from public use, Panto said its critical to consistently maintain social distancing from anyone outside your own household. (Should someone in the household get sick, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend avoiding close contact with them, as well.)

"We need people to stay away from one another, to wear your masks, to wear your gloves," Panto said, noting the current CDC guidance on masks is to wear non-medical-grade ones as a way to prevent transmitting a COVID-19 infection to others during asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infectious periods.

The city's trails, meanwhile, remain open.

Theyre open for now, the mayor said. I dont want to have to close them, but I will if were not practicing social distancing. ... Social distancing is the only way, especially for the next two weeks, were going to curb this virus.

5. Watch what you flush

Wipes and other debris have been clogging pumps and other components of Easton's wastewater (sewage) treatment system, Panto said.

"Those wipes that say they're disposable? They're not," he said. "Yes, they will break down over time, but the amount of time is long (after) it gets to our wastewater treatment plant or one of our pumps."

Other communities are seeing the same thing, with Bethlehem urging everyone last month to flush only human waste and toilet paper. Wind Gap Municipal Authority Chairman Ralph Stampone issued a similar warning over the weekend. My plant supervisor is constantly cleaning out the pumps, he said by email. People have to know they will get blockages at their house also. The wipes do not degrade like toilet paper, same goes for paper towels.

In a related announcement, with businesses closed and Safe Harbor no longer open to walk-ins, Panto said Easton will be installing portable toilets for public use at Safe Harbor, the Scott Park boat launch and at the Delaware Canal towpath parking lot.

6. Stay informed

Easton in February rolled out a new mass notification system to help city residents, business owners, workers and visitors stay informed and connected. Its called EastonAlert and was launched as a replacement to Nixle, the notification system the city previously used. Powered by Smart911, EastonAlert provides important notifications to people who register for it, the city says. Users can opt in to receive specific types of alerts that are of the most interest to them. Registration can be done by downloading the Smart911 app; by sending a text message to 67283 with the keyword eastonalert or by going online to eastonalert.easton-pa.gov. Easton has also started a monthly e-newsletter with municipal updates, available by signing up at easton-pa.com.

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.
TRENTON  Social media to the rescue.

With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc across New Jersey and the world, the Mercer County Clerks Office on Thursday will livestream the legally required ballot drawing for the upcoming primary election.

Hosting these formalities on Facebook Live is keeping with social distancing precautions, according to the county clerks office, which says reporters and members of the public should avoid coming to the county clerks office to witness the ballot placement event.

Under state law, the clerks office must hold a ballot drawing on the 53rd day prior to the primary election in which the names of individual candidates are placed inside a box on cards. A random drawing would then determine the order of arrangement in which the names of candidates shall appear upon the primary election ballot.

New Jerseys 2020 primary election will be held on June 2, which is expected to feature a high-profile Democratic showdown between presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

Walker Worthy, Mercer Countys deputy clerk, will conduct Thursdays ballot drawing due to the fact that County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello is on the ballot this year. Anyone may watch the formalities beginning 3 p.m. Thursday at https://www.facebook.com/MercerCountyClerk/.

Under state law, any legal voter of the county shall have the privilege of witnessing such drawing, but the clerks office is asking everyone to watch the event online rather than in person due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened 837 Mercer County residents, resulting in 24 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.

Like Mercer County, other counties across the state have announced similar plans of livestreaming their mandatory ballot drawings in light of the pandemic.
A Labour mayor has been expelled from the party after she said that Boris Johnson 'completely deserves' his intensive care battle with coronavirus.

Councillor Sheila Oakes, who is currently mayor of Heanor in Derbyshire, made the crass comments on social media.

She said: 'Sorry he completely deserves this and he is one of the worst PM's we've ever had.'

Miss Oakes later apologised 'unreservedly', but the Labour Party has now withdrawn the whip from her, effectively kicking her out.

Mr Johnson was transferred to an ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster on Monday night as his symptoms worsened. He had been admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Mayor Sheila Oakes (pictured) said Boris Johnson 'completely deserves' his battle against coronavirus in intensive care

Boris Johnson (pictured as his health worsened on April 3) has spent the night in intensive care but there has been 'no change' in his coronavirus condition

Miss Oakes will keep her seat until the next election, but she is now an independent politician.

A spokesperson for the Amber Valley Labour Group said: 'Following comments from Cllr Oakes on social media, which we utterly condemn, the Amber Valley Labour group withdrew the whip this morning, and can now announce this now the whip has spoken to Cllr Oakes.

'This means that Cllr Oakes does not currently sit as a Labour councillor and further due process will follow.

'We wish the Prime Minister, and all who are suffering with this awful disease, a speedy recovery and send love and solidarity to them and their families.

'It would be inappropriate to comment further until due process has taken its course.'

Councillor Kevin Buttery, Conservative group leader on Amber Valley Borough Council, said: 'This is an extremely worrying time for Boris Johnson, his family, friends and in fact the nation.

'To say I find the comments of councillor Sheila Oakes distasteful and abhorrent is an understatement.

'As the local mayor, she should be acting in a non-political way as she represents the town, this is clearly not the case in these circumstances.'

Miss Oakes is just one among many Left-wing trolls who have targeted the Prime Minister with abuse on social media.

Others quoted the rapper Stormzy's 'f*** Boris' lyric and some even welcomed the idea of him dying.

Twitter user @bibagirl wrote: 'Poor Boris? No. Poor NHS. F*** that scruffy man.'

Another, using the handle @Corby2209, said: 'Stormzy said f*** Boris and Corona did the rest.' Miguel Suarez tweeted: 'Boris Johnson in the ICU f*** yeah.'

The 55-year-old was transferred to intensive care at 7pm because of breathing difficulties - forcing him to 'deputise' Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to take the reins of government.

Piers Morgan has slammed Twitter users celebrating the fact that Boris Johnson is in intensive care as he battles coronavirus.

On today's Good Morning Britain, host Piers Morgan told them to 'just shut up' in a furious tirade.

He said: 'To those people on social media who can't find it in themselves to be positive for the Prime Minister right now, who want to abuse him  if you're of that mindset, just shut up.

Piers Morgan, pictured on today's Good Morning Britain, slammed those who are celebrating the Prime Minister's condition

'Nobody wants to hear this. Nobody wants to hear trolling against Boris Johnson. Just stop it. Honestly, it's beyond imagination that that should be your thought process. The man's fighting for his life.'

It came after he waded into the row on Twitter last night, saying: 'If you have nothing positive to say about Boris Johnson on here tonight, then shut the f*** up. The man is our Prime Minister & he is fighting for his life.'

In a round of broadcast interviews this morning, Cabinet Office Michael Gove said Mr Johnson was getting the 'best care'.

'As we speak the PM is in intensive care being looked after by his medical team receiving the very, very best care from the team in St Thomas's and our hopes and prayers are with him and with his family,' he told BBC Breakfast.

He said Mr Johnson's plight should demonstrate the need to follow social distancing rules, as the virus 'has a malevolence that is truly frightening'.

Newly appointed Labour Party leader Keir Starmer wished the PM well last night, tweeting: 'Terribly sad news. All the country's thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family during this incredibly difficult time.'

And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said last night that he was praying for Mr Johnson's swift recovery.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tweeted: 'I hope and pray for @BorisJohnson to come through this ordeal quickly.'

Worried Britons have shown their support for the PM on Twitter using the hashtag #PrayForBoris, with some suggesting that people turn out to clap for the Tory leader at 8pm in a show of support similar the those for NHS workers in recent days.

Twitter user Dillon Hughes-Moretti wrote: 'Hang in there Boris. Your friends, family, colleagues and your country desperately needs you.'

Tom Edwards said: 'Mr Johnson, now - more than ever in your lifetime - your country needs you. Come on, old boy. You've got this.'
The Indian Newspaper Society on Wednesday urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to withdraw her suggestion to the government to impose a two-year ban on media advertisements by the government and public sector undertakings. Such a proposal tantamounts to financial censorship, the society said in a statement on Thursday.

The Congress president had on Tuesday given Prime Minister Narendra Modi five suggestions to step up the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. One of them was to stop advertising in print, electronic and radio. The Association of Radio Operators and the News Broadcasters Association have already issued statements criticising the suggestion. On Wednesday, the INS also lent its support to this demand.

The amount of money spent by government on advertising is a small amount as far as government spend is concerned but it is a huge amount for the newspaper industry which is essential for a vibrant democracy, and is struggling to survive.

In a statement by Mary Paul, the INS underscored: Print is the only industry, which has a wage board and the Government decides how much the employees should be paid. This being the only industry where market forces dont decide salaries, the Government has a responsibility towards the industry.

In the age of fake news and distortion, Print is the best platform to get news and views directly across to the people in every nook and corner of the country, for both - the Government and for the Opposition.

It also noted that advertisement and circulation revenue had already declined due to recession and the digital onslaught. Further to add to the problem, we now face severe financial crisis due to the complete lockdown of industries and business, the statement said.

At a time like this when media personnel are risking their lives and bringing news on the pandemic situation, the suggestion of the congress president is deeply disturbing and demotivating for the entire media industry, it said, asking the Congress president to withdraw the suggestion about a complete ban on advertisements in media.
All amounts expressed in US dollars

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) (TSX:ABX), operator of the Kibali gold mine, has announced a $1.5 million support program to help combat and contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.



Barricks chief operating officer for the companys Africa and Middle East region, Willem Jacobs, says the company believes the current situation requires a national response from all who have the DRCs interests at heart. Barrick, as a committed partner to the DRC, has structured a detailed Covid-19 support program for the country, which was communicated to the government at the beginning of the month by Barrick president and CEO Mark Bristow.

Barricks DRC country manager, Cyrille Mutombo, has met with the Prime Minister, HE Sylvestre Ilunga Ilumkamba, and informed him that Kibali had put in place measures to ensure continuity of its operations and to protect workers and their families living around the mine. This program is being managed by the mines own doctors and health workers, who are experienced in dealing with deadly infections such as Ebola. This new package was an addition to those efforts and includes the supply of critical equipment to the value of $632,000 at the national level, $488,000 at the provincial level and $380,000 at the local level.

The Prime Minister noted that the DRC had launched a National Solidarity Fund for Covid-19 and said he was delighted that Barrick was among the first to respond with such a substantial contribution. He requested the Minister of Health along with the Covid-19 task team to work with Kibali to identify priorities on which to focus its contribution. Acknowledging that the remotely situated mine had been transforming the area since it began operating 10 years ago, he said that the government would work with the company on the operating challenges it faces.

Kibali has also offered the early payment of taxes, which the government has welcomed, and the company is currently discussing the details with the Ministry of Finance and the tax authorities.

Barrick enquiries

Investor and media relations

Kathy du Plessis

+44 20 7557 7738

Email: barrick@dpapr.com

Website: www.barrick.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information



Certain information contained in this press release, including any information as to Barricks strategy or future financial or operating performance, constitutes forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words help, contain, support, will, believe, engage, promise, offer and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to financial support and preventative measures implemented by the Kibali gold mine to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; efforts to support provincial and local stakeholders as well as regional health authorities and community information programs with respect to the pandemic; and the potential early payment of taxes by the Kibali gold mine.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions; including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by Barrick as at the date of this press release in light of managements experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with Covid-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities, including geotechnical challenges, and disruptions in the maintenance or provision of required infrastructure and information technology systems; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies, and practices, expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in the DRC; lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, corruption and other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; risks associated with illegal and artisanal mining; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; timing of receipt of, or failure to comply with, necessary permits and approvals; litigation and legal and administrative proceedings; damage to the Barricks reputation due to the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, including negative publicity with respect to the Barricks handling of environmental matters or dealings with community groups, whether true or not; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties, or over access to water, power, and other required infrastructure; employee relations including loss of key employees; increased costs and physical risks, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, related to climate change; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development, and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding, and gold bullion, copper cathode, or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements, and the risks that may affect Barricks ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Barrick disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
In what is being called a 'miracle cure' by the health workers, a 93-year-old man Thomas and his 88-year-old wife Mariyamma have recovered from coronavirus COVID-19 after undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kerala's Kottayam and have returned home.

Thomas is India's oldest COVID-19 survivor and he was discharged with his wife after their latest sample test turned out to be negative. The couple were admitted on March 9. Thomas and Mariyamma belong to Ranni village in Pathanamthitta district and the duo had contracted the coronavirus from their son, daughter- in-law and grandson who returned from Italy in March.

The couple will remain in strict home quarantine for two weeks after which they will be brought to hospital again and their samples will be taken again for testing.

The couple was already suffering from various age-related diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiac ailments and their condition was very critical in the first phase of treatment.

During the treatment, Thomas suffered a heart attack and his condition worsened later with the oxygen level in blood plummeting, forcing the doctors to put on ventilator. Both Thomas and Mariyamma also developed urinary infection during the treatment but the couple braved all odds to beat the coronavirus and emerged victorirues.

Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja congratulated the doctors, nurses and other staff of the Medical College Hospital for working tirelessly to save the elderly couple. According to government, a seven-member team of doctors led the treatment and they were supported by 40 medical staff including 25 nurses.
Challenging and uncertain times.

Thats the way administrators at Memphis Community Schools described the upheaval in the current school year as a three-week closure due to the coronavirus has evolved into schools closing for the remainder of the school year.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive order, which closed K-12 schools through the end of the school year, was announced April 2, and the next day districts around the state received a 17-page document that requires each district to develop a Continuity of Learning Plan for students.

Memphis Community Schools and teachers are doing everything we can to protect our community and families, and make these difficult times as productive as possible for our children, Memphis Community Schools Superintendent Brad Gudme saidin an open letter to parents in the district.

When contacted by phone, Gudme said the safety of his staff and the families involved is his biggest priority. The goal is to provide an opportunity to educate all students while everyone stays safe at home.

We work closely with out all our employees and we want them to stay home, Gudme said.

Personally, Gudme said he has some hours at the administrative office just to keep an eye on things, but hes also working from home much of the time.

I have a 5-year-old at home, so its actually probably easier for me to work here, Gudme joked.

Both the elementary and junior/senior high principals have set times they may stop by the buildings and the districts maintenance director stops in daily to check on things but otherwise everyones working from home now.

Gudme said he has 50 teachers on staff this year, and while they are working from home, from time to time he can make arrangements to let them into their classrooms as needed for supplies. He said time spent in the building is limited.

The only other essential workers in the building with any regularity are the food service staff, who come in once a week and prepare a weeks worth of breakfasts and lunches for students across the district. Families are encouraged to pick up the meals if they can, but if not, Gudme has a list of volunteers that can deliver them.

We really want to eliminate any extra contacts so picking the meals up works out best, he said.

In the weeks since schools closed, Gudme said teachers have really stepped up with an all-hands-on deck mentality to provide work at home for the students from preschool to 12th grade.

The staff has so many things going on  Ive been very impressed with them, Gudme said. We have a talented staff here that are willing to do anything to help out.

Instructions for the students has been steady, using Facebook, Zoom and Google meetups, and that will continue once plans are in place to complete the school year.

In fact, Gudme said they are finalizing a program that will offer online instructions in all core subjects two days a week. The other three days teachers will make themselves available to help students who need it.

In addition, Gudme said about 25% of the student population at Memphis Community Schools doesnt have internet access, so administrators are looking for ways to get them hooked up, or the teachers are preparing packets for those families.

The district expects to have a plan for instruction for the remainder of the school year up and running by April 20. Officials will also address parents concerns about everything from retrieving their students belongings from school lockers to graduation plans.

The following is part of an announcement posted on the districts website:

Some things we know:

* Our physical school buildings will remain closed to students through the end of the school year in June. Once we have a continuing education plan established, we will work with those who need to retrieve their electronic devices and other essential personal items.

* Learning will continue for our students for the remainder of the school year. This will look different, but instruction will continue.

* Food services to students will continue as they have. We may need to modify days and times to match our continuing educational plan.

* Seniors on track to graduate this year will receive their diplomas.

* All spring activities, such as graduation; it is still too early to predict when, how, and if they will take place.

* All other students will advance to their next grade at the beginning of the next school year, assuming they were on pace to advance before the shutdown.

* High school juniors will be able to take the SAT next fall. Those tests will be paid for by the state.

Barb Pert Templeton is a freelance reporter. She can be contacted at barbperttempleton.reporter@yahoo.com.
Reporters Without Borders today called on president Trump to end his "vicious attacks" on journalists covering his daily COVID-19 briefings.

The group rapped Trump for exploiting the briefings for political gains, as he spends much of his podium time lodging insults, contradicting White House pandemic messaging and sharing unsubstantiated medical information.

At a time when Americans desperately need a steady stream of consistent evidence-based information, president Trump has turned the press briefing room into a political circus full of misinformation and self aggrandizement, said Dokhi Fassihian, executive director of RWBUSA, said in a statement.

RWB cited eight attacks launched by Trump on reporters from ABC, FOX, CNN, PBS and CBS.

Those incidents, according to Fassihian, represent "a sinister attempt to scapegoat the press with hateful rhetoric designed to distract, deflect, and dodge critically important questions about the administrations response to COVID-19.

RWB noted that CNN and MSNBC have chosen not to air Trump's briefings full due to the "legitimate concern of accidentally spreading misinformation."
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Linkedin Beh Lih Yi and Annie Banerji (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/New Delhi, India  Wed, April 8, 2020 17:07 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a33a6 2 World poor-residents,low-income-people,coronavirus-prevention,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-lockdown,COVID-19-quarantine,pandemic,health Free

Poor workers have been arrested and beaten by police for trying to put food on the table during coronavirus lockdowns, prompting warnings on Tuesday of social upheaval if aid is not delivered.

In Malaysia, two men who usually earn about 100 ringgit ($23) a day fixing roofs have been jailed for three months after they were caught fishing for food in violation of an official stay-home order, sparking a public outcry.

"Police told them to leave. They said they have to fish to feed their family - they don't have a job now, they have no money," said their lawyer Balakrishna Balaravi Pillai, adding the men were jailed because they could not afford to pay a fine.

"They have been hit hard not only due to the economic factor, but now also got trapped and entangled in such a legal quagmire," Pillai, who is giving the men free legal assistance, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

Labor rights activists across Asia have criticized strict lockdowns to contain the flu-like virus - which has infected about 1.3 million people and caused more than 70,000 deaths globally - for their impact on vulnerable workers.

Social media has been flooded with videos of baton-wielding police in India beating people, including migrant workers and rickshaw pullers, for breaking a three-week lockdown, as well as making them do squats and deflating their tires.

New Delhi's police spokesman has denied that officers used excessive force and said they were trying to ensure people followed rules.

Raju, a vegetable vendor in New Delhi, said a policeman struck him on his back and calves repeatedly - despite his attempts to explain that selling food was an essential service exempted from lockdown rules.

"He would not listen. He just kept beating me. So, I quickly turned around and limped back home," said the vendor who declined to give his full name. "My bruises are still visible."

Indian opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the government to rein in police brutality, saying it showed the country's law enforcement "in a very poor light".

Modi asked the nation's poor for forgiveness for the hardship caused by the lockdown after it began on March 25, when the government also announced a $22.6 billion economic stimulus plan to provide cash and food handouts to the poor.

Cages, hot sun

In the Philippines, informal workers like rickshaw drivers were also among some 20,000 people arrested for violating curfews, said Manila-based urban poor campaign group Kadamay.

"They would rather catch the virus outside than dying from hunger at home," said Gloria Arellano, the charity's chairwoman.

"There are people who are just drinking water to survive. We will see more urban poor, this is already happening."

President Rodrigo Duterte warned violators of coronavirus lockdown measures last week that they could be shot for causing trouble after media reports of protests in Manila about insufficient government food aid.

Curfew violators have been confined to dog cages and made to sit under the midday sun as punishment, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said.

Its researcher Carlos Conde said government measures like cash subsidies to cushion the blow were inadequate for many low-income and informal workers who have no savings or insurance.

"These daily wage earners and their families, they live a hand-to-mouth existence," Conde said from Manila.

"The government is facing social upheavals like this if they do not meet the needs of poor Filipinos, particularly if they continue to arrest and lock up those who are out on the streets to find food," he added in emailed comments.

The United Nations has warned the coronavirus pandemic could trigger a global economic crisis, destroying up to 25 million jobs if governments do not shield workers from the impact.
NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy Heading To International Space Station On Thursday News oi-Sharmishte Datti

NASA is gearing up to send astronaut Chris Cassidy to the International Space Station on Thursday, April 9. Cassidy will be joined by two Russian astronauts of the Roscosmos space agency, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The space agency said that the NASA Television and the official website will be covering the crew's launch live, including the arrival at ISS.

The astronaut trio will be lifting off aboard the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:05 PM Kazakhstan time. The launch of the spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the station's Zvezda service module at 10:16 AM. Once docked, the hatches between the Soyuz and the space station will be opened after roughly two hours.

The upcoming trip to space will be the third flight for Cassidy and Ivanishin and the first for Vagner. The four-orbit journey is expected to last for six hours. Once docked, the astronauts will be joining the Expedition 62 Commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and NASA Flight Engineers Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir.

The current NASA astronauts in ISS Morgan and Meir will be completing their station mission and will return to the Earth on April 17 via the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, which will land in Kazakhstan. Going into their details, Morgan set off on July 20, 2019, for an extended duration mission. Meir and Skripochka launched to the space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on Sept. 25, 2019.

NASA further explains that the soon-to-takeoff astronauts Cassidy, Ivanishin, and Vagner will become part of the Expedition 62 crew. Also, Cassidy will become Expedition 63 commander upon the departure of Skripochka, Morgan, and Meir. The change of command ceremony is scheduled for April 15, a few days before they head back to Earth.

This also means that the crew members of Expedition 63 will be onboard to welcome NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. The most important aspect of Behnken and Hurley's trip to ISS will be flying aboard the SpaceX Demo-2 flight test, currently targeted to launch no earlier than mid-to-late May.

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Babies may be at risk of catching the coronavirus from their mother during pregnancy, scientists have warned.

Chinese doctors studied four newborns who tested positive for the infection within a few days of a Caesarean delivery, after experiencing mild tell-tale symptoms.

Three had been isolated as soon as they were born because their mothers had been diagnosed before birth. The fourth mother and baby tested positive a fortnight later.

The researchers said they 'couldn't rule out' that the babies had picked up the virus while still in the womb via the placenta - however, there was no direct evidence of this.

It's possible the babies contracted the killer virus from the hospital, but the odds were 'low' due to special infection control measures in place at the time, the scientists said.

Mothers-to-be are included in the UK Government's list of vulnerable people who must be protected from the virus.

It's a precautionary measure because scientists still don't know if their babies are at risk of infection.

Babies may be at risk of catching the coronavirus from their mother during pregnancy, scientists in China have warned. Pictured, a Thai nurse caring for a newborn wearing a protective face shield to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

The researchers said they 'couldn't rule out' that the babies had picked up the virus while still in the womb via the placenta. The possibility of catching the virus while in hospital was 'low' because the babies had been isolated very quickly. Pictured, newborns in Thailand

In the latest study, Dr Zhi-Jiang Zhang and colleagues at Wuhan University studied four babies born via C-section between December 2019 and March 2020.

Three of the mothers were known to have the virus before birth and their babies were separated immediately. Their children presented symptoms while in isolation.

While they can't be certain, the scientists believe these three babies picked up the virus from their mother.

But the researchers are not so sure when it came to the fourth child because the boy and his mother were not diagnosed until 17 days weeks after his birth.

During that time he was breastfed and came into contact with an infected relative - two scenarios where he could've contracted the bug.

HOW DID THE BABIES COMPARE?

Baby one Baby two Baby three Baby four Gender Male Male Male Female Age at diagnosis 30 hours 17 days 5 days 5 days Symptoms Shortness of breath Fever, cough, vomiting Fever No symptoms Setting of disease onset Hospital Home Home Hospital Isolation at birth In hospital No No In hospital Hospital treatment Yes Yes Yes Yes ICU No No No No Hospital stay duration Not yet discharged 23 30 16









Mother Symptoms Fever Cough Fever, cough, loss of appetite Fever Diagnosis Before delivery After delivery Before delivery Before delivery

ARE PREGNANT WOMEN MORE VULNERABLE TO COVID-19 AND WHAT IS THE RISK TO BABIES? There is no evidence that pregnant women become more severely unwell if they develop coronavirus than the general population. It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate symptoms because more severe symptoms such as pneumonia appear to be more common in older people, those with weakened immune systems or long-term conditions. There are no reported deaths of pregnant women from coronavirus at the moment. If you are pregnant you are more vulnerable to getting infections than a woman who is not pregnant, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. If you have an underlying condition, such as asthma or diabetes, you may be more unwell if you have coronavirus because is poses a higher risk to those with underlying health conditions. In terms of risk to the baby, the RCOG says: 'Emerging evidence suggests that transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy or birth (vertical transmission) is probable.' But the college emphasised that in all reported cases of newborn babies developing coronavirus very soon after birth, the baby was fine. There is no evidence right now to suggest an increased risk of miscarriage. RCOG says: 'Given current evidence, it is considered unlikely that if you have the virus it would cause problems with the babys development, and none have been observed currently.' Some babies born to women with symptoms of coronavirus in China have been born prematurely. It is unclear whether coronavirus caused this or the doctors made the decision for the baby to be born early because the woman was unwell. Advertisement

The researchers emphasised they didn't find 'direct evidence' of vertical transmission - there were no traces of the virus being found in amniotic fluid or the umbilical cord blood. But they also didn't find evidence to dispute it.

Chickenpox, rubella and the herpes simplex virus are examples of infections that can carry over to the foetus and possibly cause harm.

Other than one boy, the babies were not breastfed. Therefore, it's not possible for them to have caught the virus while drinking their mother's milk.

The babies may have caught the infection while in hospital shortly after birth, which is known to happen in adult patients.

However, strict infection and prevention controls implemented during delivery make chances of hospital infection low.

The team in Wuhan ruled that babies are significantly more at risk of infection than infants - and this may be due to intrauterine transmission.

Ultimately, 'intrauterine vertical transmission is possible but direct evidence is still lacking', the team said.

Lead author Dr Zhi-Jiang Zhang, of Wuhan University, added: 'COVID-19 is highly contagious and our study suggests that intrauterine transmission [when infection passes across the placenta in the womb] cannot be ruled out, but that the prognosis is good for both pregnant women and newborn babies.'

There are several papers looking into COVID-19 in babies, but more research is needed to to distinguish the risks.

The virus has infected humans for a short time, since December 2019, and so there are many questions over how it could affect a mother during a nine month pregnancy.

The only new mothers who have had the virus during pregnancy were in their third trimester.

The latest study findings are 'particularly interesting', according to Dr Shamez Ladhani, paediatric infectious diseases specialist at St Georges, University of London. The hospital is currently recruiting pregnant women with diagnosed COVID-19 for research in the UK.

Dr Ladhani said: 'Although this study doesnt provide direct evidence of vertical transmission of coronavirus from mother to baby, its difficult to explain how the babies develop the disease so soon after birth.

'In this case, its particularly interesting, as the infants were born by caesarean section and separated from their mother at birth.

'The good news is that young babies appear to develop mild disease and recover quickly from the infection. However, expectant mothers should continue be mindful of the current measures to prevent spread of the disease to protect both themselves, their babies and those around them.'

Professor Tobias Welte, an infections expert from the European Respiratory Society who was not involved in the study, said: 'It's important to protect pregnant women and newborn babies against infection.

'It's also important that any cases of Covid-19 in newborns are picked up, monitored and treated quickly and carefully.

'At this stage we still do not know whether there are any longer-term consequences of infection.'

The findings, published in the European Respiratory Journal, support the claims of scientists at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

They also warned intrauterine transmission was possible in a paper published in Jama Paediatrics.

After studying three babies with coronavirus born at Wuhan Children's Hospital, who each recovered well, they said 'it is likely' the virus came from the mother, and not the hospital.

Dr Zeng Lingkong and colleagues said it is 'crucial' for mothers to be screened to spot COVID-19 infection.

On the other hand, Dr Chen Huijun and colleagues argued there was 'currently no evidence for intrauterine infection' in their paper published in The Lancet.

The team at Wuhan University studied nine pregnant women with COVID-19. Swabs from six of the babies tested negative for the virus, along with amniotic fluid, cord blood, and breastmilk samples.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 7)  The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines calls on parish churches to ring their bells on Holy Wednesday in solidarity with an interfaith prayer against the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBCP President Archbishop Romulo Valles said that the simultaneous ringing of bells at 3 p.m. is to signal the start of a televised interfaith prayer organized by the government.

It will be comforting and encouraging for our people when they sense and observe that a spirit of unity and working together is there in these trying times, Valles said in a statement released Tuesday.

The prayer activity is an initiative organized by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The initiative will be led by the Chaplain Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said Bishop Oscar Florencio of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines.

The AFP chaplains will assist to invoke the mighty help of God as we plead Him to heal those affected by Covid-19 and to spare us from this present pandemic, Florencio said.

The Health Department reported 104 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total number to 3,764. Meanwhile, the country now has 84 recoveries.

Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed more than 70,000 people, mostly in Italy, although the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. More than 1.3 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.
New Delhi, April 8 : The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday said that it has launched a training programme in association with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi for the healthcare staff for managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases among pregnant women.

Speaking at a press conference, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal said, "A training module is going to be launched for the physicians for suspected and confirmed cases of pregnant women by the ministry through AIIMS." "The healthcare workers will receive training for antenatal care and labour management through this course," Agarwal added. He said that "training on field level is very important and an initial component when it comes to monitoring COVID-19 at national level." There have been cases in the country where patients of coronavirus happened to be pregnant. A nine-month pregnant woman had tested positive on April 2 in the national capital. In another such case, doctors at a government hospital in Mumbai had to attend a pregnant COVID-19 patient on Monday. They performed a C-section and the baby was delivered.

However in a shocker, a 30-year-old 9-month pregnant woman from Nalasopara town in Palghar passed away at Nair Hospital on Monday. She had tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease.
University Urges Students, Faculty to Use Acceptable Terms When Talking About CCP Virus

Michigan State University (MSU) wants teachers and students to only use acceptable terminology when talking about the CCP virus, in an effort to promote diversity, equality, inclusion and social justice.

In an April 2 email sent to staff, faculty, and students, MSU advertised its Hate Has No Home initiative and complied a list of eight recommendations to keep hate and harm away from the school community. One of the recommendations states that novel coronavirus is the word of choice when referring to the CCP virus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan before spreading to the rest of the world.

Use the correct term for the virus, said MSU, which hosts over 2,500 international students from China and has been housing a Confucius Institute since 2006. No other names are acceptable.

A Yeshiva University student wears a face mask on the grounds of the university in New York City on March 4, 2020. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

The university also encouraged members of the school community to sign a Hate Has No Home Here pledge in support of a welcoming and inclusive environment.

I pledge to not commit acts of hate. I pledge to be an active bystander and to prevent and address incidents of hate and bias, the pledge read.

Active bystanders are expected to stand up against racist, dog-whistle, xenophobic speech, especially when it involves the Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) community, the university said, adding that anti-APIDA racism is on the rise amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

People are tested for COVID-19 at a mobile testing center in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 26, 2020. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images)

The MSU is not the only school trying to prevent students and faculty from using terms that associate the virus with China or the Chinese regime. The University of California system issued a set of guidelines (pdf) last month, telling students not to use the term Chinese virus, claiming it casts intentional or unintentional projections of hatred toward Asian communities.

Similarly, The University of Wisconsin-Madison deemed chalk messages written on a campus sidewalk racist against people of Chinese or Asian ancestry. One of those messages read, Its from China #ChineseVirus, while the other expressed anger toward Chinas communist regime.

We are aware of an increase in bias incidents on or near campus and online that have targeted our Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi-American students and employees, particularly those from or perceived to be from China and East Asia, the university said in a statement.
NEW YORK, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Karbone Capital Markets recently closed a tax equity transaction on behalf of its client, Aspenall Energies (Delaware), LLC (hereinafter 'Aspenall'). ITOCHU Corporation and Tyr Energy, Inc. agreed to provide tax equity financing for Aspenall's 30MW Kimball Wind and 13MW South Fork projects respectively located in Kimball County, Nebraska and Jackson County, Minnesota.

South Fork, which reached commercial operation in November 2016, operates under a 20-year offtake agreement with Muscatine Power & Water. Kimball sells power under a similar contract with the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska and reached commercial operation in May 2018.

Karbone Capital Markets is pleased to have advised Aspenall on this meaningful transaction and hopes to assist on future deals as the company grows its renewable platform.

"We are excited to expand our relationship ITOCHU and Tyr as we continue to expand our portfolio of wind and solar assets in the US Market," said John Brown, Chief Development Officer with Aspenall.

About Aspenall

Aspenall Energies (Delaware), LLC was founded in 2007 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Treehouse Investments, LLC, a boutique distributed-infrastructure firm dedicated to addressing climate change and gender equality. Treehouse is a signatory of the UN Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and an Investors' Council member of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). Aspenall is a developer, owner, and operator of distributed-scale wind projects throughout the Midwest, and provides development capital to early-stage wind and solar projects throughout the US and Canada.

For more information, please visit http://www.aspenall.com/ and http://www.treehouseinvestments.com/.

About ITOCHU and Tyr Energy

ITOCHU has an ownership interest in 15 power generation projects in the United States through its wholly owned subsidiary, Tyr Energy Inc. (hereinafter "Tyr Energy"). Tyr Energy is a developer, long term owner, and manager of power generation projects. This is ITOCHU and Tyr Energy's sixth investment in a wind generation project in the United States. ITOCHU also runs a service business providing operations and maintenance (hereinafter "O&M") services for power plants through its wholly owned subsidiary, NAES Corporation (hereinafter "NAES"). NAES has more than 180 power plants under contract totaling approximately 49,000 MW making it one of the largest O&M services providers in the world. ITOCHU continues to diversify its power business with a focus on power generation and related services, seeking to further enhance the value of its portfolio companies.

For more information please visit https://www.itochu.co.jp and http://www.tyrenergy.com/

About Karbone Capital Markets

Karbone Capital Markets ("KCM"), a rapidly growing subsidiary of Karbone Inc., provides investment banking services in the clean energy sector, in areas of M&A, recapitalization, and capital raising of debt, sponsor equity, and tax equity. KCM is currently actively engaged in several sell-side mandates and tax equity advisory engagements. Our growing team leverages the greater Karbone platform for access to energy market, PPA and REC transactions, and research capabilities. Securities are offered through Karbone Capital Markets LLC, a Delaware LLC. The firm is a member of FINRA and SIPC and is registered as a broker dealer with the SEC.

SOURCE Karbone Capital Markets
The two occupants of the yacht being questioned by a police officer (partly hidden by pillar).

Residents of the Central Leeward town of Layou were thrown into a frenzy when, last Wednesday, a 40-foot yacht anchored less than 100 yards from the beach at Jackson Bay.





This was a strange occurrence, given that Jackson Bay is not usually a mooring area for yachts, whether local or foreign-owned.





Of course, the frenzy and expressed concerns came amidst residents fears about the spread of the coronavirus, and the entry of supposedly unscreened foreign nationals into SVG.





What created even more concern was when two occupants of the yacht were seen coming ashore in a dinghy. The two appeared to be relatively young and were Caucasians.





Reports that surfaced afterwards said that they had come ashore to purchase groceries.





While the two occupants were on land, a Coast Guard vessel appeared in the area and approached the yacht. It circled the vessel for some time.





Persons on the beach beckoned to the Coast Guard officers, telling them that two persons from the yacht were on land.





There was a twenty or so minute-period of inactivity after which the Coast Guard vessel headed to sea.

But not before a mobile police unit (a pick-up) appeared in the vicinity, just as the two occupants were making their way back to their yacht.





They were questioned by a uniformed police officer, after which they were allowed to board their dinghy and return to their yacht.




C ouncillors have given a green light to the compulsory purchase of the landmark Elephant & Castle shopping centre so that it can make way for nearly 1,000 new homes.

Southwark council approved the order on behalf of developer Delancey, which plans to demolish the 55-year old mall.

It also gave the go-ahead for 200,000 of extra funding for traders who will be displaced.

Delancey has consent for a new pedestrianised town centre with a building for the University of the Arts London, leisure and office space and a new station as well as 979 homes.

Of the homes proposed, 116 will be for social rent, charged at about 100 a week for a one-bedroom flat, while 53 will be available for the London Living Rent at around 150 a week.

Another 161 will be available at up to 80 per cent of market prices.

The rest will be at market rent  a one-bedroom is expected to cost about 2,000 a month.

The shopping centre is due to shut on July 30 so the plans can go ahead.

Cllr Johnson Situ, Cabinet Member for Growth, Development and Planning, said: The re-development of the Elephant and Castle town centre has been a long held ambition of the Council and the Shopping Centre scheme will provide many benefits to the Elephant and Castle area including a new entrance for the Northern Line station, a new home for the London College of Communications, new shops and businesses, a new cultural venue and hundreds of new homes.

The council has always been clear that our priority remains the support of the existing traders through this uncertain period, thats why weve welcomed the developer committing to go above the previously agreed relocation fund and why I announced in January an additional 200,000 to support the traders within the centre.

"The additional support we announced and approved yesterday was important then but in these difficult times it is even more so now.

To ensure a revitalised town centre comes forward for the wider community we have made the difficult decision to set out the framework to exercise our Compulsory Purchase powers, the decision the Cabinet took yesterday sets out the condition and next steps for that decision, it is important to note this relates to large land owners within the development site as oppose to tenants, which is guided by separate decision on by the owners of the centre.

We have been clear we will only do so if the developer covers all costs and all the right checks and balances are made.

We are committed to ensuring the new development will enhance and complement the vibrant and diverse culture of Elephant and Castle, not diminish it.

"We will continue to work with and support the current traders, and the rest of the local community, to make sure everyone can benefit from these changes and no one is left behind.

However the decision was criticised by community groups opposed to the redevelopment.
Germany and France, the EU's two largest economies, are bracing for a painful recession as the coronavirus pandemic slashes output to the lowest levels in decades, forecasts said on Wednesday.

Gross domestic product in export powerhouse Germany is expected to shrink by nearly 10 per cent in the second quarter as shutdowns aimed at slowing the outbreak paralyse the global economy, the country's leading research institutes said in a report.

Germany's second-quarter plunge in GDP should be twice as big as any during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and would mark the steepest fall since the institutes' records began in 1970.

"The corona pandemic will trigger a serious recession in Germany," the six institutes including Ifo, DIW and RWI said, estimating that the economy already contracted by 1.9 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter.

France is already in a technical recession, the Bank of France said, after official data showed the economy shrank 0.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2019, and current estimates suggest it contracted around six percent in the first three months of 2020.

A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.

According to the central bank, France's first-quarter performance was its worst since 1945.

The dire forecasts bring down the curtain on years of growth in two of the European Union's wealthiest nations.

"After 10 years of growth we will experience a recession this year," German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said.

He warned that the pace of the economic recovery would depend on when the measures to restrict people's movements "for the protection of lives and health" can be scaled back.

France and Germany have joined nations worldwide in taking drastic steps to stem the spread of the virus, keeping millions of citizens at home, closing schools and shops and shutting down factories.

For every two weeks the country is locked down by the virus, the Bank of France said it expects the economy to shrink by 1.5 per cent.

French economic activity plunged a whopping 32 per cent in the last two weeks of March as the coronavirus crisis intensified, it added.

Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned that April was expected to be "at least as bad" as late March.

"Economic growth will be strongly negative in 2020" before bouncing back in 2021, he told RTL radio.

German Economy Minister Altmaier has said he is bracing for the country's economy to contract by around five percent this year, the biggest drop since 2009.

The experts in Tuesday's report forecast a contraction of 4.2 per cent for Germany over the full year.

But they also sounded a note of optimism, saying Germany with its bulging state coffers was "well positioned" to cope with the economic slump.

For 2021, the institutes expect Germany to notch up growth of 5.8 per cent.

Governments in France and Germany have promised vast rescue packages to cushion the coronavirus blow for companies and employees, as have other European capitals.

Berlin has unveiled an eye-watering 1.1 trillion euro (USD 1.2 trillion) aid programme, even suspending a constitutional balanced-budget rule to ramp up its response.

The package includes state guarantees for loans to businesses, easier access to benefits for workers placed on reduced hours, and direct support for the hardest-hit firms.

But even with the unprecedented measures, the six institutes warned that the recession "would leave its mark" on the job market.

Germany has long enjoyed record-low unemployment of around five percent, and German workers with their relatively high wages have for years been a key driver of the country's growth via domestic consumption.

Unemployment could climb to 5.9 percent this year, the institutes said. The number of workers on shorter hours meanwhile is expected to hit 2.4 million, as giants like Lufthansa, Volkswagen, BMW and Puma join a slew of companies taking up a government scheme that tops up the pay of affected employees.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yemen's Ansarullah agrees to UN offer for large-scale prisoner exchange with Saudi-backed ex-govt.

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 5:07 PM

Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has reportedly agreed to an offer by the United Nations to implement a major prisoner swap with Saudi-sponsored Yemeni militiamen loyal to the country's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

"After the prisoner swap agreement signed in the Jordanian capital city of Amman on February 16 failed to be put into practice, the UN suggested that we execute the agreement in two stages," the head of the Houthi-affiliated National Committee for Prisoners Affairs (NCPA), Abdulqader al-Mortada, said in a post published on his official Twitter page on Monday.

He added, "The first phase of the deal includes the release of 1,030 prisoners from the two sides, while the remaining 390 prisoners will be exchanged in the second phase."

Separately, the Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported that Yemeni army troops, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, had established full control over the strategic al-Khanjar camp in Yemen's northern al-Jawf province following fierce battles with Hadi loyalists and as Saudi-led coalition forces.

Back on March 18, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces said the country's troops, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, had retaken Jawf province from Hadi loyalists.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree highlighted that the liberation of the territory took place during an operation codenamed "God Overpowered them," and that the achievement proved the ability and prowess of Yemen's armed forces to impose new equations in a different geographical terrain, and on more than one front in a very short period of time.

"Our forces efficiently carried out all their operational tasks after having been able, with God's help, to move from the defense stage to the offense one through a comprehensive military strategy," he added.

Also on Tuesday, Yemeni army soldiers and Popular Committees fighters repelled an attack by Saudi-paid militiamen in the Dhubab district, also known as the Bab al-Mandab district, of Yemen's southern coastal province of Ta'izz.

Scores of the mercenaries were killed and injured in the process, and a considerable amount of their military hardware was destroyed as well.

Moreover, a human rights organization has condemned Saudi-led forces over storming a complex housing internally displaced persons in the Dar Sad district in the southern Yemeni province of Aden, detaining the men and raping the women and children.

Entesaf Organization for Women and Child Rights denounced in a statement the shameful international silence on the crimes, which it described as prevalent in Aden and other territories occupied by Saudi-led forces, and flagrant violation of the international law, humanitarian covenants, the law of war and religious principles by Saudi mercenaries.

The organization stressed that the acts could be characterized as war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the international law.

"The coalition of aggression led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bears full responsibility for all crimes against (Yemeni) women and children over the past five years," it said.

The organization then called on the international community, international organizations and human rights bodies to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities towards the abhorrent violations and massacres that occur against Yemeni people.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in order to bring Hadi back to power and crush Ansarullah movement.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past five years.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have purchased billions of dollars' worth of weapons from the United States, France and the United Kingdom in their war on Yemen.

Riyadh and its allies have been widely criticized for the high civilian death toll resulted from their bombing campaign in Yemen.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

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The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday favoured extension of the nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus and announced a salary cut of 30 per cent for all ministers and MLAs.

The state cabinet decided to send a recommendation to the Centre seeking the extension, spokesperson Madan Kaushik said, citing the sudden rise of coronavirus cases after Tablighi Jamaat members returned to the state from a congregation in Delhi.

The lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to end on April 14. Some states have indicated that they would like it to continue.

The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet is of the view that the return of Tablighi Jamaat members has caused a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus positive cases and therefore the lockdown should be extended, the spokesperson said.

However, Kaushik said it is up to the Centre to take a call on the matter and the state government will follow whatever instructions it receives.

The Cabinet decided to launch an intense drive to locate suspected coronavirus cases among the Tablighi Jamaat members who have returned to the state and people who have come in contact with them, he said.

It also asked the administration to book them under stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code if they don't report themselves to the authorities.

At its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivevdra Singh Rawat, the Cabinet also decided to impose a cut of 30 per cent on the salaries of MLAs and ministers, besides reducing the constituency development fund given to each MLA every year by Rs 1 crore for two years.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases in Uttarakhand has seen a sudden jump with 25 people, mostly Jamaatis, testing positive over just a week, taking the number of total cases so far to 32.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gov. Kate Brown urged Oregonians on Tuesday to follow new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by wearing homemade, cloth masks in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The CDC, along with health officials from Multnomah County, Clackamas County and Washington County, say that homemade face coverings can help prevent asymptomatic people from inadvertently transmitting COVID-19 to others. Masks should not be used as a replacement for other social distancing measures and people should remain at home, whenever possible.

The best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to keep following the strict social distancing guidelines we put in place early in our outbreak," Brown said in a statement. Staying home is saving lives in Oregon. When youre in public for essential activities, like grocery shopping, stay six feet away from other people. Continue to wash your hands and properly cover your coughs and sneezes.

While the CDC still does not recommend wearing N95 masks or surgical face masks because those masks are in short supply and need to be left for hospital staff members and first responders, they do recommend wearing cloth face coverings in public settings when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

But homemade masks wont be effective if you dont know how to properly care for them. Here is look at what health experts are recommending when it comes to caring for masks:

How should I clean my mask?

Jennifer Vines, a doctor and the lead health officer for the tri-county region, said that homemade face coverings should be washed with soap and water, just like any other piece of clothing.

While Vines said that there are no special recommendations for laundering fabric masks, she said she would recommend washing homemade masks in a regular washing machine with detergent and warm water before drying the masks in a dryer on a high setting, if possible. Masks can also be air-dried in sunlight.

How often should I clean my mask?

Vines recommends that Oregonians wash face coverings at least once a day or have two face coverings on hand, so that one can be worn while the other is being washed. It is important to dry your mask throughly before reuse. If a mask is wet or soiled, it should not be worn.

If it is wet or soiled, it should be laundered and you should swap it out for a fresh one or wait to clean it to use it, said Vines in a conference call with reporters last Friday.

Chunhuei Chi, a professor in the global health program at Oregon State University, also recommends having multiple face coverings to ensure that you always have a clean option available. However, Chi said that wearing a mask multiple days in a row without cleaning it could be OK, if the mask was only worn for a short period of time.

If it is for grocery shopping only, although ideally one would like to wash them daily, but if it is not feasible, one can wear them in multiple days, Chi said. If one wears a mask for heavy use, such as commuting in public transportation with many people, plus wearing them in the workplace, then one should disinfect the mask daily.

In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Joseph G. Allen, an assistant professor of exposure and assessment science at Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that mask wearers with multiple masks could also opt to place used masks in individual paper bags after use. After five days, viruses should die off.

How many times can I wear a homemade mask?

There is not a set number of times that homemade masks can be worn, but Clackamas County Health Officer Sarah Present said that masks do not work if they are damaged. It is important to check that your mask is intact after every wash. Vines said to dispose of any mask that shows visible wear, is torn or has fabric that has become too thin. Homemade masks should securely cover both the nose and mouth.

How do I keep my mask clean while wearing it?

Health experts advise mask wearers to wash their hands before putting on a mask. When putting on or removing your mask, it is important to only touch the straps that keep the mask secure. Do not touch your face or the front of the mask to adjust it.

If you are going to use a face mask that you are going to make yourself, it should be clean, Vines said. You should be careful not to touch your face to adjust it. You want to be using good hand hygiene if youre going to be touching your face to adjust it. If you are sick, I would say this is not an option for you. You should be staying at home. Everybody else should continue to follow our statewide stay at home orders.

Should my child wear a mask in public as well?

The CDC recommends that children under the age of 2 and anyone who cant remove a face covering on their own do not wear masks.

Present said that she has not heard of specific guidelines for children of other ages, but said that several face coverings, including ski masks and bandanas, could be appropriate for children. Children and adults should only wear face coverings that they can breathe easily through.

Keeping the social distancing and just doing all that we can to help protect the spread of the disease is whats going to help us, Present said. I think everyone should just try to do their best. We dont have any specific guidance for young children.

What else do I need to know if I want to wear a mask in public?

Some materials will work better than others for homemade masks. A group of Cambridge University researchers tested various materials and determined that the best materials for homemade face coverings were pillow cases and cotton T-shirts when factoring in filtration and breathability. The Cambridge study didnt specify the T-shirts thickness or the pillowcases thread count. The Oregonian/OregonLive took a look at several other studies to provide information on the best materials for homemade masks.

The Oregonian/OregonLive has also put together a tip sheet for Oregonians planning to wear homemade, cloth face coverings in public and produced multiple videos on ways to sew homemade masks or create homemade masks with household items.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the press at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, on March 27, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

We Are Now Bending the Curve: Daily Hospitalizations From COVID-19 Drop in New York

Social distancing measures in New York are working so well that the projected curve of COVID-19 is bending, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday, describing mixed emotions as he also reported the states largest single-day death toll from the new disease.

COVID-19, caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, led to just 586 new hospitalizations overnight, as New York officials continued reporting more discharges than new admissions.

What we have done and what we are doing is actually working and is making a difference, Cuomo told reporters at a press conference in Albany. Theres no doubt that we are now bending the curve.

The curve refers to the rise in any one of several measures, such as infections or hospitalizations, followed by a peak before the number falls.

If the rate of new hospital admissions keep decreasing then the healthcare system, which was pushed to the brink in some areas, should stabilize in the next few weeks, officials said. That would minimize the need for overflow facilities like the Javits Center, a convention center recently converted to a 2,500-bed temporary hospital.

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center employees transport a deceased patient to a refrigerated truck in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on April 8, 2020. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

New York leaders feared the state would need as many as 140,000 hospital beds and 40,000 ventilators but have only seen about 18,000 total hospitalizations. While many models took into account strict social distancing measures, officials have said peoples actions caused the huge gap between infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, and projected figures.

Cuomo said another sharp rise in numbers will happen if people back away from the measures, which have included the closure of all businesses deemed non-essential and people largely staying at home.

That curve is flattening because we are flattening the curve by what we are doing. If we stop what we are doing, you will see that curve change, the governor said, defending his doubling of a fine for violating social distancing rules.

The death toll in New York kept rising, with 779 new deaths, the single largest increase over 24 hours.

Deaths are a lagging indicator, with people dying in most cases after spending weeks on ventilators in hospitals. About four out of five patients who require assistance from the breathing machines will eventually succumb to their maladies, according to data from New York hospitals.

A couple walk while wearing protective masks during the CCP virus pandemic in New York City on April 7, 2020. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Projected deaths in the United States dropped again in a major model that Cuomo has cited. The latest version says New York would reach its peak hospital resource usage by the end of Wednesday.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier in the day that the city would likely need fewer ventilators than officials once projected.

Thats a good sign. The hospitalizations have stabilized, he said. For a long time that just kept going up and up. Were now seeing some leveling off.

New York City hospitals have 5,500 ventilators at the moment.

The state as a whole has over 12,500, according to figures state officials released last month. Cuomos office has not responded to repeated requests for how many ventilators the state has now and how many it now projects it will need.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
Iran on April 8 urged the International Monetary Fund to sanction the $5 billion emergency loan that it has requested to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The number of COVID-19 cases in the nation are on a rise with the Shiite nation reporting 64,586 infected people on April 8. The Iranian government had announced that they had asked for a loan from the IMF on March 12.

IMF has repeatedly shown promptness to help needy countries battling the pandemic. The economic organisation on its website had previously stated that a "Rapid Financial Instrument is available to all member countries facing an urgent balance of payments need". However, Iran has yet not been issued a loan due to a stand by credit issued between 1960 -62, international media reported citing IMF figures.

Read: French President Macron Asks Iran To Respect Nuclear Obligations

Read: Iran To Restart 'low-risk' Economic Activities Soon As COVID-19 Infection Rates Slowed For A Fifth Straight Day

Speaking at Cabinet meeting, countrys President Hassan Rouhani reportedly asked all the international leaders to fulfil their duties. Later, speaking in a televised address he added that Iran was an IMF member and that if there was going to be any kind of discrimination between Iran and other nations while issuing loans, neither us nor world opinion will tolerate it." He asserted that if IMF does not act on their duties in this difficult situation, the world will judge them in a different way.

IMF postpones review of Bailout Package to Pakistan

In another news, the IMF has postponed the second review of its USD 6 billion bailout package for cash-strapped Pakistan, citing a delay by the country in implementing the agreed actions, reports said on Tuesday. The deal is the 22nd bailout package since Pakistan became a member of the IMF in 1950. The International Monetary Fund Executive Board approved a three-year, USD 6 billion loan package for Pakistan in July last year to rein in mounting debts and stave off a looming balance of payments crisis, in exchange for tough austerity measures. Pakistan approached the IMF in August 2018 for a bailout package after Prime Minister Imran Khan's government took over. Despite loans from China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Prime Minister Khan's government was forced to turn to the IMF due to mounting economic problems.

Read: Iran Says US Oil Production Must Be Known Before OPEC+ Call

Read: Israeli Security Agency Says It Arrested Alleged Iran Spy
Farmington Hills, Mich.  They didnt believe the thermometers bright red screen: 106.5 degrees.

Amanda May and Ryan Schreiber were staring at their precious blond, blue-eyed 1-year-old boy in shock.

Then they began to panic.

Give me your forehead, Amanda May demanded of Ryan. I promise you we checked it 10 times using two different thermometers and checking it on ourselves, too.

Ryan was 98 degrees. She was 97. But Luke  Luke was 106.5! Amanda May said.

The Farmington Hills couple recounted the ordeal from last month to The Detroit News as a cautionary tale about the novel coronavirus.

They say theyll never forget it. The family had just been watching Frozen  again  in their living room on an ordinary Tuesday. Then Lukes fever spiked, and they were frantically headed to the emergency room.

He looked like he was passing out, Im doing songs and acting crazy in the car and he just wasnt responsive, said Amanda May, 31.

It was one of the scariest moments of my life.

The couple had been checking their two sons temperatures daily since the family began quarantining on March 13 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. On this particular Tuesday, both 22-month-old Luke and his 4-month-old brother, Alistair, had slight fevers.

Luke woke up crying, which he never usually does, and he had a fever close to 103, a little more than Alistairs, she said.   I immediately thought oh no, but we didnt panic. We got them up, gave them Motrin and the fevers reduced quickly, so we hoped it was nothing to worry about.

Hours later, Ryan, 35, was sitting on the couch with Alistair while Luke was shooting hoops and goofing around. When it was time for the next dose of medicine, they noticed Lukes blond hair covered in sweat.

Even after his nap, he was still playing but refused eating and drinking, Amanda May said. In about an hours time, this fever spiked like I had never seen.

They stripped Luke down, got him in a cold bathtub and put cold compresses on his head. He was shaking and shivering.

Luke started screaming because it was cold, and we were obviously really scared because it all happened really quickly, Ryan said. In that quick moment of panic, you know you have to jump in action.

Amanda May rushed Luke to the car for the 11-mile ride to the hospital, while Ryan stayed behind to care for young Alistair.

As soon as they got to the hospital, I was a little stunned because I thought we had been doing all the right things all along, said Ryan of protecting themselves from the virus.

Amanda May said she couldnt head into the emergency room at Beaumonts Royal Oak hospital like normal. After parking, she and her child waited in line outside. She urged others seeking care that she had an emergency and flagged down medics who rushed her inside holding Luke. They quickly placed ice packs under his armpits and took him for a chest X-ray.

The longer it went  she kept updating me that (doctors) really think it is coronavirus  I started to get more concerned, and you feel a sense of helplessness because theres only so much you can do as a parent when you see your kids like that, Ryan said.

With an IV administering five liters of fluid, two rounds of medicine and suppositories, Lukes temperature dropped to 104.5 nearly six hours later. By morning, his fever had dropped to 101. Luke showed no signs of pneumonia and his oxygen levels were perfect, his parents said.

Within 24 hours, Lukes COVID-19 test result returned. Positive.

Still, after Lukes sweating decreased and his fever remained steady at 101, doctors offered the family the option of going home due to the hospital being a Petri dish with a handful of cases of influenza and H1N1 that would compromise Lukes already-vulnerable immune system, they said.

Luke tested negative for all other infections and, as of Sunday, Lukes fever was near normal with the help of Tylenol and Motrin. Amanda May has had a fever and has been resting through the weekend, Ryan said.

Ryan and Amanda May dont dwell on the thought of what would have happened if they hadnt acted as quickly as they did. They say theyre just happy to be home.

Doctors told us that with that temperature, any longer before bringing him into the hospital hes at a much higher risk for seizure and brain damage, Ryan said. Theres a lot of people who are, unfortunately, losing loved ones, and as long as we can keep Luke healthy, were lucky.

Dr. Rudolph Valentini, Chief Medical Officer at Childrens Hospital of Michigan, told The Detroit News not many children have been hospitalized due to the virus.

The children were seeing are mildly symptomatic with low-grade and moderate fevers or a slight cough and most of the time they dont go to the hospital, Valentini said. As long as theyre well hydrated and not vomiting, parents are opting-in to staying at home.

Its much worse for adults who are seeking care. We anticipate about 20% of adults are going to be pretty affected and were not really seeing that spread of activity in pediatric, he added.

They hospital is recommending a face covering for children under 2-years-old because they cant control their sneezes and coughs in public. Most children tend to do well at home, but co-infections can be worrisome, he said.

About 10-20% of patients have more than one infections and it will be additive to their sickness, Valentini said. Everyones immune system can be a little bit different. Children are underdeveloped, and those that catch a mild form of COVID-19 are mostly otherwise healthy. We just dont want them mingling with their grandparents, who are more at risk.

The familys plan is to quarantine, like they were, until all symptoms disappear and likely, much longer to be safe.

But they still wonder where Luke contracted the virus. The family began quarantining and working from home on March 13, more than 10 days before Gov. Gretchen Whitmers March 24 Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives order.

Ryan says they keep things clean since Amanda May is a cancer survivor and still has a compromised immune system.

Its important to stay vigilant, he said. We thought we were doing everything that we could to prevent it. We were washing surfaces, we were cleaning hands, leaving mail and packages in the garage, and Luke still got it.

Amanda May says although a positive test might be some parents worst fear right now, its best not to panic but rather be prepared.

Its tough not to worry, but I suggest parents check their childrens temperatures every day, if not every hour if possible. That spike came out of nowhere, and you dont want to miss it.

--Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News (TNS)

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The WHO responded Wednesday to President Donald Trumps threat to cut its funding, saying the move would not be appropriate during the global coronavirus pandemic.

We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding, Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a virtual briefing, according to Reuters.

A day earlier, Trump threatened to withhold funding from the United Nations health agency, claiming it got every aspect of the coronavirus pandemic wrong.

With regard to us, theyre taking a lot of heat because they didnt want the borders closed, they called it wrong, Trump said at his daily briefing. They really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 400,000, according to figures provided by NBC, with 12,864 fatalities nationwide.

Its uncertain how the U.S. would withhold funding. Congress has already authorized $122 million for the WHO for this fiscal year, and while Trump has proposed only $58 million of funding in fiscal year 2021, Congress is unlikely to authorize such a drastic funding cut, especially in the the middle of the pandemic.

The president also criticized the WHOs initial response to the outbreak, which originated in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and the time it took to declare the outbreak a global pandemic, on March 11.

Take a look, go through step by step. They said theres no big deal, theres no big problem. Theres no nothing, and then ultimately when I closed it down, they said I made a mistake in closing it down and it turned out to be right, Trump said.

The WHO declared a global health emergency on Jan. 30, nearly a month before Trump tweeted that The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.

Before his White House news conference, Trump lambasted the WHO on Twitter, calling it China centric.

The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2020

Another official at the WHO rejected that criticism.

It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this, Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior advisor to the WHO director-general, said at the virtual briefing Wednesday, Reuters reported.

This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically.
Maya Myers is a second-year student at Philadelphia Community College and was commuting to school from Northeast Philadelphia. Now she lives at home with her parents. Read more

Before the coronavirus hit, Maya J. Myers worked 20 hours per week packing groceries for Amazon delivery to pay tuition and help provide groceries for her family.

Myers, 21, a second-year allied health major at Community College of Philadelphia, lives in Torresdale with her mom and two high school-age sisters, who are all immunocompromised. Although Myers is considered an essential worker, she has stopped picking up hours for fear of carrying the virus home and infecting her family.

My mom already lives paycheck to paycheck, said Myers. Without that second income, its becoming a problem. I have bills to pay.

But while millions of Americans affected by the coronavirus will receive a check of up to $1,200 from the government starting later this week, Myers will not. Like most of the 12.5 million other college students in the United States, Myers is claimed as a dependent, making her ineligible for the aid.

The government really doesnt understand the struggles of a college student, she said. Even during this time when we are going through something major, we are forgotten.

The $2.2 trillion stimulus bill would give adults making less than $75,000 per year $1,200 each, and children $500 each. At higher incomes, the checks get smaller, and eventually phase out entirely.

Critics say the bill excludes a significant number of groups, including immigrants, people who do not file tax returns, and adults claimed as dependents. Parents will also not receive $500 for any children older than 16.

This means that most college students will not receive any money, even though many have lost their jobs, and have rent and tuition fees to pay.

 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.

What this really does is it says to the students, The government doesnt even see you. Youre not really here, " said Sara Goldrick-Rab, an education-policy professor at Temple University who runs StudentReliefFund.org, which has raised nearly $100,000 for needy students during the pandemic.

The government should be doing a lot right now to tell people, We really value your education and we want to make sure the pandemic will not destroy your education,' " she said.

The $2 trillion CARES Act directs about $14.25 billion to colleges and universities. The schools are required to give about half of the funds they receive as emergency financial-aid grants to students for expenses related to coronavirus disruptions. The federal government has also suspended student loan payments and interest through September.

But Goldrick-Rab said most universities have little to no systems in place to efficiently disburse aid to students who need that money now."

 READ MORE: Penn left us stranded on the streets: Vulnerable students are desperate as coronavirus shuts down Philly colleges

Due Quach, founder of the Collective Success Network, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that supports first-generation, low-income students, said students are desperate for financial assistance. When students who lived on campus were forced to move, many lost their on-campus meal plans and now cannot afford to buy groceries or cleaning supplies. Others dont have working laptops to finish their courses remotely, Quach said.

The students are frantic, said Quach. There is massive financial shock across the board."

At the beginning of March, Vivian Tran, a junior at Drexel University, signed a six-month lease with American Campus Communities, Drexel-affiliated apartments, with an April 1 start date. Two weeks later, the coronavirus prompted universities to transition their classes online, vacate student housing, and close campuses. Tran had not even moved into the building yet, but ACC wouldnt let her out of her lease.

The company still expects her to pay her rent, she said, but she cant afford to after her mom lost her job at a nail salon.

A lot of students were depending on this [aid], said Tran, 21, who is living with her family in Cherry Hill. I was going to use it to pay off my rent.

KC Miller, a sophomore nursing student at the University of Pennsylvania, is using student loan money to help pay rent for his off-campus apartment, where he lives year-round, after his part-time job was cut. Miller is claimed as a dependent, but said he is solely responsible for all of his educational costs.

Im losing hundreds of dollars in income, said Miller, 20. The government is pretending that people age 18 to 24 just incur zero costs.

The students felt hopeful when the aid package was announced, but they were not surprised when they found out they were excluded.

Theres a history of them not caring about issues affecting people my age," said Miller.

How to help
The chairmen of the United States Senates top health committees on Wednesday urged Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to confirm that the new law allows free tests for Americans who have had COVID-19 and are likely immune to the disease.

A copy of the letter is available here .



Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), chairmen of the two Senate committees responsible for health policy and spending said, Health professionals agree that Americans who have had the disease are almost certainly immune for a time and can go back to work and back to school without contracting the disease again or exposing others. Free tests will help contain the disease and give Americans confidence that it is safe to go back to work and back to school and restart the economy.

The senators said the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, enacted two weeks ago, specifically allows free tests for every American to determine whether they currently have COVID-19. They said the law also gives Secretary Azar the authority to make a second kind of test free that will determine whether someone has had the disease and therefore is likely immune, at least for a short time. Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first such antibodies test, and expects additional tests to detect antibodies to be developed and available for patients. Soon, antibody tests will be available at a local pharmacy or a doctors office and only require a pin prick of blood from your finger.

Scientists estimate that somewhere between 25 and 50 percent of Americans who have COVID-19 show no symptoms, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci. Tests to determine whether an individual has had the diseasein addition to tests to diagnose those who are sickwill make it easier to decide when Americans can go back to work or back to school, the senators said.

We are dealing not just with a medical issue here, the senators said. We are dealing with an issue of confidence. For weeks, Americans have watched 24/7 news coverage of the dangers of COVID-19. Even if the government says you can go back to work and back to school, many Americans may be reluctant to leave their homes. The availability of two types of free testsone, a diagnostic test to determine if you have COVID-19, and two, an antibodies test to determine whether you have had it and are likely immune, at least for the short termwill give Americans confidence that it is safe to go back to work and to school and restart the economy.

The senators said the governments goal should be to have available tens of millions of both kind of tests as soon as possible, at least by August, when students return to 6,000 colleges and 100,000 public schools. This is about testing. Americans may not be willing to go back to work or back to 6,000 colleges and 100,000 schools unless they know that they, and many of their classmates or fellow workers, dont have the virus.

The senators said, There is no scientific barrier to these tests. The barrier is using American ingenuity to scale up production and flooding the country with millions of tests to help contain the disease and build confidence that we can safely leave our homes and restart the economy.

Senator Alexander is chairman of the Senates health committee. Senator Blunt is chairman of the Senates health appropriations committee.
The acting secretary of the US Navy Thomas Modly on April 7 resigned from his position after facing criticism for mishandling the coronavirus outbreak on USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. The announcement was made by the Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who in a statement said, Modly resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and the Sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as an institution, can move forward. The statement was published on the official website of US Department of Defense.

Read: Saudi Arabia Expects 2,00,000 More Coronavirus Cases Within Weeks: Health Minister

Modly's resignation came five days after he fired the USS Theodore Roosevelt's captain, Brett Crozier, who had written a letter alleging that the Pentagon was not paying adequate attention to the situation on Roosevelt. The letter was leaked to the media following which Crozier was fired with Modly accusing him of betrayal and calling him 'too naive or too stupid'. Modly became the second Acting Navy Secretary in four months to resign from the position.

Read: Facebook Launches Survey To Help Researchers Better Monitor Spread Of COVID-19

Current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson was appointed as Modly's replacement for the time being as announced by Mark Esper in his statement. The statement read, "I briefed President Trump after my conversation with Secretary Modly. With the approval of the President, I am appointing current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson as acting Secretary of the Navy. Jim is a retired Admiral with a distinguished 26-year naval career, serving ashore, afloat, and overseas during his time in uniform. Jim will serve as acting Secretary of the Navy until a permanent Navy Secretary is confirmed."

Read: UN Calls For Global Ban On Wildlife Markets To Prevent Future Pandemics

The letter

The letter by Crozier was leaked and published in the San Francisco Chronicle following which Esper and Modly called it a deliberate action and that it violated Pentagon's chain of command. In the letter, Crozier had described the dire situation on Roosevelt and wrote that it was not a war zone and sailors do not need to die. Following Crozier's firing, US President Donald Trump had said that he will look into the matter but added that the letter should not have been sent to many people. Roosevelt is currently docking in Guam where more than 1,000 sailors who had tested negative are staying in hotels. As per reports, over 155 crew members have tested positive for coronavirus.

Read: Video: TikTok User Celebrates Birthday Amid Lockdown, Blows Candles Using Hairdryer
By Express News Service

BHAWANIPATNA: After notifying six villages as containment zone, the Kalahandi administration has also sealed Sosia, Ambagua and Ghotia villages under the Golamunda block. These three villages were notified as a buffer zone on Monday.

Two days back, a villager of Beheraguda village was found coronavirus positive and is under treatment at Ashwini hospital in Cuttack. He had returned from Bahrain and come in direct contact with 39 persons of the village. Samples of these 39 persons have been sent for test and the 109 people who they had come in contact with also traced.

On Saturday, the administration sealed Beheraguda besides five other villages under the block. Door to door medical screening of villagers and sanitization of the villages is underway in both the containment and buffer zones. Entry and exit of villagers into these zones have been banned.

The administration has formed separate teams under Dharamgarh Sub-Collector to supply essential commodities and health services to people in both the zones.
MONTREALQuebec says it will systematically test all residents and staff of long-term care facilities for COVID-19 after it was revealed the residences account for almost half of all deaths in the province tied to the virus.

The province is also redeploying hundreds of doctors and nurses from hospitals to the long-term care homes to deal with the outbreak among the sick and elderly, Health Minister Danielle McCann said Wednesday.

Quebecs hospitals are receiving fewer people infected with COVID-19 than was anticipated, she told reporters Wednesday, leaving room to shuffle health-care providers to where they are most needed.

We are very concerned with the situation, McCann said, referring to the long-term care homes. To the families of people in these residences, McCann said: We havent forgotten you.

One long-term care residence north of Montreal, the Centre dhebergement Ste-Dorothee in Laval, was reporting more than 115 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.

Marjolaine Aube, the president of the union representing about 4,000 employees in the regional health-care network that includes that facility, said the province focused its efforts on preparing hospitals for COVID-19 and neglected long-term care homes.

She said up until last week, her members, who include orderlies, kitchen staff and other personnel, did not have proper protective equipment. She said patients confirmed to have COVID-19 only started wearing surgical face masks on Monday.

Before then, she said, they were using washable masks that were insufficient to protect the staff and other residents.

Aube said she is fighting to get proper personal protective equipment for her members who make house calls. Those employees are still entering peoples homes wearing washable cloth masks.

All we are doing is fighting, Aube said of her unions efforts to secure proper equipment for its members. We spend our days fighting.

Quebec surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and added 25 more deaths, bringing the provincial total to 175.

Of the 10,031 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 632 people are hospitalized and 181 are in intensive care.

Read more about:
The Health ministry and Mandera Governor Ali Roba on Tuesday confirmed two cases of the Covid-19 disease in the county.

Governor Roba said the two - a man and a woman - returned from Europe and stayed in Kilifi before proceeding to the county.

"Through surveillance we picked up two international travellers who did not finish the mandatory 14-day quarantine before they arrived in Mandera," he said.

He said they travelled by road and passed through Eastleigh, Mwingi, Garissa, Wajir and Elwak.

"On April 5, at around 11.03am a call came through our county hotline from a private health facility, indicating the presence of two persons with flu-like symptoms and fever. Our response team picked up the persons and isolated them at the MCRH isolation facility," the governor said.

CONTACTS

The governor said the patients' relatives and the two clinicians who attended to them at a private facility were also quarantined.

"Samples were collected and sent to Nairobi as patient management started. The results came this morning," he told a press briefing of the two index cases.

The county boss urged all passengers who travelled aboard the Makka Bus on March 31, 2020 from Nairobi and arrived in Mandera on April 1 to present themselves to the nearest health facilities or to self-quarantine for 21 days.

"The patients were on seats number 13 and 14 of this bus. The county response team has embarked on contact tracing. We have the first 14 persons under quarantine," he said, adding they were using the vehicle's passenger manifest.

"The latest development confirms our fears of the reality of the possible spread of this disease through human traffic and reaffirms President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to cancel movement in and out of Nairobi as well as other counties," he said.

TESTING CAPACITY

However, Governor Roba expressed fears that the suspension of travel into and out of Nairobi will affect testing.

Buses that ply the Mandera-Nairobi route and planes that fly into Mandera suspended business a day after President Uhuru ordered the cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties.

"Cancellation of all flights by the Kenya Airports Authority and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority will affect us in having samples taken to Nairobi for testing and investigation,"Mr Roba said.

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"Previously it took about four days to get results back in Mandera. We urge Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe to consider approving Kemri as a sample collection centre in Mandera now that flights have been banned."

The governor further noted that the county will face major challenges with enforcement of social distancing especially in public transport.

MEDICAL SERVICES

Several medical services at the county referral facility have been suspended following confirmation of the two cases.

Mr Roba said they include outpatient, maternal and child health services, special outpatient clinics, elective surgeries and rehabilitative services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

The services will now be offered at health centers including Khadija, Neboi and Shafshafey.
RICHMOND, Va. - Some supermarkets are urging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, D, to veto a bill meant to discourage the use of throwaway plastic grocery bags, saying the nudge toward reusable totes could contribute to the spread of coronavirus.

The Virginia Food Industry Association has asked Northam to veto two bills that would give localities the power to impose a five-cent tax on single-use plastic grocery bags.

Plastic bags remain available, as do the paper variety, which would not be subject to the tax. But the five-cent tax measure is intended to encourage shoppers to bring canvas or other reusable totes to the store - a less wasteful practice, and one grocers say poses a health risk if the bags are not washed between uses.

Illinois, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and a number of California counties have recently banned the use of reusable bags to try to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has been found to stay infectious for up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

At a time when the grocery industry has "really risen to the occasion for improving sanitation" - cleaning conveyor belts and carts after each use, erecting plastic barriers between clerks and customers - reusable bags could undermine those efforts, said Parker Slaybaugh, executive director of the Virginia Food Industry Association, a trade group for retail and wholesale food industry.

Stephen Luby, an professor of infectious disease at Stanford University, said he does not think coronavirus transmission by way of reusable grocery bags "is a high risk that we should particularly prioritize." But he said it is "possible" that someone infected with the virus could shed it on a reusable bag and transmit it to the store clerk who fills it with groceries.

"We certainly don't have any epidemiological evidence that supports it," he said. "If you're bringing a bag from home, maybe you should be bagging yourself."

Luby said it was mostly a "symbolic gesture" when bags were banned in the San Francisco Bay area where he lives.

"Part of what I thought was going on in California is, the grocery workers perceived this as a threat," he said. "So one of the advantages of shifting to this policy is, you're clearly communicating that we, the government and society, are appreciative of what you're doing, and we're taking some steps to try to protect you."

Contamination was one issue the grocery industry raised as it objected to the proposed tax, but it was largely overshadowed by other objections, including the relatively high price of paper bags and the inability of paper-bag makers to keep up with demand.

"It wasn't the point that resonated the most with anyone at that time," Slaybaugh said.

The grocers support another bill, sponsored by Del. Kenneth Plum, D, to create the Plastic Waste Prevention Advisory Council, which would study how to curb plastic use. Slaybaugh suggested that the council might come up for better ways to recycle plastic bags.

Sen. Adam Ebbin, D, who sponsored the Senate version of the five-cent tax bill, noted that it "does not forbid the use of throwaway paper or plastic bags."

"If the governor would like to amend the bill [to provide] for the ability to suspend it in an emergency situation, I certainly wouldn't object," Ebbin said.

He also noted that the tax would not take effect for about a year in any locality that chooses to impose it. The legislation has an effective date of Jan. 1, 2021 and also provides a three-month delay for the locality to give notice to the state tax commissioner.

Northam has until Saturday to sign, amend or veto the plastic-bag legislation, or another bill that grocers are opposing, related to stolen shopping carts.

"Gov. Northam, like all Virginians, is tremendously grateful for the work of grocery store employees during this time," spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. "He will continue to carefully review these pieces of legislation."

Washington, D.C., has temporarily suspended enforcement of its five-cent bag tax, which took effect in 2009, in response to the virus. Mike Matthews, a spokesman for the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, said officials are suspending enforcement for the first time in "response to hardships many District residents are facing related to covid-19," but still urge companies to comply. Maryland does not have a statewide plastic-bag tax.

The food industry association also has asked Northam to veto a bill that would allow localities to recoup the cost of removing shopping carts that are stolen from stores and later dumped on public property. Sponsored by Sen. Scott Surovell, D, the bill is intended to spare localities the expense of addressing the blight caused by abandoned carts.

Grocers contend the measure would essentially make them pay restitution for being a victim of theft. Slaybaugh said the timing of the bill is especially poor given the lengths that supermarkets have gone to keep shelves stocked and stores clean during the covid-19 crisis.

"To say that grocery stores don't care about their property being the cause of blight isn't only unfair," Slaybaugh said. "I think we have seen that grocery stores care deeply about the communities they serve."

Surovell called that argument "preposterous."

"It's my impression that grocery stores are making record profits right now," he said. "The idea that this is a financial burden to them is nonsensical. . . . The companies need to take responsibility for their property."

- - -

The Washington Post's Fenit Nirappil and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.
There are rare occasions where we come across certain inspiring stories that really move us in more ways than one. True leaders lead by example and Irelands Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, is a perfect example of that.

Whats really inspiring about PM Varadkar is that he is a former doctor, who has now decided to go back to being a part-time medic to help his country fight against the deadly novel coronavirus. Isn't that amazing?

 Reuters

At present, people all over the world are reeling under the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus that has affected over 1.4 million people globally, and scientists are working day in and day out to come up with a cure for it. And meanwhile, news pieces like these keep the hope in humanity alive at the time of crisis.

Who is Leo Varadkar?

He is an Irish Fine Gael politician and a physician who has been the Prime Minister of Ireland since 2017.

The former GP was born to an Irish nurse Miriam, from Waterford and Ashok Varadkar, a doctor from Mumbai.

 Reuters

Varadkar created history after he was formally elected as the countrys first PM of Indian descent. He is also Irelands youngest and first openly gay Prime Minister.

After working as a doctor for seven years, Varadkar quit the medical field in 2013 to pursue a full-fledged career in politics.

His Future Plan?

The Taoiseach, as the Prime Minister is referred to in Ireland, has now returned to the medical field and plans to work one shift a week to help out during the pandemic.

This decision was taken by him to reduce the burden on frontline doctors. Ireland has been in a state of complete lockdown for over two weeks now.

People on social media were full of praises for the inspiring leader that he is. Check out some of the reactions here:

Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar returns to practising medicine to help during crisis. Now that's what you call, leading by example https://t.co/rwa6Dz21N3  Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) April 6, 2020

No matter your politics, this is some move by Leo Varadkar. https://t.co/zgqwFrSG3P  Shane (@ItsGillen) April 5, 2020

Meanwhile Irish PM @LeoVaradkar is going back to his old job as medical Dr for a shift each week.  Adam Boulton (@adamboultonSKY) April 5, 2020

No fan of Leo Varadkar but fair play to him to give a dig out to #Covid19 fightback by taking a shift a week. If it gives only 1 doctor on the front line a break it's a gesture worth making.  Reada Cronin TD (@ReadaCronin) April 5, 2020

It is a great example set by someone of that stature and is really commendable. The world truly needs such visionary leaders, especially at a time like this.

In Ireland, there are 5,709 confirmed cases at present and the death toll stands at 210. There have been only around 25 recoveries so far.
Austria will lift some of its Wuhan coronavirus related restrictions next week. It will begin by reopening non-essential shops of less than 400 square meters on April 14, and then all shops and malls on May 1. Strict rules about masks, social distancing, and the number of people allowed into a store at any one time will remain in place.

Schools will remain closed until mid-May. Public events are banned until the beginning of June. All of these decisions are subject to change, depending on conditions.

Austrias prime minister said that his early response to pandemic has enabled the country to begin reopening. Austria instituted its national lockdown on March 16. It was, I believe, one of the first European nations to do so, but not by all that much.

Austria has around 13,000 reported cases of the virus and is adding to that total by about 250 per day. Fewer than 300 Austrians are reported to have died from the virus. Yesterdays total was 30.

The countrys logarithmic curve of total cases flattened around the beginning of April, but has not yet moved downwards. The number of currently infected people in Austria is declining, though. It peaked at around 9,300 on April 3. As of yesterday, April 6, the number was 8,300.

The fact that recoveries are now outpacing new cases appears to be the key factor in Austrias decision. Absent a new wave of cases, the country need not fear that its hospitals will be overwhelmed.

In the U.S. our number of active cases (the currently infected) continues to soar.
Governor Tom Wolf has ordered commonwealth flags on all state facilities, public buildings and grounds to fly at half-staff until further notice to honor the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to COVID-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die, said Gov. Wolf. Already we have lost friends, parents, grandparents, and siblings. We have lost first responders. We have lost community members. Each of these Pennsylvanians is irreplaceable. Each deserves to be honored individually for their contributions to our commonwealth, but this cruel disease will not give us a respite to mourn," Wolf said in a statement.

This virus prevents us from honoring the dead at traditional gatherings," Wolf continued. "We cannot have funerals, wakes, or sit shiva. I hope this flag lowering provides some solace to the grieving families and friends. And, I hope it serves as a reminder of the reason for the sacrifices Pennsylvanians are making to help their community survive this crisis.

As of Tuesday, there were 14,559 positive cases of COVID-19 in the state, and 240 people have died from the virus, according to the Pa. Department of Health.

Commonwealth flags should be lowered to half-staff until a date to be announced after the pandemic passes. All Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in this tribute.

Read more on PennLive:

How do you make your own mask to protect against COVID-19?

Beer distributor guide: Whats open, whats closed, and whats offering pickup or delivery?

Why have Pennsylvania lottery sales at physical locations continued during the coronavirus pandemic?

What must happen for life to get back to normal during the coronavirus pandemic? An expert weighs in

How are grocery workers in Pennsylvania handling the coronavirus pandemic? Video highlights workers in Cumberland County store

My paycheck or my health? Warehouse workers see themselves as reluctant heroes of pandemic

Pa. school districts jump into remote learning: This is not a normal situation for anybody

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[April 08, 2020] MASV App 2.0 Automates Transfer of Ultra-Large Files For Remote Teams

Resilient new app sends & receives through poor Internet conditions OTTAWA, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - MASV (www.massive.io), the Pay-As-You-Go large file transfer service, today announced a major update for Mac & Windows. MASV App V.2.0 is designed for video professionals to send & receive 100GB+ files with ease, even from home. The App offers new automations that help producers collect video from contributors & automate downloads. The result is less waiting, so projects get done & billed sooner. The app is free at http://www.massive.io/desktop-app/. New features include: All-new interactive interface. MASV App 2.0 is a complete redesign, providing an elegant iterface that's consistent across Windows & Mac. Includes new Dark & Light themes and the ability to Pause and Resume transfers.

MASV App 2.0 is a complete redesign, providing an elegant iterface that's consistent across Windows & Mac. Includes new and the ability to transfers. Unstoppable Transfer Performance . Push through slow internet connections so files get delivered even if you don't have the bandwidth to match MASV's ultra-fast speed.

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Greg Wood , CEO at MASV. "As so many of us are, video pros are working remotely. They need reliability, even on home Internet. Our new app provides it." A 100GB free trial makes it easy to test MASV with your biggest files. Find it at http://www.massive.io/.

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Flight attendants serve European passengers on a flight from Vietnam to Germanys Frankfurt on April 8, 2020. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines.

Nearly 600 German and other European citizens stranded in Vietnam were repatriated home on Monday and Wednesday on two special flights funded by Germany.

The flights to Frankfurt were organized by Germany's Federal Foreign Office and its Embassy in Hanoi, and operated by Vietnam Airlines.

On Wednesday the aircraft also carried 550,000 antibacterial cloth masks donated by the Vietnamese government and people to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

Europe has emerged as the new epicenter of the pandemic along with the U.S., with Italy leading the world in the number of deaths, at over 17,000, followed by Spain with more than 14,000.

The flights will not carry passengers on the way back.

Prior to boarding, passengers were given a health check and told to keep a minimum distance of two meters when queuing. Face masks were mandatory during the flight.

Bamboo Airways took 220 people from HCMC to Lithuania on March 31 and 300 to the Czech Republic on March 25.

Vietnamese carriers suspended all international flights on March 25.

Since March 22 Vietnam has prohibited entry for all foreign nationals. Only Vietnamese nationals and foreigners with diplomatic or official passports are allowed in, and all are quarantined for 14 days.

The country had 251 coronavirus infections as of Wednesday morning. Of them, 126 have recovered and there have been no deaths.

The pandemic has spread to 209 countries and territories and claimed more than 82,400 lives.
Some charter schools may qualify for programs in the federal coronavirus relief package that aim to aid small businesses affected by the pandemic, advocacy groups have said.

But as the organizations that manage charter schools consider applying for the aid, theyve faced some pushback from charter critics who believe those funds should be directed to businesseslike restaurants and retail storesthat have had to close their doors and lose revenue as the nation tries to slow the spread of the virus.

Its unclear how many charter schools, if any, have applied for the recently launched programs, which are not options for traditional public school districts.

The discussion comes as education groups representing all sectors suggest Congress should do more to help schools meet students needs during unprecdented closures due to the pandemic and to help offset anticipated steep drops in state revenue.

Groups like the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and state-level associations have urged charter schools , which are independently operated and publicly funded, to consider applying for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program , a short-term loan program designed to help businesses cover payroll expenses. If recipients use the money for a qualifying purpose and avoid layoffs, those loans will later be forgiven, essentially converting them into grants.

Charter schools may also be eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loans created through the $2 trillion CARES Act, the organization said in guidance on its website.

The last recession hit charter schools pretty significantly, said Nina Rees, the chief executive officer of the group, which held a webinar walking its members through the provisions in the stimulus bill.

And, while charter schools have assured public revenue this year, they also rely on private giving to support their operations, Rees said. Its unclear how the emerging economic crisis will affect that fundraising, and how philanthropists will shift their giving strategies to assist families and organizations that have been hit hard by job loss and uncertainty.

We have been very clear in our communications to anyone interested in this to make clear why they need this funding and what that funding would cover, Rees said. Every application is going to be studied carefully and the onus is on our sector and on our schools applying about why they need this funding.

In addition to small for-profit businesses, both programs in question are available to nonprofits that are classified as 501(c)3 organizations with the Internal Revenue Service and have fewer than 500 employees. Depending on state laws, many small charter school organizations would meet those criteria. Larger, for-profit charter networks would not.

The process for applying for the loans and interpreting the regulations could be difficult for some charter schools without a large administrative staff, said Rees, who does not have a count of how many schools have applied or expressed interest.

Ethical Dilemma

The possibility has already stirred discussions in some cities. In the District of Columbia, for example, charter schools say they have racked up unexpected expenses for items like Chromebooks as they helped students quickly transition to online learning, the Washington Post reported last week.

We are in an ethical dilemma, D.C. Council member and Education Committee Chairman David Grosso told the Post. The challenge is digging deep inside of yourself and seeing where you see yourself in the pecking order of needs in our community.

A spokesperson for the Small Business Administration said in an email that charter schools that meet the programs criteria are eligible to apply, but she did not respond to other questions about the programs.

See full coverage of the coronavirus and schools



Concerns about what organizations qualify are not limited to the education sector. Organizations that advocate for the separation of church and state have sounded alarms that churches and religious organizations qualify for the aid , NPR reports.

The possibility that charter schools would benefit from the programs troubled the Network for Public Education, an organization that frequently criticizes charter schools and has called for Congress to end a designated federal fund that supports their creation.

It just raised some ethical concerns for us because we know that both [district-run] public schools and charter schools have had no drop in the funding stream, Executive Director Carol Burris said. So they are either being paid from the state based on attendance and kids are still going to school virtually, or they are receiving school district-based tuition.

Burris says the funds should be reserved for small businesses that have faced more immediate revenue declines because of loss of customers.

They are being so hard hit, she said. It just raises concerns to see any sector that is still being fully funded trying to take advantage and get additional funds.

While schools state funding may be set for the current academic year, both charter schools and school districts face an uncertain future as states anticipate drops in revenue and accompanying budget cuts.

New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, expects to lose $15 billion in public funding, more than 8 percent of its revenue, leaders projected last week.

Anticipating those concerns, the CARES Act also includes some education funding : $13.5 billion earmarked for K-12 schools through the laws Education Stabilization Fund, and $3 billion for governors to use at their discretion to assist K-12 and higher education as they deal with the fallout from the virus.

As states press the U.S. Department of Education for quick guidance on how to direct that funding, some charter schools are uncertain how they will benefit, Rees said. Small schools also face challenges recruiting students amid statewide stay-home orders, which may challenge their operations in the next academic year, she said.

Even as President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act, education groups called for additional aid for schools. A list of organizations, including the two national teachers unions, sent a letter to Congress Tuesday pressing for an additional $200 billion in aid to cover costs like special education services and distance learning.

Photo: Getty

Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa .
Ontario is stepping up efforts to find reinforcements for the health-care system as the number of COVID-19 cases climbs to new highs daily with almost 200 deaths.

If you have medical training, if you want to save lives, we need you, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday.

The province is launching an online portal at to match retired, lapsed, and foreign-trained medical professionals and students in health disciplines with gaps that need to be filled at public health units, assessment centres, hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers.

In addition to an expected surge in cases that could result in as many as 1,600 deaths by the end of April according to computer modelling revealed last week, more than 500 health-care workers have contracted the new coronavirus either at work, in the community or through travel.

That number includes two dozen workers at the 67-bed Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, which has had at least 26 deaths. There have been outbreaks at 51 nursing homes in the province.

Theres no time to waste, Ford told a news conference, noting thousands have called or written the government offering to help. They dont want to sit on the sidelines.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Ontario had 5,637 confirmed and probable cases of the new coronavirus, up 535 or 10 per cent since Monday at the same time, according to a Star compilation of numbers released by the 34 regional public health units across the province. Deaths rose by 25 or 15 per cent to 190.

Health-care experts have been quietly working behind-the-scenes with the province to get Fords worker initiative rolling.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, for example, can issue renewable 30-day licences to foreign-trained doctors to work under supervision if they have not completed a Canadian medical residency program yet. They must have practised full-time within the last two years.

As well, the college regulating doctors is working to expedite applications from retired physicians who have given up their licenses.

Sources told the Star the government is also recruiting doctors who are not busy in their own clinics now that non-essential care has been winding down amid the pandemic, and could be deployed to hospitals.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said foreign-trained doctors not yet licensed in Ontario will not always be able to serve as front-line physicians but added they will certainly have a place within our health-care system.

Although some stepping forward from various health disciplines have indicated they wish to volunteer, people will be paid for the work that theyre going to do, Elliott told reporters on a teleconference.

Ontarios chief medical officer said medical students and foreign-trained doctors could do valuable case tracing of people who contract COVID-hotlines at overworked public health units across the province.

We could certainly use large numbers in that regard, said Dr. David Williams, who office notes daily that the source of infection remains unknown in about half of Ontarios cases.

That has created a need for such work to rapidly expand, he added.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca urged the government to find a way to fast-track credentials for foreign-educated health care workers deployed to fight COVID-19 once the crisis is over so that we can make full use of their talents.

Ministry of Health statistics, based on reports from public health unit as of 4 p.m. Monday, showed 1,802 people were considered clear of COVID-19 and 691 are awaiting test results.

There were 614 people in hospital, with 233 in intensive care and 187 of them critically ill on ventilators to assist in breathing. About 70 per cent of people whose oxygen levels fall so low they require ventilation do not survive.

In Ottawa, federal chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said there were 17,063 cases across the country, up 1,241 or 7.8 per cent from Monday, and 345 deaths, an increase of 52 people or almost 18 per cent.

The actual number of people who have had the new coronavirus is expected to be hundreds or thousands higher because many with mild symptoms have been asked to self-isolate at home and were not tested.

Read more about:
The President of the Federation of American Scientists, an American Non Profit Organisation, has said that most countries around the world should not accept any normalcy until 2021. Dr Ali Nouri, a microbiologist and a virologist, in an interview with the Daily Mail has said that since most developed countries have failed miserably in flattening the curve, and the manner in which the virus is behaving will make it extremely difficult for the situation to be taken under control.

 Reuters

Dr Nouri says that these lockdown orders that we are seeing all over the world, will have to go on at least till May, or in some countries, like the USA, even until June. American citizens, because of the manner in which the federal and state governments have dealt with the pandemic, have not been able to flatten the curve and is actually in a far direr situation when compared to India. Yes, our doctors are facing a number of challenges, and are facing equipment shortages as well, but it honestly is still faring better than the medical system in the United States.

 PTI

The reason behind this may be the manner in which, for most of the time, the lockdown measures and quarantine practices in India have actually been implemented seriously, despite of a number of lapses. India, with its population of 1.3 billion people, has reported about 5000 cases, whereas the USA, with about 330 million people, has reported well over 400,000.

 Reuters

Although many places are turning a new leaf, especially in countries where a spread of the contagion has been contained, Dr Nouri, like many others, is sceptical. The Chinese state authorities have lifted lockdown measures in most cities and provinces, including Wuhan. However, the residents of Wuhan are still staying inside their home, and are self-quarantining themselves.

 Reuters

This is because of two reasons. First, there have been a number of reported cases of re-infections, wherein people who had supposedly recovered from the virus, are testing positive again. Second, any contagion that has the ability to spread this quickly, can only be stopped through herd immunity, or when most people are immunised from the virus. For this, it is imperative that a vaccine is first made, tested and then approved. This has to be followed by massive mass vaccination drives, which will take at least a year, as per Dr Nouris estimate.

 Reuters

Luckily, a number of vaccines, are in the process of being vetted by medical authorities all over the world.

 Reuters

It seems that we have been preparing ourself intrinsically for this lack of normalcy for quite some time now. If social media is anything to go by, it seems that even though a lot of people in India are indeed troubled by the 21-day lockdow that was announced in March, there is a consensus and a growing movement asking the central government to extend the lockdown.
New Delhi, April 8 : Air pollution in the national capital region improved a notch on Wednesday, with a 60 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxide poisonous gas.

The overall air quality index (AQI) of the city stood at 88 and stood in the "satisfactory" category again, as compared to 106 yesterday.

"Under the influence of approaching western disturbance, rainfall is expected today and tomorrow. Isolated thunderstorms can lead to local dust uplift for a shorter time," stated an advisory issued by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

It also suggested that the overall AQI is likely to improve. The "satisfactory" category is forecasted on April 9 and 10. "The forecast considers an estimated reduction in local emissions due to lockdown." The quality of air was in the "good" category last week, but spiked on March 6 after people burst crackers to "challenge the darkness" as a sign of participation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for switching off lights and lighting diyas and lamps to fight against the coronavirus crisis.

Meanwhile, AQI in Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai was docked in the "satisfactory" category at 58, 99 and 93, respectively.

Improvement in air quality across the country can be attributed to the low vehicular traffic and emission from industries due to country-wide lockdown.
Thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida are being plowed over or left to rot because farmers can't sell to restaurants, theme parks or schools nationwide that have closed because of the coronavirus.

In southern Florida, Paul Allen, president of R.C. Hatton Farms, took a video last week of row after row of vibrant green beans that were scheduled to be shipped to the restaurant industry.

Allen, who farms about 12,000 acres in Florida and Georgia, says he is praying that things improve by the time crops in north Florida and Georgia are ready to be harvested over the next two months.

Other states are having similar issues.

Leafy greens in California are being hit hard, and dairy farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin say they've had to dump a surplus of milk intended for restaurants.

Many Florida growers have donated to food banks, but there's a limit on what the charities can accept.

Farmers are scrambling to sell to grocery stores but many already have contracts.

In the US, the number of confirmed cases approaches the 400,000 mark.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

However, the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with no visible symptoms.

And for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Hiplife Grandpapa Reggie Rockstone has asked Ghanaians to regard the Hiplife music genre as a national treasure.

Speaking in an interview on Neat FM, monitored by attractivemustapha.com he stressed that the music genre has done a lot for Ghanaian youth.

Majority of the musicians ruling today are beneficiaries of Hiplife.

"We should never downplay our own, It's very embarrassing if the Nigerians are watching because we all take inspiration from Hiplife and we should note that its not just about me and Hiplife but it's about entire Africa "

He mentioned to the presenter ola Michael captured by attractivemustapha.com that no one can ever disrespect or make mockery of him because he sacrificed for the industry which does not necessarily mean he should amass wealth.

Attractivemustapha.com
A nationwide collapse in consumer spending caused by the coronavirus outbreak was arrested last week as new real-time economic data shows pensioners and social security recipients used a one-off $750 stimulus payment to buy much more than usual.

Spending plummeted in late March to be 13 per cent below normal but recovered to be 5 per cent below the norm last week, a database that tracks the consumption patterns of hundreds of thousands of Australians shows.

In supermarkets last week spending was up by 19 per cent among lower income consumers. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Between March 30 and April 5, demand across much of the economy was supported by lower income people, who were the main recipients of the federal government's stimulus payment. But higher income earners, who mostly didnt receive it, continued to cut back.

In supermarkets last week spending was up 19 per cent among lower income consumers but fell by 3 per cent among higher income shoppers.
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is receiving "standard oxygen treatment" and is breathing without assistance, his spokesperson said on Tuesday, a day after he was transferred to intensive care with 'persistent' coronavirus symptoms.

A CNN report quoted Johnson's spokesperson as saying hi condition is stable and he "remains in good spirits". He has not required invasive or non-invasive ventilation and does not have pneumonia.

Johnson has nominated his Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, to deputize for him "as necessary" but there is no recent precedent for a sitting UK prime minister becoming incapacitated for a lengthy period.

Elaborating on Johnson's health, Raab said he was confident that the prime minister Boris Johnson would pull through because "hes a fighter".

"He remained stable overnight. He's receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance," Raab told a daily news conference.

Johnson's personal battle with the virus has shaken the government just as the United Kingdom, now in its third week of virtual lockdown, enters what scientists say will be the deadliest phase of its coronavirus epidemic, which has already killed at least 6,159 people.

Johnson, 55, was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital, across the River Thames from parliament, late on Sunday after suffering symptoms, including a fever and a cough, for more than 10 days.

But his condition rapidly deteriorated, and he was moved on Monday to an intensive care unit, where the most serious cases are treated, in case he needed to be put on a ventilator.

"He remains in good spirits and ... his progress continues to be monitored in critical care," Raab said.

(With Reuters inputs)
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Frankfurt am Main, Germany  Wed, April 8, 2020 13:00 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd08b268 2 Science & Tech smartwatch,Fitbit,coronavirus,COVID-19,health,Germany Free

Germany's center for disease control on Tuesday urged people with smartwatches and fitness bands to share their health data to help keep track of the spread of the coronavirus.

The Robert Koch Institute said it was launching an app called Corona Datenspende (Corona Data Donation) that would allow people to voluntarily and anonymously share information from their fitness trackers that could reveal signs of a COVID-19 infection.

The free app will log a person's postcode, age and weight and keep track of any changes in activity and sleep habits, heart rate or even body temperature that could be symptoms of an acute respiratory disease, RKI head Lothar Wieler said at a press conference.

The app "would help to better estimate where and how fast COVID-19 is spreading in Germany," Wieler said.

But he stressed that the app, developed with e-health company Thryve, could not make a diagnosis or replace a coronavirus test.

The RKI will use the combined fitness data to create an online map of Germany where infection rates could be looked up by postcode, Wieler said.

Read also: Google buying Fitbit in move into wearables, digital health

"This would give scientists data about infection processes and whether the measures we have taken are working," he added.

The RKI hopes 10 percent of the roughly 10 million people in Germany with smartwatches or fitness bracelets like Fitbit will join up.

"But if we could reach 100,000 or even 10,000 people that would be excellent," added the RKI's epidemiological modelling expert Dirk Brockmann.

Germany has recorded more than 99,000 cases of the virus and just over 1,600 deaths, a far lower mortality rate than in other European countries.

Germany has put it down to early and widespread testing as well as a world-class health system with more critical care beds than many other nations, allowing it to take in dozens of patients from hard-hit Italy, Spain and France.

Wieler stressed that it was too soon to relax any of the confinement and social distancing measures that have kept German schools and businesses closed for the past weeks.

"But I want to stress that we have been very, very successful with our strategy in Germany. We still have enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds."
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Australia appears to be finally flattening the infection curve in its battle against COVID-19 after the government decisively chose to ignore the World Health Organisation and respond to the pandemic in its own way.

That's the view of Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who told Daily Mail Australia the WHO has badly let Australia down by being 'glacially slow' to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

Australian taxpayers give the WHO $8.4million a year, as well as regular top-up payments, which in 2018 reached a staggering $57 million.

But the UN organisation stalled on declaring a pandemic, told countries to keep borders open and heaped praise on China despite accusations it attempted to cover up the outbreak, which erupted in Wuhan in December.

WHO copped the wrath of US President Donald Trump on Tuesday when he called it 'China-centric' and threatened to withhold funding.

The Australian government has forged its own path toward stopping the virus, managing to already bring down infection rates and slow the spread of the deadly disease, without following advice from the WHO.

Australia appears to be finally flattening the infection curve in its battle against COVID-19 after the government decisively chose to ignore the World Health Organisation

The Australian government has forged its own path toward stopping the virus, managing to already bring down infection rates and slow the spread of the deadly disease, without following advice from the WHO. Pictured: Nurses at Sydney Airport

Today Mr Hastie, a former SAS solider who now represents the Western Australian division of Canning in the federal parliament, slammed the organisation for its indecisiveness.

'The WHO has been glacially slow in its decision-making,' the 37-year-old told Daily Mail Australia.

'When Beijing shut down travel from Hubei to the rest of China on January 23 - but strangely not from Hubei to the rest of the world - why didn't the WHO act decisively then?

'It could've prevented the mass global exportation of COVID-19 then by declaring a pandemic and alerting governments around the world of the danger ahead.

'Closing borders then could've saved lives and a lot of economic hardship.'

Fellow Liberal MP Dave Sharma also criticised the WHO on Wednesday. He told the ABC: 'I think the WHO's revealed some serious shortcomings, and I think they've revealed themselves to be a politicised organisation.

'They have been too willing to accept Chinese explanations for this virus and the source and the causes.'

He said it was right for the world to respond to China with 'anger and consternation and demand some sort of transparency and accountability in future.'

Mr Sharma also criticised the WHO for failing to include Taiwan, an island nation claimed by China, which has not been allowed to join the organisation.

Taiwan saw the pandemic coming and implemented strict social distancing and contact tracing measures which have held the virus at bay - but the WHO, pandering to China, kept it cut off from global information networks and refused to learn from Taiwan's success.

Mr Hastie said the WHO's failure to control coronavirus was an example of a global organisation being unable to look out for its member states.

'The reality for Aussies is that only our government will act in our sovereign interest to preserve our prosperity and security,' he said.

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands in Beijing on January 28 ahead of their meeting to discuss how to curb the spread of a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus

Why is the WHO director-general 'sympathetic' to China? At the end of Janaury, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom enjoyed a trip to China to rub shoulders with President Xi Jinping. When he returned, he hailed China for 'transparency' - even though it had covered up the extent of the outbreak by detaining doctors who sought to alert citizens. Australian professor John Mackenzie, a member of the World Health Organization's emergency committee, called China 'reprehensible' - but Dr Adhanom said China should be 'congratulated' for protecting 'the people of the world'. He then fawned over the communist leader, telling aides he was 'very impressed and encouraged by the president's detailed knowledge of the outbreak.' Since then, Tedros Adhanom has been called a 'China apologist' by various commentators. Kristine Lee, China analyst at an influential US think-tank said: 'There is a clear narrative coming out of the WHO that panders to Xi Jinping's view about his country's handling of coronavirus.' But why? Perhaps it goes back to his time as a top Ethiopian politician, wrote journalist Ian Birrell. He served in senior roles under Meles Zenawi, who ran a brutal dictatorship with close ties to Beijing, which admired the regime's authoritarian model of development. Intriguingly, Tedros was accused of covering up three outbreaks of cholera during his seven years as health minister, although the claims were dismissed as dirty tactics to try to derail his bid to become the WHO boss. Shortly after starting his new job with the WHO in 2017, he appointed Robert Mugabe as a 'goodwill ambassador', only to back down after furious protests from human rights groups pointing out the despot had devastated Zimbabwe's health service while wrecking his nation. Mugabe, as head of the African Union and a close ally of China, had helped him win the WHO post. Beijing also used its financial muscle to build support among developing nations, with Xi said to see the achievement as a sign of China's growing strength. Advertisement

Today Mr Hastie (pictured), a former SAS solider who now represents Canning in the federal parliament, slammed the WHO for its indecisiveness.

People wearing protective clothing and masks arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, to board one of the first trains leaving the city in China's central Hubei province early on April 8

A tweet from the WHO on 24 January which shows it repeating Chinese insistence that the virus did not spread between humans

Indeed, the Australian government has been one step ahead of the WHO since even before the deadly virus reached Australian shores on 25 January.

That week, while the WHO director-general was busy saying China should be 'congratulated' for protecting 'the people of the world', the Australian government was hatching a national plan to stop the virus.

On February 1, when there were 14,000 recorded cases in the world, Australia banned flights from China.

Two days later, on February 3, the WHO was still telling countries not to initiate travel bans.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom stood up in front of the world's media and said there was no need for measures that 'unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade'.

Donald Trump launches full-frontal attack on 'China-centric' WHO saying 'they called it wrong' President Donald Trump savaged the 'China centric' World Health Organization on Tuesday and said he wanted the group looked into before any more U.S. dollars flow to Beijing. 'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' Trump said during his daily White House press briefing. 'They should have known and they probably did know,' he added, suggesting the WHO was withholding information about the coronavirus. Trump's main beef with the United Nations health group is that leadership there said it wasn't necessary to bar travelers coming in from China as the coronavirus started spreading beyond Wuhan, where it originated. The president has followed the lead of prominent conservatives in complaining that the WHO has been too friendly to China during the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, calling it too 'China centric' and suggesting that it was hiding information about the coronavirus from the rest of the world 'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it,' Trump said near the top of the briefing. 'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.' 'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said, changing the point he was trying to make mid-sentence. Later in the briefing Trump threatened to cut off the WHO's supply of money from the United States. 'We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it. And we're going to see,' Trump said. 'It's a great thing when it works but when they call every shot wrong that's not good.' 'They are always on the side of China,' he also complained. Trump suggested he might cut the U.S.'s funding that goes toward WHO, calling the United Nations agency 'very China centric' When the president was asked if it was a smart move to cut off funds to the major global health organization during a global pandemic he backed away from the definitiveness of his previous threat. 'I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm going to look at it,' Trump pledged. Later, Trump was asked why he thought the WHO was 'China centric.' 'I don't know, they seem to come down on the side of China,' the president responded. 'Don't close your borders to China, don't do this, they don't report what's really going on, they didn't see it and yet they were there. They didn't see what was going on in Wuhan ... they must have seen it, but they didn't report it.' Trump had previewed his attack earlier Tuesday on Twitter. Advertisement

Passengers go through the security and body temperatures check on a first day of ending more than a two-month lockdown

In the same press conference he called the spread of the virus 'minimal and slow' and heaped praise on China for locking down Wuhan.

'If it weren't for China, the number of cases outside China would have been very much higher,' he said.

During a WHO meeting that day, China's delegate Li Song said banning Chinese people from travelling was 'seriously against recommendation by the WHO.'

But Scott Morrison took no notice and extended the ban before also blocking flights from Iran, South Korea and Italy, which also suffered outbreaks in February.

In radio interview with Alan Jones on 2GB on February 6, Mr Morrison backed his decision to ignore the WHO.

'We've noted all the things the WHO and others said. But frankly, we're making the calls based on what we think is best for Australia,' he said.

Then, on February 27, Australia became one of the first countries in the world to publicly declare the crisis had 'pandemic potential'.

Mr Morrison told news reporters that afternoon: 'Based on the expert medical advice we have received, there is every indication that the world will soon enter a pandemic phase of the coronavirus.'

Meanwhile, the WHO was still refusing to use the word even as cases around the globe soared to 83,000.

'If misused, [the word] can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over,' director-general Adhanom said.

Finally, after huge international pressure, the WHO declared a pandemic on 11 March, two weeks after Mr Morrison used the word.

In a press conference on April 2, the Australian Prime Minister emphasised how slow the WHO had been.

'Ten weeks ago, ahead of the rest of the world, Australia listed the coronavirus as a disease with pandemic potential under our Biosecurity Act,' he said.

'Five weeks ago, a fortnight before the World Health Organisation, we called out the coronavirus as a pandemic.'

'We activated the emergency response plan on that basis. Further border closures and measures were announced and implemented,' he said.

The Australian government has also been among the first to criticise China's wet markets where the virus jumped from animals to humans in November.

In another interview on 2GB in early April, Mr Morrison called the markets a 'real problem' and slammed the WHO for inaction.

'This is something the World Health Organisation should do something about. I mean, all this money that comes out of the UN and the World Health organisation.'

Mr Morrison said the WHO should be held to account for the way it uses Australian tax dollars.

'You know, this is why we've got to be quite strident on these things in these forums and make sure that they're dealing with what are quite serious world health risks,' he said.
Jammu, April 8 : A total of 33 people more tested positive in Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday, taking the total number of Covid-19 patients in the Union Territory to 158.

Government spokesman Rohit Kansal said 19 more have tested positive in Kashmir division, following the 14 cases detected earlier in the day.

Of the earlier cases, 11 were reported from Kashmir, and three from Jammu.

The earlier 11 cases in Kashmir comprised four in Bandipora district with history of contact with previous patients, 5 from Srinagar district with travel history to Nigeria and one each from Kupwara and Baramulla districts.

Three cases from Jammu district also have contact history with previous patients.

With this, the number of active cases in J&K is 149 since six patients have so far recovered completely while three succumbed to the dreaded virus.

Of the cases, 27 are in Jammu division while 122 are in Kashmir division.
DUBLIN, Ireland, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COVID-19 has created a surge in demand for ventilators and leading manufacturers have responded quickly by increasing production. Some have even shared designs online to allow them to be produced by other companies. The increased demand for ventilators is also encouraging other companies such as Airbus and Dyson to begin developing ventilators to ensure that demand is met.



As the worlds largest online market research store, ResearchAndMarkets.com has the information you need to stay informed about the latest ventilator developments.



We have identified 10 medical device companies rising to the challenge of meeting increased global demand for ventilators.



1. Philips

Philips manufactures a range of hospital ventilators including both invasive and non invasive ventilation systems. The company has responded to the growing demand for ventilators by hiring extra manufacturing staff and switching current staff to the production lines where they are most needed. Philips recently announced that it is aiming to double its production of hospital ventilators from 1000 a week to 2000 to ensure that all healthcare facilities can access this lifesaving equipment.



2. Medtronic

Medtronic has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by sharing the design specifications for its PB560 ventilator with other manufacturers. The company hopes this will allow other companies around the world in accelerating their efforts to respond to the acute need for ventilators. Medtronic has already boosted production of its PD980 ventilators and has doubled the number of staff at its manufacturing plant to allow it to operate 24/7.



3. Drager

Drager manufactures a range of medical and safety products. Drager recently announced that it has doubled its production of ventilators in response to the growth in demand caused by coronavirus. The company has also recently signed a deal to supply 10,000 ventilators as well as personal protective equipment with the German government.



4. Getinge

Getinge is one of the biggest producers of ventilators in the world and has recently added a second shift to its ventilator production to allow it to meet the increasing demand. Currently the company manufactures 10,000 Servo U mechanical ventilators a year and aims to increase this by 60% to allow them to produce 15000 a month.



5. Hamilton Medical

Switzerland based Hamilton Medical is a leading producer of ventilation systems. The company has ramped up its production by 50% and is aiming to prioritize delivery to the worst affected areas.



6. Vyaire

Vyaire has responded to the urgent need for more ventilators by adding a second shift at its production facility and hiring more manufacturing staff in order to boost production. Along with several other manufacturers, Vyaire has recently signed an $84M deal with the US government to provide 8,000 ventilators.



7. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Fisher and Paykel Healthcare is a leading designer and manufacturer of respiratory care and sleep apnea products and is ramping up its production of ventilators as well as respiratory protection equipment to meet high levels of demand.



8. GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare has announced a collaboration with Ford to scale up production of a simplified ventilator design in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As part of GE Healthcares efforts to meet the rising demand for ventilation systems they have also licensed a ventilator design from Airon Corp and along with Ford, plan to produce 50,000 of them by July.



9. ResMed

ResMed is a global leader in respiratory medicine and sleep apnea devices. The company manufactures cloud connected respiratory devices which have the advantage of allowing doctors to monitor patients remotely. ResMed has responded to the growing need for ventilation therapy by doubling its output of ventilators and ventilation masks.



10. Smiths Group

Smiths Group recently entered into a contract with the UK government to supply 10,000 ventilators to meet rising demand. The UK company is quadrupling weekly production of its PARAPAC Plus ventilators and is in talks with contract manufacturers to increase their production capacity in the US and other countries to help address the global demand.



Find research on each of these companies and read the full article here: ResearchAndMarkets.com - Ventilator Demand is Soaring.



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Condom products in different colors. Photo by Shutterstock/Purple Anvil.

Online searches for condoms rose 56 percent in March as people stayed at home, fearful of the coronavirus pandemic.

The rise was recorded on iPrice, a website aggregator of online products for customers to compare prices, which suggested it was because of limited traveling in the country.

It also reported seven- and three-fold surges in searches for webcams and keyboards as most companies told employees to work from home and use video calls to connect.

The trend is expected to continue this month since the government has issued a nationwide social distancing campaign, iPrice said.

Searches for toys tripled since schools are closed, and there was rising demand for gaming devices like Nintendo Switch and XBOX.

There were also more searches for traditional childrens items like puzzles, yo-yos and inflatable swimming pools.

With gymnasiums closed, people seemed to be interested in working out at home as searches for gym equipment rose 116 percent, mostly for dumbbells, treadmills and stationery bikes.

Kitchenware searches rose by 80 percent as people cooked more because restaurants are closed. There was rising demand for juicers, blenders and oil-less fryers.

Searches for supplements with vitamin C were up 42 percent as people sought to strengthen their immunity against the virus.

A recent report by market research firm Nielsen said half of respondents reduced supermarket and traditional market visits amid the pandemic, and a quarter spent more time shopping online.

Vietnam has recorded 251 Covid-19 patients but no deaths, of whom 122 have been discharged.
Reuters

British trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan will visit India this week to hold talks to try to deepen trade and economic ties as part of London's push in the Indo-Pacific region, her department said on Sunday. As part of a two-day visit to New Delhi, Trevelyan will hold bilateral talks with Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday on green trade, the removal of market access barriers and other issues. They are also expected to confirm the launch of official negotiations on a new UK-India free trade deal, the trade department said in a statement.
When Diane went to Queen of the Valley Medical Center with shortness of breath, an excruciating headache and a cough on March 27, she was worried she might have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has swept the globe and caused 400 deaths in California alone.

Diane was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and directed to self-quarantine for 15 days from the onset of symptoms, according to the doctors note provided to the Register. The infection, coupled with her longstanding asthma, makes Dianes immune system especially vulnerable to the virus.

Whereas many Napans could have gone home, hunkered down and stayed isolated for the next two weeks, per doctors orders, its not so simple for Diane, a resident of the South Napa Shelter whose name has been changed for her privacy.

She says she was put in an isolated room back at the shelter for about five hours before being asked to return to the general population for the rest of the weekend because she didnt have a fever. She worried about catching the virus from a fellow resident or potentially passing it along to someone similarly vulnerable.

They told me no fever means I go to general population. But Im vulnerable and I was showing at least three symptoms of COVID, and I had a doctors note, she said. Just because Im not on a ventilator doesnt mean I dont have it or couldnt get it.

Chris De Benedetti, the public information officer for Abode Services, which provides all homeless services for Napa County, said anyone with a 100.4 fever or a doctors note is placed in isolation until testing can occur. He declined to comment on Dianes case, citing privacy rules.

Motel mitigation

Social distancing is one of the best and most readily available tools to combat the spread of the virus. But individuals who live in congregate settings  incarceration facilities, nursing homes, the streets, and shelters, for example  are less able to self-isolate or avoid shared spaces and surfaces.

Homeless people, in particular, are often plagued with pre-existing health conditions that facilitate the outbreak of severe symptoms from an infectious disease like COVID-19, according to Elise Riley, an infectious disease expert at UC, San Francisco who spoke with the Register last month.

Napa County announced on March 27 that it had started leasing rooms at a city of Napa motel to use as an isolation center specifically for persons who are at risk living in congregate care facilities. There are 53 rooms available. Most will be occupied by singles, though some may be inhabited by couples or families.

The motel is not for patients showing COVID-19 symptoms or pending testing. It is for healthy individuals with high risk conditions that shouldnt be in congregate living facilities like COVID-19 going around, county Housing and Homeless Services Director Molly Rattigan said.

Prioritization is key to reducing risk. Rattigans team is taking its cues from state and federal guidance surrounding age and underlying medical conditions, and staff is in touch with agencies like Abode Services and OLE Health that work with the population regularly, she said.

Those eligible for isolation at the motel include individuals over 60 years old who have a condition verified by a doctors note that puts them at greater jeopardy. Examples include cancer treatment, unsheltered individuals, and severe heart or respiratory conditions, she said.

At last count, 35 people had been moved to the motel from a range of countywide facilities, including the South Napa Shelter, which is now operating below capacity with isolation spaces for those that may need isolation, according to Rattigan.

The county began moving people March 30, more than two weeks after it declared a local public health emergency on March 12.

Rattigan added that there are plans for a respite shelter for those who have tested positive for the virus or are showing symptoms and awaiting test results. This facility at the Napa County Airport has yet to open, but she said the county is hoping this opens this week.

Any symptomatic person at the shelter would be placed in isolation there, pending results and clearance of their symptoms, Rattigan said.

Heeding concerns

The South Napa Shelter has 69 beds organized into suite clusters of 6 to 8 beds each, according to De Benedetti. Residents share bathrooms as well as common areas and dining areas. When Diane was told to leave her isolation room despite the continuation of her symptoms, she says went back to a suite shared with seven other women.

After Napa County declared a local health emergency, De Benedetti said Abode Services was taking steps to ensure informational materials were provided to shelter residents and stepping up its cleaning protocols.

Howard James, who lived at the South Napa Shelter from late last year after fleeing the Kincade fires, said staff didnt seem to be taking the risk seriously.

As things started to get intense, I was worried about some peoples health. People were in bad shape. We were crammed into bedrooms, he said. I got very upset at the way they were treating us. They just didnt seem to care.

According to James account, he raised the issue with management, conceding that he was protesting the conditions. He received a 24-hour notice on March 9 that his bed area must be clean and tidy with no bulky items in the walkway and his bed made with clean bedding and in a neat manner or risk disciplinary action that could include a time out or an exit from the shelter program.

The notice provided to the Register was signed by an employee of Abode Services who works at South Napa Shelter.

James said he got very angry, even saying he flipped out when he saw the note. He refused to clean up and was ultimately removed from the shelter, he says. James has since been living in his car, where he says he feels safer than he did at the facility.

I actually feel kind of lucky that I ended up being kicked out because now Im not being exposed to the kind of conditions that people in the shelter are seeing, he said. Im more or less by myself in my car and I think Im safer here than I was there.

Abode Services declined to comment on any specific client issue, citing privacy/security rules and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws. However, De Benedetti did say that any exits from the shelter are determined by the shelter manager and senior program manager, and that theyre considered if someone is a harm to themselves or others, at which point, planning and coordination are required in partnership with the county and city.

Diane said her concerns about the well-being of herself and her fellow residents were similarly dismissed. She wrote in a text message the shelter staff wasnt taking this COVID-19 pandemic seriously enough to make me comfortable, adding in a later interview that the arrival of the virus was just the latest in what she felt was a pattern of poor treatment from staff to residents.

Life in quarantine

The weekend of Dianes diagnosis with an upper respiratory infection, she said she did a lot of sleeping, and really wasnt feeling well. She said she spoke with a number of staff members, was told by her friends they had been making calls and writing letters (including multiple emails written to the Registers editorial inbox) on her behalf and ultimately received word on the following Monday, March 30, that she was to be provided with quarantine facilities within the shelter: an exam room in the medical wing with a cot, desk and filing cabinet. Photos provided to the Register substantiate her description.

Thank goodness I have a window, she said.

De Benedetti said there are two private bathrooms for guests placed in isolation, but declined to provide more information.

However, according to Diane, those two bathrooms are accessible only through a public hallway thats open to anyone in the medical wing, and theyre shared by people in quarantine who use the facilities concurrently.

I would not trust their Covid quarantine cleaning between patients, she wrote in a text message.

Abode Services wouldnt confirm Dianes placement in isolation nor would they provide the number of individuals currently in quarantine at South Napa Shelter and using facilities such as restrooms. De Benedetti did say that Abode Services staff doesnt make the final call on who goes into quarantine. That responsibility falls to the county health department, and the two agencies are in close communication up to several times a day, he said.

Diane spends her days sleeping and watching occasional television streaming services on her phone. She says her symptoms and the Abode drama have largely worn her out, but that shes written five formal complaints that shes passed along to staff members.

I want to make an impact. If I sent it in an email, the people here wouldnt know that I was making these grievances, and I want them to know, she said.

When asked if there was a formal process for individuals to air their grievances, Rattigan said a process does exist but that both Abode Management and Napa County Housing and Homeless Staff have also been on site daily to answer questions and address concerns.

Though Rattigan couldnt provide details due to privacy regulations, she said she had received only one concern in March that was followed up on by the Director of Social Services for Abode and that the issue was resolved.

Diane says there were some days when she wasnt provided with all three meals, but couldnt leave to get food for herself. On one occasion, she said she opened the door to ask for dinner and was told by a staff member that there were only three people working, so theyd be unable to bring her food separately.

Shes been delivered two of the meals from Ken Frank, the chef from La Toque who is providing meals to shelter residents during this time. Diane describes the food as amazing quality cuisine.

She has still yet to be tested for COVID-19, but she says shes working with her primary care physician to provide another medical letter to the county health department that she hopes would help get her on the list for the motel once her symptoms pass. Abode has provided absolutely no assistance or support in navigating the process, according to Diane.

I know theyre all just flying by the seat of their pants. None of us alive have ever been through a pandemic before. But to just be blatantly outright rude when youre in a situation like this is so uncalled for, she said.

On Wednesday morning, Diane reported a positive development. She had been moved into the Napa hotel for at-risk homeless people after her physician got involved and tried to move things along, she said.

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 may reach Carly Graf at cgraf@napanews.com; 713-817-4692; or via Twitter @carlykgraf.

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Pregnancy has always been a fraught time for women, said Jean Tornatore, medical director of labor and delivery at Bridgeport Hospital. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its become even more so.

Theres a lot of anticipation that goes into this event, Tornatore said. Having (this crisis) injected into their plans for (childbirth) is extremely anxiety-provoking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its unknown whether pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public, or if they are more likely to get a serious illness if infected. However, the CDC also reported that pregnant women are at greater risk for getting infections in general, and that they have a higher risk of severe illness when infected with other coronaviruses, the virus family of which COVID-19 is a member.

Because the pandemic is ever-changing, Tornatore and other experts said there isnt a lot of information for obstetrician-gynecologists to reference.

The understanding of this virus and pregnancy is evolving as we speak, said Dr. Patrice Gillotti, vice chair of Danbury Hospitals Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. What we know to date: it has not been shown to be passed on vertically from mother to fetus. The virus has not been recovered in breastmilk or amniotic fluid.

Gillotti said the largest group in the United States that has been reported on is a group of 43 obstetrics patients in New York. In this group, the severity of the disease appeared to be similar to non-pregnant patients with the vast majority having mild disease and only 5 percent critical. The numbers are small, but thats all we have to date, Gillotti said.

Though much of the information has been positive, this is still a hard time to be an expectant mother, said Dr. Christian Pettker, chief of obstetrics at Yale New Haven Hospital. A lot of women are worried about getting a disease and having complications in their pregnancies, he said. And a lot are worried about coming to the hospital at all, because they think they might get infected.

To help alleviate this anxiety, Pettker said, the hospital has stepped up the use of telehealth services for appointments that dont require women to actually be in the hospital. Also, patients, doctors and any labor partner all must wear masks.

Over the past week, hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health system  which includes Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London in addition to Yale New Haven Hospital  have moved toward testing all asymptomatic women for COVID-19 at labor.

If women have symptoms, they can get tested earlier, but Tornatore said there was reluctance to test asymptomatic women too early, because if they received a negative result, it might give them false confidence, which could lead to them getting infected after all.

Mostly, Tornatore said, doctors are just trying to take care of women at a time when theyve always been vulnerable, but are even more so now.

We are in an unfortunate situation where were kind of within something where there isnt a lot of information to look back on, Tornatore said.
Kenny Melanson has managed not to furlough or lay off employees at his seafood company, but all nonessential workers have been sent home. Now it's core staff, hair-netted and suited up, spreading fat sea scallops across a mechanized belt and running them through two brine tanks and two washes and then a quick-freeze. There's a wall of pallets, hundreds of boxes labeled "fresh seafood," all of it enveloped in sheets of plastic wrap. Waiting for what's next.

He runs Northern Wind in New Bedford, Massachusetts, contracting with 74 fishing vessels and employing 125 people. In business 33 years, the company sells about 15 million pounds of scallops and about 6 million pounds of ahi tuna a year.

In the absence of sales, Melanson is running 150,000 pounds of sea scallops a day through individual tunnel freezers, banking them for when the pandemic is over. But cash flow is getting tight. And he worries that when regular life resumes, a glut of scallops will mean tanking prices.

"We could obviously tell our suppliers we would prefer if you don't fish for the next 30 days," Melanson said. "But I'm very concerned and nervous about the 28- and 29-year employees and the crews we've built up to produce these quantities. They all live paycheck to paycheck."

The novel coronavirus pandemic has destroyed demand for seafood across a complicated U.S. supply chain, from luxury items such as lobster and crab, generally consumed at restaurants, to grocery staples sourced from the world's fish farms.

Now, with restaurants closed, many of the nation's fisheries - across geography, species, gear types and management - have reported sales slumps as high as 95 percent.

Boats from Honolulu to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, are tied up dockside, with fisheries in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska affected, throwing thousands of fishermen out of work and devastating coastal communities.

And those in the fishing industry say that their portion of the $2 trillion relief package for American businesses and workers does not adequately account for losses incurred by the $100 billion U.S. seafood industry. The rescue package allots $300 million for operators experiencing losses greater than 35 percent, including subsistence, commercial and charter fisheries, as well as fish farms.

"We're 80 percent off of where we need to be to break even," said Peter Ramsden, who runs Foley Fish, a fourth-generation seafood company also based in New Bedford.

He sells the stuff that seldom makes it to grocery stores, splurge items for restaurants, fancy hotels, resorts and country clubs: Ora King salmon from New Zealand, Dover sole from Spain, fresh Nova Scotia halibut and 20 kinds of oysters.

"We will survive, we own our own buildings, although my retirement is starting to look different," Ramsden said. "But fishermen have always been right on the knife's edge."

They have faced challenges before - natural disasters, too many fish, not enough. This is different.

Americans spend more than twice as much on seafood in restaurants as they do at home. And as restaurants across the country have closed or have turned exclusively to takeout and delivery, a major source of seafood sales has been erased.

U.S. consumers spent an estimated $102.2 billion for fishery products in 2017. Of that total, about $70 billion was spent at restaurants and other food service establishments, and about $33 billion was grocery and retail sales for home consumption. (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2018 figures did not break down total sales by food service and grocery.)

Lobster, the highest-value fishery - $684 million in 2018, according to NOAA - has tanked, with wholesale prices falling from $8 to $10 a pound down to $2, according to Keith Decker, chief executive of Blue Harvest, a fishing company in New Bedford.

Sales of crabs - the second-highest-value seafood, with a landing value of $645 million in 2018 - have dropped precipitously, and flounder went from $4 wholesale to 50 cents. There is almost no demand for tuna or oysters.

"There's a profound impact on the processors but more particularly to the individual fishermen," Decker said. "They are going to be struggling to make ends meet, make payments on their boats, pay their crews."

Gavin Gibbons, vice president of communications for the National Fisheries Institute, a trade organization, says that sales of seafood for restaurants are down more than 90 percent and that the effects reach far beyond commercial fishermen to processors, distributors, food service and retailers.

"The men and women working at sea and those farming fish start this complex system, and helping them is important," Gibbons said. "It is essential that the entire value chain be helped. It does no good to catch fish if it just sits on the dock."

For many segments of the food industry, restaurant sales losses have been partially offset by huge surges in grocery sales. This is not the case for seafood, partly because of consumer tastes but also because many grocery stores have streamlined their meat and seafood offerings.

James Mullin, vice president of sales for Atlantic Capes Fisheries, based in Cape May, New Jersey, said that grocery stores have closed their counters for fresh meat and seafood. They have reduced all meat and seafood sales to prepackaged items that do not require selecting, cutting, weighing, wrapping and being handed to a customer over the counter.

He says grocery stores that might offer 20 to 30 fresh seafood items under normal circumstances are cutting that to maybe 10. Stores have reduced their offerings to the most commonly consumed seafood, such as farmed salmon, farmed tilapia, a cod item and shrimp, Mullin said, in an effort to streamline restocking and minimize delivery frequency.

"We read in the newspaper about retail business booming," Mullin said, "and there's some truth to that - there was a spike in demand. But as awareness of the economic situation dawns on people, sales for high-priced seafood items is weak. We're seeing the trending go to hot dogs."

As consumers stockpile and hoard out of fears about supply-chain disruption, there have been steep increases in sales of some animal proteins: Fresh turkey sales are up 126 percent since March 1, fresh pork is up 101 percent, beef is up 95 percent, and chicken is up 70 percent, according to IRI, which compiles grocery data.

Robert Vanasse, executive director of Saving Seafood, an industry group, said that those industries are disproportionately benefiting under the Cares Act.

"While $300 million is a large amount of money, when you consider the number of commercial fishermen and employees in fishery-related businesses, it will not go far enough," Vanasse said. "And it does not compare to the $9.5 billion allocated for livestock, specialty crops and other parts of the food system."

Without more aid, Vanasse said, the downturn could drive thousands of commercial fishers, many of them third- or fourth-generation operations, into bankruptcy and adversely affect coastal communities around the country. New Bedford, the top American port by seafood value, brought in $431 million in seafood in 2018.

The pandemic is another major blow to the seafood industry after the trade wars, which cut into U.S. sales to China and other countries, especially for high-value items such as lobster, crab, scallops and wild Alaska salmon.

In 2018, there was a $12 billion trade relief package for farmers, followed in 2019 by a $16 billion aid package expanded to some specialty crops such as cranberries and almonds in addition to row crops, dairy and pork. The seafood industry was excluded from those two trade relief packages.

The Cares Act provides an additional $14 billion for row crops, pork and dairy and some specialty crops affected by the trade wars, but not for seafood.

Gibbons, of the National Fisheries Institute, said a number of fisheries have been affected by Trump's trade wars.

"The Maine [lobster] folks are a great example," Gibbons said, citing a dramatic decrease in the crustacean's sales to China. "They've been taking it on the chin."

In Honolulu, the country's sixth-highest-value port, more than 100 of the port's 140 long-line vessels are tied up, with three or four more coming in each day, said Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association. These boats catch premium fish such as bigeye and yellowfin tuna, as well as swordfish and mahi mahi, most of it sold fresh to the restaurant industry. Kingma said fishing trips for these boats cost $45,000 each "before you leave the dock, just to break even."

"Our daily value dropped by 80 percent, and trip costs exceeded the landed value," he said. "We've tried to shift demand into local retail consumers."

But local consumers are not looking to buy expensive fresh fish now that Hawaii's tourism industry is cratering.

"It's a complete disaster," Kingma said, "a disaster that many vessels will not recover from."
What is Holy Wednesday?

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Although less observed than Maundy Thursday or Good Friday in many churches today, Holy Wednesday highlights key moments in the lead-up to the crucifixion during Christianity's most sacred week.

Also called "Spy Wednesday," the last Wednesday before Easter Sunday is celebrated in Eastern Orthodox churches but less so in other denominations, according to Got Questions Ministries. It is called Spy Wednesday because it is traditionally thought of as the day Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. The beginning of Matthew 26 appears to place Judas' plotting at two days before Good Friday.

Although the Bible does not specifically mention this particular day, according to traditional interpretation of Scripture, it was on a Wednesday when a woman anointed Jesus with nard, a costly aromatic oil.

As is described in Matthew 26:6-13, Jesus was at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany when a woman came up to Jesus with an alabaster flask of this expensive ointment and poured it on his head. The disciples thought it was wasteful and objected, arguing that it could have been sold for a large sum and distributed to the poor.

Jesus, however, pushed back: Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Pure nard is the liquid form of spikenard root, which only grows in the Himalayan Mountains, was difficult to obtain, and is quite pricey. The fragrance of the oil was so strong that when Jesus was anointed, the scent filled the room. Some have suggested that in light of how soon he was crucified after that, the scent of that oil remained with him and comforted him amid his agony on the cross.

The story is recounted in all four Gospels, underscoring its importance, though Luke's account records it as taking place in the northern region, as it is said Jesus was ministering in Nain and Capernaum. The woman in Luke's account is not named. In Luke and John, it is noted that the woman used her hair to dry the feet of Jesus, an extraordinary gesture. The timing of the event and where it occurred, in addition to the identity of the woman, has long been debated in light of the differences in the Gospel accounts.
Qatar will send two field hospitals to Italy, the worlds hardest hit country by the novel coronavirus outbreak, joining thus a string of countries, including China, Cuba and Turkey that have been helping Italy to address the outbreak.

The medical aid will support the European country in its efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic, Qatari news agency QNA said on Twitter.

The agency indicated that two Qatari military aircraft will land in the European country on Wednesday and two others on Thursday.

The two field hospitals, with a 1,000-bed capacity each, will be fully equipped with modern technology to treat COVID-19 infected patients, QNA added.

Italy has recorded 139,422 coronavirus cases and over 17,660 fatalities.

Qatar is also hit by the novel illness, recording 2,210 cases and 6 deaths.
Kerry County Council is to close all public car parks at beaches around the county for the Easter weekend, it said.

It follows growing concern by the public and An Garda Siochana travel restrictions were being widely ignored this Easter week and visitors were arriving from Dublin and other parts of the country.

Last weekend, Gardai in Kerry began calling door to door to holiday and second homes in west Kerry following complaints about numbers of persons with second homes or renting second homes were arriving.

On Wednesday afternoon, the activity increased and following the emergency legislation including hefty fines, permanent road block check points were being installed on approach roads throughout Tralee, Garda Superintendent Dan Keane said.

However in key walking spots like Mangerton Mountain and woodlands at the edge of Killarney National Park, earlier in the day up to 12 cars were parked at one stage, with registrations from Cork, Dublin, Meath and elsewhere.

Other cars with Dublin, Cork and other registration numbers have been arriving all week to walk the area.

Supt Dan Keane, the most senior Garda in Tralee and west Kerry, issued an appeal early this week after Gardai were asked take action in west Kerry last weekend.

Stop occupying holiday homes in west Kerry and elsewhere. It is not in line with what the Government are trying to do, Supt Keane said.

"The holiday homes were not to be occupied by owners or short lets."

"Beaches, caravan parks, holiday homes would get checks."

The Gardai did not want to break up the party, but under the current crisis this is exactly what they were required to do.

"The checkpoints on roads would be widespread and people will be turned back."

What is happening is a Garda operation with check points mounted all over the county in respect of persons travelling. It is kicking off later today."

Kerry people travelling out will face the same restrictions and will be turned back home, and those occupying holiday homes or second homes would be asked to remain in them.

Kerry has high numbers of second homes - over 8,000 according to the last census.

Concern about arrivals to second homes has been brewing with well over two weeks.

West Kerry Councillor Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald has called for specific guidelines and more Garda resources to deal with the crowded beaches and lack of social distancing.

Meanwhile, council personnel will be present at the car parks to monitor the closures over the weekend and will liaise with An Garda Siochana to ensure compliance, a spokesman said.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
Many pilgrims among Iraqs Shia majority perform annual Shaabaniya pilgrimage to Karbala remotely, to curb virus.

Every year, Iraqs holy city of Karbala sees hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge on it in the weeks leading up to the holy month of Ramadan as Shia Muslims flock to its shrines to celebrate the annual Shaabaniya pilgrimage.

Coinciding with the 15th day of the Islamic month of Shaaban, the pilgrimage marks the birth of the ninth century and twelfth Shia Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, a revered figure who Shia Muslims believe will return as a saviour to humanity.

The pilgrimage is among the most important visits for Shia Muslims along with Ashura, which marks the day that Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was killed in the Battle of Karbala and the Arbaeen, or 40 days of mourning, that follow.

But with more than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country and at least 64 deaths as a result of the virus, the pilgrimage will be scaled down this year. Iraqi authorities banned public gatherings, including religious visits, and urged people to stay home by imposing a nationwide curfew until April 19.

Many Iraqis have, therefore, opted to visit Karbalas shrines remotely, using free-of-charge phone services, live streaming on websites and satellite television channels dedicated to facilitating the pilgrimage from afar.

Pilgrimage banned

In addition to the curfew, Iraq has imposed travel restrictions and shuttered shrines across the country to curb the spread of the virus. Iraqs top Shia leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared weeks ago that the fight against COVID-19 was a sacred duty, calling on citizens to practice social distancing and avoid religious gatherings.

But only weeks ago, dozens of Shia pilgrims, mainly from among populist leader Muqtada al-Sadrs followers, defied a weakly enforced curfew in order to visit the shrine of Imam Jaafar al-Khadim in Baghdad on the anniversary of his death.

To ensure stricter adherence this time, local and central authorities have issued several statements banning visits to Karbala ahead of the religious occasion.





Our security forces are committed to enforcing the law. Weve banned visits [to shrines]. Anyone who violates the curfew will be arrested,  said Khaled al-Muhanna, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, in a statement on April 1.

Karbalas governor, Nassif al-Khattabi, who closed off the city weeks ago, also urged pilgrims to stay home, declaring the Shaabaniya cancelled this year.

Our decision is clear and final. We are cancelling the visit, said al-Khattabi in a television statement last week.

We deeply apologise for this, but Karbala is completely closed off. No one is allowed to enter, not even officials. We are in a battle against the coronavirus.

Many regular pilgrims told Al Jazeera they welcomed the decision.

We cannot risk our lives nor endanger others by insisting on religious gatherings. My friends and I agree with the cancellation of the pilgrimage,  said Bilal Awwad, 27, from Iraqs southern city of Nasiriya.

Fatima Adel, a university student from Karbala, agreed: I fully support our governors decision. We need to limit the number of cases.

Karbalas police department on Tuesday said it deployed additional forces around the city to secure its entry points.

Weve deployed three times the number of police on main and subsidiary roads around the city to prevent people from sneaking in, Alaa al-Ghanimi, spokesman for Karbala police, told Al Jazeera.

As per the authorities, curfew violators will be arrested and can face up to a month in jail, he explained.

Remote visits

Pilgrims usually perform the Shaabaniya by visiting the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala and reading select prayers and supplications at his grave.

But this year, many people told Al Jazeera they would perform their pilgrimage through virtual and other remote means because of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

The Shaabaniya means a lot to us and its painful that we  re unable to visit the shrines, but like Ayatollah Sistani said, its our religious duty to abide by the law and safeguard ourselves and others,  said Ahmed al-Okaishi, a Najaf resident and regular attendee at the annual pilgrimage.

Instead of going this year, I will stay home and perform the rituals from my home along with my family using live-streaming and satellite TV channels,  he told Al Jazeera.

Ghizwan al-Issawi, also from Najaf, said he would do the same.

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I will be abiding by the law and carrying out my visit through remote means, al-Issawi told Al Jazeera. I encourage everyone to follow the authorities instructions. Im sure God will be more accepting of our prayers this way.

Sheikh Salar Ali, a Shia leader in Diala, explained that the concept of remote visits to shrines is accepted within Shia jurisprudence, and not unfamiliar among Iraqs Shia majority.

The Shaabaniyah can be performed remotely by carrying out the payers and supplications from ones home.

To feel more connected, people can use the call-in services on satellite channels to speak to the sheikhs at the shrines and follow the rituals virtually, explained Sheikh Ali, adding he expected many regular visitors to opt for this.

People have been longing to visit the shrines for weeks amid this crisis. Many will use virtual methods to perform their visits, he said.

Karbala TV has broadcasted the pilgrimage in previous years for people outside of Iraq and others who were unable to attend [File: Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]

Call-in services and live streaming

In order to facilitate the remote visits and in support of the governments decision, authorities managing the shrines also urged people to stay home while they provide remote services.

Afdal al-Shami, assistant to the secretary-general of the al-Ataba al-Husseiniya, which manages the shrine of Imam Hussein, said many means have been set up for this purpose.

The pilgrimage is not a religious obligation, but safeguarding everyones safety and wellbeing is, al-Shami told Al Jazeera. While the shrines are still open, there are clear instructions from local and central authorities banning any gatherings there.

People committed to the pilgrimage and the curfew will be able to perform the pilgrimage from their homes, he said.

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Al-Shami explained that religious leaders will be present at the shrines to take peoples calls on phone numbers dedicated by the authority for call-in services. He added that live streaming from inside the shrines will also be present on its official website, and also broadcast on satellite television channels.

One of the main channels is Karbala TV, which has regularly broadcast the pilgrimage in previous years for people outside of Iraq and others who were unable to attend.

In a show of support for the authorities efforts, Iraqs media and communications commission said it donated free telephone services to the authorities at shrines in Karbala and other religious sites across Iraq to encourage people to call in during the crisis.

For those who wished to attend the pilgrimage but remain committed to protecting everyones safety, we have dedicated free telephone services to facilitate remote visits, said the commission in a statement on April 5.

Muhammad al-Asadi, an official at the commission, told Al Jazeera that authorities managing the shrines in Karbala had welcomed their initiative.

These phone lines facilitate remote visits by providing free means of communication with the sheikhs at the shrines, al-Asadi explained. Even those who may not have afforded to make the call can now phone in.

For Ali al-Shimmari, 26, from Baghdad, the remote visit will not feel the same, but he will do it anyway.

This year the Shaabaniya will be different. We will definitely feel a void for not being in Karbala.

But our priority is to avoid harm  and so remote visit it is, he said.

Arwa Ibrahim reported from Doha. Abdallah al-Salam reported from Baghdad
California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Associated Press)

California officials for the first time on Wednesday provided a partial breakdown of coronavirus infections and deaths by race, releasing preliminary figures showing the distribution is broadly in line with the state's demographics.

Gov. Gavin Newsom emphasized the breakdown was based on limited data, which has been an obstacle across the state because many reports of new cases and fatalities lack information on patients' race or ethnicity.

With about 37% of patients identified by race, here is a breakdown of reported COVID-19 cases statewide:

White: 37%



Latino 30%



Asian 14%



Black 6%



Multiracial: 2.5%



Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 1.6%



American Indian or Alaska Native: 0.2%



Other: 9%

Here is a breakdown of deaths for the 39% of victims the state has identified by race:

White: 43%



Latino 29%



Asian 16%



Black 3%



Multiracial: 2%



Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 1%



American Indian or Alaska Native: 0.6%



Other: 5%

The governor said the preliminary figures track "modestly so, along the lines of the total population" and that his office is not seeing the disparities that some other states and counties have seen.

Newsom presented some of those numbers at a daily news briefing, but did not include whites and some other groups. The California Department of Public Health released more detailed figures later in the day, saying in a statement that "the race and ethnicity data is roughly in line with the diversity of California overall."

Still, the sample paints an incomplete picture.

"It's less than 40% of all of [confirmed cases] ... we're scrubbing to get 100% as quickly as we can as soon as we can," Newsom said. There were no less than 10 people that are calling coroners offices, calling hospitals, double-checking data," Newsom said, while noting that not every city and county is providing that data in real time.

With such limited information, it is difficult to determine whether any racial groups are more likely to be hit by coronavirus. Here is a breakdown of California's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau:

Story continues

Latino or Hispanic 39.3%



White 36.8%



Asian 15.3%



Black 6.5%



American Indian 1.6%



Pacific Islander 0.5%

Cities across the nation have reported a coronavirus death rate among blacks that is disproportionate to their numbers, and that has prompted scrutiny of the racial breakdown in California.

While voicing caution about the preliminary data, Newsom said the state is right to pay attention to racial disparities. He said there is "nothing more frustrating the than systemic challenges, the disparities that manifest in relationship to public health.

Those issues preceded this crisis and they continue to persist within this crisis, he added.

Los Angeles County health officials released preliminary data Tuesday that showed black residents were dying at a slightly higher rate than those of other races.

L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer cautioned that the data was based on just 57% of reported deaths. Here was the limited L.A. breakdown:

Latino 28%



White 27%



Asian 19%



Black 17%



Other 9%

When we look at these numbers by the total population of each group, African Americans have a slightly higher rate of death than other races, Ferrer said.

Black people make up 9% of the population of L.A. County. Meanwhile, Latinos comprise nearly half the county population but 28% of deaths.

California Surgeon Gen. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris acknowledged Tuesday that a rumor that African Americans had a natural immunity to the virus had caused harm among blacks, and more needed to be done to dispel it.

That rumor is completely false and it's really important for all of us to get out there in debunking that rumor, Harris said. One of the pieces that we also recognized is that, because of the true and unfortunate history of medical maltreatment of different groups of people, but especially African Americans in the United States, there are real issues of trust between the African American community and the healthcare system.

Blacks have been found to have higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and smoking-related deaths than whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, they are more likely to not see a doctor because of the cost, CDC data shows.

Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report.
A 33-year-old Sudanese refugee is due in court on Wednesday accused of killing two people in a knife attack in the town of Romans-sur-Isere, south-eastern France, at the weekend. The suspect, who acted alone, according to the prosecutor's office, is to face an anti-terrorist magistrate with a view to indictment.

France's national public prosecutor's office (Pnat) announced the opening of a legal investigation in a statement, describing Abdallah Ahmed-Osman as a terrorist.

The first investigation attempts to demonstrate that he acted alone, without being commanded by a terrorist organisation, said Pnat, saying that it will demand provisional detention for the accused.

Two other Sudanese refugees, one living in the same household and the other presumed to be close to the alleged attacker, were arrested following the attack. However, they were released shortly afterwards without charge.

Abdallah Ahmed-Osman did not remember what happened during Saturday's attack, according to a source close to the enquiry, cited by the AFP news agency.

Franceinfo reported that the alleged attacker told the authorities that he felt ill at ease, spied on and that he was not coping with the coronavirus lockdown.

Pnat said that searches of the man's property revealed manuscripts with a religious connotation in which he complained about living in a country of disbelievers.

The knife rampage in broad daylight shocked the town of Romans-sur-Isere with French President Emmanuel Macron describing it as an odious act.

Witnesses told local radio station France Bleu Drome Ardeche that he shouted, "God is greatest in Arabic as he stabbed his victims.

The prosecutor's office said he was found on his knees praying when the security forces came for him. A member of the police union said the alleged assailant called on police to kill him as they took him into custody.

A tobacco shop was the scene of the first attack before the suspect went into a butcher's shop and seized a knife, attacking more people outside a bakery.

Five people were injured in the rampage, according to French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who visited the scene of the attack.

The suspect had secured refugee status in France in 2017 and was not known to the security services in France or Europe, according to Pnat.

France is on its third week of a Covid-19 lockdown with people ordered to remain at home and only essential businesses open.
*Updated 4/08

Ohio State University Extension is canceling all 4-H events, activities and programs through July 6, and all 4-H camps through Aug. 31, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirk Bloir, Ohios 4-H assistant director told 4-H members and volunteers in an email today.

Bloir added that this does not necessarily mean that county fairs during those times are canceled.

While we are making decisions regarding the youth events we organize and manage  we are deferring to local decision-makers and Governor DeWines administration on the events owned by others, such as county fairs, Bloir said in the email. The decision about whether fairs will occur is in the hands of others.

Bloir said Ohio 4-H would be ready if fairs move forward, but would be prepared if fairs are canceled.

The Ohio Fair Managers Association said that Ohios fairs were still planning for the 2020 season, and none of them had canceled or been asked to close as of April 8.

While in-person 4-H events are canceled, Bloir said extension will still offer virtual programs. OSU Extension 4-H educators will share more information and updates on these programs as they develop.
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Insurance regulator IRDAI has allowed Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Indian Bank and Union Bank, who have acquired other banks as part of the public sector bank (PSB) merger process, to continue the existing bancassurance (banks selling insurance) agreements for the next 12 months.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has said that even if the number of bancassurance tie-ups exceed three each in life, non-life and standalone health category, banks can continue with the partnerships for one more year.

Current insurance laws prohibit banks from tying up with more than three insurers in each category (life, non-life and health) to sell policies.

As part of the merger, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank will be merged into Punjab National Bank while

Two banks coming from south  Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank  will be merged.

Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank will be merged into Union Bank. The fourth one will be the consolidation of Indian Bank with Allahabad Bank.

Since the bank merged into larger banks sell insurance products, these partnerships will automatically pass on to the acquirer bank.

Further, the acquirer banks (Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank and Indian Bank) will also receive renewal commissions for the insurance products sold. This is subject to these banks entering into servicing partnerships with the insurance companies.

It is likely that a similar flexibility could be given for banks holding promoter stake in insurance companies.

Clarity is awaited on what happens to banks where there is an insurance joint venture. After the PSB merger, Union Bank will be tagged as promoter of both Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance as well as IndiaFirst Life (where Andhra Bank is a promoter). Similarly, Punjab National Bank will be tagged as promoter of both PNB MetLife Insurance and Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance (where Oriental Bank of Commerce holds stake).

As per insurance laws, one bank cannot hold promoter-level stake (more than 10 percent) in multiple insurers in the same category, be it life, non-life or health.
Biobot's wastewater analysis can help to increase modeling accuracy without direct interaction with an increasingly strained healthcare system. Biobot analysis provides communities with a dynamic virus map of pandemic changes such as the spread to new areas and a reduction in established hotspots.

New studies show that SARS-CoV-2 is shed in stool, meaning it's collecting in sewer systems. "Wastewater epidemiology can help to gauge the level of COVID-19 infection because a broad community or area can be tested rapidly," said Newsha Ghaeli, Biobot Analytics co-founder and president. "And by identifying SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals, Biobot can help public health officials plan more effectively."

Biobot is actively supporting COVID-19 epidemiology in two ways:

1) Establish protocols to test sewage for SARS-CoV-2. Biobot, along with researchers at MIT, Harvard, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, announced a program to map COVID-19 nationally. The researchers are providing the work pro bono; communities only need to cover sample kit and shipping costs ($120 per sample). Communities will collect and ship their samples to Biobot.

2) Increase its automated sampling to run for seven consecutive days. Expanding sampling from one day to seven, along with additional product ruggedization, builds on an earlier Biobot prototype used during a successful pilot with a North Carolina municipality to improve its understanding of community opioid use.

To access product engineering and manufacturing support, Biobot contacted FORGE, a nonprofit organization established by Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech incubator in North America, to support product startups from initial prototyping and design through production.

Through FORGE, Biobot selected Boston Engineering to enhance its product capabilities and design for manufacturability. In 2019, Boston Engineering enhanced Biobot product design and manufactured 12 prototypes. The Biobot product roadmap includes producing advanced prototypes and making additional enhancements for scalable manufacturing.

"Working with Boston Engineering, through FORGE's connection, has been transformative to our work," said Mariana Matus, CEO and co-founder of Biobot Analytics.

"We are proud to help Biobot scale the availability of its system to provide public health officials with new levels of actionable insight," said Mark Smithers, CTO of Boston Engineering.

About Biobot Analytics

Inspired by the potential of wastewater epidemiology, Biobot is the first company in the world to commercialize data from sewage. The company's technology generates public health data that is naturally anonymized yielding unprecedented insight into the health of communities without collecting personal identifiable information. Biobot is headquartered in the Boston area and is available online at https://www.biobot.io/.

About Boston Engineering

Boston Engineering provides product design and engineering consulting from concept development through connected product capabilities. The company specializes in defense & security, medical devices, robotics, and commercial industries. Boston Engineering is also a reseller for PTC, ThingWorx, and Ansys. Founded in 1995, Boston Engineering is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 standards. The company is headquartered in Waltham, Mass., and is online at www.boston-engineering.com.

SOURCE Boston Engineering

Related Links

http://www.boston-engineering.com


Why hasnt the Indiana State Department of Health been collecting race data on COVID-19, given the well-known health disparities in communities of color?

During the governors press conference earlier this week, we learned that the health department had only just started collecting data on race.

Honestly, the Black community has struggled to trust the medical profession anyway, and this kind of oversight does not help.

We know COVID-19 does not discriminate, and health disparities, including underlying conditions within the Black communities, are well known.

 Related  Battling COVID-19: Is this my death march?

Black people make up approximately 9.8% of the states population based on 2019 estimates. The Latinx community is 7.1%, and the Asian-American community is 2.5%. When we include people who identify as multi-racial, Indiana is approximately 21% non-white.

Just looking at Black Hoosiers, according to information pulled from the ISDH website, Black people were more than twice as likely to get Type 2 diabetes. Their own data also notes that as of 2017, 13.4% of Black people had asthma in Indiana, and Black people were hospitalized five times more than white people.

Data matters.

But this isnt all on the ISDH. Health systems in Marion County  home to the largest Black population in the state  shouldve known better and made the case that race data mattered, especially given the false information circulating in the Black community about COVID-19.

Diversity statements, charters, committees and councils ring hollow without actual cultural proficiency, equity and inclusion.

Due to the current testing policies  which were driven by the availability of tests  we may never know the true number of people who had COVID-19 and recovered because they were never tested. We may not know all the people who died due to COVID-19.

 Chart: Tracking COVID-19 in Indiana

But we will have a picture of how Black people  a group known to be disproportionately vulnerable to this non-discriminatory virus  fared during this global pandemic. And that matters not only now, but for history.

The health department is correcting the oversight and working on compiling the data. OK.

Marion County health systems need to assist the ISDH and better yet provide their data on race to our community. The real question is what is happening in Indianapolis?

This matters now for the Black community because if our systems are overwhelmed, there will be protocols to decide who gets life-saving treatment and who doesnt. Then we may see the consequences of the institutionalization of disparities.

We are in this together, but all of us arent in it the same way.

What I am hearing

There are many people who are doing all they can to preserve the village.

Ive been heartened by stories of pastors who have pushed their ministries beyond the church walls to serve the hungry. The Near Northwest Faith Partners, under the leadership of Bishop Tyreese Bowman of Greater Zion Fellowship Community Church, are working to provide meals to families and people in their community daily.

Community churches  Pastor Carl Z. Liggins of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Bishop Charles M. Finnell of Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Assembly and Pastor Ivan Douglas Hicks of First Baptist North Indianapolis, to name a few  are working together on this effort to provide an important service to the community.

But they arent the only ones.

When the Midwest Food Bank received an influx of 110,000 pounds of fresh produce, soups and dairy products from restaurants that were forced to close due to COVID-19, they contacted the city, but the city needed help.

Leaders with B4U Fall, 46218 Community Engagement Group, Evolve and The Fathers Foundation came together with churches from across the city to seize the opportunity, leveraging their collective social capital and organizational capacity to get approximately $140,000 worth of food to the community.

Barnes United Methodist Church, Hovey Street Church of Christ and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church stepped forward as distribution sites.

In speaking with the Midwest Food Bank staff, they noted the excellence of the operation and appreciated the capacity and the passion of the team that executed on the effort.

They dont do it for the spotlight or recognition, but I would personally like to thank the leadership of Shane Shepherd, Joi Redmon, Al Montgomery, Curtia Taylor, Shonna Majors, John Grice, Pastor Denell Howard, Rev. Charles Harrison, Rev. Ronald Covington and all of the volunteers, especially the young people who made this possible.

My hope is that we can see more of these pop-up food distribution programs in our community. While we appreciate the pantries that serve our community on a regular basis, the energy of this particular pop-up was focused on the dignity of Black people during these tough times.

When executed properly and safely, like this effort, it also facilitates an opportunity for people to fight back against this pandemic by helping others.

The community collaboration among grassroots  we can all appreciate that.

No doubt, if there are other efforts underway, I want to hear about them. We need to talk about how we are helping ourselves.

Finally, as banks begin the process of distributing our tax dollars to local businesses, we should be paying attention to whether Black businesses get the funding. More on that soon.

Marshawn Wolley is a lecturer, commentator, business owner and civic entrepreneur. Contact him at marshawnwolley@gmail.com.
A deadly Pacific storm slammed into Fiji on Wednesday, tearing off roofs and flooding towns, after leaving a trail of destruction in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Tropical Cyclone Harold weakened slightly overnight from a scale-topping Category Five to a Four, but was still lashing Fiji with winds of up to 240 kilometres per hour (150 miles per hour), forecasters said. The official NaDraki weather service said the cyclone was offshore south of Fiji's main island Viti Levu, but passing closer to land than initially expected. Despite the downgrade, it said Harold remained "extremely dangerous" and advised residents in the island's south to shelter in churches, schools or other substantial buildings. Images on social media showed extensive damage at Nausori, just outside Suva, with corrugated iron roofs peeled back by the ferocious winds. The main street of Ba, in the island's north, was submerged after the local river burst its banks. The National Disaster Management Office said residents along much of the south coast, home to many of the country's major tourist resorts, should evacuate. "We are expecting a significant storm surge to be very dangerous for those living in coastal areas, we urge you to move to higher ground," it said. NDMO director Vasiti Soko said evacuation centres had been set up and officials were attempting to maintain social distancing to ensure COVID-19 did not spread among those fleeing the cyclone. Fiji has 15 cases of the coronavirus, with all known sufferers in quarantine before the cyclone hit. - Town 'obliterated' - Harold claimed 27 lives in the Solomon Islands last week, and on Tuesday tore through Vanuatu, destroying much of the country's second-largest town Luganville. World Vision's Vanuatu director Kendra Gates Derousseau said an aerial survey carried out by disaster officials late Tuesday showed the town of Melsisi on Pentecost island had also been devastated. "We've done some programming there in the past, so I can recognise the landmarks -- you can see that 90 percent of all buildings are obliterated, is the term I'd use," she told AFP. A massive international aid effort was launched after the last Category Five storm to hit Vanuatu, Cyclone Pam in 2015, flattened the capital Port Vila. But Vanuatu's international borders are currently closed as the impoverished Pacific nation bids to remain one of the world's few places with no confirmed COVID-19 cases. The government has revoked a domestic travel ban imposed as part of its virus response, which will allow disaster relief to flow from Port Vila to the worst-hit islands in the north. New Zealand said it had deployed a P-3 Orion aircraft to help with damage assessments and allocated NZ$500,000 (US$300,000) in aid funding for essential supplies. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington would provide further assistance if requested by Vanuatu. "We are aware that the Government of Vanuatu is running a 'keep it out' strategy, and we will give serious consideration to ensure that any response to the Cyclone does not lead to the spread of COVID-19 to Vanuatu," he said. The cyclone formed off the Solomons last week, where it washed dozens of passengers from an inter-island ferry into the sea. It was initially expected to only reach Category Three. Latest forecasts say it will brush past Tonga early Thursday, still at Category Four strength, before petering out over the sea by the weekend. Damage caused by Harold near Vanuatu's capital Port Vila is shown on April 7. The storm is now moving towards Fiji Map locating Tropical Cyclone Harold that slammed into Fiji on Wednesday, after leaving a trail of destruction in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
The global chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday for the first time explicitly blamed Syria for toxic attacks, saying President Bashar al-Assad's air force used the nerve gas sarin and chlorine three times in 2017.

The findings came in the first report from a new investigative team set up by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to identify the perpetrators of attacks in Syria's ongoing nine-year-long civil war.

Western nations and rights groups condemned Syria following the release of the report, which will now go to the United Nations among others to decide what and if any further action should be taken.

In March 2017, Syrian fighter jets dropped sarin on the northern village of Lataminah and a military helicopter dropped a barrel bomb full of chlorine on the same village, the probe found.

The OPCW said the team "has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the use of sarin as a chemical weapon in Lataminah in 2017... and the use of chlorine... were individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force".

Member states of the OPCW agreed two years ago to give The Hague-based watchdog new powers to attribute blame for attacks, despite the objections of Syria and its ally Russia.

Previously, it had only been able to say whether chemical strikes had occurred but without naming the perpetrators.

- 'Security threat' -

The OPCW said the new Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) could not identify the precise chain of command, but that orders for the attacks must have come from senior commanders.

"Attacks of such a strategic nature would have only taken place on the basis of orders from the higher authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic military command," IIT coordinator Santiago Onate-Laborde said.

The report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was welcomed by Western nations and human rights groups /  AFP/File

"Even if authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot. In the end, the IIT was unable to identify any other plausible explanation," he said in a statement.

Western nations and human rights groups praised the OPCW report, saying it proved Syria continued chemical attacks on its own population.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "no amount of disinformation from Assad's enablers in Russia and Iran can hide the fact that the Assad regime is responsible for numerous chemical weapons attacks."

"The unchecked use of chemical weapons by any state presents an unacceptable security threat to all states and cannot occur with impunity," Pompeo said in a statement.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed.

"Such a blatant violation of international law must not go unpunished," he said.

Human Rights Watch's UN director Louis Charbonneau said that the "OPCW's conclusions should be used to support criminal justice for the individuals responsible."

But OPCW head Fernando Arias pointed out that the IIT was not there to name individuals, neither did it have the power to make findings on the non-compliance of the convention on chemical weapons.

It was now up to the OPCW's states parties, the UN Secretary-General "and the international community as a whole to take any further action they deem appropriate and necessary," Arias said.

- Fighter jets -

The report said two Syrian Arab Air Force Sukhoi SU-22 jet fighters dropped two bombs containing sarin on Lataminah on March 24 and 30, 2017.

A Syrian military helicopter dropped a cylinder containing chlorine on a hospital in the same village on March 25 that year, the report said.

In total, 106 people were affected by the attacks, the OPCW said.

Almost two years ago, the OPCW confirmed that sarin and chlorine were used in two attacks on the town, but did not name those responsible at the time.

The Lataminah strikes came just days before another deadly sarin assault in nearby Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that killed more than 80 people.

Western nations launched air strikes on Syrian military targets in response to the Khan Sheikhun attack.

The OPCW team is expected to deal at a later date with an alleged 2018 chlorine attack in the Syrian town of Douma in which at least 40 people died -- an investigation that has become a major bone of contention between Damascus and its Russian ally and Western nations.

Damascus has continued to deny the use of chemical weapons and insists it has handed over its weapons stockpiles under a 2013 agreement, prompted by a suspected sarin gas attack that killed 1,400 in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

The OPCW won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work in Syria and says it has eliminated 97 percent of the world's chemical weapons.
Susanna Reid struggled to hold back her tears on Good Morning Britain when she watched a video of a couple reuniting after the coronavirus lockdown.

The 49-year-old was visibly moved by the clip on Wednesday, which showed a lady being wheeled out of hospital after a 15-day battle with coronavirus.

The patient was still wearing a mask, as were the rest of the medical staff who had gathered to watch her see her love once again after beating the deadly illness.

Emotional: Susanna Reid struggled to hold back tears on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday as she watched a couple reuniting after a 15-day coronavirus battle

Dr Hilary Jones said: 'It's fabulous. It's like the first victories in a war, isn't it? The first little victories. Turning the tide, hopefully.'

The lady then saw her husband and rose out of her chair as they embraced once another intensely as everyone around them applauded.

Susannas voice broke as she said: 'She hasn't seen her husband in two weeks, oh my goodness.

Special moment: As the couple embraced, Susanna's voice broke as she said: 'She hasn't seen her husband in two weeks, oh my goodness'

Dr Hilary Jones said: 'It's fabulous. It's like the first victories in a war, isn't it? The first little victories. Turning the tide, hopefully'

'One of the cruelties of this disease, Dr Hilary, is that normally when your loved one is sick, you are at their bedside. You use every moment of visiting time to be with them and unfortunately with Covid, that is impossible.

Struggling to speak, she said: 'So you do not get to see your relatives. And the emotion of that reunion is almost overwhelming.'

Susanna herself had spent some time in quarantine after her son showed possible symptoms of coronavirus and had been broadcasting from home.

Susanna said: 'One of the cruelties of this disease is that normally when your loved one is sick, you are at their bedside. You use every moment of visiting time to be with them and unfortunately with Covid, that is impossible'

She is now back in the studio and working alongside her co-host Piers Morgan, 55.

On Monday, Susanna and Piers paid tribute to co-host Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper.

Their co-host Kate is reportedly 'sick with worry' as Derek battles COVID-19 in intensive care, after being admitted to the hospital a week before and testing positive for the virus.

Emotional Susanna said: 'I know I speak for all of the team and all of our viewers when we send our love to Kate Garraway and her husband Derek Draper.

Expressing their support: On Monday, Susanna and Piers paid tribute to Kate Garraway's husband Derek Draper, as he continues to battle COVID-19 in hospital

'We send him every ounce of strength as he recovers from coronavirus and our love to Kate.'

She continued: 'You may have read over the last couple of days that Derek is in intensive care, he's tested positive for coronavirus.

'On Thursday night, Kate posted a video on Instagram when she and her family were clapping for carers, and said that she had an extra reason to do that.

'We thank all of the NHS workers who are working so hard at the moment treating those who are suffering from the virus.'

Piers also discussed the ordeal, describing it as 'agonising for everyone involved'.
A mayor in New Jersey plans to use a drone to order social distancing scofflaws to disperse.

Chris Bollwage, the mayor of Elizabeth, a town just across the state line from Staten Island, said on Tuesday that police officers would be using drones to combat illegal gatherings.

'These drones will be around the city with an automated message from the Mayor telling you to STOP gathering, disperse and go home,' the Elizabeth Police Department said in a statement.

Police say that violators face fines of up to $1000, and that summonses have already been issued to people who refuse to disperse.

Chris Bollwage, the mayor of Elizabeth, a town just across the state line from Staten Island, said on Tuesday that police officers would be using drones to combat illegal gatherings

The police department said that it had been using drones since 2018, but recently obtained five drones equipped with voice and siren capabilities.

The drones are on loan to the department from manufacturer DJI under the Chinese company's public safety disaster relief program.

'You have been advised,' the department said in a warning to scofflaws.

In China, police used drones with thermal imaging scanners to check whether residents were wearing masks in public.

Outside of nearby New York, New Jersey has been the hardest hit American state in the coronavirus crisis.

Police showed off a test of the drone as it flew blaring a siren, and said a recorded message from the mayor would be added to scold scofflaws

So far, at New Jersey has at least 47,437 confirmed 1,504 deaths.

On Wednesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said another 275 had died there, the highest one-day death toll yet in the state.

Murphy tightened New Jersey's social-distancing requirements, ordering retailers including grocery stores still allowed to operate to limit customers, ensure that customers and employees wear face coverings and regularly sanitize the premises.

'We need to continue to be absolutely vigilant and, if anything tighten, as opposed to loosen,' Murphy said of coronavirus-related restrictions on residents. 'And I don't say that with any joy.'
As the novel coronavirus spreads across the United States, and the number of cases and deaths rise with stunning speed, the Environmental Protection Agency is giving oil refineries, chemical plants and other industrial facilities an unprecedented pass to pollute.

A seven-page memo, citing the virus, invited industry to ignore vital safeguards for air, water and hazardous waste during the outbreak. The phrasing is bureaucratic and legalistic but indefensible and heartbreaking.

It is a sweeping abdication of EPAs mission to protect our health and safety, at the worst possible time. That is because the millions of Americans living in places with high levels of air pollution, like Houston, are at a greater risk of suffering the worst effects from COVID-19.

We just want to breathe clean air. Especially now.

Air pollution already is a serious problem in Houstons Pleasantville, where Achieving Community Tasks Successfully, or ACTS, works. The historic neighborhood is home to more than 3,000 people, mostly black and Latino and working class. For decades, communities of color and low wealth in Houston, including the Fifth Ward, Manchester and Sunnyside, have borne a disproportionate burden from this toxic threat.

Warehouses, metal recyclers, salvage yards and the East Loop surround Pleasantville. The heavily industrial, often dirty Ship Channel is just to the south. The cancer risk for the communitys residents is higher than the overall Houston area, but the nearest state-operated air quality monitor is on the other side of the freeway, two miles away.

ACTS recently launched a community-owned and managed monitoring network  the first of its kind in Texas  with funding from Environmental Defense Fund to get a clearer understanding of the harmful chemicals in our air. The data is under review for accuracy and replication, but suggests the air quality too often is not where it should be.

Even without the pressing threat of the coronavirus, people living in working-class communities like Pleasantville where the air is unsafe to breathe often have higher rates of lung and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Studies also have linked air pollution to larger numbers of people hospitalized with pneumonia.

This creates a one-two punch of higher risk and fewer resources. It is hard to imagine that the consequences of EPAs retreat at the request of the American Petroleum Institute and other lobbyists will not be devastating to those who need protection the most. Under the new policy, for example, oil refineries could use the coronavirus as an excuse to suspend federally mandated monitoring of cancer-causing benzene  and workers and neighboring communities would not know. They also could delay repairs to equipment, increasing the risk of fire or explosion, like the many we have seen in the Houston area over the past year.

Our Texas experience tells us that we cannot expect industry to regulate themselves. Shortly after Hurricane Harvey barreled into Houston in 2017, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended 46 environmental protections relating to air pollution and wastewater, among other issues, for nearly seven months.

Companies blamed the storm for more than 100 unauthorized releases of pollutants, including a massive leak of benzene that the city of Houston and EDF detected in the Manchester neighborhood, just three miles south across the Ship Channel from Pleasantville. The independent monitoring prompted EPA to conclude that Valero Energy Corp. had significantly underestimated and underreported the amount of the release to the state. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, has yet to take enforcement action against the facility.

Industry says releases of excess pollution are rare. In fact, they are common, but rarely punished. Reports show TCEQ has penalized companies for fewer than 3 percent of illegal releases of harmful air pollution since 2011.

Like the EPA, the Texas agency has told companies that they may request exemptions from legal requirements while the coronavirus rages.

Thankfully, Harris County understands that protecting public health is an obligation, not a choice. The county has said it will enforce the law with no exclusions because families do not suspend their concern for their health and the air they breathe because of the outbreak.

Government at all levels should be doing everything it can to protect the public from air pollution right now. That includes rising to the challenge presented by the virus, prioritizing additional resources for high-risk communities, eliminating hot spots, and holding industry accountable for harmful pollution releases.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans could suffer the horrifying consequences of COVID-19. Instead of trying to take political advantage of this crisis, Trumps EPA should work to save lives, especially the most vulnerable among us.

Murray is a retired nurse and Pleasantville resident who founded Achieving Community Tasks Successfully. Craft is senior director for climate and health at Environmental Defense Fund.
Passengers to Be Evacuated From Antarctic Cruise Ship After Almost 60% Test Positive for CCP Virus

Australian and New Zealand passengers will be evacuated from a stricken Antarctic cruise ship on April 9, after almost 60 percent of those on board tested positive for the CCP virus.

The Greg Mortimer, a cruise liner operated by Australias Aurora Expeditions, departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia. Since the beginning of April, however, the ship has been stuck off the coast of Uruguay, after authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark due to the risk of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Of the 217 people on board, 128 passengers and crew have now tested positive for the CCP virus.

Six passengers requiring specialized care have been transferred to medical facilities in Montevideoa video posted online by the Uruguayan navy showed them being transferred from ship to ship wearing full protective gear.

Passengers from European and American who have tested positive for CCP virus, however, will have to remain on board until they have a negative test result, after which they may be able to depart via Brazil, Aurora said.

All passengers will be retested every two or three days, according to the companys website.

Aerial view of Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer off the port of Montevideo on April 7, 2020. (Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement earlier this month, Aurora said that the ships doctor had developed a fever, and we are organizing a back-up volunteer medic. The cruise operator added it had formally escalated our request to the Uruguayan authorities to allow the ship to dock and passengers to disembark, but it had so far been denied.

Late Tuesday, the Uruguayan government said it had authorized a medical flight evacuation of New Zealand and Australian passengers aboard the Greg Mortimer for later this week. The passengers will fly to Melbourne on Thursday on a plane chartered by Aurora, where they will undergo a mandated 14-day quarantine before proceeding to their final destinations.

We have been working on charters and flights for all onboard with the aim of disembarking our passengers as soon as possible, Aurora said in a statement.

While our preferred plan had been to disembark all passengers simultaneously, the nature of the situation and the difficultly in securing flights has meant it is likely that the Australian and New Zealand passengers will leave the vessel before our European (UK included) and North American passengers.

Aurora said the chartered Airbus A340 will be specially fitted with medical and quarantine facilities in order to ensure the health and safety of all on board. The company estimated the cost per passenger of at least $9,300, and said it was in discussions with the Australian government for support with this cost as we know that it is not viable for many people.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship sits docked in Port Kembla, Australia, on April 6, 2020. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Ian Duddy, the UKs ambassador to Uruguay, said on Twitter that we remain in close contact with the Uruguayan government, the cruise operator [and] UK passengers on board the Greg Mortimer.

Several passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. We continue to explore ways for passengers to disembark while respecting all health protocols, he added.

The Uruguayan government did not comment on when or whether passengers would be able to disembark this week.

Cruise Ships Stuck

More than a dozen cruise ships have been effectively trapped at sea due to the CCP virus pandemic, as countries refused to allow those carrying infected passengers to dock.

Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said this month it was in direct contact with 10 cruise ships with around 600 Australian passengers on board.

In most cases, disembarkation cannot occur unless passengers have onward flight arrangements and are able to travel directly to the airport via a so-called sanitary corridor, put in place by host countries, DFAT said in a statement.

The Coral Princess cruise ship arrives at PortMiami during the CCP virus outbreak, in Miami on April 4, 2020. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

The situation on board the ships rapidly transformed from holiday to misery for passengers, many of whom booked and paid for the journeys long before the CCP virus began spreading late last year.

Jay Martinez, a passenger on board the South Pacific cruise liner Norwegian Jewel, told CNN this week that he and his wife had hesitations about boarding the ship and looked into amending their plans but were told they were locked in.

Up until the day that we left, that was not an option, Martinez said. And with us having so much money invested into our honeymoon, we had no other choice but to board the ship.

Last month, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an industry group whose members make up more than 95 percent of global cruise capacity, suspended operations from U.S. ports for 30 days.

In a statement, CLIA said about 14 percent of its fleet, some 30 or so ships, were still at sea. Our members are focused on bringing these ships safely back to port as soon as they can, it added.

Ships that do dock are often required to remain in place for extended quarantines before passengers can disembark. The effectiveness of such measures in the close confines of a ship not designed for medical screening have been questioned, however, particularly in the case of the Diamond Princess, a cruise liner which was quarantined at the Japanese port of Yokohama in February.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
In Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that the confirmed numbers of COVID-19 on the continent has risen to more than 10,000, with more than 500 recorded deaths.

While the virus was slow to reach the continent compared to other parts of the world, infections have grown exponentially in recent weeks and are continuing to spread.

Reaching the continent through travellers returning from other hotspots, Africas first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on 14 February. Since then a total of 52 countries have reported cases.

The World Health Organization is calling for a decentralised response, which is tailored to the local context. Communities need to be empowered, and provincial and district levels of government need to ensure they have the resources and expertise to respond to the outbreaks locally.

WHO is working with governments across Africa to scale up their capacities in critical response areas such as coordination, surveillance, isolation, case management, and contact tracing, as well as infection prevention and control, risk communication as well as community engagement, including laboratory capacity.
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations last Thursday to the engineers and construction firms responsible for the incomplete Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans which collapsed in October 2019 resulting in the deaths of three construction workers and the hospitalization of more than two dozen.

According to the report, which had been in preparation since November, eleven companies have been issued citations resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, mere slaps on the wrists. There have been no arrests so far, while city building inspectors who were found negligent have been allowed to retire. No criminal charges have been brought and the fines are being appealed.

The building, which was 18 stories tall, was found to have dangerously unsafe floor beams on the 16th floor which were, according to the report, under-designed in load capacity as well as having structural steel connections (that) were inadequately designed, reviewed, or approved.

A portion of the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel construction site

Both of these are among many of the other serious and willful violations found to have been committed by one of the major companies mentioned in the report, Healsip Engineering, which received the largest fines of the nearly one dozen other companies cited.

Healsip, based in the neighboring town of Metairie, is facing $154,214 in fines as a result of the violations they committed in the design and construction of the Hard Rock Hotel building. The company is already challenging the findings of the report and lawyers for the company will be appealing the already meager fines.

In the last month, at least three city building inspectors have been suspended with another allowed to resign after it was found they signed off on inspections, the Hard Rock Hotel project and many others, without having visited the sites in person.

Zachary Smith, the inspector in charge of the Department of Safety and Permits during this period, was demoted within the department but allowed to stay because he is reportedly the only city employee certified to pass inspections.

Meanwhile the families of those two men whose bodies are still trapped inside the collapsed structure have been given no closure for their grief as the city has still not settled on a definitive timetable for demolition five months after the collapse.

As of this month several different plans are being considered by the city but developers and property owners have yet to settle on a plan as many of the parties involved are unable to acquire proper insurance to cover any damage that may result in a controlled implosion.

The developers and owners are now turning to a different demolition company with a plan to take the building apart slowly piece by piece, a method which brings with it its own dangers and precautionary needs. The city, for its part, is not willing to cover the insurance needs for such a project and is demanding the property owners, 1031 Canal, cover the entirety of the demolition and insurance costs.

As outlined in the OSHA report, the collapse was caused when the upper floors of the building pancaked on top of each other, potentially the result of weak floor beams as well as vertical support beams that were spaced too far apart and thus unable to support the weight of the 17th and 18th floors.

According to OSHA guidelines, a serious violation is that which could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm.

Healsip and the other companies involved were also cited for willful violations which are those that the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.

The governments report makes clear that the collapse is the clear result of criminal disregard for building safety and protection of construction crews.

Suncoast Projects, a steel contracting company, was also cited in the report for structural violations related to steel beams used in the construction. According to the citation, Employees performed steel erection activities where steel beams on the sixteenth floor were not connected to columns on the fifteenth floor per the contract documents and did not meet specific load requirements, exposing employees and other workers at the jobsite to struck-by and crushing hazards.

Among the other violations levied against the other contractors include poor training requirements and a lack of protective equipment. Many workers were forced to provide their own hard hats and reflective vests.

According to another citation in the report, Citadel Builders, a partner in ownership of the property, failed to provide adequate exits or stairwells for evacuation and did not provide the site with building plans for the workers to reference.

Workers were also forced to work around dangerous chemicals and equipment without proper training or protective gear. Many of these concerns were already voiced by workers in the weeks leading up to the collapse. A cellphone video taken by a worker who has since been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), showed the safety violations and poor construction regulations of the project, including support beams that appeared to be bowing under too much weight.

When asked about the report, University of New Orleans engineering professor Norma Jean Mattel stressed that there will likely be more to come as a definitive answer to what caused the collapse has not yet been given. These citations are preliminary and all the entities cited will have the opportunity to meet with OSHA and review issues and they may bring more information to the table then, she told WWLTV, Stay tuned until the final report comes out.

Meanwhile the wreckage of the partially collapsed building remains a grim daily reminder to the residents of New Orleans of the avoidable tragedy. Due to months of delays and the shifting of blame and responsibility of costs from developers to owners to the city government, the families of the dead workers live in utter uncertainty each day as to when they will be able to bury their loved ones.

Outraged citizens took to social media over the weekend to express their concerns over the OSHA citations. One Facebook user commented, Wonder how much 1031 Canal paid to escape blame, a reference to the fact that the company which owns the property was not mentioned in the report. Those fines are a joke. Criminal charges should be filed.
The government will only consider quarantine relaxation if coronavirus spread declines

Quarantine in Ukraine Open source

Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers considered extending the quarantine in connection with the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal stated this during a briefing broadcasted on 112 Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government will consider quarantine relaxation if the coronavirus spread decreases.

If the dynamics of morbidity decline is recorded, then only in May we will start talking about the possible easing of quarantine measures. It will definitely will not done on April 14. It is a fake spread yesterday through some news channels in Ukraine, Denys Shmygal said.

He added that in case of positive dynamics in Ukraine, a plan to launch the economy will be developed. It will establish when and where one will be able to work.

In May, in the case of positive dynamics, we will launch the economy of Ukraine according to a plan, which will be further communicated by the government, clearly spelled out, and everyone will know their role, time and place to start working, what social standards of our life will be in May, the mask regime, social distances, delaying the start and end of working hours, so as not to create rush hours, Denys Shmygal said.

WHO has asked countries not to weaken quarantine measures if they are effective.

Earlier it was reported that 17 Ukrainians had recovered from Covid-19 while staying abroad.
Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday dropped out of the White House race, paving the way for former vice president Joe Biden to become the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party and take on President Donald Trump in November presidential elections.

IMAGE: Former US vice president Joe Biden with Senator Bernie Sanders. Photograph: Reuters

"Today I am suspending my campaign. But while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on," Sanders, 78, said.

The announcement from the Vermont Senator was expected as he had not done well in the recent Democratic primaries against Biden, 77, who has now taken a substantial lead over him after winning a series of key Democratic presidential primaries.

Sanders is scheduled to address his supporters shortly.

'Sanders's withdrawal from the race concludes a quest for the White House that began five years ago in relative obscurity but ultimately elevated him as a champion of the working class, a standard-bearer of American liberalism and the leader of a self-styled political revolution,' The New York Times commented.

Reacting to the development, President Trump thanked Senator Elizabeth Warren for Sanders dropping out of the presidential race.

'Bernie Sanders is OUT! Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday! This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco. The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!' he said in a tweet.

'Wow, Bernie is unwilling to give up his delegates, and wants more of them! What's that all about? Can't see AOC plus 3 supporting Sleepy Joe!' Trump said in separate tweets, taking a jibe at Biden.

Meanwhile, Biden also took to Twitter and said: 'Together we will defeat Donald Trump. But we will also address the climate crisis. We will make college affordable. And we will make health care available to all. We will not just rebuild this nation we'll transform it. And I'm asking you to join me.'

'And to Bernie's supporters: I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed.'
At present, one cannot speak of mitigating quarantine measures, especially in view of the Easter holidays, when there is a threat of crowds and many Ukrainians return home to celebrate

According to the press service of the president of Ukraine, such an agreed conclusion was reached on Wednesday at a traditional meeting chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the fight against coronavirus.

In addition, the World Health Organization also urged not to mitigate quarantine measures, the government said.

"Quarantine is what saves us. Because we have introduced it in time, the spread of coronavirus is not so fast. We see that many Ukrainians have a responsible attitude towards quarantine, although this is not easy. We must be responsible for the people and do everything to make their lives easier at this time," Zelensky said.
Jamie Dornan has responded to criticism of the star-studded cover of John Lennons Imagine he took part in last month.

Celebrities including Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo starred in the video, which was an attempt to lift spirits amid the coronavirus outbreak. It has been viewed more than nine million times on Instagram.

It was widely criticised for being "cringeworthy" and "out of touch", with many social media users pointing out that it would be more helpful for the wealthy celebrities to donate money for much-needed ventilators and PPE.

Speaking to Northern Ireland comedian Shane Todd on his podcast, Tea With Me, Dornan said he was not aware of the negative reaction initially because he is not on social media.

"But I was made aware quite quickly by some mates," he laughed.

The Northern Ireland actor was invited to take part early on in the lockdown process by Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig and Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot.

"Kristen and I did a movie together last summer thats meant to be coming out on July 31 but who knows what will happen. We got on brilliantly. I would do anything for her - thats how highly I think of her. I was the biggest fan of her before anyway.

"She texted me saying, 'My friend Gal and I are trying to organise this thing to try and lift peoples spirits a wee bit. We just want you to sing a line of Imagine'.

"So I was like yeah, fine, of course Ill do it. Sounds like a lovely thing to do... Then she texted me a couple of days later saying, Sorry."

While he still hasn't read any of the feedback, the 37-year-old understood why there was so much backlash.

"Ill tell you what the problem was," he said.

"I literally did mine in the toilet of my house. Quite clearly, some people had escaped to their second home.

"Theres too much acreage in the background, too many beautiful trees swaying in the background, clearly in front of an ocean, that sort of craic. I was quite aware of that whenever I was doing it, to make it normal."

He added: "Ive never met Gal but everyone I know says she is lovely and all about being good and kind, and shes trying to do a good and kind thing and I just got dragged along with it, but whatre you going to do?"

Dornan was speaking to Todd from isolation in his Cotswolds home where he lives with his wife Amelia Warner (37) and his three daughters, Dulcie (6), Elva (4) and one-year-old Alberta.

Holywood-born comic Todd, whose wife is expecting a baby, asked the Fifty Shades actor for some advice on fatherhood.

I wish more people had told me how good it is," Dornan responded.

"So many people, as soon as you say youre expecting, they say say goodbye to sleep or thats your freedom gone. Its just harsh.

"By the way, a lot of thats true, but the thing we are best at as human beings is adapting and you just go with it, it becomes your new normal."

He added: "Its the best thing in the world. Have a few. I have three girls under seven and theres times where youre like, this is a f****** nightmare and you cant be equipped. Nothing can prepare you for some of the situations you find yourself in."

You can listen to the full epsiode of Shane's podcast here
A lorry driver has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Essex last year.

Maurice Robinson entered his plea at the Old Bailey after the bodies of 29 men, two boys, and eight women  all Vietnamese nationals  were discovered in the town of Grays by emergency services.

The deceased were found shortly after the lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium in the early hours of 23 October.

The 25-year-old, from Craigavon in Northern Ireland, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property but denied a further charge of transferring criminal property. The prosecution asked for three weeks to consider whether to go ahead with a trial on that charge.

The hearing was conducted virtually, with most lawyers and court reporters attending by Skype. Robinson appeared via video link alongside four co-defendants.

39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Show all 15 1 /15 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said PA 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock Reuter TV 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday. Getty 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning Reuter TV 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder PA 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex In a statement, Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner said: This is a tragic incident where a large number of people have lost their lives. Our enquiries are ongoing to establish what has happened. We are in the process of identifying the victims, however I anticipate that this could be a lengthy process. Reuter TV 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Getty 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Getty 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex PA 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Getty 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Reuter TV 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex PA 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex PA 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Reuters 39 bodies found in lorry container in Essex Reuters

British-Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, denied 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between 1 May 2018 and 24 October 2019. Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, while Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Northern Ireland, previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Recommended Essex lorry container victims died of suffocation and overheating

Valentin Calota, 37, from Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

The deaths, which a coroner ruled were caused by suffocation and overheating, triggered an international manhunt to clamp down on those who may have been involved in the alleged trafficking of the deceased, who mostly originated from the Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam.

Additional reporting by PA
Essar Ports on Wednesday said its cargo handling grew over 23 percent to 49.22 million tonnes (MT) in 2019-20

New Delhi: Essar Ports on Wednesday said its cargo handling grew over 23 percent to 49.22 million tonnes (MT) in 2019-20.

Essar Ports is one of the country's largest private-sector port and terminal developers and operators and claims to have invested Rs 11,000 crore in developing world-class terminals in three states.

"Essar Ports' business, which operates four terminals on the east and west coasts of India, has registered a 23.5 percent growth in cargo volumes in FY 2019-20, with a throughput of 49.22 million tonne (MT)," the company said in a statement.

In terms of their fourth-quarter performance, the terminals recorded a 4.63 percent growth in cargo, with a throughput of 11.08 MT, it said.

Essar Ports MD and CEO Rajiv Agarwal said, "Our focus on driving operational efficiencies and optimising operations has helped in recording strong growth. The heightened activity in the Indian economy has helped us consistently surpass the average sectorial growth rate."

While the mitigation measures adopted to control the COVID-19 outbreak have given rise to several limitations, the high mechanisation at facilities has enabled them to continue to operate and service customers, thus allowing them to meet the cargo-handling requirements of the nation, he added.

Its Hazira terminal recorded a growth of 6.32 percent during the financial year handling 25.42 MT cargo, while Vizag terminal saw a rise of 34.06 percent in cargo handling of 12.87.

Salaya terminal saw a jump of 177.21 percent in cargo handling to 5.96 MT, while Paradip terminal handled 4.97 MT cargo witnessing 18.05 percent growth.

Essar Ports is one of India's largest private sector port and terminal developers and operators.

Its current operations span four terminals with a combined capacity of 110 million tonne per annual (MTPA), which is roughly 5 percent of India's port capacity.

The company claims to be a leader in the non-containerised bulk cargo space.

All terminals of Essar Ports are equipped with advanced cargo handling infrastructure and are well poised to double capacity in the near-to-medium term.

The company said it is working in tandem with the Government of India to meet its ambitious target of becoming the $5-billion economy.

Outside India, Essar Ports' business operates an oil terminal in Stanlow, the UK, and has a coal berth in the development stage at Mozambique's Beira port.
The Independents Help The Hungry appeal today reached its initial target of raising 1m for The Felix Project  to fund the supply of food to children, the poor, the NHS and vulnerable people in London.

We surged over the line with a 50,000 donation from Citibank and 25,000 from Lush cosmetics founders Mark and Mo Constantine, as well as a rise in reader donations to more than 50,000.

It has taken just 12 days since the launch of our appeal, in conjunction with our sister title the Evening Standard, to get to 1m, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of all of our readers, our donor companies, foundations, philanthropists and more than 650 members of the public.

Evgeny Lebedev, shareholder of The Independent, said: Twelve days ago I wrote to ask for your help in the face of the greatest challenge of our collective lifetime  and you responded magnificently. The 1m you have donated will help us help The Felix Project feed NHS workers, care workers, the poor and the vulnerable. Thank you.

Recommended How to support our campaign

But I have to report that I have been out delivering food with Felix today and they are seeing unprecedented demand from people who cannot afford or access food.

I went to two homeless charities, The Marylebone Project and Rhythms of Life, where our deliveries are preventing deep distress. I accompanied one of 22 Felix vans that set off across the capital, filled to the brim, to ferry over 20 tons of nutritious food to three of the giant community hubs established in Barnet, Islington and Haringey, and to more than 75 charities and schools.

Thats more than double the 10 tons a day Felix were supplying in normal times.

Mr Lebedev added: Within days, this picture is set to change dramatically yet again. Felix say they expect another 11 community hubs in another 11 boroughs to open their doors to hungry Londoners  and with it, Felixs output will need to double again.

That is why we at The Independent are committing our resources to raise another million pounds to prevent food insecurity to people already anxious about their health and that of loved ones. That is why we say: 1m raised, 1m to go. Lets finish the job and keep vulnerable Londoners healthy and fed.

Mark Curtin (left), CEO of Felix Project, and Andrew Faris, founder of Rhythms of Life, deliver food for The Felix Project (Hannah Harley Young)

The deliveries are part of our food appeals support for the charities in the London Homeless Collective, the umbrella organisation of London homeless charities that The Independent is working with through our Homeless Fund. Felix is delivering to other homeless organisations, as well as The Marylebone Project, including Centrepoint.

Des Scott, CEO of the Church Army, which runs The Marylebone Project and provides 112 beds to homeless women under the Edgware flyover, said: Being able to get fresh vegetables is one of the key things we can do to keep these women healthy.

Andrew Faris, who founded Rhythms Of Life in 2008 after living rough on a bench at the back of The Savoy hotel when his estate management company went bankrupt, said the Felix delivery to his charity in Kings Cross would be used to feed rough sleepers.

Every night we go out to Charing Cross with food parcels and serve 100 people as we always have done. The only difference is that now I stand with my megaphone and shout, Guys, please, two metres apart, youre still going to get served, two metres apart, please.

James Bardrick, head of Citi UK, said their donation to Help The Hungry comprised a combination of company money and an (as yet unknown) aggregation of employee donations which could conceivably exceed the 50,000 minimum pledged by the bank.

He added: Our employees want to support those struggling. We supported The Felix Project when they started in 2016. Never has what they do been more important.

Lush co-founder Mark Constantine said: We are delighted to support this extraordinary appeal. In such chaotic times, it is a relief to help out and see food get to people who need it most.

The Independent is encouraging readers to help groups that are trying to feed the hungry across the country  find out how you can help here. Follow this link to donate to our campaign in London, in partnership with the Evening Standard.
As the Chinese city that was the original center of the coronavirus outbreak came out of lockdown with a celebratory light show, the U.S. registered its deadliest day yet with nearly 2,000 lives lost.

After 11 weeks of strict restrictions on their movements, residents of Wuhan were allowed out on Wednesday and tens of thousands of residents prepared to leave the city, 100 days after the World Health Organization first reported the virus.

In the U.S., the virus has now killed 12,849 people as of 2:50 am ET Wednesday, according to NBC News' tally, while the number of confirmed cases are nearing 400,000.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

New York remains the American epicenter of the crisis with a spike of over 800 fatalities Tuesday, dashing hopes numbers were leveling off. The state now accounts for 5,489 of the deaths in the U.S.

"This is a monster," President Donald Trump said during Tuesday's daily coronavirus task force update, noting that even one death is "painful."

Image: A person is transported from an ambulance to the emergency room at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on April 7, 2020 in New York. (David Dee Delgado / Getty Images)

Trump said that critical supplies would reach the hotspots in need of them, with 27 more so-called "air bridge" flights scheduled to distribute medical equipment in the coming weeks. The Army Corps of Engineers is also rushing to build facilities to hold a total of 15,000 hospital beds, he said.

Vice President Mike Pence has said new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control can be expected on Wednesday, for people who have potentially been exposed to the virus but not displayed symptoms. This will include advice on whether they can return to work, he said.

Addressing alarm that African Americans may be dying at a rate three or more times higher compared with other communities, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said data is being collected on the issue.

Trump said such data should be made publicly available later this week.

Fauci also offered a possible explanation that "given the disproportionate disparity of the underlying conditions that lead to complications" among African Americans. "I expect that we still see the pattern that when you look at the proportion of people who get into serious trouble and die again will be disproportionate for the African Americans," he added.

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Meanwhile in Wuhan, flights have began to take off from Tianhe airport. Tens of thousands were also expected to leave the city by train.

As a sense of normalcy slowly resumed, many took to the streets to watch a celebratory light display to mark an end to the darkest days in the city where the disease is thought to have originated. It was set off from a bridge crossing the broad Yangtze River which flows through the industrial city.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

However, life in the 11 million-strong city remains far from normal. Social distancing is still enforced and traveling requires a green health code on cell phone app, which confirms the owner is virus free.

I think I never lost hope," resident Zhou Zijin told NBC News. "I always thought there will be a day when all of this will end."

Image: A woman wearing a face mask adjusts her child's mask as they arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan to take one of the first trains leaving the city in China's central Hubei province (Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images)

Wuhan has paid a high price in the pandemic, with 50,000 cases and more than 2,500 deaths, according to figures provided by local health officials. It reported only two new confirmed cases in the past 14 days, although one new death was registered in Wuhan on Wednesday.

Despite Chinese health officials claiming a significant drop in domestic infections, the threat of the epidemic elsewhere in China persisted on Wednesday as Suifenhe city in northern Heilongjiang province announced the closure of all residential areas, telling people to stay in their compounds to combat the spread of the virus.

China's new reported coronavirus cases, which officials say have been mostly imported from abroad, nearly doubled on Tuesday, while new asymptomatic infections more than quadrupled, as authorities scramble to squash any new outbreaks by shutting its borders to foreigners and testing all international arrivals.

According to official reports from around the world, the virus has infected more than 1.4 million people, killed 82,000 and stalled the world's economy.
A woman was repeatedly punched in the head on a bus in Melbourne's CBD last month after asking a man to remove his feet from her seat, police say.

The woman, 20, from Footscray, was on a route 220 bus from Sunshine to the city when another passenger put his feet on her seat about 10.30am on March 12.

She asked the man to remove his feet, police say, before he stood up and punched her in the head repeatedly while the bus was driving down Footscray Road.

The man got off the bus at the intersection of Dudley Street and Wurundjeri Way in Docklands.

The woman had minor injuries.
The sun is shining as customers queue at a goose restaurant and landscapers tend to the flower beds of a nearby park. Spring has arrived in Wuhan, where the coronavirus emerged late last year, and people trickling outdoors for the first time after months of lockdown are eager to return to normal life.

But it's a gradual process for the city of 11 million, reawakening to a world that is both familiar and strange. Neighbours delighted to run into each other again, for instance, must now chat over the whirr of trucks spraying disinfectant along the streets.

Despite overwhelming relief that the worst of the pandemic seems behind them, unease hangs over the city as residents struggle to reach a verdict over the government's handling of the outbreak.

"Ordinary people like us will never know the truth," Long Menglei (30), whose mother-in-law was severely ill with the virus for weeks, told 'The Daily Telegraph'. "Still waters run deep."

China reported nearly 83,000 infections and more than 3,300 deaths, and has claimed victory in what leader Xi Jinping dubbed the "people's war" against the virus as case numbers subside. But doubts have arisen over whether the numbers accurately reflect the outbreak, given overwhelmed hospitals, multiple revisions to how cases were counted and the silencing of whistleblowers.

Loved ones lost to what doctors strongly hinted was the coronavirus, but who were never tested, weren't included in the official death tally. Countries including the US and UK have highlighted worries that Beijing's potentially suppressed count affected public knowledge of risks, seeding complacency and exacerbating the pandemic, which has exploded around the world.

Globally, more than 1.4 million people have fallen ill, and Italy has recorded the highest death toll at almost 16,500 - five times more than China. "It escalated step by step, and I think it's because they didn't handle it well in the beginning," said Ms Long, adding that if authorities "had paid more attention to it from the start, it would never have developed into today's situation".

At the peak, there were 5,000 bodies waiting for urgent cremation at one of Wuhan's eight crematoriums, a worker said - a far cry from about two dozen per day before the virus outbreak. His shifts, which began at 5.30am, would end after dark.

"I'm not clear about the total figures," he said, declining to be named given the sensitivity.

"Probably only some hospitals and the funeral affairs bureau know the real infection rates."

Even people living in an apartment block just behind the crematorium said they couldn't be sure how many bodies were transported in, as they were never allowed to venture outdoors. Hospital staff have also complained of little transparency in the process for recording and reporting infections to the authorities. One frontline nurse treating virus patients said dozens of medical workers had been infected where she worked. "I really don't know the exact numbers," she added, also requesting anonymity over fear of losing her job.

"The lockdown helped covering up for one of the most obvious reasons: when movements are severely restricted, it's hard to know what is going on even around you," said Yaqiu Wang, China researcher for Human Rights Watch.

From the start, authorities snuffed out information and criticised foreign governments for evacuating citizens and cutting flights, claiming that everything was under control.

Rather than rushing to caution the public, Chinese authorities downplayed dangers, hosting lavish holiday banquets with hundreds of people. China's ministry of public security in late February announced 5,111 cases that involved "fabricating and deliberately disseminating false and harmful information", without providing details.

Nearly 900 people were penalised by police for online speech or information-sharing about the virus over the last three months, even as health officials claimed infection rates were subsiding.

Punishments included detentions, enforced disappearances, forced confessions and "educational reprimands", said Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a network of advocacy groups that documented the cases on publicly available information, indicating the true scope of the crackdown could be much wider.

Police detained Gao Fei (30) for eight days after he turned to social media to organise face-mask donations to alleviate shortages. "They did not hear that we were short of resources," he said. "As soon as you post something like that, they just panic."

Others, like outspoken property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, disappeared after posting an explosive essay criticising Xi Jinping as a power-hungry "clown", saying censorship had made the epidemic worse. Mr Ren is now under government investigation for alleged corruption.

Government control over the coronavirus has extended into the afterlife, as grieving families haven't been allowed to visit cemeteries - the ruling Communist Party seems wary of groups gathering and griping about the government's virus response.

Residents have begun to cotton on to government claims that the US military, or unspecified foreigners, brought the virus to China.

"There are so many rumours that the infection came in during the World Military Games [last year]," said Cheng Yong (30), a hairdresser. "Or it could have been from foreign tourists, or something like that. You see now Chinese people aren't travelling abroad, but the number of cases outside of China are so much higher."

Experts, however, suspect the outbreak originated in a Wuhan seafood market, which remains sealed with police tape.

Although concerns persist about the reported infection numbers, many say the coronavirus must have cleared sufficiently if the government is confident enough to lift lockdowns.

Others effusively praised the government for apparently controlling the outbreak. "Now the whole world is dealing with this virus, and only China succeeded," said Cai Yao (34), who works for the city's public works bureau. "We really have to thank the Communist Party."

Curbs aren't completely gone. Although transport links are coming back online, people must have a green health code - a clean contagion risk profile - in order to enter public areas.

"I'm still a little nervous and a bit agitated," said Song Huangqin (20). "The current epidemic isn't completely over yet; there are still some risks at hand."

Housing compounds continue to impose their own restrictions. Ms Song, for instance, is only allowed out for two hours each day.

Hotels used as quarantine centres and 1,000-bed field hospitals that went up in a week remain in use, with medical staff in hazmat suits and police standing at attention near entrances. Beyond the required face masks, some residents continue to don full protective gear, or improvised options - fabric shoe covers, plastic raincoats, knit gloves.

Virus reminders are broadcast on loop everywhere, including car GPS systems: "Limit outings, wash your hands frequently, put on a mask, and then you can go out."

Risks loom large of a second wave occurring, which experts say could tick up silently. "It won't be initially clear what's happening - there will just be cases in the community where they are sporadically detected," said Ben Cowling, division head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong's school of public health.

"As time goes on, those numbers will gradually creep up," he said. "I think it has most likely already begun."

But Beijing seems so keen to declare the outbreak eradicated that coronavirus patients visibly still needing treatment are getting discharged.

One woman posted online about her father who was released shortly after being taken off a respirator following a negative virus test - evidence he was "cured", despite his severe symptoms.

"Now he is again in between life and death, because of district restrictions on patient admissions and authorities forcefully making numbers into zero," she wrote, eventually finding a hospital willing to take him in.

"I think we should believe the government," said Mr Zhang (40), a tech worker enjoying sunshine after 70 days indoors. "There is no other possibility."
A shortage of protective equipment for nurses is 'fundamentally compromising' the care they can offer people during the coronavirus pandemic, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.

Nurses are also putting their own safety at risk, the RCN's chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair urged.

Medical staff fighting the coronavirus are being forced to, in some instances, share personal protective equipment (PPE), buy their own, or even reuse kit - despite repeat assurances more equipment is coming, it said.

The RCN union said critical supplies of PPE is simply not reaching the front line.

UCL hospital staff seen here scrubbing up in London while attempting to battle Covid-19

In an April 6 letter to the chairman of the parliamentary Health Committee, and former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, Dame Kinnair claimed NHS nurses are having to choose between a 'sense of duty', against their own safety and that of their families.

'Nursing staff are at the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic,' she wrote. 'Our safety and ability to care for patients is being fundamentally compromised by the lack of adequate and correct supplies of vital personal protective equipment and the slow and small-scale roll out of Covid-19 testing.

Medical staff are pictured practicing loading and unloading a stretcher from an ambulance outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital in East London

'Our members are facing impossible decisions between their own or their family's health and their sense of duty.' she added.

In the letter Dame Kinnair goes on to describe how NHS staff are forced 'to share equipment, buy their own supplies or to reuse single-use PPE'.

'Although there are announcements that millions of pieces of PPE are being distributed, they aren't reaching the front line across all health and care settings,' she adds.

A world-wide need and therefore shortage of protective equipment essential in combating coronavirus has led to a shortfall in NHS supplies.

The government has announced that millions of pieces of the kit have been issued and communication lines have been set up to ensure NHS staff can get it to where it is most needed.

However, the Royal College of Nursing gave evidence to the Health Committee's coronavirus inquiry, saying: 'Actions to mitigate PPE distribution is regarded by our members to have been too slow and not transparent.'

It added that public announcements of more protective equipment for the NHS had not translated into material increases that are 'accessible' or 'adequate'.

'Without adequate and proper PPE, nursing staff are putting their own lives, the lives of their families and patients, at risk. This situation is unconscionable,' the RCN said.

The Royal College of Nursing also drew attention to the fact that PPE and hand sanitiser was 'acutely lacking' for those working in GP surgeries and care homes.

It added that inadequate supplies meant health workers are 'breaching statutory obligations'.

The RCN is calling for an intervention by the government's own Health and Safety Executive.
FACEBOOK user CJ Banasihan found his demand for the P5,000 cash assistance promised by the government answered.

Not in cash as hed hoped, though.

Dole Philippines Inc., a fruit processing company, sent Banasihan P5,000 worth of its products after Banasihan sent his demand to the company by mistake instead of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Ano na?! Nasan na yung 5k namin? Banasihan wrote on March 24, referring to the P5,000 cash assistance that the DOLE, the government agency, had promised to distribute to beneficiaries of the Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (Camp).

Dole, the fruit company, replied and pointed Banasihan to the correct Facebook page of DOLE, with the suggestion that Banasihan try a refreshing can of Dole 100% Pineapple juice if he were feeling stressed out.

Banasihans Facebook post about his exchange with Dole went viral, receiving more than 33,000 reactions and over 4,500 comments. More than 73,000 other Facebook users shared his post.

On April 6, Banasihan posted again on Facebook photos of him receiving several boxes of Dole products.

The company confirmed Wednesday, April 8, that it had sent P5,000 worth of its products to Banasihan.

He may not have gotten the money yet from the Department of Labor and Employment, but he received more than 5,000 pesos worth of our products for brightening up everyones day with his viral post, the company said in its own Facebook post.

The government agency is distributing P5,000 cash assistance to workers affected by the enhanced community quarantine imposed in the entire Luzon as a measure to contain the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

As of April 4, 2020, DOLE said 102,895 formal sector workers had received the P5,000 cash assistance under Camp while close to 80,000 workers in the informal sector benefitted from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad)-Barangay ko, Bahay Ko (BKBK) program.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier said the agency targets to distribute cash aid to more than 350,000 workers using over P1.5 billion in fund assistance under Camp and Tupad.

To reach more than 600,000 workers, the agency said it would need another P5 billion. (MVI/SunStar Philippines)
It didnt happen exactly this way, but it feels like it did: one day we were all hearing about the coronavirus. The next day, we were all murmuring the phrase social distancing. And then the day after that, the kettlebells disappeared. All of them. Ryan McGrotty, co-owner of Colorado gym equipment retailer Rep Fitness, says hes never seen a rush on his home gym inventory quite like what transpired on Friday, March 13, the day President Trump declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep Fitness did more sales in one day than it normally does in a month. Already it had been dealing with low inventory levels across its home gym lineup because the virus had temporarily shuttered factories in China. When the spike came, the whole system fell apart. Since then, the 55-person company has largely been reorganized to turn away from professional gym gear and focus only on home exercise products. The demand almost seems infinite, McGrotty says.

Rep Fitness isnt the only company in its field thats been overwhelmed with orders, as youve realized if youve tried to order weights from anywhere online. The kettlebell is the most obvious flashpoint of our great weight shortage. They're appealingly simplejust a hunk of iron with a handle, and useful for working out your entire body. But kettlebells are part of a complicated and fragile supply chain, one that's a microcosm of a global economy currently in crisis.

On April 2, Rogue Fitness, a U.S. manufacturer and retailer of strength and conditioning gear, posted pictures on Instagram of kettlebells being manufactured. Rogue, which did not respond to an interview request for this story, captioned the post to its two million followers with: We know we are behind and we are working around the clock to clear the backlog."

Rogue prides itself on manufacturing and selling American-made goods, but the company's kettlebells are normally manufactured overseas. Most of the kettlebells that you could have ordered before March 13 were; it's probably not surprising that, in 2020, there are few American foundries eagerly pumping out large bulbs of iron. But Rogue, in a moment of massive demand and with a supply chain in chaos, has turned to Rhode Island's Cumberland Foundry, a company with roughly 40 employees. Those Instagram pictures it posted were from Cumberland, a tacit acknowledgment that, at least temporarily, the system has shifted: Rogue needs professionally crafted kettlebells wherever it can get them, even if it has to pay higher, American-sized wholesale prices than what they and other companies (including Rep Fitness) are getting overseas.

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The irony is that Cumberland Foundry doesn't really want to be in the kettlebell business. Cumberland isnt automated, and its president, Tom Lucchetti, estimates that it takes a full day to produce 40 to 50 kettlebells (with Rogue handling last steps, like painting the bells). Rogue typically buys internationally-produced kettlebells by the shipping container. Ive been clear with them from the start that isnt something we can keep up with, Lucchetti says.

Besides, Lucchetti has no illusions about the current, likely fleeting situation. Foundries in America have, since the '80s, been decimated by globalization. Were a country that off-shored most of our heavy industry and manufacturing, and now look at what thats caused, he says. We cant even make paper masks. I just saw the news report that the [New England] Patriots sent a plane to get a million paper masks from China. Its pathetic that our manufacturing in America is where it is.

They look simple, but kettlebells require a complicated, involved production process. Cumberland is only here because it lucked into the kettlebell business more than a decade agoshortly before the recession of 2008, which saw its own kettlebell shortage. Back then, the owner of a Rhode Island gym was ordering products from exercise gear conglomerates, which have their kettlebells made overseas. The gym had issues with the durability of those kettlebellstheir two-piece designs had a steel handle that would often come loose, which is disconcerting when youre holding 40 pounds of iron over your head.

"These huge companies are turning to a little mom and pop-type shop like us to get this product made because theres no one else left in the U.S. who can do it.

A one-piece cast-iron kettlebell design emerged as the clear alternative model, and the gym owner enlisted nearby Cumberland to make it. The gym owner prototyped his kettlebells, then gave Cumberland the toolingwhich would have cost $50,000 to $100,000 to createso it could manufacturer his final cast-iron product. Around the same time, the recession of 2008 hit. Cumberland whittled down to 17 employees and was in serious peril. Kettlebells were a lifeline. Theres so much iron in one mold, we could mold only kettlebells and keep our furnace running, Lucchetti says. I dont know what we wouldve done without kettlebells. Now were in a different crisis, something that could significantly impact us, and here we are again with a big demand for kettlebells.

Around 2010, Lucchetti says, the gym owner started selling his one-piece kettlebell to Rogue. Rogue, in turn, quickly figured out it could instead mass-produce its own kettlebell design. Cumberland helped Rogue prototype that designthen Rogue took that design overseas to be manufactured, a fate Cumberland anticipated. Over the ensuing decade, kettlebells have mostly served as a speciality item for Cumberland. (The foundry does most of its business making machine parts.) Until, of course, right now, with demand skyrocketing, and supply chains short-circuiting.

These huge companies are turning to a little mom and pop-type shop like us to get this product made because theres no one else left in the U.S. who can do it, Lucchetti says. At this time, it seems mutually beneficial to make the kettlebells, but its not something were looking to base our business on moving forward.

It isnt entirely true that there arent more American foundries capable of melding kettlebells. In Georgia, George Boyd Jr. is the vice president of Goldens Foundry and Machine Company, one of the largest foundries left in the U.S. Goldens makes long-haul truck parts, in addition to commercial items like cast-iron grills, which Boyd says are selling like hot cakes right now. Goldens dabbled with limited runs of dumbbells once upon a time, but stayed out of the kettlebell business out of respect to their foundry friends up north. To be candid, we didnt want to step on the toes of Cumberland, Boyd says. Theyve got a smaller foundry and we understood that for a while at least, they had a good thing going with kettlebells.

Goldens dumbbell experiment didnt last, and Boyd is hesitant to take on fitness equipment-related projects without a commitment from the companies involved that they wouldnt bolt back to China when the pandemic subsides. A lot of large American buyers say they care about everything, but at the end of the day, all they want to know is piece price, Boyd says. They certainly do have great foundries in China, but the reality is, the bulk of their production is not done by people who are paid living wages, and the work isnt always done in environmentally friendly ways.

A lot of large American buyers say they care about everything, but at the end of the day, all they want to know is piece price.

Boyd raises a key pointwhile American foundries are largely unable to take advantage of one of the few industries seeing a sales boom at the onset of a possible depression, Chinese foundry workers are often overworked, underpaid, and exposed to hazardous conditions.

Boyd hopes the sold-out kettlebell saga will open consumers eyes about the dismal state of manufacturing, amongst many other industries, in the U.S. and around the world. With these massive disruptions, I hope more people are thinking about, well, do we really want to have a logistical supply chain that stretches over half the globe? he says. People forget the reality of this when they go to Wal-Mart to buy some kettlebells. Were all guilty of it.

All of which is to say: It might take you a while to find a kettlebell. Exercise some patience. The workers of the world are a little busy, and unfortunately, significant American-made reinforcements dont appear to be on the way.

UPDATE: This piece originally misstated the number of kettlebells that Cumberland Foundry can produce in a single day. That number has been corrected."

Welcome to the Instagram Orgy: How Horniness Is Flourishing in Quarantine

From Zoom raves to (yes) 32-man sessions on IG, social isolation has kicked off a boom time for sex via screen.

Originally Appeared on GQ
- Philippine Health Insurance Corp. made an important announcement concerning patients with COVID-19

- It revealed that there is already a case rate package for those who will be confined because of the virus

- The government-owned corporation releases the four categories under the new rate package

- The implementation of the new rule will start on April 15 in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals only

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The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has disclosed to the public the new rate package for people who will be hospitalized because of the novel coronavirus disease.

KAMI learned that rate package refers to the maximum amount that PhilHealth will shoulder in case an individual has contracted the virus and gets confined in a hospital.

According to Ricardo Morales, the president of the said government-owned corporation, it is important to establish a case rate package for the purpose of sustainability.

He also revealed through a press briefing that the newly-released package is applicable only in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals and the implementation will start on April 15.

The PhilHealth fund is sufficient, but its not unlimited. Thats why we have to exercise due prudence, Morales quipped.

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There are four categories under the corporations new case rate package. PhilHealth will defray up to 43,997 pesos for those who will be confined due to mild pneumonia.

If a person gets hospitalized because of moderate pneumonia, up to 143,267 pesos will be shouldered by the state insurer.

Meanwhile, for severe and critical pneumonia, PhilHealth vowed to cover up to 333,519 pesos and 786,384 pesos, respectively.

Morales stated that pneumonia is one of the serious health complications brought about by the fatal novel coronavirus disease.

In a previous article by , the Department of Health (DOH) recorded on Tuesday the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in a single day so far.

As of April 7, there are already 3,764 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines. A total of 177 have died while 84 patients have recovered already.

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Health ministry issues advisory for containment of COVID-19 in slum areas

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 08: The Union Health Ministry has released an advisory for containment of COVID-19 in slums saying unauthorized colonies and Jhuggi-Jhopri (JJ) clusters pose a serious problem as a huge population resides in such places.

For communities, inadequate shelter and overcrowding are risk factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential such as COVID-19, the National Centre for Disease Control, which falls under the health ministry, said.

In case any positive case is detected in the locality, 'containment plan' will be put in place for which local representatives and ward members are required to cooperate with the health authorities.

According to the advisory the local representatives/ward members and influencers in these areas can ensure certain Do's and Dont's to prevent the residents from COVID-19 infection which includes stopping all mass gatherings and cleaning common areas like toilets, water supply areas, surfaces, likely to be touched by residents using any available disinfectant.

The advisory urged elderly (more than 60 years of age) to stay indoors and any family member working as domestic help in neighbourhood should request exemption from service for a short period of two weeks so as to ensure that neither the employer nor employee acquires and spreads COVID-19. If they are required to go to work, they should practice proper hand washing with soap and water at and after work.

Stating that toilets are closed spaces and potential source of infection to others, the advisory sought cleaning of toilets frequently, and preventing crowding around public amenities such as toilets, drinking water sources, ration shops.

People waiting in queue should maintain a distance of one metre and face away from each other and refrain from touching their eyes, nose and mouth, the advisory said.

According to the advisory if residents of JJ clusters/slums have any contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, then they need to go fpr home quarantine for 14 days. If they develop fever, cough, running nose, difficulty in breathing, they have to immediately inform the local representatives/ward members for further assistance with regard to testing and medical care which will be provided by health department free of cost at identified hospitals. Patient will be transported using ambulance services, it stated.

Details of all the persons who had close contact with the suspected case shall be shared with health officials concerned and have to be subjected to home quarantine for observation, the advisory stated.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases climbed to 5, 274 in the country on Wednesday, registering an increase of 485 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Wednesday evening showed at least 5521 cases and 172 deaths while 500 were discharged. There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures, compared to the number of cases announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.
US President Donald Trump today changed course and supported the Narendra Modi government stand on hydroxychloroquine and ended up praising Indias handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an interview to Fox News, Trump said:  I bought millions of doses. More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was great. He was really good. You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India. But there is a lot of good things coming from that. Lot of people looking at it and saying, you know I dont hear bad stories, I hear good stories. And I dont hear anything where it was causing death. So it is not something like.You know we are doing vaccines. Johnson and Johnson, they need to test that. It seems malaria affected counties are unaffected where it is common.

While President Trump had talked about possible retaliation against India on Monday on hydroxychloroquine, fact is that India had already informed the State Department about the change in drug policy much earlier.

Also Watch | Donald Trump hints at retaliation if India withholds hydroxychloroquine exports

We dont want to be bracketed with China when the world is facing the pandemic. We have commitments and responsibility to countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and all those who are dependent on Indian drugs, said a senior government official.

Even as he praised the Indian stand on hydroxychloroquine, President Trump has gone after both WHO and China, virtually accusing them of keeping the world in dark about the epidemic.

The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2020

He was joined by Senator Jim Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who called for an independent investigation into the WHO handling of the COVID-19 response. He said :  The WHO has failed not only the American people, it has failed the world with its flagrant mishandling of the response to COVID-19. Dr Tedros Adganom Ghebreyessus apparent unwillingness to hold the Chinese Communist Party to even the minimum stand of global health and transparency hindered the worlds ability to blunt the spread of this pandemic. It is completely unacceptable that the worlds global health organization has become a political puppet of the Chinese Government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also asked for a rebuilding of the WHO in his speech at the G-20 last month as he felt that the 20th century organization needed serious overhauling.

Indias decision to permit export of hydroxychloroquine and other drugs has also been cheered Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter to PM Modi, President Bolsonaro compared India drug supply to his country as Sanjeevani Booti brought by Lord Hanuman to save life of Lakshman, brother of Lord Ram on Hanuman Jayanti Day.

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Laura Titas The Foundations mission is deeply personal for me, said Titas, who is a mother to three adopted daughters. Im humbled for the opportunity to serve on the board and make a difference for the tens of thousands of children in Canada in need of a permanent, loving family.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada recently welcomed Laura Titas, Chief Digital Experience Officer at The Wendys Company, as a member of its board of trustees. She will serve a three-year term.

The Foundations mission is deeply personal for me, said Titas, who is a mother to three adopted daughters. Im humbled for the opportunity to serve on the board and make a difference for the tens of thousands of children in Canada in need of a permanent, loving family.

Titas joined Wendys in 2018 to lead the creation of cutting-edge digital experiences that add value to the customer. Prior to this role, she spent 11 years with Accenture, most recently serving as a managing director for the firms digital transformation practice in the Midwest.

Laura is a visionary and collaborative leader with an incredible passion for foster care adoption and our signature cause, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, said Paul Hilder, Senior Vice President for Wendys Restaurants of Canada and Board Chairman for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada. She will be an outstanding addition to the board.

Through its signature program, Wendys Wonderful Kids, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada provides funding to adoption agencies to hire recruiters who implement an evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model. According to a five-year evaluation in the United States, the model is up to three times more effective at serving children who have been in foster care the longest, including older youth, sibling groups and children with special needs.

To date, Wendys Wonderful Kids recruiters in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Ontario have found adoptive homes for 418 children, with another 71 in their pre-adoptive placements.

Laura is a dynamic leader and committed advocate for the Foundations mission, said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada. I am grateful for her service on the board and look forward to working together to grow the Foundations impact in finding forever families for children in Canadas foster care systems who need our help the most.

Laura holds bachelors degrees in applied mathematics and statistics from the University of Rochester where she also minored in architecture, neuroscience and law. An active member in the community, she serves on several other boards and councils and is a leader in International Womens Day.

###

About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada is a nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 30,000 children waiting in Canadas foster care system. Created by Wendys founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.ca.
Pope Francis is denouncing the mafia and all those who are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to make money.

Francis opened his morning Mass on Wednesday by praying that all those who profit off the needs of others, and sell them experience spiritual conversion.

Francis' homily was dedicated to the biblical story of Judas betraying Jesus a narrative Christians commemorate this week in the run-up to liturgical services marking Christ's Last Supper, crucifixion and resurrection on Easter.

In his remarks, Francis said everyone has a little Judas inside of us who makes a choice between loyalty to others or self-interest.

He said: Each one of us has the capacity to betray, to sell others, to choose our own interests.

Speaking of mobsters and money lenders, he said: May the Lord touch their hearts and convert them.

Italian officials have warned that organized crime groups are maneuvering to profit off the social and economic disruptions caused by Italy's virus-induced nationwide shutdown.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Millions of Americans are currently subject to shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders as efforts to slow the spread of the current strain of coronavirus expand, thus requiring employees across all industries to shift to performing their jobs remotely.

For many workers, including insurance agents, this shift is possible thanks to technology that is already utilized everyday such as email, smart phones, and other internet-powered communications.

The good news is there are so many amazing tools out today that enable this, said Sharon Emek, president of WAHVE (Work At Home Vintage Experts). Insurance is unlike other industries, its knowledge work  were all paperless today, so this work can be done from anywhere.

Setting agents up to work remotely is what WAHVE has done since it was founded a decade ago. The company helps match pre-retiring baby boomer insurance veterans looking to scale down their careers but not retire just yet with agencies and brokers who cant find the talent in their backyard, Emek said. WAHVE currently works with about 300 agents around the country.

Watch the full interview:

We know theres a talent gap right now in the industry, and were trying to fill that need with our qualified experts, she said. Theyve got 25, 30 years of amazing experience that we dont want to lose  were keeping it in the industry and giving it back to brokers who need it.

Managing Remotely

Emek said shifting an entire office to working remotely over the long-term can be a scary concept for leaders at agencies and brokerages because they are used to seeing everyone in the office and think that the only way to manage people is in person. However, agents are currently doing much of their work without face-to-face contact via smart phones and agency management systems.

I would say to all brokers today, stay calm  you are able to do this, she said. You really have, in some way, been doing this already. You just have to adapt to some new tools and recognize that you can still manage people.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak started last month, WAHVE has been helping clients set up internal staff to work remotely and providing tips on how to be productive, as well as offering a remote work best practices guide. The firm has a guide on its website for agents.

Since some agencies cannot get everyone working remotely overnight, her companys WAHVEs have taken on more work as employees transition from their offices to working from home. Emek said some WAHVEs have seen a 10% to 20% increase in their workload because they are already set up and ready to go.

We set up 20% of the employees the first day, then they would get to 40%  it could take a week or two weeks, depending on the size of the brokerage, to get everybody working from home because the first few times its trial and error, she said.

Brokers are also asking for help with work that was previously outsourced or handled by call centers that cant operate right now. We can help fill in the gap in the meantime with our talent, Emek said.

Most important, Emek said, is considering issues including whether employees should use their home computers or should the company buy everyone laptops? Will other people in the household be using the employees computer? There should be very clear protocols and rules.

Were helping them understand that the key here is security. You have to make sure when anyone works from home that theyre secure, that they have virus software  that when you leave you have to shut down [your computer]  No passwords are saved anywhere that anyone could find, she said. You have to set up some clear guidelines for your team.

Agency leaders should set expectations for how often people need to meet and how those meetings will take place. Emek encouraged companies to utilize tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to stay connected. It makes it much easier because you can still run your company just as if everyones in the office, even though theyre remote.

However, Emek warns against employers trying to micromanage their employees. She maintains that employees need to establish their own schedules and routines that work for them, especially since they may be at home with spouses and children and have to keep different hours during this time.

WAHVE Tips to Help Agencies Be Successful While Working From Home Set Realistic Expectations for Employees

Provide Guidance on Their Role While at Home

Encourage Setup and Use of a Dedicated Home Office

Establish and Implement Data Security Measures

Keep Communication Open and Active

Dont Micromanage Employees

Check Activity Reports

Show Appreciation for Work Being Done

Offering flexibility is key.

Micromanaging never works  micromanaging means that you dont trust your people, and that means maybe you dont have the right person working for you, she said. If you like your team and you think you have a good team, you dont need to micromanage them because theyre adults.

She noted that there are ways to ensure that employees are being productive, such as agency management systems that track agents activities and their sales.

Its better if you let them know how you appreciate how hard theyre working from home, and [how they make] your operation work, because without them you would have nothing, she said. And to respect that theyre doing the work  they will appreciate that you respect that theyre doing it.

It is nerve-wracking for agents, as well, to have to change how they do business and lose that face-to-face interaction with their clients, especially with so much uncertainty. Agents have to change how they get leads, complete sales and they cant meet with their customers. But agents can and should be there for their clients during this time of crisis, Emek said.

We dont always call our clients enough, and talk to them enough, and ask them, How can we help?,' she said.

The key here is to maintain your business  the wonderful thing about the insurance industry is it cant go away in a time like this, everybody, everyone still needs to maintain their insurance, because in any disaster the exposure is greater, so businesses arent canceling their policies because theyre hoping theyll be back in business, she said.

Agents can also be useful in their communities.

Theres a lot of businesses that need help, she said. But with every problem theres an opportunity to create something thats meaningful and better, and that might give you more options to build your business.

As agencies move through this new normal, they may find that working remotely is an option that works out well for their company.

Brokers should start considering what will the future bring for them; how they might want to re-craft, she said. You have to just change your mindset and think, Okay, I have to deal with this. This is real. What is the opportunity? How can I benefit from it?'

Topics COVID-19 Agencies Training Development
A man has been arrested over the murder of a convicted criminal in north Belfast.

The 36-year-old was detained on Tuesday evening and remains in custody, police said.
The Union home ministry has urged states to maintain supply of essential commodities by invoking provisions of the Essential Commodities Act 1955, as a lockdown to contain the coronavirus has trimmed output of many items.

In an advisory to state chief secretaries, Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has said states need to mount a watch on possible hoarding of supplies to jack up their prices.

The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, allows states to decide how much stocks retailers or wholesalers can maintain, cap of prices, order enhanced production and inspect accounts of dealers.

There have been reports of loss of production due to various factors, the federal official said to states. There is a possibility of inventory building and hoarding and black marketing, profiteering, and speculative trading, resulting in price rise of essential goods, Bhalla said.

Bhalla asked states to take urgent steps to ensure availability of these commodities at fair prices for public at large.

The home ministry, which acts as the coordinating ministry to steer the lockdown, earlier allowed manufacture and production, transport and other related supply-chain activities in respect of essential goods like foodstuff, medicines and medical equipment under the Disaster Management Act.

States can invoke the Essential Commodities Act without the concurrence of the Centre up to June 30, 2020, food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said in a tweet.

Railways are carrying record freight from a network of state-held granaries  150000 tonne worth of shipments daily in contrast to a usual supplies. The Centre is ferrying additional foodgrains after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package, which doubled food ration quota under (from 5kg per person under the National Food Security Act to 10kg) for the next three months. The additional 5kg is being distributed free.
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Linkedin Sausan Atika and Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8 2020

Safety first: A passenger wearing a mask passes through a disinfectant chamber at Harmoni Transjakarta bus stop in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. As part of a strengthened effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the capital city, the Jakarta administration has instructed all residents to wear masks while outdoors, particularly when they use public transportation services. (JP/Seto Wardhana)

The Jakarta administration will tighten measures to restrict peoples movements after being granted permission by the central government to implement large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Health Ministry granted the request early on Tuesday, shortly after Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan slammed the ministry for being too bureaucratic in handling the outbreak, which has infected at least 1,369 people and killed 106 in Jakarta alone.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

Trend:

UNICEF representative office in Azerbaijan launched the #LearningAtHome, # OvladimlaEvd (At home with my child) initiative on its personal website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, which includes useful recommendations and tips for parents who remain at home with children during COVID-19 quarantine, UNICEF country office told Trend.

The materials, in particular, those prepared for Azerbaijani families, focus on stimulating the skills of children with a creative approach and using various games during the special quarantine regime, UNICEF representative office in Azerbaijan said.

We know that due to the closure of preschool and educational institutions because of the COVID-19, it is difficult for parents to keep their children active, Edward Carwardine, UNICEF representative to Azerbaijan, said. During such a difficult period, UNICEF wants to share a number of practical ideas and recommendations. The activities that have been introduced into new resources will help preserve the activity of children and will contribute to their self-development."

The representative office posted various methods and ways of handling children on the website https://www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/learning-home-join-challenge.

These methods include recommendations and ideas that will help parents continue the children's education, as well as organize useful leisure time for them at home, will reduce stress and tension during long quarantine and mitigate the consequences of social isolation by using digital solutions and joint experience.

These resources will create a healthy environment for children in which they can play and learn without risk.

At such a critical moment, by staying at home for the sake of our safety, we can still be strong together, Carwardine added. We hope that by using hashtags #LearningAtHome, # OvladimlaEvde (At home with my child), parents throughout the country will share video footage with exercises and new ideas to inspire others.

Moreover, new UNICEF solutions that will help parents organize useful leisure activities and educate children at home will be posted on the website of the Ministry of Education, as well as the website of the Azerbaijani Institute of Education.
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She is currently on lockdown with her husband and two young daughters amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And Amanda Holden has shared a glimpse into her extremely glamorous lockdown life on Instagram.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, 49, has taken the bins out while dressed in a ballgown, hosted a champagne-soaked Zoom party for her girlfriends and drank the finest wine while self-isolating.

Oh wow: Amanda Holden has shared a glimpse into her extremely glamorous lockdown life on Instagram

Amanda kept herself entertained as she took out her bin while wearing a shimmering evening gown on Monday.

The star donned a fuchsia dress with a daring leg split as she strutted her stuff while taking out her rubbish.

Alongside the post, Amanda wrote: 'Wheelie wanted to dress up tonight! #BallgownBinsOut #GlamForYourBinman #ClapOurKeyWorkers'.

Amanda posed playfully with her bin in one snap as she kicked her leg in the air, showcasing the elegant train of her dress.

Glamour: Amanda kept herself entertained as she took out her bin while wearing a shimmering evening gown on Monday

The actress then uploaded a video of herself wheeling her bin towards the end of her road as she dramatically flicked her hair while giving the camera a sultry stare.

Styling her locks into loose waves, Amanda added height to her frame with a pair of gold heels with an ankle strap.

Last month Amanda refused to let the virus ruin her weekend as she put on a gold mini dress and metallic heels for a girls night on video-calling app Zoom.

Posting a photo in Instagram, she wrote: No need to drop standards, as she posed with a bottle of bubbly.

Boozy: The star has also enjoyed a tipple of two, sipping on a glass of red wine in the bath and an icy Gin and Tonic

She also shared a screenshot of her call with actress friends Lisa Faulkner, Angela Griffin, Nicola Stephenson, Sarah Parish and Tracy Oberman.

The star wrote: What a lovely night. I appreciate them even more than I did before.

She added: To be honest... I appreciate so much more than I did before...

Earlier this month the Heart Radio show host left fans bemused as she uploaded an Instagram snap of herself ironing her pyjamas in the kitchen.

Domestic duties: Earlier this month the Heart Radio show host left fans bemused as she uploaded an Instagram snap of herself ironing her pyjamas in the kitchen

While many questioned why she would spend the time meticulously ironing out the crinkles of her sleepwear, others were confused why she had a green Vespa in the background.

Holding up the iron and pointing to her silk ladybird pjs, Amanda captioned the post: 'Mmm never ending'.

The star has also enjoyed a tipple of two, sipping on a glass of red wine in the bath and an icy Gin and Tonic.

Amanda has also showed off her luxury silk pyjamas as she presented her radio show from her living room, showing she can nail casual glamour as well as red carpet looks.

It comes after Amanda and her Heart Breakfast co-host Ashley Roberts turned a seemingly abandoned Global House into their own personal catwalk as they prepared to take to the airwaves on Monday.

Chic: Amanda has also showed off her luxury silk pyjamas as she presented her radio show from her living room, showing she can nail casual glamour as well as red carpet looks

Quirky: Amanda donned swimming goggles to cut some onions in another hilarious video

The Heart radio presenters are among the minority who still travel to their respective places of work amid the United Kingdom's current lockdown.

But despite the relentless gloom they found light relief by using an empty desk in their Leicester Square office to perform an impromptu fashion show.

Taking to Instagram, Amanda shared a video of the pair showing off their outfits as they took turns parading from one side of the narrow desk to the other.

Appropriately soundtracked with David Bowie hit Fashion, the short video sees both striking sassy poses, but Amanda - who broke her leg little more than six months ago - almost loses her balance as she completes her walk.

Sharing an image alongside the video, the presenter also gave fans a stark reminder to stay safe and adhere to government health warnings by posing in a pair of protective pink rubber gloves.

Making the best of a bad situation: Amanda and Ashley Roberts turned a seemingly abandoned Global House into their own personal catwalk as they prepared to take to the airwaves on Monday
Michelle Palmer-Keizer, Republic Banks Managing Director, says that the Bank is committed to working with its customers to cushion the negative impacts of the COVID-19 disease.

Republic Bank, cognizant that in these challenging times "access to financial services and financial well-being may be negatively impacted, has taken concrete action in responding to this reality.





To this end, the Bank has introduced the COVID-19 Care Package to assist with improving their personal and corporate customers cash flow at this time.





The packages are available for all customers of Republic Bank (EC) Limited (Anguilla, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Vincent and the Grenadines), and will become effective from March 30, 2020. It will be offered for an initial period of 6 months.

COVID-19 Care Package - Personal customers





* Moratorium on all loans, including mortgages, up to a maximum of six (6) months, will be available upon request;

* Temporary increase on credit card limits on a case by case basis, upon request;

* Automatic waivers, until September 2020, on: ABM fees due to withdrawals from Republic Bank ABMs; credit card late fees and over limit fees; overdrawn account fees; late fees on loan repayments for customers who have not taken up the moratorium offer; penalties for early withdrawal of term deposits.

COVID-19 Care Package - SME, Commercial and Corporate customers





* Moratorium on all loans, up to a maximum of six (6) months, will be available upon request;

* Facility restructuring on a case by case basis;

* Temporary increase of overdraft and credit card limits on a case by case basis, upon request;

* Automatic waivers, until September 2020, on: credit card late fees and over limit fees; overdrawn account fees; late fees on loan repayments; penalties for early withdrawal of term deposits.





As we all work together to overcome these challenging times, Republic Bank continues to advise its customers to limit the number of in-branch visits and utilise its digital and electronic banking channels. Customers are also encouraged to contact their home branch regarding any queries or challenges that may be faced.





The Banks Managing Director, Michelle Palmer-Keizer, assured, "We are here to help. We urge our customers to reach out to us if they are experiencing challenges. We are implementing measures to help provide them with a financial safety net, should they need it.





She also affirmed that the various country managers "are working tirelessly with their respective teams to ensure that our customers can continue to access critical banking services, while adhering to the guidelines outlined by our public health authorities to protect their health and wellbeing.




A young man sneezing into a womans face and then laughing at her was described by the sentencing judge today as a vicious crime in the current climate.

The woman who was terrified by this incident rushed away and did not wish to make a complaint to gardai so the defendant, Damien OGorman was not charged with assault.

Judge Olann Kelleher said it was still brought before the court due to the excellent police work of Garda Lorna Healy who witnessed the incident and arrested OGorman, 32, just after it occurred.

Garda Healy charged him with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour and being drunk and a source of danger.

The judge said the maximum sentence possible was three months on the threatening charge.

The judge made allowance for the plea of guilty entered by OGorman, his apology and mitigating background circumstances outlined by Frank Buttimer, solicitor. He imposed a total sentence of two months at Cork District Court, where he described the offence as vicious.

Mr Buttimer said OGorman has educational challenges going back to his early teens when he went to Scoil Bernadette in the Cope Foundation.

He said the defendant had moved back to Cork city from Charleville eight weeks ago and got a job in construction but lost that when the site was closed, due to Coronavirus, and ended up going back on alcohol.

In the difficult issues he is dealing with at the moment this was particularly bad behaviour and he apologises and expresses his remorse and has learned his lesson, Mr Buttimer said.

During the bail application last week the defendant, of no fixed address, gave a particular address at Lus Na Meala, Banduff, Cork, where he would be staying if released.

The background to the April 1 incident was that the woman was left in a terrified state on St Patrick Street in Cork when the defendant sneezed into her face and laughed at her.

Garda Lorna Healy objected to bail last week because of the deliberate sneezing at a member of the public in what are particularly trying times.

She testified that at 6.50pm on Wednesday, the Damien OGorman was arrested on Patrick Street, Cork.

Garda Healy said that moments earlier she witnessed an incident involving the accused on Patrick Street.

He was behaving in a very threatening manner. I observed him deliberately walking in front of a female and sneezed deliberately into her face and laughed at her. There was a terrified response from the woman who walked quickly away, Garda Healy said.

The woman was unwilling to engage or to answer questions about the assault."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  More local government units have extended their enhanced community quarantine period to April 30, taking the cue from President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement for Luzon.

In separate advisories, local officials of cities and provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao decided to keep the strict stay-at-home protocols for two more weeks to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Here's a list of areas where the quarantine has been extended:

- Negros Occidental

- Bacolod City

- Iloilo City

- Iligan City, Lanao del Norte

- Aklan

- Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

- Bago City, Cebu

- Bohol

Meanwhile, the province of Guimaras has announced that it will implement an enhanced community quarantine from April 15-30 as more COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the area. Governor Samuel Gumarin signed the order on Tuesday.

Tacloban City in Leyte has also extended its enhanced quarantine measures, but only until April 28. Mayor Alfred Romualdez signed on Thursday a new executive order extending the quarantine which has been in place since March 21. The city remains free of COVID-19, but has 26 persons under investigation for the disease.

The provinces of Agusan del Sur and Cebu are still implementing enhanced community quarantine in their areas as the executive orders issued by Governors Santiago Cane, Jr. and Gwendolyn Garcia, respectively, did not set an expiry date. The strict measures will only be lifted once the governors withdraw their executive order.

Inter-Agency Task Force spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday that while the extended lockdown only applies in Luzon, they will continue to monitor the situation in the Visayas and Mindanao before considering the expansion to these regions.

Under the earlier order, the present quarantine in Luzon which started March 17 was initially scheduled to end at 12:00 a.m. of April 13. The new guideline extended the quarantine to until 11:59 p.m. of April 30 to keep COVID-19 infections at bay.

In the meantime, local governments outside the region can impose their own quarantine measures as the national government continues to address the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, Nograles said.

The Philippines now has over 4,000 confirmed cases and 203 deaths due to the novel coronavirus, while 124 patients have so far recovered as of Thursday afternoon.

CNN Philippines' Shiela Gelera, Wil Mark Amazona, Glee Jalea, and Melissa Luz Lopez contributed to this report.
All amounts expressed in US dollars

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twiga Minerals Corporation, a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) (ABX.TO) and the Tanzanian government, has announced a support program to assist the country in combating and containing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Barricks chief operating officer for its Africa and Middle East region, Willem Jacobs, said in addition to measures already introduced to protect workers and their families living and around its mines, the company was contributing $1.7 million in the form of critical equipment and expertise to help prevent the spread of the virus in Tanzania.

Of this amount, $960,000 is destined for the national level, $505,000 to the regional level and $250,000 to the local level.

Jacobs said at the national level Barrick would be concentrating its efforts and contributions on Mloganzila as an isolation unit for confirmed cases and the Mabibo hostel as a quarantine centre. Regional support will be focused on Musoma, Shinyanga and Geita where isolation centres will be created and equipped. The company is engaging with the relevant regional commissioners to convert its support into immediate action.

Jacobs said as a committed partner to Tanzania it would also be keeping its mines operational during this challenging period to support the countrys economy. It was also engaging with its contractors and suppliers to enlist their support for the cause.

Barrick Enquiries

Investor and media relations

Kathy du Plessis

+44 20 7557 7738

Email: barrick@dpapr.com

Website: www.barrick.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained in this press release, including any information as to Barricks strategy or future financial or operating performance, constitutes forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words support, assist, contain, contribute, support, will, believe, engage, offer and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to financial support and preventative measures implemented by Twiga Minerals Corporation to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania, including by equipping regional isolation centres and engaging with regional commissioners; and efforts to support the local economy and engage with contractors and suppliers while maintaining the Tanzanian mines operational.

Story continues

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions; including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by Barrick as at the date of this press release in light of managements experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with Covid-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities, including geotechnical challenges, and disruptions in the maintenance or provision of required infrastructure and information technology systems; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies, and practices, expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in Tanzania; lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, corruption and other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; risks associated with illegal and artisanal mining; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; timing of receipt of, or failure to comply with, necessary permits and approvals; litigation and legal and administrative proceedings; damage to the Barricks reputation due to the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, including negative publicity with respect to the Barricks handling of environmental matters or dealings with community groups, whether true or not; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties, or over access to water, power, and other required infrastructure; employee relations including loss of key employees; increased costs and physical risks, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, related to climate change; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development, and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding, and gold bullion, copper cathode, or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements, and the risks that may affect Barricks ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Barrick disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
Tesco offered hard-pressed savers some respite as it pledged to pay a 900m total dividend.

Chief executive Dave Lewis, 55, said it was committed to 'making the right decisions to feed the nation' while paying out to those who rely on the grocery group' dividends going into their pensions and savings plans.

Tesco has 220,000 small investors on its register with a holding of fewer than 5,000 shares apiece, the company said yesterday.

But the supermarket has been at the heart of a row over taxpayer aid after it emerged that it would receive 585m in rates relief, despite the fact sales soared by 30 per cent in the period before the lockdown as shoppers stocked their freezers and cupboards.

Critics, including former BBC Dragons' Den business investor Theo Paphitis, have demanded it hand back the rates relief to help the NHS.

Lewis said that Tesco is not cashing in from the coronavirus outbreak, which he argued will add 925m to costs as the grocery giant hires more staff, pays sick workers and fits stores with protective equipment and screens.

Tesco is the latest of only a handful of high-profile businesses to press ahead with a large dividend, following Standard Life Aberdeen, which announced a 300m payout last week.

Pension savers have been hard hit as companies have axed their dividends. These include banks and insurance firms which have been warned by the Bank of England that they need to conserve capital to help their customers weather the crisis.

Personal finance experts said the Tesco dividend, made up of a 635m final and a 265m interim payment, will be a boon to savers and pensioners.

Investors are also in line for a 5 billion special dividend from the sale of its Asian business. The final dividend was higher than expected, at 6.5p per share compared to analysts' expectations of 5.6p.

Yesterday Lewis said: 'We have a responsibility to millions of people working hard and paying into their pensions.'

He added: 'We would not pay a dividend if we thought it jeopardised our ability to feed the nation.'

He stressed that Tesco would not take Government support where it was not required, for example it is choosing to pay its 200m quarterly VAT bill, rather than defer it.

More than 45,000 new staff have been added to Tesco's payroll, contributing to an increased wage bill of up to 580m, while 50,000 are currently off sick or self-isolating on full pay.

Bruno Monteyne, retail analyst at Bernstein and former supply chain director at the grocer, said: 'Tesco is doing its bit.

'We want pensioners to get the money in their pensions from the dividend so that, once the disease disappears, the economy can start again.

'The business rate is a big windfall, but it is more than balanced by the cost of safety and paying those self-isolating.'

Announcing its results for the year to February 29, before the coronavirus outbreak, Tesco reported a 1.3 per cent increase in sales to 64.8 billion, and an 18.7 per cent decline in its pre-tax profits to 1.3 billion. Tesco's shares fell 0.6 per cent, or 1.3p, to 222.9p as the company warned coronavirus may not boost its bottom line.

Yesterday Sainsbury's said it would ease buying restrictions on most products, while Morrisons has extended its deal with Deliveroo to deliver 70 essential items from 130 stores.
People who have already travelled to their holiday homes for the bank holiday weekend must stay there, the Garda Commissioner has said.

Health Minister Simon Harris signed beefed-up regulations on Tuesday night that will give gardai the power to issue specific fines for breaches and potentially detain people who are refusing to self-isolate.

Drew Harris said new laws to enforce compliance with coronavirus restrictions will end at midnight on Easter Sunday.

It comes amid reports of increasing numbers of people out in the streets and fears that people may be tempted to disregard social distancing rules over the Easter holiday.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said if people have already travelled to holiday homes for the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, they must stay there.



"If you are already in a holiday home then you need to stay there as that is your place of residence." #Covid19Ireland  Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) April 8, 2020

Speaking in Co Kildare on Wednesday, Mr Harris said: If you are already in a holiday home then you need to stay there as that is your place of residence.

He asked people to refrain from travelling to their holiday homes this weekend.

Mr Harris added: If you are thinking of travelling there, then dont. That is not an essential journey. So if you have travelled to your holiday home  that is where you are now. That is your place of residence and that will be regarded as where you should be.

I want to reiterate, a journey to a holiday home is not an essential journey and we will be able to turn you back.

He said there will be 50 checkpoints around the country over the weekend but they expect most people to comply.

Mr Harris said if people are stopped by gardai and found to be in breach of the regulations, they would not be arrested immediately.

He said: There is no on-the-spot fines. The first port of call would not be arrest, it would be taking a members name and address.

Garda Tony McCabe and Reserve Garda Ciaran Collins on foot patrol in the grounds of Westport House Co. Mayo yesterday afternoon. Full compliance on social distancing from the public!#SocialDistancing #StayAtHome #WashYourHands pic.twitter.com/4xCCzviw8u  Garda Info (@gardainfo) April 8, 2020

We hope to see very few requirements to use the regulations and we will rely on the vast majority of society to comply with the measures.

We want to be proportionate, and provide a graduated response. Everyone will be given the opportunity to comply to the regulations and they will be given the opportunity to comply.

They may be asked to return home, they may be asked to change their behaviour, whatever that is. But people will be given the opportunity to comply, before we go anywhere near enforcement powers.

Mr Harris said spit guards have been provided to members of the force to protect them from being spat on by members of the public.

He added: As part of our response, we have introduced these spit guards for the duration of the crisis and they will be used very sparingly. They are a further option in terms of personal protective equipment.

Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey said: There has been very good compliance with the travel restrictions and we want to thank the public for this. However, it is vital that this continues over the coming days and over the weekend. This will save lives.

In particular, we would ask people who are thinking of travelling to parks, natural beauty spots or holiday homes outside of the 2km limit not to do so. We are sending them a clear message that if they are stopped at a checkpoint, they will be turned back.
Irish Water is reminding farmers and pesticide users that great care must always be taken to protect drinking water supplies wherever pesticide use is considered necessary, particularly if using products for grassland weed control containing substances such as MCPA, fluroxypyr and 2,4-D.

These substances and others have been detected in drinking water supplies across Ireland. The detected levels sometimes exceed the legally permitted limit for pesticides in drinking water, which is set at an extremely low value (equivalent to one drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool).

Irish Water, working in partnership with a range of organisations involved in the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG) is providing advice and guidance to all users of pesticides including the farming community, greens keepers and grounds keepers and domestic users, to ensure that best practice measures to protect drinking waters are always followed.

Farmers and other landholders dealing with the challenge of tackling rushes should note that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has developed new guidance on the sustainable management of rushes. The new approach is based on the concepts of containment or suppression, and aims to minimise the use of pesticides. More information on this can be obtained from your local farm advisor or on www.pcs.agriculture.gov.ie/ sud/waterprotection.

There are currently six priority catchment areas of particular concern where exceedances of pesticides are persistent. These are Longford Central (MCPA), Newcastlewest (MCPA), Belturbet (MCPA), Cavan RWSS (MCPA), Clonroche (Bentazone), and Newport (Glyphosate/MCPA). All of these areas are being prioritised for action by members of the NPDWAG.

There is a separate watch list, currently comprising over 20 supplies, which is also a focus for targeted actions, since the pattern of detections in these areas indicates a risk of persistent pesticide exceedances.

There is no open file for Kilkenny at present, however, the Troyswood file has only recently been closed and it is imperative that users of pesticides are mindful of best practice when spraying their lands.

Efforts to reduce the incidence of detections are being coordinated by the NPDWAG which is chaired by the DAFM. All of the key stakeholders are represented in this group and include other Government departments and agencies; local authorities; industry representative bodies; farming organisations; water sector organisations; and amenity sector organisations.

At a time of significant challenges for farmers and other essential workers managing land we are asking everyone to continue to be mindful to protect the water bodies," says Patrick Duggan, Irish Waters Regional Drinking Water Compliance Specialist.

While MCPA accounted for the majority (63 per cent) of pesticide exceedances detected nationally in public water supplies during 2019, Irish Water routinely tests for a wide range of pesticides and is closely monitoring the situation for pesticides other than MCPA. Irish Water is continuing its extensive investment programme to safeguard the water supply for homes, farms and businesses in Ireland.

Providing safe, clean drinking water for all is our first priority. In Ireland, the majority (82 per cent) of drinking water supplies come from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes and streams. Supplies such as the Troyswood water supplies are vulnerable to contamination from land and animal run-off. Irish Water asks users of pesticide products in the River Nore catchment to consider the vulnerability of the Troyswood drinking water supply to pesticide contamination and the importance of this supply to the local community.

Dr Aidan Moody, Chair of the NPDWAG said a lot of good work has been done and progress has been made.

"The continued engagement of all stakeholders, working in partnership, is needed to make further progress. Users of pesticides should always consider in the first instance if there are alternative non-chemical weed/pest control methods that would be feasible. If pesticides have to be applied users must make sure that they are aware of and follow best practice measures to protect water quality," he said.

MCPA, which is commonly used to kill rushes on wet land, is the main offender, however, other pesticides such as 2,4-D, fluroxypyr and MCPP (also known as mecoprop) are being detected more frequently than in previous years. Careless storage, handling or improper application of any pesticide product can easily result in traces ending up in drinking water, leading to breaches of the drinking water regulations. Users of pesticides are asked to carefully consider how these products may access water courses via rainwater drains, drainage channels or other means before application.

The regulations are so stringent that a single drop of pesticide is enough to breach the drinking water limit in a small stream for up to 30 kilometres. This clearly highlights the level of care needed to protect drinking water sources.

Irish Water working in partnership with the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group would like to remind farmers and professional users of pesticides of the need to follow best practice in the application of pesticides, particularly near lakes and rivers used as drinking water sources.

If pesticides have to be used, the basic steps in reducing risks are:

Choose the right pesticide product (Note that products containing MCPA are NOT approved for use in weed-wipers.)

Read and follow the product label

Determine the right amount to purchase and use

Dont spray if rain or strong wind is forecast in the next 48 hours

Make sure you are aware of the location of all nearby water courses

Comply with any buffer zone specified on the product label to protect the aquatic environment. Mark out the specified buffer zone from the edge of the river or lake or other water course

Never fill a sprayer directly from a water course or carry out mixing, loading or other handling operations beside a water course

Avoid spills, stay well back from open drains and rinse empty containers 3 times into the sprayer.

Store and dispose of pesticides and their containers properly.

A recently produced video on the correct use of MCPA can be viewed on Irish Waters YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/xQqtZ7jifUs

Information leaflets on pesticide use are also available to download from the Teagasc website at www.teagasc.ie/environment/ water-quality/farming-for- water-quality-assap/improving- my-water-quality/protecting- drinking-water-from- pesticides/
Paul Buckowski

Times Union state editor Brendan Lyons will conduct a Facebook Live chat at 3 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the latest news out of the Capitol on how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting state government.

Log on to the Times Union Facebook page with any questions you might have about what's happening in state government in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The allocation of 14.8 million manat ($7.7 million) by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the construction of six modular hospitals with a capacity of 200 beds each is one of the important steps taken to protect public health, Azerbaijani MP Ilham Mammadov told Trend on April 8.

During the spread of coronavirus, new hospitals will provide reliable protection of public health, said the MP.

He emphasized that this step is also an important element of social policy.

"As the head of state has repeatedly stated, people are at the center of the policy pursued in Azerbaijan. In the challenging situation that is in the country today in connection with the coronavirus, all the resources of the state have been mobilized to protect the health of the population, and its socio-economic well-being," the MP noted.

The power of the Azerbaijani economy allows taking the necessary steps in the fight against coronavirus. New hospitals are opening to provide reliable protection of public health. These hospitals will serve people also in the future, after the pandemic ends, Mammadov said.

The deputy noted that a new mask manufacturing enterprise was recently commissioned in Azerbaijan, and the work being carried out in the country and pursuing long-term goals gives a positive result.

We welcome the far-sighted policies of President Ilham Aliyev. Even developed countries cannot afford to create such a production enterprise in such a short time. However, the economy of Azerbaijan allows us to carry out these projects, the MP added.
A charity that supports people with learning disabilities has started a meal delivery service to its members and other vulnerable adults who would not otherwise get a hot dinner.

Staff at Destined, based on Foyle Road in Londonderry, were concerned that many of their members who have underlying health issues would miss out on healthy meals and socialising after the centre closed its doors.

This inspired employees and volunteers to take on the mammoth task of cooking and delivering hundreds of meals to people right across the city.

Destined manager Charlene Keenan said: "We work with people on a day to day basis but as we have been closed to the public for a number of weeks now, these people are at home.

"Many of them are unable to get out for daily exercise or to get the essentials because they have underlying health issues so we were very concerned about their wellbeing.

"We have stayed in touch with our members, asking what they need most and the feedback we got was, first and foremost, the contact with us.

"The second most common thing we heard was that people were struggling to get a proper meal. A lot of people with learning disabilities just would not have the skills to actually prepare a healthy meal but this scheme means they will get that healthy, balanced meal made from fresh ingredients every single day, delivered to their own home."

The offer hasn't been restricted to members of Destined and is open to any disabled or vulnerable person in the city.

Ms Keenan continued: "This really is about supporting the most vulnerable people who cannot leave their homes.

"When our volunteers arrive to deliver the meals, they are also providing that social aspect that so many people who are isolating are missing out on and that's why this is so important.

"We want to extend this service beyond our members so we are offering it to anyone in the wider Derry city area who is disabled or vulnerable.

"On our first day this week, we delivered over 200 but we think we could do up to 500 maximum if it is needed. We would encourage as many people as possible to contact us and let us know if they or someone they know is either disabled or vulnerable and would like a hot meal delivered."

The meals, which cost a nominal fee of 2 including delivery, can be ordered by calling 07902 379 296 between 10am and 1pm.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 22:50:06|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran will increase the number of diagnostic laboratory tests for the novel coronavirus symptoms in the coming days, Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Wednesday.

Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry, said that currently about 15,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests are carried out per day in 95 laboratories across the country, according to official IRNA news agency.

The ministry of health has plans to increase the number of tests to 20,000 in the following days, Jahanpur was quoted as saying.

Iran is the worst-hit country by the pandemic in the Middle East, with 64,586 confirmed cases and 3,993 deaths so far.
Allstate is returning savings resulting from shelter-in-place orders back to consumers.

This comes as the company cited an unprecedented decline in driving due to shelter-in-place orders, which translates into fewer accidents. Nationally, the company plans to return more than $600 million to customers, including $1.3 million to Mainers. For most policyholders, Allstate says the returns will be equal to approximately 15% of their April and May premiums.

This is exactly the kind of action we need from insurers at this time, Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa stated in a Maine Bureau of Insurance press release. On behalf of consumers, many of whom are facing great financial hardship right now, I thank Allstate for taking the initiative to do the right thing to return these savings to customers, and to do so as expeditiously as possible.

Allstate noted in its press release this morning that the fastest way for policyholders to receive their payback is to utilize the Allstate Mobile app. Allstate has also announced additional measures during the pandemic, including free identity protection for customers through the end of 2020, payment relief and extended auto insurance for drivers who use their personal vehicle for commercial purposes.

Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance

Topics Maine
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 7

Trend:

The quarantine regime applied in Azerbaijan in connection with the coronavirus pandemic will affect the real estate market, as well as other areas, Director General of the MBA Consulting Group company, real estate expert Nusrat Ibrahimov told Trend.

He noted that in comparison with other areas, the impact of coronavirus on the real estate market will be noticed gradually.

Next month we will feel this. It will be manifested both in apartment prices, activity, and in the volume of the housing portfolio. But today, prices in the real estate market are already starting to gradually fall, Ibrahimov said.

The expert emphasized that the impact of coronavirus on the real estate market will depend on the duration of the quarantine regime.

Depending on sequence of events, this effect can be short-term, medium-term and long-term. The extent of their impact, of course, is different. If it is short-term (1-2 months), it will not have a severe impact. If it is medium-term (2-3 months) then it will affect the market, and a decrease in prices by about 10-12 percent will be observed. If it will be long-term (more than 3 months, 5 months, up to 1 year), prices may drop by 20-25 percent, Ibrahimov stressed.

He added that after the elimination of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects, the real estate market will gradually recover.

Naturally, in 2-3 months after the effect of the virus is eliminated, the quarantine regime will be canceled, the market will restore its previous state, and then growth in market activity is expected, the expert concluded.
There is no better word to describe my morning cup of tea, and thats hygge. Perhaps its not even a word as much as its a sentiment, a feeling that only a fellow tea-lover will understand. From taking the first sip as the flavours hit my tastebuds to planning my day to just mulling over life, its pleasures and its curveballs, there is a lot that goes down with those sips from my cup of tea (its a large mug for me, and often times I want to own Hagrids tankard for similar intents and purposes).

Understanding Hygge:

Pronounced hoo-guh, the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though the closest explanation can be cosy or a feeling of warmth. According to the New Yorker, it derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning to comfort or to console, which is related to the English word hug.

Similar to the German concept of gemutlichkeit and the Dutch idea of gezelligheid, the cosy lifestyle that hygge promotes has been an important part of Danish culture since the early 1800s when the word first appeared in the written language.

According to Meik Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Hygge is such an important part of being Danish that it is considered a defining feature of our cultural identity and an integral part of the national DNA.

Hygge was also one of the most popular words and concepts to be introduced to the world in 2016, with several books published on the topic and many people around the world adopting the Hygge lifestyle to live a happy and content life, much like the wave that Ikigai had brought with it just a few years prior.

Tea, a history:

Tea is the second most-widely consumed beverage in the world after water. From the sugary Turkish Rize tea to salty Tibetan butter tea, there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage as there are cultures around the globe. This animated video by Ted-Ed explains the origin story of tea:

Its also good for health:

According to the World Economic Forum, Regular tea drinkers have better-organised brain regionssomething associated with healthy cognitive functioncompared to non-tea drinkers. Take the analogy of road traffic as an exampleconsider brain regions as destinations, while the connections between brain regions are roads. When a road system is better organised, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses fewer resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently.

Black tea, green tea, matcha, white tea, oolong, infusions like chamomile or earl grey and more, tea has various varieties and something for everyone, in hot, cold, sweet, salty variants. While milk is usually added to a cup of tea freshly steeped, and ready-to-drink, most teas are best enjoyed in their original form with nothing coming between the brew and you.

via GIPHY

Tea in culture:

Lewis Carroll described a tea party where Alice gets stuck in a time loop in Through The Looking Glass. But it wasnt just the tea or the scones at this high tea arrangement, but a discussion so profound that might answer questions you never thought needed answering.

Tea connects people in ways often unimaginable. Like a bonding exercise, a cup of cutting chai or a kulhad if you fancy one, ensures youve found company in atleast a few people who may not share the same sensibilities about life but do so with tea. As you evolve, those choices or infusions might change, but memories shared at a Chai tapri outside your college or workplace will always be fond ones.

Imagine if there was no tea in an Indian household, what beverage would become a conversation starter in an arranged marriage setting? Would actress Tina Munim croon the lyrics shayad meri shaadi ka khayal to Rajesh Khanna if there was no chai (tea) in question?

What about the uncles and aunts in your society who come over for a cup of tea (mostly uninvited) to pry on your life and judge you for it?

But most importantly, what would a hot toast with butter floating on top (or bun maska) be without a cup of tea (chai meets maggi when youre in the hills/mountains too)? Incomplete, I would imagine. Like half-written prose or an ineffectively narrated story.

To keep the positivi-tea going for you with your cup of chai-tea, here are some quotes on tea told by famous people in history and then some:

* Tea is liquid wisdom.  Anonymous

* You cant get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.  C. S. Lewis

* Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.  Chaim Potok

* There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

* Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.  Catherine Douzel

* If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.  Japanese Proverb

* All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes.  George Orwell

* I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.  Fyodor Dostoevsky

* Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.  Bill Watterson

* There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.  Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living

Yes, a cup of tea is nothing short of Hygge because it not just heals us from the outside but also warms us from within. If its a hot day, itll cool you down and refresh you; if its a cold winter morning, itll keep you cosy and comfortable, like a hug you need when you feel the most stirred and probably shook.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Saumya Sharma Saumya Sharma enjoys writing, reading and watching short and long-form content across the vast expanse of the world, in all forms - print, web, 70mm and more. A soul traveller by choice, she sometimes finds herself well-blended amongst Mango people, thinking about life as we know it. She has been in the digital content and social media marketing space for the past seven years and counting. She is fond of dogs, haikus, limericks and poetry. ...view detail
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Linkedin Ryan Arcadio (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Wed, April 8, 2020 11:08 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd082a74 2 Science & Tech NASA,space,quarantine,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

NASA has launched a website featuring various educational materials about space while countries across the globe are put under quarantine.

The space agency introduced the new site, NASA at Home, in a statement on March 31. It hosts videos, podcasts, e-books, DIY projects, virtual and augmented reality tours.

NASA also included an application that puts you in the pilots seat of a NASA aircraft.

The activities offered in the site focus on children in kindergarten and up. It also provides parents with formal lesson plans and stories on science and space exploration.

We know people everywhere, especially students, are looking for ways to get out of the house without leaving their house, said Bettina Inclan, associate administrator for NASAs Office of Communications. NASA has a way for them to look to the skies and see themselves in space with their feet planted safely on the ground, but their imaginations are free to explore everywhere we go.

Read also: Museums and libraries across the world release free coloring pages

Meanwhile, those interested in aiding the agencys research can extend help to ongoing initiatives for citizen scientists. Among the said programs are JUNOCAM, GLOBE observer and Planet Hunters TESS.

This includes searching for brown dwarfs and planets in our outer solar system and helping track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life in support of climate research, the agency said.

Experts such as astronaut Christina Koch is participating in the at-home program as well. Koch reads childrens books weekdays at 4 p.m. EDT on Instagram for students.

NASA Television will also be airing shows for students at home from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on weekdays.

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This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
The new coronavirus isn't biased about who it infects -- so why does data emerging from some states suggest that African Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in the US? Experts say blacks are disproportionately impacted by underlying health conditions linked to poverty, face discrimination in medical care, and are more likely to work jobs that require them to leave their home. "We know that blacks are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease," the nation's top doctor, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CBS News on Tuesday. These chronic illnesses, which are in turn linked to poverty and structural racism, can lead to more serious forms of the COVID-19 disease. Adams, who is himself black and has high blood pressure and asthma, added: "I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America. "And I, and many black Americans, are at higher risk for COVID." - Emerging trend - There is no nationwide data available on COVID-19 cases by race, but a pattern of over-representation by black Americans has emerged in states or jurisdictions that are sharing the numbers. Sixty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in Chicago have been among African Americans, who make up just 30 percent of the city's population. "Those numbers take your breath away," the city's mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday at a coronavirus briefing. "This is a call to action for all of us." The trend is repeated in North Carolina, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and the capital Washington. Doctor Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told AFP the issue was also linked to social class, with black people more likely to work jobs deemed essential that expose them to potential infection. "That population is more public facing," he said. "More bus drivers, more people taking public transportation to work, more people providing services in nursing homes, more folks working in grocery stores." - Structural bias - The problem is compounded by implicit and explicit bias that African Americans face in the medical system. Doctor James Hildreth, president of the historically black Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee told AFP that in his city, most of the initial testing took place at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Most of the patients who go to hospital systems like these have insurance, and it was only recently that three assessment centers run by the city of Nashville were built for the underprivileged and minority communities -- one of them located at Meharry's campus and run by its staff. "My point is, depending on which community you live in, and whether or not you have insurance... the chances for getting assessed are much less," he said. What's more, it's well documented that when black people seek care, they are less likely to have their symptoms believed or get adequately treated, Doctor Ebony Hilton, an anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia Medical Center told AFP. For example, black women are less likely to have their breast cancer mammograms seen by a specialist as opposed to a general radiologist, according to a 2012 study from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Black heart patients who present with elevated levels of a group of proteins indicating cardiac injury are also less likely to be seen by specialists, per a 2018 study. A civil rights group wrote this week to the US health secretary, Alex Azar, calling on him to "release daily racial and ethnic demographic data related to COVID-19 testing, disease burden and patient outcomes." This, said the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was necessary to ensure a robust public health response, and to make certain care and testing aren't being administered in a discriminatory manner. The group said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was already collecting the information but deliberately withholding it. Hilton stressed that it was in the interests of Americans as a whole to address the problem, because -- unlike high rates of heart disease or cancer -- a wave of coronavirus spreading through the black and Hispanic population will ultimately impact everyone else. "When you have a system that's not treating these people of lower social economic status and these minority groups, they are then not being tested, they're sent back home to infect their community," she said. "Those workers who are now infected are going to the grocery store, and when the upper echelon of America are going to get their food, they will get infected too." There is no nationwide data available on COVID-19 cases by race, but a pattern of over-representation by black Americans has emerged in states or jurisdictions that are sharing the numbers People wearing masks to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19 leave a supermarket in Washington, DC, April 7, 2020 A man waits in long line to vote in a presidential primary election outside the Riverside High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020
(Natural News) A San Antonio nursing home has been hit hard by coronavirus in a case that serves as a sobering reminder of just how much damage the disease can cause.

At the Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 14 people were infected with coronavirus on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had emerged that 66 residents there tested positive for COVID-19; five people from the facility have passed away from the illness so far, many of whom were elderly with underlying health conditions.

The facility counts 84 residents in total, so the fact that 66 have tested positive means that more than three fourths of them have the disease. Two residents tests were inconclusive, and 11 tested negative. At least six employees of the facility have also tested positive. Officials are now tracing the movements of those employees in an attempt to determine whether they might have carried the virus into other places.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, the nursing home does not meet federal standards governing health inspections and staffing levels. They were recently cited for a failure to follow proper infection control procedures as well as the medical negligence of a resident. Moreover, the home was given the lowest score possible of one out of five stars for its performance by federal regulators.

The facility was cited in October after a pair of nursing assistants failed to wash their hands after they cleaned a residents rectal area and then patted the resident dry using a contaminated towel. They also improperly stored a residents oxygen tubing, which could have put others at the facility at a risk of respiratory infection.

Poorly managed care homes a deadly problem during coronavirus outbreak

The city is now paying closer attention to care homes with poor track records to make sure they are not putting their residents at risk during this very dangerous outbreak. Officials have been monitoring the ambulance traffic at nursing homes in the area following a coronavirus outbreak at a facility in Washington that killed dozens of people.

At the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, the virus infected around two thirds of residents as well as dozens of staff members. At least 35 deaths related to coronavirus have been linked to the facility, which is now facing fines of more than $611,000 related to serious problems such as a lack of emergency physician services and failing to notify public health authorities in a timely manner.

The worst is still ahead for San Antonio

San Antonio has now reached a period where community spread has surpassed transmission from travel, which means extra vigilance is warranted among residents. On Monday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced that 456 people in the city have now tested positive, while the number of deaths is currently at 12.

He added that the city recommends people wear protective masks if they have to go out in public and social distancing is not possible. Theyve been asked to wear cloth masks to leave hard-to-obtain N95 or medical masks for the first responders who need them more.

The Bexar County Sheriffs Office, meanwhile, has announced that an entire class of sheriffs deputies who graduated last week and were scheduled to begin work on Saturday has been placed on administrative leave after one of the deputies in the class tested positive for coronavirus.

Epidemiologists have said that the San Antonio area could see a surge in patient volumes in May or early June, and the virus could take months to abate after that. Bexar County is also voting on extending the Stay Home, Work Safe orders until at least April 30.

Anyone who hasnt gotten on board yet with social distancing and other safety measures, regardless of where they live, only needs to look at how quickly this disease is spreading and killing people in close quarters like care homes to see just how risky their behavior is.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

Edition.CNN.com

MySanAntonio.com

FoxSanAntonio.com
SOS in Capital, several small hospitals in Delhi cry for help as oxygen stocks may run out soon

551 PSA medical oxygen generation plants to be set up in public health facilities across India

No direct procurement of COVID-19 vaccines allowed: Private hospitals need to place orders on CoWIN from today

Biggest worry: When hospitals turned containment zones in India

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 08: In India's biggest worry, doctors and nurses, who are at the frontline in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, are facing the brunt of the highly contagious disease. Some of the hospitals have turned into potential coronavirus clusters and declared coronavirus containment zones.

Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, one of the COVID-19 hotspots in India listed by the government has been temporarily shut and declared a containment zone after three doctors and 26 nurses tested positive for the highly contagious novel coronavirus.

A probe has also been ordered to investigate the unprecedented spike in the number of cases and rapid spread of COVID-19 at the Wockhardt Hospital.

Fake News Buster

"The hospital adheres to the highest global standards of infection and quality control. The source of the infection is identified as a 70 year old patient who was admitted to the hospital on March 17 for a cardiac emergency. The patient was asymptomatic (showed no symptoms of COVID19)," the Wockhardt hospital said in a statement.

"On March 26, the patient developed cough, and was tested for COVID19, which turned out positive. The hospital staff were unknowingly exposed to the infection in the time period. We are informing the healthcare sector at large not to be misled by asymptomatic patients," the statement added.

In a similar case, a doctor in Mumbai has shut his clinic for an indefinite period after an Italy returnee who came to him for medical advice later tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Explained: What is Rapid Antibody Test? How does it help fighting COVID-19 in India?

Dr Abdul Khalique, who runs a clinic in Kalina area of Santa Cruz in the metropolis, told PTI the man reached Mumbai on March 18 and came to his clinic the next day.

Meanwhile, new admissions have been stopped at Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital. Its outpatient department (OPD) has reportedly been sealed as well after the staff there had tested positive for coronavirus.

The Economic Times reported that a nurse at the hospital sent out a video message via WhatsApp alleging that the multiple staff had contracted the disease. After that, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) took cognizance of the matter.

Delhi Cancer Institute shut

The Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) has been shut for sanitisation after two doctors and 16 nurses tested positive for coronavirus.

Explained: How patients with mental illness shot up since COVID-19 outbreak in India

The hospital authorities also said they are taking care of its healthcare workers infected by coronavirus.

"Some of them are admitted at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. We are very cautioned about the health of our doctors and nurses and all measure are being taken and their contact tracing has also started," he said.

Pune and many other states

In Pune, more than 90 health professionals including 42 doctors working at the DY Patil Hospital - one of the biggest in the city -- have been quarantined after a patient turned out to be coronavirus positive case. Many such cases have been reported from many other states including Rajasthan, Kerala, and Bihar. Reports suggest more than 50 health professionals have tested positive for Covid-19 in the country.

These tragic developments highlight a threat both to the individual healthcare workers battling the pandemic, and the overstressed healthcare system of India.

According to the statistics, India has one doctor for every 1,445 persons as per the country's current population estimate of 135 crore. This is lower than the WHO's prescribed norm of one doctor for 1,000 people.

Coronavirus outbreak: How Bhilwara containment zone sets an example in fighting COVID-19

While the pandemic is forcing the health professionals to quarantine facilities, it becomes obvious that hundreds will be left without medical attention. This will also increase the pressure on already overworked doctors battling the pandemic.

Why are medical professionals more prone to virus

Health staff are more prone to coronavirus as they are exposed to viral particles and high viral load patients than the general public. Even with all the protective gear in place, the virus is one mistake away from making them sick.

Lack of full protective gear in many states has also attributed to the problem. Using raincoats, home-made masks instead of PPE, Indian doctors woefully under-protected.

The rising number of cases among medical professionals only serve to underscore the severe shortage of personal protective equipment.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 10:34 [IST]
Click here to read the full article.

For SEAL Teams deployment to J-Bad, Bravo 6 pulled double duty, as cast member Max Thieriot also stepped behind the camera to direct his first episode of the CBS drama.

Having years ago helmed an episode of Bates Motel (where he played Normans half-brother Dylan), Thieriot tells TVLine that doing same for SEAL Team was something he discussed when first enlisting with the high-octane drama. Finally, the opportunity came up this season, he shares. They were like, Hey you got [Episode] No. 17, and I was like, OK!

And then I sat there and basically hounded them before Christmas break, about getting me a script, he adds with a laugh, so I could see it as soon as possible.

This Wednesday at 9/8c, SEAL Team fans will get to see Thieriots handiwork, as Bravo deploys with many of its team members juggling personal dilemmas, while Sonny deals with past demons back home in Texas. Here, Thieriot previews all that and more.

SEAL Team 3x17

TVLINE | What was the biggest challenge that this script presented for you as the director?



For me, this script is like a mini-pilot in a way. Were back on deployment and it introduces three or four important new characters, so it establishes the world, per se, for the back half of the season. That was obviously challenging, in that its not a standard SEAL Team episode where we get a brief, we go on a mission and we come home. There was a bit of pressure with that. Also, theres not tons of action, and its easy to throw a little smoke-and-mirrors if you have a lot of action to show people. Blast em with explosions and fires. But that doesnt really take place in this episode. Its a character-driven episode.

Also, I wanted to really create the feeling that we had in Season 1 when we were on deployment, where this was this dirty, dustry, gritty feel to everything. And because they built some new sets out there, I wanted to give a big feeling to it, so we could really feel the size of this base. Thats the hardest thing about directing on television in general  I was joking with David Cook, one of our editors who directed this season, and he was like, If you were to write a book about directing TV, itd be titled The Art of Compromising. You have to get so much done in a short period of time, its not a huge budget, so its challenging.

Story continues

SEAL Team 3x17

TVLINE | Of course Sonny is now back home in Texas, serving out his punishment for the bar brawl. Where did you shoot for Texas?



We shot out at Ventura Farms [in Thousand Oaks, Calif.]. We went and looked at different places, and there was one place that was cool and maybe a little more sad, but it was very close to where we film all of our Afghanistan stuff, so I was like, No, it has to feel different. The other thing that some people hemmed and hawed about at first was, Well, Sonnys dad is supposed to be losing the ranch and this place looks too nice, but for me, growing up in a farming community, just because people dont have money doesnt mean they dont have pride. That was my argument for that, and it ended up looking good, I thought.

TVLINE | What is the general mood of Sonnys scenes, as he reconnects with both his father (played by Carnivales John Savage) and childhood friend Hannah (Witches of East Ends Rachel Boston)?

Its mixed at first. She feels a little betrayed, because Emmet is the only dad she grew up with, and he basically up and left and didnt really say goodbye. She feels like, What kind of friend does that to a friend? But also, because Sonnys relationship with his father is very troubled and difficult at this time,he sees how she interacts with his dad, and thats one of those moments where we  and Sonny  see her in a different light. There are some really great scenes where she helps Sonny a lot.

TVLINE | Usually an actor is played light before the direct an episode, so they can prep, but I didnt really notice Clay missing in recent weeks.

I unfortunately wasnt very light. And I was expecting that to happen! [Laughs] I kept waiting for that, too.

TVLINE | They couldnt send Clay and Rebecca (Adelaide Kane) on a weekend trip to the Outer Banks or something?

Yeah, I was like, Guys, you know? And they were like, No, sorry. And I was pretty heavy in 16, which was during my prep, so it was tough, man. It was a battle. But the crew, the camera department, the cast, the writers everybody across the board got on board and fought for me. There were things that I was super adamant about, and they were like, If thats what you want, well do it. Im not really interested in coming in and directing just to get a directing credit. Like, I want to come in and do the work, and they were very cool about letting me do what I wanted to do.

TVLINE | When last we tuned in, Davis gut was telling her that things in the Afghan region have been a little too quiet. Will her instincts prove correct?

Heres the thing: It wouldnt be SEAL Team if all of deployment we were just sitting around the base throwing horseshoes!

SEAL Team Clay Rebecca

TVLINE | How might deployment affect Clays current thinking about switching to the admiral track? He kind of committed to that last episode.

I think this entire deployment  for not only Clay, but for Sonny, for Jason, for Ray  is really about everybody sort of finding themselves. The team is really at a weird place right now, because its not gelling like it usually does. Everybody is sort of half in, because they also have something very big happening in their personal lives. A big part of this deployment is these guys trying to figure out whos getting back in touch with why they do the job that they do, and what makes them the guys that they are. Across the board.

TVLINE | Because Im almost worried that with so many futures in flux, yall are stealthily steering toward a series finale.

No, I dont think thats the case. These teams are always evolving, and the reality is that at some point in time we cant all still be in the same position on the team. Its just not realistic. The team is the team, but the team is evolving. Were going to see the evolution of the team, but Bravo Team is Bravo Team.

TVLINE | In Clays mind, what are the pros and cons of Rebecca versus Stella (Alona Tal)? Like, is Stella still even in the mix?

I mean, we havent seen her recently, but Stella is never out of the mix. To be honest, I dont even know the answer to this question, because I dont know whats going to happen. But my perception is that Rebecca is what Clay wants right now, and Stella will always be

TVLINE | Maybe its that he loves Stella, but he loves the world that Rebecca offers?

I think thats it on the surface, for sure. Its not just about the job with Rebecca  I think he really is into her  but Rebecca sheds light on what Clay could be and what Clay could have. Whereas Stella will always be drawn to what Clay is.

TVLINE | We should all have Adelaide Kane and Alona Tal fighting over us.

I know, I know. [Laughs] What a terrible place to be in!

TVLINE | This season of SEAL Team, as with many shows, is coming up a couple of episodes short because of the pandemic shutdown. Will we still get any kind of cliffhanger?

I think so; were good about that stuff. I dont know exactly how well wrap everything up, since we finished up a hair short like you said, but I do know that the stuff we have from those episodes was pretty epic. Thats all up to CBS to figure out, when and how well finish them up. But these next few episodes are pretty awesome. There is some pretty cool stuff.

Want more scoop on SEAL Team, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matts Inside Line.

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Times Union

CORINTH  Four people were injured after an accident involving a car and three motorcycles in the village of Corinth Tuesday afternoon.

The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said late Tuesday night that one person had to be airlifted to Albany Medical Center and was in critical condition following the accident.
Amid coronavirus cases rising worldwide, Brazilian President Jair M Bolsonaro has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on with references to Ramayana and The Bible, as per reports that surfaced on social media. Reports claimed that Bolsanaro while requesting India for Hydroxychloroquine has mentioned Lord Hanuman and 'sanjeevani booti' that was used to save Lord Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama. It also stated that 'Jesus healed those who were sick', in the same way, India and Brazil will come together and 'share blessings for the sake of all people.'

READ | Trump warns India of retaliation if Hydroxychloroquine export stops, hails brief relief

This has however not been confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs till now.

READ | COVID-19: US stocks 'Hydroxychloroquine' after it shows positive results on patients

World leaders speak to India on supply of Hydroxychloroquine

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump after his request to India to release Hydroxychloroquine, warned of 'retaliation', if New Delhi stops the supply. Amidst an intense debate on the side effects of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19, Trump has been actively promoting the drug as an option when there is no viable treatment for the dreaded virus. India on Tuesday clarified that it will licence paracetamol and Hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all neighbouring countries and to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic.

READ | PM Modi expresses solidarity with Boris Johnson, hopes for his early recovery from COVID

Brazilian President Bolsonaro too had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi. They discussed the global situation in the wake of the pandemic. After PM Modi, Bolsonaro also tweeted in Portuguese about his discussion with the Prime Minister, saying he requested the latter for support in the continuity of the supply of pharmaceutical inputs for the production of hydroxychloroquine.

Members of the SAARC bloc and Indonesia and the UAE have also requested India to lift the export ban on hydroxychloroquine, as they stare at a shortage of the drug primarily used for rheumatoid arthritis and long-term autoimmune disease lupus. According to reports, several other European countries have also requested India for the supply of hydroxychloroquine. In the last few days, PM 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.



READ | From US to UAE, nations queue up to ask India to send them Hydroxychloroquine amid Covid
PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Properties, Inc. (OTCQX: CPTP) announced that, due to the public health and safety concerns related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and recommendations from federal and state authorities, its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Annual Meeting) will be a virtual (telephonic) meeting rather than an in-person meeting, as previously announced. Shareholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person.

The Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, as previously scheduled. Telephonic access to the meeting will begin at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time. As described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting previously distributed, shareholders as of the close of business on March 2, 2020, the record date, are entitled to participate in the Annual Meeting.

Attending the Virtual Meeting as a Shareholder of Record

If you were a shareholder of record as of March 2, 2020 (i.e., you held your shares in your own name as reflected in the records of our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer ("AST"), you can attend the meeting by accessing https://web.lumiagm.com/229041071 ("Portal"). In order to gain access, you must click the "I have a login," enter the control number found on your new proxy card (the number below your account number), voting instruction form or notice you previously received and enter the password "cpi2020" (the password is case sensitive). If you would prefer to participate by telephone, please call 1-888-405-7434 and follow the instructions. Have your new proxy card available when you call.

Registering to Attend the Annual Meeting as a Beneficial Owner

If you are a beneficial owner of record as of March 2, 2020 (i.e., you held your shares in an account at a brokerage firm, bank or other similar agent), you will need to obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or agent. Once you have received a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other agent, executed in your favor, from the holder of record, and have submitted proof of your legal proxy reflecting the number of shares of Capital Properties, Inc. Class A common stock you held as of the record date, along with your name and email address, and a request for registration to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC either by: (1) by email to [email protected]; (2) by facsimile to 718-765-8730 or by mail to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC , ATTN: Proxy Tabulation Department, 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. Requests for registration must be labeled as "Legal Proxy" and be received by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC no later than 5 PM Eastern Time on April 13, 2020. You will then receive a confirmation of your registration, with a control number, by email from AST.

Asking questions

If you are attending the meeting as a shareholder of record or registered beneficial owner, questions can be submitted through the Portal and by telephone.

Voting Shares

If you have not already voted your shares in advance, you will be able to vote your shares electronically during the Annual Meeting through the Portal. You will not be able to vote your shares if you participate by telephone.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, if you have not previously voted, we urge you to vote and submit your proxy in advance of the meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting.

The proxy card included with the proxy materials previously distributed will not be updated to reflect the change in location and may continue to be used to vote your shares in connection with the Annual Meeting.

About Capital Properties, Inc.

Capital Properties, Inc. and its subsidiary's principal business consist of the long-term leasing of certain of its real estate interests in downtown Providence, Rhode Island for commercial development and the leasing of locations along interstate and primary highways in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for outdoor advertising purposes.

CONTACT:

Susan R. Johnson, Treasurer

401-435-7171

SOURCE Capital Properties, Inc.

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Calls to a domestic abuse helpline surged by over 100 per cent in a single day, a charity has revealed, highlighting the danger faced by victims of abuse during the coronavirus lockdown.

Refuge said calls and contacts to its national domestic abuse helpline on 6 April were up 120 per cent on the previous day.

On Monday, Refuge released the first set of statistics which indicated an average increase in calls and contacts to its National Domestic Abuse Helpline of 25 per cent since the UK entered lockdown measures, Sandra Horley CBE, Refuge chief executive said.

After significant media coverage directing women to Refuges Helpline, our statistics show that the number of calls we logged increased by 120 per cent.

While the dramatic increase shows that more women are asking for support during lockdown, it is important to recognise that the lockdown itself is not a cause of domestic abuse, Refuge said.

The charity added that the true number of women seeking help is likely much higher, with many in self-isolation finding it difficult to call for help during self-isolation.

Earlier this week, journalist and broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire presented BBC News with Refuge's phone number written on her hand.

Two women per week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales, Refuge said, and called on the public to remember that abuse occurs all year round  not just during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Natasha Saunders, a domestic abuse survivor who has waived her right to anonymity, said: Living with my ex was like being inside a prison."

Ms Saunders, whose ex has since been convicted, said she understands the fear many women may be experiencing during self-isolation.

She added: Home was not a safe place for me  and its not a safe place for thousands of women living with abusive partners.

I understand the panic, fear and claustrophobia these women must be feeling at the moment, but help and support is out there.

With the support of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, I was able to leave my ex-husband and start a new life with my family.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labours new shadow home secretary, has called on the government to provide an emergency funding package to help domestic abuse services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Thomas-Symonds, who was appointed to the shadow cabinet on Sunday following Sir Kier Starmers leadership victory, said he had written to his Conservative counterpart Priti Patel asking for funds to be released.

I am writing to ask you to work with colleagues across government to urgently bring forward a package of emergency bespoke financial support for the organisations who are doing vital frontline work to ensure that they can provide a crucial safety net to some of the most at-risk women, children and communities throughout this crisis, the letter reads.

I would also be happy to discuss how your department, and those across government, can ensure that this additional investment is made available as soon as possible and also in ensuring that organisations operating on the frontline are given the necessary financial flexibility.

The letter adds: In order to ensure that they can make best use of the available funds it is important they are not unduly burdened by reporting restrictions, whilst of course ensuring we make best use of taxpayers money.

Recommended Victoria Derbyshire goes on TV with domestic abuse helpline on hand

Last month, a letter signed by more than 30 civil society organisations and lawyers called on the government to provide extra financial support for charities that are already struggling to raise funds during the Covid-19 crisis.

Isabella Mulholland, a domestic violence caseworker at the Public Interest Law Centre, said: We are concerned about the disproportionate impact that lockdown measures are having on women at risk of domestic violence.

It is unacceptable for the government to simply point to a general fund which has been allocated to all those in need.

She added: Instead, it must secure specific funding for survivors to ensure they are able to access specialist services and safe and suitable accommodation.

If you need support, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, any time of day on 0808 2000 247.

Refuge has a full team working round the clock to ensure as many women as possible who need support are able to access it.

You can follow this link and organise a safe time in which a member of the team can get in touch.
As the Navy races to contain a coronavirus outbreak on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, sailors left onboard to maintain and disinfect the ship are doing so with minimal protective equipment, fashioning homemade masks out of T-shirts at the direction of the Pentagon.

Some are working while they await test results, not knowing if they are spreading or catching the virus.

Multiple family members of sailors aboard the carrier confirmed to The Chronicle that their relatives were making face coverings of what they had on hand, including torn T-shirts. The Pentagon has ordered military members to cover their faces when they cant maintain safe physical distance, but has not widely distributed masks or other personal protective equipment.

Roosevelt sailors were given latex gloves to use while cleaning the ship but little else, family members said. Sailors quarantined onshore in Guam also have little or no protective equipment, one Roosevelt crew member said.

Many relatives said sailors deserved better from the government, for their sake and for national security.

Their jobs can put them in harms way at times, but they understand and prepare for those situations. This has been different, said one family member, who like other relatives spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared reprisals against Roosevelt sailors.

When The Chronicle reported that the Roosevelts former commanding officer, Capt. Brett Crozier, had pleaded with superiors for help evacuating the vessel in Guam, I felt relieved that they would get the resources they needed and things seemed to move forward quickly, the family member said. But it feels like it has lost momentum. ... I do have faith they will get through this, and I know many are working hard supporting that effort.

The Chronicle agreed to grant the family members and Roosevelt sailor anonymity in accordance with the papers anonymous sourcing policy.

The Navy did not respond to a request for comment. But on Monday, Rear Adm. John Menoni, the senior military official on Guam, said cleaning aboard the ship was being handled appropriately.

Im assured they have the supplies on the ship that they need to do that cleaning, he said at a news conference.

The acting secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, resigned Tuesday amid sharp criticism of his handling of the Roosevelt situation. In a statement, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said his top two priorities were ensuring the health, safety and welfare of the USS Theodore Roosevelts crew and redeploying the ship as soon as safely possible.

As of Tuesday, 230 of the nearly 5,000 sailors aboard the Roosevelt had tested positive for the coronavirus, the Navy said. Nearly 2,000 sailors have been moved ashore.

About 4,000 sailors have been tested for the coronavirus, but hundreds of the results are pending. There have been no hospitalizations, the Navy said.

The ships outbreak became public knowledge after Crozier sent a letter to his chain of command, expressing alarm about the spread of the disease and requesting evacuations from the close-quarters vessel. The Chronicle obtained and published the letter, prompting the acting Navy secretary to remove Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, from command. After relieving Crozier of duty, Modly delivered a speech in Guam to the crew disparaging Crozier, for which he later apologized.

The outbreak and its handling has alarmed experts and many lawmakers in Washington, who note that carriers where sailors sleep dozens to a berth and spend their days in confined spaces are susceptible to disease spread.

One sailor told The Chronicle that conditions werent any better among sailors in a gymnasium serving as one of the initial group quarantine areas. None of the sailors have masks, the crew member said, and at night the sound of coughing is like a cacophony of COVID.

Mark Blakewoods son serves on the ship. He said his son was tested Saturday after losing his sense of smell and taste, often an early sign of the coronavirus. But he remained on the warship cleaning as he awaited his results, with little protection, said Blakewood, who lives in Orange Park, Fla.

Overnight, Blakewood said he received word from his son that he indeed tested positive and was pulled off the ship.

Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for disinfecting spaces where people are housed advise closing off areas that have been visited by those who have the virus, opening doors and windows and increasing air circulation. All those measures are difficult to implement on an aircraft carrier.

For cleaning such spots, the CDC recommends that people use gloves and gowns and discard them after one use.

Last week, the CDC also recommended that people use cloth masks to cover their faces when they cant maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people, guidelines that the Defense Department mandated Sunday for all military members. But Esper said the military would not distribute protective gear.

As an interim measure, all individuals are encouraged to fashion face coverings from household items or common materials, such as clean T-shirts or other clean cloths that can cover the nose and mouth area, Esper said in a memo to military departments. Medical personal protective equipment such as N95 respirators or surgical masks will not be issued for this purpose as these will be reserved for the appropriate personnel.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In pre-Pentagon directive photos, videos and social media posts reviewed by The Chronicle, no sailors aboard the Roosevelt appeared to be wearing masks or any type of face coverings. That included Crozier, who had reportedly begun to show coronavirus-related symptoms shortly before he was removed from the ship. He later tested positive for the virus.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee demanded Tuesday that the Pentagon provide an accounting of its personal protective equipment and medical supplies.

Without essential medical supplies and personal protective equipment, the coronavirus crisis could expand rapidly from a medical risk for (Defense Department) personnel to an operational and strategic threat to our national security interests, wrote Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch.

San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier, who chairs the military personnel subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, told The Chronicle that she was extremely disappointed with the Navys response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ive been told that they have adequate PPE (personal protective equipment), but if they have adequate PPE, why wasnt there a sufficient amount flown out to the Teddy Roosevelt? she said.

Speier said she spoke last week with Modly, the former acting Navy secretary, who told her Crozier had been spooked by the doctors.

Well, thats precisely what he had a responsibility to do, is get spooked by the doctors, and that comment gave me the impression that the secretary was not taking this seriously enough, Speier said.

Shortly after Croziers letter to his superiors went public, the Navy reached an agreement with Guam to provide the civilian government there with protective equipment such as masks and gloves, in exchange for allowing the Roosevelt crew to quarantine in the U.S. territorys hotels.

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, former NATO supreme allied commander Europe, told The Chronicle that warships are a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus.

Scrubbing the Theodore Roosevelt of the virus will not be complicated, but it will be time-consuming, Stavridis said. He estimated cleaning would take five to 10 days with a crew of 350 people.

Matthias Gafni, Tal Kopan and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com, jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni, @talkopan, @joegarofoli
Bridget McDonald receives a ballot from poll worker Patty Piek-Groth on Tuesday in Janesville, Wis. (Angela Major / Associated Press )

The political and legal chaos that engulfed Wisconsins primary Tuesday marked the beginning of a national battle over how democracy will function in the middle of a pandemic  a months-long struggle that could tip the balance of power between the major political parties.

At stake is the most basic function of a democracy  the ability to hold elections that partisans on both sides regard as valid. That consensus, already eroded in the Trump era, is now being further undermined.

Prompted by Republicans' refusal to postpone the state's primary, the Wisconsin meltdown whipsawed voters with on-again, off-again election plans, polling locations drastically reduced, and makeshift protections against contagion. It provided the most public view so far of partisan tension over election rules and how they threaten to sow chaos in upcoming primaries and the general election.

Republicans for years have viewed measures to expand access to the ballot as attempts by Democrats to gain an advantage. In the current crisis, they have launched a coordinated national effort to limit the ramp-up of absentee and mail-in voting, which have been urged by independent election-integrity experts in the face of the coronavirus.

If the pandemic continues into the fall  or if the virus recedes during the summer and then returns, as many experts expect  that could force millions of voters to choose between casting their ballots and safeguarding their health.

The battle is playing out now because states that don't currently allow widespread mail-in balloting would have to begin changing their systems soon to have any hope of pulling off a mail-in election in the fall.

The GOP once backed mail-in balloting when it was viewed primarily as a tool to expand voting options for seniors. Now, however, party leaders, from President Trump on down, are openly working to block proposals by election officials to mitigate disruption.

Democrats said the chaos in Wisconsin underscored the importance of planning for remote balloting in the general election.

Story continues

We should be thinking ahead now, former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrats' likely presidential nominee, said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. Have all the experts, both political parties and academia laying out what it would take to have voting by mail.

Trump and many of his Republican allies, however, portray moves to expand mail-in ballots not as neutral contingency plans to accommodate a public health threat, but as a partisan ploy to engineer a lasting expansion of the electorate in Democrats favor.

The president continues to make false claims about massive voter fraud. Although a White House task force he set up in 2017 to investigate that issue collapsed after less than a year without turning up any evidence of such widespread fraud, Trump remains undeterred.

Mail ballots, they cheat. Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country, he said Tuesday.

"They talk about safety, safety, he added. The mail ballots are corrupt, in my opinion.

More recently, he and other GOP leaders have been candid about another reason they are fighting mail ballots: They believe expanded voter participation could cost the GOP politically.

Criticizing Democratic vote-by-mail proposals in Congress, Trump said on Fox and Friends, They had a level of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again.

Democrats see the Republican maneuvers as part of an effort by Trump to use illicit means to cling to power.

"This pandemic is fast becoming a three-pronged crisis," said Ellen Kurz, president of IVote, a Democratic political action committee working to expand voting rights. "There is the health crisis, the financial crisis, and now we have a potentially just as big a democracy crisis.... The president is using his authority overseeing the pandemic to try to prevent people who want him out of office from voting."

The Republican efforts to block expanded mail-in balloting cover a host of battleground states.

In North Carolina, Republicans are resisting proposals to ease requirements for witnessing absentee ballots during the pandemic. In Georgia, GOP officials have set up a new task force to scrutinize absentee ballots, a move that critics say amounts to voter intimidation.

In Michigan, Republicans are defending the constitutionality of laws that sharply restrict the collection of absentee ballots by third parties  a practice critics call ballot harvesting, which Republicans have blamed for their widespread losses in California in the 2018 midterm election.

There is a risk to expanding mail voting, according to election experts, but it is not fraud. The tracking safeguards that are layered over mail-voting systems already offered to many millions of Americans  particularly the requirement for matching the signature on the ballot envelope to a signature on file  make misuse of ballots easy to detect.

The bigger challenge, experts say, is that those safeguards can mistakenly block valid voters because, for example, a signature varies slightly from the one on file or their mailing address in government records is out of date.

The risks would be overshadowed by the threat of disenfranchisement at a much larger scale if multiple states proceed in November as Wisconsin did Tuesday.

"What is particularly concerning are these signs in Wisconsin that the failure to protect the vote was on purpose," said Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

"The president and some of the other national Republican leaders have been making broad public statements that everybody voting would be a problem. And then they are trying to foment fears of mail balloting, despite the fact that for much of the country, that could be the only way people could participate in November."

In the midst of the Wisconsin imbroglio, congressional Democrats are intensifying their push to expand mail voting for November. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York told reporters Tuesday that the issue has become a key negotiating point in the next stimulus package.

"The moment we are in will create a precedent for how democracy is managed in crisis for decades to come," said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat.

Her state is on the front lines of the battle. A popular 2018 ballot measure changed the state constitution to allow everyone to vote by mail. The state rapidly made the transition. Participation in elections has soared, including among GOP voters.

Many of the Republican worries about mail voting are rooted in the belief that it would boost turnout among lower-income and marginalized voters who have a harder time getting to the polls, and vote Democratic when they do.

That's not necessarily true, and some experts believe that the GOP is mistakenly hurting its own prospects. In Wisconsin, for example, recent elections for state Supreme Court seats suggested that conservative candidates did better with higher turnouts, said Rick Esenberg, founder of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

Expanded mail voting in November could drive turnout among older voters, who trend Republican and are among the most likely to sit the election out if voting poses a health hazard.

Yet while they may be wrong to see a threat, Republican officials are persistent in fighting it.

In Georgia, where the primary has been postponed until May 19, all voters have been mailed applications for absentee ballots to encourage more mail-in voting. GOP House Speaker David Ralston objected, telling a local media outlet that expanded voting by mail will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives.

Ralston later backtracked and said his concerns were driven not by politics but fraud potential.

In the many states where voting by mail has been the norm for years, there has been scant evidence of fraud. The rare exception is a case in North Carolina that involved a GOP operative who was caught illegally collecting and forging signatures on ballots during a 2018 congressional race. After he was charged, the election was nullified.

Election law experts say the case illustrated that the existing anti-fraud safeguards work. Yet the GOP-controlled Legislature restricted absentee voting in the aftermath, imposing a rule that such ballots be witnessed by two people or one notary  a requirement that will be harder to meet if the virus is raging in November and social distancing is in force.

The Democratic-controlled state Board of Elections has proposed easing the restrictions in the face of the virus. Republicans are suspicious.

Im concerned that this is an effort by partisan Democrats to try to tilt the landscape in their favor," said Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger.

The charges and counter-charges are paralyzing efforts by state and county officials to adjust their systems. They are fast running out of time.

"Election officials dont want to preside over an election that is under a cloud of illegitimacy or unfairness," said Weiser. "We dont have a lot of time to build the infrastructure."
Suffolk Receives Supply of Ventilators From New York State

Health & Wellness

By Ls Cohen Published: April 07 2020

136 ventilators were delivered to help relieve pressure on hospitals as need increases due to COVID-19.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that Suffolk County received a supply of ventilators from New York State on Monday night.

Last night we received 136 ventilators from New York State for our local hospitals, Bellone posted on his Facebook page. This critical equipment will help save lives as we continue to battle against this virus.

It was reported that Suffolk County was able to secure 150,000 surgical masks for medical workers through the efforts of Congressman Lee Zeldin.

Bellone said that they also expect a shipment of 200,000 N95 masks as well.

The County Executive thanked both Zeldin and President Donald Trump for the supplies, taking a bipartisan tone.

We are all in this together, he said.

Photo: Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Facebook Page.

The efforts will assist in easing the burden on Long Islands medical system.

We will continue to work in partnership to support our hospitals on the ground and get them the equipment that they need, Bellone said.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Alaska borough leader has signed an order to assume control of the local facilities of an airline that filed for bankruptcy protection because of the economic damage of the coronavirus. But the states attorney general said the North Slope Borough does not have the authority to commandeer property.

North Slope Borough Mayor Harry Brower signed an emergency order Sunday calling for the borough to take possession of assets controlled by RavnAir Group within the boroughs boundaries. The order states the borough must ensure its residents have food, medical supplies and medical transport.

RavnAir Group cited the coronavirus when it announced Sunday it would halt operations, temporarily lay off all remaining staff and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The decision affects the companys three airlines: RavnAir Alaska, PenAir and RavnAir Connect.

It is Alaskas largest regional carrier and said it lost 90% of passenger revenue because of the pandemic.

State Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, in a statement, said the airlines property is part of its bankruptcy estate. This means the North Slope Borough order is void under federal and state law, he said.

While the state appreciates concerns with ensuring there is air service for affected communities, the North Slope Boroughs actions in this case were counterproductive, Clarkson said. As long as local governments might be attempting to seize Ravns property it will be more difficult to establish replacement air service.

For most people, 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.

Brower, in an email Monday, said the borough has tried to work with Ravn whose news has gone from limiting services, to cutting services, to pulling out of the Slope, to as of last night filing for Bankruptcy and locking the Deadhorse and Utqiagvik facilities.

Residents learned of most of this on a note posted to terminal doors, he wrote.

The order would allow other airlines to use the facilities to serve the community, he said.

RavnAir did not did not have an immediate comment on the order.

RavnAir handled Utqiagvik and Deadhorse ground operations, including sorting mail and cargo and operating hangars. The companys bankruptcy announcement came with a mandate to close facilities for the delivery of mail and freight.

RavnAir scaled back operations late last week, raising a question of how communities would receive mail and freight.

The U.S. Postal Service is using a patchwork of different carriers to serve the communities, spokesman David Rupert said.

Wright Air took over mail delivery for the North Slope Borough and made commitments to hire a small group of RavnAir employees in Utqiagvik to assist ground operations, co-owner Matt Atkinson said.
To their legions of fans, the groups give voice to the bilingual vernacular of a multicultural city, marinated by its past French and British rulers, the forces of globalization and successive waves of immigration.  But they have also spawned a backlash in Quebec,  where critics have castigated them as self-colonizers who are creolizing the French language and threatening its future.  The New York Times
State police right now are trying to educate Pennsylvanians about Gov. Tom Wolfs stay-at-home order to fight the coronavirus but that forbearance wont last forever, one of the forces leaders said Tuesday.

Were warning, were encouraging, were educating but eventually if theyre not compliant well move to an enforcement position, said Lt. Col. Scott Price, the deputy commissioner of operations. If folks dont comply then we will begin issuing more citations.

Only a few of those have been handed out so far, he said. One, for $200, was issued to a York County woman who was out for a drive. A couple who were outside drinking in Lancaster County and two 19-year-olds who were driving around in Columbia County also were ticketed.

Judging from what Price said during Tuesday afternoons over-the-phone press conference, those citation issuances might have gotten ahead of the official give them a warning policy.

Nor are troopers confronting people to see if theyre breaching the stay-at-home edict, which is meant to curb the spread of COVID-19, Price said. We dont stop cars simply to determine what someones reason for traveling might be, for example, he said.

At the same time Wolf is ordering people to stay at home, other state officials are encouraging sportsmen to hit the roads and streams for the two week earlier than normal opening of trout fishing season.

Fishing is an allowable activity, although social distancing should be practiced with other anglers, Price said. And, he said it is advisable to engage in those activities close to home.

There are indications the coronavirus restrictions are being heeded by most Pennsylvanians and are working, Price said.

One gauge is the traffic flow on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Price said non-commercial traffic on the pike is down by 76.5 percent, while commercial traffic has dropped by 27.5 percent.

Yes, he said, Pennsylvanians are getting the message.
The typical image of Easter is a pretty spring morning in the best matching pastel outfits mom could find, all while celebrating our Saviors resurrection and hunting for eggs later that afternoon.

This year, everyone from all walks of life have been finding a new normal, one where the phrase social distancing defines every decision. In this new normal, churches have resorted to convening digitally. That means for the first time ever, Easter service for most families will take place on couches.

This is another heartbreaking result of COVID-19 as it continues to disseminate through the world at an unprecedented rate. This virus has infected millions and taken the lives of tens of thousands, altering our lives financially, socially, and every way you can imagine along the way.

This is hardly the first time weve seen disaster before though. In 2004, a tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed 250,000 people. In 2005, we encountered Hurricane Katrina. And who can forget 2010-2011? The earthquake in Haiti cost another 220,000 people their lives; the tsunami in Japan, nearly 16,000.

More recently, weve witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the California wildfires of 2018, and a tornado in Nashville just weeks ago.

Pandemics and natural calamities rage on in our world, costing us billions of dollars, and more significantly, hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. These tragedies raise many questions about the nature of our security, about our fear of the uncontrollable, and especially about the character of God.

When we look to the Bible, were taught that in every fine detail of the universe, God is sovereign. And he reigns in the nice moments and in those that arent so nice.

To illustrate this, a powerful story unfolds in the Book of Job, where despite a roller coaster of heartbreak, God redeemed the work by which Satan meant to destroy Jobs faith.

Even in Jobs life when he had taken everything from himhis family, property, possessions and healthJob still found the humility to repent, he took responsibility for his own misdeeds, and held firm to his faith. In Job 19:25 we read of his epiphany when he proclaims, For I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth. After all the hardship and pain, the Lord blessed Job for this unshakable faith, restoring to him abundantly more than he had lost.

This and other stories throughout Scripture remind us that in our fallen world, disasters happen, and they happen to both evil and righteous people without distinction or explanation. Its not up to us to label this one as misfortune or that one as Gods judgment, but simplyas Jesus often pointed outto ponder the wickedness in our own hearts.

God uses disasters and tragedies to accomplish His perfect will in us and through us, and sometimes to bring us to himself in the first place. Here at Shadow Mountain, almost all who give testimony of faith at their baptism have one thing in common: They are led to the feet of Jesus through some form of hardship and tragedy. Often it is the loss of a loved one or a divorce or the loss of employment. Its abundantly clear that in Biblical times and in the present day, God uses pain and sorrow and to get the attention of those he is pursuing.

In Gods unmatched wisdom and unrivaled power, evil events are used as tools to work for the good of those who love him. In fact, thats the same storyline during Holy Week as well. Theres no better illustration than the cross and the tomb.

From Palm Sunday, to the brutal crucifixion, to the miraculous resurrectionGod demonstrates that though darkness may settle in for the night, even the grave can be conquered. When it seems evil has won the battle, God is always in the business of redemption and proving he can win the war.

Yes, Jesus was crucified on Friday. It was devastating for his followers who watched it unfold. But then came Sunday!

Even in our lives today when our future and our childrens future is uncertain, even when we dont know if we can put food on the table or pay rent, God is in control. Through Jesus death on the cross of Calvary and his resurrection on that quiet Sunday morning, God had the final word.

In the midst of confusion and chaos, as we have found ourselves this Easter, just remember: Sunday is always coming.

Photo courtesy: Christoph Schmid/Unsplash

Dr. David Jeremiah is one of Americas most trusted Bible teachers. For more than 38 years, he has helped millions deepen their understanding of the Bible through 4,552 daily Turning Point Radio releases and a daily Turning Point Television program that reaches millions of people globally. He is the author of more than fifty books, including Hope: Living Fearlessly in a Scary World, Forward, The Book of Signs, Airship Genesis Kids Study Bible, and The Jeremiah Study Bible.
Re: Falling through the cracks

How many more people need to die before we start taking mental health diseases seriously? That is something I have asked myself every single day since Canada put in place a Stay at Home Order due to COVID-19.

Earlier this week I read about Cohen McLean, a young father from Kamloops, BC who died after battling with an undiagnosed mental health disease. One quote by his wife really stuck with me, He was trying so hard to get help. Everywhere he went, he has turned away.

Many Canadians do not realize that there is very little help for those of us who battle daily with mental health diseases. Not only do we desperately fight social stigma, but also a medical health system that does not take our cries for help seriously. For those who are lucky enough to get help, seeing a counsellor or psychiatrist means sitting on a waitlist for months or even years within a system that is already stretched and underfunded. Cohen McLean is just one of many who will become secondary victims due to the COVID-19 and no one seems to be listening.



On March the 26, 2020, I sent an email to Interior Health staff and local Okanagan, BC MLAs during a virtual hall meeting in regards to comments made by Canadas Health Minister Patty Hajdu, that not enough was being done to help those with mental health diseases. I was fearful that as there was an increase of those who needed mental health services, there would also be more of us who would slip through the cracks due to an underfunded system.

Calls to the BC Crisis Line have gone up by 25%, while mental health services such as in person counselling, psychiatric assessments and outreach programs have been cut back. Quoting from my email I said As someone who accesses multiple mental health services in our community, I am begging you to please put these issues forward. We are at a critical point where we will start losing people to more than just the virus. However, even though I check the news every single morning, neither the federal or provincial government have provided an increase in funding for mental health services.



I am one of the lucky ones. I have a doctor, counsellor and family who advocate and support me every single day. However, I am terrified that I will be put in a place like Cohen McLean as I desperately sit on a waitlist to get a psychiatric assessment and try to access an already overtaxed medical system. There are many Canadians who have the same fears as me during this pandemic and feel as if they are being forgotten once again. My hope is through this crisis we will finally be heard instead of being another statistic after all of this is over.



Katheryn Cox, Kelowna
Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 400 points in opening trade on Wednesday tracking losses in index heavyweights HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank amid weak cues from global markets.

After hitting a low of 29,602.94, the 30-share BSE barometer pared most losses to trade 14.98 points or 0.05 per cent lower at 30,052.23.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty was quoting 9.50 points, or 0.11 per cent, down at 8,782.70.

Axis Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, falling up to 3 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, TCS, ITC and IndusInd Bank.

On the other hand, Sun Pharma, HUL, M&M and HDFC rallied up to 5 per cent.

In the previous session, the BSE barometer surged 2,476.26 points or 8.97 per cent to settle the day at 30,067.21; while the NSE barometer Nifty zoomed 708.40 points or 8.76 per cent to close at 8,792.20 -- the best session ever for both indices in absolute terms and the biggest since May 2009 percentage-wise.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned net buyers in the capital market, as they bought equity shares worth Rs 741.77 crore on Tuesday, according to provisional exchange data.

Indian markets, in sync with global benchmarks, turned negative as worries over the economic impact of the pandemic continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, investors are awaiting an ease in lockdown procedures, so companies can get down to generating business. In a holiday shortened week, any regarding peaking infections will be bought into.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul were in the red, while those in Tokyo were trading on a positive note.

Benchmark exchanges on Wall Street ended lower in overnight trade.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 2.26 per cent to USD 32.59 per barrel.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has crossed 5,000.

Global tally of the infections has crossed 14 lakh, with over 82,000 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Farmers in the South Downs have joined forces to create an online portal with an aim to collaborate and boost the local landscape.

More than 120 farms through six groups across Hampshire and Sussex are joining on the new platform to share updates and best practice.

The site also showcases the ongoing work of farmers to deliver nature-friendly farming, including providing wildlife habitats such as hedgerows and wildflower margins.

More than 75 percent of the South Downs National Park. And although the UK is in lockdown due to Covid-19, farmers' work goes on.

Bruce Fowkes, Farming Officer for the South Downs National Park, said the website will explain the 'vital role' farmers undertake for society.

He said it will also provide an opportunity for people find out more detail about the work that farmers do

Well-managed farmland can deliver high-quality food, wildlife, an inspiring landscape, clean water and soil, flood defence and climate change mitigation.

Its for all these reasons that weve launched this website as a collaborative tool for farmers to showcase their projects and best practice," Mr Fowkes said.

"These are busy and challenging times for farmers, with the UK leaving the EU and quality food production more critical than ever during this global virus crisis.

The South Downs has a number of farm clusters. These are farmer-led groups, consisting of farmers, land managers, foresters and other local partners, who work across the landscape to achieve more than they are able to do on their own.

There are six farm clusters in the South Downs National Park; the Eastern South Downs Farmers Group, Arun to Adur Farmers Group, Rother Valley Farmers Group, South Downs Farmers Group, Selborne Landscape Partnership and the Winchester Downs Farm Cluster.

They range in size from just under 5,000ha to over 30,000ha and have anywhere between 10 and 45 members.

The South Downs National Park is also working with farmers and the farm clusters to contribute to the development of the governments new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).

Through a series of tests and trials, the aim is to provide feedback from the farming community to ensure that future farming policies ensures the production of quality food can sit alongside sustainable land management.

Colin Hedley, Cluster Group Facilitator for the South Downs National Park, said many local farmers are keen to explore opportunities for enhancing the environment.

The creation of farmer-led groups aiming to deliver environmental benefits at a landscape scale is one of the most exciting developments in how we manage the countryside in recent years," Mr Hedley said.

"Theyre able to deliver benefits to protect their local communities from the effects of climate change, such as through carbon storage in soils and trees, and holding water on farmland to reduce flood risk.

The South Downs Farming website is an excellent way of promoting the work of local farmers to local residents at a time when we need to build strong partnerships.
WARSAW  The European Unions highest court introduced measures on Wednesday to halt Polands widely criticized disciplinary regime for judges, the latest blow in a yearslong battle with the countrys governing Law and Justice party over what critics denounce as attempts to erode the independence of the judiciary.

In a temporary move that analysts said was highly likely to become permanent in the future, the Court of Justice of the European Union ordered the suspension of a new disciplinary chamber of the Polish Supreme Court, which has a politically selected membership and extraordinary powers to prosecute judges who oppose the government.

Judging from the past rulings of the European tribunal, we can expect that todays decision is a preview of a future conviction for the illegal persecution of the Polish judges by the government, said Judge Krystian Markiewicz, president of Iustitia, the biggest association of judges in Poland. This decision is just about the disciplinary measures, but its clear that the court questions the state of the rule of law in Poland in general.

Still, Polands officials responded with contempt, suggesting they might not follow the courts order. A deputy justice minister, Sebastian Kaleta, said in a statement posted on Twitter that the European court had no power to evaluate or suspend constitutional organs of any member states.
The Health Organization (WHO) has said that countries in South-East Asia need to redouble efforts to strengthen and expand their cadres of nurses and midwives by 1.9 million to achieve good health for all by 2030.

WHO's South-East Asia region (WHO-SEARO) comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste, as per The Strait Times.

In recognition of Health Day, which falls on April 7, WHO-SEARO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement on Tuesday that nurses and midwives played a vital role in providing quality health services for all, including for preventing illness, promoting health throughout the life-course, caring for mothers, newborns and children. They also give life-saving immunizations, health advice and look after older people.

"We must redouble our efforts to ensure the nursing and midwifery workforce has the strength, skills and support to meet all people's health needs," said Singh.

This year's theme of Health Day, which marks the establishment of the WHO, is supporting and strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce.

Throughout the years, since 2015, improving nursing and midwifery education, deployment and rural retention has been a top priority.

In 2018, the region had 3.5 million nurses and midwives - 18 per 10,000 population - up from 2.9 million in 2014.

"There is progress, but more [actions] need to be done," Singh said, adding that the regional average was still far below the global average of 37 nurses per 10,000 population, and the required minimum of 40 nurses per 10,000 population.

The region will need as many as 1.9 million more nurses and midwives by 2030. To fill this gap, the first-ever State of the World's Nursing Report, released on Tuesday, highlights key areas that countries need to focus on.

The regional director further called on countries to sustain and accelerate progress in the vital area, saying that the WHO reiterated its commitment to supporting all countries in the region to strengthen their nursing and midwifery workforce.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hours after Maharashtra Home



Minister Anil Deshmukh blamed the Centre for "allowing" the last month's Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and the subsequent spread in coronavirus infection, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has accused him of "failing" to trace the attendees.

In a video message, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly alleged that Deshmukh issued a statement criticising Union Home Ministry only to "divert" attention of people from his "incompetence" in tracking down the missing Tablighis.

In his statement, Deshmukh said, "Why did the Union Home Ministry give permission for organising the Tablighi Jamaat's Ijtema at Nizamuddin in Delhi?"



"Isn't the Union Home Ministry responsible for the gathering on such a scale at the Markaz and subsequent spread of coronavirus to all other states?" he questionned.

Responding to Deshmukh, Fadnavis said there was no clear information on how many people returned to Maharashtra from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held at the Nizamuddin- based mosque.

"He (Deshmukh) himself has admitted that some 50-55 people have switched off their phones after returning (to Maharashtra), hence they are not traceable," Fadnavis said.

The former chief minister said Deshmukh has made the statement in a bid to hide his incompetence to find out the missing people.

"It is an attempt to divert the attention of people," he alleged.

"The state home minister himself stated that 150 people are facing charges in the state for hiding their travel history to Delhi. We request Deshmukh not to indulge into politics, as it is not the right time," said Fadnavis.

Fadnavis further said that "what happened in New Delhi has been already answered. We have shared our views over this matter to the governor".

Earlier in the day, Deshmukh also alleged that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had met Jamaat leader Maulana Saad at 2 am during the period when the congregation was held. He wondered the nature of the "secret" dialogue held between the two.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he ordered the arrest of two pilots in the state.

Two pilots were arrested by the police on Tuesday at the Nigerian Air Force base in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the orders of Mr Wike.

The two men, a pilot and a co-pilot, work with Caverton, a logistics company which provides support services for oil and gas companies in Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Total, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.

Mr Wike, who has barred vehicles and flights from entering Rivers as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus, said the pilots illegally flew a helicopter belonging to Caverton into the state.

Nobody says that you cant go to any state but now we are in a war situation, a Government House statement quoted the governor as saying, while reacting to the development.

The statement signed by Mr Wikes spokesperson, Simeon Nwakaudu, said the governor made the remark at the police headquarters in Port Harcourt when he met with the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Mustapha Dandaura, over the arrest of the pilots.

This COVID-19 is even worse than a conventional war. We want to know who are those people you brought in, so that we have to trace them to know their identity and status.

Luckily we have seen the pilot and the co-pilot. They will assist the police in identifying them, Mr Wike said.

Mr Wike said he does not have the right to close the airport in Rivers but that he has the right to prevent people from entering the state.

He said the state government did not know the health status of the pilots and those who were aboard the flight, if they were positive or negative of the coronavirus.

He said his administration is duty-bound to protect the lives of Rivers people.

The company wrote to us about bringing people which I forwarded to Commissioner of Police to perform security checks and the health officials to perform their duties before allowing them to come on. That is for those performing essential duties. But they decided to violate the regulations, the governor said.

The governor said he is willing to wave his immunity to testify in court as a witness against the pilots.

The police commissioner, Mr Dandaura, according to the Government House statement, said the police was surprised to received intelligence report about the Caverton aircraft landing in Port Harcourt after Governor Wike had given an order that on no account should any aircraft land on Rivers State without clearance.

Mr Dandaura said, Maybe they are coming here to sabotage the activities of the state and the security agencies that are putting efforts on ground to ensure that Rivers State enjoy peaceful atmosphere throughout this pandemic period.

Caverton is yet to issue a statement on the incident. An official of the company told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday night, that they needed some time before they could speak on it.

A document seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the Caverton flight, alongside other flights by Bristow Helicopters, Aero-Contractors, and Arik Airlines, was approved by the Minister of Aviation.

Governor Wike in a statewide broadcast on Sunday said the federal government was putting pressure on him to allow expatriates fly into Rivers State to drill oil.

Every day, we are inundated with letters from the Federal Government to allow oil companies to fly in expatriates to drill oil. Then we ask, what is the status of those coming from Lagos? Nobody has told us their status as regards coronavirus.

If they come to Rivers without us knowing their status, what will be the implication assuming they have the virus? said the governor who has accused the federal government of politicising its support to states in the fight against the pandemic.

The governor had questioned why the federal government should give N10 billion grant to Lagos State to fight the pandemic, without giving any financial support to Rivers which he said produces a greater percentage of the nations wealth.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Monday announced a new case of coronavirus in Rivers bringing the number of confirmed cases of infection in the state to two.
(Adds details on measures)

SANTIAGO, April 8 (Reuters) - Chile state copper miner Codelco, the worlds largest, said on Wednesday it would temporarily suspend some contract work at its projects and mines amid increasing restrictions on movement prompted by the coronavirus crisis.

The company said the measure would apply to approximately 30% of its total 3rd party contracts and would last for 30 days. The suspension would be renewed as necessary as the pandemic evolves, the company added. Despite the measure, the state-run miner said it maintained operational continuity at its mines throughout central and northern Chile.

Codelco said it had been forced to restrict access to contractors at some of its operations in order to maintain social distancing guidelines on work sites, at cafeterias and in transport.

The company said increasing limitations related to the outbreak had made it "impossible" for some contractors to complete their work. Codelco in March suspended construction on some projects in a bid to halt the spread of the virus. The companys unions have for several weeks pressured for additional safety measures. Elsewhere in Chile, some private copper miners have considered cutting production, Reuters reported last week.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero, writing by Dave Sherwood; editing by Grant McCool) 4224; Reuters Messaging: dave.sherwood.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Pipe fitters work to connect a segment of pipe of the Mariner East pipeline near West Chester. Read more

The builder of the contested Mariner East pipeline network announced Tuesday night that Pennsylvania had granted additional coronavirus waivers to complete work at several sites on the 350-mile-long project. By Wednesday morning, anti-pipeline activists responded with expressions of outrage.

But in the topsy-turvy world of the COVID-19 crisis, the announcement by Energy Transfer LP seems to have been premature.

The news release announcing the waivers mysteriously vanished Wednesday on Energy Transfers website. A few hours later, the Texas company said that the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which grants waivers to Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus restrictions, had issued the approvals in error.

The agency notified us Tuesday evening, April 7, that the latest approvals we received for additional construction activity in Pennsylvania were delivered in error and that our waiver requests remain under review by the commonwealth, Lisa Coleman, an Energy Transfer spokesperson, said in an email. We are working as quickly as possible to get clarification on the situation and will update you as quickly as possible. The Mariner East project is being built by Sunoco Pipeline LP, a subsidiary.

The company did not identify locations where it wanted to resume work, but sources said the waiver request cited six sites, including several in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Energy Transfer, in its premature news release, said its appeal argued that work needed to be completed at several sites because unfinished they might present a safety and security risk.

Its unclear what exactly happened in Harrisburg to recall the approval. Rachel Wrigley, a DCED spokesperson, acknowledged the agency issued a waiver on Monday, and pulled it back Tuesday, but did not provide an explanation why. Kurt Knaus, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance -- a pro-pipeline organized labor advocacy group that on Tuesday lauded the states waivers -- said he knew nothing about the states reversal.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, a Chester County Democrat and a Mariner East opponent, said he also had no insight into DCEDs decision, but said he was pleasantly surprised that somebody in the Wolf administration apparently had second thoughts about green-lighting more work on the pipeline.

DCEDs nondecision does not mean that pipeline work has stopped.

The agency on March 26 allowed Energy Transfer to complete pipeline construction work at 17 locations across Pennsylvania, after the company appealed directly to Wolfs office for waivers from the emergency coronavirus shutdown.

That work continues, despite an April 2 appeal from the Clean Air Council, an advocacy group, that the state cancel those waivers.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle will show its support for the people on the front line of the COVID-19 battle by giving them complimentary meals.

From April 7 to April 30, healthcare workers and EMTs can go through the drive-thru of any White Castle restaurant each day to receive one free Combo Meal (1-6) or Breakfast Combo. They simply have to show their work ID.

White Castle will show its support for the people on the front line of the COVID-19 battle by giving them complimentary meals. From April 7 to April 30, healthcare workers and EMTs can go through the drive-thru of any White Castle restaurant each day to receive one free Combo Meal (1-6) or Breakfast Combo. They simply have to show their work ID.

In addition, White Castle team members will be delivering Crave Cases of Sliders to hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the regions where White Castle has restaurants.

"In the midst of this pandemic, healthcare workers have put it all on the line to serve and take care of us. Now it's our turn to serve them," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "Providing free Sliders and meals to healthcare workers is a way for us to show our appreciation for everything they're doing right now."

There is a coupon for the free Combo Meal offer, but it is not required to receive the free Combo Meal.

For more information about White Castle's other philanthropic activities, click HERE.

About White Castle

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today, White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine's most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger."

White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play , makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com

SOURCE White Castle

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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 09:40 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0765d4 1 National social-distancing,Idham-Azis,Kapolsek-Kembangan-pesta-nikah,National-Police,Polri,COVID-19,argo-yuwono,large-scale-social-restrictions,PSBB,physical-distancing Free

The National Police have vowed to back up the government's policy on large-scale social restrictions by stepping up law enforcement related to COVID-19 measures.

Even before the policy was officially applied, the police had arrested 18 people who allegedly ignored social-distancing measures.

"We will give three warnings against public gatherings. After the warnings, we will disperse the gathering. Anyone caught ignoring both measures will be immediately taken to the police station," National Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said in a press conference on Monday.

He added that the National Police had dispersed 10,873 gatherings nationwide so far.

In addition, 18 people have been taken to the Jakarta Police headquarters for ignoring social-distancing measures, but no charges will be pressed against them.

In East Java, meanwhile, around 3,000 people have received warnings from the local police for disobeying the government's call. They all signed a statement of compliance with social-distancing orders.

"We are still using a friendly approach. However, we will take stricter measures if necessary, Argo said.

Last week, netizens caught wind of a wedding reception held by former Kembangan Police chief Comr. Fahrul Sudiana in a luxury hotel on March 21, two days after the National Police issued an edict to prohibit mass gatherings.

Read also: COVID-19: Kembangan Police chief demoted for holding wedding party during mass gathering ban

Later, pictures of National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono attending the wedding began circulating on social media, prompting National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to speak up.

All police personnel who attended the event must be questioned by internal affairs, he said as quoted by Kompas TV.

Fahrul was demoted as a result but did not face charges. The punishment was criticized by netizens who deemed it to light.

Argo has not responded to The Jakarta Posts question on whether Fahrul received additional sanctions for violating the edict.

Neither the National Police nor the Jakarta Police have commented about Gatots presence at the party.

Idhams eight orders

National Police chief Gen. Idham Aziz issued on Tuesday a set of instructions to his subordinates following the issuance of a presidential decree on public health emergency concerning COVID-19:

While the National Police have pledged to tighten measures for large-scale social restrictions, they did not elaborate on whether employers who refuse to follow the work-from-home policy would be sanctioned or exempt from the rules.

The head of the National Polices criminal investigation department, Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, told the Post that the police had referred to the Health Ministrys regulation on social restrictions, which sill allowed businesses to open as long as they obeyed COVID-19 protocols and physical distancing.

Article 13 (8) of the regulation exempts the following businesses from the work-from-home rule: security and defense, public order, food and beverages, oil and gas, health, economic and finance-related services, communication, industrial complexes, export and import, distribution services, logistics and other companies providing basic needs.

They are allowed to continue their day-to-day operations.

The police did not answer the Posts question on what would happen to companies not included in the aforementioned list that still force their employees to come to work.

In comparison, the Singaporean government has stated clearly that it would penalize companies that continued to operate from their offices even though it was possible for their employees to work from home.

Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) chairperson Asfinawati warned that scaring people with the police would not encourage them to stay at home. They need to be assured that they will not lose their income, she added.

Hate speech against Jokowi

Argo announced that the police have arrested a total of 76 people for allegedly spreading fake news and misinformation on COVID-19.

The cybercrime directorate at the National Polices criminal investigation department arrested a man named Ali Baharsyah in East Jakarta on Friday for allegedly spreading hate speech related to COVID-19 against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo through a video posted on social media.

Ali criticized Jokowi's civil emergency policies and used an expletive in his post. He also asked why the President did not enact Law No. 6/2018 on health quarantines to curb the spread of COVID-19.

He was charged under Article 28 (2) of the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) law on racial and ethnic discrimination and Article 207 on defamation against the president.

To step up the role of the police, Idham has called on his subordinates to monitor the "development of the situation and opinions [expressed] in cyberspace" in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a leaked classified police telegram issued on Saturday.

The telegram said that anyone caught spreading false information related to government policies in handling contagious disease will be subject to articles 14 and/or 15 of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. Meanwhile, anyone caught insulting the President and other top officials in relation to COVID-19 policies will be charged under the Criminal Code's Article 207 with one and a half years in prison.
President Trump said he would look at pardoning Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix series 'Tiger King' who is currently serving 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot.

'I'll take a look,' Trump said Wednesday at the White House, telling reporters that he had not seen the show, which has been a ratings hit as Americans stay at home through the coronavirus crisis.

On Monday on SiriusXM, Donald Trump Jr. had called Exotic's sentence 'aggressive' after watching the documentary series in two sittings.

President Trump told reporters Wednesday that he hadn't seen the Netflix hit 'Tiger King' but he'd look into a pardon for the main character, zookeeper Joe Exotic

Joe Exotic is currently serving a 22 year federal prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot that involved killing an animal activist who ran a Florida-based big cat sanctuary

'Tiger King' mainly focuses on Joe Exotic (pictured) the openly gay owner of a Oklahoma roadside zoo

Joe Exotic was put behind bars for a murder-for-hire plot involving Carole Baskin (pictured) who owns a tiger and lion sanctuary in Tampa, Florida

'Now, I don't even know exactly what he was charged with ... I watched the show, but it was like, I don't know exactly what he was guilty of or wasn't,' Trump Jr. said. 'It doesn't seem like he was totally innocent of anything. But when they're saying, "We're putting this guy away for 30 years," I'm saying that seems sort of aggressive.'

When a reporter brought up his son's comments, Trump commented, 'Which son? It must be Don. I had a feeling it was Don,' the president said.

The show follows three main zoo owners including Exotic and Carole Baskin, the woman who owns Tampa, Florida's Big Cat Rescue.

It was Baskin that Exotic allegedly was plotting to kill.

She had become a thorn in his side by pushing lawmakers to vote in favor of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would make it harder for individuals to own tigers and lions and would put an end to cub-petting, which was a business model used by Exotic.

Donald Trump Jr. (left), photographed with a dead leopard and his brother Eric Trump (right), said on SiriusXM Monday that Exotic's 22-year sentence seemed 'aggressive'

Baskin's backstory was one of intrigue as her first husband suddenly disappeared, with Exotic saying on the show that she fed him to a tiger

In April 2019 Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, was convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire, eight violations of the Lacey Act and on nine violations of the Endangered Species Act.

'I know nothing about it,' Trump admitted, asking the reporter who posed the question, The New York Post's Steven Nelson, to describe Exotic's crimes.

Trump then said he'd take a look.

Since 'Tiger King' became a hit, Exotic and Baskin have become household names.

The show also details how Baskin's first husband disappeared, a case that has been reopened by authorities since the airing of the episodes.

Exotic, on the show, claimed Baskin fed her husband to a Tiger.
[April 07, 2020] HPC-AI Advisory Council and National Supercomputing Centre Singapore Expand 3rd APAC HPC-AI Competition to Address COVID-19

SINGAPORE, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC) and the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore announced today that they have joined the global fight against COVID-19 by expanding the 2020 APAC HPC-AI competition to address education and applied learning towards accelerating bioscience research and discovery. As part of the updated competition, student teams are now tasked to research, find and choose an HPC or AI application that can potentially be used as part of the global fight against COVID-19. Teams must demonstrate testing and benchmarking of the application, as well as explain how this application can best be accelerated. In addition, teams will also be required to focus on tuning and accelerating NAMD, a molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. The NAMD application is being used at various supercomputing sites to run massive simulations of COVID-19 to aid researchers design new drugs and vaccines to combat the virus. The APAC HPC-AI competition promotes the latest HPC and AI technologies to the universities and research centers and trains the students with the latest HPC and AI technologies to help bridge the gap between universities/research institutes and industries. The competition also trains the undergraduate and graduate students to practice on the newest HPC and AI platforms, and provides the key ingredients and industry tools to optimize the production applications. Open for registration until May 17, the 3rd Annual 2020 APAC HPC-AI competition expects to host multiple teams from across the APAC region. "While not ignoring commercial and scientific applications, it has become importantly clear that we must put further emphasis on tuning and optimizing applications in the medical and bioscience field. By expanding the competition's charter to address applications specifically used for groundbreakin COVID-19 simulations, the HPC-AI Advisory Council and NSCC are taking the action to educate and train the next generation of HPC scientists and programmers that may aid the world in viral outbreaks or pandemics in the future," said Gilad Shainer, Chairman of the HPC-AI Advisory Council.



"Computer models of viruses and viral protein structures, especially for high resolution analysis, is very computationally intensive. Molecular docking experiments in silico, to screen for potentially effective drugs that block viral functions, and molecular-modeling applications, such as GROMACS and NAMD, must be optimized and benchmarked for simulations to run as efficiently as possible. By training our young aspiring programmers using real-world scenarios such as COVID-19, we can better prepare them to provide solutions to future global issues from pandemics to climate change. More than that, we hope that this will give our youth a better appreciation for the significant role that HPC and AI can play, and how they can use the skills learned in this competition to contribute more meaningfully to society," said Professor Tan Tin Wee, Chief Executive, National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore. Co-organized by the HPC-AI Advisory Council and NSCC, the competition is sponsored by Mellanox, NVIDIA, AMD and WekaIO with additional support from the Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network (SingAREN).

For more information on the 3rd APAC HPC-AI competition and to register teams, please visit the HPC-AI Advisory Council website at http://hpcadvisorycouncil.com/events/2020/APAC-AI-HPC/ About HPC-AI Advisory Council Founded in 2008, The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC) is a for community benefit organization with over 400 members committed to bridge the gap between high-performance computing and artificial intelligence use and its potential, bringing the beneficial capabilities of HPC and AI to new users for better research, education, innovation and product manufacturing, and brings users the expertise needed to operate HPC and AI systems, provide application designers with the tools needed to enable parallel computing, and to strengthen the qualification and integration of HPC and AI system products. For more information, please visit: www.hpcadvisorycouncil.com About National Supercomputing Centre Singapore The National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore was established in 2015 and manages Singapore's first national petascale facility with available high performance computing (HPC) resources. As a National Research Infrastructure we support the HPC research needs of the public and private sectors, including research institutes, institutes of higher learning, government agencies and companies. With the support of its stakeholders, including Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), and funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), NSCC catalyses national research and development initiatives, attracts industrial research collaborations and enhances Singapore's research capabilities. For more information, please visit https://www.nscc.sg/ SOURCE HPC-AI Advisory Council

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NEW HAVEN  Alder Brian Wingate, D-29, knows firsthand how serious COVID-19 is.

Wingate tested positive March 21. He said he had begun to feel ill around March 16.

I was down sick, he said. It was tough. It was really, really crazy. But Ive had no fever for about 10 days now.

This thing is so deadly that you want to social distance. You have to take it seriously and theres no two ways about it, he said. But if people are taking it seriously, theyll do the things that are necessary.

Connecticut had its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic Monday into Tuesday, with 71 fatalities, bringing the total to 277.

More than 1,300 people have been hospitalized, including another net 87 increase since Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced in his daily afternoon update in the state Capitol. An additional 875 people have been diagnosed with the infection, for a total of 7,781, according to the state Department of Health.

Although the illness is serious, Wingate said he does not want there to be panic. If anything, he said, it should be a time when community bonds are strengthened.

I think it does something to your mental state to know that youre not in this alone, he said. Ill tell anybody if they have a friend going through this process to reach out and see what they need.

In Wingates case, he said supporters dropped off water and orange juice, as well as one of his favorite snacks: peanuts.

Social distancing, he said, is not the time for being antisocial.

We can take this time to pray and get to know our families again, he said.

Now that Wingate has gone more than 72 hours without a fever, he said he knows hes beaten it. Still, he practices social distancing, mostly observing the outside world through a cracked window.

I feel blessed and feel fortunate to get through it, because so many others have not, he said.

As Wingate has recovered, he said he wants to help. He said he has been in contact with the Department of Health to establish a time to donate plasma so his antibodies can be used toward a potential cure. Donating his genetic material has a particular resonance, he said, because hes an African-American male who recovered from the illness.

Although a lack of testing likely has under-counted incidences of COVID-19 in many countries, data suggest that African Americans in major cities are dying at a disproportionately higher rate.

Wingate, a vice president of Local 35, said the Yale University shutdown meant his illness did not affect his job.

He said his fellow alders knew about his diagnosis but kept it secret out of respect for him.

Ive got a strong team in the alders, he said. They really, really care about each other.

Wingate said his symptoms included headache, fatigue and chills. Breathing, he said, feels like being underwater.

You know how youre underwater and swim and swim and swim, and the first thing you do is gasp for air? Thats how you feel constantly, he said.

Although Wingate said he recovered at home with his wife and daughter, the experience still was alienating.

Everybody in the house is in a different way. Everybody is in their own circle, he said.

Both his wife and daughter remain asymptomatic.

Although the spread of COVID-19 is alarming, Wingate said he has hope that residents of the city will take it seriously.

It seems like people are socially distancing, he said.

As of Wednesday morning, the reported statewide death toll from Covid-19 was 277 .

A number of local universities and hotels have seen facilities transformed into shelters for first responders and people experiencing homelessness with and without symptoms to halt the spread of the disease.

Southern Connecticut State Universitys field house was transformed into a 250-bed medical station, and the vacated dormitories have been prepared for temporary lodging.

Yale University has opened a dormitory to two first responders recovering from Covid-19. The city has also used its school bus contractor to transport people experiencing homelessness from shelters to hotel rooms so there are fewer people living on top of one another.

The city also transformed the gymnasium of Hill Regional Career High School into a 75-bed facility for people experiencing homelessness who test positive for Covid-19 but do not require hospitalization.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends people in the United States wear face coverings in public to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The additional public health measure is not a substitute for social distancing but is mainly to prevent those who have the virus -- and might not know it -- from spreading it to others.

The Washington Post talked to Grace Jun, assistant professor of fashion at the Parsons School of Design and chief executive of Open Style Lab, who designed this face mask sewing pattern after consulting with the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and the NYU Langone Medical Center. This pattern is designed to be sewn with a machine, but it can be hand-sewn.

- - -

Tools

--Fabric scissors or a rotary cutter

--Ruler or ruler tape

--Pins or clips

--Sewing machine

--Thread (polyester works well for extra strength)

--Iron or heavy books

--Optional: safety pin

- - -

Materials

--Two pieces of 12-inch-long and 7.25-inch-wide 100% cotton fabric (tight-weave cotton or quilted cotton). If possible, use two colors to indicate the mask's inside and outside.

--One piece of 12-inch-long and 7.25-inch-wide interfacing or lightweight, breathable, stiff fabric.

--Fourteen inches of 1/8-inch flat elastic, stretch yarn or additional fabric for ties.

- - -

Step One

Cut your pieces and mark stitch lines

Cut three fabric rectangles 12 inches long and 7.5 inches wide:

--Two cotton fabric pieces

-- One interface piece

Stack the fabric: The top layer should be a thicker/quilted cotton, the middle layer should be the interface piece, and the last layer underneath should be a softer cotton.

Trace all of the pattern lines on the top layer of fabric. Cut along the solid line through all three layers so you have three pieces of equal size.

Cut two pieces of elastic, each at least seven inches or longer to allow for an adjustable fit.

Step Two

Stitch the darts

Fold your fabric stack in half with the thicker top layer on the inside so you are stitching your triangular darts on the inside layer. Clip or pin together.

Stitch one 1/2-inch dart on what will become the top of your mask - for your nose. Stitch another 3/4-inch dart on the other side for the chin. Note that these can be adjusted to be smaller or larger to fit the wearer.

You can cut the darts open or press them flat.

Step Three

Stitch the zigzag curved lines

Sew along the curved dotted stitch lines with a zigzag stitch.

Step Four

Stitch the top and bottom outside edges

Fold the top and bottom edges (long sides) of the mask toward the inside along the marked seam allowance and press and pin or clip. Stitch on top of the fold to close. (This will leave a raw edge. You can finish your edges before sewing to finish if desired.)

Step Five

Stitch the zigzag horizontal lines

Sew along the horizontal dotted stitch lines with a zigzag stitch.

Step Six

Attach elastic straps to mask

Fold the edges of your fabric tabs over half an inch or more; stitch a quarter-inch from the edge to create a tunnel for the elastic. Feed the elastic through the tunnel. (A safety pin attached to one end will help with threading.) Try on, and adjust the length as needed. Stitch or tie the ends of the elastic together.

- - -

Notes

In making this pattern, Jun used a tightly woven quilting cotton fabric, or a cotton fabric with a high thread count (usually more expensive, such as Egyptian cotton). A 2013 study published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness found that well-fitting, homemade masks made of cotton T-shirts provide some protection from droplet transmission, the method by which the coronavirus is spread.

Jun has also designed a companion mask made of vinyl, which would make it easy to wipe down and disinfect. The see-through vinyl would also leave one's mouth visible when communicating with someone who's hearing impaired.

- - -

Step by step videos. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/05/how-sew-your-own-fabric-mask/?arc404=true
(CNN)  The UK's daily death toll updates for Covid-19 could be underreporting the true number by a significant margin, according to government numbers published Tuesday.

In its daily tally of deaths, UK government counts only people who tested positive and then died of the virus in hospital. But that doesn't match the number of UK death certificates that list COVID-19 as a factor.

On Tuesday, figures released by the UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS), showed that the 1,568 people had Covid-19 listed on their death certificates between March 5, when the first death was reported, and March 27.

In contrast, death tolls released by Public Health England over the same period show only 926 confirmed deaths due to the virus in England.

There are several factors for the difference. The two tallies are counting different things  suspected deaths versus confirmed cases that died in the hospital. There may also be a lag in reporting, as ONS have more time to record the deaths.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson cautioned on Tuesday that the ONS numbers can't be used to draw trends about final death tolls from the disease. "You can't project one onto the other in a statistically safe way," they said.

But "it's important to have both numbers," said UK chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance on Tuesday. "The ONS data, which are important, look at overall deaths on death certificates where coronavirus is mentioned, so that they are not confirmed deaths necessarily," he explained.

The UK is using the "international reporting standard for deaths," he added, which he described as "hospitalized deaths confirmed."

The UK is hardly the only country with data discrepancies and fears of undercounting deaths. China's official data on coronavirus-related death and infection rate has drawn scrutiny from outside. And some of the hardest-hit European countries, like France, Italy, and Spain, count more than just hospital deaths in their daily statistics, but could nevertheless be under-reporting for other reasons.

This story was first published on CNN.com "The UK's 'coronavirus dashboard' may be under-reporting deaths significantly"
Researchers outside the F.B.I. posit that the Journal of Forensic Sciences article also failed to show that jeans bar codes were a reliable method of identification. The major problem, they say, was that the article did not include an objective statistical model of how likely it was for the method to make mistakes  to gauge the possibility that two different pairs of jeans might look the same because of manufacturing similarities or just by coincidence, for instance. Instead the study leaned on the analysts judgment of markings on jeans.

Dr. Vorder Bruegge pointed this out himself in the study: It should be remembered that in this and other cases, the overall significance of wear marks is not necessarily based on a quantitative assessment, but on a qualitative assessment.

During the trial of Mr. Barbee, Dr. Vorder Bruegge demonstrated the accuracy of the technique by explaining that one pair of jeans seized from Mr. Barbee matched the pair worn by the bank robber, while 34 other pairs of jeans offered up by the defense did not. But outside researchers say that method does not substitute for having a statistical model describing the methods accuracy.

In fact, at four points in the article, Dr. Vorder Bruegge noted that the technique had yet to be statistically validated. Although a validation study has yet to be performed to test the theory that all denim trouser bar code seam patterns are unique, he wrote, it has been observed in numerous examinations that it is possible to distinguish pairs of jeans from one another based solely on differences in the patterns along the seams.

No such validation study has been published since then. The F.B.I. declined to answer questions about the bureaus use of jeans bar codes or about Dr. Vorder Bruegges research. Independent researchers say that with many other kinds of pattern analysis, as with jeans bar codes, prosecution witnesses rely too much on subjective judgments rather than rigorous statistics.

Forensic scientists will say, Yeah, Im sure, based on my 20 years of experience, that these prints were made by that same finger, said Anil Jain, a computer scientist who studies pattern recognition and biometrics. They say thats a subjective decision. We want to get away from that. F.B.I. investigators sometimes present the methods in court as being near-infallible, often citing levels of accuracy that researchers find implausible.

In a 2003 case, Dr. Vorder Bruegge claimed that the plaid shirt worn by a bank robber and captured by a security camera made a definitive match with one seized from the home of a suspect. He testified that only one in 650 billion shirts would match so well  a claim that makes about as much sense as the statement two plus two equals five, Karen Kafadar, a statistician at the University of Virginia, told ProPublica.
An aerial view of reefs in the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, April 21, 2017.

Chinas recent establishment of two new research stations on artificial islands it occupies in the disputed South China Sea comes as it ramps up its exploration and exploitation of deep sea environments, seeking fuel, rare metals and biotechnology, analysts say.

The two research stations at the Chinese-built artificial islands at Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef were declared operational in Chinese state media last month. They are under the Chinese Academy of Sciences Integrated Research Center for Reefs and Islands, which was set up at another Chinese base in the region, Mischief Reef, in late 2018.

Official announcements describe their purpose as the study of a wide range of marine sciences, including the ecology, geology, environment, and mineral, and energy resources of the South China Sea.

The idea of scientific research sounds benign enough, but Chinas activities are eyed with suspicion by other claimants in the regions resource-rich waters  particularly by Vietnam.

Theres been scant progress in resolving the long-standing territorial disputes among the six claimants in the South China Sea and slow-moving talks on a Code of Conduct has yet to be finalized since negotiations started in 2016.

"All activities on the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands must receive Vietnams approval, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on March 26 in Hanoi, about a week after China announced the research facilities at Fiery Cross and Subi Reef. Vietnam asks that China respects its sovereignty and refrain from actions which could escalate tensions.

The United States chimed in on Monday, accusing China of exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among its complaints about Chinese actions, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus Beijing cited the new research stations.

China stirred international outrage when it first constructed its seven artificial islands in the South China Sea between 2013 and 2015  not only because it was setting up airstrips and military facilities in contested territory, but because of the widespread environmental destruction that ensued. Massive amounts of coral reefs that the islands were built on were irreparably destroyed.

And now it appears China wants to cultivate -- or harvest -- what lies beneath the sea.

The organization that oversees all three of Chinas research stations in the area -- the South China Sea Innovation Institute for Ecological and Environmental Engineering  states that its mission is keeping a foothold in those islands and reefs; deep plowing the South China Seas islands and reefs.

A U.S. Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in a still image from video provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. Credit: Reuters Rising stakes for deep-sea research

The institute intends to develop technology to help use strategic resources and drive economic development in marine areas. It also operates an academic journal, the Journal of Tropical Oceanography.

The stakes for deep sea research have raised over the past decade, as everything from genetic material derived from biological organisms to critical components for advanced technology have been found in deep sea environments.

There are only a handful of medicines that have been derived from marine compounds, but a lot of money is put into marine bioprospecting. The number of registered patents is increasing exponentially, said Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, a researcher and PhD candidate with the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Jouffray pointed out one recent biomedicine breakthrough: microbes found on the seabed are partially responsible for the development of covid-19 test kits.

The biodiversity of the South China Seas seabed in particular makes it attractive for this kind of research.

Cindy Lee Van Dover, the Harvey W. Smith Professor of Biological Oceanography at Duke University, called it an exciting natural laboratory for a variety of ecological studies, citing its abundance of seeps, hydrothermal vents, soft sediment, and more that could host new species of microorganisms.

However, deep sea exploration has also focused on minerals and new sources of energy.

The ocean floor also contains vast quantities of methane hydrates, explained Jouffray, which are estimated to represent twice as much organic carbon as the worlds coal, oil and other forms of natural gas combined. He called the offshore oil and gas sector the biggest ocean-based industry by far, and the potential of methane hydrates have spurred a lot of trials on how seeking to profitably extract them profitably.

China broke the world record for extracting natural gas from methane hydrates on March 26, according to its Ministry of Natural Resources. Still, Jouffray believes the field is in an experimental phase, citing the risks associated with it.

Also called flammable ice, methane hydrate pockets are highly sensitive to pressure and cant be moved to the surface. That hasnt stopped countries like China and Japan from extracting it straight from the ocean floor.

Precious metals and rare earth minerals

The seabed is also potentially rich in precious metals and rare earth minerals, according to both Jouffray and Van Dover.

From a scientists perspective, the South China Sea looks very interesting. Polymetallic nodules and crusts of the SCS are studied by Chinese scholars, including geochemists, geophysicists, and microbiologists, Van Dover said.

The polymetallic nodules Van Dover mentioned are potential sources of rare metals, including manganese and cobalt, clustered on the seabed that could be used for key advanced technologies like electric car batteries and smartphone components. Previously inaccessible and difficult to find, modern technology has made it possible to prospect the seabed for these minerals that were previously inaccessible.

Last October, the general secretary of the International Seabed Authority, the U.N. body responsible for regulating use of the seabed, expressed his belief that China, already ahead of other countries in prospecting the seabed, would be the first country to commercially exploit it, as reported by Reuters.

The parent organization of Chinas South China Sea Innovation Institute for Ecological and Environmental Engineering has published methods on how to explore for these nodules, and China has undertaken several underwater expeditions solely for the purpose of finding nodules under the South China Sea, Xinhua news agency has reported.

But Jouffray believes large-scale mining of those minerals for profit is far off. Deep sea mining is nowhere close to commercial scale exploitation. For the simple reason there is no regulation in place yet, he said.

The International Seabed Authority is drafting a comprehensive Mining Code for prospectors and other companies interested in seabed resources.

However, the prospects of deep sea mining have been met with alarm over the potential environmental destruction of deep sea environments. Deep sea ecosystems are famously fragile, and seabed prospecting tests done completed in a stretch of the southeastern Pacific between Hawaii and Mexico in 1989 have caused irreversible damage, visible even 30 years later.

The ISA has already drafted recommendations on how to study the environmental impact of mining exploration, but none on extraction. One issue with energy and mineral extraction in particular is the extreme fragility of the undersea environments on and around those resources.

For example, certain animals like the scaly-foot snail are found at only three separate underwater environments on Earth, and the ISA issued prospecting licenses for two of those areas. Shortly thereafter the snail was placed on the list of threatened species. Countless other organisms and environments havent even been discovered yet.

There are these remote ecosystems where we dont know what we would lose if exploitation was about to proceed, Jouffray said. He said deep sea environments and the organisms living in them wont adapt easily to any human interaction, and may not recover from damage. Those are reasons to be cautionary when considering commercial exploitation.

Each country sets its own standards for assessing the environmental impact of any research. While the Chinese Academy of Sciences claims its new research centers are concerned with environmental protection and sustainability, Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef, where they are built, are known to have had their natural coral ecosystems destroyed by Chinas artificial island building campaign.
Terming it an abuse of process of law, a special CBI court in Mumbai recently rejected the bail plea of an accused in the Rs 245-crore Dena Bank scam who had sought release citing the risk of contracting coronavirus infection in jail.

Rejecting the bail application of Vimal Barot, the holiday court noted that he is an accused in a multi-crore bank fraud case who faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

Barot sought bail on the ground that he was moved to the crowded Taloja Jail where he may contract coronavirus. The court, however, did not find merit in the argument.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was intimated about his bail application at the last moment via WhatsApp and email, strongly countered the arguments of the accused.

Citing a recent Supreme Court order which asked states to consider releasing undertrials to decongest prisons to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the special court said the apex court has categorically specified that those facing criminal cases of multi-crore bank frauds or cases wherein punishment is more than seven years will not be covered under the said direction.

"It is interesting to note that the bail application was pressed before Holiday Court and not before the Regular Court. This is an abuse of process of law. Moreover, the recitals in the bail application itself show that the case of applicant/accused does not cover the directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court," the court said while rejecting Barot's plea.

Barot along with his three associates and Dena Bank manager P V Nagarkar allegedly lured public and private organisations to open fixed deposits (FD) in the bank, officials said.

As part of the criminal conspiracy, the accused allegedly gave forged FD documents to the depositers and took overdrafts and loans against the original FDs, causing a loss of Rs 245 crore to the bank, they said.

After taking over case on July 14, 2014, the CBI started a manhunt to track Barot, who had gone into hiding, according to the officials.

He was caught after eight months from Ahmedabad on March 29, 2015 and has been in jail since then, they said. Others charge sheeted in the case are Nagarkar and Barot's three associates -- Devedra Bhogle, Rahul Gohil and Amrita Mathews. All four are out on bail, they added.

Barot's is the second case in which a CBI court has refused to buy an accused's argument that he may contract coronavirus in a crowded prison.

The bail application of Hilal Rather, son of a former Jammu and Kashmir minister, who had also cited fear of contracting COVID- 19 in jail, was rejected by a special CBI court in Jammu on March 31.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Representative image

Taking lessons from the coronavirus outbreaks in Italy and Spain, the government has reportedly devised a graded healthcare plan for the treatment of infected patients.

The health ministry has framed guidelines to manage patients as per the degree of severity in graded facilities designated as  COVID Care Centre (CCC), Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC), and Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH), the Economic Times reported.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

For example, CCCs will be for patients with mild symptoms. These will be set up in schools, stadiums, quarantine centres or hostels and equipped with basic healthcare facilities.

DCHCs will be for those with moderate symptoms. These would include a dedicated hospital or an isolated wing in a big hospital and will be equipped with adequate oxygen supply per bed.

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

DCHs, which will be fully equipped with intensive care units, blood bank and oxygen facilities, would be earmarked for gravely ill patients.

All three facilities will be connecteda CCC to a DCHC and that to a DCHin case a patients symptoms worsen during treatment

This will allow treatment for COVID-19 affected patients as per their need and prevent spread of the disease from infected patients to those in the hospital for other causes. Notably, COVID-19 is more dangerous to those with lower immunity and underlying health conditions.
TORONTO, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Everyone in Canada has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis, but its impacts on women, girls, and trans and non-binary people in Canada are unique.

Providers offering shelter, violence intervention and prevention, poverty reduction support, and other targeted programs are essential to mitigate the gendered impacts of the pandemic. However, the spread of the coronavirus has led to service interruptions, diversions, and closures.

Eighty-eight per cent of 58 providers surveyed by the Canadian Women's Foundation are concerned about the pandemic's impact on their capacity to deliver services.

The Government of Canada recently announced $40 million to go toward shelters and sexual assault centres, and the Foundation is one partner to facilitate getting the aid to service providers. But there is more to do to respond to overwhelming pressures on women, girls, and trans and non-binary people. The Canadian Women's Foundation has launched the nationwide Tireless Together Fund to respond to the daunting new realities.

"Many people in Canada want to help but aren't sure how to," says Paulette Senior, President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation. "And it's clear that women are on the frontlines of the crisis and their well-being is critical to the country's ability to weather this storm. We knew we needed to act fast, so we launched the Tireless Together Fund to mobilize this goodwill and address the gendered impacts of COVID-19."

Those who wish to contribute can do so online at canadianwomen.org/covid-19. Funds raised are flexible, designed to be used by service providers in every province and territory to meet greatest needs, and ensure programs at risk of closure and interruption can continue.

Evidence shows that situations of disaster and crisis can lead to more gender-based violence. Social distancing measures, while key to "flattening the curve", may post risks to women in violent relationships. It can increase isolation and rates of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and emotional abuse.

Women will also have more economic stress in the pandemic. Gendered poverty has been a longstanding concern in Canada with women making up the bulk of the low-wage and precarious workforce. The wake of coronavirus has meant greater economic uncertainties for them, in addition to a greater risk of contracting the virus given the roles they play in feminized sectors such as healthcare, cleaning, and retail.

Many women face more caregiving and housework responsibilities in the pandemic, given the strain on hospitals and health services, school closures, and directions on self-isolation and quarantine. In most households in Canada, women already carry most of the unpaid caregiving and housework.

Community programs supported by the Canadian Women's Foundation have already identified gendered impacts of COVID-19 on their clients and staff.

"It is difficult for shelter clients to view apartments during social isolation," says Dara Rayner, Operations Manager at the Anderson House shelter for women and children in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. "We also have a client who had a court date regarding a recent domestic violence incident but court in her area has been cancelled. She is left in limbo without a new date or any information."

Dara points out that "people and businesses may be donating less as the economy slows and due to social isolation, we can't accept donations dropped at the door. We are now buying them ourselves, which is something we've rarely had to do before. Our shelter's grocery bill has increased drastically because of this, and because of the sheer number of people using our services."

In terms of operations at Anderson House, Dara says, "we've also had to adapt our staff model to provide extra coverage. The crisis line is ringing much more frequently these days."

Caitlin MacDonald, Girls' Program Coordinator of the Girls Rising Empowerment Program at the Community Resource Centre in Killaloe, Ontario, says moving services online "presents issues in rural and remote communities like ours. There are areas with no Internet or cell service, as well as parts where unlimited Internet may be costly." This means rural families "may have to prioritize financial and work-from-home Internet use ahead of accessing services and making educational and social connections."

Caitlin says that "feeling isolated, trapped, and alone are all concerns we've heard locally. Women dealing with addiction may not be able to access their usual supports and may fall back into unhealthy coping strategies. Girls living in homes where violence happens may now be experiencing it themselves or witnessing it more than ever without having access to their usual supports. Making phone calls for support in an abusive home during social isolation may no longer be safe, and abusers may be surveilling their households now more than ever."

At the same time, Stephanie Klassen, Executive Director of Survivor's Hope Crisis Centre in Pinawa, Manitoba, points to areas of hope in community members banding together. She says that "the Sagkeeng High School is working to put together care packages in addition to educational packages for their students. We want to support that noble work!" She notes that the organization needs resources to be able to pivot to help build that kind of grassroots effort, "because all our programming with girls usually happens in schools, which we can't do at this time." While many programs for girls have had to shut down, Stephanie says they "build protective factors against the potential harms to which girls are vulnerable. And in a time when risk of harms has increased, we need to up those protective factors, not take them away."

ABOUT THE CANADIAN WOMEN'S FOUNDATION:

The Canadian Women's Foundation is a national leader in the movement for gender equality in Canada. Through funding, research, advocacy, and knowledge sharing, the Foundation works to achieve systemic change that includes all women. By supporting community programs, the Foundation empowers women and girls to move themselves out of violence, out of poverty, and into confidence and leadership.

Launched in 1991 to address a critical need for philanthropy focused on women, the Canadian Women's Foundation is one of the largest women's foundations in the world. With the support of donors, the Foundation has raised more than $100 million and funded over 1,900 programs across the country. These programs focus on addressing the root causes of the most critical issues, and helping women and girls who face the greatest barriers.

The Canadian Women's Foundation aims to be inclusive of diverse people across gender and sexuality spectrums. We focus our efforts on supporting those who face the most barriers and have least access to relevant services. This includes people who identify as women, girls, trans, genderqueer, non-binary, and 2SLGBTQI+.

To learn more, visit canadianwomen.org, sign up for the e-newsletter, and read the blog. Follow the Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Editor's Note: When referring to the Canadian Women's Foundation, please use the full name. Please do not abbreviate or use acronyms.

SOURCE Canadian Women''s Foundation

For further information: FOR INTERVIEWS WITH THE CANADIAN WOMEN'S FOUNDATION STAFF OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacey Rodas, Manager of PR and Online Engagement, Canadian Women's Foundation, [email protected], 416-365-1444 ext. 240

Related Links

http://www.canadianwomen.org


Deputies in Georgia have captured a man who is accusing of fatally shooting a 30-year-old in front of children at a pool in Atlanta.

Cody Brice Matthews, 20, went on the run after allegedly killing William Ryan Ray on Sunday in Jenkinsburg, southeast of Atlanta.

Matthews' girlfriend, Autumn Finlay, was also found by cops.

Officers had initially suggested that Finlay was being held against her will, but later said she was suspected of helping Matthews.

Matthews, 20, was tracked down to a home in Williamson, Georgia, by authorities including the Butts County Sheriff, Georgia State Patrol and the United States Marshals Service.

Officials in Butts County, Georgia, captured Cody Matthews, 20, in connection with a shooting that happened in Madison on Sunday

Matthews, seen here during his arrest, is accused of killing William Ryan Ray, 30, near a pool where kids played

Officials in Butts County, Georgia, have found Autumn Finlay, 21 (left), and murder suspect Cody Matthews (right). Police suspect that Finlay may have been helping Matthews

His girlfriend, Finlay, was also located in Butts County. Police have not released any information regarding her involvement with Matthews at the present time.

The Sheriff's office has also not released any details on the homicide connected to Matthews, but CBS46 reported that the killing took place on Sunday on Madison Avenue in Jackson.

According to a separate report by Jackson Progress-Argus, a shooting was reported in the Jackson Glenn subdivision on Sunday afternoon that left one man dead who was identified on Monday as William Ryan Ray, 30.

Witnesses told deputies that several children were playing near a pool when gunshots rang out.

Matthews is accusing of shooting and killing William Ryan Ray, 30, pictured above

Ray's girlfriend posted a message on Facebook on Sunday mourning his loss.

'My heart has been ripped out of my chest tonight I have lost the love of my life! I'm overwhelmed with all the love and prayers please pray for me my children and Ryan's family!' wrote Krista Tyler.

Finlay's sister said Autumn last called her on Sunday, saying that she was not with Matthews but with another friend, but would not say who it was. The woman has two young children

A woman who introduced herself on Facebook as Autumn's sister wrote in a post that the 21-year-old mother-of-two last called her on Sunday from a private number, saying she 'supposedly' was not with Matthews but with another friend, whom she refused to name, and said she was on her way home.

'Growing up we had a rule- it dont [sic] matter what you're doing someone HAS TO know who you're with and all she would say is she is with a friend. Wouldn't say who,' Chrichelle Wood wrote in a status update. 'Which makes me think it's him.

'And she has no reason to not be home by now if she was just somewhere with a friend. Something isnt [sic] right. I don't believe she is safe.'
Car parks at a number of popular Cork beaches will be shut this weekend.

Cork County Council has taken the step after consultation with An Garda Siochana.

It comes as Gardai launch a nationwide operation to ensure public compliance with the travel restrictions introduced recently as part of Covid-19 public health guidelines.

With the recent spell of good weather and the upcoming long weekend, there are fears the public may reduce their compliance with public health restrictions.

The four entrances to Youghal beach will be closed, as will access to Claycastle and Garryvoe.

The Ballycotton Cliff Walk also remains closed.

In Carrigaline, access to Fountainstown beach is to be closed, while the two public car parks at Garrylucas beach will also close.

In West Cork, Barleycove, Garnish, Tragumna, Lough Hyne, The Warren, Inchydoney lower car park, Owenahincha and Long Strand will all be closed.

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey said, "Government guidelines are clear that all citizens must limit their leisure and exercise to within 2km of their homes.

"Driving for non-essential purposes is not permitted as part of these public health measures.

"With the good weather and Easter weekend approaching, these closures have been put in place to make it clear that people outside the immediate 2km area should not visit public beaches or other amenities at this time.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Ian Doyle, added, Unfortunately some people continue to venture out and are not adhering to the restrictions currently in place.

"Closing off access to these coastal car parks sends out the message that it is not acceptable to visit places that fall outside of the 2km area of your home.

"We can all still get exercise and fresh air in close proximity to our homes.

"We have collectively been doing a great job so far in staying home and stopping the spread of COVID 19, so lets keep working together."
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic sweeping New Jersey, the states largest nurses union is voicing outrage over the firing of one of its members at a Jersey Shore hospital.

Adam Witt, a union leader and nurse at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, was fired on Monday for simply defending a fellow nurse being disciplined by Hackensack Meridian, which owns the hospital, said Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees, in a statement.

HPAE said it has filed a complaint against Hackensack Meridian Health for unlawful discipline and termination of unionized health care workers.

The union  which represents 14,000 health care workers on the front lines  also filed a complaint saying the hospital has retaliated against the workers for demanding to have the protective equipment they need to stay safe on the front lines.

We are one month into a battle against the pandemic outbreak in New Jersey, the likes of which we have never seen and NJ is facing a potential health care worker shortage, White said. Despite the great need for front line caregivers, Hackensack Meridian Health is intimidating and silencing employees on the front lines of this battle.

Hackensack Meridian Health denied the claims made by the union. Nancy Radwin, a spokeswoman for the hospital network, said the unions complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Labor Relations Board are unfounded and incorrect.

There hasnt been an instance of a team member being disciplined or terminated for expressing their views regarding PPE anywhere in the network, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Radwin said in an email.

She added that Hackensack Meridian Health evaluates PPE supplies to ensure there are appropriate supply levels at each of its hospitals and has observers watching team members doff and don PPE to make sure they are using the gear correctly.

The controversy comes at a time when hospitals, doctors, nurses and health care workers statewide are being pushed to their limits, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to intensify.

Many doctors and nurses  in New Jersey and other COVID-19 hot spots, such as New York State  have voiced outrage and anguish over a lack of personal protective equipment at their facilities.

These are difficult times for all, White said. Our union members will continue to stand together to defend the right of workers to demand the protections they need in the war against COVIC-19. Hackensack Meridian Health should stand with health care professionals like Adam Witt, not intimidate and silence them.

Hackensack Meridian Health said it has policies and procedures in place to protect its employees and patients in accordance with CDC guidelines.

The current global health care crisis does not negate their importance, Radwin said. Our priorities are to provide a safe work environment for our team members so they can provide the best possible care for our patients.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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REUTERS/Blair Gable

The federal government announced new measures to help students make money this summer during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as relaxed eligibility requirements for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.

To help young people and small businesses affected by COVID-19, were making changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program for this year. We will now give CSJ employers a subsidy of up to 100% to cover the cost of hiring students, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a news conference.

We will also extend the timeframe for a job placement until the winter because we know that some jobs will start later than usual. And because many businesses have had to scale back their operations, they will be able to hire a student part time.

The wage subsidy maxes out at the provincial or territorial minimum wage.

The federal government says employers can shift jobs to support essential services. Students can apply for work here. The program runs from May 11, 2020, and up to February 28, 2021.

Ottawa is earmarking $263 million in funding for the Canada Summer Jobs program in 2020. Its expected to create 70,000 jobs for youth between 15 and 30 years old.

To qualify for the Canada Emergency Wage subsidy when it was first announced, businesses had to show a revenue decline of 30 per cent in March compared to last year. Business groups criticized the requirements for being too strict. Today, that threshold has been lowered to 15 per cent and businesses can use January and February benchmarks to qualify.

Our government understands that not all businesses operate the same way and thats why were making changes to include as many of you as possible, said the Prime Minister.

We will keep listening, but we really hope you will use this help from your country and from your fellow citizens to rehire and pay your workers.

The Prime Minister says Ottawa is working on measures to include Canadians who dont qualify for the measures announced so far.

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Finance Minister Bill Morneau said small businesses can start applying for previously announced loans up to $40,000 tomorrow. Businesses can apply through banks and credit unions.

Morneau also says the federal government is also proposing a 100 per cent reimbursement of CPP, QPP, and EI as part of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which he says will now cost $73 billion instead of $71 billion.

He reminded businesses not take undo advantage of the subsidy and says violators could be fined 225 per cent of the money they receive and face up to 5 years in jail.

Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains.

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All new inmates arriving at the state's high-security prisons will be placed in two weeks' isolation under the latest measures from Queensland Corrective Services to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Queensland Health officers will also be brought in to check the temperature and overall health of every person entering any Queensland prison, including correctional officers and health staff.

Staff escort prisoners through Lotus Glen Correctional Centre in northern Queensland. Credit:AAP Image/Human Rights Watch, Daniel Soekov

Queensland Health officials will also check every prisoners temperature before they are allowed out on parole or are permanently released, to protect prisoners family and friends.

The new measures came after all Queensland prisons went into early lockdown on Tuesday, as prisoners on the roof of Brisbane's Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre protested against COVID-19 restrictions on visits.
Vodafone has completed the sale of the M-Pesa brand to a new joint venture founded by Vodacom and Safaricom.

First announced in 2019, the deal hands over full control of the M-Pesa service, including product development and support services, to Vodacom and Safaricom. This is aimed at increasing the services footprint in Africa by expanding into new markets. The deals value has not been disclosed although Safaricom last year indicated that it could be worth as much as US$13 million.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said: Our joint venture will allow Vodacom and Safaricom to drive the next generation of the M-Pesa platform  an intelligent, cloud-based platform for the smartphone age. It will also help us to promote greater financial inclusion and help bridge the digital divide within the communities in which we operate.

Michael Joseph, outgoing Safaricom CEO said: For Safaricom, were excited that the management, support and development of the M-Pesa platform has now been relocated to Kenya, where the journey to transform the world of mobile payments began 13 years ago. This new partnership with Vodacom will allow us to consolidate our platform development, synchronise more closely our product roadmaps, and improve our operational capabilities into a single, fully converged Centre of Excellence.

Nick Read, Vodafone Groups CEO, said: M-Pesa is hugely successful and enables millions of unbanked people in Africa to transfer money, pay bills and trade. It benefits communities and helps create a multitude of small and micro-business ventures. However, with the rapid increase in smartphone penetration, the evolution into financial services and the potential for geographical expansion, we believe the next step in M-Pesas African growth will be more effectively overseen by Vodacom and Safaricom.

M-Pesa is the largest payments platform on the African continent, it has 40 million users and processes over a billion transactions every month. M-Pesa is operational in Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mozambique and Egypt. Currently around 25% of all M-Pesa customers have access to a smartphone  a figure that is growing by 10% every year.

The disposal of the M-Pesa brand, support and product development services to Vodacom and Safaricom is broadly financially neutral for Vodafone Group.
(Bloomberg) -- It wasnt ordered up by Washington, it doesnt have a catchy name and its members dont get paid. But the Covid-19 Mobility Data Network could mean the difference between life and death.

The network sprang up voluntarily among universities, epidemiologists, public-health departments, database providers, advertising-technology companies and social-media giants like Facebook Inc. Their mission is to fight the pandemics spread by testing the effectiveness of stay-at-home and social-distancing policies using a single tool: your cell phones physical location.

The new data-sharing relationship is just one way companies, academics and public-health officials are teaming up to curb the spread of coronavirus. The network is analyzing the data and sharing insights with governments in states like Massachusetts and California; in cities such as Boston, New York and Miami; and in other countries, including India, Italy and Spain.

A lot of these companies just came out of the woodwork, said Andrew Schroeder, one of the networks coordinators. Theres a lot of location data out there, he said, which needs to be shaped into something thats not just the Wild West, but is passing through an expert filter on what this means for public health.

The data show whether people are complying with stay-at-home and social distancing orders that have spread across the U.S. and countries around the globe.

For example, people taking trips outside their neighborhoods in San Francisco decreased 40% to 50%, but dropped only 20% to 30% in other parts of California, Shroeder said.

In New York City, residents were more mobile during the week than they were on weekends, and mobility rates were higher on Staten Island than in lower Manhattan, he noted.

Facebook on Monday announced that it was expanding the kinds of location data it provides to researchers tracking the pandemic, which has infected more than 1.3 million people and claimed more than 74,000 lives worldwide.

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The company, which normally uses such data to help sell targeted advertising, has been sharing it with researchers in an anonymized, aggregated form since 2017 to track things like whether people evacuate disaster zones.

The data sets are now being used by dozens of organizations studying Covid-19, the disease the virus causes. The expansion of the program means Facebook will also share more nuanced details on whether people are staying at home, or the probability that people in one area will come in contact with people in another, the company wrote on its blog.

The network is also working with Camber Systems, a Washington-based data-analytics company, and will soon team up with Cuebiq Inc., a New York-based data-collection company, to provide reports to decision-makers who are implementing social distancing interventions, according to the networks website.

Its in talks with Alphabet Inc.s Google about using data from the search giant. Google is posting mobility reports to show how traffic to places such as parks and transportation hubs has declined.

The mobility data project, which started in early March, is similar to work that Schroeder, along with others such as Caroline Buckee, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, had been doing to analyze mobility rates in disaster situations.

Schroeder, vice president of research and analysis for public-health nonprofit Direct Relief, had worked with Buckee on travel trends in Mozambique after a cyclone tore through the country in 2019. Hes taken on similar initiatives for Houston after a tropical storm hit last year and for California after wildfires ravaged the state, Schroeder said.

Once they realized the need for data would probably be greater than in previous natural disasters, Schroeder, Buckee and Satchit Balsari, another Harvard professor and medical doctor, came up with the network idea. They recruited others who had done similar work and reached out to government contacts to ask how they could help, Schroeder said.

All of these various public-health departments around the country were making these pretty big calls on shutting down big chunks of the economy and society, said Schroeder. Nobody had any visibility at all into the question: Are people listening to you when you say that everyone should stay home? Do they stay home?

Camber Systems is processing anonymized geo-location data from millions of U.S. cell phones and passing it to the mobility network, Schroeder said. The company receives the data from firms in the advertising-technology industry, and then strips it of any names, addresses or other personal identifying details before handing it to researchers in a digestible format. The data are refreshed every few hours to track how devices are moving throughout a region. Camber Systems declined to comment.

The increased ability of mobile-app providers and digital-advertising companies to track cell-phone owners positions has made such projects possible -- and elicited criticism from consumer advocates concerned about privacy violations.

Some fear that an emphasis on health over privacy could undermine the protection of civil liberties, similar to what happened after 9/11, when the U.S. secretly began collecting mass amounts of data on its own citizens in an effort to track down terrorists.

Earlier: Pandemic Data-Sharing Puts New Pressure on Privacy Protections

Facebook and the mobility network insist that no ones privacy is being jeopardized, and that no governments are receiving raw data. Were not aware of any active conversations or asks with the U.S. or other governments at this point asking for access to that data directly, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said March 18.

Since May 2019, Facebook has offered what it calls disease prevention maps to researchers and nonprofits. It hands over anonymous user-movement data that is aggregated into 0.6 kilometer-sized grids and updated every 8 hours, according to Schroeder.

The researchers use that information to calculate changes in the number of trips Facebook users in a specific region take outside their homes in a day. Facebook said it only shares data from users who have opted in to the companys location-tracking settings.

In the coronavirus outbreak, the maps have found multiple uses. Direct Relief, the humanitarian aid group that Schroeder works for, has used them to help determine where to distribute medical supplies, he said. Researchers at Taiwans National Tsing-Hua University are using the data to model possible outbreaks of the disease on the island, said Hsiao-Han Chang, a professor at the university.

Harvard researchers are also using Facebooks data sets to study the effects of government social-distancing advisories. We have no idea what they actually do in terms of subsequent epidemiology of the disease, said Harvards Buckee. Policy makers want to know things like, Which of these policies actually work? And how long are we going to have to do them?

We are acting as an intermediary to help make sure that this information is processed together correctly, Schroeder said. We can help people make sense of it and not just dump a bunch of raw data on them.

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The World Health Organization on Wednesday asked the United States and China for "honest leadership" on the coronavirus pandemic, warning global leaders against politicizing the COVID-19 outbreak "if you don't want to have many more body bags," Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

President Donald Trump criticized the international agency's response to the outbreak Tuesday, saying the WHO "really called, I would say, every aspect of it wrong." He also threatened to withhold U.S. funding for the WHO.

"At the end of the day, the people belong to all political parties. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people, please do not politicize this virus," Tedros said in a fiery address Wednesday. He called for unity across the globe, saying the virus will exploit cracks in political parties, religious groups or between different nations to spread even more widely. "If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it," he said.

Tedros said the focus of all political parties should be to save their people.

Without unity, even more developed nations will face "more trouble and more crisis," he said. "No need to use COVID to score political points. No need. You have many other ways to prove yourselves."

Tedros said he doesn't "care about personal attacks," addressing the death threats and insults that have been directed at him in recent months.

"I can tell you personal attacks that have been going on for more than two, three months. Abuses, or racist comments, giving me names, black or Negro. I'm proud of being black, proud of being Negro ... I don't care to be honest ... even death threats. I don't give a damn."
dpa, Berlin

Twitters chief executive, Jack Dorsey, on Tuesday said he would donate $1 billion worth of equity in his second company Square to fund coronavirus relief efforts, and other charities after the pandemic passes.

Dorsey said the amount was equal to about 28 percent of his current net worth, which would be about $3.6 billion. Dorsey said he would like to later support issues like girls health and education, along with the idea of a universal basic income, through his Start Small fund.

[Universal basic income] is a great idea needing experimentation. Girls health and education is critical to balance, he said in a series of tweets.

Dorsey said he was using his stake in Square, a payment platform, because it was larger than his Twitter equity.

Why now? The needs are increasingly urgent, and I want to see the impact in my lifetime. I hope this inspires others to do something similar. Life is too short, so lets do everything we can today to help people now, he said.

Dorsey posted a link to a Google doc, which he said will be updated to show where the money is going in an effort to maintain transparency.

Im moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girls health and education, and UBI. It will operate transparently, all flows tracked here: https://t.co/hVkUczDQmz  jack (@jack) April 7, 2020

Why the transparency? Its important to show my work so I and others can learn. Ive discovered and funded ($40mm) many orgs with proven impact and efficiency in the past, mostly anonymously. Going forward, all grants will be public. Suggestions welcome. Drop your cash app ;)  jack (@jack) April 7, 2020

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Members of Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi, Calif., found themselves locked out of the building just before their Palm Sunday service as the landlord changed the locks on a church over the weekend. He did it to prevent congregants from entering the church amid a statewide stay-at-home order.

The small evangelical church leases space in Bethel Open Bible Church and its pastor Jon Duncan was greeted by several police officers in the parking lot about an hour before the service, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The officers made sure Duncan's church did not meet and spoke to Duncan on the sidewalk about an hour before his service was to begin. The pastor had continued to hold in-person services despite the San Joaquin County Health Department ordering it shut down last week.

"We are not a church that takes the virus lightly nor do we have in our minds to act reckless," Duncan told the news station. "We believe that precautions need to be taken." He added that the church had implemented safety measures and encouraged social distancing.

Duan said to Fox news that the shelter-in-place orders violated his freedom to assemble. "We are going to meet as often as we can meet, and we do believe that this right is protected by the First Amendment and should be considered essential," Duncan said in an interview with Fox 40 in Sacramento.

In an interview with The Times on Sunday evening, Broyles, the attorney for Cross Culture Christian Center, said Duncan was not informed before Sunday morning that the locks had been changed by Bethel Open Bible Church. "They don't have the right to do that unless they go to an eviction procedure," Broyles added.

"I'm not thrilled in general with the restriction on religious liberties," Jeremy Duncan, the pastor's brother, told Fox 2 on Sunday. "Especially during what is Christian's most holy week."

The attorney also told Los Angeles Times that he'd send Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Joaquin County officials letters asking that houses of worship be considered essential services exempted from stay-at-home orders.
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 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.

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.

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.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 05:09:41|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- New COVID-19 estimates find that the peak daily death rate from the pandemic will occur during the third week of April among European countries.

The new forecasts, released on Tuesday by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington's School of Medicine, finds that approximately 151,680 people will die during what researchers are calling the "first wave" of the pandemic. By comparison, the United States is expected to face 81,766 deaths, according to forecasts released on Sunday by IHME.

"We are expecting a foreboding few weeks for people in many parts of Europe," said IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray. "It seems likely the number of deaths will exceed our projections for the United States."

The death toll in many countries is compounded by the demand for hospital resources well in excess of what is available. For example, peak demand in the UK is expected to total 102,794 hospital beds needed compared to 17,765 available, 24,544 ICU beds compared to 799 ICU beds available, according to the research.

The announcement on Europe finds that most regions of Italy and Spain have passed their peaks in the number of deaths. Countries that are about to peak or are quickly approaching peak in this wave of the epidemic include the Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, and Luxembourg. The Czech Republic and Romania are midway through their expected trajectories. Other nations including the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and Greece are still early in their trajectories and face fast-rising death tolls through their peaks in the second and third weeks of April.

Murray cautioned that easing these precautions too soon during "the first wave" of the pandemic could lead to new rounds of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

"To decrease the risk of a second wave in places where the first wave is controlled by robust social distancing, governments would need to consider mass testing, contact tracing, and quarantines for those infected until vaccination is available, mass-produced, and distributed widely," Murray said.

IHME said that it started making projections of the pandemic's impact in the United States state-by-state on March 26.

Tuesday's announcement is the first set of predictions for European nations and is based on modeling the peak in death rates and hospital usage in Wuhan City in China, as well as data from seven European locations that have peaked, including Madrid, Spain; Castile-La Mancha, Spain; Tuscany, Italy; Emilia-Romagna, Italy; Liguria, Italy; Piedmont, Italy; and Lombardy, Italy. Of these eight locations that have reached the peak regarding daily deaths, only one, Wuhan, has currently brought new cases to nearly zero.
By Ali Kucukgocmen

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament discussed a prisoner release law on Tuesday which aims to ease overcrowding in jails and protect detainees from the coronavirus, but which critics slam for excluding people jailed on terrorism charges in a post-coup crackdown.

The bill, proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, would temporarily free around 45,000 prisoners to address the immediate threat of coronavirus spreading in jails. A similar number would be released permanently under plans prepared last year to reduce chronic prison overcrowding.

Together the measures would cut the prison population by one third, but they do not cover those convicted of terrorism charges - excluding many thousands caught up in a purge following the 2016 failed military coup against Erdogan.

Tens of thousands of civil servants, judiciary officials, military personnel, journalists and politicians have been jailed in the crackdown.

Around 50,000 people, including the former head of the second-largest opposition party, a prominent journalist and a philanthropist, are excluded from the new law because they are charged with or convicted on terrorism charges, according to an opposition parliamentarian.

Selahattin Demirtas, former head of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been in jail for some 3-1/2 years, accused of leading a terrorist organisation.

His lawyer said Demirtas, 46, is at high risk from COVID-19 because he has high blood pressure and has undergone surgery for respiratory problems.

Lawyer Mahsuni Karaman also said the definition of terrorism was vague and subjective.

"Millions of people see Demirtas as a hero, a political leader, but another side sees him as a terrorist," he said.

Other prominent detainees including writer Ahmet Altan and civil rights campaigner Osman Kavala, both over 60, faced the same situation, he said. "Combined with the pandemic, they are being left for dead," Karaman said.

Story continues

Demirtas was hospitalised in December, days after losing consciousness following chest pains. Last week, his lawyers applied for his release on health grounds.

The crackdown since 2016 saw the number of prisoners swell to nearly 300,000 - the second-largest prison population in Europe and the most over-crowded prison system, according to data from the Council of Europe.

65 AND OVER

Turkey also has the highest number of inmates aged 65 and over, with 3,521 people in January 2019, the data showed. Turkey has imposed a stay-at-home order for those over 65, given that they are the highest risk group from the coronavirus.

Altan, a 70-year-old prominent journalist, was jailed for life in 2018 on charges of aiding a terrorist group. The sentence was later overturned and he was released, only to be jailed again the following week.

His lawyer, Figen Calikusu, said the law should allow the temporary release of those not yet convicted.

"There aren't any measures he can take to protect himself," Calikusu said of Altan, who shares a cell with another inmate and is contact with prison personnel who each interact with many other prisoners.

Kavala, a 62-year-old prominent businessman and philanthropist, was acquitted in February on charges related to nationwide protests in 2013, only to be arrested again the following day on charges related to the 2016 coup attempt.

The independence of Turkey's judiciary has been hotly debated in recent years, with critics saying court rulings are influenced by politicians. Erdogan and his AK Party say the judiciary makes its decisions independently.

Asked whether he believed Demirtas' request for release would be granted, lawyer Karaman said his client was a "political hostage".

"Demirtas' case is always on the radar of the honourable president. A positive decision cannot be made on the release request without his knowledge," he said.

Last month, Iran temporarily freed about 85,000 people from jail, including political prisoners, in response to the pandemic, a judiciary spokesman said.

(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans and Nick Macfie)
They only want to use great achievements to cover up their own scandal, and use all sorts of party-controlled media  to firmly shut down all calls for finding out what really happened, Ren wrote. Maybe people who live in countries with freedom of expression dont know the pain of living in a country without a free media or freedom of expression, but the Chinese people have the pain of knowing that the virus outbreak and everything that came after should never have happened.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Monday evening overruled a decision by the states governor to postpone their primary election from this week to June, putting the Tuesday election back on just hours after the the governor had tried to push it back.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Monday morning issued an executive order to postpone state elections scheduled for Tuesday until June 9, a dramatic last-minute move that capped weeks of indecision by state leaders.

But Monday evening, the states highest court overruled that decision in a 4-2 vote, with the vote breaking down along partisan lines, with Republican judges in the majority. Wisconsin is one of 22 states in the country where judges are elected by popular vote, rather than appointed.

The lone justice to recuse himself from the vote, Daniel Kelly  because he is standing for reelection on Tuesday  foreshadowed the votes outcome Monday afternoon on Twitter, stating that while the Governors order is being challenged in court, we urge clerks, poll workers, and voters to stand ready to conduct the election tomorrow.

Soon after the Wisconsin courts decision, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling of its own, reversing a previous lower court that had granted voters six additional days to turn in absentee ballots. Wisconsin Republicans and the Republican National Committee asked the nations highest court to stop that, and the five conservative justices on the court granted that request, despite the fact that more Wisconsin voters requested absentee ballots than ever before thanks to concerns about the coronavirus.

Wisconsin election officials had warned last week that there was a critical shortage of poll workers needed for in-person voting. Nearly every county in Wisconsin has at least one municipality concerned about their ability to open a polling place, a top election official warned.

Evers had planned to call out the National Guard to staff the roughly 7,000 poll worker slots left unfilled due to illness or an unwillingness to show up as cases of COVID-19 have continued to rise. As of Monday afternoon, more than 2,400 cases of the disease and 80 deaths from it had been confirmed in Wisconsin.

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. (Nick Oxford/Reuters)

But another concern was that mail-in voting would be a debacle. Many voters might not have received ballots in time due to the record number of 1.1 million that had been requested by mail. Election clerks were also likely to have been overwhelmed by the flood of ballots coming in by mail.

Theres an avalanche coming at the clerks, Elections Commissioner Mark Thomsen, a Democratic appointee, said during a meeting of the commission held by teleconference last week. All the clerks have reported they are short of poll workers and staffing.

But Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin, who control both chambers of the Legislature, were intent on moving forward with the election. Republicans on the Elections Commission shared that attitude.

Im very happy in terms of whats going on here, and I think we can have a good election, said Robert Spindell, a Republican appointee to the commission, during the teleconference.

Last Friday, Evers called on the Legislature to convene a special session to push the election back and to shift the election to an all-mail-in contest. I cant move this election on my own. My hands are tied, he said then.

Republicans in the Legislature rejected that request on Saturday.

But on Monday, Evers said that as municipalities are consolidating polling locations, and absent legislative or court action, I cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing.

The bottom line is that I have an obligation to keep people safe, and thats why I signed this executive order today, he added.

A group called Citizens Outraged Voters in Danger (or C.O.V.I.D.) protests outside the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on April 4. (Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

Evers told Politico that he consulted with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, about how to follow the path DeWine took on March 17 in postponing the Ohio primary.

Evers said he expects a legal challenge from Republicans, and that injects additional uncertainty into what will happen on Tuesday.

Election experts have warned that this kind of chaos is a small preview of what fall elections nationwide will look like if the government does not begin preparing now for how to conduct a general election in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

_____

Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHOs resource guides.

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Over the past weeks, Canada has rolled out its fiscal measures to curb the impact of COVID-19 on Canadians, as the global economy continues to shrink. As of April 7, Canada had 17,860 cases of COVID-19, with Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia recording the most cases. Experts say the government has responded with a measured approach, providing a reasonable amount of certainty in a very uncertain time.

The federal government has plans for workers, businesses, seniors, and homeowners. The total emergency stimulus plan amounts to $202 billion. A relief program to help students is also expected this week.

Alongside these measures, the Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate three times in March by a total 150 basis points, leaving the current rate at 0.25 per cent.

Layoffs ensued, restaurants closed, and since March 15, over three million people have applied for emergency benefits and income, government officials announced on Tuesday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the flood of calls to Service Canada has been historic.

Costas Christou, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission chief for Canada, told Yahoo Finance Canada that the federal government has adequate policy space to respond to the [COVID-19] crisis because of Canadas relatively low levels of public debt and strong institutional framework. He believes the government should be prepared to do more in order to support the economy if the situation warrants.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently launched its global policy tracker, which focuses on the COVID-19 responses taken by countries including Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia and China.

The tracker gives a sense of what ministers of finance, central bankers and financial sector authorities are doing to limit the human and economic impact of COVID-19, said IMFs senior economist Maurico Soto.

In addition to the shock of COVID-19, IMFs policy tracker highlights challenges oil producing countries face as they are hit by two shocks: the potential spread of COVID-19 and the sharp decline in oil prices, which has dropped below US$20 a barrel, a first in nearly two decades.

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Looking to Europe, IMF says that Europes welfare system and social market model can support firms and households during the crisis, and like Canada, policymakers have made good use of their policy space and institutions, putting in place large monetary and fiscal expansions to blunt the impact of the crisis.

Germany, a country with over 100,000 cases and one of the largest number of cases of COVID-19, is offering relief such as interest-free deferrals until the end of the year, as well as access to short term work (Kurzarbeit) opportunities, according to the IMFs tracker.

The COVID-19 impact

Following along in real time, Grant Thorntons national tax leader Tara Benham says Canada seems to have taken a similar response to the U.K.

It looks like Canada and the U.K. are focusing first and foremost on the employee, and supporting the worker, says Benham. Whereas the U.S. and Australia, their focus is just as large but it seems to be more about maintaining liquidity in the economy which in turn will support the employee and the workers.

Its a different way to do it, she says, which sees a trickle-down effect in the U.S. and Australia. Canada and the U.K., however, have gone directly for a wage subsidy, which in Canada means a 75 per cent subsidy on employees wages for all businesses, up from the 10 per cent figure announced in March.

The wage subsidy could take up to six weeks to be implemented. Many employers have already had to lay people off, but the hope is that with a wage subsidy, those employers could hire back staff. Employers are required to show a 30 per cent drop in revenue as a result of the pandemic in order to apply for the subsidy, which can be cumbersome to prove.

Benham says the government introduced the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), which is intended to figure out how we enable more Canadians to keep their jobs, as well as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), to address, how do we help people whove lost their jobs, keep food and water on the table?

Benham believes Canada has done things the right way so far, which is to start with providing a baseline of physiological needs [food and water] and then move forward from there. Shes quite impressed with the response, and said Canada is leading by concept and filling in the holes afterwards, adding that we are getting really broad brushes of relief thats coming but not the details yet.

A chart that displays the measures Canada is implementing to provide relief from COVID-19.

Support Programs for Canadians

In Canada, there are now measures that will help seniors, with a 25 per cent reduced minimum for withdrawals from their registered retirement income fund (RRIF). Student loans will be placed on a six-month interest-free moratorium with no payment needed. A low-income family of four will receive a flat rate of $4,000 a month, for up to 16 weeks, and a one-time boosted GST credit is offered to eligible Canadians.

Banks are deferring some mortgage payments, and rent subsidies have been announced in provinces like British Columbia, where a freeze on rent increases and support of up to $500 a month, for up to three months, is being offered to struggling tenants.

Benham says Canada now needs to form strategies around getting customers buying from businesses again, and for the time being at least, this could be done through more online selling.

We cant rely on online but I think we could use it as an additional push during the next six weeks when we probably will still be in lockdown, explains Benham.

Another area to think about changing, says Benham, is with defined benefits.

While many Canadians are feeling the financial impact of this crisis, there are groups of individuals who are not, says Behnam. This includes members of defined benefit pension plans whose payments have remained unchanged to date. Those with defined contribution pension plans or private retirement savings plans, on the other hand, have seen their values decline significantly.

Anyone who is retiring couldve lost that 40 per cent retirement fund or taken a hit; I know I did, says Benham. Everyone else has taken a hit, so Im saying, how would others with defined benefits feel if they were asked to share? If you asked every single Canadian to step forward and participate equally, or to some extent, is that unreasonable? Probably not.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, and other MPs said theyd donate their legislated April 1 pay raise to COVID-19-focused charities working in support of Canadians.

During this unprecedented time, Benham thinks that we should be looking broader than just our politicians for support, when it comes to providing aid for Canadians.
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a careful review of bids, the Defense Logistics Agency has awarded ANHAM, the current incumbent, the Prime Vendor Afghanistan contract. Under the contract, worth up to $3 Billion, ANHAM will support coalition troops based in Afghanistan with all of their Food Service requirements for an additional 5 years.

"We have a track record of delivering services on time and on budget for the U.S. Government and the troops in Afghanistan," said Jay Ward, ANHAM CEO. "We look forward to continuing this legacy and are proud to have been chosen to provide support going forward."

This contract extends ANHAM's longstanding relationship with the U.S. Government, in which the company has provided complex logistic solutions across the Middle East and Asia for the last 15 years.

About ANHAM

ANHAM FZCO (www.anham.com) is a pivotal service provider offering global reach with local knowledge, to deliver tailored solutions clients can rely on. With over 1.5 billion kilograms of materials delivered, ANHAM is an agile and fully multi-modal service provider with people, systems and infrastructure to meet and exceed the expectations of our partners and customers. From the development of innovative business concepts to redefining a new approach to local partnerships, ANHAM and its affiliates have been leaders in business development throughout regions in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South and Central Asia.

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Sri Lankas Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has called for unity in the fight against the spread of coronavirus, saying it is the only enemy of the country and can be defeated only by working together without any differences of race, religion or party, as the total number of positive cases on Wednesday rose to 189 and the death toll to seven.

Delivering a special statement on the current situation of the country and the measures taken by the government to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the premier praised the health care providers for their sacrifice and commended the tri forces and police for their tireless efforts to keep the spread of COVID-19 at bay, the Colombo Page reported.

I would like to remember the sacrifices made by our health care providers who have sacrificed their families, time and even their own health so that you and I are safe. We thank you and we are grateful for all the sacrifices you have made to ensure Sri Lanka stays safe, the premier was quoted as saying.

He said, COVID-19 is the only enemy of the country and it can be defeated only by working together without any differences of race, religion or party. Whether we live or not depends on how we fight this scourge. Our focus, our commitment and our discipline are what determine whether we live or die in an epidemic like this, he was quoted as saying.

The Indian ocean island nation has taken strict measures to contain the spreading of the disease, including a countrywide curfew since March 20. India on Tuesday gifted a 10-tonne consignment of essential life saving medicines to Sri Lanka to help it battle with the coronavirus pandemic.

The medicines provide by India were requested by Government of Sri Lanka. The consignment was brought to Sri Lanka by an Air India special charter flight on Tuesday. Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa thanked India for sending the essential life saving medicine. Sri Lankan police on Wednesday announced that currently enforced curfew in six districts would continue indefinitely in the ongoing lockdown.

In 19 districts, the curfew will be lifted at 6 am on Thursday and will be reimposed at 4 pm. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka police on Wednesday two people for spreading fake news on coronavirus. On April 1, the police had informed all media institutions that strict legal action would be taken against those who spread false news.
The African Centre for Energy Policy, ACEP, says plans by government to draw funds from the Ghana Heritage Fund to stem the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic is not acceptable.

The Think Tank says the use of the Fund is 'akin to telling citizens to go for their pension because they are faced with challenges in a COVID-19 world.'

In a statement analysing the Finance Minister's statement on the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Economy of Ghana, ACEP stated that, The discipline to save for the future is a difficult one, but must be encouraged and sustained. Spending the heritage fund today is akin to telling citizens to go for their pension because they are faced with challenges in a COVID-19 world. The future of oil is more uncertain today than it has ever been. The fund is envisioned to provide support for the budget when Ghana is no longer receiving revenues from oil and that is an important foresight that should not be crucified today.

It will be recalled that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Monday, 30th March 2020 submitted to Parliament a valuation of COVID-19's impact on Ghana's economy, and why among other fiscal measures to alleviate the impact, the Petroleum Revenue Management Act 2011 (Act 815), should be amended to allow for withdrawals from the Ghana Heritage Fund, to undertake emergency expenditures in times of national emergency.

But ACEP says 'the Heritage Fund will not solve Ghana's problems if spent today.'

While commending the government for the bold steps taken to revise expectations for the year, ACEP is asking Parliament to strengthen oversight over the Contingency Fund as 'The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that Ghana needs a reasonable buffer for unanticipated expenditure to allow swift responses to such threats.'

They also called on the Finance Minister to recognise that the Stabilisation Fund is not a substitute for Contingency spending.

The Contingency Fund is more readily available to address urgent expenditures. This is not the same on the availability of the Ghana Stabilization Fund (GSF) which has to be withdrawn from investment instruments before it be utilised. Also, the volatility of oil revenues is an ever-present threat to oil producers. This requires significant buffer (a lot of sacrifice) in the GSF to smoothen the budget, the statement said.

In addition, ACEP stated that there is the urgent need for further rules on the GSF, a mechanism to help the country to smoothen the budget expenditures of the Annual Budget Funding Amount of petroleum receipts.

It explains that, to enable the fund to deliver on its object, consistency is required on the withdrawals and capping of the Fund.

The past practice shows that the discretionary power to cap the GSF is too loose and renders the Fund unable to mitigate revenue shortfalls. A clear and consistent formula is necessary, it noted.

ACEP is the latest CSO to kick against the use of the Heritage Fund after several groups including the Public Interest and Accountability Committee, PIAC, raised similar concerns.

---citinewsroom
Linda Tripp, a Pentagon civil servant who in the late 1990s played a central role in the scandal that led to President Bill Clintons impeachment, died on Wednesday at the age of 70.

The New York Post reported earlier Wednesday that Tripp had been seriously ill, with her daughter-in-law, Allison Tripp Foley, posting on Facebook asking for prayers for a painless process for the strongest woman I will ever know in my entire lifetime.

Tripps son-in-law, Thomas Foley, said Tripp died later in the afternoon of an illness not connected to COVID-19, The Post reported.

She fought on as hard as she could," Thomas Foley said. I know all the press will focus on the other stuff but she was a special person and a fantastic grandparent who was devoted to her family. People forget this part.

Upon hearing of Tripps illness, Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern whom Tripp secretly recorded discussing an inappropriate relationship with the president, wished Tripp well.

No matter the past ... I hope for her recovery, Lewinsky tweeted. I cant imagine how difficult this is for her family.

no matter the past, upon hearing that linda tripp is very seriously ill, i hope for her recovery. i cant imagine how difficult this is for her family.  Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) April 8, 2020

Tripps recordings were shared with independent counsel Kenneth Starr, whose investigation eventually turned Clinton into the second impeached president in U.S. history.

In 2018, Tripp said on National Whistleblower Day on Capitol Hill that her only regret was not having the guts to do it sooner, The Washington Post reported.
A man is arrested following an arson attack on a block of flats in the Woodbourne Court area of west Belfast on April 8th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

A man is arrested following an arson attack on a block of flats in the Woodbourne Court area of west Belfast on April 8th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police have said a fire at a block of flats in Belfast is no longer being treated as arson.

Fire broke out in the Woodbourne Court area of west Belfast at around 10pm on Tuesday.

Police said the Fire Service attended and put out a "small fire" in one home.

They initially said it was an arson attack, however, following further investigation they ruled it out.

A 32-year-old man was arrested and later released unconditionally.
Refractories producer Vesuvius has withdrawn its financial guidance for this year, citing "insufficient visibility" to assess the full consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on its wider business.

Chief executive Patrick Andre had warned in February - upon the release of the company's 2019 results - that the weakness in the...
Crises often have a way of revealing people's true natures. Here in America, for instance, doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals have stepped above and beyond the call of duty in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So too have charities, churches, and other religious organizations, many of which have volunteered their premises as coronavirus testing or medical centers, distributed food and medical supplies to the needy, etc.

Needless to say, none of them is discriminating based on race or religion; all are aiding anyone and everyone in need.

Then there's the Muslim world. There, COVID-19 is revealing the true nature of Islam.

Enter zakat, which is often  but erroneously  translated as "charity." As with virtually everything else Islamic, it too discriminates, sees only in dichotomies, namely "us" (Muslims) and "them" (infidels).

As usual, Pakistan  so named to mean the "land of the pure [i.e., Muslims]"  offers ample precedents. According to a March 30 report:

A Karachi NGO has denied food aid to poor Hindus and Christians, who like Muslims are suffering from coronavirus[.] ... The Saylani Welfare International Trust has been operating in the Korangi area since 1999, handing out aid and meals to homeless people and seasonal workers. Two days ago, the welfare organisation refused to give ration cards to non-Muslims, saying that only Muslims are entitled to them. The reason for this is that Zakat, Islamic alms giving (one of Islam's five pillars), is reserved for Muslims. The Christian man said he begged for food to no avail. Farooq Masih, a 54-year-old Christian in Korangi, said that last Saturday, Abid Qadri, a member of Saylani Welfare, with other NGO members, handed out food cards in his area. But, when they got to Christian homes, they just moved on.

But perhaps the Saylani Welfare International Trust is behaving aberrantly, "radically"? More recent reports suggest otherwise: "A few days back there was an announcement made through a mosque's loud speaker in the Sher-Shah neighborhood of Lahore inviting citizens to collect the government's announced foodstuffs," a pastor from Lahore explained. "When Christians reached the distribution point and presented their national identity cards, they were asked by staffers to get out of the line claiming the foodstuff was only for Muslim citizens." This same pastor received numerous phone calls from his flock, all of whom experienced the same denial. "Christians often face religious hatred and discrimination," another Christian woman, aged 50, said of her experience. "However, we never thought of this biased behavior by the majority people at this critical time of COVID-19."

As disgraceful as such "biased behavior" is, it is also perfectly Islamic. Indeed, all of this is reminiscent of when Barack Obama said that "in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat." At that time (2009), I wrote an article titled "The Dark Side of Zakat." An especially applicable portion follows:

Etymologically related to the notion of "purity," zakat  paying a portion of one's wealth to specifically designated recipients  is a way of purifying oneself, on par with prayers (see Koran 9:103). The problem, however, has to do with who is eligible for this mandatory "charity." Most schools of Muslim jurisprudence are agreed to eight possible categories of recipients  one of these being those fighting "in the path of Allah," that is, jihadis, also known as "terrorists." ... More revealing of the peculiarly Islamic nature of zakat is the fact that Muslims are actually forbidden from bestowing this "charity" onto non-Muslims (e.g., the vast majority of American infidels). "Charitable" Muslim organizations operating on American soil are therefore no mere equivalents to, say, the Salvation Army, a Christian charity organization whose "ministry extends to all, regardless of ages, sex, color, or creed." In Islam, creed is a major criterion for receiving "charity"  not to mention for receiving social equality.

Making these otherwise factual assertions got me into a debate on Al Jazeera and criticized by several "mainstream" media. The latter especially insisted on projecting their own cultural norms  to be charitable is to be nondiscriminatory  onto Islam. Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today went so far as to argue against my position in three separate articles.

It is somewhat pleasing to know that the same exact response I gave to Ms. Grossman over a decade ago is  as the aforementioned recent incidents make clear  still perfectly applicable:

Well-meaning Americans would do well to cease interpreting age-old Muslim doctrines  from jihad to zakat  according to their Western epistemology and instead rely on the standard rulings of mainstream Islam, as articulated by its authoritative schools of jurisprudence. That is, after all, what Muslims do.

Indeed, it is "what Muslims do" even during a time of global pandemic.

To reiterate, COVID-19 is showing that we are only as good as what we believe  including about our fellow man, irrespective of race and religion.

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.
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U.S.-based securities analysis firm and activist investor Wolfpack Research has publicly accused Chinese streaming platform iQIYI of fraud.

iQIYI massively [inflated] its user numbers and revenue while at the same time hiding the fraud from auditors and investors by overpaying for content, acquisitions and other assets, Wolfpack said. IQIYI is nearing its 10-year anniversary and it has never been profitable and its losses are accelerating. Although people call it the Netflix of China, it is far from Netflix.

In a short statement, iQIYI replied: The company believes that the [Wolfpack] report contains numerous errors, unsubstantiated statements and misleading conclusions and interpretations regarding information relating to the company.

IQIYI was spun-off from Chinese search market leader Baidu in a March 2018 IPO, with ADR shares offered at $18 each. Its stock traded up 3.22% at $17.30 per ADR on Tuesday, but slipped to $16.68 after hours. At the closing price, the company has a market capitalization of $12.7 billion.

Wolfpack says its 37-page report was based on months of research including polling over 1,500 users in the key cities in China, digging up the Chinese credit reports, which show the real numbers, and conducting interviews with insiders and former insiders.

We estimate [iQIYI] inflated its 2019 revenue by approximately RMB 8-13 billion, or 27%-44%. [iQIYI] does this by overstating its user numbers by 42%-60%. Then, [iQIYI] inflates its expenses, the prices it pays for content, other assets and acquisitions in order to burn off fake cash to hide the fraud from its auditor and investors, the Wolfpack report says.

IQIYI and its rival Tencent Video have long disputed which company is Chinas streaming market leader. In its fourth quarter and 2019 full year financial statement, published at the end of February, iQIYI said that it had 106.9 million subscribers, of which 98.9% were paying subscribers.

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Wolfpack says the way that iQIYI booked subscription revenue is suspicious, and that iQIYI wrongly books revenue from video subscriptions brought in under dual membership schemes involving third party companies, such as credit card and phone suppliers.

Wolfpack compared the amounts of advertising revenue that iQIYI stated to investors with that filed by its advertising companies and reported to Chinas State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and concluded that the company had exaggerated 2017 ad revenues by as much as three times.

Content acquisition and production are a large part of the costs of a streaming company, and Wolfpack alleges multiple frauds in this area. It said that iQIYI inflated the cost of acquired content, overstated the value of content that it bartered, and indulged in accounting tricks regarding content that had the apparent effect of turning cash outflows into positive cash flow.

Further, Wolfpack alleges that iQIYI engaged in at least two deceptive company acquisitions, one at Xinai Sports, the other involving a controversial games company Skymoons.

Wolfpack founder Dan David was one of the lead characters in the 2017 documentary, The China Hustle, which told the story of billions of dollars of fraud committed by Chinese companies against U.S. investors. One of the key points in that film was that Chinese companies must accurately report their financial details to Chinese authorities, but that they are not required to present the same information overseas.

Another well-known investment firm, Muddy Waters said via Twitter that it also has a short position in iQIYI stock.

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PHILADELPHIA-- A tiny chemical modification on one of the most abundant and important proteins in cells, actin, has long been somewhat mysterious, its function not fully understood, but scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have now taken a big step towards clearing up the mystery.

The scientists, who report their discovery on the post-translational modification of actin in Science Advances, believe their discovery sheds light on the construction of life--similar to understanding how a star is born or a black hole is formed. This fundamental information can potentially inform research into a broad range of diseases, including muscle-weakness and immune deficiency syndromes caused by defects or failure in actin.

The research shows how actin is modified, and should accelerate further research on how actin works and is regulated in cells. The researchers used X-ray crystallography and other advanced techniques to reveal the atomic-scale structure of actin as it is being modified by a partner enzyme during the attachment of a cluster of atoms, called an acetyl group, at the start of the chain of amino acids that forms the protein. The modification, called N-terminal acetylation, can occur on the vast majority of human proteins and is thought to have important biological functions. However, in the case of actin those functions have not been entirely clear.

The findings also illuminate the general biology of N-terminal acetylation. In fact, this is the first time the atomic-scale structure of any protein as it is being modified in this manner has been determined.

"These are fundamental findings that extend our understanding of how actin works and also how N-terminal acetylation works," said study senior author Roberto Dominguez, PhD, the William Maul Measey Presidential Professor of Physiology at Penn.

Actin's importance is underscored by the fact that in mammalian cells it is the most abundant protein in the cytoplasm, the space outside the nucleus. It is best known for forming cable-like structures called filaments, which make up much of the supportive "skeleton" of cells, and also play key roles in cell division and in cells' ability to move about in tissues.

N-terminal acetylation can occur on actin, as it does on more than 80 percent of human proteins, and appears to help regulate actin's ability to form filaments. However, the precise functions of this modification have never been clear, and scientists--a team led by Dominguez and a team of collaborators at the University of Bergen in Norway led by Dr. Thomas Arnesen--discovered the enzyme that catalyzes actin N-terminal acetylation only in 2018.

That enzyme, NAA80, is one of seven enzymes that perform N-terminal acetylation on human proteins, but it is special because it works just on actin. In the new study, Dominguez and Arnesen and their colleagues followed up their discovery of NAA80 by exploring how it selectively acts on actin among thousands of other proteins in the cell.

One of their key findings was that NAA80 does not recognize and acetylate actin when the protein is assembled into filaments. It does acetylate actin when it exists as a separate molecule, called a monomer. However, the most efficient N-terminal acetylation occurs when actin is bound to another protein called profilin--a known partner of actin, and one that is closely involved in actin's formation of filaments and like actin is also very abundant in the cell.

"It was a surprise to us to find that this protein, NAA80, appears to have evolved to recognize not actin alone but the profilin-actin complex," Dominguez says. "It suggests that profilin has a role as a 'chaperone' that allows actin to be N-terminally acetylated prior to filament formation."

The team used X-ray crystallography to build an atomic-scale image of this three-way actin-profilin-NAA80 complex. It is the first time scientists have been able to resolve the atomic structure of an N-acetyltransferase in the act of adding an acetyl group to another protein.

The achievement revealed how the special structure of NAA80 allows it to specifically recognize and acetylate all six variants or "isoforms" of actin that occur in human cells--even though the site on the protein where these actin variants differ is also the site that NAA80 acetylates.

"The structural and functional features we uncovered in this study also explain how NAA80 performs N-terminal acetylation only on actin and not on other proteins," Dominguez said.

The study represents a basic advance in cell biology but, in general, as scientists develop a more detailed picture of actin's functions and dynamics in cells, they will better understand the many disorders in which those functions and dynamics are disrupted. These include muscle and heart function, tissue development, and the movement of numerous pathogens and cancer cells during metastasis.

###

The other Penn researchers on the study were first authors Grzegorz Rebowski and Malgorzata Boczkowska. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Cancer Society, and the European Research Council.

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $425 million awarded in the 2018 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center--which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report--Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Home Care and Hospice Services, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 40,000 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2018, Penn Medicine provided more than $525 million to benefit our community.
People are urged to contact their GP by phone if they have non-Covid 19 health issues.

Doctors are concerned there has been a drop in the number of "routine" consultations during the pandemic.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
T he head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for a "quarantine on politicising Covid-19" after facing intense criticism over the pandemic from Donald Trump.

In a series of attacks against the organisation, the US president accused the WHO of being too cosy with China and criticised the advice it has been issuing to countries battling outbreaks around the world.

But WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hit back on Wednesday, saying to politicise the crisis would lead to "more body bags".

China and the US and G20 countries, should "come together to fight it", he added.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

"Those who have differences should join hands to fight it," he said.

Tweeting on Tuesday, Mr Trump accused WHO of being too cosy with China and slamming its global coronavirus advice.

He wrote: "The W.H.O. really blew it."

"For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look.

"Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?"

During a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday night, Mr Trump again accused WHO of being "wrong about a lot of things".

Donald Trump criticises the WHO and threatens to cut funding

Mr Trump also threatened to halt funding to the international public health body and said it had "missed the call" to outline the seriousness of the disease in the early days.

Dr Ghebreyesus said: "We shouldn't waste time pointing fingers, we need time to unite."

"Unity is the only option to defeat this virus."

REUTERS

He added: "Why would I care about being attacked when people are dying?

"We have lost more than 60,000 citizens of the world."

President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House / REUTERS

Dr Ghebreyesus added: "Giving me names, 'black' or 'negro'. I am proud of being black, proud of being negro, because that negro is black, black is black, and I am proud."

He continued: "When the whole black community was insulted, when Africa was insulted, then I don't tolerate, then I say it is crossing a line. When it's personal, even death threats, I don't care."

WHO officials used the first part of the briefing to outline steps that have been taken to "alleviate suffering and save lives".

Thursday April 9 marks 100 days since the global health body was notified of the first cases of "pneumonia with unknown cause".

Dr Ghebreyesus told a virtual press briefing: "Tomorrow marks 100 days since WHO was notified of the first cases of 'pneumonia with unknown cause' in China.
Sara Ali Khan Reveals Her Inner Most Thoughts; Yash Johar Calls Daddy Karan Johars Movies Boring
Credit rating firm Crisil on Wednesday said it has postponed its annual general meeting, which was scheduled for later this month, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company's 33rd annual general meeting (AGM) was to be held on April 21.

"The prevailing lockdown and restrictions on mass congregations in Mumbai, which commenced on March 21, 2020 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, constrained the company from fully completing the dispatch of physical copies of the annual report to our shareholders," Crisil said in a regulatory filing.

It also said the current circumstances do not allow a smooth and safe conduct of the AGM and in the safety of all stakeholders, in keeping with government advisories on COVID-19, the board of directors has decided to postpone the AGM.

The company will announce a new date for the AGM in due course, it said.

In view of the above, the e-voting processes for the AGM and the dividend payment date would also stand postponed, it said.

However, the book closure, announced earlier by the company for the purpose of determining the entitlement of shareholders for the final dividend, will remain unchanged on April 7 and 8 (Tuesday and Wednesday).

"Accordingly, the dividend, when approved by the members at the rescheduled AGM of the company, will be made payable to those members whose names appear on the register of members as on the aforesaid book closure date," the ratings agency said.

Shares of Crisil on Wednesday was trading at Rs 1,251.95 apiece on the BSE, up2.54 per cent from the previous close.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A river flood warning is in effect for the Trinity River near Moss Bluff until further notice. Flood stage is 12.2 feet and at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the gauge was showing 13.9 feet. Minor flooding is already affecting the area.

The National Weather Service in Houston-Galveston is forecasting the river will continue to rise through this afternoon and potential rises are also in the forecast.

Residents are urged to stay away from the river until water levels recede. Motorists should avoid any water-covered roads and find an alternate route. Livestock and equipment should remain out of the flood plain for the next few days.

Mark Waters, project manager at the Trinity River Authority of Texas, expects flooding to continue through Monday at the least.

This is an accumulation of water that started quite some time ago and is moving through our area now, he said.

Waters said it takes approximately two weeks for water in the Dallas area to reach the dam and another three days before it reaches downstream into Liberty County.

The flows recently were close to 50,000 at Trinidad near Dallas several weeks ago when they had heavy rain. That rainfall is now reaching the Livingston Dam and the lower Trinity River area.

Weve also had rainfall too that has affected our releases, he said.

At one point, the lake was up 18-inches but has slowed some to a 10-inch level above normal.

This morning we were at 43,800 cubic feet per second to 42,700 this afternoon so were slowing the release some, Waters said.

The Liberty area wont feel the impact of the slower release for another three days. Waters warned the river could continue to rise over the next few days.

The Liberty gauge was showing 27.87 feet.

Hydrographs from the river forecast center shows rain for Thursday through Saturday, but nothing severe.

Its not going to change much through next week, he said. Its really typical for springtime around here. Wed still rather it be closer to 12,000-13,000 cfs though.

The wet weather continues a cycle that began in 2015.

It began with the Memorial Day flood in 2015 and that year from 2015-2016, there was more water that moved through the dam in our history since the dam was built, he said.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey wreaked its havoc on the state and severe flooding throughout Liberty County. The following year was mostly localized rains and then Imelda struck bringing more flooding.

Were still in a really wet cycle. We had a drought that ran from about 2005-2012 and 2011 was really severe. The lake was about four-feet low, he said.

Waters, who has been with the Trinity River Authority of Texas for 30 years, said the area seems to go through these 10-12-year cycles of wet and then dry.

We really dont want a drought, but I hope it swings away from this wet cycle were in right now. Weve had more than our share, he said.

We keep looking at the flows that come through here (Livingston Dam) and it keeps on coming, for weeks at a time, the project manager said.

It really is unprecedented.

Waters said residents believe theyre doing something different, but theyre not.

Our release procedures havent changed. Its just the amount of rainfall that were receiving, he said.

He said its hard for people to understand sometimes that it can be sunshine along the river in Liberty and flooding at the same time because of the water flow that comes from up north.

We normally dont get a lot of dry months until July, but these months in April and May we get a lot of spring showers that can cause us some trouble, he said.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
Cardinal Pell Holds No Ill Will to Accuser

After more than a year in prison, Cardinal George Pell has spent his first night as a free man after Australias High Court acquitted him of five child sexual abuse offences.

On April 7, the High Court ruled (pdf) that there wasnt enough evidence for the jury to convict him beyond reasonable doubt in December 2018.

Pell released a statement marking the courts decision.

I hold no ill will to my accuser, I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough, he said.

The trial was focused on whether he committed the alleged abuse of two 13-year-old choirboys at St Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996.

My trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church; nor a referendum on how Church authorities in Australia dealt with the crime of paedophilia in the Church. The point was whether I had committed these awful crimes, and I did not, he said.

Pell was convicted by a jury in December 2018 after an earlier jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Their decision was upheld by Victorias Court of Appeal 2-1 last year.

The High Court found that the rulings were a mistake because there remained reasonable doubt as to Pells guilt.

There is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof, the full bench of seven judges said in their judgment handed down by Chief Justice Susan Kiefel in Brisbane in the morning on April 7.

One of the former choirboyswho came forward after the other boy died in 2014said he respected the High Courts decision and accepts the outcome.

In a statement released by his lawyer, Vivian Waller, Witness J said, I understand [the High Courts] view that there was not enough evidence to satisfy the court beyond all reasonable doubt that the offending occurred.

Witness J said he hoped the outcome wouldnt discourage child sexual abuse survivors from coming forward, and reassured them most people recognise the truth when they hear it.

I am content with that, he said.

The father of the boy who died said through his lawyers on April 7 that he was shocked at the result and heartbroken for his sons friend who had nothing to gain from speaking out.

The Vatican welcomed Pells acquittal, praising him for having waited for the truth to be ascertained.

In a statement, the Vatican said it had always had confidence in Australian judicial authorities and reaffirmed the Holy Sees commitment to preventing and pursuing all cases of abuse against minors.

Pope Francis offered his Tuesday morning mass for those who suffer from unjust sentences.

I would like to pray today for all those people who suffer unjust sentences resulting from intransigence (against them), the Pope said on April 7, speaking before the start of the mass.

He did not mention Pell by name.

Pell spent more than 400 days in prisonfirst in Melbournes Metropolitan Remand Centre and later at the maximum-security Barwon Prison. After his release, Pell was taken to the Carmelite Monastery in Melbournes east.

While Pells release has occurred during the Easter Holy Week, he will not celebrate Easter services in from of a congregation due to the global Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic, commonly known as the novel coronavirus pandemic.

For the same reason, Pellwho is Australias most senior Catholicwill not be able to travel to Rome for the time being.
The Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market is expected to grow from USD 4,962. 12 Million in 2018 to USD 10,236. 36 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.

New York, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market - Premium Insight, Competitive News Feed Analysis, Company Usability Profiles, Market Sizing & Forecasts to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871748/?utm_source=GNW

89%.



The positioning of the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market vendors in FPNV Positioning Matrix are determined by Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) and placed into four quadrants (F: Forefront, P: Pathfinders, N: Niche, and V: Vital).



The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market including are Cenergy International Services, Global Wind Service, James Fisher and Sons plc, Siemens Wind Power GmbH & Co.KG, Vestas, Force Technology, Intertek Group Plc, Mistras Group, SGS SA, and UL International Gmbh.



On the basis of Services, the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market is studied across Condition Assessment/Inspection, Non-destructive Examination (NDE), Process Safety Management, Quality Assurance & Quality Control, and Welding & Corrosion Engineering.



On the basis of Location, the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market is studied across Off Shore and Onshore.



For the detailed coverage of the study, the market has been geographically divided into the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The report provides details of qualitative and quantitative insights about the major countries in the region and taps the major regional developments in detail.



In the report, we have covered two proprietary models, the FPNV Positioning Matrix and Competitive Strategic Window. The FPNV Positioning Matrix analyses the competitive market place for the players in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy they adopt to sustain in the market. The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisitions strategies, geography expansion, research & development, new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Research Methodology:

Our market forecasting is based on a market model derived from market connectivity, dynamics, and identified influential factors around which assumptions about the market are made. These assumptions are enlightened by fact-bases, put by primary and secondary research instruments, regressive analysis and an extensive connect with industry people. Market forecasting derived from in-depth understanding attained from future market spending patterns provides quantified insight to support your decision-making process. The interview is recorded, and the information gathered in put on the drawing board with the information collected through secondary research.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market

2. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market

3. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets for the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market

4. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new products launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market

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The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size of Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services market in the Global?

2. What are the factors that affect the growth in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market over the forecast period?

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4. Which are the best product areas to be invested in over the forecast period in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market?

5. What are the opportunities in the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market?

6. What are the modes of entering the Global Wind Turbine Blade Inspection Services Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05871748/?utm_source=GNW



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More auto insureds and small businesses are getting a break on their insurance premiums to help them through the coronavirus crisis.

Auto insurer GEICO said it will give back approximately $2.5 billion in the form of a 15 percent credit to its auto and motorcycle customers as their policy comes up for renewal between April 8 and Oct 7. The credit will also apply to any new policies purchased during this period.

Farmers Insurance is giving a 20% discount to more than 115,000 of its business insurance customers. Liberty Mutual is refunding 15% of premium for two months to personal auto insurance customers.

GEICOs average auto policy has a semi-annual premium of about $1,000 and generally covers more than one vehicle. This means GEICO expects credits to average about $150 per auto policy and $30 per motorcycle policy. The company estimates the benefit to its 18 million auto and 1 million motorcycle customers will be approximately $2.5 billion.

GEICO, the second largest auto insurer in the U.S., joins a growing list of insurers offering discounts to help customers during the coronavirus crisis, a time when insureds are driving less and there are fewer accidents.

This ongoing crisis has widespread effects that will linger. That is why we wanted to give this credit for at least six months, said GEICO President and CEO Todd Combs. Our customers have been loyal, and we are committed to doing all we can to help them.

Last month, GEICO announced it was pausing cancellations of coverage due to non-payment and policy expiration through at least April 30, 2020. Beyond that, the company has committed to offering maximum flexibility to policyholders who need special payment options as well as transitioning nearly all of its associates to work from home to continue providing the 24/7 service it is known for.

Business Relief

Drivers are not alone in getting some insurance premium relief.

With many small businesses struggling as a result of stay-at-home orders, Farmers Insurance announced it will provide relief to more than 115,000 of its business insurance customers. Farmers business customers in the restaurant, office, retail and service sectors across the country will receive a 20 percent monthly credit on their Business Owners Policy (BOP) for the next two months on their upcoming premium notices.

We understand how challenging running a business can be, particularly in these extraordinary times, and we want our business insurance customers to know Farmers cares and we want to help, said Sharon Fernandez, president of business insurance for Farmers.

This 20 percent monthly credit to their BOP policies is on top of other measures the insurer has already taken to help business insurance customers, including temporarily pausing policy cancellations due to non-payment, through May 1, 2020. Additionally, for all business insurance customers, Farmers is allowing extra time for business insurance customers to pay for their policies.

Current GEICO customers can expect to see the discount when they renew. The insurer said customers do not need to take any action to receive this credit.

Similarly, Farmers said restaurant, office, retail and service business insurance customers will see the credit effective on their policy automatically.

Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual Insurance is giving personal auto insurance customers a 15% refund on two months of their annual premium. This returns approximately $250 million to Liberty Mutual and Safeco personal auto insurance customers and builds on other customer support, including flexible payment options and delivery coverage expansion for auto policies.

Today, more than ever, we recognize the uncertainty and financial challenges our customers are facing, said Liberty Mutual Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Long.

Personal auto insurance customers will receive a 15% refund on two months of their annual auto premium as of April 7, 2020, pending regulatory approval. The refunds will begin in April and will be issued either by check or in the manner the customer made their most recent payment. The payments will happen automatically. Liberty Mutual has also halted late fee charges and cancellations due to non-payment for personal auto and home customers from March 23 through at least May 22, 2020.

The Boston-based insurer has also expanded all personal auto policies to cover customers who use their personal vehicles to deliver food and medicine. Standard Safeco personal auto policies typically exclude such coverage. This additional protection is in effect for all personal auto policies in all states for losses occurring from March 16 to May 22, and reported by July 1, 2020.

AmFam and Allstate

Earlier this week, American Family Insurance said it will return approximately $200 million to its auto insurance customers. The premium relief will come in the form of a one-time full payment of $50 per vehicle covered by an American Family personal auto policy. The typical American Family household with auto coverage has two vehicles, meaning the average relief check will be $100.

American Family expects to complete the distribution of all 2.3 million checks within 60 days.

Also this week, Allstate announced that its Allstate, Esurance and Encompass personal auto insurance customers will receive a premium credit of 15% of their monthly premium in April and May, totaling more than $600 million. Customers will receive the money back through a credit to their bank account, credit card or Allstate account.

Allstate said its telematics data shows that people are driving between 35% and 50% fewer miles in most states.

Digital commercial lines insurer Next Insurance is cutting April premiums by 25 percent for its customers with general liability, professional liability and commercial auto policies. The companys founder and CEO, Guy Goldstein, said he is challenging other insurers to do the same. This 25 percent reduction applies to those who pay monthly or paid their full annual premium up front and who purchased coverage before March 1. The discount is subject to state regulatory approval. As of April 4, the company said 38 states have approved it.

State Farm and Progressive Corp. have said they are also considering steps to provide premium relief.

Topics Carriers Auto Personal Auto Agribusiness
Nike announced on Tuesday that theyre manufacturing face shields and respirator lenses for healthcare workers to fight COVID-19.

Following Nikes donation of over $15 million to battle the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, the sportswear company is partnering with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) to help provide healthcare workers with protective gear.

Without proper facial protection, healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, which could place substantial strain on the healthcare workforce in the months ahead, said Miko Enomoto, associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at OHSU School of Medicine.

When OHSU showed its current face shield, Nike made it a goal to make a similar face shield with Nike-owned materials and manufacturing facilities.

Nike said that it will be repurposing shoe materials such as Nike Air plastic bubble technology to make shields.

The aim is to make not only high-quality shields and lenses but ones that allow a simple model of production, Nike added.

The full-face shields help protect healthcare workers faces and also help to prolong the length we can safely use a surgical or N95 mask, Enomoto said.

Nikes generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do.

OHSU is extremely grateful to the team at Nike for their generous offer to help OHSU in our coordination with other health systems during this unprecedented time, OHSU told Business Insider.

We are committed to ongoing discussions regarding their efforts to develop prototype face shields to help ensure the safety and well-being of health care professionals.

Nike shipped its first finished product on April 3 to OHSU.

The company says that their lenses and shields will be donated to health systems in Nikes World Headquarters region, including Providence, Legacy Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, and others across the state of Oregon.

New Balance also announced last week that it would manufacture facial masks for hospital workers to fight against the global pandemic.

The brands goal is to produce up to 100,000 masks per week at its factories in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Norridgewock, Maine.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday made it mandatory for Mumbaikars to wear masks in public places while citing several studies that supported wearing masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Failing to wear masks may lead to the arrest of people under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the BMC said in a circular.

The circular was issued by Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, as it was decided in larger public interest making wearing of a mask by any person who is moving in public places. The circular specified that people must wear 3 ply mask or cloth mask compulsorily.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Any person who is moving around in his personal or official vehicle must wear masks. No person/officer will attend any meeting/gathering, workplace without wearing these masks, the circular said.

These masks may be standard ones available with the chemist or even home-made washable stuff and can be reused after proper washing and disinfecting them, it added.

Click here for the latest updates from the coronavirus outbreak

The circular warned that those not wearing masks can be arrested. Anybody violating these instructions will be punishable under section 188 of the IPC and will be strictly penalised and arrested by the police officers or the officers appointed by the assistant commissioners of wards. All these officers are authorised to take any actions to penalise such violators stringently, it said.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in his speech via social media has also appealed to the public to wear masks while going out. He urged that people can either wear masks or even use a clean cotton handkerchief that can act as a mask.
With the coronavirus outbreak now a global pandemic, the travel industry has come to a halt.

U.S. airlines have responded to the virus by suspending travel to various international destinations through the spring, and most gatherings around the world have been canceled altogether amid a steady rise in new infections.

To help quell travelers' worries over trips that are being disrupted, airlines have begun adding flexibility to their policies. If you had planned a trip for the near future, or were considering one further out, here are your options.

(Note: Due to the rapidly changing nature of coronavirus and its effects on air travel, it's a good idea to check directly with your airline.)

---

Delta:

Delta is waiving change fees for travelers on both international and domestic flight through May 31 for tickets issued during the months of March, April and May. In an unprecedented move for the industry, Delta is extending the life of previously purchased tickets for two years, meaning they can be rescheduled or used as "eCredit" for future tickets purchased through May 31, 2022.

In addition to suspending travel from the United States to Shanghai and Beijing, Delta is giving customers the option to make a one-time change without any fees for people whose plans included Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and all locations in Italy, including such popular locations as Bologna, Milan, Rome, Turin and Venice, through April 30.

---

Virgin Atlantic:

For tickets originally purchased during the month of March and including all travel dates through Dec. 31, Virgin has waived change fees for travel through April 30, 2021. Tickets that travelers have selected for a future date can be reissued up to the day before departure for the one-time change.

"Virgin Atlantic wants to offer as much flexibility as possible for our customers impacted by the rapidly accelerating covid-19 situation," representatives for the airline said in a statement to The Washington Post.

"We're helping customers with upcoming travel plans rebook free of charge, to change their destination or date of travel, or receive a voucher and hold their ticket open, up until 30th April 2021. Where a flight is cancelled, we encourage our customers to discuss their options with us, including booking on an alternative date."

---

Alaska Airlines:

Alaska has waived change and cancellation fees for travel through April 30 for tickets purchased through the end of February until now. In addition to the fee waiver on all fares, travelers can deposit the funds from canceled trips into their accounts for use on any future Alaska flights through Feb. 28, 2021.

---

American Airlines:

As of this week, American has extended its change-fee waiver through Sept. 30, 2020, for flights that were set for this summer, bought on or before April 7. The waiver encompasses all of American's fare types, and travelers can rebook for travel through Dec. 31, 2021.

Change fees are also ditched for new flights purchased recently, on or after March 1, and through May 31.

The waiver extension is on top of the already-in-place no-change fee for trips that have been scheduled for various dates and international locations including Italy; South Korea; Hong Kong; Wuhan, China; and the rest of mainland China.

---

United Airlines:

United Airlines tweeted this week that, through April 30, it is waiving change and cancel fees on all flights that were booked through the end of the year.

Through June 30, United is waiving the change fee and any difference in fare for the same cities as the original ticket for many affected areas, including Northern Italy and South Korea. Due to flight suspensions in place for Asia, United is refunding flights, even nonrefundable tickets, to mainland China and Hong Kong.

---

Hawaiian Airlines:

Travelers who booked any Hawaiian flights between the months of March and May can change their tickets to a future date without incurring change fees. This is a one-time change fee waiver for future travel.

Customers can take advantage of the waiver up to 24 hours before their flight, but if the future flight costs more than the previous one, Hawaiian won't cover the difference.

---

Spirit Airlines:

Spirit travelers are eligible to make a one-time free change to their ticket by contacting the carrier through one of its approved customer-support channels.

For travel plans interrupted due to the outbreak, customers can receive a credit for the full value of their reservation if they cancel. This credit can be used for up to six months to book any available flights, including those beyond the six-month window.

---

JetBlue:

JetBlue will waive change and cancel fees for travelers who bought tickets from March 10 through April 30. For travel through Oct. 24, the original ticket must have been booked on or before March 10.

The airline announced in February it was suspending change and cancel fees for new flights booked from Feb. 27 through March 11. The policy runs through June 1 as the company anticipated the spread of the coronavirus into one of JetBlue's travel areas.
Shoppers Alex Fluharty (left) and Mike Furey wash their hands at a makeshift area at the Headhouse Farmers' Market in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia. Read more

The farm side of our regions farmers markets is going strong in these days of coronavirus. As for the sampling and socializing side? Not so much, as The Inquirers Jenn Ladd describes.

Jenn also describes one of the many sobering sides of the crisis: The regions distilleries have switched from making booze to hand sanitizer. Jenn tells you where you can get it. And while youre at it, pick up the vodka, rum, gin, and spirits they usually sell.

Also this week, critic Craig LaBan shares the makings of two fine Italian dishes from local chefs.

If you need food news, click here and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Email tips, suggestions, and questions here. If someone forwarded you this newsletter and you like what youre reading, sign up here to get it free every week.

And just a reminder that were in this together for the long haul. My Inquirer colleagues are offering free, accurate coronavirus information, including a daily newsletter.

 Michael Klein

Farmers markets are adjusting to social distancing

Philadelphias farmers markets are no longer venues for leisurely post-brunch strolls. Gone are the free tastes of cheese and bread, the gulps of wine and swigs of local cider. And no more picking through produce; many farmers instead pre-weigh their product in an effort to speed shoppers along and minimize touching.

Just like everything else, [the market has] undergone a pretty dramatic transformation, one customer told The Inquirers Jenn Ladd. "But I think totally appropriate for the time were going through.

Hand sanitizer is proof that theres good work being done by distillers

After hand sanitizer evaporated from store shelves and the internet last month, distilleries all over the country started brewing makeshift substitutes with various formulas. Then, as Jenn reports, the federal government stepped in with the World Health Organizations guidelines, which call for a mix of ethanol, glycerol, and hydrogen peroxide. Small distilleries have been quick to get into the act  at least 12 of them in the Philadelphia area, including New Jersey, are offering them to consumers. Cheers!

Craig LaBan cant travel, so Philly chefs helped him bring Italy to his kitchen

Good food on its own cannot solve the biggest problems, but it can help us cope. After canceling a family trip to Italy, restaurant critic Craig LaBan cooked Italian pasta as comfort for the lives, restaurants, and plans impacted by the coronavirus shutdown. Craig shares insights into preparing the fazzoletti with lamb ragu that Joe Cicala serves at Cicala at the Divine Lorraine and the spaghetti alle vongole that Michael Vincent Ferrari does at Res Ipsa.

A Mt. Airy group continues to feed each other  from a distance

Anndee Hochman shares the story of a group of friends in Mount Airy whove gathered weekly for dinner, through all kinds of lifes up and downs. Though coronavirus has puts a hitch in their weekly gatherings, the spirit of sharing remains.

The pivot to carryout: Where were getting food through the window

Inquirer photographers talk to the owners and employees who are serving customers in a new way. Take Rich Cusack, who opened the lovely June BYOB last year on East Passyunk Avenue. Its not a destination these days. Hes now cooking for the neighborhood, and the food is dispensed through the front window.

How to minimize the risk of catching something from deliveries

Can I get infected from the mail? What if the person who makes the food is sick? Could a sick delivery person transfer the virus to me? Good news: The risk is small. As the virus has spread across the globe, newspapers, mail, and food delivery appear to be generally safe. Even better news, writes reporter Jonathan Lai: There are steps you can take to minimize that risk even further.
Houston police are searching for three women considered persons of interest in the death of a 5-year-old boy shot while making home videos with his family last month.

Homicide detectives are looking for Shapree Monique Stoneham, 29, Khalisah Smith, 18, and Alexis Moshae Gore, 22. None of the three are charged with a crime, police said.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn will make ventilators with U.S. firm Medtronic Plc to help patients afflicted by the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Wednesday.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, is best known for assembling Apple's iPhones at factories in China.

In a statement released through company founder Terry Gou's office, Foxconn said it was currently cooperating with Medtronic to design and develop ventilators, and medical and technical personnel from both firms were working closely on this.

The companies hope to speed up production time so the ventilators can be put to work as soon as possible, it added.

Medtronic Chief Executive Officer Omar Ishrak told CNBC that Foxconn's Wisconsin plant would be used to make the ventilators.

Other companies in the United States are also rushing to make ventilators as the coronavirus spreads rapidly there.

Ford Motor Co said last week it will produce 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days at a plant in Michigan in cooperation with General Electric's healthcare unit, and can then build 30,000 per month as needed to treat patients infected by the coronavirus.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Joe Exotic has been interviewed in prison following the runaway success of docuseries Tiger King.

The controversial tiger trader  whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage  was jailed after being found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill his rival, the animal rights activist Carole Baskin.

Last month, before contracting coronavirus, Exotic learnt of the shows success after being interviewed by Netflix over the phone.

He told the streaming service that he is done with the Carole Baskin saga and is looking ahead to being released from prison.

On whether he will be just as eccentric after being freed, he said: That will never change.

He added that hes excited to see how famous hes become.

While Exotic has proved a popular television figure, many alarming stories about his alleged behaviour have begun circulating the web since the show began.

Louis Theroux, who filmed a documentary series with him in 2011, told his Instagram followers that the most troubling thing he heard him say was that he would kill all of his animals if his GW Exotic Animal Foundation went bankrupt.

One bizarre moment in the episode, titled Americas Most Dangerous Pets, sees Exotic tell Theroux that if he were to get into the cage with his tigers, he would shoot him in the head to spare him a grisly fate.
A paramedic working at an isolation ward of a hospital here has alleged that she was physically assaulted by her neighbours who said they would be infected with coronavirus if she enters her house using a gate adjacent to theirs, police said.

The complainant, Neelu Kumari, is married to Amulya Singh, a resident of Meerganj locality in Town police station area of the district, and she works at the Begusarai Sadar Hospital as an auxiliary nurse midwife.

Town police station SHO Amarendra Kumar Jha said she has lodged an FIR against her neighbours including a former ward councillor and two women.

He said the complainant, who has been attached to the hospital's isolation ward, has alleged that she was stopped from entering her home through the back gate which she was doing as a precautionary measure by her neighbours.

"I was told by my neighbours that I had brought the infection from the hospital and if I had to enter my house I must do so from the front gate and not the one that is adjacent to theirs.

"They also said that water spilled out on the streets when I took bath which increased their risk of getting infected with coronavirus," the woman told reporters indignantly.

The SHO said the accused have denied the allegations and claimed that it was a "trivial dispute".

An investigation has been initiated and further action will be taken as per the findings, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Africa: Ndabeni-Abrahams put on special leave for violating lockdown regulations

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on special leave for violating lockdown regulations.

This follows the revelation on social media that the Minister had recently visited the home of a friend, who hosted a lunch, contrary to the lockdown regulations.

The Presidency said Ndabeni-Abrahams has been placed on special leave for two months  one month of which will be unpaid.

The President summoned the Minister on Tuesday, 7 April 2020. The President expressed his disapproval of the Ministers actions, which undermine the requirement that all citizens stay at home and save South Africa from the spread of Coronavirus.

The President accepted the Ministers apology for the violation but was unmoved by the mitigating factors she tendered. President Ramaphosa has placed the Minister on special leave for two months, during which Minister in The Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams position, the Presidency said in a statement

The President has also reprimanded Ndabeni-Abrahams and directed her to deliver a public apology to the nation.

The nationwide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans. Members of the National Executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are having to make great sacrifices.

None of us  not least a member of the National Executive  should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation. I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no-one is above the law, President Ramaphosa said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Many retirees dream of living like a local in a distant country: speaking a foreign language; living in a cozy house or apartment rather than out of a suitcase, and hanging out with neighbors at local cafes and restaurants. There are multiple ways to live like a local, depending on your budget and how much responsibility you want to shoulder. The cheapest alternative (no rent) is to house-sit. Or you can find your own budget-friendly lodgings through Airbnb or other listings, and seek out language classes. The most expensive option is to pay thousands to a travel company such as Smithsonian Journeys or Road Scholar, for the convenience of being set up in an apartment, enrolled in language school, and taken on group excursions led by an English-speaking guide, along with other perks. Here are some real-life examples: Try House-Sitting Cheryl Higgins, 65, and her husband Mike, 69, retired from the North Las Vegas Police Department in 2007. They didnt want to stay in the desert, and were interested in Costa Rica, so they answered a housesitting ad in The Caretaker Gazette, a newsletter that lists rent-free living opportunities. Over 100 people applied, but the Higginses got the call in 2009, inviting them to live for three months on a six-acre property in a small town near Tilaran, about 115 miles northwest of the capital, San Jose. Their responsibilities included feeding and walking the owners black Labrador Rottweiler mix, taking the dog for weekly treatments at the vet, feeding farmed tilapia in several ponds around the property and sleeping every night at the house to prevent break-ins. It wasnt hard to meet locals and ex-pats, Cheryl says. We hiked the hills, went into town, explored on foot and by bus, and went out to dinner with neighbors. We could get a great meal for $3. And we took advantage of inexpensive dental and medical costs.

They didnt have a car, which was a drawback. It was a miserable one-mile walk to the bus stop, straight up a hill on a dirt road, Higgins said. However, when they were able to use the owners truck once a week to take the dog to the vet, they shopped and ran errands. All in all, it was a valuable learning experience, and they hardly spent any money, just airfare and food. But they decided against settling there. Costa Rica has horrible infrastructure, too many potholes and power outages, and weak internet connections, says Higgins. Plus, lots of bugs and poisonous snakes, and a high property crime rate, especially against expats. After Costa Rica, the couple explored southern Chile and Ireland through other house-sitting gigs. I still look at ads in The Caretaker Gazette, but weve been in Vancouver, Wash., for 10 years now and its hard to find a better place, Higgins says. Our goal was to find out what it was like to live in these destinations and do it on the cheap. Gary Dunn, The Caretaker Gazettes publisher, said people looking for the perfect place to retire have been his main audience since he started the publication 38 years and 100,000 subscribers ago. Each year, subscribers receive over 1,000 property caretaking and house-sitting opportunities, such as a house in Devon, England, and a small coral island in Belize. Most listings dont offer transportation or compensation, and duties range from watering plants and caring for pets to acting as a full-time property manager. Every situation is unique, Dunn says.

To avoid misunderstandings, he advises house-sitters and owners to put all duties in writing, with both parties signing. And homeowners should leave contact information for themselves, as well as a list of repair people to call if anything breaks. Go Part-Time For the past 10 winters, Paula Eiblum, 81, of Bethesda, Md., has traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she keeps a year-round rental apartment to use for three months. I used to look for a new place every year, but its hard to find a short-term rental, she says. A retired business owner who has been widowed for 15 years, she returns every year. I came here to study Spanish, but my prime interests are painting and cultural opportunities, she says. I didnt know anyone at first, but my classmates at Spanish school became my lifelong friends. Everyone in my circle is a retiree in their 70s. San Miguel de Allende has a thriving ex-pat community, which complicates her quest to befriend locals. There is so much to do herelectures, movies, concerts, poetry readings. I have to discipline myself to paint at certain hours every day, Eiblum says. She lives in the center of town and walks everywhere, and buys groceries at the local supermarket. She takes art workshops and volunteers regularly to encourage literacy in nearby villages. Health care is not a worry. Doctors and dentists there are well-trained and charge less than in the U.S. The winter weather is mild. She carries evacuation insurance in case of a major illness or accident. Life is more spontaneous here, with more access to culture. Its greatly expanded my horizons. People here who have very little can live with joy, she says.

Eiblum adheres to some of the recommendations travel experts make about living like a local, such as staying in a central location and not needing a car. She also eats out at local haunts, joining a group of 30 to 40 women every week for a ladies night at a restaurant that offers bargain margaritas. She shops locally and engages with shopkeepers and neighbors. Use a Travel Company When Donna Seifert, 70, a retired archeologist, wanted to improve her Spanish by a total immersion, she chose two six-week Road Scholar Living and Learning Programs. She went to Seville, Spain, in 2017, and Cuenca, Ecuador, in 2019. In both places she was part of a group of eight people who lived in apartments near one another, attended language school in the mornings, and had the afternoons for wandering, doing homework, attending lectures, or pursuing their own interests. On weekends, there were optional field trips organized by the group leader. It worked, Seifert says. In Spain I was matched with a local speaking partner who wanted to practice his English. We switched off speaking in both languages, visited old churches, had coffee together and walked around for a few hours twice a week. In Cuenca, I befriended a little old lady who sold baskets in the town market three times a week. Seifert said both experiences were more like living than vacationing. I never spent so much money to work so hard. It was a real luxury to focus on learning a language. Back home in Santa Fe, she uses her Spanish to support court advocates who assist clients of a local domestic violence shelter, which was her goal.
MIDDLETOWN  The Middletown Common Council members voted unanimously to adopt a property tax and municipal service fee deferment made possible by an executive order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont earlier this week.

The vote was 12-0.

Mayor Ben Florsheim proposed the resolution considered Monday night via the panels first online meeting to help mitigate the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis on Middletown families, according to a press release.

The resolution applies to all taxes on real property, personal property and motor vehicles; bills for the sanitation district; as well as municipal water, sewer and electric rates.

I am grateful for the unanimous support that this important proposal received, and for the overall spirit of collaboration that this council has brought to our citys Covid-19 response, Florsheim said in a prepared statement. As a municipality, we should be doing everything in our power to help relieve the impact that this health crisis is having on our economy and our people.

Bills issued between March 10 and July 1 will now be due 90 days from the original date, the release said. This includes bills that residents may have already received dating back to March 10. Certain bills will continue to go out due to statutory requirements, but the due dates will be extended in accordance with the resolution.

The deferment does not apply to property tax payments held in escrow by financial institutions and mortgage services. Property holders should continue to pay the city on schedule. After the deferral period, unpaid taxes will incur interest retroactive to the original due date, at the statutorily required rate of 18 percent annually, the city said.

Things like property taxes and water and sewer bills are among the most significant expenses in residents household budgets, and Im hopeful that this resolution will help bring some stability and peace of mind to everyone by giving them one less thing to worry about as we navigate the crisis, Florsheim said.

For information, call 860-638-4900 or 860-638-4801.
For the last 18 years, volunteers have scoured the banks of the Delaware River in Upper Mount Bethel Township each April picking up trash.

Normally, the volunteers walk side-by-side picking up everything from plastic bags to multiple vehicle tires that are littered along the river. This year, the clean-up is still happened but the volunteers are kept their distance from each other to help in the effort to stop spread of the coronavirus.

Upper Mount Bethel Township resident Troy Wilford-Hunt leads the program and has been participating since he was a child. The 21-year-old Lehigh University engineering student began the effort with his parents to commemorate Earth Day, which is on April 22 each year.

In order to practice social distancing, the group this year coordinated sections near the river that each person was responsible for handling. Family members who share a household were able to work together in individual sections.

Saturday, the volunteers, equipped with their usual trash bags and gloves  and this year, their bandanas and masks  focused on areas near the Delaware River along River Road from Sandy Shore Drive to Riverton Road.

People driving along these roads may have seen the results of the groups effort. The volunteers place the garbage they find in various piles along the road. The township has agreed each year to pick up the piles in the days following the clean-up.

The number of coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania grew to 14,559, up 1,579, and the states death toll rose to 240 in the health departments daily COVID-19 update on Tuesday. All deaths have been adults.

John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
While Mauritius went under confinement and curfew since 20th of March, Business Mauritius, the new ruler of the country, in complicity with their man in Government, Minister Padayachy, was maneuvering to transfer millions of rupees of public fund to the private sector, under the disguise of

the Government Wage Assistance Scheme (GWAS).

Up to the 2nd of April 2020, nearly Rs 1 billion of rupees have already been credited to the account of at least 9,440 private sector employers. More

millions are currently being transferred. We must halt this scandalous hold up immediately.

Below are the sequences of the robbery of Public Funds

1. Following the outcry of unions, opposition parties and public opinion against the postcovid19 pro-capitalist Rs 9 billion plus economic measures presented by Minister Padayachy on the 13 of March 2020, the Minister of Labour announced an important decision to the unions in the of the 19th March morning. I was part of this meeting. He said government has decided to ensure that all employees who would be on chomage technique and required to stay at home for reason of public health, would received their salaries for all the days of confinement, and that government would meet more than 50% of the salaries of the all private sector employees on lockdown.

2. After the announcement of the official confinement by the Prime Minister in the afternoon of the 19th March 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers of the 20 March, 2020, effectively, formally confirmed the measures announced by Minister Callychurn on the eve.

The Cabinet decided that:

a COVID-19 Wage Support Scheme to provide financial support to employees who would become technically unemployed on a temporary basis due to the impact of COVID-19. The Scheme would cover the Travel and Tourism Sector, as well as the Export Oriented Enterprises, the ICT/BPO Sector and SMEs affected by COVID-19. Furthermore, in view of the confinement period of two weeks, the COVID-19 Wage Support Scheme would be extended to cover workers in other formal sectors of the economy for the two weeks restriction period.

3. It was then crystal clear from the meeting I had in the morning and confirmed by the Cabinet in the afternoon, that the financial support was meant to cover the salaries for the days an employees who would become technically unemployed in the formal sectors of the economy for the two weeks restriction period.

4. Then came in the infamous Padayachy! Under the instruction of the parent Ministry, presume, the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) brought an official communique which alters fundamentally the Cabinet Decision of the 20th March 2020, and the criteria for allocation of public funds to the private sector. The criteria is no more the number of days of the two weeks restriction period. The Communique gave a blank check. It entitled a direct subsidy equivalent to 15 days basic for the wage bill of the month of March 2020 to all enterprises.

Here is an extract of the MRA communique dated 23 March 2020.

Under the scheme, a business entity in the private sector is entitled to receive in respect to its wage bill for the month of March 2020, an amount equivalent to 15 days basic wage bill for all of its employees drawing a monthly basic wage of up to Rs 50,000 subject to a cap of Rs 12,500 of assistance per employee as set out in table below:

5. Padayachy officially confirmed the content of the communique of the MRA, when his Ministry issued an official communique entitled Government Wage Assistance Scheme for the Month of March 2020. He said that Government has decided to implement a Wage Assistance Scheme during the COVID-19 Curfew Period through the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA). and then added the same content of the MRA Communique eliminating any reference to the days of confinement or curfew.

Every business in the private sector, in respect of the month of March 2020, will be entitled to receive an amount equivalent to the 15 days basic wage bill for all of its employees drawing a monthly basic wage of up to Rs 50,000 subject to a cap of Rs 12,500 of assistance per employee.

The criteria is solely that every businesses in the private will benefit  a n amount equivalent to the 15 days basic wage bill for all of its employees irrespective whether these are days of confinement or not!

6. What is the translation from the shifting of the initial Cabinet decision to the Padayachys MRA payment?

(a) Almost all of the businesses in the private sector close their wage bill/payroll before 20th of the months, with some businesses closing on the 15th of each months and others 22/23 of the month.

(b) If the initial spirit of the Cabinet decision were respected, for the Wage Bill of March 2020, the MRA would NOT have to subsidise any businesses whose pay roll closed before the 20th of March 2020 and would subisidise a business for ONLY the days after the 20th March 2020, which falls within the wage bill of March 2020. For example a business which closes it pay roll on (wage bill) on the 22nd of May 2020, may have to be subsidised by the MRA for only TWO days (and this too, depending on whether it operates on Saturdays & Sundays).

7. This means that Padayachy has usurped the power of the Cabinet, by fundamentally altering the criteria upon which the Government Wage Assistance Scheme (GWAS) initially rested.

8. According to Cabinet decision of 3rd April 2020, under the Wage Assistance Scheme, the Mauritius Revenue Authority has, as at 2 April 2020, disbursed funds to some 109,969 employees in 9,440 businesses. This might represent nearly 1 billion rupees. Another 1.6 billion rupees pr so, is in process, if we dont stop them!

9. So, by a colourable device of Minister Padayachy, all enterprises of the country have been subsidised to the tune of 50% of 15 days basic salaries for almost all of their employees.

(a) Irrespective of the number of days the employees were under statutory confinement or curfew, in respect of the wage bill of the month of March 2020, thus violating the Cabinet Decision.

(b) Enterprises which are even operating with employees at work during the curfew, working normally, or via tele-work, during the confinement or curfew period would be entitled to the public subsidy. Thus, Padayachy by a colourable device, altered the very principle upon which Cabinet made its decision.

(c) It is to be noted that 15 days is not equal or equivalent to the two working weeks period of confinement/curfew. 15 days represents 68.18% of the monthly basic salary of an employee working in 40-hour week sector and 57.6% for a worker working under a 45- hour week. Thus, Padayachy has decided to transfer much more than the Cabinet decided, to the bosses.

10. While all employees of the private sector are still anxiously awaiting a decision of the government and the same Padayachy, for the coverage of their wages for ALL of the days under confinement-curfew 1 & 2, from 20 March to 15 April 2020, capitalist greediness has already, in the meantime, abused Coronavirus Sanitary Disasters to make an hold up of public funds. This is insane and unacceptable.

11. The aim of this public media release is:

(a) to urge publicly, that government to come forthwith, with recovery measures to recover public funds unduly authorised to be disbursed by Padayachy.

(b) to use part of the recovered fund to ensure that all employees of the private sector are entitled to their full salaries for the days they were in confinement from 20th March to 15th of April 2020, and beyond, if government decides to extend the statutory sanitary confinement.

12. It is now pretty clear that the country is witnessing a form of coup detat of the Big Business Class to weaken the democratically elected power, the Government and the State, through their fifth column in government. They are are using the sanitary disaster of the coronavirus to expropriate public funds. This goes hand in hand with the free ride given to the bosses, in deciding on the issuing work permit as ti pate, in order to compel ordinary people/private sector workers to work under the sanitary curfew, in almost all sectors of the economy. Thus, transforming these workers into cannon fodder, as used by rulers in times of many ugly wars in the history of humanity.

What we are witnessing is not a coincidence. It is a well orchestrated, sordid and morbid plan, since the start of the coronavirus crisis. We are right now into the boggy waters of capitalism greediness surfacing in time of sanitary disasters. Famous author and journalist, Noami Klein called this Disaster Capitalism  Shock Doctrine. Capitalism is trying to socialise the burden of the sanitary confinement and the unfolding economic crisis onto the public and workers. We need to stop them! We will come back in details about this issue in the near future.

Ashok Subron, Trade Union representative (GWF) of thousands of private sector workers

Militant of the National Committee of Rezistans ek Alternativ

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Prior to Covid-19, large internationally active banks made further progress towards meeting fully phased-in final Basel III capital requirements

Their liquidity ratios remain stable compared with end-2018

To increase operational capacity for banks and supervisors to respond to Covid-19, the Committee will not collect Basel III monitoring data for the end-June 2020 reporting date

Today the Basel Committee published the results of its latest Basel III monitoring exercise, based on data as of 30 June 2019. The report sets out the impact of the Basel III framework that was initially agreed in 2010 as well as the effects of the Committee's December 2017 finalisation of the Basel III reforms and the finalisation of the market risk framework published in January 2019. Given the June 2019 reporting date, the results do not reflect the economic impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on participating banks. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that the information contained in the report will provide relevant stakeholders with a useful benchmark for analysis.

Data are provided for 174 banks, including 105 large internationally active banks. These "Group 1" banks are defined as internationally active banks that have Tier 1 capital of more than 3 billion, and include all 30 institutions that have been designated as global systemically important banks (G-SIBs). The Basel Committee's sample also includes 69 "Group 2" banks (ie banks that have Tier 1 capital of less than 3 billion or are not internationally active).

As recently agreed by the Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision, implementation of the final Basel III minimum requirements has been deferred to 1 January 2023, and they will be fully phased in by 1 January 2028. The average impact of the fully phased-in final Basel III framework on the Tier 1 minimum required capital (MRC) of Group 1 banks is lower (+2.5%) when compared with the 3.0% increase at end-December 2018 (see the "reduced estimation bias" part of the table below). For this calculation, for two G-SIBs that are outliers due to overly conservative assumptions under the revised market risk framework, zero change from the revised market risk framework has been assumed for the calculation of 30 June 2019 results. If these two banks are reflected with their conservative market risk numbers (see the "conservative estimation" part of the table), there is a 2.8% increase.

The capital shortfalls at the end-June 2019 reporting date are 16.6 billion for Group 1 banks at the target level with reduced estimation bias and 20.3 billion with conservative estimation, in comparison with 24.7 billion at end-December 2018.

The monitoring exercises also collect bank data on Basel III's liquidity requirements. The weighted average Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) was stable at 136% for the Group 1 bank sample and at 177% for Group 2 banks. All banks in the sample reported an LCR that met or exceeded 100%. The weighted average Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) remained stable at 116% for the Group 1 bank sample and at 120% for the Group 2 bank sample. As of June 2019, around 96% of the banks in the NSFR sample reported a ratio that met or exceeded 100%, while all banks reported an NSFR at or above 90%.

In order to provide additional operational capacity for banks and supervisors to respond to the immediate financial stability priorities resulting from the impact of Covid-19, the Committee decided not to collect Basel III monitoring data for the end-June 2020 reporting date and, therefore, not to publish a report in spring 2021. The Committee aims to publish the next Basel III monitoring report on end-December 2019 data in autumn 2020.

Note to editors

Through a rigorous reporting process, the Committee regularly reviews the implications of the Basel III standards for banks, and has been publishing the results of such exercises since 2012.

The results of the monitoring exercise assume that the positions as of 30 June 2019 were subject to the fully phased-in initial or final Basel III standards. That is, they do not take account of the transitional arrangements set out in the Basel III framework. No assumptions were made about bank profitability or behavioural responses, such as changes in bank capital or balance sheet composition. For that reason, the results of the study may not be comparable with industry estimates.
By AFP

LONDON: A man who stole three face masks from a London hospital during the coronavirus crisis has been jailed for three months.

Lerun Hussain, 34, pleaded guilty to the theft at a London magistrates' court on Tuesday after the theft from King's College Hospital late on Sunday.

Hussain, from south London, was arrested on suspicion of theft and also detained for being in breach of a court order.

Meanwhile, a doctors' surgery in Kidderminster, in the English midlands, has urged thieves to return its only box of face masks after it was stolen.

Police said they were aware of a reported theft and would be visiting the surgery on Wednesday.

There have been several coronavirus-related arrests in Britain during the pandemic, including a man held in north London for threatening to give police officers the virus by spitting on them.

So far, 6,159 deaths have been reported in Britain from COVID-19.
[April 08, 2020] YuppMaster, The New Edtech Platform, Launched to Democratize Quality Education Across Nation

NEW DELHI, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ramping up the Digital Education platform, YuppTV has launched a revolutionary edtech platform called 'YuppMaster'. The platform is backed with superior tech infrastructure, specialized faculty members, live interactive classes, and is currently one of the most affordable platform for IIT-JEE and NEET aspirants in India and Middle East. The platform has brought together top-notch faculty with experiences ranging between 10-25 years in mentoring students and live streaming technology to provide the best in class online education to the students. All faculty members at YuppMaster are master of the craft in itself and have produced All-India Top-100 rankers for the past 15 years consecutively. All students across the nation will have access to the country's best faculty, unlike students only studying in the top centres. The IIT-JEE and NEET courses are available to 11th and 12th Class students on YuppMaster while foundation courses can be availed by 8th to 10th Class students. In light of COVID-19 lockdown, the edtech platform is currently offering free education to all IIT-JEE/NEET spirants in 12th Grade.



YuppMaster's individual courses involve 3 to 6 hours of live classes every day in which students are able to clear their doubts in real-time via live chat. The live classes are accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device such as Web, Mobile, tablet or Smart TV. It further features curated study material, comprehensive tests and grading modules which are customized by the platforms top notch faculty, and 24x7 doubt resolutions to ensure a methodical training of students. The platform also includes the DVR functionality, where students joining in late can watch the class from the beginning. Also in case any class is missed, students can watch it on the Catch-up section

YuppTV & YuppMaster Founder and CEO Uday Reddy said, "We are pleased to announce the launch of YuppMaster, one of our most ambitious product of recent times. With YuppMaster, our vision is to reach every doorstep in India including urban, rural, and remote regions to bring quality education at an affordable price. With the best faculty, world-class streaming technology and learning management system, we are confident that students will be better equipped to prepare and excel in the competitive exams.'' YuppTV's streaming technology will further support the platform in ensuring that its classes, despite being live, are delivered seamlessly on all devices and network conditions. Soon, the platform will use AI and ML modules to drive superior personalization and superior pedagogical training of students. You can log on to www.yuppmaster.com and get access to the IIT-JEE and NEET classes for free. Media Contact:

Manjusha K

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yuppmaster-the-new-edtech-platform-launched-to-democratize-quality-education-across-nation-301037300.html SOURCE YuppMaster

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Louisiana plans to house coronavirus patients who are jailed in prisons across the state at a notorious prison under fire for unconstitutional medical care and cruel and unusual punishment in a series of lawsuits.

According to the states Department of Corrections, people who test positive for the virus while in custody  including people who have not been convicted of crimes and are awaiting trial  could be moved to Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, a former plantation and now the largest maximum security in the US. Critics say patients will be sent there to die.

While several states have moved to release some of its incarcerated populations from potentially dangerous environments that could be breeding grounds for coronavirus, local jails in Louisiana without the capacity to house and treat Covid-19 patients have been told to send them to Angola, the department has said.

Last week, the Promise of Justice Initiative and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed a motion to prevent the state from transferring sick patients to a facility with sub-par medical care that puts thousands of people at risk for infection and death.

Counsel Ben Cohen said moving those patients will ensure that they have no access to a hospital or constitutional medical care, effectively creating "death camps" at the prison.

In 2018, a federal judge certified a class action suit on behalf of people inside the jail alleging a lack of constitutionally adequate medical care.

According to reports, coronavirus patients will be held at Angolas restrictive Camp J, a solitary confinement facility that was closed in 2018 after a brutal 40-year reputation for its poor conditions.

Its a punishment camp designed to inflict fear, Mr Cohen told The Independent.

Mr Cohen said people in custody across the state, once they realise they could be housed in the facility if they test positive for the virus, could make conditions worse in other jails by hiding their illness and symptoms.

Its the exact opposite of where you want to go, he said. Anyone with fever, the last thing you want to do is test positive.

More than 50,000 people are in custody in roughly 100 facilities across the state. Angola houses 6,000 of them.

One couldnt devise a system more contrary to current public health recommendations  including guidelines issued by the White House  than the ones imposed by the states penitentiary, correctional medicine expert Dr Michael Puisis said in a statement.

For patients who need ventilator support, which is not available at the prison, they would die, Mr Cohen said. It seems like a system to ensure as many people die without treatment.

If state officials intentionally bring patients into the prison and treat them at the infirmary, which plaintiffs say is the only place at [the prison] where even moderate cases of Covid-19 could conceivably be treated, the infection could lethally spread throughout the prison, similar to deadly outbreaks in nursing homes.

The prison also has a large number of elderly and immunocompromised people and people with other chronic health conditions.

The plaintiffs argue: Defendants will be intentionally and willfully exposing the most vulnerable people in the entire ... system to an unconscionably high risk of death or serious harm.

Angolas capacity to house patients is unconstitutional at its worst and severely overtaxed at its best, risking not just the patients in its care but the medical personnel and jail staff exposed to them.

This will exacerbate the already unconstitutional risk to which Defendants subject Class members, and result in avoidable suffering and death, the counsel argues.

Louisiana has long held the title as the incarceration capital of the world, with wildly disproportionate rates of imprisonment per capita and harsh sentencing guidelines that have jailed people for years beyond similar offences in other states.

The state also has had one of the highest per capita rates of coronavirus infection in the US. The New Orleans area has had the highest per capita death rate, more than double that of New York City, despite just a fraction of the population.

Black residents in the state account for roughly 70 per cent of the states coronavirus deaths, according to the states Department of Health, but black residents represent only 32 per cent of the states entire population.

Of the number of incarcerated people in the state, 66 per cent are black.

Last month, Patrick Jones  a black man who was serving a 27-year sentence for a nonviolent drug-related offence at the Federal Detention Center at Oakdale  was the first reported incarcerated person to die from the virus in the US.

He hadnt seen his youngest son, then 16, since the child was a toddler.

In a letter to US District Judge Alan Albright seeking a reduction in his sentence, he wrote: 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 ... Years of I am sorry dont seem to justify the absence of a father or the chance of having purpose in life by raising my child.

He wrote the letter last October. The judge denied his request in February.

Following his death on 28 March, four others have died at the jail
When Danielle McKenricks boss told employees to work from home because of the coronavirus, no one was sure how long it would last.

The design firm where she works has a flexible remote-work policy, anyway, McKenrick said, and most of her colleagues were used to putting in a days work without the comforts of the office. Then one week turned into the rest of the month and video conference meetings became the norm. McKenrick was fielding calls from her bedroom and living-room sofa, and reviewing designs from a makeshift standing desk of cardboard boxes on the kitchen counter. After a while, shed had enough.

She bought a small desk and swivel chair online, and grabbed her external monitor, keyboard, and trackpad from her Washington office. And in a snug corner of her bedroom, she created a space that feels a little bit normal amid all the chaos.

Workers nationwide are trying to do the same, snapping up electronics, furniture, and lighting to transform their spare rooms and kitchen tables into centers of productivity while they wait for the all-clear message on the coronavirus.

A Best Buy spokesperson said the big-box retailer is selling more laptops, monitors, and webcams, though declined to provide specific sales data. Like most large chains, its bricks-and-mortar operation is mostly shuttered.

Overstock.com said sales of home office furniture -- a top category year-round -- are up more than 100% since the outbreak, though it declined to provide specific figures.

"We were well-prepared for the rapid change in the market due to our site infrastructure and agile supply chain, and we were able to easily adapt to shifts in top-selling products, from outdoor and patio furniture one week to office essentials and exercise equipment the next," said Ron Hilton, Overstock's chief sourcing and operations officer.

Havenly, an online furniture-maker, has seen increased interest in office designs. A spokesperson said office-wear now makes up 26% of its sales, compared with 6% in 2019. Some shoppers are bypassing desks for kitchen or dining-room tables; sales of those are up 20%. Lamp purchases are up 16%.

Some employers sent workers home with trunks full of equipment and furniture. Gerry McCarthy, a multimedia producer for the UConn Foundation, was able to retrieve a computer tower, two large monitors, mouse, keyboard, photo scanner, and electric pencil sharpener. He made off with his office chair, too. The foundations IT department worked over the weekend to outfit staff with whatever they might need at home, he added.

McCarthy was used to working out of his house near Hartford, Conn., every so often. But when he and his wife, a federal employee, both needed the home office, the space was too tight for two.

So he moved some furniture out of a guest bedroom, unfolded an old card table his family used for cookouts, and replicated his in-office workspace. The two monitors are shoved to the back of the card table, with notebooks stacked beneath them. Instead of a mug to hold pens and pencils, he now has a roll of duct tape turned on its side. He also put his wifes old Harry Potter throw over the window to block the light -- its easier to edit photographs or video in the dark.

"Like everywhere else, we've had to make real serious adjustments to the work that we're doing," he said. "Not knowing what kind of work I'm going to have for however long we'll be out, I prepared to do pretty much anything."

Kayla McMahon, the director of business operations at the Boston public relations agency Inkhouse, said she advised colleagues to take whatever they needed to feel as productive at home as you are in the office. I mean, some people took their swivel chairs.

It was McMahons job to help coworkers determine how they would set up their new workspace, outline what the company could provide and what they might want to buy for themselves.

Colleagues used to drop by McMahons desk constantly to ask about technology or certain projects. Those kinds of questions picked up in the earliest days of companywide teleworking. But less than a month in, the staff have adapted, she said. Theyre resolving issues on their own, and everyone seems comfortable in their new, personal work setups.

Its scary because I feel like Im not as needed as I thought I was, she said. But its beneficial because I can get more work done. Its a seesaw. Im trying to find that new balance.
To the editor:

Our country was founded on the principles of a limited government and checks and balances and in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-harsher restrictions imposed by the government upon the people, I am concerned our state government is gaining more and more power with little to no stop in sight.

At the same time that Gov. Whitmer closed schools for the remainder of the year and asked for an extension of her emergency powers, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an emergency order allowing for fines up to $1,000 for anyone found violating "social distancing" guidelines. What exactly is a violation of social distancing? It seems to change everyday. But Michigan is not the only one imposing harsher restrictions upon people. In Vermont, the governor is ordering Walmart to sell only items the government deems "essential" while removing items it deems "non-essential" from the shelves. In Los Angeles, the mayor has called upon citizens to report their neighbors for violating the emergency orders. Reporters, he said, will be rewarded. In light of these disturbing trends, it is not hard to draw comparisons to 1930s Germany or the Soviet Union.

It is our right and responsibility as citizens to hold our government accountable and to question the experts. This is why when we are charged with a crime, we have a right to be judged by a jury of our peers, not by a jury of experts. We cannot hold our government accountable when it does not provide all the information and does not provide a timetable when these extraordinary measures will end. All we seem to hear from our state government is more doom while ignoring the fact that more and more people are recovering from the virus than are dying. The governor has asked for an extension of her powers, which can only mean she plans to extend her "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Order. No plan has been put forward to end this crisis and return our rights to us. As people, we must demand our government put forward a plan to return to normal or make our voices heard when they do not.

AARON MAJORANA

Midland
One of Gov. Phil Murphys closest aides has tested positive for the coronavirus and another senior administration official was tested as New Jersey continues to battle the pandemic, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Matt Platkin, chief counsel for Murphys administration, recently tested positive for the virus, Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna said in a statement.

He is currently asymptomatic and has been in quarantine since last Saturday while continuing to actively work from home, Gunaratna addd.

Platkin was one of Murphys earliest supporters and has served as Murphys chief counsel since the governor took office. He worked on Murphys campaign prior to the election.

Gunaratna didnt provide additional specifics about whether other senior officials were tested. He did say Murphy, who is recovering from surgery he had March 4 to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney, has not been tested since Platkins diagnosis.

But at least one other close aide to the governor was also tested for the virus, according to two sources with knowledge but werent authorized to speak on the record.

Murphy has said twice in recent weeks that he has not been tested because he is not showing symptoms of COVID-19. The state is testing only symptomatic residents so far because of a lack of supplies.

The governors office declined further comment Wednesday evening, saying Murphy would answer questions about the situation at his daily press briefing Thursday.

Platkin had been attending Murphys daily press briefings in Trenton. But he has been absent this week.

Murphys office has been requiring reporters in recent days to wear face coverings to the briefings at the Trenton War Memorial. Reporters also sit at least six feet away from each other to practice social distancing.

New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, has at least 47,437 cases and at least 1,504 deaths from COVID-19, Murphy announced Wednesday. Thats more than any U.S. state but New York and more than all but eight countries.

To help reduce the virus spread, Murphy only ordered New Jerseyans to stay at home, banned social gatherings, closed schools, and mandated non-essential retail businesses close until further notice.

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.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
from the hey-you-guys-need-to-knock-it-off-whenever-it's-convenient-for-you dept

Thanks to the goddamn everything else going on in the world right now, we've now learned what happens when Congress lets surveillance authorities expire. Nothing, really. Here's Charlie Savage for the New York Times.

House Democrats left the capital on Friday after passing the $2 trillion coronavirus relief legislation without taking up a Senate bill to temporarily revive three expired F.B.I. surveillance tools for terrorism and espionage investigations, ensuring that the laws will remain lapsed at least until the Senate returns from vacation next month.

The authorities created by the US Patriot Act -- specifically, the bulk collection of business records and roving wiretaps -- both expired on March 15th. More pressing issues backburnered the reauth, which is probably preferable to the alternatives: a blanket reauthorization rush job or some rights-wrecking abomination tacked onto a must-pass coronavirus response bill.

But letting these authorities expire doesn't change much of anything, especially since the FISA Court is presumably on limited duty like other courts in the nation while waiting for the pandemic curve to flatten a bit. It's still business as usual for any surveillance business in progress before the March 15th cutoff, as Julian Sanchez explains.

A so-called savings clause permits the laws to remain in effect for investigations that already existed on March 15, or for new investigations into events that occurred before then. The authorities remain available for either investigations open at the time of expiration or investigations predicated on underlying conduct that predates the sunset date, Mr. Sanchez said.

This means agencies can initiate surveillance using these expired authorities so long as they backdate the impetus for the investigation. We're in the midst of a never-ending War on Terror, so any targets loosely associated with the terrorist networks we've targeted for decades will remain surveilled under expired authorities. And that will continue up until Congress gets around to actually reauthorizing the surveillance that never stopped.

In practice, this means all sorts of surveillance is continuing without explicit Congressional permission. But that's the way the law was written. The escape hatch says nothing needs to stop even when nothing governing surveillance says it's alright to keep going. Securing the nation is too important to be left in the hands of three branches. Congress has cut itself out by not handling the reauthorization in a timely manner. And the FISA Court can't do anything about since it's forced operate (and authorize) in the void Congress created.

There's a lot of power in play here and it's being handled irresponsibly. Just when the FBI has shown it can't be honest with the FISA Court (and hasn't been for most of two decades), no one's stopping anyone from doing anything, much less instituting needed reforms. While tackling the virus may have been the more important job, it's disheartening to know there's really no expiration date on surveillance authorities, no matter what might be said in Congress during these periodic battles over domestic surveillance.
When Danielle McKenrick's boss told employees to work from home because of the novel coronavirus, no one was sure how long it would last.

The design firm where she works has a flexible remote-work policy, anyway, McKenrick said, and most of her colleagues were used to putting in a day's work without the comforts of the office. Then one week turned into the rest of the month and video conference meetings became the norm. McKenrick was fielding calls from her bedroom and living room sofa, and reviewing designs from a makeshift standing desk of cardboard boxes on the kitchen counter. After a while, she'd had enough.

She bought a small desk and swivel chair online, and grabbed her external monitor, keyboard and trackpad from her Washington office. And in a snug corner of her bedroom, she created a space that "feels a little bit normal amid all the chaos."

Workers nationwide are trying to do the same, snapping up electronics, furniture and lighting to transform their spare rooms and kitchen tables into centers of productivity while they wait for the all-clear message on the coronavirus, the global pandemic that sent most of the country into lockdown in March.

A Best Buy spokesperson said the big box retailer is selling more laptops, monitors and webcams, though declined to provide specific sales data. Like most large chains, its bricks-and-mortar operation is mostly shuttered.

Overstock.com said sales of home office furniture - a top category year-round - are up more than 100% since the outbreak, though it declined to provide specific figures.

"We were well-prepared for the rapid change in the market due to our site infrastructure and agile supply chain, and we were able to easily adapt to shifts in top-selling products, from outdoor and patio furniture one week to office essentials and exercise equipment the next," said Ron Hilton, Overstock's chief sourcing and operations officer.

Havenly, an online furniture maker, has seen increased interest in office designs. A spokesperson said office-wear now makes up 26% of its sales, compared with 6% in 2019. Some shoppers are bypassing desks for kitchen or dining room tables; sales of those are up 20%. Lamp purchases are up 16%.

Some employers sent workers home with trunks full of equipment and furniture. Gerry McCarthy, a multimedia producer for the UConn Foundation, was able to retrieve a computer tower, two large monitors, mouse, keyboard, photo scanner and electric pencil sharpener. He made off with his office chair, too. The foundation's IT department worked over the weekend to outfit staff with whatever they might need at home, he added.

McCarthy was used to working out of his house near Hartford, Connecticut, every so often. But when he and his wife, a federal employee, both needed the home office, the space was too tight for two.

So he moved some furniture out of a guest bedroom, unfolded an old card table his family used for cookouts and replicated his in-office workspace. The two monitors are shoved to the back of the card table, with notebooks stacked beneath them. Instead of a mug to hold pens and pencils, he now has a roll of duct tape turned on its side. He also put his wife's old Harry Potter throw over the window to block the light - it's easier to edit photographs or video in the dark.

"Like everywhere else, we've had to make real serious adjustments to the work that we're doing," he said. "Not knowing what kind of work I'm going to have for however long we'll be out, I prepared to do pretty much anything."

Kayla McMahon, the director of business operations at Boston public relations agency Inkhouse, said she advised colleagues to take whatever they needed to "feel as productive at home as you are in the office.' I mean, some people took their swivel chairs."

It was McMahon's job to help co-workers determine how they would set up their new workspace, outline what the company could provide and what they might want to buy for themselves.

Colleagues used to drop by McMahon's desk constantly to ask about technology or certain projects. Those kinds of questions picked up in the earliest days of companywide tele-working. But less than a month in, the staff has adapted, she said. They're resolving issues on their own, and everyone seems comfortable in their new, personal work setups.

"It's scary because I feel like I'm not as needed as I thought I was," she said. "But it's beneficial because I can get more work done. It's a seesaw. I'm trying to find that new balance."
VICTOR, N.Y. and CHICAGO, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it has appointed Mike McGrew to the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Officer. In this new role, McGrew will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the companys communications efforts, including internal and external global communications, brand public relations, corporate branding and reputation, investor relations, and corporate social responsibility. McGrew will serve as a member of the companys Executive Management Committee and report directly to Bill Newlands, President and Chief Executive Officer.



The company continues to benefit from Mikes deep experience and expertise in leading impactful communication strategies for our top business priorities, said Newlands. He will play an integral role on our executive management team, ensuring that as we grow and evolve as a company, we will continue to deliver comprehensive communications to all of our important stakeholders with clarity and consistency of messaging.

Based in Chicago, McGrew joined Constellation Brands in 2014 as senior director, communications for the beer division. He has held a number of progressive leadership roles within the company, including serving as a member of the Operational Executive Management Committee, providing valuable stakeholder and business perspective, and leading the development and execution of impactful communication campaigns to support various strategic priorities and investments that have contributed to the companys overall success.

Constellation Brands is a values-based company with impeccable brands built by one of the strongest teams in the industry, said McGrew. Im extremely proud to be part of this team and look forward to working alongside our entire Executive Management Committee to continue executing our strategy, driving industry-leading results, making a positive impact in our communities, and creating a culture that leads to fulfilling careers for our talented team members.

Story continues

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

At Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ and STZ.B), our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe sharing a toast, unwinding after a day, celebrating milestones, and helping people connect, are Worth Reaching For. Its worth our dedication, hard work, and the bold calculated risks we take to deliver more for our consumers, trade partners, shareholders, and communities in which we live and work. Its what has made us one of the fastest-growing large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver whats next.

Today, we are a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Pacifico, and our high-quality premium wine and spirits brands, including the Robert Mondavi brand family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner brand family, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey.

But we wont stop here. Our visionary leadership team and passionate employees from barrel room to boardroom are reaching for the next level, to explore the boundaries of the beverage alcohol industry and beyond. Join us in discovering whats Worth Reaching For.

To learn more, follow us on Twitter @cbrands and visit www.cbrands.com .

MEDIA CONTACTS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com Patty Yahn-Urlaub 585-678-7483 / patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com

Bob Czudak 585-678-7170 / bob.czudak@cbrands.com



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b478bb78-fb47-4e2d-9a64-f5ac0b61e2d8

A downloadable PDF copy of this news release enhanced with multimedia links can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3c30ede8-884a-4fec-b5ad-603a75d32af2


When you hear this is a character who never gave his right name, then you assume this is a man who may have been on the wrong side of the law at one time in his life, Mr. Drury told the News-Sentinel. I always thought it was a great plus as a character to carry this aura of mystery with you. All you had to do is walk into a room, be called the Virginian and all of a sudden you are mysterious.
Amid the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Wednesday asserted that this was no time to relax the nationwide lockdown, looking at the rising number of cases in the country.

In an exclusive interview with Republic TV's Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy, Zoramthanga said that Miroram was doing very well as a state but they are also facing higher risk from the neighbouring affected countries.

Speaking to Republic TV he said, "Three days before the Government of India declared lockdown we started taking precautionary measures, even the airports were shut three days before. People in the state are very disciplined as a society. All the leaders are also co-operating. Mizoram is the most disciplined and one of the best in the lockdown system. Everything is done peacefully."

"The only problem we have is with essential commodities. The state of Mizoram is leading from the front. Only one case who returned from the Netherlands to Mizoram but he is doing well," he added.

READ | Mizoram CM Urges People To Take Part In Physical Activities During Lockdown

READ | COVID-19: Testing Of Samples Begins In Mizoram

'State surrounded by COVID-19 active regions'

Further speaking about the lockdown situation he said, "We are in a difficult geographical position. Neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh Burma and states like Tripura are facing major issues so for reopening the international and national borders we must be very careful. We cannot deploy entire force on the borders. We have called together all-party meeting on Saturday on how to fight this situation in northeast It is not the time to relax the lockdown system across India."

"My state doesnt have a problem but we are surrounded by COVID-19 active regions. My state would like to precautions, cant relax considering our neighbours Need to be strict with neighbouring states. Mizoram is relying on getting essential supplies from Assam We are being very careful while allowing trucks as well," he added.

READ | Few Take Part In Lights-out Call In Mizoram

READ | Lockdown: Mizoram Celebrates Palm Sunday Behind Closed Doors
Chennai: The governments rejection of a Rs 60 lakh fund for coronavirus prevention work at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital from Aravakuchi MLA, V Senthil Balaji, has snowballed into a political controversy with DMK President M K Stalin and Karur MP, Jothimani, speaking out against the government decision.

Balaji, who belongs to the DMK, has allocated of Rs 1,03,71,878 from his MLA Area Development Fund for various hospitals, police stations and other things, of which the major chunk of Rs 60 lakh was for the new Karur Government Medical College Hospital to procure 10 ventilators to treat Covid-19 patients.

But the government rejected the fund, which prompted DMK President, M K Stalin to condemn the governments move to not take the funds after initially agreeing to accept it and say this is not the time for political chicanery.

Stalins statement led to chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami clarifying that MLAs can contribute for the development of their constituency alone.

Since Balaji represented Aravakurichi, which is the neighbouring constituency, he is not entitled to allocate his MLAs Area Development Fund for the hospital in Karur.

Quick to raise to Balajis defense was Jothimani, the Congress MP from Karur, who pointed out, in a tweet, that people from Aravakurichi had to go to Karur Government Hospital for treatment.

In the present situation, in which the government has ordered the transfer of Covid-19 cases in Dindigul and Namakkal districts to Karur hospital, playing #coronapolitics will be an injustice committed to the people, she said.

Meanwhile, Balaji, in his statement, said that the administrative permission for the allocation of his MLA fund was first granted on March 28.

Though that order was rejected through another order on March 31, stating that the funds can be allotted only for the benefit of the people of Aravakurichi, it is a fact that all those from Aravakurichi who were affected by Coronavirus were being admitted to the Karur hospital only.

He said he has allotted the fund to procure 10 ventilators that would help the hospital provide medical support to Covid-19 patients, who could also be from Aravakurichi constituency.

He appealed to the state chief secretary to accept the funds and immediately place orders for the ventilators to the hospital.
A presidential aide has responded to the leadership of the National Assembly which faulted the implementation of the social investment programme (NSIP) of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The response was contained in a statement on Wednesday by Maryam Uwais, the special adviser to the president on social investment.

The NSIPs include the school feeding programme for primary school pupils, the N-Power for jobless graduates, the conditional cash transfer for elderly vulnerable Nigerians, and the government empowerment programme that includes tradermoni  giving micro loans to smalll-scale traders.

Mrs Uwais described some of the lawmakers claims as false and another as regrettable and dangerous.

The leadership of the National Assembly had criticised the approach adopted by the federal government to distribute social grants to Nigerians who suffer the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

It called for legislation for the programme in line with what it said was global best practices.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, expressed their concerns at a meeting with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, and some top officials of the ministry on Tuesday.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Femi]

The meeting, convened by the leadership of the National Assembly, was against the backdrop of the ongoing federal government intervention initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the most vulnerable Nigerians, following the lockdown order given by the President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29.

The president ordered a 14-day lockdown in Abuja as well as Lagos and Ogun states. Mr Buhari had announced that the most vulnerable people affected by the lockdown will be compensated.

The ministry of humanitarian affairs has since announced the distribution of the first tranche of N5 billion.

Messrs Lawan and Gbajabiamila noted that the programme needed a reform to make it more efficient and effective.

PUTTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT

Mrs Uwais stated that it is untrue that the National Social Investment Programme has gulped over N2 trillion since 2016, when the fund was created.

Although the total appropriation by the National Assembly (NASS) from inception, for the 4 NSIPs, is N1.7 trillion, the actual funds released for the NSIPs between January 2016 and October 2019 (when the NSIPs were handed over to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development), amounted to N619.1 billion, constituting 36.4% of the total appropriation from the NASS.

The monies released for the N-SIPs can be further broken down into 14.03% (2016); 35% in 2017; 43.5% in 2018 and 57.8% (as at Sept 2019) of the N500b in 2016 and N400b appropriated for the subsequent years.

It should be noted that for 2017 to 2020, the sum of N100b was appropriated specifically for the National Housing Fund hosted by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

She said the releases covered operational activities and payments to 13,363,680 beneficiaries across all the four NSIPs, all of whom she said can all be verified either through their BVN numbers or their unique numbers generated by the National Social Register.

She added that those identities were generated for the poorest of the poor who do not own bank accounts for sundry reasons.

As at September 2019, the funds had been expended as follows, on the: Job Creation programme (549,500 N-Power graduates and non-graduates and 7 Technology Hubs); National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (in 33 States, 9,963,762 pupils to 107,862 cooks in 54,952 primary schools); the National Cash Transfer Programme (including the development of the National Social Register by the National Social Safety Net Coordination Office) 1,491,296 poor and vulnerable households comprising 6,056,872 individuals in 33 States and 620,947 cash transfer beneficiaries; and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (managed by the Bank of Industry); a total of 2,279,380 TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni beneficiaries.

She also refuted allegations that as part of the conditions for poor and vulnerable beneficiaries to be engaged, they are made to apply online, through the internet and they require a BVN for payment.

The National Cash Transfer Programme derives all the cash transfer beneficiaries from a National Social Register (NSR), comprising State Social Registers that are developed and hosted by the State Ministries of Panning of each State.

The process for objective identification of poor and vulnerable households is as provided in the Financing Agreement (F.A) signed between Nigeria and the World Bank, for which purpose the World Bank IDA Credit and the recovered funds from the Abacha family are being utlised.

She further explained that the process involves a poverty mapping of the LGAs in each state, community mobilization, targeting and identification supported by trained enumerators at State and LGA levels.

She added that each of the households identified by the communities is visited and data collated, including information such as the size of household, age, gender, persons with disability (if any), assets, vocation of head of household, educational qualifications (if any), dwelling house conditions amongst others.

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She said the data collated is finally subjected to a proxy means testing formula to determine those who merit the grants and the accompanying training.

Furthermore, payment service providers have been selected in an open procurement process to pay the cash beneficiaries at their locations, as many of them reside in communities where there is a dearth of banking infrastructure.

Even though the majority of beneficiaries are not financially literate, the National Social Investment Office (NSIO, then under the Office of the Vice President) commenced the pilot exercise of payment of beneficiaries in 6 States through microfinance banks in September 2019, with a 93% success rate.

It is also pertinent to mention that the National Economic Summit Group, (working with Accenture and the Busara Centre for Behavioral Sciences) formed the Policy Intervention Unit for the NSIO.

She described as untrue, the statement by the leadership of the Senate that the NSIP information was not accessible to the National Assembly, stating that all invitations to public hearings and meeting by the parliament were honoured by herself and the cluster teams.

She said documents relating to the structure, activities and progress of the NSIPs were routinely shared with them, over the period that the NSIO supervised the NSIPs under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Furthermore, the monthly reports of 3,000 N-Power monitors, spread across the 774 LGAs, are available to both Poverty Alleviation Committees of the NASS.

On the claim that beneficiaries are not known personally to the NASS members, and that the National Social Register (NSR) is a scam and needs to be reformed through a process that is more inclusive of the parliament, she described it as regrettable and dangerous.

The NSR comprises persons selected by the communities directly, within the constituencies of each of the NASS members. No person has been imported from one community to the other. They have been identified as very poor by the communities in which they reside and may not necessarily be known by the lawmakers.

It should be noted that Nigeria has signed a Financing Agreement with the World Bank, in which the process of identification of beneficiaries was set out. Any departure from the process, which would place at risk the accessibility to the IDA Credit and the recovered funds from the Abacha family.

She stated that the NSIPs have been handed over to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs since October 2019, but it has become necessary to respond to what she described as the unfortunate allegations made at the National Assembly on the 7th of April 2020, which allegations were made in respect of certain aspects of the NSIPs from inception in November 2015 to September 2019.

This Statement is prepared to set the records straight on certain aspects of the processes, structure and activities of the NSIPs between November 2015 and September 2019 when I supervised the NSIO operations. Having handed over the NSIPs in October 2019, I assume no responsibility for the operations thereafter as the Ministry is well positioned to handle the NSIPs and take decisions thereupon.
HAYWARD (BCN)

The Hayward City Council voted on Tuesday night to expand eviction protections to businesses and other commercial building tenants during the new coronavirus pandemic.

The protections also apply to homeowners who are unable to make mortgage payments due to the public health crisis.

The council's action imposes a new 90-day moratorium on evictions of residential and commercial tenants for failure to pay rent due to the coronavirus as well as on no-fault evictions that otherwise would be allowable under Hayward's rent stabilization ordinance.

Similarly, mortgage lenders won't be able to evict homeowners following a foreclosure based on failure to pay due to pandemic-related hardships over the same 90-day period.

The City Council's vote follows an order issued by the California Judicial Council on Monday halting all eviction and foreclosure proceedings in the state's court systems, except those determined by the court to be necessary to protect the public's health and safety.

Hayward officials said the new eviction moratorium doesn't relieve residential and commercial tenants from their responsibility to pay rent, but does provide a temporary safe harbor against eviction and access to city-funded mediation services to help work out repayment plans with landlords.

The council said that in adopting the COVID-19 eviction moratoriums, it has also directed city staff to develop a financial assistance program to lessen the impact of unpaid rents on residential tenants and landlords.

That program will be offered to low-income Hayward residents in the coming weeks.

City officials said the moratorium covers instances in which the inability to pay rent stems from a substantial decrease in income related to the pandemic, including due to layoffs, reductions in work hours, including as a result of having to stay home with children who are out of school.

It also covers declines in business earnings and out-of-pocket medical expenses associated with the coronavirus.

The city said that to qualify for the eviction moratorium protection, tenants should notify their landlord immediately after their inability to pay rent and be sure to be able to document that the loss of income is related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hayward officials said that during the moratorium, landlords can't charge late fees if the non-payment is related to COVID-19.

They said tenants remain liable for unpaid rent but landlords can't file for an eviction for unpaid rent during the moratorium until 90 days after it expires.

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.
Category five tropical cyclone Harold battered the South Pacific island of Fiji on Wednesday (April 8)

Destroying buildings and causing injuries in the country's capital, Suva

In a video message, the country's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama called for Fijians to stay indoors.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) FIJI PRIME MINISTER SAYING IN A VIDEO MESSAGE,

''Everyone needs to immediately shelter indoors in their homes or in evacuation centres. There are also a number of reports of winds whipping up flying debris in the Suva area. Flying debris can be deadly. Keep yourself indoors and out of harm's way until our authorities have given the all clear that it is safe to be outdoors. As we see flooding throughout the country, I'm pleading with everyone to stay out of flood waters. Keep your children out of flood waters. These waters are deadly, unpredictable, and can carry debris that can maim or kill. Stay indoors. Do not travel. Stay safe, Fiji."

Forecasters say the cyclone, which killed dozens of people in the Solomon Islands before destroying buildings in Vanuatu--

is expected to make its way to Tonga within days.
2019 image of the downtown Los Angeles skyline is seen from Griffith Observatory. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Americans in communities with higher smog levels are at greater risk of dying from COVID-19, according to a new study that suggests the health damage from the novel coronavirus has been worsened by long-term exposure to air pollution.

Scientists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed data on more than 3,000 U.S. counties to link small increases in long-term exposure to fine-particle pollution to substantially higher death rates from the coronavirus.

Researchers calculated long-term average levels of fine-particle pollution  lung-damaging soot also known as PM2.5  from 2000 to 2016 and compared it to the more than 7,000 COVID-19 deaths that had occurred through April 4. They found that an increase of only one microgram per cubic meter of PM2.5 was associated with a 15% rise in the coronavirus death rate.

Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard and coauthor of the study, said her team fast-tracked its research in response to the surge in coronavirus deaths out of a moral obligation to help inform the response to the health crisis. The scientists released their manuscript before publication, while it undergoes peer review, and made public their data and code, hoping that it can be used worldwide to help focus research and prevent deaths.

Dominici said it was, to her knowledge, the first nationwide study to quantify the relationship between coronavirus death rates and exposure to one of the most widespread types of air pollution. She said she wanted to get the information out as soon as possible because it suggests health officials should pay closer attention to limiting the damage in the worst-polluted communities, including many in California, where peoples health has long suffered from poor air quality.

These are the places where we should really be careful about social distancing measures and they should be even more enforced, she said. If COVID infects you, because you have lungs that are already inflamed because youve been breathing polluted air for so long, you might experience a worse health outcome than somewhere else.

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The findings come as the Trump administration plows ahead with major environmental rollbacks even as the coronavirus crisis widens. In recent weeks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a major rollback of auto emission standards and announced a sweeping decision to suspend enforcement on a range of health and environmental protections in response to the pandemic.

The Harvard scientists said their results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis, adding that we anticipate a failure to do so can potentially increase the COVID-19 death toll and hospitalizations, further burdening our healthcare system and drawing resources away from COVID-19 patients.

Environmentalists and health groups said the study provides stark new evidence of the shortsightedness of weakening or delaying pollution safeguards during the pandemic.

These findings illustrate that far too many Americans are facing multiple threats to their lung health at once, and when taken together, these different threats to lung health impacts can amplify each other," American Lung Assn. President Harold Wimmer said in a statement."We cannot afford to delay cleanup of dangerous air pollution. In fact, it is more important than ever."

Dominici said her research was sparked by observations that many of the same underlying health problems that increase risk of death from COVID-19, such as heart and lung disease, are also made worse by long-term exposure to air pollution. The researchers adjusted for other factors such as income, obesity and smoking that are also likely to increase risk of death.

The research team is automating its analysis to rerun as the pandemic continues, Dominici said, unfortunately, as we expect the number of deaths to increase.

Many scientists have suspected that bad air makes people more susceptible to the coronavirus, based on past research into similar viruses that showed it increases people's risk of contracting pneumonia and of developing more severe symptoms once they have it. Research into the SARS coronavirus outbreak in 2003 found that infected patients from regions with higher air pollution were 84% more likely to die than those in less polluted areas.

The results from the Harvard study are consistent with the limited data that we have on this family of viruses: that it could be a potentially important determinant of severity of the infection, said Frank Gilliland, a professor of preventive medicine at USC who was not involved in the research. We know that PM2.5 increases a spectrum of respiratory diseases ... so it wouldnt be too surprising that it actually has adverse effects on COVID-19.

Gilliland emphasized the study should be interpreted with caution because it looked at data at the county, rather than the individual level, so the higher death rates in more polluted areas could also reflect other population characteristics unrelated to air pollution.

This is very early research, but it does suggest that people who live in high-pollution areas really need to follow the recommendations for social distancing and do as much as they can to avoid getting infected and infecting other people, Gilliland said.

Michael Jerrett, a professor of environmental health science at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health who read the study, called it a good first look and "a potentially important finding given that so many Americans and people all over the world live in areas with unhealthy pollution levels.

"The main concern is with the likely huge uncertainty with the findings due to undercounting of the deaths in many places, Jerrett said. "Because testing capacity is still very low, many deaths that were likely due to COVID have not been counted as such, and this has the potential to bias the results.

The study, he added, "merits replication in other areas, particularly in places like Germany and South Korea, where they have been testing a lot more than we have here."
People with disabilities and their advocates say proposed Pennsylvania guidelines for deciding who gets medical equipment or intensive care in times of shortage discriminate against them and violate laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The state health department is preparing the guidelines for hospitals to use in deciding things such as who gets a ventilator or intensive care bed if there arent enough for everyone.

The guidelines use a point-based system to assign a priority score to patients, with some pre-existing medical conditions raising the score. Patients with lower scores would be first in line for lifesaving equipment and care, while those with higher scores would be assigned a lower priority.

The overall goal, as stated in the guidelines, is to use available resources in a way that helps the most people, and to maximize life years, which means favoring people deemed to have more years of life ahead of them.

People with disabilities object to the guidelines for assorted reasons, including the potential for myths, stereotypes, and unfounded assumptions about people with disabilities to count against them.

Doctors associate certain disabilities with a poor prognosis for long-term survival even though people with disabilities regularly outlive the prognoses that doctors ascribe to them, often by years, they say in a letter sent Tuesday to Ray Barishansky, the deputy secretary for health preparedness and community protection for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The letter also argues the guidelines could, for example, lead to a ventilator being taken away from a COVID-19 patient who already uses one daily. People who are dependent on ventilators should not be at risk of losing their life-preserving equipment if they must go to the hospital. Failure to include such protections in the [guidelines] will discourage such individuals from seeking necessary health care  for COVID-19 or any other issues that may require hospitalization, the letter says.

Pennsylvania advocacy organizations have also filed a federal complaint.

Kelly Darr, the legal director for Disability Rights Pennsylvania and author of the letter, says her organization and others werent told about the guidelines, which were circulating among state and hospital officials, until after they heard about them and inquired. Darr says the guidelines were revised in an attempt to address their concerns, but the revised version still discriminates.

Asked about whether the guidelines were shared with advocates for people with disabilities, health department spokesman Nate Wardle said in an email, The interim guidance that was sent to hospitals was a draft that was not meant for further distribution. We will be working with these and additional stakeholders on a final document.

The guidelines are in response to the potential for critically-ill COVID-19 patients to outnumber the supply of things such as breathing ventilators and intensive care beds. If that happens, health care providers would have to decide who does and who doesnt get life-saving resources.

States and hospitals around the country have been devising such policies. Some appear to move people with certain disabilities downward on the list for receiving life-saving resources, triggering fear among people with disabilities they will bear the brunt of medical rationing during this crisis.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine have reacted to those concerns, promising that factors including disability, race, sexual orientation or financial means wont factor into life-saving decisions.

The guidelines are spelled out in an 83-page document titled Crisis Standards of Care for Pandemic Guidelines. It has been in the works since last fall, but the new coronavirus caused it to be fast-tracked.

In a disaster, the focus of medical care will shift from the individual patient to promoting the thoughtful use of limited resources for the best possible health outcome of the population as a whole, with a goal to do the greatest good for the greatest number, the guidelines state.

The guidelines prioritize patients considered more likely to survive with intensive care over those considered less likely to survive. They further prioritize patients who have no condition in addition to COVID-19 that could limit their life expectancy and prognosis. Patients who have additional conditions are assigned 1 to 4 points based on how its judged to impact their chances of surviving COVID-19. As examples of such conditions, the guidelines name severe Alzheimers disease, cancer that has spread to the point the person is receiving only comfort care, severe heart failure, severe lung disease and cirrhosis.

People with lower scores have higher priority, with those with a score of more than 3 assigned intermediate priority rather than high priority. Patients with scores of six or more would be designated as lowest priority.

The system also gives special preference to some patients, including pregnant women at a stage where the fetus is likely to survive, and people considered essential to the crisis response, such as health care workers. It also includes tiebreakers, with higher priority given to a younger patient, reflecting a goal to give individuals equal opportunity to pass through the stages of life.

Someone not deemed eligible for a life-saving resource would still receive the best available medical care, including treatment and support to keep them comfortable.

The guidelines call for designated crisis triage officers rather than front-line caregivers to carry out the process. The officers should be highly-experienced physicians who, ideally, have been selected in advance and trained in things like mass casualty triage and ethics.

The guidelines acknowledge the system is not perfect. It is hoped that it fosters both dialogue and further research to develop and validate objective resource allocation tools in the future.

Advocates for people with disabilities, however, argue it violates civil rights laws intended to protect the equal dignity of every human life from ruthless utilitarianism.

On Tuesday, Teresa Miller, the state secretary of human services, noted that accommodations are rarely won without a fight for people with disabilities, and potential medical rationing brought on by COVID-19 represents a new battlefield. She said her department will work fiercely to protect their rights.

Kristen Ahrens, the deputy secretary for the state office of development programs, said the office has gained approval to have an advocate at the side of someone with an intellectual disability or autism who is hospitalized, for purposes including communicating with medical caregivers.

Darr said people with disabilities want long-term life expectancy removed from the rationing equation, with the focus being solely on patients short-term survival chances. She said that would level the playing field so that a disability wouldnt subtract from someones chances of receiving life-saving care.

Darr echoed the view of public health leaders who have urged people to closely follow social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders and thereby prevent a surge of patients that would trigger medical rationing.

These are extraordinarily difficult questions. Its horrific to think about it, she said. The hope is that everybody gets [the needed medical care], so people with disabilities wont bear the brunt in a way that is discriminatory.

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Craft beer may never be the same after the coronavirus pandemic passes. While there were already signs the industry was facing increasingly difficult struggles in the next few years, the current crisis has likely exacerbated and accelerated those problems.

When we come out of this situation, the craft-beer industry may be unrecognizable.

Changing industry dynamics

The broader beer industry has been in a secular decline for some time now, as consumer preferences have turned away from beer and toward lighter, more refreshing fare like hard seltzer.

White Claw and Boston Beer's (NYSE:SAM) Truly brand have captivated drinker palates, and recorded several years of triple-digit growth. Observers had expected that 2020 would notch similar gains, and not even the pandemic may dent seltzer's growth.

Yet while the beer industry downturn saw megabrewers like Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) and Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP) suffer declining production volume, certain segments still recorded gains, like Mexican imports, a beer category which has remained one of the strongest throughout.

Note that Mexico determined that breweries are not "essential" during the pandemic, and brewers such as Constellation Brands and Heineken, which produce Corona and Dos Equis, respectively, have shuttered production.

But craft beer has grown, too. It might not be at the same double-digit rates as during its heyday, but mid-single-digit growth during a downturn is respectable. That may all change now.

Small size is a big deal

Although a lot of the recent craft-beer gains were because of sales of beverages other than beer -- Boston Beer, for example, today produces more hard seltzer than it does its flagship Samuel Adams beer -- the fastest growing portion of the segment was microbreweries.

The Brewers Association reports that of the 7,300 craft breweries in operation in 2018 (the latest data available), 4,522 were microbreweries, or almost 62% of the total. A decade ago, however, just 450 microbreweries accounted for less than 30% of the 1,500 craft breweries in operation.

That's a ninefold increase in these small brewers, and though they're among the fastest-growing segments of the industry, there's a parallel increase in the number that were closing.

Similarly, the number of brewpubs rose by 150% over the past decade, but they were seen as vital to the health of breweries in general. Boston Beer, for example, opened its third taproom earlier this year to...tap into this trend.

Yet while a smattering of tasting rooms attached to its breweries won't move the needle very much for this mega-"craft brewer," brewpubs and taprooms make a world of difference to microbreweries. When they're producing less than 15,000 barrels a year -- in comparison, Boston Beer makes over 5 million barrels annually -- supplementing their production with on-site sales can mean the difference between survival and closing their doors.

Most at risk

Things have changed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bars, restaurants, and similar establishments were among the very first venues ordered closed in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

While the $2.2 trillion stimulus package recently approved contains several hundred billion dollars in small-business loans, it's quite likely many of these small beer operations won't be able to survive not being open. And it will be difficult for them to come back.

Once the brightest lights leading the way forward for the craft-beer industry, these small operations could see those lights turned out, never to shine again. And that could forever change how we view this once-vibrant business.
By Akbar Mammadov

Today Azerbaijanis mourn the 28th anniversary of Aghdaban genocide committed by occupying Armenian forces in Kalbajars Aghdaban village.

On the night of April 7-8, 1992, Armenian armed forces, with the help of separatist Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, attacked the villages of Aghdaban and Chaygovushan.

Inhuman consequences of Aghdaban genocide

The Aghdaban tragedy committed by Armenian armed forces a year before the occupation of Kalbajar is one of the bloodiest pages of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.

Armenian Dashnaks broke into the village of Aghdaban and burned more than 130 houses, killing 779 civilians, including elderly, women and children.

During the attack, 32 people were killed with specialty cruelty, eight people aged 90-100, two children and seven women were burnt alive. Two people went missing, 12 people were seriously injured and five people were taken hostage.

Unaware of the attack, the villagers scattered barefoot in the snow-covered forests and mountains. The civilians was left defenseless as a small group defending the villages was destroyed by the Armenians.

Historical and cultural importance of Aghdaban

Aghdaban village is located in Kalbajar region, on the right bank of Aghdaban river, on the slope of Aghdaban mountain, at the southern foot of Murovdag range, 36 km north-east of the district center.

The Aghdabanli Gurban brought up by this village was a descendant of Miskin Abdal, a comrade-in-arms of the great commander Shah Ismail Khatai, the Shah of Azerbaijani Safavids empire. Armenians burned the manuscripts of Aghdaban poet Gurban and his son Dada Shamshir, one of the masters of classical ashug poetry, who made unprecedented contributions to Azerbaijani literature and were an invaluable spiritual treasure of our people, and destroyed the artistic heritage of this great genius.

Fifteen residents of Dada Shamshir were also victims of this tragedy. Armenian executioners burned Dada Shamshir's 28-year-old grandson Gurbanov Gulu Shaber alive in a bonfire, shot her father Jamal in front of 8-year-old Ulviya's eyes, and buried him alive in a potato well.

Endless Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan in the example of Aghdaban

Armenian separatists, who were not punished for the Aghdaban tragedy, were preparing plans for the occupation of Kalbajar as a whole.

The people of Aghdaban, whose homes were devastated by the tragedy, did not leave their native villages.

On March 27, 1993, when Armenian separatists attacked the Kalbajar region, the occupation resumed in the village of Aghdaban. Armenian militants attacked the village again and destroyed it. Thus, they committed the second tragedy in the village of Aghdaban. The second occupation of Aghdaban meant the complete occupation of Kalbajar by Armenia.

After that, Kalbajar was besieged on all sides and completely occupied by Armenian armed forces until April 2, 1993. Armenians have long targeted Aghdaban not only because it is a strategic place, but also as the cradle of the literary environment of Kalbajar. They did not just commit genocide in Aghdaban. Historical, architectural and cultural monuments were destroyed by Armenian bandits, as well as sacred shrines and cemeteries were desecrated and destroyed.

As a result of the occupation, 220 people (our civilians) were killed, 321 people went missing or were taken hostage. The worst casualties were in the village of Bashlibel, 64 km from Kalbajar: 28 were killed overnight by Armenians, 18 were taken hostage or taken prisoner, and 17 returned to Ganja with a thousand afflictions after a four-month siege.

As a result of the Armenian occupation, 707 settlements in 56 districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan became temporary settlements of Kalbajar people.

Why should Aghdaban tragedy be recognized as a genocide?

Due to the specifics and nature of the Aghdaban tragedy, it fully complies with the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1948. Therefore, this tragedy is an act of genocide under international law. This massacre against the civilian population of the village of Aghdaban should be recognized by the world community as a crime of genocide.

On April 30, 1993, a newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan won a major recognition of its case by the international community. On that date, the UN Security Council finally passed first of four resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian troops and return of the displaced population.

While the true racist and extremist nature of Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan became clearly already in 26 February of 1992 during the large-scale massacre of Khojaly, it was the annexation of the Azerbaijani region of Kalbajar in early April that eventually led to Resolution 822 being adopted. Three subsequent UN Security Council resolutions (853, 874, 884) followed further advances of the Armenian forces emboldened by their impunity.

However, Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Five persons were arrested on Tuesday evening for attacking a police posse who went to enforce lockdown in the old city area. Two policemen asking people to stay indoors were allegedly stabbed when a mob attacked them.

Chief Minister who was furious over the incident ordered a strict action against the elements that forced the health surveyors from carrying out their duties. He said hooliguns involved in the violence would face action under stringent National Security Act (NSA).

The incident had occurred on late Monday night six days after a team of health officials including two women doctors were injured while discharging their duties in a coronavirus hit area at Indore.

Constables Laxman Yadav with knife injury to his neck and Satish Kumar with stab wound on his left hand have been admitted to a private hospital, Talaiya police station inspector DP Singh said.

He said that the accused include history-sheeter Shahid Kabootar (35) and Mohsin Kachori (26).

"We have booked seven persons and 10-12 unidentified accused who with knives, lathis and stones attacked the police party of around 10 at Islam Nagar locality", he added.

Chouhan tweeted on Tuesday and warned that attack of policemen who are working day in and day out to protect people from the virus won't be tolerated. Kabootar or Kachori, no one will be spared.
WASHINGTON  Michigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Twp., is proposing to increase the pay of many front-line workers who are considered essential during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic by as much as $13 an hour.

Peters COVID-19 Heroes Fund proposal calls for federally-funded premium pay, akin to hazard pay, for health care professionals, grocery store workers, home care workers, first responders, pharmacists, postal workers and other essential front-line workers who are dealing with the public during the nations public health emergency.

Peters explained his proposal Wednesday during an afternoon conference call with reporters. He said its meant to reward, retain and recruit essential workers for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.

The senator envisions his proposal, or aspects of it, could be part of the nations next COVID-19 aid package, not a new piece of legislation itself. It would be fully funded by the federal government, though he doesnt yet have a cost estimate.

Peters Heroes Fund has two components.

1. The first is a $25,000 premium pay increase, which would equate to a raise of $13 per hour from the start of the public health emergency until Dec. 31. Eligible workers who have been on the front lines since the initial declaration of the Public Health Emergency on Jan. 27 could receive a lump sum of back pay for work before enactment of the fund.

2. The proposal calls for a $15,000 essential worker recruitment incentive to attract and secure the workforce needed in Michigan and across the country to fight this public health crisis. That would include a one-time $15,000 premium for signing on to do essential work for essential health and home care workers and first responders that are experiencing severe staffing shortages impeding the ability to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Heroes Fund would cap the total maximum premium pay at $25,000 for each essential frontline worker earning less than $200,000 per year, and $5,000 for each essential worker earning $200,000 or more per year.

"This proposal not only addresses the financial needs of these essential workers, it also presses for additional protective gear and other measures that will help ensure they can continue to perform their critical roles while protecting their health and safety, Peters said.

Continued input would be needed to determine the specific mechanism for delivering the pay to workers and to determine which essential workers would qualify, Peters said.

Employers in industries deemed essential would apply to the Heroes Fund for funds to be used to add line-item premium pay to employees or independent contractors paychecks. No employer would be required to participate, but all would be strongly encouraged to and the program would be widely advertised, Peters said.

Federal employees in public-facing positions, who are not teleworking from home, would also be granted the new benefit of up to $25,000, including Title 5 employees and all employees of federal personnel systems like the U.S. Postal Service, TSA, VA, GAA, District of Columbia, and federally-funded Indian programs, reads Peters proposal.

As of Wednesday, Peters said his proposal has Democratic support but no Republicans working with us yet. He intends to reach out to his Republican colleagues in the Senate to get support soon.
Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar on Wednesday held an all-party meeting to discuss the COVID-situation in the state with political leaders who assured him of all possible support and cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.

In the meeting held through videoconferencing, Khattar apprised the participants of steps being taken by the government to check the spread of novel coronavirus.

Haryana has so far reported 153 COVID-19 cases with two deaths.

All the party leaders assured of their support in every decision and effort made by the state government, an official statement said.

The parties also agreed that their MLAs would make a contribution of at least 30 per cent of their monthly salary for one year while political parties and former MLAs will contribute according to their capacity, towards the Haryana COVID Relief Fund.

A separate statement issued by former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the opposition assured the government of all possible support and cooperation in the fight against COVID-19.

In the meeting, Hooda said he raised issues concerning farmers, government employees and doctors and paramedical staff.

He highlighted the concerns of the farmers and requested that the government should ensure that every grain produced by the farmer is purchased by the government.

It is possible that many farmers are not able to register their wheat and mustard crop on government portal 'Meri Fasal mera Byora' due to the lockdown. These are not normal circumstances and hence, in such a situation, the government must also buy the crops of those who are not able to register themselves, Hooda urged the chief minister.

The chief minister assured the Leader of the Opposition that the entire crop of farmers will be procured.

At the meeting, Hooda praised the work of doctors, nurses, medical staff, police, sanitation workers and all government staff on duty. He thanked all the Corona Warriors for saving lives by putting their lives at risk.

Khattar appealed to the leaders of all the political parties that in order to deal with the pandemic in this hour of crisis, workers of all parties should rise above political differences and join hands to combat COVID-19.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, JJP leader and coalition partner of BJP, Health Minister Anil Vij, Independent MLA and Power Minister, Ranjit Singh Chautala, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala, MLA Haryana Lok Hit Party, Gopal Kanda also expressed their views and assured their support to the government at every step of the way in this hour of crisis.

Khattar said that due to lockdown there was a decrease of about Rs 2,300 crore in the state revenue during the month of March and a decrease of Rs 4,000 crore was projected in the month of April.

Later, in a televised address to the people of the state, Khattar urged religious leaders to work collectively to deal with the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state and said they should also appeal to the people to follow the mantra of 3-S, that is, Stay at Home, Social distancing and Sanitation in order to prevent the spread of the fatal disease.

He also said the state government has placed order for 5 crore masks.

Khattar said that through videoconferencing he interacted with 300 religious leaders including those from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain communities from all 22 districts of the state.

The chief minister said in view of the upcoming festivals and auspicious days, people should refrain from any kind of gatherings and celebrate these occasions at their homes with their family members.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subrat Pathak has been accused of assaulting a government official in Kannauj, police said.

Tehsildar Sadar Arvind Kumar alleged that the BJP MP from Kannauj along with his 20 supporters barged into his house and attacked him yesterday over a list of ration card beneficiaries.

He also alleged that Pathak verbally abused him on the phone before coming to his house.

"A case has been registered in the matter and the investigation will be carried out," said SDM Shailesh Kumar while speaking to ANI.

Pathak, however rejected the allegations and stated that the Tehsildar had failed to provide food to the poor and misbehaved with his aides during the coronavirus crisis.

More details in this regard are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This article is part of our latest Artificial Intelligence special report, which focuses on how the technology continues to evolve and affect our lives.

Processing food is an intimate act. Consider the hands-on skills it takes to determine if a strawberry is ripe enough for picking, a raw turkey sliding down a conveyor belt is lovely enough for a Thanksgiving table or a cookie is so consistently delicious that consumers will choose it over a dozen other options on the store shelf.

Each of those decisions requires sensory judgment from a worker who has enough experience to make the right call, even at the end of a long shift. Its a challenging task at a time when the labor force is in flux, demands on the food supply are changing and the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak is likely to change the ways food is processed and shipped.

Artificial intelligence experiments like pizza delivery robots and disease-detecting farm drones have gotten a lot of media attention lately, but innovations in the middle of the food chain  the system that moves and processes hundreds of thousands of products between the field and the consumer  might be having a greater impact on what people eat every day.
Wall Street stocks rallied on data suggesting the coronavirus was cresting in New York and other hotspots, while European bourses mostly fell amid bickering over an EU support plan for the region's businesses. The Dow ended up 3.4 percent, picking up momentum after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state had suffered 779 fatalities over the last day, a new record, but that the hospitalization rate was continuing to decrease because of social confinement orders. "We are flattening the curve," Cuomo told reporters. The improved data from New York and some other hotspots has buoyed investment bulls who think the US economy may be able to ramp up before too long. But other commentators are far more skeptical, noting that the trajectory of the virus remains highly worrisome in other parts of the United States. Earlier, most European stock markets slid as the economic damage from the coronavirus became apparent and the region's leaders failed to coalesce around a stimulus proposal, pressuring the euro. "European markets have slipped back today as investors got a flavor of the economic destruction being wrought across Europe by the virus," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. The Bank of France said the nation's economy likely contracted six percent in the first quarter, putting it in recession and marking the worst performance since 1945. The German economy, Europe's biggest, is expected to shrink by nearly 10 percent in the second quarter as the coronavirus paralyses the country, leading research institutes warned Wednesday. Meanwhile, EU finance ministers failed to agree on a coronavirus bailout package for hard hit countries such as Italy and Spain. Finance ministers were unable to bridge divides after 16 hours of talks that will now resume Thursday. In Asian trading, Tokyo jumped more than two percent, helped by a weaker yen and details of Japan's huge stimulus package worth $1 trillion amid a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other regions in the country following a spike in coronavirus cases. - Oil higher - Oil prices climbed Wednesday, but the commodity continues to swing as traders keenly await Thursday's planned meeting of the world's top producers to discuss a possible output cut. Crude oil has been seared by the virus as lockdowns around the world bring the global economy to a standstill and dampen demand, while a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia has compounded the crisis. With Riyadh and Moscow taking part in the meeting Thursday, there are hopes they might draw a line under their dispute. Howie Lee, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. said that while a cut of 10 million barrels "would lend some support to prices," US participation was key, otherwise other producers would not be likely to take part. "The base case is still that a deal will get done or that talks will be extended, and that is pretty much (the) only thing keeping oil prices supported," said senior market analyst Edward Moya at online trading group OANDA. - Key figures around 2050 GMT - New York - Dow: UP 3.4 percent at 23,433.57 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 3.4 percent at 2,749.98 (close) New York - Nasdaq: UP 2.6 percent at 8,090.90 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 5,677.73 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.2 percent at 10,332.89 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.1 percent at 4,442.75 (close) EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 2,851.27 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.1 percent at 19,353.24 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 1.2 percent at 23,970.37 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 2,815.37 (close) Brent North Sea crude: UP 3.0 percent at $32.84 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 6.2 percent at $25.09 per barrel Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0850 from $1.0892 at 2100 GMT Dollar/yen: UP at 108.90 yen from 108.76 yen Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2375 from $1.2332 Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.66 pence from 88.32 burs-jmb/cs
HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania smashed its single-day high for reported coronavirus-related deaths, recording 78 more fatalities and nearly 1,600 more cases of COVID-19, as the state Department of Health said Tuesday that every county now has an infected resident.

The count more than doubled the previous single-day high of 34 deaths, and boosted the statewide death toll to 240, although the state health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, said at least some of the deaths occurred over the weekend and were delayed in being reported.

New cases  confirmed Monday through midnight  raised the statewide total to more than 14,550, according to the department.

Cumberland Countys number of deaths remained at two, but its number of cases did rise from 68 to 77 within the last day.

Perry Countys positive cases also nearly doubled in one day, rising from a steady five cases to nine cases.

Levine maintained Tuesday that the best way for people to protect themselves, their families and their communities is to stay home.

Not every state agency is necessarily urging people to stay home: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission opened trout season Tuesday, although the abrupt announcement was two weeks ahead of schedule in a move designed to preempt big gatherings of anglers and travel that typically occur on the traditional April opening day.

Meanwhile, Chester County launched a plan to test thousands of essential workers for coronavirus-fighting antibodies in their blood and Centralias graffiti highway is permanently closed.

Graffiti highway

Workers are backfilling a colorfully marked-up stretch of abandoned highway in Centralia, the Pennsylvania coal town-turned-ghost town. The former Route 61 is now private property, and it has been drawing crowds as a result of the coronavirus shutdown, said Bobby Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation.

Centralia, which was largely abandoned in the 1980s because of an underground mine fire that still burns, has long attracted visitors from around the world. But this pandemic has really changed the entire situation, and graffiti highway has become too much of a liability for the property owner, Hughes said.

Crews have been dumping and spreading tons of dirt over the abandoned road.

Immigration detainees

Federal authorities are seeking a stay of a judges order to immediately release of 22 people who were being held in civil detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at county jails in Pennsylvania while they await final decisions of their immigration cases.

The 22 people held in prisons in York and Pike counties each have chronic medical conditions and face an imminent risk of death or serious injury if exposed to COVID-19, Judge John E. Jones wrote in Tuesdays decision.

Jones made their release effective for two weeks, during which they must self-quarantine. But a filing by federal lawyers argued that Jones had not yet considered their legal argument or a factual background on the detainees criminal histories.

In a separate decision in recent days, Jones also ordered the release of 13 others. The U.S. holds around 37,000 people in immigration detention.

Separately, two inmates at the Pike County lockup have died after testing positive for the coronavirus, the county said Tuesday. They were among seven inmates at the facility who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Blood antibody tests

To fight the spread of COVID-19, Chester County will start testing the blood of essential workers in an effort to determine who has developed coronavirus antibodies and can fight off the disease.

The tests will be administered to emergency responders, prison staff, health care workers and long-term care facility staff in Chester County.

County officials acknowledge the accuracy of such testing is unclear, and it is unclear how long immunity lasts for people who have had the virus.

The county has received a shipment of 10,000 blood test kits and expects a second shipment of 10,000 to arrive next week.

Casino construction

While Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered a halt to nearly all construction activity to help stop the spread of the virus, work has continued on the $700 million Live! Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia, Spotlight PA reported.

The news organization reported that a project executive disclosed in internal emails that two workers have tested positive for the coronavirus and possibly exposed other workers. The positive tests prompted some workers to walk off the job, Spotlight PA reported.

The general contractor had obtained a waiver from Wolfs administration, but an administration spokeswoman said the waiver doesnt allow casino construction.

Waivers can be granted for emergency repairs, and the casinos operator, Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based developer, said the building is still exposed to the elements and requires critical enclosure and infrastructure work to be completed before construction work can be safely paused.

Juveniles in custody

Pennsylvanias highest court is telling county judges to identify incarcerated juveniles who are good candidates to be released to help mitigate COVID-19.

The Supreme Court issued a 6-0 order Tuesday that told president judges in each county to check into how well their juvenile residential placement facilities can prevent the virus from spreading and to limit how many juveniles are admitted during the crisis.

The high court declined to issue a blanket release order for juveniles in detention. The justices said many counties already began looking into releasing some juveniles.

Philly cash crunch

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said the city is reworking its proposed $5.2 billion budget, warning that tax collections are down dramatically and that the city faces substantial economic headwinds.

The pandemic will likely result in a painful reduction of city services, Kenney said. He would not rule out furloughs or layoffs.

When theres no money, theres no money, Kenney said. We havent been taking in hardly anything.
WASHINGTON - Melania Trump is spreading some colorful Easter cheer to workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

With the annual White House Easter Egg Roll cancelled due to concerns about large gatherings, the first lady is giving 25,000 commemorative wooden eggs to area childrens hospitals, federal agencies, aid groups and grocery store chains.

The pastel-colored eggs would have been handed out to participants in the egg roll on April 13, the day after Easter.

The eggs are being delivered Wednesday and Thursday to Childrens National Hospital, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the American Red Cross and local grocery store chains as a small token of appreciation for those serving the public, her office said.

Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, said this years eggs, made by Maine Wood Concepts, are particularly unique.

Theyll be collectors items, he said. Theyre for an event that will never take place.

The Easter Egg Roll has been cancelled only 17 times since the event started in 1878. Those cancellations were because of wars, White House renovations, bad weather -- and now a pandemic, he said.

Earlier Wednesday, the first lady released a brief video message thanking medical professionals and others on the front lines of the response to the virus.

It is because of you that the people of America are receiving the care and treatment they need, she says in the video on behalf of herself and President Donald Trump. We stand united with you and we salute your courageous and compassionate efforts. Our prayers are with all who are fighting this invisible enemy, COVID-19.

___

AP Writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

___

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Edward Stokes, who is alleged to have commanded a dog to attack a garda sergeant, and his wife Sharon

A 29-year-old man has appeared in court charged with allegedly commanding his German Shepherd dog to "attack" a garda sergeant.

He also allegedly produced a slash hook during an incident in Co Longford, on December 3, 2018.

Edward Stokes, of Ferriskill, Granard, Co Longford, was remanded on bail of 1,000 at Longford District Court yesterday and is due to appear in court again on June 23.

He was charged with three offences arising from the incident in December 2018. It was previously reported that a dog was shot and Mr Stokes was shot in the foot during the incident, which occurred near his home.

Mask

A number of strict bail conditions were imposed on him, including that he surrender his passport.

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Mr Stokes' wife, Sharon Stokes (32) - also of Ferriskill, Granard, Co Longford - was charged with producing a slash hook during the same dispute.

She wore a face mask as she stood beside her husband during the brief hearing.

Social distancing guidelines were enforced at the court sitting due to the coronavirus pandemic. She was also granted bail with strict conditions by Judge Seamus Hughes.

Sergeant Paul Carney, of Granard Garda Station, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution of the couple before yesterday's brief court sitting.

While mother-of-four Ms Stokes is facing a single charge of producing an article in a dispute, namely a slash hook, her husband is facing three charges.

He is charged with the same offence as his wife, under Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.

Mr Stokes is also charged with commanding "a German Shepherd-type dog, that you were in control of, to attack Sergeant Tom Quinn, allowing the German Shepherd dog to grab hold of Sgt Tom Quinn's necktie by its teeth.

"And that you failed to call off the dog, despite the warnings of Sgt Tom Quinn, which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to another."

This is an offence under Section 13 of the non-fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Furthermore, Mr Stokes was charged with criminal damage of the ignition key of a 09-reg Ford Focus Transit van belonging to a John Casey.

Fair

Sgt Carney asked the court for a number of strict conditions to be attached to Mr Stokes's bail.

"It is An Garda Siochana's view that conditions are necessary because of the seriousness of the charge," he told the court.

Mr Stokes appealed directly to the judge to be "a fair man" and to not attach strict bail conditions.

However, Judge Hughes agreed to the garda request and set a number of conditions on bail, including signing on daily and a curfew.

Judge Hughes said the case was of a "serious" nature, given that a slash hook was allegedly produced and that it is alleged a dog was commanded to attack a garda sergeant.

The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecution directed the couple to be charged with trial on indictment. The couple are expected to be served with the book of evidence on June 23 when they appear next, the court heard.
All returning Singapore residents to serve 14-day self-isolation at dedicated SHN facilities

Photo courtesy: Connected to India

The Ministry of Health has announced a new rule under which all Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long term pass holders entering Singapore from any country will be required to serve a 14-day self-isolation at dedicated stay-home notice (SHN) facilities. This will take effect from 11.59pm on Thursday, April 9.

This is an expansion of the previous SHN requirements for travellers returning to Singapore which earlier required only returnees from the United Kingdom and United States to serve a 14-day self-isolation at dedicated SHN facilities.

This was then expanded to returnees from ASEAN countries, France, India and Switzerland.

We have since stepped up capacity, and are now able to accommodate fresh returnees from all countries. Nevertheless, if there are unexpected capacity constraints (e.g. due to a larger than expected number of returnees), we may prioritise the dedicated SHN facilities for returnees from certain regions or countries, based on risk assessment. Returnees who are already back in Singapore will continue to serve their 14-day SHN at their current location, said an MOH statement.

The MOH also said that as was earlier announced, all returnees who disregarded prevailing travel advisories and left Singapore from March 27 2020 onwards, would be required to bear the full cost of their 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities.
The Sudanese military has said it will return the remains of 29 officers who were executed three decades ago to their families. The men were arrested in April 1990 and accused of taking part in alleged coup plot against then-president Omar al-Bashir.
The Gujarat government on



Wednesday said that during the ongoing lockdown it will provide free ration to around 60 lakh Above Poverty Line (APL) families in the state that are not covered under the National Food Security Act.

Each APL-1 card holder family will be eligible to get 10 kg wheat, three kg rice, one kg pulses and one kg sugar free of cost.

This decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

The government has also distributed free ration to around 65 lakh families holding either priority ration cards or Antyodaya ration cards.

"The cabinet has decided to provide free ration to APL-1 card holders- more than 60 lakh families. They will get 10 kg wheat, three kg rice, one kg pulses, one kg sugar per family free of cost. The total number of such beneficiaries is around 2.5 crore to 3 crore," Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said after the meeting.

"There are several APL-1 card holders who needed free ration, but were denied because they were not included in the list under National Food Security Act," he said.

The date of distribution will be decided later, but the government has decided to bear the cost of the scheme, he said.

He, however, urged that only those families, which are in crisis and need food grains should come forward to avail the government's scheme.

"Those who are well-to-do should allow only the needy avail the scheme," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A: Even if the president would just take one of those things, like the state shut-down. If another state like Iowa doesnt do it  you know, Chicago and Illinois can have one thats pretty strong, but it doesnt have barriers or boundaries. Its permeable. And so, to me, this is an example of where a governor cant do what the federal government only can do. With our governor, were lucky. Were ahead of the curve, because he issued the stay-at-home order way before Illinois saw the numbers that were happening in Washington state, New York, New Jersey, etc. And I think his leadership on that front was very strong. On the other hand, you are only as good as you are comprehensive in a pandemic.
Strikes and demonstrations continue to break out internationally, as expanding layers of the working class are drawn into the struggle for adequate resources to combat the coronavirus pandemic and protect themselves from the disease.

The total number of COVID-19 cases neared 1.5 million Tuesday night, with over 80,000 deaths. Officially reported cases in the US comprise over a quarter of that number, at roughly 400,000, with new infections surging in a number of major urban areas, including New York City and Detroit.

Doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians and other healthcare workers are facing horrific conditions, desperately trying to save as many lives as possible, while they themselves are deprived of adequate protective equipment, necessary medical resources, or in some cases even paid sick leave.

Doctors detained in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a protest against lack of equipment. Credit: Pakistan Young Doctors Association

While the Trump administration has worked with congressional Democrats to bail out the major corporations and banks with trillions of dollars, they have simultaneously carried out a policy of deliberate neglect of the measures needed to combat the pandemic and protect the population. In just one example, the American Hospital Association, representing multibillion-dollar health systems, lobbied Congress last month to kill language in a bill that would have mandated stricter protections for health workers, according to Mother Jones .

At the same time, highly exploited and impoverished workers now deemed essentialincluding grocery, meatpacking and food service workers, Amazon and other delivery workers and public transit workerscontinue to labor in crowded workplaces themselves, almost universally lacking basic protections such as face masks and gloves.

The result is predictable, with a rapidly growing number of cases and rising death toll at workplaces that continue to operate, and ominous consequences for the further spread of the disease. Thousands of workers at two of Michigans largest health systems, Henry Ford and Beaumont, have tested positive or are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, and fatalities have been reported at Walmart, Trader Joes, Giant, and UPS.

Strikes to protest these conditions are frequently emerging as wildcat actions, launched independently of the trade unions, which are earning the ire of workers for their apologetics for the companies inaction and their own indifference.

Healthcare workers

Around 30 healthcare workers demonstrated outside Harlem Hospital in New York Monday to protest the lack of protective equipment. The action followed a sit-in by nurses at a Detroit hospital early that morning.

If we are not provided with sufficient PPE, were going to be spreading this disease to our loved ones, to other patients and its going to be a vicious cycle and youre never going to be able to control it, said Ania Binkowska, a respiratory therapist, to the local press.

In western Pennsylvania, dozens of nurses walked out at a rehab center last Thursday, protesting managements refusal to provide them with N95 masks to wear around senior residents.

In Pakistan, doctors launched a strike Tuesday in noncritical wards in Balochistan, the countrys poorest province. The strike was launched in response to the arrest of nearly 70 protesting physicians in Quetta, the provinces capital, on Monday.

In the trauma centre, before the coronavirus, we had enough kits that if we were operating in the operation theatre, we had a surgical mask and cap, one doctor from a public hospital said. Now we don't even have that.

In Lesotho, a small landlocked country in Africa, doctors and healthcare workers struck Monday, protesting the governments stonewalling of demands for protective gear. Despite being surrounded by South Africa, which has the largest numbers of COVID-19 cases in Africa, Lesotho has yet to report any cases, due to its absence of testing capabilities.

Delivery workers

Amazon workers at New Yorks JFK8 facility on Staten Island struck for the second straight Monday, following other walkouts at Amazon locations in Chicago and Detroit over the last week. Chris Smalls, a worker at the fulfillment center in New York fired by the company after organizing an initial walkout, told Vice that he estimates nearly 30 cases at the site. In a widely reported leaked memo, Amazons general counsel discussed the companys PR strategy to combat the growing worker protests, snidely calling Smalls not smart or articulate.

At major retail and supermarket chain Target, gig workers for its delivery service, Shipt, refused to take assignments Tuesday, demanding hazard pay, protective equipment, and strengthened sick time policies. Workers for Shipt have said that even as their work has grown more dangerous, a change in the companys compensation algorithm has lowered their pay.

Target spokesman Joe Poulos denounced the strikes, saying, Its unfortunate that a very small number of people were communicating there was this big strike.

Grocery and food service

In Boston, grocery store workers from a number of chains, including Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Stop & Shop, and others, demonstrated Tuesday. Theres always a level of fear, Lisa Wilson, a worker at Shaws and an organizer of the protest, said to the Boston Globe. Is today going to be the day that I get sick?

On Sunday, workers at a McDonalds location in Los Angeles walked out after learning that a coworker had been diagnosed with COVID-19, following walkouts at McDonalds in a number of other cities in recent weeks.

Weve been pleading for protective equipment for more than a month now, but McDonalds is putting its profits ahead of our health, Bartolome Perez, a cook at the location, told local news. We dont want to die for McDonalds burgers and fries.

Manufacturing and construction

Also in Massachusetts, thousands more construction workers, members of the Painters and Allied Trades Union, stopped work Tuesday, joining some 13,000 carpenters who began to strike on Monday, responding to the state governors refusal to shut down nonessential construction sites.

Sheet metal workers also stopped work on construction on a casino, police administration, and other projects in South Philadelphia. Construction at the casino had previously been halted after a drywall finisher was confirmed to have COVID-19 earlier in March.

In Romeoville, Illinois, some 20 workers at the auto parts manufacturer Midwest Air Tech walked out Monday morning, also after a worker was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. Management reportedly had sought to persuade workers with a bump in pay to clean the plant themselves, rather than hiring a professional cleaning firm.

After more than a week of angry protests by GE Appliance workers demanding the closure of the giant Louisville, Kentucky, facility, the company announced a deal with local union officials from International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America to give workers a $2 raise and grant a leave of absence to workers with underlying health issues, or childcare and eldercare issues. After making noises last week about calling a strike, the IUE-CWA announced it had to abide by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshears decision that the appliance maker was an essential business.

Workers are livid about being kept at work despite the threat. In a Facebook video, one worker said, I just dont understand the mind-frame and the thought process of why building a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, or a refrigerator is worth putting peoples lives at risk. Not only their lives, the workers, but then their families when they go home to them.

The major automakers have idled most of their main assembly operations following a wave of wildcat actions, but some are seeking to restart as early as the beginning of May, even as the number of COVID-19 deaths among autoworkers continues to rise. Meanwhile, a number of auto parts firms, along with agricultural and heavy equipment firms such as Deere, Inc. and Caterpillar, are still operating, with increasingly vocal protests from workers over the lack of protections.
B oris Johnson remains in intensive care at St Thomas Hospital but is improving and has been sitting up in bed and engaging with his clinical team, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.

Mr Sunak, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said Mr Johnson is receiving excellent care, adding: The latest from the hospital is the Prime Minister remains in intensive care where his condition is improving.

I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.

The Prime Minister is not only my colleague and my boss but also my friend, and my thoughts are with him and his family.

Boris Johnson spends second night in intensive care

A Downing Street spokesman later said: The Prime Minister continues to make steady progress. He remains in intensive care.

Earlier today Mr Johnson's official spokesman said he continued to be in good spirits after spending his third night in hospital being treated over the coronavirus.

Mr Johnson was said to be no longer working while following the advice of doctors and receiving just the standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance.

When asked about further specifics about his condition or treatment, the spokesman said the update includes all the information the PMs medical team considers to be clinically relevant.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

Mr Johnson was moved to the critical care unit on Monday evening after his symptoms of Covid-19 worsened.

He was originally admitted to St Thomas on Sunday on the advice of his doctor after continuing to display symptoms of cough and high temperature ten days after testing positive for the virus.

After the news emerged, it was announced that the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab will deputise for the PM and lead the Government's battle against the crisis "where necessary".

Boris Johnson stable and comfortable' and not on a ventilator, health minister Edward Argar confirms

Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Edward Argar said: Although he had oxygen when he was admitted, he hasnt needed mechanical ventilation.

"And I think, judging by the emails Im getting from around the country and indeed right across the political spectrum, the message is everybody sends him and Carrie their very best wishes and wishes him a very full and very speedy recovery.

The Prime Minister has received a wealth of support from well-wishers around the world including US President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Scientists using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have noticed a strong reduction of ozone concentrations over the Arctic.

Scientists using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have noticed a strong reduction of ozone concentrations over the Arctic. Unusual atmospheric conditions, including freezing temperatures in the stratosphere, have led ozone levels to plummet - causing a 'mini-hole' in the ozone layer.

The ozone layer is a natural, protective layer of gas in the stratosphere that shields life from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation - which is associated with skin cancer and cataracts, as well as other environmental issues.

The 'ozone hole' most commonly referenced is the hole over Antarctica, forming each year during autumn.

In the past weeks, scientists from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have noticed the unusually strong depletion of ozone over the northern polar regions. Using data from the Tropomi instrument on the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, they were able to monitor this Arctic ozone hole form in the atmosphere.

In the past, mini ozone holes have occasionally been spotted over the North Pole, but the depletion over the Arctic this year is much larger compared to previous years.

Diego Loyola, from the German Aerospace Center, comments, "The ozone hole we observe over the Arctic this year has a maximum extension of less than 1 million sq km. This is small compared to the Antarctic hole, which can reach a size of around 20 to 25 million sq km with a normal duration of around 3 to 4 months."

Even though both poles endure ozone losses during winter, the Arctic's ozone depletion tends to be significantly less than Antarctica. The ozone hole is driven by extremely cold temperatures (below -80C), sunlight, wind fields and substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Arctic temperatures do not usually plummet as low as in Antarctica. However, this year, powerful winds flowing around the North Pole trapped cold air within what is known as the 'polar vortex' - a circling whirlpool of stratospheric winds.

By the end of the polar winter, the first sunlight over the North Pole initiated this unusually strong ozone depletion - causing the hole to form. However, its size is still small compared to what can usually be observed in the southern hemisphere.

Diego says, "Since 14 March, the ozone columns over the Arctic have decreased to what is normally considered 'ozone hole levels,' which are less than 220 Dobson Units. We expect the hole to close again during mid-April 2020."

Claus Zehner, ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, adds, "The Tropomi total ozone measurements are extending Europe's capability of the continuous global ozone monitoring from space since 1995. In this time, we have not witnessed an ozone hole formation of this size over the Arctic."

In the 2018 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, data shows that the ozone layer in parts of the stratosphere has recovered at a rate of 1-3% per decade since 2000. At these projected rates, the Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is predicted to recover by around 2030, followed by the Southern Hemisphere around 2050, and polar regions by 2060.

The Tropomi instrument on the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite measures a number of trace gases, including aerosol and cloud properties with a global coverage on a daily basis. Given the importance of monitoring air quality and global ozone distribution, the upcoming Copernicus Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 missions will monitor key air quality trace gases, stratospheric ozone, and aerosols. As part of the EU's Copernicus programme, the missions will provide information on air quality, solar radiation and climate monitoring.

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TDT | Manama

The First Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the imprisonment of a European woman who re-entered Bahrain using her friends passport after she was blacklisted by a court order for her involvement in a prostitution case.

The woman was sentenced by the High Criminal Court last January to three years behind bars and deportation, and was blacklisted from re-entering the Kingdom. The details of the case showed that the woman was deported on December 5, 2018, after she was convicted of depending on vice for a living.

According to her statements in the interrogation, she stayed with a friend in a neighbouring GCC country for less than a month. The woman also said that she stole her friends passport and entered Bahrain with it, justifying her action by telling investigators that she wanted to stay with her GCC boyfriend here.

The appellant succeeded in passing the passports and customs checks at Bahrain International Airport. However, she was arrested at a local hotel after police received a tip about the matter.

In a similar scenario to the first case, in which she was convicted, the woman was caught and charged with prostitution. I wanted to stay with my boyfriend at the hotel. This is why I came back in Bahrain, she told prosecutors, denying the prostitution charges. She also claimed: I was in another GCC country and I just wanted to come and be with him for a while.
Private passenger jets sit on the tarmac at Geneva International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, March 13, 2020.

The virus has infected nearly 1.5 million people and killed at least 81,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

"We believe that to be taking place in the second part of the second quarter, towards the end of May or early June," he told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Wednesday.

"We've got to be ready for the restart, and the restart will come," said Thomas Flohr, chairman of VistaJet.

Air travel has been badly affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, with demand evaporating as countries scramble to limit the spread of the disease.

There will be a "significant rebound" in the aviation industry once borders start to open up, the founder of a private jet company said this week.

"We believe there will be a significant rebound eventually, once borders are slightly starting to open up. People will need to travel," said Flohr.

He also said traffic in Asia and Australia is reopening "slightly." The region was the initial epicenter of infections before hotspots emerged in Europe, the Middle East and America. Signs of recovery have appeared, with people being allowed to leave Wuhan on Wednesday for the first time since the Chinese city went into lockdown in late January.

VistaJet sees "certain pockets of traffic" between Australia and Southeast Asia, as well as repatriation flights into China.

While it's "very difficult" to forecast what will happen for the rest of 2020, Flohr said there are "slight hopes of improvements."

He predicted, however, that airlines will have trouble trying to restore services.

"It will be difficult for the airlines to restart the logistics, to restart this entire global network because initially, you will have very low load factors," he said. "Is it then worthwhile to deploy a 777 or an Airbus A380 on a route which was obviously profitable when there was a load factor of 80%, 90%?"

Flohr suggested, for a start, that private planes could be used when it doesn't make business sense to fly a commercial aircraft.

"We just need a few passengers on board and maybe that's where the business aviation world can work closely together with the airlines," he said. "We are happy to collaborate."
A peace deal concluded between Washington and the Taliban Islamist movement that was supposed to bring an end to US imperialisms longest war is rapidly unraveling amid rising violence and the failure of the crisis-ridden Kabul regime to carry out a prisoner release agreement brokered by Washington.

The Taliban warned on Sunday that the agreement signed in the Qatari capital of Doha on February 29 is breaking down under the impact of what it charges are US violations in the form of airstrikes that have targeted its forces and killed civilians.

The latest reported airstrike took place early Sunday in the central Afghan province of Uruzgan, leaving at least eight civilians killed and two others gravely wounded according to regional officials. The Taliban blamed the US and its NATO-led coalition for the attack.

In another incident on Sunday, the Taliban charged that an airstrike carried out against a funeral in southern Zabul province killed two civilians. The Afghan Ministry of Defense claimed that its forces had attacked Taliban fighters there after a clash at a checkpoint manned by security forces of the Kabul regime.

Warning that its deal with the US was reaching the breaking point, the Taliban stated that the attacks had created an atmosphere of mistrust that will not only damage the agreements, but also force the mujaheddin to a similar response and will increase the level of fighting.

A spokesman for the US military dismissed the Taliban charges as baseless, while insisting that American occupation forces will defend our ANDSF [Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces] partners if attacked.

Negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul regime on a prisoner swap have also broken down, with the Islamist movement announcing that it was withdrawing its negotiating team from the Afghan capital after what it termed a series of fruitless meetings.

An agreement that Kabul would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in return for the freeing of 1,000 soldiers, police and other pro-regime elements was part of the deal signed with the US in Doha. It was described as a confidence-building measure that was to precede inter-Afghan talks that had been scheduled for March 10.

The US-backed Kabul government headed by President Ashraf Ghani, however, said that it had not been party to this agreement. The Taliban refused to negotiate with it, regarding it as a US puppet, and Washington tacitly acknowledged this characterization by excluding it from the talks. The Kabul regime subsequently attempted to link the prisoner release to the imposition of new conditions upon the Taliban, including a halt to attacks on government security forces.

The Doha-based Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that the technical team sent to Kabul would not continue participating in fruitless meetings, charging that the release of the movements prisoners had been repeatedly delayed under one pretext or another.

Spokesmen for Ghanis government have claimed that the Taliban has demanded the release of 15 of its senior commanders held prisoner by the regime. Matin Bek, a member of the governments negotiating team, told reporters on Monday that the government refused the demand. We dont want them to go back to the battlefield and capture a whole province.

The regime is loath to release the prisoners without extracting concessions from the Taliban. It sees them as one of its few bargaining chips under conditions in which the Taliban has gained control over more territory than at any time since the October 2001 US invasion that overthrew the regime headed by the Islamist movement. Today, over half the country is either controlled or contested by the Taliban.

The Kabul regimes negotiations with the Taliban have been hamstrung in part by its continuing failure to resolve its own internal crisis over a disputed presidential election held last September, whose results were announced only in late February, proclaiming incumbent Ghani the victor.

His challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who had been installed as chief executive as part of a US-brokered deal following the last disputed election, charged that the results were the result of fraud and claimed that he was the legitimate president. Both he and Ghani held simultaneous inauguration ceremonies last month. Abdullah declared all actions by Ghani illegitimate and went so far as to appoint one of his loyalists as governor of Sar-e Pol province in north-central Afghanistan.

On March 23, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unscheduled trip to Afghanistan, where he announced that Washington was cutting off $1 billion in aid to the Kabul regime this year and would do the same in 2021 if the two rivals did not reach an accommodation. According to a report by NBC this week, he also threatened that the US would carry out a complete withdrawal of all of its troops from the country.

Under the agreement signed in Doha, the number of US troops in Afghanistan was supposed to be cut from the present deployment of 13,000 to 8,600 by July, with a complete withdrawal within 14 months. In return, the Taliban pledged to deny the use of Afghan soil by Al Qaeda or any other group that poses a threat to the security interests of the US and its allies.

The threat of renewed fighting, government paralysis and the slashing of US aidwith foreign aid accounting for 40 percent of Afghanistans GDPcomes amid a mounting threat that the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic will exact a devastating toll on the countrys impoverished population.

After more than 18 years of US war and occupation, the countrys health care system is devastated, while over 40 percent of its 38.4 million people live below the poverty line, without access to clean water or sewerage systems and living in crowded communal dwellings. There are more than 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan as a result of the war, while millions more have fled into exile.

The threat that the coronavirus will sweep the country is based not only on these social conditions, but also on the impact of hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrant workers returning from Iran, having lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and the impact of tightening US sanctions. Iran has one of the highest rates of infection in the world, with over 62,000 confirmed cases and nearly 4,000 deaths. Both figures are believed to be extreme underestimates.

Afghanistan has reported only 423 cases and 14 deaths thus far, but with the near total absence of testing and the lack of medical care for much of the population, these figures are a fraction of the real toll.

In the western province of Herat, on the border with Iran, officials have reported that 41 health care workers from one regional hospital have tested positive with coronavirus. Doctors and nurses there say that they lack personal protection equipment. On Monday, there was the first case of a doctor dying from the disease at a private hospital in Kabul.

More than 200,000 Afghans have poured back across the border from Iran since the beginning of the year. At the height of this exodus last month, 15,000 were crossing a day. None of them were checked for symptoms or subjected to quarantines, and they have scattered throughout the country, doubtless many carrying the virus with them.

The path for the coronavirus to ravage Afghanistan has been paved by a US war of aggression that has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of Afghans and laid waste to the entire country, while claiming the lives of nearly 2,400 US troops.

While the estimated cost of this war is over one trillion dollars, Washington has offered a miserable $15 million in aid to Afghanistan to fight the pandemic. Imperialist foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy. Just as the ruling class is shoveling trillions of dollars into Wall Street, the banks and corporations while failing to provided resources to save the lives of the sick or protect those of health care workers at home, so it is prepared to spend a trillion dollars on war in Afghanistan, while offering a pittance to stem the tide of the pandemic sweeping over the war-torn and impoverished country.
My company is taking it seriously, and the people at our company terminals are practicing appropriate measures, but nobody else in the communities I passed through last week seemed too concerned at all.

Indifference to the pandemic has Cote bothered.

It just seems so willfully ignorant, and it puts others at unnecessary risk, Cote said. Not to get too political, but theres a big red-state and blue-state divide surrounding this issue.

Cote knows something about duty, sacrifice and serving his country.

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After graduating from Abingdon High School in 1989, Cote entered the Marine Corps. His four-year hitch included deployments to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Cote returned to active duty in the Army in 1996. He worked for 17 years in military transportation before retiring in 2012. Cote received the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq, where he led troops as a convoy commander in a gun truck security unit.

My experience in Iraq and Afghanistan didnt so much train me for dealing with this type of situation as it conditioned me to just accept the possibility of the worst case happening and keep going, Cote said.
Several years ago I wrote a book entitled Change Agent: Engaging your passion to be the one who makes a difference. During the writing of that book I discovered 6 unique stages God took his leaders through to become His change agents.

One of the 6 stages I discovered was an Isolation Stage. It seems God often set aside a leader away from his normal life for a greater purpose.

For some it was jail time like the apostle Paul. Paul wrote many of his epistles when he was imprisoned. This would be said of Jeremiah, Isaiah and many others. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me (Isa 49:2).

The apostle John was put on the Island of Patmos where he received the vision of Revelation. He did not die on this island, but God used his isolation on Patmos to download an important part of the Bible for Gods people.

John Bunyan was imprisoned twelve years for preaching the Gospel. What came from his time in prison was one of Christianitys greatest classics: Pilgrims Progress.

And the world might have been a very different place if Sir Isaac Newton had never had to be quarantined

Sir Issac Newtons Greatest Discoveries Came in a 2 Year Quarantine

On Christmas Eve in 1664, a London resident named Goodwoman Phillips was found dead in the run-down district of St. Giles-in-the-Fields. Telltale buboes on her corpse left no doubt about the cause of death. Her house was sealed and the words Lord Have Mercy On Us were painted on the door in red: Phillips had died of bubonic plague.

Only a few other deaths from plague were reported over the next few months. But by April, the numbers had begun to climb markedly. When summer arrived, death was everywhere. Records from mid-July showed 2,010 deaths, spread among every parish in London.

The death toll a week later had jumped to 7,496. Over a period of 18 months, the Great Plague of London, as the epidemic came to be called, would claim more than 100,000 lives  roughly a quarter of the citys population.

Then as now, social distancing was an important response to the deadly outbreak. Urban residents who could afford to do so fled to the countryside.

Among the institutions that closed for the duration was Cambridge University, and among the students who headed home for what today we would call self-quarantining was a 23-year-old mathematics student by the name of Isaac Newton.

For the next year and a half, Newton remained at his familys farm in Lincolnshire, reading, studying, and thinking alone. While the bubonic plague raged elsewhere, Newton embarked on what he would later describe as the most intellectually productive period of his life.

One subject that had always interested Newton was light and color. Two years earlier, visiting the annual Sturbridge Fair near the university, he had purchased a small glass prism. He had been fascinated by the way the prism seemed to change white light into a spectrum of rainbow-like colors.

No one understood where those colors came from; one theory was that the glass somehow added color to otherwise colorless light.

This wasnt the only discovery Newton made during his isolation. Newtons laws laid the foundation for classical mechanics, and upon it, generations of physicists would build towering edifices. The mathematics required to derive these laws--which involve multiple variables with continuously changing quantities--did not exist in Newton's day.

So he invented an entirely new mathematical discipline. Without calculus, modern mathematics, engineering, and statistics would be impossible.

God often used isolation to prepare his leaders for a greater assignment. Joseph was sold into slavery and later accused of a crime he did not do which landed him in prison. God used over 13 years of preparation for what would be an 81-year assignment as second in command of Egypt.

Nelson Mandella would be imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid, revolutionary political activities in South Africa. He would move from the jail cell to the presidential palace for five years as president of South Africa from 1994-1999.

God Turns Messes into Messages and Messengers

What I observed is God turns our messes into messages and creates messengers in the process.

God initiates a time of separation from past dependencies to realign values of the leader. King David was forced to flee Saul, who was trying to kill him. He ended up in the Cave of Adullam as his hiding place.

During his time in the cave he wrote three of the Psalms: Psalm 34, 57, and 142. The down and outs joined him in the cave. They became known as Davids Mighty Men.

God often gave the leader treasures in darkness. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel (Isa 45:3).

I recall God doing this in my own life in the mid-nineties. I was in a time of isolation from a difficult season. I began to reflect on what I was learning in that season that resulted in my writing a devotional series entitled TGIF Today God Is First.

That devotional is now read in 105 nations around the world. Recently I wrote another book during a time of isolation that is just now being released called The Hidden Place: One mans journey to freedom.

How might God be using this quarantine time in the nations for His purposes? Maybe you are being isolated right now. Perhaps there is a book or a message God is downloading to you right now.

I encourage you to use this time to listen. Allow this mess to download a message from God that might be used for His people at this time as His messenger.

Os Hillman is author of 20 books and the popular devotional TGIF Today God Is First. His most recent book is The Hidden Place: One mans journey to freedom.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

Os Hillman is author of 20 books and the popular devotional TGIF Today God Is First. His most recent book is The Hidden Place: One Man's Journey to Freedom.
One of George Pell's accusers has accepted the high court's decision to overturn his child sex abuse conviction - saying the law is 'weighed in favour of the accused'.

Known as Witness J, the former choirboy came forward after another accuser died in 2014 and claimed he too was abused by the cardinal.

He said he understood there must be 'due and proper process' in a civil society, but feared the system was flawed - leaving many child sex offenders unpunished.

Cardinal Pell was jailed for six years in 2018 for sexually abusing two choirboys in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in 1996, but on Tuesday his convictions was quashed.

Two of three Court of Appeals justices at the upheld the jury's verdict last year, but a full bench of the High Court unanimously quashed the convictions.

'I respect the decision of the High Court. I accept the outcome,' Witness J said in a statement released by his lawyer, Vivian Waller.

A child's tricycle is seen on the gate of the Carmelite Monastery (pictured) where Cardinal George Pell is staying in Kew, Melbourne on Wednesday

Cardinal George Pell (pictured) is seen on Tuesday after being released from Barwon Prison after the High Court overturned his conviction

St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne was vandalised with red and white paint overnight (pictured)

'It is difficult in child sex abuse matters to satisfy a criminal court that the offending has occurred beyond the shadow of a doubt.

'I understand why criminal cases must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt.

'No-one wants to live in a society where people can be imprisoned without due and proper process. This is a basic civil liberty.

'But the price we pay for weighing the system in favour of the accused is that many sexual offences against children go unpunished.'

But Witness J said he hoped the outcome wouldn't discourage child sexual abuse survivors from coming forward, and reassured them 'most people recognise the truth when they hear it'.

Cardinal Pell was acquitted of child sex abuse convictions and spent his first night out of prison in this monastery, where a child's bike was left (pictured)

Crime Scene Services leave St Patrick's Cathedral on Wednesday morning (pictured) after investigating graffiti sprayed overnight

Graffiti sprayed overnight on Tuesday (pictured) on St Patrick's Cathedral, including red paint on the forecourt and white crosses on the gate

'I am content with that,' he said.

The father of the boy who died said he was shocked at the result, and heartbroken for his son's friend 'who had nothing to gain from speaking out'.

Cardinal Pell spent his first night after 405 days in prison at the Carmelite Monastery in Melbourne, where a lone child's tricycle was left overnight.

Haunting pictures show the small red bike tied to the monastery's front gates, surrounded by colourful ribbons.

And it seems Pell could be already enjoying his new found freedom, with a private chef seen leaving the Carmelite Monastry in Melbourne on Wednesday morning.

The Carmelite Monastery in Kew (pictured), where George Pell is staying following his release HM Prison Barwon in Geelong on Tuesday

White ribbons were also tied to the gates of St Patrick's Cathedral on Wednesday morning (pictured), where the alleged abuse was said to have taken place

He is also said to be planning a trip to Rome, which is currently in lockdown after 17,000 Italian coronavirus deaths, or out to America, which is similarly affected.

Some reports suggested that the cardinal could even speak directly to the media as early as Wednesday afternoon.

The court's decision has bitterly divided many Australians, with protesters hanging up white ribbons outside St Patrick's Cathedral, where Cardinal Pell's accusers alleged the abuse took place.

It was also vandalised overnight, with messages such as 'no justice' and 'the law protects the rich and powerful' scrawled across its doors and forecourt.

Meanwhile, the Vatican welcomed Cardinal Pell's acquittal, praising him for having 'waited for the truth to be ascertained'.

George Pell is seen on Tuesday (pictured) after being released from prison, having spent 405 days behind bars

The doors of St Patrick's Cathedral, where the alleged abuse took place, were covered up on Wednesday morning (pictured) after being vandalised overnight

A man wearing a face mask removes a child's tricycle that was hung on a gate of the Carmelite Monastery in Melbourne (pictured) on Wednesday morning

While not mentioning Cardinal Pell by name, Pope Francis offered his Tuesday morning mass for those who suffer from unjust sentences.

'I would like to pray today for all those people who suffer unjust sentences resulting from intransigence (against them),' the Pope said.

The 78-year-old cardinal was watching television just after 10am when the news broke on Tuesday that he was to be released.

'I was watching the television news in my cell when the news came through... I thought, 'well, that's great. I'm delighted',' he told The Daily Telegraph through a friend.

A worker at the monastery (pictured) is seen removing the tricycle which was left outside overnight by protesters

Pell leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne on June 6 2019 after his initial conviction

'Of course, there was no one to talk to about it until my legal team arrived. However, I did get a great cheer from somewhere within the jail and then the three other inmates near me gave a great cheer as well.'

When asked by a prison guard how he felt about the 'miracle', Cardinal Pell said there was no miracle, only 'justice'.

Pell's first meal as a free man was steak and vegetables, which was cooked by nuns.

He did not stop to speak as he left the prison and instead issued a statement saying the serious injustice he has suffered had been remedied.

A nun closes the gates at the Carmelite Monastery in Kew, where George Pell is staying following his release HM Prison Barwon in Geelong (pictured on Tuesday)

'I hold no ill will to my accuser, I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough,' he said.

Pell said his trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church or how Australian church authorities dealt with paedophilia.

'The point was whether I had committed these awful crimes, and I did not,' he said.

Cardinal Pell was charged by Victoria Police officers after a man came forward in 2014 alleging he and another choirboy had been sexually abused at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996.

That boy, now in his 30s, gave evidence in court, revealing he felt compelled to come forward after the death of the other boy.

A jury convicted Cardinal Pell of five charges in December 2018 after an earlier jury was unable to reach a verdict.

Victoria's Court of Appeal upheld the convictions last year.

With coronavirus sending Queensland into lockdown, the forecourt and road outside the High Court in Brisbane were empty for the handing down of Tuesday's decision.
BOSTON - Courthouses shuttered. Thousands of trials on hold. Legal deadlines pushed.

The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the U.S. legal system, creating constitutional dilemmas as the accused miss their days in court. The public health crisis could build a legal backlog that overwhelms courts across the country, leaving some defendants behind bars longer, and forcing prosecutors to decide which cases to pursue and which to let slide.

Everybody is scrambling. Nobody really knows how to handle this, said Claudia Lagos, a criminal defence attorney in Boston.

Judges from California to Maine have postponed trials and nearly all in-person hearings to keep crowds from packing courthouses. Trials that were underway  like the high-profile case against multimillionaire real estate heir Robert Durst  have been halted. Some chief judges have suspended grand juries, rendering new indictments impossible. Other have allowed them to sit, though six feet apart.

Prosecutors may have to abandon some low-level cases to keep people from flooding into the legal system.

Many judges are holding hearings by phone or video chat to keep all cases from grinding to a halt. Other courts are stymied by outdated technology. The clerk for the the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Molly Dwyer, likened the logistical challenges to building the bike as we ride it.

Judges have asked for emergency powers to delay trials longer than the law generally allows and extend key deadlines, like when a defendant must initially appear in court.

That could keep people locked up longer, exposing them to unsafe jail conditions, and violate their constitutional right to a speedy trial, defence lawyers say.

We shouldnt be creating mechanisms in the current crisis to keep people in jail longer. The jails are just tinderboxes waiting for the virus to take off, said Jeff Chorney, deputy public defender in Alameda County, California. Courts there now have seven days instead of 48 hours to hold arraignments, during which a defendant is often appointed a lawyer and can enter a plea.

The pandemic has shuttered nearly every aspect of everyday life as the death toll mounts and more states impose strict stay-at-home orders. There are nearly 400,000 cases and more than 12,000 deaths in the U.S., according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Still, coast-to-coast disruptions of the courts system are unprecedented.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced courts in New Orleans to temporarily close. The suspension of legal deadlines after the natural disaster left thousands languishing behind bars for months without formal charges, attorneys say. Lawyers there fear a repeat.

On a regular day, without a crisis like Katrina and COVID, you can imagine people getting lost in a system like this, said Alanah Odoms Hebert, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana. There will be a lot folks who fall through the cracks.

No civil litigation is getting done. U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger in Chicago chafed at a recent request for an emergency order barring the alleged misuse of elf and unicorn drawings. The world, he said, is facing a real emergency. (The) plaintiff is not.

The COVID-19 disruptions are causing widespread confusion with prosecutors and defence attorneys as they struggle to file documents, get matters heard in courthouses operating on skeleton crews and share information with jailed clients while maintaining social distancing.

Lawyers for Elizabeth Holmes, head of the blood-testing startup Theranos scheduled to be tried this summer for allegedly defrauding investors, asked a California federal judge to also exempt them from the orders. They said the restrictions made witness preparation and serving subpoenas difficult. The judge refused.

Attorneys are wary of visiting their clients in jails for fear of contracting the virus or spreading it behind bars. They rely on phone calls, which in some places are recorded, limiting what they can say.

You have to sort of chose between your safety and your clients safety ... or their constitutional rights. Its a really impossible situation, said William Isenberg, a Boston defence attorney.

The haphazard operations could lead defendants to later challenge convictions, even if their lawyers did the best they could during the virus-related tumult.

Courthouse chaos may worsen when the shutdowns end, as judges try to return to old cases while fielding a burst in new cases. A flood of lawsuits linked to COVID-19 will add to the logjam.

The courts are looking down the barrel of a real serious bottleneck, said Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. I dont think anybody has figured out what theyre going to do.

Crime victims are also forced to wait. In Minnesota, the virus has postponed the federal trial of an Illinois militia leader accused of being the ringleader in the 2017 pipe bombing of a Minnesota mosque. Michael Haris trial was already postponed once. Now its scheduled for late July.

Mohamed Omar, executive director of the mosque, said community members want to see quick justice, but that he understands the need for a delay.

The safety of our community and those that are vulnerable are more important to us now more than any other thing, he said. This is bigger than all of us.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in a few weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

____

Tarm reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporters Curt Anderson in Miami, Mike Balsamo in Washington and Amy Forliti in St. Paul, Minnesota contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, not 2004.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting, via video-conferencing, with members of Parliament from Delhi on Wednesday regarding the prevailing coronavirus situation in the capital.

MPs from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, representing the capital, were present at the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain confirmed a total of 576 positive COVID-19 cases in Delhi so far, out of which 35 patients are in ICUs and eight on ventilators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thanks for all your feedback on this newsletters makeover. Weve refined a few design elements, but you also told us there are some bugs if youre using Outlook to read the daily email. Were working to fix that as soon as possible. Now, on to todays news.

Legos collaboration with Nintendo on a set of Super Mario figures and levels sounds really intriguing. It also sounds really expensive. The Starter Course is now available to pre-order for $59.99/59.99  the same price as a Switch game at launch. In Legos defense, these sets are a bit more elaborate than an Overwatch playset or other prior projects.

The Mario figure has LCD screens packed into his eyes, with a larger one set into his overalls. He also packs a built-in speaker -- no wonder hes bigger than the typical Lego figure. The company adds that there will be a companion Lego Super Mario app for tracking scores as well as housing instruction manuals and suggestions for other creative ways to build and play. At these prices (the Bowser kit is just shy of $100), the replayability factor is crucial.

-- Mat

PS5 DualSense controller has a built-in mic and adaptive triggers

Meet Sonys new gamepad.

Engadget

We havent actually seen the PlayStation 5 yet, but at least weve met its controller. The DualSense sports a two-tone look and a smaller light bar that wraps around the touchpad. The Share button has been swapped out for a Create button, which should inspire many future Twitch streamers, and a built-in microphone array promises to enable in-game chatting even if you dont wear a headset.

And that DualSense name? Haptic feedback should provide more immersion than mere rumbling, while adaptive L2 and R2 triggers give you a feel of resistance for actions like drawing back an arrow.

Continue reading.

Dell's XPS 15 and 17 leak with sleek new designs

Time for a new look.

Engadget

Seen the new XPS 13? Someone on Reddit put an image up showing new designs for the larger XPS 15 and 17, which give them a similar look, with tall 16:10 screens and no bezels or big USB-A ports.

Continue reading.

What to know before buying a smartwatch

Our guide to getting the most for your money.

Engadget

Just a couple of years ago, the case for smartwatches wasnt clear. Today, the wearable world is filled with a bunch of high-quality devices to choose from, and a few key players have pushed themselves to the front of the pack. But which one? Well, that depends on what you want, but, yes, the Apple Watch is right up there, as are some Fitbit models.

Continue reading.

WhatsApp imposes even stricter limits on message forwarding

Its to slow the spread of misinformation.

If you receive a frequently forwarded message -- one thats been forwarded more than five times and identifiable with a double arrow icon -- youll only be able to forward them on to one chat at a time. Its a defense against misinformation: The company says its seen a significant increase in the number of forwarded messages on the platform, and while many of them are relatively innocent -- memes and prayers, for example -- this practice is contributing to the spread of misinformation.

Its not the first time WhatsApp has imposed such measures. After both it and its parent company, Facebook, were accused of playing a pivotal role in the spread of misinformation during violence in India in 2018, WhatsApp reduced the number of times a message could be forwarded from 20 to five. This time its a global effort, however.

Continue reading.

Netflix's new parental controls include PIN-protected profiles

And you can turn off auto-play for kids profiles.

Engadget

Netflix has had separate user profiles, including ones that stick to kids content, for a while, but some new changes could make parents more comfortable. Adults can use a PIN to secure their own profiles so kids cant open the app and watch whatever they want. Adults can also remove series or films by title, select between different age filters for a kids profile and see the history of what children have been watching.

Continue reading.

Google releases Chrome 81 with 'app badging' for subtle notifications

The next version will be Chrome 83, update your notes accordingly.

Engadget

Keeping up to date with Googles reworked schedule, the latest version of Chrome is going out to everyone. It has new tweaks for WebXR and some NFC support, plus widely available support for app badges. That lets web apps update their icons to let you know theres something new, like a waiting email or a message in Slack, without popping up an intrusive notification.

Continue reading.

The best Xbox games

Given the 2020 refresh.

Engadget

Today, we walk through the best games to get for your Xbox One -- theres still time before the next-gen consoles get here, you know. And if you want something that doesnt center around guns or blades, we recommend the newest addition to the list: Ori and the Blind Forest.

Continue reading.

The best board games with an app-based twist

Ten Engadget favorites that blend digital and analog play.

Engadget

Conversely, how about some games involving less screen time. The caveat, here, is that not all of these are lockdown appropriate, but if youre living with family or several roommates, we have a few ideas to distract from Monopoly or another Netflix binge.

Continue reading.

But wait, theres more...

Samsung's older smart TVs are losing remote control app support

The Big Picture: See every square foot of asteroid Bennu, Earth's little frenemy

Vizio SmartCast TVs add 30 new free TV channels

Nuro's driverless delivery cars are cleared for testing in California

As cinephiles shelter, studios are catching on to virtual movie nights

What's on TV this week: 'Final Fantasy VII Remake'

Award-winning RPG 'Disco Elysium' is coming to Nintendo Switch
European Commission approves 790 mn Croatian guarantee scheme for companies with export activities affected by coronavirus outbreak

April 07,2020 | Source: The European Sting

The European Commission has found a HRK 6 billion (approximately 790 million) Croatian liquidity guarantee scheme for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April 2020.



Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: This Croatian guarantee scheme of approximately 790 million will support companies with a certain amount of export activities in these difficult times. We continue to work in close cooperation with Member States to find workable solutions to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, in line with EU rules.



Croatia notified to the Commission under the Temporary Framework a HRK 6 billion (approximately 790 million) loan guarantee scheme targeted at certain companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The support, in the form of State guarantees on loans, will be accessible to all companies whose exports represent at least 20% of their yearly revenue. The guarantees will support lending to those companies, but will not take the form of export aid contingent on export activities.



The scheme aims at limiting the risk associated with issuing operating loans to those companies that are most severely affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, thus ensuring the continuation of their activities.



The Commission found that the Croatian measure is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, it covers guarantees on operating loans with a limited maturity and size. It also limits the risk taken by the State to a maximum of 50%. This ensures that support is available at favourable conditions and limited to those who need it in this unprecedented situation. To achieve this goal, the measures also involve minimum remuneration and safeguards to ensure that the aid is effectively channelled by the banks or other financial institutions to the beneficiaries in need.



The Commission therefore concluded that the Croatian guarantee scheme for exporting companies will contribute to managing the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak in Croatia. The measures are necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework.



On this basis, the Commission approved the measures under EU State aid rules.

 2013-2020 The European Sting

Theme(s): Others.
The roadrunner profile photo doesnt seem to tip people off.

Folks in the Twitterverse start hammering out missives to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf -- many of them angry -- and they input the handle @GovernorWolf.

But theyre not speaking to the soft-spoken s 47th governor of the Keystone State or his social media team. (Hes @GovernorTomWolf, by the way.)

Theyre talking to the principal of Bethlehems Governor Wolf Elementary School, Theo Quinones.

The Butztown Road school is named for the states seventh governor, George Wolf, known as the father of the Pennsylvanias first public school system. And the schools Twitter handle dates back to 2012. Tom Wolf was elected governor in 2014.

Quinones sometimes knows Wolf made a controversial decision before he gets a chance to catch the news himself.

The mentions start coming in fast and furious, especially if someone shares a hot take that gets lots of retweets or replies.

Fighting a spreading coronavirus pandemic, Wolf has taken plenty of actions -- shutting down schools and issuing a stay-at-home-order to name a few -- that folks have strong opinions about.

One that really blew up was when he closed the state (liquor) stores, Quinones chuckled. There were a lot of people that have an opinion about that, one way or another.

With the Twitter discourse ramping up in recent weeks, Quinones felt that it was time to again share a gentle reminder that Twitter users are not in fact actually talking to the governor.

This is an elementary school, Quinones said. Theres a picture of a road runner. Hes not reading this. A bunch of moms and PTA people are reading this and they cant do anything about this."

Bethlehem's Governor Wolf Elementary School's Twitter account often gets confused with the actual governor's Twitter handle.Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com

Sometimes people just want to thank Tom Wolf for doing a good job. Sometimes they ask for serious help like a criminal pardon. (Quinones gently lets those folks know theyre talking to an elementary school, not the guv, and wishes them luck.)

When you see his picture pop up, youve got the right one, he said.

Quinones keeps waiting for Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, with whom he attended Albright College, to jump into the Twitter fray. Fettermans a prolific Tweeter with an edge not typically seen on a politicians account.

Lets keep flattening the curve.



Stick together, PA.  pic.twitter.com/hY345sOfEI  John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) April 6, 2020

When Wolf was inaugurated, the school congratulated him and invited him to visit on a signboard outside the school. Wolf took them up on the offer.

As principal of Governor Wolf Elementary, Quinones has learned not many people know much about his schools namesake. Some even wonder if its named for the states current leader.

George Wolfs support for public education was unpopular in his own party. It was believed by some that education was best left to churches and private schools. Pennsylvania German leaders didnt want to lose their language and culture.

He was a big advocate for public education, Quinones said. Not many people know that.

George Wolf attended the Allen Township Classical Academy, where he later became principal, according to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. George Wolf was admitted to the Northampton County Bar in 1798, after studying law with John Ross, of Easton.

He worked his way up to become the clerk of the Northampton County Orphans Court and served one term in the General Assembly. After losing a bid for a state senate seat, he went on to spend nine years practicing law in Easton. He spent three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before serving two terms as governor.

Almost 200 years later after his election, the principal of his namesake school says hes gotten used to modern day mix up.

When asked if the school had ever considered changing the Twitter handle, Quinones quipped:

I like Gov. Tom Wolf, but hell be gone before we are, he said of the second-term Democrat. Weve been around since 1956.

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.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Indonesian police officers escort suspects during a search for evidence at a sauna allegedly frequented by gays in Jakarta, Oct. 9, 2017.

Indonesian police are searching for a group of men suspected of burning to death a transgender woman whom they had accused of stealing a wallet and a mobile phone.

The transgender, identified as Mira, was allegedly attacked and burned alive by five men in the Cilincing area in North Jakarta on Saturday, said Sandya Institute, a group that advocates for sexual minorities and human rights.

Mira died of her injuries the next day in a North Jakarta hospital, it said. We at Sandya Institute condemn this incident and demand justice for Mira, Sandya Institute executive director Roberto said in a statement.

Wirdhanto Hadicaksono, chief investigator at the North Jakarta police, confirmed the incident but did not give details, pending results of an investigation.

It is true that a transgender was set on fire in the Cilincing area, Wirdhanto said.

We are pursuing the perpetrators. Lets hope the case will be uncovered soon, he told BenarNews.

Amnesty International called on authorities to urgently investigate the murder.

This despicable murder must be investigated urgently, Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesias executive director, said in a statement.

Without prompt action from the authorities to cast light on this horrifying crime and bring perpetrators to justice, transgender people in Indonesia will feel even further neglected and vilified by their government, he said.

A neighbor witnessed the attack, according to a local news portal.

The Suara.com news site reported that Mira was attacked by a truck driver, who accused her of stealing his wallet and cellphone.

The driver then called some of his friends believed to be local thugs, one of whom allegedly poured gasoline on Miras body and set her on fire after kicking her, Suara.com said, citing a neighbors account.

I said, Dont pour gasoline on her. Shes a human being, the neighbor, identified by the initials O.N., was quoted as saying by the news portal.

They didnt listen to me. There was little I could do, the neighbor said.

Sandya Institute urged the government to protect the transgender community from violence and harassment.

It should also be noted that a transgender was set on fire during the COVID-19 crisis, which has put additional pressure on transgender people, said Roberto, who uses only one name, like many in Indonesia.

Thousands of persecution cases

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, meanwhile, have criticized Indonesian officials during the past few years for alleged anti-LGBT statements and discriminatory policy proposals.

Arus Pelangi, an NGO that promotes the rights of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community, said it had recorded 1,850 cases of attacks and discrimination against transgender people between 2006 and 2018.

Violence against transgenders is not only carried out by members of the public but also authorities, said Roberto of the Sandya Institute.

President Joko Jokowi Widodos government has been criticized for failing to curb anti-gay rhetoric and actions by officials in recent years.

Police have raided places frequented by gay people and briefly detained hundreds suspected of being homosexual.

Several local governments have also cracked down on LGBT people.

In 2018, the Pariaman city government in West Sumatra province issued a bylaw that imposes a fine of up to 1 million rupiah (U.S. $62) on LGBT people who conduct activity that disturbs public order or commit immoral acts with the same sex.

In 2017, a 30-year-old transgender woman named Zoya was burned to death in Bekasi, a city in West Java province, after several men accused her of stealing an amplifier from a local mosque, Amnesty International said.
Canada Nickel Company Announces Discovery of New Palladium-Platinum Zone at Crawford and First Intersection of Nickel Grading More than 1%, Provides Update on Transaction with Noble Mineral Exploration

Posted by Publisher Internet

.

Separate PGM Zone with grades up to 1.7 g/t of palladium + platinum over 7.5 metres delineated from near surface to a depth of 500+ metres across a strike length of 600 metres ? remains open to the west and at depth

Westernmost hole to date CR19-25 (130 metres west of existing resource), collared within higher grade zone, showed continuity of higher-grade zone with 0.34 % nickel across 44 metres

Easternmost hole CR19-27 yielded first drill intersection in excess of 1% nickel  yielding 1.07% nickel and 2.0 g/t palladium + platinum across 1.5 metres outside existing nickel resource indicating potential for higher grade nickel along fault on eastern boundary

TORONTO, April 6, 2020  Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSX-V:CNC) (\Canada Nickel\ or the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/canada-nickel-company-recently-ipo-with-huge-nickel-resource-in-canada/ ) today announced the discovery of a new palladium-platinum zone, and the first intersection of nickel grading in excess of 1%, from drilling conducted at its 100% owned Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project (?Crawford?) near Timmins, Ontario. ??These results represent the remaining holes from the initial drilling campaign on the Main Anomaly at Crawford.? The Main Anomaly remains open to the west and at depth.

Mark Selby, Chair and CEO of Canada Nickel commented ?With palladium prices in excess of C$3,000 per ounce and few new palladium discoveries globally, the discovery of this new near-surface multi-gram palladium-platinum zone sitting parallel to Crawford?s existing nickel-cobalt-palladium resource further underscores Crawford?s significant potential and provides additional optionality to unlock value for shareholders.? With less than 20% of the main structure drilled and multiple targets on the property, we look forward to the next phase of exploration where we will begin to explore the main nickel-cobalt-palladium and PGM Zone across the 8 kilometre strike length of structure.?

The Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project is located in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp in Ontario, Canada, and is adjacent to well-established, major infrastructure associated with over 100 years of regional mining activity. Based on metrics utilized by Wood Mackenzie, the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project already ranks within the top 12 largest nickel sulphide resources globally (see news release February 28, 2020).

PGM Zone

The PGM Zone sits at the north contact between the peridotite and pyroxenite layer which extends across the full length of the Crawford structure (delineated to a length of 1.7 kilometres) and sits immediately to the north and parallel to the maiden nickel-cobalt-palladium resource at Crawford announced on February 28, 2020.???

Five holes intersected this zone beginning at the bedrock contact to a depth of 500 metres across a strike length of 600 metres.? The structure remains open to the west and at depth (See Table 1 for summary of results).

Additional Drilling Results

The results from the final 3 holes of the initial campaign continue to extend the nickel-cobalt-palladium mineralization within the Main Anomaly at Crawford.? Hole CR19-25 extends the higher-grade zone to the west by a further 130 metres including 0.34 % nickel across 30 metres from bedrock surface.? The easternmost hole CR19-27 ended in the fault which faults off the Main Anomaly to the East.? This hole yielded the first intersection in excess of 1% nickel highlighting the potential for higher grade nickel mineralization from either primary or remobilized nickel structures in close proximity to the fault. ?Hole CR19-29 intersected both the PGM Zone and main nickel-cobalt mineralization and was designed to infill one section of the drilling.? See Figure 2 for plan view of recent drilling and Table 2 for a summary of drilling results.

Note: The intersections are referenced to depth downhole and do not necessarily represent a true width. Canada Nickel has insufficient information to determine the attitude, either of the ultramafic body or of mineralized zones within it. True widths will be less than the core lengths by a number of factors, but are estimated to be 65% of the length of the mineral intersections.

Transaction Update

The Company is also pleased to provide an update to its March 4, 2020 news release, in which it announced the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with Noble Mineral Exploration?Inc. (\Noble\) to acquire additional property and enter into option agreements on five other properties near its Crawford Project (the \Proposed Transactions\). For a full summary of the Proposed Transactions, please see Canada Nickel\-\-s news release from March 4, 2020.

The Proposed Transactions are subject to TSX Venture Exchange (the \Exchange\) approval and ordinary approval of shareholders of Noble at Noble\-\-s upcoming annual general and special meeting of the shareholders on May 5, 2020 (the \Noble Meeting\). The Company is continuing to work with Noble on the preparation of all documentation necessary to complete the required filings with the Exchange. This includes the preparation of definitive agreements and the preparation of a geological report complying with the requirements of National Instrument ? 41-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.?

Canada Nickel and Noble expect to the complete the Proposed Transactions following the Noble Meeting.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Qualified Person and Data Verification

Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a \qualified person\ as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc.

About Canada Nickel Company

Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-cobalt sulphide projects to deliver nickel and cobalt required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets.? Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel and cobalt in low political risk jurisdictions.? Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute \forward-looking information\ under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, mineral resource estimates relating to the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, the potential of the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, timing for completion of the Proposed Transaction, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future? demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, and failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. 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 information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Mark Selby, Chair and CEO

Phone: 647-256-1954

Email: info@canadanickel.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to freeze U.S. funding to the World Health Organization, saying the international group had missed the call on the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump also played down the release of January memos from a senior adviser that represented an early warning of a possible coronavirus pandemic, saying he had not seen them at the time. But he turned his anger on the WHO, first declaring that he would cut off U.S. funding for the organization, then backtracking and saying he would strongly consider such a move.

Trump said the international group had called it wrong on the virus and that the organization was very China-centric in its approach, suggesting that the WHO had gone along with Beijings efforts months ago to minimize the severity of the outbreak. The WHO has praised China for its transparency on the virus, even though there has been reason to believe that more people died of COVID-19 than the countrys official tally.

They should have known and they probably did know, Trump said of WHO officials.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has voiced skepticism toward many international organizations and has repeatedly heaped scorn on the WHO. In its most recent budget proposal, in February, the Trump administration called for slashing the U.S. contribution to the WHO from an estimated $122.6 million to $57.9 million.

The organizations current guidance does not advocate closing borders or restricting travel, though many nations, including the United States, have enacted those steps. The WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on Jan. 30, nearly a month before Trump tweeted that The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA and a full 43 days before he declared a national emergency in the United States.

Health experts have suggested that the weekly death totals will reach a new high in the United States this week. More than 12,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.

Vice-President Mike Pence said that the Centers for Disease Control will release new guidelines this week for returning to work for people with potential exposure but who may not be displaying symptoms.

Trump continued on Tuesday to defend his actions in the early days of the crisis. He played down memos written by Peter Navarro, a senior White House adviser, that were made public this week. In the late January memos, the most direct warning as yet uncovered in the upper levels of the Trump administration, Navarro warned that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death.

Trump said Tuesday that he was not aware of the memos back in January but that he unilaterally followed some of their recommendations, including taking steps to curtail travel from China. But he said he wouldnt have wanted to act prematurely when it was not clear how dire the situation would become.

I dont want to create havoc and shock and everything else. Im not going to go out and start screaming, This could happen, this could happen, Trump said. Im a cheerleader for this country.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a temporary ban on abortions in Texas, saying the state can legally restrict a woman's right to access during an emergency.

The 2-1 ruling, in a case likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, was a significant but foreseeable blow to abortion rights advocates who faced long odds heading into the conservative-controlled Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. It reverses a lower court's decision granting abortion providers a temporary hold on the states action.

Writing for the majority, Judge Kyle Duncan said constitutional rights such as access to abortion can be "reasonably restricted" under a state's emergency powers.

"That settled rule allows the state to restrict, for example, ones right to peaceably assemble, to publicly worship, to travel, and even to leave ones home," Duncan wrote. "The right to abortion is no exception."

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Texas is one of several Republican-led states that have moved to prohibit abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. Some of those temporary bans have been overturned by other courts. Texas officials argue that abortion providers are draining critical medical supplies that could be used to respond to the crisis, while abortion providers accuse them of exploiting the disaster for political gain.

Tuesdays ruling technically sends the case back to the lower court in Austin, where hearings on a permanent halt to the ban are scheduled for next week. Abortion advocates have worried from the outset that a prolonged legal battle will be its own defeat, with more and more women being denied access each day.

The ban, instituted by Gov. Greg Abbott, is scheduled to last through April 21, though doctors expect it to be extended at least through the end of the month.

In a pointed dissent, Judge Jim Dennis said the ruling was "part of a recurring phenomenon in this circuit in which a result follows not because of the law or facts, but because of the subject matter of this case."

"In a time where panic and fear already consume our daily lives, the majoritys opinion inflicts further panic and fear on women in Texas by depriving them, without justification, of their constitutional rights, exposing them to the risks of continuing an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the risks of traveling to other states in search of time sensitive medical care," Dennis wrote.

The Texas Policy Evaluation Project at The University of Texas released data last week showing that three fourths of Texas counties are now more than 200 miles from the nearest abortion clinic in neighboring states. The Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, found that the average one-way distance a woman would need to travel under the ban has increased from 12 miles to 243 miles.

Most abortions in Texas are performed outside of hospitals, and many are medication abortions, in which a patient is given pills. Providers contend that the procedures use small amounts, if any, of the personal protective equipment now in high demand because of the coronavirus.

Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, called the ruling "unconscionable."

"Patients are already being forced to put their lives in harm's way during a pandemic, and now will be forced to continue doing so to get the health care they need," she said in a statement. "Abortion is essential, its time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass."

Anti-abortion advocates, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has threatened criminal action against providers who ignore the ban, applauded the ruling.

Gov. Abbotts order ensures that hospital beds remain available for coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis, he said in a statement.
Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has said that the state would not shut its boundaries over the COVID-19 emergency, to avoid cutting food supply from the northern part of the country to Kwara and neighbouring states.

Mr AbdulRazaq said this on Tuesday at a press briefing on the first two cases of coronavirus virus recorded in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two cases of the disease was discovered on Monday.

Related to the development, the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital suspended a senior consultant, Kazeem Salami, a professor of medicine who kept vital information from his colleagues at the hospital about the first suspected case, Muideen Obanimomo, who later died at the facility.

The two cases of COVID-19 in the state, which were earlier confirmed by the governor's media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye, and the state Technical Committee on the disease, include the wife of Mr Obanimomo, who along with her husband just returned from the UK when he died.

The second infected person was also revealed as a UK returnee.

However, speaking at the press briefing at the Government House, Ilorin, Mr AbdulRazaq told the residents that Coronavirus is real and that the two cases earlier announced are true and urged them to keep safe by adhering to basic precautions announced by the federal government and health agencies.

On why entry points to the the state are still open, Mr Abdulrasaq said they, especially the highway to Lagos, cannot be shut down at the moment because of people transporting food through the route from the northern part of the country to to Kwara and other states.

He also explained why the markets are still operating in the state.

"As you all know that the government cannot provide food for everyone, therefore, the market may not be totally shut down as people may need to get some foodstuff for themselves," he added.

Mr AbdulRazaq also disclosed plans of the federal government to set up testing centres across the country.

He said the only COVID-19 testing centre close to the state is in Ibadan, adding that the federal government would establish a testing centre in Kwara as part of the third phase for the national project.

Contact tracing

The governor said 75 contacts of the infected patients had been traced and are being monitored by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee.

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"Our job is cut out for us and we are definitely not dropping the ball. Contact tracing by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee has so far netted 75 persons who have had contacts with the cases and the suspected case at UITH.

"Fellow Kwarans, this is a trying moment for the whole of mankind. But we are definitely not helpless or without reasonable preparation in Kwara State. We are also blessed with committed professionals who are up to the task and willing to stand up and be counted at this time -- while also taking all precautions."

He said in a bid to "flatten the curve of transmission", he "signed the newly prepared Kwara State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020 on Monday April 6th to provide legal backings for the local management of the global health situation.

"This is an emergency and the regulation, built around some enabling laws like the Quarantine Act of 2004, empowers us to invoke various drastic measures in the days ahead, if occasion calls for it. "

"Highlights of the regulation include sanctions for anyone caught endangering public safety in whatever form or seeking to unfairly profit from our collective vulnerability and need for essential commodities at this time," the governor said.

As at the time of filing this report, 238 Covid-19 cases have been recorded so far across 14 states in Nigeria.
Photo credit: lenina11only - Getty Images

From Popular Mechanics

Concrete made with recycled steel slag is 17 percent stronger than traditional concrete.

Disposing of slag is a millennia-old problem, but the "waste material" is highly sought in construction.

Recycled slag performed 8 percent better in concrete than "raw" slag.

Australian scientists are trying to close the loop on steel waste and sewage wastewater. When they made new concrete using these waste materials, the results were 17 percent stronger than concrete made with traditional materials.

Lets talk about slag. Steel is first made in extremely high-temperature blast furnaces, where natural iron ore or recycled scrap is purified by fire, and then combined with the right elements to make different kinds of alloys. There are strict definitions for these types, and each has narrow windows for which elements are allowed (and in which quantities). During this process, impurities are sloughed off continuously. These leftovers are called slag.

Slag is both plentiful and potentially valuable. For some alloys, even the so-called byproduct of the furnace process is just a second saleable product. And regular slag is highly prized as a strong, durable aggregate material for concrete.

The global steel making industry produces over 130 million tons of steel slag every year," water engineer Biplob Pramanik, of Melbournes RMIT University, said in a statement. And while that slag has typically gone directly from furnace to contractor, the RMIT scientists saw an opportunity to add a useful step.

The chemical composition of slag means it naturally filters and holds metals contained in waste water, at least until its saturated to a certain extent.

This is pretty well understood, but the RMIT study is the first of its kind to examine whether this pollution-doped slag ends up performing better as concrete aggregate. They found the post-sewage concrete was 17 percent stronger than concrete made with traditional aggregate material, and they believe this is because whats undesirable in waste water can be desirable in construction. The slag is acting as an informal recapture system for valuable metals.

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In the study, researchers focused on phosphorus, which is both one of the worlds vital fertilizers and a pollutant of concern, they say. Above ground, phosphorus allows crops to grow and is a critical part of the life cycle. Below ground, it leaves disruptive deposits in water systems and distorts the ecosystems of bodies of water where its eventually dumped by, well, over-fertilizing ocean plants and algae.

By designing the right kind of waste water treatment system, scientists can arrange what these researchers refer to as a circular economy, meaning the same resource serves multiple purposes by reapplying its exhausted or leftover materials to a new task. The idea of reprocessing or repurposing isnt new to any mining or smelting industry, where continuous improvements mean companies can even run their own waste through newer equipment and reactions to extract a new round of useful ore or material.

Use of slag as a replacement of conventional aggregates show much better cement paste to aggregate bond performance and provides a monolithic effect, the researchers conclude .

Slag thats prepared in a continuous wash of phosphorus-rich wastewater ends up making a cleaner, tighter bond when combined with cement to make concrete. Its this monolithic bond that makes the concrete stronger, because force pressing down on the surface is countered by the support of a fully solid material instead of a micro Swiss cheese of looser materials.

For more on monolithic versus aggregated materials, check out a 2011 Mythbusters project about making a Newtons cradle from a series of wrecking balls. In order for the mechanism to work, energy has to travel in a straight line through all five wrecking balls with as little loss as possible.

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Median sales for Americans craft-beer industry have plummeted 77% since coronavirus closed bars and restaurants last month, and most breweries say they cant survive three months under current conditions, the national Brewers Association reports.

The results of a survey taken last week show a sharp drop in sales and massive furloughs or layoffs across the nations 8,150 craft breweries. The survey also indicates a high likelihood of large numbers of breweries going out of business if social distancing measures dont end soon or rapid help isnt offered by the federal and state governments.

Bart Watson, an economist for the association that oversees and advocates for the craft-beer industry, wrote in a report on the survey that many brewers indicate that their business has a matter of weeks before closing, and a majority say that they can only last a few months based on current trends.

For many small brewers, the current situation is not sustainable, Watson said. Being a responsible business owner means scenario planning, but few if any build plans for a near complete drop in revenue with no insurance protection and continued bills to pay.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS

Tony Roberts, the co-executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild, said the numbers werent a surprise. He said guild polling of the states breweries, taken a week after the March 16 closure order for bars and restaurants, showed a 72% drop in revenue.

For any small business, a 70% revenue decline three months in a row is a very tough thing to survive, Roberts told The Oregonian/OregonLive. I can understand why brewers are saying they need to see some sort of government intervention or see some sort of change to survive.

The Brewers Association report, taken from 455 responses through Monday morning across 49 states, shows an adjusted 68% average decline in sales. The sharpest decline is caused by the closures of bars and restaurants, with distributed draught beer down 95%.

Additionally, onsite sales for breweries have dried up, previously constituting about 40% of sales. And about 66 percent of the craft-beer industry workforce has been laid off, the survey found.

The report shows increasingly dire numbers since the associations first survey, which was released March 18. In response to a question not asked in the first survey, about 60% say they will close their business in the next three months if conditions don't change.

One slightly bright spot in the report came for off-premise packaged beer, which saw adjusted volume up 9.4% as grocery and other retail outlet shoppers stock up on canned and bottled beer. But the association said despite the overall bump, microbreweries, taprooms and brewpubs arent sharing in the growth, which is being seen mostly by bigger operations and in larger package sizes.

Sam Holloway, a University of Portland professor of management and entrepreneurship who tracks the beer industry, said the surveys predictions are likely accurate, and most breweries are indeed in survival mode.

At the same time, its also a chance to innovate and pivot your business model and hopefully reduce that percentage of closures, he said, adding that he has seen some creative responses among Northwest breweries.

Backwoods Brewing in Carson, Washington, for example, converted a field next to the brewery into a drive-in movie theater.

They asked people to stay in their cars, Holloway said, and theyd walk beer and pizza over from the pub to any car that wanted it.

As bad as things are in Oregon, the state may be faring slightly better than most.

Things are a little better here because we were so quickly able to do takeout and delivery, Roberts said, which some states dont allow. The environment and the (Oregon Liquor Control Commissions) help in permitting to make things a little bit easier for us -- its given us a bit of a lifeline for now.

Roberts said the Oregon Brewers Guild is focused on trying to get the states breweries any help it can, including working with representatives should a special session be called, though none is yet scheduled. He said if the situation continues into summer, breweries, like all small businesses, are going to need government intervention to survive.

There are Small Business Association loans,  but its also seeing what if anything the state can do to help out, he said. Hopefully there are some things the governor can do with tax relief, and the moratorium on evictions has been helpful.  And with breweries, wed like to see a suspension on excise taxes.

Roberts also said Oregons breweries  about 300 in all -- have one thing going for them: their customers.

The one bright spot has been the incredible support from Oregon beer drinkers, he said. But delivery is something breweries are doing just so they can pay the rent and survive a few months. ... Delivery and takeout has provided a little bit of a band-aid, but its not sustainable in the long term.

-- Andre Meunier

Check out Andres beer reviews on Untappd, where hes andremeunier13, and follow him on Instagram, where hes @oregonianbeerguy.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

More beer coverage:
Kim Brent / Kim Brent/The Enterprise

While Beaumont ISD started their distance learning just last week, some students have already finished coursework required by the district - leaving parents wondering how to fill their time for the rest of the two week period.

Jenny Angelo, the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the district said that parents have options for their students, and that other work can count for the attendance tracker parents are required to fill out  as long as the required work for the day is completed.
Global warming will lead to growing intensity and frequency of severe weather events, rising losses, as well as greater uncertainty in the assessment of these events by the insurance industry, which could make some weather risks uninsurable, according to a report published by Swiss Re.

Failure to take immediate, tangible action to confront warming temperatures could lead to climate systems reaching irreversible tipping points, said the sigma report titled Natural catastrophes in times of economic accumulation and climate change.

Swiss Re predicts that economic and insured losses resulting from such events will rise in the coming decades, which poses a major threat to global resilience. In other words, the report emphasized, the insurability of weather risks could be jeopardized, particularly in high-exposure accumulation areas.

Economic losses from natural and man-made disasters across the globe in 2019 were US$146 billion, lower than $176 billion in 2018 and the previous 10-year annual average of $212 billion, said the sigma report. Global insurers covered $60 billion of the 2019 losses, compared with $93 billion in 2018 and $75 billion on average in the previous decade. Of 2019s economic losses, $137 billion were due to natural disasters, with man-made events causing the remaining $9 billion, said sigma. Natural catastrophes accounted for $52 billion of the US$60 billion in insured losses.

The full extent of the impact of climate change is difficult to predict, and it could take decades to gather the proof points needed to confirm the changes that are already underway, report indicated.

The short-term lack of proof of climate change does not prove there has been no change, the report said. Indeed, the signals of the effects of warming temperatures are already apparent: warmer average temperatures, rising sea levels, more frequent and longer heatwaves, greater weather extremes and erratic rainfall patterns.

Incomplete and Outdated Models

We believe weather-related risks remain insurable. However, to improve risk assessment and ensure insurability in the face of many uncertainties, insurers need to continually adapt their models to changing parameters, said Swiss Re in the report.

While re/insurers face risks of climate change on both the asset and liability sides of their balance sheets, the report focused on the liability side where physical climate change risks can impact underwriting results.

The foremost underwriting risk in the context of climate change and other macro-risk trends is potential underestimation of insurance premiums by relying on historical loss data or incomplete/outdated models to assess the current risk, the sigma report affirmed.

Insurers need to adapt to a dynamic risk landscape by closely monitoring and incorporating socio-economic developments, the latest scientific research on climate change effects, and the status of local risk mitigation measures in their modeling, it added.

Many of todays catastrophe models are benchmarked against historical loss data, which does not reflect the current level of urbanization, and hence do not fully account for todays quickly rising exposures, changing socio-economic environment and climate, according to the report.

Distortions from Historical Loss Records

To uphold the insurance risk transfer model as a powerful tool to foster resilience, insurers need to adapt before, not post events, Martin Bertogg, head of Catastrophe Perils at Swiss Re said in a statement accompanying the report.

To this end, insurers should be wary of historical loss records in understanding todays state of the socio-economic environment and climate. Averaging out over a past spanning multiple decades can lead to distorted risk assessment, he warned.

Swiss Re suggested that the modeling and underwriting communities need to develop better methods to de-bias historical records, be it for exposure, hazard and vulnerability. The key is to understand how factors such as GDP growth and urbanization, which are not fully captured in risk models, can affect rising risks and losses, the report added.

The report further noted that more sophisticated modeling approaches are needed to account for the growing loss impacts of secondary perils, which have been inadequately modeled in the past. (Secondary perils are the smaller to mid-sized events, or secondary effects, that follow a primary peril, such as a storm surge or flooding after a hurricane.)

A good example of the cost of secondary perils occurred last year when Japan was hit by back-to-back typhoon events: Faxai in September and Hagibis in October, which resulted in the largest insured loss totals (US$7 billion and US$8 billion, respectively) of all natural disasters around the world. Damage was due to the very strong winds and heavy rains of the typhoons, leading to exceptional inland flooding, said sigma.

Given Japans long history of typhoons, these events were not a surprise, but the extent of Hagibis flood losses provided a wake-up call for the industry. Flood risk in Japan was thought to be largely or even completely mitigated because the country made a huge investment in coastal and inland flood defense following the devastating typhoon events in the 1950s and 1960s, explained sigma.

But, the report said, Typhoon Hagibis challenged this assumption because most of the US$8 billion in insured losses from Typhoon Hagibis came from flooding, exacerbated by urban development since the mid-20th century, Tokyo was unprepared for the degree of physical damage it suffered.

While the flood defenses helped mitigate the impact of the storm, the risk was not eliminated.

As a result, Swiss Re suggested a recalibration of models with respect to the higher levels of risk, particularly in terms of intensity, that water inundation in Japan now poses.

Economic development and ever-increasing population concentration in urban centers, alongside changes in climate, will continue to increase losses due to weather events in the future, said Edouard Schmid, chairman of the Swiss Re Institute and group chief underwriting officer at Swiss Re.

Our industry can play a key role by partnering with clients and governments to develop scalable solutions that support the transition to a low-carbon world by managing risks associated with renewable energy projects and making these more attractive to investors with re/insurance risk-transfer backing, he went on to say.

Photograph: Driftwood is piled around a bridge after Typhoon Hagibis hits the town in Marumori, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. The typhoon hit Japans main island on Saturday with strong winds and historic rainfall that caused more than 200 rivers to overflow, leaving thousands of homes flooded, damaged or without power. Photo credit: Kyodo News via AP.

Topics Catastrophe USA Profit Loss Flood Climate Change Swiss Re
08.04.2020 LISTEN

Amidst the biological third world war commonly called the COVID-19 pandemic, each nation, region, electoral area and community is on the alert to this deadly disease.

In the president's last address, a group of people classified as 'frontline' personnel were assured some tax exemptions and allowances. This is welcoming and worthy to know.

With this piece, I prefer to give little explanation to who a frontline personnel with regard to an emergency like COVID-19 is. Front line personnel are persons who risk their lives to take charge of issues and people in critical conditions during an emergency. They can die, be attacked or infected during the course of executing their duties.

Reference to the above explanation, frontline personnel in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic isn't only the medical staff that take charge of the health of suspected and people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 or the security personnel who take charge of controlling our borders and enforcing the president's directives but also our District Assembly members in their various electoral areas.

It's important to know that Assembly members are the first people the communities depend on for information, education about directives from the central Government. Assembly members are expected to do extensive community education, regular checks on movements through delicate community entry points to neighborhood communities or countries.

Assembly members are expected to enforce to the latter the orders of the president in their various jurisdictions by collaborating with necessary bodies such as the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana police service and other institutions.

Despite all these duties on the shoulders of the Assemblymember, he or she is not considered a frontline worker in the fight against COVID-19. Government should as a matter of urgency resource all Assembly members with enough sanitizers, PPEs, Veronica buckets to be used for demonstrations and mounting at vantage points in communities in their various electoral areas.

Providing Assembly members these basic resources will enable them carry out public education to reach every corner of Ghana.

It is unfortunate that some Assembly members have to use their own vehicles and fuel to tour their electoral areas to inspect, educate or support communities to be abreast of current state of Ghana on COVID-19. This has made difficult for some of them to carry out regular checks to give accurate reportage to the authorities in charge of managing the spread of the disease.

Government therefore has a duty to give each Assemblymember a means of traveling including travelling allowances to empower them support Government in these trying times.

It is surprising to know that Assembly members are the last people to remember when it comes to resourcing but the first group to remember when it is time to executing Government projects or policy. This has reduced the value of members of district assemblies hence the reluctant nature of most Honorable members towards national duties.

Supporting Assembly members with these basic resources will come a long way to avoid issues of bribing Assembly members to violet the orders of the president.

As honorable Assembly members, they have to respond swiftly to funerals to negotiate with families for the burial process prescribed by the president and other important community services.

In my opinion, this is a major point Government is missing.
New York City will now count people who died at home and are suspected to have had COVID-19 in the city's official tally of coronavirus deaths, the health department said Wednesday.

The daily tally of New York City residents who died at home with coronavirus-like symptoms exploded from 45 on March 20 to 241 on April 5, according to Fire Department of New York data - suggesting the city may be significantly undercounting COVID-19 deaths.

Asked about the fire department numbers at a press conference Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged that deaths at home haven't been fully accounted for.

'The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the NYC Health Department are working together to include into their reports deaths that may be linked to COVID but not lab confirmed that occur at home,' said NYC Health Department spokesperson Stephanie Buhle in a statement.

Undercounting of people who died at home may help explain the daily disparities in the number of deaths reported by New York City and New York state, respectively.

According to the state health department, more than 4,000 people have died of coronavirus in New York City, while the city's data as of 9:30am on Wednesday documents only 3,602 deaths, lagging by more than 400 lives lost.

New York City will now count people suspected to have died of coronavirus before making it to hospitals in its death toll. Previously, only lab-confirmed or hospital-confirmed deaths were included, leading to an undercount. Pictured: A coronavirus patient is brought to the Javits Center in Manhattan

'It's right to assume the vast majority are coronavirus related,' Mayor de Blasio said when asked about the count of at-home deaths on Tuesday.

'And that makes it even more sober in the sense of how many people we are losing, how many families are suffering, how real this crisis is.'

Buhle reiterated the NYC health department's prior protocol of counting people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 via testing in a statement emailed to DailyMail.com.

'Every person with a lab confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis is counted in the number of fatalities, whether they passed away at home or in a hospital.'

However, data from the Fire Department suggests that far more people died of coronavirus at home without being diagnosed by a lab-confirmed test.

The fire department data are based on information collected during emergency calls involving cardiac or respiratory arrest, with fever and cough.

Those are symptoms characteristic of a severe case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Although those symptoms also could fit diseases such as influenza, the steep rise coincides with the surge in COVID-19 cases in New York City, the epicenter of the US coronavirus epidemic.

According to New York state data, more than 4,000 people have died in New York City, but the city has likely undercounted, according to reports on Fire Department data from distress calls and reports from the Medical Examiner's office

The data raise questions about the city's official tally indicating coronavirus deaths had leveled off in recent days (before rising again Tuesday).

The official daily death count had stayed relatively flat, going from 309 on from March 31 to 290 on April 5, according the health departments website.

During that same period, according to the fire department data, the number of daily deaths at home among people with COVID-19-like symptoms rose from 167 to 241.

A spokesman for the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which certifies findings on causes of death, said the official death count only includes those who had a test confirming they were infected with the virus.

The spokesman did not know what portion of people who died at home had been tested but said the department and the city Office of Chief Medical Examiner are working on counting the cases in which the deceased did not have a test.

Furthermore, the New York City coroners are not testing dead bodies for coronavirus, a spokesperson for the agency told The Gothamist, although they report the fatalities as 'probable' cases of COVID-19.

Mayor de Blasio (left) acknowledged the likelihood that there have been far more coronavirus cases and deaths than have been counted on Tuesday. New York City's data has lagged well behind the case numbers reported daily during Governor Cuomo's (right) briefing on coronavirus in the state

'If someone dies at home, and we go to the home and there [are] signs of influenza, our medical examiner may determine the cause of death was clearly an influenza-like illness, potentially COVID or an influenza-like illness believed to be COVID,' the spokesperson, Aja Worthy-Davis told The Gothamist.

'We report all our deaths citywide to the health department, who releases that data to the public.'

The fire department would not comment on the significance of its figures, which first were reported on the website gothamist.com.

According to the data, a total of 2,192 at-home deaths were reported from March 20 to April 5. The city death count as of that day, including hundreds of deaths among the nearly 16,000 hospitalized for the disease, was about 2,500.

It now exceeds 3,200.

Calls during the coronavirus outbreak in New York are swamping 911 emergency responders, the data show.

Between March 20 and April 5, the number of Covid-19-like cases, including patients who survived, tripled, from 94 to 322, according to fire department data.

The percentage of calls in which paramedics could not save the person rose from 48 percent to 75 percent.

'It's never-ending,' said a fire department paramedic lieutenant who asked not to be identified. 'And it's getting worse each day.'

Before the coronavirus outbreak, the lieutenant said, the five boroughs averaged 10 to 20 calls a day that resulted in death.
The trajectory of coronavirus outbreak differs from country to country, however, the trend shows that the virus multiplies and rapidly touches a peak. After peaking, the Covid-19 curve begins to flatten before it takes a downward course similar to that of China.

According to the data exhibited by Johns Hopkins University, some of the countries that have reported the highest number of cases and fatalities related to Covid-19 now seem to be flattening the virus curve.

What does flattening the curve mean?

Flattening the curve involves reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases from one day to the next, as mentioned on the Universitys data centre page for Covid-19.

Last month, China had declared that its coronavirus peak is finally over. The total number of cases in the country have not crossed 82,000 for over a month now. The rate of fatalities also seems to have hit a plateau.

Countries and the Covid-19 curve

So, when exactly does a country begin to flatten its coronavirus curve? The answer is when it starts seeing a drop in the number of fresh cases and maintains the trend.

Italy, for example, seems to be levelling off its number of new cases but is still struggling to contain the number of fatalities.

When a country has fewer new COVID-19 cases emerging today than it did on a previous day, thats a sign that the country is flattening the curve, Johns Hopkins University describes.

What data shows

The Universitys map of a 5-day moving average of top 10 Covid-19 affected countries suggests the coronavirus curve could be flattening.

The numbers are calculated by averaging the values of that day, the two days before, and the two next days.

According to the University data, 6 out of 10 highly coronavirus-affected nations seem to be reporting a drop in the daily number of fresh Covid-19 cases. These include Italy, Spain, the United States, Iran, Netherlands and Germany.

According to the estimates, the UK, France, Belgium continue to report more Covid-19 cases on a daily basis but not at a rate as before. China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier.

Crucial stage

The United States and the UK are at a crucial stage with respect to their coronavirus trajectories. The cases in the US and the UK are still rising but not at a pace like before, therefore, there emerges a chance for these countries to flatten the curve if the rate of new cases stabilises without new spikes.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the country might be getting to the top of the curve of the coronavirus outbreak and said he did not see an early written warning about the pandemic from a top White House aide. The president said he was reluctant to talk about it but that the country might be on track for far fewer deaths than projected.

What could upend the flattening?

However, this is just with respect to the top 10 most affected countries in the world. Nations like India, Pakistan and Indonesia have begun to report a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

The coronavirus curve flattened when the Chinese outbreak peaked and the contagion had not reached the West and other countries.

Even when the top 10 most affected countries manage to flatten the curve, it may get upended if the virus reaches new regions or gets out of control in densely populated countries like India.

More than 80,000 people across the globe have lost their lives to Covid-19. The virus has infected over a million people worldwide.
The neighborhoods in the city of Boston with the highest number of coronavirus cases are also the parts of the city with the highest number of essential workers, according to an ACLU of Massachusetts analysis published on Wednesday.

The Massachusetts nonprofit took data from the Boston Public Health Commission, which now regularly publishes cases and deaths by ZIP code, and compared the stats with census data to see how the pandemic is affecting communities of color.

Researchers found that communities where 50% or more of the population is non-white are seeing higher rates of the virus; those are the same communities that also constitute the greatest number of essential workers  those in healthcare, construction, transportation and food service, among other occupations.

Communities like Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester where over 50 percent of the population is non-white (including African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American, Multiracial, or any racial category other than White Alone) are again the same communities with the highest rates of COVID-19, ACLU researchers said.

Cities like Chelsea, with diverse working-class populations, are seeing higher rates of illness, researchers said. As of April 7, Chelsea had 315 COVID-19 cases which, with a population of 40,000, meaning they are seeing roughly 79 cases per 10,000 residents, which is more four times the rate of surrounding neighborhoods.

Massachusetts General Hospitals Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Joseph Betancourt on Monday said that up to 40% of patients being treated for coronavirus at MGH are Hispanic or Latinx.

This is exactly why the ACLU of Massachusetts and other advocacy organizations are pushing for legislative, executive, and judicial action to protect immigrants and working people, researchers said. While the federal stimulus package passed by Congress in March is a start, it does not go far enough to establish the comprehensive social and economic protections  or the robust data collection practices  required to support vulnerable communities across Massachusetts today.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the White House COVID-19 task force would release data in the coming days about the impact the pandemic is having on African American communities across the country.

Sign up for free text messages about important updates on coronavirus in Massachusetts

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T he US has recorded its highest single day toll in coronavirus deaths, with more than 1,800 victims.

New York also suffered its worst 24 hours since the outbreak began, with a total of 731 deaths confirmed among Covid-19 patients.

The national daily death toll was 1,858, according to John Hopkin's University, the highest daily death toll of any country during the pandemic so far.

Italy's highest figure so far has been 971, recorded on March 27, while Spain's was 950 on April 3. The population of the United States, at over 327 million people, is considerably higher than Italy or Spain, at over 60million and 46million respectively.

A coyote stands by the roadside at Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point / REUTERS

The new figures announced on Tuesday are up on the previous record of 1,344, which was recorded on 4 April, and brings the total number of deaths in the country to nearly 13,000.

The US has more than 398,000 confirmed cases, the highest number in the world. Global cases have exceeded 1.4 million.

Public health steps to curb the pandemic have shut down the US economy, with many businesses closing or scaling back while unemployment soars.

US President Donald Trump reiterated at a White House briefing he wanted to reopen the economy soon and said the US could be getting to "the top of the curve".

"We want to get it open soon, that's why I think maybe we're getting to the very top of the curve," Mr Trump said.

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But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was too early to declare a corner had been turned, despite citing some encouraging developments.

"The number of people showing up in our hospitals who need a ventilator - that situation has improved a bit in recent days," he said.

In Wisconsin, the outbreak tested the determination of voters to venture out to the polls in the midst of a public health emergency after a series of 11th-hour court rulings forced the state's presidential primaries and local elections to proceed as scheduled.

Medical personnel in face masks are seen outside a hospital in Burbank, California / AFP via Getty Images

It came as Mr Trump threatened to cease sending US funds to the World Health Organisation (WHO), claiming that the international body "missed the call" on the coronavirus pandemic.

The US President told reporters the WHO had "called it wrong" on the virus and that the organisation was "very China-centric" in its approach, seemingly suggesting that the WHO had gone along with Beijing's efforts months ago to minimise the severity of the outbreak.

The WHO has praised China for its transparency on the virus, even though there has been reason to believe that more people died of Covid-19 than the country's official tally.

"They should have known and they probably did know," Mr Trump said of WHO officials.
Chennai, April 8 : The government-subsidised Amma Canteens, which cater to the the poor, in Tamil Nadu's Madurai will serve free eggs as part of its lunch menu, a minister announced on Wednesday.

Municipal Administration, Rural Development and Implementation of Special Programme Minister S.P. Velumani said free eggs will be served at the 12 Amma Canteens located in Madurai.

During the lockdown period, the state government has allowed Amma Canteens to function for the benefit of the poor people. The canteen serves sambar rice at Rs 5 and curd rice at Rs 3 per plate for lunch.
Kolkata, April 8 : In a veiled attack at the centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that those who had given permission for the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation in Delhi are now complaining about the state government not doing its duty in containing Covid-19 by quarantining the attendees.

Banerjee informed that her government has quarantined 177 people, including 108 foreigners, who attended the congregation.

"Ten to 12 days back we shifted to the quarantine centre 108 foreigners who had attended this programme. They came from Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand," she told media persons at the state secretariat Nabanna.

Banerjee said the foreigners are still there at the quarantine centre under the monitoring of the state Health Department and the administration.

"A total of 69 others from Bengal, who had attended the event, are also there. We have done this quietly. But I did not give this information earlier as governments have to maintain secrecy," she said.

Banerjee accused a section of media of spreading wrong information about the issue without ascertaining the details.

She said both the Union Home Affairs Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry - which control the flow of foreigners in India - are under the jurisdiction of the Centre, and the states have no say in their operations.

"Lot of people Agathered at Nizamuddin because they were allowed. The foreigners were given visa, their passports got immigration clearance from the centre. If they don't inform the state government who all have come in international flights, how do we know? We had no information." "But after we came to know, we took steps within six hours. And we did it quietly.".

Banerjee also complained that some people - read BJP leaders - were talking on communal lines. "They should know that pandemic does not spread by making distinctions between Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs or Christians." "A pandemic does not see caste or religion," she said.
A Kentucky doctor who violently attacked a group of teen girls, choking one of them, apparently for failing to practice social distancing, was arrested after a video of the incident went viral over the weekend.

The video, which was posted to Reddit and titled, "Man strangles teenage girl for failing to social distance," shows a man approach at least four girls who are on a picnic blanket. A woman near him appears to film on her phone as one of the girls tells them the group is leaving.

A still from video of the alleged altercation. (via Twitter)

It's unclear what happened before the video began, but one girl says to the man, who is staring them down, "Please, lets not cuss at each other."

The man then calls one of the girls an "a--hole," before both he and the woman go after the group. The man shoves three girls before lunging at a fourth girl, appearing to pin her on the ground. The girl scream, and one pleads with the man to "seriously, get off of her!"

More than 3,000 people commented on the Reddit post, and a a tweet of the video from writer and activist Shaun King was retweeted more than 2,000 times.

The Louisville Metro Police Department on Tuesday, the day after King's tweet, identified the man as John Rademaker and said he had been arrested and charged with four counts, including first-degree strangulation and harassment with physical contact.

A police report said the incident happened Friday at Norton Commons, a residential community. A brief description of the encounter said Rademaker "without consent ... applied pressure to victim's throat and impeded her breathing." The victim is identified as an 18-year-old Hispanic woman.

"Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way," police department Special Advisor Jessie Halladay said in a statement shared with NBC News.

Dr. John Rademaker (Louisville Metropolitan Police Department)

A statement from Baptist Health Louisville said Rademaker was a contract physician with the provider but "has been placed on administrative leave from his practice and is not providing services at a Baptist Health facility."

Story continues

"This type of action does not reflect our values as an institution or healthcare provider, and our thoughts are with the young women who were impacted," the statement said.

Rademaker was released from jail on his own recognizance on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. He is due in court on May 8.

Calls to Rademaker's office went unanswered. Several home and cellphone numbers listed for him were disconnected.
Press Release

7 April 2020

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, hosts an annual convention that brings together over 7,000 business travel professionals from more than 50 countries across the globe. This year's GBTA Convention was scheduled to take place in Denver on July 25-29, 2020.

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic and various state and local restrictions, GBTA will now move the dates of the GBTA Convention 2020 to November 7-11, 2020.

The following statement can be attributed to GBTA Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director Scott Solombrino.

"This is the first time in GBTA's 52-year history of Convention that we have had to reschedule our signature event. This unprecedented move comes in unprecedented times. We are all working to ensure the safety of business travelers and their families. We are hopeful that the pandemic will subside on a global level and that we will be able to help travel managers and sponsors determine how best to revive the industry when we meet in November.

We rescheduled the event after several weeks discussing options with officials at the Denver Convention Center. We all agreed that there was no way to hold a safe, healthy, and successful conference in July, so we agreed to push the dates out as far as possible in 2020. We will continue to work with the State of Colorado, City of Denver, the Convention Center and health officials to ensure we can have our Convention in November. Our hope is that the pandemic will pass within the next few months and we will be able to resume our normal activities. But if that is not the case, we may need to push Convention back further. I will continue to keep you informed on the status of Convention."
Corrected Social Responsibility Report of Amber Grid.

As initiated and decided by the Board of Directors of AB Amber Grid (legal entity code 303090867, office address Savanoriu pr. 28, LT-03116 Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania), the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of AB Amber Grid will be convened at 10.00 a.m., 20 April 2020, at the Company's head office (address: Savanoriu pr. 28, Vilnius).

In light of the fact that a lockdown has been introduced in the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Resolution No 207 of 14 March 2020 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, it is recommended that all shareholders participate in the meeting by completing the general ballot paper and submitting it in advance to AB Amber Grid.



Draft Agenda of the Meeting:





1. AB Amber Grid 2019 Annual Report

2. Independent auditors report on AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements and consolidated annual report for 2019

3. Approval of AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements for 2019

4. Approval of AB Amber Grids distribution of profits and losses for 2019

5. Approval of the remuneration policy for the CEO and members of the management board at AB Amber Grid

6. Election to the AB Amber Grid management board

7. Establishment of terms for the activities of the new management board





Shareholder registration will commence at 9.15 a.m., 20 April 2020.

Shareholder registration will be closed at 9.45 a.m., 20 April 2020.



The Record Date of the General Meeting of Shareholders: 10 April 2020. To be entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders, persons must be registered shareholders of the Company at the end of the Record Date of the General Meeting of Shareholders. Shareholders' Rights Record Date shall be 5 May 2020. Persons entitled to receive the dividend shall be the ones who will be shareholders of AB Amber Grid as of the end of the Shareholders' Rights Record Date.



To be entitled to participate and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders, persons must provide their identification documents. Persons who are not shareholders of AB Amber Grid, shall in addition to the aforesaid documents present documents certifying their right to vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders.



A possibility of participating and voting in the General Meeting of Shareholders by electronic means of communication shall not be provided.



On 27 March 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the draft agenda and draft decisions of the General Meeting of Shareholders (explanations if decision is not required):



1) AB Amber Grid 2019 consolidated Annual Report





Explanation provided:

A decision of the general meeting of shareholders is not required. The management board submits the consolidated 2019 annual report for the general meeting of shareholders to hear (attached). (Annex 1)



2) Independent auditors report on AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements and consolidated annual report for 2019





Explanation provided:

A decision of the general meeting of shareholders is not required. The general meeting of shareholders should take into consideration the opinion presented in the independent auditors report for AB Amber Grid shareholders when deciding on approval of AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements for 2019 (attached). (Annex 1)



3) Approval of AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements for 2019





Draft decision:

Approve AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements for 2019 (attached). (Annex 1)



4) Approval of AB Amber Grids distribution of profits for 2019





Draft decision:

Approve AB Amber Grids distribution of profits for 2019 (attached). (Annex 2)



5) Approval of the remuneration policy for the CEO and members of the management board at AB Amber Grid





Draft decision:

1. Approve the remuneration policy for the CEO and members of the management board at AB Amber Grid (attached).

2. Authorise and obligate the Companys CEO to make the approved policy public, as well as the results and the date of this annual general meeting of shareholders as provided by the Republic of Lithuania Law on Companies. (The remuneration policy for the CEO and members of the management board at AB Amber Grid- Annex 3)



6) Election to the AB Amber Grid management board





Draft decision:

1. Revoke in corpore the management board elected for a four-year term by the AB Amber Grid general meeting of shareholders on 28 April 2016 as of 20 April 2020.

2. Elect the candidates who received the most votes at the meeting of Company shareholders to the AB Amber Grid management board for a four-year term starting on 20 April 2020. Following the recommendation of the EPSO-G Appointment and



Remuneration Committee, the following candidates are proposed:





2.1. Elect Renata Damanskyte-Rekasiene as a member of the AB Amber Grid management board nominated by the parent company, UAB EPSO-G.

2.2. Elect Algirdas Juozaponis as a member of the AB Amber Grid management board nominated by the parent company, UAB EPSO-G;

2.3. Elect Rimvydas Stilinis as a member of the AB Amber Grid management board nominated by the parent company, UAB EPSO-G;

2.4. Elect Ignas Degutis as an independent member of the AB Amber Grid management board.

2.5. Elect Sigitas Zutautas as an independent member of the AB Amber Grid management board.





3. The management board and its members shall begin their activities upon completion of the AB Amber Grid annual general meeting of shareholders electing the management board convened on 20 April 2020. (EPSO-G UAB Remuneration and Allocation Committee recommendation  Annex 4)



7) Establishment of terms for the activities of the new management board





1. Establish that the members of the management board delegated by the parent company, UAB EPSO-G, shall not receive remuneration.

2. Pay the independent board members the remuneration established by the AB Amber Grid extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on 6 December 2019.



3. Authorise the CEO of AB Amber Grid to sign contracts on behalf of AB Amber Grid with the newly elected members of the management board within five (5) working days of the day this decision is adopted regarding their activities on the AB Amber



Grid management board, in accordance with the standard terms of contract with members of the management board and independent members of the management board regarding their activities on the AB Amber Grid management board approved by the AB Amber Grid general meeting of shareholders.



The shareholders may familiarise themselves with the Draft Resolutions of the General Meeting of Shareholders and supplementary material thereof, also with the implementation of the shareholders rights on the Central Database of Regulated Information www.crib.lt and at Companys website www.ambergrid.lt.



The shareholders of AB Amber Grid, whose shares are entitled to at least 1/20 of the total number of votes, shall have the right to supplement the agenda for the General Meeting of Shareholders. The proposal to supplement the agenda shall be submitted in writing and sent by registered mail or delivered to the head office of the Company to the address: Savanoriu pr. 28, LT-03116 Vilnius (hereinafter the Head Office). Draft Resolutions on the proposed issues or, when it is not mandatory to adopt resolutions, explanatory notes on each proposed issue of the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders must be presented alongside with the proposal. The agenda will be supplemented if the proposal is received not later than on 5 April 2020.



The shareholders entitled to at least 1/20 of the total number of votes shall have the right, at any time before the General Meeting of Shareholders or during the Meeting, to propose in writing new draft resolutions on the items put on the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders. Such a proposals must be executed in writing and sent to the Company by registered mail or delivered to the Head Office of the Company. The proposal submitted during the course of the Meeting must be executed in writing and handed over to the Secretary of the General Meeting of Shareholders.



The shareholders shall have the right to submit questions to the Company in advance, but not later than till 13 April 2020, in relation to the issues on the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 20 April 2020. Questions must be executed in writing and delivered to the Company by registered mail or to the Head Office of the Company. The Company will not present any answer to the question submitted by a shareholder personally to him in the case relevant information is available on the Companys website.



Any shareholder shall be entitled to authorise a natural or legal person to participate and vote in his name at the General Meeting of Shareholders. The proxy of the shareholder must present the document confirming the persons identity and the certified power of attorney as provided for by law, which must be delivered to the Head Office not later than before the end of the registration of the attendees of the General Meeting of Shareholders. During the General Meeting of Shareholders, the proxy exercises the same rights as the shareholder he is representing should. The form of the Power of Attorney to represent at the General Meeting of Shareholders is available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt.



On the issues on the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders, the Shareholders may vote in writing by filling in a General Ballot Paper. On the shareholders request, the Company, not later than 10 days before the day of the General Meeting of Shareholders, will send a General Ballot Paper by registered mail free of charge or submit it in person against signature to the shareholder. The shareholder or his proxy must undersign the filled in General Ballot Paper. If the General Ballot Paper is signed by a person who is not a shareholder, a document certifying his right to vote must be appended to the filled in Ballot Paper. The duly filled in General Ballot Paper must be delivered to the Company by registered mail or submitted against signature at the Head Office not later than before the end of registration of the attendees of the General Meeting of Shareholders. The form of the General Ballot Paper is available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt.



On the day of convocation of the General Meeting of the Shareholders the total number of shares was 178 382 514. All these shares grant voting right.



Information referred to in Article 262 of the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania shall be available on the website of the Company: www.ambergrid.lt. Information about the additions to the agenda, as well as decisions made by the general meeting shall be also available on the Central Database of Regulated Information www.crib.lt



Annexes:





1. AB Amber Grids complete set of consolidated and company financial statements and consolidated annual report for 2019 together with Independent auditors report

2. AB Amber Grid Profit Allocation for 2019.



3. The remuneration policy for the CEO and members of the management board at AB Amber Grid.

4. EPSO-G UAB Remuneration and Allocation Committee recommendation.

5. AB Amber Grid Power of Attorney Form.

6. AB Amber Grid Shareholder Ballot.

7. Confirmation of Responsible Persons.

8. AB Amber Grid Social Responsibility Report

Story continues

More information: Laura Sebekiene, Head of Communications of Amber Grid,

ph. +370 699 61 246, e-mail: l.sebekiene@ambergrid.lt

Attachments
Lily Jang has a new system for showing houses.

She meets her prospective buyer at the property, slips on gloves and a homemade mask and pulls out a Clorox wipe to open the front door. Then she waits in her car while the buyer walks through.

Six feet is not even enough for me, said Jang, a real estate agent with Keller Williams.

Social distancing, stay-home orders and a worsening economic crisis are upending Houstons housing market. Not only has the way showings are conducted changed, but hundreds of sellers are pulling their listings off the market and contracts are falling through as buyers lose their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The markets troubles arent yet evident in the sales data released each month by the Houston Association of Realtors, but anecdotal indicators of the slowdown are widespread.

In its monthly report released Wednesday, HAR cited an uptick in single-family home sales for March.

Buyers closed on 7,566 single-family homes last month compared with 6,995 a year earlier, an 8.2 percent increase and the ninth straight month of positive year-over-year sales. The median price was up 4.1 percent to $249,900.

That trend was already petering out by the end of March.

A NICE PLACE TO ISOLATE: A house in the Heights stands out among its neighbors

The local real estate association, which said 1,496 of its 41,600 listings moved to withdrawn status last month, has been encouraging agents to conduct virtual open houses and use electronic systems for signing documents.

Everyone Im talking to in the industry is saying the same things, that theyre not getting a lot of showings and sellers are waiting to put their properties on the market if they dont have to sell right away. And everything has gone virtual, said Daniela Dani Antelo, who works with Jang at Keller Williams. Agents have been showing houses through their social media accounts and some are only allowing in-person tours if the properties are vacant.

When we go look at properties, families are more thoughtful about bringing kids. Usually its the husband and wife or just one of them, said Danny Garcia, president of the Houston chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

RENTAL RELIEF: Camden Property Trust gives away $5 million to financially strapped tenants

One forward-looking data point signals the coming downturn. Pending sales, which were up 28 percent at the end of February compared with the previous year, fell 2 percent at the end of March on a year-over-year basis, according to the HAR data, which are compiled from Realtors throughout Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, as well as parts of Brazoria, Galveston, Waller and Wharton counties.

A more concerning figure came out this week when residential real estate brokerage Redfin said pending sales had plunged 42 percent in the last week of March from the year earlier. The national brokerage, whose agents are salaried employees as opposed to independent contractors, also said it had laid off 7 percent of its staff and furloughed 41 percent of its agents.

Whats about to happen to Houston real estate reminds me of Hurricane Harvey in that we are bracing for impact, but dont yet know what the full extent on the market will be, John Nugent, HARs chair, said in a statement.

The crash in oil prices will only exacerbate the pain in the housing market. Amid the widespread job losses (unemployment claims across the state have surpassed 600,000), some homeowners will find they need to sell.

Theres going to be a lot of people that need to liquidate their assets, Jang said.

nancy.sarnoff@chron.com

twitter.com/nsarnoff
A photo of the Luganville Municipal Council by Luganville Mayor Peter Patty before the total blackout on all networks.
The canon of wine movies is depressingly bleak. (See: Wine Country, Bottle Shock.) Which is why Uncorked, which is streaming on Netflix, couldnt come at a better time for any wine lovers who are sheltering in place right now.

The story follows Elijah (Mamoudou Athie), poised to take over the Memphis barbecue stand that his father Louis (Courtney B. Vance) has inherited from his own father. But Elijah has other plans. He wants to become a master sommelier, a distinction achieved by fewer than 300 people in the world  ever. But that dream hinges on a notoriously difficult test with a pass rate that fluctuates between 3% and 10%. (Another Netflix film, Somm, documents the grueling nature of the examination.)

In addition to the fact that the film is consistently funny  theres the running joke of Elijahs family mishearing sommelier as Somalia and asking why hes getting involved with pirates, for example  and that its the rare wine film with a mostly black cast, its one of the most accessible wine movies for non-wine geeks, not an easy achievement for such an esoteric and exclusive subject.

Throughout the film, barbecue and wine wage a proxy conflict for the clash between Louis and Elijah. Initially, the two seem irreconcilable: blue collar versus white collar. Yet by the end of Uncorked, they resolve, and the viewer begins to see pulled pork and Pomerol as more similar than they are different.

In a scene around the dinner table, Elijah notes some of the similarities between the two crafts. It actually kind of helps when I think of wine like barbecue, he announces to his family as he passes around a bottle of Chateau Abelyce. Certain places just do certain things good, like Memphis and ribs or Texas and brisket. Its kind of like Argentina and Malbec or Provence and rose.

Thats the extent of the preaching, but in subtler ways the movie hints at wine and barbecues shared foundations. Louis has multiple scenes at a woodyard, carefully choosing the types of wood hell buy for his smoker  a clear analog to oak barrels. He examines pigs hanging to dry, critiquing the level of fat on the ribs, with an eye to detail no different from a winemakers on a cluster of grapes.

What inspired writer-director Prentice Penny to make a film about these two great sensory pleasures?

More Information See More Collapse

I knew that I wanted to write a movie based on my relationship with my own father, he says.

In Pennys life, the barbecue stand was the family furniture store, and the master sommelier examination was Pennys dream of becoming a writer. But no one wants to watch a movie about someone who wants to write, he says, laughing.

Still, he needed to conjure a similar contrast. As a stand-in for writing, Penny wanted something elevated, just a little bit airy-fairy. And whats more airy-fairy than Cote-Rotie and Champagne? The film emphasizes the chasm, lingering on the sommeliers fancy suits and the grand French chateaux, and setting that luxury against the down-home mis en place of the barbecue stand.

Pennys interest in wine was ignited on a trip to Paris for a cousins wedding, where he took an introductory wine course. One of the first wines he paid attention to was from Albert Bichot, a producer in Chablis, the northernmost area of Frances Burgundy region. He makes his love for the Bichot wines abundantly clear throughout the film: Multiple scenes were filmed at the winery, and Elijah recommends its Moutonne bottling to his cousin as a great pairing with white meat. (Wine geeks will delight in the thrill of recognition at hearing shout-outs to many wines in the movie, including Oregons Antica Terra  insane, in Elijahs estimation  Australias Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet and Napa Valleys Staglin Estate Chardonnay.)

The wine universe of Uncorked is semi-fictional, not meant to be a faithful representation of the Court of Master Sommeliers, the tests administering body. In real life, an aspiring MS must pass three lower-level tests before sitting for the top tier, whereas in the film Elijah and his classmates just go straight for the top. For the characters, its MS or bust.

Its like when a movie makes a fake basketball team, Penny says.

But Penny still wanted an actual sommelier to advise on the film. Luckily, one of the producers, Datari Turner, had a brother who fit the bill perfectly: DLynn Proctor, a longtime sommelier and one of the stars of Somm, who now works as the director of Napa Valleys Fantesca Estate.

Proctor has a cameo in the film himself, and Fantescas 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon gets a quick mention. While filming in Memphis, sommelier Ryan Radish, wine director of the citys EnjoyAM Restaurant Group, also helped advise.

The two sommeliers worked with the cast and crew to help them learn some of the nuances of the craft, starting with how to properly hold a wineglass.

The most important thing for me, Athie says of his preparation for the role, was I just needed to understand how this job was possible. How do you sip a wine and then get the date, region, producer?

Proctor says he was careful to impress upon the cast that being a somm isnt just about pulling out blind-tasting parlor tricks. I really wanted to explain to Prentice that all somms are servers, server assistants and bussers, he says. Somms might be able to rattle off regions and styles  as the master sommelier examination requires them to  but the day-to-day work of serving wine in a restaurant is something very different.

I wanted that to come through in the script, Proctor says, and come through with how Mamoudou exuded the confidence of someone who had been in restaurants since he was a teenager.

The confidence shows. When Elijah is selling wine to Tanya (Sasha Compere), who later becomes his girlfriend, he compares the personalities of white wines to different rappers: Chardonnay is Jay-Z (because its classic), Riesling is Drake (because its sweet) and Pinot Grigio is Kanye West (because its  spicy?)

Uncorked is a movie made by black artists, starring black actors, about a black character who is pursuing a career in a field that is, for the most part, homogeneously white. But dont go into the movie expecting it to be a treatise on racial representation in the wine industry.

Penny was careful not to make the wine world look unrealistically diverse, but he also didnt want to make race the focal point of the movie. I said, Lets be true to how it looks,  Penny says, populating the sommelier classrooms with mostly, but not entirely, white students and mostly, but not entirely, men. But we werent going to make a PSA about it.

Explicitly, theres just one acknowledgment of the wine worlds lack of diversity. When describing his sommelier course, Elijah tells his cousin: Low-key, not a lot of black folks in my school.

Race just isnt what this movie was about, Athie adds. Its about a character whos going after his dreams and his family doesnt totally understand it.

Nevertheless, Proctor hopes that Uncorked can help people of color feel seen by the world of wine. Culturally, (wine is) not something I grew up with, and Im certain most blacks and minorities in the U.S. didnt either, he says. So I want viewers to take away from the film that wine should be as normal in their lives as breathing is.

As for his own conflict with his father, he says its eased  just like Elijah and Louis. Penny kept to his writing. He didnt follow in his fathers footsteps. And the familys two furniture stores closed, one in the late 80s and one in the late 90s.

And his father? Yeah, Penny says, now hes proud that I became a writer.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
(Alliance News) - Questions remain over the UK's coronavirus strategy in the absence of Boris Johnson, as the prime minister was spending a second night in intensive care.

Johnson's condition on Tuesday night remained "stable" as he stayed in St Thomas's for "close monitoring", according to Downing Street.

While he was said to be still in "good spirits", concerns were raised over when the lockdown measures will be reviewed a and England's chief medical officer admitted the UK has "a lot to learn" from Germany's expansive testing scheme.

But there was cautious optimism from chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance after he said the fight against Covid-19 "could be moving in the right direction".

Meanwhile the first of the NHS Nightingale hospitals, at London's ExCel centre, received its first patients on Tuesday.

The Nightingale was built to boost treatment capacity in London but officials stressed that limits had not been reached at other sites across the capital.

"There is also treatment capacity available in other hospitals across London to complement the care being provided at the London Nightingale," an NHS Nightingale London spokeswoman said.

The admissions come just two weeks after the temporary hospital with a planned capacity of 4,000 was formally announced, but later than had initially been expected.

Later on Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump claimed that the UK called the US with an urgent plea for 200 ventilators, as ministers seek to scramble to boost capacity for the sickest of patients.

"We're going to work it out, we've got to work it out," he said. "They've been great partners. They wanted 200, they need them desperately."

Earlier at the daily Downing Street press conference, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he is "confident" the PM will pull through after a worsening of his coronavirus symptoms.

Raab, who is deputising in Johnson's absence, suggested the review of the lockdown announced by the PM when he set out the restrictions would not go ahead on Monday as scheduled.

He stressed that they could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be "responsibly done".

Downing Street later confirmed the review would take place after the three-week mark originally committed to.

But the emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the PM's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16.

Vallance said there were signs that the rates of new infections and new hospital admissions for Covid-19 were "flattening off".

But he added it would be another "week or so" before they could be sure, indicating lockdown measures would not be eased before then.

Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, said the UK needed to learn from the example of Germany where the number of deaths appeared to be growing more slowly.

"We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus and there's a lot to learn from that and we've been trying to learn the lessons from that," he said.

Updating the nation on the PM's condition, Raab said he remained stable and had not required a ventilator but had received "standard oxygen treatment" while breathing without assistance.

"I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter and he'll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order," he said.

He said that ministers would not "blink or flinch" from following the instructions Johnson had set out before he was admitted to hospital.

But he appeared reluctant to say whether he would be prepared to take a decision to break with the PM's strategy while he was still in hospital if he believed a change of direction was necessary.

"He's asked me to deputise for him for as long as is necessary, but the normal Cabinet collective responsibility and principles that inform that will apply," he said.

The latest official figures from the Department of Health showed that 6,159 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday a an increase of 786 on the previous day.

However, Vallance said there were signs the number of new cases "could be moving in the right direction".

"It's possible that we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit. We won't know that for sure for a week or so," he said.

By Sam Blewett, Political Correspondent, and Gavin Cordon, Whitehall Editor, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
A 29-year-old man has appeared in court charged with allegedly commanding his German shepherd dog to "attack" a garda sergeant and producing a slash hook.

Edward Stokes, of Ferriskill, Granard, Co Longford, was remanded on bail of 1,000 having been charged with three offences arising from a high-profile incident in Co Longford on December 3, 2018.

It was previously reported a dog was shot and Mr Stokes was shot in the foot during the incident which occurred near his home.

A number of strict bail conditions were imposed on Mr Stokes yesterday including that he surrender his passport.

His wife, Sharon Stokes (32), of the same address, also appeared and was charged with producing a slash hook during the same dispute.

She wore a mask as she stood beside her husband during the brief hearing as social distancing guidelines were enforced at the court due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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She was also granted bail with strict conditions by Judge Seamus Hughes at Longford District Court yesterday.

Sergeant Paul Carney ,of Granard Garda Station, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution of the couple.

While mother-of-four Ms Stokes is facing a single charge of producing an article in a dispute, namely a "slash hook", her husband is facing three charges.

Mr Stokes is charged with the same offence as his wife and also with commanding "a German shepherd type dog, that you were in control of, to attack Sergeant Tom Quinn, allowing the German shepherd dog to grab hold of Sergeant Tom Quinn's necktie by its teeth.

"And that you failed to call off the dog despite the warnings of Sergeant Tom Quinn which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to another."

This is an offence under Section 13 of the non-fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Furthermore, Mr Stokes was charged with criminal damage of the ignition key of a 09 reg Ford Focus Transit van belonging to a John Casey.

Sgt Carney asked the court for a number of strict conditions to be attached to Mr Stokes' bail.

"It is An Garda Siochana's view that conditions are necessary because of the seriousness of the charge," he said.

Mr Stokes appealed directly to the judge to be "a fair man" and to not attach strict bail conditions.

However, Judge Hughes agreed to the Garda request and set a number of conditions on bail, including signing on daily and a curfew.

Judge Hughes said the case was of a "serious" nature given that a slash hook was produced and that it is alleged a dog was commanded to attack a Garda sergeant.

The court heard the DPP has directed the couple be charged with trial on indictment. They are due to appear in court again on June 23.
Governments can tackle fake news during the coronavirus crisis by communicating regularly and promptly correcting misinformation, Singapore's home affairs minister said.

Security experts have warned that disinformation campaigns about COVID-19 are on the rise over the internet, as people's fears and ignorance are being exploited.

Singapore is not immune. The government has been fighting fake news: from misinformation about its leaders contracting the coronavirus, to false reports of virus-related deaths and scammers trying to impersonate health officials to extract people's personal and financial details.

"We are not the only place where fake information is circulating, but I would say there is far less here," K. Shanmugam, who is also Singapore's law minister, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.

"You know the Singapore approach: We put out the clarification, we require the platform to carry what the true facts are and we saw a substantial reduction in the amount of fake news circulating," Shanmugam said, adding that the presence of fake news is part and parcel of modern life. "You just have to accept it."

Singapore passed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill in October last year, which dictates websites have to run government "correction notices" alongside content it deems false. Under the law, the government will also be able to issue so-called "take down" orders that require the removal of content posted by social media companies, news organizations or individuals.
A community group in Larne has decided to use money collected for Eleventh Night bonfires to provide essential aid for old and vulnerable people in the area during the coronavirus crisis. (stock photo - PA)

A community group in Larne has decided to use money collected for Eleventh Night bonfires to provide essential aid for old and vulnerable people in the area during the coronavirus crisis.

The Craigyhill Bonfire Committee has decided to channel over 8,000 raised since the last bonfire to go back to residents in food and toiletry donations.

The committee made the decision two weeks ago, and was among the first in Northern Ireland to use bonfire funds to help those in need, with others following suit.

Over 350 packages were delivered to residents in the past week by volunteers for the committee, with remaining supplies donated to the Salvation Army food bank.

The move anticipated the announcement this week that the Twelfth celebrations would be cancelled.

James Beggs, secretary of Craigyhill Community Development Group and the associated bonfire committee, said: "We have been quite shocked with some of the scenes we have witnessed on TV - stores with empty shelves, leaving elderly and vulnerable people stressed and without essential items like bread, milk, toilet rolls, hand soap, tinned foods etc.

"Over the past week our committee went to a cash and carry to buy these items in bulk with the money we have raised, so we can distribute the items to those who really need it in our town."

James thanked Craigyhill Bonfire Committee chairman David Murray, who owns MG Cleaning Services in the town. He said Mr Murray "devoted an awful lot of his time, his own money, plus his vans for getting a lot of the stuff back and forwards. Basically it was down to him that the whole thing came about".

James added: "If someone in the area still needs a parcel they can now contact them to arrange one.

"We just want to thank everyone in the Larne area and we hope everyone stays safe and well."
(Bloomberg) -- The big debate over whether face masks can help contain the spread of Covid-19 is shifting quickly, with more countries requiring citizens to cover their faces in public.

Indonesia, one of the worlds most populous countries with 264 million people, on Monday ordered citizens to wear face masks when they leave the house after predicting as many as 95,000 people could be infected. President Joko Widodo said authorities must ensure every household has face masks and that commuters wont be able to access public transportation without them.

Vietnam implemented fines for people who dont wear them, while the Philippines is also requiring more than 50 million people on Luzon Island to wear masks or improvised face shields outside their homes. Singapore shifted its advice on face masks last week, and Indias government issued a manual explaining how to make reusable masks at home.

The newfound embrace of the face mask comes after the World Health Organization moderated its stance, saying home-made masks may make it less likely that an asymptomatic carrier spreads the virus even though they wouldnt prevent individual infections. In guidance published this week, it also emphasized potential risks such as using contaminated masks and less adherence to other preventative measures like hand washing and social distancing, while also saying there was little proof widespread mask wearing in the population helped.

There is limited evidence that wearing a medical mask by healthy individuals in the households or among contacts of a sick patient, or among attendees of mass gatherings may be beneficial as a preventive measure, the WHO said.

However, there is currently no evidence that wearing a mask (whether medical or other types) by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, it said.

Coughs, Sneezes

The current views on face masks mark a shift from the early days of the outbreak, when only a few places that suffered through SARS in 2003 -- Hong Kong and Taiwan among them -- saw widespread use of facial coverings.

Story continues

Mask or No Mask? Why the Guidance Has Been Shifting: QuickTake

About a third of the world is now under lockdown as governments seek to stem the spread of a virus that has now infected some 1.3 million worldwide. Since it spreads via respiratory droplets when a sick person coughs, sneezes or speaks, a face cover can help in both catching the droplets and preventing healthy people from touching their faces.

Part of the shift in mask policies is logistical: Authorities were initially worried that a run on face masks would make it impossible to get them to medical workers, and they didnt want to mandate them when they couldnt guarantee supply. U.S. President Donald Trump has sparred with 3M Co., finally reaching a deal this week to provide 55.5 million more masks a month for health workers and others fighting the virus.

Another factor is emerging evidence that a significant number of people infected with the virus are asymptomatic and may be transmitting the disease, a fact that wasnt obvious when the outbreak first struck. Theres also more evidence that masks on sick people do prevent the virus from spreading.

Reduced Risk

Ben Cowling, a professor at the University of Hong Kongs School of Public Health who co-authored a study on the effectiveness of masks, said the evidence showed surgical masks could prevent the transmission of coronaviruses and influenzas from symptomatic people. Its not totally clear how effective cloth masks will be, but they will certainly have some effect, he said.

Still, he said, it was crucial that masks are seen as one of several things that can reduce transmission, including hand washing and social distancing.

Faulty Virus Tests Cloud Chinas European Outreach Over Covid-19

Masks reduce the risk, but if people spend more time in crowds and in the community then that offsets the benefit, Cowling said. We need to make sure masks are an additional measure and not a replacement for other social distancing measures.

The debate over masks was particularly acute in Hong Kong, which borders the mainland. Carrie Lam, the citys leader, initially briefed reporters in a face mask in late January and then subsequently took it off after shortages emerged.

Just a Suggestion

The Asian financial hub has seen a relatively low number of infections, with most new cases brought by residents returning home from hot spots abroad, including the U.S. and Europe. Its rare to see people out and about without masks: Lam again donned a blue mask while briefing reporters on Tuesday.

One leader who isnt as convinced is Trump, who has said he doesnt plan to wear a mask. He called advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Americans to wear non-surgical grade cloth masks as a voluntary measure and just a suggestion.

Either way, more and more people are poised to embrace masks in the future.

This is going to be a new normal, Cowling said. Popular opinion will gradually shift to greater use of face masks.

(Updates with WHO comment in fifth paragraph.)

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U.S. Attorney General Invokes New Emergency Power Under CARES Act to Expand Use of Home Confinement to Combat Dangers of Coronavirus Pandemic in Prisons

Washington, D.C., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prison Fellowship, the nations largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, released the following statement supporting U.S. Attorney General (AG) William Barrs push to limit the use of pre-trial detention and increase the use of home confinement in light of COVID-19.

AG Barr released a memorandum to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) invoking new emergency power under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to expand the use of home confinement by accelerating determinations, prioritizing the federal prisons most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. AG Barr also issued a memo to all United States Attorneys asking for caution in sending a federal defendant to jail pre-trial, noting, each time a new person is added to a jail, it presents at least some risk to the personnel who operate that facility and to the people incarcerated therein.

The Attorney Generals new guidance may literally save lives and comes not a moment too soon, said James Ackerman, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship. Likewise, were encouraged to see state policymakers from Kentucky Governor Beshear to Michigan Governor Whitmer leading the way. Prison Fellowship stands ready to support the Bureau of Prisons and our state corrections partners through prayer and resources, including launching positive digital program content for those who remain incarcerated during these incredibly challenging times.

As the death toll rises for those behind bars, so does the urgency for action that honors human dignity and advances both personal and public safety, said Heather Rice-Minus, Vice President of Government Affairs & Church Mobilization. Attorney General Barrs guidance on limiting pre-trial detention and expanding home confinement seeks to strike this chord by prioritizing those at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 while providing individualized review to weigh public safety risks. Nevertheless, we urge continued and greater action by the President, Congress, and state policymakers to prevent and respond to the dangerous impact of COVID-19 on those living and working in corrections environments.

Story continues

Background

There are now 241 incarcerated individuals and 73 Bureau of Prisons staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, impacting 33 federal corrections facilities and six residential reentry centers.

Eight people incarcerated in federal prisons have died as a result of COVID-19.

According to an AG report to the BOP, there has been a 40 percent increase in the use of home confinement since AG Barrs original March 26th memo.

Prison Fellowship

Prison Fellowship is the nation's largest outreach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading voice for criminal justice reform. With more than 40 years of experience helping restore men and women behind bars, Prison Fellowship advocates for federal and state criminal justice reforms that transform those responsible for crime, validate victims, and encourage communities to play a role in creating a safe, redemptive, and just society.

For interview requests, please contact Jim Forbes, Prison Fellowship's Director of Communications, at (703) 554-8540 or email him at Jim_forbes@pfm.org.

Attachment

Jim Forbes

Prison Fellowship

703-554-8540

jim_forbes@pfm.org


I looked around on Monday, two weeks ago, and half my friends were unemployed, said elizabet elliott.

Its not an entirely uncommon sensation these days, with the coronavirus shutdown driving layoffs, furloughs and general uncertainty. But elliott is the executive director of the Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile. The friends shes talking about are creators.

As she has touched base with her professional counterparts, the leaders of other museums, she has seen the same shock waves rattling their seemingly solid institutions: The sudden need to shut themselves off from the visiting patrons who are their lifeblood; the worry for the artists whose work they showcase and for the employees they want to protect; the pressure for them to ramp up their online offerings; and the anxiety-raising uncertainly about how long the shutdown will last and how long the aftereffects will be felt.

With the spotlight on public officials making life-or-death decisions on public health, on the numbers counting up a crisis, on the medical professionals fighting it and on the dead, the impact off all this on the arts hasnt been getting a lot of attention. But within that sector of American life and American culture, people are fighting for the lives of their institutions.

To a large part its an existential crisis, said elliott.

Graham Boettcher, the R. Hugh Daniel director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, said arts institutions are working furiously to chart a course through the crisis. Theyre mindful of lessons learned in economic slumps and other past tribulations, but none of them provide a quick and easy map of the path forward.

This is just a very different storm, Boettcher said.

FEARS AND FOREBEARANCE

The crisis quickly became personal at the Mobile Museum of Art: The first death in Baldwin County attributed to COVID-19 was Tim Gaston, a man whom Deborah Velders, the museums director, described as one of our most beloved board members.

So Velders was not speaking in the abstract when she said the pandemic challenge is difficult, but it forces us to rise to the occasion to handle fear, adapt and innovate, and deal with heartache.

Deborah Velders, the executive director of the Mobile Museum of Art, said the challenges for institutions grappling with the COVID-19 epidemic include grief. (Sharon Steinmann/ssteinmann@al.com)MO

Velders said her museum had gone through the same responses to the epidemic as virtually all such institutions -- cancelling programs, meetings, classes and all commitments involving public attendance. We went into hyperdrive over two weeks ago to put in place projects, training and tasks that could enable teleworking while rotating staff to maintain critical operations, she said.

But that was just the start of a struggle to return to normalcy that could last years. Asked how long he thought it might take, Elliot Knight, director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, said, The short answer is, Im not really sure yet.

Even trying to tally up the damage done so far is a daunting task. Knight cited a survey being conducted by the group Americans for the Arts. Among other things, it allows arts organizations to report the economic harm that theyve sustained. By April 3 that had hit $3.7 billion.

The results can be broken out by state. By April 3 it had gotten 118 responses from Alabama, adding up to more than $900,000. Thats just for the first few weeks of a shutdown that appears likely to last through April, if not longer. Were still encouraging people to fill that out, Knight said.

The numbers from Alabama point toward a shaky future, with 67% of respondents saying they expected the overall impact to be severe or extremely severe. While 27% said they didnt foresee staff layoffs, the same percentage said they found it extremely likely.

Donna Russell, executive director of the Alabama Arts Alliance, said the 118 respondents might represent 40% of the arts organizations in the state, so literally the damage might not be the half of it.

Knight said the CARES Act, the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, contains some significant help starting with $75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. Of that, 40 percent is to go straight to state and regional organizations such as the Alabama State Council on the Arts; Knight said he expects his organization to serve as a conduit for between $300,000 and $400,000. The rest will be distributed by the NEA.

Other allocations in the CARES Act, such as $75 million to the National Endowment for the Humanities, also could help arts institutions, Knight said. And he said it appeared the NEA was relaxing some requirements, such as the need for matching grants and limits on how much grant money can be spent on operating expenses.

This early in the situation, everybody knows it might spell the end for some arts institutions. But nobody knows who that might be, or what patterns will emerge. Knight cited a March 19 Washington Post interview with Michael Kaiser, the former president of the Kennedy Center and the chair of the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the University of Maryland. In the article, Kaiser suggests that midsize organizations, those with budgets between $2 million and $10 million, might be most at risk, because they lack the deep backing common to bigger institutions and the responsiveness often shown by smaller ones.

But in the Post article Kaiser also throws out a really alarming caveat for arts institutions of all sizes: If this goes on for six months, then all bets are off, he says. Then I think were really starting the arts ecology over.

Amid the gloom theres been some counterbalancing grace. Most museum directors contacted for this story said theyd seen philanthropic foundations and similar entities taking a supportive stance on existing grants. In some cases this has meant allowing grant recipients to shift money around so that they can keep paying staff.

I think theres been pretty broad recognition of the need for that with funders, Knight said.

Jackie Clay, executive director and curator at the Coleman Center for the Arts in the tiny Black Belt city of York, Ala., singled out the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts as one entity taking this approach.

They reached out to us before there was even an inkling of this being nationwide, said Clay.

I have seen this from national foundations, said Dana-Marie Lemmer, director and curator of the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan. They are really out in front of this, and are promoting a model of trust based philanthropy. Some foundations have been incredibly supportive and flexible of the change in circumstances many nonprofits are experiencing. In Alabama we have experienced this with the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, who has doubled down on their support of WMA, and it is allowing us some breathing room to respond rather than wait.

A lot of us are really having to reinvent how we do what we do, Mobiles elliott said. Shes heard museum directors and board members worried that between the shutdown itself and the recession that might follow, some of their budgets could shrink by 30% to 40%. Its a very real and present concern for every institution Im aware of, she said.

Velders said that at the Mobile Museum of Art the immediate focus was on practical issues, such as maintaining operational functions, and prioritizing the safety of people, art work and facility. We have no idea of the potential loss of revenue, but we are already losing daily revenue of course, she said. It all depends upon the duration of all this.

Graham Boettcher, head of the Birmingham Museum of Art, said keeping his staff employed is a top priority in dealing with the coronavirus shutdown. (File)File photo

Velders didnt cite a specific example for philanthropic forbearance, but said shed heard a lot about it from colleagues around the country. We are encouraged by a solidarity of support for our field from many directions, and by every level of involvement -- funding sources, artists, galleries, collectors, etc., she said. What we see is a shared will to save the arts, our people and all that our culture signifies about us. I can say we have heard nothing but positive support and encouragement from within, and outside of, our community.

Said Lemmer: Its important now more than ever to trust nonprofit organizations to know whats best for the communities they serve. We are all adapting the best we can, within the restrictions weve been given, but unrestricted, operational support is what allows organizations to be flexible and to respond to community needs in real time.

LESSONS FROM 2008

As veterans look back to the last time they went through anything like this, theyre remembering the bruises and lessons of the economic slump that started in 2008. And one of the biggest of those lessons is that it might take a while even to get to the bottom.

I was in grad school in 2008, said Clay. So I was in grad school when the market crashed. I actually got laid off.

That was the immediate hit. But the full impact took two years to unfold, she said. By 2010, even the biggest foundations were feeling the damage to the investment portfolios that power their giving.

The board and I are already thinking nine months from now, 18 months from now, Clay said.

The future of philanthropic funding is really one of the great unknowns right now, concurred Boettcher, who by contrast heads the largest arts museum in the state and one of the largest in the region. Individual giving is largely guided by the health of the stock market, he said.

Boettcher has his own memories of the post-2008 recession. Then as now, foundation support was critical. Hed come to the museum in 2006 as the Henry Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellow in Art. In 2008 he was hired to fill the new job of curator of American art. As that recession deepened, the Henry Luce Foundation created a relief program, providing bridge support that sustained the position.

Boettcher said other local large foundations suspended applications and pivoted to emergency relief. Even so, he said, the Birmingham Museum of Art weathered its share of furloughs and layoffs.

This time around, he said, I hope that money thats available to provide relief to cultural organizations is made available quickly enough to have an impact. Boettcher said that since coming to Alabama hes been impressed by donors commitment to extreme philanthropy and their determination to live up to promises made in better times.

Directors contacted for this story said maintaining employment to the greatest extent possible was a priority.

Were pretty small. The upside to that in this moment is that a little money goes a long way, if youre nimble, said Clay. Keeping those folks paid feels like really important mission work.

Our No. 1 goal is keeping our staff employed, said Boettcher.

One of the things I think has worried me the most is that Alabama has the fourth lowest unemployment benefits in the nation, he said. (Its tied for fourth-worst, with a maximum payout of $275 a week and a duration shortened just last year.)

Its just very frightening and sobering to think about what unemployment could mean for the unemployed so I dont want to put staff through that, said Boettcher.

As the CARES Act was being developed, arts institutions began an ongoing campaign to remind policymakers and the public that arts play a notable role in the economy.

The arts are a huge business in Alabama said Russell. Were really trying to get the message out about how this affects jobs and the economy.

Aside from a few scattered cars belonging to staff or to people using the adjacent Langan Municipal Park, the parking lot of the Mobile Museum of Art sits mostly empty on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. (Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com)Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

In February, the Americans for the Arts Action Fund put out a fact sheet reporting that the arts & culture sector represents 4.3% of the nations gross domestic product and 5 million jobs. In Alabama, the group said, it accounts for $4.6 billion -- 2.3% of the GDP -- and more than 46,000 jobs.

Velders, in Mobile, cited the same group. Nationally, the industry generated $135.2 billion of economic activity -- $61.1 billion by the nation's nonprofit arts and culture organizations in addition to $74.1 billion in event-related expenditures by their audiences, she said via email. This economic activity supports 4.13 million full-time jobs and generates $86.68 billion in resident household income. Our industry also generates $22.3 billion in revenue to local, state, and federal governments every year  a yield well beyond their collective $4 billion in arts allocations.

So in addition to being economic engines for tourism and business, the arts generate jobs, and multiply revenue to other industries. This is the message we, and our supporters, conveyed to legislators as they pondered the latest stimulus bill, Velders said.

Theres a flip side to that. There are provisions in the CARES Act designed to help small businesses, and changes that may make it easier for arts institutions to apply. But that means they have to think of themselves as businesses, not as something outside the world of commerce.

Thats pretty much what Ive been working on all week, said Russell. The Alabama Arts Alliance cant give financial advice, she said, but its encouraging arts institutions to be proactive in getting some.

As museums consider the Payroll Protection Program that the CARES Act put under the Small Business Association, theyre having to reconsider, and assert, their place as commercial operations. For some, coronavirus may be driving a real shift in perspective on their own identity.

I think it is. I really think it is, said Russell. Often nonprofits put themselves in a different category.

VIRTUAL HOPES, REAL LIMITS

To say the coronavirus shutdown placed an immediate premium on museums online offerings is putting it mildly.

Boettcher felt like the Birmingham Museum of Art already was doing a lot, in terms of online engagement. Even so, Never did we imagine that every parent of a school-age child in Alabama would end up being a homeschool teacher for the remainder of the year, he said.

The museum has doubled down, Boettcher said. It had an upcoming exhibition of Asian art with a major online component. Now thats going to hit the Internet much sooner than planned. Itll come complete with lesson plans useful to schools and parents. Its really, really rich, he said.

The Birmingham museum has piled all its online offerings onto its homepage at https://www.artsbma.org/, making it easier to find what everyones looking for during the shutdown. Boettcher appears in his own Directors Cut video series, while other offerings include mini digital exhibitions, a blog, Art Escapes showcasing favorite exhibits, Studio to Go activities and classes and even puzzles and games.

People are loving the jigsaw puzzles, said Boettcher.

Other museums in the state might not have quite the level of resources the Birmingham flagship can deploy, but theyre answering the call. Lemmer said that in Dothan, the Wiregrass Museum of Art has been building its I.T. and technology infrastructure for the past several years, and in January even launched our own, free, museum app. That laid the foundation to do more after closing the museums doors on March 17.

Like other directors, including Velders at the Mobile Museum of Art, Lemmer said that Wiregrass is rapidly ramping up is efforts, particularly when it comes to online educational resources. The museum has a series of lesson plans that can be accessed online; all lesson plans are cross curricular and can be searched by subject matter or grade level, she said. We have an educators blog that is updated every Monday, and a new series of daily art breaks, including longer format video lessons and lunch and learns, that are inspired by works of art in the museums permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.

But going online isnt a magical cure-all. Particularly when it comes to education, the uneven availability of broadband creates a problem of inequity. Even in Birmingham, Boettcher said its a concern, though he said hes pleased to see schools taking it seriously as they shift to online learning for the remainder of the academic year.

Its somewhat more of an issue in places like the Wiregrass region. As an organization that cares deeply about access and equity, the idea that these tools will not reach everyone that needs them is troubling, Lemmer said. To address some of this concern, WMA is in contact with local school systems in the hope that we will be able to provide take home art supply kits to add to school lunches being distributed across our district.

In a rural, lightly populated region like the patch of west Alabama where the Coleman Center operates -- west of Demopolis, north of Butler, southwest from Tuscaloosa, closer to Meridian, Miss., than to any major population center in Alabama -- the gap isnt theoretical. Its the reality where the conversation starts. Clay said its not unusual to find she has no cell service while in Sumter County and adjacent counties. Those who do have Internet access often depend on relatively slow and expensive satellite connections.

Clay said the CARES Act might fund increased broadband access, though it wont come quickly. In the meantime it may not make much sense to sink scarce resources into beefing up the Coleman Centers online presence, knowing that surrounding patrons will have little access. Shes hoping to find ways to capitalize on social media.

I feel urgency in general, she said. I cant imagine what parents are doing right now.

Russell said that one of the biggest lessons were learning is that we do need to have more virtual-type offerings, but she sees another lurking issue. Some of the best online lessons guide viewers through a hands-on component, giving them something more to do that simply sit and watch. But even those cant replace the tactile experiences of being taught hands-on lessons in a science lab or an arts studio.

Theres also the problem that slapping stuff online, in some cases, might not do justice to the art, the artist or the onlooker.

At Alabama Contemporary, elliott hasnt been dragging her feet. The museums Postcards from Quarantine project, featuring a virtual gallery of entries, is among the very first exhibitions in the state created in direct response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Shes looking at more ways to put exhibits online.

But shes also keenly aware that presenting the art involves curating the space around it. Strip that away, and everybody loses. Something to experience becomes just one more thing to look at.

The immediate suggesting everybodys got is, do a video tour, she said. But theres a reason we werent already doing video tours.

In my career, the thing Im best at is creating social spaces, she said. And I cant do that right now.

INDIVIDUAL STRUGGLES

Theres more than art museums to the arts, and the shutdown has hit individual artists harder, if anything.

Just as Americans for the Arts has begun a national survey of the institutions, the Alabama Council on the Arts has begun a survey of individual artists. With about 250 artists responding, nearly 90 percent said they already had lost income.

Spring is a hot time for visual artists and craft artists who do the outdoor circuit, Knight said. Christmas is big, then theres a lull, then the arts and crafts festivals provide a rebound. This year theyve all been canceled. In some cases artists have lost booth fees that arent being refunded, and theyve also missed out on the opportunity to meet new patrons and log new commissions.

Its having a pretty dire effect, said Knight.

Boettcher said that many artists have day jobs, but theyve provided uneven relief. Those who work as educators or who have positions at large institutions like his have fared better. But those who work in the service industry have, in many cases, seen those jobs dry up too. People are suffering, he said.

As of April 3, the state councils survey had garnered 266 responses. More than a third reported being unable to create artwork or engage in their artistic practice. For nearly a quarter, the loss was more than half their income. A promising but small fraction, 14%, said theyd found new ways to generate income through digital platforms.

Theres some hope that the number of artists finding successful outlets online will grow, but the reality is that the disparities will continue to be harsh. But if anything is a pillar of the arts, its hope.

I recall in the height of the economic crash of 2008 an artist saying to me that he was fine, said Velders. Because he had no money in the stock market (he never had enough anyway)  no investments to decline; no nest egg to lose; no benefits to worry about losing. That situation for many of our creatives is unacceptable  but I understood his point. No one decides to be an artist because of its economic benefits or future security.

But we at the museum do whatever we can to support our living artists, she said. Last year, we converted our museum store to a gallery featuring arts and crafts by Southern artists (mostly Alabamians). we take as little commission as we can to sustain it -- the idea is to encourage people to collect the art of our time and our place. To support our artists!

Artists are resilient and persistent individuals, said Boettcher. They keep creating.

IMAGINING THE FUTURE

Were making it up as we go along, said elliott.

Each of these organizations has a drastically different community theyre serving, and drastically different budget and structure, she said. Were all in the midst of imagining what our new future is going to look like.

A notice on the door of the Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile shares some thoughts, and attitude, on surviving the COVID-19 epidemic. Since it was posted, the related shutdown has been extended. (Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com)Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

To get to the future you have to get through the present, and every little bit helps. The idea that patrons can support restaurants by ordering takeout and other local businesses by buying gift cards carries over to the arts.

Ive renewed my membership at a bunch of places and it feels good, said Clay. There are lots of ways to support folks.

I renewed my membership at the Capri Theatre Last week, even though I cant go right now, said Knight. Among other things, its a way to maintain relationships with organizations youve always supported.

Helping can mean buying art through artists new online endeavors, or even just sharing those online efforts so that they get more attention. Knight said it can also mean declining a refund for the ticket price of a canceled event, making it a donation or accepting a credit instead.

Russell said parents may have another way of supporting arts educators. If they think art is being left out of their schools online offerings, they can advocate for its inclusion.

I think this whole experience is forcing us to think about music and other cultural institutions in a different way, said Boettcher.

We have canceled or postponed all events and programs through mid-May, and I do anticipate that may be extended, said Lemmer. Some exhibitions have been postponed, others have been extended, and new projects are being brainstormed to best support our artist community. Artists are central to the work we do at WMA and we are exploring new ways to connect artists with our community via digital dialogues, social media takeovers, and artist residencies to commission new work and support artists in a time of need.

Were in a transformative moment, said Clay.

I rather hope it (this crisis) might become humanitys opportunity to rise up and show who and what we are -- what we really cherish, and what we can do individually and collectively to innovate, invent, solve problems, celebrate and grieve together (not apart nor in isolation), said Velders. The arts are a function and reflection of society  and the values of our shared humanity find their highest, most inspired expression in the arts and humanities. People have always expressed themselves  through wars, epidemics, tragedies  and likely that will not change because of this pandemic. Our job is to make sure that art -- and our culture -- survives and communicates that beauty and human spirit for generations to come.

There are days when I feel more connected to folks than I did before, said Lemmer. Im in constant awe of artists and creative professionals. I think many, who rely on the support of now-struggling organizations or commissions, find themselves unemployed now. Yet, I still see them stepping up to make masks for healthcare workers, theyre offering online classes and concerts, and theyre creating new work in response to the times we find ourselves in.

Well look back on this period, and it will be artists who tell the story.
ENGINEER Ramo Makani (Tunduru-North, CCM) and Rose Kamili (Special Seats, Chadema) told the national assembly on Wednesday Bassotu, Nakapanya, Matemanga wards in Tunduru Dstrict were facing a health challenge as the existing facilities cannot accommodate the rising demand.

Eng. Makani said Tunduru District hospital needed a complete overhaul to offer quality health services and that the support facilities at Nakapanya and Matemanga clinics were collapsing.

In her principal question, Ms Kamili said there had been an increase in social and economic activities such as mining, fishing, agriculture and business that was pushing an increase in population, thus posing a health threat of communicable disease outbreaks.

In this regard, she wanted to know the timeframe for the government to give funds for the construction of children and maternity wards as well as health workers housing at the Bassotu dispensary.

Deputy Minister, President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Governments Mr Josephat Kandege, told said that the binding health guidelines on dispensaries were clear.

He said the facilities were not fit for children and maternal wards. "But considering that the hospital is 55 kilometres away, the government will conduct an assessment to improve the dispensary's infrastructure," he said.

Mr Kandege further explained that the government had released 140m/-to construct two wards at Tunduru hospital.

"We spent over 500m/-to rehabilitate Matemanga health centre and we have released at least 200m/- to build a childrens and maternity ward and a surgical room at Nakapanya health centre," he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Inspection of vehicles bearing cargo will be simplified, said the commander of Joint Task Force Coronavirus Shield.

Speaking at the Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday, PLtGen Guillermo Eleazar said all vehicles loaded with goods shall be allowed to pass.

"Lahat po 'yun makakadaan. 'Pag sinabi nating cargo, hindi lang essential items 'yan. For all you know, non-essential items could be raw materials for essential items, kaya nga lahat po kasama na 'yan," he said.

[Translation: All of those will be allowed to pass through. When we say cargo, it isn't just essential items. For all you know, non-essential items could be raw materials used for essential items, so those are all included.]

He added cargo shipment inspection will be done in certain areas.

"Meron na tayong 115 dedicated control points manned by the Highway Patrol Group. All over the Philippines na po ito. Ito po ay mga strategic location, usually sa boundary ng ating mga probinsya. Dito lang po mag-chcheck, mag-iinspect ng ating cargo trucks," he said.

[Translation: There are 115 dedicated control points manned by the Highway Patrol Group all over the Philippines. These are in strategic locations, usually at the boundaries of provinces. These are the places where cargo trucks will be inspected.]

Cargo truck protocol such as social distancing, the checking of documents and thermal scanning will only be done at these locations.

RELATED: Gov't assures free movement of all cargo amid Luzon quarantine

Quarantine control points (QCPS), meanwhile, will inspect non-cargo vehicles. There are 3,593 QCPS nationwide, Eleazar said, and these would be manned by the police.

"Gusto po kasi natin, alisin 'yung mga ulit-ulit [We want to remove the repetitive,], unnecessary, redundant checking of the cargo trucks to ensure that the movement of these cargo trucks is unhampered and uninvaded," he said.

Eleazar said Philippine Natonal Police chief PGen Archie Gamboa ordered the police to coordinate with barangay chairmen to comply with the directive.

"Hindi nila pwedeng i-check, harangin man lang ang mga cargo trucks," he said.

[Translation: They are not allowed to check, to bar cargo trucks.]
Despite the ongoing pandemic and a county stay-at-home order, the city of Tomball still managed to have its regular city council meeting Monday, albeit not in-person.

City Council held the meeting over teleconference at 6 p.m. Monday, with a phone number available for the public to call and listen in on the meeting, as well as provide public comment.

Are people staying home?: Google graphs where people in Houston-area and Texas counties are going during coronavirus

Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, were still committed to ensuring that we operate government in the most open and transparent manner possible, just as weve continued to provide all essential city services to our community, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan said.

Tomball City Manager Rob Hauck gave an update on how the city has been operating, and the changes theyve had to make to keep the city running.

Meals for students: Tomball ISD to continue free curbside meal service Wednesday

From the beginning, weve been doing everything we can to try to create and maintain as much normalcy as possible, but like everyone, theres been some adjustments that had to be made, Hauck said.

The city has been conducting daily disinfecting of city vehicles and common areas of city buildings with a fogger disinfectant machine, Hauck said. The city has implemented universal masking for close public contacts, such as medical and police contacts, as well as voluntary masking or cloth face coverings for all other city employees.

City staffs work schedule has been split, with one half working at home for one day while another half works at the office and vice versa, Hauck said, and large meetings have been eliminated and replaced with video or conference calls.

The Tomball Community Center and information center have also been closed to the public, but the community center staff is still working daily.

One of the things our community center staff is continuing to do is theyre making daily contacts with seniors who routinely go to the community center, so were staying connected with those folks and checking in on them, Hauck said.

The city is also placing a strong focus on staffs social and emotional issues, Hauck said. Chaplains and counseling are being offered for employees as well as daily peer support from coworkers and supervisors.

Updated information on the pandemic and city business is being relayed through the citys social media pages and the citys low-power radio station 95.3 FM, Hauck said.

The city is also working with a company to quickly develop a smartphone app to provide info on the pandemic, Hauck said, which could also be expanded later to become the citys own My Tomball app, acting as a one-stop shop for city information.

Hauck also said he spoke with HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball CEO Eric Evans, who told Hauck they are managing the patient load well so far and have been preparing for any potential surge in COVID-19 cases. They have built negative chamber areasisolation areas that use negative air pressure to help contain airborne particlesfor coronavirus patients and have extra ventilators and personal protective equipment for patients and staff.

All essential city services are still up and running, Hauck said, and the community development department is still reviewing plans and issuing permits for essential construction jobs.

Our staff is absolutely committed to this community, all systems are go, Hauck said.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
A chef prepares food inside the kitchen for the frontline workers of Vancouver General Hospital at a Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, April 6, 2020. The Canadian government is recruiting volunteers to support frontline healthcare workers to combat the COVID-19 crisis. Some local Chinese restaurants donated meals to the frontline healthcare workers fighting COVID-19. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)
W ith coronavirus infection rates still surging in many parts of the world, pet owners are understandably concerned.

Vets have reassured that there is no need for great concern - but they have urged taking some precautions.

The RSPCA told the Standard that people should be taking extra hygiene measures, especially around cats.

It comes after several cases of tigers and cats testing positive for Covid-19.

Veterinary chiefs urged pet owners not to panic / @moosingaround

Can pets catch coronavirus?

There have been a very small number of animals who have caught Covid-19, the RSPCA said, but they are isolated cases.

A 17-year-old dog and a cat in Hong Kong were reportedly diagnosed after being infected by their owners, and one cat was infected in Belgium last month.

But even those few animals who have tested positive are not becoming sick, according to Dr Angel Almendros, an expert at City University in Hong Kong.

He added: "As in the previous Sars-Cov outbreak in Hong Kong, in 2003, where a number of pets were infected but never became sick, there is no evidence that dogs or cats could become sick or infect people."

AFP via Getty Images

The one exception was when Nadia, a tiger at Bronx Zoo, New York City, became infected from an asymptomatic zoo keeper on April 5, along with six other tigers and lions who have fallen ill.

"This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick," Paul Calle, the chief veterinarian at the zoo, told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

The Belgium case was thought to be human-to-animal transmission, which Cats Protection said was possibly a world first and extremely rare.

Dr Sarah Caddy, veterinary scientist and research fellow at Cambridge University, wrote in The Conversation that tests on the cat in Belgium for Covid-19 found the viral genome in its vomit and its faeces.

"Many people are asking if the coronavirus detected in the cat really is [Covid-19] or whether it could be the completely different cat-only coronavirus, which has been infecting cats worldwide for decades. It is possible that the cat ate contaminated food and the virus simply passed through its gut.

Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA's companion animals department, told the Standard: Even in cases where people have passed the virus to other animals, the risk is incredibly small, especially when we think about the number of cats and dogs we share our homes with: 17% of UK households share their homes with 7.5million cats and 25 per cent with 12million dogs.

REUTERS

What is the risk to me?

But the more important question is whether pets can infect humans.

There have been a number of false rumours circulating online since reports that the pandemic began with transmission from pangolins to humans at a wet wildlife market in Wuhan, China.

Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association, stressed that owners should not worry about becoming infected by pets and that there is no evidence that pets can pass Covid-19 to their owners.

AFP via Getty Images

However, experts have warned that the virus can survive on surfaces for several days.

Dr Gaines of the RSPCA told the Standard: Like human hands, pet fur could carry the virus and so it is important to adopt good hygiene when interacting with our pets, especially if they could have been in contact with other people.

What precautions can I take?

The RSPCA said the situation is evolving and at pace and urged cat owners to thoroughly wash their hands after touching pets and avoid being kissed or licked and sharing food with them. They should also avoid touching animals outside their home.

The charity also said it is advisable that cats remain indoors, but not against their will as this could lead to serious health issues.

The British Veterinary Association said that as a precaution, "for pet owners who have Covid-19 or who are self-isolating we are recommending that you keep your cat indoors if possible, during that time, to avoid spreading it to other households.
Fans should thank Hollywood star Chris Evans' mom Lisa Evans for pushing him to play Steve Rogers aka Captain America, as the actor was initially unwilling to take up the superhero part.

In an interview with Esquire, Lisa revealed that her superstar son was skeptical to take up the role because he was scared of becoming too famous.

His biggest fear was losing his anonymity. He said, I have a career now where I can do work I really like. I can walk my dog. Nobody bothers me. Nobody wants to talk to me. I can go wherever I want. And the idea of losing that is terrifying to me.'

I said to him, Look, you want to do acting work for the rest of your life? If you do this part, you will have the opportunity. You'll never have to worry about paying the rent. If you take the part, you just have to decide, 'It's not going to affect my life negatively it will enable it', Lisa said.

Chris made his debut as the Marvel superhero with Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and went on to reprise his role in films The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War , Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

In the final moments of last year's Endgame it was revealed that Steve travels back to the 1940's to live out his dream life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and returns to the present as an old man to pass his shield on to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson aka Falcon.

Lisa said seeing Chris as an old man in the film was an emotional moment for her as he resembled his late granddad exactly."

After completing his decade long journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor's last release was Rian Johnsons' Knives Out.

Marvel Disney+ Trailer Breakdown: First Look At WandaVision, Loki, Falcon And The Winter Soldier

Robert Downey Jr Birthday Special: Bloopers That Make Us Love Him Even More
GLENS FALLS  It was a sunny and shocking Tuesday afternoon, with a downtown that had been a ghost town transformed into a rollicking, rocking party town, turning out for a parade.

Just before 4 p.m., streets that had been empty for more than a week were jammed with horn-blaring vehicles festooned with ribbons and bedecked with balloons.

The Queensbury Hotel parking lot overflowed with cars glinting in the sun and proclaiming messages of pride and gratitude in messy scrawls:

We are in this together

Thank you Frontline

#AloneTogether

Sirens whooped, motorcycles rumbled and rock n roll blared across the blacktop.

Kids hung out in bright T-shirts and shades, grown-ups blinked in the sun and here and there a parent or an officer was wearing a surgical mask.

Natasha Roberts had come down from Warrensburg with her 9-year-old son, Logan, to drive from the hotel to the hospital to honor front-line health care workers.

Six months pregnant, she is worried about COVID-19  worried about getting it and worried what the hospital is going to look like in June, when her baby is due.

Casey Mechanick of Hudson Falls said she was there to support the fire department, and because getting out in the sun was what her daughters  Natalie, 8, and Lily, 11  needed.

Theyve been cooped up inside, she said.

The whole greater Glens Falls community seemed to be expressing a collective joy at being out together in the spring sun.

The parade started, and the firetrucks and ambulances and squad cars, the motorcycles and the pickup trucks, the SUVs in glittering metallic shades of blue or red went wailing and moaning and honking and roaring down Hudson Avenue, past the hospital staff standing and waving from the lawn.

Near the entrance was Dianne Shugrue, hospital CEO, and Jacque Ecuyer, organizer of the 4s4Life Foundation, which supports local front-line workers in health care and in the police, emergency and fire squads.

Dan Hall, mayor of Glens Falls, stood on the opposite side of Hudson Avenue, sporting a blue face covering and dark glasses.

Ecuyer and Hall teamed up to organize the parade, along with Pete Brock, owner of Sams Diner.

Before the event, Brock predicted a big crowd.

We need some stress relief, he said. Were going to come out and support these people that go to work every day to save our lives.

After the vehicles had circled around and headed back into town, and the sirens were fading, a man with a white beard and a paunch wandered onto the lawn by the sidewalk across from the hospital entrance, looking around.

Whats going on? he said.

A parade to honor hospital workers, someone said.

I didnt know what was happening, he said. It was so loud.

He looked like the parade had woken him up.

I thought it was something big, he said.

It was.

Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at @trafficstatic.

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Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the US were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee for one at stores. This was part of a movement to eliminate single-use plastics, not just in the US but many countries across the world.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for a ban on single-use plastic from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15 last year. "During my 2014 speech, I spoke about cleanliness. It became a movement in the country and the common man took it up with gusto. Today, I ...
Germany will take in up to 500 unaccompanied minors from Greek migrant camps over the coming weeks, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday, and urged other EU countries to follow suit.

"We said (to the Greek authorities and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees) that we want to take in between 350 and 500 children in the next few weeks," Maas said in an interview with the RTL/ntv broadcaster.

The minister said he hoped other countries would follow suit. "We want to set an example here." Germany announced on Tuesday that it would take in 50 children from migrant camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios.

The transfers could begin next week, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The children and adolescents, who arrived at the camps without their parents, "will at first be placed in quarantine for two weeks," before being housed in various regions, the ministry said.

Tens of thousands of asylum-seekers live in dire circumstances in Greek camps, and conditions have worsened recently due to outbreaks of the coronavirus.

France, Portugal, Finland, Lithuania, Croatia and Ireland are also part of an EU programme announced at the beginning of March to take in some of the 1,600 vulnerable minors in Greek camps.

However, Maas said they were putting their plans on hold because of border restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus crisis.

"Apart from Luxembourg, we are the only ones who are still willing to accept minors," he said.

Luxembourg has already agreed to take in 12 minors. German Development Minister Gerd Mueller has called the camps a "disgrace", urging Brussels to act to avert a "catastrophe".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DETROIT  General Motors will begin making ventilators as part of a $489.4 million deal with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About 30,000 ventilators will be constructed and delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of August, with a production schedule allowing for the delivery of 6,132 ventilators by June 1. Each device is being made at a cost of $16,300.

The GM ventilators are a more basic version of one sold by Ventec to distributors for around $18,000, the Associated Press reported. This is the first contract for ventilator production rated under the Defense Production Act signed by President Donald Trump.

Invoking the Defense Production Act to secure ventilator production from GM and other companies is a part of President Trumps all-of-America approach to combating the coronavirus, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said in a statement.

 The Trump Administration has deployed thousands of ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile that have helped save lives in hotspots such as New York so far. Were grateful to the GM team for working with the federal government to expand our nations supply of ventilators as the pandemic evolves.

In a statement, GM and its partner in the project, Ventec Life Systems, said it is working with speed and urgency to arm frontline medical professionals with the critical care ventilators they need to treat seriously ill patients.

GM is working around-the-clock to build ventilators at Kokomo, Indiana plant

GM is proud to deploy its purchasing and manufacturing capability alongside the respiratory care expertise of Ventec. We remain dedicated to working with the Administration to ensure American innovation and manufacturing meet the needs of the country during this global pandemic, the statement continued.

Trump ordered GM to produce the devices under the Defense Production Act on March 27, hours after the automaker announced a partnership with Seattle-based Ventec Life Systems to build critical-care ventilators at one of GMs components plants in Kokomo, Indiana.

GMs announcement came after Trump criticized the automaker and GM CEO and Chairman Mary Barra for wanting top dollar for producing the life-saving devices.
United States President Donald Trump said he would put a hold on America's funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of becoming China-centric during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see. It's a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that's no good," Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference.



Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States.

"We pay for a majority or the biggest portion of their money. They actually criticised and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it. They were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn't want to -- they're very -- they seem to be very China centric," Trump charged during his news conference.

Trump said his administration is going to look into the US funding to the WHO.



"We give a majority of the money that they get, and it's much more than the $58 million. $58 million is a small portion of what they've got over the years. Sometimes they get much more than that. Sometimes it's for programs that they're doing, and-it's much bigger numbers. If the programs are good, that's great as far as we're concerned," he added.

"But we want to look into it, World Health Organization, because they called it wrong. They (WHO) called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier. They would have known and they should have known and they probably did know. So, we'll be looking into that very carefully, and we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jim Risch, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the WHO handling of the COVID-19 response.

"The WHO has failed not only the American people, it has failed the world with its flagrant mishandling of the response to COVID-19," said Risch.

"Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' apparent unwillingness to hold the Chinese Communist Party to even the minimum standard of global health and transparency hindered the world's ability to blunt the spread of this pandemic. It is completely unacceptable that the world's global health organisation has become a political puppet of the Chinese government," he alleged.

"An independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response is imperative," he asserted.

"Our valuable tax payer dollars should go towards investments to prevent the spread of disease, not to aid and abet cover-ups that cost lives and isolate portions of the world's population on political grounds, as has been the case with Taiwan," Senator Risch said.

A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers on Tuesday announced Tuesday to introduce a resolution to defund the WHO until its Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus resigns and an international commission investigates the organisation's role in covering up the Chinese Communist Party's failed COVID-19 response.

"The WHO helped the Chinese Communist Party hide the threat of COVID-19 from the world and now more than 10,000 Americans are dead, a number that is expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks," Congressman Guy Reschenthaler alleged.

"The United States is the largest contributor to WHO. It is not right that Americans' hard-earned tax dollars are being used to propagate China's lies and hide information that could have saved lives. This bill will hold the WHO accountable for their negligence and deceit," he asserted.

The United States' intelligence community has reported that the Chinese government hid the threat of COVID-19 and, as a result, made it difficult for the rest of the world to respond early, appropriately and aggressively, said Congressman Fred Keller.

"For reasons beyond understanding, the World Health Organization acted as a silent partner in this effort instead of protecting the lives of millions across the world, including hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not go to a global organisation more concerned with not offending the Chinese government than providing accurate information and protecting innocent lives," Keller said.

Senator Marco Rubio accused the Chinese Communist Party of using WHO "to mislead the world."



"The organisation's leadership is either complicit or dangerously incompetent. I will work with the Trump Administration to ensure that WHO is independent and has not been compromised by the CCP before we continue our current funding," he added.
/ -- Mindray (SZSE: 300760) -- As COVID-19 is casting a dark shadow over people's health, healthcare providers around the world are fighting relentlessly against the virus. We salute all medical staff for their valiant efforts to save patients' lives and battle the outbreak. As China's leading medical devices and solutions provider, we have been the main force ever since the epidemic broke out in China, working around the clock to support healthcare professionals. Now that the virus is spreading around the world, we are connecting international medical experts and providing precise treatment for patients with advanced products and services, as well as valuable medical insights.

We always put customer needs in the first place. To offer the best-customized solutions to cope with COVID-19, we have worked closely with healthcare professionals around the world and identified their pain points varying in different regions. In face of high installation volume, unstable traffic and hazardous environment, our field service engineers have adhered to strict protocols and offered timely and safe assistance to healthcare providers. Our easy-to-use and multi-functional products from PMLS, IVD and MIS units are fully equipped to ensure better healthcare for more patients. In addition, our IT solution and online clinical guidance make sure that healthcare providers could treat patients adequately without contracting the virus. As a platform of knowledge exchange, we have invited Chinese experts to share their insights in COVID-19 patient treatment with medical professionals around the world in our webinar program. We will further explore possibilities where we can support patients and healthcare professionals who are fighting against the virus.

We are doing our best to ramp up manufacturing capacity. Our medical products, including patient monitors, ventilators and ultrasound devices, are crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Facing a soaring demand from healthcare providers around the world and a disruption of the global supply chain, we have been cooperating with governments and suppliers to mitigate shortages and safeguard the production line. Our employees at the manufacturing center cancelled official holidays and thanks to their hard work, we have multiplied manufacturing capacity. While striving to maintain business continuity, we have also taken strict sanitation steps to ensure the safety of our products during the whole manufacturing process.

We cherish our employees' health. Our success is based on their professionalism, efficiency and responsibility at work. To protect our employees across the globe, we have restricted business travels and arranged online conferences instead. We have asked regional offices to follow local health authorities' guidelines and initiate work-from-home protocol. As the virus spread is slowing in China, we have increased sterilization and cleaning measures of office facilities, offered surgical masks at the workplace, practiced social distancing and monitored our employee's health by temperature screening on a daily basis. We will further implement these hygiene measures in regional offices and provide a safe working environment for all our employees. Thanks to our strict protection guideline, we are very proud to announce that none of our field service employees were infected.

In a time when the mission to save lives is more important than ever, we are doing all we can to bring healthcare within reach. To date, we have donated 4.6 million USD worth of devices to hospitals all over the world. We will keep protecting our employees' health and safety, standing with healthcare providers and giving better care to patients around the globe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trumbull police will begin issuing fines to people who do not comply with the states emergency orders regarding to the coronavirus and social distancing.

Effective April 9 officers will begin issuing $92 trespassing infractions to those ignorning warnings and posted restrictions in town parks and school property and playgrounds, said Police Chief Michael Lombardo. This action is taken in response to groups gathering in areas including parks, businesses and school grounds, police said.
Bhopal, April 9 : Hotspots of coronavirus outbreak -- Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain -- should be completely sealed to check spread of infection from and to these towns, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the officers during a review meeting.

During the review meeting on Wednesday, he said the district administration should ensure the supply of essential commodities and FIRs should be filed against those who are hiding the information about the coronavirus infection.

He said, "Case should registered against those who are hiding the travel history or about infection. Action can be taken after the treatment. Apart from this, stern action should be taken against people misbehaving with those engaged in fight against COVID-19." If the directive is followed earnestly, many of the state bureaucrats could be among the first to face the music. The three cities have been facing grave crisis of essential commodities with even daily supply of vegetables and grocery being snapped over the past three days.

Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains said the test capacity has now reached 788 per day while by April 10 we will conduct 1,000 tests per day. There are seven labs to investigate and rapid testing kits are being arranged for quick screening of coronavirus.
Syracuse, N.Y.  The Onondaga County health department on Wednesday announced concern over possible coronavirus exposure at two more local businesses.

The county announced 25 new cases on Wednesday, with more hospitalized and more in critical than ever before.

An infected employee was working at the following businesses on the following days and times:

Ollies Bargain Outlet, 3150 Erie Blvd East, Dewitt

 Monday, March 30: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

 Wednesday, April 1: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Colonial Laundromat, 408 Oswego Road in Liverpool

 Tuesday, March 31: 6:30 am to 2:30 pm

 Wednesday, April 1: 6:30 am to 2:30 pm

 Thursday, April 2: 6:30 am to 12:30 pm

Previous COVID-19 cases in public places:

If you become sick, contact your primary care doctor. For those without doctors, call Upstate University Hospitals Covid-19 hotline: 315-464-3979.

The Onondaga County health department warned of possible public exposure in these locations and times:

Walgreens, 4001 S. Salina St., Syracuse:

March 27: 7:50 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.

March 28: 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.

March 30: 7:50 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.

March 31: 1:05 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

Walgreens, 4751 Onondaga Blvd, Syracuse:

March 27: 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

March 28: 1p.m. to 9 p.m.

March 30: 1p.m. to 8 p.m.

March 31: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Kinney Drugs, 437 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool:

March 27: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

March 29: 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Hallinans Wine and Liquor, 3504 W. Genesee St., Fairmount:

March 30: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 31: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tops Market in Manlius, 119 W. Seneca St.: Infected employee worked:

Thursday, March 26, 6 a.m. and 1:10 p.m.

Friday, March 27, 6:00 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Bethany Baptist Church: Infected person attended on Sunday, March 15.

Asciotis Market, located at 3249 Milton Ave. in Solvay: Infected employee worked from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17.

Americas Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, located at 3401 Erie Blvd East, DeWitt: Infected employee worked:

Monday 3/9 8:30 am-5:30 pm

Tuesday 3/10 9:30 am-6:30 pm

Wednesday 3/11 10:30 am-7:30 pm

Thursday 3/12 9:30 am-3:30 pm

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Potential coronavirus exposure at Syracuse store, laundromat in Liverpool

Onondaga Co. coronavirus: Hospitalized, critical patients at record highs; 422 total cases

Mixed emotions as new NY coronavirus deaths surge to 779, but hope remains, Cuomo says

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
A 165-strong group of world leaders, including 92 former presidents and prime ministers along with economic and health experts, have come together and demanded the creation of a G20 executive task force to coordinate a multi-billion-dollar coronavirus worldwide fighting fund.

The signatories, which also include Indian economists Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Kaushik Basu, call for an immediate global pledging conference to approve such a fund as part of an urgent globally coordinated task force in the face of the pandemic.

"The economic emergency will not be resolved until the health emergency is addressed: the health emergency will not end simply by conquering the disease in one country alone but by ensuring recovery from COVID-19 in all countries," the open letter to G20 leaders notes.

A communique from the G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit on March 26, which included participation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recognised the gravity and urgency of the entwined public health and economic crises.

However, the world leaders stressed that urgent specific measures are required with speed and at scale, including emergency support for global health initiatives led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and emergency measures to restore the global economy.

The call to action, signed by former UK prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon among others, wants an agreement struck within days for USD 8 billion to rapidly hasten the global effort for vaccines, cure and treatment.

It also wants USD 35 billion to support health systems, from ventilators to test kits and protective equipment for health workers; and USD 150 billion for developing countries to fight the medical and economic crisis, prevent a second wave of the disease flowing back into countries as they come out of the first wave.

This means waiving debt interest payments for the poorest countries, including USD 44billion due this year from Africa.

The letter also urges the coordination of fiscal stimuli to avoid a recession becoming a depression.

It notes: "All health systems even the most sophisticated and best funded are buckling under the pressures of the virus. Yet if we do nothing as the disease spreads in poorer African, Asian and Latin American cities which have little testing equipment, hardly any ventilators, and few medical supplies; and where social distancing and even washing hands are difficult to achieve, COVID-19 will persist there and re-emerge to hit the rest of the world with further rounds that will prolong the crisis.

"We propose convening a global pledging conference its purpose supported by a G20 Executive Task Force - to commit resources to meeting these emergency global health needs".

On the global economic outlook, the group proposes a range of measures because a global economic problem requires a global economic response.

The letter adds: "Our aim should be to prevent a liquidity crisis turning into a solvency crisis, and a global recession becoming a global depression. To ensure this, better coordinated fiscal, monetary, central bank, and anti-protectionist initiatives are needed. The ambitious fiscal stimuli of some countries will be all-the-more effective if more strongly complemented by all countries in a position to do so.

"The long term solution is a radical rethink of global public health and a refashioning together with proper resourcing of the entwined global health and financial architecture. The UN, the G20 and interested partners should work together to coordinate further action".

To date, 1,438,291 coronavirus cases have been recorded across the world, and 82,726 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump fired the inspector general overseeing the $2 trillion stimulus package. Doug Jones called for the Treasury to expedite its process in sending out stimulus checks. And the stock market slightly dropped after being up nearly 1000 points earlier in the day.

Its a lot to keep up with. Heres Alabamas latest economic news -- good and bad. And a few things to know about how swiftly-changing national policies could affect you.

What you need to know tonight

National:

In a move that didnt exactly instill confidence in the rollout of the $2 trillion stimulus package, President Trump removed the inspector general tabbed only days earlier to oversee it.

Glenn Fine, who had been appointed as chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, was caught off-guard by the move and wasnt given any reasoning from Trumps White House, according to The Washington Post. In speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said he didnt know Fine but referenced possible bias of leftovers from the Obama administration in explaining the move.

Fines job as head of that committee was to coordinate audits and look for possible abuse/fraud in the rollout of loans and payments to individuals and businesses. Given the massive scope of the stimulus package, that was a pretty important role that is now unfilled until a new chair can be selected.

State:

Sen. Doug Jones (D-Alabama) called for the Treasury Department to consider alternate strategies to getting stimulus checks out to citizens as soon as possible.

Jones, who co-wrote a letter to the Treasury with Republican senator Tom Cotton, suggested sending out debit cards rather than paper checks to speed up the process after reports that the Treasury Department wouldnt start sending out paper checks until April 24th at the earliest. There was even concern that some citizens might not get their stimulus check until September.

Americans should not have to wait five months to receive their checks, the letter said. While a slight lag between Congressional action and the support arriving to workers is understandable, the Treasury Department must act expeditiously to get these funds to their intended recipients.

The situation impacts anyone who doesnt have direct deposit information already set up with the IRS from previous tax returns. The letter also highlighted that debit cards could be safer as paper checks could require Americans to have to leave their houses to deposit them.

Market update:

Dow Open: 23,537.44

Dow Close: 22,653.86 (Down 0.12%)

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How will the Shipt walk-off impact what has become an increasingly popular service now that the White House has encouraged citizens to stay home and avoid grocery stores if possible. If, and when, it starts disrupting services now that its needed more than ever will be noteworthy.

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And once an epidemic becomes established in slums, its magnitude is at risk of being underestimated  fueling a further spread of contagion. For instance, researchers in Delhi showed that if slums were ignored, infection rates in the city would be underestimated by 10 percent to 50 percent and that the effectiveness of vaccination may be overestimated by 30 percent to 55 percent.

The underestimation of the magnitude of infections in slums may lead to unequal allocation of health care resources. Advanced life support  intensive-care units and ventilators  is less likely to be available for slum residents who suffer severe cases of Covid-19.

Then theres the economy. The negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic will be disproportionately felt by residents of slums. A large segment of the slum work force participates in the informal economy, which would essentially disappear under lockdowns.

In the slums of New Delhi, Mumbai, Cape Town, Manila, Karachi, Rio de Janeiro and Nairobi, peoples daily wage-earning struggles have already been intensified by lockdowns. Shelter-in-place is not an option for many residents of these communities: Their very livelihoods depend on informal work.

In anticipation of these consequences, Brazils government introduced emergency measures and plans to support informal workers with 600 Brazilian reais, around $114, each per month for three months. In Delhi, the authorities have appealed to employers to pay wages and landlords not to evict people. Clearly more is needed.

The Group of 20 has pledged $5 trillion in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which must include slum communities. Funds can be used to temporarily expand government conditional cash transfer programs, such as the Bolsa Familia of Brazil and Prospera program of Mexico, which ran from the 1990s until February 2019. India has pledged to provide food rations and cash transfers for three months to the poor during the lockdown. Several countries have cash transfer programs designed to serve low-income populations; they must be expanded.

Displaced workers could even be trained and re-employed to conduct coronavirus contact-tracing in their own neighborhoods  along the lines of Brazils Family Health Strategy program, in which trained local residents provide preventive and basic primary care for their community.
N etflix has *finally* confirmed when UK viewers will get to watch the final season of Schitts Creek.

Having debuted in its native Canadian and American television all the way back in January, viewers across the Atlantic have been wondering when theyll get to see the latest instalment of the Rose family story.

Thankfully, the madcap show, which follows the once-wealthy Rose family who are forced to relocate to a town they bought as a joke, is set to return to the streaming site very soon - though sadly for the very last time.

So, without further ado, heres all you need to know about season six.

UK fans are desperate to find out how the story ends / @SchittsCreek

When is Schitts Creek season 6 out in the UK?

Netflix confirmed the sixth and final series of Schitts Creek drops in the UK and Ireland on the May 14.

The series is comprised of 14 episodes, with the final series also including a standalone, behind-the-scenes episode which looks at the filming of Schitts Creek.

Who is in the cast of Schitts Creek season 6?

As expected, the Rose family are back, with Eugene Levy playing Johnny Rose, Catherine OHara playing Moira, Daniel Levy as David and Annie Murphy as Alexis.

Emily Hampshire reprises her role as motel owner Stevie Budd, while Jenn Robertson and Chris Elliot play Jocelyn Schitt and her mayoral husband, Roland.

Steve Lund returns as Jake for the final series, who fans will remember as Stevie and Davids two-timing ex.

What happened in Schitts Creek season 5?

Season 6 has already aired in Canada and the US / @SchittsCreek

The family have now learned to live without their riches, and are now bumbling through life as regular Joes.

The last series saw David get engaged to his boyfriend Patrick, while Alexis is thinking of moving to the Galapagos Island to be with her boyfriend.

David survives a heart attack (which turns out to be a bad case of heartburn) and Moira breaks down upon hearing her movie Crows is shelved, and has been battling to get a production of Cabaret on stage.

What will happen in Schitts Creek season 6?

David and Patrick got engaged in season 5 / @SchittsCreek

While the final series has already broadcast across the Atlantic, we wont give too much away. But with Davids engagement, we can expect to see his wedding taking centre stage.

With the family so tied down to a town they once thought was a joke, will they ever leave should their fortunes change?
New Delhi: During an interaction with Opposition leaders to discuss the situation arising out of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (April 8) hinted that the nationwide lockdown will be extended beyond April 14 to contain the fast-spreading virus.

Holding a meeting with the floor leader of Parliament through video conferencing, PM Modi said that so far the suggestions coming from people, experts suggest that there is a need to lock down and increase.

Those participating in the meet included Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar.

Apart from Azad and Pawar, others who attended the virtual meet included, Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Satish Misra (Bahujan Samaj Party), Chirag Paswan (Lok Janshakti Party), T R Baalu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Sukhbir Singh Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Janata Dal-United), Pinaki Mishra (Biju Janata Dal) and Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena).

Giving up its initial reluctance, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also attended the interaction. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay was among the participants.

Sources said these leaders were briefed by secretaries of various ministries---health, home, and rural development ---on the actions taken by the government to tackle COVID-19 and mitigate the hardships arising out of the lockdown.

On April 11, the Prime Minister will hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the states through video conferencing to discuss the lockdown situation.

The surge in COVID-19 cases has led several states to request the central government to extend the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress party's leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary said that the PM has indicated to continue the lockdown in the meeting.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be the same," Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rashid Alvi told Zee Media that if the lockdown is not extended, the fight against coronavirus will be weakened. He appreciated the Prime Minister's initiative of taking everybody in confidence but added that more attention should be given to the section which is facing a paucity of food items.

Rashid Alvi also sought stringent action against the Tablighi Jamaat members who are creating ruckus in the isolation and endangering the life of others.

As per the Union health ministry's Wednesday morning update, there are 149 deaths and 5,194 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country even as the country entered its third week of nationwide lockdown.

India today witnessed 5,149 cases of novel coronavirus while the death toll rose to 149, including 25 new deaths in 12 hours. The active cases stand at 4,643, while 401 people have recovered from the pandemic.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla on Wednesday requested the Trump administration for support to get access to cutting-edge Covid-19 testing equipment. Shringla made the request in a telephone conversation with his counterpart US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun, people familiar with the development said.

Shringlas phone call is a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modis conversation with US President Donald Trump on Saturday last. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had touched base with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 6.

Officials did not elaborate on the equipment that India seeks to access.

There was an exchange of views on the current situation with respect to the spread of Sars-CoV-2 and the associated challenges, a person aware of the development said.

Both sides discussed ways to further enhance their cooperation to counter and control the pandemic including through the development of novel therapies and prophylactics against Covid-19, the person said. They also spoke about ensuring availability of essential medicines, diagnostic and medical equipment, and sharing of best practices and information.

India had this week eased restrictions on the export of hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol to fulfil existing orders. The relaxation was made after New Delhi received requests from nearly 20 countries including the United States and Brazil.

India has approved the use of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis to protect health workers and close contacts of Covid-19 patients. A small clinical trial in China had indicated the anti-malarial drug reduced the duration and severity of cough, fever and pneumonia in patients, leading to a boost in demand for the drug

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Centre inclined towards prolonging lockdown restrictions

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: A decision on whether or not to ease restrictions will be taken by the Union Government soon. A decision is likely as the deadline for the lockdown gets nearer.

Several states have written to the Centre to extend the lockdown or ease restrictions in a staggered manner.

Sources tell OneIndia that the current thinking in the Government is inclined towards prolonging most of the restrictions. These would include social distancing also. The source also said that there is unlikely to be a lift on train, metro and flight services. The possibility of inter-state movement is also remote, the officer cited above added.

The decision is being taken based on the advise of the states and health experts. The first priority would be to deal with containing the virus and ensure that the situation stabilises. We are aware that this would take a huge hit on the economy, but it is important that the spread of the pandemic is controlled first, the officer also added.

Extend Coronavirus lockdown over three phases: Kerala expert panel tells Centre

The states are thinking of easing restrictions in a phased manner. While districts with zero cases may see the curbs being lifted, in the hotspots, such a decision is very remote.

Fake New Buster

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had said, "between the considerations of the health of the people and stabilisation of our economy being debated, the former shall take precedence over the later. In my view, while the concerns of the economy can wait for another day, that of health can't. I appeal to people to abide by whatever decision is ultimately taken by the leadership and cooperate in the ongoing national effort, even if it means continuing with some degree of hardship still beyond April 14."
Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier in the British army and is believed to be one of the key figures behind Sepoy Mutiny or Indias First War of Independence in 1857.

Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier in the British army and is believed to be one of the key figures behind Sepoy Mutiny or Indias First War of Independence in 1857.

Due to his attack on two British soldiers, Mangal Pandey was hanged to death on April 8, 1857, at the age of 29.

Born in Uttar Pradesh on July 19, 1827, Mangal Pandey joined the British East India Company in 1849 and is said to have started a rebellion while posted in Barrackpore.

The reason is usually attributed to the British introducing a new type of Enfield rifle that required soldiers to bite off the ends of the cartridge to load the gun. The rumour was that the lubricant being used in the cartridge was either cow or pig lard. The Hindus who consider the cow holy were appalled, while Muslims, consider the pig unholy and hence were furious with its use in the cartridge.

Eminent historian Surendranth Sen in his famous book Eighteen Fifty Seven had written about how the uprising of 1857 was a result of disconent among the masses against anti-people policies and how people like Nana Saheb, Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope and Mangal Pandey were in the forefront of rebellion against the British Raj.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy paid tributes to Mangal Panday and said that he played a key role in the 1857 revolt against the British rule.

The Congress tweeted commemorating the death anniversary of the freedom fighter. He spearheaded the sepoy mutiny in Barrackpore which intensified the feelings of anger and frustration among Indian sepoys eventually leading to the war, the party wrote.
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) has introduced the option of virtual consultation appointments for both new and existing patients, to complement their current face-to-face appointment offering.

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubais world class team of ophthalmologists will now be available to provide virtual consultations from 10 am to 10 pm, Saturday through Thursday, to consult with patients remotely for certain eye conditions. Face to face appointments will still be offered depending on the need of the patient, said a statement.

While promoting the Stay Home. Stay Safe campaign, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai is protecting the health of patients eyes from the convenience of their homes. The video consultation will be facilitated through a safe and secure video platform, approved by Dubais Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

Video appointments will enable the team to engage promptly with patients and to ensure that they get the care they need in a timely manner. During the consultation, experts can assess and provide essential recommendations and follow up where necessary for patients.

For existing patients, the doctor will have access to their medical file and for new patients, the doctor will review the medical history with the patient as part of the virtual consultation process. After the consultation, a digital medical report will be provided to the patient as well as a prescription issued, if needed.

This service is to act as an extension of MEHDs current service provision, to support and to keep people safe while still being able to protect the health of their eyes in a personalised manner, given the current global situation, it said.

Our patients health and safety are always a top priority for us. The use of telemedicine through the integration of video consultations makes it convenient for patients and doctors to remotely communicate with each other. With the introduction of such a solution, we will be able to help more patients while empowering our team to adapt and adjust to the UAEs current precautionary measures, said Dr Ammar Safar, Medical Director, Moorfields Eye Hospitals UAE. - TradeArabia News Service
At a time when most sections of the market are bearing the brunt of Covid-19, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, too, has witnessed a correction in valuation to its 5-year mean. However, the sector is still trading at a 115-per-cent premium to the frontline indices.

Over the last month, the Nifty FMCG index, which has been flat, has outperformed the Nifty, which has declined over 16 per cent. The price-to-earnings (P/E) valuation of the FMCG index, at almost 29x, is among the highest within sectoral indices. If analysts are to be believed, FMCGs valuation ...
MINNEAPOLIS - People who live in urban areas with higher levels of air pollution may score lower on thinking and memory tests and may also lose cognitive skills faster over time, or it is possible they also may not, according to a study published in the April 8, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers examined the association of air pollution levels and cognitive impairment and decline in participants in two large epidemiological studies. They found an association between the air pollution and cognitive decline in one study group but not in the other.

"As people live longer lives and the aging population grows, age-related cognitive decline is a growing public health concern with profound social, economic and health effects, so finding ways to reduce the risk is important," said study author Erin R Kulick, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, R.I., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Air pollution can affect large populations of people because it has known cardiovascular risks, and previous research has found that it may also contribute to cognitive decline. However, the results of our research were mixed."

The study involved people living in the Northern Manhattan area of New York City who were enrolled in two larger long-term studies: 5,330 people with an average age of 75 enrolled in the Washington Heights-Inwood Community Aging Project; and 1,093 people with an average age of 70 enrolled in the Northern Manhattan Study. Both groups were ethnically and racially diverse with black, white and Hispanic participants.

All participants were given medical exams at the beginning of the study as well as cognitive tests to measure memory, language skills and executive function, which involves thinking skills like organizing, planning and completing tasks.

The group from the Washington-Heights-Inwood study of 5,330 participants was followed an average of seven years with six rounds of follow-up testing every 18 months to two years. The Northern Manhattan study group of 1,093 participants was followed for five years with one follow-up round of testing.

Researchers used the residential addresses of each participant to determine their exposures to three air pollutants. Those pollutants were nitrogen dioxide and two groups of particulate matter, particles of liquids or solids suspended in air that were less than 2.5 microns in diameter called fine particulate matter and particles that were less than 10 microns in diameter called respirable particulate matter. Average levels of air pollutants were similar for both groups of participants. In each group, participants were divided into four groups based on their air pollution exposure.

Researchers found that participants in the Washington-Heights Inwood study were exposed to a yearly average of 32 parts per billion of nitrogen dioxide, 13 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3) of fine particulate matter and 21 g/m3 of respirable particulate matter The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers up to 53 parts per billion to be a safe level of yearly average exposure to nitrogen dioxide, up to 12 g/m3 for fine particulate matter and up to 50 g/m3 for respirable particulate matter.

"While the levels were in the range considered safe by the EPA, it's possible that these results reflect higher levels from an earlier point in time. It also raises the question of whether the federal levels are low enough to protect people's health," said Kulick.

The researchers found that in the Washington Heights-Inwood group, people with greater exposure to higher levels of air pollution had lower scores on the tests at the beginning of the study and more rapid rates of decline.

Exposure to nitrogen dioxide was linked to an accelerated rate of cognitive decline comparable to one year of aging. Results were similar for fine and respirable particulate matter.

In the Northern Manhattan group, researchers did not find an association between cognitive function and air pollution. Kulick says the difference in results may be because the second group was much smaller and only had one round of follow-up compared to six rounds for the first group.

"A strength of our study was that we were able to analyze the rates of cognitive decline over time so it adds important findings to the growing body of scientific evidence about air pollution and its effects on the brain health of older adults," Kulick said. "More research is needed to better understand our study's mixed results. The good news for public health is that air pollution can be reduced, and has been in some cities, through laws and regulation. But there are still millions of people living in areas of the United States where major air quality improvements are needed."

A limitation of the study was that while it included levels of air pollution near a person's residence, it did not account for levels of pollution at the workplace or elsewhere. Also, many participants grew up in other countries and may have had different exposures to air pollution at younger ages.

###

The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health, the National Institute of Aging and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Learn more about dementia at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology's free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 36,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media Contacts:

Renee Tessman, rtessman@aan.com, (612) 928-6137

M.A. Rosko, mrosko@aan.com, (612) 928-6169
Calif. pastor resigns from city council before hosting communion attended by hundreds

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A California pastor resigned from his position on city council one day before he tested statewide social distancing orders by holding an in-person communion at his church.

The city of Thousand Oaks confirmed in a statement this week that Councilman Rob McCoy, who served on its city council since 2015, has resigned. McCoy is also the pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park.

The Thousand Oaks Acorn reports that McCoy officially resigned from his position on Saturday evening, hours before he held Palm Sunday communion with members to mark the beginning of Holy Week.

With bans on gatherings of 10 people or more in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the church abided by social distancing rules and only allowed 10 people at a time to enter the church building to receive communion.

Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday are critical, McCoy said in a video announcement to his congregation. [We are] paralyzed and considered non-essential though we would have liquor stores considered essential, cannabis distribution considered essential.

Across the country, abortions are considered essential, he added. Is the Church going to sit back and say, Well, we will be relegated to non-essential, though we feed people and that is essential physical food?

An online announcement informed congregants not to show up for the 11 a.m. service, which was online only. But after the service from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, church members were invited to partake in communion.

To not allow us to have communion is not proper, McCoy said in the video. To consider it non-essential is not acceptable.

The church placed arrows on the ground to direct people to the communion and help them remain 6 feet apart. The church also advised people to refrain from physical greetings.

Once inside the building, congregants were allowed to pick up the communion elements for themselves and take a seat in a chair in the sanctuary while maintaining proper social distance from others.

Loaves of bread were also available for people to take if they were in need or to hand out to those who might be in need. Bathrooms were closed and congregants were told to touch nothing other than the communion elements.

The church also provided a way for people to drive behind the church to take communion.

According to McCoy, the church followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. He suggested that coming for communion would not be much different from people waiting in line at a grocery store or Costco.

He vowed the church would not violate a single CDC ordinance.

Many in the nation would disagree with that and would find disagreement with us. But the truth of the matter is we have the Bill of Rights, McCoy said. The First Amendment declares that Congress shall make no law restricting or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. This is critical to us.

We are essential, he continued. Essential for the simple fact that God called us to this. Now, we want to honor Caesar and render unto Caesar what is Cesars. We want to respect social distancing and want to respect everything that is expected of us. But we still want to have access to what is a sacrament in the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church as well.

McCoy explained why communion is considered a sacrament.

A sacrament is a practice instituted by Christ Himself, McCoy explained. We found in Luke 22:19, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.

The church urged all those who are considered high risk, sick or have been in contact with someone who is sick to stay at home

According to the Los Angeles Times, hundreds of people cycled through the church for communion on Sunday, though only 10 people were allowed in the church at one time.

After congregants left their chairs to exit the sanctuary, the chairs were sprayed with disinfectant.

The communion drew protesters who lined up their cars and honked their horns in opposition to the church defying stay-at-home orders instituted in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In California, there have been over 17,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 452 related deaths as of Wednesday afternoon, according to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.

A copy of McCoys resignation letter to the Thousand Oaks City Council, which was obtained by the newspaper, explained that McCoy resigned because he was in conflict.

I have no desire to put our community at risk and will not, McCoy was quoted as writing. However this is portrayed, please know I am obligated to do this.

Thousand Oaks Police Chief James Fryhoff told the Los Angeles Times that officers were on hand for the event to ensure that congregants were keeping a safe distance from one another. He said that the biggest concern was ensuring that there wasn't a large number of people gathering at the church.

Thousand Oaks Mayor Al Adam said in a statement commenting on McCoys resignation that McCoy was a voice of strength and healing as the city recovered from two tragedies  the Borderline massacre and the Woolsey Fire.



I appreciate his contributions and wish him and his family well, Adam said. While these circumstances are unfortunate, the remaining members of the Council and I are very much focused on moving forward.
party drunk binge drinking alcohol shots

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The Alton Police Department busted a party at an illegally open bar only to find the mayor's wife in attendance.

Alton, Illinois, Mayor Brant Walker wrote a lengthy apology statement to his constituents and berated his wife, Shannon, for her "stunning lack of judgment."

"My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance, she exhibited a stunning lack of judgment," Walker wrote in a statement to the Telegraph.

Walker said he told Alton's police chief that his wife did not deserve any special treatment and should receive the same punishment as any other citizen who violated the state's stay-at-home order.

Shannon Walker will face a criminal complaint of reckless conduct, along with each person at the party for violating the stay-at-home order.

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Related Video: How Long Will Social Distancing Last? It's Complicated

In the early hours of April 5, local authorities busted a party at an illegally open bar in Alton, Illinois. Alton police were surprised to find the mayor's wife among the partygoers violating the state's stay-at-home order.

"Embarrassed" by her actions, Mayor Brant Walker issued a lengthy statement to berate his wife Shannon's "stunning lack of judgment."

"My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgment," Walker wrote in a statement to the Telegraph. "I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton for any embarrassment this incident may cause our city."

Illinois' stay-at-home order prohibited all public and private gatherings occurring outside a single household or living unit to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Brant had recently directed local authorities to ramp up their efforts to enforce the governor's stay-at-home order by issuing citations to residents after "increased reports of large gatherings," particularly in the city parks.

Story continues

As a part of this effort, the Alton police broke up the illegal social gathering at Hiram's Tavern, about 1 a.m. on Sunday, which was reportedly still operating as normal on weekends in defiance of the coronavirus lockdown measures.

In his apology statement, Brant said he had instructed Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons to treat his wife as if she was any other citizen violating the stay-at-home order, "to ensure that she received no special treatment."

"She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the stay-at-home order during this incident," Brant wrote.

Shannon Walker and the other partygoers will each face a criminal complaint of reckless conduct in violating the order. Insider reached out the Alton Police Department to inquire if the complaint would prompt jail time or a fine but it declined to comment.

In his apology, the mayor emphasized that the US was in the midst of a national public-health crisis and he would continue to do everything in his power to ensure that everyone's health was protected.

"I have never been more optimistic about Alton's future, and by working together to flatten the curve of COVID-19, we will emerge from this public health crisis stronger and more vibrant than ever," he wrote.

Read the original article on Insider
Most Asian equities retreated Wednesday after a two-day rally as investors closely track developments in the coronavirus crisis, while the oil market continued to fluctuate ahead of a crucial producers' meeting. While the deadly disease continues to sweep across the planet, signs that the rate of infections is possibly levelling out and countries preparing to ease some lockdown restrictions have instilled a semblance of optimism this week. "Signs that the number of new daily coronavirus cases is topping out in Western Europe... is driving expectations that social distancing measures will be lifted soon," said Stephen Innes, at AxiCorp. "Relaxing of social distancing rules is providing the undercurrent of positivity in the markets." However, uncertainty about how long the crisis will last and the damage it will inflict on the global economy was keeping traders on edge and hobbling any sustainable rally. Wall Street, where all three main indexes soared at least seven percent at the start of the week, struggled to extend its rally and turned into negative territory Tuesday. The losses bled into Asia, with Hong Kong losing 0.5 percent, while Sydney and Shanghai were both down 0.3 percent. Singapore and Manila each dropped more than two percent, while Jakarta was 1.5 percent off and Seoul eased 0.1 percent. However, Tokyo went into the break slightly higher and Taipei added one percent. - 'Someone needs to compromise' - Oil prices rallied but the commodity continues to swing as traders keenly await Thursday's planned meeting of the world's top producers, which will discuss a possible output cut. The commodity has been battered by the virus as lockdowns around the world bring the global economy to a standstill and drag on demand, while a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia has compounded the crisis. With Riyadh and Moscow taking part, there are hopes they may draw a line under their dispute. AxiCorp global market strategist Stephen Innes said current figures being discussed point to an output cut of 10 million barrels per day for the OPEC-led alliance -- but cautioned this may not be enough as the virus saps global demand. "With millions of jobs and the stability of the global economy at risk, someone needs to compromise, or it will leave the industry in tatters," he warned. And Howie Lee, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. said that while a cut of 10 million barrels "would lend some support to prices", he added that US participation was key otherwise other producers would not be likely to take part. Investors were also keeping tabs on talks in Europe where leaders are struggling to agree a path to supporting the region's economy, with the EU's 27 members unable to agree to a solidarity fund using "coronabonds". Meanwhile, Australian banks were taking a battering after Bank of Queensland said it would delay its dividend payments, having been urged to do so by regulators. The move, the first by a lender in the country fuelled fears that others would follow. - Key figures around 0300 GMT - Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 19,040.38 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.5 percent at 24,127.63 Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 2,811.08 Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.1 percent at $32.54 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 5.3 percent at $24.89 per barrel Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0875 from $1.0890 at 2050 GMT Dollar/yen: DOWN at 108.70 yen from 108.83 yen Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2328 from $1.2334 Euro/pound: DOWN at 88.22 pence from 88.28 New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 22,653.86 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 2.1 percent at 5,704.45 (close) -- Bloomberg News contributed to this story --
Voting rights activists have criticized Republican elected officials for tinkering with whats known as Amendment 4. Last year, the GOP-controlled legislature passed a bill that said paying fines and fees was part of serving a sentence and that anybody who owed money to the courts had to pay up before they could vote. DeSantis signed the measure into law, denying that it was discriminatory.
A staff member removes barricades near an expressway toll station in northern Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 8, 2020. Wuhan, the megacity in central China, started lifting outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- As cars queued up at expressway toll gates and passengers prepared to board trains to leave Wuhan, the megacity in central China started lifting outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19.

At Fuhe toll gate in nothern Wuhan, cars honked horns and rushed out after barricades were removed at midnight.

Guo Lei, who ran a business in Wuhan, drove his car with six other people aboard to the toll gate at around 8:40 p.m. and waited for a homebound trip.

"I can't wait returning to my hometown," said Guo, a native of east China's Shandong Province. "I have lived in Wuhan for eight years. During the Spring Festival holiday, my relatives came to the city and helped me deliver goods. We were all stranded here due to the epidemic."

Big data from Wuhan traffic police forecasted the expressways would see the peak of outbound vehicles on Wednesday.

As more enterprises resume their operations, Wuhan has seen an increase of nearly 400,000 vehicles in transit in the past half month, and the number is expected to reach 1.8 million after Wednesday, according to the city's traffic police.

Traffic police will release real-time traffic information through radio stations, online social platforms, and map apps.

"I'm very happy to see the lockdown was lifted. The reopening of outbound traffic represents the epidemic situation has improved, and our hard work over the past two months has paid off," said Fang Jing, a staff member of an expressway toll station in Wuhan.

"We still need to protect ourselves from the virus and remind passengers to pay attention to personal health since the epidemic is not yet over," Fang added.

At Wuchang Railway Station, a total of 442 passengers jumped on the train K81 early Wednesday, which is heading for Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

More than 55,000 passengers are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday, and about 40 percent of them are going to the Pearl River Delta Region. A total of 276 passenger trains will leave Wuhan for Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities.

The railway authorities required passengers to scan health codes and have temperatures checked when entering the stations and wear masks to reduce the risks of infection.

Workers have disinfected bullet trains, the entrance and exits, waiting halls and platforms of the railway stations in advance.

"We have carried out maintenance, disinfection and epidemic prevention on more than 100 electric multiple units (EMU) of bullet trains in the past two months to prepare for the day when we resume operation," said an employee of China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The high-speed train G431 will depart from Wuhan Railway Station at 7:06 a.m. Wednesday. It will be the first high-speed train that departs from Wuhan since the city's lockdown is lifted.

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport started resuming domestic passenger flights early Wednesday. The airport is expected to see more than 200 inbound and outbound flights on the day, according to the airport.

"The crew will wear goggles, masks, and gloves throughout the flight," said Guo Binxue, chief attendant of the flight MU2527, the first flight that is scheduled to depart from Wuhan at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday since the city's lockdown was lifted. "It will be very smooth because we have made much preparation for this flight."

Guo said flight attendants would provide masks for passengers if they had fever, cough and other symptoms, and record their personal information and contact history within 14 days. "We have simplified the service process to better protect everyone's health," Guo added.

On Jan. 23, Wuhan declared unprecedented traffic restrictions, including suspending the city's public transport and all outbound flights and trains, in an attempt to contain the epidemic.

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(Newser)  There are fewer people on America's roads these days, but one of them proved deadly. Police say a 33-year-old North Carolina man stabbed four women at a Tennessee truck stop on Tuesday morning, killing three. All worked at the Pilot Travel Center off I-40 near Knoxville and have been identified as Joyce Whaley, 57; Patricia Nibbe, 51; and Nettie Spencer, 41, reports CNN. The fourth woman, a customer, was hospitalized but has since been released, reports WVLT. Police say that when they came upon the suspect around 7am he would not drop his knife and was then shot dead.

story continues below

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man as Idris Abdus-Salaam of Durham. No motive has been given and it's not clear if he knew any of the women at the truck stop in Strawberry Plains. Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies were on the scene within two minutes of it being called in and discovered the victims inside and outside the store. "It's a very large scene," says a TBI rep. (Read more stabbing attack stories.)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, without naming the saffron party, of allowing the Tablighi Jamaat congregation to happen in Delhi last month. She said it could have been stopped.

Breaking her silence on the issue, Banerjee also said that at least 177 Tablighi Jamaat members, including 108 foreigners, who attended the congregation, have been quietly and secretly quarantined in Bengal.

Around 10 to 12 days ago we had quietly quarantined 108 foreigners and 69 people from Bengal who had attended the Delhi congregation. The foreigners had come from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. All 177 have been kept in a quarantine facility developed at the Haj Centre, Banerjee said.

The BJP on Wednesday had accused Mamata Banerjee of indulging in vote bank politics after the West Bengal Chief Minister refused to share any update on those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya hit out at Banerjee alleging that she was trying to appease minorities over the issue.

Jamaat cases have exploded across the country, but there is no clarity on the latest numbers in Bengal. How many of them traced and tested? Results? No update at all. Has she made it about vote bank? Amit Malviya wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Those who are saying these things are responsible for this. External affairs and home affairs do not come under states jurisdiction. Several people, including foreigners, had gathered at Nizamuddin. They were allowed to gather. Had steps been taken from the beginning it would not have happened. I dont want to play politics in these times, Banerjee said, while reacting to the allegations.

Last month, the Tablighi Jamaat group had organised a massive congregation at Delhis Nizamuddin area which has now emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot.

At least 1,445 positive cases out of a total 5,274 coronavirus cases in the country, have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event, the government said. More than 1700 Jamaat members have been blacklisted so far.

It is the union government and not the state government which keeps information about foreigners who enter India with valid documents. How can we know if they (union government) dont provide information to the state? When we got the information we did it very quietly within a span of just six hours. We did our task. We had to maintain secrecy so that it doesnt trigger panic. What can we do if we are not provided with information? When we got the information we acted within six hours, the chief minister said.
A federal court judge heard testimony from an Alabama abortion doctor and an Alabama Department of Public Health officer on Monday in the states first hearing since Alabama issued a temporary restraining order allowing abortion clinics to remain open in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge Myron Thompson listened to Dr. Yashica Robinson, an abortion provider at Alabama Womens Center and obstetrical gynecologist in Huntsville, and Dr. Scott Harris, the states public health officer.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama filed for a temporary restraining order on behalf of Robinson after the March 27 health order issued by the Alabama Department of Public Health did not clarify what emergency medical procedures the order would allow. The order, updated on April 3, stated all dental, medical, or surgical procedures shall be postponed until further notice except for dental, medical, or surgical procedures necessary to treat an emergency medical condition.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said on March 28 Alabama abortion clinics will not be exempt from the March 27th ADPH order postponing all non-emergency surgical procedures. At a time when all Americans are making significant sacrifices to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it is remarkable that one class of providers demands to be treated differently than all others, Marshall said in a press release.

The state filed a clarification to the March 27 mandate on April 3 on how the state would determine if an abortion procedure would fall under one of the two medical emergency exceptions. Defendants would clarify that while reasonable medical judgment of all healthcare providers will be treated with respect and deference, a health care providers assertion that a procedure meets one of the exceptions is not conclusive proof that the procedure meets one of the exceptions in the March 27 order or the current April 3 public health order

Harris said the vague terminology was intentionally used in the order to give medical practitioners liberty to determine medical emergency. We never intended to directly address abortion, Harris said.

Robinson said in her testimony Monday, because the health department refused to provide specific guidance for how doctors are to determine an emergency medical procedure, she did not feel comfortable proceeding to provide abortion care under the current mandate. Robinson cited past state efforts to shut down abortion clinics and force abortion providers to maintain admitting privileges at local hospitals, as her reason to believe her medical judgment could be called into question.

Its a constant challenge, Robinson said. Its very difficult. This is a very hostile medical community. Its hard. Its very hard and for those reasons, thats why I am concerned about this order and how this order is written.

Robinson said in her testimony criminal charges were brought against her in 2012 for using misbranded intrauterine devices, despite being one of many medical practitioners who bought the drug. Robinson was indicted, but the criminal case was later dropped because she said she was targeted for being an abortion provider.

Attorneys for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the order did not intend to target abortion directly, but insisted the effort to close abortion clinics was to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Robinson said she uses more PPE as an obstetrical gynecologists than as an abortion provider.

Robinson said she has canceled procedures at her obstetrical practice including tubal ligations and hysterectomies because she was confident they could safely be rescheduled until after April 30, when the mandate would conclude. But she emphasized she would not recommend delaying an abortion procedure because every week an abortion is postponed, the higher the risk.

I would never advise a patient to delay their abortion because we know that each week an abortion is delayed, it increases the harm to the patient, Robinson said.

Alabama is one of several states attempting to shut down abortion clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas ruled Tuesday abortions would remain unavailable in the state to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a result at least two of the three abortion clinics in Alabama have received calls from patients in Texas seeking abortion care.

Thompson asked both sides for their proposed opinions to be submitted by 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer want to infuse the government with an additional $500bn in another coronavirus relief package, doubling the $250bn request from the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans lives and livelihoods," Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer said in a joint statement on Wednesday. "As Democrats have said since Day One, Congress must provide additional relief for small businesses and families, building on the strong down-payment made in the bipartisan CARES Act," they said, referring to the roughly $2.2trn package passed last month to boost the economy and provide states and other medical agencies much-needed money for supplies.

Right now, Donald Trump and lawmakers from both parties agree on just one aspect of the next bill: providing $250bn to the Treasury Department's Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) that has already loaned small businesses billions of dollars over the last two weeks.

But that's where the agreement ends.

In their statement Monday, Pelosi and Schumer said Democrats will negotiate for:

$125bn of that $250bn for small businesses to be channeled through "community-based financial institutions" that serve certain groups of American business owners, including farmers, women, minorities, and veterans.

$100bn for hospitals and community health centers and systems, which will go toward production and distribution of national rapid testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks.

a $150bn package for state and local governments to help them manage the crisis at the local level and "mitigate lost revenue."

a 15 per cent increase in food stamps for the poorest recipients of the welfare benefit.

After we pass this interim emergency legislation, Congress will move to pass a CARES 2 Act" that builds more fully on the $2.2trn package from March, Pelosi and Schumer said.

Republicans have spent most of the last two weeks in relative silence on the contours of follow-up coronavirus relief legislation, and appeared to catch Democrats off-guard with their sudden proposal for $250bn more for the PPP program that facilitates loans to small businesses.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to ram a bill that provides just that  and not anything else on the Democrats' priorities list through the Senate on Thursday, though it's unclear whether Democrats will cooperate with the more limited version of the interim bill without Mr McConnell acceding to some of their demands.

Republican deficit hawks such as Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, as well as Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, could threaten to delay quick passage of any legislative agreement the parties reach.

Mr Massie, who forced more than 100 House members to return to Washington in March to vote in person on the $2.2trn package, does not appear to be a fan of the structure of PPP, the small business relief program.

"If the expected default rate for a federal loan program is 100%, is it appropriate to call it a loan program?" the Kentucky Republican tweeted on Wednesday, referring to the fact that all PPP loans are forgiven up to 100 per cent as long as the small businesses who receive the loans retain certain payroll benchmarks.
Thirty-six-year-old Ravi Rajans two children have been attending classes over a virtual platform since March 30. The children, 11-year-old Sharan and six-year-old Tanvi are able to attend e-school only on alternate days. Reason? Rajan only has one laptop which is used for his office work as well. The result is that the childrens attendance will be impacted.

These are not small sessions but regular school lessons from 8am to 2pm. We dont have the infrastructure to enable both the children to attend e-school at the same time. Due to this, they will miss out on the classes and will find it tough to catch up when school reopens, Rajan said.

Amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has led to a lockdown leading to schools temporarily shutting down, the new academic year has begun across these institutions on a digital mode. While some schools have begun full-fledged e-classes, the rest have sent assignments to be completed on the computer/laptop.

This, however, has seen mixed results, with connectivity issues in using the internet for daily lessons and attention-span deficit among students.

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

What are the schools doing?

Schools have done a digital ramp-up over the over three weeks to ensure that a childs learning schedule is not affected due to the suspension of physical classes.

Amol Arora, Vice Chairman & MD, Shemford Group of Futuristic Schools told Moneycontrol that the schools administrative and IT teams have put together a technology enabled learning programme to reopen school in a new, adapted way using online platforms and tools.

We have commenced the new academic year with Online classes via Google Classrooms and Zoom platform. Families are slowly adapting to this new medium of learning. Using these platforms, we are establishing a live connect with our children and families, as well as enabling them to meet and collaborate with each other, added Arora.

Similarly, at Ryan International Group that has schools across the country started online lessons since March and is also noticing a good rate of attendance among the students.

Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan International Group of Institutions explained that the Ryan Group got off the block in March, to ensure continuity of the teaching-learning process using online classes. "Our past experience with learning technologies with Microsoft and Google, as also our in-house tool PLATO (Personal Learning & Assessment Tool) helped us in this," he says.

The Ryan Group has online classes for students from Montessori to Grade 12. Pinto added that attendance is upwards of 85 percent.

Several schools are following this model to ensure that the exact school experience is replicated.

Oberoi International School remote learning class in progress

Neil McWilliam, Head of School, Oberoi International, OGC (Goregaon) Campus said that Oberoi International School shifted to online learning from March 23 onwards. According to him, attendance for e-lessons is almost perfect across classes.

"When the students sit in classes using mediums such as Google Hangouts, Zoom, Seesaw and Managebac, you can see kids who are engaged, active, and happy," he added.

A new learning for teachers

It is not just the students and parents, but the teachers who are having to unlearn and relearn the way to teach students. Since a traditional blackboard method may not work for e-classes, teachers are learning to adapt to technology as well.

Also Read: Live updates on COVID-19 pandemic in India

For making the transition from school to home simpler, teachers at Shemford Group of Futuristic Schools are being provided training in the form of webinars, YouTube videos and masterclasses for questions related to the time table, managing children attending e-classes among others.

The level of engagement of students in online and offline mediums are also different. Ryan Groups Pinto explained that since online teaching is quite different from a physical classroom, teachers need to find new and innovative ways of keeping students engaged for a longer period.

Some schools have already been using digital technology as part of the lesson delivery. Hence these schools may not face too many challenges.

Rajiv Bansal, Director-Operations, Global Indian International School (GIIS) India said that virtual classes are being offered across campuses in India and overseas that will benefit over 11,000 students.

We have been using this technology for over 5 years and therefore the teachers were able to move on to virtual classes almost immediately once the lockdown was announced. The lockdown has enabled teachers to be constantly in touch with their students, solve their doubts and monitor their performance on a real-time basis, he added.

At GIIS, the students have the flexibility to log-in and join the class through their mobile phones or any other personal device from home. Apart from the student handbooks and video tutorials that have been shared, the school also has set up a helpdesk to resolve queries.

What are the concerns?

Though the lockdown has forced children and schools to go online, technical glitches mean that there are constant interruptions. Further, children are more distracted when looking at a screen, from their respective homes.

McWilliam also admits that technology on its own would not ensure success.

Children learn very little by staring at a computer screen. Learning is an interactive, collaborative process which depends heavily on the quality of the relationships between students and teachers and between students and other students, he added.

A pan-India school chain decided that they would take one class a day for 30-40 minutes. But merely few days after it was introduced the classes had to be suspended due to a technical glitch. Students are now awaiting clarity on whether this system will be resumed or if they would directly break for the summer vacations.

The level of internet connectivity also varies from region to region. This could be a problem when live classes are held since students in poorly connected areas would miss the lessons.

Network connectivity & adequate smart devices have been a challenge. Families no longer fight for the TV remote, but for the computer, tablet or the internet connected device instead. At times, there are connectivity issues. Not everyone has the required internet bandwidth to access lessons, added Pinto.

Why are parents worried?

Some schools are offering structured programmes, while several others are merely sending slideshows for students to follow.

Preeti Menon, a 39-year-old banker told Moneycontrol that her daughters school has merely sent homework assignments for her daughter who is in the eighth grade.

They have sent some videos with instructions related to the lessons in the textbook. But these are not live videos and merely slideshows. I feel the students are missing out since there is no teaching happening, she added.

Menon is now worried that once school reopens, the teachers will rush through the lessons across subjects to ensure that the academic year syllabus is completed on time.

Another parent Dipali Roy is worried about whether her son will be made to study through the summer vacations.

My sons school has asked us to not plan any vacation till further notice from the principal. It is clear that they may have regular school during the summer vacations between May 5 to June 15, she added.

Schools also may not have had adequate time to prepare for the technology changes that were to be made. Which is the reason why students are getting impacted.

Delhi resident Areef Ahmed told Moneycontrol that his sons ICSE medium school offered a 10 percent refund in wake of the lockdown if the full year fees were paid. But there were caveats.

The school said that parents can buy a tablet for students to attend online lessons. But these are not structured classes and just merely 30-minute instructional videos. Why should we spend on this, he added.

Similarly, electronic books are also being seen as a bane since there is a likelihood of the childs eyesight being affected due to constant staring at a digital screen.

What lies ahead?

With speculations of a further extension of the lockdown, the biggest worry among parents is how would the periodic assessments be held. And whether digital assessments would be feasible.

The quarterly unit tests gauge how well students have understood the concepts taught in classrooms. With classes not being properly conducted, how will they conduct these tests, wonders financial services professional Mihir Vashisht who has a 12-year-old daughter.

The next four to six weeks will be crucial to understand how schools are able to withstand the challenge and whether further deployment of technological tools will be required.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
About 25 miles northwest of New York City, local authorities have been waging a losing battle to curb the coronavirus outbreak: Rockland County has the highest per capita rate of infection in the state, and among the highest in the nation.

The source of the problem lies in small pockets of the county that are home to a large number of Orthodox Jewish residents, some of whom, according to authorities, have refused to adhere to social distancing requirements.

Spring Valley and Monsey  two adjacent communities with large Orthodox Jewish populations  each have more than 1,000 confirmed cases, accounting for more than a third of the countys entire caseload, according to statistics compiled by the county health department.

With Passover beginning Wednesday, county officials are increasingly worried that the disease could spread among large Orthodox families, leading to a spike in cases similar to the one seen last year during a measles outbreak.
(Image: Reuters)

On April 7, Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi referencing ancient Indian mythological text of Ramayana. He compared Indias decision to permit the export of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the global fight against COVID-19 to Hanuman's effort to help Lord Ram's brother Lakshman with Sanjeevani Booti after he was gravely injured in the battle at Lanka, as outlined in the story.

Bolsonaros letter comes in the wake of the governments decision to allow the licensing of HCQ and paracetamol to other nations that are badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Heres an extract of the letter that Moneycontrol has accessed through sources:

Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama's brother Lakshmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people.

The letter speaks about holy medicine which is, as per Indian ancient epic Ramayana, a life-saving drug called Sanjeevani Booti that Lord Hanuman extracted from the Himalayas for the brother of Lord Ram - Lakshman  who was fighting for his life during the last part of the Battle of Lanka.

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

Follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

Indias decision to lift the ban came after Donald Trump on April 6 requested India to provide HCQ supplies to help treat the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the US. Trump had also said that the US will retaliate if India didnt allow export of HCQ.

India had received similar requests from several other countries including its immediate neighbours like Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Also read: Explainer | What makes hydroxychloroquine popular? Is it really effective against coronavirus?

According to a report by Bloomberg, Indian pharma companies provide nearly half of HCQ supplies to the US.

The top US supplier of HCQ happens to be Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc, a subsidiary of Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare.

Trump had earlier claimed that HCQ, widely used as an anti-malarial drug, is a "game changer" in fighting COVID-19.

Experts have, however, expressed reservations about claiming HCQ a game changer as there is a dearth of credible studies and data that establish the drugs effectiveness against Coronavirus.

Follow our full coverage here
A woman jogs near the Eiffel tower in Paris on the 22nd day of a lockdown in France aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Paris has banned all outdoor exercise between 10am and 7pm in a tightening of containment measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

French authorities issued a statement warning anyone caught jogging or exercising in public from today during those hours will face fines of between 135 and 375.

"It is through responsibility, self-regulation and collective discipline that Parisians will best help health workers in their fight against the epidemic," the joint statement from the city's mayor department and police prefecture said.

The decision comes a day after French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner praised the public for being "among the best in the world at respecting quarantine measures".

France has been on lockdown since March 17, preventing anyone from leaving their home unless they are key workers or going out to buy food or medicine.

Until now, people were also allowed to exercise individually as long as it was for less than an hour and within 1km of their home.

The initial 15-day lockdown was extended until April 15 and is expected to be extended again. Around 100,000 police have been mobilised across the country to enforce the rules, setting up checkpoints and stopping people in the street to check they have the required paperwork.

Anyone out in public must carry with them a form stating the purpose of their excursion, including the time and date.

More than eight million checks have been made over the last three weeks, resulting in nearly 480,000 fines nationwide.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted: "I know that it is difficult. Respecting containment measures is a necessity. It is important for the health of everyone."

Deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire clarified that children would still be allowed out during the day, as well as dog walkers. "Children must be able to go out a little during the day. The same goes for animals," he tweeted. "The goal is to avoid late morning and afternoon peaks."

There have been more than 98,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in France, resulting in close to 9,000 deaths.

On Monday evening, France reported 833 coronavirus- related deaths - the highest daily total since the outbreak began.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran warned yesterday that the country had not yet reached the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
T he architecture firm founded by Sir Terence Conran has inked a deal to expand into a Clerkenwell home, showing some London office lettings are still happening despite Covid-19.

Conran and Partners, where Conran remains a prime shareholder, has signed to take over 8600 square feet of space at recently refurbished building 30a Great Sutton Street.

There will be space for around 85 people compared to 65 at the firms current London office near London Bridge Station. The move is expected to be in the Autumn.

The letting will be welcomed by the property market. Recent travel restrictions have made deals trickier.

Tim Bowder-Ridger, chief executive of Conran and Partners, said the relocation allows us to position ourselves into the heart of the London design community.

He added: This will certainly be to the benefit of our team. Attracting and retaining the very best talent is a perennial pre-occupation for practices like ours. This will also help us with day-to-day collaborations with our London clients, suppliers and other consultants - many of whom are in or in easy reach of the area.

He also pointed to the new site being close to Farringdon Crossrail station, which will be helpful for international clients travelling in on the line from Heathrow.

Bowder-Ridger added that although work has slowed down during the virus crisis, Conran and Partners is still receiving new enquiries and winning work, so wanted to secure a larger base for the future. Around 25% of the design team have been furloughed.

Agent Savills advised Conran and Partners on the deal, and Colliers International and Richard Susskind & Co advised landlord Harel Insurance.
Fair Trade Commission Chairwoman Joh Sung-wook speaks during a presentation of the antitrust regulator's plans at the Government Complex in Sejong, March 5. / Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun





Woowa Brothers CEO Kim Bom-jun
International funding manager Dr Martina Prendergast will lead the ambitious research funding goals of Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland research centre for software, based in University of Limerick.

Leros research spans a wide range of application domains from driverless cars to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, esports, fintech, govtech, smart communities, agtech and healthtech.

She joins from ULs research office, where she worked predominantly covering the environment, marine and energy remit, while also providing training on grant proposal writing to researchers.

The Galway native and NUIG graduate will target funding from international sources, including the EU to bolster exchequer funding channelled through SFI and from industry partners.

She said: I have come to know Lero research and many of its researchers well over recent years. Lero has a defined vision for research excellence and impact, as well as a strong record of academic research performance. It also has a strong tradition of engagement with industry.

Lero brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus.

Lero general manager, Joe Gibbs, said that Dr Prendergast will be a major asset as the centre seeks to boost its levels of international funding.

Martina brings extensive funding experience to the Centre, having worked in strategic funding and research support roles in NUIG and UL, he said. In her new role, she will support Leros researchers in the pursuit of funding applications for Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, ESA and other non-Irish Exchequer opportunities as well as helping to identify potential future philanthropic sources of funding for the centre.

Dr Prendergast holds a PhD in Clinical Microbiology from NUIG. Since 2016, she has worked as a research officer in the research office in UL.

She was also strategic development manager of the Ryan Institute for Environment, Marine and Energy research at NUIG, driving the academic and technical development of the Institute.
She broke down in tears on Tuesday edition of Lorraine as she chatted to her daughter Rosie, 24, who has been left stranded in Singapore due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

And Lorraine Kelly, 60, thanked viewers for their messages of support and kind words following the show, admitting everyone is 'missing people' in these difficult times.

Speaking on Wednesday's edition of the newly-extended Good Morning Britain, the TV personality put on a brave face as she thanked her loyal viewers.

Emotional: Lorraine Kelly, 60, thanked viewers for their messages of support and kind words on Wednesday, admitting everyone is 'missing people' in these difficult times

She said: 'We're all missing people we love, Singapore is a long long way away but that doesn't matter, even if you live down the road you can't see or hold each other.

'We got SO many kind messages so thank you for that.'

The previous day, Lorraine spoke to her daughter Rosie Smith, who is currently in lockdown, about the coronavirus restrictions in place in Singapore.

Video call: The previous day, Lorraine had broken down in tears as she chatted to her daughter Rosie, 24, who has been left stranded in Singapore

At the end of the call, Lorraine was unable to hide her emotions as she wiped away tears while saying goodbye to her daughter.

Despite remaining stoic throughout the interview, Lorraine grew tearful towards the end as she said: 'It's so good to talk to you.

'It's been lovely to see your wee face! I do miss you. Stay safe love.'

Close bond: Lorraine told her daughter, who lives in Singapore, to 'stay safe'

Following the chat, Dr Hilary was at had to discuss the virus while Lorraine took a moment to compose herself following the emotional interview.

Viewers were clearly touched by the relatable chat and took to Twitter to share their feelings with the TV personality following their exchange.

One viewer wrote: '@reallorraine sending u big hugs! Could see the emotion u felt seeing ur daughter! Thank you for being our [sunshine] x x x.'

Interview: The TV presenter, 60, was talking to her daughter Rosie Smith who is currently in lockdown in the country about the coronavirus restrictions in place

While another said: 'What a fantastic journalist you are. So so brave interviewing Rosie at this difficult time. I'm in tears here for you, what a lovely daughter you have x.'

A third reassured her: 'Your daughter is a total credit to you. You'll be back together very soon. x'

Another admitted: 'Aww I cry every time I face time my grandchildren.'

One viewer commented on how Dr Hilary helpfully stepped in, and said: 'How quickly @DrHilaryJones jumped in to fill whilst she composed herself.'

Reaction: Viewers were clearly touched by the relatable chat and took to Twitter to share their feelings with the TV personality following their exchange

During their chat, Lorraine revealed that she was supposed to go and visit Rosie and her daughter was also supposed to come home, however this has been cancelled due to travel restrictions.

Explaining what is happening in the country, Rosie revealed: 'So today is the start of a lockdown here, we can stay at home and go out to get food shopping but everything else is closed.

'We can exercise. It's weird! So with today being the lockdown it's not really a shock because we've been dealing with it since January, it started with temperature checks and working from home.

Emotional During their chat, Lorraine revealed that she was supposed to go and visit Rosie and her daughter was also supposed to come home, however this has been cancelled due to travel restrictions

'We did the toilet roll craze earlier this year, it's not been too weird for people. '

Rosie, who has been working in Singapore for four years, explained that Lorraine and her dad been keeping her up to date with what was happening in the UK.

She said: 'You and dad sent videos of the toilet roll and we'd already had that. People here are generally very well behaved, the government here is strict, so if your'e caught out you get a $10,000 fine or six months in jail.'

Rosie explained that when her father came to visit three weeks ago they were still able to complete all the activities they had planned, including visiting Vietnam.

She added: 'When dad was here we did everything we wanted to do, like go out for dinner and sit together. We went to Vietnam for the weekend and came back.

Explaining what is happening in the country, Rosie revealed: 'So today is the start of a lockdown here, we can stay at home and go out to get food shopping but everything else is closed'

'There was just temperature screening as soon as you get off the plane.'

Explaining how they are receiving their news in Singapore, Rosie said: 'So we're getting WhatsApp messages, two a day, we had the lockdown message on Friday from the Prime Minister'

'We get one with measures in place that day, and then we'll get one with a run through of the day, like numbers of cases and deaths.'

'We also have a tracing app so people can put in where they've been.'

Offering her advice on how to get through this, she said: 'The main thing is that if you're not taking it seriously it's going to continue being this way. the sooner people take it seriously the sooner it'll go back to normal.'
Sensex crossed 31,000-mark while Nifty went past 9,000-level in the morning trade--then paired all gains in the afternoon session and ended with a decline of 0.5 percent.

After erasing initial gains, the benchmark indices were fluctuating in a largely volatile stock market on Wednesday. The benchmarks rallied 3 percent -- Sensex crossed 31,000-mark while Nifty went past 9,000-level in the morning trade--then paired all gains in the afternoon session and ended with a decline of 0.5 percent.

The market ended the day's trading in the red. The Sensex fell 173.25 points or 0.58 percent to 29893.96 while the Nifty was down 43.45 points or 0.49 percent at 8748.75 at close.

TCS, Titan, ICICI Bank, SBI, Bharti Airtel and ITC were the major losers in the Sensex pack. The gainers included SunPharma, NTPC, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Maruti and Hero MotoCorp

As many as 1,478 shares advanced, 845 shares declined, and 156 shares remained unchanged.

Most of the Asian peers retreated on Wednesday after a two-day rally as investors closely track developments in the coronavirus crisis. Investors also took into account the news that the lockdown in the country could be extended further considering rising cases in cities like Mumbai, Delhi and states.

The scheduled OPEC meeting on Thursday to decide on a possible crude output cut also weighed on sentiments.

Index heavyweight stock like TCS, SBI and RIL witnessed sharp sell-off.

Sectorially, pharma index was the top gainer amongst Auto and Media index. Meanwhile, the banking, IT and metal index ended in red. Corona virus impact will continue to keep market volatile in the coming session

Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director, Choice Broking, said, "after seeing a relief rally in the previous session the market witnessed a volatility and ended on the lower side the Nifty was down 43.45 points or 0.49 percent at 8748.75. Daily momentum indicator RSI has given breakout of 40 level and reading at 43.35 and trading above it which suggests strength in the index.

"The index managed to give a closing above 100&50 HMA which signifies buyers are active. Based on the above technical structure resistance comes at 9155. If index manages to give break out above the 9,155-level then we can see 9200 and 9600 levels with support of 8,600," he said.

Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking, told PTI that volatility in the markets was on account of speculation that the central government was mulling lockdown extension beyond 14 April.

Further, traders said Indian markets moved in sync with global benchmarks as worries over the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul ended in the red, while Tokyo closed on a positive note.

Benchmark exchanges Europe were trading around 2 percent lower in the morning session.

Meanwhile, the rupee provisionally settled 70 paise lower at 76.34 against the US dollar.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, slipped marginally to USD 31.85 per barrel.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases to 5,194 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.

Global tally of the infections has crossed 14 lakh, with over 82,000 deaths.

--With PTI inputs
Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of AB Klaipedos nafta, legal entity code 110648893, with the registered office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda (hereinafter - the Company), Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 10 April 2020 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Company's office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda, in the administrative office of the Company (in the hall of the meeting on the 2nd floor).

Agenda of the meeting:

Regarding the increase of authorized capital by additional contribution; Regarding the amendment of the Articles of Association of AB Klaipedos nafta; Regarding the reduction of authorized capital of AB Klaipedos nafta; Regarding the amendment of the Articles of Association of AB Klaipedos nafta; Regarding election of a member of the Supervisory Board of AB Klaipedos nafta.

The Company, taking into account the situation regarding the spread of coronavirus, requests all shareholders of the Company to use the opportunity to vote in writing by filling in general ballot paper (Annex No 2).

Taking into account, please inform us about the need to physically attend the General Meeting of Shareholders no later than 3 business days before General Meeting of Shareholders via below specified emails. In all cases, Shareholders of the Company without personal protective equipment will not be allowed to participate in to the General Meeting of Shareholders.

The shareholders will be registered from 12:00 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. The persons intending to participate in the meeting shall have a personal ID document (an authorized representative shall have an authorization approved under the established procedure. The natural person's authorization shall be notarized. An authorization issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalized under the procedure prescribed by the laws).

A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice.

The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and i.berzauskas@kn.lt . The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting.

The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and i.berzauskas@kn.lt .

The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Company's commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting.

The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications.

The shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another personand i.berzauskas@kn.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 1:00 p.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholder's electronic signature.

The record date of the meeting shall be 3 April 2020 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorized persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders).

The record day, which entitles shareholders of the Company by excercising rights of priority to aquire newly issued shares of the Company shall be 27 April 2020.

The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting and the form of the general ballot paper under the procedure prescribed by the laws in the registered office of the Company at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda. The following information and documents shall be provided on the abovementioned internet website of the Company:

- The notification on convocation of the meeting;

- Total number of the Company's shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the meeting.

Enclosed:

Draft decisions; Ballot paper; New wording of amended Articles of Association (related to additional contribution) New wording of Articles of Association.

Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594.

Attachments
Solomon Prime Minister Manasseh Sovagare on April 8 reportedly said that 27 people had died after being washed overboard from a crowded ferry on April 2. While the authorities are conducting a criminal investigation, several people have reportedly said that government itself must take full responsibility of the incident as they told people to leave the capital and return to their home islands ahead of a possible lockdown. Last week, the tropical cyclone Harold bore down in the Solomons and washed away passengers who were a part of a government programme to evacuate people to their home villages during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Since April 2, Cyclone Harold has continued to cause problems in the South Pacific, reportedly also battering some Vanuatu islands this week and then grazing Fiji. According to an international media outlet, out of the bodies recovered, a 13-year-old boy was also among them. Sovagare reportedly said that he met the relatives of those who died in the incident.

READ: US: Illinois Mayor embarrassed After Wife Found Violating stay At Home Order

A statement from Sovagares office read that they were pleased that shipping operators were helping people get home, however, it also said, the governments policy decision is aimed at saving and not costing lives. Firstly, why did the ship sail when there were weather warning bulletins advising all ships about the approaching Cyclone Harold? Secondly, why was the vessel allowed to load more than twice its maximum licensed passenger capacity?

Government must pay

In response to the governments questions, a former deputy provincial leader, Star Dora, said the people have been returning to their home islands in huge numbers. While speaking to an international media outlet, Dora said that people were going home not because of their own choices but due to the call by the government. He further added that the police and maritime officers had also failed to do their jobs by stopping overloaded boats from leaving.

READ: With Johnson Hospitalized, Who's Who In Britain's Cabinet?

Furthermore, while criticising the government, Dora added that the captain may deserve some blame but was also acting on the orders of the government. He said that the government must be held responsible and must pay.

Meanwhile, Luke Ebbs, the Vanuatu director of relief agency Save the Children, reportedly said that the scale of damage from the cyclone Harold is immense. In a bid to help the island, New Zealand announced that it would help rebuild from the cyclone with aid of up to $300,000. Australia has also donated USD 60,000 in immediate emergency funding. Cyclone Harold has destroyed homes, infrastructure and crops and homes have reportedly been flattened to the point that they are unrecognisable.

(Image source/Inputs: AP)

READ: 64 Infected With Coronavirus At Nursing Home In Drzewica

READ: Pope Creates New Expert Commission To Study Women Deacons
Lucknow, April 8 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, here on Wednesday, passed a resolution suspending the MLAs fund for one year, which will help the state garner Rs 1,500 crore for Covid-19 fund.

Each MLA gets Rs 3 crore per year for his/her constituency. There are 403 legislators in the Vidhan Sabha and 100 in the Vidhan Parishad.

The cabinet meeting, first through video link, also decided that all legislators and Ministers, including the Chief Minister, would take a 30 per cent pay cut and the money saved would go to the Covid-19 fund.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / ?????Using Newswire's best-in-class platform has helped many businesses reach their audience and gain the Earned Media Advantage during this difficult time. Many businesses have mandated their employees to work from home or closed offices altogether, making outreach an issue. Through Newswire's extensive distribution, companies who are looking to continue to get their message across have chosen Newswire's press release distribution and platform to help continue with business as usual.

"Through our distribution with the Associated Press, Yahoo! News and Finance, and Google News, our customers are secured when getting their message across to their audience," said Erik Rohrmann, COO and SVP of Business Development at Newswire. "Nothing has changed for us, we are running business as usual helping ensure our customers are given every chance to gain the Earned Media Advantage."

By utilizing the Newswire platform, customers are able to send press releases, search for millions of contacts via the Media Database, send and track campaign analytics, and set up Media Watch alerts to ensure the effectiveness of their campaign. Through this, customers are ensuring they gain the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, return on media spend, increased sales and website traffic.

Having an easy-to-use PR platform readily available makes it easy for businesses to reach their audience especially during a crisis.

Charlie Terenzio, VP of Earned Media said, "During a time where people may not be easily accessible, Newswire is helping businesses ensure their campaigns are not falling on deaf ears by giving customers the opportunity to reach their audience via well-known news sites and creating unique outreach campaigns with the help of our platform."

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The journey is designed to empower the Earned Media Advantage by developing a plan that is based on a media communications survey that defines press release content value and distribution. Customers are also provided a media communications calendar, services to set up, operate and manage media databases, media monitoring alerts, statistical analysis, reporting and media room news collection and sharing to ensure Customer Success.

Download How the Earned Media Advantage is Transforming Business and discover how to empower your go-to market strategies with the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, generate greater return on media and marketing communications spend and increased sales.

About Newswire?

Newswire delivers press release and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium.?

To learn more about how Newswire can help you, visit http://www.newswire.com.

Contact Information

Charlie Terenzio

VP of Earned Media

?Newswire

?Office: 813-480-3766

Email: charlie@newswire.com

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SOURCE: Newswire

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584414/Small-and-Midsize-Businesses-Utilize-the-Earned-Media-Advantage-to-Reach-Their-Audience
[April 08, 2020] BayoTech and DLL Establish Revolutionary Hydrogen Generator Leasing Program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BayoTech, an innovative on-site hydrogen production company, has announced a partnership with DLL, a global vendor finance company. BayoTech and DLL have partnered to create a revolutionary leasing program to bring BayoTech hydrogen generators to customers. This collaboration will enable customers to have access to low-cost, on-site hydrogen without having to make a large capital commitment. BayoTech CEO, Mo Vargas, on the partnership with DLL, "We were impressed with the experience, industry knowledge and ease of integration with DLL and look forward to a successful partnership. We are excited to offer leases free from technology risk. Customers will only pay for the hydrogen produced." DLL Commercial Lead of Clean Technology, Dave Ingram, on the partnership, "BayoTech fits perfectly with our business model of working with innovative energy companies around the globe, providing solutions that support a lower carbon footprint. We look forward to helping provide sustainable solutions to customers looking for on-site hydrogen generation." Brean Capital, a boutique investment bank, acted as exclusive advisor to BayoTech with respect to the partnership. James Mangines and Verdi Contente, who lead the effort for Brean's Investment Banking Division, commented, "We are very happy and excited about this announcement. DLL's ability to fund the leases enables BayoTech to respond to the high demand for low cost hydrogen generation in the market. We loo forward to continuing to help BayoTech's business grow further."



More about BayoTech

BayoTech is an energy technology company offering hydrogen production solutions through rentals, leases and sales to customers worldwide. Headquartered and produced in New Mexico, USA, BayoTech's on-site hydrogen generators are more efficient than legacy steam methane reformers, leading to lower carbon emissions and low-cost hydrogen. More about DLL

DLL is a global vendor finance company with more than EUR 30 billion in assets. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, DLL provides asset-based financial solutions in the Agriculture, Food, Healthcare, Clean Technology, Construction, Transportation, Industrial, Office Equipment and Technology industries. DLL partners with equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors in more than 30 countries to support their distribution channels and help grow their businesses. DLL combines customer focus with deep industry knowledge to deliver sustainable solutions for the complete asset life cycle, including commercial finance, retail finance and used equipment finance. DLL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group. To learn more about DLL, visit www.dllgroup.com.

More about Brean Capital

Brean Capital, LLC is a full-service broker-dealer founded in 1973. Under its current management team, Brean became a leader in Mortgage Backed Securities sales and trading, eventually expanding product offering lines to include loans, Treasuries, GSE debt, municipal bonds, ABS, etc. Brean leveraged its expertise in sales and trading to build a full-service investment banking team that provides a broad range of capital and advisory services. Brean now offers a full suite of services for institutional and corporate clients. Contact:

Jeff Mitchell, Director of Sales Operations

Tel: 203-214-7106

Email: [email protected]

www.bayotech.us/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bayotech-and-dll-establish-revolutionary-hydrogen-generator-leasing-program-301037305.html SOURCE Brean Capital; BayoTech

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CHILWORTH, England, April 8, 2020/PRNewswire/ -- Centre for Health Research and Education (CHRE), University of Southampton Science Park:

As covid-related social distancing, economic uncertainty and stress become widely prevalent, around 11 million ex-smokers in the UK are at risk of relapsing back to smoking, a stop-smoking expert doctor said today in an article published in the British Journal of General Practice Open (BJGPOpen).

Dr. Pooja Patwardhan, GP and Medical Director of the Centre for Health Research and Education (CHRE), estimates, that another 6 million current smokers in the UK and hundreds of millions worldwide are at risk of smoking more cigarettes and risking their lives even more in the longer term.

Coronavirus is known to attack the lungs which can develop into Covid-19 related pneumonia in severe cases. The government has clearly outlined those who may be at a higher risk, including the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes. A slightly less well-known message, that smokers are also at higher risk of gaining serious coronavirus symptoms, needs to be distributed at a much more urgent rate.

With the treasury estimation of over 3 million workers likely to be furloughed by their employers, a record numbers of people will be staying at home; anxious and stressed. It is necessary to act quickly to ensure that smoking levels do not rise during the high tide of a 'respiratory system attacking' virus epidemic.

Dr. Rick Driscoll, senior consultant psychiatrist and expert advisor to the CHRE understands well the behavioural psychology triggers for smoking relapse and barriers to quitting smoking. He points out, "Stress is now a scientifically accepted trigger for caving-in to one's current or former smoking habits, reducing the success of smoking cessation schemes. In times of global epidemics such as covid, economic uncertainty and inability to be surrounded by all of your loved ones, stress levels can reach breaking point." He adds, "Or, in this case, the point where individuals succumb to their short-term relief from that one cigarette, rather than holding out for long term benefits that come with quitting."

The CHRE's research team is now working with Professor Tapas Mishra, Director of Centre for Empirical Research in Finance and Banking at the University of Southampton to apply economic theory and social research techniques to this problem. Prof Mishra reports that they are "building a realistic model using factors known to influence smoking and relapse" and "present different scenarios that can inform policymakers and healthcare professionals better on the indirect impact of covid on smoking rates and the resulting long term morbidity and mortality in the UK."

Dr. Patwardhan states the urgency of action required by the government to make the message clear to smokers and ex-smokers that now is the time to quitforcovid. She says, "I would urge the UK government, NHS and Public Health England to communicate advice and guidance to everyone about 'pre-empting and managing the risk of relapse to smoking and of cravings to smoke more' in all their covid-related public documents." She says that people at risk of smoking should seek advice from national smokefree helpline and if appropriate keep an easy access to safer nicotine products like nicotine gums or e-cigarettes, to stay away from smoking.

With unemployment, stress and coronavirus all extremely prevalent with no signs of leaving for at least a few months, it is vital that smokers and ex-smokers are given enough support to reduce both deaths and strain to the already buckling NHS. Dr. Patwardhan predicts, "If we are unable to do so, we could have an even bigger, deadlier problem on our hands."

Additional Context

More than 14% of adults in England (more than 6 million people) smoke cigarettes regularly

(more than 6 million people) smoke cigarettes regularly The Government has stated its ambitions to have a 'smokefree England ' by 2030, that is, with less than 5% of regular adult smokers.

About the Centre for Health Research and Education (CHRE):

CHRE is an independent, Hampshire UK based healthcare company founded by medical doctors with a mission of global cancer prevention.

based healthcare company founded by medical doctors with a mission of global cancer prevention. CHRE does not receive any funds from tobacco, pharmaceutical or e-cigarette companies.

CHRE's approach is to bridge the policy and practice gap in delivering smoking cessation treatments and services globally.

Contact:

Ms. Ira Banerjee

Comms Manager, CHRE

ira@chre-uk.com

+47792219537
Zydus Cadila said it has 284 approvals and has so far filed over 386 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) since the commencement of its filing process in the financial year 2003-2004.

Pharma company Zydus Cadila has said it has received final approval from United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market generic Perphenazine tablets, used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

The drug is also used for the control of severe nausea and vomiting in adults.

USFDA has given its final nod to the company to market Perphenazine tablets USP in the strengths of 2 mg, 4 mg, 8 mg and 16 mg, Zydus Cadila said in a statement.

The USFDA is tasked with promoting public health through the control and supervision of several verticals including over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals and others.

The drug will be manufactured at the groups formulation manufacturing facility at Baddi [, the statement added.

Zydus Cadila said it has 284 approvals and has so far filed over 386 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) since the commencement of its filing process in the financial year 2003-2004.

On Tuesday, the pharma major announced on Twitter that it is producing Hydroxychloroquine, in large quantities to be used in the treatment of coronavirus. The company also said that it is working on developing a vaccine which will be a long term solution for COVID-19.

India on Tuesday decided to partially lift the ban on Hydroxychloroquine export, news agency PTI reported quoting officials.

US President Donald Trump had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the amount of Hydroxychloroquine ordered by the US after India on 25 March banned the export of the drug.
By UNI

NEW DELHI: India's efforts in combating the deadly Novel Coronavirus pandemic and the international cooperation forged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come in for appreciation from Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsanaro.

Brazil, the latest country to urge India to open the export of a key drug that is being tested as a cure for coronavirus, has referred to Hindu epic Ramayana while making its request.

Over 30 countries, led by the US, have been urging India to release anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine in the fight against coronavirus or COVID-19.

In a letter to Mr Modi, President Bolsanaro compared India's help and efforts in tackling the spread of COVID-19 to the efforts of Lord Hanuman in bringing Sanjeevani medicine from the Himalayan mountain range to save the life of Lakshmana.

Interestingly, Hanuman Jayanti falls on Wednesday.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

Sources said the letter of the Brazilian President said that Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama's brother Lakshamana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people.

Brazilian President Bolsanaro was also the chief guest at this year's Republic Day parade in January.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus epicenter in South America? Brazil's Sao Paulo 'expects' over 1,00,000 deaths

Mr Modi had spoken to him on telephone on April 4, stressing the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil bilaterally as well as in multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister assured all possible support to Mr Bolsanaro in this difficult hour.

They agreed that their officials would remain in regular touch with respect to the COVID-19 situation and it's emerging challenges.
(Newser)  What Reuters calls "highly unusual guidance" on two drugs President Trump has been pushing to treat the coronavirus has been removed from the CDC site almost as quickly as it went up. The original guidance on hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which showed up over the weekend under "Therapeutic Options," read: "Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown, some US clinicians have reported anecdotally" on ways to prescribe it. Now, after a Tuesday update, the section starts: "There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the [FDA] to prevent or treat COVID-19." Medical experts were surprised at the original wording. "No references, no nothing," Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health, told Reuters over the weekend. "Why would CDC be publishing anecdotes? That doesn't make sense. This is very unusual."

story continues below

A CDC statement says the original guidance had been requested by doctors and the White House virus task force to be reviewed and posted "as quickly as possible." However, the Hill notes Dr. Anthony Fauci, part of that task force, recently warned against using the drug for the virus without more study. Jeffrey Flier, a former dean at Harvard Medical School, agrees. "We are in an emergency and we need to rely on our government to ensure that all these potential therapies are tested in the most effective and objective way," he told Reuters. "The president is short-circuiting the process with his gut feelings." A White House statement denies any "pressure campaign" and claims Trump is simply seeking "an unprecedented collaboration to expedite vaccine development." Politico and the Atlantic look more into hydroxychloroquine and how it has made its way into the public eye. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
LEWSBURG  The Union County commissioners meeting came to an abrupt end Tuesday after, as one of them put it, we were bombed by an obscene act on the video conferencing tool Zoom.

The commissioners are working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic. For the past month, they have been using Zoom and teleconferencing to conduct meetings.

Tuesday was the first time the public was given access, via Zoom, to their twice-monthly meetings, Commissioner Stacey Richards said.

The bombing," which involved a display of nudity, occurred at the end of the meeting, she said. The Zoom connection was shut down quickly, she said.

It was vulgar, Richards said. I dont know if it can be traced. I dont think they were bombing our meeting in particular.

Zoom is an application that allows people to use a device with a camera interact face-to-face online. And, as of late, Zoom has been hacked by individuals trying to cause mayhem

A similar incident occurred recently when a Zoom meeting of Camp Hill Borough council was interrupted by a display of pornography.

The FBI says it has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic or hate messages. Zoom says it is working to improve the security of the application. New York City education officials are not allowing Zoom to be used for remote learning due to concerns about security and privacy.

The incident led Union County Commissioner Preston Boop to question whether commissioners should continue to use Zoom to allow the public to watch their meetings. Maybe they should be allowed to only listen on the telephone, he said. I dont know what is the right answer, he said.

Additional security will have to be added before the next public meeting in two weeks, Richards said.
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A team of Chinese medical experts aiding Cambodia in the fight against COVID-19 has returned home Tuesday after finishing their mission.

The team consisting of seven medical experts arrived in the airport of Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Tuesday afternoon.

In Cambodia, they inspected the designated hospitals and virus testing labs and exchanged views with their Cambodian counterparts on the diagnosis and treatment procedures, selection of antiviral drugs and disinfection of hotels used for concentrated quarantine.

In addition, the experts offered training for Cambodian medics on personal protection, installation and use of lab equipment, as well as treatment of COVID-19 patients in severe and critical conditions.

A remote consultation system was also established, according to Ai Xiang, head of the medical team.

The experts specialize in various areas, including respiratory, public health, infection control and traditional Chinese medicine. The team arrived in Cambodia on March 23. It was the first Chinese medical team sent out to ASEAN countries for COVID-19 prevention and control.
Oleg Albinksy/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Dr. Zeke Emanuel, one of the key architects of the Affordable Care Act and a special adviser to the director general of the World Health Organization, said on ABC News "Powerhouse Politics" podcast that he doesnt anticipate life fully returning to normal for another 18 months, based on guidance from health professionals in the Trump administration.



"The kind of normal where we go traveling, we go to restaurants, we go to concerts, we go to religious services, we go on cruises, until we have a vaccine that protects everyone. That's 18 months, it's not going to be sooner," Emanuel told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein.



"Anyone who tells you we're going to have a vaccine in three or four months, that's just not the reality of how biology and research works," the oncologist, bioethicist and professor and vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania said.



Emanuel joined the show to promote his new podcast, "Making the Call," where the hosts evaluate the ethics surrounding governmental responses to the pandemic. He is a former special adviser on health policy to the director of the Office of Management and Budget and National Economic Council in the Obama administration. His brother, ABC News contributor Rahm Emanuel served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff.



For the nation to be prepared to operate normally, Emanuel said, the number of new cases needs to be brought down to zero -- but the United States doesnt have the infrastructure in place to handle that kind of oversight.



"You have to have a structure and infrastructure that allows you to test and quickly quarantine and isolate people who are suspected or test positive for COVID. We're not there yet," he said.



Karl highlighted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for how the nation functions are set to expire on April 30.



"What happens on April 30?" Karl asked.



The plan is going to expire, Emanuel said. The government has no choice but to renew it.



"We're going to have to renew it because some places in the country will have reached the top of the curve and coming back back down, some patients in the country won't have reached the top of the curve," Emanuel said, adding that rural areas of the country likely wont have reached their peak by the time the guidelines are set to expire.



"We watch the daily response from federal health officials. What goes through your mind, what are the things that should be said now, and done now, from the federal level that are glaring in your mind that that aren't happening?" Klein asked.



"Well, I do think we need a more strategic plan for what do we do in the next 18 months," Emanuel said.



"I noticed that every bailout bill seems to be  we have this bailout for small businesses, keeping people on their payroll (for) eight weeks, we have an extension of unemployment (for) 13 weeks, as if somehow at the end of three months it's going to be magically different. This is an18-month process," Emanuel said.



He also called on the federal response for distributing ventilators and personal protective equipment to be stronger.



"The federal government in this case is competing with the states for new ventilators, for PPE. And that's not helpful. The federal government ought to be bulk purchasing it and ought to be then distributing it based upon need at the moment," Emanuel said.



If life cant return to normal for 18 months, that has key implications for November, Karl said, "What's the outlook there? It's obviously going to be well before we have a vaccine."



"I think we need to plan now -- you're going to have to have a different model, either voting by internet, voting by mail, voting early, so that people have a chance to go over time," Emanuel said.



"I think this is, you know, this is unfortunately a perfect model for Republican suppression of voting," he said.



On Tuesday, Wisconsin held in-person voting after Republicans blocked Democrats from delaying the election or moving to an entirely mail-in system.



"This is a perfect storm situation for, you know, just not getting a lot of those people who want to vote, even though everyone was predicting this would be a super record turnout because of the high stakes of this election," Emanuel said.



Emanuel, who helped build the Affordable Care Act, a topic of discussion in recent weeks as Americans struggle with health care coverage, said a universal health care system is the best way to fill in the gaps during a pandemic.



"COVID-19 is a great argument for universal health care coverage that isn't 'hole-y' and doesn't allow, you know, millions of people to slip through. It is an argument for simplification of the system," Emanuel said.



"Sen. (Bernie) Sanders is right, we definitely need to have a universal coverage system where all 100% of people in the United States are covered," he continued. "Certainly the Affordable Care Act was not put in place thinking about a pandemic, I can say that categorically having been involved and also having thought about pandemics."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
There are currently eight laboratories in Nigeria carrying out the tests for COVID-19. The facilities in Federal Teaching Hospital, Ab...

Anyone with a travel history outside Nigeria, with symptoms of fever, cough or breathing difficulties within 14 days of arrival.

Anyone who has symptoms and is in contact with a confirmed case.

Anyone with fever and either cough, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath in an area of high COVID-19 prevalence in Nigeria with no other explanation.





They will then be tested and asked to self-isolate until they receive their test results. It is very important that people comply with the directives they are given by the health authorities. The high rate of transmission of the disease makes it more important that self-isolation is taken seriously and close contacts also need to self-isolate and reduce contact with others, he explained.





Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, however maintains that testing must be strategic and guided by the national case definition, especially given that global shortages of test kits and medical commodities had been a challenge. Ehanire said that there was a lot of work happening in the background to increase testing capacity, urging Nigerians to be patient.





The Minister said that the updated case definition takes into account the epidemiology of the virus and the transmission pattern seen in the country. He said that the NCDC would continue to review guidelines such as the case definition, as more precise information emerges on the COVID-19 outbreak, including characteristics of transmission and geographical spread.

The facilities in Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki in Ebonyi and the Biosecurity Centre in Lagos that used to be supported by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), have also been activated, increasing the number of molecular laboratories carrying out testing in the country to eight. With the rising demand for covid-19 test in the country, reports say that a further six new laboratories will be opened in the coming weeks in Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Jos and Port Harcourt with the capacity to diagnose COVID-19.This will help to increase the number of daily tests that can be done in the country. Different mitigation strategies have been put in place in Nigeria to reduce and contain the spread of COVID-19  from the closure of international airports, schools and businesses, to the stoppage of public gatherings, social distancing measures and the lockdowns in Lagos, Federal Capital Territory and Ogun.The testing criteria in Nigeria has so far been targeted at certain groups, so it is important for people to understand the testing criteria adopted by the Federal Ministry of Health. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has just published the fifth version of the case definition guide that outlined who is being tested.The case definition offers a standard criteria used to classify the clinical features used to determine who to test for COVID-19. Commenting on the new case definition, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, NCDC, said that based on the new knowledge of COVID-19 in the country, the centre had expanded its case definition to enhance response to the disease.Ihekweazu listed the category of people being tested for COVID-19.According to him, people who fell in the above categories were advised to remain in self-isolation and immediately call the NCDC hotline or their state hotline, which could be found on the state hotline directory published by the NCDC.
Venezuelas government is struggling to handle a large influx of migrants who returned home from Colombia and Ecuador this weekend after they lost their jobs amid social distancing measures.

Human rights groups and opposition leaders in Venezuela said this week that hundreds of migrants who crossed into the Venezuelan state of Tachira have been forcibly taken to empty schools and an abandoned customs building, where they have been told they will have to stay for two weeks of quarantine.

But most of the buildings where these migrants are being held lack access to running water and suffer from daily power cuts, said Javier Tarazona, the director of Venezuelan human rights group Fundaredes. Video and photos taken at the abandoned customs office, where some migrants were sent, showed dozens of people sleeping on a concrete floor, as there were not even beds for the group of more than 60 people.

These places are a stirring pot for diseases, Tarazon told Al Jazeera. If the Venezuelan government did not have the capacity to receive these people, they should have alerted international agencies, who could have set up a place to hold these migrants on the Colombian side of the border.

Migrants who returned to Venezuela sleep on the floor of an abandoned customs building after being told they must stay in a government-run quarantine [Al Jazeera]

Venezuelas government said 900 migrants entered a land crossing in Tachira state on Saturday after losing their jobs in Colombia. Some had arrived there after walking for days to reach the border, while others had been transported on buses by Colombias government.

After crossing the border and being tested for coronavirus symptoms, migrants were escorted by soldiers towards a bus terminal in the town of San Antonio.

The terminal was packed with people, said Maria*, a migrant who arrived in Venezuela with her family on Saturday and is now being held at the abandoned customs building. She preferred to not provide her real name because she feared reprisals from soldiers who have threatened migrants that speak out about conditions.

We spent the night at the bus terminal, without any food and slept on the floor, she told Al Jazeera in a WhatsApp voice message. The next day at around 5pm, some guards came and told us that we were going to be put into quarantine. We were divided by groups, according to our hometowns, and then we were taken to this empty [customs] building on the outskirts of the city. Its next to a border bridge that has never been used.

Migrants who returned to Venezuela wait at a bus terminal before being told they must go to a government-run quarantine [Al Jazeera]

A video posted on Twitter by Freddy Bernal, the Venezuelan governments leading official for the border state of Tachira, on Tuesday shows that hundreds of migrants who had not been relocated were still at the bus terminal on Monday night. In the video, Bernal addresses the crowd and explains that they must be put into quarantine for their own good and to protect the rest of Venezuelas population.

Cristina Jauregui, a migrant who has been sleeping at the terminal for the past three days, said that little food had been provided by authorities, and that so far, hundreds of people sleeping at the bus terminal have not been provided with face masks or hand sanitiser.

We are living through a nightmare, she told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. Officials have come by to promise we will be relocated. But we are still here and more people continue to arrive each day.

Venezuelas information ministry did not respond to Al Jazeeras requests for comment.

Venezuelas government has so far confirmed more than 160 cases of coronavirus and seven deaths, with President Nicolas Maduro claiming that the disease has been contained. Experts warn Venezuelas health system is not prepared to handle a widespread outbreak.

Maduro said Sunday that the country is ready to receive 15,000 migrants in the following days while in Tachira, Bernal tweeted Wednesday that migrants will be welcomed with love and will be given the best shelter and care.

But Venezuelan opposition leaders say the current situation is on the verge of becoming a new humanitarian crisis.

Laidy Gomez, the governor of Tachira state, said that she met with United Nations officials on Monday to review options for the hundreds of migrants who are now being kept in schools and empty office buildings.

Gomez accused Maduros government of backtracking on a plan to send migrants to their home states on buses, and have them placed in quarantine there.

Keeping people with no symptoms of coronavirus in those shelters is extremely risky, she said in a video statement. Those places are overcrowded and they lack basic services. Those who dont have coronavirus could get sick from other diseases.
Hyundai says it will continue to idle automobile production at its Montgomery plant through April. Production is now expected to resume on Monday, May 4.

The automaker says employees can choose to use their available vacation time for compensation or apply for unemployment benefits with the Alabama Department of Labor. They will continue to receive medical, dental and vision benefits during the down time, the company said.

Its the second time Hyundai has changed the date for when production would resume. Work was suspended March 18 after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. The company said originally that the halt was only to extend through the end of March, then announced work would resume April 13.

In a statement, the company said the decision to extend production downtime is in the best interest of protecting the health and well-being of team members and communities, and to align vehicle production with current consumer demand.

About 3,000 people work at the plant. Hyundai said when employees return, there will be new safety measures in place. These include pre-screening for temperature, physical distancing guidelines in workstations and break areas, expanded existing cleaning protocols and health and safety communication materials.

As a company, Hyundai has enacted several measures in response to the pandemic. Its Hope On Wheels program has donated $2.2 million to childrens hospitals throughout U.S. to support coronavirus drive-thru testing centers. It has also reinstated its Hyundai Assurance Job Loss Protection program that provides up to six months of payment relief for new customers who finance through Hyundai Motor Finance and lose their job due to COVID-19, along with other measures.

Hyundai has also extended warranties globally that were due to expire until June 30.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. The military-industrial complex of Armenia is operating at full-swing, Minister of High Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan said at a news conference.

He said they have numerous contracts signed with the Defense Ministry and military experts will also be involved in the industrial process.

The military-industrial complex is operating at full swing with its entire capacity, he said, adding that the sectors operations are among the exceptions of allowed activities amid the COVID-19 shutdown.

Arshakyan said the defense industry has entered an active stage of operations.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Voters believe Donald Trump is responding to the coronavirus outbreak better than Joe Biden would if he were president, a poll released Wednesday revealed.

When nearly 2,000 registered voters were asked by a Politico/Morning Consult survey who would be a better leader in the midst of the crisis, 44 per cent said Trump compared to the 36 per cent who opted for Joe Biden.

Twenty per cent said they either didn't know or had no opinion on the matter.

The poll was conducted April 3-5, but published on Wednesday - the same day Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race, making Biden the Democratic nominee who will take on Trump in November.

When the question was altered to ask who voters would trust more to handle the crisis, Biden earned 40 per cent to Trump's 39 per cent.

Voters said in a new poll released Wednesday that they believe Donald Trump is a better leader during the coronavirus outbreak than former Vice President Joe Biden would be if he were president

But 52 per cent of respondents said former President Barack Obama would handle it better while 38 per cent said the current president would

Of the nearly 2,000 respondents, 44 per cent said Trump is a better leader in the midst of coronavirus while 36 per cent said Biden was a better leader

Joe Biden (left) became the only remaining Democratic candidate running for president on Wednesday when Bernie Sanders (right) dropped out of the race

The poll comes as the death toll reached nearly 13,000 in the U.S. by Tuesday and the number of confirmed cases surpassed 400,000  more than any other nation has reported

The same respondents also said they believe former President Barack Obama would handle it better than Trump if he were president during the pandemic.

When the former and current president were compared, 52 per cent of voters said Obama would handle it better while 38 per cent said Trump would.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Although the poll shows voters believe Trump would be better than Biden when it comes to leading the country through a pandemic, a separate poll indicates Americans are still unhappy with the federal government response.

According to a new CNN survey published Wednesday, 55 per cent of Americans say the federal government has done a poor job in preventing the spread of coronavirus in the U.S.

The new number is up eight percentage points from the same poll taken about a week ago as the death toll in the U.S. nears 13,000 and the amount of confirmed cases approaches 400,000.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll also shows that 50 per cent of voters feels the administration hasn't done enough, which is 7 per cent more than the survey's responses in the last three weeks.

Thirty-eight per cent of voters say the Trump administration is doing the right amount to address the outbreak and only 4 per cent say they are doing too much.

Trump and Biden spoke on the phone Monday regarding the federal government's response to the outbreak after the two publicly expressed their openness to talking to one another as the coronavirus response has quickly become a key issue in the race for the White House.

Biden has also publicly criticized Trump for his response, claiming he isn't listening to the science and downplayed the threat earlier this year.

Trump has been hosting televised daily press conferences to update the nation on the White House coronavirus task force's response to the fast-spreading respiratory disease  but 54 per cent of voters told Politico they disapprove of the job Trump is doing overall as president.
4,800 citizens returned to Ukraine on April 7, and 3,800 went abroad. The press office of Ukraine's State Border Guard reported this on Wednesday.

The employees of State Border Guard measured temperature among almost 5,800 people on the border. None of them had any signs of Covid-19. The Guards also detected six people who breached the lockdown mode; one of them only spent 24 hours in the quarantine.

On April 7, the number of operating checkpoints on the state border decreased to 19. Earlier, in March, the government had closed the border for foreign visitors. International air traffic over Ukraine has been suspended since March 17; however, the evacuation of Ukrainians from abroad continued. On March 25, the Cabinet extended the lockdown for another month, until April 24. On March 28, Ukraine entirely closed the border for entry and exit, and banned all passenger traffic.

Meanwhile, 17 citizens of Ukraine have recovered from the coronavirus infection abroad. 174 more are getting the treatment. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported that on Facebook.

The Ukrainian patients are being treated in Italy (121), Greece (22), Poland (4), Germany (4), Austria (3), and other countries. 14,624 Ukrainians returned home within the Protection system, launched by the Foreign Ministry.

The number of those who deceased due to the complications caused by the disease has not changed; five people have succumbed to the illness so far.
VERONA, Wis., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New York has long been a city that comes together in times of crisis. While its healthcare workers fight on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Epic, the electronic health records provider for over half of all Americans, is partnering with the New York Department of Health and NYC Health + Hospitals so that when patients arrive at Manhattan's Javits Center, their medical information can be there with them.

"Epic has a long history of working with New York and its hospital systems during a crisisfrom keeping critical systems available during 9/11, to capacity management and moving patients between sites during Hurricane Sandy," said Eric Helsher, Epic Vice President of Client Success. "The system was activated Monday night at 8pm. As patients move throughout New York, from the emergency room to a field hospital, providers have the important information they need."

The Javits Center has rapidly transformed into a 1,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 patients. When patients arrive, they are quickly checked in and placed in a bed. Epic instantly queries a network of hospitals and clinics across the nation to see if they have a health record elsewhere. If they do, Epic brings together the information so clinicians at the Javits Center have a comprehensive view. Using Epic on their mobile devices, providers can then see details like a patient's co-morbidities, allergies and medications, and can chart what happens during the visit. When patients go home, they can see details about their stay and follow up with a doctor through MyChart, Epic's patient app.

"NYC Health + Hospitals has a deep history of engaging in important partnerships that helps the system transcend boundaries and reach New Yorkers to provide the health care they need and deserve, and we view our support of this initiative as part of that history," said Kim Mendez, Corporate Chief Information Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. As New York's health systems work to staff and outfit the Javits Center, Epic and NYC Health + Hospitals staff are helping by setting up technology and providing remote training and technical support. Epic is providing COVID-19 assistance at no cost.

"It's critical to have partners in the private sector so our military and health department staff at the Javits Center can focus on the job at hand, caring for as many patients as possible," said Francoise Pickart, Javits' Process Lead. "This technology helps doctors and hospitals exchange information more easily so we can provide better and safer care."

For more information, contact:

Ashley Gibson

[email protected]

(608) 271-9000

Epic puts patients at the heart of everything we do, helping people get well and stay well. Visit www.epic.com/about.

SOURCE Epic

Related Links

http://www.epic.com


Most Israelis have been holed up in their homes for the past few weeks and isolated from the rest of the world. Yet even as the directives of the Ministry of Health became increasingly stringent, a significant part of the ultra-Orthodox community and leadership continued living in denial. The Israeli media spent many long days reporting about instructions given by the leader of the Lithuanian faction of the ultra-Orthodox community, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. He had ordered his followers not to stop yeshiva studies or prayer quorums, and to continue with large weddings and funerals with numerous participants. In fact, these continued to take place in Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem. It is hard to imagine, but while this was going on, Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman, himself the representative of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox community in the government and a member of the Gur Hasidic sect, asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exempt synagogues from the closure order and to allow the ultra-Orthodox to continue praying in a quorum as is their custom.

That's why no one was surprised when the densely populated ultra-Orthodox towns and neighborhoods became hotspots for the spread of the coronavirus and home to the highest number of people infected. And yet, even after the ultra-Orthodox community recognized the danger inherent in this pandemic, underground "minyanim" (prayer quorums of 10 people at least) continued to take place, with lookouts warning worshippers if the police were coming. Ultra-Orthodox children playing in the streets even coughed on the police and called them Nazis. According to various testimonies, Litzman himself, who has the virus that causes COVID-19, continued to pray in a synagogue quorum despite the directives of the very ministry he heads.

Friction between civil authorities and the ultra-Orthodox community has never been as serious as it is now. With the number of coronavirus carriers in Bnei Brak soaring, the government declared the city a "restricted zone" on April 2. Thus, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been forced to enter the largest and most densely populated ultra-Orthodox city in order to restore order and assist residents sequestered in their homes, in many cases without enough food or medication.

In the early hours of April 6, the Cabinet adopted by phone a decision to allow the government to close off more cities and neighborhoods in Israel and the West Bank. Thus, the government imposed closure over eight secular and ultra-Orthodox cities and over 15 Orthodox/ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem. DF troops started patrolling the streets of ultra-Orthodox urban centers such as Elad, Modiin Ilit and the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem.

According to news reports, the Israeli economy will not be able to function until the situation in ultra-Orthodox towns and neighborhoods stabilizes. This is causing the sociopolitical situation to become more violent and extreme than ever. Anyone who attacks the ultra-Orthodox leadership or public is subject to retaliation, often being called Nazi and anti-Semite. On the other side of the divide, every ultra-Orthodox Jew is automatically considered a lawbreaker and spreader of the disease.

Obviously, the truth is much more complicated than these mutual accusations. This is because it is not just about the coronavirus. It is part of a much larger story concerning the relationship between the State of Israel and the ultra-Orthodox. The ultra-Orthodox community received an unusual degree of autonomy in Israel, under the aegis of politicians from the right and the left. It is the inevitable outcome of their enormous political power. In private, politicians from across the political spectrum admit that they prefer to have the ultra-Orthodox in their coalitions, because it is easier to close a deal with them. In exchange for full social, educational and religious autonomy and generous funding for their educational institutions and yeshivas, they provide the other parties with the seats they need, and rarely make problems (especially as compared to the other members of the coalition). No one knows exactly how this can be changed either. There are no plans to get the ultra-Orthodox to agree to teaching a core curriculum in their schools, serving in the IDF or holding a job.

Over the years, there has been a growth in the number of citizens who get no training for life in the modern world. They dont learn math or English; they dont go near chemistry, biology or physics; and they dont know how to use a computer. Not all of them become yeshiva students dedicating their lives to studying the Torah, yet even those who are unfit for that kind of life cannot serve in the army or work. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, less than 50% of ultra-Orthodox men were considered employed in November 2018. This figure includes those who work part-time or even just one day a month. As a result, they dont meet the minimum requirements to pay taxes and they are not part of Israels contributing population.

This public is used to living in poverty and making do with little. In times of crisis or disaster, however, this little is not enough. Their refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, even in severe cases of pedophilia and domestic violence, is damaging to ultra-Orthodox society itself. Though it is not all the ultra-Orthodox, a good part of the community rejects the State of Israel and its institutions altogether, and regards them with hostility. Yes, they must be tolerated, but they must still stay away from them like fire. There is a kind of "iron curtain," which the ultra-Orthodox leadership built to separate their community from the country at large. These leaders, the "gedoilim" (the sages), are the important rabbis who run this world according to their own rules, with the help of ultra-Orthodox politicians, journalists and wheeler-dealers. All of this is intended to maintain their political power and wield it as they please. We should keep in mind that most of the ultra-Orthodox community does not watch television or access internet. Many of them heard about the pandemic when cars fitted with loudspeakers started making rounds of ultra-Orthodox towns and neighborhoods to inform them.

What this coronavirus pandemic has shown clearly is that despite the physical and metaphysical barriers that the ultra-Orthodox have built around themselves (entry into some ultra-Orthodox cities is banned from Friday evening until the end of the Sabbath), it is all worthless, because this virus doesnt recognize any boundaries. What happens in Bnei Brak has an impact on Nazareth and Tel Aviv, according to head of the Arab Joint List Ayman Odeh. If there is a significant outbreak in ultra-Orthodox Elad or Bnei Brak, all the other sick people in Israel will suffer as a result of it. And when the virus starts spreading quickly, the unbelievable happens, and IDF soldiers are posted to those very neighborhoods where people are adamant about refusing to let their own sons serve in the military.

The relationship between the ultra-Orthodox public and the state authorities must undergo a significant shift once the coronavirus crisis is over. The bubble in which the ultra-Orthodox have lived for so long just burst.

There are already signs of internal criticism, and this could well get much louder as Israel approaches the highpoint of this pandemic, which, according to the Ministry of Health, has yet to come. It is very important that the ultra-Orthodox community, part of which has been undergoing a gradual process of emancipation over the last few years, realizes that the people keeping it from obtaining knowledge are also keeping it from power and from making educated decisions. No less important is the idea that Israeli politicians must realize that the very existence of a state within a state is unconscionable and was wrong from the outset. The ultra-Orthodox leaderships insistence on taking things to the extreme  inciting against the state on the one hand and forcing it to accept its priorities on the other, all the while sucking up vast budgets  has brought Israel to where it is today.

Not everyone realizes the scope of this tragedy. Once the crisis is over and the full picture becomes clear, civil authorities and the ultra-Orthodox community must engage each other in a new dialogue, based on respect of the law as it exists in Israel, cooperation with state institutions and a fundamental change in attitudes toward the state among the ultra-Orthodox public.
Just over a hundred years ago, during the last deadly pandemic that swept the globe and disrupted life everywhere, a novel treatment was found to save lives.

Convalescent plasma therapy  the practice of putting the clear, straw-coloured part of blood from recovered patients into the very sick  was used during the 1918-1919 Spanish flu.

Now researchers across the country have banded together for a clinical trial of its use for people with COVID-19, just one of several old treatments that scientists are trying to repurpose to fight the new disease.

Theres a lot of hype and hope that convalescent plasma will help some Canadians, said Dr. Jeannie Callum, a professor at the University of Toronto and transfusion medicine specialist at Sunnybrook Hospital working on the trial.

Theres a lot of belief that it will work, whereas a lot of the other drugs were not really sure if they work.

The study is a collaboration between the academic and medical community, Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec.

It will involve at least 40 hospitals, and be overseen by doctors at universities including the University of Montreal, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, McMaster and the University of British Columbia.

The plasma of people whove recently recovered from COVID-19 is rich in antibodies, that basically bind to virus and neutralize it, Callum said. It gives the very ill an immune boast that could help save lives.

First used to treat a German child sick with diphtheria in the late 1800s, studies done during the Spanish flu pandemic suggested convalescent plasma could be useful for several viral infections.

We do this routinely for other illnesses, but of course we dont know whether or not it works for COVID-19, Callum added.

The trial still needs Health Canada approval. But Callum said theyve been working flat out and hope to have that within a week.

Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec can then start collecting plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. This growing community of Canadians have already been calling and asking where they can donate, Callum said.

Theyre like, Tell me where to drive to, I will drive to you, how do I donate? she said, calling it a pretty nice Canadian response.

As the virus shuts down countries and kills thousands, the race is on for a vaccine or cure to COVID-19. But finding that will take time.

There are four existing treatments being tested for COVID-19 through international trials co-ordinated through the World Health Organization, including the antiviral Remdesivir, and Lopinavir and Ritonavir, a combination drug approved to treat HIV infection.

More than a dozen Canadian hospitals are enrolling patients in the trial, called SOLIDARITY.

Another discovery from the last century, a Tuberculosis vaccine still used in the developing world, is also being studied as a way to fight COVID-19.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine has also been found to have the bonus impact of strengthening the immune system and protects from a variety of infections, including respiratory ones.

Clinical trials in which it is given it to health-care workers in Australia and the Netherlands have already started and trials are getting underway in other countries.

Dr. Denise Faustman, director of immunobiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, is looking for funding to start a similar trial in Boston. When most people in North America hear BCG they think of Boston Consulting Group, she said, but in the developing world the vaccine is widely known.

Its an old vaccine and for a long time it wasnt very fashionable, she said. But with a new COVID-19 vaccine taking probably two years, its cheap, its safe and we could we roll something out a lot faster than anybody visualized.

A recent analysis from Johns Hopkins University found a lower COVID-19 death rate in countries that still use the BCG vaccine.

Faustman said since we already know its safe, a trial to see if it helps for COVID-19 could be sped up and completed within four to six months.

Theres incredible co-operation in the scientific community that Ive never seen before, she added, unlike during the early days of the HIV/Aids crisis. Theres a new kind of unity.

The Canadian plasma study is also part of a global effort involving parallel studies in several other countries including France, the U.K., and South Korea.

Sunnybrooks Callum said they hope to get about 800 donors, and the trial would include 1,200 patients in this country  randomly selecting half who would get the plasma, and half who would not.

Convalescent plasma will be collected through the regular donation process, said Canadian Blood Services spokesperson Delphine Denis, a process similar to giving blood.

The approach has shown some promise in a couple of small Chinese COVID-19 studies.

Sachdev Sidhu, professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, said the good news with the plasma approach is theres strong scientific rationale for it.

The downside is its cumbersome to transmit hundreds of millilitres of plasma from one patient to another, and each donor is different.

Sidhu is one of several Canadian researchers working on new drugs, hoping to develop a single antibody tailored to hit the Achilles heel of the virus that would provide a silver bullet approach.

This kind of treatment would build on the science of plasma therapy, which, like the TB vaccine, can be tested at a faster pace.

Callum said the plasma therapy trials will be signing up patients from this month until the end of the year. At the halfway mark theyll reassess and see if they have enough information to stop.

Once all of the global trials are completed theyll be able to compare the results with other countries.

So that a hundred years from now, when we have the next pandemic, were, faster, smarter, better.
Anna Wintour has revealed her son Charles Shaffer is quite ill after he tested positive for coronavirus.

On Tuesday, the Vogue editor-in-chief shared the update about her sons health in an Instagram video, where she explained that he is currently quarantining at home.

My son is a doctor, Wintour said. He is currently quite ill and self-quarantining at home. But, when he is able, he will return to the ICU at his hospital.

I am so proud of him and so grateful to all the health workers, first responders, nurses and doctors who are fighting to reduce the spread of the virus and to save lives.

Shaffer, 35, is a chief resident at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, according to CBS. As of Tuesday, nearly 77,000 people in New York City have tested positive for the virus.

During the video, Wintour also discussed A Common Thread, a storytelling initiative launched by Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that aims to help American fashion designers suffering financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

I have been speaking to so many American designers and others in the community who fear that their businesses and their livelihoods may not survive what were all going through, the magazine editor said. The fund that we have created is intended to help them and the talented people they work with - the pattern makers, the cutters, the tailors, the embroiderers and so many more.
As an infantryman, he told me it was bad, his father said. It was too much. Most of his friends died at one time in front of his eyes. ... He told he had seen things  with children killed. He remembers looking at the mothers crying and he remembered that he didnt even know his mom that much.
Victorian learner drives are facing a six month delay in getting their provisional license due to the coronavirus restrictions.

Driving lessons have not been declared an essential activity or education under the Victorian government.

Teenagers caught receiving driving lessons to accrue their 120 hours risk facing a hefty fine for breaking the restrictions.

Learner drivers are only allowed behind the wheel when they're out for essential items at supermarkets, chemists, or travelling to work and education.

Driving lessons have not been declared an essential activity or education under the Victorian government (Pictured: Brunswick Street on April 5)

Hunter Reynolds, 17, was slapped with a $1,652 on the spot fine on the weekend during her driving lesson with her mother, Sharee.

The pair travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules.

Poll Should L-platers be allowed to receive driving lessons in Victoria during coronavirus lockdown? Yes No Unsure Should L-platers be allowed to receive driving lessons in Victoria during coronavirus lockdown? Yes 9 votes

No 1 votes

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'Common sense did not prevail. I didn't for one moment think we were breaking the rules,' Ms Reynolds told Herald Sun.

'We live together, we didn't leave the car or stop.'

Hunter received a lot of support after sharing her story online, leading to police reviewing and eventually withdrawing the fine.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton defended police fining the teenager, saying a driving lesson was a non-essential activity.

Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said discretion should have been applied with the handling of the teenager's case.

'Every Victorian should now be well aware that getting into the car purely for the purpose of driving practice is not an exemption permitted by the Chief Health Officer,' a police statement said.

Hunter Reynolds, 17, was slapped with a $1,652 on the spot fine on the weekend during her driving lesson with her mother, Sharee.

In New South Wales, learner drivers are permitted to receive driving lessons from a family member or driving instructor.

'We consider that it would be a reasonable excuse for a person to leave their house to receive driving lessons,' NSW Police said.

'Given that this is a learning activity that cannot be done from home and is akin to the listed reasonable excuse of travelling to attend an educational institution where you cannot learn from home.

'Learner drivers could also continue to drive with a supervising family member for any of the listed reasonable excuses for leaving the house  for example, driving to the supermarket.'

Learner drivers in Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia are still permitted to receive driving lessons under the coronavirus restrictions.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

The Iranian government, relevant organization of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade and the country's private sector are trying to activate the country's foreign trade offices, said Hamid Zadboum, Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade of Iran and Chairman of the Trade Development Organization, Trend reports citing official website of Organization.

According to Zadboum, the aim of this step is to increase Iran's foreign trade turnover.

Zadboum added that the potential of state-owned companies and institutions will be used to develop trade in cooperation with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Currently, Iran is facing bank restrictions due to US sanctions. Many trade-related issues in other countries can be tracked through direct participation. Therefore, there is a need for offices and staff in foreign countries who can help the private sector to develop foreign trade, he said.

Zadboum said that it will be discussed at the meetings of the Trade Development Organization in connection with the use of the opportunities of government agencies, the private sector and joint chambers of commerce as a priority of trade with neighboring countries.

Iran exported 133.9 million tons of products worth $41.3 billion last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020). China, Iraq, Turkey, the UAE and Afghanistan are in the top five in terms of exports.

The US imposed new sanctions on Iran in November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies and individuals.
By PTI

CHENNAI: The number of Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees testing positive for coronavirus continued to rise in the southern states with Tamil Nadu alone reporting 42 more new cases on Wednesday.

As many as 679 of the total 738 positive cases in Tamil Nadu were returnees from the religious event held in Delhi last month and their contacts, officials said.

In Karnataka, a total of 808 Jamaat workers have been placed under mandatory quarantine, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said as he asserted his government was working "beyond its strength" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

As regards Kerala, of the nine fresh cases reported on Wednesday, two were Jamaat meet participants.

A total of 212 people from Kerala had took part in the Talbligi meeting and of them 15, including the new two cases, have tested positive, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 LIVE

Of the 48 new cases reported in Tamil Nadu, a total of 42, including a Malaysian national, were connected to the Delhi event, which has become the biggest hotspot for the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

According to the government, of the total 738 positive cases, as on Wednesday 679 people were those who attended "single source event at Delhi and their contacts."

A total of 1,716 samples of those who took part in the event and their contacts have been sent for testing so far in the state.

With the rise in the number of cases, Tamil Nadu has been expanding its testing footprint and as of now it has 12 labs in government and 7 in private sectors with more likely to be added in the coming days.

The state government has been appealing to people who attended the event and their contacts to come forward to approach the health authorities so that they could be tested and treated in the event of them turning positive.

In Karnatka, more than 1,300 people had attended the congregation last month and information regarding all of them had been collected, Yediyurappa said in an interview to PTI.

"...276 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have been identified in Bengaluru and have been kept in quarantine...482 Jamaat workers have been identified in different parts of Karnataka; total 808 Tablighi-Jamaat workers have mandatorily been kept in quarantine in the state" Yediyurappa said.

He said 581 other jamaat workers now in other states have been identified and the respective states informed about them.

Besides, as many as 57 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonging to foreign countries have travelled to various parts of Karnataka such as Bidar, Belagavi, Tumakuru and Bengaluru, they have been identified and quarantined, he added.

FIRs have been registered against them with a direction to blacklist them for violating visa norms, he said.

"Twenty are from Indonesia, one the United Kingdom, four from South Africa, three from Gambia, 19 from Kyrgyzstan, one USA, one France, one Kenya and seven from Bangladesh," he said.
Generally, the lack of universal broadband access has been a terrible problem mostly defined by geography and wealth levels.

Sparsely populated rural areas and low-income communities remain the most likely parts of our communities to lack needed broadband connectivity.

However, with many parents displaced from their workplaces, even families with broadband access are finding it difficult to share limited bandwidth and devices.

The economic slowdown is likely to compound the nations broadband gaps by forcing more households to sacrifice their connections to pay for other basic needs. This means students of all ages, including college students and adults trying to retrain for other opportunities, will find it harder to progress academically and acquire the skills and credentials they need.

Federal and state leaders must come together now to address our broadband infrastructure gaps once and for all.

In the short term, schools need immediate regulatory flexibility from the Federal Communications Commission to use the E-rate program to support student home broadband access.
Manufacturing turns local in Gulf as coronavirus disrupts supply chains Workers make face masks at a factory, following the outbreak of COVID-19, in Ajman

DUBAI (Reuters) - Three weeks ago Fahmi al-Shawwa's 3D printing workshop in Dubai was making parts for the Gulf oil and gas industry, now his machines churn out thousands of medical face visors to help the United Arab Emirates battle the coronavirus.

With flights grounded, workforces depleted and countries limiting exports, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted global trade and forced countries to look closer to home for things such as face masks and sanitising products.

The rapidly configurable 3D printers of Immensa, of which Shawwa is CEO, are also making spare parts for industries unable to source them abroad because of supply chain disruptions.

"As soon as we get out of this crisis we are going to see a lot more local manufacturing. A lot of companies have been looking at localising their supply chain and this is a trigger," said Shawwa.

Having seen shortages appear in virus hotspots such as Italy, Immensa decided to change its output and now makes 15,000-20,000 plastic face shields a week and has spoken to UAE authorities about what else the firm could assist with.

In the neighbouring emirate of Ajman, a former work uniform factory is now making reusable cloth face masks for Fine Hygienic Holding that are flying off shelves of local supermarkets amid high demand.

Fine had to rapidly set up shop in the UAE in order to serve that market when both India and Jordan blocked the export of their newly designed face masks as the coronavirus crisis deepened, said CEO James Lafferty.

"We had to set up an entire business in eight days... We had to grab every potential resource we could get our hands on to meet the needs of the market," he said.

"DIFFICULT" LOGISTICS

Fine, originally a manufacturer of tissue paper products, also donates some masks to the UAE and Jordanian governments.

But the company still needs to import the specially treated material it says kills germs for its masks, and logistics are "becoming difficult".

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"The airline industry has dramatically slowed, we airship everything, so it is taking us a bit longer, more than two or three times longer," Lafferty said.

Dubai authorities said on Monday hygiene items such as gloves, masks and sterilisers were in sufficient stock and urged consumers to shop responsibly.

In the nearby Gulf island state of Bahrain, specialist cleaning manufacturer Dhaman has turned 99% of its production over to hand sanitizers and surface disinfectant, much of which supplies government departments.

But import costs have risen and CEO Mahmoud Hawari is now trying to source his packaging from local manufacturers instead.

(Reporting by Reuters TV team and Lisa Barrington; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday night that he was exempting a range of businesses from recently passed rules mandating more paid leave for workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Council voted last month to bolster paid leave for workers at big companies  those with 500 or more employees nationwide  requiring them to provide an additional 80 hours of leave. The move was intended to stop people who are especially vulnerable or suffering symptoms from continuing to go to work during the coronavirus crisis.

Garcetti praised the council for moving swiftly to help Angelenos, but said changes were needed to avoid putting some businesses at risk and avert layoffs.

The L.A. rules were meant to plug a gap in a similar law passed on the federal level, which did not cover companies of that size. Garcetti said he was issuing an order that would instead impose the new requirements on businesses with 500 or more workers in Los Angeles alone  rather than across the country  or 2,000 or more employees nationwide.

In addition, Garcetti decided to exempt some employers that were already providing a significant amount of paid leave.

Under the rules passed by the council, big companies would have to provide the additional paid leave to workers who are 65 or older, have medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes, have been advised to quarantine themselves, or need to care for a family member. Before the new rules passed, L.A. businesses were already required to allow workers to accrue and use up to 48 hours of paid leave annually.

Garcetti said he wanted to avoid putting "excessive burdens on businesses that are already doing the right thing." If businesses already provide their workers at least 160 hours of paid leave annually, they do not have to provide any additional leave, according to the mayor's order.

City Council members had already decided to exempt healthcare providers and first responders from the requirements for added leave. The mayor also exempted other healthcare personnel, government employees, and workers who deliver parcels.

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And Garcetti excluded companies that recently opened or relocated to Los Angeles, as well as any businesses that have closed for at least 14 days under city orders tied to COVID-19.

"In the midst of this public health crisis and economic upheaval, we must also anticipate that workers could suffer through layoffs if this city imposes excessive burdens and costs upon businesses  many of which have ceased operations, lost customers and sustained catastrophic losses due to this pandemic," the mayor wrote.

The federal government has offered tax credits meant to fully reimburse small and midsize companies for the cost of providing added leave during the pandemic, but those credits are not available to companies with more than 500 employees, which were not covered by the federal requirements.

Joe O'Donnell, chief operating officer of the Urban Plates restaurant chain, said that if Garcetti had not changed the L.A. rules, his company would have had to think seriously about shutdowns and layoffs. Urban Plates has more than 900 employees nationwide, O'Donnell said, but most of its locations are outside Los Angeles.

"We're already losing money, but our goal was to keep our team members working," O'Donnell said. If they had not been exempted from the requirements, "it would make us pause and think, 'Do we want to stay open in this environment?'"

"This is a very well-intentioned regulation, but the restaurant business is high cost and low margins. It's not an industry that can absorb all these additional burdens," added O'Donnell, a board member of the California Restaurant Assn., which had reached out to the mayor's office about the ordinance.

Hospitals had also raised concerns about the wording of the original rules: Kaiser Permanente warned that unless the exemption for healthcare providers were clarified to prevent any ambiguity about which staffers were covered, "the ordinance could greatly impair our ability to appropriately staff our facilities and provide quality care."

Others were disappointed by some of the adjustments made by Garcetti.

The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, one of the advocacy groups in the Healthy LA Coalition that had pushed to increase paid leave for local workers, said it "cannot see the rationale for the changes the mayor has made," particularly altering the size of businesses covered.

"We're concerned that these changes will leave large numbers of Los Angeles workers unprotected," Haley Potiker, the group's communications director, said in a statement Wednesday. "Paid sick leave makes all of us safer."

Even before Garcetti made his changes, labor and community groups had expressed some disappointment with the limitations of the plan passed by the City Council less than two weeks ago. Council members had decided not to impose similar paid leave requirements on small businesses that can seek exemptions from the federal rules  those with fewer than 50 employees.

That relieved restaurant owners who had argued that the cost of the new requirements could force small businesses to shut down, but upset workers who said they needed the same protections as employees at bigger companies.

Cayetano Juarez, a cook living in South Los Angeles, said the resulting rules "wont help the majority of people that I know."

"Restaurant workers have made our bosses rich for a long time," Juarez said in Spanish. "We need them to help us with this crisis."
Netflix has a true crime treatment for just about every transgression you can imagine, whether its murder, kidnapping, or even tiger abuse. The Innocence Files is the latest addition to the genre, but this time theres a twist: the perpetrators did not commit the crimes they are accused of.

The show  overseen by a starry line-up of directors including Oscar-winner Alex Gibney  follows The Innocence Project, a non-profit legal organisation that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing. Dubbed the court of last resort, it was founded by two former public defenders who saw so many problems with the criminal justice system that they felt compelled to act. Looking back on the cases, you'd struggle to fathom how a jury could sentence a person to death on so little evidence.

We meet inmates from all walks of life: a barman, a sailor, a teenage student. But they all seem to have one thing in common: they lack the resources to fight for their freedom. The first case presented is the horrific rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Mississippi, which sees an innocent man sentenced to life because of bogus bite mark evidence and fairly opaque witness statements.

As each case unfolds, the grim events are recapped in meticulous detail, with crackling archive footage evoking a Nineties America divided by race and in the throes of a crack epidemic. We are introduced to the people who played a part in sending the innocent behind bars. Dr Michael West, for example, is a forensic dentist so committed to his research that he asks to be bitten all over his body so he can examine the marks left by human teeth on the skin. To his dismay, his work is questioned in this series, and he grumbles: If you dont like the way I do it, get up off your dead ass, go to the morgue every weekend, spend it with 15 or 20 dead babies, and try coming out of there without being a fruitcake.

There are moving scenes too, with footage of each innocent man finally being told they are free to go. Many of them have endured years on death row and suffered unthinkable abuse in prison. Their mothers, if they are still alive, cry out in the docks, even louder and harder than when their children were first found guilty.

Race often plays a role. In one case, a white man says he was chosen as a juror because the prosecutor deemed him more likely to convict a black man; in another, there are allegations of neo-Nazism in the local police force. The friend of one freed man puts it simply: White folks make the damn rules.

The Innocence Files is potent in that it shows how wrongful convictions not only destroy individual lives, but also have an impact on science, on what is taken seriously as a legitimate piece of evidence. In almost half of The Innocence Projects cases, forensic science was misapplied or misused.

The cameras stay with the men after they are released, and it is inspiring the way the barman, the sailor, the teenage student and many others try to move on with their lives after prison, and not hold grudges against a justice system that failed them miserably. In lockdown, we can learn a lot from their patience and humility.

The Innocence Files arrives on Netflix on 15 April
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials hold a news conference on the coronavirus. (Getty Images)

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Texas can enforce its temporary ban on abortion because of the coronavirus pandemic, a ruling that could quickly bring a pivotal abortion question before the Supreme Court.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on nonessential healthcare procedures  which Texas specifically wrote to include abortion except when the mothers life or health is in danger  can remain in place as the legal case proceeds in a lower court, which would take months.

The question of whether a state can ban abortion  albeit on a temporary basis  because of a public health emergency like the pandemic now appears increasingly likely to reach the Supreme Court. It could serve as a test case of sorts for how the court, reshaped with President Trump's appointment of two conservative justices, feels about abortion rights more generally.

Texas was one of several Republican-led states that included abortion as nonessential healthcare procedures that needed to stop because of the coronavirus. But federal courts blocked the other bans.

Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers say they wont let Tuesday's court ruling stand but did not say what they would do next. They will have to decide whether to bring the issue before the Supreme Court or ask the entire 5th Circuit Court to review it.

This is not the last word. We will take every legal action to fight this abuse of emergency powers, including going to the Supreme Court if necessary, said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, the legal organization representing abortion providers. The need for abortion care doesnt disappear during a pandemic.

Judge Kyle Duncan, who was appointed by Trump, wrote for the court that individual rights are not eliminated during a public health crisis, but the state is allowed to enact restrictions.

When faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some 'real or substantial relation' to the public health crisis and are not 'beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law, Duncan wrote in his opinion, which was joined by Jennifer Walker Elrod, who was appointed by President George W. Bush.

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Duncan relied heavily on a 1905 ruling in which the Supreme Court said states can require people to get vaccinated during a smallpox epidemic or face fines or jail time.

In this case, Texas argued that it has a similar interest in protecting the public health by preserving limited hospital space and medical equipment as the coronavirus spreads. The order prohibiting health procedures merely delays access to abortion, the state argued, and does not prohibit it.

Abbotts order lasts until April 21 but can be extended. Abortion rights supporters are concerned that the order could last until the pandemic subsides, which some experts say could last far longer than the 40 weeks of a pregnancy.

Abortion is essential, its time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass, said Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Planned Parenthood wont let this injustice stand. Our patients deserve better. Well use every tool at our disposal to fight this harmful order and protect our patients healthcare.

Times staff writer David G. Savage contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 09:19:14|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

WUHAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Tuesday in central China's Hubei Province, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.

One death was reported on Tuesday.

The commission said Hubei had 670 asymptomatic patients under medical observation by Tuesday, after 50 cases were ruled out while 30 new patients were reported.

Sixty-nine COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery Tuesday. Among the 448 patients being treated in hospital, 84 were still in severe condition and 74 others in critical condition.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,008 in Wuhan.
UPPER THUMB  The Tuscola County Board of Commissioners has canceled its committee of the whole meeting April 13 and will instead conduct all business during its meeting April 6 at 8 a.m.

The meeting will be held electronically  the second one commissioners have held that way  to comply with social distancing because of the COVID-19 crisis.

The boards first meeting using the Google Hangouts application in March went well. The meeting was virtually attended by 31 people on phones or computers.

At last month's meeting, commissioners voted to continue paying employees their normal wages during the meeting.

County Clerk Jodi Fetting said communication has not been provided to elected officials on how they will be paid during the courthouse and office closures, as some have to continue working. She asked for clarification, which led to a lengthy discussion.

We have a budget. The money has been budgeted so there is no reason to consider laying anyone off, explained Commission Dan Grimshaw, noting it would impact their health insurance coverage.

County Controller-Administrator Clayette Zechmeister said she had been in contact with administrators throughout the state, and every single one confirmed they will continue to pay (staff)."

Commissioner Mark Jensen said Bay County was only paying about two-thirds of the wages of non-essential workers.

However, his fellow commissioners countered that some of the workers that could be considered as non-essential were working from home while others periodically go to their office to work.

Drain Commissioner Bob Mantey and Equalization Director Angie Daniels each explained their staff does some work from home and goes into the office on a rotating schedule.

Tuscola Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart said the courts continue to operate on a limited basis.

She explained that she, District Judge Jason Bitzer and Court Administrator Sheila Long began discussing the potential need to close the courthouse back on March 9. Their goal was to put a plan of action in place for when the need arose, which it did.

She explained the courts are operating in compliance with the Supreme Court order and the governors executive order, and the courts plan of operation is outlined on the countys website, tuscolacounty.org.

Gierhart stated court employees will be paid throughout the duration of the emergency closure.

During discussion, it was suggested to use the countys inclement weather policy for payment.

Sheriff Glen Skrent spoke said the inclement weather policy for his department calls for overtime pay, and he doesnt think following that policy is the answer.

It was decided to pay everyone their salary at this time.

About midway through the four-and-a half-hour meeting, the board went into closed session for contract negotiations. During that time, the publics access was closed just like it would have been had the meeting been held in person.

When commissioners came back into open session, they approved ratifying the tentative agreement reached between the AFSCME Courthouse Deputies Bargaining Committee and the Tuscola County Bargaining Committee for a collective bargaining agreement that goes through Dec. 31, 2021.

Although the contract was approved by the commissioners, no details were released.

Once signed (by the union), I expect the contract will be placed on the county website along with the other contracts, said Fetting.

In other business, District 1 Commissioner Tom Young called to officially declare a State of Emergency for the county for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

So the declaration did not go on in perpetuity, the motion was amended for the State of Emergency to extend until June 1. And, if necessary, it could be extended beyond that.

Because it was a virtual meeting, each commissioner had to do voice voting. The motion passed unanimously.

The countys emergency operation plan has been activated and all local resources will be utilized to the fullest possible extent, noted board Chairman Thom Bardwell.
Amazon testing disinfectant fog at New York warehouse after coronavirus protests FILE PHOTO: The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York

By Jeffrey Dastin

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is testing the use of disinfectant fog at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York starting on Tuesday, the company told Reuters, following worker protests over the risk of coronavirus infection at the site.

The measure shows how the world's largest online retailer is aiming to increase safety cleaning without closing facilities essential to its operation, as some workers and elected officials have demanded.

Amazon said it is trying out disinfectant fog as used by airlines and hospitals to further sanitize its facilities. The pilot program follows an announcement last week that the company would check workers' temperature and make masks available at all U.S. and European sites in its operations network.

"We continue to explore even more preventative measures to support the health and safety of employees, who are providing a critical service in our communities," Amazon said in a statement.

The New York warehouse, known internally as JFK8, is one of several locations where small groups of Amazon employees have walked out to highlight the risks they face from working where colleagues have become infected with the virus, which causes the sometimes deadly COVID-19 respiratory illness.

The virus has led to at least 80,000 deaths globally and infected more than 1.4 million people - including workers at more than 50 Amazon facilities, according to a New York Times report. New York is currently the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak with by far the most confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths.

The company has said it is requiring staff to keep safe distances from each other.

The Staten Island warehouse drew particular attention after Amazon fired an employee on paid quarantine for participating in a protest last week that he helped organize.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union called on company executives to resign after an internal document leaked, in which Amazon's general counsel described that employee as "not smart, or articulate."

The general counsel then issued a statement saying frustration over the health risks created by the employee had clouded his judgment.

(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Chris Reese and Bill Berkrot)
Its stressful enough remembering to keep your hands out of your face and washing them every time they touch anything that might have the deadly coronavirus. Add to that having to disinfect the house every two hours and make home-made masks now essential for the weekly jaunt to Giant. Its enough to make anyone a bit irritable.

But PennLives readers who joined this weeks Coronavirus Q&A on Facebook Live are also peeved by four other big issues. These are things they believe they should not have to deal with during this heath care crisis, and theyd like everyone to just stop it.

Here they are:

Price Gouging

Attorney General Josh Shapiro says his office has received more than 3,000 complaints about businesses raising prices on everything from hand sanitizer to Lysol disinfectant. Emma Horst-Martz, with PennPIRG, a consumer watchdog organization, says Pennsylvania has more such complaints than any state in the nation. But it isnt just local stores upping their prices to cash in on a crisis, its rampant on websites like Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Craigslist.

The Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office has received thousands of complaints about businesses raising prices and trying to take advantage of vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis. This is illegal, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro has started an aggressive campaign to try to stop it. Shapiro will joins the Coronavirus Q & A today to discuss the ways his office is trying to protect Pennsylvanians during this crisis. Get your questions ready! Posted by PennLive.com on Monday, April 6, 2020

Shapiro is asking people to report significant increases in the costs of goods and services to his office, which has created a specialized resource -- pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov for consumers to email and report problems.

In a disaster such as were living through with COVID-19, its illegal to raise prices in Pennsylvania more than 20 percent of their normal level. But as Shapiro says, dont worry about the math, just go with your gut and report anything you think is absurd, like hand sanitizer for $459. Thats exactly what PennPIRG found in its February investigation into online price gouging. They also found companies trying to sell Lysol wipes for $70. And our many of our readers are livid at the cost of toilet paper these days.

We continue the topic of price gouging today with PennPIRGs Emma Horst-Martz. PennPIRG, a consumer advocacy group, says prices for many hand sanitizers and surgical masks on Amazon have spiked at least 50 percent during the coronavirus. A four-pack of Purell hand sanitizer was selling for $159. Two containers of Lysol wipes cost $70. Posted by PennLive.com on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Hoarding

This is a biggie. Some think it should be a crime to buy up half the supermarket and store it in your basement. The Giant Company President Nicholas Bertram says the reason his shelves are empty is because of human behavior, simple as that. Thats why many stores are limiting the number of items you can buy, especially of things like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and wine.

Have a conscience, our readers say. Take what you need, even take a little more, but dont take it all. The rest of us need to survive this crisis, too.

People ignoring social distancing

This is even bigger than hoarding. Our readers believe too many people still are not following the demands of government officials and healthcare workers to stay home, leave only for essential services and keep your distance from other people. One couple was arrested for sitting on corner in Lancaster and drinking the day away. People were lined up recently outside Lowes to get mulch and tulips, angering one of the workers who rightly said shoppers were needlessly exposing her to the coronavirus.

People were even photographed just this week crowding around a lake enjoying the sunshine and fishing  a beautiful spring sight. But they forgot even outside youre supposed to stay six feet apart. Those virus really can travel that far.

Anglers appear to be ignoring social distancing and the call for wearing face masks along one part of Children's Lake in Boiling Springs on the unexpected first day of the 2020 trout fishing season.

The reason people are so irritated about social distancing scofflaws is this virus could be stopped in its tracks if we would just follow the rules. If we stayed apart, COVID-19 could not spread its little droplets from my hand to your hand and then to your nose. We could be over this whole stay-at-home thing quicker and not have to wonder if kids will go back to school in September.

State police have been trying to be nice and just issuing warnings. But that could change and soon. The message from our readers, dont risk arrest and their health. Just stay home, please.

Rude Behavior

Some people are not being nice at all when they do venture outside. Its probably because theyre irritated at all of the above, but its no reason to take it out on a supermarket cashier. Remember, these folks are on the front lines, too, trying to make sure we have what we need when we need it. Theyre being ordered around, yelled at and even subjected to the dreaded sneezing.

Social distancing reminders have been placed in Karns stores. Karns grocery stores, including the one in Hampden Township, have installed plexiglass "sneeze guards" at registers due to coronavirus. The windows are the latest social distancing practice used in the stores along with floor decals and signs. March 31, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Kudos to those stores that have installed sneeze protectors to offer some defense against flying droplets. But as we all try to get through these harrowing weeks of sickness, death and uncertainty, lets remember common courtesy, mutual respect and appreciation for those risking their own health to serve others.

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On April 8, 2020, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release.

Investigation of COVID-19 cases in Chicago identified a cluster of 16 confirmed or probable cases, including three deaths, likely resulting from one introduction. Extended family gatherings including a funeral and a birthday party likely facilitated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in this cluster.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has spread rapidly around the world since it was first recognized in late 2019. Most early reports of person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission have been among household contacts, where the secondary attack rate has been estimated to exceed 10% (1), in health care facilities (2), and in congregate settings (3). However, widespread community transmission, as is currently being observed in the United States, requires more expansive transmission events between nonhousehold contacts. In February and March 2020, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) investigated a large, multifamily cluster of COVID-19. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 and their close contacts were interviewed to better understand nonhousehold, community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This report describes the cluster of 16 cases of confirmed or probable COVID-19, including three deaths, likely resulting from transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at two family gatherings (a funeral and a birthday party). These data support current CDC social distancing recommendations intended to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. U.S residents should follow stay-at-home orders when required by state or local authorities.

During January 1March 20, 2020, specimens that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at hospital, commercial, or public health laboratories were reported to CDPH; each triggered an epidemiologic investigation. Contact tracing interviews were conducted with patients with confirmed COVID-19 using a structured questionnaire designed to identify the date of symptom onset and any person with whom the patient had close contact since that date. The type of contact and setting in which the contact occurred were recorded. Close contacts of patients with confirmed or probable COVID-19 were interviewed and enrolled in active symptom monitoring using Research Electronic Data Capture software (REDCap, version 8.8.0, Vanderbilt University, 2020). Patients were classified as having confirmed COVID-19 if SARS-CoV-2 was detected by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction testing of a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal specimen. Patients were classified as having probable COVID-19 if they developed new symptoms of fever, cough, or shortness of breath within 14 days of contact with a patient with confirmed or probable COVID-19 but did not undergo laboratory testing (consistent with CDC recommendations,* the Illinois Department of Public Health prioritizes testing for hospitalized patients and other high-risk groups).

In February 2020, a funeral was held for a decedent with a non-COVID-19, nonrespiratory cause of death. A close friend of the bereaved family (patient A1.1) attended the funeral; patients in this investigation were referred to by their family cluster letter (A or B), then by the assumed transmission generation (14), and finally, in sequence order within each generation (17) (Figure 1). Patient A1.1 had recently traveled out of state and was experiencing mild respiratory symptoms; he was only tested later as part of the epidemiologic investigation and received a diagnosis of confirmed COVID-19. The evening before the funeral (investigation day 1), patient A1.1 shared a takeout meal, eaten from common serving dishes, with two family members of the decedent (patients B2.1 and B2.2) at their home. At the meal, which lasted approximately 3 hours, and the funeral, which lasted about 2 hours and involved a shared potluck-style meal, patient A1.1 also reported embracing family members of the decedent, including patients B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, and B3.1, to express condolences.

Patients B2.1 and B2.2 subsequently developed confirmed COVID-19 with onset of symptoms 2 and 4 days, respectively, after the funeral; patient B2.3 developed probable COVID-19 with symptom onset 6 days after the funeral (investigation day 8). Patient B2.1 was hospitalized on investigation day 11, required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation for acute repiratory failure, and died on investigation day 28. Patients B2.2 and B2.3 were managed as outpatients, and both recovered.

During investigation days 1114, another family member who had close physical contact with patient A1.1 at the funeral (patient B3.1) visited patient B2.1 on the acute medical inpatient ward, embraced patient B2.1, and provided limited personal care, while wearing no personal protective equipment (PPE). Patient B3.1 developed signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19, including a fever and cough on investigation day 17, 3 days after last visiting B2.1. Patient B3.1 had also attended the funeral 15 days before symptom onset but described more extensive exposure while visiting patient B2.1 in the hospital.

Three days after the funeral, on investigation day 5, patient A1.1, who was still experiencing mild respiratory symptoms, attended a birthday party attended by nine other family members, hosted in the home of patient A2.1. Close contact between patient A1.1 and all other attendees occurred; patient A1.1 embraced others and shared food at the 3-hour party. Seven party attendees subsequently developed COVID-19 37 days after the event (Figure 2), including three with confirmed cases (patients A2.1, A2.2, and A2.3) and four with probable cases (patients A2.4, A2.5, A2.6, and A2.7). Two patients with confirmed COVID-19 (A2.1 and A2.2) were hospitalized; both required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, and both died. One patient with a confirmed case (A2.3) experienced mild symptoms of cough and subjective low-grade fever, as did the four others who received diagnoses of probable COVID-19. Two attendees did not develop symptoms within 14 days of the birthday party.

Two persons who provided personal care for patient A2.1 without using PPE, including one family member (patient A3.1) and a home care professional (patient C3.1), both developed probable COVID-19. It is likely that patient A3.1 subsequently transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to a household contact (patient A4.1), who did not attend the birthday party, but developed a new onset cough 3 days following unprotected, close contact with patient A3.1 while patient A3.1 was symptomatic.

Three symptomatic birthday party attendees with probable COVID-19 (patients A2.5, A2.6, and A2.7) attended church 6 days after developing their first symptoms (investigation day 17). Another church attendee (patient D3.1, a health care professional) developed confirmed COVID-19 following close contact with patients A2.5, A2.6, and A2.7, including direct conversations, sitting within one row for 90 minutes, and passing the offering plate.

The patients described in this report ranged in age from 5 to 86 years. The three patients who died (patients A2.1, B2.1 and A2.2) were aged >60 years, and all had at least one underlying cardiovascular or respiratory medical condition.
The City of Portlands economic development agency said Tuesday that more than 200 small businesses will receive grants from a relief fund set up with $1 million in general fund money form the city.

The need was substantial. The process generated 8,777 eligible grant applications in a three-day application period last week.

Grants of $2,500 went to 100 businesses with a single employee, ranging from childcare and preschool providers to health and wellness services, local food carts, and coffeehouses.

Another 100-plus grants between $5,000 and $10,000 are going to businesses with between two and 26 employees that are taking extraordinary measures to help their employees. That includes businesses that are paying for employees food, personal protective equipment and salaries.

Grant recipients are being notified Tuesday and will receive funds by Friday from one of three disbursement partners: Mercy Corps NW, Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon and Craft3.

Another round of grant recipients will be finalized later this week funded by more than $300,000 that local banks provided to the Oregon Community Foundation.

In addition, a small business loan program administered by Prosper Portland will open for applications Wednesday at 9 a.m. and close Saturday. Portland businesses with $5 million or less in annual revenues can apply for interest-free loans of up to $50,000. More information on that program is available here.

The grant program prioritized businesses owned by minorities and women, business that traditionally have less access to credit, and those for whom the extra resources would help them stay in business and continue to pay employees and cover health care premiums.

Based on the applications received in a 3 days window last week, Prosper Portland said the identified need was probably in the neighborhood of $50 million.

Prosper Portland Executive Director Kimberly Branam said the grants program was always intended as a stopgap measure while businesses wait for federal relief to come through. She added that businesses are at a particularly painful juncture right now waiting for that stimulus , and she said she hoped it wouldnt feel so dire in a few weeks.

We always knew $1 million was not going to be a sufficient amount, she said.

-- Ted Sickinger; tsickinger@oregonian.com; 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger

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Business groups applauded the federal government's decision to loosen requirements for its wage subsidy program for employers hit by COVID-19, even as they emphasized the need for money to quickly flow to struggling Canadian enterprises.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday April 8, 2020. Poilievre says promised relief from the federal government for small businesses suffering losses due to COVID-19 is not rolling out fast enough. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Business groups applauded the federal government's decision to loosen requirements for its wage subsidy program for employers hit by COVID-19, even as they emphasized the need for money to quickly flow to struggling Canadian enterprises.

After speaking with stakeholders and workers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will refine some of the emergency aid programs announced in recent days and weeks.

"We want to make these emergency measures as inclusive as we can so we're listening and making adjustments along the way," he said Wednesday.

Rather than having to show a 30-per-cent decline in revenues, businesses can instead show a 15-per-cent decline in March, and can compare their revenues to previous months rather than the previous year, Trudeau announced.

Charities and non-profits can also choose whether to include revenues from governments, such as grants, in their calculations when they apply.

Businesses need to survive and workers need to get paid if the economy is to "come roaring back after this crisis," Trudeau said.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said 4.26 million people, or nearly one quarter of the country's workforce, has applied for benefits since March 15.

The changes from Ottawa should help many of the country's companies to retain or recall thousands of employees, several business groups say.

Increasing the flexibility makes sense since many companies didn't experience the impact of the pandemic until later in March, said Brian Kingston, vice-president of fiscal and international for the Business Council of Canada.

He said the government is designing costly programs quickly, comparing it to building an airplane as it's flying.

"There is no playbook here. And the key is that the government is showing flexibility in terms of how they design this program to make sure it's of maximum use to the most companies possible," he said in an interview.

The changes are reasonable as long as the money can get to companies who are trying to hang on, added Dennis Darby, president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

"We really hope that no company has to end up going out of business because of the COVID-19. Hopefully, this money will flow sooner rather than later," he said.

Even before the changes were announced, Air Canada said it would take advantage of the program to rehire 16,500 laid-off workers, although the vast majority will remain at home amid the collapse of global travel triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flair Airlines and Transat AT Inc., other companies in the hard-hit travel sector, said it they would use the program to recall all their employees.

While thousands of companies will likely benefit from the change, it doesn't go far enough, said Dan Kelly, president and chief executive of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

"This isn't the ultimate fix that I think small businesses want and need, but it is significant progress," he said.

The group wants the 30 per cent threshold that will remain for April and May to be scrapped altogether.

Kelly said Canada should adopt a program similar to England, which will provide an 80 per cent subsidy for all businesses.

"So whether you've seen your sales flat, increase or decrease, government picks up 80 per cent of the wages with the assumption that the vast majority of businesses are going to be negatively affected or severely negatively affected," he said in an interview.

The existing provisions won't help the innovation economy and leave many Canadian technology firms in a lurch, said Benjamin Bergen, executive director of the Council of Canadian Innovators.

He said Industry Canada needs targeted measures to help high-growth companies weather the storm and capitalize on the rebound.

In a survey of 651 technology CEOs, 96 per cent said their company would be ineligible for the program because of its revenue test. That's because most use metrics other than revenue to measure a decrease in business activity.

Trudeau also announced Wednesday that the federal government will cover 100 per cent of wages for students hired under the Canada Summer Jobs Program. The government will also extend the time period for job placements to the winter, in recognition that many jobs will start later than usual due to the pandemic, and companies will be permitted to hire students part-time.

The hope is this will encourage businesses to hire students to allow them to get the work experience they need and earn incomes during the downturn, Trudeau said.

"Today we're taking a step in the right direction to help young people find work during this difficult time, but I want to be clear, we will be doing more," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said relief from the federal government for small businesses suffering losses due to COVID-19 is not rolling out fast enough.

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He noted the United States has already delivered $66 billion in forgivable loans to businesses in America while Canadian companies are still waiting for promised emergency financial help.

"If these businesses go bankrupt during this crisis, many will never reopen and these millions of workers will be without jobs and opportunity. This will be a social catastrophe for our country," Poilievre said in Ottawa.

Conservatives are calling for the Liberal government to use faster measures, including reimbursing GST payments remitted by small businesses for the 12 months prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis  a move that Poilievre says would put $13 billion back into the bank accounts of business owners.

The Conservatives also say the Canada Emergency Business Account, which will provide interest-free loans of $40,000 for qualifying businesses, should be delivered by credit unions, not just banks.

Poilievre also wants the government to widen eligibility criteria for the Liberals' wage subsidy program beyond lost revenues to allow employers who have seen lost profits or subscriptions to also apply to this program.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
- The Pound to US Dollar exchange rate is +0.29% higher @ $1.2372 on Wednesday, April 8

Despite a lack of drive pushing the Pound higher, the British Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate is avoiding losses today. Investors are hesitant to sell the Pound too much amid anticipation for domestic coronavirus developments. Meanwhile, market safe haven demand has improved slightly but some risk-sentiment lingers as well, which is keeping fresh US Dollar demand limited. Anxiety ahead of upcoming Federal Reserve news is also limiting USD appetite.

Movement in GBP/USD has steadied over the past week. Last week saw the pair tumble from 1.2454 to 1.2269, but this weejs movement has been even narrower so far.

GBP/USD edged higher amid market risk-sentiment yesterday and has generally held its gains so far. At the time of writing, GBP/USD is trending near the level of 1.2359 - almost a cent above the weeks opening levels.

Investors have been buying the Pound as markets calm a little from the domestic panic earlier in the week.

At the beginning of the week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital for worsening coronavirus symptoms. While Mr Johnson has been in intensive care since Monday evening, reports suggest his condition is stable.

Markets are now a little more optimistic that Mr Johnson will smoothly recover and return to office. This is keeping the Pound from falling.

Overall though, investors are hesitant to move too much on the British currency with the domestic coronavirus outlook so uncertain in the short term. According to Viraj Patel, Global FX and Macro Strategist at Arkera:

The Pounds been pulled around by external factors at the moment - largely the broader risk and Dollar environment - with key themes in equities and oil markets driving FX sentiment, Weve seen a couple of knee-jerk moves lower on the headlines over PM Johnson being in hospital. But these have faded quickly, with the short squeeze and positioning adjustment in high-beta currencies dominating FX markets,

According to Yohay Elam, Analyst at FXStreet:

Updates from St. Thomas hospital in central London are few and far apart  keeping Brits on edge and in markets, holding GBP/USD in a tight range after initially falling in response to Johnson's ICU admittance.

US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rates Sees Limited Boost from Safe Haven Demand

The US Dollar saw slightly stronger demand today, after seeing weaker performance for most of the week so far. After days of stronger market appeal for riskier assets, investors looked to safe havens again as coronavirus jitters persisted.

However, the US Dollars strength was limited overall.

Even as risk-sentiment pulled back slightly, it still lingered which limited the US Dollars appeal. According to Moh Siong Sim, Currency Analyst at Bank of Singapore, the market was cautious in its big risk movements in recent sessions:

Its a two steps forward, one step back situation,

As well as market risk sentiment leading to mixed US Dollar appeal, investors were also anxious ahead of upcoming Federal Reserve news.

The Federal Reserves latest meeting minutes report is due to be published this evening. Investors are hesitant to make big moves on the US currency as a result.

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Coronavirus and Federal Reserve Developments in Focus

For now, the Pound to US Dollar exchange rates movement is limited with both currencies being weighed by coronavirus uncertainties.

Pound investors are awaiting developments over the condition of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while US Dollar investors await Federal Reserve news and shifts in global risk-sentiment.

The Pounds performance could begin to normalise a little more if Mr Johnson shows signs of a smooth recovery. Any signs of fresh UK stimulus would also support Sterling.

Meanwhile the US Dollar will continue to benefit from safe haven demand if coronavirus uncertainties worsen again.

If the Federal Reserve indicates it could ramp up in the meeting minutes, the US Dollars recent losses could continue and the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate could sustain more gains.
Israel has signed a deal worth 90 million new shekels (about 25.2 million U.S. dollars) with Chinese biotech giant BGI Genomics in equipment and substance supply for performing novel coronavirus tests, the health ministry said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

According to the ministry, the deal will allow the operation of an additional at least 10,000 coronavirus tests a day in Israel, compared to a daily average of about 8,300 in the past week.

The devices, which are purchased in collaboration with the defense ministry, are expected to reach six testing laboratories in two to three weeks.

Founded in 1999, the Shenzhen-based BGI Genomics is a leading provider of genome sequencing and proteomics services, and currently a major supplier for COVID-19 testing worldwide.
HILLSBORO Charges of aiding a felon and obstructing law enforcement have been referred to the Vernon County District Attorneys Office, according to Hillsboro Police Chief Patrick Clark, in relation to a substantial battery that occurred in the city of Hillsboro.

Trenton Clark was arrested March 7 for two counts of substantial battery after police learned he assaulted a male and a female at The Bent Finger Tavern, which is owned by his mother and stepfather, Amy and Travis Verken, according to a press release from the Hillsboro Police Department.

During an initial interview with the Verkens, they said Clark had not been in their bar that evening and that they did not know where he was. According to authorities, both people were aware Clark had an active felony arrest warrant for a previous incident in Juneau County, which they learned after a search warrant was executed on their home looking for Trenton Clark on March 4.

Authorities said the Verkens continued to deny Clarks presence at their establishment in follow-up interviews.

Investigation later determined through evidence collection and witness statements that Clark was present at the establishment that evening, and not only were the Verkens aware of his presence, Amy Verken had helped him flee, hiding him from law enforcement to avoid apprehension after the assault.

Charges are expected to be filed in Vernon County Circuit Court charging Amy Verken with aiding a felon and obstructing law enforcement and Travis Verken with obstructing law enforcement.

Clark remains in custody at the Vernon County Detention Center. The case remains under investigation.

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High Grade Extensions to the Golden Age Underground Mine

Perth, April 8, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Limited ( ASX:BLK ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) is pleased to report high-grade results from reserve extensional drilling at the Golden Age high-grade underground mine. Golden Age is a high-grade narrow-vein quartz reef deposit that provides supplementary high-grade mill feed along with baseload feed from the Company's open pit mines.Results presented here are for a further 15 holes for 1,201m drilled at Wiluna underground mine extension targets as summarised in Figure 1* (see also ASX release dated 13th November 2019):- Footwall ore at Golden Age Upper- Golden Age Lower & Golden Age DeepsFree-Milling Mine Extension DrillingThe Company continues to extend the high-grade free-milling Golden Age orebody with the aim to sustain or increase production and improve transitional cashflow over the next 12-18 months, ahead of Stage 1 sulphides production. Seven holes drilled above the upper levels of the underground mine are reported below, with results confirming both the up-dip continuity of the Golden Age reef and strong gold mineralisation within the footwall zone (Figure 2*).Results demonstrate the continuity of high-grade mineralisation above the upper-most mine levels, with better intercepts including (see Table 1):GAGC0295: 2.7m @ 4.02g/t from 30.7m incl. 0.3m 13.4g/t and 0.7m @ 6.71g/tGAGC0296: 6.6m @ 8.24g/t from 46.6m incl. 0.6m @ 82.2g/tGAGC0300: 10.6m @ 3.45g/t from 62.1m incl. 5.2m @ 5.45g/t, & 3.8m @ 8.14g/t from 88.1mGAGC0301: 7.1m @ 6.31g/t from 65.7mGolden Age Lower ExtensionsBlackham is also currently mining Golden Age Lower mineralisation on the 800 level, with current drilling of the 775 level aimed at extending the mine further at depth. Pre-Blackham drilling intercepts between the 600 and 700 levels, including AWD0502: 12.9m @ 6.88g/t and APX012312: 7.4m @ 7.56g/t, show that high-grade Golden Age reef mineralisation remains open for a considerable distance below the current workings (Figure 3*). This zone is the target of further drilling that commenced in late March with the arrival of a second rig to drill between the 775 and 650 levels, with results expected over the coming weeks.Current results from the 775 level drilling demonstrate continuity of high-grade mineralisation at depth (Figure 3):GAGC0304: 0.9m @ 34.2g/t from 29.4mGAGC0305: 2.7m @ 5.10g/t from 32.1mGAGC0307: 2.7m @ 10.07g/t from 46.5mGAGC0308: 1.6m @ 5.48g/t from 43.8mGAGC0310: 0.9m @ 12.20g/t from 68.4mStage 1 Sulphide Reserve DevelopmentBlackham has recently raised $52 million in equity from existing shareholders, global institutions who join our registry for the first time, and major shareholder Delphi AG of Germany, to advance Stage 1 sulphides production (see ASX release dated 26th February 2020). Drilling has commenced with the objective to increase Stage 1 sulphide reserves, and will accelerate with a second RC rig and a surface diamond rig engaged to mobilise to site during April.The sulphide drilling program is designed to:- Expand and upgrade inferred and indicated resource areas- Discover new high-grade shoots in modelled structural locationsBlackham's Stage 1 sulphide expansion project aims to see underground production ramp up through FY 2021 to 100-120,000oz per annum over an initial 6-year underground mine plan. Wiluna is endowed with a large underground sulphide resource that currently stands at 18.5Mt @ 4.82 g/t for 2.9Moz, including 1.7Moz (58%) in the inferred category, which presents the company with substantial reserve conversion and life-of-mine extension opportunities.Milan Jerkovic, Executive Chairman of Blackham Resources commented:"These excellent results further demonstrate the continuity of high-grade Golden Age mineralisation, both above the upper-most mine levels and at depth. Pleasingly, the lower extensions build on pre-Blackman drilling showing high grade mineralisation remains open for a considerable distance below the current mining level. This is particularly supportive of an extension to mine life at Golden Age and thus, sustained production of high grade, free milling ore.Together the results progress our strategy of ensuring solid transitional cashflow as we pursue to our staged Sulphide Expansion Plan which aims to see underground production ramp up to 100,000-120,000 ounces per annum by FY 2021."*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
Bihar state government has launched the Bihar Corona Sahayata app to combat COVID-19. The Bihar government will provide Corona Sahayata of Rs 1000 to each worker who enters Bihar from other states or is stranded outside Bihar under the Bihar Aapda Prabandhan. For getting the amount, people need to visit the official Bihar Aapda Prabandhan website or www.aapda.bih.nic.in.

Also Read: India Coronavirus live updates Friday (April 10): Country's active COVID-19 cases at 5,709; death toll rise to 199

In order to be able to avail this benefit, workers will have to register on the Bihar Corona Sahayata app. This app can be downloaded from the official Bihar Aapda Prabandhan website. Workers who want to avail the relief amount granted by the state government have to simply visit aapda.bih.nic.in.

To get the money into your account, you can download the Mobile App Corona Assistance Bihar or the Bihar Corona Sahayata App and provide all the details required. Once the registration through the app is complete, the amount will be directly added to their account.

Documents required for this app include a copy of the beneficiary's AADHAAR card and a bank account in the name of the beneficiary that lies in the branch of a bank that is located in Bihar. Apart from this, the beneficiary will also have to submit a photograph that will be matched with the photo on the AADHAAR card. There will only be single registration provided on one AADHAAR card.

Bihar Corona Sahayata Yojana is only for residents of the state who are outside due to coronavirus lockdown. Outsiders can also, however, apply by providing company details and much more.

Also read: Coronavirus in India: Cases cross 5,000 mark; heres a state-wise tally

Also read: Coronavirus in Bihar: Six new cases reported; total reaches 38

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: PM Modi holds virtual meet with opposition leaders; country's active cases at 4,643
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday held a meeting with MPs from the national capital on the coronavirus outbreak and said "we all will have to fight it together".

In the meeting via video conferencing, Lok Sabha members belonging to the BJP and Rajya Sabha members of the Aam Aadmi Party interacted with the chief minister and discussed measures to contain the COVID-19 spread in the national capital.

"Discussed the issue of corona with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs via video conferencing. Several MPs have given good suggestions which will soon be implemented by the government. We all will have to fight it together," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

The meeting came a day after Kejriwal announced a five-point action plan which includes one lakh rapid anti-body blood test in hotspots to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

There are ten Members of Parliament, including seven of Lok Sabha from BJP and three of Rajya Sabha from AAP, in the national capital.

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 total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Tuesday rose to 576, with 51 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day, according to the Delhi health department.
The Independent has analysed figures from the International Air Traffic Association (Iata) and can reveal that airlines are collectively losing cash at 400,000 per minute, based on the fall in cash reserves per week.

In the time it takes todays sole British Airways departure from London to Los Angeles to reach California, the worlds airlines will have lost a quarter of a billion pounds.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, BA had planned to dispatch three wide-bodied jets on the route from Heathrow to LAX today. The two Boeing 747s and one Airbus A380 would have carried around 1,000 people between them.

Instead, like other airlines, British Airways has seen its passenger numbers collapse.

Todays service between the UK and the US west coast is flown by a Boeing 787 with just 214 seats. The 11-hour, 10-minute journey is set to lose the airline yet more cash.

The London-Los Angeles link is running as part of a skeleton service on a few key routes, for the benefit of essential workers, important family or business journeys and travellers trying to get home; some US-government organised rescue flights are operating from Europe and elsewhere to Heathrow because London has the best remaining transatlantic connections.

For todays flight, a late-booking passenger would expect to pay around 1,750 one way  but BA is charging a low one-way fare of 633, which is unprecedented in the 21st century.

IAG, the parent company of British Airways, has cut capacity by 90 per cent in April and May; agreed that its 4,000 pilots will take four weeks of unpaid leave in April and May; and furloughed 30,000 cabin crew and ground-based staff.

Most of the BA fleet is in storage, at locations including Cardiff, Bournemouth, Chateauroux in France and Teruel in Spain.

But the airline must keep paying the aircraft leases  which even on the narrow-bodied Airbus A320 can amount to 250,000 per month.

This pattern is being repeated around the world.

An announcement on Tuesday evening by the German national airline, Lufthansa, indicated pessimism about the future: It will take several months until the global travel restrictions are completely lifted and years until the worldwide demand for air travel returns to pre-crisis levels.

Lufthansa will be reducing capacity at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.

The carrier is to permanently ground more than 20 wide-bodied jets.

Many aircraft are expected to be flown to locations such as Lourdes in France and Victorville in California to be stripped for parts.
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(Photo : Insanity Defense: Unintentional Crimes Due To Mental Disorders)

Our legal system is designed to punish the guilty and serve fair justice to the victims. However, there are some exceptional situations when the system does not work on these lines. One of these is the insanity defense, which lets a defendant plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Simply speaking, these offenders admit that they have committed a criminal act but seek an excuse because of mental illness. The reason is simple- no one deserves to be punished for an unintentional crime committed due to a mental disorder. These cases require serious thought as people who are mentally ill may cross the boundaries of the law because of distorted mental processes.

The law steps ahead in favor of such people, as defendants regarded to have been insane when they committed a crime are considered neither legally nor morally guilty. But this form of defense is not as simple as it sounds because you cannot expect offenders to walk away free by using it to their advantage. If it was to work that way, people would have misused it unscrupulously. Though it is meant to ensure fairness so that morally blameless people are not convicted, yet it also guarantees that there is no manipulation of the law. Here are some facts that you need to know about the insanity defense if you plan to plead it on the behalf of a loved one.

Insanity is a legal term

When it comes to an insanity defense, one cannot expect to get a person off the hook for a crime by simply proving that they suffer from a mental disorder. Mental insanity, in this context, is a legal term. Medically speaking, a person may be mentally ill but still may not be insane legally. Essentially, the defendant's lawyer will have to prove that the client did not comprehend the potential results of the criminal act; rather, they had no idea that their action was even wrong in the first place. Perhaps, it was just an impulsive action as their client did not have the ability to think ahead about the result of their action.

Applicability of a legal insanity defense

Though this form of defense may vary by jurisdiction in such cases, there are certain tests that are used for determining whether an accused can plead legal insanity. Only a professional criminal defense attorney in Anchorage AK or your location can help you decide the rule that would apply in the case of your relative or friend. Here are the tests that decide whether the case is eligible for pleading with this form of defense.

The irresistible impulse test: Under this test, a person is considered insane if he or she acted under an uncontrollable and irresistible impulse and was unable to differentiate between right and wrong behavior.

The model penal code test: This test provides that a defendant is not responsible for criminal conduct if he or she is unable to understand their action was criminal but suffers from a mental defect not diagnosed by a medical professional at the time of the conduct of the action.

The M'Naghten Rule: An offender is considered insane under this test if they suffer from mental illness that prevents them from understanding their criminal action or comprehending the difference between right and wrong.

The Durham Rule: Under this law, the criminal behavior of a defendant can be excused if a mental defect was responsible for them committing the criminal act, whether or not there was a clinical diagnosis.

There are certain steps of insanity tests

Insanity defense considers the mental state of the defendant when the crime was committed, rather than the time of the trial. At the same time, there are certain rules and steps related to insanity tests that the defendant needs to stick to. The burden of proving insanity lies with the defense, which is the reason why they should onboard the best attorney to handle the case. Prior to the trial, the defense lawyer has to request a mental health evaluation as a part of the procedure. Further, they also need to give notice stating the intention to seek a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict at least 21 days before the trial begins. As a part of the process, an evaluator is appointed for conducting the defendant's interview to establish if he or she was, in fact, insane at the time of the crime.

Considering the complexities of the insanity defense, one should hire only an expert professional to handle the case if the crime committed by a loved one was unintentional and due to a serious mental illness. They can actually prevent the situation from turning worse and leverage this option considering the unstable mental status of the offender.

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A British seaside town has lost the record for having the world's steepest street - after it was reclaimed 10,000 miles away in New Zealand.

Down Under's Dunedin held the title for their Baldwin Street in Down until the gradient of Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, North Wales, was judged to be steeper.

But now an 'extensive review' has been held into their giant gradient - and the Welsh town is now judged to be second in the world.

Baldwin Street locals (pictured) in Dunedin, New Zealand, have been vindicated as the rightful holders of the Guinness World Record because it is a two-way road with houses on either side

Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, North Wales, was recently judged to be steeper than the street in New Zealand, but this has since been overturned once more

Checks found that Baldwin Street in fact boasts a steeper gradient coming in at 34.8 per cent, compared to Fforn Pen Llech's 28.6 per cent.

Appeal leader Toby Stoff said: 'Sincere thanks to Guinness World Records for considering our findings.'

'It is important to know that Guinness World Records treats matters like this in a robust and professional manner. The issue of gradient was technical in nature only.

'There was no bad feeling toward the people of Harlech. I had the great joy of visiting last November. It is a wonderful heritage town full of friendly people.'

The appeal included a comparative survey of the three dimensional shapes of both streets.

Harlech campaigner Gwyn Headley said: 'I feel sorry - but steeper is steeper.'

Mr Headley's research found the street was the steepest in Great Britain, though a different methodology was used to calculate Baldwin Street in New Zealand.

Criteria for the record stated the street must be a public thoroughfare, fully surfaced and have buildings alongside the carriageway, and the record measurement is based on the highest gradient over a 11-yard section of road.

The street is thought to have existed for more than 1,000 years, runs past the medieval Harlech Castle, a Unesco World Heritage site, and is lined with houses, a shop, a caravan park, a laundry service, and a restaurant

However the Harlech bid was able to justify the absence of blueprints before 1842 because the street was thought to have existed for more than 1,000 years.

A Guinness World Records statement said: 'Each one of the 60,000+ records we monitor have a set of rules unique to them which specify, among other things, the evidence that must be provided in order for us to verify a world record claim.

'As well as calling upon in-house expertise, we also work in collaboration with dozens of consultants, universities, federations and governing bodies across a number of subject matters to ensure that our rules are as up-to-date and as relevant as possible.

'We're very grateful to the Baldwin Street appeals team, led by surveyor Toby Stoff, for making us aware of a rare gap in our stipulations and we're pleased to see the title return to New Zealand.

'We're also very grateful to the Ffordd Pen Llech team for their application and good humour throughout this process.'

Gwyn Headley and Sara Badhan in 2019 hold a certificate from the Guinness World Records stating that Ffordd Pen Llech, pictured, in Harlech, Wales, was officially the world's steepest street before the award was reclaimed by Baldwin Street in Down

An independent surveyor measured Ffordd Pen Llech and found that it has a 37 per cent gradient and is officially 'unsuitable for motors', but under Guinness World Record's criteria, the street's gradient is 28.6 per cent

The initial change that led to the street in Wales being named the steepest sparked some online criticism from New Zealanders.

Baldwin Street resident Colleen Williamson told news website Stuff: 'They are two completely different streets, the one in Wales is not two-way all the way through and not heavily populated like Baldwin Street.'

Another critic wrote online: 'By definition the street in Wales is a lane, not a street. It a single lane with no footpaths or parking.'
BUCKS COUNTY >> Police in Northampton, Lower Southampton and Upper Makefield townships report the following incidents and arrests: Lower Southampton THEFT >> In the early morning hours on Monday, Jan. 10 two individuals made off with the entire change machine from the Feasterville Laundromat along Bustleton Pike. The male appears to be "cracking himself up" while he hatches his scheme...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday barred private laboratories from testing patients for coronavirus disease. The judges said they were satisfied that there was a case for not charging patients for the tests and would decide later if they were entitled to any reimbursement from the government.

The private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in containing the scale of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis. We thus are satisfied that the petitioner has made out a case for issuing a direction to the respondents to issue necessary direction to accredited private Labs to conduct free of cost COVID-19 test, the bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat said.

The court said allowing private labs to charge Rs 4,500 for screening and confirmation test of Covid-19 may not be within means of a large part of population of this country. No person should be deprived of the test due to the persons inability to pay for the test.

The judges had indicated that they were inclined to accept the petitioner-lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhis request early in the day. He had submitted that government hospitals are packed to capacity and it has become difficult for the common man to get himself/herself tested in the government labs.

Private labs had been roped in India to conduct tests for Covid-19 since government facilities are not sufficient in the face of increasing case counts. According to the Union health ministry website, India reported 5,194 cases and 149 fatalities as of Wednesday afternoon.

Incidentally when the Indian Council of Medical Research had earlier spoken of allowing private labs to conduct tests, the government had underlined that it appealed to them to conduct the tests free of charge.
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Barclays chief executive Jes Staley at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit at Union West Events in New York City on 10 October 2019. (Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

Barclays (BARC.L) plans to donate 100m ($123m) to charities addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout.

The bank said on Tuesday it would donate 50m to charities working with vulnerable people affected by COVID-19 or helping to alleviate the social and economic impact of the crisis.

A further 50m has been earmarked to allow the bank to match charity donations made by its employees.

Barclays chairman, chief executive, and finance chief are all donating a third of their fixed pay over the next six months to charity as part of the programme. Collectively, the trio are giving up 800,000 in pay.

We want to do more to back the communities in which we live and work, and to provide help to those who have been hardest hit by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, chief executive Jes Staley said in a statement.

Thats why weve launched this community aid package, which we hope will make a positive difference, working with charity partners here in the UK and around the world to deliver help where its needed most.

Barclays has already announced COVID-19 support for customers that includes free overdrafts and banking support for small businesses and waived overdraft fees for customers.

As a bank we have been doing all we can to look after our customers, clients, and colleagues through this crisis, Staley said.

Staley is one of a number of banking executives giving up money due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Last month Spanish bank Santander launched a 25m fund to fight coronavirus, financed partly by 50% pay cuts for the banks chair and chief executive.

Separately on Tuesday, TSB announced that its chief executive and executive committee would be giving up their bonuses this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As an Executive Committee, it is right to give up these awards, so that we are better able to recognise the work our colleagues on the front line are doing to help customers, chief executive Debbie Crosbie said.

The bank didnt specify how much the bonuses would be worth but last year Crosbie earned a bonus worth 185,000.

The chief executive of challenger bank Monzo last week also told staff he would give up his pay for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback turtle will vanish within 60 years. However, conservation scientists are still hopeful that putting conservation measures in the next ten years can save these turtles from extinction. (Photo : Wikimedia Commons)

Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the largest turtle in the ocean, got its name from its tough, rubbery skin. They are the largest of all sea turtles, with length spanning to over 6 ft(2 m) and weighing up to 2,000 lb (900 kg). Migrating long-distance per year, the population of these turtles look grim as they get tangled in fishing gears, among other threats. Conservation groups predict that if conservation measures aren't done anytime soon, the critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback turtle will vanish within 60 years.

Flora and Fauna International (FFI), a group of conservation scientists and organizations, said that putting in place measures in the next ten years is needed to save it.

"We have it within our power to protect these animals and enable them to thrive, but all those who have a hand in shaping their future need to work together to do so," said Alison Gunn, program manager for the Americas and the Caribbean at FFI.

Leatherback turtles are found across the world. Although they are considered a single species, populations in different oceans are considered distinct. Leatherbacks in the Pacific are at the risk of extinction.

Mexico and Costa Rica are the critical nesting habitats for Eastern Pacific, with some isolated nesting in Panama and Nicaragua. There had been a greater than 90 percent decline of the female nesting population over the last three generations in this area.

Gunn said if this population is gone, it is irreplaceable because of its distinctiveness in this part of the ocean. Gunn also reported that there is a lot of conservation action happening now and that there is a need to increase the collaboration with the current efforts to ensure that this particular population is not lost.

Key Interventions

In the next ten years, these things must be achieved to save the Eastern Pacific Leatherback Turtles:

Avoiding 'by-catch' or the catching of unwanted marine creatures during commercial fishing for a different species which has caused 200-260 leatherback deaths per year.

Target the production of hatchlings to 7,000 - 8,000 or more a year by providing better nest protection and improving the incubation conditions.

If these conservation efforts, which are based on a population model, are targeted and scaled up at high-priority sites. Projects are quickly implemented and maintained can eventually stabilize and increase the population of the Eastern Pacific leatherback.

Reduce marine debris that may entangle or may be eaten by the sea turtles

Use reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Avoid using balloons as they will likely end up in the ocean where sea turtles may consume them

Keep fishing gears away from the oceans. Leaving hooks, lines or nets in the water can entangle and kill sea turtles

Make nesting sites safe for sea turtles. Keep lights, shield off, or visible from the beach as lights disorient hatchling sea turtles and discourage nesting females from coming onto the beach to lay their eggs.

The population of leatherbacks in the Eastern Pacific has declined by more than 90% since the 1980s, thus making it to the Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The West Java administration submitted a request to the central government on Wednesday to impose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in five cities and regencies neighboring Jakarta to step up measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The areas are Depok, Bekasi, Bekasi regency, Bogor as well as Bogor regency, all of which are virus-plagued satellite cities of Jakarta, the country's epicenter of the outbreak.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said the five areas shared the same regional cluster of coronavirus transmissions with Jakarta and, therefore, the administration of both provinces should issue synchronized measures to curb the spread of the disease.

Almost 70 percent of all coronavirus cases nationwide are in Greater Jakarta, which means that in addressing COVID-19, we should issue policies based on clusters instead of sectoral policies," Ridwan said in a statement posted on his official Instagram account on Wednesday.

Ridwan held a video conference with the regional heads of the five cities and regencies on Tuesday evening to discuss the issue and they agreed to submit a PSBB request to the Health Ministry.

Jakarta and West Java have recorded the highest numbers of coronavirus infections in Indonesia, with 1,470 cases and 365 cases, respectively, out of the official country's tally of 2,956 cases as of Wednesday.

The fatalities recorded in the two provinces combined also make up more than half of the nationwide death toll of 240, with Jakarta reporting 114 deaths and West Java reporting 35 deaths from the disease.

Bekasi has seen the most positive cases with 38, followed by Bandung with 36, Depok with 33 cases, Bogor with 31, Bekasi regency with 22 and Bogor regency with 22. Outside these areas, the number of positive cases has been under 10.

The Health Ministry has approved Jakartas proposal to implement PSBB in the capital, the first region in the country to apply such a measure, which will start on Friday.

Vice President Maruf Amin has said that cities in West Java and Banten that are part of Greater Jakarta should jointly implement PSBB measures with the capital.

Banten Governor Wahidin Halim said his administration, which includes Tangerang regency, Tangerang city and South Tangerang city, would also submit a request for PSBB status.

With 212 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, Banten has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. The death toll in the province has reached 18.

Read also: Jakarta will impose stronger mobility restrictions on Friday. Heres what you need to know.

Ridwan further said in a statement that the West Java, Jakarta and Banten administrations should, therefore, implement coordinated policies to curb transmission.

"If the request is approved by the ministry, Greater Jakarta will have synchronized policies that can strengthen our efforts, Ridwan said, adding that next week, he might submit a PSBB request for the provincial capital of Bandung.

The West Java administration has distributed some 63,120 rapid COVID-19 testing kits to 27 regencies and cities, state agencies, hospitals and educational institutions.

The province is prioritizing residents in Greater Jakarta and has targeted to test 10,200 residents in Depok, 7,980 in Bogor regency, 7,200 in Bekasi and 4,400 in Bogor.

Ridwan aims to test at least 0.6 percent of West Javas population of some 50 million people, reflecting on the successful testing rate in South Korea.

According to West Java COVID-19 task force spokesperson Daud Achmad, 21,646 test results have returned, of which 826 showed a positive diagnosis for COVID-19. These patients will undergo additional swab tests.

The province still lacks about 200,000 rapid testing kits, Daud said.

Daud appealed to the people of West Java who are working or living outside the province not to return home during this crisis.

We have counted roughly 214,000 returning residents in West Java since March 22, said Daud, fearing that the number would only increase as last year, the province saw 3.8 million people making homecoming trips for Idul Fitri. (syk)
Maharashtra recorded 60 new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive cases on Wednesday morning, taking the total tally to 1,078. Of the 60 new cases, 44 tested Covid-19 positive in Mumbai, nine in Pune, four in Nagpur and one each in Ahmednagar, Akola, and Buldhana.

On Tuesday, the state crossed the 1,000 Covid-19-positive case mark, as 150 new cases were reported, included 116 in Mumbai alone. The state government is focusing on aggressive testing and adding more containment zones in urban areas to prevent the viral outbreak, as Maharashtra tops the countrys Covid-19 positive cases.

The state also recorded 12 Covid-19-related deaths on Tuesday, taking the total death toll in Maharashtra to 64. Of the 12 deaths, six were reported from Mumbai, followed by three in Pune and one each in Nagpur, Thane, and Satara. The mortality rate in Maharashtra is also alarmingly high at 6.23% or more double than the nationwide figure at 2.66%.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Meanwhile, state home minister Anil Deshmukh has warned of strict police action against all those people who are hiding across the state after they returned home after attending the international congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi held between March 13 and 15. Deshmukh tweeted that up to 60 Jamaat attendees are still hiding.

50-60 participants @ the #TablighMarkaz at Nizamuddin, Delhi are trying to hide with phones switched off. They shd report to nearest police, get tested & quarantined @ the earliest. Failure to do so will invite strictest police action (sic), the post said.

Tracking and testing the attendees of the Jamaat attendees or their initial contacts has become a priority for the state authorities. In Maharashtra, 23 Jamaat attendees have tested Covid-19 positive so far.

The state government is still undecided about whether to lift the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown enforced since March 25 to contain the spread of Covid-19 outbreak.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has clarified that even if the government decides to partially lift the lockdown after April 14, it would be restricted to districts that are unaffected by the pandemic. He said that the district borders will remain sealed and the resumption of the train services looks unlikely in the days to come. The Centre is also considering extending the lockdown beyond April 14. However, no official announcement has been made to date.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-07 01:55:25|Editor: huaxia

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A worker installs barbed wire to lock down the area of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, April 7, 2020. The Kuwaiti government has decided to extend the curfew time by two hours, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh announced on Monday. In addition, the government decided to impose a complete lockdown on the areas of Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh for two weeks, he added. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)

KUWAIT CITY, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The Kuwaiti government has decided to extend the curfew time by two hours, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh announced on Monday.

At an online news conference, the minister said that the new curfew will be imposed from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting from Monday.

It would be useful to have gradual extension of the curfew, he said, calling on the public to stay indoors even when the curfew ends.

In addition, the government decided to impose a complete lockdown on the areas of Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh for two weeks, he added.

The lockdown would enable the health workers to carry out tests of inhabitants in the two areas, the official added.

Kuwait reported on Monday 109 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in the country to 665, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

On March 22, the Kuwaiti government decided to impose a nationwide curfew.

On March 13, Kuwait suspended all commercial flights. The government also decided to close stores, malls and barbershops.
Community health centers in Massachusetts will receive more than $36.5 million to assist in combating the COVID-19 outbreak.

The funding was awarded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the states congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.

Local recipients include the Caring Health Center in Springfield with $845,570, the city of Springfield with $568,340 and the Hilltown Community Health Centers, based in Worthington with locations in Huntington and Amherst, with $655,055. A full list of recipients is below.

The CARES Act is the $2.2 trillion relief package passed in March, the same federal bill that is paying for individual Americans to receive $1,200 and enhanced unemployment benefits to fight the economic aftereffects of the coronavirus.

Community health centers in Massachusetts and across the country serve the most vulnerable among us and are on the front lines of this public health emergency, said Sen. Elizabeth Warren in a statement. While this new funding will help our CHCs as they confront this pandemic, Ill keep fighting to ensure that they have the resources and equipment they need to continue testing and caring for patients during this unprecedented crisis.

In total, more than $100 billion from the CARES Act will go to health care providers, including hospitals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For many Americans, community health centers are their only access point for health care, said Sen. Edward Markey. This funding will ensure that as we combat this viral enemy, our Massachusetts community health centers remain an integral component of our social safety net. I will continue to push for the next round of economic relief to include additional funding for community health centers so that they can care for patients during this health emergency.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield was one of the drafters of the legislation.

"With major stress on our healthcare system, our community health centers are more indispensable than ever said Neal, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman. As an author of the CARES Act, I was able to work with my colleagues to ensure that the funding would be there to keep health centers running while hospitals are managing the worst COVID-19 cases.

Thousands of families in Central and Western Massachusetts trust community health centers to give them the care they need, said Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Worcester. This is great news, and Im proud of our delegations work to secure this funding, but there is much more work to be done. As we continue to hear about how vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, we need to make sure those on the front lines at community health centers have the tools they need to provide high-quality care to everyone  no matter their zip code, citizenship status, income, ethnicity, or gender.

HHS awarded grants to the following community health centers:

Community Health Connections, Fitchburg, $1,010,465

Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Mashpee, $720,620

Community Health Center of Franklin County, Greenfield, $633,740

Island Health, West Tisbury, $561,830

Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, Worcester, $1,197,470

Healthfirst Family Care Center, Fall River, $824,315

Dothouse Health, Boston, $841,610

North Shore Community Health, Salem, $809,600

Caring Health Center, Springfield, $845,570

Family Health Center of Worcester, $960,740

Outer Cape Health Services, Wellfleet, $779,945

Manet Community Health Center, North Quincy, $767,540

Lynn Community Health, $1,288,115

City of Springfield, $568,340

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, $2,181,785

Harbor Health Services, Boston, $1,101,650

South End Community Health Center, Boston, $769,415

Whittier Street Health Center, Boston, $947,975

Fenway Community Health Center, Boston, $1,092,545

Holyoke Health Center, Holyoke, $874,625

Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton, $874,625

South Cove Community Health Center, Boston, $1,036,265

Codman Square Health Center, Boston, $919,250

Lowell Community Health Center, $1,052,420

Charles River Community Health, Boston, $891,980

Mattapan Community Health Center, Boston, $679,325

Boston Health Care For The Homeless Program, $718,910

Duffy Health Center, Hyannis, $559,685

Massachusetts League Of Community Health Centers, Boston, $568,745

Hilltown Community Health Centers, Worthington, $655,055

Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, New Bedford, $917,780

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, $1,501,205

Dimock Community Health Center, Boston, $749,450

South Boston Community Health Center, $766,205

North End Community Health Committee, Boston, $725,570

Uphams Corner Health Committee, Boston, $717,140

Community Health Programs, Great Barrington, $981,530

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Boston, $625,925

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UC San Diego to advance stem cell therapies in new space station lab

A three-year, nearly $5 million award from NASA will allow researchers at the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego Health, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and their partners at Space Tango to develop a new integrated space stem cell orbital research laboratory within the International Space Station (ISS) and launch three collaborative research projects within it.

Stem cells self-renew, generating more stem cells, and specialize into tissue-specific cells, such as blood, brain and liver cells, making them ideal for biological studies far from Earth's resources. The goal of the new effort is to leverage microgravity and these unique properties of stem cells to better understand how space flight affects the human body. The studies will also inform how aging, degenerative diseases, cancers and other conditions develop in a setting with increased exposure to ionizing radiation and pro-inflammatory factors. The findings from these studies may speed the development of new therapeutics for a broad array of degenerative diseases on Earth.

"We envision that the next thriving ecosystem of commercial stem cell companies, the next nexus for biotechnology, could be created 250 miles overhead by the establishment of these capabilities on the ISS," said Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, co-principal investigator of the award and Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, deputy director of Moores Cancer Center, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and director of the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic at UC San Diego Health.

The project's first flight to the ISS is planned for mid-2021. The ISS stem cell lab is expected to be fully operational and self-sustaining by 2025.

With hardware designed by Space Tango, a developer of fully automated, remote-controlled systems for research and manufacturing on orbit, initial projects in the new lab will include investigations of:

Blood cancers and immune reactivation syndromes, led by Jamieson, who is also a member of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, and Sheldon Morris, MD, MPH, clinical professor of family medicine and public health and infectious diseases at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

In what's known as the NASA Twins Study, investigators around the nation assessed identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. Scott flew aboard the ISS for 342 days in 2015 and 2016, while his identical twin brother, Mark, remained on Earth. In a paper published in Science in early 2019, researchers, including UC San Diego School of Medicine's Brinda Rana, PhD, described the many ways Scott's body differed from Mark's due to his time spent in microgravity, including signs of pre-cancer.

In the new ISS lab, Jamieson and Morris will use stem cell-derived blood and immune cells to look for biomarkers -- tell-tale molecular changes -- as cancer develops and immune cells malfunction in microgravity. They will also work with experts in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego and Space Tango to build special microscopes and bioreactors that fit the ISS lab space and transmit images to Earth in near real-time.

"If we can find early predictors of cancer progression on the ISS, we are ideally positioned to rapidly translate them into clinical trials in our Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center back on Earth," Jamieson said.

Brain stem cell regeneration and repair, led by Alysson R. Muotri, PhD, professor of pediatrics and cellular and molecular medicine and director of the Stem Cell Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a member of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, and Erik Viirre, MD, PhD, professor of neurosciences and director of the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination.

This project will build on a previous proof-of concept flight that sent a payload of stem cell-derived human brain organoids to the ISS in 2019. Brain organoids -- also called mini-brains -- are 3D cellular models that represent aspects of the human brain in the laboratory. Brain organoids help researchers track human development, unravel the molecular events that lead to disease and test new treatments.

Since their last trip to space, the UC San Diego team has significantly advanced the brain organoids' levels of neural network activity -- electrical impulses that can be recorded by multi-electrode arrays.

"All the research models we currently use to study aging in a laboratory dish rely on artificial things, such as increasing oxidative stress or manipulating genes associated with aging," said Muotri, who is also co-principal investigator on the award. "Here, we're taking a different approach to speed up the aging process and study how it plays a role in developmental diseases and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's."

Liver cell injury and repair, led by David A. Brenner, MD, vice chancellor of health sciences at UC San Diego, and Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD, associate professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

On Earth, Brenner and Kisseleva study ailments of the liver, such as liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis, a type of fatty liver disease. Liver diseases can be caused by alcohol use, obesity, viral infection and a number of other factors. They are interested in determining the impact microgravity may have on liver function, which could provide insights into diseases on Earth, as well as potential effects during space travel. In the future, the team may test therapies for steatohepatitis in the new ISS lab, where microgravity mimics aging and can lead to liver cell injury.

"These insights may allow us to develop new ways to stop the progression of liver disease and cirrhosis -- conditions that affect approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S.," Brenner said.

Once the ISS stem cell lab is validated, the team said it will replicate the Earth-based Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, a "collaboratory" in La Jolla, Calif. that brings together experts from five research institutions: UC San Diego, Scripps Research, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and La Jolla Institute for Immunology.

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Plans for the new ISS research lab and initial projects were made possible by an award from the NASA Research Opportunities for ISS Utilization. The UC San Diego team also credits the support of philanthropists T. Denny Sanford, Rebecca Moores Foundation and the Koman Family Foundation; their leadership, Pradeep Khosla, chancellor of UC San Diego, Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health, Scott Lippman, MD, director of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health; and previous research and infrastructure funding from the National Institutes of Health, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Pedal the Cause, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Disclosures: Muotri is a co-founder and has equity interest in TISMOO, a company dedicated to genetic analysis and brain organoid modeling, focusing on therapeutic applications customized for autism spectrum disorder and other neurological disorders with genetic origins. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California San Diego in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Focusing on the health of its employees and communities

Working hard to safeguard customers, partners and businesses

Strong financial position to navigate uncertain times

Naspers Limited (Naspers) (JSE: NPN; LSE: NPSN) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the "Group") provides an update on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and outlines its actions to safeguard its employees, customers and businesses as well as to support the communities in which it operates.

The Group is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. The Group's businesses serve customers in more than 90 markets. The Group estimates that approximately one-fifth of the world's population use products and services of businesses that the Group has built, acquired or invested in. The Group's diversified portfolio comprises businesses in high-growth sectors, including food delivery, online classifieds, payments and fintech, etail, online education, and social and internet platforms.

Safeguarding its employees, customers and businesses

The Group has monitored COVID-19-related developments in its markets and has implemented measures to limit the potential spread of the virus among its employees, its customers and persons connected to its businesses. The Group early-on implemented work-from-home policies and travel restrictions for its employees to help protect the health of its employees and those around them. For those employees directly serving customers, the Group has implemented measures designed to safeguard both them and its customers. In addition, the Group has implemented measures to support the key partners of its businesses.

Food delivery: the Group has implemented several initiatives, including iFood making available over R$50million in support to restaurants and couriers in Brazil affected by COVID-19. In some instances, the Group's businesses have also: waived commissions charged by it to restaurants; reduced restaurant payment cycles to boost restaurants' liquidity; provided masks, gloves and thermal checks for "delivery-only kitchen" staff; and provided best practice guidelines for the health and safety of restaurant staff and couriers.

the Group has implemented several initiatives, including iFood making available over R$50million in support to restaurants and couriers in Brazil affected by COVID-19. In some instances, the Group's businesses have also: waived commissions charged by it to restaurants; reduced restaurant payment cycles to boost restaurants' liquidity; provided masks, gloves and thermal checks for "delivery-only kitchen" staff; and provided best practice guidelines for the health and safety of restaurant staff and couriers. Classifieds: the Group has: extended payment and delivery services to more categories of users, where possible; offered cameras to users for virtual real estate tours; and piloted car inspections by video in some of its automotive businesses. To support sellers on some of its marketplaces, the Group has extended the duration of listings and provided financial relief to support their ongoing business viability.

the Group has: extended payment and delivery services to more categories of users, where possible; offered cameras to users for virtual real estate tours; and piloted car inspections by video in some of its automotive businesses. To support sellers on some of its marketplaces, the Group has extended the duration of listings and provided financial relief to support their ongoing business viability. Payments and fintech: PayU has rolled out a number of initiatives to help merchant partners across its markets, including "Startups helping Startups", which allows businesses to collaborate to support COVID-19 efforts. These initiatives include collecting donations for hospitals at points-of-sale, and rolling out free digital training webinars on how merchants can adapt to trading online.

PayU has rolled out a number of initiatives to help merchant partners across its markets, including "Startups helping Startups", which allows businesses to collaborate to support COVID-19 efforts. These initiatives include collecting donations for hospitals at points-of-sale, and rolling out free digital training webinars on how merchants can adapt to trading online. Etail: eMAG is offering customers alternative ways to receive their purchases. These include enabling customers to collect their goods from hundreds of conveniently located lockers, which are sanitised multiple times a day, and contactless delivery, where drivers deposit packages outside customers' homes. eMAG is also adding new offline retailers to its marketplace to help drive business for them. Takealot has also put in place measures to safeguard its employees, partners, drivers and customers, including closing Takealot Pickup Points, providing contactless delivery and increasing hygiene procedures, guided by international best practice and the World Health Organisation (WHO), for all deliveries.

eMAG is offering customers alternative ways to receive their purchases. These include enabling customers to collect their goods from hundreds of conveniently located lockers, which are sanitised multiple times a day, and contactless delivery, where drivers deposit packages outside customers' homes. eMAG is also adding new offline retailers to its marketplace to help drive business for them. Takealot has also put in place measures to safeguard its employees, partners, drivers and customers, including closing Takealot Pickup Points, providing contactless delivery and increasing hygiene procedures, guided by international best practice and the World Health Organisation (WHO), for all deliveries. Media: Media24 is committed to supporting South Africa's response to COVID-19 by publishing accurate information and keeping the public informed, contributing to the spirit of solidarity, compassion and positivity by also telling stories of hope. Media24 has implemented additional safety measures and temperature screenings at its warehousing and distribution facilities that remain open. In addition, enhanced safety measures apply to its journalists working in the field, and its distribution employees will adhere to its own measures and the measures implemented by its retail partners.

The Group continues to respond to the developing situation, adhering to official guidance and applicable law and regulation to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.

Supporting the communities in which it operates

The Group is taking action at a group level and at a local company level to support its communities, particularly where it can use its technological expertise, global networks and resourcesto contribute to the response to COVID-19.

Swiggy has launched a campaign to donate meals to persons in need in India. The public can also donate to this campaign. The campaign is currently donating approximately 35,000 meals per day, with a goal of distributing approximately 500,000 meals per day in the short-term.

has launched a campaign to donate meals to persons in need in India. The public can also donate to this campaign. The campaign is currently donating approximately 35,000 meals per day, with a goal of distributing approximately 500,000 meals per day in the short-term. OLX is using its marketplace to help find homes for doctors and arrange transportation for the elderly, and is moderating fake advertisements.

is using its marketplace to help find homes for doctors and arrange transportation for the elderly, and is moderating fake advertisements. Codecademy has awarded 85,000 free scholarships to learners in more than 80 countries to the Pro version of its course catalogue, and BYJU'S has offered its learning platform for free in India.

Naspers is contributing ZAR1.5 billion in emergency aid to the South African government's response to COVID-19. Naspers was founded in South Africa over 100 years ago and it is committed to working with the South African government and civil society to help overcome the impact of COVID-19 and make a difference in the country. Naspers will contribute ZAR500 million to the Solidarity Response Fund and will buy ZAR1 billion worth of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies in China and fly these to South Africa. Media24 has pledged a contribution of ZAR1 million to the Fund.

The Group continues to encourage the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of its local teams to identify additional opportunities to put its capabilities and expertise to work across the world.

Business and financial impact

The Group's leadership team is in communication with its businesses to anticipate the impact of COVID-19 on operations. It is still too early to estimate the scope of any impact on the Group's operations and financial information, particularly in view of rising global infections and evolving government responses to the outbreak. The size of the impact on operations will vary across sector and geography. The Group intends to continue to invest in its businesses to position them for future recovery.

Importantly, the Group believes that it faces this challenging period from a position of relative financial strength and with sufficient liquidity to both navigate the changing environment and seek out new opportunities. The Group closed its financial year on 31 March 2020 with more than US$4 billion in net cash and a US$2.5 billion undrawn revolving credit facility in place. Prosus's bond offering in January 2020 successfully priced US$1.25 billion 3.680% notes (due 2030) to raise proceeds to redeem its US$1.0 billion 6.000% notes that are due in July 2020. The Group has no debt maturities due until 2025.

The Group's largest investment, Tencent, continues to grow off a very large base and in a market, China, which appears to be emerging relatively well from the impact of COVID-19.

In classifieds , the Group has seen a decline in traffic to its marketplaces. The Group, however, has taken a number of steps to assist customers and partners during this time. In the short-term, the Group expects to experience a negative impact on revenue and profitability in its Classifieds businesses.

, the Group has seen a decline in traffic to its marketplaces. The Group, however, has taken a number of steps to assist customers and partners during this time. In the short-term, the Group expects to experience a negative impact on revenue and profitability in its Classifieds businesses. In payments and fintech , the Group's European businesses appear to be resilient. That, however, may change. It remains too early to estimate the impact of the recent lockdown in India on its Payments and Fintech business. India represents more than 50% of its Payments and Fintech business's transaction volume in payments and has initially seen a significant drop in transaction volume. In time, the payments and fintech business is expected to benefit across its markets from large sectoral trends, including more customers transacting online and more online transactions being executed through alternative forms of payment (rather than cash).

, the Group's European businesses appear to be resilient. That, however, may change. It remains too early to estimate the impact of the recent lockdown in India on its Payments and Fintech business. India represents more than 50% of its Payments and Fintech business's transaction volume in payments and has initially seen a significant drop in transaction volume. In time, the payments and fintech business is expected to benefit across its markets from large sectoral trends, including more customers transacting online and more online transactions being executed through alternative forms of payment (rather than cash). In food delivery , while the Group is experiencing an increased demand for food delivery across its portfolio, it has not always been able to meet that demand due to supply issues as restaurants close. In India, Swiggy is permitted to continue to operate during the lockdown in India. The lockdown in India has, however, not been implemented uniformly across the country and Swiggy's service has been halted in some regions. Swiggy is engaging with the national and regional authorities in India to ensure the uniform implementation of the lockdown. In Brazil, iFood's efforts to assist its restaurant and food delivery partners has helped mitigate some of the supply issues and, at this stage, order volume is holding up well. In South-Africa, although food delivery is allowed as an essential service, restaurants and their kitchens are barred from operating thereby limiting the items that Mr D Food can deliver. Mr D Food is, however, continuing to operate in a limited capacity through the delivery of essential goods, where it will use contactless delivery and hygiene protocols to ensure safety. In the longer-term, the Group believes that it is possible that the current environment may drive a structural shift in global consumption patterns in favour of food delivery.

, while the Group is experiencing an increased demand for food delivery across its portfolio, it has not always been able to meet that demand due to supply issues as restaurants close. In India, Swiggy is permitted to continue to operate during the lockdown in India. The lockdown in India has, however, not been implemented uniformly across the country and Swiggy's service has been halted in some regions. Swiggy is engaging with the national and regional authorities in India to ensure the uniform implementation of the lockdown. In Brazil, iFood's efforts to assist its restaurant and food delivery partners has helped mitigate some of the supply issues and, at this stage, order volume is holding up well. In South-Africa, although food delivery is allowed as an essential service, restaurants and their kitchens are barred from operating thereby limiting the items that Mr D Food can deliver. Mr D Food is, however, continuing to operate in a limited capacity through the delivery of essential goods, where it will use contactless delivery and hygiene protocols to ensure safety. In the longer-term, the Group believes that it is possible that the current environment may drive a structural shift in global consumption patterns in favour of food delivery. In etail , eMAG's main market of operation, Romania, entered a lockdown on 26 March 2020, however, the business is holding up well at this stage. In South Africa, Takealot has been impacted by a restriction on certain categories of goods that it can sell. Takealot had ceased trading in compliance with the full lockdown. As of the evening of Monday, 30 March 2020, Takealot.com, however, has reopened for the sale and delivery of essential goods. Takealot has put in place precautionary measures to prevent non-essential goods passing through the checkout process, and stock and price limitations on key essential goods. It is too early to estimate the size of the impact of such lockdown. Takealot has already enacted plans to broaden its offering into the non-restricted categories of goods, which are expected to mitigate such impact.

, eMAG's main market of operation, Romania, entered a lockdown on 26 March 2020, however, the business is holding up well at this stage. In South Africa, Takealot has been impacted by a restriction on certain categories of goods that it can sell. Takealot had ceased trading in compliance with the full lockdown. As of the evening of Monday, 30 March 2020, Takealot.com, however, has reopened for the sale and delivery of essential goods. Takealot has put in place precautionary measures to prevent non-essential goods passing through the checkout process, and stock and price limitations on key essential goods. It is too early to estimate the size of the impact of such lockdown. Takealot has already enacted plans to broaden its offering into the non-restricted categories of goods, which are expected to mitigate such impact. In media , the South African government has included the majority of media formats as essential services that are allowed to continue operations during the full lockdown. As a leading media company in South Africa, Media24 continued with its 24/7 news coverage and its viewership has increased since the onset of COVID-19. Additionally, Media24 is expected to continue to publish a number of its print newspapers and magazines for as long as it is practical to do so. The distribution footprint of such newspapers and magazines, however, has been reduced to comply with the full lockdown.

, the South African government has included the majority of media formats as essential services that are allowed to continue operations during the full lockdown. As a leading media company in South Africa, Media24 continued with its 24/7 news coverage and its viewership has increased since the onset of COVID-19. Additionally, Media24 is expected to continue to publish a number of its print newspapers and magazines for as long as it is practical to do so. The distribution footprint of such newspapers and magazines, however, has been reduced to comply with the full lockdown. All of the Group's businesses have continuity plans in place. The Group is actively assessing potential impacts and supporting its businesses as they take appropriate, market-specific action as needed. The challenges of COVID-19 will vary by sector and geography, but the Group believes it has the teams, the resources and the experience required to navigate them successfully. The Group believes it will emerge from this period well-placed to continue to deliver long-term growth in the markets it serves.

To give further context to the impacts of COVID-19 on the Group's businesses, the Group invites stakeholders to attend a conference call tomorrow, Thursday, 9 April 2020 at 15:00 CET. To access the call please pre-register here. Once registered, participants will be provided with the information needed to join the conference, including the dial-in numbers and a passcode. It is also recommended that participants dial-in 5 to 10 minutes prior to the start time to ensure sufficient opportunity for assistance, should it be required. The recording of the call will be made available on the website, www.naspers.com.

Cape Town

South Africa

8 April 2020

Sponsor: Investec Bank Limited

About Naspers

Established in 1915, Naspers has transformed itself to become a global consumer internet company and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Through Prosus, the group operates and invests globally in markets with long-term growth potential, building leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities. Prosus has its primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Naspers is the majority owner of Prosus.

In South Africa, Naspers is one of the foremost investors in the technology sector and is committed to building its internet and ecommerce companies in the country. These include Takealot, Mr D Food, Superbalist, OLX, Autotrader, Property24 and PayU, in addition to Media24, South Africa's leading print and digital media business.

Naspers is also focused on stimulating South Africa's local tech sector through Naspers Foundry. This is a R1.4 billion investment targeting early stage technology companies in South Africa that seek to address big societal needs. To help address youth unemployment in impoverished communities, in 2019, Naspers launched Naspers Labs, a social impact programme for young, unemployed South Africans aged between 17 and 25. Located in low income, urban settings, Naspers Labs provide a structured development journey enabling young people to enter the economy.

Naspers has a primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (NPN.SJ) and a secondary listing on the A2X Exchange (NPN.AJ) in South Africa, and has an ADR listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: NPSN).

For more information, please visit www.naspers.com.

Further information

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of article 7(1) of the Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU).

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains certain statements that are, or may be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on current or historical facts, but rather on assumptions, expectations, valuations, targets, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from the future results, performance or events expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement may be forward-looking statements. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as "targets", "plans", "believes", "hopes", "continues", "expects", "is expected", "objective", "outlook", "risk", "seeks", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could", "anticipates", "estimates", "will look to", "budget", "strategy", "would look to", "scheduled", "goal", "prepares", "forecasts", "is subject to", "projects" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, as well as variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might", "probably" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty, because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and the factors described in the context of such forward-looking statements in this announcement could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement. Any forward-looking statements made in this announcement on behalf of Naspers are made as of the date of this announcement based on the opinions and estimates of Naspers and no assurance can be given that such opinions or estimates will prove to have been correct.

All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and all subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Naspers or its directors, officers, advisers or employees or any person acting on any of their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. No person provides any representation, warranty, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements in this announcement will actually occur. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations, Naspers is not under, and does not undertake, any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Financial data

None of the information in this announcement has been reviewed by the auditors of Naspers. Figures in this announcement are based on information sourced from the financial statements of the Group as of, and for the financial year ended, 31 March 2020 and the related notes thereto. These figures have not been audited or reviewed, and are subject to adjustment and audit.

No profit forecasts or estimates

No statement in, or referred to in, this announcement is intended as or shall be deemed to be a profit forecast or estimate for any period. No statement in, or referred to in, this announcement or should be interpreted to mean that income of persons (where relevant), cash flow from operations, free cash flow, earnings or earnings per share for Naspers for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historic published cash flow from operations, free cash flow, earnings, earnings per share or dividend for Naspers.

Rounding

Certain figures in this announcement, including financial data, have been rounded.

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Contacts:

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Shamiela Letsoalo, Media Relations Director
In 2019, Osram launched a LED light with on-chip QD, achieving 173lm/W with 90 CRI. Lumileds had demonstrated similar results using the same base QD technology a year or so earlier. These cases improved efficiency by some 8-10% at CRI 90 compared to leading non-QD narrowband red emitters. These results clearly demonstrate the success of QDs in weakening the trade-off between lm/W efficacy and CRI, an important measure of color quality.

In this article, Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, Research Director at IDTechEx, discusses the challenges and prospects faced by QDs in the general lighting market. This article draws from the research firms report "Quantum Dot Materials and Technologies 2020-2030: Trends, Markets, Players" which offers a detailed analysis of the QD technology value chain, and application (display, sensors, lighting, agricultural films, etc.).

IDTechEx provide detailed and up-to-date reviews of all the key players worldwide. In their report they analyze and highlight all material trends, looking at performance levels and evolution trends, regulations, changes in composition, and further radical and incremental development requirements for unlocking new markets and in-display integration modes.

This report also examines existing and emerging applications, offering a detailed assessment of current status and future prospects. Here, the analysts consider enhancement film, QD color filter on LCDs, OLEDs and microLEDs, on-chip, QLED, lighting, NIR/SWIR sensors, agricultural films, and so on. The report also offers a market forecast in terms of value and consumption at the level of material and application. To learn more about "Quantum Dot Materials and Technologies 2020-2030: Trends, Markets, Players" please visit www.IDTechEx.com/QD.

Challenges

The key QD color in lighting is red. This is because the spectrum of current phosphors is too broad, re-emitting red light with wavelengths outside the sensitivity limits of the eye, thus wasting that energy. Consequently, a narrow red emitter with the desired centre wavelength can significantly improve efficiency.

The technology challenges have been to find QD material systems which are (a) stable enough to withstand the heat and light flux, (b) are as much of a drop-in solution as possible compared to existing phosphor technology, and (d) contain little or no toxic content, e.g. cadmium.

Initially, remote color converter implementations were proposed and adopted. Here, a QD film was added at some distance over the LED to do the color conversion. Similar arrangements are also deployed in displays. This is essentially a work-around solution sidestepping the stability limitations of current QD technology. This was and is, however, not an elegant solution. The desire was to realize on-chip integration, i.e. integrating the QD into the LED package just as phosphors are integrated today.

To realize on-chip integrations, the QDs need to be highly engineered. For example, the deployed QDs may undergo ligands exchange followed by a reaction to form a protective silica shell around the usual core-shell structure. Even with such measures, the early products are constrained to low-power LED, i.e. 0.2W.

It is reasonable to expect that stability will improve over time, gradually opening ever higher power grades of the market. This will be driven by improvements in single- or multi-layer shell structure (e.g., ZnO/silica/QD), by better control of the core-shell interface, and by minimization of oxidative and other detects.

The requirement to create a drop-in solution is also key, especially in shortening time-to-market. This is particularly important because the red QD is to be mixed with other phosphors. As such, it would be hard to imagine a separate mixing and deposition process specific only to the QD. The current best-in-class technology allows the QDs to be mixed in silicone, applied, and then cured. The QDs will also survive a standard solder reflow process used in mounting the LED packages.

Today, cadmium based QDs are the most stable. In displays, InP has gained significant market share, especially via the Samsung value chain, and has greatly narrowed the quantum yield and FWHM performance gap vs cadmium based QDs. The InP quantum dots are however not stable enough for on-chip lighting conditions.

The challenge here is that cadmium is toxic. The EU had agreed to ban it starting from last Oct. However a new consultation is now ongoing, which is widely expected to result in a further extension. On the lighting side, the developers argue, with good justification, that no viable alternative yet exists. This argument will likely win time in the short or even medium term. However, it is not a permanent solution, meaning that non-cadmium alternatives with enough stability will be required, pointing towards an urgent innovation and development opportunity.

On the display size, on-chip QD technology can enable the direct integration of the QD into the LEDs used in LCD backlighting, eliminating additional QD films. It is also a frontrunner for micro-LED technology given that unlike standard phosphors, it can meet the size constraints. The QD concentration per LED can be high (<5ug/mm2), but when scaled over the entire display area, it is so high (0.08-0.2ug/mm2). Currently, there is consultation as to the right limit for this use case.

Future

In general, the roadmap in lighting is clear: first, bring in QDs in low-power high-CRI high-efficacy LEDs before expanding it into higher power high-CRI segments. As such, it will diffuse from a niche of the premium into the general premium market. General display QDs are a factor of 10 more expensive than yellow YAG, but the price differential vs red fluorides, which would be needed to boost CRI, is small. The highly engineered resilient on-chip QDs will, of course, command higher per Kg prices than many other QDs. Despite the low amount per mm2 of LED, IDTechEx forecast this market to become substantial.

In parallel, the display on-chip QD market is also promising. The global market research company estimate the early market penetration to start from late 2020 or early 2023 In LED-lit LCDs, stiff competition from the highly successful and ultra-narrowband PSF red phosphor can be expected. To learn more, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/QD or for the full portfolio of advanced material research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/AM.

To connect with others on this topic, register for The IDTechEx Show! USA 2020, November 18-19 2020, Santa Clara, USA. Presenting the latest emerging technologies at one event, with six concurrent conferences and a single exhibition covering 3D Printing and 3D Electronics, Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Graphene & 2D Materials, Healthcare, Internet of Things, Printed Electronics, Sensors and Wearable Technology. Please visit www.IDTechEx.com/USA to find out more.

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

Media Contact:

Jessica Abineri

Marketing Coordinator

[email protected]

+44(0)1223 812300

SOURCE IDTechEx
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, we are living in the United States of Propaganda.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Uganda: What should be done to make the economy survive the COVID-19 pandemic

by Damali Ssali

April 07,2020 | Source: Daily Monitor

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has become a fully-fledged global economic crisis with governments now issuing Level 4  Do Not Travel advisories, instituting curfews, partial and full lockdowns.



These lockdowns that started from Wuhan, China - the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak - are fast turning in to the safest way of life with Italy, Spain, India, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda among countries administering shutdown doses.



A March 10, 2020 Baker-McKenzie report highlights that many African countries face a twin supply-demand shock, due to a decrease in imports of manufacturing inputs and supplies from China and reduced demand from exports in key sectors in various export markets. Reports from the Uganda Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives indicate that China is our leading import market, accounting for at-least 16 per cent or US$5.5 billion of Ugandas total imports bill.



The continued persistence of the corona crisis will certainly curtail the sourcing of raw materials and capital goods, such as machinery, for Ugandas domestic manufacturing sector.

The European Union (EU) market, which is also in various stages of lockdown, is a strategic market for Ugandas exports and imports.



Uganda exported US$515 million worth of goods, over the past three years, whilst it imports totalled to US$ 561 million over the same period. The main exports to the EU market have been coffee, fish, flowers and hides and skins. Uganda mainly imports medical equipment, pharmaceutical products, petroleum and oils from the EU.



Generally, Africa is a net importer of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, which are mainly supplied by Europe and India. Studies from United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) indicate that Africa imports over 94 percent, or on average US$ 16 billion per annum, of its medical and pharmaceutical products. The current government lockdown in Europe and India are likely to increase the risk of drug shortages on the continent and specifically in Uganda.



Even more worrying for Africa is the fact that only 15 African countries are net exporters of food, with Uganda being one of them. If the COVID-19 pandemic results in to an economic crisis lasting for over a year, there will be serious food shortages in over 39 countries on the continent and this may unfortunately fuel civil unrest.

Huge blow to cross border trade.



In 2019 alone, Uganda's formal exports to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) amounted to US$ 1.23 billion. Whilst total exports to East African Community (EAC) amounted to US$ 1.15 billion, out of which US$ 537 million went to Kenya, US$ 409 million to South Sudan, US$ 95 million to Tanzania, US$ 54 million to Rwanda, and US$ 51 million to Burundi. Exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo were US$ 567 million.



The restriction of movement of people across borders, due to new health protocols that must be adhered to is also going to greatly impact Ugandas trade volumes with neighbouring countries.



The East African Community had issued a joint communique on movement of people and goods with key guidelines that should always be adhered to by all countries. Bi-lateral modalities on the movement of goods and people in light of the COVID-19 crisis should also be worked out with DR Congo.

 Nation Media Group

Theme(s): Others.
Parvesh Bansal was known for her sketching skills in her teens. But her artistic pursuits got no encouragement from her parents, who always told her not to waste time on doodles and rather focus on studies. By the time Bansal was in college, she had given up her hobby.

Fifty-two years on, at 70, a few days back, she borrowed a pencil from her neighbours school-going son and drew againa house in the hills, surrounded by the towering pine trees.

My son lives in the United States and I live alone. I was feeling anxious and restless, having remained holed up in my apartment, all alone, for almost two weeks now, says Bansal, a retired teacher who lives In Noida. I wanted to distract myself from all that is happening in the world. Drawing immediately soothed me. I have done a few sketches in the past three days and exhibited them on Facebook. My relatives gave encouraging comments, and I felt 18 again. Believe me, there is no better way than art to deal with isolation.

Parvesh is not the only one  thousands of people from various backgrounds and age-groups  doctors, lawyers, teachers, students , are taking to art, giving expression to their experiences of social distancing and lockdown. Social media  especially Facebook and Instagram-- are full of such artwork these days.

The stigmatisation of health care workers, including doctors, the condition of migrants, the role of invisible heroes such as sweepers and vegetable vendors in easing lives of people. (Aparna Bhasker)

Take for example the works of Muskan Sharma, a Delhi University BCom student, who has done a series of paintings, depicting doctors importance in society. One of her paintings on Sunday showed a doctor surrounded by a multitude of people of different nationalities, wearing masks depicting their national flags. I wanted to show how doctors are critical to our survival and how the world is rallying around them, says Sharma.

While doctors may be a subject of many artworks these days, many doctors themselves are turning to art for its therapeutic effects.

Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker, a Mumbai- based bariatric surgeon, has done a series of paintings in the past few days dealing with various aspects of lockdownthe stigmatisation of health care workers, including doctors, the condition of migrants, the role of invisible heroes such as sweepers and vegetable vendors in easing lives of people.  Today we all want to say something but we get caught up in taking sides. For me art is the most effective medium of expression. It allows me to say whatever I want to say; people can interpret it however they want. Art keeps me sane in these fraught times.

Similarly, Dr. Rajesh Gupta, a pulmonologist with Fortis hospitals, likes to paint for an hour every evening after work. These days I get an enormous number of queries from family, friends, neighbours and patients who fear they might have contracted Covid-19. A doctors job is always stressful even in normal times, but currently it is much more so. Art allows me to relax, prepare for the next day, says Gupta. The right brain qualities, which are related to imagery, visual and drawing skills also hold me in good stead in todays digital, image-based world of medicine.

Vasvi Srivastava, co-founder, Abhyaantar, a Delhi-based organisation that facilitates wellness and healing through creative arts, says that the lockdown has given people an opportunity like never to discover their creative selves, and to do things they always wanted to do, but never got time.

Art puts you in a meditative state, relieving depression, general anxiety, and a host of other mental health issues. Even science has proved its healing powers, says Srivastava, also a psychologist and an expressive arts therapy facilitator. Art is the first thing we do as a child, much before writing, but unfortunately children have never been encouraged to take up art. I hope the current lockdown eventually will lead to a better appreciation of arts in our society.

Krishna Das, who runs Kriya, an organisation that encourages artists from different walks of life, has launched an initiative, Artists of Kovid -19, to showcase works done by both professional as well as amateur artists during the lockdown. The best art happens when artists have time and solitude to look within and be themselves. In normal times, we never introspect or retrospect, which requires both solitude and courage. The lockdown has given people that rare opportunity, says Das.

She refers to legendary American psychologist Abraham Maslows hierarchy triangle, comprising a five-tier model of human needs, which also puts emphasis on the need for creative activities as a means of self-actualisation.  Art is very important for us to become a better society,  says Das.

One of the many artists who have contributed to Artists of Kovid -19 project, is Simran Wadhwa, a professional artist. Among the many works that she created during the lockdown is a brightly coloured face of a woman against a pitch dark background.

The dark background represents the difficult times we are going through, and the bright colours on the face represent positivity of the person, her ability to see light at the end of the tunnel, says Wadhwa, adding that in the past two weeks she has seen a change in the attitude of people towards art.  A lot of parents are contacting me these days to do online art sessions for their children, which they feel is a creative way of spending time. But only time will tell if this change in outlook towards art will last.

Manroop Chawla, another contributor to the Covid-19 project, has painted a young girl with long dark hair standing against a blue background, her face painted light blue.The blue in the background conveys a sense of solitude that pervades all around us, and the blue on the face of the girl represents how people are getting affected by the bleak atmosphere around them, says Chawla.  Art is helping me fight my own blues.

In fact, not just Das, many other art organisations have also launched several projects and competitions related to Covid-19, social distancing and quarantine. On 25th March, the day the country-wide lockdown began, Mumbai-based Milind Sathe, an art promoter, who runs Indiaart , an online art platform, launched Art in the time of Corona - hope and positivity through creativity, a project exhorting people to create and share their work -- be it a doodle, sketch, painting or anything else--- during the lockdown.

I have always believed in the power of art in tackling negativity and despair. At a time when there is constant negative news all around, I thought that people should create something positive and not be just passive listeners to the stories of doom. Apart from the joy of creation, art can also soothe the stressed minds and give everyone a strong reason to live another day, says Sathe.

The response to Sathes initiative has been overwhelming, with people from diverse age-groups and backgrounds-- homemakers, doctors, IT professionals, school children and college students and others sending their entries.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and depths of some of these works, he says.

On Tuesday, Aparna Bhasker put up a new piece of art on her Facebook page. This time, it had a message:

In the end we washed the virus off

And no evidence of infection did we find

But deep down, the feeling of being stigmatized was somewhat left behind

#EndCoronaStigma

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The Volusia County Sheriff's Office shared in a Tuesday Facebook post that 49-year-old Christopher Canfora was arrested at around 3pm at his DeBary home

A Florida medical worker has been arrested for intentionally coughing on a woman working in a hardware store after telling her that social distancing is 'getting out of hand.'

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office shared in a Tuesday Facebook post that 49-year-old Christopher Canfora was arrested at around 3pm at his DeBary home.

Police records list his occupation as an EMS, or Emergency Medical Services, worker for a private ambulance firm.

Deputies with the office responded to Harbor Freight Tools on Enterprise Road in Orange City at around noon.

There, an employee told them that Canfora had been in the store that morning.

She said he approached her at the cash register and began talking to her about the protective measures the store was taking to enforce social distancing.

The store had been placing tape markers on the floor to space customers six feet apart, according to the deputies.

'The employee said Canfora remarked, This is all getting out of hand, and intentionally coughed on her and the register,' the deputies added in their statement.

An employee with Harbor Freight Tools (pictured) told them that Canfora approached her at the cash register and began talking to her about the protective measures the store was taking to enforce social distancing. She claims the man then coughed on her and told her he has done-so to others

She added that the man told her that he pulls the same stunt when he sees people wearing masks.

He also allegedly told the woman that he was planning to go to Winn-Dixie, another store in the area, so that he could cough on people there.

Canfora denied coughing on anyone and told deputies that he did not have any symptoms associated with the coronvirus, which has killed more than 14,000 people

Canfora denied coughing on anyone and told deputies that he did not have any symptoms associated with the coronvirus, which has killed more than 12,000 people.

The man told deputies that he knew his humor would not land with people but couldn't remember what he had said to the woman.

Canfora was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and is being held on $5,000 bond.
[April 08, 2020] Sila Announces $7.7M Seed Funding Round to Break Open the Financial System and Make ACH Payments Programmable

PORTLAND, Ore., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sila , the banking and payments API platform for software teams, today announced the closing of a $7.7M seed funding round. The round is co-led by VC firms Madrona Venture Group and Oregon Venture Fund , with support from Mucker Capital , 99 Tartans, Taavet Kinrikus, CEO & Co-founder of Transferwise, and investor & entrepreneur Jerry Neumann. The funds will be used to accelerate growth and introduce new product features to provide software developers with easier access to the global financial system. The company plans to catalyze a new era in financial innovation that will benefit consumers and businesses alike. Sila launched its Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform in April 2019 to help companies leverage financial networks to build businesses, all while abiding by the rules and regulations that have sustained the global banking network. Its platform drastically reduces the cost and time of going to market via its simple, secure and scalable payments platform that lets applications move money in a regulatory compliant manner. Software teams can add identity/KYC verification, bank account linking, and digital wallet deposits. The API includes a built-in stablecoin for operational purposes - SILA - which is an ERC-20 token pegged 100:1 to the US Dollar, with fully insured funds held by an FDIC member bank. "The global financial system is broken - despite the global payments industry being $1.9T in revenue, it doesn't serve consumers, small businesses, or the innovators trying to reach them. It is too expensive, inefficient, tightly regulated, and difficult to integrate into FinTech applications. This kills fintech innovation at a time when we need it more than ever. Despite money being effectively digital for decades, the world of finance has still not truly been disrupted by the Internet. The global financial system isn't controlled by PayPal or Stripe, but by 30,000 global banks that still run onoutdated payment systems like ACH. Our mission is to unite all the payment systems in one programmable layer to spur the next phase of financial innovation." - Shamir Karkal, Sila CEO & Co-founder.



"Shamir and his co-founders bring a strong and diverse background in online commerce, FinTech, investment banking, risk management, legal and even nuclear power to tackle the largest market opportunity in the world - finance. So far we've only scratched the surface of the financial ecosystem as a whole, as every company that touches payments or transfers money, in any way, will need fintech integrations. Sila's mission to provide the infrastructure to break down the regulatory and go-to-market barriers is the right approach to accelerate fintech innovation. Portland has become a hotbed for finance, starting in 2009 with Simple, and we're excited to continue to develop the ecosystem here alongside Sila." - Rick Holt, Lead Investor, Oregon Venture Fund. "As we look around at areas of the economy that are ripe for disruption, enabling the flow of money with technology is at the very top. As a CFO, I have experienced the pain of not being able to move money quickly and efficiently  there are layers of fees, unnecessary time in transit and regulatory barriers to innovation. Shamir and the Sila team have created a software platform that enables founders and innovators to focus on their product - not wading through approvals at the federal and state levels. We are excited to back this team." - Hope Cochran, Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group.

As part of the fundraise, Hope Cochran, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, and Rick Holt, Lead Investor, Oregon Venture Fund are joining the Sila board of directors. Matt Compton, General Partner at Oregon Venture Fund, is also joining as a Board Observer. The combination of easy to use open APIs, SDKs in multiple programming languages, in-built compliance, and a transparent and programmable payment ledger enables the rapid programming of a variety of fintech and crypto use-cases. Current Sila customers range from startups to established businesses in industries such as finance, insurance, real estate, and blockchain. Sila will soon be adding support for card payments, business ID verification, and international payments. To learn more, visit silamoney.com . About Sila:

Sila is a banking and payment platform for software teams building the next generation of financial products & services in regulated and unregulated industries. The Sila API enables white-label ACH payment processing, money transfer, digital wallets, bank account linking, and identity verification of business and individuals. We power any web, desktop, or mobile application with built-in compliance. Sila was co-founded in 2018 in Portland, Oregon by a diverse team of fintech, legal, and financial experts. For more information visit silamoney.c o m and follow us on Twitter, @ SilaMoney and LinkedIn. About Madrona:

Madrona ( www.madrona.com ) has been investing in early-stage technology companies in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years and has been privileged to play a role in some of the region's most successful technology ventures. The firm invests predominantly in seed and Series A rounds across the information technology spectrum, and in 2018 raised a fund to expand initial investments into acceleration stage companies. Madrona manages approximately $1.8 billion and was an early investor in companies such as Amazon, Smartsheet, Rover, and Redfin. About Oregon Venture Fund:

Oregon Venture Fund is a professionally managed, collaborative venture capital fund backed by Oregon's business, technology, and entrepreneurial leaders. The fund provides capital and support for building a new generation of world-class growth companies in Oregon and SW Washington. Oregon Venture Fund has grown to become the largest Oregon based venture fund and one of the top performing venture funds of any size and focus in North America. For more information, visit: www.OregonVentureFund.com Media Contact:

William McCormick, 415-699-6046, [email protected].com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sila-announces-7-7m-seed-funding-round-to-break-open-the-financial-system-and-make-ach-payments-programmable-301037170.html SOURCE Sila

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Internal documents obtained by NTD suggest the Chinese regime knew about the outbreak long before they made the information public.

Chinese authorities lifted the lockdown on Wuhan today. But experts and locals worry that many cases are asymptomatic and not reported, which could trigger another outbreak.

The Chinese Communist Party first accused the United States, then Italy, as being the point of origin of the CCP virus. So who is to blame? Patient zero in nineteen countries reveals the answer.

At a press briefing on Monday, President Trump questioned a reporter on whether she works for China. Whats this medias link to Beijing?

Ireland joins a list of European countries to receive faulty medical equipment from China, saying 20 percent of it was unusable, costing the country millions.

NTD 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.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel for more first-hand news from China

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter
Cameroon's ruling party has swept all 13 seats in parliamentary by-elections held late last month in the conflict-wracked anglophone west of the country, the constitutional council announced Tuesday.

Long-ruling President Paul Biya's People's Democratic Movement (RDPC) won all 13 seats at stake in 11 constituencies in the North-West and South-West regions of the central African country.

The RDPC "ran the table" in 10 North-West districts and one in the South-West, state broadcaster CRTV reported.

The wins reinforced the party's massive majority in the 180-member parliament to 152 seats.

The two anglophone regions have been rocked by deadly violence as armed separatists campaign for independence from the rest of Cameroon, which is majority French-speaking.

The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced nearly 700,000 in less than three years, according to humanitarian organisations.

Separatist fighters had called on people in the two regions to boycott nationwide municipal and legislative elections on February 9, issuing threats to anyone who planned to vote.

Several NGOs including Amnesty International reported multiple clashes between the separatists and the army ahead of the polling, though only one incident -- in the North-West region -- was reported on election day itself.

The constitutional council said on February 25 that the vote would have to be rerun in several parts of the two anglophone regions.

The opposition Social Democratic Front, dominated by anglophones, contested the results of the by-elections, but the constitutional court rejected their demand for another re-run.
STORY LINK Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) Exchange Rate Edges Higher as Safe-Haven Demand Eases

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Rises, US Dollar Struggles as Europes Covid-19 Cases Drop

Pound (GBP) Rises as UK Coronavirus Cases Moves in Right Direction

GBP/USD Forecast: Could Sterling Rise on PMs Return to Health?

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The Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate rose today, with the pairing currently trading around $1.233.The US Dollar (USD) struggled against the Pound (GBP) today as safe-haven demand continues to ebb with Europe showing encouraging signs of easing coronavirus infections.For example, Italy, one of the most affected nations in Europe, showed a drop off in inflections to its smallest in nearly four weeks.Giovanni Rezza, the Director of the Infectious Diseases Division at the National Health Institute, commented:Finally, it seems we are beginning to see a lessening of new cases after a plateau phase.Last night also saw US President Donald Trump announced that the nations economy would open sooner rather than later. Smaller cities, not heavily hit by the virus, are expected to reopen while New York will remain under lockdown.USD has benefited from news that the Eurozones Finance Ministers struggled to agree on a coronavirus response, leaving the EU in a shaky state of relations as a divide grows between northerly countries like Germany and Austria and southernly countries including Italy and Spain.Greenback investors remain poised for the release of the last Federal Open Market Committees (FOMC) minutes today. Any downbeat comments about the US economy, however, would prove USD-negative.The Pound (GBP) edged higher after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons condition in intensive care was described as stable by Downing Street.However, with Dominic Raab, the Foreign Minister, now deputising for the PMI, theres fears that the political vacuum at the heart of Government could impede the UKs coronavirus developments.Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative Partys former Defence Minister, urged more transparency, however, saying:It is important to have 100% clarity as to where responsibility for UK national security decisions now lies. We must anticipate adversaries attempting to exploit any perceived weakness.Sterling has benefited from optimism over the UKs handling of the coronavirus after Sir Patrick Vallance, one of the Chief Advisers to the Government, said that the number of cases was moving in the right direction. He also added that it was now possible that were beginning to see the curve flattening.US Dollar (USD) investors will be awaiting tomorrows release of the US Initial Jobless Claims report for April. Any further signs of chronic unemployment in America would prove USD-negative.Tomorrow will also see the release of the flash Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for April, which is expected to ease from 89.1 to 75. As a result, we could see the GPB/USD exchange rate continue to rise.The GBP/USD exchange rate will, however, remain sensitive to news of Boris Johnsons health. If the PM shows any signs of recovery and a return to normal duties in the coming days, we could see Sterling edge higher against some of its peers.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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The meat is too fatty and the staff are slow to clean up coffee stains -- some Kuwaitis quarantined in five-star hotels due to the coronavirus outbreak have a litany of complaints. Authorities in the oil-rich country have forced citizens returning from abroad to isolate for 14 days in luxury properties before they are permitted to re-enter society. Kuwait has adopted the strictest measures in the Gulf to combat the spread of coronavirus. It has recorded more than 700 cases, and one death. Plush hotels have turned into quarantine shelters, preparing to host around 60,000 Kuwaitis returning from countries including Italy, Germany, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon. The first batch arrived two weeks ago, and for some accustomed to the best in life, their accommodation has proven less than satisfactory. - 'Salad with no dressing' - "Dear minister of finance, the food has no taste, it is inedible and we're throwing it away," one woman, who did not reveal her face, said in a video uploaded online. "We are emotionally tired, and our health is deteriorating because the food is not nutritious," she added as she examined catering trays delivered to her hotel room. "They served us salad with no dressing, and everything else is also dry." Her comments prompted a backlash online with some saying she should be grateful. "I stayed in a hospital for a week with my mother and did not complain, eating bread and cheese," one Twitter user fired back. Another uploaded footage of people in a developing country standing in line to drink water. "If only they saw how we opened our fridge to choose the (brand of) water we want. God, don't deny us your generosity," read the sarcastic caption. Kuwait, which pumps 2.7 million barrels of oil per day, has a sovereign wealth fund worth more than $600 billion, providing a substantial cushion for state finances. Many of its 1.5 million citizens, who make up just 30 percent of the population, have become accustomed to a life of luxury, especially in Europe where some own palaces and supercars. One in ten Kuwaitis is a dollar millionaire -- a fact proudly announced by the state airline on flight approaches to Kuwait City. In one social media video, a Kuwaiti man complains that his luggage has not yet reached the hotel room, which he describes as small with "the bed stuck to the closet". In another, a woman says there is "more fat than I like in my meat". Another quarantine guest said it was taking room service "too long to clean a coffee stain on the couch". - 'Can you be patient?' - Kuwait has in the past few weeks passed strict regulations to curb the spread of the deadly virus that has claimed more than 75,000 lives worldwide. It has prosecuted more than 100 people for breaking the dusk to dawn curfew or quarantine rules, with offenders facing up to six months in jail or a 10,000 dinar ($32,000) fine. On Tuesday it announced a lockdown on two areas that are densely populated with expatriate workers. Meanwhile, Kuwait's cabinet said anyone caught intentionally spreading the virus could face up to 10 years in prison and a 30,000 dinar fine. The government has also said it will not tolerate online sarcasm or ridicule of the precautionary measures. In one case a citizen returning from Germany posted a video mocking flight attendants in protective gear likening them to "beekeepers". Some responded online, calling for calm and support for those on the frontline of the pandemic, including air crews. Kuwaiti parliamentarian Ahmed Nabil al-Fadel urged people to be patient and see the bigger picture. "It's very common that the sink does not work properly or that there are some problems... given the short period of time to prepare the place," Fadel, who was also quarantined after returning from Spain, said of quarantine facilities. "Can you be patient? There are doctors who have not slept in three days." Kuwaitis returning home from Frankfurt are met by health workers in decontamination suits late last month Health workers at Kuwait Airport wait to greet returning citizens late last month
A temporary marquee structure erected on the grounds of the Mater Hospital in Dublin as the coronavirus pandemic continues to place a strain on the health service (Brian Lawless/PA)

A senior medic at the Mater hospital in Dublin has said that the ICU unit there is full with some patients being moved to the high dependency unit.

The director of critical care medicine at The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital said that most of those in the ICU beds are Covid-19 patients.

Dr Colman OLoughlin said that further plans are in place when the high dependency unit has also become full.

Speaking to RTEs Morning Ireland, Dr OLoughlin said: We were lucky in this Covid(-19) crisis that we had a lead-in time to allow us to kind of shut down the normal activity of the hospital and free up a lot of spare capacity that exists in the hospital.

That has allowed us to build a plan for surge one, surge two, surge three, and surge four etc, so we can act on those plans as the surge comes in.

Were putting a massive acceleration into opening as much resuscitation and critical care space as possible to deal with the surge that is coming towards us. @drgeroconnor #IrelandOnCall @rteone  Mater Hospital Trauma (@MaterTrauma) April 2, 2020

He said that patients are being moved to the high dependency ward where there are another 18 beds and, when that becomes full, staff have set up ventilators on other wards.

Dr OLoughlin added: The biggest challenge at that stage will be the staffing problem.

To run intensive care beds it requires a huge amount of medical staff and in particular nursing staff to run it safely.

We have a standard of care which is one-to-one nursing so every patient has a dedicated nurse 24 hours a day to run normal standards of care for intensive care in Ireland.

So that would be threatened, that could be diluted if we stretch beyond the numbers that were comfortable, so thats a bit of an unknown yet.

Dr OLoughlin also said that staff can no longer carry out the hospitals end-of-life care pathway.

He said that one of the really difficult parts of the disease was arranging family members to be with their loved ones who will not survive Covid-19.

He added: Families are aware, and were aware, theres such a huge public obligation to try and minimise the spread of this disease.

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At the same time its important to us to offer families the chance to come and be with their loved ones, if theyre going through the process of passing away, or have passed away.

We offer families, in minimum numbers like one or two people, to come into the intensive care.

We offer them the PPE and demonstrate how thats put on, a lot of families have been reluctant to do that which is very, very difficult for them.

Theyre aware theres a public health issue beyond all this.

We try to cover them as much as possible and reassure them.

We have never seen it like this before.

We have a very well established end-of-life care pathway in the hospital in intensive care, and a lot of us cannot do it now because of this disease so were doing our level best to help families.

Its extraordinarily difficult.
"Over the past several years that you've been running blood drives, you have collected 671 units of blood, and that has saved 2,013 lives. Please, take a round of applause for yourselves, because that has been a tremendous support," said...
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany together with African First Ladies of Ghana, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC ), Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Guinea Conakry, Burundi, Central African Republic

(C.A.R.), Chad, Zimbabwe, Zambia, The Gambia, Liberia and Congo Brazzaville, announced the call for applications for their Stay at Home Media Recognition Awards for African countries. The theme of the awards is Raising Awareness on how to Stay Safe and keep Physically and Mentally Healthy during Coronavirus Lockdown.



Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explains, This unsettling period due to the coronavirus scare is difficult for everyone  both physically and mentally.



While most countries are under complete lockdown or restricted movement, people do not know how to handle this situation. Social Distancing is our Social Responsibility and the only way to kill Coronavirus, however, it will take a lot of

courage and discipline to practice it. Taking good care of your mental and physical health is important during this period. So, we decided to initiate these awards in order to reward the journalists who are raising awareness in most effective and creative way on how to keep safe and keep physically & mentally healthy during this phase.



All the journalists from Print, Online, Radio and Multimedia Platforms from English speaking, French-speaking, Arabic speaking and Portuguese speaking African countries are invited to send their entries for the awards. The most creative and influential media work aiming to raise awareness and sensitizing communities about this alarming topic at a regular basis will be eligible to win these awards.



We have created four categories for Africa; English, French, Portuguese and Arabic speaking countries, Dr Kelej added.

Merck Foundation will extend the awards to include Middle Eastern, Latin Americ an and Asian Countries in the next few days to involve all media across the global South.



Since most of the people are confined to their homes, they are spending a lot of time reading and listening to news through different platforms. Media professionals, it is your time to help the people to take care good care of their mental & physical health during these disturbing times, through your creative, informational and motivational work. You can guide them to adjust to their new and different routine & rhythm of life, emphasized Dr. Rasha Kelej.

Details of the Merck Foundation Stay at Home Media Recognition Awards



Who can Apply:



Journalists from Print, Online, Radio and Multimedia Platforms from English speaking, French-speaking, Arabic speaking and Portuguese speaking African countries



Last date of submission:



Entries can be submitted till 30th June 2020



How to apply?



Entries can be submitted via Email to [email protected] along with your details (including Name, Gender, Country, Media house, Email address & Mobile Number) and entry as an attachment



Categories and Prize Money:



Category TV Radio Print Online

Prize Money (Upto) USD 500

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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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8) While the spike in COVID-19 cases nationwide seems to show no signs of stopping, it's a different situation up north.

Renowned tourist destination Baguio City has not recorded a new case of the infectious disease for 11 straight days a development its local government attributed to early prevention measures.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong shared to CNN Philippines how three initiatives transparency, mass testing, and effective contact tracing helped the "City of Pines" in its campaign to control the spread of the virus.

COVID-19 patients are named

COVID-positive patients in Baguio City do not go by mere numbers for their identities. Instead, they disclose their names to the public a move Magalong said is advantageous for the contact tracing procedure.

"Transparency is actually key to earlier detection, key to contact tracing, key to prevention," Magalong said in an interview with The Source on Wednesday, adding that he has "personally talked" to patients regarding the disclosure of their identities.

He said some were initially hesitant to do so, but eventually gave in.

"It helped us a lot, control the spread of the virus," he added.

The government's COVID-19 task force has previously shared the sentiment, with officials ordering health facilities to obtain the consent of infected patients before publicly revealing their names.

Under the Data Privacy Act, a persons health condition is classified as sensitive personal information which can only be used with the consent of the person or patient.

Magalong added local officials also provided a crash course on investigative and interviewing skills for the contact tracing team composed of health frontliners to help boost the city's COVID-19 campaign.

"What we did was to make sure each contact tracer is being supported by an investigator. And then we also came up with an analytical tool to enhance their contact tracing ability," the retired police general noted.

Mass testing, use of AI technology

Magalong added the Baguio government has also launched mass testing for the viral disease.

But with the limited supply of test kits in the area, the mayor said health officials have been using a different kind of technology an artificial intelligence CT scan analysis system.

He said the CT scan will need around seven minutes for the system to detect a viral infection in the patient.

"Once we detect a viral infection, we immediately isolate the patients, we immediately launch the contact tracing. That's very critical and that's a big help in our COVID-19 campaign," Magalong added.

Not letting the guard down

Despite the development, local officials refuse to let their guards down, given that nearby regions, including Metro Manila, have yet to report a slowdown in COVID-19 cases.

"Ang fear kasi natin iyong sa National Capital Region and national picture hindi pa bumaba. Every day tumataas iyong number of cases and deaths, Health Department  Cordillera regional director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan said Tuesday.

[Translation: Our fear is that cases in the National Capital Region and nationally have not gone down. Every day, the number of cases and deaths rises.]

As of Wednesday, Baguio has listed 14 cases of COVID-19, including one fatality. Nationally, there are over 3,700 confirmed cases of the highly-contagious disease.

Stringer Lauren Anuma contributed to this report.
Ambulances lined the street outside Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, New York, on Tuesday, April 7, as the city and hospital staff continue in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

Elchonon Osina took this video and posted it to Twitter on April 8. Osina told Storyful the video was taken as he drove by the hospital, but refused to provide a comment about what he was seeing.

Videos shared online in recent weeks have showed crowded emergency rooms, and doctors across New York have made pleas for donations and additional personal protective equipment (PPE).

New York City is considered the epicenter of the virus, and New York state has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. According to the latest reports, the state confirmed its highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in one day on Wednesday, after announcing another 779 people had died in 24 hours. More than 6,000 people have died in New York state from the virus.

Storyful has reached out to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for comment on the footage. Credit: Elchonon Osina via Storyful
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A day after logging a strong gain of 22.60 percent, the share price of IndusInd Bank surged 15 percent in the morning trade on BSE on April 8 after UBS Principal Capital Asia bought 53,83,066 shares of the private lender.

Singapore-based investment banking firm UBS Principal Capital Asia acquired a 0.85 percent stake in IndusInd Bank on April 7.

As per April 7 bulk deal data available on the National Stock Exchange, UBS acquired 53,83,066 equity shares of the bank at Rs 367 per share.

The total deal value stood at Rs 197.55 crore and could be one of the reasons for the stellar rally in the stock price.

The stock had fallen nearly 80 percent in the last three-month period, a big correction compared to the Nifty Bank (down 46 percent), Nifty (down 34 percent) and Nifty Private Bank (down 49 percent), following concerns over asset quality and strength of funding franchise.

One of the primary reasons was the withdrawal of deposits from select private banks, including IndusInd Bank, following the Yes Bank fiasco.

The coronavirus outbreak has further impacted growth and asset quality prospects in select business segments.

Meanwhile, the bank reported strong business operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

As per a BSE filing of April 6, the bank's net advances grew 13 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 2.09 lakh crore as on March 31 compared with Rs 1.86 lakh crore a year ago.

The bank's deposits increased 4 percent year on year (YoY) to Rs 2.02 lakh crore in Q4FY20 as against Rs 1.94 lakh crore a year ago.

Retail deposits and deposits from small business customers jumped 34 percent YoY to Rs 62,587 crore as on March 31 as against Rs 46,651 crore on March 31, 2019.

Liquidity coverage ratio for the quarter stood at 112.18 percent compared with 111.39 percent on March 31, 2019.

CASA ratio, however, declined marginally and stood at 40.5 percent YoY against 43.1 percent in the previous year's same period.

Shares of IndusInd Bank were trading 9.80 percent up at Rs 421.70 on BSE at 1055 hours.
Avanti Senior Living residents watched from the courtyard as a parade of their smiling loved ones displayed handmade signs and waved from passing cars.

For weeks, residents and their family members have had to limit physical contact; speaking over the phone, waving hi through windows and scheduling Skype calls to stay safe and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Cornyn goes after China, Texans cheerleaders shows stay-at-home workout

On April 7, Avanti Senior Living in Towne Lake asked family members to participate in a parade as a way to put a smile on residents faces and help them feel connected to loved ones.

Jill Weiner-Clegg, community relations director for Avanti, said the family car parade was the perfect idea for a safe, uplifting event for residents and visitors alike.

HIGH DEMAND: Cypress Assistance Ministries adjusts hours due to 450% increase in food pantry clients during COVID-19

We thought it would be a great idea for families to get to see each other and stay in touch at a distance, Weiner-Clegg said. They were so happy to see their families. Theyve only seen them through the glass or through the phone. Weve been trying very hard to Facetime as well to keep them connected.

Families stayed in their cars while passing through in the parade, handing off gifts to be given to residents. Lorita Manning, Avanti resident, said she hopes another parade can happen in the future.

HOW TO HELP: Cy-Hope hosts blood drives to aid hospitals in time of low blood donations

I liked the idea that we are all together, outside, and it was such a beautiful day to have the parade, Manning said. I really enjoyed watching my friends and seeing their happiness.

Weiner-Clegg said Avanti has been working to help residents use mobile devices to contact family members, teaching them how to install applications like Skype on iPads they receive when they move into Avanti and allowing them to Facetime family members from staff phones.

The senior living staff uses technology to help boost morale for residents in other ways as well.

Weve done a lot of virtual tours, Weiner-Clegg said. The museum is offering virtual tours, the zoo, Disneyland, Disney World, so weve been utilizing a lot of technology to bring the outside in for our residents. Weve got to kind of think outside the box. Staying inside during a quarantine can be boring so we try to keep it exciting and fresh.

Avanti has been sanitizing facilities often and teaching residents about the severity of COVID-19, which may be more harmful to older individuals according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Were all safe, Weiner-Clegg said. Were all taking precautions for our residents. Theres no cases or anything in our community thankfully. We like to keep it that way. Everybody sees senior living as a nursing home and were nothing like that.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has asked Muslims to abide by the 'Shariah' and follow lockdown restrictions to contain spread of coronavirus.

The seminary also asked Muslims not to visit graveyards and mosques on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.

In an open letter to the Muslim community, Mohtamin (vice chancellor) of Darul Uloom Maulana Abdul Kasim Nomani said, "The government has imposed a lockdown due to corona pandemic. It is the duty of every citizen to follow it. Shariah (Islamic law) also advises the same in pandemic".

"In the present situation remaining home as a precaution is necessary in view of Shariah and law. All Muslims should follow lockdown and not be careless," he said.

Darul Uloom is Asia's largest seminary and is based in Deooband in Saharanpur district.

Nomani also asked Muslims not to visit mosques and graveyards on Shab-e-Barat.

Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of forgiveness, will be observed on April 8-9. Members of the Muslim community visit graveyards and offer prayers in memory of their loved ones.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

The Azerbaijani government will allocate $231.8 million for social protection of the population from novel coronavirus, Azerbaijani Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev said on April 7.

Addressing the presser on implementation of presidential order of March 2020 On measures taken to support employment and social welfare of the population, the minister said that one billion manat ($588.2 million) has been allocated from the state budget and a plan of necessary measures has been drafted.

Ten measures will be taken in four spheres, which will cover 1.9 million people. Some $58 million will be directed from the state budget, $119 million from the State Social Protection Fund and $53 million from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, Babayev said.

In particular, Babayev noted that of the main component of these measures will be lump sum payments of $111.9 to the unemployed persons in April-May. In this regard, $41.2 million will be distributed, 200,000 people will receive this assistance.

At the same time, over the past 10 days, 30,000 labor contracts were registered in the system of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

This suggest that employers, after learning that the state will support entrepreneurs, decided to conclude employment contracts with their employees and thereby receive assistance from the state, Babayev highlighted.

Some 660,000 people have been registered as hired employees. These people were not dismissed and were not sent on vacation deliberately. The entrepreneurs performed their duties in good faith.

Unfortunately, the number of informally working citizens is unknown. Over the past two years, many appeals have been made for the entrepreneurs to pay taxes and benefits and for their employees to work officially. Many entrepreneurs who have not fulfilled these requirements cannot get the funds today, he said.

"In connection with the spread of coronavirus and the introduction of special quarantine regime in Azerbaijan, staff reduction is not allowed in Azerbaijan. The minimum number of employees is involved in the structures having vital importance," Babayev mentioned.

Babayev also spoke about measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and urged people to follow the special quarantine regime.

As it was earlier reported, according to the government's plans, funds will be allocated from the state budget to pay part of the salaries of employees in the areas business sectors that have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In April-May 2020, the government plans to implement measures to create 50,000 public jobs and a total of $17.6 million will be provided for these purposes.

Azerbaijan has registered 717 coronavirus cases and eight coronavirus-related deaths so far.
Ellen DeGeneres has come under criticism after jokingly comparing confinement in the time of coronavirus to jail.

The TV host delivered the line on Monday while presenting her show from home, in accordance with the rules of social distancing.

DeGeneres, who has been confined at home with her wife Portia de Rossi, first joked that isolation has been the perfect opportunity to really get to know each other.

Did you know that she was Australian? she asked viewers about her spouse, a native of Horsham, Victoria.

DeGeneres added shortly afterwards: This is like being in jail, is what it is. Mostly because Ive been the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.

The joke didnt sit well with many viewers, who found it tone-deaf and made their feelings known on social media.

Ellen you quarantining in your mansion in designer sweats is nothing like prison, one person tweeted.

Did she run this joke by *literally* anyone?!? someone else wondered.

Yes very much like jail, except for the part where you still have your multimillion-dollar home and your voting rights, another person wrote.

Ahhhh yes living in your elegant mansion is exactly like jail Thnx Ellen, someone else tweeted.

The Independent has contacted The Ellen DeGeneres Show for comment.
Scrawled on doors under a gothic-revival arch at St Patricks Cathedral in East Melbourne  where Cardinal George Pells accuser had alleged he was sexually abused  was graffiti next to a dripping upside-down cross.

The night after Cardinal Pell was released from jail after the High Court ruled there was reasonable doubt requiring his acquittal of charges that he abused two choirboys in the 1990s, graffiti was also spray-painted on the cathedral forecourt.

Workers cover graffiti at St Patricks Cathedral on Wednesday morning. Credit:AAP

A childs trike and ribbons were tied to the gates of the Carmelite Monastery in Kew where Cardinal Pell spent his first night of freedom.

Colourful ribbons tied to fences, an initiative of the Loud Fence movement, first began appearing in Ballarat during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:37 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a2347 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,PCR-test,laboratory,central-sulawesi Free

Central Sulawesi has purchased equipment from the United Kingdom that detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 through a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on samples from suspected cases of infection.

Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola said that the procurement of the COVID-19 RT-PCR test was part of the administration's effort to enable the province to carry out its own testing.

Weve ordered [the necessary instruments for] the RT-PCR test from the UK. The quality is just as good as the ones [in the Health Ministry labs] in Makassar, South Sulawesi and Jakarta, Longki told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The newly bought equipment enables Central Sulawesi to test swab samples from local residents without sending the samples to Jakarta or Makassar for analysis.

Read also: COVID-19: Indonesia to administer more PCR tests, acknowledges some rapid tests 'ineffective'

The instruments, which cost Rp 3 billion (US$186,000) and weigh 2 tons, is intended for use at the Central Sulawesi Medical Laboratory of Undata Regional General Hospital in Palu regency.

The governor said that the equipment had already arrived in Jakarta and was en route to Palu, and would be ready to use by mid-April.

The province earlier revised its report on two confirmed cases when their test results came back negative for COVID-19. The cases have been identified as the Central Sulawesi Legislative Council's Elim Bunga Allo and an unnamed 55-year-old woman.

Central Sulawesi has recorded two deaths to date: North Morowali Regent Atriple Tumimomor and Nurdin H. Raga, identified as "a pilgrim".

As of Tuesday, Central Sulawesi had recorded five confirmed cases, 30 patients under surveillance (PDP) and 356 people under monitoring (ODP), according to the provincial COVID-19 task force spokesperson Haris Kariming. (aly)
By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

Azerbaijan has allocated $8.7 million to build six new modular hospitals with 200 beds each for the treatment of coronavirus patients, the presidential website reported on April 7.

President Ilham Aliyev signed a relevant decree on April 7.

The funds will be earmarked within the state capital investment provided for in the 2020 state budget. Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to solve the issues arising from this order.

Another clinic to treat coronavirus patients was opened in Baku on March 28. President Aliyev described the clinic as the countrys number one hospital.

It should be noted that on March 19, President Aliyev announced the creation of the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus.

Initially, the government allocated $11.7 million to the fund and the president and the first lady donated their annual salaries to the fund. As of April 8, the fund had collected about $65.1 million. Donations have been made by 2,692 legal entities and 8,223 individuals.

Earlier, on March 3, President Ilham Aliyev announced the allocation of $5.8m for fight against the spread of coronavirus in the country.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Chhattisgarh government has released 1, 478 prisoners till Wednesday from various jails of the state on bail, parole, and completion of their sentences after the Supreme Courts order to decongest prisons in wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, jail authorities said.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Out of the 1,478 inmates, 427 have been released from various jails on interim bail of less than three months, 742 on interim bail for over three months, 262 on parole and another 46 on completion of their sentence, they added.

On Tuesday, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel directed officials to ensure strict compliance of precautionary measures against Covid-19 such as social distancing, wearing of masks and frequent washing of hands in the prisons across the state.

He also directed officials to house new prisoners in separate barracks and arrange for thermal scanners and hand sanitisers at the entrance of jails.

Prison visits have also been suspended till April 14, the day the ongoing 21-day officially ends unless the government extends it further, the authorities added.

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I reland has had a cracking (or should that be craic-ing?) year in the fine dining world, earning five new Michelin stars for the 2020 guide.

If the chefs partaking in the Northern Ireland round of the BBCs Great British Menu have anything to do with it, that looks set to continue.

Four of them will battle it out this week for the chance to progress into the next round of the prestigious cooking competition  three chefs are based over the Irish sea, but Londoners may recognise one of them from a top kitchen in the English capital.

From a Michelin-starred chef who's worked in two Gordon Ramsay restaurants to a self-taught cook who wont go beyond 30 miles for his ingredients, this is what you need to know about tonights Great British Menu contestants.

Shauna Froydenlund

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Shauna Froydenlund?

Originally from Londonderry, Shauna Froydenlund is the co-chef patron at Marcus, Marcus Wareings fine dining restaurant at the Berkeley hotel in London. She shares the role with her husband, Mark Froydenlund, who she met while working at Marcus and who himself is a Great British Menu champion.

Having come from a family of restaurateurs, Froydenlund chose to pursue the family business by moving to England to study culinary arts. There she bagged a role at Gordon Ramsays Michelin-starred Petrus, which was run at the time by Marcus Wareing. She has worked with Wareing since then, joining his Berkeley hotel restaurant as demi chef de partie in pastry, and working her way up to the top job.

Where is Marcus?

Marcus is located inside the luxury Berkeley hotel in Londons Knightsbridge, found in Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL.

What kind of food does Marcus serve?

The menu at Marcus is a celebration of British ingredients, inflected with the occasional international influence. British seafood is given a great showing, including in a dish of roast Cornish cod, served with octopus, lovage, fennel and matelote sauce (a French fish and white wine sauce), while Jersey Royal potatoes get their own starter, served with seaweed butter and white asparagus.

Alex Greene

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Alex Greene?

Dundrum-born Alex Greene is head chef at Michelin-starred Deanes EIPIC. His career has come full circle, having enjoyed an early stint there under Derek Creagh when the restaurant first earned its star. Before moving on to work at the likes of Gordon Ramsays Michelin-starred, eponymous restaurant at Claridges, and later Petrus. Greene then moved to New Zealand and worked at Saffron restaurant, and then back across the world to Waterford in Ireland, where he worked at the Cliff House Hotel.

Where is Deanes EIPIC?

Deanes EIPIC is located in Belfast city centre, found at 28-40 Howard Street, BT1 6PF.

What kind of food does Deanes EIPIC serve?

Alex Greenes cooking at Deanes EIPIC is all about keeping it local and seasonal. In the majority, there is no menu  for all dinners, eight or ten course tasting menus are created daily by Greene from local produce selected that morning at the nearby market. For a more narrowed idea for what to expect, take a look at the Friday lunch menu: brill is served with sprouting broccoli, lemon and bone sauce, while a brown butter tarlet is made with mushrooms and served with bacon jam.

Paul Cunningham

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Paul Cunningham?

Paul Cunningham was born in Newcastle (in Northern Ireland, not northern England) and is both head chef and director at Brunels restaurant in the town, where he has worked for more than six years. He is a self taught chef, who started out in the restaurant world as a kitchen porter, and previously worked as head chef at The Round Tower in Dundrum. Cunningham learned his love of fresh produce from his grandfather, and prides himself on sourcing his ingredients locally. In 2019, he won the inaugural LCN Chef of the Year award.

Where is Brunels?

Brunels is located in the seaside town of Newcastle in County Down, and can be found at 32 Downs Road, BT33 0AG.

What kind of food does Brunels serve?

While Brunels exhibits most of the trappings of fine dining, it has a soft spot for bold flavours and comfort food. For dinner, youll find the likes of hay-smoked fallow venison with slow-roasted celeriac and sticky red cabbage, ham hock rillettes with sweet potato puree and calvados jus, and rigatoni pasta with sprout pesto and confit chestnut. Brunels also offers a vegan menu featuring apple and fennel risotto with roast kale and pine oil. Crucially, staying local is key: Cunningham sources at least 80 per cent of all his ingredients from within a 30-mile radius.

Leigh Ferguson

BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown

Who is Leigh Ferguson?

Leigh Ferguson was born in Lisburn and is the head chef of Clenaghans. Having taken over the role from Michelin-starred chef Danni Barry, he has helped earn Clenaghans a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide  an award which celebrates good value food. Ferguson first started in the professional kitchen at the tender age of 12, and went on to spend 10 years working at the Square Bistro in his hometown.

Where is Clenaghans?

Clenaghans is located just outside Fergusons native Lisburn in the town of Moira, where it can be found at 48 Soldierstown Road, BT67 0ES.

What kind of food does Clenaghans serve?
Coronavirus Live Updates: Tax department has decied to issue pending income tax refunds up to Rsb 5 lakh, as well as pending GST and custom refunds immediately. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hinted that the lifting of nation-wide lockdown looks unlikely on April 14, even as chief ministers of various states would be consulted. During an all-party meeting via video-conferencing on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was in touch with chief ministers of all the states and that he would take the final decision only after speaking to them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also told opposition leaders and leaders of other states that this was a "long" fight. Leader of Oppostion Ghulam Nabi Azad said PM Modi told them he would try and implement their suggestions on COVID-19 crisis.

Also Read: India Coronavirus live updates Friday (April 10): Country's active COVID-19 cases at 5,709; death toll rise to 199

Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities

Catch all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic on BusinessToday.In Live blog

11.21 PM: New York State will pay additonal $600 to those who have filed for unemployment. The state expects this expenditure to be reimbursed by the Federal government. The period covered by unemployment benefits has also been extended for another 13 weeks, taking it to 39 weeks.

9.10 PM: Coronavirus impact: Goldman Sachs cuts India's FY21 GDP forecast to 1.6%

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Goldman Sachs has slashed India's GDP growth forecast for financial year 2020-21 to 1.6 per cent from 3.3 per cent earlier. The research house continues to expect a strong sequential recovery in the second half of the fiscal year.

9.06 PM: Coronavirus outbreak: 22 hotspots in Gautam Buddh Nagar identified

District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar has released a list of 22 coronavirus hotspots in the district. This includes 12 clusters, 10 epicentres and 34 localities in total.

Hotspots of GB Nagar pic.twitter.com/0c0pF7blMN DM G.B. Nagar (@dmgbnagar) April 8, 2020 8.46 PM: Coronavirus in Delhi: 20 hotspots in Delhi sealed 20 coronavirus hotspots in Delhi sealed. Essentials will be delivered door-to-door in these sealed areas. The list of sealed areas will be released tomorrow to avoid panic in the respective localities. 8.28 PM: Masks made compulsory in Delhi when going out Delhi government has made wearing masks compulsory when going out. "Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus substantially. Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anyone stepping out of their house. Cloth mask shall be eligible too," Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet. Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of corona virus substantially. Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anyone stepping out of their house. Cloth mask shall be eligible too. Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 8, 2020 7.54 PM: Coronavirus pandemic 'may well' cause deepest economic recession 'of our lifetimes', says World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo. #COVID19 pandemic 'may well' cause deepest economic recession 'of our lifetimes', Roberto Azevdo, World Trade Organization (WTO) chief: AFP news agency (File pic) pic.twitter.com/RloCd62jS2 ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020 7.46 PM: Coronavirus crisis: UP reports 29 fresh COVID-19 cases Uttar Pradesh has reported 29 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. This includes 16 Tablighi Jamaat attendees. According to the state government, Uttar Pradesh has 361 positive cases of coronavirus, including 195 cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. 31 patients have been discharged after they recovered, 8 in Agra, 3 in Ghaziabad, 12 in Noida, 5 in Lucknow, 1 in Kanpur, 1 in Shamli, and 1 in Pilibhit. 4 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the state so far. 7.14 PM: Coronavirus pandemic: Supreme Court directs COVID-19 tests to be made free Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the central government to ensure free testing for coronavirus. The apex court said that a mechanism can be created which reimburses all private labs later so that citizens don't have to pay for getting coronavirus tests. Hearing a PIL in this regard, the Supreme Court has asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to not let private labs charge a high amount for coronavirus tests. 6.57 PM: Coronavirus in India: Total cases at 5,274; death toll rises to 149 With 773 new cases and 32 deaths in the past 24 hours, India reported 5,274 coronavirus cases and 149 deaths as on April 8, 5 PM, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Number of active cases in the country is 4,714, whereas 410 have been cured. Click here to Enlarge 6.07 PM: No decision taken on extending curfew beyond April 14, clarifies Punjab Chief Minister's Office Rejecting media reports to the contrary, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has made it clear that no decision has yet been taken on extending the curfew in the state beyond April 14: Punjab CM Office (file pic) #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/2dm1cjDp3w ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020 5.51 PM: Coronavirus in India: IT refunds up to Rs 5 lakh to be cleared immediately To provide immediate relief to businesses and individuals during the coronavirus outbreak, all pending income-tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh will be issued immediately. This would benefit around 14 lakh taxpayers. It has also been decided to issue all pending GST and custom refunds which would provide benefit to around 1 lakh business entities, including MSMEs. Thus, the total refund granted will be approximately Rs 18,000 crore. 5.40 PM: Coronavirus update: Over 80% parties support extension of lockdown, says Ghulam Nabi Azad More than 80 per cent political parties have suggested extension of lockdown, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told news agency ANI after MPs video conference with PM. PM has said that he is getting information from people that they want to extend lockdown but final decision will be taken after meeting with chief ministers and others, Azad added. 5.34 PM: All officers, staff, visitors to mandatorily wear masks in J&K Civil Secretariat As a preventive measure to stop the spread of #COVID19 in J&K, wearing of face masks has been made mandatory for all the officers, staff & visitors in the Civil Secretariat, Jammu: Govt of Jammu & Kashmir pic.twitter.com/qieeZ74GM9 ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020 5.22 PM: Anand Mahindra honours manual labourers in tweet, calls them 'key support pillars of society' Many parts of our supply chain are today handicapped by the lack of loaders/unloaders-mainly migrant workers. This pandemic has shown us that they are key elements of our ecosystem. We never paid them much attention;We now need to respect them as key support pillars of society pic.twitter.com/HvovOa5BDg anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 8, 2020 5.02 PM: Coronavirus in India: Wearing masks made compulsory in UP Wearing face masks has been made compulsory in Uttar Pradesh, informed Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi. Legal action can be taken against those not wearing masks, he added. 4.38 PM: Cash benefits for construction workers announced In 31 states/UTs, cash benefits of Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000 have been announced for registered construction workers under Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Fund. Rs 3,000 crore have been given to 2 crore registered construction workers till now, says Joint Secretary, Home Ministry. 4.29 PM: Flight restrictions to be lifted once situation in control: Puri India will remove its suspension of domestic and international commercial passenger flights once it is confident that the spread of coronavirus has come under control, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday. "My heart goes out to people who are facing problems due to restrictions put in place on domestic & international flights, pursuant to the situation arising out of the timely announcement of a nationwide lockdown," the minister said on Twitter. - PTI Also read: Coronavirus: Flight restrictions to be lifted once situation is in control, says Puri 4.27 PM: Lav Aggarwal on lockdown: "We are focusing on lockdown and containment measures. Some impact has been seen on ground. When dealing with infectious diseases, there is a pattern everyday. We continue to focus on surveillance and social distancing measures and build health infrastructure." #WATCH Live from Delhi - Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare briefing on #COVID19 situation. (8th April 2020) https://t.co/HWxzrQ7ESu ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020 4.20 PM: 'Emphasising on training at hospital level' Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, the Ministry of Health, says the government is emphasising on training at hospital level. He adds that there won't be any lack of Hydroxychloroquine, not only today but in future as well. 4.15 PM: MHA on COVID-19 preparedness States are tightening lockdown measures in hotspots. Community leaders are making people aware about the deadly virus. Situation of essential commodities and services is satisfactory. A total of 21 states and UTs have started cash benefit transfers. 4.10 PM: Health ministry statement on COVID-19 Till date, total 402 people have been discharged, total 5,194 positive confirmed case have been reported. In last one day 773 positive cases were reported. Total 149 deaths have been reported and around 32 people have died yesterday, says Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, the Ministry of Health. ICMR official said a total of 1,21,271 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted so far. 4.00 PM: 7 hotspots identified in West Bengal West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the government has identified seven COVID-19 hotspots in the state and is chalking out a plan to restrict the virus within those areas. The chief minister said flower growers and bidi workers, who were facing problems in doing business, can now start working. Also read: Coronavirus in West Bengal: Seven hotspots identified, says Mamata Banerjee 3.59 PM: This is a long fight: PM Modi During an all-party meeting via video conferencing today, Prime Minister Modi told Opposition leaders and other leaders of states that this could be a "long" fight against the deadly virus. He also hinted at extending the lockdown, suggest sources. 3.54 PM: 36 booked for fleeing quarantine in Uttar Pradesh Total 36 people have been booked for allegedly running away from the quarantine centre at Swami Kalyannand Post Graduate Collage in Lonar area of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. They were quarantined on their arrival from different states. 3.42 PM: UP districts with six or more cases to face lockdown Districts with six or more cases are Agra, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Shamli, Meerut, Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Basti, Saharanpur, Maharajganj and Sitapur. All of these districts will observe a lockdown, says Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh. #UPDATE Districts which have 6 or more cases are Agra, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Shamli, Meerut, Bareilly, Bulandshahr, Basti, Saharanpur, Maharajganj & Sitapur. Lockdown will be observed in the hotspots in these dists: Addl Chief Secretary pic.twitter.com/eQBIoOCuKe ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 8, 2020 3.36 PM: Join the war against COVID-19, Maharashtra CM to ex-health workers Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray urges people to use masks while going out of homes and appeals to former defence health services personnel, retired nurses and ward boys to join "war" against coronavirus. In his address to the state via live webcast, Thackeray regretted the inconvenience caused to citizens due to the lockdown, but said "we don't have any other option". 3.35 PM: COVID-19 death toll rises to 13 in Pune district of Maharashtra after five more fatalities, says health officials 3.28 PM: Wearing mask in public compulsory in Mumbai Wearing mask at public place has been made compulsory in Mumbai. If someone is seen not wearing mask, he or she could face arrest, states the BMC Commissioner order. 3.27 PM: UP Chief Secretary RK Tiwari on complete lockdown in 15 districts UP Chief Secretary RK Tiwari says 15 districts that have high viral load of COVID19 will get home delivery of essential services. #WATCH: 15 districts have high viral load of #COVID19. So affected areas will be sealed. Only home delivery & medical teams will be allowed there. It's being done to prevent community spread, as numbers are high: RK Tiwari, Chief Secretary pic.twitter.com/BkNrCkvUnd ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 8, 2020

3.16 PM:No essential service in 13 districts of UP

The complete shutdown would come into effect from 12 am tonight. The 15 districts include Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida), Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Agra, Kanpur, Varanasi, Shamli, Bareilly, Bulandshahar, Firozabad, Maharajganj, Sitapur, Saharanpur, Basti. Even the essential service would be home delivered as people wouldn't be allowed to move out of their homes. The curfew passes would also be reviewed by the authorities, the report added.

3.12 PM: Coronavirus cases in Andhra

Total 15 new COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh, total rises to 329: Health Department officials. As of now four people have died in the state.

3.10 PM: UP govt announces Rs 50 lakh insurance

Uttar Pradesh government, on Wednesday, announced insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for state's police personnel amid coronavirus outbreak. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said that the CM office will soon release a written order about the same.

3.00 PM: The Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS, Delhi, appealed to the administration that the one day salary donation of all health workers tothe PM CARES Fund should be voluntary/opt-in and not mandatory. RDA AIIMS also appealed that instead the funds collected locally from AIIMS workforce should be directed for procuring more PPEs. However, the AIIMS Administration has rejected the demand.

Also read: Coronavirus: AIIMS administration rejects proposal to make donations to PM-CARES voluntary

2.50 PM: Invoke Essential Commodities Act: Centre to states

The Ministry of Home Affairs has writhen to states to ensure availabilty of essential goods by invoking the Essential Commodities Act 1955. Take urgent steps to prevent hoarding or black marketing and ensure essential commodities are available at fair prices for public at large.

2.45 PM: Highlights of Uddhav Thackeray's address to people of Maharashtra

I am thankful to everyone who's working day in and day out

Its been 4 weeks, numbers are growing but we want to flatten the graph

I apologise to you for difficulties you are facing

I am appealing channels to show programmes that'll lift mood of people

Watch your eating habits, especially those who have diabetes, heart disease, obesity

After this battle, we have to prepare for biggest war of economic crisis

The restrictions in Wuhan have been lifted and that's a good news. This too shall pass

We are feeding 3 meals everyday to five to six lakh people

We are receiving help from centre. I have written to PM Modi, asking him to accommodate those with annual income between 50,000 to 1 lakh in the Public Distribution System

2.28 pm: Mumbai coronavirus news: Lockdown may be extended till April 30

Mumbai may extend lockdown until at least April 30 as the authorities scramble to expand testing to prevent the further spread of novel coronavirus in the city, officials said.

Read more here: Coronavirus update: Mumbai may extend lockdown till April 30

2.16 pm: Telangana coronavirus news

Sudha Cars Museum in Telangana have come out with a COVID-19-themed car to spread awareness about novel coronavirus.

Telangana: Sudha Cars Museum unveils Coronavirus-themed car to spread awareness about #COVID19 among the people in Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/AcFI8eDnES - ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

2.05 pm: UP coronavirus news: Yogi Adityanath government to completely seal 15 districts

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is likely to fully seal 15 districts in the state to contain the novel coronavirus spread. These districts include Agra, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Basti, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Shamli, Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Maharajganj, Meerut, Bareilly, Firozabad, Saharanpur. The state government is likely to announce the order by midnight on Wednesday till April 13. The move is expected to be taken to contain the further spread of COVID-19. Under the lockdown, the authorities will go door-to-door to test people, sanitise areas and houses as well as provide essentials to people at their doorsteps.

1.50 pm: Madhya Pradesh coronavirus news

A Bhopal-based doctor, working in the city's JP Hospital and is treating novel coronavirus patients, has been living in his care for the past few days to avoid contact with his family. The doctor lives in his car parked near the hospital and has stocked up his daily use items and books as well.

1.46 pm: Coronavirus news: UK PM Boris Johnson stable; still in ICU

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been reported to be stable after he spent two nights in ICU. His condition is said to have improved after he was administered oxygen support.

1.37 pm: Bihar coronavirus news

Bihar government has launched the Bihar Corona Sahayata app to fight novel coronavirus infection. The state government will provide Corona Sahayata of Rs 1,000 to each worker who enters Bihar from other states or is stuck outside the state under the Bihar Aapda Prabandhan.

Read more here: Bihar govt launches Corona Sahayata App; here's all you need to know

1.28 pm: Coronavirus live updates: Issued raise during PM Modi's meet with opposition leaders

The all-party meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leaders is still underway. Meanwhile, according to India Today TV, following issues have been raised during all-party meeting:

1. Relax the state FRBM fiscal limit from 3 to 5%

2. Release dues owed to states

3. Increase the stimulus package from 1% of GDP to 5%

4. Make testing free

5. Make quality PPEs and other protective equipment kits available

6. Medical equipment

1.20 pm: Punjab coronavirus news

A Jalandhar man tested positive for novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total tally in the state to 100. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 91. Meanwhile, the number of those cured, discharged, migrate is at 4 and the death toll in the state has risen to 7.

1.17 pm: Coronavirus India live updates: SC asks govt to ensure free testing for COVID-19

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the government to ensure free testing for people with novel coronavirus symptoms by reimbursing private labs. "This will ensure that people do not have to pay," the apex court said.

1.15 pm: Coronavirus live: Delhi CM Kejriwal to hold virtual presser on Wednesday

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will address a digital press conference on COVID-19 crisis on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.

1.10 pm: Coronavirus in India: Traders body urges govt to extend lockdown

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on the basis of a survey carried out with senior trade leaders of all states, has appealed to the central government to extend the lockdown period. Although the trades will face several trading, economic and financial challenges, yet in the interest of the nation, they are well prepared to extend best services to the country, CAIT said.

1.03 pm: Coronavirus India: CII suggests lifting of shutdown in a safe and calibrated manner

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has suggested that the nationwide lockdown can be lifted in a safe and calibrated manner. These suggestions include, extension of cash transfers through JAM accounts, supporting industry through banks, limiting the economic package to an additional 2% of the GDP, address issues related to health, safety, logistics, migrant workers and coordination between centre and states.

12.55 pm: Hydroxychloroquine tablets: Donald Trump calls PM Modi for HCQ, but Indian makers depend on China

US President Donald Trump on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supply of hydroxychloroquine, which is an anti-malaria drug to fight COVID-19 infection in American patients. But, majority of Indian formulation makers presently are dependent on China for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to make the drug.

Read more here: Coronavirus: Trump calls Modi for hydroxychloroquine, but Indian makers at China's mercy

12.47 pm: hydroxychloroquine key Covid drug: HCQ makers plan 6 times capacity to meet demand

Indian pharma companies have decided to raise monthly production of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which is an anti-malarial drug, to 40 metric tonnes (MT) by this month end and 5-6 times to over 70 metric tonnes (MT) by next month to fight novel coronavirus pandemic.

Read more here: Hydroxychloroquine makers Zydus, Ipca, others plan 6 times capacity to meet demand

12.38 pm: Delhi coronavirus cases: CM Kejriwal holds virtual meet with MPs

In visuals: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday held virtual meet with all Delhi MPs to discuss the current COVID-19 situation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is holding a meeting via video-conferencing, with all the MPs (both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) of Delhi, over #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/BZr1sb1VeJ - ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

12.30 pm: Punjab coronavirus news

Family members of Ludhiana woman, who passed away due to COVID-19 refused to accept her body and cremate it. Her son also refused to perform her last rites.

Read more here: Mother dies from coronavirus in Punjab; son refuses to cremate

12.25 pm: India coronavirus: Inside PM Modi's virtual meet with opposition leaders

Inside visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video conferencing meet with opposition leaders. The virtual meet included Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut.

Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with floor leaders of parties whose combined strength in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to 5 MPs, via video conferencing today, on #COVID19 situation in the country. pic.twitter.com/62LkzLGhYE - ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

12.16 pm: Coronavirus updates: Spain's COVID-19 death toll rises again; 743 deaths in 24 hours

Spain's daily death toll due to novel coronavirus jumped for the first time in five days on Tuesday. 743 people died overnight as against 637 in the previous 24 hours.

Read more here: Spain's coronavirus death toll spirals again, 743 deaths reported in 24 hours

12.06 pm: Corona positive in India: Markaz chief Maulana Saad likely in isolation in Delhi's Zakir Nagar: sources

Markaz chief Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi is likely under self-isolation in Delhi's Zakir Nagar area, sources told India Today TV. Delhi Police said that it will interrogate Maulana Saad once his self-quarantine is over and has also asked for a few documents form him.

11.50 am: Coronavirus live updates: Indian-American firm donates 34 lakh hydroxychloroquine tablets to US

An Indian American pharma company has pledged to donate 34 lakh hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to some of the worst-affected state in the US such as New York and Louisiana.

Read more here: Indian-American's pharma firm donates 34 lakh hydroxychloroquine tablets

10.40 am: India corona positive cases: PM Modi holds virtual meeting with opposition leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a meeting via video conferencing with the opposition leaders, to discuss the current lockdown situation in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Several senior leaders from opposition parties will participate in the meeting with PM Modi.

11.30 am: Uttarakhand coronavirus news

A new COVID-19 cases has been recorded in Uttarakhand's Haridwar on Wednesday.

Uttarakhand: One #Coronavirus positive case found in Haridwar today. A total of 32 positive cases have been recorded in the state so far, including 5 discharged people. pic.twitter.com/2NHeEdHGTH - ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2020

11.20 am: Corona positive in India: Delhi LG urges people to stay at home ahead of Shab-e-Barat

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal urged people on Wednesday not to step out of their houses and instead pray at home. "Everyone should desist from any behaviour that compromises with the safety guidelines for battling Covid-19," Baijal said.

11.10 am: Delhi coronavirus news

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday that out of a total of 576 COVID-19 positives, 35 of them are in ICU. He added that eight novel coronavirus positive patients are presently on ventilator support.

11.03 am: India cases coronavirus: Delhi CM Kejriwal to hold video conference meeting with all MPs

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to hold a virtual meet with party MPs at 12 pm on Wednesday to discuss the novel coronavirus situation in the national capital.

10.57 am: Mumbai coronavirus news: 2 more COVID-19 positive cases in Dharavi

Two fresh novel coronavirus cases have been reported from Mumbai's Dharavi on Wednesday taking the total number of cases in Asia's biggest slum to nine. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra stand at 1,018 as of date.

10.46 am: Jammu and Kashmir coronavirus news

Jammu and Kashmir reported 10 more COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday, taking the total tally to 125 in the union territory.

10.32 am: Coronavirus Live Updates: Active COVID-18 Cases in India cross 4,500-mark; death toll at 149

The total number of active COVID-19 cases stand at 4,643, with the death toll at 149, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website. Meanwhile, those cured, migrated, discharged are 401. The number of novel coronavirus cases have risen by 662 in the past 24 hours with Maharashtra being the worst-affected. The state's total number of confirmed cases stands at 1,018 and death tally is at 64.

10.23 am: Coronavirus updates: Eastern Railway creates special isolation coaches

Eastern Railway is modifying 50 sleeper coaches to be used a isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. One coach will be completely modified and updated into the format of an isolation ward.

10.14 am: Maharashtra coronavirus cases

Another COVID-19 patient passed in Pune on Wednesday. He was admitted to Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. With this the total number of novel coronavirus deaths has jumped to 10 in the city.

10.13 am: Coronavirus news: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sets up $1 billion fund

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said on Tuesday that he has set aside a $1 billion fund to create a philanthropic venture which will be focused on global relief efforts for novel coronavirus pandemic.

10.00 am: Coronavirus live updates: India's active COVID-19 cases jump to 4,643; death toll at 149

India's total number of active novel coronavirus cases jumped to 4,643 on Wednesday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The country's death toll also rose to 149 from 124 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, 401 have been cured, discharged or migrated so far. The total number of active COVID-19 cases have jumped by 662 in the past 24 hours.

9.50 am: Maharashtra coronavirus news

A 44-year-old COVID-19 positive patient died in Pune on Wednesday, taking the total death toll to nine in the city. Maharashtra har reported 150 fresh novel coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as it remains the worst-affected state in the country. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra stand at 868. While, 56 patients are cured, migrated or discharged, the death toll in the state is at 48.

9.42 am: Haryana coronavirus cases

Haryana government has declared 13 areas in Faridabad as containment zones, where it will impose stricter measures to combat the further spread of novel coronavirus. This includes door-to-door scanning and stricter restrictions on movement in these 13 areas.

9.25 am: Coronavirus live updates: Dharmendra Pradhan tweets wife, daughter's home made masks

Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel on Tuesday tweeted home-made masks made by his wife and daughter. "We should all try and do our bit for society in these difficult times. Proud of my wife Mridula and daughter Naimisha who are making safety masks for all of us at home, and also for others who need it. No better time to hone your skills and learn new ones," he tweeted.

We should all try and do our bit for society in these difficult times. Proud of my wife Mridula and daughter Naimisha who are making safety masks for all of us at home, and also for others who need it. No better time to hone your skills and learn new ones. #Masks4All pic.twitter.com/YtGNZvj7VS - Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) April 7, 2020

9.15 am: Assam coronavirus news

A fresh COVID-19 case linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event was reported in Assam on Tuesday, taking the total number of novel coronavirus cases to 28 in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The 65-year-old man who tested positive for the respiratory infection, also has a travel history to Saudi Arabia, Biswa tweeted on Tuesday night.

Read more here: Coronavirus in Assam: Another COVID-19 positive case, total number stands at 28

9.07 am: Haryana coronavirus news

Haryana's Health Department on Tuesday released the state's medical bulletin regarding COVID-19. See here:-

Click here to Enlarge

9.00 am Coronavirus latest news

PM Modi will hold a meeting with Parliament's floor leaders of oppsition parties at 11 am today to discuss the ongoing situation in the wake of nationwide lockdown amid the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. The meeting will be held via video conferencing.

8.53 am: Himachal Pradesh coronavirus news

Nine Jamaatis were tested COVID-19 positive in Himachal Pradesh in a single day on Tuesday. They were staying in a Mosque in Kuthera, Una. Five out these nine jamaatis belong to Sirmaur district, one each from Solan and Una and two from Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, 20 out of 27 cases reported in Himachal Pradesh are Jamaatis.

8.44 am: Coronavirus updates: Scores of travellers leave Wuhan as China lifts bans

Thousands of travellers flocked to leave Wuhan as the China lifted the lockdown after more than two months on April 7. Scores of passengers reached the City's Wuchang station to catch the first trains. Wuhan was the epicentre of COVID-19 outbreak.

8.30 am: Coronavirus latest news: US sending aircraft, vessels frequently to South China Sea, says Chinese foreign ministry

China Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the United States (US) is sending aircraft and vessels frequently to the South China Sea, and is violating China's sovereignty. "We urge the US to put the priority on the outbreak response at home," it said.

While China is helping others in our fight against the pandemic, the US is sending aircraft and vessels frequently to the South China Sea, violating China's sovereignty. We urge the US to put the priority on the outbreak response at home. pic.twitter.com/32WiHIRywf - Spokesperson (@MFA_China) April 7, 2020

8.15 am: China coronavirus news

China has lifted the 76-day lockdown imposed on its COVID-19 epicentre Wuhan. The ban was removed at on April 7.

8.00 am: Coronavirus news: Trump criticises WHO; accuses it of being China-focused; threatens withholding funds from UN world health body

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday sharply criticised the World Health Organisation, blaming it of being too focused on China. Trump also accused the WHO of issuing bad advice during the COVID-19 outbreak. He threatened that he would put a hold on US funding for the agency.

Read more here: Trump says WHO China-centric, 'really blew it' on coronavirus

7.45 am: Coronavirus updates: ICMR constitutes national task force for COVID-19 research

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has constituted a national task force for novel coronavirus to immediately begin research studies and identify research priorities for clinical research, diagnostics and bio-markers, epidemiology and surveillance, vaccines and drug development.

7.30 am: Coronavirus India: Country's active COVID-19 cases at 4,312; death toll past 120

As per Union Health Ministry data, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 4,312, while the death toll stands at 124 as of now. India recorded nearly 500 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday

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
You have to be quite reckless to be seen like defending both United States (US) President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even if on the tiny issue of a two-rupee, or three cents a pill of a drug so old it was in the market for a full two years before I was born, and went off-patent when I was 32. Namely, hydroxycholoroquine (HCQ). And you must be absolutely nuts if at the same time you also take on anti-Americanism, the most durable of our ideological hypocrisies. Cast in titanium.

But after four decades in journalism and courting danger  and abuse  from all sides, let us do some plain-speaking.

To begin with, as the currently fashionable expression goes: Aap chronology samajhiye (Understand the timeline). It was in his daily White House press conference on March 19 that Trump first mentioned hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ as its popularly known. He said there had been encouraging results among coronavirus patients administered HCQ and Z-Pak (American brand name for antibiotic Azithromycin).

Trump can be accused of anything, but not understatement or discretion. So, he called this a game-changer. On March 21, he re-asserted this in a tweet. On March 22, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued a notification prescribing HCQ as a chemoprophylactic (preventive) for health personnel as well as family members looking after a Covid-19 patient. This set off a run on the drug.

While Trump was roundly attacked and ridiculed as usual in the American media for misusing his office to plug prescription medications, the US placed large orders with leading generic manufacturers in India. This fact was scooped by ThePrints fine health and pharma reporter Himani Chandna in a story published on March 22. Three days later, India notified a ban on export of HCQ.

Alarmed at the prospect of hoarding and panicky self-medication, the Centre issued a notification on March 26 listing it in Schedule H1, thereby restricting its retail sale.

Remember, the ban had come after the US, and likely also Brazil, had already placed orders and also paid some advances to private Indian firms for what was, after all, a routine, long off-patent, cheap drug. Or drugs, as Brazil wanted paracetamol too.

After Democrats and the media had had fun with Dr Trump, on March 20, New York governor and current liberal darling, Andrew Cuomo, told anchor Sean Hannity that hes getting 10,000 doses of HCQ and Azithromycin and releasing it for a trial on 1,100 patients in his state, now the global Covid-19 epicentre.

On Saturday (April 4) morning, Trump called Modi. In the evening, at his press conference, he said that he had requested Modi to release the supplies of HCQ we had ordered. He said Modi said he will consider it. He, of course, went on to say that they (India) make a lot of it, which is true. He further added that India also needs a lot of it (true), because it has 1.5 billion people (not true).

On Sunday (March 5) morning, Trump spoke with Modi again. In reply to a journalists question at his Monday evening (Washington time, remember, so around 4 am IST Tuesday) press briefing, he let it out that he had had another conversation with Modi on Sunday morning (Washington time) and that he was likely to release the HCQ, the US had ordered earlier. What if India says no, the reporter asked, will there be a retaliation? I dont believe that is what they are planning to do at all, said Trump, India and the US are doing very well with each other. And then added, as an afterthought, if they say no, of course there may be retaliation, why wouldnt that be?

We woke up to outrage on Tuesday morning. Trump twisted Modis arm and he gave in. India is down on its knees in front of the Americans again. Modi has sold Indian sovereignty and Covid-19 patients lives to Trump.

Now the little point I had deliberately excluded in my chronology, for suspense. Three respected media organisations, HT Groups Mint, The Hindu, and (please allow me to add) ThePrint, had reported on Monday, April 6, 12 to 18 hours before Trumps Monday evening presser, that India had already decided to lift the ban. In fact, The Hindu and Mint had recorded that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had called as well, and the ban was lifted for him too.

It was all done and dusted before Trump threatened this morning. Please do remember the time difference between Washington and New Delhi.

But facts are boring, you see. Why let facts come in the way of your tubelight outrage?

Paracetamol and HCQ are cheap, generic, mass-produced drugs long off-patent. India has the unique strength to make these for the world now. It should use it, not squat on it. The coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has made these drugs, usually sold in bulk, like a commodity, valuable to the world. If Heads of State are calling in for these, it is an opportunity for India. And by the way, the raw material or Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) for paracetamol comes from China. From Wuhan, in fact.

And surrender to America? What did we call it through the 1960s, when we lived a ship-to-mouth existence? It was also our most anti-American decade. Today, the Americans need an ordinary drug, and we must deny it to them? The reason we call unthinking anti-Americanism our most durable, cast-in-titanium hypocrisy.

By special arrangement with ThePrint

The views expressed are personal
[April 07, 2020] Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Files Securities Class Action Against Silver Lake Group, L.L.C., BC Partners LLP, Raymond Svider, and Justin Bateman

Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott+Scott"), an international securities and consumer rights litigation firm, today announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit against Silver Lake Group, L.L.C. ("Silver Lake"), BC Partners LLP ("BC Partners"), Raymond Svider ("Svider"), and Justin Bateman ("Bateman") (collectively, "Defendants"). The action, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and is captioned Hill v. Silver Lake Group, L.L.C., No. 3:20-cv-02341, asserts claims under 10(b), 20A, and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), 15 U.S.C. 78j(b), 78t-1, and 78t(a), on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of Intelsat (News - Alert) S.A. ("Intelsat" or the "Company") (NYSE: I) from November 5, 2019 through November 18, 2019,both dates inclusive (the "Class Period").



Intelsat is a satellite operator that provides TV and radio communications. The complaint alleges that Defendants violated provisions of the Exchange Act by selling a block of Intelsat shares while in possession of material non-public information, including that Intelsat had met with the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC (News - Alert)") on November 5, 2019, to discuss the private sale of certain wavebands controlled by Intelsat for future "5G" use (the "C-Band") and that the FCC opposed Intelsat's then-existing proposal, instead favoring a public auction rather than private sale of the C-Band.

On November 18, 2019, after the FCC announced that it would publicly auction the C-Band that Intelsat had been hoping to sell privately, Intelsat's share price declined 40% to close at $8.03 per share. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than 60 days from the date of this notice. Any member of the proposed class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice or may choose to do nothing and remain a member of the proposed class. If you wish to discuss this action, or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff's counsel, Jonathan Zimmerman of Scott+Scott at (888) 398-9312, or via email at [email protected]. About Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major securities, antitrust, and consumer rights actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Connecticut, California, Ohio, and Virginia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005864/en/

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Va Tech Wabag hit an upper circuit of 5% at Rs 81.90 after the company said it secured a five-year operation & maintenance contract in Al Madina Al Shamaliya (AMAS) sewage treatment plant in Kingdom of Bahrain.

VA Tech Wabag on Tuesday (7 April) said it has secured 4.5 million Bahraini Dinar (approximately Rs 90 crore) order from Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning ('MoW') in Kingdom of Bahrain towards operation, maintenance and management of the Madinat Salman sewage treatment plant and long sea outfall for a period of 5 years.

Commenting on this order, Deep Raj Saxena, CEO-Middle East and Africa Cluster said, The new order provides annuity income which helps us with improved cash flow and better revenue predictability.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the company said that ICRA has revised its long term fund based facilities rating of the company to ICRA A (Negative) from ICRA A+ (Negative).

Non-fund based facilities (long/short term) is revised to ICRA] A(Negative)/[ICRA]A2+ from [ICRA]A+ (Negative)/[ICRA]A1.

Proposed facilities (long/short term) is revised to [ICRA]A(Negative)/[ICRA]A2+ from [ICRA]A+(Negative)/[ICRA]A1.

The company's liquidity continues to remain adequate with cash flow which witnessed an improvement in 9MFY2020 and cash balance as on 31 December 2019 stood at Rs 310.2 crore, of which Rs 229.2 crore is free cash. The ratings continue to positively factor in the established position of company in the water infrastructure business, equipped with the technical know-how of proprietary, licensed technology, a strong management team and comfort from the healthy order book worth Rs 10,800 crore as on December 2019, which provides revenue visibility for the company in the medium term.

On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit surged 99.61% to Rs 30.78 crore on a 2.65% decline in net sales to Rs 679.44 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018.

VA Tech Wabag act as a systems specialist and full service provider with a focus on the planning, installation and operation of drinking and waste water plants for local government and industry in the growth markets of Asia, North Africa, Middle East, the Central and Eastern Europe.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/08/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Ed Brown was shown traveling to Rosemarie Vega 's home in a remote village in the Philippines during the latest episode of : Before the 90 Days, and he admits the conditions and dangers were far worse than he ever imagined.Ed, a 54-year-old San Diego, CA, and Rosemarie, a 23-year-old from Caloocan, Philippines -- which is about three hours from the city of Manila -- are one of the couples currently starring on Season 4 of : Before the 90 Days on TLC.After meeting for the first time in person and spending a couple of nights in a nice hotel, Ed traveled to Rose's village to meet her parents, siblings, and four-year-old son Prince."First of all, I didn't know what I was getting myself into," Ed admitted to Us Weekly on Friday."I can't really talk about that too much, but I was in fear of my life. There was one night where I didn't think I was gonna to make it, and that's the honest to God truth."When Ed arrived in Rose's town, he immediately admitted he was "scared" on Sunday night's episode.There were stray dogs and chickens running around, trash in the streets, and tiny vendor carts -- including one that belonged to Rose's sister Maria, who sold flip flops.Ed seemed even more surprised when he walked into Rose's home."It's all open up above and they don't really have a front door. It's just a curtain of CD covers, and it's all concrete with sheets hanging and covering to, I guess, make it more homely," Ed told the cameras, as he was sweating from the heat and lack of air conditioning."I expected it to be pretty bad, but this is really bad."Ed revealed his 29-year-old daughter Tiffany was "worried" for his safety prior to his flight out of the United States."I wasn't listening to what my daughter was saying. She cared about me, but I thought she didn't," Ed explained."In my mind, I'm thinking, 'Oh, she doesn't want to share me with anybody else.' But that wasn't it at all. She doesn't have a problem sharing me with another family, but she was worried about my safety."Fans will watch Ed and Rose's relationship unfold on the show, but Ed expressed concern Rose might've viewed him as her ticket out of the Philippines. Ed was afraid Rose wanted to move to America for a better life -- and not for love.While Ed brought an engagement ring with him to the Philippines, he wasn't going to propose unless he felt completely certain he and Rose would have a happy future together and they both felt confident in the relationship.As for the current status of their romance, Ed played coy as to not reveal any spoilers."The only thing I can say is I got a bigger house and that's all I can say about that. I'm definitely in love," Ed insisted. "[And] things are much better with my daughter [Tiffany]."Ed added that he has "no" regrets and is "absolutely, 100 percent" happy with where things are in his life."Falling in love again after [more than] 20 years was the most scary and the most wonderful thing I've ever done," Ed shared with Us."I have a new chapter in my life, there's a new chapter in our lives and [Rose and I are] both very happy."To read spoilers on what happened between Ed and Rose and whether they are still together, click here : Before the 90 Days' fourth season currently airs on Sunday nights at 8PM ET/PT on TLC.Want spoilers? Click here to visit our Spoilers webpage!
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Congo, says there are so far 10, 000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) reported in 52 Africa countries.

The UNs health agency gave the update on its official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Wednesday.

There are over 10,000 COVID-19 cases reported across 52 countries in Africa; initially, mainly confined to capital cities, a significant number of countries in Africa are now reporting cases in multiple provinces, it stated.

The breakdown in the WHO African Region COVID-19 dashboard showed that South Africa, Algeria and Cameroon had continued to top the list of countries with the highest reported cases.

South Africa has 1,749 cases and 13 deaths followed by Algeria 1,468 cases with 194 deaths and Cameroon, 650 confirmed cases with nine deaths.

It also showed that the country with the lowest confirmed case is South Sudan, which has reported only one case.

The second lowest confirmed case of COVID-19 in Africa is Burundi, which has reported three confirmed cases.

Two countries, Gambia and Sao Tome have confirmed four cases each, making them 3rd in the category of countries with lowest cases.

Meanwhile, Gambia has recorded its first death from COVID-19.

Also, the dashboard showed that COVID-19 cases had risen to 254 in the past 24 hours from 238 confirmed cases with six deaths in Nigeria.

However, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, raised concerns over the high cases of the virus reported on the continent.

READ ALSO:

Ms Moeti, in her twitter account @MoetiTshidi, said COVID-19 cases in Africa had risen to more than 10,000.

Tackling this pandemic requires a decentralised response. Communities must be empowered and get the resources and expertise needed to tackle outbreaks locally.

She gave the breakdown of the figures to over 10, 000 cumulative confirmed cases reported, over 500 deaths and over 900 recoveries.

South Africa is the most affected with over 1,600 cases reported, Ms Moeti said.

(NAN)
In a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Montgomery County Hospital District announced updates on the countys still developing coronavirus outbreak, including when a rise in cases is expected.

Montgomery County will experience a big increase of COVID-19 cases in mid-April, MCHD EMS Chief James Campbell said during the meeting primarily held at the administration building in Conroe.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: 7 of 11 Houston COVID-19 deaths were African American

Our big increase is going to be as we predicted, Campbell said.

Data and comparable county tracking in southeast Texas, Campbell explained, projects a regional peak in COVID-19 cases around the first two weeks of May.

Hopefully weve overshot the mark. Better to be overprepared than unprepared, MCHD CEO Randy Johnson said in response.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Montgomery County extends disaster declaration for 30 additional days

The meeting was open to the public through teleconference only due to a temporary state restriction on public meetings during the viral pandemic. The public was asked to submit questions via email prior to the 2 p.m. meeting which also included MCHDs COO Melissa Miller, its medical director, Dr. Robert Dickson. and its seven-member board of directors.

Johnson addressed questions sent in via email, including one regarding PPE availability in the district.

We have plenty of N95 masks, but were concerned were going to run out of N95 masks in the weeks to come. As a result, we also have a sterilization system weve been using, Johnson said, adding repurposed masks are not being used.

MORE FROM JOSE R. GONZALEZ: Conroe firefighters stay safe, protected while working under coronavirus threat

Miller said the district has paid for most COVID-19 test kits at market value and is waiting for a back order from the state set for release in August, adding official requests for tests began in early March. Johnson said delivery of 500 test kits from China are expected by the middle of next week.

Though people are testing positive for COVID-19 outside the two labs MCHD is using, these results are being reported to the district. But negative results are not, Miller pointed out.

Theres no way of knowing how many total tests have been done, Miller said. All we know are the results we get back.

As of Tuesday afternoon, COVID-19 cases in Montgomery County were just three short of 200. The death of a fourth county resident was also reported.

Hospitals have reported traffic is down because people are afraid to go, Johnson mentioned in the meeting.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
A nurse protests on Friday over the lack of personal protective gear available at UCI Medical Center in Orange. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

Santa Clara County issued an order Wednesday asking individuals and businesses to report if they had ventilators or large inventories of personal protective equipment in anticipation of a forthcoming shortage as cases of the novel coronavirus continued to rise.

The county currently has a sufficient supply of equipment, but officials are preparing for an immediate need for more supplies beyond what state and federal government may be able to provide.

The order came one day after the county confirmed 1,380 COVID-19 cases and 46 deaths. Silicon Valley has been one of the hardest-hit parts of California.

The intent is to ensure we have comprehensive collective information about what PPE exists across the community, said Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health department director. Officials anticipate that most individuals will not need to report any equipment. Information on those who do report their gear will remain confidential, county counsel James Williams said.

Individuals and businesses that have more than a minimum supply of equipment are expected to report to the county by April 15. That includes anyone with:

 More than 5,000 nitrile or vinyl gloves

 Over 500 N95 masks

 501-plus surgical or procedure masks

 More than 100 safety goggles and face shields

 Over a gallon of hand santizer

 Any ventilator

"The order is about protecting the people who protect us, Williams said. Were sheltering at home. These people are out there on the front lines protecting people who are infected. We need to protect the protectors.
opinion

Since the charge against the defendants was brought under a regulation that has not been approved by the House of Assembly as required by law, the entire case - from the charge sheet, to arraignment, conviction and sentencing of Funke and her husband, is a nullity.

Introduction

The trial and conviction of actress Funke Akindele and her husband is legally flawed. The fact that they pleaded guilty does not foreclose a discussion on the case because the flaws that I intend to highlight are constitutional and jurisdictional in nature. Issues of jurisdiction can be raised at any time.

I have read the following: The Charge Sheet filed by the office of the attorney general of Lagos State against Funke and her husband: the Public Health Law Cap. P16 Vol. 9 Laws of Lagos State, 2015; and the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020.

I submit that Funke Akindele and her husband (the defendants) were convicted for a non-existent offence. The charge sheet shows that the two defendants were arraigned on a one count charge for gathering with more than twenty persons, contrary "to the social distancing directives of Mr. Governor of Lagos State."

Defendants Charged For An Offence That Is Unknown To Law

The charge sheet against the defendants also states that the said social distancing directive contravened by the defendants was issued by the governor in line with the regulations made by the governor, pursuant to the Public Health Law. In other words, the defendants were not charged under the Quarantine Act.

They were charged under Section 58 of the Public Health Law of Lagos State. For clarity, Section 58 of the Public Health Law cited in the charge sheet provides as follows:

"For any contravention of the provisions of this Law or any Regulation made under this Law for which no other penalty is provided, the offender commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) or to any non-custodial sentence and if a corporate body, to a fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00)."

The defendants were convicted for gathering with more than twenty persons. The material question is: Is it an offence under the Public Health Law or Infectious Disease Regulations to do so? There is no provision under the Public Health Law or Infectious Disease Regulations that makes gathering with more than twenty persons a criminal offence.

The Infectious Disease Regulations purport to give the governor the power to issue the social distancing directive. The legal defect in the directive on gathering is that it cannot be the basis for criminal liability. A subsidiary legislation like the Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 derives its authority and validity from a substantive law (the principal legislation). The regulations cannot extend such authority.

Since the Quarantine Act and the Public Health Law of Lagos State specifically limit offences to contravention of regulations made by the governor, it is outright illegality to charge Funke Akindele and her husband for contravening a directive of the governor (which is outside the regulations itself). See Din V. Attorney-General of the Federation (1988) 4 NWLR (Pt.87) 147.

An act or omission is only a crime if it is so prescribed in a written law. By virtue of Section 36 (12) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), every person is guaranteed the fundamental right not to be convicted unless the offence is defined and the penalty is prescribed in a written law. It states as follows:

"Subject as otherwise provided by this Constitution, a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offence unless that offence is defined and the penalty therefor is prescribed in a written law, and in this subsection, a written law refers to an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of a State, any subsidiary legislation or instrument under the provisions of a law."

Let me reiterate that the governor's social distancing directive that restrict gathering in Lagos State, which the defendants purportedly contravened, is not an Act of the National Assembly, or a law of the Lagos State House of Assembly, neither is it a subsidiary legislation or an instrument under the provisions of the law.

Therefore, by the authority of Section 36 (12) of the Constitution, and the Supreme Court decision in Aoko V. Fagbemi & Ors. (1961) 1 All NLR 400, the conviction of Funke Akindele and her husband is unconstitutional.

As I contended earlier, there is no provision in the Public Health Law of Lagos State or the Infectious Disease Regulations that makes a gathering of more than twenty persons or any gathering for that matter a criminal offence.

Regulation 8 (1) (a) of the Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 cited in the charge sheet against the defendants provides thus:

8(1) "The Governor may -

a) restrict or prohibit the gathering of persons in the Local Area, such as conferences, meetings, festivals, private events, religious services, public visits, and such other events, save where the written approval of the Governor is obtained for such gathering."

The above provision does not codify any offence. It only empowers the governor to restrict or prohibit gathering. The Infectious Disease Regulations 2020 should have expressly and specifically prescribed that gathering is restricted and prohibited in Lagos State before it can be relied upon to convict a violator in line with Section 36 (12) of the Constitution.

Since neither the Public Health Law of Lagos State nor the Infectious Disease Regulations has prescribed that gathering is an offence, the purported directive of Governor Sanwo-Olu remains an advisory.

The Court of Appeal in the case of Faith Okafar V. Governor of Lagos State & Anor. (2016) LPELR-41066 (CA) made it abundantly clear that the directive or order of a governor is not a law and that violation of same cannot result in criminal liability.

Competing Regulations and Doctrine of Covering the Field

The Infectious Disease Regulations was made by Governor Sanwo-Olu pursuant to Section 8 of the Quarantine Act Cap. Q2 LFN 2004 and the Public Health Law of Lagos State. However, Section 8 of the Quarantine Act only empowers the governor to make such regulations, where the president fails to do so.

On March, 30, President Buhari issued the COVID-19 Regulations. In his regulations, the president made specific provisions restricting movement and imposing a lockdown in Lagos State. By the constitutional doctrine of covering the field, the regulations made by Governor Sanwo-Olu went into abeyance the moment the regulations made by President Buhari came into effect. Both cannot coexist.

The doctrine of covering the field was applied in the case of Attorney General of Ogun State V. Attorney General of the Federation (1982) 1-2 S.C. (Reprint) 7. where the Supreme Court per Fatayi-Williams, JSC, declared that the Public Order Act 1979 repealed all existing State laws on public order.

The Governor Has No Power To Make Regulations Under the Public Health Law

It should be further noted that under Section 53 of the Lagos State Public Health Law, the power to make regulations pursuant to that law is expressly vested in the Commissioner for Health; not in the governor. This raises more serious legal questions on the validity of the Infectious Disease Regulations issued by the governor.

Regulations Require the Approval of the House of Assembly

Section 1 (1) of the Regulations Approval Law Chapter R4 Laws of Lagos State 2015 unequivocally provides as follows:

"Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in any Law in the State, no regulation shall have effect unless laid before and approved by the House of Assembly."

Section 3 of the Regulations Approval Law further mandate that "all regulations made pursuant to the provisions of any enactment in the State shall be published in the Official Gazette after its approval by the House of Assembly."

The inescapable consequence of the above condition stipulated in Section 1 (1) of the Regulations Approval Law is that the Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 issued by Governor Sanwo-Olu to tackle coronavirus pandemic has not taken effect since it is yet to be laid before and approved by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Since the charge against the defendants was brought under a regulation that has not been approved by the House of Assembly as required by law, the entire case - from the charge sheet, to arraignment, conviction and sentencing of Funke and her husband, is a nullity.

We cannot put something on nothing. This singular point is enough to nullify the conviction.

The Punishment Imposed Exceeds the Law

Apart from the above legal flaws, the punishment imposed on the defendants by the trial court is clearly overreaching and illegal. Section 58 of the Public Health Law of Lagos State under which Funke Akindele and her husband were convicted provides for only two forms of punishment. It provides as follows:

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"For any contravention of the provisions of this Law or any Regulation made under this Law for which no other penalty is provided, the offender commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) or to any non-custodial sentence and if a corporate body, to a fine of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00)."

The trial court sentenced Funke Akindele and her husband to 14 days community service each, to start from 9.00 a.m. to 12 noon each day during which they are to sensitise the public on the COVID-19 pandemic in ten major areas of the state. They are also to pay a fine of N100, 000 each, after which they would observe the period for isolation.

The implication of the expression "OR" as used in Section 58 of the Public Health Law is that the court can either impose a fine or a non-custodial sentence; the trial court cannot impose both.

The 14 days community service cum public enlightenment and the self-isolation imposed on Funke Akindele and her husband can be regarded as a non-custodial sentence. It was wrong for the trial court to additionally impose a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) on each of the defendants.

Conclusion

The sum total of my submissions is that the conviction of Mrs. Funke Akindele and her husband cannot stand in law. They have the right to appeal against the judgment of the Magistrate Court to the High Court. I believe that the appellate courts will set aside the conviction.

Two possible options are available to the Lagos State Government if the restriction of movement is to be enforced through prosecution of offenders:

It is either the State commissioner for Health issues fresh regulations pursuant to Public Health Law (this may be susceptible to the doctrine of covering the field) or the attorney general of Lagos State invokes the COVID-19 Regulations made by President Buhari pursuant to the Quarantine Act to punish subsequent violators.

Notwithstanding the above, the judgment of the Magistrate Court remains binding until it is set aside on appeal.

Email: inibehe.effiong@gmail.com
Avocados may be native to Central America but it was Australian cafes that made smashed avo a global phenomenon.

Darlinghurst restaurant Bills is often credited as the first to serve avocado toast when chef Bill Granger put the simple dish on his menu in 1993.

That recipe became a signature dish, The New Yorker reported, and eventually, it turned into a millennial cliche.

Avocado farmers are taking a hit after cafes were forced to only serve takeaway due to the coronavirus. Credit:Louise Kennerley

By 2017, The Urban List was publishing 50 smashed avos you should have tried in Sydney.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 1.6 million people have now been tested for coronavirus in the United States after the first confirmed case was reported on January 21.

In hindsight, the U.S. still lags behind countries when it comes to testing per capita. By population, that means the U.S. tested about one in every 185 people in comparison. According to their official coronavirus tracking websites, South Korea, Italy, and Germany tested one out of every 119 people, one out of 104 people, and one out of 90 people, respectively.

"We've tested more now than any nation in the world," United States President Donald Trump declared. "We've got these great tests, and we're coming out with a faster one this week."

During a White House conference last Sunday, the president expressed hope in seeing the hotspots leveling off. He then called for the immediate distribution of the stimulus checks.

Many critics considered the U.S. was too late to contain the virus as there was not enough early testing that could have allegedly prevented the outbreak.

As much as possible, the U.S. must continue to test more people and isolate and treat the infected.

Check these out:

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Trump is hopeful that the country will soon see the end of this crisis. "In the days ahead, America will endure the peak of this terrible pandemic."

He adds that New York City will be seeing to the arrival of 600,000 N95 masks as per the request of Mayor Bill de Blasio. An additional 200,000 are being sent to Long Island. Meanwhile, New Jersey, Louisiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Massachusetts are waiting for the ventilators provided by the government that is to be sent by the hundreds.

"I'd be lying to you if I say he hasn't been responsive to our needs." California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted last Wednesday with transparency regarding the response of the Trump administration to the health crisis. "He has. And so, as a sort of an offer of objectivity, I have to acknowledge that publicly."

Every time Newsom tries to call the president, he reaches him as quickly as he gets on the line. Upon asking for assistance and support for the Mercy ship in Southern California, Trump was able to address that need in real-time.

"We've got 2,000 of these field medical sites that are up," Newsom says, adding that most of them were functioning now because of Trump's support. "Those are the facts."

Trump remarked that New York has seen its first drop in daily coronavirus deaths. Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo explains that the discharge rate in New York has gone "way up." Hospitals have also seen a decline in intensive-care admissions, which is great news.

Criticism Where It Is Due

Up until recently, Trump and Democrats have been hurling complaints and criticisms of each other's performances. Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker expressed his displeasure over the lack of ventilators provided to his state.

"Pritzker...He's always complaining," President Trump says during a White House conference. "You're not able to do what you are supposed to be able to do as a governor. He has not performed well."

After a press briefing, Vice President Mike Pence said he discussed with Pritzker. According to the latter, he was highly appreciative that "our Army Corps of Engineers had constructed 500 beds at McCormick Place, and before the end of this week would construct another 2,500 beds for an overflow health facility in Chicago."

Pence adds that they have sent 600 ventilators to Illinois, even reassuring both the governor and mayor that Michigan and Illinois are still part of their priorities. "At the president's direction, we're gonna make sure that the people of Illinois and the people of Michigan have the resources, equipment, and support that they need."
A Buddhist community in Uttarakhand's Dehradun has donated Rs 23 lakh to the Chief Minister Relief Fund to assist the fight against the menace of coronavirus in the state.

The community leaders, including spiritual leaders HH Shakritajin, HH Ratna Vajra Shakya and HH Gyan Vajra Shakya, presented the cheque for the amount to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday.

Rawat expressed his gratitude and said that the entire humanity is fighting against COVID-19 and added that the cooperation and joint efforts will win from this epidemic.

This comes as a total of 32 positive cases have been reported in Uttarakhand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Extra resources to fight the coronavirus pandemic have poured into New York City, beefing up our over-burdened public hospital system.

Which means that Staten Island has gotten left out of a lot of it, because we dont have a public hospital in the borough.

Some things even deadly COVID-19 cant change.

The most recent example came on Monday, when the Advance reported that Staten Island would receive none of the military medical personnel deployed to the city by the federal government.

Mayor Bill de Blasio had asked the feds for close to 1,500 military personnel, including doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists, to help us battle the pandemic. Just 291 have been assigned to the city so far.

But the number for Staten Island was zero either way because all of the military medical personnel deployed here were ticketed to serve in the NYC Health + Hospitals system, which, again, Staten Island is not a part of.

The Island was also left wanting last week, when de Blasio announced that the city would send additional resources to H + H hospitals. The city health system would receive an additional 3,000 intensive care beds; more than 2,500 doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and free COVID-19 testing for staff.

Again, there are no city hospitals on Staten Island, so we didnt get the benefit of that surge. Even though we are part of New York City. Even though we are fighting this pandemic just like the other four boroughs.

This is not to say that Staten Island has been totally ignored during the pandemic.

We got the first drive-through coronavirus testing facility in the city, on the grounds of South Beach Psychiatric Center. We got a 262-bed temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients on the same site. We expect a hospital facility to open on the College of Staten Island campus. Staten Islands private hospitals have gotten protective gear and things like ventilators sent their way.

So were not totally out in the cold.

But it rankled to hear de Blasio talking about a military-style surge in resources being sent to city hospitals to fight the virus, knowing all the while that Staten Island is out of that magic circle because we dont have a city hospital here.

Its been a long-standing question: Why hasnt the city built at least one public hospital here? Its especially important given how un-insured, under-insured or indigent people, as well as those in the country illegally, use our private hospital emergency rooms like the rest of us use primary care physicians.

Some will tell you that we dont need a public hospital, that we have plenty of beds here on any given day. We dont need to add capacity.

Some will point to the fact that city hospital might provide unwelcome competition for private hospital systems.

But it comes down to fairness. We should have what other boroughs have. And the city cant always provide direct funding to private institutions.

The question of why we dont have a public hospital here is going to come up again once the pandemic passes. As is the overall question of city health spending on Staten Island. How much of an obligation does the city have to help care for the indigent and un-insured here? Isnt the city better equipped to absorb those costs? Its a question that weve been asking since well before de Blasio ever took office.

Secession has taken a back seat to COVID-19 over the last month or so. But its issues like this that make Staten Islanders wonder if theyd be better off leaving New York City.
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who study endangered beluga whales in Alaskas Cook Inlet used artificial intelligence to reduce the time they spend on analysis by 93%.

Researchers have acoustically monitored beluga whales in the waterway since 2008, but acoustic data analysis is labor-intensive because automated detection tools are relatively archaic in our field, Manuel Castellote, a NOAA affiliate scientist, told GCN. By improving the analysis process, we would provide results sooner, and our research would become more efficient.

The analysis typically gets hung up in the process of validating the data because detectors pick up any acoustic signal that is similar to that of a beluga whales call or whistle. As a result, researchers get many false detections, including noise from vessel propellers, ice friction and even birds at the surface in shallow areas, Castellote said.

A machine learning model that could distinguish between actual whale calls and other sounds would provide highly accurate validation output and replace the effort of a human analyst going through thousands of detections to validate the ones corresponding to beluga, he said.

The researchers used Microsoft AI products to develop a model with a deep neural network, a convolutional neural network, a deep residual network, and a densely connected convolutional neural network. The resulting detector that is an ensemble of these four AI models is more accurate than each of the independent models, Castellote said.

Heres how it works: Twice a year, researchers recover acoustic recorders from the seafloor. A semi-automated detector has been extracting the data and processing it, looking for tones in the recordings. It yields thousands  sometimes hundreds of thousands  of detections per dataset.

The team used the collection of recordings with annotated detections -- both actual beluga calls and false positives -- that it has amassed in the past 12 years to train the AI and ML tools.

Now, instead of having a data analyst sit in front of a computer for seven to 14 days to validate all these detections one by one, the unvalidated detection log is used by the ensemble model to check the recordings and validate all the detections in the log in four to five hours, Castellote said. The validated log is then used to generate plots of beluga seasonal presence in each monitored location. These results are useful to inform management decisions.

With the significant time theyre saving, researchers can increase the number of recorders they send to the seafloor each season and focus on other aspects of data analysis, such as understanding where belugas feed based on the sounds they make when hunting prey, Castellote said. They can also study human-made noise to identify activity in the area that might harm the whales.

The team is now moving into the second phase of its collaboration with Microsoft, which involves cutting the semi-automated detector out of the process and instead applying ML directly to the sound recordings. The streamlined process will search for signals from raw data, rather than using a detection log to validate pre-detected signals.

This allows widening the detection process from beluga only to all cetaceans inhabiting Cook Inlet, Castellote said. Furthermore, it allows incorporating other target signals to be detected and classified  [such as] human-made noise.  Once the detection and classification processes are implemented, this approach will allow covering multiple objectives at once in our data analysis.

Castellotes colleague, Erin Moreland, will use AI this spring to monitor other mammals, too, including ice seals and polar bears. A NOAA turboprop airplane outfitted with AI-enabled cameras will fly over the Beaufort Sea scanning and classifying the imagery to produce a population count that will be ready in hours instead of months, according to a Microsoft blog post.

The work is in line with a larger NOAA push for more AI in research. On Feb. 18, the agency finalized the NOAA Artificial Intelligence Strategy. It lists five goals for using AI, including establishing organizational structures and processes to advance AI agencywide, using AI research in support of NOAAs mission and accelerating the transition of AI research to applications.

Castellote said the ensemble deep learning model hes using could easily be applied to other acoustic signal research.

A code module was built to allow retraining the ensemble, he said. Thus, any other project focused on different species (and soon human-made noise) can adapt the machine learning model to detect and classify signals of interest in their data.

Specifics about the model are available on GitHub.
Pakistan recorded a sudden spike of 577 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients to 4,005 on Tuesday.

A senior official warned that the situation can go out of hands.

According to Ministry of National Health Services, Punjab registered the maximum number of 2,004 cases, followed by Sindh 986, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 500, Gilgit-Baltistan 211, Balochistan 202, Islamabad 83 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 19.

So far 54 people died due to the disease, while 429 have recovered.

As many as 39,183 people have been tested so far.

At least 50 prisoners in worst-hit Punjab province have tested coronavirus positive.

Inspector General Prisons Shahid Baig told PTI that some 20 cases have been reported in the camp jail Lahore and the remaining in others.

Baig said the outbreak stemmed from a Pakistani citizen who was arrested over narcotics smuggling in Italy and handed over to Pakistan last month. He was diagnosed on March 23.

The increase in the number of new cases came despite hectic efforts by the government to curtail the spread of the deadly infection.

The government has extended partial lockdown till April 14 and constantly asking people to stay indoors and follow social distancing.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday directed his commanders to provide full support to the federal and provincial governments in combating the novel coronavirus pandemic

Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab termed the sudden increase in the COVID-19 cases as a big threat and urged people to follow guidelines before it is too late.

"Pakistan got its 1st COVID-19 patient on 26th February. We got our 1000th patient in 29 days. The 2000th patient in 7 days, 3000th patient in 5 days & probably the 4000th patient in 3 days. This is how serious the situation is. Pakistaniyo plz wake up before it is too late," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, a 64-year-old doctor died due to coronavirus at a hospital in Sindh where he was admitted after his condition started worsening.

Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro became the first health worker to succumb to the deadly infection in Sindh, fanning concerns among health professionals who have been vigorously demanding steps for the protection of their colleagues.

Addressing a press conference, Planning Minister Asad Umar along with Advisor on Health, Zafar Mirza, said the government has provided 39,500 personal protective kits to the provinces so far, while further medical equipment, including ventilators, will be provided directly to the hospitals from Thursday.

They said Pakistan has a capacity of performing 3,000 coronavirus tests per day in 18 functional laboratories across the country, which would be enhanced to 25,000 per day by the end of this month.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has also announced Rs 1,200 billion financial package to help vulnerable people and businesses.

Meanwhile, medical staff across Pakistan have complained for weeks over the severe shortages of safety equipment in hospitals as they treat patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Police on Monday arrested doctors and medical staff in Balochistan for protesting over the lack of protective gears.

According to President Young Doctors Association Yasir Khan, more than 150 doctors and paramedics have been arrested.

The doctors and medical staff wanted to protest outside the Chief Minister House when the police baton-charged them.

The protest came after more than a dozen doctors contracted the virus reportedly while discharging their duties.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Monday criticised the government for lack of efforts to combat the coronavirus, saying "nothing is being done on ground".
Up to 16,000 nursing home residents in potential petri dishes of infection are at risk unless immediate coronavirus testing begins, healthcare workers in Northern Ireland have said.

A total of 20 care homes have cases of Covid-19, Stormont health minister Robin Swann said, and trade unionists warned they were particularly vulnerable.

Unison union regional secretary Patricia McKeown represents workers in the sector and said they have the least personal protective equipment and the most exposure.

She said: We are calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to make immediate additional resources available to the entire sector in the form of a dedicated testing programme, and revised guidance for healthcare workers in the homes and in community care with additional personal protective equipment as standard.

She said the vulnerable elderly population also needs protection.

Our care homes have up to 16,000 residents, all at risk.

The homes have the potential to become petri dishes for the virus unless immediate testing, isolation and tracking commences.

Ms McKeown called for reassurance on how the risk of transmission within homes is being reduced.

We will not accept any delays in providing the right personal protective equipment to workers in our care homes.

Employers, our health trusts and the Department of Health must ensure all care homes are properly supplied.

Social care in the community and in nursing home settings cannot be the poor relation when it comes to protecting service-users and workers

Health minister Robin Swann said extra protective equipment is arriving and there is no reason why homes should not have access to it.

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Throughout New Jersey and the world, health care providers are on the front lines when it comes to combatting the coronavirus.

It is a fact that Brian Lawrence, President and CEO of the Fellowship Village Senior Living community in Basking Ridge, knows all too well. And it is why he wanted to make sure those facing the challenges of performing those duties on a daily basis know how appreciated they truly are.

At the 6:40 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. shift changes Tuesday, health care providers at the Somerset County facility were greeted with a round of applause from the leadership team and received gift bags with Jersey Mikes Subs and a bagel to go along with a net $100 that will be added to their check on payday.

Weve all been working very hard here. The whole team," Lawrence said. "We have over 500 people that work here throughout the various parts of the organization.

"Everyone has been fabulous throughout the whole process, but especially the front-line health care workers who are in the thick of it every day. They have the most stressful job out of everyone because theres so much demand that has been put on them. Its a challenge.

The idea of honoring its health care workers had been in the works for a couple weeks, Lawrence said, as they tried to figure out the best way to do so.

That falls in line with what Lawrence said has been an important part of the organization, crisis or not, to make sure that the health care providers know that they truly are appreciated.

Administrators turned out to thank front line staff for their hard work at Fellowship Village senior living retirement center in Basking Ridge, N.J. April, 7, 2020 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

As a good employer, you want people to know consistently that we appreciate them. We try that our best," Lawrence said. "Were a non-profit organization thats been around for 25 years. Were thoughtful of that on an annual basis but especially during a crisis.

"People are overwhelmed. Its not just them working here, but their families are impacted and they have kids that need to be home schooled. Its not only the pressures of the work life, but the home life as well. And they still come in and take care of our residents and patients and clients so that they can live productive lives.

"We want to recognize and say that we appreciate you, especially during this crisis. Theyre still coming to work and putting a smile on their face and helping out residents live each day. Were very thankful for that.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Azerbaijan is taking all measures to avoid increasing the number of infected people and protect the health of the population, the country's chief infectiologist Jalal Isayev told Trend on April 8.

Isayev said that thanks to preventive measures, in comparison with many countries, the disease is not so widespread in Azerbaijan presently, but this does not mean that the country is safe from the pandemic.

Hundreds of people die every day in the developed countries of the world, and the health system cannot cope with the treatment of this disease. However, the Azerbaijani authorities mobilized all the possibilities in order to protect the populations health, he said.

Isayev added that it is planned to open modern clinics that will be built in Baku and a number of regions, using new technologies and equipped with all necessary equipment.

He said that every resident of Azerbaijan should be responsible in order to protect himself from infection, and comply with the rules introduced by the state, adding that this is the only way to prevent the wide spread of the disease.
A preacher has was questioned by police in bizarre scenes outside St Thomas's Hospital, where Boris Johnson remains in intensive care.

The man, dressed in all white, appeared to be given a yelling by officers as he posed with a smart phone on a selfie stick.

It is unclear why the preacher was stopped by officers, who led him away from the hospital despite his protests.

There was a heavy police presence outside the building, where the Prime Minister remains in intensive care.

A preacher is questioned by the police outside St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster in central London where Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care

Mr Johnson is making 'steady progress', Downing Street said tonight, in his battle against coronavirus

Mr Johnson is making 'steady progress', Downing Street said tonight.

A spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister continues to make steady progress. He remains in intensive care.'

However, there are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.

Today, at the government's daily press conference, MailOnline asked Chancellor Rishi Sunak about Mr Johnson's care in Downing Street and officials' social distancing prior to his isolation.

But the Chancellor instead focused on the care he has received in hospital.

He said: 'I think the Prime Minister has received excellent care and advice every step of the process.

The man, in all-white, was given a dressing down by police officer before being moved on

There was a heavy police presence outside the building, where the Prime Minister remains in intensive care

'At the end of the day, we're all trying our absolute best, none of us are superhuman and impervious to getting sick during this process and that's what makes this whole thing so awful for all of us. But as I've observed and seen, the advice, the care has been excellent, not just beforehand but especially now at St Thomas'.'

Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS England medical director, added: 'I'm absolutely confident the Prime Minister has and is receiving excellent medical care.

'I'm not his physician, he will have been advised by his own doctors, but I do know colleagues at St Thomas' Hospital, in fact a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to visit St Thomas' Hospital, visit some of the critical care consultants, and I can't tell you how impressed I was.'

But they declined to discuss the medical care Mr Johnson had received before he entered hospital.

The UK's coronavirus outbreak is slowing, Government experts say - despite the death toll jumping by a record high of 938, overtaking Italy's worst-ever day (919) during its COVID-19 crisis.

Official figures show the number of Britons who have died in hospital after testing positive for the life-threatening illness is now 7,097 - more than double the tally of China, where the pandemic began in December.

But Number 10's deputy chief scientific adviser Professor Angela McLean reassured Britons that the outbreak was not 'out of control', pointing to the figures showing the deceleration of hospital admissions and cases and calling it 'good news'.

Department of Health data shows the number of cases increased by 5,491 today, meaning at least 60,733 Britons have been infected since the outbreak began spreading between humans on UK soil in February.
The Madisonian system, about which we seem to learn more during crises than in civics classes, assumes that majorities and minorities will shift from issue to issue, so that a winner is chastened, and a loser comforted, by the knowledge that their roles might be reversed during the next controversy. For James Madison, this was the key reason it was irrational for voters to exploit momentary advantages to violate liberties: The tables might turn on them quickly.

When all of politics is seen through one person, those realignments harden into the uniform and often unchanging views of the president. Presidential politics bulldozes the subtleties and nuances that should define serious politics. The presidents perceived advantage or disadvantage defines every coalition and controversy.

At the same time, the proper constitutional distance between the president and the public is erased. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 71 that a president might have to protect the public against itself:

When occasions present themselves, in which the interests of the people are at variance with their inclinations, it is the duty of the persons whom they have appointed, to be the guardians of those interests; to withstand the temporary delusion, in order to give them time and opportunity for more cool and sedate reflection.

This requires a distance that the accelerating personal relationship between presidents and voters does not allow. As George F. Will has emphasized, Franklin Roosevelt began his fireside chats by addressing his listeners as friends, suggesting that there was a personal relationship between presidents and their constituents. Yet presidents are not friends. As Mr. Will notes, their job is to lead the executive branch of government. We expect different qualities from personal friends and public leaders. Conflating those roles makes it more difficult for leaders to do the job we assign them with the distance and judgment it requires.

The coronavirus crisis has taken this personal presidency to an insidious new level. Recently, the Trump administration took two steps that historians may register as landmarks of the personalized presidency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mailed households a postcard blaring in all capital letters: President Trumps Coronavirus Guidelines for America. And Mr. Trump reportedly indicated his preference that relief checks from Congresss $2 trillion stimulus plan bear his personal signature. Through measures like these, the president emerges not only as our friend, which was problematic enough, but also as our personal caretaker. We are now to see public relief as beneficence flowing from one man.

The hijacking of the C.D.C. to serve the obvious electoral interests of a president seeking a second term is dangerous not only constitutionally but also to public health. There is always a delicate balance between politicians deferring to experts and making their own judgments. Unsupervised experts can display too much certainty and too little ability to balance the myriad competing ends involved in politics.
Voters across Wisconsin on Tuesday faced a brutal choice between protecting their health or their right to vote as the state pressed forward with its primary amid the rising danger of the coronavirus pandemic.

After a chaotic 24 hours in which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers sought to delay in-person voting, only to have the decision challenged by the Republican-led legislature and overturned in the courts, hundreds of voters, many of them wearing face masks or other protective gear, stood in long lines that in some cases stretched for blocks in cities across the state.

In Milwaukee, which opened only five polling stations compared with the usual 180 because of a shortage of poll workers, many voters waited at least three hours to cast their ballots.

In rural Hudson, along the Minnesota border, the lines were shorter, but concern of catching covid-19 was just as acute, as many voters criticized the state for pressing forward with an election as the number of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin is expected to hit emergency levels in coming weeks.

- - -

- Larry Webb, 64, had a stroke last year and has been sheltering inside his home on Milwaukee's north side, where the city's black community has been hit hard by the coronavirus. But even though his age and health put him at risk, he spent more than two hours in line to vote for "someone who is not Donald Trump" because he wanted to make sure his ballot was counted. "I was nervous, yeah, but I don't believe in absentee voting. I just don't. There have been too many elections where people just throw absentee ballots out for one reason or another. I just don't trust it. My people went through a lot to make sure they got the right to vote, and I wasn't about to miss my chance to see my ballot go into that machine and get counted."

- - -

- Lindsay Chim, 42, was hoping to vote by mail, but she didn't receive the absentee ballot in time. "I was debating last night and decided I was going to come out anyway," she said. She hadn't quite decided whom she would vote for. "I will make my decision as I wait in line," she said.

- - -

- Jordyn Averson, 19, had been anticipating this for months. Raised as a Jehovah's Witness, a denomination that encourages its members to remain politically neutral, Averson had been told not to vote. Now she stood without a mask or gloves, a safe distance from others, to cast her first ballot for Bernie Sanders. It wouldn't have been the same doing it absentee. "It was definitely this dystopian experience, no one speaking, arrows on the ground pointing you where to stand and where to go. . . . At first, there were all these conspiracy theories that the coronavirus just being used to shape the election. But then everything slowed down, and it put the whole virus thing in perspective because politics doesn't stop for anybody, but it stopped for this."

- - -

- Christopher Wheeler, 58, repairs coin-operated laundry machines at apartment complexes in Milwaukee, where some residents have already been stricken with the coronavirus. He lost his construction job and was left homeless for a time after the 2008 financial crash. He worries about his health and his future amid fears of another economic collapse. He waited three hours to vote for President Trump. "It took my breath away when I walked around the high school and saw the line that was there. I saw people lined up for blocks and thought, 'This is awesome.' This is a country where we yell at each other or cut each other off on the freeway. But if there was any reason I stood there in that line for three hours, it was because my fellow Americans were doing it, coming together, doing what they need to do despite the circumstances."

- - -

- Alexis Copeland, 37, came out to vote at a fire station in Eau Claire, she said, so "Donald Trump will no longer be president." At the same polling station, another voter, Julianne Best, 34, said "given the circumstances it's more important than ever to vote, and I'm trying to do my part."

- - -

- Anese Merriweather, 46, a manager at a big-box retail store, voted with her daughters, Aleah, 23, and Alexa, 22. The family recently moved, and although they had updated their voter registration information online, they had to verify their identities in person, preventing them from voting absentee. They got in line at 7 a.m. and waited just over two hours to cast their ballots for Bernie Sanders. "As we were standing in line, people were not social distancing. . . . I left space in front of us, but the person behind us was inching up a little too close for comfort. I kept moving up . . . but she would move up, too. Finally, I just turned around and said, 'Do you mind giving us a little more space?' I just kept thinking, 'We know how this spreads. Why are we here?' But we have to vote. We have to make sure we use this right that we earned."
(Photo : Juanma Clemente Alloza on Unsplash) Massive Coral Bleaching Spreads Across Great Barrier Reef Scientists Say

Scientists are saying that an unprecedented level of coral bleaching has struck the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Known as one of the world's most extensive coral reef systems, it is also one of the most remarkable natural sites to visit in Australia's north-east coast.

This remarkable underwater ecosystem has the world's largest gathering of coral reefs with 400 different kinds of coral including 4,000 types of mollusks and 1,500 different species of fish and other sea creatures. According to Unesco, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage site back in 1981 covering an area of 348,000 square kilometers.

However, as with many natural wonders in the world, The Great Barrier Reef also faced destruction from humankind; one of them is sea bleaching. Scientists found out that unprecedented levels of coral bleaching has spread across the reef for the third time in 5 years. The analysis was conducted during an aerial survey. Will this be the end of the Great Barrier Reef?

Massive coral bleaching spreads across The Great Barrier Reef, scientists say

According to a Time report, an aerial survey conducted on The Great Barrier Reef has shown that coral bleaching has struck all three areas of the world's biggest coral reef system. According to the scientists of James Cook University in Queensland State, the sea bleaching that is currently happening is more widespread compared to what the Barrier Reef had previously experienced.

The air surveys that were conducted in the northern, central and southern areas within the past two weeks, were able to observe 1,036 reefs and , in the process, discovered that there are bleached corals in the three regions.

"As summers grow hotter and hotter, we no longer need an El Nino event to trigger mass bleaching at the scale of the Great Barrier Reef," said Terry Hughes, a professor at James Cook University.

"Of the five events we have seen so far, only 1998 and 2016 occurred during El Nino conditions," he added.

El Nino is a natural climate event that begins in the central and east-central Pacific's warm ocean waters, located around the equator which affects global weather conditions. With 900 islands and 2,900 separate reefs, Hughes said that the number of coral reefs that are not yet affected by the bleaching is shrinking.

Since there is not enough time between coral bleaching events, scientists believe that The Great Barrier Reef is unlikely to recover from the damage.

The Chief Scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, David Wachenfeld, said that over the coming weeks, the reef will be experiencing a critical period of heat stress. The reef's ocean temperatures are currently at 0.5 to 1.5 degrees Celsius which is above the recorded temperature in March.

The barrier reef was previously damaged by bleaching way back in 1998. The deadliest happened consecutively in 2016 and 2017. The extent of the damage created by the coral bleaching will be assessed when underwater surveys will be conducted within the year.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dr Hans Kluge, the UN body's regional director for Europe, described the current situation on the continent as 'concerning'

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert today warned against lifting strict lockdowns in place across Europe and said it was 'dangerous' to think the crisis is slowing down.

Dr Hans Kluge, the UN body's regional director for Europe, described the current situation on the continent as 'very concerning', adding: 'Now is not the time to relax measures.'

Around half of the 1.4million COVID-19 cases recorded around the world have been in Europe, with Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the UK the five hardest-hit nations.

In a press briefing this morning, Dr Kluge said: 'To think we are coming close to an end point is a dangerous thing to do.

'The virus leaves no room for complacency. Relaxing lockdown measures requires careful consideration.'

He added the upcoming Easter weekend was 'not the time' to relax restrictions, despite the promise of good weather across much of Europe.

Dr Kluge said: 'This is not the time to lower our guard. We must soldier on. We are in this together and we will get through this together.'

Downing Street today confirmed it had delayed its decision to review the draconian lockdown implemented on March 23 to curb the spread of the virus.

The COVID Symptom Tracker works by taking people through a questionnaire about how they are feeling and whether they have the typical symptoms of coronavirus. Currently, tests are mostly being rationed to people who are in hospital

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he's in hospital, yesterday said the UK must not take its foot off the pedal and people must continue to stay home

LOCKDOWN IS WORKING, SUGGESTS SYMPTOM-TRACKING APP King's College London scientists today suggested Number 10's lockdown is working, with figures showing suspected cases have plummeted in a week. Data from a symptom-tracking app shows there are now around 1.4million Brits with tell-tale signs of the deadly infection - down from 1.9million on April 1. KCL researchers, who developed the COVID Symptom Tracker app, say it suggests that people staying at home is starting to slow the outbreak down. The app - downloaded by 2million Brits - works by the public filling out forms which describe their health and ask about possible coronavirus symptoms. Healthy people, those who think they may have COVID-19, and those who have been officially diagnosed are all encouraged to take part in it. One of the app's developers, Professor Tim Spector, said: 'It is really encouraging to see that the rate of new symptoms being reported is beginning to fall. 'Even though hospital admissions and deaths are still on the rise, we hope that these figures offer a much needed light at the end of the tunnel. Professor Spector and his colleagues say that hospital admissions and deaths should start to fall in about two weeks as long as social distancing continues. They believe the two week lag is caused by the delay between the start of symptoms and the illness becoming very severe. Advertisement

It comes amid warnings that the peak of the outbreak is still a week-and-a-half away, with thousands more Britons feared to die. The current official death toll stands at 6,159.

At least 55,000 patients have tested positive in Britain. But health chiefs are clueless over the true size of the outbreak because of the Government's failure to test all suspected cases.

However, ministers have suggested they are keen for schools to reopen after Easter if the situation does stabilise.

Pressed on when the review will happen, health minister Edward Argar told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'When the scientific advice is such that we appear to have gone over the peak and it is safe to do so.'

Dr Kluge said in a virtual briefing this morning: 'A dramatic rise in cases across the Atlantic skews what remains a very concerning picture in Europe. 'We still have a long way to go in the marathon.'

Dr Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO Director-General, returning from a trip to one of the worst-hit countries, Spain, said it was too early to speak of optimism, but that the outbreak there was 'definitely slowing down'.

Speaking during an international press conference, Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation regional director for Europe, said cases of coronavirus in Europe represented half of the total across the world.

King's College London scientists today suggested Number 10's lockdown is working, with figures showing suspected cases have plummeted in a week.

Data from a symptom-tracking app shows there are now around 1.4million Brits with tell-tale signs of the deadly infection - down from 1.9million on April 1.

Academics described the drop as 'really encouraging' - others have already said the virus is 'cornered' and has nowhere left to go in the UK.

In other promising developments in the pandemic, Wuhan - the Chinese city where the crisis began in December - today lifted its lockdown.

People living in the city, home to 11million people, were allowed to travel elsewhere for the first time since it was sealed off on January 23.

Data today showed the number of people with coronavirus symptoms has dropped since the UK's lockdown started two weeks ago.

KCL researchers, who developed the COVID Symptom Tracker app, say it suggests that people staying at home is starting to slow the outbreak down.

The app - downloaded by 2million Brits - works by the public filling out forms which describe their health and ask about possible coronavirus symptoms.

DOWNING STREET DELAYS DECISION ON ENDING LOCKDOWN Fears over a power vacuum at the heart of government were fuelled today after it was confirmed that the coronavirus lockdown will not be reviewed next week. Downing Street has confirmed the draconian restrictions will not be reconsidered on Monday as scheduled, with warnings the peak of the outbreak might not come for another week and a half. However, ministers have suggested they are keen for schools to reopen after Easter if the situation does stabilise, with claims they have little impact on the spread and could help revive the crippled economy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, but the potential issues caused by Mr Johnson's absence have been underlined as the crucial review of lockdown measures was postponed. Mr Raab stressed at the daily Downing Street briefing last night that they could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be 'responsibly done'. Downing Street confirmed the review would take place after the three-week mark originally committed to by Mr Johnson on March 23 - which meant by Easter Monday. However, the emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the PM's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16. Advertisement

Healthy people, those who think they may have COVID-19, and those who have been officially diagnosed are all encouraged to take part in it.

One of the app's developers, Professor Tim Spector, said: 'It is really encouraging to see that the rate of new symptoms being reported is beginning to fall.

'Even though hospital admissions and deaths are still on the rise, we hope that these figures offer a much needed light at the end of the tunnel.

Professor Spector and his colleagues say that hospital admissions and deaths should start to fall in about two weeks as long as social distancing continues.

They believe the two week lag is caused by the delay between the start of symptoms and the illness becoming very severe.

This data fits in with what has been reported by NHS digital, which has reported a decline in the number of calls to NHS 111 regarding COVID-19 since March 22.

Daily numbers of new patients also appears to be levelling off, despite more people being tested than in the earlier stages of the outbreak.

There were 3,634 more positive tests announced yesterday - the lowest number for a week and a 40 per cent drop from the peak of 5,903 on Sunday.

The daily death toll hit a new record high of 786 yesterday, however, as infected Brits continue to die and confirmations filter through from the past fortnight.

Number 10's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said it may be 'the beginning of change' for the UK's outbreak, but must not lead people to relax.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who is in intensive care with coronavirus, warning last night that Number 10 could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be 'responsibly done'.

It comes after a bleak prediction yesterday said the UK may suffer more than 60,000 coronavirus deaths and be hit harder than any nation in Europe.

University of Washington researchers estimated that Britain's death toll would be at least three times more than Italy because of its shortage of hospital beds.

But the alarming projection does not take into account the thousands of beds that will become available at the new NHS Nightingale hospitals.

The number is also in stark contrast to the prediction by the UK's scientific advisers, who warned around 20,000 people will die during the crisis.

The University of Washington prediction also said April 17 would be the day with the highest number of deaths in the UK (2,932).

Wuhan unlocked: Residents dash for trains and planes as Chinese city at the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak FINALLY has lockdown lifted after 76 days

People living in the Chinese city where coronavirus first emerged were permitted to leave for the first time since it was locked down, despite fears infections could rise if restrictions are eased too quickly.

China sealed off the city of Wuhan on January 23, when it became apparent the deadly Covid-19 virus had started there.

But at 00.50am on Wednesday, trains carrying people out of the city began running, and major highways also began opening up as China's lockdown on Wuhan was lifted.

Wuhan has a population of some 11 million people.

Passengers queue at Wuhan city's main rail station as the lockdown is lifted after 76 days

A woman wearing a protective face mask and pink overalls stands with her luggage next to the first official train departing from Wuhan

People passing through security at the railway station in Wuhan, a body temperature checking feature is also used

A woman seen here waiting for the train with her luggage as the lockdown is lifted in Wuhan

Passengers wearing protective face masks sit with their luggage in the first official train departing from Wuhan

A person in full protective clothing and eye mask plans their travel using their phone

Passengers seen here with luggage getting ready to board a train after the lockdown was lifted

Locals at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan after the restrictions on movement were lifted

Despite the lockdown being lifted some passengers outside the station still opted to wear hazmat-style protective suits to make their journeys

WHEN DID EUROPE GO INTO LOCKDOWN? UK Lockdown imposed: March 24 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 6,650/335 Germany Lockdown imposed: March 22 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 21,463/67 Italy Lockdown imposed: March 11 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 10,149/631 Spain Lockdown imposed: March 14 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 4,231/120 Austria Lockdown imposed: March 16 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 959/1 France Lockdown imposed: March 17 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 6,573/148 Belgium Lockdown imposed: March 18 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 1,486/14 Denmark Lockdown imposed: March 18 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 977/4 Switzerland Lockdown imposed: March 20 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 3,863/33 Norway Lockdown imposed: March 24 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 2,371/8 Netherlands Lockdown imposed: March 15 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 959/12 Sweden Lockdown imposed: Hasnt imposed a lockdown Cases and deaths currently: 6,443/373 Advertisement

Of those, more than 50,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and 2,571 have died.

The death toll accounts for around 80% of all fatalities in China, according to official figures.

When the lockdown was lifted the topic quickly began trending on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

'Wuhan lifts lockdown' and 'Welcome back Wuhan' were posted.

Some 55,000 people will leave Wuhan on Wednesday, according to ticket sales reviewed by state broadcaster CCTV.

At the height of the virus, Wuhan's lockdown saw citizens forced into their homes by authorities.

And transport hubs and streets were desolate except for police patrols and emergency workers.

But restrictions in the city have dropped off in recent days as new infections significantly fell.

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, mainland China reported no Covid-19-related deaths on Tuesday.

The city of Wuhan reported just two new infections in the past 14 days.

But Chinese authorities are having to tread a very fine line between granting more freedom of movement to citizens, and guarding against a second wave of infections.

Their main concern surrounds cases coming into the country and those who are asymptomatic but could still transfer the virus to others.

Health officials are still encouraging people in Wuhan to not leave their neighbourhoods, the city, and the province, unless absolutely necessary.

Tall barriers remain in place around housing compounds and people are only permitted to leave if they have a green health code or are carrying documents stipulating a valid reason.

Liu Xiaomin, leaving Wuhan on Wednesday, said she and her family had travelled to the city for the Lunar New Year holiday and became stuck there.

A migrant worker, normally based in Guangdong, reported she was heading back to her hometown of Xiangyang city. 'I'm very happy, I'm going home today,' she told Reuters inside Wuhan's Hankou railway station.

'My mood will be better but when I get back I still won't go out too much.'

Meanwhile authorities on Hong Kong said on Wednesday social-distancing restrictions including the closure of some bars and pubs and a ban on public gatherings of more than four people would be extended until April 23 as it continues to battle to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The main concern surrounds cases coming into the country and those who are asymptomatic but could still transfer the virus to others

Passengers from Wuhan arrive through security barriers at Changsha station earlier today

Some passenger still wore protective suits despite lockdown coming to an end today

The first train departing Wuhan after lockdown was lifted, Train G431, leaves the station with a wave from staff on board

Staff on the high-speed trains out of Wuhan await passengers as lockdown in the city ends

The government said a 'drastic' more than two-fold spike in the number of cases in Hong Kong over the past two weeks to 936 meant the move was necessary. Four people in the former British colony have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Other restrictions that have been extended include the closure of gyms, cinemas, mahjong parlours, karaoke lounges and nightclubs. Beauty salons and massage parlours have been added to the list.

The global financial hub has also extended indefinitely a two-week closure of its airport to foreign arrivals that was due to end on Tuesday.

While schools remain closed, many people work from home and shopping malls and restaurants are largely deserted, Hong Kong has stopped short of a full lockdown imposed in other cities such as London and New York.
It was raining ferociously, causing the women and orphans to move away from the open windows to avoid getting wet. The meeting had opened with singing as survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda danced away their sorrows. A teenaged orphan beat time on a drum to the music. Women wore long flowery dresses and beautiful head scarfs. Babies sat on laps; toddlers wandered freely. After the singing, the Solace Ministries director of counseling, Mama Lambert, welcomed newcomersmany of whom walked miles to the ministrys Kigali headquarters. They had come because someone told them it was a place of comfort.

From April through July 1994, an estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed in the Rwandan Genocide, and many more were left with physical and emotional scars. Solace Ministries started in 1995, growing from intimate gatherings of widows into 56 communities of survivors around the country, serving over 6,000 families last year. Since it began, Solace Ministries has assisted approximately 20,000 people through counseling and spiritual care, education, employment and health. Their medical clinic under the same name serves a client population of more than 50,000 patients a year.

Mama Lambert, whose Rwandan name is Mukarubuga Beata, lost four of her children in the genocide, along with her husband and their home, which was destroyed. The founder of Solace Ministries, Jean Gakwandi, lost his entire extended family, but his immediate family miraculously survived while sheltered in the home of his German teacher.

As my wife, Lorna, and I listened in on the meeting for the next four hours, various survivors rose spontaneously and testifiedoften tearfullyabout their experience during the 100 days of the genocide. The accounts varied but included frequent references to rape, or fleeing to a church for safety, only to have the building attacked by the Hutu militia. A widow described how her baby was bludgeoned to death; she survived because the blood and body parts of victims lying next to her in the church deceived the killers into thinking she was already dead.

Jean Gakwandi sat next to us, translating from the local language of Kinyarwanda to English. When one young orphan boy stood and told of his mother being beheaded and did not shed a tear, Jean whispered that with healing from his PTSD, the tears would flow. After another survivor offered a rambling, incoherent list of various traumatic events, Jean said that, in time, she would hopefully develop a narrative of her lifeone that would contextualize the genocide within a larger framework of meaning and purpose.

Searching for faith in the dark

Having spent 15 years interviewing survivors during multiple trips to Rwanda, I have tried to untangle some of the elements that enable survivors to regain their humanity after the genocide.

In researching two major genocidesthe Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915 and more recently the genocide of the Tutsi in RwandaI have become convinced that at the heart of survivor trauma is a sense of moral disequilibrium or rupture that violates all norms of civility. The horrors that genocide survivors experience and witness make no sense. There is no way to rationalize them. It is only in the warm embrace of a community, where one feels loved and accepted, that one can begin to create a post-trauma identity.

The problem of theodicywhere was God when all of this happened?is an issue that troubled many survivors. The deaths of loved ones made no sense. What did connect with survivors after the genocide was when a person reached out in compassion, crying with them, appealing to a God of love who had a purpose for their life. In this regard, Jean Gakwandi and Mama Lambert became agents of the divine.

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Jean told me that as a child, he struggled with fear and feelings of worthlessness after his family was attacked in 1959 when the Tutsi king was killed, and again in 1963 following the formation of the Hutu government. He had a remarkable religious experience at age 18, when he turned from being a self-proclaimed atheist to inviting God to take control of his life. He completely gave up drinking, which was his way of dealing with insomnia and self-doubt. He found in the Christian Scriptures a guide to living purposefully.

In early April 1994, Jeans family hid in a closet as attackers searched the house, shooting randomly through the widows and in their bedrooms. During the genocide, various promises from the Bible gave him hope as his family hid together with a few other Tutsis.

When the genocide ended, Jean said that he felt emotionally numb. But he also felt that he had survived for a reason, and a verse from the book of Isaiah echoed in his ears: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God (40:1).

In response, Jean invited a group of widows to gather together to share their stories. Mama Lambert was in this first group of a dozen widows. She was depressed to the point of being suicidal.

Image: Courtesy Donald E. Miller

Raised in a Catholic home, Mama Lambert was married, had five children, and worked as a teacher. During the nearly three months of killing, she had carried her infant son, Lambert, on her back.

When she approached Hutu friends, they rejected her, under strict government orders not to harbor Tutsis. One time, a former Hutu student saved her from a lineup of Tutsis about to be slaughtered. On another occasion, in disgust at the absence of Gods intervention, she threw a small Bible she was carrying into the bushes, only to discover some ripe berries where the Bible landed. These berries revived little Lambert, whose name she took after the genocidethe mother of Lambert or, Mama Lambert.

After the genocide, Mama Lambert found solace and comfort in her faith, saying that prayer, both communal and personal, is what gives her sustenance. Neither Jean nor Mama Lambert rationalize the genocide as Gods will. Instead, they believe that they survived for a purpose. I am convinced that part of their own personal healing, day by day, is that they see themselves as agents of Gods comfort to others.

Crafting a community-shaped identity

Initially, people present themselves as a bundle of problemsthat is their identity, Jean said. And, indeed, they are oftentimes hungry, sick and struggling with various symptoms of PTSD, such as insomnia, flashback memories, or avoiding their trauma.

Jean said that these problems must be addressed, but equally important is for survivors to gain a sense of personal identity and agency. While individual counseling is important, a new self must be grown in community, in interaction with others.

It is in community that survivors can share each others burdens; it is in testifying about ones experiences that a survivor can release herself from traumatic memories; and it is in community that one can discover new, meaningful roles as a surrogate parent or grandparent to an orphan.

At the heart of Jean and Mama Lamberts approach to healing is compassioncrying with fellow survivors, listening to them as they reveal experiences that previously were too painful to share and creating a communal structure in which survivors can meet on a regular basis, being supported not just emotionally, but with their physical needs as well. Unlike the many nongovernmental organizations funded and run by first-world countries, Solace Ministries is an indigenous organization, led by individuals who have evolved a program in response to their own need for healing.

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Two steps forward, one step back

One day, we journeyed with Mama Lambert to where her house once stood. We saw the lake where her husbands body was thrown after he was killed. We stood next to the memorial she had built after she recovered the bodies of her two daughters that had been thrown into a pit latrine. We visited a nearby location where several dozen of her Tutsi friends had been killed, including her son.

I asked Jean and Mama Lambert whether they have forgiven the perpetrators of the genocide. They both reject any quick-fix interpretations of forgiveness and believe that forgiveness is a process that often involves a step or two forward and similar steps backward. When forgiveness is not preceded by healing from trauma, it often is accompanied by emotional blunting, where the individual seals over the pain, which then paralyzes them from being able to feel other deep emotions like love and joy.

Forgiveness is not a rational process; when it comes, it is near the end of a long struggle with grief, anger, and loss. Both Jean and Mama Lambert said that it is helpful for survivors to return, as they are emotionally able, to the site where their loved ones were murdered. If they know where the killers buried the bodies, it is important to recover their bones, ritually wash them, and then rebury them with dignity.

Both Jean and Mama Lambert see the value of forgivenessnot for the perpetrator, but for the victim, who potentially experiences a new sense of freedom from the revolving nightmares, flashbacks, and preoccupation with what happened. In their experience at Solace, forgiveness is most difficult for survivors who were raped and continue to struggle physically with the consequences of the genocide.

For survivors who experience heartfelt forgiveness of the perpetrator, it often is perceived as a gift, an act of transcendent grace at the end of a long struggle. And, importantly, forgiveness does not mean forgetting.

How do survivors of war, earthquakes, and genocidesituations where social trauma is so extensive that individual counseling is not possibleregain their humanity? The answer suggested by Solace Ministries is that healing best occurs in a community of fellow survivors who can accept ones paincollectively bearing each others burdens.

Such a concept is only possible within a compassionate community where Gods love is embodied in the caring acts of people who understand themselves to be agents of a divine purpose. Moral rupture is seldom healed rationally. Moral equilibrium is more easily achieved in the nurturing presence of fellow survivors who understand the pain of genocide and can help carry the burden of their neighbors memories.

Donald E. Miller is the Leonard K. Firestone Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California. His forthcoming book, Becoming Human Again: An Oral History of the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi, is based on interviewing hundreds of survivors over the course of 15 years.
Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships might get the most attention, but it's the company's more affordable Galaxy A phones that have helped it weather recent downturns in smartphone demand. Typically, we don't see many of those phones make their way to the US. Not so this year. In 2020, Samsung plans to release six different Galaxy A-series models stateside. What's more, two of the phones will feature 5G connectivity, a first for the series.

Most of the A-series devices that are coming this year Samsung already announced for other markets, but the two 5G handsets are new. At the top end, there's the $600 Galaxy A71 5G. It features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus Full HD+ display and four main cameras, with a 64-megapixel sensor in there for good measure. With a microSD card, you'll be able to add up to 1TB of additional storage.

Galaxy A51

Then there's the Galaxy A51 5G. It comes with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display, 48-megapixel main camera, 4,500mAh battery and 6GB of RAM. It will ship with 128GB of internal storage, which you'll be able to increase by up to 512GB with a microSD card. It will cost an even $500.

Both the A71 and A51 5G will arrive in the US this summer -- provided there aren't any coronavirus-related delays.

Galaxy A11

At around the same time, Samsung plans to release two other A-series devices. First, there's the 6.4-inch Galaxy A11. It includes a triple main camera array with two wide-angle lenses and a single depth sensor. It also features a 4,000mAh battery and 32GB of internal storage. You'll be able to buy it for a modest $180.

Samsung Galaxy A21

Then there's the more capable Galaxy A21. For $250, you get a 6.5-inch HD+ display, a 4,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging and a quad-camera array that includes two wide-angle lenses, in addition to a macro lens and depth sensor.

In the meantime, Samsung will begin selling two recent Galaxy A phones in the US, starting with $110 Galaxy A01. As you might imagine, it comes with mostly modest features, including a 3,000mAh battery and a dual main camera setup that includes a 2-megapixel depth sensor. It's also the only new A-series phone without one of Samsung's signature circular "Infinity-O" display cutouts. Instead, it comes with an OnePlus 6T-like "Infinity-V" notch and a HD+ screen.

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Galaxy A01

If you want something more capable, theres the LTE variant of the Galaxy A51. Skipping on 5G you get a phone with less RAM and a smaller battery, but you save $100, with the phone set to start at $400 when it comes out tomorrow.

It's not surprising to see Samsung push affordable 5G handsets as other smartphone companies have done much the same. Xiaomi, for instance, recently announced the 349 5G-capable Mi 10 Lite. That said, whether it makes sense to buy one of Samsung's new, less expensive 5G phones will depend on where you live. Carriers like T-Mobile have promised aggressive 5G buildouts moving forward, but the fact of the matter is that we're still very much in the early days of the new network standard. Unless you live in some of the country's densest urban centers, you'll have a hard time finding a 5G signal -- it can even be hard to find one in cities like Chicago. It's also not surprising to see Samsung push more affordable handsets into the US market. In 2019, devices like the A50 were critical to the company's surge in Europe and other markets.
The coronavirus outbreak has changed a lot for Laura Alejandra Rodriguez.

Like most college students, she wont qualify for a coronavirus stimulus payment, and its going to hurt her financially.

Rodriguez, a commuter student at Rutgers University in Newark, doesnt have WiFi at her home in Elizabeth, so she uses a hot spot on her cell phone for virtual learning.

Just this past week, one of my professors asked us to purchase a textbook which costs $200, said Rodriguez, 19.

Rodriguez lost her job when her employer closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

I had to find another job or else I wouldn't be able to pay my monthly bills  car insurance, phone bill, groceries, helping my mother with the rent, she said. Thankfully, I was able to find a new job at BJ's. It's always busy and we don't always have access to PPE.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

A stimulus check would have given Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, a boost.

But she doesnt qualify because the stimulus checks dont go to people who are claimed on a family members tax return.

Its more complicated for this family because Lauras mother, who works at a warehouse, is undocumented and pays taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number, said Nedia Morsy, lead organizer with Make The Road New Jersey, an immigrant advocacy group. That means Lauras mother wont get a benefit, and Laura cant either because her mother claims her as a dependent. That means Laura cant claim a stimulus payment as an independent adult would.

The CARES Act was written specifically to exclude undocumented workers and those who file tax returns using an ITIN, she said.

Undocumented immigrants and their U.S. citizen children and spouses are excluded from the federal stimulus payments even though in New Jersey, undocumented immigrants pay almost $600 million in state and local taxes annually, Morsy said. There are about 168,000 U.S. citizen children of undocumented people in New Jersey. Each is left behind from the federal stimulus.

The rules are consistent with President Trumps immigration policies.

I assume the goal was to avoid sending any federal funding to unauthorized immigrants, said Julia Gelatt, senior policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute.

Gelatt said members of Congress might argue that if unauthorized immigrants received payments just for their U.S. citizen children, that still brings some benefit to the unauthorized immigrants themselves.

By excluding people who file taxes with ITINs, legal, temporary immigrants wont get payments either, she said.

For example, spouses of H-1B workers who are not authorized to work in the U.S., but who have some income from, say, investments, could file their taxes with an ITIN, she said.

Rodriguez, the Rutgers student, says its unjust.

My mother and I are working on the front lines, putting ourselves at risk so that others have food and basic necessities, and yet weve been cut out of the federal governments solutions, Rodriguez said. Were scrambling to pay all our bills. I want our federal government to recognize our humanity."

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.

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Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
A thief who stole face masks from a south London hospital during the coronavirus crisis has been jailed for three months.

Lerun Hussain, 34, was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison at Croydon Magistrates Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to theft.

Police were called to Kings College Hospital, in Lambeth, at around 11.20am on Sunday after Hussain stole three face masks.

Hussain, from Clapham, was detained by hospital security staff before being arrested on suspicion of theft.

He was also detained for being in breach of a court order, Met Police said.

Meanwhile, a doctors surgery in Kidderminster has urged thieves to return its only box of face masks after it was stolen from the practice.

Church Street Surgery urged thieves to return the stolen protective equipment (Google ) / Google

Church Street Surgery said the protective equipment was necessary to keep the practice open after it was taken on Tuesday.

Since a social media appeal, the surgery said it had received a number of individual face mask donations which meant it could still continue to offer services.

The box of protective equipment had been donated by a local dental practice the day before.

West Mercia Police said they were aware of a reported theft and would be visiting the surgery on Wednesday.

Inspector Dave King, of the Kidderminster Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: My team is aware of the reported theft of face masks from the Church Street Surgery in Kidderminster and while not officially reported to us yet, we will be visiting the staff today.

In these challenging and difficult times, the theft of vital medical equipment is going to add further strain and demand to the health service and the people looking after our welfare.
The outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact the expansion plans of domestic steelmakers, according to experts

New Delhi: The outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact the expansion plans of domestic steelmakers, according to experts.

Indian players had been working on expansion plans in line with the government's ambitious target of scaling up the total steelmaking capacity to 300 million tonne per annum (MTPA) by 2030.

Many steelmakers in India have scaled down their production by up to 50 percent amid the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the pandemic.

Until now several ratings agencies have been pointing out that the spread of coronavirus has adversely affected the steel markets across the world including India in-terms

of prices, profit margins, affecting raw material supply chain, demand and building up of inventories.

According to Jayanta Roy, Senior Vice-President and Group Head, Corporate Sector Ratings, Icra, the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus will take a toll on Indian steel players' expansion plans.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak

"Even before the outbreak, we have seen that some companies have deferred their plans of commissioning greenfield and brownfield projects," Roy said, adding that given the uncertainty that the industry is witnessing due to COVID-19 outbreak, it could have an impact.

Akash Krishnatry Senior Analyst, Corporates, at India Ratings said COVID-19 pandemic is expected to push expected India's steel capacity expansions by 3-9 months depending upon the severity, spread, duration of the virus along with the preventive measures adopted.

"Preventive measures like country-wide lockdowns and logistical challenges shall defer the expansion plans as steelmakers need to conserve liquidity in these times while cash flow from operations would be severely impacted.

"Also, continuing construction would also not be possible in these times, though overall project costs could also increase due to time overruns," he said.

Rashmi Rawat, Deputy Manager - Industry Research at India Ratings - is of view that domestic steel companies may take a relook at their capital expenditure (capex) plans.

"We have seen some companies deferring their capex plans in the last (fiscal) year itself due to lower demand. Going forward we expect steel production to get affected due to lockdowns, muted demand and lower commodity prices.

The profitability of steel companies will remain under pressure in FY21 until prices recover meaningfully," she said.

"In this background, we do not expect steel companies to go for capacity expansion... For expanding capacity there has to be an anticipated strong rise in demand which we are unable to foresee currently," she said.

Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer, Acuite Ratings & Research said, "The distinct slowdown in the domestic economy and low commodity prices clearly will be further aggravated by the COVID-19 lockdown. We expect a complete deferral of capital expenditure by the large steel companies in FY21 given the lack of visibility on a demand pickup and also their weakening debt coverage indicators."

Major Indian steel players like SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India who contribute about 45-50 percent to India's total steel production annually have plans of ramping up their capacities.

While JSW Steel has plans of expanding its capacity in India to 45 by 2030, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has already announced its expansion plan to more than double its capacity to 50 MTPA by 2030.

Similarly, JSPL looks to expand its Angul plant capacity to 20 MTPA by 2030, AMNS India plans ramp up its finished steel-producing capacity to 8.5 million tonnes per annum by the end of 2024 and Tata Steel has of plans ramping capacity of its Kalinganagar plant by 5 MTPA to 8 MTPA.
Coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci has weighed in on schools reopening in the fall, saying he thinks students will be back in the classroom.

Speaking during a White House briefing, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said by the fall he expects we will have this under control enough that it certainly will not be the way it is now, where people are shutting schools.

No absolute prediction but I think we will be in good shape, he added.

Schools across the country have closed in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has climbed to almost 400,000.

Fauci said the return to the classroom will also depend on the countrys ability to identify, isolate and trace the contacts of people who have been diagnosed.

The return to classes wont mean business as usual, he cautioned.

Its going to be different, remember now, because this is not going to disappear, he said.
Since the massive $2 trillion rescue package was signed into law March 27, Schumer has spoken on the phone with Trump about a half-dozen times, but also directly with Vice President Pence and with newly minted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows several times, according to an official familiar with the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them. And already this week, the official said, Pelosi has spoken to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin multiple times to discuss the rocky implementation of the stimulus bill and what Washington will need to do in the next phase of coronavirus legislation.
Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But that doesn't mean long term investors can avoid big losses. For example the South China Assets Holdings Limited (HKG:8155) share price dropped 94% over five years. That's an unpleasant experience for long term holders. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 57%. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 33% in thirty days. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

View our latest analysis for South China Assets Holdings

Given that South China Assets Holdings didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

SEHK:8155 Income Statement April 8th 2020

Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between South China Assets Holdings's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. We note that South China Assets Holdings's TSR, at -62% is higher than its share price return of -94%. When you consider it hasn't been paying a dividend, this data suggests shareholders have benefitted from a spin-off, or had the opportunity to acquire attractively priced shares in a discounted capital raising.

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 17% in the twelve months, South China Assets Holdings shareholders did even worse, losing 57%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 18% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for South China Assets Holdings (1 shouldn't be ignored) that you should be aware of.

Of course South China Assets Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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.
Pudukottai/Chennai: Tamil Nadu Health authorities on Tuesday decided to include more "monitoring and treatment protocols" in treating Covid-19 patients to help reduce the mortality rate, as two more patients died taking the total death toll to eight.

Meanwhile, the total positive cases for the virus jumped by 69 to touch 690 by Tuesday evening.

Though the Covid-19 mortality rate in Tamil Nadu continues to be mercifully low, the successive deaths of patients within a few hours of admittance to hospitals in the last couple of days has prompted the government to tighten its "audit of the deaths", as State Health secretary, Dr Beela Rajesh put it at a news conference.

A committee already set up for the purpose discussed with government and private doctors today through video-conferencing, wherein they "discussed increasing the monitoring and treatment protocols of patients who test positive" as part of the steps to further reduce the mortality rate.

She explained that yesterdays death was that of a 64-year-old woman who was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, but she was already suffering from diabetes and hyper-tension.

Of the new 69 patients who tested positive for the virus yesterday, she said 63 was again from a 'single source' (Delhi Tablighi Jamaat meet returnees).

Another death was reported from Vellore late on Tuesday night, the patient being one Sadhiq Basha (45), who was admitted to CMC but passed away today. The man is a resident of Saidapet in Chennai and his blood sample tested positive for the virus. This is the first corona death in Vellore district.

There was some relief in the news from the Pudukkottai district collector B Uma Maheswari who said that the blood samples of all the 15 suspected coronavirus cases (of people who returned from the Delhi meet) turned out to be negative. However, they would continue to be under home quarantine and under continuous monitoring by health personnel.

Dr Beela Rajesh, to a question, admitted that testing each and every individual was not practically possible; hence the government's repeated emphasis on social distancing and aggressively implementing its 'Containment Plan (CP)' which has now been extended to 34 of the 37 districts in Tamil Nadu.

Under the CP so far, about 15 lakh households have been surveyed and a population of 53 lakh screened for virus symptoms.

On the release of bodies of fatal cases even before the blood test results were received as seen in the Keelakarai case, Dr Beela Rajesh said now clear guidelines have been given to all hospitals to release the bodies only after the blood samples test reports were received.

The Health secretary said two more testing labs were added today including one at the IRT Government hospital at Perundurai in Erode district and till date a total of 5,305 samples have been tested.

Out of the 1,630 samples taken from a single travel source for testing, she said as on date 636 have tested positive, 961 tested negative for the virus and 33 samples were under process. Still more people were coming to declare themselves voluntarily, she noted.

While the acquisition of more test kits was progressing well, Dr Beela Rajesh said micro-plans have been worked out to operationalise the 'rapid testing kits' which were underway and how to get the microbiologists and lab technicians synchronise the whole effort to increase the rate of testing.

"We have even done a GIS mapping up to the house, street level with the help of Anna University to help implement the rapid testing," she added.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant public health consequences have resulted from a trust gap between our neighbors and news and government institutions. Whether its public health messaging around hand hygiene, or unpacking social distancing for folks whose first language isnt English, accurate, accessible, and regularly updated information is essential to our collective survival.

Large scale investments in news and information access and delivery are rarely at the forefront of a crisis response strategy. As Philadelphia braces for its COVID-19 peak, and the long-term economic and social impact that is already affecting many, our citys newsrooms  from The Inquirer to Philly Weekly to Kensington Voice  have risen to the occasion. Reporters put their lives on the lines to provide our region with fast and frequent critical information.

There is so much excellence in how journalism and media-makers are responding to the pandemic. But tension between media organizations and mis/under/unrepresented communities exacerbated by resource limitations within news outlets mean that many people arent accessing critical news and information, dont trust it, or its not being presented through channels that allow them to understand it and act upon it. During a crisis, this gap between media and communities is life-threatening. This is especially the case in Philly, where these communities are often the ones most vulnerable to the immediate danger of COVID-19. Accurate and culturally competent news and information give people the power to make well-informed decisions. Understanding the full extent of social distancing, or how to file for unemployment while working as a small business owner can be matters of survival.

Whats more, our communities and neighbors must be able to communicate with reporters and newsrooms, sharing questions, uncertainties, ideas, and input. Information that seems straightforward may not be so to others. Take the six-foot social distancing guideline: Immigrant households using the metric system need reporting on this that enables them to better understand and act on that information  and need to be able to let journalists know this.

In a crisis, theres an opportunity to engage differently and to work collaboratively to deliver useful reporting and information to our neighbors in a time of great need.

 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.

Resolve Philly has just been awarded a grant of $1 million from the Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF). The funding is part of the $2.5 million Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund, announced jointly by IPMF and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, a joint venture of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Knight Foundation. Resolves award will enable us to create a crisis response plan that centers on journalism and information delivery, prioritizing the information needs of our communities most at risk.

Collaboration is essential. This plan will include a constantly updated, embeddable FAQ powered by the exemplary reporting happening across the city by our 24 partner newsrooms, as well as vetted information from other trusted sources; public health messaging created by local artists to circulate citywide; new creative content creation; increased community-responsive reporting and COVID-19 solutions journalism; translation of news into Spanish and other languages, as well as non-English original reporting serving immigrant communities in Philadelphia.

Our collective success will depend on a remarkable level of cross-sector collaboration with a host of organizations, individuals, and institutions. Some of these include (with more to come): Broke in Philly newsroom partners, Distributed Media Lab, the Village of Arts and Humanities, Peoples Paper Co-op, New Voices, Fill the Walls with Hope, Community Legal Services, Liberty Resources Inc., the Klein College of Media and Communications at Temple University, the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Offices of Councilmembers Helen Gym, Jaime Gauthier, Derek Green, Kendra Brooks, Mark Squilla, Kenyatta Johnson, and Katherine Gilmore Richardson.

If you are working with vulnerable communities around the COVID-19 response, let us know. If youre an interested artist, or member of the clergy, or health organization, or community leader, please reach out.

If you have questions that local newsrooms can answer about the pandemic, please tell us here, or text COVID19phl to 73224. Your queries will be shared with our newsroom partners.

Cassie Haynes and Jean Friedman-Rudovsky are co-executive directors of Resolve Philly.
Grocery store workers are being put at risk of catching coronavirus because of 'shameful' shoppers leaving dirty masks, gloves and wipes littered around store parking lots and in shopping carts.

Concerned retail staff and angry shoppers have taken to social media to blast the actions of some shoppers, who are using the protective gear while they shop and then throwing them onto the ground or into carts when they leave.

Some local governments and law enforcement agencies across the US and Canada are now threatening to fine shoppers around $365 if they are caught in the act, as they run the risk of endangering the lives of the essential workforce forced to clean up the used gear left behind.

Discarded latex gloves lie on the ground outside of a Walmart store in Vernon Hills, Illinois on Saturday. Grocery store workers are at risk of exposure to coronavirus because 'shameful' shoppers are littering used masks, gloves and wipes in store parking lots and shopping carts

US government researchers warned last month that the deadly infection can live on surfaces for up to three days, meaning store workers picking up used masks and gloves could be at risk of exposure to the killer virus.

The latest safety plight for retail staff comes as at least four staffers at retailers like Walmart and Trader Joe's have died from the virus and workers across several major chains have staged walkouts against poor safety conditions amid the pandemic.

One worker at a California Safeway store said it was 'maddening' that dirty gloves possibly contaminated with the virus are left around the branch each day.

Concerned retail staff and angry shoppers have taken to social media to blast the actions of some shoppers, who are using the protective gear while they shop and then throwing them onto the ground or into carts when they leave

'The parking lots are littered with gloves constantly, every day,' Linda St. Denis told Business Insider.

'Who knows how long the virus lasts on these gloves. It's maddening.'

St. Denis said the branch's courtesy clerks, whose jobs are typically to bag groceries and clean bathrooms, are now faced with having to clean up the protective gear.

In New York, Pat's Farms grocery store worker John Fedash was pictured cleaning up used gloves left in the store parking lot.

Fedash used a rake to try to limit contact with the dirty gear.

Other shoppers have also slammed the behaviors of some shoppers, with one posting a picture on social media of a grass area outside an Aldi store in Connecticut covered in used gloves.

'This is the hill next to Aldi in Wallingford covered in used rubber gloves and trash,' they wrote on Facebook.

'This is absolutely shameful.'

Another mortified customer posted a picture of discarded gloves on the ground on Facebook.

'What the hell is wrong with people? I have seen this in almost every store parking lot (supermarket/pharmacy) the last few weeks. I accidentally touched a pair because I thought I had dropped mine!! Throw your disposable gloves in the trash, people! Not on the ground!' they said in the Facebook post.

Discarded latex gloves lie on the ground outside of a grocery store in Glenview, Illinois, Sunday. Workers are left with no choice but to pick up the potentially contaminated protective gear

A discarded mask is seen at a shopping center's parking lot in Fall's Church, Virginia, in March. Infection can live on surfaces for up to three days, meaning store workers could be placed at risk of exposure to the killer virus if they come into contact with used masks

Authorities in some parts of the US and Canada are now warning shoppers that they will be fined if they don't throw the gear in the trash.

In Ottawa, Canada, people will be fined up to $365 fines if they throw medical gloves and masks on the floor.

The Bellingham, Massachusetts, Board of Health also said it will be visiting stores and fining anyone failing to discard of them safely, reported Business Insider.

Panicked shoppers have been pictured wearing masks and gloves to go to grocery stores as they stockpile goods amid the pandemic.

In Ottawa, Canada, authorities are threatening to fine people up to $365 fines if they throw medical gloves and masks on the floor

Some experts have recommended people take disinfectant or hand sanitizer wipes to wipe down shopping carts and baskets before using them.

'Most stores are providing hand sanitizer wipes, but I encourage people to bring some of their own  some stores have run out,' Dr. Elizabeth Eckstrom, professor and chief of geriatrics at Oregon Health & Science University, told the New York Times.

'When you finish shopping, wipe your hands again and wipe the handles of your car before getting in. I am also wiping my steering wheel, but that might be going overboard.'

Pat's Farms grocery store worker John Fedash cleans up the used gloves left in the parking lot and shopping carts by customers in New York

A worker loads bags of prepared foods for delivery at a Whole Foods Market grocery store in California

The CDC revised its guidance Friday recommending that all Americans should now wear nonsurgical cloth face masks when they go out in public.

But concerns are mounting for grocery store workers across the country, who have no choice but to go to work on the frontline and risk coming into contact with the virus.

At least four grocery workers at some of the biggest chains have already died from coronavirus.

Boston workers of Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's stage protest over retail conditions amid the pandemic

Workers at Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's in Boston united to protest against working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday.

The grocery store employees joined forces with customers to demand 'adequate protections', NBC Boston reports. The group met in a Whole Foods parking lot where they stood apart to protest.

One worker at Shaw's grocery story, Lisa Wilson, told the network: 'I think grocery stores like to look like they're doing things...but as far as actually enforcing it...that's not really happening.'

Their protest comes after the deaths of at least four grocery workers across the United States.

Two Walmart employees at the same Chicago-area store, a Trader Joe's worker in New York, and a greeter at a Maryland Giant grocery store passed away in the last two weeks.

Employee Tonya Ramsay, right, holds a sign outside the Amazon DTW1 fulfillment center in Romulus, Michigan on Wednesday, April 1

The US is now barreling towards the infection's projected peak day on April 16 when experts predict there will be over 3,000 deaths in 24 hours. The death toll reached 12,035 across the country Monday.

Around 30 protester met on Tuesday morning after several of their colleagues from across the state tested positive for the virus.

Other frontline workers have also gone on strike as a result of working conditions, including those as Amazon facilities, with owner Jeff Bezos being accused of 'valuing profit over safety'.

The online retail giant is tracking its warehouse staff and will fire them for failing to socially distance themselves from their co-workers.

Workers at facilities across the United States are said to have received letters from their employer explaining they could be sacked after just one warning.

The grocery store employees joined forces with customers to demand 'adequate protections', NBC Boston reports. The group met in a Whole Foods parking lot

Workers at Stop & Shop , Whole Foods , and Trader Joe's in Boston united to protest against working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday

A number of Amazon employees have walked out in recent days over conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. One worker told CNBC it is understood cameras would be used to watch and review staff for any potential violations.

One Amazon worker in Easton, Pennsylvania told The Guardian owner Jeff Bezos 'clearly values profits above employee safety or health'.

Amazon says they have deployed an additional 450,000 canisters of disinfectant wipes, 50,000 hand sanitizers and 20,000 wall mounted sanitizer refill containers to sites in addition to other cleaning materials that were on-hand.

The anonymous employee added: 'They send us a very standard text every time they learn of a new case, reminding us that our 'health and safety are most important', before reminding us we can take as much time off without pay as we like.

'Of course, anyone with bills to pay will have to go back in eventually.

'The fact that we're still expected to report to work in a compromised warehouse to ship non-essential products if we still want to earn our living tells me that Amazon and Jeff Bezos clearly value profits above employee safety or health.'

'We have no more wipes and hand sanitizer. We aren't provided masks, don't have the proper gloves, and not everything is being sanitized and cleaned before it comes to use,' one warehouse worker in Phoenix, Arizona added.

Those delivering the food are also worried for their safety. The Truckers Independent Drivers Association wrote to Donald Trump asking for their health to be protected.

Todd Spencer, president and CEO of Kansas based organization, said: 'Right now professional drivers are busting their butts to care for the nation.

'Their hard work and personal sacrifice should not include their health or even their lives if at all possible or preventable.'

Major grocery stores across the US report first employee deaths

Top supermarket chains across the United States are reporting their first COVID-19 employee deaths after at least four staffers at retailers like Walmart and Trader Joe's died.

Two Walmart employees at the same Chicago-area store, a Trader Joe's worker in New York, and a greeter at a Maryland Giant grocery store passed away in the last two weeks, The Washington Post reports.

Last week, Giants Campus Way South greeter Leilani Jordan, 27, died of COVID-19 in Largo, Maryland, on Wednesday.

Zenobia Shepherd, Jordan's mother, told The Post: 'She said, "Mommy, Im going to work because no one else is going to help the senior citizens get their groceries."'

Leilani Jordan (pictured), a greeter at Giants Campus Way South store, died of the coronavirus last week in Largo, Maryland

(Left to Right) Wando Evans and Phillip Thomas, two employees at an Evergreen Park Walmart, died of coronavirus just four days apart

'She only stopped going to work when she could no longer breathe.'

Jordan 's last day at work was March 16, said spokesman Daniel Wolk. She tested positive for the coronavirus in late March,

The company has since sanitized the Giant store and is providing counseling for staff members.

Walmart Inc. revealed in a statement that two staffers at the Evergreen Park store passed away from complications related to coronavirus.

Wando Evans, a 51-year-old overnight maintenance worker, died on March 25 after working for Walmart for 15 years.

Phillip Thomas, 48, died four days later on March 29 following nine years at the store. He was turning 49-year-olds on April 12.

Both men suffered underlying health conditions, Patch reported.

'We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store, and we are mourning along with their families,' a statement from Walmart reads.

The company said neither employee had been in the Evergreen Park store 'for more than a week.'

On Monday, a Trader Joe's employee in Scarsdale, New York, died of the disease. The victim's identity has not been made public.

Spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said the store where the victim worked is closed until Thursday to allow colleagues 'time to process and grieve.'

Employees will be paid during the temporary closure and get two additional days of paid leave.
By AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected 52 people and resulted in two deaths there.

It is the first state of emergency announced under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 and won last year's Nobel Peace Prize in part for expanding political freedoms in the authoritarian nation.

"Because the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse, the Ethiopian government has decided to declare a state of emergency under Article 93 of the constitution," Abiy said in a statement.

"I call upon everybody to stand in line with government bodies and others that are trying to overcome this problem," he added, warning of "grave legal measures" against anyone who undermines the fight against the pandemic.

It was not immediately clear how the state of emergency would affect day-to-day life in Ethiopia, where the government has so far refrained from imposing a lockdown similar to those in effect elsewhere in the region, including in Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius.

According to the country's constitution, under a state of emergency the Council of Ministers has "all necessary power to protect the country's peace and sovereignty" and can suspend some "political and democratic rights".

The constitution also says lawmakers need to approve a state of emergency, which can last for six months and be extended every four months after that.

Since reporting its first COVID-19 case on March 13, Ethiopia has closed land borders and schools, freed thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding, sprayed main streets in the capital with disinfectant, and discouraged large gatherings.

The country's electoral board also announced last week that landmark general elections planned for August would need to be postponed because of the pandemic.

It did not provide a timeline for when the elections would ultimately be held.

Lawmakers' constitutional mandates expire in October, but a state of emergency could enable them to stay in their seats, though it raises the possibility of strong objections from the political opposition.
Maple Gold details 1,500 metre long drill-ready target area with new Induced Polarization survey

Posted by Publisher Internet

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. ?Maple Gold? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: MGM, OTCQB: MGMLF; Frankfurt: M3G  https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/maple-gold-mines-drilling-new-high-grade-extension-531-zone/ ) is pleased to announce that the Company?s infill induced polarization (IP) lines at the Northeast IP Target now includes a 1,500m metre long drill-ready target area in the SW portion of a 3km corridor of chargeability anomalies, with both known local geology and Induced Polarization response interpreted to be favourable for new Vezza-type gold discoveries. The past producing Vezza mine, located 12 km to the east of Maple Gold?s Douay Project, produced approximately 0.4M ounces at ~6 g/t Au (life-of-mine). In addition to Vezza, the much larger Casa Berardi deposit (6.2M ounces past production plus reserves and resources), occurs in the same litho-tectonic context as Vezza. Casa Berardi is located approximately 40km west of the Douay property, with current (proven and probable) reserve grades of 5.3 g/t Au for underground and 2.3 g/t Au in-pit.[1] Summary highlights for this new discovery drill target include:

Single short historical drill-hole (1994), completed just off western edge of the new IP anomaly, intersected Vezza-style alteration and mineralisation (silica-sericite-pyrite altered sediments with disseminated pyrite) and anomalous background gold(20-120ppb Au) from 62.4m to end-of-hole at 153m, with interval gold grades increasing downhole.

The Company?s infill IP survey defined highest chargeability over >400m distance (for context Vezza deposit extended for about 400m along strike), starting near surface and open to depth (Figs. 1 and 2).

Maple Gold will focus on vectoring toward the higher grade portion of the hydrothermal system in this area, believed to be to the northeast, associated with an increased chargeability response.

The IP anomalies forming the eastern half of the above-mentioned 3km corridor appear to be open to the north; the IP grid will be extended in that direction before initial drilling occurs in this area.

Note: Mineralisation hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company\-\-s Douay Property.

Maple Gold?s VP, Exploration, Fred Speidel, commented: ?Our 2020 drilling campaign included a series of drill-holes within the known deposit area where we believe we can define more near surface higher-grade material, but we are also very excited about the prospect of making new greenfield discoveries across our greater property and the Northeast IP Target represents an excellent opportunity for us to do so.? Coming soon: Educational Investor Update ? Targeting New Gold Discoveries with Fred Speidel. Click the following link to receive investor updates directly to your inbox: https://bit.ly/2x35K6V ?

Drill-testing this new Northeast IP discovery target is a priority for the Company; the timing for drilling this discovery target will be dictated by both market conditions and by any ongoing work restrictions related to COVID-19. The position of the main proposed drill site as shown in Fig. 1 and 2 (currently one of several being permitted) reflects the Company?s interpretation of where the vectors towards higher grade gold mineralisation may be pointing, starting from the historical hole that established the presence of a broad but low-grade gold-bearing hydrothermal system. The Company is using the trend indicated by the chargeability anomaly as a?proxy for pyrite content,?and the interpreted increase in pyrite content to the NE as a proxy for a vector towards higher grade gold mineralisation.

Maple Gold?s pipeline of new discovery targets for both gold and VMS style mineralisation continues to grow. In addition to the drill-ready Northeast IP Target, the Company has several greenfield gold targets generated from 2018 top-of-bedrock drilling at the western edge of the Douay property and a series of base metal targets throughout the central portion of the property. The Company will complete additional IP lines over these target areas in the future to firm up new drill targets.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold.?Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.?Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Click the following link to review the Company?s QA-QC standards and protocols: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement.

About Maple Gold

Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world?s premier mining jurisdictions. The Company?s ~355 km? Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.

ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD.

?Matthew Hornor?

1. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO

For Further Information Please Contact:

Mr. Joness Lang

Executive Vice-President

Cell: 778.686.6836

Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains ?forward-looking information\ and ?forward-looking statements? (collectively referred to as ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective? mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management?s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company?s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as ?anticipate?, ?will?, ?intend? and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.?s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company?s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

[1] Dec 31, 2018: 43-101 report, titled Technical Report for the Casa Berardi Mine, Northwestern Quebec, Canada, 297p.
Potential ABG Sundal Collier Holding ASA (OB:ASC) shareholders may wish to note that the Co-Head of Global Research & Managing Partner of Norway, John A. Olaisen, recently bought kr3.1m worth of stock, paying kr3.08 for each share. We reckon that's a good sign, especially since the purchase boosted their holding by 233%.

View our latest analysis for ABG Sundal Collier Holding

ABG Sundal Collier Holding Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by John A. Olaisen is the biggest insider purchase of ABG Sundal Collier Holding shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of kr3.36. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. The good news for ABG Sundal Collier Holding share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

In the last twelve months ABG Sundal Collier Holding insiders were buying shares, but not selling. Their average price was about kr2.74. It's great to see insiders putting their own cash into the company's stock, albeit at below the recent share price. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

OB:ASC Recent Insider Trading April 8th 2020

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. ABG Sundal Collier Holding insiders own about kr244m worth of shares. That equates to 16% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

Story continues

What Might The Insider Transactions At ABG Sundal Collier Holding Tell Us?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Along with the high insider ownership, this analysis suggests that insiders are quite bullish about ABG Sundal Collier Holding. Nice! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing ABG Sundal Collier Holding. At Simply Wall St, we've found that ABG Sundal Collier Holding has 3 warning signs (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
A man has been arrested by Pune police on Wednesday for providing false information to the police about a gathering of a community at a religious centre in Khadki.

According to police, the accused has been identified as Prakash Pandurang Dalvi, 40, a resident of Mula road in Khadki.

On April 1, the accused called the police control room and complained about gathering of eight to ten people on Mula road, said officials.

As per the orders of Ravindra Shisve, joint commissioner of Pune police, gathering for a prayer of any religion and assembly of people for any other reason is prohibited in the city until April 14 due to the 21-day lockdown implemented to curtail the spread of Sars-cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 (coronavirus) infection.

Therefore, the police rushed to the spot to find the religious premises locked from the outside.

The site was opened and checked, but the policemen found nobody in the premises.

The police traced the number of the caller and found that the accused had used his friends mobile number to make the call. The accused was arrested on Wednesday.

A case under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 182 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) of Indian Penal Code was registered at Khadki police station against the man.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and CHICAGO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Special Counsel, the nation's leading provider of end-to-end legal solutions, and part of the Adecco Group's U.S. Professional Recruitment and Solutions unit, today announced with Relativity that it has become the first-ever RelativityOne Certified Gold Partner and is currently the only Relativity partner holding this status. Special Counsel represents a wide range of comprehensive consulting services for law firms and corporations that need capabilities in the U.S., U.K., China and Australia.

The RelativityOne Certified Gold Level is part of the Relativity Partner Program and was put in place to recognize organizations that have reached the highest bar for experience, customer satisfaction, staff training and certifications. Gold partners are considered proven innovators, with at least two custom applications available in the Relativity App Hub. A Gold Certified Partner must have an extensive and consistent track record of client results with RelativityOne.

As a Relativity partner since 2008, Special Counsel has vast experience with the organization. To further that commitment, they made a strategic decision to invest early in an expanded partnership, with the introduction of RelativityOne in 2018. From there, the partnership has flourished resulting in expanded use, many customer successes and two custom applications, DiscoverMobile and Theia.

"We are pleased to be recognized as a leader in the e-discovery technology space by Relativity," said Chris Gallagher, President of U.S. Professional Solutions at Special Counsel and its parent company, The Adecco Group. "Our team has worked hard to be a frontrunner when it comes to innovation. This has been demonstrated by our early commitment to Relativity's first cloud-based, SaaS offering RelativityOne, as well as our ongoing efforts to ensure client success by providing custom applications and an ever-growing team of certified experts."

"For more than a decade, Special Counsel has proven to be a highly dedicated and innovative partner and I'm thrilled that they are the first RelativityOne Certified Gold Partner," said Mike Gamson, CEO at Relativity. "As they continue to be a leader within the Relativity Community, I look forward to seeing Special Counsel deliver even more innovation with RelativityOne to meet their clients' ever-evolving e-discovery data challenges."

For more information about Special Counsel or to learn about their custom legal solutions, visit specialcounsel.com.

About the Adecco Group

The Adecco Group is the world's leading HR solutions company. We believe in making the future work for everyone, and every day enable more than 3.5 million careers. We skill, develop, and hire talent in 60 countries, enabling organisations to embrace the future of work. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we lead by example, creating shared value that fuels economies and builds better societies. Our culture of inclusivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork empowers our 35,000 employees, who voted us number 11 on the Great Place to Work - World's Best Workplaces 2019 list. The Adecco Group AG is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN) and powered by nine global lead brands: Adecco, Adia, Badenoch & Clark, General Assembly, Lee Hecht Harrison, Modis, Pontoon, Spring Professional, and YOSS.

About Special Counsel

At Special Counsel, we are a leading provider of legal consulting, attorney recruiting, legal talent, legal technology and eDiscovery solutions, with a growing international footprint. But there's more to being a leader than having tremendous size and scale. Our strength comes from our ability to partner with clients to create solutions on a case-by-case basis. It comes from our gift for fostering, furthering and promoting the expertise of our people. And it comes from our commitment to doing business with transparency, flexibility and integrity. That's what sets us apart. That's what makes us Special. To learn how we can help you, visit http://www.specialcounsel.com.

About Relativity

At Relativity, we make software to help users organize data, discover the truth, and act on it. Our e-discovery platform is used by thousands of organizations around the world to manage large volumes of data and quickly identify key issues during litigation, internal investigations, and compliance projects. Relativity has over 180,000 users in 40+ countries from organizations including the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 70 Fortune 100 companies, and 198 of the Am Law 200. RelativityOne offers all the functionality of Relativity in a secure and comprehensive SaaS product. Relativity has been named one of Chicago's Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune for nine consecutive years. Please contact Relativity at [email protected] or visit http://www.relativity.com for more information.

SOURCE Special Counsel

Related Links

https://www.specialcounsel.com/


Highlights Doncaster shared a story from 1970 of exploding whale They pointed out three lessons one could apply from the incident in recent times The Twitter thread has now gone viral

Council of Doncaster, a town in Yorkshire, England recently shared a Twitter thread to highlight three essential points about dealing with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Whats interesting is that they quoted an incident from almost 50 years back to drive home the message. Its a story of how the Oregon Department of Transportation decided to deal with a dead whale carcass that had washed up on a Florence beach in 1970.

In November 1970, officials in Oregon, USA decided to blow up a rotting whale carcass. The whole thing went horribly wrong, Doncaster Council tweeted. Why do we bring this up? Well, this story can teach us 3 things about coronavirus, they added.

The thread then recounts the story and reveals how the department had three options to get rid of the carcass. They could let it decompose naturally, chop up and burry it, or blow it up using dynamite. They opted for the third option. So, to obliterate one of the worlds largest mammals, the engineer in charge used half tonne of dynamite, despite warnings from an expert that it would be too much.

What followed due to the short-sightedness of the plan was a horror show. The blast sent massive chunks of rotting whale carcass flying off through the air and they rained down on terrified onlookers who had gathered to witness the spectacle. The situation also turned dangerous as a car was even crushed by a huge lump of blubber a quarter of a mile away.

In short, the decision to blow up the whale carcass created thousands of bits of problem spread for miles around instead of solving one.

So why do we tell you this story? the Doncaster council asked in one of the tweets on the thread. Then added there are actually three coronavirus lessons which one can conclude from the story. They are:

1 DONT IGNORE THE ADVICE THAT EXPERTS GIVE YOU.



They know what theyre talking about.  Doncaster Council (@MyDoncaster) April 6, 2020

2 Sometimes, its better to just sit at home and do nothing than go outside and do something ridiculous.



Let nature take its course.  Doncaster Council (@MyDoncaster) April 6, 2020

3 When you ignore expert advice and act like an idiot, you cover everyone else with decaying whale blubber. #StayHome and stop being selfish.



   Doncaster Council (@MyDoncaster) April 6, 2020

People couldnt stop appreciating the councils post to spread such essential messages through a historic story.

From our digital communications team to you...we salute you! Strong gif game, @MyDoncaster, very strong! #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/j8yFnZghmB  East Riding Council #StayHomeSaveLives (@East_Riding) April 6, 2020

BRILLIANT thread. Whoever thought this one up is a blinking marvel.



The Government needs you, quick.  Fionna O'Leary, #FBPE (@fascinatorfun) April 6, 2020

Our digital comms team stand in awe down here in Devon. Nicely done Doncaster, nicely done indeed. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/KVfQF2Jzav  @WestDevon_BC (@WestDevon_BC) April 6, 2020

This is how you tell a story, with an important message, on social media...

Very nice, @MyDoncaster... pic.twitter.com/hK6d37oIhz  David Caldicott (@ACTINOSProject) April 6, 2020

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant, wrote a Twitter user. Whoever thought of this is a genius. Also, when this is over I want to take you out for a drink! expressed another. I have no idea why this came across my timeline but gotta shout out the outstanding Doncaster based social media game, praised a third.

Someone also unearthed a video of the coverage of the incident and shared it on the thread:

Read the entire thread here:

In November 1970, officials in Oregon, USA decided to blow up a rotting whale carcass. The whole thing went horribly wrong.



Why do we bring this up? Well, this story can teach us 3 things about #coronavirus  pic.twitter.com/9MOeRESkzx  Doncaster Council (@MyDoncaster) April 6, 2020

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the incident, yet its still relevant in the present scenario. It indeed teaches that ignoring opinions of experts can often lead to a disastrous end.

Before the tale of whale, the council issued another stay-at-home message on Twitter with reference to the Russian military hero Stanislav Petrov, reports the BCC.

What do you think of the Twitter thread?

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Emily Ratajkowski is very upset that Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday he was dropping out of the race for the White House.

The political activist and model took to social media that same day to express her 'devastation' over the news with a post to her Instagram Story.

A longtime advocate for women's rights, among other progressive causes, the 28-year-old beauty was a staunch supporter of Sanders and his medicare for all agenda.

Heartbroken: Emily Ratajkowski, a political activist and model, took to social media to share her sadness that Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race with a new post on Wednesday

In a snap on her story, Ratajkowski penned that she was 'devastated and disheartened' over the news and added a broken heart GIF.

The model shared a photo with the post of herself wearing a T-shirt that touted many of Bernie's policy positions: 'college for all, medicare for all, jobs for all, justice for all'.

Earlier that day, the 78-year-old Senator from Vermont shared his decision to suspend his presidential campaign with staff over a conference call and then informed the press.

Emily shot some of the two-time presidential hopeful's speech on her phone and also posted that to her Insta Story.

Sad: In a snap on her story, Ratajkowski penned that she was 'devastated and disheartened' over the news and shared a photo wearing a T-shirt with the words 'college for all, medicare for all, jobs for all, justice for all'.

Feelin' the Bern: Earlier that day, the 78-year-old Senator from Vermont shared his decision to suspend his presidential campaign with staff over a conference call and then informed the press (Pictured March 3)

'I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,' he told supporters via livestream. 'But the path toward victory is virtually impossible.'

Meanwhile, at home quarantining with her husband Sebastian, Ratajkowski has been entertaining her fans with new social media posts.

The beauty has been killing time by watching Tik Tok videos on the couch with her dog and playing with various Instagram filters.

Also, on Wednesday, she uploaded a cheeky new post modeling a white one-piece that emphasized her perky bottom.

Best buddy: Meanwhil, the beauty has been killing time by watching Tik Tok videos on the couch with her dog and playing with various Instagram filters

Glam! During her home quarantine, Emily has been practicing some needed self-care and relaxation, which recently included a hot bubble bath and soothing her skin under a white sheet mask

The snap sees the leggy model in a shadowed room, facing the wall with a tall green plant to one side.

During her home quarantine, Emily has been practicing some needed self-care and relaxation, which recently included a hot bubble bath and soothing her skin under a white sheet mask.

She shared a steamy snap of her legs covered in bubbles last Thursday night on her Instagram Story, and later Ratajkowski posted a number of risque pictures on her social media.
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 10:25 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd080d6a 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-Jakarta,pertamina,coronavirus Free

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina is preparing the Pertamina Jaya Hospital (RSPJ) in Central Jakarta to serve as a referral hospital for COVID-19 patients, with a laboratory for the novel coronavirus tests.

The hospital, located in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, is expected to be able to test over 1,400 samples per day, State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir said in a statement on Monday.

COVID-19 testing is very important. The machine to process COVID-19 test results will be ready to use this week, Erick said.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo recently urged the Health Ministry and the national COVID-19 task force to improve and speed up the countrys testing capacity, especially using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method  which involves swabbing a persons nose and throat to detect whether they have contracted the virus.

The government, having tested at least 14,354 samples, announced on Tuesday that the country's tally of confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 2,738, with 221 fatalities. A total of 204 people have so far recovered from the disease.

Read also: COVID-19: Indonesia to administer more PCR tests, acknowledges some rapid tests 'ineffective'

Pertamina Jaya Hospital joins 64 other state-owned hospitals in supporting the government in its containment efforts against the COVID-19 outbreak. The SOEs Ministry is preparing such hospitals to increase the governments healthcare capacity ahead of the anticipated peak of coronavirus cases in the country.

Pertamina hospitals operator PT Pertamina Bina Medikas (Pertamedika) president director, Fathema Djan Rachmat, said the hospital was revamping its intensive care units, medical laboratory, radiology rooms, emergency rooms and other supporting facilities to meet the requirement to handle patients with COVID-19.

Following three weeks of preparation since March 11, the hospital is expected to provide a total of 65 isolation rooms once it begins operation on Friday.

Pertamina is set to employ some 700 medical workers to serve both at the hospital and another emergency hospital to be developed at the Patra Jasa Hotel, also located in Cempaka Putih, said the company's director of human resources, Koeshartanto.

The company plans to provide 52 bedrooms at the hotel for medical staff accommodation and 90 modular beds for patients.
I realize that the weather is improving everywhere and that there are various signs already that deaths from the novel coronavirus could end up being less numerous than many feared, but an election?

Most of us can probably imagine dozens of things that we would prefer to see happen before it becomes time to vote again. Yet this is exactly what happened in Wisconsin on Tuesday, where voters donned masks and gloves and stood as far apart as they could manage while waiting in line to vote in a ghost election amid the pandemic and the attendant shelter-in-place order issued by Tony Evers, the state's Democratic governor.

This is not what Evers wanted to happen. Over the past few weeks he has attempted to postpone the election and, failing that, insisted that the deadline for sending in absentee ballots be extended. But such powers belong to the Republican-controlled state legislature, who refused to consider any of these proposals. When Evers tried to take unilateral action on Monday, he was thwarted by twin rulings, one from state judges, the other from the Supreme Court of the United States.

While it is still far too early to say what the outcome will be, it is already clear that the GOP got everything they wanted in Wisconsin on Tuesday. In a contest in which the most significant race pitted an incumbent conservative judge on the state Supreme Court against a liberal challenger, they expect to benefit from what will almost certainly be severely decreased voter turnout in urban areas such as Milwaukee, where instead of 180 polling places only five were open. (Daniel Kelly, the judge in question, was kind enough to recuse himself from the case that decided whether he would almost certainly continue in office.) The same court this fall is expected to rule on the question of whether as many as 200,000 voters should be purged from the electoral rolls in a state in which Donald Trump won by only 23,000 votes and the most recent governor's race was decided by a margin of only a few thousand. I think it's safe to say that we know how that is likely to go.

Story continues

Many observers throughout the country are horrified by what has happened in Wisconsin. (Joe Biden, who recently told his supporters that it was safe to participate in what is essentially a lame-duck Democratic primary vote in the state, is not one of them.) I find myself wondering how shocked we should really be. What happened there strikes me as the logical continuation of the American two-party system, the nihilistic contest of opposition for its own sake into which everything  health, safety, a basic sense of decency and fair play, the so-called "issues" with which we are all supposed to be concerned  has been subsumed.

This, after all, is what our political parties do to win. They attempt to maximize their advantages, by decreasing or increasing the number of participants as they see fit. (If you think Terry McAuliffe restored the vote to 200,000 felons out of the goodness of his heart, I have a blood testing company I would like you to consider investing in.) When they win, they draw political maps intended to keep them in power. They seize upon any pretext or none to change the rules, even when it means breaking with principles they have recently avowed. The only thing even remotely surprising about the Wisconsin election is that we have seen nothing like it in other states so far (something I think we can attribute more to the fact that the Democratic primaries have all but been decided and the lack of down-ballot races as significant as the Wisconsin Supreme Court on most tickets than to genuine concern for public health).

What would it take to suspend the partisan nihilism? Whatever the answer might be, it certainly is not what experts consider the greatest public health emergency of our lifetimes. Would it be any different if the crisis were somehow even more serious? It is impossible to say, not least because our political leaders would be the last people to convey to us the significance of what was happening around us.

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More stories from theweek.com

Trump's approval rating is back to normal, coronavirus response numbers in the red, new polls show

The coming backlash against the public health experts

Biden is the weakest major party nominee in recent history  but that might be the point


When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called for medical workers around the country to come to New York last month and join the fight against the coronavirus, Bevin Strickland was ready to help.

Ms. Strickland, a former pediatric intensive care unit nurse in High Point, N.C., spent hours trying to submit her volunteer application online, and then emailed city and state representatives. She never heard back.

Frustrated, she reached out directly to Mount Sinai Queens hospital in New York City. A manager told her to use a private recruiting agency, which the hospital had used for years to bring in temporary staff.

Within two days, Ms. Strickland, 47, received her assignment. She started this week in the hospitals emergency department, making about $3,800 a week for three 12-hour shifts instead of doing it for free, as she had initially wanted.
VANCOUVER, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd. (the "Company" or "HealthSpace") (CSE:HS) (Frankfurt:38H) (OTC:HDSLF) is pleased to announce it has begun deploying its contact tracing platform, for COVID-19, with Okanogan County Public Health in Washington and Vancouver Island Health Authority.

After its initial outreach to existing customers regarding COVID-19, the Company learned of the growing need to scale contact tracing efforts for public health departments. Contact tracing is a process employed by epidemiologists world-wide that enables them to retrace the steps of a person testing positive for COVID-19 and track anyone who may have had direct contact with them. These agencies then embark on a painstaking process of interviewing each of the potential contacts, calling them daily for a set period of time to monitor if they exhibit any symptoms.

HealthSpace has since extended its HSCloud Suite and My Health Department products to serve as a fully automated contact tracing platform. This new platform replaces the manual process of calling each individual contact with an automated system that sends out a unique and secure link via text message and email with a daily questionnaire for each of the contacts being traced. The questionnaire allows the contact to enter their symptoms, temperature and a variety of other information as directed by each agency.

The platform also allows those filling out the questionnaire to list places they have recently been - such as a supermarket - and people they have been in direct contact with, enrolling these new contacts in the daily contact tracing questionnaire. This multiplies the reach and helps control community spread more effectively. The information is securely stored inside of HealthSpace's secure HSCloud Suite platform for detailed reporting and analysis, helping these agencies make informed decisions in real-time.

This platform is being delivered at a time when unprecedented pressure and attention has been placed on public health agencies. This growing pressure and strain has brought about the demand for increased funding. In the $2 trillion economic stimulus package recently signed into law in the US, $500m has been specifically earmarked for the CDC with the express purpose of providing public health surveillance and data collection system ( https://www.wpxi.com/news/washington-news-bureau/cdc-granted-500-million-surveillance-data-collection-system-fight-coronavirus/BB7YNCIL2FGHZOWL4YCIUFFV4E/ ).

HealthSpace CEO, Silas Garrison commented "In a time when public health agencies and governments across the globe are scrambling, looking for help, I am humbled that our platform has risen to the occasion. Our team has been working tirelessly since we discovered the need for digital contact tracing and were able to stand up, in record time, a platform that truly scales contact tracing to meet the magnitude of this global crisis. I am honored that our platform can have a positive and lasting impact, not just for the agencies implementing it, but for all those directly impacted by this virus. The more we empower these public health agencies, the faster they can react to capping the spread of the virus. This not only helps save lives but will lead to the world and the economy getting back to normal."

HealthSpace Data Systems Ltd.

HealthSpace is a government Software as a Service (SaaS) company focused on providing efficiencies to state and local government agencies through its powerful enterprise cloud and mobile platform. Over the last decade, HealthSpace has successfully developed both cloud and mobile applications currently serving over 500 state and local government organizations across North America. HealthSpace offers one of the only self-serve enterprise suites for government, providing greater power to the end-user. Further, HealthSpace now delivers its government grade technologies to private businesses enabling them to gain visibility and predictability into their own organizations and move from a reactive to a proactive operational status. HealthSpace continues to deliver focused service and innovative solutions to government organizations, while expanding into commercial enterprise verticals to enable new customers with proactive environmental health best practices and policies. HealthSpace has now entered into the FinTech space by creating a payment platform that streamlines the intake of government revenue for the agencies it serves.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "pipeline", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although HealthSpace believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. HealthSpace expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE HealthSpace Data
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali predicts COVID-19 will worsen security situation in country.

The United Nations Security Council has been briefed by the head of the UNs peacekeeping mission in Mali, whose job it is to stem growing insecurity there.

In a virtual meeting of the UNSC, 15 ambassadors took part remotely to discuss the situation in Mali, where 15,000 peacekeepers are based amid continuing violence.

Here and in other peacekeeping operations around the globe, the UN faces difficulties as soldiers who would normally be relieved and rotated home are stuck in place.

Al Jazeeras James Bays reports from the UN headquarters in New York, US.
Specialist detectives have arrested a Brisbane man over a series of child sexual exploitation offences after raiding his Brisbane home and allegedly finding digital evidence of the crimes.

Police also rescued two young girls, under the age of 12, who were alleged victims.

The raid took place on Saturday and involved officers from the Morningside child protection unit, as well as Taskforce Argos, the Queensland Police Service's child abuse and sexual crime group.

Police said detectives targeted the man after he was identified by the Taskforce Argos team as allegedly distributing child-exploitation material online showing the abuse of two young girls.

The 43-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of rape, indecent treatment of a child under 16, and making and distributing child-exploitation material.
ELKO  Elko could soon have another flashing pedestrian crossing, this one on Mountain City Highway.

Nevada Gold Mines has requested that the Nevada Department of Transportation install a flashing pedestrian crossing at Mountain City Highway and Terminal Way. The company is headquartered near the intersection.

The Elko City Council on Tuesday deliberated the possibility of becoming an NDOT permittee in order to move the project forward.

I think its important to have that, said Mayor Reece Keener. We all travel up and down Mountain City Highway and we can see the pedestrian traffic there [is busy] particularly on business days and since they have the Hampton Inn across the street.

Since the Hampton hotel has been put in, there have been many pedestrians walking across the road with suitcases going to the airport, said Elko City Councilman Robert Schmidtlein.

He said on rainy mornings it is a very blind area.

In an earlier discussion, which included NDOT, City of Elko and Nevada Gold Mines representatives, it was suggested that if NDOT would commit to the financial cost of design and construction the City of Elko would agree to accept maintenance going forward.

I think it would be poor practice for the City of Elko to start looking at a third party agreement for maintenance of this type of infrastructure, said Scott Wilkinson, assistant city manager. I will add that if the City of Elko is not interested in being the permittee that we probably would not see that project move forward.

Typically, with this type of infrastructure you wouldnt really have any expectation of any significant maintenance cost, if any, for several years after the infrastructure has been put in, Wilkinson said. We have a lot of permits with NDOT throughout the city.

I think this is very worthy of our consideration, Keener said. This is a major community partner and they do a lot for the city.

We have signal agreements with every signal in Elko that interfaces with NDOT, said Dennis Strickland, public works director with the City of Elko.

City Council voted to accept the responsibility for maintenance for the infrastructure.

The city already has flashing crosswalks on Idaho Street at the Red Lion and on 12th Street at Clarkson Drive.

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Office supplies retailer Staples is refusing to pay April rent on all of its U.S. stores, according to a report by Axios.

Staples has reached out to multiple landlords within the past 72 hours to inform them rent will not be paid and payment will not be deferred, the report says.

Staples is considered an essential business and has been allowed to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic.

There are currently 66 Staples stores in New Jersey, according to the companys website.

The Axios report quotes one of Staples landlords who claims the company is taking advantage of a crisis because commercial landlords are not allowed to evict tenants during the coronavirus pandemic.

A Staples spokeswoman declined to comment.

The Cheesecake Factory has also told landlords nationwide it wont pay April rent on any of its near-300 properties because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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6 rechargeable items that might make quarantine life better  and where to get quick delivery

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Ashita S. Batavia, MD, MSc, is a board-certified infectious diseases specialist and public health expert with extensive experience in treating epidemics. She works at Lawrence Hospital NYPH-Columbia. (Instagram: @ashita_batavia)

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Nearly 400,000 Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. In my state, New York, our hospital systems are being strained in unprecedented ways. As a frontline infectious diseases doctor, this is what I want my friends and neighbors to do if they have COVID-19 symptoms and are asked to go to the emergency room.

If you think you have COVID-19, please call your primary care doctor. If you are having trouble breathing, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Local residents line up at a special tent for coronavirus screenings in front of Brooklyn Hospital Center on April 2. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

1. Bring more than one hard copy of your current medications

Bring a list of all the medications that you routinely take, including the dose and the number of times you take it each day. Let us know if any of these medications were started in the last three months or if your dose was recently changed by your doctor. Unfortunately, we cannot quickly or easily access records from different hospital systems. Having this information on hand can save us valuable time.

Also, if you recently went to urgent care or another ER, please bring any records you were given. If you were prescribed medications, such as a Z-pack (azithromycin, an antibiotic), your doctor will ask how many pills you were able to take.

If a doctor or nurse takes your medication list, please remember his or her name. Unfortunately, in a busy ER your list could be misplaced or forgotten in the pocket of someones white coat if they are pulled into an emergency.

2. List your allergies on your medication list

In addition to the name of the medication, it is important to know the reaction. For example, if you take drug X, do you get a rash or have difficulty breathing?

Some side effects, such as vomiting or loose stools, may be mistaken for an allergic reaction. If a drug that causes side effects could help you, the benefits may outweigh the risks. Your doctor will discuss this with you, and you should feel comfortable asking lots of questions.

Story continues

3. Write down the phone number for your emergency contact

In New York, two major hospital systems have barred visitors unless a patient is giving birth. Being in a hospital can be unsettling, especially if you are alone.

On my last shift, my patient, an elderly gentleman with COVID-19, wanted to tell his daughter that he was feeling better after getting oxygen and medications. He couldnt call her because his phone battery died and he didnt know her number. Locating a charger in a busy emergency room isnt easy. Now more than ever, we want you to be able to reach your loved ones.

Not to mention, your doctors need to know who they should call with updates on your condition or in the event of an emergency.

4. Tell us what you want in an emergency. This is also called your code status.

I have seen that COVID-19 is an unpredictable and dangerous disease. In the hospital, patients who are doing well can suddenly deteriorate. It is important that we understand your wishes in the event of an emergency.

Do you want to be resuscitated if your heart stops? If you cant breathe on your own, do you want to be intubated  put on a ventilator that will pump air into your lungs? This requires inserting a tube into your trachea, through your mouth. You will require sedation and will be unable to speak, and may be semiconscious for the duration of the procedure, which in the case of COVID-19 may be several days or even weeks. We advise patients to say either yes or no to both questions.

If you choose to have everything done, you are full code. The alternatives are do not resuscitate (DNR) and do not intubate (DNI).

5. Extra credit  disease-specific information that is helpful for treating COVID-19

Every person is different, and medicine is not one-size-fits-all. Your primary care doctor knows valuable information about your health. If your doctor asks you to go to the ER and you have one of these diseases, you can ask them for this information and provide it to the doctors at the hospital.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Your baseline oxygen level, also called your O2 saturation.

Hypertension: Your blood pressure on your medications. Or, if for whatever reason you do not take medications, your average blood pressure.

Kidney disease: On routine blood tests, your doctor checks your creatinine level to see how well your kidneys are functioning. If you get dialysis, it is important for us to know when you were last dialyzed.

Heart disease: Ideally, we would like a copy of your last ECG or echocardiogram report. Whether or not you have kidney disease, it helps us to know the creatinine level from your last blood test.

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Click here for the latest coronavirus news and updates. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please refer to the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more:
Toronto - Whether it's blocking traffic outside a Donald Trump rally or preventing women from entering an abortion clinic, social activists take a risk when they choose extreme tactics to make their point.

New research has found that social change advocates face an "activist's dilemma." While extreme actions can bring more attention to a cause than moderate ones, they are more likely to diminish support, even among natural sympathizers, the study found.

Finding the sweet spot between the two is tricky, acknowledged Matthew Feinberg, an assistant professor of organizational behaviour and human resource management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

"We were curious if this dilemma exists, and if so, we wanted to more deeply understand how social movements might be able to overcome it," said Prof. Feinberg.

The researchers conducted six separate experiments in which participants were presented with different protest scenarios, including moderate and extreme protest actions at a Donald Trump campaign event, against anti-Black police violence, abortion activities, for and against gun control and in defense of animal rights.

Study participants were more likely to emerge with a negative view of the cause when a protest used extreme actions - even when participants were already politically or socially sympathetic to its message. Extreme actions were anything perceived to be highly disruptive or to cause harm to others, such as physical violence or threatening language.

Participants tended to feel that extreme behaviour crossed a line into immorality, which the researchers believe is what leads to the loss of support. Observers are less able to connect emotionally with the protest, leading them to identify less with the movement and back away from the cause.

"We found extreme anti-Trump protest actions actually led people to not only dislike the movement and support the cause less, but to be willing to support Trump more," said Prof. Feinberg. "It was almost like a backlash."

Previous studies have been mixed about the impact of extreme action. Some have shown that it can influence large institutions to change and bring more attention to a cause. Other research has suggested non-violent campaigns are twice as likely as violent ones to achieve their goals.

It means that activists should be clear about their objectives and carefully weigh their options for the best ways to achieve them, the researchers say. A movement with relatively low profile might consider more extreme action when it's starting out, becoming more moderate later to retain and build support.

"By no means are we trying to be negative towards activism," said Prof. Feinberg. "We're actually big fans of social movements and that's the reason we study them."

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Prof. Feinberg co-authored the research with Chloe Kovacheff, a Rotman School PhD student and Robb Willer of Stanford University. It appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada's commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca

For more information:

Ken McGuffin

Manager, Media Relations

Rotman School of Management

University of Toronto

Voice 416.946.3818

E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
Sen. Bernie Sanders announced on Wednesday that he is dropping out of the presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden has now become the Democratic Partys presumptive nominee.

I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth, Sanders told his supporters in a live stream. I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful.

In the video, he called the decision difficult and painful and reassured his supporters that had he felt he had any chance of winning, he would have remained in the race.

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As I see the crisis gripping the nation, he said, I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.

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Sanders also said he would remain on the ballot in the remaining primary elections and urged his supporters to cast their vote for him to gain more delegates and exert significant influence over the party platform.

The decision breaks with Sanders approach to the last presidential race, when he remained in competition with Hillary Clinton even after she had built an insurmountable lead. Over the course of a lengthy political career that included two presidential campaigns, Sanders transformed the Democratic Party, mainstreaming progressive policies such as free college and universal single-payer health care. In the 2020 presidential race, he formed a strong and clear progressive base, but the vast new electorate he promised to attract never materialized.

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It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe, Sanders said Wednesday. Many of them are already being implemented in cities and states across the country. That is what we have accomplished.

Just a couple of months ago, Sanders was the front-runner in the race. But poor performances in the South and among black voters caused his campaign to flag, and many moderate voters turned to Biden out of a concern that Sanders was poorly positioned to beat President Donald Trump in the general election. The coronavirus pandemic pushed electoral politics out of the publics attention, blocking Sanders from making any kind of more dramatic move in the race.

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Shortly after Sanders announcement, Biden released a statement lauding Sanders for creating a movement and altering the landscape of Democratic politics. I want to commend Bernie for being a powerful voice for a fairer and more just America, Biden said. Bernie gets a lot of credit for his passionate advocacy for the issues he cares about. But he doesnt get enough credit for being a voice that forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror and ask if weve done enough.

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Sanders has said he would support Biden, but it remains unclear how enthusiastic he will be in urging his supporters to rally behind the nominee. In his address Wednesday, he did offer some promise of collaboration. Today I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward, he said.

Sanders also indicated that he would now focus his energy on legislative leadership. Congress must address this unprecedented crisis in an unprecedented way that protects the health and economic wellbeing of the working families of our country, not just powerful special interests, he said. As a member of the Democratic leadership in the United States Senate and as a senator for the state of Vermont, this is something I will intensely be involved in over the next couple of months.
The Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force announces the launch of "CON-VINCE ", a study that aims to evaluate the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population. The project is one of the several initiatives put in place under the aegis of the task force to help contain the current pandemic. It will test about 1,500 people for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and follow-up only the asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic individuals. This will generate accurate data on the transmission of the disease, ultimately assisting policy-makers in taking evidence-based decisions over the course of the coming weeks.

Asymptomatic individuals - often referred to as "silent carriers" - and mildly symptomatic carriers play a significant role in the spread of the virus. However, they currently remain largely unassessed, since diagnostic testing is performed predominantly on people with clear COVID-19 symptoms. In order to put in place effective measures to stave off the COVID-19 infection, it is crucial to systematically test a representative sample of the population in order to identify all individuals carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus, regardless of their symptoms. In this context, "CON-VINCE" has been launched today with the aim of testing a panel of approximately 1,500 participants over the age of 18 and detecting the three main groups of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people. Specifically, these include:

individuals who are "virus-free" and therefore asymptomatic;

people who are currently infected but present mild or no symptoms;

and those who were infected but are at present free of the virus.

Panel participants will be recruited by TNS Ilres and tested for SARS-CoV-2 through a specific molecular biology technique . The analyses will initially be carried out on collected nasal and pharyngeal swabs, and subsequently extended to blood and other sample types. Participants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 but displaying mild or no symptoms will be followed up over one year, together with virus-free individuals. Conversely, symptomatic patients will be excluded from the study and undergo regular treatment instead.

"To the best of our knowledge, asymptomatic carriers are not systematically monitored in any of the countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, at present, no comprehensive data on the epidemiology and dynamics of the disease exist. CON-VINCE aims to fill this gap by providing reliable information on the nature, prevalence and transmission modality of COVID-19 in the Grand Duchy, therefore guiding national and international decision-makers in mounting an effective public health, political and economic response to the pandemic", explains Prof Rejko Kruger, Director of Transversal Translational Medicine at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and coordinator of the "CON-VINCE" study.

"In parallel, the project will also allow us to track the psychological and socio-economic impact of long-term containment measures on the general population and help us define clearer timeframes for lifting the current stringent confinement strategies", concludes Prof Ulf Nehrbass, Chief Executive Officer at LIH and spokesperson of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force.

"The CON-VINCE study represents the logical next step of the extensive testing of our population to better prevent the spread of the virus. We continue to put huge efforts to gather the best information in order to get ahead of the virus", adds Minister of Health Paulette Lenert.

The "CON-VINCE" study is led by a consortium of Luxembourgish research institutions, including LIH and the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg. The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is co-funding the study with an amount of 1.4 million Euro. The market research company TNS-ILRES, Ketterthill, Laboratoires Reunis and BioneXt Lab are associated partners in this study.

"Thanks to the task force that was launched two weeks ago, the public research institutions in Luxembourg have joined forces in the fight against COVID-19 and can provide valuable support and knowledge to help us make data-based decisions. The CON-VINCE study will be one of the key elements for an empirical basis in the handling of the current crisis", states Claude Meisch, Minister of Higher Education and Research.

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Communicated by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Research Luxembourg.
Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts has revealed that she has left the hospital hours after she was tested for coronavirus because doctors tried to put her in a ward with COVID-19 patients, even though she's still awaiting her results.

The 36-year-old said the move by doctors to threaten her health echoed how doctors allegedly endangered her as a teen when they forged her age and left her in the hands of accused millionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

'I made the choice to come home rather than put myself in danger,' she tweeted Tuesday night.

'This isnt the first time DRs have put me in danger Just like when the forged my age & gave me back to JE,' she added, in reference to Epstein.

Roberts, who also goes by the name Giuffre, announced earlier on Tuesday that she was being tested for the novel coronavirus after suffering symptoms of troubled breathing, fever and cough.

Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts, 36, has revealed that she has left the hospital hours after she was tested for coronavirus because doctors tried to put her in a ward with COVID-19 positive patients.

The 36-year-old said the move by doctors to threaten her health echoed how doctors allegedly endangered her as a teen when they left her in the hands of accused millionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein

She said she left the hospital despite her symptoms because doctors tried to put her in a ward with COVID-19 patients even though her results weren't in yet

But by evening she announced she was leaving the hospital on her own volition while still awaiting her test results because doctors 'threatened her with cross contamination.'

'Thank you all for your well wishes!! I was forced to leave the hospital even though I have a temp & trouble breathing after the DR threatened to put me in the C-19 ward with positive patients yet my results arent back yet. The medical system where I live is a farce,' she tweeted.

It is not clear which hospital she has been admitted to, but the mother-of-three now resides in Cairns, far north Queensland, Australia.

Early Tuesday she alerted her Twitter followers that she was getting tested for the virus, sharing a snap of herself in a hospital bed awaiting her test results.

'I'm so scared right now,' she wrote.

Roberts is one of the slew of women who accused Epstein of sex trafficking and sexual assault.

She claims she was trafficking to the Duke of York at least three times in 2001, when she was aged 17.

Roberts claims she had sex with Prince Andrew at the behest of his friend Epstein three times: once at Epstein's New York apartment, once in the Caribbean, and once at the London home of Ghislane Maxwell, the American financier's alleged madam, in March 2001.

Speaking about her first alleged encounter with Prince Andrew in London, Ms Roberts said she was taken to Tramp Nightclub where she recalls dancing with the 'sweating' prince when she was 17.

After leaving the nightclub, Ms Roberts said: 'In the car Ghislaine tells me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey.' A photo that shows Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Maxwell in Ghislaine's apartment taken in 2001 has been widely circulated.

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied Roberts' allegations.

A photo that shows Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Maxwell in Ghislaine's apartment has been widely circulated since 2001

Ms Roberts holds up a picture of herself aged 16 when she says she was being abused by billionaire Jeffrey Epstein

Ms Roberts is pictured outside a shopping centre near her home in Cairns, far north Queensland

The prince says he doesn't even remember meeting her, despite the existence of a photograph showing him with his arm around the teenager's bare waist alongside Epstein's girlfriend and alleged 'madame' Ghislaine Maxwell, a friend of his.

A 'car crash' interview on the BBC's Newsnight programme saw him claim that, on the day Miss Roberts claims he had sex with her he had taken his daughter to Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, for a party before spending the night at home.

He also dismissed claims he was sweating profusely during their encounter because he had a 'peculiar medical condition' meaning he cannot sweat, caused by his experiences in the Falklands War.

Virginia Roberts pictured on Plan Cover Beach, Cairns, above and below. The 36-year-old now lives in Cairns and is a married mother of three

She is protected in her far north Queensland bolthole by an intercom system and a 4 metre-high wall

Ms Roberts says she was used as a teenage sex slave by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after allegedly being procured by 'madame' Maxwell.

She alleges Maxwell recruited her to train as a masseuse while working as a locker-room attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Maxwell has rejected allegations that she has acted as a procurer for Epstein.

Ms Roberts alleges she was forced by Epstein to take part in orgies with rich and powerful men in exotic locations as a teenager from the age of 16.

The 36-year-old now lives in Cairns and is a married mother of three. She is protected in her far north Queensland bolthole by an intercom system and a 4 metre-high wall.

The compound near lush bushland is covered by security cameras and floodlights and dotted with palms.

Ms Roberts pictured running errands with her husband Robert Giuffre in Cairns on November 19

Australia has suffered its deadliest day yet in the fight against coronavirus. Seven Australians died of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the nation's death toll to 50, with a total of 5,988 cases.

The latest casualties included an international traveller in his 70s who caught the deadly respiratory infection on the Arcadia cruise ship, and a woman in the same age bracket who is believed to have contracted the virus overseas.

The state of Queensland, where Roberts lives, has 934 confirmed cases of the virus.
Casual workers of a textile company in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district held a demonstration in front of the factory on Wednesday over non-payment of salaries and demanded food for around 200 migrant workers amid the lockdown.

The casual workers held the demonstration before the factory at the Industrial Estate in Bargadwa.

"All the permanent workers got half payment during lockdown, but the casual workers didn't get any help from the textile company," Ajay Mishra, who is a permanent worker, said.

"Most of the workers belong to other districts and many of them are even of Bihar," Mishra said. "We are only demanding some help from the factory for the casual workers so that they could survive during the lockdown."



Another labourer Arun Chaubey underlined that the government had already issued instructions for no salary cut during the lockdown.

"But we got half payment and casual labourers got nothing in absence of any work in the factory," Chaubey said.

The Chiluatal police reached the spot and asked the labourers to disperse due to the threat of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The police gave them assurance to provide food to the workers.

The matter of non-payment of salaries is being investigated, Chiluatal police station incharge Vikas Kumar said.

"We have distributed food packets among the labourers today and also appealed the owner to at least provide them food during the lockdown, Kumar said.

Additional District Magistrate Rakesh Srivastava assured that no labourer would go without food in Gorakhpur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Online grocery platform Grofers is looking at hiring 5,000 employees to ramp up its capacity to meet the spike in orders amid the nationwide lockdown.

The company has also partnered with resident welfare associations (RWAs) of over 100 societies across metros to make essentials available to a larger number of people amid the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Outlining the steps taken by the company over the last three weeks, its co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa said the Grofers app is seeing over 1.5 million people trying to order daily.

"Everyday our app is seeing over 1.5 million people trying to order. Given the constraints on how many people we can cater to, we are only able to serve 1 out of 8 customers today (we) are working on adding more capacity to make this work for more people," he said in the company blog dated April 7.

E-commerce companies have struggled to deliver orders after the 21-day lockdown was imposed on March 24.

Even though the government allowed delivery of essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce platforms, players faced hiccups initially.

The surge in orders also disrupted operations for these companies. Players have now started resuming operations across various cities, clearing pending orders before accepting new ones.

"we have resumed operations in 24 cities and our warehouses are working at 70 per cent strength. An additional 2,000 people were hired from industries which were deeply impacted by the current crisis such as textile, manufacturing, and services and would have otherwise faced income losses," Dhindsa said.

He added that the company now plans to hire 5,000 more over the next two weeks. Grofers' rival, bigbasket had last week said it is looking at hiring 10,000 people for its warehouses and last-mile delivery.

Dhindsa said over the last three weeks, the company has delivered essential groceries to over one million households in 22 cities. He pointed out that organised grocery in India is really small.

"Kiranas are (rightfully) king as they provide customised service at a very local level and constitute 95 per cent of Indian grocery retail. Online grocery is only about 0.2 per cent of the overall retail market.

I think at the end of this crisis we will probably reach 0.5 per cent, but that is still an insignificant share," he said.

In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Grofers said under its partnership with RAWs, society group orders will receive priority slots on its Grofers platform versus other areas of the city.

Once it receives the order, Grofers will bundle the order area wise and deliver within 2-3 days. The company is also abiding by the rules and ensuring the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitation in its facilities and vehicles.

The company has also collaborated with MyGate, a security and community management solution, to ensure zero-touch deliveries via the latter's Leave At Gate feature.
A recent report has confirmed that Nasa is planning to set up an astronaut base on the south pole of the moon as part of its Artemis mission to return to the lunar surface.

There are even reports which suggest that the US space agency NASA has aimed to return to the moon by 2024 and is planning to create Artemis Base Camp to allow people to live on the desolate surface.

The habitat would potentially be situated on the south pole of the moon in the Shackleton Crater which would allow up to four astronauts to stay there for a week.

Apart from this, it was also reported that at the main base, Nasa might also house two vehicles which would be used by astronauts to get around. The first vehicle would be used by astronauts to travel around the base, but the second vehicle would be identified as a habitable mobility platform. That would be under pressure and allow astronauts to make longer journeys across the surface of the moon.

The base and the vehicles are detailed in a 13-page Nasa study which is called the Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development and claims that Artemis astronauts will use the moon base as a staging post for an eventual Mars mission.

Nasa has even revealed that Artemis Base Camp could also have a hopper which would be able to deliver science and development payloads across the moon and could be run by the crew at the Artemis Base Camp and will be replenished with locally supplied propellants.

The US space agency further added that A lunar far-side radio telescope could also be remotely emplaced and operated from Artemis Base Camp  a sort of backyard radio-telescope at our first encampment on the moon,.

Our news sources have reported that American astronauts would be launched on American rockets in this year from American soil to the International Space Station by NASA with a view to the Moon and Mars. Nasa confirmed that it would accept applications for the next Artemis Generation astronaut class from 2 to 31 March.
Congratulations man, the inmate yelled.

Another prisoner at the Central North Correctional Centre had just gotten bail, he explained in the middle of a phone interview. But the guys near the end of their sentences are still waiting.

As efforts continue to reduce the provinces jail population, inmates and correctional staff are warning there is not enough personal protective equipment available for guards to prevent them from bringing COVID-19 into the jails.

As of Tuesday, there were four confirmed cases of COVID-19 among inmates at Ontario jails: Three at the Toronto South Detention Centre, and one at the remote Monteith Correctional Complex, near Timmins. The Ministry of the Solicitor General, which oversees provincial jails, would not say what condition the four men are in, citing health privacy.

The supply and rules around the use of PPE is an ongoing issue for corrections staff, according to Chris Jackel, chair of the corrections division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Different institutions have taken different approaches, with some leaving use to the discretion of the guards, and others saying mandated PPE can only be used when an inmate has symptoms.

At the Ontario Correctional Institute in Brampton  a medium-security jail that focuses on treatment programs  correctional officers have been denied use of PPE while transferring inmates, a process that requires close contact and getting into a small transport van  making physical distancing impossible  said Adam Cygler, president of OPSEU Local 229, which represents correctional staff at the jail.

There are officers who want to wear a mask to work and they are being denied because of potential shortages, he said. They are also not allowed to wear their own masks that they may have at home, he said.

While the federal public health recommendations on non-medical mask-wearing only changed at the start of the week, he said the guidance that such masks may help prevent spread where physical distancing is not possible means jails need to act quickly to also allow the change.

It was only recently that they got access to the PPE supply without it being locked away, he said.

Meanwhile, his requests to find out the total amount available to staff have been ignored, he said. If they knew the amount, he said, staff would be better able to understand the supply, knowing OK, we need to be very mindful of how we are using them.

Cygler says staff see grocery store workers and outside contractors at the jail using PPE but they are not being allowed to do the same. Staff are concerned about being able to keep as safe as possible for their own families while still coming to work, he said.

We know that by the time you are showing symptoms you have already been spreading around the virus, he said.

Unlike most jails, the Ontario Correctional Institute only houses inmates who have already been sentenced, typically for relatively serious sexual and violent offences. So far, the jail has received far fewer transfers into the jail than usual, and inmates are understandably worried that it is the guards who will bring the virus in, Cygler said.

Here is a very stable inmate population. We dont get admits off the street. They are most concerned about us as staff going out and having all this contact with all these different places, he said. They want to know what procedures are in place and to know that guards are wearing PPE, he said.

Jackel said there must be clear and consistent instructions on the use of PPE that allow staff to use it when in close contact with any inmates regardless of whether they are symptomatic.

Temperature screening of correctional staff finally began on Monday, he noted.

The bottom line, he said, is there needs to be more PPE and it needs to be much more readily accessible.

The ministry has said correctional officers have access to PPE as required. Two correctional officers and one outside contractor have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the ministry.

Under a program meant to reduce jail populations and prevent a devastating COVID-19 outbreak, the province has so far granted early release to just nine low-risk inmates, all convicted of non-violent offences and near the end of their sentences.

This is a tiny fraction of the more than 2,100 jail inmates released over the last few weeks through a combination of normal releases at the end of a sentence, paroles and bails. The total jail population has dropped to 6,148 from more than 8,300 and is expected to continue to decrease, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

The province does not have a breakdown of how many inmates were released under each category, however, lawyers say they suspect bail hearings and bail reviews account for a large number. It is also unclear how many releases are the result of recent guilty pleas that result in sentences of time-served. Meanwhile, intake into the jails has reduced due in part to an overall drop in crime, and an increase in people charged with crimes being released on their own recognizance rather than having a formal bail hearing.

In recent phone calls from the Central North Correctional Centre, two inmates said several men on their range qualify for the release program but have not heard anything yet about being released. One older man on their range has also had a persistent cough, muscle aches and fever, they said.

He is sleeping on the floor and trying to stay away from the others as much as possible just in case, they said.

They fear it is only a matter of time before there is a COVID-19 case.
Tribute: A nurse from the Molinette Hospital accepts a bunch of palm tree branches from a woman entering the premises on Palm Sunday in Turin. Photo: REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

EU finance ministers will try again today to defuse a row blocking a multi-billion euro coronavirus rescue package for all member states.

Sixteen hours of talks on videolink, which straddled Tuesday and Wednesday, saw ministers fail to agree on a rescue package to help hard-hit member states face the coronavirus outbreak and the economic fallout. Brussels diplomats said the deadlock was caused by a bitter row between Netherlands and Italy over what conditions should be attached to a common debt insurance plan.

Italy want the EU-back loan scheme not to have any conditions for social and economic reforms. Netherlands remains insistent that, given Italys already huge debts, there must be conditions for EU taxpayers backing.

Talks, which included Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tuned in from Dublin, are being confined for now to ministers from the 19 countries in the Eurogroup which use the single currency. They are due to report on the principles of an aid package to EU leaders who also spectacularly failed to defuse the same row when talked by videolink on March 26 last.

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"After 16 hours of discussions, we came close to a deal but we are not there yet. I suspended the Eurogroup and (we will) continue tomorrow Thursday," said Eurogroup chairman Mario Centeno, who is the Portuguese finance minister.

A North-versus-South split, recalling the worst days of the eurozone debt crisis which erupted in 2008, continues to dog the issue. While Ireland is making overtures to align itself with countries like Netherlands, Sweden and others, it has largely backed Italy, by signing a letter last month with eight other member states seeking an EU-wide debt guarantee scheme.

This is sometimes called coronabonds and Netherlands opposition is shared by Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden and others. But the entire European economy has been battered by the pandemic as national governments impose strict lockdowns which closed business and put normal life on hold.

Germany and its allies insist that any European rescue should use the eurozone's existing 410bn-euro bailout fund set up for cheap loans after the 2008 collapse. They also urge a wait-and-see approach to the massive monetary stimulus already unleashed by the European Central Bank.

Diplomats signalled that talks faltered on how to use the so-called European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund to help countries. The Dutch delegation insisted help could not come without some economic reform pledges.

"Because of the current crisis we have to make an exception and the ESM can be used unconditionally to cover medical costs," said Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

Opting instead to issue debt bonds to raise the necessary funding would only create more problems for the EU, the Dutch minister added on Twitter.

France and Germany, the eurozone's most powerful states, said they had agreed compromise terms of using the bailout fund, which could offer a total of up to 240 billion euros. "With German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, we call on all European states to rise to the exceptional challenges to reach an ambitious agreement," France's Bruno Le Maire said after the talks ended.

"Our collective responsibility is to come to an agreement within 24 hours. A failure is unthinkable," Mr Le Maire added.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has confirmed the index case of COVID -19 in the state, just as he said the disease is not a death sentence.

The governor, in a radio and television broadcast in Asaba, warned that the coronavirus pandemic was real, adding that the stay at home order was not punitive but to check the spread of the virus.

Mr Okowa had on April 1 directed a total lockdown of the state to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

He advised journalists to verify their reports as the period was not for rumour mongering.

He said the rumour making around that a member of the State House of Assembly had tested positive was not true.

He urged the people of the state to cooperate with the government and ensure they comply with the stay at home order and to pray to God to save Nigeria and indeed the world from the pandemic.

He said the government had prepared and equipped four isolation and treatment centres for COVID-19 patients in Warri, Oghara and Asaba with several holding places across the state for suspected cases.

He noted the government had also established food banks through the support of well-meaning individuals and organisations to provide palliatives for people during the lockdown.

He also said the government would distribute facemasks free to residents to curb the spread of the disease.

The lockdown order was given because it was necessary and also lawful because I have already signed into law a regulation which empowers us to take action against those who disobey the law.

Delta State recorded its index yesterday April 7, 2020, and that case has already been moved into one of our four management centres.

We have already started the process of contact tracing and I want to assure all residents that our health staff have received the best of training, they are in good spirit and are ready to go.

I want to use this opportunity to appeal to all residents to pray for our health staff and to support them to succeed, Mr Okowa said.

He added: For the doubting Thomases, COVID-19 is real, it is not for the rich or for the poor, it could affect anybody.

I want to urge us all to continue to observe the rules of social distancing, regular washing of the hands and the use of hand sanitisers.

Those who fall sick and exhibit the symptoms of the disease which include fever, dry cough, and difficulty in breathing should call the following numbers; 08031230480; 08031230481; 08031230538 and 08031230529 for direction.

There is a process of management of the disease and it is unlawful for any private hospital or public hospital to receive, hide or keep quiet over any case that looks like COVID -19, it must be reported to appropriate authority.

READ ALSO:

On the use of facemask, I want to encourage residents to use it to reduce the transmission chain.

As a state, we are already in a process of producing facemasks and when produced will be distributed to our people free.

We have established a food bank and in the next few days we will be moving the food to support our people in the various villages, towns and wards in the state.

We want to thank the people for their support and soon we shall be making public names of all those who made donations to the food bank concerning COVID -19.

COVID-19 is not a death sentence, a lot more people survived than those who died from it, so, there is need for cooperation and we must not take it for granted, we must work in unison to combat the pandemic.

I want to urge people to shun rumour mongering, there has been a lot of insinuation that a member of the State House of Assembly has contracted the virus.

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That is not true but that does not mean that anybody in government cannot contract the virus, everybody must be careful, and obey the rules.

No member of the House of Assembly has contracted COVID-19. It is important that I put the record right.

(NAN).
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Voters turned out in unusually high numbers last year when Albuquerque Public Schools conducted a special election by mail.

Nearly 29% of voters participated, far higher than the single-digit turnout that school elections sometimes draw.

But about 53,000 ballots  of the roughly 420,000 mailed out  were returned to election officials as undeliverable, meaning they didnt reach the voters they were intended for, because the people hadnt updated their voter registration or some other snag.

The increased turnout and bounced-back ballots illustrate the potential consequences as New Mexico debates how to conduct a primary election amid the virus pandemic. Election Day is June 2.

Twenty-seven county clerks and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver are backing an election-by-mail system similar to the APS one, but with some adjustments to comply with federal law for elections involving federal candidates. They also say changes in state law since 2019 will reduce the number of undeliverable ballots  because clerks will no longer send ballots to inactive voters.

On the other side of the debate are the Republican Party of New Mexico, 29 GOP legislators and a few county clerks. They say conducting the election by absentee ballot would be better, using a two-step process in which voters would submit a request for a ballot to be mailed to them, ensuring the ballots get to the right addresses.

Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce said he would like to see Election Day polling locations closed and the voting occur entirely through the absentee process. His partys Supreme Court petition doesnt explicitly seek closure of polling locations.

The two-step process is the better option for the primary, especially given inaccuracies in New Mexicos voter rolls, Pearce said.

Vote-by-mail is much more susceptible to fraud, he said, and the mail-in absentee ballots are not. Its just that simple.

Daniel Ivey-Soto, an attorney for the 27 clerks and a Democratic state senator from Albuquerque, said the absentee option has its own flaws. It would disenfranchise people who usually vote on Election Day and are unfamiliar with the need to request an absentee ballot ahead of time, which creates an extra hurdle to vote.

The two-step process, Ivey-Soto said, also threatens to overwhelm the Postal Service and election workers  who would have to handle twice as many transactions than if they just mailed out a ballot to everyone.

He also contends safeguards are already in place to thwart fraudulent votes. Voters would authenticate their ballots by noting their year of birth, Ivey-Soto said, a process outlined in the election-by-mail system that clerks are seeking permission to use.

Even when looking for extraordinary relief, he said, were trying to stay within the procedures in the election code, so we honor the Constitution, preserve democracy and save peoples lives.

The dispute is both legal and political. The 27 clerks are asking the Supreme Court for permission to close Election Day polling sites and move almost entirely to a mail election. A hearing is set for April 14.

Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have called on the governor to convene a special session of the Legislature to work out emergency election procedures.

Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducts scientific surveys for the Journal and other organizations, said each option has its strengths. The APS election demonstrated the power of an election by mail to boost turnout, he said, but the two-part application and absentee ballot process provides an extra security step.

Theres no perfect solution, Sanderoff said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 16:12:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of 5G users in Beijing will soon reach 2 million, the Beijing Daily reported Wednesday.

Telecom giant China Unicom announced its 5G users in Beijing had reached 1 million by Tuesday. The other two major telecom operators China Mobile and China Telecom have also gained more than 720,000 and 253,000 5G users in the capital city, respectively, said the newspaper, citing sources from the municipal communications administration.

Beijing has been speeding up the development of 5G projects in recent years. It plans to have over 30,000 5G base stations by the end of this year, with 5G coverage in 5,000 buildings citywide, according to the administration.

By the end of March, more than 17,700 5G base stations have been built across Beijing.

Apart from base stations, the city has launched 5G applications and services in various fields such as education, health care, video games and industrial manufacturing to meet market demand, the newspaper said.
A 48-year-old man has been charged with drug offences after searches in connection with the UVF's drug supply network..

The man has been charged with being concerned in the supply of a class A controlled drug and encouraging or assisting offences.

He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on May 5.

The man was arrested in east Belfast on Tuesday evening after officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) searched properties in the area and Carrickfergus.

A man was also arrested during the search in Carrickfergus for assaulting a police officer and has been reported to the Public Prosecution Service.

Head of the PCTF Detective Chief Inspector Cummings said the search operation targeted East Belfast UVFs drug supply network.

"During the searches a quantity of suspected Benzocaine was seized. This product is used by criminals as a cutting agent for drugs such as cocaine. They use substances such as Benzocaine to increase the volume of drugs for sale, thereby increasing their criminal profits," he said.

In addition, a hydraulic press which I believe is for using to compact cocaine into blocks was also seized, along with electronic scales and other drugs paraphernalia.

The arrest and seizure is a further demonstration that the PCTF continues to investigate all types of organised criminality linked to paramilitaries, in an ongoing effort to rid our communities of the harm these groups cause and of their coercive control.
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Shares of Adani Green Energy jumped almost 5 percent in morning trade on BSE on April 8, a day after the company said it received Rs 3,707 crore for the formation of the joint-venture (JV) with a French firm TOTAL.

"TOTAL S.A. (TOTAL), through its step-down subsidiary has invested approximately Rs 3,707 crore for a 50 percent partnership with Adani Green in a JV," a regulatory filing by the company on April 7 said.

"Through the establishment of the joint venture, both partners aim to adhere to the highest standards of governance and strengthen the foundation of the partnership between the two groups. The closing of the transaction in the current environment reinforces the strength of the relationship between the partners and further underscores the robust climate commitment of both partners," the BSE filing added.

Adani Green Energy, part of the diversified Adani Group, is one of the largest renewable companies in India. TOTAL is a major energy player that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity.

Shares of Adani Green traded 3.08 percent up at Rs 163.90 on BSE around 11:15 hours.
Expressing concern over the Centre



allocating Tamil Nadu only Rs 510 crore so far to fight coronavirus, the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed it to consider increasing the state's share.

Taking a serious view of violation of the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, the court also directed the state police to arrest those flouting the orders and seize their vehicles.

A bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and R Hemalatha, hearing a PIL, observed that the quantum allocated to Tamil Nadu was lower than the apportionment to states that have lesser COVID-19 cases.

Impleading the Union Home Ministry as a respondent, the bench in its interim order said out of 5,194 people infected by coronavirus (in the country), as on date Tamil Nadu stands second with 690 patients, while Maharashtra stands first with 1,018 patients.

However, with regard to the release of Disaster Risk Management Fund, the Home Ministry has released only 510 crores which in the opinion of this court was not adequate, whereas, the states which have got lesser number of virus infected patients have been allotted more fund, it said.

"This Court is not against the allotment of more fund to the other states, but concerned about Tamil Nadu getting lesser amount of fund. Therefore, the Central Government may positively consider increasing the amount," the bench said.

A city-based NGO, India Awake for Transparency, filed the public interest litigation petition seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to ensure 100 per cent testing of all people who have been exempted from the lockdown.

Pointing out to the significance of social distancing and appealing to people to stay indoors, the court directed the Additional Advocate General Aravind Pandiyan to file a status report.

Also, the bench directed the state government to arrest motorists as well as seize their vehicles -two wheelers or four wheelers- when used in violation of curbs under Section 144 CrPC and if anybody comes out of their houses beyond 1 pm.

The state government has allowed functioning of groceries and other outlets vending essentials to be open only upto 1 pm in a bid to curb movement of people.

The bench directed Police authorities to enquire and inform the employers of the violators (government or private sector) about the violations by their employees and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

While referring to daily wagers, migrant workers and platform dwellers who are without food and shelter, the bench in its order said the authorities are directed to verify the persons who are without food and shelter and provide them by having community kitchens."



Stressing that the pandemic was spreading like a wild fire, the the court also appealed to those who had travelled abroad recently and their family members and friends to subject themselves voluntarily for testing and getting quarantined as it would help curbing the dispersion of the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As COVID-19 cases rise in North Carolinas prisons, a coalition of civil rights groups has filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to immediately release vulnerable inmates.

The suit, filed by the ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina and others, argues that Gov. Roy Cooper and the state Department of Public Safety have a legal duty to take action before a large-scale outbreak results in deaths inside the prisons and in surrounding communities.

Among those filing suit are four people in state custody, including Alberta Elaine White, 66, who is at the Center for Community Transitions in Charlotte. A fifth person is the wife of an inmate at Wilkes Correctional Center. All five inmates have medical conditions that put them at high risk if exposed to the virus, the lawsuit said.

Our state prisons are overcrowded, forcing thousands of people to live and work in dangerous conditions where it is impossible for people to protect themselves from this deadly disease, said Kristi Graunke, Legal Director for the ACLU of North Carolina. North Carolina courts did not sentence thousands of people to suffer and potentially die from a pandemic. Numerous people who are incarcerated right now could be sent home to live safely with their families without posing a danger to the public.

The suit comes as a coronavirus outbreak has sickened inmates at Neuse Correctional Institution, in Eastern North Carolina. Statewide, 15 inmates have now tested positive for COVID-19, state prison officials said Wednesday. Ten of those inmates were housed at Neuse.

When there is an outbreak, these individuals will be at the mercy of a prison system that is ill-equipped to handle a novel, deadly virus that has overwhelmed healthcare systems across the country, the lawsuit contends. Given these dire circumstances, North Carolina public health experts have urged that reducing the prison population is a critical measure that must be acted on immediately. 

Story continues

Coopers office could not be immediately reached for comment by phone or email.

Inmate release lawsuit by Dan Kane on Scribd

The suit, also filed on behalf of the North Carolina NAACP, maintains that African American inmates will disproportionately bear the devastation caused by COVID-19. African Americans make up 22 percent of North Carolinas population, but account for 51 percent of the prison population, the suit notes.

About 35,000 people are incarcerated in the states prisons. More than 8,000 of them are over the age of 50, according to the suit. And nearly a third of them have at least one disability, according to an estimate cited in the complaint.

The physical limitations of prisons are especially life-threatening for people over the age of 65 and those who have underlying health conditions that put them at high risk for serious COVID-19 infection, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina and other civil rights groups sent letters to Gov. Cooper and DPS, urging them to expedite the release of certain sick and elderly inmates in order to protect those who remain incarcerated.

State prisons officials have been scrambling to secure supplies that slow the spread of the virus, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Inside state prison manufacturing plants, inmates are now making face masks, gowns, disinfectant and hand sanitizer. Prison officials say all inmates and staff members will receive a face mask once enough are manufactured.

An inmate sews a surgical mask inside Tabor Correctional Institution. As the coronavirus spreads, the need for personal protective equipment is so acute that the North Carolina prisons have turned to inmates to manufacture it.

Prisons and jails are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases, experts say, because inmates live so closely together.

Hoping to prevent the coronavirus from spreading more widely, North Carolina prison officials say they will not accept any more offenders from county jails for the next 14 days.

State officials say they have stopped the transfer of most inmates from prison to prison during the next two weeks.

In mid-March, state officials temporarily banned all visits to the prisons in hopes of preventing an outbreak.

On March 24, state prison officials also suspended the work release program  an effort to limit inmates potential exposure to the coronavirus.

Prison officials say they have begun taking the temperatures of every employee who enters a prison each day. Anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees is denied entry, officials say.

Staffers are also asked a series of screening questions before they enter the prisons. Officials say they deny entry to any employee who has symptoms of respiratory illness or who has been exposed in the past 14 days to anyone who is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.

On Tuesday, a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman told The News & Observer that the prison complex in Butner in Granville County would step up the early release of inmates after positive tests for COVID-19 surged over the weekend. The public health department for Vance and Granville counties on Wednesday reported 63 cases at Butner, where roughly 4,700 inmates are housed in three prison facilities and a medical center.
Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it is making available the complete kids content library on Airtel Xstream for free to all 'Airtel Thanks customers'.

Airtel Thanks is a rewards programme for the company's customers, which provides them access to various rewards, and privileges.

"With parents looking to keep children engaged while managing work-from-home during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, Bharti Airtel today said that it is making available the entire kids content library on Airtel Xstream for free to all Airtel Thanks customers," the company said in a statement.

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Dabur launches Tulsi Drops for boosting immunity



* Home grown FMCG major Dabur India on Wednesday announced to launch DaburTulsi Drops, extending its healthcare OTC portfolio.

DaburTulsi Drops is a natural Immunity booster that also helps build respiratory health and provides effective protection from Cough and Cold, the company said in a statement.

DaburIndia Marketing Head-Health Care OTC Ajay Singh Parihar said: Dabur, being the pioneer in the field of Ayurveda, iscommitted to offering the safest and most effective Ayurveda-based solutions for the health and well-being of every household.

"The launch ofDaburTulsi Drops is another step forward in the direction of launching products based on the age-old knowledge of Ayurveda in modern-day convenient formats.

* * * * * * Canon India extends helps to adopted villages to fight against Covid-19



* Pledging its support towards India's fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Imaging productsmaker Canon India announced initiatives to empower the people of its existing adopted villages and SOS village homes.

The company is providing essential food and sanitation items across the villages, said Canon India in a statement.

More than 12,000 people including the daily wagers and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the villages are expected to be benefited from the concerted efforts of the company.

Canon India had adopted four villages pan India as part of its CSR and is also associated with SOS Children's Village to encourage and support the overall development of children in these villages.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PALM COAST, Fla., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing Education Company (CEC) is releasing "Hospital Medicine Fundamentals: On Demand" designed for Primary Care clinicians facing inpatient care due to the COVID-19 crisis.

In response to numerous requests from primary care physicians asking for a course on inpatient care, Continuing Education Company (www.cmemeeting.org) has developed a free online video course. This free course is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since many outpatient physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are being deployed to the hospital to support the existing staff and care for non-COVID patients. Many primary care clinicians have not treated hospitalized patients since residency. The course is comprised of lectures recorded at their Annual National Hospitalist Conferences. The topics were selected based on discussion with physicians who reached out to them and experts who are based in the hospital setting. The lectures are not COVID-19 specific but address common issues that clinicians face in the inpatient environment.

The course is call "Hospital Medicine Fundamentals: On Demand" and is comprised of 15 hours worth of video content. It can be found here: https://www.cmemeeting.org/online-primare-care-courses/hospital-medicine-fundamentals.

The company is offering a complimentary non CME version as well as a CME version for a reduced fee of $99. As always, the content is free of commercial support.

The company's website is http://www.cmemeeting.org but clinicians must use the special link in order to access the complimentary course https://www.cmemeeting.org/online-primare-care-courses/hospital-medicine-fundamentals.

Continuing Education Company is an independent, non-profit 501 (c)(3) continuing medical education organization. They have been developing and presenting continuing medical education programs for over 25 years. Their mission is to develop and present education opportunities to improve the skills and knowledge of medical and healthcare professionals. They accomplish this mission by offering American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and ABIM MOC accredited live in-person CME conferences, live webcasts and online course.

For more information contact:

Continuing Education Company

Phone (386) 490-8010 x100

[email protected]

SOURCE Continuing Education Company
Three members of a family in Defence Colony, whose private security guard had attended the congregation at the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin in March, have been found Sars-Cov-2 positive. The police have registered an FIR against the guard for withholding the information from his employers, deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

The family lived on the ground floor of a building. They have been admitted to a private hospital. Other members of the family and those living on other floors of the building have been asked to remain in home quarantine, the DCP said.

Another senior police officer said the guard continued to work despite having Covid-19 symptoms. He said during the contact tracing of the affected family, it was found that their security guard had attended the Tablighi meeting at Markaz.

The police found the guard at his home in Okhla. The local SDM was informed and the guard has been sent to a quarantine centre for screening and testing, the DCP added.

Ranjit Singh, president of the Defence Colony residents welfare association said, Some members of the family had recently travelled abroad. I have not been able to speak to them....After the matter came to light, the SDMC has not satisfactorily disinfected the area. The familys residence has been disinfected but what about the rest of colony?.

The police, however, said that all family members were tested after they returned from abroad more than a month ago. Their reports were negative. Also, the notice, which reads home quarantine was not pasted outside their residence, the officer said.

In a separate case, the police in Dwarka registered an FIR after two bottles filled with liquid, which looked like urine, were found on the premises of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) flats in Dwarka, which have been turned into quarantine centres.

Also, a man who had attended the congregation was booked for misbehaving with staff at Bakkarwala quarantine facility in outer Delhi.

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There is a consensus in the Uttarakhand Cabinet to extend the lockdown in the state, according to Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik.

Kaushik also mentioned that the state government has sent a proposal to the Central government concerning the extension of the lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier today, held a three-and-a-half hour-long meeting via video conferencing with Parliament floor leaders of all major political parties over the lockdown situation in the country.

PM Modi will hold a video conference with all Chief Ministers on April 11.

With an increase of 773 cases in the last 24 hours, India's tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 5,194 on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 4,643 cases are reported to be active, while 401 people have recovered and been discharged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

AURANGABAD: With several Indian students stranded in Germany due to the lockdown, the Frankfurt Indian Scholars Association (FISA) has assured they are safe and appealed to their parents not to panic.

FISA executive member Abhishek Acharya in a statement issued on Tuesday said all Indians in Germany are safe and that it is arranging webinars (live, virtual interactive sessions), answering queries and providing authentic information to students.

The Embassy of India in Berlin has released helpline numbers to provide help to Indians staying in Germany, the statement said, adding that the German government has announced relief packages for students who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Acharya also mentioned that Germany has relaxed its lockdown and grocery stores are open, and the online delivery systems are also working normally.

Nupur Kulkarni, who hails from Maharashtra's Aurangabad district and is currently pursuing a finance course in Frankfurt, in a message said she has been at home for two months now.

"Lectures and exams are conducted online and (assignments) submission dates are also extended because of the pandemic. Food items having long shelf-life are available in stores and public transport is also operational," she said.

Aurangabad native Vaibhav Rajkarne, who is studying at the Hamburg University of Technology, said the situation there is under control.

"Though coronavirus cases are increasing, essential services are running smoothly. We are being taken care of and some industries have also started functioning in shifts by maintaining social distancing," he said.

Ashish Keshkamat, a native of Belgaum in neighbouring Karnataka and currently staying in Hamburg, said a recent video showed Indians were facing problems in Germany, but it is not the case.

Ticket counters for public transport are closed but people can buy tickets online, he added.
Considering prevailing situation due to Covid 19 infection, which has entered community transmission stage across India, over five lakh students from class 1st to 9th and those in class 11th in Jammu region will be promoted to next level without any examination.

Director of School Education in Jammu region, Anuradha Gupta said, Considering the prevailing situation due to Covid 19, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has taken the decision for summer zone students in Jammu division. Students from class 1st to 9th and those in class 11th will be promoted to their next classes without any examinations.

She informed that the School Education Department just received an approval from the UT administration and a formal order will be issued shortly.

According to tentative estimate there are over five lakh students in these classes in private and government schools under summer zone, who will be promoted to their next classes, she added.

The annual examinations of students in Jammu region got postponed during a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Class 11 students in Kashmir region, who had private exams of a few subjects left, will also be promoted directly.

In Kashmir valley, the new academic session starts shortly after annual examination in November-December.

The one time exemption is being given to students studying in classes 1 to 9 and in class 11 in schools affiliated to J&K Board of School Education in Jammu division for the academic session 2020-21, she said.

However, there is a rider in case of class 11 students that, if for any reason and at any stage in future, it was found that the candidate was not eligible for appearing in Higher Secondary Part-I (11th) but has been declared fit for promotion by the school, JKBOSE reserves the right to cancel his/her promotion without any prior notice.

Meanwhile, parents of some CBSE affiliated schools on Tuesday appealed to the UT administration to devise a mechanism so that they could get easy access to speedy internet on their mobiles, books, note books and computers and their accessories.

Students have started getting assignments from their schools on e-portals. I appeal the administration to restore 4G internet and also open bookshops besides computer outlets for a few hours in a day, said Sushma Sharma, a teacher by profession in an elite school.

My daughter has started getting assignments on e-portals from her school but to complete those assignments parents need to have easy access to internet, books, and computer accessories. I would like to appeal to the administration to devise a mechanism for these pre-requisites, she added.

Mohit Kumar, another parent, said, I need A4 sheets and inkjet for the printer at home so as to help my daughter complete her assignments but theres total lockdown and schools assignments are piling up.
The police have registered a case under the Disaster Management Act, including attempt to murder on two Jamaits, in the case of returning home from the Jamaat in Roorkee, Uttarakhand and hiding their travel history. Both have been quarantined by the police. Along with this, the families of these two have also been home quarantined. Police is also marking those who come in contact with them. The Health Department has taken samples of both of them and sent them for investigation. While the Jamaatis present in Nizamuddin Markaz are constantly being identified in the state, but many Jamaatis are hiding in homes after returning from Delhi. Police are constantly appealing to the depositors to come forward. Despite this, many people are not coming forward. Along with this, DGP Anil Raturi warned that after April 6, a case will be registered against such deposits. After this many hoardings emerged.

Delhi Government launches new initiative, now drone will monitor street

Despite the warnings, two Jamati houses of Roorkee remained hidden. Both of them did not give any information to the police about returning from their Jamaat. SP Dehat SK Singh said that Haji Nasir Ahmed, resident of Imli Road, Roorkee, went to Nizamuddin Markaz on March 10. Here he stayed in Delhi till 12 March. Not only this, Haji Naseer stayed in Delhi with the young man of Paniala village who was found corona positive. Along with this, Haji Nasir Ahmed is also a relative of Corona positive youth. They returned to their homes after 12 March. At the same time, Ayub Ahmed, a resident of Jaurasi village, went to Nizamuddin Markaz on 11 March. After this, on 14 March Ajmer and again on 18 March Nizamuddin reached Markaz. After this, he reached the village the next day. SP Dehat told that both have committed the crime of hiding in the house and hiding their travel history.

Security rules will be tightened in South Korea, everyone will have to follow

Simultaneously, an attempt to murder (IPC 307) against the two, (IPC 336) by an act which threatens human life or one's personal safety is to be committed and a case has been registered under section 188. The SP countryside said that both have been quarantined. Their families have also been quarantined. The health department has sent samples of both of them and sent them to the investigation. SP Dehat SK Singh said that people coming in contact with both the deposits are also being identified. Also, people who have come in contact with their families are also being identified. He told that the identity of those who will give information about the deposits to the police will be kept confidential.

Condition of Italy critical due to corona virus, 17,127 dead so far
Hyderabad: The state governments decision to supply Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), sanitisers and masks to junior doctors in government hospitals treating Coronavirus patients and testing Covid-19 suspects has remained on paper only.

Despite Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Raos personal commitment, it is not materialising on the ground.

On Tuesday, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-Juda), having not received PPE, masks or sanitisers, was forced to opt for crowd funding and donations from senior doctors as they have not yet received any precautionary supplies from the TRS government.

About five lakh PPE and masks were promised to us but they are nowhere to be seen. Some junior doctors in Gandhi Hospital might have got some PPE and masks, but rest of us are struggling at the forefront of this battle, said a member of the T-Juda.

A senior resident doctors at the Osmania General Hospital, said,

We are seeing patients who are not revealing their travel history or contact footprint maps. Some of them are not even aware that they have come in contact with those who travelled to Covid-19 affected countries. In such a scenario, we doctors and other medical staff are exposed. We badly need protection. The government made an announcement but nothing has reached us.

We do not know where the gap lies? Is it superintendents of hospitals have not given right requirement or is medical department not releasing them? the OGH doctor said.

Since junior doctors have to face patients directly every day, they have req-uested senior doctors and alumni to donate money or procure PPE and masks for them.

President of T-Juda, Dr K.U.N. Vishnu, said, We are not getting safety gear on time. With number of cases rising, frontline workers have to be protected. If they fall ill or are quarantined, there will be shortage of manpower, which will lead to trouble in Covid management. We are appealing to people to support us and provide us with funds to procure safety equipment.

The target is to get 5,000 N-95 masks and at least 1,000 PPE to begin with, Mr Vishnu said. PPE can be worn only for six to eight hours and has to be discarded properly. So there are protocols to be followed, which are important for medical fraternity.
Look, these numbers are absolutely shocking," Lightfoot said. "When I saw them for the first time, it was really hard for me to take them in. As a black woman, seeing that African Americans in my city are dying 7 times the rate of everyone else, thats a hard thing to come to terms with.
With the COVID-19 (coronavirus) humanitarian crisis growing daily, Powering Good is certainly a message that all Hitachi companies are embracing. High Performance Medical Solutions, a division of Hitachi Cable America, Inc. has joined in the fight against the disease. We are doing all we can to protect our employees, our customers, and the many communities that we are a part of and serve.

Our social infrastructure has changed virtually overnight. People are coping as best they can while medical facilities and personnel are doing outstanding work with the limited resources they have.

To support our customers, the hospitals, and the many doctors and nurses serving on the front line, we have been prioritizing our critical to life device manufacturing. This will ensure that we deliver to our medical and military heroes the devices they need. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and midline catheters in particular are badly needed for treating severely ill patients.

Hitachi is also accelerating the production of our ultrasound cable and cable assemblies specifically intended for respiratory ultrasound machines, allowing doctors to check if pneumonia has settled into the lungs of patients. These same cables are being used for mothers giving birth in a time of crisis and for others who unfortunately need hospital attention.

Thanks to recent FDA provisional approvals, which eliminated extensive delays and long validation cycles, new advanced therapies have been fast-tracked to improve the breathing and medical outcomes of dangerously ill patients. What might have taken many years previously is now being achieved in a matter of weeks in order to save the maximum number of lives as soon as possible.

Ventilators are just one way to aid a patients respiration. Other innovative technologies have rapidly been brought forth by key OEMs. HPMS is expediting these unique tubes that deliver life-saving airway opening medications.

In war someone has to make the bandages, states Joe Iamartino, COO of HPMS. Hitachi is doing its part to help heal the nation in this war against the invisible enemy.

To learn more about Hitachi Cable America, Inc. and the Performance Cables Systems & Materials Division, please visit our website at http://www.hca.hitachi-cable.com. Hitachi Cable America, Inc. is a unit of Hitachi Metals, Ltd. which is held by Hitachi, Ltd., Japan.

About HPMS in America:

HPMS is a medical device manufacturer that specializes in the production of medical devices for diagnostic and interventional procedures. HPMS offers ISO-13485:2016 compliant operations in Rhode Island and Connecticut U.S.A., and Suzhou, China serving endoscopic, cardiovascular, ultrasound and neurovascular OEMs. Complimentary to our medical device production, the Hi-Tech Machine and Fabrication team excels in the production of defense components, critical to life and mission systems. To learn more about Hitachi Cable America, Inc., our previous expansion, and the High Performance Medical Solutions division, please visit our website at http://www.hca.hitachi-cable.com/products/medical/medical-solutions.php.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2013 (ended March 31, 2014) totaled 9,616 billion yen ($93.4 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, power systems, construction machinery, high functional material & components, automotive systems, health care and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the companys website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Hitachi Cable America Inc. website:

https://www.hca.hitachi-cable.com.

Media Relations Contact:

Steven Kenney

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Manchester, NH 03109

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COVID-19: Iran Urges IMF To Move On Emergency Loan

03/29/20

Source: RFE/RL

Iranian President Hassan Rohani has urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide Tehran a multibillion-dollar emergency loan it had requested to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani appealed to the International Monetary Fund Wednesday to approve a $5 billion emergency loan request to combat its #COVID19 outbreak.https://t.co/MYv1aF4hE1  Bourse & Bazaar (@BourseBazaar) April 8, 2020

The epidemic has further damaged Iran's economy, already battered by U.S. sanctions that were reimposed after Washington in 2018 withdrew from a landmark deal between Tehran and world powers to curb the country's nuclear program.

Tehran, as well as several countries, the United Nations, some U.S. lawmakers, and human rights groups have urged the United States to ease the sanctions to help Iran respond more effectively to the virus.

The outbreak has officially infected more than 64,500 people and killed over 4,000 in the country. Iranian officials have been criticized for their slow initial response to the pandemic, and experts have been skeptical about the veracity of official figures released by the authorities, who keep a tight lid on the media.



Official Iran's statistics on coronavirus as of April 8

Infections: 64,586

Deaths: 4,003

New Cases: 1,997

Recovered: 29,812

"We are a member of the IMF.... There should be no discrimination in giving loans," Rohani said in a televised cabinet meeting on April 8.

"If they do not act on their duties in this difficult situation, the world will judge them in a different way," he added.

Last month, the Central Bank of Iran asked the IMF for $5 billion from its Rapid Financing Initiative to help to fight the pandemic in one of the hardest-hit countries in the world.

An IMF official was quoted as saying the Washington-based lender was in dialogue with Iranian officials over the request.

Iran has not received assistance from the IMF since a "standby credit" issued between 1960 and 1962, according to the fund's data.

The U.S. plans to block Iran's requested $5 billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund for funding Tehran says it needs to fight its coronavirus crisis https://t.co/5NfUXs1zgl  The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 8, 2020

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered some humanitarian assistance, but Iranian officials have rejected the offer, saying Washington should instead lift the sanctions, which Rohani on April 8 equated to "economic and medical terrorism."

Medicines and medical equipment are technically exempt from the U.S. sanctions but purchases are frequently blocked by the unwillingness of banks to process transactions for fear of incurring large penalties in the United States.

In one of the few instances of aid, Britain, France, and Germany used a special trading mechanism for the first time on March 31 to send medical supplies to Iran in a way that does not violate the sanctions.

The three countries sent supplies via Instex, the mechanism set up more than a year ago to allow legitimate humanitarian trade with Iran.

On April 7, Iran's parliament reconvened for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak forced it to close, and rejected an emergency bill calling for a one-month nationwide lockdown.

More than two-thirds of the legislature's 290 members gathered in the absence of speaker Ali Larijani, who tested positive for the virus last week.

During the session, deputy speaker Massud Pezeshkian criticized the Rohani administration for "not taking the outbreak seriously."

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 7 condemned the detention of journalist and workers' rights defender Amir Chamani in the northwestern city of Tabriz after he posted tweets about the health situation in Iran's prisons and protests by inmates.

The Paris-based media freedom watchdog quoted Chamani's family as saying he was detained on April 2 after being summoned by the cyberpolice.

The authorities have given no reason for the arrest of Chamani, who was transferred to a detention center run by the intelligence department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to RSF.
Stark statistics from Chicago health officials have underscored the heavy toll of coronavirus on black Americans.

Black Chicagoans account for half of all coronavirus cases in the city and more than 70% of deaths, despite making up 30% of the population.

Other cities with large black populations, including Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans and New York, have become coronavirus hotspots.

The US has recorded nearly 370,000 virus cases and almost 11,000 deaths.

Globally there have been nearly 75,000 deaths and more than 1.3m cases total.

What do Chicago's statistics show?

As of 5 April, 1,824 out of Chicago's 4,680 confirmed Covid-19 cases were black residents, said city officials on Monday.

That compared with 847 white, 478 Hispanic and 126 Asian Chicagoans.

Chicago has seen a total of 98 deaths as of Sunday, with 72% of them black residents.

The disparity is reflected across the state, where black people account for 41% of Covid-19 deaths, despite making up 14% of the population of Illinois.

Chicago public health commissioner Dr Allison Arwady told reporters that black city residents already lived on average about 8.8 years less than their white counterparts.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the coronavirus was "devastating black Chicago".

She said city inspectors would be sent into shops to ensure everyone was adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Mayor Lightfoot also raised the possibility of curfews in areas where people gathered outside liquor stores, reports the Chicago Sun-Times .

What's the picture nationally?

Though the coronavirus has been called the "great equalizer", data suggests that vulnerability to the infection may vary by neighbourhood.

In Michigan, African Americans make up 14% of the population, but they account for 33% of the coronavirus cases and 41% of deaths, figures from the state health department showed on Monday.

White residents account for about 23% of recorded cases in Michigan and 28% of deaths, according to the data.

Detroit, Michigan, is about 80% black, and the city together with its surrounding suburbs accounts for around 80% of confirmed coronavirus cases.

A similar disparity has emerged in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the most segregated cities in the US.

African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County's nearly 1,000 cases as of last Friday and 81% of its 27 deaths, despite black people accounting for 26% of the population there, according to a study by ProPublica .

In hard-hit Louisiana, more than 70% of the people who have died of Covid-19 are black, despite African Americans making up 32% of the Gulf state's population.

Some 40% of Louisiana's coronavirus deaths have occurred in the New Orleans area, where the majority of residents are black.

Health officials have previously said the Big Easy's residents suffer from rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension that are higher than the national average, making them more vulnerable to Covid-19.

What's behind the disparity in Chicago?

Mayor Lightfoot said diabetes, heart disease and respiratory illness were "really prevalent" in black communities.

Dr Arwady told reporters that even if everyone in the city did have access to a doctor, "we would still see significant health disparities because of food deserts and lack of walkable streets".

Dr Cameron Webb, an African-American physician who is running for Congress in the US state of Virginia, told BBC News that US racial and economic disparities were being amplified by the pandemic.

"It really exposes our society's fault lines," he said.

Alderman Jason Ervin, who chairs Chicago council's black caucus, told the Chicago Tribune that "rates of non-compliance in some parts of the city with the stay-at-home orders" might also be contributing to the statistics.
Sensitive information like the passport data of foreigners seeking to enter Nigeria, Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), and the National Identity Numbers (NIN) of Nigerians in the diaspora are in the custody of a company owned by a fugitive who fled abroad after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) launched an investigation into his business activities, a joint investigation by PREMIUM TIMES and the BBC has revealed.

The embattled businessmans company is facing trial for organising a controversial recruitment exercise that led to the death of at least 16 Nigerians six years ago.

Prior to 2014, Mahmood Ahmadu was just another Nigerian businessman cutting juicy public procurement deals and bagging lucrative government contracts.

But on March 15, 2014, he rose to national prominence. No fewer than 16 applicants died, and several others were injured, in stampedes across the country during a recruitment exercise his company, Drexel Tech. Nigeria Limited, organised on behalf of the Nigerian Ministry of Interior.

The exercise was organised to fill 4,000 vacant positions in the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS). With massive unemployment in the country, 676,675 people applied for the openings and the company and the ministry made each applicant pay N1,000 as registration fee for jobs they were not even sure of. That amounted to more than half a billion naira.

However, authorities at the NIS later claimed it was not aware of the recruitment and had no plans to recruit additional personnel into the agency at the time.

I was surprised about the recruitment exercise because I was not aware of it, then NIS Comptroller General, David Paradang, later told the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The exercise, which was conducted at stadia and other public places in major cities and towns across the country, was characterised by shoddy organisation, inadequate personnel and abysmal crowd control, an investigation by the National Assembly showed.

The organisers invited more people than venues could accommodate, ostensibly to ensure more people paid the fees, a Senate hearing into the recruitment later heard.

Many applicants, some arriving at the venues as early as dawn, were kept waiting outside for several hours. Due to inadequate personnel to handle the surging and already agitated crowd outside, alternative entrances into most of the venues were shut leaving only one or two entrances to admit several thousands of already tense applicants.

The crowd soon became impatient after rumours went around that some applicants who had gotten inside the venue earlier had started writing the test. The agitated applicants then forced their way into the venues causing stampedes that killed at least 16 applicants and left scores injured.

Corruption and money laundering trial

Two years after the deadly recruitment exercise, the EFCC filed an 11-count charge of fraud and money laundering against Mr Ahmadus company, Drexel Tech. Nigeria Limited; a former minister of interior, who approved the tragic recruitment exercise, Abba Moro; Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a former secretary in the ministry; and F.O. Alayebami, a deputy director in the ministry.

Abba Moro [Photo Credit: DailyPost.ng]

The EFCC told the court that Mr Ahmadu, who is at large and the co-accused, made a total of N676.67 million from the N1,000 each applicant was charged to register for the recruitment exercise.

The anti-graft agency also said Mr Ahmadu, who was awarded one of the nations top honours  Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), by the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, spent about one-third of the fund to purchase two properties in highbrow neighbourhoods in Abuja while N101.2 million was converted to dollars for the personal use of Mr Ahmadu.

Goodluck Jonathan

While all the other co-accused presented themselves for interrogation and are currently standing trial, the EFCC said Mr Ahmadu absconded and did not present himself to be interrogated for his role in the recruitment saga. He also did not show up for a hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, committee officials said.

The EFCC subsequently threatened to declare him wanted.

We may enlist INTERPOL and relevant agencies in The UK to track down Mahmood Ahmadu, Wilson Uwujiaren, the then spokesperson of the EFCC, reportedly told The Nation newspaper in 2016.

He used to have companies in the UK and with his biometrics, there is no hiding place for him. We have already watch-listed him. This makes him a security risk wherever he goes. It is in his interest to come out of hiding.

When contacted, the EFCC said Mr Ahmadu remained on its radars.

Mahmood Ahmadu is still at large, Tony Orilade, current spokesperson of the commission, told PREMIUM TIMES recently via SMS when asked if the EFCC was still looking for Mr Ahmadu.

He explained that the commission had closed its case against the businessman and that his defence filed a no-case submission in response to the charges.

Remember, he was charged for money laundering, Mr Orilade added.

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According to Nigerian law, Mr Ahmadu is presumed innocent until otherwise stated by a competent court of law.

A cover-up?

Soon after Mr Ahmadu was charged for fraud by the EFCC, a process was activated to delink Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited from the similarly named but UK-registered Drexel Tech Global Ltd.

According to Opencorporates, on August 26, 2014, five months after the recruitment fiasco, Mr Ahmadu dissolved Drexel Tech Global Ltd.

Details sourced from Company House and Opencorporate revealed that the company was established in June 2011 as a private limited company with Mr Ahmadu and one Theresa Mahoney, an American, as its original directors.

The original shareholder of the company was listed as Drexel Tech Global Incorporated, a company registered in Mauritius, a notorious offshore tax haven.

In Nigeria, despite being listed as a registered company on its websites with registration number 994063, a physical search for the registration detail of Drexel Tech. Nigeria Limited at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) returned no result. Some CAC insiders suggested the documents may have been deliberately pulled out to hide the identities of persons behind the company or other details about it.

In charge of sensitive data

But while Mr Ahmadu remains at large, our investigation has revealed that another of his companies, Online Integrated Solutions Limited (OIS), is currently in charge of collecting sensitive data of Nigerians and foreigners on behalf of the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Mahmood Ahmadu. [PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.mahmoodahmadu.com]

On its website, OIS claimed it is present and conducting businesses on behalf of these agencies in 25 major cities across the world including Abuja, Pretoria, New York, London Berlin, New Delhi, and Ottawa. The company prides itself as a specialist Nigerian visa and passport application agency in partnership with diplomatic missions across the world to expedite hitch-free travel to global destinations.

Apart from offering visa services, the company does enrollment of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) for Nigerians in the diaspora and is licensed by the NIMC to enrol Nigerians abroad in the National Identification Number (NIN) and subsequent issuance of the NIN which will be integrated into the Countrys National Database.

The company also helps with medical tourism, and educational support services for Nigerians seeking admission into institutions abroad.

Nigerian High Commission UK Screenshot

On February 15, 2016, about a week before he was charged with fraud and money laundering for the botched recruitment exercise of 2014, Mr Ahmadu resigned as director of the UK subsidiary of OIS.

The company then appointed Momodu Abdul-Kareem, a Nigerian, and Archibald Coker, a British national, as directors. But searches on Opencorporates and details gleaned from the OIS Certificate of Incorporation revealed that Mr Ahmadu is still the sole shareholder and ultimate beneficial owner of the company.

Nigeria Embassy US Screenshot

Mr Abdul-Kareem and Coker are also the directors of two other companies -OIS Money Ltd and Apex Money Limited owned by Mr Ahmadu and his wife, Maryam.

Visa application business

On the websites of the High Commission in the UK and the Nigerian Embassy in the United States, foreigners seeking visas into the country were directed to submit their applications to OIS offices in London and in the Metro area of Washington DC, respectively.

The Nigerian consular offices in both countries also instructed visa applicants that apart from the official visa fee charged by the Nigerian government, they should be ready to pay extra charges imposed by OIS for processing their documents.

Several foreign nationals who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said their applications for visas into Nigeria were processed by OIS. There were however mixed reactions about how efficiently OIS is handling the process.

I came across them last year when I wanted to apply for a visa, said James Wan, the editor of the pan-African news website, African Argument. You have to go through OIS basically.

Mr Wan, who described OIS as pretty efficient and well-run, however, said he was charged an extra 72 by OIS for basically collecting the envelope containing his travel documents apart from the 135 official visa fee.

There is no other way of getting a visa (to Nigeria), said Emma Hooper, a communication consultant, who said her visa application to Nigeria was handled by OIS. They processed the visa application on behalf of the High Commission and handled the entire process.

OIS is the only service provider working with the Nigerian High Commission, said UK-based university lecturer, who asked not to be named.

The service was good, but the various fees do not add up, the lecturer said. In comparison, a single-entry visa is pretty expensive. Also, costly and time-consuming is the required appointment the OIS office in London to take the applicants biometric data, especially for those not living in London.

However, in the U.S., one visa applicant said she was displeased with the services of OIS.

Aubrey Hruby, an Investment advisor based in Washington DC, said she used OIS two years ago when she renewed her visa to Nigeria.

I used to go to the embassy (to renew my visa), she said. They dont renew at the embassy anymore. I had to travel outside Maryland to OIS Office. The office is not nice.

She also raised concerns that OIS employees at the Maryland office were not Nigerians but Filipinos.

They take your bio-metric. You cant tell they are going to protect your bio-metric, she said.

We are not aware

When reached for comment by the BBC, Mr Ahmadu responded with a letter via his counsel, S.I Ameh, claiming the publication of this report would be in violation of Nigerian law since the matter was still in court. Mr Ameh stated that his client (Mr Ahmadu) preferred not to take part in such illegality.

Be advised that our client will not participate in such illegality and any attempt by you and or your organisation -BBC to publish anything that is capable of prejudging the matter, contemptuous of the court or that proceeding before it, libellous of our client, or even prejudicial to his business interest or person will be vehemently resisted with every legal arsenal at our disposal, Mr Ameh wrote.

Meanwhile, another legal representative of Mr Ahmadu, Theodore Mayaki, told PREMIUM TIMES he was not aware that the EFCC had described Mr Ahmadu as being at large in a court document. Mr Mayaki also said he was not aware that Mr Ahmadu was charged for money laundering.

When asked to comment on Mr Ahmadus companys possession of sensitive data of some foreigners and those of Nigerians in the diaspora, Mr Mayaki said, You cant ask me that question because I already answered the first two questions you gave me in the negative. You asked me if I am aware, I said no. But youre assuming. If I didnt answer the first two questions in the affirmative your follow-up question is very preposterous, to say the least.

He added that Mr Ahmadu was not listed as a defendant in the case.

But when this reporter pointed out that despite not being listed as a defendant, Mr Ahmadu was specifically charged for fraud and money laundering in counts 1, 2, 9, 10 and 11 of the suit, Mr Mayaki insisted on discussing facts and not fiction. However, when the phone line died mid-conversation, he did not answer or return several subsequent calls made to him.

Similarly, Mr Coker of the UK OIS categorically denied that Mr Ahmadu was charged for money laundering. He also said that Mr Ahmadu is not at large.

I dont have anything to say about that as such but as you know, you have contacted me and the best thing to do is to follow the due process which is contacting the police, the army, and the air force and all these kinds of things and also INTERPOL because as you said, according to your source, he is a wanted person then I think by now he should have been arrested.

But if by those allegations that are baseless and someone is trying to achieve their own aim through whatever means but I can assure you, I dont know where you got your information from.

When told Mr Ahmadu was clearly described by the EFCC as being at large in court papers, Mr Coker replied:

Anyone can print court papers. You yourself can source court papers which are not legally right. Have you gone to the chief justice and ask them if this is genuine information?

He is still at large, EFCC insist

But the EFCC spokesperson said both men were merely trying to obfuscate the facts of the case. He forwarded a statement he said he got from the EFCC prosecuting team which reads:

Mahmood Ahmadu is the alter ego of Drexel Tech Nig Ltd, the company that was used, under the leadership of Senator Abba Morro as minister of interior, to collect a humongous amount from victims/ applicants of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, recruitment. The case against him subsist. The charge sheet read that he is at large. When judgement will be delivered, definitely pronouncement will be made concerning him and his company. The position of the commission is clear: the proceed of the recruitment remains illegal and the proceeds should be returned to the unfortunate applicants.

The EFCC is aware he is hiding in Europe. He has not been seen since arraignment; hence he was declared to be at large and hence the charge sheet reads at large.

EFCC Officials

The EFCC, however, did not explain the efforts it made to reach Mr Ahmadu before declaring him a fugitive.

Meanwhile, Jiti Ogunye, a Lagos-based lawyer further clarified why the EFCC did not list Mr Ahmadu as a defendant despite naming him in five of the 11 charges of the suit.

Mr Ogunye explained that by virtue of Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution, an accused person may not be tried in absentia. He explained that since Mr Ahmadu is a fugitive from the law, the EFCC could not have listed him as a defendant until he is apprehended.

If the EFCC arrests him today, they will apply to the court to amend the charges and he would be listed as a defendant, Mr Ogunye explained.

Section 36 (6) reads: Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be entitled to- (a) be informed promptly in the language that he understands and in detail of the nature of the offence; (b) be given adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defence; (c)defend himself in person or by legal practitioners of his own choice; (d) examine, in person or by his legal practitioners, the witnesses called by the prosecution before any court or tribunal and obtain the attendance and carry out the examination of witnesses to testify on his behalf before the court or tribunal on the same conditions as those applying to the witnesses called by the prosecution.

No word from the Nigerian government

PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Ministry of Interior, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for comments but we were either ignored or given the runaround.

When reached to react to our findings, the Director of Information, Ministry of Interior, Mohammed Manga, said we should contact the NIS. The spokesperson of the NIS, Sunday James, said he was not aware of the case. He added that since the matter is in court, he would rather not comment.

Surprisingly the recruitment case you mentioned, and visa issue are practically two different things; the NIS had by government directive addressed the 2014 recruitment and series of successful recruitments have taken place thereafter, he said.

Please verify the status of the person you are investigating with the EFCC, he added.

The spokesperson of the CBN, Isaac Okoroafor, is yet to return calls made to his mobile telephone. He also did not reply to the SMS messages sent to him.

In its own reaction, the NIMC admitted that OIS is in partnership with one of its service providers.

NIMC

The spokesperson for the agency, Kayode Adegoke, explained that in compliance with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data protection authorities worldwide no service provider licensed by NIMC stores ID data. All data collected is through NIMC certified enrolment software, fully secured that transmit data to only NIMC database.

Our licensing agreement does not permit for copying data by any means. A breach of which is a ground for termination and prosecution under the NIMC Act, Cybercrime Prohibition Act and with respect to the diaspora, in addition to above, the data protection laws and regulations of each country of operation, he said.

A dent on Nigerias image

Abdul Mahmud, a human rights lawyer, said while it is morally wrong that the company is owned by an individual who is on the run, there is nothing that makes OIS operation illegal.

Abdul Mahmud, a human rights lawyer. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Facebook Page of Abdul Mahmud]

He explained that OIS is a different legal entity from Mr Ahmadu and as long as there is no criminal relationship with the on-going corruption trial in court, it has done nothing illegal.

Olanrewaju Suraj, the chair of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), a good governance non-governmental organisation, said the fact that OIS is enjoying the patronage of government agencies while running from justice exposes a lack of coordination in government.

He said the government should have suspended all kinds of patronages between it and any company owned by Mr Ahmadu immediately he was declared to be at large.

We have to call for a suspension or revocation of the contract involving the company, he said.

He added that having a company owned by a fugitive handling sensitive documents such as the passport and visa process of foreign nationals a dent on the image of the country abroad.
Margaret Burbidge, a self-described "watcher of the skies" whose research shed light on distant galaxies, mysterious quasars and the origins of chemical elements, helping to explain how humans and most everything else are made of stardust, died April 5 at her home in San Francisco. She was 100.

The cause was complications from a fall, said her daughter, Sarah Burbidge.

While sailing from England to France one night at age 4, Burbidge looked skyward and saw, as if for the first time, a luminous patchwork of stars and planets. She went on to read books by astronomer James Jeans, a distant relative, and never looked back, devoting her life to a career in astronomy and astrophysics that revealed some of the furthest objects in the universe and upended a field long dominated by men.

At a time when many women were expected to stay at home and cook, Burbidge wrote a kind of celestial cookbook, working with three co-authors to demonstrate how chemical elements such as carbon and oxygen are formed inside stars, where thermonuclear reactions produce heavier elements from lighter ones.

Considered one of the most influential papers in astrophysics, the 1957 article formed the basis of a widely accepted theory for the origin of chemical elements, with a striking implication. As her collaborator William Fowler put it: "All of us are truly and literally a little bit of stardust."

Burbidge was "a towering figure in the development of modern astrophysics" and "a trailblazer for gender equality in science," said physicist George Fuller, director of the University of California, San Diego's Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences.

The center was originally led by Burbidge, whose research formed a blueprint "for how the elements are cooked," Fuller said, and established a framework for modern astrophysics altogether, "brokering this marriage between observational astronomy on the one hand and nuclear physics and elementary particle physics on the other."

Her work was all the more remarkable given that her research depended on the use of observatories that barred their doors to Burbidge in the 1940s, when she sought to leave her native England for larger telescopes in the United States.

Applying for a fellowship at the Mount Wilson Observatory near Los Angeles, Burbidge was rejected because she was a woman. The observatory later denied her request to use its telescope on the grounds that there was no women's bathroom; undaunted, she used the telescope anyway after posing as an assistant to her husband, physicist Geoffrey Burbidge, who had turned toward astronomy while working as an assistant to his wife.

"If frustrated in one's endeavor by a stone wall or any kind of blockage, one must find a way around - another route towards one's goal," Burbidge wrote in a 1994 autobiographical essay, recalling her initial rejection at Mount Wilson. "This is advice I have given to many women facing similar situations. I tell them: Try it, it works."

Burbidge and her husband formed one of the most formidable husband-and-wife duos in modern science, writing numerous papers that combined Geoffrey's focus on astronomical theory with Margaret's observational skill. While he was large-framed and argumentative, chomping on cigars and criticizing the Big Bang Theory with anyone who would listen, she was diminutive and soft-spoken, reluctant to enter into public debates on the origin of the universe.

Nonetheless, she had "the classic iron fist under her velvet glove," astronomer Joseph Miller once said. She shocked many of her peers when, in 1971, she rejected the Annie Jump Cannon Award, an American Astronomical Society prize awarded to outstanding female researchers.

"It is high time that discrimination in favor of, as well as against, women in professional life be removed," she wrote. Her refusal of the award spurred the creation of a working group on the status of women in astronomy, and came one year before she was named the first female director of Britain's Royal Greenwich Observatory, a venerable 300-year-old institution once led by Edmond Halley.

The position had traditionally come with the honorary title of Astronomer Royal. But for the first time, the distinction went to someone else, one of Burbidge's male peers. Burbidge, who later said she was not sure whether the slight was a result of sexism or scientific politicking, resigned less than two years later, then became the first female president of the American Astronomical Society in 1976.

Delighting in complex mathematical calculations as well as the intricacies of optical astronomy, Burbidge studied the distance of stars, the rotations of far-off galaxies and the nature of quasars, or quasi-stellar objects, which electrified astronomers in the 1960s with their extreme brightness and radio-wave emissions. She went on to develop instruments used on the Hubble Space Telescope and was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

She was perhaps best known for her early work on the origin of elements, which culminated in the article "Synthesis of the Elements in Stars." Published in the Reviews of Modern Physics, it became known as B2FH after the initials of its authors: the Burbidges, Fowler (who later received a share of the Nobel Prize in physics) and Fred Hoyle, who coined the term "big bang" but, like Geoffrey, favored an alternative theory known as the steady-state model of the universe.

At times, Burbidge was also identified with the steady-state view, in which matter is continually being created, with the universe's density more or less unchanged. (By contrast, the Big Bang Theory holds that the universe was created in a single, spectacular explosion, and has been expanding and growing less dense ever since.)

The Burbidges cited some of their quasar research in support of the steady-state model, which has fallen out of favor since the 1960s. But while some of Burbidge's theories were disputed, her quasar observations contributed to major advances in the field, including the understanding "that every galaxy has a huge black hole in its center," Fuller said.

"I don't like to think we'd ever come to the end of all that can be found out about the universe," Burbidge once told the Los Angeles Times. "I'd like to think there will always be new surprises."

Eleanor Margaret Peachey was born in Davenport, England, on Aug. 12, 1919. Her father was a chemist who taught at the Manchester School of Technology, and her mother was one of two female students in his class.

Burbidge later recalled that one of her first scientific insights concerned her own conception: As a young girl recently acquainted with the "facts of life," she suddenly realized she was born almost exactly nine months after the World War I armistice. "My excitement in telling my mother this deduction," she wrote in her autobiographical essay, "was not greeted with enthusiasm nor with any further explanation."

She studied astronomy at University College London, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1939 and a doctorate in 1943 while conducting spectroscopy experiments at the Mill Hill observatory, as German bombs fell nearby. In 1948 she married Geoffrey Burbidge, whom she met at a university lecture.

Together they moved to the United States, where Burbidge performed research at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, McDonald Observatory in Texas, Harvard College Observatory in Massachusetts and California Institute of Technology before joining the UC San Diego faculty with her husband in 1962. They continued collaborating until his death in 2010.

In addition to her daughter, of San Francisco, Burbidge is survived by a grandson.

In a phone interview, Sarah Burbidge recalled that while her mother was "thrust into this role of being a leading 'woman astronomer,' " her "prime focus was just to be as good a scientist as she could be."

"My views are anti-discrimination on all counts," Burbidge told New Scientist magazine in 1972. "I don't think what a person can do in life and what they want to do has to be conditioned by how they happen to be born: whether they're black, white, yellow, or male or female. But I'm not a militant person - except in matters of astronomy."
Cats do not pass COVID-19 to humans but that they can carry the coronavirus in droplets from coughs and sneezes in their fur, veterinary authorities have said.

Cat owners dont have to keep their pets indoors during lockdown and are advised to do so only if they are self-isolating or in a household with symptoms.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) reiterated that it is not asking all cat owners to keep their animals indoors, as implied by previous media reports.

This advice only applies to cats in infected households or where people are self-isolating, as opposed to just following the government lockdown  and only if the cat is happy to do so.

BVA admitted that there have been a small number of cases of cats having COVID-19, but in those instances it was likely the humans had infected the cats.

The fact that cats can carry the coronavirus on their fur makes them as much as a risk to humans as other high-contact physical objects like doorknobs, it said.

Cats are capable of transmitting the coronavirus between themselves, a study in China has found. Picture: A cat relaxes outside Moscow apartments being disinfected

BVA, the UKs national body for veterinary surgeons, and other experts are keen to outline the distinction between cats carrying the virus on their fur, as opposed to being infected or showing symptoms themselves.

It is very important that people dont panic about their pets, said British Veterinary Association (BVA) president Daniella Dos Santos.

We are not advising that all cats are kept indoors  only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors.'

Dos Santos said there is no evidence that pets can pass COVID-19 to their owners  humans pose more of a risk to cats than the other way round.

There have been a tiny number of cases of COVID-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal, she said.

Dr Alan Radford, Professor of Animal Health Surveillance at the University of Liverpool, said humans potentially pose a risk to cats.

'Firstly, they might put virus on a pet, just as you might do to your phone or a door handle,' he told MailOnline.

'Secondly, there is growing evidence that some animals  cats, ferrets and to a lesser extent dogs  can be infected.

'Currently we believe infection to be rare, and like people, most animals seem to have mild or inapparent signs.'

Cats from infected households can, however, carry the virus on their fur, through microscopic droplets that have been coughed or sneezed out by their human owner.

If let out the house, these pets can pose a risk to people in the neighbourhood who are on their daily exercise allowance and may touch the cat in the street.

However, some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons, which is why the BVA is saying even those from infected households should be let out if absolutely necessary.

Therefore, best practices are to avoid touching cat strangers, and, if one does so accidentally, to maintain good hygiene as per the NHSs official advice  wash hands thoroughly and use hand sanitiser.

The same applies to people in non-infected households who have a cat that it still coming in and out during lockdown  as well as any pet.

Animals can act as fomites, as the virus could be on their fur in the same way it is on other surfaces, such as tables and doorknobs, Dos Santos said.

Cats and ferrets can be infected with coronavirus but it is hard for dogs to catch the disease, scientists have discovered (stock image)

Avoid unnecessary contact with your pets, such a hugging or allowing them to lick your face, and do not touch other people's dogs when on walks, she said.

Professor Ken Smith, professor of companion animal pathology at the Royal Veterinary College, said that to avoid spread of infection from humans to animals, contact between infected people and other animals should be minimised.

'If cats are present within a COVID-19 positive household, they should be kept indoors,' he said.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has previously noted that there is no evidence to suggest that household pets are capable of carrying and spreading the disease in the way that humans do.

However, it has advised those infected with the coronavirus to limit their contact with their pets until they have fully recovered as a precaution.

Conclusions on whether cats, dogs and other domestic pets can get COVID-19 is mixed, but consensus is that they don't pose more of a risk to us than another human.

'Based on current evidence, the vast majority of individuals that get COVID will likely unfortunately be people, and the vast majority of us that get it will likely get it form other humans,' Dr Radford said.

Steve Dunham, Associate Professor of Veterinary Virology at the University of Nottingham, said: 'Given that we have very few reports of cats becoming infected  and lots of reports of negative tests in cats  this will only happen in very few animals.

'Its important to remember that this is primarily a human virus  and the greatest risk of human infection is from other people with COVID-19.

'We still dont know if cats shed enough virus to infect humans or other cats.'

Professor Dunham told MailOnline that we should be washing our hands before feeding our cats and avoid coughing or sneezing on their food bowls, which we should also clean regularly with washing up liquid to kill any virus.

'It would be sensible to minimise contact if possible, although cats can be a great comfort to their owners during social isolation so there needs to be a sensible balance,' he added.

'Cats and dogs are in close contact with humans and therefore it is important to understand their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 control,' the researchers wrote in their paper

In a recent research paper, Dr Angel Almendros from City University in Hong Kong disputed the theory that cats or dogs can show COVID-19 symptoms.

Dr Almendros detailed experiments on a 17-year-old dog in Hong Kong in the journal Vet Record, whose owner had tested positive for COVID-19.

The dog passed away following rigorous lab tests, but showed no suggestion that it was contagious to other pets or people.

As in the previous SARS-CoV outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003, where a number of pets were infected but never became sick, there is no evidence that dogs or cats could become sick or infect people, he said.

Conversely, Belgian authorities said last month that a woman had infected her cat with the virus.

Steven van Gucht, head of viral diseases at the country's Institute of Health, told a press conference that 'a coronavirus infection has been determined in a cat'.

'The cat lived with her owner, who started showing symptoms of the virus a week before the cat did,' he said.

The Belgian case is the first report of a cat being infected with the new coronavirus, although officials in Hong Kong say two dogs have caught the virus there.

A recent study in China suggests cats are capable of transmitting the coronavirus to other cats.

The study, undertaken by researchers at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, concluded that cats are highly vulnerable to the virus.

The lab discovered that the animals can transmit the disease to other cats through respiratory droplets.

The findings followed four isolated cases of pets being infected with the coronavirus, including two dogs in Hong Kong and a cat in Belgium.

Another team said cats and ferrets can be infected with coronavirus and spread it to other animals, but it is hard for dogs to catch the disease.
Struggling UK retailer Debenhams has moved to protect itself from creditors, having closed its stores because of the coronavirus.

The department store chain, which has filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators under UK insolvency procedures, said the goal was to avoid being pushed into liquidation as it eyes reopening after virus-related restrictions are eased.

The process does not directly affect Debenhams Ireland, which operates 11 department stores and employs around 1,500 people, but any restructuring of the main UK arm will likely have an effect here eventually.

The Irish arm went through its own examinership process in 2016 to cut debts here, which included slashing rents on many of its outlets and hitting suppliers.

In the UK, Debenhams now envisions what it described as a "light-touch" administration, in which the existing management remains in place, under the supervision of the administrators from FRP Advisory Group.

The company was taken over by lenders last year, making it one of the UK's highest-profile retail casualties as shoppers shift online.

The move came after the department store chain rejected a rescue plan from retail tycoon Mike Ashley.

Debenhams has 142 stores in the UK.

But it has already been shutting some outlets as it tries to reduce its high rental costs and property taxes amid falling customer traffic and shaky consumer confidence.

This month's virus-induced lockdown has deepened its crisis. Thousands of workers have been furloughed, meaning most of their salaries are paid by the government, though the retailer has continued to sell online.

The company has joined other retailers, including H&M and Primark, in withholding rent payments in a bid to preserve cash.

The stand-off between retailers and landlords has seen some property owners threaten to issue winding-up petitions against tenants, which could trigger liquidation proceedings. It is also giving rise to fears that leveraged real estate across Europe may once again play a role in triggering a wider financial crisis within the banking sector.

Debenhams' lenders are "highly supportive" and will fund administration fees, chief executive Stefaan Vansteenkiste said in a statement.

Bloomberg
PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-08 18:58:01

Basel, Switzerland, April 08, 2020

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) reported today that shareholders approved all proposals of the Board of Directors at todays Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the financial year 2019.

In accordance with the COVID-19 Ordinance 2 issued by the Swiss Federal Council, it was not permitted to have physical participation of shareholders at the AGM. Basilea had already recommended on March 20 that shareholders should delegate their votes to the Independent Proxy. At the AGM, the Independent Proxy represented 26.2 percent of the total voting rights. Currently, 58.8 percent of the total shares outstanding are registered in Basilea's share registry.

Domenico Scala, Basileas Chairman of the Board commented: We thank our shareholders for the broad support of the proposed motions. While the coronavirus pandemic effects every sector of society and the economy, it is important that our shareholders can continue to exercise their voting rights and provide us with the necessary authority and flexibility to continue successfully building our business for the future.

David Veitch, Basileas Chief Executive Officer, added: We are focused in the oncology and infectious diseases therapy areas. We are all currently reminded of the importance of research and development of effective therapies for fighting infections. Together with our partners, we continue to launch our two marketed anti-infective brands, Cresemba and Zevtera, in new countries, in order to ensure more patients with serious invasive mold infections and bacterial infections can access our brands. We also continue to progress our oncology clinical stage candidates, derazantinib and lisavanbulin, towards their next important data read-outs, in areas of high unmet medical need. With our efforts we aim to make a difference to patients.

In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, Basilea has, to date, no indication from its commercial partners of any negative impact on prescriptions for Cresemba and Zevtera. Similarly, product supply has not been affected and Basilea is actively managing its supply chain to ensure that over a longer period supply risks are minimized. It is too early to assess the potential impact on Basileas ongoing clinical studies. Basilea is following recently issued guidance from U.S. and EU regulatory bodies. For new clinical studies for its clinical stage oncology compounds, derazantinib and lisavanbulin, which are scheduled to start in H2 2020, Basilea continues to work towards these milestones.

At the AGM, the shareholders approved the annual report, the financial statements and the consolidated financial statements for the financial year 2019. They also endorsed carrying forward the accumulated deficit and approved the discharge of the members of Basileas Board of Directors and Management Committee.

Domenico Scala was re-elected as Chairman and the shareholders also re-elected Dr. Martin Nicklasson, Dr. Nicole Onetto, Ronald Scott, Steven D. Skolsky and Dr. Thomas Werner as members of Basileas Board of Directors. In addition, Dr. Nicklasson, Mr. Skolsky and Dr. Werner were re-elected as members of the Compensation Committee. The terms of all these individuals last until the end of the AGM 2021.

The shareholders also approved the proposed maximum aggregate amount of the compensation for the Board of Directors for the period until the AGM 2021, the maximum aggregate amount of fixed compensation for the Management Committee for the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, and the maximum aggregate amount of variable compensation for the Management Committee for the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. In a non-binding advisory vote, the shareholders endorsed the Compensation Report for the financial year 2019.

The shareholders also approved the proposed amendments to the Articles of Association relating to compensation. These amendments allow for the grant of performance or restricted share units under Basileas long-term incentive plan. They also harmonize the budget period for the fixed and variable Management Committee compensation and align it with the subsequent financial year, and create the formal basis for the submission of the Compensation Report to the AGM for a non-binding advisory vote.

Based on the approved alignment of the budget period for the Management Committee compensation with the subsequent financial year, the shareholders also approved the maximum aggregate amount of total compensation for the Management Committee for the financial year 2021.

The shareholders also approved the amendment of the Articles of Association to increase the number of shares that could be issued related to convertible bonds under the conditional capital.

As a further amendment to the Articles of Association, the shareholders also approved the proposed reduction of the maximum number of Board members from eleven to nine.

Finally, the shareholders re-elected Dr. Caroline Cron as Independent Proxy until the end of the AGM 2021 and re-elected PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd, Basel, as auditors for the financial year 2020.

About Basilea

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of products that address the medical challenges in the therapeutic areas of oncology and infectious diseases. With two commercialized drugs, the company is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products to meet the medical needs of patients with serious and life-threatening conditions. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Additional information can be found at Basilea's website www.basilea.com.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com

investor_relations@basilea.com

This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

Attachment
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- IU Health Arnett Hospital is seeing a decrease in its amount of patients.

It has seen more COVID-19 visitors but a doctor and a nurse told News 18 people with major health problems are not showing up.

"Even though there is COVID-19 there is emergencies still going on," said Dr. Michael Kupon.

Dr. Kupon works at IU Health Arnett Hospital.

IU Health Arnett Hospital nurses and doctors are letting the public know if you need help come and get it.

"We are still open and we still have to see people," said Dr. Kupon.

People with broken bones, severe pain, infections, any emergency go to the emergency room.

"If they need to be seen by all means they need to come in to be seen," said Nurse Sherry MciIlvain. "They should not be afraid because we are taking a lot of precautions to make everyone is safe."

Charge Nurse Sherrie Mcilvain has worked in IU Health's emergency room department for 11 years.

"Yeah we are definitely seeing less people," said Mcilvain.

Mcilvain said a big contributor to this is most likely Indiana's stay-at-home order.

"I don't know if they are afraid to come in," said Mcilvain. "A lot of them are staying home because that is what they are recommending."

Indiana government recommends following essential activities.

That does include necessities of life and health.

"Most days we have been seeing [people] into the 120's and 130's in a 24 hour period and now we have been seeing 80, 90," said Mcilvain.

Dr. Kupon said he understands people getting help virtually but if you have any COVID symptoms come to the hospital.

"Hopefully this will be over soon," said Dr. Kupon. "I would not get too afraid. If you start having symptoms difficulty of breathing, shortness of breath, fever, cough, you need to be checked out.

During the peak of flu season the hospital expects to see up to 150 patients.
A 37-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in Jersey City early Tuesday morning, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

Jersey City police and members of the Special Victims Unit of the prosecutors office responded to the area of Warner and Ocean avenues at approximately 2:30 a.m. and met with the victim, who was treated at Christ Hospital, Suarez said.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1234 or to leave an anonymous tip at: https://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/tips/.

All information will be kept confidential.
Olivia Wilde led a chorus of onscreen doctors in a new Instagram video thanking real medical staff fighting coronavirus.

The 36-year-old, who played Dr. Remy 'Thirteen' Hadley on House, got together a string of her co-stars for her Instagram video.

She cast her net far and wide bringing in such names as 'McDreamy' himself, Patrick Dempsey who played Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy.

Salute: Olivia Wilde led a chorus of onscreen doctors in a new Instagram video thanking real medical staff fighting coronavirus

In character: The 36-year-old, who played Dr. Remy 'Thirteen' Hadley on House, got together a string of her co-stars for her Instagram video

Jennifer Garner, who played a doctor treating AIDS patients in the acclaimed film Dallas Buyers Club, was among the many stars of the video.

'No matter how many times we wear scrubs or stethoscopes, none of us can do for society what all of you are doing for us now,' said Jennifer. 'Thank you.'

Yet the clip was mostly populated by TV doctors including Neil Patrick Harris who played the title teenage physician on Doogie Howser, M.D.

Hunk: She cast her net far and wide bringing in such names as 'McDreamy' himself, Patrick Dempsey who played Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy

Silver fox: The Hollywood heartthrob made sure to put in an appearance in Olivia's clip

Remember when: Jennifer Garner, who played a doctor treating AIDS patients during the height of that outbreak, was among the many stars of the video

'Thank you': 'No matter how many times we wear scrubs or stethoscopes, none of us can do for society what all of you are doing for us now,' said Jennifer

'I wish I was there with you guys to assist in my medical capacity, but probably all I would be doing would be writing prescriptions for myself, which is kind of all I did when I was 16 and 17,' joked Neil.

'I'd rather not talk about that time in my life - I didn't realize that's what we were doing this video for,' he deadpanned.

'And let's see this video go viral!' he exclaimed at the end, before catching himself: 'No, can - can I do this again? Can we, can I, can I please do this again?'

Then and now: Yet the clip was mostly populated by TV doctors including Neil Patrick Harris who played the title teenage physician on Doogie Howser, M.D.

Word choice: 'And let's see this video go viral!' he exclaimed at the end, before catching himself: 'No, can - can I do this again? Can we, can I, can I please do this again?'

Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco dished: 'It was early on in the filming of our show that I recognized that I was not capable of actually doing the kind of work that you do.'

Sandra Oh of Grey's Anatomy praised all staff and offered 'a quick shout-out to my brother-in-law Scott, who is an ER doc up in Vancouver - I love you, man.'

Their co-star Kate Walsh also appeared in the Instagram video and told medical staff: 'Thank you so much. You're literally saving our lives.'

Olivia's House co-stars Omar Epps, Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison, Kal Penn and Peter Jacobson were featured in her new video.

In awe: Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco dished: 'It was early on in the filming of our show that I recognized that I was not capable of actually doing the kind of work that you do'

All in the family: Sandra Oh of Grey's Anatomy praised all staff and offered 'a quick shout-out to my brother-in-law Scott, who is an ER doc up in Vancouver - I love you, man'

'Thank you so much': Their co-star Kate Walsh also appeared in the Instagram video and told medical staff: 'You're literally saving our lives'

Getting the band back together: Olivia's House co-stars Omar Epps (pictured), Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison, Kal Penn and Peter Jacobson were featured in her new video

Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke, who played colleagues and pals on the long-running sitcom Scrubs, all got in on the act too.

Former child star Freddie Highmore of the drama The Good Doctor shared: 'I am everyday more in awe of you all and appreciate of everything you do.'

Julianna Margulies and Maura Tierney, who both cut their teeth on the NBC show ER where George Clooney became a star, could be spotted in the clip too.

In her Instagram caption Olivia thanked her editor Jamie Egan and encouraged donations to the First Responders First fund.

Healthcare workers are on the frontlines in the battle against coronavirus. Donate to the #FirstRespondersFirst Fund to provide them with the supplies and equipment they need to safely continue the fight.

Text FIRST to 50555 or visit thriveglobal.com/firstresponders to donate.

From left: Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke, who played colleagues and pals on the long-running sitcom Scrubs, all got in on the act too

The way they were: The trio are pictured on the smash hit medical comedy, which ran from 2001 until 2010

What a lineup: Julianna Margulies (left) and Maura Tierney (right), who both cut their teeth on the NBC show ER where George Clooney became a star, could be spotted in the clip too




Santa Coloma de GramenetScientists across the world are mucking in to develop weapons that can fight Covid-19. Ever since SARS-CoV-2 was spotted for the first time, four months ago, researchers have been working round the clock to characterise this minute hazard whose effects are so devastating. While Covid-19 has rocked the economies and health care systems all over the world, it has been particularly lethal among one particular segment of the general population. Taking preemptive action is likely the motto most favoured by researchers today: taking action against the spread, against serious pneumonia and respiratory failure. And whenever a preemptive strike is not possible, then they speak of responding to the disease. In other words, finding a mechanism that wins time for health care providers and improves the well-being of patients.

To preempt and to react are also the two ideas that drive the twenty-something research and innovation projects aimed at preventing and treating Covid-19 that have been put forward by some of the most prestigious research centres in Catalonia and that will receive public funding from the Catalan administration. They are 19 research avenues with a common goal: to shed light on the behaviour of a virus that is still largely unknown and whose death toll has risen to over 3,000 people in Catalonia alone. The Catalan health ministry recently announced an urgent tender following the public health emergency and on Tuesday it transpired that 4m has been earmarked to the twenty initiatives, the most promising of the Catalan science eco-system. Health Minister Alba Verges and Robert Fabregat, the General Director of R&D in Health, rolled out the projects on Tuesday during an online press conference.

Genetic influence: finding out if DNA is making some patients more prone to respiratory issues

One of the research projects will be led by Jordi Carratala, the head of the communicable diseases department in Hospital de Bellvitge. It aims to study the genome of 60 patients in order to build the genetic profile of those who develop serious respiratory problems (ARDS or acute respiratory difficulty syndrome). We know that some fatalities are due to the lungs inflammatory response, but we still dont know why. It is a mystery, the researcher explains, and he goes on to emphasise that age is not the only factor that results in a poor prognosis. Some younger patients have also become critically ill. The hypothesis which his project seeks to put to the test is that there may be some genetic predisposition that causes certain patients to develop major respiratory issues. This project will be carried out with the help of Catalonias Institut d'Investigacio Biomedica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) and the Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM).

In order to test their hypothesis, they will be comparing the transcriptome the set of all RNA molecules in one cell of patients on the day when they are admitted to a hospital with that of they day when their condition takes a turn for the worse, usually on the seventh day after their admission. This genetic analysis will be matched against that of those patients who make a full recovery. If a genetic factor can be proven, we will be able to spot patients at risk before their health deteriorates and provide therapy that regulates their immune response, says Carratala, citing Tocilizumab as an example of a drug that inhibits interleukin and appears to curb pulmonary inflammation.

The key role of primary care. Generating algorithms to classify patients

Primary health care has also secured a spot among the mighty hospital research centres thanks to Talita Duarte-Salles and Bonaventura Bolibar, two researchers affiliated with the Institut Universitari de Recerca en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol (IDIAPJGol). Their goal is to characterise a range of Covid-19 patient profiles using the powerful clinical database that the Catalan health service has at its disposal. Catalonias Public Health Service has access to the medical records of 80 per cent of the population and our software could provide key information, says Duarte-Salles, a nurse and an epidemiologist. In fact, the records include everything from the past 14 years: diagnoses of serious and chronic illnesses, lab results, prescriptions issued and so forth.

This project will also aid in the development of predictive models of health complications. Duarte-Salles remarked that we will be able to determine risk factors for vulnerable groups whilst sorting out the individuals who will safely be able to remain at home if they become ill with only mild symptoms. We are now beginning to see that male patients who are overweight, diabetic or have an underlying cardiovascular condition tend to require hospitalisation more often than most, for example. Furthermore, our findings will be shared with other countries such as South Korea and the US, says the researcher. Coordinated diagnostic criteria will be jointly drafted and they will inform the policies devised to halt the pandemic.

Plasma from health care providers: a test that will keep those in the front line safer

One of the select nineteen is a project led by Josep F. Nomdedeu and Silvia Vidal, two researchers with the Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IR Sant Pau). Their initiative is focused on health care professionals. They aim to build a test with synthetic proteins like the rapid diagnostic test for antibodies which, for want of massive testing, will allow us to find out if health care providers have been infected or not. If so, the test will measure their immune response. The survey will encourage first-line professionals from Hospital de Sant Pau to volunteer a blood sample and the test will be serologic-like: the IgM and IgG antibodies will be measured in the plasma of a body that is responding to infection.

Additionally, hospital staff who have been infected but showed no symptoms and present a very powerful immune response will be earmarked as brilliant candidates to donate plasma for the more critical patients. This is known as convalescent plasma and at present it is the only source of anti-bodies against SARS-CoV-2 that is readily available. Nomdedeu explains that in such cases they would consider donating samples to the Blood and Tissue Bank to be used with patients whose prognosis is poor as a therapy based on immunoglobulin.

Working against the clock

An expert committee made up of international advisors and officials from Catalonias Quality and Healthcare Assessment Agency (AQuAS) has selected the winning proposals from 42 projects submitted by the various research centres in health care that form part of the IRISCAT consortium (Instituts de Recerca i Innovacio en Salut de Catalunya). The proposals were chosen for their innovation, scientific value and credible methodology, but also for the impact of their findings on public health. They include all sorts of projects: therapies with plasma and antibodies, as well as new drugs or medicines originally aimed at treating other illnesses; vaccines and preventative treatments, and genetic studies to anticipate the immune response of a patient.

The 4m was destined to fund future research projects and it has been provided by the Catalan governments Research and Innovation in Health Care department (DGRIS). Minister Verges explained that [the Covid-19 crisis] means putting some projects on hold, but we cannot afford to leave future projects unfunded. Still, this is urgently needed in the fight against Covid-19 at the moment. Her ministry is confident that patients may benefit from some of the results soon enough, certainly before the end of this year, and that they will provide new therapeutic tools to clinicians. Jordi Naval, the Director of Biocat, stated that researchers are working against the clock to come up with vaccines, therapies and other tools to help us manage this crisis. Both the DGRIS and Biocat will support and oversee the projects, doing technical follow-up work and coordinating the available resources by providing them with clinical samples, research models and facilities.
The Cambodian government took the major step of cancelling this years Khmer New Year holiday to prevent people from travelling within the country and to stop mass gatherings during the annual celebration.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had cancelled the Khmer New Year holiday as a precautionary measure because despite the low number of cases in the country there was still a high risk of the novel coronavirus spreading.

The prime minister said the four-day holiday starting Monday would be given to workers at a more suitable time; annual national holidays are assured to workers, especially in the garment sector.

Hun Sen added that it was safer to keep workers in factories as opposed to letting them travel to their hometowns for the holidays, admitting that this was the easiest way to prevent them from travelling.

If [we] allow them to go freely, the situation after Khmer New Year will be at higher risk, he said. Now people in the countryside are afraid of people from the city bringing the disease, as people in the city worried about infection.

The government has not issued any orders to prevent or restrict travel, instead it has over the last month closed schools, all big public gatherings, religious meetings, and even cancelled the Angkor Sangkranta new year celebrations in Siem Reap.

Hun Sen has refused to shut down factories, restaurants and markets, and while his government is in the process of passing a widely criticized state of emergency law, he has been non-committal about its use.

The Ministry of Labor immediately issued a circular formalizing the announcement, adding that five days of holiday will be given to workers as soon as the novel coronavirus situation improved in Cambodia.

As of Tuesday evening, Cambodia had confirmed 115 positive cases of the respiratory disease, however, for the first time it had recorded more recoveries than active cases. There are 58 people who have recovered from the disease, 57 who are receiving treatment and no recorded deaths.

Yang Sophorn, president of workers union Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, said workers were already preparing to go back to their hometowns, and that she supported allowing them to go back home with their families.

Let workers decide whether they want to work or go home, she said.

She said the factory floor was not any safer for workers, adding that it was equally risky for workers to be in factories during the viral pandemic. If they still work and there is a problem of infection, who is responsible for them, she queried.

Hun Sen said on Tuesday that around 100 factories had asked for work suspensions, affecting at least 60,000 garment workers. Additionally, factories are reporting that buyers have cancelled or stopped accepting orders they had already placed, leaving thousands of Cambodians suspended or fired from their jobs.
Adding to the anxiety, flight attendants may not know they are flying with someone who is sick or have flown with someone who later became sick. Airlines are not required to report when a crew member or passenger contracts the novel coronavirus. That responsibility falls to state or local health officials, who follow guidelines from the CDC recommending who should be notified and what steps should be taken to protect others who may have been exposed.
With 11 more people testing positive for coronavirus, the number of COVID-19 cases in Haryana rose to 141 on Wednesday.

Among the fresh cases, seven were reported from Faridabad, one from Nuh and two from Palwal while Fatehabad district reported its first case, according to state health Department's bulletin.

At present, there are 122 active cases in the state, 17 patients have been discharged while the state has recorded two COVID-related deaths. Reports of 558 samples were awaited.

Among the total positive cases reported ten are foreign nationals including six from Sri Lanka, and one each from Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa while 51 are from other states of India, as per the bulletin.

The worst affected districts are Nuh (38 cases), Palwal (28), Faridabad (28) and Gurugram (20).

State Home and Health Minister Anil Vij had on Tuesday said the sharp spike in the number of COVID-19 cases was due to sizeable numbers of Tablighi Jamaat members testing positive.

He said 1,526 of the Jamaat members including 107 foreigners have so far being tracked down in the state.

A majority of those who entered the state before the lockdown had been traced to Nuh district.

Jamaat members,who may still be hiding in the state, have been given time till 5 pm on April 8 to report to the district administration concerned failing which strict action will be initiated against them as per law, Vij had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of Malagasy on Tuesday elbowed their way onto minibuses bound for the countryside, ignoring bans on group gatherings and outings after the government extended an anti-coronavirus lockdown but temporarily eased travel restrictions.

"All I want is to go back to my home," said pensioner Delila Razanamandimby as she struggled through the crowd at a bus station in the capital Antananarivo.

"I would rather die in my native village than die here."

Like most of his African counterparts, President Andry Rajoelina placed Madagascar's two main cities under a 14-day lockdown on March 22 in a bid to halt the spread of Covid-19.

The order went largely unheeded by Malagasy citizens and the number of infections continued to creep up, prompting Rajoelina to extend the lockdown by another 15 days on Sunday.

Health workers took temperatures of the passengers before boarding. By RIJASOLO (AFP)

The Indian Ocean island-nation has recorded 88 cases of coronavirus so far, and Rajoelina warned that going back to normal would make it difficult to curb the outbreak.

But the president also lifted a ban on public transport for three days and allowed urban residents to "head back to the village" -- preempting another rural exodus after hundreds fled to the countryside following his first lockdown announcement.

Antananarivo's Andotapenaka bus station was in disarray early Tuesday morning as people flocked into the building, pushing and shoving with little concern for social distancing.

"It was complete chaos because only one gateway was open," said 29-year old engineer Florent Tsimosara, eyes wide with fear as he recalled the experience after eventually managing to get his family on board.

"It scared us because all the people were stuck close to each other and we don't know if anyone was sick," he added.

Antananarivo's Andotapenaka bus station was in disarray early Tuesday morning as people flocked to the building. By RIJASOLO (AFP)

Officials on site were swamped by the crowd and rapidly gave up checking the exit permits citizens had been asked to fill in beforehand.

"There were so many people this morning that we hand to change our strategy," admitted Transport Minister Joel Randriamandranto, who had come to make note of the situation.

"We cancelled the individual exit permits and registered passengers in groups," said Randriamandranto, adding that the aim was to "ensure traceability".

None of the passengers were tested for COVID-19.

Only their temperature was taken before boarding, after which they were ceremoniously handed a mouth cover and hand sanitiser donated by an association founded by First Lady Mialy Rajoelina.

Yet the high risk of infection did not seem to stop the frantic travellers, determined as ever to reach their destination.

"Someone told me the virus cannot stand heat, so I sent my wife and children to Mahajanga (in the north), where it is hotter than Antananarivo," said Tsimosara as he pushed his way back though the crowd.

"Here in the capital, no one respects the minimum one-metre distance."
New Delhi, April 8 : The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said asymptomatic people as carriers of infection is one of the biggest challenges to contain the spread of coronavirus.

An asymptomatic person does not show symptoms, but can still pass the virus to others. "We are actually dealing with a very huge challenge along with the rest of the world. In this particular infectious disease, not only people who are symptomatic, but even asymptomatic persons as a carrier may pass on the infection", said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry.

He said people should focus on social distancing measures. We are looking for a major behavioural change in our approach", said Agarwal.

The Health Ministry was responding to a situation in which a patient had gone to a hospital for some other disease, got in touch with medical professionals and healthcare staff and ended up infecting them with COVID-19. Later, it was realized that the patient was a carrier of the coronavirus infection.

Reportedly, the virus can also be asymptomatic, causing no noticeable illness in some people. It was first recognised in China in January when it was not known what the trend was.

According to researchers, people with mild or no symptoms can have a very high viral load in their upper respiratory tract. This means these persons can shed the virus through spitting, touching their mouths or noses and then a surface, or possibly talking. People who don't feel ill end up coughing or sneezing occasionally.

Elaborating on the effectiveness of the lockdown measures, Agarwal said the government has adopted a twin approach -- focussing on lockdown and social distancing, and containment measures - which led to day-to-day fluctuation in the number of coronavirus cases.

He insisted that in the fight against an infectious disease, it is an everyday battle, and for this, the government has strengthened the process of surveillance and contact tracing, and also focused on improving the infrastructure of hospitals.

"We are working to improve the infrastructure of hospitals at the field level", said Agarwal.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)
2020 First quarter sales

Good start to the year

08 April 2020

Business performance

In the first three months of 2020 Givaudan recorded sales of CHF 1,619 million, an increase of 5.4% on a like-for-like basis and 6.1% in Swiss francs.

Fragrance Division sales were CHF 745 million, an increase of 6.3% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 9.9% in Swiss francs.

Flavour Division sales were CHF 874 million, an increase of 4.6% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 3.1% in Swiss francs.

As the COVID-19 virus continued to have an impact on a global level, Givaudan started the year with good business momentum whilst maintaining its operations and global supply chain with minimal disruption. The good growth was achieved across most product segments and geographies, with particularly strong performance in household and personal care segments within the Fragrance Division, as well as in packaged foods, savoury, snacks and nutraceuticals in the Flavour Division.

"Our good start to 2020 demonstrates the important role that we play in sustaining the global supply chain in food and beverage as well as in household, health and personal care products," said CEO Gilles Andrier. "I am very proud of the entire Givaudan organisation for their dedication during this challenging period and for enabling us to continue to support our customers to keep critical products available to consumers throughout the COVID-19 crisis."

In the current climate, and in line with the Company's purpose, Givaudan is strongly focused on:

Protecting and supporting its employees, be it those on site or those who are working from home;

Meeting the demands of its customers, particularly for those products which support consumers throughout the pandemic;

Taking care of the communities in which it operates. The Company has established the Givaudan COVID-19 Communities Fund to enable Givaudan sites to support local communities that are being affected around the world and Givaudan is donating at least CHF 1 million to this fund.

The Company's 2020 ambition is to create further value through profitable, responsible growth. Building on the first four years of this strategic cycle, Givaudan's 2020 ambition is defined around the three strategic pillars of 'Growing with our customers', 'Delivering with excellence' and 'Partnering for shared success'.

As part of the Company's 2020 strategy, Givaudan also seeks to create value through targeted acquisitions, which complement existing capabilities in providing winning solutions for its customers. Since 2014, Givaudan has completed fourteen acquisitions, which are fully in line with the growth pillars within the Company's 2020 strategy.

Ambitious financial targets are a fundamental part of Givaudan's strategy. The Company aims to outpace the market with 4-5% sales growth and a free cash flow of 12-17% of sales, both measured as an average over the five-year period of our strategy cycle. It is Givaudan's intention to maintain its current dividend practice as part of this ambition.

The Company's purpose, 'Creating for happier, healthier lives with love for nature. Let's imagine together', is at the heart of its strategy. Under the purpose, Givaudan has defined bold and ambitious goals in four domains, namely creations, nature, people and communities. These ambitions include doubling its business through creations that contribute to happier, healthier lives by 2030, becoming climate positive before 2050, becoming a leading employer for inclusion before 2025 and sourcing all materials and services in a way that protects the environment and people by 2030.

Sales January to March



2019 2020 Change % 2020 Change % in millions of

Swiss francs Sales

as reported Like-for-like development  Sales like-for-like on like-for-like basis Acquisition impact a Currency effects Sales

as reported in Swiss francs Group 1,525 82 1,607 5.4% 93 (81) 1,619 6.1% - Fragrance 677 43 720 6.3% 63 (38) 745 9.9% - Flavour 848 39 887 4.6% 30 (43) 874 3.1%

Acquisition impact

in millions of Swiss francs

Acquired company Sales included from Group Fragrance Flavour Albert Vieille May 2019 4 4 Golden Frog September 2019 3 3 Drom September 2019 31 31 Fragrance Oils September 2019 16 16 Ungerer February 2020 39 12 27 Total 93 63 30

Sales evolution by market - January to March



2019 2020 Change % 2020 Change % in millions of Swiss francs Sales

as reported Like-for-like development  Sales like-for-like on like-for-like basis Acquisition impact Currency effects Sales

as reported in Swiss francs Mature markets 906 19 925 2.1% 54 (33) 946 4.3% High growth markets 619 63 682 10.1% 39 (48) 673 8.9%

Sales evolution by region - January to March



2019 2020 Change % Change % in millions of Swiss francs Sales

as reported Sales

as reported on like-for-like basis in Swiss francs LATAM 165 173 17.4% 4.8% APAC 376 395 4.2% 4.9% NA 422 452 3.1% 6.8% EAME 562 599 4.3% 6.8%

Fragrance Division

The Fragrance Division recorded sales of CHF 745 million, a growth of 6.3% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 9.9% in Swiss francs.

Sales growth was driven by strong volume increases in Consumer Products.

Total sales of Fragrance compounds (Fine Fragrances and Consumer Products combined) increased by 6.6% on a like-for-like basis. In Swiss francs, sales of compounds increased by 9.6% to CHF 638 million in 2020, compared with CHF 582 million in 2019.

Fine Fragrance sales increased by 1.9% on a like-for-like basis against a high comparable of 10.3% in 2019.

The Fine Fragrance business had a strong start to the year driven by both new wins and existing products but experienced a strong reduction in March as its customers experienced a lack of activity in retail stores and in travel retail due to the COVID-19 impact.

Consumer Products sales increased by 8.0% on a like-for-like basis with excellent growth across all customer groups and geographies.

On a regional basis, Latin America reported double-digit growth across all customer groups and most sub-regions. Asia Pacific recorded good growth led by strong double-digit growth with local and regional customers. Europe, Africa and the Middle East delivered a solid sales increase across all customer groups and product segments, driven by double-digit growth in the African and Middle East sub-region. North America recorded good growth, despite a high double-digit comparable in 2019, with strong performance of international customers.

On a product segment basis, the excellent sales growth was led by a double-digit increase in Fabric Care and solid performance in Home and Personal Care.

Sales of Fragrance Ingredients and Active Beauty increased by 4.5% on a like-for-like basis. Active Beauty delivered positive growth against a very strong comparable in 2019. Active Beauty delivered good growth in high growth markets, which was partially offset by lower growth in mature markets. Sales of Fragrance Ingredients delivered good growth against a strong comparable in 2019.

Flavour Division

The Flavour Division reported sales of CHF 874 million, a growth of 4.6% on a like-for-like basis and an increase of 3.1% in Swiss francs.

The sales performance was driven by new wins and good business momentum across all regions and customer groups. The key strategic focus areas of the 2020 strategy, namely Health and well-being and Naturals grew at double-digit and single-digit levels respectively.

From a segment perspective, Beverages, Snacks, Savoury and Sweet Goods all contributed to the positive sales performance, driven by increased customer demand for existing products.

Asia Pacific

Sales in Asia Pacific increased by 2.5% on a like-for-like basis. In the high growth markets, Thailand delivered double-digit growth followed by solid single-digit growth in China. In the mature markets, Singapore delivered strong double-digit growth followed by strong single-digit growth in Japan and Korea.

The overall result of the region for the first three months of 2020 was impacted by the challenges related to the COVID-19 outbreak, however, the region recorded a strong recovery in March. From a segment perspective, the growth was led by Savoury and Snacks.

Europe, Africa and the Middle East

Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East increased by 5.2% on a like-for-like basis. In the mature markets, double-digit growth was achieved in Spain, followed by strong single-digit growth in France, Switzerland and Northern Europe. In the high growth markets, excellent business momentum was driven by double-digit growth in Russia, Turkey and the Middle East.

The growth was mainly achieved in the Savoury, Snacks, Dairy and Sweet Goods segments.

North America

Sales in North America increased by 1.7% on a like-for-like basis, with improved performance from large customers as well as continued growth from local and regional customers.

The performance was a result of new wins and the growth of existing business in the Beverage and Snacks segments.

Latin America

Sales in Latin America increased 18.6% on a like-for-like basis with excellent performance across all markets and segments, led by strong double-digit volume growth in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.

 Like-for-like (LFL) is defined as: (a) sales calculated using the invoicing exchange rates of the prior year, and (b) excluding sales of businesses acquired from the acquisition date until the period end date, up to 12 months from the acquisition date.

 Free Cash Flow (FCF) refers to operating cash flow after net investments, interest paid and lease payments.

For further information please contact

Pierre Benaich, Head of Investor and Media Relations

T +41 22 780 9053

Epierre.benaich@givaudan.com
PM Modi to inaugurate 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu on Jan 12

In pics: PM Modi to inaugurate new campus of Classical Tamil institute in Chennai tomorrow

PM Modi chairs all-party meet on COVID-19 lockdown

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 08: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of all floor leaders of political parties in the Parliament to discuss the coronavirus crisis.

Floor leaders of parties with more than 5 MPs in either house of Parliament took part in the meet, which is being held to discuss the measures against coronavirus and the ongoing nationwide lockdown.

Congress leader Gulab Nazi Azad, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, BJD's Pinaki Misra, NCP's Sharad Pawar, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav, SAD's Sukhbir Singh Badal, BSP's SC Mishra, YSRCP'S Vijay Sai Reddy & Mithun Reddy, JDU's Rajeev Ranjan Singh and others attended the meeting.

The meeting comes amid reports that several states have sought that the lockdown be extended to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

14 month old boy dies in Jamnagar due to coronavirus

In addition to the coronavirus situation, the meeting is expected to have discussed the government's contentious move to suspend the Member of Parliament Local Area Development scheme (MPLADs), which most opposition parties have decried.

Fake News Buster

The Trinamool Congress has announced it would use the meeting to demand additional funds for states and clearance of dues from the Centre to the states.
NORTON SHORES, MI  A Muskegon charter school has received a donation of 120 computers for students to use for online learning during the coronavirus shutdown.

Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change received the donation from Twin Oak Investments, a real estate investment company based in Grand Haven, according to a news release from the school.

Twin Oak President Andrew Koss, whose wife Jori is a teacher at the school, was looking for ways to support the community during the coronavirus crisis. Their daughter is a student at the school, and Koss saw an online fundraising campaign posted by his daughters teacher to purchase devices for students.

I contacted the teacher and told her to take the campaign down because it would be our pleasure to purchase the devices for the school, Koss said in a released statement. Im happy to be able to help extend that learning to kids homes during this trying time.

Comcast is also providing free internet for two months for all Muskegon Montessori Academy students, which will further assist students in keeping up with online learning during the school closures.

Principal Ali DuBois said that Muskegon Montessori Academy teachers are working tirelessly to continue educating students during the transition to online learning.

There was little time to prepare for this and we are so thankful for Mr. Koss donation of Chromebooks for our students," DuBois said.

Muskegon Montessori Academy, a tuition-free charter school that houses kindergarten through 8th grade, currently serves 165 students. When Michigan school buildings were officially closed for the rest of the year on April 2, the school sent out a survey to the districts families to determine the need for technology in their homes, DuBois said.

The principal told MLive that at this time, 50 students will be receiving a loaned Chromebook, but she hopes more families will reach out to request the Chromebooks in the coming weeks.

We are so appreciative to have a donation that will bring opportunity to our students, DuBois said. Our community is one of support and encouragement and our families always find a way to support the needs of our students."

More on MLive:

Coronavirus shutdown of Michigan schools creates unprecedented challenge for educators, families

Muskegon Public Schools to discuss online learning plans, bond proposals in virtual town hall

Lakeshore Museum offers free virtual activities for families stuck at home

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday said one hobbled cruise liner's ability to attract buyers in both the stock and debt markets is a telling sign about the state of the economy compared to a decade ago.

With the leisure industry under enormous pressure from the global coronavirus pandemic, Carnival Corp. saw its shares jump 33% in the last two trading days on news Monday that Saudi Arabia took an 8% stake in the cruise line and that the company closed on a public offering of tens of millions of common stock.

The company also announced billions worth of bond deals.

"I think it's incredible that there's still an appetite for risky debt here, and that could make a huge difference for an ultimate economic comeback," the "Mad Money" host said about the transactions, "assuming the markets don't freeze up again."

Cramer pointed out a big contrast in the underlying causes of the current economic downturn, which he called a "coronavirus recession," and the last recession.

The economic downturn of the late 2000s, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, was triggered by a financial breakdown. That's not the case this time around.

"This time the companies that really need money can actually get it. This time there's no financial crisis, at least not yet," Cramer said. "If you remember, during the bad ole days a dozen years ago, there was very little money to be had, especially for the banks."

The comments come on the same day that stock in one hobbled cruise liner buoyed almost 11% after the company managed to attract interest from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund revealed that it bought 43.5 million shares of the American cruise company. Additionally, Carnival sold 71.88 million shares at a price of $8.

Carnival had lost 85% of its market value from its $51.90 peak close in mid-January to its lowest close of $7.97 last Thursday. The company, along with the rest of the business world, is scrambling to respond to the economic impact of the unexpected shutdowns that were ordered to slow the spread of the deadly virus. Furthermore, consumer demand for cruises evaporated after passengers fell ill on ships at the onset of the outbreak, which began in China.

Carnival also said it sold nearly $2 billion worth of senior notes with a 5.75% coupon and expects to close on another $4 billion in senior notes with a 11.5% coupon, both due in 2023. In the case a company goes into bankruptcy, the senior notes, or bonds, are prioritized for payback.

"That's quite a haul considering that they can't do business," Cramer said. "Even genuinely troubled companies can raise capital here, a good sign for the economy, at least for now."
SEELEY LAKE  Sunday morning, April 5 those driving Highway 83 through Seeley Lake were greeted with Burma-Shave-type signs on pastel-colored crosses with a palm branch mounted to every light pole between Riverview Drive and Cedar Lane. While most were humorous asking motorist "How do you make Holy Water?" "Boil the hell out of it," and saying "Tweet others as," "You would like," "To be Tweeted," they all had a message that Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church hoped permeated the community in this time of uncertainty and physical distancing.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church Worship Ministry Team planned the Lenten services and scheduled an entire Holy Week program starting with Palm Sunday. Part of this was going to be an art installation of the Stations of the Cross Graphic Art Series at the church on Good Friday with an invite to the entire community.

The Stations of the Cross includes 12 black and white graphic art renditions created by artist and Reverend Lauren Wright Pittman, founding creative partner with A Sanctified Art, LLC. The Stations of the Cross is an ancient meditative pilgrimage inviting the spiritually hungry to walk the "Way of Sorrows" with Jesus to his death on Calvary hill. Traditionally depicted in fourteen visuals, the Stations highlight pivotal moments in Jesus' final hours. This graphic art rendition of the Stations by Pittman nods to tradition while imagining Jesus' journey toward crucifixion through a modern lens. In twelve black and white images, this series condenses the version Pope John Paul II introduced on Good Friday in 1991. Stripped down and textured, these visuals highlight the metaphorical and emotional layers of Jesus' journey toward his last breaths. Each image includes an accompanying scripture, artist statement and prayer.

"When the virus shut things down, we questioned what we could do to engage the community in appropriate activity," said member of the Worship Ministry Team Cheri Thompson.

To celebrate Palm Sunday, the traditional start of Holy Week for the Christian Faith, the group came up with the idea for the Burma-Shave type signs along Highway 83.

Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Burma-Shave spaced their advertising signs along roadsides. Each advertisement included four line rhymes. Motorists pieced the rhymes together, one phrase at a time, as they traveled, finally reaching the wry, witty punch line.

Thompson said the team struggled to find four-line sayings that fit Holy Week that were not overly religious. They worked out several two to five-line sayings that were fun, humorous and brought attention to Christ living among us. The intent was to engage the entire community.

As members of the Worship Ministry Team hung the signs Saturday night, it didn't take long for motorists to be slowing down and reading them as they went.

Mountain Lakes Pastor Reverend Carrie Benton and the Worship Ministry Team reached out to other churches to see if they would be willing to collaborate with them. Instead of displaying the artwork solely at Mountain Lakes Church, they asked that one or more images could be posted on their property. This would allow the community the opportunity for a driving contemplative art tour of the last moments of Jesus life. Four churches and eight businesses along Highway 83 agreed to have the artwork posted.

"We wanted to invite people to participate in some kind of action in Holy Week and at the same time follow social distancing guidelines," said Benton. "The intent is for people to do this and not congregate. We want people to be smart and responsible."

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder Cheri and Steve Thompson demonstrate to the rest of the Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church Worship Ministry Team members how to mount the pre-made crosses to the light poles. They hung 31 signs that can be read traveling north and south between Riverview Drive and Cedar Lane on Highway 83. Click on the photo to see a slide show of all the signs.

The art will be hung Thursday night and will be taken down on Saturday. Mountain Lakes member Kris Gullikson helped enlarge the text so people can read it from their car along with viewing the art. There is no set time, to limit the chance that people may do this together. The art pieces are intended to be viewed chronologically: 1. Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church; 2. Faith Chapel; 3. ReMarkable Floral; 4. Parts Plus; 5. Blue River Station; 6. Filling Station; 7. NAPA; 8. Mission Bible Fellowship; 9. Glen's Automotive; 10. Seeley Lake Baptist Church, 11. Gallery 83, Lazy Pine Mall; 12. Cory's Valley Market

"The whole point of what we are doing is so you can drive to it in a car and do something," added Thompson. "We are trying to offer something for people to get out and enjoy when we can't come together."

Benton said while it was a challenging to revamp their plans for Holy Week, she is really excited and encouraged about the churches and the businesses collaborating in this display and offering it to the community.

"Whatever the new normal is, I hope that the collaboration between churches, churches and businesses and collaboration in general continues and people set aside their agendas and realize that we are all human," said Benton. "We are trying to reach out the best that we can to love one another, take care of one another and do our best."

For more information visit https://mountainlakespreschurch.us
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 17:16:37|Editor: huaxia

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LANZHOU, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A hospital in northwest China's Gansu Province on Tuesday shared COVID-19 treatment experience with physicians from the United Kingdom through a three-hour video conference.

During the teleconference, medical experts from the First Hospital of Lanzhou University shared their invaluable experience in COVID-19 treatment and patient management.

Seven doctors from James Cook University Hospital, the biggest medical center in northeast Britain, specialized in emergency department, acute medicine, respiratory medicine and critical care medicine, attended the conference.

David Chadwick, medical director of James Cook University Hospital, briefed on the COVID-19 situation in the U.K. and thanked Chinese medical experts for their sharing.

According to Chu Pei, director of emergency department at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, the highly focused issues raised by British medics at the conference included measures for screening COVID-19 patients, the arrangement of fever clinic department, remote triage and clinical diagnosis and protection of medical staffs.

The First Hospital of Lanzhou University has been designated as a leading hospital in Gansu for the epidemic treatment and control with progress in research and treatment of COVID-19, said Zhao Da, vice president of the hospital.

"We have accumulated practical experience and are willing to share with British colleagues, as COVID-19 poses a global threat," he said.

The hospital has also arranged tele-conferences with their counterparts in the Republic of Korea and Sweden on the coronavirus treatment and control, Zhao said.
In response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on artists of all kinds, a multi-disciplinary coalition of arts organizations have joined together to launch Artist Relief, a nonprofit fund that will award $5,000 grants to individual artists facing economic need due to Covid-19. Artist Relief will also launch the Covid-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers, a research project to better understand how the pandemic effects artists.

Beginning today, artists ranging from writers and musicians to painters and actors who are facing dire economic circumstances due to Covid-19 can apply for a $5,000 grant at artistrelief.org. Artists must be 21 years old and have resided in the U.S. for at least two years. More details about eligibility are available on the Artist Relief website.

The Artist Relief partnership, which includes the Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, the National Young Arts Foundation, and United States Artists, will launch with about $10 million to dispense in grants. The funds were raised from a variety of national arts organizations beyond the initial partnership and include $5 million in seed money from the Mellon Foundation.

Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy of American Poets, told PW the partnering organizations began to meet in mid-March to address the looming threat of the pandemic on the arts community. This is an unprecedented effort by national arts organizations to work together as a group to address a dire moment for artists, she said.

Artists work in the gig economy and they have lost jobs, events have been shutdown and performances canceled; everything has changed radically" in the wake of the pandemic, Benka said. Artist Relief, she explained, has spent the past few weeks establishing guidelines and processes to oversee dispensing the $5,000 grants,

Artist Relief grants will be awarded across 10 creative categories, including the writing category, which Benka said will include poets, fiction writers, journalists, childrens book authors, and other writing-related disciplines. Beginning this month, the fund will award grants over five monthly rounds until September. Benka acknowledged that the demand for the money will be high and the fund cant give grants to everyone. However, artists whose applications are declined are urged to reapply for the next rounds.

Initial fundraising, she said, has been centered around national foundations, but once the project is live Artist Relief will appeal to the public for donations. While many of the founding organizations of Artist Relief are focused on visual arts, Benka said the Academy of American Poets is bringing in a variety of literary organizations to review the writing grants applications.

The Academy of American Poets is proud to be the face representing hundreds of thousands of writers, Benka said. Its very inspiring how so many people isolated at home turn to books and to poetry. We want to encourage poets and all writers to apply for these grants and to reapply. And we ask anyone who cares about writers to donate to the fund. We really need your support.
Our vast experience with conducting remote depositions for both domestic and international proceedings allowed us to instantly pivot and continue servicing our clients through these unprecedented times.

Planet Depos, LLC, a global court reporting company providing best-in-class court reporting and litigation technology services, announces an unprecedented increase in remote depositions as a result of the Covid-19 health crisis. A swift mobilization of the companys technology group at the onset of the crisis enabled its clients to transition quickly and seamlessly to remote depositions.

Having advance notice from our court reporting business in Asia, which was first impacted by the virus in February, helped us position Planet Depos remote infrastructure prior to the virus reaching our shores, said Joseph DiMonte, Founder and Managing Partner. We have seen the percentage of remote depositions overtake in-person proceedings almost overnight. The Asia market has begun to return to normal due to the early and rapid responses of nations such as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore.

Our clients needed an immediate solution for taking depositions remotely in a secure manner, said Billy DiMonte, Planet Depos Founder and Managing Partner. Our vast experience with conducting remote depositions for both domestic and international proceedings allowed us to instantly pivot and continue servicing our clients through these unprecedented times.

As attorneys shifted to home-based offices, Planet Depos began hosting webinars focused on remote depositions for law firms and bar associations across the nation. The company will continue hosting A Look at Remote Deposition Capabilities, a free 30-minute webinar, throughout the duration of the crisis. Click here for more information.

To ensure a smooth proceeding, Planet Depos Technicians oversee from start to finish the secure/encrypted and password-protected remote deposition platform and, upon request, can also manage and display exhibits. Recordings are made of all proceedings and are available to all parties.

While preparing its clients for remote depositions, the technology team at Planet Depos has simultaneously delivered remote deposition webinars to its team of court reporters across the nation and around the world. Our court reporters are well trained in the nuances of remote depositions and stand ready to service our clients from their home offices, commented Kathy DiLorenzo, Director of Court Reporting.

With the impact of COVID-19 disrupting virtually every person and business around the globe, Planet Depos robust IT infrastructure enables it to continue to serve its clients needs in a technologically secure environment, from any location that has cell phone or internet access.

About Planet Depos

Headquartered in Washington, DC, Planet Depos, is the only international court reporting agency led by court reporters and world-renowned industry experts. Planet Depos provides court reporting and legal technology solutions throughout the United States and abroad to international law firms, worldwide corporations, and government entities. The Company has extensive experience reporting complex matters around the globe, including arbitrations, trials and depositions. A forward-thinking company, Planet Depos is conversant with the latest technologies and works closely with clients to implement case-winning tools.

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Syria's president hosted Russia's defence minister on Monday to discuss a recent cease-fire in rebel-held northwestern Syria, which ended rare direct fighting between Syrian and Turkish troops.

President Bashar Assad met with Sergey Shoygu in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Syria's state news agency SANA said the talks focused on implementing the Russia-Turkey agreement signed earlier this month.

In addition to stopping the fighting, the agreement called for pushing militants out of a buffer zone on either side of a vital highway that runs through rebel territory.

Under the deal, militants were to stay back 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the east-west M4 highway, intended to allow the road to open for the first time in nearly eight years.

The cease-fire deal was brokered between Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

The deal halted a three-month Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold.
Nearly a dozen of large retail-focused non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) may need around Rs 10,000-20,000 crore of funds over the next few months for servicing their debt obligations and to run their operations, says a report.

Due to the ongoing lockdown, the primary cash flows of the NBFCs have been disrupted as their collections have come to a standstill, according to a report by Acuit Ratings & Research on top 11 retail NBFCs.

These NBFCs, which account for 43 per cent of the advances of the retail NBFC sector, would find it difficult to manage their cash flows unless they get access to additional bank lines or refinance, it said.

"The refinancing requirement for these 11 retail large NBFCs is at around Rs 10,000-20,000 crore to avoid any challenges in their debt servicing and to sustain their operations," its chief analytical officer Suman Chowdhury said in a report.

The aggregated debt repayment including interest for these retail NBFCs in the current quarter is estimated to be between Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore while their cash reserves are estimated to be around Rs 45,000 crore.

Last month, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had announced a three-month moratorium on repayment of term loans.

While most banks will provide back-to-back loan moratorium, there is no indication that it will be applicable for debt market instruments, it said.

Almost 60 per cent borrowing of 11 retail NBFCs are from non-bank sources and require continuity in debt servicing.

"With minimal collections, the NBFCs can only depend on their cash reserves and any backup credit lines from banks, if available for servicing such debt," the rating agency said.

It said beyond the immediate liquidity challenges, the key risk for these NBFCs is a sharp deterioration in the delinquency levels subsequent to the expiry of the three-month moratorium.

According to a vulnerability analysis done by the rating agency, retail NBFCs with leverage of 3x or more have a significant likelihood of incurring losses in FY21 if the stage 3 delinquencies or NPAs increase over 8 per cent.

"Those NBFCs with capital adequacy levels of 20 per cent and lower are likely to be more impacted as the buffer to absorb any losses will be lower vis--vis regulatory threshold, its head (financial sector ratings) Vinayak Nayak said.

The agency expects the disruption from complete or partial lockdown to subside completely by the second quarter of FY21.

However, if the lockdown is prolonged, it can impact the sustainability of a few NBFCs, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Democratic party's state legislature from Michigan has credited hydroxychloroquine for saving her life from coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, adding the politician has thanked him for promoting the malaria drug.

Amidst an intense debate on side effects of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19, Trump has been actively promoting the drug as an option when there is no viable treatment for the dreaded virus which has so far taken more than 12,800 Americans' lives, including a record over 2,000 in just one single day on Tuesday.

Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett has said she and her husband could save their lives from coronavirus only after they started taking hydroxychloroquine.

She asked her doctor to prescribe this after she saw President Trump touting for this drug on a channel.

This is a woman I thought she was going to die. I mean, she is a Democrat representative, highly respected woman, African-American woman. ...the way she told the story was beautiful. I asked my husband to go and get it. He got it. She is now okay. I mean, she was interviewed last night on television, and she thanked me, Trump told reporters at the White House.

She thanked me even in a tweet. She said I want to thank President Trump. He saved my life. Look, I don't say that happens with everybody, but that's a beautiful story. There are many of those stories. And I say try it (hydroxychloroquine), he said in response to a question.

The US Food and Drug Administration has given temporary approval of the malaria drug in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. It is being experimented on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating it will work, the Trump Administration has procured more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine. It has also placed a major order from three Indian companies. After an initial hold on its export, the Indian government has now allowed its export to the US.

Responding to questions, Trump said he has been hearing great results about it.

But the drug has to be prescribed by a doctor, he added.

Doctors have to recommend it. I'm not a doctor. I'm just saying we hear great results. And some people say let's go to a laboratory, let's test it for a couple of years. No. We got people dying in this country and all over the world right now, not in a couple of years. They're dying. As we speak there are people dying, Trump asserted.

In an interview to Detroit Free Press Journal, Rep Whitsett said she was tested for the coronavirus and learned Monday her results were positive. She said that "less than two hours" after taking hydroxychloroquine, she began to feel relief, the daily reported.

When asked by the Free Press if she thinks Trump may have saved her life, Whitsett said, "Yes, I do" and "I do thank him for that."



I appreciate that woman. She was great. You have to see it to believe it, the way she spoke. It was like a miracle. And this was not a fan of mine, but she's a fan of mine now and I'm very honoured by it, Trump told reporters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Good morning and welcome to On Politics, a daily political analysis of the 2020 elections based on reporting by New York Times journalists.

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On its face, the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill that passed last month was a victory for liberals, at least by the standards of the Trump era. It was stuffed with money for unemployment relief, support for small businesses and $1,200 checks to most Americans. Still, critics on the left argued that it was an underregulated offering to the corporate elite. They may be even more worried now, after President Trump on Tuesday ousted the head watchdog for oversight of how the administration spends those trillions. What was his reasoning? He doesnt think he should be subjected to his political enemies in supposedly apolitical oversight roles, Cliff Sims, a former White House aide, told our reporters Charlie Savage and Peter Baker. In their article, Charlie and Peter describe Trumps firing of the official, Glenn Fine, as the latest step in an abruptly unfolding White House power play against semi-independent inspectors general across the government.

Is voting an essential activity? Or maybe its a governmental function. Hmm, minimum basic operation, perhaps? Those are some of the legitimate reasons to go outside, as named in Wisconsins statewide Safer at Home Order. But none of those provisions specifically pertain to voting, at least not according to the text of the order. So Wisconsinites found themselves in a bind yesterday, as their state became the first to hold in-person voting under a stay-at-home order. As you might have guessed, it played out chaotically. Poll workers dropped out by the thousands, and many polling places had to close. In Milwaukee, which normally has 180 voting sites, just five were open. And even as the Supreme Court ruled this week that Wisconsin could not extend its deadline for absentee voting, many who had requested a mail ballot said that it had never arrived.

Wisconsin is a historically Democratic state, but its heavily white population has been trending Republican over the past 10 years. Along the way it has become ground zero for battles over voting rights. Perhaps only North Carolina has had as many pitched battles in recent years over whether to expand or restrict the ability to vote. Yesterdays elections  during which voting was also taking place for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court  happened only after the conservative majority on the states high court ruled against the Democratic governor, who had sought to have in-person voting postponed.
Two senators from U.S. oil states will hold talks with Saudi officials this Saturday to discuss the oil price situation, Reuters reports, citing unnamed sources.

The same senators have also proposed a bill that, if passed, would see U.S. troops pull out of Saudi Arabia along with U.S.-supplied defense systems, Reuters noted.

North Dakotas Sen. Kevin Cramer and Alaskas Dan Sullivan will be talking to the Saudis two days after an expanded OPEC+ meeting that many expect to result in a new production cut agreement, this time involving more producing nations. The U.S., however, has clearly signaled it would not be willing to join any cuts despite equally clear signals from Saudi Arabia and Russia that its participation is a prerequisite for an agreement.

Although last month a member of the Texas railroad commissionthe oil states energy industry regulatorfloated the idea of state-imposed production cuts, the official federal policy line is that the free market will take care of production. However, it seems Washington is relying on free-market mechanisms helped by OPEC+ action, which is in direct opposition to free-market principles.

Details about the scheduled call between Cramer and Sullivan and the Saudi officials remain undisclosed. According to analytic firm ClearView Energy Partners, however, the conversation will most likely come down to a repeat of the threat of withdrawing U.S. troops and military equipment from the Kingdom unless the Saudis agree to reduce their production--another questionable move from a free-market perspective.

OPEC and Russia are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss prices and production. Canada and Norway have also been invited, as has the United States. Prices have rebounded ahead of the meeting even with uncertainty around any positive outcome. At the time of writing, Brent was trading at $32.89 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate was changing hands at $25.16 a barrel, Brent up by 3 percent and WTI up by more than 6 percent.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Grenell US Ambassador to Germany attends the "Rally for Equal Rights at the United Nations (Protesting Anti-Israeli Bias)" in Geneva

By Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House Intelligence Committee chairman on Tuesday called on U.S. President Donald Trump's acting spy chief to explain the removals and resignations of top intelligence officials and whether he ever tried to block probes by the intelligence community's recently fired internal watchdog.

Democrat Adam Schiff also wrote in a letter that the panel will examine whether any of acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenells staff interfered with the production and dissemination" of intelligence for a March 10 congressional briefing on election interference.

The letter to Grenell, a fierce Trump loyalist who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Germany, set the stage for a fresh confrontation with a president still fuming over his December impeachment by the Democratic-led House of Representatives on charges of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress. Schiff was the lead manager in that effort.

The Republican-majority Senate in January acquitted Trump of the charges stemming from his attempt to pressure Ukraine to probe former Vice President Joe Biden, the leading Democratic challenger to Trumps re-election in November, and his son, Hunter.

Grenell said on Twitter that Schiff's letter went to the media before he received it, adding "These press leaks politicizing the intelligence community must stop."

Trump in January named Grenell, who has no intelligence experience, acting director of national intelligence, the overseer of all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies.

Grenell ordered a hiring freeze and a review that officials said is aimed at improving resource and personnel uses. But some lawmakers and former intelligence officials expressed concerns that Grenell was targeting officers whose analyses differed with the views of Trump, who has clashed with U.S. intelligence agencies.

The intelligence committee, Schiff wrote, is concerned that Grenell is pursuing changes without seeking congressional authorization.

Story continues

"This effort appears to be proceeding despite the Coronavirus pandemic and amid indications... of political interference in the production and dissemination of intelligence," he wrote.

The committee also is concerned, he said, by the removals or departures of all Senate-confirmed ODNI officials.

Schiff asked Grenell to explain those actions in writing by April 16.

He set the same deadline for Grenell to disclose whether he blocked any investigations by Michael Atkinson, whose firing by Trump last week as the inspector general for the intelligence community the committee is reviewing.

Trump said Atkinson did a terrible job by sending to Congress the whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment, calling it "fake.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; editing by Mary Milliken and Dan Grebler)
The European Unions chief agriculture official said on Tuesday it was premature to restrict imports of products such as beef to support European farmers as they battle with the fallout of the new coronavirus pandemic.

He also acknowledged reforms to make farming more sustainable in line with EU efforts to move towards a climate-neutral economy may need to be further delayed.

So far, the European Commission has set guidelines to keep borders open for goods and cross-border workers, including seasonal farm labour. On Monday, it said farmers would be given longer to apply for direct payments, while the disbursement process could be accelerated.

European farming association Copa Cogeca has said fruit and vegetable growers need exceptional measures. It also believes the Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, should look at managing existing import quotas, notably of beef, which is shipped into the EU from the Americas and Australia.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said he understood some sectors were showing signs of strain, but it was not yet the time for intervention.

We should consider all the consequences of some limitation of import quotas because these are international trade agreements, but of course we are monitoring the situation and we are considering measures in the future, but not now, not yet, he told Reuters.

Wojciechowski said the farmers could receive up to 100,000 euros ($109,050) per farm as the EU relaxed its approach to state aid.

Some 17 billion euros in unspent rural development policy funds could be diverted to farmers, he said, adding the Commission would take a favourable view when it came to any approvals.

The Commission is also discussing a possible further delay to its Farm to Fork strategy, a vision to make the agriculture sector more sustainable. The EU executive plans to unveil it on April 29, a month later than initially planned.

The strategy would cut the use of pesticides and antibiotics, reduce food waste, and curb the environmental impact of transport in the sector.

Wojciechowski said the Commissions Green Deal vision to fully decarbonise the EU economy by 2050 was still top priority and, if anything, the Farm to Fork strategy needed to be strengthened, not weakened.

He said the Commission had not made a decision on a further delay, but would consider the matter.

The centre-right European Peoples Party, the European Parliaments largest grouping, has called for the launch to be delayed until at least after summer, saying farmers should not face additional rules as they grapple with the consequences of the new coronavirus.
As the first local influenza deaths were counted in the autumn of 1918, officials in Minneapolis moved quickly  more aggressively than even state health officials thought was wise  and shut down the city. They closed schools, churches, theatres and pool halls, effective from midnight on 12 October.

Across the Mississippi River, St Paul remained largely open into November, with its leaders confident they had the epidemic under control. Fully three weeks after Minneapolis  with The St Paul Pioneer Press pleading In Heavens Name Do Something!  St Paul ordered sweeping closures, too.

Both cities, relative to the worst-hit parts of the country, escaped steep death tolls. But the mortality rate in Minneapolis was considerably lower than in St Paul. And as researchers today look back on those interventions, it appears the economy in Minneapolis emerged stronger, too.

Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Show all 25 1 /25 Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A view of empty Bourbon street in the French Quarter amid the coronavirus pandemic in New Orleans, Louisiana Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Nyla Clark, 3, accompanied by her mother, Chavonne Clark, sits in a baby stroller at a corner in New Orleans, hoping to get a few dollars from an occasional passerby. Clark was a phlebotomist with a local company until she lost her job because of the coronavirus pandemic. She is waiting for unemployment The Advocate via AP Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A man boards a streetcar Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Jackson Square, normally bustling with tourists, is seen deserted AP Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Words from Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" are painted onto plywood covering the window of a closed business AFP via Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Street performer Eddie Webb looks around the nearly deserted French Quarter looking to make money AP Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Boarded up businesses Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans The normally bustling tourist mecca of Bourbon Street lies deserted in the early afternoon Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A sign along I-10 informing persons who travel from Louisiana to quarantine AP Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A man cycles along Jackson Square AFP via Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans Elena Likaj, prevention department manager at Odyssey House Louisiana (OHL) which runs a drive-through testing site, takes the temperature of New Orleans resident Peyton Gill Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A man walks his dog past a boarded up business on Frenchmen Street Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans An empty Bourbon street Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A meal is distributed at the Lantern Light Ministry at the Rebuild Center Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A woman walks in the French Quarter Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans People practice social distancing as they queue up for a meal at the Lantern Light Ministry at the Rebuild Center Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans French Quarter Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A sign is pictured in the French Quarter amid the outbreak Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A view of Bourbon Street Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans National Guard members walk down Rampart Street AFP via Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A man rides his bicycle in front of a boarded up French Quarter restaurant Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A shuttered business is pictured on Decatur Street AFP via Getty Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans The normally bustling tourist mecca of Bourbon Street lies deserted Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A view of Canal Street Reuters Impact coronavirus is having on Louisiana and New Orleans A New Orleans firefighter works to contain an early morning fire Reuters

The comparison between the twin cities is instructive today not just for what it tells us about the health benefits of social distancing, but also for what it says about any economic costs that come with it.

In 1918, cities that committed earlier and longer to interventions like banning public gatherings and closing schools didnt fare worse for disrupting their economies for longer. Many of those cities actually had relatively larger gains in manufacturing employment, manufacturing output and bank assets in 1919 and into the next few years, according to a new study from researchers at the Federal Reserve of New York and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This is particularly clear among Western cities that had more time to prepare for a pandemic that hit the east coast first.

For cities with the most aggressive interventions, theres no trade-off apparent in this data between saving lives and hurting the economy.

If anything, these places do better, said Emil Verner, an economist at MIT, who wrote the paper with Sergio Correia and Stephan Luck of the Federal Reserve.

The reasons this would be true are not particularly hard to understand. But the same logic has been questioned today by elected officials and commentators who fear that social distancing in response to the coronavirus may not be worth the costs in shuttered businesses and unprecedented unemployment rolls.

The pandemic itself is just so destructive to the economy, so any policy that you can use that directly mitigates the severity of the pandemic can actually be beneficial for the economy, Mr Verner said. Stricter interventions actually make it safer for economic activity to resume, and they mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic itself on mortality.

This second point was particularly important in 1918, because that pandemic devastated prime working-age adults.

It was a very gendered economy where the breadwinners were almost exclusively men, said Howard Markel, who directs the Centre for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. The fewer men that died who could then go and pursue their work once it ended meant that those families were better off than those that lost that breadwinner, who would then become potentially destitute.

Mr Markel and a separate team of researchers previously compiled the historical records that tell us today how cities reacted to the 1918 influenza, and how many deaths were counted as it wore on. Their earlier work showed that cities that adopted interventions early, held them in place longer and layered them together  for instance, closing schools, banning public gatherings and isolating sick residents  were more successful managing the epidemic and reducing fatalities.

The new research by Mr Verner and colleagues adds economic data to that record. Of course, some cities had stronger economies going into the pandemic, or were affected disproportionately by economic shocks that had little to do with the influenza outbreak. West coast cities, for instance, were more affected by agricultural booms and busts around the end of the First World War. But the underlying pattern the researchers found held even when they took into account economic and demographic differences between cities.

One simpler way to see this is to compare cities like Minneapolis and St Paul that are geographically close and were relatively similar in other ways at the time. On the west coast, even as cities had more time to prepare, Los Angeles declared a state of emergency and banned all public gatherings early on, while San Francisco focused instead on urging residents to wear masks in public, which proved ineffective. Pittsburgh delayed closing its schools longer than other eastern industrial cities like Cleveland, and it fared worse.

In Minneapolis at the time, the newspapers reflected few such dire concerns about the economy, especially as the good news of the end of the First World War in November competed with stories about the pandemic.

The city was almost schizophrenic: People were celebrating these victories while they were clearly worried about the fact that people were getting ill, said Iric Nathanson, who writes about the history of the twin cities and has researched the 1918 pandemic there. But there were never screaming headlines about the flu epidemic in the paper. I dont think anybody had assumed there was going to be a long-term economic fallout.

The outlook today is clearly grimmer. The economy is now global, leaving local communities susceptible to coronavirus effects on the other side of the world. And so much of the modern service-sector economy in the US is contingent on people getting together  on planes, in restaurants, at theatres, in tourism hubs.

But this lesson from 1918 is probably still true today: Its the pandemic that really hurts the economy, not the things we do to try to contain it.

The New York Times
Mortgage servicers, who collect borrowers' monthly payments, are still required to pay the bondholders on those loans, whether borrowers pay or not. Calabria estimated there could possibly be 2 million borrowers missing payments by the end of May. But forbearance requests have already topped 2 million, according to a report released Tuesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Servicers say they desperately need help to make those payments.

The coronavirus relief bill, which President Donald Trump signed March 27, seeks to limit the economic damage from COVID-19. It includes a mandate that all borrowers with government-backed mortgages  about 62% of all first lien mortgages according to the Urban Institute  be allowed to delay at least 90 days of monthly payments and up to a year's worth.

Last week, Mark Calabria, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said in an interview on CNBC that a liquidity facility for servicers might be necessary after a few months  but not now.

Top industry leaders are fighting back in an escalating war of words that could have a wide-ranging impact on the nation's housing market.

Loan servicers are being slammed by requests from homeowners to delay their monthly mortgage payments as the coronavirus forces millions of people out of work. Yet one of the industry's top regulators vehemently denies that those servicers need any help.

Calabria is now saying servicers won't need help for at least a year. He told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that he has seen no evidence to suggest that there's a systemic crisis for nonbank servicers. He called the industry's concern "spin."

The Mortgage Bankers Association immediately took issue with Calabria's comments.

"The FHFA director's recent statements send a troubling message to borrowers, lenders, and the mortgage market," Bob Broeksmit, president and CEO of the group, said in a statement late Tuesday night. "Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will eventually reimburse mortgage servicers for the payments they must advance during forbearance, Director Calabria should advocate for the creation of a liquidity facility at the Fed to ensure the stability of the housing finance market."

A liquidity facility would have to be set up by the Federal Reserve and be backed by the U.S. Treasury, not Fannie and Freddie. Neither the Fed nor the Treasury needs Calabria's permission to do that. Calabria, however, is the most powerful voice in the matter and is a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. He may have sizable influence on any decision by the Fed and Treasury.

In a surprising twist, Calabria suggested Fannie and Freddie could just transfer servicing rights from struggling servicers and give those rights to other entities  either larger nonbank servicers or the banks themselves. Nonbank lenders and servicers took over much of the mortgage market after the subprime crisis, when banks backed away from mortgage lending.

"We believe at this point, given the number on uptake of forbearance, we've seen that we can transfer servicing in a way that's not too disruptive," Calabria said Tuesday in an interview with HousingWire.

Broeksmit disagrees, "Millions of Americans are well-served by their local independent mortgage bank, community bank, or credit union, and many chose to obtain their mortgage from those institutions for that precise reason."

Ginnie Mae, which is Fannie and Freddie's counterpart for FHA and Veterans Administration loans, just announced it was opening a liquidity facility for servicers of its loans.

"Owning and servicing [mortgage servicing rights] is a capital-intensive proposition, and the more avenues that exist for private capital to flow into the system on attractive terms, the easier it becomes to fulfill our mission of bringing global capital into the U.S. housing market, while minimizing risk to the taxpayer," said Seth Appleton, principal executive vice president of Ginnie Mae, in a release.

Calabria defended his stance, pointing to the MBA's latest numbers, which show just under 2% of borrowers with Fannie and Freddie loans were in forbearance through April 1. Industry experts and economists, however, estimate that share will go much higher. Some say as high as 25% of Fannie and Freddie loans.

In a base-case scenario calculated by Urban Institute, 12% of borrowers would be in forbearance for six months at a cost to servicers of $33 billion. Its worse-case scenario doubles those numbers. The majority of mortgage servicers are nonbanks, meaning they do not have near the cash reserves that the big banks do.

Calabria also told HousingWire that Fannie and Freddie may have to move mortgage servicing to bigger companies if smaller servicers don't have the cash to handle all the forbearances.

Industry observers were concerned by his comments.

"We see this interview as counterproductive to efforts to stabilize the economy and housing finance," wrote Jaret Seiberg, financial services and housing policy analyst at Cowen Washington Research Group. "It is only going to increase concerns about the stability of servicers and reduce the willingness of lenders to originate mortgages, including refinancings. We do not see how that is in the public's best interest."
BANGALORE, India, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A ventilator is a medical device that is used in treating respiratory failure in patients. The ventilator allows patients to breathe naturally, by mimicking the respiratory rate of the person to deliver oxygen-containing gasses into the lungs, and periodically exchange gas for helping the patient boost the hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention level.

The widespread impact of COVID-19 has made the WHO declare it as a pandemic. The global effects of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are now starting to be felt by all countries and will have a significant impact on the ventilator market size.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE VENTILATORS MARKET SIZE

Most COVID-19 patients have symptoms of respiratory tract infection such as dyspnea, of which the proportion of serious and critical patients is around 13%. Patients with dyspnea need to be given prompt ventilator care to reduce the progression of disease into much severe state, especially since there are no appropriate drugs to cure the disease. This impact of COVID-19 across the globe is expected to increase the ventilator market size.

The major factor supporting the growth of the invasive ventilation segment is its broad applications in respiratory diseases, neurological illnesses, and sleeping disorders.

The rapid growth of the global geriatric population, increased prevalence of respiratory diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and the cost-effective design of homecare equipment and facilities contribute directly to a growing demand for respiratory therapy equipment, including ventilators.

Improving healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies coupled with growing awareness of available chronic respiratory disease therapies has resulted in the rapid adoption of mechanical ventilators boosting the ventilators market growth.

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REGION WISE VENTILATOR MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Since the current ventilator reserve of all COVID-19 affected countries is insufficient to meet the demands, countries have taken drastic steps to fill up the existing gap.

In North America , the U.S. has introduced the National Newspaper and Defense Development Act, authorizing the manufacture of ventilators by Chrysler, general motors, Toyota, and other automobile firms. Based on the likely scenario, the ventilator market is projected to rise by 150.1 percent in 2020, with a revenue of US$ 11.70 billion . The revenue value has jumped from US$ 4.68 billion in 2019. Furthermore, by 2026, the ventilators market size is expected to hit US$ 5.20 billion , with a CAGR of -12.64 percent from 2020 to 2026.

, the U.S. has introduced the National Newspaper and Defense Development Act, authorizing the manufacture of ventilators by Chrysler, general motors, Toyota, and other automobile firms. Based on the likely scenario, the ventilator market is projected to rise by 150.1 percent in 2020, with a revenue of . The revenue value has jumped from in 2019. Furthermore, by 2026, the ventilators market size is expected to hit , with a CAGR of -12.64 percent from 2020 to 2026. In the Asia Pacific region, the demand Ventilator in China is estimated at 202.8 K units in 2020, compared to 14.7 K units in 2019. In 2020, production is projected to increase by 1279.6 percent. The demand for Ventilators will decrease based on the contamination of COVID-19, and the excess mask manufacturing capacity will be faced with greater adjustment. Additionally, the overall ventilator production is expected to fall back in 2021, bringing the ventilators to demand in China at 48.8 K units, with a CAGR of -21.13 percent from 2020 to 2026.

region, the demand Ventilator in is estimated at units in 2020, compared to units in 2019. In 2020, production is projected to increase by 1279.6 percent. The demand for Ventilators will decrease based on the contamination of COVID-19, and the excess mask manufacturing capacity will be faced with greater adjustment. Additionally, the overall ventilator production is expected to fall back in 2021, bringing the ventilators to demand in at units, with a CAGR of -21.13 percent from 2020 to 2026. Due to the serious shortage of ventilators in Europe , the European Commission disclosed on March 25th that the supply chain of ventilators throughout Europe could only meet 10% of the demand. Italy and Spain have opted not to provide ventilators for patients over the age of 60 and elderly patients over the age of 65, respectively. The total demand gap can hit around 1281 K units, and the current domestic production capacity or import to be resolved is urgently needed. The U.S., Italy , and Spain have especially acute gaps in demand among all the countries. This surge in demand is expected to increase the European market share.

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Ventilators Market Segment by Type

Positive Pressure Mechanical Ventilators

Negative Pressure Mechanical Ventilators

Ventilators Market Segment by Application

Infancy

Anesthesia Management

Emergency Treatment

Others

The Key players in the market include

Medtronic

BD

Philips Healthcare

Hamilton Medical

Smiths Medical

Carl Reiner

Dragerwerk

GE Healthcare

Getinge

Mindray Medical International

ResMed

Teleflex

DEMCON

Maquet etc.

Others

Key regions covered in the report are

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Others

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SIMILAR REPORTS

?Internet Medical Market Research Report

Internet medical refers to anything and everything present over the Internet related to the medical field. The Internet medical includes, Internet as the carrier and technological system of health education, medical information, electronic health records, disease risk assessment, online diagnosis, electronic prescription, clinical diagnosis, and clinical care and recovery, and other forms of health butler service.

Based on the field the Internet medical market is segmented as Internet Medical Devices, Internet Medical Software & Systems, and Internet Medical Services according to different fields

The research report attempts to unveil key opportunities available in the global Internet Medical market by providing industry-standard precision in analysis and high data integrity to help players gain a strong market position. In addition, the study provides market size for the period 2015-2026, both country-wise and region-wise. This report also provides the market size and forecast in terms of revenue for the period 2015-2026 by each application segment.

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?Face Mask Market Research Report

The face mask market size is currently in huge demand due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Based on the likely scenario, the face mask market is projected to rise by 153.1 percent in 2020, with a revenue of USD 7.24 billion. This revenue value has jumped from USD 2.86 billion in 2019. Furthermore, by 2026, the face mask market size is expected to hit USD 3.14 billion, with a CAGR of -12.99 percent from 2020 to 2026.

China is the largest producer of the mask, and due to the current surge in demand, China's mask production has risen more than 10-fold to 120 million per day, but the mask disparity in global supply and demand still cannot be mitigated.

The report analyzes and examines the status and future forecast of the global face mask, involving efficiency, output, value, consumption, growth rate (CAGR), market share, historical, and forecast. The study also offers an in-depth insight into the market potential and advantages, opportunities and challenges, limitations, and risks of the global and key regions.

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?Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Research Report

The demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Market Size was estimated at US$ 40,400 million in 2018 and is expected to hit USD 58,700 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.8 percent over the forecast period.

Personal protective equipment is used in dangerous work settings to provide protection against health risks. The introduction of strict regulatory rules concerning workers' health and the widespread effect of COVID-19 drives the demand for personal protective equipment market size.

This report presents the market size of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worldwide, splits the breakdown (data status 2014-2019 and forecast to 2025) by manufacturers, country, form, and application. Furthermore, the report analyzes the market status, market size, growth rate, potential trends, market dynamics, opportunities and challenges, risks and barriers to entry, distribution channels, distributors, and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.

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?Medical Supplies Market Research Report

The global Medical Supplies market size is expected to rise from USD 105.8 Billion in 2019 to USD 160.6 Billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 7.2 percent from 2019 to 2025.

In depth Impact of COVID-19 to Medical supplies market is covered in the report.

Asia is expected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period due to factors such as rising geriatric population, increasing the incidence of diseases, growing medical tourism industry, and developing healthcare infrastructure.

The research report uses various methodologies to analyze the Medical Supplies market to provide reliable and in-depth industry information.

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?Medical Ventilator Market Research Report

A medical ventilator is a system that offers respiration for patients who are seriously ill and those that need emergency treatment. Ventilators are also present during the surgery for supplying anesthesia to the patient.

The demand for medical ventilators is rising due to the increasing numbers of critically ill patients, high incidence of chronic disease among children, the prevalence of lifestyle disorders such as heart attack, respiratory diseases, and emergency care demand for ventilators. Furthermore, the recent outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 is also expected to increase the medical ventilator market size.

The medical ventilator market report incorporated analyzes of various factors which increase the growth of the market. This represents patterns, constraints, and factors that either positively or negatively turn the market.

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The Punjab health department is trying to locate 10 people who travelled with a Tablighi Jamaat attendee in Dhauladhar Express train from Delhi to Pathankot on March 17. The Jamaat follower has tested positive for Covid-19 in Kangra (HP).

The attendee had travelled up to Kandrori, a stop ahead of Pathankot, and headed for his native place Indora (HP).

The co-passengers were identified from the railways booking record, police said. The list includes a jawan of 21 J&K Rifles, who has been quarantined. The supervisor of the Kandrori station where the attendee got off and possibly interacted with him, has also been put on the list.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired an all-party meeting via video conference over coronavirus pandemic. Major issues raised during the meeting included relaxation of the fiscal limit of states under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act from 3 per cent to 5 per cent and making COVID-19 tests free for people.

The prime minister was asked by opposition leaders to release the dues owed to states in the meeting. There was also a demand to increase the stimulus package from 1 per cent to 5 per cent of growth domestic product (GDP). The meeting also discussed the issue of making quality personal protective equipment (PPE) and other protective equipment kits available.

The meeting comes amid criticism by the opposition parties of the government's handling of the crisis.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi suggested a few austerity measures to the government that would help to free up funds to fight against the pandemic. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi said that the government should look at the transfer of all money under 'PM Cares' fund to the 'Prime Minister's National Relief Fund' (PM-NRF). This will ensure efficiency, transparency, accountability, and audit in the manner in which these funds are allocated and spent, she added.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in India currently stands just over 5,000.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: When and how lockdown will be lifted? A primer

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown
Critics say the new legislation could allow Orbans government to further erode democratic institutions and persecute journalists and members of the opposition. The law will permanently amend two articles of the criminal code that will further limit freedom of expression and penalize people for breaching quarantine orders. It will also suspend all elections and referendums.
Five men are due in court charged in connection with the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people in England.

Their bodies were discovered in a refrigerated lorry trailer in Essex last October.
The United States will hold talks with Iraq in June on the future of its troop presence in the country, whose parliament has voted to expel them, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

With Iraq increasingly becoming a proxy battleground between Iran and the United States, President Donald Trump has refused to pull the 5,200 US troops and earlier even threatened sanctions on Baghdad if it moved forward.

But Pompeo, without signaling a decision on troop levels, said the military presence would be on the table in a "strategic dialogue" scheduled for mid-June.

"With the global COVID-19 pandemic raging and plummeting oil revenues threatening an Iraqi economic collapse, it's important that our two governments work together to stop any reversal of the gains we've made in our efforts to defeat ISIS and stabilize the country," Pompeo told reporters.

"All strategic issues between our two countries will be on the agenda, including the future presence of the United States forces in that country and how best to support an independent and sovereign Iraq," Pompeo said.

The United States will be represented by David Hale, the top career diplomat at the State Department.

Iraq's government was furious in January when the United States killed Iran's most prominent general, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone attack at the Baghdad airport.

Iraqi Shiite paramilitary forces have been blamed for more than two dozen rocket attacks since October against bases housing US troops and foreign embassies.

The fighters are closely linked to Iran, which is the target of a "maximum pressure" campaign by the Trump administration that includes sweeping sanctions.

Weakening Iraq's clout, its government has been in chaos since the eruption of major protests last year.

Adnan Zurfi, who is considered pro-Western, was last month given 30 days to pull together a cabinet.

Pompeo said the United States would support any Iraqi leader who moves "away from the old sectarian model that ended up with terror and corruption."

US Central Command recently pulled back troops from smaller bases in Iraq, where they are vulnerable to attack, but said it was responding to risks from the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple dictator Saddam Hussein, starting a disastrous war that wreaked havoc across the country.

US troops returned in 2014 as part of a coalition to fight the Islamic State extremist group.

(Picture credit: AP)
Only a small fraction of British businesses have been able to get hold of emergency loans to keep ticking over despite promises that money would start flowing quickly.

Just 1 per cent of firms in the UK have successfully accessed the Government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CIBLS), a survey has found.

The results, from a British Chamber of Commerce poll, found that 8 per cent of the companies that responded had been unsuccessful in their applications.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured at Downing Street in London today) announced the Government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme last month

Firms said that a complex application process and slow replies had held them back over the scheme, which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month.

Businesses have been given access to the government-backed loans to help them through the coronavirus crisis. Smaller firms can apply for grants of up to 25,000.

According to the survey, 7 per cent of respondents are receiving grants. But 14 per cent had been unsuccessful in trying to get grants.

Most of these, 83 per cent, said they had not met the criteria, 14 per cent said that the response from authorities was too slow, or did not come at all.

British Chamber of Commerce director general Dr Adam Marshall (pictured in 2017) said the organisation's latest data 'shows that many businesses face a cliff-edge scenario'

The proportion of firms planning to put all their staff on the government's furlough scheme - which guarantees 80 per cent of their salaries - has risen to 20 per cent, from 17 per cent in the first survey that the BCC did.

** Have you failed to get an emergency coronavirus business loan from the Government? Email jack.wright@mailonline.co.uk ** Advertisement

A total of 37 per cent of respondents said they plan to furlough between 75 per cent and 100% of their workforce in the coming week.

'Our latest data shows that many businesses face a cliff-edge scenario, either at the end of this month or over the course of the next quarter,' said BCC director general Dr Adam Marshall.

'We've seen a big jump in the number of firms furloughing staff, and many are now starting to apply for access to government loan and grant schemes to keep themselves afloat.

'Yet our research suggests that support is only starting to reach firms on the ground.'

Six per cent of more than 1,000 respondents to the survey, which was performed last week said they have already run out of cash.

Meanwhile 57 per cent of companies said they have cash to last three months or less.

Most of the respondents, 77 per cent, are in the service sector, with 23 per cent in the manufacturing sector. Just under half are small businesses with between one and nine employees.

Separately, it emerged last night that just 2,022 loans have been made to the UK's small and medium-sized business through the business lending scheme.

Just 0.65 per cent of enquiries have resulted in the loans out of 300,000 applications so far, according to figures compiled by industry body UK Finance.

Some 291.9million had been lent through the scheme as of yesterday, according to City AM.

** Have you failed to get an emergency coronavirus business loan from the Government? Email jack.wright@mailonline.co.uk **
MANILA, April 8 (Reuters) - Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc , the Philippines' second-biggest nickel ore producer and exporter, said on Wednesday it has decided to suspend mining operations to allay growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The miner, which ships all its ore output to China, said in a statement that its decision was in compliance with the appeal of the local government of Surigao del Norte province in the country's nickel ore mining region to halt its operations. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
GEA (dpa-AFX) - Technology company GEA Group (GEAGF.PK, GEAGY.PK) announced Wednesday that it has postponed its Annual General Meeting due to the coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic. Further, its proposed dividend remains unchanged. In Germany, the shares were losing around 2 percent in the morning trading. The company said its Annual General Meeting, which was originally planned for April 30, will now be rescheduled for the end of the year. Further, the company said it still plans to pay a dividend for fiscal year 2019 of a total of 0.85 euro per share. In advance, GEA will make the maximum possible advance payment of 0.42 euro per share permitted by law based on the last two annual financial statements. In Germany, GEA Group shares were trading at 20.82 euros, down 2.25 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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From Esquire

When we talk about The Beatles, writes Craig Brown, we talk about ourselves. For an international phenomenon, The Beatles were peculiarly, cussedly English. The most significant band in the history of pop, they are key figures in the past half-century of our nations public life, as well as in the dream lives of its citizens. The Beatles entered our bloodstreams, collective and individual, and they pulsate in them still. They were modernists, agents of change, forging the future, and they were preservationists, forever harking back to the past, real and imagined, Englands and their own.

Their most forward-and-at-the-same-time-backward-looking album was Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967. It was, writes Brown, an exercise in playing about with the past. Readers of Browns might understand why this would appeal particularly to him, as a writer determined to make sense of British popular history, or at least to explore it, by reinventing the method of its delivery.

Photo credit: Michael Ochs Archives - Getty Images

Parodist, critic, author of the peerless Private Eye Diary, Brown is also a Beatlemaniac. For those of us who are fans of his stuff, as well as devotees of The Fab Four, the news last year that He was working on a new book about Them sounded like a celestial combination of writer and subject. The result is the terrific One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time.

Browns previous book, the cunningly structured Maam Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, was what he called an exploded biography. It was a demolition of the form, abandoning traditional narrative biography, with its slow and steady slog through the past, for a cut-and-paste approach, gathering discreet shards and fragments of history  anecdotes, lists, photographs, snatches of dialogue, contemporary reports, interviews  and assembling them into a collage of memories and weird connections and jokes and sardonic footnotes. The accretion of detail built to a portrait more revealing, certainly in terms of contemporary atmosphere  the temperature of the times  than that typically offered by traditional biography. Funnier, too.



Story continues

One Two Three Four, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary, on 10 April, of the break-up of The Beatles, is an exploded biography of the band. It is a critical appreciation, a personal history, a miscellany, a work of scholarship and speculation, and a tribute. It contains knockabout first-person reporting from Liverpool and Hamburg, as well as frequent authorial interruptions for personal anecdotes: trips to the panto, boarding school memories. Multiple conflicting accounts of a single incident  a punch-up at a party, say  illustrate the random, subjective nature of history, a form predicated on objectivity but reliant on shifting sands of memory, and make explicit Browns critique of straight biography.

In an earthquake, Brown quotes Paul McCartney as saying, you get many different versions of what happened by all the people that saw it. And theyre all true.

There is no shortage of eccentric books about The Beatles. The canonical ones  Ian MacDonalds ecstatic Revolution in the Head, Mark Lewisohns epic work-in-progress, All These Years  are, if anything, even madder than fan fiction, testaments as much to their authors completist obsessions as to the bands undeniable greatness. One Two Three Four is no less serious in intent, but far less po-faced.

Brown hits all the beats you might expect from a Beatles biography, from jagged first stabs through the swelling roar of the Beatles imperial phase to the sour diminuendo of the bands dissolution. But he places at least as much emphasis on what may seem inessential, tangential, ephemeral, as he does on the big stuff.

So, there are walk-ons for Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali and Mick Jagger and the rest of the Sixties crowd. Familiar names from the story are sketched: Pete Best, replaced by Ringo just weeks before The Beatles made it big; Stu Sutcliffe, the Beatle who stayed in Germany, and died; the brilliant Brian Epstein; Johns imperious Aunt Mimi. Less predictable appearances are made by Malcolm Muggeridge  he met the pre-fame Beatles in Hamburg and recorded, in his diary, their faces like Renaissance carvings of saints or Blessed Virgins, which doesnt quite chime with other reports from the Reeperbahn  and Peter Stringfellow, who managed to stretch to 85 to book the band for The Black Cat Club, Sheffield.

Photo credit: Central Press - Getty Images

Brown finds time to consider the ragtag cranks and crooks who jumped on The Beatles bandwagon. We meet New Jersey bruiser Allen Klein, a man described as having the charm of a broken lavatory seat, as well as needy drugs squad detective Norman Nobby Pilcher, a bumbling avenging angel. We say hello-goodbye to the preposterous Magic Alex, for whom no job was ever too large to be started or too small to leave unfinished. We hear the sad story of The Singing Nun, and the heartbreaking tale of Jimmie Nicol, too forgotten a figure even to feature in roundups of forgotten figures. Nicol was the Beatles tour drummer for 13 life-ruining days, while Ringo was indisposed.

We enjoy the spectacular folly that was The Beatles business, Apple Corp. The weirdness was not controlled at the start, lamented Beatles press officer Derek Taylor, before noting, sagely, that, You cant control weirdness, anyway; weirdness is weirdness.

Brown glories in the absurdist details. Georges description of acquiring a taste for the finer things as branch[ing]out into the avocado scene. Ringos explanation for the failure of his building company: No one wanted to buy the houses we put up. Animals frontman Eric Burdons eye-opening explanation of how he came to be  or so he claimed  the Egg Man in I am the Walrus (chapter 105, Im not quoting it here). Johns absentee father coming to a fancy-dress party in costume as My Old Mans a Dustman, in clothes he had bought from a real dustman for 5, earlier in the day. He literally reeked of garbage, remembers a guest. Johns reason for funding Yoko Onos exhibitions at the Lisson Gallery: With women like that you have to pay them off, or they never stop pestering you.

It will come as no surprise to readers of Private Eye that Brown has great sport with Ono especially, counterpointing her gnomic recent Twitter posts with the songs of Shirley Temple, whom she apparently once impersonated as a child, and imagining her poetry as if it had been rewritten by Ringo. (Ringo means Apple in Japanese, says Brown.) One suspects that an exploded biography of Ono alone  a solo Ono  might be a profitable next volume for Brown. The unsparing depiction of John and Yokos self-serving social activism is pretty devastating.

Theres also some astute writing about academias doomed attempts to parse the lyrics of the bands greatest songs. Lyrics removed from music, explains Brown, are like fish removed from water. Take that, Christopher Ricks. Nowhere can the difference between the reverent US and the irreverent UK music press  such as they were  be better illustrated than in their respective reactions to Lennons nightmarish Revolution 9, from The White Album. Take your pick from an aural litmus of unfocused paranoia (Rolling Stone) or a pretentious piece of old codswallop (New Musical Express).

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By quoting liberally from the testimony of those who were teenagers as the time  the young Bruce Springsteen, the young Tom Petty, the young Chrissie Hynde  Brown gets at the extraordinary, life-changing effect The Beatles had, an effect unprecedented and unrepeatable, at least by a pop group. (Other messiahs are available.) Older establishment figures were bowled over, too. Poor Leonard Bernstein was reduced to Jabberwocky gibberish, hymning the frabjous falsetto shriek-cum-croon, the ineluctable beat, the flawless intonation, and on and on and on.

Not everyone was so fawning. Heres Kingsley Amis, writing to Philip Larkin on 19 April 1969: Oh fuck The Beatles. Id like to push my bum into John Ls face for 48 hours or so, as a protest against all the war and violence in the world. The splenetic Anthony Burgess was infuriated by the twanging nonsense of The Beatles music.

A chapter is devoted to letters from fans, such as this one:

Dear Beatles,

I told my mother I cant imagine a world without The Beatles, and she said she could easily.

Loyal forever,

Lillie K,

Fairbanks, Alaska

Another chapter records Americas Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from the week of 4 April 1964. The Beatles have the top five spots plus seven more. Still another reprints a guest list, published in 1966 in Queen magazine, from the opening night of Sibyllas discotheque in Swallow Street, Mayfair. Lots of hip counterculture stars, a few louche aristos, and Nigel Dempster.

Photo credit: William Lovelace - Getty Images

A chapter is devoted to misheard lyrics: And when I get home to you, I find a broken canoe. Brown considers the pathology behind Lennons compulsive punning, and how it informed what Bruce Springsteen has called, quite reasonably, the worst and most glorious band name in all rock n roll.

There are many such cherishable asides. I enjoyed Pattie Boyds take on Haight-Ashbury, hippy ground zero, during the Summer of Love, 1967: Horrible  full of ghastly drop-outs, bums and spotty youths, all out of their brains. Which makes her sound more like Princess Margaret than a groovy Sixties swinger, and earns her bonus points for hypocrisy, given she was herself tripping on acid at the time.

There is lots of stuff on teeth, including the following truism: No one wants a groovy dentist. There is still more on hair. We learn that at Christmas 1964, when he was seven, Brown was given a Beatles wig by his parents. We learn, too, that 20,000 Beatles wigs were being sold each day at that time, in New York alone. And that Earl Mountbatten of Burma spent Christmas Day prancing about Broadlands, his Hampshire home, wearing an imitation mop-top on his head.

One reading of the Princess Margaret book is as a psychodrama about the toxic effects, on a person constitutionally ill-equipped to deal with them, of unearned privilege and prestige. The Beatles book might be seen as a similar take on the effects on a parade of characters, the four principals and those who came into their orbit, of a global fame and corresponding hysteria that even the Queens sister would struggle to recognise. It was John Updike, a Beatles fan, who remarked that celebrity is a mask that eats into the face. Weirdland, is Ringo Starrs term for the world that the mega-famous inhabit, where even members of their close families treat them like royalty.

One Two Three Four notes the corrosive toll, physical and psychological, that fame took on the four boys from Liverpool, perhaps especially on John, always the most caustic and ill at ease, increasingly the most difficult. The others coped in their own ways. George sought enlightenment, and escape, in Eastern spirituality. Ringo dealt with fame with, for the most part, self-deprecating good humour, not always succeeding in covering up the mixed blessing of being seen as the least talented of the four. Paul seemed to have the least complicated relationship with his success. Others  notably Brian Epstein  didnt cope. In August 1967, the Beatle-making Prince of Pop took an overdose of sleeping pills and died in his bed. He was 32.

Like Maam Darling, and like life itself, One Two Three Four is a tragicomedy. Both dark and sunny, like a Lennon/McCartney song. From Chapter 11: In 1964, John Lennon advised the Beatles press officer, Derek Taylor, against eating the cheese sandwiches at Speke Airport. He had once been employed at Speke as a packer, he told him, and he used to spit in them.

In spring 2002, Speke Airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport

One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown (Fourth Estate, 20) is out now.

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Alyssa Ashcraft, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, does not have nearly as much space now as she had in her apartment, which she left after the campus closed. Now shes back at her parents house in Nederland, Texas, near the Louisiana border, sharing her childhood bedroom  and childhood bed  with her older sister.

Navigating each others sleep schedule is one thing, but the bigger challenge, she said, is when everyone is awake. Ms. Ashcraft, who still has her job with the universitys alumni association, is working from home, as are her parents, who are both schoolteachers.

When she needs her space, Ms. Ashcraft takes her laptop to the porch. And in a throwback to childhood notes telling parents to keep away, she tacks a small handwritten sign on the door that says Im in class or Im in a meeting, so that no one goes outside.

Still, confrontations in their cramped house are inevitable, and often hark back to old-fashioned sibling rivalries: arguments over who gets to use the TV, music playing too loud or a mess in the kitchen. I feel like sometimes Im 18 years old again and I have never left, Ms. Ashcraft said. But, I just have to remind myself that this will be over one day and I will get to continue building a life for myself outside of my childhood home.

In the month since she returned to Swarthmore, Pa., dragging a large suitcase, Phoebe Rosenbluth, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, has mostly stayed at the home of her boyfriends family because her parents, who live nearby, turned her bedroom into an office after she started college. Ms. Rosenbluth has visited her family every day, using the time to paint with her 15-year-old brother and reconnect with her parents.
Our universe may not be expanding at the same speed in all directions, according to a new study, challenging one of our basic ideas about the universe.

The assumption that the universe is isotropic  or the same in all directions  has underpinned the rest of our understanding of where the cosmos came from, and where it may be going. Researchers are almost certain that at least at its beginning, the universe was expanding uniformly.

But that assumption might be wrong, at least in the universe of today, according to a new study using data from Nasa and European Space Agency observatories. Researchers using that information found that the different parts of the universe are actually expanding at different rates, with clusters of galaxies in different parts of the sky behaving differently.

Our usual understanding of the universe suggests that after the Big Bang, the universe began to expand in all directions, with galaxies and galaxy clusters moving apart at the same rate across the cosmos. The new study suggests that might not be the case, with that rate actually varying depending on where we look.

"Based on our cluster observations we may have found differences in how fast the universe is expanding depending on which way we looked," said co-author Gerrit Schellenberger from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "This would contradict one of the most basic underlying assumptions we use in cosmology today."

Researchers have long attempted to find a definitive answer to whether the universe is in fact the same in all directions. They have attempted to measure it using a variety of different methods, including looking at galaxies through infrared and watching exploded stars, but nothing has proven decisive and the results have given indications both ways.

To find their measurements in the new study, researchers used a new technique to try and measure the expansion of the universe. They looked at more than 800 galaxy clusters using the new technique, in an attempt to understand at precisely what rate it they are expanding at.

Firstly, they worked out the amount of X-rays a given galaxy cluster would be emitting, in a way that gives a constant answer independent of changes such as the expansion speed of universe. Taht relied on the relationship between the temperature of the hot gas in a galaxy cluster and the amount of X-rays, or its X-ray luminosity.

Secondly, they worked out X-ray luminosity using a different method that did in fact rely on the universe's expansion speed. Those numbers showed that the expansion speed was not actually uniform, and that the universe is moving away from us at different speeds in different parts.

It is not the first time that researchers have found evidence of the uneven expansion of the universe, but may be the one that shows it more convincingly than any other.

"This is a hugely fascinating result," said Norbert Schartel, a project scientist on ESA's XMM-Newton observatory, which helped contribute towards the discovery. "Previous studies have suggested that the present Universe might not be expanding evenly in all directions, but this result  the first time such a test has been performed with galaxy clusters in X-rays  has a much greater significance, and also reveals a great potential for future investigations."

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One explanation for this unusual discovery is that the universe's expansion may be uniform but that some galaxies are being pulled away by something else, such as the gravity of other galaxy clusters. But this may be unlikely given that scientists expect the universe's expansion to be the main deciding factor of that speed.

If that is not the case, the research suggests that the universe is not actually isotropic, and that it is different in different directions. Dark energy, for instance, could be distributed differently throughout the universe and could be causing unusual results.

Researchers have described the expansion of the universe being like a loaf of raisin bread that has been placed in the oven: as it cooks, it expands, and the raisins that represents the galaxies move away from each other. If the bread is evenly mixed, the expansion would be uniform, but the latest results suggest that there may be an overlooked ingredient in the dough.

"This would be like if the yeast in the bread isn't evenly mixed, causing it to expand faster in some places than in others," said co-author Thomas Reiprich, also of the University of Bonn. "It would be remarkable if dark energy were found to have different strengths in different parts of the universe. However, much more evidence would be needed to rule out other explanations and make a convincing case."

The study is published in the latest issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics and can be read online.
Trump To Meet With Bank Giants Virtually About Small Business Loans

Loan Caltulation (Photo : Image by Wilfried Pohnke from Pixabay )

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President Donald Trump plans to meet virtually on Tuesday with executives of US banking giants to discuss boosting relief for small business, banking sources said.



The meeting, set for 3:00 pm (1900 GMT), comes as Washington powerbrokers signal support for expanding a just-launched program to support small businesses that have been ravaged by government-ordered shutdowns to combat the spread of coronavirus.



Trump will meet with Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon, Citigroup Chief Executive Michael Corbat, Bank of America Chief Executive Brian Moynihan and Gordon Smith, Chief Operating Officer of JPMorgan Chase.



The Paycheck Protection Program launched Friday offers $350 billion in government-guaranteed financing through private lenders, which will be forgiven if businesses ranging from shops to restaurants use the funds largely to pay their workers.







US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to ask Congress for an additional $200 billion to expand the popular program, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he plans to work with Mnuchin and Democratic Senate Leader Charles Schumer to boost funding "for this uncontroversial bipartisan program," aiming for a vote on Thursday.


What happened

Shares of utility stock Southern Company (NYSE:SO) declined 10.3% in the month of March, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The usual investor mindset is that defensive stocks like utilities should be stable regardless of the condition of the overall stock market, but it's tough for any company to escape the wrath of an unprecedented event like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The stock, however, has swiftly reversed course and gained almost 12% in April so far, as of this writing.

So what

Southern Company isn't immune from the COVID-19 pandemic effect. The biggest threat is the widespread lockdown of large power consumers, or commercial and industrial establishments like shops, malls, and offices. A prolonged slowdown in manufacturing activity can hit demand for electricity and gas.

That's undeniably the primary reason why the stock lost weight last month. Because utility stocks also typically carry high levels of debt, any reduction in demand and cash flow also raises concerns about debt repayment and dividend capabilities. Investors have also been worried about any potential impact of the pandemic on Southern Company's Vogtle nuclear construction project.

The stock, however, got a lift later in March when the government announced a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, lifting investor hopes of minimal damage to key sectors.

Now what

Southern's April 1 regulatory filing, though, might disappoint investors, as management said the COVID-19 effect "could disrupt or delay construction, testing, supervisory and support activities at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4," which could mean project time and cost overruns for the utility.

On a positive note, Southern Company's electric utility subsidiary Georgia Power has applied for a reduction in its fuel rates by 16% beginning June 1 with the regulatory body Georgia Public Service Commission. That means Georgia Power's natural gas costs are declining as it's making better use of cleaner and renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and nuclear. Georgia Power was the largest contributor to Southern Company's total operating revenue and operating income in 2019.

The stock's rally in April so far, though, suggests investors are more than willing to buy such traditionally "recession-proof stocks," given the rising global coronavirus uncertainty.
Millions in Lebanon risk food insecurity due to a coronavirus lockdown unless the government provides urgent assistance, Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday.

Lebanon in mid-March ordered residents to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close to halt the spread of COVID-19, which has officially infected 575 people and killed 19 nationwide.

Before the pandemic erupted, Lebanon was struggling with its worst economic crisis in decades, with 45 percent of the population facing poverty according to official estimates.

Lockdown measures to slow the spread of the virus have made matters worse with "millions of Lebanon's residents... at risk of going hungry", HRW said in a statement.

Lebanon is home to 4.5 million people, and also hosts around 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the nine-year war next door, most of whom rely on aid to survive.

"The lockdown... has compounded the poverty and economic hardship rampant in Lebanon before the virus arrived," said HRW senior researcher Lena Simet.

"Many people who had an income have lost it, and if the government does not step in, more than half the population may not be able to afford food and basic necessities." The economic crisis since last year had already caused many people to lose their jobs or take salary cuts, and stay-at-home measures to counter the virus have now prevented even more from earning a wage.

Media has carried reports of a taxi driver who set his car on fire after security forces fined him for breaking the lockdown rules.

And an unemployed Lebanese construction worker unable to afford rent offered to sell his kidney, in an image widely shared online.

HRW Lebanon researcher Aya Majzoub said many families are struggling due to a lack of savings.

The government has said it will pay out 400,000 Lebanese pounds (less than $150 at the market rate) to the most vulnerable.

HRW said the government should also consider suspending rent and mortgage payments throughout the lockdown.

Majzoub said Syrian refugees were also affected.

"Many of them were seasonal workers -- they worked in agriculture, they worked in the service industry -- and they're not able to do that anymore," she said.

But their ability to cope will depend largely on international aid, as before the pandemic.

The World Bank last week said it had re-allocated USD 40 million from its support to Lebanon's health sector to fight the virus, including for tests and ventilators.

And it has also been discussing "assistance to help mitigate the impact of the economic and financial crisis on the poor through emergency social safety nets", World Bank spokeswoman Zeina El-Khalil told AFP in March.

On Monday, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun urged the international community to provide financial assistance to back economic reforms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Photo : www.pxhere.com)

You may be thinking that the elderly or the people who have underlying respiratory health issues are the ones at risk, but you are far from correct. Doctors have been stumped by a cause of unexplained deaths that take the infected suddenly and result in their deaths.

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It's called a "cytokine storm," doctors are still baffled at how it happens. There are numerous cases where a patient seems to be recovering from the virus but rapidly deteriorates and leads to their death.

The immune system fights the pathogen or virus typically once it enters the body, many COVID-19 patients will never show the symptoms of the disease, or maybe experience a very mild case. All of these patients, however, symptomatic or asymptomatic, can still spread the disease.

Once the immune system of the infected wins, they will have acquired immunity from the novel coronavirus that is hitting our global population in the millions now, granted if the virus doesn't mutate that much.

Remember, viruses always mutate some way or another, and we've written an article about this that explains why it's essential to know the two types of strains the coronavirus has. The link will be provided here.

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Some patients seem to recover like those so-called mild cases like fever and aches, only to worsen in a moment's notice dramatically. This turns out that the immune system is at fault here, and hence it goes into overdrive, which ends up attacking the patient's entire body.

Dr. Pavan Bhatraju of the University of Washington told NPR, "We've seen some patients rapidly worsen," and added, "They initially were requiring a little bit of oxygen. In 24 hours, they're on a ventilator."

The good doctor, as well as some of his peers, have made a study about the rapid deterioration of lungs in coronavirus cases.

The crash happens seven days after the infection, and no one, not even the healthy are safe. Young patients who don't have any other symptoms can also be affected. Doctors now believe that the "cytokine storm" causes the negative evolution of COVID-19 in some of the patients.

The cytokine molecules are supposed to be the ones coordinating the battle against the infections within the body. They alert immune cells to attack the virus and so forth.

Cytokine storms, however, aren't unique to COVID-19, and doctors already know how to treat them, at least in theory. The solution is that the immune response has to be lowered in patients who have poor prognostics. COVID-19, however, is a new type of sickness, and still, there are no known protocols for it.

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New Delhi, April 8 : As Faridabad in the National Capital Region has emerged as a hotspot for coronavirus with 28 cases surfacing in the area, taking Haryana's tally to 141, the authorities have geared up to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

The authorities have identified 13 affected areas in the Faridabad district, marking them as "containment zones".

"Containment zones are different from lockdown as there are further stricter restrictions on movement of people. All essential items in these areas are supplied at the doorsteps of people by the vendors or authorities in order to limit movement," said Yashpal Yadav, District Collector, Faridabad.

He added that each and every household in the whole district is being scanned and anyone found even with the smallest of symptoms are being identified and notices are being sent to such houses, placing them on home quarantine.

"The whole exercise is being carried out by the government officials with the assistance of civil volunteers. Each person is being given 50 houses for scanning," the DC said.

Yadav, however, has ensured that these restrictions are in place for a limited period only. "These restrictions are for limited periods. We are in total control of the situation and there should not be any fear in the minds of the public.

"We are ensuring that basic necessities are available with every house. The government is distributing more than 30,000 food packets twice a day to meet the food needs of the people," he said.

"Apart from cooked food, we are also distributing dry ration along with other Public Distribution System (PDS) schemes which are already in place," Yadav said.

Yadav also informed that regular assistance in the form of funds, food and supplies is being given by the government to all the persons who are in need.

"If the people follow these restrictions and lockdown instructions wisely, we can beat the tough times faster and earlier," he said.
Jonathan Brooks, the senior pastor at Canaan Community Church in Chicagos West Englewood neighborhood, says that he has pastor friends whose churches are still meeting, in spite of Illinois coronavirus meeting bans, which totally bewilders me.

But it's because of the giving. It's because if they don't physically have church, they won't get any money and their budget is not so that they can miss a Sunday, said Brooks. And so its such a conundrum, its such a quandary. Some folks just stop having church completely because they don't have anybody around them that can help them navigate this new way of being.

While Brooks church has been able to meet digitally, he recognizes that few in his congregation have the opportunity to move their work online.

To be honest with you, this is a white-collar pandemic. It's not a blue-collar pandemic, he said. The folks who serve us all and make things run still have to go to work, which is the majority of my congregation.

Brooks joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss how Canaan has navigated online giving, how he has injected creativity into his online Holy Week services, and what its like when your congregation says Amen over Zoom.

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The transcript ...

1
T oday's Google Doodle is honouring the emergency service workers who are at the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.

The Doodle shared online today celebrates services such as the police and fire authorities by dressing up the world Google with the G at the beginning of the word blowing a kiss to the letter L - which is dressed up in the uniform and hard hat of a firefighter - and the E, which is dressed up in that of a police officer, complete with hat.

Google says that as the fatal disease continues to spread across the world, it is launching a Doodle series to honour those on the frontline.

It reads: "As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever.

"Were launching a Doodle series to recognize and honor many of those on the front lines.

"Today, wed like to say: To all emergency services workers, thank you."

Coronavirus 100 days on: What do we know?

Wednesday's Doodle is the third in the series thanking those are are on the frontline, which was launched on Monday.

On April 6, the Doodle thanked public health workers and researchers in the scientific community by featuring the G blowing a kiss to the E which was dressed as a scientist and standing on a podium, giving a lecture and pointing to a graph behind it.

Tuesday's Google celebrated nurses and those in the medical profession by once again having the G blow a kiss to the E, but this time the E was dressed in the scrubs, mask and head mirror of a health professional.

Google says it has donated $6.5 million to help fight coronavirus misinformation so far, which it says is supporting "media outlets and fact-checkers working on Covid-19".

Clicking on the search engine will take you to a special page created for the coronavirus crisis, which features a list of questions, resources and information.

There are also links to steps people need to take to prevent the spread of infection, what the symptoms are and what treatments are available.

The UK continues to see infections from the fatal virus, with the number of cases standing at 55,242 and the number of deaths linked to the disease at 6,159.

Boris Johnson spent his second night in intensive care on Tuesday, as the Governments chief scientific adviser said there were signs the UKs fight "could be moving in the right direction".
The posters have been placed at city council parks.

A row has erupted on Belfast council following the erection of party banners by Sinn Fein at several parks across the city.

Alliance Councillor Michael Long expressed his disappointed at the appearance of the banners, and said the council run parks were not appropriate places for party political material to be displayed.

The banners appeared at Cherryvale and the Waterworks in the city, and the Alliance group Leader on the council called for their removal.

Council parks are shared spaces where no party should have any banners or posters displayed at any time, which Sinn Fein are fully aware of, said Cllr Long.

They have previously been vocal on their opposition to the erection of banners by loyalist groups on main routes into the city last year, and rightly so. They cannot have it both ways when it comes to their own banners.

Whilst I appreciate there is an attempt to help point people in the direction of help during this crisis, every party has appropriate methods to be able to do this, from their party website to social media channels, as well as other means, without having to resort to this.

I am calling on Sinn Fein to remove these banners and if not, the council needs to, to ensure our parks remain spaces welcoming to all. It is disappointing Sinn Fein decided to attempt to use this crisis to ignore that. Parties would be much better refocusing efforts on tackling this horrendous situation together.

Sinn Fein hit back saying the banners have been placed to give the vulnerable in the community a point of contact for help.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Sinn Fein activists and others have been on the ground assisting the most vulnerable within local communities, a party spokesperson said.

These activists are to be commended for their work, they have prioritised the health and well-being of the vulnerable over their own personal health.

People are also concerned about Covid 19 and are seeking help on a variety of issues.

Sinn Fein activists erected banners to advertise contact details for local constituency offices and community organisations, signposting people to where they could get help.

This is a time for social solidarity, not cheap attempts at petty political point scoring.

Those in the Alliance Party who have called for the removal of these posters in the middle of a health pandemic need to seriously have a rethink of their priorities.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has rattled the global economy. The pandemic has not only costed trillions to the economy, but also lead to major modifications of businesses in the Retail  Restaurants industry.

Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, BJ's Restaurants, Inc. BJRI temporarily laid off approximately 16,000 employees across its 209 outlets. The company compensated affected workers with their unused vacation and sick time while the un-eligible ones were entitled to a short-term emergency paid time. Nonetheless, it anticipates to recall the employees as soon as sales begin to improve to pre-COVID-19 levels.

With the dine-in facility being waived, the company has been experiencing significant decline in its sales levels. Notably, it has been operating only through pick-up and delivery services. The company is focusing on initiatives like regular evaluation of restaurants and temporarily closing outlets with soft sales.

So far, shares of the company have declined 60.2% compared with the industrys fall of 20.6%. The decline was primarily caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus Hurts Restaurant Industrys Traffic

The restaurant industry has been facing declining traffic for quite some time. We believe that the coronavirus outbreak will further hurt traffic and sales in the coming quarters.

Many companies have hinted about business disruptions in the United States, China and across Asia due to the pandemic. The companies have also warned of soft sales trends due to increased restaurant closures.

Other major restaurant companies like Yum China Holdings, Inc. YUMC, Papa John's International, Inc. PZZA and McDonald's Corporation MCD are also affected by this pandemic.

Zacks Rank

BJ's Restaurants currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's administration used its vast wartime powers Wednesday to make its first formal order of equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic, compelling General Motors to deliver 30,000 ventilators by August.

The order, announced by the Department of Health and Human Services, will require the Detroit automaker to build more than 6,000 ventilators by June as governors in some states say they are woefully short of the lifesaving units and unable to buy more.

Trump and senior aides threatened to invoke the Korean War-era Defense Production Act as lawmakers in both parties had sought. Though the president signed several memos delegating authority, the administration had not taken the final step of requiring companies to produce equipment, USA TODAY reported last week.

The GM order, which represents the first instance of the administration taking that step, follows combative remarks from the president in which he accused GM of reneging on an initial voluntary agreement. The president subsequently described the company as doing a "fantastic job."

Details: General Motors awarded $490M government contract to build ventilators

No orders: Despite pressure, Trump hadn't ordered ventilators from GM

As governors warned of shortages of ventilators, Trump was hesitant to use his wartime powers to force companies to increase production, arguing that an order amounts to a takeover of private industry. Trump framed the Defense Production Act as "nationalizing our business," even though the law is not that powerful.

The government will reimburse GM nearly $490 million for the ventilators.

President Donald Trump was reluctant to use wartime powers to compel companies to make ventilators to help coronavirus patients.

Despite the occasionally fiery rhetoric flowing from the White House, General Motors had remained largely silent in public. The company, which has partnered with medical device maker Ventec Life Systems, repeatedly indicated it was working as fast as it could to build a product it does not usually manufacture in its plants.

Story continues

GM spokesman Jim Cain said Wednesday that the company is working "with speed and urgency" to build the units.

The automaker will produce the ventilators at its plant in Kokomo, Indiana.

Murky: Trump claims to use powers to 'hit hard' on coronavirus, but details sparse

Trump has often framed the Defense Production Act as an antagonistic tool that forces companies to do something. Though that's sometimes true, manufacturers sometimes want an order from the government. With a federal order in hand, companies can turn to their suppliers and demand that they prioritize parts and other equipment to help them fulfill Washington's pressing request.

Another memo Trump signed last week delegated authority for federal agencies to use the act for six additional companies involved with the making of ventilators: General Electric, Hillrom, Medtronic, ResMed, Royal Philips and Vyaire Medical. It was not clear whether those companies received direct orders.

Trump has been under pressure mainly from Democrats but also some Republicans to more fully embrace his powers under the law. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the administration for using the act on an "ad hoc" basis  targeting specific companies, such as GM, rather than entire industries.

The president dismissed that criticism, as well as Schumer's calls for the administration to appoint a Defense Production Act "czar" from the military to oversee its manufacturing effort. Trump appointed Peter Navarro, his top manufacturing and trade aide in the White House, to run point on negotiations with private companies.

Trump's response to Schumer?

"He's just doing that because it's politics," the president said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump uses wartime powers to order coronavirus ventilators from GM
Production declines across the U.S. shale patch as companies reduce drilling and spending cannot be viewed as a voluntary U.S. cut aimed at supporting oil prices, Vladimir Putins Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

The comments suggest that Russia may insist on a collective cut from the United States when major oil producers sit down to discuss a global production reduction later this week.

These are totally different types of cuts, Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday, as carried by Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

You compare total reduction in demand with cuts aimed at stabilizing the global markets. Its like comparing apples and oranges. There is a difference, the Kremlin spokesman said.

Asked whether the natural decline in U.S. oil production can be viewed as the U.S. participating in a deal to stabilize markets and prices, Peskov told reporters to wait for the upcoming talkslets wait until tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, he said.

OPEC, Russia, and producers outside of the OPEC+ format are poised to discuss the possibility of a massive collective global cut, potentially of 10 million bpd, in a video conference on Thursday.

Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he believes American oil production output cuts would happen automatically thanks to the nature of the free market.

OPEC hasnt asked President Trump to find a way to ask U.S. oil companies to collectively cut production, the President said on Monday.

I think its happening automatically, but nobodys asked me that question yet, so well see what happens, President Trump said at a press briefing, referring to U.S. oil production.

Russia, as well as OPECs leader Saudi Arabia, are signaling that they are ready to talk but are pointing out that any massive cut, 10 million bpd-15 million bpd, as touted by President Trump, should involve the United States, too.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Kozak has been a resident at The Birches for three years, and before that lived in the Hinsdale area. Ive always done a lot of volunteering when I was younger, and I feel like I have to keep doing that, she said. Im 98 years old, so Im trying to do my best.
Amidst the lockdown and social distancing directive by the federal government as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria, some residents of Lagos have taken to the streets, gathering in large numbers, for exercise.

The first street exercise was recorded on Monday at Gbagada area of the state with participation from a large number of residents.

Subsequently, it was reported that the street exercise and mobile fitness gym moved to Ikorodu area of state with scores of participants, on Tuesday.

Lockdown

President Muhammadu Buhari, on March 30, imposed a 14-day lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, to restrict movement of people within and outside the states with the aim of slowing down the spread of COVID-19.

The Lagos State Government had also released safety guidelines such as social distancing and prohibition of any social or religious gathering of more than 20 persons.

The state government on March 27, passed the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation (2020), to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

Since the ban on social or religious gathering of more than 20 persons, different violations have been recorded in the state, including churches and mosques holding services amidst the directive.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported how wedding ceremonies and several events of more than 50 persons were also held within the period. Clubs and strip houses were also opened during the period.

The joint exercise held at Gbagada and Ikorodu areas of the state had residents and fitness enthusiasts as participants numbered over 50, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed.

Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020

Section 8 of the newly passed regulation restricts or prohibits the gathering of persons in the local area such as conferences, meetings, festivals, private events, religious services, public visits and such other events, save where the written approval of the Governor is obtained for such gathering. 

The law also spells out that violation of the provisions of the regulation will attract fine or imprisonment or both in accordance to the extant Quarantine Act 2004.

Despite the prohibition of gatherings of persons in the state, several residents have found means to form large gatherings including at newspaper joints, gathering to have morning discussions and the latest being the large gathering of people for street exercise.

Enforcement of the law

The Lagos State police command and other sister agencies are at the front line of the enforcement of the lockdown order and the prohibition of social or religious gatherings.

Bala Elkana, the Lagos State police spokesperson, told PREMIUM TIMES that the enforcement teams are aware of the violations of the law and would swing into action.

Mr Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the police and other agencies in the state have the power to disrupt any gathering of a large number of persons and arrest the violators.

Our enforcement teams are notified of those areas and we are extending our enforcement to them. Street exercise is unacceptable, it is a violation of the stay at home order of the government, he said.

Mr Elkana said individuals caught during enforcement will be arrested and charged to Court for violation of the law.

Gboyega Akosile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State governor said the act is a clear violation of the order of the federal government and not only the state order.

The directive is scientific and for the benefit of all. It is sad to see how people disobey simple order, if the virus spreads into communities, it will be at the detriment of all, he said.

Mr Akosile also tweeted on Wednesday that officers of the Nigerian Army have swung into action at Gbagada area of the state to identify those violating the law.

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StayAtHome but you MUST go out in the name of exercises. So the Nigerian security agencies including the Army, have swung into action to make it easier for them to burn the calories this morning on Gbagada Expressway. This looks like frog jump, he tweeted.
Crew Member of USNS Comfort Tests Positive for COVID-19, Personnel Isolated

Sputnik News

19:00 GMT 07.04.2020

The US Navy announced late Monday evening that a crew member aboard the USNS Comfort had tested positive for the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, just hours after US President Donald Trump announced the near-empty Comfort would begin accepting infected patients to provide relief to New York City and New Jersey hospitals.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced early Monday that he would be in touch with Trump to request the Comfort start accepting patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Hours later, the US president announced he would let the governor lead the charge.

"We're going to let him [Cuomo] do it and  New Jersey is going to use it also. New Jersey is a hotspot  it's a big ship and it's set for COVID," Trump said during his Monday afternoon news conference.

Late that night, ABC News reported a crew member aboard the medical ship had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was believed to have been asymptomatic when the ship left port in Virginia on March 28, as he had not come into contact with any patients since then, according to a Navy statement provided to the outlet.

"There is no impact to Comfort's mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients," the service statement read. "The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board."

While the Navy insists its efforts out of Manhattan's Pier 90 will not be hindered by the crew member's diagnosis, a Navy official told ABC News that other members of the roughly 1,100-person crew who came in contact with the individual will be isolated for several days - no matter the results of their COVID-19 tests.

Prior to Trump's Monday order, the Navy emergency medical ship was docked in New York City to treat non-coronavirus patients. The service had also sent area hospitals a list of 49 additional medical conditions that would prohibit someone from being transferred from the ship.

"Taking on more patients as quickly as possible is critical to helping the city of New York during this pandemic crisis," Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of the US Second Fleet, said of the policy change, as reported by ABC News. "We listened to the feedback from area health professionals and the community and believe this is the best way we can help our fellow Americans."

According to the New York Department of Health, 138,863 of the 340,058 patients tested in the state have been confirmed to have the novel coronavirus. A total of 5,489 individuals infected with the virus in New York have died over the past few weeks.

NYC alone accounts for nearly half of the state's fatalities, with 2,738 COVID-19-related deaths confirmed in the city.

 Sputnik

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VANCOUVER - Government medical professionals say Canada's jails and prisons don't meet with physical distancing guidelines for COVID-19 and they want as many inmates as possible to be released.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Bowden Institution medium security facility near Bowden, Alta., Thursday, March 19, 2020. Government medical professionals say Canada's jails and prisons don't meet with physical distancing guidelines for COVID-19 and they want as many inmates as possible to be released. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

VANCOUVER - Government medical professionals say Canada's jails and prisons don't meet with physical distancing guidelines for COVID-19 and they want as many inmates as possible to be released.

In an open letter to the federal, provincial and territorial governments, more than 100 doctors, nurses and other health professionals say inmates are already medically vulnerable and are likely to have infectious diseases, such as hepatitis C and HIV.

The letter calls on the governments "to stop admitting people to jails and prisons unless absolutely necessary." The medical professionals who work for the governments also want assurances that inmates who are released get the housing, food and health care they need in the community.

Ontario, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories have freed some inmates because of the pandemic.

Kristy Denette, a spokeswoman the Ministry of the Solicitor General in Ontario, said the government has been working with the courts and police to reduce the number of people in custody while ensuring public safety isn't compromised.

Since March 16, the population at all facilities across Ontario has dropped from 8,344 to 6,148, she said. Nine low-risk offenders close to the end of their sentences were also released under temporary absence passes, she added.

In B.C., 95 inmates have been granted early release under a temporary absence, which can be rescinded if necessary, said the Public Safety Ministry.

Justice Minister Caroline Wawzonek of the Northwest Territories said seven inmates have been granted temporary absences. Prisoners on intermittent sentences have also been given temporary absences.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has asked the commissioner of the correctional service and the chair of the Parole Board to determine if certain offenders could be released early, says a statement from his office released Tuesday.

"Our greatest responsibility is keeping Canadians safe. That includes all correctional staff, inmates and the Canadian public. We know the unique risks inherent to prisons," it says.

The correctional service is taking steps to restrict the spread of COVID-19, the statement says.

Iulia Pescarus Popa of the Parole Board said it is steamlining its processes to respond to the pandemic.

The board is processing exceptional cases as quickly as possible for those offenders who are terminally ill or whose physical or mental health is likely to be affected while in prison, Popa said in a statement.

She said when making conditional release decisions, the board considers all relevant information related to an offender's case, including the gravity of the offence and the individual's health.

Figures from the correctional service show 21 inmates in federal penitentiaries have tested positive for the virus as of Monday: 12 in Quebec, seven in Ontario and two in B.C.

The letter from the medical professionals says if people in prison become infected, it would be essentially impossible to stop the spread of COVID-19 in a correctional facility.

Conditions are crowded, prisoners share cells, they must be frisked and handcuffed by officers, line up daily for medication, share common spaces and dining halls, and use the same telephones and washrooms, it says.

"They also lack access to some of the critical supplies people in the community are using to keep themselves safe, such as hand sanitizer, cleaning products and sometimes soap."

The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, which represents federal prison guards, said last week that it has put measures in place to protect its members and limit the spread of the virus.

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"The release of a few inmates would not solve the potential spread of COVID-19 in our facilities; it would only increase the risk for Canadians," the union says in a statement.

One inmate has also tested positive for the virus in a provincial jail in B.C.

Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union, said her members have concerns about the safety of themselves and the inmates.

She said the union, which represents about 1,700 guards in provincial jails, is doing a risk assessment and has called for a ban on the double bunking of inmates.

 With files from Bob Weber in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2020.
Dublin, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Flight Simulator Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Full Flight Simulator (FFS), Fixed Flight Training Devices (FTD)), by Application (Military & Defense, Civil), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global flight simulator market size is expected to reach USD 6.4 billion by 2027, expanding at a revenue-based CAGR of 4.2%. Increasing adoption of Full Flight Simulator (FFS) owing to high fidelity and reliability is expected to provide adequate growth prospects over the coming years. Customers also opt for fixed Flight Training Devices (FTDs) on account of their low operational costs, modular approach, real-time aerodynamic aviation model, and remote configuration and management. The industry is expected to witness moderate growth over the forecast period owing to the aforementioned factors.



The market is poised for growth owing to advances in aircraft simulation technology which is expected to change the pilot training. The need to effectively replicate real flying training with the usage of motion and visual systems has resulted in the introduction of sophisticated simulators in the flight simulators market. Increase in government spending and growing security concerns particularly in the military sector is anticipated to escalate product demand significantly. The rising concerns over pilot training cost along with fluctuating fuel prices may further drive the market over the next eight years.



The design of aircraft simulators is based on original cockpit of respective aircraft models. Companies like Lufthansa Aviation Training offer simulators with cockpit designs from aircraft manufacturers like Airbus S.A.S, Boeing, Bombardier, and Embraer. The company provides simulators with navigation trainer, which imparts practical instrument training by replicating different weather and environmental conditions. Technological advancements have significantly resulted in motion systems being converted from hydraulic to electric for improved fidelity and smoothness. Additionally, advancements such as the onset of advanced visual systems that offer more than 180-degree view in satellite quality of all important objects at the relevant airport is also anticipated to provide growth prospects in this industry.



Further key findings from the report suggest:

Story continues

The FFS product segment accounted for over 90% of the overall revenue in 2019 and is expected to witness a revenue-based CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. This growth is owing to features that provide motion, sound, visuals, and all other aircraft operations that create a realistic aviation training environment

The demand in civil application segment is primarily due to the rising air traffic coupled with the growing emphasis on the passenger as well as pilot safety. Governments in several countries have enforced strict regulations regarding the use and significance of simulation training

Europe accounted for more than 30% of the overall market share in 2019 and is expected to exhibit a modest growth over the next eight years on account of the elevating enforcement of regulations pertaining to pilot training and passenger safety

In Asia Pacific, the flight simulator market is estimated to exhibit a substantial growth over the forecast period in light of the growing aviation industry, resulting in the increasing demand for aircraft simulators. Middle East and Africa is also projected to showcase a substantial demand of over 5%, which is primarily be attributed to the presence of carriers including Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar that are investing heavily in this industry

Prominent industry players include CAE, Boeing, L-3 Link Simulation and Training, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, Thales and Saab. Industry participants emphasize on joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions in order to acquire greater financial, technical, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution expertise.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Methodology and Scope

1.1. Research Methodology

1.2. Research Scope and Assumptions

1.3. List of Data Sources



2. Executive Summary

2.1. Flight Simulator - Industry Snapshot & Key Buying Criteria, 2016 to 2025



3. Flight Simulator Industry Outlook

3.1. Market Segmentation

3.2. Market Size and Growth Prospects, 2016 & 2027

3.3. Value Chain Analysis

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Market driver analysis

3.4.2. Market restraint/challenge analysis

3.4.3. Market opportunity analysis

3.5. Key Opportunities Prioritized

3.6. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.6.1. Supplier Power

3.6.2. Buyer Power

3.6.3. Substitution Threat

3.6.4. Threat from new entrant

3.7. PESTEL Analysis

3.7.1. Political Landscape

3.7.2. Environmental Landscape

3.7.3. Social Landscape

3.7.4. Technology Landscape

3.8. Market Lineage outlook

3.8.1. Parent market outlook



4. Flight Simulator Market: Product Outlook

4.1. Flight Simulator Market Share by Product, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

4.2. Full Flight Simulator (FFS)

4.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

4.2.2. Market estimates and forecast by region, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

4.3. Fixed Flight Training Devices (FTD)

4.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

4.3.2. Market estimates and forecast by region, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)



5. Flight Simulator Market: Application Outlook

5.1. Flight Simulators Market Share by Product, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

5.2. Military & Defense

5.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

5.2.2. Market estimates and forecast by region, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

5.3. Civil

5.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

5.3.2. Market estimates and forecast by region, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)



6. Flight Simulator Market: Regional Outlook

6.1. Flight Simulator Market Share by Region, 2016 & 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2. North America

6.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.4. U.S.

6.2.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.4.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.4.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.5. Canada

6.2.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.5.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.5.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.6. Mexico

6.2.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.6.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.2.6.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3. Europe

6.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.4. U.K.

6.3.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.4.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.4.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.5. Germany

6.3.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.5.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.5.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.6. France

6.3.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.6.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.3.6.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4. Asia Pacific

6.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.4. China

6.4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.4.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.4.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.5. India

6.4.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.5.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.5.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.6. Japan

6.4.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.6.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.4.6.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5. South America

6.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5.4. Brazil

6.5.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5.4.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.5.4.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.6. Middle East & Africa

6.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.6.2. Market estimates and forecast by product, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)

6.6.3. Market estimates and forecast by application, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million) (Million Units)



7. Competitive Analysis

7.1. Company/Competition Categorization (Key Innovators, Market Leaders, Emerging Players)

7.2. Vendor Landscape

7.2.1. Key company market share analysis / key company rankings, 2018



8. Competitive Landscape



Companies Mentioned



Alenia Aeronautica

Boeing

CAE

Cassidian

DiSTI

Fidelity Technologies Corporation

HAVELSAN

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions

L-3 Link Simulation and Training

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Meggitt Training Systems

Rockwell Collins

SaaB

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc

Thales

VirTra Systems

ZedaSoft, Inc.



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Tesco was slammed today for handing out 900million in shareholder dividends despite securing a 585million tax break from the Government as its sales soared by almost a third because of coronavirus stockpiling.

The Government has been urged to rethink its taxpayer-funded 12-month business rates holiday for Britain's largest supermarkets, who will together save an estimated 3billion despite stores remaining open and record sales in March.

Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, today revealed its annual pre-tax profits hit 1.3billion and its investors will be paid a dividend of 9.15p per share, despite swathes of major firms suspending payouts in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

CEO Dave Lewis, who also refused to rule out bonuses pay rises for executives, said the dividends were 'reflective of last year's performance and the strength of the business', adding 'We have a strong balance sheet and we do not need surplus cash'.

Defending accepting the rates holiday he added: 'What the government has done is recognise there were going to be incredible additional costs to keep feeding the nation'.

Mr Lewis forecast the coronavirus crisis will cost them between 650million and 925million over the coming 12 months - but admitted higher sales and the tax break may help Tesco turn a profit.

Rushanara Ali, the Labour MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, slammed the retailer, describing Tesco's tax break as 'completely disproportionate'. The member of the Treasury select committee said: 'It's an absolute scandal that the government is providing this tax break to Tesco while millions of self-employed and freelance workers, even those who qualify, cannot get any money until June.'

Shoppers in face masks leave a Tesco in north London last month as sales rose 30% in a month because of stockpiling

Tesco's sales went up in March across the board - but were highest in London and Northern Ireland

Beans, tinned peas, loo roll, chopped tomatoes, pasta and handsoap were by far the biggest sellers - with some products sales figures up 363 per cent

Tesco's figures showed that a small proportion of people in London and the south-east stockpiled more than most

The largest sales spike was in the third week of March, up more than 30%, before it dropped when Boris Johnson started the lockdown

Joe Healey, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: 'In my opinion, this is a somewhat aggressive move by a company who has openly announced a significant uptick in costs associated with the pandemic, defying similar companies such as Morrisons which has deferred dividends in an effort to preserve cash'.

Tesco shareholders will receive 9.15p per share in its first shareholder dividend in five years, Mr Lewis said.

He added that stockpiling in recent weeks cleared its supply chain of certain items such as baked beans, chopped tomatoes, toilet roll and hand soap, with overall sales jumping by 30% in March alone - but would also would receive 585million worth of relief as part of the business rates holiday for the current financial year.

He said the dividend was to reward shareholders, both large and small, who rely on the income, for Tesco's performance in the year ended February 29, which pre-dated the crisis.

'Whilst we appreciate that this may not be the case for a number of sectors or industries where there may not be any choice but to suspend dividends and preserve cash we are in a strong position to pay out ... we believe that it is right to do so,' he said.

Britain's supermarkets have seen a surge in demand as shoppers have stocked up on essential goods such as toilet roll and pasta during a lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

Industry data last week showed UK grocery sales leapt more than a fifth to a record 10.8billion in the four weeks to March 22.

However, the crisis has come with higher costs, such as social distancing measures that restrict the number of shoppers in store at any one time, expanding online delivery operations, staff bonuses and hiring more employees.

Empty shelves in Tesco stores, including this one in Ongar, Essex, were a common scene last month with 10% of shoppers in the wealthy south-east buying 30% of all UK products in March

Tesco's delivery service, pictured at work in Surrey, cannot cope with shoppers urged to still head to stores to stock up

Sainsbury's is first supermarket to lift rationing measures by stopping three-item limit on thousands of products Sainsbury's is the first supermarket to lift buying limits on thousands of products as Britain's lockdown continues but essential items will still be rationed. Panic buying had placed supermarkets across the country under enormous pressure as Covid-19 spread across the country, with many supermarket websites crashing in the hours after Boris Johnson announced a lockdown two weeks ago. Sainsbury's put a cap on its products, limiting them to three-per-customer, with more sought after essentials such as toilet roll, tinned goods, bread and milk, being limited to two. Mike Coupe, CEO of the supermarket giant, wrote to customers today to say: 'You wrote to tell me that product limits were a barrier to being able to shop for other people. 'We understand that it can be difficult to buy what you need and shop for someone else with the 3 item product limit. We have now lifted buying restrictions on thousands of products and hope that this will help more of you to shop for others.' Advertisement

Tesco's wholesale business is also likely to have been hit hard by the closure of restaurant and cafe customers.

The company has recruited 45,000 more staff members in the past two weeks in a bid to cope with soaring demand.

Numerous workers have been appointed as drivers and pickers to help expand its delivery business.

Dave Lewis, chief executive of Tesco, stressed that ensuring deliveries can be made to the most vulnerable customers is a 'live issue', with the Government providing the supermarket with an initial list of 110,000 people to reach out to.

The retailer said it has increased its number of home delivery slots by around 20% to 805,000 a week, with plans to increase this further.

Mr Lewis said: 'On the shop-floor I've seen a greater amount of change in the last two weeks than for probably about the last 10 years.'

Tesco said no member of staff has been furloughed but 50,000 staff are currently absent on full pay.

Mr Lewis added: 'Covid-19 has shown how critical the food supply chain is to the UK and I'm very proud of the way Tesco, as indeed the whole UK food industry, has stepped forward.

'Initial panic-buying has subsided and service levels are returning to normal.

'There are significant extra costs in feeding the nation at the moment but these are partially offset by the UK business rates relief.

'Tesco is a business that rises to a challenge and this will be no different.'
Border Force officers have stopped migrants crossing the Channel for a fifth consecutive day as the MailOnline can reveal none of the 130 who have been brought into Dover this week have been tested for coronavirus.

It comes after 63 migrants crammed in four small boats were stopped on Tuesday, bringing the total number this week alone to more than 130 and this year to more than 630.

Latest figures show there have been more than 55,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, while 7,095 people have died.

But the MailOnline can confirm that none of the migrants stopped since the outbreak of coronavirus have been tested.

Instead, the Home Office says it will observe asylum seekers for symptoms of the virus and isolate those were necessary.

That is despite reports that some of those living in migrant camps in France have been infected with the deadly virus.

It comes as Border Force officers stopped 63 migrants in the Channel yesterday, a group of seven on Monday.

A total of 65 asylum seekers were also stopped over the weekend.

Migrants have today been stopped crossing the Channel to Britain for a fifth consecutive day. Pictured: Border Force officers bring migrants into the Ports of Dover on Wednesday

Border Force officers stopped 63 migrants crammed in four small boats on Tuesday, bringing the total number caught this week to more than 130. Pictured: Border Force officers bring migrants into the Ports of Dover on Wednesday

But rather than test asylum seekers, the Home Office say they will instead be examined by nurses and doctors for any symptoms of Covid-19.

How are migrants dealt with when they arrive in the UK? The Home Office say that when migrants are stopped in the Channel and brought into the UK they are first assessed to see if they have any medical need. Those who arrive in Dover are taken to a special intake unit near the Kent town, where officers make immigration checks on those claiming asylum. To be eligible for asylum, the person must have left their country and be unable to go back because of fear of persecution. Those who are likely to be eligible are moved into asylum accommodation, while those who are not, or are deemed a security risk, are moved to a detention centre, where immigration officers explore grounds for removing them from the UK. Advertisement

Any person showing symptoms will be isolated, including those in detention centres, where special isolation areas have been set up, the Home Office say.

A spokesperson said the policy is in line with guidance from Public Health England (PHE).

It has sparked Dover MP, Natalie Elphicke, to call for those attempting to enter the country illegally to be sent back to France or be put in an immediate 14 day quarantine.

Hundreds of refugees have made it to the UK in recent weeks, taking the total number to more than 630 this year.

On Tuesday, a group of 18 Iranian, Iraqi and Kuwaiti men were picked up in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).

Another RHIB carrying 13 men and two women - who presented themselves as Iraqi and Iranian nationals - also arrived around the same time.

At 5.15am a Border Force vessel intercepted an inflatable boat with 14 men who said they were Iranian and Iraqi.

An hour later another RHIB with 14 men and two women was picked up. The group said they were Yemeni, Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian.

On Monday, seven migrants from Sudan and Chad were taken in by a Border Force coastal patrol vessel at 4.55am.

They came after 53 refugees arrived on Saturday and a further 12 on Sunday.

The number of asylum seekers stopped today has not yet been released.

The Home Office said all of the migrants were taken to Dover.

A spokesperson said: 'All individuals were brought to Dover and, in line with established processes, will be assessed to establish whether there are any medical requirements. No issues reported.

'All will be transferred to immigration officials. They will be interviewed and their cases will be dealt with in line with the immigration rules, transferring to detention where appropriate.

The Home Office says asylum seekers will not be tested for coronavirus on arrival, and will instead be checked by nurses and doctors for any symptoms of Covid-19 and will be put into isolation if they are shown. Pictured: Border Force officers stopped four boats on Tuesday

A spokesperson said the procedure to monitor and isolate those showing coronavirus symptoms is in line with guidance from Public Health England (PHE). Pictured: Border Force officers attend to a migrant on Saturday

'In line with Public Health England guidance, Border Force and all operational staff have the relevant personal protective equipment available to them.'

Last week it emerged that at least three migrants in camps across Calais and Dunkirk - where around 1,500 are living in squalor - had been diagnosed with coronavirus, sparking fears the disease could be spreading like wildfire in the settlements.

Dover's Conservative MP, Natalie Elphicke, is one of those to raise concern.

She said: 'France's lockdown means people need permission just to walk the dog. So how come hundreds of migrants can still pile into small boats and illegally motor into Britain?

Dover's Conservative MP, Natalie Elphicke, is one of those to raise concern about the spread of coronavirus among migrant camps in France

'We know that the coronavirus has infected the French camps.

'The French have been paid tens of millions of pounds to stop these dangerous journeys being made - it's vital the Home Office make the French honour their obligations in order to stop the further spread of the virus into Britain.

'I have long said that anyone seeking to break into Britain should be immediately returned to France.'

She added: 'Given the public health risk, anyone arriving who is not returned must be immediately quarantined for 14 days to protect public health - and safeguard the Port of Dover's vital role in supplying the nation with food and medicines.'

Tony Eastaugh, Home Office director for crime and enforcement, said: 'These crossings are facilitated by criminals. We are doing everything in our power to bring them to justice and stop this illegal activity.

'We are working around the clock with the NCA and French law enforcement agencies to arrest and dismantle organised crime gangs. Since January 2019, 110 people smugglers have been convicted and imprisoned and over 155 people who arrived on small boats have been returned.

'And that's not all, there are now extra patrols on French beaches, drones, specialist vehicles and detection equipment to stop small boats leaving European shores.'
Government restrictions on churches meeting in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic likely would be upheld in court as long as they are temporary and dont target religion, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom said Tuesday during a webinar.

States certainly have the obligation  or the authority, at least  to protect the health and safety of their citizens, Ryan Tucker, senior counsel with ADF, said during a webinar that examined how religious organizations are responding to the pandemic.

ADF has received numerous phone calls in recent weeks from pastors and church officials asking if the government can close houses of worship, Tucker said.

We have to analyze each of those orders [and] look to see, is the church itself being targeted? Are these temporary restrictions? Are these being evenly applied? he said.

If the order is temporary and the closures are being evenly applied, then most often those restrictions, if challenged in court, will be upheld  at least during a national pandemic like this, Tucker said.

The power to close churches is not unlimited, he emphasized.

Tucker pointed to comments made by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who said houses of worship that violate the citys order to not meet in-person could be closed permanently. Such a statement, Tucker said, clearly is unconstitutional.

Tucker applauded Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, who opposed a countys order banning church gatherings larger than 10 people. The countys order didnt apply to other large gatherings, Hill noted. Tucker also questioned Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams state-at-home order, which is the longest of any states order in the nation and runs through June 10.

I recognize that some of [these orders] may be rescinded, they may be amended, he said. But  a two-week, temporary ban is certainly more palatable, if not more enforceable, than a two-month-and-beyond type restriction.

The shorter the restriction, the more likely it will withstand a challenge in court, Tucker said.

Photo courtesy: Tim Mossholder/Unsplash

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
A high-powered committee, headed by a Delhi High Court judge, has cautioned the authorities that any delay in releasing eligible convicts on 'emergency parole' to decongest jails to prevent the spread of coronavirus will make the entire effort futile.

The global pandemic, also called COVID-19, has infected 5,194 people in India and claimed 149 lives.

The Director General (Prisons) and Delhi government's Principal Secretary (Home) assured the chairperson of the committee on Tuesday that they would expedite the process of granting 'emergency parole' to the eligible convicts and the process would be completed within three days.

The committee, headed by Justice Hima Kohli, was constituted in March on the orders of the Supreme Court.

It has deliberated and resolved on various means of achieving social distancing including to quarantine fresh inmates, taking stock of effect of criterion earlier adopted, determining fresh category of prisoners who can be released on interim bail to check the spread of the virus in prisons.

According to the DG (Prisons), after adopting the criteria made earlier for release prisoners, the jail population has come down from 17,552 as on March 25 to 16,179 as on April 7. On complete implementation of the criteria, it would further come down to about 15,500.

The committee was further informed that in view of its March 28 directions, 686 orders were issued for release of convicts on parole and 650 have been released and 261 cases are under process.

The authorities said though orders have been issued with respect to 686 convicts for their release on 'emergency parole', some of them have not been released as they are unwilling and some are residents of Punjab, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

In the March 28 meeting held by the committee constituted by the Delhi government, it was resolved that the process of granting eight weeks parole to around 1,500 prisoners, under a newly incorporated provision in the prison rules, would be completed expeditiously.

However, as per the report submitted (on April 7), only 650 convicts have been released so far. Chairperson has cautioned DG (Prisons) and Principal Secretary (Home) that any delay in release of the eligible convicts on 'emergency parole' so as to complete the exercise of de-congestion of jail, will make the entire effort futile, as per the minutes of the meeting.

The decision by the committee was taken in a meeting held via video conferencing with officials of DG (Prisons), Delhi State Legal Services Authority and Home Department of the Delhi government.

The meeting was held pursuant to the March 23 direction of the apex court to every state to set up a high powered committee to take measures to reduce population of inmates in the over-crowded jails in the country by determining the category of prisoners to be released on parole and interim bail.

The minutes also recorded that the chairperson has expressed her deep disappointment and displeasure for the non-implementation of the resolutions adopted in the earlier meeting regarding remission of sentence to be granted to the convicts.

The panel was informed that none of the convicts were granted remission of sentence.

The authorities told the panel that necessary orders have been passed by the Delhi government in this regard and they will expedite the process to achieve the object for which the committee has been constituted.

The committee also expresses satisfaction over the steps and precautions taken by the jail authorities to prevent outbreak of COVID-19 in jail premises.

Some of the steps taken by the authorities include frequent cleaning and sanitisation of bathing area and kitchen area, maintaining social distancing and quarantine of new prisoners.

The panel noted that on the basis of criteria adopted earlier, as on date only about 1500 inmates/ convicts or undertrial prisoners have been released on parole or interim bail.

The panel further relaxed the criteria for considering releasing prisoners on interim bail, including preferably on basis of personal bond.

The committee directed the DSLSA official to gather information on steps taken by Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees towards implementation of directions passed by the apex court.

The panel was informed that after adopting the criteria laid down on April 7 meeting for releasing undertrials on interim bail, the number will further come down to 14,500 in a week's time.

The DG (Prisons) had earlier said that in the 16 jails in Delhi which have a total capacity of 10,026 prisoners, there are 17,440 inmates of which 14,355 are undertrial prisoners.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It was not unusual in ancient times for individuals to sell themselves into servitude -- as bondservants -- which was often described as a form of slavery. Usually this was due to excessive debt, but sometimes it was done simply to have a roof over ones head and food in ones belly. In other words, for millennia, in order to satisfy their most basic needs, human beings have often been willing to suffer under many a heavy yoke. As C.S. Lewis put it, A hungry man thinks about food, not freedom.

In todays Wuhan virus-driven hysteria, a corollary to Lewiss above quote would be, One living in a pandemic thinks about remaining healthy, not about freedom. Writing about the great issues of his day, Lewis wrote in 1940, Lord! How I loathe great issues Could one start a Stagnation Party -- which at General Elections would boast that during its term of office no event of the least importance had taken place?

Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute John G. West writes that, According to stepson David Gresham, Lewis was skeptical of politicians and not really interested in current events. His concern was not policy but principle; political problems of the day were interesting to him only insofar as they involved matters that endured.

Nevertheless, West adds that Lewis did indeed have a great deal to say about politics, writing about such things as crime, obscenity, capital punishment, communism, fascism, socialism, war, the welfare state, and so on. Lewiss political efforts resulted in enduring political standards for all time.

Nowhere is this clearer, West states, than in Lewiss writings on tyranny and morality. According to West, Lewis was particularly concerned with the tyranny that could result from the union of modern science and the modern state. With the Wuhan virus pandemic, we are currently living a lesson in this.

Lewis disputed the notion that we must exclusively rely on the counsel of scientists because only they have the answers to todays complicated problems. He did not dispute their knowledge, but he concluded that most of it was irrelevant. In Wests words, Political problems are preeminently moral problems, and scientists are not equipped to function as moralists. Lewis added that,

I dread specialists in power because they are specialists speaking outside their special subjects. Let scientists tell us about sciences. But government involves questions about the good for man, and justice, and what things are worth having at what price; and on these a scientific training gives a mans opinion no added value.

What such specialists in power often do is give a Big Government, which is already too willing to encroach on our lives, even more of a reason for doing so. This is especially true in times of crisis. Few things illustrate this better than our current crisis, the Wuhan virus pandemic. What things are worth having at what price is currently a question of great concern to Americans and all freedom-loving people the world over, and such a question should never be answered by relying only on the knowledge of scientists. Sadly, in such times many of us are far too eager to become what Lewis called in 1958 Willing Slaves of the Welfare State.

Typically, in order for any oligarchy effectively to rise and rule, it needs some extreme peril, something to cure, some desperate need that the rulers promise to fulfill. As Lewis asked, is this not the ideal opportunity for enslavement?

When a generation lives in fear or dread of some looming crisis or when a society is made to believe that someone else can provide the things that it cannot live without, is this not the opportunity for those who seek to rule over us to be seen as liberators rather than the tyrants that they are? Were not Stalin and Hitler first seen as saviors and deliverers?

Following two world wars and in the midst of a cold war, Lewis wrote that

The increasing complexity and precariousness of our economic life have forced Government to take over many spheres of activity once left to choice or chance Read Montaigne; thats the voice of a man with his legs under his own table, eating mutton and turnips raised on his own land. Who will talk like that when the State is everyones schoolmaster and employer?

To fix our problems (whether real or perceived) and to exert the power and influence necessary, todays ruling class often tells us that we must more and more rely on the experts, and also on their computer models. This means that the politicians must increasingly rely on the knowledge and advice of scientists, until, in the end, the politicians become merely the scientists puppets.

Thus, we get the motto of the technocrats: only science can save us now or science is the way out of our Wuhan virus crisis. Whether it is a global pandemic, global warming, stem-cell research, the beginning of life, healthcare, crime, homosexuality and marriage, or even gun control or economic policies, the technocrats claim to have the answers. After all, as Lewis also noted, If we are to be mothered, mother must know best.

In other words, in times of crisis, many of our politicians (and scientists alike) are surrendering themselves to scientism. Scientism is not science. It is an ideology that is often confused with science. It is, rather, an abuse of the scientific method and scientific authority.

In other words, scientism is a religion with many denominations: Darwinism, environmentalism, feminism, hedonism, humanism, Marxism, socialism, and so on. How many Americans now find their fulfillment and purpose in these movements? They celebrate Earth Day and Darwin Day. They boldly assert, Science is my Savior.

Also, scientism arrogantly attempts to lift itself above all other beliefs and disciplines -- philosophy and theology included. Thus, as we see, scientism seeks to elevate the methods of natural science to a level where it is the bar by which every other intellectual discipline is held. Scientism ridicules faith and religion and tells us that God is dead. Scientism tells us that the debate is over, so shut up and get in line.

And, of course, scientism leads us to technocracy. I dread government in the name of science, said Lewis. That is how tyrannies come in. What a profound conclusion! How many of us have been duped in the name of science? How many of us cower and yield -- or shelter at home -- because, well, if the scientists (and then the politicians) tell us to do so, then we must do so?

We have long seen the results: generations are taught that life began without God; that the use of fossil fuels is warming the earth; that homosexuality is genetic and unchangeable; that abortion is not really the taking of a life; that marriage is whatever we want it to be; that confiscating the wealth of some to give to others is fair; that guns are evil; and so on. Of course, we then get laws and official government policy based on such conclusions.

Sadly, too many of us then grow accustomed to our chains. We become children, or pupils of the State (like Julia). We continue to elect leaders who perpetuate the cycle of the Welfare State, based significantly on the lies of scientism. Its time for Americans to wake up to this perversion of science and return science, faith, philosophy, and by all means, common sense, to their proper place. This is especially true in times of crisis.

Trevor Grant Thomas

At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
Acclaimed south Indian actor Indrans, known for his comic roles, on Tuesday displayed his life skills to the inmates of Thiruvananthapurams central jail by making personal protective equipment such as a mask in nine minutes amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak across the country.

Indrans (64) rose to the occasion and unpacked his erstwhile professional skills --- he was a tailor before trying his hand as a comedian on the silver screen -- as he sought to train anyone who wants to make masks on a mass scale.

Anyone can make a mask. You dont need crowd medicine stores and exhaust their stocks, especially when the frontline workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic need them desperately. The need of the hour is some basic tailoring skills and only nine minutes of your time, he said.

He urged people to make masks with old thick clothes and avoid non-woven fabric. We can recycle some of our old clothes. Layers of clothes can be added to make a mask stronger, he added.

Indrans mask-making video has gone viral in social media after the Kerala Social Security Mission posted it online. In the video, Indrans is seen giving step-by-step instructions to make a mask, urging people to make it at home. He also gave tips on how to wear a mask.

Usually, people forget their roots after they attain superstardom. But youre an exception, wrote one of his fans, as Indrans has always been known for down-to-earth personality.

The actor, who won the best actors award at the South Asian International Films last year for his stellar performance in the Malayalam movie, Veyilmarangal, said that he would impart tailoring lessons to the needy. In 2018, he won the best actor award for his role in the Malayalam movie, Aalorukkam.

Indrans made his debut in films as a costume designer but later found his metier as a comedian. He has starred in over 500 films to date.

The inmates at all three central and district jails have been engaged in making masks. Over one lakh masks were handed over to the state government two days ago and the jail authorities are planning to ramp up the production of masks and hand sanitisers to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak.

Kerala has reported 336 Covid-19 positive cases and two deaths till Tuesday evening.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ramesh Babu Ramesh Babu is HTs bureau chief in Kerala, with about three decades of experience in journalism. ...view detail
The country's five retail banks have created dedicated phonelines to help cocooning customers during the Covid-19 crisis.

Older and vulnerable customers will be provided details on how to make payments over the phone and tips for keeping their money safe.
Gregory Bull/AP Photo

En espanol | Since it was converted from a San Clementeclass supertanker into an acute surgical medical facility in 1986, the USNS Mercy, part of the Navy's Military Sealift Command, has provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief around the world. More than 550,000 people have received care provided by it and its sister ship, USNS Comfort, since 2001. Today it is providing relief to Los Angeles hospitals strained by the number of patients infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.



''I couldn't be more proud of our crew for all the hard work they did to get us here and ready in such a short time,' said Navy Capt. John Rotruck, commanding officer of the USNS Mercy. 'Being able to accept our first patients is a true testament of the teamwork between Mercy, the Navy, the state of California, the county of Los Angeles, and the city and Port of L.A.''
Peter Webers time on The Bachelor was certainly memorable. And while he didnt find a fiancee by the end of his season, he almost did. Between Madison and Hannah Ann, Weber did get engaged to the latter but then cut it off after a month or so. With Madison, he saw an opening when she came back to LA to possibly rekindle their love. However, she didnt apologize to his family for Australia and refused to see him before the finale.

Madison Prewitt and Peter Weber on their final date in Australia in Part 1 of The Bachelor Season Finale. She broke up with Weber on this date | ABC/John Fleenor

Madisons behavior in Australia was absolutely the cause of all the Webers bad feelings toward her

While on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast on April 7, Weber told hosts Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin that the tension between Madison and his family started in Australia.

Weber explained that Hannah Ann set the bar really high because she was so genuine about her love for Weber; his family fell in love with her completely. But things were really tense between Madison and Weber when it came time for her to see his family. She almost didnt come to the previous rose ceremony because she found out Weber was intimate with Hannah Ann and Victoria in Fantasy Suites. She was saving herself for marriage and didnt know if she could be with him after that.

I can take that responsibility, but she was not in a good headspace at all, Weber explained. And the talks about being outside the house for three hours, having my parents wait, was 100 percent true. That was the case. Weber explained the three hours was due to him trying to convince Madison to meet with his parents and brother.

Theyd just flown halfway around the world. If I go in and say Madison just cant talk right now, like thats just not gonna be a good look, he shared. She still didnt want to talk to them, but eventually gave in. Its understandable that his mother was so annoyed with that fact, also considering they never received an apology.

I think [Madison] could have come out on stage and apologized, Weber said on the podcast about the live finale. A really quick apology to my parents about the last time she had seen them. Would have gone a long way.

Weber wanted to see Prewitt before the finale, but didnt

Many, including Lindsay and Kufrin, pointed out that it was weird that Weber and Madison didnt spend time together before the live finale. When they split up a couple of days later, this led many people to think it was all staged. Weber admits that he understands why people think that, but that wasnt the case. He said that they Facetimed prior to the finale, but does wish they had spent more time together.

Its kind of crazy but the first time her and I spent time alone off-camera was after the show ended, he said. And that was just like crazy for such a serious relationship, for that to have been the first time. But we really didnt know what we were gonna do [going into the finale].

When it comes to why they didnt have a face-to-face conversation prior to the finale, it was Madisons choice.

Im still confused why we didnt see each other before, Weber said. It was an option and I wanted to do it. And I remember her saying stuff like, Maybe we should just make this really authentic on stage and have that be the first time.

This was a big red flag for Lindsay and Kufrin. Both expressed that they were dying to see their fiances during their allotted couple weekends after they got engaged.

Lindsay was especially put off by Madisons comments about seeming more authentic in front of the cameras. Are you putting on a show, or are you trying to get to know each other? Thats where I have the conflict, Lindsay said.

In the end, Weber admitted his mom was right about him and Madison

For anyone wondering if Webers mother got in the way of him and Madison, or if theyre on speaking terms, everything is a-okay in the Weber household. He told Lindsay and Kufrin that because of that residual tension, and the fact that his mom didnt think she was right for Weber, Barbara got on the finale and said what she said. But Weber admits that it made him more proud of his mom and in the end, she was right.

The next two days with Madison and I, we had a lot of conversations and at the end of the day, at the end of that second day, we were just proving my mom right, Peter said. And Ive always heard that. Mom knows best. And theres a reason that sayings out there and I think they do.

Madison hasnt been as vocal about the split as Weber, but its safe to say that she still probably hasnt apologized to the Webers for Australia.
Photo credit: NASA, ESA and D. Jewitt

From Popular Mechanics

The interstellar comet, 2I Borisov, which was first discovered in August 2019 is showing signs that it may be breaking up.

A series of observations last month revealed outbursts of ice and dust and, eventually, a chipped cometary nucleus.

Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), which was expected to visible with binoculars later this month, has dimmed and may soon break up.

At the end of August 2019, an amateur astronomer named Gennadiy Borisov made a remarkable discovery. He'd spotted an interstellar comet zipping through our solar system. In December, that comet, newly named 2I/Borisov, made its closest approach to the sunperhaps its first close encounter with any star.

Astronomers have since used Earth's many telescopesboth terrestrial and orbitalto observe the comet. Last week, astronomers reported in a series of posts to the website Astronomer's Telegram that 2I/Borisov showed signs of breaking up. On March 28 and March 30, the Hubble Space Telescope snapped pictures of the interstellar comet and it seemed to have split apart, astronomers reported April 2 in a statement.

"Continuing Hubble Space Telescope images of interstellar object 2I/Borisov...show a distinct change in appearance," read the statement, composed by astronomers David Jewitt of UCLA, Max Mutchler of STSCI, Yoonyoung Kim of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Hal Weaver of John's Hopkin's University's Applied Physics Laboratory and Man-To Hui of the University of Hawaii.

So far, Jewitt tells Popular Mechanics, only a small fragmentmaybe about a tenth of a percent of the total masshas come off of the roughly 1,600-foot-wide body. One of the pieces, according to an Astronomer's Telegram update posted on April 6, has already disappeared.

"Instead, a diffuse, blob-like feature is visible in its place, extending from the remaining component," Qicheng Zhang of Caltech and Quanzhi Ye and Ludmilla Kolokolova of the University of Maryland reported. Ye tells Popular Mechanics that this blob is likely just bits of dust, ice, and rock which have spun off of the comet.

Story continues

In early March, astronomers recorded several outbursts, where the Comet Borisov shedded a bunch of materiala tell-tale sign that a break-up may be imminent. It takes a while for that heat to permeate through the comet, Jewitt says. Heat from the sun creeps into pockets of ice inside the comet. That ice vaporizes, forming pressure cooker-like conditions, and poof.

These outbursts may have spurred the fast-moving body to shed even more material. They might have another peculiar effect on the comet: they may cause it to speed up. More observations are needed to confirm Jewitt's hypothesis and measure the speed at which its spinning.

Another One Bites the Dust

Photo credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt U.C.L.A.

Borisov is just the second interstellar object to slide across our solar system. In 2017, astronomers discovered an elongated interstellar object they called 1I/Oumuamua. While both objects came from distant corners of the universe, 1I/Oumuamua looked and acted more like a lumpy rock. Comet Borisov, however, has all of the typical characteristics of a comet.

"We know it's spent a really long time out there in the interstellar medium at nearly absolute zero temperature," Jewitt says. "So the question is: Have either of those things affected it in some way and made it measurably different from the comets in our solar system?"

Astronomers hope that the splintering comet might spill secrets about its interstellar journey and the solar system from which it came. In October, a pre-print posted to the website ArXiv, reported that traces of water in the comet's tail. Astronomers have also spotted traces of cyanide in the comet's wake. Unfortunately, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, many Earth-based telescopes that would have otherwise made additional observations about its composition have been shuttered.

So far, it seems to behave in a very similar way to comets that originated much closer to home. "Borisov's behavior is remarkably similar to its solar system siblings," Ye says. "It has a similar composition to solar system comets; we know that solar system comets with similar characteristics are prone to fragment, and Borisov also did."

Fortunately, we've still got a bit of time with Borisov before it disappears from view completely. Ye estimates it will remain visible to ground-based telescopes for another year. Space telescopes like Hubble will likely be able to see the comet for even longer, perhaps a few years, before it slides out of sight.

We've already learned quite a bit about the nature of interstellar comets from 2I/Borisov, but it's taught us something about our own place in the universe, too. "In my opinion, it tells us that our solar system may not be that unique after all," Ye says. "There's something universal across the stars."

Headed for Splitsville



Photo credit: Quanzhi Ye (University of Maryland) and Qicheng Zhang (Caltech)/ Ningbo Education Xinjiang Telescope.

Additional observations made by Ye and his colleague Qicheng Zhang of Caltech using the Ningbo Education Xinjiang Telescope, show that Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) may be breaking up, too.

The comet was discovered on December 28, 2019, by a group of astronomers at Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii. Astronomers had high hopes for Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), which was expected to become bright enough to be seen with a decent pair of binoculars (or the naked eye, in dark sky areas) this month, but it might meet its demise before that's possible.

Dear fellow comet enthusiasts, we may have a bad news for you... https://t.co/AqJsAcG0YC pic.twitter.com/lgaY6nEE1V  Ye Quanzhi () (@Yeqzids) April 6, 2020

These images, taken this weekend "showed an elongated pseudo-nucleus measuring about 3 arcsec in length and aligned with the axis of the tail, a morphology consistent with a sudden decline or cessation of dust production, as would be expected from a major disruption of the nucleus," according to an Astronomer's Telegram update. Trarnslation: Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) may be headed for Splitsville.

The comet hasn't appeared as bright the past few nights, further suggesting a break-up might be on the horizon. But comets are unpredictable, and that's what makes them worth watching.

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Setting an example amid the crisis triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, 65 retired policemen, including the father of a Kargil martyr, are assisting Punjab's Rupnagar police in implementing the curfew restrictions.

Among them is a former deputy superintendent of police (DSP), 12 retired inspectors, 16 sub-inspectors (SI) and 21 assistant sub-inspectors (ASI).

They have been deputed at 16 check-points, Rupnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Swapan Sharma said.

Once a policeman always a policeman, the SSP said in a release while lauding their dedication, adding that their experience and capabilities will further enhance the ability to ensure effective policing.

The will to serve the nation remains as strong as ever in our hearts, says Kargil martyr Sarbjit Singh's father Pritam Singh, who is a retired head constable.

For us, the nation stands supreme. It is a new kind of threat that we are facing and I am happy to render any service which eases the burden of my brothers in khaki, he said.

For 74-years-old former inspector Gurmail Singh, it is an excellent opportunity to pick up from where he left in 2004.

It's our fortune that once again we got a chance to serve our society. We may not have the same agility but surely have the experience and will to defeat this pandemic, he said.

These are unprecedented times and we are willing to do our best to complement state efforts to mitigate this threat, said retired sub-inspector Daleep Singh.

Retired sub-inspector Naseeb Chand, who was injured in a crossfire during a counter-insurgency operation, is happy to be back in the line of duty.

Who else, if not us, will come down to relieve the huge burden that's fallen on our police force. I am proud to have served the Punjab Police and back to do my bit in current times in ensuring a tough fight against coronavirus, he said.

I will teach the new boys in the police force on how to deal with emergency situations and curfew enforcement," says the former sub-inspector Satvir Singh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump is moving aggressively to challenge the authority and independence of agency watchdogs overseeing his administration, including removing the inspector general tasked with overseeing the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package that passed US Congress with bipartisan support.

In four days, Trump has fired one inspector general tied to his impeachment, castigated another he felt was overly critical of the coronavirus response and sidelined a third meant to safeguard against wasteful spending of the coronavirus funds.

The actions have sent shock waves through the close-knit network of watchdog officials in government, creating open conflict between a president reflexively resistant to outside criticism and an oversight community tasked with rooting out fraud, misconduct and abuse.

The most recent act threatens to upend scrutiny of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue effort now under way, setting the stage for a major clash between Trump, government watchdogs and Democrats who are demanding oversight of the vast funds being pumped into the American economy.

Were seeing since Friday a wrecking ball across the IG community, said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group.

The latest broadside came on Tuesday when the Department of Defense revealed that Trump had removed acting inspector general Glenn Fine, an experienced official, from his role as head of a coronavirus spending oversight board. It was unclear who might replace Fine, who also lost his title as acting inspector general.





House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Fines abrupt removal part of a disturbing pattern of retaliation by the president against independent overseers. Trump, she said, is attempting to disregard critical oversight provisions that hold the administration accountable to the law.

Trump himself shed little light on the decision as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday evening, saying he does not know Fine, but had heard the name.

A day earlier, Trump had asserted without evidence that an inspector general report warning of shortages of coronavirus testing in hospitals was just wrong and skewed by political bias. The report surveyed more than 300 US hospitals.

Did I hear the word inspector general? Really? Trump said when pressed about the Health and Human Services watchdog report.

Give me the name of the inspector general, Trump demanded, before asking, Could politics be entered into that? The acting Health and Human Services inspector general, Christi A Grimm, is a career employee who took over the position earlier this year in an interim capacity.

Most dramatic of all was Fridays late-night firing of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who drew Trumps disdain for notifying Congress of an anonymous whistle-blower complaint on Ukraine. The complaint led to the presidents impeachment.

Trump defended the firing by complaining that Atkinson had never spoken with him about the complaint, even though Atkinsons job is to provide oversight independent of the White House.

The dismissal prompted a sharply worded statement from Justice Department watchdog Michael Horowitz, who chairs a council of agency inspectors general and who last month had announced Fines appointment to the pandemic oversight board.

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

Diverging from Trumps condemnation of Atkinson as terrible, Horowitz called Atkinsons handling of the whistle-blower complaint an example of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law.

And he pointedly noted that the inspector general community will continue to do its job, including oversight of the more than $2 trillion in coronavirus aid.

The role of the modern-day inspector general dates to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Though inspectors general are presidential appointees, some, like Horowitz, serve presidents of both parties. All are expected to be nonpartisan.

Over the years, inspectors general have exposed grave problems through their investigations and humbled, or even embarrassed, agency leaders and presidential administrations.

Mondays Health and Human Services report that angered the president chronicled long waits for coronavirus test results and supply shortages at hospitals across the country.

Horowitz, meanwhile has identified significant flaws in the FBIs surveillance during the Russia investigation. Trump has praised Horowitzs findings even as he has attacked his credibility for not finding evidence of political bias in the Russia probe, pejoratively describing him last December as an Obama appointee.

Former Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich said Trump perceives inspector general offices to have a uniquely threatening function within the executive branch, which is to provide independent oversight of governmental functions.

Its just something that doesnt compute for him, Bromwich added. He understands the value of loyalty. He doesnt understand the value of independence because that can conflict with loyalty.

Even before this week, Democrats and good-government advocates feared that Trump was using the coronavirus rescue package to reward loyalty. He generated consternation by selecting Brian Miller, who works in the White House counsels office, to a new Treasury Department position overseeing $500bn in coronavirus aid to industry.

Why didnt the I.G., who spent 8 years with the Obama Administration (Did she Report on the failed H1N1 Swine Flu debacle where 17,000 people died?), want to talk to the Admirals, Generals, V.P. & others in charge, before doing her report. Another Fake Dossier!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2020

Miller has worked at the Justice Department and was inspector general for nearly a decade at the General Services Administration, which oversees thousands of federal contracts. Though he is respected in the oversight community, Millers role in the White House counsels office is troubling, watchdog groups said.

Democratic legislators had already questioned whether someone who worked for the president could be independent, concerns that were accelerated by Fines replacement.

The president now has engaged in a series of actions designed to neuter any kind of oversight of his actions and that of the administration during a time of national crisis, when trillions of dollars are being allocated to help the American people, California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, who led the impeachment trial against Trump, told The Associated Press news agency.

But Trump has made clear his willingness to flout that system, perhaps foreshadowing the chaos of the last week.

As legislators were in the final stages of drafting what became the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package, he declared: Ill be the oversight. And even when he signed it, he attached a statement that says some of the oversight provisions in the law raise constitutional concerns and may not be followed.
A spokesman for Davis-Monthan said he had not heard about A-10s at the base being affected.

Decisions on the potential divestiture of U.S. Air Force aircraft happen at levels higher than Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment on possible programming plans, said Capt. Elias J. Small.

When the budget proposal was released, state lawmakers said they would fight to ensure A-10s at Davis-Monthan wouldnt take the hit. A-10 pilots are trained and deployed at Davis-Monthan, which had 83 of the aircraft in its fleet as of Tuesday, according to D-M.

U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., a retired Air Force colonel who flew the A-10 in combat, said in February that she met with Air Force officials and told them point-blank that I would not allow their plan to mothball 44 A-10s starting in October to happen.

Requests for comment from McSallys office on the latest threat to D-M were not immediately returned Monday.

This is not the first time the Air Force has targeted the A-10, a 1970s-era, heavily armed and heavily armored jet that is particularly known for its ability to support ground troops at low altitudes.
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Linkedin Jan Strupczewski (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium  Wed, April 8, 2020 13:46 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd091b90 2 Business EU,European-Union,finance-minister,economic-impact,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,global-crisis Free

European Union finance ministers failed to agree in all-night talks on more support for their coronavirus-hit economies and their chairman said on Wednesday morning he was suspending the discussions until Thursday.

Diplomatic sources and officials said a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached to euro zone credit for governments fighting the pandemic was blocking progress on half a trillion euros worth of aid.

"After 16 hours of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Eurogroup chairman Mario Centeno said on Wednesday morning. "I suspended the Eurogroup and [we will] continue tomorrow."

The finance ministers, who started talks at 1430 GMT on Tuesday that lasted all night with numerous breaks, resumptions and bilateral negotiations, are trying to agree a package of measures to help governments, companies and individuals.

They had hoped to agree on a half-trillion-euro program to cushion the economic slump and finance recovery from the pandemic, and turn a page on divisions over how far to go that have marred relations as the bloc struggles with the outbreak.

But divisions emerged prominently again, one diplomatic source said: "The Italians want a reference to debt mutualization as a possible recovery instrument to be analyzed more in the future. The Dutch say 'no'."

Issuing joint debt has been a key battle line between economically ailing southern countries like Spain and Italy and the fiscally frugal north, led by Germany and the Netherlands, since the financial and euro zone crises began over a decade ago.

If they do agree, the combined pan-EU and national government responses could add up to the biggest fiscal support program in the world, surpassing that of the United States, Reuters calculations showed.
In what can be seen as a movement towards extension of the ongoing shutdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told all the floor leaders of various parties in the Parliament that the kind of response and suggestions he has received does not indicate that the lockdown should be lifted, said sources.

The Prime Minister is also slated to meet the Chief Ministers of all the states and Union Territories on April 11, through video conference, where a final decision on the issue is slated to be made. This will be the third such conference with the CMs.

In the last such meeting, the PM talked about a common exit plan and asked all CMs to form a task force who will give suggestions. On April 11, all Chief Ministers will be back with the suggestions their task force have given them.

Meanwhile, more CMs have been cautioning PM Modi against an abrupt lifting of the shutdown. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao earlier made a strong case for the extension of the ongoing lockdown. He also cited reports of the Boston Consulting Group survey, which asked for ruthless measures like extension of the lockdown till June.

A day after, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had called for phased withdrawal, if necessary.

When PM Modi told mostly opposition floor leaders on Wednesday that the suggestions he received were against lifting the shutdown, he was citing suggestions from KCR and Gehlot - both of whom are from non-NDA parties.

The Centre on Tuesday also held a Group of Ministers meeting at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence which did not take any decision on ending the shutdown. The biggest question in front of the government was weighing in two options -- loss of livelihood versus loss of life. But increasingly, it seems the argument of KCR that "economy can be rebuilt but lives can't be brought back" resonates with the government.

There is a strong buzz that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may address the nation, once again, on April 11 or 12, after a consensus on the future of shutdown is reached during the CMs conference.

India is on a 21 day nationwide total shutdown that ends on April 14. The unusual move was taken to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. As of Wednesday afternoon, India has 4,643 active COVID-19 cases while 149 died due to the illness.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on Kenyans to strictly adhere to protocols set out by the Ministry of health so as to stem the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The President said measures so far taken by the Government are aimed at ensuring citizens continue with their lives in the wake of the fast spreading infectious disease.

You are the doctor of your life. Please adhere to the protocols set out by the Ministry of Health to protect yourself and your loved ones. Prevention is better than cure, the President said when he spoke during a live radio interview with three local FM radio stations-Kameme, Inooro and Coro.

President Kenyatta underscored regular washing of hands with soap, wearing of masks and social distancing as some of the key protocols that Kenyans need to follow strictly in order to limit the spread of the respiratory illness.

This disease is an unseen enemy and one cannot tell who has it or not, therefore it is for our own good that we change our lifestyle. We have to avoid shaking hands and social gatherings.

I know it is not in our culture not to shake hands while greeting but please because of this dangerous disease we have to change. It doesnt mean one doesnt love you when they fail to shake hands but rather they are protecting you from this pandemic, the President said.

The President, who spoke on a wide range of measures taken by his Government to ensure that Kenyans continue with their lives said, total lockdown of the country is the last option on the table noting that if all Kenyans follow the guidelines and measures put in place so far, then the country would not need to go that route.

We understand our people better. We know that a majority of Kenyans depend on daily activities to earn their livelihoods therefore we dont need to lockdown the country as long as we can strictly adhere to the measures already in place, he said.

On the measures taken Monday by the Government to stop movement of people into and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, the President said it was necessary to do so as to cut out the spread to the rest of the country. He said Nairobi, having the highest infections in the country, had become the epicentre of the virus in Kenya.

In the interview conducted by journalists Gatonye Mbugua (Kameme FM), Jeff Kuria (Innoro FM) and Karanja wa Kamau (Coro FM), the Head of State said the containment measure was taken ahead of the Easter holiday so as to protect Kenyans especially the elderly living in rural areas from catching the virus from their visiting relatives.

We know that majority of our old people live in rural areas and according to studies, this disease affects the old people more than those who are young hence we have to protect our grandparents from this disease and the only way out is to stop movement this festive season, the President explained.

He observed that with the trends observed in other countries especially in Europe and more specifically Italy where majority of the deaths recorded were those of elderly people, there is need for the country to take measures aimed at protecting senior citizens.

We need to learn from others even as we continue bracing ourselves for any eventuality, the President said adding that the National Government is working very closely with County Governments to ensure there is enough water and other necessities needed to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Head of State said he had held meetings with all stakeholders to ensure that the country minimizes on job loses and cushions the most vulnerable in the society in the period of the current Coronavirus pandemic.

He said it is for this reason that he directed the National Treasury to utilize the Shs 2 billion recovered from corruption to scale up interventions against the pandemic and to support the most vulnerable members of society especially in urban areas.

The President said an additional Shs 10 billion had been set aside to assist the elderly, orphans and other vulnerable populations through cash-transfers by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, to cushion them from the adverse economic effects of the Coronavirus outbreak.

I know there have been challenges where some elderly people have not been accessing these funds. I have been engaging government officials involved to streamline the systems to ensure our elderly people in all parts of the country are able to access these funds so as to cushion them, the President said.

The Head of State commended property owners who have come out to support measures taken by the Government by waiving and/or reducing monthly rent to lessen the cost burden on Kenyans during this difficult period.

I highly appreciate what some of our property owners are doing. Indeed we need to work and understand each other.

If someone has for years been your tenant and has never failed to pay rent its only logical that you reciprocate at this difficult time. This is a time for compassion and understanding, President Kenyatta said.

He reiterated his directive to the newly formed Nairobi Metropolitan Service, to not only continue providing water services to all but expand the same to all informal settlements.

This pandemic requires us to stick to the highest hygiene standards hence, I have asked the Nairobi Metropolitan service to ensure all residents of Nairobi access clean water. They should stop water vendors from selling this commodity.

I have also requested the Kenya Power and Lighting Company not to disconnect power to those who are unable to pay but rather understand the situation we are in, the President said.

Once again, the Head of State said the measures taken by the Government are in no way intended to oppress Kenyans but rather protect them from Coronavirus.

He said Kenyans who have valid reasons such as doctors appointments in Nairobi or other places will be facilitated to do so if it is absolutely necessary.

The President concluded by calling on religious leaders to continue praying for the country saying Kenya and the world need divine intervention to tame the spread of the respiratory disease.
The kingdom has been mired in Yemens war for more than five years after intervening to defeat an Iranian-allied rebel group known as the Houthis. But as the rebels have been able to retain control of Yemens capital and other parts of the country, the Saudis have intensified their efforts to extricate themselves from a conflict that has spawned one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has said that it has found three positive cases for Covid-19 within its contractors employees.

In a notice, Alba said that all precautionary measures have been taken to ensure safety of everyone who had come in contact with the infected cases.

In line with our commitment to ensure a safe and responsible work environment for our employees and contractors, we would like to update you that three infected cases were found within Alba contractors employees, the notice said.

The three infected contractors are now under quarantine and all people who have been in contact with them have been contacted to take the necessary precautions as instructed by the Ministry of Healths Coronoavirus Combat Team.

Meanwhile, a representative from the company told the GDN, our sister publication last night that all safety precautions have been implemented to ensure the health of the workforce.

The safety of our employees and contractor employees is always our main concern, said the representative.

The three contractor employees fell sick and informed their supervisors and we immediately called 444 and informed the authorities. According to instructions from authorities we then isolated anyone who dealt with them, the representative said.

Our operations are running smoothly and we are extremely transparent and it is part of our civil and social responsibility to help contain the virus. - TradeArabia News Service
Former Ecuadorian President Convicted on Corruption Charges, Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison

Sputnik News

17:54 GMT 07.04.2020(updated 18:20 GMT 07.04.2020)

Ecuadorian Attorney General Inigo Salvador pressed aggravated bribery charges against 24 people, including former President Rafael Correa, his vice president, and several ministers last November as part of an investigation into illegal donations to Correa's political party.

Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and ex-Vice President Jorge Glas have been sentenced to eight years in prison and have lost their political rights for 25 years, The New York Times reported.

They have been both convicted on corruption and bribery charges, according to reports.

Correa has already reacted to the news, saying on his Twitter page that it's a "nightmare" and "everything is bulls**t". He also expressed concern for his colleagues.

"Well, this was what they were looking for: managing justice to achieve what they could never do at the ballot box. I'm fine. I am concerned about my colleagues. Surely we will win internationally, because everything is bulls**t, but it takes years. It depends on your vote that this nightmare ends", he said.

Ecuador's Attorney General Inigo Salvador said last November that a complex corruption scheme had been created at the level of the president, vice president, and government ministers to manage bribes received from businesses in exchange for state contracts.

The amount of damage to the state inflicted by the corruption from 2012 to 2016 exceeds $7 million, Salvador said, demanding triple compensation.

According to the investigation, the corruption scheme used secret codes, multiple bank accounts, cash transactions, and other methods to conceal the identities of those involved in the affair. In addition, illegal funds intended for electoral activities were not declared to a supervisory watchdog.

Ex-President Correa and his supporters consider the case against him to be politically motivated.

 Sputnik

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Personal growth and job skills have taken a backseat to an increased focus on standardized test scores in schools across the nation, according to new University at Buffalo-led research.

The study, which analyzed the educational goals of principals at thousands of public, private and charter schools over two decades, found the shift in priorities is most pronounced in public schools.

The change in educational goals can be traced to the rise in test-based school accountability policies in the 1990s, which culminated with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 that mandated statewide testing in the United States, according to the research.

"The balanced development of both academic and soft skills is crucial, not only for well-rounded child development in schools, but also for career and life success," says Jaekyung Lee, PhD, lead researcher and professor of learning and instruction in the UB Graduate School of Education.

"Increasing concerns about poor student performance in the United States led states to adopt high-stakes testing policies," says Lee. "However, working under the constraints of limited resources, complex power dynamics and externally imposed policies, school principals are often faced with challenges in prioritizing educational goals. Forced to focus narrowly on academic skills measured by state tests, other equally important goals were deprioritized."

The study, published in March in Educational Administration Quarterly, is one of few studies to examine the influence of education policies on school principals' priorities, rather than on student achievement or teacher practices. A school leader's perception of educational goals guides, directs and motivates the daily operations and performance of school members, says Lee.

Using data from the Schools and Staffing Survey, the researchers compared the national trends of educational goal priorities between public and private schools from 1991-2012.

The surveys asked principals to choose their top three priorities among the following goals: basic literary and numerical skills, academic excellence, personal growth, job skills, work habits and discipline, human relations, moral values, and multicultural awareness.

Academic excellence experienced a significant rise in ranking among public school principals, with 83% choosing it as one of three top priorities in 2012, up from 60% in 1991. The percentage who selected development of basic literacy and numeracy skills also rose, increasing from 76% to 85%.

The shift, however, came at the expense of personal growth (self-esteem and self-awareness), which in 1991 was chosen by 62% of public school principals but only by 32% in 2012. The importance of job skills also declined, with the percentage of principals rating it as one of three top priorities falling from 13% to 9%.

Private school principals experienced a similar but less drastic shift in priorities. The results, says Lee, reflect the influence of educational policy discourse and media reports on private schools which, unlike public schools, are less exposed to government regulations on curriculum standards.

The study's findings about the NCLB policy impact on narrowing educational goals resonate with Lee's previous studies, including a recent report published by the Rockefeller Institute of Government that called for renewed education policy actions to improve children's socioemotional skills and well-being.

"School leaders can and should play an important role in envisioning and realizing educational goals," says Lee. "Principals need to develop strategies to accomplish the whole educational mission, encompassing academic, socioemotional, moral, multicultural and vocational learning to meet the diverse needs of their students as well as the larger society."

###

Moosung Lee, PhD, Centenary Professor of education at the University of Canberra in Australia, co-authored the study with Jaekyung Lee.
In late March, New Jersey released nearly 1,000 incarcerated people to stem the spread of COVID-19. New York released nearly 1,000 people in March, as well. The reasons varied: some were deemed low risk, near the end of their tenure in prison, locked up for low-level offenses, or for violation of their probation. Other states are basing their releases on whether the folk are sick or elderly, and are considered compassionate releases.

There is no reason we are not doing the same thing  but the governor must make it clear that this is a priority. Releasing people is not just for the safety of incarcerated people  it is essential to protect correctional officers, their families and community health care facilities that would be overwhelmed by an outbreak in prison. As of this writing, 16 COs have the disease, along with eight incarcerated people.

A recent CT Mirror article contains a quote from the executive director of the Board of Pardons and Parole indicating that they are continuing with business as usual. Unfortunately, in a time of statewide crisis, business as usual is simply not an appropriate way to resolve the inevitable disaster that would be COVID-19 sweeping through the prison system. The board will not act unilaterally if they dont feel that Governor Lamont has their back. To date though, the governor has shown little willingness to address this problem.

While incarcerated folk are getting two free calls a week during the progression of this pandemic  not nearly enough, but better than nothing  there is more we must do. Some estimates peg the peak caseload for COVID-19 around the second week of April. Other estimates have the peak closer to the end of April and going into May. Yet some show a long, drawn-out scenario where we are dealing with this well into June. A lot depends on how well we are social distancing, which is intimately tied to the ways that the administration addresses the incarcerated population.

The decision to release people in response to COVID-19 is complex. If someone is released early, that puts the governors office in the crosshairs if the person re-offends. It is important to highlight that while this may be a salient political calculation, it is also unlikely given who we ought to be releasing  low-level offenders. We also need to be aware that when folk are released, they need a home to go back to, a social support system to integrate with, and food on the table. Not everyone will have that, and simply dropping people off on the New Haven Green is not going to be a solution. If the governors office were to publicly state that they were working on a holistic strategy to de-densify the prison system, we could rest easier. To date, it has not.

On April 3, the ACLU sued the state of Connecticut to force the release of some incarcerated people. The organization essentially stated that allowing individuals to languish through disease is an additional penalty the courts did not impose. I agree and support their efforts. I further support the efforts of Stop Solitary CT who has called on the governor to support thoughtful prison de-densification, rather than across the board lockdowns.

Let the governors office know that there is no time to wait. We are already behind the curve, and risk mediation is the best we can hope for. Request that they work to keep all in our communities safe.

Josh Elliott represents the 88th District in the state House of Representatives, which includes Hamden.
Hes my therapist, April 4

There was I time when it seemed politicians worked together, even though they wore different party colours. Over the last several years, it seems that there has been a path set by our leaders where whatever one says, the other will say the opposite. The dark cloud of COVID-19 has taken the sting out of partisan politics and brought forth, not only a sense of urgency, but a level of co-operation and working for the greater good I, and probably most Canadians, have not seen in this lifetime. The pictures of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ontario Premier Doug Ford on the front page of the Toronto Star Insight section as colleagues, not adversaries, brings a much-needed moral boost to Canadians when the landscape is changing daily. It brings hope that, once this storm has passed us, we can look forward to our elected representatives  pulling together to benefit and unite Canadians, not playing the divide-and-conquer games we have been accustomed to  up until a month ago.
Domestic violence is believed to be on the rise as shelter-in-place orders are keeping nearly everyone home to combat the spread of COVID-19, according to Bay Area law enforcement and advocates for survivors and victims.

Feeling stressed and frustrated is to be expected during the pandemic, and prolonged proximity to partners or children at home all day can additionally fray nerves. But experts say the shelter-in-place orders have created a dangerous confluence of factors that can provoke perpetrators, increase the level of abuse and violence in the home, and make it harder for victims and survivors to get help.

Kathy Black, executive director of La Casa de las Madres, which operates one shelter and supports women at two single-room occupancy hotels in San Francisco, said the problem of victims being isolated or cut off from friends, family and the community  a common tactic of abusers  has grown over the course of the shelter in place, which went into effect on March 16 for most of the Bay Area.

The shelter-in-place order plays into a very common battering tactic, which is to isolate victims from family, friends, co-workers, other resources, said Black, whose organization also has a hotline for abused women and children. This is like an ideal situation for abusers, a perfect storm.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said the victim-services division in his office saw calls seeking referrals for domestic violence victims soar by 60% in the first week of the citys stay-at-home order. The calls dropped by 30% the next week and rose slightly the third week.

Were looking more closely at the numbers, Boudin said, but its consistent with what were hearing from advocates, that victims or survivors are afraid to call. We are convinced actual incidents are on the rise.

At Berkeleys Womens Daytime Drop-in Center, domestic violence victims usually gather on weekdays for hot meals, conversation, classes and other support, but the center has been closed during the public health shutdown. That hasnt stopped the phone from ringing off the hook, though, said Leslie Berkler, the groups executive director.

I would say our calls have tripled since shelter in place, Berkler said. In the last two weeks, weve had at least 15 calls that are new clients reporting domestic violence.

For now, much of the evidence is anecdotal. While the largest law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area havent reported an increase in the number of domestic violence calls, workers at agencies that help domestic violence victims say theyre hearing people say its gotten tougher to call, text and leave the house.

On Sunday, the United Nations urged action to prevent domestic violence.

I urge all governments to put womens safety first as they respond to the pandemic, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter.

Abusers have used the coronavirus crisis and stay-at-home order to frighten their victims into staying put, Black said. Victims are often told theyll get infected if they go out and threatened about coming back, or theyre told theyll be arrested for being out in public when theyre supposed to be at home.

More Information Domestic violence hotlines The following numbers will connect callers with local hotlines for domestic violence: San Francisco: Casa de last Madres: 877-503-1850 (adults), 877-923-0700 (teens), or text line 415-200-3575. San Jose: Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence: 408-279-2962. Alameda County: Family Violence Law Center: 800-947-8301. Marin County: Center for Domestic Peace: 415-924-6616. Local hotlines also can be found at www.domesticshelters.org. Victims can also reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233, 1-800-787-3224 (TTY), or text "LOVEIS" to 22522. See More Collapse

Our message has to be that when you weigh the risk, if youre in imminent danger of physical harm from your abuser or breaking shelter in place, break shelter in place, Black said. Nobody is going to be left out in the street. We will find you a place in a shelter.

Boudin said the San Francisco district attorneys office has helped secure 20 furnished apartments for domestic violence victims, including those with children, during the COVID-19 crisis. He said his office also is working with Mayor London Breed to obtain access to more temporary housing.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that reports of domestic violence to the department actually declined from the first two weeks of March to the following two weeks  from 179 to 121  but he was aware of reports from agencies that incidents of abuse might be up.

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.

We hear from some of the groups, the advocacy groups, that they had an increase in calls, Scott said. We know from the science of human behavior that stress and anxiety as well as frustration can trigger violent behavior.

The chief said he knows many crimes go unreported, and he urged victims of domestic violence to call the police, adding that each report would be investigated.

Gov. Gavin Newsom touched on domestic violence during his daily briefing Tuesday by advising Californians to be extra mindful of their stress levels as the stay-at-home order enters its fourth week.

Staying at home doesnt mean youre alone, Newsom said. As a state, were here to support you.

Despite the ongoing stay-at-home order, nearly all shelters and places that help domestic violence victims remain open, though many people who need these resources assume otherwise, Black said.

Were here, she said. Were in crisis-operations mode here, but were working. Victims or survivors should call us.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of domestic violence shelters La Casa de las Madres operates in San Francisco.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com
By Gleb Stolyarov, Michelle Nichols, Reuters | Apr. 08, 2020

Russia's main home-grown passenger plane, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, will be used by the United Nations for its peacekeeping missions after a contract was signed last month, according to Rosaviatsiya, Russia's federal air transport agency.

The aircraft, which entered service in 2011 and was the first passenger jet built in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, has had a troubled history despite the state pouring billions of dollars into its development. Last year, a Superjet crash-landed in Moscow, killing 41 people.

U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Nick Birnback said: "We are currently finalising several contracts for stand-by, short term air transport services that could be used in support of our field operations -- including peacekeeping."

Earlier this year, two sources told Reuters that there had been no confirmed orders for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 beyond a long-standing deal with state carrier Aeroflot.

"In March 2020, the first U.N. contract was received for using Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes to provide services for U.N. peacekeeping missions," Rosaviatsiya said in a statement.

The deal was closed by Russian regional carrier Yakutia Airlines, a Rosaviatsiya representative told Reuters.

Yakutia Airlines, based in the Siberian city of Yakutsk, around 4,880 km (3,030 miles) east of Moscow, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Russian helicopters, provided by UTair, are already used by the United Nations.

Asked about the Superjet contract, a spokesman for the United Nations said it uses a number of different vendors for its aviation needs. "Many of these contracts are for a standby capability that may or may not be required based on operational considerations," the spokesman said.
A worker wearing a protective suit disinfects the interior of a passenger train after it was converted into an isolation facility amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the outskirts of Kolkata, India on April 6, 2020 (Reuters)

Several real estate builders have decided to provide quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients. They have offered unoccupied residential units in their projects to municipal authorities to be utilised for the purpose.

While the intent is noble, legal experts say that there may be some challenges because, legally, most of these projects may not have an occupancy or completion certificate.

What this means is that, while the projects may have water and power supply, they may not necessarily have documents to prove that the buildings are safe for habitation.

Even though the quarantine centre would be a temporary facility, some developers may also have to deal with the problem of project perception and may find it difficult to liquidate inventory later as buyers may desist from purchasing a property that has been used as an isolation facility during the pandemic, say some experts. Lets find out if this is true.

This week, Naredco UP offered 500-bed space to the district administration to fight against COVID-19. While Supertech has offered a 400-bed space, Antriksh group has offered a 100-bed space for quarantine facilities.

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

COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates

Supertech has offered 400-bed space at Upcountry project located along the Yamuna Expressway and reserved one exclusive tower for the purpose, said R K Arora, Naredco UP president and chairman of Supertech Group.

This dedicated block has a separate entry and exit. Other blocks in the area are currently under construction. All facilities including water, power and the lift is currently available. The completion process is on and we are trying to meet the requirements of the district administration. They will first check if it is fit for the purpose. Also, there may be a possibility that the project is granted a temporary occupation certificate for the project to be used as a quarantine facility, he told Moneycontrol.

He denied that there would be any impact on the valuation of the project.

Antriksh group has offered a 100-bed space at any of its three projects where residents have not moved in as yet. We currently have three to four projects where residents have not yet moved in. We may give an entire block either in our Noida Extension or our project located in Sector 150, said Rakesh Yadav of Antriksh Group, adding that basic facilities such as water and electricity were provided for.

In Gujarat, Savvy Group (See picture) has offered 250 units in one of its vacant projects to the local administration to be utilized as an isolation or a quarantine centre to be used for COVID-19 patients.

We have offered 250 units in one of our vacant projects in Ahmedabad to the local authority to be utilized as a quarantine centre for COVID-19 patients. These are 1 BHK units that can be used to accommodate around 500 beds. They are in the process of getting completed. We may get a temporary completion certificate for the project, Jaxay Shah, chairman Credai and managing director of Savvy Group told Moneycontrol.

Housing complex converted to quarantine centres must be managed by health experts

Medical experts that Moneycontrol spoke to said that as long as these quarantine centres are located away from habitation and have a separate entry and exit, they cannot pose a threat.

We have tried creating a quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients in Jhajjar. The facility has been fenced and has a separate entrance. The important thing for the facility is to have a dedicated entrance  there cannot be a common entrance for COVID patients and other residents, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director - AIIMS, told Moneycontrol.

He recommends that ideally such facilities should be managed by a health/medical service provider. The developer may provide the physical infrastructure but the quarantine facility should be run by a health service group, he said.

Legal experts explain that as per the provisions under most legislations, both at the central and state levels, no individual shall be allowed to occupy any building or an apartment sans receiving a completion certificate and occupancy certificate from the competent authority.

If one were to strictly go by what the law lays down, there may be a compliance issue and safety risks subject to the grant of completion certificate with regard to these vacant, under-construction projects being converted into quarantine centres, says Rahul Arora, Partner - Trilegal.

Coronavirus testing centres near you

Having said that, this is an unprecedented time and the Epidemic Act and the National Disaster Management Act are already in place. Pursuant to invocation of these legislations by the respective governments, several authorities have been granted special powers to take such measures, including capacity-building, during the course of the pandemic for its prevention and/or mitigation as they may deem necessary, he explains.

The National Centre for Disease and Control in India has brought out a list of guidelines https://ncdc.gov.in/WriteReadData/l892s/90542653311584546120.pdf that are required to be followed for converting spaces such as stadiums or for that matter vacant housing units into quarantine centres, keeping in regard the stage of completion of such buildings or facilities prior to occupancy.

Some of the requirements for a quarantine facility in a community-based facility as laid down by NCDC state that the centre should preferably be located in the outskirts of the urban/city area. These could include unused hostels, health facilities or buildings which are away from crowded and populated areas.

These buildings should have access to a tertiary hospital facility having critical care and isolation facilities. It should also be well ventilated. The road to the quarantine centre should also be wide enough to accommodate two vehicles at any given time to facilitate free movement of ambulances.

Some real estate experts Moneycontrol spoke to said that valuation of these apartment blocks that may have to be converted to quarantine centres may not be impacted as these facilities are only temporary in nature.

Once the patients have recovered and move out of the facility or for that matter once the pandemic is over, the authorities would sanitise the entire place before returning the units to the concerned developers.

It is unlikely to impact sales or the value of the units. At present, there may be a reluctance to buy property in that project and it may impact sale of units in the short term. However, it is unlikely to impact pricing of these units in the long term. It is highly unlikely that these units would remain unsold or would be sold at a lower rate, said Ritesh Mehta, senior director and head - West India, Residential, Jones Lang Lasalle India.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
Korean Air has suspended most of its flights on international routes as an increasing number of countries close their borders or take further measures against incoming passengers. Courtesy of Korean Air



South Korean airlines, one of the hardest-hit industries by the outbreak of the new coronavirus, are taking unprecedented measures, such as unpaid leave, job cuts and asset sales, to overcome the COVID-19-triggered crisis, industry sources said Wednesday.



Korean Air Lines Co., the country's biggest airline, said Tuesday it will have 7 out of 10 workers take paid leave for six months beginning April 16 as part of the company's self-help efforts.



In other self-rescue plans announced last month, Korean Air said executives' salaries will be reduced by up to 50 percent beginning in April and the wage cut will continue until the business is back on track.



The company said it will make stepped-up efforts to raise funds by selling more assets on top of parent firm Hanjin KAL Corp.'s previously announced sale of low-profit, non-core assets.



Korean Air has suspended most of its flights on international routes as an increasing number of countries close their borders or take further measures against incoming passengers. It reduced flights by 18 percent during the 1998 Asian financial crisis.



"This clearly shows how serious the coronavirus-caused impact on the airline industry is. A prolonged virus outbreak would threaten the survival of the company," Korean Air President Woo Kee-hong said in a message to employees last month.



Korean Air's net losses widened to 624.87 billion won (US$529 million) last year from 185.65 billion won a year earlier due to a weak won and lower demand.



Other airlines are also desperate to survive this unprecedented crisis caused by a deadly respiratory illness.



Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest airline after Korean Air, on Tuesday increased the limit on its credit line with two state lenders by 300 billion won (US$245 million) to 1.1 trillion won to pay maturing debts and secure operating capital.



In its self-help plans released last month, Asiana said it will have all of its 10,500 employees take unpaid leave for 15 days in April and executives return 60 percent of their wages.



Asiana entered an emergency management system in February, and in March, CEO Han Chang-soo did not receive a penny and other executives returned 50 percent of their wages.



For the whole of 2019, Asiana's net losses widened to 672.6 billion won from 96.2 billion won a year earlier.



Among the country's seven low-cost carriers, Eastar Jet Co. on Monday came up with a plan to cut 20 percent of its 1,680 workers and to return 10 out of 23 B737-800 aircraft to leasing companies.



The move comes after the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) rejected Eastar Jet's request for a fresh loan due to a lack of collateral and the carrier's low credit ratings.



As Eastar Jet's planes will be grounded from March 24 through April 25, it may end up in bankruptcy if Jeju Air Co.'s planned acquisition of the financially troubled budget carrier takes time to obtain government approval and Jeju Air fails to inject cash into Eastar Jet at the right time.



Last month, the country's leading budget carrier Jeju Air signed a deal to acquire a 51.17 percent stake in Eastar Jet from Eastar Holdings for 54.5 billion won in its expansion strategy.



South Korea's anti-trust regulator has yet to approve the integration of the two budget carriers.



Things are not different for five other budget carriers  Jin Air Co., Air Busan Co., Air Seoul Inc. T'way Air Co. and Fly Gangwon. They have also suspended most of their flights.



The airlines are expected to report poor earnings results for the January-March period. They will suffer an earnings shock for the first half of 2020 if the virus prolongs.



Air Seoul has posted net losses since its establishment in 2015, and Air Busan shifted to a net loss last year after posting a net profit from 2010-2018. The two firms are budget carrier units of Asiana.



Last month, the government announced it will inject 300 billion won into low-cost carriers.



The budget carriers have asked for a financial package and tax breaks as quickly as possible. Korean Air and Asiana have also demanded an emergency financial package from the government.



In a letter sent last month to President Moon Jae-in, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked his government to urgently extend direct financial support, loan guarantees by the government, support for corporate bond issuance and tax relief for airlines.



"The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the viability of the global air transport system as never before in history," IATA said in the letter, noting the current industry crisis is much worse and more widespread than the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or the 2008 global financial crisis.



IATA estimated the Korean air transport industry's contribution to the economy reaches US$47.6 billion, supporting 838,000 jobs and accounting for 3.4 percent of the gross domestic product in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.



COVID-19 could result in a 22 percent drop in passenger volume and a $4.4 billion loss in passenger base revenue for the Korean air transport market this year. It could also lead to the loss of about 160,000 jobs and $9 billion in GDP, IATA said. (Yonhap)


[April 08, 2020] Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company Announces Flamengo Esports, Its League of Legends Team, Returns to Play in CBLoL Brazil

Boca Raton, Florida, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company ( OTCQB:WINR ) (Simplicity Esports), an owner and manager of multiple esports teams, host of online tournaments, and franchisor of esports gaming centers, announces its return to league play, as the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLoL Brazil) resumes on April 10, 2020. Riot Games announced that the league schedule resumes this weekend and will continue with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matches for the next three weeks, to offset the recent league shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jed Kaplan, CEO of Simplicity Esports, stated, We applaud Riots plan of action as they protect players through social distancing by moving matches away from the live studio venue. We look forward to further engaging with our amazing Flamengo Esports fans, as our team competes online from the Flamengo Esports gaming house in Sao Paolo. Simplicity Esports is committed to the long-term success of Flamengo Esports and intends to achieve proitability by the start of the next split in May. Long-term sustainability is essential as we pursue ownership of a franchise spot in CBLoL in the coming months.



About Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company: Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (WINR) is an established brand within the esports industry, competing and streaming in popular games across different genres, including Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, and various EA Sports titles. Additionally, Simplicity Esports operates as a franchisor of Esports Gaming Centers that provide the public an opportunity to experience and enjoy gaming and esports in a social setting, regardless of skill or experience.

Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, and EA Sports are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Simplicity Esports control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Simplicity Esports Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 29, 2019, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Simplicity Esports filings with the SEC are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov . Simplicity Esports undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. Simplicity Esports Contact:

Roman Franklin

President

[email protected]

561-819-8586

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An industry-wide assistance and relief package for retail tenants that are hardest hit by the 21-day lockdown currently in effect in South Africa has been launched by the newly formed Property Industry Group. The initiative, which focuses principally on supporting affected SMMEs, will also provide relief and assistance to all other retail tenants and will be rolled out by landlords nationally.

Supporting large retailers

Rental discounts

Finding workable solutions

Stimulus packages for extended lockdown

The group, made up of the SA REIT Association (SA REIT), SA Property Owners Association (SAPOA) and SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC), has been coordinating its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and specifically the economic effects of the lockdown. It collectively speaks for the commercial real estate sector in SA, which includes the countrys large property owners.Although its primary focus is on SMMEs across all sectors, the group has also included providing support to large retailers affected by the lockdown. The initiative targets preserving jobs  for retailers, their suppliers and service providers. To qualify for the relief benefits, retail tenants will need to undertake not to retrench staff during the relief period.Significantly, the package stipulates that all tenants whose accounts were in good standing at 29 February 2020, can be assured that there will not be any evictions for the next two months.In addition, retailers prevented from trading in compliance with South Africas government-mandated lockdown (non-essential services), and in good standing at the end of February 2020, are offered some form of assistance from landlords. The extent of that relief depends on the severity of impact.For April and May 2020, retail landlords will offer relief in the form of rental discounts where rental will be waived partially or fully and interest-free rental deferments where the deferred rental will be recovered later over six to nine months from 1 July 2020 onwards. Rental includes rent, operating costs and parking rental, but excludes all rates and taxes recoveries and utility cost recoveries, as well as insurance, which all tenants will be required to pay in full for April and May 2020.Each landlord can use their discretion in the relief and assistance that they give a retail tenant, but the property industry package stipulates the minimum that qualifying retailers can expect.Landlords will, on a case-by-case basis, also consider providing relief for office, industrial and hospitality tenants where the lockdown severely impacted the tenant and where it is justified. These tenants will negotiate relief terms directly with their landlords.Weve seen retailers reverting to legal positions, but we dont believe that litigation provides either side with timeous solutions needed to get through this unprecedented time. We need to stand together and find workable solutions that will benefit the country, protect jobs, and sustain our businesses through this challenging time. We believe what we are offering is balanced and addresses some of the key issues on both sides. It is an equitable way to protect both industries and, very importantly, looks after the drivers of employment creation - the SMMEs, says Estienne de Klerk, spokesperson for The Property Industry Group and chairman of the SA REIT Association.This assistance package comes at a massive cost to the property industry, which faces its own dire set of challenges. But it is necessary for those that need assistance to get it, and for the small retailers that need it the most to get the support they need. Now is the time for bigger and stronger companies to step up and form a buffer to protect smaller retailers as a collective so that we can all come out of this stronger, says De Klerk.The package assumes that SAs lockdown doesnt extend beyond 21-days. If this isnt the case, it is critical for stimulus packages such as those provided by the government, banking sector and Solidarity Fund to kick in to weather this storm, says De Klerk. The property industry package allocates less support to retailers that have insurance cover or receive relief from other sources in order to focus benefits on retail tenants that dont qualify for other assistance.It is important that business, labour, government, banks and other investors take decisions that dont jeopardise the country as an investment destination in the future when dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe our approach provides a level of certainty in the sector and protects an important part of the economy at a time when we most need that, and our options are quite limited, says De Klerk.
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A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you.

1. Verification and registrar choice

After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files.

In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days.

BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars:



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Prince Charles just gave royal watchers a rare look at his Birkhall estate. The Prince of Wales is still recovering from the coronavirus and a recent video revealed all of the photos he has on display inside his home office. Among the images that have caught the attention of royal watchers is a shot of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle when the Duchess of Sussex was still an active member of the monarchy.

Prince Charles | Chris Jackson  WPA Pool /Getty Images

Prince Charles carries out remote engagement

Charles is the first member of the royal family to carry out a royal engagement remotely. Last week, Charles took part in the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital via a video conference from his Birkhall estate.

Everyone in the U.K. is under lockdown to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, and Prince Charles praised frontline workers at the facility for their continued work.

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 organizations which have donated equipment and services, and all the support staff, who have made this possible, Charles shared.

According to Hello Magazine, the Prince of Wales went on to thank all of the staffers who are currently working at the hospital. He also expressed hope that the pandemic would soon be under control, allowing people to get back to their normal routines.

Most of the senior members of the royal family are currently staying out of the spotlight and are practicing social distancing. Charles is the only royal who has tested positive for the coronavirus, though several high-ranking government officials have contracted the virus.

Clarence House gives an update on Charles health

A few weeks ago, Clarence House confirmed that Charles has COVID-19. Officials do not know how Charles contracted the virus, though his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, thankfully tested negative.

Last Week, Clarence House revealed that Prince Charles only had mild symptoms and was on the mend. While he is now out of self-isolation, Charles will likely remain in Scotland until the pandemic is under control.

Following the announcement, Charles took to social media to update everyone on his health. Although he described getting the coronavirus as a strange, frustrating and often distressing experience, Charles appeared upbeat and in good spirits.

While it is great to see Charles back in action, royal watchers were quick to notice the slew of family photos on display inside of his Birkhall office.

Charles displays a gorgeous photo of the Cambridges and Sussexes

During Prince Charles video conference for the opening of the hospital, a series of photos were on full display behind the Prince of Wales. One image that immediately drew attention was a pic of Prince Louis christening, which royal photographers captured in the spring of 2018.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, are featured alongside their respective husbands, Prince Harry and Prince William. Everyone in the photo looked happy as they posed inside Clarence House in celebration of the event.

Meghan and Harry, of course, are currently living in Los Angeles and are no longer active members of the royal family. The couples exit was made official on March 31.

From this point on, the Sussexes will no longer use their royal titles and will be seeking to become financially independent of the crown. Sources also claim that they are looking to buy a home in Malibu, which will serve as their base of operations in North America.

What other photos were in Prince Charles office?

Apart from the Kate and Meghan photo, Charles had one image of his grandson, Prince George. The photo looks like the one that was snapped in 2015 for Earth Hour, which showed Charles holding his grandson in a loving embrace.

Other pictures featured in the video include one of Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, when they tied the knot in 2009. There is also a photo of Princess Anne when she was a child, and a shot of Harry and William celebrating his 70th birthday.

Lastly, there is a photo of Camillas children posing alongside their respective partners.

Prince Charles has not revealed how long he will remain at Birkhall, but hopefully well get to see more of the estate in the coming weeks.
An image of the squad of 4 Para Special Forces Commandos being deployed on what turned out to be their final mission, in Kupwara, Kashmir. They eliminated five terrorists, at times fighting hand to hand, before making the supreme sacrifice for the Nation.

An image of a group of 4 Para Special Forces Commandos being deployed on what turned out to be their final mission, in Kupwara, Kashmir shows that while millions of Indians are sitting at home due to COVID coronavirus, our brave soldiers are still defending our borders and making supreme sacrifice for the nation.

In the photo, the group of Special Forces commandos can be seen jumping off a helicopter in the mountains of Kupwara. The image was captured at 12:45 pm on April 4.

One of the soldiers can be seen standing waist deep in snow while the others jump off from the helicopter.

It is to be noted that 4 Para is the same unit which participated in the surgical strikes of 2016. On April 5, all five commandos were martyred but not before they killed four heavily armed and highly trained terrorists. It is learnt that the special commandos elimiated the Pakistani terrorists in a gunfight at point blank range.

The soldiers who never returned to their bases after the operation were part of at least two squads of Special Forces commandos who were tasked to elimiate the terrorists.

It is learnt that the encounter which took place on April 5 was one of most brutal encounters in Kashmir in the recent past. The mortal remains of commandos were found very close to the terrorists they eliminated, suggesting that they had also fought the terrorists hand to hand.

Living up to its war cry of "Balidaan Parma Dharam" (sacrifice is an ultimate duty), the unit was sent on the mission after reports came in about possible infiltration by a group of terrorists in the Keran sector of Kupwara district.

Soldiers who got martyred are Subedar Sanjeev Kumar, Havaldar Davendra Singh, Sepoy Bal Krishan, Sepoy Amit Kumar, Sepoy Chhatrapal Singh.
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COVID-19: Indian Americans US pharma firm donates 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Apr 08: An Indian American-owned pharma firm has pledged to donate 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to some of the key Covid-19 battleground states, including New York and Louisiana, joining the war against the dreaded coronavirus which by Tuesday had taken lives of more than 12,800 people in the US alone.

Owned by philanthropic billionaire Chirag and Chintu Patel, New Jersey-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which is one of the largest US-based manufacturers, has also announced ramping up production of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate at several of its manufacturing sites and expects to produce approximately 20 million tablets between now and mid-April.

Those tablets will be made available nationwide through Amneal's existing retail and wholesale customers, as well as through direct sales to larger institutions in need, the company said.

COVID-19 diplomacy: Why sharing hydroxychloroquine is essential for India

Amneal has donated two million tablets of 200mg Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate to New York, and one million to Texas to be used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. It is ready to provide more as needed. It is also donating and providing products directly to hospitals across the country, the company said.

Amneal has also announced donation of 400,000 Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to Louisiana.

"All of us at Amneal are committed to supporting our communities in the global fight against Covid-19," said Chirag and Chintu Patel, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Amneal.

"We are working with urgency to assist the hardest hit states and hospitals around the country to benefit as many patients as possible during this critical time," they said in a joint statement, issued by the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Fake News Buster

"It is important we all work together to help solve the Covid-19coronavirus crisis. We must come together as Louisianans and as Americans. This donation from Amneal demonstrates their strong effort to be a good corporate citizen in our nation," Landry said.

Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate was first synthesized in 1946 and is in a class of medications historically used to treat and prevent malaria.

According to Louisiana State Government, Amneal's Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, childhood arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. Hydroxychloroquine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of COVID-19; but it has been identified as a possible treatment for it, and the US government has requested its immediate availability.

"This is a crucial time in the global fight against Covid-19," Chirag and Chintu Patel said in a company press release.

They stopped it for a reason: Trump hails Indias position on hydroxychloroquine

"With an existing supply of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate and our ability to quickly accelerate production, we are humbled to be able to assist the hardest hit states and hospitals around the country to benefit as many patients as possible," the two brothers said.

Landry said that Amneal's donation is one step toward trying to find treatments and cures for this epidemic.

"Right now, there are no silver bullets. We must remain vigilant against the spread of this virus," he said.

The Louisiana State University School of Medicine is working to launch two different clinical trials using hydroxychloroquine in relation to Covid-19.

One trial will utilize Hydroxychloroquine on those who have significant Covid-19disease. The other trial protocol will use and test the drug as a preventative measure for those healthcare workers on the front lines battling the epidemic.

Trials will be conducted at the University Medical Center in New Orleans and at the LSU Medical School locations in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, a media release said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 11:42 [IST]
Washington: In what seems to be a major U-turn, US president Donald Trump on Tuesday praised New Delhi for allowing the sale of Hydroxycloroquine, a key anti-malaria drug that is being used to Covid-19, The Economic Times reported.

Trump's statement comes just a day after he threatened to retaliate against India for banning the export of the drug. In a telephonic interview with Fox News, he was quoted by ET as saying, I bought millions of doses. More than 29 million. I spoke to PM Modi, a lot of it comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was Great. He was really good. You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India. But there is a lot of good things coming from that."

Trump and Prime Minister Modi had spoken over the phone last week. During the call, Trump had requested Modi to lift the hold on the American order of hydroxychloroquine, of which India is the major producer.

Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York. Anticipating that it will work, given initial positive results, Trump has bought more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine for potential treatment of COVID-19 patients.

India on Tuesday allowed the export of hydroxychloroquine to the US, which has emerged as the global hotspot of Covid-19.

By Tuesday night, nearly four lakh Americans tested positive for the novel coronavirus and the fatalities was more than 12,850. During the interview, Trump described hydroxychloroquine as a powerful malaria drug. The drug is being tested on hundreds of coronavirus patients in New York.

But there are a lot of good things coming from that, Trump said.

Lot of people are looking at it and saying, you know I don't hear bad stories, I hear good stories. And I don't hear anything where it is causing death, said the US President.

Hydroxychloroquine, an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria, is seen as a viable therapeutic solution by President Trump to coronavirus.

Last week Trump said he has sought help from Prime Minister Modi to allow the sale of hydroxychloroquine tablets ordered by the US to treat the growing number of coronavirus patients in his country, hours after India banned the export of the anti-malarial drug.

India has received similar requests from several other countries including its immediate neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal. India has said that it is reviewing its export ban order.

Notably, India's decision to ban the exports of hydroxychloroquine is driven by its desire to take stock of the domestic requirements and ensure that the country has enough of the drug.

"I would be surprised if he would, you know, because India does very well with the United States," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Monday.

Trump and Modi enjoy a personal friendship as reflected in the president joining the prime minister at the "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston last September.

This February, Trump made a rare India-specific solo trip to Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

India on Monday agreed to lift the ban on export of hydroxychloroquine to the US. Three Gujarat-based companies would export these tablets to the US, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday.

India manufactures 70 per cent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine, according to Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary-general Sudarshan Jain.

The country has a production capacity of 40 tonnes of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) every month, implying 20 crore tablets of 200 mg each. And since the drug is also used to auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, manufacturers have good production capacities that can also be ramped up.
GLEN CARBON  As more information is coming available to the public surrounding the coronavirus, some healthcare professionals desire specific guidelines and policies to be distributed to those on the front lines.

It is total chaos and confusion, Dr. Jim Hong said. Hong, a doctoral graduate of Stony Brook University, has been a family physician in Glen Carbon since 2006. As a private practice, I dont have anyone telling me what to do. Ive spent these last two weeks struggling to figure it out.

As of last week, Hong has had three patients who have tested positive for COVID-19  all three live in St. Clair County.

My initial reaction is to send them to the E.R., but I cant, he said.

State and county officials have asked that anyone who believes they may have COVID-19 contact their primary care doctor or an emergency care facility, in addition to staying self-quarantined at home. However, Hong believes different measures should be put into practice.

I do not recommend sending them to their primary, he said. These cases need special treatment with proper gowns and a negative pressure room.

He explained that having the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is expensive for a primary doctor to have and being able to afford a negative pressure room is not feasible.

As far as testing requirements, Hong explained how the standard has changed. He explained that he had talked to a representative at St. Clair Countys Health Department trying to get a patient tested.

At first it was just for those who traveled out of the country or to a hot spot, he explained. It took over a day of arguing for her to finally get tested, she came back positive.

He said the patient showed signs and claimed to have come in contact with someone who was positive.

They said that wasnt enough, Hong said.

According to a spokesperson for the St. Clair County Health Department, Brenda Fedak, there are two primary ways a patient can be tested.

Persons who are part of a cluster of two or more possible or confirmed COVID-19 cases in a vulnerable population such as residential congregate setting that served more vulnerable populations such as an assisted living facility, group home, homeless shelter or correctional settings, she explained in an email. Or, hospitalized patients with unexplained pneumonia.

Hong said that he was able to get his patient in for testing at the Memorial Belleville Hospital in Belleville. The hospital is a member of BJC HealthCare in St. Clair County and has slightly different testing guidelines.

For outpatients, patients with fever and respiratory symptoms who fall into a high-risk category will be referred for testing, infectious disease specialist at Washington University School of Medicine and BJC HealthCare, Dr. Sena Sayood explained. High-risk categories include the elderly (age above 65), immune-compromised patients, patients with chronic lung disease, and patients with cancer who are actively undergoing treatment among others. Currently, patients who are mildly ill and do not fall into a high-risk category will not routinely be referred for testing, but will be required to self-isolate.

Sayood said the mainstay of treatment for COVID-19 is supportive care.

The majority of infections will be self-limited, she said. But if patients find their symptoms to be worsening as they can in a minority of cases, they should contact their primary care providers for further guidance on whether or when to present to an emergency department. For patients who are sent home, isolation is crucial.

Sayood also said that daily check-ups are also conducted to watch their temperature and to make sure symptoms do not worsen; Hong said such follow up did occur with one of his positive patients.

Overall, Hong feels practices are highly uncoordinated.

It makes no sense to me, he said. Why should they have to come to me if they are sick and will go to the hospital anyway?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising patients to contact their primary doctor first is to help lessen foot traffic in hospitals, but Dr. Hong says it creates more unneeded traffic in his own practice.

More than 60 percent of calls are people asking about this and what to do, he said.

Hong feels the hospitals have more information then primary care doctors about the health crisis. He said his role has been to call the hospitals and county health officials to ask for advice and then relay that information to his patient.

We need to have more policy than we do about this, Hong said. It is what it is, theres no sugar coating it, we had a terrible response for this and we were caught way off guard.

Sayood said multiple briefings are held daily to keep the groups task force teams updated with any new information. Fedak did not comment about if the St. Clair County Health Department holds daily meetings.
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/2020 Getty Images

The Broadway League has confirmed what seemed all but inevitable when theaters first shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic: The closure will last a lot longer than one month. Originally, the League, a consortium of theater owners and producers, said when theaters first closed on March 12 that shows would return on April 13. Now, the League has formally extended the suspension of all performances until June 7, promising refunds to those holding tickets for performances before then. Our top priority continues to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatregoers and the thousands of people who work in the theatre industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers, and many other dedicated professionals, Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement. Broadway will always be at the very heart of the Big Apple, and we join with artists, theatre professionals, and fans in looking forward to the time when we can once again experience live theatre together.

In an interview with the New York Times, St. Martin acknowledges that the suspension could well last beyond June, considering the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. The Times cites estimates that the shutdown on Broadway houses, which by definition seat 500 or more people, could last until July or past Labor Day. Still, St. Martin said that she is hopeful restrictions will be lifted by the date in June. If theyre not, we will continue to monitor government restrictions and will advise ticket holders as soon as we know what those restrictions are, she said.

The shutdown has already drastically affected the theater industry, both closing Broadway productions before they could open this spring (Hangmen and Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and gutting the economics of many smaller theater companies. Four Broadway shows produced by larger nonprofit organizations  Lincoln Center Theaters Flying Over Sunset, Roundabouts Caroline, or Change and Birthday Candles, and Manhattan Theater Companys How I Learned to Drive  have all announced plans to shift their performances into the 20202021 season, though no dates have been confirmed.

One immediate result of this longer suspension: Beetlejuice, which was already being forced out of its theater on June 7 to make way for The Music Man, will also close early. Its producers are still behind a national tour for Beetlejuice in 2021 and are looking for ways to relocate the musical to another Broadway theater, according to a rep for the show, but that all depends on more certainty around the industry reopening. To that end, the fate of the Tony Awards, the Broadway industry celebration, also remains up in the air, with plans to reschedule and air the ceremony when it is safe to do so.
British Prime Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care and he was "stable" and "in good spirits" while receiving treatment for coronavirus, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

Johnson, 55, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the St Thomas' Hospital here on Sunday "for close monitoring" after his condition worsened.

The Prime Minister is "comfortable, he's stable, he's in good spirits", Edward Argar, serving as the minister of state for health, told the BBC on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister's office also suggested the first review into whether the coronavirus lockdown could be eased would not go ahead as planned on Monday next week, the report said.

Asked on BBC Breakfast when the measures might be lifted, Argar said the scientific evidence "isn't yet there to allow us to make us a decision".

"We have to be over that peak before we can think about making changes," he said, adding: "It's too early to say when we will reach that peak."



A ban on public gatherings of more than two people and the closure of shops selling non-essential goods were among the series of restrictions announced by Johnson on March 23 to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

He had said a relaxation of the rules would be considered in three weeks, which would be on April 13.

But on Tuesday, Downing Street suggested that the review would not go ahead on the scheduled date and would instead take place after the three-week mark.

On Wednesday, health minister Argar said: "We need to start seeing the numbers coming down and that's when you're in the negative.

"That's when you have a sense when that's sustained over a period of time, that you can see it coming out of that. We're not there yet and I don't exactly know when we will be."



He urged people to stay at home "however lovely the weather this Easter weekend".

"If we are, as the statistics appear to show, making a little bit of progress, now's the time to hold to it," he said.

His comments came as the number of coronavirus hospital deaths in the UK rose to 6,159 on Tuesday - a record increase of 786 in a day, the Department of Health and Social Care said, compared with 439 on Monday.

The country also had over 55,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Johnson, said on Tuesday he was "confident" Johnson would recover from this illness, describing him as a "fighter".

Raab said Johnson was receiving standard oxygen treatment and was breathing without any assistance, such as mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.

The prime minister was originally admitted to St Thomas' on Sunday, on the advice of his doctor, after continuing to display symptoms of cough and high temperature 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

Raab said the prime minister was being monitored closely in critical care.

"And I'm confident he'll pull through, because if there's one thing I know about this prime minister, he's a fighter. And he'll be back at the helm, leading us through this crisis in short order," Raab added.

The Queen and other senior royals sent messages to Johnson's family and his pregnant fiancee, Carrie Symonds, saying they were thinking of them, and wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
People wearing masks and gloves wait to checkout at Walmart on April 03, 2020 in Uniondale, New York. Al Bello | Getty Images

As more Americans are forced to stay at home and practice social distancing, the income and internet divide is becoming clear in new ways for those who rely on food-assistance programs. And their ranks are likely to skyrocket due to the sharp rise in unemployment during this coronavirus-led economic downturn. While many adults can access groceries and food-delivery services, food stamp recipients are limited in these options. Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as advocates for low-income Americans, are questioning why most states still lack a critical internet-based service for food delivery when the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program, has piloted an online program for years. SNAP is available to households that meet income requirements related to the U.S. federal poverty line (about $28,000 for a family of three) and have less than $2,250 in cash or a bank account. Shawna Hinson is one of at least 35 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits. As a disabled, severely immunocompromised leukemia survivor, Hinson tries to avoid direct contact with people to reduce her risk of exposure. She is also a single parent to three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. When Hinson finished online grocery shopping from Hy-Vee, she went as far as the checkout page before realizing they do not accept food stamps as a method of payment. Only one grocery delivery service in her area accepts that form of payment online, but they require a $50 minimum purchase and have higher prices for essential groceries (USDA says SNAP benefits cannot be used to cover delivery fees specifically). "I've called Hy-Vee, and they said that if it was a matter of just a click of a button, that they would change it, but they don't make the rules," Hinson said. "They said that the reason why they can't do it that way is because EBT requires a pin, and credit and debit does not." The SNAP program, which once used paper-based coupons, has transitioned to an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card. The pin is required for the SNAP online program, and third-party payments processors are able to complete transactions for retailers already up and running in the pilot.

Low-income Americans lack political power

Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a national nonprofit organization focused on hunger and nutrition, is pushing for a seamless way for everyone to get and use their benefits digitally. "The fact that this hasn't occurred for most low-income people has nothing to do with the technology and everything to do with the fact that they have less political power," Berg said. Since Hinson could not use her EBT card online, she ordered groceries with curbside pickup at Walmart, but the lack of options for immunocompromised and disabled people frustrates her. If more businesses do not start to accommodate people on food-assistance programs by implementing systems that accept food stamps, immunocompromised people will continue to pose a higher risk to themselves and close family members. SNAP restrictions are major barriers to the health and well-being of families when it is meant to help people get access to food, a fundamental human right and basic human need, says Dr. Mariana Chilton, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University. "Fifty percent of people who are on SNAP are children," Chilton said. "The vast majority of adults who are on SNAP are adults with children, and the vast majority of adults on SNAP either have been working or are continuing to work in front-line essential services." Payment restrictions to the nation's most vulnerable are why the 2014 Farm Bill authorized the USDA to evaluate the feasibility and implications of the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot in January 2017. Under the pilot, authorized retail stores can accept EBT cards online as a method of payment. The Food and Nutrition Service announced the selection of eight retailers for the initial launch of the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot in 2017, but online purchasing was not available until April 2019.

We all have to eat. We all need groceries. There's no distinction. SNAP should not be used as a tool to separate ourselves, separate our communities, separate our families or separate our society from each other. Dr. Mariana Chilton director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University

Currently, the retailers accepting SNAP payments online include Amazon, Walmart, ShopRite and Wright's Market. While the pilot is limited to retailers authorized by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, the other four authorized retailers  Dash's Market, FreshDirect, Safeway and Hy-Vee  have not implemented online purchasing using SNAP EBT on their sites. The only states that have agreements in place so far with the USDA and where retailers are currently offering online delivery for SNAP benefits are Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska (which was just added this month), New York, Oregon and Washington. The state systems and processes for SNAP benefits, specific to each state, have to be able to handle these online transactions. Arizona and California just became the most recent states to join the program and are planning to have the online purchase option up and running later in April. Amazon and Walmart accept food stamps for grocery products in all of the pilot program states. ShopRite is working with the pilot program in New York, and Wright's Markets in Alabama, which is a local family-owned business in Auburn and surrounding rural areas. Amazon offers SNAP recipients free delivery on Amazon Pantry and Amazon Fresh with a minimum purchase of $35 (over $50 in select regions). The company also allows free access to Amazon Pantry without an Amazon Prime membership.

"Amazon is committed to making food accessible through online shopping, offering all customers access to low prices, selection and convenience," said Kristina Herrmann, director of underserved populations at Amazon, in a statement sent to CNBC. "This is especially important as millions of Americans are being encouraged to stay at home. We continue to work closely with the USDA as the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot grows to expand our capabilities in supporting underserved customers." While retailers are making an effort to expand their services, there are no online delivery options for Amanda Wesley, who lives in Marshall, Missouri. As an in-home health-care provider, she tries to avoid shopping inside of grocery stores because she cares for an elderly patient with a weak immune system. Wesley attempted to order groceries from Aldi through Instacart, but like every other local grocery store in the area, Instacart does not accept food stamps online. Two weeks later Wesley was able to order groceries with curbside pickup because a friend reached out to help. Since the USDA pilot program is limited to select retailers and Instacart is not a retailer itself, the company was not eligible for the pilot. However, Instacart is in discussions with the USDA as well as participating pilot retailers to include online marketplaces, according to an Instacart spokeswoman. A USDA spokesperson said the key components of implementing an online purchasing plan are a retailer, a third-party processor, the state, and USDA. Delivery services such as Instacart and Shipt can work with authorized SNAP retailers to provide delivery services as part of this arrangement. However, per the criteria outlined in the Food and Nutrition Act, delivery services do not meet the criteria to be an authorized retailer.

USDA plans and challenges
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Captain America: Civil War (Marvel 2016)

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige says the Black Widow solo film will reveal some of what Natasha Romanoff has been up to between her appearances on screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Scarlett Johanssons character was first introduced in 2010s Iron Man 2 and has since appeared in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame with more and more of her history revealed each time.

Now it sounds like her long-awaited solo film  now due for release in November, 2020  will fill in some more of the blanks.

[Weve] hinted at [Natasha Romanoffs backstory] throughout all the other films Feige tells Total Film. We approach it in a completely unexpected way. Shes been up to a lot all along  in between when we see her in the other movies  some of which will be surprising to people.

So far we know Johanssons character was born in Russia, and trained to be a super spy in the Red Room, a secret agency. It involved training as a ballerina as a cover and she was sterilised as part of the process. She operated for many years as a deadly assassin.

Jeremy Renners Hawkeye was sent to kill to Romanoff, but recruited her as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent instead, and the pair worked together extensively in the field before she joined Stark Industries undercover as Tony Starks PA during the events of Iron Man 2.

In the same issue of Total Film, Johansson revealed her solo film would subvert expectations.

She said that family is one of the key themes of the movie, with trailers teasing a dysfunctional relationship between Natasha and her odd family unit.

Scarlett Johansson and President of Production at Marvel Studios Kevin Feige attend the premiere of Marvel's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", 2014. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

This includes sister figure Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, and unconventional quasi-parents portrayed by David Harbour and Rachel Weisz.

Johansson said: I think part of Kevin Feiges genius is that he always thinks about what fans expect out of these films and then gives them something that they never couldve dreamed of.

Story continues

Read more: Florence Pugh says Black Widow is raw, powerful and beautiful

The idea of Natasha Romanoff in a family drama is the least expected thing, and I had to wrap my head around what that was going to be because theres such a big tonal shift.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff. (Marvel Studios)

Black Widow was originally scheduled for release in May, but that was pushed back to 6 November, taking the release date originally held by The Eternals, which has been pushed back to February, 2021.

HT: Flickering Myth
Protesters took to Aotea Square in downtown Auckland last month to present a 14,300-signature petition to Auckland Council opposing the proposed Dome Valley landfill. Pictured, from left, Sue Crockett (Fight the Tip), Ben Hita, Mook Hohneck (Ngati Manuhiri Settlement Trust) and Verne Rosieur (Ngati Manuhiri).

Waste Management remains determined to proceed with a landfill in the Dome Valley, despite campaigners and local iwi calling for Auckland Council to halt the resource consent process.

Following a hikoi protest march in July, a 14,300-signature petition opposing the site of the landfill was presented to the Auckland Council Regulatory Committee last week  the committee responsible for consent hearings.

Kaumatua Mikaera Miru told crowds at the protest last month that if Waste Management was granted resource consent for the landfill, his hapu would occupy the land to prevent its construction.

Ngati Manuhiri acting chief executive Nicola McDonald said that her iwi was calling for a halt to the resource consent application process.

The overwhelming feeling of the community and mana whenua is that it shouldnt happen, she said.

Lets not waste ratepayers money on independent committees, especially in light of the recent rates increase. Aucklanders are saying no.

Nevertheless, Fight the Tip campaigners are getting ready to present their views at the consent hearings currently scheduled for November.

Unless of course Waste Management does the right thing and withdraw their application due to the fierce opposition their proposal has received, says campaigner Michelle Carmichael.

Based on the energy and commitment communicated by many at the hikoi, it is clear we will not stop at just the consent and hearings process. There will be further actions taken.

Meanwhile, Waste Management refuses to acknowledge the rahui placed on the Hoteo River, and by extension the proposed Dome Valley landfill site, as binding.

Spokeswoman Andrea Svendsen said Waste Management had attempted to engage with the hapu that declared the rahui, but had been rebuffed.

At the time the rahui was placed on the site, in June 2019, we had been proactively consulting with multiple iwi including Ngati Manuhiri and Ngati Whatua, she said.

Prior to, and following the rahui placed by Mikaera Miru, we have attempted several times to meet with him. He has not wished to meet with us. In the meantime, we have continued to engage, consult and meet with iwi representatives to discuss the project and talk through any concerns they may have.

Ms Svendsen said Waste Management still believed Wayby Valley was the most appropriate site for the landfill.

However, we respect the right of people to form their own opinion, and will continue to do everything we can to share information and address concerns.

Waste Management says if consents are granted, construction could start in 2022 and receive waste between 2026 and 2028.

If the consent application hearings continue as planned, they will be held at the Warkworth Town Hall from November 9 to December 11.
Attending the handover ceremony in Hanoi on April 7 were the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and the ambassador, head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Dung said amid the current global medical crisis, no single country could effectively contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International cooperation and enhancing solidarity are important factors to protect the health and safety of people, helping to mitigate the great impacts of the epidemic, he said.

Vietnam always stays ready to work closely, share experience and join hands with countries and the international community to take necessary measures, within bilateral and material frameworks such as the ASEAN-EU, G20 and the United Nations, with the determination to contain and soon push back the epidemic, Dung added.

The participating ambassadors highly appreciated and thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their valuable assistance to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in this difficult moment.

Though Vietnam has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the country has been willing to share resources, provide medical services and create favourable conditions for foreign citizens in Vietnam over the past time, including the treatment of infected persons, they said.

The ambassadors also pledged to closely coordinate and step up cooperation with Vietnam in protecting the health and safety of people, maintain cooperative relations and trade, share information and offer mutual support to overcome the current difficulties.
Toronto police have arrested a man wanted on an attempted murder charge after a cyclist was struck by a motorist and beaten in Rexdale on the weekend.

The attack took place at around 7:15 a.m. Saturday at Hinton Road and Harefield Drive, near Kipling Avenue and Elmhurst Drive, police said.

The driver allegedly struck the cyclist with his car and beat him with an object before running away.

The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries at the time.

Police issued a warrant Sunday for 29-year-old David Pajon Ramos of no fixed address and he was arrested the next day.

He is scheduled to appear in court via telephone on May 8, police said in a news release Tuesday.
We spoke to a clinical psychologist for tips on how parents can help their children during these difficult times.

While some kids may like the idea of not having to take the final exams or even attend classes, theyre bound to pick up on the worry and anxiety their parents and grandparents may be feeling now.

Most children's routine has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and this may cause them to act out or feel confused.

We spoke to Dr Mimansa Singh Tanwar, Clinical Psychologist at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, for tips on how parents can help their children during these difficult times. Edited excerpts:

1. Go easy on them

The situation right now deserves a few allowances. Its okay to not be okay - accept all the emotions youre feeling during this time before trying to help your kids. Go easy on yourself as well as your kids. These are challenging times - its okay to take some time to adjust.

2. Be engaged

Even if they seem okay, they might not be. So check in with them from time to time and ask how theyre coping with the changes. Assure them that their feelings  whether theyre sad, worried or irritated  are all valid. Also, try to keep them engaged while theyre home by talking to them, planning family activities or even taking their help with small household chores like setting the table. Be present mentally whenever youre spending time with them.

3. Have flexible expectations

You can help your children feel secure and comfortable by creating a new routine for them. Share what is expected of them and when. Reward them when they adapt to the new routine. There may be minor problems - like more time spent on the television than you would like - but try and ignore this to an extent. You have to pick your battles during this time or you would end up reprimanding them too often. Instead, try and understand if theyre facing any issues with the routine and adapt it accordingly.

4. Help them express and connect

For a new routine - one that keeps them indoors for prolonged periods - youll have to be very creative. Encourage activities like drawing, painting or journaling to help build emotional resilience. Suggest ideas they might not have thought of, like writing a letter to their friends. It may be a default reaction to scold them if they talk on the phone too much but, during this time, encourage them to check in on their friends, cousins and even teachers if they really miss them.

For more information, read our article on How to help your children cope during a pandemic.

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.
It came as no surprise that Australia's High Court quashed Cardinal George Pell's child sex abuse conviction.

That does not mean it is not heartbreakingly disappointing to thousands of survivors of clerical abuse in that country and worldwide.

Not least among those who are shocked and mourning are a number of men who have accused Pell of molesting them but whose cases never got to court because they knew the system would deliver on the law, not justice.

It is worth remembering that in 2018 a jury of 12 men and women took five days to deliberate before returning the verdict that Pell was guilty on the charges brought against him.

A criminal court of appeal last August upheld the jury verdict decision in a two-to-one majority decision.

As in common law here, there are broad grounds for appeal to the highest court in the land - in Australia that is the High Court.

Appeals are usually based on an error in law or fact.

It is less usual that the appeal is on the grounds that the jury decision is unreasonable.

Australia's High Court seldom allows an appeal on these grounds. Jury decisions are traditionally highly respected.

This week's decision has put a dent in that tradition.

Pell's defence argued that it was not open to the jury to find him guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and they won.

The long-lasting effect this will have on people's faith in the jury system, and particularly on the budding trust abuse survivors had in the law, is yet unknowable.

However, even though the High Court verdict was delivered in the eerie silence of an near empty courtroom and without the usual streetscape of protests and vigils, the online reaction has been visceral.

The response to Pell, and the Pope who in a pointed tweet asked us to pray for those "who suffer due to an unjust sentence because of someone had it in for them", has been sharply divided between deep anger and virtual victory laps by his supporters in Australia.

It is a case that has divided Australia like no other in recent years.

It will certainly be felt in Ballarat, where Pell was born and raised and where his mother, Margaret 'Lil' Burke, instilled a faith her son described as "very Irish ... and probably in particular a faith typical of the west of Ireland in its certainties and in its impatience with theological subtleties".

Ballarat, in the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria, is also where the most notorious child sex abuse by Catholic clerics took place.

Because of Pell's criminal case, the long running Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse did not publish their findings on Pell's role in covering up sex abuse in the diocese. Those findings may now be released.

Just to remind you, in the Pell case, a man in his 30s was accusing Australia's most senior Catholic and the Pope's right-hand man of a crime committed more than 20 years ago.

A second victim is dead. He died from a heroin overdose.

Just five days ago the highly respected ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) carried a story saying two new accusers had come forward saying they were molested by Pell when he was a priest in Ballarat.

Previously in Australia the law could not give much weight to uncorroborated evidence from a single witness - hidden crimes not reported for on average 22 years were hard to prove.

The five-year-long sex abuse Royal Commission exposed this fault-line and, with its extensive and prolific published research, offered a new awareness and a hope things would change in the entrenched legal approach.

Commission public hearings exposed how the criminal and civil justice systems were failing and sometimes re-traumatising victims.

The judge in the original Pell case made the jury aware of the problems and also persistently warned them the Catholic Church was not on trial, just the man George Pell.

Among the frenzied response by his supporters has been that allegation that the jury was somehow trying the Church.

Time and time again over the five years the chair of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, gave public addresses at law societies and judicial colleges about the difficulties faced by complainants in that system.

"Many of these difficulties arose from what are now recognised as unfounded assumptions that judges have made about the behaviour and reliability of sexual assault complainants," he told a law conference in Victoria in 2017.

"These assumptions found expression in jury directions given by judges."

In the two years since the commission ended there have been changes to the rules in criminal and civil cases around child sex abuse.

This verdict is seen as a setback in the march towards change.

The law is rightly protective of its independence and rules of evidence that require prosecutors to prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone has offended.

But who has clearly defined reasonable doubt? Defining it while rethinking the judicial assumptions about prejudicial reasoning by juries in child sex abuse trials might get us back on track.

The research is there.

Annette Blackwell is an Irish journalist and university lecturer who has written widely on institutional responses to child's sexual abuse.
The city of Albuquerque is spending about $100,000 per day on its response to COVID-19, according to its chief financial officer.

Sanjay Bhakta told the City Council on Monday night that expenses are averaging about $100,000 per day and include employee overtime, cleaning supplies and information technology programs. He said the number could increase as the coronavirus crisis ascends toward its peak in New Mexico.

The federal governments CARES Act relief package allows local governments of at least 500,000 people to seek direct reimbursement for costs specifically associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Albuquerque officials estimate the city could qualify for up to $150 million under the package.

But Bhakta told the council that the pandemics toll on the city budget will more likely take the form of lost tax revenue. With many businesses forced into temporary closures under the states stay-at-home order, the city will inevitably see less gross receipts tax.

GRT powers city government. It accounts for 67% of the general fund, which covers police, street maintenance and other basic city services.

Bhakta said local governments across the U.S. are pushing the federal leaders to also provide reimbursement for lost revenue instead of only direct coronavirus costs.

I think all of us are lobbying for lost revenue  that may be a bigger issue for us than expenditures related to COVID-19, he said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the government to ensure the availability of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks, goggles, respirators, among others to health workers. The doctors, nurses, ward boys, other medical and paramedical professionals actively attending and treating patients suffering from coronavirus in metro cities, tier-2 and tier-3 cities should be made available appropriate PPEs, the Supreme Court said. Adding, it said that the governments at the centre, state and UTs must direct respective police authorities to provide the necessary police security to the doctors and medical staff in the hospitals. The government must also take necessary action against those persons who obstruct and commit any offence in respect to the performance of duties of the health workers, the apex court added.

"The Government shall explore all alternatives including enabling and augmenting domestic production of protective clothing and gear to medical professional. This includes the exploring of alternative modes of production of such clothing (masks, suits, caps, gloves etc.) and permitting movement of raw materials. Further, the Government may also restrict export of such materials to augment inventory and domestic stock," the Supreme Court added.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ordered the government to ensure free testing for coronavirus at both government and private labs. The testing is currently capped at Rs 4,500 in private labs. The tests should be conducted in the NABL-accredited labs or agencies approved by the WHO or ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), the Supreme Court added. "Private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in containing the scale of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis," the Supreme Court also said.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 20 COVID-19 hotspots sealed in Delhi

Also Read: Coronavirus: Govt to immediately release pending income tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh
When public-health officials list the conditions that create a high risk for a virus to proliferate, prisons tick all the boxes.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When public-health officials list the conditions that create a high risk for a virus to proliferate, prisons tick all the boxes.

Overcrowding makes physical distancing often impossible. Hygiene supplies are meagre, and inmates do not routinely have access to anti-viral masks, gloves and sanitizing liquids and wipes. A disproportionately large percentage of inmates already have health problems due to poor nutrition and substance abuse.

BORIS MINKEVICH / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba transformed the Winnipeg Remand Centre into a quarantine station.

Officials are aware such factors combine to make prisons fertile breeding grounds for the novel coronavirus, but Manitoba has so far fallen short of the changes needed to keep COVID-19 from endangering the 2,000 inmates in provincial institutions.

Stronger action is needed. Canada and Manitoba should immediately begin depopulating federal and provincial penal institutions by releasing low-risk and non-violent prisoners.

Among the modest measures introduced last Thursday, Manitoba transformed the Winnipeg Remand Centre into a quarantine station. Incoming inmates to both the adult and youth facilities are now channelled through the centre, isolating for up to 14 days before transfer to another facility.

Also, in an effort to avoid confining accused people who have been arrested and are awaiting their trials, access to bail hearings will be increased with lawyers now available on evenings and weekends. And defence lawyers are no longer allowed in-person visits with clients at the remand centre; instead, lawyers will now have to communicate via phone or video link.

Such changes will help in a small way, but they dont directly address the central issue  that inmates and correctional staff are in spaces too crowded to allow for the physical distancing public-health officials say is essential.

The danger is to prisoners, certainly, but its also to institution staff and their families, as the workers can carry the virus to and from their workplaces.

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.

Even people with no connection to penal institutions should be concerned: if institutions are inundated with clusters of COVID-19, a surge of ill prisoners could fill hospitals intensive-care beds and require high-demand equipment such as ventilators.

The prospect of depopulating correctional facilities likely alarms some people, who fear dangerous inmates will be set free in the community. But the most dangerous criminals should remain where they are; the inmates eligible for release should be those who are non-violent, and those who can serve their sentences in other ways.

Correctional-institution officials and parole board members have files on which offenders are low risk and, even before the threat of the virus, were heading for good-behaviour freedoms such as day parole or unescorted temporary absences. They should be first to receive get-out-of-jail-not-quite-free cards.

So far, the authorities in charge of penal institutions, including the Correctional Service of Canada, the Parole Board of Canada and Manitoba Justice, have not yet publicly answered the demands to depopulate prisons and jails so they are no longer potential hotspots for the virus to run riot.

While that is being considered, this might also be an opportune moment for Manitoba to engage in a bigger-picture review of its history of over-incarceration, and to reconsider the manner in which the application of stringent sentencing restrictions often leads to bail-condition and parole/probation re-arrests and imprisonment for violations that do not amount to criminal activity.

Yes, decreasing the prison population would be unprecedented, but minimizing the deadly impact of this pandemic will require the leaders of our correctional institutions to act outside of the comfort zone of precedents. Extreme threats call for innovative solutions.
When Dave Kyu, an arts administrator, realised that he would be working from home for the foreseeable future, he began to fantasise about the projects he could now complete around the house.

"We went and bought all this paint and cabinet hardware and thought we were going to do the kitchen cabinet project we had wanted to do forever," said the 34-year-old from Philadelphia. Two weeks later, he and his wife haven't touched their supplies. They have two children and demanding jobs. There's no extra time.

This urge to over achieve, even in times of global crisis, is reflective of our always-on work culture. Credit:iStock

"We realise now it was a silly thought," Kyu said. "It's a lot more stressful than I expected."

As the coronavirus outbreak has brought life largely indoors, many people are feeling pressure to organise every room in their homes, become expert home chefs, write the next King Lear, and get in shape. The internet  with its constant stream of how-to headlines and viral challenges  has only reinforced the demand to get things done.
OSTERSUND, Sweden, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed additional contracts with an existing client for improvements to their corporate office in the western USA. The incremental contracts with our joint venture of Skanska Balfour Beatty are worth USD 492 M. Skanska's part is worth USD 246 M, about SEK 2.4 billion, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter 2020.

Construction is underway and is scheduled for completion in April 2021.

Skanska is one of the leading construction and development companies in USA, specializing in building construction, civil infrastructure and developing commercial properties in select U.S. markets. Skanska USA had sales of SEK 74 billion and about 7,900 employees in its operations in 2019.

For further information please contact:

Terri-Ann Betancourt, Director of Communications, Skanska USA, tel + 1 206 494 5440

Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94

Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-signs-additional-contracts-for-office-improvements-in-western-usa-for-usd-246-m--about-sek-2,c3083860

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3083860/1226398.pdf 20200408 US office improvements

SOURCE Skanska
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- MetroHealth has a new coronavirus projection that doesnt show a giant surge at all -- but rather a small mountain range of peaks driven by clusters of infection.

Thats one story were delving into Wednesday on This Week in the CLE, the daily half-hour news podcast focused on the coronavirus.

Listen online here.

Youve made clear that you want as much information as you can get about the pandemic, so we started a half-hour conversation each day about the trending topics. Editor Chris Quinn hosts, with help from me and editors Jane Kahoun and Kris Wernowsky. We answer many of the questions youve sent through our text message platform.

Youve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom account, in which he shares once or twice a day what were thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802.

And youve been offering all sorts of great perspective in our coronavirus alert account, which has 12,000-plus subscribers. You can sign up for free by texting 216-279-7784.

I take on the first story, a government watchdog jaw-dropper. In Berea, while the City Council members and mayor hold a public meeting via a Zoom video chat, Council President Jeff Dettmer insists that citizens who want to see the proceedings in real time must come to City Hall to watch a video screen.

In much better news, Jane explains new coronavirus modeling from MetroHealth that doesnt show a peak at all, at least not the big bell curve were so used to seeing right now. The model suggests that COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County might be significantly lower in the number of infections than originally expected, and that the county could see sustained impact driven by clusters of infection rather than a single large surge.

Another big story Tuesday was that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to release 167 non-violent inmates early from state prisons as he continues working to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Kris details whos included in the group -- including Coingate convict Tom Noe.

All this news may make you want to drink. And Jane has good news: any Ohio restaurant with a liquor license now will be able to sell alcoholic drinks to take-out customers, under a new emergency rule approved by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

The state is might end its budget year $2 billion in the hole. So to balance the budget, Jane says, its considering raiding its $2.7 billion rainy day fund, largely built up by former Gov. John Kasich by cutting local government funds.

I take on another government move, from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, which bought devices that use ultraviolet-C light to disinfect its buses without knowing whether the devices are effective against the coronavirus.

And finally, Jane delves into a story most of us havent been thinking about. How would you feel about getting a tracheostomy, or using a ventilator if doctors thought it might save your life from the coronavirus? A doctor suggests we all talk about possible interventions with our families in case we end up in the hospital.

Well be back Thursday with more questions and answers.

Meanwhile, find all our past episodes here.

Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here.

If you use Stitcher, we are here.

RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here.

On Google Podcasts, we are here.

On PodParadise, find us here.

And on PlayerFM, we are here.
This year marks 125 years of Skoda, and in that time the Czech brand has undergone a radical transformation. Keen cyclists Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement founded the company back in 1895 under the banner Laurin and Klement.

Initially, the duo started designing and building bicycles but before long decided to add a motor to the mix. Producing motorcycles from 1899, the pair began broadening their horizons soon after to the idea of a motor car  and thats where things started really accelerating. Lets take a look at some of Skodas highlights over the years.

Voiturette A

The Voiturette A was one of Skodas earliest models

The Voiturette A was one of Laurin and Klements first forays into the automotive world, and it was quite the success too. When the outbreak of the First World War arrived in 1914, the company started producing models for the armed forces too. Later on in 1925, the pair merged with engineering firm Skoda  and the company we know of today took shape.

110

The 110 was the first car built in partnership between Laurin and Klement and Skoda

The 110 was the first car to come as a result of the partnership between Laurin and Klement and Skoda. It was available as either a hard-top or soft-top, and a modular design meant that the passenger car could be changed into a two-seater flat-bed truck with little fuss.

420 Popular

The Popular took Skoda to bigger and better things

Capable of reaching the heady heights of 50mph, the 420 Popular dragged Skoda out of the Great Depression and on to bigger and better things. Easily converted into a range of utility vehicles, a roadster version of the Popular was even used in the 1936 Monte Carlo rally.

440

The 440 was a car which evolved into a vehicle well recognise by name today  the Octavia  which was so named because it was the firms eighth car to be produced after the end of the Second World War  it arrived in 1959.

Octavia

The first-generation Octavia packed plenty of features

Though the 440 evolved into the Octavia, it was the first Octavia estate which gained attention, having been first showcased at the International Engineering Fair in Brno, in 1960.

Story continues

1000 MB

The 1000 MB proved immensely popular

The 1000 MB replaced the Octavia  for the time being, at least  and arrived in 1964. By 1965, more than 1,000 of the 1.0-litre-powered cars were rolling off the production line each month. Soon, the company was making 150 cars a day, becoming the first Czech vehicle to be mass-produced.

Superb

The early Superbs benefitted from VW-Group knowhow

Following the formation of the Czech Republic, the new government sought out a strong partner for Skoda and found one in Volkswagen. In December 1990 the joint venture began, with Skoda joining Volkswagen, Audi and Seat in the group.The first-generation Superb arrived in 2001, and shared its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Passat. It showed a marked change for Skoda, with boosted levels of quality and a wider range of engines too.

Kodiaq

The Kodiaq is Skodas largest SUV

Right to the present day, we see Skoda exploring new segments, such as SUVs. The Kodiaq has taken the segment by storm, offering one of the most affordable ways into a seven-seater. Its also packed with features and has a good variety of engines too.It sits alongside the Kamiq and Karoq in the firms latest SUV offerings and even features a performance-orientated vRS model.
The bright chirp of the coqui frog, the national symbol of Puerto Rico, has likely resounded through Caribbean forests for at least 29 million years.

A new study published in Biology Letters describes a fragmented arm bone from a frog in the genus Eleutherodactylus, also known as rain frogs or coquis. The fossil is the oldest record of frogs in the Caribbean and, fittingly, was discovered on the island where coquis are most beloved.

"It's a national treasure," said David Blackburn, Florida Museum curator of herpetology and the study's lead author. "Not only is this the oldest evidence for a frog in the Caribbean, it also happens to be one of the frogs that are the pride of Puerto Rico and related to the large family Eleutherodactylidae, which includes Florida's invasive greenhouse frogs."

Jorge Velez-Juarbe, associate curator of marine mammals at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, found the fossil on a river outcrop in the municipality of San Sebastian in northwestern Puerto Rico. Velez-Juarbe and his collaborators' previous collecting efforts at the site uncovered fossil seeds, sea cows, side-necked turtles and the oldest remains of gharials and rodents in the Caribbean, dating to the early Oligocene Epoch, about 29 million years ago.

Still, "there have been many visits from which I have come out empty-handed over the last 14 years," he said. "I've always kept my expectations not too high for this series of outcrops."

On this trip in 2012, he combed the deposits for half a day without much luck when a small bone, partially exposed in the sediment, caught his eye. He examined it with his hand lens.

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"At the moment, I couldn't wrap my mind as to what it was," Velez-Juarbe said. "Then once I got back home, cleaned around it with a needle to see it better and checked some references, I knew I had found the oldest frog in the Caribbean."

The ancient coqui displaces an amber frog fossil discovered in the Dominican Republic in 1987 for the title of oldest Caribbean frog. While the amber fossil was originally estimated to be 40 million years old, scientists now date Dominican amber to about 20 million to 15 million years ago, Blackburn said.

Based on genetic data and family trees, scientists had hypothesized rain frogs lived in the Caribbean during the Oligocene, but lacked any fossil evidence. The small, lightweight bones of frogs often do not preserve well, especially when combined with the hot, humid climate of the tropics.

Matching a single bone fragment to a genus or species "is not always an easy process," Velez-Juarbe said. It can also depend on finding the right expert. His quest for help identifying the fossil turned up empty until a 2017 visit to the Florida Museum where he had once been a postdoctoral researcher.

"I got to talk with Dave about projects, and the rest is now history," he said.

Possibly first arriving in the Caribbean by rafting from South America, frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus, which encompasses some 200 species, dominate the region today.

"This is the most diverse group by two orders of magnitude in the Caribbean," Blackburn said. "They've diversified into all these different specialists with various forms and body sizes. Several invasive species also happen to be from this genus. All this raises the question of how they got to be this way."

One partial arm bone may not tell the whole story of coqui evolution -- but it's a start.

"I am thrilled that, little by little, we are learning about the wildlife that lived in Puerto Rico 29-27 million years ago," Velez-Juarbe said. "Finds like this help us unravel the origins of the animals we see in the Caribbean today."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the partys establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice-president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.

The Vermont senators announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November.

Sanders plans to talk to his supporters later Wednesday.

Sanders initially exceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to recreate the magic of his 2016 presidential bid, and even overcame a heart attack last October on the campaign trail. But he found himself unable to convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination amid electability fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters.

The 78-year-old senator began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to the party establishments choice, Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees hed be a major presidential contender this cycle, especially as the races oldest candidate.

Sanders, though, used strong polling and solid fundraising  collected almost entirely from small donations made online  to more than quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread support from young voters and was able to make new inroads within the Hispanic community, even as his appeal with African Americans remained small.

Sanders amassed the most votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, which opened primary voting, and cruised to an easy victory in Nevada  seemingly leaving him well positioned to sprint to the Democratic nomination while a deeply crowded and divided field of alternatives sunk around him.

But a crucial endorsement of Biden by influential South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, and a subsequent, larger-than-expected victory in South Carolina, propelled the former vice-president into Super Tuesday, when he won 10 of 14 states.

In a matter of days, his top former Democratic rivals lined up and announced their endorsement of Biden. The former vice-presidents campaign had appeared on the brink of collapse after New Hampshire but found new life as the rest of the partys more moderate establishment coalesced around him as an alternative to Sanders.

Things only got worse the following week when Sanders lost Michigan, where he had campaigned hard and upset Clinton in 2016. He was also beaten in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho the same night and the results were so decisive that Sanders headed to Vermont without speaking to the media.

Sanders had scheduled a rally in Ohio but cancelled it amid fears about the spread of coronavirus  and the outbreak kept him home as his campaign appeared unsure of its next move. The senator addressed reporters the following day, but also sounded like a candidate who already knew hed been beaten.

While our campaign has won the ideological debate, we are losing the debate over electability, Sanders said then.
My family is starving, cries an eight months pregnant Sona, who lives at Kacchi Colony in Dhanas. I have four children at home but the administration provided food for just one. I dont have any ration at home. How will I feed my children with just a small bowl of dal and four chapatis that they gave? laments Sona with an empty plate in her hand.

Similar is the story of Chandravati who had gone to a queue set up in the neighbouring street for ration distribution. The workers kicked me out saying that I have already taken food. I have six people at home, and no money or ration, and they just give me a handful of rice and a katori of dal and expect me to feed them. I will have to stand in line again, said Chandravati.

Sona and Chandravati are among the many residents of Kacchi Colony who have failed to get ration and supplies to keep themselves sustained amid the lockdown. The only source of food for them is the community food being given twice a day by various NGOs and the administration, who are also struggling to reach out to the real needy.

Hoarders an issue

Sumit Jain, a volunteer who distributes food in Motor Colony of Manimajra, said, Initially we used to pack the food in packets. Some people used to take multiple packets depending upon their family size, but we are not sure if that reached the beneficiaries or was it just for hoarding. Now we have asked them to get their own utensils to get the food in. I also have around 100 packets of ration with me, but we are not distributing them all as many people have hoarded them.

Jain added that some people are getting ration twice or thrice. Some areas are flooded with ration, so now we are distributing it with the help of police officials as they are aware of the needy, he said.

Vivek Mehra, another volunteer for ration distribution, said, Many people with an intention of having more food call us up multiple times, despite already being given ration. The administration should intervene and coordinate with NGOs for better working so that the doubling of the ration can be avoided.

Sub divisional magistrate (SDM, central) Nazuk Kumar, the nodal officer for ration distribution, said, Its our responsibility to ensure that everyone gets food. We give food to everyone who stands in line. However, we dont have any means to know how many family members a particular beneficiary has.
South Africa: Sisulu directs officials to step up water service

The Department of Water and Sanitation says it is forging ahead with the provision of water to under-resourced communities.

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, last month directed all the departments provincial offices and water entities to ensure that all communities, especially those in the rural areas and informal settlements, be provided with reliable water as a matter of urgency.

Rand Water was then appointed to coordinate all the water delivery activities and a National Command Centre was established at Rand Water to ensure that the Ministers directive is implemented effectively.

During his visit to the National Command Centre on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his satisfaction with the manner in which the department has swiftly moved in addressing water scarcity across the country.

Sisulu said as at 7 April 2020, a total of 10 994 water tanks and 1 001 water tankers have been delivered to various communities across the country.

We have made some strides towards providing water to a number of distressed areas. However, the fact that we are yet to reach some of our people is a cause for concern. I have instructed my officials to work around the clock to ensure everyone has water, Sisulu said.

She has appealed to community members to protect the water infrastructure provided to them, and not to vandalise it.

She also urged citizens to wash their hands regularly with soap to reduce the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

While you are washing your hands, keep in mind that South Africa is a water scarce country, so that you avoid water wastage. Let us save this precious water resource we have currently.

We encourage people to inculcate the culture of washing their hands regularly, especially during critical times, after using the toilet and before preparing food, the Minister said.

Water flows in Maluti-A-Phofung taps

Meanwhile, residents of Maluti-A-Phofung will breathe a sigh of relief after Free State Premier, Sisi Ntombela opened the Fika Patso Water Treatment Works -- a move that will see taps flow with water again.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has been working tirelessly to bring water relief to the people of Qwaqwa, who experienced water challenges due to drought in the area.

Sisulu visited the area earlier this year and immediately instructed Sedibeng Water to put emergency interventions in place.

Among other emergency interventions that Sedibeng Water was tasked with was to refurbish Fika Patso Water Treatment Works to enable the flow of treated water straight into peoples tanks.

The refurbishment of the water treatment, which is in phase one, will supply water to Mangaung, Phuthaditjhaba, Ha-Rankopane, Manapo and Lejwaneng.

Speaking at the opening of the water treatment works on Wednesday, Ntombela said the aim is to have potable water in the taps in Maluti-A-Phofung.

She also encouraged all residents to use water sparingly, as dam levels are still low.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
LANSING, MI -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials applaud the efforts of hospitals and medical workers across the state in the ongoing battle with the COVID-19 virus, but say more needs to be done to share data.

Weve struggled to get complete compliance," Whitmer said after being asked about reporting numbers from hospitals in Michigan.

Last month, Whitmer signed an executive order that requires hospitals to share data on several key topics including:

Frequency of updates to bed capacity

Personal protective equipment inventory

Laboratory testing capacity

Number of ventilated patients

Number of ventilators

Patient census

Staffing shortages and more

However, the percentage of hospitals reporting data daily has not reached the levels expected by the state. According to the latest update provided by the state, 74% of hospitals reported their inventory of personal protective equipment and 85% reported bed availability for April 6. The lack of response from some means the state does not have as much data as it could that could be used to track the virus.

I know that our hospitals are working very hard. Theyre on the front lines taking care of their patients," said Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. We have to get accurate data to understand where this virus is going.

Whitmer acknowledged that part of the problem is the state does not have a centralized public health care system. Typically that is a benefit to the state because there isnt just one place where the information is gathered. However, when it comes to sharing data, the governor said it is creating some difficulties in reporting.

Regardless, Whitmer says the executive order signed on March 23 lays out clear guidelines and requirements that hospitals need to follow.

We have MDHHS, which has been very clear about what expectations are from our providers," Whitmer said. Some have been wonderful about complying, and others, its been a struggle.

To save lives, we need to do two things: dedicate our limited lab capacity to the highest priority tests and obtain consistent, timely reports on hospital beds and PPE, Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon said at the time order was signed.

Whitmer said an effort has been made to get hospitals to cooperate, and she expects they will begin sharing more data very soon. Khaldun said it is critical that hospitals share the data so the state can properly battle the virus.

The only way we are going to be able to fight this pandemic in Michigan is if we all work together," Khaldun said.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

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The much-awaited 67 Nigerians resident in Ivory Coast on Wednesday arrived at Seme Border Post in a luxurious bus with registration number Osun XA 240 EJG.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that most of the passengers in the bus were women, children and few men.

NAN reports that officials from Lagos State Ministry of Health arrived Seme border post around 4:00 p.m on Wednesday in three Toyota Coaster buses and took the returnees to isolation centres in Badagry for tests and quarantine.

The Nigerians, who left Ivory Coast on Sunday, were delayed on their way because of the border closures in Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAN gathered.

An official of Nigeria Immigration Service in Seme who did not want his name mentioned, said they had earlier informed the Lagos State Government of their arrival.

He said that most of the returnees were from Ejigbo in Osun, resident in Ivory Coast but decided to come back to Nigeria when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country.

Eighteen of the 127 Nigerians who returned to Osun from Ivory Coast penultimate week tested positive.

Cote dIvoire has 345 cases of Coronavirus.

(NAN)
A split in the Tablighi Jamaat, a couple of years ago, might have saved many lives as more people would have thronged the organisation's Delhi headquarters, which has emerged as the country's biggest coronavirus vector.

A split in the Tablighi Jamaat, a couple of years ago, might have saved many lives as more people would have thronged the organisation's Delhi headquarters, which has emerged as the country's biggest coronavirus vector.

The 94-year-old outfit suffered a vertical split globally, and those opposed to the organisation's current chief Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi's policies parted ways.

Had there been no split, the number of visitors to Nizamuddin Markaz, the organisation's headquarters, would have been much more, a Jamaat member told IANS. "It would have been a packed house. Thousands more would have visited the Markaz and there could have been more fatalities or positive cases," he said.

Nearly a third of over 5,000 Covid-19 cases in the country are linked to the Tablighi congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz on March 13-15.

Maulana Saad is in the eye of storm over holding the meeting without permission from authorities. Hundreds of members of Jamaat from various parts of the country and a large number of foreigners attended the event.

The differences in Tablighi Jamaat had cropped up two years ago when Maulana Saad dissolved 'Shura', the highest decision-making council. This body that followed a consultative mechanism had existed since Jamaat's formation in 1926.

Moulana Saad, great grandson of Jamaat's founder Moulana Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalvi, scrapped 'Shura' whose many members had grown old. "Till then Jamaat took all major decisions with 'mashvera' (consultation). As Maulana Saad started taking decisions in an arbitrary manner, it created resentment among seniors and many members formed another faction, which called itself Shura," he said.

Jamaat members say the majority of the cadres are now with Shura, headed by a group of senior members.

Banglewali Masjid in Nizamuddin, also called Markaz, and many existing regional head offices of Jamaat remained with Maulana Saad's group, while the rebel group set up new centres.

In Hyderabad, for instance, Maulana Saad's group continued to function from the Mallepally mosque, the rival group started operating from a mosque in the Nampally area.

Like Nizamuddin, the Mallepally mosque here attracts jamaats or groups of preachers from various parts of India and abroad.

Ten Indonesians, who had reached Telangana's Karimnagar town after visiting Nizamuddin in mid-March, were found positive for Covid-19. Two groups from Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan were found in the Mallepally mosque and they were quarantined.

The Tablighi Jamaat was established in Haryana's Mewat by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas in 1926 to encourage Muslims to practice Islam the way it's believed to have been practiced at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Tablighi Jamaat works only among Muslims. They stay away from politics and controversies and confine themselves to the single-point agenda of inviting ordinary Muslims to namaz and Tabligh or preaching.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said South Florida is still weeks away from reaching the apex of the COVID-19 outbreak, even as White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested the number of new cases and rate of hospitalization signaled the beginning of a turnaround for the country.

Speaking to Yahoo Finance, Suarez, who just recovered from his own bout of coronavirus, said the peak of the epidemiological curve, was likely to come at the end of April, according to the citys official models.

The number of cases have ticked higher along with increased testing. On Wednesday alone, the city saw a 33% uptick in one testing facility alone, Suarez said.

Every time we feel like we can breathe easier, and we think that maybe were over the worst of this, unfortunately what weve seen with this virus is, we get scared back into apprehension and vigilance, Suarez said.

Florida has reported 15,456 coronavirus cases and 309 deaths so far according to the states Department of Health. More than a third of those cases have come from Miami-Dade, where 5,354 cases have been confirmed.

The city has scrambled to contain the outbreak, declaring a state of emergency and issuing a stay-at-home order on March 24. Last week, Suarez wrote a letter to the White House, calling for all flights into Miami International Airport (MIA) from COVID-19 hotspots be suspended.

We normally have 50 million people coming through MIA in any given year. Thats 2.5 times the population of the state of Florida coming through one airport, Suarez said. We have people coming from all over the world, all over the country who may be fleeing hotspots. Unfortunately they exacerbate the situation in our city as were trying to get control of it.

The states fragmented response has also complicated the response. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just mandated a statewide 30-day stay-at-home order last week, well after other states with similar hotspots ordered similar restrictions. His action followed weeks of criticism for his response to the outbreak, as the number of coronavirus cases accelerated in the state. In mid-March, DeSantis maintained that decisions about beach closures were better left to local governments. Early last week, DeSantis reiterated that he has no plans to issue a statewide order unless directed by the White House, though several counties in the state have already issued those orders on their own.

Story continues

Some people dont even know where exactly Miami begins and ends, Suarez said, alluding to the limits of city-wide restrictions. It can be confusing and difficult to lead in an environment like that.

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR WORLD SATELLITE TELEVISION NEWS - Eighteen days after revealing that he tested positive for COVID-19, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez strolls along neighborhood path with daughter Gloriana, son Andrew, and wife Gloria after coming home on Monday, March 30, 2020 in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. The 44-year-old leader of America's "Magic City" was released from quarantine following new test results that show he is no longer infected with the virus. (Bryan Glazer/World Satellite Television News via AP Images)

Suarez has had to juggle his responsibilities as a mayor, all while battling his own case of the virus. Last month he tested positive for the coronavirus, days after he attended a local event with a Brazilian government official who later tested positive.

Suarez emerged from quarantine last week, fully recovered, allowing him to donate his plasma for an experimental treatment to help critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Im hoping that with the antibodies Ive built up in my blood, we can use that to create a vaccine or help people who have a severe case [of the virus], he said. Were hoping that it will be a door that opens, and a call to action.

Akiko Fujita is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita




By Park Si-soo







A Chinese national has donated 1.2 million won ($985) to the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in a show of appreciation to South Korean medical workers who helped her fight the coronavirus.







The woman, 35, also promised to make an additional donation of 10 million won in coming days to help other affected people.







She was released from a NHIS-run quarantine/treatment center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on April 5, ending an 11-day coronavirus treatment, the cost of which the South Korean government fully covered. Seven doctors and four nurses committed themselves to treating her in rotation, according to the institute.







The woman lives in Seoul with her Korean husband and two children and runs an online cosmetics shopping mall.







She decided to make the donation after talking with a health worker who consoled her, saying: "We have to help each other with the entire nation in trouble."







"I was scared when I got quarantined for treatment in the first place," the woman said. "But I became relieved and relaxed and was able to concentrate on treatment thanks to the kindness and dedication they showed me."







She said the donation is "nothing" compared with what she received during treatment.






B oris Johnson is spending his second night in intensive care battling coronavirus while his top team face more questions over the UKs strategy for tackling the illness.

The Prime Ministers condition on Tuesday night remained "stable" as he stayed in St Thomas's for "close monitoring", Downing Street said.

While Mr Johnson remains in an ICU, concerns have been raised over who will make the big decisions for the government in his absence.

Perhaps the biggest dilemma ministers face is when and how to end the lockdown that is in place across the nation.

Boris Johnson is in intensive care with the coronavirus / AP

And Englands chief medical officer admitted the UK has "a lot to learn" from Germany's expansive testing scheme.

But there was cautious optimism from chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance after he said the fight against Covid-19 "could be moving in the right direction".

The Nightingale was built to boost treatment capacity in London but officials stressed that limits had not been reached at other sites across the capital.

"There is also treatment capacity available in other hospitals across London to complement the care being provided at the London Nightingale," an NHS Nightingale London spokeswoman said.

David Cameron is praying for Boris Johnson in hospital

The admissions come just two weeks after the temporary hospital with a planned capacity of 4,000 was formally announced, but later than had initially been expected.

Later on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump claimed that the UK called the US with an urgent plea for 200 ventilators as ministers seek to scramble to boost capacity for the sickest of patients.

"We're going to work it out, we've got to work it out," he said. "They've been great partners. They wanted 200, they need them desperately."

Earlier at the daily Downing Street press conference, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he is "confident" the PM will pull through after a worsening of his coronavirus symptoms.

People arrive at St Thomas' hospital in central London where Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care / AFP via Getty Images

Mr Raab, who is deputising in Mr Johnson's absence, suggested the review of the lockdown announced by the PM when he set out the restrictions would not go ahead on Monday as scheduled.

He stressed that they could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be "responsibly done".

Downing Street later confirmed the review would take place after the three-week mark originally committed to.

But the emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the PM's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16.

Sir Patrick said there were signs that the rates of new infections and new hospital admissions for Covid-19 were "flattening off".

However, he added it would be another "week or so" before they could be sure, indicating lockdown measures would not be eased before then.

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, said the UK needed to learn from the example of Germany where the number of deaths appeared to be growing more slowly.

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"We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus and there's a lot to learn from that and we've been trying to learn the lessons from that," he said.

Updating the nation on the PM's condition, Mr Raab said he remained stable and had not required a ventilator but had received "standard oxygen treatment" while breathing without assistance.

"I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this Prime Minister, he's a fighter and he'll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order," he said.

Coronavirus 100 days on: What do we know?

He said that ministers would not "blink or flinch" from following the instructions Mr Johnson had set out before he was admitted to hospital.

But he appeared reluctant to say whether he would be prepared to take a decision to break with the PM's strategy while he was still in hospital if he believed a change of direction was necessary.

"He's asked me to deputise for him for as long as is necessary, but the normal Cabinet collective responsibility and principles that inform that will apply," he said.

The latest official figures from the Department of Health showed that 6,159 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday - an increase of 786 on the previous day.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast:

However, Sir Patrick said there were signs the number of new cases "could be moving in the right direction".
SHELTON  The city had four more deaths of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus and 13 new COVD-19-positive cases as health officials urge residents to remain home and follow social-distancing guidelines.

There are now 31 deaths in Shelton, with all four city people who died Tuesday into Wednesday having resided in a nursing home or assisted living facility, according to data released by the Naugatuck Valley Health District on Wednesday.

Of the 33 deaths in the Valley, 29 were residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

The NVHD is urging residents to please stay home as much as possible, said NVHD Director Jessica Stelmaszek, and please continue to practice social distancing by keeping 6 feet between you and others if you must go out.

It is evident that we remain in the acceleration phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning we are consistently receiving an increasing number of cases, added Stelmaszek. With an increasing number of cases, we can expect that we will continue to see an increased number of COVID-19-related deaths. We expect the Valley cases to continue to rise over the next few days.

To minimize the amount of people who can potentially be exposed, Stelmaszek said families should designate one person per household to do grocery shopping or other necessary errands. Those going out in public should wear a cloth face covering, she added.

We send our condolences to the families, Public Safety Director Michael Maglione said after 10 deaths were reported Tuesday. We understand the loss for families who couldnt be with their loved ones at the end is even more tragic. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

For public health surveillance, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19-associated deaths are defined as patients who tested positive for COVID-19 around the time of death; this is not a determination of the cause of death, Maglione said.

Of the Valley deaths, 25 were people 80 and older, seven were between 70 and 79, and one was between 60 and 69 years of age.

Three Shelton assisted living facilities  Apple Rehab Shelton Lakes, Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation and Gardner Heights Health Care Center  were listed as having a worker or individual test positive for the coronavirus, according to state health officials.

More than 50 such facilities across the state have at least one worker or resident who has tested positive for the virus.

Maglione said last week that several positive cases are in the citys nursing home community, but the virus is also among the general population. There are five nursing home facilities in Shelton, according to Maglione, housing some 450 residents altogether.

Positive cases are scattered throughout the city, Maglione said. That is why we constantly reinforce social distancing. Stay away from crowds  and wash your hands.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that the state, overall, has a total of 326 COVID-19-related deaths. Statewide, there are 1,418 presently hospitalized, with some 8,000 people testing positive for the coronavirus.

In Shelton, positive cases rose nearly 13 in 24 hours to 160, by far the most in the Valley. Overall, there are 337 positive cases in the Valley, with 54 in Naugatuck, 43 in Ansonia, 38 in Seymour (including two deaths), 28 in Derby and 14 in Beacon Falls.

Data show that 109, or 32 percent, of the 337 confirmed cases among Valley residents are individuals who currently reside in a nursing home, assisted living facility, group home or similar setting. Ninety of Sheltons 160 confirmed COVID-19 cases are residents of nursing or assisting living facilities.

Positive cases cover a wide range of ages, with Valley data showing that 87 people are 80 and older; 38 are between 70 and 79; 44 are between 60 and 69; 49 are between 50 and 59; 46 are between 40 and 49; 52 are between 30 and 39; and 21 are between 20 and 29.

Lamonts executive orders have shuttered all schools until at least April 20 and directed employees at nonessential businesses to stay home until further notice. Gatherings of more than five people are prohibited. The governor said last week that schools may remain closed until the fall.

Residents should continue to heed the advice of their chief elected officials, said Stelmaszek, and stay home as much as possible and continue to practice social distancing to avoid exposure and further spread of the virus.

Maglione said there are no plans to close parks, trails or the Shelton High School track, adding that city residents are maintaining social distance, and we are not seeing groups of 15, 20 people walking together or gathered talking. All the emergency services would like to thank Shelton residents for following social-distance guidelines.

For more information about making or using cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.

The state Department of Public Health now publishes a report at ct.gov/coronavirus that breaks down positive COVID-19 cases by town.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
At the airport, two stations  one for bracelet attachment, the other to sign a quarantine contract  reinforced what she already knew. In recent weeks, there had been a spike in coronavirus cases in Hong Kong, primarily involving people returning from abroad.

Those under quarantine could serve out their two weeks anywhere in the city, so long as they wore their wristband and stayed within the perimeter they registered on an accompanying app.

I dont mind, Ms. Lalwani, 19, said over WhatsApp as she settled into her hotel, if it means that it will keep both myself and everyone else that much safer.

If she violated the terms, she could be shipped off to a government quarantine facility. She would also risk a fine of around $645, six months in jail and social media retribution. It was the online mob that worried her most. She was familiar with its loose relationship with facts.

The coronavirus villain in the Ikea bed who had cut off her wristband, according to posts on social media and several news outlets, was a friend. The young woman, a fellow Hong Konger studying abroad, had actually never been issued a wristband, Ms. Lalwani said. An interview with the 19-year-old design student confirmed this; she said she had flown in from New York before the wristband program applied to arrivals from the United States.
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Global Antiperspirants and Deodorants Market is growing worldwide due to rising awareness about personal hygiene and increasing purchasing power of the consumers. A variety of antiperspirants and deodorants have been introduced by companies with different characteristics and forms to cater to the consumer demand for various body-odor related products. The global antiperspirants and deodorants market is expected to garner a revenue of USD 70 Billion by 2024 and projected to record a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period of 2019 to2024. The companies, involved in the global antiperspirants and deodorants market, are expected to witness several lucrative opportunities in the coming years owing to rapid urbanization and growing awareness of consumers about personal care. This is expected to drive the demand for antiperspirants and deodorants among the consumers across the world.

By distribution channel, the global antiperspirants and deodorants market has been bifurcated into store-based and non-store-based. The store-based segment has further been divided into supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, and others. The store-based segment is projected to account for the larger market share due to the widespread availability of antiperspirants and deodorants in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Moreover, there is a higher preference toward store-based channels, among consumers, as it provides a one-stop shopping experience. However, the non-store-based segment is projected to register the higher CAGR due to the increasing use of e-commerce in personal-care retail.

Industry News:

In December 2018, Unilever Plc launched deodorant wipes across six of its brands Dove, Degree Women, Dove Men+Care, Degree Men, Axe, and Love Beauty and Planet. The company is looking to create new antiperspirants and deodorants to expand its product portfolio.

Key Players

Some of the key players in the global antiperspirants and deodorants market are The Procter & Gamble Company (US), Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Coty Inc. (US), Unilever Plc (UK), L`Oreal S.A. (France), Beiersdorf AG (Germany), LOccitane International S.A. (Luxembourg), Avon Products, Inc. (UK), Colgate-Palmolive Company (US), Kao Corporation (Japan), Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited (India), Nike, Inc. (US), CavinKare Pvt. Ltd. (India), Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (US), and Benetton Group S.r.l. (Italy).

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/antiperspirants-and-deodorants-market-7918

Regional Analysis

The global antiperspirants and deodorants market has been segmented, on the basis of region, into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world.

The market in Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate owing to consumers becoming more aware about personal care and hygiene, leading to high expenditure on personal care products. Additionally, due to hot climatic conditions in countries such as India, Malaysia, and Australia, consumers prefer antiperspirant products to keep themselves sweat-free.

The market in North America is expected to be the fastest-growing due to the rising expenditure on personal care products by consumers.

Some of the strategies followed by the players operating in the market were innovations, product launches, expansions, and mergers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, shown on March 11, withdrew from the Democratic presidential primary Wednesday. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP-Getty Images)

One piece of conventional wisdom circulating in the wake of Bernie Sanders' withdrawal from the Democratic presidential primary is that the COVID-19 pandemic proves he was right about healthcare.

In truth, it proves him half right.

The pandemic is causing millions of people to lose their jobs and their health insurance just when they are most in need of coverage. If this country had universal insurance coverage, as the vast majority of the civilized world does, that wouldn't be happening, and the federal government wouldn't be maneuvering to send billions of dollars in emergency aid to hospitals and state health programs.

Sanders famously championed universal coverage, and every candidate in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 embraced that goal. But Sanders' approach to universal coverage, "Medicare for all," is not the only way to make sure everyone is insured, as his rivals in the Democratic field pointed out. In fact, most countries with healthcare systems that cover everyone in their borders do not go as far as Sanders has proposed in centralizing control over care and limiting the amount spent on drugs and other treatments.

Medicare for all's centralized control could certainly have prevented the sorry spectacle of states and the federal government competing over scarce resources, such as masks and other protective equipment. But there's no guarantee it would have led the feds to do a better job planning for the surge in demand for intensive care beds, ventilators and other supplies. The one hope is that it would be less prone to the budget pressures that led California to squander the stockpile it had the foresight to amass after the avian flu outbreak in 2006.

Then again, Medicare has been subject to repeated budget cuts over the years, so it's not exactly immune.

Beyond that, one of the biggest hurdles we face in beating back the pandemic is the shortage of tests. This problem was exacerbated by early mistakes made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combined with the red tape the Food and Drug Administration imposes before new medical tests can be deployed. It's hard to see how switching to Medicare for all makes that situation better. The private sector would still need to produce the test kits as they do now, and the government would still need to approve them.

It's worth noting that other elements of Sanders' platform could have helped to slow the spread of the pandemic. In particular, his proposed mandate that all workers have paid sick leave would have helped infected people quarantine themselves earlier. Yet with the outbreak being powered by asymptomatic people as well, COVID-19 would have been spread by people before they knew they should be staying home.
CampusLogic Announces Darren Steele as Chief Marketing Officer Darren is the CMO weve been looking for to accelerate the adoption of our student financial success platform, and Im excited to welcome him to our executive team, said CampusLogic CEO Gregg Scoresby.

CampusLogic, higher educations leading student financial success platform, today announced the addition of Darren Steele as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective April 6, 2020. Steele will support the CampusLogic mission to help schools change lives by making the college funding process easier, more transparent, and highly personalized for students, leading to increased enrollment and retention.

Steele is joining the CampusLogic leadership team from Axon, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing during the companys growth from $197 million to $531 million. He led the rebranding of the company from TASER to Axon, built the largest tech conference in policing, and helped to establish Axon as one of the most respected brands in public safety globally.

Previously, Steele led the recession-era expansion of the creative agency, Mindspace, as Principal and Strategy Director. At Mindspace, he pioneered new communication strategies that won clients including Google, Virgin, Starbucks, and Expedia. Prior to Mindspace, Steele spent seven years at Microsoft as a leader on the original Xbox launch team where he grew a new games software portfolio to $200 million.

For over 25 years, Steele has led lean teams of exceptional people to take on moonshot goals. This began with his early days at Microsoft as one of the pioneers in online gaming, continued with his work at Mindspace finding new ways to speak to a chronically distracted generation, through his recent tenure at Axon working to make the bullet obsolete to protect life in public safety. Now, he is eager to support a mission to help more young adults access funds for higher education and graduate without a crushing debt burden.

With more than 3 million students dropping out of higher education each year for financial reasons, we need an unmatched team capable of taking on this societal challenge, said Gregg Scoresby, CampusLogic Founder and CEO. CampusLogic was recently named #1 in the U.S. for technology in the education sector on the Inc. 5000 list and ranked the 81st Fastest-Growing Company in North America on Deloittes 2019 Technology Fast 500. Darren is the CMO weve been looking for to accelerate the adoption of our student financial success platform, and Im excited to welcome him to our executive team.

I funded my own education and have two kids in college today. I have seen first-hand some of the barriers students face navigating complex systems on outdated software to secure funding for education, said Steele. It is challenging enough for young adults to choose a major and succeed academically when it feels like every step in the process could mean the difference between a life of want versus a life of abundance. Im thrilled that CampusLogic has invited me to join this incredible team to help give more young people the ability to pursue their academic dreams and succeed financially.

Steele has B.A. and an M.B.A. from Brigham Young University. He, his wife, and their five children live in Arizona.

About CampusLogic

CampusLogic helps schools change lives by delivering the firstand onlyStudent Financial Success platform that incorporates a net price calculator, complete scholarship management, personalized digital communications, simplified financial aid verification, 24x7 multilingual virtual advising, tuition and scholarship crowdfunding, and integrated data visualizations. Over 500 schools across the country use CampusLogic to provide their students with an easy, mobile, and personalized experience to simplify the financial success journey, resulting in increased enrollment, better student engagement, and improved retention. CampusLogic annually hosts EmpowerED, a conference dedicated to providing student financial success professionals with access to industry trends, best practices, and networking opportunities with like-minded colleagues. For more information, visit campuslogic.com.

Media Contact

Allison Duquette

allison.duquette@campuslogic.com
Note: Estimates represent 90 percent of nationwide electricity use drawn from the grid, adjusted for season, time of day, day of week, weather and holidays. Source: Authors collection and U.S. National Weather Services Automated Surface Observing Systems

New data on electricity use in the past three weeks suggest a sharp decline in U.S. economic activity on par with that of the Great Recession. It may already be the deepest downturn since the Great Depression; it is certainly the fastest.

These numbers are important because our official statistics cant keep pace with the abrupt economic changes the coronavirus shutdown has caused. All those closed stores, silenced factories and darkened office buildings are yet to be counted in the governments official economic numbers, which take months to collect, process and report.

But evidence of the sharp economic shift shows up in a large and rapid decline in electricity usage over recent weeks.

The numbers come from a new electricity-based measure that Steve Cicala, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, has devised to track the state of the economy and how it changes from day to day. The idea of tracking electricity usage, he says, follows from the observation that most economic activity requires electricity.

Mr. Cicalas results conform with a similar analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and from reports by regional electricity providers. In terms of this scale of event, I dont think weve had in recent history anything like this hit the grid, said April Lee, an analyst at the E.I.A.

Mr. Cicala said his indicator was useful in times of rapid economic change, adding, While this isnt a perfect measure, it certainly helps with filling in the gap so that we can get the most complete picture.

The accompanying charts show large declines in electricity use across high-density cities, rural areas and industrial centers.

In New York City, electricity demand fell 14 percent from its recent average, as restaurants, theaters and offices closed their doors.

A similar decline is evident in eastern Wisconsin and Michigan (the areas share the same energy market). As of Tuesday, electricity demand was down 12 percent.

The notion of tracking the economy through electricity usage when more reliable indicators are unavailable is not new. For instance, many analysts look at electricity usage in China as a way of checking numbers that provincial officials compile under pressure to meet government quotas.

Although the United States has an array of reliable official economic statistics, none are well suited to tracking a downturn like the current one, when the unemployment rate may change as much in two days as it typically does over an entire year.

It is likely that these electricity data  which can be produced with a lag of about a day and are available for different regions of the country  will also provide the first clear signal of when the current free fall will end.

So far, the clearest picture of our economic deterioration has come from counts of people filing for unemployment insurance each week. But the governments economic rescue package has transformed the unemployment insurance system in ways that could distort those numbers in coming weeks, making it hard to spot a turning point.

For instance, if the governments small-business loan program prompts employers to keep workers on payrolls, jobless claims might fall, even as the labor market continues to deteriorate. Alternatively, the rising generosity of benefits might lead other employers to lay off idled workers, which could lead initial unemployment claims to rise for reasons unrelated to underlying labor market trends.

Electricity usage and the last recession

One way to assess the accuracy of this new economic indicator is to replay the signals it would have sent during the previous recession. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, heralding a sharp turn for the worse in an economy already contracting, but the gross domestic product numbers released a few months later initially suggested only a moderate decline in output. It took several more months for the government to release revised numbers revealing the true extent of economic carnage.

By contrast, electricity usage confirmed almost immediately that the economy had cratered. Moreover, electricity use fell the most in those parts of the country that subsequent data would confirm had experienced the sharpest fall in employment.

Even though electricity use tracked the last recession closely, this is no guarantee that it will do so again. Todays social isolation economy is very different from the pre-pandemic economy. The loss of output resulting from shuttered factories will clearly be visible in reduced electricity usage, but other changes  such as differences in the energy intensity of working from home rather than in an office  might yield more ambiguous signals.

How bad could this get?

Mr. Cicalas data also shows that electricity usage has fallen sharply across the European Union in recent weeks. The impact of the coronavirus was initially bigger in Europe, and the initial economic effect was, too. If the United States continues to track Europes path with a slight lag, it will see a further decline in economic activity in coming weeks.

But even worse outcomes are possible. The electricity usage in Italy  the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe  has fallen more than three times as much as in the United States, suggesting a particularly steep economic decline.

Source: European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity

Electricity use in selected areas

The accompanying figures show electricity usage in a few markets around the nation. The geographic regions covered may look unfamiliar; they reflect the service areas for electricity in different parts of the country.

As you read these charts, be aware that the technical adjustments required to separate the effects of seasonal and weather patterns on electricity use from those changes driven by economic activity are inexact, particularly with daily data. As a result, some daily shifts (most noticeably on the weekends) may still reflect idiosyncratic factors like social distancing. In addition, shifts in electricity use in some regions may be more or less drastic depending on the industrial structure of the local economy.
The Australian embassy in Phnom Penh is hoping to charter a flight out of Cambodia for more than 500 citizens who fear being stranded amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Meanwhile private contractors say they are also making lists and drawing up flight paths for desperate Australians seeking to leave the country.

Ambassador Pablo Kang said on his Twitter feed on Tuesday that his embassy is in the advanced stages of organising a flight from Phnom Penh via a secondary country to Sydney for Sunday.

A woman is seen leaving the Swissotel in Sydney after two weeks in self-isolation

Cambodia is one of the few countries in the region that does not have direct flights to Australia, normally transiting through Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.

Kang urged any Australians wanting to leave Cambodia to contact the embassy or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade immediately.

'We are working hard on flight options,' he said.

According to the local newspaper Khmer Times, a separate letter has been sent to Australians living in Cambodia, where borders have closed and all people are being urged to self-quarantine.

'Given we are yet to sign the relevant commercial agreement, we cannot at this stage disclose the identity of the airline or precise departure/arrival details,' the letter said.

'But we would like to give you enough advance notice to prepare for this opportunity, and for us to provide the airline with an accurate indication of numbers,' it said, according to the newspaper.

It said tickets would be priced at about $US682 for economy class, $US1622 for business class and $US3868 for first class, subject to taxes and the exchange rate.

It also said all passengers would be required to quarantine in designated hotels in Sydney for 14 days after their arrival.

The flight is additional to separate efforts to organise charter flights home. Charter To Australia has registered more than 40 people looking for options out of Cambodia.

Organiser Peter Gillard said on his WhatsApp page that the details of 50 people were being taken down and a second flight might be required.

Cambodia has been criticised for its slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, however, attitudes have hardened recently. Prime Minister Hun Sen early on Tuesday cancelled next weeks's annual Khmer New Year celebrations.
As the people in China's Wuhan celebrated the end of the 11-week shutdown imposed to contain coronavirus, some Indians who stayed put in the city enduring the surge of the pandemic has a message for India -- lockdown and self-isolation are the only ways to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

The Indians in Wuhan are jubilant and happy that their over two-month long life-threatening ordeal came to an end on Wednesday.

"For over 73 days, I stayed put in my room, stepped out to my lab close by with permission. Today I struggle to speak properly because I have not spoken much all these weeks as there is no one to speak because everyone stayed indoors," Arunjith T Sathrajith, a hydrobiolgist working in Wuhan, told PTI over phone.

India evacuated about 700 Indians and foreigners through two special Air India flights, but Arunjith, who hailed from Kerala, decided to stay put and brave it all because he felt "escaping" from a troubled place is not the ideal thing for "Indians to do".

He is one of the few Indians who chose to stay back in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people and the epicentre of the pandemic.

He also thought his return to Kerala could endanger his parents and in-laws who are all over 50 years of age besides his wife and child.

A microbiologist-turned-hydrobiologist who is taking part in a research project in the central Chinese city, he said India has done the right thing to go for a nationwide lockdown but the major problem for the country could surface when the monsoon season arises as people's immunity levels go down.

That is the time virus could turn virulent, Arunjith said.

If there is any lesson Wuhan offers, it is the strict lockdown and people's participation in self-isolation campaign, he said.

Another Indian scientist who also stayed put in Wuhan fully agreed with Arunjith.

"For about 72 days I have shut myself in my room. My neighbour has three very young children. I have not seen them coming out of their flat even once.

"Today I am happy and relieved I survived but still not willing to venture out because I could run into virus carriers," the scientist, who preferred to remain anonymous, said advising Indians to strictly follow the lockdown.

He said that lockdown of Wuhan few days before could have helped prevent the virus from spreading out like wildfire.

He preferred to remain in Wuhan and declined the Indian embassy's offer because he was concerned about his family back home.

"Considering the hospitality I enjoyed, I was confident I would be taken care of by my employer and local friends and they did," he said.

Arunjith said he and his fellow researchers began hearing about the spread of a vicious virus in Wuhan from the second week of December and things progressively began deteriorating with fear spreading among people as they began wearing masks.

But even after the lifting of the lockdown in Wuhan, still not many people are stepping out as there is lingering fear about the asymptomatic cases.

Asymptomatic coronavirus cases are those who test positive but do not show any symptoms and have the potential to cause sporadic clusters of infections.

Both agreed that it is very difficult for detecting the virus and its virulence in December and early January until many people started contracting it.

"It is not easy to understand this virus. And it is not going to be easy to understand it until they trace the zero case which is extremely difficult. Chinese took time to act because they had no idea about it early and when they learnt about it, they acted swiftly," the scientist said.

Arunjith, who travelled in China extensively especially in rural areas pursuing his research, said he suspects that the virus was passed from animal to human considering the habits among some of the communities in rural areas to eat wild animal delicacies.

Wild animals sold in the Huanan Seafood Market are believed to be the source of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 82,000 lives worldwide so far. The Huanan market was closed after the virus outbreak in China in December last year.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 22:01:14|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows firefighters conducting disinfection at the Terminal 3 of Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Noting that China is under rising pressure of guarding against imported COVID-19 cases, Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development.

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday chaired a leadership meeting to make new arrangements on implementing regular epidemic prevention and control measures and fully advancing work resumption.

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee analyzed the COVID-19 situation and economic performance at home and abroad.

As the pandemic continues its global spread, the world economy faces mounting downside risk, Xi said, adding that unstable and uncertain factors are notably increasing.

Noting that China is under rising pressure of guarding against imported COVID-19 cases, Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development.

Xi called for preparedness in mind and work to cope with prolonged external environment changes.

A border inspection police officer checks information of a newly arrived inbound passenger in Chongqing, southwest China, March 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

Xi urged unremitting efforts in guarding against imported cases from abroad and preventing a resurgence of the outbreak at home and demanded redoubling efforts in economic and social development.

He urged efforts to minimize losses caused by COVID-19.

Xi stressed paying close attention to the changes in the epidemic situation at home and abroad, calling for a prompt response that is more targeted and effective.

He required Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan to continue focusing on treating severe cases while visiting discharged patients to check their health conditions. Community-level containment measures should also be optimized.

Other parts of China, especially provinces near Hubei, should step up information sharing and containment coordination, Xi said, adding that containment efforts in Beijing should be maintained.

He ordered targeted management of asymptomatic cases to fix all loopholes that might lead to a rebound of the outbreak. 
After the unpleasant statement made by US President Donald Trump about them retaliating if PM Modi does not export the anti-malarial drug to their country, Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro took another approach to do the same. He referred to Lord Hanuman's Sanjeevani quest as an example for the countries to join forces to fight the deadly virus by sharing the medicine.

Fun fact: It's Hanuman Jayanti today!

Requesting PM Modi, President Bolsonaro wrote a letter which read, 'Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama's brother Lakshmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people'.

AFP

India has a ban on the export of the drug, but the government made a statement yesterday which said that they will allow limited exports of the anti-malarial drug to the nations that have been suffering due to the pandemic.



PM Modi had spoken to Mr Bolsonaro on Saturday and he tweeted about the same. He wrote, 'Had a productive telephone conversation with President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the #COVID19 pandemic'.

Mr Bolsonaro was also the Chief Guest for India's 70th Republic Day celebrations in January.

AFP

PM Modi stated that the country will provide support to Brazil, and officials from both the nations will remain in constant touch to discuss the present COVID-19 situation.



India now has more than 5,000 coronavirus cases with 149 deaths, while Brazil has over 14,000 cases and 688 deaths.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, continues to uplift the spirit of the people of the United Kingdom by sending them heartwarming messages in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the 93-year-old monarch once again penned a touching open letter in celebration of World Health Day. The Queen took this opportunity to honor the selfless service of health workers all over the world.

"On the occasion of World Health Day, I want to thank all those working in the healthcare profession for your selfless commitment and diligence as you undertake vitally important roles to protect and improve the health and well-being of people across the Commonwealth, and around the world," Queen Elizabeth II wrote.

"In testing times, we often observe that the best of the human spirit comes to the fore; the dedication to service of countless nurses, midwives, and other health workers, in these most challenging of circumstances, is an example to us all," she added.

Queen Elizabeth, together with her entire family, sent their utmost appreciations and well wishes to all the medical frontliners risking their lives to make the world a better place.

The reigning monarch's message was released by Windsor Castle on Tuesday and was also posted on the royal family's official Instagram page.

Along with the heartfelt message is a video montage showing each member of the British royal family visiting medical health workers to show their support.

In the short clip, senior members of the royal family were spotted, including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, together with Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton.

Other members of the royal family spotted in the video were the Queen's children, Princess Ann and Prince Edward.

Coronavirus Address

Queen Elizabeth's touching letter to the health workers came a few days after she made a rare nation address in relation to the ongoing health crisis.

The televised address was filmed inside the Windsor Castle's White Drawing Room, a spacious area where the Queen and camera operator could observe social distancing. As an extra precautionary measure, the cameraperson had to wear a personal protective equipment like the ones used in hospitals to prevent possibly spreading the virus to the head of the royal family.

In her recorded speech, the Queen acknowledges the suffering everyone had to endure while facing a global pandemic. She added that she understands how this crisis caused anxieties, grief, and financial burden to many.

She also gave a shout out to those people strictly following guidelines of staying at home and maintaining distance to prevent acquiring and spreading COVID-19. Queen Elizabeth II also thanked medical workers at the National Health Services (NHS), volunteers, and essential workers who are exerting extra effort to bring back the public's normal life.

In the end, she encouraged the people to be united in tough times like this, so everyone could all recover united against the deadly coronavirus.

The Queen also expressed hr hope that in the years to come, the people of the U.K. will look back on this difficult period and be proud of how they responded to such a challenge in life.

As of writing, the U.K. now has over 55,000 positive cases, with a total of 6,159 people already succumbing to COVID-19.
Update: Spectrum Health did not make anyone available Wednesday for an interview to further discuss the up to 65 percent lowering of the curve the healthcare systems president and CEO, Tina Freese Decker, mentioned in her video. But Spectrum did provide the following prepared statement earlier today:

This is approximate and related to the peak of the curve for hospitalized patients within our service area. This continues to change daily based on actual numbers of COVID-19 positive patients in our hospitals and potential shifting of the curves. The good news is that social distancing appears to have a very significant and positive impact on the potential surge.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Social distancing is reducing the spread of the coronavirus and has lowered the curve by as much as 65 percent, the leader of West Michigans largest healthcare system said in video posted online Tuesday.

Its working, and you are saving lives, said Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Spectrum Health, which has 14 hospitals in 16 counties.

She added, Our hope is continued social distancing may decrease the peak of the surge. This is creating precious time to help us be as prepared as possible to care for our community and protect our team during the surge.

Freese Decker could not immediately be reached Tuesday evening to provide further clarity on the 65 percent reduction in the curve. The curve is a term used by public health officials to illustrate how coronavirus cases are trending over time. The goal is to flatten the curve so theres not a dramatic peak in cases that overwhelms the healthcare system.

There were 18,970 confirmed coronavirus cases and 845 deaths in Michigan as of Tuesday, April 7, according to the latest numbers provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

In Kent County, there were 194 cases and seven deaths, according to Kent County health department data. Ottawa County had 52 cases and no reported deaths, state figures show.

Freese Deckers positive assessment echoed an upbeat message provided Monday, April 6, by Kent County Health Department Director Adam London. He said the number of people testing for coronavirus in the county had flattened to the point that I can conclude that what were doing right now is having an effect.

In a previous online video statement, posted on Spectrums website on March 30, Freese Decker had a more dire message.

She said that based on Spectrums estimates, the number of coronavirus cases in West Michigan could peak in early May, pushing demand for care beyond what it or any health care system could handle. She said Spectrum was increasing its capacity to care for more patients in preparation for a surge of new cases.

In her latest update, Freese Decker said its important that residents continue to practice social distancing to build upon the success achieved thus far.

As we think about how to create a safe future, we all need to continue what were doing right now, because its the right thing to do, and its working, she said. Please stay home unless its essential to leave.

She also said Spectrum is continuing to prepare for a potential surge by securing the personal protective equipment frontline healthcare workers need to care for coronavirus patients. She said Spectrum will need up to eight times our normal quantities of such equipment.

Personal protective equipment includes items such as N95 facemasks, goggles and face shields.

In addition, Freese Decker said Spectrum is trying to expand our testing capacity, including the ability to carry out rapid 15-minute tests. She also said the healthcare system is working on the capability to test for antibodies, which would enable Spectrum to identify those who are immune from the virus.

PREVENTION TIPS

Read more:

Spectrum Health in good shape with protective masks thanks to innovative cleaning technique

West Michigan healthcare leader calls coronavirus defining challenge of our time

West Michigans largest hospital system could exceed capacity in early May, CEO says
A well-worn cliche states If you dont plan to succeed, you plan to fail. That has been Nigerias fate in battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Nigerias Presidential Task Force and the Nigeria Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) are discernibly doing their utmost to combat the pandemic. Yet Nigeria is way behind the required response curve. If Nigerias resilience capacity at the federal, state and local levels has been low, it is due to some critical gaps, of which the lack of a national resilience strategy is most fundamental. National, State or community resilience is no longer an abstract concept. Long ignored by political leaders often to their peril - as being the remit of academic theoreticians that perception has changed diametrically, as nation states increasingly face debilitating disasters capable of ruining national economies.

Some forty days into fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, certain factors have manifested making it impossible for Nigeria to respond optimally. These realities further underline deficiencies in her national resilience strategy and disaster risk management. Of these factors, we consider six as prominent and the weak links in Nigerias national resilience chain. These include the overwhelming political leadership inertia; weak fiscal situation, in particular the low foreign reserves to fall back on in times of emergency; poor funding of national healthcare delivery systemm, reflected in the fact that Nigeria is far below the 15 percent target of the budget allocation for health, as agreed in the 2001 Abuja Declaration on Health by African countries; absence of synergy between dedicated emergency response agencies; and levity of the national population to the demands of public health emergency.

The unfettered adverse impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has decimated national economies and healthcare systems, beginning in Wuhan, China in December 2019, uncovered the broad weaknesses in Nigerias governance, regulatory methods and national resilience. To paraphrase The Economist magazine, the corona virus threw up grim choices and a miasma of tradeoffs. So with Covid-19, Nigeria entered uncharted territory as the pandemic exposed the weak underbelly of her national crisis management architecture. Nigerians had expected that the procedures adopted during, and lessons learned from, the management of the Ebola crisis in 2014-2015 would be rapidly deployed to combat COVID-19. Instead, there was a fresh effort to reinvent crisis management modalities, leading to trenchant criticisms from professionals and the public.

Enormous disasters, quite often produce inevitable paradigm shift in terms of response and even as an aftermath, which must compel critical conversations. Being organised for pro-active crisis management and response requires forward thinking, assessments, and planning, requisition and procurement, and strategic stockpiling, for such exigencies. From the moment of the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease in Wuhan, China, on the 31st of December, 2019 to Nigerias first confirmed case on 27 February 2020, Nigeria had ample time to trigger her national response and mitigation strategies. She did not, because such strategies were lacking. Nigerias leadership and policymakers were asleep at the wheels and were caught off guard, despite early warning which other nations provided and yet, other nations heeded.

Its noteworthy that just as military strategists maintain Standby Brigades, Special Forces and plan war games in order to assess national military defence capacity; disaster risk reduction (DRR) managers and strategic resiliency experts are increasingly part of the core national security mosaic, in most forward looking nations. But they hardly exist in Nigeria. While disaster risk reduction policies, strategies and mechanisms may exist on paper, often they turn redundant or moribund if the enabling drivers - the political will and governance decisions - meant to drive them are not forthcoming or they are not periodically tested to assess their fitness for purpose. That was exactly the problem Nigeria faced from the onset in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic as it spread globally.

Meanwhile, Nigerias limited resilience strategy continues to hobble her response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is bad enough that Nigeria, like most countries, lacked adequate amount of vaccines, test kits, the required therapeutics; it was worse that there was no preparedness and response until after the outbreak and spread had become a global pandemic. Foresight should have informed that the only option open to Nigeria as an assured mitigation tool, was to lay emphasis on social distancing and isolation and in the most extreme case, institute mandatory lockdowns. These had to be combined nimbly with palliatives and establishing of social safety nets. Regrettably, she has not been as vigorous as the circumstances dictated in that regard either.

Despite Nigerias response to the crisis being lethargic from the outset, faulting her dreary response to the pandemic might seem grossly unfair, when her efforts are compared to those of bigger and better developed Western countries. But in truth, the impact of the pandemic on Nigeria is still unfolding and thus can only be fully appreciated in the longer term. If Nigeria fumbled badly in handling the pandemic by not exhibiting sufficient resilience capacity, and many believe she did, here is perhaps the single most important take away. Ensuring national resilience requires the central government to regulate and take the lead in coordination, taking serious public health measures, pulling everyone along, and polling all available resources in the common interest. But being able to do that require a grand strategy and visionary leadership. Regrettably, again, both were lacking this time around.

Good governance in risk and crisis management is a game of numbers. Numbers in the realm of crisis management relates to vital statistics, which in critical moments of disaster risk management becomes the most concrete basis on which national resilience is predicated. As a nation our population is based on estimates. We do not have a complete functional basis for identifying our citizens (the national identity management programme is embryonic) or a composite national telephone directory for contact tracing and systematic outreach to our citizens. We hardly have or maintain a national strategic fuel reserve, food reserve, nor stockpile for disaster mitigation equipments.

Far more troubling was our inability to expeditiously identify the multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral experts and specialists, in logistics, contact tracing, social welfare intervention, finance, supply, transport and procurement, food security and delivery, search and rescue, small business administration and trained first responders. The one bright spot in Nigeria's response is the contributions by various private sector entities in the fight of COVID-19 Pandemic both within and outside the framework of The Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19, even if belated.

Finally, Nigeria ought to have had in place people are proactive and can prioritize; people who understand fully how to manage complex emergencies. These are disaster risk reduction mangers that can take hardheaded decisions and not buckle or allow partisan considerations or vested interest to detract them from delivering expeditiously the required services nationwide, when and where they are most needed; or goad them into pursuing sectional policies.

Its exceedingly painful that as a nation, we were nowhere near being prepared to tackle the pandemic robustly. If other nations will pay the price of the viciousness of the coronavirus, Nigeria could pay doubly such price; that being the added burden of her not having a resilience strategy. Going forward, Nigeria can only ignore the need to have a robust national resilience strategy -- that anticipates and plans for various crisis scenarios--at its own peril.

Otobo is a Non-Resident Senior Expert at the Global Governance Institute, Brussels. Obaze is MD/CEO Selonnes

Consult in Awka. This op-ed is adapted from their forthcoming book, Nigeria: Caught in the Whirlwind
Though public health officials are urging medical practices to use virtual patient visits to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, a surprising number of dermatology offices, many of them owned by private equity investment firms, remain open for in-person skin checks and other nonurgent services.

Many dermatologists have closed their offices, instead examining rashes and skin growths via Zoom, FaceTime and photos. But in a study to be published by the Journal of Dermatological Treatment, a group of researchers at the University of Cincinnati called 60 dermatology practices on March 23, when California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York already had stay-at-home restrictions in place, to see if they were open. Of the 55 dermatology practices they reached in six states, 29 said they were open to all patients. Seventeen said they were open only to urgent visits, and nine said they were closed to all patients.

This week, with most of the country under shelter-in-place orders, The New York Times found practices large and small still scheduling in-person visits.

Decisions to keep dermatology offices open for all but the most urgent visits ignore guidelines issued last month by the American Academy of Dermatology, which recommended rescheduling visits for all nonessential medical or surgical visits or, alternatively, offering telemedicine services.
Sony keeps revealing bits and pieces about its upcoming Playstation 5 console and now we get to see its DualSense controller, which is a radical departure from the DualShock in terms of design.



PS5 DualSense controller

A shift to a two-tone design almost looks like somebody slipped a slick white case over parts of a DualShock. While the aesthetics are sure to be polarizing, the standing similarities with a DualShock are actually a good thing, since Sony appears to be leaning on well charted ground when it comes to ergonomics once again. The new DualSense does look a bit beefier than its predecessor, though, but that is often a great thing for comfort and handling. Plus, Sony claims the controller feels smaller than it really looks.

Some subtle, but potentially important exterior tweaks to the DualSense include slight changes to the angle of the hand triggers and the shape of the grip. The familiar Sony light bar is still there and so is the touch-sensitive surface, only slightly modernized in design.

The Share button is no more, but there is a new Create one, as a full-featured substitute, with the promise of even easier and streamlined content creation.



PS5 DualSense controller

There are also some new features in the DualSense to be excited about. There is now a built-in microphone array, which can be used for voice chat without a headset. Considering Sonys newfound focus on sound, with Tempest on the PS5, as detailed earlier, we can only imagine these microphones are pulling at least double-duty. Potentially they can provide valuable info on the players position in a room, to help optimize sound.



PS5 DualSense controller

Sony is also clearly focusing on the sensation of touch in a new and major way as well. Not only does the DuaSense controller incorporate advanced haptic vibration feedback, but there are also new adaptive triggers. Apparently, the L2 and R2 buttons on a DualSense can dynamically adjust their tension and feedback to react more naturally to certain in-game events and convey different sensations.

Sony offered an example with a car, dragging its tires through mud and the way that distinct feeling can be transferred to the throttle input. All of this sounds mighty impressive on paper, so heres hoping the Japanese giant and developers can capitalize on the new tech properly.

Source
HAVELOCK NORTH, New Zealand - It's been less than two weeks since New Zealand imposed a coronavirus lockdown so strict that swimming at the beach and hunting in bushland were banned. They're not essential activities, plus we've been told not to do anything that could divert emergency services' resources.

People have been walking and biking strictly in their neighborhoods, lining up six feet apart while waiting to go one-in-one-out into grocery stores, and joining swaths of the world in discovering the vagaries of home schooling.

It took only 10 days for signs that the approach here - "elimination" rather than the "containment" goal of the United States and other Western countries - is working.

The number of new cases has fallen for two consecutive days, despite a huge increase in testing, with 54 confirmed or probable cases reported Tuesday. That means the number of people who have recovered, 65, exceeds the number of daily infections.

"The signs are promising," Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, said Tuesday.

The speedy results have led to calls to ease the lockdown conditions, even a little, for the four-day Easter holiday, especially as summer lingers on.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is adamant that New Zealand will complete four weeks of lockdown - two full 14-day incubation cycles - before letting up. She has, however, given the Easter Bunny special dispensation to work this weekend.

How has New Zealand, a country I still call home after 20 years abroad, controlled its outbreak so quickly?

When I arrived here a month ago, traveling from the epicenter of China via the hotspot of South Korea, I was shocked that officials did not take my temperature at the airport. I was told simply to self-isolate for 14 days (I did).

But with the coronavirus tearing through Italy and spreading in the United States, this heavily tourism-reliant country - it gets about four million international visitors a year, almost as many as its total population - did the previously unthinkable: it shut its borders to foreigners on March 19.

Two days later, Ardern delivered a televised address from her office - the first time since 1982 that an Oval Office-style speech had been given - announcing a coronavirus response alert plan involving four stages, with full lockdown being Level 4.

A group of influential leaders got on the phone with her the following day to urge moving to Level 4.

"We were hugely worried about what was happening in Italy and Spain," said one of them, Stephen Tindall, founder of the Warehouse, New Zealand's largest retailer.

"If we didn't shut down quickly enough, the pain was going to go on for a very long time," he said in a phone interview. "It's inevitable that we will have to shut down anyway, so we would rather it be sharp and short."

On the Monday, March 23, Ardern delivered another statement and gave the country 48 hours to prepare for a Level 4 lockdown. "We currently have 102 cases," she said. "But so did Italy once."

From that Wednesday night, everyone had to stay at home for four weeks unless they worked in an essential job such as health care, or were going to the supermarket or exercising near their home.

A few hours before midnight, my phone sounded a siren as it delivered a text alert: "Act as if you have Covid-19. This will save lives," it said. "Let's all do our bit to unite against Covid-19."

From the earliest stages, Ardern and her team have spoken in simple language: Stay home. Don't have contact without anyone outside your household "bubble." Be kind. We're all in this together.

She's usually done this from the podium of news conferences where she has discussed everything from the price of cauliflowers to wage subsidies. But she also regularly gives updates and answers questions on Facebook, including one done while sitting at home - possibly on her bed - in a sweatshirt.

There have been critics and rebels. The police have been ordering surfers out of the waves. The health minister was caught - and publicly chastised by Ardern, who said she would have fired him if it weren't disruptive to the crisis response - for mountain biking and taking his family to the beach.

But there has been a sense of collective purpose. The police phone line for nonemergencies has been overwhelmed with people calling to "dob in," as we say here, others they think are breaching the rules.

The response has been notably apolitical. The center-right National Party has clearly made a decision not to criticize the government's response, and in fact to help it.

These efforts appear to be paying off.

After peaking at 89 on April 2, the daily number of new cases ticked down to 67 on Monday and 54 on Tuesday. The vast majority of cases can be linked to international travel, making contact tracing relatively easy, and many are consolidated into identifiable clusters.

Because there is little evidence of community transmission, New Zealand does not have huge numbers of people overwhelming hospitals. Only one person, an elderly woman with existing health problems, has died.

The nascent slowdown reflected "a triumph of science and leadership," said Michael Baker, a professor of public health at the University of Otago and one of the country's top epidemiologists.

"Jacinda approached this decisively and unequivocally and faced the threat," said Baker, who had been advocating for an "elimination" approach since reading a World Health Organization report from China in February.

"Other countries have had a gradual ramp-up, but our approach is exactly the opposite," he said. While other Western countries have tried to slow the disease and "flatten the curve," New Zealand has tried to stamp it out entirely.

Some American doctors have urged the Trump administration to pursue the elimination approach.

In New Zealand's case, being a small island nation makes it easy to shut borders. It also helps that the country often feels like a village where everyone knows everyone else, so messages can travel quickly.

New Zealand's next challenge: Once the virus is eliminated, how to keep it that way.

The country won't be able to allow people free entry into New Zealand until the virus has stopped circulating globally or a vaccine has been developed, said Baker. But with strict border control, restrictions could be gradually relaxed and life inside New Zealand could return to almost normal.

Ardern has said her government is considering mandatory quarantine for New Zealanders returning to the country post-lockdown. "I really want a watertight system at our border," she said this week, "and I think we can do better on that."
Calling all students!

The Age wants to hear about your experience of spending the Easter holidays at home. We're asking Victorian school students of all ages to write us a letter of no more than 200 words, describing your thoughts and feelings about the past few weeks.

Have you enjoyed spending lots of time at home or do you miss getting out and about? What do you miss the most? What have you done to keep yourself occupied?

The Age is asking students to write to us about what they did on their Easter holidays.

We will choose a selection of letters to print in a special edition of the letters page. We are most likely to choose letters that use clear, concise language; offer a personal perspective; and comply with the word limit. Mum and Dad can help type up the letters, but we want them to be in your own words.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recommended lifting of the coronavirus lockdown as early as possible. It said that the restrictions, however, must be lifted in a safe and calibrated manner. "CII also believes that India should brace itself for what may be a long haul to overcome the public health crisis and the economic crisis precipitated by the corona pandemic," stated the organisation.

It said that the government should not use all its firepower at once as the crisis is not likely to get over soon. CII said that safeguarding macro-fundamentals is important to ensure that the country does not face significant rating downgrades. It also recommended a fiscal support package limited to 2 per cent of the GDP, in addition to the Rs 1.7 lakh crore provided under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: UP govt to seal 15 districts till April 13; Noida, Varanasi to be under lockdown

The CII recommended a few measures to the government:

1. CII recommended a package of Rs 2 lakh crore to JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) holders in addition to the Rs 1.7 lakh crore under PM-GKY.

2. It requested RBI to extend wage and interest support, working capital support, additional reconstruction term loans to MSMEs and additional reconstruction loans to stressed sectors. "Banks should provide additional working capital limits, equivalent to April - June wage bill of the borrowers, backed by a Government guarantee, at 4-5 per cent, with a refinance guarantee from RBI," stated CII. It added that banks should extend term loans with the government offering guarantee of 20 per cent of the default.

Also read: Coronavirus: When will lockdown be lifted? PM likely to decide on Saturday

3. CII stated that the government must preempt bank failures in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. "The economy cannot afford a bank collapse, and pre-emptive action is necessary. CII proposes that the Government of India sets apart a fund of Rs 30,000 crore that could be used by banks that meet certain criteria and under specified conditions, to access this fund by way of issuing Tier I bonds, which will be convertible into equity at the option of the fund," stated CII.

4. Use a dashboard approach for the post-lockdown restart. The restart calendar for cities and states and the proportion of manpower allowed to get back to work should be based on these dashboards.

5. Facilities that re-open should ensure social distancing, screening and sanitisation. Those who violate must be penalised.

Also read: Coronavirus: AIIMS staff told to reuse masks, PPEs as rationing measures

6. Availability of adequate masks, testing and protective gear must be ensured by the government.

7. Seamless movement of goods and services must be facilitated by the government. Authorities must not harass and drivers and workers in the sector must be given e-passes. Special transport from areas with large numbers of workers must be ensured. Highway dhabas must be allowed to function.

8. Government must undertake an aggressive messaging campaign on preparedness to ensure that migrant workers are back. Facilitate their return through e-passes and by arranging special transport. An insurance scheme for migrant workers, for three months must be rolled out. Part of the cost could be borne by the government and part by industry.

9. The government must set up a group of ministers at the Centre to plan, review and address implementation challenges. Interdepartmental task-forces, led by the respective Chief Secretaries should also be formed at the state level.

Also read: Coronavirus: Govt demarcates different facilities for mild, moderate, severe 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 27 samples taken for coronavirus testing from the Saho area of Himachal's Chamba districts have been declared negative, an official said on Wednesday.

They all were contacts of four Tablighi Jamaat members who visited the district after the Delhi's Nizamuddin congregation last month and tested positive for the infection.

The Jamaat members are currently getting treatment at a Mandi hospital.

The samples of the Chamba people were sent to Tanda's Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College for testing.

Chamba Deputy Commisioner Vivek Bhatia said so far four positive cases have been reported from the district.

He said samples of 35 more people who were in contact with the four positive cases will be sent for testing.

He said villages under 29 gram panchayats, including 14 in the Saho area of Chamba district, have been sealed as a preventive measure.

The supply of foodgrain and other essential items in the district is being maintained, he said.

The state has so far reported 28 cases with two deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 08, 2020] Telkom Indonesia and FastForward.ai Sign MOU Agreement to Explore the Delivery of Digital and Social Experiences to Telkom's Market

FastForward.ai announces today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Telkom Indonesia to explore and pilot FastForward.ai's SaaS (News - Alert) social automation platform for digital marketing, commerce and micro-payments. FastForward.ai's platform allows mobile operators and consumer enterprises to acquire digital customers and upsell targeted offers at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional marketing channels. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, people need easy and convenient access to all services via digital and social channels. FastForward.ai brings mobile operators and enterprise customers into social media, where mobile users spend nearly 3 hours a day. "Today we may be socially distanced, but the world has never been more connected. Our social media SaaS platform can help supercharge digital engagement, commerce and micro-payments to support Telkom Indonesia in maintaining a modern connection to their consumer, enterprise and government customers. We are proud to be working with Telkom Indonesia, one the most innovative and largest operators n Southeast Asia, with over 160 million customers," said Augie K Fabela II, CEO and Co-Founder of FastForward.ai.



With current global "shelter-in-place" directives, the companies' respective team members in Silicon Valley and Jakarta are proving the world's social and business resiliency - pressing forward, developing new solutions and signing agreements. "We are committed to serve all customer segments - the consumers, enterprises and government - providing them with access into the new digital and social channels which allow them to communicate and engage with their customers. When faced with challenges like COVID-19, it's more critical for service providers like Telkom Indonesia to provide a platform for our customers, so they can innovate and deliver the best and most modern user experience to maintain and sustain their service and business. That's what we are working on with FastForward.ai," said Joddy Hernady, EVP Digital and Next Business of Telkom Indonesia.

About FastForward.ai FastForward.ai provides a powerful social media SaaS platform for digital marketing, commerce, micro-payments and account management. It enables enterprises to modernize their user experience and provide customized digital services. FastForward.ai was founded by serial entrepreneur and mobile industry veteran Augie K Fabela II, the American founder of VEON, Ltd., the world's tenth largest mobile operator. Visit www.fastforward.ai for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005268/en/

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Police found Jones at 3:21 p.m. after responding to the gas station at 11901 S. Western Ave., according to police. He was taken by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday made tests for the coronavirus disease Covid-19 in government and private laboratories free, and asked the government to pass the necessary orders so as to make this possible. The tests are already free in government laboratories.

Private laboratories charge Rs 4,500 for the currently used RT-PCR tests. The antibody tests that many states will start using later this week are expected to cost less. Private labs, however, have not been allowed to do rapid testing.

The tests should be free of cost and no person should be deprived of Covid-19 tests due to non-payment of money, the Supreme Court said in an interim order on Wednesday, noting that a large part of Indias population may not have the means to afford such tests.

Union health ministry officials directed queries on testing towards the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as it is the organisation supervising everything related to Covid-19 testing in India.

Since ICMR handles testing and related matters, it would be appropriate to ask them about it, said Preeti Sudan, the Union health secretary.

Dr Balram Bhargava, the ICMR director general, did not respond to repeated calls and texts seeking comment.

The apex court also directed that Covid-19 tests must be carried out only in laboratories accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) or Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The health ministry has already restricted testing to only such laboratories. There are 139 government laboratories and 65 private ones that currently carry out the test.

The order was issued by justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat .

We find prima facie substance in the submission of petitioner that at this time of national calamity permitting private Labs to charge Rs.4500 for screening and confirmation test of COVID-19 may not be within means of a large part of population of this country and no person be deprived to undergo the COVID-19 test due to non-payment of capped amount of Rs 4500, the court said.

The petitioner, advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, submitted that government hospitals are packed to capacity making it difficult for the common man to get himself/herself tested in the government labs, and challenged ICMRs March 17 advisory fixing the cost of Covid-19 tests in private laboratories and hospitals. He also sought directions on rapidly expanding testing.

The private laboratories allowed to test for Covid-19 think free testing is not feasible. We already doing it at a bare minimum cost, and making it free will ensure the system will collapse, said Dr Navin Dang, founder, Dr Dangs Lab.

If you make Covid-19 testing free then even those who dont need it will line up to get tested. It could lead to unnecessary testing. What we need for the government to do is help in bringing down the cost of testing. If kits are made cheaper then it will bring down the cost of testing, said Dr DS Rana, chairman, board of governors, Ganga Ram Hospital.

Other experts pointed out that the courts order could stop private laboratories from stopping such tests altogether, hurting Indias effort to test more.

To be sure, the court has asked the government to explore a way to reimburse private laboratories, although it did not pass any order to this effect.

The Supreme Court in its order noted that in spite of various measures taken by the central and state governments to fight the pandemic, the number of patients and death caused by it were increasing with each passing day.Private hospitals and laboratories, the court said, have an important role to play in containing the scale of pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis.

We are satisfied that the petitioner has made out a case for issuing a direction to the respondents to issue necessary direction to accredited private Labs to conduct free of cost COVID-19 test, the order said.

Create mechanism for reimbursement (of private labs) from the government, justice Bhushan suggested.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, told the court that he will take instructions in this regard.

The question as to whether the private Laboratories carrying free of cost COVID-19 tests are entitled for any reimbursement of expenses incurred shall be considered later on, the court stated.
Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that mail-in voting will not yield a good turnout for the Republican Party as Democrats demand there be an option for elections to be fully remote in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

The president also lamented that there was a much higher possibility of voter fraud if Americans were given the option for mail-in voting instead of showing up in person.

'Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it,' Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. 'Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn't work out well for Republicans.'

Despite this assertion, 65 per cent of self-identifying Republicans said in a poll released Wednesday that if the coronavirus pandemic persisted, they want an option for remote voting.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Monday and Tuesday found that 72 per cent of adults want to be able to vote by mail-in ballot to protect themselves and others from contracting the fast-spreading respiratory disease.

A massive 79 per cent of Democrats also support a federal-level requirement for mail-in ballots.

Donald Trump said Wednesday that Republicans should not let Democrats push forward with mail-in voting because it 'doesn't work out well' for his Party

He also claimed that mail-in ballots are easier to tamper with and that's there's a larger change for voter fraud

Despite Trump's assertion, more than two-thirds of Republicans say they want the option to vote by mail-in ballot in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic

The poll was conducted online among 1,116 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3-6 percentage points.

In the event of extenuating circumstances, like traveling for work during the time of an election or being bed-ridden, voters in most states can apply for absentee ballots to cast their vote by mail ahead of the election date.

There are five states  Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington  that already hold their elections by mail-in voting.

Democrats have been pushing for a measure to allow voters the option to cast their ballots remotely, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking Congress to allocate up to $4 billion to help states improve their capacity for mail-in voting.

Trump's expected rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, said that there needs to be increases in mail-in voting capabilities.

'I think it's time we start thinking about how we're going to hold elections,' Biden told ABC's This Week on Sunday morning.

'Is it going to mostly be by mail, which is not the preferred route for everyone? How are we going to do that? How are we going to make it available to everybody?' he told ABC's 'This Week' Sunday.

Trump has bashed the prospect of mail-in voting before.

'I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting,' Trump said at his daily White House coronavirus press briefing days ago.

The president also slammed the prospect of mail-in voting when talking about the in-person voting that went forward Tuesday in Wisconsin despite the governor's executive order to postpone the election until June.

Trump said at the briefing Tuesday that he didn't know anything about long lines of voters in the Wisconsin primary.

He complained that Democrats only wanted to cancel the election after he endorsed a Republican candidate.

'I don't know anything about their lines,' the president said of Wisconsin, where voters were forced to choose between their health and casting their ballot. Because limited numbers of polling places were open, most voters stood in line for hours and the recommended social distancing was hard to enforce.

He said the long lines and concern about keeping six feet apart - guidelines from his administration - was Governor Tony Evers problem.

'You have a Democrat in Wisconsin as governor. Ask him. That's his problem. He should be doing it. Again, some governors fail. I won't let them fail because when they fail, I'll help. That's run by Democrats right now. It's run by Democrats,' Trump said. He won Wisconsin in the 2016 election.

People checked in and voted at a polling place in Wisconsin Tuesday and were separated fro workers by plexiglass while attempting to stay within social distancing guidelines from other voters

Democrats tried to extend mail-in voting and even postpone the primary election but were blocked by Republicans in court on two occasions.

The president, meanwhile, complained 'all hell broke loose' after he endorsed Judge Daniel Kelly.

'Wisconsin, get out and vote NOW for Justice Daniel Kelly. Protect your 2nd Amendment!,' he tweeted Tuesday morning.

'Ask how come it was okay to do this until I endorsed a candidate,' Trump said. 'As soon as I endorsed him, these lines are formed and I hear the lines are through the roof. Hopefully they are going to vote for the right candidate.'

He also pushed an unproven theory that mail-in ballots, which Democrats had advocated for so people could stay home yes still vote, could be tampered with.

'Mail ballots cheat. People cheat. Mail ballots are very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters. They collect them. They are fraudulent in many cases. You've got to vote. They should have voter I.D.,' the president said.

Trump himself voted by mail in the 2020 Republican primary in Florida.

He said he did it 'because I'm allowed to.'

The conservative Heritage Foundation found only eight cases of voter fraud in Wisconsin in the past five years. The most recent case was in 2017.

In it, Troy Schiller pleaded guilty to voting twice in the 2016 primary election, once in his hometown of Dexter, and once in nearby Pittsville, because he 'got wrapped up in too much talk radio.'

Wisconsin voters braved a chaotic  and potentially life-threatening  march to the polls Tuesday after a bitter partisan clash resulted in in-person voting as scheduled with no extension of absentee voting despite the pandemic.

'Welcome to the S*** Show!' wrote the state's lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling to allow more time for voters to send in absentee ballots.

State voters faced long lines up at polling places, spaced with several feet between them seeking to avoid transmission of the coronavirus, amid warnings from Democrats and some election officials that voting should be delayed.

Robert Forrestal, left, wears a full face chemical shield to protect against the spread of coronavirus, as he votes Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at the Janesville Mall in Janesville, Wis.

No uncertain message: Donald Trump put aside urging people to stay at home with this tweet

Social distance: In Hudson, Wisconsin, voters were careful to stay six feet apart - with poll workers putting traffic cones as indicators

High price for democracy: People stood in line to vote in Milwaukee after an election the governor had tried to stop

Curbside voting: In Sun Prairie, officials organized curbside voting to let people stay in their cars to minimize contact

Many wore face masks as they waited to cast their ballots in a state that has featured bitter partisan divisions. Thousands of poll workers, many of them elderly, dropped out citing concern for their own safety. National Guard members helped fill the breech.

The election took place even though Wisconsin, like most U.S. states, has imposed a stay-at-home order on its residents. In Milwaukee, there were just five polling stations  down from 180.

More than a dozen other states have postponed their elections in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed Americans' daily lives and plunged the economy into an apparent recession.

In deciding separate lawsuits brought by Republicans, the state Supreme Court blocked Democratic Governor Tony Evers' order to delay the election until June and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge's decision extending absentee voting, instead ruling ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday to be counted.

'Now voters will be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote, an untenable choice that responsible public officials tried to avoid,' said Satya Rhodes-Conway, the Democratic mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.

'Good morning and welcome to the S*** Show!' wrote state Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (left)

Former Vice President Joe Biden is calling for expanded absentee voting amid the pandemic

More than 2,400 people in Wisconsin were infected as of Monday, according to a local CBS affiliate, and upwards of half of Wisconsin's municipalities reported shortages of poll workers, prompting the Midwestern state to call up 2,400 National Guard troops to assist.

The legal maneuvering overshadowed the Democratic presidential primary in Wisconsin, the first nominating contest held since March 17 in the race to pick a challenger to Trump for the Nov. 3 election. The outbreak has pushed front-runner Joe Biden and rival Bernie Sanders off the campaign trail.

Former Vice President Biden has built a nearly insurmountable lead over Senator Sanders in the delegates who will pick the nominee at the national convention this summer. The convention, scheduled to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been postponed to August from July by the pandemic.

After a late-night meeting on Monday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission said no results of Tuesday's voting would be released until April 13, the deadline for absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday to be received.

In Milwaukee, the health commissioner in Wisconsin's biggest city, Jeanette Kowalik, asked voters to wear masks, avoid reusing pens and stand at least six feet apart.

'I'm sorry, I wish I had the authority to protect us from this,' she wrote on Twitter.
Despite sharp price cuts of hundreds of million of dong, cars still cannot find buyers. The automobile market is predicted to see a minus 15 percent growth rate this year.

Ford Explorer is the car model which sees the sharpest price decrease. Some car dealers in the south have advertised to sell brandnew Explorer at VND1.8 billion. The car was made in 2018.





Buyers would save VND199 million compared with the Explorers made in 2019. The amount would total up to VND468 million compared with earlier this year.



Analysts said this is the lowest price ever seen for a brand new Ford Explorer.



Sale agents have accepted a big discount of up to VND400 million for Chevrolet Trailblazer made in 2018. Meanwhile, three versions of Trailblazer 2019 have the quoted prices of VND885, VND925 and VND1,066 million, i.e. a VND100 million discount.

Despite sharp price cuts of hundreds of million of dong, cars still cannot find buyers. The automobile market is predicted to see a minus 15 percent growth rate this year.

As for luxury model BMW X7 2020, one can buy it at VND7.149 billion now instead of the officially quoted price of VND7.499 billion.



The used car market is also gloomy. The car dealers on Pham Hung, Nguyen Xien and Tran Thai Tong in Hanoi confirmed that cars remain unsold because of the sharp fall in demand in Covid-19.



I accept to sell cars at a loss of between tens and hundreds of million of dong. But it is very difficult to find buyers these days, Huy, the owner of a car salon, said.



Ford was the first automobile manufacturer in Vietnam to announce suspension of manufacturing on March 26. The factory maintains basic services such as maintenance and security.



Because of the epidemic, car parts and accessories cannot be imported at this time. Workers, especially foreign specialists, cannot enter Vietnam.



Ford said that production will resume depending on the situation, the governments commands, and the status of car part suppliers and customer demand.



VinFast also announced the temporary closure of its sale agents belonging to Vincom network in Hanoi and HCM City on March 27.



On March 28, Toyota and Lexus Vietnam announced the temporary closure of agents and branches in Hanoi, including showrooms and service workshops, from March 28 to April 15.



Just two days later, Toyota Vietnam decided to temporarily halt production on March 30. The Japanese manufacturer has also halted operation in Thailand, the largest market in Southeast Asia.



Most recently, TC Motor announced the production suspension of the Hyundai assembling factory in Ninh Binh from April 1 to April 15.



The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA) estimated that sales would decrease by 15 percent this year compared with the initially forecasted figure.

Kim Chi

When will the Vietnamese automobile dream come true? Vietnam still has to import car parts for domestic assembling. As a result, the production cost is high and domestically made products remain less competitive than imports.
Many state legislatures are rushing to close their doors in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among their members, staffs and families. Well over half of the lawmaking bodies have adjourned early or postponed their sessions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some legislatures are planning to return soon, but as more lawmakers and staff test positive for the virus, it is uncertain when many statehouses will resume normal business.Pandemics, or any disaster, have the potential to devastate legislatures. Making the matter more complex, several states, such as Ohio and Minnesota , require legislators to meet in person; if lawmakers in these states cannot meet face to face, they cannot legislate. These restrictions make little sense in an increasingly digital world and less sense during true emergencies.Instead of ad hoc legislating, states should adopt rules, procedures and technology that will allow lawmakers to meet and vote remotely, particularly in times of crises. Policies that require legislators to meet in person should be reconsidered.Public health concerns aside, simply closing or postponing legislative session should never be the first and only option. When this occurs, states handicap legislative priorities and are forced to push vital policy items to the wayside. In Maine, for example, lawmakers were poised to significantly reform the state's juvenile-justice system, but abruptly ended their session in mid-March due to coronavirus fears.Many other states are considering ending their sessions early as well. These shortened timelines may push legislators and other public officials to try to solve problems without knowing all the facts. Worse, it potentially cuts residents of their states off from critical state-government assistance. In trying to cope with the immediate effects of the pandemic, states continue to plead and scramble for virus test kits, medical supplies and paid-leave assistance. But what about next week or next month? What additional emergency assistance will constituents, businesses and health-care workers need while their legislatures are closed for business?A closed legislature cannot participate in meeting those demands. And that reality incentivizes the expansion  or abuse  of the executive branch's emergency powers. Without legislative oversight, these powers may long outlast the current crisis.There also are democratic norms that must also be upheld by lawmakers, especially in an election year. To protect poll workers and avoid large gatherings, governors in several states are postponing primary elections. As of now, it is uncertain whether COVID-19 will interfere with the general election in the fall. If it does, lawmakers may need to consider reforms such as solely vote-by mail elections, a herculean policy change in most states. Adjourned legislatures may not be able to meet these challenges in time.Fortunately, the technology to keep legislatures legislating is widely available and budget-friendly. Nearly every industry routinely uses tools like teleconferencing to meet when unable to do so in person. Lawmakers could employ that kind of technology to confer, debate and vote on legislation. There is little security risk, as these deliberations are already done in public. In addition, with longer-term investment, state legislatures could confidently use more-secure systems to hold private briefings and other meetings remotely during times of crisis.Some states are beginning to move in that direction. In New Jersey, one of the states hardest-hit by the pandemic, lawmakers voted by phone last month to pass legislation providing financial assistance for workers impacted by the pandemic. The remote voting was the first in the state's history, and came a week after legislation allowing the practice was enacted. A Pennsylvania House committee met remotely to debate postponing the state's primary. Other states, including Oklahoma and New York , have adopted measures allowing legislatures to meet and vote remotely, and lawmakers in other states have begun to introduce and debate similar plans.Today, instead of closing up shop, lawmakers should consider these and similar proposals. The reasoning is simple: It is better for a legislature to exist virtually than not at all.GoverningGoverning
A Dublin undertaker has spoken of the heartbreak at being unable to attend the funeral of his father who died of the coronavirus - an illness he believes he has also been hit with.

Michael Doyle, of Michael Doyle Funeral Directors in Finglas, lost his dad Michael Doyle (91) last week, just one day after doctors confirmed he had Covid-19.

At first it did not appear Mr Doyle Snr had the virus and the family were treating it as a chest infection, until he was admitted to Connolly Hospital.

However, his condition then deteriorated so swiftly that Michael Jnr didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

"The staff at Connolly Hospital were absolutely amazing," he told the Herald.

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"They called me on the Thursday to see if I wanted to check in with him by video.

"Before I could even gather my thoughts, though, he was gone. He slipped away."

Michael Jnr paid for a piper to play a lament at Glasnevin Cemetery yesterday, but there was "no mass and no funeral as we're all in lockdown", with the family watching online instead.

"On Monday we had a virtual wake for him," he said.

He added that the family were adhering to social isolation guidelines and so did not organise a funeral, in solidarity with the heroes battling the virus on the front line.

"My father wouldn't have wanted it," he said.

Michael Snr first began to feel "a bit odd" the weekend before last.

By Tuesday he was no longer able to communicate with the family or Michael Jnr, who acted as his carer following the death of his wife Agnes two years ago.

"I'm so proud of the role that I played caring for my father in the last two years and we became more like good friends."

A fifth-generation Dubliner, Michael Snr was originally from Townsend Street and had a total of 25 children and grandchildren.

Humble

Michael Jnr paid heartfelt tribute. "He was a very humble man. He was an artist and a musician. His favourite instrument that he liked to play was the harmonica," Mr Doyle said.

"We were always very entertained by that. He lived for his family."

Mr Doyle has begun working from home, talking to families planning funerals over the phone, since coming down with the symptoms of Covid-19.

He developed a cough suddenly on Saturday, but it seems to have subsided quickly.

"I had a pounding headache. I went to bed and I was sweating profusely. I slept for around 15 hours - I wouldn't sleep for 15 hours in three days," he said.

"Then I woke up at around 11.30am on Sunday, had a shower and I felt better.

"I'm sure it was the virus. I have never felt anything like that before."

Mr Doyle said he believed he probably picked up the virus from his father, though he is not sure where he was infected.

"We don't really know where it came from. I'd say my father probably had it before me."

Despite the heartbreak of losing his father to the virus, Mr Doyle is confident Ireland will emerge a stronger, more compassionate society in its wake.

"I'm devastated to lose my father. It is very sad, but it is going to be a lot of people's story.

"I am very proud of the way Irish people are dealing with this. We're so proud of the HSE.

"I honestly think we'll emerge from this as a better country, more caring."
FILE PHOTO: A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto

By Fergal Smith

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened against its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday, with the loonie giving back some of its gains since March as more signs emerged of domestic economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak and ahead of jobs data on Thursday.

At 3:27 p.m. (1927 GMT), the Canadian dollar <CAD=> was trading 0.2% lower at 1.4027 to the greenback, or 71.29 U.S. cents. The currency traded in a range of 1.3988 to 1.4081.

"The weakness in the Canadian dollar is a bit of a puzzle, especially with its commodity cousins much higher," said Adam Button, chief currency analyst at ForexLive. "At least part of it reflects the unusual outperformance of the Canadian dollar recently."

Commodity-linked currencies such as the Australian dollar and the New Zealand dollar both gained, while the price of oil, one of Canada's major exports, settled 6.2% higher at $25.09 a barrel on hopes that major producers would agree to cut output.

The loonie has rebounded 4.6% since hitting a four-year low on March 19. On Tuesday, it touched an 11-day high at 1.3941.

The value of Canadian building permits has likely fallen 23.2% year-over-year in March, Statistics Canada said in a preliminary flash estimate, while officials said a total of 4.26 million people had applied for all forms of emergency unemployment since March 15.

Canada's employment report for March is due on Thursday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said firms would only have to show that their year-on-year revenues had dropped by 15% in March, down from a 30% cap set earlier, to be eligible to claim a 75% wage subsidy for their employees.

Canadian government bond yields edged lower across much of the curve. The 5-year <CA5YT=RR> was down 1.8 basis points at 0.658%.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by David Gregorio and Peter Cooney)
By Mihir Sharma

The worlds largest lockdown is, as expected, taking a toll on the Indian economy. Fitch Ratings Inc. expects that India will grow only 2% in the current financial year. That would be the lowest rate in decades, a level not seen since this country was closed-off socialist backwater.

But everyone knows that fighting a pandemic is costly. Whats even more worrying is how the costs of a slowdownthe sudden pressure on incomes and demand, in particularwill widen pre-existing cracks in the Indian growth story.

Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here

The weakest link in the Indian economy is its banking sector. This has been the case for some time: The banks books have still not recovered from over-exuberant lending to industry back in the boom years. Weighed down by all the bad debt they took on, they have been reluctant to lend to new projects since then. Thats part of the reason that private investment in India slowed to a crawl last year and dragged growth down with it.

But, through this difficult period, Indian banksand indeed, the economy more generallycould rely on strong household demand. Indian households were willing to keep buying things even as the countrys growth engine stalled. And, often enough, they were willing to buy those goods on credit.

Banks cashed in. In the six years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office amid a wave of optimism about the Indian economy, retail loans have gone only one way: up. Theyve grown to over 28% of bank lending.

Also Read: India reassures banks of capital infusion: sources

Retail lending seemed a safe bet. The credit bureau CIBIL found last year that unsecured personal loans had the lowest default rate of any category they studiedonly 0.5%.

Questions were already being raised about that story as Indias shadow banking sectora big lender to the underbanked millionsreeled from a series of defaults. As my colleague Andy Mukherjee wrote, the shadow banks faced a wall of mistrust that meant they couldnt keep on lending.

Now the problem will likely spread to the regular banking sector. Investors punished Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. last week for taking a realistic view of what Covid-19 is likely to do its loan book. The markets dont always like realistic assessments, apparently. The management at HDFC Bank Ltd.till this week Indias third-most valuable listed companysounds much more confident and its stock wasnt hurt as much, although it is more exposed to unsecured loans than its peers.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

No help seems forthcoming from the regulators, who are yet to come to terms with the scale of the problem. The Reserve Bank of India, as part of its post-coronavirus intervention, permitted banks to grant a moratorium of three months on loan installments. Nobody is entirely sure how much this will help. After all, the borrowers still have to pay the money and the interest is still going to add up.

In other countries, banks will be the instrument for governments to fight the crisis. In India, it is more likely that they will be one of the vectors that spreads it.

A weakening of Indian banks will worsen this crisis in two ways. First, it will complicate the path for growth to recover after the lockdown. Banks reeling from a fresh batch of bad loans wont be able to provide the credit that fuels a recovery.

Also Read: Bank shares drop after Moody's changes outlook on Indian banks to negative

Second, it will make enduring the next few months much more difficult for regular Indians. One of the ways in which they survived the last catastrophic demand collapseModis 2016 decision to withdraw most of Indias cash overnightwas by stepping up borrowing from banks. In the months after demonetization, retail loans grew much faster than overall bank credit.

The real growth spike was in personal loans other than auto and home loansthe often-unsecured credit that kept Indians going through the lean times. Whos going to step up this time?

Despite warnings, Indias government waited too long to fix the banks, thinking that it had all the time in the world. Now it may be too late.
Ukraine's Cabinet mulling over allocation of additional US$738 mln for pensions

15:57, 08.04.20 3833

The new budget draft envisages a slight reduction in spending on road construction and repairs.
A case was registered against



a COVID-19 patient here in Gujarat for allegedly hiding from a health worker the travel details of his relative who died due to coronavirus and also infected him, police said on Wednesday.

The FIR was registered at Siddhpur Police Station in Patan district against the patient, who is under treatment at a hospital in Patan, after it was revealed by a health worker that he did not disclose the travel history of his relative who had recently returned from Mumbai, police said.

"The relative of the accused, a 47-year-old man, died in Patan on Tuesday after testing coronavirus positive on April 4. The accused has also been detected coronavirus positive and is undergoing treatment," an official said.

He was booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection or disease dangerous to life) of the IPC, the official said.

The accused patient failed to disclose the travel history to the health worker during a door-to-door survey on March 24, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With strict containment measures in place to lock down "red zones" with total restriction of people's movement, the Union Territory of Ladakh has done well to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic as two more persons have recovered from the disease.

With this, the number of recovered persons in one of the most sparsely populated regions in the country goes up to 11, officials said on Wednesday.

Carved out of Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state in August last year, the Union Territory comprises two districts - Ladakh and Kargil - with a combined population of around 2.9 lakh, according to Census 2011.

Ladakh reported the first case of coronavirus on March 6 and the count increased to 13 by March 21. Some good came on March 23 when two of the patients were discharged after their fresh samples tested negative twice as per the set protocol, the officials said.

Later, the number of positive cases went up to 14 when another person was tested positive on April 2. Two days later, six more patients were declared recovered.

On March 26, a patient had recovered while another person was tested negative on Tuesday was discharged from hospital, the officials said.

At present, only three patients from Kargil are still under treatment in the twin districts of the UT, the officials said, adding that all the 11 patients who recovered were from Leh.

The government machinery screened 32,108 people for the disease since January 31 this year.

Those who were screened included 160 pilgrims who had returned from Iran and 532 other foreign returnees, the officials said.

Several villages, that are home to people who returned from Iran, were completely put under lockdown as deployment of police force restricted their movement for over a month that helped containing the spread of the virus, they said.

As many as 2,808 people were placed under quarantine with 1,989 of them having completed the 14-day period. The number of people under surveillance was 1,702 with 287 of them having been released after completing the 28-day period of quarantine and surveillance.

A majority of the people were either quarantined or put under surveillance or placed under both at their homes, while only 198 were put under quarantine in different health facilities.

A total of 17 symptomatic people 11 from Leh and six from Kargil - were admitted in isolation wards, the officials said.

However, the officials said over 100 sample reports are still awaited from Delhi. These samples were taken recently from those who had come in contact with the 14th positive patient, who hails from Kargil.

The Ladakh administration is presently conducting tests outside the Union Territory but is in the process of conducting the tests locally.

The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory will be established at Choglamsar in a month's time and rapid test kits are also ordered to meet test requirements in future, Commissioner Secretary (Health) Rigzin Samphel said.

The administration has taken necessary steps in view of the opening of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh National highway, which is considered to be the lifeline of Ladakh region, after remaining closed for winter owing to heavy snowfall along Zojila pass.

The Zojila will be opened in a few days time for bringing in basic commodities such as K-oil, petrol and LPG gas. This exercise will be carried out in a controlled manner in accordance with the containment policy," Samphel added.

He pointed out that this will help in making plans for opening up Zojila for vehicular traffic movement in future.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Qantas engineer who slapped a female flight attendant on the bottom and said he had "arranged" a mechanical issue so he could ask her out has lost his unfair dismissal claim.

Despite engineer Luke Sikalias' categorical denial of any harassment, the industrial tribunal believed a female flight attendant's evidence that Mr Sikalias told her he "likes blondes", asked if she was single, slapped her on the bottom and held his hand there for a few seconds.

A Qantas engineer lost his unfair dismissal claim after the Fair Work Commission found he had harassed a colleague. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Fair Work Commission Deputy President Val Gostencnik found Mr Sikalias had made a series of "creepy" comments to the flight attendant, including the blonde remark, on board a May 2018 Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney before the cabin door closed.

After a mechanical issue later forced Mr Sikalias to come back onto the flight, he said "I arranged this so I could ask you out". Deputy President Gostencnik said his actions were "plainly unwelcome" and that "a modicum of common sense should tell one that the conduct... 'is not on'."
Four more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Bihar, taking the tally of coronavirus cases in the state to 38.

Principal Secretary, Bihar Health Department Sanjay Kumar said, "COVID19 cases surge to 38 in Bihar, with four more people testing positive yesterday in Siwan and Begusarai (two in each district). Their travel history is being ascertained."

In Siwan, a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman of the same family were tested positive for coronavirus, while in Begusarai two teenagers 15 and 16 years of age were confirmed positive for the virus.

The number of positive cases in India as per the Union health ministry update is now at 4,789, with 4,312 active cases, 353 who have been cured/discharged/migrated and 124 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some 100,000 applicants flocked to a job aptitude test on Sunday administered by Samsung Group in Seoul and other major cities here as well as Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.

The test is the first in a series of exams that lead to employment by the huge conglomerate. These were the most applicants since the test started in 1995.

Samsung is hiring 5,500 new staff in the second half of this year, which translates into a competition ratio of 20:1 for every job.

The recruitment drive is the biggest by a domestic business conglomerate this year.
HARBOR BEACH  National Filters has announced they will start manufacturing surgical masks and N95 respirators at its Harbor Beach facility to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The manufacturing will begin sometime in May.

National Filters will have the support of the Michigan Strategic Fund, with $196,625 in collateral support.

That support will go toward increased mask production from 250 per day to 7,200 per hour and allow the company to produce N95 respirators at a rate of 2,000 per hour.

Tri-County Bank, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the Huron County Economic Development Corporation will also provide support to National Filters for this process.

The increase in manufacturing will result in the company rehiring 16 employees who had been laid off due to the outbreak.

National Filters is proud to announce the addition of surgical masks and N95 respirators to our manufacturing portfolio which will help stop the spread of COVID-19, said National Filters President Todd Raines in a statement. We will begin to manufacture these materials at our facility in Harbor Beach next month. These masks and respirators are desperately needed by medical professionals and first responders across the state of Michigan.

The decision by National Filters to retool and manufacture vital healthcare personal protection equipment will provide critical supplies in the fight against COVID-19 and builds on the arsenal of innovation taking place across Michigan, said MEDC CEO Mark Burton in a statement. Were pleased to work with our local partners and support this project, and we commend the company for demonstrating resilience and ingenuity in helping to address this unprecedented public health crisis.

Raines said that National Filters has had discussions with hospitals, medical groups, retirement homes, and food processors across Michigan which would receive the masks and respirators as production starts.

The manufacturing will not happen until May as the necessary equipment has not arrived yet.

"The surgical masks making line will not arrive until the end of April and will require installation at our facility, so we are expecting to have that line running by the second week of May," Raines said. "The respirator line will arrive at the end of May and will be up and running by the middle of June."

Raines said that National Filters plans on being a long-term manufacturer for these products.

National Filters normally manufactures hydraulic filter cartridges, compressor oil and air filters, fuel filters, and dust collection filters.

National Filters did complete a 20,000 square foot expansion at its Harbor Beach facility earlier this year.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday laid out a five-point blueprint to contain the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), declaring that testing will be ramped up and the scope of treatment widened  an indication that the Capital was bracing for the possible ballooning of the pathogen that has ravaged several metropolises across the world.

Fifty one new cases were reported in Delhi on Tuesday, taking the total in the Capital to 576, out of which 333 patients are linked to the mid-March congregation of a Muslim missionary group, Tablighi Jamaat, in Nizamuddin that has now become the countrys largest hot spot for Covid-19 infections.

At a news briefing, the chief minister said that Delhi has formed a 5T plan  testing, tracing, treatment, teamwork, and tracking  and that his government was prepared to scale up resources to treat up to 30,000 active Covid-19 patients at the same time, if needed.

Also read: Alarm bells in east Delhi locality as experts suggest limited Covid-19 community spread

The first T is testing. If you dont test, you wont be able to find out which houses have been affected. It will go on spreading. South Korea identified every single individual through large scale testing. We are now going to do mass testing like South Korea, Kejriwal said.

He said the countries that did not conduct wide testing before infections climbed were unable to control the imminent spiraling of the disease. We have ordered kits for the testing of 50,000 people. The kits have started arriving. We have also placed orders for the rapid test of 100,000 people. The deliveries of kits will begin by Friday. Random tests will be done at hot spots. Detailed tests will also be done.

On Monday, Kejriwal said rapid testing will be doubled from next week  from around 500 samples per day to 1,000 samples per day.

Several experts have said that aggressive testing is the mainstay in the battle against the disease that has killed at least 77,000 people globally because the infection often spreads undetected.

Also read: Covid-19 lockdown could be extended by 2 weeks, say officials after GoM meet

South Korea and Germany have led the charge in mass testing, which has helped control the spread of new infections and kept the fatality rate low.

The second T is tracing, Kejriwal said. Tracing is being carried out at a very good level in Delhi and now we have started taking help from the police as well to check if the people who have been traced are staying under self-quarantine.

Kejriwal said that the government has so far given contact numbers of 27,702 people for tracing to the police. A persons movement can be tracked through their phone. Today, we are going to give 2,000 phone numbers of people who were brought out of Markaz to find out if they roamed in the area around Markaz. The areas they went out to, will be sealed and monitored.

The recent spike in infections has largely been propelled by the detection of hundreds of patients who attended gatherings of the Jamaat in Delhis Nizamuddin Basti last month in a violation of several restrictions. Cases linked to the meet have been reported across two dozen states and Union Territories so far.

Our third T is treatment, Kejriwal said. If someone gets infected with Covid-19, then we will have to provide that person with treatment. Delhi has 525 positive Covid-19 cases so far and we have made arrangements for 3,000 beds.

He said the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (1,500 beds), GB Pant Hospital (500) and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (450) have been declared as dedicated facilities to treat the new disease. The government has also earmarked 400 beds at three private hospitals  Max Saket (318 beds), Apollo (50 beds) and Sir Ganga Ram Kolmet Hospital (42 beds).

At present, there are 2,950 beds reserved for Covid-19 cases. If the number of patients crosses 3,000, we will use 1,500 beds at GTB (Guru Tegh Bahadur) hospital, following which we will have arrangements for 4,500 cases, Kejriwal said.

In this manner, we can go up to 30,000 beds if needed. We will have 8,000 beds at hospitals,12,000 hotel rooms will be taken over, and around 10,000 patients will be kept in banquet halls and dharamshalas. Most serious patients with heart, liver, cancer, diabetes and above 50 years of age will be kept in hospitals. Patients below 50 years and with minor symptoms will be kept in hotels and dharamshalas, but with all medical facilities, he added.

A spokesperson at Max Healthcare said: We believe that to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential for us to have dedicated hospitals. We are working closely with the Govt of Delhi and have established a dedicated COVID 19 facility at Max Hospital Saket, East Block.

A review of Delhis preparedness by a five-member expert panel recently showed that the current facilities would be able to handle 100 cases every day. While detailing the findings of the review, Kejriwal had said the Capital needed to be ready for the worst scenario and that his government was in the process of ramping up the health care infrastructure.

Experts maintain that it important for Delhi to upgrade its infrastructure to pre-empt a crisis similar to the one that has befallen New York. With cases skyrocketing, New Yorks health care system is teetering on the brink of collapse. Late in March, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said that the strained health care system had the personnel and supplies to make it through only one more week.

In Delhi, Kejriwal said that 400 ventilators and 1,200 oxygen beds will be needed if there are 30,000 active patients in Delhi and arrangements were being made.

Calculations have been done regarding PPE (personal protective equipment) kits. It has been an area of concern. We have received help from the Centre and we have placed an order for the kits which well start to receive from next week. The Centre will be providing 27,000 PPE kits to us, said Kejriwal.

The CM said that the fourth T was teamwork, and stressed on cooperation between the Centre and state governments, and the public and health care professions.

The fifth T, he said, is tracking and monitoring. I have spoken so much, but these things need to be tracked and monitored as well and its my responsibility to track the moment-to-moment plan we have prepared. I am tracking it 24 hours, he added.

A senior official in the chief ministers office said that Kejriwals first briefing every day is scheduled through a conference call with the health department at 10am. It is compulsory for the health minister, the chief secretary and the health secretary to be part of it.

Usually, he prepares his briefs and joins the lieutenant governors meeting after that through video-conferencing. Later in the day, the CM then heads review meetings with representatives of the task force that he heads, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Health experts and private hospitals welcomed the action plan presented on Tuesday.

Vikas Maurya, head of the pulmonology at Delhis Fortis Hospital, said: Rapid antibody tests result is a faster diagnosis. It is faster, cheaper and accurate  a smart way strategy in dealing with a large number of potential patients in cluster hotspots. There is one issue. This test is more accurate when dealing with a person who is infected for at least 8-9 days. Negative results may require repetition of tests after certain intervals.

Charu Hans, former head of the microbiology department at Delhis Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, said: We have limited resources, so we need a smart strategy. One has to have a clear protocol on what nature of individuals is to be tested under the said strategy. At this juncture, it is recommended to conduct tests only among symptomatic individuals in hot spots.

Jugal Kishore, head of the department, community medicine, at Delhis Safdarjung Hospital, said: Simple random sampling is a scientific method and can provide a signal on possible community spread. But, when there is a resource constraint; the government should explore the possibility of conducting snowball sampling.
NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Abbott (ABT) said that its continuous glucose monitoring technology, FreeStyle Libre 14 day system, is now available in U.S. for hospitalized patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system can be used by frontline healthcare workers in hospitals to remotely monitor patients with diabetes who can scan to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and preserve use of personal protective equipment. According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 50% of people with diabetes who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 are hospitalized. Abbott said it will donate 25,000 FreeStyle Libre 14 day sensors to U.S. hospitals and medical centers in outbreak hotspots to help accelerate access to technology. With a one-second scan using a reader or smartphone over the FreeStyle Libre 14 day sensor worn on the back of the upper arm, users get real-time glucose readings every minute, historical trends and patterns. Its arrows shows where glucose levels are going without having to fingerstick. At the same time, physicians will receive real-time glucose data and actionable information to help make important treatment decisions through LibreView, a secure, cloud-based diabetes management system. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
I must confess to the subscribers of this piece that Im currently confused about where to start. I am bombarded with infuriation of thought as regards the failure of Nigerian state. All we see in Nigerian political space at the moment are bunch of blithe homopoliticus running governance like secret cult whose activities are done in secrecy. Hitherto, Nigeria government has successfully disposed the position of media as fourth estate of the realm in every democratic setting. What government has done is a filtration of both printed and electronic media to synchronize the agenda setting in political communication. The essence of governance has been defiled and the relationship between the governed and the governors is synonymous to that of bondsman and his lord. Political gladiators have completely swapped the position of the citizenry and taken away their popular sovereignty.

This is a quick rejoinder to the current political menace and an introspective of the past political scenes. After many years of unprepossessing political space and self-abnegation of political engagement due to venomous attack of political elites and their acolytes, my snail has been struck out of its shell by the hunger activation package distributed by politicians. This was given to quench hunger and wave off the display of destitution exposed by the total lock down in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun state. What seems to be hypothetical about the relativism in conduct of the duo predominant political parties has been subjected to verification through the irregular distribution of palliative package and conditional transfer of cash by federal government with self-complacency. This is nothing but creating more acerbity in the encephalon of the poor. It is not only heinous but also ignominious to distribute four loaves of bread per household and 3kg of rice for community of about 200 residents and domesticate them for weeks. For the vast majority of citizens thinking people are ingrate for not showing good gesture to the little given to them, it is worthy to note that the procurement of this relief materials was catered for directly from public purse with the exemption of philanthropists who in their kind hearted donated to the needy.

What is the essence of peoples obsessional urge and unquenchable interest for politics when you cant take up the responsibilities attached to the office where you demonstrate your political arrogance and flout the rule of law, then you are nothing but object of ridicule. This is the time to be more impolitic in our approach to collectively fight against pandemic. This form the intellect of average Nigerians and students of politics as they indulge in perpetual criticism against bad government. It may interest one to ask the way out of the mess we found ourselves. Though, this article sounds truculent especially in diction but I feel this is the right pattern to address this abnormality. We dont need to be episodic in writing in order not to have longer view in an attempt to know the genesis of our problem and in search for solution. Whatever problem that comes to our mind should be restricted to those arise in the course of electoral process and how do we have election that the outcome truly reflects the will of the people. Though the later part of this work will address the driving force and machineries behind never to be achieved free and fair election from 1999 till date. Our plight starts from an ideologically weak political parties that handle the responsibility of political recruitment. It will be difficult to solve calculus without a detailed formula and so it is in every polity. There is a general agreement that an organization requires the following in order to qualify as a political party: continuity in organization, manifest and permanent organization at the local level, self-conscious determination of leaders at both local and national levels to capture and to hold the power of decision making alone or in coalition with others, in other words the exercise of power is not enough as we witnessed in the merger of different elements that formed All Progressive Congress in 2015 and lastly the organization is expected to seek followers at polls or in some manner striving for popular support( Lapalombara and Weiner, 1986).

Public perceptions have it that we deserve the kind of leaders we get. This is just truth insulated with lies. Despite uneven participation in political activities, what will be the benefit of those that are highly political conscious but cohabiting under the government voted by the less conscious ones. Education plays a key role in having good sense of leadership section. We are facing the warrant of democratic flaw on the principle of one man, one vote and one value. Since majority of Nigerians cast their vote based on the immediate economic gain, how do we have Nigeria of our choice? It may interest us to look at uneven political participation among ethnics that form Nigeria. Lets pick our historical lens to view the level of engagement of different ethic nationalities prior to independence. The British Colonial power decided to administer the north in Isolation from the south through what was called rule of proclamation and at all events to prevent Northerners from being contaminated politically by the educated Southerners. Educated Northerners who had visited the south had done so under the supervision of the white officials. The first and perhaps the only Northerner ever to enroll as a member of Nationalist movement was Mallam Jumare, a teacher in a middle school in the North who later lost his job for his political affiliation. It could be recalled that one of the key exponents in Nigeria once posited that there are two countries in Nigeria; the healthy and well educated South and the unhealthy and less educated North. How do you understand the essence of governance without at least little knowledge of western education? This could be justified by empirical data from autobiography of Chief Obafemi Awolowo where he opined that there were different standards of civilization as well as uneven stages in the adoption of western education and the emulation of western civilization. This shouldnt be seen as ethnocentric self-perception but a show of reality.

What is the essence of jockeying for leadership when the idea is not to legitimize the power through humanitarian approach and human capital development? The essence of primitive accumulation of wealth and stocking of dollars inside Abariga and bullion van is useless if it cant alleviate poverty and take Alimajiri off streets of Kano and Lagos. There are thousands of Patriotic Nigerians well-grounded in human quality approach to development but humiliated by the political elites just because their calling is to edify the vulnerable and gullible ones who are potential tools in the hand of politicians. The instrumentalities of government used in the course of political recruitment are just three and these are religion, ethnicity and poverty. The last seems to be the strongest but all are used to create delusional disorder and deviate masses from touch of reality and cease them from recognizing matter of peculiar interest.

The outbreak of this pandemic is enough to show deterrent examples to the conservatists amidst us and for them to demonstrate their disinclination towards politics of belly. No country has ever succeeded in over stretching their mental capacity with low political interest in gravitating their economy mainly through agriculture. When you premise the existence of your economy on the supply of raw materials, the only result you get is underdevelopment because the asymmetric relationship in the economic value of goods exchanged will keep the other party at the path of development. Nigeria needs to improve its processing and production capacity looking at the potentials inherently installed in youths. The economic prowess of Ibo nation at all stages of human history has enabled them not only to demonstrate merchandise but also replicate the possibility of revitalizing the manufacturing sector. This prosperity has been relegated and spare only Aba market and Onitsha but the inability of government to insulate the market with economic mercantilism has completely reduced the value of their products. The demand of our bowel to consume what we dont produce will contribute nothing to the advancement of the country but sell out the value of our market. Since, the need for new market was one of the reasons for African colonization, Nigeria is not far from another phase of colonialism which may not necessary come from Europe. The will of Innoson automobile company to produce ventilators for Federal government is another confirmation that we can boost our economy with technological advancement. Ethnic jingoism could denied every technological innovation and relegate them to the background. This reflected in a statement released by President Muhammadu Buharis media aid, Bashir Ahmed where he dissuaded the only indigenous automobile company from producing ventilator and supported a mere rhetoric released by Ahmadu Bello University on production of same health equipment. We need to do all in our power to infuse solidarity into the disjointed tribes that constitute nation-states within the larger society of Nigeria, raise their morale to rehabilitate their self-respect.

The next question that comes to mind is if Nigerian youths can move the state. The youths in Nigeria have been lacerated into unequal parts in which very few of them marked by doggedness, ideologically guided and working assiduously to hijack the structure away from the pudden-heads in whom the state suffered over decades. Many are engaged by politicians with cheap price and worthless value to implement their profane political agenda. Reflecting on the words of S. Olufeso, from inception, Nigeria wasnt carved to lift the poor and downtrodden out of penury and broken fortunes. Instead, the country is configured to keep the poor in perpetual misery. Even when one tries to jettison this foundational deformities, the environment is hostile for fresh idea to thrive and those that are naturally blessed to standstill will be unabashedly crushed by public policy. The system has been mesmerized by the corrupt masters of economy with their head abroad and anus at home. Umeh called them patriots in reverse order, determined merchants of loots who boost the economy of their colonial order but I call them looters without conscience.

The only source of greatness to Nigeria has been extensively discussed by experts in public affairs. The only remedy is total reformation of the system which could roughly be termed revolution for those that have not lost their literal sense. The reason why this might not occur peacefully is because none of the political entrepreneurs and political barons who never submitted job application throughout their existence will never relinquish the system for men of ideas. What also seems to be a way forward but has been misconceived by many is for every Nigerian visualizing a Nigeria in which the various linguistic units will federate to form a single nation and adopt a true federal system. Though, it is intriguing and treasonable in the sight of political moguls who are beneficiaries of the moribund system.

AFEEZ ADIATU is a graduate of political Science, University of Ibadan, Coordinator of Human Rights and Democratic Development, Liberty Watchtower ( www.libertywatchtower.org.ng )
The Taliban called back its team of negotiators from Kabul hours after saying it broke off talks with the Afghan government on a prisoner exchange.

The three-member team met some Afghan officials while in the capital, but no progress was made on the release of inmates, the Taliban said on April 7.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Qatar, announced on Twitter that the team would withdraw "with immediate effect."

Prisoners of the Islamic Emirate should have been released long before as per the signed agreement and paved the way for intra-Afghan negotiations, Shaheen said. But the relevant sides are deliberately delaying our prisoners release and thus violating the peace agreement.

Shaheen tweeted earlier that the technical team would not participate in "fruitless meetings, blaming the administration of President Ashraf Ghani for delaying the prisoner release "under one pretext or another.

The Afghan government said on April 7 that Taliban prisoners should provide assurances they would not return to combat.

The two sides had been holding talks in Kabul since last week to try to finalize the prisoner swap originally set to happen by March 10.

The suspension of the talks could lead to an escalation of violence, which in turn could threaten the plan to withdraw U.S. troops under a pact signed by the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 29.

Ghani adviser Waheed Omar said Kabul considers the release of the prisoners as part of wider negotiations.

The government would not agree to release Taliban prisoners "until the Taliban takes a step forward, Omar told reporters.

Afghan government officials have said the Taliban was demanding the release of senior commanders involved in some of the most violent attacks in recent years.

The Doha deal calls for the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year conflict.

The Taliban has vowed to release some 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding.

The U.S.-led international forces are to withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, but peace hinges on talks between the Afghan government and the militants.

With reporting by Reuters, AIP, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan
CHICO, Calif.  At this time of economic uncertainty for many Northern California businesses, the owners of one local startup are finding benefit in the current stay at home guidelines.

Action News Now Morning Anchor Julia Yarbough visited with the mastermind behind Chico Flax Farm, to learn how the business has evolved over the past year, since the first crop harvest.

In April, 2019, Yarbough spent the day working alongside volunteers to learn about the flax crop and how the owners were developing a home-grown business.

Sandy Fishers office is an expansive field of healthy flax, growing on the outskirts of Chico. The current stay at home guidelines means more time to work the crop.

Fisher explains, this season, the work included hand-processing 750 pounds of flax harvested last year, in order to prepare it for spinning.

Fischer says in the year since launching her business, there is not only local but also global interest. Her business is unique, in that it takes a product from soil, to processing, to linen, to yarn to finished garment.

Chico Flax Farm now has several employees, rather than just volunteers. There is also a partnership with a local sheep farm to source wool.

What were doing right now is we have successfully blended our flax which becomes linen when its spun, with local wool, explains Fisher. So we have a 35% flax to 65% wool and Ive knitted with it and woven with it.

Now in its second year, Fisher says production output is up by almost double.

Yarbough asked Fisher what the current coronavirus-induced business climate is teaching her.

I think it is allowing us to look within ourselves a lot, she says. Because of the connection to the land its a non-chemically processed product, it didnt have a factory to make that. Its my way of contributing back to my community.

Chico Flax has also caught the attention of global outfitter Patagonia, which has landed Fisher a grant to expand the yarn side of her business.

The goal now for the company is to more fully develop a 100% local operation that can create jobs and products for the local community and beyond.
As countries around the world openly discuss how to send workers back to plants, warehouses and officeseven as the coronavirus pandemic rages onthe World Health Organization has warned that ending social distancing measures prematurely and without sufficient preparation can rapidly accelerate the ongoing public health crisis.

During Mondays WHO press conference, Executive Director Dr. Michael Ryan stressed it would be very inadvisable to just lift lockdown if the number of cases coming through the hospital is already at a level where your occupancy of beds is nearly at a hundred percent. You need to be in a position where you now have free beds in your system so that youre managing and coping with your case load.

He added, Youll see in somewhere like Korea, 26 percent of their samples are testing positive. Last week in New York 37 percent of tested samples were positive. That the rate of positive cases is so high indicates a large number of undetected people infected with the coronavirus.

A medical worker steps over bodies as they search a refrigerated trailer while wearing personal protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Friday, April 3, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

These themes were further developed in a briefing on the situation in Europe Tuesday, when WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier made clear: One of the most important parts is not to let go of the measures too early in order not to have a fall back again.

The warnings of the WHO come as the number of deaths worldwide approaches 82,000 and the number of officially confirmed cases bursts past 1.4 million. The United States alone accounts for nearly 400,000 of the cases and almost 13,000 deaths, with a record 1,970 dead from the virus in the past 24 hours.

While Ryan and Lindmeier did not name names, they are no doubt referencing recent press conferences given by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in which he stated, We are going to have to restart the economy. President Donald Trump stated, along the same lines, We want to get [the economy] opened soon, justifying this by asserting that the signs are that our strategy is totally working and that maybe were getting to the very top of the curve.

The line being put forward by Trump, Cuomo and the political establishment is that mitigation measures have proven successful and as the number of new cases declines the country should begin thinking about sending workers back to the factories, schools, warehouses and offices en masse sometime sooner rather than later. It is not the massive loss of life that ultimately bothers Trump and the financial oligarchs, but that the cure should not be worse than the disease [for the financial markets]. Workers must be sent back to work in order for corporations to keep making billions off their labor.

Such a back-to-work order would be disastrous for the working class. First, Trumps comments dismiss situations like that in Michigan, where the number of cases and deaths is still clearly trending upward. Second, as long as there are any new cases, the pandemic can flare up again, potentially worse than before, if people are forced to work in close proximity while the virus is still active. Historical data on pandemics is very clear that lockdowns should not be ended as the number of new cases is declining, or even when new cases reach zero, but when there have been no new cases for a few weeks or even a month.

As stated by the WHOs Dr. Ryan, To chart a path out, you have to build strong public health capacity to take over from the lockdown. In other words, the lockdown is pushing the disease down by putting people back in their homes and separating communities. But once you raise the lockdown you have to have an alternative method to suppress the infection. The way to do that is active case finding, testing, isolation of cases, tracking of contacts, quarantine of contacts, and strong community education.

Such measures have yet to be placed into action within the US, notwithstanding Trumps boasts that the US has done the most testing in the world. This has only been true for the past few weeks, before which the number of tests conducted was criminally low, allowing the coronavirus to spread in the population for weeks. And testing is still not available for the population as a whole, or for health care workers on the front line, but remains reserved only for those who are hospitalized with sufficient symptoms, as defined by changing criteria. The implication is that the true extent of the virus is still unknown and pursuing a relaxation of mitigation efforts will be disastrous for the public at large.

It should also be noted that the number of detected cases is related to the amount of testing done. The number of confirmed new cases in New York decreased in previous days as did the number of tests performed by the state. Testing only symptomatic cases indicates that their contacts and suspected individuals are still uncounted. This implies that the scope of the outbreak is more enormous than the numbers suggest.

Alongside laying the ground work to force workers back to work, Trump has also begun to heavily criticize the World Health Organization for its response to the pandemic in order to undermine its stark although understated objections to Trumps designs. In a tweet Tuesday, he ranted, The WHO really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately, I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?

He continued these themes at yesterdays press conference, claiming, They called it wrong. They could have called it months earlier. They would have known. They shouldve known and they probably did know. So, well be looking into them very carefully. And were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO.

This was picked up in major news publications, including the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper, in an article published by its editorial board on Sunday headlined WHOs bows to Beijing have harmed the global response to the pandemic, railed that the agencys misinformation allowed the virus to spread to several countries because of its canoodling with Beijing. It at the same time gushed about Trumps travel ban against China as slowing the spread of the virus, despite the fact that the US has more than a quarter of the worlds coronavirus cases as a result of the administrations inaction in January, February and the first part of March.

This is not the first time the Rupert Murdoch-owned publication has attacked the WHO for its supposedly Chinese-centric focus. As early as February 13, the newspaper was writing, WHO bowed to Chinese pressure in not declaring a public emergency early in January. In fact, WHO did declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 29, before the US assembled its coronavirus task force and well before Trump declared a national emergency. It should be mentioned that Trump had been made aware of the potential consequences for the US by Peter Navarro, one of Trumps high-ranking assistants, and Alex Azar, head of Health and Human Services, before the WHO's declaration.

Of course, neither Trump, the editors of the Wall Street Journal nor any of the big banks they serve are ultimately concerned about the medical response of the WHO. They see a mortal threat in that China inevitably gains more international clout as its economy grows. This is especially true as Chinas economy begins to reopen after having been closed since January, while that of the US remains essentially in lockdown.

These are the calculations made by the American ruling elite. They see China emerging from the pandemic in a stronger geopolitical position, which cannot be tolerated. There is no thought given to the tens of thousands that have already died, the hundreds of thousands of infected and the hundreds of millions who face the loss of their livelihoods as a result of this pandemic. They do not consider the ramifications of their actions for the working class by sending them back to face a resurgence of the infection.

The working class must make its own calculations, based on the preservation of human life and the compensation of all those who cannot yet safely return to work. This must be based on the broadest struggle against the control by the capitalist class over all aspects of economic life in the drive for private profit. The resources that have been placed at the disposal of the banks and major corporations must be redirected towards ending this pandemic and establishing a socialist economy based on the interests of humanity on a global scale.
Thousands of Australian healthcare workers have pleaded with authorities to urgently provide them with more protective equipment amid a "terrifying" shortage on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

The medical staff say the problem is forcing nurses and doctors to improvise with household items, buy unreliable equipment online and skip their drink and toilet breaks to conserve as many masks as possible.

Healthcare workers say they're concerned about the levels of PPE available. Credit:AP

Items of personal protective equipment (PPE) are also being rationed or locked away, with staff saying it is potentially exposing essential health workers to the COVID-19 virus as they treat patients.

Hand sanitiser in hospitals and surgeries is running out.
Once it became known that the Australian Grand Prix would not be held in the weekend of 15 March, a number of drivers flew back to Europe immediately. Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were already on the plane when the crowd in Albert Park were still waiting in line at the entrance.

Pierre Gasly decided to stay in Melbourne when he heard that the Grand Prix would not take place due to the threat of the coronavirus. In conversation with the Italian Autosprint he explains why.

"It all seemed a bit calmer", Gasly refers to the relatively low number of infections and the predominantly relaxed attitude of the Australian government. "That's why I stayed another week in Melbourne with my personal trainer. Among other things, we had a great time with the rental doctor. When the situation changed there too, we decided to fly back."

Day out in Dubai becomes weeks of isolation

On the way the Frenchman of AlphaTauri decided to make a stopover in Dubai as well. "We decided to stay there for a few days. Those days have changed into weeks and where at first people still had a lot of room to move, everything has now become much stricter. I can only go to the supermarket."

Although in principle it is still possible to fly to Europe, Gasly prefers to stay in the United Arab Emirates because of the current situation. Although he says he is getting quite bored there. He spends most of his days training in a secluded space.
Many of the hundreds of thousands of Texans who have been laid off or furloughed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic suddenly now find themselves engaged in a new full-time occupation: working from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., trying to get through to the Texas Workforce Commission to file for unemployment benefits.

An agency that once handled an average of 13,000 calls a day got 1.7 million in a 24-hour period last week, most of them repeat efforts just to get through to even begin the process. The online site also has been overwhelmed as the office is upgrading and adjusting its system to deal with changes made by Congress in the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

The $2 trillion CARES Act is much-needed good news for displaced workers, providing an additional $600 per week above what the state previously provided and extending the benefit for 13 weeks. Self-employed and gig workers who previously did not qualify for the benefits will be eligible beginning April 12.

But it only works if the states are able to get cash into the hands of the unemployed quickly enough for them to pay for groceries, rent, utilities and other essentials while they try to survive what could be the worst economic shutdown since the Great Depression.

Texas faces a big challenge but it is making the right moves.

We know how important it is to get this help to people. These are our friends and neighbors, TWC spokesman Cisco Gamez told the editorial board Tuesday. We have added over 450 people to our staff, including 100 people to our call centers. We have added two new call centers and will be adding a third one soon.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that members of the Texas Senate - Democrat and Republican - are volunteering staffers to help the commission in answering calls, a great example of bipartisan cooperation on an important issue.

Gamez said unemployed applicants are more likely to get through online than by phone and that his best advice is to keep trying as the commission expands operations. We tried the number for good measure, and hes right: Its frustrating. For now, all you get when you dial 800-939-6631 is a busy signal.

Texas isnt alone in struggling with a tidal wave of applications. Every state in the nation is reporting longer wait times and delays.

But as the second largest state by population, home to thousands of small businesses that have been forced to close as well as large energy-sector, airline and manufacturing companies that are already being forced to shed hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, Texas officials must continue the drive to beef up staff and streamline operations as quickly as possible.

In addition to providing crucial aid to those in need, unemployment benefits are one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus. Jobless workers tend to immediately spend the payments they receive. By comparison, many of those who get $1,200 CARES Act checks later this year, especially if they are still drawing a paycheck, are likely to put it in a savings account until things get better.

More Information The Texas Workforce Commission is asking applicants to stagger their calls to 800-939-6631 and access to the website portal based on the applicant's area code. Mon-Wed-Fri 8 a.m.-Noon - Area codes beginning with 9 Mon-Wed-Fri 1 p.m.-5 p.m. - Area codes beginning with 3,4,5,6 Tues-Thurs-Sat 8 a.m.-Noon - Area codes beginning with 7,8 Tues-Thurs-Sat 1 p.m.-5 p.m. - Area codes beginning with 2 The call center hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. See More Collapse

Money circulating through a depressed economy will help kick-start things when the pandemic is subdued.

Unemployment benefits are generally calculated to make up for about half of your lost pay with a cap set by the states. In Texas, benefits range from $69 per week to a maximum of $521 per week, with an average of $246. The CARES Act adds $600 per week across the board and extends the states 26-week limit to 39 weeks.

It usually takes 21 days from the time a claim is approved until the money is delivered through direct deposit or check, according to the TWC. Gamez said he is not aware of any changes to that timetable and pointed out that the state now backdates the payments to when a worker became unemployed instead of the time the claim was approved.

He urged those who had previously applied but did not qualify to try again as they may now be eligible under loosened restrictions.

The state wisely suspended the requirement that unemployed workers register with the state jobs site and show they are actively applying for new jobs. And Gov. Greg Abbott has requested an interest-free federal loan to make sure the program remains funded.

The only thing that remains is for the state to continue working to get the money out to those who need it. And fast.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday thanked India for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to allow the export of malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine to the United States.

Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Trump said in a tweet, a day after India lifted the hold on export of the drug to the US.

Thank you Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight! he said.

President Trump has been pushing for the use of Hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. United States has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus.

The dreaded disease has inflicted more than four lakh Americans, claiming lives of over 13,000 of them till Wednesday.

Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible line of treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating that it will work, given initial positive results, Trump has bought more than 29 million doses of Hydroxychloroquine for potential treatment of the COVID-19 patients.

President Trump and Prime Minister Modi spoke over the phone last week. During the call, Trump had requested Modi to lift the hold on the American order of Hydroxychloroquine, of which India is the major producer.

"I bought millions of doses (of Hydroxychloroquine). More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it (Hydroxychloroquine) comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was Great. He was really good," Trump told Sean Hannity of the Fox on Monday night.

"You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India, Trump said, responding to a question on the usage of Hydroxychloroquine. India allowed on Tuesday the export of Hydroxychloroquine to the US, which has emerged as the global hotspot of COVID-19.

During the interview, Trump described Hydroxychloroquine as a powerful malaria drug, saying the drug is being tested on hundreds of coronavirus patients in New York.

But there are a lot of good things coming from that, he said.

Lot of people are looking at it and saying, you know I don't hear bad stories, I hear good stories. And I don't hear anything where it is causing death, said the US President.

Hydroxychloroquine, an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria, is seen as a viable therapeutic solution by President Trump to coronavirus.

Last week Trump had said he sought help from Prime Minister Modi to allow the sale of Hydroxychloroquine tablets ordered by the US to treat the growing number of coronavirus patients in his country, hours after India banned the export of the anti-malarial drug.

India has received similar requests from several other countries including its immediate neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal. India has said that it is reviewing its export ban order. Notably, India's decision to ban the exports of Hydroxychloroquine is driven by its desire to take stock of the domestic requirements and ensure that the country has enough of the drug.

"I would be surprised if he would, you know, because India does very well with the United States," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Monday.

Trump and Modi enjoy a personal friendship as reflected in the president joining the prime minister at the "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston last September. This February, Trump made a rare India-specific solo trip to Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

India on Monday agreed to lift the ban on export of Hydroxychloroquine to the US. Three Gujarat-based companies would export these tablets to the US, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday.

India produces 70 per cent of the world's supply of Hydroxychloroquine, according to Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary-general Sudarshan Jain.

The country has a production capacity of 40 tonnes of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) every month, implying 20 crore tablets of 200 mg each. And since the drug is also used to auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, manufacturers have good production capacities that can also be ramped up.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A West Australian man who was awaiting test results for a respiratory infection has been charged with assault after allegedly coughing on four hospital nurses.

Police say the 23-year-old was ordered to isolate in a room at Bunbury Regional Hospital on Tuesday after presenting to the emergency department and undergoing tests.

He allegedly became agitated and approached a nursing station before deliberately coughing and sneezing at the four nurses.

A man has been charged after allegedly coughing on four nurses. Source: Getty/file

The man was charged with four counts of assaulting a person working in a hospital and faced Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

He will return to Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday.

WA's parliament last week passed legislation to further protect public officers, including medical staff, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Anyone convicted of assaulting a frontline worker where they know or create a belief, suspicion or fear that they have COVID-19 will face up to 10 years' jail.

Police Commissioner Chris Dawson on Wednesday said 10 people had been charged with failing to comply with a direction to self-isolate or quarantine.

Three $1000 fines were issued to people who disobeyed self-isolation and gathering directives, including an Armadale woman who caused a disturbance at a shopping centre.

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A group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has requested to monitor the distribution of food by the federal government to households who have children in public schools.

The government had said it would continue to distribute food to the current beneficiaries of its Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) even though the schools are shut due to the coronavirus disease.

In a communique they jointly issued on Wednesday, nine groups said they would like to monitor the distribution to ensure effectiveness and accountability.

The organisations are Actionaid International, Nigeria, Action Health Incorporated, Centre for Womens Health and Information (CEWHIN), Connecting Gender for Development (COGEN), Federation of Muslim Womens Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Girl Child Concerns (GCC),Nigerian Popular Theatre Alliance (NPTA), The Education Partnership Centre (TEP CENTRE) and Women Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON).

They said they will work with state governments, community-based groups and individuals to carry out the monitoring exercise.

The group said the exercise would complement the efforts of government and that they would share their findings at different levels for learning and decision-making purposes.

We call on government at different levels to see this support as action for the common good of the Nigerian people and therefore be receptive to the participation of Civil Society Organisations in the national, state and local government level committees set up to plan and implement the COVID-19 related interventions.

With the support of the MacArthur Foundation, our interventions in the past three years have contributed immensely to the progress recorded so far in the different aspects of the programme including model development and implementation, food supply and distribution, fund allocation/effective resource use (food quantity/quality), community awareness, participation and ownership, monitoring systems, collaboration and general administration of the HGSFP.

The group recalled that President Mohammed Buhari in a national broadcast on March 29 regarding governments response to the global pandemic coronavirus, had stated that government has provided an initial intervention of N15 billion to support the national response as we fight to contain and control the spread.

It further quoted the president saying: although schools are closed, I have instructed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with State Governments in developing a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding programme during this period

The organisations applauded the steps that government at different levels have taken in terms of technical, financial and social response to coronavirus, saying earmarking an initial sum of N15 billion to support the fight against the pandemic is a significant contribution that puts Nigeria among countries giving the pandemic the serious attention it deserves.

However, it is important to put in place accountability structures and measures that will ensure that the full value of this significant investment is realised. It is with this background that we call on the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, and all the state governors, their cabinet members and the entire government architecture to re-commit themselves to the fight against corruption even as we battle the Coronavirus pandemic.

The role of citizens in the effective management of state affairs cannot be over-emphasised; therefore the current global pandemic calls for the involvement of all stakeholders in shaping and finding solutions.
NEW YORK, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Direxion has announced it will execute a reverse split of the issued and outstanding shares of twelve ETFs (each, a "Fund" and collectively, the "Funds"). The total market value of the shares outstanding will not be affected as a result of these splits, except with respect to the redemption of fractional shares, as outlined below.

After the close of the markets on April 22, 2020, each Fund will affect reverse splits of its issued and outstanding shares as follows:

Fund Name Reverse Split Ratio Approximate decrease in

total number of

outstanding shares Direxion Daily MSCI Brazil Bull 2X Shares 1 for 35 97% Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares 1 for 25 96% Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares 1 for 25 96% Direxion Daily Technology Bear 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily S&P 500 High Beta Bull 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bear 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Automation Index Bull 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares 1 for 10 90% Direxion Zacks MLP High Income Index Shares 1 for 8 88% Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares 1 for 5 80%

Please note the CUSIP changes, effective April 23, 2020:

Fund Name Ticker Current CUSIP New CUSIP Direxion Daily MSCI Brazil Bull 2X Shares BRZU 25490K315 25460G708 Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares JDST 25460E877 25460G807 Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 2X Shares DUST 25490K133 25460G880 Direxion Daily Technology Bear 3X Shares TECS 25460E562 25460G872 Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares DPST 25459Y132 25460G864 Direxion Daily S&P 500 High Beta Bull 3X Shares HIBL 25460E349 25460G856 Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bear 3X Shares TMV 25459Y678 25460G849 Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares JNUG 25460E166 25460G831 Direxion Daily Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Automation Index Bull 3X Shares UBOT 25460E513 25460G823 Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares RETL 25459W417 25460G815 Direxion Zacks MLP High Income Index Shares ZMLP 25459Y298 25460G799 Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares NUGT 25460E844 25460G781

As a result of these reverse splits, every thirty-five, twenty-five, ten, eight, or five shares of a Fund will be exchanged for one share as indicated in the table above. Accordingly, the total number of the issued and outstanding shares for a Fund will decrease by the approximate percentage indicated above. In addition, the per share net asset value ("NAV") and next day's opening market price will be approximately thirty-five-, twenty-five-, ten-, eight-, or five-times higher for the Funds. Shares of the Funds will begin trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "NYSE Arca") on a split-adjusted basis on April 23, 2020.

The next day's opening market value of the Funds' issued and outstanding shares, and thus a shareholder's investment value, will not be affected by the reverse split. The tables below illustrate the effect of a hypothetical one-for-thirty-five, one-for-twenty-five, one-for-ten, one-for-eight, and one-for-five reverse split anticipated for the Funds, as applicable and described above:

1-for-35 Reverse Split

Period # of Shares Owned Hypothetical NAV Total Market Value Pre-Split 350 $ 10 $3,500 Post-Split 10 $350 $3,500

1-for-25 Reverse Split

Period # of Shares Owned Hypothetical NAV Total Market Value Pre-Split 250 $ 10 $2,500 Post-Split 10 $250 $2,500

1-for-10 Reverse Split

Period # of Shares Owned Hypothetical NAV Total Market Value Pre-Split 100 $ 10 $1,000 Post-Split 10 $100 $1,000

1-for-8 Reverse Split

Period # of Shares Owned Hypothetical NAV Total Market Value Pre-Split 80 $ 30 $2,400 Post-Split 10 $240 $2,400

1-for-5 Reverse Split

Period # of Shares Owned Hypothetical NAV Total Market Value Pre-Split 50 $ 50 $2,500 Post-Split 10 $250 $2,500

The Trust's transfer agent will notify the Depository Trust Company ("DTC") of the reverse split and instruct DTC to adjust each shareholder's investment(s) accordingly. DTC is the registered owner of the Funds' shares and maintains a record of each Fund's record owners.

Redemption of Fractional Shares and Tax Consequences of the Reverse Split

As a result of the reverse splits, a shareholder of a Fund's shares potentially could hold a fractional share. However, fractional shares cannot trade on the NYSE Arca. Thus, a Fund will redeem for cash a shareholder's fractional shares at the Fund's split-adjusted NAV as of the Record Date. Such redemption may have tax implications for those shareholders and a shareholder could recognize a gain or loss in connection with the redemption of the shareholder's fractional shares. Otherwise, the reverse splits will not result in a taxable transaction for holders of Fund shares. No transaction fee will be imposed on shareholders for such redemption.

"Odd Lot" Unit

Also as a result of the reverse splits, a Fund may have outstanding one aggregation of less than 50,000 shares to make a creation unit, or an "odd lot unit." Thus, a Fund will provide one authorized participant with a one-time opportunity to redeem the odd lot unit at the split-adjusted NAV or the NAV on such date the authorized participant seeks to redeem the odd lot unit.

About Direxion:

Direxion equips investors who are driven by conviction with ETF solutions built for purpose and fine-tuned for precision. These solutions are available for a broad spectrum of investors, whether executing short-term tactical trades, investing in macro themes, or building long-term asset allocation strategies. Direxion's reputation is founded on developing products that precisely express market perspectives and allow investors to manage their risk exposure. Founded in 1997, the company has approximately $11 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2020. For more information, please visit www.direxion.com.

###

There is no guarantee that the Funds will achieve their investment objectives.

For more information on all Direxion Shares daily leveraged ETFs, go to direxion.com, or call us at 866.301.9214.

Leveraged ETFs are not suitable for all investors and should be utilized only by investors who understand the risks associated with seeking daily leveraged and inverse investment results, and intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Due to the daily nature of the leveraged and inverse investment strategies employed, there is no guarantee of long-term inverse returns. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

An investor should carefully consider a Fund's investment objective, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. A Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information about the Direxion Shares. To obtain a Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus call 866-716-0735 or visit our website at direxion.com. A Fund's prospectus and summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Direxion Shares Risks - An investment in the ETFs involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The ETFs are non-diversified and include risks associated with concentration that results from an ETF's investments in a particular industry or sector which can increase volatility.

Leveraged ETFs Risks The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. The ETFs do not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns which are a multiple of the return of their respective index for periods other than a single day. For other risks including leverage, correlation, daily compounding, market volatility and risks specific to an industry or sector, please read the prospectus.

ZMLP Risks - Investments in common units of MLPs involve risks that differ from investments in common stock. Holders of MLP common units are subject to certain risks inherent in the structure of MLPs, including (i) tax risks, (ii) risk related to limited control of management or the general partner or managing member, (iii) limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, except with respect to extraordinary transactions, (iv) conflicts of interest between the general partner or managing member and its affiliates, on the one hand, and the limited partners or members, on the other hand, including those arising from incentive distribution payments or corporate opportunities, and (v) cash flow risks.

Market Disruption Risk  Geopolitical and other events, including public health crises and natural disasters, have recently led to increased market volatility and significant market losses. Significant market volatility and market downturns may limit the Fund's ability to sell securities and obtain short exposure to securities, and the Fund's sales and short exposures may exacerbate the market volatility and downturn. Under such circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty achieving its investment objective for one or more trading days, which may adversely impact the Fund's returns on those days and periods inclusive of those days. Alternatively, the Fund may incur higher costs (including swap financing costs) in order to achieve its investment objective and may be forced to purchase and sell securities (including other ETFs' shares) at market prices that do not represent their fair value (including in the case of an ETF, its NAV) or at times that result in differences between the price the Fund receives for the security or the value of the swap exposure and the market closing price of the security or the market closing value of the swap exposure. Under those circumstances, the Fund's ability to track its Index is likely to be adversely affected, the market price of Fund shares may reflect a greater premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads in the Fund's shares may widen, resulting in increased transaction costs for secondary market purchasers and sellers. The Fund may also incur additional tracking error due to the use of futures contracts or other securities that are not perfectly correlated to the Fund's Index.

The recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has proven to be a market disrupting event. The impact of this virus, like other pandemics that may arise in the future, has negatively affected and may continue to negatively affect the economies of many nations, companies and the global securities and commodities markets, including by reducing liquidity in the markets. Adverse effects may be more pronounced for developing or emerging market countries that have less established health care systems. How long such events will last and whether they will continue or recur cannot be predicted.

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As a preventive measure against new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Health Ministry has issued fresh guidelines for disinfecting public places including offices in areas reporting coronavirus.

For ease of implementation, the guideline divided these areas into (i) indoor areas, (ii) outdoor areas and (iii) public toilets.

According to the ministry, outdoor areas have less risk than indoor areas due to air currents and exposure to sunlight.

Indoor areas such as office spaces, including conference rooms should be cleaned every evening after office hours or early in the morning before the rooms are occupied.

The guidelines said that prior to cleaning, the worker should wear disposable rubber boots, gloves (heavy duty), and a triple-layer mask.

All indoor areas such as entrance lobbies, corridors and staircases, elevators, office rooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria should be mopped with a disinfectant with one per cent sodium hypochlorite or phenolic disinfectants.

"Frequently touched areas like tabletops, chair handles, pens, diary files, keyboards, mouse, mouse pad, tea/coffee, dispensing machines etc. should especially be cleaned," said the guidelines.

Also, high contact surfaces such elevator buttons, equipment like telephone, printers/scanners, and other office machines should be cleaned twice daily by mopping with a linen/absorbable cloth soaked in one per cent sodium hypochlorite.

Hand-sanitizing stations should be installed in office premises (especially at the entry) and near high contact surfaces.

In addition, all employees should consider cleaning the work area in front of them with a disinfecting wipe prior to use and sit one seat further away from others, if possible, according to the guidelines.

In outdoor areas, such as bus stops, railway platforms, parks, roads, etc., cleaning and disinfection efforts should be targeted to frequently-touched contaminated surfaces.

For public toilets, sanitary workers must use a separate set of cleaning equipment for toilets (mops, nylon scrubber) and a separate set for sink and commode). They should always wear disposable protective gloves while cleaning a toilet.

According to the guidelines, workers must disinfect all cleaning equipment after use and before using in other area and buckets by soaking in bleach solution in hot water.

Wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while carrying out cleaning and disinfection work, it added.
MONTREAL - Cogeco Inc.'s Quebec-based radio business has temporarily laid off about one-quarter of its employees due to a significant decline in advertising from retailers affected by COVID-19 shutdowns.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cogeco President and CEO Philippe Jette speaks during the company's annual general meeting in Montreal, Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Cogeco Inc. says its Quebec-based radio business has temporarily laid off about one-quarter of its employees due to a significant decline in advertising from retailers affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - Cogeco Inc.'s Quebec-based radio business has temporarily laid off about one-quarter of its employees due to a significant decline in advertising from retailers affected by COVID-19 shutdowns.

Cogeco's radio stations have maintained good ratings during the pandemic by providing news, information and music during the crisis, chief executive Philippe Jette told analysts Wednesday.

But he added those ratings aren't expected to translate into revenue in the short term because most of the advertising that supports Cogeco's 23 radio stations across Quebec is from retailers affected by the pandemic, which was declared officially in March.

"Cogeco Media has transformed its radio programming to provide Quebecers with quality and continuous information related to the current situation, while still offering musical programming," Jette said.

Although the length and severity of the advertising downturn are unknown, he said, "we do expect to be in a strong position, from a market share perspective, when the situation eventually gets back to normal."

The number of employees affected by the layoffs wasn't immediately available.

Jette said the overall company, which derives only four per cent of its revenue from media, is in good financial shape.

Cogeco Communications  a subsidiary that provides internet, video and telephony services  had about $500 million of cash on hand and $948 million in unused credit facilities when its second quarter ended Feb. 29.

Jette says Cogeco Communications has adjusted its spending priorities as many of its employees work from home or provide customer technical support by video.

Patrice Ouimet, Cogeco's chief financial officer, said customer self-installations are more necessary because of social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19.

"And a lot of customers that would prefer not (to see) a technician coming into the house. So that makes a lot of sense," Ouimet said.

Cogeco has also introduced new tools for customers to do remote repairs with video instruction "which is something we're planning to keep going forward."

He added that Cogeco  which can offer internet speeds of 120 megabits per second and sometimes as fast as one gigabit per second  has picked up customers from rivals with slower maximum speeds.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"We have seen increased loads throughout the day," Ouimet said.

"Not only do people want to be entertained in the evening, now they want to be entertained throughout the day . . . and there's a lot of business being done at home."

"And we all know that work never stops at home. It starts early in the morning and it goes all the way to the end of the evening."

 by David Paddon in Toronto

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CGO, TSX:CCA)
COLONIE  Albany International Airport's new parking garage was completed on time last week, but don't expect a ribbon-cutting anytime soon.

The pandemic has emptied airports worldwide, as cautious travelers stay home and airlines cancel flights.

At Albany airport on Wednesday afternoon, only Dunkin' Donuts was open, said airport spokesman Doug Myers. All other shops and dining spots have closed.

About 200 people pass through the security checkpoints daily, down from as many as 4,000 on a typical weekday. That figure includes airport staff, so the actual number of departing passengers and crew is likely much lower.

About 22 of the airport's 50-plus daily departures are canceled regularly, and it's not unusual to board a plane with just a handful of other passengers.

Airport CEO Phil Calderone welcomes the fact that so few people are flying. "It means people are listening to their leaders, like the governor," he said, referring to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has called on New Yorkers to stay home and practice social distancing to limit the spread of the coronavirus. "There will be a time when we can all look at ... the tremendous improvements" at the airport, Calderone said.

Cargo flights to the airport continue, bringing needed supplies to fight the pandemic, he said. On Thursday morning a jet belonging to Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon G. Adelson was due to land at Albany after a flight from Guangzhou, China, to unload a cargo of one million face masks. The masks were donated by the Las Vegas Sands.

Meanwhile, any vacant tarmac is being filled with jets taken temporarily out of service. United Express carrier CommutAir has parked most of its fleet at Albany, where it has its maintenance base. In all, about 25 aircraft are being stored there, Myers said, although some may belong to other carriers.

When the airport food concessions closed, the inventory was donated to the Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany, Myers said. The items ranged from chicken, bacon and buns to hummus and yogurt.

AvPorts, which manages operations at the airport for the Albany County Airport Authority, has about 160 employees working. They provide services ranging from building and grounds maintenance to operating the one parking lot that remains open, as well as shuttle buses to its economy lot, which is now closed to new traffic.

The new garage is also closed, as is the existing garage. Calderone said he is seeking to save money on utilities and other discretionary spending. "I want to hold off on furloughing any employees for now," he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, has changed the way it staffs the airport control tower.

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

"Each air traffic control facility is establishing separate teams of controllers that will stay together throughout the duty week," the FAA said in a statement provided to the Times Unon. "Each crew will contain the same employees, limiting the possibility of cross-exposure to COVID-19 that would come through normal shift rotations. If a person on one team gets sick, the only people who would be exposed are the other people on that team."

Calderone said the airport authority had also worked to establish a backup control tower in case the main tower requires sanitizing.

And the Transportation Security Administration, which has seen air traffic plummet nationwide, has alternated open and closed lanes at the Albany checkpoint to further separate passengers going through screening, said spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. With the sharp decline in passengers, officers are assigned fewer hours at the checkpoint.

"Fewer work hours reduces the amount of time our officers are exposed to passengers who might be carrying the virus," Farbstein said. "The security of the traveling public and the health of our employees will continue to be our top priorities."

She added that TSA officers continue to be paid and none have been furloughed.

Calderone, meanwhile, thanked the employees who remain on the job, "all those other people who don't get the shout-out they deserve. They take risks so we can run" the facility.
The covid19 virus threat has ended the weekly protests, which began in February 2019 and quickly succeeded in overthrowing a corrupt and inept president. Also gone was the power of the FLN party, which had held onto power since the 1960s. One reason the FLN lost was that the deposed president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, tried to limit the autonomy of military intelligence. This was an unpopular effort with most Algerians as well as the troops. The military was popular because it had defeated an effort by Islamic political parties to take over the government in the 1990s. After that, the military managed to keep Islamic terrorism out of Algeria, even after the 2011 Arab Spring and the appearance of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in 2014. The FLN saw the military as a potential rival and starting in 2015 tried to limit military intelligence capabilities. This was not popular with anyone but the FLN and the many corrupt politicians who believed (somewhat correctly) that the military intel had evidence of corrupt acts.

The presidential elections were held on December 12th despite popular opposition. This was not an instant disaster because the candidate elected, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a former prime minister, formed his new government by appointing new government ministers that most protesters approved of, or could not criticize. None of the new ministers had opposed the weekly protests. Tebboune has also met with protest leaders and simultaneously organized an effort to create a new constitution that would make it more difficult for him or any future president, to again become a corrupt president-for-life. The new president, as a former senior official himself, knows that there are many senior people in the government, military and business community who oppose such changes. Such opposition has to be expressed quietly but it is still there and it will be a year or more before it will be clear if a new, dictator-proof, constitution is possible or not.

The problem is that Tebboune had the support of the military and will be under pressure to maintain a high level of military spending. Nearly a third of the government budget goes to the military. This is high by world standards. In fact, it is the highest in the world by a nation that releases such data. North Korea is believed to devote more of the government budget to the military but refuses to talk about it. Other nations that come close are Saudi Arabia, at 25 percent. Saudi Arabia believes it is at war with Iran and considers its military budget a wartime budget. Armenia, at 21 percent, is in a similar situation with neighbor Azerbaijan. Officially Algeria only spends about 14 percent of the government budget on the military but the reality is the spending is much higher and the security services want to keep it that way.

Most of the troops, mainly the younger ones, support going after corruption in a big way. The junior officers agree with that. For the older officers and NCOs who have made the military a career, priorities are different. For the older troops, the most important thing is to maintain enough political power to maintain the current levels of military spending.

This outcome may prove that Algerians who felt that rushing elections favored the election of another corrupt politician, were right. So far the new president and his ministers appear pretty clean, as do most senior military officers. But that could change, as it often does, leaving Algeria with leaders are as corrupt and ineffective as all the previous ones. In other words there would be a few token prosecutions for corruption but the majority of the corrupt bureaucrats and business owners would return to their outlaw ways.

Running Near Empty

The government measures how long it can avoid making decisive and effective changes in the economy by noting what the foreign currency reserves are. As of March 1st, the reserves amounted to about $60 billion. When these reserved dipped below $100 billion at the end of 2017 it was predicted that they were headed for $64 billion at the end of 2019 and $47 billion by the end of 2020. Things got worse faster than expected.

Until 2020 the government's inability to reform (suppress corruption) the economy quickly enough to reduce vulnerability to low oil prices was a major threat and cause the foreign reserves shrinking. The status of these reserves must be reported accurately in order to placate foreign exporters and lenders. Foreign exchange reserves, essential to pay for imports, keep declining because 70 percent of what Algerians consume is imported. Replacing a lot of those imports with locally produced food and manufactured goods takes time and the elimination of many laws and customs that allowed the FLN party and corrupt leaders like Bouteflika and to prosper and survive since the 1960s.

In 2020 there were two unexpected financial difficulties. First, Saudi Arabia and Russia got into a dispute over how to cut oil production to raise world oil prices. This dispute resulted in both nations increasing production and sending world oil prices down to $20 a barrel. Right after that covid19 got out of China and temporarily stalled American and European economies as most businesses were shut and people told to stay home to halt the spread of the virus. This reduced demand for oil, even at the very low prices and that drove prices still lower.

Then came covid19, a virus that first showed up in China back in December 2019. Local and national Chinese leaders mishandled the virus, especially when it came to sharing data with the outside world. As a result, the opportunity to halt the virus early on was lost and now it is worldwide. Algeria is dealing with the virus better than most other African or Middle Eastern nations. But this comes at the expense of economic activity. That is another battle, which is going to be more difficult because of the unusually low oil prices.

These low financial reserves are not a new problem, because since the collapse of oil prices after 2013, Algeria's foreign currency reserves have enabled the government to put off carrying out the extensive reforms and anti-corruption measures needed to revive the economy and achieve the degree of economic growth that would solve the unemployment problems. Those cash reserves were $193 billion in mid- 2014 and, even with cuts to non-essential imports, the cash reserves kept shrinking. The government cut its budget 14 percent in 2017 in order to get the budget deficit down to 8 percent (versus 15 percent in 2016). Even so after five more years of this, the foreign currency reserves will be less of a cushion and more of a threat because of all the additional budget cuts. By 2018 it was obvious that budget cuts and reductions in imports was not going to work and most Algerians knew it. That was one of the issues that led to the April 2019 overthrow of FLN rule. The current unrest is all about what replaces the FLN and if the replacements can fix the economy. Further cuts in the national budget are mandatory. It will be difficult to justify sparing the military and that could get interesting.

Islamic Terrorists Intimidated

Even before covid19 showed up Islamic terrorist activity in Algeria was declining year after year. Islamic terror groups have warned their members about covid19 and advised them to remain inactive and out of sight until the health crisis is over. The army continues its counter-terrorism and border patrols but at a reduced frequency. While some smugglers are taking advantage of this, they are just getting the stuff across the border and then hiding the goods until the quarantine measures ease up and enable them to move their drugs, weapons or consumer goods towards the coast.

April 7, 2020: Algerian banks agreed to defer, or reschedule, loan payments by firms that have lad operations disrupted by covid19.

April 5, 2020: The nationwide curfew is now longer, from 3 PM to 7 AM in the capital and eight of the most populous provinces. For the other provinces it remains 7 PM to 7 AM. There are two southern provinces, which are thinly populated and largely desert, where they have been no reported covid19 cases. These two provinces have no curfew at all. So far the government has identified nearly 1,300 Algerians who have come down with the virus. Over the next three days infections rose to 1,468 and virus-related deaths to 193. So far Algeria has suffered about four deaths per million population. Thats the same as South Korea, which is praised for its efficient handling of the virus. South Korea has a much better public health system but so far Algeria has done well with what it has. What helped was the Algeria has only had 33 cases per million people while South Korea had 203. Both are doing better than the United States, which has 1,210 cases per million and 39 deaths per million. One reason for the higher American, and European, numbers per million is a better health care system that identifies and counts more of the infected and dead from covid19. Not all nations are able, or willing, to get accurate numbers.

March 20, 2020: Protest leaders, who have managed 56 straight weeks of gatherings, decided to suspend the protests until the covid19 threat is over. So far there have been 90 confirmed people with the virus in Algeria and ten deaths. Today, which would have been week 57, the streets were empty.

March 17, 2020: The government ordered mosques and other religious institutions closed until firth notice as part of the effort to halt the spread of covid19.

March 12, 2020: The government ordered schools including universities, closed until firth notice as part of the effort to halt the spread of covid19. This comes two days after most businesses were ordered closed.
This is unconscionable, Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. Patients are already being forced to put their lives in harms way during a pandemic, and now will be forced to continue doing so to get the health care they need. Abortion is essential, its time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass.
Photo: Paul Sableman/Flickr

Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Sacramento.

Students are feeling lost. 2 Sacramento teens take their lives in separate incidents.

Chris Evans took a phone call late Monday night, the one anyone in education fears and braces for.

Read the full story on The Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento Zoo announces layoffs and furloughs for staff due to coronavirus shutdown

One of Sacramento's most beloved attractions is beginning to feel the pain of ongoing closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story on The Sacramento Bee.

Coronavirus update: Sacramento County extends stay-at-home order through May 1

The new order sets new social distancing protocols for essential businesses, restricts access to recreation facilities, clarifies essential activities and travel, and prohibits all non-essential gatherings of any number of people.

Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento.

Man killed in early morning North Sacramento shooting

A search is on for the suspect in a shooting that left one man dead in North Sacramento early Tuesday morning.

Read the full story on CBS13 CBS Sacramento.

Sacramento police launch new Heart of Sactown campaign to highlight community members

The Sacramento Police Department is launching what is being called the #HeartofSacTown campaign, an effort to showcase stories of hope, love and kindness from the community.

Read the full story on ABC Sacramento, KXTV.

This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has thanked all the 'incredible' medical professionals for their 'unbelievable' work during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Hello. Myself, the staff and all the players of LFC would like to take this opportunity to deliver a message to say thank you to all the incredible people who work in the health services - all the health workers if you want, out there," Klopp said in a video posted on Liverpool's official Instagram handle.

"It's unbelievable what you are doing and on behalf of all of us from LFC, I would like to say thank you. Or, how we would say in Germany, vielen dank (thanks a lot)," he added.

Earlier, Premier League announced that the 2019-20 season will only return 'when it is safe and appropriate to do so'.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has reached 14.3 lakh with more than 82,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BANGALORE, India, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital transformation is the process of using emerging technology to develop or change business processes, culture, and consumer experiences to meet the changing business and market needs. Thus, leading to fundamental changes in how companies function and how they give value to their clients. Technologies such as Cloud Computing, Internet-of-Things (IoT), Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are paving the way for smart business transformations.

Based on type, the Digital transformation market can be classified into Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Cloud-Based and others. Among them, the Cloud-Based segment is expected to dominate the market with a share of 49.38%

In 2019, the global Digital Transformation market size was valued at USD 330.6 Million and is projected to hit USD 784.9 Million by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 13.0 percent in 2021-2026.

Digital transformation supports organizations in mitigating risks and handling disruptions such as marketplace fluctuation, corporate restructuring, and geopolitical environment. The transition from traditional business models to modern digitized business models also promotes the development of more technologically advanced products and services.

This report focuses on the status of the global digital transition, future projections, opportunities for growth, key markets, and key players. The objective of the study is to present the progress of the digital transformation in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2P249/digital-transformation-market

TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GLOBAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET SIZE

Mobile devices and apps have revolutionized many aspects of modern life. This has, in turn, paved the way for the digitization of different industry verticals. Organizations and businesses across the world are digitally transforming their traditional brick-and-mortar businesses into online businesses. This increasing penetration of mobile devices is expected to increase the digital transformation market size during the forecast period.

The increased demand for industrial automation is the primary driver for the growth of digital transformation market size. Furthermore, the market is expected to experience rapid growth over the forecast period due to the convergence of AI, machine learning, and rapid deployment of IoT and connected infrastructures.

Increasing consumer buying power and the need to fulfill consumer standards, which in turn contribute to established customer retention and new customer acquisitions, are the major factors behind the digital transformation of the retail sector. The retail sector is expected to lead the digital transformation market during the forecast period. Digital transformation for a retail industry includes the integration of customer care, merchandising, pricing, procurement, and supply chain processes to save time and optimizing convenience for shoppers.

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REGION WISE GLOBAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SHARE ANALYSIS

North America is expected to dominate the global digital transformation market. This can be attributed to growing internet penetration and the increased usage of various types of online payment modes.

is expected to dominate the global digital transformation market. This can be attributed to growing internet penetration and the increased usage of various types of online payment modes. Rapid technological developments, increasing awareness about the advantages of transitioning to the cloud are some of the factors that compel SMBs in the Asia Pacific region to transform their business. This surge in digital transformation from the SMBs in the Asia Pacific region is expected to increase the region's market share.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET SEGMENTATIONS

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET SEGMENT BY REGIONS/COUNTRIES, THIS REPORT COVERS

North America

Europe

China

Japan

Southeast Asia

India

Central & South America

Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Othe-2P249/digital_transformation_market

THE KEY PLAYERS COVERED IN THIS STUDY

IBM

Oracle

Google

Microsoft

Cisco

SAP SE

Dell

Hewlett Packard

Adobe Systems

Capgemini Group

Kelltontech Solutions

Accenture

Fujitsu

Hitachi

Alibaba

Huawei

Others.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET SEGMENT BY TYPE:

Cloud-Based

AI

IoT

Others.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET SEGMENT BY APPLICATION, SPLIT INTO

BFSI

Government

Healthcare

IT and Telecom

Manufacturing

Retail

Others.

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SIMILAR REPORTS:

Digital Transformation Services Market Report

The global digital transformation services market size is estimated at USD 215.3 Billion in 2019 and is projected to hit USD 690.9 Billion by the end of 2025, rising at a 21.45 percent CAGR between 2019 and 2025.

The growing convergence of marketing and technology, in many industries, is changing the business environment. Digital transformation services help the business to realign their business processes and technologies to obtain a competitive edge in the market.

The report studies the demand for digital transformation services using various methodologies to provide reliable and in-depth industry knowledge. Based on global revenue, the digital transformation service market report lists the major players in the key regions and their market share. It also outlines their strategic developments in recent years, investments in product innovation and leadership changes to remain ahead in the market.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-4T205/digital-transformation-services

Digital Business Transformation Market Report

Digital transformation is the transition associated with digital technology's implementation in all facets of human society. It encourages different forms of inventions and ingenuity in particular fields rather than merely improving existing approaches and promoting them.

The global digital business transformation market size is estimated at USD 280.6 Billion in 2019 and is projected to hit USD 693.6 Billion by the end of 2025, rising at a CAGR of 16.28 percent from 2019 to 2025.

This study focuses on the status of the global digital business transformation market, future projections, growth prospects, key industry, and key players. The aim of this study is to address the progress of Digital Business Transformation in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2S266/digital-business-transformation-market

Digital Transformation in Healthcare Market Report

Digital transformation in the healthcare market involves the incorporation of digital technology into all facets of how a healthcare sector deals with customers, healthcare providers, and regulators.

The report provides a detailed regional overview of the global digital transition healthcare market, covering major regions, including North America, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Report buyers can access verified and accurate industry estimates, including revenue-related projections for the overall size of the global healthcare digital transformation sector.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-27X1685/global-digital-transformation-in-healthcare-market

Digital transformation in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Market Report

This report focuses on the global digital transformation of the status of banking, financial services and insurance, future projections, growth prospects, key markets, and key players. The objective of the report is to address the digital transformation in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America in banking, financial services, and insurance growth.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 13:41:48|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 8 (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 number of COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 398,809 as of 11 p.m. on Tuesday (0300 GMT on Wednesday), with 12,895 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that evidence shows that African Americans have higher rates of COVID-19 infection in the United States.

- - - -

LOS ANGELES -- Non-medical essential workers and customers at businesses in Los Angeles will be required to cover their faces starting Friday to help curb the spread of COVID-19, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Tuesday.

"If you're shopping for groceries, if you're picking up your prescription or visiting any other essential business, you will need to cover your face," Garcetti said in a briefing.

- - - -

TRIPOLI -- The Higher Committee to Combat the Corona Epidemic of Libya's eastern-based government on Tuesday announced the first COVID-19 case in eastern Libya.

In a press conference in the eastern city Benghazi, the Committee said the patient is a 55-year-old man who came to Libya from Turkey 20 days ago.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that he doesn't see a quick rebound in the U.S. economy following the COVID-19 outbreak.

"I don't see the economy returning to a more normal state until there's much greater confidence both among average people and at the level of governors and mayors that opening up the economy won't restart the crisis," he told a webinar hosted by the Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution.

- -- -

HANOI -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Wednesday morning confirmed two more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in the country to 251.

The two new cases, both Vietnamese, include a male in the northern Ha Nam province and a female in the capital city of Hanoi who was reportedly in close contact with an earlier confirmed case.

- - - -

MEXICO CITY -- Latin American countries are urging, and sometimes mandating, people to use face masks to contain the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, even as global experts debate its efficacy in warding off infection.

In Chile, where 5,116 people have tested positive for COVID-19, and 43 have died from the disease, the government has made it mandatory to use a face mask on all public transit and paid private transportation.

In Ecuador, the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) decided to make face masks obligatory in public spaces, according to Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo.

- - - -

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is spending a second night in intensive care in hospital, where he is being treated for COVID-19, and he is in "stable" condition, a Downing Street spokesman said on Tuesday night.

The prime minister was moved to intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in London on Monday night following a worsening of symptoms. He has received oxygen treatment but has not required a ventilator so far.

- - - -

WUHAN -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Tuesday in central China's Hubei Province, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.

One death was reported on Tuesday.

- - - -

GENEVA -- A total of 72,776 people had died of COVID-19 globally as the number of infections surged to 1,282,931 on Tuesday, according to the latest figures showed by the situation dashboard of the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the WHO dashboard, updated at 10:00 CET Tuesday, Europe has a total of 686,338 COVID-19 cases, and there are 384,242 reported confirmed cases in Americas.

- - - -

BRASILIA -- Brazil on Tuesday reported the total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 13,717, with 667 deaths, for a mortality rate of 4.9 percent.

According to the Health Ministry, 1,661 new cases of infection have been reported in the country in the past 24 hours, and 114 patients died.

- - - -

BRUSSELS -- A team of European doctors and nurses from Romania and Norway is being dispatched to Milan and Bergamo to help Italian medical staff battle the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union (EU) said Tuesday in a statement.

According to the statement, the medical team is deployed through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Austria has also offered over 3,000 liters of disinfectant to Italy via the Mechanism.

- - - -

CAIRO -- The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 4,000 lives out of the over 60,000 infected cases in Iran, while more states in the Middle East started to require wearing face masks to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The death toll of the virus in Iran rose by 133 to 3,872 on Tuesday, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education said, adding the confirmed cases went up by 2,089 to 62,589.
At Saturdays press briefing by the White House coronavirus task force, President Donald Trump took a little detour, talking for a bit about the intelligence communitys inspector general, whom Trump had decided to can just a day earlier.

He ventured down another path, one assumes, because that's just how his mind works -- he speaks about whatever pops into his head at the moment, talking just for the sake of talking. And he decided to give Michael Atkinson the boot, one can also assume, because that's how his mind works, too. Have a thought, then act on that thought.

It was just last September that Atkinson took steps to bring forward a whistleblower complaint against Trump, based on his phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the then-newly elected president of Ukraine. That was the call, later deemed "perfect" by Trump, during which our nation's chief executive asked Zelensky for a "favor": announcing an investigation into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., now the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee, and his son Hunter. It was because of real concerns about Trump's efforts to get help with his campaign from a foreign nation that the whistleblower filed his initial complaint. Atkinson, taking his job seriously, moved it forward to the Congress, and that led to Trump's impeachment in the House of Representatives.

In Trump's mind, this was all just too much, of course. Because he believes that government officials, at all levels, should be loyal to him, personally, above all else, and not to the Constitution, Trump saw the whistleblower, Atkinson, and the Democratic-majority House as having failed his own loyalty test. And such, he believes, is simply beyond the pale.

"I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible," Trump said on Friday of Atkinson. "That man is a disgrace to IGs."

If doing what one is supposed to do is disgraceful, then Trump is onto something. Because Atkinson was only doing his job. So too was the House of Representatives. It was the Republican-led senate, which flatly refused to call witnesses or to see appropriate documents, that failed by acquitting Trump and emboldening him going forward. His decision to remove Atkinson is just more evidence that he sees himself as above the law, above the Constitution, beholden to no rules, no edict, nothing besides his own wish for endless self-aggrandizement.
Deaths caused by COVID-19 in New York are disproportionately impacting black and Hispanic people, according to initial data released by the state.

In fact, black residents outside New York City have died at twice the rate of their population. Eighteen percent of COVID-19 victims have been black, when 9% of the population outside New York City is black.

COVID-19 is also disproportionately impacting Hispanics, as 14% of COVID-19 victims are Hispanic outside New York City, compared with 11% of the population being comprised of Hispanic residents.

The same trend is true in New York City, where the majority of COVID-19 deaths have happened. Sixty-two percent of victims in New York City were black or Hispanic, compared with 51% of the city being populated by those groups.

Conversely, Asian residents have been largely spared in New York City, as 7% of victims were Asian, compared with 14% of the city population being Asian.

White residents comprise 75% of the population outside New York City, but 62% of COVID-19 victims were white. In New York City, 32% of the population is white, but 27% of COVID-19 victims were white.

The data, however, is not complete. Most deaths outside New York City had race information - 94% - but only 63% of such information was available for New York City.

"The data we see today confirms and reinforces what we've seen over years and decades of systemic inequities," New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said in a statement. "It's not enough to have this disparity confirmed, it needs to be confronted through a more concerted effort."

New York Attorney General Leticia James praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his response to the crisis, but said more rapid testing needs to be done with a focus on minority communities. Also, personal protective equipment must be provided to workers in public transportation, grocery stores, delivery, warehouse operations, home health aides and nursing homes - as many of those frontline workers are black or Hispanic.

The governor announced Wednesday that the state will be doing a multi-lingual public awareness campaign through TV, ethnic newspapers, radio and on social media apps to educate people about the pandemic and social distancing.

'To say it is disturbing would be an understatement," James wrote about the disparities. "Public health crises like this both reveal and exacerbate the depths of inequality in our society"

The unveiled data comes a day after state senators Jamaal Bailey and Zellnor Myrie wrote a letter to Howard Zucker, commissioner of the state Health Department, urging him to release not only racial breakdowns of COVID deaths, but also for confirmed cases and hospitalizations.

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Due to their most common occupations, socioeconomic status, and other factors: people of color are more likely than others to work in the service sector, where they are more likely to come into contact with a high volume of people; theyre more likely to travel long distances via public transportation to work; theyre more likely to rent their home in large buildings; and they have higher than average rates of comorbidities that put them at higher risk of death from COVID-19, the senators wrote.

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

The state has yet to release racial breakdowns of other coronavirus-related data the senators requested.

Aletha Maybank, chief health equity officer at the American Medical Association, also urged governments to release racial and ethnic breakdowns in an op-ed in the New York Times.

"Our call for the reporting of racial and ethnic data is not based on a poisonous argument that some races are more susceptible to the coronavirus," she wrote. "Our call, instead, is based on widely known history that American health institutions were designed to discriminate against blacks, whether poor or not."

In a press conference Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the disproportionate infection and death of black people in the country. Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said her agency will be analyzing and releasing racial disparities soon.

The state Health Department also released data earlier this week revealing that the vast majority of victims of COVID-19 had at least one underlying health condition, were elderly and were men.

Out of 6,268 victims so far, 3,481 had hypertension, or high blood pressure. The data also showed 61% of the states fatalities were men. About 63% were also over 70 years old.

The second-highest co-morbidity of COVID victims was diabetes, with 2,319 people suffering from that condition when they became infected with coronavirus, the pathogen that causes the COVID-19 illness.

Other underlying health conditions of people who died include hyperlipidemia (high concentration of fats in the blood,) coronary artery disease, renal (kidney) disease, dementia, coronary obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation (heart arrhythmia).
A pair of parakeets have been photographed giving each other a peck on the beak in mid-air.

The image, taken from a series of dramatic photos from photographer Vishesh Kamboj, 37, was taken in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India.

The male and female parakeet can be seen squaring up to each other, before clashing in mid-air but finishing their quarrel with a peck on the beak.

According to the photographer, the male and female parakeets were sat on a branch 'looking fairly happy' before a flight broke out between them.

Pictured: The parakeets peck each other on the beak after a passionate confrontation in Punjab, India

Pictured: The parakeets square off against each other in Punjab, India. The images were captured by photographer Vishesh Kamboi, 37, who saw the birds near his home

Pictured: The parakeets clash mid-air in Punjab, India. The male and female parakeet can be seen brushing and swirling past each other before flying upwards and pecking each other on the beak

One of the parakeets swoops up into the air in Punjab, India, in what the photographer called a 'lover's tiff'

'Then, they suddenly flew up into the air,' Vishesh said.

'Even though I was at some distance from where the action was going on I didn't hesitate and tried to start snapping as quickly as I could.

'The fight might have taken place because of a dispute over food, territory or perhaps a mating issue.'

Pictured: The parakeets clash mid-air in Punjab, India. Vishesh said the parakeets 'were perching on a branch looking fairly happy' before the fight

Pictured: The parakeets clash mid-air in Punjab, India, in what could've been a 'dispute over food, territory or a mating issue', according to the photographer

Pictured: The parakeets square up to each other mid-air in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India

Vishesh added that capturing the tiff was one of the highlights of his time in lockdown during the coronavirus epidemic so far.

He said: 'Initially I felt frustrated being at home and not being able to go out and photograph birds.

'But, had there been no lockdown I probably wouldn't have been able to have got this unique picture so close to home.'
South Africa: Government welcomes COVID-19 fake news peddler arrest

The South African government has welcomed the arrest of a 55-year-old male suspect for allegedly circulating a misleading video clip on COVID-19 test kits.

The suspect appeared before a Western Cape court on Tuesday.

In a statement, government said the suspect has been charged in terms of the Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c)m], which prohibits the publication of information through any medium, including social media, with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19.

Government reiterated that all testing kits and other equipment used by the Department of Health and the relevant medical institutions are of high standard, which has been approved by the South African Bureau of Standards.

Disinformation is unacceptable and dangerous to our society. Such acts should be condemned by all South Africans, who remain committed to fighting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of us have a responsibility to desist from peddling fake news, said government in a statement.

Government Communications (GCIS) -- in collaboration with key leading social media platforms -- continues to work towards curbing disinformation practices within its public information systems.

We call on communities to work with government and report any person who misleads the public with the wrong information.

Help combat COVID-19 and combat fake information and misinformation by reporting to Real411.org, said government.

Reliable and trustworthy information on COVID-19 can be accessed and verified from government and other sources, including media platforms such as www.sanews.gov.za; www.gov.za/Coronavirus; www.health.gov.za; www.nicd.ac.za.

Any suspicious and fake news can be reported to https://real411.org.za.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
You need to talk to your family about your medical wishes and financial affairs, in case you get sick. Read more

Were all trying to stay healthy right now, and keep our loved ones safe. But its time to plan in case that changes.

Confronting our own death and that of our loved ones isnt an easy thing to do in the best of times. But this week as we watch strangers, friends and loved ones fall ill and die during the coronavirus pandemic  as of Wednesday, the U.S. death toll is at 13,000 with more than 400,000 positive cases throughout the nation  our mortality has become crystal clear.

If, God forbid, we fall ill to COVID-19, surely we want our wishes followed. Now is the time to get our health and financial affairs in order and have those necessary conversations with our loved ones. Because we dont want to burden them with what-ifs when they are grieving.

And you shouldnt be burdened either.

Those conversations are tough. But heres how to have them, and what you can, and should, plan right now.

 READ MORE: What you can do if youre laid off or furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic

Broach the subject with kindness

The key is to be open and honest with loved ones about your final wishes, said Nellie Scanlon, a licensed professional counselor and president of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. Let them know you love them and that you are not planning to go anywhere anytime soon," Scanlon said. But that you want to make sure they have the information they will need just in case.

For those from whom you need to gather information  like parents and grandparents  remind them that talking about their final wishes is part of taking care of you. Let them know this is a very compassionate thing to do because you will need this information at your fingertips during stressful times, said Dr. Rebecca Sudore, founder and director of the University of San Francisco-based medical decision making website, Prepare for Your Care.

Make a plan for your health care

Prepare an advance medical directive. This document names your health care proxy  the person who will make medical decisions on your behalf in the event that you cant. An advance medical directive also spells out your wishes of how doctors should care for you when you are sick. For example, if your heart stops beating, do you want a do not resuscitate order or do you want doctors to do everything in their power to save you? You can find a PA Advance Directive document at the Prepare for Your Care website. AARP also has a free advance directive form on their website.

Pack a days worth of medications . If you get sick, you may be in the emergency room for a long time, Sudore cautions. And you dont want to skip your medication. Also, make a list of your medications that you can give your attending physician if you do find yourself in the hospital. You should keep this list and your medications in your hospital bag.

Have a hospital bag ready. When people get sick, they can get sick very quickly, Sudore said. And generally speaking, emergency rooms are not allowing visitors in. So you should have a bag packed with the names and phone numbers of your close friends and relatives that you want to be notified if you are too sick to communicate. You should also have in the bag your advance medical directive, a days worth of medications, your full list of medications (and instructions on how you take them.) And information about any dietary concerns. Make sure you have an extra cell phone charger, and a pair of clean clothes in the bag, as well. If you wear glasses or hearing aids, place extra pairs in there, too. Its also a good idea to pack cash. Place this bag near your door so you can get to it quickly on your way to the hospital or emergency room.

 READ MORE: How to reset your routine, keep your energy up, and stay motivated while social distancing

Get your financial affairs in order

Choose a power of attorney . Its important that you name a durable power of attorney. This person will keep your financial house in order  pay your mortgage or rent, utilities and credit card bills  if unfortunately, you cant. In a pinch, you can find a link to print out a durable power of attorney form here. However, its a good idea to consult an attorney (virtually) to do this, says John P. Sanderson III, whos a partner in Sanderson Law Firm, with Pennsylvania offices in Olyphant and Wilkes-Barre, because they can help make sure that your paperwork is filled in correctly. One important note: durable powers of attorney must be notarized. That can be hard when the law of the land is social distancing. So, as of April 2, Pennsylvania legislators waived the requirement that you have to be physically present with a notary to get your power of attorney and other estate planning documents notarized.

Put all your information in one place. Bank information, insurance policies, websites where you pay your mortgage or rent, credit card information: all of it should be easily accessible, said Dan Hernandez, a certified financial planner for Lincoln Investment in Voorhees, New Jersey. This list should include name and website, your sign-in and passwords. This will help you leave your family members in as good a position as possible to help handle your affairs, Hernandez said.

Make sure your beneficiaries are up to date. We often set up 401Ks and IRAs and add a beneficiary. But then when things change  say we get married  we dont add our spouse, pointed out estate attorney Barbara Lawrence, an attorney at Herrick, Feinstein. If this information is up to date then your desired beneficiary will be taken care of, Lawrence said.

Start preparing your will

Social distancing has made it hard to have wills notarized and witnessed, but the consequences of not having written instructions outlining your last will and testament can leave a family in turmoil, said Tracey Gordon, Philadelphias Register of Wills. Not to mention you dont want the state to make your decisions for you. Gordon suggests you start by:

Make a list of your assets

List the people who are important to you

List who gets what

Sign the document

Most states will accept a will that has been signed at home in a pinch. But, because these wills werent witnessed or notarized, they are often held up in probate court, Sanderson said. When this happens, it costs money in fees to file motions and track down witnesses.

Because wills are estate planning documents, you can now get them notarized without being in the physical presence of a notary, Sanderson said. But they must be prepared by an attorney. In the long run, that will be worth it, Sanderson said, because they have a better chance of being processed easily in probate court.

In the unfortunate case that your loved ones need to present your will to probate, Pennsylvania is doing emergency probates virtually in order to follow the rules of social distancing. If your will has not been signed by a notary, an attorney must make the application for the probate to prevent fraud. For more information, go to the website. www.phila.gov/wills.

Make a video of your wishes

Writing things down can be daunting, so you may want to make a video of your wishes, says Dawn Santoriello, a certified financial planner and president of the King of Prussia-based DS Financial Strategies. Here you can tell people where your important documents are like your will or advance directive. Perhaps this is how you tell your family how you want to be buried, whether you want to donate your organs, and what songs you want at your funeral. A video is where you can put a voice to anything that means something, Santoriello said. And it can be memorialized for generations to come.

 FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered.
Public health experts say information about the spread of the novel coronavirus through Texas and Florida in coming days could be crucial in predicting how many Americans are likely to die from the pandemic.

The apparent effects of social distancing in three major hot spots  Italy, New York and California  have given scientists hope that the final U.S. death toll could be lower than White House projections of 100,000 to 240,000, which were based on a combination of models that administration officials have not fully explained.

"I think we're just doing much better than those numbers," President Trump said during his daily White House briefing on Wednesday. He warned of "terrible days ahead" but said, as he has before, that there is a "light at the end of the tunnel."

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, which last week projected more than 90,000 American deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, lowered its estimate on Wednesday to 60,415 deaths in the period until Aug. 4.

All of the available information strongly suggests that social distancing policies are making a big difference, said Dr. Greg Roth, a clinical advisor to the team running the model. Weve seen the shape of the death curve in places like New York and Italy sharpen to a much sharper peak.

At the White House with the president, his coronavirus reponse coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, similarly credited Americans for following federal guidelines to avoid public gatherings and stay at home. "We are impressed by the American people," said Birx, who only recently complained of a lack of compliance with social distancing admonitions.

Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agreed, saying, "What's been remarkable to watch here is how the American public has changed its behavior when it affects the vulnerable."

Story continues

But social distancing directives came late in Texas, Florida and some other Southern states, where hospitals also have less capacity. Big spikes in those states, especially if they occur together, could push fatalities higher if hospitals are overwhelmed and if older, more vulnerable patients, particularly in Florida, are stricken.

The models used to predict sickness and death vary widely and are admittedly faulty, given that they rely on specific assumptions about what people and governments are doing to stop the contagion.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation  one of the main sources the White House used to inform its numbers  includes data from Wuhan, China, where the government imposed a strict lockdown, isolated infected people from their families and employed thousands of workers to identify and track infected people to quarantine them and monitor their contacts.

Experts say a group of models offering a range of possibilities  the approach used by meteorologists and marketers  is more reliable than a single forecast.

"We dont do this with hurricane predictions; we dont even do this with Netflix movie predictions, said Dylan George, vice president of the tech investment firm In-Q-Tel, who served as a senior White House advisor on biological threats under President Obama.

The Trump administration has only committed to recommending Americans stay at home until April 30. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation assumes such measures will remain in effect for at least a month longer, and public health experts have not settled on a recommended timeline.

As recently as mid-March, top Trump administration officials warned that Italy, where thousands of people were dying and hospitals were overwhelmed, was a worst-case scenario, urging Americans to wash hands and stay home to emulate the success of South Korea in combating the spread of the virus.

But botched U.S. testing and a slow and uneven response by the Trump administration had by then already rendered the South Korean model impossible.

Now Italy, the onetime cautionary tale, has become the goal. Over the weekend, Birx spoke of hopeful signs in Italy and Spain, where we see, finally, new cases and deaths declining."

It's giving us hope of what our future could be, she added.

Jeremy Konyndyk, who led the overseas Ebola response for the Obama administration, said the shift in rhetoric shows how the goal posts have moved in just a few weeks. But he said Italy would be a welcome outcome at this point, given how bad things have gotten in the United States.

Were going to have hot spots everywhere, he predicted.

Public health experts believe Italy may be turning the tide. The country, with less than a fifth of the U.S. population, recorded more than 17,000 COVID-19 deaths as of Wednesday, which would translate to more than 90,000 deaths in the U.S. population.

New Yorks disease cluster, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak for weeks, is also showing signs of ebbing. San Francisco, another dense city with an early outbreak, also has seen better than expected results.

But experts urge caution. We really need to wait a week or two to see if that trend holds," said George of In-Q-Tel. "We can't jump the gun on this.

Public health experts say the outbreaks in Italy and New York ultimately could look relatively benign.

Italy has more hospital beds and doctors per capita than the United States. And even as New York's dense population and busy subway system helped the virus spread, the city has several advantages.

New York has more large and well-resourced hospitals, and its governor was aggressive in imposing stay-at-home measures.

Gov. Andrew Cuomos updates, including his frequent pleas for help, have been broadcast nationally on a daily basis, putting pressure on the Trump administration and attracting physicians and supplies from around the country.

If other hot spots develop simultaneously  say, in Dallas, Miami and Phoenix  it's not clear that they can expect the same level of help, especially if other states see spikes in patients at the same time.

Will 49 other governors be able to do what Cuomo has done? asked Dr. Ashish Jha, who directs Harvard Universitys Global Health Institute.

Florida, the nations third most populous state, is one of the most vulnerable to the pandemic since elderly residents account for nearly a fourth of the population. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, only issued a statewide stay-at-home order last week, long after most other governors had acted.

We just hope its not too late, said a senior executive at a large medical system in Florida, who asked not to be identified out of concern about panicking the hospitals community.

The medical system has projected it will begin to run out of beds and ventilators by the second week of May, even after squeezing beds into every corner of the medical center over the next four weeks.

At that point, physicians and hospital officials would be forced to decide which patients would get ventilators and which would die, a dilemma that a special ethics committee at the medical system is already beginning to discuss.

Thats the kind of stuff we in hospitals never talk about, the hospital executive said. The idea that people like us, our doctors and our nurses, have to consider that there may be thousands that we cant care for pulls on your soul. Its not who we are.

If Floridians stay home and mitigate the spread of the virus, the states medical system may not be swamped, however. More consistent social distancing could push off the peak demand for beds and ventilators until the third week of July.

The effort to predict fatalities at the national level is also hampered by the lack of reliable government data and adequate testing, which makes it difficult to know how many Americans have been infected and what the true death rate is.

Many people who died of COVID-19 were never tested, meaning they will not be reflected in the death toll. Other people who carry the virus show no symptoms and are also not counted. But if that number is high, it means more Americans could spread the disease once social distancing ends.

Times staff writer Jaweed Kaleem in Miami and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
New York, April 8 : US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the World Health Organisation for not giving sound advice and favouring China over the US as he hinted at taking a relook at the WHO funding from his country.

"The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?" Trump wrote on Tuesday amid the spiralling death figures in the US.

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 12,700 Americans and sickened nearly 400,000 across 50 states.

Trump ordered travel restrictions on people arriving from China in January to ward off spread of the virus here but the WHO opposed the move at the time, as did some Democrats and others, the New York Post said.

Since the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, on New Year's Eve, 430,000 people have arrived in the US from China, including about 40,000 since the ban was enacted. The WHO also downplayed the severity of the outbreak.

"Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission," the group tweeted in mid-January.

The agency took a full week to reverse that misinformation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Journalists in Ukraine are demanding action by government after a catastrophic fall in revenue has led to wage cuts, job losses and staff being forced to take unpaid leave. Media company debts have also spiralled.

The shock figures were revealed in a survey carried out by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

And now the union is demanding government action to support the media sector and declare journalists key workers to enable them to continue to work during the lockdown.

In the survey, 82% of companies reported a loss of revenue due to quarantine rules and the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. 9% of media have suspended all their activities. More than half have abandoned new projects.

Wage cuts have been imposed in 20% of workplaces and 6% have already cut jobs, with more expected to follow.

Volodymyr Daniluk, the chief editor of Volyn newspaper said that more media would close in May if support was not forthcoming. Media in Donbass, already suffering because of a lack of economic activity caused by the conflict in the region are on the verge of collapse.

Journalists in Ukraine are doing their best to keep citizens informed under new circumstances. Just 6% of staff are working in the office, while 23% of media are working entirely remotely.

NUJU has been demanding proper protections for journalists  gloves, masks and hand sanitisers and disinfectant and urging companies to ensure visits to media premises are limited and journalists can maintain social distancing rules.

It called on the government to support Ukrainian media to protect jobs and wages, uphold the right to information and to recognise journalists as key employees.

The survey was conducted between March 27 to April 6, 2020
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - FEBRUARY 17: Dutch Minister of Finance, Wopke Hoekstra (L) is talking with the German Federal Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz (R) prior an Eurogroup (Inclusive format) Ministers meeting in the Jusuts Lipsius, the European Union Council headquarter on February 17, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium. Thierry Monasse

Europe has been embroiled in another debate over debt mutualization  an issue that has resurfaced past divisions among northern and southern nations. Germany and the Netherlands are the two most vocal opponents to the idea of so-called "corona bonds." Another nine EU nations have said this new debt instrument, which would combine securities from different countries, is needed to mitigate the vast economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The German and Dutch opposition has sparked a lot of anger among southern European lawmakers, in nations where the costs of the virus are set to exacerbate hefty debt piles. Jean-Claude Trichet, former head of the European Central Bank, has called that division between north and south "counterproductive" and "useless." CNBC looks at why Germany and the Netherlands are against this idea of 'corona bonds'.

Populism at home

Anti-EU parties have experienced growing support in the wake of the sovereign debt crisis of 2011. These parties share the idea that their country's membership of the European Union is not serving their citizens well. However, the rhetoric from these political groups can differ and often fuels the north-south divide. In Germany, Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), which entered the German Parliament for the first time in 2017 and is now its third largest group, has spoken out against corona bonds. A spokesman for the AfD said neither the coronavirus nor the euro "justify that German taxpayers are bled for the debt of the whole EU."

On the other hand, Italy's most popular anti-EU party, Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, has started a fierce campaign against the idea of Italy accepting money from the region's crisis fund, called the European Stability Mechanism. This is one of the possibilities being discussed by finance ministers to help economies dealing with the pandemic. Claudio Borghi, a member of Lega, who was the economic advisor when the party was in government in 2018, recently tweeted an Italian Fascist-era poster with a smiling German soldier extending his hand, saying "Time goes on, but the tactics are always the same." Carsten Nickel, from the research firm Teneo, said in a note that "northern decision-makers face their own domestic political pressures, pulling them in a direction opposite to their southern peers." "For Germany and the north, jumping from the virus crisis directly to debt mutualization will simply not work politically," Nickel added.

Fragile coalitions

The Dutch and German governments are also the result of fragile political alliances. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel joined forces with the socialist group SPD in the wake of the 2017 federal election. This deal came about only after Merkel's CDU party failed to reach an agreement with two other parties. In addition, the CDU and SPD coalition has been tested on different occasions since then, leading political analysts to weigh the prospect of a rupture. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a liberal politician, has been in coalition with three other parties since 2017 and also faces opposition from an anti-EU party in his national parliament. The Party for Freedom, under the leadership of Geert Wilders, is the second-largest group in the Dutch Parliament.

The ECB's stimulus
Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Ministers Office, has praised Hungarys central bank for its excellent handling of a strong speculative attack against the forint, which he said had been the reason behind the weakening of the national currency to record low levels of 360-370 against the euro.

The shape of the Hungarian economy does not warrant the current exchange rate, Gulyas said in response to a question at a government press briefing on Saturday, projecting the rate to move back to previous levels.



Asked about the governments decision to withdraw part of a bill that would have stripped some powers from local mayors in a state of emergency, Gulyas said the reasoning behind the decision was that the government aimed to ensure the broadest possible national unity concerning the response to the epidemic without any political debates.



As regards other pieces of legislation in connection with the response to the virus, Gulyas said it affected many areas, adding, however, that the government will submit amendments according to the ordinary legislative rules.



Allegations that the government would want to shut down parliament are false, he said.



On the contrary; it wants parliament to operate in an orderly manner and is therefore asking every lawmaker to also perform their duties in an as orderly fashion as possible under the current circumstances.



Asked about any foreign visits planned for the prime minister, Gulyas said Viktor Orban participates in European Council meetings via videoconferences and is otherwise devoting all of his energy to the epidemic response efforts.
Yes, scientists should explore all avenues that could save lives or ease suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. That includes looking at whether chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, two long-used anti-malarial drugs highly effective in treating symptoms of the autoimmune diseases lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, could also help COVID-19 patients. The research is suggestive but preliminary and, from a scientific standpoint, inconclusive, although some doctors are already prescribing chloroquine to treat COVID-19.

That doesnt mean, however, that it should be open season on illegal hoarding of these critical medications.

The apparent rush to do so in Ohio has already led the state pharmacy board to take emergency action to keep pharmacists from filling such fraudulent prescriptions, and a joint state-federal law enforcement effort to identify illegal prescription-writing, and prosecute it.

We applaud both efforts.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine already are in short supply for lupus patients and others who need them to stay free of pain and other symptoms. Thats partly because of the breakdown in the international supply chain for these and other medicines related generally to the coronavirus pandemic  a vulnerability the United States eventually will need to address.

But for these two drugs, the bigger problem driving shortages, according to pharmacists and state officials interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, has been the doctors, dentists, veterinarians, plastic surgeons -- anyone with a prescription pad -- flooding pharmacies with scrips for themselves, their staff and families, as The Journal reported this week.

Such medical hoarding is against the law, law enforcement officials warn. And in Ohio, authorities have rightly ramped up efforts to prosecute those who abuse their licenses to write such illegal prescriptions.

The surge in COVID-19-related prescribing began in March, The Journal found, but intensified after March 19, when President Donald Trump mentioned both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, along with the antiviral drug remdesivir, during a White House coronavirus briefing. The president said then that he was directing the federal Food and Drug Administration to expedite testing of these and other experimental therapies.

A few days later, on Sunday, March 22, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy held an emergency meeting that resulted in an order to all state pharmacists not to fill COVID-19-related chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine prescriptions unless the patient had a positive COVID-19 test or the pharmacy boards top officer personally authorized it, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Cleveland.coms Eric Heisig reports the pharmacy board acted after seeing a sharp spike in off-label prescriptions of the two medications.

Then, on March 24, Ohios U.S. Attorneys Justin Herdman in Cleveland and David DeVillers in Cincinnati along with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a joint crackdown on fraudulent chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine prescribing, warning that medical professionals who did so would be subject to prosecution.

Our announcement was not directed at well-meaning physicians, who are lawfully prescribing those medications to those who need them, either to treat diseases like COVID-19 or other chronic disorders, Herdman wrote in a Plain Dealer/cleveland.com op-ed Sunday. What we are seeking to prevent is the hoarding of potentially life-saving drugs by health care professionals who have access to prescription pads and have allowed anxiety or greed to govern what should be rational, fact-based treatment decisions for their patients.

Ohioans can help. Anyone whos experienced any form of coronavirus fraud or scam, or who is aware of unlawful chloroquine prescribing, is encouraged to email the U.S. Attorneys Office in Cleveland at USAOHN.COVID19@usdoj.gov. People can also call the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 1-866-720-5721 to report possible coronavirus fraud.

None of this is to write off chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19. The Wall Street Journal illustrated attributes of the two drugs that could potentially be of use in keeping the novel coronavirus at bay, or from its doing lethal damage to the lungs. Very small-scale studies have produced encouraging findings.

But those studies are too small to be definitive. And the drugs have potentially serious side effects.

The crackdown on illicit prescribing in Ohio will not prevent legitimate COVID-19 patients from getting these drugs if a doctor determines it could be useful -- and the drugs are available.

But lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients who are known to need these drugs shouldnt be victimized by illegal COVID-19 prescribing and hoarding.

Authorities in Ohio should do all they can to find and prosecute medical professionals who are abusing their authority to hoard chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and in the process harming the many Ohioans who require these drugs now.

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
NYU Langone Health workers join in a round of applause for medical staff and essential workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic on April 6, 2020 in New York City.

Noam Galai/Getty Images

The CDC recommends people in the US wear masks when they must venture out into public places right now, in case they are infected with COVID-19.

But the WHO stresses that there's "no evidence" healthy people wearing masks will do much to stop a pandemic.

The disagreement underscores how tricky it is to pin down how infectious diseases are transmitted between people. Does the coronavirus linger in the air, or not?

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the coronavirus takes a deadly toll across the US and UK this week, public health experts are struggling to uniformly answer a seemingly straightforward question: Should we all be wearing masks?

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests it's probably a good idea to cover up with a homemade face covering if you must be out in public.

But the World Health Organization isn't so sure.

"There is currently no evidence that wearing a mask (whether medical or other types) by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19," the global public health arm of the United Nations said in new guidance released this week.

The disagreement hinges, in part, on a question scientists don't yet have clear answers for: How far can coronavirus droplets travel from an infected person, and how long can they stay aloft in the air?

The World Health Organization contends that the coronavirus spreads by large droplets that get expelled into the air when sick people spit, talk, cough, breathe, sing, or sneeze. Though they are thousands of times smaller than a plump drop of rainwater, these droplets are thought to be too big and heavy to stay aloft for very long after a person expels them.

This, the WHO stresses, means the likelihood the coronavirus is airborne and lingering in the atmosphere for any sustained period of time, is very low.

Story continues

Most coronavirus cases are spread through human-to-human contact

A woman passes a sign demonstrating the amount of space people should allow between each other to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19 in Fort Greene Park, Sunday, April 5, 2020, Brooklyn, New York.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

"When you look at the sheer number of positive cases, they're happening with very clear mixing and mingling, and they're very close with each other," WHO assistant director-general for antimicrobial resistance Dr. Hanan Balkhy told NPR recently. "So that does not indicate airborne transmission."

This is one of the key reasons the WHO says you're probably only going to catch the virus by coming in contact with a sick person, or by touching a contaminated surface and then putting your hands to your eyes, nose, or mouth.

"There is limited evidence that wearing a medical mask by healthy individuals in the households or among contacts of a sick patient, or among attendees of mass gatherings may be beneficial as a preventive measure," the latest WHO guidance on masks reads.

Don Milton, a virologist at the University of Maryland who studies how people catch and transmit viruses, believes the WHO's guidance on airborne transmission doesn't follow the rules of "good science."

"It's ridiculous. They don't know. They don't know!" he said of the droplet-versus-aerosol debate. "It's very hard to separate those modes out. You know, people have been trying for flu for years, and we still haven't been able to prove one way or the other what route flu is transmitted. So how, after three months, do we know this for COVID-19?"

It's possible that the virus might linger in the air

A commuter covers her face in London, Monday, March 16, 2020.

Associated Press

Like Milton, the CDC is more cautious about how the virus spreads, suggesting aerosolization might occur, especially in healthcare settings.

"The contribution of small respirable particles, sometimes called aerosols or droplet nuclei, to close proximity transmission is currently uncertain," the CDC says in its COVID-19 guidance to healthcare workers for infection control. "Airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely."

This is why the CDC cautions that "procedures that are likely to induce coughing" like suctioning of patient airways "should be performed cautiously, and avoided if possible," at the hospital right now, because there's the potential for coronavirus transmission in the air in such spaces.

"There's no exact cutoff between a large droplet and an aerosol, it's a continuum; as they get smaller, they stay in the air longer, and they have the potential to travel farther," Milton said. "We like to have things in neat little categories, but life doesn't really work like that. Those are just artificial boundaries we impose to try to understand what's going on and it doesn't, in this case, help a whole lot."

Masks can work when used by sick people and healthcare workers

medical coronavirus flu virus nyc street face mask gloves covid19 stores shut down closed restaurants social distancing delivery cox 38

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

There are, however, two key points of agreement among public health experts about masks.

First, masks do help if you put them on sick people. The problem with COVID-19, though, is that patients may not know they are sick, either because they're pre-symptomatic and are still feeling well, or because they're asymptomatic and may never feel ill. These people can still infect others, though, if they share the virus through droplets.

"There's a very common view that we're wearing masks not only to protect ourselves, but because if we have been infected, we're then protecting other people by wearing the mask," Ben Cowling, a professor of epidemiology and a mask researcher at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, recently told Business Insider.

One recent study in Singapore, where coronavirus patients and their contacts were tightly tracked, found that more than 6% of coronavirus cases acquired there likely came from people who were sick  but before they ever displayed symptoms.

In Iceland, where 5% of the population has been tested for the coronavirus, roughly half of those who tested positive were completely asymptomatic, as CNN recently reported.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US's leading public health voice in this outbreak, says "right now we're just guessing" about how many asymptomatic coronavirus carriers might be in the general population, but he suggested recently that "somewhere between 25 and 50%" of COVID-19 cases may be unknowingly carrying and potentially transmitting the virus to others.

The second place masks are imperative is in hospitals, since they have lots of sick patients. Here, face masks, along with eye shields, gowns, and gloves, are important pieces of protective equipment for doctors and healthcare workers who labor in environments where coronavirus particles surround them all day long.

Healthcare workers shouldn't wear homemade masks

There's good evidence that homemade masks should be an absolute "last resort" in these settings, as they don't provide nearly as much protection as surgical masks, which are made from fabrics designed to trap viruses.

In this photo taken on Thursday, March 19, 2020, Sien Lagae, works on a mouth mask, meant to help protect from the spread of COVID-19, on her sewing machine at home in Torhout, Belgium.

Associated Press

The WHO recommends N95 masks for healthcare workers who need to intubate, ventilate, or resuscitate patients  or do any other "aerosol-generating procedures." Other researchers suggest that if healthcare professionals must use reusable, homemade masks (because manufactured masks aren't available) that they wash and thoroughly dry them often, and put them on and take them off carefully, without touching the outside of the mask.

It may be years or even decades before we understand more fully how this new virus operates, and how much wearing masks in public can really help stop the spread. It took seven years at one Baltimore VA hospital before researchers finally showed conclusively that tuberculosis could  occasionally  be transmitted through the air, without any face-to-face contact (in a study performed between people and guinea pigs).

This is why Milton argues there's a lot we have to learn about this virus, and how it's really transmitted.

"The problem is that with clinical epidemiology, you know that people have been in close contact, and that's when transmissions happened, but you don't know what happened when they're in close contact," he said. "You don't know whether they actually touched, you don't know whether it was large droplets, or whether they were just close enough that they breathed a lot of the other person's exhaled breaths. You can't tell a difference."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A fire broke out on the second floor of the trauma centre at Lucknow's King George's Medical University late in the night on Wednesday.

Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames, police said.

No patient was injured in the incident as they were promptly shifted to safer place, an official said.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Awanish Awasthi said the fire was caused by a short-circuit. It was promptly controlled and no patient was affected, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Initially, hospital officials handed Ms. Lundy a summons for disorderly conduct. But a week later, after the medical examiner ruled Ms. Marshalls death a homicide, the police charged Ms. Lundy with manslaughter and assault.

How do you put your hands on a 86-year-old woman? said Ms. Marshalls grandniece, Antoinette Leonard Jean Charles, 41, a medical student in Tennessee. I also understand the fear level of every person in New York has. There is a notion of every man for themselves. But attacking an elderly person? That went too far.

A spokesman for Brooklyn Defender Services, which is representing Ms. Lundy, declined to comment.

New York officials imposed social-distancing rules  maintaining space between people to stop the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus virus  in mid-March, shortly after the metropolis became the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. The virus has claimed the lives of thousands of New Yorkers in a little more than a month.

In a statement, Woodhull hospital officials said they were cooperating with investigators.

We are terribly saddened by this death, the hospital said in a statement. We are committed to ensuring a safe, health-focused environment in these very demanding times so our heroic health care workers can continue to deliver the quality, compassionate care New Yorkers need more than ever.

The events that led to Ms. Marshalls death began on March 27, when she told her niece she had a piercing stomachache. The niece, Eleanor Leonard, 72, called an ambulance, which took Ms. Marshall to Woodhull, where she had been treated for similar symptoms earlier in the week.
Leading South Korean engineering firm Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company said its Vietnamese unit Doosan Vina has successfully exported three huge desalination devices weighing over 2,000 tonnes to Bahrain.

The three devices - evaporator, Final-Effect, and seawater deater - were delivered by Doosan Vina for the Bapco MED project as part of a deal inked with Samsung Engineering Construction Limited in 2018.

This equipment will be used to heat and desalinate seawater into distilled water at Bapco, said the statement from Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company.

Last month, Doosan Vina had exported the last 15 modules weighing a total of 2,508 tonnes to a refinery being developed by Samsung Engineering Company in the UAE.

The completion of the two major orders amid the Covid-19 pandemic represents a major success for the company, said a senior Doosan Vina official.

The orders also contributed to increasing the export turnover of central Quang Ngai province, where the company is located, he stated.

Made-in-Vietnam products from Doosan Vina are now found in 35 nations around the world, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Weve been following the Duggar family for years thanks to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar thrusting their 19 kids into the spotlight. But its Jill Duggar whos making headlines now. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, are notoriously on the outs with the rest of Jills family. And Derick continues to speak out with his truths regarding what really goes down behind closed doors.

Despite Derick spilling the tea, Jill herself seems to stay out of the drama. And she recently posted photos of her family having some fun for her sons birthday. While Derick has noted before that Jill doesnt seem to have the greatest relationship with Jim Bob, she just posted evidence that shes still on good terms with Michelle. Heres what we noticed.

Jill Duggars husband, Derick Dillard, is speaking out about a Duggar family rift

Jill Duggar Dillard (L) and husband Derick Dillard visit Extra | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

Derick has been putting the Duggars in a bad light for years. While he and Jill are notoriously no longer welcome on TLCs Counting On, hes not finished talking about the famous family just yet. At the end of 2019, he took to Instagram to share some information with his followers. Within the comments of one of his posts, he noted that Jill isnt allowed in her parents house without permission from Jim Bob first. And he also stated that Jill was pressured into continuing to film for TLC despite no longer wishing to do so.

Now, Derick is still talking about the Duggars  and he even stated hed love to write a book to set the story straight. Jills husband spoke to YouTuber Without a Crystal Ball, and he noted he and Jill no longer associate with her parents ministry, the Institute of Basic Life Principles. He also said that TLC gave him and Jill zero choices when it came to when and how they announced major life events.

Jill noted shes spending time with her in-laws for Israels birthday

Jill hasnt spoken out about possible estrangement from her family. We know she, Derick, and their two children rarely attend any Duggar family events or weekly gatherings at Jim Bob and Michelles. But it seems theyre quite close with Dericks side of the family. Jill frequently posts about seeing her in-laws, and it looks like they also helped celebrate Jills sons birthday.

Happy 5th birthday Israel! Although the current state with Coronavirus has changed our plans, we are counting our blessings and trying to make lemonades from lemons, Jill captioned her Instagram post on April 6.

Jill then went on to explain how she and Derick helped make Israels birthday special despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) scare. We did a special birthday breakfast and are planning a drive this afternoon to say hey to friends from our car before we make our way to Dericks mom and stepdads for a simple celebration in their front yard (keeping our distance)!

A photo shows Michelle Duggar in the background

Jill made zero mention of seeing her family for Israels birthday. But one of the photos she posted seemed to indicate that Michelle did drop by to give a social-distancing hello to the family. In the third photo in Jills photo set, Israel and Samuel are inside while Michelle, Josie, and another Duggar daughter are peeking through the window. Jim Bob, however, appeared to not be in attendance.

This isnt the only evidence to suggest that Jill and Michelle are on fine terms. Back when Jinger visited all of her sisters at the end of February 2020, Jessa posted a photo of all the Duggar women getting together. And both Jill and Michelle were smiling together in the photo.

Were not sure if Jill will make any attempts to truly repair relations with her family, especially after Derick continues to come forward with more scathing claims. But it seems she and Michelle may still have a lasting bond that cant be broken.

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Two trade unions last week agreed terms for a salary furlough for more than 30,000 British Airways (BA) workers in a modified version of the UK governments Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The workers will receive 80 percent of their wages from the governments wage subsidy scheme, but BA will also pay 80 percent of their allowances rather than observing the restriction on 80 percent of total earnings. The unions were also negotiating for shift pay to be included in the 80 percent figure.

The deal has been put to BA workers for a decision by April 15. The Unite union claims it has secured BAs agreement that no worker will be laid off without pay during the furlough, and that there will be no redundancies, but this seems only a temporary halt to ongoing redundancy processes. The unions have said nothing about what will follow. The GMB trade unions Nadine Houghton wrote only of a pause on the current redundancy consultation. Commentators are already asking how many staff BA will actually require when operations resume.

The inclusion of allowances, enabling the agreement to exceed 80 percent of earnings, is misleading. It highlights the way lower wages are often disguised by allowances and extras that form no part of basic income. It is also more likely to benefit only higher-paid employees. One commentator said BAs deal may be expensive given the numbers of managerial staff who will benefit.

Staff costs are estimated to account for around 40 percent of an airlines expenditure.

Other airlines, including EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic, have also applied for government funds. EasyJet, which is not currently flying, has secured a 600 million government loan and will seek another $500 million in commercial loans.

Unions have agreed to EasyJets furlough of 4,000 of its 9,000 pilots and crew. Major shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou previously told them to take unpaid leave, days after pocketing his personal dividend of nearly 60 million. He is demanding the company cancel a contract with Airbus for new planes, stating that he will not put any further money into EasyJet otherwise.

Alongside BA, Virgin, the most vocal in demanding government bailouts for the aviation industry, is being hired by the government for repatriation flights. With many rivals grounded, BA is taking a major cut of the 75 million fee for these flights.

Its 16,500 cabin crew are the largest group of BA workers affected. Part of their pay is directly made up of flying allowances, so many will lose more than 20 percent of their income.

A week earlier, BA stood down new entrants to their Mixed Fleet cabin crew, telling them, You will be laid off during this time, and the company will not be making any pension contributions during the lay-off period.

BAs deal, negotiated by Unite and supported by the GMB, enables workers to divert their pension contributions into salary during the furlough. This may bring them closer to actual salary, as pension contributions range between nine and 18 percent of pay at the company but deprives them of pension benefits later.

Where BA continues operations, suspensions will be shared between staff, with alternating attendance of six weeks off and two weeks on. BA has completely suspended all operations at some airports, where all staff will be furloughed. Website Travelmole reports that many of the furloughed workers are expected to sign up to various volunteer programmes as part of the airlines efforts to fight Covid-19.

Some 36,000 workers are affected, including cabin crew, ground staff, engineers, and head office workers. Four in every five workers in this sector are affected.

The Unite/GMB deal follows an earlier deal between BA and the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), representing pilots. BALPA agreed a temporary 50 percent pay cut and unpaid leave for BAs 4,000 pilots, who will not be paid for two weeks in both April and May. The shortfall will be spread across three months.

The coronavirus pandemic is having an enormous impact in aviation, with all travel reduced and airports closing down operations. The International Air Transport Association has predicted airline losses of around $40 billion in the next three months, in part because of the cost of refunding cancelled flights.

BA is currently still flying, although it expects to operate only 10 percent of its usual flights during April and May. Having suspended flights at London City, the airline has now also stopped flying from London Gatwick, aiming to consolidate continued operations from London Heathrow Terminal 5. Heathrow has announced it will be closing one runway from this week. Airports across Britain are closing and furloughing workers.

BAs parent company IAG has announced it will not be paying shareholders a dividend this year. CEO Alex Cruz has spoken of BAs battle to survive and the need to act now to protect jobs and ensure BA comes out the other side of this crisis in the best possible shape. In order to be the last man standing, this requires an escalation of attacks on BAs workforce, with Cruz emailing staff that the furlough decision offered an immediate relief on the companys financial position.

Unites national officer for aviation, Oliver Richardson, described its agreement with BA as good a deal as possible during this unprecedented time for the airline sector. One source told the Sun, Both sides are doing what they can for their loyal staff and members while ensuring that the airline survives.

The GMBs Nadine Houghton went so far as to describe the bailing out of BA as part of campaign for the peoples bailout package. She appealed for more government intervention to protect the livelihoods of many more workers across the sector, but what it is in reality is a policy to hand even more of the public purse over to the conglomerates.

The sincerity of BAs commitment to its workers can be gauged by the fact that it only agreed to allow crew to wear masks during flights last week. Workers complained that they had been told to make do with their usual uniform.

BAs attitude was common in the industry. Workers at Manchester Airport said they had been provided with masks but no gloves or hand sanitiser.

Early last month, BA crew expressed fears of raised infection risk because planes were deep cleaned only monthly. One cabin crew member said the planes were given a basic clean by cleaners who use the same cloths to wipe down galleys and surfaces.

Even as BA stood down crew without any clear idea how staff levels would be filled, there were complaints to crew boss Amy James about compromised safety due to non-existent social distancing.

Senior crew wrote: From the moment crew arrive at the car park our safety is being compromisedon the bus to Terminal 5, in the briefing room where we all sit shoulder to shoulder, on the crew transport to the hotel where we sit next to each other, in small galleys with our colleagues, and of course in the cabin where we have hundreds of passengers that we spend hours in contact with.

Enthusiasm for government wage subsidies is not confined to aviation. Publishers are also furloughing staff and cutting wages. JPIMedia, which produces The Scotsman, has furloughed 350 staff, implementing 15 percent wage cuts for the remainder. Evening Standard owner ESI Media has furloughed some staff and cut wages by 20 percent for those earning over 37,500.

The latest to follow suit is Reach, formerly Trinity Mirror, which publishes the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and many regional titles. Announcing a 20 percent pay cut for all board members and most senior editorial staff, the halting of company bonus schemes for 2020, and the cancellation of the 2019 final dividend, Reach furloughed 940 staff, around one fifth of the total, on 90 percent of their wages.

Again, this will likely impact on the lowest paid employees. Reach made a point of emphasising that the reduced pay would not fall below the Living Wage of just 9.30 per hour and 10.75 per hour in London.

Reachs chief executive Jim Mullen and chief financial officer Simon Fuller will not have a problem, having each received almost 300,000 in 2019 bonuses at the end of March. They were also given shares worth 1.18 million relating to the companys long-term incentive scheme.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) do not appear to have been consulted on Reachs proposals but have responded as to what their role will be in implementing the cuts. NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the union was now in discussions with the company about the measures they have announced, pledging to engage fully with them about those provisions and how management seeks to apply them.

Reach is also seeking discussions on deferring payments to its pension fund, to which it pays 4.1 million per month. In last years annual report, Reach posted a pension deficit of 295.9 million. Reach had made 48.9 million in payments, exposing the reality of talk about a deferment of current contributions.

Reachs pre-tax profits for 2019 were 150.6 million on revenues of 702.5 million.
A troubleshooter has been brought in to help Ontarios public health officials manage the COVID-19 pandemic with a frustrated Premier Doug Ford going public over concerns the provinces testing regime is falling short, the Star has learned.

Sources said former Toronto public health chief Dr. David McKeown came aboard last week to lead a table of experts reviewing and scrutinizing major public health measures to fight the new coronavirus that has infected more than 5,000 Ontarians and killed more than 200.

In a brief interview with the Star on Wednesday, McKeown downplayed the importance of his role, although health sector sources said thats how it was described during an April 2 conference call hosted by the Ministry of Health.

Ive just been brought in to give some assistance at the ministry and the chief (medical officer of healths) office. Thats all Im going to say for now, said McKeown, an adjunct professor at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

A spokesman for Health Minister Christine Elliott confirmed McKeown has joined the effort. This isnt a time for egos in sandboxes. This is a time for the best and brightest to come together, Travis Kann told the Star.

McKeown, who left the city job in 2016, was praised as a steady hand at city hall, where former councillor Joe Mihevc described him as a progressive scientist who knows where things need to go.

Ford sounded off on the provinces relative lack of testing  using just a quarter of its lab capacity since a testing backlog was cleared on Friday  and ordered health officials to do better.

My patience has worn thin, Ford said, calling the failure to take advantage of the provinces full testing capacity absolutely unacceptable.

Ontario can now process 13,000 samples a day. Health experts have been calling for it to be used and expanded to get a more accurate sense of how and where the virus is spreading, including in prisons, homeless shelters and health-care institutions, as well as among first responders and even grocery store workers.

The number of COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario has fallen sharply over the last eight days, from more than 6,000 tests on April 1 to a recent low of just 2,568 on Tuesday.

Despite the decline, the tests that are being completed are returning positive results much more often than at the beginning of Ontarios epidemic, a telling sign of growing infection levels. Overall, the province has tested nearly 85,000 people, among whom it has found 5,276 confirmed COVID-19 cases, a positive test rate of 6.2 per cent. That rate has risen to 11.1 per cent for tests completed since April 1. Wednesday was the second day in a row to hit a record positive rate, at 16.9 per cent.

We need to start doing 13,000 every single day, Ford said, noting he has spoken to Ontario Health chief executive Matt Anderson about the problem, which has also been highlighted in a series of Star stories.

Ive made myself loud and clear to the table, he said of the panel of public health experts regularly discussing pandemic measures.

Ive been following the advice of our chief medical officer  but we need to increase testing. Lets come up with solutions, not excuses.

Chief medical officer Dr. David Williams, who has been saying for days that the health ministry is developing a protocol for increased testing, pushed back at a suggestion officials have been upbraided.

I didnt see it as taking (us) to the woodshed, myself, he told reporters later.

We were working on it and when the premier joined our command thing to make some comments and ask some questions, it was right along the line of what we were doing. Its nice when youre exactly on the same direction as the premier.

Williams warned that testing for the sake of testing in the general population is ineffective. He said it must be targeted to people in places such as to long-term care homes, where hundreds of residents and workers are already infected in almost 60 outbreaks that have accounted for about half of Ontarios fatalities.

The new directive on testing is expected Friday, a health ministry source told the Star.

While Ford said he was not threatening officials, he warned, Im going to be on this like a dog on a bone.

On a per-capita basis Ontario is testing at a lower rate than several other provinces. The World Health Organization says a positive rate of 10 per cent is a general benchmark of a system that is catching most COVID-19 cases, but sampling more people will give a better picture of the epidemic.

Dr. Anna Banerji, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said Ontarios testing capacity should be focused on people who are out in the community and at a higher risk of acquiring the virus and spreading it, such as grocery store workers, health-care workers, as well as those who work in long-term care homes and the essential services.

All of them need to be checked, she said, noting the actual number of people who have been infected is many, many times higher than the actual tests that are positive because of the number of people with mild symptoms who havent and wont be tested.

Fords comments were spot on but more testing should have been done weeks ago, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.

He cautioned its unrealistic to expect testing to ramp up to 13,000 in a single day, as Ford is pushing for starting Thursday.

Right now we dont have the best idea as to how much this is impacting in Ontario, Bogoch added. The criteria for testing needs to open so you shouldnt be turning people away.

Confusion remained over testing Wednesday, with one Toronto resident who fell ill last week telling the Star she contacted a testing centre Wednesday because of continuing symptoms and was told to come in  but was refused a test when she arrived because she was not a front-line worker.

Im going back to bed, said the woman, who requested anonymity.

While Ontario will never have the capacity to test all 14 million of its residents, there is no time to waste in testing as many people as possible, said Kevin Smith, the CEO of Toronto's University Health Network, which shares a testing lab with the Sinai Health System.

None of us want to say, I wish we had done this when we had the chance.

Ed Tubb is an assignment editor and a contributor focused on crime and justice. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @edtubb

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A historic document has surfaced which appears to have identified 17th Century poet Andrew Marvell as a possible Dutch spy.

Marvell, a known patriot and MP for Hull during the reign of Charles II, saw his life celebrated for his loyalty to England.

England was often at war with Holland during that period in the middle of the 17th Century and new evidence has revealed Marvell's Dutch sympathies.

According to the Times, Dr Edward Holberton, an English lecturer at Bristol University, discovered the evidence when reading a pamphlet written by Marvell in 1676.

A newly discovered document has cast doubt over the loyalty of poet Andrew Marvell (left) with suggestions he may have been part of William of Orange's (right) 'spy network'

That was two years after the third Anglo-Dutch war - and the contents of the pamphlet appear to confirm the view of William Carr, a Dutch double-agent who was convinced that Marvell was not as loyal to his country as it first appeared.

Carr had said that Marvell made the trip to Holland in the 1670s under a pseudonym to meet William of Orange, later known as William III of England.

The pamphlet was titled 'Mr Smirke' and its publication was banned by the church with the original printer 'punished'.

Dr Edward Holberton of Bristol University stumbled across the note before matching the handwritten annotation to Marvell

The report into the document reveals that in the margin of the pamphlet was a handwritten annotation.

That note is said to point to a passage that the Church of England saw as being 'sedition and the defamation of the Christian religion'.

It was seen as inciting people to rebel against the state.

The pamphlet, along with the annotation, was then reportedly sent overseas to William Freeman in Holland, a man who was part of a 'spy network' established by William of Orange.

Dr Holberton has written about his findings in the upcoming Times Literary Supplement and believes the poet's reputation should now be re-examined as a result of the new study.

Marvell is most known for his poem 'To His Coy Mistress', which was published posthumously in 1681.




TDT | Manama

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister stressed yesterday His Majesty the Kings commitment to ensuring the Kingdom remains a safe place for all, noting that this underpins all efforts made by Team Bahrain in combatting COVID-19.

This came as HRH the Crown Prince visited the National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Operations Room at the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research, located at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital.

HRH the Crown Prince highlighted that investment in education and training is the most powerful weapon societies have at their disposal when facing public health challenges.

HRH the Crown Prince also praised the awareness and vigilance demonstrated by citizens and residents, thanking all those following the health and social guidelines issued by the government.

HRH the Crown Prince reviewed the progress of the ongoing Public Awareness Campaign to combat COVID-19. He noted that the Kingdoms two priorities in the fight against the coronavirus are protecting the health and safety of citizens and residents, and ensuring the economy remains on a stable footing.

HRH the Crown Prince commended the unwavering efforts of Team Bahrain, noting that their work is appreciated by every member of Bahraini society. A number of senior officials accompanied HRH the Crown Prince during the visit.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and shared the respective domestic response strategies by the two countries to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

The talks between the two foreign ministers came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Scott Morrison agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in flattening the growth curve of the coronavirus.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said India is also responding "positively" to Australia's requirements for drugs, without elaborating whether it has sought supply of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine like many other countries.

The US and a sizeable number of countries have pressed India to provide the drug, cited by many as a viable therapeutic solution to fight coronavirus infection.

"A very good conversation with FM @MarisePayne of Australia on our respective responses to #COVID19. She assured that there is no change in the status of Indian students studying in Australia," Jaishankar tweeted.

According to estimates, over 80,000 Indian students are studying in Australia.

The country has recorded around 6,000 cases of coronavirus and over 40 people died of the infection.

In India, the virus has infected nearly 5,300 people and killed 149. Globally, the virus has killed over 75,000 people and infected more than 13 lakh.

"India will fully facilitate arrangements for Australians wishing to return home. Is also responding positively to Australia's drug requirements," Jaishankar said.

On Monday, Modi and Morrison held a telephonic conversation over the pandemic.

They agreed on the importance of bilateral experience-sharing in the context of this health crisis, including through collaborative research efforts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said that he welcomes the government's move to consult state governments on the extension of the 21-day nationwide lockdown. He, however, also said that the government should immediately put cash in the hands of the poor -- a lockdown strategy that is "sorely missing" from the government's planning. He said that there are several sections of the poor who have not received any cash from the government.

In a series of tweets the Congress leader said that as "among the first to advocate a lockdown" he welcomed the Centre's strategy to consult state governments on whether the lockdown should be extended beyond April 14. He said that personal or sectoral interests should not be the guiding principle to answer the question. "The answer must be determined solely by two numbers -- the absolute increase in positive cases every day and the rate of increase," he said.

The answer to that question cannot be based on personal or sectoral interests. The answer must be determined solely by two numbers - the absolute increase in positive cases every day and the rate of increase. - P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 8, 2020

"As of today, both numbers point to adopting a cautious and conservative approach. What is sorely missing in the lockdown strategy is putting cash in the hands of poor people. There are several sections of the poor who have not received a single rupee from the government," he added.

As of today, both numbers point to adopting a cautious and conservative approach. What is sorely missing in the lockdown strategy is putting cash in the hands of poor people. There are several sections of the poor who have not received a single rupee from the government. - P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 8, 2020

Quoting the recent CMIE report that states that overall unemployment might have surged to 23 per cent, P Chidambaram said, "With unemployment at 23 per cent (CMIE) and a freeze on daily wages, incomes, the government must immediately find the resources and remonetise (give cash to) the poor. The miserly and cruelly negligent approach of the government has compounded the hardships of the poor."

With unemployment at 23 per cent (CMIE) and a freeze on daily wages/incomes, the government must immediately find the resources and remonetise (give cash to) the poor. The miserly and cruelly negligent approach of the government has compounded the hardships of the poor. - P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 8, 2020

Chidambaram's tweets come as India is nearing the end of its 21-day lockdown. However, states have reportedly urged the Centre to consider extending the lockdown. A Cambridge research last month also emphasised that a 21-day lockdown has great chances of resurgence. Based on their mathematical calculations, the researchers advocated one 49-day lockdown.

Currently there are 4,643 active cases in the country, with the death toll at 149. According to the Health Ministry, 401 people have been cured or discharged.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: PM Modi holds virtual meet with opposition leaders; country's active cases at 4,643

Also read: Coronavirus: India needs 49-day lockdown, not 21, say Cambridge researchers

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.
Police arrested a Northern California woman and accused her of having licked and ruined about $1,800 worth of groceries near the Nevada border, authorities said Wednesday.

IMAGE: Jennifer Walker (South Lake Tahoe, California, police)

Officers were called to a Safeway in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday over a "report of a customer 'licking' groceries inside of the store," police said.

Jennifer Walker, 53, of South Lake Tahoe was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism.

"The employee informed the officers that all the items in the suspect's shopping cart were deemed unsellable due to the cross-contamination," according to a South Lake Tahoe police statement.

Items that had to be destroyed included costume jewelry, meat and liquor, police said.

Walker has no local arrest record, but "we've had local contact with her, we're familiar with her," said police Lt. Shannon Laney, who declined to reveal the nature of Walker's previous dealings with police, citing medical privacy laws.

Walker remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of $10,000 bond, according to El Dorado County jail records. It wasn't immediately clear whether she had an attorney.
N ormal life is unlikely to resume until a vaccine is found for Covid-19, a leading scientist has warned.

Dr Ali Nouri, president of the Federation of American Scientists, said finding a vaccine and getting it into circulation may take up to a year said no one was "going back to our daily lives" anytime soon.

"We will certainly have to continue these stay at home orders for I suspect at least through the end of May, or perhaps some time in June," the infectious disease expert told the Daily Mail.

"There's not going to be a time when there is a magic date and then everybody goes back to their lives as normal. That's not going to happen for a long time."

A leading scientist has warned life will not return to normal for a long time - until a vaccine is found / PA

He added: "Once June comes around, once July comes around, it's not going to be the kind of situation where people are going to be going to crowded restaurants and movie theatres.

"Things are going to be different, I suspect, until we have the vaccine."

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Dr Nouri, a microbiologist and a virologist, said the United States, which has more than 400,000 confirmed cases, was far from "flattening the curve".

He also pointed out that Wuhan in China was still enforcing some measures nearly four months after lockdown was introduced.

Wuhan lifts coronavirus lockdown after months-long quarantine to stem Covid-19 spread

Dr Nouri, who served in Congress advising Senators Jim Webb and Al Franken for 10 years before taking up his current role, said: "That really tells you that this virus has the potential to really flare up again, even in places that have flattened the curve.

"If we do really do a good job of flattening that curve and reducing the number of transmissions from person to person, we still have to be very careful while we lift those restrictions."

He added: "What's really different about this novel coronavirus is that it's this combination of both being very contagious and then also at the same time being about 10 times more lethal than the flu."

Dr Nouri has served as an advisor in the office of then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and as a research associate at Princeton University where he developed initiatives to improve global health.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

He said: "The really challenging part of this is that the virus can be passed on asymptomatically.

"As high as 25 per cent of infections turn out to be coming from people who don't even know that they themselves are infected.

"We need a lot more diagnostic testing. We need to really have a really good idea of the dynamics of the infection; who's infected, who's not infected.
NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the midst of the global pandemic, the Knights of Columbus will financially support two timely Vatican initiatives: the global broadcasts of Pope Francis' Good Friday prayer service and Easter Mass, and Vatican medical efforts in Rome related to COVID-19.

The Knights will underwrite costs related to the broadcasts for the Good Friday Stations of the Cross on April 10 led by Pope Francis, and for the pope's Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) blessing on April 12. The Knights' funding covers costs related to the satellite transmission of the events. Last month, the organization also funded these costs for the Holy Father's March 27 extraordinary Moment of Prayer and Urbi et Orbi blessing movingly delivered  and broadcast live  from an empty St. Peter's Square.

In addition, the K of C is donating $100,000 to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital in Rome, for the care of children infected by the coronavirus. The hospital will use the funds to transform a space in its neonatology department into a high-intensity treatment room for infants and newborns with COVID-19 infections.

The unit will be named for the Knights' founder, the Venerable Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney. It will feature ventilators and other specialized equipment essential for the care of the respiratory symptoms associated with the virus.

"These projects are particularly timely given the global pandemic," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "For 100 years, the Knights of Columbus have worked in Rome for the spiritual and physical benefit of the city's children and young people at the request of the Holy Father. Our support of Bambino Gesu hospital continues that tradition of service. At the same time, with so many in Italy and around the world currently homebound, our support of Vatican broadcasts will allow our Holy Father to join in prayer with Catholics from every corner of the globe during this critical time."

The Knights of Columbus has a long history of supporting the Vatican's telecommunications efforts. The organization provided funding for a shortwave transmitter for Vatican Radio in 1965 and has funded Vatican satellite broadcasts since 1977. It has also sponsored mobile production units for Vatican television.

The Knights established a permanent presence in Rome a century ago in 1920 at the invitation of Pope Benedict XV to assist the young people of the city. The Knights have been hard at work in the Eternal City ever since. In February, Pope Francis met with the Knights of Columbus leadership and praised the organization for its charity and "unswerving devotion to the successor of Peter."

About the Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is one of the nation's premiere volunteer and charitable organizations. Last year, Knights worldwide donated 76 million service hours, and more than $185 million to charitable causes in communities throughout the Americas, as well in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable life insurance to its members, the Knights of Columbus has been at the service of the community for more than 130 years.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus
Premium Bond jackpot winners this month were not visited in person by an Agent Million

Premium Bond jackpot winners this month were not visited in person by an Agent Million for the first time in 26 years.

National Savings has sent a representative to personally inform 1 million prize winners in the UK ever since April 1994.

But due to current social distancing restrictions, the two top prize winners were this month notified by NS&I remotely.

NS&I would not specify exactly how this month's winners in Hertfordshire and Essex were informed over concerns fraudsters might use this information to prey on victims.

An NS&I spokesman says: 'Agent Million was still able to deliver the good news this month to the two lucky jackpot winners, but wasn't knocking on the door.'
Bimbo Bakeries USA, maker of national brands like Thomas English Muffins and Entemanns, said Tuesday two Lehigh Valley employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Both diagnosed with the illness caused by coronavirus worked at Bimbos 150 Boulder Drive bakery in Breinigsville, Upper Macungie Township.

"While we cannot disclose additional details about the associates in accordance with privacy laws, we can share that we are notifying all bakery staff and have directly contacted anyone with whom the individuals had close contact in accordance with" guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the company said in a news release.

The bakery remains operational, the release continued.

Bimbo Bakeries operated at 2400 Northampton St. in Palmer Township, a site that had been a bakery since 1920, before closing in March 2014 for its new $75 million facility off Route 100.

The company says it is following all CDC guidelines and implemented additional measures aimed at ensuring employee safety, including:

Increasing social distancing practices by staggering start times to limit the number of associates in common areas by time clocks and in locker rooms, creating one-chair tables in the break rooms and marking the floor in areas where associates might congregate to remind them to keep a 6-foot distance.

Increasing frequency of sanitation processes in all areas of the bakery including focusing on common-touch surfaces.

Communicating regularly with our associates to ensure they have the information they need to keep themselves and their co-workers safe.

In addition, Bimbo Bakeries says it has a dedicated COVID-19 Response Team monitoring the situation continuously and supporting its employees across the business.

Pennsylvanias number of confirmed coronavirus cases grew Tuesday to 14,559, up 1,579, and the states death toll rose by 78 new deaths to 240, health officials announced.

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.
Its officially Earth Month, and Disney+ has a collection of docu-series and documentaries to help you celebrate the planet and the wildlife that lives on it.

In addition to a slew of National Geographic documentaries, Disney+ has just released two Disney Plus-exclusive documentaries narrated by Natalie Portman and former royal Meghan Markle.

Disney+ offers a 7-day free trial and then costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year. Theres also a Disney+ bundle option available, which includes access to Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for just $12.99/month.

While Earth Day isnt until April 22, why not celebrate the planet all month long? Here is whats available.

Americas National Parks

This docu-series celebrates the 100th birthday of Americas National Parks. Through this series, viewers can explore the Everglades, Yosemite and of course, the Grand Canyon.

Before the Flood

Oscar-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio gives viewers a closer look at climate change and how its changing the Earth. John Kerry and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are also featured in the documentary.

Dolphin Reef

Narrated by Natalie Portman, Dolphin Reef follows a young Pacific bottlenose dolphin named Echo. Echo is struggling to figure out whether he needs to take on new responsibilities and grow up  a problem that many species struggle with

Elephant

Meghan Markle narrates this documentary, which follows a group of elephants as they make the difficult journey across the Kalahari Desert to find lush land and water.

The Flood

The Flood chronicles the Okavango Delta in Botswana, which floods the African desert every year and provides water to many species. Actress Angela Bassett lends her voice to this documentary.

Hostile Planet

Hostile Planet takes a look at how animal species have adapted to the harsh environments they live in. Survivalist and Man v. Wild star Bear Grylls hosts this docu-series.

JANE

Jane Goodall changed the way we understand and interact with animals with her groundbreaking chimpanzee research. This documentary, directed by Brett Morgan, dives deep into her research and life, using 100 hours of previously unseen archival footage.

Kingdom of the Apes: Battle Lines

Kingdom of the Apes examines the power structures in chimpanzee and gorilla clans and how certain individuals try to become clan leaders. Jane Goodall provides research for this documentary.

One Strange Rock

Astronauts are put front and center in this documentary about Earth, because they are the only ones who have left it. Host and actor Will Smith guides viewers through the documentary and reveals why life has thrived on Earth.

Planet of the Birds

Go on a global tour of the bird world and find out why birds are able to live in so many different climates and under so many different conditions. From penguins to parrots, birds are a diverse animal.

Sea of Hope: Americas Underwater Treasures

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, along with a group of marine conservationists, go on a year-round expedition of Americas blue parks. She tries to inspire a new generation to protect the lakes, rivers and oceans.

Unlikely Animal Friends

This animal documentary showcases pairs of animals of different species who have bonded, against all odds and instincts.

Wild Yellowstone

Get a close-up look of the animals of Yellowstone, during both summer and winter, with this docu-series.
A total of 4071 persons have been arrested across Uttarakhand for defying lockdown norms and 44 people were arrested for spreading fake news regarding COVID-19 in the state.

"A total of 973 FIRs have been registered, 4071 people have been arrested for violating lockdown and 44 people have been arrested for spreading fake news during lockdown," DG (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar told ANI.

He said that two remaining Jamaatis have been arrested today with the help of CDR and case under section 307 has been registered against both of them.

Speaking to ANI he said, "We have registered a case under section 188 of IPC against 44 people who were trying to sneak into the state while four people have been booked for allowing Jamaatis to stay in their homes."

Earlier on Tuesday, He said that 180 people, who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have come forward after an appeal made by Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anil Raturi.

"On April 5, DGP had appealed to the people who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi to come forward. After the appeal, 180 people have come forward. But two persons are yet to surrender so we have registered case against them," Ashok Kumar, DG (Law and Order) told ANI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coast Guard Vessel Captain Hugh Mulzac (SVG 01) is an essential part of the SAR capacity of the Coast Guard.

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Service (SVG Coast Guard) was formally established on Dec. 02, 1980, with the motto: Dedicated to saving Lives.





And, according to Commander, Mr. Brenton Cain, the SVG Coast Guard has been living up to its motto, in an often time unpublished but effective manner over the years.





A release of March 30 from the Royal SVG Police Force Public Relations and Complaints Department which covered the work of the Coast Guard for the first quarter of 2020, revealed that the Coast Guard conducted eighteen (18) successful Search and Rescue (SAR) missions in the territorial waters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).





These operations resulted in the saving of thirty-four (34) lives - sixteen (16) nationals and eighteen (18) non-nationals. The non-nationals included two (2) British, one (1) Guyanese, two (2) Barbadians, four (4) St Lucians and nine (9) Grenadians.





Among the notable SAR missions was the rescuing of two British citizens on the 23rd March, 2020.

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard received a distress message from the International Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center via Trinidad and Tobago Rescue Co-ordination Center. The report was in relation to a vessel named NEMO, which was located approximately sixty-two (62) nautical miles (NM) West of West Cay, Bequia, with a broken rudder.





Coast Guard Vessel Captain Hugh Mulzac (SVG 01), under the command of Lieutenant Commander Enos Hamlette, was deployed at 5:26am on Monday 23rd March 2020 in response to the distress report.





The vessel was located sixty-five (65) nautical miles west of Bequia and was taken into tow. Almost twenty- fours (24) hours later at 4:41am on Tuesday 24th March, the distress vessel was secured in the Villa area, after a SAR mission that amounted to a round journey of over 120 nautical miles.





In addition, during the first quarter of 2020, the SVG Coast Guard Service also conducted sixteen (16) medical evacuations (Medivac) from the Grenadines.





In January, seven (7) patients were evacuated, six (6) from Bequia and one (1) from Union Island. In February, six (6) patients were transported by the Coast guard - four (4) from Bequia, two (2) from Canouan and two (2) from Union Island. For March, three (3) patients were evacuated - two (2) from Bequia and one (1) from Canouan.




In places across America where the data is available, an alarming number of African Americans are contracting and dying from COVID-19.

Is this happening in Indiana? In Indianapolis?

We dont know yet.

Dr. Kristina Box, the states top health official, said she expects the health department to release data about race April 9 or 10.

In Chicago, African Americans make up 70% of those who have died because of the virus and more than half of those who have tested positive, despite only making up about a third of the population.

In Louisiana, where African Americans also make up about a third of the population, about 70% of those who have died from the virus were African American.

Numbers from Chicago and Louisiana were released April 6.

 Related: Battling COVID-19: Is this my death march?

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on a recent appearance on CBS This Morning that African Americans are at a higher risk for COVID-19 because they are more likely to have preexisting conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease, and are less likely to have access to health care.

Adams said he has high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease and is prediabetic.

So I represent that legacy of growing up poor and Black in America, he said. And I and many Black Americans are at higher risk for COVID, which is why we need everyone to do their part to slow the spread.

Dr. William Gill, local board president for the American Heart Association, said its too early to say exactly why African Americans  at least in the limited data available  make up a disproportionate number of deaths.

Its still a little speculative, Gill said, to say for sure that its because of preexisting conditions, though he added that finding would be consistent with worldwide data.

It could also be the case that preexisting conditions are only part of the answer. African Americans could, for example, have a genetic predisposition that causes the virus to bond more strongly in their airways.

There just isnt enough research related to COVID-19 to make a definitive assessment about higher mortality rates.

Once more data comes in, if it turns out that African Americans are something like twice as likely to die as a result of COVID-19  or even more likely to contract the virus, which isnt conclusive right now because of a lack of testing  Gill suggested it would be appropriate to make sure African Americans get priority when a vaccine is available.

Breanca Merritt, director of the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, said there are potential structural factors that overlap. That includes access to health insurance and, increasingly important during a pandemic, still having to work like normal as classified essential employees.

Black workers are more likely to have positions where theyre not able to work from home or social distance, she said, and that definitely puts them at risk.

Though specific numbers arent yet available for Indianapolis or Indiana, researchers at SAVI, a program part of The Polis Center at IUPUI, put together a model to show where around Indianapolis the novel coronavirus might have the biggest impact.

The model uses two variables  socioeconomics and age  to determine if a neighborhood is at a below average, average or above average risk of getting severe or deadly cases of COVID-19.

The conclusion: Neighborhoods just outside of downtown Indianapolis have the highest estimated risk when it comes to factors that are related to income.

The immediate area surrounding North Sherman Drive and East New York Street, for example, is at the highest risk because more than a third of the population doesnt have health insurance, and the asthma rates and smoking prevalence are high.

When only considering age, most of Indianapolis ranges from below average to average risk.

Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.

SAVI, part of The Polis Center at IUPUI, has a model to show where around Indianapolis COVID-19 might have the biggest impact. The map shows socioeconomic factors and ranges from below average (purple) to above average (yellow). (Photo/screenshot from SAVI website)
Australia Expecting First Flight from Wuhan After Lockdown Measures Lifted

A direct flight from Wuhan, ground zero of Chinas CCP virus epidemic, is scheduled to arrive in Australia on Wednesday evening.

The arrival of the cargo plane in Sydney will mark the first flight to the city in over two months, following an end to lockdown in Wuhan on Wednesday.

The Boeing 747, operated by Chinas Suparna Airlines, departed from Wuhans Tianhe International Airport and is expected to land at Sydney international airport at 9:13 p.m., where it will be unloaded in a special freight apron area, The Australian reported.

It is not entirely clear what the cargo aircraft is carrying, however several crew members are reported to be on board. Chinese-language aviation news outlet Air66 reported that it is transporting more than 70 tons of materials, including masks, protective clothing, goggles, and medicine.

A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: The Australian Border Force is aware of a cargo flight arriving into Sydney from Wuhan today. International crew are permitted to transit through Australia, but must remain in the port or airport, or self-isolate in accommodation for the duration of their transit. Quarantine and isolation arrangements in each state are the responsibility for each state and territory government.

Airline crew are expected to to spend the night in a hotel in Sydney before flying back to Wuhan on Thursday. Meanwhile, those in charge of handling the cargo at Sydney Airport will follow strict disease control protocols, a spokesperson for the airport told Daily Mail Australia.

Cargo handlers operating out of the airport are following the strictest hygiene and infection control protocols in line with advice from health authorities, the spokesperson said.

According to Air66, the Hubei Association of Australiaa Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-backed organizationis one of the owners of the cargo, as well as other large domestic pharmaceutical logistics companies and international Chinese elite groups.

Air Lifts from Australia

Last week, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald found that a Sydney-based man who runs a number of CCP-backed organizations in the city and Melbourne, including the Hubei Association, assisted the air lifts of tons of Australian medical supplies to Wuhan.

According to the outlets, Kuang Yuanping, a former Chinese military officer, worked with CCP agencies and a group with links to organized crime to export the goods to hospitals and medical facilities in Wuhan and five other cities. These included 200,000 pairs of gloves, 35,000 sets of protective medical suits, and 10 tons of disinfectant.

Kuang now hopes to bring critical supplies to Australia, according to the report, which cited sources saying he also wished to carry out charitable activity to assist Beijings soft power and political influence goals in the country.

More Virus Patients Detected in Wuhan

Meanwhile in Wuhan, locals report that many are still infected with the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, despite a lift of the citys lockdown.

More asymptomatic carriers have been detected, and Wuhan hospitals are discharging COVID-19 patients before they fully recover. Some China analysts worry that a larger outbreak may be unavoidable after quarantine measures are eased, particularly as Wuhan authorities encourage people to go back to work.

For several weeks, the central government has reported zero to single-digit new domestic infections in the whole of China. For example, for April 6, it reported no new domestic infections and 21 new domestic asymptomatic carriers.

But interviews with Chinese citizens and internal reports obtained by The Epoch Times revealed that local authorities frequently underreport cases. A dataset from Wuhan health authorities showed that the city tested 16,000 patient samples on March 14, with 373 showing up positive. But authorities only publicly recorded four infections for that day.

Nicole Hao contributed to this report.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump Getty Images

The 2020 presidential general election has begun. Joe Biden, who was Barack Obama's vice president, will face off against President Donald Trump in November's contest. The race between the two men in their 70s has long been expected but is now virtually guaranteed after Sen. Bernie Sanders exited from the Democratic primary contest, announcing Wednesday that he had suspended his campaign. In some ways, the Trump-Biden general election has been long foretold. Trump has never faced a serious primary threat, and Biden has been the leader in primary polls  with only brief exceptions  since he entered the Democratic primary nearly one year ago. He has been virtually assured to win the primary since his landslide victory on Super Tuesday early last month.

The likelihood of Biden becoming the president's 2020 rival was illustrated during the president's impeachment trial earlier this year. The House of Representatives charged Trump with abusing his power and endangering national security by pressuring the government of Ukraine to open an investigation into Biden's family. Rep. Adam Schiff, who led the prosecution, repeatedly made the case that the president's actions were spurred by a desire to smear "a political opponent that President Trump greatly feared." The Senate acquitted Trump of the charges in February.

The coronavirus campaign

But in other ways, the nation's most important political event is kicking off under extraordinary circumstances that no one could predict. A pandemic has stalled the U.S. economy and forced Americans into their homes and out of work in order to mitigate a disaster that public health officials warned might have taken the lives of 2 million in the country. COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has ended campaigning and fundraising as it had been previously known. For Biden, the pandemic has meant an end to an avuncular campaign style marked by hugs, back pats and whispers in the ear. For the president, it has halted the boisterous campaign rallies that marked his rise in 2016 and which he continued to host around the country as its leader. For the country it has meant tragedy and devastation. Thousands of Americans have already succumbed to the virus, which is continuing to spread and has infected nearly half a million in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data. Millions have lost their jobs, and unemployment could soar as high as 32%, according to estimates from the St. Louis Fed.

No one can say with certainty what the pandemic means for the November election. At least a dozen states and territories were forced to postpone their primary elections because of health fears related to COVID-19. Wisconsin, which held its primary on Tuesday, did so in the midst of a partisan battle over what should be done that escalated all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Given that the strength of the economy was one of the president's top reelection selling points, a massive contraction in the economy naturally weakens that argument, even given the circumstances," Kyle Kondik, a leading elections analyst, wrote in a recent analysis. "But it may also be that perceptions of the economy aren't actually driving voting patterns as significantly in this era: The president's approval rating arguably should have been higher for much of his term based on relative peace and prosperity," Kondik wrote. "It may be that going forward, the president's approval should be lower than it might end up being, at least based on what one might expect from history."

Where the polling stands
Over the objections of many Democrats, voting-rights activists, and even its own governor, Wisconsin went ahead with its presidential primary election today. On Monday, the State Supreme Court blocked Democratic governor Tony Everss bid to delay the primary until June. Then, later that day, the U.S. Supreme Court, voting on strictly ideological lines, reversed a lower courts ruling that gave voters six extra days to return their ballots by mail.

As voting began on Tuesday morning, CNN reported that long lines of voters, many of them wearing face masks, stretched for blocks outside of polling precincts in Milwaukee, the states largest city (and coincidentally the site of the now delayed Democratic National Convention in August). Neither of the remaining two candidates in the race, former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, have done any in-person rallies or campaign appearances, of course. Both continue to campaign and give interviews remotely from their respective homes in Delaware and Vermont.

In its 54 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that extending the period for absentee ballots to be cast fundamentally alters the nature of the election. The courts four liberal members dissented, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg writing that the courts order, I fear, will result in massive disenfranchisement. (Absentee ballots are due today.)

Many voting-rights activists sharply condemned the Supreme Courts refusal to allow the extension of absentee balloting, arguing that they were putting voters lives at risk by forcing them to show up to the polls in person during the middle of a pandemic.

It is unconscionable, Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread on Monday night. It is among the most cynical decisions I have read from this courtdevoid of even the pretense of engaging with the reality that this decision will mean one of two things for many WI voters: Either they will risk their health and lives to vote, or they will be disenfranchised.

Story continues

On his Election Law Blog, University of California at Irvine law professor Rick Hasen said the sharp partisan divide on the court did not bode well for the general election.

It is a very bad sign for November that the court could not come together and find some form of compromise here in the midst of a global pandemic unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes, Hasen wrote. With election changes proliferating and a fight over expanded absentee balloting necessary to combat the COVID crisis, the amount of litigation is going to skyrocket. And it does not look like the courts are going to be able to do any better than the politicians in finding common ground on election principles.

Wisconsin awards 77 pledged delegates in the Democratic presidential primary, and polls show Biden comfortably ahead. If Biden solidifies his stance as the partys presumptive nominee, calls for Sanders to drop out of the race will almost certainly increase in the coming days.

Originally Appeared on Vogue
The top infectious disease expert in the United States has compared the alarming coronavirus death toll among African Americans to the affect the AIDS pandemic has had on gay men.

Dr Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, drew the comparison on Tuesday after it emerged that data was showing an increasing number of African Americans have been dying of COVID-19 in a number of states.

The coronavirus death toll across the US is now at more than 12,900 and the number of infections has surpassed 400,000.

Not every state is reporting COVID-19 deaths in relation to race, but the areas that have show a grim reality: Black Americans are facing higher rates of coronavirus deaths.

Dr Fauci, who has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is the top coronavirus expert in the US, said much of his career has been defined by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

He said that the disproportionate toll of African Americans dying from coronavirus could shine a light on the 'real weaknesses and foibles in our society' - similarly to what happened when the AIDS pandemic reached its peak in the 1990s.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, has compared the alarming coronavirus death toll among African Americans to the affect the AIDS pandemic has had on gay men

Not every state is reporting COVID-19 deaths in relation to race, but the areas that have show a grim reality: Black Americans are facing higher rates of coronavirus deaths

Health officials have said that African Americans are not more susceptible to coronavirus but they do have more risk of dying due to higher rates of underlying health conditions and lack of access to healthcare.

The higher rates of conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma and obesity that are experienced among the African American population makes fighting the coronavirus more difficult.

'It's not that they're getting infected more often,' Dr Fauci said. 'It's that when they do get infected, their underlying medical conditions... wind them up in the ICU and ultimately give them a higher death rate.'

The numbers are particularly alarming in cities with large African American populations like Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit and Milwaukee, which are becoming hotspots for the coronavirus.

It has prompted calls for all states to start providing data based on race and demographics.

In Chicago, black residents account for 72 percent of coronavirus deaths despite making up only 30 percent of the city's population, according to the city's public health agency.

The state of Illinois has recorded that black residents, who make up 15 percent of the population, accounts for 40 percent of the deaths. The death toll in Illinois is currently 380.

In Michigan, which is a major hot spot with 845 deaths, 40 percent of the deaths are black people. The African American population in the state accounts for 14 per cent of the population.

CHICAGO: In Chicago, black residents account for 72 percent of coronavirus deaths despite making up only 30 percent of the city's population

MILWAUKEE: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin African Americans make up abut 70 percent of the fatalities but 26 percent of the population

NORTH CAROLINA: In North Carolina, 31 percent of the state's 58 deaths are linked to black people who make up 22 percent of the state's population

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin African Americans make up abut 70 percent of the fatatalities but 26 percent of the population

Data in Louisiana - also a major hot spot with 582 fatalities - shows that African American deaths make up 70 percent of the death toll there. Black residents make up 30 percent of the state's population.

The majority of the state's deaths are in New Orleans where 60 percent of the population is black.

Louisiana's Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the stark figure during a daily briefing on Monday, saying: 'That deserves more attention and we're going to have to dig into that to see what we can do to slow that down.'

In North Carolina, 31 percent of the state's 58 deaths are linked to black people who make up 22 percent of the state's population.

Many states, including hardest-hit New York, have not released demographic data showing the virus' toll on different racial groups. New York state's death toll is currently 5,489.

New York City released figures for the first time on Wednesday that show the death toll was disproportionately high in black and Hispanic communities.

Preliminary data indicates that black people account for 28 percent of the city's COVID-19 death toll, even though they are just 22 percent of the city's population, while Hispanic people are 34 percent of the city's virus death toll and 29 percent of its population.

'It's sick. It's troubling. It's wrong. And we are going to fight back with everything we've got,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

NEW YORK: While New York isn't currently releasing specific demographic data, health officials say 59% of the deaths are in the in New York City boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, which has a high population of African Americans

According to CDC data, 774,467 people had been diagnosed with AIDS in the US and 448,060 of those had died by the year 2000.

Of the 322,865 people living with HIV, 79 percent were men and 41 percent had been infected through male-to-male sex.

AIDS cases and deaths increased rapidly in the 1980s and peaked in the early 1990s before starting to decline in the mid-90s.

In the most recent CDC data that is available, 37,832 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States in 2018.

Male-to-male sex accounted for 69 percent of all new cases that year. In the same year, heterosexuals made up 24 percent of all HIV diagnoses.

Dr Fauci said he could see similarities between the African American death toll amid coronavirus compared to the AIDS pandemic.

'I couldn't help sitting there reflecting about sometimes when you're in the middle of a crisis, like we are now with the coronavirus, it really does ultimately shine a very bright light on some of the real weaknesses and foibles in our society,' he said during a White House briefing.

'If you go back then during that period of time when there was extraordinary stigma particularly against the gay community.

Dr Fauci said he could see similarities between the African American death toll amid coronavirus compared to the AIDS pandemic. According to CDC data (above), 774,467 people had been diagnosed with AIDS in the US and 448,060 of those had died by the year 2000. Of the 322,865 people living with HIV, 79 percent were men and 41 percent had been infected through male-to-male sex

AIDS cases and deaths increased rapidly in the 1980s and peaked in the early 1990s before starting to decline in the mid-90s.

'And it was only when the world realized how the gay community responded to this outbreak with incredible courage and dignity and strength and activism. I think that really changed some of the stigma against the gay community. Very much so.'

'I see a similarity here because health disparities have always existed for the African-American community.

'Here again with the crisis, how it's shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is because, yet again, when you have a situation like the coronavirus they are suffering disproportionately.'

It comes as President Donald Trump expressed concerns on Tuesday that the African-American population was being hit disproportionately by the coronavirus pandemic.

'This is real problem and it's showing up very strongly in our data on the African-American community and we're doing everything in our power to address this challenge,' Trump said during the daily taskforce briefing.

'It's a tremendous, it's terrible.'

Trump said he would present better numbers publicly over the next 'two or three days.'

'I hadn't heard this - and then over the last few days this has come up more and more - I don't mean a little bit I mean by many times it's a real thing,' Trump said, previewing the disparity.

'But why is it that the African-American community is so much - is numerous times more? And we want to find the reason to it,' he said.

'We're trying to find out why it is that it's three and four times moreso for the black community as opposed to other people... And I don't like it.'
Over 1.25 billion workers are seeing their livelihoods threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning it was the 'worst global crisis' since World War II.

Workplace disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to wipe out labour equivalent to the effort of 1.25 billion workers or 195 million full-time workers, or 6.7 percent of hours clocked worldwide, in the second quarter of this year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday.

The UN on Tuesday, warned it was the "worst global crisis" since World War II.

More than four out of five workers globally are affected by full or partial closures, it said in a report.

The study comes as the number of cases of the new coronavirus, which first emerged in China late last year, soared past 1.35 million worldwide, including more than 75,500 deaths, agencies reported.

"The pandemic is having very serious consequences for the world of work," ILO chief Guy Ryder told reporters in a virtual briefing. "Just over four out of every five workers live in a country where partial or total lockdowns are in operation," he pointed out, with a full 81 percent of the global workforce of 3.3 billion people now affected.

The UN agency welcomed fiscal and monetary measures applied so far but urged countries to take steps to keep people connected to jobs they are no longer able to do, so fewer will end up unemployed, Reuters said.

What we do now in terms of maintaining that relationship between workers and their enterprises to keep them on the labour market, that will pay dividends when it comes to the trajectory and the gradient of recovery hopefully in the latter part of this year, ILO director-general Guy Ryder told a news conference.

Workers in the informal sector - who account for 61 percent of the global workforce or 2 billion people - will need income support just to survive and feed their families, if their day jobs disappear, he said.

These are people who generally do not have access to the normal social protections that might go with a formal employment status, Ryder said.

Ryder said Indias lockdown has put millions of migrant workers in a quandary.

If you require people to stop working, go home and stay at home but they have absolutely no other source of income, then the choice can become between that of protecting yourself against the virus and having no means of surviving, no means to feed yourself, he said. And these are impossible dilemmas.

He listed initiatives such as partial unemployment, technical unemployment and short working time measures that keep workers tied to their jobs.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for labour equivalent to 125 million workers lost in the second quarter, although Chinese companies have resumed after a long lockdown, the report said.

The ILO did not project precisely how many workers would be made jobless by the crisis, though it said it would be significantly higher than the 25 million it forecast just last month. At the start of this year, 190 million workers were unemployed around the world.

Sangheon Lee, director of ILOs employment policy department and the reports main author, said the crisis impact was immediate. We started to see huge numbers in job loss claims, in the US, Canada and most of the European countries.

We expect that unless we have serious and immediate actions taken right now the recovery is going to be rather long and painful, Lee said.

The four sectors hardest-hit worldwide are accommodation and food services, manufacturing, retail, and business services and administrative activities, the report said.

--With inputs from agencies
The government is likely to open up the skies in a phased manner as and when the is lifted, officials aware of the plan said. The model is going to be followed for both domestic and However, except Air India, all other are taking bookings on all sectors starting 15 April, as the direction issued by aviation regulator had banned flights till April 14.

India suspended domestic and international commercial passenger flights from midnight on March 24 for 21 days. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and offshore helicopter operations were allowed during the period.

Resumption of will be considered on a case-by-case basis after India's ends and will depend on which countries they are coming from, Civil Aviation Minister said on Thursday. "Any incoming flights to bring Indians back home will have to await the lifting of the lockdown," he told reporters at a press conference.

The top 10 in terms of passenger movement may be opened first, followed by those in other cities, and at last international travel, a government official aware of the matter said. The idea behind this is to prevent crowding at and enable authorities to look out for passengers who might test positive for and take swift action accordingly. The top 10 in India include the four metro cities and Pune, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Goa.

The official said many countries have voluntarily sealed their borders, so would have to adhere to that. For instance, London has announced a flight ban till end of April. The US is also planning to ban as cases in that country have been rising exponentially. "The government will take a holistic view. When conditions become safe in other countries, we can start flights," civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said at a press conference held on Zoom, a videoconferencing app.

Now, the Standard Operating Procedure being formulated by the (DGCA) will make it mandatory for to keep all middle seats and the last three rows empty to minimise contact. This means in a 186-seater Airbus A320 jet, that the countrys largest airline IndiGo flies, only 106 seats can be sold.

While keeping the middle seat empty is important to ensure social distancing inside the aircraft, the last three rows will have to be kept empty in order to isolate a passenger if he or she develops symptoms mid-air, said a government official.

Airlines will also be asked to minimise on-board services in order to prevent close contact between cabin crew and passengers. Pre-packaged dry foods will be kept in passenger seats prior to boarding, while airlines may also encourage flyers to carry their own food. In order to prevent crowding at airports, the regulator is mulling drastic measures, including a ban of sales.

Other measures will include boarding of only three rows at a time to prevent the formation of queues near the boarding gate or aerobridge. Airports will have to ensure two-metre distancing during check-in and security check. will also be asked to make thermal checking of passengers compulsory and limit customer touchpoints. Thermal screening of all passengers will be there for some time until the virus is declared controlled. Airports will be asked to take suitable steps, a health ministry official said. Airlines will have to follow the guidelines till the World Health Organization gives an all-clear signal. Estimates suggest that the aviation industry may have to grapple with the stringent rules for several months after the services resume.

Industry executives argue that such stringent measures will make it unviable for the airlines to operate and may logically push up fares significantly. However, with low demand for travel, any drastic increase may be a challenge.

This is the first time India has effected a total shutdown of air transport. A similar action was taken by the US after the terror attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. The Covid-19 pandemic sent global air passenger demand plunging 14 per cent in February, marking the steepest decline in traffic since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday.

Aviation consultancy CAPA on Wednesday projected initial losses of 3.3 to 3.6 billion dollars for the Indian aviation industry in the first quarter of FY2021 in the eventuality of all air services including domestic remain shut by June due to the pandemic. Falling demand would leave Indian carriers with 200 to 250 surplus planes over the next 6 to 12 months, it said.
A mother-of-two has spoken of her ordeal when a senior doctor told her that her 12-week-old daughter could not have contracted coronavirus, only to find out 24 hours later she had.

Little Winter-Rose Watson is thought to be one of the youngest cases of coronavirus in the UK.

Her mother, Jade Watson, 27, from Burnley in Lancashire, claimed a senior doctor at the Royal Blackburn Hospital initially ruled out the chance her daughter had Covid-19, saying babies cannot catch the virus.

She added they told her they would not be testing the child, according to a report by SWNS. That really upset me, and they could see that, she said.



However, one consultant who did want to test Winter-Rose produced results that the infant had indeed contracted coronavirus.

Ms Watson suspected her daughter was ill on April 2 when she noticed Winter-Rose had a high temperature.

I contacted 111 and they advised me to stay at home, she said.

But at about 5am on Friday (April 3) Id set my alarm to check on her and shed got really warm, even more than she was before.

I didnt even need to touch her, there was heat just coming off her. She was gasping for breath.

Winter-Roses condition did improve over the weekend and she was discharged on Monday to self-isolate for 14 days.

Ms Watsons six-year-old son has been sent to live with his father as a precaution.

It is unknown where the child contracted the virus.

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Princess Mary has officially cancelled her summer plans after Denmark extended coronavirus restrictions around the country.

Together with the Danish royal family, the 48-year-old will not be carrying out a trip to southern Jutland to celebrate the reunification of the two countries in July.

This 'Reunion Day' has instead been moved to June 15 next year.

Instead, the royal family are cooped up inside Fredensborg Palace conducting virtual visits to charities and attending events over the Internet on FaceTime.

Princess Mary has officially cancelled her family's summer plans after Denmark extended coronavirus restrictions around the country (the Danish royal family pictured in 2014)

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, shared this photo of his FaceTime call with volunteers at a local Red Cross centre, thought to have been taken at Fredensborg Palace where he is isolating

The family had originally planned to travel with Queen Margrethe along the same route her Majesty's grandfather Christian X of Denmark followed 100 years earlier.

'All activities for the Queen and the royal family in connection with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Reunification of Denmark and Southern Jutland in July are cancelled,' a statement from the Palace read.

The 'Reunion Day' celebration isn't the only royal event that has fallen by the wayside for the Danish royal family.

The Royal Court revealed that in light of the latest announcement from the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that a ban on large gatherings will be maintained until August, the Royals have chosen to follow all guidelines and cancelled all of their events for the summer months.

Together with the Danish royal family, the 48-year-old mother (pictured with Princess Josephine in 2014) will not be carrying out a trip to southern Jutland to celebrate the reunification of the two countries in July

Queen Margrethe's annual summer tour with the Royal Yacht Dannebrog has been cancelled, as has the Queen's planned summer trip to Anholt on June 3, followed by Aarhus on June 5-6.

Prince Frederik also shared a statement to say that his annual Royal Relief Run will no longer take place in June, but in September instead.

'We've been looking forward to running with the whole family at the Royal Run,' the statement read.

'But unfortunately, due to the current situation with COVID-19, we have had to postpone it until September 6 in Denmark and August 30 in Greenland...

'We all hope that the Royal Run can become a big gathering point after the summer holidays, and that everyone will take care of themselves - and each other.'

The royal family have been very vocal about the need to stay home during this time, especially Princess Mary, who is the patron of the World Health Organisation's Office for the European region (the Danish royal family pictured in 2018)

The royal family have been very vocal about the need to stay home during this time, especially Princess Mary, who is the patron of the World Health Organisation's Office for the European region.

The mother-of-four reminded people that we 'all have a role to play' in helping others who might be struggling with isolation at this time.

'By being more open and tolerant we can each make a difference for the many who stand alone,' the Princess said in a statement via The Mary Foundation.

'... Severe loneliness can have serious consequences both mentally and physically. Therefore, as long as it stands, we must make a special effort to help each other out of solitude - even if it is at a distance.'

Last month, the Princess pulled her children out of boarding school in Switzerland to return home to Denmark, after their homeland went into coronavirus lockdown (the Danish royal family pictured in 2018)

Last month, the Princess pulled her children out of boarding school in Switzerland to return home to Denmark, after their homeland went into coronavirus lockdown.

The 48-year-old mother-of-four and her family released a statement in March, sharing their decision to 'return home and stand with the Danes at a time that requires a lot of everyone'.

'In the light of the increased situation in Denmark in connection with the handling of the spread of COVID-19, the Crown Prince family has decided that the family should return home from Switzerland,' the statement said.

'The Crown Prince family finds it most natural to return home and stand with the Danes at a time that requires a lot of everyone and where there is a common responsibility to look after each other.'

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine began their boarding school stay in January, when Princess Mary described their time there as a 'gift' to her children.

'This is a gift where they can be together about it, and a gift they can have with them for the rest of their lives,' she said at the time.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Former senator and real estate tycoon Manny Villar emerged as the richest Filipino on Forbes' list for 2020.

The global magazine listed 15 Filipinos out of 2,095 billionaires in the world. This means each of them had a net worth of at least $1 billion, or about 50 billion, to their name.

Villar ranked 286th globally with a $5.6 billion (about 280 billion) fortune. He founded Vista Land & Lifescapes, a real estate conglomerate that started with building subdivisions, eventually venturing into condominiums, malls, convenience stores, coffee chains, and cemetery. The rest of his family is with the government: his wife is Senator Cynthia Villar, his son is Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, and his daughter Las Pinas Representative Camille Villar.

A far second is ports magnate Enrique Razon, Jr. at the 565th spot, with a $3.4 billion (about 170 billion) net worth. He runs the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., the biggest port yard operator in the country which also operates other cargo terminals abroad.

Siblings Hans ($2 billion or about 100 billion), Herbert ($2 billion or about 100 billion), Harley ($1.9 billion or about 96 billion), Henry Jr. ($1.9 billion or about 96 billion), Teresita Sy-Coson ($1.8 billion or  91 billion), and Elizabeth Sy ($1.6 billion or 80 billion) also made the list, having split among themselves the empire built by their father, the late SM malls founder Henry Sy, Sr.

The Sy siblings were earlier named as the richest in the country during Forbes' list back in September, sharing a total net worth of $17.2 billion.

Alliance Global Group's Andrew Tan, who is also behind brands like Megaworld, Emperador, and the local McDonald's franchise, settled at the 1,135 rank globally with a $1.9 billion (about 96 billion) net worth.

Businessmen Roberto Ongpin, Lucio Tan, and Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong and family all placed 1,267th, as they were all valued at $1.7 billion (about 86 billion).

San Miguel Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang shared the 1,513rd spot with Prudential Guarantee's Roberto Coyiuto, Jr., each said to have $1.4 billion (about 71 billion) to their names.

San Miguel's Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco took the 1,990 rank with $1 billion.

LIST: Companies promise full salaries, early benefits for workers under Luzon-wide quarantine

RELATED: More businesses pitch in with donations, test kits for COVID-19 response

Jeff Bezos, the man behind e-commerce giant Amazon, remained the world's richest with a $113-billion (about 5.7 trillion) empire, followed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $98 billion (about 4.9 trillion).

Bezos'ex-wife Mackenzie came in tenth this year with $36 billion, following a divorce settlement that gave her a fourth of Jeff's stake in Amazon.

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg came in fourth with $54 billion, while Google's Larry Page came in sixth with $50.9 billion. Jack Ma, the founder of online shopping firm Alibaba, placed eighth with $38.8 billion.
Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) (AFP) - Authoritarian Turkmenistan gathered thousands of citizens for mass exercise events to mark World Health Day, state media said, ignoring the global trend for social distancing to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Central Asian country, along with North Korea, is one of a handful of territories which claim they have no cases of the virus which is sweeping across the globe.

A state television broadcast late on Tuesday showed hundreds of people wearing identical coloured tracksuits cycling in close formation on a cold, damp day in the capital Ashgabat.

Another sequence showed state employees including medical staff doing stretches inside and outside government buildings.

State media said 7,000 citizens participated in cycling events across the gas-rich ex-Soviet country to celebrate the date, which has been marked internationally since 1950.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was shown riding a horse and biking with a small group of officials.

Turkmenistan has yet to register a case of the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 80,000 people worldwide, despite sharing a border with Iran, one of the first countries to be hit hard by the pandemic after China.

The country's government is notoriously secretive and national statistics, whether health-related or economic, are regularly doubted by field experts.

A separate state news report on Wednesday said authorities were building a hospital to treat infectious diseases in the Akhal region that surrounds Ashgabat, but did not mention COVID-19.

Strongman Berdymukhamedov mentioned the coronavirus publicly for the first time last week in a speech where he talked about the economic threat posed by the pandemic.

Turkmenistan and Tajikistan -- another former Soviet Central Asian country that has yet to declare a case of the disease -- both sent children back to school after spring holidays this week.
Xcel Energy Inc. XEL recently announced that it is going to divest its 760 MW natural gas-fired power plant  the Mankato Energy Center  to Denver-based independent power producer Southwest Generation for $680 million. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020.



This non-regulated asset sale is in sync with the companys focus to become a fully-regulated utility company. The sales proceeds will not only reduce the companys overall financing needs and improve its credit metrics, but will also utilize the net gain to fund corporate donations and support COVID-19 relief efforts.



Utilities to Fight Crisis Created by COVID-19



The coronavirus pandemic has created a panic and is spreading at an alarming rate. Despite various measures, the number of infected people is increasing each day. Per Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, the virus has infected 368,449 people in the United States, while 19,919 patients have recovered. People are maintaining social distancing and are staying at home to stop the spread of this virus. Utilities are providing basic services like electric, water, and natural gas as well as helping millions of customers who are staying back at home to fight COVID-19.



Xcel Energy, being one of the prominent Utility - Electric Power company, is providing power to millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. The recent deal will not hamper the steady flow of electricity to the companys Upper Midwest customers as Xcel Energy will continue to buy power from this facility and provide electricity.



Infrastructure Strengthening is Essential



To maintain uninterrupted power supply, electric utilities need to maintain and upgrade their old infrastructures. The capital investment is directed toward transmission, distribution, electric generation and renewable projects. Xcel Energy continues to invest substantially in its utility assets to provide reliable services to customers and effectively meet rising electricity demand. In addition to Xcel Energy, utilities like NextEra Energy NEE, Duke Energy Corporation DUK and FirstEnergy Corporation FE among others are also making investments to strengthen their infrastructures.



Zacks Rank & Price Performance



The stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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In the past 12 months, shares of the company have returned 10.5% against the industrys decline of 13.1%.



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A 59-year-old employee of Indian Railways who is posted at the Nizamuddin station has been tested positive for coronavirus. The man has a few months left for retirement.

According to the Northern Railway, he was undergoing treatment at Central Hospital of Northern Railway, due to which 15 employees including doctors have also been infected in this hospital. This employee came to the hospital on March 31 and thereafter on April 2 due to poor health. Initially, there were no traces of coronavirus in him.

Deepak Kumar, Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, said: "On April 2, when the man came to be hospitalized, the doctors suggested him to undergo MRI and CT scan tests. On April 6, when his report came, he was found positive for coronavirus. The patient has been sent to Rammanohar Lohia Hospital."

Meanwhile, all 15 people of the Northern Railway Central Hospital, who came in contact with the corona-affected railway staff, have been kept in isolation. These people include doctors and nurses.

The infected railway staff works as a supervisor at the Nizamuddin railway station, hence, doesn't come in direct contact with the people.
A few years ago, when they were students at Ridgefield High School, Alfston Thomas and Alex Scheck worked on several 3-D printing projects involving drones, including one designed to keep track of open spaces in parking lots.

Although Thomas and Scheck are now college students attending different schools, they have stayed friends and maintained their interest in 3-D printing. So when Thomas began reading articles about the shortage of medical equipment due to COVID-19 demands, he got in touch with Scheck.

I was trying to think of ways we could help, and I know Alex has a couple of [3-D] printers, Thomas said. We found some open-source files online about making face shields and decided we wanted to impact Ridgefield, specifically.

An electrical engineering student at Virginia Tech, Scheck is now printing part of the face shield (the visor) at the off-campus apartment he shares with roommates in Blacksburg, Va. He then attaches the other pieces, including the plastic shield, and ships the products to Thomas, a finance/computer science student at Northeastern who is home in Ridgefield.

Thomas is applying the final touches and delivering the completed face shields to the Laurel Ridge Health Care Center in Ridgefield. As of Tuesday afternoon, five shields had been donated to Laurel Ridge and nine more were en route to Thomas for upcoming delivery.

In order to reach their goal of producing and donating 1,000 face shields, Thomas and Scheck have created a Go Fund Me page (support-ppe-for-ridgefielders) to raise money for materials such as filament for printers, sheets of clear plastic, and elastic head straps.

By Wednesday morning, Thomas and Scheck had surpassed their goal of raising $2,000. Some of the additional money might be used toward the purchase of extra 3-D printers.

One print takes about three-and-a-half hours, Scheck said. I can do four to five per day on one printer.

Thomas has ordered a 3-D printer so that he can begin helping Scheck with the production.

Were trying to increase capacity, Scheck said. That would allow us to ramp up production.

We want to donate face shields to Danbury Hospital, as well as Laurel Ridge and some individuals who have requested them, Thomas said.

Along with the face shields, Scheck has been printing mask adjusters that medical personnel can use for the masks they wear under the shields. Three of those take about an hour and 40 minutes, he said. I am doing about 50 per day.

Thomas and Scheck are also planning to use circuit boards to design baby monitors that will allow nurses to interact with isolated patients.

They are requested, Thomas said about the monitors. The nurses need a way to communicate with patients without going into the room. Every time they go into the room they have to put on PPE (personal protective equipment) and then discard it, so the monitors can help for routine communication.
Two characteristics are most important for the evaluation of any pandemic: how fast it spreads and how deadly it is. The first one is characterized, among other parameters, by the reproduction number (R0), which shows how many people on average are infected by one sick person. The second one, the case fatality rate (CFR), shows what percent of infected people will die from the infection.

One of the authors had an estimated R0 that showed that the current pandemic started to decline in the second half of March. In that article, the "pool" from which the new cases appear was estimated as an average number for the last 14 days. It will be more precise to recall that a "case" is a result of a particular process. In the majority of cases, people get registered if they have some symptoms of the illness. The interval between catching the virus and getting symptoms is called the incubation period; it varies from person to person.

The study estimates the shape of the distribution (approximately lognormal) and its parameters (mean incubation period is 5.5 days; 13 days covers 98% of all cases). Having this estimate, one could recalculate the "pool size." Adjusted data are presented in Chart 1. Three states combined are included because, in fact, they represent one agglomeration with a source of infection.



Chart 1.Estimation of the reproduction number with incubation period adjustment (here and below 3 states include New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; data source Johns Hopkins University).

The graphs in Chart 1 retain the same shape as earlier, but they suggest more conservative estimates. The main point is that the values in the second half of March are located below level 1, which means that the intensive phase of the virus distribution has passed (mainly due to the social distancing).

In other words, we have entered into the contraction zone.

The daily increase in case numbers continues, but percentwise, it is sharply reduced (see Chart 2), which contradicts the "exponential growth" (together with R0 below 1).

It means that the contamination process is going to be "flattened" soon.



Chart 2.Chain increments of the number of cases (3-days moving average).

Concerning fatality estimations, it is not a simple question. A fatality rate is a number of deaths due to the cause divided by a number of people with the infection. If we calculate, for example, 10,783/366,566 = 2.94%, it would be a CFR for the USA as of April 6, 2020 (it is often called "naive SFR"). When the director general of the World Health Organization, Dr. T. Ghebreyesus, reported a 3.4% fatality rate from COVID-19 on March 3, he did just that. It immediately triggered sharp criticism from the medical community. Why?

There are several obstacles to proper calculations.

An underestimated number of real cases, mainly because many people do not notice the illness and, accordingly, do not get tested and registered. Insufficient quantity and not a good quality of the tests. Misclassification of deaths in two aspects: bulking all pneumonia cases into the virus category and lack of distinction between the death caused by the virus only and the death by the virus in combination with other possibly mortal complications. Bureaucratic and political considerations suppressing the correct information about both infection cases and fatalities, but in unknown proportions (doubts about the validly of Chinese data, etc.). The accurate determination of the "number of the infected people" in the denominator of CFR.

The points 14 above are important but cannot be adequately discussed here. The last point is more constructive although also tricky enough. Imagine an ideal scenario for the calculation: a cruise liner has left New York for Tokyo. On the next day, the captain got a message that an unknown virus appeared on the ship, and all passengers should be immediately isolated in cabins for quarantine during the whole seven-day trip. The test kits will be delivered by helicopter tomorrow, and everyone should be tested daily. During that week, 700 people out of a total of 3,000 have been tested as positive. In Tokyo, all 3,000 were quarantined and tested; an additional 300 were found infected. Each of the infected 1,000 people was treated; 20 days after arrival, 50 of them died; all the rest were released as healthy.

In this case, the CFR 50/1,000 = 5% is correct because a) the number of all infected people was known and b) the time for any outcome (death  rehabilitation) has passed. In reality, we do not have these conditions until the very end of the pandemic. For that reason, some special models have been developed, but they need additional assumptions and complex data.

We do not estimate the "general unknown CFR." Still, we have tried empirical estimates and tested them in a predictive modeling fashion. This simple approach yields satisfactory results.

This approach has three steps.

The number of deaths each day is estimated via a linear univariate regression model without the intercept, as a function of infected people from the previous days with lags from 1 to 10. For each state, the best lag is selected by the minimum level of errors after the comparison of forecasts with actual data. Regression coefficients represent the CFR for a given lag. The best models are presented by a series of moving regressions that do not use any future data. If stability and good forecast quality are confirmed, the coefficients of regressions are used in the real forecast for a short period of time.

On steps 1 and 2, we convincingly found that best lags are somewhere between 5 and 7 for most contaminated states and the USA. (Even Minnesota, with a very short history of infection, shows the best lag 5.) The level of forecasting levels with those lags is amazingly small: 37%. The data for the USA are the most convincing  all deaths occurred from contaminated people within the country (that cannot be said about separate states or even three states combined); it points to lag in 6 days from infection to death. The relevant fatality rate for the country is 5.84%. It is a very high number. It is still lower than the estimate for Italy of 7.2% but much higher than the naive estimates quoted earlier. Paradoxically, the real number may still be much smaller for the reasons listed above.

Testing on new data points (not used in a model) confirms that conclusion about small errors. We even dare to predict the number of fatalities for the next week (see Chart 3).



Chart 3. Forecasting fatalities.

In essence, it shows two estimates, with the preferable lag of 6 days. Such a prediction permits the indication of a "benchmark," even for a short time. If the actual value is noticeably higher than the benchmark, more aggressive preventive measures are urgently needed. However, if it is lower, the applied measures have a good effect on the suppression of the infection and reducing its consequences.

Igor Mandel, Ph.D., Dr. Sc. is president at Redviser Inc. He authored numerous papers in statistics, sociology, and marketing research.

Stan Lipovetsky, Ph.D. is an independent consultant. He authored many articles in applied statistics, mathematics, economics, and marketing research.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

UK superstars, Reggie N Bollie, have moved their COVID-19/Corona Virus awareness campaign to the next gear, by releasing a song to educate the masses. This uptempo song, COROMENTAL, is not only a feel-good song with a fun element to it, but also carries strong messages about hand-washing, social distancing, exercising and drumming home the advice to stay at home.

Reggie N Bollie, who are releasing Coromental as part of their social responsibility, have received crazy reactions worldwide barely hours after the release of a studio video of the song. They have been inundated with fans requesting for the release of the official audio version of the song, to start social media challenges and to exercise while staying at home.

Their team has been contacted by some officials with a strong possibility that the song could be the official song for the COVID-19 awareness campaign in Ghana. It is produced by Ghanas award-winning producer and hit-maker, DDT (aka Sweet Poison).

Coromental has been made for free downloads, as a gift for the fans, but will also be available on all digital platforms on 14th April, 2020. Watch out for and join the Coromental Challenge (#coromentalchallenge). Together we can beat the Corona Virus Pandemic. #StaySafe

FREE STREAM & DOWNLOAD LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/user-986311284/coromental

AUDIOMACK: https://audiomack.com/artist/reggie-n-bollie
After weeks of the pandemic affecting Britons' daily lives, testing has moved to the front of the political agenda.

But pharmaceuticals companies have been hard at work on the problem of testing for weeks  and in some cases, for months. Investors yesterday cheered some of the latest breakthroughs announced by AIM-listed medical minnows that have punched above their weight.

Shares in Novacyt shot up 20.2 per cent, or 43.5p, to 258.5p after the World Health Organisation approved its Covid-19 diagnostic test to be procured by UN agencies.

Novacyt, which developed the tests at its Primerdesign division in Southampton, is supplying a 'growing number of hospitals' in the UK and overseas, where it has been given the green light from regulators in countries such as France and the US.

Staff are 'working all hours', says chief executive Graham Mullis. In addition, it has inked a deal with pharma giants Astrazeneca (down 0.4 per cent, or 29p, to 6971p), Glaxosmithkline (down 1 per cent, or 15.4p, to 1499.4p) and the University of Cambridge to collaborate on a new facility as the Government seeks to ramp up testing. Novacyt shares are nearly 20 times higher so far this year, having started 2020 at 13p.

Another AIM group, Avacta, soared 80.2 per cent, or 19.25p, to 43.25p after it partnered US group Cytiva to make a rapid test for coronavirus screening. It is already making the substances that can determine if someone, even if they are asymptomatic, has the disease.

The partners should be able to produce a strip-test  similar to a pregnancy test  that would use a respiratory sample such as saliva to diagnose patients in minutes. Novacyt and Avacta's rallies were at odds with the rest of the stock market, however, as a twoday rally fizzled out.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.47 per cent, or 26.72 points, to 5677.73, after the EU's finance ministers failed to agree steps towards a bloc-wide coronavirus recovery plan.

Josh Mahony, senior analyst at online trading platform IG, said the squabbling was the 'talk of the town', with European indexes including France's Cac and Germany's Dax falling around 1 per cent.

The FTSE 250 rose 1.89 per cent, or 293.87 points, to 15,862.83. Oil prices mostly treaded water, hovering around $32 a barrel ahead of a virtual meeting between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The countries are said to be keen to make production cuts if the US joins in. Coronavirus continued to cause havoc for companies across sectors, with DIY and building merchants group Grafton  down early on but recovering by 3.3 per cent, or 20p, to 620p  the latest to temporarily chop executives' pay by 20 per cent and request suspending its bonus scheme.

But Jefferies brokers were keen to find some silver linings, with analysts upgrading Asos to 'buy' as they deemed it likely to gain market share while High Street shops are shut.

Asos, which has raised 247m to boost its books, rose 28.3 per cent, or 440.5p, to 2000p. Taylor Wimpey was up 3.9 per cent, or 4.9p, to 132.1p as investors praised its 5m hardship fund for selfemployed subcontractors to tide them over while they wait for cash from the Government's support scheme.

It will pay 600m a month for three months in interest-free loans to around 2,750 workers.

There was a mixed response to boardroom changes, with Drax up 5.6 per cent, or 9.9p, to 185.5p after it made the head of its generation business redundant.
Italy today recorded its lowest rate of new coronavirus deaths so far with a 3.2% increase in deaths to 17,669, while infections went up by 3,856 to 139,442.

There were another 542 fatalities recorded, which compared with 604 the day before and 636 deaths on Monday.

There were 3039 new case on Tuesday, so today's figure marked an increase of more than 800, however it is worth noting that Italy tested more people today.

There were 3,693 people in intensive care on Wednesday against 3,792 on Tuesday - a fifth consecutive daily decline, further underscoring hopes that the illness is on the retreat after a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 9.

An experimental treatment being carried out under the supervision of doctor Cesare Perotti at the Policlinico San Matteo Hospital in Pavia which involves transfusing the plasma from a patient recovered from COVID19 to an infected patient amidst the pandemic in Italy

Of those originally infected, 26,491 were declared recovered against 24,392 a day earlier.

The pressures on hospital ICUs in Italy and Spain may have eased in recent days as new virus cases decline. But the emotional and psychological toll the pandemic has taken on the doctors and nurses working there is only now beginning to emerge.

Already, two nurses in Italy have killed themselves, and psychologists have mobilized therapists and online platforms to provide free consultation for medical personnel.

Individual hospitals hold small group therapy sessions to help staff cope with the trauma of seeing so much death among patients who are utterly alone.

Seven weeks into Italy's outbreak, the world's deadliest, the adrenaline rush that kept medical personnel going at the start has been replaced by crushing fatigue and fear of getting the virus, researchers say.

With many doctors and nurses deprived of their normal family support because they are isolating themselves, the mental health of Italy and Spain's overwhelmed medical personnel is now a focus of their already stressed health care systems.

'The adrenaline factor works for a month, maximum,' said Dr. Alessandro Colombo, director of the health care training academy for the Lombardy region, who is researching the psychological toll of the outbreak on medical personnel.

'We are entering the second month, so these people are physically and mentally tired.'

An experimental treatment being carried out in Pavia which involves transfusing the plasma from a patient recovered from COVID19 to an infected patient amidst the pandemic in Italy

Doctors tend to a coronavirus patient in the intensive care unit at 'Ospedale di Circolo' hospital in Varese, Italy

According to his preliminary research, the solitude of the patients has had a grievous impact on doctors and nurses.

They are being asked to step in at the bedside of the dying in place of relatives and even priests.

The sense of failure among hospital staff, he said, is overwhelming.

It comes amid fracturing relations on the continent after EU leaders failed to agree a financial package to help out states such as Italy and Spain that have been hard-hit.

A bid to craft a financial rescue package for hard-hit countries collapsed in acrimony on Wednesday as the Netherlands blocked a deal over bailout conditions.

Meanwhile a blistering row erupted after the head of the EU's top science funding agency resigned and attacked the bloc's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Mauro Ferrari quit as president of the European Research Council (ERC) after just three months, telling the Financial Times he was 'extremely disappointed' by the EU's response to the pandemic, which has hit Italy and Spain particularly hard.

The ERC hit back with a lengthy statement accusing Ferrari of being 'economical with the truth' and lambasting him for not showing proper commitment to the job.

Public staff at the Selam Palace, a structure occupied by migrants in Rome, work to disinfect it from coronavirus

The row is the latest example of in-house bickering to mar EU efforts to manage a coordinated Europe-wide response to the crisis, which has killed thousands and crippled the continent's economy.

Elsewhere, Italy's government shut its borders to migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, saying its ports can no longer be considered 'places of safety' due to the virus.

The decision was taken late on Tuesday after a ship operated by the German non-governmental group Sea-Eye picked up some 150 people off Libya and headed towards Italy.

'For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Italian ports cannot guarantee the requisites needed to be classified and defined as a place of safety,' the decree said.

The national emergency is set to expire on July 31, but the deadline might be extended.

Tuesday's order was signed by the interior, foreign and transport ministers, as well as Health Minister Roberto Speranza, who comes from a leftist party that has always supported migrant protection and charity operations.

Italy and Spain's intensive care pressures are relieved but the emotional toll continues to soar

By Associated Press

Maddalena Ferrari lets herself cry when she takes off the surgical mask she wears even at home to protect her elderly parents from the coronavirus that surrounds her at work in one of Italy's hardest-hit intensive care units.

In the privacy of her own bedroom, where no one can see, the nursing coordinator peels away the mask that both protects her and hides her, and weeps for all the patients lost that day at Bergamo's Pope John XXIII Hospital.

'We're losing an entire generation,' Ferrari said at the end of one of her shifts. 'They still had so much to teach us.'

The pressures on hospital ICUs in Italy and Spain may have eased in recent days as new virus cases decline. But the emotional and psychological toll the pandemic has taken on the doctors and nurses working there is only now beginning to emerge.

A coronavirus patient under treatment in the intensive care unit interacts with a robot at 'Ospedale di Circolo' hospital

Already, two nurses in Italy have killed themselves, and psychologists have mobilized therapists and online platforms to provide free consultation for medical personnel. Individual hospitals hold small group therapy sessions to help staff cope with the trauma of seeing so much death among patients who are utterly alone.

Seven weeks into Italy's outbreak, the world's deadliest, the adrenaline rush that kept medical personnel going at the start has been replaced by crushing fatigue and fear of getting the virus, researchers say. With many doctors and nurses deprived of their normal family support because they are isolating themselves, the mental health of Italy and Spain's overwhelmed medical personnel is now a focus of their already stressed health care systems.

'The adrenaline factor works for a month, maximum,' said Dr. Alessandro Colombo, director of the health care training academy for the Lombardy region, who is researching the psychological toll of the outbreak on medical personnel. 'We are entering the second month, so these people are physically and mentally tired.'

According to his preliminary research, the solitude of the patients has had a grievous impact on doctors and nurses. They are being asked to step in at the bedside of the dying in place of relatives and even priests. The sense of failure among hospital staff, he said, is overwhelming.

'Each time it's a failure,' said Ferrari, the nursing coordinator at the Bergamo' hospital. You do everything for the patient, and 'at the end, if you're a believer, there is someone above you who has decided another destiny for that person.'

Nurses put on their personal protective equipment before going to treat people on a coronavirus ward at the Policlinico di Tor Vergata hospital in Rome

Her colleague, Maria Berardelli, said medical personnel aren't used to seeing patients die after two weeks on ventilators, and the emotional toll is devastating.

'This virus is strong. Strong, strong strong,' she said in a Skype interview with Ferrari, both of them in masks. 'You cannot get used to it, because every patient has his own story.'

In Italy, the national association of nurses and psychologists asked the government for a coordinated, nationwide response for the mental health care needs of medical personnel, warning the 'typical wave of stress disturbances is only going to grow over time.'

The situation is similar in Spain.

Dr. Luis Diaz Izquierdo, from the emergency service ward in suburban Madrid's Severo Ochoa Hospital, said the sense of helplessness is crushing for those who watch as patients deteriorate in a matter of hours.

'No matter what we did, they go, they pass away,' he said. 'And that person knows that they are dying, because breathing becomes more difficult. And they look into your eyes, they get worse, until they finally surrender.'

Diego Alonso, a nurse at Hospital de la Princesa, said he has been using tranquilizers to cope, as have many of his colleagues. For Alonso, the fear is especially acute, given that his wife is due to give birth soon.

'The psychological stress from this time is going to be difficult to forget. It has just been too much,' he said.

Dr. Julio Mayol, medical director at the San Carlos Clinic Hospital in Madrid, said staff will be suffering from 'numerous scars' in both the short and long term.

In addition to the many dead and fears for their own safety, Mayol said staff had been traumatized by 'the noise surrounding the pandemic,' with daily news of death tolls and suggestions that other countries are faring better than Spain.

'The fear, the envy and the fantasy in continuous communication, repeated 24 hours per day in media, has been an obsession that health workers couldn't forget,' he said, adding that his hospital had mental health professionals working with patients and staff from the start, and that effort will continue.

At San Carlos, nearly 15% of the 1,400-member staff have been infected, in line with medical workers nationwide.

In Italy, over 13,000 medical personnel have contracted the virus. More than 90 doctors and 20 nurses have died.

Perhaps no hospital has seen more than Pope John XXIII, where operating rooms were converted to ICUs to add 12 precious beds to meet the influx of patients.

Ferrari, the OR nursing coordinator, remembers March 18, the first day the ORs were open for ICU business. Eight intubated patients were wheeled in over the course of a shift, an overwhelming number for the staff.

Ferrari said she hadn't had time for any of the group counseling sessions organized by the hospital but allows herself to weep once she gets home and says goodnight to her parents, whom she keeps at a distance behind her mask and latex gloves.

One day, the tears were triggered by TV footage of coffins being hauled from Bergamo by an army convoy. On another day, they flowed after she drove by a motorcade of trucks flying Russian flags that were heading to sanitize Bergamo's virus-ravaged nursing homes.

Ferrari said she cries in the privacy of her bedroom.

'When I remove the mask, it's like removing a protection (an armor) from my face, it's like saying with this protection mask I don't fear anything. It helps me appear strong,' she said. 'And when I remove the surgical protection mask, then all my weakness comes out.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and urged all Indians not to be complacent at faring better in containing the virus outbreak. Image Source: PK

New Delhi, April 7 : India and Oman on Tuesday agreed to provide "possible support" to each other as the Covid-19 pandemic has created havoc across the globe.

In a telephonic conversation on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik discussed the health and economic challenges posed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the steps being taken by their respective countries to respond to them, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

"They agreed that both countries would extend all possible support to each other in dealing with the crisis." The Omani ruler assured the Prime Minister Modi about the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Oman in the present situation and also thanked him for the recent support provided by Indian government to Omani citizens in India.

Modi reiterated his condolences for the demise of HM Late Sultan Qaboos and conveyed his best wishes for Sultan Haitham's reign, and for the peace and prosperity of the people of Oman. He stressed that India regards Oman as a very important part of its extended neighbourhood.

In a similar telephonic conversation with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday, Modi agreed on the "importance of bilateral experience sharing".
Indonesian health authorities on April 5 made it mandatory for citizens to wear face masks when venturing outside. (PHOTO: CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP via Getty Images)

By Karen Leigh and Iain Marlow

(Bloomberg) -- The big debate over whether face masks can help contain the spread of Covid-19 is shifting quickly, with more countries requiring citizens to cover their faces in public.

Indonesia, one of the worlds most populous countries with 264 million people, on Monday ordered citizens to wear face masks when they leave the house after predicting as many as 95,000 people could be infected. President Joko Widodo said authorities must ensure every household has face masks and that commuters wont be able to access public transportation without them.

Vietnam implemented fines for people who dont wear them, while the Philippines is also requiring more than 50 million people on Luzon Island to wear masks or improvised face shields outside their homes. Singapore shifted its advice on face masks last week, and Indias government issued a manual explaining how to make reusable masks at home.

The newfound embrace of the face mask comes after the World Health Organization moderated its stance, saying home-made masks may make it less likely that an asymptomatic carrier spreads the virus even though they wouldnt prevent individual infections. In guidance published this week, it also emphasised potential risks such as using contaminated masks and less adherence to other preventative measures like hand washing and social distancing, while also saying there was little proof widespread mask wearing in the population helped.

There is limited evidence that wearing a medical mask by healthy individuals in the households or among contacts of a sick patient, or among attendees of mass gatherings may be beneficial as a preventive measure, the WHO said.

However, there is currently no evidence that wearing a mask (whether medical or other types) by healthy persons in the wider community setting, including universal community masking, can prevent them from infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, it said.

Story continues

Coughs, Sneezes

People wearing face masks commute on a train in Hong Kong on April 4, 2020. (PHOTO: DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images)

The current views on face masks mark a shift from the early days of the outbreak, when only a few places that suffered through SARS in 2003 -- Hong Kong and Taiwan among them -- saw widespread use of facial coverings.

About a third of the world is now under lockdown as governments seek to stem the spread of a virus that has now infected some 1.3 million worldwide. Since it spreads via respiratory droplets when a sick person coughs, sneezes or speaks, a face cover can help in both catching the droplets and preventing healthy people from touching their faces.

Part of the shift in mask policies is logistical: Authorities were initially worried that a run on face masks would make it impossible to get them to medical workers, and they didnt want to mandate them when they couldnt guarantee supply. U.S. President Donald Trump has sparred with 3M Co., finally reaching a deal this week to provide 55.5 million more masks a month for health workers and others fighting the virus.

Another factor is emerging evidence that a significant number of people infected with the virus are asymptomatic and may be transmitting the disease, a fact that wasnt obvious when the outbreak first struck. Theres also more evidence that masks on sick people do prevent the virus from spreading.

Reduced Risk

Ben Cowling, a professor at the University of Hong Kongs School of Public Health who co-authored a study on the effectiveness of masks, said the evidence showed surgical masks could prevent the transmission of coronaviruses and influenzas from symptomatic people. Its not totally clear how effective cloth masks will be, but they will certainly have some effect, he said.

Still, he said, it was crucial that masks are seen as one of several things that can reduce transmission, including hand washing and social distancing.

Masks reduce the risk, but if people spend more time in crowds and in the community then that offsets the benefit, Cowling said. We need to make sure masks are an additional measure and not a replacement for other social distancing measures.

The debate over masks was particularly acute in Hong Kong, which borders the mainland. Carrie Lam, the citys leader, initially briefed reporters in a face mask in late January and then subsequently took it off after shortages emerged.

Just a Suggestion

The Asian financial hub has seen a relatively low number of infections, with most new cases brought by residents returning home from hot spots abroad, including the U.S. and Europe. Its rare to see people out and about without masks: Lam again donned a blue mask while briefing reporters on Tuesday.

One leader who isnt as convinced is Trump, who has said he doesnt plan to wear a mask. He called advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Americans to wear non-surgical grade cloth masks as a voluntary measure and just a suggestion.

Either way, more and more people are poised to embrace masks in the future.

This is going to be a new normal, Cowling said. Popular opinion will gradually shift to greater use of face masks.

 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
A UK-based bioscience company co-founded by an Indian-origin intrepreneur is testing a rheumatoid arthritis drug to explore its scope in the treatment of patients with rapidly worsening COVID-19 symptoms at hospitals in Italy.

Izana Bioscience said the tests of its antibody therapy namilumab will take place over the coming weeks on COVID-19 patients at Humanitas Research Hospitals in Bergamo and Milan in cooperation with the Humanitas research group.

Izana said that namilumab is the company's phase III-ready, fully human monoclonal antibody therapy targeting granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), currently in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

We are very pleased to be supporting this programme with our anti-GM-CSF mAb, namilumab, for the potential treatment of critically-ill Covid-19 patients, said Someit Sidhu the chief executive of Izana Bioscience.

The role of GM-CSF in immunemediated diseases is backed by a strong body of evidence and our growing understanding of COVID-19. Evidence suggests that anti GM-CSF therapy has the potential to change the way patients' immune systems respond to the virus, and therefore to reduce dangerous inflammation and support recovery, he said.

The so-called compassionate use testing programme, under the leadership of Professor Carlo Selmi head of the Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Humanitas University, will gather data from hospitalised, rapidly worsening COVID-19 patients, and has the overall objective of treating them before they are admitted to intensive care or require ventilation.

It also aims to support namilumab's future development for the treatment of COVID-19, and discussions with global regulatory authorities, including the UK, are in progress.

Professor Carlo Selmi, coordinator of the study and associate professor of Internal Medicine at Humanitas University, said: Clinicians working on the frontline urgently require new treatment options for their seriously ill COVID-19 patients.

Anti-GM-CSF therapies such as namilumab could play an important role in how we can prevent or reduce the deterioration in COVID-19 patients for which there are currently few treatments available.

I am convinced that, even in complicated scenarios such as the current one, it is mandatory to maintain a rigorous scientific approach and in this compassionate use programme we hope to identify patients with a higher inflammatory burden, those we believe are most likely to respond to anti GM-CSF therapy.

Several individual patients are undergoing COVID-19 treatment at Humanitas and eligible ones will be subjected to compassionate use with Namilumab in accordance with local regulations. GM-CSF is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a central role in a broad range of immunemediated diseases.

The cytokine has been found in higher levels of COVID-19 ICU patients, according to recent data from China suggesting that early intervention could be beneficial in patients with rapidly worsening COVID-19.

Izana Bioscience, based in Oxford, describes itself as a translational medicine company focused on bringing innovative science to market. The company has been initially focused on the development of namilumab in rheumatoid arthritis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday strongly defended the draft state of emergency legislation and said that while it was very unlikely it would be enforced, it was prudent to pass the draft law if such a situation were to arise that would necessitate the extreme measure.

The newly-proposed law on declaring a national emergency would potentially give Cambodian government sweeping powers and unlimited access to martial power to enforce an emergency, while vastly controlling the citizenrys online and offline activities.

The draft legislation would allow for the curtailment of civil rights and liberties, such as freedom of movement, expression, association, and assembly  all enshrined in the Cambodian Constitution  and widely criticized by rights groups.

In the press conference, Hun Sen said there was little chance, approximately 0.1 percent, the law would be used in the current context but lashed out at criticism about the legislations ability to impinge on fundamental rights.

Why Cambodia cant make this law he queried. And [they] blame the [government] of taking the virus spread as an opportunity to enact the state of emergency law to silence people and [reduce] freedom of expression in the future.

He added that in the case of a rebellion or overthrow of the government, authorities would crack down on those groups even without the state of emergency law. He added that draft law would likely be passed the National Assembly, which is filled with only Cambodian Peoples Party lawmakers.

Prime Minister Hun Sen added that an emergency declaration would be made by the King. However, he said that the Constitutional Council of Cambodia would interpret whether an acting head of state could do the same.

The Constitution states the King can enforce a state of emergency after consulting with the executive and legislature, but in his absence the Senate President assumes the role of acting head of state though it is unclear if he or she assumes all the powers of the King.

The prime minister took umbrage to questions asked by VOA Khmer related to the other possibilities of declaring state of emergency besides virus outbreak, labeling the query as proactive and accusing the broadcaster of being ill-intentioned.



Taing Ratana, secretary-general at the Constitutional Council of Cambodia, said that he could not comment on the interpretation of the Constitution and draft law without an official request is made to the Constitutional Council to provide an explanation.

"I cannot reply unless the Constitutional Council responds when requested," he said.

The draft state of emergency law has received strong criticism from civil society members, human rights defenders, and politicians for the wide-ranging powers it gives to the government with nearly no serious accountability.

According to the draft law, allowing for a state of emergency to be declared in multiple scenarios, ranging from national security situations such as war or foreign invasion to public health concerns such as pandemics and severe calamity. It additionally allows for this law to be used during the vaguely-worded scenario of severe chaos to national security and social order.
Popular OAP, Daddy Freeze has come out once again to state that Fifth Generation Network commonly referred to as 5G is not responsible for Coronavirus.

According to the media personality, air travel is responsible for the virus becoming a pandemic as opposed to the conspiracy theory that it is 5G.

Also Read: Nollywood Actor Tells Daddy Freeze To Borrow Wisdom From Mercy

He made this statement via his Instagram page while reacting to a video chat between Pastor Poju Oyemade and Pastor Sam Adeyemi, where the clergymen established that 5G is not responsible for the virus.

Freeze went on to cite an example of Lesotho, a nation he said has been using 5G network since 2018 but has not recorded a case of the virus to validate his standpoint.

See his post below:
A family in quarantine have shared details of the incredible lengths taken by hotel staff to make the experience easy for their two children.

History teacher Sarah Candari, 45, her husband Aldrex, 40, and their two daughters Adeline, two, and Aurelia, seven, returned to Australia from Bali on March 30 because their youngest daughter has pneumonia.

They were worried Indonesian hospitals wouldn't be able to treat Adeline if they became overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.

On day seven of their quarantine in Sydney's Intercontinental Hotel, nurses and staff brought a bag of crafts, books, lollies and toys to their room and wrote a note telling the family to 'take care' and 'we are all in this together.'

Mrs Candari posted photos on Facebook of her children enjoying the presents.

History teacher Sarah Candari (left), 45, her husband Aldrex (right), 40, and their two daughters Adeline (centre-right), two, and Aurelia (centre-left), seven, returned to Australia on March 30 because their youngest daughter has pneumonia

Mrs Candari said they planned on staying in Bali, but believed moving back to Australia was the best way to keep their daughter safe and healthy.

'She has already been hospitalised three or four times for pneumonia in her short life with lungs filled and difficulty breathing amongst other issues such as penicillin allergies,' Mrs Candari told Daily Mail Australia.

'On Friday, we received a Smart Traveller alert saying the advice for Indonesia was to leave as the government may not be able to evacuate us and Australians should leave and return home.

'Therefore if anything happened to us or our children we would be safer within the care of Australia.'

Mrs Candari said they would try to rent a house in Townsville as that is where her husband works as a casual air conditioner technician.

Her family arrived in Sydney on Monday morning and were rushed to their hotel but said the army and police were very helpful with her children.

On day seven of their quarantine in Sydney's Intercontinental Hotel, nurses and staff brought a bag of crafts, books, lollies and toys to their room and wrote a note telling the family to 'take care' and 'we are all in this together'

After seven days, Mrs Candari became worried about her two children as it was difficult to keep them occupied.

'The seven-year-old does complain a lot to go out, but she can occupy herself on the internet and with games and activities. The two-year-old is more difficult and does need toys and other things to keep her entertained,' she said.

A group called Viral Kindness Eastern Suburbs Sydney heard of Mrs Candari's situation and organised toys and craft items to be delivered to their hotel room.

'The kids were so excited. The toys came in packages labelled with their age and they each took their age-appropriate toys with such joy and have been able to be entertained for hours,' she said.

She said hotel staff have also left lollipops, chocolate milk, a colouring book and pencils at their door.

When Mrs Candari read the note that was attached to the package, she 'was excited to see kind words and thoughtful encouragement.'

'I got a little teary as I have just seen so much negative press about people in isolation so I was surprised and grateful that community members appreciated that this is tough on kids and parents and felt empathy.'

They worried Indonesian hospitals wouldn't be able to treat Adeline if they became overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases

When she posted pictures of kind-hearted actions of nurses and staff, she said the reaction from the community was 'overwhelming.'

'We have received support and kindness from people in Dallas, New York City and here in Sydney. It has been so lovely.'

Many commenters thought the staff went above and beyond for the family.

One person said: 'I can't imagine how hard it is with two small children. Lovely to hear there are people putting practical ideas into action. May your days pass quickly.'

'Not easy at all, but after so many people complaining it is nice to hear from someone who can look past themselves for the good of everyone. Thank you, wishing you and your family all the best,' another person commented.

Another said: 'Well done all - to your family for facing this with patience and grace, and those on the other side of the door for being thoughtful and kind. May we all be so, in these days.'

'Loving your attitude. Others are not so grateful. Well done and I hope you all get through this okay,' another said.

On day seven of quarantine, nurses and staff brought a bag of crafts, books, lollies and toys to their room and wrote a note telling the family to 'take care' and 'we are all in this together'

Thousands who have returned from overseas since Sunday have been put in 14-day quarantine in some of Australia's best hotels in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Those who returned to Sydney were sent to the InterContinental, Hilton, Swissotel and the Novotel on Darling Harbour- all with starting prices of over $200 a night for standard rooms.

Their stays will be funded by the taxpayer.

Despite many free perks such as three meals a day, some guests have labelled the hotels 'luxury jail cells'

Some guests have complained about the food, while others said they are unable to open the windows in their rooms and they aren't provided with exercise equipment.
By Wednesday morning, the model had been revised even more dramatically downward. It now predicts a total of 60,400 U.S. deaths by August and forecasts the peak of those deaths arriving in just four days on April 12, instead of April 16 as previously projected. Experts, however, have noted that this particular models numbers and projections  while used widely  have been consistently lower than those of other models.
Robert Frost spent the last winters of his life writing from Pencil Pines, his cottage in South Miami, contemplating what uncertainty might teach us. In the opening line of one of his last poems, the celebrated American poet wrote: If this uncertain age in which we dwell, were really as dark as sages tell .

Poets and poems walk us through times and terrain where we often hesitateyet most acheto go. When the world seems turned upside down and nothing makes sense, many turn to poetry for an anchor, a staff to grasp to steady our feet. With sharp honesty, a good poem reminds us of our own frailty and humanity.

How does a poem do this? Why does poetry speak to us so keenly in challenging times?

Poetry is such a concise art form, so theres a way in which it can capture the sentiment, the sensation, the emotional potency of the moment, and the difficulty of the experience in a quick and easy way, said Jaswinder Bolina, an associate professor in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences Creative Writing Department. This compression allows the reader to approach, interact, and ingest so that you get this immediate experience of recognition in the poem.

Especially in our distracted, highly anxious state, you can read poetry easily and quickly, and find a touch of humanity. That feels upliftingand it can make you feel seen, Bolina added.

April 1 marks the launch of National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry organized by the Academy of American Poets that has taken place every April since 1996. Tens of millions of students, teachers, and poets participate around the country. While the department had scheduled a few associated events, the current COVID-19 situation caused cancellations.

Still, students are continuing to write and record their poems, and Bolina will be participating in the local O, Miami Poetry Festival activities. UM Libraries Special Collections houses the archives to this festival each year.

Mia Leonin, a senior lecturer, also in the Creative Writing Department, echoed the belief that poetrys secret power to distill profound emotion lies in its compression. The author of several poetry collections, Leonin says that a poem doesnt necessarily have to have a positive theme to make us feel uplifted.

Recently an elderly friend not able to leave her home asked Leonin to send her a poem of hope.

What poem do I send? she remarked. I dont necessarily go to poetry for hope, but I go to experience feelings and emotions deeplyand, maybe in the end, that does bring some sort of hope.

In this time of emotional quarantine, Leonin recognizes that she and many of her students are struggling with feeling distracted. Poetry, she suggests, offers an antidote.

Anxiety is often caused by pushing away emotions. Its a by-product, an emotional static when we arent tuning into our real emotions, Leonin said. Right now, just getting through the day and obtaining some sense of normalcy can be very anxiety producing, but a poemeven if its not about hopethat pause and depth of feeling a poem brings anchors me. In times of crisis, thats what I go to poetry for.

Kelly Miller, the associate dean for learning and research services for University of Miami Libraries, wrote her dissertation on ekphrasis poems and the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, a renowned Russian poet. Students from the Creative Writing program visit the librarys special collections to examine a painting or visual and then describe it in words. The creative exercise serves to deepen the memory connection, according to Miller.

Miller was entranced by poetry as an undergraduate student when she heard several renowned Russian poetsBella Akhmadulina and Yevgeny Yevtushenkoread their poetry on visits to the United States. The poets were known as stadium poets in the 1960s because they recited their poems by heart to stadiums full of listeners.

I was mesmerized and curious how poetry could be so powerful, she recalled. The experience prompted her to go to graduate school in Slavic Languages and Literatures and visit St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived for a year on a Fulbright to conduct research on Russian poetry and art. In Russia, poets are perceived as truth-tellers who have an ability to transcend the mundane experience of human life.

Miller appreciates the ability of both poetry and painting to slow things down.

I enjoy the chance to be present with words and images in this compressed, concise way. It helps us see something from a new perspective and to better understand our lives as human beings, Miller said.

It strikes me that poetry, she added, is written from one human being to anothera conversation. People often come to poems at times of heartbreak, and this is a time of collective heartbreak, so what better time for poetry?

The University of Miami Libraries provide online access to thousands of poetry resources, including e-books, biographies, and scholarship about poetry.
Cargo ship crews ferrying goods around the world are facing increased strain as ship operators consider keeping them at sea longer during the COVID-19 outbreak.

It comes at a time when restrictions and concerns around the virus keep crews from leaving their vessels while in port, according to a union that represents seafarers.

That means some seafarers sailing long distances could spend close to a year onboard their vessels, said Jim Given, president of the Seafarers International Union of Canada.

"What helps us keep our sanity is the ability to get off that ship and go for a walk or go to a mall," said Given.

Seafarers make sure goods get safely from place to place. They don't load or offload the vessels. That's done by longshoremen.

Submitted by Seafarers International Union of Canada

According to estimates, 90 per cent of the everyday goods used by Canadians are carried on ships at one time or another. The work of seafarers is considered essential because of that.

It's hard work. Most seafarers spend an average of three months onboard a ship, then get one month off.

But there are some crews that can spend up to nine months aboard ship.

With fears of crews being struck down by COVID-19 and crippling the shipping industry, some companies are looking at extending the period seafarers stay on the water to reduce the risk of exposure, according to Given.

"If you extend that into another month or two where you're looking at someone being onboard for almost a year, the stress factor and the fatigue factor is just a little too much for people to handle," he said.

David Horemans / CBC

Extending the time crews spend at sea is something that has caught Chad Allen's attention. He's director of marine operations with the Shipping Federation of Canada, a trade association that represents the international cargo fleet in Canada.

"Some companies are looking at those options," said Allen.

"It comes back to keeping that ship a healthy ship, and I think that maybe what some organizations may be looking at is to keep that consistency and keep that ship operating and avoid having the virus onboard the vessel."

Story continues

As a former seafarer, he said the isolation can be hard, but many seafarers may choose loneliness rather than risk going ashore and catching the virus.

Cargo ships aren't exactly luxurious. Some of the newer vessels have weight rooms, recreation facilities and satellite TV, but not much else.

Wi-Fi is limited and cellphone service is spotty or non-existent depending on location. That can make it hard for crew members to keep in touch with family, said Given.

Submitted by Chad Allen

The union and shipping companies worldwide are trying to find a way to balance the health and safety of workers with the need to keep goods moving. That includes discussions about how long seafarers can stay on ships, said Given.

The isolation is already starting to weigh on some seafarers, as ports like Singapore have ordered crews not to leave their vessels. The union has advised its members not to leave their ships in places like New York City out of fear of contamination.

"So you are isolated onboard, so the stress factor is high," said Given.

"Our guys are dealing with it. They're used to this. This is what they do for a living, and they know how important their job is right now because without them people don't get what they need."

The union and shipping companies have installed phone lines for employee assistance that crews can access to better cope with the stress.

Shore leave for seafarers in Canada is still going ahead.

Transport Canada is requesting that all ports, terminals and marine facilities across the country continue to grant shore leave to seafarers, according to a ship safety bulletin issued in March.

But shore leave will be refused if a seafarer shows signs of the virus.

Steve Farmer/Port of Halifax

Access to shore leave for seafarers is "an important element of their health and emotional security, as well as quality of life," said the bulletin.

Given said that what really worries people in his industry is the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak onboard a ship.

"Because when you look at social distancing, it's pretty hard to do onboard a ship," said Given. "They're contained environments."

Each worker is screened before boarding a ship. If they have any symptoms similar to coronavirus, they are paid to stay at home, said Given.

To cut down on the risk of exposure, only crew members are allowed aboard ship. The only exception is for emergency personnel during a crisis.

David Horemans / CBC

Ships also have emergency protective equipment onboard, and vessels are being cleaned more often to prevent the virus from accumulating on surfaces.

Transport Canada is carefully watching all foreign ships entering Canadian waters.

Foreign ships need to provide 96-hours of notice prior to arrival and confirm the health of the crew, according to an email from Annie Joanette, a spokesperson for Transport Canada.

Last month, the cargo vessel the Siem Cicero was denied entry into the Port of Halifax after crew members showed symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

Given said it's important that seafarers and others in the transportation industry do all they can to avoid getting the virus for their own health as well as the health of others.

"Right now, it's the seafarers and the transport workers of the world that are keeping food on the table and medicine in the hospitals," he said.

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A complaint was filed against school board member Rhonda Thurman's statements on shutting down small businesses due to the coronavirus.

Ms. Thurman said it came from the group Hamilton United. Kendra Young, leader of the group, denied that it was. She said, "It appears the image Ms. Thurman has been sharing online is missing both the senders name and a signature line. If either of these items were visible, you would not see Hamilton County United, nor any teacher who considers themselves part of HCU (or any teacher's name at all, in fact), included in any way. Ms. Thurman has merely assumed that teachers are responsible for the complaint, which is in fact, not the case."

The letter to Supt. Bryan Johnson and other members of the School Board said Ms. Thurman expressed displeasure about her beauty salon on Highway 58 being closed.

It quoted her as saying, "I am going to give this two more weeks and then those who want to work should be allowed to work."

It quotes her as saying, "After two weeks, Americans should remember the government cannot do anything without the consent of the governed."

The group said her statements move beyond expressing opinion and calling for others to disobey orders relating to efforts to curb the coronavirus.

Ms. Thurman responded, "Just wanted to share the latest from Hamilton County United. Seems they think they can squelch my First Amendment rights by writing a complaint to the School Board and the Superintendent. This shows how little they know about how the School Board functions.

"First of all, I don't answer to the Superintendent. The Superintendent answers to the School Board. Second, what do they think the School Board is going to do to me for expressing my opinion about anything?

"This complaint, besides being ridiculous, is rift with inaccuracies. My Facebook post on April 1 said, "Have you noticed the people who tell you that you cannot work have not missed a paycheck?" Is that statement in error? I was not complaining about just my being unable to work (as I told these liberals on Facebook, everything my husband and I have is paid for so, I will be fine.) It is not about me but, the millions of others who are unable to work and are losing their businesses and small business is the engine that runs this country.

"I said that small business would go about two more weeks and then those who want to work should be allowed to work. Well, guess what? It has not been one week since my original Facebook post and President Trump is talking about letting small businesses open back up! There is also a Town Hall article, April 5, 2020, 12:01 AM, titled, "I'm Mad as Hell, and I'm Not Going to Take This Anymore" by Wayne Allyn Root. This article could have been written by me. Mr. Root says, those who want to work should be allowed to work with face masks restrictions, and those who want to stay home, should at home. Exactly what I said.

"This bunch also has a problem with me quoting Thomas Jefferson from a sentence in the Declaration of Independence. I said, "Americans should remember that " the government cannot do anything without 'the consent of the goverened." It tells you all you need to know about this bunch that they found this sentence radical. I bet they did not even know that phrase was put into the Declaration of Independence by Jefferson as "a pillar of American government" to insure that citizens have a right to design and participate in government, either directly or through elected representatives, and DEMAND that government grant them civil liberties and equal treatment under the law." I find it quiet ignorant of history that this bunch has a problem with one of the pillars of American Democracy.

"This radical bunch insulted my customers by calling them decrepit. One of my 90 year-old customers made the statement on MY Facebook that she had to do her own hair this morning and it "made me cuss China". Anyone with a brain would know this was a joke. But not this bunch. They attacked her and called her racist (the only argument liberals know). They even went so far as to post her picture along with some of my other "supporters" to "out" them. An old liberal trick to try to silence them. This is when I shut the conversation down. My friend is 90 years-old and has been a dear friend and customer for 45 years. She still cuts and weed eats her own grass and drives anywhere she wants to go. She does not deserve these liberal attack dogs going after her. Shame on them.

"This bunch also said, "Ms Thurman, along with her supporters, took this opportunity to mock and attack anyone expressing a dissenting opinion." YOU were on MY Facebook page. Why did you not get off if you could not take the heat?

"I argued that the government did not have the right to pick winners and losers. Small businesses regardless of what they do, have the same rights as big box stores to make money.

"I still say, that doctors and scientist do not have the authority to shut down businesses. If so, who gives them that power? It is not in the Constitution.

"I also still say, "If the virus is going to kill me, I cannot change that. The Lord knew the day I was going to die." So, what is the problem with that statement, unless you do not believe in God?

"This bunch says that I also ignored CDC advice and took my 84 year-old mother (she is really just 83), and two friends to lunch during this time. There is nothing in this statement that is true. I only took my mother to her friend's house who is caring for his wife with Alzheimers, to keep her from driving to East Brainerd herself. (My mom goes where she wants). She took them lunch not, TO lunch (no restaurants were open or I would have taken them ou to eat.) We set a card table up on the patio and ate lunch outside. This bunch is right, I did all of this unapologetically and if I get ready to do it again, and I probably will, it is none of this bunch's business.

"I did not give up my First Amendment rights when I was elected to the school board and I am sure not going to give them up for this bunch.

"With the lack of knowledge this bunch has about American history, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and basic civil rights and liberty, they are making this way too easy."
Some Texas prisoners are staying busy this week crafting thousands of cloth masks for Texas Department of Criminal Justice employees and offenders in quarantine, the agency has announced.

The move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week recommended that everyone wear cloth face masks where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. AFSCME Texas Corrections, the union that represents TDCJ employees, last month also called for increased protective measures for staff, said executive director Jeff Ormsby.

As of Tuesday, 29 TDCJ employees or contractors have tested positive for COVID-19, along with 26 offenders.

TDCJ started producing face shields from one of its own factories about a week before the CDC recommendation but later broadened its effort to 10 prison factories throughout the state, where offenders will produce up to 20,000 cloth masks each day, seven days a week. The agency over the weekend had already distributed 50,000 masks.

Agency spokesman Jeremy Desel said the masks will be distributed to all employees but are required for only those working inside prison units. The growing number offenders in medical restriction  more than 10,600 as of Tuesday  will get masks. So will more than 100 offenders in medical isolation with positive or pending tests, he said.

Admittedly, our biggest risk is from our own people, said Desel, who emphasized that the masks are not intended to protect the wearer, but rather people around them.

TDCJ operates dozens of warehouses, factories and other facilities as part of its Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Logistics division. There, inmates make products like furniture, clothes and mattresses.

The inmates producing the masks already had been assigned to make flags, clothes and other fabric-based products, Desel said. He did not know how many inmates were assigned to the factories, but they will not be paid for the work. Texas is one of five states that does not pay inmates for regular prison jobs, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit focused on educating people about mass incarceration.

Ormsby called the move a start in the right direction but said hes still concerned about the mask material, 100 percent cotton cloth.

We still want to make sure our staff is being provided the proper N95 masks for those who are working in a cell block with inmates, he said.

TDCJ could make medical-grade surgical masks and gowns, Desel said, but those materials have been difficult to procure. A nationwide government survey recently found the most common equipment shortages were for N95 respirator masks, surgical masks, face shields, gowns and gloves, USA Today reported.

Mask production at TDCJ is expected to continue at least for the next several weeks, or as long as the CDC keeps the recommendations in place.

In addition to masks, TDCJ has implemented other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 based on CDC guidelines. Offender movement has been restricted to limit the number of people in one area. Visitation has been suspended at all facilities. All units are regularly cleaned, and anyone entering the unit has their temperature checked. Those with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher are sent home to self-quarantine.

The agency created two levels of quarantine for inmates who may have been exposed or tested positive: medical restriction and medical isolation. Inmates are placed in medical restriction if theyve been exposed to a confirmed case or someone showing symptoms of the virus. The inmates are restricted to one part of the unit, and medical staff checks on them twice a day.

Inmates are sent to medical isolation, in which they are placed in a single cell in another part of the unit, if they test positive or show symptoms of the virus. They are given face masks, and nurses regularly check their respiratory status, officials said.

Offenders in both medical restriction and medical isolation are locked down  a measure that Ormsby hopes will expand to the entire Texas prison system.

This will be one way to limit the exposure, if theyre in their cell for 23 hours a day, he said. If were going to control this pandemic, then we need to get serious about what were going to do.

By Tuesday, three Texas prison units  Jordan, Murray and Beto  were completely locked down after most of the inmates were placed in medical restriction.

At the federal level, the director of the Bureau of Prisons last week ordered inmates in every institution to be secured in their assigned cells or quarters for two weeks to decrease the spread of the virus, with some exceptions. Desel said TDCJ has tried to cut down on large gatherings in the general prison population by staggering the times they can visit common areas, such as dining halls or day rooms.

He said prisons havent been placed on a statewide lockdown because its not been necessary, emphasizing that the CDC recommendations have guided their emergency response.

Also last week, two inmates in the Wallace Pack Unit, a geriatric prison northwest of Houston, contended in a federal lawsuit that the agency has not allowed inmates access to hand sanitizer, though the CDC has recommended it and prisoners in New York are producing it.

The suit also says the agency has not done enough to limit gatherings, reduce movement and educate inmates on symptoms, as recommended by health officials. The prisoners attorney on the case, John Keville, could not be reached to comment on the agencys mask production efforts.

Desel said he could not comment on pending litigation.

Jeremy Blackman contributed to this report.

julian.gill@chron.com

twitter.com/juliangillmusic
Medical staff from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the last medical assistance team from other provinces, received an emotional farewell from the locals as they started to leave Wuhan after helping with the COVID-19 coronavirus recovery effort.A medical staff member from Peking Union Medical College Hospital gets emotional before leaving at Tianhe airport in Wuhan. (Image: AFP)
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

On Monday morning, Joe Biden crossed a threshold thousands of podcasters never have: He made a second episode. This weeks installment of Heres the Deal With Joe Biden featured Uncle Joe interviewing Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer about her states response to the coronavirus and President Trumps continued attacks on her. Bidens debut had mostly consisted of an interview with Ron Klain, his former chief of staff and President Obamas Ebola czar back in 2014. Its probably not fair to call either podcast an interview, not really; its more as if Biden speaks for a while, his guest speaks for a while, Biden speaks again, and then the podcast is over. In many ways, the enterprise feels less like an actual podcast and more like a weekly proof-of-life reminder for Biden. Hes still here, promise!

As someone who envisions no scenario in which Joe Biden is not the Democratic nominee for president, and therefore someone who desperately wants to make sure Joe Biden is well and okay so that we do not all die, I am relieved to know that there is a podcast that proves the man is upright, or at least capable of speech. But as a longtime podcast aficionado  and an amateur podcast producer myself  I find the show nearly impossible to get through. In fact, it is so stilted and awkward that it makes me legitimately alarmed: If they cant get something this simple right, whats going to happen in November?

Beyond wanting anyone but Trump to win in November, I actually like Joe Biden, and I am just trying to help here. But it is a bad sign that one of my first thoughts upon listening to Biden is, Hillary Clintons 2016 podcast was a lot better. So, to contribute to the cause in any way that I can, here are five simple, easy-to-implement ways, both technical and thematic, that the Biden campaign could and should use to improve its podcast. And maybe even make it listenable.

1. Get Biden a co-host.

I understand that were all locked up in our homes right now, so its not like you can just send a campaign surrogate over and have them start yukking it up with the candidate. But asking Biden to host the show himself  to do the introductions and the transitions and subscribe to us on iTunes announcements  is a tragic mistake. The big problem is that Biden clearly has no natural affinity with the podcasting medium. Hes uncomfortable with the format  hes a politician, not a talk-show host  and he ends up mostly sounding like hes conducting his own monologue while the guest patiently waits for him to finish speaking. Its easy to understand the animating idea behind the show: Biden talks to experts in the field and on the front line, like Klain and Whitmer, to show that his presidential team would be far preferable to the one currently in the White House. But this effect is harder to pull off when the host and his interlocutor dont sound like theyre in the same room, or even the same time-space continuum.

This is one thing that Hillary Clintons old podcast, With Her, co-hosted by Clinton and Longform host Max Linsky, got right. It put her alongside someone who understood podcasting and therefore could do the heavy lifting, as well as casting her in the not-entirely-podcast-proficient-but-still-game-for-this category, which would also suit Biden well. It also actually helped that Clinton and Linsky did not have a longtime association; it gave the podcast some tension, which is lacking when two old buddies are scratching each others backs. Biden would be well served by someone younger and more comfortable in this realm, someone likable who could play off Biden while still showcasing his strengths. Maybe Biden supporter Keegan-Michael Key? Or Kaitlin Olson? Or just a well-known podcaster with a built-in audience, like Linsky was for Clinton. Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace? Or one of those Ringer people? My point is this: Dont make Joe drive the car.

2. Stop with the Zoom.

This is a technical nitpick. I know that everyone is using Zoom for everything in quarantine world, but even putting aside the malware concerns, the app is terrible for podcasts. Theres an inherent lag between Biden and his guests, and the audio quality is rickety at best; you can tell that Bidens guests are simply recording their Zoom audio, which makes them sound like theyre at the end of a tunnel, or stranded at the bottom of a well.

There is also no reason for the shows to be recorded this way. The thing about podcasts is that you do not actually need the internet to make one; you only need the internet to post it. For example, my co-host on my Grierson & Leitch movie podcast, Tim Grierson, lives in Los Angeles, and I live in Georgia. But when we tape our podcast, we dont even get online. He calls me on my phone, and each of us sets up our own microphones on our own computers, simply hit Record on Audio Hijack at the same time and capture only our individual audio. Then Tim sends me his audio, I splice them together, and boom: It sounds like were in the same room. (This is not as difficult as it sounds. I have no inherent proficiency or understanding of audio production, and I was still able to pick it up in a day.) All Biden needs is a mic and his computer, and thats all his guests need, too. Zoom just makes the whole thing sound amateurish.

3. Its not a campaign event. Stop making it sound like one.

Biden falls back on his talking points regularly during these shows, but its tough to blame him for that: He is a politician after all. It is frustrating, though, to listen to a podcast in the middle of a global catastrophe and hear Biden constantly pivot to defenses of his record or  totally justifiable, but still  criticisms of President Trump. (Biden has taken considerable criticism from the left for not going after Trump enough, but his shots are so weak here that they further emphasize that podcasting is the wrong forum for them.) Both Klain and Whitmer, when asked about the woes were currently facing, made sure to praise the former vice-president in all of their answers, which makes sense considering that theyre both campaign chairs. But it still lent the production a Dear Leader vibe that, frankly, we get enough of from the daily Trump press conferences. Podcasts thrive when you, as the listener, feel like you are a silent observer of two (or more) people having a conversation among themselves, in which you truly believe they are speaking extemporaneously and honestly. By contrast, both Biden and his guests never miss an opportunity to fall into campaign-speak. Its exhausting in real life and absolutely deadly for a podcast. This is another time when a co-host, preferably one from outside of politics, would help.

4. Dont limit yourself to a single show per week, but Biden doesnt have to be on every one.

Having Uncle Joe pop up once a week and talk to his friend about how great he is makes the podcast feel like what it actually is: an obligatory nod toward modernity, a token attempt that ultimately just reveals how behind the curve Biden and his campaign truly are. But the thing about a podcast is that it can be anything. Why not make it daily, with Biden showing up once or twice to check in, but the other days filled with a co-host or a campaign surrogate doing a deeper dive on an issue that voters care about? During this epidemic, maybe Dr. Celine Gounder  who is already co-hosting a podcast with Klain about the coronavirus response  could talk specifically about the pandemic, or a campaign reporter could interview emergency-room doctors, or the show could focus on any of the other millions of stories developing at this particular moment in human history? The thing about a podcast with Joe Bidens name is that no matter who appears, hell be associated with it. Thats good! He has some great surrogates who can help hammer Trump without having to wage the usual political warfare. Biden can be on every podcast without actually being on every podcast.

5. Act like a government in waiting.

The scariest part of our current moment is knowing that no one is actually in charge: that all the smart people who could save us have been kicked out of the government and that we only have the Kushners and Dr. Ozes of the world left. Trump claims he is a wartime president and then acts like the precise opposite of one; Bidens podcast could be a glance at what an actual leader would do in a time of crisis. Have Klain give daily updates on the pandemic. Have talented endorsers and surrogates talk about why a Biden administration would be different. Give advice to counter the disinformation that Trump pumps out. Provide an alternative.

The absence of a functioning executive branch is a central reason the pandemic spread so out of control in this country in the first place. Biden has an opportunity to show precisely how his executive branch would be different. His campaign has shown frustration with its inability to get news coverage in the wake of the coronavirus, while Trump reserves an hour of live television for himself every day. But so far, the Biden team hasnt provided much evidence that it has enough material to fill an hour of coverage itself. A podcast can be a testing ground: It can be proof of concept. But you have to take it seriously. And so far, the Biden campaign isnt.
Oregons Democratic governor on Wednesday announced her support for presidential candidate Joe Biden, hours after rival Bernie Sanders announced he would end his run for the White House.

Sanders decision means the former vice president is now the only Democrat running to unseat President Donald Trump. That made throwing her support to Biden an easy choice for Brown, who had not previously endorsed any 2020 presidential candidates.

Governors across the nation are working together to get the resources to fight the coronavirus, and we are also looking to the president to do the same, Brown said in a statement emailed out by the Biden campaign.

I believe that Joe Biden will be a president who on Day One will be able to start delivering for the American people," Brown said. She cited Bidens work helping to pass Obamacare and the federal stimulus package during the Great Recession and concluded, "We need his kind of humble and steadfast leadership to unite and heal our country in this challenging time.

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
New Delhi, April 8 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Centre, states/Union Territories and police authorities to provide police security to doctors and medical staff in hospitals and places, including quarantine facilities, where patients are diagnosed for suspected COVID-19.

Moreover, protection should be extended to doctors and other medical staff visiting places to conduct screening of people to find out symptoms of disease.

Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Ravindra Bhat passed the order on pleas raising concerns on protective gear for doctors and healthcare workers on the frontline, and also their security amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The apex court noted the incident which happened on April 2 in Tatpatti Bakhal, a locality in Indore, where medical staff with doctors, in the area to screen certain persons for coronavirus, was attacked and stones were thrown at them by certain miscreants.

The top court also noted the incident at Ghaziabad where certain patients misbehaved with medical staff.

The court observed the pandemic is a national calamity.

"In the wake of calamity of such nature, all citizens of the country have to act in a responsible manner to extend a helping hand to the government and medical staff to perform their duties to contain and combat the COVID-19", said the court.

The top court also directed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as per guidelines dated March 24, to ensure availability of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, including sterile medical/Nitrile gloves, starch apparels, medical masks, goggles, face shield, respirators, shoe covers, head covers and coveralls/gowns to all health workers including doctors, nurses, ward boys, other medical and paramedical professionals actively attending to, and treating patients suffering from COVID-19 in India, in Metro cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

"The State shall also take necessary action against those persons who obstruct and commit any offence in respect to performance of duties by Doctors, medical staff and 12 other government officials deputed to contain COVID-19", said the top court in one of the directions.

The top court also directed the government to explore all alternatives including enabling and augmenting domestic production of protective clothing and gear to medical professionals. "This includes the exploring of alternative modes of production of such clothing (masks, suits, caps, gloves etc.) and permitting movement of raw materials. Further, the government may also restrict export of such material to augment inventory and domestic stock", said the court.

The court noted that doctors and the medical staff who are the first line of defence of the country to combat this pandemic have to be protected by providing Personal Protective Equipment as recommended by WHO on February 27.

The Centre's counsel also informed the court that appropriate instructions shall be issued by the Directorate General of Health Services to private hospitals not to deduct any salary from the doctors working in the private hospitals and para-medical staff.
Nearly a month after Turkey confirmed its first COVID-19 case, the governments policy against the pandemic has crystallized enough to bring into relief its main priority  to salvage the economy and, by extension, its own political future.

A string of developments last week offered a perfect illustration of how the government approaches the pandemic, which has caused 725 deaths and more than 34,000 confirmed infections since Turkey reported its first case March 11. On the evening of April 3, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a couple of new measures to contain the contagion. First, private vehicles were banned from exiting and entering 31 provinces, many of which have big cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Adana. Second, an existing curfew drastically limiting the movements of those over the age of 65 was extended to young people under 20. Both restrictions were to take effect at midnight.

On the morning of April 5, the Interior Ministry issued a supplementary circular, relaxing the curfew for those younger than 20. Accordingly, public- and private-sector employees and agricultural workers between the ages of 18 and 20 were exempted from the curfew.

The governments backtracking in less than 48 hours is a case in point, revealing how Erdogans government manages the COVID-19 crisis.

The backpedaling shows the government lacks the means to cover the material cost of a temporary stay-home restriction for young people in the 18-20 age group who need to continue working to make a living and support families. Allocating funds for such a program of emergency welfare support is not something Ankara can prioritize. The government lacks the financial strength to even partially compensate for the cost of job loss for young adults to keep them at home. It cannot bring itself to tell them, I need you to stay home for a while to stop the contagion, but I cannot give you any money.

This is because Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) cannot afford to further deepen voter discontent, fueled chiefly by economic crisis and stagnation since a severe currency shock in 2018. Confining needy people to their homes would amount to condemning them to starvation, and the lightest consequences of ensuing frustration and anger in the partys base would be rising support for the two new opposition parties that AKP defectors have formed and voter quest for an alternative government.

Hence, Erdogans government is stuck in a dilemma between the indispensable need to keep the wheels of the economy turning, albeit in slow mode, and the impossible goal of efficiently tackling the pandemic with partial or gradual measures. As the lifting of the curfew for young workers shows, the government has leaned on partial measures to tackle the outbreak, for it believes it has no other way to hedge its political future. Sacrificing an already crisis-hit economy to the fight against the pandemic is not something the hard-pressed government is willing to do. Obviously, this ambivalent approach has had a highly dangerous consequence for Turkey, namely a failure to enact timely and efficient measures to contain the outbreak.

To better understand what this means on the ground, Istanbul  the hotbed of the outbreak in the country  was still not under a full quarantine April 4, when the number of Turkeys COVID-19 fatalities reached 501, whereas Italy and Spain, the epicenters of the pandemic in Europe, imposed nationwide lockdowns after their death tolls topped 400 and 150 respectively.

By revising the curfew decision in less than 48 hours, Ankara has provided ample clues on how it is failing to manage the crisis. Had decision-making for the pandemic involved decent coordination, participation and interaction, the impact of a curfew on those younger than 20 would have been thoroughly assessed in advance and a measure announced by the president himself wouldnt have lost relevance in less than two days.

Because its response to the pandemic is taking shape under the strain of economic and political concerns, Ankara has pursued a policy of adjustable, partial strictness instead of enforcing comprehensive, definitive and stringent measures in a timely manner.

The governments flawed crisis management rests on four pillars that are equally significant and thus complement each other.

The first is the management of irresponsibility. While shying away from drastic, compulsory quarantine measures, the government wants to evade accountability for the ill consequences its policy creates, seeking to share the responsibility with the public. As Erdogan succinctly put it April 1, No further measures will be needed if everyone keeps themselves in voluntary quarantine.

So, the president was conceding that quarantine was indispensable but the state would not use its legal powers to enforce such measures; hence, he was kindly asking citizens to stay in voluntary quarantine. According to this logic, tougher measures would follow only after millions of people  unable to go into voluntary quarantine because they need to go to work to feed themselves  contract and spread the disease, and, if ultimately forced into home confinement, the blame for the misery they would face would be on themselves and not the government.

Manifestations of this mindset go as far as to outright blaming of citizens. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu grumbled in a March 30 interview that people moving from Istanbul to the countryside have begun to spread the virus, urging Istanbulites to not go anywhere and stay still. Though the government failed to enforce timely measures to prevent such movements, the minister chose to accuse citizens, seeking to deflect responsibility from the government.

The same attitude extends to the pro-government media. In a front page headline March 31, for instance, Yeni Safak blamed roaming citizens, heedless of government calls, for spreading the coronavirus to rural areas. The outbreak in villages stems from citizens from big cities such as Istanbul, who disobey warnings to stay home and go to their native villages for funerals  or to visit relatives.

Another leg of the governments flawed crisis management is politicization, the most striking example of which came last week as the government banned fund-raising campaigns by 11 local administrations run by the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), including in Turkeys three largest cities  Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The campaigns, which the government claimed were unlawful, aimed to raise funds to support residents left jobless or forced out of business by the pandemic.

The timing of the March 31 decision was remarkable. The day before, Erdogan had launched his own national solidarity campaign, stressing from his Twitter account that the state should lead the assistance efforts for the needy. He became the first donor, giving seven months of his salary.

By barring CHP mayors from collecting donations for the needy, Erdogans government aims to thwart any bonds the main opposition could foster with the AKP grassroots. Moreover, by monopolizing fundraising, the government transforms social solidarity against the pandemic into another realm of political discrimination and polarization, and thus raises fresh barriers to solidarity in a country where mistrust of various institutions is already running deep for the very same reasons.

The third pillar of Ankaras crisis management is a form of a defense mechanism, whereby government members propagate a narrative that other countries affected by the pandemic are much worse off than Turkey. In his March 30 address to the nation, for instance, Erdogan said the virus had been brought to Turkey essentially by people coming from Europe and the United States, adding that those countries have obviously failed in [properly] diagnosing and treating cases. According to Erdogan, Turkey, in comparison to Europe and the United States, is one of the countries that are closest to overcoming the spread of this disease.

Finally, the fourth pillar is the denial of transparency. Ankaras policy of opacity, including a restricted release of data, allows officials to conceal the actual dimensions of the pandemic and thus eases public pressure on the government regarding the measures it is expected to take.
Patients who intentionally pass COVID-19 to healthcare workers could be jailed for life if the victim dies.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Wednesday there had been 'troubling' cases of doctors and nurses being assaulted or threatened with deliberate infection.

'The deliberate transmission of COVID-19 is an offence under the general criminal laws that apply in every state and territory,' he said.

'Those same state and territory criminal laws also make it an offence to cause someone else to fear that they are having transmitted to them the virus, for example by coughing on them.'

Health Minister Greg Hunt said at a press conference on Wednesday there had been some 'troubling' cases of doctors and nurses being assaulted or threatened

The maximum sentence of life behind bars was implemented on Wednesday following advice from the Attorney-General's Department.

It comes after a nurse who works at a New South Wales hospital shared her story of being spat on by a patient she was treating.

Wearing blue scrubs, she detailed how the patient told her he did it because 'I'm going to get sick anyway'.

A nurse (pictured) has revealed a patient suspected of having coronavirus spat on her face while she was treating him as he awaits his test results

'Australians generally have this attitude about coronavirus where they don't care whether they live or die or kill, or their grandparents, which is already super fun to deal with,' the young nurse says in the clip.

'But yesterday I had a patient spit on my face. We don't know if he's been confirmed or not but he's been tested, we haven't got the swabs back yet. He spat on my face because ''I'm going to get sick anyway''.'

Another Sydney nurse revealed she was coughed on by two teenagers who taunted her while she was on her way to work.

Shirley Kavanagh heard the boys say 'she is a nurse' and 'she must have COVID-19' and said they continued mocking her until she threatened to call the police.

Shirley Kavanagh (pictured) was terrorised by two teenagers on her way to work last week

Patients seen using the drive through COVID-19 testing clinic in Bondi

'I felt vulnerable. I couldn't get myself together. I realised this is the new normal. I don't feel safe,' she told the

'They [health workers] are the ones who are putting the tubes down people's throats, they are putting themselves and their families at risk, and they go home and put their own kids to bed.

One exhausted nurse told the Courier Mail staff were being 'treated like lepers'.

'It is soul destroying,' she said.

'We've been told not to wear our uniforms anymore after three cases of nurses being egged while walking into work  we are the ones turning up every day to help people, yet we are being treated like lepers.'

Other staff members have been verbally attacked, and even pelted with eggs, in supermarkets and on public transport.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles (pictured, centre) looks on as clinical nurse Janice Geary (right) examines a patient at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane on March 6

A nurse screens patients outside a clinic in the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide, on Tuesday (pictured). Many were told not to wear their uniforms outside of work in fear of getting abused

The bullying is taking place across Australia, with staff at hospitals in Queensland told to take the drastic measure to protect themselves.

Steven Miles, Queensland's health minister, called the treatment 'abhorrent'.

'They have been vilified, they have been threatened, they have been treated abhorrently,' he said on Friday.

'I want to call on every Queenslander if you see someone out and about in a Queensland Health uniform, they're our heroes.

'They should wear their scrubs with pride  not fear they'll single them out for abuse.

'They are people who go to work every day to take care of us, so thank them, don't yell at them.'
Did American scientist Charles Lieber really have something to do with the coronavirus, which allegedly originated from Wuhan City, China? Some conspiracy theorist online believes that the Harvard professor might be to blame for the deadly virus that has claimed thousands of lives all over the world,

Nothing ever starts without a backstory, but for Dr Lieber, this becomes very interesting, which is why many people are interested to know more about this Harvard scientist and his alleged ties with China.

Who is Charles Lieber? Was he really responsible for creating the deadly coronavirus?

A virus, scientist and a superpower

In January, headlines were made with the arrests of an American scientist (Charles Lieber) that had connections with the Chinese government. According to unverifiable sources, the reason he was arrested is for his involvement in the creation of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus has left thousands of people dead in its wake. Markets all over the globe crashed, and the economy seems to be reeling from the blow. Because of this, many conspiracy theories also sprouted about the alleged origins of the virus.

According to some purported evidence, it is man-made and Harvard scientist Charles Lieber has a hand in creating it. Lieber also visited a research lab in China, and from there, he was allegedly contracted by China to create the deadly virus for profit.

Moreover, conspiracy theories online claimed that after manufacturing the virus, Lieber sold it to the Chinese government.

His suspicious academic activity starts a slew of online speculation

U.S. authorities where suspicious of payments that were given to Lieber by the Wuhan University of Technology. They were also interested with his academic participation in China's Thousand Talents Plan, a state-run programme that recruits elite scientific talent.

Activities like this were always suspicious, despite his credentials as a Harvard professor. Suspicious grew when Lieber never declared the transaction payments from China. It is well known that China is trying to excel in so many fields, they want to match the west. The only way to do it is to hire anyone with the skill or talent.

All these led the U.S. authorities to believe that he was not telling the truth. The Feds have an eye on him now.

Also read: Coronavirus Patients Can Spread Virus After Recovery, and Will Do So for Two Weeks

Wuhan and Lieber's activities abroad

When the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, and Lieber's connection to China's Thousand Talents Plan and the Wuhan University of Technology was unveiled, things were starting to fall into place and his academic background is sticking out.

Next came the rumors that he was a part of the scientists or even the only scientist who created the highly-communicable coronavirus. One of those who added to the fire was Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.

In an interview with Fox News in February, Senator Tom Colton was quoted saying: "The question of whether the coronavirus came about in China by artificial means was one. We at least have to ask."

Another bombshell is the arrest of two mainland Chinese, that only added to the rumors. The Chinese pair tried to smuggle out viral sample but were caught red-handed.

The truth

According to fact-checking website Snopes, these claims hold no water. Lieber's arrest had nothing to do with coronavirus, and there's no inkling of truth in the accusation that he created the virus for profit. Instead, he was arrested for fraud and lying about the funds that he was receiving from the Chinese government.

In addition to that, experts are not convinced that coronavirus is indeed man-made. As of now, there is no other statement given.

Related article: Chinese Scientists Deny That Coronavirus Originates from Wuhan

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A hospital in Mississauga is the second in Ontario to open a field unit to respond to an expected influx of COVID-19 patients.

Mississauga Hospital, part of Trillium Health Services, began construction on a Pandemic Response Unit earlier this week.

The white shell of the tent-like structure was added on Wednesday.

Trillium president Michelle DiEmanuele said a final decision has yet to be made on the kind of patients to be housed in the makeshift hospital, which has room for about 90 beds.

It is highly likely it will be non-COVID (patients), but we havent made that determination yet, she said in a phone interview.

The unit could be used for post-acute patients, including those in need of complex continuing care and rehabilitation, she said.

We are still finalizing that. The great thing about this particular solution is it offers up great optionality around how we can look at patient populations.

DiEmanuele said its possible to change how the modular unit is used as the pandemic progresses and pressures on the hospital change.

For example, it could go from being a post-acute unit to an acute unit, serving sicker patients, she said.

And then the next determination would be whether it should be for COVID or non-COVID patients, she continued.

Some health-care workers in Italy, where the virus has hobbled the health-care system, have said it is a mistake to admit COVID-19 patients to hospitals where they can infect others.

Asked about that, DiEmanuele said: I would say that we are learning from the world every single day, whether it is Italy or New York  We are always looking at what the global trends and learnings have been, and we have been applying them.

At noon on Wednesday there were 51 patients with the virus admitted at Trillium, 21 of them in critical care. The patients were split between two of Trilliums three campuses: Mississauga and Credit Valley hospitals.

DiEmanuele said patients with the virus have been carefully segregated from patients who do not have it.

Trillium has the ability to erect two more field hospitals if need be, a news release from the organization said. It is preparing for the possibility of making a total of about 1,000 extra beds available.

The field unit that is going up measures 8,250 square feet, occupying much of the south parking lot at the Mississauga Hospital.

It is expected to be outfitted with supplies and equipment by the end of April, according to the news release.

It is being designed and built by BLT Construction Services, the same company that began work last month on a field unit at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington.

Trillium last month closed an outpatient urgent care centre at its third site  Queensway Health Centre in Etobicoke  so that it could use the space for its pandemic response.

Field hospitals have been popping up in jurisdictions around the world that have been ravaged by the pandemic.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has advised all cities and towns in the United States to rapidly begin work to create and staff field hospitals, referring to them as alternative care facilities.

Time is of the essence, because constructing and outfitting a facility cannot happen overnight, said an article on the website of the Johns Hopkins Universitys Centre for Health Security.

The article stated that the field hospitals can serve a number of functions, including:

Patient isolation and alternatives to home care for COVID-19-infected patients

Quarantine of contacts of confirmed cases

Primary triage and rapid patient screening

Limited supportive care for noncritical infected patients

Expanded ambulatory care

Care for recovering, noninfected patients

Read more about:
A total of 1,304 foreign nationals



left for their home through special flights operated from the airport here during the ongoing 21-day national lockdown to check spread of coronavirus, Customs officials said.

Eight special relief flights were operated till Monday to Malaysia, France, Frankfurt and Muscat and the Customs department faciliated the journey of the overseas passegners, they said.

Meanwhile, the courier terminal at the airport handled 206 shipments including 23 shipments of critical components used in the manufacture of ventilators.

About one shipment of gloves was cleared on priority, they said.

Other initiatives taken by department include granting of permission for transfer of computers and related accessories to residences of employees of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) to facilitate work from home.

A 24x7 customs clearances of goods have been set up to avoid any supply disruptions.

A dedicated coronavirus helpdesk for export-import trade stakeholders have been set up to facilitiate resolutions of issues faced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:23:41|Editor: huaxia

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MONROVIA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Liberian President George Weah on Wednesday declared a state of emergency aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

With the order which takes effect from 11:59 p.m. on Friday, citizens, as well as foreigners across the country are expected to stay at home for an initial period of 21 days, Weah said in a national broadcast.

The state of emergency which will be enforced by the joint security structure and the country's armed forces is in line with the Liberian Constitution, according to the president.

During the shelter-in-place period, people will only be allowed to leave their homes for medical purposes or to get essential commodities, including food items and gasoline, he said.

Also, those in the civil service excluding staff of the Ministry of Finance, Liberia Revenue Authority, National Ports Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Central Bank of Liberia are to work from home during the shelter-in-place period.

He also ordered commercial banks across the country to remain open to provide essential financial services during the pandemic.

Only one member of a household is expected to visit provision and grocery shops and markets for an hour every day, during the period, Weah said.

The president called the Liberian national legislature to convene an emergency session on Thursday, to approve the issuance of the state of emergency. He also urged retired health workers to immediately return to work, to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Liberia, one of the poorest countries in the world, has recorded 14 cases of the COVID-19. Among them, three deaths were recorded, three persons had recovered, and eight active cases left.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a recent White House briefing that somewhere between 25 and 50 percent of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients can still transmit the illness.

ASYMPTOMATIC COVID-19 PATIENTS

Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients are those who are not showing any symptoms of the new virus. However, these asymptomatic carriers are most likely to contribute to the rapid growth of COVID-19 cases across the United States, according to Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, there are more than 1.4 million COVID-19 cases across the globe, while the death toll has reached more than 81,000, according to worldometers. COVID-19 cases around the world are expected to have its peak once testing kits are already available for everyone who needs to be tested for the virus.

However, as long as there is no vaccine for this deadly and infectious virus, the infection rate will continue to increase. It is for this reason that more than 30 pharmaceutical companies are now in a race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine that will protect everyone against the virus.

BETWEEN 25 AND 50 PERCENT OF ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS CAN TRANSMIT THE VIRUS

This theory was supported by Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, who said that there is a significant transmission by people who are not showing any COVID-19 symptoms.

Moreover, Dr. Fauci also said that the number he mentioned was just an estimate and added that there is a disagreement among his colleagues as to how many are asymptomatic. But Dr. Fauci was supported by Redfield as well, who told a news outlet that as much as 35 percent of infected persons are showing no signs.

The number of COVID-19 cases has reached more than 1 million last week, and asymptomatic carriers are most likely contributing to the rapid increase of the cases, according to Redfield. This makes it challenging for the expert to assess the true extent of the pandemic.

ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS TRANSMITTING THE VIRUS

The first confirmed transmission of the new virus from asymptomatic COVID-19 patients was in February. It involved a 20-year-old asymptomatic woman from Wuhan, China, who passed the virus to five members of her family. However, before that happened, the woman was not showing any symptoms of the virus.

It was stated in a report from the World Health Organization that was published in February that there were few instances where people who tested positive never show any symptoms. However, they also found out that most people who were asymptomatic on the day of their diagnosis have developed symptoms days later.

The authors of the WHO report wrote: "The proportion of truly asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare."

In another article from a news outlet, it was reported that based on the study of WHO, 75 percent of people in China who were first reported as asymptomatic but later on developed the symptoms of COVID-19. This is what they termed now as "Presymptomatic."

Another study from CDC reaffirmed the previous findings. It was found in King County, Washington that among the 23 COVID-19 patients, only 10 showed symptoms during the day of diagnosis while the other 10 developed the symptoms a week later.

Read related article: Doctors Warn Against Ignoring These Mild COVID-19 Symptoms
About 165 global leaders, including a former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, have called for a concerted global response to the coronavirus pandemic led by the G-20 countries.

They made the call in a letter signed by 92 former Presidents and Prime Ministers, along with current economic and health leaders.

They called for the creation of a G-20 executive task force and a global pledging conference which would approve and co-ordinate a multi-billion dollar anti-coronavirus fund.

The leaders seek a swift consensus on a proposal to mobilise $500-$600billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support developing countries to fight the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.

Their demands

The leaders called for a global action to raise $8billion emergency global health fund to prevent a second wave of coronavirus; coordinated fiscal stimuli, including a resolution by the multilateral finance organizations to waive the debt interest payments for the poorest countries, including $44billion due this year from Africa, to avoid a recession becoming a depression.

They said about $35 billion is needed for ventilators, test kits and protective equipment for health workers.

The leaders want about $150 billion to be provided for preventing a second wave of the disease in countries that are now struggling to come out of the first wave of the disease.

All health systems  even the most sophisticated and best-funded are buckling under the pressures of the deadly virus, they said.

The economic emergency will not be resolved until the health emergency is addressed: the health emergency will not end simply by conquering the disease in one country alone but by ensuring recovery from COVID-19 in all countries, the statement says.

World leaders must immediately agree to commit $8 billion  as set out by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board  to fill the most urgent gaps in the COVID-19 response. This includes $1billion this year for WHO, $3 billion for vaccines and $2.25 billion for therapeutics.

Instead of each country or state or province within it, competing for a share of the existing capacity, with the risk of rapidly-increasing prices, we should also be vastly increasing capacity by supporting the WHO in coordinating the global production and procurement of medical supplies, such as testing kits, personal protection equipment, and ITU technology to meet fully the worldwide demand. We will also need to stockpile and distribute essential equipment.

$35 billion will be required, as highlighted by WHO, to support countries with weaker health systems and especially vulnerable populations, including the provision of vital medical supplies, surge support to the national health workforce (70% of whom in many countries are underpaid women) and strengthening national resilience and preparedness.

According to WHO, almost 30% of countries have no COVID-19 national preparedness response plans and only half have a national infection prevention and control programmes.

Health systems in lower-income countries will struggle to cope; even the most optimistic estimates from Imperial College London suggest there will be 900,000 deaths in Asia and 300,000 in Africa.

We propose convening a global pledging conference  its purpose supported by a G20 Executive Task Force  to commit resources to meet these emergency global health needs. They also warn that without rapid support, about 1.2 million COVID-19 deaths would be possible in Africa and Asias poorest countries amid danger of igniting a second round of disease in the rest of the world.

Global economic intervention

On the Global Economic Outlook, the group proposed a range of measures to ensure stability on a global scale.

A global economic problem requires a global economic response. Our aim should be to prevent a liquidity crisis turning into a solvency crisis, and a global recession becoming a global depression.

READ ALSO:

To ensure this, better coordinated fiscal, monetary, central bank, and anti-protectionist initiatives are needed. The ambitious fiscal stimuli of some countries will be all-the-more effective if more strongly complemented by all countries in a position to do so.

The long term solution is a radical rethink of global public health and a refashioning  together with proper resourcing  of the entwined global health and financial architecture.

The UN, the G20 and interested partners should work together to coordinate further action, the group said.

The letter signed by 92 former Presidents and Prime Ministers, along with current economic and health leaders in the developed and developing world, demanded the mobilisation of vaccines, cure, test kits, ventilators and protective equipment for health workers.

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The signatories

The signatories include Mo Ibrahim, Founder of Celtel; Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007); former Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf (2006-2018) and her Ghanaian counterpart, John Kufuor (2001-2009)

Others include the former Education & Culture Minister of Mozambique, Graca Machel (1975-1986) and former Nigerian Finance Minister and World Bank Vice President, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the Board Chair of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

The letter was also signed by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed; President of Sierra Leone, Julius Bio, and the Finance Minister of Ghana and Chair of the World Bank Development Committee, Ken Ofori-Atta.
by Mathias Hariyadi

The incident occurred in Maumere, Flores Island, where a ship was not allowed to dock. After 19 hours of negotiations, those on board were allowed to disembark, sent to local quarantine facilities. Indonesias Health Ministry imposed a partial lockdown on Jakarta.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Weeks before the celebration of Idul Fitri (Eid al-Fitr), millions of Indonesians are travelling to their hometown for family reunions. The traditional mass exodus is known as Mudik.

In Jakarta, despite a government order not to travel, many have already left. But what happened in Lorens Say Port, Maumere, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, had Indonesians riveted following the incident unfold between last night and noon today.

Initially, the Sikka Regency (district) Chief Fransiskus Roberto Diogo had authorised people on the KM Lambelu (pictured) to go ashore, but yesterday, when the ship tried to dock in Maumere, port authorities refused permission in order to stop the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus. This led to dozens of passengers jumping into the sea.

"Some passengers put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea," said I Putu Sudayana, head of the local rescue team.

Only after more than 19 hours of intense negotiations between the ship's captain and Sikka officials were 233 passengers able to disembark, but only after agreeing to enter local quarantine facilities where they will stay until allowed to leave by health authorities. No family member will be able to visit them.

The incident stems from rumours that some passengers and crew members had contracted the COVID-19 virus. A local official, Marius Ardu Jelamu, said three passengers had tested positive and should be under self-quarantine.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, Indonesias Health Ministry imposed a partial lockdown on the city, as requested by Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, to curb the spread of the virus. Anyone who violates the order will be prosecuted.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has defended its handling of the coronavirus pandemic after US President Donald Trump accused the agency of being China-centric and threatened to cut funding.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom on Wednesday recorded its highest daily death toll, at 938, bringing the number of total coronavirus-linked fatalities to 7,097.

While Spain reported another 757 deaths over the past 24 hours, Wuhan began allowing people to leave for the first time since the central Chinese city was sealed off 76 days ago to contain the coronavirus that first emerged there late last year.

Here are the latest updates.

Wednesday, April 8

20:45 GMT  Google gifts 2-months access to Stadia Pro as gamers stay at home

Alphabet Incs Google said it would give two months of free access to the paid version of its cloud-based game streaming platform Stadia as people are confined to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Users can access Stadia by downloading the app on their iOS or Android phones or by signing up on its website.

The company said its offer was open to users in 14 countries, starting on Wednesday, and would be rolled out over the next 48 hours.

The paid version, Stadia Pro, otherwise costs $9.99 a month and offers access to games such as GRID and Destiny 2: The Collection in 4K resolution.

20:35 GMT  Is it too early to lift the lockdown on Wuhan?

Much of the world is now imposing strict lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus.

However, the Chinese city, where the pandemic is reported to have begun, is easing restrictions after a sharp fall in new cases.

Eleven million people in Wuhan are now allowed to leave the city for the first time since late January.

So, what are the lessons for the rest of the world?

Watch Inside Story here.

20:25 GMT  Somalia records first coronavirus death

Somalia has registered its first death from coronavirus, Health Minister Fawziya Abikar Nur said.

We have confirmed one person who died of Corona (virus). May Allah show him mercy, the minister wrote on Twitter.

He added that four new cases of the virus had been detected, bringing the number of people infected in Somalia to 12.

A statement tweeted by the health ministry later said the four newly infected people were all Somalis and that they included two health workers.

The dead patient was a 58-year-old man, the statement said. It gave no additional details about him.

Twelve people have been infected with coronavirus in Somalia as of Wednesday [AP]

20:05 GMT  US will seize exports of medical masks and gloves

The US will seize exports of key protective medical gear until it determines whether the equipment should be kept in the country to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, two federal agencies announced.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will hold exports of respirators, surgical masks and surgical gloves, according to a joint announcement made with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA will then determine if the equipment should be returned for use in the US, purchased by the US government or exported.

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on Friday that directed federal agencies to use any authority necessary to keep the highly sought-after medical supplies in the US.

20:45 GMT  Head of EUs top science body quits amid controversy

The president of the European Unions main science organisation has quit the post he took up only in January, the European Commission said, amid controversy over the blocs response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mauro Ferrari, who became head of the European Research Council for a four-year mandate on January 1, submitted his resignation on Tuesday, which the Commission said was effective immediately.

The Commission regrets the resignation of Professor Ferrari at this early stage in his mandate as ERC President, a spokesman said.

Ferrari made a statement to British daily Financial Times, saying: I have been extremely disappointed by the European response to the pandemic.

He cited institutional resistance and bureaucratic infighting in the EUs complex structures to his proposal for a big scientific programme to fight the coronavirus.

19:30 GMT  UK PM Johnson making steady progress

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making steady progress while being treated in intensive care for COVID-19, his office said.

The Prime Minister continues to make steady progress. He remains in intensive care, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

Johnson was admitted to St Thomas hospital in London on Sunday evening with a persistent high temperature and cough and was transferred to intensive care on Monday.

Johnson was admitted to St Thomas hospital in London on Sunday with a persistent high temperature and cough [AFP]

19:20 GMT  Peru extends state of emergency to April 26

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra extended the countrys state of emergency declared to contain the novel coronavirus for two more weeks to April 26.

Vizcarra announced the extension, which includes a nationwide quarantine in the worlds second largest copper producer, as it reached 2,954 confirmed cases of the virus and 107 deaths. The first confirmed case in Peru was on March 6.

We cannot let our guard down, we cannot reduce the effort we are making and the gains we are achieving just as we reach the most difficult stage, Vizcarra said in a speech broadcast on television.

19:10 GMT  France to extend its lockdown again, will run beyond April 15

France will extend its national lockdown put in place to contain the spread of the new coronavirus for a second time, meaning it will run beyond April 15, the French presidential palace said.

It had earlier said French President Emmanuel Macron would address the nation regarding the disease situation on Monday evening.

18:55 GMT  Turkeys coronavirus death toll reaches 812

Turkeys confirmed cases of coronavirus increased by 4,117 in the last 24 hours, and 87 people have died, taking the death toll to 812, the health ministry said.

The total number of recovered cases stood at 1,846, and the number of tests carried out over the last 24 hours was 24,900, the health ministry said.

As of 08 April, 2020, 21:15, the current situation regarding #COVID19 in Turkey and around the world: A total of 247,768 tests have been performed. There are currently 38,226 confirmed cases, 812 related deaths, and 1,846 discharges in #Turkey. pic.twitter.com/Y8a7nuq044  Republic of Turkey Directorate of Communications (@Communications) April 8, 2020

Turkeys total confirmed cases stood at 38,226, the ministry said.

18:43 GMT  Jordan: Coronavirus will leave deep negative impact on finances

Jordans state finances will be deeply hurt by a loss of revenue caused by the impact of the novel coronavirus on its economy but the aid-dependant kingdom will be able to repay its foreign debt obligations, the finance minister said.

Mohammed Al Ississ said on state television that the governments 2020 budget priorities would also be affected by a steep fall in economic activity as a result of a lockdown ordered to stem the spread of the virus.

As far as international and domestic (debt) obligations on Jordan and bonds, we have made all the arrangements to honour them when they become due, Al Ississ said.

18:22 GMT  541 more hospital deaths in France

France cornfirmed 541 more deaths from COVID-19 in hospital over the past 24 hours, bringing its total official toll from the coronavirus pandemic to 10,869.

According to top health official Jerome Salomon, there were now 7,148 people in intensive care, a net increase of 17 from the day earlier, the lowest increase recorded in recent weeks.

18:15 GMT  US cases surpass 400,000

The United States reached 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, a grim milestone that comes as the death tolls continue to rise in hot spots in what experts expect to be the countrys deadliest week so far.

The US set another record with 1,850 deaths in a single day on Tuesday, the highest single-day total of any country. By Wednesday, more than 12,900 deaths had been recorded nationwide.

Read more here.

18:00 GMT  Palestinians in Gaza fear outbreak will be breaking point

People in Gaza voice concern that a shortage of critical equipment and medical supplies could set off a rapid spread amongst the enclaves two million people.

The impoverished coastal strip has for years been under a blockade led by neighbouring Israel.

Corona is a deadly virus. What can we do in a society thats already dead in the Gaza Strip? Gazans fear a #coronavirus outbreak will be their breaking point. pic.twitter.com/QeGssH38Pd  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 8, 2020

17:40 GMT  Bangladesh: Coxs Bazar under lockdown

Bangladesh has imposed a lockdown in a southern district that hosts more than a million Rohingya in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the crowded refugee camps.

Entry and exit from Coxs Bazar district is prohibited from now on, Kamal Hossain, chief of the district administration, said in a statement on Wednesday, after the country reported 218 cases of coronavirus and 20 deaths.

Read more here.

Banglades has so far reported 218 cases of coronavirus and 20 deaths [Suzauddin Rubel/AFP]

17:35 GMT  Dubai suspends marriages, divorces to curb COVID-19 spread

Marriages and divorces in Dubai have been suspended until further notice as a result of the coronavirus.

The move, announced by the justice department on Wednesday, is among measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic rolled out in the Gulf emirate, which has reported 2,659 infections and 12 deaths.

Read more here.

17:30 GMT  Comparing COVID-19, SARS and MERS

The pandemic of COVID-19 is not the first time an international health crisis occurred due to the spread of a novel coronavirus or other zoonotic (animal-originated) viruses.

Here is a comparison of the information and data we have on COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, with similar recent coronavirus-related diseases.

17:25 GMT  Ethiopia declares state of emergency

Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency in the country to help curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Home to some 110 million people, Ethiopia has recorded 55 coronavirus cases and two deaths to date.

Read more here.

An Ethiopian health worker stands at a coronavirus testing station in Addis Ababa [Giulia Paravicini/Reuters]

17:13 GMT  Italy considers how to move on after coronavirus peak

Nearly a month after a nationwide lockdown was implemented to prevent the spread of the virus that was ravaging through Italys north, there are government discussions and public debate about moving to phase two.

This will be a period during which citizens will have to learn to live with the virus.

Read more here.

More people have died of coronavirus in Italy than any other country [Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters]

16:50 GMT  Dow opens up 300 points on hopes crisis nearing peak

The major United States stock market index opened higher on Wednesday on hopes that the coronavirus outbreak is nearing its peak in the US, and growing expectations that Congress will push through hundreds of billions of dollars more in emergency support for the battered economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 321 points or 1.43 percent to 22,812.00 in the early minutes of trading in New York. The S&P 500 index  a gauge for the performance of US retirement and college savings plans  jumped 1.41 percent higher while the Nasdaq Composite Index traded 1.32 percent higher.

Read more here.

16:46 GMT  WHOs Tedros defends pandemic handling

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu defended his agencys handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a question about Trumps criticism and suggestion that Washington could review funding.

So my advice, three things, Tedros told reporters in Geneva. Please, unity at national level, no using COVID for political points. Second, honest solidarity at the global level. And honest leadership from the US and China.

He also urged leaders not to politicise the virus.

16:14 GMT  British coronavirus death toll up 938

The UK coronavirus death toll rose by 938 to 7,097 people as of 16:00 GMT on April 7, the health ministry said.

As of 08:00 GMT on April 8, a total of 232,708 had been tested, of which 60,733 tested positive.

16:10 GMT  Lebanon launches aid measures with cash payments

Lebanons Social Affairs Ministry announced it is launching an aid programme for those most in need as the countrys worst economic crisis in a generation is exacerbated by a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus.

In its first phase, the 75 billion Lebanese pound programme aims to provide one-time cash assistance of 400,000 Lebanese pounds ($140 at current parallel market exchange rates) to about 187,500 families, according to Jad Haidar, an adviser to Social Affairs Minister Ramzi Moucharafieh.

Read Timour Azharis story from Beirut here.





16:05 GMT  French PM: Too soon to lift lockdown

Frances lockdown, in place for more than three weeks, has helped contain the spread of the new coronavirus but the time to lift the restrictions has not yet come, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.

Philippe told parliament the lockdown would last, again suggesting it may be extended beyond its current April 15 end date. COVID-19 has killed more than 10,000 people in France.

The expansion (of the disease) is slowing so much that we might soon reach a flattening of the curve () and thats most certainly due to the lockdowns effect, he said, but added:

The time to unwind the lockdown has not come. We must see to it people comply with it.

15:50 GMT  Trump says he did not see Navarro memos

US President Donald Trump says he did not see memos by White House trade advisor Peter Navarro warning of coronavirus risks.

Navarro, a China hawk, sent a memo in late January warning the new coronavirus could create a pandemic and urged a travel ban for China, the New York Times reported.

A second memo, written in late February and sent to the president, said it could kill up to two million Americans.

Its emerged that a White House adviser circulated a memo in late January warning of a potential #coronavirus pandemic, which Trump says he didnt see. pic.twitter.com/ygYQRhMcVU  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 8, 2020

15:15 GMT  South African minister disciplined for lockdown lunch

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa put the communications minister on special leave for two months, one of which will be unpaid, for breaking the rules of a countrywide lockdown and having lunch with a former official.

Ramaphosa acted after a picture of Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams at the lunch emerged on social media, angering South Africans confined to their homes during the 21-day lockdown that started on March 27 to rein in the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the rules, people are only allowed to leave their homes for essential tasks like buying food or seeking medical help. Police arrested more than 17,000 people during the first few days of the lockdown, many for violating the lockdown.

14:35 GMT  Indian Supreme Court urges free coronavirus testing

Indias Supreme Court has ordered private medical laboratories across the country not to charge patients for testing for COVID-19.

According to national media. the court said that tests relating to COVID-19 whether in approved government laboratories or approved private laboratories shall be free of cost.

The court also said that the issue of whether the health institutions will be reimbursed by the government will be decided later.

14:35 GMT  Amid lockdown, South Africas waste pickers suffer most

South Africans have been prohibited from working in the streets due to a three-week lockdown imposed by the government on March 27 to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The measure has confined South Africans to their homes and allowed only for certain work deemed essential services to continue.

While waste management was declared an essential service, the informal recycling sector was not. And South Africas waste pickers suffer because of the measure.

Read the story by Jamaine Krige and Yeshiel Panchia from Johannesburg here.

South Africans have been under lockdown imposed since March 27 [Yeshiel Panchia/Al Jazeera]

14:15 GMT  Turkey to track citizens via mobile phones to enforce quarantines

Turkey will monitor the mobile phones of those diagnosed with the new coronavirus to ensure they do not break quarantine, authorities said on Wednesday, marking the latest measure to stem an outbreak that has surged over the last month.

Turkey will start tracking citizens and send them a message and call them each time they leave their homes, the presidencys Communications Directorate said.

They will be asked to return home and police will penalise those who continue to violate quarantine rules, it said, adding that Turkish law allows for processing of personal data without consent for exceptional aims.

14:00 GMT  Australia approves massive stimulus package

Australias conservative government will subsidise the wages of six million people for at least the next six months after MPs approved the countrys largest financial stimulus package to cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing the threat of a prolonged economic downturn, Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government late last month outlined a plan to pay employees at any company that has seen a 30 percent reduction in revenues 1,500 Australian dollars ($928) every fortnight.

The wage subsidy package, which is expected to cost 130 billion Australian dollars, is the centrepiece of 320 billion Australian dollars pledged by the government and central bank in financial support as the pandemic shuts companies and leaves many unemployed.

12:30 GMT  Egypt extends nationwide nighttime curfew

Egypt will extend a nationwide nighttime curfew by 15 days until April 23 to counter the coronavirus spread, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has said.

Airports will also stay closed, he said in a televised news conference, adding that the curfew would now start one hour later at 8pm local time each evening.

Egypt also confirmed a further nine deaths from coronavirus, raising the death toll to 94 and bringing the total number of infected cases to 1,450.

12:15 GMT  EU science chief resigns over virus response

The head of the European Research Council has resigned, the EU confirmed, reportedly in protest at the blocs handling of its coronavirus response.

Mauro Ferrari, who only took over as president of the ERC in January, told the Financial Times he was extremely disappointed by the EUs response to the pandemic, which has hit Italy and Spain particularly hard.

A spokesman for the European Commission, the blocs executive that oversees the ERC, confirmed Ferrari had resigned with immediate effect on Tuesday.

The Commission regrets the resignation of Professor Ferrari at this early stage in his mandate, and at these times of unprecedented crisis in which the role of EU research is key, the spokesman said in a statement.

12:00 GMT  Iran says coronavirus deaths near 4,000

A medical aid worker sets up and installs a bed at a shopping mall, one of Irans largest, which has been turned into a centre to receive patients suffering from the coronavirus disease in Tehran [Ali Khara/WANA via Reuters]

Irans new coronavirus death toll has climbed to 3,993 with 121 more deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman told state TV, adding that the total number of infections in the country has risen to 64,586.

We had 1,997 new infected cases in the past 24 hours . there are 3,956 infected people in critical conditions, spokesman Kianush Jahanpur added.

11:46 GMT  Czech coronavirus cases top 5,000 but growth slows

The number of cases of the new coronavirus in the Czech Republic has risen past 5,000, although a slower growth rate allowed the health minister Adam Vojtech to say he was confident the state had prevented an uncontrolled spread as it starts easing lockdown measures.

We can get ready for a gradual controlled return to normal life, Vojtech told reporters.

We are certainly past the worst. At the same time, we have succeeded in protecting hospitals and intensive care units which still have reserves.

Czech officials reported 195 new cases on Tuesday, down from a peak of 375 on March 27.

11:33 GMT  Tokyo sees biggest daily jump in infections

Less than usual pedestrians cross the Shibuya crossing after the government announced the state of emergency for the capital following the coronavirus outbreak in Tokyo, Japan [Issei Kato/Reuters]

Tokyo has recorded 144 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, its biggest daily jump since the start of the pandemic, the citys governor Yuriko Koike said, on the first day of a state of emergency aimed at containing the outbreak.

Total infections in the Japanese capital stand at 1,339, said Koike, a rise that helped carry the nationwide tally to 4,768, according to an evening report by public broadcaster NHK.

Deaths in Japan as of Wednesday morning stood at 98, said the NHK.

The number of infections is still far smaller than in many European countries and the United States, but a steady rise in some areas prompted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare the emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and five other hard-hit prefectures.

11:00 GMT  Swiss coronavirus death toll goes past 700, positive tests near 23,000

The Swiss death toll from the coronavirus has reached 705 people, the countrys public health ministry said on Wednesday, rising from 641 people on Tuesday.

The number of positive tests for the disease also increased to 22,789 from 22,242 on Tuesday, it said.

10:45 GMT  WHO Europe says now is not the time to relax measures

The World Health Organizations European office has said despite seeing positive signs from some countries, it was too early to scale back measures aimed at containing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Now is not the time to relax measures. It is the time to once again double and triple our collective efforts to drive towards suppression with the whole support of society, WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told a news conference on Wednesday.

10:30 GMT  Belarus coronavirus cases pass 1,000, no new deaths

A general view of Nemiga Street is seen amid coronavirus pandemic precautions in Minsk, Belarus [Anadolu Agency]

The number of coronavirus cases in Belarus topped 1,000 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, reporting 205 new infections, a record daily rise.

The total number of cases rose to 1,066, but there was no change in the number of deaths, which remained at 13. Belarus has not closed its borders, introduced quarantine measures or asked people to follow social distancing guidelines.

President Alexander Lukashenko has called the coronavirus a psychosis that can be fought with vodka, saunas and driving tractors, but some of his citizens are taking matters into their own hands to protect themselves.

10:10 GMT  Ethiopia declares state of emergency to curb spread of COVID-19

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has declared a state of emergency in the country to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Considering the gravity of the #COVID19, the government of Ethiopia has enacted a State of Emergency, Abiys office said on Twitter on Wednesday.

Considering the gravity of the #COVID19, the Government of Ethiopia has enacted a State of Emergency according to Article 93 of the Constitution. PM @AbiyAhmedAli calls upon all to follow the ensuing measures that will further define the SOE. #PMOEthiopia https://t.co/wE93q32CLq  Office of the Prime Minister  Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) April 8, 2020

Africas second most populous nation at more than 110 million, Ethiopia has recorded 52 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and two deaths.

Authorities have already taken a series of measures to stem the spread including closing schools, banning public gatherings and requiring most employees to work from home.

The prime minister did not mention what additional steps would be taken under the state of emergency.

10:00 GMT  EU ministers fail to agree virus economic rescue in lengthy talks

European Union finance ministers have failed to agree in all-night talks on more support for their coronavirus-hit economies, and their chairman said on Wednesday morning he was suspending the discussions until Thursday.

Diplomatic sources and officials said a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached toeurozone credit for governments fighting the pandemic was blocking progress on half a trillioneuros worth of aid.

After 16 hours of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet,Eurogroup chairman Mario Centeno said. I suspended theEurogroup and (we will) continue tomorrow.

Read more here.

09:45 GMT  Malaysia reports 156 new coronavirus cases with 2 new deaths

Malaysian health authorities have reported 156 new cases of the coronavirus infection, pushing the cumulative total to 4,119 cases as Southeast Asias third-largest economy continues to grapple with the highest rate of infection in the region.

The health ministry also reported two new deaths, including one Pakistani national who had attended a mass religious gathering that was the source of over 1,000 infections in the country.

The ministry said 65 people have died so far after contracting coronavirus.

09:30 GMT  Poland confirms 5,000 cases of coronavirus

Women applaud on their balconies as they join the action to appreciate all healthcare professionals, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Gdynia, Poland [Matej Leskovsek/Reuters]

The number of patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Poland has reached the 5,000 mark, the countrys health ministry said.

As of Wednesday morning, the country had recorded exactly 5,000 confirmed cases of infection with COVID-19, with 136 fatalities in total.

Tuesday marked the largest daily increase in fatalities  at 22  and the second-largest daily increase in total cases of the coronavirus at 435. Poland has so far tested nearly 100,000 people.

For almost four weeks now, public life in Poland has been drastically restricted by measures put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Schools and restaurants are closed and all gatherings of more than two people are banned.

09:10 GMT  Indonesia reports 218 new coronavirus infections, taking total to 2,956

Indonesia has confirmed 218 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 2,956, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

He reported 19 new coronavirus deaths, taking the total to 240, while 222 people have recovered.

08:45 GMT  Israel coronavirus cases top 9,400, death toll at 71

The number of coronavirus cases in Israel now tops 9,400 and the death toll stands at 71, the countrys health ministry said.

Six people died and 156 more tested positive for COVID-19, raising the total number of cases to 9,404.

The ministry said 147 of the patients are in a critical condition, while 801 have recovered so far.

On late Tuesday, Israel imposed a lockdown through Friday to mark the Jewish Passover holiday.

08:30 GMT  Philippines reports five new deaths, 106 more coronavirus cases

A woman wearing a protective face mask reads the Bible in a gymnasium which turned into a shelter for the homeless following the enforcement of a community quarantine in Manila [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]

The Philippines health ministry said the coronavirus outbreak has killed another five people, with 106 additional infections.

In a bulletin, the health ministry said the total number of deaths has risen to 182 while infections have increased to 3,870. Twelve patients recovered on Wednesday, bringing the total to 96, it added.

08:15 GMT  Irans Rouhani urges IMF to give Tehran its requested loan amid coronavirus

Irans President Hassan Rouhani has urged the International Monetary Fund to give the country the $5bn it requested in emergency funding to help Tehran fight the coronavirus outbreak.

I urge international organisations to fulfill their duties  we are a member of the IMF  There should be no discrimination in giving loans, Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting.

On March 12, Iran announced it had requested the loan from the IMF to help fight what was then one of the worlds deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks.

Iran has not received assistance from the IMF since a standby credit issued between 1960 and 1962, according to IMF figures.

Rouhani also criticised US sanctions on Iran as economic and medical terrorism.

08:00 GMT  Russia reports record 1,175 daily rise in new coronavirus cases

Health officials wearing protective suits transport a patient, who shows coronavirus symptoms, to Kommunarka Hospital, as the spread of the virus continues rapidly amid precautions by the government in Moscow. [Anadolu Agency]

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia rose by more than 1,000 for the second day running, taking the total to 8,672, the crisis response centre said on Wednesday.

The number of reported cases rose by 1,175, a record daily increase, while deaths increased by five to 63, the centre said.

07:45 GMT  UK PM spends second night in intensive care fighting coronavirus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spent a second night in intensive care and was in a stable condition after receiving oxygen support for COVID-19 complications.

Johnson, who tested positive nearly two weeks ago, was taken to St Thomas hospital on Sunday evening as he had a persistent high temperature and cough but his condition deteriorated on Monday and he was transferred to an intensive care unit.

The 55-year-old British leader received oxygen support but was not put on a ventilator and his designated deputy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said he would soon be back at the helm as the world faces one of the gravest public health crises in a century.

Read more here.

07:30 GMT  Myanmar confirms third death from coronavirus

Burmese people shop for masks in a shop on March 03, 2020 in Yangon, Myanmar. [File: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images]

Two more people have died in Myanmar after contracting the coronavirus, bringing the total to three, Myanmars health authorities said.

A 63-year old woman died of cardiogenic shock with sepsis, severe pneumonia, and cytokine storms associated with the COVID-19 disease, along with a 47-year old man who died of respiratory failure with septicaemia due to the virus, Myanmars Health and Sports Ministry confirmed.

The country reported its first death from the virus on March 31.

As of Wednesday, the ministry has confirmed 22 cases of coronavirus.

07:18 GMT  Virus may spark devastating global condom shortage

A global condom shortage is looming as the coronavirus pandemic shutters factories and disrupts supply chains, the worlds top maker of the contraceptives said, with the United Nations warning of devastating consequences.

Malaysia  one of the worlds top rubber producers and a major source of condoms  imposed a nationwide lockdown last month as infections surged to the highest level in Southeast Asia.

But restrictions on the operations of Malaysian contraceptive giant Karex, which makes one in every five condoms globally, mean the firm expects to produce 200 million fewer condoms than usual from mid-March to mid-April.

The world will definitely see a condom shortage, said Karex Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat. Its challenging, but we are trying our best right now to do whatever we can. It is definitely a major concern  condom is an essential medical device.

06:15 GMT  Pakistan to increase COVID-19testing capacity

A health worker wearing a protective suit takes a nose-swab from a woman at the drive-through screening and testing facility for COVID-19, in Karachi, Pakistan. [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

Pakistans government says it plans on quadrupling its daily COVID-19 testing capacity to at least 25,000 tests a day by the end of April, addressing a key concern in a country where analysts fear the numbers of coronavirus infections are being under-reported due to a lack of testing capacity.

Planning Minister Asad Umar said the government would also increase its supply of personal protective equipment to doctors from April 9, with equipment to be provided directly to hospitals rather than through provincial governments.

As ofWednesday morning, Pakistan had 3,546 activecases of coronavirus being treated countrywide, with at least 57 fatalities and 458 patients recovered since the outbreak began in late February, according to government data.

05:55 GMT  Twitters Dorsey sets up $1bn fund

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is setting aside $1bn in stock to establish a philanthropic venture focused initially on global relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dorsey announced the new venture, called Start Small, in a series of tweets, and said the contribution amounts to 28 percent of his fortune. The organisation will disclose all transfers, sales and grants on a public Google Doc spreadsheet.

Start Small will not be limited to COVID-19 work. Once we have disarmed this pandemic, he wrote, the organisation will shift its focus to girls health and research into universal basic income, the idea that governments should guarantee a minimum income for all citizens.

Good morning. This is Linah Alsaafin taking over from my colleague Kate Mayberry.

05:30 GMT

I will shortly be handing over the blog to my colleagues in Doha.

A brief summary of the mornings developments:

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the world is now more than 1.4 million with 82,133 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the numbers.

US President Donald Trump has criticised the WHO over its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

A ban on travel from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged late last year, has finally been lifted. About 65,000 people took the chance to leave as the ban was removed.

And New Zealand is expressing cautious optimism that it might be slowing the spread of the virus.

05:25 GMT  Amnesty calls on Philippines to investigate curfew abuse

Amnesty International is calling on the Philippines to investigate alleged abuses by local officials against thoseaccused of breaching curfews after three LGBTQI people were forced to perform humiliating acts as a punishment.

The acts were recorded and shared to social media, Amnesty said.

These abusive practices should not be swept under the rug by local authorities under the pretense of implementing curfews and just following orders, Amnesty International Philippines Executive Director Butch Olano said in a statement.

Local officials have been found detaining curfew violators, including children, in dog cages, while in another area a police officer beat up residents for breaching the restrictions.

Philippine authorities have subjected children to absurdly abusive treatment for violating #COVID19 curfew and quarantines rules. Some were locked in dog cages & coffins; some had their hair forcibly cut; one was stripped naked. My piece with@condeHRW; https://t.co/J6Qms986wc pic.twitter.com/Em6NI5wpTj  Margaret Wurth (@MargaretWurth) April 3, 2020

04:50 GMT  Thailand, Germany report new cases

Thailand and Germany have just given their latest updates on the coronavirus in their countries.

Thailand reported three more deaths  men from India, Russia and the United States. Some 30 people have now died from the virus in the Southeast Asian nation. It has a total of 2,369 confirmed cases.

In Germany, there were 254 more deaths bringing the total to 1,861. The total number of confirmed cases meanwhile rose to 103,228.

04:25 GMT  New Zealand expresses cautious optimism after cases slow

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she is cautiously optimistic about slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus after the country reported the lowest number of new daily cases in two weeks.

We may yet see bumps along the way but I remain cautiously optimistic that we are starting to turn a corner, Ardern told a news briefing in Wellington.

New Zealands streets emptied at the end of March after an unprecedented 28-day shutdown was imposed; Prime Minister Ardern said on Wednesday she was cautiously optimistic the spread of the disease was slowing [Mark Baker/AP Photo]

New Zealand imposed a national lockdown in late March. Itreported 50 new cases on Wednesday from 54 on Tuesday and 67 on Monday, bringing the total to 1,210. One person has died.

Ardern said there were no plans to relax the restrictions during this weeks long Easter weekend.

04:10 GMT  MPs in Southeast Asia warn of authoritarian turn

A group of parliamentarians in Southeast Asia is warning regional governments against using the outbreak as an excuse to assert their power,crackdowns on critics and undermining institutions.

In a statement, the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights noted that the Philippines and Thailand had declared states of emergency while Cambodia was expected to do so soon.

Malaysian parliamentarian Charles Santiago, who chairs the group, said attempts to grab more power were appalling.

While these are extraordinary times that may require extraordinary measures, we must guard against the authoritarian turn of some governments responses to COVID-19 or the next casualty could be our rights and democracies, he said.

03:50 GMT  Trump claims WHO missed the call on coronavirus

US President Donald Trumpclaims the WHOmissed the call on the coronavirus pandemic, was very China-centric in its approach, and had gone along with Beijings efforts months ago to minimise the severity of the outbreak.

You can find out more here.

03:05 GMT  China investigates party member critical of Xi over outbreak

A prominent Communist party member who criticised Chinese leader Xi Jinpings handling of the coronavirus outbreak is being investigated on suspicion of a severe violation of discipline and law, a joint government-party watchdog said according to The Associated Press news agency.

Ren Zhiqiang is a former head of state-run real estate conglomerate Huayuan Group and a party member who has become known for being willing to speak out on sensitive topics.

Ren has not been seen since mid-March after the publication online of an essay criticising the governments handling of the coronavirus.

A one-sentence notice issued on Tuesday by the party-government joint disciplinary watchdog body in Beijings western district said Ren was undergoing a review and monitoring investigation but gave no details and did not mention Rens article or previous statements.

The article has since deleted by Chinas censors, AP said.

02:05 GMT  Hong Kong extends social distancing restrictions to April 23

Hong Kong is extending social-distancing restrictions, including a ban on public gatherings of more than four people, until April 23.

The measures also include the closure of some bars, as well as cinemas, gyms, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, massage parlours and mahjong clubs. Beauty salons and massage parlours have also been added to the list.

Hong Kongs once lively entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong is now quiet as a result of the social distancing restrictions [Jerome Favre/EPA]

The territory has reported 936 cases of coronavirus with four deaths, and has also tightened quarantine requirements for people arriving from overseas.

01:30 GMT  China reports jump in confirmed cases of coronavirus from overseas

Chinas National Health Commission has reported 62 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, nearly all of them in people returning from overseas.

The mainlands imported cases stood at 1,042 as of Tuesday, 59 more than a day earlier, according to the health authority.

That brings the total number of confirmed cases to 81,802 so far.

00:10 GMT  Wuhan travel ban lifted after two-month shutdown

A ban on travel from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged late last year, has been lifted with the first trains leaving the city early on Wednesday morning.

The city has been in strict quarantine since the end of January as part of a series of measures to try and curb the spread of the virus.

A policeman stands beside a high-speed train  the first to leave Wuhans Hankou Railway Station in two months [Aly Song/Reuters]

23:00 GMT  Uruguay approves flight to evacuate passengers from cruise ship

Uruguay has authorised a humanitarian flight to evacuate some passengers from a cruise ship where nearly 60 percent of the 217 people on board have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Australian-owned Greg Mortimer was supposed to be on a cruise to the Antarctic, but coronavirus emerged shortly after it left Ushuaia, in the far south of Argentina on March 14.

The cruise ships owner, Aurora Expeditions, has contracted a medical plane  to repatriate the Australian and New Zealander passengers, Uruguays foreign ministry said, adding that the plane had been given permission to arrive on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Ernesto Talvi said on Twitter that an agreement had been reached through intense conversations and very close cooperation with the Australian government.

Tras intensas conversaciones y estrechisima cooperacion con el Gobierno australiano, Uruguay autorizo el aterrizaje y despegue de un Vuelo Humanitario el 9 de abril. Un avion de evacuacion medica repatriara australianos y neozelandeses del Greg Mortimerhttps://t.co/pDCTNVoEX4  Ernesto Talvi (@ernesto_talvi) April 7, 2020

Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read all the updates from yesterday (April 7) here.
KAMPALA  The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja has said that Uganda has failed to receive the real sprayers to fight locusts due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

He made the revelations while addressing the press on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.

The 10,000 litres of Fenitrothoin 96% ULV has not been received due to limited aircrafts flying out of Japan due to the COVID-19 challenge, he said.

He said that the supplier is trying various methods of shipping the chemical to Nairobi.

The absence of this chemical hinders the use of aircrafts which are much efficient than the ground operations, Ssempijja told the press.

Mr Ssempijja said the chemical is not delivered due to the challenges both at the manufacturing facility in Japan and formulation facility in Nairobi.

He added that the ministry is also facing a challenge of scarce nose masks.

The nose masks (N95) are hard to find as there is stiff competition for them since they are also being used to protect communities from coronavirus.

The desert locusts entered the country through Amudat district on Friday, April 3, 2020.

According to MAAIF, the two swarms that entered have spread inland into Kumi, Katakwi, Otuke and Agago districts as of April 6, 2020.

Unlike previous swarms, these swams compromise of immature adult desert locusts that recently hatched in Kenya. The immature adult desert locust is a growth stage that still feeds heavily and therefore has the potential to destroy vegetation wherever they go, said Ssempijja.

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Editor's note: Ryan Patey is a Canadian citizen currently living in Vietnam. He sent this piece to Tuoi Tre News as the country has entered the third month of school closures due to novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). He interviewed some foreign parents who are raising their children in Vietnam to see how they are adapting to the unparalleled situation.

According to UNESCO, the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to school closures in over 180 countries, and it has affected over 1.5 billion learners around the world.

Here in Vietnam  one of the earlier countries to adopt school closures  students, teachers, parents, and others involved in the education field have had to adapt to new routines since February.

With schools remaining closed until at least the middle of this month, the initial excitement of kids over an extended holiday has changed to missing friends while parents continue to juggle schedules with care-taking arrangements.

For David Dredge, a South African father who lives in Ho Chi Minh City with his wife and young daughter, the hardest part has been trying to explain to his daughter why she cannot see her friends or go outside to play.

"My daughter is very social. She misses her friends and going to school. Shes generally very active, but these days we cant even go to the park," he explained.

"She likes to interact with people and we have had to discourage this due to the virus. Its difficult for her to do as she doesnt fully understand the risk."

Thankfully, the family is lucky and they have been able to rearrange their schedule to ensure their daughters education continues while they also earn an income from teaching classes and tutoring.

"My wife teaches her classes online. I look after our daughter and tutor online at night," said Dredge.

"The school provides materials, which I need to teach or go through with her. Most of the mornings are taken up with her studies."

Despite new restrictions limiting their ability to go outside with their daughter, Dredge and his wife believe that they are among the lucky ones as they are still able to earn an income while ensuring their daughter continues her education.

With the total number of confirmed cases reaching 251 and still climbing slowly in Vietnam, no one is sure when schools will reopen or when other restrictions will be lifted to allow families to be active outside, but the majority are understanding why the measures are important.

For one family from North America and Asia who have been living in Ho Chi Minh City for over 20 years, it was hard to understand why the schools closed at first since the concept of social distancing was not well explained.

Thankfully, their 16-year old sons school switched over to e-learning quickly, and they have all been able to adapt to the new situation.

"We have been fully supportive of what the Vietnamese government has done and continues to do to protect the people of Vietnam," says the father.

"This is a challenging time for everyone, especially people with younger kids."

With the WHO reporting over 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 around the world, and those numbers continuing to climb along with the total deaths, the efforts of families to adapt to the challenges they face play a big part in not only Vietnam but also the world overcoming this pandemic.

When asked what her family will do if things go on longer than they are currently scheduled to, a mother of two from the UK simply said that they would do what needed to be done to control the spread of the disease.

With both her husband and her working as teachers, the current situation has meant more work for both of them, but she still feels that her children are getting a quality education.

Richard Burrage, a father of three who is originally from the UK, agrees when it comes to the quality of education, but he knows that online classes cannot compare to going to school each day.

"They miss graduation. They miss that we made it feeling. They miss the camaraderie," he says.

"My eldest turned 18 last week, and we had a virtual party on Zoom with extended family back home. Her aunt and cousin made a cake in England and she blew the candles out [virtually] here. She loved it, the extended family loved it, and we are now planning more 'events' to get together," Burrage added.

"Its not how it should be, but it is reality, and they are all grounded enough to get on with life as it is.

Around the world, millions of families are doing just that as they adapt and make the best of an unparalleled situation.

Without a doubt, it can be hard at times, both for the children and the parents, but everyone is looking forward to when the pandemic ends and the whole thing becomes a chapter in every school's history books.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
OTTAWA - Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to form a common front ahead of talks aimed at ending the global oil-price wars.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Tuesday February 4, 2020 in Ottawa. Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to generate a common front ahead of talks by the world's biggest economies aimed at ending the global oil price wars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to form a common front ahead of talks aimed at ending the global oil-price wars.

But Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland refused Wednesday to say whether Canada would consider slapping import duties on oil from Saudi Arabia or Russia if they don't agree to curb production to respond to the drastic drop in demand for oil.

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening such tariffs from his end and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said last week he "would like to pursue concepts like an import tariff on foreign oil that's been dumped into the North American market during the crash in demand."

Kenney also wants a continental energy policy to help North America fight what he says are predatory pricing practices of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.

"Ive begun that discussion with American officials," Kenney told the Alberta legislature April 1.

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is set to talk with the energy secretaries in Washington and Mexico City by phone Thursday, a day before G20 energy ministers are to hold virtual talks about oil prices.

Freeland said working with the U.S. is a critical part of Canada's energy plans, because the fossil-fuel sectors in both countries are so intertwined. Freeland however would not support or disavow the idea of tariffs, even as she said "the actions by Russia and Saudi Arabia have had unfortunate consequences on the global oil market."

"I chose my words carefully," Freeland said, when a reporter noted she didn't answer the question about tariffs the first time.

"We are very focused on this issue. It's an important issue for Canada and the world."

While the United States was the origin of almost three-quarters of Canada's oil imports in 2019, Statistics Canada trade data shows Saudi Arabia was No. 2, supplying 15 per cent of imports and Russia was third with three per cent. Canadian refineries brought in more than 37 million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia, valued at more than $3 billion, and 6.5 million barrels from Russia, with a total value of almost $555 million.

Canada's political relationship with each country is fraught with tension even on good days.

World oil prices plummeted in recent weeks, as COVID-19 grounded airplanes, moored cruise ships, closed manufacturing plants and led billions of people to work from home. But instead of agreeing to curb production, Saudi Arabia and Russia increased their supplies. The ensuing glut of oil pushed prices lower than they have been in almost two decades.

In Canada, where Western Canadian Select oil always trades for less than most other oil products, the price of a barrel of oil dipped lower than the price of an expensive latte or beer last week. It's trading for about US$8 a barrel this week.

"The current situation is a real problem for Canada and we are working to find ways to resolve it," said Freeland.

Canada's oil and gas sectors together contribute about seven per cent of Canada's economic activity, with more than 800,000 jobs. Alberta's provincial budget for the year assumed the price of oil would be several times what it is now.

Saudi and Russian envoys were to have talked Monday about the situation, but that didn't happen. The talks, being held remotely because of COVID-19, were rescheduled for Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
People are fleeing Wuhan, China, after the government relaxed its months-long lockdown of the city at the epicentre of the global pandemic. More than 50,000 people have rail tickets to other cities, and flights are resuming from the international airport.

The U.S., U.K. and Italy may see the number of virus-related deaths exceed 5,000 in the coming week, according to a forecast by Imperial College London. Less than 100 fatalities are predicted for Japan.

An infectious diseases expert says the coronavirus likely will be around for two years, and a vaccine likely wont be available in large amounts for 18-24 months.

Hong Kong and Singapore tightened restrictions on public and private gatherings in efforts to limit a potential spike in cases.

The coronavirus likely will be around for at least two years, which means the measures being implemented to curb its spread may be in place for a while, an infectious diseases expert said.

A vaccine likely wont be available in large amounts for another 18-24 months, and countries need to do more frequent testing, Peter Collignon, a professor at the Australian National University Medical School, told Bloomberg.

People also arent likely to travel abroad for at least the next six months as nations try to contain the virus spread, Collignon said. Eradication of the virus is unrealistic, he said.

The debate over whether face masks can help contain the spread of COVID-19 is shifting quickly, with more countries requiring citizens to cover their faces in public.

Indonesia, one of the worlds most populous countries with 264 million people, ordered citizens to wear face masks when they leave the house after predicting as many as 95,000 people could be infected.

Vietnam implemented fines for people who dont wear them, while the Philippines is requiring more than 50 million people on Luzon Island to wear masks or improvised face shields outside. Singapore recently pivoted to say asymptomatic people can wear masks in public, and India issued a manual explaining how to make reusable masks at home.

Still, the World Health Organization says theres no evidence that wearing a mask can prevent healthy people from infection.
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Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | April 8, 2020

Pennsylvania banks are offering customers relief from their mortgages during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Dicks Sporting Goods announces itll be furloughing an unspecified number of employees as trout fishing season begins in earnest. And for one Pennsylvania theater, the show must go on as it gears up for performances on Zoom.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, we like to know what you think of the program.

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Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the fire incident at the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in Abuja.

Recall that some rooms at the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in Abuja popularly known as Treasure House caught fire on Wednesday morning.

Also Read: Omokri Reacts To Fire Outbreak At Accountant Generals Office

Reacting to the incident, Fani-Kayode expressed that the fire at the AGFs office seems suspicious, querying the reason for the fire outbreak.

He wrote:

The Accountant Generals office has been burnt? Sounds very suspicious to me. Is someone trying to cover up something? Time will tell
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Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:32 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a1454 1 National Indonesia,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,health,global-crisis Free

A study by a team from the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Faculty of Social and Political Science in Yogyakarta has asserted that a lack of coordination in the government has exacerbated the impact of COVID-19 in the country.

"The government has shown poor coordination among its institutions both in the central government and on regional levels, causing fragmented responses in dealing with COVID-19. Synergy is a vital part of dealing with the crisis," the team wrote in a policy briefing published on April 1.

The team also pointed out that government officials had regularly given contradictory statements about the outbreak.

"The government never displayed clear policy messages. Mixed messages from government officials became more apparent later on as many gave contradictory statements. This situation leads to an absence of leadership, which is very important in crisis management."

Read also: 'Lockdown would have overwhelmed govt', says COVID-19 task force head

The lack of clear policies, the authors of the study said, had caused misinformation and hoaxes to spread among the public, causing widespread confusion.

"Even some officials from the central government and from regional administrations experienced the confusion."

The study said the government had been slow to take preventative measures in the COVID-19 outbreak, even after the disease had spread to Southeast Asia.

"The government's first mistake in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was ignoring the threat of COVID-19. Several government officials seemed confident that COVID-19 was not a threat to Indonesia, even after the disease had spread to Southeast Asia, which showed just how unprepared we were in facing the pandemic threat."

Read also: Indonesias strategy to combat COVID-19: What we know so far

As of Tuesday, Indonesia had nearly 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 221 deaths.

The study suggested that the government continuously adjust its policies based on scientific evidence and new research on the virus.

"The government should also create an integrated channel for COVID-19 response by involving all stakeholders. In addition to creating unified understanding about government policies, this channel could build public trust in COVID-19 mitigation."

The study further suggested that the government identify regional resources and infrastructure.

"Identification of resources, capacity and infrastructure on the regional level is very urgent. If this is done, every region will be prepared if the outbreak spreads to their areas."
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said it was not the time to criticise the early response to the coronavirus pandemic, after US President Donald Trump attacked the World Health Organisation.

"Once we finally turn the page on this epidemic there must be a time to look back fully ... But now it is not that time," Guterres said, according his spokesman.

"Now is the time for unity, for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After the ill-fated defeat of the Confederate Army at Missionary Ridge on November 23-25, 1863, under the leadership of General Braxton Bragg, the Southern Army lost its last big advantage and made a slow but gradual retreat towards Atlanta.

Bragg had been replaced as commanding officer of the Confederate Army by General Joseph E. Johnston.

After both sides engaged in winter quarters, the South gradually began retreating south pursued by Union Major General William T. Sherman, who continuously attempted to outflank Johnstons Army in a series of skirmishes in northwest Georgia.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain took place on June 27 and was the most significant frontal assault between the two competing armies.

After two months of using flanking movements against the Rebels which resulted in only minimal casualties on each side, Sherman began his large-scale frontal assault.

Generals James B. McPherson, John A. Logan and George H. Thomas attacked on several fronts but sustained heavy casualties. However, General John M. Schofield was successful in threatening the Confederate armys left flank which resulted in the Confederates making another retreat towards Atlanta.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain had been preceded by several encounters designed for the North to take over control of the two principal Southern cities of Richmond and Atlanta by destroying the armies defending them.

On June 14, Sherman spied a group of Confederate officers on Pine Mountain and ordered his artillery batteries to open fire. One of the casualties was Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk who was an Episcopal Bishop and one of the founders of the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. Polk was nicknamed the Fighting Bishop, although this descriptive title overstated his ability as a military officer. However, Johnston withdrew his troops from Pine Mountain and established military lines in an arc-shaped defensive position between Kennesaw Mountain and little Kennesaw Mountain.

The lay of the land and the heavily entrenched Confederates prevented further southern advance by Shermans troops.

A stalemate took place with the Union forces being stilled about 15 miles north of Atlanta.

Sherman decided to use the same strategy that had worked successfully at Missionary Ridge by ordering Schofield to attack on the right and McPherson on the left at the northern outskirts of Marietta and the northeastern end of Kennesaw Mountain.

General Thomas army would then attack the center of the weak Confederate lines.

At 8:00 a.m. on June 27, the Union artillery barrage of over 200 cannons bombarded the enemys lines with the Rebel artillery responding likewise.

For five days, the opposing armies fought in deadly combat, but on July 2, Sherman initiated a flanking movement on the left and Johnston was forced to retreat from the mountain to set up new positions outside Smyrna.

On July 17, Johnston was released of command and replaced by the overly aggressive John Bell Hood.

After other skirmishes at Peachtree Creek, Atlanta Ezra Church and Jonesboro on September 1, Hoods unsuccessful tactics resulted in Atlanta being evacuated.

Sherman proudly proclaimed the victory and Abraham Lincoln was able to interject the favorable result in his re-election campaign in the fall of 1864.

The battlefield is now part of Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park where one of the lesser known but highly significant contests of the Civil War took place.
The Ethiopian authorities must immediately release two journalists from the Oromia News Network and three Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) officials who remain in custody a week after charges against them were dropped, said Amnesty International today.

The five had been charged with taking a photo at the Burayu police station and for traffic offences relating to an incident where a vehicle rammed into the back of a police car.

Their release was ordered last Tuesday (31 March) after the case prosecutor stated that none of the alleged acts were crimes under the country's criminal law.

The police however continue to detain the individuals claiming there were irregularities with the names on their identification documents. They have not presented the five in court with any new charges.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa, said:

"The Ethiopian authorities continue to detain five people long after the court ordered their release. The authorities must desist from this intimidation, harassment and arbitrary detention and immediately and unconditionally release these five individuals."

The detained are:

Batir Filae, OLF Central Committee member

Gadaa Gabisa, OLF political officer

Bilisuma Ararsa, OLF member

Desu Dula, the Vice Director of the Oromia News Network (OMN)

Wako Nole, journalist at OMN
OTTAWAThe Liberal governments latest COVID-19 emergency legislation could make it easier for more people to benefit from a wage subsidy thats designed to keep workers on the payroll of companies hurt by the pandemic downturn.

According to a draft of the bill obtained by the Star, Ottawa is now willing to cover the majority of wages for businesses that lost 15 per cent of their revenue in March, instead of the steeper 30 per cent the government had proposed earlier.

But businesses still need to attest to the sharper 30 per cent drop in revenue to get the subsidy in April and May, compared with the same months one year earlier, the draft bill says.

The draft also includes new flexibility by allowing certain businesses to use January and February as the reference point for their falling revenue.

Groups like the Council of Canadian Innovators have argued the one-year reference is not appropriate for companies like tech startups and some smaller businesses that have fluctuating revenue that sometimes isnt tracked on a monthly basis.

Despite the changes, the council expressed disappointment that the proposed legislation doesnt include broader criteria so more businesses can get the support.

We preferred that Canada omit the revenue test like the UK and U.S. have done, which would support more domestic high-growth companies, the councils executive director, Ben Bergen, said in an emailed statement Monday.

We still need more targeted measures to help Canadas tech sector weather the current storm and capitalize on the rebound thereafter, he said.

The draft bill would allow Ottawa to cover up to 75 per cent of the wage costs for eligible businesses and charities, based on the average weekly wages paid from Jan. 1 to March 15 of this year.

The government has estimated the measure as originally proposed would cost about $71 billion.

After receiving the draft legislation Monday night, opposition parties said their members were poring over it as representatives negotiated with the Liberal minority government about recalling Parliament to pass the bill in its second emergency session in just two weeks.

Speaking outside Rideau Cottage for his daily exchange with reporters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he hoped the legislation would quickly pass through Parliament so businesses that have lost revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic will get money to keep workers on the payroll.

A lot of work has been done since we announced our plan to subsidize wages. We continue to rely on your input and feedback as we refine it, and well have more details to share very soon, Trudeau said.

Simon Ross, press secretary to Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez, said the minority Liberals are open to working with parties to make sure there is the unanimous consent required to rush the legislation through as soon as possible.

The government is ready to collaborate, Ross said. Canadians need help right now; they need us to set politics aside.

Peter Julian, an NDP MP from British Columbia and the partys House Leader, said the New Democrats are carefully looking at the proposed bill after the Liberal governments first emergency legislation  passed unanimously in the House of Commons on March 25  contained a number of unacceptable poison pills.

Those included measures that would have given the Liberal minority special powers to tax and spend without parliamentary approval until the end of 2021. After opposition parties balked, the government agreed to limit its special powers to spending and borrowing, with a sunset clause that takes effect the end of September 2020.

That bill also created the Canada Emergency Response Benefit that will pay $2,000 per month to people who lost work because of the pandemic.

This time around, Julian said the NDP is looking to make sure the wage subsidy legislation does what Trudeau and his ministers promised it would: support businesses hit hard by the pandemic. The NDP has called for the government to drop the revenue-loss requirement for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, and for the government to do everything it can to speed up applications to get the money out quickly.

On top of that, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wrote to Trudeau on Tuesday, urging him to change the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during the upcoming session of Parliament so people working fewer hours can receive it. Singh also wants the government to make sure essential workers get at least $15 an hour, along with a 20 per cent bump in danger pay for working through the pandemic.

Trudeau committed Monday to expand the benefit for people with reduced hours or who are still working but earn less money than the benefit will pay.

This crisis has too profound an economic impact on people, so we cant leave gaping holes in benefits that really should be providing as much as possible to Canadians right across the country, Julian told the Star by phone Tuesday.

We want to make sure people get the help as quickly as possible, and I think with goodwill on all sides these are not problems that cant be overcome, he said.

Conservative MP Candice Bergen, the partys House Leader, told the Star that the goal is to get money directly to Canadian businesses as soon as possible. Her party also wants the government to agree to weekly sessions in the House of Commons with reduced numbers of MPs, so the Opposition can question Trudeau and his cabinet about their response to the pandemic.

Like Julian, Bergen said its too soon to say when the House will be recalled to deal with the wage subsidy bill. She said it will be up to the government to show it is open to working with other parties to earn their support for the bill.

We are not going in there saying: our way or the highway, she said. Were there for more than just rubber-stamping their legislation.

We want to be able to see small businesses supported directly and the money get to people immediately.

With files from Heather Scoffield
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Light snow this morning with clearing this afternoon. High 27F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 25F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Employees who work in group homes and home health care in Connecticut are calling for more protective equipment and better safety protocols, which they say are needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A licensed practical nurse who works at a group home said she was given one surgical mask, which she must reuse for the rest of the week.

We have patients that we do full care, we do everything for them from brushing their teeth, cleaning them, getting them up, dressing them. Were always in close proximity to them, said the nurse, who requested for her name to be withheld.

Working with multiple patients throughout the day and over a week, she worries about the disease passing between them, or about infecting her own family members.

Department of Developmental Services employees and home health care workers shared similar stories Tuesday on a conference call with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, describing their fear of catching the virus or passing it to others.

Every day, were getting up, going to take care of our consumers and praying, said Lynnette Dockery, a home health care worker in Meriden.

The employees say that while the focus has been on ensuring hospital employees have access to limited amounts of personal protective equipment (PPE), long-term care workers are in need of the protection, too.

Health care workers are on the front lines and are stepping up to serve our patients and our communities during a crisis that we have never seen in our lifetimes, SEIU Healthcare 1199NE members said in a recent petition to DDS Commissioner Jordan Scheff and Gov. Ned Lamont. The union represents more than 19,000 workers in Connecticut, including state employees, private hospital workers and nursing home staff.

But we do not have the protective equipment and supplies that we need to protect ourselves, our residents, our families, and our communities. We need DDS to take decisive action in securing and distributing the lifesaving PPE we need to do our jobs, the union said in the petition. They called for access to N95 masks for workers caring for patients with COVID-19, surgical or procedural masks for all workers and regular updates from the department on its PPE supplies.

The department said Wednesday that 55 individuals in public and private group homes and DDS centers, which all serve people with intellectual disabilities, have tested positive for the coronavirus. That includes 10 people at the Northwest Regional Center in Torrington, six at the Hartford Regional Center in Newington, five at the Southbury Training School and one at the Lower Fairfield Regional Center in Norwalk. The remaining 33 are residents of homes run by private providers in the state.

Twenty-eight DDS staff have tested positive, more than half of whom work at the Torrington center. The state does not have data on the number of private provider employees who have tested positive.

The department said in a statement that it is consulting with the state Department of Public Health and following CDC guidelines for PPE.

To this end, all DDS public (state-run) group homes have access to PPE and continue to follow the protocols in terms of PPE utilization set forth by DPH and CDC, Communications Director Krista Ostaszewski said. Request forms for PPE and protocol for employees were added to the departments website Monday; those guidelines indicate that masks can be used for a up to a week and should be stored in a paper bag between uses, or that cloth masks or bandannas may be used if masks are not available.

Lamont said Tuesday that were at the front of the line for the equipment thats going to allow us to sanitize PPE, and that N95 masks are coming in on a daily basis, but its coming in at a trickle.

SEIU 1199NEs petition is one of several petitions the union has brought in recent weeks in an effort to increase protections and bolster safety protocols for its employees. In addition to insufficient protective equipment, employees said movement within and across different DDS locations could contribute to spreading the virus.

DDS temporarily closed two group homes and moved eight residents, the agency said.

The temporary transfer was a necessary step to mitigate staffing shortages experienced in these homes because of the current pandemic and avoid pulling staff from other homes and risking cross contamination, Ostaszewski said. DDS does not make residential transfer decisions lightly, however in this extraordinarily challenging time, the decision was a necessary step to maintain health and safety standards for the individuals we support.

Those residents were moved from eastern Connecticut to Middletown and Cromwell, the nurse said. The same employees who worked to move those clients to new locations then returned to work in different group homes due to the closure, spurring concerns that they could be spreading the virus.

Nurses are no longer allowed to work overtime in group homes outside their assigned setting, she said. However, some mandatory staffing is still resulting in employees moving from home to home.

Its a total mismatch and mismanagement, really, of what were trying to do here, the employee said.

When asked last week if employees are working in multiple settings and what precautions it is taking in those cases, the department did not answer, other than to say the department was working to make sure all safety measures are in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Asked again on Tuesday, Ostaszewski said DDS staff are not working at multiple public homes at this time.

The union is also seeking comprehensive emergency protocols and updated medical guidance, including information about expedited testing for residents and health care workers, protocol for confirmed and suspected cases, staffing contingency plans and more training.

My biggest concern is that health care workers are not being tested, Seth Winkleman, a registered nurse working at the DDS Center in Torrington, told Blumenthal on the conference call. Were sending nurses, our front line nurses, out into the community. We could be passing on this dangerous COVID disease to people who are severely immuno-compromised.

He was recently transferred from the Newington Center due to a severe shortage in Torrington, which he described as completely decimated by the pandemic.

Winkleman said nurses working in DDS settings and home health care should have access to alternative housing so they can continue to work without risking infecting their own families.

For DDS employees, home health care workers and nursing home staff, the fear of spreading the virus looms very large in their mind, said Pedro Zayas, a spokesman for SEIU 1199NE. Its not just, Am I going to get sick? Is my family going to get sick, is my resident going to get sick, and whos going to take care of them? he said.

Home health care workers dont have regular sick days, and many who live paycheck to paycheck, or a paycheck behind, would face large bills if they got sick, couldnt work and needed treatment themselves.

All these things are things were trying to clarify with every employer and with the state, so that workers can keep showing up, protect their patients, stay healthy and get through this critical situation, Zayas said.

Liz.Teitz@hearstmediact.com
T he Evening Standards Food For London Now appeal today reached its initial target of raising 1 million for The Felix Project  to fund the supply of food to children, the poor, the NHS and vulnerable Londoners.

We surged over the line with a 50,000 donation from Citi bank and 25,000 from Lush cosmetics founders Mark and Mo Constantine, as well as a rise in reader donations to more than 50,000.

It has taken just 12 days since the launch of our appeal to get to 1 million, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of all of you, our donor companies, foundations, philanthropists and more than 650 members of the public.

But with almost a million people applying for universal credit in the past week, this is just the beginning of what is needed to keep this pan-London humanitarian effort going.

Twelve days ago I wrote to ask for your help in the face of the greatest challenge of our collective lifetime  and you responded magnificently

Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev said: Twelve days ago I wrote to ask for your help in the face of the greatest challenge of our collective lifetime  and you responded magnificently. The 1 million you have donated will help us help The Felix Project feed NHS workers, care workers, the poor and the vulnerable. Thank you London.

But I have to report that I have been out delivering food with Felix today and they are seeing unprecedented demand from people who cannot afford or access food.

Gratefully received: Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev making a delivery for The Felix Project () / Hannah Harley Young

I went to two homeless charities, The Marylebone Project and Rhythms of Life, where our deliveries are preventing deep distress. I accompanied one of 22 Felix vans that set off across the capital, filled to the brim, to ferry over 20 tonnes of nutritious food to three of the giant community hubs established in Barnet, Islington and Haringey, and to more than 75 charities and schools. Thats more than double the 10 tonnes a day Felix were supplying in normal times.

Mr Lebedev added: Within days, this picture is set to change dramatically yet again. Felix say they expect another 11 community hubs in another 11 boroughs to open their doors to hungry Londoners  and with it Felixs output will need to double again.

That is why we at the Standard are committing our resources to raise another million pounds to prevent food insecurity to people already anxious about their health and that of loved ones. That is why we say: 1 million raised, 1 million to go. Lets finish the job and keep vulnerable Londoners healthy and fed.

The deliveries are part of our food appeals support for the charities in the London Homeless Collective, the umbrella organisation of London homeless charities that the Evening Standard is working with through our Homeless Fund. Felix is delivering to other homeless organisations, as well as The Marylebone Project, including Centrepoint.

Des Scott, CEO of the Church Army, which runs The Marylebone Project and provides 112 beds to homeless women under the Edgware flyover, said: Being able to get fresh vegetables is one of the key things we can do to keep these women healthy.

Andrew Faris, who founded Rhythms Of Life in 2008 after living rough on a bench at the back of The Savoy hotel when his estate management company went bankrupt, said the Felix delivery to his charity in Kings Cross would be used to feed rough sleepers.

Every night we go out to Charing Cross with food parcels and serve 100 people as we always have done. The only difference is that now I stand with my megaphone and shout, guys, please, two metres apart, youre still going to get served, two metres apart, please.

James Bardrick, head of Citi UK, said their donation to Food For London Now comprised a combination of company money and an (as yet unknown) aggregation of employee donations which could conceivably exceed the 50,000 minimum pledged by the bank.

He added: Our employees want to support those struggling. We supported The Felix Project when they started in 2016. Never has what they do been more important.

Lush co-founder Mark Constantine said: We are delighted to support this extraordinary appeal. In such chaotic times, it is a relief to help out and see food get to people who need it most.

Donate at virginmoneygiving.com/fund/FoodforLondonNOW
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's former chief believes that if New York would have acted sooner, the estimated death toll from the coronavirus pandemic could have been drastically reduced.

In New York, which is currently the epicenter for the virus in the US, the total death toll sits at 6,268 - more than double the number of people who died in 9/11.

The total number of infections is 149,316 - an increase of 10,480 from the number New York Gov Andrew Cuomo gave Tuesday morning. It marks a larger increase than in previous days, when there were fewer than 9,000 new cases.

On Wednesday, the CDC's former head, Dr Thomas R Frieden, told The New York Times that had the state put out widespread social-distancing measures at least a week earlier, the estimated death toll may have been reduced by 50 to 80 per cent.

On Wednesday, the CDC's former head, Dr Thomas R Frieden (pictured), said that had New York put out widespread social-distancing measures at least a week earlier, the estimated death toll may have been reduced by 50 to 80 per cent

While the number of cases in New York per day have been declining more than 779 people died between Tuesday and Wednesday

There are more than 422,000 cases in the US with the majority coming out of New York state

'Flu was coming down, and then you saw this new ominous spike. And it was Covid. And it was spreading widely in New York City before anyone knew it,' Frieden said.

'You have to move really fast. Hours and days. Not weeks. Once it gets a head of steam, there is no way to stop it,' he added.

But California was actually the first state to mandate such measures on March 19 that included locking down the state and closing schools and restaurants and bars, limiting them to only takeout and delivery options.

When California Gov Gavin Newsom gave the order, the state had 675 confirmed cases.

On that same day, March 19, New York state had more than 4,100.

New York City shutdown schools on March 16 despite Mayor Bill de Blasio being reluctant to do so.

He then announced the shutdown of restaurants and bars that went into effect on March 16 at 8pm.

But the state didn't issue a stay-at-home order until March 22.

The Times also revealed that as early as March 12, New York City's health commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot warned officials that up to 70 per cent of the citys population could eventually get infected.

De Blasio and Cuomo have pushed back against such claims, telling the Times that that facts about the virus and its spread are ever-evolving.

It was revealed that as early as March 12, New York City's health commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot warned officials that up to 70 per cent of the citys population could eventually get infected. But Mayor de Blasio (right) and Gov Cuomo (left) have pushed back against such claims

The Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center employees transport deceased patients to refrigerated trucks on Wednesday in Brooklyn

Paramedics transport a patient to the Emergency room at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, in Brooklyn on Wednesday

But New York City eventually became the epicenter following the state's shelter-in-place order.

The city was forced to bring in the US Navy's hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, which initially took non-coronavirus patients.

This week, the ship began accepting patients suffering from the virus.

Across other parts of the Big Apple, the Javits Center and Central Park have been turned into field hospitals for the sick.

On Wednesday, Cuomo ordered flags around the state to fly at half-mast in honor of those who have died from COVID-19 after recording the state's deadliest 24 hours which claimed 779 lives.

Cuomo, speaking at his daily briefing in Albany, said there was a 'mix' of emotions that came with the fact New York has flattened the curve of new infections and new hospitalizations while the death toll keeps ticking up.

It will continue to rise, he said, as more people who entered the hospital 10 days ago or two weeks ago and who needed ventilators, fail to recover.

Cuomo said, however, that the rate of hospitalizations is down and continues to decrease which shows social distancing is working.

He however said the state was 'by no means out of the woods', and that now was the time to be 'more vigilant'.

'What we have done and what we are doing is actually working and it's making a difference. We took dramatic actions in this state. It is working,' he said.
Odisha Government on



Wednesday sealed the posh Satya Nagar area in the state capital and declared the locality as a "containment zone" after a person without any recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official said.

An order issued by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the positive case of COVID-19 detected in Satya Nagar area had no recent travel history neither to any other country nor to any part of India.

To contain any possible spread of COVID-19, it is necessary to make the affected area as a containment zone and to restrict public from entering into and going out of the zone, the order issued by BMC Commissioner P C Chaudhary said.

All the inhabitants within the containment zone shall strictly remain in home and all the shopping establishments be closed immediately, the order said.

The supply of essential commodities and medicines will be ensured through various teams formed by the BMC. The civic body will supply essentials and ensure medical requirements in the containment zone and inhabitants can call Helpline No 1929 for any complaints.

All government and private institutions located within the boundary of the containment zone would also remain shut forthwith.

No detail information about the Satya Nagar patient was immediately available.

Some other areas of Bhubaneswar like Surya Nagar, Bomikhal, Sundarpada, Jadupur and Begunia have already been sealed and declared as containment zones following COVID-19 cases being confirmed in the localities.

Following declaration of Satya Nagar as a containment zone, steps are being taken to sanitise and disinfect the entire area.

Similarly, all the entry and exit points of the area are being sealed by putting barricades. The area will be sanitized and it will be ensured that availability of the basic services are not affected, while all those who have come in contact with the patient and his family members have been advised to observe 14-day home quarantine, said an official.

A team of doctors will undertake door-to-door visits in the area and check health related issue of the residents on daily basis and samples of those showing symptoms will be sent for COVID-19 test, he said.

While Odisha has reported 42 COVID-19 positive cases till Tuesday, 34 of the patients were detected from Bhubaneswar alone, virtually making it a coronavirus hotspot in the state. While a 72-year-old man has died due to COVID-19 in the state capital, two corona positive patients have in the meantime been cured and discharged from hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Darren Criss and wife Mia Swier took a walk around their Los Feliz, Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday during a break from self-isolation due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic.

The 33-year-old actor and his wife, 34, both chose to over their nose and mouths with graphic bandanas following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines asking residents to wear masks in public.

Los Angeles has been on a state of lockdown for weeks, as the virus continues to rage across the country, with all non-essential businesses closed.

Isolation break: Darren Criss and wife Mia Swier took a walk around their Los Feliz, Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday during a break from self-isolation due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic

The Glee actor wore light brown slacks, with a New York tee under a maroon blazer.

He paired it with grey New Balance sneakers, red lens sunglasses, and a yellow Michigan cap, though he also carried an umbrella as LA was facing rain storms.

While Mia opted for a more matching outfit, wearing tight black leggings, a long black coat and black Doctor Marten boots.

For some color she wore a black top with a white and green graphic design, as she also opted for large black shades.

Covered: The 33-year-old actor and his wife, 34, both chose to over their nose and mouths with graphic bandanas following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines asking residents to wear masks in public

Darren opted for a multicolored bandana while Mia's was a black and white pattern.

The San Francisco native and Mia, 34, got married in February 2019 after announcing their engagement in January 2018.

Last week, the first look at Darren's new project with Ryan Murphy, Hollywood, a limited Netflix series releasing May 1.

Hollywood follows a collection of aspiring actors and filmmakers as they try to make it in a post-World War II Los Angeles.

First look: Last week, the first look at Darren's new project with Ryan Murphy, Hollywood, a limited Netflix series releasing May 1

Exciting: He will star alongside Laura Harrier, Holland Taylor, Jim Parsons and Patti LuPone, among others in the vintage ensembles for the period show

Darren and Ryan previously teamed up on Glee and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. The actor will star in and co-produce Hollywood.

The series will highlight important issues such as discrimination towards race, gender and sexuality.

He will star alongside Laura Harrier, Holland Taylor, Jim Parsons and Patti LuPone, among others in the vintage ensembles for the period show.

In the show stills, it sees the star, who plays Raymond, in a 1940s-style uniform as he poses with three other men in matching attire by a gas station.
Stormonts agriculture minister Edwin Poots has said the UK Government will need to step up to help Northern Irelands farming industry.

He pledged to pay close attention to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and warned of the threat of numerous bankruptcies.

Marts for trading have been closed as part of social distancing measures.

The UK Government will need to step up and provide the necessary supportEdwin Poots

Mr Poots gave evidence to a Stormont committee of Assembly members.

He said: The UK Government will need to step up and provide the necessary support.

I am monitoring the situation locally to see what can be done and working with ministerial colleagues.

He said supermarkets needed to back local farmers and buy their excellent produce.

If we are not going to have numerous bankruptcies and people unable to conduct their business then we need to respond to it and respond to it quickly.
MBABANE  The effects of the coronavirus outbreak are being greatly felt by the public transport industry.



Apart from having their salaries cut by 30 per cent last month, public transport drivers have also had their breakfast and lunch allowances suspended.The drivers are also anticipating the worst as their salaries could be cut by a further 50 per cent should the situation brought about by the outbreak of the coronavirus persist.



This is because the public transport vehicles are now making lesser trips with a few number of passengers on board as means to practise social distancing in order to fight the spread of the virus.



Commuting



A kombi driver servicing short distances (8km) earns an average salary of E1 600, which is subsidised by extra cash that they make, unofficially, on a daily basis. This is commonly referred to as umdlazi. It ranges from E50 to E200 per day, depending on the commuting activity of each day.

In an interview with a kombi driver operating along the Mbabane-Mahwalala route, Sandile Hlophe, he stated that since the logistics and transport COVID-19 regulations came into effect, they have had to welcome adjustments on their normal financial gains.



Last month a majority of us received E1 000 in salaries and the rest was cut. We have had to make adjustments in our spending to accommodate the situation because it is financially frustrating, he said.

Another kombi driver, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was tough but they had to make do with what they received.



Its better than being at home and doing nothing. Yes, we had to adjust our lifestyles to fit the new pay, which is quite frustrating but we are grateful that we still get something at the end of the month. The challenge is what will happen should the situation persist, he said.

To be in line with the partial lockdown, Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe emphasised that public transport operators shall operate from 5am to 9am (morning peak) and from 3pm to 7pm (afternoon peak). He said no public transport shall operate between 9am to 3pm.



Passengers



The minister also emphasised that transport operators should see to it that passengers observe a one-metre distance apart when boarding and once inside the public transport and he acknowledged that this would mean that the public transport must ferry people at a reduced capacity, specifically nine in a kombi.

However, the number has since been raised to 11 passengers.



He said the carrying capacity for buses shall not be limited to the 20 people per gathering, but shall be guided by the social distancing noted.

To this, Hlophe said they were now making far less from what they usually made. He said their employers usually had an average daily target of E600 to be cashed by the drivers but they were now cashing E300 to E400 depending on the commuting activity.



We were getting E20 for breakfast and E35 for lunch as our daily allowances but we now eat at home or at our houses because we are not making much due to the COVID-19 regulations, he said.



He added that due to the situation, conductors services had been suspended in almost all the kombis because it was not making sense to have a reduced number of passengers and a seat occupied by a conductor at the same time.



He said about 80 per cent of them were at home. Given that there are about 660 public transport vehicles operating in Mbabane alone, this means over 500 conductors are without employment.



A kombi marshal, identified as Xolani also shared similar sentiments. He said on a normal day, he made E130, besides the standard ranking fee of E10 that the public transport operators paid on a daily basis for utilising the bus rank.



He said the transport operators paid him a communion fee of E5 to E10, something that had stopped since the implementation of the regulations.

We are not making extra money anymore and it is hard to get by. Our spending power has been dealt a huge blow because we now rely on the basic salary that we get from the employer, he said.



A public transport operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were left with no choice but to implement the adjustments because the money they were getting was meagre, owing to the regulations.



Loss



A lot of us have opted to park our vehicles because we are making a huge loss. Cutting of the employees salaries is not by choice but one way of mitigating the situation without having to relieve them of their duties, he submitted.

National Road Transport Council (NRTC) Chairperson Sihlangu Nhlabatsi said it was not something they discussed at national level but such matters were between the employer and employee.



When quizzed on how far they had advanced on negotiating for a subsidy from government, Nhlabatsi said they had, through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), forwarded a budget to government on same but they were still waiting for feedback.

He said since Cabinet had a sitting yesterday, they were hopeful that it formed part of their discussions and hopefully they would get feedback soon.
It has been clear for more than 150 years that the free market creates substantial inequality and destruction even in the best of times. But when it comes to a crisis, reliance on the market can cause unimaginable devastation.

Today, in the middle of a coronavirus crisis, the richest countries in the world are claiming wartime powers to direct economic activity, and control markets. They will need to, if we are to have any hope of containing coronavirus, spare millions of lives and prevent complete economic collapse. But sadly, these powers are largely unavailable to developing countries, which have been told for four decades that they do not need any control over their economies, and they cannot afford to build welfare states. Not to worry, international institutions like the International Monetary Fund advised, the market will deliver what you need.

Even in the West, years of austerity combined with market knows best ideology has hollowed out our ability to deal with coronavirus. The US is suffering greatly, not only because of the narcissism of President Donald Trump, but because its market-driven healthcare system, controlled by big business, is the most inefficient in the world. In the richest country on earth, a teenager suffering from COVID-19 died last week after being turned away from a clinic because he did not have insurance.

But for many countries in the world, stripping away the public sector, that bit of our economy which provides safety from the whims of the market, was not a choice. It was imposed ruthlessly from outside. On the back of the third world debt crisis in the 1980s, a crisis fuelled by irresponsible lending by Western banks, the IMF and the World Bank forced structural adjustment policies on dozens of countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

They effectively bailed out the banks, and insisted that the price was going to be paid by further impoverishing the countries concerned, demanding they carry out harsh austerity, sweeping privatisation, and give up on any attempt to manage their economies in the interest of their own people.

These policies created a permanent crisis in many countries, which were unable to build, for instance, the sort of public, universal healthcare systems that you find in the West. Just look at the number of doctors different countries employ, clearly something key in dealing with the coronavirus crisis. The United Kingdom has 28 doctors per 10,000 people. That is actually low for a developed country. Germany has 42, and Denmark has 40. Even relatively rich developing countries have a small fraction of that number: nine doctors per 10,000 people in South Africa, eight in India.

But even that is fairly good compared with real impoverished countries. Take Sierra Leone, which was specifically told by the IMF in the mid-1990s to reduce public sector employees by 28 percent and limit their wages. Community health workers were slashed and today, Sierra Leone has just 0.2 doctors per 10,000 people.

The World Health Organization reckons that at least half the worlds population lacks essential healthcare even in normal times. Oxfam tells us that each day nearly 4,000 people die from tuberculosis, 1,500 are killed by malaria. This is a permanent crisis. When Malis government has three ventilators per million people, how is it supposed to deal with the current pandemic?

The severity of the IMFs policies created so much suffering, were such a disaster even in their own terms, that they were impossible to maintain forever. In recent years, the IMF has come to recognise the importance of health spending, and employed nice-sounding language about poverty reduction. But in reality, little has changed.

Recent figures from the European Network of Debt and Development show 46 low-income countries spending more on debt service than on healthcare, averaging 7.8 percent of GDP on public debt service to 1.8 percent of GDP spent on public healthcare.

Not to worry, the West told these countries. It is true you cannot invest in public services, but that does not matter because the market will provide.

In the last 15 years, there has been a push, with the UK playing a leading role, to use development funds to encourage the private sector to invest in poorer countries. Rather than directly supporting countries to build public services, or to help them collect taxation from the multinational corporations already working there, the idea is to use public money to make the environment more conducive for intentional capital to invest.

Public-private partnerships have proliferated, doing what they do the best, turning public need into long-term income streams for their financiers. The infamous Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Lesotho is an instructive case.

The project was initiated in 2008 to replace Lesothos national hospital and was backed by the World Bank, which said it would cost no more than the old hospital. It ended up consuming more than half of the annual health budget of Lesotho  3 to 4 times the cost of the old hospital  public money siphoned off into the markets.

British aid spending still supports the establishment of private healthcare, despite all the evidence that only public healthcare can solve the permanent health crisis in so many countries.

The people of Lesotho and Sierra Leone are not incapable of running decent healthcare systems. They are not naturally poor. They have been impoverished, first by centuries of empire, and more recently by experiments with free-market ideology.

Healthcare is just one example; damage has been done on various levels in developing countries.

The coronavirus pandemic is no longer simply a health concern and it will wreak devastation on the global economy. The same free-market snake oil which has devastated the public sector, has also left developing country governments without the ability to control their economies as a whole.

They were told they did not need to control finance flowing in and out of their economies because the market would find an equilibrium. They were told not to try to produce essentials, but let goods flow freely, and they would be able to depend on the international market to provide their people with what they need.

Today, that advice is shown to be a lie. Finance has taken flight, back to the West, to be protected by massive state intervention, in countries where such policies are still possible. The price of commodities, on which so many countries were told to depend for their income, has collapsed. Exports and international currency have dried up.

In a particularly telling sign, in late March, the market declared South African bonds to be junk, meaning that while the US and Europe can borrow for free, countries like South Africa will have to pay astronomical rates to obtain the funds they so desperately require.

These countries have been told, again and again, the market will provide. They now get to watch as the very countries that told them these lies, abandon market principles altogether.

So, what do we do? In recent days loud calls have been heard, to apply the same type of stimulus packages we have seen in the West to the developing world. African leaders have called for $100bn of financial stimulus and debt cancellation, which must be free of the normal free market strings.

UNCTAD has called for a $2.5 trillion stimulus package and the reintroduction of capital controls to give developing countries the power to intervene to control the money markets. Oxfam has called for $160bn in debt cancellation, 10 million paid positions for health workers, and the nationalisation of private health facilities, as we have seen in Spain.

There have also been calls for a special corona wealth tax to raise funds from those who will profit despite  or because of  the crisis, and a special issue of IMF currency to be given free to countries to support their economies.

These calls are right, and every effort must be made to secure this unprecedented funding. But this cannot be a one-off, temporary answer to coronavirus. If we are to not only contain the spread of COVID-19, but undermine the permanent crisis which afflicts so many countries, we need these policies to effect a revolution. Developing countries must be able to invest in permanent public welfare provision  healthcare, education, safety nets  and to pay for them through taxation, if they are ever to eradicate poverty. They need to be able to exercise control over their economies if they are to have a hope of making those economies work for their own people.

This is a tall order. It requires enormous intentional cooperation and reform which we have not seen since the post-war settlement in 1945. True, there is already money on the table, but it is nowhere close to the levels required. And with certain world leaders more interested in whipping up racism and xenophobia than getting a grip on the crisis, even basic diplomacy is a challenge.

But that does not mean there is no hope. For a start, coronavirus has shown us that, although the disease will affect us very differently, we cannot entirely insulate ourselves from the injustices of the world we live in. Allowing contagion to go unchecked across the most impoverished countries is not only repellent; it will prevent us from containing this disease everywhere. To some degree, the virus shows that we are only as safe as the most vulnerable members of our society.

Second, the hypocrisy in the global economy has never been as stark as this before. When developing countries see that rich counties could not give a damn about market principles when their own societies are challenged, there is every chance that we can effect a permanent change in the mindset of people everywhere.

And we have to. Because coronavirus was an accident waiting to happen. It will not be the last pandemic, maybe not even the worst, and our ability to deal with these vulnerabilities are directly related to a short-term economic logic which prioritises profit ahead of the public good.

In fact, the climate emergency risks far more lives than coronavirus. The market cannot solve that problem either, it only makes it worse. So for the good of all humanity, we have to see coronavirus as a wake-up call. The market will not save us.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Ministry of High Tech Industry will soon offer grant program opportunities to tech companies and engineers who are furloughed amid the state of emergency lockdown over the coronavirus crisis, Minister Hakob Arshakyan said at a news conference.

Our grant programs will be continuous. There are now some opportunities for tech companies, for those who are rendering services. Thanks to the grants they will also have the opportunity to make investments in the direction of developing and selling some products. Due to the coronavirus, companies or employees depending on the market conditions may be temporarily furloughed. I think this is a good opportunity for them to apply for the grants that we will soon announce. And laid off engineers will have the chance to start developing products, he said.

He said the government has allocated around 930,000,000 drams for the grants in 2020.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
New York state marked a grim milestone Monday, with 731 deaths from COVID-19 recorded. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters the next day that this made Monday the deadliest day yet in the coronavirus pandemic for the state, coming after two days of fewer than 600 deaths.

By the time Cuomo made his announcement, deaths in New York City alone had surpassed the 2,977 killed on 9/11, and as of this writing 4,009 New Yorkers have died from the pandemic. Tuesday saw 727 deaths alone, the worst day so far for the largest city in the US.

As of this writing, New York state has 138,836 confirmed cases, more than any country except Spain and the United States as a whole. Of these cases, 76,876 are in New York City, with substantial cases in the surrounding counties, including Long Islands Nassau (16,610) and Suffolk (14,517) counties and Westchester County (14,804), just north of the city.

Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Erie counties all have over 1,000 cases, and Monroe County, which includes the economically devastated city of Rochester, has a major cluster of 596 cases.

The neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut have 44,416 cases and 7,781 cases, respectively. More than 1,000 people died in the three states combined on Monday.

All of these figures, both the cases as well as the fatalities, must be considered substantial underestimates. In particular, people dying in their homes, rather than in a hospital, has seen a huge surge from the same time last year.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has said that 200 New York City residents are dying at home each day, comparable to the daily average in hospitals last week, whereas only 20-25 people would die at home on a typical day before the pandemic.

While a huge portion of these deaths are reported to the citys health department as probable COVID-19 deaths, those who have died at home are not tested and, if there was not a pending test from before they died that comes back positive, are not reported as official COVID-19 deaths. Even New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admits that the vast majority of these deaths are likely due to the coronavirus.

While Cuomo and de Blasio have sounded cautiously optimistic notes about a slight decrease in hospitalization rates over a couple days, the sudden spike in deaths at home and in hospitals makes clear that the apex has not been reached in New York.

The working-class boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx have the highest numbers of known cases, with Queens and the Bronx having the highest rates of infection. Bronx residents, however, had a disproportionate fatality rate, likely due to significant higher rates of asthma and other preexisting conditions associated with poverty that make it much harder to survive COVID-19.

In particular, air pollution appears to play a significant role in lowering individuals ability to fight off the coronavirus, with a Harvard study recently submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine for review finding that long-term exposure to just one microgram per cubic meter of particulate matter in air pollution increased the chance of dying from coronavirus by 15 percent.

While some city council members, the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders and pseudo-left organizations have portrayed the high fatality rate in the Bronx and elsewhere as principally a racial issue, poverty is at the root of disproportionate death tolls among minority groups.

The situation has deteriorated to the point that the US military is sending hundreds of medical personnel to New York City, after both Cuomo and de Blasio pleaded with the federal government to send troops.

In addition to the approximately 600 personnel already in New York, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the press on April 5 that the military would send 1,100 more doctors, nurses and medical aides, with hundreds working in understaffed hospitals and the majority taking over the Javits Convention Center, which has been repurposed into a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients.

Esper proclaimed: We will soon be taking over the Javits Centera 2,500-bed capacityto show you how all-in we are. The United States military will soon be running the largest hospital in the United States.

The other much-touted military effort, the deployment of the US Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, has proven to be a cruel farce. When originally announced, the ship was under repair. After arriving in New York Harbor last week, the ship, with an official capacity of 1,000 beds, treated about 20 non-COVID-19 patients at first. Then, after patients with COVID-19 were unintentionally brought on board, the military announced that the ship would be converted to treat COVID-19 patients, but with a reduced capacity of 500 beds.

A crew member has tested positive for the disease, and likely contracted it in Virginia before the Comfort deployed to New York, according to the Navy.

The turn toward the military, while at least for now ostensibly requesting purely medical assistance, has ominous implications for democratic rights in the epicenter of the pandemic. The New York City Police Department has begun arresting people because they allegedly failed to maintain social distancing. For the crime of allegedly gathering in crowds during a pandemic, the NYPD throws violators into a crowded jail cell with dozens of other people and no soap or water.

Cuomo has demanded that the police do more, fuming, The NYPD has to get more aggressive, period.

Not to be outdone, the erstwhile progressive de Blasio has asked New Yorkers to snitch on each other and call a non-emergency line to summon law enforcement if they see a lack of social distancing, presumably so their neighbors can also be confined to crowded and unsanitary jail cells.

Earlier this week, city officials reported that part of the citys pandemic plan, if morgues, temporary morgues and mass graves on Hart Island became overwhelmed, was to create temporary graves in a public park. Councilman Mark Levine, who originally tweeted this, noted that it would be tough for [New Yorkers] to take.

No doubt concerned about a social explosion, de Blasio was quick to say, There will never, ever be anything like mass graves or mass internment in New York City ever. Levine clarified that the plan was for if New Yorkers continue to die at an increasing rate such that Rikers Island prisoners are unable to bury them quickly enough on Hart Island, traditionally the citys site for unclaimed bodies.

Despite the growing number of infections and deaths, Cuomo has sought to reassure the population that, as yet, the capacity of the health care system to treat patients had not been overwhelmed and no one had died for lack of care. Yesterday he claimed: I dont believe weve lost a single person because we couldnt provide care. People we lost we couldnt save despite our best efforts.

This is, bluntly, false, and Cuomo almost certainly knows it. Despite the heroic efforts of medical workers, the health care system in New York is clearly overwhelmed and people are dying of COVID-19 and other illnesses who would not have died had the system had greater capacityto say nothing of if containment measures were implemented earlier.

A physician in the Bronx recently relayed to the World Socialist Web Site that the emergency department at his hospital is full of patients. Sometimes we cant get to them, and they die there. I dont know how many have died.

Non-COVID-19 patients are also dying due to the pandemic. Paramedics and EMTs are no longer bringing to the hospital patients who have suffered cardiac arrest if their heartbeat cant be restored in the field, because hospitals and medical personnel are working beyond capacity.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University said that deaths because of reduced care for other non-COVID diseases, including chronic conditions, should be somehow tallied as were looking at the death toll of COVID.

With little end in sight to the pandemic, Cuomo has extended until the end of April statewide measures to shutter nonessential businesses and enforce social distancing. No less than US President Donald Trump, however, Cuomo is anxious to restart the economy.

Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, all Democrats, have announced that they are looking to restart the tristate regions economy as soon as possible.

Youre not going to end the infection, end the virus, before you start restarting life. I dont think we have that luxury, Cuomo has said. While the governors are more cautious than Trump, they are clearly motivated by economic concerns, not public health. Cuomo has repeatedly raised letting young people back to work early, or relying on an antibody test which will soon be implemented, even though it is not yet clear if antibodies will provide immunity or, if so, for how long.

Politico, reporting on the governors plan, noted: Some public health experts have reservations about that approach, citing the difficulty in separating young people who may be exposed if they return to work from their elderly relatives or those with underlying conditions. Priority for an antibody test should be given to health care and other frontline workers, they suggested.
[April 08, 2020]

CIBC accepting applications for the new Canada Emergency Business Account starting April 9

Online process helps small business owners to access new loan program

TORONTO, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) today announced its fully digital application process will open April 9 for eligible clients seeking access to the new Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), a federal government $25 billion loan program for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.

Business owners whose primary bank is CIBC may file an application through CIBC Online Banking for Business if they are currently registered to bank online. Upon approval, clients will receive a confirmation email from CIBC, and the $40,000 loan will be deposited into their existing CIBC Business Operating Account. The entire process is expected to take up to five business days from the date of submission.







"In our conversations with small business owners over the last week, it's clear that there is an urgent need for this new source of funding, and we're ready to take applications to help clients access the Canada Emergency Business Account quickly," said Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Senior Executive Vice-President and Group Head, Personal and Business Banking. "Every entrepreneur who banks with us wants to see their business through this challenging time so they can focus on their ambitions for growth, and we're standing with them to manage through the current environment."

Since launching a dedicated small business support centre amid COVID-19, thousands of business owners have already contacted CIBC to have loan payments deferred and receive advice on managing their short-term cash flow.

If you have questions about the application process and loan details, please visit the CIBC Canada Emergency Business Account FAQs page.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 10 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada, in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html.

SOURCE CIBC
A railway officer in Nagpur was



pleasantly surprised when Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called him on phone and appreciated him for facilitating reach of essential items to people affected by the lockdown.

Khushroo Poacha, the office superintendent in the Central Railway's commercial department here,despatched 540 'grocery kits' in a truck for farmers and their widows in Vidarbha region to help them for next 10 to 12 days.

Poacha has also been providing raw material to community kitchens involved in preparing food for people affected by the lockdown.

"I work with the Indian Railways, but I started doing social work 20 years back by providing blood (through donors) to people in need across the country. Five years back, I started a 'Seva Kitchen' which feeds the needy in hospitals," Poacha said.

He has also helped in installing refrigerators in 21 hospitals and schools across the country.

Taking note of Poacha's social work, Thackeray called him on phone on Tuesday to appreciate his work and assured him of all assistance from the government.

The activist said he explained to the chief minister how he is able to manage the social work without taking any money from people.

"We have a list of donors who have pledged to provide these refrigerators and they transfer the money to the distributor who installs these machines wherever needed," he said.

Poacha said the chief minister asked him to work with the government and gave best wishes to him and his family.

"Inever felt that I was talking to a politician. It felt like a senior giving a pat on your back for a good job done. What else does one want," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man was hospitalized after a shootout at a Northwest Side apartment complex Wednesday morning, according to San Antonio Police.

A 28-year-old male pulled into his apartment complex, near the 3800 block of Parkdale Drive, just after midnight, when he said he saw at least two suspicious males walking through the parking lot, police said.

The man told police he left his wife and child in the car and went upstairs to get his AR-style rifle from the apartment. After firing a "warning shot," the two males shot at the resident and then fled the scene, SAPD said. The man was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his back, police said. His condition was not given.

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While police were investigating and searching for the shooters, police were called to an apartment complex in the 3600 block of Medical Drive for a car burglary by someone with a gun.

When police arrived at the second location, they spotted a teenage male and a foot chase ensued, police said. The teenager was eventually apprehended. While arresting the first teen, the second teen was spotted by police, leading to a second foot chase, before officers caught and arrested him. Both teenagers had handguns in their possession, police said.

The teenagers, both 16, were arrested on charges of burglary of a vehicle, unlawfully carrying a handgun and evading arrest.

Police said they are still investigating the shooting from the initial incident.
LONDON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DocGovern, a Document Automation Consultancy, opened its doors today to serve clients in the legal, financial, healthcare, and public sectors, as well as other compliance-intensive industries.

Part of NetGovern, a leading Information Governance Solutions provider, DocGovern helps organisations choose, implement, enhance and migrate Document Automation (DA) platforms to improve compliance and streamline complex workflows.

DocGovern is unique among consulting companies as it isn't restricted to just one or two DA platforms. Their client-focused, interdisciplinary approach, which touches all steps of the document production and retention process, including Information Governance, helps organisations in compliance-intensive industries make the right choice, fully based on their needs.

"With over 250 applications on the market, choosing a Document Automation platform is complex to start with," says Gary Lessels, General Manager at DocGovern. "There are so many competing platforms, it's hard to match a solution to your actual needs. When you further complicate the issue by including the need for end-to-end document handling, including identify verification, eSignatures and Information Governance, the choice of a platform can become truly daunting. We're here to help our clients make the right choices, based on their needs and to help them get the most out of their technology investment.

"Our experience has been that organisations looking to adopt a Document Automation platform often get overwhelmed trying to select a platform or migrate to a new platform," observes Gary. "We looked around the market and realised organisations weren't getting the support they needed to make good decisions in a timely way, and reaction to our offering has been very positive."

"This is a strategic venture for us," explains Pierre Chamberland, CEO of NetGovern.

"Information Governance and Document Automation are related aspects of the same challenge. A challenge faced across compliance-intensive industries. The data related solutions a company chooses need to work together to improve the control over data, while at the same time, letting teams focus efficiently on their business objectives. There's a clear need in the market for exactly the kind of services DocGovern will be offering."

For more information visit DocGovern's website - www.docgovern.com

About DocGovern

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in London, with offices in Canada and Germany, DocGovern (a NetGovern Company) is fast becoming a leader in the Document Automation Consultancy space. The founding management team have over 100 years experience in the document automation field. With a focus on the Legal, Financial, HealthCare and Public sectors, DocGovern helps clients in compliance-intensive industries choose, implement and migrate document automation platforms to improve compliance and streamline complex workflows. For more information visit www.docgovern.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/DocGovern

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/docgovern

About NetGovern

NetGovern was founded in 2001 with the idea that information is a precious asset that must be protected. Nineteen years later, NetGovern's information archiving and governance software helps mid-sized organizations solve data compliance, safeguard personal information, simplify eDiscovery and protect their reputation. Our all-in-one solution offers the fastest speed to value, lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) and most secure and far- reaching visibility into sensitive data. Based in Montreal, Canada, we provide a comprehensive suite of solutions to help businesses safeguard, access, and manage all their unstructured data  including email, text, documents, and more. For more information visit www.netgovern.com

Contact Details:

Lorna Campbell - Marketing Director

+44 (0)7702 047 667

[email protected]

SOURCE DocGovern

Related Links

https://www.docgovern.com


More Information

How to get tested for the coronavirus

Who can get tested? Anyone living in Bexar County who shows symptoms of infection by the virus - such as a cough, a fever or shortness of breath - is eligible for testing. A physician's referral is no longer required. Tests are reserved for those showing symptoms.

How to go about it? An appointment is required to get a test. Patients who believe they have symptoms may call 311 and select option 8 or they can visit Metro Health's "self screening" tool at www.sanantonio.gov to complete a short questionnaire. The screening results will indicate if a patient should be tested for COVID-19. If the online tool determines a test is necessary, the patient can call 210-233-5970 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week to register.

When and where? The San Antonio Pre-Approved Testing Center is conducting tests seven days a week at Freeman Coliseum next to the AT&T Center. The testing center's operating hours are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are required. Some private medical providers also are offering tests.

What does it cost? The COVID-19 test itself is free. Patients without health insurance will be tested at no charge, Metro Health said.

How long to get results? Generally, the turnaround time is five to seven days.

Who else is testing? Some hospitals offer in-house testing and some private medical providers also are offering tests. Patients showing symptoms of COVID-19 can register for an appointment with Texas MedClinic at https://www.texasmedclinic.com/coronavirus-covid-19/ or call one of Texas MedClinic's offices, according to Metro Health's self-screening tool. Patients seeking a test there will be required to undergo a medical exam. There is a charge for the exam, but not for the test itself. Most commercial health insurance plans should cover those costs.

What if symptoms are severe? Patients experiencing severe symptoms should seek immediate care by calling a doctor, Metro Health said.
A Sydney man who allegedly transferred $113,000 to fund child sex tourism in the Philippines will be released on bail after his brother posted a $30,000 surety.

William Allen Corley, from West Ryde, was arrested in January by Australian Federal Police over allegations he made more than 395 transactions to recipients in the Philippines to fund child sex abuse over many years.

A Sydney man has been charged with possessing child abuse material and dealing with and producing child pornography material outside Australia.

On Tuesday the 63-year-old was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court after $30,000 was posted by his brother, who the court found to be an "acceptable person".

The decision by Justice Michael Walton was delivered via a virtual courtroom, as a result of social distancing measures introduced in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
It could be a long time before we enjoy the arts as a form of social bonding once again. For now, there are no intermissions because there are no concerts, no eavesdropping in the galleries because the museums are all closed, no flirtations across the table because the clubs and cabarets are shuttered. The substitutes for the collective experience of art - the streaming concerts, virtual gallery tours and Zoom improv sessions - are a stopgap, but does anyone want them to become an actual replacement for experiencing art in the company of others?

Yet if we are cut off from experiencing art with others, we are perfectly placed to consider an old and out of fashion idea: the power of private contemplation and solitary engagement. The silence in the room as you read a poem or look at a print, or prepare to listen to a piece of music, isn't absence. It is the presence of your undivided attention.

Since the culture wars of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the arts have largely rebranded themselves as an essential public good. Arts leaders stress things like connection and engagement, promoting a collective experience, ideally one that can be monetized. New museum buildings are constructed around restaurants, cafes and event spaces. Art forms, such as poetry, which earlier generations may have thought of as a solitary communion, have been reinvented (or returned) to social spectacles, like poetry slams.

Today, we are far more likely to say that the arts take us outside of ourselves, and spur us to make connections with others, and the world, than the opposite - that they drive us inward and make us aware of our isolation and smallness in a grandly scaled universe. But both are true, and perhaps now that one avenue is mostly closed off to us, we might explore the richness of the other.

Throughout the history of the arts, and especially since around the beginning of the 18th century, there has been a recurring belief that the best art, the most true and meaningful, is made apart from the world. Artists need distance to create. They need independence and isolation to free themselves from the conceits of fashion and the desire to please. The idea has encompassed not just creators, but also performers, interpreters and audiences. In 1964, the great Canadian pianist Glenn Gould gave up live performances, in part because they were hard on his nerves, but also because he felt an audience corrupted musical interpretation, encouraging showmanship and superficiality.

That made Gould, for decades, the patron saint of a certain breed of musical connoisseurs, who weren't ashamed to admit what is now often seen as freakish or perverse: that they preferred recorded music to live concerts, that they found audiences a distraction and would rather hear music alone, in the home, in perfect sessions of sweet, silent thought. The public perception of art in isolation has evolved from a sense that it is an enervating substitute for real life - young people in the 19th century were warned not to spend too much time alone in their rooms reading novels - to the popular calumny that it is a marker of mental illness. What does Hollywood's charismatic psychopath, the murderous Hannibal Lecter, listen to, alone in his cell? Bach's Goldberg Variations, which was Gould's signature piece.

In part, the devaluing of creative and self-sufficient solitude was about democratizing the arts. The connoisseur might claim to find meaning and value in private contemplation of art, but this was a function of class and education, a pose of his or her privilege. You can hear what advocates for a more popular and public experience of art found so distasteful in the connoisseur's solitary pursuits in these lines from Joseph Addison's classic 1712 essay "The Pleasures of Imagination": "A man of polite imagination is let into a great many pleasures, that the vulgar are not capable of receiving. He can converse with a picture, and find an agreeable companion in a statue. He meets with a secret refreshment in a description, and often feels a greater satisfaction in the prospect of fields and meadows, than another does in the possession. It gives him, indeed, a kind of property in everything he sees, and makes the most rude, uncultivated parts of nature administer to his pleasures: so that he looks upon the world, as it were in another light, and discovers in it a multitude of charms, that conceal themselves from the generality of mankind."

But one needn't use Addison's sniffish language ("polite" and "vulgar" and "the generality of mankind") nor his fundamental metaphor - that aesthetic pleasure gives us dominion or ownership of transient things - to accept his general premise that there are pleasures we cultivate in isolation that can sustain us.

Even more important, we needn't be confined by the idea that art is fundamentally about pleasure, shared or otherwise. The experience of art in isolation has been loaded with negative associations about snobbery and mental instability because, in some ways, it is more intense and more painful than art experienced in more social contexts. We are so used to this idea - that the essential thing about art is to share it, to say to others, "Here, look at this" - that we neglect one of the most painful and profound things about the contemplation of aesthetic objects: that there are depths to the experience that are fundamentally incommunicable.

In that, art is like life. There is painting called "Landscape With the Fall of Icarus," once thought to be by Pieter Bruegel, now believed to be a high-level copy of a missing original by the same artist. It has been an inspiration to poets, including W.H. Auden and William Carlos Williams, because it depicts, with brutal humor, a simple fact that most of us are loath to acknowledge: Suffering is incommunicable. We may say to a close companion, "I suffer," but that transfers nothing of the real experience of emotion.

The painting shows the denouement of the old myth about Icarus, son of Daedalus, the artist and craftsman famous for making statues so real that they had to be tied down or they would wander off, like living beings. Daedalus makes wings, fastened with bee's wax, for his son to fly, warning him not to go too close to the sun or the wax will melt and he will fall to Earth. Unlike other paintings that depicted the story, Bruegel shows us not the moment when Icarus begins to fall, but merely two pale legs sticking out of the ocean, the last of the lad as he drowns. These legs are barely noticeable, a minor visual element; what matters more is the farmer tilling his field in the foreground, indifferent to the event, and a fisherman unflappably tending his line as a young man meets his doom.

"... the ploughman may/ Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,/ But for him it was not an important failure," Auden wrote in his poem "Musee des Beaux Arts."

"Off the coast/ there was/ a splash quite unnoticed/ this was/ Icarus drowning," wrote Williams in his "Landscape With the Fall of Icarus."

Art binds us to others, but it also helps us grieve for the many things in our lives which will fall like the "splash quite unnoticed." In that, it helps us anticipate the thing we most dread - the final, solitary experience of life, which is our own death. When you leave the theater after an exceptional performance, only to find the world as busy and as indifferent as it was before you entered, that is the splash unnoticed. When you find something small, new and miraculous in a piece of music you thought you knew through and through, that is the splash unnoticed. Yes, you may speak of these things to other people, and perhaps, if you are very lucky, they will say they saw or heard the same thing. (If so, grab hold of them and never let them go.)

But even if you manage to isolate and point to the thing, the thing that sparked the wonder or flooded the mind with memory, at some level it will remain fundamentally private. No two people share the same aesthetic experience. Learning to accept, indulge and even revel in this fact is part of what art does. Paradoxically, it makes us better citizens of the world, more alert to its pain, more intent on its salvation. You can learn this lesson in a crowd, to be sure. But you can also learn it alone, and there's no time like the present.
Plans have been devised to compensate workers who have recently lost their due to the preventative measure enacted to stop the spread of coronavirus reports Al-Watan.

The Syrian Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, Jamal al-Qadiri, said a proposal is currently under revision to provide financial aid to workers who have been affected by the preventive measures to face the novel coronavirus.

The initial plan reportedly suggests allocating up to 100,000 Syrian pounds to every individual, benefiting almost 100,000 workers.

In an exclusive statement to Al-Watan, Qadiri said the cabinet has approved the plan which was proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, following talks between employers, workers and government officials.

The preventive measures against COVID-19 has affected many sectors and many workers have been laid off or lost their jobs, especially day laborers and self-employed workers, in addition to those working in the informal sector, noted Qadiri,

It was agreed that the affected sectors would be divided into four main categories, the first would be the transportation sector which is sequentially followed by tourism, loading/ unloading services, and construction, he added.

The four sectors were affected by the closure of restaurants and hotels, while many workers hired to perform cargo handling were laid off. Also, a huge number of construction workers and craftsmen lost their jobs.

Qadiri said many workers are employed and registered within an organization and statistics on their numbers were prepared, however, a huge number of workers are not registered with any organization, which why a coordination plan was proposed by the Ministry of Local Administration and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor through committees deployed in neighborhoods to study these workers cases.

Also, it was decided to add a section on the Ministry of Social Affairss website to register unemployment cases, noting that the government will be providing funds to the ministry. An account will also be allocated to receive financial aid from local and international donors to help these workers.

Qadiri said the government did not decide on the sum of the funds it plans to allocate to serve this cause, as the final decision hinges on findings that the concerned parties will provide on unregistered workers.

He noted that so far no complaints were received from the private sector regarding salary suspensions.

Qadri stressed that workers will have four ways through which they can register their cases including the Ministrys website, neighborhood committees, Trade Unions and the General Union of Syrian Craftsmen.

Until now, there is no decision regarding the compensations that workers might receive, however, we submitted a proposal to provide the minimum salary rate for two months, i.e. up to 100,000 Syrian pounds per month, but no final decision has been issued so far, Qadiri was quoted as saying.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Senator Amy Klobuchar has been speaking about her husband's coronavirus ordeal which saw him up in hospital on oxygen for days after he was coughing up blood.

John Bessler, 52, tested positive for COVID-19 around 10 days ago after he began to suffer from symptoms a week earlier.

Things got so bad that he ended up having to be hospitalized with pneumonia and dangerously low levels of oxygen.

Senator Amy Klobuchar's husband, John Bessler, 52, tested positive for COVID-19 last month and was hospitalized in Virginia

He was admitted to a Virginia hospital with pneumonia and dangerously low levels of oxygen

Throughout that time, Klobuchar was unable to visit her husband because he would likely have been contagious.

She told NBC News that his hospitalization was 'one of the hardest, hardest things.'

Bessler revealed that he had a fever which had lasted for several days.

'I taught three classes the day before and felt great, and it just suddenly hit me and I had a fever, and that fever just lasted for days and days,' Bessler said.

'I kept saying 'It's over 100 like every day. It's still over 100. I think you might have this'' added Klobuchar.

Bessler's symptoms were so severe he was coughing up blood. He and Klobuchar along with their daughter, Abigail, were forced to spend several weeks apart while he recovered

At one point she became nervous about her husband's condition: 'When he seems not always tuned to what that temperature was and that it was so high, when he started coughing up blood, when you detected the shortness of breath in our phone conversations.'

It was after that moment that Bessler was admitted to hospital. He drove there himself.

'It was so hard but he ended up taking a turn for the better,' the Senator said. 'So many people end up taking a turn for the worse and you can't be there. You can't hold their hand. You can't give them a hug to health workers.'

'There are people where it turns for the worse, and they're on ventilators, or they don't make it, and it's a heartbreaking thing, and it's why we have to invest in testing and do everything to make up for the mistakes that were made at the beginning, where a country was not prepared for this,' Klobuchar added.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar is pictured arriving with husband John Bessler and daughter Abigail for a campaign stop in Humboldt, Iowa last year

Klobuchar herself has not been tested as she and her husband had been in different places for the 14 days previous, and she is out of the date range for becoming sick.

'As everyone is aware, there are test shortages for people who need them everywhere and I don't qualify to get one under any standard,' she wrote.

'I love my husband so very much and not being able to be there at the hospital by his side is one of the hardest things about this disease.'

'This is not a cold,' said Bessler. 'You don't get pneumonia when you get a cold and you don't go to the hospital on oxygen when you get a cold. This is a really serious thing.'

'People really do need to pay attention to this, and it can happen to anybody,' he continued.

Bessler said he plans to donate his plasma once he is fully recovered.

Klobuchar said that the hardest part of the experience was being apart from her husband

The family are finally all back together again. Their daughter Abigail, left, made them spaghetti last night. Bessler's task is to do the supermarket run with his likely immunity from the virus

'I still have some pneumonia from the coronavirus so I am still dealing with that but as soon as get over that I am going to be donating some blood.

For now, Klobuchar says she is sending him out on errands, now that he is immune to the virus.

'We can send him out to the grocery store now. That's his job!' she joked.

'My family is incredibly grateful that John has recovered. So many others have loved ones in the hospital and it is so hard not to be there with them. Thank you to all those who took care of him to bring him home,' the Senator tweeted on Tuesday.
Americans watched anxiously as the pandemic crept toward them, spreading with seeming inevitability from its origin in Asia to Europe and then, crossing the Atlantic, to the United States. When the disease arrived, it brought the country to a halt: Ports closed, storefronts shuttered, and once-bustling downtowns emptied. Churches shut their doors. An eerie quiet fell on American cities.

This describes the scene in the early 1830s, as Americans faced the arrival of choleraa deadly disease endemic to the Ganges Delta that swept across the globe with devastating effects several times during the 19th century.

Yet the description also fits the first months of 2020. Like antebellum Americans, we fretted about when the disease might arrive on our shores. Like them, we raced to understand the diseaseits cause, its cure, and how it might be prevented. Like them, we undertook belated public health interventions even as we worried about the economic consequences of those interventions. And now, just as in the 1830s, American Christians are confronting the pandemic within frameworks provided by their beliefs.

Given these parallels, despite all that has changed in medicine and religion in the intervening 190 years, can Christians learn anything from their antebellum forebearers?

We see in their responses to cholera a common impulse to provide moral meaning to the pandemic. But they varied widely in their approaches to those who suffered the most. Christians with socioeconomic and cultural power were blinded to the plight of the vulnerable by their visions of a disciplined, hard-working Protestant nation. It took Christians on the margins to speak on behalf of the sick, the poor, and the immigrant.

What hindsight enables us to see clearly in the 19th century may serve as a challenge to us today. Pandemics are profound social stressors that reveal fault lines of power and prejudice while also serving as opportunities for selfless love. As the coronavirus raises questions about morality, racism, and economic prosperity, we would do well to ask whether we find ourselves on the side of the suffering.

In his masterful bookThe Cholera Years, historian Charles E. Rosenberg describes a theological spectrum of Christian responses to cholera. Some Christians interpreted cholera as a divine judgment on the United States, especially on its more profligate citizens. This was in keeping with tradition: Since the arrival of Puritans in the early 17th century, American Protestants had discerned a connection between sin and sickness. Collective illness suggested collective sin, just as personal illness suggested personal sin. Pandemics had thus long prompted fast days dedicated to repentance and prayer.

Antebellum Christians carried on this tradition. When cholera began spreading along the Eastern Seaboard in the 1830s, clergy such as Congregationalist minister Orville Dewey examined what God intended in such a crisis. Taking his cue from contemporary doctors who believed that drinking too much alcohol rendered people vulnerable to the disease, Dewey saw cholera as divine support for the temperance movement. By superintending a pandemic that struck hard drinkers the hardest, surely God blessed the anti-alcohol crusade. Indeed, Dewey was prepared to consider the fatal public health crisis a beneficent visitation if it succeeded in impressing upon Americans the perils of strong drink.

Other Christians also perceived God working in cholera, albeit one step removed. To more liberal believers, the disease arose not from miraculous divine judgment but from the normal operation of the laws of nature. Yet, even if it were explicable in scientific terms, cholera still contained a moral lesson. By all accounts, the disease did its worst damage among the poorest residents of American cities. Because many Americans believed poverty arose from personal moral failures, they assumed these sufferers were also the most reprobate. As Thomas Bradford Jr., a lawyer working in Philadelphia at the time, observed, cholera strikes among the lower classes of people, the intemperate, the licentious, & and the wretched. To many Protestants, this was no coincidence. The fact that those who lived fast and loose suffered disproportionally from disease simply illustrated the harmony of Gods moral and natural laws. This etiology thus contained an ethic: Live rightly or face the necessary consequences. As cholera dealt death to impoverished Philadelphians, Bradford wrote this of the pandemic: The city is not moved by it.  They know they can avoid it by prudence in living and care of their persons & families. The disease could be staved off by those who have the means and are careful.

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Many of the poor and ostensibly immoral sufferers of cholera had another strike against them: They were Irish Catholic immigrants. This demographic realityevident during the 1830s and even more pronounced when cholera returned in the late 1840sonly rendered more certain the old association between contagion and foreigner. Even though most doctors in the 1830s did not yet believe cholera was contagious, many Americans could not shake the intuition that the disease spread from person to person. They therefore shut their homes and their hearts to the immigrants just then arriving from Ireland. In the coming decades, the link between cholera and the Irish only fueled the Protestant nativist movement and its anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant animus.

While most Americans during the antebellum era endorsed the Protestant gospel of individual responsibility, some dissenters articulated an alternative ethic. Often speaking from the religious periphery, these people acknowledged that cholera was a disease of poverty, but they interpreted this fact not as a judgment of the poor but as a damnation of the society that impoverished people and thereby made them susceptible to disease. Catholic priests, for example, for whom Irish immigrants were parishioners rather than pariahs, viewed cholera differently than Protestant clergy. Their analyses reflected both the fact that they often ministered to the working classes (and those below) rather than the well-to-do and their theological rejection of liberal individualism. Addressing the cholera pandemic of the late 1840s, Bishop John Baptist Purcell pleaded for adequate housing for the less fortunate residents of Cincinnati. If cholera represented divine reproof, Purcell argued, it was for the sins of oppression and insensitivity to the wants and the claims of the poor.

There was yet one more option for Christians confronting cholera: service. When the disease first arrived in American cities, those who could afford to flee did soalong with them many Protestant ministers, who left behind emptied neighborhoods and quieted church bells. Yet many Catholics who had vowed themselves to lives of service stayed to help. When fears of contagion made it difficult for city leaders to secure hospitals for cholera patients and nurses to staff those hospitals, nuns stepped into the breach. Orders such as the Sisters of Charity and the African American Oblate Sisters of Providence created and staffed cholera hospitals throughout the country. Many sisters died in this service.

Whether they gathered in churches to pray in search of the divine meaning of cholera, or, like the formerly enslaved Catholic hairdresser Pierre Toussaint, crossed quarantine barricades to care for the sick, 19th-century Christians confronted cholera with the tools of their faith.

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Rosenberg argues that as doctors improved their ability to explain and to prevent cholerathe English physician John Snow determined that the disease was waterborne in 1855, leading to improved sanitary measuresAmericans looked less to God and more to public health initiatives to save them from disease. Yet, as recent history demonstrates, medical etiologies hardly preclude religious interpretations. Like their antebellum predecessors, believers today continue to turn to Christianity in the face of a global health crisis. What guidance does their faith provide?

American Protestants still search for evidence of divine reproof in widespread sickness. In a recent sermon, for example, the prominent First Baptist Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress asked whether the coronavirus might be a judgment from God. While he said it would be presumptuous to answer definitively, Jeffress nevertheless reminded his congregants that God judges a nation that permits and celebrates the killing of children through abortion. Presbyterian minister and activist Liz Theoharis, meanwhile, invoked an apparent connection between biblical plagues and wealth inequality to argue that the coronavirus calls Americans to seek economic and health care justice.

As in the 1830s, Christians are again grappling with the politics of immigration and race that trouble the American response to the pandemic. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump and other Republican politicians insisted on referring to the coronavirus as the Chinese virus and similar variantswith the jocular support of evangelical personality Eric Metaxas. Christian critics, meanwhile, pointed to an apparent uptick in anti-Asian racism around the world as evidence that such language is dangerously xenophobic. Korean-born evangelical minister Eugene Cho, for example, said that such language only instigates blame, racism, and hatred against Asians.

Christians are also carrying forward the imperative to serve the hurting. During 19th-century cholera pandemics, that service usually meant tending directly to patients. Just so, countless Christians are caring for those struck by the coronavirus through medicine and other ministries, often at great risk to themselves owing to the lack of personal protective equipment. Yet, as Anglican priest and New Testament scholar Esau McCaully argued, for most believers, neighborly love in the midst of the coronavirus might require not our physical presence, but our absence: dutifully observing social distancing and hygiene guidelines out of love for those at greatest risk from the disease. As questions about economic recovery begin to dominate headlines, Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore invoked the sanctity of human life to urge Christians to continue their public health measures, regardless of the financial consequences, for the sake of the vulnerable.

The epidemiology of the coronavirus differs from cholera, yet it presents the same question: How will Christians respond to their community in its time of need? The next weeks and months are likely to reveal more varied Christian responses to the pandemic, just as we saw in the 19th century. However we respond, we can hope for a Christlike legacy: healing the sick, comforting the brokenhearted, and caring for the least of these.

Jonathan D. Riddle, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history at Wheaton College, where he works on the history of religion and medicine.
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Every day she works in a Los Angeles nursing home, Wesley Chen goes from room to room providing occupational therapy to weak and elderly patients.

She doesn't have a gown or a mask or gloves -- all things that would help protect her and her patients from getting and spreading the coronavirus.

"A gown would be nice, because what if somebody coughs? I get their germs on my scrub top, and I go to another patient's room to do a chair transfer," Chen said. "I bring them really close to my body, their shirt is touching my shirt. [Then] I sit them down in a chair. What if they touch their shirt and then they grab a french fry and they put that in their mouth?"

The facility where Chen works has a stockpile of what's known as personal protective equipment, or PPE. But she can't use it, even though she's considered an essential health care worker. That's because the gear is being saved for the expected onslaught of COVID-19 patients that Gov. Gavin Newsom told California nursing homes they must take in when those patients are discharged from hospitals.

The scarcity of personal protective equipment and fluctuating regulations have created a maze for home health aides and nursing home workers and administrators to navigate. Chen says it's psychologically difficult to deal with.

"Yesterday I went into work, it was strictly no face masks -- the day prior to that was 'face masks are optional.' It's very confusing," she said. "If I could wear personal protective equipment every single day with every single patient, that would be ideal. But that is just a dream."

Without the protection provided by gowns, masks and gloves, Chen is scared she may unknowingly transmit COVID-19 from resident to resident while working.

"Every time we send someone into a patient's room, we're putting that patient at risk and we're also putting that other individual at risk," she said.

REGULATORY BLIND SPOT

After a coronavirus outbreak at a nursing home in Washington state infected more than 80 residents and left 23 people dead, a federal health investigation found that the virus spread rapidly through the facility partially due to underprotected health care workers.

Researchers are also finding that it can take 13 days for someone who is exposed to the coronavirus to develop symptoms, meaning health care workers could be spreading the virus even if they feel healthy.

"Practitioners want to treat patients, but they also want to keep their patients safe. And right now, those are conflicting ideas," said Jennifer Bogenrief, assistant director of regulatory affairs for the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Many therapists like Chen are unable to get highly sought-after personal protective gear. Even if they can get it, Bogenrief said, some are barred from wearing equipment like masks, to keep from frightening patients.

"Some occupational therapy practitioners report being threatened with write-ups or job loss or reduction in hours, even if they provide their own," Bogenrief said. "Some are required to wear the same masks all day with all patients, some aren't given any personal protective equipment at all."

Currently, both California and federal guidelines say if you're a health care worker treating COVID-19 patients or suspected patients, you need PPE, including goggles, face masks, gowns and gloves.

But health workers like Chen fall into a regulatory blind spot, Bogenrief said, because there aren't any known coronavirus cases in the nursing home where she works.

"There are no clear guidelines for providers in areas with no known community spread, even though we now know the virus can spread undetected for weeks," Bogenrief said.

Current regulations from the state health department only mandate personal protective gear when a case has been found, but not as a preventative measure. When reached for comment, California health regulators said that they are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and that nursing home workers are required to follow infection control guidelines irrespective of the ongoing pandemic.

SHOULD THERAPISTS KEEP WORKING?

Teresa Teng, an occupational therapist who visits patients in their homes in L.A., felt an ethical dilemma when the coronavirus outbreak hit.

"I'm required to buy my own masks, gloves, and gowns if they are needed," Teng, who's an independent contractor, said. "If I did want to wear personal protective gear, I didn't have the resources to sustain my client caseload, and there weren't any places to buy them."

Teng decided it wasn't worth the risk. She stopped providing therapy to her elderly clients in March.

"It's been a relief for me not to have the fear that I'm transmitting the disease communally. And for a lot of my clients, when I did call them to let them know, they all sounded relieved at the moment."

Not working isn't an option for many health workers, including Chen, the nursing home therapist. She can't afford it. And she's afraid her patients' health would decline without her care, potentially making them even more vulnerable to COVID-19.

"With this lack of interaction, a lot of these individuals are not getting out of bed anymore, they're not sitting up as they would normally. That's going to take a toll on their body, on their muscles on their lungs, on their breathing," Chen said.

Even without the personal protective gear she wishes she had, Chen said she'll keep working -- and just wash her hands as often as possible.

"My idea is to keep their body in tip-top shape, so that whatever comes, they can try to fight it as best as they can," she said.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Teresa Teng's last name. LAist regrets the error.

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Eight of 17 people who were



quarantined after coming in contact with the lone COVID-19 patient in Tripura have tested negative for coronavirus on Wednesday, a senior state minister said.

The remaining reports have returned inconclusive and their samples will be tested again, Law Minister and cabinet spokesperson Ratan Lal Nath told reporters.

Samples of 234 persons with coronavirus-like symptoms or travel history to affected areas have been tested in Tripura, of which only one has tested positive for coronavirus, he said.

A 44-year-old woman with foreign travel history tested positive for coronavirus on April 6, making it the first case in Tripura.

The woman, who hails from Udaipur town in Gomati district, is being treated at state-run Gobinda Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital here.

Doctors and nurses who had attended to her earlier and an ambulance driver who brought her to a hospital have been quarantined, Nath said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Egypts coronavirus death toll inches toward 100, the government has announced a 15-day extension on its nationwide overnight curfew and a ban on public gatherings during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The curfew, which will last through at least April 23, will now begin one hour later, at 8 p.m., and end at 6 a.m., Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said Wednesday. Under the curfew, Egyptians are to stay indoors but can leave their home for food or other essential reasons.

The closure of airports, restaurants and schools, as well as a reduction in public sector workforce will continue during this time, he added.

Madbouly also announced that his Cabinet will take a 20% pay cut for the next three months, which will help support Egyptians struggling financially due to the crisis, the Egypt Independent reports.

The North African country has so far recorded 94 deaths and 1,450 cases of the coronavirus, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

The Egyptian government has also banned fast-breaking public dinners and mass prayers during Ramadan, which begins around April 23, the Ministry of Islamic Endowments said Tuesday. The ban also applies to those observing itikaf, the last 10 days of the fasting month, when Muslims gather in mosques to meditate.

On March 21, authorities suspended all congregational prayers at mosques, including those held on Fridays. Egypts Coptic Orthodox Church, which locked down churches and ordered the suspension of services last month, announced this week it would be canceling upcoming Holy Week prayers and Easter celebrations.

In a televised briefing Monday, Health Minister Hala Zayed said the governments anti-coronavirus measures were working.

"Egypt is one of the countries that has [a] small number of infections compared to the population, according to the standards of the World Health Organization," she said.
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 19:43 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0ac6fa 1 City COVID-19-in-Indonesia,shopping-mall,business,Jakarta-COVID-19,PSBB,social-restriction,large-scale-social-restrictions Free

As Jakarta prepares to enforce large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), residents hope that the policy will curb the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the capital.

Jakarta has been the countrys COVID-19 epicenter since cases were first discovered in early March. The city has 1,369 cases, approximately half of the national total.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has announced that large-scale social restrictions will take effect on Friday. The administration will close most schools and will limit group religious and social activities, in-office work and public transportation.

While many residents have been staying at home since the government advised social distancing in March, some hope the new, more comprehensive policy will finally curb COVID-19 transmission in the capital.

Devita Anggraeni, a 30-year-old insurance salesperson, said that she had been working from home since the outbreak and would continue to do so during the large-scale social restriction period.

While working from home had affected her productivity and social life, she hoped that Jakarta residents would comply with the policy.

If we look at other countries that have taken [similar] action, such as Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, which are really strict with their social distancing policies, it seems to be effective, she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Large-scale social distancing may be the right thing to do for a certain period of time, until the situation is fully resolved or under control. Residents should heed the regulation as well, she added.

Read also: Satellite cities to follow Jakartas lead on large-scale social restrictions

Bondan, a 23-year-old stockbroker, has not been able to work from home. He has been required to go to the office during the pandemic.

Anies said that certain business sectors would be allowed to operate on-site during the social restriction period: health care, food, energy, finance, banking, communication, logistics and retail, among others.

Bondan said that it would be difficult for stockbrokers to work from home, as it could cause miscommunications that could lead to duplicated orders or mispricing.

Im personally not afraid [for my own health], but Im scared that I might be a carrier of the virus, he told the Post on Wednesday.

Although Bondan said he thought the latest restrictions had come a bit too late, he hoped they would work well and would curb transmission, especially as Jakartans seemed to be emerging from their homes again, evinced by the return of traffic jams in some areas.

Business players are hopeful about the restrictions but do not want them to last long.

The large-scale social restrictions are a decision made by the government, so businesses will comply. We hope that they wont last long and will curb transmission so that business activities can return to normal, said the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) vice chairman for logistics and supply chains, Rico Rustombi.

He said that economic activities in Jakarta accounted for about 70 percent of the national total, adding that the policy would cause that activity to die down for a while and that formal and informal industries would be equally affected.

Shopping centers have been hit hard by COVID-19. Several malls in Jakarta, including Kota Kasablanka in South Jakarta and Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta, have closed most of their shops due to a significantly lower number of visitors.

Read also: App-based 'ojek' drivers demand compensation as new social restrictions bar them from taking passengers

They only open essential areas of the mall, such as supermarkets, banks, ATMs and restaurants for takeaway, Indonesian Shopping Center Association (APPBI) chairman A. Stefanus Ridwan said, adding that shopping centers had sustained huge amounts of losses as a result of the outbreak.

He said the association had asked for assistance from the government, including tax relaxations and loan repayment postponements from banks but that the government had not yet responded.

Rico added that the interrupted cash flow of companies caused by the social restriction policy might also cause them to lay off their employees after Ramadan.

Medium and small companies face tough times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, they have an obligation to give [employees] the [Idul Fitri] holiday bonus, he said.
By Peter Hain

Hain is a retired CIA agent. He lives at Smith Mountain Lake.

Its all but certain that Tweedledum has out dueled Tweedledee for the Democratic presidential nomination. Liberals may be elated that the soon-to-be 78 year old career politician is the last man standing against the irrepressible President Trump. But its not because Joe Biden is an odds on winner, rather that Bernie Sanders metrics  age 79 and self-anointed democratic socialist  do not resonate well with the public. Yet, whether it is Biden or Sanders, both haul more baggage than Fed Ex and UPS combined.

Joe Biden, an underwhelming graduate of the University of Delaware (class rank 506 of 688), claimed to be in the top half of his Syracuse Law School class, but actually ranked 76 of 85.

A politician since age 28, Biden has fed at the public trough for 46 years  two years as a part time county councilman, 36 years as a Senator from Delaware, and eight years as VP. Thus, he is well versed in the practices of obfuscation, misrepresentation, embellishment, ducking volatile issues, and assuming credit for others achievements. And not getting much done for the public along the way.

Throughout his career, Biden has been tarred with allegations of plagiarism. The chickens came home to roost in 1987 when he withdrew from the Democratic presidential nomination because of the exaggerated shadow of his past mistakes.

In 1988 Biden suffered two brain aneurysms that required surgery, but is said to have no recurrences or effects since then. His neurosurgeon pronounced him fit for the 2020 presidential run and quipped: Im sure he has a brain, because Ive seen it.

Biden is a prominent father of gaffes and incoherent ramblings too numerous to mention, putting him on top-10 lists of celebrities with foot-in-mouth disease. Critics attribute recent inconsistencies to early onset dementia or Alzheimers. Time magazines take: Bidens brain is wired for more than the usual amount of goofiness. Despite his quirks, Biden served in key positions as ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Judiciary committees, as well as two-term VP. Noteworthy, however, is that former President Obama has yet to endorse him as presidential nominee.

If Biden had his druthers, he probably would retract his 2015 quote about corruption in Ukraine. He told the Council of Foreign Relations that he informed the Ukrainian president he must fire his prosecutor-general or the U.S. would not release $1 billion in loan guarantees. I looked at them and said: Im leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, youre not getting the money. Well, son of a b****.He got fired. House Democrats impeached President Trump on flimsier evidence of quid pro quo.

Joe Bidens wayward son, Hunter, is an embarrassment to his fathers campaign. Substance abuse issues. Messy affairs. And his appointment to the board of Ukraines natural gas company for which he displayed no expertise beyond his fathers VP position  receiving $50,000 per month for his services. Nice work if you can get it!

Numerous women have come forth and castigated Joe Biden for his unwarranted touchy-feely behavior. While acknowledging that he would try to do better, he is not sorry for anything Ive ever done . . . its just who I am.

With a potential nominee pool of 42 million Democratic voters, 232 congressmen, 47 senators, and 24 state governors, Team Trump is surely puzzled, but rejoicing that the Democratic establishment settled on the befuddled Tweedledum as the presidents opponent in November.
Pope Francis has slammed 'the mafiosi and the loan sharks' who are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to make a quick profit.

The head of the Catholic church, 83, made the comments at the start of his morning Mass, which is livestreamed from Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City.

He asked people for a change of heart from trying to make money from the misery of others, and decried the 'hypocrisy' of how some politicians are dealing with the crisis.

The Pope has been livestreaming his masses from Vatican City during the coronavirus pandemic

He said: 'those people who, in this time of a pandemic, have made a business of dealing with those in need, who take advantage of the needs of others and sell them out - the mafiosi, the loan sharks and many others.'

'May the Lord touch their hearts and convert them,' he added.

Pope Francis called for God to convert the mafiosi and loan sharks away from exploiting vulnerable businesses amid the Covid-19 crisis

The global Covid-19 pandemic has so far killed 81,400 people worldwide.

More than 16,500 deaths have been recorded in Italy, where authorities are trying to clamp down on price gouging and other forms of illegal profiteering.

Police arrested two men in northern Italy last week for stealing surgical masks and sanitising liquid from a hospital and selling them at hiked prices on the internet.

Members of the Italian Army (pictures) scout out an occupied building in Rome after two suspected Covid-19 cases were found among those inside, on April 7

In March U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting hoarding and price gouging of medical supplies, and Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had launched a national task force to investigate these schemes.

Italian anti-Mafia officials have also warned that organised crime groups could take advantage of the crisis and loan money to small business owners struggling to survive during the nationwide lockdown.

Although the Italian government has promised money to help small businesses but many economists fear it will not be enough.

In the southern city of Naples, investigators say organised crime groups are handing out food to poor families now, with the expectation that they will return the favour by helping the mob in the future.

The street market of the 'Quartieri Spagnoli' in Naples, Italy, is crowded with people who, also because of the narrow streets and also the passage of cars and motorbikes, cannot guarantee the social distance imposed by the government lockdown to limit the danger of contagion from Covid-19 disease

General Giuseppe Governale, head of Italys Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate, told Fox News that the mafia 'will work anywhere where there is a capacity to corrupt officials, who will fall into the trap, either because they are ingenues or willing to be corrupted'.

Messina's chief prosecutor Maurizio De Lucuia warned that mafia groups who target businesses will have indirect access to the owner's relationship with their bank and books, Politico reported.

A nun walks past an empty St Peters square while wearing a propective mask, as Pope Francis hosts weekly virtual masses as part of measures to stop the spread of Covid-19

But MEP Sabrina Pignedoli warned that no EU country is exempt from the problem, with a Europol report finding that organised crime groups are trading counterfeit masks, gloves and pharmaceuticals and impersonating health care officials offering coronavirus tests.

Pope Francis also addressed the ripple effects of the coronavirus crisis in an interview with the Catholic newspaper The Tablet.

He said: 'This crisis is affecting us all, rich and poor alike, and putting a spotlight on hypocrisy.

'I am worried by the hypocrisy of certain political personalities who speak of facing up to the crisis, of the problem of hunger in the world, but who in the meantime manufacture weapons,' he added, though did not go on to name countries or politicians.

Pope Francis speaks during his general audience as it is streamed via video over the internet from a library as part of measures to contain the coronavirus disease

He acknowledged how some governments had 'taken exemplary measures to defend the population' but that the crisis should encourage authorities to make structural economic changes to defend the most needy, particularly the homeless.

Italy officials are also discussing a 'phase two' of lockdown, where society learns to live with the virus by wearing masks and carrying out more tests.

The country has been in lockdown since March 9.
Athens is remarkably quiet; at junctions where cars regularly run red lights it is now possible to cross without fear of being run over. The narrow streets around the historic Parthenon, once packed with tourists, are now the sole domain of dog walkers and runners.

Greece imposed a full lockdown on 23 March, much earlier than many of its European neighbours, having closed bars and restaurants a week earlier. As a result the country has not seen the same levels of coronavirus as has been recorded in Italy, France and Spain, with 81 deaths and just over 1,800 cases. By comparison, Italy has suffered 17,127 deaths and 135,586 cases.

Supermarkets have introduced crowd-control measures, where everyone must take a numbered pass upon entering to ensure that there is only one person per every 15 square metres. Everyone leaving their home must also carry a form detailing their reason to be out and their ID. Regular police patrols monitor citizens movements and hand out fines of 150 (130) to those found to be flouting the regulations.

The fragility of the countrys healthcare system has seemingly been a driving force behind preventative measures.

The key was that there was a very quick response because the government feared that the healthcare system wouldnt cope because of the previous crisis and the cuts, and what this has meant for hospitals, said Stella Ladi an assistant professor at Queen Mary University of London and Panteion University, Athens. She told The Independent: The example of Italy was also important; its often seen not only as a neighbour but as a mirror country for Greece. Seeing the images from Italy and what was happening there pushed both the government and people to take it seriously.

 Coronavirus in numbers

At the beginning of March, the country had 565 intensive care unit beds for a population of nearly 11 million. The urgent need to increase capacity led to the requisitioning of spaces in private hospitals, as well as the creation of new intensive care unit beds in public hospitals. So far this has almost doubled the countrys ICU capacity to 910 beds, with the intention to continue to create or requisition more beds and medical equipment if necessary.

Gkikas Magiorkinis, an assistant professor hygiene and epidemiology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said: In Greece our decisions to close down the major sources of super-spreading such as schools, conferences and other major people gatherings were taken much earlier in the epidemic course. The result, he said, is that the country has been more effective at containing the spread.

There were, however, initial teething problems. The closures of the bars and cafes on 13 March were followed by a weekend of glorious sunshine. As seen in the UK, photos showed busy beaches and a packed promenade in the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. In response, prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered that the beaches and ski resorts be closed too. The situation is serious and requires responsibility by everyone, he said in a statement.

Ferry travel to any of the Greek Aegean islands has now been restricted to residents-only in an attempt to protect the healthcare systems and ageing populations on many of the islands.

The streets are pretty well deserted here. Someone commented that its a surprise Greeks have been so disciplined but really its not. When you say hello in Greek you say health, when you say goodbye you say health Norma Simos, resident of Perama

This Easter will be different, said Nikos Hardalias from the Ministry for Civil Protection, we will not go to our villages, we will not roast lamb on a spit, and we will not go to church. There have been tensions with the Greek Orthodox Church who initially refused to stop the Holy Communion and issued a statement saying that the virus could not be transmitted this way. They have since stopped church services but churches remain open for individual prayer.

Norma Simos, a resident of the town of Perama in northern Greece told The Independent that people had been largely staying at home where she lived.

The streets are pretty well deserted here. Someone commented that its a surprise Greeks have been so disciplined but really its not. When you say hello in Greek you say health, when you say goodbye you say health, our general benediction in conversation is health.

I also think Greece has proven its resilience over the last few years, a skill inherited from the previous generations who survived against huge odds through the war, oppression and starvation.

She added that everyone was finding a way to get by. Even our local pharmacist has installed this cute little window in his glass door to avoid contact.

But while Greece has seemingly managed to contain the spread, concern remains for the refugee population in the country: two refugee camps on the mainland have been confirmed to have Covid-19 cases and have both been placed in quarantine measures for two weeks.

On the island of Lesvos, the infamous Moria refugee camp has around 20,000 people living in a space designed for just under 3,000. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders have repeatedly called for urgent decongestion. Migrants detained in the pre-removal centre in Moria have been on hunger strike since 5 April over fears for what would happen to them in an outbreak in the camp, which has notoriously bad living conditions and limited access to running water.

The example of Italy was also important; its often seen not only as a neighbour but as a mirror country for Greece. Seeing the images from Italy and what was happening there pushed both the government and people to take it seriously Stella Ladi, Panteoin University

For now, however, the lower death rate in Greece could mean a more positive outlook than many of its close neighbours such as Italy; but the heavy police presence on the capitals streets suggests an ongoing anxiety for a fragile healthcare system, which could quickly buckle under pressure.

The impending Easter weekend will be a historic test for the ability of all Greeks who normally embrace large family gatherings at this time of year to menoume spiti (stay at home) and continue to flatten the curve.
A couple with a 25 year age gap have celebrated a lockdown wedding on their own with no guests in their living room due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Emma Phillips, 29, and Jan Pasnicki, 54, from Surrey, tied the knot on Thursday in their modest living room, saying their vows surrounded by home comforts like a Harry Potter calendar and listening to an instrumental Elvis track.

The love birds, who both work in care homes, had planned to have a registry office ceremony followed by a reception at a posh hotel.

But after the wedding ban was introduced, the couple decided to do it alone in their living room, filming the ceremony so that their loved-ones could watch from home.

Emma Phillips, 29, and Jan Pasnicki, 54, from Surrey, tied-the-knot in their modest sitting room surrounding by home comforts including a Harry Potter calendar and photographs from their life together as a couple

Emma said the constant disruption to their wedding plans had left them both devastated, but they were intent on going ahead with a ceremony to mark the big day

The pair - who both work at care homes - were first worried they wouldn't be able to get hitched then they had to cancel their stag and hen dos due to the pandemic.

The couple, who have been together for four years after meeting at a care home, tried to adjust their plans for their wedding gradually as further restrictions were introduced.

Emma said: 'The hardest thing was that our plans were constantly changing due to the gradual introduction of Government restrictions.

'Firstly, close family of Jan's who were due to attend from Poland were unable to come following the closure of the Polish borders and cancellation of all flights.

The bride-to-be revealed how the couple were left devastated when all their plans for their nuptials 'ground to a halt'

'Despite this, we were still going to go ahead as planned.'

'We were then going to have an evening reception after the wedding breakfast with a live DJ and more guests joining us to celebrate and party until midnight.

'This was when we planned to cut the cake and show off our first dance which we had been rehearsing for months.'

However, then Guildford Registry Office and Worplesdon Place hotel were unable to host their big day.

The lovebirds, who have a 25 year age gap, have been together for four years after meeting at a care home where they both work (pictured together)

Emma revealed: 'Although we understand why the Government has made these decisions, and how important they are, this did not help with the feeling of utter devastation that we felt as all of our plans ground to a halt.'

So they came up with the idea of doing it alone and film it so their loved ones could watch from home.

Emma added: 'As the April 2 came round, we still felt disappointed that we were not having the dream day we had been planning.

'We still wanted to make the day as special as possible, because we will always celebrate this date as our wedding day.

Jan and Emma were devastated when they had to cancel their wedding, having dreamed about having the big day on April 2

'The date had also been engraved into our wedding rings along with our names.

'We decided we still wanted to start wearing our rings from this date, and wanted to make our exchanging of rings feel special despite the fact the ceremony would not be legally binding.

'This is when we came up with the idea of making a video in lockdown.

'If we were going to exchange our rings and say our vows, we wanted to be able to remember the event in years to come.

The couple had hoped to celebrate surrounded by friends and family at a posh hotel, but ended up spending the big-day just the two of them

'And it meant that our friends and family would be able to witness the event, even though they were not able to be present.

The coronavirus wedding ban Boris Johnson confirmed on 23 March that the UK is under lockdown, with marriage ceremonies among the gatherings to be banned. Addressing the nation from Downing Street, Mr Johnson said family reunions, weddings, baptisms and other social events must be cancelled but funerals can go ahead attended by a handful of closest relatives. Heartbroken brides-to-be took to social media to share their sorrow at being forced to cancel their weddings. Advertisement

In a three minute and 25 second clip of their ceremony, Jan can be seen standing alone before Emma walks, in replicating her coming down the aisle while clutching a single rose.

Student doctor Emma can be heard saying: 'Due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 we have had to postpone out ceremony.

'But that has not stopped us wanting to make today special.'

The couple then exchange their vows and share a kiss before toasting their nuptials with a glass of bubbly.

Emma revealed: 'As for making things legally binding, our official ceremony is now due to take place on the July 7.

'Of course, this is presuming that the Government has lifted the restrictions on ceremonies by then.'

She added: 'The best thing about making the video was the fact we were able to make our day special and that family and friends were able to witness our exchanging of vows and rings.

The couple decided to go ahead with their vows and exchanged vows in the comfort of their own home, before celebrating with champagne

'The feedback we have had, and the happiness we have felt from being able to put a smile on people's faces during these unprecedented times has made it all worthwhile.

'We were due to be on our honeymoon to Corfu now.

'We were really looking forward to this as our first holiday abroad together and the hotel had offered us some free upgrades as a honeymoon couple.'
A European Union (EU) programme aimed at reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has made significant progress despite low prices in carbon markets, according to a study at the Universities of Strathclyde and Pittsburgh.

Under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS), introduced in 2005 in response to the Kyoto Protocol, governments set a cap on an allowable total amount of emissions over a certain period. They also issue tradable emission permits, which allow for one ton of CO2.

It is widely considered that carbon markets require high prices to reduce emissions but many observers believe they often set prices which are considered too low. However, the study by Strathclyde and Pittsburgh has found that the EU ETS saved around 1.2 billion tons of CO2 between 2008 and 2016, nearly half of what governments pledged to reduce in their Kyoto Protocol commitments.

The study has been published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America). Strathclyde's home city, Glasgow, is due to host the next United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Dr Patrick Bayer, a Chancellor's Fellow in Strathclyde's School of Government & Public Policy and lead author of the study, said: "The ETS was set up to cover some of the most polluting industries"It has focused on very carbon-intensive energy production and manufacturing but there is evidence in other research suggesting that these industries have started to diversify their business models and to look into adopting carbon-neutral technologies or, at least, are interested in thinking about how to change their operations.

"Firms got an initial endowment of permits free but if they had emissions in excess of what they were allowed, they needed to buy more. If firms are to change their behaviour in the long run, prices of permits should be as high as possible to incentivise them to change away from carbon-intensive production.

"It turned out prices in carbon markets were fairly low, which then caused major concerns for environmentalists and policy-makers, because they felt they might not provide sufficient incentives.

"It depends on the sector or size of firm but we argue that, if firms think of carbon regulation as a long-term project, then they do need to start to change their behaviour."

The study used emissions in sectors not covered by the EU ETS to estimate what emissions would have been in those sectors the system does cover. It found that emissions in covered sectors decreased by between 8.1% and 11.5%, compared to expected emission levels without the EU ETS. This translates to a decrease of around 3.8%, compared with the EU's total emissions during 2008 to 2016.

Dr Bayer said: "In the energy and electricity markets, we have seen even big players thinking about how they can run their operations when becoming less dependent on fossil fuels. But there can be a threat that, whenever prices in those markets go up, an industry or business becomes exposed to high costs.

"The appeal of carbon markets is that, once they are established with the right rules, you can connect them to other markets. Climate is not concerned about whether emissions are reduced in the UK or Germany or China; so long as they are reduced, that helps to address the problem. If you have carbon markets scattered across the world, you might be able to trade across those markets.

"The UK's future place in the ETS is still up for discussion but all options are on the table. Whether any UK carbon market would be connected to the European market isn't clear and would probably depend on negotiations with the EU and how trade will be regulated in future relations. Assuming there were agreement on this and some strong economic integration between the two countries, it would probably make a lot of sense to connect those markets. The UK has been successful in decarbonising its economy in the past decade or so and has a strong role to play in continuing to advocate for future decarbonisation"

"The period our study covered, from 2008 to 2016, included the financial crisis and economic downturn, when demand for the permits reduced. We used a statistical model to account for the effect of the crisis. The emission reductions that we measure are in addition to lower demand for permits due to the economic crisis, energy efficiency targets and climate policies that try to address carbon emissions."

###
For millions of Americans, learning to work from home for the first time also means learning how to work with a new office mate: their significant other. For even the closest of couples, being introduced to a partner's professional persona and sharing close quarters for an extended period of time requires an adjustment. CNBC Make It spoke with three couples about what working from home with their partner has taught them about themselves, each other and keeping their sanity (and relationship) intact.

The couple that just moved in together

For Kelsey and Kevin, moving into an apartment together during the pandemic has fast-tracked their relationship for the better.

Kelsey Gardner, 27, just moved from Baltimore to Boston to live with her boyfriend of two years, Kevin Cavanaugh, 27. The two had spent weeks preparing for the move when the pandemic upended their original (and much more gradual) transition plan. "My stuff just got here this weekend, and I moved in about a week ago," she tells CNBC Make It. "The place is still filled with U-haul boxes." The unusual circumstances have required that she and Kevin figure out how to share their space together very quickly. While Kelsey originally moved to Boston with a job offer as a software developer, the offer was unexpectedly rescinded due to company restructuring. "I'm currently looking for work, which is its own struggle," Kelsey says. She initially expected she'd have the one-bedroom to herself for a few weeks until she started her new job. Now, "because my boyfriend is still working, I basically have to be a responsible adult and get dressed and showered, lest I get caught in background of Zoom meeting," she jokes. Working quietly around Kevin's meeting schedule has been a challenge, as he often hops on video calls with colleagues for ad hoc check-ins throughout the day. Kelsey also needs quiet blocks for job interviews over the phone, which she usually takes from the bedroom. The two have learned to share their meeting schedules with as much notice as possible. Headphones come in handy, as does having a separate room to spread out. "I have no idea how we'd handle this if we just had a studio apartment," Kelsey says. One welcome guest to Kevin's work meetings, however, is Kelsey's dog Bibi. "She's a big hit in the Zoom meetings when she decides to show up," Kelsey says. Moving in together during a global pandemic has fast-tracked their relationship in terms of communication, setting boundaries and sharing the small space at all times. But Kelsey is optimistic about the ways they're working through it together. "I definitely feel like it's galvanized [our relationship] a bit," Kelsey says of the pandemic's impact. "The biggest thing about moving in was trying to figure out how we'd fit everything into a one-bedroom apartment. Even if I haven't literally figured out how to make everything fit, we've had to figure out how to split our space and time. I feel like this is a lot more practice than we expected." Kelsey has several job interviews lined up, which she hopes will soon allow her to officially work from home alongside Kevin. Bibi, for her part, has been enjoying having everyone at home with her. "She just wants to curl up in someone's lap, and now she has more laps to choose from," Kelsey says. "She's just having the time of her life."

The newlyweds celebrating their 1-year anniversary

Chris and Chiara say their time apart in self-isolation is just as important as their time together.

Space constraints are a challenge for Chris Halsted, 27, and his wife, Chiara, 27. The two have spent the last three weeks sitting side-by-side on the sofa in their 500-square-foot apartment in Washington, D.C. Adding to the mix are two dogs, including a 16-week-old puppy. Chris is used to working remotely; he spends his time as a PhD student at the University of Virginia writing his dissertation from home, coffee shops and libraries. The transition to working from home exclusively has been a challenge, but he's welcomed the idea of sharing the space with Chiara, a lawyer who's learning to work remotely for the first time. They rotate to the kitchen table throughout the day and coordinate when Chiara will have phone meetings. "I've learned more about her relationship with her coworkers," Chris says. "She'll tell me, 'Oh that's so-and-so, a good friend of mine.' It's good to see into your partner's personal relationships in that way." Communication has been crucial in making the new living and working arrangement go smoothly. That includes talking about what's not working and finding a solution together. "You're going to annoy each other more than normal," he says, "so talk about it and find a way to address it." While the two initially embraced their newfound time together, they quickly realized that actually spending every moment doing the same activity was unrealistic and created tension. For example, Chiara sticks to a regular workout schedule, while Chris doesn't. This "led to some friction since we both [felt] if one of us is working out, both of us should be," Chris says. "The solution we've found is just remembering that it's totally OK if, say, I'm folding laundry while she works out." To that end, Chris and Chiara make sure to have enough time to themselves and to socialize with their own friends virtually. They've also found ways to celebrate special occasions together. They spent a recent evening commemorating their one-year wedding anniversary over dinner, a bottle of wine and videos of their ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner toasts. "It was a lovely anniversary despite the circumstances," Chris says.

The married couple working as a team

Sarah has been working from home for about a month and this week helped her wife, Krystal, a health-care professional, set up an office from their guest bedroom.
The Defense Department is considering bringing back "stop-loss" orders as a last resort to keep troops in the ranks past their separation dates in the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus, according to Pentagon officials.

The possibility that the drastic step of employing stop-loss, first reported by The Washington Times, is even being considered underlines the growing strain on the military in ramping up efforts to assist in battling the pandemic.

There have been no formal recommendations to consider stop loss thus far, Pentagon spokeswoman Lisa Lawrence said in a statement.

Related: Navy Offers Service Extensions to Sailors as Job Market Enters Free Fall

"Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation as a whole and on the military's ability to recruit and train new service members, the Department is looking at a wide range of options on maintaining readiness," she added. "While there are many options, stop-loss is one that would only be considered if absolutely necessary and is an alternative that we will work diligently to avoid."

Stop-loss was first used in the Gulf War, which began in 1990, and then for operations in Bosnia and Kosovo.

The U.S. military used stop-loss authorities broadly following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and subsequent campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, prompting criticism that it was a backdoor draft. In 2009, then-defense secretary Robert Gates announced a plan to end the use of stop-loss almost entirely by 2011, saying its continued use amounted to "breaking faith" with troops.

The current strain on the military is evidenced by the growing demand from states for assistance.

A total of about 28,400 National Guard members have been activated thus far in all 50 states, and that number is expected to grow exponentially in the coming weeks, Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Wednesday in a telephone conference with reporters at the Pentagon.

"We'll be well over 30,000 in the next couple of days," and the number could increase by 10,000 or more in the next week or two, he said.

In addition, the Navy and Air Force are also mobilizing volunteer reservists, and the Army has similarly asked about 10,000 medical personnel in the Individual Ready Reserve to return to duty on a voluntary basis.

Individual Ready Reserve members are those who have completed active duty but must remain ready for possible involuntary recall by presidential order.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Read more: A-10 Makes Emergency Belly Landing at Moody Air Force Base
The details are as yet a little muddy, but the intention is clear: Mason City Schools will offer some sort of educational experience for students starting on April 13.

Last week, after Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered schools closed until at least April 30, the state Department of Education released guidelines on how to continue to offer educational experiences to students. Districts must submit their choice of three options to the state by Friday.

At the Board of Education's Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday night, Superintendent Dave Versteeg said the district immediately rejected the option to essentially do nothing during the closure, which would then require the district to make up the days missed.

Instead, he said the district will engage in voluntary educational experience with the goal of switching to required, for credit learning to begin for at least some grades on May 1.

The state Legislature waived instructional days' requirements, which means none of the days school was out will have to be made up.

Susan Pecinovsky, director of curriculum and instruction for Mason City, said staff is currently learning how to prepare content for online learning. The conundrum lies in making sure the students are learning without creating more stress for them in already stressful circumstances.

The solution? Teachers will work together as a team to assign one task per content area each week. For students in grades K-4, the task should take no more than 20 minutes; for someone in high school it will be about 45 minutes.

"We'll also be working with building principals to have teachers set up virtual office hours," Pecinovsky said. "There will also be a website accessible to both teachers and families that will go live on Monday."

Director Jacob Schweitzer said he likes to play the parent in these scenarios.

"So as a parent, how is the district going to communicate with me," he asked.

Versteeg said he plans to send out a video message as well as texts and email messages on where to find the content and how to access it.

Pecinovsky said she sent out a survey to district families about access to technology and the internet, and also plans to follow up with families that didn't respond.

Schweitzer again played the parent, noting that a lot of students left their school-issued notebook or laptop in their lockers before spring break, and now, because schools are closed, could not access them.

"We're discussing that with principals," Pecinovsky said. "We haven't communicated that yet but we will resolve it in the next week."

Before the Committee of the Whole meeting, the Board of Education convened in a special session to enact policies to clear the way for some of the decision-making that needs to happen while the district is closed.

One of those covered how to compensate nonexempt hourly employees. Superintendent Versteeg recommended all staff who were out of work from March 16 to April 10 be placed on paid administrative leave. The board unanimously agreed, and approved memoranda of understanding with each group's union.

The board also unanimously approved a contract modification for members of the Mason City Education Association that compensates teachers for instructional days missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

School Board President Jodi Draper pointed out the moves do not add anything to the district's expenditures since the pay was already part of the year's budget.

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Bollywood producer Karim Morani has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. Earlier, his two daughters Zoa and Shaza had also tested positive for the disease.

Karims brother Mohomed told Mirror Online. Yes, we have been anticipating this as he was with his daughters. Karim has tested positive of coronavirus. He has been shifted to Nanavati Hospital, he said.

Shaza, who had returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March, showed no symptoms but was admitted to Nanavati Hospital on Monday. According to sources, Zoa, who had returned from Rajasthan around mid-March, tested positive for Covid-19.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster

She had tested today for COVID-19 and her results came positive by evening. She is in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, whereas Shaza is under medication at Nanavati. Shaza will be tested again after two days. As of now, the immediate family, house helps are also getting tested. They are all under quarantine, a source told PTI.

Earlier in the day, Morani had said that both his daughters were under observation. Shaza had no symptoms but has tested positive. Zoa, my other daughter, has a few symptoms so we got both of them tested. Zoa, however, tested negative. Both have been admitted to Nanavati hospital. They are in isolation and under observation, Morani had said.

The producer has backed many Bollywood films, including Shah Rukh Khans Ra.One, Chennai Express, Happy New Year and Dilwale.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
BARRE, Vt., April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iDRY Systems, the leader in vacuum drying technology, is retrofitting its drying technology to address the growing demand for sterilized N95 masks due to the recent shortage of products available to protect against exposure to coronavirus. Recent studies and reports show the growing need for reusing masks, and iDRY may be a solution for first responders, hospitals, and essential businesses.

Research conducted on the effects of heat to kill the coronavirus on N95 masks suggests that the iDRY technology, which can heat thousands of masks in hours, may be an effective tool to help essential workers.

Jim Parker, president of the family run iDRY Systems, wants a way to contribute solutions during this time and knows his technology could help with the introduction of the iDRY and Sterilize product line. There is a clear shortage of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment that needs to be addressed. The CDC is now saying "FFR (filtering facepiece respirator) decontamination and reuse may need to be considered as a crisis capacity strategy to ensure continued availability."

iDRY and Sterilize is neither approved by the FDA nor recognized by the CDC. Jim Parker adds, "As an entrepreneur and owner of a small business, I admit I don't have all the answers. However, I do know that our technology can reach the recommended heat and time that experts are saying is needed to kill coronavirus on the masks that our healthcare workers need to save lives. We hope our technology can help provide more healthcare workers with clean masks and have a positive impact on the containment of this virus."

iDRY is looking for partners and collaborators from the scientific community, health systems, and state or federal governments to make this technology available.

SOURCE iDRY Systems
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell Babcock International Group PLC (LON:BAB), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.

View our latest analysis for Babcock International Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Babcock International Group

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Chairman Linda Cairnie bought UK63k worth of shares at a price of UK3.19 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK3.98. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. Happily, the Babcock International Group insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months Babcock International Group insiders were buying shares, but not selling. They paid about UK3.86 on average. Although they bought at below the recent share price, it is good to see that insiders are willing to invest in the company. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Story continues

LSE:BAB Recent Insider Trading April 8th 2020

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Babcock International Group Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, Babcock International Group insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Not only was there no selling that we can see, but they collectively bought UK90k worth of shares. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.

Does Babcock International Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 0.3% of Babcock International Group shares, worth about UK6.5m, according to our data. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Babcock International Group Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Babcock International Group insiders are expecting a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Babcock International Group (1 is concerning!) and we strongly recommend you look at these before investing.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



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Australians are being warned of a long road out of the coronavirus crisis in a new alert on the need for strict shutdowns, as Parliament approved the $130 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy in the hope it would only be needed for six months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the crisis could last "far longer" than the timeframe set in the mammoth new economic measure offering $1500 per fortnight to six million workers.

The detail of the JobKeeper package showed that employers who knowingly breached the new law could face fines of up to $610,000, while those who defrauded the system could be hit with criminal penalties.

The government is canvassing the idea of allowing the shutdowns to be eased in some cities over time to gauge the impact on COVID-19 case numbers, in a staged plan to emerge from the crisis.
Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro hasn't seen his daughter Ariana Sky or his babymama Jen Harley 'in months' due to the emergency protective order she filed against him in October when they split.

A couple of days before the 34-year-old reality star missed his precious princess' 2nd birthday party on Friday, he penned an emotional post vowing he'd 'never stop fighting for' her.

'No matter where you are, who keeps you from me, I will always be here for you!' Ronnie - who boasts 4.4M social media followers - gushed on Instagram.

Separated: Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro (L) hasn't seen his daughter Ariana Sky or his babymama Jen Harley (R) 'in months' due to the emergency protective order she filed against him in October when they split

'You are my world, you are my reason! I wake up everyday thanking God for you! Even though I can't be with you, I will always be here. I love you so much and I will never stop fighting for you.'

Little Ariana is being solely cared for by Magro's 32-year-old estranged ex-girlfriend at her Las Vegas home, and the global coronavirus pandemic is delaying their next court date.

'We have no contact. We're not even allowed to talk to each other,' Harley - who has an older son Mason from a prior relationship - told In Touch on Tuesday.

'We have to wait for our next court date to even modify that. It's been put off.'

A couple of days before the 34-year-old reality star missed his precious princess' 2nd birthday party on Friday, he penned an emotional post vowing he'd 'never stop fighting for' her

Ronnie wrote on Instagram: 'No matter where you are, who keeps you from me, I will always be here for you! You are my world, you are my reason! I wake up everyday thanking God for you! Even though I can't be with you, I will always be here. I love you so much' (pictured July 20)

'It's been put off': Little Ariana is being solely cared for by Magro's 32-year-old estranged ex-girlfriend at her Las Vegas home, and the global coronavirus pandemic is delaying their next court date (pictured last week with photographer Chasity Perez)

'We're not even allowed to talk': Jen and the Bronx-born, Las Vegas-based star's 'funny girly girl' is 'becoming her own little person' and 'talking so much' and she's 'almost potty-trained'

Meanwhile, Jen and the Bronx-born, Las Vegas-based star's 'funny girly girl' is 'becoming her own little person' and 'talking so much' and she's 'almost potty-trained.'

The Realty One Group realtor now blames their break-up on the MTV reality show which made them famous, saying: 'I wish it was never part of our lives. It completely ruined our family, ruined the person I was in love with.'

Harley and Magro - who met in 2014 and starting dating in 2017 - brought back-and-forth domestic violence allegations against each other with arrests and accusations flying as recent as January.

The Realty One Group realtor now blames their break-up on the MTV reality show which made them famous, saying: 'I wish it was never part of our lives. It completely ruined our family, ruined the person I was in love with'

Sammi 2.0: Harley and Magro - who met in 2014 and starting dating in 2017 - brought back-and-forth domestic violence allegations against each other with arrests and accusations flying as recent as January (pictured October 3)

Ronnie had a similarly volatile relationship with his prior girlfriend Sammi 'Sweetheart' Giancola, whom he dated on and off between 2009-2014.

Catch more drama in the third season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, which airs Thursdays on MTV.

The original reality series - which lasted six seasons (2009-2012) - surrounded hard-partying roommates sharing a New Jersey beach house as well as the mantra 'gym, tan, laundry.'
The coronavirus has given rise to a flood of conspiracy theories, disinformation and propaganda, eroding public trust and undermining health officials in ways that could elongate and even outlast the pandemic.

Claims that the virus is a foreign bioweapon, a partisan invention or part of a plot to re-engineer the population have replaced a mindless virus with more familiar, comprehensible villains. Each claim seems to give a senseless tragedy some degree of meaning, however dark.

Rumors of secret cures  diluted bleach, turning off your electronics, bananas  promise hope of protection from a threat that not even world leaders can escape.

The belief that one is privy to forbidden knowledge offers feelings of certainty and control amid a crisis that has turned the world upside down. And sharing that knowledge may give people something that is hard to come by after weeks of lockdowns and death: a sense of agency.
Theres no microphone. So Lori Ferguson-Ford grabs a banana. She then walks into frame and takes the stage. Well, her living room. Welcome, everybody, she enthusiastically tells the audience  five pets sprawled out on the floor in front of her.

When a dog nips at a cat that isnt, um, social distancing, Ferguson-Ford, stops and jokingly calls out, Security!

Her only human roommate leans in, touches the dog  Sir, youve been warned  then drifts back off-camera. She picks up where she left off, delivering a solid set  to silence.

From her Calgary home, the veteran headliner says, chuckling, I learned the timing is way off when performing to pets. In a comedy club, she compares, my timings impeccable.

Next time, she guarantees, shell slow down to polish her delivery.

Thats a challenge  for even the most seasoned comedian. Most standups dont just thrive on a live audience; they depend on it to perfect that pacing, that timing, and to nail the best phrasing.

Whereas musicians and actors can hone their craft alone in solitude, Danny Polishchuk, says, Theres no way you can test out a joke without a (live) audience. This (shutdown) is proving that. The former Torontonian, whos posting rants to promote his podcast while self-isolating in Florida, adds, You can maybe tweet (a joke) but at the end of the day, you gotta be in front of a crowd. Its as necessary as a microphone.

Still, it doesnt mean comics cant try. Theirs is, after all, a metier built on adapting  playing a rowdy road house one night, and a squeaky clean corporate function the next.

Three provinces away from Ferguson-Ford, Trevor Thompson is striving to prove this artistic adaptability. Alone in his Ottawa apartment, in a jacket and tie, he, too, is live-streaming a monologue. A Montreal Canadiens sweater hangs in the background, next to a TV, a lamp and a plastic storage container. Occasionally, an image appears on screen  a-la-SNL-Weekend-Update  or emojis float upward. In a meta-like twist, Trevors Pad is usually a monthly show at his local Yuk-Yuks, with similar props in the background.

This time, I literally am home, he says about his new nightly show. Every day at 8:30 p.m., its like, Okay. Time to put a suit on for two hours.

This is life for the sequestered standup, where Covid-19 has emptied comedy clubs faster than Andy Kaufman could in his heyday.

Across Canada, standups are performing their acts and/or scripted  (often unscripted)  comic rants on-line.

Ferguson-Fords internet show earned her about $200 after a fan suggested crowd funding. Never even crossed my mind before that. I just wanted to make people happy. But thats extremely rare.

So standups are doing this to remain relevant and, well, not go squirrelly.

(Not being on stage) just starts to gnaw at you, says Scott Faulconbridge, a standup and improviser who lives in Burlington with his wife and two kids and whose social media posts include clever songs about being kind during a pandemic. I mean, you want to get your stuff out there. Its what we do. And comics get off on connecting with people.

From his Toronto condo, one of the countrys most successful and (pre-Covid) busiest comedians, Ron James, has been using Facebook  Planet Zuckerberg, he calls it  to deliver well-crafted, timely and very funny rants on everything from the government being slow to repatriate stranded Canadians, to hostile Costco shoppers making a mad dash for the apocalypse size bag of jelly beans.

His posts generate thousands of views and lots of praise. And theyre not that dissimilar to the page-to-stage style hes mastered. But the Cape Breton native recognizes the imprecise nature of those internet accolades, regardless of their numbers, compared to audible laughter.

One is real, the other is virtual. Fifty thousand views is great, but nothing takes the place of a living, breathing audience grunting and snorting.

To look down and see three generations of the same family laughing at the same joke... Here, James pauses, sounding choked up, and concludes, Thats a nice feeling, man.

With social media, a frustrated-sounding Faulconbridge points out, You have to wait for these (darn) thumbs and hearts and smiley faces to appear.

Former Rick Mercer Report writer and respected standup Rick Currie used the time afforded in self-isolation with his family to produce a pandemic-inspired, refreshingly original  and slightly dark  animated short, which pays homage to the Johnny Carson era of TV. But he, too, is reluctant to boast, since he describes those on-screen thumbs-ups as, more numerated... quantitative. But its never enough. You could get 46 likes but youd be thinking, Ahh, so close to 50. Or youd get 4,600 and wonder why its not 5,000.

But despite the absence of an accurate appraisal, remuneration and the ideal environment, there are rewards.

Its a way to channel my anxiety towards something I have control over. Something to work on everyday... to keep me from not becoming a total, despondent sack of.... He continues, If I didnt have this, Id probably be in a malaise.

Currie is looking to his art forms long game. Lets face it, a comics contribution to society is dubious at best in good times. But people want something fresh to look at. And were now showing our value.

Denis Grignon is a standup comedian, writer and host of The Advocate Podcast: Stories from Kawartha Lakes.

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Rick Curries animated short

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We're honored to serve as a trusted partner to Aviva. They've made financial crime detection and mitigation a key part of their corporate culture...

StarCompliance, a leading provider of financial compliance software solutions, announced that it has partnered with Aviva plc (Aviva) to deliver Stars best-in-class software to the companys 30,000+ employees. Avivaan international savings, retirement, and insurance business headquartered in Londonrolled out the financial crime and employee conflicts of interest software as part of its commitments in this area.

We're honored to serve as a trusted partner to Aviva, remarked Star CEO Jennifer Sun. They've made financial crime detection and mitigation a key part of their corporate culture, and aim to lead the way in protecting their clients, their employees, and their industry from the malignant effects of financial crime, which costs the global economy trillions of dollars a year.

After the success of a limited STAR software implementation in 2017 in its asset management business, Aviva elected to increase its usage across the organization.

Peter Hazlewood, Group Financial Crime Risk Director at Aviva, commented on the firms investment in the STAR software: Aviva is committed to playing our part in tackling financial crime. Weve partnered with StarCompliance to help manage risks in this area.

---------------------

About Aviva

Aviva is a leading international savings, retirement, and insurance business. Our aim is to earn our customers trust as the best place to save for the future, navigate retirement, and insure what matters most to them. Last year, we paid c.33 billion in claims and benefits on behalf of our 33 million customers. We operate through five business divisions: Investments, Savings & Retirement; UK Life; General Insurance; Europe Life; and Asia Life. And we focus on three strategic priorities: deliver great customer outcomes, excel at the fundamentals, and invest in sustainable growth.

About StarCompliance

StarCompliance is a leading provider of compliance technology solutions. Trusted globally by enterprise financial firms, the STAR Platform empowers organizations to achieve regulatory compliance while safeguarding their integrity and business reputations. Through a customizable, 360-degree view of employee activity, the STAR software enables firms to automate the detection and resolution of potential areas of conflict while streamlining daily workflows and increasing efficiency. http://www.starcompliance.com
A memorial for Dr. Li Wenliang, a CCP virus whistleblower, outside the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles campus in Westwood, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2020.(Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Why the Chinese Communist Party Lied About the Outbreak

Commentary

A group of 100 Chinese scholars published an open letter urging the United States and China to work together to fight the CCP virus.

This open letter was immediately echoed by about 100 former U.S. government officials. Chinas ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, promoted this idea in a New York Times op-ed. Obviously, this is the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) new public relations effort, meant to turn the wave against it to its advantage.

The problem is: Is it possible for the United States and China to work together to solve a global problem? There is a difference between should and can. Chinas dishonesty stands in the way.

A Pandemic of Lies

Now we all know that from day one, the Chinese authorities at different levels did everything possible to cover up the outbreak and lied to Chinese people and the world.

The most important events include: punishing Dr. Ai Fen, who first circulated a report about a new SARS-like virus, and the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang and other doctors; forbidding companies from sequencing the samples and reporting the results; ordering the destruction or surrender of existing samples by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Wuhan City and Hubei Province; shutting down the Shanghai lab that revealed the virus gene sequence to the world; hiding critical information about human-to-human transmission, and much more.

Even today, nobody knows how many people have been infected and how many have died of the Wuhan pneumonia in China. The lying and coverup are far worse than just inaction.

The real question is: If they had the chance to do it again, would there be any difference? The answer is no. The CCP would have done exactly the same because the whole system is based on lies and designed to lie. There is just no place for truth under the CCPs rule.

Remember, after the CCP punished Dr. Li for telling the truth about the CCP virus, they then, after he died, announced he was a martyr for fighting it. Then, three citizen reportersChen Shiqiu, Fang Bin, and Li Zehuawere kidnapped by the local Wuhan police. What are their crimes? They reported the truth about what happened in Wuhan during the lockdown, which contradicted the CCPs misinformation. They are still missing.

When the SARS epidemic ended, top anti-viral expert Dr. Zhong Nanshan was asked during an interview what lesson was learned. He said that there would be no coverup next time. The reality is that, this time, the CCP repeated every mistake it made during the SARS outbreak.

The only thing for sure is that if there is another outbreak in the future, there will be the same coverup and lies. Its not some individual officials decisions to coverup and lie; that should be much easier to handle and correct. From the Party boss of Wuhan Central Hospital to regime leader Xi Jinping, everybody played a role and nobody seems responsible. If the coverup involved officials being replaced by other officials, the results would be still the same.

History of Lying

Not long after I came to the United States about 30 years ago, I found out that everything I had learned about Chinas modern history was a lie. Not only were the events lies, the CCP also created special terms to enhance the effects.

The following are some examples in standard textbooks: CCP was the leader of the anti-Japanese War, while in reality, the CCP hid in Yanan doing internal cleansing to kill its own members; the Korean War, which, in China, is called the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, was initially caused by an invasion led by the United States; and the great famine, which is named the three-year natural disaster, was caused by the Soviet Unions demanding payment of debts after the disaster, instead of by the Great Leap Forward.

The lies not only exist in the propaganda machine and education system, they are everywhere, deeply permeating the whole Party and government system and ordinary peoples lives. For officials at different levels, its not why they lie, but that they have never learned to tell the truth. Its just not in their blood. The system rewards the bad and punishes the good.

Anyone with the conscience to tell the truth either couldnt get into the system or would have been kicked out long before they had a chance to be promoted.

The CCP considers any truth as a threat to its rule. Mao initiated many political campaigns to make sure that nobody dared to seek the truth. The persecution of Falun Gong and other religious groups also sends the message to people that believing in truth will bring danger to themselves.

The CCPs lies are protected by the legal system. Whoever tries to expose the CCPs lies will be punished by the legal system and even forced to confess on television, as many human rights lawyers can attest.

When the CCP didnt keep the promises it made in 2001 to the World Trade Organization, it just extended its daily domestic practice to international affairs. People shouldnt be surprised to see Huawei and other Chinese companies violating UN sanctions by helping Iran and North Korea.

Face Mask Diplomacy

During the early stage of the outbreak, China bought almost the entire U.S. stock of face masks, from regular face masks to N95 respirators, leaving U.S. health care workers defenseless. This wasnt individual action by some companies and overseas Chinese. It was well planned and organized by the top leadership.

According to a Chinese media report, on Jan. 28, a chartered Boeing 747 cargo plane fully loaded with personal protective equipment (PPE) left for China from Chicago. While the reports headline is Overseas Chinese and Students Chartered Aircraft with Donated PPE to China, the articles content tells a different story. The event was organized by Yidianzixun, a news aggregation website, and the China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.

The chartered aircraft and 80 percent of the PPE were financed by Yidianzixun, and not by donations. The China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation is run by the CCP Department of United Front Work, which specializes in recruiting individuals and organizations outside China to support the CCP. Perhaps the Foundation organized some donations, or just picked up the rest of the cost itself.

The major shareholder of Yidianzixun is Chen Ming, the vice president of Phoenix News Media. When a reporter from Phoenix TV asked President Donald Trump during a press briefing on April 6 if he wanted to work with China on securing medical supplies amid the pandemic, Trump asked her if she was from Chinas state media and she denied it.

Actually, Liu Changle, the founder of Phoenix, once claimed that Phoenix was the little brother of the state-run China Central TV (CCTV).

The China model cant be copied, whether regarding the economy or fighting the CCP virus. It requires not only lying about everything but also the no-escape censorship, one-voice propaganda, no free media, and the fast reaction of the police force to lock up citizens who dont fit into the web of lies. How could any country copy that?

Theres also no experience that can be learned from China. When all data is faked, how can we know which measure is effective fighting the virus, even if the new cases have truly declined?

So far, not a single country or international organization has benefited from the CCPs information and help. It turns out that the World Health Organization (WHO) misled and failed the world by endorsing all the CCPs claims and data.

Taiwan is the exception. Not only didnt it get help but was rejected and isolated by WHO, and look at how well its doing. The world would be better off without the CCP and WHO.

As for the medical supplies provided by China, they are either of inferior quality, such as recalled face masks in the Netherlands and the faulty testing kits in Czechia and Spain, or China has set conditions for receiving them. Thats not cooperation.

Everything is weaponized by the CCP.

If the co-signers of the statement by former U.S. officials really want the United States to work with the Chinese, the first thing they must do is to ask the Chinese regime to stop lying and offer the real data to the international community.

Cooperation should start with trust. How could anybody trust a regime that hasnt told a single truth about the worst pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu? The CCP has repeatedly cheated the world.

This time, maybe its the last time. Its a real wake-up call.

Heng He is a commentator on Sound of Hope Radio, a China analyst for NTD, and a writer for The Epoch Times newspaper.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Has Modi -- after announcing the life-crushing demonetisation, the abrogation of Article 370 and the CAA/NPR/NRC without any consultation -- suddenly realised the value of taking everyone on board, asks Krishna Prasad.

Illustrations: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Across the world -- from Britain to Israel, Chile to Bolivia, Hungary to Philippines -- political analysts and academics are horrified at the powers elected leaders are accumulating under the cover of #COVID-19 to detain people, close borders, shut down courts, surveil people, prevent assembly and so on.

Some of these steps are understandable in the circumstances, but many of the new powers have little to do with the outbreak.

Photograph: Kind courtesy The Telegraph

In many nations, populist leaders have doused themselves in teflon, and convinced the people that their policies are beyond scrutiny and criticism; that the normal rules of politics do not apply at a time like this; that accountability and transparency need to be suspended for some indeterminate period.

In the name of 'national interest', of course.

As Anne Applebaum wrote in The Atlantic (external link): 'The opposite is true: All of the decisions being made right now, whether medical or economic, deserve widespread scrutiny and debate. As Francis Fukuyama has written (external link), there is no evidence that authoritarians are better than others at controlling disease; several democracies -- South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and perhaps Germany -- look like they have control of their coronavirus outbreaks. Nor does any evidence show that secrecy produces better outcomes; quite the contrary.'

The saga is not much different in India, which has, of course, been there and done all that in the last 70 months, but there is a twist in the tale.

The twist being this:

After six years of untrammelled exercise of authority, Narendra Damodardas Modi suddenly appears to have discovered ever so slightly that there may be, just may be, some virtue in what little democracy is still left in the country.

In the last 15 days, the prime minister has addressed the country 5 times: On March 19 (when he imposed a #JanataCurfew); March 22 (when he announced #ThaaliBajao); March 24 (when he announced a 21-day lockdown); March 29 (Mann ki Baat); and April 3 (to ask people to light lamps).

In the last 15 days, the prime minister has had 'interactions' via video with representatives of industry; representatives of electronic media; representatives of print media; with radio jockeys, and with 'eminent sportspersons'.

In the last 15 days, he has had 'interactions' via video with chief ministers of states; with SAARC leaders; with leaders of G-20 countries; with heads of Indian missions broad; with members of his own ministry.

And, in the last 15 days, the honourable Member of Parliament from the Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi had an 'interaction' with his constituents, again by video. And, in addition, addressed BJP workers by video on the party's 40th anniversary.

The uncharitable way of looking at these 'interactions' is to see them merely as photo-opportunities grabbed by a publicity-hungry, image-conscious leader starved of his oxygen by the advertised benefits of 'social distancing'.

The official photographs of these 'interactions' back this somewhat, for it is Modi who is mostly doing the talking and gesticulating in them whereas it should have struck him by now that he has spoken more than enough and needs to listen a lot more.

But that would be quibbling.

The point to ponder, therefore, is whether Modi -- after announcing the life-crushing demonetisation, the abrogation of Article 370 and the CAA/NPR/NRC without any consultation -- has suddenly realised the value of taking everyone on board.

Tuesday's Deccan Chronicle broaches this point in an excellent editorial: 'Meet PM Narendra Modi, suddenly a consensus builder' (external link).

Photograph: Kind courtesy Deccan Chronicle

There are other signals in the last few days which suggest that Modi has seized the opportunity offered by coronavirus to take a different tack, if not craft for himself a new not-the autocrat, not-the-authoritarian persona.

Suddenly, The Supreme Leader who had been strutting all over as if he knew it all and done it all, and who didn't brook the thought of anybody else possessing any wisdom, is reaching out to all and sundry.

Suddenly, CMs are being advised to charter their own timeframe to lift the 21-day lockdown, in imposing which they had no freedom.

Suddenly, IAS officers who had been emasculated wholesale, are finding the nerve to leak their feedback to the PMO that the 'lockdown' should be extended.

Perhaps, a puny pathogen can bring the most powerful to their knees.

Perhaps, an intimation of mortality can puncture puffed-up egos.

Perhaps, it is best to corporatise the profits and socialise the losses.

Perhaps, democracy has its uses after all.

Perhaps, this too is a put-on.

Krishna Prasad is former editor-in-chief, Outlook, and former member, Press Council of India.
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The TV remote didnt seem to work, and the web pages on our laptops froze. We checked our phone line: Dead. One Saturday evening in March, as my husband and I were settling in to watch Goodfellas for the fifth time, our triple-play bundlecable, internet, and phone servicefailed.

As residents of Westchester County, N.Y., just north of the states coronavirus pandemic epicenter, we were into our third week of working from home, minimizing grocery shopping trips, and avoiding face-to-face contact with others. Now, suddenly, our lifeline to the outside world was gone.

I was wary of rebooting or unplugging anything without guidance. On my smartphone I typed the problem into Verizons self-help bot but didnt find an answer. I located the companys chat line but found it unresponsive. I reached a representative Monday morning, when live help resumed for the week, and was told wed need a service calland that the technician would come the next day. So on Tuesday morning, the company dispatched a worker to get our system up and running again.

In the prepandemic world, hosting a repairperson, handyman, or contractor would have meant checking ID at the door, asking the pro to wipe his feet before entering, and talking face-to-face about the issue at hand. But in the new reality of the coronavirus, there was so much more to think about.

What if the stranger who entered our house was infected with COVID-19 and spread the dreaded virus to us, baby boomers on the cusp of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels a vulnerable group? Or what if we were unknowingly infected and spread the virus to the worker? In the face of an invisible and still mysterious threat, a simple service call or appliance installation feels fraught with risk.

You could drive yourself crazy, but its a reasonable concern, says Normadeane Armstrong, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, N.Y., who specializes in epidemiology and public health. Theres so much unknown about this virus.

Story continues

Nonetheless, the principles that the CDC has been stressing throughout the pandemic that we all need to follow to prevent the viruss spreadsocial distancing by at least 6 feet, frequent and thorough hand-washing, appropriate cleaning of potentially affected surfacesall apply to home service calls as well. Here are simple strategies to protect everyone involved, before, during, and after the visit.

1. Scheduling the Visit

Be honest about your exposure. The Verizon rep I initially reached asked whether anyone in our household had been diagnosed with COVID-19 or was being quarantined for potential exposure to the virus; a text on the day of the service call asked the same. I truthfully answered no. If youve been exposed or diagnosed, you may be tempted to withhold that information; that not only is unfair to the worker but also could backfire on you.

If an employee doesnt feel comfortable entering a home, we ask them to reschedule the delivery for another date, says Jon Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics, which sells and installs major appliances, as well as electronics and home goods, and is based in Chicago.

On the flip side, you may wonder whether the worker coming to your door might not be disclosing his or her own virus exposure (perhaps because the person has no paid sick leave). Theres no guarantee the person is virus-free, but its worth noting that the $2 trillion Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, signed into law last Friday, mandates that all workers, regardless of employer size or occupation, are eligible for two weeks of emergency paid sick leave and 10 weeks of paid family and medical leave, among other measures.

Request a touch-free transaction. One study has shown that the coronavirus could remain on some surfaces for hours or even days. To avoid contact with potentially tainted surfaces, ask in advance whether documentation and sign-off can be done without exchanging paper or writing implements. Lowes, for one, told us it is temporarily allowing customers to leave receipts unsigned.

Ask about precautions. You could, for instance, ask the representative on the phone what the company mandates that its service workers do when entering the home to maintain a 6-foot distance. You also could ask to have the service person call or text you before arriving to go over precautions.

In certain cases, our technician will have the customer open the door and then walk away from it to maintain social distance, says David Moreno, chairman and co-founder of Liberty Home Guard, a home-warranty company, based in New York City, that sends independent contractors to make repairs for policyholders. Moreno has himself been at home with COVID-19 since March 14. There have been a lot of takeaways from this situation, personally and professionally, he says.

You might feel the need to ask in advance whether a companys service personnel will wear a face covering. I felt better having masks, left over from a dusty home improvement project, on hand for me, my husband, and the Verizon worker. (The CDC now recommends the use of cloth, nonmedical face coverings in public to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.)

And any time a repairperson or installer touches a tool and leaves it on a surface in your home, theres a chance for a virus he may unknowingly be harboring to remain. So when youre making your appointment, ask whether the worker will use an appropriate disinfectant to clean tools and other supplies in your home, before and after use. The retailer Abt says it requires that of its personnel, among other precautions. A Home Depot spokesperson told us: Were limiting the number of installers in the home and sanitizing job sites while working.

On a COVID-19 FAQ page for consumers, Verizon says it is minimizing in-home installation work to keep employees and customers safe, but it doesnt mention service visits. In an email, spokesperson Adria Tomaszewski told me that for critical service needs, Verizon has asked all employees to report to the company if they do not feel well and to stay home until they are better. We also reach out to customers who have an appointment scheduled to let us know if they are quarantined, she said. In the event they are, we reschedule the appointment. Any customer that has an appointment and does not want one of our technicians to enter their home for any reason, we reschedule the appointment.

(The companys COVID-19-related web page for employees, updated April 6, says that washing bare hands offers more protection from catching COVID-19 than using nitrile, surgical gloves but offers best practices if employees want to wear them. It also cites the CDCs recommendation to all Americans to wear face coverings whenever in a public setting in which social distancing is difficult to maintain.)

2. Preparing Your Home

Chart a path. Plan how youll direct the person through your home, and where to suggest she put her tools. Youll want to make sure that she doesnt go into rooms or touch items in your house unnecessarily and that her own items touch a minimum of surfaces. (My husband and I agreed in advance, for instance, that he would handle the remotes if the Verizon guy needed to test the system.) Proactively moving items that block access to the ailing appliance also will ensure that the worker touches less and spends less time in your home, says Bryan Bennett, president of AdvantaClean, which does residential air duct cleaning and mold remediation services and is based in Huntersville, N.C.

Prepare the work area. Amna Husain, M.D., a pediatrician at Pure Direct Pediatrics in Marlboro, N.J., recommends precleaning the area where the worker will be based, with a cleaner known to kill the virus. That protects the service pro in the event the virus is in your home, even if youre not aware of it.

You can also lay floor protection: disposable paper or plastic, or a washable sheet on which the worker can walk and place her tools. You can clean under there afterward. Theres no scientific evidence that the virus is spread by walking on a floor or fabric, but that kind of barrier could limit exposure, says Armstrong, the nursing professor.

Have hand soap and cleaners ready. You can offer them to the service worker before and after the job is done. (Youll want to disinfect the wash basin afterward.)

3. During the Visit

Stand 6 feet back. The 6-foot rule and hand cleaning form the basis of all good COVID-19 hygiene, the CDC says. Our Verizon worker arrived early while I was out for a walk; my husband sat across the room from him while he worked. The worker accepted the mask he was offered but had no glovesostensibly because they would have made it hard to work with the wires he needed to touch. If the contractor in your home doesnt have gloves, ideally he will wash his hands or use hand sanitizer before and after doing his work.

Protect your hands. If you have to hand something to the worker, use nonpermeable, disposable nitrile gloves or a paper towel to cover the item when you pass it. Then wash your hands vigorously, for good measure. If you must sign something, use your own pen or stylus (for touch screens).

Tip with care. If youd like to thank the worker this way, put the money in a sealed envelope and place it on a surface for her to pick up. You can also ask for the workers name so that you can write a compliment on social media or on a follow-up communication with the company.

If you want to use a mobile peer-to-peer payment app, such as Apple Pay or Venmo, to tip someone, do it while the person is in your presence and confirm every detail before you send the money to make sure that it goes to the right person, recommends Christina Tetreault, senior attorney at Consumer Reports. (CR doesnt recommend paying strangers this way because it can lead to scams and fraud, though the risk is greater with strangers youre not dealing with face to face, Tetreault says.)

4. After the Visit

Wash your hands again. You can never do this too much. It always goes back to hand hygiene, Armstrong says.

Clean where the contractor was working. Ideally, clean 6 feet around the repairpersons path, Armstrong says. See CRs list of household cleaning products you can use to kill the virus.

After the Verizon worker left, we realized wed used the last of our Clorox wipes. So I used paper towels and rags soaked in isopropyl alcohol, wiping down counters, chairs, and tables that he passed. I hesitated before wiping down a wooden table; I was concerned about the effect on the finish. I did it anyway, and yes, it left some faint, white streaks. I wondered what I could have done differently, and whether it was necessary at all. And I realized too late that I missed a glass table and didnt wash down the wood floor.

Those kinds of conundrums are now part of everyones everyday life, Armstrong says.

If we knew more about exactly what the virus does, how it spreads, wed have more answers about what to do, she says. Everything is new. Were all learning from our own mistakes.

What I did learnand what many people in the U.S. are learningis that were going to have to approach daily life differently for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I can research what to do with more ease now. We have our internet back.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.
MANILA, April 8 (Reuters) - Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc , the Philippines' second-biggest nickel ore producer and exporter, said on Wednesday it has decided to suspend mining operations to allay growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

The miner, which ships all its ore output to China, said in a statement that its decision was in compliance with the appeal of the local government of Surigao del Norte province in the country's nickel ore mining region to halt its operations. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
(Photo : Screengrab from Youtube (Vice)) Martin Shkreli wants to work on the COVID-19 cure, requesting for a three-month freedom.

The controversial former hedge fund manager of MSMB Capital Management, Elea Capital, and MSMB Healthcare, a convicted felon, and pharmaceutical entrepreneur known for raising prices of AIDS drug by 5,000%, Martin Shkreli, is now trying to convince the court to release him to work on the COVID-19 cure.

The biotech entrepreneur has been dubbed as "Pharma Bro" after he bought the rights to an existing drug and increased up the price. While in jail, he co-authored an 11-page paper that examines the efficacy of existing drugs against the virus. In the paper, it explains why Shkreli asked for 'a three-month furlough from his seven-year prison sentence,' which is to work on a COVID-19 cure. He also cited his credentials as a drug industry entrepreneur.

"Medicinal chemists, structural biologists, enzymologists, and assay development and research biology departments at every pharmaceutical company should be put to work until COVID-19 is no more," Shkreli wrote.

In the same paper, he also said, "If the government is willing to reward industry for their work on this catastrophic situation, it will be at each company's discretion to accept, negotiate or deny such funding, including bulk purchases, cost reimbursement, tax credits, and other benefits."

Kevin Mulleady, Vyera Pharmaceuticals CEO, and unindicted co-conspirator of Shkreli's convicted case co-authored the manuscript along with Maureen Lohry and Jason Sommer.

Back in 2018, the biotech entrepreneur, was jailed for looting $ 11 million of stock from his own firm to pay investors in two failed hedge funds he ran. Apart from that, federal and state authorities sued him in February for using unscrupulous tactics to stop his competitors from making versions of Daraprim and raising the cost from $13.50 per pill to $750 (or increasing the price by 5,000%).

He was sentenced to seven years in prison in a Pennsylvania prison, and was set to be released in September 2023. Shkreli's lawyer Benjamin Brafman told The New York Post, "'I have often said that left to his own devices, I believe Martin could cure cancer."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Nigerians who are not critically ill have been advised to stay away from the hospital environment as long as the COVID-19 pandemic still persists.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, gave the advice at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 situation in Abuja on Wednesday.

Mr Mustapha said this is not the time for people to walk into the hospital for mild illnesses.

He also said pharmaceutical stores have been directed to remain open so people can access drugs and other medical attention if the need arises.

We have not shut down the hospitals. The hospitals and pharmaceutical stores are there. So you can access the hospital if you have any need to go, he said.

All over the world, people are being advised to stay away from the hospital except it is a critical issue.

This is not the time to walk into the hospital because you do not the type of patients that are coming and you wouldnt want to contact something you didnt bring to the hospital, he said. All the countries are dealing with situations they cannot combine with routine visits to your doctor and to the hospital.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Nigeria, the government has continued to put severe measures in place to curb the spread of the disease.

Nigeria currently has 254 cases of the coronavirus of which 44 have been discharged and six deaths recorded.

Rejecting patients

Meanwhile, the minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, said no patient should be rejected without advisory on what to do.

Mr Ehanire who was represented by the minister of state for health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, said essential health services should be rendered to everyone.

Health facilities, both public and private, are called upon not to reject patients without giving them advisory on what to do, but to follow NCDC guidelines and refer suspect cases to COVID-19 test sites.

In all cases, essential health service is to be rendered, including emergencies, since the arrival of coronavirus does not mean disappearance of other diseases, he said.

He also said unauthorised management of COVID-19 and compromise of medical ethics can aggravate public health emergency at community level and place national security in jeopardy.

He advised that only accredited facilities for COVID-19 treatment are allowed to accept persons suspected of the virus.

All health facilities are reminded that coronavirus is an extremely dangerous pathogen, which spreads very easily, he said. It is not advisable to accept persons suspected of such infection for treatment if the facility is not so accredited, but to offer them a referral to test centres or accredited treatment centres.

Health workers and other patients and visitors will otherwise be put at great risk, he said.

The minister also said there are enough bed spaces in accredited hospitals to handle the present number of positive cases in Nigeria.
Turkish forces, allied militants shell villages in Syria's Hasakah: Report

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 5:52 PM

Turkish army forces and militants allied to Ankara have attacked several villages in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, a report says.

The attacks against a number of villages in the vicinity of Tal Tamr and Abu Rasin towns started at dawn on Tuesday, inflicting material damage on the property of villagers, Syria's official news agency SANA said in a report.

Citing civil sources in the region, the report added that Ankara-backed militants had been positioned at Turkish observation points in the villages of Enq al-Hawa and Tel Mendel and from there began firing mortar shells against villages around Tal Tamr and Abu Rasin.

Turkish military forces later joined the militants in attacking the rural areas along the common border by firing artillery shells from inside Turkish territory.

On Saturday, Turkish forces also caused damage on a power station in Hasakah by shelling the electricity lines in Tal Tamr, SANA reported at the time.

This came a few days after the Turkish forces cut off the water supply to local residents in the city of Hasakah and surrounding residential neighborhoods for at least two consecutive days.

According to SANA, Turkish army troops and their militant allies have been attacking villages in Hasakah, Raqqah, and Aleppo with artillery shells and various other heavy weapons since their cross-border offensive into Syrian territory in October last year and the subsequent occupation of a long swath of the border with the Arab country.

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Milli Lucas, who had a life-saving operation performed by Dr Charlie Teo, has thanked her supporters before going back into surgery to treat her brain tumour.

The 12-year-old's cancerous tumour returned for a third time last week following her pioneering operation by the renowned Sydney surgeon last year.

The Perth schoolgirl sent a touching tribute to her supporters from a hospital bed on Wednesday morning before going back into the operating theatre with Dr Teo.

'I'd like to thank everyone that has made it possible for me to be here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,' Milli said in the video posted to social media.

Milli made headlines last May after her parents Grant Lucas (left) and Monika Smirk (second from right) were forced to crowdfund over $170,000 to afford the operation with Dr Teo (centre) at a private hospital in Sydney

Dr Teo successfully removed 98 per cent of her malignant tumour last June, but the cancer returned for a third time this year

Milli made headlines last May after her parents Grant Lucas and Monika Smirk crowdfunded more than $170,000 to afford the operation with Dr Teo at a private hospital in Sydney.

Chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy were no longer working on her tumour and doctors in Perth refused to operate out of fear the invasive procedure could lead to paralysis or even death.

After hearing about her story, Dr Teo - who is known for tacking terminal brain cancer cases - said he would perform the 'difficult' procedure.

But the risky surgery carried out by the Sydney-based neurosurgeon was a tremendous success and saw her walking three days later.

Many doctors wouldn't touch as the tumour was in a high risk 'no go zone' of the brain.

But with chemotherapy and radiation no longer working, there was no other choice.

'They [the family] know the risks, they know it's not curative and could reduce her quality of life, but they just aren't ready to give up. It's a brave decision,' Dr Teo said at the time.

Dr Teo successfully removed 98 per cent of her malignant tumour last June, despite it being attached to her brain stem.

Milli then headed to Bochum, Germany for alternative therapies including hyperthermia to remove the remaining parts of the tumour.

She incredibly returned to school just weeks after her surgery, but is now facing another tough battle in her fight against the extremely rare Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Milli's rare condition puts her at risk of developing various types of cancer, which has also effected her older sister Tess, her mother and cousin Beau.

But in another devastating blow to Milli, her family announced last week that her cancer had returned for a third time.

Dr Teo successfully removed 98 per cent of her malignant tumour last June, despite it being attached to her brain stem. Pictured with older sister Tess

'Yet again the West Australian surgeons will not operate on Milli but Charlie will,' Ms Smirk said.

The family again appealed to the public to raise more than $43,000 needed for Dr Teo's surgery.

'The operation alone is going to cost over $43,000,' Ms Smirk said.

'We are running against the clock and time is so very precious and your help is needed.'

The family successfully crowdfunded the money needed for Wednesday's operation with Dr Teo.
Photo: pixabay

Despite a federal order requiring all returning travellers to Canada to go directly home and stay there for two weeks, some are concerned not everyone is playing by the rules.

Residents returning from abroad are considered at higher risk of having contracted the virus. B.C.s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said shes heartened by the relatively low number of new cases reported daily, but the return of travellers has the potential to introduce new cases into B.C. communities if self-isolation measures arent followed.

This is why were making such a big deal about people who are coming into the country right now, because we are holding our own here right now, Henry said Saturday. This could take a turn for the worse in the coming week in particular.

When Penny Chapman saw her Airbnb guests from Washington state returning with shopping bags, she believed they were violating their mandatory 14-day quarantine, but she didnt know who to turn to with her concerns.

The mother and daughter told Chapman they were coming to Victoria on Canadian passports to see a dying relative in hospice and assured her they would stay in her rental cottage for two weeks before leaving the property. Four days after they said they entered the country on the Coho ferry, the two packed up and left without telling Chapman.

This woman and her daughter could stupidly go into hospice situation and, you know, they may be carrying [the virus], Chapman said.

After contacting local police, politicians, the health authority and the Canada Border Services Agency, Chapman said shes still unclear how the order to self-isolate for two weeks after entering the country will be enforced.

No one here seems to be in charge, she said. I fell into a hole that shows that something wasnt being taken care of.

There is both a federal act and a provincial public health order for anyone entering B.C. from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days, which has the potential to confuse returning travellers and muddle the issue of enforcement.

The provincial health order, issued on March 17, says that returning travellers must stay home unless to undertake essential errands, like obtaining medication or food if its not possible to have the items delivered. The province has more information for residents online here and here.

The federal governments act issued a week later uses stronger language, saying travellers without symptoms must go directly home from their arrival point without delay, and stay there for two weeks without leaving, unless they need to seek medical attention. Travellers are to follow the instructions provided by a screening officer or a quarantine officer upon entering the country.

Those with symptoms who are unable to get home without being exposed to others will be transported to government quarantine facilities.

The federal act comes with hefty financial penalties and the potential for random spot checks, but how the act could be enforced remains unclear.

Henry has said that RCMP are responsible for enforcing the federal act. Its complicated and operationalizing it is not a simple thing.

National RCMP spokeswoman Catherine Fortin said the RCMP is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada and law enforcement partners on enforcement details.

Henry has said the provinces approach focuses on ensuring people understand what they need to do.

Most of the cases that we have been involved in, that have been investigated, either from public health or bylaw officers, is people not understanding and not being very clear about what exactly is expected of them, she said. Thats step number one, and for the most part when we do that, people are compliant. Thats the approach we recommend taking.

Henry has also cautioned that people might not know the exact circumstances of their neighbours and that officials have heard of people receiving different messages at the airport.

Rather than encouraging people to report their neighbours, Henry has stressed the importance of supporting those returning from abroad to enable them to self-isolate appropriately.

That may mean buying groceries for them and dropping them off, making sure they have a way to get home from the airport without having to take public transit, having frequent virtual visits. We need as a community to support people to do this, Henry said.

People who are worried that others might be refusing to follow mandatory self-isolation after international travel can direct concerns to their local municipality, according to a B.C. government statement. Municipal bylaw officers can be dispatched to follow up on concerns by providing information to those potentially violating the order, but they do not have the power to ticket or detain anyone to force compliance.

The provinces guidance document on compliance and enforcement of public health orders says bylaw officers and other compliance officers are not expected to monitor individual behaviour or have a role when it comes to individuals and self-isolation measures.

Their role is to help with public education and voluntary compliance to maintain public trust and avoid law enforcement interventions.

Health Minister Adrian Dix has acknowledged that efforts to ensure compliance by those returning to the province from abroad needs to be stepped up at entry points across the province.

I think we can do better. Weve had these discussions with the federal government at airports and at border crossings to do more and they have indicated clearly that theyre going to, and I think thats a good thing, Dix said.

There is no excuse for anyone returning to the province from abroad not to follow the orders, he said. The excuse of whether people were adequately contacted at the airport or not, is not an excuse for people not to comply with the order. They have to self-isolate for 14 days when they come back from outside the country, he said.

Metchosin couple David and Norma Kirkham landed in Victoria Friday evening after weeks stuck aboard a cruise ship denied port by several countries as it travelled around South America. Their arrival in Canada included a thorough questioning by officials, David Kirkham said.

They faced questions about whether they had a place where they could self-isolate, whether they had private transportation from the airport to their home and if they had any flu-like symptoms, he said.

They were also questioned and had their temperatures taken before boarding their flight, chartered by the cruise company, from Florida to Toronto.
The number of cases of Covid-19 in Co Louth has reached 96, according to the most recent figures released.

This is up by 11 from 85.

There have now been 235 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 365 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as at 1pm, 8th April.

There are now 6,074 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.



Todays data from the HPSC, as of midnight, 6th April (5,981 cases), reveals:

 46% are male and 53% are female, with 299 clusters involving 1,288 cases

 the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years

 1,472 cases (25%) have been hospitalised

 Of those hospitalised, 224 cases have been admitted to ICU

 1,568 cases are associated with healthcare workers

 Dublin has the highest number of cases at 3,268, (55% of all cases) followed by Cork with 431 cases (7%)

 Of those for whom transmission status is known: community transmission accounts for 67%, close contact accounts for 23%, travel abroad accounts for 10%



The National Public Health Emergency Team noted todays guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) that the risk of severe disease associated with COVID-19 in the EU and UK is considered moderate for the general population and very high for vulnerable groups.

The ECDC also advised that it is currently too early to start lifting community and physical distancing measures and that Member States should continue to adopt a public health based approach of testing and contact tracing.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; Ireland continues to follow ECDC guidance with regards to testing, contact tracing and the implementation of community measures such as physical distancing and cocooning. This is the most effective way we have of slowing down the spread of this virus and saving lives.

"Our public health guidance is under constant review and the National Public Health Emergency Team will meet again on Friday morning to review the impact of ongoing measures.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; The ECDC has said that the probability of continued spread of COVID-19 is very high. The risk of exceeding the capacity of the health system remains high even in countries like Ireland where significant public health restrictions have been put in place.

It is for these reasons that we continue to ask people to stay at home and to follow public health advice. While we know these measures are difficult especially as we approach a sunny, bank holiday weekend, the efforts we are seeing from the public are having an impact and making a real difference.
The NIA has arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in the killing of a Chhattisgarh MLA and four security personnel in an IED blast carried out by Naxalites in Dantewada last year, an official said on Wednesday.

Bhima Tati, 27, and Madka Ram Tati, 36, both residents of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, were produced before a special NIA court in Jagdalpur which sent them to six days of custody, the National Investigation Agency official said.

They are the workers of the banned CPI (Maoist) and were instrumental in providing logistical support and shelter to the Naxals and were part of the larger conspiracy to plant and execute the IED blast which led to the killing of Mandavi and four security personnel, days before the first-phase Lok Sabha election in the state, the official said.

On April 9 last year, Bhima Mandavi, the then sitting BJP MLA of Dantewada, was killed near Shyamgiri village in the district along with four police personnel of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) in an IED blast followed by indiscriminate firing by CPI (Maoist) cadres, the official said.

The incident occurred at Shyamagiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area, which is about 450 km from state capital Raipur.

The arms and ammunition of the security personnel were also looted by the assailants, the premier investigation agency said.

A case was registered under sections of the IPC, Arms act, Explosive Substances Act, and the UAPA.

Further investigation in the case continues, the NIA added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Welcome to the Cannabis Countdown. In this weeks rendition, well recap and countdown the top 10 Marijuana and Psychedelics industry news stories for the week of March 30th  April 5th, 2020.

Without further ado, lets get started.

* Yahoo Finance readers, please click here to view full article.

10. U.S. Doctor Urges FDA to Temporarily Approve Psychedelic Therapies to Aid Coronavirus Patients

Dr. Campbell Lays Out His Case for the Rapid Approval of Psychedelic Therapies to Address What he Says Will be an Inevitable Spike of Mental Illnesses

Wisconsin-based resident psychiatrist Dr. Morgan Campbell is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to temporarily approve Psychedelic therapies which would allow psychiatrists and therapists to immediately begin administering Psychedelics such as Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms), MDMA and LSD to help aid struggling patients of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ FULL FDA PSYCHEDELICS ARTICLE

9. How Will COVID-19 Affect the Cannabis Industry?

The Subject Was Front and Centre in a New Report Issued by Echelon Wealth Partners

Echelon analyst Andrew Semple has one overarching message for investors: be opportunistic but also be careful. The Echelon Wealth Partners report addressed six key themes: Cannabis as an Essential Business, Market Movements, Demand Drivers, Capital is Critical, The Supply Situation, and Regulatory Risks.

READ FULL CANNABIS INDUSTRY REPORT ARTICLE

8. Nevada Marijuana Deliveries Are Skyrocketing, is This the New Normal for the Cannabis Industry?

Much Like the Grocery Stores Trying to Fill Orders for Rice and Potatoes, Cannabis Retailers Cannot Fill Pot Delivery Orders Fast Enough

Since Nevadas cannabis industry temporarily switched to delivery-only purchases, retailers have cut short purchasing windows, grown their delivery vehicle fleets and set priority times for medical patients.

Story continues

READ FULL CANNABIS DELIVERY ARTICLE

7. Missed Earnings, Misdirection Put Canadian Cannabis Executives in Hot Seat

The Exodus of Canadian Cannabis Execs is in Full Swing After Their Companies Raked up Collective Net Losses Exceeding Billion in 2019

Most of Canadas top cannabis producers have replaced their CEOs or CFOs over the past year after failing to meet customer and investor expectations. Some left on their own volition, and others were forced out. Most notably, Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC) fired its founder and long time CEO Bruce Linton last year and more recently, Aurora Cannabis (NYSE: ACB) founder and CEO Terry Booth retired. What went wrong?

READ FULL CANNABIS EXECS ARTICLE

6. Psychedelics Activists Push for Ballot Reforms in Face of COVID-19 Restrictions

Initially, Activists Were Hopeful That Online Signature Collecting Could Potentially Be Permitted

For Psychedelics activists in Washington DC, theres bad news and theres good news. The bad news: the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to cease gathering signatures in person. The good news: theyre not ready to give up the fight.

READ FULL PSYCHEDELICS REFORM ARTICLE



5. Illinois Adult-Use Marijuana Sales Remain High at .9 Million in March

More Than 9 Million of Marijuana Products Were Purchased in Illinois in the First Three Months of Legalization

Illinois third month of sales were on par with the first two despite a stay-at-home order being in place for 11 days in March. Preliminary numbers show statewide adult-use cannabis sales in March totaled $35.9 million, according to a news release Thursday from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

READ FULL ILLINOIS CANNABIS ARTICLE

4. States That Have Allowed Marijuana Businesses to Remain Open During Coronavirus Pandemic Stay-at-Home Orders

Heres Where Each State with Some Form of Statewide Stay-at-Home Order Stands as of April 2

Most state governments around the nation have deemed medical marijuana companies essential during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning the vast majority can keep doing business after residents were told to stay at home and many businesses were ordered to scale back or close their operations.

READ FULL U.S. MARIJUANA ARTICLE

3. Cannabis Stores in Ontario No Longer Deemed Essential, Will Close This Weekend

Ontarios Government Released a Revised List of Essential Businesses on Friday

Cannabis stores across Ontario will have to close as of Saturday night after the provincial government removed them from their list of essential businesses.

READ FULL ONTARIO CANNABIS ARTICLE

2. COVID-19: The Turning Point for Global Cannabis Legalization

As of Friday, 3 April 2020, There Are Over One Million Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus Worldwide

As this develops, the potential of a legal cannabis industry to provide recession-proof jobs and taxes will become increasingly attractive to governments across the world.

READ FULL CANNABIS LEGALIZATION ARTICLE

1. Cannabis Declared Essential Amid COVID-19 Crisis, a Monumental Moment for the Legal Industry

Legal Cannabis Deemed an Essential Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic is a Major Turning-Point for the Industry

As COVID-19 continues to sweep across North America, a growing number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces have declared the cannabis industry as an essential service. Heres a rundown of the states and provinces that are currently working to ensure cannabis remains accessible for millions of individuals.

READ FULL ESSENTIAL CANNABIS ARTICLE

Image by Nikita Volodko from Pixabay

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 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Organizations like Gamma Iota Sigma have made it their mission to diversify and grow the insurance talent pipeline by making students aware of all the opportunities they can find in the industry. Besides organizing Boots on the Ground Month, in which insurance professionals visit campuses to share stories about their careers and encourage students to think about a job in insurance, Gamma Iota Sigma also has an initiative aimed at bringing long-term transformation to the talent pool.

One of our initiatives is the GammaSAID initiative, which stands for solutions for authenticity, inclusion, and diversity, said Alyssa Bouchard, director of education and programming at Gamma Iota Sigma. Its a student-led, student-focused group that is all about how we continue to diversify the talent pipeline. GammaSAID is open to all students and its council develops resources and presents programming all year round for the benefit of over 5,000 members.

Other companies are doing their part to encourage new talent to join the ranks of the insurance industry. Take a look at Worldwide Facilities, which has a professional development program in place that focuses on accelerating the growth of an up-and-coming generation. The program includes on-the-job training, mentor-mentee interaction, and sales training. In turn, a number of people that came through the program have become producing brokers with their own books of business.

Risk Placement Services (RPS) has also taken a swing at strengthening its talent recruitment strategies and touting the benefits of a job in insurance. As part of Insurance Careers Month in February, employees across RPS wrote their own stories about why they chose a career in insurance and how it drives their passion. One of those employees was Al Geraci (pictured above), area president at RPS.

Geraci comes from a small rural town in central Florida and once he graduated from high school, he chose the farthest state school he could to get some perspective outside of his hometown. He first considered pursuing a career in journalism and then turned to banking. However, one of the prerequisites for any business major was an intro to risk management course. Everything about this class was interesting to Geraci, as well as the fact that the risk management program at the school had a 100% placement rate post-graduation, so he set his sights on this path that would eventually lead him into insurance.

In fact, Geraci later landed on underwriting as the job for him since he liked the technical and analytical elements of the role. As he was going into his senior year, he found an internship at a wholesaler in Florida, which he described as an awesome experience.

They had a family feel and they had fun together. They worked hard obviously, but you could really tell people enjoyed working there, said Geraci. When I graduated, I had such a good time at the internship  that I started my career [there].

Read more: Industry organizes Insurance Careers Month to address looming workforce gap

However, after two years, his career wasnt progressing at the pace he wanted, so Geraci tried his hand at working for a carrier. Another two years passed before he moved on to work for AIG in New York City, where he got the opportunity to work on more sophisticated accounts. Nonetheless, home is where the heart is, and within a few years Geraci had returned to work for a wholesaler in Florida, now with his wife by his side. This is where he soon encountered an opportunity that would lead him to his current employer.

A friend that I worked with, his father had worked at RPS and he said, make sure you call my dad and interview there, its a great place, said Geraci. I interviewed with Laura Allen, whos my manager today and was just blown away by how different it was. We were in the same town as a competitor, but it was a totally different mindset and a totally different way of doing business  I realized right away that RPS was the place for me.

Since he first started working as a senior underwriter at RPS, Geraci has been promoted to the role of area president in Fort Lauderdale, putting aside his producing responsibilities to take on a leadership role on a full-time basis.

Once youve been in a couple of places and kissed enough frogs to find a prince  you can finally fully appreciate and emerge as [the person] you are because you have a more sturdy base of how you want to do things, said Geraci, adding that RPS was the first time that I was able to bring in all of my experiences and relationships.

Read more: RPS puts employees to work for a good cause to celebrate Leap Year

While Geraci came from an insurance background and had an education that put him on a path into the industry, not everyone who ends up in insurance necessarily starts there  nor should they.

Kelly Lennon (pictured below), client relations manager at RPS, spent the majority of her career in marketing, working with companies that included fast food restaurants and packaged goods companies. However, she found that she was working 24/7, so she decided to look for something more local that would better align with her lifestyle and priorities as a mom of three kids.

Lennon first started in insurance at Aon in a marketing role, and was surprised at how welcoming the company was even though she didnt have insurance-specific experience.

During the interview, I actually volunteered that I assume you have concerns about me having no experience in the insurance industry and it was actually the contrary  they were looking for people outside the industry to bring in fresh perspectives, she said. That to me was my very first welcome with open arms to the insurance industry.

She worked in travel insurance and after four years, she felt it was time to move on to a role where she could advance her career. Lennon decided that now that she had a foothold in insurance, she would see if she could go further in this industry and saw an opportunity come up at RPS.

When I interviewed for RPS, it became less of a concern about me not having insurance experience, and more of me not having had sales experience, because the role is more of a sales and marketing role, said Lennon. Once again, they took a leap of faith in me and offered me the position, and it has been uphill ever since.

She got her license immediately - as soon as she was hired, RPS sent her to get three weeks of training on a property and casualty insurance course, followed by three months of training and internal networking.

Today, Lennon wants other potential insurance professionals to know that theres a spot for them in this space.

There is a place for everyone in this industry, from HR to IT, because some people may not want to embrace sales and they might think of insurance as just sales, she explained. But there is a place for every individual within insurance.
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, a regular meeting was held in the Office of Government to discuss ways of addressing the pandemic-caused socio-economic problems.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Prime Minister was briefed on the steps taken by the Government to neutralize the economic impact of COVID-19. He was told that several business entities had submitted loan applications under the first program, many of which were complied with to a total amount of AMD 1,433 million. 194 farmer bids have so far been approved as part of the second program, the total volume of which is 1,119 million drams. 27 SME projects, worth 290 million drams, have been approved under the third activity.

The Governments initiatives have aroused great interest and a broad public debate: the number of beneficiaries and the amount of assistance keep growing day by day. The speakers next touched on the programs featuring a social component. The Premier told the responsible officials to continue monitoring the programs on a daily basis and report back the findings.



New proposals and ideas were presented aimed at tackling socioeconomic problems in order to expand the scope of beneficiaries. Following the discussion, Prime Minister Pashinyan told the stakeholders to develop a new program of activities and submit it to the Government for approval.
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Linkedin (Reuters)  Wed, April 8, 2020 10:06 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd07c9cb 2 Science & Tech supermoon,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose in the night sky on Tuesday over hushed cities, stilled factories and countries in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands worldwide.

If the moon is within 10 percent of its closest distance to the earth at the moment of full moon, it is considered to be a supermoon, according the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

Read also: Eyeing Moon, NASA hosts first public astronaut graduation ceremony

April's full moon will be the closest supermoon of 2020, and it is also known as the 'Pink Moon' after the pink flowers that start to appear in the fields this month in some places.

Watching in Beijing was local resident Ding Linlin, who said: "The epidemic situation in China is getting better and better. This may represent something good... I'm happy when I see it."

Mainland China reported no coronavirus deaths on Tuesday for the first time since the pandemic began and a drop in new cases, a day before the central city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged late in December, was set to lift its lockdown.

In Spain, where the virus is still raging and 743 people died in the last day to take the death toll to almost 14,000, residents of the capital Madrid clapped for health workers from their balconies and windows beneath the supermoon.
As part of measures to help the government of Ghana fight COVID-19, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress and former president of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama has donated 50 PPE's and 50 gumboots to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. This forms part of the 650 PPE's and 650 gumboots procured and being distributed to all front line health workers across the country.

The Cape Coast South Member of Parliament Kweku Ricket Hagan led the NDC delegation to present the items to the hospital on behalf of the former president. During the presentation Hon. Kweku Ricket Hagan said "the party wants to support what his Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo is doing to fight the virus and due to that as a responsible party, we will not sit down for the president to do it alone. The Pandemic is not politics so we should stop politicising it and fight it together. Ghanaians are even lucky because comparing the incidents to other countries in terms of cases recorded we are far better than them. We are happy the president has taken the NDCs advise to fight the COVID. John Dramani Mahama will use his experience in fighting the Ebola to help the president to fight the COVID 19".

The other members of the NDC team that accompanied Hon. Hagan to do the presentation were the NDC Central Regional party chairman Lawyer E. K. T. Addo, the NDC Communication Officer Mr. Kwesi Dawood, aspiring NDC MP for Cape Coast North Dr. Kwamena Mintah Nyarko among other party faithfuls.

Dr. Eric Kofi Ngyedu, the CEO of the CCTH took delivery of the items on behalf of the hospital. Upon receiving the items he said he said he is receiving this donation on behalf of the management, the board and most importantly our cherished staff. We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to the former president and the flagbearer of the NDC for this kind gesture". He further said this would serve as a morale booster for them to work well. "We promise to work tirelessly and also ensure that the materials will reach all our treatment centers to fight the COVID in case we encounter some. All the necessary arrangement has been made in the Hospital here to fight the COVID-19. We wish other political parties will also emulate what the former president has done to help combat the COVID 19".

The Director of Nursing Service, Mrs Sophia Blankson and the Deputy Director of Nursing Mrs Irene Jacobs and other hospital staff were part of the hospital delegation that took delivery of the items.

Speaking to the DDNS on the sidelines of the presentation, Mrs Jacobs expressed her elation for the items but like Oliver Twist asked for more and encouraged more philanthropist to help the hospital during this crisis. "This is a big hospital and we need more items to run very well".
On Sunday, the COVID-19 pandemic claimed the life of 27-year-old Leilani Jordan, an employee of the Giant Food Stores supermarket chain from Largo, Maryland.

Jordan had worked for Giant for six years. She was hired as a part of the grocery chains disability program. She just loved her little job, said a tearful Zenobia Shepherd, Jordans mother, to a local CBS affiliate. She said nobody was showing up to work. She said, Mommy, Im going to go to work. Im going to still go to work. I want to help.

Jordan first informed her job that she was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 28. Her symptoms quickly became more pronounced. Her mother tearfully explained that by the time she brought her daughter to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, she fell. She collapsed in the parking lot. When they got her, she had a 104-degree fever. They put her in isolation. She called me and said, Mommy, I can barely breathe.

She was my butterfly. I know shes in heaven and shes there welcoming everybody.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the United States, workers in industries deemed essential, such as grocery, are increasingly being exposed to the killer virus at extremely high rates.

Jordans tragic and preventable death is one of many in the supermarket and grocery stores industry. Just yesterday, a worker at a Trader Joes location in Scarsdale, New York, was pronounced dead from complications stemming from COVID-19. In Evergreen Park, Illinois, two Walmart employees, Wando Evans, 51, and Phillip Thomas, 48, died late last month from the disease. The family of Evans has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Arkansas-based retailer, accusing the company of failing to observe social distancing and other policies advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control has designated Walmart stores as high-volume retailers, making them responsible for taking additional precautions to protect employees and customers from the spread of COVID-19, said Evans family attorney Tony Kalogerakos to Reuters.

In some cases, thousands of people pass through a grocery store on any given day.

According to a 2017 study cited by USA Today, grocery carts and other supermarket surfaces contain hundreds of times more colony-forming units of bacteria per square inch than surfaces in your bathroom. The article noted that the study was conducted under normal conditions with no pandemic and no panic buying for toilet paper and bread.

While officials continue to call on people to stay at home and abide by social distancing measures, workers tasked with maintaining and restocking supplies in grocery stores and supermarkets must remain on the job. In fact, last month, Walmart, the largest retail chain in America, announced that it would be expanding its workforce by 150,000 employees through May. According to the New York Times, the companys goal is to place workers in jobs within 24 hours.

Only a few states have classified grocery workers as emergency workers, despite their hazardous work conditions and safety.

Currently, I am working over my contractual limit. They are employing me like a full-time worker during this pandemic, a Giant Food Store employee said to the World Socialist Web Site. Im a student, also, and Giant isnt giving people like me time to do schoolwork. I actually may have to drop out because co-workers keep calling in sick and they need me longer hours, they said.

Grocery store workers around the country have rightly joined the chorus of working-class voices demanding proper protective gear and sanitation equipment while on the job.

We have hand sanitizer at work, only I wouldnt really call it that. Its rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It is really bad for your hands, one Giant Food employee commented. It isnt as bad as the stuff they use to wipe down the belts [in the checkout line]. That leaves a funny chemical smell. Customers have complained about it.

A Whole Foods employee from Northern Virginia told the WSWS that we work long hours, with little if any pay raise. Safety equipment is wholly inadequate. At the most we get one mask, which we have to re-use.

Another service worker from Texas explained the ineffectiveness of the safety precautions being employed by various retail industries. Adding these sneeze guards would do little more for workers than providing them with gloves and a mask. They say that it would protect someone from a sneeze or cough as if either of those were a direct stream ejecting out of someones nostrils or mouth, instead of something more like a cloud that can stay suspended in air for 10 minutes.

He continued, I think the real issue is that half-assed measures like putting up a piece of Plexiglas will be used as another excuse to force people back to work. It will be said that proper measures are in place to protect workers and that they should return to the job. Ive literally been told that were still working because corporate trusts that were sanitizing as we should. The underlying implication is that its our fault if we get sick.

Another Giant worker commented on the role their union has played throughout the crisis: The union [the United Food and Commercial Workers] doesnt protect us. ... It sent us a survey asking us if we had the supplies we needed and asked us to select from a list of policies two things we would like to have. These options included emergency pay, sick leave, expanded health care coverage, more gloves, more hand sanitizers, among other things. Im like, were f------ dying out here, why would you limit us to two options?

The worker explained that at her location, customers were bringing employees protective gear and sanitation equipment when the union failed to do so. A customer actually bought me a better-working mask than the one the store provided me, he said. I told another customer that I was receiving a 10 percent hazard pay raise, they gave me a $20 tip, saying 10 percent is not enough.

One Giant worker shared with the WSWS her message to all workers affected by COVID-19: We need to stop sacrificing our health, essential workers in states with four- or five-figure death rates should not work at all. We should be paid the same as essential workers.

She continued, Its time to take action. We need a general strike. They want to let workers die. She added, instead of money for bankers, we should have money for workers. [Leilani Jordan] did not die in vain.

The Socialist Equality Party wants to hear from you. How is the COVID-19 crisis affecting you and your workplace? Get in touch with us here to tell your story.
Dominic Raab has insisted the governments commitment to deliver 100,000 coronavirus tests a day within weeks still stands despite a series of setbacks.

Officials admitted earlier this week that none of the new antibody tests ordered by the government were sensitive enough to use.

Ministers had hoped they would allow experts to test for the presence of the disease in the past, alongside tests that show whether or not someone is currently suffering from Covid-19.

Mr Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while the prime minister is in hospital battling coronavirus, also said more than 14,000 tests were carried out on Monday, down from more than 16,000 on Sunday, which he said showed progress.

A Department of Health source said the latest figures did not include results from Manchester or Leeds, because of a data processing delay.

Meanwhile, tensions at the top of government appeared to spill over in public just hours after Mr Johnson was taken to an intensive care ward in a London hospital.

Mr Raab appeared to pointedly describe an ambitious 100,000 commitment as the health secretarys target, during the governments daily press conference.

The foreign secretary also declined to say how the government planned to meet the commitment.

A friend of Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said Mr Raab was clearly preparing the ground to give the credit where it belongs  when the target is met.

Sources close to Mr Raab insisted he had merely been referencing the minister leading on the issue.

At the same event, Chris Whitty, the governments chief medical officer, also suggested that mistakes had been made when it came to the UKs approach to testing for Covid-19.

Prof Whitty, who is back at work after recovering from the virus, said that Germany had been better prepared to carry out large-scale testing than the UK and there was a lot to learn from that.

Downing Street had earlier suggested the government was united in its drive against the global pandemic, describing ministers as determined.

A source last night said the government was still committed to antibody tests and was working with manufacturers to improve them.
It was a week where the oil market swung between record losses and gains while natural gas fell to the lowest level in 25 years.



On the news front, American upstream major Apache Corporation APA shares rocketed after it, together with partner TOTAL S.A. TOT, announced a second discovery offshore Suriname Block 58. Meanwhile, British integrated behemoth BP plc BP, squeezed by low oil prices, announced a sharp reduction in its 2020 budget.



Overall, it was a mixed week for the sector. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures surged 31.8% to close at $28.34 per barrel, natural gas prices lost 2% for the week to finish at 1.621 per million Btu (MMBtu). In particular, the week marked a reversal for the oil market, which has fallen drastically of late, prompting capex cuts at major companies.



Coming back to the week ended Apr 3, the crude benchmark notched its biggest weekly gain ever on hopes that OPEC and its allies will curb production to stabilize markets and support prices. Further, President Trump's tweet on pushing Saudi Arabia and Russia to resolve their price war, also had a positive effect on the commodity.



Despite the bounce off, there is no denying that oil fundamentals remain firmly bearish. On Mar 30, the price of U.S. crude fell to $19.27 a barrel at one point, its lowest since 2002. Oil fundamentals appear to be struggling under the twin strains of untamed supply from major producers in the face of continuously falling global consumption on account of the coronavirus pandemic.



Meanwhile, natural gas ended slightly lower following a smaller-than-expected decrease in supplies. The narrative remains bearish as the fuel faces the prospect of a coronavirus-related steep drop-off in usage. The commodity is already weighed down by mild winter weather (leading to pessimistic heating demand) amid strong production. In fact, the commodity traded to the lowest price since 1995 when it hit $1.552 per MMBtu on Apr 2 before recovering slightly and closing the week at $1.671



Recap of the Week's Most Important Stories



1. Apache and its joint venture partner TOTAL have made a second oil discovery at the Sapakara West-1 well in Block 58, offshore Suriname. Apache, the operator of the well, discovered 259 feet (79 meters) net pay of high-quality light oil and gas condensate in multiple stacked and good quality reservoirs.



In January 2020, the joint venture discovered oil reservoirs at a depth of 240 feet (73 metres) and a 164-feet (50 metres) deep hydrocarbon-bearing light oil and gas condensate pay. The next exploration well will be drilled on the Kwaskwasi prospect with a fourth exploration well to be planned back to back on the Keskesi prospect. TOTAL will become the operator of Block 58 after the drilling of the fourth exploration well.



Apache's shares gained 14.71% in intraday trading on Apr 3. The drilling results pleased investors of both companies as the well confirmed ample traces of hydrocarbon within its bounds, mirroring high potential for productive oil wells. This, in turn, boosts Apache and TOTAL's confidence in discovering significant amount of resources across the sprawling area of 1.4 million acres in the region that they control. (Apache, JV Partner Find Oil in Suriname, Add to Cost Savings)



2. BP has announced the downward revision of its 2020 capital budget. The integrated energy giant has set its 2020 organic capital budget at roughly $12 billion, suggesting a decline of roughly 25% from the prior guidance. On the brighter side, although the business scenario is unfavorable, BP is not planning job cuts in the coming three months.



The company's total capital budget revision includes a reduction of roughly $1 billion in investments for onshore operations which comprise its onshore oil and gas activities in the United States. With lower spending, BP - carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) - expects its production in 2020 from U.S. shale plays to decline by 70 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoE/D).

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



For downstream business, which includes refining and marketing activities, the company has decided to lower capital spending by $1 billion. In its operational update, BP added that as compared to 2019, there is likely be a realization of $2.5 billion of cash cost savings by 2021-end, thanks to digitization and increased integration across businesses. (BP Revises 2020 Capex Downward as Coronavirus Drags Oil Down)



3. Whiting Petroleum WLL recently filed for bankruptcy. The company's board of directors reckoned filing for Chapter 11 plan of reorganization (the Plan) to negotiate with its creditors for providing the best part forward in a highly capital constrained market environment. Denver-based Whiting Petroleum faced the maturity of $262 million convertible notes. It listed debt of $3.6 billion and assets worth $7.6 billion in its bankruptcy petition, filed in the Southern District of Texas.



Per the Plan, Whiting Petroleum will exchange 97% of the new equity of the reorganized company for erasure of more than $2.2 billion debt, payment or refinancing of its revolving credit facility, payment of all other secured lenders and employees, and 3% of the new equity of the reorganized company and warrants for its existing stockholders.



The company has also proposed financial restructuring and reached an arrangement with creditors of its 1.25% convertible senior notes due 2020, 5.750% senior notes due 2021, 6.250% senior notes due 2023, and 6.625% senior notes due 2026. This would ease its debt burden and create a more sustainable capital structure. (Whiting Petroleum Files for Bankruptcy Amid Oil Price Crash)



4. Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A recently provided an update on its first-quarter 2020 guidance and envisioned its post-tax impairment charges between $400 million and $800 million for the period. On a bullish note though, management at this European energy behemoth stated that the company entered into a new credit facility, driving its shares more than 4% on the NYSE. The company further assured that it will face a relatively minor impact from the coronavirus-induced soft demand for oil products.



Investors were particularly reassured by Shell agreeing to a new $12-billion revolving credit facility. The amount supplements the company's $10-billion financing obtained in December 2019 to prop up its available liquidity in excess of $40 billion (after including $20 billion cash in hand).



The upstream production is projected between 2,650 and 2,720 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d). Shell estimated its first-quarter oil product sales in the band of 6,000-7,000 thousand barrels per day. The company expects first-quarter LNG liquefaction volumes to expand to 8.8-9.2 million tons. (Shell Up on Coronavirus Resilience, New Financing)



5.Imperial Oil IMO recently trimmed capital spending for the current year owing to the outbreak of novel coronavirus and sudden oil price slump. The company has trimmed its capital expenditure guidance for the current year by C$500 million to C$1.1-C$1.2 billion from the prior projection of C$1.6-C$1.7 billion. It has further identified opportunities to cut operating costs by C$500 million from 2019 levels. The company has also suspended the share buyback program to weather the current oil price woes.



In view of the weak oil demand scenario, it aims at reducing the planned second-quarter turnaround work at its Sarnia site. It has deferred a planned coker turnaround at the Syncrude facility in Western Canada until the third quarter, while continuing to assess other planned shutdowns across the business.



Imperial Oil expects the current business environment to negatively impact upstream production, downstream refinery utilization and product sales. The company is re-modelling strategies to maintain the balance sheet, so that it can sustain payout and offer attractive returns to shareholders. (Imperial Oil Slashes 2020 Capex Amid Depressed Prices)



Price Performance



The following table shows the price movement of some the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last six months.



Company Last Week Last 6 Months

XOM +6.1% -43.2%

CVX +9.2% -33.1%

COP +12.5% -36.7%

OXY +12% -70.4%

SLB +3.9% -56.5%

RIG -7.7% -74.1%

VLO -10.4% -50.9%

MPC -13.3% -65.1%



The Energy Select Sector SPDR - a popular way to track energy companies - rose 5.3% last week. The best performer was upstream biggie ConocoPhillips COP whose stock jumped 12.5%.



But longer-term, over six months, the sector tracker is down 47.5%. Offshore driller Transocean Ltd. was the major loser during this period, experiencing a 74.1% price plunge.



What's Next in the Energy World?



As global oil consumption plunges amid a supply glut, market participants will be closely tracking the regular releases to watch for signs that could indicate a rebound. In this context, the U.S. government statistics on oil and natural gas - one of the few solid indicators that comes out regularly - and the Baker Hughes data on rig count, will be on the energy traders' radar. The roadmap, if any, from leading producers to tackle the unfavorable crude market fundamentals, will also be of major interest.



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Click to get this free report TOTAL S.A. (TOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apache Corporation (APA) : Free Stock Analysis Report ConocoPhillips (COP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Imperial Oil Limited (IMO) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report Whiting Petroleum Corporation (WLL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
There are four critical facets of pandemic prevention, according to Lee Hannah, senior scientist at Conservation International. Three of them make immediate sense against the backdrop of our current emergency: stockpile masks and respirators; have testing infrastructure ready; and ban the global wildlife trade, including the open animal markets where COVID-19 may have first infected people.

His fourth recommendation is both the most grandiose and the least sensible to talk about in the midst of a once-in-a-century crisis: Take care of nature.

The assault on ecosystems that allowed COVID-19 to jump from animals to humans went far beyond merchants hunting and selling rare wildlife. Biodiversity  that is, the health of the entire ecosystem  can restrain pathogens before they ever leave the wild. We need to tell people right now that there is a series of things we need to do once were out of this mess to make sure it never happens again, Hannah says.

The role of biodiversity in disease prevention has received increased attention of late. In a 2015 state of knowledge review of biodiversity and human health by the United Nations, scientists wrote that an ecological approach to disease, rather than a simplistic one germ, one disease approach, will provide a richer understanding of disease-related outcomes. Recent research has given more support to the idea that biodiversity protection in one part of the world can prevent novel diseases from emerging and leaping into another.

Its a numbers game, in part. Not all species in a community are equally susceptible to a given disease, nor are they all equally efficient transmitters. In diverse ecosystems well separated from human habitations, viruses ebb and flow without ever having a chance to make it to the big time.

But as people move in, those protections begin to break down. Disrupted ecosystems tend to lose their biggest predators first, and what they leave behind are smaller critters that live fast, reproduce in large numbers, and have immune systems more capable of carrying disease without succumbing to it. When there are only a few species left, theyre good at carrying disease, and they thrive near people, there may be nothing between a deadly pathogen and all of humanity.

Virus spillover risk from wildlife to people rises as contact increases between them, according to research published Tuesday by a team of researchers led by Christine Kreuder Johnson of the One Health Institute at University of California, Davis. Almost half of the new diseases that jumped from animals to humans (called zoonotic pathogens) after 1940 can be traced to changes in land use, agriculture, or wildlife hunting. SARS, Ebola, West Nile, Lyme, MERS, and others all fit the profile. There may be 10,000 mammalian viruses potentially dangerous to people.

We are messing with natural systems in certain ways that can make them much more dangerous than they would otherwise be, says Richard Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. And biodiversity loss is one of those. Climate change is another.

A longer-term strategy can help nations see the benefits of rethinking resource use. The revenue from clearing new forest is extremely high  briefly, says William Karesh, executive vice president at EcoHealth Alliance, a research non-profit. But the cost to the public-health system also goes up because you get very common diseases like malaria. And as were now seeing, new zoonotic pathogens can be even more expensive to deal with.

Despite years of creative and resource-intensive work by governments and non-profits, companies actions to mitigate habitat loss arent adding up. Many large companies have pledged to halt deforestation, the largest driver of biodiversity loss, through initiatives like the Consumer Goods Forum, the Banking Environment Initiative and their Soft Commodities Compact. All have missed the mark, according to a new report by the Rainforest Action Network.

Hannah, of Conservation International, is working to make sure that the reasons to promote biodiversity, including its pathogen-dulling potential, align with the other endangered elephant in the room: climate change.

In February, Hannah and colleagues announced findings on what the effects of achieving climate and conservation targets might be. Using data on 290,000 species, they were able to squint into the future and see where ecosystems might be saved from mass extinction if nations preserve 30 per cent of natural habitats and meet UN limits for global warming. All told, meeting the goals would cut biodiversity losses in half.

The international community is positioned to make some progress. The Convention on Biological Diversity is a 196-nation effort to protect the richness of living things, tap natural resources sustainably, and share the benefits of the environments naturally occurring genetic innovations. (The U.S. and the Vatican are non-members.) The next phase of the biodiversity treaty, currently in draft form, proposes that at least 30 per cent of land and ocean be conserved, up from 17 per cent in the previous round. If governments agree to that goal, then nations and conservation scientists must take on the complicated step of figuring out which 30 per cent is most important to protect and how to do it.

The way those areas are drawn today rarely reflects the scientific ideal of how to guard biodiversity. Looking at the existing protected lands, a paper in Nature last month found that 90 per cent of conservation space fails to give bird, amphibian and mammal species the full range of environmental conditions across their existing habitats.

We could be doing a much better job of getting things in the right places, says Hannah. Theres going to be right places for disease control and they may largely overlap the right places for biodiversity.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a batch of petitions over the "shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical professionals" in the wake of coronavirus spread and seeking directions to avail WHO-approved protective gears.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and also comprising Justice S Ravindra Bhat heard the matter via video-conferencing.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union of India, told the apex court that the Central government is doing its best on the front and doctors are being protected.

"Doctors are corona-warriors. They have to be protected also. Not only physical protection but the safety of their families as well. Many of them are being housed in hotels. We are taking several steps. We will continue to do to deal with the situation," Mehta said.

The top court asked Mehta why doesn't the Centre create a mechanism at the district level where nodal officers can be appointed to get suggestions from all persons, to which the Solicitor General replied, "we have a central control room with officials from home, health, Ayush ministries, including at state level."

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for one of the petitioners, said that the doctors are afraid and if they don't come forward things will collapse.

Mehta said we have police officials deployed at all hospitals to ensure that people should not mix with others or leave the hospital.

Rohatgi cited news reports that the salaries of doctors and staff at government hospitals was being deducted, to which Mehta objected and said that it is incorrect.

Three petitions, filed by Dr Jerryl Banait, lawyer and activist Amit Sahni and Dr Arushi Jain, were filed in the apex court over the shortage of PPE kits amid the COVID-19 crisis. One of the petitions also sought directions for the deployment of security for the protection of medical professionals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Libya government forces say Emirati drones supporting rebels

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 6:03 AM

Government forces in Libya say Emirati drones have carried out two airstrikes in support of Libyan rebels near the city of Sirte.

Mustafa al-Mujie, a spokesman for Libyan government forces, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday that Emirati drones supporting the rebels under the command of renegade general Khalifa Haftar twice raided al-Washka area, west of Sirte.

"One of the strikes targeted a post office, causing the suspension of communications there," Mujie said, adding that only material damage had been caused.

A flight-tracking data provider said last month that the United Arab Emirates had sent more than 100 shipments of arms to Libya by air since mid-January, despite a United Nations (UN) arms embargo against the war-ravaged country. But the airstrikes near Sirte marked the first time that the Emirates was purportedly operating drones to support the rebels.

Since 2014, Libya has been divided between the Tripoli-based government and a camp in the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by Haftar's rebels.

Haftar has been receiving backing from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, and his forces have been fighting to capture Tripoli since April last year. The Libyan government received support mainly from Turkey.

Mujie also said that the government forces had on Monday conducted an airstrike on a fuel tanker in the city of Bani Walid that was due to supply Haftar's militia.

A government spokesman, Muhammad Gununu, also said that heavy artillery had targeted two ammunition depots belonging to the rebels in another area.

The operations come amid an escalation in fighting over the past two weeks despite calls by the UN for global ceasefires to focus on the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.

Shelling hits Tripoli hospital

On Monday, projectiles hit the grounds of a hospital in a government-held area in Tripoli, residents said.

The local council of Abu Salim district said the hospital had been targeted by rockets fired by the rebels, adding that five people had been wounded in the attack.

Libya, whose public healthcare system has been badly affected by years of fighting, has recorded 18 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far.

The North African country plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO intervention led to the ouster of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

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Two health personnel were



terminated from service for refusing to work in a quarantine centre in West Bengal's Alipurduar district, officials said on Wednesday.

"The two health workers were assigned duty at a quarantine centre in Kalchini block on April 3. However, they did not report for duty there. Their services were terminated for refusing to work in the facility," Alipurduar Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Subarna Goswami said.

Negligence in duty and refusal to perform duties related to the coronavirus outbreak will not be tolerated, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EGOT champ Rita Moreno revealed the surprising story of how she got involved in Steven Spielberg's more 'authentic' remake of West Side Story, which is scheduled to hit US/UK theaters on December 18.

It wasn't the 73-year-old filmmaker's idea to have the 88-year-old grandmother-of-two return to the musical that made her famous in 1961, but rather Mark Harris - the husband of WSS screenwriter Tony Kushner.

'Tony Kushner's partner said, "Why don't you get Rita Moreno to play Doc's widow?"' Rita recalled on Jess Cagle's SiriusXM Show on Monday.

Hitting US/UK theaters on December 18! EGOT champ Rita Moreno revealed how she got involved in Steven Spielberg's 'authentic' remake of West Side Story (pictured January 12)

Inspired! It wasn't the 73-year-old filmmaker's (M) idea to have the 88-year-old grandmother-of-two (3-R) return to the musical that made her famous in 1961, but rather Mark Harris - the husband of WSS screenwriter Tony Kushner (2-R, pictured in 2019)

'Doc was the man who ran the [drug] store where both gangs hangout now and then, but the part was really underwritten, I remember feeling sorry for the actor Ned Glass, who was playing that part because there was nothing to it. Nothing he said had any basis and it was hard to play a part like that.'

But Moreno was thrilled to play Doc's widow Valentina and the three-time Oscar winner even hired her on as executive producer to help enlighten his young cast, which includes 20 Puerto Rican actors.

Director Robert Wise infamously put brown make-up on Caucasian actors playing the Puerto Rican Sharks gang in his original, 10-time Oscar-winning classic which starred the Latina trailblazer as Anita.

Last month, Rita (born Rosa Dolores Alverio Marcano) told Vanity Fair that Tony nominee Ariana DeBose - who takes over the role of Anita - 'is a ferocious dancer - way, way better than I was.'

Back on set! Rita was thrilled to play Doc's widow Valentina and the three-time Oscar winner (L) even hired her on as executive producer to help enlighten his young cast, which includes 20 Puerto Rican actors (pictured October 8)

Even on Moreno! Director Robert Wise infamously put brown make-up on Caucasian actors playing the Puerto Rican Sharks gang in his original, 10-time Oscar-winning classic which starred the Latina trailblazer (M) as Anita

Big shoes to fill! Last month, Rita told Vanity Fair that Tony nominee Ariana DeBose (pictured) - who takes over the role of Anita - 'is a ferocious dancer - way, way better than I was'

Elsewhere in SiriusXM interview, Morena discussed her love affairs with Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando, whom she called the 'lust of my life.'

The Humacao-born, Long Island-raised actress is hunkering down like the rest of the world amid the coronavirus pandemic, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor.

The Bless This Mess actress shared a snap of herself on Saturday wearing protective gloves and an N95 mask over her eyes and nose with the caption: 'You can't cover my mouth... I'm Puerto Rican!'

Rita currently plays fiery retired Cuban dancer Lydia Riera in the fourth season of the reimagined Norman Lear sitcom One Day at a Time, which airs Tuesdays on Pop TV.

'Guess who?!' The Humacao-born, Long Island-raised actress is hunkering down like the rest of the world amid the coronavirus pandemic, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor (pictured Saturday)

'You can't cover my mouth... I'm Puerto Rican!' The Bless This Mess actress shared a snap of herself on Saturday wearing protective gloves and an N95 mask over her eyes and nose
When Shimao Property Holdings Limited (SEHK:813) released its most recent earnings update (31 December 2019), I wanted to understand how these figures stacked up against its past performance. The two benchmarks I used were Shimao Property Holdings's average earnings over the past couple of years, and its industry performance. These are useful yardsticks to help me gauge whether or not 813 actually performed well. Below is a quick commentary on how I see 813 has performed.

View our latest analysis for Shimao Property Holdings

Could 813 beat the long-term trend and outperform its industry?

813's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2019) of CN11b has jumped 23% compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has exceeded its 5-year annual growth average of 9.6%, indicating the rate at which 813 is growing has accelerated. What's the driver of this growth? Well, lets take a look at whether it is only a result of an industry uplift, or if Shimao Property Holdings has experienced some company-specific growth.

SEHK:813 Income Statement April 8th 2020

In terms of returns from investment, Shimao Property Holdings has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 14% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 2.1% is below the HK Real Estate industry of 2.9%, indicating Shimao Property Holdings's are utilized less efficiently. However, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Shimao Property Holdingss debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 8.6% to 12%.

What does this mean?

Though Shimao Property Holdings's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. Companies that have performed well in the past, such as Shimao Property Holdings gives investors conviction. However, the next step would be to assess whether the future looks as optimistic. You should continue to research Shimao Property Holdings to get a better picture of the stock by looking at:

Story continues

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 813s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 813s outlook. Financial Health: Are 813s 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.
Australian retailers are beginning to tentatively reopen stores across the country despite the pressing threat of the coronavirus pandemic, with a retail industry group telling shopkeepers to reopen stores "if they can".

Hundreds of retail stores shut and tens of thousands of workers were stood down in late March, as merchants battled both plummeting trade and strict new social distancing laws introduced by both federal and state governments.

Foot traffic along Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall has plummeted during the pandemic, but retailers are now being encouraged to reopen stores. Credit:Simon Schluter

Many companies said the closures would remain in place indefinitely, while others flagged a tentative four-week timeframe. However, some are already beginning to gradually reopen stores or are formulating plans to reopen sooner than expected.

National children's retailer Kidstuff announced on Monday it would begin to reopen selected stores through its network, with all bar eight of its 59 locations resuming trade under modified hours and with preventative measures in place, including limits on the number of customers at one time and a ramp up in cleaning procedures.
In a London court hearing yesterday, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser declared that the extradition show trial of Julian Assange will proceed in May, despite the fact that Britain is under a national lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic is rapidly spreading through the countrys prison system.

Baraitsers ruling was the second in a fortnight that places Assanges life and safety in jeopardy and underscores the travesty of justice being perpetrated against him.

On March 25, she rejected an application for bail made by Assanges legal team, which detailed the very real and potentially fatal threat posed to his health by the coronavirus pandemic.

Assange is currently held on remand in Londons maximum-security Belmarsh Prison. He faces extradition to the US, where he would be convicted of bogus espionage charges and imprisoned for life for exposing war crimes and human rights abuses by successive US governments.

Protesters hold banners outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

It was exactly a decade ago that WikiLeaks published the Collateral Murder video. Its images of the indiscriminate murder of unarmed Iraqi civilians and two journalists by US occupation forces were viewed with horror by millions around the world.

Ever since, the US and its alliesincluding Britain and Australiahave hounded Assange. They are determined to silence him forever as part of their turn to authoritarian rule and the imposition of new military provocations and mass austerity demanded by a criminal financial oligarchy.

Assanges health has been systematically destroyed by a decade of arbitrary detention. Last May, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer found that Assange displayed medically verifiable symptoms of psychological torture resulting from his decade-long persecution.

The WikiLeaks founder has a chronic lung condition that renders him especially vulnerable to respiratory illness, along with a host of other medical issues.

Since last November, the Doctors for Assange group, comprised of over 200 medical professionals around the world, has warned that Assange may die behind bars because he has been denied adequate medical care. Their calls for him to be transferred to a university teaching hospital have been dismissed by the British authorities.

In an open letter last month, Doctors for Assange wrote: Julian Assanges life and health are at heightened risk due to his arbitrary detention during this global pandemic. That threat will only grow as the coronavirus spreads.

Speaking for the group, Dr. Stephen Frost told the World Socialist Web Site: Mr. Assange must be assumed by doctors to be severely immunocompromised and therefore at greatly increased risk of contracting and dying from coronavirus in any prison, but especially in a prison such as Belmarsh. Every extra day Mr. Assange is incarcerated in Belmarsh prison constitutes an increased threat to his life.

Countless human rights organisations have warned that the UKs prisons are breeding grounds for coronavirus. Were Assange to remain in prison, argued defence lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC two weeks ago, he would be seriously endangered in circumstances from which he cannot escape.

Judge Baraitser, however, ruled that the global pandemic does not provide grounds for Mr. Assanges release. She had no reason not to trust the governments advice on protecting prisoners from the virus as both evidence-based and reliable and appropriate.

When the ruling was given, 19 prisoners across 12 different prisons had already tested positive for the virus and 4,300 prison staff were self-isolating, including one hundred at Belmarsh.

By the time she presided over Assanges hearing yesterday, 107 prisoners were known to be infected across 38 different prisons, meaning the virus is confirmed as present in at least a third of prisons in England and Wales. Another 1,300 prisoners were self-isolating. Of the top three prisons for reported cases, two were in LondonWandsworth with 11 and Thameside, situated immediately next door to Belmarsh, with 7. Nine prisoners were reported to have died after becoming infected, including one inmate at Belmarsh.

Revealing plans to release several thousand low-risk prisoners late last week, the UK government made the astonishing announcement that because Assange was not serving a custodial sentence he would not be considered eligible. Only one conclusion can be drawn: the WikiLeaks founder is being kept in prison with the deliberate intention of exposing him to a deadly disease.

At yesterdays hearing, Assanges lawyers requested that the next phase of extradition proceedings, scheduled to begin on May 18, be postponed. They detailed the Orwellian situation facing their client under conditions of a national lockdown.

Fitzgerald explained that Assanges already minimal contact with his legal team has been restricted even further. His lawyers are not able to have any reasonable communication with him at present. They are unable to visit him at all in prison or to meet with him via video and have been able only to hold a few telephone calls with their client. Assanges defence is therefore now largely being carried out by post, which is insecure and takes weeks to be received.

There is no chance of the extradition hearing being carried out fairly while the epidemic and lockdown restrictions continue, with Assange, witnesses, legal teams, the press and public unable to attend in person.

In any case, Fitzgerald continued, Assange is too ill to participate safely in the proceedings, even virtually. In order to access the video link in Belmarsh, he must move across the prison, queue with others and use shared facilitiesall potential opportunities for contracting the coronavirus. Given Assanges state of health, said Fitzgerald, it would be unjust to make him appear in court in this way.

Baraitser was unmoved, saying she intended to keep to the date of May 18 and hear as much evidence as possible that month, with witnesses participating via video link if necessary.

Not only does the British government refuse to accept the coronavirus pandemic as grounds for bail, they will not let it disrupt the schedule of their show trial. If they dont succeed in ensuring that Assange dies in prison, no concern for the pretence of fair legal proceedings will prevent them from railroading Assange to a US prison as planned, in what amounts to an extraordinary rendition. In events that outstrip the imagination of Franz Kafka, the whole extradition hearing may be heard in absentia, not only of the accused but of his lawyers and witnesses!

Underscoring the utterly vindictive character of the campaign against Assange, Judge Baraitser also insisted on lifting reporting restrictions barring his partner and children being publicly named. The WikiLeaks founder has sought to maintain their anonymity to ensure their safety.

Baraitser cruelly claimed there was no evidence that Assanges partner would be subject to harassment if her name was revealed or that any US agency wished her or her children harm. She had the gall to claim that her decision was motivated by the strong public interest in the accurate reporting of the case. As she knows full well, Assange has been slandered and his case wilfully distorted by the corporate media for a decade. Releasing his partners name is intended to add fuel to the fire.

These acts of naked criminality are carried out under conditions in which the worlds attention is focussed on the coronavirus pandemic and the criminal responses of the worlds governments. But the effects of the virus cannot be allowed to cover for the escalation of the vicious assault on the most significant journalist of the 21st century.

The coronavirus pandemic has underscored that the publics access to true and accurate information is a life and death question. In every country, working people are being confronted by governments and corporations that have systematically lied about the implications of a public health emergency that began last Decemberassisted by a corrupt and pliant media.

Assange founded WikiLeaks to uphold the publics right to know. He pursued this commitment courageously, earning the enmity of imperialist governments and their political and media lackeys around the world. It is time to repay the debt.

Saturday marks 12 months since Assange was illegally expelled from Ecuadors London embassy, where he was a political refugee, and brutally arrested by the British police. The events of the past year have unquestionably demonstrated that the purpose of the entire operation against the WikiLeaks founder has been nothing less than his physical and psychological destruction.

The alarm must be sounded: Assanges life is in imminent danger! His fate depends on the construction of a mass movement of the international working class for his immediate and unconditional release. Join this fight today!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:30:37|Editor: zyl

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Photo taken on April 8, 2020 shows an empty street in the center of Tripoli, Libya. The National Center for Disease Control of Libya's UN-backed government on Wednesday announced a new COVID-19 case, raising the number of the confirmed cases in the country to 21, including one death. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

TRIPOLI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya's UN-backed government on Wednesday announced a new COVID-19 case, raising the number of the confirmed cases in the country to 21, including one death.

The center also announced the second COVID-19 recovery case after receiving the healthcare.

On April 8, Libya announced its first death from COVID-19.

Libyan authorities have taken a series of measures against the COVID-19, including closing airports, border crossings, mosques and educational institutions, banning mass gatherings and movements among cities, and imposing a curfew.

On March 24, Libya announced its first COVID-19 case.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in a letter to Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said his government will create as many jobs as are lost in the coronavirus crisis, after Visentini recently expressed concern over Hungarys economic measures in connection with the epidemic.

In the letter forwarded to MTI by Bertalan Havasi, the prime ministers press chief, Orban called it encouraging that Hungary could count on the attention of Europes trade unions in a situation as difficult as the new coronavirus outbreak.



Orban assured Visentini that Hungarys and the ETUCs goals were the same.



The prime minister noted that over the past ten years, Hungary had managed to create a labour-based economy, which had significantly reduced unemployment.



This means the Hungarian government can look to the policies it had shaped at the time of the 2009 global economic crisis when formulating its response to the epidemic, Orban argued.



Over the past ten years, the government has always been prepared to share its economic policy experiences with those who were interested, the prime minister said.



Orban said his governments crisis management measures centred on preserving existing jobs and creating new ones and assured Visentini that his government would create as many jobs as are lost in the crisis.



Photo courtesy: Gergely Botar - kormany.hu
Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) head, has been shifted to her residence in Srinagar, where she will continue to remain under detention, an official order issued on Tuesday said.

The government order said the Peoples Democratic Party leader is being moved from a subsidiary jail on MA Road in Srinagar to her Fairview residence that will serve as a subsidiary jail.

According to an official order issued by the home department of the Union Territory, The government hereby orders the change of place of lodgement of Ms Mehbooba Mufti... to subsidiary jail, Fairview, Gupkar Road, Srinagar, with immediate effect.

Mehbooba Mufti, who was charged under the Public Safety Act, has been under detention since August 5 last year, when the Constitutions Article 370 was scrapped and Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union territories.

Muftis daughter, Iltija Mufti, tweeted to thank the media and ask for privacy.

My gratitude to the media in Kashmir for their concern & well wishes. May I please humbly request that you give the family privacy as we wait for her to come home today. Please remember this isnt a release & the house has been declared as a subsidiary jail, she said.

While two other former chief ministers and National Conference leaders, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, were released earlier, Mufti continues to remain under detention.

Reacting to the development, former CM Omar Abduallah said that his political rival should be released and the PSA slapped on her should be revoked.

@MehboobaMufti must be set free. Shifting her home while continuing to keep her detained is a cop out (sic), Abdullah tweeted reacting to the news of her being shifted.

Muftis daughter Iltija Mufti, too, has moved the Supreme Court challenging her mothers detention and leaders across the political spectrum in J&K have sought the release of Mufti and a host of other political leaders including Bilal Lone, Shah Feasal and Naeem Akhtar.

The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu also commented on the same and said the continued detention of Mufti, and JKPC chairman Sajad Lone - who is under house arrest - and other mainstream politicians was authoritarian.

A three-judge bench had issued a notice to the Jammu and Kashmir administration seeking its response on the plea and posted the matter for a hearing on March 18. However, the petition was not taken up for hearing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Habeas corpus is a writ seeking production of a person supposed to be in illegal detention before a court.

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BEIRUT - The Lebanese government has announced a plan to lighten the economic pressure on families worst hit by the ongoing economic crisis, aggravated by restrictive measures introduced weeks ago to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 575 people have tested positive for the virus and 19 of those have died.



All non-essential commercial activities and work has been suspended since mid-March. In a Beirut press conference broadcast live on television, Lebanese Minister for Social Affairs Ramzi Musharrafiye confirmed news previously reported by Prime Minister Hassan Diab that the first beneficiaries will be those already receiving monthly aid: 47,000 households or about 200,000 people out of a population of about four million inhabitants. Each of these households will receive a monthly sum of just under 200 euros per month (400,000 local liras). The minimum monthly salary in Lebanon is set at about 300 300s per month.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon had been suffering since last summer from the worst economic and financial crisis in the last three decades. This was marked by the halving of the value of the local lira against the US dollar, bank restrictions on accessing deposits, a de facto ban on transferring money abroad, an increase in consumer prices of up to 55% according to the trade minister, and a steep rise in unemployment.
The family of brands provides flexibility and digital operations for

customers, brokers, and employees while giving back to communities in need

WATERLOO, ON, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Economical Insurance is responding to the hardships COVID-19 creates for individuals, communities, and businesses across the country with a mix of consumer relief and community impact efforts to provide support for Canadians as we work together to find a way forward. This includes exploring flexible payment options for personal insurance customers, solutions for brokers and business owners, a safe work environment for employees, and funding for community organizations that support the front lines of this unprecedented crisis.

"Our business has supported customers through world wars, the depression, and other more recent crises, and our commitment remains focused on the customer first through the challenges we are faced with today," said Rowan Saunders, President and CEO of Economical. "We are working collaboratively with our dedicated employees and valued broker partners to bring solutions to customers during a situation that none of us have ever experienced. This is the first time we, and the entire industry, have supported customers through this type of global pandemic and I'm proud to see how everyone is adapting together."

Options for customers in need

Economical has proactively taken the following steps for the next 90 days, or as otherwise deemed appropriate based on ongoing assessment.

Personal insurance customers with Economical, Family Insurance, and Sonnet who are impacted financially by COVID-19 are advised to connect with their broker, visit the website, or contact a customer service representative to review support currently available to offer relief, which may include the following:

Flexible payment options, including payment deferrals and waived NSF fees





Payment plans adjustments to update the method or frequency of payments





Reduction of auto insurance premiums by limiting coverage or reducing the number of kilometres driven to support those with significantly changed vehicle use





No impact to premiums if customers temporarily use their cars or homes differently, such as efforts to support community goodwill or migrate to remote work

To support its commercial insurance customers:

Economical has made appropriate changes to the rating approach for commercial insurance customers to acknowledge the challenging circumstances many of them are facing





For small and mid-sized businesses that have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and are experiencing temporary closures and significant decreases in revenues, and changes in operations, Economical is working with its broker partners to adjust premiums





Economical will also provide flexible underwriting solutions for businesses that have made changes to their operations to adapt and support the current crisis

Petline, a subsidiary of Economical, is equally committed to supporting pet owners with pet insurance options through its affordable, simplified Peppermint offering. Additionally, customers have been provided with information on how to safely care for a pet during this pandemic, including managing visits to the vet and adjusting to a new routine.

Investment in technology and digitization during the past few years enabled Economical to launch Sonnet, Canada's original digital direct home and auto insurance offering, and Vyne, a dynamic broker offering for Economical, in addition to digital pet insurance offerings. These innovations are helping customers and brokers navigate insurance more easily, from anywhere at any time, during a truly disruptive period.

Giving back to communities

For almost 150 years, Economical and its workforce have maintained a strong tradition of giving back to communities across Canada through corporate giving and volunteerism.

Economical has adjusted its social responsibility efforts to focus its impact on the national needs of pandemic response in alignment with its existing community giving pillars:

Health & Wellness: Acknowledging the brave and necessary work of health care workers on the front lines of this pandemic, Economical is investing $200,000 to provide front-line support in cities across Canada





to provide front-line support in cities across Safety & Security: Economical will extend its long-standing partnership with Canadian Red Cross by providing an additional $100,000 donation for COVID-19 support measures, particularly at a time when flood and fire risks emerge, and response teams are operating under new physical distancing measures





donation for COVID-19 support measures, particularly at a time when flood and fire risks emerge, and response teams are operating under new physical distancing measures Youth & Education: To support vulnerable populations in our communities, Economical employees will be given remote volunteer opportunities through organizations in need of assistance such as Kids Help Phone and Junior Achievement

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economical employees quickly rallied to support urgent needs through a corporate matching campaign totaling more than $50,000 in donations to-date for Food Banks Canada.

Supporting employees

Economical and its subsidiaries have a resilient workforce that mobilized early in the COVID-19 pandemic to adopt new working practices designed to ensure business continuity. As nearly 95 per cent of the Economical workforce is now working remotely, Economical has provided flexible work options to help employees manage the needs of work and the personal impacts of this pandemic, as well as maintaining a safe work environment for those who are required in the office.

Economical will continue to evaluate the situation and assess these measures to ensure customers, brokers, employees, and communities are provided with the best help and advice we can offer.

About Economical Insurance

Economical Mutual Insurance Company ("Economical" or "Economical Insurance", which includes its subsidiaries where the context so requires) is a leading property and casualty insurer in Canada, with $2.5 billion in gross written premiums and approximately $6.0 billion in assets as at December 31, 2019. Economical is a Canadian-owned and operated company that services the insurance needs of more than one million customers.

SOURCE Economical Insurance

For further information: Sarah Stevens, Director, Public and Media Relations, (T) 877.859.4950, ext. 54042, (C) 416.986.9360, [email protected]

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www.economicalinsurance.com


A 56-year-old Norwood man died Tuesday following a two-car crash on Interstate 95 in Sharon, authorities said.

Troopers responded shortly before 9:45 a.m. to a report of a collision on the northbound side of the highway south of Walpole Street, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.

A 2013 Ford C-Max had been traveling on the interstate in the middle lane when it struck a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta in the rear, causing the Volkswagen to drive off the left side of the highway, according to the statement.

The Volkswagen struck a tree in the median on the passenger side. The operator of the Volkswagen was not wearing a seat belt," the statement said. "The Ford stopped in the breakdown lane.

The driver of the Volkswagen, the 56-year-old man, suffered serious injuries in the collision and was taken to Norwood Hospital, where he died, according to state police.

The driver of the Ford, a 45-year-old woman from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was not injured in the crash, state police said.

The northbound lanes of Interstate 95 were temporarily closed because of the crash, according to authorities.

The crash remains under investigation, authorities said.
Officials of the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development presented food packages to residents of four Zongo communities in Accra namely; Cow Lane, Zongo Lane, Sabon Zongo and Shukura.



The presentation was part of President Akufo-Addo's directive to supply 400,000 food items to the most vulnerable citizens in communities in light of the lockdown.



The items donated include rice, gari, oil, sardine, tomato paste and 3,000 households beneficiaries.



At Cow Lane, the packages were presented through the palace of the Greater Accra Fulani Chief, Alhaji Massawud Abbas Danbaki II.



Representatives of the Greater Accra Hausa Chief received the packages on behalf of the residents of Zongo Lane.



Alhaji Yahya Hamisu Baako, Chief of Sabon Zongo received the packages on behalf of his subjects and Shekih Khalifa Yahya- al- Amin received the packages on behalf of the residents of Shukura.



The distinguished recipients promised their support and pledge that the packages will be given to the most vulnerable in the Zongo communities.

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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Elon Musk's restaurateur brother Kimbal stands accused of cutting off staff access to an emergency fund right before he laid off 100 people.

The billionaire announced he would be temporarily closing his Next Door restaurant chain on March 16 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Employees had paid into a so called Family Fund meant for times of crisis and many had applied for help via it. But when the 'program was revised' and the business closed for good, those let go say it was then not available to them.

One worker told Huffington Post Musk had presented his business as 'empowering the community, taking care of people, wanting to invest in people'. They added: 'Thats part of the shock. Was this all just a hoax?'

Another said: 'Its a betrayal. It seems really sneaky. They took people who were loyal to them and they slammed the door in their face. I understand that sometimes business decisions must be made but doing it this way, I felt like it was really wrong.'

Musk told the website the Family Fund was 'was never intended to support a pandemic'.

Roughly 10 million Americans have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment in the two weeks that the coronavirus started rapidly spreading across the country.

Elon Musk's brother Kimbal, right, stands accused of cutting off staff access to an emergency fund right before he laid off 100 people. The brothers are pictured with their mom Maye

The billionaire announced he would be temporarily closing his Next Door restaurant chain on March 16 amid the coronavirus pandemic. He then closed four locations for good

Days after Musk announced Next Door would be closing temporarily with pay cuts for managers and no salary for hourly workers.

Many applied for help via the Family Fund but were told five days later the program was being 'revised' and that they would need to reapply through an online link that never arrived.

Then, days later on March 23, Musk closed four restaurant in Indianapolis, Memphis, Cleveland and Highlands Ranch, Colorado, laying off 100 staff.

Those let go were then told it 'has always been a rule of the program' that the Family Fund was only for current employees.

Musk, a father of three, says he committed himself eight years ago to a mission promoting sustainable, healthy food after breaking his neck in a mountain accident and narrowly avoiding lifetime paralysis.

He is posted to Instagram in recent weeks praising his 'amazing team' making take outs from their Denver location and donating to food banks.

Two weeks ago he said on Instagram: 'Please call your senators and urge them to include restaurants and their workers in the stimulus package.

'This is the only way to protect the people and places you love. We simply will not make it without your help.'

Musk has posted to Instagram in recent weeks praising his 'amazing team' making take outs from their Denver location and donating to food banks

Musk, a father of three, says he committed himself eight years ago to a mission promoting sustainable, healthy food after breaking his neck in a mountain accident and narrowly avoiding lifetime paralysis

Kimbal Musk told Huffington Post: 'When the government mandated restaurants to close in mid-March, we helped rally the government for the stimulus package to support workers across the hospitality industry.

'Im glad the government has been able to step in and offer a relief package. This is far and above what our Family Fund could provide.'

He added: 'While we are working on making the Family Fund more accessible to employees at this time, it has limitations of only $400 per eligible employee.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Musk for comment.

Elon and Kimbal were raised together in Pretoria, South Africa with their sister Tosca, the children of engineering consultant Errol and model mother Maye.

We called him the perfect child, his mother told Wired for a 2015 profile. Kind and considerate and generous  exactly as he comes across today.

Kimbal Musk, pictured, said the Family Fund was 'was never intended to support a pandemic'

Their parents divorced, however, and their mother moved to Canada  where all of the children would eventually follow.

Kimbal moved to Toronto at the age of 18 and graduated from Queens University with a degree in business before going to the French Culinary Institute.

He was an investor in Elons company X.com, which in 2000 was renamed PayPal and was sold two years later to eBay for $1.5billion.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week has shot to a record 6.6 million - as layoffs increased amid the coronavirus pandemic and more states enforced stay-at-home orders.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 6.65 million in the week ending March 28, according to figures released by the Department of Labor on Thursday.

The number of first-time applications for jobless benefits was double the previous record of 3.3 million new claims filed for the week ending March 21.

It means that roughly 10 million Americans have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment in the two weeks that the coronavirus started rapidly spreading across the country.
Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Tuesday said around 25 million jobs in the aviation industry across the globe are at the risk of vanishing, with plummeting demand for air travel amidst the Covid-19 crisis. According to its new finding, 11.2 million jobs are at risk in the Asia-Pacific alone  the highest for a specific region.

IATA had last week estimated that the Indian aviation sector could suffer losses of up to USD 8,838 million due to the pandemic, which could result in over 2.2 million people losing jobs if not assisted by the government on an urgent basis.

Globally, the livelihoods of some 65.5 million people are dependent on the aviation industry, including sectors such as travel and tourism. Among these are 2.7 million jobs in airlines alone.

There are no words to adequately describe the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the airline industry. And the economic pain will be shared by 25 million people who work in jobs dependent on airlines. Airlines must be viable businesses so that they can lead the recovery when the pandemic is contained. A lifeline to the airlines now is critical, said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and chief executive officer, IATA.

Speaking of recovery, aviation consultancy firm CAPA has said that Indias aviation sector will take up to 12 months from the time restrictions are lifted to return to a pre-Covid operational fleet of 650 aircraft. Additionally, more than 200 aircraft that are scheduled for delivery over the next couple of years are likely to be deferred by 1-2 years.

Domestic traffic is expected to decline from an estimated 140 million in FY2020 to around 80-90 million in FY2021. International traffic is expected to fall from approximately 70 million in FY2020 to 35-40 million in FY2021, and possibly less.

All of CAPAs projections assume that travel restrictions are mostly lifted by the end of the first quarter. If lockdown conditions are extended, then these estimates would be subject to revision.
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Linkedin Alan Levin (Bloomberg)  Wed, April 8, 2020 09:17 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd07336e 2 Business Boeing-737-MAX,software,united-states,FAA,aviation Free

Boeing Co. has identified two new software problems with the grounded 737 Max that must be fixed before the jetliner can carry passengers again.

The issues involve the flight-control computer and dont affect the planes estimated return to service in mid-2020, Boeing said in an email Tuesday. The Maxs software has been undergoing a redesign after being linked to two fatal crashes that prompted a worldwide flying ban more than a year ago.

The new flaws deepen the engineering challenge for Boeing as it tries to return its best-selling jet to the skies. One of the problems involves hypothetical faults in the computers microprocessor, which could lead the plane to climb or dive on its own, Boeing said. A safety system on the Max caused the jet to dive automatically in both accidents, but the problems arent related, Boeing said.

Read also: Boeing extends factory shutdown in Washington state

The other newly revealed fault could potentially cause the autopilot to disengage as the aircraft prepares to land. Neither problem has been observed in flight, but the software changes will eliminate the possibility that they could occur, the company said. The modifications can be incorporated into the plane at the same time.

In a separate statement, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it has been in contact with the company about the issues.

The new software problems were reported earlier by Reuters.
The U.S. outbreak of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is by far the largest of any country in the world, according to official figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University  with more than 425,000 infections, almost three times the number of cases reported by second-ranking Spain, which has 146,000. China, where the outbreak began, has reported about 20 percent of the number of cases as the United States  approximately 83,000  but there is widespread doubt about the veracity of those figures. Worldwide confirmed infections crested 1.5 million Wednesday.
The doctors arrived in Nigeria

A 15-man medical team form China has arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Channels TV reports.

The team arrived in Nigeria in a chartered Air Peace aircraft on Wednesday afternoon.

See more photos below:
Melissa David, of Parachutes for Pets and her dog Hudson are seen in Calgary, Alta., on Feb. 6, 2020. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Canadians Urged to Include Pets in COVID-19 Emergency Plans

Melissa David has seen the toll pandemic-related financial and physical strain can have on pet owners.

She runs a charity called Parachutes for Pets, which provides subsidized pet care including food hampers and medical care, for low-income residents.

We put out 200 hampers the last two weeks of March. Normally we do about 25 a month to older people, Bond said.

People were literally sending us pictures of their last cup of food in their dog bag. Were like okay were going to have to pool our resources and try to do what is absolutely urgent for the next month or so or however long this goes on.

David feels strongly about making sure pets are taken care of during the COVID-19 outbreak. After all, she relies on her three dogs for support.

A woman walks her dogs in Hong Kong on March 5, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Theyre absolutely my lifeline. Just having their companionship and their support. My husbands a truck driver so hes not always home so having them is huge.

Humane Canada, which represents humane societies and SPCAs across the country, is urging Canadians to consider their pets as part of their emergency preparedness.

First of all, Ive got to have enough in the house if I have to be quarantined then I need a couple of weeks of medicine and a couple of weeks of litter; a couple of weeks of food for my animals, said Barbara Cartwright, the CEO of Humane Canada in Ottawa.

What happens if I get sick and I get incapacitated or hospitalized? Whats the plan for my pet? Who will take care of them? she asked.

A woman wearing a face mask and a dog walk on street in Hong Kong, in Hong Kong on March 5, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Were recommending that people have at least three contacts that they can call upon to take care of their animals should they end up being hospitalized or they can no longer care for their own animals.

Cartwright said the current pandemic has reinforced how important pets are in peoples lives. She said people also have to make sure that their furry friends observe social distancing from other animals and humans because in rare cases the animal can become infected as well.

Theres no evidence that they can transmit to us but there is growing concern that we have to protect our pets from either getting it from other animals or getting it from other humans, she said.

If were sick we need to stay away from our animals.

Jeanette Simeonid of Calgary spends nearly every waking moment with her two French bulldogs. One is a year old, the other is three-and-a-half months.

I think I would go nuts if I didnt have them because at least I can take a break and go for a walk if I need to just to get some fresh air and they totally keep you company. Theres always someone to talk to, to laugh with, she said.

Members of Istanbul Metropolitan municipality feed stray cats near empty Hagia Sophia square in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 1, 2020. (Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)

I dont know what I would do without them. Youre never alone. Even if youre quarantined youre never alone.

Joanne Ginter, a senior psychologist with Sundancer Psychological Services in Calgary, said one of the best ways to deal with anxiety or depression during the pandemic is to have a routine, and thats something pets require from their owners.

The pets give you a schedule, which I think is very important for people because schedules help with anxiety, schedules help with depression. It gives us something to do during the day, she said.

The pets give you connection to another living being, Ginter said.

Any time that you feel out of control it helps if you have someone else to care about and pets give you that.

By Bill Graveland
The federal government has explained how it plans to conduct its Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme across the country despite the nationwide closure of schools.

Schools across Nigeria have been shut for about three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

President Muhammadu Buhari last week while addressing Nigerians on the coronavirus instructed the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, to develop a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding programme.

In her reaction, Ms Farouq insisted that the programme would be implemented despite the closure of schools nationwide, a statement criticised by many Nigerians on social media, questioning how the Buhari administration aims to execute such a plan.

But in a statement signed by the programme's Assistant Director, Rhoda Iliya, on Tuesday, Ms Farouq said the school feeding would be using a door-to-door voucher distribution system to feed the pupils.

She said the programme will give priority to Lagos, Ogun and FCT but will extend to all states currently participating in the programme for a period of 30 days.

Although many states have imposed restriction of movement on residents, Lagos, Ogun, and the FCT are under a presidential lockdown, all to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Lagos and the FCT are the states most affected by the coronavirus, while Ogun was added to the lockdown due to its proximity to Lagos.

"The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has concluded plans with State Governments to continue the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme using a door-to-door voucher distribution system.

"The programme will give priority to Lagos, Ogun and FCT but will extend to all states currently participating in the program for a period of 30 days.

"Vouchers will allocate collection time to avoid overcrowding. The vouchers will be redeemed at designated distribution sites," Ms Farouq said.

Ms Farouq noted that the aggregators will provide the food items.

She also explained that the distribution of the food would be situated within the communities.

"Existing aggregators will provide the food items. Distribution sites will be situated within the communities and in some states within the achools by hand washing points. Safety and hygiene precautions will be observed," she said.

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The aggregators are companies contracted by the government to provide protein supplements like fish, beef, eggs, fruits and vegetables.

However, PREMIUM TIMES understands that not all states have the aggregators initiative. Some states like Katsina prefer to give their cooks money to buy the foodstuff themselves and cook the food.

In some states, the food items are purchased and supplied to the vendors by the state governments, through the "aggregators." Under such an arrangement, the cooks are only paid "salaries" as their role is to just cook and serve the meals.

School Feeding

The HGSF programme was introduced in 2016 as part of the Social Investment Programme of the Buhari administration. It was projected to provide 1.14 million jobs across the country, including community women who would be engaged as cooks.

The programme, with the partnership of state governments, aims to support states to collectively feed over 24 million primary school children, which will make it the largest school feeding programme of its kind in Africa. The goals include tackling poverty and improving the health and education of children and other vulnerable groups.

According to a 2019 government document titled "Investing in Our People," the programme is feeding over nine million pupils in 52,604 schools across 30 states and has empowered 101,913 cooks with bank accounts.

PREMIUM TIMES July last year published a report on how the programme has impacted rural women in Katsina State.

A survey done by this newspaper revealed that many of the HGSF programme beneficiaries never had bank accounts before. Many also narrated their vulnerability before they found placement in the programme.
A new study published online in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery in March 2020 reports that the anticoagulation drug tPA could be a potential aid in managing respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19 alleviating the expected shortage of ventilators for patients with severe COVID-19 infections.

The currently raging COVID-19 pandemic is taking thousands of lives around the globe, mostly due to respiratory failure. While approximately 80% of those who become symptomatic after becoming infected by the causative agent, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will not need to be hospitalized, the rest will need medical attention and often intensive care because of acute lung injury, or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The only treatment for these patients is supportive care, including mechanical ventilation.

Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

As the unprecedented pandemic threatens to overwhelm the world's medical facilities, an increasing number of patients are being admitted with complications of the novel coronavirus disease. Public health experts have predicted that as the situation worsens, the number of cases in the United States might go into the thousands, forcing doctors to make difficult decisions on mechanical ventilation.

However, the number of ventilators is far too few for the demand, all around the world, triggering a search for effective therapies when ventilators aren't available or aren't sufficient to provide relief. Against this backdrop, a drug more commonly used to treat strokes and heart attacks caused by blood clots is coming to the forefront. Called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the drug is a clot-dissolving agent.

Ventilator equipment for artificial respiration. Image Credit: Andrij Vatsyk / Shutterstock

Why is tPA useful in COVID-19-associated ARDS?

Data flowing in from the analysis of cases in China and Italy indicate the development of marked aberrations in the blood clotting process in people with severe COVID-19 illness. Such patients seem to have microthrombi within the tiny blood vessels supplying the lung alveoli, keeping the capillaries from filling with blood. This prevents proper gas exchange, and the blood oxygen levels drop drastically.

The good thing about tPA is that it is a drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is therefore already well studied for safety. Repurposing such a drug is comparatively easy, and such therapies can make it to the mainstream relatively fast.

A small human study in 2001 on patients with terminal respiratory distress reduced the fatality rate from the expected 100% to 70%. Further exploration of the drug in this setting was not carried out, but the current situation warrants such trials.

The study

Anecdotal evidence about abnormal clotting around catheters and IV lines observed in a section of COVID-19 patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) suggested the use of tPA, a natural anti-coagulant which was approved by the FDA in 1996 for patients with heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. However, the role of the drug in reducing ARDS-related casualties has been debated in medical research for nearly two decades, leading researchers at the BIDMC to consider its use in COVID-19 ARDS patients experiencing aggressive clotting.

The current study reports the beginning of a clinical trial to assess the role of tPA in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), led by a team of physicians-scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). The research is approved under the FDA's 'compassionate use' approval program, which allows the use of experimental drugs in patients who have no other options for treatment.

The drug will be given intravenously and/or via direct instillation into the airways. A bolus dose over 2 hours, followed by a slower infusion over the next 22 hours, is being planned for the intravenous therapy. Active computation is going to help work out the optimal dosing schedule.

Investigator Christopher Barrett says, "If effective and safe for the treatment of ARDS in patients with COVID-19, tPA could save lives by reducing recovery time and freeing up more ventilators for other patients in need."

Senior author Michael B. Yaffe, suspects that "patients with aggressive clotting will show the most benefit from tPA treatment, and this new clinical trial will reveal whether that's the case." If so, the ready availability of the drug in every major hospital will make it possible to save many lives immediately.

What will the trial mean?

The results of the clinical trial for tPA are awaited by physicians across the country, who face an alarming shortage of resources as hospitals fill up. Since tPA is FDA-approved and widely available across the country, doctors will be able to prescribe it for use in COVID-19 induced ARDS once it is proven to be safe and effective.

The research team has already started enrolling patients with COVID-19 induced ARDS admitted to BIDMC in the clinical trial. Blood levels of clotting factors and other characteristics will be measured to identify which patients fit the criteria for the use of the drug, according to Yaffe.

The research collaborates with Beth Israel Lahey Health COVID-19 Innovation Hub - an incubator led by Chief Academic Officer of Beth Israel Lahey Health, Gyongyi Szabo, MD, Ph.D., which is exploring unforeseen medical challenges as the country fights the public health emergency.
Heres our conversation, edited and condensed:

Take me back to when you first became aware of the coronavirus as a potentially very serious threat. When was it, and what was going through your mind?

Orange County had the second confirmed case of coronavirus in the country on Jan. 25.

This is a very diverse community, with a lot of international travel, U.C.I., the business community, a large Chinese-American community, so I think our office began immediately to take it very seriously.

I wrote to the C.D.C. and requested a briefing for Orange County Congress members. Right away, we put together a F.A.Q. It was one of the first ones that was rolled out.

A lot of this, for me, has been frustration that Congress and some of our local leaders and the administration have been slow.

What are your top priorities going forward for Californians, in terms of consumer protection or economic stimulus?

The affordability of care is one big priority  the affordability of treatment.

The second is trying to help people, like small business owners, understand, as they wade through all of this, things like, How do I apply for that? What if Ive already let my employees go?

Im trying to use some of my skills as a teacher to educate people about what help is available. Unemployment insurance varies state by state.
Queen Elizabeth II is making some big changes after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was brought to hospital due to the coronavirus.

Johnson was brought to the hospital recently for a routine checkup, but he was eventually put on the Intensive Care Unit as his condition worsens. The U.K. top leader has been diagnosed with the dreaded COVID-19, and it appears his symptoms is starting to bother him.

Weekly Conference Canceled

Dominic Raab may be taking charge of the cabinet on behalf of Boris Johnson, but he would not be holding a weekly conference with the Queen. Downing Street has confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II has decided to postpone the palace briefing until after the U.K. PM is in a more stable condition.

In regular circumstances, every Wednesday, the 93-year-old head of the monarchy would hold an audience with the Prime Minister from Buckingham Palace. The Queen will not be briefed by Raab regarding the latest developments in the U.K. concerning its battle against the coronavirus.

Johnson has been the 14th Prime Minister in position throughout her reign as Queen. The two have been holding strictly confidential discussions over the phone since the coronavirus pandemic has been declared. In her role as the Head of State, the Queen is able to provide advice and even warn her ministers of possible mistakes whenever she deems necessary.

"Buckingham Palace and Her Majesty the Queen have been kept regularly informed about the Prime Minister's condition and that will continue," the Palace statement emphasized.

"The Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister's principal private secretary will continue their contacts with the Royal Household on the Prime Minister's behalf."

Because of Johnson's current health condition, the Queen has decided to receive updates only from Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill and the private secretary of Johnson.

When asked if Raab would field any phone calls to the Queen, the spokesperson from the Palace said that the weekly audiences will not go ahead.

In a statement released by Downing Street, Raab will step up to chair any meetings necessary in line with the U.K. battle against the coronavirus pandemic. He will also be heading the cabinet as it makes decisions concerning national security.

An Update On Johnson"s Condition

At the daily press conference to give updates on the coronavirus pandemic, Raab also gave an update on the health condition of Johnson. He said that the Prime Minister remains "in good spirits" while trying to overcome the health concerns due to the coronavirus.

Moreover, Raab confirmed that the 55-year old Prime Minister is receiving standard oxygen treatment and is still able to breathe without any assistance.

The Foreign Secretary added that he and the rest of the Cabinet have been given very specific orders on how to tackle the fight against the coronavirus. Furthermore, he emphasized that all the decisions made by the government are made collectively.

"But we've got very clear directions, very clear instructions from the Prime Minister, and we're focused with total unity and total resolve on implementing them so that when he's back, I hope in very short order, we will have made the progress that he would expect and that the country would expect," Raab added.

Everyone has expressed their concern for the current condition of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His family remains hopeful that he will get out of this with renewed strength and faith.
New research headed by paleoanthropologists Philipp Gunz and Simon Neubauer has revealed that the Australopithecus afarensis, also known as Lucys species, had a brain similar to that of an ape. Extended brain growth in the species also suggests that infants may have depended on caregivers. (Photo : Wikimedia Commons)

New research headed by paleoanthropologists Philipp Gunz and Simon Neubauer has revealed that the Australopithecus afarensis, also known as Lucy's species, had a brain similar to that of an ape. Extended brain growth in the species also suggests that infants may have depended on caregivers.

The new research from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, has studied the Australopithecus afarensis species, who have inhabited East Africa millions of years ago and are widely considered as ancestors of all later hominins, which include humans.

Zeresenay Alemseged, senior author and field director of the Dikika project that discovered a skeleton of an Australopithecus child in 2000 in Ethiopia, explained that Lucy and her kind walked upright, used sharp stone tools, and had brains that were 20 percent larger than chimpanzees.

Currently, the results of the field project in two Ethiopian sites show how the Australopithecus' brains developed and how they were organized. Researchers scanned the fossil cranium using synchrotron microtomography in a facility in Grenoble, France. Through fossil reconstruction and the calculation of dental growth lines, the result yielded a remarkably preserved brain imprint of the Dikika child as well as other endocranial features of the Australopithecus fossils that were previously undetected.

Previous endocranial imprints show that the brain organization of Australopithecus afarensis is more ape-lie with no features derived towards humans. However, a comparison of adult and infant endocranial features indicates that the protracted brain growth in the Australopithecus species is more human-like. This prolonged brain development is likely critical for the evolution of extended childhood in hominins.

The researchers have discussed in their research that prolonged brain growth and maturation are commonly considered as consequences to the evolutionary increase in brain size in hominins. However, the data in the new study indicate that protracted brain development is not merely a result of the evolution and increase in brain size. Previously, the central tenet on the brain size of the newborn Australopithecus afarensis was hypothesized to be such due to obstetric constraints. However, the new findings challenge this view and suggest further that these obstetric challenges are not the proximate cause of the origins of prolonged brain growth in hominins.

Furthermore, the dental development of the Dikika child, as evidenced by its virtual dental histology, shows that it was faster than in modern-day humans. However, small relative endocranial volumes or rEV suggest a prolonged period of brain growth relative to chimpanzees. It demonstrates that the pace of teeth and brain development may not always coincide and that they can evolve independently of each other to some degree.

Continued brain development in hominins emerged more than three million years ago, and this could signify that subsequent hominin evolution followed a similar pattern. However, researchers also believe that patterns of brain development may have varied among the hominins and did not follow a linear evolution towards modern-day human conditions.

These new findings suggest that there were extended infant-care strategies among the Australopithecus afarensis. Primates, in general, adopt postnatal care, and protracted brain development in hominins may indicate that they have had a long dependence on caregivers, which is a basis for the evolution of the brain and social behavior.
President Erdogan hails healthcare workers fighting virus

Coronavirus has infected 34,109 people in Turkey so far, causing 725 deaths, while 1,582 people have recovered.

President Erdogan on Wednesday praised the nations healthcare army of nearly half a million medical staff and 360,000 support personnel fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

"NO OUTBREAK IS STRONGER THAN US"

No virus, no outbreak is stronger than Turkey, said Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a letter addressed to the Turkish people.

Turkey is one of the countries best prepared for the outbreak thanks to civil service reforms made over the last 18 years, he said, referring to the years his Justice and Development (AK) Party has been in power.

Were engaged in a national fight against coronavirus, which became a global epidemic, he added.
Summer is (finally) in the air as the UK prepares for a period of very warm weather, with temperatures expected to hit 30C in some areas on Sunday.

But while the sunshine is more than welcome after torrential downpours and some flash flooding in recent weeks, the Met Offices pollen forecast predicts mostly high or very high levels of pollen across large swathes of the country from today  which does not bode well for hay fever sufferers.

And as all remaining social restrictions are set to lift from 19 July, everyone must stay alert to any potential symptoms of illness - so how can hay fever sufferers ensure they distinguish between their allergy and potential Covid-19?

With the appearance of the sun, weve also had a huge surge in springtime pollen, causing many of us to question whether our symptoms are hay fever or coronavirus, states the London Doctors Clinic.

If youre not sure what your symptoms are showing it can be a cause of concern during these unsettling times.

Heres how to tell the difference.

What are the main symptoms of hay fever?

The main symptoms of hay fever, the NHS outlines, are:

Sneezing and coughing

A runny or blocked nose

Itchy, red or watery eyes

Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears

Loss of smell

Pain around your temples and forehead

Headache

Earache

Feeling tired

Hay fever doesnt cause a high temperature and most people dont feel unwell, says Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots.

The NHS adds that hay fever symptoms may last for weeks or months.

In some people, hay fever can trigger allergic asthma, causing a tight chest and difficulty breathing, Allergy UK states.

If an individual has hay fever and asthma, they may also experience a tight feeling in their chest and shortness of breath, in addition to wheezing and coughing.

How are they different to coronavirus symptoms?

The main symptoms of Covid-19 are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and loss or changed sense of taste and smell, the NHS outlines.

If you have a high temperature, this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature), the health service explains.

If you have a new continuous cough, this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.

Hay fever and coronavirus symptoms infographic (Boots)

If you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual, the NHS adds.

The London Doctors Clinic outlines that other symptoms of the coronavirus may include:

Tiredness

Aches and pains

A sore throat

Shortness of breath

Some people have reported diarrhoea, nausea and a runny nose but this is rare

What can you do to ease hay fever symptoms?

You can ease your hay fever symptoms by taking measures such as putting Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen, wearing wraparound sunglasses when youre outside to stop pollen from getting into your eyes and showering and changing your clothes when you come inside to wash the pollen off, the NHS states.

It is also advisable to stay inside and keeping your windows and doors shut as much as possible.

A pharmacist may also be able to advise you on what products may help you, such as antihistamine tablets or nasal sprays.

Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Show all 15 1 /15 Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A rose is delivered by drone to a woman on Mother's Day in Jounieh, Lebanon AFP/Getty Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Women dance on their balcony as a radio station plays music for a flash mob to raise spirits in Rome Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A skeleton stands on a balcony in Frankfurt, Germany AP Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies The film Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna is projected on a building in Rome AP Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A woman uses a basket tied to a rope to pull a delivery of groceries up to her balcony in Naples, Italy EPA Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies DJ Francesco Cellini plays for his neighbours from the rooftop terrace of his flat block in Rome Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A woman gestures from her balcony in Barcelona EPA Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Cellist Karina Nunez performs for her neighbours at the balcony of her flat in Panama City Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies DJ Nash Petrovic live streams a set from his roof in Brooklyn Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies People applaud medical workers from their balconies in Modiin, Israel Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A Brooklyn resident relaxes in a hammock hung on their balcony Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Residents toast during a "safe distance" aperitif time between neighbours in Anderlecht, Belgium Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies Musician Adam Moser plays for neighbours from his balcony in Budapest, Hungary Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A man and his son on their balcony in Brooklyn Reuters Coronavirus culture from rooftops, windows and balconies A man sits alone on a roof terrace in Rome Reuters

What should you do if you display signs of Covid-19?

If you experience symptoms that you think may indicate you have the coronavirus, you should use the NHSs online 111 service to find out what you should do next.

It is important not to leave your home if you have a high temperature or a new, continuous cough.

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home, the NHS says.

The organisation adds that you should only call 111 if you cannot get help through the online service.
The Berejiklian government's plans for residential rent relief will include deferring or even waiving land tax for landlords on the condition they pass on the savings to tenants.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the states had been working on ideas for rent relief following this week's national cabinet meeting.

NSW is finalising residential rent relief as tenants are hit by the financial impact of the coronavirus. Credit:Jim Rice

Offering a degree of land tax waiver or deferral for landlords is something we are finalising," Mr Perrottet said.

But Mr Perrottet urged tenants to keep paying rent. The government is keen to ensure relief measures only apply to people whose finances have been hit by the coronavirus crisis.
Covid-19 cases recorded in Mumbai's G/S ward where the Worli-Koliwada slum -- the first slum settlement to be hit by the virus in Mumbai -- is located, shot from one to 68 in less than a week. And now, the novel coronavirus entry into the confined lanes of one of Asias largest slums, Dharavi, may spell doom for the slums densely knit population. Dharavi has recorded nine covid-19 cases as of now, including one death.

Slum-area outbreaks in a city as densely packed as Mumbai pose nightmarish problems for city authorities, who are struggling with containment measures in such areas.

According to the 2011 census, Mumbai has the biggest share of slum dwellers among the big metro cities, with 42 percent of its population residing in slums.

What adds to the gravity of Mumbais slum challenge is the densely packed nature of almost all localities in the city, including the slums. Mumbais population density of 20,634 people per square kilometre (sq. km.) provides a happy hunting ground for communicable diseases such as covid-19.

According to a 2012 National Sample Survey (NSS) report, three-fourth of Indias slum tenements are cramped within 2 hectares (or 0.02 sq. km.) on average. At an all India level, census data shows 50 percent of slum households in India accommodate themselves within one single room. The number is higher for slums in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra where close to two-thirds of slum households are roofed under a one-room facility.





In Mumbai, slums occupy just 7% of Mumbais total land area, but four in ten Mumbaikars live in a slum. Given that the slum censuses and NSS surveys mainly focus on the bigger slums in cities, the actual share of people in slums could be higher.

Estimates for Mumbais ward-level population density confirm Worli Koliwada to be a high-risk region. The slum falls under the G/S ward (Elphinstone), among the more dense localities in the city. The most dense is Ward C (which includes Marine Lines) with a density of 91,991 people/sq km, followed by the G/N ward (which includes Dharavi) with a density of 66,190 people/sq km.

Other hotspots in the city, based on ward-level population densities, are the southern wards D (Grant Road) and E (Byculla), and suburban wards such as L (Kurla) and P/N (Malad) with population densities above 45,000 people per sq. km. These wards account for a significant share of Mumbais covid-19 cases, and are also home to several large slums such as Madanpura, Malvani and Orlem.

View Full Image Source: BMC

In such congested quarters, physical distancing is virtually impossible. The limited access to safe water and private toilets adds to the public health challenge.

60% of the slum households in Maharashtra did not have a private toilet facility inside their homes, census data shows. And 35% need to step out of their homes to collect drinking water from public taps, tube wells, and wells. Things may have changed since then given that these statistics are nearly a decade old but the gap in access to amenities between slum dwellers and others remains.

Insanitary conditions coupled with people crowding around public taps due to hourly restrictions on water availability adds to the challenge of washing hands to keep away from infection. Slums in other big cities face similar conditions.

According to World Bank data, the slum-dwelling section of the urban population has been on a slow but steady decline globally.

However, projections for slum population as a proportion of total in 2020 show India to be more vulnerable than other developing economies. After China, India is expected to have the largest share of the world's population living in slums. The virus has already created havoc in the crowded refugee settlements of Bangladesh and the favelas of Brazil, and now the danger of contagion hovers over Dharavi.

For Mumbai, the city of dreams where the rich and the poor live in close proximity, the covid-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on the wide disparities in living standards within the same neighbourhoods.

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AUBURN, Ala., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As life-saving ventilators grow scarcer worldwide in the fight against COVID-19, an Auburn University research team is racing against the clock to get a device they've built into mass production. The innovative unitwhich turns a CPAP machine into an emergency ventilatorwas successfully tested on a live goat last Friday.

The device, named RE-InVENT, can be assembled using approximately $700 in readily available components, in addition to a standard CPAP machine. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines are commonly used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep.

On Friday, April 3, a 200-pound male Boer goat was anesthetized and ventilated with a RE-InVENT system for approximately two hours in Auburn's College of Veterinary Medicine's Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital. Goats of this size have lung capacity similar to that of humans.

"It went better than I expected in being able to ventilate the animal," said anesthesiologist Glenn Woods, who is affiliated with multiple Alabama hospitals. "This test confirms RE-InVENT's potential to meet the demand for desperately needed ventilators."

Stuart Clark-Price, associate professor of anesthesiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, supervised the first animal test of the RE-InVENT device.

"A functioning ventilator is one of the most important tools hospitals have for helping COVID-19 patients," Clark-Price said. "In our test we were able to ventilate the goat and safely maintain appropriate oxygen content his blood. Then he was brought out from under anesthesia and fully recovered to return to normal activity."

Now that the team has successfully tested the new ventilator, its next step is to look for ways to increase the unit's capacity.

"We knew in the beginning that even though our original concept was pressure-limited, it could serve many patients," said Joe Ragan, a lecturer in mechanical engineering who handled computer-aided modeling for the RE-InVENT and assisted with its mechanical design. "Now we're looking to boost pressure in order to narrow the gap between our machine and fully developed ventilators."

The team is currently developing a peripheral "booster box" that would essentially double the device's pressurization capacity by employing an additional CPAP machine.

"Essentially, we are using a CPAP machine to pressurize the air inside an air-tight compartment, and then another CPAP machine to pressurize that pressurized air," said assistant mechanical engineering professor Michael Zabala, who is helping lead the RE-InVENT project. "We like the results we are seeing and believe this holds great promise."

For more on the latest Re-InVENT test results, click here.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie's Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn's commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.

SOURCE Auburn University

Related Links

http://www.auburn.edu


Geneva Airpark, the private aviation hangar complex at Switzerland's Geneva International Airport, has adapted all its procedures to comply with social distancing measures so as to protect the health of its customers, crews and passengers, along with its own personnel.

New arrival/departure, hosting and maintenance procedures

The Geneva Airpark team is actively engaged to remain in the service of business aviation during the Covid-19 pandemic. A team is on duty to ensure service continuity for aircraft arrivals and departures, access to the hangar for crews and maintenance services.

Certain constraints have been imposed to host business jets in the best possible conditions for all:

 Three -hour advance notice announcements of flight arrival/departure movements

 24-hour advance notice for anyone wanting access to an aircraft kept in the hangar, for any reason other than a flight: maintenance, aircraft protection operations, etc.

The Geneva Airpark hangar is accessible to all types of aircraft

With the flexibility of short or long term hangaring options to provide an efficient service to the business aviation community during this period of crisis, Geneva Airparks 10,000-sq-m hangar can host all types of aircraft, from the smallest business jet to a 737 model, for short, medium and long term stays. - TradeArabia News Service
The researchers behind the University of Washingtons widely cited coronavirus model updated their projections for the second time this week, with death projections falling over 35 percent since Sunday and the U.S. peak moved to April 11.

Death projections in the IHME model, which was used by the White House to inform a warning that the country was facing a best case scenario of 100,000 and 200,000 deaths, have been cut by an additional 20,000 since Sundays initial revision to 81,766, to now project 60,415 total deaths in the U.S. The estimate of needed hospital beds was also cut nearly in half from 141,000 to 94,249, with needed ICU beds cut by nearly one-third to under 20,000.

Before Sundays revision, the model was projecting 93,531 total deaths and a total bed shortage of 87,674, good for reductions of 35.4 and 71.6 percent so far this week, respectively.

We are expecting a foreboding few weeks for people in many parts of Europe. It seems likely the number of deaths will exceed our projections for the United States, IHME director Dr. Christopher Murray admitted in a release of European data, pointing to effective social distancing in the U.S. as a measure that has resulted in positive developments.

IHMEs model uses information from other outbreaks around the world to predict what will happen in the U.S. and individual states. Dr. Debbie Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said last week that Murrays projections were informing her own models.

If you go on [Murrays] website, you can see the concern that we had with the growing number of potential fatalities, she told reporters.

Both Birx and fellow task-force member Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that the country could face between 100,000 and 200,000 total deaths from the pandemic, regardless of whether Americans continue to comply with the most stringent social distancing guidelines.

More from National Review
Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng, the Member of Parliament for Obuasi West and the Deputy Minister of Finance has presented Personal Preventive Equipment (PPEs) to the Obuasi Municipal Health Directorate.

The items he presented included; 2000 Face mask, 3000 Hand sanitizer (small), 4000 Protective clothing, 11,000Handgloves, 6000 Food Supplements(Natural Cocoa powder), 7000 Vitamin C tablet and 10 Veronica buckets.

The presentation, according to Hon. Kwarteng, is in response to calls for individuals and groups to also contribute resources to help frontline medical personnel at the various Health facilities, in their fight against the coronavirus disease.

He praised the people of Obuasi for adhering to the directives announced by the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus in the country.

He also commended the President for showing leadership in the midst of the crisis.

The Deputy Minister of Finance furthermore thanked Health personnel in the Municipality for their commitment and patriotism in discharging their duties during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, Honorable Elijah Adansi-Bonah thanked the Member of Parliament for his kind gesture and told the Health personnel that his office is always opened to attend listen and respond to their grievances.

CONGESTION

Meanwhile, the Obuasi Municipal Assembly has successfully moved hawkers and traders who sell at unauthorized places at the Central Business District to the Kunka Market in a special decongestion exercise held on Monday, 6th April, 2020.

The exercise is in line with efforts by the city authorities to ensure that traders adhere to the Social Distancing principle to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease.

A task force, constituted to ensure the success of the exercise, went around the central business district removing unauthorised structures as well as vendors and hawkers from the streets.

Two (2) people from the Obuasi Municipality have so far tested positive to the COVID-19 disease. The victims according to Health Personnel in the Municipality, are responding to treatment.
About halfway through our family trip to Andalusia, the United States restricted air travel from Europe and Spain declared a state of emergency. The geopolitical and pandemic crosscurrents at play were difficult to read, even from the rooftop terrace of our house in Guajar Faraguit, a quiet village in the hill country above the Strait of Gibraltar. We tried to sniff the breeze for guidance, but all we could smell were lemon blossoms.

I sipped red wine into mouthfuls of manchego and jamon. My wife took her manchego with vegetables, while the kids munched avocado toast and drank home-squeezed orange juice. We were surrounded by clean water, carefully-tended groves of olive, citrus, almond, and avocado, and not much else.

If an algorithm were programmed to find the perfect location in which to weather a pandemic, it would find places like Guajar Faraguit, in the sparsely populated, dead-end valley of the Toba River.

Our flight home was scheduled in just over a week, and there was a growing possibility of being trapped in Spain for an undetermined amount of time. But the journey home looked like a slow-motion nightmare of terminals clogged with long lines of coughing, irate passengers, and every other circle of airport hell Dante couldnt have imagined.

After a few days in the mountains, we went shopping in Lanjaron, a village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As we walked toward the municipal market, the police stopped us, and sent my wife and kids back to the car. It was a drag to shop alone, but I was glad to see Spain determined to not become the next Italy.

The Lanjaron market is a stage for the finest ingredients Andalusia and Spain have to offer. Citrus, peppers, artichokes, a diversity of avocados, two boxes of strawberries, black tomatoes, pomegranates, potatoes, and oyster mushrooms from a produce stand; bread and pastries from the bakery; a side of lamb ribs from the butcher; a sack of seafood from the fishmonger: mackerel, red shrimp, and flying squid (capable of launching 100 feet through the air).

My arms were burning when I made it back to the car, itself on the verge of spontaneous combustion from the friction within. We drove to my go-to jamoneria, Jamones Pozo, and double-parked on the narrow street in front.

Santi had my order wrapped and rung up, including the jamon serrano, a local ham cured in multi-story structures in the mountain communities of the Sierra Nevadaa region called the Alpujarra, of which Lanjaron is the gateway.

To go with my jamon, a final round of Alpujarran sheep milk cheese, a number of bottles of local red, a jar of olives, two sacks of oranges from Santis tree, tins of olive oil from the Lanjaron press, and a locally crafted chess board made of walnut and lemon woods, wrapped carefully for protection and also discretionthe police had zero tolerance for non-essential purchases. In front of his shop, Santi and I hastily bowed goodbye.

That night we ate grilled mackerel and flying squid on our salads. Flying squid tastes like non-flying squid. We pondered flying. We pondered not flying.

The next day we hiked along ancient Moorish roads and irrigation ditches above Guajar Alto, at the top of the dead-end Toba Valley. I picked handfuls of wild thyme, fennel, and rosemary. As the kids played by a creek, I checked the phone, and the world.

The death toll in Spain had doubled again, to about 500. Italy was closing its borders and shutting down air travel, and the American Airlines representative we reached by phone said our scheduled flight home might be canceled.

When is the next flight out of Spain? I asked. The next morning, out of Madrid, she said. Madrid is a six-hour drive from Guajar Faraguit. We made the change and gathered the kids.

Our plane left in 12 hours. The kids showered, my wife made salads, and I rubbed olive oil into those lamb chops, along with sea salt, garlic, and freshly gathered wild thyme and rosemary. I got to grilling one last time on that Andalusian rooftop, and we feasted on lamb, salad, and leftover soup. Then we cleaned up the kitchen, gave the rest of our food to our neighbors, did the idiot check, and bailed.

The road to Madrid was fast and, except for trucks, completely empty. The toll booths were empty and open. The rental car company didnt answer the phone, so we left the car in the Budget lot, six days early and in the wrong city.

We had these extra toxic death wipes that sterilize anything, and used them to wipe down a corner of the empty Madrid airport for us to doze in until morning. I nibbled on leftover lamb ribs, finally able to wash them down with the rest of our wine, and pined for a microwave.

The plane to Dallas was extra-clean and nearly empty, with a crew of spunky flight attendants in good spirits. I fell into a deep state of chill, and awoke remembering Santiagos jamon. Customs would not allow Spanish pork into the United States, so I had work to do. Noticing my project, my impish flight attendant placed the entire bottle of red wine on my tray table.

Tengo mucho jamon, I said, gratefully, and a little helplessly. (I have a lot of ham.)

Ill get some bread, he replied matter-of-factly in Spanish, the only language he appeared to speak.

The two of us were still in Spain, somewhere above Louisiana. High above COVID-19, but not for long.

I asked if he wanted any jamon for the road. I cant bring it in either, he said.

I had assumed the plane would return to Madrid, but it turns out neither plane nor crew were going back any time soon. AA 37 was the last American Airlines flight out of Spain. The rest were canceled.

Ari LeVaux writes about food in Missoula, Mont.
I got some backlash to my last post. I was asked to post this article and I was asked to continue to help stay focused upon the problem we as a world face. I thought about it and decided to post this letter I received, as I will post items like this that I receive and do it for what is correct and truthful

Dear American friends:

We are a group of 100 Chinese scholars representing diverse academic fields including philosophy, political science, economics, medicine, international relations, sociology, law, communication, military science, and technology. Our members include a number of university professors from Wuhan. While our areas of expertise are diverse, as intellectuals we all share a common desire to express our concerns about the well-being of all people in China, the U.S., and every country on Earth.

Recently, we have heard many critical voices politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing the most dangerous infectious disease in a century, these criticisms help neither China, the U.S., nor the world to curb the spread of the virus. 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.

We want to sincerely and frankly share our views with our American friends today.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health crisis with a horrific scale not seen in generations; the effort to overcome both it and its impact will be nothing short of a long-term and arduous global war. Countries should be working together, not complaining, finger pointing, and blaming one another. The virus does not know any borders, but neither does love, nor friendship. 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.

Respecting science, cherishing life, and protecting people from harm should be our shared goals in the fight against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 outbreak in China is now basically under control. Since the virus first emerged in early January, the Chinese people have made unimaginable efforts and sacrifices to achieve hard-won results.

We are grateful for the support of the international community, including donations from American friends, during the most critical stage of the fight. We respect the epidemic containment programs and policies implemented by other countries according to their own national conditions, and we are willing to share our experiences with other countries and provide all available assistance to them.

At this stage of the pandemic, the exact source and origin of COVID-19 remain undetermined, but these questions are unimportant and finger pointing is demeaning and hurtful to everyone. In the end we will all respect the final determination of scientists. Like many other countries, China is a victim of the virus, but also a success story overcoming it, and it is willing to work with people of other countries to stop the spread of the pandemic.

We sincerely hope to cooperate with the international community, including intellectuals and experts from the U.S. that look forward to a brighter future. We look forward to the time when doctrines of international cooperation once again flourish around the world. We call on all nations to work together in sincere cooperation to defeat this common enemy of humanity.

Hopefully, we soon be able to celebrate the final victory over COVID-19 !

Signed by 100 scholars from China

March 26, 2020

Our names are:

(in alphabetical order by last name)

Bao Qiting, Dean of Beijing Minsheng Big Data Research Institute

Cai Jiahe, Professor of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies

Cao Wenlian, Vice President of China Society of Economic Reform

Chen Dingding, Associate Dean, Institute for Belt and Road Initiative and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area

Chen Dongxiao, President of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS)

Chen Jing, Vice President of Technology and Strategy Research Institute

Chen Qi, Director of Tsinghua Center for U.S.-China Relations

Chen Zhongyang, Professor of School of Finance, Renmin University of China

Chen Wuyuan, Executive Vice President of The Belt and Road Research School, Xiamen University (XMU)

Chen Yunsong, Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies

Cui Xiaojing, Professor of School of Law, Wuhan University

Da Wei, Professor of University of International Relations

Diao Daming, Associate Professor of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China

Ding Gang, Senior Editor with Peoples Daily, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Ding Xuankai, Research Fellow of Chinese Think Tank Studies and Evaluation Center, Nanjing University

Dong Xuebing, Executive Vice Director of China Academy of West Region Development, Zhejiang University

Du Zhizhang, Vice Dean of the Institute of State Governance, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Fang Changping, Deputy Dean of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China

Fang Xingdong, Founder of ChinaLabs

Feng Leiming, Dean of the Belt and Road Tianjin Strategic Research Institute, Tianjin Foreign Studies University

Feng Xi, President of Future Business School

Gao Jian, Secretary-General of Academy for Global Governance and Area Studies

Gao Qiqi, Dean of Political Science Institute, East China University of Political Science and Law

Guo Wanda, Executive Vice President of China Development Institute

He Hui, Professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University

He Maochun, Director of Research Center for Economic Diplomacy, Tsinghua University

He Weiwen, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Huang Dahui, Deputy Dean of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China

Huang Jing, Academic Dean of Academy of International and Regional Studies, Beijing Language and Culture University

Huang Renwei, Former Vice President and Research Fellow of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

Huang Rihan, Assistant to the Dean of School of International Relations, Huaqiao University

Hu Wei, President of the Shanghai Society of Public Policy

Jiang An, Professor of School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shenzhen University

Jia Jinjing, Assistant Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Jia Min, Associate Research Fellow, School of Advanced International and Area Studies of East China Normal University

Jia Wenshan, Distinguished Professor of Shandong University

Kong Xinfeng, Vice President of the Institute of State Governance, Shandong University

Lan Weiqing, Chief Expert of Urban Governance Research Center of Zhejiang Province

Li Gang, Professor of School of Information Management, Nanjing University

Li Guodong, Dean of School of Marxism,Yantai University

Li Mu, Dean of School of Law, Humanities and Sociology,Wuhan University of Technology

Liang Shuanglu, Dean of School of Economics (School of Accounting),Yunnan University

Lin Chenghua, Vice Director of Institute of science and technology management, Zhejiang University

Lin Danming, Professor of Shantou University

Liu Feng, Director of Philippine Research Center, Hainan Normal University

Liu Haiming, Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Chongqing University

Liu Yang, Advisory committee member of CITIC Foundation for Reform and Development Studies

Liu Zhiqin, Former Chief Representative in Beijing Office of Zurich Cantonal Bank, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Long Xingchun, Professor of School of Foreign Languages, China West Normal University

Lu Shanbing, Dean of Institute of Silk Road Studies, Northwest University

Luo Liangqing, Chair Professor of Statistics, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics

Mei Xinyu, Research Fellow of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce

Ouyang Kang, Dean of the Institute of State Governance, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Pu Yongjian, Vice Director of Development Research Center, Chongqing University

Pan Qingzhong, ExecutiveThe US lacks central authority and the authority that exists is haphazard. That combined with a penchant for make-believe propaganda will hamper the United States in every effort. Dean, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University

Qin An, Director of the Internet Policy and Law Research Center, Tianjing University Law School

Shi Zhiqin, Professor of Department of International Relations, Tsinghua University

Su Hao, Professor of China Foreign Affairs University

Chu Yin, Professor of University of International Relations, Vice Dean of DE Think Tank

Chu Zhaogen, Director of BRI and Non-traditional Security Research Center, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (ZSTU)

Sun Wen, Vice Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies

Sun Xiaomeng, Professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University

Song Luzheng, Researcher of China Institute, Fudan University

Tang Renwu, President of School of Government, Beijing Normal University

Tu Xinquan, Dean of ChinThe US lacks central authority and the authority that exists is haphazard. That combined with a penchant for make-believe propaganda will hamper the United States in every effort.a Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics

Xing Liju, Professor of Institute of International Studies, Fudan University

Xu Erming, Dean of Business School, Shantou University

Xu Ning, Assistant to the Dean of Yangtze Industrial Economic Institute

Yao Shujie, Deputy Director of Faculty of Social Sciences, Chongqing University

Yi Peng, President of Pangoal Institution

Yi Jiandong, Professor of Wenzhou University

Wang Jinguo, Dean of School of Politics and International Relations, Lanzhou University

Wang Chaoen, Director Assistant of the Collaborative Innovation Centre for Silk Road Economic Belt Legal and Policy Studies, Xian Jiaotong University

Wang Lei, Director of the BRICS Cooperation Center, Beijing Normal University

Wang Shaoguang, Distinguished Professor of School of Public Policy & Management and Schwarzman College, Senior Research Fellow of Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Tsinghua University

Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (and the open letters Initiative Coordinator)

Wang Xingnan, Professor of Guangdong University of Finance

Wang Yiwei, Director of the Institute of International Affairs, Renmin University of China.

Wang Zaibang, Senior Fellow of Taihe Institute

Wu Dahui, Deputy Director of Russian Research Institute of Tsinghua University

Wu Danhong, Director of Difficult Evidence Center, China University of Political Science and Law

Wu Sike, Former Special Envoy for China on the Middle East Issue, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Xia Liping, Dean of Institute of International and Public Affairs, Tongji University

Xia Youfu, Executive Director of the Strategy Center for Chinas Open Economy and International Technology Cooperation-SCOT, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)

Yang Guangbin, Dean of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China

Yang Xuedong, Research fellow of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee

Yang Yujun, Dean of Academy of Media and Public Affairs, Communication University of China

Yu Li, Deputy Dean of School of Politics and Public Management, Zhengzhou University

Zhang Dongming, Dean of Northeast Research Institute, Liaoning University (LNU)

Zhang Haibing, President Assistant of Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS)

Zhang Yiwu, Professor of Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University

Zhao Gang, Vice Chairman of China Society for Social System Analysis

Zhao Kejin, Deputy Dean of Institute of Global Development, Tsinghua University

The US lacks central authority and the authority that exists is haphazard. That combined with a penchant for make-believe propaganda will hamper the United States in every effort.

Zhao Jianping, Chairman of China-Africa Development Fund, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Zhang Shengjun, Professor of School of Government, Beijing Normal University

Zhang Weiliang, Dean of the Institute for Urban Studies, Hangzhou Normal University

Zhang Yanling, Former Vice President of Bank of China, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Zhang Zhenjiang, Dean of School of International Studies, Jinan University (JNU)

Zhou Feifei, Associate Chief Physician and Associate Professor of Peking University Third Hospital

Zhou Rong, former South Asia Chief Correspondent of Guangming Daily, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

Zhou Xiaojing, Former Director of Institute of Asian and African Development at the Development Research Center of the State Council, Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

WtR

My response to what I read above: (What they say is true.)

For many years the US has lacked central authority (none within the state or federal level) and the authority that exists is chaotic. That combined with a desire for self-elevating propaganda by all involved, will undermine the United States in many efforts. The US must either get back to root basics and or collapse under the chaos  Me

PS: Posted by permission
Cuban medical specialists arrive to help Mexico before peak

Havana, Cuba  On Tuesday, the director of epidemiology of Cuba announced they would be sending medical specialists to Mexico as part of a strategy to support other nations to face the coronavirus.

Director de Epidemiologia for Cuba, Francisco Duran, said the strategy also comes at a time when regional health authorities warn that Latin America is still a few weeks away from seeing peaks of the contagion.

Duran said that 10 health collaborators have traveled to Mexico, without specifying the exact destination. The announcement came a day after the Mexican president said they were in talks with Cuba, asking for Cuban support in case Mexicos health system became overwhelmed.

The Pan American Health Organization reported on Tuesday that the peak of the disease could reach the region in a period of three to six weeks, so countries must reinforce their measures.
Hundreds of undocumented migrants remain detained and at risk in crowded centres across the northeast Indian state.

Goalpara, India  The last time Gulbahar Begum, 28, saw her father at home was in November 2017. Since then, every other month, she travels nearly 145km (90 miles) to Tezpur detention centre in Sonitpur district of Indias northeastern state of Assam to meet Gul Mohammad.

Mohammad, 69, was declared an illegal immigrant by the Foreigners Tribunal, a quasi-judicial court in Assam, and thrown into jail for not being able to produce enough documents to prove his citizenship.

Over the past three weeks, Gulbahar is waging a legal battle to free her father due to the global coronavirus pandemic. She says worries over the health of her father do not allow her to sleep.

My father has various health issues including a kidney ailment. His left leg often swells up, Gulbahar, who hails from Barkhal village in Assams Marigaon district, told Al Jazeera.

He should have been home in this public health crisis and not in a detention centre.

As India struggles to contain the spread of the pandemic, families of more than 800 undocumented migrants being held indefinitely in six detention centres across Assam are worried about the safety of their loved ones.

Last year, nearly 1.9 million people  many of them Muslims  were left off a National Register of Citizens (NRC), effectively rendering them stateless. They face either deportation or detention in camps such as the one in which Mohammad is detained.

Several rights organisations have called NRC a tool used by Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target and disenfranchise the Muslim population, an allegation the Hindu nationalist party denies.

People are stuffed

Family members of those detained fear a potential coronavirus outbreak due to overcrowding in the dentition centres, which makes physical distancing nearly impossible.

Most centres lack proper hygiene and medical care for the detainees, exacerbating the chances of a viral transmission.

People are stuffed inside common halls. At least 50 people are kept in one room, Gulbahar said she witnessed during one of her visits. It is very risky for him to stay in such a condition.

Dozens of people have died inside the detention centres since 2009, the latest fatality occurring on Sunday. Officials cited cancer as the reason for 60-year-old Rabeda Begums death, according to a report.

Goalpara detention centre houses nearly 370 people declared as illegal immigrants. [Abdul Gani/ Al Jazeera]

Botu Miya, 40, from Cachar district, is distressed as he fears his wife, Banesa Begum, being held in Silchar detention centre, might contract the coronavirus.

Banesa, a 45-year-old daily wage labourer, was first marked as a doubtful voter for not producing the requisite proof of Indian citizenship and later labelled an undocumented migrant.

Doubtful voters (or D-voters) is a category of voters in Assam whose voting rights were taken away by the government in 1997.

Since then, nearly 143,000 people have been marked as D-voters and referred to Foreigners Tribunals, facing charges of being undocumented migrants mainly from Bangladesh. Some of them are currently languishing in detention centres.

The condition in the detention camps is inhumane and without basic facilities like bedding and toilets, Miya told Al Jazeera. And keeping her in such place amid this disease is dangerous.

Manvendra Pratap Singh, deputy commissioner of Sonitpur district, however, said all the necessary measures were in place to ensure the safety of every inmate.

We have stopped taking in new inmates. Everyone is being screened by the doctors on a regular basis and there does not seem to be any such possibility of a coronavirus outbreak, Singh told Al Jazeera.

Trying for bail

Some families are making desperate attempts to secure bail from the courts before the virus turns into a disaster inside the detention centres.

Anura Begum, 31, from Gobradhana village in Baksa district has collected all the documents, including the bond amount to bail out her husband Kadam Ali, lodged in the Goalpara centre.

But courts across the state suspended functioning last month following the coronavirus outbreak.

Just before the lockdown, I had submitted documents for his bail. The officials rejected them and asked me to furnish additional documents, Begum told Al Jazeera.

But now courts are closed and I dont know what will happen to him.

Similarly, Hazrat Ali, 22, from Shaatbhoridhuk village in Barpeta district is also waiting for the courts to open, so that he can get his father Hanif Ali out on bail.

Each passing day brings new tragedy for us. All I want is him to be home, Ali told Al Jazeera.

Hazrat Ali (L), the eldest of five siblings, hopes the court will release his father until the situation becomes normal [Mahibul Hoque/Al Jazeera]

Meanwhile, various human rights organisations have demanded the release of the detainees amid the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Amnesty International India, while projecting a grim picture of appalling living conditions inside the centres, in a statement on Monday called for the immediate release of inmates declared foreigners.

Assam government must recognise that the detainees in overcrowded detention centres face a heightened risk of infection and must do everything to protect them starting with their immediate release, Amnestys executive director Avinash Kumar said in the statement.

On Tuesday, Indias Supreme Court heard a petition filed by one of the detainees, Raju Bala Das, and issued notices to both the Assam and federal governments.

Dass petition had sought the release of people who have spent more than two years in detention.

The top court also heard pleas by the Justice and Liberty Initiative, a non-profit group, which called for their release on humanitarian grounds.

The government has deported just five foreigners in the last seven years. It is because of the fact that most of those in the camps are Indian citizens. They should be immediately released, the groups founder Aman Wadud told Al Jazeera.

And this is the best time to correct the historical mistake, Wudud added.

The Supreme Court will next hear both the pleas on April 13.

But for Gulbahar, imprisonment amid the coronavirus pandemic is like a death sentence for her father. With each passing day, she says her hope of seeing him alive is fading.

I think I would never see him alive, she said. And the government has to take responsibility for his death.
By Dawit Endeshaw, Reuters | Apr. 07, 2020

Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam said on Tuesday the airline lost US$550 million from January to April because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"Due to coronavirus the airline is working at only 10% of its flight capacity and so far we have lost US$550 million," Tewolde told reporters during a briefing in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Global airlines group IATA warned on Tuesday that about 25 million jobs in the aviation industry are at risk due to plummeting demand as a result of the coronavirus.

The global health crisis has brought air travel to a standstill, leaving airlines with no revenue and facing a struggle for survival.

Despite having suspended 91 out of 110 of its passenger flight destinations, the CEO said the company would not lay off any of its employees.

"Ethiopian airlines has not laid off any employees and has no plan to do so," he said.

In an attempt to compensate for the loss the company is redirecting its business to cargo flights and maintenance, including charters for Europeans and Americans wanting to be repatriated to their countries.

"We have already repatriated U.S. peace corps as well as Europeans from Africa," he said.

The United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organization has called on governments to ensure cargo operations are not disrupted to maintain the availability of critical medicine and equipment such as ventilators and masks that will help fight the outbreak.
: As part of measures to combat



COVID-19, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has set up 12 containment clusters in different areas of the city.

So far, 89 positive cases of the virus have been registered, the corporation Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar said on Wednesday.

He said as per the instructions of the government,



GHMC officials and staff are working in coordination with the police, revenue and health department personnel.

The Commissioner said the 12 centres have been set up in these areas where 89 coronavirus positive cases have been registered, an official press release said.

He said special attention was being given to sanitation and spraying of disinfectant in the clusters and added that a team consisting of Health and GHMC officials was going to each and every household to identifythose who are symptomatic and getting them tested.

In the identified clusters, public movements is monitored and barricading is done to keep check on public movement, he said.

Barricading and bandobast would continue till some stipulated period, he said.

Out of the 593 people (from the city) who returned from Delhi after attending the Tablighi Jamat religious meetingthere, 63 tested positive for the virus. Those who are tested and found positive for the virus are shifted to government isolation centres, he said.

To avoid hardships of the public, 330 mobile Rythu Bazaars are supplying vegetables in their localities, he said.

Lokesh Kumar further said precautionary steps have been taken for the safety of sanitation workers and masks supplied to them.

"Sixty thousand reusable cloth masks are getting ready which are stitched by women members of Self-help Groups (SHGs). Already 30,000 cloth masks are ready and in a span of four days the remaining masks will get ready, the GHMC Commissioner said.

An order has been placed to supply health kits consisting ofgloves, mask, soap, shoes and other required material and these kits would be distributed among workers in a week, he said.

Wearing masks and gloves will be made mandatory. In view of lockdown for the convenience of workers 34 busses have been arranged, he said.

Around 4,500-4,800 metric tonnes of garbage are collected and sent to dumpyards to maintain cleanliness in the city, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mario Centeno, Portugal's finance minister and head of the group of euro-area finance ministers, listens during a press conference following a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.

Euro zone finance ministers failed to reach an agreement Wednesday on how to provide additional stimulus to weather the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 virus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has brought the major European economies to a halt. Businesses activity has been put on hold across the region and that's pressured governments to take bold action to support companies and citizens.

However, after 16 hours of talks, the finance ministers remain divided over how best to provide loans and whether to go as far as issuing joint EU debt.

"We came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Mario Centeno, who chairs the meetings among the 19 ministers, said on Twitter.

The group had been working on a new credit line to be provided by the European Stability Mechanism  an emergency fund that was set up in the wake of the sovereign debt crisis. A few of the countries  in particular, the Netherlands were pushing for some conditionality attached to the loans. However, other nations, such as Italy and Spain, did not want any fiscal targets in exchange for new funding.

Ministers were also divided over developing a new debt instrument. Italy, France, Spain, Ireland and Luxembourg were pushing for a written commitment to work towards joint debt issuance. However, opposition  again, mainly from the Netherlands  has blocked this idea so far.
Morocco is a at a critical stage in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, said Monday in Rabat Head of Government, Saad Dine El Othmani, while stressing the need to scrupulously observe the precautionary measures issued by the public authorities.

Speaking at the opening of a cabinet meeting, El Othmani said Morocco managed, thanks to the proactive instructions of King Mohammed VI, to fight this pandemic as best as it could.

However, he noted, although the development of cases is still moderate and Morocco is still in the second stage, the country is in a decisive turn these days.

El Othmani surveyed the efforts made to stop the spread of the pandemic and hailed the mobilization of health workers, security services and also enterprises that adapted their production chains to provide protective masks or other medical gear in these special times.

He called for continuing mobilization in the fight against this pandemic through vigilance and commitment to precautionary and protection rules, especially that local infection cases are on the rise.

El Otmani also commended the royal initiatives made to offset the economic and social impact of the pandemic, focusing on the special fund on the management of the pandemic, which started Monday the distribution of allowances to workers of the informal sector who lost their job because of the lockdown. He likewise hailed the royal pardon granted to 5,654 inmates.

Morocco has been lately reporting more than one hundred cases every day, bringing the total Monday evening to 1,120 cases and 80 coronavirus-related deaths. The number of people who have recovered stood at 81.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 2:23PM

The Government of Ontario temporarily bans the operation of Airbnb and other short-term rentals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those allowed to operate include rentals that have "provided to individuals who are in need of housing during the emergency period." Hosts who do not comply with the order issued under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act could face fines of up to $100,000. The ruling doesn't cover hotels, motels, or student residences in the province.

Airbnb encourages its hosts and guests to follow the restrictions. The company recently launched a global initiative to offer free or subsidized housing to healthcare professionals amid the pandemic. And it noted that the new ruling wouldn't affect this program. Airbnb has committed US$250 million (around CA$352 million) to reimburse hosts for cancelled bookings. But it isn't clear if the temporary ruling means hosts in the province will receive assistance.

Source: MobileSyrup
Just a month ago Donald Trump was still insisting that COVID-19 was a trivial issue, comparing it to the common flu. And he dismissed economic concerns; after all, during flu season, nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on.

But pandemics come at you fast. Since Trumps blithe dismissal, something like 15 million Americans have lost their jobs  the economic implosion is happening so quickly that official statistics cant keep up.

In our last economic crisis the economy shrank around 6% relative to its long-run trend, and the unemployment rate rose around five percentage points. At a guess, were now looking at a slump three to five times that deep.

And this plunge isnt just quantitatively off the charts; its qualitatively different from anything weve seen before. Normal recessions happen when people choose to cut spending, with the unintended consequence of destroying jobs. So far this slump mainly reflects the deliberate, necessary shutdown of activities that increase the rate of infection.

As Ive been saying, its the economic equivalent of a medically induced coma, in which some brain functions are temporarily shut down to give the patient a chance to heal.

While a deep slump is unavoidable, however, good policies could do a lot to minimize the amount of hardship Americans experience. The problem is that the U.S. political landscape has long been dominated by an anti-government ideology that left us unprepared, intellectually and institutionally, for this crisis.

What should we be doing? Serious economists have already reached a rough consensus over the appropriate policy response to a pandemic. The bottom line is that this isnt a conventional recession, which calls for broad-based economic stimulus. The immediate mission, beyond an all-out effort to contain the pandemic itself, should instead be disaster relief: generous aid to those suffering a sudden loss of income as a result of the economys lockdown.

Its true that we could suffer a second round of job losses if the victims of the lockdown slash spending on other goods and services. But adequate disaster relief would address this problem, too, helping to sustain demand.

So its all about helping the economic victims of the coronavirus lockdown. How are we doing?

The good news is that thanks to Democratic pressure, the CARES Act, the $2 trillion not-a-stimulus bill that became law less than three weeks after Trump dismissed the notion that COVID-19 might pose an economic problem, is mostly focused on the right things. The core provisions of the legislation are aid to hospitals, the unemployed and small businesses that maintain their payrolls; these are exactly the kinds of things we should be doing.

Whats especially remarkable is that we got mostly sensible legislation even though the president was talking nonsense, pushing for  what else?  tax cuts as the solution for the economys problems. Actually, I cant think of any other recent example in which Republicans agreed to major fiscal legislation that mainly involved spending to benefit the needy, without any tax cuts for the rich.

The bad news comes in two parts.

First, the bill falls far short of whats needed on one crucial dimension: aid to state governments, which are on the front line of dealing with the pandemic. Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets each year. Now theyre facing a surge in costs and huge revenue losses; unless they get a lot more aid, theyll be forced to cut spending sharply, which will directly undermine essential services and indirectly deepen the overall slump.

And its not clear when or whether that hole will be filled. Senate Republicans are hostile to the idea of another rescue package; White House officials are reportedly still talking about tax cuts.

Second, decades of hostility to government have left us poorly positioned to deliver even the aid Congress has voted. State unemployment offices have been underfunded for a long time, and red states have deliberately made it hard to apply for benefits. So the surge in unemployment is overwhelming the benefits system; Congress may have voted disaster relief, but the money isnt flowing.

The loan program for small businesses is also, by all accounts, off to a shambolic start. And those $1,200 checks everyone is supposed to get? Many Americans wont get them for weeks or months.

It doesnt have to be like this. Canada has already set up a special web portal and phone system to provide emergency unemployment benefits. Germans have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly aid is flowing to the self-employed and small businesses.

But decades of conservative attacks on the idea that government can do anything good have left America with a unique case of learned helplessness. And this is combined with utter lack of leadership from the top.

We know what we should be doing in terms of economic policy, and Congress passed a relief bill that, while flawed, was better than I expected. But right now it looks as if our response to the economic emergency will fall far short.

Paul Krugman writes a syndicated column for the New York Times.

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One key aspect of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), generated many questions last week as credit unions worked to understand how they could participate in the program. The CARES Act and implementing pieces for this program are rather technical, so this blog has a very high-level overview of some of the issues that came up last week, and a round up of resources for credit unions seeking more information.

The CARES Act provided the Small Business Administration (SBA) with funds and authority to modify existing loan programs to establish a new loan program, the PPP, to assist small businesses adversely impacted by COVID-19. Section 1102 of the CARES Act provides the details of the new lending program, and section 1106 provides forgiveness provisions up to the full principal amount of qualifying loans under the PPP. Late last week, the SBA published an interim final rule implementing section 1102 and 1106.

Federally insured credit unions can offer PPP loans to their members, if the credit union is an SBA 7(a) authorized lender. Existing 7(a) lenders were automatically approved to make PPP loans, and the SBA can authorize additional lenders to participate in the program. However, a credit union cannot participate if it is in troubled condition or subject to formal enforcement action with NCUA. If a credit union is not an existing 7(a) lender, the CARES Act allowed the SBA to create a designation specifically for the PPP loans. The SBA published an application for lenders that would like to participate in the program but are not already 7(a) lenders which can be submitted to DelegatedAuthority@sba.gov. Lenders then use the SBAs eTRAN system.
While the Samsung Galaxy A71 has been out since January, its rumored 5G version is yet to materialize. Weve already come across several certifications from agencies like TENAA, 3C as well as on Geekbench with the Exynos 980 chipset.

Now, a new Geekbench listing for the device with the SM-A716U model number (which should be the US version of the phone) shows us it will arrive with a new Qualcomm chipset codenamed Lito which boasts an 8-core CPU and base frequency of 1.8Ghz. The same SoC was also spotted on an upcoming LG phone just yesterday. The new Samsung device also boasts 6GB RAM and runs Android 10, likely accompanied by One UI 2.0 on top.



Samsung Galaxy A71 5G Geekbench listing

The phone managed 468 points in the single-core test and 1,606 points in the multi-core department. The Galaxy A71 is expected to retain the design of the regular A71 with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a punch-hole cutout on top for the 32MP selfie cam.

Around the back, were expecting an L-shaped quad-camera setup with a 64MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide snapper and two 5MP modules  one for macro photography and one for depth data.

The battery should come in at 4,370 mAh and will offer 25W charging speeds. The Galaxy A71 5G is also expected to arrive in the US, China, Australia, New Zealand and several European markets.

Via
Doreen Hartely, a Blantyre resident, washes her hands as a preventive measure against the coronavirus.

Blantyre  Malawi's president has ordered a 10 percent pay cut for himself and his 32-member cabinet to cushion the impact of coronavirus on the economy. But critics say the wage cuts are too small for a country that depends largely on donor funding, and where the virus is starting to be felt.

Malawian officials announced the country's first death from COVID-19 Tuesday. The patient, a 31-year-old Asian woman, who resided in Blantyre, had recently returned from India, where it is believed she contracted the virus.

The number of coronavirus cases now stands at eight, and medical experts say they are following up with about 100 people who had contact with the patients.

President Peter Mutharika declared COVID-19 a national disaster last month before the country even registered its first case.

In his latest address on the pandemic over the weekend, Mutharika announced several measures to help cushion the economic impact of the disease.

Those include a string of tax breaks for businesses, a reduction in fuel prices and an increase of risk allowance for health workers.

"I am also directing the treasury to do the following. One, reduce the salaries of the president, cabinet ministers and deputy ministers by 10 percent for three months and direct the resources to the fight against the Corona various," Mutharika said.

Government records show that Mutharika earns about $3,600 a month while his ministers earn about $1,073.

The vice president has also pledged to donate his estimated $1,266 monthly salary for the next three months.

However, some critics say the wage cuts are too small. The president, vice president and cabinet members earn large sums of money beyond their salaries through allowances and other benefits.

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Humphreys Mvula is a social commentator based in Blantyre.

"The money is peanuts. In my view I would love to see the president and the group look at cutting down expenditures incurred; cost of fuel, cost of telephones, cost of huge fuel bills," said Mvula. "And why can't they look at an amount which is bigger that should really be seen as serious contribution?"

Mvula said the government should also consider extending the wage cuts to all other political appointees on the public payroll.

Political analyst Vincent Kondowe supports the wage cut but questions how such funds will be directed to the fight against COVID-19.

"Are these resources which are going to be released from salary cuts going to reach the vulnerable people and cushion them against the negative impact that has come about because of COVID-19? History teaches us how [good] intentions by government have not ended up bearing any fruits," said Kondowe.

Citing the coronavirus, the government on Tuesday indefinitely suspended voter registration for the presidential election slated for July 2.

So far, officials have not changed the election date. The poll is a re-run of last year's election, which the Constitutional Court nullified, citing massive irregularities.
With the unprecedented circumstances now, a tabloid claimed that Prince William and Kate Middleton will allegedly take over Queen Elizabeth II. But on the contrary, the Queen is not giving up her throne due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have their hands full taking care of 3 children and another major responsibility is not to be set stored soon. The Queen has not named the royal couple the king and queen of England.

The recent cover of In Touch Weekly had the headline splashed across its cover: "The Queen Ends Reign After 68 Years! Will & Kate Crowned King & Queen!"

The story from the unreliable source was reportedly laid down with half-baked facts.

The two-page spread consisted of dramatic allegations such as "end of an era" and "passing the crown on!." Dubious quotes were made by the "palace insider" attempting to back up the tabloid's claims.

According to the so-called insider, the Queen is stepping down after 68 years, making Prince William and Middleton king and queen.

The unreliable source added, "The queen's life is on hold - she doesn't know if or when she'll be able to return to Buckingham Palace or resume her duties, which is why she's been forced to rethink her position. It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end, she knew in her heart it was best if William and Kate took over the reins now."

It was asserted that her decision to give up her position as the monarch was due to the coronavirus pandemic that is currently affecting British citizens.

Also Read: Prince Philip, Queen Living Together for the First Time in Two Years

The palace insider made another dubious claim that Prince Charles, the next in line to the throne, was stunned by the news of Prince William ascending the throne and is a "bitter pill for Charles to swallow."

To dismantle the shaky story, Gossip Cop has put forward facts-based points that there has been not been a whisper claiming that the monarch has given up her throne. She has stressed time and time again that she will stand as the reigning monarch until the day she dies.

There has been a history of more unsubstantiated news than reliable facts about the members of the British royal family.

Having tied the knot in 2011, the Cambridges have become two of the most well-liked members of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace said that succession to the throne is asserted by ancestry and laws set forth by the British government.

Parliamentary statutes order that succession to the British throne is influenced by these factors: legitimacy, descent, religion, and gender for anyone born after October 28, 2011.

A staggering majority of voters said in a poll that Prince William should take responsibility and act as a placeholder for the Queen and Prince Charles during the coronavirus outbreak.

Hundreds of Express.co.uk readers would like Prince William to stand in for the Queen and Prince Charles during the pandemic. They believe that the Duke of Cambridge should become the physical presence of the Crown while the two senior royals work away at their home.

Related Article: Fact Check: Harvard Scientist Arrested for Creating Coronavirus, Selling it to China?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China sends 302 charter flights for int'l anti-epidemic work

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 14:22, April 07, 2020

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China has sent a total of 302 charter flights carrying medical professionals and emergency supplies to support global anti-epidemic efforts, according to the civil aviation authorities.

As of April 5, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has coordinated charter flights to send more than 110 medical specialists and 4,715 tonnes of emergency supplies to 48 countries, said the CAAC.

On April 5, a charter flight of Air China was dispatched to conduct the mission of sending 37.6 tonnes of supplies to aid the epidemic prevention and control work of 18 African countries. The flight landed at an airport in Ghana on April 6.

These supplies include ventilators, N95 face masks, protective clothing, gloves and other medical devices and protective equipment. They will also be transferred to 17 other African countries from Ghana, an aviation hub in West Africa.

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The Italian government has declared its own ports unsafe due to the coronavirus epidemic. A new decree signed by the Ministers of the Interior, Transport, Health and Foreign Affairs says that due to the emergency, charity boats carrying migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, will not be permitted to dock.

The decree, issued late Tuesday, states: For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Italian ports cannot guarantee the requisites needed to be classified and defined as a place of safety.

The ministers felt they had to take a decision after the Alan Kurdi vessel belonging to the German NGO Sea-Eye rescued some 150 African migrants off the coast of Libya and headed towards Italy, which has over the years taken in many migrants picked up at sea.

The charity ship returned to patrol the waters in search of migrants attempting to cross over to Europe last week. For a few weeks, with the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy, the arrivals of migrants on boats had subsided.

As it announced that it had rescued the migrants with a Tweet, the Sea Eye wrote, "Even when life in Europe has almost come to a halt, human rights must be protected," adding that, "Now our guests need a port of safety." In a separate statement, the charity also called on Germany to accept migrants.

The Italian government declared a 6-month state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak from 31 January to 31 July, so no ships carrying migrants will be allowed to dock until the emergency ends.

However, this deadline could be extended if the authorities consider it necessary.

Infections in Italy have started to drop after days of what experts described as a plateau. But the warning to all is to remain indoors as the emergency is far from over.

Although Italians are aware of the health concerns, many are getting restless and want to resume their lives. 150 academics published a letter in one of Italys national dailies urging the government to unblock the economy.

Story continues

After a five-week lockdown, and concerned by an impending economic catastrophe, they urged the authorities to find a way for businesses and industries to reopen and allow employees to return to work or face social and economic consequences that could lead to irreversible damage.

Italy has suffered the highest death toll from coronavirus with more than 17,000 cases since the first person died on February 21. But, there is still much uncertainty and little optimism in the country, as the government has not yet announced how Phase Two, as it calls it, will work.

The question remains: When will the strict restrictions in place be lifted? Italians have only been told this will be a gradual process. A clear government strategy, for what will come next has yet to be revealed, with many Italians wondering whether the government has even thought about or considered an exit strategy.
JOHANNESBURG, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholders are referred to Sasol's SENS announcement issued on 31 March 2020. In that announcement, Sasol stated it would continue to run its operations, in line with regulatory requirements applicable in the jurisdictions we operate in, to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential products such as fuels and chemicals in these jurisdictions. We reiterate that the COVID-19 pandemic is highly dynamic, and we will continue to update the market of any further impact on Sasol's business.

A small number of Sasol employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and are receiving our full support. These were isolated cases and have not negatively impacted operations.

Sasol communicated a comprehensive response strategy on 17 March 2020 and substantial progress has been made with regards to its US$2 billion cash conservation programme. While the Company has made substantial progress, it will also implement additional self-help management actions to mitigate further negative impacts of COVID-19 across its portfolio.

UPDATE ON OPERATIONS

In South Africa, the national COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in an unprecedented decline in fuel demand since coming into effect on Friday, 27 March 2020. Sasol and its partner in Natref, Total South Africa, decided to suspend the production at Natref with effect from Thursday, 9 April 2020 until further notice.

Given the steep decline in fuels demand, a decision was also made by Sasol to reduce daily production rates at our Secunda Synfuels Operations (SSO) by approximately 25% to meet the current market demand, while maintaining optimal inventory levels. We will maintain these production rates until further notice, while carefully monitoring the supply and demand balance. A further reduction in production rates may be required depending on further developments in the fuels market. All Sasol's mines are continuing to operate notwithstanding the lower internal demand, resulting in the external coal purchases being significantly minimised, compared to what was previously planned for the remainder of this financial year.

Chemicals production will continue to be prioritised within the revised SSO operating parameters including this cutback scenario. Despite the suspension of production at the Natref refinery and lower production rates at SSO, the country's current demand for fuels and chemicals, including sanitisers, will be met. The Company will continue to monitor the chemicals demand as well as supply chain risks and will keep the market updated on developments.

Given these developments and the decline in demand, liquid fuels sales volumes are expected to be approximately 50  51 million barrels against the previously guided 57  58 million barrels for financial year 2020. Accordingly, Synfuels production volumes will be approximately 7,3  7,4 million tons against the previously guided range of 7,7  7,8 million tons. At this stage a similar reduction in Synfuels chemicals demand is not being experienced, and Sasol is prioritising supply of chemicals within South Africa as well as strong export demand.

More detail on production volumes and updated guidance will be provided in the Company's Q3 FY20 Business Performance Metrics report, to be released in April 2020.

RESPONSE STRATEGY PROGRESS

As referenced earlier, the Company has made significant progress on the US$2 billion business self-help measures for financial years 2020 and 2021, which form the basis of the response strategy to the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price volatility.

Given the continued negative impact of COVID-19 on market demand and global macro-economic indicators, Sasol's management team is in the process of proactively identifying further measures to provide an additional buffer against short term volatility.

Sasol has put in place governance structures to manage the situation appropriately and will take decisive action where necessary to respond to any further changes in markets. These additional measures will be communicated to the market once agreed with the various stakeholders.

Safeguarding the health and well-being of employees and providing essential products to customers and stakeholders remains the Company's priority.

Disclaimer - Forward-looking statements

Sasol may, in this document, make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analyses and other information which are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements may also relate to our future prospects, expectations, developments and business strategies. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding exchange rate fluctuations, expectations regarding future cash flow, Sasol's ability to meet its debt covenants, Sasol's ability to achieve the cost savings or complete its asset disposal programme, the actions referred to herein intended to strengthen Sasol's balance sheet and to maintain profitability at lower oil prices and business performance outlook. Words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "seek", "will", "plan", "could", "may", "endeavour", "target", "forecast" and "project" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. If one or more of these risks materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. You should understand that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. You are accordingly advised to exercise caution when trading in the Company's securities until such time the full details of the disposal and the rights offer are published. These factors and others are discussed more fully in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed on 28 October 2019 and in other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The list of factors discussed therein is not exhaustive; when relying on forward-looking statements to make investment decisions, you should carefully consider both these factors and other uncertainties and events. Forward-looking statements apply only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Sasol Investor Relations, please contact:

Feroza Syed, Chief Investor Relations Officer

Direct telephone: +27-(0)-10-344-7778

[email protected]

SOURCE Sasol Limited
Rise in consumer demand and increase in incidences of celiac diseases and gluten intolerance drive the global free-from food market

PORTLAND, Oregon, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Free From Food Market by Type (Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Carb-free, Lactose-free, Artificial Ingredient-free Food, and Others) and Distribution Channel (Supermarket & Hypermarket, Specialty Stores, Online Retail Stores, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2019-2026". According to the report, the global free-from food industry was pegged at $95.64 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $161.21 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 7.7% from 2019 to 2026.

Prime determinants for growing market

Rise in consumer demand and increase in incidences of celiac diseases and gluten intolerance have boosted the global free-from food market. However, high cost of free-from products hampers the market growth. On the contrary, rise in investments by small & midsized food product manufacturing companies and shift in consumer preference toward ready-to-eat food products are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future.

Request Sample Report at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6372

The sugar-free segment held the lion's share

By type, the sugar-free segment held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than one-fourth of the global free-from food market, due to increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes across the globe and supporting response from market players by offering special sugar-free product range. However, the carb-free segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 10.0% from 2019 to 2026, owing to increase in consciousness regarding blood sugar control and insulin needs.

Online retail stores distribution channel to witness fastest growth through 2026

The online retail stores segment is anticipated to portray the fastest CAGR of 11.3% during the forecast period, due to as leading players in the industry are expanding into e-commerce with rise in internet penetration across the globe. On the other hand, the specialty stores segment held the largest share in 2018, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global free-from food market. This is owing to rising affluent population in emerging countries such as China and the ability to physically choose and compare products.

North America dominated the market

The global free-from food market across North America held the largest share in 2018, contributing to more than two-fifths of the market. This is due to increase in demand for natural food products and rise in health consciousness among consumers coupled with an upsurge in prevalence of diseases caused by synthetic ingredients. However, the market across LAMEA is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 9.9% from 2019 to 2026, owing to demand for foods and beverages made by sugar alternatives and emergence of the trend of free-from foods.

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Major market players

The Kraft Heinz Company

Cargill Inc.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.

Kerry Group PLC

Corbion Inc.

Chr. Hasen A/S

Ingredion Incorporated

Kellogg Company

Dupont

General Mills, Inc.

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The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) has today announced the launch of a new Care and Inform online hub to provide accurate information around funerals and grieving during the Covid-19 crisis.

The online resource available at hospicefoundation.ie provid es reliable and up to date information in the areas of end-of-life and bereavement care in these exceptional times. The hub is line with HSE and Government guidance practices and will be continually updated. Currently people cannot gather in one location in large groups for funerals, while people also cant receive the company of people who wish to extend their condolences.

The IHF Care and Inform hub resource includes information on:

Planning funerals in exceptional times;

Advice for the immediate family on arranging funerals (both Covid-19 and non Covid-19);

Ideas for wider friends and family who would in normal circumstances have supported them by attending funerals or wakes on how they can support them and show that they care;

Grieving in exceptional times;

Acknowledging and coping with grief of a Covid-19 death;

Supporting individuals who are grieving during this period of physical isolation. In the case of COVID-19 deaths this will address some of the particular aspects including not being able to be with a loved one while they were dying, and the impact of measures taken to avoid infection;

Resources on how friends and family can help people who are grieving  this also includes specific resources for supporting children and young people;

Thinking ahead.

This health crisis has increased the number of conversations in Irish society about death, dying and bereavement. The IHF Care and Inform hub provides the information needed for realistic and informed conversations and provides people with resources to think ahead should they wish to do so.

This is a very overwhelming and upsetting time for us all, but for those facing death and grieving it is particularly difficult," said CEO of the Irish Hospice Foundation Sharon Foley.

The Covid-19 restrictions on physical distancing and cocooning mean our traditional ways of grieving and showing our respects are no longer possible. We hope this new information hub will provide clear information for people so they can support themselves and others as we try and find new ways to navigate grief and loss in this extremely uncertain time .

The IHF is also developing a bereavement telephone helpline. This has been developed in conjunction with the HSE and it will be live in two weeks (by Tuesday April 21) Contact telephone numbers and hours of operation will follow.
ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds.

DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories.

TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly.

ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals.

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Mar 31, 2020 - China Success Finance Group Holdings Limited ("China Success Finance" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries the "Group", stock code: 3623) is pleased to announce its audited annual results for the year ended 31 December 2019.During the year, the Group continued to steadily foster the development of its traditional businesses and actively advanced business exploration and innovation. Therefore, the major business segment recorded a rapid growth, contributing to the 41.5% year-on-year surge to approximately RMB86.3 million. As of 31 December 2019, the Group's cash and bank deposits increased by approximately 28.1% as compared to 30 June 2019, reflecting the Group's sound financial position, which in turn provides a solid foundation for business development. However, as the probability of recovering certain assets was expected to decrease amidst adverse market condition, a substantial provision for impairment loss was recognised during the year. Additionally, the Group saw loss in its investment in associate companies. With the growth of major operations not being able to offset the impact from abovementioned two items, loss before taxation of RMB463.4 million and loss for the period of RMB431.2 million were reported respectively. The Board of Directors did not recommend the payment of final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2019.Mr. Zhang Tiewei, Chairman and Executive Director of China Success Finance indicated, "In 2019, the global economic growth continued to decline. Although the Chinese government pushed forward its supply-side structural reform, and the People's Bank of China adopted counter-cyclical adjustments, the downward pressure still clouded the economy. Private enterprises and small and micro enterprises encountered particular difficulties when accessing financing. Facing the challenging domestic and global economic environment, the Group conformed to the market trend and was dedicated to developing its traditional businesses with multi-pronged approach, whilst ardently propelling the growth of its innovative businesses and making great strides in integrated services for the Greater Bay Area, with a view to seizing market opportunities." Regarding guarantee business, the Group recorded an increase of 161.3% in net guarantee fee income to approximately RMB80.6 million during the year, reaching its new record high. During the year, the Chinese government employed multi-front strategies to regulate the financing guarantee industry, while the establishment of the Foshan Financing Guarantee Fund was set to facilitate a stable operation of the industry. In line with the booming development of the industry, the Group sustained volume and was continuously committed to developing its traditional guarantee business, by further enriching guarantee business product chains, thereby expanding business scale and elevating core competence. On the other hand, the Group created increments by devoting more resources on building up financial technology. It strived to provide customers with efficient guarantee services through utilising technological means such as the internet, big data and cloud computing, thus gaining widespread market recognition and multi-party cooperation opportunities. During the year, both the number of customers and business scale achieved promising growth.In addition, the Group made full use of the window of opportunity to make an equity investment in Success Science and Technology Innovation Park Project, one of the benchmarking projects in village-level industrial park in Foshan City's Shunde District, with a view to enjoying the increasing economic value-added and social benefits brought about by the project upgrade of "Three Olds Redevelopment" in Guangdong Province, essentially reinforcing competitiveness.Looking forward, Mr. Zhang Tiewei said, "In face of a challenging market environment, China Success Finance will continue to strengthen its traditional businesses by making full use of business channels of traditional guarantee business and capitalising on synergies. Meanwhile, we will earnestly innovate business products and identify suitable investment opportunities to develop highly value-added businesses, in order to improve the diversity and resilience of our business operation. In the future, with a deeply rooted foundation in the Greater Bay Area, the Group will enhance profitability through grasping the ample opportunities brought by the supportive policies, thus creating long-term value for investors and shareholders." About China Success Finance Group Holdings LimitedChina Success Finance Group Holdings Limited is a leading private financial group in China, and the first financial group with guarantee service as a major business in China to be listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. The Group has elevated from its traditional business in guarantee and microcredit since its listing, to a diversified and comprehensive financial service platform with services including asset management, fund management, investment and acquisition, financial leasing, financial guarantee, overseas capital, real estate finance, and microcredit. Meanwhile, the Group maintained its business foundation in the Pearl River Delta Region with Foshan as the center, and provide comprehensive and professional financial services to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Sydney stylist and socialite Jo Ferguson has died at the age of 46 after a long illness.

The one-time best friend of supermodel Kristy Hinze passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning from suspected liver and kidney failure.

Jo's brother, Scott, said he was devastated by the loss of his 'inspirational' sister.

Tragic: Sydney stylist and socialite Jo Ferguson has died at the age of 46 after a long illness. Pictured on December 15, 2010 in Sydney

'Sadly my inspirational sister Jo passed away defiantly last night, just after midnight,' Scott told The Daily Telegraph.

'I'd hate for her life to simply slip past now as there were deeper issues that should be addressed, if only to help people in similar situations and prevent others from premature death.'

Publicist Adam Worling also paid tribute, describing his friend as 'a darling of the fashion world'.

Declining health: Jo died in the early hours of Wednesday morning from liver and kidney failure. Pictured with Miranda Kerr on September 13, 2007 in Sydney

Medical issues: Jo shared this photo from her hospital bed to Facebook on February 25

'Though, while she was obviously in a lot of pain these past few years, I hope we all remember how she used to light up a room with that smile. Someone who left us way too early,' he said.

In January, it was reported Jo was suffering blood poisoning after a 2016 accident in which she fell down 27 stairs and lost four litres of blood.

The Daily Telegraph reported at the time that Jo had shared a selfie from her hospital bed to Instagram to let clients know of her whereabouts.

Devastated: Jo's brother, Scott, told The Daily Telegraph, 'Sadly my inspirational sister Jo passed away defiantly last night, just after midnight.' Jo is pictured on December 28, 2008

'I slipped and fell down 27 stairs at my apartment at 8.20am on a Sunday and ended up knocking myself out immediately, gashing my temple on the stairs and losing four litres of blood,' she wrote.

'I'd been unconscious for five hours when a friend found me and called the ambulance.

'I ended up needing three blood transfusions and 38 stitches to the head. I was told I was 20 minutes from death due to the blood loss.'

Last few weeks: Jo was placed on life support last month, only to be discharged and then readmitted. Pictured on June 20, 2007 in Sydney

Jo was placed on life support last month, only to be discharged and then readmitted.

Following her discharge from hospital, Jo wrote on Facebook: 'After being placed on life support a week ago how the body reacts is amazing.

'Did someone say coronavirus? Wait until you are really sick to cry wolf.'

Readmitted: After being discharged, Jo was readmitted to hospital on March 14

'Wait until you are really sick': Jo uploaded this Facebook post on March 19

Ordeal: A subsequent Facebook post showing her back in hospital was captioned, 'Never ending... now draining with a tube'

Sydney social scene: Jo, who dated television presenter Tom Williams for a number of years, had moved back to Adelaide to be with her family. Pictured in April 2008 from left to right: Jo, David Gyngell, Tom and Kylie Spear

A subsequent Facebook post showing her back in hospital was captioned: 'Never ending... now draining with a tube.'

Jo dated television presenter Tom Williams for a number of years before he married fashion designer Rachel Gilbert.

She was also linked to millionaire car dealer Neville Crichton.

She mixed with Sydney's fashion elite and was a bridesmaid at Australian model Kristy Hinze's wedding to American tech billionaire Jim Clark in 2009.

Famous friends: Jo is pictured with model Kristy Hinze on December 14, 2008. Jo was a bridesmaid at Kristy's wedding to American tech billionaire Jim Clark in 2009

Social scene: Jo is pictured with INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly on November 14, 2007

Annie Bloom, who had been friends with Jo for three decades, told News.com.au on Wednesday she was devastated.

'I'm actually in the bath right now with candles and lighting sage to remember the good times with her, drink in hand,' she said.

'We had known each other for 30 years and we have stayed in contact a lot in the last few years.

'Despite all the drama, she had a heart of gold. She was a broken soul with lots of health issues and I really hope she finally can be at peace.'

In recent years, Jo had moved back to Adelaide to be closer to her family. She is survived by her mother, Patricia, and brother, Scott.
Colin Hanks made sure to protect himself while out riding bikes with his daughters on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old actor wore a pair of leather gloves to fend off germs during his trip outside with girls Olivia, nine, and Charlotte, six.

The son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson wasn't taking any chances after seeing how the illness affected his parents.

Safety first: Colin Hanks protected himself with leather gloves while riding bikes around his LA neighborhood with his daughters Tuesday

Colin lead his daughters around the neighborhood, keeping a close eye on the two. While he rode an electric bike his older daughter was on a classic two-wheeler.

It looked like Charlotte was still learning though, seen with training wheels on her bicycle.

Proving safety was a priority, Olivia and Charlotte were both equipped with helmets. Their ride was quick, as the family made sure to get home safe and sound.

Precautions: The son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson wasn't taking any chances after seeing how the illness affected his parents

Close to home: Colin and family have been vigilant about fighting the virus since learning of his parents Tom and Rita's diagnoses. The couple are seen in January 2020 above

Colin and family have been vigilant about fighting the virus since learning of his parents Tom and Rita's diagnoses.

The actor couple both tested positive for COVID-19 last month in Australia, where he was filming a biopic of Elvis Presley directed by Baz Lurhmann, 57

The duo went into quarantine in Australia for the duration of their illness and have since returned to Los Angeles.

Under the weather Down Under: The duo went into quarantine in Australia for the duration of their illness and have since returned to Los Angeles

On the up and up: On March 23, Hanks tweeted an update to his fans that read: 'Hey, folks. Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better

On March 23, Hanks tweeted an update to his fans that read: 'Hey, folks. Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better.

'Sheltering in place works like this: You don't give it to anyone -You don't get it from anyone. Common sense, no?

'Going to take awhile, but if we take care of each other, help where we can, and give up some comforts...this, too, shall pass. We can figure this out. Hanx.'

As of Tuesday, 95% of Americans have been ordered to stay at home, according to The New York Times.
An Edmonton man who arrived back home on a repatriation flight earlier this week says he's thankful to be back on Canadian soil even though it meant cutting his six-month trek through South America in half.

Michael Melymick, 24, and his girlfriend, Teneille Aulotte, 20, touched down in Edmonton on Sunday morning after spending the better of three weeks trying to get home from Lima, Peru.

"It was super-stressful. I haven't been stressed out like that in a while," said Melymick, who works in construction and left Canada for Columbia in December.

Their journey to get back home though started in the middle of March.

After spending a couple of days in Lima, Peru, at the start of the month, the couple travelled north to the surfing town of Mancora, which is about a 20-hour bus ride.

Michael Melymick

At first, Melymick said, everything was fine. Then, on March 13, the Peruvian government put a travel ban in place.

The first case of coronavirus in March was confimed on March 6. As of Monday, the country had 1,746 cases and 73 deaths.

'No one else but us'

All travel by land, sea and air was suspended meaning Melymick and his girlfriend had to wait it out in Mancora.

They spent the next 20 days at their seaside hotel. A curfew meant everyone had to stay indoors between 5 p.m. and 4 a.m.

"We were actually the only people at the hotel. There was no one else but us,' he recalled.

Melymick says the hotel owner gave them a discount and upgraded them to a better room.

"The first day we got there, the beach was just packed with people. And then toward the end, you wouldn't see a single soul on the beach because there was police," he added.

"It was really weird and just an uncomfortable feeling," he said. "You're on vacation, you don't want to be constantly being approached by police and military."

During the lockdown, Melymick was in daily contact with his dad Mike in Edmonton.

He heard about the repatriation flights and registered with the government online, where he says he received email updates on when they could get back home.

Story continues

'Going home, finally'

Eventually, Melymick was notified about a flight to Toronto out of Lima on April 5. The problem was the couple was nearly 1,200 kilometers away.

On April 3, they took a seven-hour bus ride to the city of Piura. They flew to Lima, then got onto an Air Canada flight headed for Toronto.

The bus trip from Mancora stopped in several towns to pick up other Canadians for the flight out of Piura. It had a military escort, which is something Melymick says he'll never forget.

At several stops, the bus was boarded by police who checked the passports and temperatures of all the passengers.

"Everyone was kind of keeping to themselves a little bit," he said. "But you could tell everyone was happy and relieved to be going home, finally."

There was joy back in Canada, too.

Melymick's dad had been trying since February to convince his son to come back home and was relieved to hear they were booked on the repatriation flight.

Facebook

"I think he was flying over Cuba and he sent an email," recalled Mike Melymick from his home in Edmonton.

"That was the yell, the cheer, the crying. That was the big moment, you knew he was coming home."

'Blows my mind'

Melymick and his girlfriend touched down in Toronto at about 2 a.m. on April 5. Their connecting flight to Edmonton left five hours later, getting them home at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

The cost to get home was $1,400 Canadian each.

Both Melymicks had high praise for the Canadian embassy in Lima for its efforts getting the Canadians home.

"It's right out of a movie," the senior Melymick said of his son's adventure. "The staff at the Canadian embassy in Peru really went to bat for these Canadians. "It just blows my mind the logistics that would have happened to get this rescue  buses and planes  to pick up Canadians. It's unbelievable."
WINNIPEG - Manitoba health officials reported a third death from COVID-19 Tuesday, along with 13 new cases.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba chief public health officer, speaks during the province's latest COVID-19 update at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Tuesday, March 31, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG - Manitoba health officials reported a third death from COVID-19 Tuesday, along with 13 new cases.

The latest fatality was a Winnipeg man in his 60s who had an underlying condition, Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, said.

With a total of 217 probable and confirmed cases to date, Roussin said he expects Manitoba's numbers to continue to climb.

"We're certainly, in my opinion, not at our peak right now," Roussin said.

"I think we're going to see many, many more cases here in Manitoba, but we're going to ... escalate our efforts if necessary."

The Manitoba government issued a public health order last month that limited public gatherings to 10 and forced non-essential businesses to close.

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The province has also urged people to practice social distancing by staying home as much as possible and maintaining a space of at least two metres from others while going out.

Roussin said the public health order is to expire next week, and may be toughened when it is renewed.

"We're going to be looking at what will be in a subsequent order. Certainly, we're not at a place right now where we will be ending our social distancing strategies."

The province announced new financial aid for students and recent graduates Tuesday to cope with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Repayments on provincial student loans are being suspended for six months until Oct. 1. The move mirrors a similar decision recently announced by the federal government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2020
The district administration on Tuesday barred entry to and exit from 148 villages in Nuh, declaring 36 villages as containment zones and 112 others buffer areas, after 23 new Covid-19 patients were reported in a single day -- taking the total number of patients in the district to 37. The administration said 36 of the total patients had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March at the Markaz in Delhis Nizamuddin. One affected person is a 50-year-old truck driver.

Nine of the 37 are foreigners and 25 are from different states. Only three patients are locals, the administration said.

Pankaj, deputy commissioner, Nuh, said 23 cases were reported from the district on Tuesday -- the highest number of cases reported in a day from anywhere in the state. He said these Covid-19 positive patients had frequently moved around in the 36 villages that have now been declared as containment zones.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

For the safety of people in and around these villages, their boundaries had been sealed and door-to-door screening and scanning of people is being done, the deputy commissioner said.

We have identified 36 villages that had been visited by these patients before they were sent into quarantine. We have declared them as containment zones and their neighbouring 112 villages as a buffer zone. Special teams have been formed for keeping a strict vigil in and around the villages and monitoring movement of the villagers from these identified zones, he said, adding that the administration was working in close coordination with police and medical teams.

Nuh was identified as the most backward district in the country by NITI Aayog in April 2018. In an assessment on multiple parameters such as health, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skill development, and infrastructure, Mewat scored 26%  the lowest across the country. This socio-economic backwardness of the region is likely to influence the administrations containment and treatment efforts.

It will be challenging to maintain peace and ensure that panic doesnt spread, especially now that the district has the highest number of cases in the state. We are focusing on two things, keeping people with a travel history in self-quarantine and identifying those who have developed symptoms of Covid-19, said Pankaj, who goes by his first name.

The administration has converted seven buildings into quarantine centres in the district. ITI college of Ferozepur Jhirka, Model School of Palla, private hostel in Rehna and Polytechnic college of Malab and a school from Ferozepur Namak have been turned into quarantines, said officials. One building in Rehna village is being used to isolate only foreigners.

Four kitchen services one government and three private are operating in the district. NGOs are supporting the administration and delivering 8,000 food packets daily which include 1,700 from the government kitchen.

Medical teams are monitoring the food packets and ensuring that it is healthy and packed properly. We are providing free cooked food and ration to the poor and migrant labourers who are living in camps. Also, if any villager is unable to make their ends meet, we are providing them food and other essential items, said Pankaj.

In a statement released by the administration, 36 villages  Bisru, Khanpur Ghati, Umara, Devla, Bond, Akhnaka, Sidhrawat, Agon, Kameda, Nai, Malab, Dihana, Mahu Chopra, Chitoda, Raniyala, Madopur, Punhana, Rahera, Raipur, Rangad Bass, NijampurTauru, Didhana, Sevka, Sikarpur, Nuh, Untka, Muradabas, Bai, Charoda, Rithat , Shapur and four more villages are part of the containment zone. At least 112 villages share boundaries with these 36 villages. As many as 160 people were in contact with the Covid-19 patients who are currently in-home quarantine.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Nuh, told HT, We have prepared a unique containment plan for the district and are sanitising all the villages where cases have been reported from, said Yadav.

All patients who had tested positive from Nuh and Palwal have been shifted to Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Nuh. The OPD services in the hospital have been cancelled and it is only catering to Covid-19 patients. All the makeshift shops and markets in the area have been shut. Only two medical shops are allowed to operate, said the CMO.

According to Yadav, at least 1,201 people in Nuh who came in contact with the people who had attended the congregation in Markaz in March have been put on surveillance and 84 people who travelled to foreign countries are in quarantine. They were traced to different mosques in Nuh villages. We had sent samples of 355 people out of which 37 tested positive, 191 tested negative and results of 134 samples are awaited. Forty-four people are currently hospitalised, said Yadav. A 25-member team of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs) and Nurse Midwife (ANMs) has also been constituted to screen every house in the identified villages.

Talking to HT, Narender Bijarniya, superintendent of police, Nuh said, At least 25 policemen have been deployed in bigger villages to prevent people from moving to other areas and to adjoining districts. This is to ensure the safety of people and prevent transmission of the virus. The boundaries of the 24 villages have been barricaded. We are also requesting people to share their travel history and inform us about anyone with symptoms of Covid-19.

The police are also tracking the travel history of the people who had attended the Markaz congregation and are taking help from the local clerics and religious leaders to identify them or people who came in close contact with the ones who attended the event.

According to the police, till Tuesday 1,201 people in the district were under surveillance, out of which 60 people completed their 14 days of quarantine and 1,141 were under home quarantine. To maintain law and order in these villages, four senior government officials have been appointed as duty magistrate. An order for sanitising these villages was issued by the Nuh administration on Tuesday.

In Palwal, on Tuesday, three persons tested positive for Covid-19, after which the district total has reached 28. The district has reported the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the state. The administration has declared 15 villages as containment/red zones and their surrounding 36 villages as buffer zones after 28 tested positive. They had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin last month. Deputy commissioner, Palwal, said public transport in these villages was being banned for containing the spread of coronavirus. The villagers under the containment area have been quarantined.

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FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump hosts "Made in America Product Showcase" at the White House in Washington

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. senators who have introduced a bill that would remove U.S. defense systems and troops in Saudi Arabia unless it cuts oil output will hold a call with the kingdom's officials on Saturday, a source familiar with the planning said on Tuesday.

Senators Kevin Cramer and Dan Sullivan will hold a call with the officials two days after a scheduled OPEC+ meeting in which Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to agree an output cut. The two countries have been pumping oil flat out beginning last month in a race for market share.

The senators' bill would remove U.S. troops, Patriot missiles and THAAD defense systems from the kingdom and put them elsewhere in the Middle East unless it cuts oil output.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said stabilization of global oil markets would be discussed but had no more details.

Analysts at ClearView Energy Partners said in a note to clients that the senators would likely reiterate their threats to withhold military support.

"If there is a deal, we would suggest that Saturday's conversation could serve to reinforce decisions taken Thursday or Friday," the note said. If there's no deal, "the call could potentially catalyze further negotiations."

The senators' legislation faces an uncertain future as Senator James Inhofe, a senior Republican from oil-producing Oklahoma, has said he prefers to pressure Saudi Arabia and Russia by pushing the Department of Commerce to investigate whether they are excessively dumping oil onto global markets.

In addition, the U.S. Congress is not in session until at least April 20 and possibly longer due to the coronavirus outbreak, making quick action on the bill unlikely.

Threatening the defense relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is vulnerable to attacks from arch rival Iran without U.S. protection, has given the two senators an outsized role in Washington's campaign to boost oil output.

Cramer is from North Dakota, which produces 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, second-most among U.S. states behind Texas. Sullivan is from Alaska, which produces about 480,000 bpd.

Story continues

U.S. oil prices fell more than 9% to $23.63 a barrel on Tuesday on swelling crude supplies and weak fuel demand due to the economic effect of measures to control the coronavirus. The drop threatens heavily-leveraged U.S. oil companies with bankruptcies and layoffs. [O/R]

Trump has said he expects Saudi Arabia and Russia to take part in an output cut of 10 million to 15 million barrels per day from global markets. He also said U.S. producers have already cut production automatically as prices have dropped.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Kim Coghill)
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (R) hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 22, 2019, following a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

The top Democrats in Congress pushed Wednesday for an "interim" emergency coronavirus bill to include at least $500 billion in relief for small businesses, hospitals, states and food assistance programs.

By the afternoon, House Democrats indicated they will try to pass legislation that includes less money specifically for an existing loan program for small companies than the Trump administration has requested.

In a joint statement Wednesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they supported another $250 billion in loans to small companies. A spokesperson for Pelosi later clarified that House Democrats want to put $125 billion into the so-called Paycheck Protection Program  a $350 billion pool of loans approved as part of the $2 trillion emergency package passed last month. Another $125 billion would go to community-based lenders and Small Business Administration disaster assistance loans and grants.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell aims to pass $250 billion in funding for the existing program through the Senate on Thursday. On a call with House Democrats, Pelosi said she hopes to pass her stopgap bill on Friday.

Meanwhile, Democrats want the stopgap legislation to go further as the coronavirus pandemic rips across the country, stretching health-care resources and state budgets and shutting down schools and businesses. Pelosi and Schumer also called for:

$100 billion to bolster hospitals and community health centers, with funds going toward the production of coronavirus tests and protective medical equipment

$150 billion for state and local governments (some officials such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is managing the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, said the last congressional bill did not do enough for states battling coronavirus)

A 15% increase to the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit

It is unclear if the GOP-controlled Senate and Democratic-held House will go through with passing divergent legislation, or if they can agree on a compromise before the planned Senate vote Thursday.

The Democratic leaders described the "interim" bill as separate from one they aim to pass to expand the provisions of the $2 trillion aid package. The federal government has only started to implement the law, the largest emergency spending measure in U.S. history.

"After we pass this interim emergency legislation, Congress will move to pass a CARES 2 Act that will extend and expand the bipartisan CARES Act to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi and Schumer said. "CARES 2 must provide transformational relief as the American people weather this assault on their lives and livelihoods."
Social media and memes. They seem to be made for each other. If youre looking for laughs, they often give great comic relief, particularly in this difficult time we are facing.

But as Ive seen many of the memes that regularly get posted and shared, I felt compelled to share a few thoughts. This is the main one:

Never get your theology from memes.

Typically memes are short, to the point statements that, on the surface, may seem to encapsulate a current issue, and they claim to shed some grander truth about the issue at hand.

Theres an old saying though that stated inquiring minds want to know... But theres a deeper truth, that Jesus reminded us of, and that we should consider particularly when memes are involved:

Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. John 7:24

With this in mind, lets look at just one meme that is making its way around social media this week. Last week a pastor in Florida was arrested because he chose to assemble his congregation, in spite of precautionary health advisories by the local governing authorities. Without arguing the merits of the case, that he will be mounting with the help of Liberty Counsel, Id like to share some thoughts from the Bible, versus the Constitution.

The meme I recently saw would seem to correlate the assembling that occurs at Walmart, where people are buying food and supplies, with the assembling at church. It said of Walmart, "We can gather here" but of the church it said "But we can't responsibly gather here." I would suggest though that conflating these two examples is like comparing apples with planets (versus oranges).

Walmart and such establishments are physical buildings that house physical products that we must all have to function physically. Without securing these products, at some point we will die physically.

But the building in this meme, while depicting a church, is not THE church. Rather, its just a building. The Bible, from where our theology should flow, is very clear that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But the church is not a place or a building, rather it is the body of believers in Christ, locally as well as all over the world. Assembling can occur in many different manners and sizes. This has been the case since the book of Acts, when the first assembly of believers began. And to this day, believers in nations all over the world, are sometime forced to meet even secretly, in their homes, for fear of death or persecution.

But theres another aspect to this meme that I believe flows from the spirit that is implanted within the DNA of most Americans. It is the spirit that asserts our rights above all else, and the attitude of no one is ever going to deprive me as an American of my rights. But is this the right attitude to have about rights, if you and I are followers of Jesus? Are we first Americans, or is our citizenship a heavenly one, that should shape and guide all of our responses?

To answer that question we should look to the one we claim to follow: Jesus. His example, and the examples of the founding fathers of our faith, the 12 Apostles, reveal a very different attitude about rights than the one that Americans consistently demonstrate, including my own.

We demand. They gave up.

We complain. They gave thanks.

We gripe. They praised God.

We protest. They accepted.

We resist. They submitted.

We live. They died.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that there is not a place for organizations like Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, and others, to pursue justice in our courts. I know the men who lead these organizations, and they are good men, and followers of Jesus. From a purely American Constitutional standpoint Im sure that Liberty Counsel will represent their client well and will insure the pastors constitutional rights are followed.

But there is a difference between an organization appealing to an earthly judge, to enforce the laws of the land, and appealing to The Supreme Judge of the universe to protect and sustain us. The Apostle Paul was beaten many, many times, and once he actually asserted his Roman citizenship to avoid an unjust beating. But besides Pauls limited example, we see Jesus, and the twelve apostles consistently and repeatedly giving up their rights, submitting to an evil governmental system, and in every instance, except for the Apostle John, they all were executed for their faith.

Americans are big on rights, demanding everything enumerated in the Bill of Rights and more. But true Christianity is about giving up ones rights. And its also about loving our neighbors. When we irresponsibly gather in large groups, we place others, including our neighbors, at risk.

It seems this is an opportunity for the church to humble itself, pray, confess, and serve, not rise up, gripe, complain, and demand.

So Im less concerned personally about demanding rights, that we can voluntarily relinquish as our spiritual forefathers did, than I am about the church not suffering a black eye as we attempt to be the light in this present darkness.

My point is we are missing the big point of what is going on, in my view, if we simply focus on demanding a right. What if we responded like Daniel when his government demanded that he stop praying to God and that he could only offer prayers to the king? Daniel simply went home, without griping and complaining, he opened his window, and knelt in humility to God and began to pray. No building. No congregation. Just Daniel and God.

Lets be like Daniel in the midst of the greatest crisis of most of our lifetimes. Lets be like the Apostles, who submitted themselves to a cruel and evil system, that ultimately took their lives. And lets be like Jesus, who we are told:

He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. ??1 Peter? ?2:23?

And then lets follow Solomon in doing what he suggested His people should do when they found themselves in the midst of a calamity:

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. ??2 Chronicles? ?7:14?

Mark West






Update:

A Texas woman has been arrested for allegedly claiming on Snapchat to be "intentionally spreading" COVID-19, police said.

The Carrollton Police Department said Lorraine Maradiaga, 18, was charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony.

ON THE FRONTLINE: Houston H-E-B employees test positive for coronavirus

The teen told police she is COVID-19 negative. Officials for the city north of Dallas said they have no proof she tested positive.

Maradiaga turned herself in Tuesday morning. Her bond was set at $20,000 and she was taken to the Denton County Jail.

As a precaution, she will be ordered to quarantine for 21 days after she is released from jail, police said.

Original:

A police department in Texas is searching for a woman who it says allegedly claimed to be spreading COVID-19 on purpose.

The Carrollton Police Department said Lorraine Maradiaga, 18, was "seen on social media claiming to be COVID-19 positive and willfully spreading it."

PANDEMIC PATHS: Data shows where Houston-area residents are going amid pandemic

Officers in the suburb north of Dallas have yet to locate Maradiaga, a Carrollton resident.

According to police, Maradiaga will be charged with making a terroristic threat.

"We have no confirmation Maradiaga is actually a threat to public health," police wrote on Facebook. "We are, however, taking her social media actions very seriously."

Carrollton police are asking anyone who knows where she is to call (972) 466-3333 or email CrimeTips@CityofCarrollton.com.

Mark Dunphy is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: Working at a hospital that is at the centre of providing advanced healthcare facilities to coronavirus patients comes with its share of responsibilities. Ramamurthy Meena, intensive care unit (ICU) in charge at the SMS hospital in Jaipur, is well aware of it. So caught up was he with work at the hospital that he couldnt even participate in the last rites of his mother, but managed to view her cremation through a video call.

His mother Bholi Devi passed away on March 30 at the ripe age of 93. But the call of duty was stronger, as Meena was attending on coronavirus patients. So, loaded with grief while pushing back his tears, he continued offering patient care at the hospital and let his brother perform the last rites.

Remember, SMS is the states biggest government hospital where the first bunch of infected Italian tourists were admitted and later cured.My mother passed away but I felt those who are alive and struggling need me more at this time, Meena told this newspaper. I cant leave the patients. We all have to fight in unison against the epidemic. My wife and children are all in the village in my native Karauli district. My three brothers and father supported me saying you serve the corona patients without grieving. That gave me the courage to continue to work, he added.

Fellow nurses lauded Meenas sense of commitment. This is exemplary devotion to duty. If Meena wanted to go for the funeral, the administration would have helped him attend the last rites, but he never left the ICU as there are many serious patients admitted there. We are sad he wasnt able to join his family in their time of grief but he is an inspiration for all the medical professionals of the country. We are proud of him. said Rajendra Rana, state president of the All Rajasthan Nursing Association.

Rajasthan on Thursday had 27 fresh cases, taking the states total to 328. Of them, 103 cases are from Jaipur and many of them are admitted at SMS hospital, where people like Meena are holding fort, one reason why over 40 have already recovered in the state.
Bernie Sanders ended his campaign for president Wednesday, but he still wants Connecticut and a handful of other states to hold Democratic primaries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic  a bid to amass more delegates and influence at the Democratic National Convention.

The decision Sanders announced during a live stream puts officials in Connecticut and other states with upcoming primaries in an awkward position: With the refusal of Sanders to formally withdraw, must they still open their polls at a time when the public is being urged to stay home for reasons of personal and public health?

Under state law, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill cannot cancel a primary without the written permission of candidates who have qualified for the ballot. After Sanders made clear he was quitting the race, Merrill set to work on a statement about the status of the primary, then the 78-year-old Vermont senator threw his curveball.

As you can imagine, what ensued was a great gnashing of teeth and all sorts of conversations about now what? Merrill said.

Merrill has yet to receive withdrawal letters from Elizabeth Warren or Tulsi Gabbard, two other Democrats who qualified for the Connecticut ballot and then quit the race. But Sanders was the pivotal player in the question of whether Connecticut must go forward with its primary.

Sanders decision Wednesday effectively cedes the nomination to Joe Biden.

That for me effectively ends the justification for holding a primary in Connecticut. Now, the results are predetermined, Merrill said. Then comes the announcement he will remain on the ballot, which hopefully he will reconsider.

If Sanders does not reconsider, Gov. Ned Lamont will have to decide whether to use his powers during the public-health emergency to grant Merrill discretion over ballot access. That would leave Lamont, a Democrat who was an early backer of Biden, open to accusations of undermining Bidens rival at the convention.

A primary in Connecticut would require congressional caucuses to choose delegates, an expense to the party and another public gathering at odds with public-health recommendations. A Sanders strategist who left the campaign earlier this year said forcing a primary could cost Sanders goodwill he otherwise is engendering.

Its tone deaf, said the person, who declined to be quoted by name, because he is working in another race for federal office.

Lamont had no immediate statement Wednesday. A Sanders spokesperson could not be reached to address the rationale for going forward, but Sanders indicated last week during an interview with Seth Myers that a platform to discuss issues remained important, even as the potential path to the nomination narrowed after Super Tuesday.

Campaigns are an important way to maintain that fight and raise public consciousness on those issues, so thats, I think, one of the arguments for going forward, Sanders said.

Nancy Wyman, the Democratic state chair, said she hoped a primary could be averted.

Bernies a very smart man. Even with his language today I believe Bernie will be supporting Joe Biden and hopefully his supporters will do the same thing. I just hope today was his day to talk about his issues and what he feels are really important for the country and to his positions, Wyman said.

Connecticut has already postponed its primary from April 28 to June 2, buying time in hopes that one of two things would happen: The pandemic would break, or the contest for the presidential nomination would be settled, sparing the state from trying to conduct an election.

A minor candidate named Rocky De La Fuente remains on the ballot for the Republican nomination for president in Connecticut.
Police say two children who were left home alone have died in a fire and their mother is facing charges.

Emergency crews responded to the residential blaze Tuesday afternoon in Cadiz and found the bodies of both children during a search of the home.

Kentucky State Police said in a statement that an investigation determined that 30-year-old Keyona Bingham left her children unattended and a fire started while she was away.

Troopers charged Bingham with two counts of wanton endangerment and took her to the Christian County jail. Authorities say they haven't determined how the fire started.

Online jail records dont indicate whether Bingham has an attorney.
So when do you reach for those nuclear launch codes? When the company disregards its own contract or federal laws. For example, if an airline cancels your flight, the Transportation Department says it must offer a refund within seven days if you paid by credit card. You need to meet some requirements, but if you cant negotiate a refund, your bank can help.


United States Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. The move leaves former Vice President Joe Biden as the likely Democratic Party nominee to face President Donald Trump in November. Trump belongs to the Republican Party.

The Vermont senator told supporters, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. And so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign. Sanders praised Biden as a very decent man. The senator said he would work with the likely nominee to move our progressive ideas forward.

Biden thanked Sanders on Twitter for putting the interest of the nation  and the need to defeat Donald Trump  above all else.

In an appeal to Sanders supporters, Biden wrote I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed.

President Donald Trump reacted to the announcement with a message on Twitter. It said that the nomination race had ended just the way the Democratic Party wanted.

The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE! he added.

Sanders was the early leader in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

He received firm support from young people and non-professionals. He seeks free college education, cancellation of current student loan debts, and free healthcare for Americans. He also calls for passage of the Green New Deal, a Democratic Party proposal designed to deal with climate change.

The Vermont senator won the nominating elections in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

After Joe Bidens first victory in the state of South Carolina, others in the race, as well as Democratic Party leaders, announced their support for Bidens nomination. That helped Biden win many primaries that followed, including 10 out of 14 states on Super Tuesday.

The coronavirus outbreak effectively put a stop to official campaigning by the candidates. Primaries have been postponed or cancelled in many states.

Sanders announced his decision Wednesday from his hometown of Burlington, Vermont. He said, Standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history.

I'm John Russell.

Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

conclude - v. to decide after a period of thinking or research

decent - adj. polite, moral and honest

primary - n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in the general election
Bus drivers fear for their safety and are calling on their employers to clean up dirty vehicles after 14 transport workers died from coronavirus in London alone and further deaths were recorded in Birmingham and Bristol.

Transport for London (TfL) announced on Wednesday that it was trialling a new system that will see passengers board via doors in the middle of the bus to reduce contact with drivers.

The Unite union said there was no time for a trial of the new boarding system and that it should be rolled out across London immediately after nine drivers and five other TfL workers died in the capital.

It came as one grieving mother issued a tearful plea on Wednesday for transport workers to be given protective equipment after her 36-year-old son, Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, lost his life to coronavirus.

Drivers say they are scared of catching the coronavirus because they do not have personal protective equipment (PPE) and buses are not being properly cleaned.

One London bus driver, Joanne Harris, who has been doing the job for 12 years, told The Independent: "The bus drivers are scared to death at the moment, they really are.

"Now drivers are starting to hear that people are dying out there. We've lost a friend in out garage - 32 years he was in this business. He died in the last few days.

"We used to sit down and have lunch together in the canteen. We were good working colleagues, always chatting. It's so hard to lose these people, it really is.

Ms Harris knows three other people, who don't work as drivers, who have also died from the virus.

"When you see four people that you know just die, that brings it home to you."

She believes TfL and the bus companies that run the network have not fully introduced boarding via the rear doors because it will reduce revenues.

"It's all about money. If you close the front doors [passengers] would all go for free, but we're only supposed to be taking essential workers anyway."

Unite is calling for the front doors on London buses to be locked immediately and alternative arrangements should be made for payment.

For buses outside of London, the union is demanding that all buses are fitted with a fully enclosed screen separating the driver from passengers, and that cash payments are no longer accepted. It also wants the maximum number of passengers to be reduced.

Unite regional secretary for London Pete Kavanagh said: The coronavirus is a clear and imminent threat and tragically too many bus workers have already lost their lives.

TfL needs to roll out the policy of locking the front door on all its buses immediately. Card readers can be moved to the central doors but the priority has to be safety, not income. Bus workers are key workers they must be treated as such and not as second class citizens.

Anne Nyack, mother of Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, a bus driver who died after contracting coronavirus, criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan over the lack of PPE.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, she said: "He needs to get out there and have a look at the buses and see what condition the drivers are operating in.

"They are at risk, my son was at risk, sadly he died." She said her son had spoken to his partner and his sister about the "dirty" conditions on the buses.

Ms Nyack pleaded with Mr Khan to provide better protection for transport workers and asked him to visit the families of those who have died.

She said of her son: "He was given hand sanitiser - he had no mask, no gloves, nothing.

"Plus, he was asthmatic, he was open to the elements.

"I don't want a letter or a telephone call, I want him (Mr Khan) to see the real faces of the tragedy, which is me and all the other bus drivers that have lost their lives."

In an emotional tribute, a tearful Ms Nyack described her son as "a lovely man with a heart of gold".

"He would help anybody," she said. "He was full of laughter and always a joker, he had a nickname for all of us."

Additional reporting by PA news agency
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Linkedin Mardika Parama and Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 15:40 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09ab17 1 Business COVID-19,coronavirus,South-Korea,China,imports,test-kits,ventilator,PPE,protective-gears,mask,global-supply-chain Free

Indonesia is looking to China and South Korea to become the countrys main suppliers of medical equipment as countries worldwide scramble for supplies amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus.

The government expects South Korean and Indonesian companies to produce test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) in Indonesia, while Chinas enterprises have been importing test kits, ventilators and medical-grade PPE, such as N-95 masks.

We are taking coordinative steps between industries, factories and the State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Ministry to obtain materials, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia told a broadcasted video conference on Tuesday, citing air cargo to expedite shipping.

Demand for materials to produce medical supplies are spiking, as industries change and ramp up their production lines to mass produce medical and protective equipment. The Group of 20 (G20) major economies has also pledged to create a supportive global supply chain in addressing the global deficit of medical equipment and protective gear, primarily PPE, test kits and ventilators.

The United States obtained raw materials in China in a way thats like if you have the money, we have the products. If we are late to order, we cant secure orders. This happened a few days ago when an industry player was late to place a down payment and then US took the orders. We dont want this to happen, so we support their airplanes, maybe from SOEs, so production can carry on, Bahlil said.

Read also: Indonesian manufacturers step up as G20 nations coordinate global medical supply

To better secure medical supplies, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto engaged in a bilateral call with South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee on Monday to discuss a potential collaboration that includes joint test kits and PPE production.

South Korean biotechnological companies Kogene Biotech and Seegene could run a joint production with Indonesian companies to produce test kits in Indonesia, Airlangga said. In addition, he also said the two countries would cooperate in producing PPE, with the raw materials imported from South Korea and the manufacturing carried out in Indonesia.

We are also grateful for the South Korean governments US$500,000 in-kind grant to the Indonesian government, which will be used to support the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, Airlangga said.

South Korean Trade Minister Myung-hee also said his side had listed Indonesia as among prioritized countries to receive exports of medical equipment, alongside the United States and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release from the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister.

On Friday, 500,000 protective gowns were sent to various regions in Indonesia from a production consortium between PT GA Indonesia and five South Korean garment companies that operate in West Java. The consortium is producing PPE after obtaining production certification from the government and raw materials from South Korea, according to the BKPM.

South Korean industrial conglomerate LG, known for its electronics subsidiary LG Electronics, will also ship 50,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits as a donation to Indonesia.

Read also: COVID-19: Textile factories face hurdles as they switch to producing medical gear

Despite its manufacturing capacity to produce PPE, Indonesian companies are struggling to manufacture medical-grade gear, which only account for 6.5 percent of their protective gear capacity, Industry Ministry data shows. Indonesian manufacturers have yet to domestically produce their own ventilators and test kits, although several local companies are moving toward producing them.

There are 35 Indonesian manufacturers preparing to produce, together, about 18.3 million pieces of protective gear per month by early May, according to the Industry Ministry. That compares with a monthly domestic demand of up to 16 million, potentially leaving room for exports in case of an excess.

Insya Allah [God willing] we will be able to export the excess production, and with the world in need of PPE, we could use the exports as a bargaining chip to acquire ventilators from producing countries. Well send them PPE and they'll send us ventilators in return, Industry Minister Agung Gumiwang Kartasasmita.

To produce PPE, textile industries in Indonesia mainly source their materials from China, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) vice chairwoman for international relations Shinta Kamdani said.

The majority of imports came from China, as they are able to supply the market demand. Maybe other countries also produce them but China has a major supply and is willing to export, Shinta told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Indonesia also imports test kits, ventilators and medical-grade PPE, such as N-95 masks from China, Shinta said, despite various countries concerns over the equipment quality.

Last week, the Dutch government recalled 600,000 masks out of a Chinese shipment of 1.3 million that did not meet quality standards. Spain also rejected thousands of rapid test kits sent by an unauthorized Chinese company after it found that they were unreliable last week.

Chinese officials hit back on Sunday at media reports over defective medical supplies, saying that they "did not reflect the full facts". China has exported 3.86 billion masks, 37.5 million pieces of protective clothing, 16,000 ventilators and 2.84 million COVID-19 test kits since March 1, according to the countrys customs official.

Shinta said Indonesia did not have the luxury of picking and choosing its imports of medical equipment and material, as every country was taking what they could to fulfill their demand for PPE and medical equipment. The most important thing right now is how we are able to import the products as quick as possible, she added.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Myriad Genetics, Inc. (MYGN) announced Wednesday that due to the impact of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the company is withdrawing its financial guidance for the full year 2020. In response to the pandemic, Myriad has made several changes to its business practices to promote the safety of both customers and employees. These include ceasing in-office sales calls and implementing virtual selling, granting all non-essential personnel the ability to work from home, enabling direct sample collection for patients and implementing policies to improve laboratory personnel safety. While the uncertain timeframe of the Coronavirus pandemic makes it difficult to predict future business trends for the company, it will provide an update on its business, including the impact of COVID-19, on its next quarterly earnings call. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Flooring is defined as the permanent covering of a floor. A new report on the global flooring market, published by Market Research Future (MRFR), claims that this market could witness a high tide at 5% CAGR between 2016 and 2022.

Monitoring the market structure, this report mensurates the future growth potential of the market. It characterizes the strategies of the major market players in the market and aids the competitive developments like research & developments (R&D), new product developments, mergers & acquisitions, and joint ventures, in the market.

The primary factor raising the global flooring market growth is rapid growth in the construction sector. Increasing construction projects, across the world, due to expanding urban areas and population growth are also fueling market growth. Other factors furnishing market growth include rising home improvement projects, renovation projects, and rising personal disposable income. The last boost to the market comes from the high demand for the improvement of existing infrastructure and the building of new infrastructure in the form of hospitals, retail outlets, residential housing, and other commercial buildings. However, the market growth can get blocked due to the high prices of new installations and renovations. Considerable volumes of flooring waste and difficult disposal can also impact market growth negatively.

Market Segmentation

The global flooring market segmentation covers application, material, and type. MRFRs take on the market allows an in-depth look into various facets of the market.

The application-based segmentation of this market covers education, healthcare, hospitality, retail, and sports. Application-based flooring is used for delivering specific aesthetics or achieve a particular purpose. For example, in the healthcare sector, flooring needs to be hard and easy to clean. In sports, the flooring must be level and help absorb shock.

Regarding material, the market has been segmented into tiles, vinyl & rubber, wood, and others. The most popular segment among these is tiles as tiles are available in various designs, materials, shapes, and sizes to achieve the perfect aesthetic. By type, the market has been segmented into resilient, non-resilient, soft covering, and others.

Request for Free Sample Report @

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2527

Regional Segmentation

Based on a geographical outlining of the global flooring market, the study encompasses North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW).

The Asia Pacific holds the largest market share with North America and Europe, holding the second largest share and third-largest share, respectively. Rapid industrialization and increasing urbanization in the Asia Pacific region are driving market growth. During the forecast period, the Asia Pacific region is also expected to be the fastest-growing regional market. The largest country-specific markets in this region are China, India, and Japan. An analysis of remaining countries in the Asia Pacific region featured in this report estimates the sizable contribution to market revenue from some other countries.

During the forecast period, the growth rate of the North American market is expected to be significant, mainly due to the presence of many construction firms and the existence of advanced infrastructure in this region. The largest country-specific markets in this region are the USA and Canada.

Europe is a strong market due to the availability of developed infrastructure, technological advancement, and huge investments in the construction sector. The maximum revenue for the European market is contributed by France, Germany, Spain, and the UK.

Key Players

Major players in the global flooring market include Floorworld LLC (Dubai), Flowcrete Group Ltd. (UK), Forbo Holding AG. (Switzerland), Gerflor Group (France), LG Hausys Ltd. (Korea), Mannington Mills Inc. (USA), Mohawk Industries Inc. (USA), Polyfloor Inc. (UK), Shaw Industries Inc. (USA), and Tarkett Company (France).
Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus epidemic first broke out, ended a 76-day lockdown on Wednesday, and thousands of people voiced joy and excitement as they left the city.

Previously quiet train and bus stations bustled as an exodus began from the city of 11 million, with some passengers wearing hazmat suits.

China had sealed off Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, in late January to stop the spread of the virus. Over 50,000 people in Wuhan caught the virus, and more than 2,500 of them died, about 80 per cent of all deaths in China, according to official figures.

Watch: Wuhan lockdown lifted after 76 days, huge crowds seen at airport

Restrictions have eased in recent days as the capital of Hubei province saw just three new confirmed infections in the past 21 days and only two new infections in the past fortnight.

You have no idea! I was already up around 4 am. I felt so good. My kids are so excited. Mum is finally coming home, 39-year-old Hao Mei told news agency AFP as she waited to board a train. Mei, a single parent from the nearby city of Enshi, said her two children had been home alone since she got stuck in Wuhan, where she works in a school kitchen.

Up to 55,000 people are expected to leave Wuhan on Wednesday just by train, according to government estimates.

Buses and cars were also on roads out of the city on Wednesday morning, after barricades on its outskirts were dismantled with the ban on outbound travel being lifted at midnight.

Wuhan has lost a lot in this epidemic, and Wuhan people have paid a big price, a 21-year-old man surnamed Yao, who was heading back to his restaurant job in Shanghai, told AFP.

Now that the lockdown has been lifted, I think were all pretty happy.

Wuhan deserves to be called the city of heroes, blared an announcement over the passenger announcement system at one of the citys train stations on Wednesday.

But even as people leave Wuhan, new imported cases in the northern province of Heilongjiang surged to a daily high of 25, fuelled by a continued influx of infected travellers arriving from Russia, which shares a land border with the province.

Suifenhe City in Heilongjiang restricted the movement of its citizens on Wednesday in a similar fashion to that of Wuhan.

Residents must stay in their residential compounds and one person from a family can leave once every three days to buy necessities and must return on the same day, said state-run CCTV.

In Jiaozhou City in the eastern province of Shandong the risk level had risen from low to medium, according to a post on an official website, but it gave no details why.

The state-run Peoples Daily newspaper warned on Wednesday that opening up of Wuhan does not mean releasing control.

Wuhan residents have been urged not to leave their neighbourhood, their city and even the province unless absolutely necessary.

People from Wuhan arriving in the Chinese capital Beijing will have to undergo two rounds of testing for the virus.

China maintains strict screening protocols, concerned about any resurgence in domestic transmissions due to virus carriers who exhibit no symptoms and infected travellers arriving from overseas.
[April 08, 2020] Ameriprise Financial Welcomes Two Teams from Wells Fargo and UBS with $286 Million in Assets

Two teams with $286 million in combined assets under management have joined the employee channel of Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP). Father-son team Robert Arthur Bonwell Sr., CRPC and Robert Arthur Bonwell Jr. joined from Wells Fargo (News - Alert) in Charleston, West Virginia. Separately, Jim Buzgo, CFP joined from UBS in Boston, Massachusetts. Both teams were looking for more support to serve their clients through comprehensive financial planning. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005712/en/ Robert Arthur Bonwell Sr., Kellie Keeling, Robert Arthur Bonwell Jr., Ameriprise financial advisors. Photo courtesy of Ameriprise Financial. The Bonwells, who manage $149 million in client assets, evaluated more than 15 firms before deciding to join Ameriprise. They were attracted to the firm's client-centric culture, ability to provide personalized advice to multi-generational families, and the fact that the firm established a new office for them in Charleston. Since they joined earlier in the year, the team has also experienced the way in which Ameriprise has mobilized quickly and effectively to serve clients virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are impressed by the culture and capabilities at Ameriprise," said Bonwell Jr.,who has 26 years of experience in the industry. "The company treats clients and advisors like family. We've felt the strength and support of the firm even more in the last few weeks. Ameriprise helped us pivot smoothly to virtual meetings and they've equipped us with great technology, market research and expertise to guide our clients through this uncertain period. Our clients feel very well supported, and so do we as a team."



Bonwell Sr., who has 55 years of experience, added, "We like how Ameriprise supports financial planning for the entire family. I've served many clients for 40-50 years, and it's rewarding to help them teach their kids and grandkids about investing. Particularly in an environment like we're in now, financial literacy is incredibly important." Their team also includes Kellie Keeling, registered client service associate, who has served their clients for 34 years. Ameriprise complex director Scott Turner provides local leadership support.

Advisor Finds Firm Invested in Delivering Value to Clients Jim Buzgo, who manages $137 million in client assets, was attracted to Ameriprise's strong financial planning capabilities and resources to help communicate the value of personalized advice to clients. Jeff Montieth, Ameriprise Recruiting Director, helped recruit Buzgo to Ameriprise. "Jim wanted a firm that would partner with him in providing meaningful value to clients, and he found that in Ameriprise. We're excited to have his team on board with us. The last few weeks have reinforced the need for financial advice and the personal connections that advisors like Jim have with their clients." Buzgo's team also includes registered client service associate Drew London, AWMA. The team is supported by Ameriprise complex director David Shnitzer. More than 4,000 financial advisors have joined Ameriprise since 2008.1 To find out why experienced financial advisors are joining Ameriprise, visit joinameriprise.com. About Ameriprise Financial At Ameriprise Financial, we have been helping people feel confident about their financial future for more than 125 years. With extensive advisory, asset management and insurance capabilities and a nationwide network of approximately 10,000 financial advisors, we have the strength and expertise to serve the full range of individual and institutional investors' financial needs. For more information, or to find an Ameriprise financial advisor, visit ameriprise.com. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.  2020 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 Company data as of August 2019. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005712/en/

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EDMONTONAlberta is banning most visits to long-term care and group homes to try to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Residents of all continuing-care sites are at extreme risk if exposed to COVID-19, and we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety, the provinces chief medical health officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said in a release Tuesday.

I know this will have a profound impact on the lives of those residents and their families. This is not a step that we take lightly.

Hinshaw is urging Albertans to instead reach out to their loved ones by phone, video and any other means possible.

No visits are allowed unless a resident is dying or if the visitor is delivering essential care that staff cant provide.

Only one family member, friend or religious leader will be able to visit a dying resident at a time, and they will not be allowed to interact with other residents.

Visitors are to have their temperatures checked and will have to fill out a questionnaire before going inside. Anyone who is sick will not be allowed in and all visitors will have to cover their faces.

The new rules apply to all licensed supportive living, long-term care and other continuing care facilities, as well as residential addiction treatment operators.

On Friday, the province ordered care homes to notify public health authorities, residents, families and staff as soon as anyone shows symptoms.

Staff who work at multiple homes are to immediately inform their supervisors if they are working somewhere with a suspected, probable or confirmed outbreak. In the case of a confirmed outbreak, staff must stick to working at one facility.

As of Tuesday, there were 130 confirmed COVID-19 cases at continuing-care homes in Alberta. Twelve of the provinces 26 deaths have been of residents at the McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre in Calgary, where at least 52 residents and 36 staff have been infected.

Renee Laboucane, whose mother Doreen Gauvreau died Monday at the McKenzie Towne home, said having a plan for loved ones to communicate with residents is crucial. Her father and uncle are in the same care centre.

All of our mental health was at risk, as was the mental health of our parents, she said by video at an Opposition NDP news conference Tuesday.

She said staffing levels have also been an issue, as many workers are forced to isolate or have someone compromised at home.

Start having those honest conversations with staff right now to find out who will continue to work in the event of an outbreak.

Laboucanes cousin Nina Vaughan, whose father was one of the first to be diagnosed with COVID-19 at McKenzie Towne, said she hopes Albertas United Conservative government learns from what happened.

I just think its unfathomable that half of the deaths in the province happened in that one building, she said at the news conference.

Weve got to be able to do better in the next building that has an outbreak like this.

The NDP is calling for hazard pay for front-line workers at seniors care homes and priority access to personal protective equipment.

It is also urging a ban on staff moving between facilities, a co-ordinated provincial hiring and training plan and stress tests to gauge how well a facility can care for residents if staffing levels drop.

Its clear that McKenzie Towne was not prepared for the dramatic loss of staff that they are experiencing and we cant let that happen at other residences across the province, NDP Leader Rachel Notley said.

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A huge crowd defied a nationwide Colombian order that limits funeral gatherings to just 10 people in order to pay tribute to the alleged leader of a local street gang who died of a heart attack on Monday.

Video images of the funeral procession showed a massive group of locals filing through the streets of the Medellin suburb of Bello, while men carried the coffin containing the remains of Edgar 'The Bear' Perez.

Perez, 50, was the alleged leader of the Niquia Camacol, and was in jail on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion and forced displacement.

He fell ill and died just hours after being transferred to a new jail, after allegedly planning to escape from prison.

Edgar 'The Bear' Perez died of a heart attack Monday in Colombia, just hours after he arrived at a new prison

Dozens of residents flooded the streets of the Medellin suburb of Bello and bid farewell to Edgar 'The Bear' Perez, who was the alleged leader of the Niquia Camacol street gang

In an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Colombian government announced March 25 that it would be permitting only 10 people to attend funeral services.

But residents flouted the rules, with many stood on sidewalks while others stepped out on to their balconies and stuck their heads out of their home windows.

The crowds were heard cheering and applauding, while some fired their guns into the air.

A large contingent of bikers and cars drove down Bello's main avenue, leading Perez's casket to a local cemetery where he was buried.

A National Police spokesman said several people were arrested for not abiding to the government imposed social distancing order before the massive crowd dispersed.

The Colombian National Police said it arrested at least 15 people who refused to disperse after the burial of a local street gang leader on Tuesday

Dozens strolled down a street in Colombia on Tuesday to bid farewell to a local street gang leader who died of a heart attack Monday

Perez's lawyer Mauricio Morale told Colombian newspaper El Colombiano that the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute notified the gang leader Sunday morning that he would be transferred from his jail in Itagui to another facility in Ibague following rumors of his possible prison escape.

Perez fell ill at the prison after a seven-hour drive and was treated by a staff doctor who found he was at risk of going into cardiac arrest.

He was rushed to Federico Lleras Acosta Hospital at 10pm and suffered a fatal heart attack at 1am Monday.

Perez was arrested December 2019 after he was spotted at a party in the Camacol neighborhood.

He fled the scene but was later tracked down and arrested, but not before residents pelted the police with rocks and bottles in an attempt to set him free.

According to the police, Perez became the leader of the Niquia Camacol street gang after he was released from prison in August 2015.

His gang been involved in a turf war with two other local criminal groups, sparking a 175% increase in assassinations between February 2019 and August 2019.
Manitobans in their 20s are the most likely to become infected with COVID-19, according to the latest round of data released by the provincial government this week.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans in their 20s are the most likely to become infected with COVID-19, according to the latest round of data released by the provincial government this week.

Of the 204 known and probable cases determined by Monday, 47 were related to people in their 20s.

This was followed by 38 people in their 50s, 37 people in their 60s, 33 people in their 30s, and so on. The least-likely group to become infected are people in their 80s.

Although each age group varies a bit, theres no real difference between the genders overall, with 107 of the cases female and 97 male.

While the sample size is likely too small to draw any solid statistical conclusion, it does appear to back the preconception that young people have not been taking the pandemic as seriously as other age groups.

This prejudice was established early on, when large groups of spring-breakers flocked to the beaches of Florida to cast aside any notion of social distancing in order to party it up. As we subsequently learned, their imagined invincibility was false, with groups of spring-breakers subsequently testing positive for the virus.

According to federal chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, between nine and 12 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 cases involved people under the age of 40.

As of Sunday morning, three people aged 20-39 had died as a result of COVID-19 in Canada. The youngest victim was an Edmonton woman in her 20s.

But as important as self-preservation might be, its not just about protecting ourselves, its about protecting others who are statistically more likely to either face hospitalization.

"It doesnt matter what your age is because even if you do not have a severe outcome, by not practising physical distancing, you could pass this on to someone who will sustain a severe outcome," Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said.

The question now is, are people getting the message or are they ignoring it and treating their time off work or school as a vacation and using this time to be sociable?

Well, the streets appear emptier than usual. Public parks are pretty much vacant, despite a lack of enforcement as it relates to playground closures. The majority of people shopping in grocery stores appear to be distancing as they should and following the directions posted on signs throughout. The people weve seen as a newsroom out and about of late, and featured in photographs, are largely family members already in close proximity due to their already sharing a household.

But it only takes a few bad eggs to spike the curve, and Manitoba appears to have them.

Weve seen exceptions to the trend of Manitobans heeding the warning, and weve received phone calls from readers upset to see others put the general publics health at risk through their selfish actions.

A Probe Research poll, whose results were published by the Winnipeg Free Press on March 26, found that approximately 10 per cent of adult Manitobans had not changed their behaviour to include any social-distancing recommendations.

"Most of us are doing this properly," Probe Research principal Mary Agnes Welch said at the time. "There is still a contingent among us who are a little late to this party and need to get serious about some of these prevention measures."

According to pollsters at the time, the proportion of Manitobans buying into social-distancing recommendations increased as public health messaging became more urgent and the number of COVID-19 cases increased in Manitoba. Lets hope compliance has continued to increase to a point we might see the curve flatten.

The basic messages of social isolation and hand-washing are certainly out there. Theres even a new take on the "Baby Shark" earworm that works in coronavirus preventative measures. At this point, theres no valid excuse to not know what we should be doing to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Although statistics point to young people as being among the most likely to flaunt the seriousness of our current situation, theyre far from alone. Take the middle-aged woman in the United States who attended church under the belief she was "covered in Jesuss blood," which would protect her and other churchgoers from the coronavirus, as an example. The defiant woman told a CNN reporter while leaving the service in her care that she couldnt get sick because she was a Christian.

"Arent you worried you could impact other people if you get sick inside?" she was asked.

"No, Im covered in Jesuss blood."

Its sad that governments have to consider enacting penalties in order to force public compliance, but then again, its also a shame we have to have laws that dictate its not legal to murder and steal. Relying on the decency of other human beings only goes so far.
A national emergency blocking ports for refugees and migrants will expire on July 31, but deadline might be extended.

Italian ports cannot be considered safe because of the coronavirus epidemic and will not let charity refugee boats dock, the government has ruled.

The decision was taken late on Tuesday after a ship operated by the German non-governmental group Sea-Eye picked up some 150 people off Libya and headed towards Italy.

For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Italian ports cannot guarantee the requisites needed to be classified and defined as a place of safety, the decree said.

The national emergency is set to expire on July 31, but the deadline might be extended.

Tuesdays order was signed by the interior and transport ministers, as well as Health Minister Roberto Speranza, who comes from a left-wing party that has always supported campaigns for migrant protection and charity operations.

After a relative lull in arrivals of boat migrants from Africa, numbers had started to pick up again in the first two months of the year only to fall back sharply in March as Italy was hit by the coronavirus epidemic.

A total of 17,127 people have died from the virus in Italy, the highest number anywhere in the world, while 135,586 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak came to light on February 21.

Charity ships which regularly patrol the coast of Libya looking to rescue refugees from flimsy boats initially withdrew from the Mediterranean at the onset of the health crisis, but the Sea-Eye ship Alan Kurdi returned to the area last week.

Even when life in Europe has almost come to a halt, human rights must be protected, the group wrote in a tweet on Tuesday, announcing it had rescued 150 people. Now our guests need a port of safety.

In a separate statement, the charity called on Germany to take in the refugees and migrants. After all, Germany is our flag state, it said, adding that Berlin had just managed to bring home 200,000 citizens stranded abroad because of the coronavirus.

Surely it must be conceivable and humanly possible to send a plane for 150 people seeking protection to southern Europe in order to evacuate the people immediately, it said.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 18,337 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe so far this year, while 241 have died during the journey.
Uttarakhand Police has decided to appoint Special Police Officers (SPO) from among the civilian population to monitor cases of home quarantine and to work closely with the local police to boost Covid-19 containment efforts in the state, said officials.

The appointment of SPOs also shields the police personnel from exposure to the people suspected of carrying the virus. Several areas in the state have been sealed for non-essential movement after some members of the Tablighi Jamaat living in those areas tested positive for Covid-19.

The sealed areas include Bhagat Singh Colony, Kargi Grant, some villages in Doiwala and Suddhowala areas, entire Dehradun district, Banbhulpura area in Nainital district and a village in Banbasa town of Champawat district. Extra police force has been deployed in all these areas for the strict enforcement of the restrictions.

Police have decided to appoint some residents of those areas as SPOs who will work in co-ordination with local police concerned to implement the lockdown and restrictions. They will also be keeping an eye on the people put in home quarantine there and inform the administration on finding any person hiding in the area or entering there discreetly, said Ashok Kumar, director general (law & order), Uttarakhand police.

Kumar added that locals are likely to be more amenable to requests for compliance made by their fellow residents who will perform the duties of an SPO.

However, the police will also be present there and wont be withdrawn. The SPOs would assist them and not take polices duties, Kumar clarified.

Till Wednesday afternoon, total Covid-19 positive cases in the state stood at 32 including 25 members from the Tablighi Jamaat, who have emerged as the biggest cluster of infection across the country.

The senior police official also said that all the policemen on duty were taking required measures to protect themselves from the infection.

Our personnel on the ground are taking precautions like wearing masks and gloves, using hand sanitizers and maintaining social distancing, he said.

Kumar said that eight policemen were in quarantine.

So far only eight policemen have been put in quarantine as a precautionary measure as they were in the team that caught 13 Jamaatis trying to discreetly enter the state on April 1 in US Nagar district. Three of the 13 Jamaatis were later tested positive for Covid-19, he said.

Many police personnel said they were a bit apprehensive while serving near the sealed areas.

Of course we are a little worried about our own lives as we, too, are humans and are out in the open while on duty. With reports of some cops testing positive in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi after coming in contact with the Jamaatis, we are now extra vigilant, said a head constable deployed near Bhagat Singh Colony in Dehradun, which has been put under restrictions by the administration.

Earlier today, the state government again warned the Jamaat members of strict action if they didnt present themselves for medical examination.

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JUNEAU, Alaska, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sealaska's board of directors has approved a $1 million COVID-19 relief and recovery package to help Alaska Native communities respond to the health and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus. This pledge bolsters the efforts of tribes throughout Southeast Alaska and other nonprofits across the state and in the Seattle area that are working to meet emergency needs.

Several of the organizations being funded support Alaska Native Elders and youth at a time when they are most vulnerable. Although special relief initiatives are rolling out from federal and local governments, Sealaska is looking to provide immediate support for shareholders who are disproportionately affected by the economic consequences of the crisis.

"The board felt strongly that we needed to move  and move quickly  to help our shareholder families and neighbors. None of us know what the greatest needs will be in the future. So, in order to be strategic and nimble we are moving resources to local organizations that know how to prevent the most vulnerable people from falling through the gaps," said Morgan Howard, Sealaska finance committee chair.

Approximately $500,000 will be disbursed immediately to a number of organizations serving people across Alaska and the Seattle area, including all 19 of the federally recognized tribes in Southeast Alaska, United Way of Southeast Alaska, the Blood Bank of Alaska, Seattle Indian Health Board, and Chief Seattle Club. This funding will address emergency needs to help stabilize families, ensure delivery of essential services like food distribution, and help parts of vulnerable populations like people experiencing homelessness.

The remainder of the $1 million will be deployed over the next several months to organizations in concentrated areas where shareholders reside: Southeast Alaska, Anchorage, and Seattle. This funding is intended to help people recover and rebuild in the long term. Sealaska will work with its shareholders and local nonprofits to assess the best ways for Sealaska to support them in the coming months.

"Sealaska has a unique opportunity to help our communities during a time of great need," said Joe Nelson, Sealaska board chair. "We will do our best to direct these resources to organizations and people working courageously on the front lines. We understand all too well that our relatives are over-represented in vulnerable populations during normal times. We will get through this crisis together."

Sealaska's board authorized the COVID-19 relief and recovery pledge at a meeting held last Friday, April 3. This pledge builds on an initial donation of $25,000 to the Food Bank of Alaska and the Southeast Food Bank to provide food for shareholders and neighbors as quickly as possible. The company also established a partnership with the Juneau School District to ensure the students who rely on school meals have access to food when there are no classes.

More news on Sealaska's COVID-19 relief and recovery will be shared in the coming weeks and months on the company's COVID-19 response page.

ABOUT SEALASKA

Sealaska was formed in 1971 as result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)  the largest land settlement in US history. Through ANCSA, approximately 44 million acres of traditional homelands were returned to Alaska Natives in the form of 13 regional for profit corporations of which Sealaska, with more than 22,000 shareholders, is the largest. Sealaska's land holdings in Southeast Alaska are roughly 1.6 percent of the traditional homelands that the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Sealaska's primary economic drivers are natural resources, land management, environmental services and seafood.

Media contact: Matt Carle, [email protected], 907.903.8210

SOURCE Sealaska

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http://www.sealaska.com


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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HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's markets regulator has fined two HSBC units HK$3.5 million ($451,456) for regulatory breaches.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said that some of the 53 funds managed by HSBC Investment Funds (Hong Kong) Limited and HSBC Global Asset Management (Hong Kong) had placed cash deposits with HSBC's banking operations, and some of these deposits did not receive any interest.

The SFC said that HSBC had not taken sufficient steps to ensure that the cash had earned interest at a rate not lower than the prevailing commercial rate.

HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Alun John and Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
A 'line of succession' of senior politicians who would replace an incapacitated Prime Minister places the Northern Ireland Secretary at the very bottom.

An MP has said that such a list should be guaranteed in law, amid concerns for the health of Boris Johnson.

Conservative Peter Bone welcomed the Government's foresight to have Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab as Mr Johnson's formal deputy. But the MP for Wellingborough said it is unclear what would happen if Mr Raab should also fall ill, adding there is a need for legal certainty.

Mr Bone's Prime Minister (Temporary Replacement) Bill could be debated in the Commons this summer and he hopes MPs will support his proposal, which he has moved several times previously.

Mr Bone said: "The first thing I'd want to say is my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sure those of my constituents, are for Boris and Carrie and hoping they will make a speedy recovery.

"The second point is there had been an ad hoc arrangement put in place so that Dominic Raab became effectively prime minister, he's effectively prime minister at the moment, and I'm pleased that happened so there isn't an immediate crisis.

"But what my Bill tries to do is set out in law the succession - it could have said Foreign Secretary, Chancellor, and so on - as there has to be a question mark if Dominic Raab was to fall ill, who would take over? It's to give certainty to the situation and it is what it says, a temporary prime minister replacement."

A previous version of Mr Bone's Bill, then known as the Prime Minister (Replacement) Bill, included a succession list.

This read: deputy prime minister, home secretary, defence secretary, foreign secretary, the chancellor, transport secretary, health secretary, business secretary, justice secretary, communities secretary, education secretary, environment secretary, work and pensions secretary, Cabinet Office minister, paymaster general, culture secretary, attorney general, energy secretary, international development secretary, Commons leader, Lords leader, Scottish secretary, Welsh secretary, Northern Ireland secretary.
WASHINGTON  The administrations primary relief mechanism for small businesses, the Paycheck Protection Program, has been swamped with applications and snarled with technical and administrative issues since it launched Friday. After less than a week of approving loans, the administration says the program is running out of money.

Congress may approve $250 billion in additional funds for the Small Business Administration program as soon as Thursday. But Democrats believe more funding for the program should be part of a broader conversation about the next coronavirus relief effort in Congress.

Nationally, the Small Business Administration had approved over $70 billion in guaranteed loans as of Tuesday, President Donald Trump said. The SBA declined to provide any state-specific information about the number of loans applied for or approved Wednesday.

Applying for the Paycheck Protection Program has been frustrating for many struggling businesses owners. Some have been approved after a few days, but many face significant challenges before they can apply.

Application process

Benjamin Karz, who owns a three-office tax franchise based in East Greenbush, New York, said he has called five banks that told him they would only provide the Paycheck Protection Program loans for their existing banking clients and would not take applications from new clients. Bank of America lists an existing client only policy on its website.

Karz, who does not normally bank with an SBA lender, is worried he wont be able to access the program, which offers up to $10 million in loans which can be forgiven if the employer maintains its payroll. Karz has enough money to pay his five employees through April 15, but after that hell have to furlough them, he said.

Theres going to be nothing left and I wont get anything, Karz worried. Im going to go belly up because I cant pay payroll.

For their part, banks have strict regulations they must comply with to conduct due diligence on new customer accounts. The process involves gathering a lot of information and can take days  something that is largely incompatible with the idea of getting money out the door to small businesses as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, not all banks can access the SBA platform to administer the loans, resulting in gaps for which business owners can get one and which cannot.

Over 3,000 banks are lending under the program, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said Tuesday, including about 300 new lenders. But in a videoconference Tuesday afternoon between Trump, Mnuchin, other White House officials and chief executives from some of the top banks around the country, two regional banks urged the president to help more community banks offer the loans.

Only one-third of smaller community banks are now able to administer the loans, affecting rural areas disproportionately.

Noah Wilcox, CEO of Grand Rapids State Bank, told Trump these community banks are "boxed out," meaning fewer small businesses can get Paycheck Protection Program help.

Asked by reporters about the issue after the call, Mnuchin said, "Theres just a lot of new users coming onto the system. Theyre all getting authenticated. Well get them all approved.

During the White House briefing Tuesday night, Trump was asked if he would direct banks currently approved to lend in the program to work with all applicants so some small business owners do not have to wait. He insisted the problem was being resolved.

"They will be doing that," said Trump. "I did ask that question and they are working on that."

Glitches and spiking demand

After finding a lender, the process of administering the loans has been slowed due to issues between the SBA and the banks.

After Congress passed legislation creating the Paycheck Protection Program on March 28, the SBA had days to launch it. It did not provide interim final guidance to the banks on lending procedures until roughly 7 p.m. Thursday, hours before the program kicked off Friday morning.

Paul Martterer, owner of an art gallery in Latham, said it took until Monday for his bank, M&T Bank to launch its online form so customers could apply for the loans. He applied Monday night and has not yet been approved, he said. Generally, he said it was a difficult application process and even harder to find good information from the SBA.

It feels like we are trying to crawl through an attic window to get where we need to be," Martterer said.

Banking sources said guidance to lenders on what information they need to provide about business owners to the SBA has been unclear and changing, as the SBA has released updated information every few days after the program has launched, including more Wednesday. Banks are concerned about their liability if they execute the process incorrectly or dont conduct enough business oversight now or down the road, when parts of the loans are forgiven.

Additionally, the SBA program experienced technical difficulties Monday, when the online system used to authorize the loans was crashing.

The chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, asked the Treasury to prioritize fixing the platform and clearing up the guidance in a letter to Mnuchin Sunday.

Finally, lenders are simply being overrun by the need.

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, said his company is receiving "several thousand applications every hour" and had received over 250,000 applications as of Tuesday afternoon. JP Morgan Chase had 375,000 requests from small businesses as of Tuesday afternoon, JP Morgan's Gordon Smith, co-president and chief operating officer, said.

Paycheck Protection Program is open to businesses and nonprofits with up to 500 employees with some exceptions under SBA guidelines. Independent contractors and other solo entrepreneurs can apply as well beginning Friday.

The SBA also offers other aid for coronavirus-hit businesses. More information is available at: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options

Congress will debate more funding

As early as Saturday  one day after the Paycheck Protection Program started accepting applications  Mnuchin wondered how long the $350 billion that Congress approved for the program would last. He picked up the phone and called Trump about it, he said.

"I told the president it was so successful we were concerned we've run out of money," Mnuchin said. "The president made very clear that we should go back immediately and ask for more money to make sure we can support small business."

Mnuchin has spoken to congressional leaders to request an additional $250 billion for the program. Mnuchin and Trump said Tuesday they believe that appropriation should be separate from any new proposals Congress proposes to bolster coronavirus relief.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he hoped to approve the request unanimously by the Senate on Thursday.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday they have other ideas they hope to tie to the supplemental small business funding.

They requested that $125 billion of the $250 billion in assistance for small businesses be channeled through community banks. They also sought $100 billion in additional funds for hospitals and health centers, $150 billion in more funding for state and local governments and a boost for how much assistance families can receive in food stamps. They said those "interim" measures would be in addition to a future coronavirus package they hope to prepare.

The heartbreaking acceleration of the coronavirus crisis demands bold, urgent and ongoing action from Congress to protect Americans lives and livelihoods," Schumer and Pelosi said in a joint statement.
UK-based Indian origin doctor Jitendra Kumar Rathod, who worked for years in the National Health Service (NHS), died on Monday (April 6) after being infected by coronavirus COVID-19.

Confirming Rathod's death, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: It is with profound sadness that we must inform you that Mr Jitendra Rathod, Associate Specialist in Cardio-thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, has passed away.

The board added: He died early this morning on our General Intensive Care unit after testing positive for Covid-19. Jitu had worked in the Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery since the mid-1990s and came back to UHW in 2006 after a brief stint abroad.

He was an incredibly dedicated surgeon who cared deeply for his patients. He was well-liked and greatly respected by one and all. He was a very compassionate and a wonderful human being. His commitment to the specialty was exemplary, the board said in a tribute.

Rathod is survived by his wife and two sons.

Notably, several Indian doctors and nurses are among NHS staff working round-the-clock in treatment of coronavirus patients in hospitals across the UK.

Dr Rathod went to the UK after earning his MBBS degree from Bombay University.

Talking to Telegraph, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the chairman of the British Medical Association said that the death of Dr Rathod illustrates how Indian origin doctors are fighting on the frontline in the battle against the coronavirus.

He said: The BMA council represents doctors across the UK working in all specialties. Up to 40 per cent of doctors in the UK are of BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic) origin  the first four doctors who died with Covid-19 were all of BAME origin. The Asian proportion (of doctors in the UK) is about 30 per cent.

We knew before the virus outbreak that the NHS simply would not function without the contribution of our Asian doctors. They have been integral to the survival of the NHS as a public service. What this has highlighted now is what a debt of gratitude we owe to our international medical workforce and specifically the Asian medical workforce," added Nagpaul.
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday stressed the need for joint international efforts to deal with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, lamenting that the measures taken to date have not achieved the goals of humanity
The President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea, has applauded the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the bold measures that he has taken to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana.



On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea stated that we would like to say a big thank you for all the bold decisions that youve taken throughout this COVID-19 era, i.e. the lockdown, closure of our borders and some other things, particularly the incentive package that youve given to health workers, and the recognition of our work.



According to the GMA President, When you are working and the President of the nation recognizes the work that you are doing, it is very, very encouraging, and I must tell you we have resolved that well carry on this fight no matter what it takes. We know some of us may be taken away by COVID, but that is not going to let us down, and we will continue to mobilize all the health workers and fight to the end of this COVID-19.



Dr. Frank Ankobea made this known on Tuesday, 7th April, 2020, when, at the invitation of President Akufo-Addo, the Executive Committee of the Ghana Medical Association engaged with the President on measures being taken to combat the spread of the virus.



The GMA President told President Akufo-Addo that members of the Association continue to join the mass media education which is ongoing across the country to sensitise Ghanaians on the need to practice good hygiene and maintain social distancing as the basic measures needed to defeat the virus.



Again, we are also raising funds in our own small ways, and you see that weve actually donated to Ridge Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, weve also donated to Koeln-Bu Teaching Hospital, the Internal Medicine Department. We are still, together with our residents, that is the doctors in training, residency training, and we are soliciting for funds to get some PPEs, and are on the ground, we know where the PPEs must go, he added.



He appealed to President Akufo-Addo direct the Ghana Health Service to help ensure the distribution of all parts of the country.



Nonetheless, he expressed his appreciation for the announcement made by President Akufo-Addo to the effect that we are going to go into local production, and I was surprised that media men and all that never took it up. For me, that is the day that I would be so much happy. It would gladden my heart if we produce our PPEs.



With literature and evidence, according to Dr. Ankobea, indicating that almost every five years a similar pandemic will come, he appealed for adequate preparation to this end, and urged Government to link us with the plastic industries, so that we get our own aprons, we get our own overalls, we get our own goggles, the shield and all that. We would be very, very grateful, and that would mean that we have started the preparations for the next pandemic.



Whilst also appealing for the construction of more intensive care units across the country, he added that we should resource some laboratories so that they could come on to the test results, because youll have to wait between 48 and 72 hours before the results come, and it has become a problem for us because the person is in a holding area.



Touching on the incentive package announced by the President, he stated that it is in the right direction, and for that matter, it is also going to motivate us I must say, before I sit down that Mr President, we are so grateful, we are so grateful for the bold decisions that youve taken.



Even though the Association initially advocated for a total lockdown, the GMA President stated that you did it in a way that we turned round to support you. Now I must say that this is not the time for us to be talking about things that were not done. Now we are confronted with COVID-19, how to contain it moving forward is why we are here.

Source: presidency.gov.gh









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An attempt by police to disperse traders from the Mumias open air market ended tragically on Tuesday, with the death of a man reportedly hit by an exploding tear gas canister.

Mr Idris Mukolwe, a 45-year-old tomato vendor, died at the scene as multi-agency security officers enforcing the ban on open air trade in Mumias town descended on the traders, hurling teargas canisters at them.

Business came to a standstill for the better part of Tuesday following the incident.

TRADERS' ACCOUNT

Mr Marthias Lumumba, a hawker at the market said police officers ambushed the traders and started beating them mercilessly.

"We scampered for safety but they hurled teargas canisters at us as we fled. One hit Mukolwe and exploded in his face," Mr Mulumba said.

"He ran out of air and started suffocating. When we went to his aid, police again hurled another canister at us forcing us to run away, leaving our friend alone. That is how he died."

"A GAME"

Another trader, Mr Zacharia Juma, claimed some officers broke into laughter when they saw Mr Mukolwe struggling.

"It is like a game they enjoy when they see someone dying from their brutality. It was an ugly scene. We watched our colleague die with little help to offer him," he said.

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya banned operations at all open-air markets in the county as a measure to control the spread of the Covid-19 disease.

But the traders argue that they can observe social distancing and operate at least a meter apart in line with national directives.

PAST CASE

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About a week ago, a 24-year-old trader fell victim to police brutality at the market in Mumias.

Ms Grace Muhatia, 24, sells Airtel sim cards at the market.

Her mother Ms Florence Makale said she left home early that morning for the market.

"While at my place of work in Butere, she called to inform me that she had been shot by a police officer in Mumias. I rushed to Mumias and found her in hospital in the company of police officers," Ms Makale said.

She claimed the police officers apologised and pleaded with her not to expose them.

WHAT HAPPENED

Speaking to the Nation from her hospital bed, Ms Muhatia said she heard a gunshot and shortly after, felt some coldness on her hand and abdomen.

"Blood started oozing out of my abdomen and the hand. That was when I realised I had been hit by a bullet. I was rushed to the hospital by good Samaritans," she said.

Ms Imelda Poyi, the nurse-in-charge at the Monica Ward at St Mary's Mission Hospital in Mumias said Ms Muhatia was admitted with two gunshot wounds.

"She sustained a cut from the bullet that pierced through her abdomen and fractured the fingers. We are waiting for the surgeon to correct them. Otherwise, she is out of danger," she said.

Ms Muhatia's mother wants the government to take charge of her daughter's treatment and ensure the arrest of the police officer who shot her.
By Kim Se-jeong

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon ordered the shutdown of all room salons, clubs, bars and discos across the city until April 19, Wednesday, after a coronavirus infection was reported at a room salon in the affluent Gangnam district.





Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference on the COVID-19 outbreak on March 13 in Seoul./ Yonhap

Previously, the city government recommended the shutdown to all 2,146 such outlets, but 422 were still up and running. The government has the authority to shut down businesses in times of national crisis.
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: Excited with the national approval of the Bhilwara Model, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has asked all District Collectors in Rajasthan to implement the same. While Gehlot says the 'Bhilwara Model' will be sent to CMs of other states, experts believe that if the same model had been effectively implemented in Jaipur, the city would not be a hotspot now. The number of coronavirus positive patients stand at 118 in the Pink City, of which around 100 are infected in the Ramganj area alone.



'Bhilwara model will be sent to all CMs of the country. The administration has done an excellent job and Bhilwara Collector, Rajiv Bhatt, has prepared a presentation to fight Corona which has all the points which helped in tackling the virus spread in Bhilwara' said Gehlot.

A fortnight ago, Bhilwara was labelled as an emerging hotspot, but the plan which the district administration evolved after the first case was discovered on March 20 has now been lauded even by the Centre.



On Sunday, Indias Cabinet Secretary, Rajeev Gauba, praised the work done in Bhilwara as an ideal model which can be useful in combating the Corona crisis that has now spread to 225 districts in the country.



Of the total 27 cases in Bhilwara 17 have recovered and in the past week, only one new Corona positive case has emerged in the district. Despite this major success, the administration plans to continue a strict curfew till April 13.



ALSO READ | Lost mother, but continued to nurse patients: Jaipur's coronavirus warrior shares his tale

While the Bhilwara model is set to be implemented across the country, it is rather surprising why its success could not be replicated in the Rajasthan capital, Jaipur.



The crisis in the Pink City began with the irresponsibility of a man who had returned from Oman in the Ramganj area who infected many others. His negligence turned the Ramganj area into a major hotspot of the COVID-19 crisis with over 100 cases.



The man from Oman alone is said to have infected over 90 people and has put the whole of Jaipur in serious trouble.

The District Magistrate of Bhilwara, Rajendra Bhatt, played a key role in taking major decisions and coordinated with all important departments like Police, Health and District supply. Bhatt says that ruthless containment is the key to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in any city. It seems the lack of ruthless containment has turned the Ramganj area of Jaipur into a major Corona hotspot.

The Crisis in Jaipur began building up from March 12 when the infected man returned from Oman to Delhi and from the national capital he moved by bus to Jaipur. The man did not even bother to inform the Health Department and it was only after they got a list of people who had returned from abroad that health authorities sent a Medical Team to his home and advised the man to be quarantined.



Though a poster was even put up outside his house and he was thrice advised not to move out of his house, he ignored all guidelines and kept meeting lots of people. Eventually, his condition deteriorated by March 24 and he was taken to SMS Hospital where he was confirmed as a coronavirus positive case.
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I had spent the morning in the operating room, holding open the mouth of a young man while the resident physician attempted to stabilize the fractures in his jaw bone and lace wires between his upper and lower gums, much the way one would thread a shoelace between the sides of a sneaker. Peering into the patients mouth, I couldnt help but wonder if he could be an asymptomatic carrier of the novel coronavirus, a virus that had invaded some of our lungs and many of our minds over the last few weeks. Conversation between nurses, doctors, and surgical technicians circled around Costcos inventory, ammunition sales, and the suggestion from one attending physician to layer two surgical masks, one on top of the other. For a profession grounded in being evidence-based, I was struck by the degree of opinions circulating on the best way to survive the emerging pandemic. The young mans surgery finished uneventfully, but instead of inquiring about the next procedure on the schedule as I usually would have done, I was jarred by a sense of uncertainty and decided to head home. I arrived to find the announcement from our medical schools administration that we would be suspended from clinical rotations for the foreseeable future due to risks related to coronavirus.

I felt immediate relief from the news that I could limit my exposure to the virus and minimize the risk of spreading it to vulnerable patients by staying at home. I worried about patients: I had one man with kidney cancer on multiple chemotherapeutic drugs, and as a young and healthy person, I could unknowingly introduce a shred of virus into his hospital room that his immune system might not be able to resist. As a medical student, I contributed to patient care by taking in-depth histories and writing notes for the medical team, but I was secondary when it came to the medical decision-making that kept patients alive. While in the preceding months of third year I had yearned to have more responsibility for patient care, now I felt relieved that I didnt have to choose between caring for patients and the welfare of myself or my family. It was the first time since entering medical school that I felt grateful that I did not yet have a medical license.

But I wonder how it will feel, as will be the case in a little over a year, when I have no choice but to stay in the hospital and continue working. I do not expect that upon graduating from medical school, I will also graduate from feelings of fear, uncertainty, or resistance to sacrificing my personal life for my work. In many ways, I will be forced to face it even more directly. As of now, I cannot know how it feels to care for patients sick from COVID-19, but I am certain that if I were standing where my mentors are now, shrouded in protective gear, I would feel conflicted over my duty to patients versus my commitment to my family and my own wellbeing.

Since transitioning to studying surgery while sheltering in place at home, Ive seen daily portrayals in the media of doctors as heroes. And they are. Not only are they hardworking and committed, but they are putting that energy into service. Ive been humbled to read accounts of physicians living separately from their families so they can continue to work while keeping their partners and children from becoming infected. But beneath my admiration is self-doubt, because no matter how hard I dig, I have no desire to be the kind of hero that gives up the safety and wellbeing of my family and myself. Can I belong to this profession, serve, and care for my patients, without having to give up everything else? We are, without a doubt, living in a time in which expectations placed on doctors are heightened, and one could argue that the sacrifices required now do not apply to medical practice in normal times. But I believe that the current pandemic highlights a long-held burden, self-imposed on physicians, and emphasized in the public eye; that they perform their role selflessly without acknowledgment of their individual needs or emotions.

Although reports from physicians are abundant in the COVID-era media, I have encountered few physician role-models who have expressed authentic fear or anger at the prospect of sacrificing the welfare of themselves or their families to an overburdened and under-resourced health system. Perhaps this is not the time or place for those kinds of stories. But as a third-year medical student, I welcome unfiltered narratives from physicians on what it feels like to be working and living today. Not just from a perspective of hero, which I cannot relate to, but from the perspective of a conflicted, complex human being. In the long run, I am confident that the more authentic we can be with one another and ourselves, the better we can serve patients from a place of genuine understanding. The women and men caring for patients in our hospitals today are heroic not because they dont feel anger at the dearth of protective equipment, or fear at the thought they might become sick themselves, but because they continue to show up to care for patients despite these conflicts.

Simone Phillips is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
T&T may have to send money to Barbados to pay for taking care of our citizens from the cruise ship! The PM should have sent a flight to return Barbadians, etc, and pick up our Trinis, and quarantine them here immediately.
Burma Myanmar Migrant Workers Face 14-Day Quarantine on Thai Border

Migrant workers return to Myanmar from Thailand on March 25. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Migrants from Thailand returning to Myanmar will have to stay at quarantine centers at border towns for two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to border sources.

U Thant Zin Aung, a state lawmaker in Myawaddy on the Thai border in Karen State, told The Irrawaddy that the town had five quarantine centers and over 1,000 migrants.

They all came back from Thailand. They have to stay for two weeks, he said.

The township authorities opened five quarantine centers on April 2 and all returning migrants were in good health, he said.

Tachileik Township in Shan State also opened a quarantine center with 199 migrants on April 6, according to U Chan Myae Saw, a township administrator.

We let them stay at a religious hall. We provided them with free food and are taking care of their health. We found two people had a fever and sent them to the hospital today, he said.

The camp opened on March 23 and 92 people stayed in the first group. They all left after completing two weeks quarantine.

He said the instructions had come from Naypyitaw to quarantine all returning migrants in Tachileik.

Three Pagodas Pass in Karen State cannot currently accommodate returning migrants because of a lack of food, according to Nai Seik Lyi, a leader of the Mon Unity Party at the border.

On March 30 Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered that all returning migrants had to spend two weeks in quarantine centers before heading to their home towns. The move came after a man who tested positive for coronavirus crossed the border at Myawaddy on March 29.

The ministry invited migrant workers to return after April 15 when more quarantine centers would be completed.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Has Run Over 1,000 COVID-19 Tests; 20 Turned Out Positive

Myanmar Govt to Provide Free Basic Food for Poor During COVID-19 Shutdown
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday debunked a media report stating that Union minister Smriti Irani had fed workers belonging to her parliamentary constituency of Amethi, who were stranded in Wayanad due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

RSS mouthpiece, 'Organiser' had on April 6 carried a report titled 'Smriti Irani helps starving daily wagers of Amethi stranded in Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad Constituency'.

The report said the minister's "timely intervention" had saved 35 migrant workers stranded in Karuvarakundu in Malappuram district of the state which falls under the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

Vijayan, who met the media after the COVID-19 evaluation meet, said the was noticed on Tuesday but he had ignored it as "propaganda''.

"When we enquired about it, we found that 41 guest workers (migrant workers) were staying together at a place and the panchayat officials had provided 25 kits to them as they had stated that they would cook for themselves. There was no shortage of food there," he said.

Vijayan, however, said he saw a report from Delhi saying 'Help from Smriti reaches Wayanad' and 'Rahul helps Amethi'.

"Saw a propaganda piece being circulated through 'Organiser' of RSS saying that the timely intervention of Smriti Irani helped the starving workers from Amethi. Just want to make one thing clear. The State has been assisting the guest workers and all other hard-hit people of the state.," he said.

"There should be no competition or misleading propaganda that might disrupt or undermine the efforts of the state," he added.

On allegations that the state government was giving more importance to migrant workers, he said they were from the downtrodden section of the community and helping them was the society's responsibility.

"We feel that our motto, Atithi Devo Bhava, is something which we need to implement in our lives. We need to provide good food, accommodation and necessary medical help," the chief minister said.

The Centre has been requested to allot a special train for them so that they can return to their respective states once the lockdown is lifted, he said.

The state will also provide Rs 1,000 each to at least 10,000 artists who have applied to the government for help during the present circumstances.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Before the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort steamed up the East Coast from Virginia and docked at Manhattans Pier 90 to help the embattled citys overwhelmed health care system, the floating hospital and its sister vessel, the U.S.N.S. Mercy, had for years operated quietly on the peripheries of American naval power, supporting humanitarian efforts and offering medical care to those in need.

The Comfort arrived in Manhattan on March 30, ostensibly for a similar mission: It would treat noncoronavirus medical cases in order to ease the flow of patients in the citys civilian hospitals. But as the pandemics contours changed  and area hospitals questioned the Trump administration on why the ship had taken on so few patients  the Comforts mission has shifted and the ship will now allocate 500 of its 1,000 beds for severe coronavirus cases, Navy officials said on Tuesday.

The announcement that the Comfort will take some of New Yorks worst coronavirus cases represents a stark about-face for the Navy, which warned as recently as Friday that the Comfort was not configured to provide treatment for infectious diseases. The Mercy, which was sent to Los Angeles, has not been asked to take on coronavirus patients, according to Navy officials.

But keeping the coronavirus off the Comfort has already proved challenging. One unidentified crew member tested positive on Monday and was being kept in isolation, Navy officials said. An additional five patients on board for other ailments later tested positive, but officials said the crew member had not interacted with any patient. On Tuesday, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, the flag officer overseeing the Comforts efforts, said that getting the ship ready for coronavirus patients required minor configurations on the ship.
COVID-19 is no longer the "Wuhan virus" after the two world leaders finally met eye to eye in an interest in cooling down the crisis. The United States and China reached a truce to end feud over the coronavirus pandemic.

After a telephone call on March 26 with Chinese Presindent Xi Jinping, who is hardly known for the delicacy of his word choices, President Donald Trump has eliminated his provocative term "Chinese Virus" and held back from criticizing China.



Insisting on saying "Wuhan Virus" before, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo now has been talking of cooperation.

On Tuesday, Pompeo shared with the media that this is a global pandemic and this is the time for every country to work together to resolve the outbreak.

Last month, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman spread a conspiracy theory that the virus in Wuhan was brought by United States Troops which angered the U.S.

Despite the exchange of allegations of the two nations, China's ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai gentlemanly struck a highly different tone in an op-ed in The New York Times wherein he spoke of his fondness for Americans as he promised that China would do whatever they can to support the United States.

Morgan Ortagus, U.S. State Department spokeswoman welcomed the Chinese ambassador's remarks but called, civilly, on China to share their virus data and allow freedom of speech as she emphasized that true cooperation requires transparency and real actions, not just rhetoric.

Read also: Donald Trump Says China Will Continue With Trade Deal Despite Ecomonic Dilemma



Not a time to point fingers

As the death toll of COVID-19 in the United States hit more than 12,000 and whatever the faults in China's response, observers call Trumps's blaming of Beijing as a political ploy as he faces criticism for not taking a step ahead over the pandemic.

As the battle against coronavirus continues and the medical supplies in short supply, Trump needs China as they produce half of the imported masks in the States.

Moreover, Director of Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Elizabeth Economy, shared that Washington certainly does not want to alienate Beijing to the point that it bans the sale of Medical Equipments to the United States and it also reflects a broader sentiment within much of the United States that this is not the time to play an international blame game because the priority should be on saving American and other lives.

The economy also pointed out that the Trump Administration may also feel that they no longer need to be as upfront for there are other countries who stepped up in criticizing Beijing however she doubted that the sudden change in the tone would improve the relationship, which was already tense even before the global outbreak.

Confronting China multiple times, the Trump administration stood against Chiba on its military buildup, human rights record, as the State Department on Monday criticized Beijing over the sinking of Vietnamese fishing trawler.

But the State Department's Global Engagement Center, which is assigned in tracking foreign propagandas, reported that China state social media already phased out the conspiracy theory blaming the United States.

Related article: U.S. Brace for 'Hardest, Saddest' Week as COVID-19 Deaths Expected to Surge

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Some self-employed and small business owners on P.E.I. are still confused about how they fit into the federal government's programs designed to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses.

Ottawa has rolled out two programs to support Canadians impacted by the virus. The Canadian emergency response benefit (CERB) will provide Canadians who have lost all of their income with $2,000 a month. The person applying for CERB must expect to have no income for 14 days before applying for the first month.

The other program is a wage subsidy, designed by the federal government to cover 75 per cent of an employee's wages.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced businesses only have to prove a loss of 15 per cent, down from the initial 30 per cent. He also acknowledged that there might be people who slip through the cracks and not qualify for CERB. Trudeau said changes are coming for those people, although he was sparse on the details of what those changes might be.

CBC

While those cracks are open, it still leaves some self-employed Islanders wondering whether they'll be able to qualify for CERB.

Small alternative income

Nicole Cheverie operated an in-home child care centre, but was forced to close her doors because of COVID-19.

She also has a small side business, in direct sales, which she said accounts for about five per cent of her overall income. Because of that income, Cheverie said she doesn't qualify for the CERB.

"I can't get anything again for this job that I closed the doors for, because I received this small amount of money over the last 15 days. I don't think that's fair," she said.

Now, Cheverie has to make the decision to either try to increase her income from that side business, or shut it down entirely.

"I just want to be able to keep that business going instead of saying 'I'm sorry I can't help you at all right now for the next two or three months.'"

Story continues

I can't get anything again for this job that I closed the doors for because I received this small amount of money over the last 15 days. I don't think that's fair. - Nicole Cheverie

Cheverie said she's unsure if she is even eligible for the wage subsidy offered by the government. As she doesn't have employees in her child care, she is the sole employee and she said it's unclear if she's eligible for that wage subsidy.

"Is that for someone who is self employed? Because I'm not working for somebody."

No salary

Jackie Hebert opened up Hop, Sip, Swirl, a company that gives tours of wineries, breweries and tasting tours on P.E.I. two years ago. Since Hebert considers the business still a startup, she hasn't taken a salary from it over the past two years.

"Any money that we've made last year, at the end of the year we didn't take it as a financial gain. We put it back into our business as a startup, as a revenue stream for this year," she said.

Because she didn't make the required $5,000 last year, she is unable to qualify for CERB.

The same holds true for the wage subsidy, because Hebert didn't take a wage, she doesn't believe she is qualifies for the wage subsidies offered up by Ottawa.

But, Hebert said she was encouraged by the fact that the Prime Minister acknowledged some people might be falling through the cracks, and said she hopes some relief comes for her soon.

"I'm hoping though in the next couple days it'll be a nice Easter gift for many businesses like myself," she said.

"But I would really appreciate qualifying for this completely and not having to worry and stress and that sort of thing and make sure that next year 2021 is really strong with the tourism industry here on P.E.I., because we're gonna need it."

And Hebert said while the CERB is good for those who need the money right now, her concern is support that will be available for her business, and other businesses like her, for what she said she expects will be a slower season.

"It's kind of frightening [to think] where am I going to be in startup next year at this time. So I don't just need it now I need help for January, February, March next year," she said.

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

Fever.

Cough.

Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

Health Canada has built a self-assessment tool.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

How can I protect myself?

Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.
President Trump proposed Tuesday that he ought to genuinely consider cutting subsidy for the World Health Organization over its treatment of the coronavirus outbreak and affirmed job in helping China make light of the enormity of the crisis.

He posted on Twitter, "The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China-centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately, I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?".

WHO has progressively been the center of attention of inquiries regarding their reaction to the coronavirus outbreak. Fundamental discoveries from Chinese government shed light on the earnestness of the coronavirus that has transformed into an outbreak, closing down daily life around the world.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley also posted on Twitter saying,"the WHO owes an explanation to the world of why they took China's word for it. So much suffering has been caused by the mishandling of information and lack of accountability by the Chinese."

The United States is the single biggest supporter of the WHO. The latest receipt from the WHO to the United States, which is one of many nations that support the association, was for almost $116 million every year. The United States likewise voluntarily gives between around $100 million and $400 million more for every year to the WHO for specific project commitments that totaled over $400 million in 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available.

That implies the United States contributed over $500 million altogether to the WHO that year, which is just under one-eighth of the association's yearly budget plan. The WHO's complete budget for 2016 and 2017 combined was over $4 billion.

With the U.S. as its essential source of funding, officials are progressively questioning an association they see as reflexively agreeing with China the U.S.' geopolitical rival.

Read Also: Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, Sparks End of the World Theories

A month ago, a resolution presented in the House and Senate approached WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to withdraw what they called exceptionally deceptive statements of support for the reaction of the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Tedros has become much of the focal point of analysis by legislators. The executive panned coronavirus reactions that unnecessarily interfere with worldwide travel and exchange after Trump forced a travel ban on China at the beginning of the crisis.

"For the first time, #China has reported no domestic #COVID19 cases yesterday. This is an amazing achievement, which gives us all reassurance that the #coronavirus can be beaten." On Twitter, he posted a praise for China on March 20.

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., required the director to resign and for WHO to quit covering for China.

She said on Fox Business Network's that Dr. Tedros needs to step down. They need to take some action to address this issue. It's just irresponsible what they have done while people are dying across the globe.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., likewise called for responsibility for the WHO on its treatment of the coronavirus. He required for an examination and hearing into the WHO, addressing whether it is meriting American taxpayer money.

Sen. Scott said a week ago that with regards to coronavirus, the WHO failed. He added that they should be considered responsible for their role in advancing misinformation and helping Communist China conceal a worldwide pandemic. It is said that Communist China is lying about what number of cases and deaths they have, what they knew about the virus and when they knew it.

Related Article: COVID-19: WHO Assigns Coronavirus New Name

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
PJ Mara liked to recall how he "ran" a young reporter who asked about the health of Presidential candidate Brian Lenihan Snr, back in 1990.

"How's your own health? Health is private, personal - for everyone," Charlie Haughey's long-time press spokesman gloried in recalling.

Well, even three decades ago, the serious health problems of a national political leader were, at best, "quasi-private" because they raise a host of questions about implications for good decision-making.

Boris Johnson is currently seriously ill in an intensive care unit, and it has implications for every UK citizen.

It also affects many people on this island, and in places far beyond the world's fifth largest economy.

Questions relating to the health of leaders are legitimate - provided they minimise intrusion on patient and family privacy.

Read More

We need an idea of how ill the UK PM is and what the prognosis is; how much power he retains while in hospital; how capable he might be to continue making big decisions; and how empowered and effective his stand-in can be.

There are many precedents for crises provoked by the serious illness of a leader and history teaches us much about this tricky topic.

Francois Mitterrand, President of France for 14 years, made an unfulfilled election campaign pledge in 1981 to publish six-monthly bulletins on his health.

The pledge was based on the shock news of the death of a previous President, Georges Pompidou, whose long-time cancer was kept a total secret right until the end.

But, once in power, Mitterrand kept his own cancer condition secret for well over a decade. A controversial book by his physician, published in 1996, contended that he was incapable of governing for at least the two final years of his term.

There are many examples in Britain going way back. David Lloyd George was hospitalised with Spanish flu in autumn 1918 as World War I drifted to an end. Strict censorship laws and friendly newspaper proprietors kept people in the dark.

Winston Churchill had several serious bouts of illness during his storied World War II leadership which were again hushed up.

More recently, Tony Blair underwent serious heart surgery while serving as PM, and his successor, Gordon Brown, revealed major health problems - after he left office.

In the young Irish State, in February 1924, there was a threat of army mutiny by soldiers being demobilised from the army after the Civil War. Then-head of government, WT Cosgrave, disappeared for some time, apparently stricken by some mystery illness, leaving his deputy, Kevin O'Higgins, to manage.

Cosgrave later emerged to patch up some compromises in the aftermath. Historians remain divided on whether Cosgrave had "a diplomatic illness" also known as "a dodge".

There were other instances in Ireland. In the 1950s, Eamon de Valera was absent for a period as he underwent eye surgery in the Netherlands. That left his deputy, Sean Lemass, in a challenging situation.

We cited the questions about Brian Lenihan Snr's health as he sought to become President. Tragically, his own son, Brian Lenihan Jnr, was also the focus of a similar line of questioning in December 2009, when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

As finance minister, he continued making crucial decisions about Ireland's economic and banking collapse.
Willacy County Judge Aurelio Guerra issued an order on Tuesday that will penalize any resident if they are caught without something covering their face while in a public building.

According to the order, all persons over the age of 5 are required to wear some form of covering over their nose and mouth at all times when entering a building such as a grocery store, pharmacy or convenience store. A person can be fined up to $1,000.
Soumaila Cisse was captured on March 25 while campaigning for Malis legislative elections.

The United Nations Security Council has called for the swift liberation of kidnapped Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse and urged the government of Mali and armed groups to accelerate the implementation of a 2015 peace deal.

Cisse was captured on March 25, days before Malis legislative elections, while campaigning in the Niafounke electoral district in the Timbuktu region.

The council called for the 70-year-olds release in a statement on Tuesday, following its first open meeting in nearly four weeks using video conferencing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Council members also condemned the terrorist attack on Malian government forces on Monday in which at least 25 people were killed and six wounded in Bamba in the northern region of Gao.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow President Amadou Toumani Toure, who had ruled the country for 10 years. The resulting power vacuum led to a French-led war that removed the military from power in 2013.

Large swathes of Malian territory are still outside of state control, and the military has endured months of deadly attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The violence has spread to the centre of the country and to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, where security has deteriorated over the past year amid a fireball of conflict involving multiple armed groups, military campaigns by national armies and international partners as well as local militias.

The Security Council called on Malis government to enhance its efforts to stem violence in the countrys centre and ensure that those responsible for human rights abuses and violations of international law are brought to justice.

The statement also urged the UN and the government to work together to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.

It said the 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping forces should continue delivering on its mandate despite the pandemic while ensuring the safety and security of its staff and peacekeepers.

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the UN envoy for Mali, told the UNSC the country had recorded 46 positive cases of COVID-19, including one member of the UN peacekeeping forces, and five deaths.

The council also repeated its previous calls for greater cooperation between the government and armed group signatories of the countrys 2015 peace accord.
She managed to jet to Thailand ahead of the nationwide lockdown.

And Kaz Crossley certainly seemed to be embracing her time in 'isolation' as she shared another sizzling swimsuit snap from her beach getaway.

The Love Island beauty, 26, looked incredible in the high cut blue swimsuit as she posed in front of an awe-inspiring sunset.

Sexy: Kaz Crossley seemed to be embracing her time in 'isolation' as she shared another sizzling swimsuit snap from her beach getaway to Thailand

Kaz flaunted her svelte physique in the bright blue one-piece as she relaxed in front of the jaw-dropping sunset.

The reality star slicked back her short brown tresses to highlight her amazing figure in the tight swimsuit which highlighted her slender pins with its high cut sides.

She captioned her post: 'Sunrise or sunsets.'

Stunning scenes: The reality TV starlet has been documenting her sunny beach getaway, and recently shared another sexy snap of her figure clad in a cream bikini

Kaz has been openly documenting her sunny getaway to Thailand with a slew of sexy bikini snaps as she continues to document her 'isolation.'

Last week the star continued to display her envy-inducting surroundings as she posed in an incredibly sexy cream two-piece.

The TV starlet wore a cream two-piece for a jaunt on the beach, in which she was snapped staring out to sea.

Enjoying the view: The ex-Love Island starlet, 26, wore a cream two-piece for a jaunt on the beach, in which she was snapped staring out to sea

She displayed her killer curves in a vest top and a pair of thong bottoms as she stood in the shade of a tree on the sun-kissed sand.

Kaz wore her locks whipped up atop her head in a trademark black head scarf - one from her own brand Kazbands - which appears to be struggling with back-orders.

She posted the snap: 'Wearing @kazbands 'Anouska'. We have sold out of many styles now, you guys have supported my brand so much and it gets me emotional actually thinking about it.

'We are doing everything in our power to get this restock happening ASAP however for now we appreciate your patience and understanding in this uncertain time

'I'm sure a lot of small brands are experiencing similar issues, I want you to know I'm here to support you all back!! Stay safe and be kind everyone!'

She set pulses racing as she donned a black bikini and joked in the caption that she was 'washing away the corona' in a post she uploaded earlier in the week.

Sultry: Kaz displayed her killer curves as she uploaded a video of herself dancing in an outdoor shower

Kaz's video was part of the 'Savage Challenge', where people upload videos of themselves inventing choregraphy for Megan Thee Stallion's song Savage.

The Love Islander executed a well choreographed routine in the video before she appeared to get water in her eyes and started laughing.

Several of Kaz's followers commented on the snap, with one writing: 'Verified Mate how can you look that fit drowning.'

Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock added: 'Why are you so hottttt' while another said: 'Ok but can I have your abs'.

Shower: The reality star set pulses racing as she donned a black bikini and joked in the caption that she was 'washing away the corona'

It comes after Kaz's ex Theo Campbell slammed the star for 'selling him the dream,' before branding the other Love Island girls 'mentally unstable'.

The former Islander announced: 'I got slinged!' when quizzed about his make-up artist girlfriend during an appearance on FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas show

He said: 'I don't wanna say too much but I'm gonna say, people these days and love these days, it's confusing. It's a tricky hard world.

'I feel like with us, I kinda gave it my everything and it feels a bit underappreciated. It's a bit crazy at the moment.'

Dance: Kaz's video was part of the 'Savage Challenge', where people upload videos of themselves inventing choregraphy for Megan Thee Stallion's song Savage

Reaction: Several of Kaz's followers commented on the sultry Instagram video

When pressed on what went on between the pair, Theo said: 'I don't know what to call it. What's the right way to say it? I got slinged! I don't know what to call it.'

The athlete from Bath went on to claim that 'girls in general are hard to deal with,' before labelling the other women who have appeared on Love Island 'mentally unstable.'

Theo said: 'That's why I never got with any of the other Love Island girls. They're too mentally unstable. They're all over the place.

'I don't wanna get with none. I'm friends with them but I will never make any of them my girlfriend.'
Burma Seven Civilians Killed by Airstrike in Myanmar Chin State

The Kaladan River in Paletwa Township. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  Seven civilians were killed and nine others injured in fighting between the Tatmadaw (Myanmars military) and the Arakan Army (AA) in Chin States Paletwa Township on Tuesday, according to the states municipal affairs minister, U Soe Htet.

The victims were all from the village of Nanchaungwa in Paletwa Township. The injured are receiving hospital treatment. They were hit when [military] aircraft shot at the enemy, he told The Irrawaddy.

One of the victims was a three-year-old and the rest were three men and three women aged between 22 and 39.

A three-year-old and 12-year-old were injured along with women aged between 18 and 62.

A 22-year-old bricklayer was also hit by a bullet while working at the Kaladan River bridge construction site.

They were taken to Paletwa public hospital, which has no surgeon and the bullets cannot be removed.

The hospital can only relieve pain. We are working to transfer them to Mindat Hospital if their conditions do not improve today. The bricklayer was reportedly hit in his lungs, said U Soe Htet.

A villager who fled and spoke on condition of anonymity said clashes occurred less than 2 km from the village before the military carried out air attacks at around 4 pm on Tuesday.

Nine homes and a rice mill burned down, he said.

A total of 185 villagers fled to Nay La Village following the air attacks and have been taking shelter in religious buildings.

Two women were seriously wounded and one needed blood transfusions, said the villager.

They were injured in their arms and shins. The two injured children were not hit but they were burned as they fled through fire, he added.

It has been nearly two years since Myanmars military and the AA engaged in bitter clashes in Paletwa.

Bu Tan Paing of Anglican Communion in Paletwa Township said the fighting on Tuesday took place around 1 km from Paletwa. There was a fire on the outskirts of Paletwa caused by artillery shells in the fighting along the Kaladan River.

We could even see where the artillery shells came from, he said.

He added that he heard gunfire in the hills near the village of Meeletwa on the eastern bank of Paletwa, where the Tatmadaws Light Infantry Battalion 289 is based and where there have been clashes since March.

Over 2,300 villagers have sought shelter in Paletwa and other villages, according to civil society organizations.

The Chin State government said there are over 380 villages and 100,000 people in Paletwa Township and around 60,000 of them are being affected by the fighting.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
Tyson Fury's camp have had no conversations with Deontay Wilder about stepping aside to allow for a clash with Anthony Joshua.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has previously revealed that his client would be 'extremely interested' in taking on WBC champion Fury in an undisputed fight with the IBF, WBA and WBO titles on the line.

Hearn has suggested that Wilder has to be willing to 'take that step-aside money'.

Tyson Fury is currently scheduled to have a trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder

There have been no talks about Wilder stepping aside so Fury can fight Anthony Joshua

But Wilder has no plans to give up on the third fight against Fury, according to the Brit's promoters Top Rank.

Asked about doing a deal with Wilder for the American to step aside, Top Rank president Todd DuBoef told Sky Sports: 'I have not personally had any conversations about that. It is not on my radar.

'I am working with Wilder's representatives on coming up with new potential dates in late-summer or early-fall for the Fury fight. We are speaking about potential venues too.

'That fight breaking up as a result of [Joshua vs Fury] fight? I have not been privy to any conversations about that.

Fury's US promoter Top Rank suggested nobody had said Wilder was willing to step aside

'I have not heard that they are willing to step aside. Nobody has communicated that.'

Fury took Wilder to pieces in their second fight in February, 14 months after they controversially drew their first encounter.

Wilder has a contractual entitlement to a trilogy bout, which has been postponed until October due to the effects of coronavirus.

Joshua instead will take on Kubrat Pulev, with a date for that clash yet to be finalised after the fight was postponed.

'We are contractually obligated to Wilder at this point. Pulev and Joshua are contracted,' DuBoef added.

Joshua is set to take on Kubrat Pulev in his next fight, with no date scheduled for that clash

'There is too much uncertainty across the board, with everything, to speculate on [Joshua vs Fury] happening.

'In a perfect world without this virus then I could possibly see a path [to Joshua vs Fury] but right now I don't see it.

'We are obligated to the Wilder camp and we are concentrating on that.

'It is so cloudy even with two matches but to make a third match? That's even cloudier. It's really hard to see through the clutter to see [Joshua vs Fury].'
Exam chiefs at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) have been given more discretion to adjust the marks of final year students who feel they did not perform as well as expected because of the Covid-19 crisis.

It is part of a safety net of measures announced by Trinity today in response to difficulties facing students arising from the public health emergency.

Trinitys Academic Council today approved a series of changes to normal arrangements covering:

*Deferral options for students unable to complete final assessments

*Resits to be offered to some students in passed modules

*Discretionary powers to boards of examiners for final-year students.

Read More

Arising from the enforced shutdown of the education system and social distancing requirements, Trinity, in line with the rest of the higher and further sectors, has made comprehensive changes to its assessment regime.

As an alternative to traditional exams, the university has switched to assignments, take-home exams or real-time online exams to facilitate students to complete their assessments, while maintaining academic integrity.

Prof Kevin Mitchell, Senior Lecturer/ Dean of Undergraduate Studies said their goal was to ensure that every student could complete their studies for this year and either graduate or progress to the next year as normal.

However we recognise the unprecedented levels of stress that many students are under and the challenges they will face in completing these assessments to the best of their abilities.

These additional measures will, we believe, provide a safety net for students affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The health and wellbeing of our students is paramount.

Under the exceptional arrangements, students who feel unable to attempt their assessments can apply for a deferral until a reassessment session at the end of the summer - the precise timing cannot be specified now due to Covid-19 situation.

Such assessments will be treated as a first attempt and accommodations will be made to offer a second attempt, if necessary, prior to the start of the next academic year.

There is also provision for retrospective deferral, and students who attempt assessments but find that they were not able to perform as expected can also apply for a deferral to the reassessment session.

Students in fourth and fifth year of integrated programmes may also apply to re-sit any second semester assessments in the reassessment session to try and improve results. Requests to do so can be made after exam marks have been published.

Another measure will allow progression for students who meet the overall pass mark for the year, but fail a module in this assessment session.

And boards of examiners are being given discretionary powers in cases where final year students pass, but feel unable to achieve the kind of result they would have hoped for under normal conditions.

Trinity will instruct boards of examiners to consider a students overall profile of marks. Where significantly lower grades are attained on modules in the final assessments, they are asked to adjust a students overall mark in a manner they deem justified, the college stated.

Prof Mitchell said boards of examiners already had certain powers in this area, but they could apply more discretion than normal.

Trinity will also identify on students transcripts any modules taken in the time of the Covid-19 crisis, which will flag exceptional circumstances to any prospective employers.

There has been a major campaign in the UK - taken up by some students in Ireland  calling for a no detriment policy guaranteeing that students could not get a final grade that fell below their current grade point average.

Prof Mitchell said Trinity did not operate a grade point average system.

The Trinity statement referred to the no detriment request and said the college believed that its measures outlined offer the best way to offset the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a manner compatible with its progression and award regulations and assessment practices.








Rakon Limited (Rakon) advised the market on 5 March 2020 that its previously announced guidance of Underlying EBITDA1 of between NZ$9 million and $11 million for the 12 months to 31 March 2020 (excluding the impact of IFRS2 16 Leases) remained valid, despite some uncertainty about its supply chain and customer behaviour at the time due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Rakon is pleased to confirm that subject to the completion of final accounting and audit it expects to report results for the year ended 31 March 2020 consistent with the earlier guidance.

With the disruption to year-end accounting and audit practices caused by the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown in New Zealand, Rakon has elected to avail itself of the relief on the timing of the release of its financial statements and annual report available under the Class Waiver announced by the Financial Markets Authority. Rakon will release its financial statements in June 2020 (the announcement date and teleconference details will be advised closer to the time), followed by its annual report before the end of July 2020.

Rakon manufactures components critical to equipment providers for the Telecommunications and Civil Defence sectors, including being a sole-source supplier to some customers in these sectors. In New Zealand, Rakon has received confirmation from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Essential Service Covid-19 Response Team that it may continue to operate. Rakon recognises that in continuing to operate it must ensure it follows all practices necessary to protect the health and safety of its staff and the public from the spread of COVID -19. Only those staff required for the manufacturing process are working on site. It has been necessary to reduce the numbers working on many processes to ensure approporiate physical distancing while at work and during rest breaks. All Rakon employees who are not required for production continue to work from home.

Rakons manufacturing plant in Bangalore in India has been affected by the three week lockdown declared in India but has received permission to restart some limited manufacturing. In Europe

Rakons operations have also been affected, with restrictions and lockdowns, similar to those seen in New Zealand, impacting productivity.

There is good forecast demand for Rakon product particularly from the Telecommunications sector and improving levels of confirmed orders. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads Rakon is carefully monitoring this demand against its supply chain from vendors across the world and managing alignment with Rakons own available resources and delivery logistics. Rakons procurement, planning and sales teams are in regular contact with vendors and customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and is expected to continue to impact, production and revenue. It is too early to ascertain the full extent of this impact or to offer any guidance for the financial year ending 31 March 2021.

In these uncertain times the Board and management believe it is prudent to consider a range of measures to sustain the business. Rakon has initated some early actions with the principal objectives to look after our people and manage the company through the difficult social, operational and trading conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and government responses around the world. These actions include:

 Activating the Rakon Crisis Management Team to respond as quickly as possible to the rapidly evolving situation caused by COVID -19 including restrictions and lockdowns affecting Rakons production in New Zealand, India and France;

 Developing health and safety response plans effective for all levels of the COVID-19 pandemic consistent with guidelines and requirements of the authorities in all the countries in which Rakon operates;

 Seeking access to government support where eligible and appropriate to enable it to retain staff for as long as possible including the Wage Subsidy scheme available in New Zealand and similar schemes in other jursidictions in which Rakon operates;

 Reducing and implementing rigorous controls on discretionary expenditure;

 Placing a freeze on the hiring of new staff;

 Ceasing non-essential capital expenditure;

 Applying salary reductions across a large part of the employee base;

 Reducing directors fees by 50%;

 Deferring bonus payments for eligible staff and freezing salary increases.

Rakon acknowledges the disruption the COVID-19 pandemic is causing for its staff and communities, and values and appreciates the strength and commitment shown by its employees in dealing with the decisions and actions that affect them and their families.

The Board and management will review Rakons outlook and assess what other measures may be necessary and provide further updates as the local and global situation evolves.

Source: Rakon Ltd

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There is no other way of putting this. What we have here is possibly the first Android superphone. Everything about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the hardware, the cameras and the experience of using it, is elevated when compared with even the very best flagship phones out there. The headline specs include the 108-megapixel camera with 100x zoom, a large 6.9-inch display that does 120Hz refresh rate and a massive 5,000mAh battery. In some parts of the world, you will get 5G as well. But it is not just the specs that come together well, but it has more to do with how the entire Galaxy S20 Ultra experience has been put together without really hurting the familiarity that carries forward from other Samsung Galaxy S20 series flagship Android phones, and indeed the flagships which preceded it.

There is more to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra than simply being a technological evolution. We had noted this in our review of the Galaxy S20+ as well that it is the far-sightedness of Samsung as an organization is why they have been able to launch phones at a time when the Coronavirus, or COVID-19 pandemic has stalled pretty much every other smartphone makers plans. These are unprecedented times, and Samsungs decision to spend heavily on developing Vietnam as another strong smartphone manufacturing hub, is paying dividends now. At this time when China is slowly limping back towards manufacturing normalcy after months of lockdown, they havent had to struggle as much as most of their rivals who are dependent on Chinese factories.

How much does this superphone cost?

Let us get this big question out of the way first. At present, Samsung is selling one variant of the Galaxy S20 Ultra in India, and that is priced at Rs 97,900. This is for the 12GB RAM and 128GB storage option (mind you, there is a memory card slot to add more), in the Cosmic Gray version. The 12GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB options should be going on sale sometime soon too.

Size matters. Really, it does

For starters, let us compare this with its sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S20+. In Samsungs line-up over the years, there would always be a Plus, or + variant, which would sit at the very top step in terms of the screen sizethe Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+ or the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+, for the sake of illustrative examples. This time around, that mantle has been taken over by the Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. In fact, it is larger than the Galaxy S20+ (6.7-inch) and the Galaxy Note 10+ (6.8-inches). I love big screen phonesin fact, the bigger the better, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra is genuinely quite exciting to use.

We have to talk about how much space it will take in your trouser pocket or your handbag. This measures 166.9 mm x 76 mm x 8.8 mm in footprint and tips the scales at 222 grams. For perspective, the OnePlus 7T Pro checks in at 206 grams while the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max holds up at 226 grams. In the era of genuinely big screen smartphones, weight will always be a bit of a tradeoff. That being said, balance the Galaxy S20 Ultra on two fingers and it holds up perfectlythat is a testament to the equal distribution of weight, even though one would have expected the large camera module on one side to be a bit more susceptible to the gravitational requirements.

You do need to be a bit more careful with the glass back though, because that can be a tad slick if you hold this with moist hands, for instance. Also, the big camera module at the back may just require you to take a bit more care to prevent it from getting scratches, particularly around the frame of that hump. And let us really not get into a debate about whether the layout of the cameras looks good or notit does not matter. To be very honest, you hardly ever look at the back of your phone, so no reason to start worrying about how it looks now.

The Display Gets The 120Hz Goodness

The massive and immersive display of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is what visually sets it apart. The 6.9-inch screen is the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It is HDR10+ ready. The max resolution is 3,200 x 1,440 pixel and you get a full spectrum of features such as the blue light filter, the colour richness mode and the ability to bump down the screen resolution if youd prefer that, for the sake of even better battery life.

The real reason why you may want to bring it down FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080 resolution) is to enjoy the 120Hz refresh rate. Scrolling is delightfully smooth and app transitions as well as Android animations look better than they have on any phone so far. Everything just looks like it is flowing though smootherweb browsing, flipping through files, scrolling through the WhatsApp chat list and so on. The only limitation is that this 120Hz refresh rate is not available for the highest QHD resolution, so you need to make a choice. But it is a trade-off that is absolutely worth it.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a slightly lower pixel density of 511ppi compared with the 525ppi on the Galaxy S20+, but that is just not noticeable in any form or manner. Colors in the Natural screen mode look nice and subdued, great if you are working on documents, browsing the web or even reading. Switch to the Vivid option, and everything just livens up ever so slightly, and thats apt for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video streaming sessions.

Many many megapixels of photography goodness

The aforementioned camera hump on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is for a very good reason. Because within it is some serious photography prowess. What you get are four camerasa 108-megapixel wide sensor, a 48-megapixel periscope sensor, a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a ToF depth sensor. This is a massive leap forward in terms of what phones and cameras can do together. Zoom is perhaps what will really get you interested. You can start from the ultrawide 0.5x zoom all the way to 4x optical zoom and 10x hybrid zoom. This is where something called Space Zoom kicks inthat is all the way up to 100x. to be honest, handheld zoom wouldnt really cut it after 30x, and you really need to either mount the phone on a tripod or prop it up somewhere safely to get any sort of expected detailing in these high zoom photos. But the very fact that it is possible in a smartphones simply would not have been believable a few years ago. I have to say that at 50x, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra delivers better results than what Huawei managed with the P20 Pro last yearthat in fact topped out at 50x zoom.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra shoots 12-megapixel photos by default, with the pixel binning method that pulls in data from individual sensors in clusters, the idea being to get more details in photos. If you scoff at the idea of having to see 12-megapixel size photos, you can switch to the 108-megapixel photography mode in the camera app. Yes, the image size itself is bigger which means itll also take up more space wherever you store itthat being said, some photos truly deserve that special treatment.

In the time I have had to test the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has released quick updates which have improved certain aspects of the camera performance. What started out as a very slow and inconsistent focus, has instead become better now. It is not only faster, but locks in better too. That being said, it is still not fast enough to properly focus on and capture a naughty toddlerthose photos are blurry because of the movement and focus is mostly not on the moving subject. But like I said, it is better than before, and there is great hope that Samsung will iron this out in the coming set of software updates too. However, for those of you who may want to take simpler photos, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra delivers sharp, colourful, dynamic and detailed photos.

What you get are four camerasa 108-megapixel wide sensor, a 48-megapixel periscope sensor, a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a ToF depth sensor.

Performance has no parallels, at least none yet

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra that you will be able to buy in India will be powered by the Exynos 990 chip takes forward the case for the 7nm architecture and is paired with 12GB of the very fast LPDDR5 RAM. Among other things, including the UFS 3.0 standard internal storage, this is great news for the overall performance. It is these little things that must come together nicely for a smartphone to evolve into a superphone, and that is exactly what has happened with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. There is 128GB internal storage by default and this can be expanded by as much as 1TB via the card slot routeyou really will never run out of space. From what I experienced, the Exynos 990 chip offers nothing short of slick performance, irrespective of the usage scenario on the smartphone. There are no slowdowns at all and there no heating that is apparent on the back even when you are really stressing the phone out with apps and games.

A bit more about the Exynos 990 chip though. This is an octa-core processor, where two cores run at 2.73GHz, two cores run at 2.5GHz and four cores run at 2GHz. These core clusters keep clocking up and down depending on the application and software load at the time, and the lower power tasks are handled by cores that help save on battery life too. Speaking of which, there is a large 5,000mAh battery powering this Android superphone. With this, you get 45-watt fast charging, 15-watt fast wireless charging, 9-watt reverse wireless charging for any compatible accessories you keep on its back to juice up and is the USB PD3.0 compatible. In our testing experience, a fully discharged Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultras battery was fully charged and ready to be unplugged in 68 minutesthat is when we used the charger provided with the phone. Charging times may vary if you use another charger or an adaptor with a different power rating.

The 6.9-inch screen is the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It is HDR10+ ready.

Software strictly doesnt need changes, but uniqueness is missing

It is not at all difficult to appreciate the subtle changes and improvements that Samsung has done to the One UI over time. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra runs One UI 2.1 and that gets performance enhancements and new features as well including the Google Duo calling functionality integrated in the Phone app. It all just works, there is no doubt about it, and doesnt feel like an overwhelming smorgasbord of features strewn all around. That being said, and I have observed this earlier as well with the Galaxy S20+ review, it feels a little odd that the interface on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra feels the same as pretty much any other Samsung Galaxy Android smartphone, irrespective of price. Right down to even Samsungs own app icons. It might be time for Samsung to consider having two forks of their One UI interfaceone for premium devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and one for the rest. It helps in differentiation.

Have You Also Read?

Samsung Galaxy S20+ Review: This Will be The Definitive Android Flagship For a Long Time

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's 108-Megapixel Camera And 100X Zoom Could be Magical

Authentication requires some effort

The in-display fingerprint sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is the same as last years Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy Note 10 series, but it certainly delivers faster performance this time around. However, it still gets stumped if your fingers arent completely dry or the display is smudged. The face detection works fast for the most part, but I have noticed it struggles a bit in low light and takes a couple of attempts at repositioning the phone to make it work well.

The Last word: the first of the Android superphones

We had said that the Samsung Galaxy S20+ was the best Android phone to buy, a while ago. That continues, albeit with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra now very much in the mixit does everything the Samsung Galaxy S20+ does and then a bit more to go with that, if you want to spend that extra money. The size is not a problem, youll get used to it. In fact, the large display real estate is very immersive and usable. Not only does the 108-megapixel camera really take the photography game a couple of notches ahead, but the next big battles in this space could revolve around the usable zoom capabilities. The thing is, no other Android phone can stand up to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, look it in the eye, and genuinely claim that it can match it spec for spec. Because none can, at least so far. It is an almost brutal way to reset the benchmark. It will not be easy for the rivals to respond.
(Newser)  Pennsylvania's "Graffiti Highway" is history, apparently thanks to a stream of trespassers and worries about liability. The colorful stretch of Route 61 through Centralia, closed to traffic since 1993, is being covered with dirt by a local coal company, CNN reports. Over the decades it had been covered in graffiti by visitors who ignored "No Trespassing" signs and warnings that it had been damaged by the coal-seam fire that has been burning under Centralia since 1962. "We'll bring in approximately 400 loads of material, and then we'll level it off, and then we'll probably plant it, and hopefully, there will be trees and grass growing there," says Vincent Guarna of Fox Coal Company.

story continues below

Guarna says landowner Pagnotti Enterprises hired the company to cover the stretch of highway because they were worried about getting sued. "I think a few weeks ago, there was a fire there, people just starting fires," said Guarna tells WNEP. "They're doing a lot of damage to the community there, and it's time that ends right now." Visitors say there had been videos posted on social media of people partying at the site. Centralia is now almost a ghost town, with just five households remaining, PennLive reports. The fire, which could burn for another 200 years, turned the highway's asphalt spongy and smoke sometimes comes through the cracks. (Read more Pennsylvania stories.)
The effects of coronavirus and record low oil prices will force Gulf oil and gas companies to consider tightening their IT budgets. But the more forward-looking companies, including those that have launched digital transformation projects embracing emerging tech like AI and robotic process automation, are likely to stick to their plans, according to enterprise tech leaders and industry observers.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus coupled with a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia - two of the largest oil producers - has hammered the price of oil to multi-year lows. This will hit the bottom line of participants in the regions massive energy industry, which produces a fifth of the worlds crude oil.

Some tech executives, though, say the oil market turmoil and COVID-19 restrictions will not affect the digital transformation programmes launched at the time of higher oil prices and favorable economic conditions.

ADNOC: Tech drives oil sector efficiency

Technology, now more than ever, plays an important role in helping the industry drive greater efficiencies, and our overall guiding principle remains unchanged, said Alan Nelson, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Cos (ADNOC) chief technology officer.

ADNOC, the worlds 12th largest oil producer, makes a wide range of products ranging from petrochemicals to fertilizers. Since the beginning of the decade, ADNOC has launched several initiatives aimed at using emerging technologies  such as AI, internet of things (IoT), blockchain, and cloud  to optimise its operations and make the most of each oil barrel produced.

ADNOC has been on a digital transformation journey for a number of years now, Nelson said, adding that the companys investment in technology had enabled it to be more resilient, agile and responsive to market dynamics.

Overall, investment in IT in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is growing. Investments in digital transformation and innovation will account for 30 percent of all IT spending in the region by 2024, up from 18 percent in 2018, according to an IDC forecast made before the coronavirus pandemic. The current crisis will likely change that scenario.

Coronavirus, price war pushes oil prices down

The oil and gas industry was reeling from the recent fall in oil prices and will now also need to contend with even lower demand caused by the COVID pandemic. If that wasnt bad enough, they now will need to overcome the difficulties in also managing their global supply chain and ensure they can continue their operations as much as possible with widespread travel restrictions and international borders being closed, said Shumon A Zaman, a UAE-based technology executive and consultant who most recently worked as technology vice president for a company specializing in oil rig construction.

The double impact of low oil prices and now globe demand taking a further nosedive will have a major impact on revenues this year and that may lead to non-essential or non-critical investments such as digital transformation initiatives being either paused or cancelled all together until things improve to preserve cash, Zaman said.

As oil and gas producers tighten their purse strings, technology firms will have to try harder to win contracts  and CIOs may be able to be in a position to bargain for lower prices.

Technology companies are going to get very competitive and aggressive in trying to get their business, says Constantino Lanza, chief growth officer of mCloud Technologies.

Crisis gives leeway to oil companies to bargain

During an economic slowdown, the Middle East oil industry will be in a strong position to secure better pricing on emerging technologies, explains Lanza, who adds that less profitable market segments such as chemicals, petrochemicals and utilities will be slower to recover.

Vancouver-based mCloud, which offers AI and IoT applications to oil and gas companies, opened its first Middle East office in Bahrain last year. It was in talks with the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Saudi Aramco, which has since become the most valuable company in the world following a record-breaking IPO.

When asked for a comment on the status of its digital transformation programs, Aramco declined to comment. In the past, the energy giant has made use of robots and autonomous devices for remote inspection and maintenance at its plants, while installing smart sensors that are connected to digital systems.

The Middle East producers are on an effective technology trajectory, said Lanza. We may see a bit of a lag due to the uncertainty in the market, but as soon as they can afford it, they will move quickly in that direction again, he added.

In the Middle East and elsewhere, coronavirus has brought economies to a halt by severely disrupting supply chains and bringing down the demand for goods and services.

Crisis could spark demand for emerging tech

While there may be an overall reduction in spending by enterprises, a depressed market may prompt companies to adopt emerging technologies at a faster pace in order to bring down operating costs and increase efficiency.

Emerging technologies like AI, Blockchain and RPA (Robotic Process Automation) are typically given the green light because they reduce costs and increase efficiencies  automation in general has shown in the past to be relatively recession proof, said Alan Pelz-Sharpe, founder of U.S.-based tech consultancy Deep Analysis.

In previous downturns, large enterprises have laid off workers, while using emerging technology to automate and streamline operations.

There will be a huge impact with the lower oil prices and continuing coronavirus fears, but the impact will be shorter than (what) experts predict, said Ahmad Malkawi, CEO of Global Telecom, a California-based provider of IoT modules, modems and AI software systems. With Gulf countries investing heavily in smart cities and related IoT projects, and oil companies using IoT to improve equipment uptime, the region is of special interest to vendors like Global Telecom. These countries (GCC countries) have invested highly in education and technology in the past and I believe they will find a way back to it, Malkawi said.

Enterprises evaluate the processes in their organization during difficult periods, Malkawi noted, and may lower costs by investing in a variety of technologies, as applicable to their business, including:

Autonomous driving and vehicle data reporting

IoT sensors

Online meetings and conferences

Remote access and troubleshooting

Robotics, especially in the medical field

Virtual reality and augmented virtual reality

Oil prices have fluctuated before and they [Gulf countries] always found a way, Malkawi said.

(Additional reporting by Andrea Benito.)
The global chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday for the first time explicitly blamed Syria for toxic attacks, saying President Bashar al-Assad's air force used the nerve gas sarin and chlorine three times in 2017. The findings came in the first report from a new investigative team set up by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to identify the perpetrators of attacks in Syria's ongoing nine-year-long civil war. Western nations and rights groups condemned Syria following the release of the report, which will now go to the United Nations among others to decide what and if any further action should be taken. In March 2017, Syrian fighter jets dropped sarin on the northern village of Lataminah and a military helicopter dropped a barrel bomb full of chlorine on the same village, the probe found. The OPCW said the team "has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the use of sarin as a chemical weapon in Lataminah in 2017... and the use of chlorine... were individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force". Member states of the OPCW agreed two years ago to give The Hague-based watchdog new powers to attribute blame for attacks, despite the objections of Syria and its ally Russia. Previously, it had only been able to say whether chemical strikes had occurred but without naming the perpetrators. - 'Security threat' - The OPCW said the new Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) could not identify the precise chain of command, but that orders for the attacks must have come from senior commanders. "Attacks of such a strategic nature would have only taken place on the basis of orders from the higher authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic military command," IIT coordinator Santiago Onate-Laborde said. "Even if authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot. In the end, the IIT was unable to identify any other plausible explanation," he said in a statement. Western nations and human rights groups praised the OPCW report, saying it proved Syria continued chemical attacks on its own population. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "no amount of disinformation from Assad's enablers in Russia and Iran can hide the fact that the Assad regime is responsible for numerous chemical weapons attacks." "The unchecked use of chemical weapons by any state presents an unacceptable security threat to all states and cannot occur with impunity," Pompeo said in a statement. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed. "Such a blatant violation of international law must not go unpunished," he said. Human Rights Watch's UN director Louis Charbonneau said that the "OPCW's conclusions should be used to support criminal justice for the individuals responsible." But OPCW head Fernando Arias pointed out that the IIT was not there to name individuals, neither did it have the power to make findings on the non-compliance of the convention on chemical weapons. It was now up to the OPCW's states parties, the UN Secretary-General "and the international community as a whole to take any further action they deem appropriate and necessary," Arias said. - Fighter jets - The report said two Syrian Arab Air Force Sukhoi SU-22 jet fighters dropped two bombs containing sarin on Lataminah on March 24 and 30, 2017. A Syrian military helicopter dropped a cylinder containing chlorine on a hospital in the same village on March 25 that year, the report said. In total, 106 people were affected by the attacks, the OPCW said. Almost two years ago, the OPCW confirmed that sarin and chlorine were used in two attacks on the town, but did not name those responsible at the time. The Lataminah strikes came just days before another deadly sarin assault in nearby Khan Sheikhun on April 4 that killed more than 80 people. Western nations launched air strikes on Syrian military targets in response to the Khan Sheikhun attack. The OPCW team is expected to deal at a later date with an alleged 2018 chlorine attack in the Syrian town of Douma in which at least 40 people died -- an investigation that has become a major bone of contention between Damascus and its Russian ally and Western nations. Damascus has continued to deny the use of chemical weapons and insists it has handed over its weapons stockpiles under a 2013 agreement, prompted by a suspected sarin gas attack that killed 1,400 in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. The OPCW won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work in Syria and says it has eliminated 97 percent of the world's chemical weapons. The United States, Britain and France launched strikes against the Syrian regime in April 2018 in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack The report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was welcomed by Western nations and human rights groups
A new COVID-19 case related to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation was reported in Assam on Tuesday, taking the number to 28, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The 65-year old man, who has a travel history to Saudi Arabia, tested positive, the minister tweeted on Tuesday night.

The patient, from Hailakandi, is also linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin's Nizamuddin area, he tweeted.

This is the second confirmed case on Tuesday with the first being reported from Dhubri this morning, and both the cases are linked to the congregation.

Among the 28 confirmed cases, 27, including five women, are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

The state had not reported any other case for the last two days.

The new case has been reported from Dhubri and the person attended the Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi, the minister had tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The health minister held discussions with the Tablighi Jamaat members in the state and urged them to submit a list of people who had attended the event.

The Tablighi members have also appealed to people who attended the meet to come forward for the COVID-19 test. The minister warned of action, if despite several appeals, they do not come forward for examination.

The health department has identified 617 people who attended the event and the samples of 128 of them are yet to be collected.

More than 2,000 people have been tested across five laboratories in the state and 1,809 of them tested negative while 28 tested positive and the results of 165 are still awaited.

The health minister had said on Monday that the state government was considering introducing entry permits for those who wanted to return after the lockdown has ended to regulate the inflow of people.

The COVID-19 cases are being treated at GMCH, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, Sonapur District Hospital, Goalpara Civil Hospital, Lakhimpur Civil Hospital, Golaghat Civil Hospital and Silchar Medical College Hospital.

Golaghat has reported the highest number of nine cases, four each from Nalbari and Morigaon, three from Goalpara, two at Silchar and one each from Hailakandi, Dhubri, Kamrup (M), Kamrup, Lakhimpur and South Salmara.
New Delhi, April 8 : The Centre on Wednesday said that under the "Lifeline Udan" initiative, 161 flights have transported around 240 tonnes of medical supplies across the country till April 7.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation said that these flights are being operated to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support India's war against Covid-19.

Accordingly, these flights have been operated by Air India, Alliance Air, Indian Air Force and other private carriers.

"Lifeline Udan flights transported 39.3 tonnes of medical supplies across the country on April 7. Total cargo transported by these flights during the Covid-19 lockdown is around 240 tonnes. A total of 161 flights have been operated under the Lifeline Udan initiative till date, covering 1,41,080 km," the ministry said in a statement.

"Out of these, 99 flights were operated by Air India and Alliance Air while 54 were operated by IAF. On international route, on April 7, Air India brought 6.14 tonnes of medical equipment from Hong Kong and lifted 8.85 tonnes of supplies to Colombo," the statement added.

As part of India's war against Covid-19, the Civil Aviation Ministry had launched Lifeline Udan flights on March 26 for movement of medical and essential supplies across the country and beyond.

At present, no foreign or domestic passenger flight operations are allowed in the country.
Photo courtesy of Huron Mountain Bakery, used with permission.

Solid chocolate rabbits are available this weekend from Huron Mountain Bakery in Marquette, one of Michigan's Best Bakeries.

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BY AMY SHERMAN | asherma2@mlive.com

Easter brunch or big dinners with family and friends, are unfortunately not going to happen this year, due to the current coronavirus crisis. But what can happen is an absolutely fantastic Michigan's Best meal to share with those that you are quarantining with. We've got a list of great places you can order a meal from, all over Michigan.

These restaurants are offering special holiday meals this weekend, and while we are sure it's not a comprehensive list, it does include every region in Michigan.

Restaurants are hurting right now, and every little bit we can do to help is welcome.

A few weeks ago, Governor Whitmer announced the closure of all dine-in services at Michigan's restaurants, bars, breweries and distilleries.

Michigan governor announces all bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, and more to close amid coronavirus outbreak.

While restaurants will be closed for sit-down dining, many of them have transitioned into take-out places in order to still serve great food to you, and to keep their staff employed during this difficult time. Easter is typically a busy time for restaurants, and many are offering special holiday meals available for take-out this year.

Please check out the list of restaurants we've compiled from all over Michigan that are offering special Easter menus available for take-out. And support these places, and other Michigan restaurants, by ordering and tipping generously to their staff.

We are all in this together, and can get through it, one Michigan's Best dish at a time.

Special thanks to John Gonzalez for additional reporting.

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Photo provided by Huron Mountain Bakery, used with permission

The Bunny Hutch cake from Huron Mountain Bakery.

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Upper Peninsula

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Huron Mountain Bakery

1301 S Front St Marquette, Michigan 49855 (906) 225-1301

A top pick for Michigan's Best Bakery.

Order ahead, or just come on by, the bakery will be open on Easter from 6am to 2pm. You can pre-pay and they'll run your order out to you if you'd like, and are offering free delivery in Marquette with a minimum $10 order. Huron Mountain is also offering certain baking items like flour, sugar, milk and butter in small bulk amounts, at cost.

I talked to head cake baker Joe Heck about what they'll be offering, and needless to say my mouth was watering. He's making the Bunny Hutch cake, (shown above) a twist on a yule log. "It's something smaller than our usual lamb cakes, since people won't be having big parties this year." These will be available every day in the case, or order ahead. Heck also brought his chocolate bunny mold out of retirement, and is making 1/3# solid chocolate rabbits with it. They'll have other specialities, including carrot cake, hot cross buns, dinner rolls, and cookies and donuts "dressed for Easter". The bakery will also have all their usual offerings on hand.

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Curious Pig

117 S. 5th Street Crystal Falls, Michigan 49920 (906) 282-7575

Curious Pig has been on our searches for Michigan's Best BBQ and Chili.

Curious Pig is still taking orders for pick up for Easter. Call ahead to place your order, pick up is Sunday April 12 from 11am to 4pm.

See the full menu here.

Choose from two different menus, one featuring ham and one with pork loin AND ham. Tons of sides like mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, you can also add on dessert.

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The dessert platter at Silvio's in Ann Arbor.

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Ann Arbor

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Silvio's Organic Ristorante e Pizzeria

715 N. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, 48104

(734) 352-2012

One of our top picks for Michigan's Best Italian Restaurant.

Silvio's is offering a half tray of lasagna (veggie or meat), a dinner salad and 4 pastries, or a half tray of penne with lamb sauce or marinara with salad and pastries, both for $60.

Please call one day ahead to order for pickup on Saturday until 9 pm, and Sunday until noon.

****Michigan's Best pick****

Gandy Dancer

401 Depot Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (734) 769-0592

Gandy Dancer was on our search for Michigan's Most Iconic Restaurant.

See the full menu that is available here.

Pre-Orders are available now for your Family-Style Meals to-go! Call 734.769.0592 to place your to-go order by Friday, April 10 to guarantee your order.

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MLive.com

The staff and owners at Paesano's in Ann Arbor.

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Ann Arbor

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Paesano Restaurant and Wine Bar

3411 Washtenaw Ave.

Ann Arbor, 48104

(734) 971-0484

Paesano's was one of our top picks for Michigan's Best Italian Restaurant.

From their press release:

Paesano Restaurant is preparing for the upcoming Easter Sunday Celebration and taking pre-orders for dinner. Usually a big event at the restaurant with their annual Brunch Buffet, but this year instead, their chefs have created 3 Easter Sunday Special entrees along with 3 dessert options.

ENTREE CHOICES

1) Lemon Chicken with Butter Sauce GF $18

2) Spiral Sliced Honey Baked Ham with Michigan Maple Syrup

& Brown Sugar Glaze GF $18

3) Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint-Peppercorn Gremolata GF $20

All are served with herb-roasted redskin potatoes and baby carrots, PLUS your choice of Dans homemade soup or green salad, rolls and garlic butter.

DESSERT CHOICES: Lemon-Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, Carrot Cake with a

butter-cream frosting, and our house Tiramisu (GF).

Guests may call ahead and order well in advance, and provide us a time when you would like to pickup your curbside carry out. They also have wines to match each dinner entree.

Follow whats happening at the restaurant and see dailys specials that they are offering on their Facebook page or at paesanoannarbor.com. Order by calling 734-971-0484. The restaurant will be open Easter Sunday from NOON  9:00pm.

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John Gonzalez

The BBQ platter from The Iron Pig in Gaylord.

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Northern Lower Peninsula

*****Michigan's Best Pick*****

The Iron Pig

143 W. Main St. Gaylord, Michigan 49735 (989) 448-2065

Iron Pig was on our search for Michigan's Best BBQ.

Easter Brunch Kits available to preorder from The Iron Pig. Kit includes everything you need in multiples of 4. Smoked ham, cheesy potatoes, candied carrots, green bean casserole, and fresh-baked rolls, all prepared in The Iron Pig's Food Safe kitchens, and available for takeout or delivery.

Preorder Easter Brunch days in advance at www.ironpigsmoke.com

Crescent Bakery and Cafe

404 Main St (120.56 mi) Frankfort, Michigan 49635 (231) 352-4611

We love that Crescent has a community bread bank, stocked every day with bread and baked goods for those in need, no questions asked.

From Facebook:

Hello friends! Easter week is upon us! We will have hot cross buns baked fresh each morning this week and decorated sugar cookies (bunnies and Easter eggs) starting on Wed. We are still taking preorders for Easter breads and desserts (pick up on Saturday).

Our bread bank is stocked with our white and rustic white breads today and is available until 3 PM. Cabbage Shed, Frankfort Family Care and The Corner Toy Store have joined the list of businesses contributing to keeping the bread bank full. We thank each business and individual who have donated to help their friends and neighbors keep food on their tables. We live in an amazing community.

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Courtesy photo provided by Pit Stop Catering, used with permission.

Leg of lamb is one of the take-out specials this week at Pit Stop Catering in Grand Rapids.

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Grand Rapids

*****Michigan's Best Pick****

Pit Stop Catering

6479 28th St SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 (616) 340-5600

Pit Stop has been on our searches for Michigan's Best BBQ, Wings, and Mac and Cheese.

From their Facebook page:

EASTER MENU

PIT STOP KBS HAMS-These have been a huge hit at Christmas and Easter for years. Why? Solid Question. We slow smoke these boys over hardwood charcoal, oak and Founder KBS Barrel Chunks. Then we continuously spray and mop them throughout the cooking. We then cover them in our own Sugary/Peppery Ooey Glaze and blow torch them so they have a nice sugary crust. They may make the bunny stick around and blow his cover just to get a hunk of one of these. Roughly 6-8lbs. We don't control the sizes. Leftovers are probably a good idea lately............$8.99 LB

HERB CRUSTED BONELESS LEG OF LAMB-We inject these puppies with our own marinade, coat it in an herb rub.or Lamby Massage Powderslow smoke it over Oak and Maple and baste it throughout the 8 hours of slow cooking. These are also a huge hit. WARNING: We have roughly 15 of these available. So we will be taking orders until we get 15. After 15 you go on a waiting list until I see what we can get in. Supplies are a tad tricky with what is going on. Roughly 3-5lbs(all meat).once againwe don't control the sizes.................$18.00 lb.

TZATZIKI SAUCE-Pit Stops own................$10.00 1lb

SLOW SMOKED KIELBASA-We slow cook ours in our own Mixture which includes a few things including Ground Mustard and Beer. We Glaze these puppies too like we do everything as they smoke. Order by the #............2# minimum .$10.00 lb.

SIDES CHEEZY SCALLOPED POTATOES-A true Easter Traditional Potato dish. Creamy, Cheesy, Potatoey Goodness. Sold by the half pan.......$25.00

HONEY/BOURBON GLAZED CARROTS-Needs no description other than.........$25.00 half pan

GREEN BEANS W SLIVERED ALMONDS-Very underrated Item we have and goes perfectly with everything above. SOLD IN HALF PAN SIZE ....$20.00 PAN

PIT STOP DEVILED EGGS .$10/DOZEN

EMAIL IN YOUR ORDER. EMAIL IN YOUR ORDER. EMAIL IN YOUR ORDER. EMAIL IN YOUR ORDER.

matt@pitstopcateringgr.com matt@pitstopcateringgr.com matt@pitstopcateringgr.com

PICK UP ON SATURDAY APRIL 11 BETWEEN 11-3PM.

We will email you back a confirmation number.....please bring it with u or tell whoever is picking it up what it is.

OPEN HOURS FOR THE WEEK.

THURSDAY. 11-6:30 FRIDAY 11-6:30 SATURDAY. 11-3PM Easter Pre Orders only.

32 oz sides are also available for pre-order too. GB-$11, Carrots $12, Taters $13.

The Candied Yam

2305 44th St SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49508 (616) 551-3509

From Facebook:

Let The Candied Yam make Easter Dinner for you!

- Country Ham Crusted with Brown Sugar - Buttery Whipped Potatoes with Gravy - Savory Green Beans - Sweet Potato Muffins - Fresh Made Apple Crumb Pie

$39 | Feeds up to 6 $59 | Feeds up to 12

Place your order with full payment by Friday, April 10th and schedule your pick up for Sunday, April 12th. Pick up only!

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Cory Morse | Mlive.com

Pictured are Jenna and Maurizio Arcidiacono from Amore Trattoria in Grand Rapids.

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Grand Rapids area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Amore Trattoria

5080 Alpine Ave NW Comstock Park, Michigan 49321 (616) 785-5344

Amore was one of our top picks for Michigan's Best Italian Restaurant.

Amore is offering up quite a menu for Easter. Open Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 7pm for curbside takeout.

See the whole menu here.

On the menu are maple syrup glazed ham, rabbit marsala, roasted chicken, lamb patties and a vegan loaf. Mashed potatoes, cheesy scalloped potatoes, stuffing, penne ala vodka, salads, and tons of desserts like tiramisu and cannoli. Take and bake pans of lasagna (meat, veggie, GF or white), mac and cheese and more are available to finish at home. Also quarts of sauces are available, including tomato, bolognese, and cheese.

Please send all orders to amoretrattoriacatering@gmail.com by Thursday at 9 pm! We are looking forward to feeding you all!

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Flo's Pizzeria

107 South Lafayette Greenville, Michigan 48838 (616) 785-1001

We visited the Flo's on Plainfield on our search for Michigan's Best Pizza.

From Facebook:

We are offering "Easter lunch/dinner kits" these kits will be ready for you to bake in your oven at home and have a great lunch or dinner on Easter with your family in 20 minutes or less! Call us today to place your pre-order. 616-785-1001. Kits available only at Flo's Belmont & Flo's Greenville.

On the menu: dinner or lunch for 6, includes honey glazed ham, homemade rolls, white cheddar mac and cheese, rosemary potatoes, glazed veggies, chocolate brownies. $80, pre orders only, payment required at order, pickup on April 11 from 11am to 9pm.

Two Guys Brewing

2356 Porter St SW Wyoming, Michigan 49519 (616) 552-9690

Two Guys is offering Easter to-go, pick up after noon on Saturday.

A classic menu of ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, scalloped corn, rolls, carrot cake and even two breakfast casseroles are available.

You can order the Easter menu through Thursday at this link.

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Mlive

John and Amy ate it all at the Bavarian Inn during their shoot for Michigan's Best Day in Frankenmuth.

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Midland, Bay City, Saginaw area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Bavarian Inn

713 S Main St Frankenmuth, Michigan 48734 (800) 228-2742

Bavarian Inn was part of our search for Michigan's Best Fried Chicken, and was featured on our Best Day in Frankenmuth video.

From the Facebook page:

While Easter may be a little different this year, there is still a way to celebrate with a Bavarian Inn Easter Take Out!

Enjoy two great options:

Entire Easter Dinner Serving 8-10 people for $189.99 (includes tax) Includes:  10 lb. Honey Cured Hickory Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham  10 piece Mixed Frankenmuth Chicken  2 quarts Mashed Potatoes with 2 quarts of Gravy  2 quarts Baked Dressing  2 quarts Buttered Noodles  1 quart Carrot and Green Bean Vegetable Blend  1 quart Cole Slaw  1 quart Cranberry Relish  Bavarian Inn Chicken Seasoning  1 Loaf of Bavarian Inn Homemade Bread *We apologize no substitutes to meal package

Individual Dinner for $13.99 (includes tax) Includes: 3 piece mixed Frankenmuth Chicken plate served with dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and coleslaw

***Orders must be received by Wednesday, April 8th and picked up at designated pick up time on Sunday, April 12th in our Castle shop Bakery, located in the lower level of the Bavarian Inn Restaurant (north entrance) ***

Call 989-652-9941 or 1-800-BAVARIA to place your order today!

Here is a list of other Bay City area restaurants offering takeout during the coronavirus outbreak.

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Cork in Saginaw was on the search for Michigan's Best mac and cheese.

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Midland, Bay City and Saginaw area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Cork

635 S Saginaw St Flint, Michigan 48502 (810) 422-9625

Cork was part of the search for Michigan's Best Mac and Cheese.

Please call your orders in ahead of time. On the menu:

Dearborn ham, braised lamb with artichokes and olives, potato gratin, spring salad, cheddar pull apart rolls, carrot or lemon cake.

Please message them here.

Orders will be available for pick up on Sunday from 11am to 2pm, along with wine. Friday they are having a special wine sale as well.

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Mac and cheese from The White Horse Inn in Metamora.

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Detroit area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

The White Horse Inn

1 E High St Metamora, Michigan 48455 (810) 678-2276

The White Horse Inn was on our search for Michigan's Most Iconic Restaurants.

From an email:

The White Horse Inn in Metamora, Michigan is offering a carry out special that feeds 3-4 people and features honey-glazed, spiral-sliced ham; au gratin potatoes; White Horse Brussels sprouts; a French baguette; 12 fresh-baked White Horse Inn cookies for $59.95.

People may call the restaurant at 810-678-2276 to pre-order.

Pickups will take place Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 from 10 am-4 pm.

Amore da Roma

3401 Riopelle Detroit, Michigan 48207 (313) 831-5940

From Facebook:

Chef Guy is preparing curbside pickup for a complete Easter meal! Ready to grill marinated Tenderloin, Minestrone soup, Mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce, and seasoned greenbeans, Garlic Toast! Will feed 6 to 8 people. Call the restaurant (313) 831-5940 to reserve your order! $145.

Table No. 2

18925 Livernois Detroit, Michigan 48221 (313) 340-9550

From Facebook:

EASTER SUNDAY DINNER TO GO FEEDS up to 4 People Caesar Salad Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls Shrimp Cocktail Grilled Chicken Breast laced with Faygo BBQ Sauce Smoked Salmon laced with a Lobster Sauce Glazed Honey Baked Ham Sliced Garlic & Herb Smashed Potatoes Green Beans Parmesan Roasted Corn Confetti w/Garlic Butter Sugar Crusted Baked Apple Pie (NO SUBSTITUTIONS)

(Minimum of 4 People) $25 per person

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Courtesy image, used with permission.

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One Eyed Betty's

175 W Troy St Ferndale, Michigan 48220 248-897-5396

The Kramer Restaurant Group (Pops For Italian, One Eyed Bettys and Rosie OGradys Ferndale) are operating out of One Eyed Betty's for the time being.

Preorder your Easter dinner with them by Wednesday the 8th. Give them a call and leave your name, number and pick up time to reserve your dinner! $65 feeds 4 to 6 people.

Detroit BBQ Company

711 E. 8 Mile Road Ferndale, Michigan 48220 (586) 855-9012

From Facebook:

Detroit BBQ Updated Easter Ordering Post!!!

We know you all are likely in need of smaller sizes for Easter meals, so we're adding the following options to our Easter Pickups which must be PREORDERED by Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 3 pm. Send us a message on Facebook to preorder.  FAMILY MEAL DEAL: $50 (feeds approx 4-5) -Choice of: -3 lbs of Ham; or -1 Slab of Ribs and 1 lb of sausage; with: -1/4 pan of Cheesy Potatoes; -1/4 pan of Garlic Green Beans; and -Cornbread

INDIVIDUAL PLATES: $15 -Ham; -Cheesy Potatoes; -Garlic Green Beans; and -Cornbread (We will do some extra of these but if you want to secure yours, we strongly recommend you preorder)

SLABS OF RIBS: $20 or 6 slabs for $100  We are still doing preorders for full Hams, Briskets, Turkeys, Mac and Cheese, Sausage, and Collard Greens as well.  Pickups will be: Easter Sunday, April 12 from 11-1 at our commissary located at 711 E. 8 Mile Road in Ferndale. You will be given a number to call when you arrive and we will bring you order out to your trunk. We ask nobody enter the kitchen.

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Amy Sherman | Mlive.com

The staff at The Whitney in Detroit.

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Detroit area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

The Whitney

4421 Woodward Ave Detroit, Michigan 48201 (313) 832-5700

The Whitney was chosen as one of Michigan's Most Iconic Restaurants.

The Whitney is offering Easter Brunch Baskets, loaded with all sorts of delicious things to make one heck of a brunch. Fresh squeezed orange juice, champagne, scones with marmalade, cheesy breakfast casserole, maple glazed bacon, chicken-apple sausage, make it yourself Napa Scramble, holiday pastries, and a special edible Easter basket. Complete brunch for four is $125.

Easter Brunch Baskets will be ready for pick-up Saturday between 11am - 3pm.

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Brisket from Saddleback BBQ in Lansing.

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Lansing area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Saddleback BBQ

1754 Central Park Drive Suite G2 Okemos, Michigan 48864 (517) 306-9002

Saddleback BBQ was one of our top picks for Michigan's Best BBQ.

From Facebook:

Easter Meals are Now Available for Pre-order! A delicious double smoked maple glazed Easter Ham served by the LB. Sides available include buttermilk mashed potatoes, holiday stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls, and roasted vegetable medley. For dessert, a 10inch whole apple pie!

For pricing, availability, & pre-ordering go here! https://www.toasttab.com/saddleback-barbecu//online-order

*Ordering and pick up only available at Saddleback BBQ in Okemos.

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Weston's Kewpee Burger

118 S Washington Sq Lansing, Michigan 48933 (517) 482-8049

Kewpee Burger was recently on our search for Michigan's Best Burger.

From Facebook:

Easter menu- For a family of 4. Option 1-$65 Spiral Ham Mashed potatoes Green beans Dinner rolls Brownies

Option 2-$85 Prime rib with Au jus Mashed potatoes Green beans Dinner rolls Brownies

To make an order please call 517-482-8049 or direct message us and we will happily get back with you. Please have your orders in by Thursday by 2pm Pick up Saturday by 3pm

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Breakfast pastries from Crust in Fenton.

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Flint area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Crust

104 W. Caroline

Fenton, MI 48430

810-629-8882

Crust was our top pick for Michigan's Best Bakery.

Crust is offering curbside pick up for pre-orders on Easter, no retail that day. Call ahead or order online here. Orders must be placed by April 9, and can be picked up Sunday from 9am to 11am.

Bread pudding French toast, lemon ricotta pancakes, whole quiche, company breakfast for six, and mimosas are all available.

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Redwood Steakhouse

5304 Gateway Ctr Flint, Michigan 48507 (810) 233-8000

Redwood Steakhouse was on our search for Michigan's Best Brewery in 2013.

Redwood in Flint is offering a special Easter menu to order by Thursday at noon. Order online or call ahead. Orders available for pickup on Sunday between 10am and 2pm.

Choice of salad and dessert, and pick a protein from prime rib, chicken marsala, salmon, honey ham, and roasted vegetable ravioli. You can also up your order, and get several proteins, sides and dessert combinations.

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Old Burdick's in Kalamazoo is offering Easter take-out.

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Kalamazoo area

Old Burdick's

100 W Michigan Ave Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007 (269) 343-0032

They are offering Easter dinners for 2, 4 and 6 at Old Burdick's.

See the complete menu here.

Choose one protein, two sides, two vegetables. Every meal comes with salad, rolls and desserts. Prime rib and ham are also available.

Place your order by April 9 by 4pm. Pick up on April 12 from 11am to 1pm.

Club Car Grille

6225 W D Ave Kalamazoo, Michigan 49009 (269) 775-1267

Mema's Pies, roast turkey and ham, lots of sides. Order by the single, double or dinners big enough for four. Call ahead to place your order.

See the full menu here.

Barrett's Smokehouse

9942 Oakland Drive Portage, Michigan 49024 (269) 323-3700

From Facebook:

Easter Dinner Package By Barrett's Smokehouse Pre-Order Your Easter Dinner By April 10th

Small Dinner Size Includes: Half Traditional Bone In Ham 2# Tray Barrett's Cheesy Potato Casserole, 2# Tray Green Bean Casserole, 1# Tray Homemade Coleslaw, 1 -12ct Fresh Dinner Rolls, 8x8 Carrot Cake (By Yoder's Country Market) Dinner Package (Approx.. 4-8 Servings) For Only $59.99

Large Dinner Size Includes: Half Traditional Bone In Ham 5# Tray Barrett's Cheesy Potato Casserole, 5# Tray Green Bean Casserole, 3# Tray Homemade Coleslaw, 1 -24ct Fresh Dinner Rolls, 8x8 Carrot Cake (By Yoder's Country Market) Dinner Package (Approx.. 10-15 Servings) For Only $99.99

Pick Up Saturday 11th Chilled With Full Reheating Instructions Making Your Easter Dinner At Home Easy & Delicious!

Pick Up In Store or Call For Curb Side Pick Up Saturday.

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Meatballs at Comensoli's Italian Bistro.

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Kalamazoo area

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Comensoli's Italian Bistro

762 W Main St Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006 (269) 345-6755

Comensoli's was on our search for Michigan's Best Italian Restaurant.

From Facebook:

Comensoli's will be offering Easter dinner to-go. Enjoy baked lasagna or ziti, roasted veggies, salad, bread, and cannolis for dessert. The price to feed 4-6 people will be $45-$70. PRE-ORDER your Easter dinner by Saturday, 4/11, by 2pm by emailing info@comensolis.com.

****Michigan's Best Pick****

La Cantina

139 W Michigan Ave Paw Paw, Michigan 49079 (269) 657-7033

La Cantina was on the search for Michigan's Best Italian Restaurant.

La Cantina is offering take-out for Easter. You can pick up on Saturday with reheating instructions, or Sunday hot and ready to go.

Emilio's signature prime rib, roasted turkey, roasted red potatoes, caramelized root vegetables, salad and rolls, hot artichoke dip and crostini for four for $100.

Call Maria at (269) 657-7033 to place your order by Thursday if possible.

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Brussels Sprouts from Bowdie's Chop House in Saugatuck.

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Saugatuck, Grand Rapids, Lansing

****Michigan's Best Pick****

Bowdie's Chop House

230 Culver St Saugatuck, Michigan 49453 (269) 455-5481

2237 Wealthy St SE

East Grand Rapids, MI 49506

(616) 805-5044

320 E Michigan Ave

Lansing, MI 48933

(517) 580-4792

Bowdie's was a finalist for Michigan's Best Steakhouse.

Visit www.bowdies.com to order while supplies last.

Bowdie's is offering their "Prime at Home" menu, as well as some Easter specials. You'll get proteins to cook yourself, with detailed instructions, and sides to warm up.

Easter specials include rack of lamb, with 8 chops and weighing in at 22 oz, it's enough for a few people. Glazed carrots, truffle whipped potatoes, pie from Crane's and Chef Lilah's carrot cake.

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Chicken from Noto's at the Bil-Mar in Grand Haven.

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Muskegon and the Lakeshore, Grand Rapids

****Michigan's Best Pick*****

Noto's at the Bil-Mar

1223 S Harbor Dr Grand Haven, Michigan 49417 (616) 842-5920

6600 28th St SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 (616) 493-6686

Noto's was on our search for Michigan's Most Iconic Restaurants.

April 8 is the last day to place "Take and Bake" Easter orders. Give us a call at 616-842-5920. Pick up on Saturday between 3 and 7pm.

Herb crusted rack of lamb or slow roasted prime rib are on the take away menu at Noto's. You'll also get ham, green beans, pasta al forno, red skin potatoes, green salad, and blueberry crisp. Serves up to 4 people, $89.

See the full menu here.

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GT Pies has switched to an online store for their award winning pies.

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Statewide shipping

****Michigan's Best Pick*****

Grand Traverse Pie Company

Order online at: https://shop.gtpie.com/

GT Pie was on the search for Michigan's Best Pie, and was a top pick.

Although their retail stores are closed, GT Pie is still offering all of their pies for shipping nationwide. Here in Michigan, you can still order your pies in time to arrive at Easter. We are big fans of the cherry crumb, the ABC crumb and the chicken pot pie for something savory. Pies will continue to be available by shipping after Easter.

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The Michigan's Best Takeout List

Pizza, Pizza! Take out in Bay City, Midland and Saginaw

Jackson area pizza spots open for take out

Some of Michigan's Best Burgers in Detroit are available for take out

11 burgers for take-out in Port Huron and the Thumb

10 great burgers to enjoy while enduring the coronavirus outbreak in Michigans Northern Lower Peninsula

A look at Lansings Top 10 take-out burgers

Tasty take-out from some of Michigans Best Burger spots in the U.P.

Time for take-out Ann Arbor! 8 of Michigans Best Burgers to try

12 great burgers for take-out in the Jackson area

10 great burgers in Grand Rapids to pick up while enduring the coronavirus outbreak

Where you can still get some of Michigans Best Burgers in Flint

Some of Michigans Best Burgers in Muskegon and the lakeshore are available for take-out

Its Take-Out time! 11 burgers not to miss in the Kalamazoo area

90-plus burgers you can enjoy in Michigan right now

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John and Amy are joined by Tim Taylor of Hamburger Mikey's in Muskegon.

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Follow our Michigans Best adventures on social media:

@mlivemibest on Twitter

@mlivemibest on Instagram

Facebook at MLiveMIBest.

Join in by using the hashtags #mibest and #ItriedMiBest

In addition:

Amy Sherman is on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail.

John Gonzalez is on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo.
It's a global shutdown and no one knows when this deadlock will end. While staying locked in our homes have got some of us panicky and irritable, think of those who are not being able get back home, to their own country. Krishan Pandey did. Krishan, an author and ad-man who runs a guest house called Unmad in Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, has been the saviour of a Ukrainian couple and their two-year-old daughter when they had no place to go.

Krishan has also been helping the foreign tourists stuck in Dharamkot just above McLeod Ganj. "Some of the guest house owners here were sceptical about letting these tourists stay. This couple, yoga enthusiasts and trainers Oleksandr Khytryi and Oleksandra Khytra, with their daughter Lisana Khytra, came to stay with us when their hotel in Mcleod Ganj did not let them prolong their stay. This was before the lockdown was put in place," said Krishan. What started off as a two-day stay turned out to be weeks. "They were supposed to get back to Goa where they had been staying and their friends were also waiting for them there. But then the lockdown was imposed and there was no way to leave," he added.

But this family was not the only one who were stuck. "The guest house right beside ours has guests from Russia and some European countries. While the owner has no problem letting them stay, the extensive paperwork that is in place now, overwhelms them," said Krishan, who not only helped his neighbour but other foreign guests across the town as well.

While places like Mcleod Ganj see more foreigners than Indians and are used to it, people have probably grown a tad tense at this moment of crisis, felt Krishan. "The news keeps showing that US and Europe are staggering with a high rate of affected people and deaths. Locals here are a bit tensed when they see foreign tourists. The authorities too are strict now. Here is where the problem arises. A lot of these tourists are not from English speaking countries  communication becomes a huge barrier with either side trying to communicate in broken English. People tend to get more irritable and tense when they cannot communicate," he added.

The 30-year-old entrepreneur who had come to Dharamkot to write novels in peace is now no less a local. He was set to leave for Delhi, where his family stays, before the lockdown but as the Ukrainian family arrived, he had to stay back. "The officials come every other day to ensure everything is in place. I am also in touch with them about the latest developments. Recently, the German government took some of their citizens back home. We are always in touch with the concerned officers about whether they have some arrangements for the Ukrainians," he added.

The family of three is maintaining the lockdown better than us, said Krishan. "The only time you can see them is when they go up to the terrace for some yoga and the child plays around there for a bit. They do not step out and are maintaining the lockdown very well," he said adding that the local authorities have also been very vigilant and proactive in these testing times. "Not only do they check on us regularly we are also in touch about recent developments. The sanitation workers now collect waste from locals separately from the guesthouses with foreign tourists. Even though there have been no reports of anyone falling ill," he added.

It is tough to be locked down in a foreign country, it is devastating to not know what the actual condition of your country is and whether it is safe to get back. "They feel safe here. They have all the amenities and food. There is no panic. They are safer there than they would probably have been in Goa," said Krishan.


Pakistan has received an unexpected reprieve in meeting a deadline set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to counter terror financing as a key review meeting scheduled for June has been put off because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Pakistan, which has been on FATFs grey list since June 2018, was given time till June by the multilateral watchdog to fully implement a 27-point action plan to curb terror financing and money laundering. Pakistans performance was to be assessed at review meetings to be held in Beijing during June 21-26.

We have just received an intimation from FATF through the State Bank of Pakistan that our review scheduled for June 21-26 in Beijing has been postponed, a senior unnamed Pakistani official was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper on Wednesday. The countrys performance will now be reviewed in October, the daily reported.

The official said Pakistan was earlier required to submit a performance report by April 20. We will now send our report to FATF in August, that would be reviewed in October, the official said, adding the postponement was apparently caused by uncertainties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The health crisis has provided Pakistan with additional time to remove deficiencies, the official was quoted as saying.

There was no official word from FATF on the development.

A post on FATFs website regarding the organisations calendar for 2020 said: Due to the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) emergency, the FATF and FATF-style regional bodies (FSRBs) are implementing precautionary measures that impact scheduled events, such as postponing, cancelling, or holding them virtually.

During an assessment in its plenary meeting in February, FATF concluded that all deadlines for Pakistans action plan have expired and the country had largely addressed 14 of the 27 points in the action plan, with varying levels of progress made on the rest.

The Dawn reported cited officials as saying that Pakistan had put in place a broad-based strategy for completing outstanding commitments with the FATF and was actively making progress.

FATF had warned Pakistan that if its action plan is not implemented by June, it would face the possibility of being moved to the list of monitored countries, commonly known as the black list.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids officials argue they did not violate the Michigan Open Meetings Act by not allowing public comment during a public meeting Tuesday.

While a minimum number of commissioners needed to make a decision took part in the Tuesday, April 8, special meeting, that didnt necessarily constitute a public meeting, according to the city.

Based on existing law and new executive orders, we proceeded with the April 7 workshop/informational gathering in a way that promoted transparency and accountability to our community, city officials wrote in a statement provided to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press on Wednesday, April 8.

A gathering of a quorum of commissioners in most cases may be defined as a public meeting requiring public comment, but not in all cases. The public body did not deliberate and did not make any decisions.

The Open Meetings Act does allow for a quorum of elected leaders to meet outside of a public meeting for, among other things, a workshop or informational gathering on topics of general concern and broad focus, according to Attorney General Dana Nessels handbook on the law.

However, when those meetings are designed to receive input from elected officials or their employees, a public meeting is required.

The Michigan Attorney Generals Office says Grand Rapids leaders likely violated the Open Meetings Act and, on a more philosophical point, that their decision to not make any decisions is itself a decision.

This body met. It met as a public meeting and it should have ensured that every element of a public meeting was adhered to, including public comment, Kelly Rossman-McKinney, head spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney Generals Office, told MLive.

Related: Grand Rapids likely violated Open Meetings Act by not allowing public comment

Rossman-McKinney said the suspension of public comment during a public meeting is not allowed by either the Open Meetings Act nor the temporary changes Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made to it to allow virtual meetings while also facilitating public participation during the coronavirus pandemic.

MLive contacted the Attorney Generals Office, which oversees Open Meetings Act violations, on Tuesday after covering the special meeting. The city did not provide comment until Wednesday morning.

Rossman-McKinney said the citys likely violation of the Open Meetings Act appears to be an unfortunate oversight.

The citys special meeting Tuesday was held with all commissioners in attendance as well as city staff. The intent was to provide updates to elected city officials and the public on the response so far by the city, state and federal government to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

There were no deliberations or decisions before the commission, city officials said in the statement. The purpose of the information was to educate the commission and the public on the national, state and local issues related to COVID-19 -- not to conduct city business. Our goal and commitment to our community is transparency.

Related: As coronavirus scare relaxes Michigan transparency laws, experts question long-term effects

While no resolutions and votes were taken up by the commissioners, they did ask questions of city leaders on response efforts.

The meeting was available for residents to view live on Facebook, YouTube and video chat platform WebEx. It was advertised beforehand and remains available to view on Facebook and YouTube.

Grand Rapids does plan to allow public comment during its regularly scheduled commission meeting on Tuesday, April 14, in which city business is being voted on.

We are committed to complying with the Michigan Open Meetings Act and the governors recent executive orders as we implement new technology and continue to meet electronically, the city said.

The Attorney Generals Office investigates Open Meetings Act violations when a formal complaint is filed with their office. If they find a violation, the office then compels the municipality to not violate the law at their next public meeting.

As of Tuesday, Kent County has recorded 194 cases of coronavirus and seven deaths, according to the health department.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

Read more:

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more

Social distancing lowering the curve by as much as 65 percent, Spectrum Health estimates
A researcher who advises the World Health Organisation on outbreaks of infectious diseases has cautioned Australians against wearing gloves in the supermarket, because they create a 'false sense of security' that could increase the risk of contracting COVID-19.

Mary-Louise McLaws, an infection control expert and professor of epidemiology at the University of New South Wales, said gloves carry germs more effectively than skin and cause people to become more relaxed about washing their hands.

Professor McLaws told Daily Mail Australia that hands, wrists and fingernails should still be washed for 20 seconds before wearing gloves and after taking them off, so it's 'best not to rely on them for protection at all'.

She said frontline healthcare workers are the only people who need to wear gloves, and reiterated official guidance that using hand hygiene stations in public places, practicing social distancing and staying at home are the best defences against coronavirus.

Professor McLaws said wearing gloves, like the plastic ones seen on this shopper in Woolworths in Double Bay in Sydney on March 20, is unnecessary and could create a 'false sense of security' which makes people less vigilant about washing their hands

While it's no harm to disinfect baskets and trolleys, Professor McLaws said there is 'very little risk' of contracting SARS-CoV-2 from supermarket surfaces.

COVID-19 has been shown to survive on glass, plastic and stainless steel for up to three days, but Professor McLaws said it requires 'the most perfect' laboratory conditions to remain actively infectious.

She said it's more important to stop touching your eyes, nose and mouth, the points through which the virus can enter the body to settle in the lungs.

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws is a special advisor to the WHO on infection control and outbreaks of respiratory diseases

The advice comes as Australians don increasingly elaborate face masks and clothing to stave off the deadly bug, which has infected 6,010 and killed 50 nationwide.



Professor McLaws has advised the WHO on respiratory epidemics for more than a decade, collaborating with Beijing doctors on a review of the response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak which appeared in China in 2002.

She knows of many clinics that have stopped using gloves and replaced them with enhanced hand hygiene measures, as a growing body of research shows vigilant hand washing to be the best protection against viruses and bacteria.

'In hospitals, healthcare workers wash hands before and after they take gloves off, because there is some degree of permeability where germs pass through onto skin, depending on how long they've been worn,' she said.

'You still need to practice hand hygiene when you take the gloves off, so it's best not to rely on them for protection at all. Unless you work in a hospital, you really don't need to wear them.'

Using hand hygiene stations in supermarkets, practicing social distancing and staying at home remain the best defences against coronavirus (pictured, a man pumps alcohol based sanitiser onto his hands at the entrance to a Woolworths in Sydney)

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

Whether you wear gloves or not, Professor McLaws said it's vital to avoid touching your face, particularly the eyes, nose and mouth, which are gateways for COVID-19 to enter the body and take hold in the lungs.

A recent study conducted by Professor McLaws and two of her PhD students revealed people touch their face on average 23 times an hour, which equates to 368 times a day if we sleep for eight hours a night.

'The nose is the most important one for this particular virus. Whether you wear gloves or not, if you put your hand up to your nose there's a strong chance you will breathe in some contaminated particles,' she said.

She encouraged supermarkets to install more hand washing stations at entries and exits and said she would like to see staff disinfecting baskets and trolleys to send a message about the importance of cleanliness.

Whether you wear gloves or not, it's vital to avoid touching your face around the eyes, nose and mouth, which are gateways for COVID-19 to enter the body and take hold in the lungs (pictured, 'Shopping Angels' Tara O'Kane, left, and Julian Corvin, right, wear gloves while dropping groceries at a self-isolating person's house on the Gold Coast in Queensland on Friday, April 3, 2020)

HOW LONG CAN COVID-19 SURVIVE ON SURFACES? In the air: Infectious disease researchers have found COVID-19 remains infectious in contaminated airborne respiratory droplets for at least three hours, however they have not determined whether humans produce enough of the disease in a single cough or sneeze to infect another person. On soft, porous surfaces: COVID-19 can survive on porous surfaces like cardboard, paper, clothing and soft furnishings like pillows and Doonas for up to 24 hours. Porous surfaces allow air and water to pass through, which makes them much less likely to hold infectious volumes of the virus compared to non-porous objects like door handles, taps and phone covers. On hard, shiny surfaces: COVID-19 has been proven to stay active on hard surfaces like glass, plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours. Hard, shiny materials are non-porous which means water, air and vapour cannot pass through and instead rest and accumulate on the surface. World Economic Forum researchers have confirmed the virus does degrade over time, reducing the likelihood of infection the longer contaminated droplets have sat on a surface, but you should still avoid touching handles, buttons and other objects in public spaces. If unavoidable, you should avoid touching your face until you have thoroughly washed your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Frequently touched household surfaces like taps, door handles, computer keyboards and toilets should be cleaned using bleach or alcohol solutions of at least 70 percent alcohol. On hair: There is no evidence to suggest coronavirus can be carried in strands of beards or facial hair. Advertisement

'It's a visual message to the shoppers to say, "we're taking this seriously and if you take hand hygiene seriously, then we're all in this together",' Professor McLaws said.

If we respect social distancing and maintain good hand hygiene, she said there is a very low risk of contracting coronavirus in the supermarket.

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws is a member of the World Health Organisation Health Emergencies Programme Advisory Panel of Infection Prevention and Control for Preparedness Readiness and Response to COVID-19.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 01:02:11|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has put two villages in its capital city of Hanoi and northern Ha Nam province under quarantine for COVID-19 control, Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday.

Ha Loi village, which is located on the outskirt of Hanoi and home to 2,973 households with nearly 10,900 residents, will be quarantined from Wednesday until May 6, the news agency reported, adding that the decision was made after a villager was confirmed to be infected on Monday.

Ngo Khe 3 village in Ha Nam province has also been placed under quarantine after one of its residents was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Wednesday morning, according to the news agency.

More than 90 doctors and medical workers who were reportedly in contact with the two cases have also been quarantined, daily newspaper Vietnam News reported Wednesday.

Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed two new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday morning and no case in the evening, with the total confirmed cases in the country being 251 as of Wednesday night.

The ministry on Wednesday announced that four more COVID-19 patients had recovered, bringing the country's total cured cases to 126, with no deaths reported so far.

Vietnam has 2,537 suspected cases with over 77,000 being monitored and quarantined as of Wednesday night, according to the health ministry.
(Photo : Jj Shev on Unsplash) Astronauts' Urine Can Be Used To Build The 1st Moon Base Camp According To Nasa

NASA will attempt to repeat history as they prepare to send humans to the moon once again under the Artemis program. The moon exploration mission has been set for 2024, but it might be delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, NASA revealed the plan to build the first-ever Moon Base Camp.

NASA reveals the design of 1st "Moon Base Camp" for 2024 lunar expedition

According to an India Times article, NASA shared in a 13-page report how the US space agency plans to build the "Moon Base Camp" for their future Moon explorations. The Artemis program will be handling the space expeditions by the International Space Station in the future. Artemis will launch space missions in 2024, allowing humans to land on the Moon once more.

One of the important factors for future manned missions to the moon is to build base camps and perform daily operations on selected parts of the moon. According to NASA, the "Artemis Base Camp" will be developed at the South Pole of the Moon. Once the astronauts are on the Moon's surface, the base camp that will be built will allow them to say there from 7 to 45 days.

Astronauts will use the LTV or "Lunar Terrain Vehicle" for their long trips serving as their habitable mobility-platform whenever they leave the Artemis Base Camp on the lunar South Pole. NASA also plans to build additional supporting-infrastructure at the base camp such as communications facilities, power structures, a landing pad, a radiation shield, storage planning structures, and also a waste disposal system.

These will be built for extended use in the coming decades and missions on the Moon's surface. The Artemis Base Camp will also serve as a training ground of the astronauts before they conduct another space exploration to and from Mars.

How can astronauts' urine be used as a key material for the moon base camp?

According to another report from the Indian Times, a team of European scientists has found a way to use the urine of astronauts as a key material to build the moon base camp. The research conducted by the group of scientists from Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy, stated that astronauts' urine can be used as raw material to build the concrete structure of the base camp.

The main purpose of the research was to lower the cost of the project because transporting 0.45 kilograms of material from Earth to the moon will certainly be costly. The first question encountered by the researchers is how to extract urea from urine. It is a molecule that breaks hydrogen bonds, reducing the viscosities of many aqueous mixtures. According to one of the scientists, urea can be helpful for the mixture that will be used to build the concrete, and extracting it is not necessary since it can be mixed with the water available on the moon.

"We have not yet investigated how the urea would be extracted from the urine, as we are assessing whether this would really be necessary because perhaps its other components could also be used to form the geopolymer concrete," said Anna-Lena Kjoniksen, said one of the scientists from Norwegian University.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban isn't convinced that the swift market rally is here to stay.

"I'm surprised. I think this is kind of buy the rumor and potentially we sell the news when reality sets in," Cuban said Wednesday on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "I think people are naturally optimistic right now in terms of the market. I just don't think they are really factoring in what we are going to see on the other side."

Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, revealed that he hasn't bought any stocks in two weeks and is "trying to get more cash."

The market bounced sharply in the past two weeks, with the S&P 500 jumping 25% from its 52-week low of 2,191.86 on March 23. Investors are betting on a turnaround ahead for the coronavirus crisis as cases in some of the hardest-hit regions began to show signs of slowing.
Although hospitalizations for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases in Virginia jumped by 106 patients from Tuesday to Wednesday and deaths rose to 75 statewide, new projections show signs of hope that the state may not be as hard-hit as originally thought, most likely because of the benefits of social distancing.

The University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which runs one of the main projection models used nationally as policy makers seek data to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, changed its projection for Virginia on Wednesday to say that the state may no longer have a shortage of intensive care beds and would need only 272 ventilators on its peak day, which is currently estimated to be on April 20.

Earlier, the IHME projection estimated that Virginia would need 476 ventilators on its peak day. The estimated death count has also dropped dramatically, from 1,401 to 891 by Aug. 4.

However, projections are uncertain and can have a significant range. Deaths in Virginia could range from 371 to 2,048, according to the model.

Although the projection says Virginia will need 272 ventilators on its peak day, the states hospitals reported that, as of Wednesday, 293 people who either have confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases were on a ventilator.

The projections also depend on continued strict adherence to social distancing through the end of May.

If social distancing measures are relaxed or not implemented, the U.S. will see greater death tolls, the death peak will be later, the burden on hospitals will be much greater, and the economic costs will continue to grow, said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the IHME, in a press release Sunday.

Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 30 that is in effect until June 10.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have already been hit hard by COVID-19 and, as of Sunday, were projected to account for more than a third of the nations deaths.

On Wednesday, the projection estimated a total of 60,415 deaths nationwide by Aug. 4, down from the 81,766 projected on Sunday.

Still, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Virginia continued its upward trajectory Wednesday.

Out of 30,645 people tested, 3,645 were positive for COVID-19 and an additional 12 people had died Wednesday, bring the death toll to 75.

The U.S., and Virginia in particular, have lagged in providing widespread testing, and labs have been overwhelmed, making test results significantly delayed. This means that the states official numbers likely undercount the true number of infected people.

As of Monday, Virginia ranked 23 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in the number of COVID-19 test results it had, according to the COVID Tracking Project, which collects data from around the country.

Current information from the states hospitals shows that at least 649 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 are currently hospitalized and an additional 640 hospitalized patients are awaiting test results. Of those hospitalized, more than a third require intensive care and nearly a quarter are on a ventilator. The state health department notes that the official number of hospitalizations, 615, underrepresents the current total.

As of Wednesday, the hospital association reported that there were 1,869 available ventilators in the state.

Also Wednesday, the state reported 55 cases in the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts.

Dr. Molly ODell, who heads up the COVID-19 response for the region, said the total includes 26 female patients and 29 male patients, whose ages ranged from 20 to 89. There have been 20 in Botetourt County, 14 each in Roanoke and Roanoke County, three in Craig County, two in Alleghany County and one each in Salem and Covington.

Three people in the district have died, but ODell did not release specific information about them.

She was also reluctant to predict when the virus would peak in this area; some early estimates have suggested dates ranging from April 20 to May 20.

Ill know weve reached our peak when the numbers start going down. Thats really the only thing we can go on right now, ODell said.

She was similarly noncommittal with regard to COVID-19 test results seeing faster turnaround times, but she said she was aware that Food and Drug Administration approval for quicker tests was pending. As a caution, however, she said that when she began her job 23 days ago, the estimate for faster results was also two weeks.

All labs that determine positive results must report to the Virginia Department of Health within 24 hours, ODell said.

Reported case numbers in the New River Valley remained unchanged and mostly modest on Wednesday. Both Giles and Pulaski counties show two cases and Radford has one.

Montgomery County remained unchanged, but has still seen a significant increase this week, jumping from seven cases on Monday to 16 on Tuesday.

Staff writer Neil Harvey contributed information to this report.
When Maria Olaifa was accepted into Fanshawe Colleges marketing management program for May she was thrilled, eager to pack her belongings and leave her native Philippines.

But her plans to study at the London, Ont., college were abruptly halted due to travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the global COVID-19 health crisis.

My country has closed its borders and flights are not available, said Olaifa, 32, of Cebu City. Even if she could come, shes not sure she would.

I am afraid to be in a country where I do not know anyone and have nowhere to go during this pandemic, she told the Star. I dont think it would be mentally healthy for me to go to a place for the first time, alone with all these problems.

Olaifa is among a growing number of international students who intended to come to Canada in the next few months, but are now deferring study plans.

Border closures, flight cancellations, shuttered language testing sites and closed visa offices are posing major challenges. Its too early to say how many students have deferred or outright cancelled study plans  even those with valid study permits. But a significant decrease in the number of international students at Canadian colleges and universities  a segment thats been booming in recent years  would deliver a financial blow to schools that rely on their hefty tuition fees as a revenue source.

International students contribute $6 billion a year just in tuition at Canadian universities, but their economic impact extends beyond the campus. Government figures show that in 2018 they pumped $21.6 billion into schools, communities and the broader Canadian economy. As of Dec. 31, 2019, there were 498,735 post-secondary international students in Canada, a 14.5 per cent increase from 2018.

As the health crisis drags on, colleges and universities are asking the federal government to allow international students to do online courses while in their own country.

The federal policy typically stipulates that international students must attend most classes in-person to receive a Post-Graduation Work Permit  but there have been recent updates. Those currently in Canada can now do e-learning and have it count towards their work permit, since in-person classes are temporarily cancelled. And on Tuesday the federal government said international students with a study permit for a program starting in May or June, but who cant get here because of travel restrictions, can complete up to 50 per cent of it online without it impacting eligibility for a work permit.

Kevin Lemkay, press secretary for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, told the Star officials will continue assessing the impact of the current situation and make further adjustments as needed.

President and CEO Denise Amyot of Colleges and Institutes Canada, which represents publicly funded colleges, institutes, CEGEPs and polytechnics, said important decisions can now be made about the spring/summer intake. But the fact students can only complete up to 50 per cent of their program outside Canada is too limiting, she said. That means a student in an eight-month postgraduate program would need to be in Canada by the fall.

We are all faced with a high degree of uncertainty as to how long the pandemic will last and when borders will open, and so we are asking students to make important decisions with incomplete information, she said, adding they shouldnt be penalized if unable to travel to Canada.

Amyots focus is on supporting international students here or on their way over  those approved for a study permit by March 18 when travel restrictions took effect can still enter Canada if they can get here. But shes also keeping a close watch abroad, where some language testing and visa offices are closed and has asked the government to loosen testing rules and relax biometric requirements at visa application centres.

The evolving nature of the situation requires that we engage in constructive dialogue and quickly find solutions to emerging issues, including those related to the ongoing processing of study permits given continued service disruptions.

For those hoping to start college in September, wondering if they too can do e-learning, Amyot will continue asking the government for flexibility and for similar measures to be put in place for the fall.

Paul Davidson, president and CEO of Universities Canada, which advocates for Canadian universities at the federal level, is looking to the fall intake. Thats when 50 per cent of international students enrol in universities and because now is when many are making decisions about where theyll study in September.

(If the infection) curve is not flattened, and in the event that visa processing takes a little longer, we would very much like to be able to onboard students online in the fall  its in the realm of contingency planning at this point, said Davidson. We want to do everything we can to make sure that Canada is a welcoming place  These next six to eight weeks are critical in terms of what the onboarding and the pipeline will look like for the fall for international students.

Billions of dollars are at risk if were not able to enrol international students in September, he said, noting for some universities international students contribute 50 per cent of tuition revenue.

Online registration will keep the door open to international students to come when it is safe to do so and feasible to do so, in terms of permits and processing. And, he said, international student enrolment allows schools to offer more courses and labs, which also benefits domestic students.

Cindy McIntyre, assistant director of international relations for Universities Canada, called Tuesdays announcement a good first step, but noted it doesnt address the fall intake. She said she expects a decision about that cohort will be made within weeks.

The British company QS Quacquarelli Symonds, which analyzes global higher education, surveyed 14,416 prospective international students worldwide on the impact of the coronavirus. Among the 2,846 originally planning to come to Canada, 54 per cent intended to defer entry by a year, 9 per cent wanted to study in a different country and 6 per cent wanted to stay in their home country. Cumulatively, the number of lost applicants for Canada  those choosing another country or opting to remain home  is 15 per cent, which is similar to the United Kingdom. By comparison, it is 26 per cent for the European Union, 14 per cent for the United States, and 13 per cent for Australia.

In recent weeks Earl Blaney, a London, Ont., immigration consultant who is an education agent in the Philippines, has had several dozen clients request deferrals for the spring/summer and fall intakes. They were set to attend colleges such as Niagara, Lambton, Georgian, Conestoga, Seneca and Centennial.

He commended the government for giving students set to begin their programs in May or June the flexibility of doing online studies, but noted it would have been a sensible announcement three weeks ago.

The late notice means many students have likely already made arrangements to travel here and quit jobs back home, while many schools have initiated a flood of deferral offers to students from May to September.

Had this option been available three weeks ago, it would have prevented large losses to the education industry. Schools no longer have the time to market May intake under these circumstances.

For many international students, one of their biggest concerns is being eligible for a work permit. Blaney suggested Canada  a top choice worldwide  can remain competitive by temporarily letting students enrol in programs from abroad and still issuing work permits upon completion so they can eventually come and work here.

(That) would allow tuition revenue to keep flowing during this time, and keep everyone safe ... It is not meant to be long-term, rather a model of accommodation for both sides.

A longer-term decision should be made as quickly as possible, he added, because it could impact whether prospective students see Canada as a viable option for 2021 since many start thinking of possible countries, schools and programs a year in advance.

Even for students who can enter Canada  those issued permits before March 18  Blaney questioned if its wise to come, saying it will be tough for schools to accommodate them for the upcoming spring/summer intake because residences are closed and theres limited staff to assist them.

International intakes are usually all-hands-on-deck affairs, said Blaney, referring to in-depth orientation sessions. In this set of circumstances, students arrive blind and struggle to find their own accommodation. Whats the advantage? Schools get to cash student admission cheques, while the new students get to sit in isolation while taking online studies? Brutal welcome.

Centennial College teacher RM Kennedy, also chair of the faculty division at OPSEU representing 17,000 unionized college faculty, worries about potential job loss, noting If enrolment is down, we could see hundreds of contract faculty not being re-employed.

Theres also a concern about revenue loss, said Kennedy, adding, Weve had decades of underfunding and the whole international strategy was designed to make up that shortfallWithout that revenue the colleges are going to take an enormous hit.

The policy update on Tuesday may alleviate some short-term financial pressure but it doesnt address the need to properly fund and rebuild the college system going forward, said Kennedy, pointing out its unclear if international students will even enrol in online programs.

Another concern is that international students invest a great deal in Canadian education and the opportunity to eventually get work permits and permanent residency.

The exception is currently only for the summer semester, but what if shutdowns continue through the fall? asked Kennedy. If we accept international students, we have an ethical responsibility to support them through the completion of their studies with the ability to enter the country and get (work permits).

International student Amey Jadhav, 27, who is doing a bachelor of business administration program at a Toronto college, was visiting family in India when Canada closed its borders. He could have returned, but decided to skip the upcoming term, despite not knowing how that would impact eligibility for a work permit, which is key because it will help him recoup study costs. Hes completed about half of his program, which costs about $54,000 in total.

Online courses are a very thoughtful and viable option as it saves time that otherwise would have (been) wasted, he said, but noted that in-person learning is much more interactive.

As for Olaifa, shes very happy those scheduled to start in May or June can do online learning thats eligible for a work permit. But shes frustrated the announcement was just made, saying she couldnt afford to wait for a decision and had to defer study plans until September.

Olaifa has a bachelors degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is currently working as a project director at an advertising agency. Her dream was to complete the one-year graduate certificate program at Fanshawe, which costs $16,000, then get a work permit, and apply for residency. Its unclear if that dream will become a reality  or if shell even pursue her studies in the fall.

As for online classes, personally, it is not the best time for me to study right now because of the uncertainties.
A University of Pennsylvania student prepares to move out on March 12 as Penn suspends classes on campus due to the coronavirus scare and arranges to complete the semester online. Read more

In 1952, officials at Dartmouth College met to discuss the latest technological innovation in education: television. They quickly agreed that televised instruction might be good for other institutions, but it wouldn't work for them. Nothing would ever replace the direct professor-student classroom relationship which has been the essence of the Dartmouth educational experience," one administrator predicted.

Thats been a recurring pattern in the history of American higher education: the elites get the real classes, while machines serve the masses. From radio and television to computers and the internet, each new technology allowed more and more Americans to access a college degree. But the privileged schools continued to teach in the old face-to-face manner, which became a privilege in its own right.

Until now. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, everyone is teaching and learning at a distance. And that has sparked a small rebellion at the elite institutions, where students are demanding refunds for online classes that they regard as inferior to what they were getting before.

Heres the open secret: theyre right. Most online instruction isnt as effective as the traditional kind, which is why elite schools have consistently resisted it. And if its not good enough for them, it shouldnt be good enough for anybody else.

Consider a refund petition issued by students at Columbia, shortly after the university announced that all of its classes would be conducted remotely. This transition to online classes represents a notable reduction in educational and instructional quality, the petition declared.

 READ MORE: As coronavirus closes schools, wealthier districts send students home with laptops. What about poorer districts?

Likewise, students at the Tisch School for the Arts at New York University said their school should lower tuition in accord with the lower quality of online instruction. Students will be paying full price for an education that lacks the facilities, equipment, technology, services, and hands-on experience we are explicitly paying for, their petition argued. We reject the assumption that an online Zoom education is equitable in content and value.

To be sure, some elite schools already offer online courses and programs. In 2018, for example, Penn started the Ivy Leagues first online-only undergraduate degree. Like other online programs, however, it was targeted at working adults and other non-traditional students. The regular undergrads get in-class instruction, of course, and they wouldnt abide by anything else.

So why should it be different for others? By 2017, over six million studentsroughly a third of all students in the countrywere taking at least one online course. And the less status and wealth you had, the more likely you were to study online.

Of the mostly working class and minority students who attended for-profit institutions in 2017, almost half were enrolled exclusively in online classes. So were 11 percent of students at public colleges and universities. And whatever type of school they patronized, African-Americans were more likely than any other demographic group to take all of their courses online.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

But theres also growing evidence that people learn less in these classes than they do in face-to-face ones, especially if they arrive with fewer skills. In a 2014 study of over 40,000 students in Washington State, two Columbia researchers found that students tended to perform worse in their online than in their regular classes. The drop-off was sharper for African-Americans and for students with lower grade-point averages.

 READ MORE: Philly teacher: Schools were right not to rush remote learning amid coronavirus | Opinion

In a just world, these students would get the same face-to-face instruction that students at Columbia and NYU normally receive. But in the the real world, they dont. The rich get richer, and the poor go online.

You dont expect Joe Doaks 58 to take Eccy 1 by watching a television set in the tap room of the Psi Gamma house, do you? one Dartmouth official jibed in 1952, referencing the colleges introductory economics course. Nobody expected students at elite schools to study at a distance, then or now. When the coronavirus crisis has passed, these people will get the real thing once again. I wish we could say the same thing about everybody else.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Amateur Hour: A History of College Teaching in America, which will be published in the fall by Johns Hopkins University Press.
Current quarantine regime most likely to be extended until May  PM

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal states that during April the authorities will not exactly depart from the quarantine regime that has already been introduced, which will probably be extended until early May.

"Throughout April, we definitely will not back out from the quarantine regime that has been introduced. It will remain in effect until April 24 and will most likely be extended until early May," Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

The prime minister emphasized that in May, if positive dynamics is observed, the authorities intend to "launch economics" according to the plan, which will be additionally announced.

In addition, Shmyhal denied information about a possible mitigation of quarantine measures from mid-April.
Police will monitor compliance with the restrictions and may fine for quarantine violations.

Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lion has called on the Hasidim not to go on a pilgrimage to the Ukrainian town of Uman amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Read alsoNumber of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ukraine over 1,660 by Wednesday morning

"The Torah tells us to stay as far away from danger as possible. Because of the pandemic, we urge you to comply with local government guidelines. Amid the quarantine period, stay at home," says a joint appeal by the Ambassador, Uman Mayor Oleksandr Tsebriy, Ukraine's Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman and Uman's Chief Rabbi Yakiv Dzhan.

Police will monitor compliance with the restrictions and may fine for quarantine violations.

As UNIAN reported earlier, a wife and two children of a U.S. pilgrim who had died in Uman were tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. He and his family of six arrived in Uman from London on March 11.
Self employed and freelance workers have been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. (Getty)

Millions of people around the world are facing redundancy, job insecurity and income loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the UK, one in 20 people have lost a job because of coronavirus, according to a YouGov poll, while almost one in 10 have seen their hours reduced.

The Universal Credit system has been completely overwhelmed with nearly a million applications in the last fortnight. Under normal circumstances, there are around 100,000 applicants in any given two-week period.

In the US, unemployment insurance claims have soared past 3 million  a record high number that still doesnt include the self-employed and freelancers, who arent eligible for unemployment insurance in several states.

Losing a job can have a significant psychological impact for multiple reasons, including the loss of income, security and status, as well as the anxiety of not being able to pay rent, a mortgage or provide for your family.

Why income loss goes further than financial stress

"While we know that, for most people in the Western society, an increase in income doesnt contribute much to our overall happiness, a loss of income can be pretty devastating, says Nick Powdthavee, a professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School who has researched happiness and wellbeing.

"One explanation for this is loss aversion. For most people, a loss of 100 hurts twice as much as what a gain of 100 could buy us in terms of happiness.

Read more: Can your boss stop you from working from home  and what are your rights?

Another explanation is that losses tend to capture our attention much easier than gains, Powdthavee explains. When we lose our income, it is easy to imagine that well be spending a lot of our time thinking about it, he says. On the other hand, we tend not to spend a lot of time thinking about a pay rise two or three days after having received it. Given that our attention tends to linger more on income loss, we are less likely to adapt to it very quickly.

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Our jobs and careers can also be part of our identity and self-confidence and losing them unexpectedly impacts on our self-worth, adds Alexis Powell-Howard, managing director of Fortis Therapy and Training, a psychotherapist and TEDx speaker.

We lose, too, our role and our income and feel unable to provide for ourselves and family, which can be upsetting and a powerless place to be, she says. When suddenly losing our income, we can feel out of control and panicked, especially in the current COVID-19 circumstances.

Powell-Howard adds it can trigger anxiety, feeling helpless, fearful and vulnerable. We can respond in survival mode as we may feel under threat, meaning we become anxious, and the words what if can become the two words that lead our head to catastrophic thinking  fearing the worst possible outcome, she explains.

How to cope with income loss

When faced with redundancy or a loss of work, it is easy to feel paralysed with fear and anxiety and lose sight of the reality of the situation. Rather than imagining the worst, its important to logically work out what income you actually need to survive, Powell-Howard says.

If you are struggling to do this, ask someone to help you  your brain may not be working in the usual way if you are feeling stressed and anxious, she says. Look to any government support that is available and make your new role, and purpose, about managing what you need for you, your family and commitments.

Find out about taking a mortgage holiday, speak to your landlord  try not to step away from the problem and use worry as your strategy, but instead step towards it, work out practically what you need and who can help you.

It may be that you need to find temporary employment within businesses that are still hiring, so you can afford to live or give yourself time to form a long-term plan. "It would be worth trying to calculate how much money we actually need each day to be happy, says Powdthavee. Can we cut back on things that, by and large, dont contribute much to our overall well-being? Do we really need to have that premium quality coffee everyday? How much do we save from not having to commute to work everyday?

Read more: Why we need to support all self-employed people

People around the world are facing huge life changes and struggles, so you arent alone.

Its worth remembering that we are living through times with many businesses going under so losing ones job is no reflection on ones ability or skills, adds Hilda Burke, psychotherapist, couples counsellor and author of The Phone Addiction Workbook. Many people are taking jobs that normally they would consider themselves overqualified for out of financial necessity. Others are finding creative ways to market themselves or their business to ensure that theyll survive financially during this difficult period.
LONDON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Incredibly, the debate about HS2 has been discussed for longer than Brexit, and yet the government are yet to confirm whether it can fully go ahead.

During this time, speculation has been rife as to whether it will have a positive or negative effect on house prices.

Property Rescue have delved into the details to help homeowners understand exactly what sort of effect HS2 will have on the price of their property.

The study found that there will be both positive and negative fluctuations over the period of build and launch, with potentially an initial negative impact for those within half a kilometre of the line.

Research has found that the disruption caused during construction on similar lines, such as HS1, saw prices drop dramatically, although prices did recover once work was complete.

In the long term, prices are set to increase, with some Birmingham properties already seeing significant rises, in some cases as large as 17% since 2017.

Danny Nieberg, Director at Property Rescue said, "It's common that the disruption caused by major projects can have a temporary negative effect on house prices.

"However, in the case of HS2, faster connections will ultimately prove a huge benefit and boost house prices in cities north of the capital, including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham."

You can view the full report at: https://www.propertyrescue.co.uk/useful-guides-articles/the-impact-of-hs2-on-the-property-market-a-detailed-look/

About Property Rescue

Property Rescue have been buying properties for well over a decade and have an expert team who purchase properties directly from the homeowner without a middleman.

Property Rescue have helped thousands of people sell their houses over the years and can exchange contracts, offering a guaranteed sale in as little as 48 hours, no matter what condition the property is in.

For more information, visit the Property Rescue website: www.propertyrescue.co.uk

SOURCE Property Rescue
President Donald Trump says the United Kingdom has requested 200 ventilators to help them with their battle against the coronavirus.

Trump made the comment Tuesday at the White House during his daily briefing with the Coronavirus Task Force.

The President also sent prayers out for the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is in intensive care fighting the virus.

Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital late Sunday with a fever and cough that persisted 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was moved to the intensive care unit Monday evening after his condition worsened.

Ventilators have been in demand around the United States especially in New York, the state hardest hit so far with COVID-19 positive cases and deaths.

Trump also says the coronavirus is hitting African-Americans harder, according to data on the pandemic.

The President says his administration is trying to address what he termed a tremendous challenge. He said COVID-19 has been showing up in a disproportional way in African-American communities.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the medical community has known for a long time that diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma hit minority populations harder, especially African-Americans.

Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, says it's very sad, but there is not much that can be done right now except to try to give these people the best care possible.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and a 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.
JONESBORO, Ark. - Arkansas State University was placed on lockdown for several hours after a student was shot in the leg early Wednesday in the parking lot of a campus apartment complex, officials said.

University police issued a shelter-in-place warning following the shooting, then lifted it at about 5 a.m., Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said in a letter to students, faculty and staff.

A student was shot in the leg by an unknown assailant, the chancellor said. The student is being treated for an injury that isnt considered life-threatening, he said.

Authorities didnt immediately say what led to the shooting. No arrests have been made.

In-person classes were previously cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic but about 700 of the schools roughly 14,000 students remain on campus, Jonesboro TV station KAIT reported.

Arkansas State is in Jonesboro, which was struck last month by an EF3 tornado. The campus itself did not sustain major damage but hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed in the city.

I know that this news is frightening, especially given all that our campus has gone through the past month, Damphousses letter said. I mourn the fact that we all have one more burden to bear.
A reporter at Tuesday's White House coronavirus press briefing raised the question many, many parents want answered: How soon will the kids be going back to school? This school year is probably out in most of the country, but what about summer school? In the fall?

Vice President Mike Pence, who was at the lectern, thanked America's teachers for adjusting to remote learning. The coronavirus task force will work on "guidance going forward, whether it be summer school or whether it be returning to school next fall," he said, "but the most important thing we can do is put this epidemic behind us as quickly as possible."

Pence turned the stage over to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "Well, my daughter is a school teacher, so she asked me the same question," Fauci said. "I fully expect  though I'm humble enough to know that I can't accurately predict  that by the time we get to the fall, that we will have this under control enough that it certainly will not be the way it is now, where people are shutting schools. My optimistic side tells me that we'll be able to renew, to a certain extent  but it's going to be different, remember now, because this is not going to disappear."

Assuming the U.S. has the ability to widely test for the disease, determine how many people have built up antibodies after surviving the virus, and trace the contacts of newly infected people, U.S. health officials will have a much better grasp of the situation in the fall, Fauci said. "All of these things are going to go into the decision of just how much back to the original way we'd like it to be in the fall. Bottom line is no absolute prediction, but I think we're going to be in good shape."

More stories from theweek.com

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Globally the Argan oil market share as one of the fastest growing unconventional oil segment is estimated to escalate at a higher growth rate which is supported by the rising mass consumers demand for natural and healthy products. Rapid urbanization and increased disposable income have led to consumers inclination towards aromatherapy and spas which also has a positive impact on this market. Demand for organic and natural skin care products among the mass population is also driving the market of Argan oil.

The increasing sale of Argan oil is driven by rising awareness among the consumers about the beneficial properties of Argan oil. High antioxidant content of the oil makes its application more significant in personal care products due to the anti-ageing property the oil imparts. Rise in consumption of healthy food products has supported the sale of Argan oil in the global market. Increasing disposable income and economy development is also found to fuel up the market demand of unconventional oils such as Argan oil. The consumption as well as production of Argan oil is found to be high in Middle East and African region and is evaluated to increase at a growth rate in various countries of North America, Europe and Asia Pacific region.

Argan Oil Market Research

Consumption of organic Argan oil is growing at significant rate based on high consumers demand for chemical-free products in order to reduce the harmful effects imparted from such products. Increase in demand for effective personal care products especially among the female population has resulted in increased sale of Argan oil across the globe.

Sale of Argan oil through supermarkets and hypermarkets is found to be high on a global level. This is due to consumer convenience and preference for one-stop shopping experience. In addition, based on the adoption of advanced technology by the consumers into their daily routine and convenience shopping experience, the sale of Argan oil through e-commerce is found to escalate at a growth rate.

Argan oil manufacturers across various regions follow the strategy of improving their existing product line by adding innovations for their business expansion. Due to this the application of Argan oil is increasing across various industries. In the Middle East and Africa region, Morocco is among the dominating countries holding a major share in Argan oil market and exports the product in various other countries which include U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, and others.

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Argan Oil Market Regional Analysis

The Global Argan Oil Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Middle East and Africa (Rest of the World) holds a major market share followed by North America. High demands for healthy oils with widespread applications from the developed countries of these regions are contributing to the positive growth of Argan oil market. Morocco, U.S., the Netherlands, China, U.K., and Japan are the major importers of Argan oil.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Cancer patients were warned by a medical expert today that tumours could become inoperable as their treatment is delayed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Professor Gordon Wishart said a delay of two or three months for some types of cancer 'might make the difference between a tumour being operable or inoperable'.

The Check4Cancer chief medical officer also suggested NHS hospitals should treat only coronavirus patients, leaving private clinics to take on those with cancer.

It comes as high-priority NHS cancer patients are being treated at private hospitals from this week with up to 20,000 of them set to benefit over the coming months.

The delays to operations are also despite 20,000 former NHS staff agreeing to return to the Health Service to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Professor Gordon Wishart said today that a delay of two or three months for some types of cancer 'might make the difference between a tumour being operable or inoperable'

He told BBC Radio 4: 'We run national networks of diagnostic clinics, and so we work with a lot of different consultant surgeons who all work in the NHS as well.

'What we've been hearing during the last two weeks is increasing evidence that patients with different types of cancer are experiencing delays both to their diagnosis and then more recently to treatment.

NHS hospitals 'should only treat coronavirus patients to free up private clinics' Check4Cancer chief medical officer Gordon Wishart has suggested NHS hospitals should only treat coronavirus patients to free up private clinics to take on people with other time-critical conditions. He claimed it would be 'advantageous' to use the NHS hospitals and Nightingale centres for all coronavirus patients. Professor Wishart, whose Cambridge-based firm provides private cancer screening, said this would then free up the private hospitals as a 'coronavirus-free environment'. That would allow them to provide 'rapid access to diagnosis and treatment for all patients, NHS and private patients, for time-critical conditions such as cancer'. Professor Wishart, who is also visiting professor of cancer surgery at Anglia Ruskin University, said cancer patients are facing delays to their diagnosis and treatment. An NHS England spokesman has been contacted by MailOnline for comment about Professor Wishart's proposals. Advertisement

'Some patients are having operations cancelled, without knowing when the operation is going to be reinstated, and I think in terms of diagnostics, outpatients are really grinding to a halt.'

Speaking to the Today programme, Professor Wishart added: 'Most outpatient consultations are now by telephone, so that patients can be prioritised or even cancelled sometimes.

'So it's really sad that the great diagnostic and treatment pathways which we've had in place for many years appear to be significantly impacted now by both the pandemic and the response to the pandemic.'

He said it was 'incredibly difficult' to diagnose people over the phone, adding: 'The longer the restrictions stay in place, the more worrying this gets that it could start to have an impact on outcome and survival of these patients.'

It also emerged today that some cancer patients have been asked to 'make their own mind up' as to whether or not to continue with treatment during the pandemic.

In some cases it may be deemed that treatments and surgeries are too risky to perform in the current medical climate.

But leading cancer charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) said decisions about care should always be a joint one between doctors and their patients.

The charity has received calls to its helpline from concerned patients who have been told that their treatment is on offer but it is up to them whether or not they undergo further care.

Staff outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel in London for its opening last Friday

Meanwhile, other patients have raised concerns that blanket decisions have been made on whether or not they will receive treatments and surgeries.

Cancer patient faces more chemotherapy after his operation is cancelled due to virus Cancer patient Alistair Tulloch was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer last autumn and has had an operation cancelled due to the coronavirus. He said that he was 'quite lucky' because it was caught early and therefore was only stage two and had not invaded any other part of his body. Mr Tulloch had intensive chemotherapy in January and February, and was due to have an operation at the end of last month which would have removed all of the cancer from his body. But he told BBC Radio 4: 'Two days before I received a call because it had been cancelled because the mortality rate had gone up for 1 to 40 odd per cent because of the Covid-19 infections that were within all of the hospitals within London. 'I'm going to have some more chemotherapy, slightly different, and radiotherapy. This is a stopgap which will get me by until basically my surgeons and doctors feel that it will be safe enough to carry out this operation. 'One understands fully how difficult a decision it was for my medical team. 'My specialist nurse when she rang me up was almost in tears saying that in over 20 years of her specialist nursing she'd never ever thought they'd have been in a position where they were stopping cancer operations because of something else.' Advertisement

NHS officials in England have told hospitals that essential and urgent cancer treatments must continue.

It has advised specialists to discuss with their patients whether it is riskier for them to undergo or to delay treatment at this time. At present, around a third of calls to the helpline are about coronavirus and cancer.

Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at CRUK, said: 'We have had a couple of calls from people where patients have said that the doctors have asked them to make their own mind up about whether or not to continue with treatment, which is obviously very difficult to do.

'The treatment has been on offer but these people have said 'look there is a lot of risk associated with it so it's actually up to you'.

'The decision should always be a joint one about whether to have treatment. The difficulty here is there is this whole new variable chucked into the mix which is making it very hard.'

He added: 'We have heard anecdotally that some people feel like the decisions have been made to cancel operations or to not continue a treatment and it has been a blanket decision - they're not necessarily hearing from their doctors that this is something that has been done on an individual basis, it's just a case that the hospital is overwhelmed so we can't do this at the moment.

'Obviously we can't validate those stories but anecdotally we are hearing a mixed picture of people being offered reasonable decision, and perhaps in some instances decisions are being made about treatment in a more blanket way.'

Macmillan Cancer Support said that it is an 'anxious' time for people with cancer.

Director of policy Steven McIntosh said: 'Over a quarter (28 per cent) of all calls to our support line last week were from cancer patients concerned about coronavirus.

A Rutherford Health private cancer centre in Newport, South Wales, is taking on patients from an NHS centre in Cardiff, in one example of how a private hospital is now helping NHS patients

Ambulances outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in London yesterday

'Even in a time of crisis, decisions must be made with cancer patients, according to their individual needs for critical care and treatment, as well as their vulnerability to coronavirus.'

NHS cancer nurse whose own treatment was cancelled is set to begin surgery privately NHS cancer nurse Heather Wilson, 55 An NHS cancer nurse whose own treatment was cancelled due to the coronavirus is set to begin surgery in a private hospital tomorrow. Mother-of-three, Heather Wilson, 55, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, had been diagnosed with a rare cancer that had spread in February. She was due for surgery this month to remove her ovaries and part of her small and large intestine and assess the damage the cancer had caused. But last month she was told the NHS operation had been postponed for at least five months due to the pandemic. However, her family managed to raise 50,000 from well-wishers in just over a week on GoFundMe so she could have the procedure done privately. Her surgery is expected to begin tomorrow, although it is now unclear whether the family will still need to spend the money on the treatment, given the deal agreed between the NHS and private hospitals this week. Ms Wilson said: 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart doesn't seem enough to show my gratitude for your kind words, messages, songs of inspiration and last but by no means least your hard earned cash.' Advertisement

As part of the NHS action plan to tackle coronavirus, health officials have secured the use of almost all private hospitals across the country. Officials have said that they should be used for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

NHS bosses have also said that given that the 'Covid situation' is likely to last for some time, local hospitals should still provide care through 'ring-fenced facilities' rather than deferring care.

For instance, in London cancer services across the capital are now being co-ordinated by a specialist 'Cancer Hub' led by The Royal Marsden and University College London Hospitals.

Patients will remain under the care of their doctor or nurse specialist at the trust where they are currently being cared for, however they may move to another site for surgery.

High-priority NHS cancer patients will be treated at private hospitals from this week with up to 20,000 of them set to benefit over the coming months.

Health officials at NHS England have agreed a deal with Britain's three biggest private cancer clinic networks, HCA UK, Rutherford Health and Genesis Care.

Up to 5,000 patients a month can now be treated at the clinics amid fears the NHS is already missing cancer waiting time targets and could face a huge backlog.

Thousands of patients have already had treatment cancelled, including NHS nurse Heather Wilson, 55, of Grimsby, whose family raised 50,000 to get her into a private hospital.

High-priority NHS patients, who are ranked between one and three on a six-point scale, will now be given treatment at the private clinics.

The deal was struck between NHS England and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), which represents the private operators.

Meanwhile cancer breakthroughs have been thrown into jeopardy after a leading charity revealed it would be slashing its research budget by up to a fifth.

Cancer Research UK yesterday announced it would be cutting 44 billion from its portfolio, including developments of new cures and tests.

The charity - which funds nearly half of Britain's cancer research - said the pandemic was having a 'huge impact' on its lab work and fundraising abilities.

Many of its labs have donated equipment and chemicals to the Government to ramp-up its coronavirus testing capacity, or in some cases their scientists themselves.

They include the Francis Crick Institute in North West London - normally a major cancer research centre - which is now undertaking 3,000 virus tests a week.

At the same time, Cancer Research UK is predicting fundraising income will fall by 25 per cent this year due to the closure of its 600 shops and suspension of events.
Boris Johnson is 'improving' in hospital after two days in intensive care battling coronavirus, Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed this afternoon.

In news that will come as a relief to the nation he said that the Prime Minister had also been sitting up in bed after two nights in St Thomas's Hospital in London.

Fronting the daily news conference, Mr Sunak began by giving an update on Mr Johnson's condition, amid questions over his treatment in the lead up to his hospitalisation.

'The latest news from the hospital is that the prime minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving,' Mr Sunak said,.

'I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: 'So good that the PM is sitting up and his condition is improving. He will fight through!'

In news that will come as a relief to the nation Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the Prime Minister had also been sitting up in bed after two nights in St Thomas's Hospital in London

A woman sticks a poster of a rainbow, being used as a symbol of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the words 'we are in this together' into a window at 10 Downing Street today

No10 tonight confirmed that Mr Johnson 'continues to make steady progress' but remains in intensive care.

Downing Street had earlier confirmed that the PM has not been doing any work, although they said he has been in contact with aides.

There are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.

There are also questions about the PM's care while he was in isolation, amid suggestions he was not physically monitored and only consulted a doctor by video link.

There are claims that social distancing rules were being flouted in Downing Street as the crisis developed, with meetings in cramped rooms and people coughing freely. Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson was among the first frequent visitor to become infected.

Tory MPs are calling for a review of the premier's medical arrangements, saying the lack of protection has been 'exposed' by the latest crisis.

The UK leader has starkly different health support than in the US, where the president has a dedicated medical team and emergency facilities constantly on standby.

Mr Sunak said the care received by Mr Johnson had been 'excellent'.

Paramedics were at work at the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCel centre in London today

Boris Johnson's fever is said to have dipped in a positive sign as he remains under constant observation at St Thomas' hospital (pictured today) in central London

He said: 'I think the Prime Minister has received excellent care and advice every step of the process.

'At the end of the day, we're all trying our absolute best, none of us are superhuman and impervious to getting sick during this process and that's what makes this whole thing so awful for all of us.

'But as I've observed and seen, the advice, the care has been excellent, not just beforehand but especially now at St Thomas'.'

Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS England medical director, added: 'I'm absolutely confident the Prime Minister has and is receiving excellent medical care.

'I'm not his physician, he will have been advised by his own doctors, but I do know colleagues at St Thomas' Hospital, in fact a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to visit St Thomas' Hospital, visit some of the critical care consultants, and I can't tell you how impressed I was.'

A cleaning van in Downing Street today as the PM remains in hospital nearby

Images show the Prime Minister's changing appearance as his battle with coronavirus continued from (top row left to right) March 27 and 28 and (bottom row left to right) April 1 and 2

Churchill had personal doctor who travelled with him in WW2 Winston Churchill had a personal doctor who travelled with him during the Second World war as he struggled with health issues behind the scenes. The PM suffered a mild heart attack while at the White House in Washington in 1941, just a year after taking over in No10, and contracted pneumonia two years later. In 1949, while opposition leader, he suffered a stroke on holiday, which affected his health to the extent that the King gently suggested he resign as PM in 1951 in favour of Anthony Eden. Churchill suffered a second one during an official dinner at No 10 while in office in 1953, leaving him paralysed on one side. His aides and family conspired to keep news of his illness out of the press, at a time when the Cold War was very chilly and there were fears he may not survive. Eden's own illness meant that Churchill did not quit until 1955. He suffered a third stroke the following year and died in 1965. Advertisement

Conservative PM Marcus Fysh told MailOnline the situation was party an historical anomaly due to the different political systems.

'We've got a constitutional monarchy so the monarch is the head of states and has all of that. In America the President is head of state, so that is probably why it has come through in this way. But it is worth considering whether there should in future be special measures for health within the No10 operation.

'I had the privilege of visiting the White House a couple of years ago... all his food is cooked by the US Navy.

'He has got a special water system that is protected and separate from the rest of the public system. It is very well organised.

'They are prepared for every eventuality there in a way I guess has been exposed that we need to think about a bit more.'

'It is worth keeping these things under review because we need to protect our decision makers.'

Mr Fysh said he believed the PM would 'bounce back' and was now 'in very good hands' at St Thomas'. These are teams that are at the top of their game,' he said.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, but the potential issues caused by Mr Johnson's absence have been underlined as the crucial review of lockdown measures was postponed.

Health minister Edward Argar confirmed this morning that consideration of whether the draconian measures should still apply was being postponed. Pressed on when the review will happen, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'When the scientific advice is such that we appear to have gone over the peak and it is safe to do so.'

Meanwhile, there are tight limits on Mr Raab's control of government, as he cannot hire or fire ministers and will not have audiences with the Queen, although No10 insists the UK's military response and nuclear deterrent have not been compromised.

Downing Street is expected to give a formal update on the premier's condition later, after saying last night the he is 'stable'.

Patients who rush back to work risk relapse, warn experts Coronavirus patients who rush back to work could find themselves so exhausted they need to take further time off, a respiratory consultant has said. Dr Jon Bennett, respiratory consultant at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and chairman of the British Thoracic Society, said it can take several weeks to recover from coronavirus even after the major symptoms disappear. The medic, who has treated around 60 to 70 patients with Covid-19, told the PA news agency that many factors affect recovery, including a patient's age, underlying health conditions and the severity of their illness. Dr Bennett is himself still recovering from coronavirus, after suffering sleepless nights with muscle pain, a headache and mild cough. He said many patients needing oxygen for Covid-19 had evidence of pneumonia, which can have long-lasting effects. 'With pneumonia, the bug comes, the body fights off the virus and (that) may last a few days, but the lungs get filled up with shall we say bruising and it can take several weeks for the lungs to sort that out. 'For some people, the symptoms can take several weeks to settle. 'People suffer fatigue and lethargy and it can take six weeks to recover from it. 'For some that have been to critical care, it can take longer and they may have permanent damage to their lungs.' Duncan Young, professor of intensive care medicine at the University of Oxford, said UK evidence suggests the commonest stay on an intensive care unit (ICU) for patients who survive Covid-19 is four days, but a quarter stay for eight or more days. 'In general the time in hospital depends on what co-morbidities a patient has, what the acute illness is that required ICU treatment, and the duration and intensity of ICU treatment.' Advertisement

According to the Times, his 'persistent' temperature has finally dropped while he has been in hospital.

At the daily Downing Street press briefing last night, Mr Raab said he is 'confident' the PM will pull through after a worsening of his coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Raab stressed that they could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be 'responsibly done'.

Downing Street confirmed the review would take place after the three-week mark originally committed to.

But the emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the PM's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16.

The news came despite cautious optimism from chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance that the fight against Covid-19 'could be moving in the right direction'.

Sir Patrick said there were signs that the rates of new infections and new hospital admissions for Covid-19 were 'flattening off'.

But he added it would be another 'week or so' before they could be sure, indicating lockdown measures would not be eased before then.

President Donald Trump claimed overnight that the UK was 'desperate' for ventilators and had called the US with an urgent plea for 200 to treat the sickest patients.

'We're going to work it out, we've got to work it out,' he said. 'They've been great partners. They wanted 200, they need them desperately.'

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, finally admitted yesterday that the UK needed to learn from the example of Germany where the number of deaths appeared to be growing more slowly.

'We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus and there's a lot to learn from that and we've been trying to learn the lessons from that,' he said.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured in Whitehall today) has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, and chaired the government's daily coronavirus meeting this morning

Chris Whitty and Matt Hancock were in Downing Street for the daily crisis meeting today

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson was among the first frequent visitors to Downing Street to become infected

Updating the nation on the PM's condition, Mr Raab said he remained stable and had not required a ventilator but had received 'standard oxygen treatment' while breathing without assistance.

'I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this Prime Minister, he's a fighter and he'll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order,' he said.

He said that ministers would not 'blink or flinch' from following the instructions Mr Johnson had set out before he was admitted to hospital.

But he appeared reluctant to say whether he would be prepared to take a decision to break with the PM's strategy while he was still in hospital if he believed a change of direction was necessary.

'He's asked me to deputise for him for as long as is necessary, but the normal Cabinet collective responsibility and principles that inform that will apply,' he said.

The latest official figures from the Department of Health showed that 6,159 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday - an increase of 786 on the previous day.

However, Sir Patrick said there were signs the number of new cases 'could be moving in the right direction'.

'It's possible that we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit. We won't know that for sure for a week or so,' he said.
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Facebook and YouTube are cracking down on the pervasive conspiracy theories linking the spread of coronavirus to 5G wireless technology.

Facebook on Monday announced it would begin to actively remove false claims that link COVID-19 to 5G and could lead to physical harm.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has reduced the number of accounts users can forward chats to from five to one.

We are taking aggressive steps to stop misinformation and harmful content from spreading on our platforms, and connect people to accurate information about coronavirus, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by company rep Andrea Vallone.

Facebook will continue to work closely with governments and other tech companies to remove harmful misinformation, the spokesperson noted. The company has partnered with health authorities like the World Health Organization and the UK National Health Service to connect people to the latest official guidance.

Meanwhile, Google-owned YouTube has banned all videos promoting 5G-coronavirus conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy Theories Rampant

One of the bogus theories circulating online ties the origin of the coronavirus in Wuhan to the rollout of 5G technology in the city.

Another claims that Bill Gates invented the false threat of pandemic to cover up the harm caused by 5G.

Five years ago, Gates warned about the danger of a pandemic, and his foundation has been funding research on a coronavirus vaccine.

A number of celebrities have echoed the false claims, including actor Woody Harrelson.

However, countries without 5G wireless, such as India, Iran, and African nations, also have been hit by the pandemic.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In the UK, conspiracy theory believers have threatened telecom engineers and burned cellular phone masts.

The mayor of Liverpool became a threat target after he condemned the 5G-coronavirus conspiracy theory.

UK lawmakers have suggested the rumors might be the work of organized disinformation campaigns.

In the United States, theres speculation that Russia has been pushing the conspiracy theory through influencers.

We know for a fact that Russian and Chinese agitators have been propagating this myth for some time, said Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Its wrong to conflate the push towards 5G with the spread of coronavirus, he told TechNewsWorld. A real scientific debate and clinical trial should be put in play to prove or disprove this conspiracy theory.

Facebooks Push

The first conspiracy theories about 5G and Wuhan appeared on Facebook in late February. Users were flagging anti-5G groups for spreading misinformation by early March.

Memes making the false claims picked up speed this month when some celebrities latched onto the conspiracy theory, noted Liz Miller, principal analyst at Constellation Research.

All the while Facebook kept saying that in order to protect free speech, the only thing that could possibly be done was to flag or mark the misinformation, she told TechNewsWorld.

Facebook could have easily addressed these anti-5G posts in March, let alone when they first started cropping up in 2019, Miller noted, but chose to side with the misinformation over the truth to show its adherence to free speech principles.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Facebook has been playing martyr, she suggested, with its portrayal of Sisyphus and his never-ending quest to push the rock of ethics and freedom up different hills.

Social media platforms can ban users for espousing different points of view from the mainstream, Wang maintained, because they are communities, and not considered media. If you want to be a part of the community, you follow their rules  and thats not freedom of speech.

By the time Facebook took decisive action, the false claim had spread widely, Miller said.

This isnt just a case of misinformation, she argued. Its a case study in the industries that profit from that, and then must feign embarrassment and launch heroic policies to combat it.

Facebook took action to limit advertising, Miller said, but the vast majority of this conspiracy is not passed along by advertising.

YouTube Ramps Up Efforts

YouTube on Monday began reducing how often its algorithm surfaced videos linking coronavirus to 5G technology in user recommendations.

On Tuesday, YouTube banned all such conspiracy theories, following a livestream interview with noted conspiracy theorist David Icke.

YouTube deleted the videos content after the BBC asked why it had not taken action earlier, despite knowing about the livestream. It will allow the interviews host to keep earnings generated through the Super Chats tool but will give its own share of the proceeds to charity.

YouTube will review the channel involved in the controversial livestream.

YouTube has pledged to take the following steps:

Quickly remove flagged videos that violate its policies prohibiting the advocacy of medically unsubstantiated methods to prevent coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment. These include any content that disputes the existence or transmission of COVID-19 as described by the WHO and local health authorities;

Reduce recommendations for borderline content that could misinform users in harmful ways;

Consider barring users who repeatedly break the rules from using YouTubes Live tool;

Consider barring repeat offenders from earning money from their broadcasts; and

Terminate offending channels as a last resort.

Assessing the Social Media Clampdown

Facebook has done a reasonable job, said Constellations Wang. They have huge teams responsible for policing and also have teams that prevent political riots off false information.

It is not likely that social media platforms will be able to police everything, though, observed Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

AI is going to help but its not perfect, he told TechNewsWorld. There should be a way where  like on Craigslist  users can flag objectionable speech and the platforms can then decide whether or not to take it down. At this time, when theres a pandemic, we have to do something.

People can be hurt when bogus health claims go viral online, especially when endorsed by celebrities, Constellations Wang warned.

Blinded by Lack of Science

I had the driver of an Uber car I was in tell me hes concerned about millimeter waves, McGregor remarked.These waves cant even penetrate the leaves of a tree, which means youre safe.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection in March released updated guidelines for implementing 5G technology.

There have been longstanding concerns that overexposure to microwave and radio frequency radiation might impact peoples health.

However, according to ICNIRP Chair Eric van Rongen, PhD., the organizations guidelines protect against all scientifically substantiated adverse health effects due to electromagnetic field export in the 100 kHz to 300 GHz range.


TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - WeWork's parent company, We Company, said it has filed a lawsuit against Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. for failing to consummate a $3 billion tender offer for the company's shares.



After WeWork's failed attempt at an initial public offering last year, SoftBank acquired a majority stake in the office sharing company in a bailout, severing most ties with WeWorks' co-founder Adam Neumann.



Under the rescue package, SoftBank agreed to take a controlling stake in WeWork and also offer significant funding to the company. The company said it will provide $5 billion in new financing and launch a tender offer of up to $3 billion for existing WeWork shareholders.



WeWork filed the lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery, accusing SoftBank of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty to WeWork's minority stockholders, including hundreds of its current and former employees.



WeWork alleged that Softbank is avoiding completion of the tender offer under increasing pressure from activist investors.



'Softbank first tried to thwart the roll-up of WeWork's joint venture in China, and then claimed that the conditions to closing the tender offer - one of which is the roll-up of WeWork's joint venture in China - were not met,' WeWork said in a statement.



WeWork noted that SoftBank has already received most of the benefits provided to it under the master transaction agreement or MTA, including broad control of WeWork and additional economic benefits.



Last Thursday, SoftBank said it decided to terminate the tender offer as several of the closing conditions were not satisfied by the April 1 deadline.



The Japanese company cited pending criminal and civil investigations into WeWork, failure to restructure a joint venture in China and global restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons for terminating the tender offer.



SoftBank also noted that Adam Neumann, his family, and large institutional stockholders such as Benchmark Capital would have benefited most from the tender offer.



In March, SoftBank said it plans to buy back up to 500 billion yen or about $4.76 billion of its stock, taking a step advocated by activist investor Elliott Management to boost stockholder value.



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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Supreme Courts Chief Justice on Tuesday recommended that mayors courts around the state postpone non-essential court hearings and release from custody people whose health problems make them susceptible to serious illness should they catch the coronavirus.

Chief Justice Maureen OConnor made the recommendations in a guide to to mayors courts, which are generally locally operated courts that handle minor misdemeanor and traffic cases, and small claims.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created unprecedented times for the judiciary and the bar of Ohio, and these challenges also exist in mayors courts, Chief Justice OConnor said. While there is no one solution appropriate for every court, there are a number of options that may be considered under existing authority.

The guide says that courts that have hearings that cannot be postponed must follow public health guidelines and take the temperature of all visitors for the hearing, and turn away those who have a fever or have signs of illness. Those who do attend hearings must remain six feet apart and wear masks.

It also says local courts must release people who are being held in jail if they are in a high-risk category for being seriously infected with the virus either because of age or diagnoses including asthma, cancer, heart disease, lung disease and diabetes. Courts may continue to house someone in jail if there is clear and convincing evidence that release would present a substantial risk of harm, the guide says.

It also suggests that courts:

postpone non-essential court appearances, which are any hearings that are not necessary to protect a persons health, safety or housing, or to prevent an imminent harm,

use technology, such as videoconferencing, telephone conferencing or e-filing, to conduct as much business as possible,

and update the public on access to the municipal building and case updates through the local courts or citys websites, social media accounts and other means.

The guide is in addition to suggestions OConnor has made for courthouses around the state, including announcing that the public health epidemic allowed courts to pause cases without affecting speedy trial rights.

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio, some courts moved swiftly to postpone court hearings and jury trials in an effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, while others did not. Some judges also failed to follow their courts administrative orders.

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SAO PAULO, April 7 (Reuters) - Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes has reached an agreement with aircraft lessors to defer lease payments with a grace period of six months, according to a securities filing on Tuesday.

The company also said it has rolled over short-term maturities with local banks and increased credit limits, besides extending corporate bonds amortization to 2022. (Reporting by Carolina Mandl Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
The CARES Management page gives employers one central location to manage this new legislation

On Friday, April 3, Netchex released an update to their COVID-19 Response Portal giving employers an easy way to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program as part of the CARES Act, the latest Federal coronavirus relief legislation. Netchex, a Payroll and HR services company, in March released their COVID-19 Response Portal with solutions for employers to institute, track, and remain compliant with new coronavirus-related laws.

From Netchexs new CARES Management page, businesses can:



Review information on qualifications and restrictions for these credits to make an informed decision.

Opt-in or out for the Social Security Deferral credit and the Employee Retention Credit.

Upon opting into one or both of these credits, the Netchex system will automatically populate invoice credits against their tax liability.

Passed Friday, March 27, the CARES Act is a $2.2 trillion stimulus package that provides small businesses with almost $350 billion in cash flow assistance through one-hundred percent federally guaranteed loans. These new paycheck protection loans will help employers continue to cover payroll costs and other expenses during the COVID-19 crisis from February 15, 2020 to June 30, 2020.

To apply for this loan, companies will need to provide their average monthly payroll amount, the loan amount they are requesting, and the number of jobs they pay for. To help accurately gather these amounts in time to process applications, Netchex has created a new custom report for clients to easily access this information.

New legislation is being enacted every week and clarifications are still coming out for previously passed laws, explains Netchex CEO, Will Boudreaux. We cant start developing these updates once all the dust settles. Our clients need these solutions now. We want to give them the tools they need immediately and continue to update them as needed.

The COVID-19 Response Portal also includes easy EFMLEA and Paid Sick Leave management, allowing businesses to track, calculate, and pay emergency leave wages in just a few steps.

Simply enter the dates of leave for impacted employees and the Netchex system will take care of the rest. Netchex will calculate daily hours, regular rates, and the available balance of leave to be taken to ensure all new federal regulations are followed properly and tracked correctly.

The payroll process will automatically populate hours and amounts of leave for each employee under the specified earnings code, as well as apply the daily caps as outlined by the new law.

Using payment history from earning codes, Netchex is also able to track all eligible tax credits related to the Federal legislation.

Additional tools and services offered by Netchex can also help businesses remain functioning & compliant during this unprecedented time, including: an HR support center, employee self-service, virtual benefits enrollment, digital task management, and paycardsall backed by in-depth analytics and reporting, as well as award-winning customer service.

About Netchex:

Founded in 2003, Netchex has become one of the industrys fastest-growing payroll and HR service providers. Netchexs single-source solution is a cloud-based, end-to-end platform for managing the employee lifecycle from hire to retire. With powerful, yet easy-to-use technology and award-winning customer support, Netchex currently services over 4,000 clients. Headquartered in Covington, LA, Netchex has offices in Atlanta and Dallas with representatives nationwide. Please visit https://netchex.com for more information.
Update: On Wednesday, Cdr. John Fage, spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said the sailor's test is still inconclusive and no sailors aboard the Nimitz have tested positive.

"There are no confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on board USS Nimitz at this time," Fage said. "Sailors that had been in close contact with the individual were also removed from the ship as a precaution and placed into quarantine. That sailor remains off the ship."

He added, "Regarding the second Nimitz sailor that has been reported as positive for COVID-19, they tested positive while out of the state on leave in early March. That sailor remains in that location and has not been to or aboard Nimitz since departing the area on leave."

Another aircraft carrier has confirmed a case of coronavirus in a crew member, according to a news report.

Citing three U.S. defense officials, Politico reported Tuesday that a sailor on board the carrier Nimitz (CVN 68) has tested positive for COVID-19. The sailor's test came back positive last week after the individual exhibited symptoms on board, Politico said.

Another crew member also has coronavirus, but the member has not been working on the carrier, Politico said.

A U.S. defense official told Military.com on Tuesday that a Nimitz-based sailor, who displayed symptoms was placed into isolation in late March out of an abundance of caution, was tested twice in recent days. However, both tests came back inconclusive.

The carrier is the fourth to reportedly have a case of the highly contagious disease among its crew.

Related: Acting SecNav's Public Apology Was Ordered by Defense Secretary Mark Esper

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, based in Bremerton, Washington, has been readying for a deployment, Politico reported. The Nimitz strike group is part of the U.S. 3rd Fleet, which coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet to conduct missions throughout the Pacific.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, which reported its first COVID cases on March 24 and now has more than 200 among its crew, had to be sidelined in Guam to offload thousands of sailors in an effort to manage the outbreak.

Capt. Brett Crozier, who commanded the Roosevelt, was removed from his job after a letter he wrote about the situation on his ship was sent to people outside his chain of command last week. Then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly on Thursday fired Crozier, calling the leak of the letter -- not the letter itself -- an "uncharacteristic lack of judgment."

Modly resigned Tuesday following a a visit to the Roosevelt to deliver a speech in which he suggested the Crozier was "too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this." The remarks became public and sparked major backlash, with former officials and lawmakers calling for Modly to step down.

The Roosevelt, which has more than 5,000 people onboard, joined two other carriers that had reported cases last month.

The USS Ronald Reagan, forward deployed in Japan, said two sailors on board had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 27, according to a report from Fox News.

The Kitsap Sun reported on March 23 that a member of the USS Carl Vinson's crew was also diagnosed with COVID-19.

-- Gina Harkins contributed to this report.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Read more: Get 'A Pair of Scissors:' Army Grooming Standards Still in Effect, Officials Say
New York Times opinion columnist Thomas Friedman avoids the fire-breathing rhetoric of his colleagues, men such as Frank Trump has no soul Bruni or Paul the markets will never recover Krugman. Instead, Friedman tries to present himself as a reasonable man from the Midwest. His problem is that the Times, where hes worked for almost 40 years, is a bastion of some of Americas hardest left politics. Friedman no longer has any idea what reason and moderation in politics look like, leading to an unintentionally funny column.

Friedmans latest idea to cover for Joe Bidens increasingly obvious mental incapacity is to pick his administration in advance. Friedman already pushed this notion back in February, when he promised Democrats that they could overwhelm Trump in November by doing something extraordinary  forge a national unity ticket the likes of which they have never forged before. (And yes, the Times really does allow that kind of allow prose from its writers.)

In February, before the Times became concerned about COVID-19, Friedman thought that Biden could turn things around by promising to hire every hotshot Democrat and RINO, from Amy Klobuchar as Veep and Kamala Harris as Attorney General, to celebrity leftists such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (whom he liked as the U.N. ambassador), to RINOS like Mitt Romney for Commerce Secretary and William McRaven for Defense.

Things have changed since February, so Friedman is back with a new iteration of the same idea. This time, hes going to have a different kind of unity government, one thats bigger than the Democrats and RINOs in his last effort. Now, he says that its not enough to have woman for Vice President. Instead,

Biden needs to go much, much further: At the Democratic convention he needs to name not just his vice president, but his entire cabinet. And it needs to be a totally different kind of cabinet  a national unity cabinet  from Democrats on the Bernie Sanders left to Republicans on the Mitt Romney right. Why? Because while most people are playing nice right now managing this virus, the wreckage, pain and anger it will leave behind will require megadoses of solidarity and healing from the top.

Putting aside the fundamental vapidity of this idea, what makes the opinion piece incredibly funny is Friedmans idea of what constitutes the political gamut from left to right. His column is weirdly reminiscent of Dorothy Parkers famous remark that Katherine Hepburn, during her early days on Broadway, ran the gamut of human emotion from A to B.

Friedman begins by establishing the basic beliefs that members of this hypothetical national unity government must possess. Lo and behold, all of these ideas are Democrat principles, from believing in science as if its a thing, not a process; to an unquestioning acceptance of anthropogenic climate change; to supporting big government' to pushing socialized medicine. Friedman is so ensconced in his Times bubble that he cant imagine a world in which decent, competent people dont believe in these ideas, let alone a world (the real world) in which these ideas consistently fail.

Showing that hes not only foolish but is also faddish, Friedman has thrown over Amy Klobuchar as his Veep pick (thats so February!). This time around, he wants as Veep Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who opted against hydroxychloroquine because Trump touted it, before demanding it because it saves lives. She also made the patently untrue claim that Trump had instructed his administration. not to help her state. As Trump would say, "Loser!"

Other unity ideas? Having Elizabeth Warren, the shrewish socialist, oversee the trillions of dollars in coronavirus spending; making activist judge Merrick Garland the Attorney General; having Mitt Romney (whose Massachusetts governorship was where Obamacare really started) as Secretary of State; and giving Al Gore the EPA. Friedman also continues to love having AOC at the UN.

Lesser-known figures are there too. For Education Secretary, he wants Laurene Powell Jobs (Steve Jobs widow), who founded the Emerson Collective, a hard-left organization that pushes climate change, illegal immigration, and other social justice ideas. Hed give the Defense Department to Michele Flournoy, a Clinton and Obama bureaucrat who led the charge against Romneys claim that Russia was a geopolitical foe. It was only when Trump came along that Russia became the enemy.

The whole thing is ridiculous. Friedman comes across as the political equivalent of Mickey Rooney when the latter insisted that, with hard times a 'comin', all the kids had better put on a show:

Mostly, though, its a pathetic article. The reality is that Joe Biden is rapidly lapsing into complete incoherence and Trumps opponents are throwing everything theyve got into wrapping so much padding around him that no one will notice that theres a man with senile dementia heading the Democrat partys presidential ticket.

Joe Biden loses his train of thought several times in one sentence: "I, you know, but I think that, you know - I think if there's an election, if there was an election, if people - depending how many showed up, I think I'll have done well, but who knows" pic.twitter.com/RuUmj6yBrH  Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 8, 2020
Playful, ambiguous, sensuous  the alluring art of Jean Arp

A poet, painter and sculptor, the man known as Jean Arp by some and Hans Arp by others was one of the most innovative and inexhaustible artists of his time

Jean Arp was born in Strasbourg in 1886, to a French mother and German father  and tends to be known in German-speaking countries by the alternative name of Hans Arp. After studying at the Academie Julian in Paris, he moved to Munich in 1912, where he became friends with Kandinsky and was briefly involved with the German Expressionist group, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). At the outbreak of the First World War, he fled for the neutral city of Zurich, where his artistic career began in earnest.

Arp was a gifted poet and painter, though its as a sculptor that hes best remembered  for his reliefs, and his smoothly rounded, biomorphic forms, above all. In November 2018, one of these, Demeter, fetched $5,825,000 at Christies in New York, the highest price ever paid for an Arp at auction. Barbara Hepworth, one of numerous sculptors he influenced, called him extraordinary and said that seeing Jean Arps work for the first time freed me of inhibitions. He received a host of awards across his career, including the prestigious Grand Prize for Sculpture at 1954s Venice Biennale, and in 1960 was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.

Arp was one of the most innovative and inexhaustible artists of his time, says Valerie Didier Hess, Specialist and Associate Director of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christies in Paris. He invented  and re-invented  his artistic vocabulary constantly. Dada, automatic drawings and letting go In Zurich in 1916, Arp was one of the founder members of Dada, an anarchic movement that protested the way so-called reason (on the part of world leaders) had precipitated a war in which millions died. Dada aimed to destroy the rational deceptions of man and recover the natural and irrational order, Arp claimed. His contributions included dragging his artworks through the street on a lead. Shortly after arriving in Zurich, he met fellow artist, Sophie Taeuber, who became a crucial collaborator of his for many years. They married in 1922. With Sophies help, Jean produced a landmark set of collages known as Papiers Dechires, in which he tore paper into pieces, dropped those pieces onto a larger sheet of paper, and pasted each scrap wherever it fell. A fine example, Untitled (Collage with Squares Arranged According to the Law of Chance), is part of the Museum of Modern Arts collection in New York. True to Dada philosophy  which embraced all things random and irrational  the Papiers Dechires left a huge chunk of the creative process to chance. This was something of a game-changer in the visual arts, which until then had always striven for a high level of artistic skill and control. In a similar vein, Arp produced a series known as his automatic drawings: works in which he deliberately let go of conscious intention and allowed his pen or pencil to roam where it wished. This freestyle approach would later influence Jackson Pollock and the Abstract Expressionists. Arps ambiguous forms: veering towards abstraction Jean and Sophie moved to Paris in the mid 1920s, eventually settling in a house, which she designed, in the suburb of Clamart, in the citys south-west. Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp and James Joyce were regular visitors.

Arps work in the 1920s was dominated by wooden bas-reliefs that he sawed into elaborate shapes and then painted. In La Femme amphore, for example, the form of what looks like a woman can be seen emerging, as a relief, from what the title suggests is an amphora. Arps shapes are deliberately playful and ambiguous, however, often veering towards abstraction  and one might easily see La Femme amphore as depicting a foetus in a womb instead.

The biomorphic sculptures In the 1930s, Arp began to create his most famous works: the sensuous biomorphic sculptures in materials such as marble and bronze. These would remain the wellspring of his art for three decades.

Where the wooden bas-reliefs hung on walls, these were fully three-dimensional and placed on floors. What the sculptures do share with the bas-reliefs, though, is that they come in allusive, near-abstract shapes. Most of them evoke nature in a certain way, resembling curious life-forms with some combination of human, animal and vegetal elements  the key point being that theyre wide open to interpretation. Take the streamlined Entite ailee (Winged Entity), for example  might this be an avian or angelic being, or perhaps a seed pod borne on the wind?

I only have to move my hands. The forms that then take shape offer access to mysteries and reveal to us the profound sources of life  Jean Arp

Arp admitted that, even with these works, he left a great deal to chance. I dont reflect, he wrote in 1963. The forms come: pleasing or strange... Theyre born of themselves I only have to move my hands. The forms that then take shape offer access to mysteries and reveal to us the profound sources of life. Arps sculptures fail to depict a specific subject because he himself never had one in mind; he gave titles to his works only after hed completed them. In the case of Demeter, it may seem to depict the eponymous figure from Greek mythology, in her role as the mother of Persephone: with wide hips evoking abundant fertility and a tilted head suggesting protective care. Demeter was also the goddess of agriculture, however, and one might well see this sculpture as a germinating plant instead, with a new growth unfurling upward.

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Tragedy and acclaim  the late-career Arp In 1943 Sophie died in a tragic accident, succumbing to carbon-monoxide poisoning. A grief-stricken Jean would stop making sculpture for a few years and seek solace through reading ancient Tibetan and Christian mystic texts. When he did return to sculpture, it was similar in style to his previous work but, broadly speaking, even smoother and more lustrous. His final years were filled with prizes and recognition, including a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1958. Arp died in 1966, aged 79. His influence extended far and wide: from Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Isamu Noguchi to the American minimalists of the 1960s and 1970s.

Investing in works by Arp: where to start? For those new to Arps market, his lithographs and other prints offer what Didier Hess calls an excellent place to start. They boast exuberant, distinctively Arp-ian shapes, yet come in at a relatively low price point. Demand is definitely growing, Didier Hess says of the market for the artist's work in all media and genres. His oeuvre has become better appreciated in recent years. Auctions have helped to emphasise his ingenuity and versatility.
A misheard word turned into a hilarious incorrect caption on Jacinda Ardern's latest coronavirus update.

The New Zealand Prime Minister discussed the COVID-19 lockdown on Wednesday afternoon and urged people to stay at home over the Easter weekend.

During her live address she told New Zealanders to 'enjoy your staycations' but this was miscaptioned as 'enjoy your steak Asian'.

Jacinda Ardern delivered a coronavirus update on Wednesday afternoon where she was misheard saying 'staycation' and the TV captions told people to 'enjoy you steak asian'

Radio broadcaster Marcus Lush shared the captioning mishap to his Twitter using the hashtag #steakasian.

The image prompted several jokes and shares and one commenter sarcastically said: 'We're really enjoying the steaks here. I love New Zealand.'

The TVNZ 1 channel has their closed captioning provided by a third party.

Ms Ardern used the press conference to emphasise that police had shared a clear message to the public in regards to staying home over Easter.

She said: 'Alert level 4 lockdown remains in place and there's absolutely no change to the rules.

'That means churches and other places of worship will remain closed over Easter weekend.'

She urged religious New Zealanders to use tools such as Zoom and YouTube to connect with their communities over the weekend.

The Prime Minister (pictured) urged New Zealanders to stay home over the Eastern Weekend

'Please do stay at home, save lives and enjoy your staycations,' was Ms Ardern's overall message.

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

Australians have also been warned to stay at home over the Easter break to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Police have vowed to exercise zero tolerance for those heading to popular holiday spots, with jumping in the car only legal for trips to the local supermarket, chemist, work or a funeral depending.

The crackdown will come on top of the usual double-demerit period for Easter, which starts at midnight Thursday in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia.

Anyone who breaks the COVID-19 measures in New South Wales is liable for a $1,000 fine, with the same penalty also applying in Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Queenslanders can expect to pay $1,334.50, while in Victoria it's $1,652 and in the Northern Territory it's $1,099.
As official health guidelines on wearing face coverings in public shift, some parents are wondering whether their children should be wearing masks when they go outside.

The answer, in short, is yes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children 2 years and older should wear "cloth face coverings" when they are "in the community setting" to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Other CDC guidelines specify that face coverings should be made from "simple cloth ... fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials," noting that people should not wear surgical masks or N-95 respirators needed by health care workers and medical first responders.

Download the TODAY app for the latest coverage on the coronavirus outbreak.

Why should children be wearing masks?

Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a family physician and youth development speaker, said that since children are more likely to spread the virus, they should wear masks as often as possible.

"Kids are much more likely to be asymptotic carriers or presymptomatic carriers, so ... we do a lot of good when we say, 'Hey, in addition to washing your hands, and please stop licking things, we'd also like you to wear a mask,'" Gilboa told TODAY Parents. "We really want to slow and stop the spread of this, and we're seeing in data from other countries that kids are actively involved, entirely accidentally, in spreading this."

Video: CDC on potential treatment for coronavirus-linked illness in kids

Dr. Jamie Macklin, a pediatric hospitalist at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, stressed the importance of not allowing babies and children under 2 to wear masks.

"Babies and young toddlers have smaller airways," Macklin said. "Breathing through a mask can be harder for them. Using a mask on an infant can increase their risk of suffocation."

Gilboa agreed that babies and toddlers should not wear masks that "could be a choking hazard," telling parents to make sure that the material and strings do not pose risks to little ones. Macklin said the CDC also tells people not to put masks on anyone who may not be able to remove the mask by themselves, providing yet another reason why babies should not be masked.

Story continues

When should kids wear masks?

Gilboa said kids should wear masks whenever they leave the house. This way, they won't "forget" to put them on if they encounter people.

"We don't want to count on kids remembering," she said. "If we're going to send them and say, 'Drop this outside Grandma's door and then leave,' we might tell that kid not to get within 6 feet of other people on the sidewalk or whatever, but it doesn't mean they're going to pull that off. It's a reasonable time and place to say, 'If you're going for a walk, you should wear a mask.'"

Macklin said that with babies and children under the age of 2, parents can take measures like maintaining social distancing and putting a cover over a baby carrier to keep kids safe.

"Even though infants and toddlers aren't supposed to be wearing these masks, parents should still be social distancing and avoiding public areas," Macklin said. "If going out is absolutely essential, we would recommend covering the baby seat itself with a blanket to help protect the baby but give them the ability to breathe comfortably."

Gilboa also cautioned that parents needed to remember that masks aren't meant to prevent children from contracting the coronavirus.

"Masks are the same as social distancing," Gilboa said. "We do it to protect each other. ... I wear a mask to protect you, and you wear a mask to protect me."

How can parents get their kids to wear masks?

Gilboa said children might not be too excited about wearing masks, but there are ways to get them more on board with the process.

"Have them make it and decorate it," she suggested. "It was the same thing with bike helmets when we first started requiring kids wear them. Lots of parents said, 'They don't like how they look, they're not comfortable, they're not cool, my kid won't do it.' ... We said the same things. Can they pick out their bike helmet, can they decorate it, can they pick the color? If you can give your kid some autonomy about it, not about when or where but about what, that might help."

To get kids more on board with wearing masks, Gilboa said it's important that adults "model the behavior that they want to see" from their kids  which means they should wear masks whenever their kids are being asked to wear masks. Gilboa added that it's important for parents to have empathy while still enforcing the boundaries.

"Treat it exactly the same way you treated them wearing pants when they didn't want to," Gilboa said. "'Sorry, sweetie, it's a rule. You can't go outside without pants. Now, because of what's going on, you can't go out without wearing a mask.' ... I can have empathy for the fact that they don't like it, but that doesn't change the rules."

She also said it's important to help kids understand that wearing face coverings and masks will help other people afflicted with coronavirus or affected by social distancing.

"Kids are looking for stuff they can control," Gilboa said. "There's research that shows that kids are less likely to do something to keep themselves safe, but more likely to do something to keep other people safe. ... Help them feel like the hero that they are by wearing that mask."

This story was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated.
Prince Harry and Meghan have said goodbye to their Sussex Royal brand but the name of their new foundation has a lot of fans confused.

After announcing that they were stepping down from royal duties, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were told by Queen Elizabeth II that they could no longer use the royal brand going forward. On April 6, the couple announced the name of their foundation will be called Archewell, but fans dont have a clue how to pronounce that. Read on to find out the different ways its being said, plus two other royal names fans have been mispronouncing.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Fans are trying to figure out how to pronounce Harry and Meghans new brand

The prince and former Suits star have trademarked the unique name of their foundation, which will be launched at a later date.

The pair told The Telegraph that they intend to do something of meaning, to do something that matters when their organization is up and running.

Before SussexRoyal came the idea of arche  the Greek word meaning source of action, the duke and duchess said in a statement. We connected to this concept for the charitable organization we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our sons name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters. Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon. We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.

So just how is Archewell pronounced? Archie-well? Ark-EE-well? AR-kay-well?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Owen Humphreys  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Within hours a YouTube video was uploaded giving a pronunciation for the charitable organization that sounds more like Arch-a-well, which only added to the confusion.

It looks like well just have to wait for Meghan and Harry to fill everyone in on the correct way to say it.

Other names royal fans have been mispronouncing

Archewell isnt the only name royal fans have had a little trouble pronouncing. Theres been some debate over how to say the first name of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridges youngest son, Prince Louis. After his birth on April 23, 2018, fans were unsure if Will and Kate were going to adopt the American pronunciation of the name Lou-ISS or the French pronunciation of Lou-EE.

A video then began circulating online of William and Kate reciting their wedding vows and in it, they use the French pronunciation with a silent s when saying the dukes full name which is William Arthur Philip Louis.

The first name of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of Yorks youngest daughters name has also confused fans for years until Princess Eugenie set the record straight herself telling The Sun its pronounced Yoo-junnee, with an emphasis on the Yoo.

Whenever we used to meet foreign people who were struggling with it, my mum and I would help them by saying, Its like Use Your Knees, the princess said, adding, But whatever. I am now used to every pronunciation.

Read more: Royal Fans Are Having Trouble Pronouncing Queen Elizabeth IIs Favorite Cocktail
Karnataka reports 5th COVID-19 death; 6 fresh cases

India

pti-PTI

Bengaluru, Apr 08: A 65-year-old man from Kalaburagi district became the fifth COVID-19 fatality in Karnataka, where six new positive cases were confirmed, pushing the tally in the state to 181, the health department said on Wednesday.

The man with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), died at a designated hospital in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, a day after being shifted from a private hospital where he was initially treated for two days. "On April 4, he had got admitted to a private hospital, on April 6 he was shifted to ESI hospital, where he passed away," Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar told reporters here.

The private hospital had been locked and its entire medical team quarantined, he said, adding a notice had been served on it for act of "criminal negligence" (by not referring the patient to designated hospital) and will be followed with a police case.

"He was suffering from SARI, on collecting his sample, tests have revealed that he was positive....investigation is on to find how he got infected," the Minister said.

Noting that the hospital, in this case, did not refer the patient to the designated hospital and kept treating him for two days, he appealed to all private healthcare facilities to inform authorities if anyone showed any indications for COVID-19. "As of 5 PM on April 8, cumulatively 181 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 5 deaths and 28 discharges," the health department said in a bulletin.

Out of the positive cases, 71 are those who had come back from foreign countries, while remaining 110 are contacts and those who had gone to Delhi, the Minister said. Kumar also said an expert committee comprising Narayana Health founder-chairman Dr Devi Prasad Shetty and Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences director Dr C N Manjunath among others, constituted to devise an exit strategy for the lockdown, has submitted its reports with various recommendations to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. The chief minister and officials were examining it which was likely to come up before the cabinet meeting on Thursday after which the details will be shared, he added.

The health department said the six fresh cases reported on Wednesday included the elderly man from Kalaburagi who died. Among the positive cases are a woman from Uttara Kannada with history of SARI and contact of a Dubai returnee, a 72- year-old woman from Kalaburagi, who is a mother of a patient that tested positive for the disease; a man from Mandya with contact to two patients. Others include a man from Chikkaballapura with travel history to Delhi and a woman from Bengaluru also with a travel history to the national capital. Contact tracing is in progress for all the cases, the bulletin added.

The department said out of 148 active cases in the state, 146 COVID-19 positive patients (including 1 pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals are stable and two in ICU (one each on oxygen and ventilators). It said out of total of 181 cases in the state, six are transit passengers of Kerala.

Bengaluru accounted for the highest in the state with 63 cases, followed by Mysuru (35), Dakshina Kannada (12) Bidar (ten), Uttara Kannada and Kalaburagi (9 each), Chikkaballapur (8) Belagavi (7), Ballari (6), Bagalkote (5), Mandya (4) Davangere, Bengaluru Rural and Udupi (three each), and Kodagu, Tumakuru, Gadag and Dharwad one each.

Those discharged include 16 from Bengaluru, four from Dakshina Kannada, two each from Uttara Kannada, Kalaburagi and Davangere, and one from Bengaluru Rural; while among those dead are two from Kalaburgari and one each is reported from Bengaluru, Bagalkote and Tumakuru.
GM Signs Defense Production Act Contract to Build Ventilators

General Motors (GM) is the first company to sign a government contract under the recently invoked Defense Production Act (DPA), with a commitment to producing 30,000 ventilators as the COVID-19 surge strains supplies.

The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) announced Wednesday that GM has signed the contract, worth $489.4 million, under the Korean War-era emergency statute.

President Donald Trump invoked the act around two weeks ago after criticizing GM for not moving quickly enough to manufacture the life-saving devices amid the fast-spreading CCP virus outbreak.

Trump said in a March 27 statement that the action will help ensure the quick production of ventilators that will save American lives.

Our negotiations with GM regarding its ability to supply ventilators have been productive, but our fight against the virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course, the president said at the time.

Under the contract, General Motors will supply the ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile, with a June 1 deadline for delivery of the first batch of 6,132 devices. A GM spokesman told CNBC that production is expected to start next week.

General Motors said in a statement Wednesday that is working with ventilator manufacturer Ventec Life Systems with speed and urgency to arm frontline medical professionals with the critical care ventilators they need to treat seriously ill patients.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement that the ventilators will be routed through the Strategic National Stockpile to where theyre needed most.

The Trump administration has deployed thousands of ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile that have helped save lives in hotspots such as New York so far. Were grateful to the GM team for working with the federal government to expand our nations supply of ventilators as the pandemic evolves, Azar said.

We remain dedicated to working with the administration to ensure American innovation and manufacturing meet the needs of the country during this global pandemic, GM said.

This comes after GM said earlier it would build around 10,000 new ventilators per month at its plant in Kokomo, Indiana. In an April 6 tweet, the company said training was underway for the first wave of employees who volunteered to build the devices.

We expect to ramp up to mass production in less than two weeks, GM said.

Training is underway for the first wave of employees who have volunteered to build @MyVOCSNs life-saving ventilators at our Kokomo, IN, plant. We expect to ramp up to mass production in less than two weeks. Learn more about our rapid progress: https://t.co/NacKQprNVp pic.twitter.com/OHAOO4HK8L  General Motors (@GM) April 3, 2020

Among those training to make ventilators is Debbie Hollis of Kokomo, GM said in a statement.

I have family all across the country, so [the CCP virus] has impacted everybody that I know and love, Hollis said. Im grateful that I get a chance to do my part and be a part of something  we are modern-day Rosie the Riveters.

GM said employees would be subjected to numerous safety procedures to minimize the risk of contagion amid the pandemic, including extensive screening, cleaning, and other CDC-recommended procedures.

The men and women building these ventilators raised their hands to help save the lives of people suffering from COVID-19, said Dr. Jeffery E. Hess, GM corporate medical director.

The company said the Kokomo team working on ventilator construction would grow to over 1,000 staff members.
Even as governments all over the world are scrambling to control the coronavirus outbreak, the disaster that this pandemic has brought along with it has impacted the socio-economic viability of all strata of society. The challenge today is to strive towards a higher level of understanding between the central government, state governments, panchayats, corporate sectors, civil societies, and citizens to ramp up the preparedness for mitigating the damage and expanding the cure.

Though we have a robust legal framework including constitutional protection, the current situation has brought the malleability of the legal framework to test by necessitating a realignment of laws to contain the spread of the pandemic by prioritising life over personal liberty and at the same time ensuring the continued and uninterrupted flow of essential commodities and services.

The Constitution of India under Article 355 places a duty on the central government to protect all states against external aggression and "internal disturbance" and to ensure that the common governance of the state is carried on in accordance with the constitution.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India Highlights: 20 COVID-19 hotspots sealed in Delhi

Interestingly, Entry 29 of the Concurrent List under the constitution empowers the central as well as state governments to legislate on matters pertaining to the prevention of infectious or contagious diseases spreading from one state to another. Further, the state governments are empowered to deal with the matters related to public health and public order which are listed at state list Entries 1 and 6, respectively.

Accordingly, even before the country-wide lockdown, the government of National Capital Territory (NCT) has through an order dated March 22, 2020 imposed a limited lockdown within the NCT region and has stipulated the conditions of the lockdown, which vary from the definition of 'essential services'.

For instance, all public transport, except for 25% of DTC buses, were not permitted to operate during the lockdown period, whereas the services/establishments allowed to operate, are restricted to offices charged with law and order and magisterial duties, police, health, fire, prisons.

Fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, the legislative assembly of Delhi, print and electronic media, banks, telecom/internet and postal services, e-commerce of essential goods, food items, take away/home delivery in restaurants, chemists, petrol pumps, animal fodder etc.

These measures were to be in force until March 30, 2020. Similar measures by way of notifications were also adopted by other state governments such as Maharashtra, Telangana, etc.

Further, in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic on a national level, the central government, on March 24, 2020, announced a 21-day lockdown across the country until April 14, 2020 by invoking The Disaster Management Act, 2005 ("DMA 2005").

An order has been issued by the central government directing the various ministries and departments of the central, state and union territories to implement the measures prescribed under law. To address the current epidemic outbreak, the central government has included COVID-19 to be a notified disaster, a critical medical condition or pandemic situation.

While the invocation of DMA, 2005 has ensured the restriction of movement except for activities related to the movement of essential commodities and services.

To ensure continued supply and prohibition of hoarding of essential commodities, simultaneously provisions of century-old Epidemic Diseases Act (EDA), 1897 have been invoked that allows states to take appropriate measures that are needed to implement the prevention of infection, and anyone contravening the provisions is amenable to prosecution, including imprisonment up to six months (the penalty varies with the severity of the disobedience).

Also Read: Now all goods - essential and non-essential - can move in coronavirus lockdown

EDA gives the power to take special measures and prescribe regulations against dangerous epidemic disease. Under the EDA, temporary provisions or regulations can be imposed on the public to tackle or prevent the outbreak of a disease.

It may also give authorities the power to inspect "persons travelling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease".

Invoking the provisions of the EDA, the government of NCT has also issued the Delhi Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 for the prevention and containment of COVID -19.

A question that may arise in the present situation is the possibility of conflict in the directions issued by the state governments with that of the central government.

The answer is two-fold. Firstly, in terms of Article 254 of the constitution of India, in case of any inconsistency between the laws made by the Parliament and the laws made by the legislatures of states, the laws made by the Parliament shall prevail. Secondly, Section 72 of the DMA, 2005 provides that the provisions of the said act shall have an overriding effect on all other laws, to the extent that there is any inconsistency between them.

It may be possible that invoking DMA and EDA are not sufficient to ensure the smooth functioning of the normal life of people. Unarguably, securing the availability of certain necessary items and their regular supplies are equally critical.

The objective is on one hand to enforce a lockdown to curb the spread of the virus and on the other hand to ensure that our country can navigate through the challenges brought about by such lockdown by maintaining essential goods and services.

To achieve such a holistic goal and to ensure continued supply and prohibition of hoarding of essential commodities, the following laws have been put in place-Essential Commodities Act,1955 (ECA) and Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1981 (ESMA).

The government has brought certain items within the ambit of essential commodities under ECA and has ensured supply of essential services under ESMA to continue throughout the country.

ECA, since its inception, has been used by the governments to regulate the production, supply and distribution of a whole host of commodities, it declares 'essential' in order to make them available to consumers at fair prices.

Under the ECA, the central government may, if it thinks that it is necessary to maintain or increase supplies of any essential commodity or make it available at fair prices, regulate or prohibit the production, supply, distribution and sale of that commodity.

Accordingly, the central government issued a notification dated March 13, 2020 under Section 2A(2) of the ECA categorising "masks (2ply & 3ply surgical masks, N95 masks) & hand sanitizers" as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020.

This was followed by a notification dated March 21, 2020 whereby the prices of masks (2ply & 3ply), the Melt Blown non-Woven Fabric used as a raw material in production of the masks, masks (2ply & 3ply) and hand sanitisers were regulated by the central government up to March 30, 2020.

Essential services, on the other hand, under ESMA provide for the maintenance of certain essential services to ensure the regulation of normal life of the community.

As per Section 2(1)(a) of ESMA 'essential services' includes any postal, telegraph or telephone services, any railway or transport services, services in connection with any major port, armed forces of the union or with the production of goods for any purpose, connected with defence, sanitation or water supply, hospitals or dispensaries, banking, production, supply or distribution of coal, power, steel or fertilisers etc. or any other service connected with matters with respect to which the Parliament has the power to make laws.

Therefore, the definition of essential services is expansive and covers within its ambit various services.

Through the guidelines, the government has redefined the scope of essential services during this on-going pandemic. Unlike the ESMA, all transport services, except for those required for transportation of essential goods, fire law and order and emergency services have been prohibited.

All hospitals and allied services such as chemists and pharmacies are allowed to function. The penalty for violating the aforesaid measures has been prescribed under the DMA, 2005, which includes imprisonment for up to two years for various offences. This is apart from Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

Therefore, the government has taken into account, the extraordinary requirements of the present situation and has accordingly tailored the services which are allowed to operate during this pandemic.

Sadly, the lacuna in the system still lies in a well-coordinated implementation of combative measures. Despite the fact that the Disaster Management Act has come into force in 2005, yet the preparedness in mitigation efforts and response mechanism including coordination among different central ministries, state governments, and grass root bodies such as Gram Panchayat, civil societies, corporate sector and citizens seem to be inadequate.

This resulted in chaos over the initial days of lockdown, witnessing a mass exodus of migrant workers from one state to another. The remedy appears to be in concerted efforts under an organised structure with participation of local, state and central bodies for strengthening the disaster risk reduction efforts, which have been put in place, for the time being.
The Tablighi Jamaat has been in the eye of a storm since last week, when hundreds of Covid-19 affected people across the country were found to have links with a congregation (ijtema) of indeterminate duration at the Jamaats markaz headquarters in Delhis Nizamuddin Basti in March.

Started as an Islamic reform movement, the Tablighi Jamaat traces its origins to the Mewat region, where it was founded by Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas in 1926.

Till today, Meo Muslims continue to form the core of the Jamaat movement, with a large majority of Meos subscribing to its tenets.

Meo Muslims are spread across the once contiguous belt of eastern Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Culturally, this area spanning the three states is known as the Mewat region. Meos embraced Islam in various phases, between the 15th to the 17th century, and some of them continue to follow syncretic practices.

Siddique Ahmed Meo, community historian and author of books on Mewats history, said the Jamaats origins in Mewat could be traced back to a time when labourers from Mewat, now officially known as Nuh, commuted to Delhi in search of work.

According to the 2011 Census, the Nuh districts population was about 1.09 million, of which the majority were Meo-Muslims. According to Meo, around 80% of the present-day population of Nuh district is made up of Meo Muslims.

People from Mewat would travel to Delhi for work and halt for lunch near the masjid in Nizamuddin, before proceeding ahead with the journey. Maulana Ilyas took notice of the labourers and enquired about them one day. Through conversations with the Meos, he realised that while they were Muslims, they did not have a good understanding of Islamic practices, said Meo.

Driven by his interactions with Meos in Nizamuddin, Maulana Ilyas visited Ferozepur Namak in Mewat for the first time in 1925. He started surveying the region and over subsequent visits, he came to the understanding that Meo Muslims needed to be introduced to Islamic practices and brought back into the fold.

A panchayat was called in Nuh and a charter consisting of names of 103 people was shared. Some 31 proposals aimed at laying the groundwork for the Jamaat were passed in that panchayat. Finally, in 1926, the Jamaat started undertaking trips to reach out to people and spread the message of Islam, said Meo.

He added that more than 90% of the people in Mewat identified themselves as Tablighi and the organisation exercised considerable influence in the region. The aim of the Jamaat is to ensure that Muslims become better Muslims. It seeks to get Muslims to adopt practices followed by the Prophet Muhammad. All Meos might not go for the chilla (40-day Islamic camp), but they owe allegiance to the Tabligh, said Meo.

Tablighi Jamaat, Meo said, was also involved in various social interventions in present-day Mewat.

Tablighi Jamaat has been a strong proponent of eradication of practices like dowry in Mewat. Whenever they hold their ijtemas (Islamic congregations), they conduct mass nikah (marriage) ceremonies for people without any involvement of dowry. The Jamaat also seeks cooperation of imams in promoting polio eradication drives or preventing alcoholism and drug abuse in Mewat, said Meo.

Shail Mayaram, author of Resisting Regimes: Myth, Memory and the Shaping of a Muslim Identity, which discusses the Tablighi Jamaat, said it was a non-political outfit whose foundation was laid in Mewat. Tablighi Jamaats aim is not to capture political power. They are only driven by the goal of making Muslims better Muslims. They focus on religious practice, one that is often seen as being conservative in nature, said Mayaram, who is also a professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Mayaram said the Jamaat was hugely popular in Mewat and Meos played an important role within the organisation of the outfit.

Mewatis have a significant role in the Jamaat administration. Over the years, Mewatis both in India and Pakistan have become closer to the Jamaat, she said.

Mayaram added that the support of the Meos to the Jamaat in the decades after Partition was significantly influenced by excesses that Meos faced during the Partition.

In my view, the belief in the Jamaat can also be explained by the violence that Mewatis experienced during Partition. It led to a shift in the identities and how they navigated their ways in the changing landscape. The circumstances led to a strengthening of the Jamaats case in the region, said Mayaram.

According to several local residents, Tablighi Jamaat supports two madrasas  one each in Nuh and Ferozepur Jhirka. It has a markaz (centre) in Nuh which coordinates activities with the centre in Delhi. Arshad, a Nuh resident, who owes allegiance to the Jamaat, said two congregations take place in Nuh every year where members of the Jamaat come together. Earlier, the jalsa (gathering) would be a one-day affair. Since last year, a three-day gathering has started taking place. There is no fixed schedule or venue for the gathering. It takes place in different villages every year, said Arshad, who goes by his first name.

Since the beginning of this year, the Jamaat has not conducted any congregation/gathering in Mewat. Usually, the congregation happens in April, after the harvest of crops. People are relatively free during this time. There has not been any update on that front this year, said Arshad.

However, hundreds of locals are believed to have been at the congregation in Nizamuddin last month. The police identified at least 270 of them and isolated them in Government Polytechnic College in Malab and Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Nuh earlier this week. According to the health department, at least seven of them had tested positive for Covid-19 by Sunday.

Shahid Ali, an advocate with the Tablighi Jamaat, said that while there was no written count of the members of the Jamaat; most people in Mewat subscribed to the Jamaat. The organisation has a loose structure and there is no recorded membership, but the Jamaat traces its origin to Mewat due to which it is widely popular in the region. There is no fixed schedule for any congregation or gathering. Members of the Jamaat travel to Mewat for prayers, just as they visit other places across the country and beyond, said Ali.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would put a hold on America's funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of becoming China-centric during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see. It's a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that's no good, Trump told reporters at his daily White House conference.

Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States.

We pay for a majority or the biggest portion of their money. They actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it. They were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn't want to -- they're very -- they seem to be very China centric, Trump charged during his conference.

Trump said his administration is going to look into the US funding to the WHO.

We give a majority of the money that they get, and it's much more than the USD58 million. USD58 million is a small portion of what they've got over the years. Sometimes they get much more than that. Sometimes it's for programs that they're doing, and-it's much bigger numbers. If the programs are good, that's great as far as we're concerned, he added.

But we want to look into it, World Health Organization, because they called it wrong. They (WHO) called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier. They would have known and they should have known and they probably did know. So, we'll be looking into that very carefully, and we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO, Trump said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jim Risch, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the WHO handling of the COVID-19 response.

The WHO has failed not only the American people, it has failed the world with its flagrant mishandling of the response to COVID-19, said Risch.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' apparent unwillingness to hold the Chinese Communist Party to even the minimum standard of global health and transparency hindered the world's ability to blunt the spread of this pandemic. It is completely unacceptable that the world's global health organization has become a political puppet of the Chinese government, he alleged.

An independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response is imperative," he asserted.

The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO.

Our valuable tax payer dollars should go towards investments to prevent the spread of disease, not to aid and abet cover-ups that cost lives and isolate portions of the world's population on political grounds, as has been the case with Taiwan, Senator Risch said.

A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers on Tuesday announced Tuesday to introduce a resolution to defund the WHO until its Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus resigns and an international commission investigates the organisation's role in covering up the Chinese Communist Party's failed COVID-19 response.

The WHO helped the Chinese Communist Party hide the threat of COVID-19 from the world and now more than 10,000 Americans are dead, a number that is expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler alleged.

The United States is the largest contributor to WHO. It is not right that Americans' hard-earned tax dollars are being used to propagate China's lies and hide information that could have saved lives. This bill will hold the WHO accountable for their negligence and deceit, he asserted.

The United States' intelligence community has reported that the Chinese government hid the threat of COVID-19 and, as a result, made it difficult for the rest of the world to respond early, appropriately and aggressively, said Congressman Fred Keller.

For reasons beyond understanding, the World Health Organization acted as a silent partner in this effort instead of protecting the lives of millions across the world, including hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not go to a global organization more concerned with not offending the Chinese government than providing accurate information and protecting innocent lives, Keller said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When employees work remotely from home or other locations, the normal rules of course and scope can become complicated and confusing. The same is true of subrogation potential. When the employee is injured in their home, subrogation targets tend to shrivel up and blow away. Cybersecurity can also be greatly compromised when an employee utilizes an unsecured or public Wi-Fi source and works from home using an unsecure personal laptop, notebook, cell phone, or other electronic device. In the wake of the global pandemic involving the COVID-19 coronavirus, employees across the globe are being told to work from home or given that option. Claims handlers and subrogation professionals should be aware of the many legal nuances that arise when employees work from their couch or the local Starbucks.

The cost savings of having employees work from home has made such an arrangement a growing phenomenon. But injuries occur at home just like they do in the workplace. As a general rule, if an employee deviates from performing their job for a personal benefit and is not furthering the business of the employer, then any injury that occurs during the period of deviation is usually not considered within the course and scope of employment and, therefore, is not covered. Once the employee returns to the workplace or returns from the deviation to the course of employment, then any injury that occurs after that point is covered. This line is fairly bright when you have employees leaving the office and traveling to lunch. But is a trip and fall while walking to the refrigerator for lunch when working at home considered in the course and scope?

Horseplay is usually not a covered activity in most states. If the employee is feeding their cats or emptying a litter box while at home, is it covered? When the instrumentality of the injury is solely within the province of the employee and the employee can say just about anything regarding what caused the injury and when it occurred, employees injured while working at home must be handled differently for purposes of both the initial claims handling and subrogation. Different questions must be asked, and different standards must be adhered to.

Claims concerns and nuances involving remote employees is not limited to worldwide pandemics. According to a report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics published in 2010, nearly 24% of American workers reported routinely doing some or all of their work from home. A recent study revealed that more than 60% of the worlds work force works at least one day a week remotely and that almost 50% of all employees work half the week outside of the office.

Employers who are concerned with workplace safety have little or not control over the employees home office environment. The challenges are not the employers alone, either. Employees also have increased challenges and risks when working from home. It is much more difficult to prove that an injury was work-related because there is usually less evidence available in these home office scenarios. An accident at a business or job site may have witnesses or be caught on security footage. Work at home employees are often all by themselves while they work, so there is often no one present to corroborate a sudden injury or accident or to help determine the precise conditions of the injury.

In Verizon Pennsylvania v. Workers Compensation Appeal Board (Alston), 900 A.2d 440 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006), the employee was working remotely at home when she fell down the stairs to her home office and injured her neck. She was working from her basement and left her basement office to go upstairs to the kitchen to get a drink. She returned in a hurry to answer a ringing telephone and fell down the stairs in the process. She filed a claim insisting that she was furthering her employers business interests at the time (trying to answer the ringing phone) but was doing so while returning from getting a drink. The employer argued that she was not in course and scope because she had gone upstairs to get a drink.

In Pennsylvania, in order to establish a right to compensation under the Act, Section 301(c)(1) requires that the employee prove the existence of an employment relationship during which an injury arose in the course of the employment and was related thereto. Wachs v. Workers Comp. Appeal Bd. (American Office Sys.), 884 A.2d 858 (Pa. 2005). Section 301(c)(1) of the Act provides:

The term injury arising in the course of his employment, as used in this article  shall include all other injuries sustained while the employee is actually engaged in the furtherance of the business or affairs of the employer, whether upon the employers premises or elsewhere.

In Acme Markets, Inc. v. Workers Comp. Appeal Bd. (Purcell), 819 A.2d 143 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2003), the court stated that the Act sets forth two situations in which an injury may be sustained in the course of employment:

(1) where the employee, whether on or off the employers premises, is injured while actually engaged in the furtherance of the employers business or affairs, or

(2) where the employee although not actually engaged in the furtherance of the employers business or affairs (a) is on the premises occupied or under the control of the employer, or upon which the employers business or affairs are being carried on; (b) is required by the nature of his employment to be present on his employers premises; and (c) sustains injuries caused by the condition of the premises or by operation of the employers business or affairs thereon.

When an employee files a claim for injuries occurring somewhere other than the employers premises, Pennsylvania usually evaluates these claims by distinguishing between stationary and traveling employees. Here, the court determined that the employee was not traveling; she was working at her home office, a fixed location approved by the employer as her secondary work premises. Unlike the facts in the cases cited by the employer, however, the court noted that the employee did not leave the premises where she was authorized to work. For example, a worker who sustained injuries when she fell in a hole on the sidewalk while on a lunch break two blocks from the employers premises, was serving her own purposes in choosing to leave the premises for a lunch break and not furthering the purposes of her employer. Collins v. Workmens Comp. Appeal Bd. (American Society for Testing), 512 A.2d 1349 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1986). Other cases cited in Collins involved similar factual scenarios, where an employee either left the employers premises or conducted purely personal activities on the employers premises.

A Florida workers compensation claims adjuster named Tammitha Valcourt-Williams was working at home for Sedgwick CMS. Tammitha tripped over her dog during working hours while reaching for a coffee cup in her kitchen and filed a workers compensation claim. The Judge of Compensation Claims determined the injury was compensable, concluding that the work-from-home arrangement meant the employer imported the work environment into the claimants home and the claimants home into the work environment. Sedgwick appealed the compensability of the claim. In Sedgwick CMS v. Valcourt-Williams, 271 So.3d 1133 (Fla. App.), the Court of Appeals said the real question, however, was not whether an employees home environment becomes her work environment. The real question was whether the employmentwherever it isnecessarily exposes an employee to conditions which substantially contribute to the risk of injury. Sentry Ins. Co. v. Hamlin, 69 So.3d 1065, 1068 (Fla. App. 2011); Acker v. Charles R. Burklew Constr., 654 So.2d 1211 (Fla. App. 1995). The court said the relevant risk was that the employee might trip over her dog while reaching for a coffee cup in her kitchen. That risk exists whether the employee is at home working or whether she is at home not working. It existed before she took her job, and it will exist after her employment ends (so long as she maintains a home with a dog). Because the risk did not arise out of the employment, the Court of Appeals in a well-reasoned decision, announced that her injury was not in the course and scope of her employment.

Another thorny workers compensation claim issue arises with regard to the Coming and Going Rule. Although the rule varies from state to state, it generally states that if an employee is injured on their commute to or from work (in other words, coming and going) this is not considered within the course of their employment and would, therefore, not be covered. There are exceptions to this rule.

Employees employment contract includes transportation to and from work;

Employee has no fixed place of work;

Employee is on a special mission for employer; or

Circumstances are such that the employee was furthering the business of the employer.

In Schwan Food Co. v. Frederick, 211 A.2d 659 (Md. App. 2019), the employee slipped on ice on the sidewalk by his car in front of his home as he was going to drop off his child at the daycare on the way to work. The Commission denied benefits and he appealed. The Court of Appeals reversed the decision and held that whether an employees home qualifies as a workplace is established by the quantity and regularity of work performed at home, the presence of work equipment at home, and special circumstances of the employment. Even if an employees home qualifies as a workplace, the employee also has to show that he commenced his workday at the time he left to go to his first account in order to bring his injuries within the period of his employment. It also noted that whether an employees home qualifies as a workplace and whether he has commenced his workday and was fulfilling his work duties when he slipped on black ice presented questions of fact for a jury. It isnt a given.

Sometimes having permission from an employer to work at home is the critical factor. In Martinez v. State Office of Risk Management, 582 S.W.3d 513 (Tex. App.-San Antonio 2018), a caseworker for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services was injured while working at home on a Saturday. She was sitting at her kitchen table when she decided to retrieve a different pen from the other side of her kitchen. Martinez purportedly tripped and fell during this dangerous maneuver, breaking her shoulder and hitting her head. Her claim was denied because she violated agency policy by working from home without prior approval. Even though the Commission concluded that Martinez was furthering the business and affairs of her employer at the time of her fall, her injury did not arise out of nor occur in the course and scope of her employment. Martinez appealed and the Court of Appeals noted that the Texas Labor Codes definition of compensable injury requires that the injury arise out of and in the course and scope of employment. Tex. Lab. Code Ann.  401.011(10). Two elements are required:

the injury must relate to or originate in  the employers business. SeaBright Ins. Co. v. Lopez, 465 S.W.3d 637 (Tex. 2015) (known as the arises out of element), and

the injury must occur in the furtherance of the employers business. Id. (known as the course and scope element).

As is the case in most states, Texas law requires state employees to work only at their place of business unless travelling or with prior written authorization to work at home. Neither applied in Martinez case. In addition, she was violating Wage and Hour laws by working on Saturday. Tex. Govt. Code  659.018. She was in violation of this statute and, because she had no prior authorization, the injury was not compensable.

Subrogation and Working at Home

If an employee is injured at home or while taking kids to the daycare prior to, during, or after the workday, the number of subrogation scenarios are drastically limited. A subrogated carrier cannot sue the employee in the name of the employee  neither can the employee. Note that this might actually be possible in the case of a death. See an article we wrote on the subject entitled, How to Sue Yourself And Win. The world of insurance claims is rapidly transitioning to remote claims handling, and this presents new injury hazards and obstacles which are not present in the workplace.

When employees are injured while working at home, an entirely new set of liability glasses must be donned. If the injury is caused by the employees roommate or the employees landlord, new questions of third-party liability must be examined. Subrogation counsel should be consulted in such situations, because the First Report of Injury and the first communications with the employee suddenly become subrogation-relatedsomething most claims professionals are not accustomed to.

Cybersecurity Issues

Claims details, course and scope issues, and subrogation potential are not the only thorny issues involved with remote employees. When employees who are not used to working from home do so, they may not have or follow the correct cybersecurity procedures and may not be using a virtual private network (VPN) to help prevent being compromised. If they are compromised, the entire company is compromised. Work-from-home employees are particularly susceptible to phishing expeditions. This is especially true with emails posing as alerts regarding COVID-19. A phish can easily implant malware in a computer that can give hackers an opportunity to demand a ransom or steal data. A single instance or breach can cost an insurance company millions of dollars. It is an axiom of life that when employees are stressed and craving more information (as with COVID-19), there is an unusually large lack of commitment to security best practices. Employees guards are down, and they may innocently slink off to Starbucks to work from their laptops, potentially exposing all of the records on their computer to a potential breach. Employees working from home require more, not less, security protocols.
The Organic Alcohol Company team making hand sanitizer When we learned of the situation, our team developed a sanitizing spray to offer as donations in our community and we began implementing a plan to go into full-scale production of a hand sanitizer spray in accordance with WHO formulation guidelines and in compliance with TTB and FDA requirements.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has put in place provisions to relieve certain requirements to allow permitted distilled spirits businesses to fast-track the approved production of hand sanitizers in direct response to the Novel Coronavirus  COVID 19. Permitted Distilled Spirit Plants, DSP's, who manufacture hand sanitizer in strict accordance with the formula manufacturing guidance issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) will also receive temporary exemptions to specific Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for the production of Hand Sanitizers.

Many hand sanitizers on the market are not what they seem, and with increased sanitary health concerns prompted by the current state of emergency necessitated by the COVID-19 virus, this shortage has not gone unnoticed.

The FDA has issued warnings to several companies that are not in compliance with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) requirements. The CDC requires that the alcohol content in hand sanitizers must be at least 60% to adequately prevent bacterial growth. Additionally, widespread demand and price gouging has made it difficult for many to purchase hand sanitizer.

In response to the demand for hand sanitizer and for the health and safety of our local community, Organic Alcohol Company of Ashland, Oregon has committed to donating hand sanitizers to local first responders and the most vulnerable citizens.

Aaren Glover, CEO and Founder of The Organic Alcohol Company explains,  When I first learned of the ineffective products on the market, the shortage of hand sanitizer due to demand and hoarding, along with price gouging, our leadership team met and went to work finding solutions. We immediately began producing some test batches of simple yet effective sanitizing spray to offer as donations in our community and began implementing a plan to go into full-scale production of a Hand Sanitizer spray in accordance with WHO formulation guidelines and in compliance with TTB and FDA requirements. Weve committed to donating to the Ashland Police Department, Ashland Fire department and Ashland Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, American Red Cross, Mercy Flights and Ashley Senior Housing. We intend to donate to many other high-risk and high exposure individuals, institutions and organizations on an on-going basis during this crisis. In addition, we will have this product available for purchase in our community and the larger market in the very near future."

There has been some concern circulating about the safety and effectiveness of homemade hand sanitizers. If formula guidelines by the CDC and WHO are followed, there is no need for concern as to the effectiveness of a homemade sanitizer.

Until the OAC hand-sanitizer line is available to the general public, DIY recipes are posted on the OAC website and feature the correct ratio of ingredients so people can make their own.

Effective immediately, and due in large part to the efforts of Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, The Organic Alcohol Company is able to sell our high proof spirits to anyone making Hand Sanitizers in accordance with the WHO formula guidelines free of Federal Excise Tax.

About: The Organic Alcohol Company (OAC), located in Ashland, Oregon, is the first organic distillery in Oregon and among the first organic distilleries in the US. Founded in 2001, OAC specializes in producing and supplying the highest quality and most premium organic alcohol products available. The Organic Alcohol Company was founded on principles of sustainability and has been proudly serving botanical extractors, medicine makers and craft manufacturers for two decades. For more information visit The Organic Alcohol website or contact OAC and request an interview with CEO and Founder, Aaren Glover.

Contact:

Christina Polendey

The Organic Alcohol Company, General Manager

650 Mistletoe Road

Ashland, Oregon 97520

Email: Marketing@organicalcohol.com

Telephone: 541.201.1050 extension 1007
LG Chem researchers check the firm's battery for electric vehicles at its plant in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of LG Chem



By Baek Byung-yeul



Battery makers LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation are likely to see a bumpy road ahead in improving their electric vehicle (EV) battery sales as countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are poised to side with domestic manufacturers to help them maintain their competitiveness against foreign players, industry officials said Tuesday.



The Chinese government said on April 1 that it would extend state subsidies given to EV manufacturers by two years until the end of 2022, abandoning its initial plan to remove the program after 2020.



The announcement came at a time when the auto industry in China has hit a major snag due to the coronavirus outbreak, which led manufacturers there to halt operations for months. Under its original plan to phase out the subsidy, the Chinese government has gradually reduced the amount but decided to extend the program to protect the local auto industry.



Data showed EV sales in China nosedived more than 70 percent in February compared with the same period in 2019 due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to market researcher SNE Research, the number of new EVs sold in February fell by 78.6 percent to 14,000.



Industry officials said the Chinese government's extension on the EV subsidy was obviously not good news for them as Chinese battery makers such as CATL could see significant growth thanks to the program.



"At present, the extension of the subsidy program will have little effect on Korean battery makers as their products have rarely been used in EVs sold in China. But in the long run, this is not good news because the extension will become an obstacle to battery firms in expanding their sales volume in the country," an official working in the industry here said.





SK Innovation's battery manufacturing plant in Hungary / Courtesy of SK Innovation



Another industry official saw the extension as a turning point for Korean battery makers which have not been allowed to sell their batteries in China for years.



Korean battery makers have struggled with their business in China, which has the world's largest EV market, as EVs equipped with their batteries have not been eligible for the subsidies since 2016.



This was Beijing's apparent retaliation against Korean companies after their relationship turned sour amid diplomatic tension over Seoul allowing the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system here.



But in December 2019, Tesla and Mercedes-Benz EVs using batteries from LG Chem and SK Innovation, respectively, made the subsidy list and EVs using Samsung SDI batteries were also included in March.



"At a time when EVs equipped with batteries made by Korean makers are eligible to receive the state subsidy, the extension of the program could have a positive impact on us," the official said.



But he added that EV makers here are urged to closely watch the situation in China as there is a still concern that EVs using Korean-made batteries would be excluded from the new subsidy list.



"When the Chinese government announced its subsidy list on December 29, 2016, four EVs using batteries made by Korean companies were included. But the government abruptly decided to exclude the vehicles from the list in the afternoon of the same day. Given we have already experienced this, it is too early to say the decision to extend the subsidy program will be a favorable factor for Korean companies," the official added.





LG Chem's factory in Poland / Courtesy of LG Chem
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) has passed a resolution that warrants undisrupted flow of essential goods across the region throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.

With countries increasingly resorting to lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly virus, the regional bloc has set a harmonized mechanism that allows ports within the region to continue transporting essential goods to land-locked members.

The move is aimed at enabling landlocked countries in the SADC region to have access to vital goods and commodities to ease the socio-economic impact of the contagion, which has so far spread to over 200 territories.

Proper logistics will be put in place to enable smooth flow of essential goods whilst ensuring that the pandemic doesnt spread further, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Prof Palamagamba Kabudi said yesterday.

He listed essential goods as medical supplies, food, protective gears, spares, agricultural inputs, fuel, as well as food processing equipment.

Prof Kabudi revealed this when addressing a press conference on new resolutions passed during the emergency videoconference meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers on COVID-19, held on Monday.

As part of efforts to face the rising threat of COVID- 19 in the region, the council of ministers held an emergency video conference on Monday, with two main agendas discussed, he said.

One of the agendas, he said, was receiving a report of the technical committee responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the SADC protocol on the health regional coordination to COVID-19 emergency response that was formed by SADCs ministers responsible for health at its meeting of March 9, this year.

During the meeting, the council also directed the secretariat to undertake a mapping of regional manufacturers of essential medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment by end of this month.

The ministers, on the other hand, issued a call upon all member states and the SADC pooled Procurement Agency to utilize the regional manufacturers as much as possible.

The meeting also passed a resolution for member states to make regional pleas to governments which have main international manufacturers and suppliers of essential medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment to the SADC region to accord a preferential dispensation to the region during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The council has, meanwhile, approved regional guidelines on harmonization and facilitation of cross border transport operation across the region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prof Kabudi further said the council passed a resolution urging member countries to prevent unnecessary transportation of people at all border posts.

The council urged member states to urgently establish or assign National Transport and Trade Facilitation Committees (NTTFC) or structures with similar mandates, to coordinate the implementation of the guidelines, said the Tanzanian minister.

He added: The council also saw the importance of harmonizing and coordination of policies, regulations and immediate national response on fighting the spread of COVID-19.

On the economic impact of COVID -19, Prof Kabudi said all member states and the SADC secretariat are in the process to assess the effects for appropriate impact mitigation.

Each member state and the secretariat itself are assessing the effects, but our hopes are that the situation will recover soon and things will get back to normal, he explained.

The Council of Ministers meeting attracted ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, Tourism, Finance, Home Affairs and Transport from 16 member states.
Chloe Lewis prompted plenty of virtual head scratching on Wednesday after bemoaning the condition of her skin - while sharing a flawless selfie.

The Only Way Is Essex star is stuck behind closed doors for the foreseeable future as the UK adheres to draconian lockdown laws in the fight against coronavirus COVID-19.

And after spending the last two weeks in enforced quarantine, Chloe, 28, insisted the experience had badly affected her complexion, only to undermine her claim by revealing blemish free features.

Confused: Chloe Lewis prompted plenty of virtual head scratching on Wednesday after bemoaning the condition of her skin - while sharing a flawless selfie

Sharing the shot with Instagram followers, she wrote: 'Ive had really bad skin since Ive been isolating. So I got myself ready for the day, really made me feel better. Give it a try.'

While her complexion may well have benefited from make-up - and a potential filter - its seemingly fresh, healthy glow left some followers bemused by her caption.

Commenting on the post, one fan grumbled: 'Wish I looked as beautiful in self-isolation.'

This can't be right: After spending two weeks in quarantine, Chloe insisted the experience had badly affected her complexion, only to undermine her claim by revealing blemish free features

A second insisted she had no visible blemishes, adding: 'Your skin looks great here. Did you find you had spots under the skin? I've found that since I've been in it's really odd and I've never had it before?'

While a third impressed fan wrote: 'Please could u do a video tutorial on this look... u look amazing.'

However one follower appeared to agree with Chloe, carping: 'So it's not just us! Isolation = bad skin.'

Confused: While her complexion may well have benefited from make-up - and a potential filter - its seemingly fresh, healthy glow left some followers bemused by her caption

Old times: Chloe made a glamorous appearance at the 23rd National Television Awards in 2019, and her complexion looked no different after two weeks in isolation on Wednesday

Awkward: However one follower appeared to agree with Chloe while commenting on the reality TV star's latest social media post

Mother of one Chloe, who welcomed son Beau with partner Danny Flasher in October, recently spoke about her pregnancy in a Q&A and said she gained 1.5stone in weight while expecting her first baby.

The reality TV star admitted she was 'surprised' at her low weight gain and also shared she fell pregnant just a month into her family planning journey.

She told followers: 'I weighed myself towards the end, I was about 1 1/2 stone heavier. I really thought I was going to blow up pregnant but really surprised myself.'

Family: Mother of one Chloe, who welcomed son Beau with partner Danny Flasher in October, recently spoke about her pregnancy in a Q&A

Opening up: The reality TV star admitted she was 'surprised' at her low weight gain and also shared she fell pregnant just a month into her family planning journey

When asked whether she planned to start a family, the media personality said she 'felt the time was right' as she was content in her relationship with Danny.

'Yes we planned & fell the first month but everyone is different. I don't know if you ever feel the time is right,' she said.

'I just was very happy in my relationship & knew it was right & I've always wanted to be a mumma.

'Plus I had lots of practise with my sisters babies, the only difference is I got to give them back.' [sic]
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 17:57:07|Editor: huaxia

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CHONGWE, Zambia, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese business association in Chongwe district in Zambia's Lusaka Province on Tuesday donated various items toward local efforts to fight against COVID-19.

The Zambia China Trade and Corporation Zone (ZCCZ) donated hand sanitizers, face masks and disinfectants to the Chongwe district COVID-19 taskforce to help in the prevention of the pandemic in the district.

Chongwe Mayor Geoffrey Chumbwe thanked the Chinese association for the donation of assorted items.

Chumbwe said that the donation was timely and would go a long way in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

He thanked the organization for coming on board to complement the government efforts in the fight against the pandemic, which he said needed a united stakeholder participation to overcome.

He promised that the task force would put the donations to good use and would account for every donation.

Chongwe district commissioner, Robster Mwanza said the task force in the district would continue to lobby for more support from well-wishers as this was a multispectral task.
Disney Parks announced on Tuesday it is uniting across the globe to celebrate World Health Day - a day that traditionally honors and celebrates the tireless efforts of doctors, nurses and medical workers around the world, who work to keep us healthy.

This year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, that message of thanks and appreciation is greatly magnified, as these workers are the frontline of defense around the world.

Although Walt Disney World Resort is closed indefinitely, at Disney Orlandos Magic Kingdom, a message of gratitude was conveyed to healthcare workers by lighting Cinderellas castle in blue.

Disney Parks and venues around the world showed appreciation in various ways.

At Shanghai Disney Resort, where the celebration kicked off, the words thank you in numerous languages, lit up the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Cast members at Hong Kong Disneyland, shared a special symbol of appreciation: Magic Starts with You.

Tokyo Disney Resort conveyed heartfelt thanks to healthcare workers by sharing wonderful images from both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

A floral arrangement of Merci was displayed in front of the castle at Disneyland Paris.

At Disneyland Paris, a floral arrangement of Merci was displayed in front of the castle. (Photo provided by Disney)

A statement on the Disney Park Blog says, Were reminded of a quote: Every step we take, brings a new hope, a new day Its from the Happily Ever After fireworks show at Walt Disney World Resort, and we hope it serves as an inspiration to you, as does for us, during this uncertain time.

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New Delhi: Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is hailed for her beauty and elegance globally. The star made her debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil drama 'Iruvar' and her first Hindi film release 'Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya' also hit the screens the same year. Since then, she has amassed a massive fan following and some time back she even joined Instagram, which delighted her fans yet again.

Recently, an old clip of Aishwarya shooting for a song sequence from an unreleased movie titled 'Radheshyam Sitaram' has gone viral. It was in the making 23 years back and reportedly starred Suniel Shetty in the lead. However, it never released.

A fan page shared it on Instagram.

Watch it here:

Aishwarya can be seen donning a heavy make-up and a purple lehenga-choli. She is also wearing heavy metal jewellery which brings back the memories of her look from the song 'Ishq Kameena' with Shah Rukh Khan from the movie 'Shakti'.

Aishwarya Rai looks picture perfect in the dance clipping and this has again left the fans wowed by her.
Ford's Combat Systems put to the Test

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200407-01

Release Date: 4/7/2020 10:57:00 AM

By Lt.jg. Nick Spaleny, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) recently completed testing of vital combat systems while underway in the Atlantic Ocean.

These tests, conducted during Ford's post-delivery test and trials (PDT&T) phase, are designed to stress the ship's combat system capabilities and demonstrate the successful integration of new technologies, which the crew employs to defend the aircraft carrier.

Cmdr. Ron McCallister, Ford's combat systems officer, noted the testing was a collaborative effort between Naval Sea Systems Command along with the greater technical community and the ship's force.

"The tests exercise the combat systems suite as a complete unit and ensure maximum availability to meet combat and self-defense mission requirements," said McCallister. "In the end, the combat systems suite achieves maximum readiness and the Sailors develop more operational and technical competence."

Ford's first certification of integrated combat systems tested the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon (ATCRB) and Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF). The tests, conducted over several days, evaluated the ATCRB's ability to track air and surface contacts and to identify friendly and enemy aircraft using an advanced identification system. IFF is used not only for positive, secure, friend identification, but also to control aircraft.

"We use an interrogator system to challenge aircraft transponders for identification," said Operations Specialist 2nd class Juannietagrace Okeli, from Moss Point, Mississippi. "The interrogator, cooperative engagement capability, and the Ships Self-Defense Systems (SSDS) work together to provide us the combat identification."

Ford also recently completed sea-based developmental testing (SBDT) of vital combat systems. This was the first full test of the integrated combat system against tactical adversaries. Testing was conducted with Kfir and Hawker Hunter jet aircraft from the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company. Ship's crew tracked the aircraft, using Ford's Dual Band Radar (DBR).

"SBDT is a stepping stone towards Ford's Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trial (CSSQT), and follow-on operational tests by the Navy," said Cmdr. William Buell, Ford's combat direction center officer. "Our SBDT operations ran very smoothly, which is a good indicator of future success on CSSQT."

As part of the SBDT, Sailors in Ford's combat systems department conducted an up-load of simulated munitions for operators in the ship's Combat Direction Center (CDC) to simulate engaging the aircraft.

"It was encouraging to see the results of our collective labor pay off and prove the warfighting capability of the class," said Fire Controlman 2nd class Sam Lantinga, from Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Without these self-defense systems, Gerald R. Ford wouldn't be able to deliver lethal effects to our nation's adversaries."

Gerald R. Ford is a first-in-class aircraft carrier and the first new aircraft carrier designed in more than 40 years. Ford is underway conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean.

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FILE PHOTO: Equinor's logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Stavanger

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway approved on Wednesday Equinor's <EQNR.OL> 4.8 billion Norwegian crowns ($466 million) plan to build floating offshore wind turbines that will provide electricity to North Sea oil and gas platforms, the energy ministry said.

The long-planned project is going ahead despite Equinor's decision to cut investment following a plunge in oil prices <LCOc1> that has reduced the company's cash flow.

Five platforms at Norway's Snorre and Gullfaks fields will be the first in the world to receive power from a floating wind park, the oil company said in a separate statement.

"As the whole industry is currently experiencing much uncertainty, it is vital that we progress projects that spur technology development in the renewables segment and create spin-off effects for the Norwegian supplier industry," Equinor Executive Vice President Anders Opedal said.

The company has decided to cut its 2020 capital spending to $8.5 billion from an original plan of $10-11 billion after oil prices fell sharply because the COVID-19 pandemic led to a huge drop in demand and the OPEC+ group of producers failed in March to agree on new supply cuts.

The 88-megawatt capacity project, called Hywind Tampen, would be able to meet about 35% of the electricity needs of the five platforms and would reduce CO2 emissions by about 200,000 tonnes per year, when it starts operations in 2022, it added.

The Norwegian government has agreed to provide 2.3 billion crowns in financial support, in addition to 566 million crowns from the industry's NOx fund, set up to reduce emissions from ships.

Equinor's partners in the two licences are OMV <OMVV.VI>, Idemitsu <5019.T>, Wintershall Dea, Eni's <ENI.MI> Vaar Energi and state-owned Petoro.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; editing by Terje Solsvik and Barbara Lewis)
As result of joint efforts by the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia and the Melbourne-based Da Lat export-import company, five tonnes of Vietnams red flesh dragon fruit were on sale this week and received warm appreciation from Australian customers.

The fruits has been distributed to local supermarkets, stores and major fruit markets in the three states.

According to Nguyen Phu Hoa, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, although the COVID-19 epidemic has caused certain difficulties in the promotion and distribution of Vietnams red flesh dragon fruits, the promotional week was held successfully thanks to the enthusiastic support of Vietnamese business associations in Australia and the overseas Vietnamese community in their host country.

He said that amid travel restrictions due to the pandemic, the Office plans to launch digital tools to facilitate Vietnamese businesses export activities to Australia. The Office has also worked to develop a forum for agricultural exporters from Vietnam in Australia to design plans addressing potential risks in the global market.

Vietnamese dragon fruit was allowed to enter Australia in July 2017, after nine years of negotiation. Notably, the Australian side has opened its door for only fresh dragon fruit from Vietnam.

The promotion of Vietnams red flesh dragon fruits in major Australian states provides a great opportunity to establish the position of the fruit in one of the worlds most demanding markets.
RACINE COUNTY  Jon Truckey, 31, said he was "surprised" when he was called into service on Sunday. A member of the Wisconsin National Guard for the past 13 years, he was one of 50 troops deployed in Racine County during Tuesday's unusual Election Day.

Across the state, 2,409 National Guard members were rolled out to serve at polling places that were affected by limited numbers of poll workers. Out of Wisconsin's 72 counties, 71 had at least one National Guard member working at a polling place; Florence County, which borders Michigan's Upper Peninsula and has fewer than 5,000 residents, was the only county where the National Guard was not called in to help.

They served in plainclothes, but were still spotted working at several spots in Racine (including the Dr. John Bryant Community Center, 601 Caron Butler Drive, and at the Tyler Domer Community Center, 2301 12th St), at the Waterford Town Hall, 415 N. Milwaukee St., and at the Caledonia Public Works building.

Truckey took on the role of a "runner" at the Tyler Domer Community Center, often going inside the temporarily closed community center to grab supplies or ballots and running them back out to voters in their cars.

"We were called up Sunday (for training) ... (and) they told us what areas needed help," said Sgt. First Class Dan Beltran, a Mount Pleasant resident who served as a poll worker in Caledonia.

Waiting for voters Sgt. First Class Dan Beltran of the Wisconsin National Guard, right, and Sandy Rygiewicz wait for voters Tuesday morning at the Caledonia Publ

In the Town of Waterford particularly the National Guard was needed because "They had only a small group of 'regular/typical' poll workers that were going to working for today," according to County Clerk Wendy Christensen. "The municipal clerk, Tina Mayer, had said she was going to 'make it work' with whoever she had working, which has been a consistent comment from a number of the clerks and the spirit in which they have tackled the challenges surrounding this election."

On April 1, Evers finally said he would deploy the National Guard to serve at the polls after days of considering the measure.

While potentially serving as poll workers in this election is a new role for the Wisconsin National Guard, serving our state and civil authorities during times of need is one of our core missions, Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsins newly instated adjutant general, said in a statement Monday. Bringing more than 2,400 troops online in a matter of a day is no small task, but our entire team has answered the call and will be ready to serve our state during the election.

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.
They are calling it the "Tunnel of Life" as it sprays people with disinfectant while they enter a food market in Chile's capital, as worries about the coronavirus outbreak have triggered quarantines and other health measures to slow down its spread.

Shoppers are sprayed with high-level disinfectant as they come in or exit the market in Santiago's Recoleta municipality. Market officials hope it will assist in lowering the coronavirus infections.

With 5,116 cases of coronavirus, and 43 deaths, Chile is now the country in Latin America with the most cases of coronavirus after Brazil. Among those infected in Chile are 286 health officials, three of whom are in a serious condition.

The tunnel, which was put in place Tuesday at one of the market's main entrances, is part of other hygienic efforts at the food market.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of national disaster in March, handing over the maintenance of public order to the armed forces as a measure to control the advance of coronavirus infections in the country.
In Chicago, as the number of positive test results at the county jail have skyrocketed, Sheriff Tom Dart has established a quarantine area for those who have the virus and another one for those showing symptoms who have not tested positive but need to be monitored. The most serious patients are being taken to the hospital.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed rules for states and union territories to avail overdraft facilities to boost cash flow amid the ongoing 21-lockdown. "RBI permits greater space to State Governments/ Union Territories for availing overdraft facilities," an apex bank statement said.

The decision has been taken to provide greater flexibility to states to tide over cash-flow mismatches. An overdraft facility allows account holders to withdraw more money than they have in their account for a specific period of time.

RBI permits greater space to State Governments/ Union Territories for availing overdraft facilitieshttps://t.co/IiYCNhwOIX a ReserveBankOfIndia (@RBI) April 7, 2020

The RBI has increased the number of days for which a state/UT can be in "overdraft" continuously to 21 working days from the current 14 days. The number of days for which they can be in overdraft in a quarter has also been increased to 50 working days from the current 36 working days.

All other stipulations remain unchanged, the apex bank said, adding that this arrangement would come into force with immediate effect and would remain valid till September 30.

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: When and how lockdown will be lifted? A primer

To curb the spread of coronavirus both central as well as state governments have taken a slew of measures, including enforcing social distancing among the public.

The nationwide lockdown till April 14 has adversely impacted economic activity. Governments have also diverted their resources to deal with the pandemic. The total number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 4,643, with the death toll at 149, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website.

The number of novel coronavirus cases has risen by 662 in the past 24 hours with Maharashtra being the worst-affected.

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: PM Modi holds virtual meet with opposition leaders; country's active cases at 4,643
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Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 06:30 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0636f3 1 World COVID-19,Idul-Fitri,exodus,migrant-workers,citizen-protection,Malaysia,Singapore,TKI,Indonesian-Embassy Free

Indonesian missions in Singapore and Malaysia  which contain two of the largest communities of Indonesian workers abroad  have urged the workers not to return to their hometowns for the annual Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

We urge our migrant workers to stay indoors when they get a weekly day off to minimize the risk of contagion. We also urge them to not take their Idul Fitri leaves just yet, Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore I Gede Ngurah Swajaya said on Monday.

The Indonesia Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) recorded in 2019 that more than 18,300 Indonesians were working in Singapore.

On Sunday, Singapore reported 120 new coronavirus cases, by far the highest daily rise, and quarantined nearly 20,000 migrant workers in their dormitories, Reuters reported.

Of the new cases, 116 were locally transmitted and many were linked to two dormitories that house migrant workers, who will now have to stay in their rooms for 14 days.

Although the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has reported no Indonesians among the quarantined workers, who mainly come from South Asian countries, the embassy has urged the Indonesian workers to remain vigilant.

In Malaysia, with more than 90,600 Indonesian migrant workers, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said that it would also issue a letter urging workers to postpone mudik this year as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.

Indonesia has established a safety net to ensure the wellbeing of Indonesians abroad, especially migrant workers in the informal sector.

Foreign Ministry director for citizen protection Judha Nugraha said recently that Indonesian missions in Malaysia were actively sending logistical aid to the most vulnerable groups of Indonesians there.

Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the government planned to allocate a special fund for the protection of citizens abroad.

The amount [of the fund] has yet to be decided, Faizasyah said.

As of Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE), Malaysia had recorded 3,793 cases with 62 deaths, while Singapore had recorded 1,375 cases with 6 deaths. Indonesia has announced 2,738 confirmed cases, with 221 deaths.
Ive been telecommuting for decades, so for me sheltering in place isnt remotely the burden it is for a lot of Americans. But it does make the job of following politics more difficult for two reasons.

First, to a certain degree, politics are on lockdown too. To the extent that the Democratic primaries are in the news, its mostly as a public health story, thanks to Wisconsins debate over whether to carry on with in-person voting and questions of how to conduct a convention while social distancing. Bernie Sanders  who is still running, by the way  wants to debate presumptive nominee Joe Biden again, but few in the party are interested in that. Biden himself is running a pandemic version of a front porch campaign via teleconference from his home office.

The second reason is more vexing: Nobody has any clue what post-pandemic politics will look like.

On the left, some fantasize about somehow replacing Biden with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which makes a lot of sense given Cuomos impressive performance of late, except for the near impossibility of orchestrating such a handoff. Meanwhile, progressive groups, still licking their wounds over the almost instantaneous marginalization of Sanders, are suddenly seeing their massive grassroots organizations starved of money and the ability to organize.

The situation on the right is even more opaque. For good or ill, the pandemic has made President Trump an even more central figure in our politics, thanks to the role the White House plays in a national emergency and his nightly, often rambling, news conferences.

Thats not all to the GOPs advantage. Trumps refusal to admit any error in how hes handled the crisis has had the unintended effect of starving Republicans of some useful talking points. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to float the idea that the Democrats impeachment fixation distracted Trump from following through after the travel ban with a more robust response to the pandemic when it would have made a difference, but Trump himself threw cold water on that.

Regardless, as the right gears up for either a Trump win or a lame duck presidency amid a hard period of recovery, its possible to glean some contours of post-pandemic Republican politics.

Trump was always going to be the nominee, but his set of issues has been reshuffled entirely. He was all set to run on a roaring economy, pitting himself against socialism  even though his preferred foil, Bernie Sanders, was sidelined on Super Tuesday. Now, the economy has headed south, and our anti-socialist president is ordering businesses to do the governments bidding and handing out direct payments to millions of Americans.

Trumps vacillation between the need to clamp down on the virus and his desire to open up the economy is somewhat symbolic of the broader divides on the right. Longtime MAGA consigliere Steve Bannon tells The New York Times that the GOPs commitment to limited government is gone forever. Others in the Trumpist orbit, such as Donald Trump Jr., are still pushing the idea that the corona-hype is overblown and just part of an effort to take down his dad.

Somewhere in the middle, conservative politicians and intellectuals are trying to find a less Trumpcentric path.

Long before the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, Sen. Marco Rubio and a coterie of eggheads were firing salvos at unfettered capitalism  as if that described the status quo at any point in the last century of American politics  and offering a blueprint for common good capitalism. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, Trumps former U.N. ambassador (for whom my wife worked), resigned from the board of Boeing last month in protest over its request for a federal bailout. It was a principled stand, but its anyones guess whether corporate bailouts will be as unpopular on the right as they were before the pandemic.

While its hard to know whether crony capitalism will remain out of favor, you can count on China to stay in the doghouse for years to come.

Thats good news for one politician worth watching: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Long a China hawk, Cotton is credited with convincing Trump to implement the China travel ban (though Trump didnt go as far as Cotton wanted). He deserves credit for spotting the threat and speaking out early on. Widely assumed to have presidential aspirations, Cotton has also deftly managed to avoid being seen as a Trump yes-man  unlike, say, Sen. Lindsey Graham  while remaining a favorite of the presidents.

If the GOP ultimately sours on Trumps handling of the crisis, Cotton would be ideally situated to highlight his prescience. But thats a long way off, and for now its worth noting that Cotton is running ads supporting the presidents response to the pandemic.

Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.
After downplaying the effectiveness of non-medical face masks, both the chief public health officer and federal health minister now say they would wear them in cases where physical distancing isn't possible in public.

Theresa Tam, the country's top doctor, said Tuesday that while the scientific research "is not quite there" yet on the effectiveness of non-medical masks in stopping the spread of COVID-19, she wouldn't hesitate to use a mask when grocery shopping or riding transit.

"That's one option," she said of wearing a mask. "It is an added layer of prevention and protecting the spreading to others."

Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press

Tam has suggested a t-shirt or bed sheet could be fashioned into a homemade mask. But medical-grade masks should be strictly reserved for health care professionals, given the ongoing shortages, Tam said.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she hasn't had to wear a mask to this point because she's been able to maintain that two metre distance between herself and others  but she would wear one if it meant protecting others in confined spaces.

She said she would probably feel the need to "fiddle with that mask, given the newness"  which is one of the public health risks associated with wearing a mask.

There are concerns that wearing a mask might encourage people to touch their faces more than they normally would, which also could lead to infection.

Watch: Dr. Tam, Hajdu say they will wear masks when in public

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today he will follow the advice of medical professionals on the mask question. He said homemade masks are a sensible solution as they essentially act like a shirt sleeve  a place to catch a cough or sneeze without spreading it around.

"My understanding of what Dr. Tam explained yesterday is that if people want to wear a mask, that's OK. It protects others more than it protects you, because it prevents you from breathing or speaking moistly on them."

(The prime minister cringed visibly after the words "speaking moistly" left his mouth. "Oh, what a terrible image," he said.)

Story continues

Watch: Trudeau says masks will prevent people from 'speaking moistly'

While Canada's two top health authorities said they'd wear masks while in public, they cautioned that masks should be worn in conjunction with pursuing other hygiene practices, such as frequent hand-washing.

The commitment to wearing non-medical masks in public comes after the Public Health Agency of Canada changed its recommendations on the medical devices Monday.

While Tam and other public health officials have discouraged healthy people from wearing masks, the public health officer said Monday that homemade masks might actually help to slow the spread of COVID-19 as they can catch wayward droplets from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic people.

"It's not necessarily there to protect myself. I think there has to be that reality check. I still have to do the hand-washing and still do the physical distancing as much as possible," Tam said. "I think that is reasonable and feasible advice."
Oyo Hotels & Homes is placing thousands of its employees globally on indefinite furlough as it tries to survive through the coronavirus pandemic, according to people familiar with the matter. Oyo said in a statement its furloughing employees in countries excluding India without specifying numbers, adding that its not considering job cuts at this time.

The startup, one of the largest in SoftBanks portfolio, has more than $1 billion of cash in the bank and is exploring options to remain viable over at least the next 36 months, one of the people said. It ...
The monarchical head of state reportedly called the OGBL trade union to ask about how Luxembourg's employees are experiencing the ongoing crisis.

Trade union OGBL on Wednesday announced that Grand Duke Henri had called OGBL president Nora Back earlier this week. The head of state reportedly asked about how Luxembourg's employees are weathering the current crisis.

According to OBGL, Grand Duke Henri also expressed his "profound respect" for all those going the extra mile to prevent Luxembourg from collapse. He also thanked the trade union for their continuous efforts.

The Grand Ducal Court announced last week that the Grand Duke will contact all organisations and associations to offer his support in these turbulent times.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Prague, Czech Republic  Wed, April 8, 2020 08:01 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0672c9 2 Entertainment Czech-Republic,sitcom,lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

Czech Television said Monday it was planning to shoot a "Love in the Time of Corona" sitcom on the spread of the novel coronavirus and screen it by the end of April.

"One house, three generations and a global pandemic," reads the trailer for the six-episode series on the public broadcaster's website.

The show, an apparent paraphrase of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "Love in the Time of Cholera", will be filmed in a Prague block of flats from April 14 and screened from April 27.

Read also: India uses mythological reruns to keep the vulnerable indoors

The characters are a teenager whose parents are locked down abroad, an old man who has to live on his own with his wife stuck outside their city and a young married couple whose relationship is put to an isolation test, Czech TV said.

It called on viewers to send in anecdotes related to quarantine as the authors have the script only for the opening episode.

"We only have one screenplay and we'll definitely need help," said producer Tomas Baldynsky.

To comply with stringent security measures, the series will be recorded on robotic cameras and only the actors will be present on the site.

The Czech Republic, which had declared 4,591 cases of the virus and 72 deaths by Monday morning, closed its borders last month as well as most shops and all pubs, cinemas, theaters and museums to combat the disease.

It has also ordered all citizens to wear a face mask outside their homes and banned meetings of more than two people with the exception of families, workplaces and funerals.
With most schools across the nation closed in order to help keep students and staff safe from the novel coronavirus, parents are already facing difficult decisions about their childrens education. Now were hearing that officials in some areas are trying to forbid the one choice that may do families the most good: transitioning to full-time homeschooling.

In Florida, Amber had considered homeschooling her kids beginning in the fall but decided to accelerate those plans when schools began to shift to online instruction in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She knew that her children would not do well with online learning. So Amber notified the Palm Beach County School District that she was establishing a home education program and planned to start teaching her two children using more traditional textbooks and curriculum materials.

When she didnt hear anything from her local school officials, Amber sent a follow-up email to the home education contact a week later, thanking several teachers and asking for confirmation that her home education notice was received. Amber understood that everyone was probably still scrambling to adjust to the coronavirus crisis, so she was pleasantly surprised to get a response a short time later.

Unfortunately, the message was really just the first in a series of bureaucratic roadblocks.

At-home Enrichment

The home education contact informed Amber that teachers would begin rolling out programs for all public school students soon, but that this delay did not prevent parents from providing enrichment for your children. Amber was encouraged to give [the] school the opportunity to provide education for [her] family.

After Amber replied that she was really going to be homeschooling her children and that she had no intention of doing virtual school, the school official confirmed that the notice of intent had been received. The official added that while the district staff couldnt process Ambers home education notification until her children were withdrawn from their previous school, [we] are working as quickly as possible to assist students and families.

However, Amber was appalled by the email she received the next morning. The home education contact stated that according to upper leadership, all students will stay with current Palm Beach County Schools until further notice, according to the Enrollment and Withdrawal Procedures for the Virtual Continuity Support Plan.

My jaw dropped, Amber said. I realized they were trying to tell me that my children would not be withdrawn, and that I couldnt homeschool.

Keeping Kids Enrolled

Ambers experience is not isolated. Willamette Connections Academy, an online public school in Oregon, recently posted a message on its website declaring the Oregon Department of Education has advised that no students are able to withdraw or enroll in any schools during the school closure.

The message cited a recent executive order by Governor Kate Brown, an order which we believe the Willamette Connections Academy misinterpreted. What the governor actually did was to freeze the enrollment status of all public schools for funding purposes. The order does not legally prevent parents from pulling their children out of a public school and homeschooling them.

Regardless, HSLDA will continue to support the legal right of parents to withdraw their children from public school in order to begin homeschooling. Though this right is precious at all times, it is especially important during crises that parents remain empowered to do what is best for their kids.

Thats why we were so prompt in helping Amber.

She realized the message from public school officials wasnt right, so she immediately enlisted the help of a local homeschool support group. Having already joined HSLDA, she also reached out to us.

Sending a Message

As soon as I got the information from Amber, I contacted Palm Beach County. I requested that public school officials send us their Virtual Continuity Support Plan and their justification for denying a the fundamental right of parents to educate their children. I made it clear that there was no legal authority for the district to make such a declaration.

Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) and Cheryl with Palm Beach County (PBC) Homeschoolers, Inc. also sent information to Palm Beach County, pointing out that public school officials could not prevent parents from withdrawing their children and homeschooling them.

After learning from an online homeschool forum that several other parents had encountered this problem, Cheryl told me: I strongly believe that parents should have the right to choose something other than the public schools program, especially when that program isnt working well for their children. Schools shouldnt be able to hold students hostage.

After FPEA, PBC Homeschoolers, and Home School Legal Defense Association all contacted Palm Beach County Public Schools, Amber received yet another email from the home education contact, stating that upper leadership had been contacted again for further clarification on when her children would be removed from the attendance roster. Several other families in Palm Beach County, who had also made the decision to begin homeschooling because of the schools shutting down, received similar emails.

I expect Palm Beach County to withdraw all these home education students as promptly as possible in the current crisiscertainly no later than the date schools return from their extended closure due to COVID-19.

We will continue to work with state and local leaders to ensure that no public school officials attempt to prevent anyone from homeschooling, especially in times of crisis.
Barclays announces the appointment of Khaled Habayeb as a Managing Director in Healthcare Equity Capital Markets (ECM). Mr. Habayeb will be based in New York, and will report to Taylor Wright and Kristin DeClark, Co-Heads of ECM Americas at Barclays. He will partner with Joe Lombardo in leading the further development and execution of the firm's Healthcare ECM business strategy.

Mr. Habayeb joins Barclays with over seventeen years of experience in banking, most recently as a Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Group at Deutsche Bank, where he led biotechnology sector coverage across therapeutic areas and genomics subsectors. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in late 2018, Mr. Habayeb was a Managing Director and Head of Healthcare ECM at UBS. In this role he led the origination and execution of public and private equity transactions for healthcare clients, including in the biotechnology, tools diagnostics, medical technology, healthcare services and information technology subsectors. Before joining UBS in February 2015, Mr. Habayeb was Head of Investor Relations at Foundation Medicine, Inc. Mr. Habayeb started his career at J.P. Morgan, where he worked for over ten years in senior roles within the Healthcare Equity Capital Markets team.

"Khaled is an outstanding addition to our ECM team and brings with him a wealth of Healthcare specific knowledge," said Taylor Wright, Co-Head of ECM Americas. "His long-established industry relationships and his extensive transactional experience will generate great value for our clients."

"As the Healthcare sector continues to evolve at a rapid pace, our clients more than ever depend on Barclays for sound strategic advice and seamless execution," added Rick Landgarten, Global Head of Healthcare Real Estate Groups. "Khaled will help ensure that we further build on our business strengths and momentum, as we continue to drive ECM mind and market share with our clients."

Barclays was ranked number 4 overall in US Healthcare Banking for 2019 with 6.4% market share, according to Dealogic. Within this, Barclays was ranked number 1 for US Healthcare High Yield Bonds, with 19.6% market share, and number 3 for US Healthcare Corporate Investment Grade Bonds, with 10.6% market share. Also for 2019, Barclays was ranked number 6 overall for US ECM. Year to date 2020, Barclays is ranked number 5 in US Healthcare IPOs, and has been an active bookrunner on transactions for PPD, Inc. and Beam Therapeutics.

Barclays is a British universal bank. We are diversified by business, by different types of customer and client, and geography. Our businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by our service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the Group.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005521/en/

Contacts:

Andrew Smith

+1 212 412 7521

andrew.x.smith@barclays.com
PLA Air Force's first batch of female flight instructors take cadets to sky

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Chen Lufan

2020-04-07 22:39:25

By Rui Hai and Li Jianwen

BEIJING, April 7 -- The first batch of female flight instructors of the PLA Air Force and the pilot cadets they instructed leap into the blue sky together in China's primary trainer aircraft CJ-6 at the training base of a regiment under the PLA Air Force Aviation University in late March.

It is learnt that this is the first time for the Air Force to select female pilots from aviation units to assume flight instructors. They have had training courses at the Aviation University, the Harbin Flight Academy and an aviation brigade under the PLA Air Force successively, accumulating flight experience with different types of aircraft including primary trainers, advanced trainers and fighter jets.

In August last year, they finished the conversion training for flight instructors, which strictly followed the guideline of latest CJ-6 flight instructor training program and aimed to comprehensively improve their teaching capability.

As the first batch of female flight instructors assigned to the PLA Air Force, they have passed 36 theoretical and practical examinations with excellent performance at the end of February this year, completing the transition from combatants to instructors successfully.

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Following the successful management of 127 returnees from Ivory Coast, who arrived Nigeria, penultimate week, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt from reliable sources that another batch of 67 Nigerians are currently on their way to Ejigbo, headquarters of Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State.

The returnees, who reportedly experienced difficulty securing pass from the government of Ghana due to the lockdown in the country as a result of the coronavirus disease, were still stranded in Togo as of 1a.m. Nigerian time.

The Togolese authorities reportedly denied them access to pass through the border but this newspaper learnt efforts were on to involve Nigerias ambassador to the country. Similar intervention had helped while they were held up in Ghana, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

But as at the time of filing this report, reliable sources in Ejigbo, who are in the know of the journey but do not want to be named, confided in our reporter that they knew because the drivers bringing them have their park in the town.

One of them said; Let me tell you the truth, more Nigerians will leave Ivory Coast. The situation in Abidjan is much more complex than any of our states here, not even Lagos. As I am talking to you, about 67 are on their way. We are aware because the drivers bringing them are from Ejigbo here.

But our concern is in the bad name being given to our town. Many of them are not from here, but they are Nigerians. The 127 that were dumped here the other day, how many of them are from Ejigbo, yet everyone was shouting Ejigbo, Ejigbo.

Coronavirus in Ivory Coast

As of early Wednesday morning, Ivory Coast had recorded 349 confirmed cases of Coronavirus as against Nigerias 254.

Abidjan, the countrys commercial capital just like Lagos, has since been on lockdown while curfew was declared across other regions.

One of our reliable sources said the larger percentage of Nigerians living in Ivory Coast are resident in Abidjan.

So it is very difficult for our people to cope in such an environment, and since they have a place they can call home, returning to Nigeria is their best option. And I dont think their country should disappoint them at this crucial time, the source said.

Controversies over first set of returnees

But for the prompt action from the state government, the controversies that accompanied the arrival of the first batch of 127 returnees into the state penultimate week had almost snowballed into crisis as some of the returnees who tested positive to the coronavirus disease had escaped from the unity grammar school where they were camped by government.

The returnees, mostly traders, had accused the government of subjecting them to ridicule, with many threatening to violently attack government officials including the states health commissioner, Rafiu Isamotu.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt it took the intervention of soldiers who were drawn from 401 Engineering Construction Regiment, Ede, to calm strained nerves.

Meanwhile, when the result of the whole 127 returnees were conducted, 17 of them tested positive for coronavirus with two of the positive cases said to be indigenes of Abia State, South-east Nigeria.

According to the state governor, Gboyega Oyetola, who addressed the press upon completion of the test on Sunday, 42 of the returnees were not from the state, but had boarded buses that were heading to the state from Ivory Coast.

Both Nigerias interior minister, Rauf Aregbesola, and health minister, Osagie Ehanire, had explained that although Nigerias borders are closed, the country was duty-bound to ensure its citizens could return to the country at any time.

Were unaware yet Osun

Meanwhile, the chief press secretary to Mr. Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan, said the state was yet to be notified of any new returnee but promised to find out and get back to our reporter.

I am not yet aware of that but kindly give me till morning to find out since it is very late now, Mr Omipidan said.

But one of the community leaders in Ejigbo, who also pleaded anonymity but confirmed the development, said to avoid the repeat of the experience, last week, the government was already notified. The source, however, could not reveal the channel through which the government was informed.

He suggested that the government was not enthusiastic about the development, saying apart from the fact that the returnees may belong to other states, the government is complaining of lean purse.

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The source said; Dont let anyone deceive you, they are already aware but the government is being careful. Some of us really understand. To test the whole 127 of the first batch and taking care of about 20 confirmed cases cost a lot of money, yet the federal government hasnt given the state a dime.

I want to believe the state government wants the federal government to take up the responsibility. At least, instead of those it wants to go and evacuate, these ones have evacuated themselves and should be taken care of.

Efforts to get the reaction of the chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on the matter were not successful as a message sent to her mobile phone was yet to be replied as at the time of filing this report.
Govt forces dropped chlorine, sarin gas in series of attacks in Hama, report by global chemical weapons watchdog says.

The headline on this story has been corrected. A previous version described the OPCW as a UN watchdog. This was incorrect. The OPCW is not a United Nations entity.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, has explicitly blamed the Syrian governments air force for launching toxic attacks in the countrys western Hama region in March 2017.

The report, the first of its kind released by the OPCW on Wednesday, concluded that poisonous chlorine and sarin nerve gas was thrown over the town of Latamneh at least three times in the month.

There are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the use of sarin as a chemical weapon in Latamneh in 2017  and the use of chlorine  were individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force, OPCW team leader Santiago Onate-Laborde said in a statement.

The attacks on March 24, 25 and 30 killed civilians and medics as well as wounding dozens of people.

A special investigative unit was established by the OPCW in 2018 to identify perpetrators of the illegal attacks.

The detailed report will likely lead to fresh calls for accountability for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and has been battling opposition factions in the countrys long-running war.

Very long process

The UN body said it reached its conclusion by conducting interviews with persons who were present in the relevant places at the time of the incidents.





It also conducted analysis of samples and remnants collected at the sites of the incidents, review of the symptomatology reported by casualties and medical staff, examination of imagery, including satellite images, and extensive consultation of experts.

Al Jazeeras James Bays, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York City, said that the investigation has been a very long process.

For the first time, a technical  not judicial  finding says the Syrian government did it, he said, adding that there were doubts about whether there will be any action taken towards the Syrian government with its ally, Russia, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The incidents in the report are only a handful of similar attacks witnessed by Syrians in various parts of the country.

On April 4, just days after the attack on Latamneh in 2017, Syrian government forces used the banned nerve agent in a separate attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib. The attack killed 87 people. UN investigators later determined the use of sarin gas.

The use of chemical weapons is strictly prohibited by international law.

Syrias government has denied involvement and claims it no longer possesses chemical weapons following a 2013 agreement, in which it pledged to surrender its chemical arsenal.

Previous reports indicated that Syrian government forces launched other chemical attacks in the war-ravaged country since March 2013, in areas including the regions of Idlib, Hama and eastern Ghouta.

The bloody conflict, now in its 10th year, has killed at least 400,000 people and has driven millions of others from their homes, according to the UN.
Minister for Health Simon Harris has said that it would not be a wise thing to expect public health restrictions to lift after this weekend.

If we take the foot of the pedal, the progress weve made would be reversed, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Mr Harris said he did not want to see what had happened in other countries. If we dont make more progress were going to find ourselves in a difficult situation. We need to reduce the rate of growth.

The country cannot be normal this bank holiday weekend, he warned.

Life is unusual at the moment, the alternative is so much worse, that we cannot save the lives we want.

The Minister said that the new powers for gardai that he signed into law last night will be used sparingly and they were just for the period of the holiday weekend.

However, he acknowledged that, if necessary, he would make the decision to extend the powers.

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to: Shop for essential food and household goods;

Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;

Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;

Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people

Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing

Mr Harris paid tribute to the people of Ireland for the great response in following the very important public health guidelines. He said he envisaged that Irish people will follow the advice and stay home this weekend.

However, if someone does leave their home gardai will remind them of the guidelines and ask them to return home. Fines will be imposed in exceptional circumstances, he said.

Meanwhile, Co. Clare doctor Michael Harty has said that anyone who travels to their holiday home this weekend is committing "social sabotage".

People who don't have symptoms can still spread the virus and have a devastating impact on others the former Independent TD told RTE radio's Morning Ireland.

"You should not travel, you could carry the virus into a community that doesn't have it.

"Don't be selfish this weekend."

Dr Harty said that visitors will be welcomed with open arms once the pandemic is over.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Wed, April 8, 2020 19:57 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0ad028 1 National health-worker,COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,North-Sumatra Free

A number of recovered COVID-19 patients have expressed their gratitude for the hard work and dedication of medical personnel during the health crisis.

"Thank you. You are national heroes who have saved many lives," Aulia Rizki Agsa, a recovered patient who was treated at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, said on Tuesday. He was declared healthy and free of the disease after spending 18 days in the hospital.

"Thank God, Ive finally regained my health with the help of a medical team who did an outstanding job," said the member of North Sumatra Regional Council who tested positive for COVID-19 following work trips to Manado and Jakarta several weeks ago.

The 24-year old was discharged from the hospital after his third swab test produced a negative result. His first and second tests showed positive and negative results, respectively.

Ori Kurniawan, an aid to North Sumatra deputy governor Musa Rajekshah who had spent weeks in the hospital and was discharged recently, said Adam Malik's medical workers were very helpful.

Read also: At least 18 doctors have died in the fight against COVID-19

"They stood by 24 hours a day for us. We only had to press an emergency button if we needed a hand from them," Ori said, adding that he was given supplements and fruit juice during his two weeks of isolation.

The 25-year-old said he might have caught the virus during a work trip with the deputy governor to Jakarta in late March.

Zainal Safri, a director at Adam Malik hospital, confirmed that eight patients had recovered from COVID-19 at the facility so far. "All of them have been transferred to their respective homes," Safri said on Wednesday. He added that he was thankful for his hardworking team in achieving the successes.

The hospital's spokesperson Rosario Dorothy Simanjuntak said separately that three COVID-19 patients isolated at the hospital had died. The hospital is currently monitoring another 11 people.

"Hopefully all of them will recover soon," Rosario said. (vny)
This family loves to decorate their king-sized mansions for every holiday, and Easter is no exception.

This week the Kardashians and Jenners have been updating their millions of fans on how they have been snazzing up their pads with bunnies and pastel colored treats in time for the big day.

And they have done so even though they have been self-isolating for at least three weeks already.

Easter fun! This week the Kardashians and Jenners have been updating their fans on how they have been snazzing up their pads with bunnies and pastel colored treats in time for the big day

Yummy: On Tuesday Kylie showed off the cupcakes she got for daughter Stormi Webster, who she has with rapper Travis Scott

Sweet talent: Kylie, who just landed on the cover of Forbes again for her financial status, is a proven chef and baker, taking after her mom Kris Jenner

On Tuesday Kylie showed off the cupcakes she got for daughter Stormi Webster, who she has with rapper Travis Scott.

They were cute little treats with yellow and pink frosting. One cupcake had a bunny and chick on it.

There were at least a dozen on the plate.

Kylie, who just landed on the cover of Forbes again for her financial status, is a proven chef and baker, taking after her mom Kris Jenner.

She is doing it for daughter True: Khloe has also added some decorations to her home

The sweetest little house! Khloe has also shared some Easter cheer as she photographed the candy house her mother sent her; there were even bunnies outside

But these cupcakes looked so good, they were likely store bought. Or maybe Kylie has just gotten this good at baking.

Khloe has also shared some Easter cheer as she photographed the candy house her mother sent her; there were even bunnies outside.

And Kim has shared a look at the same house as well as images of the decor in her home.

She did it: Kim has many rooms to fill inside her Hidden Hills, California home

Bunnies for the babies: Kim has out out these bunnies for Chi, Stormi and True

They made these eggs: Mrs Kanye West also shared a look at these crafty eggs

All set to go: And the children will get headbands with little tufts of fur

Special: North and Penelope have these large bunnies to play with on Sunday

This comes after Kylie shared a photo from her Kylie + Kendall line.

On Monday the duo were back at promoting their line as they shared another look from their spring campaign on Instagram where they were posed together.

In the caption, the power sisters even credited the man who did the retouching for the photograph in a rare move.

Her favorite thing: Last week Kylie served up a lemon cake, which she will do again on Sunday

The caption began, 'Thanks to everyone that helped with our spring shoot, we couldnt have done it without you,'

They also said there was 'more to come soon.'

Next the duo credited the photographer, Sasha Samsonova as well as others in their team like Mary Phillips, Jesus for hair.

He makes magic: And then a name came up that seemed unusual: '@retouch_by_yul_zh.' Yul Zh is a post-production artist who has worked with Kylie before, like on her Playboy cover

And then a name came up that seemed unusual: '@retouch_by_yul_zh.'

Yul Zh is a post-production artist who has worked with Kylie before, like on her Playboy cover.

He has also worked with Kylie on some of her makeup shoots with Sasha. And he has done touch up work on shoots with Jessica Alba, Laura Dern and Ciara.

Kendall was in a print dress with Cult Gaia earrings while Kylie was in an off the shoulder dress.

Last week Kendall was seen in an image from the line.

Long before she self-isolated due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 24-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star posed in a white bikini, showing off her enviable supermodel figure.

The suit was co-designed with her younger sister Kylie Jenner for their holiday 2019 Kendall + Kylie line.

Easy times: Kendall was seen in happier days in a flashback photo shared on Wednesday

The ex of Ben Simmons also had on a stylish hat as she posed outdoors.

The caption read: 'A little something for your Wednesday Holiday 2019 shot by @sashasamsonova and styled by @danixmichelle in an incredible @gladystamezmillinery oversized Panama Straw Hat.'

The retouch expert was not credited here.

The siren had her makeup perfectly done with neutral tones as the hat took over the shoot.

It's been a crazy time for Kendall as she was seen in the middle of a physical fight between Kourtney and Kim on KUWTK.

Kendall was told she was sick so she did not do the work she was supposed to. Kim added that she had to step in.

The Vogue cover girl seemed annoyed but blew it off.

However, when Kim told Kourtney she does not do the work because she does not care, the 40-year-old mother-of-threw blew up.

Kim said Kourtney scratched her so hard she drew blood.

Also in March Kendall was seen in both a Calvin Klein shoot, where she showed off her killer curves, and a SKIMS shoot to mark the 6 month anniversary of Kim's brand.

FIGHT! It's been a crazy time for Kendall as she was seen in the middle of a physical fight between Kourtney and Kim on KUWTK. Kendall was told she was sick so she did not do the work she was supposed to. Kim added that she had to step in. Kendall seemed annoyed but blew it off

Last week Kylie shared another flashback photo with Kendall.

The two reality stars were pictured cuddling up to one another in matching white cropped tops and full glam.

Kendall, 24, immediately responded to the Instagram post, writing: 'arent we fighting?'

Kylie, 22, replied: 'yes but my titties are sitting nice in this pic.'

Then older half-sister Khloe Kardashian, 35, chimed in: 'I miss us.'

The way they were: Kylie posted a throwback snap Sunday showing her cuddling up to older sister Kendall, 24, in matching white cropped tops and full glam

Last month, Kylie shared with her Instagram followers that she got used to staying home all the time while pregnant with Stormi.

'I'm on day 8. My pregnancy prepared me for this, I didn't leave the house for months,' she said last Wednesday.

After falling pregnant by rapper Travis Scott in 2017, Kylie took extensive measures to conceal her growing baby bump.

She hid it with baggy clothing in Instagram snaps and kept out of the public eye as much as possible throughout the end of 2017 and the start of 2018.

The beauty only confirmed her pregnancy when she announced the news that she had given birth to a baby girl on February 1, 2018.

New look: Here Kylie was seen posing at home in a tie dye top on Monday

Her little mini me: Also on Monday she showed off her daughter Stormi's hairstyle




An EU effort to put together a 20-billion-euro aid package to help poor countries fight coronavirus came under fire on Wednesday, and the bloc's diplomatic chief admitted it contained "no fresh money".

Brussels plans to redirect money from existing funds to help countries with weak healthcare systems tackle the pandemic and aid their long-term economic recovery.

EU officials fear that beating the pandemic in Europe alone will not be enough because, if it continues to rage elsewhere in the world, the virus will simply return in time.

German Development Minister Gerd Mueller said after talks with his 26 EU counterparts that the proposals did not go far enough.

"I do not consider the proposals to be sufficiently far-reaching but an important first step," Mueller said.

"It can't just be a matter of reprogramming funds -- we need a rescue umbrella for Africa as well and fresh money for that." Africa has been identified as a particular concern because of its links to Europe and the poor state of healthcare in many of its countries.

The Norwegian Refugee Council's Europe director Edouard Rodier pointed to the Central African Republic as one example -- a population of five million people with only three ventilators available in the entire country.

The European Commission and European Investment Bank have pledged 15.6 billion euros (USD 16.9 billion), while commitments from EU member states and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development takes the total above 20 billion euros.

But EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell acknowledged after the development ministers' talks that "there is no fresh money".

Instead the money comes from redirecting existing funds to target coronavirus, including 5.2 billion euros in accelerated loans from the EIB, Borrell said.

Rodier warned that shifting money from one pot to another would not solve the problem.

"Clearly the solution cannot be to shift the resource required to meet existing critical needs to cover new developing needs -- we need to do both," Rodier said during an online conference on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)




Zimbabweans showing symptoms of a potential Covid-19 infection will now immediately be referred to the rapid response team for testing as Government adopts new and broader testing guidelines approved by the World Health Organisation.





This followed the second Covid-19 death in Bulawayo where testing was delayed by his private practitioner until the patient was close to death.





At the same time private doctors are being trained through their own association to order tests to be done early in suspected cases.





Some private doctors skipped the initial training on how to respond to patients with potential Covid-19 symptoms and there is now a call for private practitioners to be brought up to the same levels as their public sector colleagues.





Previously, the WHO guidelines considered history of travel or contact with a confirmed case in addition to the symptoms before deciding on a test, and that was the Zimbabwean procedure which has now been updated to concentrate on the symptoms, rather than the travel and contact history.





Zimbabwes 11th confirmed case, and second death, was initially diagnosed with pneumonia by a private doctor in his home city since the 79-year-old Bulawayo man had not travelled before showing symptoms more than a week before hospitalisation and his test towards the end of last week, and had no known contact with an infected person although he had been visiting a Hwange tourist resort in mid-March.





Responding to emailed questions on circumstances surrounding the detection, management and subsequent death of the countrys eleventh case of Covid-19, WHO country representative Dr Alex Gasasira said it was important for all clinicians and health workers in Zimbabwe to have increased sense of suspicion when attending to patients with febrile illnesses accompanied with respiratory symptoms.





He said ongoing efforts to train all health care workers in the country on how to screen and manage patients who present with signs and symptoms of Covid-19 should be accelerated.





Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health and Child Care has taken a decision to expand the range of patients who will be tested, said Dr Gasasira. WHO supports this decision.





WHO was grateful to all for making resources available for expanded testing to be implemented. These included the Government and the ministry, and the international partners who have provided the required human resources, laboratory equipment and consumables.





Dr Gasasira said the WHO was encouraged by ongoing efforts by Government and different stakeholders in responding to the outbreak that has so far claimed two lives in Zimbabwe with nine others confirmed as infected although recovering.





Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors for Human Rights urged Government to popularise the case definition among private practitioners, arguing that current awareness efforts were skewed towards practitioners in public health facilities who know when to order tests.





In an outbreak of this nature, we would expect active surveillance, screening and testing of all symptomatic cases. In this case (the Bulawayo death), we are of the view that the testing was rather too late, exposing health workers, communities and delaying active case management for the patient.





We also think; the ministry should do more in terms of popularising the case definition among private practitioners. Focus has been among those responding within council and Government facilities but we have seen that the first port of call for most cases are private general practitioners, said ZHDHR chairperson Dr Fortune Nyamande.





Zimbabwe Medical Association secretary general, Dr Sacrifice Chirisa urged practitioners to follow laid down protocols when attending to patients.





He said through ZIMA, some practitioners were trained on managing suspected cases but admitted some had failed to attend the training.





He said because of the Bulawayo case, ZIMA was now in the process of organising another training session to be conducted virtually so that all practitioners are conscientised on how to deal with suspected cases.





Most facilities are now screening all patients and any suspected cases are immediately referred to a Covid-19 centre and this is what our practitioners should be doing, said Dr Chirisa.





Covid-19 is real, it is here, people know the protocol. It should just be followed.





According to the Ministry of Health and Child Cares daily update, the countrys eleventh case involved a 79-year old patient who initially presented to a general practitioner on March 23 with a history of cough, difficulty in breathing, sore throat and fever.





When he failed to improve on antibiotics prescribed, he reported to a private hospital, where he was admitted. Although the patient, now deceased, had no history of travel, he had indicated that he had been to a tourist resort in Hwange.





His condition deteriorated, the rapid response team was called in to assess and take samples. While awaiting results, the patient died in hospital although by this late stage he was being treated for both pneumonia and for Covid-19.




Vogue Italy has announced the cover of their April issue will be blank, in tribute to those lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Italian style bible's editor-in-chief Emanuele Farneti released a statement on Instagram, explaining they had chosen the colour white as it signified 'respect, rebirth, and silence'.

The white cover, the first of its kind in history, was designed by creative director Ferdinando Verderi, and in a statement Emanuele refers to white as the colour commonly worn as a symbol of 'purity and hope' following The Great Depression of the 1930s.

Revealing they had dropped the projects they were working on, he said that the magazine's 'noblest tradition' is never to look the other way, and that to 'speak of anything else while people are dying' is not in the DNA of Vogue Italia.

Vogue Italy has announced the cover of their April issue will be blank, in tribute to those lost to the coronavirus pandemic

Sharing a picture of the magazine's white cover, he wrote: 'The Vogue Italia April Issue will be out next Friday 10th.

'In its long history stretching back over a hundred years, Vogue has come through wars, crises, acts of terrorism. Its noblest tradition is never to look the other way.

'Just under two weeks ago, we were about to print an issue that we had been planning for some time, and which also involved L'Uomo Vogue in a twin project.

'But to speak of anything else  while people are dying, doctors and nurses are risking their lives and the world is changing forever  is not the DNA of Vogue Italia.

'Accordingly, we shelved our project and started from scratch.'

The Italian style bible's editor-in-chief Emanuele Farneti (seen in January in Milan) released a statement on Instagram , explaining they had chosen the colour white as it signified 'respect, rebirth, and silence'.

The cover was designed by creative director Ferdinando Verderi, and in a statement Emanuele refers to white as the colour worn as a symbol of 'purity and hope' following The Great Depression of the 1930s

Explaining the significance behind the colour white, he wrote: 'The decision to print a completely white cover for the first time in our history is not because there was any lack of images  quite the opposite. We chose it because white signifies many things at the same time.

'White is first of all respect. White is rebirth, the light after darkness, the sum of all colours. White is the colour of the uniforms worn by those who put their own lives on the line to save ours.

'It represents space and time to think, as well as to stay silent.

'White is for those who are filling this empty time and space with ideas, thoughts, stories, lines of verse, music and care for others.'

Referring to the severe worldwide economic depression in the 1930s, The Great Depression, he concluded: 'White recalls when, after the crisis of 1929, this immaculate colour was adopted for clothes as an expression of purity in the present, and of hope in the future.

'Above all: white is not surrender, but a blank sheet waiting to be written, the title page of a new story that is about to begin.'

The magazine also contains the first portfolio of fashion under quarantine, with remotely-taken images of more than 40 leading figures in the fashion industry, including Gigi and Bella Hadid.

The title of the event and the hashtag of the initiative is #imagine: an invitation to hope and imagination at such a difficult time.

The issue also contains the first major fashion feature of the lockdown era, created over the course of a week in several countries around the world by more than 40 artists of the Vogue Italia community (photographers, models, stylists, creative directors, make-up artists), who used seasonal garments or their own personal collections to create images of themselves, their families or distant friends via internet.

'It's effectively the first photoshoot published by a fashion magazine in the new world - everyone at a distance, yet nobody alone', Farneti explained.

Revealing they had dropped the projects they were working on, he said that the magazine's 'noblest tradition' is never to look the other way, and that to 'speak of anything else while people are dying' is not in the DNA of Vogue Italia
[April 08, 2020] Benjamin F. Edwards Investment Banking Expands with New Co-Head

Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. has announced the addition of a co-head of investment banking as it continues to expand its investment banking presence in new markets. David Frank joins the firm as a managing director having 30 years of investment banking experience including senior roles at four major investment banks. He has advised a wide array of clients across varied industries including retail, consumer products and services, distribution, food and beverage, industrials, and transportation. He will share duties with Shelby Schagrin, managing director and co-head of investment banking. David joined Benjamin F. Edwards in April bringing extensive experience and expertise in mergers, acquisitions, corporate sales and divestitures, leveraged debt financing, financial restructurings and equity capital-raising. He has advised a broad variety of larger and mid-cap clients on strategic mergers and acquisitions, and important corporate financing transactions. Most recently, David headed the consumer and retail investment banking industry group at RBC Capital Markets. He previously headed retail investment banking at both Credit Suisse and Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Securities. In addition, he worked for several years advising and financing industrial and transportation clients at Lehman Brothers. David served as a charter member of the Executive Advisory Council of Feeding America, the largest U.S. non-governmental food-assistance organization, and a Trustee of Business Today at Princeton University. He graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree, magn cum laude, and obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School.



David was raised in St. Louis, and then pursued his career in investment banking in New York City where he and his wife, Dawn, raised two sons in Manhattan. Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. is a privately held full service, national wealth-management firm headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. Founded in 2008 by Benjamin F. (Tad) Edwards IV, Benjamin F. Edwards opened its first branch in 2009 and currently has 73 branch offices in 27 states, with more than 600 employees, and $26 billion in assets under management. A subsidiary of Benjamin Edwards, Inc., Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. is a full-service broker-dealer offering a wide array of investment management and investment banking services to its clients and advisors. In 2019, the firm launched a registered investment advisor (RIA), Edwards Wealth Management. Edwards Wealth Management is a custodian-agnostic corporate RIA firm that delivers a comprehensive, best-in-class, back-office platform providing independently owned advisory firms to operate their business. For more information about Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., please visit benjaminfedwards.com or follow the company on Twitter.com/GrowWithBFEC. For additional information about Edwards Wealth Management, visit BFEWealth.com. Investment Banking Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.'s Investment Banking group is an established and growing middle-market mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and capital-raising financial advisory practice. The Investment Banking team focuses on advising clients primarily in the consumer, business services and industrial sectors. The team has a highly successful record of selling companies and providing guidance on capital requirements, structure and availability. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005593/en/

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Every time people are thinking of nations with millionaires and billionaires, they, more often than not, forget to think of Mexico. This nation has seen some significant figures in the arenas, with quantities of multi-millionaires in Mexico, which has exceeded the worldwide average.

Specifically, these people altogether are holding around 43 percent of the individual wealth of Mexico. For three consecutive years, the world's richest man before Bill Gates hailed from Mexico, who took the topmost position in 2014.

You're probably too eager already to now, who, are at least, Mexico's top 5 wealthiest people. A lot of millionaires have gotten their riches in varying industries. Among them is foreign exchange (Forex) trading with the brokers of the Mexican Foreign.

Nevertheless, most of the wealthiest Mexicans acquired their wealth via the Television sector, and through the mining of natural resources like silver and copper. Below are 5 of the many wealthiest people in Mexico according to their net worth.

READ: Companies Urged by Mexico's President to Pay Workers and Avoid Usury During COVID-19 Crisis

Today, Carlos Hank Rhon is the 10th riches Mexican recorded with $2.1 Billion net worth. At age 71, Carlos completed a degree in engineering at the Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico. His father, Carlos Hank Gonzalez, was a famous politician of his time when he served as Mexico City's mayor, the Agriculture secretary, and his home state's governor.

This billionaire got his luck in the banking industry from which now, he is known as the owner of Grupo Hermes. This industrial conglomerate has interests in various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, auto dealership, and tourism.

With a net worth of $5.4 billion, Antonio Del Valle Ruiz belongs to a well-known family of billionaires. He is also a distinguished industrialist and banker joining the ranks of the billionaires for the first time this year. He started in the banking industry as being among the very few who were also considered survivors of the nationalization in the early 80s, and the collapse of the peso in the middle of the 90s decade.

In 2002, Antonio sold "Grupo Financiero Bital to HSBC Holdings," and at present, he is a shareholder in Popular Espanol, a Spanish Bank, and Grupo Financiero BX+, a new business in banking. Other than baking, this billionaire also has a 4-billion-dollar stake in Mexichem, a chemical maker, and is among the biggest plastic tube makers in the world with a $7.8-billion market cap.

READ NEXT: The US Outlines Recommendation to Lift Venezuela Sanctions

Jeronimo Arango, the third on this list of the wealthiest people in Mexico, died just earlier this day. Born in 1925, he began his journey to the life of a wealthy man at the age of 33. At that time, he was in New York for a visit and acquired his idea for the business while observing people who stood in long lines in the stores hoping to get their discount on their respective purchases.

Following this, he opened shops in Mexico and began the business with his two other siblings. Together, they established a chain of supermarkets called "Aurrera," which turned out to be a huge success that resulted in him, along with his brothers, becoming among Mexico's wealthy people. Even until his death, Jeronimo was ranked Mexico's 7th richest man with a $4.3-billion net worth.

READ MORE: How American Lives are Likely to Change After COVID-19

Eva Gonda de Rivera is known as Mexico's wealthiest woman. She earned a bachelor's degree in arts and science. With a net worth of $6.7 Billion, Eva's wealth came from Eugenio Gara LAguera, her husband, who was formerly the chairman FEMSA, a "bottling, logistics and retail conglomerate." It was from the beverage sector where the ex-chairman got the majority of his fortune.

To date, he is regarded as among the most popular millionaires of Mexico. After Eugenio died in 2008, he left FEMSA's large stakes to Eva and their four daughters. Currently, Eva's son-in-law manages the company from which she is not involved in FEMSA's operation.

With a $10.4-billioin net worth, Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez ranks Mexico's, third-richest man. At 87, this rich man controls the Grupo Nacional Provincial insurance company. His familiarization in the business came at an early age because of his father, Raul Bailleres, who started building their family empire.

He was only 28 then when he began to lead a position at Grupo BAL following his father's death. Meanwhile, Alberto acquired most of his wealth in mining since he leads Industrias Penoles, the second-largest mining firm in Mexico, also the most significant silver miner of the world.
Women detained at US immigration facilities in Louisiana have released videos protesting their conditions over fears of a coronavirus outbreak.

The videos, one of which was sent to The Intercept over the facilitys video visitation phone, shows the women holding up signs to raise the alarm about the risk of coronavirus spreading in the jails.

At the South Louisiana ICE Processing Centre, women said a fellow inmate fell ill and they were worried that the virus could spread among them. In another video, the women held up signs saying: Help us. We are afraid of Covid-19.

At least 13 detainees and seven ICE detention centre employees have tested positive for the virus across the country, according to the agency, although the true figure could be much higher. ICE has come under pressure in recent weeks to reduce the number of prisoners in its jails to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Some women at the Louisiana facility are now asking to be released on humanitarian grounds.

Give us an opportunity to be with our families. Were mothers. Dont let us die like this, as if we were animals, Ana, a 46-year-old Dominican immigrant, told CBS News by phone from the facility.

A few days earlier, guards reportedly used pepper spray to disperse a group of women as they protested against the poor conditions and lack of protection, according to CBS.

The for-profit jail in the town of LaSalle is owned by GEO Group and holds more than 400 women. Many of them are seeking asylum in the US.

Women at the same facility told The Intercept a few days earlier that they were concerned that they had become exposed to the virus after a cook fell ill.

The guards come in from outside and wear no masks, said Ranzola Lamas, one of the detainees. I am having nightmares. We feel almost forgotten.

She added that social distancing at the facility was impossible because they were living on top of each other.

Across the US, local authorities are releasing prisoners from jail early in order to protect them from contracting the coronavirus.

Last month, Philadelphias district attorney Larry Krasner said his office would seek to release most people charged with nonviolent offences without them having to post bail.

According to the Philadelphia Enquirer, Mr Krasner also urged police to exercise discretion in charging to avoid jail overcrowding, particularly given fears that crowded jails will be unable to separate prisoners as needed to stop the spread of the virus.

ICE has been under pressure to do the same. Last week, a federal judge in Pennsylvania ordered a local detention centre to release 11 detainees with underlying conditions, but ICE has resisted introducing any nationwide policy.

ICE currently detains around 35,000 immigrants nationwide in more than 200 facilities.

More than 580 people have died from the coronavirus in Louisiana alone, and there have been some 16,000 confirmed cases.
LANSING, MI -- As the state waits to see if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extends the stay-at-home order scheduled to lift April 14, Michigan business groups say its time to consider changes allowing businesses to re-open.

Michiganders deserve to know that our state government is working on a plan to bring people back to work. There is no doubt that our state government can protect both public health and the economy," said Rich Studley, president and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, in a press release.

Now is the time to clarify the Stay-At-Home order to help Michiganders return to work by allowing employers who can operate safely to reopen.

Whitmers stay-at-home order went into effect March 24. It requires people to stay in their homes except when they need things like food, medicine or exercise, and required non-essential businesses to close their doors. Its scheduled to lift April 14, and its not clear yet whether that date will be extended as the state works to stop the spread of COVID-19.

On a call with reporters Tuesday, Whitmer didnt put a timeline on when she might make a decision on extending the order, but said conversations about it are ongoing.

With hundreds of thousands of people out of work in the state, business associations say something must be done quickly to get people back to work or many businesses may not recover.

A lot of businesses are hanging by a thread right now. In another two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, they may not be around," said Charles Owens, Michigan director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Related: Without coronavirus aid, point of no return looms for Michigan small businesses

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked the federal government for clarification on essential vs. non-essential workers to help jump-start the economy, but Owens says that designation doesnt provide the flexibility needed for businesses.

In particular, Owens said the state should look at abandoning the concept of essential vs. non-essential workers for a safe or unsafe approach.

For example, Owens says if a small repair needs to be done on the exterior of his home, a repairman would be considered a safe job as there is no need for the repairman to enter the home and it would not require the homeowner to supervise or be within six feet of the repairman. The worker would be able to wear their own personal protective equipment and still do their job.

That type of repair work may not fall under the umbrella of essential but Owens believes in his example the job would clearly be considered safe.

Owens was clear however, that allowing businesses to reopen and workers to go back to work can only be done using strict safety guidelines that ensure the safety of workers and the general public. A safe or unsafe designation makes no difference if people arent following proper guidelines for stopping the spread of COVID-19, Owens said.

We must be mindful of social distancing, wearing gloves and masks, and assuring the safety of our workers, said Steve Mitchell, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Chamber, in a press release.

Although pledges have been made by the federal government to help small businesses through the $2.2 trillion stimulus package passed last month, Owens says the help isnt actually there for Michigan businesses. Despite the federal government saying $350 billion in loans would be made available, Owens says its not easing the struggles for many in the state.

Its not working out very well at all. A lot of our businesses are being told no. A lot of our businesses are being shut out," Owens said.

Many businesses are being told no by banks because the businesses dont have loans through those banks. In turn, the banks have little incentive to approve a loan to a business that doesnt already owe money. In other cases, Owens says small businesses with very few employees simply dont have someone on staff that can properly navigate the options out there.

It would be more helpful right now if were able to look at open some of these businesses within the safety parameters than have them try to apply for a loan, Owens said.

PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

READ MORE

Complete coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus

Wednesday, April 8: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Heres when federal stimulus payments should hit bank accounts

As coronavirus scare relaxes Michigan transparency laws, experts question long-term effects

Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:12:46|Editor: zyl

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TRIPOLI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Higher Committee to Combat the Corona Epidemic of Libya's eastern-based government on Tuesday announced the first COVID-19 case in eastern Libya.

In a press conference in the eastern city Benghazi, the Committee said the patient is a 55-year-old man who came to Libya from Turkey 20 days ago.

On Monday, the Tripoli-based National Center for Disease Control of the UN-backed government said the total cases in the country is 19, including one death and one recovery.

The country announced on Thursday the first death from COVID-19, an 85-year-old woman who was diagnosed with the disease.

Libyan authorities have taken a series of measures against the COVID-19, including closing airports, border crossings, mosques and educational institutions, banning mass gatherings and movements among cities, and imposing a curfew.

On March 24, Libya announced its first COVID-19 case in a 73-year-old man who returned from Saudi Arabia.
Local stocks drifted lower in early trade after posting strong gains on Tuesday. At 9:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 260.20 points or 0.87% at 29,807.01. The Nifty 50 index was down 83.25 points or 0.95% at 8,708.95. Asian stocks were mixed.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.61%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 1.2%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 735 shares rose and 378 shares fell. A total of 47 shares were unchanged.

Domestic shares had surged on Tuesday, amid positive global cues, buoyed by tentative signs the coronavirus crisis could be slowing. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, spurted 2,476.26 points or 8.97% at 30,067.21. The Nifty 50 index added 708.40 points or 8.76% at 8,792.20.

Stocks in news: Hero MotoCorp fell 1.2%. Hero MotoCorp has extended the duration of all its warranty and free services in view of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

Wipro fell 0.89%. Wipro said that the meeting of the board of directors will be held on 15 April 2020, to consider and approve financial results for the quarter and year ended 31 March 2020.

Deepak Nitrite gained 4.56%. Deepak Nitrite commenced production of 2 Ethyl Hexyl Nitrate (2EHN) at its Nandesari, Vadodara, Gujarat facility effective 6 April 2020.

Galaxy Surfactants advanced 4.22%. Galaxy Surfactants said it has partially resumed operations at its plants with effect from 6 April 2020.

VA TECH WABAG jumped 5%. VA TECH WABAG has secured 4.5 Million Bahraini Dinar (approx. Rs 90 crore) order from Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning (MoW) in Kingdom of Bahrain towards Operation, Maintenance and Management of the Madinat Salman Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and Long Sea Outfall for a period of 5 years.

Global Markets:

Overseas, Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday as countries in the region continued to put measures in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared Tuesday a state of emergency to combat coronavirus infections in major population centers. Singapore also passed a set of laws that bans social gatherings of any size in both private and public areas, as per reports. Meanwhile, China lifted travel restrictions in Wuhan, the virus epicenter in mainland China, effective from Wednesday, marking the end of a lockdown that began on January 23.

In US, stocks finished lower Tuesday, far from session highs, thwarting a second session of gains despite signs that the COVID-19 pandemic may be leveling off in parts of the world. Markets also kept an eye on further planned U.S. measures to help dampen the recessionary impact of shutdowns and business closures intended to limit the epidemic.

In economic news, the NFIB survey, a monthly snapshot of small businesses, found that the optimism index fell in March to 96.4, an 8.1-point decline and the largest monthly decline in the survey's history.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alex Bregman is joining the call flashed across Chris Rootes computer screen on Saturday night, as he and his St. Thomas High School classmates celebrated their prom virtually over Zoom. Moments later, Lance McCullerss face appeared on the video conference app, too.

Everybody was kind of in shock, because they randomly jumped on and nobody knew that was going to happen, said Rootes, 18, of the World Series-winning prom-crashers. We asked how their quarantine was going, but honestly I dont really remember what we talked about. I was too distracted.

An understandable response given the circumstances.

Sure, Rootes and his peers were disappointed that their senior formal had been canceled under Harris Countys stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But having two of their favorite Astros players crash their digital party all but made up for it.

Karen Vine, whose son Thomas Fuller is also a senior at St. Thomas, organized the virtual get-together.

Its the kids night, but normally we parents do a little pre-party, drink some wine and take photos of the couples before they get on the bus and head to prom, she said.

Vine also likes to see the senior girls dressed up in their prom dresses. Not wanting them to miss out, she created her first-ever Zoom meeting, and told Fuller to share the invitation with his friends.

There was a two-and-a-half week gap between when school was canceled and the prom, so a lot of them hadnt asked dates yet, Vine said. But some of these guys are friends with girls at Duchesne.

Thats how Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart senior Genna Montalbano landed one of the coveted Zoom slots.

Duchesnes senior prom, originally scheduled for mid-May, has also been canceled. Montalbano, 18, said that she almost had her date lined up, and she had already found a dress that she liked, when she heard the news.

Its one of those things you want to check off the list and do with your friends before high school is over, she said. But obviously there are bigger problems in the world right now than us missing our prom.

Seeing Bregman and McCullers gave her a prom memory she didnt expect.

Thomas and I have been friends for a couple of years. Were Astros fans and stayed up to watch the World Series together, she said. Lance and Alex are two of our favorites.

Rootes was looking forward to prom, he said. His group of friends had planned to celebrate in Galveston afterward.

Its not like Im devastated or heartbroken, he said of the change in plans. I mean, its not everyday you get to talk to two MLB All-Stars.

In the 11th hour of planning, Vine recalled that a friend, Jennifer Allison, lived across the street from McCullers. So she sent Allison an email, which Allison forwarded to Lances wife, Kara McCullers.

Kara called me that evening and said, This is such a great ideaLance loves doing stuff like that. Allison said.

It kind of reminded me of Hurricane Harvey, and how the Astros really stepped up, Montalbano said. They took 10 minutes out of their day, and it made our whole week. I was reminded that were all in this together.

amber.elliott@chron.com
To support economies burdened by coronavirus lockdowns, the EU has already suspended state aid limits and allowed member states to inflate their debt to spend more.

European Union finance ministers failed to agree in all-night talks on more support for their coronavirus-hit economies and their chairman said on Wednesday morning he was suspending the discussions until Thursday.

Diplomatic sources and officials said a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached to euro zone credit for governments fighting the pandemic was blocking progress on half a trillion euros worth of aid, Reuters said.

"After 16 hours of discussions we came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Eurogroup chairman Mario Centeno said. "I suspended the Eurogroup and (we will) continue tomorrow."

Read alsoNumber of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide tops 1.4 mln

The finance ministers, who started talks at 1430 GMT on Tuesday that lasted all night with numerous breaks to allow for bilateral negotiations, are trying to agree a package of measures to help governments, companies and individuals.

They had hoped to agree on a half-trillion-euro programme to cushion the economic slump and finance recovery from the pandemic, and turn a page on divisions that have marred relations as the bloc struggles with the outbreak.

But feuds emerged prominently again, one diplomatic source said: "The Italians want a reference to debt mutualisation as a possible recovery instrument to be analysed more in the future. The Dutch say 'no'."

An official who participated in the talks said at around 0400 GMT on Wednesday The Hague was the only one refusing to endorse a text that the ministers were expected to agree on to the get endorsement for a new set of economic measures from the bloc's 27 national leaders.

Issuing joint debt has been a battle line between economically ailing southern countries like Spain and Italy and the fiscally frugal north, led by Germany and the Netherlands, since the financial and euro zone crises began over a decade ago.

To support economies burdened by coronavirus lockdowns, the EU has already suspended state aid limits and allowed member states to inflate their debt to spend more.

But Spain, France and Italy say that is not enough and have cast the discussion about more support as an existential test of solidarity that could make or break the EU.

Further proposals under discussions include credit lines from the euro zone bailout fund that would be worth up to 2% of a country's economic output, or 240 billion euros in total. The conditions for gaining access to this money remain a sticking point.
A French court blocked a curfew in a northern Paris suburb, in the latest example of a number of legal rebukes across France and Italy to measures designed to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The court said the mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine had failed to justify the curfew, which went from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. The judge said that the regional government had already taken steps to prevent gatherings, including shutting liquor stores after 9 p.m.

Courts and regulators throughout Europe have given wide latitude to measures enacted to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Lawyers were careful, however, to say the ruling wasn't an all out challenge to the fight against Covid-19.

"The judge is sending a small message, saying he's there to make sure there's no escalation of unjustified lockdown measures at a local level," said said Romaric Lazerges, a lawyer with Allen & Overy in Paris. "If the judge is suspending the mayor's curfew, its precisely because there are already very restrictive measures."

The ruling came the same day Paris authorities angered locals by extending the lockdown in the French capital and prohibiting outdoor exercise between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Five other regional agencies followed suit as the number of coronavirus cases in France topped 110,000 with more than 10,000 fatalities, the worst death toll in Europe after Italy and Spain.

The court said in its Wednesday ruling that no other town in the region had ordered a curfew. The request for an urgent ruling to overturn the Saint-Ouen mayor's decree was filed by a man identified as Louis R. who complained it harmed fundamental freedoms and prevented him from going out to buy groceries or do exercise.

In the Normandy town of Lisieux, an overnight curfew imposed by the town's mayor on March 27 was suspended by a regional court four days later, according to a local news report.

In Italy, the top administrative court supported the annulment of an ordinance restricting free movement imposed by the Sicilian city of Messina, newspaper la Repubblica reported earlier Wednesday. The decree imposed by the mayor of Messina required all those wanting to cross onto the Italian mainland to register on the city's website 48 hours in advance, and was designed to cut the flow of people into the city, the paper said.

The Council of State deemed the measure to have arbitrarily restricted Italian citizen's right to free movement, according la Repubblica. The ordinance will remain in place until it can be reviewed by Italy's Council of Ministers and ultimately the country's president.

The European Court of Human Rights said it has has received about 20 complaints about measures related to the coronavirus between mid-March and April 3. They primarily concern immigrants or others asylum-seekers held in detention centers and target countries including France, Greece, Italy, Turkey and the U.K.

In most cases, the court has postponed any decision while it seeks more information from the national governments concerned. All the cases so far involving those detained in France and Italy have been rejected to date, said the ECHR.

German courts have taken a tougher line. There have been a multitude of challenges to lockdown restrictions in the country, which has suffered less than a fifth as many virus-related deaths as France, and almost all have been rejected.
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Queen Elizabeth reassured the British people in a rare televised speech last Sunday, April 5. As she reaffirmed calls for unity in beating coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tested positive for COVID-19, was admitted to the hospital due to spikes in his fever.



In a pre-recorded address, Queen Elizabeth, who has been staying in Windsor Castle since mid-March, expressed her thanks to the medical frontliners and other people still working in essential businesses amid the pandemic. She said that the nation is applauding these care workers who will be remembered and regarded as a symbolical rainbow of hope in this time of crisis.



Queen Elizabeth also reflected on the time she and her sister, Princess Margaret, spoke to the nation to reassure families separated during the war in the 1940s. The Queen said that while many will feel that same pain of separation today, she is confident that this virus will be beaten.



Her Majesty ended her speech by saying that the human spirit's "instinctive compassion to heal," along with science, will help the world succeed in this war against coronavirus. Her address comes as the government is asking the public, especially the vulnerable, to remain in their homes to stop the spread of the virus.



Shopping centers and restaurants remain closed but many locals still go out to walk or spend time outdoors. London parks have been filled with people as the spring weather becomes warmer.



The government reiterated to the public not to go out to sunbathe at this time with the U.K. recording the fourth highest number of coronavirus cases all over the world. Experts are expecting that the peak of cases will be more evident around Easter Sunday.



Meanwhile, the prime minister was brought to a hospital in London on Sunday and 10 days after he confirmed he had the virus. Downing Street announced that it's a precautionary measure since Johnson has had persistent symptoms.



Doctors said that he will be staying at the hospital for as long as it is needed. The prime minister, however, is still in charge of the U.K. government but Dominic Raab has been designated to take over should Johnson become incapacitated.



According to reports, Johnson was hoping to get out of self-isolation after seven days. However, he has remained in his home on Downing Street as his fever will not let up. Health Secretary Sophy Ridge said that he is still working in his flat and remains in good spirits despite his temperature.



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TagsPrime Minister Boris Johnson, ICU, Queen Elizabeth
Donald Trump last night said he was sending 200 ventilators to the UK after London called to say it was in desperate need ahead of the savage coronavirus peak.

Speaking at his daily White House briefing, President Trump said: 'The UK called today and they wanted to know would it be possible to get 200 and we're going to work it out, we've got to work it out.

'They've been great partners. United Kingdom. And we're gonna work it out for them. So they wanted 200, they needed them desperately.'

While Whitehall has indeed been scrambling to order thousands of the machines, Trump has engaged in public spats with his governors who have complained about ventilators being held in a federal stockpile.

Earlier today, Downing Street thanked Donald Trump for his offer of an experimental coronavirus treatment for Boris Johnson, who remains in intensive care with persistent coronavirus symptoms

But Trump said on Tuesday he was going to have 110,000 delivered in the coming weeks while adding, 'I don't think we'll need them.'

Earlier today, Downing Street thanked Mr Trump for his offer of an experimental coronavirus treatment for Boris Johnson, who remains in intensive care with persistent coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Johnson, who appeared to be suffering in a recent selfie video, remains in an ICU but is said to be in a stable condition

Yesterday, the president had sent his best wishes to the PM, who he lauded as a 'very good friend of mine, and a friend to our nation.'

The American President said he had told two 'genius' drug companies to contact British authorities this morning after hearing of Mr Johnson's plight at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

Mr Trump's dispatch of 200 ventilators comes a day after British defence firm Babcock said it had received a Government order to produce 10,000 ventilators.

The Government had said 30,000 ventilators will be needed for the NHS to cope with the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, although Health Secretary Matt Hancock revised this down to 18,000 over the weekend.

On Sunday, Mr Hancock warned the UK might not have enough ventilators on hand when the coronavirus peak hits, estimated to be in around 10 days.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hancock said: 'We need to make sure we have more ventilators than there are people who need ventilation.

'At the moment we have between 9,000 and 10,000 ventilators within the NHS right now and we have the 2,000 spare that are critical care beds with ventilator capacity should people need to come into them and we're ramping that up.

The Government had said 30,000 ventilators will be needed for the NHS to cope with the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, although Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) revised this down to 18,000 over the weekend

'The answer is that our goal, instead of the 30,000, is that we need 18,000 ventilators over the coming two weeks.'

Asked how many there will be in a week's time, he said: 'There should be another 1,500.'

Asked if the country will be below the capacity it needs in a week's time when the virus is expected to peak, Mr Hancock said: 'No, because thankfully we've got the demand down because the vast majority of people are following their social distancing guidelines.'

Mr Hancock added: 'If we manage to get this to peak within a week to 10 days then the (ventilator) demand will be even lower than the 18,000.

'But the 18,000 is our current goal because we want to be ready with belt and braces for a worst-case scenario rather than that central scenario.

Asked how many there will be in a week's time, Mr Hancock said: 'There should be another 1,500'

'If I could just explain this, because communicating about these sort of trajectories is really tough, because I want to prepare the NHS for whatever might happen and to make sure that there is always that spare capacity.

'The modellers and the scientists might say what they think is their likely, central scenario, but that is no good for me because if that doesn't happen we can't just say 'well the model is wrong, we don't have the capacity'.

'It was an internal target, but I've just told you. So my goal on ventilators is to get to 18,000-ventilator capacity and we are on track to meet that goal.'
Non-banking finance companies ( NBFCs), with close to 10,000 entities and assets size of Rs 32 lakh crore, have been left to fend for themselves in these difficult times as the banking sector has refused to provide them any moratorium on term loans.

All banks are currently offering a three-month moratorium on loan instalments to corporate as well as retail borrowers. But they aren't offering the same to NBFCs.

The reason for this is that NBFCs are 'lending institutions' which offer the moratorium to customers, so they can't avail the moratorium themselves. But, interestingly, the total outstanding bank loan to NBFC sector is around Rs 7 lakh crore. So, unfortunately, they too have a lot to pay up.

SBI Rejects

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its COVID-19 package has said that all commercial banks, cooperative banks and NBFCs including MFIs and housing finance companies are permitted to provide a moratorium on all kinds of term loans.

The largest bank in the country, the State Bank of India (SBI), has even gone on record saying that the moratorium on term loan is not applicable to banks term loans to NBFCs.

Similarly, the Indian Banks Association (IBA)'s circular does not include NBFCs as beneficiary of three months moratorium on term loans. The IBA circular has also not considered MFIs and HFCs as direct beneficiary of working capital financing.

Under the RBI guidelines, the NBFCs are offered indirect support through banks. The RBI is extending liquidity support to banks and the banks in turn have to support NBFCs by deploying funds in investment grade corporate bonds, commercial paper and NCDs of these entities.

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic: When and how lockdown will be lifted? A primer

Who Can Help?

NBFCs have knocked on the doors of government and the RBI. And, the ball is now in the RBI's court. A nudge from the finance ministry may force banks to include NBFCs under the moratorium ambit. But that will give NBFCs an unfair advantage as many are as big as mid-sized banks. Take for instance, HDFC Ltd, Bajaj Finance, HDFB Finance, LIC Housing Finance, Tata Capital.

There is also a view that NBFCs are a key player in credit intermediation in the market as they serve the self-employed and micro segment which are the hardest hit from the lockdown as compared to banks' salaried customers.

While RBI has asked NBFCs to offer three-month moratorium to their customers, the NBFCs are at a disadvantageous position because they don't have the advantage of low cost funds via savings and current accounts.

The RBI should ideally create some sort of a separate window (though direct funding without collateral is not possible) or government should step in with some guarantee to help the sector.

Apart from bank loans, the NBFCs have a huge borrowings of over Rs 9 lakh crore from the market via debentures and commercial papers (CPs). Any redemption pressure in these instruments could lead to asset liability mismatch. The sector, which is yet to recover from the IL&FS shock, is once again staring at drying of funding sources.

Also read: Coronavirus impact: RBI allows 'greater space' to states, UTs for availing overdraft facilities

Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: Jalandhar man tests COVID-19 positive; Punjab's tally at 100
Ukraine's position, expressed in the minutes of the 10th information meeting on the situation in the occupied Crimea, was supported by 33 UNESCO member states.

Despite the quarantine, we managed to ensure the conduct of UNESCO 10th online information meeting on the situation in the occupied Crimea. A record number of 33 countries joined the statement in support of Ukraine's position, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UNESCO, Ambassador of Ukraine to France Oleh Shamshur posted on Twitter.

As reported, the MFA of Ukraine has repeatedly stated that Crimea has been and will be the territory of Ukraine, and the world will never recognize the annexation of the peninsula by Russia. In particular, the latest statement in connection with the sixth anniversary of the so-called Russian referendum in Crimea stated that Crimea has been and will be the sovereign territory of Ukraine. "The consolidated position of the international community and decisions of key international organisations, including the UN, EU, NATO, Council of Europe, UNESCO, and international parliamentary organisations make it clear that the world will never agree with the annexation of Crimea de jure or de facto," the statement reads.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the so-called referendum grossly violated the Constitution of Ukraine, the fundamental principles of international law and bilateral agreements, and the international community regards the actions of Moscow as completely illegal and the legal status of the so-called referendum as null and void.

In addition, the Ukrainian diplomats consider that the occupants desire to consolidate their control over the illegally seized territory has dramatically worsened the situation on the peninsula, where human rights and freedoms are systematically violated, and political persecution is carried out both on religious and ethnic grounds.

ol
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 17:36:06|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported on Wednesday 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 960.

The new cases involved 11 men and 14 women aged between two months and 71, 15 of whom had travel history during the incubation period, Head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch Chuang Shuk-kwan said at a daily press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

Of those suspected of becoming infected locally, four were related to a clustered outbreak of British retailer Marks & Spencer, Chuang said, adding that 17 staff members of the department store need to be sent to quarantine centers.

According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, a total of 264 patients have been discharged from hospitals upon recovery, while 667 patients remain in the hospital for treatment, with 14 in critical condition.
Hey @alanhowze - Used @zoom_us for in-meeting participants, then attendee view was sent out to usual @Granicus, Twitter, FB Feeds. @Qualtrics for Form-based feedback, voicemail via @Cisco setup, @WeTransfer for vid submission. Add fair share of talented co-workers, & you're good.  Mike Sarasti (@Sarasti) March 26, 2020

With social distancing being one of the keys to slowing down the COVID-19 outbreak, local governments face the fundamental question of what to do about public meetings.Some states, such as Tennessee and Nebraska , had to issue executive orders to allow virtual public meetings to occur. Assuming a government body is authorized to hold a virtual public meeting, how should it be done?Theres no one right answer to this, and the best solution for your municipality or governing body is something that youre already familiar with, if possible, said Brian Platt, business administrator for Jersey City, N.J. Dont try to copy a city that you think did it right.According to an email received by, Jersey City held its first fully virtual caucus meeting and city council meeting on March 23 and 25, respectively. The municipality upgraded and utilized Microsoft Teams, a tool the citys been using on a day-to-day basis.Platt contrasted the simplicity of his citys approach with the huge production that was Miamis virtual commission meeting on March 25. According to a tweet from CIO Mike Sarasti, Miamis meeting involved tech from Zoom, Granicus, Qualtrics, Cisco and WeTransfer. Sarasti could not be reached for comment.Louisville, Ky., had been using WebEx for virtual meetings before social distancing measures were put in place across the country. The city was in the middle of transitioning to a cloud version of the tool when COVID-19 struck, IT Director Chris Seidt said. The tech allows the city to continue holding its metro council, daily town hall and press briefing meetings.Seidt said making sure people stay muted might be the single most important tip to keep in mind, which means that walking everyone through functionalities or sending tips and tricks beforehand is a must.When we tried to go off mute in the first press briefing meeting, we had about 20 people trying to go in at the same time and ask questions, Seidt said. It didnt work very well.Seidt also suggests starting virtual public meetings a few minutes late. Meetings tend to be scheduled right on the hour, so allowing about five minutes to pass is a good way to avoid technical issues that may result from numerous organizations using a digital platform at the same time.Testing is key to making sure things go off without hitches. Seidt said its unwise to hold a meeting where people will be logging into a system for the first time. This is especially true for officials who may have problems joining the meeting from home.Were having them run some speed tests at their house and send us a screenshot just to make sure they have a good experience, Seidt said.Keeping the public connected is another challenge. Platt said Jersey City will change how it handled citizen comments for its first virtual council meeting, where they asked individuals to sign up to speak via email or phone. During the actual meeting, Jersey City would manually and individually call each person when it was their time to speak.Unfortunately, not everyone answered their phone when they were supposed to.That was a little slower than we would have liked, Platt said.To remedy this limitation, Jersey City is experimenting with a method that would allow citizens to call in and be placed in a virtual waiting room.Seidt said pumping content to residents through social media connectors is a great idea. Louisville has moderators collect questions on a Facebook Live feed and put them in the WebEx chat so that the mayor or whomever can address the concerns during the meeting.Weve seen four or five hundred residents on real-time with Facebook, Seidt said. He later added, You want to put it on as many platforms as you can.Seidt added that Louisville worked with the metro TV channel to set up a picture-in-picture overlay so that citizens can see the meeting video with a sign language interpreter.Security also cannot be overlooked. During a virtual public meeting in Kalamazoo, Mich., Internet trolls disrupted the proceedings with profanity and racial slurs.Making sure you have a secure platform with a password for the meeting is really critical, Seidt said.Government TechnologyGoverning
A bookish 34-year-old on the autism spectrum, Abbas spent weeks gobbling up information about the coronavirus pandemic.



He knew that early studies from the source of the COVID-19 outbreak, central China, and elsewhere suggested his youthfulness may reduce his vulnerability to the illness.



But Abbas, a systems administrator from Faisalabad, in Pakistan's Punjab region, didn't like what he was seeing, including on the MedCram YouTube channel, a personal favorite.



"I'm not a very healthy person per se, but I do take precautions," Abbas, a self-described "germophobe," told RFE/RL.



"Because I'm on the [autism] spectrum, I like being lonely and I don't go to public gatherings -- whether it's a pandemic or not. I like staying alone mostly. And I like reading."



Abbas is saddled with the kind of potentially underlying health issues that can aggravate many illnesses.



He's a longtime sufferer of pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the lungs that causes labored breathing. He was also born with cardiomegaly, an enlargement of the heart that can make him light-headed or nauseous, and he takes antihistamines for allergies.



Going Off The Grid



So when Abbas woke up one morning in mid-March feeling unwell, he tried his usual palliative: anti-allergenics and a walk.



But when the sore throat, headache, temperature, and hacking cough intensified, he called a government COVID-19 hotline on March 23.

At that time, the coronavirus pandemic had already infected at least 200,000 worldwide and killed more than 7,000 people, but there were fewer than 800 confirmed cases in Pakistan.

"They told me to go visit the civil hospital if my symptoms don't improve, but I didn't want to go there because I know how disorganized and unhygienic that place is," Abbas said.



Instead, he tried a hack.



"I was quite afraid and worried that this might turn into pneumonia," Abbas said.



A former colleague put him in touch with a mutual acquaintance, a doctor at a private hospital.



Within hours, the Punjab regional government would announce a lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus, effective the next day, prompting Abbas to move to his mother's home outside Faisalabad to self-isolate.



That was still March 23, but Abbas was now effectively off Pakistan's official coronavirus grid.



Hard-Hit In Punjab



Punjab is responsible for nearly half of Pakistan's 4,005 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, according to Health Ministry figures on April 7. The ministry also reported 55 deaths related to the virus.



Its challenges were highlighted this week by news that regional officials were still scrambling to quarantine tens of thousands of attendees at a gathering by an Islamic missionary group in Lahore in mid-March, when Pakistan only had a few dozen confirmed coronavirus cases but social-distancing measures were being encouraged.

Local media have repeatedly warned of an unrealistic and dangerous reliance on untested COVID treatments, including antimalarials and an experimental plasma therapy to boost patients' systems with antibodies from recovered patients.



But hospitals in Punjab appear to be among Pakistan's most eager to administer antimalarials on the basis of still fragmentary -- and clinically unproven -- signs they might help fight COVID-19 and its pneumonia-like symptoms.

"We are using hydroxychloroquine for moderate to mild pneumonia cases," Punjab's health minister, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal on April 6. "Yes, we recommend that if the symptoms are there."



Getting Better



On March 24 Abbas was tested, by the private doctor, and was self-isolating, although the wait for the result of his coronavirus test would take several days.



Mindful of possible contraindications stemming from Abbas's underlying health problems, "the doctor wanted to avoid medicine to begin with," Abbas said.



"But since my test came back positive, he told me the risks and prescribed [antimalarials and] said he isn't sure if it would work or not and all the disclaimers and such, but it is one of the few drugs currently being used in the country to fight the virus."

Speaking via WhatsApp, Abbas told the doctor he was aware of the risks and, in what he described as his "nerd" way, cited COVID-19's mortality rate and other statistics.



"He gave a weird pause and said, 'OK,'" Abbas said.



He was initially given Basoquin and later an antiviral called Arceva.



Basoquin contains amodiaquine, a variety of the 4-aminoquinoline derivatives used for over a decade as an antimalarial, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-asthmatic.



Those derivatives also include the much-hyped but insufficiently tested hydroxychloroquine antimalarial touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of what he suggested might be a "miracle cure."



Health experts stress that such antimalarials' effects and risks for COVID-19 patients are still uncertain, though accelerated testing with coronavirus patients is under way in a number of countries, including the United States.



The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an order in late March approving the physician-supervised use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients, and Trump vowed that the government had stockpiled 29 million doses of it.



But the top U.S. expert on infectious-diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned last week, "We still need to do the kinds of studies that definitively prove whether any intervention, not just this one, any intervention is truly safe and effective."

Abbas said that when the doctor prescribed his medication, "he said that the [encouragement] he has received from the coalition government is that he has to prescribe the antimalarials as a workaround so that most people don't get any sort of, like, lung infection."



Pakistani doctors, Abbas said, dispense prescriptions "like leaves," meaning in great numbers.



By March 26, Abbas said he would have told people "I was going to die."



Two days later he told RFE/RL, "I'm feeling quite well and I'm optimistic."



By April 6, Abbas said he felt well enough that he had stopped taking all medication but was "still self-isolating until next weekend, just in case, so I don't inadvertently transmit it to others."
A California man punched his mother after he accused her of hoarding toilet paper, say authorities who noted an uptick in domestic violence calls during stay-at-home orders resulting from the coronavirus outbreak.

Adrian Yan, 26, of Saugus in Los Angeles County was charged with battery and detained after he was alleged to have punched his mother because he thought she was hoarding the family supply of toilet paper, authorities say.

Yan's mother told investigators that she had actually hidden the toilet paper because she thought her son was using too much, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.

A man in Los Angeles County was charged with battery and detained after he was alleged to have punched his mother because he thought she was hoarding the family supply of toilet paper, authorities say

Adrian Yan, 26, of Saugus was arrested for allegedly punching his mom because he thought she was hoarding toilet paper, say authorities. His mother explained she had actually hidden the toilet paper because her son was using too much, according to authorities

Deputies responded to the family's residence at Plum Canyon Road and Mirabelle Lane about 3 a.m. Monday, says Shirley Miller, a spokeswoman for the department's Santa Clarita Station, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Yan had accused the mother of hoarding toilet paper, which has been scarce across the country since the outbreak began of the deadly virus, also known as COVID-19.

There have been more than 18,000 confirmed cases in California of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for close to 500 deaths.

Yan had accused his mother of hoarding toilet paper, which has been scarce across the country since the outbreak began of the deadly virus, also known as COVID-19. A toilet paper aisle at a Target is pictured after customers made a run on paper products

Los Angels County has had more than 6,900 cases and at least 169 deaths.

The U.S. has seen more than 435,500 cases and 14,831 deaths.

Yan's mother declined medical treatment when deputies responded to the call, which resulted in her son's arrest.

There have been more than 435,500 confirmed cases in the U.S. of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 14,831 deaths

How the coronavirus has escalated in the U.S. over time

The number of new U.S. infections over time

A day-to-day look at the number of deaths in the U.S. blamed on the coronavirus

Miller said the department's Santa Clarita station had seen an uptick in similar domestic violence calls during a shelter-in-place directive made to help slow the spread of the virus.

'It was to be expected, it's happening everywhere,' Miller said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva had already warned of a possible increase in domestic violence calls as people are forced to stay in because of the virus, prior to Yan's arrest.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has announced a two-week ceasefire in support of a UN-led peace initiative, AP reports.

Why it matters: There's little to show for five years of war in Yemen beyond one of the world's most dire humanitarian crises, which would only deepen in the event of a coronavirus outbreak. Sources told Reuters the virus was a driving factor behind the ceasefire, which could pave the war for peace talks in the coming days.

The backstory: The Houthis overthrew Yemen's Saudi-aligned president in late 2014, after which Saudi Arabia and several allies began a fierce bombing campaign.

The Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, waged with American-made weapons, has been widely criticized internationally due to its high civilian death toll and massive humanitarian crisis that has put millions on the brink of famine.

Despite efforts in Congress to suspend U.S. support to the coalition, the Trump administration has continued to back the Saudis, in part due to links between the Houthis and Iran.

Back-channel talks last year between the Saudis and Houthis had led to a reduction in violence, though casualties have spiked recently, per AP.

The latest: The Saudi proposal envisions "a nationwide ceasefire, including halting all air, ground and naval hostilities, and for the parties to ensure compliance by forces on frontlines," per Reuters.
A lorry driver has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck.

The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were discovered by emergency services at an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, shortly after the lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium in the early hours of October 23 last year.

Among the men, women and children were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

Five men charged following an investigation by Essex Police appeared for a virtual hearing at the Old Bailey before Mr Justice Sweeney.

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Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the truck driver also admitted 39 counts of manslaughter on or before October 24 last year.

He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property.

Robinson appeared at court via video link alongside four other co-defendants.

British Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Mimosa Close in Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road in Tilbury, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration

Valentin Calota, 37, of Cossington Road in Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Kennedy and Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faced.

The other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks from October 5.

The hearing was conducted virtually with most lawyers and court reporters attending by Skype.
A truck driver fatally stabbed three people and wounded another at a Tennessee travel center Tuesday before he was killed by a sheriff's deputy, authorities said.

A motive for the rampage outside Knoxville is not known, said Leslie Earhart, a public information officer for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Idris Abdus-Salaam, 33, a truck driver from Durham, North Carolina, was shot and killed after attacking four people at the Pilot Travel Center, the TBI said.

Officials said that when Knox County sheriff's deputies arrived at the travel center about 7 a.m., they found one person who had been stabbed outside the store and a man armed with a knife in the parking lot.

"Officers confronted the individual who refused to drop the weapon," the TBI said. "At some point during the encounter, one of the officers fired shots, striking the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene."

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The three people who were killed were employees at the travel center, and the fourth victim was a customer, Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam said in a statement provided to NBC affiliate WBIR of Knoxville.

Authorities identifies those who were killed as Joyce Whaley, 57; Patricia Denise Nibbe, 51; and Nettie R. Spencer, 41. The identity and condition of the customer, who was hospitalized, were not released.

Kermit McPeek, pastor of The Crossing Church in Kodak, told WBIR that Whaley was "one of the most caring people I've ever met." She leaves behind her husband, two daughters and two grandchildren, he said.

Joshua Moore, senior pastor of Grace Community Church in New Market, told WBIR that Nibbe "was one of the most giving people, willing to help in an instant in any situation."

The TBI is also investigating the circumstances of the deputy shooting.

"I'm asking that the public join me in praying for all of those who lost a loved one today, for the victim that remains in the hospital, for my Deputies and all of the First Responders," Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said in a statement.

A phone number for Abdus-Salaam or anyone who may be associated with him could not immediately be found Tuesday night.
A health official checks temperature of passengers on a bus entering Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

No one was diagnosed in Vietnam with Covid-19 Wednesday afternoon, and the countrys tally remained at 251.

Tests had confirmed two new cases on Wednesday morning, both patients being locals who contracted the infection from other patients.

Of the 125 active Covid-19 patients, 17 have tested negative twice and are eligible for discharge, while 25 others have done so once. Vietnam has recorded no Covid-19 death so far.

The Ministry of Health said the epidemic in Vietnam is now in stage three: community transmission.

Of the 251 patients so far, 126 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. Most of the current cases are people coming from Europe and the U.S. and others who came in close contact with them.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday another 74,626 people were in quarantine for observation.

The pandemic has spread to 209 countries and territories, claiming 83,000 lives.
Houston Police Department

Houston police are searching for three women considered persons of interest in the death of a 5-year-old boy shot while making home videos with his family last month.

Homicide detectives are looking for Shapree Monique Stoneham, 29, Khalisah Smith, 18, and Alexis Moshae Gore, 22. None of the three are charged with a crime, police said.
JetBlue announced a consolidation of flights in five major metropolitan areas, including Boston, as a result of historically low demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

We face new challenges every day and cant hesitate to take the steps necessary to reduce our costs amidst dramatically falling demand so we can emerge from this unprecedented time as a strong company for our customers and crewmembers, Scott Laurence, the airlines head of revenue and planning said in a statement.

The announced plan, which will run from April 15 to June 10, reduced the number of flights from the Boston area from 180 per day to 28. JetBlue will completely suspend flights in and out of Providences TF Green International Airport during that time.

Similar consolidations are planned for Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. JetBlue will also file an exemption request with the U.S. Department of Transportation to temporarily suspend service at other small airports where it usually operates only a handful of flights.

Airlines have been struggling with an unprecedented drop in demand since the pandemic hit, especially as they try to navigate rules slow to keep up with the sudden change in demand. For example, so-called ghost planes," which are empty or nearly empty flights, have been crisscrossing the globe since the outbreak began. Regulations that have required airlines to make a certain number of flights or risk losing coveted flight slots are only just getting relaxed. According to the Dallas Business Journal, Southwest Airlines recently flew 56 empty flights, partly to move airline personnel and cargo around the country.

Anyone impacted by JetBlues decision will be notified by the airline and offered alternatives, a refund, or a credit for future travel.
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines on Wednesday expressed solidarity with Vietnam after Hanoi protested what it said was the ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese coast guard ship in the disputed South China Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila expressed deep concern over the reported April 3 sinking of the boat carrying eight fishermen off the Paracel Islands. The incident happened at a time when a common approach was crucial in confronting the coronavirus pandemic, it said.

COVID-19 is a very real threat that demands unity and mutual trust, the department said. In the face of it, neither fish nor fictional historical claims are worth the fuse thats lit by such incidents.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has built several islands equipped with military installations in the area, one of worlds busiest shipping lanes. Vietnam has been the most vocal opponent of Beijings territorial assertiveness.

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs recalled that 22 Filipino fishermen were left floating in the high seas after a Chinese vessel sank their boat at Reed Bank on June 9 last year. They were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel.

Our own similar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost by it and how much trust was created by Vietnams humanitarian act of directly saving the lives of our Filipino fishermen, the department said.

The United States has also expressed serious concern over the reported sinking of the Vietnamese vessel and called on China to remain focused on supporting efforts to combat the pandemic and stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea.

Amid the pandemic, China has announced new `research stations on military bases it built on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef and landed special military aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, referring to two of seven islands China built on disputed shoals in the South China Sea.

China has also continued to deploy maritime militia around the Spratly Islands, she said, referring to a hotly contested group of islands and citing a 2016 decision by an international tribunal that invalidated Chinas sprawling claims in the South China Sea.

China has said it has the right to build in waters where it exercises sovereignty and has ignored and continued to defy the the arbitration ruling.

The Philippines warned that incidents like the sinking of the Vietnamese boat undermine the potential for a trusting relationship between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China. It cited positive momentum in talks between ASEAN and China on a proposed code of conduct  a pact to prevent major clashes in the South China Sea, which many fear could be Asias next flashpoint.

China responded to Vietnams diplomatic protest and demands for an investigation with its own statement accusing the Vietnamese boat of illegally entering Chinese waters. It said it collided with the Chinese ship Haijing 4301 after conducting dangerous actions.

All eight Vietnamese sailors were rescued by the Chinese and admitted to wrongdoing, China Maritime Police spokesman Zhang Jun was quoted as saying in a statement.

China seized the islands from Vietnam in 1974 and frequent confrontations have occurred there.
A literal "trick of the light" can detect imperfections in next-gen solar cells, boosting their efficiency to match that of existing silicon-based versions, researchers have found.

The discovery opens a pathway to improved quality control for commercial production.

On small scales, perovskite solar cells - which promise cheap and abundant solar energy generation - are already almost as efficient as silicon ones.

However, as scale increases the perovskite cells perform less well, because of nanoscale surface imperfections resulting from the way they are made.

As the number of unwanted tiny lumps and bumps grows, the amount of solar power generated per square centimetre drops off.

Now, however, Australian researchers have come up with a solution - using a camera.

In a paper published in the journal Nano Energy, first author Dr Kevin Rietwyk and his colleagues from Australia's ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, Monash University, Wuhan University of Technology and CSIRO Energy, describe how critical imperfections invisible to the naked eye can be detected by shining blue light onto the cells and recording the infrared light that bounces back.

The technique employs a property of solar cells called "photoluminescence".

This is the process by which an electron inside a molecule or semiconductor is briefly powered-up by an incoming photon. When the electron returns to its normal state, a photon is spat back out.

Microscale flaws alter the amount of infrared produced. Analysing how the extent of the light emitted from the solar cell varies under different operating conditions gives clues to how well the cell is functioning.

"Using this technique, we can rapidly identify a whole range of imperfections," said Dr Rietwyk, an Exciton Science researcher based at Monash University.

"We can then figure out if there are enough of them to cause a problem and, if so, adjust the manufacturing process to fix it. It makes for a very effective quality control method."

Equivalent checking methods are common in silicon cell manufacture. By employing an innovative light modulation, Dr Rietwyk and colleagues have designed a new approach that rises to the challenges posed by next-gen cells - opening a pathway to a scalable and potentially commercial device.

Senior author Professor Udo Bach, also of Exciton Science and Monash University, said the team had performed successful test runs on batches of small research cells. The technology, he explained, will be simple to scale up and commercialise.

"This research shows clearly that the performance of perovskite solar cell devices is influenced by the number of small imperfections in the cells themselves," he said.

"Using light modulation to find these flaws is a quick and robust way to solve the problem - and one that should work on any level of production."

###

Dr Noel Duffy from CSIRO Energy in Melbourne was joint senior author.

Dr Rietwyk and Professor Bach are based at Monash University, Australia, as are co-authors Boer Tan, Adam Surmiak, Jianfeng Lu, David McMeekin and Sonia Raga. Dr Lu also holds a position at Wuhan University of Technology in China.

A copy of the paper can be accessed here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211285520303128?via%3Dihub
Sonia Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was important because it had come after he had called the Congress chief and sought suggestions in this hour of crisis

When Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making five point suggestions on behalf of her party to fight multiple challenges posed by COVID-19 challenges, one expected them to be constructive and positive.

Gandhi's letter was also important because it had come after the prime minister had called the Congress chief and sought suggestions in this hour of crisis. After all, Sonia has been the president of the Congress party since March 1998 except for a brief interruption of a year and half when she had handed over the reigns of the party to her son Rahul Gandhi.

But the suggestions made by Sonia in her letter to the prime minister were disappointing, to say the least.

She tried to take a moral high ground by supporting the governments decision to enforce a 30 percent pay cut for all Members of Parliament in the opening of the letter. But as she came to her first point, it seemed that her real intentions are not to help the government come out strongly from the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

I am writing to offer five concrete suggestions. I am certain you will find value in them, she wrote in the letter. Now let us consider the merit of these suggestions one by one.

Sonias first suggestion was that the Modi government (including all PSUs) "impose a complete ban on media advertisements  television, print and online. The only exceptions should be advisories for COVID-19 or for issues relating to public health". Her prescription, she argues, will "save Rs 1,250 crore to be used to fight COVID-19".

At the outset this would appear to be a noble suggestion. But the question is: if this was such a good suggestion, why did she not first ask the Congress-ruled states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Punjab, or Maharashtra where Congress is part of the coalition in power, or in the UT of Puducherry?

Its well known that in India, subscription/viewership to media, television, print and digital is either free or is nominally paid. That is because the real expenses in running media outlets and their distribution is funded through advertisements from private companies as well as the government.

Now Sonia wants all government ads to be stopped for two years at a time when the industry is already reeling under real crisis, perhaps the biggest ever. Apart from disseminating news and informed views to people at large, this sector is a big employment creator as well.

While the Congress, on the one hand keeps on talking about jobs, but here it is asking the government to do something that will result in closure and reducing the size of media outlets, which will result in massive job losses.

There is another angle to it. The Congress president perhaps thinks that the media by large is supportive of Modi and his government, and the closure of all ad revenue to media houses will turn the owners and journalists against it. Young aspiring journalists too wouldnt get jobs.

Sonia's solution number two: Transfer all money under PM CARES Fund to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PM NRF). This will ensure efficiency, transparency, accountability and audit in the manner in which these funds are allocated and spent. It seems like a waste of effort and resources to have and create two separate silos for the distribution of funds.

This smacks of an agenda  the continuing entitlement of the Congress president. It was not publicly known until now that that the Congress president is an ex-officio member of PM NRF.

When then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru constituted this fund, he decreed that the Congress president will be part of the six-member committee. In fact, Congress president is listed on number two position, after the Prime Minister of India.

In PM CARES Fund, the Congress president or for that purpose no political party president has been made a member. The mandate of especially created PM CARES Fund and PM National Relief Fund is different.

Remember the noise Congress had made when the elite SPG cover of the Nehru-Gandhi family was withdrawn.

Sonias solution number three: Suspend the 20,000 crore Central Vista beautification and construction project forthwith.

This is a worthwhile suggestion to the government

Sonia's number four suggestion: It makes sense to order a proportionate reduction of 30 percent in the expenditure budget (other than salaries, pensions and central sector schemes) for the Government of India as well. This 30 percent (i,e, 2.5 lakh crores per year approximately) can then be allocated towards establishing an economic safety net for migrant workers, labourers, farmers, MSMEs and those in the unorganised sector.

This is open to debate among the economists whether or not cutting 30 percent of expenditure budget by the Government of India would aggravate the economic crisis and result in massive job losses. But if it does, this would go exactly the opposite way to the cause that Congress president is advocating.

Sonias solution number five: All foreign visits including that of the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, Union ministers, chief ministers, state ministers and bureaucrats must be put on hold in a similar fashion.

The Congress president would appreciate that all-air traffic  domestic and foreign  is currently suspended and no one is in capacity to say when these services are going to resume. One would assume that no bilateral, multilateral and large conferences are going to happen till the end of this year.

The G20 meet and the Modi-initiated SAARC summit were held through video conferencing. That would probably be the template for immediate term meets. Since there are some notions attached to hawai yatra and foreign visits, she is apparently trying to score a brownie point.
Chris Stott. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

Could there have been a worse time for Wilson Asset Management's former stockpicker Chris Stott to go into business for himself? Despite retiring last year to spend more time with family, WAMs long-time chief investment officer was back in the market by February.

Its been quite a rocky road for the small caps space, which excites us given we are starting now and we think we are coming in at a reasonably good time, Stott said in an interview prior to the launch of his 1851 Capital funds management outfit. Well, the providores at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market clearly had other ideas...

Stott had raised around $80 million for his new business, largely from wealthy families and sophisticated investors like ex-Colonial First State chief executive Chris Cuffe. Since launch, however, things have gone rather badly. In two months, Stotts first foray, the 1851 Emerging Companies Fund, has lost a third of its investors money. Thats almost $30 million.

It was down 25.6 per cent in March alone, according to an investment update circulated to clients earlier this week and obtained by this column. For the record, thats substantially worse than the ASX benchmark.
Natural gas has gone from being a by-product of oil production to a vital source of energy for transportation, industry, and heating. Technological advancements have strengthened the fuels proliferation as a central energy source across the globe. Previously, pipeline infrastructure and geographic proximity to production areas were a necessity to import gas. However, with the invention and growth of LNG, even isolated and hard to reach regions can now use the fuel. The construction of liquefaction and regasification plants all over the world have injected previously unseen levels of liquidity into a traditionally inflexible sector.

The natural gas market today, however, is facing a major crisis due to very low prices for an extended period of time. A perfect storm is forming around the sector due to a combination of bad luck and oversupply. The gas industry was already in a precarious position after two consecutive mild winters, and now COVID-19 is pushing it to the brink of collapse.

A brittle equilibrium

The gaseous state of the fuel under normal circumstances makes it relatively difficult to transport compared to oil. Which is why pipelines were always the favored choice for transit purposes. Although LNG has somewhat transformed the situation, the majority of the worlds natural gas is still transported by pipelines.

Premium: Oil To Move Above $41 If Trumps Tweet Is True

The equilibrium between supply and demand is brittle due to the relatively small size of the LNG market compared to average production capacity at a single facility. The size of the LNG market in 2018 was approximately 320 mtpa. In comparison, LNG liquefaction projects in 2019 that were in line for a final investment decision had a capacity between 31 and 8 mtpa. This means that the biggest undertaking would add up to 10 percent to global production capacity. The size of this market means the pendulum swings fairly easy between undersupply, balance, and oversupply.

Unusually warm weather in the northern hemisphere during the past two heating seasons has led to relatively full storage in both Asia and Europe. This has significantly depressed demand and consequentially led to lower prices.

According to Deepa Venkateswaran, an analyst at Sanford v. Bernstein in London, "the impact of the weather was already significant. The coronavirus will take that to a much higher level."

Furthermore, unlike the oil market, the natural gas industry does not have an 'OPEC' to influence prices. Producers are not able to coordinate production levels to set prices that are acceptable for the market.

Black swan

The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has greatly exacerbated a difficult situation. According to Samantha Dart, head of natural gas research at Goldman Sachs in New York, we are still going through the peak of this bearish cycle. The virus outbreak has exacerbated the oversupply situation in the global gas market.

Factories and offices around the world have closed which has depressed prices even further. Prices on the Dutch TTF virtual market, one of the most liquid exchanges globally, have decreased by 58 percent since October, which marks the worst quarter on record. U.S. Henry Hub prices are not fairing any better, witnessing the biggest first-quarter drop since 2012.

Source: Bloomberg, ICE, Nymex

On the horizon

Although prices are low, the situation is unlikely to change any time soon due to comparatively full storage in major markets such as Europe. European storage is heading into the spring and summer with 50 percent capacity, which is unprecedented. This means that additional imports will increase levels even further and will lead to a crunch at the beginning of the next winter period. It is unlikely that favorable prices will drive demand up as they traditionally do as many economies have been ground to a halt due to COVID-19.

Premium: Oil Market Data Is About To Get Very Ugly

A significant amount of natural gas contracts have been negatively affected by developments in the oil market. Historically, gas prices have been linked to oil. This means that both the drama unfolding in the oil markets due to COVID-19 and the Saudi-Russian price war are adding downward pressure to already depressed natural gas prices.

Furthermore, changing weather patterns could also negatively impact developments in the long-term. The past decade has been the hottest ever worldwide, which includes the warmest five years in recorded human history. As a significant amount of natural gas is used for heating, this could lower growth over the years.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
BERKELEY (BCN)

Participants of Berkeley Music Circus's World Sing-Along are encouraged to step outside their homes or open a window Wednesday afternoon and sing or play an instrument to "All Together Now," organizers said.

The event starts at noon in every time zone and continues each Wednesday through April 29. Props and costumes are encouraged.

Next week participants can sing "Lean on Me." Photos or videos can be posted on https://www.facebook.com/AnotherBullwinkelShow.

Another Bullwinkel Show, an event management company, helped get the word out about the event and suggested the times surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic need not be so dark.

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.
If COVID-19 will be our "9/11 moment," as Surgeon Gen. Jerome Adams said on Sunday, what exactly does that mean? (Henny Ray Abrams / AFP/Getty Images)

Last week, President Trump hosted a somber briefing at the White House where his advisers presented their official COVID-19 death projections. There would likely be between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans dead when the crisis finally abates, said coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx. Without mitigation or social distancing, the fatalities could be much, much higher.

Those numbers represent, as Trump fatuously put it, a lot of people. But hearing the numbers is not really the same as understanding them. It's hard to conceive of what so many deaths will actually mean for a nation of 330 million people if hundreds of thousands  or more  of us were to die. Would it transform us? Destroy us? Or would we put it behind us in a year, a decade or a generation? Has anything like this happened to the United States before?

These days, were all studying the maps, the curves, the caseloads, the lethality rates. Stuck at home, glued to the internet, were learning the difference between linear scales and logarithmic scales, and trying to make judgments about complex data.

But putting these massive mortality projections into context is difficult. Humans are notoriously unresponsive to statistics; we suffer from what scholars like Paul Slovic of the University of Oregon call psychic numbing  both our comprehension and our empathy decline as the death tolls rise.

So here are some facts to help put the projections in comparative perspective.

In 2017, a total of about 2.8 million people died in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The leading cause, as usual, was heart disease, which killed 647,457 people. At a high of 240,000 fatalities (assuming we continue to social distance, and assuming for the moment that the White House estimates are accurate), COVID-19 wouldnt come close to being the nations top killer.

But for comparisons sake: Alzheimers disease killed 121,404 people that year, and in the flu and pneumonia category, 55,672 died. In 2018, about 37,000 Americans died in automobile accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. So the coronavirus death toll could overtake all of those categories combined.

Story continues

Another way to think about the coronavirus projections is in historical terms, as Surgeon Gen. Jerome Adams did Sunday when he said that this week would be Our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment.

Here then are some metrics from U.S. history: In four years, the Civil War killed 750,000 Americans (from a total population of 31 million) and AIDS has killed about 700,000 in the U.S. since 1981.

On the other hand, COVID-19 fatalities are likely to outnumber American deaths in Vietnam (close to 60,000), and dwarf the number who died on 9/11 (nearly 3,000) or at Pearl Harbor (about 2,400).

As you take in the numbers, consider some caveats. For one thing, the number of people who ultimately die of COVID-19 may be far lower or higher than projected; numerous experts have questioned the reliability of the White House estimates.

Besides, the historic significance or emotional toll of such events cannot be conveyed by death tallies alone. Twenty deaths would be unimaginably tragic in a school shooting. Yet in foreign wars and distant natural disasters, we often read of hundreds of thousands of dead, and then turn the page. Sept. 11 was especially traumatizing because of its proximity, because it was an unexpected attack  and because the deaths occurred mostly in a single morning.

Counting the dead sometimes seems like an obsession, and a macabre one at that. In this case, however, there are obvious practical reasons for it. Epidemiologists and biostatisticians track cases and compile predictive models in order to understand where the outbreaks are occurring, which policies are succeeding and how to allocate scarce resources.

But we also count to acknowledge our shared loss, to honor those who died, and because we find it callous and inhumane to let the dead go unnamed or unenumerated. (Carol Tuckwiller, a former librarian, spent six years seeking to identify every Allied soldier killed in the 1944 D-Day attacks.) We also count to give ourselves, as Professor Drew Gilpin Faust, a history professor at Harvard, put it, an illusion of certitude and control.

In This Republic of Suffering, her fascinating study of death and the Civil War, Faust described how that conflict brought Americans into day-to-day contact with the horror of death on a mass scale. Loss became commonplace; death was no longer encountered individually; deaths threat, its proximity, and its actuality became the most widely shared of the wars experiences.

Will coronavirus do that to us? Will we all know someone who dies  or many people? That's already happening in New York City, where COVID-19 is especially rampant. The New York Times reported April 2 that "many have already lost someone in their circle  a co-worker, an old friend from high school, the parent of a childs classmate. The parish priest, the elderly neighbor upstairs. A mother, a father. Almost everyone now knows someone who is sick.

Perhaps it wont be that way for Americans living in Montana. But for those from urban areas, especially older people, perhaps it will  depending how successfully we follow the rules of mitigation.

Death tallies and mortality projections are not perhaps the most evocative ways to think about the crisis. Most of us respond more easily to the personal stories of affected people. Numbers can be unsatisfying, even misleading. Perhaps thats why Walt Whitman (as Faust notes) referred more generally to the countless graves and the infinite dead of the Civil War.

In fact, they were neither countless nor infinite, but of course, that was his point.

Beginning today, associate editor Nicholas Goldberg will be writing a regular op-ed column for The Times. Goldberg served as The Times editorial page editor for 11 years and, before that, was the op-ed and Sunday Opinion editor. He has also worked as a Middle East correspondent and political reporter.




FLINT, MI -- A 40-year-old man has been arraigned in connection with the death of his girlfriend at a Richfield Township mobile home park.

Robert D. Putnam was formally charged April 5 on a single count of open murder. His girlfriend, 28-year-old Sidney Szewczyk, was found deceased at her residence in the Davison Hills Mobile Home Community off East Mt. Morris Road, police said.

A relative had come over around 1 p.m. March 31 to check on Szewczyk and found her deceased inside the residence, police said.

Police ruled the death a homicide.

Man suspected of killing woman at Davison-area mobile home park

Putnam was arrested the same day in Kentucky.

Kentucky State Police were notified Putnam was a person of interest or suspect in the case.

Putnam and Szewczyk were in a dating relationship and lived together at the mobile home park, police said.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton could not immediately be reached by MLive-The Flint Journal for comment on the case.

Davison Township police, Davison police, Genesee County Sheriffs Office and Michigan State Police assisted Richfield Township police with the investigation.

Putnam, who faces life in prison on the murder charge, is being held without bond in the Genesee County Jail.

Hes due back in court April 23 for a probable cause conference in front of Genesee District Judge William H. Crawford.
While Regent Jim Pillen said he has "long opposed mandates" at NU, Wednesday's statement is the first time the gubernatorial candidate has publicly come out against the mask and testing policy at UNL.
The first European external commercial facility on the International Space Station arrived at its new home last week: the Columbus laboratory module.

Bartolomeo, named after the younger brother of Christopher Columbus, was installed by robotic arm on the forward-facing side of the space laboratory on 2 April 2020.

The platform, with blue hinges centre-right of the photo, is at the end of the Dextre attachment that is part of Canada's 16-m robotic arm for the International Space Station. In an intricate process controlled from Earth, the robotic arm took Bartolomeo from the external trunk of the Dragon cargo vessel and moved it into position on Columbus. The 20th SpaceX Dragon mission departed from the Space Station today to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Bartolomeo is built and operated by Airbus, and hosted by ESA on the International Space Station. The facility has a clear view of Earth and the service benefits from high-speed data transfer to provide easy access to space at competitive prices.

Previous spacewalks prepared Columbus' hull to receive the new host facility by adapting support pins to which Bartolomeo will connect. Astronauts will perform another spacewalk to install Bartolomeo in the next few months, together with a new terminal called ColKa that will upgrade the European space laboratory.

The photograph is taken with Earth above, the blue and white facility, space storm hunter, ASIM, can also be seen top right. This Danish-led facility is pointing down at Earth and monitoring the events that occur above thunderstorms. It celebrates its second year in orbit this month. Results coming in have already shown how lightning can affect the upper reaches of our atmosphere and much more.



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Despite the much-needed support from New Delhi, ruling Madhya Pradesh is no doddle for Chouhan this time.

The COVID-19 pandemic, weak economic conditions, and a few political considerations are some of the challenges he faces.

Sandeep Kumar reports.

IMAGE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with BJP leader Gopal Bhargava at the party state headquarters in Bhopal. Photograph: PTI Photo

Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken oath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister for a record fourth time.

There were rumours that he was not the only candidate for the top job but finally he was in luck and got a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Despite the much-needed support from New Delhi, ruling Madhya Pradesh is no doddle for Chouhan this time.

The reason is clear. There are multiple challenges he faces.

The COVID-19 pandemic, weak economic conditions, and a few political considerations are some of them.

Coronavirus challenge

Taking on COVID-19 is by far the first and foremost challenge for the new government.

Chouhan understands this and that's why after taking oath he said this was not a time to celebrate but to fight the pandemic.

After the nationwide lockdown, he announced all families below the poverty line (BPL) would be provided a month's ration free.

He also said Rs 1,000 would be provided to labourers as support through the State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

Chouhan also announced Rs 2,000 for two months to primitive tribes called Saharia, Baiga, and Bharia.

Apart from this, old-age and social-security pensioners would receive an advance of Rs 1,200 for two months.

Here comes the second challenge. Madhya Pradesh is cash-strapped and the question is from where the required funds would come.

Financial challenges

The previous government was continuously scrounging for funds. It repeatedly accused the Centre of blocking Madhya Pradesh's share.

Recently it again said the central government deducted over Rs 14,000 crore from Madhya Pradesh's share of allocation in the Union Budget.

But experts say the state's financial trouble may end soon with the BJP returning to power the state.

"In the changed circumstances, the Centre will shower financial support upon it. However, it may take some time because we are going through an extraordinary phase," said Saji Thomas, journalist and political commentator.

Coronavirus could affect the payment of salaries of governments employees.

There are some 5,00,000 salaried employees in the state.

The treasury department is facing a staff crunch after the lockdown. The finance department was busy closing the financial year 2019-20.

Chouhan belongs to a farmer's family. He has carefully nurtured this image. Within a week of assuming office he announced relief measures for agriculture.

The lockdown has affected farming activities in the state. Madhya Pradesh is one of those states that are allowing farmers to go into the fields within guidelines on social distancing.

However, a government official says in coming weeks, the situation will be far from normal for farmers, especially considering the current lockdown.

"There are 97,315 anganwadis and mini-anganwadis in the state.

"Approximately 900,000 beneficiaries are enrolled there. Most of them are struggling to get food since the lockdown has been imposed," said Rakesh Malviya, a right-to-food activist.

Political challenges

Chouhan has to accommodate Jyotiraditya Scindia's supporters, who are now in the BJP.

According to sources, he will constitute his cabinet some time in April and at least 10 members of the Scindia camp will be inducted into it.

It is also being said that Tulsi Silawat, who was health minister in the previous government, will be deputy chief minister.

Silawat is considered a confidant of Jyotiraditya Scindia, on whose shift to the BJP the Congress government fell.

"It is the prerogative of the chief minister. He can take into the cabinet whoever is eligible. I can't tell you more than this," said Pankaj Chaturvedi, BJP leader and Scindia loyalist.

Chouhan must also be eyeing the by-elections, which are to be held in the near future.

Almost all the defecting MLAs of the Congress will contest on the BJP ticket from their seats.

Many of them are from the Chambal and Malwa regions, the strongholds of Scindia and the BJP, respectively.

Of the 22 seats going to the polls, 15 are in the Chambal area.

The BJP was the runner-up in 20 seats the rebel Congress MLAs had won.

If political commentators are to be believed, winning them may not be a snap.

"There are apprehensions that some BJP leaders might turn hostile because they are unable to digest the induction of these long-term political rivals into their party.

"The BJP was desperate to bring down the Congress government. But the way to do so was most undignified," said political analyst Anil Jain.
The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The main menus of streaming services are like casino buffets. From a distance, they look appetizing. But start putting things on your plate willy nilly and youll get a case of the what was I thinking?s after a few bites.

So, if searching for the next show to watch has become an arduous process, sit back and let us take the guess work out of it with these 10 new or newish releases.

Community (Netflix/Hulu)

Now on Netflix, Community couldve gone down as the Seinfeld of its era if only a few more million people actually watched it. On the surface, its also a show about nothing. But pull back the layers and youll find its about everything: friendship, philosophy, finding yourself, growing older, everything really. Throw in some meta humor, a heavy dose of pop culture references, and a few high-concept episodes, and the result is an an underappreciated classic.

Subscribe to Netflix

Subscribe to Hulu

Insecure (HBO)

Back for a fourth season on April 12, Issa Raes show has evolved from a TV adaptation of her Awkward Black Girl shorts on YouTube into a chill comedy about two single women in their 30s, navigating the pitfalls of their love lives and professional careers as they try to become the best adult versions of themselves.

Subscribe to HBO Now

Most Dangerous Game (Quibi)

Liam Hemsworth plays a father-to-be mired in debt and dying of cancer. To save his family from financial ruin, he agrees to be the prey in the ultimate hunt. The thriller on Quibi, the new quick-bite streaming service, has two things going for it: Christoph Waltz in all his scene-chewing glory and the story is told 10-minute chunks, which makes the ridiculousness go down a whole lot smoother.

Try Quibi free for 90 days

What is Quibi? 5 shows to watch on the new bite-size streaming service

Onward (Disney+)

Arriving on Disney+ just a month after its theatrical release, Pixars latest is a tale of two brothers on a quest to connect with their dead father for one day. Their emotional journey is full of heartwarming moments, unexpected humor, and plenty of laugh-out-loud visual gags.

Ozark (Netflix)

Now in season 3, this crime drama about a family man (played by Jason Bateman) trying to get out of the money laundering business, but somehow getting deeper and deeper remains, wait for it, arresting television.

Subscribe to Netflix

Parasite (Hulu)

This years Oscar winner for Best Picture is about a poor family that, one-by-one, cons its way into working for a rich family. But when they discover theyre not the only parasites living off the host family, everything goes off the rails, quickly and disastrously.

Subscribe to Hulu

Run (HBO)

Debuting April 12, this series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the team behind the Emmy-winning comedy Fleabag stars Merritt Wever (Unbelievable) as Ruby, a woman with a boring life who drops everything to join her college boyfriend Billy, played by Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux from the Star Wars sequel trilogy), on a cross-country train ride.

Subscribe to HBO Now

The Stranger (Netflix)

This bingeable British mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat and your remote on auto-play. It starts with the arrival of a stranger to a tight-knit London suburb whose secrets turn the lives of a family man (played by Richard Armitage of The Hobbit fame) and everybody around him upside down.

Subscribe to Netflix

Taken at Birth (Hulu/TLC)

This riveting docuseries premiered on TLC last fall, but is getting new life on Hulu. Its about an Akron woman looking for answers after discovering she was among the 200 babies stolen from their mothers at birth and sold on the black market by a notorious doctor in Georgia.

Subscribe to Hulu

Watch it on TLC

Tiger King (Netflix)

Everybody is still talking about it, might as well give in. As bonkers as it sounds, the bizarre, yet fascinating subculture of big cat owners is a topic you never knew you needed to know everything about, like, right this minute.

Subscribe to Netflix

More Stream This:

5 dramas to binge right now

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5 reality shows to binge right now

5 docuseries to binge right now

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Cord cutting 101: How to ditch cable and choose a streaming plan for you
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Capitalising on low global oil prices, India will fill its underground strategic oil reserves with oil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq as it shores up supplies to meet any supply or price disruption.

India has built 5.33 million tonnes (MT) of emergency storage -- enough to meet its oil needs for 9.5 days, in underground rock caverns in Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The stat Mangalore and Padur are half-empty and there was some space available in Vizag storage as well. These will now be filled by buying oil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq, sources with direct knowledge of the development said.

Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had in the last few days held talks with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with a view to shoring up supplies.

India built the underground storages as insurance against supply and price disruptions. It allowed foreign oil companies to store oil in the storages on condition that the stockpile can be used by New Delhi in case of an emergency.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) had previously hired half of the 1.5MT of Mangalore storage. It has stored for its commercial purposes 0.75MT of oil at Mangalore and the remaining space was empty, sources said adding the UAE's Upper Zakum crude will be bought for storing in the empty space.

Padur, the biggest of the three storages, has a total capacity of 2.5MT (about 17 million barrels). ADNOC had in November 2018 signed up to hire half of this capacity but never actually stored oil in it. Government-sourced crude fills up half of the Padur capacity currently and 1.25MT of crude oil from Saudi Arabia is planned to be sourced for filling up the empty space, they said.

Padur storage has four compartments of 0.625MT each. The 1.33MT Vishakhapatnam storage has a small amount of unfilled space which would be filled with Iraq crude oil, they added. While the oil to be stored in the three caverns will belong to the government, the government isn't paying for it.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have been asked to source oil from the three Middle-East countries for storing the caverns, sources said, adding the government will reimburse them of this cost at a later date.

Finance Ministry has set aside Rs 700 crore for the purpose, they said adding the amount wouldn't cover for the cost of entire oil to be bought and more allocations will need to be made. At least Rs 2,000 crore more would be needed for buying the 15 million barrels of oil needed to fill Mangalore, Padur and Vizag, they said.

ADNOC had in February 2018 signed a pact to fill half of the 1.5MT of strategic oil storage at Mangalore. In November 2018, it had signed a similar pact with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve entity of India (ISRPL) for Padur. In Mangalore, it had agreed to stock 5.86 million barrels or 0.75MT of oil.

The agreement allows ADNOC to sell or trade crude oil storage in the storages to local refiners but give the Indian government the first right to the oil in case of an emergency. Allowing foreign companies to use the storage for storing crude oil helps the government save on the cost of filling the reserves.

In Phase-II, India plans to build an additional 6.5MT of facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur, which is expected to augment the emergency cover against any supply disruption by another 11.5 days.

Sources said foreign oil firms are allowed to hire the storages and use them to stock their oil and sell it to refineries in the region on commercial terms. India, which meets 83 percent of its oil needs through imports, will have the right of first refusal to buy the crude oil stored in the facilities in case of an emergency, they said.

Indian refiners maintain 65 days of crude storage, and when added to the storage planned and achieved by ISPRL, the Indian crude storage tally goes up to about 87 days. This is very close to the storage of 90 days mandated by IEA for member countries.

ADNOC had in 2017 given up its crude storage lease in South Korea and instead agreed to store oil at Mangalore in a bid to establish a ground presence in the world's third-largest oil-consuming nation.

Out of the crude stored, a part would be used for commercial purposes by ADNOC, while a major part would be purely for strategic purposes.

The Visakhapatnam facility can meet two-and-a-half days need while Mangalore can meet 2.8 days requirement.

Padur can meet 4.7 days requirement. The SPR at Mangalore consists of two compartments with a total storage capacity of 1.5MT (11 million barrels).
Virus Outbreak Vaccine Study In this Wednesday, April 8, 2020 photo provided by the Center for Pharmaceutical Research, a participant in a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine trial receives an injection in Kansas City, Mo. This early safety study, called a Phase 1 trial, is using a vaccine candidate developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals. (Center for Pharmaceutical Research via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. researchers have opened another safety test of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, this one using a skin-deep shot instead of the usual deeper jab.

The pinch should feel like a simple skin test, a researcher told the volunteer lying on an exam table in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday.

Its the most important trial that weve ever done, Dr. John Ervin of the Center for Pharmaceutical Research told The Associated Press afterward. People are beating down the door to get into this trial.

The experiment, using a vaccine candidate developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, is part of a global hunt for much-needed protection against a virus that has triggered an economic shutdown and forced people indoors as countries try to stem the spread.

A different vaccine candidate began safety testing in people last month in Seattle, one developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. About two-thirds of that studys participants have gotten the first of two needed doses.

Inovios study is set to test two doses of its vaccine, code-named INO-4800, in 40 healthy volunteers at the Kansas City research lab and the University of Pennsylvania. Inovio is working with Chinese researchers to also begin a similar study in that country soon.

These early-stage studies are a first step to see if a vaccine appears safe enough for larger tests needed to prove whether it will protect. Even if the research goes well, it is expected to take more than a year before any vaccine could be widely available.

Dozens of potential vaccines are being designed in labs around the world, expected to begin this testing process over the next several months.

The good thing is weve got a bunch of candidates, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIHs infectious diseases chief, said during a podcast for the Journal of the American Medical Association Wednesday.

Most of the vaccines under development have the same target: A spike protein that studs the surface of the virus and helps it invade human cells. Yet many work in quite different ways, making it crucial to test different options.

Inovio researchers packaged a section of the virus genetic code inside a piece of synthetic DNA. Injected as a vaccine, the cells act as a mini-factory to produce harmless protein copies. The immune system makes protective antibodies against them  primed if the real virus ever comes along.

Story continues

Inovio research and development chief Kate Broderick likens it to giving the body an FBI wanted poster so it can recognize the enemy.

But after the skin-deep injection, researchers must hold a device over the spot that gives a little electrical zap. The synthetic DNA is large when it comes to penetrating human cells, and the pulse helps the vaccine more easily penetrate and get to work, Broderick said.

DNA vaccines are a new technology. But Inovio has experimental vaccines against other diseases that are made the same way that have passed initial safety testing.

And at least one showed hints that going skin-deep somehow sped the immune systems development of protective antibodies, University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Pablo Tebas told The AP. Tebas leads the this latest new COVID-19 study.

The NIHs vaccine candidate, manufactured by Moderna Inc., works similarly, except it uses a type of genetic code called messenger RNA and is injected deeper  into the muscle.

Neither NIHs nor Inovios potential vaccines are made using the actual virus, meaning theres no chance of getting infected from the vaccines -- and its possible to make far more quickly than traditional shots.

___

AP Video Producer Kathy Young contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Linkedin Hoang Thi Ha (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Wed, April 8, 2020 11:10 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd083563 3 Opinion COVID-19,coronavirus,ASEAN,Southeast-Asia,pandemic Free

The COVID-19 crisis is turning the globalized world on its head, putting ASEAN in uncharted waters like never before. As the pandemic rages on, risks and fears of infection are magnified by geographical proximity and regional connectivity  two fundamentals of the aspired ASEAN Community.



ASEAN multilateral cooperation comes to a standstill as borders are closed, travel restricted, flights grounded and conferences canceled. Following the postponement of the ASEAN-United Sates special summit, the ASEAN summit slated to be held in April in Vietnam has been rescheduled to June.



Yet, not all is lost. ASEAN can draw on the reservoir of its existing mechanisms, accumulative experience in fighting previous epidemics and the intrinsic values of good neighborliness and openness to chart its way forward.



ASEANs traditional response to emergency and crisis situations is to convene emergency meetings of ASEAN leaders or relevant ministers to discuss regional solutions. When the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit the region in 2003, ASEAN leaders met in Bangkok and rolled out coordinated measures to fight the disease.

Read also: ASEAN unity in doubt as Indonesia calls for special COVID-19 summit



Many such measures still hold true for the COVID-19 pandemic, including transparency and exchange of information and experience, multisectoral and whole-of-government approach, and standardized procedures for departure and arrival screening at border crossings.



But the exponential contagious power of COVID-19 disabuses the organization of its usual interface platform. That leaves teleconferencing as the only option to keep ASEANs work up and running. ASEAN senior health officials have convened several video conferences, including with their Chinese, Japanese and South Korean counterparts under the ASEAN Plus Three framework, to exchange information on containment and mitigation measures and identify needs for technical support and medical supplies in some ASEAN countries.



An ASEAN-European Union ministerial video conference was held on March 20 to discuss both the immediate and long-term measures to combat the virus, including the importance to boost trade and investment when the pandemic subsides.



Videoconferencing is as much a necessity as an opportunity for ASEAN to resuscitate its otherwise half-hearted efforts to further utilize teleconferencing, even beyond COVID-19. While technological platforms for videoconferencing are now more available and affordable than a decade ago, ASEANs preference for interface meetings runs deep. One cannot imagine the organization as the hub of regional diplomacy without associating it with around 1,500 ASEAN-related meetings annually.



Yet, the experience of the past few months suggests that teleconferencing can be both cost-effective and effective, especially for technical meetings or in emergency situations. As the chair of ASEAN and in the face of the COVID-19 disruption, Vietnam should make full use of videoconferencing to keep ASEAN cohesive and responsive, in line with its chairmanship theme.



Things are changing fast with this pandemic, and ASEANs response must be nimble and timely. Thus, even if ASEAN leaders cannot see each other in person, they could, and should, teleconference to collaborate and coordinate national action and leverage ASEAN-related mechanisms in tackling this crisis.

Read also: From luxury hotels to camps, coronavirus quarantine varies across Asia



What is even more crucial than the established ASEAN mechanisms at this time of crisis is a sense of care for thy neighbor among member states. As regional governments are resorting to drastic self-isolating measures like travel bans and lockdowns to put the wellbeing of their peoples first, this sounds like an oxymoron. But it isnt.



Given the interconnectedness within the region and a coronavirus spreading like wildfire, any laxity in local control can cascade into a region-wide outbreak. The Sri Pelaling Tablighi gathering in Kuala Lumpur, which

drew 16,000 participants in late February, not only made Malaysia the epicenter of the disease in Southeast Asia but also caused a spike in COVID-19 cases in neighboring Indonesia, Brunei, and even Vietnam.



The Malaysian government has since sprung into action. Its movement curbs, including border closures, have affected the movement of people and goods across the causeway with Singapore. It is, however, noteworthy that both countries have established a special working committee to manage the disruption caused by these emergency measures.



Much more can be done among ASEAN neighboring countries, the wellbeing of which is intertwined even as they are presently turning inward for self-preservation. There is a lot to be learned from each others experiences, for example Singapores extensive contact-tracing and Vietnams whole-of-society mobilization in fighting the pandemic. Both have committed to transparency through clear communication and regular updates for the public, including through tracing apps and leadership messaging, to win social trust and dispel misinformation.



Both have been able to locally develop COVID-19 test kits, with Vietnam even starting to export its own. Given the importance of extensive testing for early containment of the coronavirus spread, both countries should support other ASEAN members in this respect.



The COVID-19 crisis also holds some good lessons for ASEAN to step up regional preparedness and response to health hazards in the future. For example, ASEAN should consider developing a regional stockpile of medical supplies; expanding the work scope of the ASEAN defense sector on disaster management to include humanitarian assistance in health emergencies; and mobilizing resources and capacity building for its member states in developing a viable long-term public health strategy.



Moving forward, it is important that ASEAN countries adopt a long-term perspective on coping with COVID-19 and its manifold impacts. Regional and international cooperation contribute to effective containment, mitigation and treatment of the disease, especially through the sharing of the relevant medical data.



Amid the massive lockdowns and closures, the region must never lose sight of the spirit of openness to move forward.



______

Lead researcher for political and security affairs at ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
PSE&G, New Jerseys largest utility company, is warning customers not to fall for coronavirus scams.

Its telling customers to be on the lookout for phone scammers who impersonate utility employees.

PSE&G, which donated 50,000 N95 masks to a New Jersey hospital system last month, wants customers to know it will not shut off service for non-payment during the coronavirus pandemic.

The heightened anxiety were feeling is perfect for scammers, whose preferred tactic is to make people panic at the thought of getting their power shut off, said Fred Daum, executive director of PSE&G Customer Operations. Thats why its important for people to know that, during this crisis, PSE&G is not shutting off power for non-payment due to financial burdens.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Phone scammers typically tell potential victims that they must pay an overdue bill or face immediate shut off of electricity, the utility advised.

It also said PSE&G does not accept payment via prepaid gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin  another common method scammers use to steal your money.

The company explained how these scams commonly work.

Your phone rings, and the caller ID says its a call from PSE&G on your caller ID. The caller then threatens to shut off your service unless you make a payment by cash, pre-paid card, wire transfer or Bitcoin.

In another type of scam, the caller says you need a new meter but first, you need to put down a deposit. PSE&G does not require a deposit for a new meter installation.

During either of these scams, the caller may give you another phone number to call. If you do, it will sound similar to PSE&Gs automated call system  but youre actually calling the scammer.

In yet another scam attempt, a caller will say that because of your good payment history, youre eligible for a bill reduction or discount. But before you get it, the scammer will ask for your private information.

Heres what PSE&G will and wont discuss over the phone, the company said: A genuine PSE&G representative will ask to speak to the account owner. If that person is available, the representative will explain why they are calling and provide the account name, address and current balance. If the account owner is not available, the PSE&G representative will not discuss the account at all and ask that a message be left for the customer of record to call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).

PSE&G also asks customers to visit its website for more information on scams.

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.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
[April 08, 2020] Seasoned Investigator Joins Guidepost Solutions

Guidepost Solutions, a global leader in compliance, investigations and security consulting, announced the hiring of Christopher R. Kim, Esq. as a senior managing director. He brings over 23 years of investigative and legal experience involving criminal and international sanctions cases. Prior to joining Guidepost Solutions, Kim's practice was focused on international financial institutions (e.g. World Bank Group) sanctions matters, internal corporate investigations, and monitorships involving the U.S. government. "Christopher's deep knowledge and robust experience working with international entities will bring value to our increasingly global client base," said Julie Myers Wood, CEO, Guidepost Solutions. "His pragmatic, business-focused approach and strong ties to Asia, Europe and Africa broaden our scope of work in the international arena and bolster our ability to handle complex matters for our clients."



Prior to private practice, Kim was a senior investigator at the World Bank Group, where he planned, managed, and directed multi-disciplinary teams in the audits of multi-national corporations alleged to have been involved in fraud, corruption, and collusion. His investigations have led to over 25 entities being sanctioned by the organization. Kim also managed a high-profile investigation of a World Bank Group official involved in bribery and money laundering. In addition, he led the organization's first ever audit team investigating enterprises in China and has extensive experience in the World Bank Group's sanctions processes (i.e., investigations, settlement, litigation, sanctions, and compliance). Kim started his career at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he spent 14 years as a special agent, associate division counsel and supervisory special agent. In these different roles, he led investigations and/or advised on legal/policy matters involving transnational organized crime, public corruption, U.S. export-controlled technology and national security issues.

Kim received his Juris Doctor from Temple School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tufts University. About Guidepost Solutions LLC

In a world where change is certain, experience is the best protection. Guidepost Solutions offers global investigations, compliance and monitoring, and security and technology consulting solutions in a wide range of industries. With headquarters in New York, Guidepost Solutions maintains offices in key markets including Bogota; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Honolulu; London; Los Angeles; Miami, Oakland; Palm Beach; Phoenix; Sacramento; San Francisco; Seattle; Singapore; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.guidepostsolutions.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005056/en/

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Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has called on the National Guard to assist the Springfield Police Department and bolster its numbers. The guardsmen and women started their duties at the triage tents set up to help the homeless population in Springfield on Wednesday.

On Friday, Mayor Sarno and I, out of an abundance of caution, both agreed to request 75 National Guard members to assist the city, wrote Springfield police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood in an editorial for the Republican. This is to assist with our public health crisis, not any public safety crisis.

In less than two weeks, a 2- to 3-acre parcel across the street from the Friends of the Homeless shelter on Worthington Street has been transformed into a specialized triage center for homeless people potentially suffering from COVID-19.

A National Guard officer spoke to MassLive on the role that they will be involved in Springfield.

Our role in Springfield is to assist the police department any way we can, said Lt. Ian Deluce who has been an officer in the National Guard for a year. We're primarily on a site security mission which is here at the pop-up field hospital and our main goal is to just make sure the boundaries and the patients are secure.

Lt. Ian Deluca has been serving in the National Guard for a year. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

There will be five to six service members working per shift to protect and aid the operation on Worthington St.

Many of the National Guardswomen and men are not military police, wrote Clapprood. But instead will provide medical services.

The complex of three structures provides nearly 12,000 square feet of space split into three separate areas. The complex was due to open Tuesday, for what experts say could be a surge in COVID-19 diagnoses.

Airman first class Yadira Garcia from Springfield patrols the triage tented area with Military Policeman Jared Granata. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Im just here to help the people out make sure everybody stays healthy, said Airman First Class Yadira Garcia who is a Springfield resident and has family in isolation. My mom, shes been isolated. Shes been staying home with a little brother. Im not really too worried about that. [Im] mainly worried about whats going on in my city.

Deluce told MassLive that he and his servicemen and women will be staying in Springfield for as long as theyre needed.

Related Content:
Strongest quarter in company's history

Volume, transactions and client deposits at new record levels

Strong EBITDA-, EBIT- and net profit result



The NAGA Group closed the first quarter of 2020 with a provisional record result of EUR 7 million in sales (Q1/2019: EUR 0.6 million) and a provisional net profit of EUR + 2.1 million (Q1/2019: EUR - 3.9 million loss). The unaudited EBITDA stands at EUR + 3.3 million (Q1/2019: EUR - 2.8 million), whilst unaudited EBIT is at EUR + 2.2 million (Q1/2019: EUR - 3.9 million). With an all-time high of 1.2 million trades for the quarter, also a record trading volume of EUR 23 billion was recorded. In addition, customers deposited more than EUR 12.5 million into the platform, which was the highest in a quarter. The number of active accounts has doubled since the beginning of the year, while the number of new registrations has tripled.

"Thus the turnaround is apparent for NAGA. Looking back to our very beginnings it is extremely positive that we turned this FinTech profitable in less than 5 years since inception. Especially after the challenges we faced last year, when we had to take extreme measures, showed us that a startup story can have both ups and downs. But strict discipline, forward-thinking and consistently pursuing our vision have brought us to where we are today. Personally, I am pleased with the cash flow-relevant EBITDA which gives us further strength in order to implement our high growth ambitions. We are already running a self-sustaining business, that was our primary goal for 2020. Our cost structure and operating structure today is very lean and dynamic. The entire NAGA organization can therefore adapt to growth just as quickly as last year to the restructuring", explained Benjamin Bilski, founder and CEO of NAGA.

Especially during the Corona virus crisis NAGA has adapted very quickly. The company has set up a full remote-working environment whilst ensuring that the platform works without any interruptions. On the technological side NAGA increase the system capacity and was able to scale with rising client's requests and transaction volumes. "We have seen from the trading industry that numerous firms - especially in Germany - halted trading temporarily and had severe issues. NAGA had full uptime of our execution engine. It proves that our focus on proprietary technology and infrastructure pays off".

NAGA will continue to grow its business on a global scale. The company expects further growth results from the recently started initiatives in Uruguay as well as in China.

"After the strong Q4 2019 we have confirmed that the growth was indeed sustainable. We will be now more attentive than ever when it comes to our business development and strategic decision of investing money. We still have significant room for improvements and growth. The overall market interest for online-trading and especially in user-friendly concepts like NAGA's is growing fast. We will continue to identify new markets and roll out both our marketing and sales initiatives. I am confident that our shareholders and the market appreciate our growth path. The trust in our concept is building and in my opinion it should also be reflected in our share price", concludes Benjamin Bilski.

###

About NAGA

NAGA is an innovative ntech company that has developed a socially enhanced nancial system that creates a unied and seamless experience across personal nance and investing. Its proprietary platform offers a range of products ranging from trading, investing, and cryptocurrencies to a physical Mastercard and social investing features such as a Feed, a Messenger and Auto-Copy. NAGA is a synergistic all-in-one solution that's accessible and inclusive, and that provides a better way to trade, invest, connect, earn, acquire and pay, across both at and crypto.

Language: English Company: The NAGA Group AG Hohe Bleichen 12 20354 Hamburg Germany E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.naga.com ISIN: DE000A161NR7 WKN: A161NR Indices: Scale 30 Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt (Scale), Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200407005575/en/
An Bord Pleanala has given the green light for 211 apartments at Clonsilla in north-west Dublin in spite of opposition from politicians and local residents.

The appeals board has granted planning permission to Kimpton Vale Ltd for the 211 apartments in three blocks ranging from six to eight storeys in height at lands at Windmill, Porterstown, Clonsilla.

The appeals board found that the proposed development would constitute an acceptable residential density in the Metropolitan Consolidation Area and would not seriously injure the visual amenity of the area, would be acceptable in terms of urban design, height and quantum of development.

The plan encountered strong local opposition including former SolidarityPeople Before Profit TD, Ruth Coppinger, former Labour TD, Joan Burton and a number of elected members of Fingal County Council.

Deputy Coppinger told the appeals board that she strongly opposed the proposal and that it amounted to a massive over-development of a suburban housing estate.

Deputy Coppinger argued that the proposal would create an anticipated estimated demand for 64 school places - more than two full classrooms in an area where there is school space shortage and adjacent schools at full capacity.

Deputy Coppinger stated that she endorsed the views of the local area committee of Fingal County Council that concluded that the scale of the development is not supported by current or planned infrastructure in the area.

Former Tanaiste, Labour Leader and TD, Joan Burton also opposed the plan.

In a joint objection with Cllr John Walsh (Lab), Ms Burton contended that the height of the development is inappropriate and visually obtrusive.

Ms Burton was a TD at the time of lodging the objection.

The objection stated: This would be one of the highest developments in Dublin 15 and would create an undesirable precedent in terms of height in a suburban area

They further claimed that this application amounts to an over-development of the site.

The two also claimed that the proposal has no adequate justification in terms of existing or planned infrastructure.

The Bramley Wood Residents Association told An Bord Pleanala that the development is premature in relation to the capacity of existing transport infrastructure to support the development.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 A girl told police she was spat on by an adult about 5:13 p.m. Tuesday while walking in the 600 block of North Main Street.

 Brandon L. Capps, 32, homeless, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia about being stopped in the 600 block of North Main Street at 6:52 p.m. Tuesday.

 Six girls were cited on disorderly conduct-fighting charges after police were called to an altercation in the 600 block of Freedman Street at 11:08 p.m. Tuesday.
Rivers Casino closed off its stretch of the Delaware waterfront path over the weekend, just as thousands of people were looking for relief from the coronavirus lockdown. The Casino says it will reopen the trail from sunrise to sunset. Read more

What was Rivers Casino thinking? This weekend, when thousands of people were seeking relief in Philadelphia parks from the three-week-long coronavirus lockdown, the Delaware River gambling hall decided to seal off its stretch of the waterfront trail to the public with a high chain-link fence. Joggers and cyclists were forced to loop around the casinos immense parking lot, then detour onto Delaware Avenue before rejoining the trail south of Penn Treaty Park.

Rivers Casino (formerly SugarHouse) reversed course on Tuesday after pressure from several public officials, and says it will keep the path open from sunrise to sunset. But the brief closure was a bitter reminder that what looks like public space isnt always public. For more than a decade, the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. has been trying to create an east-side version of the wildly popular Schuylkill River Trail by cobbling together a mix of public and private land.

You now can walk along some sort of paved path from the Columbus Crossing shopping center in South Philadelphia to the former Peco generating plant in Fishtown, a distance of almost 3.5 miles. Although not nearly as crowded as the Schuylkill waterfront, the Delaware trail has come into its own during this crisis. Theres a steady stream of people walking and jogging at all hours of the day, marvels Joseph Forkin, who oversees the Delaware waterfront. Ironically, his agency just completed a 900-foot extension that finally links the casino path with the entrance to Penn Treaty Park, making the experience more seamless.

Casino officials say the decision to take their part of the trail out of service was prompted by security concerns. Because Pennsylvania has ordered all nonessential businesses to cease operations, they were forced to shut down the gaming hall. In their minds, that included the landscaped path that runs behind their building. They saw the trail as an extension of their property, not as a public amenity. But it was always meant to be publicly accessible, Forkin says.

Short-lived as it was, the closure couldnt have happened at a worse time, when outdoor green spaces allow us to escape from the four walls of our home confinement. Philadelphias parks are getting a workout like theyve never experienced before. But so many people are flocking to the trails on the Schuylkill and in Wissahickon Valley Park that it is nearly impossible to walk without being jostled, never mind find the six feet of clear space. Its social distancing in theory only. And its dangerous, says Kathryn Ott Lovell, the citys director of parks and recreation.

To make more room, the city closed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to cars last month. But nature abhors a vacuum, and now that wide road on the west bank of the Schuylkill is also being overrun, Ott acknowledges.

Its not just parks that are swarming; so are the citys sidewalks. Joggers and dog walkers dip into the bike lanes to avoid getting too close to other pedestrians. Were seeing a new dance craze: the Corona Swerve.

The incident on the Delaware is also a reminder that our parks could be closed at any time. New Jersey just shuttered its state and county parks because people werent following social distancing guidelines. Fearful that crowds could aid the spread of COVID-19, cities around the world are beginning to limit the publics access to parks. Chicago took the unprecedented action of closing its famous lakefront park and the elevated 606 trail. Paris has banned daytime exercise. London is actually evicting people found in certain of its parks.

But, like the closure of the casino trail, thats the wrong approach. If were going to make it through this crisis with our sanity intact, we cant stop going outside. Sunshine and exercise arent just a natural anti-depressant, theyre known to help boost our immune systems, which is exactly what we need right now.

Rather than close the Philadelphia parks  a nearly impossible task in any case  the city should look for ways to spread people out. One option, Ott suggests, is to get people to visit less popular parks, like Cobbs Creek and Pennypack. A lot of people dont know that West Fairmount Park has a 5K trail, she adds. Were working with police and the Streets Department to get some additional park roads closed, so we can continue to space people out.

The Bicycle Coalition would like to see officials start shutting down more city streets to traffic, so they can be turned into temporary recreation trails. The coalition, which brought the idea of closing MLK Drive to city officials, has submitted a list of possible candidates, says Randy LoBasso, the groups policy manager. Most are roads that cut through parks. But the coalition is also proposing that the city shut down Rhawn Street between Rowland and Lexington, which would make access to Pennypack Park easier.

Given the demand for space, those closures would just be scratching the surface. Why not turn over a street in every neighborhood to pedestrians and cyclists? Thats easier said than done, according to LoBasso, even though traffic has virtually vanished from some areas. Many city streets are controlled by PennDot, and emergency vehicles still need access.

But the city clearly had no problem closing the 1300 block of Walnut to create a safe zone for the new quarantine site at the Holiday Inn Express. Since buses and other traffic have to be diverted anyway, why not block off the rest of Walnut Street in Center City? Its not like businesses are open. Turning Walnut into a place for joggers and cyclists could make central Philadelphia feel less desolate than it does now.

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The weather is only going to get nicer, LoBasso says. We cant be cooped up in houses all the time."

We also cant keep packing ourselves into the same handful of parks. People are going to keep going outside. If we want them to maintain their six-foot bubbles, were going to have to find more places for everyone to spread out.
Major U.S. airlines have come under criticism for spending nearly $45 billion on stock buybacks and dividends over the past five years before asking Congress for a $50 billion bailout in the coronavirus crisis.

The $2.2 trillion relief package signed into law on March 27 met the airline industry's demand for $50 billion in loans and grants, but restricts stock buybacks, dividends, layoffs and executive pay raises.

However, in recent years the industry splashed out billions on share repurchases, which help prop up the price of a company's stock, leading some to believe that the costly bailout could have been minimized or avoided.

'[A] substantial part of their current financial problem is of their own making,' argued Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan on Monday. 'So I think its only fair for taxpayers to get a substantial piece of the upside in return for bailing out these companies.'

Major U.S. airlines have come under criticism for spending nearly $45 billion on stock buybacks. Pictured: A plane sits on the tarmac at Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday

According to Sloan, United Airlines spent a total of $8.57 billion for stock buybacks and paid no cash dividends from 2014 through 2019.

In the same period, Southwest spent $8.53 for buybacks and $1.38 billion for dividends, for a total of $9.91 billion. American spent $11.895 billion for buybacks and $1.064 billion for dividends, for a total of $12.959 billion. Delta spent $10.08 billion for buybacks and $3.168 billion for dividends.

The totals for the 'Big Four' add up to $39.076 billion for buybacks and $5.612 billion for dividends, for a combined $44.688 billion.

Others joined in to question why airlines deserved the taxpayer bailout after spending so aggressively on share buybacks.

'Just a reminder airlines are getting $50B bailout after they spent 96% of free cash flow on buybacks in last decade,' tweeted Dan Price, the CEO of Gravity Payments who famously cut his own salary in 2015 so all his employees could make at least $70,000.

A empty security gate is shown at Salt Lake City International Airport is seen on Tuesday. Airlines are suffering significantly as governments around the world urge people to stay home

'Why aren't airlines issuing new shares to fund their companies during coronavirus like everyone else would?' tweeted Matthew VanDyke, a filmmaker and revolutionary who was held prisoner during the Libyan Civil War.

'After spending $45 billion on stock buybacks, having them now reissue those shares to raise the money is the obvious and fair approach,' he continued.

Of course, airline company share prices have plunged throughout the crisis, meaning that Delta has a market value of just $14.7 billion at current prices.

The airline bailout passed late last month includes about $25 billion in cash grants and the same amount in loans.

A empty bag claim area is shown at Salt Lake City International Airport on Tuesday. The number of travelers screened at U.S. airports was down 95% from the same day last year

The loans are conditional on job protection. Airlines accepting the aid will not be allowed to lay off or furlough workers until September 30, at which point the crisis could be over or winding down for air carriers.

Other conditions of the aid prohibit carriers from paying dividends while receiving aid, or buying back stock for at least a year after the loans are repaid.

Executive compensation for any airline receiving aid is capped at 2019 levels.

The CEOs of the major U.S. airlines earned between $10 million and $15 million in total compensation in 2018, last year's numbers are not yet available.

Due to pandemic lockdowns across the country, air travel has plunged precipitously to levels not seen since the aftermath of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

This chart shows the number of daily air travelers in the US (blue) as well as that number's percentage change from a year ago (red), based on data released by the TSA

On Monday, a record low of 108,310 travelers passed through Transportation and Security Administration checkpoints nationwide, a decline of 95 percent from the same day last year, the agency said.

Around the world, airlines are on track to lose $252 billion in revenue for the year due to the pandemic, according to the International Air Travel Association.

As demand for air travel has plunged, airlines have responded by slashing routes and putting planes in storage.

The major U.S. carriers all still vow to maintain a minimum level of domestic service, however, citing the need for medical personnel and other essential workers to move about the country to fight the pandemic.
Pangasinan (CNN Philippines, April 8)  Healthcare workers at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital have celebrated the recovery of one of their first COVID-19 patients.

Video shows the medical staff sending off with cheers and dance their first recovered patient, who was confined in the hospital for three weeks.

The COVID-19 survivor was discharged on Tuesday after testing negative for coronavirus disease and recuperating from pneumonia.

The female patient was admitted to the medical facility on March 16. The repeat test was done on March 31 and the result was received Tuesday.

The hospital also expressed hopes for more recoveries from the viral disease.

As of 7 p.m. of April 8, Pangasinan reported it has a total 29 COVID-19 cases with eight deaths and two recoveries.

It is unclear if the discharged patient is among the two recoveries tallied by the provincial health office.

Nationwide, 104 more people were confirmed to have the the viral disease on Tuesday, raising the countrys total to 3,764. The Philippines also has 84 recoveries and 177 fatalities
DHARAMSHALA: All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and former Himachal Pradesh minister Sudhir Sharma on Wednesday urged the Government of India to evacuate 1,300 Indian students stuck at the Bukovinian State Medical University, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine, due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Indian students are at great risk. The central government should take prompt action and evacuate all stranded students on priority. About 250 of them are from Himachal Pradesh, Sharma said.

With no flights scheduled out of Ukraine for the next few weeks, the students are holed up at the university.

The number of Covid-19 cases has gone up to 1,500 in Ukraine, he said, and Chernivtsi Oblast province is the second worst hit region with 247 cases and six deaths after the capital city of Kiev.

EMBASSYS HELP SOUGHT

Till the time the evacuation takes place, he said, the Indian ambassador to Ukraine should ensure their safety and arrangements should be made for their board and lodging.

He said the Centre should issue a statement that gives the number of Indian students stuck abroad.

The central government is requested to prepare a dossier of Indian students studying abroad who have paid their fee to respective universities, the Congress leader said.

If the situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic doesnt normalise and the lockdown is prolonged, the government should make arrangements to facilitate the fee reimbursement to the students, he added.

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The image of Winston Churchill as the indomitable Prime Minister of Great Britain during the darkest days of the Second World War, was largely created  as far as most of his fellow countrymen and women were concerned  through the radio.

Through the BBC, Churchill's voice became well known to millions of brave men and women, fighting for the survival of Britain against a Nazi blitzkrieg unparalleled in history for its sheer savagery.

Even foreigners whom Britain had been treating badly, like the cocoa farmers of the Gold Coast, regarded Churchill as a Great War Leader. I say that from personal knowledge  there was a poster of Churchill's bulldog face on the wall of my father's bedroom, which greeted me every morning until I was chucked out of the room because I had begun to grow up!

Churchill's voice  relaxed, resonant and resolute  reassured his fellow countrymen and women that they had the bottle to withstand the horrors the Nazis were unleashing upon them in the streets, on the beaches and in their bomb-shelters.

He was loved because he was honest with the people: I have nothing for you but blood, sweat and tears, he confessed to them at one stage. Instead of being distressed by such honesty, it inspired them to fight the more.

But Churchill was doing more than rally them with mere words.

He was braving possible humiliation by going to the Americans and pleading with them: Give us the tools and we shall do the job!.

And he was also seen to be in cahoots with Josef Stalin, the former hated leader of a Communist Russia  a leader thoroughly vilified by Churchill and his fellow Conservatives, but who became a valiant ally overnight, once Hitler made the mistake of attacking Russia.

The television addresses which our President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has currently been delivering to Ghanaians regarding our battle against the hateful COVID-19 pestilence, are, in a way, reminiscent of Churchill's wartime broadcasts.

Already, some of Nana Addo's words have made it to the Internet trending lists; especially his statement that we know how to bring back the economy; but what we do not know is how to bring dead people back to life!

The trouble, though, is this: words have a nasty habit of sometimes being mistaken for ACTION.

Even as the President was reeling his latest words off the television autocue, health workers in Accra and elsewhere were making rather unpleasant noises about the way they consider themselves to have been needlessly placed in the danger zone of the battle against COVID-19.

The Ghana Medical Association was reported to have issued a statement in the following terms:

QUOTE: The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has welcomed the Governments incentives for health workers in the country, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but says their priority is the [provision of] personal protection materials [PPEs] for [health] staff.

On Sunday April 5, [2020] President Nana Akufo-Addo announced [that] all health workers in the country are to enjoy [a] tax holiday for three months... for their sacrifices in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, front-line health workers will receive a 50% allowance on their March to June basic salary. They are also to enjoy free rides to and from work on 'Ayalolo' buses.

Commenting on the measures, GMA President Frank Ankobea told ... the Morning Starr [show] that although their morale has been boosted by the open commendation by the President, the PPEs are in urgent need.

I [would] like to commend the President and [his] Government for the measures they have taken and packaged for us. When you [are] doing something and your President acknowledges you, it gives you morale to do more.

We are grateful for that incentive, but all we ask is that they should give us the PPEs There is a challenge with [the] distribution of PPEs and Im sure the Ministry [of Health] knows it. All we are saying is that let us get the PPEs, (he added). UNQUOTE

Quite honestly, I am surprised that PPEs are still an issue in our battle against COVID -19.

On 25 March 2020, Mr Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia,

tweeted as follows:

QUOTE: This morning #Gabon, #Ghana, #Congo and the #DRC have received their #COVID-19 prevention materials. The 2nd shipment of supplies from @JackMa & @AlibabaGroup, containing 540k medical grade masks and 20k protective clothes, is on its way to #Ethiopia. Dispatch to Africa will continue.

In my view, we should have followed up this information with the greatest urgency and requested Jack Ma and his AlibabaGroup directlyto get us all that we need, at the greatest speed. We must not solely rely on Ethiopia in such a crucial enterprise, for we don't know what bottlenecks they work under.

Not only that  we do have a direct line to Mr Jack Ma, as illustrated by the beautiful pictures taken of himself and our President during his visit to Ghana, that are available on the Internet. My guess is that Jack Ma can get us all we need, and if necessary, he will do it on soft credit terms into the bargain, if necessary.

Make no mistake  it is only if we fully protect our health professionals that THEY too can save our lives. The lesson of the Ebola outbreak of 2014 is still vivid before our eyes: the protection equipment used by the health workers was frightening but incredibly effective.

Field hospitals were built by the Americans and the British in Africa to treat Ebola patients. But today, both countries have fallen flat on their faces at home, before COVID -19, and largely because their politicians have been so unimaginative.

That brings a thought into my mind: Why, after the fright into which we were held by Ebola, hasn't the World Health Organisation standardised personal protection equipment against pandemics and established a fund to manufacture and store such equipment, for emergency use?

Isn't the WHO aware that in some countries, bureaucratic incompetence, to say nothing of budgetary constraints, can cripple the health authorities during pandemic emergencies and expose both their populations  and those of their neighbours  to untold danger?

I end with this plea:

Please, fellow citizens, do as the health professionals tell us. Wash your hands often. DO STAY AT HOME! (I have heard of some people who tried to visit their beloved friends during this lock-down!) I ask: what sort of love is that? It isn't love but callous cruelty.

Meanwhile, please let us give our health officials the tools! AND THEY WILL DO THE JOB!
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday called for providing immediate cash to the poor, while accusing the government of adopting a miserly and negligent approach towards the deprived during the lockdown.

"With unemployment at 23 per cent (CMIE) and a freeze on daily wages/incomes, the government must immediately find the resources and remonetise (give cash to) the poor," he said in a series of tweets.

"The miserly and cruelly negligent approach of the government has compounded the hardships of the poor," he charged.

He said as among the first to advocate a lockdown, he welcomed the central government consulting the states on whether the lockdown should be lifted after April 14.

The answer to that question cannot be based on personal or sectoral interests, he said.

"The answer must be determined solely by two numbers the absolute increase in positive cases every day and the rate of increase.

"As of today, both numbers point to adopting a cautious and conservative approach," he said.

Chidambaram pointed out that what is missing in the lockdown strategy is putting cash in the hands of poor people.

There are several sections of the poor who have not received a single rupee from the government, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Zaandam, the Netherlands, April 7, 2020  Ahold Delhaize announces today that together with its local brands, it has deployed more than 170 million on COVID-19 relief and support efforts so far. These efforts range from health and safety measures for associates and customers, to enhanced benefits for frontline associates, to charitable donations to support local communities.

In this time of acute need we see people coming together across all our communities to help each other through this pandemic, said Frans Muller, Ahold Delhaize President and CEO. Ahold Delhaize and all our local brands in the U.S., Europe, and Indonesia are taking substantial measures to ensure the safety of both associates and customers in response to the significant challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fighting this requires everyones support and I am pleased with our efforts to date.

Muller continued, I want to recognize the resilience and courage demonstrated by all the medical and emergency professionals working on the front line. Our own sector has also proven to be vital at this time  supported by associates across all our brands, in our supply chains, and at our support offices. Their determined efforts and the care and teamwork they exhibit every day fill me with pride. I am both impressed and humbled by their actions in this time of great need. Finally, I am grateful to customers in all the communities we serve for respecting social distancing guidelines and local health regulations that help protect not only themselves but our associates as well.

Fighting COVID-19 is requiring all these efforts and more, including the following actions already taken:

For associates

To further safeguard associate health, local brands across Ahold Delhaize have introduced additional safety and protective measures for associates, totaling 44 million. Among the protective measures included are plexiglass shields at registers and new store flow patterns to maintain social distancing.

Local brands in the U.S., Europe, and Indonesia are recognizing the considerable and exceptional efforts associates are taking by enhancing pay and / or associate benefits.

Ahold Delhaize brands are providing further economic support to communities, with their combined commitments to hire more than 40,000 associates. Local brands are liaising especially with displaced people in industries that have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as travel, tourism, and hospitality.

Local brands across Ahold Delhaize have also enhanced associate assistance programs to provide health and wellbeing support.

Story continues

For customers

All local brands across Ahold Delhaize have introduced new in-store signage and other markers to help customers cooperate in maintaining social distancing protocols.

Across the U.S. and Europe, our brands have introduced special opening hours for the elderly and other vulnerable populations as well as essential personnel who are responding to the crisis.

Some brands have also established special grocery delivery services for healthcare workers.

Local brands have further enhanced already stringent cleaning and hygiene measures, like cart cleaning before and after use.

For communities

Collectively, the Ahold Delhaize brands have so far committed nearly 20 million to charitable donations to support the following: local food banks, feeding first responders in critically hard-hit areas, national and private health systems, the Red Cross, and to medical facilities to further research on COVID-19.

Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words such as so far, through, ensure, further, maintain or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the Company) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Companys public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Companys management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Companys management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.










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Linkedin Norman Harsono and Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surabaya  Thu, April 9 2020

Indonesias plan to roll out sugarcane-based biogasoline will miss another deadline this year as upstream problems in the countrys sugarcane heartland remain unsolved.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry issued five years ago a regulation mandating the nationwide use of 10 percent bioethanol-mixed gasoline (E10) starting this year, an increase from 2 percent in 2015, yet the target has still not been achieved.

The biogasoline will be made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production. However, a sugarcane farmers association in East Java, a province that accounts for half of domestic production, told The Jakarta Post that crop productivity had been falling over the past four years.

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Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Chandan Nagar area in Indore on Tuesday evening

Indore: A group of persons pelted stones at a police constable in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district when he asked them to stay indoors to contain the spread of coronavirus, an official said on Wednesday.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Chandan Nagar area in Indore on Tuesday evening, he said.

A purported video of the incident also went viral on social media, in which the policeman was seen running to save himself from seven to eight people who were throwing stones and chasing him.

One of the miscreants was seen picking up a stick while chasing the policeman.

Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Jain told PTI that when the constable asked some people out on streets to go back home, they started arguing and threw stones at him.

The policeman then ran for his life and alerted his seniors following which additional force was rushed to the area, he said.

Five people, identified as Javed (25), Imran Khan (24), Nasir Khan (58), Sali Khan (50) and Samir Anwar (22) were later arrested and booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (assault of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions.

"We are also recommending to the district administration to book Javed and Imran Khan under the National Security Act (NSA)," Jain said.

Search was on for another absconding accused. This is the third incident in the state of attack on

those at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus.

Earlier, two policemen on lockdown enforcement duty were injured after a mob attacked them with knives and in Bhopal's old city area on Monday night.

On 1 April, two women doctors were injured after stones were pelted at them when they went to Tatpatti Bakhal area of Indore for contact tracing of COVID-19 patients.

Indore, which is the worst affected with coronavirus in the state, is under curfew since 25 March.




Meghan Markle has repeatedly found herself at the center of numerous controversies ever since news broke that she and England's beloved bachelor, Prince Harry, got engaged on November 27, 2017.

The duchess brought a new factor into the British monarchy. Known for sticking to a traditional and archaic system, Meghan's entry gave the British royal family a unique flair, and with it, an endless amount of controversies.

Markle had a budding career and Hollywood ambitions prior to meeting the prince. She hoped it would translate well into royal life. Unfortunately, her different views and modern take on life greatly offended the British people and the press.

British tabloids regularly picked Meghan apart. In an interview with ITV, the former actress revealed she struggled to cope through pregnancy and the pressures of the press as a member of the monarchy. She also said her friends previously warned her about the tabloids' ruthlessness but admitted she thought it would be "at least be fair."

After years of enduring the rumours, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as senior royal members of the family, saying the life was not sustainable for them. The announcement drew a lot of flak from the public. Prince Harry defended their decision, saying "there was no other option" if he wants to lead a "more peaceful life" away from the media.

Down to Earth

Despite how the British media portrays her, Meghan is still very well-liked elsewhere. Sarah Chapman, her former facialist of almost three years, described the duchess as a "dear friend who is very kind and down to earth." Chapman also said Markle is a compassionate human, showing care for all the causes and people they meet. Catherine St-Laurent, the couple's chief of staff, said Meghan has a deep commitment to improving lives and leaving a positive impact on society. She also said the duchess plans to inspire people to act through listening and learning. Queen Elizabeth also had nothing but kind words for the pair after they announced their decision to leave their royal duties. She was often seen giggling and smiling beside Markle in their many official engagements. "Hary, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family," the queen said. The pair officially stepped down from their royal duties on March 31.

Moving forward



Disneynature, an independent film unit of Walt Disney Studios, recently released a nature documentary named Elephant which was narrated by none other than Meghan Markle herself.The documentary, which tells the story of a herd of elephants crossing the Sahara desert, was well-received by fans around the world. Viewers flocked to social media to praise Meghan's strong voice, calling the film "glorious."

The couple also launched a charitable organization on Monday. According to a released statement, the charity aims to tackle the global pandemic, COVID-19.

The couple, along with their 10-month-old child, is currently residing in Los Angeles, eager to start a new phase in their lives.
A 73-year-old Delhi man with co-morbid conditions has recovered from COVID-19 and doctors have attributed his survival to medical care and the patient's "willpower to live".

Manmohan Singh, a resident of Jangpura area in south Delhi, was discharged on Tuesday after undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at the LNJP Hospital here.

"He has so many co-morbid conditions resulted to old age, from ailments in heart, kidney to blood pressure and coronary heart conditions. It was his will power to live that pulled him through," Medical Superintendent of the hospital, J C Passey told PTI on Wednesday.

He attributed his recovery to patient care given by doctors at the hospital, high-quality equipment, and the patient's fighting spirit.

"For a man in his 70s, he is already in a high-risk group as far as coronavirus infection is concerned. He was tested positive for COVID-19 at a private laboratory outside and then brought to our hospital," Passey said.

If the man had given up, perhaps "we would have lost him," he added.

"But it was his eager desire to live that complimented the patient care offered to him and allowed him to recover. We also told the family to not lose hope," the doctor said.

His survival will give a lot of hope to other old patients and their families, many of whom are suffering from fear psychosis, he said.

Passey said the man's daughter used to bring necessary items like mobile phone and took good care of him till whatever point she was allowed in the hospital premises.

The recent recovery of an elderly couple, aged 93 and 88, in Kerala COVID-19 in the face of high mortality rate in the older population globally due to the infection had brought a ray of hope to other patients, with some experts describing it as "rarest of the rare" case.

Thomas and his wife Mariyamma, hailing from Ranni locality in Pathanamthitta municipality in Central Travancore region, tested positive and remained critical for days, before recovering completely from the infection.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi stood at 576 till Tuesday night with nine deaths.

Elderly people are at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection due to their decreased immunity and body reserves, as well as multiple associated comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the Union Health Ministry recently said in an advisory.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When nature designed David H. Berger, it had a Marine in mind. From his shaved head to his shined shoes, he looks like the business end of a battering ram, which he is: The Marines 38th commandant aims to demolish decades of thinking about the corps function. He wants it configured not for lengthy ground wars (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan) but for forward-deployed capabilities in the Pacific region in support of the fleet. This, an echo of the corps island-hopping against Japans forces, revives the Fleet Marine Force idea that was adopted in 1933, after the corps abandoned its naval roots and went to war in France. Bergers vision implies fewer land-based operations with aircraft delivering Marines to distant missions.
As the coronavirus pandemic intensified, Leilani Jordan insisted on going to her job as a clerk at a Maryland grocery so she could help seniors, her mother said.

She had challenges of her own, as a worker with cerebral palsy. But as shoppers around the country raided shelves for necessities in early to mid-March, Jordan wanted to make sure the elderly got theirs.

"It's just crazy here at work ... but somebody's got to do it," Jordan said, according to her mother, Zenobia Shepherd. "I've got to help the older people."

"She was doing everything for them: Helping them put their groceries in their walkers, to helping them get into lifts," Shepherd said.

Then the 27-year-old became sick.

The clerk for a Giant Food store in Largo, a few miles east of Washington, was hospitalized with coronavirus in March and died last week, her family said.

"It was my baby!" Shepherd, crying, told CNN's "New Day" Wednesday. "All she wanted to do was just help people."

It isn't clear how Jordan got Covid-19. But she was working in a type of essential business where people still must gather at in a time when health officials would rather people stay apart.

Giant Food has said it was saddened to confirm an associate at the Largo store died of coronavirus, after having last worked there March 16.

"We can only imagine the heartache they are experiencing and have offered our support during this difficult time," the company said.

She secretly made a goodbye video, stepfather says

In the moments before Jordan died, she was intubated, unable to talk.

But, unbeknownst to her family, she'd already recorded her goodbyes.

Her stepfather, Charles, was at home after she died, going through some of her things.

"She (had taken) her password off of her phone," so it wasn't locked, he told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.

He found a video with a heart-wrenching message.

"She made a video saying goodbye to all us, and wished everybody the best," he said.

"She told us bye; her sisters, (and her service dog) Angel, bye; and all her friends.

"She told them, you know, 'See you on the other side.'"
Freixenet Copestick reveals wine partnership with Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary

Freixenet Copestick and Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary NPC have announced a new wine partnership. The initiative aims to support the work done by the charity while also putting some much needed life into the South African wine category, which is in -6.4% decline in the UK.

The range will initially consist of three wines: a red, a white and a rose (rsp: 7 each), and a pair of premium wines (rsp: 12), which will launch via Slurp (the online retailer which Freixenet Copestick has a stake in) and then in multiple retailers later in the summer and into autumn.

The Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary NPC is based in South Africa and was founded by Petronel Nieuwoudt, with the goal of providing care and rehabilitation to a wide range of animals. Due to the drastic increase in the numbers of rhino poaching incidents within South Africa, and an ensuing large number of orphaned rhinos, the need for a specialised sanctuary which would rehabilitate and eventually release back into the wild became necessary.

Darren Gough, ex England fast bowler (nicknamed The Rhino) and supporter of Care for Wild, is involved with the project and will be the Brand Ambassador for the UK helping to drive customer and consumer engagement.

Robin Copestick, managing director of Freixenet Copestick, said I met Darren at a Charity Dinner in December and he told me about the amazing work that Care for Wild are doing. I was immediately captivated by the story and wanted to help. I quickly saw the potential for a wine range that would help raise money for the Charity. The fact that Care for Wild is based in South Africa made it obvious for us to launch with a range of South African wines.

Freixenet Copestick will donate around 20% of all margin to the Charity and will also be encouraging retailers to support Care for Wild. Additionally, we are working on a number of fundraising ideas that will not only encourage further donations but that will also generate awareness for the Charity and the wines themselves.

I am really excited to be working with such a fantastic Charity as well as someone as personable, passionate and engaging as Darren. I feel certain we will have a huge amount of success and fun whilst also raising money for a brilliant cause.

Petronel Nieuwoudt said: The opportunity to work with Freixenet Copestick on this project is very exciting and I hope the UK consumers enjoy the wines whilst also supporting the work we are doing. We are really looking forward to some great success together

Related articles:
Police are appealing for more information after a farmer was attacked from behind as he confronted an intruder on a farm in County Durham.

The incident occurred on South Sharpley Farm, near Seaton on Wednesday 1 April at around 7:30pm.

The 38-year-old man confronted an intruder in an outbuilding on the farm.

He was then struck from behind by a second intruder, causing injury to his back, police said.

Both suspects have then made off from the scene on foot.

One of the suspects has been described as being 6ft 2in, in his late 20s, with short mousey coloured hair, and wearing a cream coat with grey jogging bottoms.

Durham Police are appealing to the public for more information regarding this incident.

Anybody with any information is asked to contact Durham Police on 101, quoting incident number 366 of April 1.

Rural crime cost the UK 50 million in 2018 as brazen criminals continue to target farmers' livelihoods, figures show.

Crimes such as machinery and livestock theft have reached a seven-year high in terms of cost.
A former boxer who tried to kill a Perth policeman by slashing his head with a samurai sword, fracturing the officer's skull, will spend an extra four years in prison after prosecutors appealed his original sentence.

Milos Radovic was found guilty of attempting to murder Senior Constable Andrew Swift, who had been called to a domestic dispute in Rockingham in July 2017.

Radovic claimed during his West Australian Supreme Court trial that he suffered a muscle spasm when he was tasered and never intended to kill the officer, but the jury rejected that assertion.

Milos Radovic was found guilty of attempting to murder Senior Constable Andrew Swift, who had been called to a domestic dispute in Rockingham in July 2017

He was sentenced to nine years in prison, but prosecutors took the case to the WA Court of Appeal, arguing the term was manifestly inadequate.

On Wednesday, the court agreed, saying the sentence was 'not merely lenient' but 'substantially less' than the outcome open to the sentencing judge.

Radovic was re-sentenced to 13 years behind bars and will be eligible for parole after serving 11 years, backdated to July 2017.

The appeal judges said it was fortuitous the officer did not die.

'The impact of the offending upon Sen Const Swift and his family was, unsurprisingly, traumatic,' the judges said.

'Police officers are often required to place their safety at risk in carrying out their duty to protect the public.

The officer was left with serious head injuries

'It is vital that the courts impose significant custodial sentences upon offenders who intentionally cause serious injury to police officers acting in the course of their duties.'

The WA Supreme Court previously heard Radovic's ex-wife took out a violence restraining order against him in January 2015.

He tried to vary the terms of the VRO so he could see his children in July 2017, but the case was adjourned and the next day he committed his crimes.

Radovic went to a unit complex owned by his ex-wife's parents, made threats and banged on his former sister-in-law's door.

He left before police arrived but returned as Sen Const Swift and his partner were at the ex-wife's neighbouring home taking statements, then the incident escalated.

Radovic shouted 'I'm going to kill you all' and 'I want to die' before he struck the officer.
Confused guidance by public officials, unheeded warnings, delayed decisions and political infighting hampered initial efforts to control the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in the US, a report in The New York Times (NYT) said.

An investigation by the NYT found that New York State and City's own initial efforts failed to keep pace with the outbreak and implementing social-distancing measures much earlier could have reduced the state's death toll by 50 to 80 per cent.

Within a month of the first coronavirus detection in the city, New York is battling a tsunami of COVID-19 cases, with more than 140,000 people infected so far and over 5,500 deaths.

Experts now say that if the state and city had adopted widespread social-distancing measures a week or two earlier than they actually did, including closing schools, stores and restaurants, then the estimated death toll from the outbreak might have been reduced by 50 to 80 percent.

The first coronavirus case in the city emerged on March 1, a 39-year-old woman who returned to New York from Iran, where the pandemic was already simmering.

For many days after the first positive test, as the coronavirus silently spread throughout the New York region, the report said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and City Mayor Bill de Blasio and their top aides projected an unswerving confidence that the outbreak would be readily contained.

They pointed out that while there would be cases, they sought to assure that New York's hospitals were some of the best in the world and plans were in place.

Responses had been rehearsed during 'tabletop' exercises. After all, the city had been here before Ebola, Zika, the H1N1 virus, even September 11, the NYT report said.

Even so, the initial efforts by New York officials to stem the outbreak were hampered by their own confused guidance, unheeded warnings, delayed decisions and political infighting, The New York Times found in the investigation.

Officials seemed to speak and act based on the assumption that the virus had not arrived in the state until that first case the woman travelling from Iran. State and local officials now acknowledge that the virus was almost certainly in New York much earlier, the report said.

The NYT report added that from the earliest days of the crisis, state and city officials were also hampered by a chaotic and often dysfunctional federal response, including significant problems with the expansion of coronavirus testing, which made it far harder to gauge the scope of the outbreak.

Normally, New York would get help from Washington in such a time, as it did after the September 11 attacks but President Donald Trump through at least early March minimised the coronavirus threat, clashing with his own medical experts and failing to marshal the might of the federal government soon after cases emerged in the United States.

This led to state and city officials making decisions early on without full assistance from the federal government.

Flu was coming down, and then you saw this new ominous spike. And it was COVID. And it was spreading widely in New York City before anyone knew it, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the city's Health Department Thomas Frieden said in the NYT report.

You have to move really fast. Hours and days. Not weeks. Once it gets a head of steam, there is no way to stop it, Frieden said.

He said that if the state and city had adopted widespread social-distancing measures a week or two earlier, including closing schools, stores and restaurants, then the estimated death toll from the outbreak might have been reduced by 50 to 80 percent.

But New York was slow to mandate those measures, doing so only after localities in states including California and Washington had done so. San Francisco closed schools on March 12 when that city had 18 confirmed cases; Ohio closed its schools the same day, with five confirmed cases. New York closed schools three days later when the city had 329 cases.

Seven Bay Area counties imposed stay-at-home rules on March 17. Two days later, the entire state of California ordered the same. New York State's stay-at-home order came on the 20th, and went into effect on March 22.

New York City and the surrounding suburbs have now become the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, with far more cases than what even many countries have reported.

New York City as a whole was late in social measures, former New York City deputy health commissioner Isaac B. Weisfuse said.

Any after-action review of the pandemic in New York City will focus on that issue. It has become the major issue in the transmission of the virus.

While New York City Mayor Bill de Blasi said in the initial days that the city can really keep this thing contained, Cuomo said we have been ahead of this from Day 1.

Hospitals also expressed confidence in their plans for responding to a pandemic, with the Healthcare Association of New York State declaring on March 2 that its members were prepared for an influx of patients caused by Covid-19.

The NYT report said few, if any, appeared to have made significant efforts before the virus hit to greatly increase supplies of ventilators or protective gear, looking instead to draw on emergency government stockpiles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BRIDGEPORT  The leaders of the citys two hospitals said, as of now, they are handling the influx of COVID-19 patients well, and both reported a high recovery rate. But they also said theyre bracing for a day when that could change.

Both Bridgeport Hospital President Anne Diamond and Vincent DiBattista, who leads St. Vincents Medical Center, joined Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim at his daily briefing Wednesday on Facebook Live. Ganim spoke to the hospital officials via video chat, and asked what challenges they were facing.

Diamond and DiBattista were both cautiously optimistic, stating that their results are good so far, but they are planning for a possible hard road ahead.

At Bridgeport Hospital, Diamond said there are 160 COVID-19 patients, 52 of whom are in the intensive care unit and 35 of whom are on ventilators. The good news so far, she said, is that the majority of patients theyve treated have recovered.

We are seeing people get better, she said.

Diamond also said the hospital has installed a mobile hospital  basically a 32-bed tent to accommodate patients with less severe illness  across from the main hospital parking garage. The tent went up Wednesday, and Diamond said the facility was provided through the Yale New Haven Health System, of which Bridgeport Hospital is a member.

You have to come over and take a look at it, she told Ganim.

Meanwhile, DiBattista, whose official title is senior vice president for Hartford HealthCare and president of the Fairfield Region, said St. Vincents has also fared well to date during the outbreak. He said there were 60 patients at the hospital who had tested positive for COVID-19 and 23 that were under investigation for the disease. Of the COVID patients, 30 were in the ICU.

The numbers are starting to climb, DiBattista said, pointing out that, in the past 24 hours, there had been 14 new admissions related to the outbreak, which is the highest number to date in such a period for the hospital. However, the hospital should be able to handle an increase, at least for a while.

We believe we have the capacity to see more patients assuming we are continuing on the upturn on this, DiBattista said.

He said 31 discharges to date of COVID patients with no issues.

Both Diamond and DiBattista are looking ahead to a time when they will need more space, and both are looking to Webster Bank Arena as a place to set up beds for non-critical patients if space is tight at the hospital. The city initially thought hospital overflow space would be set up at Webster Bank as early as March 31, but the plans were put on hold when the state readjusted their strategy to focus on universities. Ganim, at the time, said the lower number of patients in Bridgeport compared to other municipalities was a factor and use of the arena was still in discussions with the governors office.

On Tuesday, Bridgeports total number of COVID-19-positive cases climbed to 346 with 8 deaths.

During the Wednesday briefing, Diamond and DiBattista said the hospitals are looking for donations of masks and other equipment for workers.

As for any other actions people can take, Diamond and DiBattista both encouraged hand-washing, sanitization of high-touch areas and continued social distancing.

The social distancing is working, Diamond said. Weve got to keep doing it. You cant just say OK, were there.
Rebel HSBC shareholders in Hong Kong won reinforcements on Wednesday from Hong Kong's largest labour union who called on the government to safeguard the interests of local investors.

The ranks of angry shareholders demanding that HSBC revoke its decision to scrap dividend payments are swelling. They need to recruit 5 per cent of the shareholder base to call for an extraordinary general meeting.

One group, which calls itself the HSBC Shareholders Alliance, had collected over 5,000 shareholders as of Wednesday, almost 3 per cent of HSBC's shareholder base, according to a spokeswoman.

The rebellion erupted after HSBC and Standard Chartered suspended dividends and share buy-backs on April 1 at the request of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), an arm of the Bank of England and their chief regulator. The PRA threatened to use its statutory powers if the UK's biggest banks, including HSBC, did not comply.

Representatives of Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the largest labour group in Hong Kong with 420,000 members, gave a letter to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po urging him to intervene on behalf of investors.

"We have received a large number of complaints from our members, including workers and retirees," said Michael Luk Chung-hung, a lawmaker who represents the union.

From retirees to large pension funds, cutting the cash dividend has been particularly harsh for Hong Kong investors, who have come to rely on it as a steady source of income. About a third of the bank's shareholders in Hong Kong are retail investors and its shares are a common gift for graduates and newlyweds.

The rebels want HSBC to pay the final dividend in stock, rather than cash, and eliminate pay for the bank's top executives for a year, as well as add a director representing shareholders on its board. The HSBC Shareholders Alliance has said it is studying ways to protect the rights of shareholders, including taking legal action.

Story continues

HSBC investors protest at HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters on April 8. Photo: Dickson Lee alt=HSBC investors protest at HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters on April 8. Photo: Dickson Lee

Luk said Hongkongers stand to lose about HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion) from the cancellation of the fourth-quarter dividend alone.

"I trusted HSBC as it is the largest bank in Hong Kong. I have my payroll account and saving account at the bank. It is all about trust but now the bank betray us," said a union member who gave her surname as Lai. The 76-year widow and retiree owns 10,000 shares of HSBC.

HSBC's dividend yield at 5.8 per cent is much higher than the average saving rate at banks which that is close to zero or time deposit at about 2 per cent.

HSBC shares dropped 0.6 per cent on Wednesday to close at HK$39.9, or 9.6 per cent below HK$44.15 at their close on March 31, the day before the dividend announcement.

"We believe the abrupt cancellation of dividends severely tarnishes the trust in Hong Kong's banking industry," said Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, chairman of another group of disgruntled shareholders with about 100 members.

At a Legislative Council meeting on Monday, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury James Lau acknowledged that many investors in pensions and retirement funds, as well as institutional investors, had been affected by the UK regulators' move, noting Hong Kong authorities "have been in close touch with overseas counterparts".

The dividend cancellation also renewed calls by investors for HSBC to move its headquarters back to Hong Kong, where it was founded 155 years ago. Hong Kong is the lender's biggest market, but it has been domiciled in the UK since 1993. The bank opted to keep its headquarters in London after a review four years ago.

A HSBC spokeswoman on Wednesday referred to a letter from Noel Quinn, the HSBC chief executive, last Friday saying the bank regrets the loss for investors.

Even if the rebel shareholder manage to convene an EGM will still be an uphill battle to table a vote and win it said Stephen Chan, a partner at law firm Dechert.

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This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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The Charleston Symphony on Tuesday announced it was postponing or canceling all remaining 2019-20 season performances because of the coronavirus crisis. The "Charleston and the New World" Masterworks concerts set for April 17 and 18 are canceled. The chamber music program "All Roads Lead to Vienna," to be hosted by the Charleston Library Society on April 3 and 4, has been postponed.

"This has not been an easy decision to make and we understand that these cancellations will come as a great disappointment to our patrons as it does to the whole Symphony team," the CSO said in a statement. "However, we are committed to securing the Charleston Symphonys future, and provided its safe to do so, cant wait to perform on the Gaillard Center stage once again for our 2020-21 season."

The 2020-21 season will focus on Beethoven and feature performances of all nine symphonies.

Ticket holders can request a refund for canceled concerts only and must notify the CSO by Friday, April 17. Call 843-723-7528, ext. 110, or email cindy@charlestonsymphony.org. Patrons also can donate the price of their tickets to the organization. If they choose to do so, they will receive a tax credit letter for the value of your tickets. After April 17, the CSO will process any unclaimed refunds as a donation.

Also impacted by the pandemic is the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, whose organizers announced that the sprawling 2020 event "will not proceed as planned." Ticketed events are canceled while nonticketed events might find a new date later this year or during the 2021 festival.

"Piccolo Spoletos outreach programming and Rising Stars program are being re-evaluated presently by festival staff and its partners, including discussion of shifting some initiatives to digital platforms and possible rescheduling to future dates," organizers stated.

Next year's Piccolo Spoleto Festival is scheduled for May 28 through June 13, 2021.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art also announced it was postponing some of its programming. Exhibitions planned for May 15-July 18, "Dan Estabrook: Wunderkammer" and "Larson Shindelman: Geolocation," will instead take place during the first three months of 2021.

"While we are saddened by our dark galleries, the well-being of our audiences and stakeholders is of the utmost importance," Halsey staff said in a statement. "Instead of seeing you all in person (during) gallery hours and our engaging public programs, we hope to interact virtually over the summer."

The Halsey is part of the #MuseumFromHome online community.
A 16-year-old is using his skills as a budding pilot to bring desperately needed medical equipment to rural hospitals.

TJ Kim carries a variety of supplies including gloves, masks and gowns to small hospitals during his flying lessons, The Associated Press reported.

The teenager undertook his first delivery on 27 March to a 25-bed hospital in Luray, where he was overwhelmed by the gratefulness at his efforts, AP said.

They kind of conveyed to me that they were really forgotten about. Everyone was wanting to send donations to big city hospitals, he told the outlet.

Every hospital is hurting for supplies, but its the rural hospitals that really feel forgotten.

According to the report, Kim was an avid lacrosse fan and was severely disappointed when school closures meant his lacrosse season was forced to end early.

The Maryland sophomore came up with a creative solution to keep active and give something back to the community amid the crisis with the help of his family from McLean, Virginia.

Kim and his family called their efforts Operation SOS  Supplies Over Skies.

In his most recent flight, TJ carried 3,000 gloves, 1,000 head-covers, 500 shoe covers, 50 non-surgical masks, 20 pairs of protective eyewear and 10 concentrated bottles of hand sanitiser to a hospital in Woodstock, AP reported.

After I landed, all I could think about was going back up, TJ said.

TJs flight instructor, Dave Powell, was over the moon at his students idea, especially after he was so disheartened by the lacrosse cancellations.

For TJ to be more concerned with the needs of others in his melancholy state just reiterated to me how amazing this young man is, Mr Powell said.

The teenager eventually hopes to attend the Naval Academy and become a fully-fledged pilot.

According to TJ the hardest part of the project was securing the supplies for the trips, with medical resources and protective equipment stretched out around the country amid the pandemic.

However, his father, Thomas Kim, told AP he was glad to see his son turn his earlier disappointment into something positive: something that combines serving the community and his love of flying.

The stars really aligned here, Mr Kim said.
Tighter rules sought on e-commerce trade piracy, photo AFP

One foreign-invested company which specialises in manufacturing model toys located in the northern city of Haiphong has complained that a series of sample model toys have been put on sale on Facebook and Shopee before the company could officially launch them. The company stressed that some parts of these are different from original parts and have not yet been checked for quality, with numerous goods varying from the genuine article. The company is concerned that the situation will impact on the prestige and sales and marketing strategy once the official toys are launched officially.

As a result, instead of spending time and power on studying, developing, and selling products, the business now has to expend energy on protecting copyright for its products even when those products are samples only.

The bloom of the internet has created favourable conditions for organisations and traders to take their products and services closer to customers, simultaneously saving expenditure for advertising products through conventional channels such as television and print papers.

However, e-commercial platforms and social networks are considered a double-edged sword because massive traders take advantage of these e-commercial platforms to trade illegally through selling counterfeit goods or even goods with unidentified origin.

For the Haiphong toymaker, at least one person in its factory has taken those products to either run their own online account for sales, or sold them to a third-party.

According to Nguyen Vu Quan, senior associate at Vision Associates Co., Ltd., whoever is offering the sale of these unfinished products on Shopee and Facebook page is selling products without sales invoices issued by the company, which contain the name and address of the provider/seller of the goods. This is the primary document to substantiate the origin or source of the goods. When a trader cannot provide the invoice pertaining to the goods he is trading, it is impossible to prove the origin/source of such goods, Quan said.

As a result, the trader may suffer a fine of VND80 million ($3,500) if the violator is a person and VND180 million ($7,800) for organisations. In reality, it is difficult to determine fines for owners of e-commercial platforms and Facebook. However, these platforms indirectly create opportunities for cheaters to sell goods with unidentified origin for customers, simultaneously contributing to increasing the piracy of genuine products.

It is not the first time that e-commercial platforms have been under fire about the origin and quality of products. Last month Tiki, the most prestigious e-commerce platform in Vietnam, was blasted for selling low-quality goods and came under wide criticism for its poor customer service. Tiki issued no comment on the issue. Shopee is another platform known to be inundated by low-quality and fake goods.

In order to not impact on its sales and reputation, the model toy manufacturer in Haiphong is looking for a solution to determine the sellers identity and request organisations providing e-commerce trading floor services and traders to remove listings.

According to Shopees online regulations on operation of the application of e-commerce trading, the company is under duty to respond promptly upon detection and receipt of a report on illegal business activities on an e-commerce trading floor, and removing from the website/application of information on selling counterfeit goods, smuggled goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, and other illegal goods and services when receiving requests with reasonable grounds.

However, if the company submits a complaint to Shopee, requesting the e-commerce website to remove goods with unidentified origin, it is critical to prove that sellers act of offering for sale of such model toys, violating Vietnamese laws. To this end, a petition for handling traders infringing acts should be submitted to a competent authority in Vietnam who will, besides seizing the infringing goods for destruction, issue a sanction decision against the violator. Based on such a sanction decision, the manufacturer will have reasonable grounds or basis to send a request to Shopee.

However, it remains difficult for companies to determine the origin of goods trading on e-commercial platforms in general because there is no specific regulation requiring traders to publicly detail information about the source and origin of goods.

With consulting experience in this field, I see that a comprehensive investigation with joint efforts from public security authorities and qualified investigation authorities is required to determine the source of these goods with unidentified origins. The problem is that it would take massive amounts of money and time, Quan said.

The latest report published by the National Steering Committee Against Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods also showed that the blossoming of the online trading model on social networks and e-commercial platforms with massive choice in goods creates more barriers for local authorities to prevent counterfeit and fake goods.

The flexibility in either posting or removing advertisements in collaboration with the diversification in payment methods between traders and e-commercial trading services raises the level of difficulty for local authorities in discovering and preventing violations, the report noted.
America came face to face with the festering problem of digital inequality when most of the country responded to the coronavirus pandemic by shutting elementary and high schools that serve more than 50 million children.

Even before the shutdown, an estimated 12 million children were having difficulty completing routine homework assignments  not to mention writing research papers  because they lacked the home internet access their better-off classmates take for granted.

The so-called Homework Gap has taken on crippling dimensions now that closed school districts have been trying to maintain a semblance of instruction by putting teachers or course materials online. Internet-savvy school systems that serve connected populations appear to be moving ahead relatively smoothly with the new order of business. At the same time, some districts that lack infrastructure and serve heavily poor populations have given up altogether on remote learning. Still others are hesitant to pursue online instruction out of fear they might be hauled into court for offering course materials to which broadband-deprived families cannot gain access.

New York City, which has an estimated 300,000 students who lack internet-connected devices, is one of several districts rushing to acquire such devices. Still, the country needs a more systematic approach to this problem. Jessica Rosenworcel, a Federal Communications Commission member who has been proselytizing on this issue for several years, has rightly called on the FCC to use funds earmarked for connecting schools and libraries to the internet to provide schools with internet hot spots that could be lent to students. Beyond that, some members of the Senate are urging the Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to set aside dedicated funding that would help to narrow the digital divide.

These suggestions address the exigencies of the moment. But the time has long passed for the country to open the door to the information age for communities that are locked out.

The daunting challenge of trying to get distance learning up and running comes as school districts are already struggling to feed students who rely on school breakfasts and lunches to stave off hunger. An analysis of policy statements by 46 districts that was released last Friday by the nonpartisan Center on Reinventing Public Education found considerable confusion among districts about how to deal with issues of technology and internet access. Only about a third of the districts said they were working to deliver laptops or tablets to students. Only five said they were delivering mobile phones or wireless hot spots to students, while more were encouraging parents to sign up for internet service. Few districts had comprehensive learning plans, and most were sharing links to optional assignments on publicly available websites. No district examined by the center had a clear solution for ensuring that 100 percent of students have a  device and reliable, long-term access to the internet.

This scramble is taking place in an atmosphere of uncertainty over how long the shutdown will last. Districts will need more money  and new expertise  if it turns out that a comprehensive online infrastructure is needed for the long haul.

The lack of internet access in poor and rural communities comes up again and again as educators talk about the pandemic  closing the digital divide  and bringing all Americans into the information age  will require a momentous effort on the scale of the federal project that brought electricity to darkened regions of the country during the New Deal.

And it will be similarly worth the effort.

 The New York Times
Often its the unseen terrors that provoke the imagination. The invisibility of the virus (under a microscope, it resembles a malevolent cat toy) leads one to think about the many perils of our late capitalist age that were initially invisible to us, from the nuclear contamination of Fukushima to the tainted water in Flint, Mich., but also things like apathy and oppression, perversity and regressive fear, the kinds of things it inevitably falls to the teachers and artists and journalists to try, often futilely, to make us see and react to. Art, like clean water and access to quality health care, is a marker of civilized society, which is maybe why, of all the doomsday imagery playing in my head right now, its a scene from Alfonso Cuarons 2006 film Children of Men, adapted from the 1992 P. D. James novel, thats the most vivid. It is 2027, infertility is the medical scourge of the day, and society is in chaos. Clive Owens character visits his cousin, an art-hoarding cultural minister, in the quiet chill of his guarded London home: Michelangelos David, missing its lower leg, stands in his entryway; Picassos Guernica hangs over the dining table. Decontextualized, the art is meaningless, the grossest of status markers. I just dont think about it, the bureaucrat says, asked what he gets from surrounding himself with such works, given that no one will live to see them.

Susan Sontag warned us off thinking about and describing illness metaphorically, first in her landmark 1978 essay Illness as Metaphor, inspired by her own experience with cancer, then in its 1989 follow-up, AIDS and Its Metaphors. In both, she addresses the punitive charge we bring to the language we use to describe certain sicknesses and how we ascribe a moral laxity to those who suffer from them (for Sontag, the very word plague is a distortion suggesting a kind of biblical judgment on society). Illness, she explains, comes to stand for the fears of the day  in the case of AIDS, which killed 18,000 people in the United States alone, it was the fear of sex, particularly homosexuality. The early days of Covid-19  the Chinese virus, as our hapless, xenophobic president has called it  dovetailed neatly with one of Trumps favorite tropes, a fear of immigrants and foreigners. Metaphors have a way of depersonalizing, dehumanizing. And yet, metaphors help us to envision abstract ideas. Albert Camus (The Plague, 1947), Jose Saramago (Blindness, 1995) and, more recently, Ling Ma (Severance, 2018) have all used contagion as a metaphor for the irrevocable infectiousness of repressive groupthink. For those of us finding it hard not to think of Covid-19 as a judgment on American arrogance, its a metaphorical readymade.
NEW ORLEANS  One recent afternoon, Mama, ready to run some errands, clips herself into the passenger seat of my Volkswagen sedan, disposable purple gloves on her hands, a dim glint in her eye.

I have the same in mine. One that comes from being cooped up too long; from sheltering in place, as the government euphemism goes, with no end yet in sight. That Ive lost count of the people I know who have Covid-19  and know a couple of people whove died  doesnt make it easier to take.

My mother, a retired health care worker, hasnt been out of her apartment in almost three weeks. In ordinary times, Id pick her up and ferry her from the A.T.M. to the supermarket or the sundries store, where a pillow-size bag of popcorn can be had for $1. And usually, Id stay in the car.

But not now. Now  because she is at higher risk of developing a severe case of Covid-19  she stays in the car while I take her handwritten lists. I would prefer that she stay home, of course. But this is the compromise, the only thing stopping her from calling a cab and doing it all herself.
The victim, in a police complaint, also alleged that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and belt in front of Awhad

Thane: A 40-year-old civil engineer in Thane has claimed that policemen took him to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Jitendra Awhad's bungalow instead of the police station, where the minister's men thrashed him for posting a morphed photo.

The victim, in a police complaint, also alleged that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and belt in front of the minister.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to light diyas or torch to show a 'collective resolve' against coronavirus. Anant Karmuse, a resident of Ghodbunder, had posted a photo morphed with Awhad's face and a lit-up match stick with a caption, "I protest against the person who has edited the photo."

"On Sunday night, two policemen came to my house and said that they wanted to take me to the police station as their superior wanted to enquire about some case," he said.

Karmuse said the policemen then took him to Awhad's bungalow. "Upon reaching there, 10 to 15 men were already present, the security guard informed the minister and soon those men started beating me. They thrashed me with lathis, belt, and bamboos after the stick broke," he said.

Thane police PRO Sukhada Narkar said an FIR has been registered against unknown people following the complaint.

Awhad took to Twitter, posting a screenshot of a photo that was morphed and said, "Do you support this pervert. Will you tolerate this done against you or your family member. I don't support lawlessness."

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday demanded removal of Awhad from the state Cabinet for the alleged assault on the engineer.

"This is a serious incident where private bodyguards of a minister beat up a civilian by bringing him to his home. The minister was present when the man was being thrashed," the BJP leader and former chief minister said.

Former NCP leader and BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare also took to Twitter to show how the man was beaten brutally and said that no action was taken against Awhad's 'goons'.
Authorities on Wednesday morning arrested an 18-year-old Haverhill man who is accused in a fatal stabbing.

Oscar Quinones is accused of stabbing a 19-year-old Haverhill man. He has been ordered held without bail at the Essex County Correctional Facility and is slated to be arraigned Thursday morning by teleconference, according to the office of Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

Around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, Haverhill police were told the victim had arrived at Merrimack Valley Hospital at Holy Family in Haverhill with multiple stab wounds, Blodgetts office said in a statement.

The victim, whose name was not released, was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the district attorneys office said.

It appears that the victim was Investigators learned that the victim was at Haverhill Stadium at 117 Lincoln Ave. with a group of friends. Then, Quinones approached the group, stabbed the victim and ran off, according to the statement.

No further information was released Wednesday morning.
T he daughter of a nurse who dedicated her life to the NHS and died after testing positive for the coronavirus has paid tribute to her "wonderful" mother.

Alice Kit Tak Ong, 70, arrived in London from Hong Kong in the 1970s and worked for the NHS for 44 years, up until the day she fell ill two weeks ago.

Her daughter, Melissa Ong, 36, is calling for the public to value the health service like her mother did.

Ms Ong described her mother as a wonderful woman who was generous to everyone else before herself.

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She said: She loved her job that was her life she loved the NHS.

My mother came here from Hong Kong to work for the NHS because she believed it was the best in the world.

Its only now people are kind of realising the strength of the NHS You see people clapping on the streets, but it shouldnt take something like this to bring the nation together to be thankful.

We should value healthcare workers in good times and bad times.

Alice, who began her career as a midwife, was working full time at two surgeries and also holding baby clinics before falling ill the day after Boris Johnson announced the UK-wide lockdown.

Her symptoms began when she started feeling tired and going to bed at unusual times. When the symptoms worsened Alice was taken to hospital by the ambulance.

UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus 1 /25 UK landmarks light up blue for NHS staff fighting coronavirus The Shard in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting against coronavirus Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Tower Bridge in London is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS Reuters London's Piccadilly Circus saluting local heroes during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers NHS initiative to applaud NHS workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic PA Selfridges lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline PA Fulwell Windmill in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff fighting coronavirus PA MediaCityUK in Manchester lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to hardworking NHS staff PA Belfast City Hall is lit up in support of the NHS Reuters The SSE Arena, Wembley, is seen with a lit up sign for the Clap For Our Carers campaign REUTERS Tawstock Court in Barnstaple lit up in blue PA Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City FC is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks PA Wembley stadium is seen lit up blue REUTERS Wembley Arch in London is lit up in blue PA The Lowry lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle coronavirus. PA The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff PA People applaud infront of big screen in Piccadilly Circus during the Clap For Our Carers campaign Reuters The Shard in London is lit up blue

Ms Ong said the public needs to take Covid-19 seriously and abide by lockdown rules, warning it can affect anyone regardless of their perceived strength.

She said: People just need to realise how dangerous this thing is.

She was strong she didnt really have any underlying health conditions.

Everyone who knew her thought she would pull through because shes a strong woman, even though she was 70, but theres no saying how the illness will take hold.

Healthcare staff honoured with clapping from doorsteps and windows

As Alice caught the virus early on in the lockdown process, Ms Ong said she doesn't blame anyone for a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at her mothers work.

It would have been nice because of learning what has happened in Wuhan and other places across the world, she said.

But Im not blaming anyone, whats happened has happened  her workplaces have been absolutely fantastic and the staff at the Royal Free Hospital where she was in intensive care were faultless and fantastic.

Because she was 70, we said mum are you sure you should be working She said yeah its fine, Ill be fine, I know my limits and then obviously this has happened but who was to know.

In addition to her other work, Alice was an expert on diabetes and studied at the University of Hertfordshire in her 60s to hone her knowledge of diabetic care.
American civil society long ago lost any illusion of being civil. Hostile, unproductive, tribal partisanship infects every debate in this country  and it has only been compounded by the devastating arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I wrote several years ago about how the nasty tenor of our political debates was undermining our ability to relate to others, especially those who think and vote differently than we do. Its not surprising that this problem has been exacerbated by the present pandemic. But where in normal times, tribal animosity and distrust coarsen our culture, in the coronavirus crisis they could literally kill you.

Of course, like most things these days, this conversation starts with President Donald Trump. Liberals feel that Trump has completely bungled the federal governments response to the coronavirus threat, taking far too long to react and thus severely diminishing our ability to fight the disease once it arrived here. Republicans, on the other hand, think that Trump largely did the right things, including taking early and widely criticized actions to limit commercial travel from China and then reacting as much as possible while the Communist Chinese regime lied to the world about the true extent of the danger posed by the virus.

One couldnt ask for a much better demonstration of our widespread inability to show sympathy and empathy for our political enemies.

Sympathy, the acknowledgment that we understand what another person is going through, is relatively commonplace in our society even in these troubled times  just think of all the public thoughts and prayers sent from across the political spectrum to those afflicted by the coronavirus. Such sympathetic displays, which if anything increase during a public-health crisis such as this, are one significant way in which we celebrate the ties that bind us, and they allow for a more profound personal engagement than we would generally have with people unlike ourselves in normal circumstances.

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Empathy, the ability to put oneself into the shoes of another and truly comprehend their point of view, is another story altogether: Our country suffers from severely a diminished capacity for it, especially as it would be applied to our political leaders. And this is because of the hyper-partisan, tribal nature of our politics: We have truly become two nations, with two distinct world views, and few if any of us are truly willing to try to see things from the opposite side of the divide.

Empathy requires us to understand how others came to arrive at their worldview, without allowing our own biases to cloud our judgment. And if you dont believe me when I say that Americans are terrible at this, answer me this: How many liberals can put themselves in Donald Trumps shoes without bias or partisan rancor? How many conservatives can apply the same exercise to Nancy Pelosi?

The uniqueness of empathy is that, unlike sympathy, it allows for people to join together and at least attempt to have a truly shared intellectual experience. It involves first, seeing another individuals situation from their unique perspective, and second, sharing their emotions, including their personal fears and distress. While sympathy shows our emotional respect for others, empathy requires intellectual respect, and that simply isnt on offer across the battleground on which our warring political tribes face off.

In normal times, our inability to empathize with our political opponents would be a mere cultural weakness, a serious but not incredibly dangerous problem; in a pandemic, such thinking and mistrust can be life threatening.

From Trump to Congress to our governors and mayors, the evidence is clear that our leaders all blundered to one degree or another in the lead-up to this crisis. At the moment, it shouldnt much matter who failed to do what when, because we face the reality we face: America and the rest of the international community were not really ready for COVID-19, and we must now deal with the tragic consequences of our unpreparedness together.

Many of our leaders have tried their best. Governors from Californias Gavin Newsom to Washingtons Jay Inslee to Ohios Mike DeWine have led their states to take courageous and proactive response that likely saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Congress, being Congress, squabbled about the particulars of the massive federal relief package that everyone agreed was needed. But even then a package was produced President Trump signed it.

Ah, yes, the president, the man to whom all political debates in the U.S. seem to ultimately lead these days. Trump has been Trump throughout this crisis, often talking too much and too loosely, being spiteful when he feels slighted, and playing politics when it is completely unnecessary to do so. But when he has stopped talking and instead acted upon the recommendations of his most knowledgeable advisers  including Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx  he has been quite effective. Maybe the best move of his presidency was elevating Fauci and Birx to very public lead positions on his Coronavirus Task Force. Both have worked for numerous Republican and Democratic administrations over many decades, building long and respected careers. If anyone should be trusted by Americans of every political persuasion, they should.

Yet our politics has undermined them as well. Many partisans have attacked Fauci and Birx for various reasons. The former has been accused of being part of the deep state by some on the far right, while liberals have complained that the latter is too fawning in her praise of Trump. The vitriol has become so heated as to include threats of violence, such that Fauci now requires round-the-clock government security to keep him safe. The level of distrust is so high among partisans, even those doctors whom Trump has given his public imprimatur are regarded warily by many of his supporters.

It should be stressed, again, that all of our political leaders and medical experts appear to be trying their best to respond to this crisis with the tools and information accessible to them. They have all failed at different times and to different degrees, but they have tried. The publics inability to empathize with the difficult decisions they face as an invisible, still-unknowable enemy bears down on us all is damaging to an already-weakened civil society and undermines the effectiveness of the governments response. The distrust on both sides makes it virtually impossible for any single leader to bring his or her state, or in Trumps case the nation, together around a common purpose.

The leaders, for their part, have worked about as well together as anyone couldve hoped for. Trump has managed to maintain decent relationships with a handful of high-profile Democratic governors, from Newsom to New Yorks Andrew Cuomo, both of whom have had their disagreements with Trump but also complimented him at times. The president has praised both of them turn. Clearly, all involved understand that they are feeling their way through a difficult problem, and they must work together for the common good despite their differences.

Polling again and again shows Americans of all races, religions, and political affiliations want their leaders to come together toward the common goal of winning our fight with this virus. But it is only with an ounce of sympathy and empathy that this will happen. If we hope to get through this, we must start by bridging the divides to which we are all far too attached.

More from National Review
Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates appeared on Fox News Sunday in which he reiterated his 2018 statement that the world should be preparing for a pandemic in the same serious way it prepares for war. Gates, whose foundation -- the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- has invested heavily in global health, suggested staging simulations, war games, and preparedness exercises to simulate how diseases could spread and to identify the best response. The concluding analysis, as per the mainstream media (and certain social/online communications), is that the Trump administration has done exactly the opposite.

Among the evidence to prove their argument has been Trumps cutting funding for the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and its infectious disease research. For fiscal year 2020, Trump proposed cutting the CDC budget by US $1.3 billion, nearly 20% below the 2019 level. This is a complete falsehood.

While it is true that among the presidents budget proposals was one to reduce funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Congress never enacted those cuts. Some Democrats, such as former Vice President Joe Biden went so far as to say at a CNN townhall on February 26 that Trump tried to defund the CDC. Again, President Trump proposed reducing the CDC budget -- some years by double-digit percentages -- not completely defunding it. Incidentally, Democrats, including Biden, have since dropped the qualifier tried from their claims, saying that Trump had reduced the CDC funding. On ABCs This Week on March 1, Biden said: Theyve cut the funding for the CDC.

As late as March 13, critics kept accusing that Trump did away with the Pandemic Response Team in 2018, which would have prevented the COVID-19 altogether. The anomaly in this is that there was no "Pandemic Response Team."

While failed presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg said that Trump had fired the governments pandemic expert Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer, in reality, he voluntarily left the National Security Council (NSC) after then-National Security Advisor John Bolton was appointed. Not to mention, as U.S. State Department Peter Van Buren points out, that Ziemer was only a bureaucratic coordinator on the NSC, originally a George Bush anti-malaria appointee after his naval aviation career, with little real-world pandemic experience. In fact, Ziemers duties were reassigned inside the NSC to a new biodefense directorate.

A continual criticism against the Trump administration, especially from New York governor Andrew Cuomo, is the botched production of ventilators. This failure, in fact, took place under President Barack Obama just after the H1N1 pandemic. It had been assumed that about 70,000 ventilators should be stockpiled, but due to a failure of oversight by the Obama administration, the project ultimately produced zero ventilators. Last year the Trump administration approved a new design to kickstart the project, with deliveries to start in the summer.

The New York situation has been the point of reference to accuse Trump of being incompetent in handling the crisis. It should be pointed out that Governor Cuomo, after learning in 2015 that the states stockpile of medical equipment had 16,000 fewer ventilators than New Yorkers would need in a severe pandemic, could have chosen to buy more ventilators. Instead, he asked his health commissioner Howard Zucker to assemble a task force and draft rules for rationing the ventilators they already had.

Cuomo also recognized, but failed to do anything about, a shortage of masks and other protective gear. On March 6, as reported by CNBC, weeks before Trump raised the issue, Cuomo stated that people were stealing the equipment out of hospitals in New York. Not just people taking a couple or three, I mean just actual thefts of those products. Ive asked the state police to do an investigation, look at places that are selling masks, medical equipment, protective wear. There is, however, no evidence that he or the police ever followed up, directly resulting in a shortage today.

In any case, notwithstanding the praise Cuomo has gotten in taking on the pandemic, he continues to pursue $2.5 billion in Medicaid cuts to NYs hospitals alongside limiting their expansion to save more money. That will end up being a lot of ICU beds missing if needed.

Bill Gates complimented China for reducing its curve, though this is, at the very least, contested due to the Xi regimes persistent non-transparency. Whistleblower doctors have either been censored or disappeared so as to hide the apparent truth that actual coronavirus infections and deaths are tens of thousands more than reported. In other words, Gates should know that the Chinas response to the COVID-19 seems extraordinary only because the CCP officials are the ones doing the telling.

Gates also indicated that the American government was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic, despite a Johns Hopkins 2019 study that ranked the U.S. the best-prepared country in the world to handle such a pandemic. If there is someone to blame for all this, it is China.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did its best to make sure that its virus would spread to the American homeland and the rest of the world.

As reported last Saturday, approximately 430,000 Chinese nationals flew on direct flights from the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province to the U.S. since Chinese officials first disclosed the outbreak of the coronavirus to world health officials on New Years Eve.

The New York Times reported that most of the travelers flew into airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Newark, and Detroit in January. The Times did not account for travelers who did not fly directly from China and may have come into the U.S. on a connecting flight from the country -- on January 31, the Trump administration suspended entry into the United States by foreign nationals who had traveled to China within the last 14 days (excluding Hong Kong and Macau).

The idea that a global pandemic is "not anyones fault" is unthinkable, and President Trump is a ready foil, as Van Buren stated. The Democrats and media have spent three years seeding our thoughts that Trump is deadly and must be removed from office. They were unable to get him on the Mueller Russiagate or the Ukrainian quid pro quo, so now they are grasping at the coronavirus, despite not having their facts straight once again.
Former President John Mahama has described as alarming, how within one night, our covid-19 case count moved from 214 to 287.

We woke up this morning to official reports that Ghana's incidence of COVID-19 infection has risen to 287, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress said in a statement, adding: This is an alarming situation.

He said: While the Ghana Health Service ascribes the sudden increase in numbers to enhanced surveillance and testing, it is a call to arms to redouble our efforts in battling this disease.

Mr Mahama also said he has been donating personal protective equipment to health posts as his contribution toward fighting the pandemic.

Last Saturday, I donated my widows mite of 650 PPE and associated items for distribution to various health facilities across the country. During the rage of this pandemic, protective clothing, disinfectants, sanitisers, laser thermometres etc., are the most critical items needed by our frontline health workers. This will give them the confidence to continue their work without fear of getting infected with the virus themselves.

He added: My motivation for this donation was to fill a stop-gap and buy enough time for the government-acquired medical items to become available. Last Sunday, the President announced the receipt of some items including PPE. It is the hope of all Ghanaians that these items would be despatched speedily to where they are needed.

As the President of the Ghana Medical Association said, they are grateful for the incentives given to health workers, but they need the PPE urgently to go about their business of saving lives, he noted.

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IN a bid to boost cotton prices and make the crop benefit farmers, the number of factories for processing the crop have to be increased so as to minimize exportation of raw materials.

Minister for Agriculture, Japhet Hasunga told parliament on Wednesday that cotton prices were not attractive to farmers because most of the produce was exported as raw materials.

He said the cotton price had dropped in the world market and that exporting it as raw material won't benefit farmers.

He said in the 2019/20 financial year, the government intervened in the cotton business to help farmers.

According to Mr Hasunga, the best solution to the problem was to ensure that there were more processing factories in the country.

The minister was responding to a primary question posed by Busega MP Raphael Chegeni (CCM), who wanted to know what the government was doing to boost cotton prices.

He said cotton farmers were in a dilemma since there was no specific price for their produce and that it was high time the government came up with answers that would help Busega residents and cotton farmers across the country.

"Cotton farmers are facing many challenges; I would like to know what the government is doing to address them," he said.

The minister said the best solution was to process cotton in the country and manufacture various products locally instead of relying on foreign markets.

He said the government was continuing with plans to support local investors to build industries that would use cotton from farmers.

He added that a conducive environment for foreign investors had been created to enable them to establish industries and engage in production by using cotton as raw materials.

According to Minister Hasunga, through such strategies, cotton farmers will be assured of reliable markets and competitive prices.

"We are also asking commercial banks to provide loans to local investors who come up with proposals of investing in cotton processing industries in the country," he said.

He said his ministry had commissioned the Institute of Finance management (IFM) to come up with a detailed report on cotton industry investment.

He said the report would give a clear direction on the improvement of the sector. He said the report will be completed by July, 2020.
MILWAUKEE  It was an election day for the history books, unprecedented and unimaginable.

After Gov. Tony Evers tried to delay it, and the state Supreme Court declared the vote must go on, Wisconsinites went to the polls in Tuesday's spring election and cast ballots carefully, deliberately and defiantly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

"People died for my right to vote, so if I have to take a risk to vote that's what I have to do," said Michael Claus, 66, who was among several hundred people waiting in an early morning line to vote at Milwaukee's Riverside University High School.

Across the state, in schools, churches and town halls, poll workers risked their health to make sure democracy worked. Members of the National Guard also pitched in.

In Milwaukee, where only five polling sites were open, the workers donned face masks and rubber gloves, handed out black pens to voters, wiped surfaces clean and kept the lines moving as best they could even as the state remained under a safer-at-home order.

Milwaukee resident Jennifer Taff holds a sign as she waits in line to vote at Washington High School in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Im disgusted. I requested an absentee ballot almost three weeks ago and never got it. I have a father dying from lung disease and I have to risk my life and his just to exercise my right to vote." She said she had been in line for almost two hours.

Hand sanitizer was a must.

And votes won't be counted until Monday, another twist in the latest chapter in this only-in-Wisconsin political story.

The main contests: the state Supreme Court race between Justice Daniel Kelly and Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky, and the Democratic presidential primary.

James Grow, 33, of Milwaukee, who wore a painter's face mask for protection, waited outside Riverside High to vote and said: "I don't feel that I'm risking my life, but it's definitely different. Everyone is properly practicing social distancing."

Outside Milwaukee's Washington High School, where she waited in a line for two hours, Jennifer Taff held up a sign: "This is ridiculous."

"I'm disgusted. I requested an absentee ballot almost three weeks ago and never got it. I have a father dying from lung disease and I have to risk my life and his just to exercise my right to vote," she said.

Story continues

There were long lines in Milwaukee and shorter lines elsewhere, as well as a palpable sense of frustration.

"We have moved forward with an election, but we have not moved forward with democracy in the state of Wisconsin," said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

President Donald Trump weighed in during his daily briefing Tuesday and accused Wisconsin Democrats of wanting to move the election only after he endorsed Daniel Kelly for Supreme Court.

"As soon as I endorsed him, the Wisconsin Democrats said lets move the election, Trump said.

Trump first endorsed Kelly during a January appearance in Milwaukee and it was months later before Democrats pushed for the election to be moved.

Asked about reports of long lines to vote in Wisconsin and about voters who may get sick due to a lack of social distancing, Trump put the focus on Evers.

"Ask him, thats his problem. He should be doing it. Again, some governors fail, and I wont let them fail because when they fail, Ill help, but thats run by Democrats right now, Trump said.

Now I understand there are lines that go back a long way, I hope theyre going to vote for Justice Kelly, he added.

In a statement, Evers said: I listened when the president talked about the serious and tragic reality of this virus, and he said there will be a lot of death in the coming weeks. I dont pay any attention to who the president endorses and I dont make endorsements in nonpartisan elections.

"Frankly, my focus right now is on keeping the people of this state safe, and thats why I issued an executive order to extend Wisconsins election date and make sure everyone could vote safely from home."

Clerks this year faced a task they've never had before: sending 1.3 million ballots by mail, finding workers willing to risk their health on election day, and keeping everyone safe from a deadly virus.

But because of that crush of requests to vote by mail, many Wisconsin voters were still waiting to receive their ballot on election day, including Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who ended up voting in person at South Division High School.

At least 50 people have contacted the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in recent days reporting issues getting their ballots by mail as clerks became overwhelmed with requests. Some say clerks don't even have a record of voters' ballot requests.

With last-minute rules changes, voters had to weigh going to the polls.

Dale Stoeber lives alone in Kenosha and is 71  too old to vote in person and not risk developing life-threatening complications if he catches the virus. But thats what he had to do after not being able to get a witness signature on the ballot.

"I have no choice but to vote in person, with much apprehension," he told the Journal Sentinel. "Lord help the state if it is proven down the line that this virus spreads more widely."

Jason Pelsis, 40, said he requested a ballot online March 19 and didn't realize he hadn't received it until Friday.

When he called the Wauwatosa Clerk's Office, he was told his request had been lost. Pelsis said he tried to show the clerk his web browser history as proof, but it wasn't accepted, he said.

"I would say I have it better than most people. But I dont have time to think to go back to a state website for the heck of it to monitor the status of something I thought was completed," Pelsis said.

In the Village of Palmyra, where a key school board race was on the ballot, there was a different vibe than usual at the polls, said Clerk/Treasurer Laurie Mueller.

Theres not a lot of visiting and chit-chatting, she said. Its pretty much come in and do your business and move on, which is good. We dont want people hanging out.

The City of Brookfield set up a single polling place in the 18,000-square-foot ballroom at Brookfield Conference Center. Social distancing was enforced with tape placed in 6-foot increments on the ground.

"Its going about as well as can be expected for this crazy, crazy election, Brookfield Clerk Kelly Michaels said.

In Ozaukee County, several polling places reported steady, if slightly lighter turnout. About half the voters were observed wearing masks at a half dozen polling places.

The City of Mequon stationed a pair of public works employees at the entrances to every one of the city's eight polling sites, just to remind voters to space out and limit entry if the sites got crowded.

At Lumen Christi Catholic Church, police auxiliary officers were checking in and said they would be visiting all the sites all day.

Lance Awsumb donned a mask before he entered to vote. Afterward, he said he had been watching the news most of Monday to find out if the election would be on or off, but finally gave up.

"I just checked this morning. When I saw it was on, I came out," he said. He said he didn't really have a strong feeling either way on whether the election should have been postponed or held entirely by mail.

Outside the Cedarburg Community Center, the city's sole polling spot, Mayor Mike O'Keefe was helping answer voter questions as some stood in a spaced-out line waiting to enter.

He and chief election official Donna Steffens agreed the lines had been longer during early voting at next-door City Hall over the prior two weeks.

Poll workers in Madison wore face masks, face shields and rubber gloves as they directed people to voting booths and kept them 6 feet apart from each other in line.

At the Hawthorne Library, Ben Shinners said he thought about staying away from the polls for safety reasons but decided to vote because he wants to see change. He said Gov. Tony Evers and other officials should have done more sooner to try to delay the election.

Im disappointed that our governor didnt see earlier that he should have canceled this. Im also disappointed that the Wisconsin Supreme Court did not  put people first, he said. Its hard for me to believe in our political system right now just because I really feel, especially in Wisconsin, its all just partisan stuff. And I dont think the voters are really taken into account at all.

William Gilomen wore a red bandanna around his face and timed his visit to the library in the afternoon to avoid the morning and evening rushes. He said he believed the city took precautions that kept voters safe.

I think it went fine, he said as he rubbed his hands with sanitizer. I didnt feel any threats or danger myself. It went very smooth. I think it took about three minutes.

At Green Bay West High School, Terry Sipes was one of the early arrivals. She said she had attempted to vote by mail, but her absentee ballot did not arrive in time. She woke up early, checked on the status of the election, found her polling place and then headed out to vote.

"First of all, there is no way I would not vote today. No way," Sipes said. "Just the fact that we have the right to vote and if we don't exercise that right to vote, we're screwed as a country."

Journal Sentinel reporters Bruce Vielmetti, Ricardo Torres, Rory Linnane, Mike De Sisti, Patricia McKnight, Meg Jones, Laura Schulte, Patrick Marley, Evan Casey and Robert Dohr and USA TODAY-Wisconsin network reporter Karl Ebert and USA TODAY reporter Jeanine Santucci contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsinites vote in the midst of coronavirus pandemic
The judicial umpire has upheld complaints against a magistrate who told a rape victim she "put herself in that position" and a domestic violence survivor that it was "her right to get beaten up if she wants to".

Despite the findings, Richard Pithouse remains on the bench, with the Judicial Commission of Victoria referring the case to Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan for disciplinary action.

Only Parliament has the power to sack judges and magistrates in Victoria.

Mr Pithouse was presiding over a victims of crime compensation claim in 2018 when he made inappropriate, insensitive and gratuitous comments to a sexual assault survivor, the commission found.

He said the victim "put herself in that position" and her act of calling a sexual assault crisis line the next morning was "buyers remorse", according to the commission.
In pics: PM Modi to inaugurate new campus of Classical Tamil institute in Chennai tomorrow

Like how Lord Hanuman brought Sanjeevani booti: Brazilian President in thank you note to PM Modi

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for easing restrictions on exports drugs used to fight the coronavirus.

Bolsonaro in a letter thanked PM Modi after India lifted the restrictions on hydroxychloroquine.

He compared the move to allow export of hydroxychloroquine to reach his country to Lord Hanuman and Sanjeevani booti. Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama's brother Lakshman and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight of Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis, he also said in the letter.

India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all the people, the letter also said.

India on Tuesday said that in the view of the humanitarian aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependant on our capabilities.

COVID-19: Indian Americans US pharma firm donates 3.4 million Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets

The Ministry of External Affairs had said that it would supply paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine to countries that are badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Anurag Srivastava, External Affairs ministry, spokesperson said that India will also be supplying essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. We would therefore discourage any speculation in this regard or any attempts to politicise the matter, Srivastava further added.

India has decided that orders from other countries would be cleared only after the domestic requirements are met.
The economic cost and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are going to be huge and the fight will last for a "very long time," Singapore's minister for home affairs told CNBC. It is a crisis encompassing several generations and its consequences are likely to be far more serious than past financial crises, according to K. Shanmugam, who is also the law minister. "We are fighting on the health front, but there's also a huge economic cost. The measures we take, we know that this fight, certainly the economic fight, will be for a very long time," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. "You're looking at economic devastation. Businesses destroyed, people's lives ruined, and in such a situation, you don't talk contract. You talk equity, you talk justice, you talk about what is the right thing to do," he added. A day earlier, Singapore's parliament passed a new bill that provides temporary relief to businesses and individuals if they are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations due to the coronavirus outbreak such as paying rent. They would be shielded from legal action for six months.

We've got to take whatever steps that are necessary to make sure that the numbers are kept down. K. Shanmugam Singapore Minister for Home Affairs

"The state has every right in such situations, if you look at precedent, to intervene in a temporary way, to give relief, hold the fort, allow people to take stock of their situation," Shanmugam said. He explained the measure would transfer liquidity from landlords to tenants and help distribute the economic pain more evenly. Still, the law minister explained that the contractual obligations were not abrogated, rather they were temporarily suspended until the situation improved. "If you insist on your minutest every single contractual right at this point, that will suck the life out of the economy. You have got to protect everyone," Shanmugam added.

Singapore saw a spike in the number of reported cases starting in March when many residents returned from abroad. As of Tuesday noon, the city-state had at least 1,481 cases. Among them, six patients have died and 377 have been cured and discharged. To tackle the outbreak, Singapore adopted strict social distancing measures that include temporarily shutting all nonessential workplaces and closing schools for a month. People have also been asked to avoid socializing with others beyond their own households. The city-state has also introduced three stimulus packages worth around 12% of Singapore's GDP, or about $41.7 billion, to cushion the economic damage. The bill that was passed on Tuesday tightened restrictions further, and banned all types of social gatherings in public and private spaces and restricted the movement of people. It also makes a provision for the requisition of land, property or services needed to ramp up Singapore's health care capacity and public health capabilities. "Members of the public are urged to stay home. There are good and necessary reasons for going out, and these will be allowed by the control order, but we would strongly urge everyone not to go out, except to purchase daily necessities, essential services, or for urgent medical needs," health minister Gan Kim Yong said in parliament.

A food outlet in Singapore placed markers on selected tables to separate diners as authorities implement stricter social-distancing measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Suhaimi Abdullah | Getty Images
Chad Emerson is President and CEO of Downtown Huntsville Inc.

What if I told you that the State of Alabama could take a simple and straightforward action that would help save an entire segment of Alabamas local small business community while also promoting Alabamians to stay-at-home instead of going out?

The reality is that this win-win action is very possible and can be done without a lengthy, red-tape process. Under the States emergency powers, Governor Ivey could permit our states small-business micro-breweries to deliver sealed and packaged product to a customers home curbside. This emergency regulation could be enacted within 24 hours and could very well help save much of our states craft beverage industry.

Downtown Huntsville, Inc. organized the Downtown Huntsville Craft Beer Trail several years ago in order to market our 10 Downtown area breweries in a collaborative way. Each of these craft beverage makers represents small-business entrepreneurs that generate income for our city, jobs for our citizens, and creativity for our community. All in all, craft beverage makers employ over 500 people across the state with many exporting their products to surrounding states. Simply put, craft beverage makers are revenue-generators and job-creators for our State.

Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting social distancing regulations, many within this industry are perilously close to failure. The main reason is that much of their business model is based on guests visiting their establishment to enjoy food and beverages while dining-in and also taking home sealed and packaged locally brewed beverages. To be clear: we strongly support the emergency restrictions on in-restaurant consumption but also recognize that it has crushed this industrys business model and caused the loss of jobs and revenue with very little advanced notice to prepare.

We are very grateful that the Alabama ABC Board enacted emergency regulations that allow our States craft breweries to complete touch-less transactions on-line and bring the purchased and sealed product to the customers car at the establishments curbside. This was a thoughtful and helpful decision by our ABC leadership and has certainly been beneficial to the craft beverage industrys ability to weather this crisis.

However, this was enacted before the expanded stay-at-home regulations were enacted. Those regulations (which we also strongly support) have further diminished this industrys ability to serve its customers and employ its workers. Guests can still drive to the breweries and purchase to-go or curbside under the permissible stay-at-home activities, but this requirement induces individuals to leave their homes.

Thats because, unlike most other products that you can buy and have delivered to your home (and help promote social distancing), the products that our Alabama small business, microbreweries make cannot be delivered under state regulations. We propose a simple and straightforward solution that would help them stay in business and help their customers stay at home:

The State should allow Alabama craft beverage makers to deliver their sealed and packaged product curbside to their customers homes.

To be clear, this is not an unprecedented proposal. Even prior to the pandemic, a variety of states allowed home delivery for local craft beverages. Since the pandemic began, other states in the Southeast have passed emergency regulations that allow home delivery in an effort to help keep these businesses afloat, their workers employed, and their customers socially distanced at home. These include peer Southeastern states like Tennessee and Virginia who have enacted emergency regulations that allow home delivery of sealed and packaged product.

Our Governors emergency powers provide her the authority to adopt this simple and straight forward solution , especially during the time of a stay-at-home and other social-distancing restrictions. Regardless of whether you are craft beverage consumer or not, we should all recognize that now is that time to support our fellow Alabama small business entrepreneurs and their hard-working employees with straightforward emergency regulations when we have the opportunity to do so. Indeed, if this emergency regulation is issued, these small businesses will be able to rehire some of their unemployed workers to help with this while we all wait for this crisis to eventually pass. Simply put, this can both save Alabama jobs and restore some that have been lost.

Even a small step like allowing craft beverage home delivery of sealed and packaged products would be a strong pro-small business and pro-Alabama worker decision by our State leaders. Your leadership on this will save jobs and may prevent these valued small businesses from failing.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty on Wednesday claimed that the External Affairs Ministry has assured him of bringing back Indians stranded in the the Gulf region amid the COVID-19 travel ban.

The ministry will also consider authorising Indian missions abroad to utilise the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) for the welfare of COVID-19 affected Indians there, the Lok Sabha member from Malappuram, Kerala said.

Kunhalikutty, who was talking to PTI over phone, said the latest development was the result of his writing a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the plight of expatriate Indians abroad, particularly unskilled labourers, in view of corona scare.

"There is no proper place to stay or availability of food and water for them despite the fact that many of them have already lost their jobs," he said.

The MP, who also wrote individual letters to the Indian ambassadors to Saudi Arabia and UAE on the issue, said the government should proactively intervene to ensure well-being of Indians and make arrangements for their early return.

Saudi Arabia and UAE have lakhs unskilled Indian labourers, particularly those belonging to Kerala, he said.

"I am getting panic calls daily seeking Indian government's help from the region and other European countries too," he said.

The IUML leader also stressed on the necessity of Indian missions to work along with the Indian welfare organisations like Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) who are active in the Gulf region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi, April 8 : A guard said to be a Tablighi Jamaat follower has been booked after three members of a family in Delhis Defence Colony area tested positive for coronavirus, police sources said on Wednesday.

According to Defence Colony police, where accused guard Mustkeem was booked, he used to take rounds in the vicinity of the house of the three patients. After he found missing since April 3 as the three cases came to the notice of authorities, police suspected his role in the matter.

The family has since been quarantined. Mustkeem is said to be a resident of Okhla area of Delhi and was said to have attended Tablighi Jamaat event.
New Delhi/Washington, April 9 : The US president Donald Trump on Thursday profusely praised and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to supply hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the anti-malaria drug used for COVID-19 disease, to some of the most affected nations.

In his morning tweet, President Trump said, "Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" President Trump's admiration for Modi and gratitude towards India, put rest to several speculative media reports that claimed that the Indian government had taken the decision to lift the ban on the export of HCQ under the "threat of retaliation" in international trade by the US.

At a White House press briefing on Monday President Trump, in response to a question whether he was worried about "retaliation to the US ban on export of medical goods" from India, had said, "I would be surprised if he (Modi) would, you know, because India does very well with the US... I spoke to him Sunday morning, called him, and I said, we'd appreciate you allowing our supply (of HCQ) to come out. If he doesn't allow it to come out, that would be ok. But of course, there may be retaliation. Why wouldn't there be?" Trump's response to the reporter's leading question was construed by some sections of Indian media as a threat even as the government denied that it had taken the decision under any pressure.

In view of the humanitarian aspects of the pandemic, India on Tuesday decided to licence paracetamol and HCQ in appropriate quantities to neighbouring countries who are dependent on Indian capabilities. India will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations which have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic, a ministry of external affairs statement said.

The US as of now has the highest number of the novel coronavirus cases in the world, with over 418,000 cases of infections and over 14,200 deaths. Relatively, India has managed to contain the pandemic with 178 deaths and over 5900 cases of infections.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has notified lifting restrictions on 14 drugs. Paracetamol and HCQ, have been kept in a licensed category and their demand status is to be continuously monitored. HCQ is being used to treat COVID-19 patients and as prophylactic by the frontline health care workers deployed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The Modi government had imposed a ban on export of the drug since the coronavirus outbreak hit India.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Vietnam confirmed two new patients of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Wednesday morning, one of whom is an instance of community spread.

According to the Ministry of Health, patient No. 250 is a 50-year-old woman from Ha Loi Village in Me Linh District, Hanoi.

She is a neighbor of patient No. 243.

The woman started developing symptoms of illness on April 2. She was sampled on April 5 and the result came back positive on April 7.

She is now being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Disease in Dong Anh District, Hanoi.

Ha Loi Village, home to nearly 10,900 people, has been locked down for 14 days starting from April 7 in relation to patient No. 243, who had attended crowded events including a wedding and a death anniversary party with fellow villagers before the diagnosis.

Patient No. 251 is a 64-year-old man from the northern province of Ha Nam.

He has stayed in the department of gastroenterology at Ha Nam General Hospital since March 20 to receive treatment for a pre-existing illness.

His son and daughter-in-law have traveled from Hanoi to Ha Nam to take care of him.

He was sampled on April 6 and the result returned positive for COVID-19 on April 7.

The patient is being quarantined and treated at the provincial hospital.

About 30 doctors and nurses at the infirmary who had close contact with the patient have been isolated.

The source of his COVID-19 infection remains unclear, indicating a community spread case.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines community spread as when people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.42 million people and killed more than 81,700 globally as of Wednesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam has announced 251 COVID-19 patients so far, with 122 having recovered.

No fatality in association with the disease has been reported in the country to date.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Sony has been doing a pretty good job of keeping its PlayStation 5 console under the wraps. Yes, we've seen a ton of leaks so far, but nobody knows anything about the PS5's final design. And though Sony hasn't shown off what their upcoming console will look like, they just decided to give us our first look at the PS5's controller. Here, check it out -

 Sony

Looks damn cool, right? It's called the DualSense controller and it's definitely a huge departure for Sony's controller design in the history of PlayStation consoles. We're not entirely sure if it'll only come in white or if there will be a black color variant too, but it certainly looks pretty cool.

The fact that we're looking at a white controller first instead of a black one makes us wonder if the console will also be white. Yes, we have a ton of unanswered questions.

Anyway, it's worth pointing out that Sony has made a lot of changes on the inside as well. First off, the PS5 DualSense controller will have the new haptic feedback technology instead of the old rumble tech found in the old and current-gen controllers. We haven't experienced it yet, but Sony is promising some big changes in terms of the overall experience.

A first look at DualSense, PS5's new wireless controller.



More details and images: https://t.co/SuaUVDkyvD pic.twitter.com/ot5R1u5hsz  PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 7, 2020

The new DualSense controller will also have new "adaptive triggers" that can adjust the resistance of the trigger buttons and provide a unique experience for different gameplay effects. Adaptive triggers sound fantastic and we can't wait to try it out in different games.

The DualSense controller also comes with an integrated microphone which is a first for a PS controller. And last, but not the least, the controller will have a USB Type-C port. Yes, finally!

Other changes include the renaming of the "Share" button to "Create", that will offer gamers more ways to create content. We'll obviously be learning more about it in the future. Other aesthetic changes include the new PS logo cutout and an angular shape for the trigger buttons.

We still don't have a touchpad on the front and center of the controller with lights on both sides of the surface. We also noticed that Sony is sticking to the symmetrical design for the controller layout with the D-pad and face buttons on the top half of the controller and analog sticks at the bottom.

Pricing & Availability

Well, we still don't have any pricing or availability details for either the controller or the console itself. Rumors suggest that the PS5 console will be priced at around $500, but we don't know what to expect just yet. For reference, the current-gen controllers for the PS4 cost $59.99, so maybe we'll see a similar pricetag for the DualSense too.

That being said, we're super excited to see what Sony has in store for us. The hype for the PS5 is certainly real and we just can't wait now.

Source: Sony
As the coronavirus spread across the world in the early months of the year, Russia stood out for its low number of cases. The Kremlin insisted that there was no outbreak and that the few confirmed cases were of people who had arrived from other countries and were being strictly quarantined. Anyone who had been in contact with them was identified and also placed in isolation. Pundits on state TV told people there was nothing to worry about and took undisguised pleasure in discussing the havoc being caused in the EU and the United States.

All that changed in the last week of March, when Vladimir Putin visited the elite hospital, in the Kommunarka district just outside Moscow, that is now dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients. He put on a full hazmat suit to enter the ward but also, bizarrely, toured the hospital in sportswear together with a doctor, Denis Protsenko, and even shook his hand. A few days later, Protsenko was diagnosed with the coronavirus, and Putin started working remotely, but subsequently, in early April, he met visitors and shook their hands. Putin and the Russian population in general appeared uninformed about asymptomatic transmission and coronavirus symptoms.

The Kremlin admitted that the coronavirus was taking hold, with about half of the cases in Russia estimated to be spread by people already inside the country. Putin addressed the nation twice, first announcing a non-working week, and then extending it to April 30. He cancelled a nationwide referendum that was scheduled for April 22 that presumably would have resulted in approval of constitutional amendments enabling him to remain in office until 2036. The election was likely one of the reasons why the coronavirus numbers were initially played down and reported as pneumonia or seasonal respiratory infections. Meanwhile, Russia sent transport planes full of medical supplies to Italy, the United States, and Serbia with great fanfare.

By leaving specific decisions to regional administrations, Putin tried to avoid blame for introducing strict lockdown measures. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin immediately instructed everyone to stay home and suggested that people might have to use a QR-code for permission to go outdoors, although that has not yet been implemented. Dozens of regions followed suit, but problems arose when some required people to stand in queues outside local government buildings to obtain passes to leave their homes. Ramzan Kadyrov, the hardline leader of Chechnya, ordered the closure of the republic to all vehicles from outside, causing Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to express concern about overreach. On the streets of Grozny, police were seen armed with sticks, allegedly to beat people who violated quarantine.

Story continues

Russias Duma passed new federal laws giving the Kremlin the right to introduce a nationwide state of emergency and providing for lengthy prison sentences for people who violate quarantine or spread fake news about the coronavirus  in other words, for those who publish anything other than the official numbers. Local courts have fined people for discussing rumors about coronavirus cases on social media, and government prosecutors have begun criminal proceedings under the new law.

The first person to face the criminal charge of spreading fake news about the coronavirus was Anna Shushpanova, 39, an opposition activist in St. Petersburg and a member of the liberal Yabloko party. On the social network VKontakte, in a section for news from the town of Sestroretsk outside St. Petersburg, she posted that a man who tested positive for the coronavirus went home from a clinic on public transport and that the head of the clinics department who sent him home resigned. Police came to search Shushpanovas home on April 3. She and her sister were brought in for questioning. Andrei Romanov, Shushpanovas source for the story about the incident at the clinic, is also being prosecuted.

Mayor Sobyanin himself admitted that there was no way to know the real extent of the epidemic in in Russias regions, while St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said that cases in Russias second city would soon overtake Moscows numbers, which, according to official sources, are in the thousands. Notwithstanding, authorities have attempted to hinder the Alliance of Doctors, led by the outspoken Anastasia Vasilieva, which had drawn attention to dire conditions in Russian hospitals even before the pandemic. Vasilieva was first summoned for questioning by police for tweeting videos of herself talking about how the coronavirus numbers were being downplayed. She was then physically attacked by police, arrested, and fined for delivering medical supplies in Novgorod Oblast.

This didnt stop Vasilieva and her colleagues, who traveled to the town of Reutov in Moscow Oblast in early April to deliver supplies to a hospital there. They were stopped by security guards at the gates. Police officers looked on as a member of the hospitals medical staff drove up to the entrance and accepted the supplies from Vasilieva. Moscow Oblast has the second-highest rate of coronavirus infections in Russia, after the city of Moscow, according to official data.

The Alliance of Doctors regularly receives appeals for more supplies. In late March, it received this email, which it later published:

Hello, I work in a clinical cardiological center in Perm. I am a nurse anesthesiologist. Our clinic has been turned into a hospital for patients with community-acquired pneumonia and they even told us directly that its coronavirus. They didnt give us any protection. For 30 staff in intensive care we have ten respirators with carbon filters, a roll of gauze [with which] to sew masks and sterile gowns, and they told us wed also have anti-HIV suits. The whole administration will be brought back from holidays. Were afraid to work in these conditions.

In Moscow, Vsevolod Shukhray, an employee of the N. N. Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute, was summoned for questioning by authorities after telling the U.S.-funded Current Time TV channel about a shortage of respirator masks and ultraviolet-light air purifiers in his department. He added that employees were told to check their temperatures with one mercury thermometer between them.

Another source of irritation for the Kremlin is opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his network of regional campaign offices. Activists on Navalnys team are not afraid to speak about what theyve seen. Alexander Chernikov, Navalnys coordinator in Kaliningrad, tweeted videos of himself in the hospital, where he went after suspecting he had the virus. He lay in a corridor for a day with a high temperature before being seen to. Its very sad. No one gives a damn about you, he commented, coughing. No one comes and asks whether Im alive or not. Eventually he did receive medical attention and began to recover.

Daniil Markelov, Navalnys coordinator in Krasnoyarsk, tells me that coronavirus cases in the region were being minimized as they were everywhere else in Russia. The Russian government doesnt want to spread panic ahead of Putins changes to the constitution, he writes. Hes the one who creates the image of stability, and the whole corrupt structure of Russia is dependent on him. The government understands that with the level of medicine we have in the country we cant withstand this test without colossal losses.

In Volgograd, regional authorities have been providing no financial support for sick and self-isolating people. Yevgeny Kochegin, Navalnys coordinator there, replied to my questions about the situation. While all the media were talking about the need for medical supplies, the administration of Volgograd Oblast isnt even shy about buying expensive luxury cars for officials, he writes. Even before the first officially confirmed case of coronavirus in Volgograd, I know there were infected people in the region, and even two who died from pneumonia.

A friend of mine recently called an ambulance (she had a temperature, a cough and shortness of breath), writes Oleg Yemelyanov, Navalnys coordinator in Kazan, Tatarstan. The doctors just told her to calm down, said you dont have the coronavirus, just a cold. Of course, they didnt give her any tests  I think there are also problems with testing.

Navalnys coordinator in Kemerovo, Stas Kalinichenko, replied in English to my questions: I dont think that hospitals are ready for the pandemic, because overall condition of our hospitals is awful. And it cant become normal in one hour-long. . . . Im sure that the number of infected people is lies. Our authorities simply dont bother diagnosticating coronavirus. And they still havent established the process of diagnosticating. In the midst of the pandemic another employee of Navalnys Kemerovo office, Alexei Sushchenko, was jailed ahead of trial on a charge of possession of marijuana. His confession was broadcast on RT. Cases of police bringing drug charges against critics of the Kremlin are common. Investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was charged last year, but the charges were dropped after a public outcry.

Alexander Zykov, Navalnys coordinator in Kostroma, writes: The worst thing is the attitude of the authorities themselves toward the epidemic, and even though Governor [Sergei] Sitnikov himself brought in a regime of heightened preparedness, he violates it for the sake of PR. For example, the governor organized an event where he gave medals to old people, and they werent wearing masks or anything. This is absolute cynicism. Zykov also says that it has been virtually impossible in the region to obtain a coronavirus test.

Like other countries, Russia is also struggling with severe economic problems caused by the pandemic. These are exacerbated by Putins rejection of an OPEC+ agreement to reduce oil production. As a result of his decision, oil prices plummeted below $30 a barrel for a time, and the rouble hit a low of 80 to the U.S. dollar from about 60 before the crisis. Although admitting that the oil prices are too low for Russias comfort, Putin has made no progress on cutting a deal with the Saudis. The West should lift sanctions on Russia, the Kremlin has suggested, to no avail. Factories, oil refineries, and construction projects, including construction of the Vostochny space center, continue in operation with little or no regard for social distancing. Putin has asked companies to pay employees who are not working, while the businesses themselves ask how that will be possible.

The prognosis for Russia is not good. An already abysmal human-rights situation looks set to deteriorate further, with state surveillance being stepped up and regional authorities able to enforce their own rules. The coronavirus fatality rate is likely to be high due to a crumbling health-care system, pressure to continue working, and censorship of information about whats happening and whats needed. Economic challenges could lead to political instability; Putins usual response to unrest is to increase repressions. Regional leaders such as Sergei Sobyanin may try to position themselves as potential successors to Putin, but that would hardly mean a significant change in course. The main risk to opposition critics such as Anastasia Vasilieva and Alexei Navalny still comes from the government itself, not the virus.

Orbis Business Intelligence assisted with the research for this article.

More from National Review
First it was the waitress whose restaurant closed. Then the waiter, the bartender, the substitute teacher, the hairdresser, the tattoo artist and the Walgreens manager.

One after the other, the tenants called and emailed their landlord, Bruce Brunner, to say they were out of work and the rent was going to be late. A week after the bill was due, some two dozen of Mr. Brunners 130 tenants had lost their jobs or had their hours reduced. Hes working out payment plans and using security deposits as a stopgap while directing tenants to the emerging patchwork of local, state and federal assistance programs.

Six weeks ago, you could name your price and youd have multiple people applying, said Mr. Brunner, who lives in Minneapolis, where he owns and manages 20 duplexes and triplexes across the city. Now youre deferring and working out payment plans, and its only going to get worse.

One week after the first of the month, tenants nationwide are already struggling with rents. In interviews with two dozen landlords  including companies with tens of thousands of units, nonprofit developers who house the working poor, and mom-and-pop operators living next door to their tenants  property owners say their collections have plunged as much of the economy has shut down to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Three employees of the Philadelphia regions transportation authority have died from the coronavirus.

All three were SEPTA maintenance workers from the Midvale, Southern and Elmwood depots, Action News 6 ABC is reporting.

Transit Workers Union Local 234 president Willie Brown identified them as Michael Holt, Phillip Williams and Theodore Nixon, according to reports.

Last week, at least 16 SEPTA employees who worked at various sites tested positive, most of whom were at the Comly Depot, which saw seven cases, reports indicate.

Starting Thursday, SEPTA is moving to a reduced Life Service Schedule, focusing on providing access to hospitals, grocery stores and other essential services, CBS 3 is reporting.

The changes close some stations and limit bus and trolley services. SEPTA police will also be checking to see if riders are traveling for essential services, reports indicate.

Riders must also wear masks or some sort of face covering.

We are going to enforce. Not only can an operator of a vehicle refuse a rider who doesnt have a mask on, we will also have members of our transit police making sure, general manager Leslie Richards told CBS 3. This reduced schedule is to protect our customers but also to protect our employees just as much.

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.
Nigerian nurses and midwives deserve an improved health and life insurance packages as they lead the battle against coronavirus in the country, health experts have said.

Funds should adequately be disbursed for their training on prevention and control of diseases and they should be provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times, they said.

These are some of the solutions proffered by health experts on how best to safeguard nurses and midwives in the frontline charge of containing covid19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The experts spoke on Tuesday at an online event to mark the World Health Day being celebrated across the world on April 7 since 1950 by the World Health Organisation, WHO.

Usually, the event focuses on a key area in the healthcare system and aims to develop it.

But, with the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Day this year is dedicated to generating attention towards the contributions of health workers, especially nurses and midwives.

In line with the theme, Support nurses and midwives, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) organised a twitter chat to discuss the vital roles of nurses and midwives in curbing COVID-19 in Nigeria.

The two-hour Tweetchat on the PTIJ official handle @PTCIJ, featured three panelists: Abdrafiu Alani Adeniji, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM); Olubumni Lawal-Aiyendu, a paediatric nurse and; Mohammed Sadiq, managing director, Health Care Leadership Experts.

They answered several questions on the challenges of health workers battling COVID-19 and how they can be solved.

Shortage of manpower

The panelists warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is capable of exposing shortfalls in the number of nurses practicing in Nigeria in the unfortunate event of a major spike in the spread of the virus, thereby putting the few hands at grave danger of getting infected.

Mrs Lawal-Aiyendu said the current crisis presented an opportunity for Nigeria to look into the nursing to patient ratio in the country which she said is far below WHO recommendations.

Inadequate Nurses and Midwives is a key indicator for poor health outcomes and I plead with all state governments to be humble and learn from the outbreak of COVID-19, she noted.

In a space of few weeks, the virus overloaded health systems in many countries used by WHO as a model for health worker to patient ratio.

Hundreds of thousands are bedridden in Northern Italy, Spain and the U.S., overwhelming and putting the existing health workforce at increased risk, while offering a glimpse of what awaits countries if they cannot slow the contagion.

In a country such as Nigeria where doctors are in limited numbers and mainly function at the expert level of human resources for health; nurses and midwives provide the day to day care, are more in contact with patients and are likely to be more at risk during pandemics.

READ ALSO:

With a total estimate of 128,918 registered nurses and 90,489 midwives, Nigeria is currently averaging one nurse to 1000 patients in hospitals and this number is more likely to be concentrated in the urban areas.

#Tweetchat

During Tuesdays tweet chat, praises were poured on Nigerian health workers for effectively managing those infected with the disease.

Nearly 50 out of the 254 confirmed cases in Nigeria have recovered after treatment. Only five fatalities have been recorded while many are in mild conditions.

The panelists agreed that the best way Nigeria can maintain the positive tempo is by safeguarding and improving the welfare of the health workforce.

Mrs Lawal-Aiyendu said nurses and other health care professionals should have regular training on infection prevention and control protocols that should be captured on the annual budget.

For Mr Saddiq, there is also the need for adequate infrastructure to make the infection prevention and control behaviors easier to follow e.g. access to running water in the right places in all clinical areas.

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The public health nurse raised concerns over the shortages in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Without adequate supplies of quality PPE, trust me the lives of the Health care professionals are in great danger and this is not healthy for our nation.

Mr Saddiq, a public health policy advocate, said the risk of nurses getting the infection is very high given that they constitute the majority in the frontlines and also stay the longest in contact with patients.

Participants in the conversation also raised concerns on adherence to infection prevention and control practices by Nigerian Nurses in the fight against COVID-19.

They asked the government to improve health insurance, life insurance, and welfare packages as well as training on prevention and control for nurses and all categories of medical staff in the country.
Nairobi  The Ministry of Health Tuesday asked Kenyans to brace for tough times after it confirmed 14 new coronavirus cases raising the total to 172.

The new cases were validated after 696 samples were analyzed in the last 24 hours.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe however said three people had been discharged after recovering from coronavirus.

Kagwe said out of the 14 newly confirmed cases, 7 are from Nairobi, 2 Mombasa, 2 from Mandera. Machakos, Kiambun and Kisii registered a case each.

CS Kagwe asked Kenyans to be mentally prepared for tough times ahead, saying community transmissions are on the rise.
Calaveras County Board Chair Merita Callaway leads supes in remote session Apr 7 2020 View Photo

San Andreas, CA  Plans for a COVID-19 testing workaround and isolating vulnerable populations in local lodging were aired at a special Calaveras supervisors session.

In his latest update to the board, County Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita noted the latest state figures: 14,336 confirmed novel coronavirus cases across the state with 343 deaths. and 212 confirmed cases among healthcare workers.

Of Calaveras Countys five cases, he added the two in Copperopolis are now completely recovered. The most recent patient, a Highway 4 corridor resident from the Arnold/Dorrington area was an international traveler and is looking to have contracted the virus that way.

While he did not speak about the Valley Springs resident who contracted and was being treated for it out of area, he acknowledged that contact tracing into the resident locally receiving care is not finding a clear source of infection and could have been a community transmission.

The doctor shared concerns about testing remaining strained in Calaveras and other foothill communities, only now the limiting factor is not the actual ability to get lab support, it is due to specimen collection materials such as nose swabs and tubes with the testing media that are running low.

He thanked Adventist Health Sonora for lending 50 testing kits until local supplies are restored and also gave Mark Twain Medical Center high kudos for increasing bed and ventilator capacity to meet projected needs ahead.

Medical Marker Vs. Actual COVID-19 Test Data

While Dr. Kelaita currently thinks Californias early response and continued vigilance may keep it from experiencing the infection levels of New York, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and other hot spots, he stressed that proactive management and planning remain key.

Towards that goal and in the absence of sufficient testing materials, he outlined a draft order he plans to enact requiring all local medical providers to keep and report data of patients seeking treatment whose symptoms include a temperature of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and a cough or shortness of breath.

We have the authority to require and even mandate that medical providers report this information to us on a daily basis for use as a marker for coronavirus infection, he explained. If testing capability is low, surveillance of these type of symptoms give us a truer reflection on a daily basis  in real time  to be able to more accurately determine what our challenges are.

On hand to specifically address Governor Gavin Newsoms recently launched Project Roomkey plans to help serve vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 emergency, Health and Human Services Director Kristin Stranger stated more clarification from the state was forthcoming but provided the supervisors with an update from a local perspective.

She described the response to help isolate the homeless and others at risk as one that is involving every level of government towards procuring available motel and hotel rooms, providing wraparound services, and other support. While it is not being mandated state officials are strongly recommending local jurisdictions take part of this additional assistance and build upon it by tapping various other sizable funding forms rapidly becoming available, including through FEMA.

The leased rooms would each be used as single occupancy isolation units for housing homeless cases confirmed with COVID-19 not requiring hospital care; those needing a safe place to quarantine; at risk individuals, including those coming out of the hospital and/or with chronic respiratory and other diseases, and others whose living situation makes it impossible to isolate. Included as part of the wrap-around support are screening, safety assistance and instructions; technical support for telecare (such as a tablet or smart phone); food, security, and janitorial services.

Project Roomkey Calaveras

For Calaveras, which will initially be receiving $71,000 through its Central Sierra Continuum of Care (CSCoC) partnership, the number of needed units is currently estimated at about 75, according to Stranger. The other partner counties, Amador, Tuolumne and Mariposa, are also receiving funding chunks.

She added that her office had already initiated discussions with three lodging operators, the Travelodge, Angels Inn, and Sierra Inn, who expressed interest as long as the wrap-around support services were in place.

Asked for his input on the matter Dr. Kelaita described it as a necessary public health measure. He maintained, The order to shelter at home and social distancing is for everyone in communityits pretty difficult if you dont have a home.

He continued, This lock-down is not going to last foreverthe resource has to be there to keep them from infecting others isolate them in the event of illness as the pandemic continues.

After providing some direction for Stranger to proceed, the board gave its blessing and Board Chair Merita Callaway requested staff to bring a recommendation for the supervisors to consider at its board meeting next Tuesday to accommodate expediting related leases, contracts, and other documents without the boards administrative approvals.
At least one San Francisco nursing home, the Campus for Jewish Living, could begin accepting patients infected with the new coronavirus who no longer need to be in a hospital  but are either in recovery or need hospice care, according to a letter obtained by The Chronicle.

The 378-bed nursing home in the Excelsior has prepared its own wing where it can accept COVID-19 patients, said Marcus Young, a spokesman for the nursing home. The patients would be isolated from the rest of the facility  which does not have any COVID-19 cases of its own  and staff members would only be allowed to tend to those in the special unit.

We recognize that these mandates may cause some concerns, but please be assured that the safety of our residents, patients and staff remains our top priority, an April 2 letter sent to residents and their family members said.

The preparations at the Campus for Jewish Living come after the California Department of Public Health issued an order last week that skilled nursing facilities must allow COVID-19 patients  unless the facility cannot provide the proper isolation and personal protective equipment for front-line workers. The point is to free up hospitals from patients who do not need to be in an acute setting, but still need isolation and care.

No COVID-19 patients have been admitted to the nursing home yet, and it is unclear how many the facility is prepared to handle, Young said. The San Francisco Department of Public Health did not respond when asked how many other skilled nursing facilities around the city plan to accept COVID-19 patients.

Young said that the nursing home has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of our patients, residents and staff.

However, advocates and doctors criticized the order and warned that moving COVID-19 patients into a nursing home could lead to catastrophe.

Cramming infected patients into crowded, understaffed facilities with extraordinarily vulnerable residents is a recipe for disaster, Patricia McGinnis, executive director for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said in a statement last week.

As the pandemic rips through the country and overwhelms emergency rooms and intensive care units, states like New York and Massachusetts have also tapped their nursing homes to provide space for COVID-19 patients. There are more than 1,000 skilled nursing facilities in California and more than 200 in the Bay Area. It is unclear how many will accept patients with the virus.

Nursing homes and long-term-care facilities around the country have become hot spots for the virus: San Franciscos Laguna Honda Hospital, a 780-bed nursing home, has at least 16 positive cases among residents and staff. Meanwhile, 35 people died at a Kirkland, Wash., nursing home in February, and a 47-bed nursing home in Orinda reported that 49 people, including 27 patients, have tested positive. One patient who was in hospice died, officials said Monday.

One woman whose 94-year-old mother lives at the Campus for Jewish Living is furious over what she fears is a death sentence for the vulnerable residents at the facility. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation against her mother, told The Chronicle that she only learned Tuesday that the facility would begin accepting COVID-19 patients.

The Chronicle agreed not to name her in accordance with the papers anonymous source policy.

Nursing homes and senior-care facilities in the Bay Area  and around the country  have banned and restricted visitors in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus inside the facility. But even though the facility said it is taking precautions, she still does not trust that the residents, and her mother, will be safe.

Why would they close the place down to relatives and all visitors and go through all that and then bring in people who have COVID-19? she said. It doesnt make sense. ... If they bring patients in and people catch it and it spreads through ... I just think it is going to be a nightmare.

Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokeswoman with the California Hospital Association, previously told The Chronicle hospitals need to discharge people who are less sick to free up beds for the sickest patients.

More Information Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources:The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on sfchronicle.com. See More Collapse

Emerson-Shea said there isnt an easy answer to any of this.

There are concerns on both sides, Emerson-Shea said. From the hospital perspective, we need to get people who no longer need acute care to find an alternative place to go.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
A woman who suffers from serious life-limiting health condition, has penned a series of personal blog posts revealing that she's had to prepare herself to die if she contracts coronvairus.

Lucy Watts, 26, who lives in Essex, and has an undiagnosed, progressive neuromuscular disease, is concerned that her life won't be considered a 'priority', if doctors are made to choose which coronavirus sufferers are given life-saving treatment including ventilators.

The disability advocate receives 24-hour care because of her condition, which causes problems including multiple organ failure, restrictive lung disease and respiratory muscle weakness.

'On the clinical frailty scale, Im a 7 or even 8,' she said. 'They dont save people at that level, when forced to choose between them and a person with less needs and a higher survival rate.

Her candid perspective comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) revealed that doctors are being prepared to make 'brutal' decisions and priorities treating those who are most likely to recover.

Lucy Watts, 26, (pictured) who lives in Essex, has penned a series of blog posts revealing that she's preparing herself to die if she contracts coronavirus

Lucy is currently self-isolating for a minimum of 12 weeks with the support of intensive care nurses and her mother, but the nurses could be recalled to the NHS at any time.

The 26-year-old who is counted among the top ten most influential disabled people in Britain, boasts over 7,000 followers on Twitter for her work as an activist.

She argues that she's more than 'proved' her worth, from receiving an MBE for services to young people with disabilities to becoming a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her commitment to disability rights.

'Whilst the decision not to go to hospital in the first place is mine, the decision about treatment for COVID in my case isnt within my control.

Lucy (pictured) who sufferers from an unnamed condition that causes problems including multiple organ failure, restrictive lung disease and respiratory muscle weakness, has praised the NHS for giving her the opportunity to already live an 'amazing life'

'I have to accept my life will not be saved,' she wrote.

Lucy has survived sepsis 14 times and believes it's evident that, despite having a fragile body, she can survive life-threatening events such as the coronavirus if she contracts it.

'Its a funny head space to be in, feeling like I want to live at all costs, but knowing extensive efforts to prolong my life if anyone would do it in the first place  could have an offset cost of someone elses survival,' she said.

What is the clinical frailty scale? The NHS in England identifies people, aged 65 and over, who are living with moderate and severe frailty using a population-based stratification approach using several assessment tools. One of these is the Clinical Frailty Scale, devised by Dalhousie University in Canada, which rates people's physical condition on a scale of one to nine. 1. Very fit - People who are robust, active, energetic and exercise regularly 2. Well: People who have not active disease, but aren't as active as those in category 1. 3. Managing well: Has well-controlled medical problems and not regularly active 4. Vulberable: Not dependent on others but find their symptoms limit activities and cause tiredness 5. Mildly frail: Impairs activites and need help with things such as heavy housework 6. Moderately frail: Need help with all outside activities and many indoor activites. May need help with dressing 7. Severely frail: Completely dependant on others for person care, but not at high risk of dying 8. Very severely frail: Completely dependent and approaching end of life. At risk of death from minor illness 9. Terminally ill: Approaching the end of life, or with less than six months to live - even if not otherwise evidently frail Advertisement

The disability advocate argues that her life is worthy and valuable, but she understands that within the current crisis people on the frontline will have to make heart-breaking decisions.

Lucy admits to having a host of ideas and plans including to change policies and to educate others.

However, she's gone through the stages of grief in trying to process that she may not be given the opportunity to see her goals come to pass.

Dr John Chisholm who is the chair of the BMAs medical ethics committee, has predicted that decisions medical practitioners will have to make over the next coming weeks will cause 'anger and pain'.

He said: 'Despite heroic efforts to increase supply  and reduce demand  there may come a point where the pandemic will simply overwhelm intensive care beds, ventilators, ECMO life-support.'

Reflecting on the announcement, Lucy ended her blog praising the NHS for having cared for her throughout the years and already providing the support she's needed to live an 'amazing life'.

She added: 'My life matters now, and it matters after this. Ive created a legacy to be proud of.'
Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal on Wednesday claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully contained in the Union territory of Ladakh and appreciated the efforts of doctors and police personnel among others to control the spread of the pandemic.

"Thank you all The corona warriors of Ladakh. It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction that the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully contained in the Union Territory of Ladakh," he said.

Namgyal told PTI that earlier there were 14 coronavirus positive cases in Ladakh and now there are three.

"Eleven of them have tested negative after good medical care," he said.

The BJP MP said coronavirus outbreak was the first major challenge faced by Ladakh after it became a Union territory.

"I, on behalf of my people, bow my head in gratitude to hundreds of corona warriors including doctors, paramedical staff, police and other employees of the administration of Union Territory of Ladakh who have displayed unflinching dedication," he said.

"The manner in which all of us have dealt with the signs of COVID-19 in the containment areas of Chushot Gongma, Sankoo and Sanjak in particular is reassuring and worth emulating elsewhere. It successfully halted a least expected sharp rise in cases which was noticed for a brief period," Namgyal said.

The legislator said credit also goes in equal measure to the leadership provided by Lt Governor Radha Krishna Mathur, both the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, senior officers, district magistrates and superintendents of police all the officials and the public representatives of grassroots level of our two districts --- Leh and Kargil.

He further said all religious, social, political and non-governmental organisations have pursued the goal of ensuring the health and safety of the people at large with exemplary unity and cooperation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Classes that Click is a series spotlighting how Emory is adapting undergraduate courses to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each column will showcase one course, with insights and tips from both the professor and students.

For student Sareena Sethi, decorating her room at home to be more like her college room is helping ease the transition to remote learning. For her sociology professor, Devon Goss, a four-legged assistant helps brighten the days.

Classes that Click is a series showcasing how Emorys commitment to stellar education continues during the COVID-19 pandemic and how many lessons learned will further enhance life at the university when everyone returns to classrooms together.

In this edition, Goss, assistant professor of sociology at Oxford College of Emory University, shares how updates to her course can make it better in the future. Goss is joined by David Li, a first-year student studying chemistry, and Sethi, a sophomore majoring in biology. They are both new to remote learning.

The course: Introduction to Sociology (Sociology 101)

Introduction to Sociology (Sociology 101) introduces students to the scientific study of human group behavior. The course emphasizes definitions of analytical concepts and tools for the exploration of significant data in social organizations, culture, institutions and social change.

Moving toward remote learning

How did you prepare for this phase of remote learning?

Li: I made sure that my room at home was adapted to a comfortable learning environment, and let my parents know about the synchronized classes, so the class wouldnt get disturbed.

Sethi: I prepared to shift to remote learning by turning my childhood bedroom into my dorm room! A lot of my memories from grade school and high school were distracting me, so I put up a few Emory pennants and posters to keep my eye on the prize.

What was one of your primary challenges in shifting to a remote format and how did you meet it?

Goss: One of the things that was the most difficult for me was envisioning how we could translate our in-classroom discussions and activities to the online space. Oxford College has a small liberal arts atmosphere, so the discussion and engagement piece is important to both our students and myself. Ive tried to replicate it as much as possible by using discussion boards where students engage with questions that Ive posed based on readings, sociological concepts or videos.

Li: The sudden change at the beginning of this transition was a challenge. I packed all my stuff the night I came back from spring break and decided to drive back home the next day. This allowed me to readjust to the environment back home and catch up with the news locally and nationally.

Sethi: My siblings have also transitioned to remote learning since Ohio schools are closed. With this change, its a constant battle to get wifi and the quiet necessary to focus. Thankfully, my siblings have been supportive and understanding of the workload I face.

Putting remote learning into practice

What has been a pleasant surprise about remote learning?

Goss: Its helped me think about what concepts are essential when students finish this introduction-level course. Ive had to eliminate or change some activities or group projects that I might normally ask students to engage in, but in doing so, have found some new ways to communicate the same concepts. I think this will give my classes more variety in the future.

Li: Many of my professors decided to do asynchronized lectures, and the only synchronized classes that I have are for discussion and asking questions after watching the lectures at our own pace. The flexibility is very nice and being able to go at your own pace makes online learning interesting.

How are you staying engaged with your students or classmates and professors?

Goss: We have a very lively discussion board, where I ask four or five questions about concepts for that week. I tried to pick questions that I would typically pose in my face-to-face classes, as well as questions that have led to interesting conversations in the past. This format allows students who might be a bit quiet in person the ability to step forward and contribute a lot because theyre more comfortable behind a keyboard. Its a great chance to hear from more of my students and get to know them better.

Li: I stay engaged with classmates by text and Facetime to be sure they are safe and settled. In regard to professors, I go to online office hours and engage in the synchronized meetings.

Sethi: I participate in the optional Zoom question and answer sessions my classes hold, as well as attend office hours to keep up on classwork and see how my professors are doing. Most have been extremely understanding and willing to help at all costs in these dire times.

Lessons for the future

Whats one lesson youve learned during this transition?

Goss: Its essential that faculty be flexible and compassionate with students, especially in times of change and stress. Many of my students are dealing with a lot of things outside of my class right now. Ive tried to be proactive in making sure students have the resources they need to succeed in my class and that they know they can reach out to me at any point if they need anything.

Li: Ive learned the importance of face-to-face learning and that going to a class is so much better than online learning. I didnt realize that a classroom environment would be so important to learning. Communication is the key during this transition, especially with professors. Even when you dont have any questions, continue to check in with your professors.

Sethi: I have learned what an amazing, quality education I was receiving; I never realized how good I had it until things changed. I miss my Oxford experience and face-to-face interactions. True human contact is very meaningful.

How will you use that lesson (or others) when youre back in a normal classroom setting?

Goss: I hope when Im back in my regular classroom I am able to remember that students have whole lives outside of my sociology class, and that by being open and compassionate, I might be able to help them navigate any concerns or stresses that they are going through.

Sethi: I will take advantage of and attend every office hours and supplemental instruction session. The privilege of being face-to-face to communicate with your professors is truly a gift that I can hardly wait to have back.

In addition to focusing on the universitys educational mission, Emory experts are on the front lines of the pandemic  caring for patients, researching possible treatments and vaccines and sharing knowledge to help inform and prepare the public. Visit Emorys COVID-19 page for the latest updates.
Just weeks after confirming the first case of Covid-19 in South Africa, the government ordered a lockdown in an attempt to flatten the curve of infections. One of the reasons was to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system...

Emergency doctors and nurse performing CPR and inserting an IV drip on a patient. GettyImages

Access criteria

Planning ahead

For a population of around 59 million , the country has limited intensive care unit beds and ventilators. And supplies of personal protective equipment for health workers are sub-optimal. These are some of the resources needed most in this epidemic, given the lack of specific treatment. Ventilation will only be needed for the most seriously ill patients  approximately 5% of proven coronavirus infections. However, the number of such patients may exceed the number of ventilators in South Africa.Resource constraints are not new to the South African healthcare system. Every day, healthcare professionals make difficult decisions about rationing access to intensive care beds, dialysis machines, organ transplants and other specialised services. Such decisions are supported by the limitation clause in the bill of rights of the South African constitution. This makes provision for healthcare access when resources are limited.The principle of distributive justice  the fair distribution of limited resources  has always been central to healthcare decision making in the public sector. It will, however, be stretched to its limits if the outbreak in South Africa mimics that in other settings . Even the most resilient healthcare workers will need to make soul-wrenching decisions based on a number of carefully thought out criteria. These include severity of illness, age, other health conditions, frailty and quality of life after intensive care treatment.In developing criteria for admission to intensive care units during humanitarian emergencies, healthcare professionals are guided by broad ethical principles developed by bioethicists and physicians globally. The overarching aim is usually to save as many lives as possible while alsosaving more years of life after treatment. Such an approach will favour the young and healthy, but this must be balanced with many other factors.Assessing medical suitability for ventilation is always necessary. It takes into account the severity of Covid-19, co-morbidities or underlying conditions and failure of other organ systems. Each patient will need a careful assessment based on clinical condition, medical history (diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, chronic lung disease) and prognosis. In South Africa, HIV infection would also be a co-morbidity. Those with Aids-defining illnesses or uncontrolled disease with a poor prognosis are more likely to score lower on medical grounds in admission policy frameworks.If several patients of similar age, disease severity, medical history and prognosis had the same chance of being admitted to an intensive care unit for ventilation, how would doctors choose among them? Would anyone be prioritised for ventilation The most likely group according to ethical principles would be frontline healthcare workers who are actively involved in the Covid-19 response and become seriously ill with the disease. This is because they have placed themselves at risk to treat others and society would have a reciprocal obligation to save them. These are also highly skilled professionals who would continue to save many more lives.Some authors have suggested a first come, first served approach to choose between people with the same medical status . But as a first round of triage when choosing among the general population in epidemics, that approach will not work . The patients who arrive first at a hospital may not require intensive care or they may not benefit the most from such care. Social factors also influence who will arrive at a hospital first.Using a lottery system of random allocation is not generally supported either, unless one is choosing among equals, when all patients have the same chance of being chosen and beds or ventilators are limited.Apart from choosing the patients most likely to benefit from ventilation, it would also be necessary to be able to predict how long a patient would require ventilation. From experiences in other countries, it is becoming apparent that some patients may need to remain on ventilators for one or two weeks. In some cases, this can be longer.If a patient occupies a bed and ventilator for too long and is not improving, others with a better prognosis may not get a chance at survival. Such situations may call for withdrawal of patients from ventilators, after careful consideration, to give others with a better prognosis a chance. As a result, families and patients admitted to intensive care units must be clearly informed that a trial of ventilation is offered. The patient will be reviewed on a regular basis and could be withdrawn.Some decisions will depend on whether patients wish to have life support via artificial means such as ventilators. Its important to ensure that the patients wishes are known in advance, for example through living wills.Having a national prioritisation plan in place is critical during a pandemic for a number of reasons. First, its important to ensure fairness in how limited beds and ventilators are allocated. Second, its necessary for the smooth functioning of busy environments in crisis situations to ensure the best medical care for all.South Africa is still awaiting a national directive from the health department so that all intensive care units (private and public) have uniform admission criteria. Once criteria are agreed upon, communication to the public is important. Transparency and governance are necessary to build and maintain public trust . Resource allocation decisions such as these are difficult for all healthcare professionals and are never made lightly. Everyone needs to accept that not all people with COVID-19 will be able to access ventilators should the outbreak worsen substantially.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio doctors and pharmacies last year scaled back the number of opioid pills they dispensed, part of a years-long push to stop the over-aggressive prescribing of painkillers.

Medical practitioners distributed 415 million painkillers across the state. Thats a 48% drop from the 793 million that were doled out in 2012, the peak of the states pill-mill crisis, according to an Ohio Board of Pharmacy report released this month.

The report was based on the pharmacy boards statewide reporting system that tracks prescriptions dispensed in Ohio pharmacies.

Cuyahoga County saw one of the biggest drops in the state during that span, as doctors and pharmacies cut the amount by 55%  from 68 million to 30 million.

Thats 24 pills for every man, woman and child in the county, down from 53 in 2012, the report shows.

Compare that to the rest of the state, where the number of dispensed pills equates to 36 per every resident. Thats down from 68 in 2012.

This is a very good thing, said Scott Osiecki, chief executive officer for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County. The numbers are phenomenal.

Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and a researcher at Brandeis University near Boston, agreed, though he stressed much more needs to be done.

The main benefit in more cautious prescribing is that it will reduce the number of new cases of opioid addiction, Kolodny said. Thats important, and thats what has to happen to end this crisis. But there is still a long way to go. We are still overprescribing opioids.

While researchers acknowledge that the numbers are a positive for the county and state, they also face a long-term trend: Since 2012, the numbers of painkillers dispensed have dramatically dropped while the numbers of unintentional opioid overdose deaths have increased over time.

Last year, 3,874 people died in Ohio from those kinds of overdoses, with nearly 3,000 deaths involving opioids such as heroin and the synthetic fentanyl.

Thats undisputed, that overdoses continue while the number of prescription opioids dispensed has dropped, said Orman Hall, the former director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. What is disputed is why that has happened.

Many researchers pointed to changes in Ohio policy that inadvertently sent those addicted to painkillers to higher potency drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl. Some leaned toward the simple fact that those alternatives are a fraction of the cost of prescription pills.

Others cited the states failure to spread medication-treatment options, such as Suboxone, to all regions of Ohio.

No matter the theory, the changes began in 2011.

In an attempt to close the states pill mills, then-Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that restricted doctors handling of pain medication in their offices. The law said doctors could provide patients with only a three-day supply of pain medication during an office visit.

Five years later, state legislators passed a law that required physicians to be licensed by the state pharmacy board if they kept narcotics in their offices.

That left many patients who were addicted to opioids to find alternatives.

Thats an important part of the explanation, but it is not all of the explanation, said Hall, now a researcher with the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a congressional initiative that tracks drug trends.

Economics also played a key factor. For example, a 30-milligram tablet of Percocet, which contains oxycodone, costs about $30. An addict could take up to three pills a day, which would cost about $100.

For a tenth of that price, the person with addiction could buy heroin or fentanyl for an even more powerful high.

An analysis by Hall of unintentional overdose deaths in Ohio illustrates those theories.

Deaths from prescription opioids rose from 388 in 2005 to a peak of 724 in 2011. The numbers, however, slowly tailed off. In 2018, 301 people died of an unintended overdose involving painkillers.

In that span, the number of deaths from heroin overdoses began to climb from 680 in 2012 to a peak of 1,444 in 2016.

Deaths from fentanyl overdoses also began spiking in those years, from 84 in 2013 to 3,431 five years later, the analysis shows.

Kolodny, however, disagreed with some researchers. He said it was not policy changes that led to a shift from pills to heroin  and ultimately unintentional heroin overdoses.

He said it was simply an increase in the purity of heroin and a drop in price, beginning in 2013, that made the drug more attractive and more deadly.

Despite differing theories, researchers said the state must continue to fight the spread of opioids. They said the reduction of painkillers is a key first step that needs to continue.

More coverage of the opioid crisis:

Unfathomable: How 1.6 million pills from a small-town doctor helped fuel the opioid crisis in Ohio

A devastating trend: Fentanyl-laced cocaine overdoses raise major concerns across Ohio, analysis shows

How Ohio lawmakers put an end to the states pill-mill clinics
Elana Maslow, 26, Oakland, Calif.

We always say next year in Jerusalem. But, what will next year look like?

The people in this photo have been coming to my house for the first night of Passover for at least 15 years. Ted and Judy bring brisket and macaroons. Janet makes charoset. My dad runs the Seder and oftentimes makes a big speech where everyone cries. We are doing a Zoom Seder. Maybe we will all make our own matzo ball soup, or I can go to my parents and pick up a pot.

I think right now we are just grateful to be alive and to be healthy. My mom has been watching a livestream of Friday night services, my parents do a weekly meditation by our rabbi, and my boyfriend and I are watching a livestream of songs from our Jewish summer camp every Friday night. We are trying to stay connected to our community any way that we know how.

This year I want our Passover to be more social justice-oriented. How can we continue to think critically of the world and best support others that need our help the most? We always say next year in Jerusalem. But, what will next year look like?

Donna Shewach, 65, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Opportunities to honor the memories and traditions of our past.

We are still cleaning our home as thoroughly as ever because thats what we do for Passover. However, we are not cooking nearly as much, as we will be three instead of 20 or 30. We cut out many of the vegan dishes, except for the mushroom shepherds pie, which has become a family favorite. This year Ill finally have to make dessert, as my family always brings delicious desserts from a kosher-for-Passover caterer.

In the past we have done our best to continue traditions under all circumstances. When our daughter was recovering from a bone-marrow transplant and we couldnt have company, we made a Seder for our children while the rest of my family put together a Seder at my brothers home to continue the tradition of being together. Such holidays are opportunities to honor the memories and traditions of our past, and create lifelong memories for the next generation. That must continue.
Though not included in the Stimulus Package as announced by the Prime Minister, Minibus Operators have now been included for some relief, and appear to be satisfied with what they have been promised.

Minibus operators here, who have been asked to reduce their passenger complement from 18 to 12, are in for a stipend from government to cushion loss of earnings during the period of the prevailing threat by the coronavirus/COVID-19 disease.





In a meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, March 30, 2020 involving relevant government officials and representatives of a relatively unknown Vincentian Transportation Association (VINTAS), it was agreed, among other things, that a stipend of between $250.00 and $300.00 will be paid to minibus operators for 2 months, beginning in April.





The process/procedure governing registration and collection (of the stipend) will be worked out expeditiously, it was promised. THE VINCENTIAN understands that minibus operators will have to register with the Ministry of Transportation.





Further ease for the minibus operations will come through a decrease in the price of petrol at the pump - from $12.97 per gallon to $11.97 per gallon in the case of gasoline, and from $11.79 per gallon to $10.79 per gallon for diesel.





The reductions, in fact, became effective March 23, and government has given indication that the prices are to be further reduced within the next three weeks.





And given indications of ease that could be forthcoming from financial institutions here, minibus operators who currently have loans with banks and credit unions are being encouraged to contact their banks and credit union, with a view to establishing whether they are eligible for loan payment deferrals.





Meanwhile, VINTAS expressed that its members were ready to co-operate with government, i.e. comply with measures aimed at curbing if not preventing the spread of the coronavirus.





Among these is the already referenced reduction in passenger complement per bus, and to allow their buses to be sanitized by the Ministry of Health at least twice daily.





Sanitization is to be conducted at yet to be decided locations in Kingstown.





And even as it understands that the measures and their attendant inconveniences are temporary, VINTAS is urging not only its membership but also the travelling public to comply with the measures, in the interest of the national good.




Three people have been arrested after two searches by gardai in Co Laois where over half a million euro worth of suspected drugs were seized

One man, searched after gardai got called to a report of "suspicious activity" in Portlaoise, was found to have 1kg of what is suspected to be cannabis, a garda spokesperson said, adding that what was seized may have a street value of 20,000.
With 150 new cases, the Covid-19 tally in Maharashtra on Tuesday crossed the 1,000-mark to reach 1,018, the highest for any state. This was the steepest one-day rise in the number of cases in Maharashtra and came on a day when Maharashtra recorded 12 Covid-19 related deaths and took the states death toll from the pandemic to 64, state health department officials said.

Of the 150, 116 new cases in Maharashtra were reported from Mumbai, which accounts now for 642, the highest among Indian cities. Also on Tuesday, Mumbai reported 100 new cases and five deaths, taking the total number of infections in the city to 590 and deaths to 40. Mumbai has over 60% of the total positive cases in Maharashtra. Two high risk areas in Mumbai have been identified as Dharavi, and the Worli Koliwada area.

To break the chain of the coronavirus transmission, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday barred the sale of vegetables and fruits on footpaths and on open markets in the 241 containment zones of Mumbai. Out of the 100 patients who tested positive in Mumbai on Tuesday, 55 people were among the contacts in high risk containment areas. Pune recorded 18 cases on Tuesday, while Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Ahmednagar reported two each. Six of the 12 deaths on Tuesday were reported from Mumbai, followed by three in Pune and one each in Nagpur, Thane and Satara.

According to the state health department, 34,695 people have been put under home while 4,008 under institutional quarantine. It added 20,877 tests (5,564 of them in private laboratories) have been carried out so far across the state, resulting in 1,018 positive cases. Seventy-nine Covid-19 patients have been discharged after their complete recovery, officials said.

The rise in the cases necessitated a state cabinet meeting on Tuesday via video conferencing as some of the ministers were in their constituencies. Officials said the ministers pressed for additional testing facilities to understand the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19.

The government is likely to seek permission for more labs for testing, an official said on condition of anonymity.

A private laboratory can start testing only if it is certified by the Indian Council for Medical Research. In March, Maharashtra had applied for and received permission to set up at least seven new private laboratories in addition to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and Kasturba Hospital Lab in Mumbai. We have increased the number to more than 1,500 tests per day, said another official, who did not wish to be named.

He added the cabinet also discussed continuing the three-week lockdown imposed to check the Covid-19 spread beyond April 15. The decision on extending the lockdown is awaited, a state minister said on condition of anonymity.

We have screened nearly 1.5 million people, conducted around 10,500 tests. This is why the numbers are high, a BMC official said, requesting anonymity.

Out of the six deceased , four had pre-existing respiratory illnesses, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases and other comorbidities, a health officer said requesting anonymity.  None of the deceased had a history of international travel. According to the state Medical Education and Drugs Department data, Maharashtras mortality rate is 5.99%, which is higher than 3.4% globally.

An official said the cabinet also discussed how Kerala managed to keep its mortality rate low -- around 0.7%. Kerala had 336 Covid-19 cases until Tuesday but has reported only two deaths.

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A FRENCH engineer who allegedly attacked his wife and threatened her with a kitchen knife in their south Dublin home was disarmed by a passing off-duty garda who heard the woman's cries for help, a court heard.

Father-of-two Franck L'Amour (52) is accused of grabbing his wife by the throat, producing the knife and threatening to hurt her during a "serious domestic incident."

Judge John Cheatle granted him bail and adjourned the case when he appeared in Dublin District Court today.

Mr L'Amour is charged with assault causing harm to his wife and producing a kitchen knife with a three-inch blade while committing an assault.

The offences are alleged to have happened at their home at Bird Avenue in Clonskeagh on April 7.

Garda Alan Conlon told Dublin District Court he was objecting to bail, citing the seriousness of the alleged offences.

He said it was alleged the accused threatened his wife with a kitchen knife, repeatedly slapped her face and held her around the throat. It was alleged this caused bruising to her face and neck.

He said an off-duty garda was alerted by the woman's cries for help and intervened. The officer caught the accused "red-handed" and "in the act" of threatening his wife with a knife in the kitchen, before disarming and restraining him, Gda Conlon said.

He said the maximum penalty for each charge on conviction on indictment was five years in prison and there may be further serious charges brought.

The court heard the accused had been in the country since last September, and had come here with his wife and their two children.

The garda said it was alleged Mr L'Amour made numerous threats to hurt his wife and she had stated she was strongly in fear for her life.

Mr L'Amour's lawyer said the main garda objection seemed to be a fear that the accused would interfere with a witness - the alleged victim.

The garda agreed and said his objection was for "the preservation of life."

He agreed that the incident alleged was serious but it was "singular" and arose from a domestic situation.

Through an interpreter, the accused said he could stay in a hotel. Judge Cheatle said the accused's wife was concerned he would return to the house and attack her.

Mr L'Amour said he had been with his wife for 25 years and nothing had happened before.

The judge granted bail in his own bond of 1,000, half of which is to be lodged in cash. Under conditions, Mr L'Amour must observe a curfew between 9pm and 6am, have no contact directly or indirectly with the complainant, provide gardai with an address, remain of sober habits and stay out of the southside of Dublin.

He was remanded in custody with consent to bail, to appear in Cloverhill District Court on April 15.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 09:48:19|Editor: zyl

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LONDON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is spending a second night in intensive care in hospital, where he is being treated for COVID-19, and he is in "stable" condition, a Downing Street spokesman said on Tuesday night.

The prime minister was moved to intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in London on Monday night following a worsening of symptoms. He has received oxygen treatment but has not required a ventilator so far.

Earlier Tuesday, the spokesman said, "The prime minister's condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits."

Also on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, while briefing on the health of the prime minister, said that Johnson is "receiving the very best care from the excellent medical team" and he is breathing without help in intensive care.

Raab, who is also first secretary of state and therefore de facto deputy prime minister, will continue to stand in for the prime minister in his absence.

No further updates on the prime minister's condition are expected until Wednesday, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.

Johnson, 55, was admitted to hospital for tests on Sunday night on the advice of his doctor as he continued to display symptoms of cough and high temperature 10 days after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus hospital deaths in Britain has risen to 6,159, a record increase of 786 in a day, the British Department of Health and Social Care said, compared with 439 on Monday.

So far, 55,242 people have tested positive in the country, an increase of 3,634 over Monday.
The world rejoiced last year when Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child, Archie, into the world. Many months have passed since then and now Archie is turning one year old in just a few weeks.

It will definitely be a huge milestone for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As such, a lot of fans are probably wondering about how Prince Harry and Meghan will be celebrating Archies first birthday. The royal family is notoriously private, but here is what we know so far.

Archies birthday will be celebrated in Scotland with Queen Elizabeth

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

It seems that Prince Harry and Meghan are not going to skimp on Archies first birthday celebration. According to Us Weekly, an insider shared that the Sussexes have plans to go to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to celebrate with Queen Elizabeth. They have reportedly also talked to the queen about having a picnic on the grounds of the estate.

The source said that this will be quite nice for the queen since she has not seen Archie since last summer. Most notably, Prince Harry and Meghan declined Her Majestys invitation to come to Balmoral last year, so this looks to be a great occasion for Archie to come to Scotland.

Moreover, Balmoral will be a nice place for Archie to enjoy nature. The insider shared: Archie loves being outside, and you can already tell hes inherited [Prince] Charles passion for nature. He gets so excited at seeing all the trees. Now that hes just walking, hes into everything  hell often end up covered in mud!

Archie will also have a second celebration in North America

For friends and family in North America, the insider revealed that Archie will have a second celebration on the continent as well. Allegedly, Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, as well as her best friends like Jessica Mulroney and Abigail Spencer will be invited.

It is not clear yet where exactly in North America this birthday event will be held. The Sussexes are currently residing in Los Angeles, so it is possible that they will have their celebration somewhere in southern California.

Archie will reportedly get some exciting gifts for his birthday

Aside from all the fun celebrations planned, Archie can also look forward to the gifts that he will be getting.

The source told Us Weekly that Meghan has plans to get him her favorite book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, for his first birthday. Meghan actually revealed in an interview a few years ago that this is the book she would love to read to her kids in the future.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth will allegedly give Archie a rocking horse. This is partly because, as the insider revealed, Archie is a huge fan of horses and squeals with excitement whenever he sees one. His mother will also be serving animal cupcakes for his birthday celebration.

Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a second child?

Now that Archie is getting a bit older, fans are already dying to know whether there will be another child joining the Sussex family.

Prince Harry has shared that he would love to have two kids, and both he and Meghan seem to really enjoy being parents. As such, its reasonable to believe that Archie will not be an only child for very long.

A royal insider recently revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan might start trying in earnest pretty soon to conceive a second baby. While the world is living amidst a lot of uncertainties with the coronavirus pandemic, it seems that this has given the Sussexes a lot of time to bond as a family and decide for sure whether they could have another child.
NHS workers infected with coronavirus were wrongly told they did not the deadly virus after health bosses mixed up test results.

Public Health Wales claims there was no harm done by 10 people getting the wrong test results - including eight at one health board.

Eight workers from the Aneurin Bevan Health Board- which has seen the worst infection rate outside of London - were caught up in the blunder along with two others.

It is unclear how many of the group had coronavirus and how many did not.

Testing for NHS staff started rolling out last week but there was some delay in getting it up and running after a site at Chessington was nearly empty on its opening day.

The Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport which is at the centre of a coronavirus hotspot in the Aneurin Bevan Health Trust

Public Health Wales blamed a 'local transcribing issue' for the blunder and said it contacted the workers 'immediately' after finding out.

A spokesman said: 'Since the 14th of March we have undertaken circa 1,600 staff tests.

'As part of our checking process, we identified a local transcribing issue with eight test results that led to us giving staff members wrong results.

'Staff were contacted immediately and the health board has undertaken a detailed review of all staff tests and taken action to remove any further risk of transcribing errors.'

Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which is headquartered in Newport, has seen the highest number of cases in Wales with more than 1,100 infections.

The news comes after reports that a British firm is selling coronavirus testing kits abroad but there isn't enough lab space in the UK.

Novacyt has made 17.8million selling its testing equipment to more than 80 countries via its Southampton-based subsidiary Primerdesign. But only 1million worth has been sold to the UK, raising questions about why Britain is not buying more at a time when there are global shortages of tests.

Public Health Wales said no harm was caused to the individuals concerned.

A spokesman said: 'During the process of bringing on a new Covid-19 testing platform in the laboratory, 10 samples from a batch of 96 were mistakenly attributed to the incorrect individuals.

Tests are being carried out worldwide to find a cure for the coronavirus, including in Germany, where this geneticist was pictured. Stock image

'The quality checking processes ensured that the error was identified within a few hours, and the samples were retested to obtain the correct results which were communicated to the clinicians who had requested the tests.

'Of the 10 cases, eight related to healthcare workers from the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area, and two individuals from elsewhere in Wales.

'Public Health Wales acted quickly to establish the facts and was able to confirm that no harm had been done to the individuals concerned. Following established protocols the incident was reported to the Chief Medical Officer.

'We are continually reviewing our systems and processes to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. We continue to have complete confidence in the testing process, and the laboratory staff carrying out the testing procedures."
Designers Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Donatella Versace and Sandra Choi have all pledged to forgo their multi-million dollar salaries for a year.

Ralph Lauren said he would be giving up his $11 million wage after his store employees were furloughed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The executive chairman and namesake will forego his 2021 fiscal year salary as well as any bonus from the 2020 fiscal year.

Capri Holdings Ltd will furlough all its 7,000 retail staff in North America and expects to reopen stores around June 1, the owner of Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo brands said on Monday.

Retail industry furloughs passed the one million mark in the United States this week as the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week has shot to a record 6.6 million.

Ralph Lauren, pictured, said he would be giving up his $11 million wage after his store employees were furloughed amid the coronavirus pandemic

Donatella Versace, right, Chief Creative Officer of Versace, and Sandra Choi, left, Chief Creative Officer of Jimmy Choo, have each voluntarily elected to forgo their salary for Fiscal 2021

Capri, which had a total of about 17,800 employees at the end of fiscal 2019, said the furloughed employees were eligible for unemployment insurance and other government relief programs.

The Jimmy Choo owner said it would need a smaller workforce once the pandemic ends and was applying for national payroll subsidy programs in various European countries to reduce payroll expense.

'Given our size and scale, we believe that Capri is well-positioned to continue to operate its business despite this unprecedented situation,' Chief Executive Officer John Idol said in a statement.

The board's annual cash compensation will be slashed by 50 per cent and several executives, including Idol, designers and Chief Creative Officers Michael Kors and Donatella Versace and Sandra Choi, Chief Creative Officer of Jimmy Choo, will forgo their salary for fiscal 2021, Capri said.

The company, which acquired Versace last year, said it would also look for ways to reduce overall salaries at various levels by about 20% to preserve cash flows.

Designers Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, pictured, Donatella Versace and Sandra Choi have all pledged to forgo their multi million dollar salaries for a year

John D. Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: 'This is a very challenging time for our business. We are diligently working to address this unprecedented situation by taking measures to protect our employees and maintain the company's financial flexibility.

'We do not take any of these measures lightly, particularly with respect to our employees who are the heart and soul of our company. We believe that these actions are necessary in order to enable us to overcome the burdens of this financial crisis.

'We continue to believe in the power of our three fashion luxury brands and the resiliency of our company to navigate these extraordinary times.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Capri Ltd for comment.

Many store-based U.S. retailers, including Kohl's Corp, Macy's Inc and Gap Inc have indefinitely shut their stores and furloughed tens of thousands of employees, while tapping their credit lines to shore up cash to ride out the hit from the outbreak.

A wave of layoffs at restaurants, bars, hotels and airlines has led to a surge in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 6.65 million in the week ending March 28, according to figures released by the Department of Labor on Thursday.

The number of first-time applications for jobless benefits was double the previous record of 3.3 million new claims filed for the week ending March 21.

It means that roughly 10 million Americans have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment in the two weeks that the coronavirus started rapidly spreading across the country.
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Authorities in Hanoi have fenced off a village with nearly 10,900 residents after a local man had been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Peoples Committee in Me Linh District decided to seal off its Ha Loi Village, made up of 2,973 households with 10,873 residents, on Tuesday evening.

The lockdown is expected to last for 14 days.

Ha Loi Village is where Q.Q.T., 47, resides. He tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday and became Vietnams patient No. 243.

T. previously took his wife to Bach Mai Hospital  Hanois largest COVID-19 cluster with over 40 cases so far  for a health check on March 12.

On March 21, he developed a fever and fatigue, but the symptoms were mitigated after he took some medicine.

He was sampled on April 4 and the result came back positive on April 6.

Prior to his diagnosis, the man had attended a wedding ceremony and a death anniversary party in Ha Loi Village.

He also visited Phuc Yen General Hospital in the northern province of Vinh Phuc and Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.

The Ministry of Health has been tracking all people who had close contact with the patient for health monitoring and quarantine.

Three of them have tested positive for the virus at least once so far.

Nguyen Duc Chung, chairman of the Hanoi administration, has asked authorities in Ha Loi Village to raise awareness of the mandatory lockdown among local residents.

He also requested that local authorities ensure sufficient supply of food and essentials for the residents during this period.

A similar large-scale lockdown was previously imposed on Son Loi Commune, home to 10,600 people, in Vinh Phuc Province for 21 days from February 13 to March 4, after five people in the locality had been sickened by COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.42 million people and killed more than 81,700 globally as of Wednesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam has announced 251 COVID-19 patients so far, with 122 having recovered.

No fatality related to the disease has been reported in the country to date.

Hanoi has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam with 110 cases having been recorded by Wednesday morning.

The capital started fining those leaving their house without a justifiable reason on Saturday last week.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A board with a list of rules for shoppers at the Headhouse Farmers' Market in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia on Sunday, March 22, 2020. The market is open even after Gov. Tom Wolf called for the closure of all businesses that are not "life-sustaining," due to the spread of the coronavirus. Read more

On an overcast Sunday morning, the line to buy chicken from the Griggstown Farm stall at the Headhouse Square farmers market was just seven people long. But with customers spaced out according to social distancing standards, it looked intimidatingly long, stretched down the shambles.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed Philadelphias farmers markets. Theyre no longer venues for leisurely post-brunch strolls. Gone are the free tastes of cheese and bread, the gulps of wine and swigs of local cider. And no more picking through produce; many farmers instead pre-weigh their product in an effort to speed shoppers along and minimize touching.

I spend a lot less time socializing, for sure, said Headhouse regular Neil Izenberg, a retired pediatrician who lives in Queen Village. Just like everything else, [the market has] undergone a pretty dramatic transformation. But I think totally appropriate for the time were going through.

While the markets have changed, the service they provide has never been more essential. Market organizers and vendors have had to adjust, quickly transitioning from cash-only exchanges to online stores and forgoing their usual salesmanship in the name of safety.

The usual hustle and bustle at the Rittenhouse Square market has been tamed. On a recent Saturday, it looked more like a ghost town. Caution tape marked off entrances on the Walnut Street sidewalk, and taped-up signs instructed shoppers to kindly insist on social distancing. No fruits and vegetables were on display under the white tents, many of which went unmanned. Instead, tables were lined with bags labeled with customers names.

We feel like this is a very safe way to conduct business, said Jon Glyn, farmers market program manager for Farm to City, which runs Rittenhouses market as well as winter markets in Chestnut Hill, Bryn Mawr, University City, and Media. We find were stricter than grocery stores.

Indeed, there were no options for impulse buys, nor could passersby snag a last-minute purchase. Everything must be ordered and paid for in advance, and each vendors deadline varies. Printed signs pointed visitors to the website farmtocity.org/find-local-food/farmers-markets. Its a barrier for customers who dont like to plan ahead, and its a hurdle for vendors, too.

It just makes it a little more difficult for the people who dont know that were vendors in the market, or arent in contact with the market in any way, or dont know what site to go to  which is a fair amount of people, said Randy Lee, partner in Buck Wild Bison, which has only been a Rittenhouse vendor for about a month.

Lee had driven in from Port Norris, N.J., with around 10 orders. Bison is not as farmers-market friendly without customer service, he said. I have a product that needs to be sold to people. They dont know about bisons, they havent had it.

Thankfully, the four-year-old company already deals mostly in online orders, of which they had seen an uptick.

That wasnt the case for Lancaster Countys Rineer Family Farms, which relies on farmers markets to sell its produce, chicken, pork, and beef. Owner Daryl Rineer said that while the farm didnt have as many customers as it usually does, those it did have were buying more.

In order to adapt to Farm to Citys safety measures, Rineer had to overhaul his way of reaching customers in about a weeks time. We went from just a plain basic website [to] a fairly elaborate online ordering system. For us, thats a big change.

The switch has made the back-end process more involved: Individual orders must be sorted and bagged, and invoices are sent and paid for via Square. Its a wonderful system, Rineer said, its just not something were used to.

Glyn said the pivot was admirable. Pennsylvania farmers, you wont find a more resourceful group of people, he said. Theyre really stepping up to the plate, hitting every curve ball that comes their way.

Vendors at the Food Trusts year-round farmers markets  Headhouse Square, Fitler Square, and Clark Park  are likewise dealing with curve balls, but perhaps gentler ones. Customers are encouraged to preorder online but can still shop on the day-of, which means the markets look more familiar: Baked goods and produce sit out on tables. Customers chat with vendors as they fill orders. Dog-walkers drink coffee and wait on the sidelines as designated shoppers collect groceries.

Of course, signs of coronavirus impact were unmistakable at Headhouse recently. Customers were bent over handwashing stations and vendors were wearing gloves and face masks, even before it was advised. The stalls had been moved outside the shambles brick columns to leave more space.

Savoie Farms stand had pushed together plastic tables to create a buffer at checkout. Owner-operator Carol Savoie said customers were respecting the distancing measures and that she felt a shared sense of camaraderie among the markets vendors and customers.

I was telling a gentleman this morning, I feel like times like this make you realize how much we appreciate each other, Savoie said.

Initially Savoie and her husband had worried farmers markets would close, cutting off a source of income and disrupting their plans for the upcoming summer season. Its been a huge relief that the Food Trust continues to operate.

Actually weve had a bump on site because people are stocking up, she said. Ordinarily at this time of year the potatoes wouldnt be selling as voluminously as they are.

A few stalls over, Frank Mitchell of Mitchell & Mitchell Wines had also seen an uptick in sales. The Philadelphia-based winery, which imports its grapes, has established a reputation at the Headhouse and Clark Park markets thats helped it sell wine even without free samples.

With the state stores being closed, everybodys options are limited, Mitchell said. So weve actually seen a pickup in sales, and were hoping that were able to maintain it.

Gil Ortale and Nem Ngo of Market Day Canele have been selling at the Headhouse market for 10 years. In between greeting regulars, they said that business had been steady and supportive.

The feedback I got directly from a lot of customers is that they like shopping here more than the grocery stores because they tend to be so packed. And the Food Trust has done a lot. They put in a lot of good protocols to space everybody out, Ngo said.

The Food Trust has tweaked its setup from week to week to control the flow of customers in the markets. Lately, Headhouse Square has been roped off to meter the flow of customers, said senior program manager Meghan Filoromo. Theyve instated a special shopping time for seniors and the immunocompromised from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Organizers are also encouraging people to move through the market as quickly as possible.

The nonprofit is still also accepting SNAP benefits and giving out Philly Food Buck coupons in return, allowing low-income shoppers to increase their food budget. And it intends to open its many summer markets in May and June, factoring in the requisite safety measures.

Meanwhile, this Saturday, Farm to City will reopen some retail sales at the Rittenhouse market from noon to 2 p.m. The producers are very confident they can do this in a safe and conscientious way, said Glyn, who stressed that preorders are still less risky. As at Headhouse, farmers and vendors will package orders for customers, who will stay at a safe distance.

With things changing so fast, Glyn said, were trying to just roll with the punches.

The experience of the farmers market may be different, but thankfully, its not going anywhere.
On March 10, a man named Cody Lee Pfister walked into a Missouri Walmart and filmed himself licking deodorant on one of the shelves.

According to the statement of probable cause Warrenton police later used to secure a warrant for his arrest, Pfister turned to a phone camera and asked, "Who's scared of coronavirus?" before sticking out his tongue and "dragging it across approximately ten (10) containers on the shelf and a portion of the shelf itself."

He and friends shared the video on social media, where it promptly went - well, viral - with 40,000 shares on Facebook and more on other platforms. Within days, the 26-year-old was charged with making a terrorist threat in the second degree, a felony.

"It was idiotic, moronic, all those things," said Pfister's attorney, Patrick Coyne. "But was it felonious? That's going to be the question."

Attorneys and law enforcement officials are suddenly grappling with questions like that one - if not precisely like that one - amid new regulations aimed at stopping the spread of covid-19. As governors and mayors issue stay-at-home orders and ban gatherings, law enforcement personnel are tasked with making sure citizens comply with unprecedented restrictions on their freedom of movement and, in some cases, their livelihoods, during a crisis unlike any most have ever experienced. And they are doing so in full knowledge that to enforce laws meant to keep people apart, they must come in close contact with would-be violators.

"Police are put in this unenviable position of trying to enforce that," said Chuck Wexler, head of the Police Executive Research Forum, a group of state and local police executives that researches ways to improve policing practices.

"The challenge is finding a way to engage with the public when you don't want to arrest someone. That's the last thing you want to do. You want to educate the public - and not make people's lives worse than they already are."

While law enforcement officials around the country are spending more and more time breaking up gatherings and knocking on doors of nonessential businesses that flout closure orders, they are also encountering a less familiar offense: People are using the novel coronavirus itself as a threat by coughing on officers or one another, threatening to cough on those around them, or contaminating merchandise at stores.

In one instance, Gerrity's grocery store in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, was forced to throw out $35,000 worth of food when a woman allegedly coughed and spat on it on purpose and claimed to be infected with the virus. She was charged with making terroristic threats, among other things. A man faces similar charges in Minnesota for allegedly coughing on a grocery store employee and making false and racist comments about the cause of the virus.

In Manalapan, New Jersey, a Wegmans employee asked a 50-year-old man to move away from her and the display of prepared foods she was tending. Instead of backing up, the man allegedly moved closer, coughed and told her he was infected with the virus.

In another disturbing pattern, reports are mounting of Americans threatening law enforcement officers with the virus. In Alaska, a woman allegedly caught shoplifting told officers she was suffering from the virus, before retracting that story to avoid felony charges. In Martin County, Florida, a man pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving allegedly told officers he was suffering from the virus, removed a mask they gave him and began intentionally coughing toward the officer. He was charged with assault and threatening a public servant.

"We have zero tolerance for this despicable behavior, and anyone who threatens the health and lives of my deputies will face the maximum charges," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.

The fact that many officers are becoming ill with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has lowered the tolerance for such threats. The New York Police Department reported this week that a dozen police officers had died of the virus and 20 percent of its uniformed workforce was out sick. In New Jersey, 573 law enforcement officers, about 1 percent of that workforce, were infected across the state as of Wednesday afternoon.

So many New Jersey officers have faced verbal threats of infection that state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced plans to take over the prosecution of a half-dozen such cases. Those include cases involving two men who allegedly spat on officers responding to reports of domestic violence, and a woman allegedly trying to fend off a DWI arrest. In one case, Grewal said, an officer who was spat on eventually contracted covid-19.

The reasons people make such threats, or follow through on them, fall into two categories, said Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia who recently published a book entitled "The Psychology of Pandemics."

Some are young adults engaging in "stressed-induced antisocial behavior," he said. "They wish this was all over, and they have a personal sense of invincibility anyway."

Another group, he said, has "more sinister" motivations, including a desire to be "agents of chaos."

The huge stress many people feel as a result of the pandemic is a factor, he said. "It's protracted. It's drawn out. You don't know when it will end. You don't know if the people around you are safe or infected," Taylor said. "And, of course, this is the first pandemic that we've ever seen in the era of social media and Internet connectivity, which is accelerating the spread of fear."

The charges levied against those who allegedly intentionally spread or threaten to spread the virus varies by state and local jurisdiction. But many people involved in these cases have been charged with some form of making "terroristic threats" against others, in addition to more familiar charges such as assault.

In late March, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen issued a memorandum to federal law enforcement officials around the country suggesting they might apply terrorism laws to those who threaten others with the spread of covid-19.

"Because coronavirus appears to meet the statutory definition of a 'biological agent' " under federal law, Rosen wrote, "such acts potentially could implicate the Nation's terrorism-related statutes." He pointed to laws regarding the handling or production of biological agents for use as a weapon and hoaxes involving biological weapons.

Grewal believes the use of "terroristic" in these kinds of charges means something different from what many Americans might understand - and even what Rosen, himself, might have meant.

"It's really taking steps or taking measures to threaten the well-being of others," Grewal said. "It's not akin to, like, terrorism. It's more focused on an individual."

Most jurisdictions agree that those offenses warrant arrest and some form of criminal charge.

But unlike others, Grewal also defends an aggressive approach to policing infringements of social distancing and other restrictions.

"Initially, we were in a posture of starting from a warning point of view. . . . But last week, we quickly shifted from warning into enforcement and into a zero-tolerance posture," he said. "That's really born out of guidance from our health department and messaging from our governor that the only tool that we have right now is social distancing and the stay-at-home order."

But Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson took a different tack in a news conference last week, advising local jurisdictions against arrests whenever possible.

"Our goal is 100 percent voluntary compliance," Ferguson said. "I want to be very clear: I don't want to have to use the powers of my office to hold accountable those who intentionally violate the governor's emergency orders."

Meanwhile, Coyne, the Missouri lawyer, said the coronavirus prosecutions are not that different from other public nuisance cases. He said he had just wrapped up one in which a man was charged under the same statute as Pfister was. He had pulled a fire alarm in a hospital.

"Which is obviously ridiculous," Coyne said. "That then caused a danger to life. You've got to knowingly do it. That's where I've seen this charge a couple times."

For Pfister's case, Coyne is arguing his client did not commit a felony because he didn't knowingly do harm. The incident took place in early March, long before major alerts and stay-at-home orders occurred in Missouri, even before the World Health Organization officially called the spread of coronavirus a pandemic.

"My argument is pretty clear that on March 10, everything was kind of normal, you know?" Coyne said. "None of us could wrap our head around this pandemic thing."
In case there wasn't enough to deal with in the world right now, radiation levels near the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site have spiked as wildfires rage in the region. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Coronavirus

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care after being admitted to the hospital with worsening coronavirus symptoms. The 55-year-old PM has deputized Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to fill in for leadership duties when necessary. Across the world, most of Japan has entered a state of emergency today, which will last for a month. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has advised people stay home and practice social distancing. However, Abe is also facing criticism for not activating such measures earlier, as the full global weight of the crisis became clear. Even the tiny South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu is not immune to social complications from coronavirus. The country was just hit by a tropical cyclone, one of the strongest ever on record to reach the island, which has forced the government to lift social distancing measures for those affected.

2. Election 2020

Today's Wisconsin primary will go on after a game of tug-o-war between the state's Gov. Tony Evers, Republican leaders and the state Supreme Court. Evers issued an 11th-hour executive order to delay the election until June, but the state Supreme Court blocked it. The US Supreme Court then reversed a lower court ruling brought into question by Republican leaders that had given voters six more days to turn in their absentee ballots. So, in short, Wisconsin voters without absentee ballots have to go to the polls today, regardless of social distancing orders. Voters with absentee ballots need to send them out today, or their votes won't count. The Supreme Court's decision draws a controversial line in the sand when it comes to other voting disputes, and may make it harder for other states and other elections to give voters options as the pandemic rages on.

3. Health

President Trump has announced a deal with 3M that will see the company produce 166.5 million masks -- nearly all N95s -- to distribute to healthcare workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Administration officials said Trump's employment of the Defense Production Act helped smooth the deal. However, there's still a dire need for more personal protective equipment (PPE) on the front lines of the crisis. A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to take "aggressive federal action" in addressing the shortage of respirators, gloves, gowns, and eye protection that have left medical professionals across the country begging for more support. States desperate for medical supplies like ventilators have even turned to each other for support, with states less hard-hit by the virus lending critical equipment to those more in need.

4. White supremacy

For the first time in history, the US State Department has named a white supremacist organization as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The group in question is the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), which the department describes as "a terrorist group that provides paramilitary-style training to neo-Nazis and white supremacists." The State Department doesn't have the authority to apply such a designation to groups with strong US ties, but said the decision was made to help prevent the group from spreading its ideology and tactics in the country. Officials have warned that the threat of white supremacist terror is on the rise at home and abroad, with several violent incidents making headlines across the world in recent years.

5. The Vatican

Cardinal George Pell has been freed from prison after Australia's High Court unanimously overturned his conviction on five counts of historical child sex abuse. The decision ends a five-year battle that began when an adult man told police Pell had abused him when he was a child in the 1990s. At the time, Pell was Vatican Treasurer and the highest ranking Catholic official to ever be publicly accused of child sex offenses. Advocates say the decision will be a blow to survivors whose faith in the legal system's response to abuse was bolstered by the verdict. The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Mark Coleridge also acknowledged that the ruling could be devastating for some.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Two pandas who hadn't mated for ten years finally did it when their zoo shut down

All they wanted as a little privacy and now they're national news.

"The Fastest Shedder" is a reality show fighting obesity in Nigeria

And it sounds so much cooler than "The Biggest Loser."

A UK and Irish delivery service is offering "Seder to Go" kits for Passover

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Don't worry, you can't get coronavirus from tigers (or any other cat), experts say.

Just think, two months ago that sentence would have made ZERO sense.

At 90, she said her final goodbyes preparing to die from Covid-19. Then, she lived.

What do we say to coronavirus? Not today.

TODAY'S NUMBER

$800 million

That's how much two auto insurers -- Allstate and American Family Insurance -- said they were giving back to their customers because people are driving far less during the coronavirus crisis.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"You'll be pleased to know that we consider both the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny to be essential workers. But as you can imagine, at this time, of course, they're going to be potentially quite busy at home with their family as well and their own bunnies."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, reassuring children that two of their favorite characters could still possibly make their seasonal rounds.

TODAY'S WEATHER

AND FINALLY

Always meet your heroes

Let's indulge in a classic today. A guy dressed up as this dog's favorite Gumby toy and, well, you've never seen happiness like this. (Click here to view.)
Tributes have been paid to a Presbyterian minister who has become another Northern Ireland victim of coronavirus.

Rev Ivan McKnight (71) died at Belfast City Hospital on Monday and has been described as a "Godly gentle spirit" by a fellow minister who has known him since their college days together.

Starting his ministry as assistant at Ballysillan Presbyterian in 1984, Rev McKnight moved on to serve at Aghalone and Garvaghy Presbyterian between 1987-89.

He then spent four years in Donegal where he served as minister at Newtowncunningham, Ray and Second Ray Presbyterian Churches before returning to his native Belfast, where he had been a pupil at Methodist College, to serve as Minister at Ballygomartin until 1993.

More recently he served in Dromore, Co Down, though he had retired.

He would have celebrated his 72nd birthday on April 11 and leaves a wife, Yvonne, and sons Charles and Stephen.

It's understood Rev McKnight was admitted to Belfast City Hospital last week and on April 3 told family and friends he was very tired, weak and breathless.

Rev Steve Stockman, Minister at Fitzroy Presbyterian in Belfast, said he had met Rev McKnight as a student.

"He was a mature student when we met," said Rev Stockman. "Even then he was a gentle, jovial and positive man.

"More and more it's starting to hit home that we are no longer looking at statistics. Now we're seeing people we know taken from us, our friends and our family.

"I am so heartbroken. All my remembrances are of a warm, gracious, Godly gentle spirit who was always a joy to be in the company of."

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Also grieving are the family of Jackie Farrell (88) from Strabane, who revealed he died in Altnagelvin Hospital just a day after being admitted.

His daughter Ursula is currently in intensive care having also tested positive for the virus, while a second daughter with an underlying health condition is self-isolating and awaiting results after developing symptoms.

"If I've learned one thing it's to value the people you love because they don't come with a price," said Maria Farrell, Mr Farrell's youngest daughter.

She paid tribute to her father, a well-known bus driver in the Co Tyrone town where he had lived for many years.

"He had slight symptoms of Covid-19, but it got to his lungs and it took him very, very quickly," she said.

"I really want to thank the people of Strabane. Although they were practising social distancing they came out of their doors to show their respects. They made it a proud day for the Farrell family.

"My message is that if you think you all are going to be exempt from this, or that you're immune to Covid-19, you are all barking up the wrong tree.

"He had fought cancer, heart attacks, falls. You name it and he bounced back. This took him.

"I'm happy my daddy is with my mummy today. He had a good life. We always had great fun together. Covid-19 can't take that from me."
Yermak met with U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Ukraine Kristina Kvien.

Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, has declared that in the near future, the Verkhovna Rada would hold a meeting to pass bills required to start a new cooperation program with the International Monetary Fund.

Yermak's statement came during his meeting with U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Ukraine Kristina Kvien, reports the press service of the President's Office.

During the meeting, the parties focused on measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The head of the Presidential Office expressed condolences to the American side over the high human losses related to the coronavirus spread.

The parties also discussed issues of cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund.

Read alsoIMF praises Ukraine's decisions on land reform, banking law  media

"Andriy Yermak said that in the near future, the Verkhovna Rada will hold a meeting, where necessary laws should be adopted to start the implementation of a new cooperation program with the Fund," the report said.

The interlocutors also discussed the results of a recent telephone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"The parties noted the constructive nature of the conversation and coordinated further actions in order to fulfill the agreements reached," the statement said.

Among other things, the head of the Presidential Office informed the American diplomat about the situation in Donbas and the progress in settlement negotiations.

Yermak and Kvien also discussed current issues in the development of Ukrainian-American cooperation in trade, economic, and other fields.
Barbara Snowden dreamed of opening a wig shop to help women whod lost their hair during chemotherapy feel better as they battled cancer. In November, she beamed at the grand opening of Hair Goals Club in the Houston suburb of Humble, Texas.

But four months later, her dream died when local officials ordered all non-essential services closed to combat the spread of coronavirus. Snowden had paid for insurance covering unexpected losses, but a quick answer came back on her claim: Nope. Like so many other small business owners in America, she was told her policy didnt cover disruptions from a pandemic.

I cried like a baby because I couldnt believe it, Snowden said. That insurance was my last line of defense.

Now its part of a legal fight that may reach every state over who should pay for the steep revenue losses from the deadly Covid-19 virus. Snowden is among a dozen business owners  including celebrity chefs, Native American casino operators, restaurant chains, a scuba-diving shop and a movie theater operator  who sued insurers for refusing to honor policies.

Theyre the first of what legal experts predict will be widespread litigation brought by policy holders. Companies big and small have been forced to figure out how to pay bills with no money coming in for weeks or months. While the government pledged help with loans and financial aid, it may not be enough for many businesses to survive.

Huge Stakes

The stakes also are huge for insurers. They say business-interruption policies, many of which specifically exclude pandemics, were only intended for physical damage and were never priced to cover a virus outbreak. Industry groups also oppose some states trying to require payments to small firms even if virus losses were excluded.

Companies with 100 employees or fewer could see business continuity losses of as much as $431 billion a month, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association estimated without breaking down how much would be insured costs. Thats nine times more than the $47 billion the industry said it paid for covered losses from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when only a third of claims were for business interruption, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

They wouldnt offer some of these contracts if they were required to cover pandemics, said Benjamin Collier, an assistant professor in the risk, insurance and healthcare management department at Temple Universitys Fox School of Business. They wouldnt offer business interruption insurance at all, or in cases where they might be willing to, they would charge substantially different rates.

Virus Exclusions

While business-interruption policies cover the cost of closing due to everything from fires to tornado damage to burst pipes, the industry often has exclusions to avoid massive payouts all at once from a single event like a war or pandemic. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, some insurers added specific exclusions for losses from viruses and communicable diseases.

The legal battle will be fought state by state  each with its own insurance laws  which may mean different outcomes.

The language for business-interruption policies can vary between insurers, even though some virus exclusions are similar. And there are often differences for larger clients whose policies are highly customized. Meyer Shields, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, said in a March 30 note that many insurers hes spoken to believe a majority of their policies exclude virus-related risks.

But even carefully crafted policies may not be enough to protect the insurers, says Robert Zarco, a Miami-based lawyer who represents thousands of McDonalds, Burger King and Hilton hotel franchisees gearing up to file business-interruption suits.

Many policies include civil-authority clauses that kick in when governments bring business operations to a screeching halt, Zarco said. We have plenty of grounds to argue thats exactly what happened here and they still have to pay, he said.

Policyholders also can argue shutdowns over bug-contaminated surfaces are a form of physical damage that is a prerequisite for a lawful claim, according to John Houghtaling, a New Orleans lawyer who filed the first Covid-19 business-interruption case on behalf of Oceana Grill, a restaurant in the citys French Quarter.

Winning Position

I believe we have a 100% winning position in the case, said Houghtaling, who filed the suit in state court in New Orleans. Hes asking Judge Ethel Julian to schedule a quick hearing on his suit, which seeks a judgment barring insurers from refusing to pay business-interruption claims.

As the litigation gears up, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts have proposed new laws that would require insurers to pay certain claims related to Covid-19.

New Jerseys proposed bill, which is on hold, would require business-interruption payments for companies with 100 or fewer full-time employees. Massachusettss bill would require reimbursing firms with 150 or fewer employees and would invalidate exclusions for virus losses.

Pandemic outbreaks are uninsured because they are uninsurable, David Sampson, chief executive officer of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said in an emailed statement. Forcing insurers to pay such claims threatens solvency and the ability to make good on the actual promises made in existing insurance policies, he said.

While legislators debate and lawyers wrangle, Snowden says shes trying to survive until either help arrives from the government or the insurance company admits it erred.

Im trying to sell the wigs over the internet, but it isnt doing much, she said. I thought that insurance would carry me through. I dont know what Im going to do now.

The case is Barbara Lane Snowden, DGA Hair Goals Club v. Twin City Fire Insurance Co., No. 2020-19538, Court 113, District Court for Harris County, Texas (Humble)

About the photograph: A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask walks past a boarded up shop in California. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
People who have lost their job in the Republic but live in Northern Ireland, will not be able to received Irish pandemic unemployment payment supports, the Business Minister has said.

The Department of Social Protection states that the emergency Covid-19 payment of 350 (307) per week for workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic is only available to people working and resident in the Republic.

Heather Humphreys announced a major expansion of support for business affected by Covid-19 (Photocall Ireland)

Under the legislation that currently exists, if you are laid off south of the border and you live in the north, you have to claim your social welfare in the country in which you live. That is the situation currently. I have asked the department of social protection to look at it and they examined it carefully.

They have not been able to find a way in which they can pay workers who live in Northern Ireland and work south of the border. If you are living in Monaghan and working in Northern Ireland, you will get the full benefit of the Covid-19 payment here. Regardless of what is available in Northern Ireland, you will get the full benefits as an Irish citizen living here.

A new Business Continuity Grant worth 2,500 is available through @Loc_Enterprise for all businesses, across every sector, with up to 50 employees to help them develop short & long term strategies to respond to #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/qy6LLfcIMe  Heather Humphreys (@HHumphreysFG) April 8, 2020

Ms Humphreys was joined by Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon to announce a major expansion of support for business affected by Covid-19 in Dublin on Wednesday.

The new support provides

Read More:

Businesses can adapt and we are here to help.

Enterprise Irelands CEO @JulieSinnamon welcomes the announcement by Government on the introduction of new #Covid19 business supports.



Visit Enterprise Irelands new Covid-19 Business Response Hub to learn more about the available supports: https://t.co/SncJ615csS pic.twitter.com/GMrRc0VTOU  Enterprise Ireland (@Entirl) April 8, 2020

I am announcing a major expansion of liquidity supports for all businesses impacted by Covid-19 to one billion euro. This is the first in a number of extra steps we will be taking to ease the pressure.
A hospital in Ireland has taken an interesting step to lighten their COVID-19 patients spirits.

At Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, doctors and nurses are sticking print-outs of their faces to their personal protective equipment (PPE), reports RTE News, Dublin.

The move was initiated earlier this week as a way to allow patients to see who the person is behind the mask.

Consultant respiratory physician Dr. Ross Morgan said, We want to provide the best possible environment for our patients, quotes RTE . We have been wearing PPE for a number of days now, but it obviously meant that our patients couldnt see our faces behind our masks. So yesterday I took a photo on my phone, printed it out and we stuck it on, said Dr. Morgan.

Dr. Morgan said, The initial feedback from patients, seeing a face, was really positive. You could see the light in their eyes and it lifted their spirits, without a doubt, quotes RTE.

The photo print-outs are being seen as an extension of the global #hellomynameis campaign, co-founded by Dr. Kate Granger, who as a terminally ill cancer patient, observed that often attending staff did not introduce themselves before delivering her care. That observation was the beginning of a campaign which encouraged healthcare staff to introduce themselves to patients.

Dr. Morgan explained to RTE that Beaumont Hospital has a particularly high burden of Covid-19 patients, and that his team is treating patients both pre and post-ICU.

But I can assure you that the efforts everyone on the outside is making with following the social distancing and stay at home guidelines are paying dividends, said Dr. Morgan in a statement to RTE.

Figures revealed yesterday indicated that Beaumont Hospital has the largest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 133 patients in the hospital being treated for the virus, reports RTE .

READ MORE:

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Discovery Harbour Resources Corp. (TSXV: DHR) (OTC Pink: DCHRF) (FSE: 4GW) (the "Company" or "Discovery Harbour") is pleased to announce that it has submitted an Exploration Plan of Operations ("the Plan") to the United States Forest Service ("USFS") in furtherance of the Company's planned drill program at the Caldera gold project, Nevada. The Plan includes up to 10 drill targets in five separate mineralized areas.

Mark Fields, the Company's President and CEO, states, "The work we have completed to date represents a major step towards drill testing the potential of the Caldera project. We have selected 10 targets from no less than 33 targets within five of the eight distinct gold mineralized areas at Caldera. Figure 1 attached to this news release outlines the locations of the 10 drill sites, each having the potential to deliver a high grade intersect. I would like to thank our consultants who have helped prioritize these targets."

Mark Fields continues, "Our plan is to drill 100 to 300 metres deeper than any previous drilling on the Caldera project. Figure 2 to this news release is a conceptual construction of historical drill results and interpretation of where high grade gold mineralization is believed to exist, illustrating the need to drill deeper. We believe the high-grade gold occurrences historically drilled at or near surface were deposited by a deeper low sulphidation epithermal gold system. All of the data we have analyzed support our theory that the gold system should be intact."

The Company commenced the drill permitting process late last year. Since then, it has selected the specific drill sites and engaged a Nevada contractor to conduct the baseline studies required for the environmental impact analyses of the Plan. The contractor is prepared to initiate field work as soon as ground and weather conditions allow.

Once complete, the USFS will review the Plan for conformance to regulatory requirements. Future drilling is subject to USFS and other regulatory approvals as well as financing.

Drill Targets

Each of the five mineralized areas (Adara, Calista, Darius, Faustus and Gemina) selected for drill site permitting are described in detail in our January 9, February 10 and March 4, 2020 news releases. Figure 1 provides the location of the 10 drill sites submitted for permitting and Figures 2 and 3 provide a conceptual cross section and selected historical drill hole highlights respectively.

The 100% Discovery Harbour-optioned Caldera property was generated by Don Merrick and John Zimmerman of Genesis Gold Corporation, a private Utah company specializing in gold exploration in the Western United States (www.genesisgoldcorp.com), the foundation of which are the claims first staked by Zsolt Rosta.

Mark Fields, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person for Discovery Harbour as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release.

Financing Update

Pursuant to the Company's news release dated March 12, 2020, the Company has made the decision to terminate the remainder of its non-brokered tranche-structured private placement (the "Offering") of an aggregate of $1,000,000 through the issuance of 10,000,000 units priced at $0.10 per unit (each a "Unit"). The Company closed the initial and only tranche of the Offering in the amount of $187,500, consisting of 1,875,000 Units, pursuant to a news release dated February 25, 2020. Each issued Unit consists of one common share and one half of one share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable into one additional common share at a price of $0.15 for a period of two years, subject to an acceleration clause. It is anticipated that the proceeds of the financing will allow the Company to continue with its permitting process until such time as the financial markets stabilize or recover from the conditions caused in part from COVID-19.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.discoveryharbour.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DISCOVERY HARBOUR RESOURCES CORP.

"Mark Fields"

Mark Fields

President and Chief Executive Officer

Discovery Harbour Resources Corp.

Tel: (604) 681-3170

Fax: (604) 681-3552

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of Discovery Harbour, such as statements that Discovery Harbour intends to pursue the Caldera Project. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and Discovery Harbour's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) exploration results, or (iii) the financial position of the Company. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, Discovery Harbour does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

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.







Figure 1: CALDERA GOLD PROJECT - DRILL SITES SUBMITTED FOR PERMITTING

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1559/54249_f4915c54d4afa8a0_002full.jpg





Figure 2: CALDERA GOLD PROJECT - CONCEPTUAL ADARA-GEMINA SCHEMATIC CROSS SECTION



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1559/54249_f4915c54d4afa8a0_003full.jpg





Figure 3: CALDERA GOLD PROJECT - HISTORICAL DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1559/54249_f4915c54d4afa8a0_004full.jpg

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54249
R ick Kirkham has revealed he suffered from nightmares and relied on sleeping pills after recounting his experiences with Joe Exotic for the cult documentary Tiger King.

Now famed for his large black cowboy hat, award-winning filmmaker Kirkham was the producer of exotic animal keeper Joe Exotics reality television show.

He spent months at his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, documenting the larger-than-life character, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for animal cruelty and plotting to murder fellow keeper, Carole Baskin.

Speaking about the Netflix documentary, Kirkham told Standard Online he was left traumatised after recalling his ordeal.

Netflix: Tiger King - In pictures 1 /22 Netflix: Tiger King - In pictures Netflix Netflix Netflix netfliix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix JoeExoticTV/YouTube Netflix Netflix TigerKingTV/YouTube Netflix Netflix

I did the interview about nine months ago, he said. We spent three days together, with about six hours total interview.

"After my first Netflix interview, I had some problems. I had nightmares and had to take sleeping pills. But I am ok now.

In the series, Kirkham is accused by Exotic of setting fire to his production office, destroying hours of valuable video footage that he'd captured. A number of alligators also died in the blaze.

Kirkham said he spent years in therapy afterwards, saying the fire was difficult for me.

"That was my retirement in that studio, he said. When the fire occurred, I dropped to my knees and cried. I put so much time and money in to it and it literally burned.

I went through a lot of therapy following the fire. It was a million dollar project for me, to see it go up in flames it destroyed me.

I checked into a hospital for a week, I was seeing a therapist twice a week. Just to get some help.

Netflix Trailer For Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness

Kirkham, who now lives in Norway with his wife, also cast doubt on the whereabouts of the back-up recordings he kept, adding: The mysterious part is, we had a safe with the hard drive with all the backed up footage in it, which apparently melted because the fire was so hot. But now, and this is a recent thing, I am told it was missing. So who has those tapes? We dont know.

Kirkham says he has not spoken to Exotic since two days before the fire.

The producer, who won awards for his 2006 documentary TV Junkie about his addiction to crack cocaine, said he found the series hard to watch.

Tiger King: Kirkham and Joe Exotic fell out in the closing episodes of the series / Netflix

My wife watched it in the first night, he said. I couldnt binge watch it. It was just so powerful. The irony is, Joe wanted nothing more than to be the most famous man in the world. And now he is, and he is locked away.

On Saturday, Kirkham is taking part in a live question and answer session with journalist Per Sundnes, where fans are invited to ask him anything about the Netflix show.

Viewers can submit questions for Kirkham by posting a video on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #AskTigerRick, or by sending an email to asktigerrick@allthingslive.com.
Democrats are in a tizzy because President Trump, while noting a recommendation that we all wear face masks when going out in publica reversal of the original government claim that masks do no goodsaid that he probably wouldnt wear one himself. The Democratic Party blowback has been immense. Here is just one instance, from the Dems most reliable house organ, the New York Times. A colloquy between Bret Stephens and Gail Collins:

Gail: But theres one thing I know we agree on. This would all be so much easier if we had a leader we could respect. I didnt think there was any way for my opinion of Donald Trump to drop any lower, but when he announced he wasnt going to wear face masks because he didnt want to look funny, that did it. New cratering. Bret: Leading by non-example.

The reader who called my attention to this exchange is curious:

So may we assume that these two ARE wearing masks? There was a discussion of Stephens riding his bike for miles through Manhattanwas he wearing a mask then? I want to know specifically. And I want to know specifically about ALL Times reporters, columnists and managers, and the Sulzbergers  specifically. Are they wearing masks? And, by the way, did the Sulzbergers flee to their Southampton estate or stay in NYC? Are they asking Nancy, Chuckles, Cuomo, AOC, Nadler as well others in the chattering class to lead by example and wear masks?

Heh. Lets not be ridiculous. Criticizing Trump is all in a days work, but wearing an unstylish face mask? Especially when one has already decamped for the countryside? Thats something else.

Out of curiosity, I went to Google Images and searched for Nancy Pelosi wearing mask. Nada. Likewise for Joe Biden, although he alleged that he was willing to wear one. As far as I can tell, he hasnt. But I hit pay dirt when I searched Chuck Schumer wearing mask. It turns out that once in his life, Schumer did his duty and donned a mask to help fight COVID-19. This is a screen shot from a local TV news program in New York:

Schumer has taken a lot of grief for this, but not as much as he deserves. It pains me to admit it, since Schumer was a law school classmate of mine, but the man is a dope. Still, at least he tried, one time, unlike so many Democrats.

On a more humble level, my wife and I went to a local Target store this afternoon to shop for some provisions. We were wearing super-duper masksmy wife is a prepperand I was curious to see how many others would do the same.

The answer is: not many. There werent a lot of shoppers, to begin with. Maybe 20 percent were wearing something. In most cases, they were homemade bandannas. Do they help? Who knows? But I want to see Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and other Democratic Party leaders wearing them. Plus all members of the New York Times editorial board and ownership group, to show they arent total hypocrites. And Chuck Schumer, one more time, just because all of us can use a laugh.
A day after doctors and medical personnel were lathi-charged and arrested in Pakistan for demanding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to fight coronavirus, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his dismay over the police action.

The Imran Khan-led government has been criticised by several Pakistan leaders for failing to take timely action against Balochistan police forces who lathi-charged the doctors, Dawn reported.

The prime minister has expressed his dismay on the arrests of protesting doctors in Quetta, almost a day after police detained the frontline warriors against COVID-19 for demanding PPE kits and other medical equipment.

According to Pakistan's Young Doctors Association (YDA) president Dr Yasir Achakzai, YDA and paramedical staff in Balochistan staged a protest on Monday against the unavailability of PPEs in their fight against coronavirus.

They were later baton-charged by security forces and dozens of them were arrested near Red Zone, he alleged.

Razzaq Cheema, Quetta deputy inspector general police, confirmed that police had arrested dozens of protesting doctors.

Following this, YDA announced the withdrawal of services from government hospitals.

"We suspend all our services following high-handedness of police," Achakzai said.

Within hours of the incident, Pakistani leaders started condemning Imran Khan's government for the arrests and showed sympathy towards the arrested doctors.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan met the YDA doctors and assured them of his government's full cooperation in their battle against COVID-19 and in meeting their demands.

He tweeted, "I personally gave a sitting and met YDA doctors...and assured we shall solve their contract employees' issue, new posts have been advertised. Assured them we are serious in solving matters. But, it's inappropriate to lock MS offices and put locks on them."

PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif condemned the police behaviour.

He tweeted, "Strongly condemn the torture and arrest of the doctors and paramedics in Quetta. It belies logic how those at the front lines of the fight for our collective well-being and survival are being humiliated merely for demanding protective kits. Truly shameful behaviour!"

Meanwhile, as nations around the rely heavily on the healthcare workers in the fight against the deadly virus, Pakistan has been arresting doctors and healthcare workers.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan on Monday soared past 4,000 with the maximum number of COVID-19 cases being reported from Punjab.

While Punjab has reported 2,004 cases, Sindh reported 986. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had 500, Balochistan 206, Gilgit-Baltistan 211, Islamabad 83, and 19 cases were reported in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - Doctors in Lombardy, the Italian region hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic, have criticised local officials for their handling of the crisis and said the mistakes they made should be a lesson for everyone.

By Crispian Balmer

ROME (Reuters) - Doctors in Lombardy, the Italian region hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic, have criticised local officials for their handling of the crisis and said the mistakes they made should be a lesson for everyone.

A total of 17,127 people have died from the virus in Italy, the most anywhere in the world, with Lombardy accounting for 55% of the tally. The region also accounts for 39% of the country's 135,586 confirmed cases.

The particularly large death toll in Lombardy, the wealthiest region in Italy, has raised eyebrows, with local officials suggesting that both the high urban density and considerable elderly population might have played a part.

However, a damning letter by senior doctors, including the heads of 11 provincial health authorities within Lombardy, said failures in the region's health system had exacerbated the greatest emergency Italy has faced since World War Two.

Amongst the failings they highlighted was a lack of protective clothing for medical staff - a regular source of anger since the outbreak emerged on Feb. 21.

"This determined the death of many colleagues, the illness of many of them and the probable and involuntary spread of the contagion, especially in the early stages of the epidemic," said the letter, which was posted on the website of the national federation of doctors, surgeons and orthodontists.

The federation says 94 medics have died in the outbreak, many in Lombardy, which is run by the far-right League party.

There was no immediate comment from Lombardy officials.

The medics bemoaned an "absence of strategies" in tackling the crisis, a lack of good data and limited testing as the virus spread. This "greatly underestimated the number of patients and, to a lesser extent, the number of dead", they wrote.

While the neighbouring region of Veneto engaged in widespread testing in a known coronavirus hotspot, Lombardy only tested the seriously ill arriving for treatment in hospital, saying they did not have the capacity for wider checks.

CARE HOMES

The letter took aim at the management of nursing homes, where hundreds of people have died without ever being tested. The doctors said in the province of Bergamo alone, 600 of the 6,000 pensioners under care had died.

Italy's health ministry announced on Tuesday it was sending inspectors to Milan's largest nursing home, Pio Albergo Trivulzio, where more than 100 people have died since March.

A photograph of nine bodies in the home's mortuary was published on the front page of La Repubblica newspaper on Tuesday, with another showing its chapel full of coffins.

Lombardy's top health official, Giulio Gallera, rejected media allegations that the region had allowed hospitals to send infected patients to local care homes without proper protection in an effort to free up badly needed space in packed wards.

"We always acted for the good of everyone in an extraordinary emergency and we will not let anyone cast aspersions on the serious, rigorous work we have carried out," he said on Facebook. He did not refer to the doctors' letter.

Italy's healthcare system is decentralized with regions having control over the money that goes to hospitals within their own borders. Lombardy has focused on developing a dual private-public network of high-performing hospitals, but critics say this was done at the expense of grassroots medical care.

"Public health and on-the-ground medicine have been neglected and weakened in our region for many years," the doctors said.

"It is going to be difficult to recover from this situation at the moment," they wrote, adding that as a starting point, the region should undertake large scale testing of health workers.

(Additional reporting by Elvira Pollina and James Mackenzie in Milan; editing by Nick Macfie and Gavin Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A 65-year-old man from Kalaburagi district became the fifth COVID-19 fatality in Karnataka, where six new positive cases were confirmed, pushing the tally in the state to 181, the health department said on Wednesday.

The man with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), died at a designated hospital in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, a day after being shifted from a private hospital where he was initially treated for two days.

"On April 4, he had got admitted to a private hospital, on April 6 he was shifted to ESI hospital, where he passed away," Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar told reporters here.

The private hospital had been locked and its entire medical team quarantined, he said, adding a notice had been served on it for act of "criminal negligence" (by not referring the patient to designated hospital) and will be followed with a police case.

"He was suffering from SARI, on collecting his sample, tests have revealed that he was positive....investigation is on to find how he got infected," the Minister said.

Noting that the hospital in this case did not refer the patient to the designated hospital and kept treating him for two days, he appealed to all private healthcare facilities to inform authorities if anyone showed any indications for COVID-19.

"As of 5 PM on April 8, cumulatively 181 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 5 deaths and 28 discharges," the health department said in a bulletin.

Out of the positive cases, 71 are those who had come back from foreign countries, while remaining 110 are contacts and those who had gone to Delhi, the Minister said.

Kumar also said an expert committee comprising Narayana Health founder-chairman Dr Devi Prasad Shetty and Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences director Dr C N Manjunath among others, constitutedto devise an exit strategy for the lockdown, has submitted its reports with various recommendations to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

The chief minister and officials were examining it which was likely to come up before the cabinet meeting on Thursday after which the details will be shared, he added.

The health department said the six fresh cases reported on Wednesday included the elderly man from Kalaburagi who died.

Among the positive cases are a woman from Uttara Kannada with history of SARI and contact of a Dubai returnee, a 72- year-old woman from Kalaburagi, who is mother of a patient that tested positive for the disease; a man from Mandya with contact to two patients.

Others include a man from Chikkaballapura with travel history to Delhi and a woman from Bengaluru also with a travel history to the national capital.

Contact tracing is in progress for all the cases, the bulletin added.

The department said out of 148 active cases in the state, 146 COVID-19 positive patients (including 1 pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals are stable and two in ICU (one each on oxygen and ventilators).

It said out of total 181 cases in the state, six are transit passengers of Kerala.

Bengaluru accounted for the highest in the state with 63 cases, followed by Mysuru (35), Dakshina Kannada (12) Bidar (ten), Uttara Kannada and Kalaburagi (9 each), Chikkaballapur (8) Belagavi (7), Ballari (6), Bagalkote (5), Mandya (4) Davangere, Bengaluru Rural and Udupi (three each), and Kodagu, Tumakuru, Gadag and Dharwad one each.

Those discharged include 16 from Bengaluru, four from Dakshina Kannada, two each from Uttara Kannada, Kalaburagi and Davangere, and one from Bengaluru Rural; while among those dead are two from Kalaburgari and one each are reported from Bengaluru, Bagalkote and Tumakuru.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Medical staff including nurses and paramedical employees at a municipal hospital staff in Mumbai staged a protest on Wednesday against the 'poor quality' of personal protection equipment (PPE) given to them.

Employees of the KB Bhabha Municipal General Hospital in suburban Bandra gathered outside the hospital and staged a protest after a woman undergoing treatment there died due to COVID-19 infection, an employee said.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

The hospital staffers are demanding that they be quarantined as there is a serious risk of the spread of COVID-19 in the facility.

Two private hospitals in Mumbai have been sealed after some medical staff members there tested coronavirus positive.
Coalition fighting rebels says move partly in response to UN truce calls amid pandemic but Houthis vow to keep fighting.

A two-week ceasefire declared by the Saudi-UAE coalition fighting Yemens Houthi rebels came into effect on Thursday, but the armed group says it would will not abide unless a years-long siege on the impoverished nation is lifted.

The suspension of hostilities by the alliance took hold at 12pm local time (09:00 GMT), Saudi Arabias state-run news agency SPA quoted coalition spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying.

The announcement came days after the United Nations called for a halt in fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

SPA said the ceasefire was intended to help prevent a coronavirus outbreak in Yemen, while also allowing for a de-escalation in the fighting. It was also aimed at giving the Houthis an opportunity to join UN-sponsored talks on a settlement to the five-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Mohammed alBukhaiti, a Houthi spokesman, told Al Jazeera the Saudi-UAE coalition was still using their air power to impose the blockade.





We will continue to fight and target their military installations and industrial sites since they continue with the siege. So we dont consider it to be a ceasefire, he said.

There has to be total end of the siege or else the war will continue.

The conflict, widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been in a military deadlock for years.

Riyadh last year took over most of the costly and unpopular campaign after key coalition partner the United Arab Emirates (UAE) significantly scaled down its presence.

Political dialogue

Earlier, Mohammed Abdulsalam, spokesman of the Houthi movement, said the group sent to the UN a comprehensive plan to end the war.

[Our proposal] will lay the foundations for a political dialogue and a transitional period, Abdulsalam said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

Last week, UN special envoy Martin Griffiths sent a proposal to the internationally-recognised government, the Saudi-UAE military coalition that supports it, and the Houthi movement that controls the capital, Sanaa, and most of northern Yemen.

The proposal called for a nationwide ceasefire, including halting all air, ground and naval hostilities, and for the parties to ensure compliance by forces on the front lines.

The UN and Western allies have been pointing to the threat of coronavirus to push Yemens combatants to agree to new talks to end a war that has left millions vulnerable to disease.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis toppled the government from power in Sanaa in late 2014.

The conflict has killed more than 100,000 people and unleashed an urgent humanitarian crisis that has pushed millions to the verge of famine and forced thousands to seek shelter in displacement camps.

The UN calls Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian disaster.

We are tired of the war  We want it to stop for good, said Abd al-Basset Muhammad, 49, who owns a juice shop in the southern port of Aden, interim headquarters of the Saudi-backed government.

If the war hasnt already killed you, you are dying of hunger or disease.

University student Amal Abd al-Rahman, 24, said Yemenis had suffered enough. We want to live to learn. If coronavirus appears, Yemen will be facing an unprecedented catastrophe.
Amazon AMZN recently announced that it is temporarily suspending its own delivery service, Amazon Shipping, starting June.



The service, which is operational in few U.S. cities, allows drivers to collect non-Amazon and Amazon marketplace packages from sellers and deliver them directly to customers.



The decision can be attributed to surging demand that the company has been witnessing as result of panic shopping on its online retail platform and physical stores like Whole Foods market due to the coronavirus-induced crisis.



This has resulted in the company grappling with delivery issues as the delivery capacity has remained constant while the demand has gone up.



Thereby, suspension of Amazon Shipping will help the company focus on its core delivery operations in this crisis scenario by allocating workers and drivers to the same.



Although Amazon is likely to lose on competitive grounds to certain extent against United Parcel Services UPS and FedEx FDX on the back of its latest move, it will be able to meet the increasing customer demand on time.



Amazons Customer-Centric Approach



Amazon Shipping ban reflects the e-commerce giants strong commitment toward the betterment of customers, which remains the key catalyst behind its business growth and dominant position in the online retail market. Moreover, its customer-oriented initiatives have been instilling investor optimism in the stock.



Coming to the price performance, Amazon has returned 9.6% over a year against the industrys decline of 0.1%.





Apart from the latest move, the company has taken other initiatives to deliver better customer experience during the COVID-19-induced crisis situation.



Its Whole Foods stores in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, will dedicate an entire hour to serve only senior citizens in an attempt to keep them safe from crowd as they are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection.



Additionally, Whole Foods stores are closing two hours earlier in order to sanitize stores and restock shelves.



Further, the company has taken an initiative to bolster its Same-Day Delivery program by making same-day delivery service available in the cities of Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas for Prime members.



Further, the company has built mini-fulfillment centers, which are first of their kind buildings. Notably, the new facilities are located closer to customers, which is likely to help Amazon to reduce the number of hours taken to deliver orders via same-day delivery services.



Amazons Hiring Drive



The latest move bodes well for Amazons growing initiatives to strengthen workforce to handle the flurry of orders during challenging situation.



The company has recently announced plans to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery employees.



Further, it partnered with ride-hailing company, Lyft LYFT. Per the deal, Lyft has asked its drivers to consider job opportunities at Amazon as means of additional income. These comprise delivery drivers, warehouse and shopper jobs.



This is expected to boost the strength of the companys warehouse workers and delivery drivers.



All the abovementioned endeavours will help Amazon in sustaining customer momentum during this challenging situation.



Currently, Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



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[April 08, 2020] Kuaishou user attracts 220,000 followers using just lettuce, cucumbers and potatoes

BEIJING, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Using everyday ingredients and necessities, Li Xiaodong, 39, also known as @xuanbaobaba on Kuaishou, attracted more than 220,000 followers as he recreates cutscenes and characters from popular movies and stories. Li claimed this idea came to him, while he was on lockdown at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Li, a feature film postproduction professor by training, found himself bored and looking for an outlet to express his creativity. Other than cooking, Li spent time watching reruns of his favorite movies, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Frustrated, he pieced his love for cooking and movies together and thus inspired his unique artform.



Li credited his viral videos to the ubiquity of the well-known, and well-loved, films. "Many creative internet celebrities film things that are trendy, but I prefer old school stuff, I watch martial arts movies and read classic Chinese novels when I was young, so I like to make something like that", said Li.

For Li, the work is all about being authentic in an age of social media and putting his energy in things he likes with his loved ones. Li now has more than 220,000 followers on Kuaishou since he posted his first home-made blockbuster on the 16th February. These short videos staring various household food and objects have proven a hit with fans, with many following him on Kuaishou across national and language boundaries. 'Will Smith even once liked and shared my videos!' Li exclaims. As he prepares to share behind-the-scene tutorials of his viral videos, he hopes to be a pioneer in this field and encourage more people to look for beauty in their everyday environments. The pandemic might have put many things on a halt, but it has also allowed people to channel their unstoppable creativity and heartfelt emotions, which turn kitchens into movie studios, and encourages people to see the beauty of a different medium of expression. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kuaishou-user-attracts-220-000-followers-using-just-lettuce-cucumbers-and-potatoes-301037270.html SOURCE Kuaishou Technology

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Remarks about testing coronavirus drugs on Africans part of pattern where some bodies are dehumanised, others protected.

Last Wednesday, a French doctor caused controversy when he proposed that vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic be tried on Africans because they lack masks and other personal protective equipment.

By Friday, after widespread accusations of racism, he was forced to apologise for what he then called his clumsily expressed remarks.

But the type of thinking exposed by his words is nothing new. Neither is it exceptional to this doctor. It is part of a trend that for generations has seen the dehumanising of some people because of the superiority complex of others.

In early March 2020, as coronavirus cases began an exponential growth curve, some people asked why African countries were not recording higher numbers of COVID-19 cases.

The tone of these queries had the impact of questioning if Africans were somehow genetically immune to the new virus. But why would this question even be raised if we know the biological set-up of all humans is similar?

The dehumanisation of people from the Global South was one of the driving forces behind the slave trade and colonialism. It is inconceivable that anyone could fathom the thought of trading in human beings unless they regarded that person as inferior.

Joseph Conrad, in his book Heart of Darkness writing in 1899, grappled with the question of whether the people he had met in Africa were really human. He opines: No they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it  this suspicion of their not being inhuman.

It is the naturalness of someone even posing such questions that cements these ideas; the acceptance of a second-class humanity that allows the dispossession and trade in human lives to be so easily explained away.

Dehumanised in life, fetishised in death

Saartjie Baartman, or Sarah Baartman as she is commonly called, was a Khoikhoi woman born in what is present-day South Africa. In 1810, she was abducted and taken to Europe where she was turned into an object of an exhibition for European audiences because of her body and her perceived large buttocks.

Many of the audience members came to see her because they thought that she was not human. When she died, a French surgeon dissected her body and concluded that she had ape-like features.

In 2002, the South African government finally managed to retrieve her body from the French National Museum in Paris where her remains had stood in exhibit for more than 150 years. Baartman was dehumanised in life, and fetishised in death, in pursuit of a scientific theory that sought to draw biological and scientific differences between white and black people.

Two centuries after Baartmans death, the dehumanisation of certain races is not put on display in such an obvious way. But the trend of using some bodies for the benefit of others continues in different forms.

In the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, for instance, more than 250,000 blood samples were collected from patients by laboratories in France, the UK and the US among others  often with no informed consent  as patients underwent testing and treatment for Ebola, to help researchers create new vaccines and medicines.

Today, South African, French and American researchers refuse to disclose how many of these samples they still hold, citing national security as an excuse. As one patient remarked, They are using it to make research, make billions of dollars  That medicine they produce will not be free. It will be something that you will sell.

Because the affected communities are poorer and people lack the information that will help protect them from such researchers, their samples are taken, and used at will to produce medicine for people who will pay for treatment  often without their knowledge.

A long history of medical trials

In 1996, Kano State in Nigeria was the epicentre of a huge meningitis outbreak. At the time, Pfizer, one of the largest research pharmaceutical companies in the world, decided to conduct clinical trials to test a drug it was developing.

Pfizer neglected to acquire informed consent from the parents of the patients, who were, anyway, too stressed to make rational decisions. It was only in 2009 that Pfizer settled out-of-court and paid $75 million to the Kano State government and $175,000 to the parents of four of the children who had died during the outbreak and clinical trials.

Although Pfizer argued in its legal defence that the children had been killed by the disease and not their drugs, the out-of-court settlement robbed us of an opportunity to have the medical facts established before a court of law.

Similar trials and tests were conducted in Zimbabwe in 1994 with the drug AZT  projects funded by the US-based CDC and NIH resulted in adverse effects for patients. In Namibia in the early 1900s, sterilisation tests were done on Herero women by German doctors who sought to provide scientific backing to ban mixed-race marriages.

Researchers know only too well that conducting such research in the Global North is more onerous and has too much red tape. In the Global South, big pharmaceuticals, often with the complicit support of bribed government officials, have it easy.

As they chase huge profits, the lives of often uninformed patients are far from a main consideration. For many people from the affected communities, the work of researchers is clearly meant to serve the financial interests of those who pretend to be kind-hearted or philanthropic.

What remains curious is how diseases like TB, malaria and hepatitis continue to kill millions every year, and yet the amount of energy and resources being put into eradicating them is nowhere near the efforts against COVID-19 and Ebola. It would appear that certain diseases get more attention because of the people they affect or potentially threaten.

Imagined suspicion?

In 2011, the CIA, under the cover of an international NGO, collected DNA samples in Pakistan in a fake vaccination campaign as they trailed Osama bin Laden. The move had the impact of straining an already complicated relationship between the US and Pakistan, but it also had the much wider impact of providing proof to the sceptics who always suspected there was a hidden agenda in the delivery of medical services from the Global North.

In the race to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the last thing overburdened health practitioners need is some so-called clumsy remarks from a fellow medic.

But when a French doctor suggests that Africa must be included as part of a vaccine trial, it is not surprising that suspicions and anger are reignited  especially when there are relatively fewer cases on the continent than there are in Europe and the US.

Given the history of medical colonialism in Africa, and the current realities around the spread of COVID-19, how do we begin to persuade anyone that those remarks were something other than the continuation of a racist, dehumanising approach that sees some humans as expendable?

How are Africans expected to not react to yet another attempt to use them as guinea pigs to develop drugs that would serve the Global North, whose well-funded health systems can afford the hefty-priced life-saving medication that Africans themselves often die without?

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court decided on Tuesday that all courts in the State will continue under the present arrangement till April 30. This was decided after considering that the lockdown may be lifted in a phased manner and the 100 per cent opening of courts may lead to congregation of many people in the courts premises.

The Full Court, in a meeting held through video conference on Tuesday, also decided to cancel the summer vacation for the HC and subordinate courts. All courts in the State will function throughout May till June 5. The situation will be reviewed on April 25. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only urgent matters are taken up through video conference facility. At the HC level, only extremely urgent matters such as bail petitions, stay applications, fresh admissions such as PILs will be taken up, the Full Court decided.

As for the district courts, extremely urgent criminal and civil matters such as bail applications, remand, extension of remand, interim injunctions will be entertained. Advocate General BS Prasad, Bar Council chairman A Narasimha Reddy, HC Advocates Association president T Surya Karan Reddy joined the Full Court meeting. Dr Shankar, director of Institute of Preventive Medicine, Hyderabad, also joined the video conference.

Bar Council asks for donations from members to help needy advocates

The Telangana State Bar Council chairman appealed to the members of the statutory body to donate to the Council Fund as there is a lack of funds to cater the need of advocates during the lockdown period. He donated `5 lakh to the Council Fund. Bar Council chairman Narasimha Reddy appealed to the senior advocates, public prosecutors, government pleaders and others concerned to donate generously. Donations are to be made on or before April 20.
The Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) has donated an amount of Ghc 500,000 to the Ghana Covid-19 National Trust Fund.



The move is aimed at helping with the national fight against the pandemic.



Leading a delegation on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, to make the donation at the Jubilee House was the Board Chairman of GIIF, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi.



Other members of the delegation were Reginald Okai, Deputy CEO of GIIF and Nana Afua Kyerewaa Ababio, a Board Member of GIIF.



The COVID-19 National Trust Fund was instituted by President Akufo-Addo in the fight against the coronavirus that has plagued the world.



The Fund has a governing board chaired by former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo.



Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi, speaking during the donation, acknowledged the efforts of Government on measures put in place to deal with the pandemic.



He mentioned that Ghana has so far recorded 287 cases with five deaths and three recoveries.



According to him, the situation calls for all hands on deck to contain the novel virus as cases continue to surge.



Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi expressed pleasure by the GIIF to support government efforts in these abnormal times.



He observed the need for Ghanaians to adhere to the protocols as clearly spelt out by President Akufo-Addo to stop the spread of the virus.



He was hopeful that together all will stay disciplined in an effort to win the fight against the pandemic.



He seized the opportunity to pledge the commitment of GIIF to continue to live up to its mandate of mobilizing, managing, coordinating and providing financial resources for the development of critical infrastructure in Ghana.



He assured Government of GIIF's readiness to support any critical intervention in its continuous efforts to completely eradicate the deadly disease in Ghana.



He further pledged that GIIF will support local manufacturers to produce quality and affordable Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for frontline workers.



*About GIIF*



The Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund is a corporate body wholly owned by the Government of Ghana.



It was established pursuant to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund Act, 2014, Act 877, (the Act) l.



Its mandate is to mobilize, manage, coordinate and provide financial resources for investment in a diversified portfolio of infrastructure projects in Ghana for national development.

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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A potentially new COVID-19 vaccine is soon to begin its initial human testing today. The application of Inovio Pharmaceuticals was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Investigational New Drug program. The first volunteer subject will reportedly be injected with the INO-4800 DNA vaccine developed by the institute. Preclinical experiments on animals resulted in an increased immune response.

The new vaccine utilizes a specifically engineered plasmid injected into the subject to urge the body's cells to produce a desired, targeted antibody to counter infection. While DNA vaccines are prominent and approved for use on several different animals in the veterinary field, they are yet to be approved for human consumption.

Medical Innovator

Inovio has had experience in making other vaccines that have shown promising results, such as their trial against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, where they have completed Phase 1 for a DNA vaccine that produced a high level of antibodies lasting for a more extended period.

The company has ramped up its development and production of its test vaccine, reaching thousands in just a few weeks to support its Phase 1 and 2 trials further. The institute was able to do so with the support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other non-profit organizations.

Inovio states that they can provide more than one million doses of the vaccine by the year's end should the trials be successful. The products will be used for both subsequent experiments and emergencies.

The INO-4800 is the second vaccine to enter Phase 1 testing on humans. The first trials made by Moderna began mid-March.

Forty volunteers made up of healthy adults selected through screening at either Philadelphia's Perelman School of Medicine or the Center for Pharmaceutical Research in Kansas will undergo Inovio's trials. The tests are expected to last several weeks, and data is assumed to be available summer.

Expectations for clearance of the new vaccines are still likely a year to a year and a half away, but the speed at which human trials are going, experts say the wait wouldn't take much longer than that.

Read Also: [VIRAL VIDEO] Royal Mail Postman Repeatedly Touches Front Door With Hand Contaminated From Wiping Nose

Gates Foundation

The co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates pledged $125 million to be used in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic by funding the research of vaccines that could potentially cure the disease.

One project supported by the foundation was able to develop at-home testing kits to be distributed to the Seattle area. It also aims to make the packages available beyond Seattle and the US.

Anyone who has been in contact with, or is suspected of having the virus can sign up online to request a kit for themselves. The kits' results are expected within two days and will be shared with local health authorities.

A research project, Seattle Flu Study, based at the University of Washington, will focus on raising its testing capabilities to aid in understanding how the virus is spreading throughout the neighborhood.

Of the large sum donated by the Gates, $20 million is set aside for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other nations and locales that have been hit by the deadly disease are expected to receive funds as well.

Read Also: Meet Xenobots: The Self-Healing Robots Made Out of Frog Cells


WHO director hits back at Trump threat to defund agency



The head of the World Health Organization took aim at President Trumps criticism of the agency on Wednesday, telling him and other world leaders not to politicize the coronavirus crisis if you dont want many more body bags.



If you dont want many more body bags you refrain from politicizing it  please quarantine politicizing COVID, WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in a lengthy answer when asked about Trumps criticism of the agency. A day earlier, the U.S. president had threatened to cut off funding.



CALLS ESCALATE FOR WHO TO BE DEFUNDED OVER CHINA TIES, CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE



"My short message is please quarantine politicizing COVID  the unity of your country will be very important to defeat this dangerous virus. Without unity we assure you even any country that may have a better system will be in more trouble. Thats our message," he said.



He went on to urge a global response to the virus similar to the one that combated smallpox.



"The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy, they should come together to fight it and the rest of G-20 should come together to fight it, and the rest of the world should come together and fight it," he said.



CLICK FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK



We will have many body bags in front of us if we dont behave, he said. When there are cracks at [the] national level and global level, that is when the virus succeeds."



Trump has accused the U.N. agency of being "very China centric" and claimed they "really blew it" in their initial response to the pandemic -- including what he saw as the agency's criticism of his ban on foreign nationals from China.



WHO UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH CORONAVIRUS?



Trump had declared at a White House press briefing Tuesday: Were going to put a hold on the money sent to the WHO.



Trump, however, backtracked when questioned on that statement by members of the media, saying he was going to look into cutting off funding to the WHO and denying his earlier statement.



The WHO has increasingly been the focus of questions about its response to the coronavirus pandemic, including information it tweeted in January that quoted preliminary findings from Chinese authorities that downplayed the seriousness of the virus that has since turned into a pandemic, shutting down daily life around the globe.



CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP



Other statements, including an apparent criticism of Trumps ban on travel from China and other pro-China statements, have brought renewed questions about the U.S. funding of the agency.



The United States is the single largest contributor to the WHO. The most recent invoice from the WHO to the United States, which is one of many countries that fund the organization, was for nearly $116 million per year. The United States also voluntarily gives more per year to the WHO for specific projects -- contributions that totaled over $400 million in 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available.



On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres gave his support to the embattled agency, which he said was on the "frontlines" of the crisis.



"It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the worlds efforts to win the war against COVID-19," he said.



https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-director-hits-back-at-trump-threat-to-defund-agency
As our minds drift to apocalyptic thinking these days, a fully self-sustainable house may sound more appealing than ever.

The home at 6907 Norfolk in Berkeley, for sale for $2.4 million, was custom built in 2016 for sustainability. The all-electric home has a zero-carbon footprint and is almost completely off-the-grid with more than 50 rooftop solar panels. It also has a 16,000-gallon water capture tank and filtration system, which captures rainwater and filters it, as well as a greywater capture and irrigation system, which takes dirty water from your sinks, shower and laundry to water the lawn.

It was also all constructed to withstand a 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Owner Laurie Pitman said she didn't want a big home, but she wanted it to feel spacious, utilizing high ceilings and a lot of glass. My goal was to build a small home that was really efficient and used a lot of green energy, she said. And not just in the finished home, but in the building by using reusable materials.

She also wanted the house to be high-tech. I wanted to completely automate the house. My goal was to build a house you could control entirely by your voice."

RELATED: Storybook Spanish Revival home with 50-foot tower for sale

The home is about 2,200 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Pitman said she specifically designed the house without stairs so that it would be accessible for any age.

Pitman is a classically trained pianist, so she asked her architect to design the living space with acoustics in mind. It was important to have a place to make music in the house and have friends over to make music, she said.

There are two patios off the house, one of which looks out onto 10 acres of undevelopable, open land that allows for city, bay, and three-bridge views.

The home also includes a living wall.

Pitman is selling the home because she said it was time for her to leave the Bay Area after 30 years. I love the house, Pitman said. I built my dream house. I thought Id stay here the rest of my life, but its time to go off on another adventure.

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
ATLANTA, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) announced today that it will release its First Quarter 2020 earnings after the market closes on Thursday, April 30, 2020. Cousins will hold its First Quarter 2020 earnings conference call on Friday, May 1, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The number for this call is (877) 247-1056. The live webcast of this call can be accessed on the Company's website, www.cousins.com, through the "Cousins Properties First Quarter Conference Call" link on the Investor Relations page.

A playback will be available shortly after the call on Friday, May 1, 2020 and run through Friday, May 8, 2020. The number for the playback is (877) 344-7529, passcode 10142121. The playback can also be accessed on the Company's website through the "Cousins Properties First Quarter Conference Call" link on the Investor Relations page.

Financial information will be placed on the Company's website promptly after the earnings release announcement. This information will be available in the "Featured Reports" section on the Investor Relations page. This information will also be available through the "SEC Filings" and "Supplemental Information" links on the Investor Relations page.

About Cousins Properties

Cousins Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta, GA and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office towers located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets and opportunistic investments. For more information, please visit www.cousins.com.

CONTACT:

Roni Imbeaux

Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations

404-407-1104

[email protected]

SOURCE Cousins Properties

Related Links

http://www.cousins.com


ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday hes extending his order for Georgia residents to shelter at home through April 30 as the number of coronavirus infections confirmed statewide passed 10,000.

Kemp also announced hes requiring nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to do more to screen staff and patients for symptoms and keep facilities disinfected. Hes also placing a temporary ban on short-term vacation rentals starting Thursday in response to local officials who fear tourists are flocking to Georgia to visit open beaches and parks.

While Im encouraged by some of the recent data, we still have incredible challenges ahead of us, Kemp said during a news conference at the state capitol.

Confirmed deaths rose to 370 in Georgia, according to figures released Wednesday. Of those, 81 have come in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. Nearly 2,100 patients overall have now been hospitalized.

Kemp extended the public health emergency declared last month through May 13. It had been set to expire Monday. State lawmakers last month granted Kemp temporary powers and allowed the governor to renew them without reconvening the legislature for another vote.

Another thousand members of the Georgia National Guard were mobilized and Kemp called for medical professionals to join Georgias Medical Reserve Corps.

Wednesdays higher case count was the result of 5,000 more tests, as the state seeks to increase testing capacity. Kemp announced an agreement with a company for at least 2,000 more tests per day.

Southwest Georgia continues to have the highest per-capita concentration of cases. Randolph Countys 86 confirmed cases represent an infection rate more than 12 times the state average, Associated Press calculations show. Dougherty County, including Albany, has the states third-highest infection rate, with more than 1,000 cases in a county with fewer than 100,000 residents. Dougherty County has recorded 62 deaths, most statewide.

Fulton County, Georgias most populous, reports more than 1,200 cases, the most overall. Of Georgias 159 counties, only Evans, Glascock, Montgomery and Taliaferro counties havent confirmed infections.

Kemp has closed public schools through the end of the academic year and ordered Georgia residents to shelter at home except for reasons such as work and grocery shopping. He has prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people and closed some businesses. Restaurants can only serve meals for takeout or delivery.

One of Kemps new executive orders on Wednesday seeks improvements at long-term care facilities. Several nursing homes have reported multiple fatalities, including one in Athens where 10 people have died.

The Georgia National Guard now has 36 infection control teams that have completed work at 67 facilities, Kemp said.

There was a lack of consistent infection control being observed, Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey said.

Officials said the states stock of masks, gloves, shields and gowns has improved thanks to federal distributions and state purchases.

I feel a lot better about (personal protective equipment) than I did a week or 10 days ago, Kemp said. He said efforts to increase hospital beds show promise, citing the early opening of a just-completed building at Piedmont Healthcares Atlanta hospital.

Kemps shelter-at-home order last week rolled back additional emergency restrictions imposed by local governments. Some mayors and county commissioners vocally criticized Kemp for reversing local beach closures and halts to vacation rentals. Kemp said Wednesday he was prohibiting new short-term vacation rentals for the rest of April, nodding to local officials.

I think there was a lot of concern about people coming who didnt need to be travelling, Kemp said. The governor stood firm on allowing beaches to remain open so people can get outside. If something gets out of control ... then well shut those down in the future, Kemp said. But right now people are behaving.

Kemp banned homes or condos rented through third parties but didnt close hotels, motels or campgrounds.

Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions said the vacation rental ban arrives too late, as shes seen visitors in recent days from New York, New Jersey and other hard-hit states. Closing the beach, she said, would take away tourists reason to come.

Thats really not going to help Tybee at all, Sessions said. Were going to see what else we can do to discourage travel out here.

Glynn County Commission Chairman Michael Browning said he thinks Kemps solution will work.

We wanted the vacation rentals shut down as quickly as possible, Browning said, adding that hes OK with beaches staying open  as long as state officers patrol to deter crowds.

They have to stay, he said. If they leave, within two hours probably its going to be a covered-up beach out there.

___

This story has been corrected to show 155 counties in Georgia now recording infections, not 157.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
A global pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed at least 14,739 people in the United States.

The U.S. is among the worst affected countries, with over 430,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Worldwide, more than 1.48 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and over 88,000 of them have died since the virus emerged in China in December. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

Italy has, by far, the world's highest death toll -- over 17,600.

Wednesday's biggest developments:

Curve is flattening in hard-hit New York, Cuomo says UK prime minister remains in hospital, but condition improving US may investigate WHO's handling of pandemic, official says

PHOTO: Nurses in the emergency department of MedStar St. Mary's Hospital don personal protective equipment before entering the room of a patient suspected of having coronavirus April 8, 2020, in Leonardtown, Md. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images)

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.

6:39 p.m.: 6 VA health care workers die from virus

Six health care workers who operated at VA facilities have been killed by the coronavirus, Department of Veterans Affairs press secretary Christina Noel announced.

The unidentified employees worked at Ann Arbor, Michigan; Detroit; Indianapolis; Houston; and Reno, Nevada VA Medical Centers. So far, 1,130 VA employees have contracted COVID-19, the agency said.

A VA facility in New Orleans has had 92 employees test positive, the highest concentration of infected workers, according to the VA.

5:17 p.m.: USDA expands online grocery shopping program for food stamp recipients

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that SNAP recipients in California and Arizona can now shop for groceries online.

The agency approved both states' requests to be added to the USDA's pilot program that was previously available in six states, including Washington and New York.

Story continues

Participating online retailers include Amazon and Walmart.

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.

4:30 p.m.: Detroit 'seeing the beginning of a glimmer of light'

In hard-hit Detroit, the curve is appearing to flatten, Mayor Mike Duggan said, noting that the daily coronavirus-related death count has been dropping and stabilizing over the past few days.

"We're seeing the beginning of a glimmer of light," Duggan said.

Detroit has 5,830 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, including 170 members of the Detroit Police Department.

At least 247 people in Detroit have died.

Faces of the coronavirus pandemic: Remembering those who died

But Duggan said Wednesday that hospitals are starting to see an increase in discharges and a slower rate of admissions.

Duggan credited social distancing for the apparent flattening of the curve and urged residents to continue the practice.

Those riding city buses will now be given masks to wear as they get on, he added.

PHOTO: Riders wears protective masks during the COVID-19 outbreak waiting for a bus in Detroit, April 8, 2020. (Paul Sancya/AP)

3:52 p.m.: Virginia primary pushed back, governor wants local elections moved to November

The Virginia presidential primary, scheduled for June 9, will be pushed back to June 23, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday.

Over 3,600 people in the state have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and 75 people have died.

PHOTO: Lieutenant Gordon Wills cleans the fire engine with a bleach solution during the implementation of new safety measures to protect against the coronavirus, COVID-19, at Alexandria Fire Station 204 in Virginia, April 8, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Northam also said he's recommending all local and in-state elections move from May to November -- though that must be approved by the state legislator when they return on April 22.

3:30 p.m.: Miami requiring masks to be worn in stores at all times

The City of Miami is requiring employees and customers to wear masks at all times in grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies and convenience stores.

PHOTO: A security guard directs customers to enter the Walmart Supercenter as the coronavirus pandemic continues on Sunday, April 5, 2020, in Miami. (Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images)

Homemade masks, such as scarves and bandannas, are permitted.

2:20 p.m.: New Jersey death toll over 1,500

In New Jersey, one of the hardest-hit states, 275 more people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the state's death total to 1,504.

Over 47,000 in the state have been diagnosed.

Could a simple blood test for COVID-19 antibodies help reopen the economy?

"We're not at any plateau," Gov. Phil Murphy warned. "We need to continue to be absolutely vigilant."

"Don't let the warm weather or the holidays fool us," Murphy said. "If we open up too soon, I fear we are placing gasoline on the fire."

PHOTO: Sen. Cory Booker and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tour the Edison Field Medical Station at the site of the N.J. Convention & Exposition Center in Edison, N.J., April 8, 2020. (Chris Pedota/The Record via AP)

Murphy said he is signing an executive order moving the state's primary from June 2 to July 7.

He also is signing an executive order to stop nonessential construction across the state.

1 p.m.: Curve is flattening in hard-hit New York

In New York -- the state hit hardest by the pandemic -- the curve has flattened so far, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.

"What we have done and what we are doing is actually working," the governor said, but he warned, "if we stop what we are doing, you will see that curve change."

"I'm not willing to say -- because it's not true -- that any of this is over or anything has been accomplished. Because this is just a small snapshot in time where we are," Cuomo said.

PHOTO: A sign thanking front-line workers is seen on an apartment window, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the Brooklyn borough of New York, April 8, 2020. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

If the hospitalization rate keeps decreasing the way it is now, the hospital system should stabilize over the next few weeks, he said.

However, the death toll is going steadily up, and on Tuesday the state saw the highest single-day death toll yet, with 779 new fatalities, Cuomo said.

PHOTO: Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center employees transport a deceased patient to a refrigerated truck on April 8, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

The number of deaths may continue to rise as those hospitalized for the longest periods pass away, he said.

A timeline of Cuomo's and Trump's responses to coronavirus outbreak

While New York state lost 2,753 lives at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, now the coronavirus has claimed the lives of over 6,000 people in the state, Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he is directing all flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of those lost.

I am directing flags be flown at half-mast in honor of those we have lost to this vicious virus. They are in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/OT3KCEQkll  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 8, 2020

Cuomo also said all New Yorkers can vote absentee for this primary in June.

PHOTO: People wait in line outside a pharmacy on April 07, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

And as new preliminary data showed the largest percentage of coronavirus deaths in New York City was among Hispanics, the governor called for more testing in minority communities and more data research immediately.

"Why is it that the poorest people always pay the highest price?" Cuomo said. "Are more public workers Latino and African American? Who don't have a choice, frankly, but to go out there every day and drive the bus and drive the train and show up for work and wind up subjecting themselves to, in this case, the virus?

"Let's do the research," he said.

12:15 p.m.: U.K. prime minister remains in intensive care but condition is improving

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care at a London hospital with the coronavirus, but his condition is improving, said Rishi Sunak, chancellor of the exchequer.

Johnson, 55, is sitting up in bed and speaking with doctors, Sunak said Wednesday evening local time.

PHOTO: A woman carries a sign in support of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is in intensive care fighting the coronavirus in London, April 7, 2020. (Alberto Pezzali/AP)

A spokesperson for the prime minister's office said earlier Wednesday that he was "clinically stable," was "responding to treatment" and was "in good spirits."

Johnson has been hospitalized since Sunday evening due to "persistent symptoms" of the novel coronavirus. He was transferred to the intensive care unit on Monday after his condition "worsened," according to a statement from his official residence and office, 10 Downing Street.

The prime minister has been receiving "standard" oxygen treatment in the ICU and has been breathing without any other assistance.

PHOTO: Police officers stand outside St Thomas' Hospital in the background in central London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care as his coronavirus symptoms persist, April 8, 2020. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)

Besides the prime minister, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has also tested positive for the virus.

Wednesday marked the biggest rise so far in the United Kingdom's coronavirus death toll, with 938 fatalities in 24 hours.

The total number of deaths in the U.K. has now reached 7,097.

PHOTO: An Orthodox Jewish man wearing a protective face mask and gloves is seen in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of London as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, April 8, 2020. (Hannah Mckay/Reuters)

11:55 a.m.: Mayor tells police to crack down on stay-at-home violators, his wife gets busted

In Alton, Illinois, amid increased reports of large gatherings, Mayor Brant Walker said on Friday he ordered the local police to "more strictly enforce" the statewide stay-at-home order by using citations.

Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November: Sources

But over the weekend, among those at a social gathering broken up by police was Walker's wife.

"My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement. She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the "Stay At Home" order during this incident," the mayor said in a statement on Monday.

"I instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the 'Stay At Home' order and to ensure that she received no special treatment," the mayor said. "I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton."

11:20 a.m.: Broadway shows now canceled through June 7

Broadway will remain dark in New York City with show closures now extending through June 7.

PHOTO: A pedestrian walks past the closed Broadway show Hadestown on April 02, 2020, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images, FILE)

Broadway performances were initially shut down from March 12 to April 12.

11:05 a.m.: Nursing home evacuated due to coronavirus outbreak, staff not coming to work

Eighty-four patients from a Riverside County, California, nursing home will be evacuated to other health care locations Wednesday after employees didn't come to work for two days amid a coronavirus outbreak there.

"For example, one certified nursing assistant of the 13 scheduled showed up to work at the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, which prompted Riverside University Health System and Kaiser Permanente to send a total of 33 licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses to care for the residents at the facility," according to the Riverside University Health System. "Staffing demands, however, require the patients be moved today."

PHOTO: Ambulance personnel get ready to evacuate patients from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside, Calif., April 8, 2020. (Chris Carlson/AP)

PHOTO: A patient is evacuated from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside, Calif., April 8, 2020. (Chris Carlson/AP)

There are 34 known cases of the coronavirus among residents and five cases among employee at the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, according to the Riverside University Health System.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Riverside County has reached 1,016. At least 28 people in the county have died.

10:30 a.m.: NYC's largest percentage of deaths is among Hispanics

In hard-hit New York City, preliminary data shows the largest percentage of coronavirus deaths is among Hispanics, which New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called "blatant inequality."

PHOTO: A patient is wheeled to a waiting ambulance outside Elmhurst Hospital Center, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)

Hispanics make up 34% of coronavirus deaths though they make up 29% of the city's population.

Further, African Americans make up 28% of coronavirus deaths, though they make up 22% of the city's population, the preliminary data shows.

Meanwhile, whites make up 27% of deaths and 32% of the population, and Asians make up 7% of deaths and 14% of the population.

The breakdown, with 63% reporting, was provided by New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

PHOTO: Medical workers are pictured inside a triage area at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York during the coronavirus pandemic, April 7, 2020. (John Nacion/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"When I saw this, it made me very angry," de Blasio said. "The disparities that have plagued this city, this nation, that are all about fundamental inequality, are once again causing such pain, and causing people, innocent people, to lose their lives ... it's troubling. It's wrong."

"We're gonna fight back with everything we got," he said.

The mayor said to confront disparities, the city is enacting initiatives including: grassroots outreach such as calling households and robocalls; PSAs focusing on zip codes with the highest positive cases; and PSAs published in 14 different languages.

SLIDESHOW: Coronavirus outbreak sparks global health emergency

De Blasio also said Wednesday there is an urgent need for surgical gowns. He said New York City has asked the federal government for over 9 million.

In better news, the mayor said the city received on Tuesday over 3 million surgical masks, more than 1 million N95 masks and 2 million surgical gloves.

And de Blasio said, "for the first time in awhile ... we will get through this week" in terms of ventilators.

The city has 5,500 ventilators available in hospitals, including 500 received from the state on Tuesday, he said. There are also 135 ventilators in an emergency reserve.

What to know about coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

8:20 a.m.: Spain announces plan to gradually ease lockdown measures

Spain reported another uptick in infections and fatalities from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.

The Spanish Ministry of Health recorded 757 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 14,555 -- a nearly 5.5% jump. There were also 6,180 new diagnosed cases, bringing the national tally to 146,690 -- a 4.4% increase.

PHOTO: Nurses look at the construction site of a field hospital outside the La Fe Hospital to admit patients suffering from the COVID-19 coronavirus in Valencia, Spain, April 5, 2020. (Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)

But that hasn't stopped the Spanish government from announcing plans to gradually lift the lockdown measures across the country. Spain's finance minister and government spokesperson, Maria Jesus Montero, said at a press conference Tuesday night that "citizens will be able to get back to their normal life" starting April 26.

On March 14, Spain formally declared a state of emergency and issued stay-at-home orders to combat the country's virus outbreak.

A group of experts are drawing up clear guidance for the ease of restrictions, which will be made readily accessible to the public and communicated by government officials.

7:18 a.m.: US may investigate WHO's handling of pandemic, official says

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, indicated Wednesday that the U.S. would investigate the World Health Organization's handling of the pandemic before deciding whether to withhold its funding to the United Nations' health agency.

"We've done that before with previous outbreaks and previous issues that have occurred at WHO," Birx told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview on "Good Morning America."

During a press briefing Tuesday, President Donald Trump blamed the WHO for getting "every aspect" of the novel coronavirus pandemic wrong and threatened to freeze American funding.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 7, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The Geneva-based international body started sounding the alarm over the outbreak in China in mid-January and then designated it a global health emergency on Jan. 30. On March 11, the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic after the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica.

"In the history of the United States and the World Health Organization, we have had times when we've done really in-depth analysis of what has happened. When the president said he was holding funds, he didn't say he was restricting and keeping funds permanently away, but instead said, let's investigate what happened," Birx said. "I think that the president wants to complete an investigation of what happened during this current outbreak."

"Believe me, they already have their continuation funds from last year," she added. "So this is a year-by-year commitment to the WHO, this is our required commitment. There's also voluntary commitments that we've made to the WHO through history, including over the last couple of years for HIV, malaria, TB, so a whole series of diseases."

The U.S. is, by far, the single largest financial contributor to the WHO.

PHOTO: Dr. Deborah Birx appears on 'Good Morning America,' April 8, 2020. (ABC News)

Birx said the White House coronavirus task force is currently concerned about the metro areas of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. potentially becoming the next hot spots of the country's outbreak.

"All of our previous areas seem to be steady at least," she added. "And then certainly we're looking very carefully at California and Washington [state] to really understand how they've been able as a community of Americans to mitigate so well."

Birx said they hope to roll out an antibody test "within the next 10 or 14 days" that can detect how many Americans have already had the virus but were asymptomatic.

"This makes a very big difference in really understanding who can go back to work and how they can go back to work," she said. "So all of those pieces need to come together over the next couple of weeks."

3 a.m.: China lifts lockdown in city where pandemic began

Chinese authorities have lifted a monthslong lockdown on Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus pandemic began.

PHOTO: A medical worker from China's Jilin province (center) hugs nurses after working together during the coronavirus outbreak before leaving as Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is reopened in Wuhan in China's Hubei province on April 8, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The very first cases of the novel coronavirus were detected in Wuhan back in December. The city of 11 million people went on lockdown on Jan. 23 in an effort to control the spread of the virus, the first in the world to do so.

PHOTO: This aerial photo taken early on April 8, 2020, shows cars queueing at a highway toll station in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province as they prepare to leave the city after authorities lifted a monthslong ban on outbound travel. (AFP via Getty Images)

The bulk of the Chinese mainland's nearly 82,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 3,300 deaths have been reported in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province. However, the strict travel restrictions in the city have been gradually eased in recent weeks as the number of new infections continuously declined.

The final restrictions on outbound travel were lifted Wednesday. Thousands of people streamed out of the city via car, train and plane.

PHOTO: People wearing face masks arrive at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan to take one of the first trains leaving the city in China's central Hubei province early on April 8, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

China's National Health Commission on Wednesday reported no new cases in Wuhan nor the greater Hubei province, though questions have been raised over the accuracy of China's figures.

ABC News' Mark Crudele, Aicha El Hammar, Aaron Katersky, Rachel Katz, Whitney Lloyd, Kelly McCarthy, Darren Reynolds, Sarah Shales, Joseph Simonetti, Christine Theodorou, J Gabriel Ware and Scott Withers contributed to this report.

New York curve flattens despite highest daily COVID-19 death toll, Cuomo says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, right, speaks beside U.S. President Donald Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Kevin Dietsch | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Banks are scrambling to process a growing backlog of applications for the U.S. program designed to funnel at least $350 billion in relief to small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Massive demand for the program in its first week has been met with several time-consuming bottlenecks at lenders and with the Small Business Administration portal the companies use to get loans approved. For instance, the two biggest U.S. banks, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, had a combined 625,000 in requests for $80 billion in loans as of Tuesday. But because the companies are relying on armies of employees to manually take in customers' information, verify loan amounts and input data into the SBA system, only a small fraction of that has actually been paid out so far, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan acknowledged that while his firm was the first major lender to begin accepting applications last week, it has contributed only a "modest amount" to the figure of completed deals. "We are beginning to process those through to the SBA," Moynihan said Tuesday during a White House briefing. To speed the process, "it will take an automated feed, which the SBA team is working hard to get set up because when this starts coming, it's coming with a lot of volume." The delays in accepting applications, processing them and disbursing money are heightening anxiety and confusion about the Paycheck Protection Program, a cornerstone of the Trump administration's $2 trillion response to the coronavirus crisis. It was designed to give small businesses a lifeline with government-backed loans that are forgiven if used for payroll or other approved expenses.

Hour to complete?

Big banks had just a few days to create digital portals for the loan program and are working on ways to automate the intake of customer data, vetting of applications including the sizes of loans and entry into the SBA's E-Tran portal. Once that occurs, it should drastically speed up the process. But the issues have been compounded by two major factors outside banks' control: Problems with the SBA's antiquated E-Tran system and waiting for technical language from the agency on promissory notes and authorization forms, according to industry sources. E-Tran was unavailable for most of Monday and even when it was online, operating it is slow and balky, according to several bankers at large and small institutions. The system, which handled $28 billion in loans all of last year, forces users to restart applications if they are off by a single letter. One bank said that a single application took well over an hour to complete. While the SBA has denied problems with E-Tran, an industry group took the rare step of publicly rebuking the administration's technology, saying in an April 4 letter to the Treasury and the SBA that "community bankers are frustrated with failed technology links and portals." On top of that, in the first days of the program, the SBA warned lenders that the system was generating erroneous forms: "Please do not close any loans using the current version of the loan authorization!" Some banks are using their own promissory notes, meaning they run the risk that the SBA could reject the loan for forgiveness, according to the people. Loans with built-in forgiveness are unusual, and banks are treading carefully. "We haven't gotten the promissory note and the authorization form," said one of the people. "It's not about banks being sticklers. If the SBA later says an 'I' is not dotted or a 'T' is not crossed, then the loan isn't eligible for forgiveness and the business owner might have to repay it."

Mountain of applications
The first inmate at one of New Jerseys federal prisons has tested positive for coronavirus, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

The agency said an inmate at Fort Dix federal correctional institution in Burlington County tested positive for the virus on April 7. There are nearly 3,000 inmates at the low-security federal prison.

One employee at the prison has also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the bureaus website.

It is unclear how many inmates or employees have been tested at Fort Dix or New Jerseys other federal prison, Fairton federal correctional institution, a medium-security facility in South Jersey where more than 1,000 individuals are incarcerated.

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many tests have been administered at the two correction facilities in New Jersey.

To mitigate the spread of coronavirus, federal prisons across the country instituted a lockdown period last week in which inmates are held in their cells  with limited exceptions  for 14 days. The bureau said the action was in response to a growing number of quarantine and isolation cases in their facilities.

So far, 241 federal inmates and 73 BOP staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 nationwide, according to the BOP. There have been eight federal inmate deaths, the agencys website says.

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CODE19 hackathon is being organized by Motwani Jadeja Foundation (MJF) and its think tank, The Motwani Institute for Thought Leadership in Innovation (MITLI) The outcome would be qualitative, open-source prototypes to help tackle various challenges

The battle against the Coronavirus is nothing short of war. The doctors on the frontline are battling the pandemic trying to save lives and find a cure for the disease. While the world observes social distancing to keep themselves safe, there is something you can do to help out! The Silicon-Valley-based Motwani Jadeja Foundation is bringing together the best minds in a 72-hour online hackathon called CODE19 to find solutions to Indias challenges against the Coronavirus outbreak. Digit is the media partner for the event. You can sign up for the hackathon here.

The contest begins on April 10, 2020 (Good Friday). It is expected to see over 3,000 participants across nationalities, ethnicities, and gender. Maintaining social distancing and working online from homes, the participants will collaborate with mentors, subject-matter specialists, data sources and a network of collaborators in the quest for solutions against COVID-19. The online hackathon is open to everyone as individuals and teams, without any criteria or age limit. Those wishing to participate can sign up on www.code19.in till 6 pm IST on April 10.

Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani, the entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who is the Founder of Motwani Jadeja Foundation said, Coronavirus is a huge health challenge facing India. Any new crisis requires a new set of ideas and mitigation strategies. Hence, it is our collective responsibility to put our heads together to come up with new ideas and solutions to fight the virus. CODE19 is a platform to bring such bright minds together. By harnessing the power of collaborative computer programming, it aims to create qualitative, open-source projects that would help solve the most pressing problems of the Coronavirus crisis in the country.

The focus of CODE19 is on developing solutions quickly and applying them in everyday life. The participants would be tasked with decoding the Coronavirus outbreak and its impact on India, encoding smart solutions to mitigate the impending Corona-inflicted challenges and winning prizes worth US$10,000 to realize their solutions. The ideas and innovations they create would readily be available for scaling and implementation across the country. She added.

Projects are divided into eight specific themes: Medical treatment and testing; Travel and Tourism; Mitigation - Isolation, protection/masks, and social distancing in India; Social life, welfare, and awareness; Research and development; Open innovation for COVID-19; Education and awareness; and Industry.

The participants would work on solutions through ideations, wireframes, designs, developments and testing the prototype they are creating. Mentors and guides will help them sharpen their product ideas and convert them to sure-shot successful products that will aid Indias fight against Coronavirus. Under the Open Innovation category, participants would be free to propose their own ideas, technologies and innovative solutions, bioinformatics, datasets, apps for diagnosis, and the likes, which can be leveraged for strengthening the fight against Coronavirus.

CODE19 will also have a few online sessions including talks with business leaders as well as Yoga and Meditation, to keep the participants inspired. Prize money worth US$ 10,000 is on offer for the winners. There will be public voting at the end of the event to assess the most exciting projects. The winners would be announced at 9 pm on April 14.
ON human flourishing: Parents should inculcate values to children as coronavirus takes toll AT this particular period and season when Africa is moving forward in various spheres of its development, and yearning to see, among many of its values, especially that of the family, firmly entrenched in our communities.

The pandemic coronavirus has brought many uncertainties and unknowns and no one can predict what will happen to the COVID-19 trajectory over the next weeks and months. At the global level, the world is shutting down.

Life is becoming complicated because massive restrictions are put on our lives, and I know in some places lockdowns is the order of the day. Let me focus more on school closures, travel restrictions and bans on mass gatherings. We are faced with an unprecedented social restrictions, sadly during peacetime.

This means that families, a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children are now coming together and staying at home.

By my pen today I wish to highlight the fact that family, being the first and major agency of socialisation, is among the most affected institution and needs to be considered as the world and especially Africa battles with the virus.

And the question about the state of our families today is not a new agenda. We all have some ideas and others know it well. Most families are in crisis. African countries, and evidently the world, is suffering from a disease many call it a failure of parentage.

Let me reiterate, we are not only faced with health and economic crises, but family crisis too. Unfortunately, this family crisis is the most unspoken matter since coronavirus begun to hit the world and continuing to weaken the fabric of families- going beyond to make international order dwindle.

But it is uplifting though to hear confirming voices from the public square, indicating that the problems are real especially regarding the indiscipline of children as something not only growing at an unprecedented rate, but severely affecting our predominantly young population.

Put it simply, the general conclusion is that parents, and in African context society, looks as if they have nosedived in their duty to guide and instruct effectively. This speaks of what has and continues to happen in our traditional forms of authority as far as raising of children is concerned.

What does this opinion mean to us today as Corona pandemic brings and keeps our children home? Well, it is time for parents to bear the burden of inculcating values to their children. This we propose because family being the first and major agency of socialisation has and will continue to have great influence and bearing on value inculcations.

But why worry about family? And why now when families have an opportunity to come together due to corona pandemic? Well, Brenda Almond in her book The Fragmenting Family gives us an important clue on family.

She writes; the family is and always has been the foundation of communities in which the cherishing of each individual can flourish. This is an important truth.

Similarly, Alexis de Tocqueville in his book Democracy in America, described the family as the first institution to teach habits of the heart and discourage the worst excesses of individualism by emphasizing responsibilities to others.

I see these observations as critical-implying that at this time the role of parents is bigger than expected, they have a lot to do, to mention a few, properly instruct, correct, rebuke, and support their children. We understand also that we have in our society, many dysfunctional family settings which are not known to be supportive family.

Some are good families which are able to act as a protective factor against any bad outcome. This is important to know because, each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children, said Charles Rozell Swindoll, an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher.

In a similar tune, M. Grundler, a researcher at Michigan University, aptly argues; The best inheritance a parent can give to his children is a few minutes of their time each day. For Charles Bradford Henry, an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th Governor of Oklahoma, combining parents and children, he strongly believes that families are the compass that guides us.

They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. In other words, most homes now should be busy setting pattern for the children attitude towards people and society. Parents are expected, through homes, to aid intellectual growth in their children and support their aspirations and good values.

But this is not as easy as it is spoken or written. It is complex and can be challenging because parenting skills are also a major concern. The worry is even bigger to some parents who, sadly and for a long time, for one reason or the other, decided to relegate their responsibilities to teachers and other authorities.

These must be struggling very much now. My column is not enough to wrestle with this subject called family. I am interested in families and their practices, that is what goes on inside them, notably for their high significance because however constituted, they are the focal point in which emotional and material needs are met for the majority of people.

This said however, I have taken the current state of affair when corona pandemic forcing our children to stay at home as an opportunity to challenge parents to remember that for now, and possibly for many more days and weeks to come, it is not teachers nor educational institutions who will take care of the their children but parents.

Time for society to inculcates values through its various institutions and tools is now limited.

So, while uncertainty and fear from the coronavirus epidemic is top of mind, yet we should not ignore the fact that parents, at family locale, have a major role to play at this corona pandemic era otherwise if they do not do so, I am afraid, in the end COVID-19 outbreak will highlight critical gaps in family preparedness on situations like this making a restart of schools and other society institutions more difficult. It is time for parents to wake up.

Cheers!

Dr Alfred Sebahene, PhD Social Ethics Specialist and Anti-Corruption Consultant St J ohns U niversity of Tanzania Dodoma, Tanzania Email Addresses: arsebahene2@ yahoo.co.uk, alfredsebahene@ gmail. com Mobile: 076 7 233 997
Cuttack District Collector



Bhabani Shankar Chaini, leading the fight against COVID-19 from the front, set a new benchmark of exemplary public service, as he decided not to take leave even after the death of his 98-year-old father.

The Cuttack Collectors father Damodar Chaini (98), also a former administrator died on Tuesday while his son was busy in making arrangements to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the millennium city and the rest of the district.

State government COVID-19 spokesman Subroto Bagchi hailed the Cuttack Collector and said that Chaini preferred public service even during the family tragedy.

The Cuttack District Collector has set a high benchmark of probity during the crisis period in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the state, Bagchi said.

Quoting Chaini, Bagchi said: "My father used to say that incomplete work is no work." His father's words were the driving force for Chaini to keep himself engaged in work to complete the task, the COVID-19 spokesman said.

"Deepest condolences to @CuttackDM who lost his father this morning. In an act of exemplary public service, Sri Bhabani Chayani continues to work without a single day leave during huge personal tragedy. #Odisha salutes his inspirational leadership @narendramodi#OdishaFightsCorona, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in his twitter post.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 39-year-old woman took Flight 701 from Doha, Qatar, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in late February, the final leg of her trip home to New York City from Iran.

A week later, on March 1, she tested positive for the coronavirus, the first confirmed case in New York City of an outbreak that had already devastated China and parts of Europe. The next day, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, appearing with Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference, promised that health investigators would track down every person on the womans flight. But no one did.

A day later, a lawyer from New Rochelle, a New York City suburb, tested positive for the virus  an alarming sign because he had not traveled to any affected country, suggesting community spread was already taking place.

Although city investigators had traced the lawyers whereabouts and connections to the most crowded corridors of Manhattan, the states efforts focused on the suburb, not the city, and Mr. de Blasio urged the public not to worry. Well tell you the second we think you should change your behavior, the mayor said on March 5.
Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Special Health Advisor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed worry about the overfocus on the COVID-19 pandemic to the detriment of other deadly sicknesses in the country claiming more lives faster than the global pandemic.



According to him, since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, it seems all attention have been given to the novel coronavirus but there are equally other diseases such as; hypertension, kidney disease, breast cancer, cholera, typhoid, pulmonary tuberculosis, HIV among others that are claiming lives at a faster rate.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service alluded to the fact that if care is not taken, due to the excessive attention given to the COVID-19, malaria and hypertension patients will be asked to go for the COVID-19 test before they are treated of their actual illnesses.



It is not only COVID-19 case we have at the hospitals. What worries me is that it seems all the attention has been given to the virus. If someone is suffering from malaria or hypertension and the person needs to be treated of such illness, you will be told to go for COVID-19 test before you are operated on, he bemoaned.



He reiterated that inasmuch as it is important to protect Ghanaians from the COVID-19, it is equally significant not to neglect other deadly diseases, stressing that the health workers must be made to work on other illness as well as the COVID-19 in order not to be taken by surprise.



He added that the government is on a discussion table with the health workers in order not to overly focus only on the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving other equally deadly illness to have a tow on the general public.



If we dont take care, those who are not supposed to die out of other illness may not survive by the time we are done with the COVID-19, he indicated.



To him, the whole world is talking about the COVID-19 due to its novelty, hence, the attention dedicated to it.

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.

Featured Video
Nokia Corp. NOK today communicated that its 5G-enabled, private wireless solution has been selected by PGE Systemy, a major Polish energy sector company. This follows the successful trial of a 450 MHz proof of concept (PoC) network in operation since April 2019. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the parties.



Nokia deployed more than 1,300 mission-critical networks with leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale and public sector segments worldwide. The Finnish company is committed toward transforming Polands communications infrastructure with more than 6,000 employees working in its R&D centers, developing state-of-the-art technologies including 4.9G and 5G.



The development marks an important first step in assessing the use of the 450 MHz band to support wide-area operations of energy distribution system operators across the country. The Polish Energy Ministry selected PGE Systemy to operate a 4.9G private wireless network on the 450 MHz band for critical and operational communications in its power grid.



PGE Systemy will use the PoC infrastructure to further develop its concept of a nationwide communications network. The final private wireless network will likely support 15,000 to 20,000 private radio users over LTE/4.9G as well as wireless connectivity for up to 14 million smart meters and 35,000 supervisory control and data acquisition connections.



Nokia has pioneered the private wireless space with many verticals and currently has more than 150 large enterprise customers deploying it globally. Its Bell Labs Future X for industries architecture provides a framework for enterprises to accelerate their automation journey to Industry 4.0. The companys PoC demonstrated that it will meet PGE Systemys needs in terms of coverage, service quality, resilience and long-term availability.



Prominent enterprises across industries are leveraging Nokias expertise in building some of the most advanced IP, optical and wireless networks. The company stands to benefit by offering further support for the digitization of the Polish electrical grid by PGE Systemy. Nokias network is known to be the top-quality of cellular systems for mission-critical and machine-to-machine communications in advanced applications.



Nokia is focused on its strategy that hinges on four priorities. The first priority is to lead in high-performance end-to-end networks with its communications service provider customers. The second priority is based on its relentless pursuit to expand network sales to select vertical markets. Building a strong standalone software business is the third strategic priority. The fourth pillar aims to create new business and licensing opportunities in the consumer ecosystem.



Nokia has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 18.9% compared with 15.6% of the industry. The stock has lost 35.5% compared with the industrys decline of 11.7% in the past six months.





Story continues





The company topped earnings estimates twice in the last four quarters and missed the same in the remaining two quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 87.5%, on average. Shares are currently trading with a forward P/E of 12.06X.



Nokia currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the industry include Viasat, Inc. VSAT, InterDigital, Inc. IDCC and Ubiquiti Inc. UI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Viasat has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 402%, on average.



InterDigital has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 62%, on average. The companys earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters.



Ubiquiti has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 5.7%, on average. The companys earnings surpassed the consensus estimate in two of the last four quarters.



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Students wearing face masks return to school in Bozhou in China's eastern Anhui province. (AFP via Getty Images)

China has reported no daily coronavirus deaths for the first time since it began publishing figures in January.

The countrys National Health Commission said there were 32 new confirmed cases, a drop from 39 on Monday.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 3,335 deaths in China, where the pandemic originated, and more than 82,600 cases of coronavirus, with over 77,300 recoveries.

On Monday, British MPs warned that China misled the world from the outset about the threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

All of the new cases reported on Tuesday were people who had returned to China from overseas.

Another 12 suspected cases, also from overseas, were being kept monitored, authorities said, along with an additional 30 asymptomatic cases.

Police officers patrol Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Monday (Getty Images)

China has 1,242 people who are confirmed cases and 1,033 asymptomatic cases under isolation.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

The number of asymptomatic cases has risen in China in recent days.

Meanwhile the number of daily new deaths has been in single digits for weeks, going as low as just one on a number of occasions.

Watch the video below

China has closed its borders to foreigners over fears they could spark a second wave of infections.

Airlines are only permitted to run one international flight per week and must not be more than 75% full.

There are plans to let people leave the city of Wuhan, where the pandemic originated, on Wednesday, for the first time since January.

Beijing continues to take strong measures in a bid to keep the virus at bay.

China and Russia have closed their land border and river port near Vladivostok following the discovery of 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Chinese citizens returning home via the crossing.

All Chinese citizens who arrive in the border region on board Russian domestic flights will be forced to undergo a 14-day quarantine, according to a notice posted on the website of the Chinese consulate in Vladivostok.

Story continues

Only those holding special passes will then be permitted to travel on the Russian side of the border area, the notice said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will continue to be closed to foreigners, extending the initial two-week entry restrictions on non-residents indefinitely.

Non-residents coming from overseas to Hong Kong by plane will be denied entry, and those coming from mainland China, Macao and Taiwan will be barred from entering if they have been overseas in the past 14 days.

The move to continue shutting out foreigners was announced by the government, and comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong rose to 915.

Hong Kong has seen a rise in the number of imported cases in the city, and its confirmed cases have more than doubled in the past two weeks.

Coronavirus: what happened today
Attorneys and law enforcement officials are suddenly grappling with questions like that one  if not precisely like that one  amid new regulations aimed at stopping the spread of covid-19. As governors and mayors issue stay-at-home orders and ban gatherings, law enforcement personnel are tasked with making sure citizens comply with unprecedented restrictions on their freedom of movement and, in some cases, their livelihoods, during a crisis unlike any most have ever experienced. And they are doing so in full knowledge that to enforce laws meant to keep people apart, they must come in close contact with would-be violators.
A nursing home resident who contracted Covid-19 asked Alexa for help before she died alone, recordings have revealed.

LouAnn Dagen, 66, lived at the Metron of Cedar Springs nursing home in Cedar Springs, Michigan, where 31 residents and staff tested positive for the virus.

Dagen repeatedly asked her Amazon Echo for help while in pain in the days before her death.

She passed away on Saturday shortly after being admitted to Mercy Health Saint Mary's emergency room in Grand Rapids.

In Michigan 849 people have died from coronavirus and 18,970 people have been infected.

LouAnn Dagen, 66, (pictured) lived at the Metron of Cedar Springs nursing home in Cedar Springs, Michigan, where 31 residents and staff tested positive for the virus

LouAnn and Penny pictured together. According to Penny, her sister had been short of breath early last week

Her sister Penny Dagen discovered the recordings after her death, WOOD-TV reported. She said there appeared to be around 40 recordings in the four days before she succumbed to the virus.

'I am in pain. I have to find a way to relieve it,' LouAnn Dagen told Alexa.

'Can you help me cope with pain?'

'Oh, Alexa, I'm going to hurt.'

She also asked the device: 'How do I get to the police?'

The smart assistant provided her directions to the nearest police station.

Metron of Cedar Springs nursing home in Cedar Springs, Michigan, where Dagen was residing before her death

According to Penny, her sister had been short of breath early last week.

When her oxygen level and blood pressure dropped on Saturday morning, she was taken to the ER at Mercy Health Saint Mary's.

She had lived in the nursing home for more than a decade after suffering a stroke and also had diabetes.

The nursing home had been giving her pain medication and put her on a saline solution in the days before she was hospitalized.

Penny added: 'They said she talked to the ambulance people all the way there, but when she got there, she went into convulsions,' Penny said.

She told the news outlet: 'The hospital called me right away and said that they put her on a respirator They asked me about giving her CPR if her heart stopped and I said, 'No, she didn't want that.'

'And then her heart stopped and that was it. A half hour after they called.'
The ongoing coronavirus crisis extends into various sectors - communication between the authorities, the press, and the public is one of them.

It remains undoubtedly laudable that the government continues to update the press in order to avoid the circulation of fake news that could potentially trigger panic.

Luxembourg's union of journalists (ALJP) nevertheless did not shy away from criticising what they perceived as a worrying tendency. According to the union, the government obstructs and/or controls the access to information. This "total control of information," as the union puts it, goes against the grain of democratic principles.

The union conceded that there are limits during the state of emergency - but argued that the government is trespassing these limits.

They added that journalists should not only be the deliverers of government press releases but also be allowed to do their own research. This freedom to investigate is currently impossible or being blocked, the union said.

ALJP press release
EDMONTON, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) announced today its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019. On behalf of its 30 Alberta-based pension, endowment and government fund clients, AIMCo earned a total fund return of 10.6%, net of all fees, representing approximately $11.5 billion in net investment income, with assets under management reaching $118.8 billion. The annualized total fund returns over four and ten years were 7.0% and 8.2%, respectively.

"As institutional investors we understand that even well-diversified portfolios are bound to deliver more favourable returns in some years compared to others," said Kevin Uebelein, Chief Executive Officer. "While over the long-term, we are proud that AIMCo has earned its clients strong value-added investment performance across all asset classes - beating the benchmark in ten of the past twelve years at the total fund level - we acknowledge that in the short-term we have not met our clients' expectations."

"Despite all asset classes earning strong absolute returns, some did not outperform their respective market benchmarks in 2019," added Chief Investment Officer Dale MacMaster. "Illiquid assets, for instance, which have consistently posted strong returns over the past few years, experienced more modest performance last year. On the public equities side, for active managers like AIMCo, it was a challenging year - the market was very narrow, with fewer stocks and fewer sectors exceeding their benchmarks. Remaining patient while being willing to innovate will ultimately serve our clients well, especially in this current investment climate."

For the one-year period ending December 31, 2019, AIMCo's total fund return is 0.5% below that of its benchmark. On a four- and ten-year basis, AIMCo continues to demonstrate strong value add, outperforming its benchmark by 0.5% and 0.8% for each period respectively.

While 2019 held its own challenges, 2020 is unparalleled with the global economic impact of COVID-19 and an oil price war causing virtually all asset values to be significantly repriced and investment markets to enter a period of sudden and unprecedented volatility. In extreme markets such as this one, where so many asset classes decline together, the typical benefits of portfolio diversification will be diminished in the short-term.

"Our team is responding decisively in an effort to protect our clients' liquidity and assets in the near- and medium-term, while still identifying longer-term investment opportunities that will come out of these challenging market circumstances." said Uebelein. "We know the impacts to their portfolios during these times of market uncertainty will be significant, and we are committed to accountability and full transparency to our clients as we navigate these conditions together."

Detailed performance information will be available in AIMCo's Annual Report to be released in June 2020.

ABOUT ALBERTA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (AIMCO)

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with $118.8 billion of assets under management, as at December 31, 2019. The organization's mandate is to maximize risk adjusted net investment returns in a manner responsive to the needs and expectations of its 30 Alberta-based pension, endowment, government, and specialty fund clients.

Balanced fund pension and endowment clients account for $100.0 billion of assets under management, and are most representative of AIMCo's overall performance, as they utilize the full range of the organization's asset and style capabilities. Government and specialty fund clients account for $18.8 billion of assets under management, and largely rely on AIMCo for its expertise in managing fixed income assets and for liquidity management. Established as a Crown corporation on January 1, 2008, AIMCo is operationally independent - operating on commercial principles and at arms length from the Government of Alberta - yet strategically aligned with the Province as shareholder. The organization is committed to the highest standards of corporate governance including an independent, highly-qualified and diverse Board of Directors that draws on global experience to provide meaningful guidance and oversight to the organization.

For more information please visit www.aimco.ca.

Media Contact: Denes Nemeth, Director, Corporate Communication, O: 780-392-3857, M: 780-932-4013, E: denes.nemeth@aimco.ca
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Editor's note: Laura Zheng, a copy editor at China.org.cn, describes life under lockdown in New Zealand amid the COVID-19 outbreak after returning for what was originally meant to be a three-week holiday.





During the Spring Festival, I came home to what was a seemingly typical summer in New Zealand. Kiwis were out and about celebrating the long hours of sunshine by sunbathing and swimming in the ocean, hiking through the forests, and chatting away in cafes and restaurants up and down the country.





When I first arrived home, family and friends naturally wanted to come to visit, but I told them to stay away since I needed to self-isolate for two weeks. They didn't understand and asked: "If you're sick, wouldn't you know?" or "If you aren't sick, wouldn't a few days be enough?" I wasn't required to, but I decided to self-isolate for the safety of those around me. During this time, my throat felt tickly and I had a headache, but, despite my trepidation and overthinking, they dissipated within a few days.





At first, life back home was like a drag. I just lay on the couch counting down the days until I could declare myself "a healthy human being." The 14th day slowly, but surely, arrived, and I was extremely relieved that I was in good health. Yet, I thought to myself, will it stay this way? I'd have to wait and see.





Shortly thereafter, Air New Zealand cancelled all direct flights to China, and I was left with no easy way to return to Beijing, where I work. Furthermore, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs temporarily suspended entry to China by all foreign nationals from March 28, 2020. As my trip home would become a little longer than expected, I ventured out to buy a few necessities. I hopped into my car and drove to different stores on a quest for face masks, disinfectants and food supplies. At this point, daily necessities were plentiful, so I just picked up a few items. However, I noticed that face masks and hand sanitizer were becoming scarcer as I spent the whole day driving around just to get my hands on some.





At this point, COVID-19 hadn't yet reached New Zealand's shores, but I warned family and friends not to go out to social places or dine out anyway. But most people weren't ready to give up their freedom just yet. They had heard about COVID-19 in other parts of the world, but for them, it was completely removed from their daily lives.





Unfortunately, things were about to change. On Feb. 28, New Zealand's first coronavirus case was confirmed, which resulted in people around the country flocking to supermarkets to stock up, emptying the shelves as if there was going to be a zombie apocalypse. Meanwhile, I was working from home, editing articles and transcripts from press conferences back in China over 6,400 miles away. I started recording voiceovers from my makeshift studio: climbing inside my wardrobe, and locking myself in the dark to get a crisp recording.





On March 25, life in New Zealand changed as we entered uncharted waters and the government declared a formal State of Emergency, which moved us to Alert Level 4 for the first time in history. All New Zealanders not working in essential services were required to self-isolate at home for four weeks, with people only allowed out to go for walks in local parks, get groceries and visit pharmacies for essentials.





New Zealand was predicted to see a considerable increase in cases around 10 days after the current lockdown was announced. Today is day 14 of the lockdown, so I have decided to make do with the supplies that I already have and get creative turning everyday household items into daily necessities since I won't be leaving the house.





My eating habits have changed during lockdown. I find myself getting excited for fruit to ripen on the trees in my back yard, so I can pick and enjoy them. However, I've also found myself having to compete with the birds for the best fruit  something I haven't ever done before.





Aside from my new companions, the birds, isolation feels isolating and I seem to have lost track of time. Last Saturday, I had no idea the week had already ended until I turned on my computer at 8:30 am to report for work and noticed it was the weekend.





I do find myself worrying though as I have family members who work in New Zealand's essential industries. When they come home, I help hose them down with disinfectant and sanitize all their gear, including their keys, phones and bags, before they head for the shower.





Even as life has changed dramatically for all Kiwis, it's great to see that New Zealand, as an island country, is putting in a collective effort to stay home and lower the risk for everyone. As the Maori saying goes, kia kaha, or, "stay strong."




Forty-one St. Helena High School drama students were treated to a very special class on March 30.

Not only were there two live student performances, but three alumni were on hand to share their insights about studying the performing arts at New York University, UC-Davis and Sacramento State University.

The final twist was that everything happened via videoconference. None of the students, alumni or teacher were in the same room.

Artists are trained to improve and be flexible and therefore we are adapting, Drama Director Patti Coyle said. Nothing will ever take the place of live theater or music, but in the meantime, you cant stop expressing yourself if youre an artist.

Coyles weekly Video Drama class is one example of how St. Helena teachers are using technology to navigate the uncharted territory of remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

I can walk into a classroom any day and teach a lesson, said St. Helena High School history teacher Evan Blasingame. But having to do this online thing definitely is a challenge.

Teachers are using applications like Google Meet, Google Hangout, Flipgrid and PowerSchool to teach remotely for the remainder of the school year. With the St. Helena Primary School passing out iPads to parents last week, each student now has a device: iPads at the primary school, Chromebooks at the elementary and middle schools, and laptops at the high school.

At the beginning of next week, the school district will pass out Wi-Fi hotspots to the handful of kids who lack Internet access at home, said Superintendent Marylou Wilson. For a few students who live in remote areas, the district might have to provide satellite Internet service instead.

Two of the teachers interviewed for this article last week later retracted their comments after being told to refer the Stars questions about remote learning to Wilson and St. Helena Teachers Association President Brandon Farrell.

Wilson said the district is working through complex issues that never arose before the COVID-19 crisis, from securing permission to record class videoconferences to enabling parents  not just principals  to monitor inappropriate use of school-issued devices.

Our staff is so amazing, Wilson said. Everyone from a custodian to a teacher to a secretary or principal or the tech guys  theyre getting it all figured out.

Farrell praised teachers for thinking outside the box and adapting to a difficult, fast-changing situation.

Im sure there are hiccups along the way, but I know that our staff and community are really adaptable, he said. We all want to do whats right for our kids.

Let families be families

Some assignments lend themselves well to online learning, like students in Blasingames class who are perusing digitally archived St. Helena Stars to develop a historical snapshot of a particular year.

The school districts 1:1 student-to-device ratio has made it easier to adapt to remote learning, said RLS Middle School history teacher Jennifer Marinace. For example, students and teachers were already using Google Docs, with separate folders for each class.

They can put documents in there and we can push documents out to them, Marinace said. We already know how to do that. Thats made this easier for us compared with schools (without 1:1 computing) that are now facing a steeper learning curve.

The students who are most diligent about completing their online assignments tend to be the same ones who are most diligent about doing their work in class, teachers say. But educators are also considering each students unique situation at home.

This is such an all-encompassing crisis that we have to let families be families, said Farrell.

At the primary school, that means scheduling student-teacher check-ins for a time thats convenient to parents who might be working or taking care of other children, said St. Helena Primary School Principal Tamara Sanguinetti.

Must-dos and may-dos

Were sending out work packets and a calendar that has must-dos and may-dos, Sanguinetti said. Because we dont want parents to be overwhelmed.

Must-dos include exercises in reading, writing, math and physical education. May-do lessons could involve Spanish, music and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math).

At some grade levels, teachers are using spreadsheets to track whos completing all of their assignments, whos cherry-picking their favorite subjects, and who hasnt checked in at all.

If students arent completing their assignments, teachers will call them on the phone not with a critical message at all, but more to check in, make sure everythings OK, and see if they need anything, Marinace said.

Were very aware that some families are struggling financially right now, she said. There are kids who are taking care of their siblings. So were not pressuring kids into doing their work. Wed like kids to stay engaged in schoolwork and keep their minds active, but we also know thats not going to work for everybody.

The school district has done away with letter grades for grades 8 and below. But even at the high school where letter grades are still being issued, teachers are sensitive to each familys situation.

The priority is that people are staying safe and healthy and taking care of themselves, Blasingame said. If we can continue their education on top of that, great.

No Wi-Fi at home

The district is also accommodating the small handful of students who lack Internet access at home. Wilson said 4.4% of the districts roughly 1,000 students lack Internet service.

Normally those kids could go to the public library or the coffee shop or just stay after school to get their work done online. Now they cant do that, Marinace said, praising the district for working really hard to find a solution for those students.

Prior to spring break this week, teachers were producing paper assignments for students who lack Internet access. Marinace said converting online lessons to paper takes a significant amount of time and makes it harder to incorporate multimedia elements like video clips and online quizzes.

Many students need extra clarification even after receiving the paper assignment, Marinace added. Shes offering online office hours and calling families to check in with her students and make sure they understand their assignments.

The Flipgrid app allows teachers to record their lessons and students to record their responses and questions. Screencasting allows students to see the teachers computer screen in real time. But even the best technology cant quite replicate the social experience of learning how to act in a classroom setting.

Kids crave interaction

Thats why social and behavioral lessons  such as what to do when youre feeling frustrated  are considered must-dos at the primary school.

Its hard because kids crave that interaction, but it really is dependent on when their parents have time to do it, Sanguinetti said.

Face-to-face interaction is crucial at the primary school, where teachers use their own observations rather than standardized tests to assess each students progress, Sanguinetti said.

Providing that level of personalized education is especially important  and, at this time, very difficult  when it comes to the districts special education population.

Special ed isnt designed for remote learning. Its a hands-on, person-to-person instructional methodology, said Peter McCauley, a special education teacher at St. Helena Elementary School.

McCauley works with students who have a range of needs, from those who need a little bit of help outside class to those with severe cognitive and physical disabilities.

Im going to use whatever tool I can use, even if thats just phone calls several times a week to parents and kids, McCauley said. The students have their Chromebooks at home, and all of my students have iPads, so Im trying to get the kids and their parents to use those tools. But I have to say it hasnt been very successful yet.

Students with autism crave a highly structured learning environment thats hard to replicate at home. McCauley worked with one mother to develop a schedule and keep her child motivated.

Mom has been pretty successful with that, he said. And then there are other parents who say, Its hard unless Im right there next to them. And I tell them thats true during the school day too.

On the other hand, students revel in using videoconferences to reconnect with their classmates and teachers.

Marinace held her first Google Hangout last week. After shed checked in with her students and answered their questions about the assignment, a group of kids clearly wanted to stay online and socialize.

I got an email from one of the moms afterward saying she hadnt seen her child this happy in the past two weeks, Marinace said. He was so happy to have that personal connection.

The students like being together and I like being with my students, Blasingame said. Thats been the hardest part of this. Were not really learning together like we would be in the classroom, but were doing the best we can.

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 Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.

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Private lender HDFC Bank on Wednesday said the RBI has asked it to examine and submit the proposal regarding two crucial appointments only after a new CEO assumes charge later this year.

On November 28, 2019, the Mumbai-headquartered lender had informed the stock exchanges about appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan and Bhavesh Zaveri by the Board of Directors each as Additional Director and Executive Director (Whole-Time Director) of the bank, subject to the approval of the Reserve Bank of India and the shareholders.

"We are now in receipt of a communication dated April 7, 2020 from Reserve Bank of India stating that since these are important positions in the Bank, the Bank is advised to examine and submit the proposal after a new MD and CEO assumes charge later this year," HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing.

The bank will accordingly ensure compliance with Reserve Bank's instruction, it added.

Sashidhar Jagdishan and Bhavesh Zaveri shall continue as additional directors on the board of the bank till the ensuing Annual General Meeting, in terms of the relevant provisions of Companies Act, 2013, it added.

Bank's long-time MD and CEO Aditya Puri is set to retire in October this year as he would turn 70, in accordance with the RBI guidelines on age limit.

The lender had in November informed about launching a global hunt to find a successor to the founding-chief executive.

HDFC Bank scrip closed at Rs 888.95 apiece on the BSE, down 0.83 per cent from previous close.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gumare  Okavango DHMT has tested 17 people suspected of corona virus infection in Gumare. They passed day 10 of quarantine today.

Chief medical officer at Gumare Primary Hospital, Dr Bokwena Moali said in an interview that after testing, their clients would wait for the results while in quarantine.

"The turnaround time for the results is supposed to be 48 hours," she said. On another issue, Dr Moali said three suspected cases tested negative to corona virus in Gunotsoga, with results having been received yesterday.

"The three have been in self isolation at Jumbo Junction lodge in Gunotsoga since March 20 and they never interacted with other people. We decided not to extract them to our designated isolation centers because they were stable," said Dr Moali.

Dr Moali also said the DHMT continued to receive clients from Namibia through Mohembo border post, adding that 31 people were quarantined in Gumare.

Meanwhile, Okavango Sub-district deputy district commissioner, Mr Thabang Waloka expressed concern over the rate at which people demanded permits to attend to their fields.

He also said high levels of peoples' movement within the streets of Gumare was worrisome, hence implored people to stay home.

Mr Waloka expressed concern about some people who entered the country through ungazzetted points from Namibia, noting that such behavior was a risk and could easily spread COVID-19 pandemic.

Source : BOPA
[April 08, 2020] All-in-one COVID-19 Outbreak Tracker and Statistics

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A CSR Initiative by The Archipelago Group -- ARCare (www.arcare.co) is a platform that provides real time information on the COVID-19 outbreak updates. It is equipped with respective ASEAN country Health Ministry's guidance and information plus incorporating a "self-triage" assessment whereby registered users may check to see if they're in the safe or yellow or red zone. The unique features of ARCare are : Available in all ASEAN languages. All-in-one real time COVID-19 ASEAN /worldwide outbreak tracker and statistics. Includes ASEAN country's MOH guidance and information for list of hospitals, emergency contacts, emails and safety charts. Up to 15 newsfeeds and data analyses APIs from reputable sourcesworldwide. A personal "self-triage" and a predictive chart if the pandemic is not curtailed. Updated with new features regularly. Mobile & PC friendly



Ian Lim , Group Chief Executive of The Archipelago Group said, "My team and I created this URL/free site as a corporate social responsibility initiative to serve the global community at a challenging times like this. Additionally, we hope it will serve as a one stop COVID-19 data monitoring page so the community has seamless access to information at their fingertips. The data is accessible by clicking on www.arcare.co to find out the latest updates and happenings from around the world. It provides information and knowledge on being preparing, protecting our community, loved ones and working together in curtailing this pandemic.

ARCare is a CSR initiative by The Archipelago Group (TAG) and co-originated/partnered with Bamboo Wellness Ecosystem. About The Archipelago Group The Archipelago Group is a multi-line Labuan Midshore Direct Underwriter offering general, life, general or life protected cell captives and captive management services for both Conventional and Takaful risks. The Archipelago Group is a Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) registered and licensed insurance group with its co-located office in Kuala Lumpur. It operates within the Labuan International Business and Financial Centre regulated framework and is a member of Labuan International Insurance Association (LIIA). The Group provides a unique brand of bespoke and personalised insurance financial solutions across Asia. SOURCE ARCare

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Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader of Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has disclosed that parliament has been recalled for sitting in the House today, Wednesday.



According to him, just as the Speaker adjourned sitting sine die, they may occasionally be recalled to parliament to discuss issues of national interest, especially on the COVID-19 pandemic.



Parliament was adjourned sine die by Speaker Mike Ocquaye last Saturday, 4th April, 2020.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that the recall was necessitated by a contingency fund which was proposed by the government.



The Finance Minister impressed on parliament to cap the stabilization fund and the money which was received from the capping was put into the contingency fund which could be used in the COVID-19 fight.



"So the Finance Minister is appearing before parliament today to seek the approval of the House on the disbursement of funds in the contingency fund for COVID-19," he said.



He added that its a day sitting, however, if the need is that members of the House should be recalled again to the House for further discussions, they will be invited to do so.



The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye on Saturday suspended the sittings of Parliament.



According to the Speaker, the House was suspended because most of the businesses which needed to be attended to by the Order Paper were not ready.



The House resumed sitting in the afternoon to approve a number loan agreements and suspended again awaiting the arrival of the Speaker to come and ostensibly announce the adjournment.



When the Speaker assumed his seat he said, Honourable members, we are suspending on this day and this honourable House will stand suspended until the Speaker, in consultation with the leadership of the House deem it fit to ask the House to resume sittings.





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notification on tracing visitors to a number of places in Hanoi and the northern province of Vinh Phuc who might have come into contact with a patient of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The patient, identified as Vietnams 243rd case, is a 47-year-old man from Me Linh District in Hanoi.

He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 6.

The man had been to many places in Hanoi and Vinh Phuc and come into interaction with many people before his hospitalization.

According to the health ministry, patient No. 243 had visited Quang Ba Market on Au Co Street in Hanois Tay Ho District many times between March 8 and 27.

Specifically, he was at the market in the small hours of March 8, 14, 22, 23, 25, 26, and 27.

He visited the Clinic of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Bach Mai Hospital in Dong Da District on the morning of March 12.

Between 10:30 am and 11:00 am on the same day, he had lunch at an eatery at 75/31 Giai Phong Street in the same district.

He was also at Me Linh Flower Market on National Highway 23 in Me Linh District on March 12, 15, 18, 22, 26, 27, and 30, mostly in the late morning and afternoon.

The patient went to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Phuc Yen General Hospital on Xuan Thuy Street in Phuc Yen Town, Vinh Phuc at 8:00 am on April 4.

The man also visited Hanoi Obstetrics Hospital at 929 La Thanh Street in Hanois Ba Dinh District at 11:00 am on April 4.

The health ministry requested that visitors to the places during the mentioned time frames immediately contact local centers for disease control for guidance on health monitoring and to have their health checked.

At least three people related to this patient have tested positive for the novel coronavirus for the first time.

With 10,873 residents, Ha Loi Village, where the patient lives, has been fenced off for 14 days since Tuesday evening.

Vietnam has so far reported 251 cases of coronavirus infections, with 126 having recovered.

No death related to the disease has been recorded in the country.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
While Queen Elizabeth II stole the hearts of millions of people during her historic televised nation's address, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reportedly transferred to Intensive Care United (ICU) in London hospital after contracting the coronavirus.

Now, the Buckingham Palace has released a statement saying that the Queen sent Johnson and her pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds a thoughtful message, wishing for their "speedy recovery."

"Earlier today The Queen sent a message to Carrie Symonds and the Johnson family," the Firm mentioned in a statement. "Her Majesty said they were in her thoughts and that she wished the Prime Minister a full and speedy recovery."

As advised by his medical team, PM Johson was moved to the ICU at St. Thomas' Hospital due to his worsening condition.

Downing Street also mentioned that he is now "stable" and remains in "good spirits." However, the Prime Minister is still in the ICU "for close monitoring."

Earlier this week, it was reported that the 55-year-old head of the British government was receiving standard oxygen treatment and was breathing without any assistance -- meaning he does not require ventilators.

The Queen Being "Updated Hourly"

Moreover, the longest-reigning monarch was said to be "being updated hourly" with PM Johnson's health condition.

"She has been updated hourly on his condition and has asked to be told details of his condition on an hourly basis while she self-isolates at Windsor Castle," British media correspondent Neil Sean told Fox News.

"She has also offered her own personal medical team to be on hand if required or requested."

Prince William Reacts

Another senior royal also sent Johnson a personal message after he was transferred to the ICU.

The Duke of Cambridge posted a rare personal Tweet via their official account @KensingtonRoyal wishing him for a "speedy recovery."

"Our thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family, who like so many in the UK and around the world are affected by coronavirus. We wish him a speedy recovery at this difficult time," Prince William wrote as he ends his post signed with "W."

U.K Prime Minister And Prince Charles' Encounter with Coronavirus

The 55-year-old PM and former journalist was said to be the first major world leader who tested positive for COVID-19.

With this, the Buckingham Palace immediately released a statement saying that the Queen last saw Johnson "on the 11th March."

Queen Elizabeth II was also pictured speaking on the telephone with the British leader as she held her regular weekly Audience remotely.

PM Johnson's diagnosis came shortly after Prince Charles was tested positive after displaying mild symptoms of the dreaded virus.

After a week of treatment in his Birkhall home in Scotland, the heir to the throne was already out of self-isolation and is now "in good health."
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which runs temples in southern India including Keralas Sabarimala shrine, has informed its 3,500-odd employees that there could be a possible salary cut even as it plans to accept online offerings to overcome a shortage of funds amid the national lockdown imposed to check the coronavirus pandemic. It is deploying a skeleton staff for performing important rituals at the shrine for the purpose.

At Sabarimala, we do have a system for online offerings in a small way. We are planning to diversify it in a big way. For some of the offerings, a devotees presence is a must but for others including archana, ganapati homam, and neeranjanam, offerings can be made from anywhere. So, we are planning a campaign to popularise this, said TDB president N Vasu. He said they have alerted the employees that they may have to forego at least one-month salary. Earlier the government used to come to our rescue but now we cannot turn to it, said Vasu.

The TDB has made an announcement about online offerings on its website and plans to issue advertisements in this regard in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana, where Sabarimala temple gets the bulk of its devotees from.

The Sabrimala Temple was closed after monthly puja on March 18 days before the lockdown was imposed on March 25. At least 14,000 devotees trekked to the hill shrine in Pathanamthitta district despite the government and TDBs warnings against large gatherings at the temple in view of the pandemic, according to reports. The TDB later cancelled a 10-day temple festival that was scheduled in March end and Vishu festival celebrations on April 14. A large number of devotees flock to the hill temple on these two occasions.

Kerala reported the first Covid-19 case in the country in January and Pathanamthitta collector PB Nooh had warned the government against opening the temple for the two events.

Vasu said even after the lockdown is lifted, it will be difficult for them to allow devotees without any restrictions. We have to take drastic measures to regulate their numbers and flow. During Vishu festival also only rituals will be there, said Vasu. He added the TDB needs to popularise the online offering to restrict the number of pilgrims.

During the last annual pilgrimage season from October to January, the Sabarimala temple earned a revenue of Rs 263. 57 crore, according to the TDB.

TDB officials said the board has donated 1 crore to the chief ministers relief fund for the fight against the pandemic despite the cash crunch. We will be missing two major festivals in Sabarimala. So we are not in a position to offer anything more.

Sabarimala is among the richest temples in the country.

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From first bagging Delhi Polices social media account to handling big brands like Tata Sky Broadband, Club Mahindra, D2C brands for Marico, Kotak Mutual Fund and many more, Hyper Connect Asia has come a long way since its debut in 2018. It founders Ankur Pujari and Kiran Khadke like to define Hyper Connect as a strategy-led agency for the digital age. With offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Singapore, the agency specialises in offering brands an array of services in the field of business consulting, brand strategy, digital and social marketing, data analytics, D2C brand stewardship etc. The duo speaks to exchange4media about what pushed them to launch their own business, they also share how agencies can best manoeuvre through the COVID-19 crisis.

Before launching Hyper Connect, explains Pujari, a solid exposure, in their individual capacities, at various big agencies is what helped them successfully kick-start their entrepreneurial journey, So, what differentiates us is that we bring in that entrepreneurial approach, and also strategy, creative and data analytics to solve some of the brand's challenges, or realizing their brand ambitions," he adds.

Close to 3 and a half years ago, the two felt there was a vacuum that an agency they conceived of could fill and they jumped to it. We felt that the media landscape was changing and we saw a sweet spot in terms of an agency that can bring in strategic thinking for the digital age because a lot of digital agencies that grew were predominantly media-driven or on social media and on the other side were large ATL agencies that sort of get the brand and the entire strategy sacred to themselves, says Pujari.

Their first big breakthrough came in the form of managing Delhi Polices social media, which to their delight, went on into reverse integration. I mean, usually, digital agencies don't get to work on ATL pieces, but then because of some of the interesting campaigns which we brought onto their social platforms, they also asked us to create radios ads. Says Pujari. Hyper Connect then successfully went onto to creating more campaigns for Delhi Police and the rest, as they say, is history. Since then, the agency has bagged work from Club Mahindra, Tata Sky Broadband, Kotak Mutual Funds Mr SIP campaign, which was a large ATL-led campaign along with extensive digital work.

Kiran Khadke shares that they are now working on a really broad spectrum of clients. He explains, We are also working with Marico to build their first D2C brand in the male grooming space. This is first effort Marico is making to get into that space and we are helping them build the brand. Pujari adds, Rather, it is the first effort by any organized FMCG player to come up and build a direct to consumer brand from the ground up. And again, the sort of expertise that we bring in is how do we get strategy at the core and this is all led by hard-core data analytics, how data drives decisions and how content is driving commerce for Marico.

Explaining what differentiates them from the rest, Khadke says When we started off, we wanted to have the right mix of brand strategy, business understanding with an entrepreneurial approach and applied to the new medium. It is evident in our work from the past two to three years

While the Coronavirus crisis has played havoc with big agencies, mid-sized companies like Hyper Connect too are feeling the pinch. Says Pujari, The impact is definitely there. Suddenly brands have become cautious or there is a pause button at the moment in their spends because everybody wants to wait and watch.

However, on a positive note, he adds, I think this has given us time to sort of pause, breathe and think on strategy. Again, being a strategy-lead agency, I think it helps us because, with all these brands, we are actually thinking on the lines of: 'Once normalcy returns, there is definitely going to be a spike in terms of consumption.' So how do we plan? How do we sort of align the brand? How do we align the performance bit? How do we align the media bit? We are working on a couple of very interesting briefs with Marico, and Kotak Mutual Funds, so once things start opening up, I think, we should be in a position to accelerate from there.



Given the nature of the digital medium, should brands then consider moving to it under the present circumstances? Certain categories were already moving fast towards digital. This will have another reassurance that yes, we need to move faster towards digital, believes Pujari.

Echoing a similar sentiment Khadke says that digital offers you a lot of flexibility unlike its traditional counterparts, I think digital will be far more agile and far more effective in these times. Not only for the reasons of cost, according to me, is digital no more an affordable medium. Today, nothing is organic on digital. Look at any platform. It does not work unless you put the media behind it. I do think it is a more effective and more flexible medium in these times.



As far as recovery for the sector is concerned they believe it could take some time for businesses to limp back, I think in an optimistic scenario it should pick up in the second quarter. Shares Pujari.

Khadke adds, I would actually break this down into two aspects. First is the media part. How much will people put into media? And the other is strategic thinking and creation of work. Even if this gets over say in a month from now, we all know that the consequences are for at least six months for everything to realign. So what is going to happen is that people will not immediately start spending on media or do campaigns but there is going to be a lot of thinking, lot of strategic work, lot of execution that will happen to prepare the brands for the next one year.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
In a bid to provide further relief to states amid the coronavirus outbreak, the finance ministry has released about Rs 34,000 crore in two phases to states as compensation for their revenue loss in the goods and services tax (GST) regime

New Delhi: In a bid to provide further relief to states amid the coronavirus outbreak, the finance ministry has released about Rs 34,000 crore in two phases to states as compensation for their revenue loss in the goods and services tax (GST) regime.

With the release of Rs 14,103 crore to states on Tuesday, the Centre has paid a total of Rs 34,053 crore pending GST compensation cess for October and November, sources said.

The first tranche of Rs 19,950 crore for the period was already paid on 17 February.

According to sources, the finance ministry is also looking at the pending dues of states for December and January which could be released soon in phases.

The government has released close to Rs 1.35 lakh crore to states and union territories towards GST compensation cess.

Under GST law, states were guaranteed to be paid for any loss of revenue in the first five years of the GST implementation, which came into force from July 1, 2017.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak

The shortfall is calculated assuming a 14 percent annual growth in GST collections by states over the base year of 2015-16.

Under the GST structure, taxes are levied under 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent slabs. On top of the highest tax slab, a cess is levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods and the proceeds from the same are used to compensate states for any revenue loss.

The Centre has, so far, released about Rs 2.45 lakh crore as GST compensation to states since the implementation of GST on 1 July, 2017.

During July 2017-March 2018, Rs 48,785 crore was released, while between April 2018-March 2019, Rs 81,141 crore was paid to states. For April-May and June-July last year, Rs 17,789 crore and Rs 27,956 crore were released. Further, Rs 35,298 crore was paid to states as compensation for August-September and Rs 34,053 crore for October-November 2019.

GST collections in March slipped below the psychological Rs 1-lakh crore mark for the first time in four months to Rs 97,597 crore as the COVID-19 lockdown that shut most businesses compounded tax collections in an already sluggish economy.

GST mop-up in March recorded a 8.4 percent decline over March 2019 collection of Rs 1.06 lakh crore. The collections were lower on account of dip in revenues from domestic transactions as well as imports.

In the last four months -- November 2019-February 2020 -- GST collection surpassed the Rs 1-lakh crore mark. In February, mop-up was Rs 1.05 lakh crore, January (Rs 1.10 lakh crore), December (Rs 1.03 lakh crore) and November (Rs 1.03 lakh crore).
A U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Texas could enforce limits on the ability of women to obtain abortions as part of the state's policy requiring postponement of non-urgent medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.

A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Texas on a 2-1 vote, writing that constitutional rights such as access to a termination could be overruled if there is an emergency public health measure in place.

In March, an emergency order issued by the state's Republican governor Greg Abbott halted abortions if they were not 'medically necessary  to preserve the life of a patient', deeming terminations as 'non-essential' medical procedures in order to conserve hospital resources amid the pandemic.

Texas was sued for the measure by abortion providers but the lawsuit was thrown out Tuesday.

Scroll down for video

Texas Gov Greg Abbott (pictured in March) has barred 'any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of a mother' amid the coronavirus outbreak

Texas-based nonprofit Whole Woman's Health was among the groups who sued to block the Texas policy after clinics said they were forced to cancel hundreds of appointments

Abortion rights demonstrators including Jaylene Solache, of Dallas, Texas, right, rally on March 4 outside the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. On Tuesday, an appeals court ruled that Texas can continue restricting abortions through the coronavirus pandemic

Failure to comply with the order can result in penalties of up to $1,000 or 180 days of jail time, officials said. Clinics like Planned Parenthood (file image, in Houston) sued Texas over the policy but the lawsuit was thrown out of the 5th Court of Appeals on Tuesday

The state says abortion providers are covered under a provision requiring postponement of non-urgent medical procedures as healthcare providers focus on battling COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

Abortion providers including Whole Woman's Health and Planned Parenthood sued to block the Texas policy after clinics said they were forced to cancel hundreds of appointments for abortions across the state.

They note that abortions are time-sensitive, with Texas banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization.

If a woman was not able to acquire a termination in the state, she could have to travel between 12 miles and 243 miles to find the nearest abortion provider, The Hill reports.

The restrictions violate the right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the abortion providers argued.

The suspension on abortions was initially halted by a Austin-based District Judge Lee Yeakel a week later, who argued that the measure could amount to an 'outright ban' on a woman's ability to acquire a termination in the state.

The appeals court had earlier put the district judge's ruling on hold before siding with Texas on Tuesday.

Writing for the majority in the Texas case, Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan faulted District Judge Yeakel on several counts, saying he had 'usurped the state's authority to craft emergency health measures'.

Duncan, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President Donald Trump, concluded that the state must prevail 'given the extraordinary nature of these errors, the escalating spread of COVID-19 and the state's critical interest in protecting the public health'.

Bush appointee Jennifer Elrod also sided with Texas while Judge James Dennis, a Clinton appointee, dissented.

Bush appointee Jennifer Elrod and Trump appointee Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan sided with Texas as the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state could continue to restrict abortions throughout the coronavirus pandemic to save resources for COVID-19 patients

Judge James Dennis slammed the majority's decision saying that the restriction 'inflicts further panic and fear on women in Texas by depriving them ... of their constitutional rights'

Yeakel had ruled that Paxton's action 'prevents Texas women from exercising what the Supreme Court has declared is their fundamental constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is viable'.

Yet the appeals court majority pointed to a 1905 Supreme Court ruling that held that constitutional rights can be lawfully restricted when emergency public health measures are in place.

'That settled rule allows the state to restrict, for example, one's right to peaceably assemble, to publicly worship, to travel, and even to leave one's home,' the majority wrote.

'The right to abortion is no exception.'

In his dissent, appeals court judge Dennis blasted the decision.

'In a time where panic and fear already consume our daily lives, the majority's opinion inflicts further panic and fear on women in Texas by depriving them, without justification, of their constitutional rights, exposing them to the risks of continuing an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the risks of traveling to other states in search of time-sensitive medical care,' he wrote.

After Tuesday's ruling, Aimee Arrambide, executive director of the Texas chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League, accused officials of playing politics in the middle of a pandemic.

'Texans know abortion is a time-sensitive procedure that can not be delayed without profound consequences and Texans will remember that when they needed help during a pandemic, their state leaders were too busy politicizing and banning abortion care,' she said.

Abortion providers that challenge the state's order could now turn to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority.

'This is not the last word. We will take every legal action necessary to fight this abuse of emergency powers,' said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, an abortion rights group representing clinics in the case.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the ruling, however.

'Governor Abbot's order ensures that hospital beds remain available for coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis,' Paxton said in a statement.

Texas and other states that previously pursued abortion restrictions have sought to crack down on their availability during the pandemic, prompting a series of court battles.

Court decisions in two U.S. states Monday allowed abortions to continue after the procedure was caught in the crosshairs of governors' orders suspending all non-essential elective surgeries due to the new coronavirus.

The decisions in Ohio and Oklahoma responded to challenges by abortion rights groups.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to hear an appeal by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost seeking to reverse a judge's temporary restraining order allowing abortion facilities in the state to continue performing surgical abortions.

In Oklahoma, a judge issued a similar temporary restraining order against Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt's order, allowing clinics there to resume providing medication abortions and procedures for patients who otherwise would see their pregnancies push gestational limits after which abortion is illegal.

Stephanie Ranade Krider, vice president of Ohio Right to Life, the state's oldest and largest anti-abortion organization, said foes of the procedures were grateful to Yost for trying to hold abortion providers accountable.

Her organization and others had criticized clinics for carrying on with abortions that can require the use of personal protective equipment that's in intense demand to fight COVID-19.

'The abortion industry ought not interpret this as a loophole to continue ending innocent lives, push abortion on demand, and proceed with business as usual,' Krider said in a statement.

The courts have mostly sided with the clinics, however, finding that women still have a constitutional right to an abortion even during a global health pandemic.

Northrup, who with the Center for Reproductive Rights has successfully sued Oklahoma several times over restrictions on abortion and represented the abortion providers in the current lawsuit, praised the ruling.

'The court has stopped Governor Stitt from exploiting this devastating pandemic as a weapon in his battle to ban abortion,' she said in a statement. 'Abortion is time-sensitive, essential healthcare. Women in Oklahoma are again able, for the time being, to access abortion care in their state at a time when travel is even more challenging.'

Stitt's office did not immediately return phone calls for comment on the ruling.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a statement that the state will appeal to the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

'I am very disappointed by the courts judicial override of Oklahomas response to the COVID-19 pandemic instead of deferring to the states duly elected officials discernment,' Hunter said in the statement. 'We all are making adjustments to help save thousands of lives - abortion providers should be no different.'

Governors across the country have issued executive orders halting nonessential medical surgeries to free up hospitals, and Republicans have said abortions should be included under those mandates.
[April 08, 2020] Co-Chief Operating Officer Neil Masterson to Leave Thomson Reuters

TORONTO, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ -- Thomson Reuters (TSX / NYSE: TRI) today announced that Neil Masterson, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Operations & Enablement, will leave the company on July 31, 2020. "We thank Neil for his hard work and dedication throughout his successful tenure and wish him well in his new endeavors. He and his teams have helped lay the foundations for us to operate as one Thomson Reuters," said Steve Hasker, President and CEO of Thomson Reuters. "It has been a pleasure to serve the company over the years. Thomson Reuters has always stood out to me for having both great people and great products - those are the hallmark of a company truly dedicated to its customers. I wish everyone within the organization the very best for the future," said Neil Masterson. During his 20 years with Thomson Reuters, Masterson has held a number of key leadership positions. Prior to his current role, Masterson was the company's Chief Transformation Officer, and he also led the company's former Enterprise Technology & Operations organization prior to being named Co-COO in 2018. As Chief Transformation Officer, and then Co-COO, he led the centralization of several key functions, including technology, digital, product and content development, and marketing, that were key to driving a 'One TR' view across the enterprise. Masterson began his career at the company with Thomson Financial, eventually being named Managing Director of the Investors segment in the company's former Financial & Risk business. Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of business information services. Our products include highly specialized information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals combined with the world's most global news service  Reuters. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.







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MEDIA David Crundwell Head of Corporate Affairs +44 7909 898605 [email protected] INVESTORS Frank J. Golden Head of Investor Relations +1 646 223 5288 [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/co-chief-operating-officer-neil-masterson-to-leave-thomson-reuters-301037776.html SOURCE Thomson Reuters

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Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 19, 2020, at Wall Street in New York City.

A pronounced economic slump sparked by the coronavirus outbreak has imperiled a popular investment strategy: buying dividend stocks.

These stocks have traditionally been highly coveted during periods of market turbulence because they provide shareholders a dividend or a guaranteed return, typically paid out annually out of the company's profits or reserves.

That investment approach is now floundering due to the coronavirus pandemic as many companies have suspended dividend payments and scrambled to conserve cash given that their revenues have evaporated and swooning financial markets have fueled worries over their ability to repay debt.

Investors are concerned.

"Companies with high sustainable cash flow, in traditional yielding sectors such as telecom, infrastructure & real estate investment trusts, are not expected to cut dividends, so when they do, it is a shock to investors," Sat Duhra, co-fund manager Asian dividend income strategy at asset manager Janus Henderson told CNBC.

In the last few days, large financial institutions such as HSBC and Standard Chartered have cancelled plans to make dividend payments for 2020. Airbus and Rolls Royce have decided to do the same.

Energy behemoths such as Exxon Mobile and Royal Dutch, which have paid generous dividends in the past, are resorting to cuts in capital spending and raising additional funds, just to keep their dividend promises.

The spotlight is on U.S. banks next. After the Reserve Bank of New Zealand asked banks in the country to put dividends on hold, Australia's financial regulator followed suit by pushing local banks to do the same.

UK banks have halted payments and there are growing concerns that U.S. banks may cut dividends too.

Duhra of Janus Henderson told CNBC that he has reduced allocations to both energy & banks recently for a number of reasons, including worries around companies' ability to pay dividends.

The same view holds for real estate investment trusts or REITS in Singapore that were dividend darlings until recently.

"This sector is a now a real concern with respect to dividends, and anything with exposure to retail and hospitality will continue to face pressure. We have sold any exposure to these areas. Singapore REITs have not shown the defensive qualities expected by investors and there may be further stress if dividends do indeed get cut. This is not currently a sector we are looking to add to."

Given the spate of dividend suspensions, some investors are voicing their displeasure. HSBC investors have called for an extraordinary general meeting to explore options for action against the bank for culling its dividend due this year, the Financial Times reported.

Still, investors may have limited options to extract payouts from companies that have decided to suspend dividends.

Janus Henderson's Duhra said the dividend policy of a company is at the discretion of the board and it is unusual for companies to guarantee dividends.

"Dividends tend to be linked to earnings", he said, "which gives companies room to reduce dividends if profits fall sharply."

As per Janus Henderson's global dividend index report published late February, companies in Japan and the U.S. ranked the highest in terms of delivering high dividend growth to shareholders in the last decade.

Companies in Europe lagged their global peers while those in Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada did well in 2019.

Oil dividends rose the fastest in 2019 with technology being the leader in dividend payments in the last 10 years.

While large swathes of financial markets have been rumbled, dividend stocks in select sectors still offer potential to investors, according to Credit Suisse, which believes that investor concerns relate to the ability to pay, the willingness to pay and the potential for dividend delays.

While recognizing the current economic realities, the bank is recommending greater exposure to consumer staples, healthcare, real estate and telecom stocks.

Credit Suisse has recently added companies such as Sanofi, BAE Systems, Philip Morris and Elisa to its conviction list while removing big names like Blackrock and BP due to concerns over the sectors they represent.
Jewel Samad/Getty

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced on Wednesday he would suspend his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, bringing to an end a comeback bid four years in the making that saw him, briefly, become the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

But it was not meant to be.

Together we have transformed American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become, Sanders said in livestreamed remarks from his home in Burlington, Vermont, where he has been in isolation for nearly a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After outlining what he called the victories of his campaignadvocating for minimum wage increases, universal healthcare, free college education and environmental justice, and railing against corporate influence in politics, mass incarceration and concentration of wealth among the richest peopleSanders said that he had made the difficult and painful decision that, despite his success among younger voters, victory was virtually impossible.

This battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful, and so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign, Sanders said, congratulating former Vice President Joe Biden on becoming the partys nominee-in-waiting.

Sanders also pointed to the coronavirus pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on the primary calendar and put voters at risk of infection, as another reason for dropping out.

By Picking Joe Biden, Democrats Are Kissing Their Future Goodbye

I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win, and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, Sanders said. The Vermont senator vowed to stay on the ballot in upcoming primary states in order to gather delegates, a move he said will allow progressives to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions at the Democratic National Convention.

Biden praised Sanders for doing something rare in politics. He hasnt just run a political campaign; hes created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe its a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday, the likely nominee wrote in a blog post.

Story continues

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who declined to endorse a nominee after she ended a campaign that split the progressive vote, thanked Sanders for fighting so relentlessly for Americas working families during this campaign. She said his fight for progressive ideas had moved the conversation and charted a path for candidates and activists that will change the course of our country and party.

An unparalleled grassroots fundraising network and a progressive base fueled by his 2016 campaign made Sanders a top tier candidate throughout the 2020 campaign. He successfully pulled several of his rivals to the left and watched as many of them contorted themselves, unsuccessfully, to emulate his platform of democratic socialism.

But the progressive policies that inspired so many votersuniversal government-run healthcare, tuition-free college, a wealth tax on the richest Americansrepelled many risk-averse Democratic voters who cared more about beating President Donald Trump than bringing down the system that enabled his rise.

Sanders decision to leave the race comes as the United States plunges deeper into a state of crisis, and as the federal and state government implement unprecedented measures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic. States of emergency have been declared, major sporting events, classes and gatherings both big and small have been canceled, and multiple states have issued shelter-in-place orders requiring that all but essential workers remain in their homes.

Seth Meyers to Elizabeth Warren: Why Havent You Endorsed Bernie for President?

Officials in more than a dozen states took the extraordinary step of moving their states primaries over the health scare, effectively freezing the primary calendar until June and allowing the Vermont senator to continue his increasingly Quixotic pursuit of the nomination. Sanders has used the tumult surrounding the pandemic to champion his prized Medicare for All policy goal in an effort to calm voters during the pandemic. But on a controversial day of voting on March 17 amid health safety concerns in Illinois, Arizona and Florida, Sanders failed to win any contests.

In the Wisconsin primary on Tuesdaythe lone April contest not to be rescheduled in the name of public health, despite numerous warnings from local officialsSanders faced another likely blowout, as Democratic voters sought to wrap up the nomination contest and remove at least one variable from a moment in American history defined by uncertainty.

The 78-year-old senator resisted the idea of earlier leaving the race after falling behind Biden in most of the March 10 voting contests. He instead committed to facing off with Biden in a one-on-one debate scheduled at that time to be held in Arizona.

When a reporter pressed him during a press conference in Vermont about concerns he might be staying in the race too long as fears about the virus continued on March 13, Sanders said his long term goal is to win.

Under normal circumstances I would not be in Burlington today. I would be probably in Ohio, Florida or another state where a primary is coming up, Sanders said. But weve decided not to do, under the advice of public health officials, not to do rallies and that's the right decision.

Bernie Bros Are Loud, Proud, and Toxic to Sanders Campaign

Following the trio of double-digit losses to Biden in Arizona, Florida and Illinois, the Vermont senator had expressed frustration with the focus on the future of his campaign, telling reporters on Capitol Hill that he was dealing with a fucking global crisis.

After falling short of the Democratic nomination in 2016, Sanders and his supporters reveled in the idea that the Vermont independents campaign had deeply influenced the policy platforms of other 2020 candidates. Medicare for All became a type of litmus test for the others in the field.

And while dealing with health-care hamstrung the campaigns of Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sanders supporters routinely praised him for his consistency on the issue.

Sanders candidacy was almost derailed in October when he had a heart attack. But other than talking about changing his routine, the incident did little to hurt the self described democratic socialists White House hopes.

A younger generation of progressives led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) actively campaigned for Sanders and popular rock acts like The Strokes and Vampire Weekend played at concerts in support of the liberal powerhouse in the early primary states.

Sanders was able to break from historical precedent and win a repeat victory in the New Hampshire primary before scoring a blowout win in the Nevada caucus that, for a moment, made him the Democrat to beat in the 2020 race.

That frontline position wouldnt last.

After struggling to gain support from African-American voters during his 2016 run, Sanders again failed to earn their support in 2020, finishing more than 28 percent behind Biden in South Carolina. The win and the endorsement of several former rivals fueled Bidens near sweep in the Super Tuesday contests on March 3, leaving Sanders at a major delegate deficit.

Whoopi Goldberg Spars With Bernie Sanders: Why Are You Still in the Race?

Sanders inability to grow his support was ultimately his undoing. After his South Carolina loss he railed against the establishment, further alienating African American voters who were a key reason behind Bidens win.

While moderates who dropped out of the race lined up behind Biden ahead of Super Tuesday, Sanders fellow progressive traveller in the race, Warren not didnt endorse him, or anyone else, when she exited the race last week.

The relationship with Warren, once close, soured over the months of campaigning. She and her staff became frequent targets of Sanders loyal and volatile online army.

Sanders also faced continued questions about his strength if he were to become the Democrats candidate in Novembers general election. Ahead of South Carolinas primary, some supporters of Biden and other candidates made it clear they had discomfort with the idea of voting for Sanders given his more liberal views. Others said outright they werent sure if they could vote for him.

Appearing on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on March 8, Sanders was pressed about what would happen if he failed to have a path to getting a delegate plurality.

Im not a masochist who wants to stay in a race that cant be won, Sanders said at the time. But right now, thats a little bit premature. Lets not determine what will happen on Tuesday and what will happen in future.

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In my previous article, The Only Logical End To The Oil War, I outlined how OPEC+ and the U.S. could come to a production cut agreement.

To attempt to balance global oil demand within the next three months is a fools errand, and the oil complex must assume that there will continue to be a massive oversupply of oil and oil products. With that in mind, the only focus for oil producers should be limiting supply and avoiding the disastrous scenario of global storage reaching its limit.

Without any oil cut, global storage would be nearing capacity by mid-year, which is about 2-3 months away. Demand, meanwhile, is not expected to turn around until July at the earliest. So, if OPEC+ wants to avoid a complete stoppage of oil flows due to full tanks, it has no choice but to cut. It is no longer a matter of prices, but a matter of oil evacuation. Saudi Arabia and Russia may hold leverage, but there is a physical limit to this leverage and that is coming up fast.

Thus, OPEC+ will likely announce (and hopefully cut) 10 million bpd regardless of U.S. contributions. However, this does not mean the U.S. will get awy scot-free. Involuntary cuts are happening in America as we speak, oil-rig closures are increasing and these cuts will easily reach 1 million bpd.

But that wont be enough. While the focus in Q2-Q3 should be simply to avoid flooding global oil storage, Saudi Arabia and Russia will be looking to draw a long-term commitment from the U.S. following President Trumps SOS for oil cuts. More than Trumps acquiescence to the power bloc that is OPEC+, the fact that U.S. state regulators are joining the conversation is a big victory for Saudi Arabia and Russia. The representatives from the U.S. attempted to assure markets that anti-trust laws would not stand in the way of production agreements. The strictly capitalist nature of U.S. oil production and the strict anti-collusion laws have always been seen as an impenetrable barrier to the U.S. joining OPEC+ talks, but it now appears that the U.S. is ready to make an exception.

Premium: Ending The Oil War Isnt Enough

Time is ticking. Demand will keep prices at painfully low levels for U.S. oil producers for the coming months, so this is the opportune time to hammer out a long-term deal. It will be in OPECs interest to keep the price of Brent close to $30 level during this negotiating period.

Putting aside this abnormal oil demand crash, OPEC+ will be aiming to develop a strategy for the future and getting ready for life after coronavirus. In a stable market, even a 1 million bpd oversupply of crude can cause price havoc as data for the last 15 years indicates. Table-1 is a very approximate representation of this normal world, providing general guidance on oil supply price elasticity. These numbers are by no means exact figures because factors other than supply-demand balance also affect oil prices. There is also a time-lag between price outcome and the oil balance.

Table-1

Crude Oversupply Price impact 0 0 1 -17 2 -30 3 -40 4 -48 5 -54 6 -58

Here is one roadmap for a sustainable global production agreement between OPEC+ and U.S. regulators. This agreement does not refer to only cuts in the short-term (as discussed above). It provides a framework for future coordination between the oil producers and is guided by game-theory dynamics (refer to Figure-1 on prices and payouts):

1. Agreement to be made between OPEC, Russia, and representatives of the U.S. state government who have the authority to impose oil quotas. This would likely include regulators from key oil-producing states like Texas, North Dakota, etc. The more the merrier.

2. The duration of the agreement will be three to five years. The agreement to impose cuts on U.S. (beyond economic/logistics-related cuts) would start from April 2020 or whenever global oil demand reaches 95% of 2019 levels (representing normal oil world), whichever is later.

3. Until the time that cuts are triggered, USA oil rates would be dictated by involuntary economic and logistics-based shutdowns. During this interim period, OPEC+ would start ramping up oil rates as necessary to match rising demand with two key aims: maintain global storage at non-distress levels and prices within the $30-$40.

4. Once the conditions in #2 are reached, U.S. production would need to be ramped down (through state quotas) to around 10 million bpd from 13 million bpd (2019 levels) with compliance against quarterly averaged rates.

5. As demand requires more or fewer barrels, OPEC+ would assume 80% share and the U.S. 20% of the change, in line with each partys respective share of overall global supplies.

6. Year 2021+ real prices should be maintained in the $50-$60 levels, as evaluated on a quarterly average.

While the above may seem very simplistic and over-optimistic, global oil players are more willing than they have been in a long time to accepts some sort of supply structure that limits volatility. This would facilitate sustainable investment in oil exploration and production, as well as steady revenues for both governments and private enterprises.

By Amad Shaikh for Oilprice.com

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Over 110 million manat ($65.1 million) has been transferred to Azerbaijans Fund to Support Fight against Coronavirus to date, Trend reports on April 8.

Donations have been made by 2,692 legal entities and 8,223 individuals.

The Fund to Support Fight against Coronavirus was established by the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 19, 2020.

The fund aims to provide financial support to activities carried out in Azerbaijan to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.





The protection of public health in Azerbaijan and provision of health care services in accordance with international standards are among the priorities of the socio-economic policy implemented in the country.
(Newser)  "Oh my goodness, praise God." Such is the reaction of one of the followers of La Luz del Mundo, a Mexico-based megachurch whose leader had faced child rape, child porn, and human trafficking chargeswhich were dismissed on Tuesday. Naason Joaquin Garcia, known as the "apostle" to his 5 million followers around the globe, had been hit with 29 counts of felony charges in connection with alleged events involving three girls and a woman between 2015 and 2019 in Los Angeles County, reports the Arizona Republic. He had been held without bail in Los Angeles since June, reports the AP. A California appeals court dismissed them because his preliminary hearing was not held in a timely manner.

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Specifically, he waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing (a "common move," per the AP) when he was initially arraigned on 26 counts in June. But he was arraigned on an amended complaint in July that added three counts; that time, he didn't waive his right. After the hearing was rescheduled a number of times, his lawyers appealed, and the court found he should have had his preliminary hearing within 10 days. The timing of his release isn't clear; the attorney generals office could refile charges, reports the Los Angeles Times. La Luz del Mundo, Spanish for "The Light of the World" and the largest Protestant church in Mexico, was founded by his grandfather. (Read more megachurches stories.)
After his unfortunate COVID-19 experience, Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son and the first in line to the British throne is back on his royal duties to accomplish his special project.

The Prince of Wales, being the patron of Wordsworth Trust since 1996, along with his other organizations, has recorded a poem "Tintern Abbey" written by the English romantic poet William Wordsworth, in celebration of his 250th birthday.

BBC Radio 4 unveiled the audio which was recorded over the weekend in Prince Charles' home in Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate in Scotland.





HRH has been Patron of pic.twitter.com/KIbPHaRM8l Today marks 250 years since the birth of poet William Wordsworth and to celebrate, The Prince of Wales has recorded an excerpt from his poem Tintern Abbey for @BBCr4today HRH has been Patron of @WordsworthGras since 1996. #Wordsworth250  Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 7, 2020



The 71-year-old prince chose to recite "Tintern Abbey" because it has the "power of the landscape to move us, is something rather profound."

Move Over Meghan Markle!

Listeners admired the royal's "calming" tone of narration and even suggested doing voiceover stints like the Duchess of Sussex--whose latest project is a Disney documentary film called "Elephant."

This is said to be Meghan Markle's first non-royal deal after the couple stepped down as senior members of the royal family.

However, her Disney collaboration received mixed reviews and even branded as "cheesy" and "shallow" by the critics.

Fans Praised Prince Charles' Wordsworth recital

Moreover, with Prince Charles' recital, fans flocked on social media to commend the royal's remarkable talent.

One user wrote: "He has a wonderful voice for narrative and a gift for the spoken word."

Another online user even suggested another recital from the Prince of Wales.

"Beautifully spoken your highness... Your voice is very soothing, please read some more."

Business as Usual for the Prince of Wales

Aside from his special project, it's been business as usual for the 71-year-old heir to the throne after he just recently opened a new hospital in London, dedicated for COVID-19 patients.

In less than two weeks, a plain convention hall was upgraded to NHS Nightingale hospital and has the capacity of 4,000 beds.

This was also said to be the first time that a member of the royal family has remotely opened an establishment.

In his video taken in his home in Scotland, Prince Charles mentioned that although he was considered as "one of the lucky ones to have COVID-19 relatively mildly," others might have a hard time dealing with the dreaded virus.

"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," he said.

"This hospital, therefore, offers us an intensely practical message of hope for those who will need it most at this time of national suffering."

A few weeks ago, the Clarence House confirmed that the 71-year-old royal was diagnosed with coronavirus while the Duchess of Cornwall was tested negative.

After seven days of quarantine, Prince Charles was said to be out of self-isolation and is now in "good health".

As of this writing, the U.K has reportedly hit the highest daily record of fatalities due to COVID-19 at 854.

READ MORE: Unbeatable: Kylie Jenner Retains Incredible Title!
KALAMAZOO, MI -- A sixth person in Kalamazoo County has died from coronavirus as of Wednesday, April 8, according to county health officials.

The county has recorded 64 positive cases as of Tuesday, April 7.

The latest death is described as a patient who is an older adult with underlying medical conditions. The county did not provide more information about the patient.

All six people who have died of COVID-19 in Kalamazoo County have been described by county health officials as older adults with underlying medical conditions.

Other counties have released data on age, racial and ethnicity demographics. In Muskegon County, where there are 41 positive cases, racial demographics showed that the virus is disproportionately affecting black communities.

That demographic data from Kalamazoo County is not being made public at this time because the sample size of positive tests is limited, Kalamazoo County Health Officer Jim Rutherford said.

The underlying reality is that, that is a poor representation of positive cases in Kalamazoo County, and weve said this from the beginning," Rutherford said. "The lack of testing has put us in a position where I dont want to misrepresent the depth of infection and cases within Kalamazoo based on that information because I think its certainly not accurate.

Related: A timeline of coronavirus in the Kalamazoo area

After the announcement of Kalamazoos testing site for priority patients, the county said more detailed data will be released when patient privacy can be assured.

People need to understand that the bottom line is the social distancing is working, Rutherford said. But were not deaf to some of the questions about more specificity. Were working on that.

Ten COVID-19 patients are currently being treated at Bronson Methodist Hospital, according to Bronsons website.

Ascension Borgess has declined to report the patients being treated in Kalamazoo citing a protection of privacy for its patients.

Last month, Whitmer signed an executive order that requires hospitals to share data on several key topics including patient census.

Rutherford confirmed that Borgess is complying with the executive order and the county is comfortable with their level of participation. However, the county is not releasing hospitalization data to the public without the consent of the healthcare systems, Rutherford said.

More coronavirus coverage on MLive:

A lot more coronavirus cases in Kalamazoo County than data shows, health official says

Kalamazoo hospitals approved to add 405 beds for patient surge during pandemic

Kalamazoo nurses concerned about reassignment to Detroit, a COVID-19 hotspot

Restaurant inspections continue, with spike in complaints, in Kalamazoo County

50 businesses have requested $1.6M from Kalamazoo coronavirus relief fund

Answers to 5 questions about Kalamazoo Countys coronavirus response

Kalamazoo asks about inmates, homeless and racial disparity during coronavirus Facebook Live

MORE MICHIGAN CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE HERE.

Below is a county-by-county map of Michigan tracking confirmed COVID-19 cases, followed by a map of possible exposure sites and a chart based on the states daily reports. The maps will be updated as more reports are released.

If you are reading this story on mobile and cant see the map, click here to view it on the web.

Reported coronavirus cases:
A San Antonio man who allegedly threatened on social media to contaminate local grocery stores with the coronavirus by having an infected person lick food in the stores is in federal custody.

Christopher C. Perez, 39, was charged Tuesday with the federal offense of communicating false information or hoaxes related to weapons of mass destruction.

He claimed to have paid someone to spread coronavirus at grocery stores in the San Antonio area because he was trying to deter people from visiting the stores, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release. To be clear, the alleged threat was false: No one spread coronavirus at grocery stores.

Perez, 39, was arrested by the FBI after a screenshot of a threatening Facebook post was forwarded to the Southwest Texas Fusion Center, a multi-agency intelligence operation based in San Antonio.

My homeboys cousin has covid19 and has licked everything for the past two days because we paid him too, read the post that was made by Perez using a false name, according to the affidavit by FBI Agent Raymond Martinez III.

The agent wrote that when Perez was confronted, he admitted doing it because he thought it was stupid for people to be out shopping and he was trying to scare people (away) from the stores in order to stop them from spreading the virus.

He also allegedly told the agent that he was not sick, no one in his family was sick, that he did not know anyone with coronavirus and that he had lost his job because of the shelter in place orders triggered by the pandemic.

Perez also reportedly made a second post after learning through the news that employee of a grocery store in San Antonio was found to be infected with the coronavirus, saying I did try to warn yall but my homegirl changed my mind ... mercado already is, nogalitos location next ...

The name or names of the grocery stores threatened by Perez were not included in the affidavit.

The FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Squad and Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating the case.

Perez faces up to five years in prison if he is found guilty.

The San Antonian has a lengthy local arrest record for offenses including theft by check, drug possession, assault and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

John MacCormack is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from John, become a subscriber. JMacCormack@express-news.net | Twitter: @JohnMacCormack
On the evening of April 6, the Likud and the Blue and White had come close to signing a draft agreement to form a unity government. Two weeks earlier, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz had fractured his own camp by acting on the good-faith belief that the coronavirus crisis required him to put the country above all else and form a government with Benjamin Netanyahu. He certainly never imagined that the war against the novel coronavirus would hardly feature in the coalition negotiations, which have instead focused on matters of concern to Netanyahu, in particular his political survival.

Being at the center of the talks, these issues put reaching an agreement at risk. On top of this, Gantz was prepared to agree that the Netanyahu family receive an official residence, paid for by the state, even after Gantz becomes prime minister, one and a half years down the road in accordance with the coalition agreement.

The big breakthrough occurred when Gantz shocked his supporters by conceding on the issue of annexing West Bank territories, agreeing that it could be brought before the Knesset for a vote. In other words, he made it easier for a Netanyahu-Gantz government to impose Israeli sovereignty on territories in the West Bank and Jordan Valley. Then, when it seemed that the road was clear for a national emergency government and a coalition agreement signed before Passover, Netanyahu reneged.

After reaching agreements on all the important matters, the Likud backed away from an understanding on judicial appointments. After reaching understandings on all issues, the Likud party asked to reopen discussions regarding the committee to appoint judges, an outraged Blue and White responded. In light of this, negotiations have been halted. We will not allow any change in the functioning of the judiciary nor damage to democracy.

Maintaining the status and independence of the Supreme Court was one of the most important issues for the Blue and White during the campaign for the March 2 elections. For the last few years, the Netanyahu government had worked incessantly to shatter Israel's legal system. Supreme Court justices were painted as intervening in legislation and depicted as serving the left, while gatekeepers like State's Attorney Shai Nitzan and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit were accused of going after Netanyahu, no matter the cost. In June 2019, Netanyahu appointed one of his people, Amir Ohana, as justice minister. Ohana has since fought incessantly against the judicial system, as if trying to find as many escape hatches as possible for Netanyahu before he has to stand trial for bribery and fraud.

For this reason, Blue and White demanded leadership of the Justice Ministry as part of a coalition agreement. It was a red line for the alliance's leaders, who presented themselves as defending the rule of law against those plotting to eliminate it. As part of the negotiations, it was agreed that Blue and White's Avi Nissenkorn would be appointed justice minister and that the Committee for the Appointment of Judges would continue to function as it has traditionally. The Likud then demanded that the committee's operation be changed, giving it more leverage over appointments made by the committee. The demanded change blew up the negotiations. The rift between the two sides is now so deep that Ronen Tzur, Gantzs strategic adviser, told Knesset Television, There is a good chance that there will not be a government.

Netanyahu had claimed that the formation of a unity government is vital in these troubled times. If that were truly the case, why would he suddenly withdraw from the agreements he had reached with Blue and White? The unequivocal answer can be found in the Twitter accounts of the leaders of the pro-settler Yamina.

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked attacked Likuds alleged surrender to Blue and White, which in her eyes would enable the High Court to pursue a proactive role of controlling the government branches, as advocated by Aharon Barak, a former president of the Supreme Court. Shaked tweeted on April 7, If the prime minister gives up control of the Committee for the Appointment of Judges, it would mean that Barak (Aharon, not Ehud) could say that the old days are reborn and coming back. Ideological incest will return full force, through the front door. Then we could only dream of healing a diseased system.

As justice minister from 2015 to 2019, Shaked waged a campaign against the Supreme Court to terrorize its justices, advising them to consider carefully before making decisions that failed to serve the interests of the West Bank settlements. Shaked boasted about how she had been able to transfer authority over Palestinian affairs, in particular land ownership disputes on the West Bank, from the Supreme Court to the Jerusalem District Court. At the same time, she took steps to ensure the appointment of conservative judges to the Jerusalem court, a process overseen by the Committee for the Appointment of Judges. Shakeds revolution featured prominently in her partys election campaign and was accompanied by a promise to overturn the judicial revolution advocated by Barak.

In a 2018 interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Shaked boasted that she had gotten conservative judges appointed, meaning judges whose worldview matched that of the right-wing government, attributing it to her exceptional political skills. Upon learning about the agreement to appoint a justice minister from Blue and White, who would also control the Committee for the Appointment of Judges, Shaked and other Yamina members set out to ridicule Netanyahus concession and declare war on it.

Erez Tadmor, founder of the right-wing group Im Tirtzu, wondered whether the agreement on annexation was important enough to give up control of the Supreme Court. Of note, Netanyahu had made use of Im Tirtzu activists during his election campaign. The legal system is destroying Israeli democracy, Tadmor tweeted. Withdrawal to the 1967 borders is an existential threat. Those are the Auschwitz borders. It is a simple deal: maintaining and reinforcing the exaggerated and dangerous strength of the legal system in exchange for imposing sovereignty and erasing the existential threat of the 1967 borders. Is it the correct deal for the right to make?

Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich of Yamina tweeted, Who decided that this is the equation?! A permanent government isnt necessary to impose sovereignty. This could also be done by a caretaker government. The implication was that control of the Supreme Court is too high a price to pay for a unity government.

It didnt take much more than that to terrify Netanyahu. Yamina, a small party with just six Knesset seats, had managed to disrupt his equilibrium. It now looks like Netanyahu is not only willing to break up well-advanced negotiations over a unity government, but is also willing to take the country to a fourth round of elections. All that really matters is that he not upset the settlers' party.

It wouldnt be the first time that a commotion generated by the settlers and the right has made Netanyahu nervous enough to change his mind. In fact, what hasnt he done to appease them? There are countless examples, among them blowing up negotiations with the Palestinians in 2014 during Barack Obamas presidency after Naftali Bennett and right-wing organizations like My Israel and Im Tirtzu caused an uproar protesting the release of Palestinian prisoners in the fourth pulse of the talks.

Another example dates to April 2018. Netanyahu had just reached an agreement with the United Nations to expel half the asylum seekers in Israel in exchange for granting legal status to another 16,000 of them. Bennett, at the time education minister and leader of HaBayit HaYehudi, argued that future Israeli generations would regret the agreement. Demonstrations were held in southern Tel Aviv denouncing Netanyahu, who eventually folded and canceled the agreement. No subsequent solution to the problem of asylum seekers has been found.

Facing pressure from Yamina, Netanyahu folded in the coalition negotiations. He is willing to drag Israel into another election to avoid upsetting right-wing voters. His coronavirus government could fall even before it's formed. If it does, it won't be because of Israels war against the pandemic, but the right's war on the Supreme Court.
"There wasn't really a specific need for us to get it into the workplace," Richardson said. "There's a a lot of other companies that can do it much more effectively than we can."
Venezuela will likely become the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, but it remains a blind spot for the Trump administration. On March 31, the U.S. government indicted Venezuelas authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, on drug trafficking and money laundering charges while ignoring calls from the international community to suspend its sanctions regime during the pandemic.

It has long been clear that the Trump administration has taken a path that prioritizes the singular goal of regime change over protecting civilians during the pandemic, and mitigating the spread of the virus under the countrys faltering healthcare system. The White House has previously made clear that its intentions behind sanctioning Venezuela are to encourage regime change, and repeated that message when the charges were announced.

Attorney General William Barr expressed the hope that indicting Maduro during the pandemic will push the civilian population over the edge and cause regime change: Its good timing, actually. The people in Venezuela are suffering, and they need an effective government that responds to the people.

But both the indictment and the timing of it are irrelevant in the context of a deadly pandemic. A civilian population ravaged by starvation and disease cannot unify and overthrow a dictator. And there is little room for doubt that disease will ravage Venezuela, from what we know about COVID-19 at this stage. Regime change is far from guaranteed, but one outcome is certain: civilians will still suffer horribly from coronavirus while sanctions are applied.

The economic and humanitarian crisis overseen by the Maduro government, a painful decline of nearly a decade, has allowed Venezuela to get to this point. Because Venezuela was already starved for essential medicines, disinfectants, and equipment in its hospitals, and often basic utilities such as electricity and running water, its population, around 90 percent of whom now live in poverty, is uniquely vulnerable to the ravages of the coronavirus. The country has less than 100 ICU beds in total for a population of 30 million.

The international community has also called on the United States to lift sanctions on Iran during the pandemic. While Iran and Venezuela have been on the receiving end of sanctions for being adversaries of the United States, they are completely different in terms their health systems abilities to cope with the virus. Iran, which had much more functional health services in place before the coronavirus outbreak, has dug bubonic plague-style mass graves that can be seen from space. The scale of the looming catastrophe in Venezuela is therefore almost beyond imagination.

With its current conditions in mind, Venezuela has the potential to be one of the biggest coronavirus time bombs. Aside from the sick and dying who will remain in Venezuela, asymptomatic individuals, or those with symptoms that have the means to seek legitimate care, will likely continue to leave the country. Between 4 million and 5 million Venezuelans have migrated in recent years, mostly to Colombia, but Colombia has closed its borders during the outbreak, as has Ecuador, another common destination for migrants.

It now seems likely that many infected individuals will probably end up in Brazil, where the severity of the pandemic has been downplayed by the federal government, and border closings left up to individual states. It remains uncertain whether the two states that border Venezuela have closed their borders yet.

At present, the Trump administration is continuing to take a warped carrot-and-stick approach to Venezuela. Simultaneously as they unveiled the new charges against Maduro, the government laid out what it referred to as a democratic transition framework that would force Maduro to step down from power, compel foreign forces (i.e., Russia) to leave Venezuela, and enable the formation of an interim government, presumably headed by Juan Guaido, the opposition president acknowledged by most democracies. Only then would ordinary Venezuelans be rewarded with relief from U.S. sanctions -- the same civilians that are supposed to push Maduro out on their own.

The administration is also enabling the spread of the virus that, at home, has defied efforts at containment. Venezuelans with the means and the will to migrate will likely continue to do so, and the coronavirus may be the impetus that pushes some to make that decision. Some of them may reach the expat community in Florida, a state where measures to contain the virus have been seriously delayed, and the number of confirmed cases has begun to spike.

Washingtons political approach toward sanctions was likewise consistent when the government announced new strategies to combat the flow of illegal drugs to the United States that might originate in Venezuela and flow through the Caribbean. This is a probably a job best left to the U.S. Navy, using systems like the high-speed Littoral Combat Ship and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. However, it is one thing to suppress illegal trafficking of harmful drugs in the region, and quite another to pile on economic injuries to average Venezuelans.

The Trump administration can continue to reduce Venezuelas woes to a question of ideology for the duration of the pandemic, but rhetoric without something that resembles compassionate action will change nothing. Despite assurances from officials that humanitarian provisions remain in the current sanctions, it seems unlikely that this promise will be widely delivered on in practice now, when it never has been the case before. The only reality that remains is that the biggest threat to Maduros hold on power now is the virus itself.

Sarah White is a research associate at the Lexington Institute. The views expressed are the author's own.
A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

"A JeM commander has been neutralised in the ongoing encounter in Sopore," a police official said.

He identified the slain militant as Sajad Nawab Dar.

The official said further details of the operation were awaited.

He said the security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Arampora area of Sopore in the north Kashmir district late Tuesday night after receiving specific information about the presence of militants there.

The official said the forces conducted searches in the area and maintained a tight cordon during the night to stop militants from fleeing.

The militants fired upon a search party of the forces on Wednesday drawing retaliation, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Essar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Essar Group, on Wednesday said it will provide 1.25 million meals to communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and over 1 lakh medical supplies to frontliners combating the pandemic.

"Essar Foundation is focussed on providing support to the larger community -- from supplying PPEs, masks, and ventilators to hospitals to providing food to labourers who are finding themselves in a difficult position," said Prashant Ruia, Director, Essar Capital.

Stating that the Group plans to do a lot more for the community to play its part in being good corporate citizens, he said, "The Essar COVID-19 Relief Fund is committed to supporting various marginalized groups that are truly in need of funding. This includes transgenders, the homeless, daily wage earners, and women with a background of domestic violence. We have reached out to Essar employees and senior leadership to contribute to the fund."



In a statement, the group said Essar Foundation has committed to providing 1.25 million meals to communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

It has provided 6.65 lakh meals to communities in need across Maharashtra including frontline doctors, Mumbai police force, slum dwellers, daily wage earners, women with a background of domestic violence and transgenders.

As many as 20,000 meals per day have been earmarked to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund routed to marginalised and disadvantaged communities.

Also, it has committed to providing over 100,000 medical supplies to frontliners combating COVID-19. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), N-95, 3Ply face masks, and hand sanitisers have been supplied to over 10 government /private hospitals in Mumbai and over 9 police stations across South Mumbai, the statement said.

"Our efforts have been focussed on reaching out to the most vulnerable communities. Being part of the Government of Maharashtra Corona Control CSR Group, we are able to coordinate directly with the state machinery and work jointly with leading groups," said Kaustubh Sonalkar, Group President Human Resource, Essar, and CEO Essar Foundation.

Separately, in an internal message to Essar Group employees, Prashan Ruia said, "For me, the safety of Essarites is paramount; we have always prided ourselves on that count."



"We have set up a monitoring committee with all the senior management of Essar. This committee is now meeting daily through virtual means to address the situation that has arisen out of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a difficult time that many of us have never seen in our lifetimes. However, we have to carry on. Many of our facilities provide essential services so they have to keep operating," he said.

He asked employees tostay safe. "Please follow the rules that are being administered by the government and organisations like WHO. They are being implemented for a reason."



"In India, many people are flouting these rules. But it is incumbent on us that we not only follow the rules ourselves but also urge other people to do the same. These are clearly unprecedented times. But I am really optimistic that the world will soon find a cure," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In most animals, females are larger than males, but in most mammals, males are larger than females. A new analysis published in Mammal Review examines the potential drivers of these differences.

In most animals, females are larger than males, but in most mammals, males are larger than females. A new analysis published in Mammal Review examines the potential drivers of these differences, calling into question the theory that only sexual selection is at play in mammals--that males compete to mate with females, and bigger males are more likely to win.

The analysis suggests that, alongside sexual selection, natural selection may be an evolutionary driver of sexual size differences in mammals. Males and females may have evolved to differ in size so that they could exploit resources such as food.

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Knights of Columbus Launch Multi-Phase, Multi-Million Dollar Food Bank Support and Delivery Operation, Mobilize Army of Volunteers A Knight of Columbus in Connecticut assists with a food bank delivery 'Leave No Neighbor Behind' phase one initiative launches with $1Million covering 20 cities, 16 states $250,000 for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Knights of Columbus

April 7, 2020



NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 7, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- With food banks facing increasing demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights of Columbus is launching a multi-million dollar food drive and delivery operation mobilizing its 1.25 million members in the U.S. to cover over 20 cities in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Phase one kicks off with more than a million dollars and a multitude of volunteers from coast to coast to help deliver food to those who need it.



The world's largest Catholic fraternal group, and one of the country's premier charitable volunteer groups, the Knights will provide funding of $100,000 each to food banks in New York, Connecticut and Los Angeles, with additional $50,000 donations each to food banks in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburg, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.



The organization is also asking its vast membership to further increase partnership with food banks by volunteering at food banks and helping deliver food to those in need as needed.



This $1 million commitment is part of the first phase of the Knights' efforts. Additional support in response to the COVID pandemic is planned and the Knights are asking their members and the public to support their efforts by donating at www.kofc.org.



"In addition to confronting the threat of the COVID illness itself, we are facing a pandemic situation in which hunger is a growing concern for an increasing number of unemployed individuals and their families," explained Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight and CEO Carl Anderson. "As an organization, we have provided vital support at key moments including during the 1918 flu pandemic, during two world wars, and after natural disasters. Our 'Leave No Neighbor Behind' initiative continues that tradition, and we will work directly with food banks to help ensure that food reaches those most in need in communities from coast to coast."



The support for food banks is part of the "Leave No Neighbor Behind" initiative in which Knights are encouraged to assist their neighbors, including those in the community and parish, their fellow Knights of Columbus, etc.. Knights are also being encouraged to make blood donations, especially in response to current shortages.



In addition, the organization is also providing spiritual resources to its members and has established a program to equip dioceses with short-term financing to assist with the continuation of spiritual and charitable ministries, employment of staff, etc., as many dioceses and their parishes have suffered from the economic effects of the pandemic.



About the Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus has more than 1.25 million members in the United States and more than 1.5 million in North America. The Knights is one of the country's premiere volunteer and charitable organizations. In 2018, Knights worldwide donated 76 million service hours, and more than $185 million to charitable causes in communities throughout the Americas, as well in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable life insurance to its members, the Knights has been at the service of the community for nearly 140 years.



Those wishing to support the Knights efforts can donate to K of C Charities at www.kofc.org or by mail to Leave No Neighbor Behind, Knights of Columbus Charities, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and 100 percent of all donations collected by Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc., will be used for pandemic-related assistance, including food, medical supplies and other needs.



SOURCE Knights of Columbus



CONTACT: Joe Cullen, 203-415-9314, joseph.cullen@kofc.org



Related Links



http://www.kofc.org



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High-quality online courses are no less effective than traditional classes when it comes to student learning outcomes. Online courses provide an opportunity to expand access to high-quality education without increasing costs: the number of students that universities will be able to enroll increases by 15-18%. The results of a study carried out jointly by HSE University researchers and US researchers have been published in Science Advances.

The experiment involved 325 second-year engineering students from resource-constrained universities. Students took two courses hosted by the national Open Education platform. Before the start of the course, they were randomly divided into three groups. The first group studied in person with the instructor at their university, the second group watched online lectures and attended in-person discussion sections (i.e., a blended modality), and the third group took the entire course online and communicated with instructors at the course's forum.

Researchers then compared groups' performance in three areas: the level of subject knowledge (final exam score), grades for assignments during the course, and satisfaction with the course. The results demonstrated that the average level of knowledge acquired in the course was the same in all three groups. The average grade for in-course assessments of online students was slightly higher, while satisfaction with the studies, on the contrary, was a little lower compared with students who studied in person.

According to the research team, the lower student satisfaction is primarily associated with a lack of experience and relevant learning skills in an online environment, for example, time management skills. It is important to provide students with extra support in this area.

With equivalent learning outcomes, the cost of instruction per one student in blended modality is 15-19% lower, and in the online modality, it is 79-81% lower, depending on the course. These estimates take into account the costs of developing and maintaining online courses. According to the authors of the study, with online courses universities will be able to teach 15-18% more students at the same cost.

'The results of the study demonstrate that high-quality online courses can no longer be considered a mediocre instruction method. They advance students skills and knowledge the same way as in-person classes,' commented the study's principal investigator Igor Chirikov https://www.hse.ru/en/staff/ichirikov, SERU Consortium Director and Senior Researcher at UC Berkeley and Affiliated Researcher at the HSE Institute of Education.

He believes that in today's context it is essential to invest in advanced online platforms, interactive online learning content, and new teaching methods. This would allow to expand the access to high-quality education without considerable additional costs and would provide students with flexible educational trajectories. In addition, it would help universities prepare for various unpredictable situations, such as the novel coronavirus pandemic.

'We are seeing how universities that are more advanced in creating and using online courses have adapted to the transition to online format more quickly. The fact that Russia has a major national platform with online courses from leading universities has given the country a big advantage in switching to a remote instruction quickly,' he said.

'Now in Russia, as in other countries, we can see a real-time experiment unfolding with the use of remote instruction. Our study only focused on engineering courses, but the current mass transition to online learning will allow us to assess the extent to which online courses are effective for other types of studies, in particular the social sciences and humanities. This will be the real stress test,' adds Tatyana Semenova, co-author of the study and researcher at the Center for Sociology of Higher Education, HSE University.

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A leading UK professional opera company and charity on Wednesday launched an appeal to Indian philanthropists to support a hidden opera on Lord Krishna which is set for its world premiere in England in June, 2024.

Grange Park Opera, based at West Horsley Place in Surrey in south-east England, said 'Krishna' was acclaimed British composer Sir John Tavener's final opera completed in 2005 but the "masterpiece" has never been performed before.

In 2024, it will be given its world premiere at Grange Park Opera's Theatre in the Woods in Surrey, directed by British opera great Sir David Pountney.

"We are now actively searching for collaborators to give premieres in Europe and, of course, in India. The search for Indian philanthropists begins," said Wasfi Kani, Grange Park Opera CEO and Founder.

The ambitious project tells the story of Lord Krishna's cycle of life based on the text by Tavener, who died aged 69 in 2003.

According to the opera house, in 15 vignettes a "celestial narrator" delivers the story of Krishna's birth when the earth is crying for help and then is assumed into Paradise until the earth needs him again.

"The narrator describes each scene in the simplest possible way. He moves freely in the audience, explaining the double meaning, charming, frightening and consoling us. The music is intensely vivid and highly dramatic," according to Tavener's own explanation of his work.

Grange Park Opera revealed several challenging aspects to the work's staging, including Lord Krishna being given a "halo" of eight flutes, which are to be "aerially positioned".

The composition remained undiscovered until Tavener's widow, Lady Tavener, informed Prince Charles of its existence, aware of the royal's admiration for the late composer's work. The heir to the British throne in turn contacted his friend, Sir David Pountney, to consider staging it because they both "share views on the importance of all religious traditions".

Pountney, in turn, got in touch with Wasfi Kani at Grange Park Opera in October 2019, and the work has been in the works ever since.

"Within two days I was at Chester Music examining the 358 giant sheets of Tavener's manuscript. It quickly became clear this was a masterpiece that needed to be brought to life," recalls Kani.

Like most musical and theatrical establishments, the Grange Park Opera's 2020 season has also come to a standstill amid the coronavirus pandemic, with regulars and other supporters urged for any donations through the current lockdown conditions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Anu Kuruvilla By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Even as the government is doing everything to take care of alcoholics like getting prescriptions for them, the elderly people are feeling left out. These citizens, whose average age comes to around 75 years and suffer from illnesses like heart ailments, are finding it difficult to get medicines they need daily.

I am an 80-year-old fitted with a pacemaker, said D B Panicker, a retired engineer.

I have to take medicines regularly. But how much medicine can one stock? he asked.

Once the stock runs out, especially during times like the lockdown, we are left to fend for ourselves, he said. He said the government is only worried about alcoholics.

Before the lockdown, I bought medicines for two weeks. But since I need to have three tablets daily and the lockdown got extended, my stock dried up soon, he said. Panicker contacted various pharmacies but to no avail.

As a final attempt, I contacted Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kochi, he said.

Panicker got a favourable reply and IMA officials provided him with the necessary medicines.

But what about those who have no idea whom to contact? Just take the case of my neighbour, who is 75 and just had an angioplasty. The medicines he needs are not costly but are needed daily. When he ran out of stock he contacted the medical store which had telemedicine facility, he was told delivery cant be made since his purchase was below `500! said Panicker.

Zameen Nazar had a similar story to tell. My cousin is a 73-year-old heart patient who underwent angioplasty. We had to go around various shops to get his medicine since many chemists had run out of stock, she said. The IMA said they get at least 10 to 15 calls daily.

We have been catering to the needs of the elderly when they call seeking assistance in procuring medicines, said Dr Junaid Rehman, IMA. He said the medicines are bought by Asha workers and delivered to patients.

Those who can pay are given the bills while those who cant are given the medicines for free, he said.

We are providing medicines to those in quarantine. But, when others call us seeking help getting medicines we help them out. This will be only during the lockdown period. Once the lockdown is over, medicines will be provided only to those in quarantine, he said.

He said the calls they receive the most are from those hailing from financially backward families. Those in need of medicines can contact us through the health centres, he added.
CORINTH  The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said a Corinth man allegedly attempted to rape a woman Tuesday, and then got into a serious multi-vehicle crash afterward.

The sheriff's office said Dylan Vella, 26, attempted to rape a woman in the parking lot of the Stewarts Pond recreation area, then took the victim's friend's cell phone when she attempted to take a photo of him. The women escaped Vella, and his victim sustained minor injuries.

Afterward, Vella crashed his SUV into three motorcycles in Corinth, and fled the scene of the crash on foot, the sheriff's office said. Four people were injured, and one person had to be airlifted to Albany Medical Center and was in critical condition following the accident. The crash is still under investigation.

Vella was arraigned and sent to the Saratoga County Jail without bail. He faces charges of attempted rate and robbery.
Researchers have designed a machine learning method that can predict battery health with 10x higher accuracy than current industry standard, which could aid in the development of safer and more reliable batteries for electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

The researchers, from Cambridge and Newcastle Universities, have designed a new way to monitor batteries by sending electrical pulses into them and measuring the response. The measurements are then processed by a machine learning algorithm to predict the battery's health and useful lifespan. Their method is non-invasive and is a simple add-on to any existing battery system.

Predicting the state of health and the remaining useful lifespan of lithium-ion batteries is one of the big problems limiting widespread adoption of electric vehicles: it's also a familiar annoyance to mobile phone users. Over time, battery performance degrades via a complex network of subtle chemical processes. Individually, each of these processes doesn't have much of an effect on battery performance, but collectively they can severely shorten a battery's performance and lifespan.

Current methods for predicting battery health are based on tracking the current and voltage during battery charging and discharging. This misses important features that indicate battery health. Tracking the many processes that are happening within the battery requires new ways of probing batteries in action, as well as new algorithms that can detect subtle signals as they are charged and discharged.

"Safety and reliability are the most important design criteria as we develop batteries that can pack a lot of energy in a small space," said Dr Alpha Lee from Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, who co-led the research. "By improving the software that monitors charging and discharging, and using data-driven software to control the charging process, I believe we can power a big improvement in battery performance."

The researchers designed a way to monitor batteries by sending electrical pulses into it and measuring its response. A machine learning model is then used to discover specific features in the electrical response that are the tell-tale sign of battery aging. The researchers performed over 20,000 experimental measurements to train the model, the largest dataset of its kind. Importantly, the model learns how to distinguish important signals from irrelevant noise. Their method is non-invasive and is a simple add-on to any existing battery systems.

The researchers also showed that the machine learning model can be interpreted to give hints about the physical mechanism of degradation. The model can inform which electrical signals are most correlated with aging, which in turn allows them to design specific experiments to probe why and how batteries degrade.

"Machine learning complements and augments physical understanding," said co-first author Dr Yunwei Zhang, also from the Cavendish Laboratory. "The interpretable signals identified by our machine learning model are a starting point for future theoretical and experimental studies."

The researchers are now using their machine learning platform to understand degradation in different battery chemistries. They are also developing optimal battery charging protocols, powering by machine learning, to enable fast charging and minimise degradation.
CGG Provides First Quarter 2020 Financial Update

Positive Net Cash Flow of $25 million

Cash Liquidity at the end of March 2020 around $622 million

Group Segment Revenue Expected at $273 million

PARIS, France  April 8, 2020

First quarter 2020 update:

CGG anticipates first quarter 2020 figures as follow:

Group Segment revenue around $273 million , down 3% year-on-year. Geoscience first quarter 2020 segment revenue around $93 million, up 2% year-on-year Multi-client first quarter 2020 segment revenue around $104 million, up 17% year-on-year, with after-sales around $47 million Equipment first quarter 2020 segment revenue around $76 million, down 25% year-on-year



Positive Net Cash Flow around $25 million during the first quarter 2020

Groups Cash Liquidity around $622 million at the end of March 2020

Net Debt at around $583 million at the end of March 2020

Geoscience backlog as of April 1, 2020 at $278 million, up 7% year-on-year



Sophie Zurquiyah, CEO, CGG said: In the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, our absolute priority remains on the health and safety of our employees, stakeholders and the communities where we work. I would like to thank all our teams around the world for their dedication and professionalism in these difficult circumstances. Following a solid first quarter of 2020 and a smooth transition to working virtually, we enter this environment with around $622 million of cash, a more resilient asset-light business profile, no bond debt to reimburse before April 2023 and no refinancing required. Generation and preservation of cash, meeting our clients needs and maintaining our technology differentiation remain our key focus.



Full Year 2020 financial guidance suspended:

The recent and significant economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting volatility in global financial markets, combined with the large increase in oil supply and the expected decline in oil demand resulting from an economic contraction, leave CGG and the oil and gas sector as a whole, unable to reasonably estimate the future at this point in time.





As of today, the vast majority of our employees are telecommuting and are productive. In Geoscience, we continue to deliver projects on time and our data centers are all operational. Multi-client programs in Brazil, UK, US and Australia are ongoing. Equipment manufacturing plants in France and the US were shut down on March 19, while our plant in China resumed normal production after closing for two weeks in January.

Story continues

However, given the current uncertainties on the duration of the confinement around the world and the magnitude of economic impact to our businesses, the financial objectives communicated on March 6, 2020, which were based on a US$55-65/bbl Brent oil price, are no longer effective. CGG is currently monitoring the situation and its clients activity closely to evaluate the impact on its 2020 financial performance, and is revisiting its 2020 and 2021 financial objectives, which are no longer valid.

We believe that our strategy based on high-end technology, services and data and products that support our clients reservoir development and production optimization efforts is the right one to take us through a lengthy period of depressed activity, should that situation occur.

The Company intends to release updated 2020 financial guidance on May 12, 2020 during its Q1 2020 financial presentation.

Forward-looking statements:

The Company provides this information based on a preliminary revenue review. The Company has not completed its financial reporting and related consolidation, review and control procedures, including the review of all sales against the established revenue recognition/cut-off criteria. The estimates provided in this release are therefore subject to change and the Q1 2020 financial statements finally approved and released by the Company may deviate materially from the information herein.

About CGG:

CGG (www.cgg.com) is a global geoscience technology leader. Employing around 4,600 people worldwide, CGG provides a comprehensive range of data, products, services and equipment that supports the discovery and responsible management of the Earths natural resources. CGG is listed on the Euronext Paris SA (ISIN:0013181864).

Contacts:

Group Communications & Investor Relations

Christophe Barnini

Tel: + 33 1 64 47 38 11



E-Mail: christophe.barnini@cgg.com

Attachment
An Australian Border Force officer told a Sydney harbourmaster to allow the troubled Ruby Princess to dock despite the ship having as many as 140 passengers in isolation on board, official sources said.

Sources with knowledge of official inquiries into the debacle revealed a conversation took place with the Port Authority of NSW employee and a Border Force officer in the hours before the ship was due to dock.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay, Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The officer expressed concern about passengers disembarking after being made aware that as many as 140 passengers aboard were in isolation due to health concerns.

So serious were the concerns flagged, the harbourmaster offered to stop the ship at Bradleys Head to prevent it docking at Sydney Harbour.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Focus Features

From ELLE

Eliza Hittman has an affinity for the taboo. Her films confront how young people navigate impending adulthood: 2013's It Felt Like Love follows a 14-year-old pursuing an older, more experienced boy with dangerous consequences, while 2015's Beach Rats focuses on a 19-year-old Coney Island drug dealer exploring his sexual identity as a webcam boy for older men. But her newest feature, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, masters the coming-of-age narrative, turning the political into the heartbreaking personal journey of a 17-year-old seeking out an abortion.

Shot in 27 days, the spare indie takes on Autumn (wonderfully played by newcomer Sidney Flanigan), an angsty high schooler from an isolated Pennsylvania town who discovers she's pregnant. With her equally inexperienced cousin Skylar along for support, Autumn takes a bus to New York City to avoid her home states strict parental-consent abortion laws. The teens bounce between Midtowns Port Authority to Planned Parenthood clinics in Brooklyn and Manhattan, running out of money, options, and a safe place to spend the nights. Hittman's film, which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, is a sobering reminder of the importance of sexual autonomy, the right to choose, and what happens when those rights are slowly stripped away.

Hittman sat down with ELLE.com to talk about the inspiration for this poignant film, demystifying what happens behind Planned Parenthood's walls onscreen, and how Autumn's plight across state lines will become a reality for many women if Roe v. Wade gets overturned.

Films that tackle such pressing, personal issues are often sparked by a news story. Was that the case here?

Yes. A long time ago I read an article about a 22-year-old woman from Ireland who had to travel all the way to London to get an abortion [before the country legalized the procedure in 2018]. From there, I got lost in a rabbit hole of educating myself and trying to understand the politics of abortion. I couldnt shake this image of a woman on the run who couldnt afford that journey, but how much persistence and bravery it took for her to undergo it, and the pain of having to do it in secret and alone.



Story continues

Photo credit: Angal Field

From the way the town is shot to Autumns interactions inside Planned Parenthood, the film feels incredibly authentic. Can you talk about the research process?

I wanted the story to be as credible as possible, so I did a lot of fieldwork and met with doctors, abortion providers, and people from Planned Parenthood. I was really privileged to be allowed in those spaces to talk about what they do, how they help women, and the furthest people traveled to the clinic in New York. A lot of the story was inspired by those conversations.

I was also interested in the state restrictions that try to make it impossible for women to get abortions. I took a car and drove into Pennsylvania and went back in time, to this coal-mining region with no public transportation that felt completely cut off from any major city. I wanted the story to take place there, but in my storytelling, I didnt want to be leering at this town, turning the camera on how poor it was and judging it. Its about creating the tone of the place more than showing the audience how impoverished these places are.



I love the connection between Autumn and Skylarthey have a bond that defies words. The second Skylar finds out Autumn is pregnant, shes already set the plan in motion without saying a word. How did you build that out on the page?

Part of the writing process was about writing things that didnt work. It felt extremely wrong to write a scene where Autumn is like, Im pregnant, or one where she goes into why. My compass kept telling me, dont have them talk about these things, because it feels cheap. I took a risk, trusting that they could communicate in a subtle way because they are cousins and have that connection. Also, a lot of my work explores taboos and things that are difficult to talk about.

Photo credit: Matthias Nareyek - Getty Images

As director, how did you help create that bond between Sydney and Talia?

I only had a day to rehearse with them, so we met at my apartment and had a day of hanging out and bonding. I gave each a marble notebook where I wrote very personal prompts for them to respond to. Some things were light, like, describe your happiest childhood vacation, while some were very personal. Both have complicated relationships with their fathers, so I asked them to write about the last time they saw their fathers, and then I left them to share what they had written just with each other. It was really important for them to have this secret history off-set.

As an adult watching, some of their decisions scared me! Like, please don't go off with that strange boy! Where did those moments of realism come from?

You come up with internal logic for the script. I pushed the boundaries on what they would do and say. Also, they dont get mugged, they dont get raped, and its not Thelma and Louise. Its about micro-obstacles and how they navigate them. It was really important to put the audience in their shoes and feel the tension of them navigating this misogynistic and hostile world that reflects the way this country treats us in real life.

The film does an effective job of demystifying the process of getting an abortion, from anti-abortion crisis centers to the reality of the Planned Parenthood process. Why was that important?

First, because what Planned Parenthood is doing isnt sinister. I also believe that the portrayal was balanced and honest, and not in a way that intimidates women from going through it. In terms of those centers, I didn't want to vilify them either. I visited one and took a pregnancy test, went through counseling sessions, and got those same pamphlets on Fathers Rights that Autumn gets.

The scene where Autumn goes through the Planned Parenthood counseling session that determines intimate partner violence is gutting. Where did the idea for this scene come from?

In doing the research I talked to a lot of people, including [clinical psychologist] Kelly Chapman from Queens' Choices Women's Medical Center. She said something really poignant to me: Eliza, the abortion is never the crisis. Its the mystery of whats going on at home that you cant fix in 20 minutes. I worked that into the story because pregnancy, sexual health, intimate partner violence, [and] accessing safety [from abusive relationships] are all intertwined.

The ending is especially hard because on one hand youre relieved for Autumn, but then you remember what's waiting for her at home. Why was it important to not wrap up everything nicely?

I think as the film connects to the #MeToo Movement, a lot of women feel powerless, even after coming forward. This ending is complicated and it felt more true to life. At that moment when shes on the bus going home, you have feelings of peacefulness, and she finally falls asleep. But at the same time, shes going home to all of these other issues. I believe the end of a movie is the beginning of another one.

What do you hope viewers take away from Never Rarely Sometimes Always?

The timing of the movie brings about some uncomfortable feelings with the current Supreme Court case around abortion rights [in Louisiana]. The unfortunate journey depicted in this film will become a journey other women will have to take should Roe v. Wade be gutted.

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There's goes the euro summer.

Its no secret COVID-19 has put a serious dampener on the annual mid-year migration of Melbourne and Sydneys smart set to enjoy summer in the northern hemisphere.

For some, its Cannes on the French Riviera, or Capri in Italy where billionaire James Packer and girlfriend Kylie Lim stopped off on the boat, Mischief, in June last year. Others, like Merivale chief executive Justin Hemmes, opt for the Greek isle of Mykonos.

But for a certain crowd, mid-year calls for a trip to Old Blighty for some serious Pimms-and-lemonade action.

Just ask Queen Street silk Stuart Wood, who had planned a bonanza for his 53rd birthday in  London. Readers will remember the barrister, who represented Israel Folau in his fight against Rugby Australia  and won  had scheduled a week of events for his closest mates in early June.
A research team led by a Washington University in St. Louis biologist was awarded $1.2 million for a CRISPR-based gene editing study of Anolis lizards.

Jonathan Losos, the William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor and professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, was awarded the three-year grant from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, based in Strasbourg, France. His grant is one of only 28 selected from a candidate pool of more than 700 teams involving scientists with laboratories in more than 50 different countries.

"Thanks to breakthroughs in the ability to sequence DNA at large scale, many researchers are comparing the genomes of different species to try to identify the genes responsible for evolutionary adaptation," Losos said. "Our project combines this approach with recent advances in gene editing to not only identify candidate genes, but to actually test their effects.

"Because of the extensive body of knowledge about their evolutionary ecology, Anolis lizards are the ideal group to combine genomic and organismal studies at multiple levels -- including anatomy, physiology and behavior," Losos said. "We now have the capability to identify genes potentially involved in adaptation and then to assess the traits they produce and how those traits may be beneficial in the species' particular environment."

Team member Doug Menke, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, developed techniques for creating the world's first gene-edited reptiles: albino lizards. This new study will continue to advance the techniques.

First, the researchers will sequence the genomes of 200 species of Anolis lizards -- primarily those from Central America -- a group that Losos has spent his career studying. Species of anoles, as they are called, are renowned for evolving similar features when faced with similar environmental challenges.

By comparing species that live in similar circumstances -- such as cool mountain forests -- the researchers will look for DNA changes that have occurred only in those species and not in others. Those genetic changes potentially are the ones that have produced adaptation to the environmental condition shared by those species.

Then, using CRISPR, those changes will be introduced in the laboratory to eggs of one species, the brown anole, to see if the resulting individuals exhibit the trait in question -- such as the ability to be active at low temperatures.

Finally, the individual brown anoles will be monitored in experimental conditions to see if the genetic trait leads to better growth or survival.

In addition to Menke, the team includes researchers from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Losos is the director of the Living Earth Collaborative, a center dedicated to advancing the study of biodiversity to help ensure the future of Earth's species in their many forms. He also leads an active research laboratory focused on the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of lizards.

###
By Akbar Mammadov

The first coronavirus (COVID-19) infection has been registered in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia.

According to the Armenian media's report on April 7, the results of the tests of two samples sent to Armenia on suspicion of the coronavirus were received Tuesday, and one of them was positive.

Having been admitted to the hospital on April 2, the infected patient and all 17 citizens who had been in contact with this infected person before had also been self-isolated.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

--

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
As a funeral director, Michael Doyle is well acquainted with heartbreak.

But he has spoken of his own desolation at being unable to attend the funeral of his father, who died of the coronavirus - an illness he believes he also has.

Read More

Mr Doyle, of Michael Doyle Funeral Directors Finglas, Dublin, lost his father, Michael Doyle Snr (91), last week, just a day after doctors confirmed he had the virus.

At first it did not appear Mr Doyle Snr had the virus and the family was treating it as a chest infection until he was hospitalised in Connolly Hospital. But his condition then deteriorated so swiftly that Mr Doyle didn't have a chance to say goodbye.

"The staff at Connolly Hospital were absolutely amazing. They called me on the Thursday to see if I wanted to check in with him by video.

"Before I could even gather my thoughts he was gone. He slipped away," Mr Doyle told the Irish Independent.

"He's going alone. There is no Mass. There is no funeral. We're all in lockdown.

"I've paid for a piper to play a lament at Glasnevin Cemetery and the family will watch it online."

On Monday, they held a virtual wake. He said the family were adhering to social isolation guidelines and were not organising a funeral, in solidarity with the heroes battling the virus on the frontlines.

"My father wouldn't have wanted it," he said.

Michael Snr first began to feel "a bit odd" the weekend before last.

By Tuesday he was no longer able to communicate with the family or Michael Jnr, who acted as his carer following the death of Michael Snr's wife, Agnes, two years ago.

"I'm so proud of the role that I played caring for my father in the last two years and we became more like good friends," he said.

A fifth-generation Dubliner, Michael Snr was originally from Townsend Street and had 25 children and grandchildren.

"He was a very humble man. He was an artist and a musician. His favourite instrument he liked to play was the harmonica. He was born in the 1920s so he liked to play music from that era," Mr Doyle said.

Mr Doyle Jnr developed a cough very suddenly on Saturday but it seems to have subsided quickly. "I slept for around 15 hours, then I woke up at around 11.30am on Sunday, had a shower and I felt better."

Mr Doyle believes he probably picked up the virus from his father.

Despite the heartbreak of losing his father to the pandemic, he is confident Ireland will emerge a stronger, more compassionate society.

"I'm devastated to lose my father. It is very sad, but it is going to be a lot of people's story," he said.

"I am very proud of the way Irish people are dealing with this. We're so proud of the HSE. I honestly think we'll emerge from this as a better country, more caring."
It obvious that measures put in place by government of Ghana to prevent the infection of covid-19 from entering into the country or from further spread among her citizens is making some gains compared with the rate of infection in other parts of the world.

The laws, advise and opinions on the prevention Appear to have been duly observed, followed or complied with by Ghanaians and all within the jurisdiction from the time the novel coronaviruses disease was declared a pandemic till today where enforcement of imposition of restriction law with some partial lockdown in Greater Accra and Tema, as well as Greater Kumasi and Obuasi, is being enforced.

that could be the reason for the 214 cases with five deaths has been recorded at the time of putting these piece together on Sunday the 5th od April 2020.

My observation is that several development communication approaches by government and other stakeholders; from policy formulations and implementation, enforcement of the imposition of restrictions law, education and promotion by health officers and the media to deal with the coronaviruses or at least to stop the further spread in Ghana either vertically or horizontally has also been well coordinated.

thankfully the use of fear arousal among citizen as it has been the case in fighting other outbreaks in the past has not been largely adopted by the stakeholders to stop the deadly covid-19 from spreading further, instead of persuasion and role modeling to get Ghanaians and all in her territorial borders and those trying to enter or leave the country at this time for one reason or the other.

That to me has been a realistic and commendable approach to the fight against the pandemic at least from the information and communication angle.

Ghanas adoption of we are all at risk and all hands on deck approach to this uninvited health war confronting almost all countries is very refreshing coupling with the president of the republics comment we know how to bring back life to the economy but we do not know how to bring back peoples life which earned him salutes all over the world at least on social media is a sign of hope for Africa in the fight against covid-19.

However, I have observed a gap in the campaign to get Ghanaian support the enforcement of the stay home and the social distancing measure by police and soldiers which I want to address.

I therefore humbly offer beneath suggestion to provoke stakeholders including the front line: health; providers, educators, the media and, especially the law enforcers of the Imposition of Restriction Act (E.I) 64 as well as the general public who must comply with the law to review social distancing to physical distancing.

This is because I have observed that all other laws, directive and appeals on how to prevent covid-19 are being adhered by the good people of Ghana except the social distancing which security officers are having challenges to get them to comply with.

As a student of development communication I believe using participatory approach to facilitate understanding on any project such as the ease of compliance and enforcement should be through the local language the people understand.

I then asked myself what is the difficulty with my fellow Ghanaians understanding hands washing, wearing nose mask, observing social distance and not to group in more than 25s to prevent a delayed disease such as covid -19 though we washed our hands long before the waiters take 30 minutes to serve us, covered our noses with handkerchiefs 200meters to the lavender hill when it was indeed lavender hill, and even covers our mouth and nose to avoid the judicial notice of the bad odor from drivers mate armpit when he whispers yes to signal us his readiness to take our transport fares. I also wondered is it not the same Ghanaians who distance themselves from each other, in fact more than 5meters or sometimes leave the classroom, halls and other social gatherings when an unusual bad smell gash out unknown to all except the one who released the carbon dioxide sometimes with bombastic power?

I realized then that there must be something with the message which had to do with the choice of language used social to qualify distancing instead of physical to do the qualification.

reason being that Ghanaians are familiar with the word physical at least among illiterate majority and literate up to undergraduate level than social which to many is not everyday term compared with the term physical education physical cash etc.

again ,To solidify my point on the adoption of physical distancing instead of social distancing currently in use by all including media I attempted to see how well I understand the two phrases (social distancing in contrast with physical distancing) to determine which one offers ease understanding at least in public education and law enforcement.

This is because I dont believe the comments in the media suggesting Ghanaians are disobedient resulting to their non-observance of the social distancing as directed. This believe was supported by UTV reporters interview at Tema Fishing Harbor Cannon Beach on Monday, March 6, 2020.

in that exercise I under took for two weeks, I made a sincere judgment to myself that the same way most Ghanaians are familiar with the word budget than government physical statement for the year its will be appropriate authorities adopt the usage of physical distancing instead of social distancing to get all Ghanaians comply with the directive and obey the law made to prevent them from being infected by the dread covid-19.

The above conclusion was also made based on my curiosity in finding solution to how communication could be used to support police operation hence the pre-testing of my colleagues understanding on social distancing and physical distancing with two question; (1)what do you understand by social distancing and (2)how do you understand by physical distancing.

The result was intriguing as majority said social distancing is confusing than physical distancing which to most physical distance simply means dont get close to a colleague whilst same people struggle to explain in simple term what it meant by social distancing.

This proves my point that social distance mean so many things to a Ghanaian hence the reluctance in compliance as against physical distancing which to the same Ghanaian means a simply term of given space between or among each other to avoid unwanted substance serious as covid-19.

The research questions elicited responds such as I havent thought that oh, oh physical distancing is simple its a daily activities we do to prevents unwanted substances.

I think therefore that, if physical distancing resonates with Ghanaians with everyday practice such as physically distancing to avoid the bad odor from trotro mates armpit, shoe of husbands suffering from foot rot, sons under pants left unchecked in the hall, closing noses when approaching odor river at circle and at lavender hill when it was lavender hill then lets use the term as such for easy education, enforcement and compliance.

Per the above analysis I submits that if physical distancing is used in place of social distancing compliance rate will be high and may not necessarily require police and soldiers with canes to enforce a law we long practiced.

if possible lets begin telling Ghanaians that all we meant by social distancing in times of covid-19 is the same as physical distance we long ensured in tro tro and when someone releases carbon dioxide in class , homes or at all social gatherings and see the level of high compliance.

I also no for a fact that many Ghanas even unemployed calls for more holidays to stay at home and relax so it shouldnt be difficult for us to observe two weeks holidays to stay at home freely the given by president of the republic to fight deadly covid-19.

I think persuasion with right messages can do the trick to let Ghanaians comply with the laws to prevent covid-19 from spreading.

One would have noticed that apart from the initial challenges on enforcement and compliance of the law on closing of churches and mosques as well as halting of social gathering of more than 25 subsequent days did not record any pastor being arrested or a church forcibly closed.

It means that directive was clear as Ghanaian understood closed to mean close as well as not more than 25 without any doctor of social sciences to explain to us.

To this end I must say law enforcers will find it difficult to achieve their aim without torturing any if associate professor and professor emeritus in all fields continue with the present models to consolidate the education on social distancing without using the simple term physical distancing which resonate well with Ghanaians.

Again it will be like every Ghanaian student frightened on hearing mathematics as a subject of study but entertain no fears to add his income and deduct task without the help of any tax experts.

Having said that this is what Frank Hulley-Jones has in support for the use physical distancing while purchasing essential food and medical supplies stay 2metres away from other customers and staff or keep clear of people on the way to and from the shops, and when inside them as well, if possible., shop alone, not in groups distancing easier to achieve. Only buy the essential things you need since it is natural that people worry about potentially being stuck indoors self-isolating for 14 days want to stock up on supplies.

my points above including that of frank hulky appear to have been buttressed by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggestion that the reference to "physical" as an alternative to "social", in keeping with the notion that it is a physical distance which prevents transmission; people can remain socially connected via technology.

Above all, I think we may alley the fears of Ghanaians about the drawbacks of social distancing which include loneliness, reduced productivity and the loss of other benefits associated with human interaction by adopting physical distancing which may not include the above drawbacks.

David Fianko-Okyere;

[email protected]

Bolgatanga-UER
PHOENIX  The Arizona Legislature has informed members and staff that it will extend its recess and assess the coronavirus situation again at the end of the month.

Lawmakers adjourned on March 23 after passing a bare-bones emergency state budget and hoped to reconvene on April 13 to finish the yearly session.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers said Tuesday in an email to members and staff that it will not yet be safe to reconvene.

Bowers said he and Senate President Karen Fann would give members ample notice before they are called back into session.
Fortynine fresh cases of COVID-



19 have been reported in Telangana on Wednesday, taking the total number of positive cases in the state cumulatively to 453.

The number of active cases in the state was 397 as 45 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, state Health Minister E Rajender told reporters.

No death occurred due to the virus on Wednesday and the number of deceased remained at 11, he said.

Rajender said none in the 397 was on ventilator support or in ICU of hospitals. They would be discharged from hospitals after they complete the 14-day period and test negative for the virus, he said.

Till date, there was no evidence of community transmission of the virus in Telangana, a media bulletin on COVID-19 said.

Rajender said the returnees from a religious congregation in Delhi who tested negative were being sent to home quarantine till April 21. They would be supervised twice a day by personnel of health department and police, he said.

The residents of houses of Delhi congregation returnees, who tested negative, would be advised home quarantine till April 28, he said.

He said 3,157 people, who were put in 167 quarantine centres, were being sent home after medical checks by doctors, he said.

Tests have been conducted during the last four-five days and only 535 samples were now left with the authorities, he said. With the testing of samplesn already over, there would only be a few samples reporting for tests, he said.

Consequently, the numbers may not see an increase similar to Wednesdays numbers (49 fresh cases), he said.

Quoting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that the government should continue to be alert though the number of cases related to the Delhi religious congregation was on the wane, Rajender said the government was procuring personal protection equipment (PPE) kits and N-95 masks.

Meanwhile, as part of measuresto combat COVID-19 spread, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)has set up 12 containment clusters in different areas of the city where 89 positive cases of the virus have been registered, its Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To: President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune

President of Benin Patrice Talon

President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza

President of Cameroon Paul Biya

President of Chad Idriss Deby

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki

Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali

Prime Minister of Morocco Saad-Eddine El Othmani

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame

Sent via email

Your Excellencies,

We the 81 undersigned media, press freedom, and human rights organizations are writing to call on your respective governments to release all jailed journalists amid the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists published an open letter to world leaders urging the immediate release of all journalists imprisoned for their work. Given that a staggering number of these imprisoned journalists are held in jails across the African continent, we are reiterating that call to your respective countries at this time of grave public health concern.

According to CPJs most recent annual survey conducted on December 1, 2019, there were at least 73 journalists in prisons in Africa, including 26 in Egypt , 16 in Eritrea , seven in Cameroon , four each in Rwanda , Burundi , and Morocco , three in Algeria , and one each in Benin , Nigeria , Chad , Tanzania , Ethiopia , Somalia , Comoros , Democratic Republic of the Congo , and South Sudan .

As of March 31, at least 11 of these journalists have been released from jails in Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, DRC, Algeria, Comoros, South Sudan, and Egypt, according to CPJ research. However, at least six more journalists and media workers have been jailed since December 1, and remain in prison as of March 31, including four in Ethiopia and one each in Cameroon and Algeria .

Article 16 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights states, Every individual shall have the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical and mental health. These rights were extended to prisoners and detainees when the African Commission adopted the 1995 Resolution on Prisons in Africa .

According to the World Health Organization , People deprived of their liberty, and those living or working in enclosed environments in their close proximity, are likely to be more vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease than the general population.

For journalists jailed in countries affected by the virus, freedom is now a matter of life and death. Imprisoned journalists have no control over their surroundings, cannot choose to isolate, and are often denied necessary medical care.

Many of these journalists have been held in detention without trial for lengthy periods and are suffering from ill health exacerbated by underlying health conditions and overcrowded prisons, where they have contracted malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases.

We urge you to release every jailed journalist in your respective countries and to protect the free press and the free flow of information at this crucial time. Journalism must not carry a death sentence.

Sincerely,

- En francais -
Small businesses account for nearly one-quarter of the country's $2.9 trillion economy and employ more than 500 million workers, according to government estimates

New Delhi: Hundreds of thousands of cash-starved small businesses in the country have either deferred or cut their workers wages this month, say industrialists and union leaders, amid a 21-day nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

All India Manufacturers Organisation (AIMO)an industry body representing some 100,000 small manufacturerssaid more than two-thirds of its members faced problems in paying salaries on Tuesday, the usual day for paying monthly wages.

We have no funds to pay wages, said KD Raghunathan, former national president of AIMO, who runs a solar parts manufacturing unit in Chennai. Our first priority is to pay electricity bills, rent, bank loans and social security contributions of employees, he said, adding that they faced delays in payments from clients, including the government.

Federal and state governments and state-owned companies owe more than $66 billion to small businesses, the government told Parliament last month.

The nationwide lockdown, set to end 14 April, has left millions of migrant workers stranded without any other source of income. And officials have warned that some states may extend the lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise.

India has so far recorded more than 4,200 coronavirus cases a death toll of 114 people.

Unemployment rising

Beyond delayed payments, exports have also been hit by the pandemic, and companies have faced over 50 percent cancellations in orders, said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), nearly half of whose members are small businesses.

Among the worst hit are lifestyle products such as carpets, handicrafts and apparel, he said.

Small businesses account for nearly one-quarter of the country's $2.9 trillion economy and employ more than 500 million workers, according to government estimates.

Amarjeet Kaur, national general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, estimates that more than 5 million workers have suffered a partial or full loss of wages.

The unemployment rate rose to 10.4 percent this week from 7.2 percent in early February, according to estimates by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a Mumbai-based private think-tank.

Even workers who were able to access some government relief this week faced delays at banks.

On Tuesday, outside a Punjab National Bank branch in Agra, more than 100 people, mainly women, were queuing for a 500 rupee ($6.60) subsidy granted by the government during the lockdown.

I need this to feed my children, said Gyan Devi, a labourer. Something is better than nothing.
2 members of megachurch linked to dozens of coronavirus cases reportedly die in Calif.

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Two members of Bethany Slavic Missionary Church, a megachurch linked to dozens of coronavirus cases in California, have reportedly died as officials push back against allegations they have been regularly flouting the states social distancing guidelines.

It was unclear if the members died as a result of the coronavirus but Slavicsac.com reported on Sunday that Victor Thor, the 82-year-old assistant to the churchs lead pastor, Bishop Adam Bondaruk, and Pyotr Bortnovskiy, 69, a sound engineer at the church, both died.

The deaths come after Sacramento County health officials accused the 3,500-member church of blatantly violating the stay-at-home orders designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Dr. Peter Beilenson, the countys health director, told the publication that 71 people linked to the church, including congregants and people they know, have been infected with the virus, including one person who has died. So far, the outbreak connected to the church accounts for almost one-fifth of the coronavirus cases in the county.

In a press release published by the church on Friday, church officials said The Sacramento Bee's report was misleading.

Bethany Slavic Missionary Church believes in the value of community health and human well-being. The church has complied with all federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations at the time of issuance, the church said, stating several steps they have taken to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, including closing their doors on March 18 and moving all church meetings online.

It has been reported that 71 members of this church had fallen ill. These reports are believed to be inaccurate and falsely place the emphasis on this church. The official Sac County website article COVID-19 Update, April 1 reads as follows: Approximately one-third of the confirmed cases in Sacramento County are linked to gatherings related to churches. This number has been falsely linked to Bethany Slavic Missionary Church. Media repetition of such unfounded representations invite ridicule, hatred, and violence against our church community, the church said.

The church has not been informed that any of its parishioners have died from COVID-19 as reported by the media. The church did not condone any church related in-person gatherings outside the church. It disputes accusations that its members widely continued to gather as reported, church officials continued.

The public is dangerously misled by the media to believe and fear that church continues to gather in person. During online live stream services archival videos of choir singing are played in place of a live choir. Such archival videos have been misused by some media to imply that the church members continue to gather. Full recordings of the live services clearly show vacant choir and hall, they explained.

Church officials also argued that the decision of local health officials to disclose the situation of infections at their church even though they had been complying with regulations was dangerous.

In light of the churchs compliance with the COVID-19 regulations, the stated objective of the Sacramento County health officials through public disclosure to put the pressure on church members to stop their gatherings is unwarranted and dangerous, the church said.

Many of the church members are professionals, business owners, and otherwise productive members deeply committed to the well-being of the Sacramento community. Working closely with the medical professionals many of whom are church members, they added. We pray for the well-being of healthcare professionals on the front lines along with the rest of the community.
Congratulations, 11s.vn got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

11s.vn scored 83 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 4/5.0 Stars by Social Team

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PAGE TITLE 11s.vn - Trang dich vu mua ban chat luong cao tai Ho Chi Minh DESCRIPTION 11s.vn la website gioi thieu dich vu chuyen nghiep, san pham chat luong gia re, ia iem shop ban hang uy tin KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS iphone, khu vc, khu vc ti, dch v, cht lung, gi r, bi vit



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A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page.

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The COVID-19 global pandemic and



the nationwide lockdown have seen many prominent personalities, corporates and others in Telangana announce philanthropic measures to help the needy during the times of the ongoing crisis.

Telugu film personalities, led by star Chiranjeevi, have started an initiative CoronaCrisisCharity to aid film workers, especially daily wage earners, who need support.

The charity initiative has received contributions from several Telugu film heroes, according to Chiranjeevis twitter handle.

Contributions have been pouring into the Chief Ministers Relief Fund ever since the lockdown began.

GMR Group, Reddy Labs, NCC Limited and Shanta Biotech are some of the corporates who have made donations.

Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao tweeted about a woman from a BPL family at Medchal near here who chose to return half the ration that was allotted to her and asked officials to distribute the essentials among the poor.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is providing free lunch to about 45,000 people and dinner to about 15,000 people under its Annapurna meals scheme, according to a recent GHMC press release.

The Annapurna free meals scheme aims at providing quality, hot meals and it has been useful to labourers, students and small businessmen, it said.

The leaders and activists of ruling TRS and opposition Congress and BJP have also been organising philanthropic activities in Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana.

The RSS has taken up service activities during the ongoing lockdown even while extending all cooperation to the government authorities, a press release here said.

A total of 2,678 RSS Swayamsevaks have helped 25,000 families in 369 places in Telangana, it said.

As part of the initiative to help the needy, RSS has been feeding poor people, distributing essential commodities through a Kirana Kit, known as "Survival Kit" at their doorstep in addition to other activities, it said.

The RSS activists have also been creating awareness on COVID-19 and the precautions to be taken to prevent its spread, it said.

They have also been volunteering to ensure that social distancing is followed at ration shops and other places where crowds gather and also helping police and sanitary workers in their work, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Sharecast News) - London stocks were set for a slightly lower open on Wednesday following gains in the previous session, as investors eyed the release of the latest Federal Open Market Committee minutes.



The FTSE 100 was called to open 28 points lower at 5,676.



CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: "Markets here in Europe are expected to open lower a little this morning, after a mixed Asia session, which saw the Nikkei rebound, while the rest of Asia struggled.



"Investors are now gearing up for the publication of the latest Fed minutes from the emergency rate cut meeting in mid-March, as well as looking to digest another dollop of fudge from European leaders at yesterday's Eurogroup meeting.



"The meeting was supposed to be about arriving at a roadmap for an exit strategy from coronavirus later today, which would include how to unlock the power of the European Stability Mechanism, the EU's bailout fund to help those most affected by the pandemic. France, Spain and Italy want to make progress on plans for a joint debt instrument, however the more fiscally conservative countries like Germany are more sceptical, and reluctant to sign blank cheques.



"Italy wants no conditions to be set on money that is forthcoming, while the Dutch want a say in where the money is spent in terms of funding a recovery plan, not an unreasonable position to have."



Hewson said the minutes to the emergency Fed meeting on 15 March are likely to make for interesting reading given there wasn't complete unanimity in that decision, even though since then events have moved on quickly.



"It is hard to imagine that all Fed board members aren't now on the same page as the coronavirus death toll rises across the US and the economy shuts down. The most recent jobs number saw payrolls decline by a record 701k, and that's even before two weeks of jobless claims that are likely to see an April jobs report look like a scene out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre."



In corporate news, insurance group Aviva pulled its final dividend as it braced for the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Aviva said it remained well capitalised with strong liquidity.



By retaining the final dividend, the estimated group capital ratio will increase by 7% to approximately 182%.



Tesco increased its final dividend as the supermarket group reported a 13.5% increase in annual underlying operating profit. The company proposed a final dividend of 6.5p a share from 4.10p a share a year earlier. The final dividend takes the total payout for 2019 to 9.15p a share - an increase of 58.6%.



Operating profit before exceptional items and amortisation rose to 2.96bn from 2.61bn as sales dipped 0.7% to 56.5bn. Pretax profit fell 18.7% to 1.32bn.








A blistering row erupted on Wednesday after the head of the EU's top science funding agency resigned and attacked the bloc's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Mauro Ferrari quit as president of the European Research Council (ERC) after just three months, telling the Financial Times he was "extremely disappointed" by the EU's response to the pandemic, which has hit Italy and Spain particularly hard.

The ERC hit back with a lengthy statement accusing Ferrari of being "economical with the truth" and lambasting him for not showing proper commitment to the job.

The row is the latest example of in-house bickering to mar EU efforts to manage a coordinated Europe-wide response to the crisis, which has killed thousands and crippled the continent's economy.

In a statement to the Financial Times, Ferrari said he had joined the ERC as a "fervent supporter" of the EU, but his battles with its bureaucratic approach to coronavirus had changed his mind.

He complained that the strategy he had proposed to fight the virus had been unanimously rejected by the ERC's scientific council because it went against the agency's usual way of working.

In response, the scientific council said its 19 members had already voted to demand that Ferrari quit nearly two weeks ago in a unanimous vote of no confidence.

They accused him of approaching the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive, with ideas behind their back, and of failing even to grasp the purpose of the organisation he led.

"Since his appointment, Professor Ferrari displayed a lack of engagement with the ERC, failing to participate in many important meetings, spending extensive time in the USA," the statement said.

Responding to Ferrari's complaints about the approach to coronavirus, the council said they rejected his initiative because it lay outside their remit and similar work was already under way through "the appropriate channels".

"We regret Professor Ferrari's statement (to the Financial Times), which at best is economical with the truth," the statement said.

The ERC, set up in 2007, is the first Europe-wide funding agency for cutting edge research, with a budget of over two billion euros (USD 2.2 billion) in 2019.

A spokesman for the commission, which oversees the ERC, confirmed Ferrari had resigned with immediate effect on Tuesday.

"The Commission regrets the resignation of Professor Ferrari at this early stage in his mandate, and at these times of unprecedented crisis in which the role of EU research is key," the spokesman said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 750,000 people in Europe, killing nearly 60,000.

Yet the EU has struggled to organise a coordinated response, with national governments pursuing their own interests.

A bid to craft a financial rescue package for hard-hit countries collapsed in acrimony on Wednesday as the Netherlands blocked a deal over bailout conditions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The lesson is one we need to learn and relearn. When a company fails to protect our privacy, we shouldnt just continue to use its product  and tell the people we care about to use it  just because it works well and is simple to use. Once we lose our privacy, we rarely get it back again.

Theres a revolving door, said Matthew Guariglia, a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit. When you give your data to one company, you have no idea who else is going to have access to it, because so much of it happens behind the black box of company secrecy.

The onus is certainly on Zoom, not us, to fix the privacy and security problems of its app. But we can put pressure on Zoom by not accepting the situation. If you do use Zoom, do so with caution and strong security settings. More on this later.

Zooms Privacy and Security Issues

Lets first take a closer look at why Zoom has been under the microscope. The issues boil down to two main things: its privacy policy and the architecture of its security.

Zooms privacy policy

Zoom recently announced that it had revised its privacy policy to be clearer and more transparent. In it, the company emphasized that it does not and has never sold peoples personal data, and has no plans to.

But the policy does not address whether Zoom shares data with third parties, as companies such as Apple and Cisco explicitly state in their privacy policies.

This is a notable omission. Tech companies can monetize user data in many ways without directly selling it, including by sharing it with other companies that mine the information for insights, according to research published by the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management. In some cases, tools to collect data from users are rented to third parties. Such practices would technically make it true that your personal data was not sold, but a company would still make money from your data.
Adventure tourism operators are appealing for government intervention to sustain the industry as almost two-thirds of jobs in the sector have been lost for 2020 and turnover is set to drop by 73% year-on-year.

Already, just weeks into the coronavirus crisis, some 13% of adventure tourism businesses are at risk of permanently closing.

Most adventure tourism operators are seasonal and have seen business decimated by the Covid-19 crisis.

It is the latest blow for the sector which has struggled in recent years with soaring insurance premiums across the board, threatening businesses and jobs all over the country.

Ireland's Association for Adventure Tourism (IAAT) has now called on the government, banks and the insurance industry to ease the pressure on the sector.

Brendan Kenny, chief executive of IAAT, said the consequences are huge.

"We are asking Government, our banks and the insurance industry to support us in saving businesses and jobs. Indeed, a recent survey we conducted showed that in comparison to the first six months of 2019, our sector is facing into a 72% drop in turnover, with 62% of jobs lost.

And only weeks into this crisis, over 13% of businesses are already facing permanent closure," he said.

IAAT is proposing an immediate review of the VAT rate and is calling for the availability of interest-free bank loans and breaks in insurance policies.

IAAT Chairman Maurice Whelan said, "In the activities sector, we make a living from dealing with the ever-changing outdoor environment every day, and now we must apply that same mindset to overcome this incredible challenge.

"In Ireland we have always been a force to be reckoned with on the global stage, and it is a determined ambition that we will continue to perform well as a sector.

"As the World Tourism Organisation said this week, its important to emphasise tourisms unique ability to lead local and national growth.

However, we do need immediate help from Government, banks and the insurance industry.

"We look forward to playing our role in the national recovery."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens as President Donald Trump speaks about COVID-19 at the White House, in Washington, on March 31, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Dr. Fauci Says Schools Likely Will Reopen in the Fall

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a briefing late Tuesday that the United States likely will be able to reopen schools by the start of the next school year in the fall.

Across the country, governors have shut down schools for the remainder of the school year in a bid to curb the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, a novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Bottom line is, no absolute prediction, but I think were going to be in good shape, Fauci, a key member of the White House task force, told a reporter when he was asked about whether schools will restart in time for the next school year. Noting that while there is much uncertainty around schools at this time, Fauci said there should be enough time to restart in the fall.

I fully expectthough Im humble enough that I cant accurately predictthat by the time we get to the fall that we will have this under control enough, that it certainly will not be the way it is nowwhere people are shutting schools, he said. My optimistic side tells me we will be able to renew, he added, adding a caveat that it is going to be different because the virus wont simply disappear.

Fauci said that his daughter is a teacher and she had asked him the same question.

Police officers stand by as food service distribution workers talk to shoppers in a drive-thru that was implemented today at Jacmar Food Fest Sale to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in City of Industry, California. (APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

A day earlier, the top infectious diseases expert offered his assessment on when life in the United States might return to normal. Numerous businesses and events that were deemed nonessential have shut down, leading to long unemployment lines nationwide.

If you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might never happen in the sense of the fact that the threat is there, Fauci said on Monday, but I believe with the therapies that will be coming online and the fact that I feel confident that over a period of time, we will get a good vaccine, we will never have to get back to where we are right now.

His remarks echo those made by other top White House experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr. Robert Redfield, who said that the CCP virus death toll will be far lower than what previous models have shown. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Monday also made a similar assessment after new hospitalizations in New York state began to flatline.

First, models are only as good as their assumptions. Obviously, there was a lot unknown about this virus, Redfield remarked to KVOI in Arizona. In fact, what were seeing is a large majority of the American public are taking the social distancing recommendations to heart. And I think thats the direct consequence of why youre seeing the numbers are going to be much, much, much lower than would have been predicted by the models, Redfield said.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong appears at the Seoul High Court to attend his trial, Jan. 17. / Korea Times file



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Group's woes may deepen as the due date for the group's management, including Lee Jae-yong, to apologize over both alleged and confirmed illegal activities surrounding the group's succession plan is approaching.



On March 11, Samsung's self-organized compliance committee asked Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and de facto leader of Korea's largest conglomerate, to make a public apology over issues regarding his management succession within 30 days. Samsung launched the committee earlier this year in response to investors' growing demands for the company to improve anti-corruption efforts.



Lee's succession plan has hit snags as he was indicted for giving bribes to former President Park Geun-hye's longtime confidante as he sought government assistance in securing his succession to control the entire group.



Lee and Samsung management need to respond to the committee's request by no later than April 10. Samsung has been in "in-depth" discussions about how it will respond to the recommendations, according to an official familiar with the matter.



"As the committee asked Samsung to issue an apology within a month, it appears that Samsung has been discussing how it will respond to the committee's recommendation," the official said.



It also remains to be seen what kinds of measures regarding the union issue the group would come up with because the committee also asked Samsung to ditch its "no union policy."



The conglomerate has been infamous for quashing union activities as it has adhered to a no-union policy since the group's foundation, even though the anti-union stance goes against the country's Constitution, which guarantees workers three rights: the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining and the right to collective action.



The latest anti-union move was confirmed in December 2019 when Lee Sang-hoon, former finance chief at Samsung Electronics, was sentenced to prison for sabotaging its union.



Since the call from the committee, Samsung appears to have changed its negative attitude toward union activities.



Regarding the union issue, Kim Ki-nam, vice chairman and CEO of the device solutions division of Samsung Electronics, said the company will try to make progress to form a healthy relationship between its union and management.



"The company guarantees legal activities of the union," Kim told investors during the general shareholders meeting in Suwon, March 18. "We will work on establishing a healthier union-management culture."



Vice Chairman Lee is also required to specify measures to better communicate with civic groups.



On Feb. 28, Samsung admitted that the group regarded 10 civic organizations donated to by its employees as "rebellious organizations" and accessed their donation records without permission in 2013.



Regarding the matter, the committee asked Lee and management of Samsung affiliates to announce the specifics on how to regain trust from the public.


Vitalina Williams has been identified as the Market Basket employee who died after becoming ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The Massachusetts-based grocery chain announced Williams death earlier Tuesday.

Vitalina Williams was a part-time Market Basket associate who served in our Salem store for eleven years. Our hearts go out to her husband Dave who is also a member of our Market Basket family," read a statement from Market Basket released Tuesday afternoon.

Market Basket said its community was deeply saddened by the loss of Williams and that counseling services have been made available to colleagues and family members.

David Williams told WBZ News that his wife started feeling sick about two weeks ago and last worked at the store on March 26.

Vitalina Williams, market basket employee, dies of COVID-19, according to her husband. He said she was not the love of his life, but she was his life. Just one of the many grocery store employees on the front lines. @NBC10Boston @NECN pic.twitter.com/XPQ7JYmyYO  Cassy Arsenault (@CassyArsenault) April 7, 2020

Two other employees of the Salem location have tested positive for coronavirus and remain quarantined, the company said.

Market Basket reported the information about the death and positive diagnoses to public health officials, the company said, and has brought in a specialized cleaning crew to disinfect the store.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 356 Massachusetts residents have died from illness related to COVID-19 and at least 15,202 people have tested positive.

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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive standard-bearer whose campaigns for the Oval Office have helped usher in a left-leaning movement within segments of the Democratic party, has ended his 2020 bid

His departure from the race comes amid a coronavirus pandemic that has roiled the 2020 election cycle. Voters in exit polls across multiple states and on several primary nights indicated that they trusted former Vice President Joe Biden over the veteran senator to handle a crisis. For example, in telephone surveys--which were conducted in lieu of traditional exit polls due to the pandemic, respondents overwhelmingly picked Biden over Sanders as the candidate they trusted more to handle a crisis, by 73% to 20% in Florida, 63% to 32% in Illinois and 63% to 31% in preliminary results in Arizona.

Sanders' exit from the 2020 field all but assures that former Vice President Joe Biden will likely become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

In a virtual address to supporters on Wednesday, Sanders thanked the more than 2 million people who donated to his campaign.

Sanders maintained that his campaign was winning the ideological and generational struggle by fighting for issues young people cared about.

We are now some 300 delegates behind, Vice President Biden, and the path toward victory is virtually impossible,  Sanders said. So while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. And so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign.

I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win, and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, Sanders added.

Sanders congratulated Biden and said he would work with the presumptive nominee to push his progressive agenda. Sanders pledged to support progressive candidates at every level of government from Congress to the school board. He also, hinted that he would remain on the ballot to snag delegates in an effort to effect change within the Democratic party.

Story continues

"We must continue working to assemble, as many delegates as possible at the Democratic Convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions," said Sanders.

Let us go forward together. The struggle continues, Sanders said as he closed his remarks.

Building the Bernie base

Over his decades-long career -- starting as mayor of Burlington, Vermont to the halls of congress -- the 78-year-old, veteran lawmaker has cultivated both an extensive and lauded congressional record and an avid following among devoted supporters who turned out en masse to his political rallies, wore merchandise touting "Feel the Bern" and he even inspired a video game.

(MORE:Bernie Sanders? Everything you need to know about about the 2020 presidential candidate)

Sanders was endorsed not only by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but two other members of the so-called Squad of freshmen congresswomen of color: Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. He was also endorsed by both leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington State and Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential hopeful Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accompagnied by his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders arrives during a 2020 Super Tuesday Rally at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, Vermont March 3, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

The Sanders campaign also boasted a laundry list of endorsements from progressive grassroots organizations and labor unions.

It wasnt until I heard of a man by the name of Bernie Sanders that I began to question, and assert, and recognize my inherent value as a human being that deserves health care, housing, education, and a living wage," Ocasio-Cortez once said during a rally.

Earlier this month, however Ocasio-Cortez, took to Instagram Live to react to a disappointing nights primary results. She acknowledged how difficult the evening was for Sanders and for the progressive revolution he sought to inspire.

MORE: Sen. Sanders' complicated legacy -- new recruits and party divisions: ANALYSIS

"You know, theres no sugar coating it  tonights a tough night," she said. "Tonights a tough night for the movement overall."

The willingness of his supporters to shift loyalties and enthusiastically back the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee could, in part, hinge on signals Sanders sends on support. As the race tightened between the two final front-runners, Biden attempted to broaden his coalition and reach out to progressives who were Sanders' supporters as a general election matchup with President Donald Trump became more likely.

For his part, Sanders has been unwavering on the priorities he feels any future president should undertake.

Since the self-described Democratic socialist announced his 2020 presidential bid in February of 2019 his raison d'etre throughout the campaign has been the support of the working class and policies centered around those efforts.

He is the chief proponent of Medicare for All-- his signature plan which would establish a single-payer system and eliminate private insurance. In June, Sanders unveiled a plan to cancel $1.6 trillion in student loan debt and to make all public colleges and trade schools tuition free and he is also a proponent of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

While campaigning, the senator targeted Biden over the former vice president's 1993 vote in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 2000 vote to approve permanent normal trade relations with China and his 2003 vote in favor of the Iraq War. Sanders has argued that these positions could cost Biden votes in a general election with blue-collar workers and young voters.

Roots of a revolution

From its inception, his campaign aimed to build upon the organizing network of his 2016 presidential primary run against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In that election cycle, however, he was able to eke out a surprising win against his opponent in the battleground state of Michigan --a move which helped further propel what would ultimately become a heated showdown between the two candidates for the nomination.

Ultimately, he lost that nomination amid claims that the Democratic establishment weighed in heavily for Clinton.

In a CBS interview with Sanders about his campaign launch, Sanders was asked what will be different about this campaign than his 2016 run.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders makes his recommendations for how the U.S. should handle the coronavirus pandemic during a livestream address on March 17, 2020. (berniesanders.com)

"We're going to win," Sanders said, "We are gonna also launch what I think is unprecedented in modern American history and that is a grassroots movement."

(MORE: Bernie Sanders builds momentum with progressive groups ahead of Iowa caucus)

And for a while, it looked as if he might do just that.

Sanders raised more than $46.5 million in February alone and since launching his campaign in 2019, he received more than 8.7 million individual contributions. Sanders has said it was more than any campaign has received at this point in a presidential election in the history of our country.

He fared well in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire before his momentum slowed finishing a distant second to Biden in South Carolina -- a win largely attributed to support among black voters. Sanders lost 10 of 14 states to Biden, including all the southern contests.

And as Biden emerged from Super Tuesday in an apparent sweep, moderate Democrats--including many former presidential contenders such as Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, California Sen. Kamala Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and entrepreneur Andrew Yang--coalesced behind the former vice president.

Sanders, whose strategy relied heavily on turnout, ultimately lost in Michigan a delegate-rich state he took in 2016. He did not win a single county in Florida and only one county in Illinois. In 2016, Sanders won nine counties in Florida and last cycle, Clinton narrowly eked out a win over Sanders, winning 23 of the states 102 counties along the state's edges, while Sanders ran up the score in the rural counties that made up the middle of the state.

In an appearance on ABC's The View earlier this month, Sanders pushed back when asked about his narrowing path to the nomination.

"Last I heard, people in a Democracy have a right to vote and have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America," he said, adding, "In this unprecedented moment in American history, I think we need to have a very serious discussion about how we go forward."

"There is a path," Sanders, I-Vt., told Seth Meyers, when asked in an appearance on "Late Night" earlier this month about his chances to win the Democratic presidential nomination, before continuing.

"It is admittedly a narrow path."

(MORE: Bernie Sanders, acknowledging 'narrow path' to nomination, continues to push agenda amid pandemic)

As Sanders' losses mounted in the 2020 cycle, his ability to campaign in the traditional methods was further complicated amid the rapid spread of coronavirus and the need to nix mass gatherings such as rallies and rope lines, have staff telework and other changes.

Still, Sanders' virtual rallies and other digital events garnered millions of views.

Missed opportunities with some minority voters

Sanders' campaign, in latter contests, trailed in garnering support from black voters. Though, in places like Arizona, Sanders, who tended to appeal to younger voters, fared well with Hispanic voters--a group with a disproportionate share of the population under 45-- winning them by 45-27 percent over Biden.

The Sanders campaign was working to invigorate his efforts to reach African Americans and he had recently secured the endorsement of civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson. The campaign also hired one of its surrogates, justice reform activist Phillip Agnew, to shore up organizing in black communities.

Sanders rolled out a policy proposal dubbed "The Reproductive Health Care and Justice for All" which aimed to tackle issues of access to reproductive health care and eliminate health disparities, namely black maternal mortality rates, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are three times higher for black women than for white women in the United States.

The Sanders campaign also overcame his own health crisis when he suffered a heart attack in Las Vegas in October. After uncertainty about if and at what pace he would be able to return to the campaign trail, Sanders returned to campaigning after a few weeks with a massive New York City rally announcing the endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez.

The path forward

Last month on ABC's "This Week", Sanders characterized a potential brokered convention for a less-popular candidate as the undermining of the people's will.

"I want you to think about it for a moment. If we go into Milwaukee, into the Democratic Convention with a lead. Having won many, many states, having won the people's vote -- and that is reversed at the convention. How do you think people all over this country are going to feel?" he asked.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders delivers a campaign update at the Hotel Vermont on March 11, 2020, in Burlington, Vt. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images, FILE)

"Do you think, really, that will give us the unity? You talked about unity, we need unity. If you reject the candidate that has the most votes from the people and you win it through superdelegates and the Democratic establishment and the corporate wing of the Democratic Party, do you think you're going to have the energy and the excitement of the grassroots movement to defeat Donald Trump? I honestly don't think you will," he added.

For his part, Biden commended Sanders and his supporters, who he said have changed the dialogue in America, on issues like income inequality, universal health care, climate change and student loan debt. In a statement, Biden vowed that the movement Sanders started and has fought for will not end with his campaign, adopting the Vermont senator's campaign slogan Not me, Us.

"Bernie has done something rare in politics," Biden said. "He hasnt just run a political campaign; hes created a movement. And make no mistake about it, I believe its a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. Thats a good thing for our nation and our future.

ABC News' Adam Kelsey and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders suspends presidential bid originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 15:14:51|Editor: xuxin

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FIROZ KOH, Afghanistan, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-two Taliban militants were killed during airstrikes conducted by Afghan Air Force in two western provinces on Tuesday, the military said Wednesday.

"A group of Taliban insurgents attacked an Afghan National Army (ANA) logistic convoy in Dahan-e-Murgha and Hisarak localities of Shahrak district, Ghor province. The ANA in its state of Active Defense, prevented the attack by launching of airstrikes that killed 18 militants," army's Corps 207 Zafar said in a statement.

In neighboring Farah province, four Taliban militants were killed and one militant was wounded after airstrikes targeted militants in Pul-e-Rigi locality of Pusht Rod district, according to the statement.

The targeted militants also attacked an army logistic convoy before being attacked by the strikes in restive Pusht rod district, according to the statement.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Afghanistan in mid February, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has frequently called on the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire to facilitate peace talks and most importantly the fight against the COVID-19, but clashes continued in the conflict-ravaged nation.

Meanwhile the Taliban has also accused the U.S. side of breaching the peace deal by launching drone attacks on civilians, and the Afghan government of refusing to carry out promises of releasing its prisoners, warning the peace deal is now on the brink of collapse.
The EUs top scientist has resigned and criticised the blocs response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Mauro Ferrari, president of the European Research Council (ERC), said he was extremely disappointed by the European response to Covid-19.

The professor had only been in his post at the helm of the EUs main scientific body since 1 January, and had been due to serve a four-year term.

I arrived at the ERC a fervent supporter of the EU [but] the Covid-19 crisis completely changed my views, though the ideals of international collaboration I continue to support with enthusiasm, he said in a statement.

The chief scientist had tried and failed to convince the ERC to set up a special programme to fight the coronavirus pandemic, but the proposal was unanimously rejected by its governing body.

Recommended France enters worst recession since 1945 amid virus lockdown

The ERC Scientific Council said it only backed proposals submitted by scientists and was not in the business of setting up top-down programmes with objective set by the European Commission.

I argued that this was not the time for scientific governance to worry excessively about the subtleties of the distinctions between bottom-up versus top-down research, Professor Ferrari said in his statement released to the Financial Times.

He also recounted how the very fact that he had worked closely with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen created an internal political thunderstorm.

But speaking on Wednesday afternoon a European Commission spokesperson said: Professor Ferrari said that the president of the commission reached out to him. No, that is not correct  its the other way around. It is professor Ferrari who reached out to the president. President Von der Leyen did not solicit any proposals from Professor Ferrari.

In his resignation statement the chief scientist also criticised the complete absence of coordination of healthcare policies among member states, the recurrent opposition to cohesive financial support initiatives, the pervasive one-sided border closures.

The European Commission spokesperson thanked the research chief for his work and said Brussels regretted his resignation. The spokesperson said 50 ongoing or completed ERC projects were contributing to the blocs response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking on Tuesday a European Commission spokesperson said the bloc wanted to coordinate any future very gradual EU-wide removal of lockdown measures.

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

Some member states are beginning to look towards the first steps in terms of moving away from the measures in the weeks to come. We feel it is very important this is done in a coordinated fashion, he said.

We intend to work with other member states to ensure that these strategies are put in place in a coordinated, consistent and global fashion.
The European Union will allocate more than 15 bln euro to fight COVID-19 in the world, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said. The money will be directed to support health systems and economies of the affected countries. However, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed deep divides in Europe, with EU member states arguing over how to tackle the economic fallout, BBC writes in the article Coronavirus: North-South divide clouds key EU meeting. Italy and Spain have accused northern nations - led by Germany and the Netherlands - of not doing enough.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has even warned that if the EU fails to come up with an ambitious plan to help member states saddled with debt by the fight against coronavirus, the bloc could "fall apart". EU Council and Commission chiefs released a statement on Monday that said a "strong package is in the making". Eurozone finance ministers will hold a teleconference later on Tuesday. But a similar meeting two weeks ago bore little fruit. As a result, leaders sent their finance ministers back to the drawing board. Italy, Spain, France and other EU states want to share out coronavirus-incurred debt in the form of "coronabonds" (or eurobonds) - mutualised debt that all EU nations help pay off. Some from these hard-hit nations have been angered by a perceived indifference from other EU states.

Germany wants to set up an EU rescue fund and lend using mechanisms set up during the financial crisis of a decade ago. This week, a group of Italian mayors and other politicians bought a page in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper to remind Germany that it was never made to pay back its debts after World War Two. Public opinion has also been shifting in Germany. Economists, politicians and commentators who once railed against mutualising eurozone debt to bail out Greece amid the last financial crisis are calling for exactly that to help Southern Europe deal with the coronavirus. Even the German tabloid Bild, that led the anti-Greece charge 10 years ago, is now calling for so-called coronabonds. The situation today is more like a natural disaster then a crisis sparked by risky lending, they argue.

Finance ministers are likely to converge on three ways to prop up the economy - use of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) bailout fund, the European Investment Fund and the European Commissions short-time work scheme. There is an agreement emerging on the first three options, but that is not enough, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told journalists ahead of Tuesdays meeting. Mr Le Maire wants a fund worth several hundred billion euros in joint borrowing to finance economic recovery. But Austria, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands have refused to back joint borrowing, anxious that they could be liable for repaying the debts of member states in the south. The EU will likely agree on economic support through the usual channels, not through new coronabonds. "There is a lot of room for solidarity within the existing instruments and institutions," read a statement from EU Council and Commission chiefs on Monday.
While the US said the company has been responsive to security issues, Taiwan banned the apps use in government.

A shareholder has sued Zoom Video Communications Inc, accusing it of fraud amid mounting security concerns over the popular video-conferencing app.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday in San Francisco federal court, the company and its top officers were accused of concealing the truth about shortcomings in the apps software encryption, including its alleged vulnerability to hackers, as well as the unauthorised disclosure of personal information to third parties, including Facebook Inc.

Investor Michael Drieu, who filed the suit as a class action, claims a series of public revelations about the apps deficiencies starting last year have dented Zooms stock price  though the shares are still up 67 percent this year as investors bet that the teleconferencing company would be one of the rare winners from the coronavirus pandemic.

Zoom Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan has apologised for the lapses, acknowledging in a blog post last week that the company had fallen short of expectations over privacy and security.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, said in a memo seen by Reuters news agency that Zoom has been responsive to concerns over its software.

The memo  drafted by DHSs Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which screens software used by government bodies  sounded a positive note about the teleworking solution, which has been beset by security worries.

DHS and FedRAMP said Zoom Video Communication Inc was responding to the criticisms and understood how serious they were  a contrast with the formal advice against using the product issued on Tuesday by Taiwans cabinet, which told government agencies on Tuesday to stop using Zoom due to security concerns.

The islands education ministry later said it was banning the use of Zoom in schools.

Former White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton noted that while the message applied to the version of Zoom marketed to US officials  Zoom for Government  it was still good news for the San Jose, California-based company.

I see it as a pragmatic memo, Payton, who is chief executive of cybersecurity firm Fortalice Solutions, told Reuters. She said the General Services Administration, which helps run FedRAMP, had to say something given the mounting disquiet over Zooms issues.

That is in part because the companys new popularity as a main way to connect to colleagues, classes, friends and family while stuck at home has meant newfound scrutiny.

Most recently, University of Toronto-based internet watchdog Citizen Lab said it found significant weaknesses in the encryption protecting the confidentiality of Zoom meetings as well as evidence that encryption keys  key bits of code whose possession could enable a hostile power to eavesdrop on conversations  were sometimes being sent to servers in China, even when the meetings participants were in North America.

Some schools and businesses have stopped using the service, among them Elon Musks rocket company SpaceX, which Reuters reported last week had banned its employees from Zoom.

Zoom did not comment on the memo, instead pointing to previous comments made by the companys CEO, Eric Yuan, who has publicly pledged to do better.

Well double down and triple down on privacy and security, Yuan recently told CNN.

DHS and FedRAMP said in a joint statement the memo was a best practice guide for government users, who it said were advised to use the Zoom for Government over the companys free or commercial offerings.
| By Malissa Carroll

Second-year student pharmacists Adaeze Amaefule, Breanna Owoo, Hannah Kim, and Sydney Yuen had reason to celebrate in February, when their team was announced the winner of the eighth annual Americas Got Regulatory Science Talent competition.

Hosted by the University of Maryland Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI), the Americas Got Regulatory Science Talent competition aims to promote student interest in the field of regulatory science  the science of developing new tools, standards, and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

(Watch the video below)

Regulatory science is an area that many faculty and students in the health professions think about each day, says James Polli, PhD, the Shangraw/Noxell Endowed Chair in Industrial Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and co-principal investigator for M-CERSI. This competition offers students an opportunity to become more immersed in the field, examining the challenges encountered by researchers and investigating potential solutions. For me, it is always one of the highlights of the year, especially when I see how many FDA science staff took time from their busy schedules to serve as team mentors to the students.

A Solution that Benefits Patients, Providers, and Manufacturers

This years competition featured presentations from nine teams, each of which identified a unique unmet need in the area of regulatory science. However, it was Amaefule, Owoo, Kim, and Yuen who earned first place with their proposal to develop a new mobile app known as MeDevice, which would synthesize all information currently available for the more than 4,000 medical devices tracked by the FDA into one convenient location that patients, health care providers, and device manufacturers alike could easily access.

The FDA website already includes a great section on medical devices, Yuen says. The problem is that there are several databases to look through, several kinds of information that you find. We wanted to synthesize all of that information into one convenient place. MeDevice takes you from the beginning of learning about a medical device all the way to reporting an adverse event associated with your device.

MeDevice would allow users to search medical devices based on the device name, the manufacturers name, or device barcode. Users could save a device to their profile or mark it as a Favorite, which would allow them to quickly access the devices profile in the future to learn more about it. The app would include photos of the device, the device name, the manufacturers name, and the device class, as well as information provided by the manufacturer and how the device is used. Information about associated adverse events and recalls also would be available in the app, as would clinical trial and post-market surveillance data.

Ultimately, we want to enhance and promote understanding of how medical devices are used, Yuen says. With MeDevice, we are trying to take the most important parts of the FDAs existing website and format them in such a way that the consumer can easily learn more about a device and take charge of his or her health.

The team explained that users also could report any adverse events they experienced while using a medical device through a link in the app that would direct them to the FDAs MedWatch page. Manufacturers will find the app helpful for their post-market surveillance efforts, as they could analyze the adverse events reports submitted by consumers to more quickly determine if a recall should be issued, Yuen adds.

She continues, Health care providers will also benefit from easy access to a wide range of information that will help them select which medical device might be most appropriate for their patients.

Innovation that Extends Beyond Medical Devices

While judges Silvana Borges, MD, associate director for regulatory science in the Office of Drug Evaluation II at the FDA, and Alemayehu (Alex) Akalu, PharmD, senior staff fellow in the Oncology Program in the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products at the FDA, awarded Amaefule, Owoo, Kim, and Yuen first place for their innovative proposal to streamline and simplify information about medical devices, they also recognized two other teams as runners-up for their out-of-the-box thinking to address issues concerning biologics manufacturing and drug disposal.

Second-year student pharmacists Karen Nguyen, Hanna Lefebo, Amanda Dinh, Anthonia Azubike, Andrew SyBing, and Jeffrey Banaszak were recognized for their proposal to manufacture biologics on-demand in emergencies using an innovative portable manufacturing system. Another team of second-year student pharmacists that included Anyen Fon, Hang Vo, Chidiogo Eke, and Olamide Olujohungbe was celebrated for its proposal to create a mobile app that would allow users to find drop-off locations for drug disposal as well as offer instructions about how to dispose of medications if visiting a drop-off location was not possible.

I had the best experience attending this years Americas Got Regulatory Science Talent competition as a judge and as a first-timer, says Akalu, one of the competitions judges. All nine teams showed great enthusiasm and dedication. Most of the teams incorporated current technologies to enhance the health care system and alleviate some of the big issues it faces. I hope to see these brilliant ideas/concepts evolve into tangible projects and reach their intended destinations.

Due to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic, the traditional in-person visit to the FDA for the winning teams will be held online. However, the agency plans to invite teams to its campus this fall to meet with regulatory science staff members.
STAMFORD  Researchers are isolating antibodies in people whove recovered from the coronavirus to see if they can help the hundreds of hospital patients struggling with the sometimes-deadly respiratory infection.

The effort is underway at Stamford Health  which is conducting Connecticuts first clinical trial  and at Nuvance Health in Danbury and Norwalk, which is collecting the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients for a similar study later this month.

Plasma therapy has a long history of success in helping patients with diseases such as polio, measles and even the flu in their recovery said Dr. Paul Sachs, director of pulmonary medicine at Stamford Health and a principal investigator for the trial. Pilot studies at other organizations have shown promise, and we hope that well see those successes replicated for COVID-19.

The federal Food and Drug Administration agrees, up to a point.

Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective in COVID-19, the FDA said in a statement late last week. It is therefore important to determine through clinical trials, before routinely administering convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19, that it is safe and effective to do so.

To assist those trials in Stamford and across the country, the American Red Cross is looking for plasma donors who are fully recovered from COVID-19.

People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus, the Red Cross said in a statement. This convalescent plasma is being evaluated as treatment for patients seriously ill with COVID-19.

At the same time, Nuvance Health has launched a blood plasma program to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. The networks Connecticut hospitals include Danbury and Norwalk hospitals, and its New York hospitals include Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.

Plasma donors are asked to register by filling out a questionnaire.

Stamford Health, which runs Stamford Hospital, has about 30 people sick with coronavirus who are eligible for the plasma therapy, several of whom could receive the simple treatment as soon as the end of the week.

The antibodies are inside the plasma and the plasma is transfused directly into sick patients, said Suzanne Rose, Stamford Healths Office of Research director, and the study sub-investigator. This could be revolutionary, because theres very few side effects, and we dont have to give somebody drugs to help their body fight harder against the infection.

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

The therapy involves the transfusion of two units of plasma that has been analyzed tested. The first unit is given slowly over two hours to ensure the patients body doesnt reject it. A second unit of plasma is then given.

The Stamford study is similar to trials that have begun across the country, including a large-scale trial at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where the focus is on helping hospitalized patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19.

Closer to home, the hope is to lessen the severity of the illness and shorten the time people need to be hospitalized in Stamford. The study will compare patients who receive plasma treatment to COVID-19 patients who have been at Stamford Hospital without the therapy prior to the trial, Rose said.

It is very exciting because we hope to get a lot data and definitively answer some of the questions around convalescent plasma therapy, which has been around for years.

Connecticut, in solidarity with the rest of the country and the world, is fighting an unprecedented pandemic that has infected more than 7,700 people in the state since March 8, and killed 326.

The majority of people with the infection have moderate symptoms and recover. The elderly and those in frail health are most susceptible to serious illness and death.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Architectural Digest is taking us on a trip to Beverly, Washington, along the banks of the Columbia River to visit a tiny home straight out of the early Space Age.

When professional catamaran designer Kurt Hughes decided to build his Lunar Lander Dwelling House, he set out to improve upon the excessive weight and structural weaknesses found in some tiny homes. Using lessons learned from his decades building ships, Kurt has maximized every inch in his meticulously designed replica of the Apollo Lunar Lander.

See the full video here.
Bill Gates (Photo : Image by Won-hyoung  from Pixabay )

Image by Won-hyoung  from Pixabay



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KEY POINTS

Inovio Pharmaceuticals received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Preclinical studies were performed on animals which showed promising results

A total of 40 healthy volunteers will be needed for the human trial

Asecond potential vaccine against COVID-19, manufactured by a Pennsylvania biotech company, is all set to enter human testing. The company received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.



In a press release Monday, Inovio Pharmaceuticals said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted an application under the regulator's Investigational New Drug (IND) program "paving the way for Phase 1 clinical testing of INO-4800 in healthy volunteers beginning this week."



The company said preclinical studies were performed on animals which showed promising results.



"Preclinical data, which have been shared with global regulatory authorities and submitted as part of the IND, have shown promising immune response results across multiple animal models. Additional preclinical trials, including challenge studies, will continue in parallel with the Phase 1 clinical trial," the release said.







The Inovio DNA vaccine candidate contains specifically engineered plasmid (a small, independent genetic structure), and when it is injected into a patient, the body cells produce an antibody capable to fight a specific infection.



A total of 40 healthy volunteers will be needed for the human trial and the screening for the potential subjects has already begun in two centers namely Philadelphia's Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Pharmaceutical Research in Kansas City. Each of the volunteers will receive two doses of the vaccine four weeks apart.



TOP ARTICLES1/5READ MOREBritish PM Johnson In Intensive Care WithCoronavirus



Calling this a "significant step forward" in the fight against the deadly disease, Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio's president and CEO, said, "Without a new safe and effective vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to continue to threaten lives and livelihoods. It also demonstrates the power of our DNA medicines platform to rapidly develop and advance a vaccine for COVID-19 into Phase 1 clinical testing. Our dedicated team of staff, partners and funders have been mobilized since the genetic sequence of the virus became available in early January and continues to work around the clock to ensure that we are rapidly advancing INO-4800 through this Phase 1 study towards planned efficacy trials."


Coronavirus world updates: Over 1.34 million infected worldwide

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 6:32 AM

Confirmed coronavirus cases across the globe now number at 1,347,803, and a total of 74,807 people have lost their lives as a result of complications caused by the virus, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. More than 277,400 people have recovered.

The United States leads all the 213 countries and territories affected by the highly contagious virus across the world with 368,196 confirmed infections. Italy remains the country with the highest death toll, which now stands at 16,523. And China  where the virus first emerged late last year  has reported no deaths from the virus for the first time since it began releasing daily data in January.

Europe

Meanwhile, residents in Italy's worst-hit region of Lombardy were struggling to obtain scarce protective face masks and makeshift alternatives following orders by local authorities for everyone moving outside to cover their faces up.

Italy has 132,547 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Separately, the coronavirus death toll in Spain  13,341 so far  slowed for the fourth day on Monday as the government mulled over a gradual easing of a lockdown on the nation with the second highest loss of life from the virus after Italy. However, Spain's confirmed cases have surpassed those of Italy, standing at 136,675.

Germany has recorded a further 3,834 cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total cases to 103,375, with a reported death toll of 1,810 so far.

Switzerland, with 21,657confirmed cases, announced on Monday that it was too early to ease the measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, as neighboring Austria  reporting 12,297 cases  outlined plans to loosen a national lockdown.

Furthermore, Norway's health minister declared that the country's epidemic was under control, pointing to low rates of transmission. The nation has reported 5,865 confirmed cases of the virus.

The Czech Republic reported its slowest daily percentage increase in confirmed cases as the country started its fourth week of restrictive measures.

In the UK, while the infected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was transferred to intensive care with deteriorating condition, his foreign minister has assumed responsibilities of running the country. Scotland's chief medical officer stepped down Monday after acting against her own advice to stay home by visiting her second home on two successive weekends.

In Russia, the number of coronavirus cases has surged by more than 1,000 in the past 24 hours for the first time, bringing the total to almost 7,500, according to a Tuesday statement by the country's crisis response center.

The updated death toll for Russia stands at 58.

French Health Minister France Olivier Veran announced on Tuesday that the country had not yet reached the peak of its COVID-19 epidemic and that the country's lockdown would last as long as necessary.

France's confirmed cases neared the 100,000, mark with fatalities standing at almost 9,000.

Meanwhile, military forces across Europe have reportedly scaled back operations and imposed stricter rules on personnel in efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19 among troops, who often live and work in close quarters.

Asia and the Pacific

China announced Monday that it would make efforts to further prevent cases imported through its land borders, and the number of its asymptomatic cases increased.

The country reported no deaths for the first time since starting to track daily data on the outbreak in January.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to declare a state of emergency Tuesday evening following reports of a sharp hike in coronavirus cases in several major regions, including the nation's capital of Tokyo. The government is further preparing a 990-billion-dollar stimulus package.

Meanwhile, India  the world's second most populous nation after China  plans to test 20,000 people daily by the end of the week, twice the current rate, as a statistical glitch in its testing data has triggered queries into the issue. The country of 1.3 billion people has so far reported only 4,778 cases.

Indonesia announced its largest daily surge in infection cases, and a medical association stated that 24 doctors had died since the outbreak began. The populous nation has so far reported only 2,491 confirmed cases and 209 deaths.

In Singapore, there are growing fears that huge dormitories where migrant workers live and are disconnected from the outside world may fast emerge as a hotbed for infections.

And Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged citizens to remain home for Easter holiday, as data showed the country's infection rate was on the decline. The nation has 5,846 cases and 44 deaths.

Africa

Nearly 20 million jobs across Africa remain at risk as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, as experts predict the continent's economies to contract this year.

Kenya's president has ordered a halt to all movements in areas affected by the pandemic, including the capital of Nairobi.

In the Ivory Coast, police clashed with protesters that started demolishing a partially-built coronavirus testing center out of fears that people using the facility would cause a further spread of the virus.

The Americas

Mexico posted its biggest single-day hike in coronavirus cases on Monday as its deputy health minister announced a need for government to recruit more medical staff to combat a deteriorating outbreak.

Mexico reported 296 new infections, bringing the nation's total to 2,439 cases, with 125 deaths.

In Brazil, meanwhile, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta declared on Monday that he would continue in his post after overcoming a disagreement with President Jair Bolsonaro over the need for social distancing to halt the spread of the virus.

"A doctor does not abandon his patient. We will continue," Mandetta said.

Guatemala has called on the US to limit its deportations of asylum seekers to 25 persons per plane. Two deported refugees were hospitalized in recent weeks after testing positive for coronavirus.

The small and impoverished Caribbean island nations of Haiti and Barbados reported their first deaths due to the pandemic.

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Wellington: As tropical cyclone Harold batters Fiji, the first reports have emerged of the category-five storm's destruction in Vanuatu.

Communication lines have been restored to the hardest-hit regions of Vanuatu on Wednesday, two days after Harold made landfall.

The Rowhani Bahai School assembly hall in Luganville, Vanuatu, after Tropical Cyclone Harold struck the Pacific nation. Credit:Julian Bluett/AAP

The islands of Espiritu Santo, Malo and Pentecost were blasted by torrential rain and winds above 235km/h in the storm, which travelled directly over Luganville, the country's second biggest settlement.

"Thousands of people have lost their homes. There's extensive, extensive damage," Julian Bluett, a Brisbane-raised Luganville resident, told AAP.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose call for a liberal agenda galvanized millions of followers, dropped out of the presidential race, giving former Vice President Joe Biden a clean path to the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Sanders' exit comes after a string of losses to Biden in the primary election.

The intensifying coronavirus pandemic meant he could no longer hold the large rallies that came to define his grassroots movement, though he often pointed to the problems many Americans had getting tested and treated for the virus as evidence that the country needed to adopt his signature "Medicare for All" proposal.

In a speech Wednesday, Sanders congratulated Biden on being the Democratic nominee. He called Biden a "decent man" whom he plans to work with to "move our progressive ideas forward."

"Then, together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump," he said.

He thanked his supporters, who propelled him in two presidential campaigns.

"I want to express to each of you my deep gratitude for helping to create an unprecedented grassroots political campaign that has had a profound impact in changing our nation," Sanders said. "Together, we have transformed the American consciousness as to what kind of nation we can become and taking this country a major step forward in the never-ending struggle for economic justice, social justice, racial justice and economic justice."

Today I am suspending my campaign. But while the campaign ends, the struggle for justice continues on. https://t.co/MYc7kt2b16  Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 8, 2020

Fiercely unapologetic, Sanders' call for economic justice, nationwide health care and an end to the "billionaire class" was the loud refrain for two presidential campaigns that tried to pull the Democratic Party to the left.

Story continues

Referring to his campaign's policies, Sanders said Wednesday, "It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today, they are mainstream ideas, and many of them have already been implemented in cities across the country. That is what we have accomplished."

But ultimately, it fell short. For the second consecutive election, the self-described Democratic socialist was the runner-up, finishing behind Hillary Clinton in 2016 and the former vice president this year.

Super Tuesday shake-up: The suddenly tough road for Sanders with Biden as front-runner

The coronavirus pandemic kept Bernie Sanders from holding campaign rallies.

"I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth," Sanders said Wednesday. "And that is that we are some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden, and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.  It's been a very difficult and painful decision."

Moments after Sanders' announcement, Biden thanked the Vermont senator in a lengthy statement, noting Sanders' "impact on this election and on elections to come is far from over."

"Bernie has put his heart and soul into not only running for President, but for the causes and issues he has been dedicated to his whole life," Biden said in the statement. "So I know how hard a decision this was for him to make  and how hard it is for the millions of his supporters  especially younger voters  who have been inspired and energized and brought into politics by the progressive agenda he has championed."

Biden said he and his wife, Jill, thanked Sanders and his wife, Jane, for the difficult decision to suspend the campaign.

"You have put the interest of the nation  and the need to defeat Donald Trump  above all else. And for that, Jill and I are grateful," Biden said. "But we also want you to know: Ill be reaching out to you. You will be heard by me. As you say: Not me, Us."

Sanders says he will remain on ballots to earn delegates

Sanders said Wednesday he's going to stay on the ballot in the remaining primary states to earn delegates.

"While Vice President Biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the Democratic convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions," Sanders said. "Then together, standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history."

Sanders entered the 2020 campaign with high name recognition, experience and an army of supporters  some pejoratively known as "Bernie Bros"  that collectively propelled him into front-runner status after the first three states.

His momentum fizzled after the South Carolina primary Feb. 29 when black voters backed Biden in large numbers, foreshadowing the struggles Sanders would have with a key Democratic constituency going forward into Super Tuesday three days later.

Sanders won the biggest Super Tuesday prize  California  but he lost 10 of the other states to Biden that night, including Texas, a state in which he had invested a lot of time and energy. After that, he never regained his footing while support from rivals such as Michael Bloomberg and Amy Klobuchar coalesced around Biden.

He also had a health scare.

In early October, he felt chest discomfort during a campaign event in Las Vegas. His campaign announced that he had a blockage in one artery, and two stents were inserted. Several days later, Sanders' treating physicians Arturo Marchand and Arun Gururaj released a statement via the campaign saying Sanders had a heart attack.

Brian Monahan, the attending physician at the U.S. Capitol, declared the senator in "good health" in a letter released Dec. 30, 2019, by the Sanders campaign. Monahan is Sanders' primary doctor.

A New York City native who never shed his thick Brooklyn accent, Sanders, 78, built a national following despite representing the nation's second least populous state. His supporters were overwhelmingly under 35, providing the energy to his dynamic campaign but not always showing up at the polls when he needed them most.

His political career nearly never happened. In 1981 at age 39, the carpenter and documentary filmmaker was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont's largest city, by only 10 votes out of nearly 10,000 cast.

Sanders fading: Joe Biden racks up more big wins, making it almost impossible for Bernie Sanders to catch up

He was elected nearly a decade later as Vermont's sole member of the U.S House. After eight terms, he won a seat to the U.S. Senate in 2006, using his perch on Capitol Hill to craft a platform on national issues that became the basis of his presidential runs.

Sanders, whose state has no party registration, is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., built an army of young followers who were enthusiastic but not always reliable.

Sanders was a relative unknown and a long-shot candidate (he was 50 points behind Clinton in some national polls) when he launched his first presidential campaign in the spring of 2015.

Before his first presidential run in 2016, Sanders' outrage over the billionaire class might have been captured only on C-SPAN and left-leaning news shows. His presidential run changed that.

Sanders won 22 states and 45% of the pledged delegates, and he consistently led Clinton overwhelmingly among 18- to 29-year-olds. His campaign drew a record 8.2 million individual contributions from about 2.5 million donors, raising about $228 million largely through fundraising emails to supporters.

2020 Democratic Primary Election Results | USA TODAY

His call for a "political revolution" quickly gained momentum on social media, igniting a "feel the Bern" fever that drew nearly 1.5 million people to his rallies and other events across the country in a wave of populism similar to the one that helped propel Republican Donald Trump to the White House.

Though he lost, Sanders' influence was evident. Clinton proposed expanding access to health care and eliminating college tuition for working families. Many of his priorities were included in what Sanders described as the most progressive platform in the party's history.

Former opponents praise Sanders' campaign and values

Sanders onetime Democratic presidential rivals praised his campaign and struck a united tone as they look to help Biden defeat Trump.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who as presidential candidate competed against Sanders for support from the left, thanked Sanders for fighting so relentlessly for Americas working families during this campaign.

Your fight for progressive ideas moved the conversation and charted a path for candidates and activists that will change the course of our country and party, Warren tweeted.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., called Sanders an extraordinary leader whose campaign drove the conversation around issues for working families. We must continue that spirit and ethos as we work to unite the party to defeat Trump, she said.

Sen. Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Sanders decision to end his campaign is a decision to unite our party and shows he is a true public servant.

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he loved getting to know Sanders on the campaign trail.

2020 Democratic Primary Election Results | USA TODAY

He and his supporters are a tremendous force, and Im looking forward to teaming up to end the Trump presidency and open the door to a better American era, Buttigieg tweeted.

Sanders said Wednesday his presidential bid was never "just a campaign."

"We are a grassroots multiracial, multi-generational movement, which has always believed that real change never comes from the top on down but always from the bottom," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bernie Sanders drops out of 2020 presidential race as Joe Biden surges
Lets act as if

Re: Lab raises $3.4M for research on virus, by Laura Garcia, Business, Friday:

These are definitely disturbing times, but within them is the opportunity to look for the cherries, as my late husband used to say. One must look for the positive, inspirational and uplifting aspects of this tragedy to move forward and keep ourselves sane.

Reading about the Texas Biomedical Research Institute laboring feverishly to discover a COVID-19 vaccine has uplifted me. Realizing our beautiful communitys financial support also gave me hope.

In our minds, let us act as if a cure will be forthcoming, and tackle each day with confidence and faith. One thing we can definitely pray for is the success of these able scientists.

Kay Mijangos

On ExpressNews.com: Texas Biomed raises $3.4M to work on COVID-19 vaccine

Wear your mask

Now that the CDC and other health agencies are recommending the usage of face masks when we leave our homes for essential outings, it is important for everyone who must be out to use one. The reason is not to protect you from others but, rather, others from you if you happen to be sick with the coronavirus and not know it.

Theoretically, if this is done, one should expect the infectious cycle to break in a very short period of time and allow us all to get back to our work and lives, and put this awful coronavirus pandemic in our rearview mirror.

John Menchaca

Faith in Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci is a national hero! God protect him.

Doris Alderman
Hyderabad, April 8 : As many as 49 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Telangana since Tuesday night, taking the total number of cases in the state to 453, State Health Minister Etela Rajender said on Wednesday.

He told reporters that 397 patients are currently undergoing treatment in government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, and said none of them were in critical condition.

Out of total 453 cases, 11 have died while 45 were discharged after treatment.

No death was reported and no one was discharged on Wednesday.

All the new positive cases are those who participated in Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month or their contacts.

The Health Minister said those tested positive would be treated only at Gandhi Hospital. Those found negative would be quarantined in districts.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had said Monday that 1,058 people who attended Delhi meet were traced and going by the trend of positive cases, another 100-150 may test positive.

Thirty persons tested positive on Monday and 40 on Tuesday.

Barring 50 foreign returnees and their family members, all others who tested positive are Tablighi meet attendees and their contacts.
A "For Rent" sign is seen on a building Hollywood, California, on May 11, 2016. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Around a Third of Renters Late on April Payment as Pandemic Hits Housing

Nearly a third of tenants in the United States didnt pay rent in the first week of April, a landlord group stated.

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), whose research arm has launched a weekly accounting of rent payments, found a 12 percentage point drop in the share of apartment households that paid rent by April 5, the group stated in a release.

The stark figures were presented as the first review of the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on rent payments, as American families struggle financially during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

Only 69 percent of households paid their rent by April 5, down from 81 percent that paid by March 5, the NMHC found.

Biggest takeaway: almost 70% of apartment households had paid their rent as of April 5. Those who can are still paying, Caitlin Sugrue Walter, vice president of research at NMHC, wrote in a Twitter post.

Will be even higher next week, Walter added, referring to expectations that some people will likely pay rent at a later date.

For Rent and For Sale signs are seen outside an apartment building. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Because most apartment operators have a few days grace period where rents can be collected without penalty, clarity on performance data will be gradual for each month impacted by COVID-19, she said in a note.

Also, because April 5 was a Sunday, the figures may not have captured rent paid online on that date, which would normally be processed on the next working day.

The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in significant health and financial challenges for apartment residents and multifamily owners, operators and employees in communities across the country, Doug Bibby, NMHC president, wrote in an April 8 statement.

However, it is important to note that a large number of residents met their obligations despite unparalleled circumstances, and we will see that figure increase over the coming weeks, he added.

The groups rent payment tracker is based on data from 13.4 million units nationwide. The council stated that in its calculations, it excludes vacant units, purpose-built student housing, privatized military housing, and subsidized affordable units.

Student housing on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 11, 2017. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

While the percentage of payments is likely to see an uptick, as Bibby predicted, the 12 percent month-over-month drop suggests many renters are struggling to meet financial obligations as businesses shutter and people are asked to stay in their homes in a bid to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

This information is important because it will provide a regular look at how affected the nations 40 million apartment residents are by the economic crisis following the spread of COVID-19. Its also an indicator of the industrys financial performance, which has far-reaching financial and economic repercussions, Walter said.

Bruce Brunner, a Minneapolis area landlord, told The New York Times that some two dozen of his 130 tenants told him they lost their jobs or had their hours cut.

Six weeks ago, you could name your price and youd have multiple people applying, said Brunner, who owns and manages 20 duplexes and triplexes across the city. Now, youre deferring and working out payment plans, and its only going to get worse.
An Ile-Ife Magistrates Court in Osun State on Wednesday arraigned six persons for allegedly failing to comply with governments stay-at-home order aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.

The defendants are Kunle Omisakin, 45; Adesiyan Lateef, 18; Adediran Abidemi, 35; Ajayi Segun, 30; Yekinni Taiwo, 18 and Dominic Sunday, 25.

The Prosecutor, Sunday Osanyintuyi, an inspector, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Sunday at about 8:30 am at Sabo-Iremo area of Ile-Ife.

Mr Osanyintuyi said the defendants without excuse failed to comply with a restriction order aimed at checking the spread of COVID-19.

He added that the offence contravened Section 17(1) of the Quarantine Act Q2, Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, and the Public Health Law of Osun, 2002.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of disobedience.

The Defence Counsel, Modupe Olufemi, applied for bail for the defendants, pledging that they would provide reliable sureties.

The magistrate, Joseph Owolawi, granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N100,000 with one surety each in like sum.

Mr Owolawi added that the sureties, who must reside within the courts jurisdiction, must also swear to an affidavit of means as well as produce three recent passport photographs each.

He adjourned the case till May 15 for hearing.

(NAN)
The President of the Republic in his update No. 5 to the nation on Sunday, the 5th day of April 2020 in respect of the measures taken against the spread of COVID 19 pandemic, stated that all health workers will be exempted from tax on their monthly emoluments for the next three months, i.e., April, May and June 2020.

His Excellency also added that frontline health staff were to be paid 50% of their basic salaries for the months of March, April, May and June 2020 as an allowance in recognition of their efforts in fighting the battle against COVID 19.

These are very welcoming interventions to alleviate the challenges that health workers face in the battle against the COVID 19 pandemic. I join several health workers who have commended the President for these interventions. Mr. President, we are grateful.

Subsequent to the announcement by His Excellency, the Ministry of Health (MOH) via letter No. MOH/CD dated the 7th day of April 2020 to the Hon. Minister for Finance informed the Minister for Finance that as of January 2020 the staff strength on the Ministry of Healths payroll stood at 130,345.

The letter added that the tax exemption will be applicable to all the 130,345 staff of the MOH. What this letter did not do was to state the number of temporary health workers on the payroll of various public hospitals across the country.

The letter which was signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Hon. Minister for Health further stated that the Ministry had identified 56 COVID 19 treatment centres in various facilities within the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Teaching Hospitals, including the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) and the Bank of Ghana Hospital. It added that the three testing centres; Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) and the National Public Reference Laboratory (NPRL) and some staff of the National Ambulance Service were also involved in the process of managing COVID 19 cases.

The letter further stated that all categories of health workers involved in the service delivery activities for COVID 19 cases will be regarded as frontline workers and hence benefit from the 50% of basic pay as an allowance for the four months specified by the President of the Republic in his update No. 5 to the nation.

Following this letter, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has proceeded to request for a list of staff who are involved in the management of COVID 19 to be compiled by facilities and submitted to it for onward submission to the Ministry of Health and finally Ministry of Finance to give effect to the 50% of basic pay incentive for frontline health workers.

In giving effect to the directives contained in the presidents update No. 5 on the incentives for health workers, what has become very apparent is that the Ministry of Health and its implementing agencies have not taken into consideration the critical role being played by temporary workers in our health sector.

The Labour Act provides under Section 75 that temporary workers employed for a continuous period of 6 months and more shall be treated as permanent workers. Most facilities rely on the services of these temporary workers to complement the efforts of the permanent workers in delivering health service to our cherished clients. Their roles can therefore not be overlooked when the directive was clearly meant to cover all health workers. Ignoring their critical roles at this very material time may lead to demoralization on their part and hence affect their productivity thereby constraining our quest to win this battle together as a team in the health sector.

These temporary workers are being paid by facilities using the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) of those facilities. As a requirement under the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896), the income from the employment of these temporary workers in the health sector is chargeable to tax. Managers of our health institutions, therefore, deduct income tax from their emoluments and pay same to the Ghana Revenue Authority at the end of every month.

The MOH at regular intervals requests for the list of temporary workers from various facilities with the intention of mechanizing them to become permanent in the health sector. This is a step that has yielded some results in the past for some of these temporary staff. However, in a long while now mechanization has not been effected for them, although the last request was as recent as last quarter of 2019. An expeditious mechanization of these temporary staff will afford them some relief, considering how long some of them have worked as temporary staff.

The question being asked by managers of our health facilities at this time is how our temporary health workers are going to benefit from these incentives. Clearly, most managers of institutions recognize and appreciate the role these temporary health workers play and will therefore wish that they are equally made to benefit from these incentives.

However, do the managers of health institutions have the power to suo motu decide to grant tax relief on the emoluments of these temporary workers for the months of April, May and June, and also provide them 50% of their basic salaries for four months as directed by the president in his Update No. 5 to the nation?

In answering this question, managers are mindful of the fact that they work with directives from their superiors. For those of us in Ghana Health Service facilities, we receive directives from the MOH through our Director General and our respective Regional Directors. Managers are also not oblivious of the fact that under Section 7(2) of Act 896, it is the Honourable Minister responsible for Finance who may by Legislative Instrument make regulations to exempt a person, class of persons or income from tax. Against this backdrop, managers may not proceed on their own to implement this tax relief directive for temporary health workers without clear regulations having been made by the Honourable Minister responsible for Finance to cover these temporary workers in the health sector.

Temporary workers in our various health institutions qualify as health workers with all the intent and purpose meant by His Excellency in his update No. 5 to the nation. It is therefore my considered view that just as the Ministry of Health has written to the Minister for Finance on the tax exemption for 130,345 permanent health workers, the Ministry of Health should also write to the Ministry of Finance requesting that the LI on this tax exemption on emoluments of health workers for the three specified months should equally cover temporary health workers.

When this is done, health facility managers can proceed to exempt the incomes of these temporary health workers from tax for the specified months in the presidents update No. 5 without being worried of tax audit queries. It will also bring about uniformity across the country in the implementation of this directive for all temporary health workers.

On the 50% of basic pay for four months as allowance to frontline health workers, several options should be considered by the MOH in ensuring that these temporary health workers also benefit.

The first option, although may not be very pleasant to most health facility managers, will be for the MOH to issue a directive to all facilities to pay the temporary health workers this incentive using their IGF, just as they are paying them their emoluments from IGF.

The challenge with this option is that most health facilities are already finding it difficult to meet most expenses during this pandemic which has given suppliers an upper hand to demand for cash before delivering medical consumables to hospitals. However, the temporary workers also deserve this incentive and must be provided same.

The second option, which is linked to the first option above, will be for the MOH to make funding available to hospitals to specifically take care of this 50% on basic pay incentives for temporary health workers. This can be done by the Ministry of Health ensuring that in the next four months health providers are paid at least two months of their outstanding submitted claims by the NHIA every month effective April 2020. When this is done, the health facilities will have funds available to be able to take care of this 50% of basic pay incentives to the temporary health workers without difficulties.

The third option, which in my thoughtful view should be highly considered by the Ministry of Health, is to mechanize these temporary health workers as part of efforts in tackling the COVID 19 pandemic. Most of these temporary health workers have been with us for years and are playing very key roles in our hospitals. We have seen a request for financial clearance from the MOH to the MOF for some category of health staff. The MOH already has the list of these temporary staff from previous submissions to it by facilities.

Indeed, if we are requested to submit again, we can do so within minutes because we already have the data. The MOH should please use that list and secure financial clearance for the mechanization of these temporary staff on the payroll.

In conclusion, I humbly pray that the Honourable Minister for Health will consider the critical roles being played by temporary health workers and ensure that he does everything within his power to make them benefit from these incentives announced by His Excellency to health workers.

#ThisTooShallPass
A 59-year-man exonerated last year after spending 36 years behind bars for a rape and stabbing in Baton Rouge that he didn't commit is seeking compensation in a federal lawsuit.

Archie Charles Williams sued the city of Baton Rouge, former police detectives and ex-state crime lab employees, and then-East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office investigator and current District Attorney Hillar Moore III.

+15 Man exonerated in 1982 Baton Rouge rape after fingerprint technology shows match to serial rapist Archie Williams stepped out of the 19th Judicial District courthouse and into the sunshine Thursday afternoon surrounded by relatives and lawy

The lawsuit, filed by lawyer Jeffrey Mitchell, of The Cochran Firm New Orleans, alleges Williams' wrongful conviction was "the calculated result of the coordinated efforts of the individual defendants ... who engaged in ... reckless and intentional conduct."

That conduct was "deliberately calculated to, and did in fact violate Williams' Fourteenth Amendment right to due process of law," the lawsuit claims.

Parish Attorney Andy Dotson said Wednesday the city-parish does not comment on pending litigation.

Moore, however, had plenty to say, calling the suit's allegations "unsupported, baseless, false."

"Each and every one of the allegations in this lawsuit are completely reckless, baseless and intentionally damaging," he wrote. "I will properly and professionally respond to these allegations appropriately with facts and evidence at the appropriate time and will take action to remove these false allegations from this petition."

Williams was convicted in 1983 for the rape and stabbing of a housewife at her home in the Hundred Oaks area of Baton Rouge after she identified him in a photographic lineup. Eleven of 12 jurors were convinced of his guilt and a judge sentenced Williams to life without parole.

Williams' lawsuit claims former police detectives used "unduly suggestive identification procedures" that resulted in the victim's "unreliable misidentifications" of him during several photo lineups. He had not been arrested at that time.

When the victim of the Hundred Oaks attack identified Williams as her attacker, she had already been shown his mug shot in photo lineups multiple times before -- viewing more than 100 photos before finally making a positive identification.

The lawsuit also accuses Moore -- an ex-District Attorney's Office investigator who worked the rape case -- and former Louisiana State Police Crime Lab forensic scientists and fingerprint examiners of wrongfully concealing or failing to disclose to prosecutors several items of "exculpatory evidence" recovered from or photographed at the crime scene.

Exculpatory evidence is evidence that tends to establish a criminal defendant's innocence, or that may be material to the outcome of the case.

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The lawsuit further alleges that a former State Police Crime Lab forensic scientist "deliberately created a misleading and scientifically inaccurate" report concerning evidence obtained from the victim's rape kit.

The lawsuit was filed March 17 in federal court in Baton Rouge and has been assigned to U.S. District Judge John deGravelles.

Williams' conviction, based almost solely on the victim's positive identification of him, allowed the man officials believe is the real rapist -- Stephen Forbes -- to spend the next several years continuing to terrorize women across Baton Rouge.

+5 Serial rapist went free while wrongfully convicted man spent decades behind bars  until his exoneration last week It was late one morning in December 1982 when a Baton Rouge housewife saw someone approaching her home in the city's Hundred Oaks neighborhood

Police finally arrested Forbes in 1986 after finding him at the scene of an attempted rape in progress. He later confessed to four additional rapes in the same area, some with distinct similarities to the Hundred Oaks attack.

Forbes died in prison in 1996 while serving 20 years on an attempted rape conviction. He had suffered from severe mental illness for decades before his death.

Recent developments in fingerprint technology matched Forbes to the attack on the housewife for the first time in March 2019, resulting in Williams' exoneration that same month.

Prosecutors had not opposed a request from Williams' attorneys for additional fingerprint testing, and after receiving the results, both sides filed a joint motion to vacate his conviction.

Moore apologized to Williams on March 21, 2019, during a hearing at which his convictions were vacated. He had been found guilty of aggravated rape, aggravated burglary and attempted first-degree murder.

"This is the right, honest, ethical and now factual thing to do," Moore said at the hearing. "You are factually innocent, wrongfully convicted, and on behalf of the state, we apologize that you have suffered this."

Several people testified at Williams' trial that he was asleep at home when the December 1982 rape occurred, providing details about their schedules that all converged on that point  including which soap opera was on television at the time the woman was attacked.

Different descriptions of the attacker also were provided by the victim and her friend, who witnessed part of the crime when she dropped off the victim's daughter at the house after school.
1,500 applications to now fully subscribed 100m Covid-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 8th, 2020

The Covid-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme is fully subscribed after more than 1,500 applications were received in just over one week.

The 100 million scheme was launched by the First Minister on Monday 30 March as part of the Welsh Governments 500 million Economic Resilience Fund to support businesses in dealing with coronavirus outbreak.

The first loans were approved within three days of the fund launch, with the first loans reaching applicants by the end of last week.

Welsh Government say the Development Bank, which manages the scheme, will be ensuring approved funds reach businesses as quickly as possible so support can get to those businesses facing unprecedented cashflow challenges as a result of Covid-19.

Welsh Government is now calling on the Chancellor to respond and learn from the success of the scheme and to provide additional funding to support businesses across Wales.

Economy, Transport and North Wales Minister, Ken Skates said: We fully understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for the business community.

The Development Banks loan scheme has been absolutely crucial in helping businesses facing financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

The level of demand in just over one week is clear proof that this was the right product at the right time. Whilst DBW would normally expect to complete around 400 investments over the course of a year, in little over a week they have received a staggering 1500 applications. I will be writing to the Chancellor calling on him to respond and learn from the success of the scheme and to release more funding so that we can launch a second phase of DBW support.

Its also absolutely vital that the UK Government put more pressure on providers of the Business Interruption Loan Scheme to get money out of the door and into the pockets of businesses. It is taking far too long to reach many firms and deliver exactly whats needed in a time of financial crisis.

As a Welsh Government, we will be announcing further details shortly on the 400m emergency pot from the Economic Resilience Fund with the aim of being open to applications next week.

Id like to thank the Development Bank of Wales. The entire team are doing all that they can, as quickly as they can to process the unprecedented volume of applications for funding. Whilst this loan scheme is fully subscribed, the Development Bank continues to offer a range of funding opportunities to the business community.
President Donald Trump has insisted that the current coronavirus death toll in the US is accurate - despite warnings from experts and state officials who say the true number of fatalities could be significantly higher.

Trump stamped out uncertainty about the official death count during Tuesday's White House briefing after a reporter brought up how some areas are struggling to get accurate numbers because of a lack of testing and a uniform system to record the figures.

'I think they are pretty accurate on the death counts,' Trump said, interrupting the reporter before she could finish her question.

'Somebody dies, I think they've been pretty accurate. The death counts, I think they are very, very accurate.'

President Donald Trump insisted that the current coronavirus death toll in the US is accurate during Tuesday's White House briefing

As of Tuesday evening at least 12,876 people in the US have died from coronavirus. Experts and state officials have warned that the true number of fatalities could be significantly higher

He went on to cast doubt on case counts reported by other countries such as China while insisting that the same problems aren't occurring in the US.

'You look at some of these certain countries and I'll be willing to bet they had more cases, but we are more accurate in our testing,' he said.

'We've got a good process.'

Dr Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, also stood by the accuracy of the death count when asked about it later in the briefing.

'I think in this country we've taken a very liberal approach to mortality, and I think the reporting here has been pretty straightforward over the last five to six weeks,' Birx said.

'Prior to that, when there wasn't testing in January and February, that's a very different situation and unknown.

'There are other countries that if you had a pre-existing condition and, let's say, the virus caused you to go to the ICU, and then have a heart issue or kidney problem, some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death.

'Right now we're still recording it. If someone dies with COVID-19, we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.'

Dr Deborah Birx, the the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, also stood by the accuracy of the death count when asked about it later in Tuesday's briefing

The reporter then pressed Birx by mentioning how some coroners have said that they do not have enough test kits screen people for COVID-19 post-mortem, which could skew the data.

'I think that would apply to more rural areas that may not have the same level of testing,' Birx said.

'I'm pretty confident in New York City and New Jersey and places that have these large outbreaks, and Covid-19 only hospitals, I can tell you they are testing.

'New York and New Jersey together ... are testing extraordinarily well, as well as Washington state and Louisianat, so I don't see that there has been a barrier in testing to diagnosis.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, then took the podium to reiterate Birx's statements.

'I can't imagine if someone with coronavirus goes to an ICU and they have an underlying heart condition and they die, they're going to say cause of death: heart attack,' Fauci said.

'I can't see that happening, so I don't like it will be a problem.'

Birx and Fauci's claims that hard-hit areas like New York City are not seeing problems with curating accurate death tolls came hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted just that.

In his own briefing on Tuesday, de Blasio said that people who died in their homes in the past few weeks without having being tested or treated for COVID-19 likely had the disease.

Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted on Tuesday that many people have likely died from coronavirus in New York City without being added to the official death toll

'I am assuming the vast majority of those deaths are coronavirus related,' the mayor said of people who've died at home recently.

'It's understandable in a crisis that being able to make the confirmation is harder to do with all the resources stretched so thin.

'The first use of all of everything we've got  our professionals, our health care workers, our resources  the first thing we are focused on is saving the next life.

'We do want to know the truth about what happened in every death at home.

'But I think we can say at this point, it's right to assume the vast majority are coronavirus-related. And that makes it even more sober, the sense of how many people we are losing, how many families are suffering, how real this crisis is.'

Issues with confirming an accurate death toll were made apparent on Tuesday as the number released by New York City - 3,544 - was well below the number of fatalities that New York state claimed had occurred in the Big Apple - more than 4,000.

Even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted that the current national death toll is almost certainly lower than the actual number.

'We know that it is an underestimation,' CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said of the toll on Sunday.

The purported inaccuracy is partly due to an early lag in available testing, which meant people with respiratory illnesses died without being counted.

Even now, some Americans who die in their homes or at overwhelmed nursing homes are not being tested, epidemiologists tell The Washington Post.

Postmortem testing by medical examiners can be tricky, as procedures vary widely across the United States and some officials argue testing the deceased is a misuse of valuable resources.

The process can also be difficult as examiners, coroners and health care providers are told to 'use their judgement' to decide when testing is appropriate.

Additionally, experts said some people who have contracted coronavirus test negative. It's unclear how common false negatives are.

Even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted that the current national death toll is almost certainly lower than the actual number. Pictured: Medical workers wheel the bodies of COVID-19 victims to a temporary morgue outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn

The CDC's official count, which is created from reports submitted by state and tops at 12,000 as of Tuesday, is noticeably lower than those revealed by media organizations and university researchers. This is in part due to in lapse in official reporting.

The lag also happened because the code for recording COVID-19 as an official cause of death was not announced until March 24.

It's too early to estimate how many coronavirus-related deaths have evaded official count, according to scientists who analyze mortality statistics from influenza and respiratory illnesses.

For a disease with common symptoms like coronavirus, scientists said that deaths with positive results most likely represent just a fraction of total deaths by the disease.

Marc-Alain Widdowson, a former epidemiologist at the CDC and current director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp in Belgium, doubled down on these claims.

'You can't rely on just the laboratory-confirmed cases,' he said.

'You're never going to apply the test on everybody who is ill and everybody who dies. So without doubt  it's a truism  the number of deaths are underestimated globally because you don't apply the test.'

Clay Marsh, known as West Virginia's 'coronavirus czar', has admitted that the state's official count is in all likelihood incomplete.

'Based on the best recent information about limited testing and sizable false negative rates of testing, we are likely underestimating the number of deaths,' said Marsh, vice president and executive dean for health sciences at West Virginia University.

West Virginia's count is also low because of the state's rural, small population and the early closure of schools and nonessential businesses.
Prominent farmers and growers are providing educational activities for children while they are in lockdown due to the coronavirus.

Children will be educated on food production and farming as part of a new #LockdownLearning project, which has now been launched.

The free, online resource comes as thousands of parents are now home-schooling their children due to the spread of Covid-19.

The project, which was developed by the NFU and EatFarmNow, aims to help children build their knowledge of science and technology alongside learning all about food production.

Well-known farming faces such as Countryfiles Adam Henson and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty will document their farming journey through online videos and social media.

The project will focus on different themes over the next four weeks, starting with an Easter theme for over the Easter holiday and then focusing on horticulture, food and technology in agriculture.

Educational resources designed by the NFUs education team of former teachers will be available for parents to use, as well as activities from other educational farming programmes.

NFU President Minette Batters said the combination of videos, activities and challenges mean these resources have something for everyone.

This is an unprecedented time for all of us. Many parents are now having to come up with a home-schooling plan for the first time and we wanted to provide an educational project that was fun and exciting," she said.

Our online resources are all about hands-on, practical learning, using food and farming to help parents teach science, technology, engineering and maths, which are key topics in the national curriculum.

#LockdownLearning brings the world of food and farming to their very own living rooms and hopefully starts them on a journey where they recognise the importance of having a vibrant farming sector.

People supporting the project and contributing vlogs include actor and comedian Charlie Baker, broadcast journalist Anna Jones and TV presenter and horticulturist James Wong.

Calling all parents ?? Weve launched a brand new home-schooling program to take the pressure of you at home! ??

Here's farmer and television presenter @jimmysfarm to explain all about #LockdownLearning

Get started ?? https://t.co/BKotAiLWWK @NFUEducation @eatfarmnow pic.twitter.com/zeDzp8IDjF  NFU Cymru ?? (@NFUCymru) April 7, 2020

All the #LockdownLearning content, which includes farmers videos, activities and NFU education resources, is available online.

EatFarmNow farmer Will Evans said: "I hope that hearing from us first-hand will excite and inspire children, and using subjects like science and technology will help them to learn more about these important areas of the national curriculum via food and farming projects.

In the coming weeks I encourage all farmers to get involved and post their own videos on social media using the #LockdownLearning hashtag and to join this project which will help reconnect children with the great outdoors.
Albertans who have been exposed to the coronavirus are being asked to join a clinical trial into the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-viral drug that's been used for decades to treat malaria and some auto-immune diseases.

It's one of the drugs that U.S. President Donald Trump has touted as a "game changer."

Albertans who have been exposed to COVID-19 will form one part of the study, while those who have tested positive for the disease are being asked to join a separate trial.

Researchers are hoping to recruit as many as 600 people across the province.

"For now, this is going to be for people living with somebody who's known to be COVID positive or somebody who's a health-care worker that's been looking after someone who's known to be positive," said Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an associate professor of infectious disease at the University of Alberta's faculty of medicine.

The study is being led by McGill University with participants from Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta expected to include as many as 1,500 people from Canada. Another 1,500 people are enrolled in a similar study in the United States.

At a time of physical distancing, participants will have no contact with medical researchers conducting the study. It means that more Albertans who live outside Calgary and Edmonton and away from the province's major universities will be able to participate.

Anyone who's been exposed to the virus is being asked to visit COVID-19research.ca to see if they qualify for the study. If accepted, they'll receive a five-day course of either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo.

"We're going to be giving medication to people after they've been exposed and possibly infected to see if we can prevent that infection from taking hold," said Schwartz.

"No medication has proven to be effective in either preventing or treating COVID-19. And that's why we need to do these studies."

Story continues

Evidence lacking

The head of the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious disease at the University of Calgary's Cumming school of medicine says the results from three, small studies into the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 have been mixed.

Two studies showed positive results, while the third was negative.

Dr. Chris Mody says the three trials involved a total of 120 patients and their outcomes following a six-day course of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).

Watch | Be wary of online information claiming to 'cure' COVID-19:

One of the trials showed virtually no difference between those who took the drug and those who didn't. Another trial showed more people who took HCQ recovered from pneumonia compared with those who received the usual care.

The third trial showed more people who didn't take HCQ converted from a positive test for COVID-19 to a negative one.

"I wouldn't say on the basis of that number of patients and two trials that look positive and one that looks negative, that we should be using hydroxychloroquine as the standard of care," said Mody.

"I would describe the evidence for hydroxychloroquine is that it indicates it should be studied further. That's about as far as I would go with the evidence there."

Controversy, warnings, hoarding

HCQ has received a lot of attention since President Trump touted it as a "game changer" in a tweet last month.

He suggested hydroxychloroquine along with azithromycin, an anti-biotic used to treat bacterial pneumonia, would change the world of medicine.

Since the March 21 tweet, a number of people have expressed enthusiasm for the still-unproven claims.

Alberta talk radio host Danielle Smith apologized and deleted a tweet that claimed HCQ cured 100 per cent of coronavirus patients within six days of treatment.

Kathy Macdonald, a University of Calgary senator, said in a recent tweet that HCQ is "the most effective drug!" while retweeting an article that suggested physicians shared the same view.

Twitter

The University of Calgary distanced itself from Macdonald's tweet.

"The University of Calgary is committed to developing solutions that are evidence-based and backed by scientific rigour. The views expressed were posted on a personal social media account and do not reflect those of the University of Calgary. We encourage Albertans to look to Alberta Health Services for guidance on best practices in the rapidly-evolving COVID-19 situation.

In a separate tweet, Macdonald questioned why the Alberta government has such a narrow view on potential remedies. Both tweets have since been deleted.

Twitter

In a statement to the CBC, Alberta Health said in part: "While different research projects are underway to assess the effectiveness of various therapies, there is no robust evidence yet on any treatment. We are closely monitoring the emerging evidence across Canada and around the world. If that changes, we will alert Albertans and take action accordingly."

However, the ministry acknowledged that more information regarding research studies will be made available as early as this week.

"We know that many Albertan physicians are interested in enrolling patients in research studies underway on experimental therapies," it said in a statement. "We will be sending information out in the coming days so physicians who want their patients to have access to these therapies can put them in touch with the appropriate people."

There's also been concern about the supply of HCQ since it's been touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19.

The governing bodies for Alberta's physicians and pharmacists issued a joint warning about prescribing behaviours, misuse and stockpiling of the drugs.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and the Alberta College of Pharmacy said there are "serious concerns about shortages" that could affect patients with chronic conditions who rely on the drugs.

Schwartz says all of the headlines around HCQ and some of the other drugs is a concern, and that it's important for the research to get underway to safely monitor patients who qualify for the trials.

"We want to avoid people taking this medication until it is proven to be both safe and effective for this purpose," he said.

Health Canada says so far eight clinical trials have been approved.

Schwartz says just as fast as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, they're hoping to get preliminary results from their trials in a matter of weeks.

Bryan Labby is an enterprise reporter with CBC Calgary. If you have a good story idea or tip, you can reach him at bryan.labby@cbc.ca or on Twitter at @CBCBryan.
WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases

Fact check: Viral 'poster' urging people to give standing ovation for PM Modi is false

Fact Check

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Apr 08: A viral poster has been circulating on various social media platforms urging people to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a standing ovation for five minutes on 12 April, Sunday over his fight against COVID-19.

With a picture of PM Modi, the message reads, "This man has done so much for us and our nation. This Sunday on 12th of April 2020, 5 pm let us give a standing ovation and salute our Prime Minister."

Critics of the Prime Minister had shared the poster on social media while questioning the underlining sycophancy.

Prasar Bharati News Services in their official Twitter handle wrote,''Fact Check: The origins of this poster which is doing rounds in some social media circuits is questionable and suspect. People are requested to not pay any attention to it. PM @narendramodi

has said prima facie this seems to be an attempt to drag his name into controversy.''

Fact Check:



The origins of this poster which is doing rounds in some social media circuits is questionable and suspect. People are requested to not pay any attention to it. PM @narendramodi has said prima facie this seems to be an attempt to drag his name into controversy. pic.twitter.com/UIEBD4ivDI  Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) April 8, 2020



Even, the PM denounced the move calling it an act of mischief.

PM Modi said that if someone really loves and wants to honour him they should take the responsibility of a poor family, at least as long as the coronavirus crisis continues. He added that there can be no greater honour for him than this.
There is panic in Osun as 67 travellers from Ivory Coast head to Ejigbo, a town in the state, sources at the government house disclose...





There is panic in Osun as 67 travellers from Ivory Coast head to Ejigbo, a town in the state, sources at the government house disclosed.





In March, the state received 127 returnees from Ivory Coast among whom 17 tested positive for COVID-19.





A source said they have been alerted of another 67 coming to Ejigbo, and that it would be difficult for the state to manage them as they do not have the facility and staff in place.





When those 127 were coming on the 28th 0f March, they claimed that they were all from Osun state and it was based on that our governor called the Ogun state governor and requested that they be escorted to Osun because they claimed they were going to Ejigbo, the source said.





On getting to Osun, because of our desire to control the speed of this virus, we decided the best way was to isolate them first. It was in the process of profiling we realised that there were indigenes and residents of other states other than Osun. In any case, we still took responsibility. By the time we were discharging those who tested negative, 11 of them were from Oyo, two were from Lagos, one from Ogun, three Edo, another three from Abia, four from Delta and one from Imo.





Among those taking treatment at our facility who tested positive, two are from Abia.





Now, we were alerted to the fact that another 67 are coming. It was this 127 that shut up the number of our cases from two to 20 as we speak. The 67 are coming from Ivory Coast, the same place the 127 came from. So, the tendency is that there is every likelihood that they are also coming with a virus. Up till this moment, the federal government has not looked on our side. And we dont have the facility to treat more people than what we currently have. We are not going to have any additional number.





The personnel are not there to handle beyond what we currently have. Even now we are being overstretched. We dont have money. Imagine keeping 127 people for over 10 days and feeding them, and now bringing another 67?





Another source said they had expected the federal government to put a holding bay at the border in Idi Iroko, and quarantine the returnees.





When contacted, Funke Egbemode, Osun commissioner for information, said she does not have information on the matter yet.
Haggard and dishevelled from the stress of making ends meet, day labourers line up in Cairo for food parcels after losing their jobs to the sharp downturn caused by the coronavirus.

Sayed Shaaban, 42, who used to work in a cafe, said for him the pandemic is not just a health scare but a crushing blow to his already precarious livelihood.

Wearing a mask and gloves, he waited in line outside a charity centre affiliated with the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB) in Salam City, a poor neighbourhood of eastern Cairo.

"You see how I have only one functioning arm -- I used to serve drinks and get paid," he told AFP.

The Egyptian Food Bank is committed to shipping out an initial lot of 500,000 food cartons throughout the country's 27 governorates with around 5,000 charities distributing the parcels. By Mohamed el-Shahed (AFP)

"But now there's not even one piastre coming in."

EFB, a large Cairo-based charity, has been at the forefront of a public relief effort in the most populous Arab country.

One third of Egypt's population of more than 100 million lives in poverty, surviving on about $1.50 or less a day.

For many who were already struggling, meagre incomes have vanished since a curfew was imposed on March 24 to stem the spread of the virus.

Egypt has so far recorded 85 deaths out of 1,322 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease.

Shaaban, a father of two young children from Salam City, has been housebound since his local "baladi" cafe was shuttered.

Food boxes await distribution to those left in severe poverty due to Egypt's lockdown. By Mohamed el-Shahed (AFP)

"We have no social insurance to fall back on since the cafe has been closed," he said.

"I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't in need."

Mohamed Said, 36, a carpenter and father of three queueing behind Shaaban, said that "since this crisis started we've been sitting at home and there's no money coming in."

"We don't know how to feed our kids .... and if, God forbid, something happens to any of them, I won't be able to foot a hospital bill."

'Emergency situation'

Egypt's official unemployment rate is around 10 percent, and more than five million people work as day labourers in the informal economy, the government estimates, often without any form of social protection.

Long-life foodstuffs, including tinned products, feature prominently in the food boxes. By Mohamed el-Shahed (AFP)

EFB director Mohsen Sarhan said his charity is working to deliver 10,000 food parcels a day, containing staples such as rice, pasta, oil, sugar and canned beef -- far less than what is needed by the hundreds of thousands of struggling families.

"We felt the economy slowing down with the coronavirus pandemic, so on March 19 we launched an initiative aimed at aiding a large cross-section of society who would be adversely affected," he said.

Millions of pounds in donations have poured in over the past month, but the demand to alleviate the suffering of the working poor is at an all-time high.

EFB is committed to shipping out an initial lot of 500,000 food cartons throughout Egypt's 27 governorates with around 5,000 charities distributing the parcels.

"We are in an emergency situation," Sarhan said. "We need to feed hundreds of thousands of people in a period of weeks ... time is very critical here."

'Life has stopped'

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday issued a directive to provide day labourers 500 pounds (just over $30) per month for three months to ease their financial hardship.

But experts say this will only partially cushion the blow.

The Egyptian Food Bank has been at the forefront of a public relief effort but the demand to alleviate the suffering of the working poor is at an all-time high. By Mohamed el-Shahed (AFP)

"The pandemic is certainly going to mean a massive increase in the numbers of working poor in countries such as Egypt," said Adam Hanieh, who researches labour issues in the Arab world at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

The virus and its economic impact could spawn "a range of unpredictable and unexpected consequences," he said, pointing to "significant disruptions in food supplies" and "enormous pressures on the country's healthcare system".

"This will undoubtedly provoke social protest and -- if Egypt's history is any guide -- a ratcheting up of repression and the increased use of authoritarian measures," Hanieh warned.

As COVID-19 cases mount, carpenter Said expressed his deepening sense of helplessness.

"The situation has made me want to up and leave everything -- but I can't just leave my family", he said.

"We're not begging, but life has well and truly stopped."
Hong Kong: Shop workers to be quarantined

The Centre for Health Protection today said that workers of a Marks & Spencer shop in Windsor House in Causeway Bay will be quarantined.

The centres Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan made the statement at a press briefing this afternoon.

"We found two cases who worked in the Causeway Bay branch of the Marks & Spencer shop, so we classified all the colleagues working there as close contacts.

"We suspect they may have shared some facilities in the store that may have gotten them infected."

Noting that the centre has observed some locally-acquired COVID-19 cases of unknown origin, Dr Chuang reminded members of the public to monitor their health.

"People may inevitably get into contact with (virus carriers who are) asymptomatic or those with mild symptoms, or from their environment.

"I think everybody should observe their symptoms. If they observe they have any respiratory or other symptoms they should seek medical attention quickly."

This story has been published on: 2020-04-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Stocks in Asia Pacific were mixed on Wednesday as countries in the region continued to put measures in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

In Japan, stocks saw a turnaround after an earlier slip, with the Nikkei 225 rising 2.13% to close at 19,353.24 as shares of index heavyweight Fast Retailing surged 7.7%. The Topix index also gained 1.59% to end its trading day at 1,425.47.

Mainland Chinese stocks dipped on the day, with the Shanghai composite down 0.19% to about 2,815.37 while the Shenzhen composite slipped 0.156% to around 1,740.65. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also shed 1.29%, as of its final hour of trading.

Over in South Korea, the Kospi closed 0.9% lower at 1,807.14.

Meanwhile, stocks in Australia fell, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing 0.86% lower at 5,206.90.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index dipped 0.79%.

Developments on the global coronavirus pandemic likely continued to be the focus of investors, with stricter social distancing measures being implemented by countries regionally in recent days to curb the disease's spread.

Hong Kong extended its ban on public gatherings of more than four people, as well as the closure of some bars, till April 23, according to Reuters. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared Tuesday a state of emergency to combat coronavirus infections in major population centers. Singapore also passed a set of laws that bans social gatherings of any size in both private and public areas, according to local media reports.

Meanwhile, China lifted travel restrictions in Wuhan  the virus epicenter in mainland China  effective from Wednesday, marking the end of a lockdown that began on Jan. 23.

"We continue to be cautiously optimistic about China," Nicholas Yeo, head of China equities at Aberdeen Standard Investments, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Wednesday.

"We still believe that from the economic perspective (China) is likely to be the first in terms of coming out of this ... and it is in the process of rebooting the economy," Yeo said, though he warned that the market would likely remain volatile.

Globally, more than 1.4 million have been infected by the coronavirus so far while at least 81,000 lives have been taken, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.
According to a new Flywire report, UK universities that offer local, transparent and tracked payments direct from their website are more attractive to international students



LONDON, April 08, 2020, a high-growth vertical payments company, today announced a new research report that reveals 63% of international students say a slow and painful tuition payments process paints a negative picture of their UK university. The interactive report, Discover Ways to Attract More Overseas Students: A Payment Study for UK Universities, is based on a survey of international students from China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Vietnam at UK universities, and uncovers a correlation between the recruitment and retention of students and a positive tuition payment experience.

Last year, the UK government pledged to attract 600,000 international students to the UK by 2030. Universities are actively looking to attract more overseas students to unlock new revenue streams and improve competitiveness-as well as boost the UK's pool of talented individuals. The report offers clear insight and pragmatic advice for universities looking to deliver an online payment experience that attracts more international students.

"Now, more than ever, the Government and individual universities must do all that we can to attract and welcome international students to the UK," said Abi Shearsmith, Head of Finance & Programme Business Lead at University of Leeds. "For many students their choice of university will go beyond the academic offering and include other areas they place value on, including support and administration services. For most international students the payer experience begins long before they set foot on our university campus, so it's vital that we provide a secure and easily navigated payment service."

"Given the level of tuition fees being charged across the sector, students often expect to be treated as "customers" in certain aspects of their university journey; paying fees is one of these areas, where an overly complex and lengthy process does not reflect the high level of experience expected for our students."

Key findings from the report include:

A digital-first experience is critical to attracting students: 80% of students want to pay for their tuition digitally. However, 63% of students say their experience is slow and painful and, in turn, paints a negative picture of their university, and nearly half (49%) of students say they wouldn't recommend their university to others if they receive a poor payment experience. Making a high-stakes payment for one of life's most important moments clearly has a disproportionate impact on the relationship between the university and student if not handled with care.

80% of students want to pay for their tuition digitally. However, 63% of students say their experience is slow and painful and, in turn, paints a negative picture of their university, and nearly half (49%) of students say they wouldn't recommend their university to others if they receive a poor payment experience. Making a high-stakes payment for one of life's most important moments clearly has a disproportionate impact on the relationship between the university and student if not handled with care. Security and transparency are key concerns: 53% were concerned about the security of tuition payments. In fact, security was cited as the most important feature when making a payment by respondents. Transparency also ranked highly, with over 70% of students expressing concern over their inability to track payment status in real-time. Worryingly, nearly one in five (19%) students confirmed they have been the subject of "hidden charges" when making a payment. Universities are expected to not only be clear about fees, but create a payment process that is secure, transparent and minimises the fees levied.

53% were concerned about the security of tuition payments. In fact, security was cited as the most important feature when making a payment by respondents. Transparency also ranked highly, with over 70% of students expressing concern over their inability to track payment status in real-time. Worryingly, nearly one in five (19%) students confirmed they have been the subject of "hidden charges" when making a payment. Universities are expected to not only be clear about fees, but create a payment process that is secure, transparent and minimises the fees levied. Students expect a choice of payment options: 86% of students want to use their preferred payment method (such as Alipay in China) and 66% would like to pay in their home currency. Furthermore, 69% of respondents want to be able to use multiple devices (PC, mobile or tablet) and 81% of want to be able to pay tuition via their university's website. Universities need to ensure they offer students choice of payment method and device as well as ensuring the payment process is embedded within their website.

"To remain viable in today's competitive education market, universities should view their students as 'customers' that want a great experience. This is no easy task, and even more complicated when under pressure to diversify and offer more places to students from markets beyond China - especially in light of the evolving Covid-19 pandemic," said Sharon Butler, Executive Vice President, Global Education at Flywire.

"If universities want to attract more international students, they need to take action to improve the payment process - digitally - for one of life's most important moments. The good news is that the tools and expertise to create a compelling online tuition payment experience-from local payment methods to 24x7 multilingual support and real-time tracking-are available, and already helping UK institutions to differentiate and attract international students."

Flywire's interactive report Discover Ways to Attract More Overseas Students: A Payment Study for UK Universities is available here .

Research Methodology

This survey was conducted by independent research agency Sapio Research in November 2019. The online survey was completed by 166 international students currently studying in the UK from China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

Payments data provided by Flywire captured between 2018 and 2019. In total, 33,351 payments were analysed from students originating from China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, or Vietnam who attended UK universities over that period.

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the projections cited in this study could change. We will consider a follow-up study should updated findings become available

About Flywire

Flywire is a high-growth vertical payments company trusted by organisations around the world to deliver on their customers' most important moments. Unlike other companies, Flywire is proven to solve vertical-specific payment and receivables problems for organisations that deliver high-value services. Whether in education, healthcare, travel or technology, Flywire has vertical-specific insight and technology that allows organisations to optimise the payment experience for their customers while eliminating operational challenges. To date, Flywire has processed over $16 billion in total payments volume for over 2,000 clients around the world. The company is headquartered in Boston, USA and has offices around the world.

For more information, visit www.flywire.com . Follow Flywire on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook .

Press Contacts

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Do not worry, guys! Google has fixed the issue! The company and the website Down Detector that tracks the status of popular websites said its Gmail email service experienced issues on Wednesday, Apr. 8.

Gmail has stopped working, and millions of users are affected by this, especially during the lockdown where people are now forced to work from home. Google's popular app is mysteriously down, and nobody knows why, as of the moment.

Read More: COVID-19: Maingear and Foxconn Joins Companies Creating Ventilators For COVID-19 Patients





What's The Scoop

Users have been reporting complaints all over the net, and it began around 3:20 PM or 10:20 AM EST.

According to the online outage tracker site named Down Detector, several thousand users have complained, but that's not including others who haven't gone to the internet to complain about it, so best be sure more people are experiencing this global problem.

Western Europe and the United States are the ones that hit hard the most as of the moment.

Read More: ALERT! Stolen Zoom Passwords, Meeting IDs and Other Personal Data Being Shared on the Dark Web

What's The Issue

The issue seems to be two-fold. First, it's about users not able to access their accounts in Gmail. Second, sending and receiving emails is also not working for most users.

Users already are flocking to Twitter ranting about the issue, and #GoogleDown is now making waves where several users are asking about the problem.

Some people are complaining over on the Down Detector website since it's become one of the widely popular sites during the coronavirus pandemic and is now being used to track outages and app issues from all over the world.

People are saying, "Be advised that Google is currently having issues with Gmail." and another one saying, "We're detecting that Google Mail (Gmail) is down or having service trouble. #ServiceStatus #Status"

It's still unclear what causes the outage, and yet, no sign from Google's social media accounts as to what the problem is and when it will be fixed. You could follow the advice of one of the users who posted in Down Detector to take your "midday noontime nap since ya can't get any work done anyways,"

We'll keep you posted in Techtimes as we know more.

Read More: Nope, 5G Has No Link to Coronavirus; Here's What We Know It

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Staying home doesnt necessarily mean staying safe for everyone.

As Michiganders continue to live under social distancing guidelines brought on by the Stay Home, Stay Safe Order issued to limit the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, experts are worried that domestic violence in the state will increase.

Sarah Prout Rennie, executive director of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, said that the isolation brought on by the pandemic is creating a silent pandemic of increased violence.

Perpetrators arent going to stop being perpetrators and victims are often stuck in the house, Prout Rennie said. Its logical theres going to be an increase.

Worldwide concerns

The concern is a worldwide issue-- the New York Times reports that in Spain, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18 percent more calls in the first two weeks of lockdown than in the same period a month earlier.

Additionally, French police reported a nationwide spike of about 30 percent in domestic violence on April 2 and French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said he had asked officers to be on the lookout for abuse, according to the report.

Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, urged governments to make addressing domestic violence a priority during the pandemic on Twitter on Sunday, April 5.

Peace is not just the absence of war. Many women under lockdown for #COVID19 face violence where they should be safest: in their homes, Guterres said in the tweet. Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world. I urge all governments to put womens safety first as they respond to the pandemic.

In the video accompanying the tweet, Guterres stressed the global importance of the issue and asked governments around the world to take measures to prioritize helping domestic violence victims, including making sure judicial systems are able to prosecute abusers.

Over the past weeks as economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying global surge in domestic violence," Guterres said.

Peace is not just the absence of war. Many women under lockdown for #COVID19 face violence where they should be safest: in their own homes.



Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world.



I urge all governments to put womens safety first as they respond to the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/PjDUTrMb9v  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 6, 2020

In Michigan

Locally, it will also be more difficult for these crimes to be reported and prosecuted, according to Prout Rennie said. Typical daily life has mostly been halted in Michigan and people have less opportunities to leave their homes to escape a violent situation.

We suspect theres going to be an increase, but at the same time our capacity is decreasing, Prout Rennie said. Perpetrators have very little reason to fear any sort of accountability for using violence in the home. In addition to people being isolated with perpetrators in situations that arent safe, the systems we rely on wont be operating in the same way.

In Midland County, prosecutors have already noticed an increase in domestic violence cases since the epidemic began.

Between Thursday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 18, the Midland County Prosecutors Office received 12 domestic violence complaints for review, five of which were for felony charges. Comparatively, during the same time of year in 2019 the office received six domestic violence cases for review.

We would typically average approximately four complaints a week, and this time of year would not normally be a time (such as holidays or very warm weather) where we would expect to see an increase in complaints, said Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks. Both the number and severity of the complaints is very concerning.

Brooks added that some domestic violence experts have indicated the stress thats accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation of spending more time with household members could be contributing factors to the rise in domestic violence cases.

In times of crisis like this, it is more important than ever to work together to help keep our citizens and employees safe and healthy, Brooks said. In times of added stress, and especially when people are being directed to limit travel as much as possible, this can create unusually difficult situations in the home. Excessive use of alcohol and other drugs do not help the situation.

What to do about dangerous situations

For some people living in a domestic violence situation, it may not be an option to leave, Prout Rennie said.

In those cases, the MCEDSV recommends finding the safest room or area in their living space that they can escape to if there are signs that violence may occur.

Victims tend to be experts in their own situations, Prout Rennie said. They understand the signs that indicate there will be a violent episode.

Whenever possible, victims should try to put some space between themselves and the perpetrator, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said. Things like taking walks, driving to the grocery store or even sitting in the stairwell of an apartment building will allow the victim to get some relief from the situation, if only temporarily, he said.

Its going to be more difficult for some people because they live in very confined circumstances, Leyton said. Do what you have to do to survive.

Especially for those who are unable to have a physical safe space, Prout Rennie stressed the importance of creating a peaceful mental state by taking whatever precautions are needed to help the victims feel safer.

For example, she recommends victims have a buddy system in place with at least two trusted people outside of the home they can contact with a code word to warn they are in trouble and need help. Victims should also have an emergency bag hidden in their home should they need to leave quickly.

Even just having an escape plan they know for a fact they fall back on in the case of an emergency can be a big comfort to victims, Prout Rennie said.

Obviously none of this is ideal. This is all triaging in a terrible situation, we know this is very difficult, Prout Rennie said. The things we normally rely on to help domestic violence victims are struggling as well, and we need to be aware to find innovative ways (to help them).

For victims who have access to a phone or the internet and social media, its more critical than ever to stay connected with their family and friends, Prout Rennie and Leyton said. They encourage people to reach out to their loved ones who they may be worried about living in a dangerous situation as much as possible.

Folks know when they have family members or friends who might be in a difficult relationship because chances are theres been a dispute in the past, Leyton said. Based on that knowledge you need to look out for that person because theyre likely to be in a difficult situation now.

That doesnt even necessarily mean asking the victim about the details of their situation-- simply keeping in contact with them might be enough to help them feel safe.

Staying connected

Bob Ennis, director and founder of the Ennis Center for Children, has spent the last 40 years of his life working with and advocating for children who have been abused or neglected. He said if one good thing has come out of the pandemic, its that people are utilizing technology to stay in touch with their loved ones.

Technology is important right now," Ennis said. The good news in this is that we talk to each other more now, we tell each other, I love you, more now, we stay in touch with each other now.

Ennis said while a crisis like this one brings out the vulnerable in everyone, it can be a ticking time bomb for people who were already living in difficult or dangerous situation. Ennis himself has been making it a point to reach out to his friends and family members in the evenings after work, sometimes talking to as many as 15 in one night, he said.

Ask people, How are you doing? Are you okay? Are you taking your medicine? Ennis said. You dont have to be a therapist to know something isnt quite right. Follow your gut."

Bob Ennis, 76, Founder and President of Ennis Center for Children, poses for a portrait on Friday, March 27, 2020 at his home in Byron. "It's scary and it's a big responsibility," said Ennis, whose team serves 500 children in the foster care system on a daily basis. "We are pushing hard to stay supportive and stay connected. And for me, I stay praying. This is a very scary time but we will get through it." (Sarahbeth Maney | MLive.com)Sarahbeth Maney | MLive.com

Help is available

There were 48,264 known victims of domestic violence in Michigan in 2018, according to Michigan Incident Crime Reporting.

But help is available.

The MCEDSV represents a network of 73 domestic and sexual violence shelters and service providers, and more than 100 allied organizations and individuals throughout the state. The coalition and all its partner service providers and shelters are still providing domestic violence emergency services.

Prout Rennie said there is a crisis service or shelter available in every county in the state.

We want people to know that you dont have to choose between your safety and social distancing, we will help you, Prout Rennie said. You are covered if you are in Michigan.

Shelters, crisis intervention services, personal protection orders and victim advocates are all considered essential services under the states executive order and are still available during the pandemic. Rape examinations are also still accessible.

In Flint, the YWCA of Greater Flints administrative offices are closed but its domestic violence services are still available and fully operational. That includes its SAFE center, which offers 24-hour access to free rape examinations, its help hotline 810-238-7233 and domestic violence shelter.

YWCA of Greater Flints CEO Michelle Rosynsky said its critical for domestic violence services to remain available during this time because victims will be increasingly isolated, and isolation is one of the key ways perpetrators express power and control over their victims.

We know when people are in close proximity with one another for extended periods of time, stress levels rise, Rosynsky said. Its a mechanism through which a perpetrator can control their victim and keep them under that control.

The MCEDSV has advocates available to talk to 24 hours a day through its help line at 855-VOICES4, through text at 866-238-1454 or through the online chat on its website . All services are free and confidential.

Monya Hill, a Resident Advocate, left, and Michelle Rosynsky, YWCA Greater Flint CEO, pose for a photo on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at the YWCA office in Flint. Services for domestic violence survivors remain essential during the coronavirus shelter in place. "The biggest thing we want survivors to know is that there is always someone available," said Rosynsky. "When you're told to stay in the house, it's easy for your perpetrator to control you even more." (Sarahbeth Maney | MLive.com)Sarahbeth Maney | MLive.com

One of the main shelters in Washtenaw County, SafeHouse Center in Pittsfield Township near Ann Arbor, is still offering counseling, legal services and shelter through its help line at 734-995-5444, said Barbara Niess-May, the shelters director.

Like everybody else, we have some limitations to what we can do face-to-face, Niess-May said, but we are ready to be helpful should someone find themselves in the situation of being hurt or in need of answers about whats going on for them.

In addition to calling the help line, victims may message the shelter via Facebook Messenger. Niess-May also suggested people share this information over social media.

Perpetrators may use the states executive order as an opportunity to further isolate and abuse, Niess-May said, so SafeHouses shelter is prepared for an influx of survivors to house.

From time to time we see surges, she said, and we are making sure we are available for whatever comes our way.
Weve reached the 14-year anniversary of a pivotal Reds-Indians trade that was hardly a headline-grabber at the time. It was on April 7, 2006, that the Reds acquired 24-year-old second baseman Brandon Phillips from the Indians for a player to be named later. That player turned into right-hander Jeff Stevens, whom Cincinnati sent to Cleveland in June of that year.

Phillips entered the pro ranks as a high draft selection of the Montreal Expos, who picked him in the second round (No. 57) in 1999. He was later part of a Montreal-Cleveland deal that had a massive impact, as the Expos sent Phillips, Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Lee Stevens to the Indians for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew. Sizemore and Lee became stars in Cleveland, but Phillips didnt amount to much there in 462 combined plate appearances from 2002-05.

Phillips spent the majority of his final season as a member of the organization with the Indians then-Triple-A team in Buffalo, where he put up a .734 on-base plus slugging percentage. Unimpressed, the Indians and former general manager Mark Shapiro soon gave up on Phillips. That proved to be a mistake, at least when you consider what they received for Phillips. Stevens never even pitched for the franchise, instead throwing a combined 37 1/3 innings with the Cubs from 2009-11 after the Indians traded him as part of a deal for utilityman Mark DeRosa (notably, that transaction also saw Chris Archer head to Chicago). While DeRosa was effective for the Indians in 09, that was his lone season with the club. The team later sent him to to St. Louis in a trade for reliever Chris Perez.

Perez had his moments in Cleveland, but they dont match up to Phillips impact in Cincinnati. Dat Dude was a productive Red from the jump and eventually became a franchise icon  someone who was instrumental in breaking their 14-year playoff drought in 2009. The Reds went on to earn two more playoff berths while Phillips was in their uniform. His long tenure with the franchise concluded in February 2017 with a trade to the Braves, but not before Phillips racked up a laundry list of personal accomplishments. As a member of the Reds, Phillips made three All-Star teams, won four Gold Gloves and batted .279/.325/.429 with 191 home runs, 194 stolen bases and 28.1 wins above replacement over 6,899 plate appearances. Hes currently eighth in Reds history in games played (1,614) and PA and 10th in hits (1,774), runs scored (877) and total bases (2,722), to name just a few key statistics.

Phillips, now 38 years old, hasnt played in the majors since 2018. But hell always be a part of the Reds rich history, and his acquisition was no doubt one of the shining moments of former Reds GM Wayne Krivskys stint. Its also another bit of proof that you shouldnt sleep on any transaction, no matter how minor it may seem at the time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Spain's coronavirus outbreak is 'slowing down', the World Health Organisation says, despite an uptick in the daily death toll and rate of new infections today.

Dr Bruce Aylward, an adviser to the WHO director-general, said after visiting Spain that it was too early to be optimistic but the crisis was 'definitely slowing down'.

Today's figures were less promising, as Spain added 6,180 new cases - the biggest jump in four days - to bring the total from 140,510 to 146,690.

The death toll climbed by 757, again the largest since Saturday, to reach 14,555 from a previous 13,798.

This chart shows the daily number of deaths in Spain, which has ticked up again after falling from a peak of 950

The number of new infections reported each day has similarly increased again after falling for several days

A patient is taken on a stretcher by a paramedic wearing a helmet at the emergencies ward of a hospital in Barcelona yesterday

Today's growth in new cases was 4.4 per cent, which would have been a record low two days ago but now marks the second consecutive increase.

Still, the average daily increase of 6,365 cases in the last seven days is lower than the average 7,789 of the previous week.

The total of 146,690 cases is the second-highest in the world, ahead of Italy but behind the United States which has nearly 400,000.

The latest 6,180 cases included 1,981 in the Madrid region and 1,324 in Catalonia, the two parts of the country which have been hardest hit by the crisis.

The Madrid region alone has more than 42,000 cases, around 29 per cent of the Spanish total.

It also accounts for 5,586 of the total 14,555 deaths, a share of around 38 per cent.

Spain's daily death toll hit a peak of 950 on April 2, but after four straight days of decline it has now increased for a second day running.

Yesterday's rise to 743 deaths was played down as an 'oscillation' by Maria Jose Sierra, the deputy chief of health emergencies.

'What matters is to see the trend and the cumulative data,' she said, suggesting that Tuesday's figures included some delayed additions from the weekend.

Health personnel wearing gloves, masks and protective suits work at a hospital in Madrid, in the region which has been hardest hit by the crisis

A health worker wearing a protective suit moves a patient into an ambulance outside the Severo Ochoa hospital in Leganes on the outskirts of Madrid yesterday

A doctor speaks to a coronavirus patient at the Gregorio Maranon hospital in Madrid on Tuesday

Spain has been in lockdown since March 14, and prime minister Pedro Sanchez said at the weekend that the measures would last until April 26.

Like many countries, Spain has its eye on antibody tests as a way of ending the lockdown by allowing people with immunity to return to work.

For restrictions to be lifted, officials say testing has to be widened to find carriers who may have mild or no symptoms.

Health minister Salvador Illa said 60,000 randomly chosen people would be tested over three weeks to gauge the spread of the virus.

Asked about reports that many coronavirus deaths were going unregistered, budget minister Maria Jesus Montero said there could be delays between the report of a death and its attribution to the virus.

Thirteen of Spain's 17 regions have registered more deaths than usual at this time of year. In 11 of those, the excess deaths are not fully explained by coronavirus.

In the central region of Castilla La Mancha, around 2,000 more people than usual died between March 15 and April 3, but fewer than 1,000 coronavirus deaths were registered during those three weeks.

Health minister Illa said that Spain's accounting for the impact of the pandemic was among the most stringent in Europe.

'Everyone who tests positive for the coronavirus and dies is a person counted as having died from coronavirus,' he said.

He added that he had spoken to the official in charge of health in Castilla La Mancha, and concluded that the data was based on that definition and therefore correct.

Spain's mortality rate of 9.9 per cent means that around one in ten people confirmed to have Covid-19 have died of the disease.
Brushfires in Laos northern provinces Wednesday spewed smoke and fine particulate matter into the air, causing respiratory problems for downwind residents in the Southeast Asian country, who say that the government failed to warn them about air pollution.

A resident of Oudomxay province told RFAs Lao Service that the people are powerless against the wildfires and the pollution they generate.

The smoke from the bushfire is blowing in and covering all the houses, so people are basically living in the pollution, the resident said.

The fire is out of control in both Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces, because people do not have fire-extinguishing capabilities out here, the resident added.

The resident acknowledged that the government did warn people of the wildfire.

But they didnt say anything about air pollution or PM2.5, nor did they mention it is hazardous to peoples health, the resident said, using a term that refers to particulate matter sized 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller.

An official at the Natural Resources and Environment Department in Oudomxay told RFA, There have been no official notices on either air pollution or PM2.5 as a result of bushfires, but people surely must be aware of it.

An Oudomxay health official said that the situation is getting better because rains are taking the pollution out of the air in some of the northern provinces, and because people have been told to wear facemasks when they are outside.

Now the problem is not so serious, not as it once was, because now there is less smoke and the officials have issued warnings, the health official told RFA.

Multiple purposes

Air pollution and smoke in northern Laos is a serious, but common problem.

In neighboring Myanmar, farmers using slash-and-burn agriculture techniques made over 2,000 separate controlled burns, some of which got out of control, and all of which added to the pollution problem in next-door Laos.

People [in Myanmar] are doing their slash-and-burn farming, and then the fire spreads over a large area, so we cannot stop it, an Oudomxay administration official told RFA.

When it becomes such a huge fire, soldiers, police and volunteers, and even laypeople are deployed to contain it, the official added.

More than 100 people are fighting the fire in the national reserve forest, but their lack of equipment is a major challenge.

According to an official Lao government report issued on Monday, the fires have claimed more than 18,000 hectares (69.5 square miles) of forest, including 7000 hectares (27 square miles) of the Hiphi national reserve forest, affecting 18 villages; 6,000 hectares (23 square miles) of the Saynamphark national production forest, affecting seven villages; and 4,000 hectares (15.4 square miles) of other forests.

Forests in other Lao provinces are also being destroyed by the fires, but there are no published estimates detailing the extent of the damage.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
After 10 years with Ageas UK, Andy Watson has decided to step down from his role as CEO and will be succeeded by Ant Middle, the current chief customer officer, Ageas announced.

Watson has decided to step down from his role as CEO to embark on a next stage of his life, including further academic education and securing a small portfolio of non-executive roles.

Watson joined Ageas in 2010 as managing director of its retail arm and became CEO of Ageas UK in 2013. He has seen the business through significant change, while operating in one of the most competitive insurance markets in the world, and maintaining a significant presence in the broker and intermediated market, said the Eastleigh, UK insurer, which is a subsidiary of Ageas Group in Brussels.

Subject to regulatory approval, Middle will take over as CEO from June 1, 2020.

With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Middle has held a number of senior positions in the general, health and life insurance sectors. He joined Ageas as managing director of Partnerships in 2014 and was appointed CEO of Ageas Retail in 2015. He became chief customer officer in January 2019. In his time with the business, he has played a pivotal role in the development of Ageas relationships in the broker and intermediated market, as well as overseeing the launch of Ageas as a direct brand.

Watson will remain with the business until the end of June to ensure a smooth handover to Middle who will take up the CEO position from June 1, 2020.

We welcome Ant Middle to the position of CEO. With Ant, we have appointed a leader with a broad background and knowledge of the industry, combined with strong and established industry relationships with brokers and partners, commented Bart De Smet, CEO Ageas Group.

His significant leadership experience and passion for the business means he is well positioned to drive the business forward and navigate the opportunities and challenges facing the UK insurance market, he added.

We are incredibly grateful to Andy for his commitment to our UK business over the last 10 years, in what have been very challenging market conditions. While we regret to see Andy leave, we recognize the significant contribution he has made to the business and the industry as a whole. He leaves the business with our best wishes for his future endeavors, De Smet went on to say.

Source: Ageas
Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, the newly formed US Space Force is pushing ahead -- it launched its first satellite last month. Fortunately, Netflixs spoof, dubbed Space Force, isnt far behind. Today, Netflix announced that the series, co-created by and starring Steve Carell, will premiere on May 29th.

FIRST LOOK: Steve Carell is the head of Space Force, the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces.



John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Diana Silvers, and Lisa Kudrow co-star in @realSpaceForce, created by Carell & The Office's Greg Daniels. Premiering May 29 pic.twitter.com/2mY85TVvvR  Netflix (@netflix) April 8, 2020

The show will follow Carell as the fictional four-star general Mark Naird, who dreams of running the Air Force but is assigned to lead the newly formed Space Force. Vice President Mike Pence previously specified that the Space Force would be led by a four-star general, and we can expect the show to borrow other key details. Celebrities including Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz and Tawny Newsome will join Carell as the cast attempts to get Space Force off the ground and land Americans on the Moon.

Shortly after President Trump directed the Pentagon to form a sixth branch of the military focused solely on space, he admitted that the idea started as a joke. For that and other obvious reasons, the US Space Force was a prime candidate for a spoof. While the US Space Force has launched its first satellite, we can bet that Space Force will land on the Moon before any actual astronauts do.
PARIS - Despite Frances coronavirus lockdown, at least 66 migrants have been rescued trying to cross the English Channel to Britain in small boats since the measures were imposed three weeks ago, French officials said Wednesday.

Nine migrants were rescued Tuesday off Calais while 15 others were rescued last week after a fishing boat spotted them in distress off Boulogne-Sur-Mer, to the west, according to the Maritime Prefecture on the northern French coast. Others have been rescued around Dunkirk and as far west as Touquet since March 17, when French authorities ordered confinement measures.

Aid workers last week began visiting scattered camps near Calais to coax migrants to move to temporary housing, the Pas de Calais prefecture has said.

Last year, more than 2,700 people were rescued at sea or stopped while trying to cross the rough waterway thats fraught with risks. Four migrants died last year off France in the effort. It was not known how many crossed successfully.

Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain, either in trucks through the Channel tunnel or on ferries. However, some began trying to cross over in 2016, using motorized rafts or small boats provided by smugglers.
Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / The Enterprise

Students at Lamar State College Orange will not return to campus next week, as originally planned.

The move comes in response to the extension of orders by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
[April 08, 2020] HIVE Blockchain Completes Acquisition of 30 MW Cryptocurrency Operation in Canada

VANCOUVER, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ - HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (TSX.V:HIVE) (OTCQX:HVBTF) (the "Company" or "HIVE") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced acquisition (the "Acquisition") of a dedicated cryptocurrency mining operation with access to 30 megawatts ("MW") of low cost green power at a leased facility located in Lachute, Quebec (the "Facility") from Cryptologic Corp. ("Cryptologic"). The purchase price of approximately C$4.0 million was satisfied through C$1,000,000 in cash, being the cash portion of the purchase price, C$956,230.60 representing the estimated closing working capital comprised substantially of prepaid and deposits less a holdback amount and the issuance of 15,000,000 common shares ("HIVE Shares") to Cryptologic at a deemed price of C$0.20 per HIVE Share. In addition, HIVE will invest at least C$3.0 million in new cryptocurrency mining equipment for the Facility. Cryptologic now owns approximately 4% of HIVE's basic common shares, with the HIVE Shares subject to customary resale and transfer restrictions. "We're extremely pleased to have completed the acquisition of this Facility," said Frank Holmes, Interim Executive Chairman of HIVE. "Multiple factors make Quebec a very attractive location for us including geographic diversification and competitive costs for green energy, skilled labour and taxes. "The acquisition provides us direct control of our destiny, including significant capacity for expansion and flexibility for our future operations. To that end, we have exercised an option to extend the term of the Facility lease to November 2025, and we plan to invest in next generation SHA-256 miners to increase the operating efficiency of the Facility and prepare it for the upcoming halving of Bitcoin rewards. Additionally, we are currently investigating the potential to host third-party miners to maximize utilization of the Facility's power capacity. "We also want to extend our appreciation to the Board of Cryptologic, who have expressed confidence in the vision and direction of HIVE by becoming a significant shareholder. Additionally, we also appreciate the cooperation of Cryptologic's Chief Operating Officer, Paul Leggett and VP Finance, Joshua Lebovic, who have helped facilitate a smooth transition during the challenging period that the world is experiencing related to COVID-19." The fully operational Facility features electricity costs of approximately US$0.04/kWh and its primary assets include 30 MW of HVAC and electrical infrastructure that is unique to cryptocurrency mining, triple redundancy systems for power and internet connectivity, operational staff, and approximately 14,000 Bitmain S9 miners that are curently installed, which provide about 173 Petahashes of SHA 256 Bitcoin mining computing power and utilize a portion of the Facility's power capacity. Due to the Facility's low electricity costs, these miners generate positive gross mining margins under current market conditions. However, the value of the Acquisition is based primarily on the Facility's power capacity and cryptocurrency mining assets. The Acquisition will more than double HIVE's total available power capacity globally to approximately 50 MW, placing it among the largest of any publicly-listed cryptocurrency miner, and provide significant diversification to the Company's business both geographically and by blockchain network.



HIVE is currently one of the world's largest public miners on the Ethereum blockchain and this acquisition places HIVE among the world's larger publicly-listed miners of Bitcoin. The newly acquired Bitcoin mining facility in Quebec diversifies the Company's existing portfolio, which includes a facility in Sweden that comprises the bulk of HIVE's Ethereum-focused GPU mining operations and a smaller Ethereum-focused mining facility in Iceland. As announced recently, HIVE is planning to expand its operation in Sweden to increase its mining capacity by approximately 20% over the next two quarters. About HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd.

HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. is a growth oriented, TSX.V-listed company building a bridge from the blockchain sector to traditional capital markets. HIVE owns state-of-the-art GPU-based digital currency mining facilities in Iceland and Sweden, which produce newly minted digital currencies like Ethereum continuously. Our deployments provide shareholders with exposure to the operating margins of digital currency mining as well as a growing portfolio of crypto-coins. For more information and to register to HIVE's mailing list, please visit www.HIVEblockchain.com . Follow @HIVEblockchain on Twitter and subscribe to HIVE's YouTube channel . On Behalf of HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. "Frank Holmes"

Interim Executive Chairman Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release about future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking information, including the benefits of the Acquisition, the lease extension, the planned acquisition of SHA-256 miners and the potential hosting of third party miners; and the intentions, plans and future actions of the Company, as well as the Company's ability to successfully mine digital currency, the construction and operation of expanded blockchain infrastructure, and the regulatory environment of cryptocurrency in the United States and other jurisdictions where the Company may operate. This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time it was made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: the COVID 19 crisis; the Acquisition may not have a positive impact on HIVE's revenues, or gross mining margin; the operation of the acquired assets may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the digital currency market; the ability to successfully mine digital currency; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; it may not be possible to profitably liquidate the current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the Company may never realize more efficient operations, a lower cost structure, or greater flexibility in operation; risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; and other related risks as more fully set out in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended March 31, 2019, and other documents disclosed under the Company's filings at www.sedar.com. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward -looking information other than as required by law. __________________________ i Gross mining margin equates to income from digital mining less operating and maintenance costs and is a non-IFRS measure SOURCE HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Honestly so fucking depressed. I recognize that at this point he was just using his resources to raise money for Coronavirus related things but still hurts.



Very cool that America now has to choose between two incompetent sexual predators this November!

Joe Biden represents the worst of the Democratic Party and Im so fucking angry that they keep pushing these terrible candidates who they decide are owed the candidacy onto us.

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The worst of the Democratic Party vs. one of the worst of all of humanity



What a time to be alive.

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Both are more concerned with protecting the wealthy than anything else. They are more similar than youre acting.

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It feels like 2016 again but worse

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alyssa milano is such a hypocritical piece of shit omg

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same. i was like, she has some fuckin' nerve

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Yep

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Seriously, it's disgusting

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I hate her so much

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not a fucking ounce of self awareness

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she has really showed her ass (moreso than usual) lately.

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shes basically making the same argument that trvmp and Kavanaugh supporters made...shes just another one cut from the same cloth as the dnc.

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duhlyssa morono

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its disgusting to witness

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yeah

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a disgusting human being.

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She's insufferable

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For fucking real.

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Shes so fucked up

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Literal garbage fire of a person

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She fucking sucks.

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I ship her with coronavirus and I'm not fucking sorry about it.

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omg Liz.... smh.

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i won't do it on twitter but i sure as shit will call her an asshole here on ontd lol

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Well that makes you better than most Bernie stans who still like to reply to tweets that she makes about things unrelated to the election (like ensuring universal vote by mail) by calling her a snake!

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lmao wow

Just wow

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Politics in a nutshell. Gotta love it.

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fuck her lmao

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tbh it makes sense why she didn't endorse him like what's the point, by the time she dropped out his chances were slim



she could get a cabinet position in a b*den admin and try to do something good idk

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Woke up, and I saw the news that he dropped the race. First thing that popped in my timeline was this tweet. I definitely had a negative reaction. They (including the DNC...again) did Bernie dirty throughout the campaign, and there was a lot of media bias for not covering much of his race. I get that candidates fight for their spot, but I'm too dignified to ever show love or support to someone I threw under the bus. It's so hypocritical.

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lied about being native, lied about being progressive. at least she's consistent about being a dickhead

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As expected.

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Love her. <3



lmao Are people mad because she didn't throw away her political capital on his failing campaign?

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lmao smh

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Sell out.

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white woman is lying again just like how she lied about being native american, being progressive etc.



the only truth about warren is that she's a grifter.

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Unbelievable

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loool she can shove it. now that bernie is out, she can do this and not threaten her chances of a cabinet position.



it's the road to hell, like my new fav Krystal Ball says.

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She is spineless.

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as if she didn't do bernie so fucking dirty because of her own ego. i am uninterested!

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Cant believe Elizabeth and establishment members like John Lewis killed Bernies already flopping campaign *insert 20 snake emojis*

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Fuck Elizabeth Warren. Shes so fucking fake.

Someone needs to primary her. I would give money.

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Fuck off you appropriating piece of shit, you literally took space away from minorities. I'll never forget the garbage she pulled. She's trash and I don't care what any of her supporters have to say.

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Sis.... SIS! This is shocking. Omg why

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how very white woman of her

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Its gonna be two old men yelling at each other if theres debates

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Who can't form complete sentences. 

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Trump is never going to debate Biden. He got himself impeached by trying make sure Biden wasn't the nominee. His internal polling has told him that Biden is the one who can beat him. Otherwise, why go to all the trouble of trying get him out of the race?



Trump didn't go to that effort for any other candidate. He's afraid of Biden, he'll never debate. He only plays to his base and they won't demand it. He's a coward anyway.

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the way trump will still win tho sksks

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it's a bitter pill to swallow. :(

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Its baffling people are surprised. It was over for him in SC.



Im not excited to vote for Biden either...this whole thing just sucks.

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Im personally not surprised and I dont think ppl I know are, the math pointed to this, but the letting go of the hope he gave is really hard

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His ideas will be adopted...this isnt time to be discouraged.



Its time to get a grip and make sure the orange turd isnt re elected again.

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The movement will continue. Don't give up hope.

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Today's Video: Sanders still has no realistic path to the nomination. Trailing in WI by 20+ pts, which he won by 14 in 2016. He has not closed his massive gap to Biden in national polls. Delays in calendar allow Sanders to carry on, but lets's be real here https://t.co/CVvCS1MUQu pic.twitter.com/qBwN7hZPx0  (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) April 1, 2020 Bernie was mathematically eliminated on SuperTuesday. He's known it even if his supporters didn't. Harry Enten broke it down last week, for anyone who hadn't been paying attention.

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i don't think i will be voting biden. a rapist vs. a rapist... one isn't better cause they have a d next to their name.

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I feel pretty certain were gonna get another 4 years of 45. For the next few months were gonna get think pieces on how they cant vote for Biden, then after November those same people will write think pieces of how did this happen again?

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That's how I kinda feel right now. I am sad but the writing has been on the wall for some time.



All that said, I voted for Sanders in the Michigan primary and I'm not happy about voting for Biden but I'm in a swing state. I don't blame people for not voting him.

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I live in Bidens state so I saw the enthusiasm in person when he announced he was running. He was never my first pick but I do think he has a good shot in beating Trump. Biden will win PA which we desperately need back. Im not sure about the other swing states and I think the comparison between Biden and Hilary are unfair since people voted against Hilary out of spite. Its a shame well never get any progressive policies passed this decade but Im just ready to get Trump out.

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I see Alyssa Milano continues to be a hypocrite.





I am disappointed but not surprised.I see Alyssa Milano continues to be a hypocrite.

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the wisconsin primary was more than just biden vs. bernie tho

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Good point

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I agree but... GOP denied letting voters vote at home by voting to deny that need while at home.

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I'm not that familiar with the American political system. But did people only vote for the democratic candidate or were there other local elections also being voted on?



All in all, the politics in this country seem like a complete shit show. But I think that's pretty much every country lately

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Yeah, I see that point, too. The Republicans are terrible for letting that happen, but it seemed pointless for people to vote for him and risk their health only for him to drop a day later.

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The election would've taken place even if Sanders had dropped sooner; it's importance wasn't related to the Presidential Primary.



Two reasons it was important:



1. A seat on the Wisconsin Court was open and they want it filled with yet another Republican



2. Thousands of local and state positions expire in two weeks, so without an election, those jobs become legally vacant.



There should've been a contingency plan for the expiring seats but the GOP controls the WI state congress and the courts, so... fuck them for putting lives at risk.

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the wisconsin primary happened bc the gop dgaf about ppl's lives. like there was a whole story about how they tried to have it moved but the gop & the courts were like nope can't do that, doesn't matter if ppl's lives are at stake is sets a bullshit precedent (when it rly doesn't) & all this other bullshit.

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His team asked for the primary to be rescheduled and but Bidens team refused and encouraged people to vote while Bernies team said it was up to voters but their health comes first. So stop.

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uhhhh people went out and voted downballot as well, especially for a key supreme court case. biden was out there yesterday encouraging people to go to the polls as bernie pushed vote by mail. the reason people did go to the polls in such a dangerous way is because of irresponsible state government. there's no reason these races couldn't be all vote by mail.





to argue "bernie being in the race was unsafe and he's the person accountable" is really gross and nagl.

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he's tried to reschedule and when they rejected it, he encouraged people not to go...

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i don't think that's fair. important local elections were also happening so if people stayed home they would have missed out on those. the anger is misdirected

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Dont even know how to begin to process this today. 

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Ah, I see I'll need to reschedule my evening cry to a morning cry. Cool.

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whynotboth.gif



Like me. 

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Why did I LOL haha Im sorry *hugs*

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lol I was gonna say, you're only crying once day? amateur! jk



but seriously what even are times of day anymore

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I knew it was coming but it still really upsetting.

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For everyone who is convinced this guarantees Trump a victory, let me offer you this bit of encouragement.



Yes polls are not guarantees, but Biden polls well against Trump. Biden also has been driving turnout in the demographics that were key in flipping the House in 2018 which is very encouraging imo. Plus, people fucking hated Hillary (probably because of sexism and like 30 years of conservative media trashing her), and they generally like Joe.



Does this mean Biden is a slam dunk against Trump?



Nope, but it's not hopeless either.



Anyway, I'm going to probably be giving most of my time and money to down ballot Senate races because I'm not super enthused about Joe and would rather focus my energy on those Senate races (which will drive up turnout for the Dems anyway so I'm helping in the presidential race obliquely I guess?). There are a lot of other important races that I encourage everyone to get involve with if they can't stomach Biden.

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Exactly...like damn...its not over yet.

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Shut up, you said Trump wouldn't win in 2016.

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THIS



We also need to dedicate time to also pressure Biden to adopt the more progressive plans touted on the campaign trail to make us all grit our teeth a little less when we vote in November. AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SIT THIS ELECTION OUT OR TRUMP IS GUARANTEED TO WIN.

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THIS. Helping down ballot candidates is so important.

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at this point if people don't think biden is "electable" it's because they don't want him to be, not because they've been studying polls and trends



this is not the outcome i wanted but i'm shifting my thinking to the senate and scotus. so much more is at stake this election than the presidency ffs

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Yup, the Senate is such a crucial part of 2020 and we cannot lose sight of that.

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thank you, we need to keep the house and flip the senate and fucking get that gavel the fuck away from mcconnell

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Polls dont meant a damn after 2016. I dont trust them.

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Exactly.



Lets be honest, the average American does not follow politics. They dont know Biden is a racist rapist just like Trump. They just know him as Obamas VP. Biden was low on my primary picks but he has a better shot in flipping these swing states. There was no way Bernie was going to flip Florida.

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holding the house and winning the senate needs to be a huge priority. that's where the real change we need is going to happen.

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[ Spoiler (click to open) ] is making me want to fucking die. Jesus Christ, I havent been to the psych ward since 2017 but



Edited at 2020-04-08 04:16 pm (UTC) This year (TW: mental health)FUCK can we get a GODDAMNED BREAK???

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I'm so sorry. I feel the same, and I hope you know you're not alone in your grief. It's been a bad, bad year.

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Thank you

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I'm sorry. I completely understand, unfortunately. My depression is at an all time low.

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You're not alone, I promise *hugs*. And we have to take care of each other, even online <3

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Damn, america youre fucked. The choice is even worse than last time. Sorry this is happening to you all

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Worse than last time? Of ffs

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yes? we have to choose between 2 rapists...

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Yes, an actual rapist is worse.

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Biden is even worse than Clinton, yes...

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absolutely. It's between 2 rapists

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lmao mysogyny definitely reigns over sexual assault huh? love america.

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Jeez youre not kidding

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Can't wait to be bullied by democrats for the next 4 years when Trump wins again because I, a rape victim, refuse to vote for a senile rapist no matter what color tie they're wearing.

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I'm so sorry :(

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I've been furloughed for the indefinite future because of the virus, I don't qualify for food stamps, my tax return still has not arrived, and I live in Florida so I can barely use the unemployment site-and Democrats still refuse to fight for a livable wage or universal healthcare. All of this has just reiterated to me that the ruling powers literally don't care about my mental or physical well-being.

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Right there with you.

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Oh lord, yea Trump is definitely winning this one again. America will live with its choices though, even not choosing is choosing. Glad I left the country when Trump was first elected because him for another 4 years + the fallout of Corona, the U.S is as good as done.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 06:38:46|Editor: xuxin

Video Player Close

A member from the Chinese Americans Supporting Hospitals (CASH) unloads medical supplies at a hospital in Maryland, the United States, April 6, 2020. (Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Xiong Maoling

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- When Rose Xu and Liang Zhao launched an initiative to support U.S. hospitals three weeks ago, they didn't expect a newly built 20-person team would be able to help 12 local hospitals, with some 112,000 surgical masks, over 3,000 N95 masks, and beyond.

On Monday, the first batch of supplies, some 24,000 surgical masks produced in Shanghai, were delivered to Holy Cross Hospital and Suburban Hospital in Maryland, offering a timely support for doctors and nurses facing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) as COVID-19 swept across the country.

On Tuesday, the group sent masks and other PPE to Kaiser Permanente and another hospital in Maryland. They'll continue to deliver more supplies to hospitals in Montgomery County, Howard County, Frederick County, Baltimore City, and Washington D.C.

"Thank you for your amazing generosity! You support is heartwarming and deeply appreciated and needed," a hospital staff sent the message to the team Monday night. In a follow-up thank-you email Tuesday, she said, "we thought you would like to know that we used a portion of your donation today!"

RAISING 20,000 USD IN HALF A DAY

The grassroots initiative, called Chinese Americans Supporting Hospitals, or CASH, was started in mid-March, following co-founder Xu's visit to a local hospital, where she found that outpatient doctors didn't wear masks because they didn't have any.

"Many friends who are doctors were also loudly calling for help, saying that their hospitals and clinics are in dire need of masks and other PPE," Xu told Xinhua. "Then I figured, we shouldn't just talk the talk, but gotta walk the walk."

Xu and Zhao, who live in Montgomery County, Maryland, didn't expect the initiative launched by the two would quickly draw support from a large number of people. "We selected several who were eager to help and seemed dependable as team members, and it turns out we have a good eye for talent," Zhao teased.

Angela Men, who is in charge of contacting hospitals, told Xinhua that the overall reaction from health care professionals are "gratitude and anxiety," as there is an apparent scarcity of PPE in local hospitals.

Through WeChat, a widely used Chinese messaging app, CASH team members constantly communicate updates and exchange ideas everyday. "For the past three weeks, our key members had to work, and spent extra hours for voluntary work, we almost stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. everyday," Xu said.

When China was heavily hit by the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, Xu joined local branch of Zhejiang University Alumni Association to donate urgently needed medical supplies to Hubei and Zhejiang provinces. "We (overseas Chinese) are really playing the full game, after donating to China we donate to America," she laughed.

Zhao told Xinhua they originally planed to help one or two hospitals with a batch of masks, and never imagined a grassroots initiative would receive such overwhelming support. "We were just trying to help," he said. "It's like the house is on fire and everyone goes to put it out."

A fundraiser organized by Zhao and others on the GoFundMe platform was able to meet the goal of 20,000 U.S. dollars within just half a day after it was launched on March 18. As of Tuesday, they have raised more than 105,000 dollars, contributed by nearly 1,000 donors, most of who come from the local Chinese community.

STRENUOUS EFFORTS, TRIVIAL TASKS

Weeks of working day and night taught the team one thing: making a donation is not a piece of cake. From raising money to selecting products, from contacting hospitals to transporting and distributing supplies, each step involves complex and trivial work.

"Our medical supplies go directly to the hospitals, so we had a very strict screening process, trying to select FDA approved and reasonably priced products," Xu said, referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The global scramble for masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to a flood of inferior products, but has also pushed up prices, making it difficult for the team to find suitable suppliers.

"Some manufacturers and distributors do not meet the standards, and some qualified products are priced too high," said Xu, who works in the medical science field. "Meanwhile, the FDA and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are constantly changing guidance, adding to the challenge of the team."

"When the price of masks is very high, the team never bid against others," said Zhao, who has a background in pharmaceutical science. "Because we know that no matter who gets the masks, they would wind up in the hands of health care workers."

After reviewing scores of options, the team made the final decision to purchase 112,500 surgical masks from a Shanghai factory, which were shipped to Maryland last week. They also managed to procure over 3,000 N95 masks, some 1,000 protective gowns, and over 300 reusable face shields, and intend to buy more.

"We've been through a lot," Xu said. "The ducks in hand have flown twice or three times," she said, using a Chinese proverb which means having what is deemed a sure thing comes to nothing.

Despite strenuous efforts, CASH team members have experienced some precious moments, with tremendous support from across the Pacific Ocean. "Many friends in China were asking us, they were so warm-hearted," Xu said. "My classmates said 'we will help you ship supplies if you need.' Friends back home are so eager to help," she said.

"When I see the doctors, I feel like they are my brothers and sisters," Zhao told Xinhua, after delivering supplies Monday afternoon. "With giving, understanding and love, the gap between people is just paper-thin."

A UNITED CHINESE COMMUNITY

The CASH team is just one of the many support groups among the Chinese community in the Greater Washington D.C. area, which comprises D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In a WeChat group of roughly 270 people, many donation teams and individuals exchange information frequently every day to help each other.

The group announcement listed the contact person of each team, donation platforms, as well as the hospitals that have been contacted. At the end of the notice it read: "Most of the group members are old comrades who donated to Wuhan, we work together, play the second half together!"

Xi Su, who lives in Vienna, Virginia, is the organizer of another aid group, which boasts over 30 volunteers and donates masks to doctors and nurses directly, in what he called a "targeted donation." The group mostly helps health care professionals in Virginia and D.C., and also some in Maryland and the worst-hit New York.

"We are trying to protect as many as possible," Su told Xinhua. The group already purchased 12,000 surgical masks from China's eastern Shandong Province and over 400 industrial N95 masks from Guangdong Province, most of which were delivered to local health care workers in the past week.

"Just trying to help doctors and nurses last for one week, and hopefully the supply shortages in hospitals would be eased," Su said. He estimated that over 200 local health care workers received donation from his group.

Su noted many Chinese doctors have been actively seeking mask donations for their colleagues. "Chinese doctors are the absolute backbone of the health care community in the outbreak. They protected their colleagues," he said.

Just on Monday, Su received 80 N95 masks from a volunteer in Beijing, and he immediately sent out some to those asking for help. He said he received tremendous support from Chinese and American families and friends.

"High school classmates in Shanghai, college classmates in Shenzhen, business partners in Nanjing, Ningbo, Chengdu and Shenzhen, sisters, brother-in-laws, and nieces in Hefei all helped me purchase masks," he said.

Some of the doctors who received donations offered to bring home-made bread, candy, and even fresh fish. "While maintaining social distance increases the physical distance between people, it reduces the psychological distance between people," he said.

Though largely Chinese, the aid group also includes some Indians, Ukrainians, Iranians and Turks. "We are fighting a people's war, not just with Chinese, but with other ethnic groups," he added.
T he majority of Brits back police tactics taken to enforce the coronavirus lockdown despite some fearing they are "going too far", according to a new poll.

A survey of 1,646 Brits found that 32 per cent backed the approach from officers despite thinking they have overreached in some instances.

While 42 per cent of those polled "fully support the approach taken by the police", the data released by Crest Survey and YouGov shows.

Just six per cent felt the police response was outright "too heavy handed", while 14 per cent thought forces "should take tougher action to ensure public compliance".

London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /66 London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA An empty Millenium Bridge PA A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Waterloo station looking empty PA Getty Images A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Getty Images The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A deserted Chinatown PA A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP Westminster Bridge is deserted PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn

Only two per cent felt the police have "no role in enforcing" the lockdown.

Some 82 per cent felt comfortable with police asking people to "provide a valid reason for being out of their home when challenged", while 72 per cent were comfortable with people being arrested if they did not follow police orders to return home.

TODO: define component type apester

However, despite support for numerous measures, most were uncomfortable with name and shame tactics on social media, with 54 per cent against this.

It comes with the UK in its third week of lockdown, after people were told to stay home except for a small number of essential reasons, such as shopping, daily exercise and going to work if they cannot do so from home.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

There have been complaints of police being overzealous in prior incidents, with officers warned to take caution in their approach.

National Police Chiefs Council chairman Martin Hewitt said: This is a public health emergency and we need the support of the public in ensuring these social distancing measures are adhered to. Help the NHS and those most vulnerable in our communities by staying home unless your journey is essential. We are grateful to everyone who has already followed this advice.

Officers may have to ask people about their circumstances if theyre outdoors. We will engage with the public, explain the social distancing regulations and the responsibilities we all share, and encourage those who are out without good reason to go back home.

Where people dont comply, we will direct them to go home, and if necessary we will issue a fine. This is a last resort, but we will use our powers if we have to.

A Home Office spokeswoman added: Our police are doing a fantastic job keeping us safe and protecting the NHS by ensuring the public stay at home, and using emergency powers only when necessary.
The latest COVID-19 figures released Wednesday, April 8 by the state Department of Health and Human Services shows fatalities jumped four mid-Michigan counties.

Genesee County reported six more deaths, pushing the overall figure to 39, while three reported deaths in Saginaw County raises the number there to six, two deaths in Lapeer County lifting the total to five and one additional death in Tuscola County placing the figure at three.

Statewide COVID-19 cases eclipsed 20,000 Wednesday -- at 20,346 -- with 959 deaths. Michigan became the third state to reach the 20,000 case mark, following New York and New Jersey.

Genesee County reported an additional 75 cases Wednesday, upping the number to 713. It is the fourth-highest county for cases in the state behind Oakland, Wayne and Macomb.

Communities hardest hit in Genesee County include Flint with 315 cases, Flint Township with 78 cases, Grand Blanc Township with 60 cases, Burton with 41 cases, Grand Blanc with 35 cases, Mt. Morris Township with 23 cases, Clio and Davison with 14 cases each, Fenton and Flushing with 11 cases each and 10 cases each in Flushing Township and Fenton Township.

Of the 1,493 COVID-19 tests performed in Genesee County, 588 have tested negative with 198 pending results, per health departments figures.

Other mid-Michigan counties experiencing an increase in cases Wednesday include Saginaw (153 to 186), Lapeer (56 to 64), Bay (31 to 39), Shiawassee (24 to 27), Tuscola (26 to 27), Midland (22 to 24) and Sanilac (17 to 22).

The Tuscola County Health Department reported Wednesday afternoon 12 of the cases have occurred at the Tuscola County Medical Care Community in Caro, with the new reported death stemming from there.

Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones during this pandemic, but also for those that have a family member currently sickened with this infection, said Ann Hepfer, the countys health officer. It is heartbreaking what families have had to endure during this pandemic.

Tuscola County added one additional case today. Positive cases there total 27. COVID-19 killed someone at TCMCC for a total of three in the county.

Information released by the Saginaw County Health Department shows 859 total tests have been performed, with 186 positives, 253 negatives, 420 pending and eight recoveries.

Those figures may not include testing from private labs, with some pending tests possible for people who live outside of the county.

Bay County Health Department Director Joel R. Strasz said on Wednesday, April 8, that 67 percent of the countys positive coronavirus cases were healthcare workers  doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs and other hospital personnel.

That percentage is from the countys Monday numbers when there were 30 positive cases, meaning approximately 20 people were in the healthcare profession.

Read all of MLives coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

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Echoing a tweet that he posted earlier in the day, Mr. Trump also accused the group of being very China-centric though he did not explain in detail what he meant by that.

Thats a nice way of saying it, but they seem to be very China-centric, the president said. They seem to err always on the side of China. And we fund it. So I want to look into it.

The budget for the W.H.O. is about $6 billion, which comes from member countries around the world. In 2019, the last year for which figures were available, the United States contributed about $553 million.

It was unclear whether Mr. Trump planned to eliminate all of the money that the United States sends to the organization, but he said that were going to look at it. He added that his government would investigate the W.H.O., saying that we will look at ending funding.

Mr. Trump appeared to relish having a new target to blame for the pandemic that has plunged the world  and the United States  into deep economic distress and forced people to abandon their jobs, close schools and stay in their homes to curb the viruss spread.

The president sometimes issues threats on which he later does not follow through. But if his administration does withdraw all of its funding to the W.H.O.  which accounts for about 10 percent of the groups budget  it could significantly affect its mission.

Founded in 1948, the W.H.O. has its headquarters in Geneva but has 7,000 workers in 150 offices around the world. Its website says that it works to promote primary health care around the world, improve access to essential medicine and help train health care workers.
Nearly 400 incarcerated individuals, parolees and employees within the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The department, which oversees New York's parole system and 52 state prisons, released the new figures on Tuesday. There are 319 employees who have confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among the incarcerated population, 55 inmates contracted the virus.

Fifteen parolees also tested positive for COVID-19.

Five coronavirus-related deaths  two incarcerated individuals, two individuals parolees and a civilian employee  have been reported. DOCCS said that the official cause of death is pending for the two deceased inmates.

Citing security reasons, DOCCS won't disclose the correctional facilities where the positive cases are employed or incarcerated. The agency also won't reveal where confirmed cases are hospitalized.

"With each confirmed case, DOCCS works with the Department of Health to identify any potentially exposed individuals to provide notifications and to stop the spread of the virus," DOCCS wrote in an email to The Citizen.

There has been concern about an outbreak occurring in New York state prisons. DOCCS has more than 43,000 incarcerated individuals in its 52 correctional facilities. The agency employs approximately 29,000 people.

In March, a former Auburn Correctional Facility inmate tested positive for the coronavirus after being transferred to a western New York prison. The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the state's correction officers, told The Citizen that at least two dozen employees quarantined due to possible exposure to the positive case.

With an increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in state prisons, a coalition of criminal justice advocacy groups called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to release incarcerated individuals who are at high risk of serious illness if they contract the virus.

Seniors, people with chronic health conditions and those who are immunocompromised could have severe symptoms of COVID-19. Cuomo has been asked about whether he will release some inmates from state prisons to prevent the spread of the virus, but he hasn't made a decision.

On Tuesday, Cuomo said there was "nothing new" to report.

"A record number of people are sick, lives have already been lost and a ticking time bomb looms over New York state," the coalition, which includes the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, Parole Preparation Project, #HALTsolitary Campaign, VOCAL-NY and Worth Rises, said in a statement. "The governor must act now by granting clemency to older people and others in prison to whom this virus presents a life and death risk."

DOCCS has implemented measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in state prisons. The policies include suspending visitation, limiting inmate transfers and allowing staff to wear personal protective equipment.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Maddalena Ferrari lets herself cry when she takes off the surgical mask she wears even at home to protect her elderly parents from the coronavirus that surrounds her at work in one of Italy's hardest-hit intensive care units.

In the privacy of her own bedroom, where no one can see, the nursing coordinator peels away the mask that both protects her and hides her, and weeps for all the patients lost that day at Bergamo's Pope John XXIII Hospital.

We're losing an entire generation, Ferrari said at the end of one of her shifts. They still had so much to teach us. The pressures on hospital ICUs in Italy and Spain may have eased in recent days as new virus cases decline. But the emotional and psychological toll the pandemic has taken on the doctors and nurses working there is only now beginning to emerge.

Already, two nurses in Italy have killed themselves, and psychologists have mobilized therapists and online platforms to provide free consultation for medical personnel.

Individual hospitals hold small group therapy sessions to help staff cope with the trauma of seeing so much death among patients who are utterly alone.

Seven weeks into Italy's outbreak, the world's deadliest, the adrenaline rush that kept medical personnel going at the start has been replaced by crushing fatigue and fear of getting the virus, researchers say. With many doctors and nurses deprived of their normal family support because they are isolating themselves, the mental health of Italy and Spain's overwhelmed medical personnel is now a focus of their already stressed health care systems.

The adrenaline factor works for a month, maximum, said Dr. Alessandro Colombo, director of the health care training academy for the Lombardy region, who is researching the psychological toll of the outbreak on medical personnel.

We are entering the second month, so these people are physically and mentally tired. According to his preliminary research, the solitude of the patients has had a grievous impact on doctors and nurses. They are being asked to step in at the bedside of the dying in place of relatives and even priests. The sense of failure among hospital staff, he said, is overwhelming.

Each time it's a failure, said Ferrari, the nursing coordinator at the Bergamo' hospital. You do everything for the patient, and at the end, if you're a believer, there is someone above you who has decided another destiny for that person.

Her colleague, Maria Berardelli, said medical personnel aren't used to seeing patients die after two weeks on ventilators, and the emotional toll is devastating.

This virus is strong. Strong, strong strong, she said in a Skype interview with Ferrari, both of them in masks. You cannot get used to it, because every patient has his own story.

In Italy, the national association of nurses and psychologists asked the government for a coordinated, nationwide response for the mental health care needs of medical personnel, warning the typical wave of stress disturbances is only going to grow over time. The situation is similar in Spain.

Dr. Luis Daz Izquierdo, from the emergency service ward in suburban Madrid's Severo Ochoa Hospital, said the sense of helplessness is crushing for those who watch as patients deteriorate in a matter of hours.

No matter what we did, they go, they pass away, he said. And that person knows that they are dying, because breathing becomes more difficult. And they look into your eyes, they get worse, until they finally surrender.

Diego Alonso, a nurse at Hospital de la Princesa, said he has been using tranquilizers to cope, as have many of his colleagues. For Alonso, the fear is especially acute, given that his wife is due to give birth soon.

The psychological stress from this time is going to be difficult to forget. It has just been too much, he said.

Dr. Julio Mayol, medical director at the San Carlos Clinic Hospital in Madrid, said staff will be suffering from numerous scars in both the short and long term.

In addition to the many dead and fears for their own safety, Mayol said staff had been traumatized by the noise surrounding the pandemic, with daily of death tolls and suggestions that other countries are faring better than Spain.

The fear, the envy and the fantasy in continuous communication, repeated 24 hours per day in media, has been an obsession that health workers couldn't forget, he said, adding that his hospital had mental health professionals working with patients and staff from the start, and that effort will continue.

At San Carlos, nearly 15% of the 1,400-member staff have been infected, in line with medical workers nationwide.

In Italy, over 13,000 medical personnel have contracted the virus. More than 90 doctors and 20 nurses have died.

Perhaps no hospital has seen more than Pope John XXIII, where operating rooms were converted to ICUs to add 12 precious beds to meet the influx of patients.

Ferrari, the OR nursing coordinator, remembers March 18, the first day the ORs were open for ICU business. Eight intubated patients were wheeled in over the course of a shift, an overwhelming number for the staff.

Ferrari said she hadn't had time for any of the group counseling sessions organized by the hospital but allows herself to weep once she gets home and says goodnight to her parents, whom she keeps at a distance behind her mask and latex gloves.

One day, the tears were triggered by TV footage of coffins being hauled from Bergamo by an army convoy. On another day, they flowed after she drove by a motorcade of trucks flying Russian flags that were heading to sanitize Bergamo's virus-ravaged nursing homes.

Ferrari said she cries in the privacy of her bedroom.

When I remove the mask, it's like removing a protection (an armor) from my face, it's like saying with this protection mask I don't fear anything. It helps me appear strong, she said. And when I remove the surgical protection mask, then all my weakness comes out.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 08, 2020] Kin Insurance Partners with Cape Analytics to Improve the Insurance Experience with Geospatial, Predictive Property Insights

Today, Cape Analytics is announcing that Kin Insurance - a fully licensed home insurance technology company that provides easy, affordable coverage to homeowners in catastrophe-prone regions - has expanded its partnership with Cape Analytics. Kin is using Cape Analytics' geospatial property intelligence to inform its homeowner insurance offering and provide customers the best possible coverage at the lowest price with the least hassle. By utilizing Cape Analytics for remote risk assessment, Kin is continuing to write policies and serve customers, while maintaining social distancing rules that keep customers and employees safe. Cape Analytics is providing Kin with the most comprehensive, timely, and accurate property information available, by leveraging geospatial imagery, computer vision, and machine learning. The integration of Cape Analytics' data allows Kin to provide customers with policies tailored to individual property and coverage needs. Cape Analytics automatically provides information such as roof condition, roof type, tree coverage, and presence of a swimming pool, allowing Kin customers to get the right coverage faster. Kin is using this new form of instant property intelligence in innovative ways by leveraging property attributes that are related to geo-specific risks. For example, in a wind-prone state like Florida, Kin can access Cape's wind-related property attributes such as roof type and the presence of pool enclosures. In states with higher risk of wildfire, Kin may automatically retrieve Cape information regarding vegetation coverage surrounding a structure. In precipitation-heavy areas, Cape's loss-predictive Roof Condition Rating can allow Kin to better understand the potential of a property experiencing water damage from a leaking roof. In a recent study o Hurricane Irma, Cape Analytics found that Florida homes with roofs in poor or severe condition were far more vulnerable and had a 45 percent higher chance of suffering major damage. In addition, 65 percent of homes affected by the hurricane took more than six months to repair. Kin is leveraging these and other insights to decrease customer risk while improving their experience.



"Our platform is built from the ground up to seamlessly integrate industry-leading sources of data, which is exactly what Cape Analytics provides. As a result, we can leverage our machine learning prediction framework to instantly assess risk and customize coverage and prices through our super simple online experience," said Blake Konrardy, VP of Product at Kin. "We are thrilled to have a growing partnership with an innovative, data-first carrier like Kin where we can enable them to expand usage in alignment with their rapid growth as an upstart insurer," said Busy Cummings, VP of Sales at Cape Analytics.

Both companies have received outstanding recognition in recent months: Fast Company named Kin one of the most innovative finance companies of 2020, while Insurance Insider shortlisted Cape Analytics as 2020 InsurTech of the Year. About Cape Analytics Cape Analytics was established in 2014 to revolutionize the way property information is created and used. The company leverages geospatial imagery, computer vision, and machine learning to instantly and automatically extract proprietary property data for insurance carriers and other property stakeholders. Cape Analytics establishes a new category of property data, offering immediacy and coverage comparable to pre-filled data, but with accuracy and detail that previously required time-consuming in-person inspection reports. Cape Analytics seamlessly integrates into carrier quote engines via API. To learn more, visit www.capeanalytics.com About Kin Kin Insurance is a technology company and licensed Florida home insurance carrier that exists to change insurance from what it is to what it should be. Founded in 2016 by seasoned financial technology entrepreneurs Sean Harper, Lucas Ward, and Stephen Wooten, Kin leverages thousands of property data points to customize coverage and prices through a super simple user experience. Kin provides affordable coverage to homeowners in catastrophe-prone regions and is committed to helping homeowners most impacted by climate change. The company is headquartered in Chicago with an office in Tampa Bay, and is currently hiring in both offices. For more information, visit www.kin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005562/en/

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The coronavirus pandemic, which has spread its tentacles exponentially across borders on the map, has killed more people in the United States and Europe than in China, at least according to the official numbers.

By manipulating facts, China has been certainly trying to persuade people of its 'superior model of government' and some people may swallow that propaganda -- though probably not many would believe.

It was in 2002 when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -- another respiratory disease, like COVID-19, originated in the same wet market in Wuhan where live animals were kept in unsanitary conditions and sold for human consumption. But China, once again, seems to have "failed to learn public-health lessons from the SARS epidemic", says Salvatore Babones in his article, "The 'Chinese Virus' Spread Along the New Silk Road" published in the American magazine, Foreign Policy.

In addition to the danger posed by live animal markets, China also kept the news a state secret for two weeks as people crisscrossed the country for the Lunar New Year celebrations, exactly in a similar way just as Beijing suppressed the information about the novel coronavirus 17 years later.

Paralleling the tragic case of Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who died from the coronavirus after being reprimanded for raising the alarm, SARS also had its "own tragic hero" -- an ambulance driver Fan Xinde -- the first medical worker to die from exposure to patients.

"As far as the Chinese response is concerned, COVID-19 might as well have been named SARS-AGAIN," Babones said.

"Then China repeated the misbehaviours that let SARS spread out of control and jump the border to infect people in more than 30 other countries and territories. Viruses may be forces of nature, but the coronavirus epidemic clearly seems to have been China-made," he wrote in the article.

In a bid to deflect from these facts, the Chinese Communist Party is now busy trying to overturn the contagion to its propaganda advantage.

Not only is China offering aid to virus-hit countries, but it is also touting its success in bringing its own epidemic under control. However, Italy, Nepal, Spain and other countries, who received protective gears from Beijing have complained and returned those products, accusing of detecting inappropriate results.

"It has, in effect, rolled extreme public health crackdowns into the broader 'Beijing Consensus' or 'China Model' of totalitarian state capitalism that it has been promoting since the advent of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis," the article added.

China's foreign ministry may have also countered US President Donald Trump's "Chinese virus" rhetoric by suggesting that the virus actually originated in the United States and was brought to China by American Army athletes, participating in the Military Games held in Wuhan in October last year. But only a few people outside China have taken that seriously.

A top Italian medical researcher has even suggested that China allowed the virus to spread to Europe as early as November, Babones wrote in his article.

It is, therefore, understood that China's model of public health -- locking people into their homes and arresting people for complaining -- is not very appealing to anyone but party-state loyalists.

Countries hit by the coronavirus pandemic will certainly continue to accept Chinese offers of face masks and respirators and no doubt their people will be grateful for the help. "Nonetheless, once the crisis has passed, China's broader social and political model will still be unattractive to all but a few morally corrupt elites. China's heavy-handed police state may have conquered the coronavirus, but few people will embrace one-party rule just to ensure their safety in future pandemics," the article stressed.

If the United States and the European Union are now in crisis, it is because they failed to act decisively to break the wave when they first knew it knew was coming. "But these were failures of policy, not failures of democracy," the article said.

With at least 1,425,932 cases and 81,978 others succumbing to the killer bug globally, it is obvious that the pandemic was enabled by bad policies and worse implementation of measures.

"The concerned citizens of the are much more likely to turn to East Asia's prosperous democracies for public health advice than to China. Western democracies may ultimately lose the coronavirus propaganda war, but China certainly will not win it," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Almost 60 per cent of people on board a cruise ship stranded off the coast of Uruguay have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The Greg Mortimer has been stranded in the La Plata River near Montevideo since 27 March, with 128 of the 217 people on board infected by Covid-19.

Many of the cases are passengers from Australia, Europe and the United States, Australian ship operator Aurora Expeditions said.

There are currently no fevers on board and all are asymptomatic, it added.

Six people evacuated from the ship are being treated in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo and are said to be in a stable condition.

Marcelo Girard, a doctor at the medical facility where the group is being treated, said those still on the ship are calm but eager to go home.

Uruguay said it has agreed to repatriate 96 Australians and 16 New Zealanders to Melbourne on a charter flight arriving on Thursday.

The passengers will first be transported the 20 miles to Montevideo by boat before they are bussed to the airport, under strict health security measures, a spokesman for Uruguays Foreign Ministry said.

They are expected to undergo a 14-day quarantine once they arrive at a facility in Melbourne.

In addition to Australians and New Zealanders, there are people from the United States, the United Kingdom, Jamaica and several European countries aboard, according to official data.

Uruguay is understood to be talking with the governments of those countries about how and when their citizens will return home.

US and European passengers who tested negative will hopefully be able to depart later in the week, following a second test and permission from the Uruguayan government, Aurora Expeditions said.

Those who tested positive must wait until they test negative before flying home.

The Greg Mortimer departed on 15 March on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia titled In Shackletons Footsteps  a reference to the polar explorer who led British expeditions to the region and died there in 1922.

Additional reporting by agencies.
OAKLAND (BCN)

Two ex-convicts, including one who allegedly wasn't following shelter-in-place orders, appeared in court on murder charges on Tuesday for allegedly fatally shooting a man in East Oakland last December.

Franklin Ervin, 23, of Oakland, and Miller Jernigan, 24, of San Francisco, are scheduled to return to court on Friday to be assigned attorneys and possibly enter pleas for their alleged roles in the shooting of Corey Clay, 19, of Oakland, in the 900 block of 69th Avenue near Spencer Street shortly before 10 a.m. on Dec. 3.

Clay was wounded in the shooting and got a ride to a hospital but was pronounced dead there a short time later, police said.

Investigators determined that the suspects' vehicle was a white Infiniti and connected Ervin and Jernigan to it but arresting Ervin, who has two prior convictions in San Francisco for second-degree burglary, proved difficult, Oakland police Officer Gloria Beltran wrote in a probable cause statement.

Officers first tried to arrest Ervin in the 1700 block of 82nd Avenue on March 9 but Ervin was able to escape them by driving away at a high rate of speed in a gray BMW, Beltran said.

The next day police interviewed Jernigan, who was in custody in San Francisco for an unrelated weapons offense, and he later was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Clay's death and transferred to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

Officer spotted Ervin again in Oakland on March 20 in a gray 2013 Infiniti, which he drove into San Francisco, where officers tried to stop him but he drove off and led officers on a chase onto the Bay Bridge, according to Beltran.

Officers caught up to the Infiniti, which was found abandoned on the bridge near Treasure Island and it appeared to have been involved in a crash with heavy damage to its front, Beltran wrote. Officers found a loaded 9 mm pistol inside the car, she said.

Video surveillance showed Ervin walking away from the Infiniti and toward cars that had slowed down because of the crash and he allegedly attempted to carjack several of them before he eventually successfully carjacked a vehicle and escaped yet again, according to Beltran.

However, officers from Oakland and San Francisco finally found Ervin and his girlfriend at a restaurant in Vallejo on March 26, where he was arrested as he walked out, police said.

When investigators interviewed Ervin he denied being involved in any of the offenses, according to Beltran.

In addition to murder, Ervin is charged in a criminal complaint filed last week with two counts of evading police and four counts of attempted carjacking.

He's also charged with being an ex felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in a city.

Jernigan has a prior conviction for second-degree robbery in San Francisco in August 2016, according to prosecutors.

Ervin's girlfriend Misdymon Jermaine is charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping him avoid authorities.

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.
Kokata, April 8 : A woman fled from the West Bengal government's quarantine centre in Kolkata's New Town early on Wednesday along with her two children.

On Wednesday, police traced the three from Narkeldanga and sent them back to the quarantine centre.

There was much tension at the centre after the woman and her two children were found missing on Wednesday morning.

The police were informed and they finally found the escapees at their Narkeldanga home.

Six other members of the woman's family have also been quarantined.
A Miami couple who were forced to call off their wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic decided to 'take back the date' and get married on their apartment balcony, they exclusively told DailyMail.com.

Cheers resounded among the skyscrapers in Downtown Miami last Saturday as Benjamin Katz, 35, and Jamie Webner, 36, exchanged vows with the assistance of Jamie's sister, who officiated at the nuptials.

The ceremony instantly went viral on Instagram when neighbors captured the wedding from opposing balconies, as loved ones watched over Zoom.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the couple talked about their love story and their decision to 'take back the date', after being disappointed they couldn't carry on with their planned wedding.

Webner explained: 'We really just wanted to get married and we thought what better time to celebrate love than now? And we quickly realized our family and friends wanted to celebrate too.'

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Benjamin Katz, 35, and Jamie Webner, 36, decided to have their wedding on their balcony after they were forced to cancel their big day due to coronavirus. The Miami couple exchanged vows last Saturday with the assistance of Jamie's sister, who officiated the nuptials, as loved ones watched via a Zoom webinar

The newlyweds, who are both attorneys, spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com, explaining why they decided to 'take back the date'

The bride's sister got ordained, they hired a drone operator, set up a webinar via Zoom and sent a reception playlist, so friends and family could listen at home

The day of the wedding, the bridal party all held a webinar as Webner got dressed and did her makeup (pictured). Then she went out on the balcony to meet her husband and the ceremony took approximately 10 minutes

Webner and Katz, both attorneys working in Miami, met in undergraduate school at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The couple say they were nothing but platonic friends for 16 years, until Webner went out to San Diego in 2018, where Katz was living, for a Jay Z and Beyonce concert.

'We had a lot of long nights of catching up and chatting in San Diego, on a purely friendship level,' said Webner. 'But ever since then it's been fireworks.'

The couple dated long distance for a few months until Katz joined Webner in Miami.

Moving to a larger apartment, where they would eventually get married, Katz unpacked the last box, got on his knee, and pulled out a small red box.

'I said of course. I thought he was just emptying out more boxes and then he pulled out a ring and I realized he was down on his knees,' Webner said.

The couple was planning a wedding for 140 guests at the Villa Woodbine, a 1930s Mediterranean-Renaissance style private mansion in Miami's posh Coconut Grove neighborhood.

Plans quickly unraveled as the seriousness of Covid-19 was recognized and the couple had one family member suffering from the virus. Covid-19 is currently affecting 13,214 Floridians and has taken the lives of 254 people in the state.

'We made the call to cancel the wedding three weeks before and told our friends and family that we couldn't move forward with the plans,' Katz explained.

'We have some family members that could be compromised, so we knew we wouldn't be having a wedding of 140 people.'

The couple told DailyMail.com about their love story and their decision to 'take back the date', after being disappointed they couldn't carry on with their planned wedding

The ceremony instantly went viral on Instagram when neighbors captured the wedding from opposing balconies, as loved ones watched over Zoom. Pictured: Katz's parents watch their son and Webner get married from their backyard

The couple was planning a wedding for 140 guests at the Villa Woodbine, a 1930s Mediterranean-Renaissance style private mansion in Miami's posh Coconut Grove neighborhood. Pictured: Katz's best man and date watching the wedding via Zoom

'A lot of people watched, even the guests that couldn't originally attend. We think more people came to the online wedding than would have come to the physical wedding. I sent it to some old coworkers, and they ended up sending it to the whole office,' Katz said

Around 120 people were signed in to the 'Wed-inar', but the couple thinks close to 200 people were watching

The couple dated long distance for a few months until Katz joined Webner in Miami. Moving to a larger apartment, where they would eventually get married, Katz unpacked the last box, got on his knee, and pulled out a small red box. 'I said of course. I thought he was just emptying out more boxes and then he pulled out a ring and I realized he was down on his knees,' Webner said

'It was hard,' Webner said. 'The few days leading up to the decision were very hard. We spent a morning mourning the loss of our wedding date. There were a lot of tears. But, we quickly started facing issues much larger than our wedding regarding Covid.'

The couple explained they aren't sure how much money they lost by calling off the wedding, saying: 'We're working with our vendors now to figure out how we're going to handle it.'

Webner added: 'I was telling my friends last week it is going to be really hard, especially the days leading up to the wedding.'

So two weeks later the couple decided there was no reason to wait and have the wedding at their apartment, with the bride's sister immediately getting ordained online.

The couple cancelled their photographer and videographer, hired a drone operator, set up a webinar via Zoom and sent out what was supposed to be the playlist for their DJ at the reception, so friends and family could listen at home.

'We had to have two witnesses, so we asked our neighbors to witness the wedding on another balcony, so we could be socially distanced,' Katz said.

Around 120 people were signed in to the 'Wed-inar', but the couple thinks close to 200 people were watching.

'A lot of people watched, even the guests that couldn't originally attend. We think more people came to the online wedding than would have come to the physical wedding. I sent it to some old coworkers, and they ended up sending it to the whole office,' Katz said.

'My mom shared it with 10 of her friends,' Webner added.

Around 120 people were signed in to the 'Wed-inar', but the couple thinks close to 200 people were watching

'A lot of people watched, even the guests that couldn't originally attend. We think more people came to the online wedding than would have come to the physical wedding. I sent it to some old coworkers, and they ended up sending it to the whole office,' Katz said

Webner and Katz, both attorneys working in Miami, met in undergraduate school at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana. The couple say they were nothing but platonic friends for 16 years, until Webner went out to San Diego in 2018, where Katz was living, for a Jay Z and Beyonce concert

The day of the wedding, the bridal party all held a webinar as Webner got dressed and did her makeup. Then she went out on the balcony to meet her husband and the ceremony took approximately 10 minutes.

The bride's sister read a quote by Saint Francis of Assisi, which the couple said was appropriate for the times we are living through with Covid-19.

'Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.'

The couple read traditional vows but admitted they will likely make original vows when they have a vow renewal or celebration with their friends and family.

'We figured the traditional vows are especially fitting for this time,' said Katz. 'We considered writing our own vows, but we decided if we have a celebration or vow renewal with friends, we would save our written ones for that so we aren't repeating ourselves.'

In traditional Jewish wedding fashion, Katz smashed a glass with his foot and the couple kissed.

'We loved hearing the neighbors cheering and had some friends we know across watching,' Webner said. 'After the ceremony a few people brought out champagne and were popping corks from us from across the street.'

Since the wedding was held over Zoom, the new couple tried to connect with their guests digitally immediately following the first dance, which was to 'Simply The Best' [from Schitt's Creek] by Noah Reid.

The couple read traditional vows but admitted they will likely make original vows when they have a vow renewal or celebration with their friends and family. Pictured: Katz's mother watching the ceremony via Zoom

'Some of our friends that were supposed to be assigned to sit at the same table had their own private Zoom parties, and we dropped into their Zoom parties individually to say hi, just like a physical wedding,' Katz said

'People were even sending us videos of them dancing to our wedding songs. So we had lots to do after the wedding,' Katz said

While this may sound like the perfect love story and perfect wedding, the couple admits that there were hard times dealing with having a remote wedding. Just 24 hours before the wedding, Webner was having a difficult time coping

'Some of our friends that were supposed to be assigned to sit at the same table had their own private Zoom parties, and we dropped into their Zoom parties individually to say hi, just like a physical wedding.'

'People were even sending us videos of them dancing to our wedding songs. So we had lots to do after the wedding,' Katz said.

The couple ironically had planned to honeymoon in Italy.

'We postponed the honeymoon before we even postponed the wedding being that Italy is having a difficult time now. So it's TBD for now,' Katz said.

'Italy will need the support for their economy and it's such a wonderful country. So we are still looking forward to going there, hopefully sooner than later,' Webner said.

While this may sound like the perfect love story and perfect wedding, the couple admits that there were hard times dealing with having a remote wedding. Just 24 hours before the wedding, Webner was having a difficult time coping.

'For me personally it was hard not having our family and friends present. Friday, I had a pretty big breakdown. I wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle and my mother and sisters there to support me,' Webner said.

'But I was able to connect with them while I was getting ready. It was nice to connect. They were all expressing their enjoyment and gave us an outpouring amount of love and support, which made me feel great.'

'Also knowing Ben was waiting for me outside on the balcony was reassuring,' Webner said.

'We know this [wedding] isn't a vaccine, but it was something nice for our friends and family to do on a Saturday afternoon,' Katz said. 'Especially since we may be dealing with this for a few more months.'
President Trump (Photo : Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay )

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay



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President Donald Trump said Monday that he had a "friendly" and "wonderful, warm" conversation with former Vice President Joe Biden regarding the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.



"We had a really wonderful, warm conversation. It was a very nice conversation," Trump told reporters at a regular White House briefing regarding coronavirus pandemic Monday evening.



The phone call between Trump and Biden, who is likely the running democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, finally happened after several days of Twitter taunts. Both of them spoke for over 15 minutes regarding the measures to combat the coronavirus in the country.



"He gave me his point of view, and I fully understood that. We just had a very friendly conversation. It was really good, really nice. I appreciate his calling," Trump said.



The same was later confirmed by the former Vice President when his campaign issued a statement painting a similar picture.



"Vice President Biden and President Trump had a good call. VP Biden shared several suggestions for actions the Administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and expressed his appreciation for the spirit of the American people in meeting the challenges facing the nation," campaign spokesperson Kate Bedingfield wrote.



Biden, who has been critical of the way Trump has handled the coronavirus outbreak, had offered to speak about the country's strategy to the President last week. Trump had told reporters then that he would take the call, The Hill reported.



However, Trump did not let out any specifics about their call stating that they had agreed not to discuss the content of their conversation.



"He had suggestions. It doesn't mean that I agree with those suggestions but certainly, he had suggestions, and I also told him some of the things we're doing. But the conversation was a friendly, very friendly conversation," Trump further added.



Trump had earlier taunted Biden in a tweet regarding the latter's proposal to hold a virtual Democratic National Convention in the summer and also asking him as to why he wasn't invited.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:22:10|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday it is considering inviting students of agricultural colleges and universities, unemployed persons and convicts to help with harvesting.

Russia needs an additional 23,000 people to collect this year's crops, as it faces a shortage of foreign seasonal workers due to the closure of its borders amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, it could invite people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak, around 11,000 agriculture students, as well as convicts, primarily those sentenced to correctional labor.

Russia normally starts winter grain harvesting around the end of June. As a major global exporter, the country sold over 43 million tons of grain in the 2018-2019 agricultural year, according to official data.
Divisions among the European Unions finance ministers threatened to derail, or at least delay, the blocs attempt to put forward a bold strategy aimed at mitigating the economic impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

An emergency teleconference that started Tuesday dragged on until Wednesday morning as the regions finance chiefs struggled to reconcile their contrasting visions, forcing negotiations to continue through the night. A press conference was tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. Brussels time.

France and Europes hardest-hit southern countries are pushing for a firm commitment to a recovery fund financed by jointly issued bonds, a proposal thats anathema to nations like Germany and the Netherlands that have strict red lines regarding the mutualization of debt. Ministers are also at loggerheads over the wording of a joint statement on the conditions for using the firepower of credit lines from the euro areas bailout fund.

The ministers had been tasked by EU leaders to come up with a tool kit of measures to address the economic impact of the outbreak by the end of this week. But even as the virus continued to engulf their economies and medical systems, governments have struggled to move past traditional dividing lines.

And the stakes couldnt be higher. Last week, IHS Markit said its monthly measure of services and manufacturing in the euro area points to an annualized economic contraction of about 10 per cent. And thats on top of job losses that are mounting across Europe, with Spain showing a record jobless-claims surge.

Emergency fund

With the euro area facing an economic slump of unprecedented scale, countries have instituted fiscal measures worth three per cent of EU gross domestic product as well as liquidity guarantees worth up to 18 per cent of the blocs output. The European Central Bank has also launched massive bond purchases in what could end up becoming the biggest economic rescue package the continent has seen in peacetime. But few believe thats sufficient given the scope of the downturn.

The finance ministers were discussing three main proposals to weather the crisis: employing the European Stability Mechanism, the euro-areas bailout fund, to offer credit lines worth up to two per cent of output of the blocs members; the creation of a pan-European Guarantee Fund to be managed by the European Investment Bank that could mobilize more than 200 billion euros in liquidity for companies; as well as an employment reinsurance scheme worth 100 billion euros.

But some leaders saw this package as insufficient, and demanded the inclusion of a recovery fund that would issue joint debt. I say yes to euro bonds, no to ESM, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters on Monday night.

The French government put forward a plan that would create a temporary reserve worth three per cent of EU GDP, have a lifetime of as long as 10 years, and would be funded by the joint issuance of debt to mutualize the cost of the crisis.

The plan is controversial as it resembles an idea backed by several euro-area countries for so-called coronabonds  joint debt instruments that would ease pressure on highly indebted countries like Italy and, to a lesser extent, Spain and France, and would reduce the risk of a backlash from bond investors.

While Germany has said that it supports measures to bolster an economic recovery, it has balked at any proposals that would see member states sharing debt. Other countries such as the Netherlands and Austria also oppose joint issuance, wary that they could end up on the hook for spending in the poorer south.

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared on Tuesday night a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus after an alarming growth in cases in urban areas.

The declaration, effective through May 6, will enable prefectural governors to take stronger preventive steps, ranging from instructing citizens to stay at home to restricting the operation of schools and other facilities, although there are no legal penalties for noncompliance.

Roughly 56 million people, or about 45 percent of the country's total population, in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama as well as in Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka, will be asked to refrain from nonessential outings. Grocery shopping, visits to hospitals and commuting are excluded.

But they will be asked to stay away from bars, karaoke places and live music clubs to lower the risk of transmission. Public transportation services will be available, although Abe asked citizens in the designated prefectures to hold off on going to other parts of the country.

Aichi Prefecture, home to the big city of Nagoya which has a population over 2.2 million, was not among the seven prefectures included in the state of emergency.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, told a meeting of a parliamentary panel that the government discussed whether the three prefectures of Aichi, Hokkaido and Kyoto should be on the list as well, but decided not to include them due partly to the relatively slow pace of increase in virus infections in these areas.

Trains will run as usual and daily necessities such as toilet paper will continue to be manufactured for stable supply in Japan, business operators said Tuesday, after the government declared a state of emergency to step up efforts to prevent a further escalation in the coronavirus outbreak.

Face masks, which have been running out due to surging demand, meanwhile, may still take time to reach store shelves as prefectural governors will be allowed under the declaration, effective through May 6, to request companies to preferentially sell medical supplies and food to their governments.

East Japan Railway Co, which serves Tokyo and surrounding areas, said Tuesday it will continue normal operations for now and is not planning to cut services or move up the schedules of last trains.

As for future operations, President Yuji Fukasawa said the company will take into account the number of passengers, which has been falling as the government has asked people to stay at home.

Operators of shinkansen bullet trains have also suffered declining passenger demand.

Central Japan Railway Co said it will halt 45 shinkansen services connecting Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka on May 15, 22 and 29, in addition to cutting 106 services during the Golden Week holiday period between May 1 and 6.

Kyushu Railway Co, which serves southwestern Japan, and West Japan Railway Co have also decided to halt some of their shinkansen services from May 7 to 31.
[April 08, 2020] Bank of America Changes Annual Shareholders Meeting to Virtual Attendance

Bank of America announced today that it will host the company's 2020 annual meeting of shareholders virtually due to public health concerns resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the related protocols federal, state, and local governments have implemented. The 2020 annual meeting of shareholders will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 22. Shareholders will not be able to attend the 2020 annual meeting in person. An audio webcast of the meeting will be available on the company's investor relations website, and a replay will be available through Wednesday, April 29. Shareholders of record at the close of business on Monday, March 2 who wish to participate can visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BAC2020 and enter the 16-digit voting control number found on their proxy card, voting instruction form, notice of internet availability of proxy materials or previously received email. For more information, visit https://about.bankofamerica.com/annualmeeting.



Whether or not shareholders plan to attend the virtual annual meeting, Bank of America urges shareholders to select one of the methods described in the proxy materials to vote and submit their proxies in advance of the meeting. Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 2,800 lending centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial Solutions Advisor and 2,000 business centers; approximately 16,800 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with approximately 38 million active users, including approximately 29 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005729/en/

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Wage subsidies designed to save six million jobs will be approved by federal parliament as a reduced number of politicians meet in Canberra.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the $130 billion JobKeeper scheme was the biggest economic lifeline in the nations history, designed to protect jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Today is not about ideologies. We check those at the door, he told parliament.

Today is about defending and protecting Australias national sovereignty.

Draft laws underpinning the scheme will pass the lower house on April 8 before going to the Senate for approval.

Labor will try to amend the bill in the House of Representatives so more casual workers will benefit.

Many needy Australians will miss out, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told the chamber.

When the bill is voted on in the Senate later in the day, Labor wont support any amendments not introduced by the opposition, he said.

The Greens will try to change the bill in the Senate so more charities can receive support, and to extend welfare support to people on temporary visas.

The minor party also wants people on disability support to receive the $550 per fortnight welfare boost.

The Morrison government is refusing to extend the JobKeeper scheme to more than two million casual workers, temporary visa holders and local council employees who will miss out.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the government wont accept any amendments to the bill, noting it will support 6 million Australians.

He said the states were responsible for council workers and reiterated calls for struggling visa workers to pack up and leave.

However, the situation is not that simple for many temporary residents, with flights cancelled, borders closed and some countries made unsafe.

Labors Tony Burke was critical of minister Christian Porters reluctance to make further changes.

The Minister for Industrial Relations rather melodramatically the other day described this as the Dunkirk moment. The challenge in that analogy is that they are still leaving more than a million casuals on the beach, Mr Burke told parliament.

Unions and the coalition have struck a deal on the measures, with more protections for workers built into the draft laws.

Under the scheme, coronavirus-affected businesses will get $1500 in fortnightly payments to pass on to each employee.

Workers who have their hours cut will be able to request time to work a second job.

The Fair Work Commission will be able to review stand-down periods and employer changes to peoples work location or duties.

Workers can agree to change their days, while bosses could also ask for annual leave to be taken, provided employees have two weeks left over.

Reasonable requests to take annual leave will not be able to be refused.

While unions pushed for changes to be made through the Fair Work Commission, the government will instead legislate temporary amendments to the Fair Work Act.

The government says people who are not eligible for JobKeeper could access welfare benefits.

Labor has also struck a deal to establish a select Senate committee to scrutinise all aspects of the governments COVID-19 response.

By Matt Coughlan, Daniel McCulloch and Rebecca Gredley
Almost every day over the past three weeks the number of people flying in the U.S. has reached a record low as the pandemic kept people home. But on Tuesday, the levels crossed a stark dividing line: fewer than 100,000 people.

The steady and sustained fall in passengers -- now 95% below levels a year ago -- hasn't been seen since the dawn of the jet age in the early 1960s, say experts who follow aviation trends.

Air travel in the U.S. fell to zero for a handful of days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the industry was depressed for months. But the drop wasn't nearly as prolonged as the impacts so far from covid-19, which has prompted widespread stay-at-home orders.

"I don't think there is any question that this is the largest sustained drop," said John Hansman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who focuses on aviation.

Airlines have been cutting their schedules as they face billions of dollars in losses, but not at the same rate as the plunge in customers.

On Tuesday, only 97,130 people passed through security gates at U.S. airports. Because that includes airport workers and flight crews, the number of passengers is even lower, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The total is less than what some of the country's largest airports screen on a busy summer day, TSA spokesman Mark Howell said in a tweet.

Since March 16, the number of people willing to fly on an airliner has fallen all but two days, according to figures compiled by the TSA.

There were 1.3 million people still flying on that day, or 47% below the equivalent day in 2019. Since then, levels have marched downward dramatically, according to the TSA.

The TSA, which wasn't created until after the Sept. 11 attacks, has only collected reliable passenger data for about 10 years, spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in a tweet.

Each new low in recent weeks has been an agency record for the fewest number of people to go through screening, Farbstein said.

The virus and its impact on aviation has triggered massive economic uncertainty for airlines and their employees, as well as airport workers and contractors. The CARES Act, a $2 trillion economic stimulus plan from the federal government, included more than $70 billion in loans and payroll subsidies for the industry.

A rebound in air travel could be slow to materialize, a new poll by Public Opinion Strategies suggests. Fewer than half of Americans say they'd be willing to fly within six months of their lives "returning to normal," according to results released by the firm on Tuesday.

People who have opted not to fly, often heeding government stay-at-home orders, say they are also suffering. In many instances, they are only entitled to credits for future travel and can't get refunds.

Hansman said the decline in passengers is unlike any previous shock following economic downturns, terrorist attacks, wars or other events since the start of long-range jet travel.

Economic data from previous downturns suggests that the practice of lowering fares to spur demand has led to long periods of unprofitability for airlines. For more than a decade after 2001, airlines went through waves of bankruptcies, layoffs and mergers before rebounding.

"The scary thing here is that there is no clear trajectory for the recovery build up," Hansman said. "Until there is a widespread vaccine -- or herd immunity -- there will be barriers to travel and it is not clear what the demand will be, but it will be slow."
by Emanuele Scimia

The European members of the 17+1 group are dissatisfied with their "privileged" relationship with Beijing. Their trade deficit with China (US$ 75 billion) is growing. Chinese investments are going mostly to the wealthiest countries of the Old Continent. Czech President Zeman slams the Belt and Road Initiative. This should be a warning for Italy.

Rome (AsiaNews)  European leaders of the 17+1 group are dissatisfied with their privileged relationship with China, this according to a report by the Prague-based China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE).

The 17+1 is an informal forum that includes China and 17 countries in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, including 12 European Union member states.

Beijing is using the grouping as a platform to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping designed to boost his country as the worlds main trade hub. However, the much-vaunted cooperation with China is not bearing the desired results.

The European members of the 17+1 are increasingly irritated, their economic gains are modest; yet, Chinas influence in the region has grown considerably. The most troubling aspect is economic. The trade deficit of the 17 European nations with the Asian giant has widened significantly. The CHOICE study reveals that it reached US$ 75 billion in 2018.

Although Chinese investment has increased, slightly exceeding US$ 5 billion in 2017, it is concentrated in four countries: Czechia (Czech Republic), Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

What is more, the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies noted that eastern Europe received 2 per cent of total Chinese investments in Europe in 2018 and 3 per cent in 2019, with the largest share, 53 per cent, going to northern Europe.

Beijing's increasingly aggressive attitude is especially resented. Last year, Lithuania severely reprimanded the staff of the Chinese Embassy, suspected of threatening Lithuanian citizens who protested in Vilnius in favour of Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement.

In addition, Poland and Czechia have raised doubts about Huawei's 5G technology  the United States accuses the Chinese telecom multinational of spying on behalf of China.

The European Union views China as a partner but also as a "systemic rival". Many European leaders suspect Beijing is using the Belt and Road scheme to weaken the bloc, trying to get the European 17+1 members to align with its geopolitical agenda.

The groups annual summit, originally set for 15 April, was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. For some leaders, this is not a major issue. Czech President Milos Zeman had already decided not to attend even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zeman wanted to turn his country into an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for Chinese investment in Europe, but had to accept the fact that, despite Beijing's proclamations, Chinese money always goes to western Europe, and not on his side of the old Iron Curtain.

The displeasure of European 17+1 leaders runs counter to Italys cheerful embrace of China and Xis proposal to create a "health" Silk Road.

Despite the negative reaction of some allies (i.e. the United States), Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has repeatedly emphasised the importance of last years cooperation agreement with Beijing. In his view, it would facilitate the arrival of Chinese medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Conversely, others note that China also donated and sold medical equipment to EU members states (the majority) that have not formally joined the Belt and Road project.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Candy infused with the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that sickened Utah children after it was donated to a food bank was a counterfeit version of a Nerds product, the company said Tuesday.

Police said the candy containing THC had packaging similar to Nerds Ropes, with the addition of the word medicated. But that product is not associated with Ferrara Candy Co., the maker of real Nerds, the company said in a statement.

Candy donated by the company or found in stores around the country is safe to consume, officials said. Ferrara is cooperating with the police investigation of the bogus candy.

Authorities have said two children have been released from a hospital and are expected to make a full recovery after eating the candy that was in donated bags of food.

Dozens of families picked up the bags Friday at a Baptist church in Roy, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City, KUTV reported.

Utah Food Bank staffers were horrified to learn what happened and said they were putting new processes into place to prevent anything similar from happening again, President and CEO Ginette Bott said.
Linda Tripp, the former White House staffer best known for her role in the impeachment of former president Bill Clinton, died Wednesday at the age of 70 after battling an undisclosed terminal illness, according to a Facebook post by her daughter.

Tripp worked in the White House and later the Pentagon under George H.W. Bush and Clinton. She shot to notoriety during Clintons 1998 impeachment when her recordings of conversations shed had with Monica Lewinsky about the latters affair with the president became key to Independent Counsel Ken Starrs investigation.

Lewinsky expressed sympathy for Tripp and her family earlier on Wednesday, writing in a tweet that no matter the past, she hoped for [Tripps] recovery, and couldnt imagine how difficult this is for her family.

no matter the past, upon hearing that linda tripp is very seriously ill, i hope for her recovery. i cant imagine how difficult this is for her family.  Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) April 8, 2020

More from National Review
GREENWICH  As part of their daily monitoring of the coronavirus outbreak, Greenwich officials check in with the nursing homes and senior living complexes where some of the towns most vulnerable residents live.

The virus can be especially dangerous to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems or other underlying health problems.

Its a huge focus, First Selectman Fred Camillo said during Tuesdays update with the media. Its one of the reasons we shut down the Senior Center immediately. Nathaniel Witherell followed soon after in closing down to visitors. Any vulnerable population is always a concern. ... And we know the nursing homes and assisted living facilities need an extra focus.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 217 Greenwich residents had tested positive for coronavirus, up from 212 on Monday, according to the towns Health Department. The state was reporting 228 cases in town. On Tuesday morning, Greenwich Hospital CEO Norman Roth said there were 107 patients hospitalized there with the virus, but that number includes people from all over the region, not just Greenwich.

Emergency Operations Director Dan Warzoha and the Greenwich Fire Marshals Office make daily calls to Greenwich Hospital, the municipally owned and run Nathaniel Witherell, and the three private nursing homes in town along with senior living complexes like Hill House and Parsonage Cottage.

Every day, Warzoha makes calls to determine how many residents are at facility, how many have the virus and how many do not. He asks about any unusual incidents and makes sure that the facilities have the supplies they need.

He praised Greenwich Hospitals response, saying they were following the protocols to a T and that he has no doubt that the assisted living facilities were doing the same.

This is too risky and too dangerous to not do what you need to do, Warzoha said.

The town did not release statistics on the number of residents in those facilities who are infected with the coronavirus, due to patient privacy laws.

But residents of both Nathaniel Witherell and Greenwich Woods have been diagnosed with the virus and subsequently died.

According to an obituary, Dr. Lawrence Chiaramonte, 82, who lived at Greenwich Woods, passed away on April 5 from complications brought on by the virus. And retired U.S. District Judge Kevin Duffy, 87, passed away on April 1 after he was diagnosed. Duffy had been in the short-term rehabilitation wing of Witherell when he was taken to Greenwich Hospital, where he passed away.

There were 10 to 15 in-house coronavirus cases as of Tuesday at the Witherell, according to Board of Directors Chair Larry Simon. Doctors were awaiting test results for seven more residents, too. Previously, four residents had been taken to Greenwich Hospital.

Measures were taken to protect residents of the Witherell, Simon said, including not bringing in new patients during the outbreak.

Our patient census continues to drop to 157, he said. All positive (coronavirus) patients are isolated on one floor in the short-term rehab unit.

Among the 215 nursing homes in the state, 82, or 38 percent, have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, according to the state. A total of 600 nursing home residents with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 have been identified, of whom 171 were hospitalized and 81 have died.

Camillo continued to urge all residents to protect themselves by practicing social distancing, wearing gloves when they go out, washing hands frequently and wearing masks when outdoors.

And with masks in such short supply, Camillo and town Director of Health Caroline Baisley recommended that residents can make them at home.

Wearing the masks outdoors when you need to leave your home for groceries or other essential items will certainly help slow the spread of the virus, Camillo said. You can make the masks at home with cloth that is washable.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face masks in public, especially in stores and pharmacies. To read the CDCs recommendation and for instructions in making a mask, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html.

Many people with (coronavirus) are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, meaning they can transmit the virus without knowing they have it, Camillo said. Thats why it is very helpful to wear the mask if possible.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Even with the Rs 20,000 crore distributed among states, it will still be a fraction of what they have been demanding in financial support and clearance of pending dues.

The finance ministry is set to release Rs 20,000 crore in pending Goods and Service Tax (GST) compensation to states soon, Business Standard has learnt.

This will not be from the compensation cess, but from the Consolidated Fund of India, and comes days after the Centre disbursed Rs 17,287 crore to states as devolution and disaster funds.

The finance ministry and the Prime Ministers Office are also working on another stimulus package, which is expected to be announced soon.

There is no definitive number yet on the quantum of the package, which will again be aimed at the urban and rural poor, micro, small and medium enterprises and the sectors most affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the subsequent 21-day nationwide lockdown.

Officials working on the stimulus package say that a lot of ever-changing factors are still under consideration.

These include active cases of COVID-19, hotspots, and the status of the lockdown after April 14.

The revenue department has been authorised to clear Rs 20,000 crore in GST compensation dues to states, said a top government official.

We can only disburse compensation to states from the compensation cess fund.

"Since it is not available, approval has been given for releasing it from the Consolidated Fund, said a second official.

Even with the Rs 20,000 crore distributed among states, it will still be a fraction of what they have been demanding in financial support and clearance of pending dues.

Central government officials say there is a resource crunch, but more will be given.

States have also been allowed to borrow 50 per cent of their total 2020-21 limit in April itself.

Maharashtra had sought a special package worth Rs 25,000 crore from the central government and asked it to release pending dues worth Rs 16,654 crore under various heads by March 31, to fight the economic crisis.

Tamil Nadu has sought a special assistance of Rs 4,000 crore and a slew of other financial support measures.

West Bengal has sought a package of Rs 25,000 crore and clearance of dues worth Rs 36,000 crore.

Additionally, all states have sought relaxation of their borrowing limits.

With only 65 per cent of compensation due for October and November at Rs 19,950 released last month, the total disbursal has been Rs 1.2 trillion as against full-year collection of just Rs 95,000 crore.

It is, in fact, Rs 3,000 crore short of the revised estimate of Rs 98,327 crore.

Compensation cess, to be released on a bi-monthly basis, has been pending for about five months.

With compensation of over Rs 60,000 crore still pending, some states are even planning to drag the Centre to the Supreme Court.

Never in the history of India has there been such a callous attitude of the Centre towards the states.

"There is no option other than the states approaching the Supreme Court, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac told Business Standard.

The central government was of the view that it would only release compensation out of collections through levy of cess on luxury and sin items like automobiles, tobacco, and aerated drinks.

In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it was decided to transfer to the GST Compensation Fund balances due out of collection in 2016-17 and 2018-19 in two instalments.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the partys establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope of catching up.

The Vermont senators announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in November.

The path toward victory is virtually impossible, Sanders told supporters as he congratulated Biden. The former vice president is "a very decent man whom I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward.

Sanders initially exceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to recreate the magic of his 2016 presidential bid, and even overcame a heart attack last October. But he found himself unable to convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination amid electability fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ideology would be palatable to general election voters.

The 78-year-old senator began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to the party establishments choice, Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees hed be a major presidential contender this cycle, especially as the races oldest candidate.

Sanders, though, used strong polling and solid fundraising  collected almost entirely from small donations made online  to more than quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread support from young voters and was able to make new inroads within the Hispanic community, even as his appeal with African Americans remained small.

Sanders amassed the most votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, which opened primary voting, and cruised to an easy victory in Nevada  seemingly leaving him well positioned to sprint to the Democratic nomination while a deeply crowded and divided field of alternatives sunk around him.

But a crucial endorsement of Biden by influential South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, and a subsequent, larger-than-expected victory in South Carolina, propelled the former vice president into Super Tuesday, when he won 10 of 14 states.

In a matter of days, his top former Democratic rivals lined up and announced their endorsement of Biden. The former vice presidents campaign had appeared on the brink of collapse after New Hampshire but found new life as the rest of the partys more moderate establishment coalesced around him as an alternative to Sanders.

Things only got worse the following week when Sanders lost Michigan, where he had campaigned hard and upset Clinton in 2016. He was also beaten in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho the same night and the results were so decisive that Sanders headed to Vermont without speaking to the media.

The coronavirus outbreak essentially froze the campaign, preventing Sanders from holding the large rallies that had become his trademark and shifting the primary calendar. It became increasingly unclear where he could notch a victory that would help him regain ground against Biden.

Though he will not be the nominee, Sanders was a key architect of many of the social policies that dominated the Democratic primary, including a Medicare for All universal, government-funded health care plan, tuition-free public college, a $15 minimum wage and sweeping efforts to fight climate change under the Green New Deal.

He relished the fact that his ideas  viewed as radical four years ago had become part of the political mainstream by the next election cycle, as Democratic politics lurched to the left in the Trump era.

Sanders began the 2020 race by arguing that he was the most electable Democrat against Trump. He said his working-class appeal could help Democrats win back Rust Belt states that Trump won in 2016, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But as the race wore on, the senator reverted to his 2016 roots, repeatedly stressing that he backs a political revolution from the bottom up under the slogan Not me. Us.

Sanders also faced persistent questions about being the fields oldest candidate. Those were pushed into the spotlight on Oct. 1, when he was at a rally in Las Vegas and asked for a chair to be brought on stage so he could sit down. Suffering from chest pains afterward, he underwent surgery to insert two stints because of a blocked artery, and his campaign revealed two days later that he had suffered a heart attack.

But a serious health scare that might have derailed other campaigns seemed only to help Sanders as his already-strong fundraising got stronger and rising stars on the Democratic left, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsed him. Many supporters said the heart attack only strengthened their resolve to back him.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren outshone him throughout much of the summer, but Sanders worked his way back up in the polls. The two progressive candidates spent months refusing to attack each other, though Sanders offered a strong defense of Medicare for All after Warren offered a transition plan saying it would take the country years to transition to it.

The two longtime allies finally clashed bitterly, if briefly, in January, when Warren said that Sanders had suggested during a 2018 private meeting that a woman couldnt be elected president. Sanders denied saying that, but Warren refused to shake his outstretched hand after a debate in Iowa.

Warren left the race after a dismal Super Tuesday showing in which she finished third in her own state.

In 2016, Sanders kept campaigning long after the primaries had ended and endorsed Clinton less than two weeks before their partys convention. This cycle, he promised to work better with the national and state parties. His dropping out of the race now could be a step toward unity.
Image reconstructed using radio emission data from MeerKAT at 1000 MHz, showing unusual collimated synchrotron threads connecting radio emission lobes of ESO 137-006

An international team of astronomers, including astronomers from Rhodes University, has uncovered unusual features present in the radio galaxy ESO 137-006, using MeerKAT.

Launched in 2018, the South African MeerKAT radio telescope aims to answer fundamental astrophysical questions about the nature of objects in the Universe. It is a precursor to the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.



ESO 137-006 is a fascinating galaxy residing in the Norma cluster of galaxies and one of the brightest in the southern sky at radio wavelengths. It is characterised by two very bright lobes of radio emission that are bent in one direction. New features have been uncovered in this galaxy in the form of multiple collimated synchrotron threads (CST) connecting the lobes of the galaxy, explained Dr Mpati Ramatsoku, a Research Fellow at Rhodes University and lead author of the study.



The classical picture of a radio galaxy consists of a core (hosting a supermassive black hole), shooting out two jets of plasma at speeds close to the speed of light. The material within the jets eventually slows down and billows out, forming large radio lobes. What makes ESO 137-006 different is that there appear to be multiple, additional close-by filaments linking the lobes, which could have formed at the same time, but do not seem to be associated with the core.

This is exciting because we did not expect it at all, said Professor Oleg Smirnov, SARChi SKA Chair for Radio Astronomy Techniques and Technologies at Rhodes University. Such serendipitous discoveries are very important for MeerKAT because they highlight its incredible capacity for finding the unknown unknowns in our universe.

According to Prof Smirnov, this is in contrast to many of the big discoveries these days that tend to be planned and almost expected. You have large teams, with a lot of funding, working for many years towards a planned goal (finding a known unknown). This is just the way big science is done.

He cites last years first image of the black hole at the centre of M87 (in which Rhodes University was also involved), the discovery of gravitational waves, and the Higgs boson as examples of such known unknowns.

That's not to say such achievements are any less awe-inspiring, however, he clarified. But I think finding something completely unexpected, like what we see at ESO 137-006, is very exciting, romantic even, and it reminds many of us of the reasons we got into science in the first place.

The nature of these unusual features, said Dr Ramatsoku, is unclear. Although the team, composed of collaborators from South Africa and Italy, do have speculations, further observations and theoretical efforts are required to clarify the nature of these newly discovered features.

It is possible that these features may be unique to ESO 137-006, because of its harsh environment, but it is equally possible that these features are common in radio galaxies but, so far, we have been unable to detect them due to sensitivity and resolution limits, she explained.



If the latter is true, it brings up questions such as: How common are these features in radio galaxies?, Why are they this way?, and Why do they exist in the first place?



According to Dr Ramatsoku, understanding the nature and the physics of these features could open a new science case for sensitive radio interferometers like MeerKAT and in the future, the SKA.

The article based on this study has been published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal.

Rhodes University may be small, but it only goes to show that you don't need to be a big university in a big city to do world-leading science, Prof Smirnov stated.

He credits Rhodes Universitys Professor Justin Jonas, who has been at the University since his student days, for making the MeerKAT happen and for bringing the SKA to South Africa. For his hard work and achievements in radio astronomy, Prof Jonas was awarded the VC's Distinguished Achievement Award in 2019.

Source: Communications

Please help us to raise funds so that we can give all our students a chance to access online teaching and learning. Covid-19 has disrupted our students' education. Don't let the digital divide put their future at risk. Visit www.ru.ac.za/rucoronavirusgateway to donate
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GPG) (OTCQB: GPTRF) (FSE: GPB) ("Grande Portage" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has received regulatory approval for its upcoming drill program at its 100% controlled Herbert Gold project located within the Juneau Gold Belt in southeast Alaska.

The Company has contracted Timberline Drilling Inc. to drill approximately 15,000 feet of diamond drill core on the Company's project. The upcoming drill program will test multiple targets significantly deeper and further to the east than in year's past. The Company will specifically target the Main, Deep Trench, and Goat veins during this program. The Company is fully funded for the 2020 drill season.

Impact of COVID-19

Grande Portage is carefully monitoring the public health impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on a daily basis. Our first priority is the health and safety of our communities, shareholders, contractors, employees and other stakeholders. The Grande Portage team has been working closely to ensure all the correct protocols and safety precautions are in place. Management continues to work remotely and they have kept in regular contact with our stakeholders (who remain safe at home with their families), our investors and interested parties.

"Our business continuity plans have been fully mobilized in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic," said Ian Klassen, Chief Executive Officer. "We are working closely with the State of Alaska and the federal regulators and health experts to protect our workforce and nearby communities. This includes putting some operations temporarily into care and maintenance. We are also making sure that these short-term disruptions do not impact long-term business value while ensuring we are well-positioned to safely and efficiently ramp-up operations in a timely manner once the worst of this global pandemic passes. We continue to extend our best wishes to all during these unprecedented times."

The Company will continue to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation and will continue to act proactively to protect the health of its workforce.

This news release has been prepared and approved by Carl Hale, CPG, a geologist with more than 40 years of experience and a Qualified Person as defined under NI #43-101.

About Grande Portage:

Grande Portage Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the Herbert Gold discovery situated approximately 25 km north of Juneau, Alaska. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Herbert property. The Herbert Gold property system is open to length and depth and is host to at least six main composite vein-fault structures that contain ribbon structure quartz-sulfide veins. The project lies prominently within the 160km long Juneau Gold Belt, which has produced nearly seven million ounces of gold. The Company's recent Mineral Resource estimate is quoted at a base case mineral resources cut-off grade of 2.50 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) and consists of: An indicated resource of 606,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 10.03 g/t Au (1,880,500 tonnes); and An inferred resource of 251,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 14.15 g/t Au (553,429 tonnes).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Ian Klassen"

Ian M. Klassen

President & Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 899-0106

Email: Ian@grandeportage.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED UNDER THE POLICIES OF THE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54245
Midland Memorial Hospital is waiting for results on about 35 coronavirus tests, according to Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers.

That appears to be a vast improvement, even compared to one week ago, when the hospital was waiting for results for more than 100.

The long-term backlog has been removed, Meyers said Tuesday during a meeting of the countys unified command team.

The hospitals website on Tuesday showed 532 tests had taken place at hospital facilities. Of those, 473 came back negative and 22 positive. The other five confirmed cases inside the county came from tests taken at private physicians offices.

An official with the city of Midland Health Department said Tuesday that of the 30 who tested positive (as of Tuesday morning) for COVID-19, 15 have completed their isolation, nine are isolating at home, two are in the hospital and one died.

As far as Midland Memorial Hospital is concerned, Meyers said census activity is still less than 50 percent, the number of patients seen Monday at the ER is less than what is typically seen this time of year and 10 of 44 ventilators are in use.

He said there are 16 patients in the Critical Care Unit, and four of those are persons under investigation for coronavirus. Meyers also said that there are 18 people under investigation in the newly established 30-bed COVID unit.

There is still ample capacity remaining for ventilators, critical care space and overall hospital capacity, Meyers said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:41:29|Editor: xuxin

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DAKAR, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Senegal on Wednesday reported seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bring the country's total to 224.

The new confirmed cases included five community-transmission ones, adding to the country's earlier total of 15 local transmission cases, Minister of Health and Social Action Alyose Waly Diouf said.

The other two cases were close contacts of earlier confirmed patients.

For a fourth consecutive day, Senegal has not detected any imported cases.

Eight more patients were declared cured by health authorities.

On Tuesday evening, Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye suspended, till further notice, the issuance of special travel permits throughout Senegal, amid worries of mounting community transmission casses.

Last Saturday, President Macky Sall extended the state of emergency and the dusk-to-dawn curfew to May 4.

Senegal has isolated itself since March 20, suspending all international passenger flights.
Photo: YouTube Lake Koocanusa

As the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic continues into the spring, some B.C. municipalities are asking for the border between B.C. and Alberta to be temporarily tightened to allow for only essential travel.

But B.C.'s provincial health officer says it's not necessary.

B.C. health officials have already asked people not to travel to their vacation properties ahead of the Easter long weekend, and now the Regional District of East Kootenay has written a letter calling on the provincial health officer to tighten inter-provincial traffic as well.

During her daily press conference Tuesday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she doesn't think she has the power to restrict inter-provincial travel, but that it's "not something that I believe is necessary at this point.

The B.C. backcountry is always a popular spot for explorers, snowmobilers and four-wheel drive enthusiasts, especially when the weather warms up.

"The Easter weekend is when it starts here and it goes right through to Thanksgiving, we see quite a migration," said Rob Gay, RDEK board chair. "Calgary has a population of 1.3 million and a lot of them like to come to the East Kootenays."

Gay says the measure would hurt their local economy, but he and the rest of the board unanimously passed the motion and sent the letter to the provincial government on Tuesday.

"While the Provincial Health Officers on both sides of the border have been clear in their messaging that people need to be staying home, that message is not being heeded," the board's letter states. "We are gravely concerned about the potential impacts on our small rural hospitals, front-line workers and communities."

Gay is concerned that an influx of non-locals attempting to wait out the pandemic at vacation homes, private campgrounds or in the backcountry, could have a devastating impact on East Kootenay communities.

"Ninety-nine per cent of the people are following the rules, but for the last three weekends, we've just seen large groups at the trailheads of different trails. There is also mudbogging going on out at Lake Kookanusa where people play in the mud," Gay said, adding that people bring their trailers and set up camp. He's seen many photos of large groups camping and congregating, enjoying campfires.

"That's not what we're supposed to be doing right now."

To combat recreation travellers, he'd like to see checkpoints in place.

"If you're coming through the Crowsnest Pass, towing a trailer or a couple of Ski-Doos, you're probably not coming here to work," Gay said. "Those are the type of people who we'd like to see some sort of flagging station set up and for them to be pulled over and asked what their business in B.C. is. So it's more of a checkpoint than an actual border closure."

Gay agrees with health officials' recommendation for everyone to limit travel and stay in their homes for the time being.

"We keep using the word temporary, who knows how long temporary will be? But we do know if we don't follow the rules we know temporary is going to be a lot longer."
[April 07, 2020] Business forced closed during COVID-19, this Vietnamese entrepreneur turned around to release the national hit song to fight back the pandemic

HANOI, Vietnam, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, amid Vietnam's nation-wide full lockdown, serial entrepreneur / artist Minh Beta released the song "Viet Nam oi! Danh Bay COVID" (Let's Fight COVID!). This catchy song was officially endorsed by Vietnam's Ministry of Health to uplift the nation's spirit during the fight against the pandemic. Interestingly, inspiration for the optimistic song came from his most difficult time. Graduated from Harvard Business School in 2014, Minh Beta returned to Vietnam to build Beta Cineplex with a mere capital of $250,000 and within 5 years turn it into a $USD 40 million business, as valued by its investors from the US, Hong Kong and Japan. In February 2020, as Vietnam battled with COVID-19, his cinema chain and most businesses in the service sector were forced to close. Instead of being dismayed, Minh Beta picked the fight against the pandemic in the most positive way: to cheer the nation with his upbeat song. The move echoes the resilient spirit of Vietnam: to keep on fighting and never give up. Co-produced by Minh Beta and YellowBlocks, the music video quickly went viral. With positive yet toching lyrics, the video features Minh Beta and guest stars in an interesting superheroes twist. "Our belief in the impact of this project has enabled us to move mountains to execute the campaign within 2 weeks. We chose the superheroes concept to appreciate the unsung heroes who are tirelessly working in the front lines of the pandemic (namely doctors, researchers, soldiers, reporters...), and also call out the heroic virtue in each individual to support the fight " - said Minh Beta. He believes the nation will soon declare victory against COVID-19, and his business will rise above the challenge.



"From Vietnam, to the world, Let's unite to fight Corona" - this is the spirit of the song and the reason why we can rally support from our partners. Vietnam put all effort to leave no one behind in this fight and we are on the quest to spread the positive message of unity and resilience to the global audience. The English version of the song will soon be released on global platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music,... " Kimiko Doan from YellowBlocks further shared the campaign's ambition to go global. Link to the Youtube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSiK7U46PfA Just 1 day after its release on March 31st, the music video reached millions of views across different platforms and became number 1 on Zingchart of ZingMP3 (the most popular local music site). The song inspired thousands of fanmade contents, totalling more than 20 million views. It is also heavily rotated on TV and radio channels, and was used as the default ringtone by major mobile networks. Mr. Dinh Anh Nguyen, Head of Emulation and Commendation Department of the Ministry of Health, commented "This is the best motivational song at this right time to call for citizens to be together with the health sector to win the war against the pandemic." www.minhbeta.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/business-forced-closed-during-covid-19-this-vietnamese-entrepreneur-turned-around-to-release-the-national-hit-song-to-fight-back-the-pandemic-301037231.html SOURCE Yellow Blocks

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Scientists are learning more each day about the mysterious novel coronavirus and the symptoms of Covid-19, the disease it causes.

Fever, cough and shortness of breath are found in the vast majority of all Covid-19 cases. But there are additional signals of the virus, some that are very much like cold or flu, and some that are more unusual.

Any or all symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are 10 signs that you or a loved one may have Covid-19 -- and what to do to protect yourself and your family.

1. Shortness of breath

Shortness of breath is not usually an early symptom of Covid-19, but it is the most serious. It can occur on its own, without a cough. If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to fill your lungs with air, that's a sign to act quickly, experts say.

"If there's any shortness of breath immediately call your health care provider, a local urgent care or the emergency department," said American Medical Association president Dr. Patrice Harris.

"If the shortness of breath is severe enough, you should call 911," Harris added.

The CDC lists other emergency warning signs for Covid-19 as a "persistent pain or pressure in the chest," and "bluish lips or face," which can indicate a lack of oxygen.

Get medical attention immediately, the CDC says.

2. Fever

Fever is a key sign of Covid-19. Because some people can have a core body temperature lower or higher than the typical 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), experts say not to fixate on a number.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who is battling the virus from his home in New York, is one of those people.

"I run a little cool. My normal temperature is 97.6, not 98.6. So, even when I'm at 99 that would not be a big deal for most people. But, for me, I'm already warm," Cuomo told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in a CNN Town Hall.

Most children and adults, however, will not be considered feverish until their temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius).

"There are many misconceptions about fever," said Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

"We all actually go up and down quite a bit during the day as much as half of a degree or a degree," Williams said, adding that for most people "99.0 degrees or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit is not a fever."

Don't rely on a temperature taken in the morning, said infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. Instead, take your temperature in the late afternoon and early evening.

"Our temperature is not the same during the day. If you take it at eight o'clock in the morning, it may be normal," Schaffner explained.

"One of the most common presentations of fever is that your temperature goes up in the late afternoon and early evening. It's a common way that viruses produce fever."

3. Dry Cough

Coughing is another common symptom, but it's not just any cough.

"It's not a tickle in your throat. You're not just clearing your throat. It's not just irritated," Schaffner explained.

The cough is bothersome, a dry cough that you feel deep in your chest.

"It's coming from your breastbone or sternum, and you can tell that your bronchial tubes are inflamed or irritated," Schaffner added.

A report put out by the World Health Organization in February found over 33% of 55,924 people with laboratory confirmed cases of Covid-19 had coughed up sputum, a thick mucus sometimes called phlegm, from their lungs.

4. Chills and body aches

"The beast comes out at night," said Cuomo, referencing the chills, body aches and high fever that visited him on April 1.

'It was like somebody was beating me like a pinata. And I was shivering so much that ... I chipped my tooth. They call them the rigors," he said from his basement, where he is quarantined from the rest of his family.

"I was hallucinating. My dad was talking to me. I was seeing people from college, people I haven't seen in forever, it was freaky," Cuomo said.

Not everyone will have such a severe reaction, experts say. Some may have no chills or body aches at all. Others may experience milder flu-like chills, fatigue and achy joints and muscles, which can make it difficult to know if it's flu or coronavirus that's to blame.

One possible sign that you might have Covid-19 is if your symptoms don't improve after a week or so but actually worsen.

5. Sudden confusion

Speaking of worsening signs, the CDC says a sudden confusion or an inability to wake up and be alert may be a serious sign that emergency care may be needed. If you or a loved one has those symptoms, especially with other critical signs like bluish lips, trouble breathing or chest pain, the CDC says to seek help immediately.

6. Digestive issues

At first science didn't think diarrhea or other typical gastric issues that often come with the flu applied to the noval coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2. As more research on survivors becomes available, that opinion has changed.

"In a study out of China where they looked at some of the earliest patients, some 200 patients, they found that digestive or stomach GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms were actually there in about half the patients," Gupta said on CNN's New Day news program.

Overall, "I think we're getting a little bit more insight into the types of symptoms that patients might have," Gupta said.

The study described a unique subset of milder cases in which the initial symptoms were digestive issues such as diarrhea, often without fever. Those patients experienced delays in testing and diagnosis than patients with respiratory issues, and they took longer to clear the virus from their systems.

7. Pink eye

Research from China, South Korea and other parts of the world indicate that about 1% to 3% of people with Covid-19 also had conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.

Conjunctivitis, a highly contagious condition when caused by a virus, is an inflammation of the thin, transparent layer of tissue, called conjunctiva, that covers the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelid.

But SARS-CoV-2 is just one of many viruses that can cause conjunctivitis, so it came as no real surprise to scientists that this newly discovered virus would do the same.

Still, a pink or red eye could be one more sign that you should call your doctor if you also have other telltale symptoms of Covid-19, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.

8. Loss of smell and taste

In mild to moderate cases of coronavirus, a loss of smell and taste is emerging as one of the most unusual early signs of Covid-19.

"What's called anosmia, which basically means loss of smell, seems to be a symptom that a number of patients developed," CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota on New Day.

"It may be linked to loss of taste, linked to loss of appetite, we're not sure -- but it's clearly something to look out for," Gupta said. "Sometimes these early symptoms aren't the classic ones."

"Anosmia, in particular, has been seen in patients ultimately testing positive for the coronavirus with no other symptoms," according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

A recent analysis of milder cases in South Korea found the major presenting symptom in 30% of patients was a loss of smell. In Germany, more than two in three confirmed cases had anosmia.

It has long been known in medical literature that a sudden loss of smell may be associated with respiratory infections caused by other types of coronaviruses, so it wasn't a surprise that the novel coronavirus would have this effect, according to ENT UK (PDF), a professional organization representing ear, nose and throat surgeons in the United Kingdom.

Is there anything you can do at home to test to see if you're suffering a loss of smell? The answer is yes, by using the "jellybean test" to tell if odors flow from the back of your mouth up through your nasal pharynx and into your nasal cavity. if you can pick out distinct flavors such as oranges and lemons, your sense of smell is functioning fine.

9. Fatigue

For some people, extreme fatigue can be an early sign of the novel coronavirus. The WHO report found nearly 40% of the nearly 6,000 people with laboratory confirmed cases experienced fatigue.

Just a few days into his quarantine, Cuomo was already exhausted by the fevers and body aches the disease brings.

"I'm so lethargic that I can stare outside, and, like, an hour-and-a-half goes by," Cuomo told Gupta on Anderson Cooper 360. "I think I took a 10-minute nap, and it was three and a half hours."

Fatigue may continue long after the virus is gone. Anecdotal reports from people who have recovered from Covid-19 say exhaustion and lack of energy continue well past the standard recovery period of a few weeks.

10. Headache, sore throat, congestion

The WHO report also found nearly 14% of the almost 6,000 cases of Covid-19 in China had symptoms of headache and sore throat, while almost 5% had nasal congestion.

Certainly not the most common signs of the disease, but obviously similar to colds and flu. In fact, many symptoms of Covid-19 can resemble the flu, including headaches and the previously mentioned digestive issues, body aches and fatigue. Still other symptoms can resemble a cold or allergies, such as a sore throat and congestion.

Most likely, experts say, you simply have a cold or the flu -- after all, they can cause fever and cough too.

So what should you do?

"At this moment, the current guidance -- and this may change -- is that if you have symptoms that are similar to the cold and the flu and these are mild symptoms to moderate symptoms, stay at home and try to manage them" with rest, hydration and the use of fever-reducing medications, said the AMA's Harris.

That advice does not apply if you are over age 60, since immune systems weaken as we age or if you are pregnant. Anyone with concerns about coronavirus should call their healthcare provider, according to the CDC.

It's unclear whether pregnant women have a greater chance of getting severely ill from coronavirus, but the CDC has said that women experience changes in their bodies during pregnancy that may increase their risk of some infections.

In general, Covid-19 infections are riskier if you have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease or asthma, heart failure or heart disease, sickle cell anemia, cancer (or are undergoing chemotherapy), kidney disease with dialysis, a body mass index (BMI) over 40 (extremely obese) or an autoimmune disorder.

"Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their physician early in the course of even mild illness," the CDC advises.

To be clear, you are at higher risk -- even if you are young -- if you have underlying health issues.

"People under 60 with underlying illnesses, with diabetes, heart disease, immunocompromised or have any kind of lung disease previously, those people are more vulnerable despite their younger age," Schaffner said.

A history of travel to an area where the novel coronavirus is widespread (and those parts of the world, including the US, are going up each day) is obviously another key factor in deciding if your symptoms may be Covid-19 or not.

How to be evaluated

If you have no symptoms, please don't ask for testing or add to backlog of calls at testing centers, clinics, hospitals and the like, experts say.

"We do not test people with no symptoms because it's a resource issue," Schaffner said about the assessment center at Vanderbilt. "However, we are emphasizing that people who have this small cluster of important symptoms -- fever and anything related to the lower respiratory tract such as cough and difficulty breathing -- reach out to be evaluated."

If you do have those three signs, where should you go?

"If you have insurance and you're looking for a provider or someone to call or connect with, there's always a number on the back of your insurance card; or if you go online, there is information for patients," Harris said.

"If you don't have insurance, you can start with the state health department or the local community health centers, those are officially known as federally qualified health centers," Harris advised, adding that some states have a 1-800 hotline number to call.

"If there is a testing and assessment center near you, you can go there directly," Schaffer said. "It's always good to notify them that you're coming. Otherwise, you need to call your healthcare provider and they will direct you what to do."
Columbia Pulp Temporarily Suspends Production Due to COVID-19 Related Factors Columbia Pulp in Lyons Ferry, Washington, has the capacity to process about 240,000 tons per year of wheat straw to produce about 140,000 tons per year of wet lap pulp. April 8, 2020 - Columbia Pulp announced that it has suspended operations due to COVID-19 related safety measures. The new facility had started up in the fall of 2019 and had been ramping up production over the past 6 months. On April 1, the company issued the following statement: On Monday evening, March 23, the Governor of Washington State issued an executive order requiring everyone in Washington to "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" as part of the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, with exceptions for "essential activity". The Company's management promptly began to plan how to execute an orderly suspension of manufacturing activities. Further clarification indicated that commercial pulp production could be deemed essential activity and a suspension was not implemented immediately. Subsequently, the company was notified that various equipment vendors may not be able to support the operations of its straw pulp facility due to its remote location, travel disruptions and the health status of their workers. Moreover, concern mounted among our workforce, their families and our communities regarding the continuation of operations in this environment. Therefore, as of March 28, 2020 the Board of Managers of Columbia Pulp I, LLC has made the decision to temporarily suspend regular operations at its Lyons Ferry facility. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has experienced supply chain disruptions as well as personnel shortages. In the interest of safeguarding our employees and the facility we operate; it is prudent to follow the Governor's guidelines to stay at home. The Company will commenced an orderly shutdown of its wheat-straw pulp mill Sunday morning March 29, 2020 and was completed the curtailment of operations on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The Company will suspend its current 24/7 production schedule and will prepare the facility for a prolonged shutdown and essential maintenance posture. The company will continue to employ personnel to safeguard the plant in the meantime and to ensure the safety of the community at large. Most employees were laid off and a small cadre of employees remain. The Company will monitor the pandemic that is impacting not only Washington State but the global pulp and paper market in which the company operates. The Company will also explore various governmental programs to assist its employees and anticipate the restart of the plant once the threat has passed and broad commerce has commenced. "After careful deliberation and my formal recommendation, the Board of Managers has elected to enact an orderly and temporary suspension of operations at the Lyons Ferry Facility. These are extraordinary times and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are unprecedented. The employees of Columbia Pulp have given tremendous effort and brought incredible leadership to bringing the Lyons Ferry facility into production. Despite the incredible efforts of our employees and dedicated vendors, the Board has determined that following the State of Washington's Stay at Home, Stay Safe guidance is the best course of action at this time."  John Begley, CEO. The safety of employees and families remains the Company's highest priority. In addition, the Company will focus primarily on maintaining the Lyons Ferry facility for an efficient re-start of operations in the future. About Columbia Pulp Columbia Pulp is North Americas first tree-free market pulp mill, using wheat farmers waste straw to create pulp for paper products as well as bio-polymers for a variety of industrial uses. For further information, visit: columbiapulp.com . SOURCE: Columbia Pulp
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Thu, April 9, 2020 00:02 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0b1d96 4 Inforial Free

Indonesia has temporarily banned foreigners from entering Indonesia as mitigation efforts are continuing to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The ban, which is stipulated in the newly issued Law and Human Rights Ministry RegulationNo. 11/2020 on the temporary prohibition of foreigners entering Indonesia, became effective on April 3.

This regulation also applies to transiting in the country.

. (Courtesy of Law and Human Rights Ministry/.)

With the COVID-19 outbreak having become a pandemic in more than 160 countries, the ban, as Minister Yasonna H Laoly says, applies to all foreigners with the following six exceptions:

Foreign holders of limited stay permits and permanent stay permits; Foreign diplomatic visa and service visa holders; Foreigners who hold diplomatic stay permits and official stay permits; Medical and food aid and support workers for humanitarian purposes; Crews of sea, air and land transportation conveyances; Foreigners working on national strategic projects.

. (Courtesy of Law and Human Rights Ministry/.)

The excluded foreigners must meet the following requirements:

They present a medical certificate in English issued by the health authorities of their respective country; They have been 14 (fourteen) days in the territory/country and free from COVID-19; Statement of being prepared for quarantine for 14 days carried out by the government of Indonesia.

This ministrys regulation also regulates foreign nationals in Indonesia under the following circumstances:

Foreign nationals, who have visit permits (including free visa or visa on arrival) that have expired and/or cannot extend their residence permit, will be granted a related residence permit automatically, free of charge, without the need to ask permission from the Immigration Office. Foreign nationals holding limited stay permits and permanent permits that have expired and/or cannot be extended again, will be given a suspension and granted an approved residence permit, free of charge, without the need to ask permission from the Immigration Office.

The enactment of this ministrys regulation automatically annuls Regulations No. 7 and 8/2020.

. (Courtesy of Law and Human Rights Ministry/.)

Indonesia is among the ASEAN countries that have imposed tighter measures at their entry points. As reported on aseanbriefing.com, Brunei has banned visitors from the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu from entering the country with the exception of Brunei citizens and permanent citizens.

Cambodia has announced a ban on the entry of foreigners from Italy, Germany, Spain, France and the United States for 30 days.

Laos has closed all international checkpoints to stop foreign passengers from exiting and entering the country.

Malaysia has shut its border with Singapore, which itself has expanded its stay-home notice to include countries such as France, India, Switzerland and all ASEAN countries.

Myanmar suspended issuing entry visas on March 29 while Thailand was reported to have closed its land borders beginning late on Monday, by closing down all border checkpoints including the crossings between Thailand and Malaysia, Thailand and Laos in Nakhon Phanom and the crossings between Thailand and Cambodia in Sa Kaeo province.

Thailand will also stop issuing visas on arrival for visitors from all countries that were previously eligible for them and cancel visa exemptions for visitors from South Korea, Italy and Hong Kong.

Vietnams Immigration Department, meanwhile, will allow foreign nationals on visa-free, tourist visas (including e-visas) that are unable to leave the country, to extend their stays up to a period of 30 days by filing an application with the authority. The policy is effective from March 30 to April 30.

As of 11 a.m. Jakarta time on April5, the number of global coronavirus cases reached 1.27 million with a total of 69,456 deaths, according to worldometers.info website.

The US reported the highest number of cases at 336,830 but Italy topped the list of worst-affected countries with 15,887 deaths followed by Spain with 12,641 and the US with 9,618 fatalities.

Indonesia, as of April 5, had 2,273 cases, a sharp rise since the first case was reported only on March 2 and 198 deaths.

Besides the banon entry, other measures have also been taken by the government to try to cut the transmission chains of the virus.

The government has warned against the traditional exodus during the next Idul Fitri festival.

Lowering the corporate income tax rate from 25 percent to 22 percent has also been pursued this year to ease the burden on businesses from the impact of the outbreak.

The Jakarta governor has now extended the capitals state of emergency status until April 19.

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) will extend loan payment deadlines for micro, small and medium enterprises for up to one year to counter the economic impacts of the pandemic.

Rapid testing has been launched in areas where there have been a large number of cases of the virus.

And in anticipation of a further escalation in the number of cases the government has turned the former athletes village for the 2018 Asian Games into a coronavirus hospital, which can treat as many as 22,000 patients.

About 50,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released early as the country seeks to avoid possible infections in its prisons.

Minister Yasonna says that those prisoners must fulfill certain conditions for their early release. The prisoners include those convicted on drug charges who had served five to 10 years in prison, inmates convicted of graft charges aged 60 years and above and special crime convicts with chronic diseases.

The list also includes foreign inmates who have served two thirds of their sentences.
As the world grapples with the worst public health emergency in recent memory, over 90 percent of respondents surveyed across Asia support government-led closures of illegal and unregulated wildlife markets, according to a new survey.

The new research for World Wildlife Fund (WWF), was made just as reports emerged from China that the countrys 'wet markets' have reopened  selling bats, pangolins and dogs for human consumption.

Scientists believe that the COVID-19 causing coronavirus first lurked in a bat in China and hopped to another animal, before getting passed on to humans.

Various reports suggest that a 55-year-old man from China's Hubei province could have been the first person to have contracted COVID-19 through one such 'wet market'.

Huanan Seafood Market in China's Wuhan is believed to be the epicentre of coronavirus, which swept the world, engulfing millions and killing over 75,000 do far.

A price list issued by one merchant at the market, which circulated on Chinas internet in January, contained a smorgasbord of exotic wildlife including civets, rats, snakes, giant salamanders and even live wolf pups.

"The evidence is highly suggestive that the outbreak is associated with exposures in one seafood market in Wuhan," the World Health Organisation had said in a statement on January 12.

The public in Asia have spoken - those living in countries where wildlife markets are most prevalent are demanding that wildlife consumption is curbed and illegal and unregulated wildlife trade is eliminated, said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, in a statement.

People are deeply worried and would support their governments in taking action to prevent potential future global health crises originating in wildlife markets,"

It is time to connect the dots between wildlife trade, environmental degradation and risks to human health. Taking action now for humans as well as the many wildlife species threatened by consumption and trade is crucial for all of our survival, he said.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the link between zoonotic diseases - those transmitted from animals to humans - and wildlife markets into sharp focus.

The WWF conducted in March among 5,000 participants from Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam found that 82 percent of respondents are extremely or very worried about the outbreak, with 93 percent of respondents in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong supporting action by their governments to eliminate illegal and unregulated markets.

The Chinese government announced a comprehensive ban on the consumption of wild animals on 24 February. WWFs research shows that citizens support similar actions from other governments across the region. This was the first survey of public opinion about the connection between COVID-19 and wildlife trade undertaken across Asia.

China has taken great steps prohibiting the hunting, trade, transport and eating of wild animals, and Vietnam is working on similar directives, said Christy Williams, Regional Director of WWFs Asia Pacific program. Other Asian governments must follow by closing their high-risk wildlife markets and ending this trade once and for all to save lives and help prevent a repeat of the social and economic disruption we are experiencing around the globe today.

Nine percent of those surveyed by GlobeScan stated that they or someone they know had purchased wildlife in the past 12 months at an open wildlife market, but that 84 percent are unlikely or very unlikely to buy wildlife products in the future.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that the current COVID-19 pandemic, along with at least 61 percent of all human pathogens, are zoonotic in origin - wildlife trade is an aggravating risk in the spread of zoonoses. Other recent epidemics, including SARS, MERS and Ebola, have also all been traced back to viruses that spread from animals to people.

COVID-19 is a global crisis and only a global response can ensure a pandemic like this never happens again," said Jan Vertefeuille, Senior Advisor for Advocacy at WWF-US.

"Were calling on world leaders to support the closure of high-risk wildlife markets wherever they threaten public health and biodiversity and to take collective action: aid the countries that are trying to shut down this dangerous wildlife trade, invest in public education and consumer outreach to reduce demand for these products and fight wildlife trafficking around the world.

Meanwhile, more than 200 conservation groups across the world have signed an open letter calling on the organization to do all it can to prevent new diseases emerging from wildlife trade and spreading into global pandemics.

The new joint letter calls on the WHO to recommend to governments worldwide that they bring in permanent bans on live wildlife markets and close down or limit trade in wildlife to reduce the threat to human health.

Conservationists say the WHO should work with governments and international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation to raise awareness of the risks the wildlife trade poses to human health and society.

At the same time, world leaders are receiving a science-based white paper from Humane Society International, warning that COVID-19 is a tipping point that governments globally must not ignore and asking governments to help the traders involved to find new livelihoods as quickly as possible.

Without action, the emergence of another coronavirus-based disease in the future is a practical certainty, the paper says.
Ireland's trade deficit for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the seventh largest in the EU.

A new report by the Parliamentary Budget Office lays out in stark terms how Ireland's lack of domestic supply of PPE, which includes items such as masks, gowns, gloves, face shields and eyewear worn by medical staff when treating patients, has affected the coronavirus response.

Ireland relies heavily on other countries for PPE equipment, and in 2019, it imported 340m more of PPE products than it exported, the seventh largest trade deficit for PPE in the EU.

Germany is the largest exporter of PPE, followed by Italy, France and Spain.

While the majority of Ireland's imports come from the EU (63%), the State is heavily reliant on other markets, too.

70% of Irelands 2019 PPE imports relied on just four countries, the UK accounts for the largest share (31%) followed by the US (19%), Germany (11%) and China (8%).

This fact has been described as "worrying" in the report, as all four of these countries have been severely affected by the pandemic and have a significant number of cases themselves.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic many countries have faced shortages, resulting in new restrictions on companies selling these goods outside of the EU.

Health professionals and the public have been flagging concerns about the availability of PPE in Ireland since the beginning of the crisis.

Officials from the Department of Health and government ministers have long cited a "competitive worldwide market" for the equipment, meaning Ireland is often in a race with other countries to have orders placed.

Doctors have urged the Government to come clean over how long it will take to address problems with some Chinese coronavirus protective equipment that was delivered last week.

A long-awaited 200m order saw plane-loads of kit arriving in Ireland only to be described as not fit for purpose.

Health chiefs have acknowledged supplies in some cases are different from what Irish medics are used to.

They are attempting to source additional equipment.

[snippet1]987600[/snippet1]
On Monday (6 th April) afternoon Nosy Crow issued a digital book FREE for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. It has been written by staff within the publishing company with expert input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who acted as a consultant, and advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

In just the first 24 hours the digital book has been accessed over 100,000 times directly from the Nosy Crow website and hundreds of thousands of times further from other hosts. Daily traffic to the Nosy Crow website, driven by the blog post sharing the digital book, has increased 100-fold against the same time last week.

To put this in perspective, the top selling Children's World Book Day 2019 title sold 66,601 copies by volume in its first week (TCM data provided by Nielsen).*

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, said:

"We have just been overwhelmed with the response to our book. As a relatively small, independent publisher we have just never seen this level of activity on our website or through our social media channels.

We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused. We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book  accessible to everyone - to explain and, where possible, reassure children and there has been astonishing levels of demand, both here in the UK and worldwide.

We have given the book to our partner publishers in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, who will publish the book as a free ebook in English but with localised information  their own equivalent of Childline, eg  at the back. And today we have agreed that publishers in different countries around the world will publish the book as free ebook in the following 14 languages: Afrikaans, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh.

Nosy Crow's only condition for giving the book to these publishers is that they will make the book available free of charge and as widely as possible, mirroring what we've done in the UK. We expect that there will be publishers in other countries who will want to do the same thing."

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said:

"I asked myself what I could do as an children's illustrator to inform, as well as entertain, my readers here and abroad. So I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus. I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I've done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books."

Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

"This pandemic is changing children's lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story - this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them. This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with."

Notes for Editors

ABOUT THE BOOK

You can download a copy of the book here.

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

What is the coronavirus?

How do you catch the coronavirus?

What happens if you catch the coronavirus?

Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?

Is there a cure for the coronavirus?

Why are some places we normally go to closed?

What can I do to help?

What's going to happen next?

Nosy Crow wants to make sure that this book is accessible to every child and family and so the book is offered totally free of charge to anyone who wants to read it. However, the company suggests, at the back of the book, that families might make a donation to help our health service if they find the book useful: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.

A fixed format eBook will be available for free download from all eBook retailers and pre-orders are open now.

ABOUT NOSY CROW

Nosy Crow is a multi-award-winning publisher of child-focused, parent-friendly children's books and eBooks for ages 0  14. It began publishing in 2011 and has won the Independent Publishers Guild's Children's Publisher of the Year Award three times. It was named Children's Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards in April 2017 and in April 2019, and in 2016 was awarded the Independent Publishers Guild Independent Publisher of the Year. Other prizes include a Queen's Award for Enterprise  International Trade, The Stationers' Company Innovation Excellence Award, The Nectar Business Small Business of the Year Award, The Growing Business Awards Young Company of the Year Award and many others for both individual books and for its marketing and international sales. Nosy Crow is already the 12th biggest children's book publisher in the UK, based on Nielsen-tracked sales to consumers.

www.nosycrow.com

ABOUT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. LSHTM has a strong international presence with over 3,000 staff and 4,000 students working in the UK and countries around the world, and an annual research income of 180 million. LSHTM is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, is partnered with two MRC University Units in The Gambia and Uganda, and was named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2016. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

www.lshtm.ac.uk

ABOUT AXEL SCHEFFLER

Axel Scheffler is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed illustrator of some of the most well-loved children's books. His books have been published in many languages and his work has been exhibited all around the world. Axel is best known for his partnership with Julia Donaldson, on books including Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo. For Nosy Crow, Axel has illustrated a number of other highly successful titles, including the Pip and Posy series, The Grunts and the bestselling Flip Flap series. Axel lives in London with his partner and daughter.

*Data provided by Nielsen Ltd. 66,601 (volume) copies of Supertato: Books are Rubbish! (Sue Hendra/ Paul Linnet) sold through TCM in Week 10 (1-7th March, 2019).

Kate Wilson and Axel Scheffler are both available for interview/comment.

For more information please contact Rebecca Mason, [email protected]

SOURCE Nosy Crow

Related Links

https://nosycrow.com/


Were proud to team up with Americares to deliver this large shipment of protective gear for Chicagos frontline workers, who are risking their lives to save lives every day," said Project HOPE President and CEO Rabih Torbay.

Project HOPE and Americares, two U.S.-based relief and development organizations responding globally to the COVID-19 pandemic, have joined forces to deliver more than 3 tons of lifesaving personal protective equipment to the city of Chicago. The shipment, which arrived April 3, contains 25,000 surgical masks, 19,000 isolation gowns, over 15,000 pairs of examination gloves and other supplies for Chicagos frontline health workers and homeless shelters.

We respond wherever the worlds healthcare needs are greatest, and today that is right here in the United States, said Project HOPE President and CEO Rabih Torbay. Were proud to team up with Americares to deliver this large shipment of protective gear for Chicagos frontline workers, who are risking their lives to save lives every day. This is only the beginning of Project HOPEs support for the COVID-19 response in Chicago as well as other American cities hit hard by the virus.

Having an adequate supply of personal protective equipment is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of health workers as any patient they treat could be infected with COVID-19, said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. Right now, our No. 1 priority is getting PPE into the hands of those on the front lines and we are proud to be working with Project HOPE to ensure Chicagos health workers are protected.

With one of the only international response teams on the ground in Wuhan from the earliest days of the outbreak, Project HOPE began providing critical support to frontline health workers treating patients and working to contain the spread of the virus. Project HOPE has delivered nearly 5 million facemasks and other protective gear as well as lifesaving medical equipment, including ventilators, to hospitals that cared for tens of thousands of patients in China. In addition, Project HOPE quickly ramped up its global response to provide live, online training on COVID-19 prevention and treatment, protective gear and other support for health workers in high-risk countries like North Macedonia, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Colombia. Project HOPE is also providing protective equipment and medical surge staff to help support the COVID-19 response in the United States.

Americares is providing critically needed protective gear, training and emotional support for health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure they can continue their lifesaving work. To date, Americares has shipped 18 tons of protective equipment, disinfectants and other critically needed supplies for health workers in COVID-19 hotspots worldwide. In the United States, Americares has delivered masks, gloves and other infection control supplies to 34 states, including Illinois. In addition, Americares is training health workers in infection prevention and control, mental health and psychosocial support and disaster preparedness, and continuing to care for patients at its primary care clinics in Colombia, El Salvador, and in Americares home state of Connecticut, including referring patients with suspected COVID-19 infections for testing.

ABOUT PROJECT HOPE

Project HOPE operates around the world wherever the need is greatest, working side-by-side with local health workers and addressing the greatest public health challenges to enable people to live their best lives. We respond to disasters and health crises, staying on in communities after the emergency subsides to help find durable solutions to epidemics and any other neglected health needs. For more information on Project HOPE and its response to the coronavirus outbreak, visit projecthope.org.

ABOUT AMERICARES

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches more than 90 countries, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical supplies. Americares is the worlds leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.
TUCSON, Ariz., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two candidates for local office have launched an online petition calling on Governor Doug Ducey to release emergency money to Arizona hospitals that are facing revenue shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One local hospital has already said it would be forced to close its doors if relief is withheld.

People wanting to sign the petition can do so online at: bit.ly/covidaz.

Billy Peard, Democrat for Arizona's 2nd State Legislative District Steve Diamond, Democrat for Pima County Board of Supervisors, District 4

On April 2, the Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital announced that it faces imminent closure due to financial strain. Also known as the Green Valley Hospital, the facility serves more than 40,000 local residents. Last week the hospital cared for 11 likely COVID-19 patients.

An executive explained that when the governor recently eliminated elective surgeries, and ER visits also declined, the hospital lost significant revenue sources.

On March 12, the Arizona legislature authorized Gov. Ducey to immediately spend $50 million to promote public health, but less than half that amount has been distributed and none of it to hospitals, according to an April 3 report by the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

Pima County officials have said that the county government is powerless to solve the hospital's financial shortfall, absent direct assistance by the state.

Democratic candidates Billy Peard and Steve Diamond initiated the petition to call on Governor Ducey to release the funds. The petition also asks the state legislature to reconvene by videoconference to approve additional spending.

Peard is running for Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 2, which includes Green Valley. He said, "It would be devastating for our community hospital to close, but it's not just about this one hospital: many hospitals statewide are feeling the squeeze right now and our state leaders need to step up."

Diamond is running for Pima County Board of Supervisors in supervisor district 4, which includes Green Valley. He said, "Lives are at stake. We must make every effort to convince Governor Ducey to get out in front of the crisis. Our petition coincides with efforts by county officials and others to persuade him."

For information about Peard's campaign visit BillyPeard.com. For information about Diamond's campaign visit VoteSteveDiamond.com.

Contacts:

Billy Peard

Phone: (520) 256-5387

Email: [email protected]

Steve Diamond

Phone: (520) 247-0800

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Steve Diamond; Billy Peard
Fox Business host Trish Regan was blunt when she addressed her audience on March 9: "Many in the liberal media using, and I mean using, coronavirus in an attempt to demonize and destroy the president." That was two days before the World Health Organization officially called it a pandemic. By March 28, that comment cost her her job.

What Regan said wasn't that outside the norm for Fox News and Fox Business. Other hosts like Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity have pushed conspiracy theories claiming that liberals were blowing the disease out of proportion to "bludgeon Trump with this new hoax," as Hannity put it on the March 9 episode of his show. Jesse Waters said I'm not afraid of the coronavirus, and no one else should be that afraid either. Jeannine Pirro claimed that because there was a vaccine for the flu "all the talk about coronavirus being so much more deadly [than the flu] doesn't reflect reality. And the network has relentlessly pushed hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure, despite the lack of evidence. In fact, Trump himself talked about the coronavirus outbreak at a March rally, where he compared it Democratic efforts against him. "They tried the impeachment hoax. That was a perfect conversation," he said, before rambling a bit and arriving at, "They lost. Its all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax."

So why exactly did Regan lose her job? As an unnamed Fox News executive told The Daily Beast, "She was a sacrificial lamb." Fox News and Fox Business are reportedly gearing up for lawsuits over the networks' coverage of the coronavirus pandemicspecifically, the networks are likely to be sued for being a public health hazard by downplaying the severity and danger of the outbreak, even while Fox News officials were taking measures to sanitize and protect the network's offices. Regan's firing was apparently an effort to keep angry critics at bay, but the nameless executive told The Daily Beast that Rupert Murdoch was done making concessions.

Story continues

The Times of San Diego has obtained a complaint filed by the non-profit Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics (WASHLITE) against Rupert Murdoch and Fox News. WASHLITE accuses the network of "falsely and deceptively disseminating 'News' via cable news contracts that the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 was a 'Hoax,' and that the virus was otherwise not a danger to public health and safety." Board member Arthur West claims that Fox News and Fox Business's coverage encouraged viewers to ignore social distancing, telling the Times, "Thats the real evil of this type of programming. We believe it delayed and interfered with a prompt and adequate response to this coronavirus pandemic."

In a statement, Lily Fu Claffee, general counsel for Fox News Media, described the complaint to the Times as "Wrong on the facts, frivolous on the law," adding, "We will defend vigorously and seek sanctions as appropriate." And another executive told The Daily Beast that there would no admission of wrongdoing and that any lawsuit would likely go to court. "The strategy is no settlements, even if it costs way more to fight the lawsuit and seek sanctions for ambulance-chasing lawyers," the executive said.

A YouGov/Economist poll found that Fox News viewers were less likely to take coronavirus precautions seriously, even though the average age of those viewers is 65, a more vulnerable group. Journalism professors started circulating an open letter to Fox News, saying the "misinformation that reaches the Fox News audience is a danger to public health."

How Trump Became Obsessed with Hydroxychloroquine

Elon Musk, a terribly flawed French study, and Trumps trade adviser all hyped an antimalarial drug as the coronavirus cure.

Originally Appeared on GQ
Favor has doubled its delivery coverage statewide, allowing more Texans to have access to H-E-B's senior delivery service, the two companies announced in a joint news release Wednesday.

Favor's statewide expansion included adding 75 new Texas markets as well as doubling its services in its delivery areas in its existing markets. With the expansion, H-E-B and Favors "Senior Support Program" will now be available to seniors (60 and older) from every H-E-B, Central Market and Joe Vs store in Texas.

The program was launched on March 20 to offer a low-cost service to deliver essential food to seniors at their doorstep.

RELATED: H-E-B launches senior program that delivers groceries to their doorstep

Seniors can place their orders on Favors website, or by downloading the Favor app and searching for H-E-B. Seniors can also place orders through a dedicated phone line  staffed by H-E-B and Favor volunteers  from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. To access the support line, call 833-397-0080.

All delivery and service fees are waived for the first 30 days of the state-wide program. Orders will include a $10 tip that will go to the Favor runner delivering the items.

Since launching this program, over 67,000 essential grocery orders have been delivered to seniors across Texas, according to Martin Otto, H-E-B chief operating officer.

READ ALSO: 'You're so amazing': Mark Wahlberg thanks H-E-B employees for 'manning frontlines' of pandemic

Were excited that we can now reach more Texas seniors with this service, which is one of the safest, healthiest solutions in the marketplace, Otto said.

Grocery stores remain open during stay-at-home orders because they are considered essential businesses.

H-E-B was featured in Texas Monthly for its handling of the surge of shoppers clearing out shelves daily during the pandemic. Actors Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger also praised the company for its work during the pandemic.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sent enough stocks to states throughout the country to implement PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) wherein 5 kg foodgrain per person per month for next three months has to be distributed free to all National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries. Many states like UP, Bihar, Telangana, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Mizoram have already started lifting foodgrains from FCI under this scheme. In course of next few days other states will also start lifting the foodgrains for distribution under PMGKAY. FCI is working tirelessly and has ensured that enough food grain stocks are made available in every part of the country during countrywide lockdown. In last 14 days since 24.03.2020 when the lockdown was announced to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, FCI moved an average of 1.44 Lakh MT food grain per day as against the pre-lockdown daily average of about 0.8 Lakh MT. A total of 658 rakes carrying about 18.42 Lakh MT food grains have been transported across the country till 06.04.2020..

In addition to meeting the regular requirements of food grains under NFSA and additional allocation under PMGKAY, FCI is providing wheat and rice directly to State Govts without going through the e-auction route, at Open Market sale rates to ensure continuous supply of food grains. Wheat is given for meeting the requirements of manufacturers of wheat flour and other wheat products based on the assessment of requirements done by the respective District Magistrates. So far FCI has allotted 1.38 LMT Wheat in 13 states and 1.32 LMT Rice in 8 states under this model.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Online grocery platform Grofers is looking at hiring 5,000 employees to ramp up its capacity to meet the spike in orders amid the nationwide lockdown

New Delhi: Online grocery platform Grofers is looking at hiring 5,000 employees to ramp up its capacity to meet the spike in orders amid the nationwide lockdown.

The company has also partnered with resident welfare associations (RWAs) of over 100 societies across metros to make essentials available to a larger number of people amid the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Outlining the steps taken by the company over the last three weeks, its co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa said the Grofers app is seeing over 1.5 million people trying to order daily.

"Everyday our app is seeing over 1.5 million people trying to order. Given the constraints on how many people we can cater to, we are only able to serve 1 out of 8 customers today...(we) are working on adding more capacity to make this work for more people," he said in the company blog dated 7 April.

E-commerce companies have struggled to deliver orders after the 21-day lockdown was imposed on 24 March.

Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak

Even though the government allowed delivery of essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce platforms, players faced hiccups initially.

The surge in orders also disrupted operations for these companies. Players have now started resuming operations across various cities, clearing pending orders before accepting new ones.

"...we have resumed operations in 24 cities and our warehouses are working at 70 percent strength...An additional 2,000 people were hired from industries which were deeply impacted by the current crisis such as textile, manufacturing, and services and would have otherwise faced income losses," Dhindsa said.

He added that the company now plans to hire 5,000 more over the next two weeks.

Grofers' rival, BigBasket had last week said it is looking at hiring 10,000 people for its warehouses and last-mile delivery.

Dhindsa said over the last three weeks, the company has delivered essential groceries to over one million households in 22 cities.

He pointed out that organised grocery in India is really small.

"Kiranas are (rightfully) king as they provide customised service at a very local level and constitute 95 percent of Indian grocery retail... Online grocery is only about 0.2 per cent of the overall retail market. I think at the end of this crisis we will probably reach 0.5 percent, but that is still an insignificant share," he said.

In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Grofers said under its partnership with RAWs, society group orders will receive priority slots on its Grofers platform versus other areas of the city.

Once it receives the order, Grofers will bundle the order area wise and deliver within 2-3 days. The company is also abiding by the rules and ensuring the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitation in its facilities and vehicles.

The company has also collaborated with MyGate, a security and community management solution, to ensure zero-touch deliveries via the latter's Leave At Gate feature.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A 206-bed hospital near the New York state line has been kind of ground zero for the coronavirus in Connecticut, with more than 100 patients now being treated for COVID-19 and more than 60 staff members having tested positive, according to hospital executives.

More than 60% of Greenwich Hospitals current patients are from neighboring Westchester County, New York, which was one of New Yorks first hot spots for the coronavirus, Norman Roth, the hospitals president and chief executive, said during a video conference Tuesday. The percentage is a little higher than the usual amount of patients from that area, he said.

Roth said 16 patients have died since since the hospitals first virus-positive patient test in mid-March. The intensive care unit is treating 24 patients, including 22 on respirators, he said. Nearly 120 patients have been discharged to their homes or other care facilities.

Despite the COVID-19 surge, hospital supplies and staffing remain adequate, Roth said. Doctors, nurses and other health care workers from Westchester County and other hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health network have been brought in, and the health network has begun reprocessing and sanitizing N95 masks, he said. The hospital also has been able to add 84 more beds by using one of its other facilities.

Marna Borgstrom, chief executive of Yale New Haven Health, said, Greenwich was kind of ground zero for the state of Connecticut and the great demand relative to capacity has been in lower Fairfield County.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

In other developments around Connecticut:

___

INFECTED INMATES TRANSFERRED

State prison officials said Wednesday they are relocating all inmates infected with COVID-19 to Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, a high-security prison, to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Department of correction officials say the decision is in line with federal guidance that recommends correctional and detention facility establish medical isolation units where positive inmates are housed in cells with solid walls and solid doors that close fully.

Department officials said the infrastructure at Northern provides for optimal air quality through a separate ventilation system in each housing unit that draws 100% outside air and exhaust it without any recirculation, similar to ventilation systems in medical and hospital environments.

By creating one centralized treatment location, officials said, it would help preserve the agencys inventory of personal protection equipment and maximize the efficiency of medical staff. The states prison system plans to establish other medical isolation units at locations where transfers to Northern are not appropriate.

___

NURSING HOME INVESTIGATION

The chief medical examiners office is investigating several deaths at a Milford nursing home and rehabilitation center, after changing the cause of death for one resident to having likely been linked to COVID-19.

The initial cause of death for Jean Auclair at Golden Hill Rehabilitation Pavilion was respiratory failure and made no mention of COVID-19, officials said. More than 40 residents at the 120-bed care center tested positive for the disease.

Auclairs family was told he died of respiratory failure and his wife was allowed to see him just two hours before his death on March 30 wearing protective equipment but an unregulated mask, relatives told The Hartford Courant.

Dr. James Gill, the chief medical examiner, said Wednesday that his office changed the cause of death to acute respiratory infection due to probable coronavirus infection.

Its not clear how many residents at the facility have died from COVID-19. Gill said Golden Hill staff have certified some deaths as being related to the disease, and the medical examiners office is investigating other deaths.

The state Department of Public Health also is investigating several pneumonia deaths, staffing levels and other issues at Golden Hill, state officials said.

Andrew Wildman, executive director at Golden Hill, told Hearst Connecticut Media in an email that complaints about staffing levels and the health of employees were false rumors and there is adequate staff to meet residents needs. He did not say how many residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Four Purdue University students have earned Goldwater Scholarships, the nations preeminent scholarship for undergraduates in mathematics, natural sciences or engineering. Institutions can nominate up to four students, and all four of Purdues nominees received the scholarship. Mackinzie Farnell, Robert Gustafson, Alexandra Stiffler and Lindsey Wilson are the recipients, representing the College of Engineering, the Honors College, and the College of Science. <

Congress established the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 1986. The highly competitive award offers up to $7,500 toward tuition, fees and board to sophomores and juniors seeking research careers. All of these students are juniors.

Historically, only a handful of institutions across the United States have four Goldwaters in a given year. That all four of our nominees received the scholarship speaks to the caliber of our students and Purdue as a research institution that prioritizes undergraduate education, said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. Purdue students persistently pursue opportunities outside the classroom at every stage of their academic careers. We could not be prouder of these four students who model that spirit in their research as undergraduates.

Mackinzie Farnell

A student in the College of Engineering and the Honors College pursuing a major in materials engineering, originally from Munster, Indiana, Farnell excels in research. Her current emphasis is on metallurgy applications with her goal to make human activities more environmentally friendly. As part of the lab of Alejandro Strachan, professor of materials engineering, Farnell combines machine learning with atomistic simulations to more efficiently make new materials.

In considering her interest in materials engineering, she said, I look at metals and wonder why they act the way they do: Why are steel bars strong while aluminum cans can be crushed underfoot? Why do tungsten wires make light bulbs glow?

Robert Gustafson

Gustafson, hailing from Jeffersonville, Indiana, is a student in the College of Science and the Honors College with majors in physics and astronomy, and mathematics. He stood out as a leader among his peers in physics since early in his studies in associate professor of physics and astronomy Raphael Langs dark matters research group. His independent spirit further shined through in NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory when he was able to propose a new method of using neutrinos to determine the interiors of solar system bodies.

My research experiences have been extremely rewarding, he said. I have greatly appreciated the opportunities to utilize creative independence within a larger collaboration and arrive at tangible conclusions that push the scientific community forward.

Alexandra Stiffler



Stiffler is a student in the College of Science native to Indianapolis pursuing a major in ecology, evolution, and environmental sciences. She shines as a scientific researcher and a community leader. Stiffler has conducted research on Fic proteins in the lab of Seema Mattoo, an assistant professor of biology, for more than three years. She is described by her professors and mentors as excelling in collaboration and displaying a high degree of intercultural competency.

Many biologists ask why organisms display a particular type of behavior, she said. However, I seek to discover the how and am building a background in biochemistry and microbiology to do so.

Lindsey Wilson

Hailing from Boonville, Indiana, Wilson is a student in the College of Science pursuing a major in genetics. For over two years, she has conducted research on phage folding in the lab of Nicholas Noinaj, an associate professor of biology. Her research and leadership in the area of genetic mutation and disorders continues to impress her professors and colleagues.

Little is known about the impact of many mutations involved in genetic disorders, she said. I aspire to fill the gaps in our knowledge by drawing connections between the mutations and the symptoms of the genetic diseases.

Students who pursue Goldwater Scholarships participate in a competitive, campus-wide process through Purdues National and International Scholarships Office (NISO) to select Purdues nominees for this national honor. NISO is housed in Honors College and works with Purdues aspiring Goldwater applicants in the fall of each year.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Logan Judy, ljudy@purdue.edu

Media contact: Joseph Paul, paul102@purdue.edu

Source: Rosanne Altstatt, altstatt@purdue.edu

Note to journalists: Photographs of the scholarship recipients are available to journalists via Google Drive.
The Sekondi Central Prison is in dire need of fumigation materials to sanitise its premises against any infection, particularly during this COVID-19 pandemic.



The Prison currently houses more than 800 inmates in its Male and Female cells.



DSP Samuel Amarfio, the Regional Operations officer of the Prison, told the Ghana News Agency that fumigating the premises had become a priority in these abnormal times.



He, therefore, called on benevolent institutions to go to their aid with fumigation machines and chemicals adding; "We can even use the inmates to carry out the task should we have all the equipment needed for the exercise."



"Overcrowding is a major problem in many of the country's cells and with the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 much is needed to curb the situation".



Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has announced an amnesty package for some 800 inmates to save the prisons of congestion.

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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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 05:52:33|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A team of European doctors and nurses from Romania and Norway is being dispatched to Milan and Bergamo to help Italian medical staff battle the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union (EU) said Tuesday in a statement.

According to the statement, the medical team is deployed through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Austria has also offered over 3,000 liters of disinfectant to Italy via the Mechanism.

"These nurses and doctors, who left their homes to help their colleagues in other Member States are the true faces of European solidarity ... The Commission is doing everything it can to help Italy and all our Member States at this time of great need," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the statement.

The EU's Copernicus satellite system has also been activated by Italy to map health facilities as well as public spaces during the coronavirus emergency.

On Monday, Italy also received a delivery of personal protective equipment from China, after the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Center coordinated the distribution. The Commission said a Chinese plane delivered 2 million surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks and 50,000 testing kits to Italy.
North State COVID-19 case numbers

Action News Now is tracking the latest confirmed coronavirus cases in our area. In Butte County, there are now 13 cases. Shasta County has 23 cases with 3 deaths, Tehama County has one confirmed case. Yuba County has 11. Sutter County has 19 and Plumas County has 3 positive cases of the coronavirus. Modoc, Trinity, and Lassen counties have zero cases.

State Judicial Court orders delay on all eviction cases

The state judicial court ordered a delay on all eviction cases. The order stops all eviction cases from moving forward - not just those related to people not being able to pay rent due to the virus. The state attorney generals office says if you can't pay your rent you need to notify your landlord within seven days.

State prisons change things up in order to slow the spread of coronavirus

State prisons are not accepting new inmates for 30 days. That the new rule is meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Local jails say they will have to hold inmates longer. A spokesperson for Shasta County Probation says staff is also having to supervise more state prisoners who have been released early. The early release means there are 39 additional cases to supervise for Shasta County alone.

PG&E faces accusations of double crossing wildfire victims

A legal reprieve for PG&E. Tuesday night a federal judge refused to approve a letter slated for northern California wildfire victims from attorneys. Those lawyers claim the utility may be breaking its promises regarding the settlement agreement, the ruling does not block lawyers from sending a letter addressing specifics of the wildfires and destruction caused by PG&E's electrical grid.

National COVID-19 case numbers

The national number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has nearly hit 400,000 and the death toll nearly 13,000. The most heavily affected region continues to be New York with over 140,000 cases. In California, the number of confirmed cases has reached over 17,000 with over a thousand new cases since Tuesday morning.

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: an explainer

Prescriptions of Hydroxychloroquine have spiked. But the medical community is divided on the drug's effectiveness to treat the coronavirus. The nation's top infectious disease expert says more scientific data is needed. Vanderbilt University is enrolling patients in a sweeping clinical trial of that medication to determine if it works. And, if so, the most effective way to use it.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham will be stepping down from her role and returning to the First Lady's office, where she will serve as Melania Trump's spokesperson and chief of staff, the White House said in a statement Tuesday morning.The White House was rumored, as recently as a week ago, to be making a move in the press office, but Grisham denied reports. Tuesday morning, however, it became clear Grisham, who never held a single press conference as the president's spokeswoman and head of the White House communications department, would be redeployed.New White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Business Insider says, made the decision to swap out Grisham as part of a full Oval Office "reorganization." No other senior staff changes have been announced just yet but are expected.To take Grisham's place, the White House tapped former Trump campaign surrogate Kayleigh McEnany, who had been working on the president's 2020 re-election campaign.BI reported Tuesday.Although McEnany is best known as a CNN political pundit, she has served in a variety of everyday political roles, most notably as an intern and then campaign official for President George W. Bush. She went on to work for Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee before becoming a surrogate for then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in 2016.Grisham will not leave her role immediately, as the White House wants to make the transition as smooth as possible amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has seen Trump rise to the job of being his own best public relations specialist.Grisham said in a statement to media Tuesday morning.Grisham was sharply criticized by members of the media for failing to hold a "daily briefing," which ahd become commonplace under the Obama administration, when the media was much friendlier and less aggressive toward the White House. When the briefings became contentions - almost daily knock-downs between the press and the Press Secretary - the White House press office stopped holding the events, preferring to schedule press conferences only when needed.Lately, though, the president has been holding his own daily press conference to update the nation on the Federal response to coronavirus - a development that the perenially unsatisifed press corps has also criticized sharply. Some members of the media have even called for Trump's daily briefings to be left off air, so as to avoid "confusing" Americans with "disinformation."The First Lady's office, at least, is happy to welcome Grisham back.the First Lady said Tuesday.
[April 08, 2020] Spireon Wins 2020 Compass Intelligence Connected Solution Leadership Award

IRVINE, Calif., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spireon, the vehicle intelligence company, today announced it was named a winner in the 2020 CompassIntel Tech Awards, receiving the Connected Solution Leadership: Fleet Management Tracking Award. The eighth annual Compass Intelligence Awards honor top companies, products and technology solutions in mobile, IoT and emerging technology industries. Spireon was recognized for its leadership in creating telematics solutions that provide uninterrupted asset visibility and actionable insights to auto dealers, lenders, transportation companies, service fleet managers, rental car companies and consumers. "By equipping cars, trucks, trailers and other mobile assets with GPS devices and sensors, we're able to turn any vehicle into a connected vehicle, helping to ensure our customers' success," said Kevin Weiss, CEO of Spireon. "We're thrilled to be recognized by the Compass Intelligence Awards program for the fourth time in five years. It's testament to our commitment to deliver solutions that improve the efficiency and productivity of our customers' businesses." All of Spireon's connected vehicle solutions are powered by the NSpire IoT platform, which provides a secure, highly scalable, cloud-based data management and transaction processing environment. FleetLocate, Spireon's comprehensive commercial fleet and asset management solution, experienced otable accomplishments in the past 12 months, which contributed to Spireon's selection as a Compass Intelligence award winner. Those include:



Intelligent Trailer Management (ITM)a newly enhanced trailer platform that makes it easy for carriers to gather and use data to reduce cost and increase utilization. Spireon's ITM equips fleets with a new suite of capabilities including smart sensor integration, an advanced IntelliScan  cargo sensing and image retrieval platform, and advanced data visualization. As a result, the solution surpassed 300,000 active trailer telematics subscribers in 2019.

(ITM)a newly enhanced trailer platform that makes it easy for carriers to gather and use data to reduce cost and increase utilization. Spireon's ITM equips fleets with a new suite of capabilities including smart sensor integration, an advanced IntelliScan cargo sensing and image retrieval platform, and advanced data visualization. As a result, the solution surpassed 300,000 active trailer telematics subscribers in 2019. FleetLocate Partnershipsstrategic initiatives with Ford Motor Company and Snowflake, the data warehouse built for the cloud, expanded the services and reach of FleetLocate. Spireon's partnership with Snowflake enables enterprise fleets to go beyond standard API integration to combine the full breadth of FleetLocate telematics data with third party data sources to create net-new insights and key performance indicators. Its partnership with Ford Motor Company enables fleets to manage drivers and vehicles without the use of an aftermarket device, by tapping directly into onboard telematics technology at the OEM level. "We are so very proud to spread some cheer during this time and recognize companies and products that stand out in the crowded technology sector," states Stephanie Atkinson, CEO and founder of Compass Intelligence. "Many of these companies have put in an extreme amount of effort and dedication to innovate, advance and serve consumers and businesses around the globe." For the full list of winners, visit https://www.compassintelligence.com/press-releases.

About Spireon

Spireon, the vehicle intelligence company, is the leading provider of aftermarket telematics solutions in North America. By equipping cars, trucks, trailers and other mobile assets with GPS devices and sensors, Spireon turns any vehicle into a connected vehicle. Award-winning products GoldStar, Kahu and FleetLocate deliver 247 asset visibility and actionable insights to auto dealers, lenders, transportation companies, service fleet managers, rental car companies and consumers to increase safety and productivity, boost profits and protect assets. Spireon's NSpire IoT platform powers all Spireon solutions, supporting nearly 4 million active subscribers and processing more than 1 billion data events each month. Learn more at www.spireon.com. For more information, contact

Miranda Simonson

Havas Formula for Spireon

[email protected]

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Rwandan refugees who fled the country during the genocide are pictured returning home in 2005.

As Rwandans pause to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, this year, there are changes to how people will remember the victims of the Genocide due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown.

The usual commemoration discussions at village level and elsewhere that attract big gatherings during this upcoming period, walks to remember and night vigils will not be held where they used to be.

Instead, related talks will be streamed on local media channels and social media where necessary. By and large, the nation, and the world, will still remember the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Timelines have not changed much. The initial official commemoration week, as usual, starts from April 7 until 13. The regular 100 days of commemoration will end in July.

Should the pandemic subside at any point during these 100 days, and the government announces an end to the lockdown, we shall carry on as usual. We will, for example, visit the Genocide Memorial in Bisesero in end June, if the lockdown has been called off by then, and lay wreaths and so on and so forth.

In the meantime, while we are still in the lockdown, here are some six ways you can commemorate, as an individual or as a family at home, as we continue to stay home and abide by our government's advisory on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You may not be able to participate in walks to remember and other such commemoration activities but you can, on your own, as a conscious human being, light a remembrance candle and observe a minute of silence. Honour our loved ones. Keep the memory. Each and everyone of us should be responsible. Do what's right.

The CNLG announced that all the talks will be broadcast on national TV and radio as well as by other media houses. All talk shows will be aired daily from 3 to 4:30 PM. Follow these talk shows, and interact - call in with questions or ideas - where need be, since this will be most welcome.

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Listen to commemoration songs on radios and elsewhere.

Watch commemoration theme movies on TV, and others you may have at home. If you have watched them before, watch them again and have a discussion with family at home. Or read books about the Genocide against the Tutsi.

There will be short special messages by some key personalities on TV and other media, including social media. Follow these messages. Learn from them, and remember.

The focus during this year's commemoration will be on our youth and memory. The youth own this nation's future. If you are older, engage them positively. Make an effort to help very young children who might not grasp what happened during the Genocide understand.

The country's young generation needs to understand the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi - the roots and causes - in depth so that they can ably counter or fight Genocide ideology and denial. A talk show particularly focused on the youth is scheduled on April 8. Don't miss it.

And, it is worth understanding that 26 years after the 1994 Genocide, there are Rwandans who continue to struggle with trauma. Should a case occur near you, please be kind, and prudent enough, to quickly call 114 - the Rwanda Biomedical Center's toll-free number, for help. That is the number CNLG has approved for use during this period.

jkaruhanga@newtimesrwanda.com

Follow https://twitter.com/KarhangaJames
THE Chairman of the Mwanzabased First Division League side Pamba Allem Alibhai has confirmed that the former Premier League champions Coastal Union seeking a signature of their skipper Aleco Mwaisaka who plays as a central defender.

Speaking to the Daily News here yesterday, Alibhai said if Mwaisaka deal is sealed he will be a third player from the team to join the Tanga-based Premier League giants.

Last season two players from Pamba joined Coastal Union. The players were Salum Kipemba who plays at the middle of a terrain and Hassan Kibailo who served as a defender.

He added Pamba also exported two players; Kelvin John and Goodluck Jonathan to Mbeya City, while John Mtobesya was snatched by Mbao FC.

Pamba SC, who are struggling to rejoin the top flight league, are yet to achieve their goal. They have played eighteen matches of the FDL and they have won six, lost eight and drawn in four others.

Until the FDLs suspension time, Pamba SC are glued at the 8 th position after gathering 22 points. They have netted 20 goals and allowed the ball behind their net 24 times.

On his side, Pamba SC skipper Aleco Mwaisaka said he is ready to play any team that needs his services.

The former Nyamagana United and Mnadani FC player, Mwaisaka said his dream is to play in the Premier League and the national team, Taifa Stars.

He further promised to work hard with his fellow players so as to help their team to win the four remaining matches of the First Division League (FDL).

When the FDL resumes, Pamba will play against Gwambina FC, Rhino Rangers, Mashujaa and Green Warriors to complete the leagues fixture.
A new 'mystery' smartphone is seemingly set to launch next month, the highlight of which is a 192-megapixel rear camera. The information comes from a post made on Chinese platform Weibo by Digital Chat Station, which claims that more details about the smartphone in question will be revealed next month, and the device, of which absolutely nothing is known till date, will come with a 192-megapixel camera and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G gaming chipset inside. No further information, such as the maker of the device or any other technical details about the camera are as yet known.

While having a 200-megapixel camera was only reserved for Hasselblad's medium format territory until recently, such a phone camera sensor is not wishful thinking any longer. In early 2019, in a technical briefing session, Judd Heape, a product director at Qualcomm, had stated that the image signal processor on board the Snapdragon 855 processor is powerful enough to process 192-megapixel images. He had further predicted that by end-2019 and early 2020, phones featuring 100-odd megapixel cameras would be reality, which has indeed happened now.

To further substantiate this claim, Samsung is said to have been busy recently in building a 1-inch sensor for phones, with 150-megapixel resolution. It already has a 108-megapixel image sensor, which has featured in the Mi Note 10 by Xiaomi, breaking the 100-megapixel barrier for phone cameras. As a result, it is likely that Samsung may be undertaking the task of building this behemoth sensor. It is also likely that one of China's major smartphone OEMs, such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi or Huawei, would be the chosen partner to launch the world's first near-200 megapixel phone camera.

Does it even make sense?

Since we do not have any technical data about this purported sensor, we can only make an educated guess. The first hurdle in this process is sensor size  the constraints of a smartphone, in a bid to remain ergonomic, means sensors need to be small and compact, which automatically affects camera performance. While a 1-inch sensor would be a significant achievement in a smartphone, it is still significantly constricted in comparison to an APS-C sensor, or a full-frame one.

Then comes the resolution factor. To ensure that a camera works smoothly and the imaging experience is good, the bandwidth of data from an image sensor needs to not be so massive that it chokes the camera buffer memory and overloads the ISP. When Qualcomm announced that its ISP is capable of handling such images, it was a theoretical performance point reference, and does not account for additional sensory data, as well as processing of high dynamic range modes, into account.

In all probability, a 192-megapixel sensor within a 1-inch sensor size (assuming the reports are correct) would create significantly smaller individual pixels, which naturally gives rise to the need for pixel binning in order to account for low light photography, light bleeding in pixels, sensor noise and more. So far, we have already had quad binning (2x2 pixel arrays) and nona binning (3x3 pixel array in the Samsung 108-megapixel sensor). It seems only likely that with a 192-megapixel sensor, the makers would implement 4x4 pixel arrays to create a massive pixel comprising 16 individual pixels.

There are benefits here  for one, this would allow for great colour accuracy through demosaicing, which in turn may create colour accuracy like never seen in phones before. The other advantage is minimising leakage of light, which in turn can create better signal clarity to reduce image noise and capture sharper details as well as more information in low light. In the end, with 4x4 pixel arrays (hexadecima-binning?), the effective file size will still remain 12-megapixels, which is largely accepted as the Goldilocks Zone of image resolution, clarity and portable file size.

Is this overkill?

In every way, certainly. For an overwhelming majority of consumers, almost any smartphone featuring a 48-megapixel quad-binned sensor and multiple lenses is good enough for every situation. By increasing the effective resolution 4x, will there be perceivable difference in quality of smartphone photography?

If you see your photos mostly on your phone screen, then it will most likely make little to absolutely zero difference. Our human eye, on overall glances, is not tuned to make microscopic observations, and with a 192-megapixel sensor at hand, the proverbial devil will only reside in the finest of details. However, the human mind does crave to own the best of technological standards, since it makes us believe that the end result is, in fact, better than before. Technical tests would likely back it up too.

It also gives OEMs a good marketing leverage, and a 200-megapixel camera on a phone certainly sounds tempting. TL;DR? The technology may be great, but for most of us, the average mid-day lunch shot would look just as colourful as it already does.
A grandfather who managed to beat Covid-19 used his birthday to issue a special message of hope - and to plead with people to follow the Government's strict social distancing controls.

Tommy Nagle (66) is now recovering from the virus at his Co Cork home and admitted the thing he is most looking forward to, when the pandemic restrictions are lifted, is hugging his 10 grandchildren, going to GAA matches and attending his beloved concerts.

The retired hospital maintenance worker said his story should offer hope to people that the feared virus can be beaten.

His devoted daughter, Michelle, revealed her father fell ill at his Whitechurch home three weeks ago.

Tommy, who worked for years at Bon Secours Hospital, had an ongoing chest complaint but, as a precaution, decided to self-isolate because he had been closely following the coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic on TV and in newspapers.

His family began to fear the worst when Tommy suddenly developed a high temperature.

"His fever got worse. He had the stove on and the windows open. He was going from one (extreme) to the other," Michelle said.

Tragically, while Tommy was sick, his older brother, Sylvester 'Sylvie' Nagle, died after a brave battle with cancer.

"I had to tell my dad through a window that his brother Sylvie had a couple of hours to live. I knew there was something radically wrong when dad couldn't even get up to go to the removal home or the funeral. He didn't get to grieve for his brother. He was so sick."

Michelle hailed medical staff at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) as heroes.

"The care and the attention in MUH was just unbelievable. Dad could have gone one way or the other."

Thanks to the skilled medical care he received, Tommy slowly recovered and was released from MUH just 24 hours before his 66th birthday.

"Thank God we got a happy ending. I just want to give older people a bit of hope," Michelle said.

She revealed her father admitted that, when he left his home for hospital, he wasn't sure he would ever see home again.

"He really thought he was going to die," she said.

"My dad is my hero. I can't put in to words what he means to us, which is why we are so grateful to all the doctors, nurses and health staff who helped him.

"Please social-distance, please stay at home and please stay safe," Michelle urged the public.
Malawi on Tuesday recorded its first death from Covid-19 after a 51-year-old citizen of Indian origin who recently returned from the UK died.

The ministry of health said the deceased had underlying health challenges.

Malawi recently confirmed their index case and now has a total of eight confirmed cases and one death.

The BBC reported that a coronavirus patient undergoing treatment in Yaounde, Cameroons capital city gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend, a doctor at the hospital isolation ward quoted.

The new mother, 19-year-old Marie according to the report gave birth normally but has since been separated from her newborn. She was connected to an oxygen supply when her contractions started.

A gynaecologist at the hospital, Yaneu Junie, told BBC we just arranged the room and she delivered on her bed while on oxygen.

The baby born prematurely weighed 2.1kg and is in the neonatal unit. Whether or not the baby is infected with the virus is not certain as tests are still being processed. The baby is being fed with breastmilk from her mother.

Marie is the second known coronavirus patient to have a baby.

In Cameroon, there are 658 confirmed cases, 17 recoveries and nine deaths.

In Uganda, a 22-year-old mother gave birth to a baby girl at Entebbe Grade B Hospital.

She was reportedly infected with the virus by her husband after he returned from Dubai.

Director of the hospital, Moses Muwange, said the patient gave birth very well this afternoon through a caesarean section and the mother and baby are in good health.

In Uganda, there are 52 confirmed cases of the virus.

Meanwhile, in Ivory Coast, protesters destroyed a coronavirus facility in Abidjan.

They protested against the facility being built in a crowded residential area in Yopougon. Angry crowds pulled down the building.

In a bid to disperse the crowd, police officers fired tear gas.

According to africanews the health ministry explained that the facility was only a testing centre and not a treating centre as the residents had alleged. The construction of the facility has continued.

There are 323 confirmed cases, 41 recoveries and 3 deaths in Ivory coast.

All figures are gotten from worldometer.
By Express News Service

KASARAGOD: The Kerala government has announced a 540-bed hospital in Kasaragod on Tuesday. The hospital will come up in three months, said collector D Sajith Babu.

In a Facebook post, the collector said the hospital is a gift to the district from chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and revenue minister E Chandrasekharan. Officials said the Tata Group would be funding the project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. The building will be prefabricated construction and will be ready in two to three months, he said.

Initially, it will be used as a COVID Care Centre, with 540 isolation beds and 450-bed quarantine facility.

The hospital will come up on 15 acres of government land at Thekkil village in Chemnad panchayat, he said. The work will start on Wednesday, he said. The collector said the land was on a slope and would require some levelling and sought the help of civil contractors in the area.

"We have many contractors in the area and your earth movers are lying idle now. You should help the district administration in levelling the land. We can start the work tomorrow itself," Sajith Babu said in the Facebook post on Tuesday. He said the government's executive engineer would get in touch with the contractors.

The announcement comes at a time when Karnataka blocked patients from Kasaragod from accessing hospitals in Mangaluru over fears of COVID. Ten lives were lost in the past 14 days of lockdown.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak tonight announced a 750 million bailout for charities badly hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Many charities have seen their income streams slashed because of the current state of lockdown and Mr Sunak said it is 'right we do everything we can' to keep the sector afloat.

Describing the funding package as 'unprecedented', Mr Sunak said the cash would help ensure charities across the UK 'can continue to deliver the services that millions of people up and down the country rely on'.

The cash is expected to benefit tens of thousands of charities, including hospices and those supporting domestic abuse victims.

However, while the offer of financial support was welcomed by many charities some said the government's offer was 'little more than a sticking plaster' as they called for the scheme to go much further.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced a 750m funding bailout for charities hit by coronavirus

Some 360 million of the cash will come direct from government departments with 370 million for smaller charities, including through a grant to the National Lottery Community Fund.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus press conference in 10 Downing Street Mr Sunak said: 'The simplest acts have the potential to change lives. At this time when many are hurting and tired and confined, we need the gentleness of charities in our lives.

'It gives us hope, it makes us stronger and it reminds us we depend on each other.'

The Chancellor also announced the government will match donations to the National Emergencies Trust as part of the BBC's Big Night In fundraiser event, pledging a minimum of 20 million.

The funding package will see charities granted access to direct cash grants to ensure they can meet increased demand for their services resulting from the virus.

The allocation of the 750 million for charities comes after the Chancellor last month announced billions of pounds for businesses as the government tries to keep different sectors alive during the current crisis.

He said: 'Our charities are playing a crucial role in the national fight against coronavirus, supporting those who are most in need.

'It's right we do everything we can to help the sector during this difficult time, which is why we have announced this unprecedented 750 million package of extra funding.

'This will ensure our key charities can continue to deliver the services that millions of people up and down the country rely on.'

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: 'Our brilliant charities are already playing a crucial role in our national effort to fight coronavirus - backed up by an army of volunteers.

'We're determined to support them and match the generosity being shown by the British people. This package will make sure those on the front line are able to reach people who need help most, support communities and take pressure off our NHS.'

Large charities which are providing coronavirus-related services and helping the vulnerable will benefit from the 360 million directly allocated by Whitehall departments.

That will include hospices, St Johns Ambulance services, victims charities, vulnerable children charities and Citizens Advice.

Government departments will now 'work at pace' to figure out which charities should be priority recipients of that funding.

It is hoped the first funding allocations from that pot will be sent out within the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, the 370 million made available for small and medium-sized charities will be used to support organisations which are making a 'big difference' in local communities during the outbreak.

This could be those which are delivering food and medicine to the vulnerable or those which provide financial advice.

Mike Adamson, chief executive of British Red Cross and chairman of the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership said the funding was 'welcome news'.

He said: 'Distributing this money swiftly and effectively will be crucial to ensuring that charities across the UK can continue delivering support to the most vulnerable people in society.'

But Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said the funding was nowhere near enough.

He said: 'We welcome the Chancellor's recognition that charities are needed now more than ever.

'But with the sector set to lose 4bn in 12 weeks, the 750m package announced today is little more than a sticking plaster and does not go far enough to ensure Barnardo's and other charities can continue to support vulnerable children and adults during this extraordinary period and beyond.'

Labour's new shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the announcement 'falls far short of filling the financial blackhole many organisations are facing'.
Barbara Snowden dreamed of opening a wig shop to help women whod lost their hair during chemotherapy feel better as they battled cancer. In November, she beamed at the grand opening of Hair Goals Club in the Houston suburb of Humble, Texas.

But four months later, her dream died when local officials ordered all non-essential services closed to combat the spread of coronavirus. Snowden had paid for insurance covering unexpected losses, but a quick answer came back on her claim: Nope. Like so many other small business owners in America, she was told her policy didnt cover disruptions from a pandemic.

I cried like a baby because I couldnt believe it, Snowden said. That insurance was my last line of defense.

Now its part of a legal fight that may reach every state over who should pay for the steep revenue losses from the deadly Covid-19 virus. Snowden is among a dozen business owners  including celebrity chefs, Native American casino operators, restaurant chains, a scuba-diving shop and a movie theater operator  who sued insurers for refusing to honor policies.

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Theyre the first of what legal experts predict will be widespread litigation brought by policy holders. Companies big and small have been forced to figure out how to pay bills with no money coming in for weeks or months. While the government pledged help with loans and financial aid, it may not be enough for many businesses to survive.

Huge Stakes

The stakes also are huge for insurers. They say business-interruption policies, many of which specifically exclude pandemics, were only intended for physical damage and were never priced to cover a virus outbreak. Industry groups also oppose some states trying to require payments to small firms even if virus losses were excluded.

Companies with 100 employees or fewer could see business continuity losses of as much as $431 billion a month, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association estimated without breaking down how much would be insured costs. Thats nine times more than the $47 billion the industry said it paid for covered losses from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when only a third of claims were for business interruption, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Insurance Journals Complete Coronavirus Coverage

They wouldnt offer some of these contracts if they were required to cover pandemics, said Benjamin Collier, an assistant professor in the risk, insurance and healthcare management department at Temple Universitys Fox School of Business. They wouldnt offer business interruption insurance at all, or in cases where they might be willing to, they would charge substantially different rates.

Virus Exclusions

While business-interruption policies cover the cost of closing due to everything from fires to tornado damage to burst pipes, the industry often has exclusions to avoid massive payouts all at once from a single event like a war or pandemic. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, some insurers added specific exclusions for losses from viruses and communicable diseases.

The legal battle will be fought state by state  each with its own insurance laws  which may mean different outcomes.

The language for business-interruption policies can vary between insurers, even though some virus exclusions are similar. And there are often differences for larger clients whose policies are highly customized. Meyer Shields, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, said in a March 30 note that many insurers hes spoken to believe a majority of their policies exclude virus-related risks.

P&C insurers, including Travelers and Hartford, face a bigger risk from states potentially forcing the payment of uncovered claims vs. early business interruption lawsuits, where they have the edge, in our view.

 Matthew Palazola, senior industry analyst, and Elliott Stein, senior litigation analyst

But even carefully crafted policies may not be enough to protect the insurers, says Robert Zarco, a Miami-based lawyer who represents thousands of McDonalds, Burger King and Hilton hotel franchisees gearing up to file business-interruption suits.

This Insurance Would Have Helped in Coronavirus Crisis But Nobody Bought It

Many policies include civil-authority clauses that kick in when governments bring business operations to a screeching halt, Zarco said. We have plenty of grounds to argue thats exactly what happened here and they still have to pay, he said.

Policyholders also can argue shutdowns over bug-contaminated surfaces are a form of physical damage that is a prerequisite for a lawful claim, according to John Houghtaling, a New Orleans lawyer who filed the first Covid-19 business-interruption case on behalf of Oceana Grill, a restaurant in the citys French Quarter.

Winning Position

I believe we have a 100% winning position in the case, said Houghtaling, who filed the suit in state court in New Orleans. Hes asking Judge Ethel Julian to schedule a quick hearing on his suit, which seeks a judgment barring insurers from refusing to pay business-interruption claims.

As the litigation gears up, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts have proposed new laws that would require insurers to pay certain claims related to Covid-19.

New Jerseys proposed bill, which is on hold, would require business-interruption payments for companies with 100 or fewer full-time employees. Massachusettss bill would require reimbursing firms with 150 or fewer employees and would invalidate exclusions for virus losses.

Pandemic outbreaks are uninsured because they are uninsurable, David Sampson, chief executive officer of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said in an emailed statement. Forcing insurers to pay such claims threatens solvency and the ability to make good on the actual promises made in existing insurance policies, he said.

While legislators debate and lawyers wrangle, Snowden says shes trying to survive until either help arrives from the government or the insurance company admits it erred.

Im trying to sell the wigs over the internet, but it isnt doing much, she said. I thought that insurance would carry me through. I dont know what Im going to do now.

The case is Barbara Lane Snowden, DGA Hair Goals Club v. Twin City Fire Insurance Co., No. 2020-19538, Court 113, District Court for Harris County, Texas (Humble)

Photo: A pedestrian wearing a protective face mask walks past a boarded up shop in California. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers COVID-19 Profit Loss Property Casualty
As Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) urges health-care workers to help meet the surge in New York, governors across the country are preparing for their own crises by slashing red tape. Since medical licenses are regulated mostly at the state level, its largely up to states to eliminate regulatory hurdles for qualified medical professionals to be able to offer their talents in an emergency. Most states have relaxed medical license regulations by granting temporary licenses to out-of-state physicians, waiving licensing fees or activating interstate compact laws that can expedite medical licensing between states. Some states are temporarily licensing doctors who are licensed and in good standing in foreign countries. All states should streamline the temporary licensing process as much as possible. States should also take steps recommended by the National Governors Association and the Department of Health and Human Services, such as providing emergency child care for health-care workers, clearing the way for telemedicine and ensuring that students training to join the health-care workforce can stay on track.
Prince Harry will be feeling 'helpless' and like a 'duck out of water' as he tries to establish himself in Los Angeles, a former royal editor has claimed.

Duncan Larcombe, a journalist and author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, told how the prince, 35, could be seen as Meghan Markle's 'plus one' as he tries to forge his own path in his wife's hometown.

Speaking to Closer, Mr Larcombe added that Harry might be feeling 'helpless' not being able to do more for his family as they try to boost the nation's morale during the coronavirus lockdown.

Duncan Larcombe, a former royal editor, revealed Harry is probably 'feeling a bit helpless' as he and Meghan start their new life in the former actress' home town. Pictured in October 2018

He said: 'Harry didn't go to university and he hasn't had much work experience other than being in the army and charity work.

'Being in Hollywood is likely to make him feel like a duck out of water, as it will be tricky for him to find a suitable role.'

He added: 'I suspect he will be missing home more than ever and feeling a bit helpless,'referring to the efforts other members of the British royal family have been making to raise morale amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple left their Canadian bolthole and took a private jet to Los Angeles with their eleven-month-old son just before non-essential travel between the two countries was suspended last month because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It later emerged that tax from earning money and keeping up residence in both places was a motivating factor for the move.

Mr Larcombe told Closer magazine he doesn't think Harry, who has only ever worked in the army and with charities, will cope well with the lifestyle change. Pictured in London last month

The couple had wanted to be based in a Commonwealth like Canada where they could still perform royal duties while earning their own income.

But issues of Meghan's passport status meant she would have to pay a large amount on tax on earnings, The Sun reported.

A source said: 'They were told getting work visas in Canada would be difficult and because Meghan remains a US citizen, so is taxed on her worldwide income, she would end up paying in the US and Canada.

It is believed the Duchess would have to report self-employment income from while also paying a 15.3 per cent levy to cover taxes on social security and medicare.

She would also have to make disclosure to the US' Internal Revenue Service on any foreign bank accounts.

The couple took a private jet to Los Angeles, California with their eleven-month-old son Archie (pictured) just before non-essential travel between the two countries was suspended

The move comes as British taxpayers still face having to pick up the estimated 5 million security bill to provide round-the-clock protection.

While Harry has a team of up to nine royal protection officers, under US law they are not allowed to carry guns.

The US State Department would normally assign Harry and Meghan armed protection for the duration of his stay in California.

But as he is no longer considered an international protected person having quit as a working member of the royal family, they are under no obligation to provide armed guards.

The British taxpayer picks up the bill for the Met Police officers from the royal protection squad which is estimated upwards of 5m a year.

Royal experts do not believe Harry will turn to a private security firm.
A 42-year-old lady who worked for the military succumbed to the disease in Ivano-Frankivsk region

Ukraines Defense Minister Andriy Taran Liga.net

The Ukrainian military reports four cases of infection with Covid-19 among the staff. Defense Minister Andriy Taran said so as quoted by the press office of the Ministry.

"Unfortunately, a 42-year-old woman deceased. She was the employee of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and worked as a civilian operators of a boiler house in a military unit in Ivano-Frankivsk region", the minister said.

Taran claimed that currently, 87 people among the Armed Forces are staying in isolation. Over the next three days, 18 of them will have their isolation term over. The Minister claimed that the Defense Ministry dioes everything possible to save the staff from the disease spread.

As we reported earlier, 17 citizens of Ukraine have recovered from the coronavirus infection abroad. 174 more are getting the treatment. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported that on Facebook.

The Ukrainian patients are being treated in Italy (121), Greece (22), Poland (4), Germany (4), Austria (3), and other countries. 14,624 Ukrainians returned home within the Protection system, launched by the Foreign Ministry.

The number of those who deceased due to the complications caused by the disease has not changed; five people have succumbed to the illness so far.
Get prescooped frozen cookie dough balls packed in a box lined with parchment paper. Current flavors include double chocolate chip ($8), oatmeal raisin ($7) and sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles ($7), each a set of six. Aya also offers bake-at-home mini croissants in butter, chocolate, and ham and cheese, as well as white chocolate cherry scones, biscuits and pizza dough. If you just want to eat, try the signature Samoa cake, a grown-up take on the Girl Scout cookie, or a loaf of the Japanese milk bread shokupan and much more. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; on Tuesdays and Fridays the bakerys own drivers offer delivery to nearby neighborhoods with a $40 minimum. 1332 W. Grand Ave., 312-846-6186, ayapastry.com
A patient infected with the coronavirus is treated at a hospital in Tehran last month. Nine out of 10 cases of the virus in the Middle East come from the Islamic Republic and fears remain that Iran may be underreporting its cases. (Mohammad Ghadamali / Associated Press)

The coronavirus had struck the emir of Qatar, said one bogus headline. His wife was infected too, claimed another. Authorities in Qatar, one online video indicated, were to blame for allowing "Turks and Iranians to bring corona to its lands."

Such stories have appeared in wide-scale and well-funded disinformation campaigns in the Middle East, officials, data experts and analysts say, and have remained aggressive during the COVID-19 outbreak. Several have even intensified, leveraging the pandemic to settle scores in the Middle Easts rivalries.

Its as if the virus is a mark of shame on countries struggling with the disease. Or theres an attempt to improve the image of a certain side, crediting them with false capabilities to cure corona, Omar Fares, an editor at Misbar, an Arab fact-checking platform, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

The campaigns, using networks of bots, accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as well as a bevy of sites purporting to be local news agencies, have become another weapon in authoritarian governments arsenals as they tussle for regional dominance.

The campaigns come as part of a larger wave of inaccurate information  an infodemic of misinformation and disinformation, said European Commission spokesman Peter Stano, used simply for economic profit for companies selling products but also by those who want to undermine  for political reasons.

The European Union in 2015 had established a project called EUvsDisinfo, meant to counter Russian disinformation targeting Europe. In its monitoring work, Stano said, the group had also encountered coordinated disinformation activity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Right from the start, when it began in China, we noticed in the MENA region people trying to misuse the crisis in order to foment Sunni-Shiite animosity, or trump up anti-Iranian sentiment, Stano said in an interview Monday.

Even Islamic State militants, he said, had latched on to popular coronavirus-related hashtags to spread the group's messages.

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One operation set up to promote Gen. Khalifa Haftar, an aspiring Libyan strongman backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, was detected in December by researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory.

They alerted Twitter and Facebook and, after an investigation undertaken separately by both companies, the network was dismantled in late March. The takedown involved 5,350 Twitter accounts, 164 Facebook pages, accounts and groups, and 76 Instagram accounts, according to statements released last week by Facebook and Twitter  but not before the campaign had begun to tailor its messaging to incorporate the coronavirus.

The networks output, which on Twitter included more than 36 million tweets, echoed the stance of an alliance headed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. The three governments have worked since the Arab Spring protests of 2011 to bolster many of the regions sclerotic but stable governments, while locked in a Cold War-like conflict against Iran and an axis comprising Qatar and Turkey.

Before they were removed, the accounts adapted their output to take advantage of the outbreak that was dominating the news cycle: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they claimed, had dispatched coronavirus-infected fighters to Libya against Haftar, while accusing him of taking advantage of global chaos to further his illegal Ottoman ambitions. One video  complete with stern-sounding martial soundtrack  excoriated state-owned Qatar Airways as the official carrier of the coronavirus; another claimed that the outbreak had exposed the brutality of Turkey and Qatar while showing the humanity of Saudi Arabia.

In its statement, Twitter said the accounts were amplifying content praising Saudi leadership, and critical of Qatar and Turkish activity. It also suspended 2,541 accounts linked to El Fagr, an Egypt-based media group taking direction from the Egyptian government to amplify messaging critical of Iran, Qatar and Turkey.

Facebook said that, although the people behind the network attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, its investigation linked the content to Maat, an Egyptian marketing firm. Maat describes itself as a comprehensive media services company.

Other trends in circulating bad information on coronavirus in the region centered on issues of religion, Fares said. One such news item claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping had acknowledged the outbreak as divine punishment for his governments treatment of Muslims, prompting him to apologize and pray in a mosque. Articles appeared about every Arab country having invented a cure for the virus.

As the COVID-19 crisis continued, its use as a cudgel against opponents evolved.

The campaigns from the Middle East are becoming more and more sophisticated, which points to the idea that this is not just nonstate actors or accidental manipulators, but also very likely there are state actors behind it, Stano said.

And they are sophisticated enough to not leave traces and expose themselves legally. It also has something to do with the state in question: The stronger the state control, the better and more organized the disinformation campaigns are."

The networks used various tactics to increase engagement.

Its not just one campaign; its multiple campaigns going on simultaneously, so theres something every week, or something every day, a continuous push of propaganda or one-sided information to promote," said a researcher who collaborated with the Stanford Internet Observatory and who spoke on background for safety reasons.

One level involved so-called seeders, who tag people with large numbers of followers on social media so as to get them to jump on a topic. Another group would amplify local media or direct their audience to pages purporting to be local news outlets. Those outlets would engage in hashtag laundering  issuing media content covering artificial social media trends to increase engagement and make them seem legitimate.

Digital content companies also use thousands of bots to boost engagement on a certain topic and create Facebook pages featuring slick minute-long videos pushing a certain line.

In Libya, that line was pro-Haftar, but it was a part of a formula, the researcher said, replicated across the region in support of the Saudi-led axis leader of choice.

"Social media is being used against people in these countries. These governments are smarter now. They're not going to let another 2011 happen," the researcher said. "Libya is just a side case, but it's the same all over the region: Push enough content out there to either confuse people by creating hundreds of news sites and stop them from believing the media or push their own version of localized truths."
Dominic Raab is facing his first big test as stand-in prime minister, amid a clamour to come clean on how long the UK will remain in lockdown and after coronavirus deaths reached a new high.

The first positive news about Boris Johnson  he was said to be making steady progress and sitting up in bed  was blighted by 938 further fatalities, only just short of the peak of 971 in Italy at the height of its epidemic.

Meanwhile, Wales rebelled against the governments refusal to confirm the lockdown will extend beyond next week, announcing it would not throw away the gains we have made by lifting restrictions immediately after Easter.

Mr Raab will chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Thursday, to try to thrash out an agreed approach to the review of the lockdown, due next week.

The foreign secretary will be thrust into the spotlight amid continuing confusion about the extent of his authority and fears of a power vacuum in Mr Johnsons absence.

For the first time, No 10 described Mr Raab as deputising for the prime minister  without the caveat wherever necessary  agreeing Mr Johnson was not working while in intensive care.

However, Michael Gove and others have argued decisions will be taken through collective responsibility, leaving it unclear just how far Mr Raab can lead.

On another significant day in the crisis:

* Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, announced a 750m bailout for charities hit by disappearing donations  but faced criticism that it fell short of the 4bn needed.

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

* The deputy chief scientific adviser said she was encouraged by admissions to critical care slowing towards a flat curve  despite the record death toll.

* She also hinted that schools might reopen before restrictions are eased on other parts of society  but refused to say if that could happen before the summer.

* Mr Sunak acknowledged his jobs retention scheme could be hit by fraudsters  but said the priority was getting money quickly to firms that badly need it.

* The chancellor also vowed the UK would leave the post-Brexit transition period on time at the end of December  with Mr Raab now in charge of the trade talks.

Mr Sunak delivered the upbeat update on Mr Johnson at the afternoon press conference, saying: The latest from the hospital is that the prime minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving.

I can also tell you he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with his clinical team.

But the chancellor refused to lift the lid on plans for easing  or, far more likely, extending  the lockdown beyond the review date of Thursday next week.

Earlier, Mark Drakeford, the first minister of Wales, vowed: These restrictions will not end then.

We will not throw away the gains we have made and the lives we have saved by abandoning our efforts just as they begin to bear fruit.

Mr Drakeford said a lockdown extension would be reviewed and agreed with leaders in London, Edinburgh and Belfast over the coming days.

But Mr Sunak said: I dont want to start speculating about the future, I dont think thats helpful at this juncture.

He revealed Thursdays meeting, saying: There will be a Cobra meeting tomorrow, chaired by the first secretary of state [Mr Raab], involving the devolved administrations to talk about the approach to the review.

We committed there would be a review in and around three weeks. That review will be based on the evidence and data provided by Sage [the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] which will only be available next week.

The chancellor insisted the priority remained to stop the spread of the virus, urging people to follow advice and stay at home.
Categorically affirming that the INFERNO at the magnificent office complex of the Accountant General of the Federation known as treasury house is suspicious and scary and may not be unconnected to serial accusations of financial irregularities as made by the National Assembly and a cross section of NIGERIANS including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the nation's most prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked Nigerians to demand foreinsic investigations by independent criminal forensic scientists to ascertain the real motives or otherwise behind the sudden fire incident barely 24 hours after the Senate made a startling discovery of alleged monumental heist of the Schools feeding programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf said that Nigerians should not accept any Cock -and- bull stories but must insists that the Nigerian Government comes clean on how it has been unable to transparently render accounts of revenues generated from internal and external sources just as HURIWA alleged that there were too many things wrong with the administration of public finance by a set of federal government officials who publishes claims in the media claiming that the Nigerian Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Services generated multibillion revenues since the year 2015 but only for the Finance minister to be going cap -in- hand perpetually begging for foreign loans from all conceivable sovereign entities. Something is not adding up. This is why this sudden fire incident at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation that has happened barely few hours after serious suspicions of misuse of public fund running into billions was raised by the usually pliant and docile National Assembly"..

HURIWA stated that the fire incident was too coincidental and has happened at a time of mounting accusations of frauds and failures by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to account for how multi-billions fund it budgeted and released for the payment of N20,000 palliative to poor Nigerians to cushion the effects and economic adversities created by the lockdown that was occasioned by the CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA and across the World were dispensed. The Rights group stated also that there is every need for a transparent and an open process of investigations to be activated to unravel the remote and immediate circumstances behind the fire incident at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation in Abuja given that it was not more than two weeks that the Senate reportedly indicted the Accountant General of the Federation for failing to provide documentary evidence on the implementation of the controversial new payment scheme known as INTEGRATED PAYROLL AND PERSONNEL INFORMATION (IPPIS).

Besides, HURIWA wants the National Assembly to go beyond the mere dramatization of the accusations of monumental heist by some officials in the Presidency responsible for the School Feeding Programme in which a whopping amount of N12 billion is spent monthly without the observation and absolute adherence to the time tested and time honoured provisions of the nationally binding law of the procurement mechanisms as provided by the Procurement Act of the Federation just as HURIWA carpeted the National Assembly leadership for failing to insists on getting the names of the consultant that collects N100 million mothly from the failed school feeding programmes of the federation mired in a slew of financial malfeasance for long. "The oversight functions of the National Assembly is not to be used to stage media drama to buy accolades from the people of Nigeria. The Constitution empowers the Narional Assembly to unravel dubious activities around the spending of public resources, name, shame and recommend for prosecution by the relevant anti corruption bodies. Nobody in government must be treated as a sacred cow. When the legislative powers of the Federation is turned into a joke then the essence of constitutional democracy is miserably abused".

" HURIWA strongly believes that the Fire which on Wednesday gutted the Treasury House which is the office of the Accountant General of the Federation in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is too suspicious to be dismissed as a mere accident or happenstance. This incident as is notorious in Nigeria that public officials are known to always set their offices ablaze in a bid to cover up their tracks. This time around there are series of questions being asked by all and sundry on how over N60 billion or so was reportedly blown away by the federal government in the guise of implementing conditional cash transfer to some ghosts and some political nitwitts rather than to the millions of poor Nigerians all across board. How did these cash got shared and frittered away in few hours? To whom did these humonguous cash get to and where are their records since the National Assembly only Yesterday raised alarm and 24 hours later there was fire at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation? We are not accusing anyone of theft. We have not called any officer of the federal government a thieg but certainly we smelt a rat. But what we know is that this fire is too suspicious to be dismissed as a mere accident or happenstance. We must get to the roots of this scam. As learnt it was gathered that the fire started from around the third floor, razing the building upwards including the Accountant Generals office and most of the important offices."

"HURIWA recalled that around February 18th of this Year the Senate's Public Accounts Committee adjourned abruptly following the inability of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to give details of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.IPPIS is an Information Communications Technology project initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of payroll administration for its Ministries, Departments and Agencies but has faced a series of opposition and accusations of frauds.

HURIWA recalled that the Accountant General was not available to answer an audit query raised against his office but his representative, who is a director in his office, Adiro Emmanuel, was unable to answer questions asked him by members of the Senate panel..The senators expressed anger over the directors inability to provide necessary documents pertaining to the IPPIS account put at N2.9bn. Unhappy that they could not achieve much with the probe, members of the Senate panel called for immediate adjournment of proceedings.The Chairman of the panel, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, adjourned the session and gave the Accountant General, two weeks to tidy his documents and make himself available to the panel.The Accountant General was also unable to provide satisfactory response to why Nigerias share of funds dropped drastically from N200bn to N165bn in 2015.

On the query concerning the N596bn Ecological Fund and why the fund was not invested to yield more money for Nigeria, the Accountant Generals explanation that it was against CBN policy to do so wasnt satisfactory to the lawmakers."

"HURIWA smells a rat in this reported inferno at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and we strongly condemn all these shameful acts of something that appears to be an attempt to cover up so many cases of miapplicarion of public fund. This is not how to administer the commonwealth of our Countrt. The earlier we fish out bad eggs and punish them the better gor all us. Allegations of monumental fraud perpetrated at the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) reportedly created a lot of indignation amongst the leadership of the National Assembly even as the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, made their reservations at a meeting with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq and some top officials of the ministry in Abuja."

HURIWA asked Nigerians to meticulously note that the two presiding National Assembly officers called for the immediate suspension of the register used for the scheme when informed by officials that accompanied the minister to the gathering that some N12 billion was being paid monthly for the school feeding programme without verification. "This call was made only Yesterday and now the fire. Who is fooling who?"

"HURIWA as well as millions of Nigerians have been reliably told that another issue that provoked the Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Femi Gbajbabiamila was the N100 million monthly payment to an unnamed consultant that purportedly handles some aspects of the project."

HURIWA continued thus: " Nigerians are invited to note that the Humanitarian Affairs minister Hajia Farouq reportedly informed the National Assembly leaders that she inherited the mess.

"HURIWA is worried that the National Assembly failed to dig further with a view to ascertaining how these huge cash was spent following the disclosure that the minister was said to have told the lawmakers that she does not understand why the school feeding project was adopted for COVID-19, adding that even other programmes have so many inadequacies that her ministry is still trying to unravel. HURIWA seriously think the fire incident at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation has the signature of something senister and suspicious given that even the minister of Humanitarian Affairs admitted that there were inadequacies in the administration of the huge fund meant for the School Feeding programme".
Canadas largest city, Toronto, is facing a sudden shortage of critically required medical-grade face masks as nearly half its inventory had to be returned to a Chinese vendor because the protective items proved to be of substandard quality.

The city rejected 62,600 surgical masks, after it discovered they were of poor quality. After reports of ripping and tearing, further inspection of the masks determined that the masks ordered did not meet the citys standard and specifications. The masks are being returned, and the vendor has committed to a full refund, a statement from the Mayors office said.

These masks were meant for health care workers and carers at long-term care homes where the most vulnerable demographic, the elderly, are looked after. The city is investigating whether any employees had possible exposure to COVID-19 due to the faulty masks.

Toronto is now scrambling to identify an appropriate grade masks for purchase on a priority basis, as the loss of this inventory makes for a significant shortfall of surgical masks for the city.

This news from Toronto comes even as Canada received eight million face masks from China. Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said that more masks are expected from there, while the government has found various sources for over 230 million masks.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government will collaborate with Canadian companies for speedily manufacturing 30,000 ventilators. Trudeau said during his daily media briefing that, To keep our frontline workers safe and care for Canadians with COVID-19, we need a sustainable, stable supply of these products, and that means making them at home.

These efforts come even as groups representing frontline healthcare workers blasted the government for its ineptitude in proving personal protective equipment or PPE to those treating and caring for coronavirus patients. These statements came during a virtual Parliamentary committee hearing. According to the national broadcaster CBC, Dr Sandy Buchman, president of the Canadian Medical Association told MPs that they felt betrayed.

Asking health care workers to be on the front lines of this pandemic without the proper equipment is unacceptable. Shortages must be addressed immediately and information about supplies must be disseminated. Peoples lives are on the line, Buchman said. His views were echoed by Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. Front line workers across the country who are directly involved in the care of presumed and confirmed COVID-19 patients are not being provided with the PPE they need to do their jobs. Thats simply outrageous and unacceptable in a world-class health system like ours, she said.
Mary Carville is more used to helping placate nervous brides and grooms on their biggest of days. As the owner of Darver Castle in mid-Louth, theres little the 69-year-old Nobber woman doesnt know about hosting a successful wedding.

Her organisational and leadership skills are second to none, her staff say.

Yet, these days, beautiful Darver Castle stands still during the week and empty of the hustle and bustle of weekend weddings. Covid-19 has put a halt to those joyous moments that stand-out prominently in lifes journey.

Not that Mary is idle, mind, or down in the mouth about it all.

While Darver Castle, in general, may be in a temporary stasis, the kitchen has been busy every morning for the past two weeks.

You see, Darver Castle has something of a reputation for its scones and tarts.

So, Mary had an idea.

We had an email from a bride to say she was postponing her wedding due to Covid-19, the Co. Meath woman explains. She is working as a nurse in the frontline. We see the efforts the brides and grooms go to for their weddings, so this gave me the idea to give something back to the frontline.

She continues: We have a lot of brides and grooms working in the frontline and I thought a wee scone during their tea break to show how much we appreciate frontline workers would be a nice gesture.

But the thoughtful gesture doesnt stop there.

Well we often leave food supplies in Dundalk into the Simon Community and the Soup kitchen, adds Mary.

So, how exactly did Mary start the ball rolling on this pastry-based enterprise?

We contacted the Louth Hospital and the local gardai and then with the powers of social media we put out a message to our frontline brides and grooms - and we had a great response and many, many requests for our famous Darver Castle Scones, Mary says, with a hint of pride.

While most in lockdown are later to get their day started these days, Mary and her crew of super scone-makers, are busy preparing from 8.30am.

This will be week two for us baking! Myself and Chef Michael Roddy, we prepare the scones and tarts and my daughter Julia prepares the bags and gets them ready for delivery. Its a lot of work, but so worthwhile!

Mary takes out a list of the places her deliveries are going to this week, and then starts reading them out.

This weeks deliveries are Belfast City Hospital, Royal Belfast Hospital For Sick Children, Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Banbridge health centre, Daisy Hill Hospital, St Olivers Plunkett Nursing Home, Louth County Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Lios Na Greine Nursing Home, Our Lady's Hospital Navan, St.Marys Nursing Home Castleblayney, St. Davnet's Hospital Monaghan, St.Mary's drumcar, Beaumont Hospital, Mater Hospital, Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin and St James Hospital so a busy week ahead!

While her days at Darver are as busy as ever, Mary is keeping it local and staying safe from her own point of view.

I just go to the local shops and back home again, so I have been minding Aidan (husband) and myself (by) staying behind closed doors. But I'm longing to get back to welcoming everyone at the front door of our castle!

Just before the interview ends, Mary is keen to push the message that so many of us have heard already - but its a message that bears repeating regularly, during these strange days.

We have to keep doing what we have been advised, Mary says. Wash our hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub. Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze and keep social distance at least 2m, or even better - stay at home! This wont be forever, we cannot wait to welcome all our bride and grooms back to Darver Castle!
WASHINGTON  The international chemical weapons watchdog said Wednesday that Syria's air force carried out three chemical weapons attacks using sarin and chlorine in March 2017 on the town of Latamneh, including a strike on a hospital.

The findings were issued by a new investigative team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, and were based on interviews with witnesses, samples from the sites, laboratory results, and analyses of munition remnants and other information, the report said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the report, saying it represented "the latest in a large and growing body of evidence that the Assad regime uses chemical weapons attacks in Syria as part of a deliberate campaign of violence against the Syrian people."

Fernando Arias (Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP)

"The United States shares the OPCW's conclusions and assesses that the Syrian regime retains sufficient chemicals  specifically sarin and chlorine  and expertise from its traditional chemical weapons (CW) program to use sarin, to produce and deploy chlorine munitions, and to develop new CW," Pompeo said in a statement.

The attacks carried out in March 2017 confirmed Syria's continued use of chemical weapons and showed an "utter disregard for human life," Pompeo said.

The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran in its civil war, has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons. But the detailed OPCW report said the authorities in Damascus refused to cooperate with the investigation despite repeated requests.

News

The 82-page report said that on March 24, 2017, a Su-22 warplane from the 50th Brigade of the 22nd Air Division of the Syrian Arab Air Force took off from Shayrat airbase and dropped a bomb loaded with sarin nerve agent on the small central town of Latamneh, which was held by rebel forces.

The bomb landed in an open field, killing livestock and birds and injuring some 16 people, it said.

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Then on the afternoon of March 25, a Syrian regime helicopter dropped a cylinder with chlorine on the town's hospital, the report said. The cylinder penetrated the hospital's roof, "ruptured, and released chlorine, affecting at least 30 persons," according to the report. The victims included a surgeon who was performing an operation at the time of the assault.

Two days later, an Su-22 jet dropped an M4000 aerial bomb containing sarin in southern Latamneh. At least 60 people were affected, the report said, but no one was killed in the attack.

"Military operations of such a strategic nature as these three attacks only occur pursuant to orders from the highest levels of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces," the report stated.

In his statement, Pompeo called on the international community to hold Syria to account for employing chemical weapons.

"We urge other nations to join our efforts to promote accountability for the Syrian regime and uphold the international norm against chemical weapons use," Pompeo said. "The unchecked use of chemical weapons by any state presents an unacceptable security threat to all states and cannot occur with impunity."

The OPCW's investigative team was created after Russia blocked the extension of a joint UN-OPCW investigation that was set up in 2015 and accused Syria of using chlorine in at least two attacks in 2014 and 2015 and of unleashing the nerve agent sarin in an aerial attack on Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017 that killed about 100 people.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, Sir Patrick Vallance, arrive for a news conference on the CCP virus, in London, Britain March 3, 2020. (Frank Augstein/Pool via Reuters)

Boris Johnson Stable, Responding to Virus Treatment: Downing Street

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in stable condition in an intensive care unit and is responding to treatments for the CCP virus, Downing Street said late Tuesday.

Johnson, 55, is one of the highest profile patients in the world. He was taken to an intensive care unit (ICU) on April 6 after his condition rapidly worsened.

Johnson was hospitalized a day prior after suffering persistent symptoms including high temperature and a cough since testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, last month.

The Prime Ministers condition is stable and he remains in intensive care for close monitoring. He is in good spirits, Downing Street said in a statement.

While Johnson was in an ICU, he was not on a ventilator and was conscious, his office previously said.

General view of 10 Downing Street as the spread of the CCP virus continues, in London, Britain on April 8, 2020. (HannahMcKay/Reuters)

The prime ministers office on Wednesday released a letter signed by Johnson that exhorted UK residents to stay at home amid the pandemic.

In just a few short weeks, everyday life in this country has changed dramatically, he wrote in the three page letter. We all feel the profound impact of coronavirus not just on ourselves, but on our loved ones and our communities.

I understand completely the difficulties this disruption has caused to your lives, businesses and jobs. But the action we have taken is absolutely necessary, for one very simple reason. If too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to cope. This will cost lives. We must slow the spread of the disease, and reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment in order to save as many lives as possible. That is why we are giving one simple instructionyou must stay at home.

People should not interact with friends or relatives they dont live with and should only leave their homes for limited purposes, such as buying food or exercising once a day.

When they do leave their house, they are urged to comply with social distancing guidelines, including staying six feet from anyone outside their household.

Police officers stand outside St Thomas Hospital in the background in central London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care as his CCP virus symptoms persist, on April 8, 2020. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)

If people break rules, police will issue fines and break up gatherings.

It wasnt clear when the letter was written.

It made no reference to Johnsons own condition.

The bulk of the countrys hospitalizations are in London, though the Midlands, North West, and North East and Yorkshire have also seen a number of patients requiring hospitalization. The most patients in ICU beds are also in London.

Johnson is being cared for at St. Thomas Hospital in central London.

The United Kingdom reported 3,634 new cases on Tuesday and 854 new deaths.
The bear hug in which the prime minister loves to smother Western VIPs might strike as theatrical, boastful and, above all, unhygienic, in these stricken times, observes Sunanda K Datta-Ray.

IMAGE: US President Donald J Trump, right, and Irish Prime Minister Dr Leo Varadkar say namaste to each other at the Oval Office last month. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

One aspect of the COVID-19 crisis would have gladdened the heart of Murli Manohar Joshi, the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party politician, now, alas, sidelined by Narendra Damodardas Modi.

Mr Joshi would have delighted in the prospect of the return of the namaste.

Addressing the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, he once lamented that today's young Indian thinks it smart to raise one hand and bawl out 'Hi!' instead of folding both palms in a gracious and graceful gesture that observed social distance before the phrase was invented.

If any thought of pollution through physical contact crossed Mr Joshi's Brahminical thinking, he didn't say so.

But I am not so sure about orthodox Bengali dowagers who lightly stroke a favoured person's face with their fingertips and then ever so daintily touch those fingertips to their lips.

A worldly-wise cousin swore when we were both boys in short pants that a canny elderly aunt used her right hand to stroke and then, when no one was looking, deftly raised the fingers of her left hand to her lips.

The coronavirus bug was unknown then, but the old lady wasn't taking any chances.

IMAGE: Britain's Prince Charles was spotted at several events, greeting people with a namaste. Photographs: Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images, Aaron Chown/Reuters

Namaste is the new Hello!.

But who would have thought Donaldd J Trump would even have heard of the gesture? As the devoted father-in-law of an orthodox Jew, he would know all about the Hebrew Shalom whose Arabic half-brother, as-salamu alaykum, peace be upon you, comes to us as the Muslim salaam.

Yet, the US president reminded Dr Leo Varadkar, Ireland's more-Irish-than-Indian prime minister, of his Maharashtrian ancestry with a namaste when the latter visited the White House.

Britain's Prince Charles also makes namastes which isn't surprising given the ecumenism that makes him yearn to be 'Defender of Faiths' rather than 'Defender of the Faith' when he ascends the throne, but, sadly, namaste notwithstanding, 71-year-old Charles tested positive for coronavirus.

It was French President Emmanuel Macron's greeting for Spain's King Felipe VI.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands announced before paying a State visit to Indonesia that they would treat President Joko Widodo and Indonesia's premier nobleman, the Sultan of Yogyakarta, to a courteous namaste.

As descendants of the former monarchs of what used to be the Dutch East Indies they had some inkling of the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires whose Hindu-Buddhist culture lingers strongly in Indonesia's language, art and rituals.

IMAGE: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa pose in the position of the customary handshake which they did not do due to the coronavirus at the chancellory in Berlin. Photograph: Michele Tantussi/Reuters

Greetings come in many forms. The Japanese bow. Robert Flaherty's 1922 film Nanook of the North was largely responsible for telling the world that a kunik -- nose kiss or rub -- is how Eskimos greet each other.

A possible explanation for this kiss substitute could be that when Inuits meet outside their ice igloos, nose and eyes are about all that are visible.

Hence, the 'Eskimo kiss' which will no doubt flourish until some clever scientist establishes that no human organ is more sensitive to infection than the nose.

IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu asked Israelis to adopt the Indian way of greeting by joining both hands for a namaste. Photograph: Reuters

Spitting at someone is thought rude or uncivilised in most cultures around the world, but not for the robust Maasai tribe in Kenya and Tanzania.

For them it is a sign of respect or greeting, signifying welcome or farewell. It can also clinch a bargain and wish good luck.

By spitting in their palms before shaking hands, the Maasai blend the practices of two cultures.

Parents, friends, and family members spit on newborn babies to wish them good luck and long life.

It's also customary for a Maasai father to bless his daughter at her wedding by spitting on her forehead and breasts.

Told that the practice was unhygienic, a Maasai chief retorted 'Not as unhygienic as Europeans spitting in each other's mouths and calling it kissing!'

The 'How!' with which American Indians greet people in old Westerns is apparently a corruption of 'Hau', greeting of the Lakota, one of the three Great Sioux tribes.

It's said that a Lakota chief reputed far and wide for his phenomenal memory once breakfasted with a white trader who gave him scrambled eggs.

They didn't meet for many years after that until one day they ran into each other on the forest trail. 'How!' said the white man politely raising his right hand. 'Scrambled!' shot back the Lakota chief.

Believable or not, the swadeshi in Mr Joshi would approve of a white man adopting the indigenous greeting.

But the bear hug in which the prime minister loves to smother Western VIPs -- not China's Xi Jinping or Japan's Shinzo Abe but certainly Trump --might strike him as theatrical, boastful and, above all, unhygienic, in these stricken times.
A US soldier has been killed, along with several SDF fighters, in an ambush attack in Deir ez-Zor, although it is not known who was responsible reports Al-Masdar.

A US soldier and several Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) personnel were allegedly killed in an ambush in eastern Syria this evening, Lebanons al-Mayadeen TV claimed.

An American officer and several SDF soldiers were killed in an ambush targeting a patrol in Wasiyah in the northern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, al-Mayadeen reported.

No further details have been released.

A similar claim was also made on some pro-opposition media channels; however, they provided the same details as al-Mayadeen.

The US Department of Defense has yet to comment on these claims.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
T his much I know: nobody emerging from intensive care resumes business as usual in short order, to use Dominic Raabs phrase yesterday. In 2016, I was in an ICU for 10 days, laid low by sepsis, and  please believe me  your first task when you are transferred to a lower category of ward is not to go through your emails, but to remind your weakened body how to walk again. This has nothing to do with will or character. It is biology.

We all fervently hope that Boris Johnson will make a speedy recovery and return to work as soon as is consistent with his long-term health. The theatre of politics will doubtless require a picture of the Prime Minister in his hospital room with a red box.

But his doctors will certainly insist upon a proper convalescence, and Boris will be courting trouble if he does not heed them. It is in everyones interest that the PM be allowed to recuperate properly, and with respect for the realities of human physiology. And this has significant implications for the weeks and months ahead.

There are all sorts of reasons why Raab is less than ideal as Johnsons understudy: principally, his personal diffidence and comparative lack of natural authority. But the Foreign Secretary is, explicitly and categorically, his bosss nominee to deputise for him where necessary. For better or for worse, the public must now get used to the fact that he is the figurehead of the fight against Covid-19. To replace him before Boris returns to full vigour would confuse a nation already tested to the limit by this strange and frightening national emergency. It would be idle to pretend that this does not present formidable challenges, political and operational.

Much was made yesterday of Cabinet collective responsibility and its central role in our unwritten constitution. But this is to confuse a principle of pooled accountability with the practice of day-to-day government in the 21st century. Though the fiction continues to be maintained that the PM is first among equals, our system has been quasi-presidential since Margaret Thatcher. Ask yourself: did the electorate vote primarily for Boris in the December election, or for the top Tory team? Exactly.

Matthew d'Ancona

At present, Whitehall is adjusting to this transition from vivid one-man leadership to what amounts to oligarchy-with-a-spokesman. That this is less than ideal scarcely needs to be pointed out. There are much bigger personalities round the table than Raabs: one thinks immediately of the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak; Health Secretary, Matt Hancock; and Cabinet Office Minister, Michael Gove (though he is currently self-isolating at home).

This would be difficult in normal circumstances. In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, the pressures are truly immense. It is already clear, for instance, that the Government is very unlikely to relax its lockdown measures next week: the scientific advice provides no basis for such a step. But the regime of constraints  on private citizens and businesses alike  will have to be kept under constant review, and, at some stage, reconfigured. Such decisions cannot wait for the PMs full recovery.

There is talk of a team of rivals but whats needed now is collaboration and restraint on an epic scale

The onus, therefore, is firmly upon the Cabinet to behave with maturity and a sense of posteritys judgment. There is much talk in Whitehall about a team of rivals (a reference to Doris Kearns Goodwins masterpiece on Lincolns administration). And it is true that  like every senior group of politicians  this one is riven by tensions.

But the Cabinet minister who is caught out exploiting the PMs incapacity in order to advance his or her self-interest will be severely judged, and rightly so. It was no accident that Johnsons two predecessors, Theresa May and David Cameron  both of whom have had grievances against him in the past  stepped up to the plate yesterday to encourage the smooth running of the system in his absence.

Even as the Government plans an exit strategy from lockdown, the PMs colleagues must collaborate fully in his own exit strategy from critical care. That will require restraint and collaboration on an epic scale: no turf wars, positioning or hostile briefing.
Bosses at four more of Britain's biggest banks accepted cuts to their pay last night in response to the coronavirus crisis.

HSBC, Natwest owner RBS, Lloyds Bank and Standard Chartered all said their top brass would give up portions of their salaries, donating some to charity and leaving some with the banks to help preserve cash.

The decisions follow the Mail's Time to End Fat Cat Pay campaign, which has highlighted how several executives have forced cost-cutting measures onto shareholders and staff and ring-fencing their own wages.

Doing the right thing: At RBS, chief executive Alison Rose (pictured) and chairman Howard Davies agreed to give up a quarter of their fixed pay for the rest of 2020

Lloyds' chief executive Antonio HortaOsorio was the last boss of a Big Four banks to cave in, agreeing to give up his bonus at 7pm yesterday.

This would have been worth a maximum of 1.8m. The lender's finance boss, William Chalmers, has agreed to waive his payout worth up to 800,000.

Lloyds said the rest of its executive committee, whose pay it does not disclose, would also give up bonuses for the year.

At RBS, chief executive Alison Rose and chairman Howard Davies agreed to give up a quarter of their fixed pay for the rest of 2020.

They will donate the 525,000  125,00 from Davies and 400,000 from Rose  to the National Emergencies Trust, a charity launched by Prince William, which is handing out money to organisations fighting the effects of Covid-19.

Rose will also take no bonus for the year, which would have been worth a maximum of 1.9m.

At HSBC, chief executive Noel Quinn and chief financial officer Ewen Stevenson will donate a quarter of their base salary to charity for the next six months.

For Quinn, whose maximum pay for the year could still hit almost 10m, this will amount to 158,875, while Stevenson will be giving up 92,625. HSBC's chairman Mark Tucker will donate 1.5m to charities supporting vulnerable people and health workers in the UK and Hong Kong.

Standard Chartered said boss Bill Winters and chief financial officer Andy Halford would make 'significant personal donations' to the bank's Covid-19 assistance fund.

The sudden movement on pay follows a wave of criticism from MPs and campaigners, and a letter from the Bank of England urging moderation.

TSB, Barclays and Nationwide have already taken action on top pay.
WASHINGTON  Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday after his handling of the firing of an aircraft carrier captain who asked for help with a coronavirus outbreak was scrutinized.

Modly came under fire and was called upon by Democratic lawmakers to resign after remarks made during his address to the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt were reported, revealing he had called former Capt. Brett Crozier "too naive or too stupid" to command the stricken aircraft carrier.

The acting secretary later apologized, but his decision to fly to Guam to visit sailors and explain his decision in a profanity-laced speech proved to be his undoing.

Here's a timeline of what happened, and what we know about the events leading to Modly's resignation:

Week of March 24: First coronavirus cases detected on board

The Navy first reported on March 24 that three sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had tested positive and been airlifted to a hospital in the Pacific.

Cases of coronavirus multiplied rapidly and 15 more sailors tested positive a few days later, prompting testing for all of the approximately 5,000 sailors aboard, according to Navy and Defense officials. By March 26, as the ship docked in Guam for a scheduled visit, that number had jumped to 23 sailors.

Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said at the time the Roosevelt remained capable of its missions.

Earlier in March, the Roosevelt had stopped in Vietnam as the coronavirus outbreak was mounting but had not yet reached pandemic status. Navy officials have said they don't know whether sailors contracted the virus there, but the possibility remains.

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly testifies during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee about about ongoing reports of substandard housing conditions in Washington, on Capitol Hill.

March 30: Captain pleads with Navy to evacuate ship

A letter dated March 30 from Crozier, the ship's captain, asked Navy officials to do more to address the "accelerating" coronavirus outbreak on the ship, which had afflicted dozens of sailors by that point.

Crozier said that "decisive action" was required to prevent deaths from the coronavirus, and that the sailors on board were currently unable to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines because of the ship's close quarters.

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'Sailors do not need to die': Captain of aircraft carrier asks U.S. Navy to evacuate crew amid COVID-19 outbreak

"Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," Crozier wrote. "Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care."

Crozier asked that about 90% of the ship's crew be taken ashore in Guam and isolated and 10% remain to operate the essential functions of the aircraft carrier.

March 31-April 1: Letter leaks, officials say they're working on it

Crozier's letter was first published by the San Francisco Chronicle March 31, and Navy officials were pressed to respond to concerns over the sailors' safety.

"I heard about the letter from Capt. Crozier this morning, I know that our command organization has been aware or this for about 24 hours and we have been working actually the last seven days to move those sailors off the ship and get them into accommodations in Guam," Modly said, noting that bed space was an issue.

Outbreak escalates: Navy says it can't empty Roosevelt amid coronavirus because of its weapons, nuclear reactor

As of midday on April 1, 93 crew members had tested positive for the virus, and 593 tested negative, according to Modly, but only 24% had been tested.

"We already have nearly 1,000 personnel off the ship right now. And in the next couple of days, we expect to have about 2,700 of them off the ship," Modly said.

Modly and others expressed concern that Crozier's letter had been leaked to the media and suggested there had been some sort of "communications breakdown."

"It's disappointing to have him say" that the Navy was not taking care of its most trusted asset: the sailors, Modly said. "I know that's not the truth."

April 2: Navy fires Crozier over loss of confidence

Days after he pleaded for help, Crozier was relieved of his duty for loss of confidence, Modly announced.

"I just know that he exercised extremely poor judgment," Modly said.

Democrats who lead the House Armed Services committee blasted Modly for firing Crozier. The lawmakers acknowledged Crozier improperly went outside the chain of command in releasing his letter, but they called his dismissal an overreaction.

Senators demand probe of Navy's COVID-19 response:It has 'no idea how many potential hot spots it has'

The letter was sent out broadly via email on an insecure network and copied to "20 or 30 other people," Modly said. Modly and other Navy officials had not seen it until it appeared in the paper. "He did not safeguard that information," Modly said.

The letter created a degree of "panic" on the ship, according to Modly.

April 5: Modly disparages Crozier to crew, calls him 'stupid'

Modly called Crozier "too naive or too stupid" to command the aircraft carrier stricken with COVID-19, in remarks to the Theodore Roosevelt's crew on April 5. He asserted in his speech that Crozier might have violated military law by intentionally leaking sensitive military information.

Modly also berated the media, telling sailors that all journalists are biased and sought to embarrass them.

In his first statement addressing the remarks after they were reported April 6, Modly said took responsibility but said he could not recall the details.

"The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them. I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis. Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but dont expect, that people read them in their entirety."

Modly's speech immediately drew fire from Capitol Hill. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith called for Modly to be fired.

April 6: Modly apologizes and Trump weighs in

In a stunning reversal, Modly apologized to Crozier, his family and the Navy in a statement late Monday night.

"Let me be clear, I do not think Capt. Brett Crozier is naive or stupid," Modly said, according to the statement released by the Navy. "I think, and always believed him to be the opposite."

Hours earlier, President Donald Trump waded into the controversy, saying at a White House briefing that he would "look into" Crozier's case. Trump called the letter a "mistake" that had worried families and showed "weakness." But he said Crozier has had a "very good" career.

After Trump spoke, the Navy announced that Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, had extended the deadline for its investigation into Crozier's actions.

April 7: Modly resigns, Jim McPherson named as successor

Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Tuesday that Modly had offered his resignation. Esper accepted Modly's resignation letter Tuesday morning and said it was voluntary on Modly's part.

"He resigned on his own accord, putting the Navy and sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the Navy as a whole, can move forward," Esper said in a statement.

The Navy also reported on Tuesday 230 positive coronavirus cases among the crew of the Roosevelt after testing 79% of them. About 2,000 sailors have been moved to facilities on shore in Guam.

'Putting the Navy and Sailors above self': Acting Navy secretary is out after bungled firing of USS Theodore Roosevelt's captain

Trump commented on Modly's resignation at the White House briefing Tuesday, saying that he had "no role in it."

"The whole thing was very unfortunate," Trump said. "He didn't have to resign but he did it for his country."

Trump reiterated Tuesday that Crozier shouldn't have written the letter. "He didn't have to be Ernest Hemingway."

Esper named Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson, a retired admiral, to succeed Modly as acting Navy secretary until a permanent secretary is confirmed by the Senate.

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timeline of Capt. Crozier firing, acting Navy Secretary Modly resigning
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, Netccentric (ASX:NCL) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 214%. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Netccentric shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

Check out our latest analysis for Netccentric

Does Netccentric Have A Long Cash Runway?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. When Netccentric last reported its balance sheet in December 2019, it had zero debt and cash worth S$3.1m. In the last year, its cash burn was S$219k. So it had a very long cash runway of many years from December 2019. While this is only one measure of its cash burn situation, it certainly gives us the impression that holders have nothing to worry about. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

ASX:NCL Historical Debt April 7th 2020

How Well Is Netccentric Growing?

Happily, Netccentric is travelling in the right direction when it comes to its cash burn, which is down 81% over the last year. But it was a bit disconcerting to see operating revenue down 17% in that time. On balance, we'd say the company is improving over time. Of course, we've only taken a quick look at the stock's growth metrics, here. You can take a look at how Netccentric has developed its business over time by checking this visualization of its revenue and earnings history.

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How Easily Can Netccentric Raise Cash?

We are certainly impressed with the progress Netccentric has made over the last year, but it is also worth considering how costly it would be if it wanted to raise more cash to fund faster growth. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Netccentric has a market capitalisation of S$5.0m and burnt through S$219k last year, which is 4.4% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

How Risky Is Netccentric's Cash Burn Situation?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Netccentric is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Although its falling revenue does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. After taking into account the various metrics mentioned in this report, we're pretty comfortable with how the company is spending its cash. On another note, Netccentric has 4 warning signs (and 3 which are concerning) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

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.
Children: This is a great time to reinforce good personal hygiene, teaching children to wash their hands often.

Laundry: If someone in your home is ill, wash their clothes and bedding with detergent on the hottest water setting, then dry in a hot dryer.

Cleaning: Household surfaces and frequently-touched items should be washed with soapy water and then disinfected with a bleach solution of a gallon of water with five tablespoons of bleach or any EPA-approved household disinfectants. Its better to use wipes than a spray bottle with paper towels. (Most Clorox, Purell and Lysol products are approved and widely available.)

Hand washing: Use soap and warm running water for 20 seconds, or about the amount of time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song. Use paper towels  not a hot-air dryer  to dry your hands. In a public restroom, use the paper towel to open the door when you leave.

DIY hand sanitizer: In a bowl, mix one-third cup aloe vera gel with two-thirds cup 91 or 99 percent rubbing alcohol until blended. You can add a few drops of essential oils to make it smell better. (Note: this will be runnier than hand sanitizers you buy at a store.) For more DIY tips, go to houstonchronicle.com.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Find extensive information about coronavirus and COVID-19, including how to protect yourself and your family. Its list of approved cleaning and disinfecting products includes many widely available products, including some by Purell, Clorox and Lysol. For a full list, go to cdc.gov and search Center for Biocide Chemistries.

American Cleaning Institute: After President Trumps remark that household disinfectants could be injected, The ACI has issued a reminder that household disinfectants are meant to kill germs or viruses on hard surfaces. Under no circumstances should they ever be used on ones skin, ingested or injected internally. For information on household cleaning go to cleaninginstitute.org/coronavirus .

West Houston Area Ministries: West Houston Assistance Ministries: This west-side nonprofit is accepting donations of food, cleaning and hygiene supplies and cloth face masks. Dropoff at 10501 Meadowglen Lane, 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Make cash donations at whamministries.org/corona-virus-crisis .

Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry: It is accepting donations of hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and disinfectant spray in addition to canned goods, non-perishable foods, toiletries and diapers. Leave items in the Feed Frank bin outside the pantry.

CrowdSource Rescue: This Houston-based nonprofit needs volunteers for no-contact food deliveries to elderly residents in need. To volunteer, go to crowdsourcerescue.com .

Katy Christian Ministries food pantry: Donations of nonperishable food , personal hygiene, cleaning products and paper goods can be taken to the pantry at 5506 First St., Katy. Cash donations can be made online at ktcm.org/foodpantry/ and volunteers are needed for weekly grocery store pickups and to work as a front desk attendant.

Houston Food Bank: The food bank uses up to 200 volunteers each in shifts from 8 a.m.-noon, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. for product sorting and box packing. Families and groups are welcome; children must be at least 6 years old. Bring your own face mask. Register in advance at www.houstonfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/give-time or call 713-547-8604. Make cash donations online at houstonfoodbank.org .

Houston Humane Society Pet Pantry: 2-4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, apply for pet food assistance at the main shelter, 14700 Almeda. HHS personnel will come to your car to give food; you do not need to bring your pet with you. For information or to donate go to houstonhumane.org .

White Oak Music Hall Staff Fund: With the temporary closing of Northside music venue White Oak Music Hall, many of the staff are particularly hard hit by loss of income. The venue has started a GoFundMe page, with all of the proceeds going to employees. By making a donation, you can also get perks at WOMH like lifetime tickets, commissioned art pieces, sidestage access, or even a cocktail named after you. gofundme.com

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center: As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread in the U.S., maintaining a sufficient blood supply is essential to assist patients in need of treatment. Healthy people must regularly donate to minimize disruptions to the blood supply and ensure blood is available for patients. Since it is the blood already on the shelves that saves lives, if you are feeling healthy and well, GCRBC strongly encourages you to schedule and keep blood donations regularly to help patients in local hospitals. giveblood.org/where-to-donate/

Southern Smoke Foundation: If you are able, donations are greatly appreciated as 90 percent of all donations go directly to the Emergency Relief Fund, which goes to supportsing restaurant owners and service industry workers who are dealing with closed businesses or significant declines in revenue. southernsmoke.org

Texas Diaper Bank: The Texas Diaper Bank, a nonprofit organization that keeps families healthy by providing diapers, baby essentials, senior incontinence items, food, and education, is taking donations to help victims and their families who are in need of these supplies. texasdiaperbank. networkforgood.com

Kids Meals Inc.: The poverty-stricken are greatly impacted by economic fluctuations, and they need volunteers and donors now more than ever. When businesses change operations and families face reduced hours, illness or dont have work, it causes a measurable impact on family income and ability to provide for children. This year, Kids Meals Inc. will deliver more than 1.2 million healthy meals directly to the homes of hungry children. giveffect.com

Meals on Wheels Texas: Volunteers must contact their local Meals on Wheels organization to learn about delivery opportunities, or how to get involved in student free meal distribution programs. You can also make donations at imgh.org/ meals-wheels-greater-houston

Medical equipment: Fort Bend County Judge KP George is asking that people to donate new, FDA-approved Personal Protection Equipment to coordinated drop-off sites so they can be distributed to hospitals and health care facilities, first responders, public offices and volunteers. Requested items include N95-rated masks, face shields, disposable surgical masks, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, disposable gowns and generic medical supplies. To schedule a donation, write to FBC.Judge@FortBendCountyTx.gov. For information about COVID-19 in Fort Bend County, go to fbchealth.org .

Alex Bregmans FEEDHOU: The Houston Astros third baseman teamed with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to provide food to Houstonians in need through the Houston Food Bank. To donate, type FEEDHOU in a text message to the number 4144 or by visiting his FEEDHOU Alexs Army page at bit.ly/2y1eB96 .

Spirit Food Fund: The Spirit Golf Association and the Houston Food Bank have launched the Spirit Food Fund to raise money to fight hunger during the coronavirus pandemic. Corby Robertson Jr. and his family as well as the Cullen Foundation and Cullen Trust For Higher Education donated $500,000 and local sports celebrities support the campaign. To donate or volunteer go to houstonfoodbank.org/spiritfoodfund or text spiritfoodfund to 41444. You can also send a check payable to Houston Food Fund (with Spirit Food Fund in the memo line) to Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall, Houston, TX 77029

Food pantry: St. Pauls Episcopal Church, in the Gulfgate community, will host a weekly drive-thru pantry for people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. 10 a.m. Thursdays in the church parking lot, 7843 Park Place.

CrowdSource Rescue: The elderly in need can get food bank deliveries through this Houston-based nonprofit. To sign up for food deliveries go to crowdsourcerescue.com .

Northwest Assistant Ministries: Offers help with rent, food, clothing and other basic needs , 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday at 15555 Kuykendahl Road. Call 281-885-4555. (NAM has no more rental assistance for April.)

Clear Lake Food Pantry : Open 8-11 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays for people in 77058, 77059, 77062 and 77598 ZIP codes at Clear Lake Baptist Church, 15700 Space Center Blvd. Call 281-488-3736.

West Houston Assistance Ministries: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for food distribution at 10501 Meadowglen Lane. They also help with financial assistance for rent and utilities; call 713-780-2727, ext. 200, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Wednesday. Financial aid is available only to those living in 77036, 77042, 77057, 77063, 77072, 77077, 77082, 77083, and 77099 ZIP codes. Visit whamministries.org/care-ministry to donate and for a list of services.

Katy Christian Ministries food pantry: Provides food and personal care items, including a one-time emergency portion of food to non-clients. For ongoing assistance call 281-391-9623. Hours: 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. 5506 First St., Katy. (Park in front of the food pantry and a pantry worker will come out to you.) It is also accepting handmade masks for its volunteers and staff. Information: ktcm.org/foodpantry/

Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry : Open 5-7 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays in a drive-through format with pre-bagged groceries. Bring a photo I.D. and mail (such as a utility bill) showing a current address. Call 713-861-6155; 3523 Beauchamp

United Way of Greater Houston: Dial 211 for its helpline, staffed round-the-clock. They help callers connect with groups offering assistance with basic needs such as food, rent assistance, utilities and health care.

Houston Food Bank: The food bank is distributing 750,000 pounds of food daily. It has pantries and partner sites all over the city . For information go to houstonfoodbank.org or call 832-369-9390.

You can find a donor center or mobile blood drive and schedule an appointment at giveblood.org. Here are some of the sites:

Test and donate: With the regional blood supply at less than a one-day supply, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is partnering with United Way Galveston County Mainland to host a blood drive with COVID-19 antibody testing 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 15 at 2800 Texas Ave., Texas City. The blood center is offering free coronavirus antibody testing with each successful blood donation. Antibody tests show if your immune system responded to the virus by producing antibodies, which could appear in people who never had symptoms of the disease. All blood donation is by appointment only; to register or find a list of other places to donate blood, go to www.giveblood.org or call 409-948-4211.

MD Medical Group: (COVID-19 and Rapid Antigen Testing) at MD KidsPediatrics, 20403 FM 529, Cypress, and 490 IH-10 Frontage Road, Beaumont; and Clinicas Mi Doctor, 5230 Aldine Mail Route, 8225 Broadway, 5402 Airline and 1410 Gessner, all Houston. Appointments are required; call or text 888-776-5252

Walmart: 12353 FM 1960 West, 13003 Tomball Parkway, 9235 N. Sam Houston Parkway East, 11242 S. Gessner and 9700 Hillcroft, all Houston; 8208 and 11425 Barker Cypress, Cypress; 12312 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble; 20903 Highland Knolls Dr., Katy; 2165 Northpark Dr., Kingwood. Open 7:45-8:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are required; go to DoINeedaCOVID19test.com.

CVS Health: 3923 Garth Road, Baytown; 2326 61st St., Galveston; 12502 Memorial Drive, 1003 Richmond, 5402 Westheimer, 2469 Bay Area, 1000 Elgin, 6079 Texas 6 North, 12601 and 19715 Tomball Parkway, 5510 W. Orem, 5430 Bissonnet, 5603 and 11600 FM 1960 West, 4150 N. Shepherd, 5725 N. Eldridge Parkway, 2828 Spears Road, and 4451 W. Fuqua Road, all in Houston; 26265 Northwest Freeway and 12550 Louetta, Cypress; 5002 W. Main, League City; 5610 Spencer Highway, Pasadena; 2232 Repsdorph, Seabrook; 25110 Grogans Mill Road and 8754 Spring Cypress, Spring; 11600 Shadow Creek, Pearland; 2902 Palmer Highway, Texas City; 5002 W. Main, League City; 5430 Bissonet, Bellaire. Register online at cvshealth.com/covid-19/testing-locations.

HOPE Clinic West: 12121 Westheimer, Suite 205. Testing is by appointment only, call 281-558-2749. Testing fee is $120 but sliding scale discounts are available.

Houston/Harris County Health: Free drive-thru testing for anyone, regardless of symptoms, at Butler Stadium, 13755 S. Main, and Delmar Stadium, 2020 Magnum Road; open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Call 832-393-4220 for an appointment and access code.

Fort Bend County: The county is offering free testing to its residents  with or without insurance  at sites in Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Katy and Missouri City, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. To schedule an appointment call 281-238-2363 or go to fortbendcountytx.gov.

Christ Temple of Deliverance: Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be offered 8 a.m.-4 p.m. through Aug. 16 at Christ Temple of Deliverance, 3710 McHard Road, Missouri City. Patients do not need to show symptoms and no referral is required. The event is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Al Green in conjunction with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, State Rep. Ron Reynolds and the temples Bishop Destry C. Bell Sr.

Advice for Eating: Join registered dietitian Catherine Kruppa at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12 for a free Zoom seminar on developing a plan to maximize your workout. The even is held in conjunction with Koala Health and Wellness Houston Half Marathon and 10K. Registration is required.

Consejos Legales: The Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston, Hispanic Bar Association of Houston and Houston Bar Association will again hold Consejos Legales helping Spanish-speaking residents with general legal questions or COVID-19 inquiries, including unemployment and eviction, from 6-8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The next program will be Sept. 3. Choose a time slot at HBA.org/LegalLine to register in advance. For information call 713-759-1133.

Veterans Legal Initiative: Legal clinics with free advice and representation for low-income veterans are offered 2-5 p.m. Fridays by phone. Submit applications by phone (713-228-0735) or online at www.MakeJusticeHappen.org . The clinic is open to all low-income U.S. veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in the Houston area.

Houston Bar Association: The HBAs free LegalLine has shifted to an online platform, answering legal questions 5-8 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The next session will be Aug. 19. Go to hba.org/legalline to sign up for a time slot or call 713-759-1133. You must register 24 hours in advance.

Fighting evictions: Several local legal groups are banding together to help Houston area residents fighting evictions. Anyone needing assistance should go to HBA.org/Evictions for information on free legal representation. It includes a self-representation kit, mediation and lawyer referrals. Groups participating are the Houston Bar Association, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Dispute Resolution Center, Lone Star Legal Aid, South Texas College of Law Houston, Thurgood Marshall School of Law Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, and the University of Houston Law Center. Other sources of information include www.MakeJusticeHappen.org , email info@hvlp.org or call 713-228-0735. Anyone who has received an eviction notice should act as soon as possible.

YMCA of Greater Houston: The YMCA has partnered with the Houston and Montgomery County food banks and others to provide food to families in need. Its schedule for August is:

Generation Park: Free produce and milk will be given away at 8 a.m. Aug. 15 at Generation Park at Redemption Square on Subsea Lane. They will have enough to supply 750 cars. Volunteers are needed to help with the effort starting at 6:30 a.m. on both days. For information or to volunteer go to www.GenerationPark.com/covid19

Christ Temple of Deliverance: Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing, groceries and PPE supplies will be given out 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Christ Temple of Deliverance, 3710 McHard Road, Missouri City. The event is sponsored by the church, U.S. Rep. Al Green, State Rep. Ron Reynolds, Judge Joel Clouser and Pernell Davis.

Test and donate: With the regional blood supply at less than a one-day supply, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is always looking for blood donations. It is by appointment only; to register or find a list of places to donate blood, go to www.giveblood.org or call 409-948-4211.

Texas Folklife fund: The Texas Folk and Traditional Artist COVID-19 Relief Fund helps local folk and traditional artists affected by COVID-19. One-time monetary grants of $500 are available; fill out an application at texasfolklife.org. Applicants must live in Texas, identify as a folk or traditional artist and show financial need. For information call 512-441-9255 or write to info@texasfolklife.org.

Houston Food Bank: The food bank needs volunteers to help with increased distribution demand and to help with hurricane preparedness. The food bank has a new warehouse  referred to as North Branch, at 146 Knobcrest  to help alleviate demand at the main warehouse at I-10 and Gellhorn. Volunteers age 16 and older are needed to build home delivery kits and disaster boxes from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Masks are required and social distancing is practiced. Sign up in advance at www.houstonfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/give-time or call 713-547-8604. Make cash donations online at houstonfoodbank.org.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

How COVID-19 spreads: Person-to-person when coughing, sneezing or exhalation releases droplets from the nose or mouth of someone who is infected onto other people, objects or surfaces, according to the World Health Organization. When other people breathe in those droplets, or touch contaminated objects or surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, they can contract the virus.

Symptoms: Can appear within two to 14 days of exposure and can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Colds and allergies are typically marked by itchy eyes, stuffy noses and sneezing, while the flu and coronavirus share symptoms of fever, fatigue, body aches, cough and worsening symptoms. Six additional symptoms -- chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell -- were added more recently by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 can be differentiated from the flu if you have shortness of breath, a history of travel and known exposure to someone with the illness.

When to call your doctor: If you have mild symptoms and think you have COVID-19 contact your doctor. Do not go to your doctors office without calling first. Most people with mild symptoms can isolate and recover at home, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

More Information Heroes of COVID-19 Houstonians are showing courage and resilience - coming together to help those vulnerable and in need. These everyday heroes make Houston strong, and we want to celebrate them. Nominate the heroes on the frontline in your community: doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, business owners and volunteers. Send your nominees for Heroes of COVID-19 to houstonheroes@chron.com. See More Collapse

If you test positive: Isolate at home until a medical provider clears you. Isolate by staying in one room away from others who are not sick. If possible, use a different bathroom. Surfaces in rooms used by anyone who is sick should be cleaned and disinfected daily, says the CDC.

At-home treatment: There is no medicine to treat those with COVID-19. Follow your doctors advice. The CDC recommends getting plenty of rest and staying hydrated.

When its urgent: If you develop emergency warning signs  difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent chest pain or chest pressure, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face  the CDC warns that you should get medical attention immediately. Call your doctor or emergency room before going in and tell them your symptoms.

How do I know when Ive recovered?: Patients isolating at home must go fever-free for 72 hours without fever-reducing medication, according to the CDC. Other symptoms must have improved and seven days must have passed from the time those symptoms first appeared. If you have tested positive, two negative tests must be returned 24 hours apart.

Prevent the spread: Avoid contact with people who are sick and stay at home as much as you can to avoid contact with others. Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home with a solution of five tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water or a disinfectant approved by the CDC. (Most Purell, Clorox and Lysol disinfectant products are on the list.) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw used tissues in a lined trash can.

If you leave your home: Wear gloves and a mask covering your nose and mouth if you can. Touch as few surfaces as possible and do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth after touching any object or surface unless you have washed and disinfected your hands. (Wash hands with soap and warm running water for 20 seconds.) Observe social distancing by staying six feet away from others.

Self-isolation vs. self-quarantine: Self-isolation is for people who have COVID-19 or believe they do. If thats the case, stay at home and call a doctor for testing. Self-quarantine is for people who have been exposed to the virus but arent sick; it lasts 14 days after contact with a person who has COVID-19.

VIRTUAL MEDICINE

Kelsey-Seybold Virtual Health: Patients with accepted insurance should register at MyKelseyOnline.com and download the MyKelseyOnline app. You can communicate with Kelsey-Seybold medical providers; schedule, change or cancel appointments; request prescription refills; access most test results; and complete payment for appointments.

Memorial Hermann eVisit: The Memorial Hermann Health Plan includes Everyday Well, Memorial Hermann Virtual Clinic, eVisit and Teladoc. For any coronavirus symptoms or immediate concerns, start with eVisit for a virtual consultation. The service is available 24/7. EVisits include an online questionnaire about symptoms and medical history, then a health care provider reviews and responds with a diagnosis and treatment plan within 30 minutes. memorialhermann.org/virtual-care/evisit/

Houston Methodist Virtual Urgent Care: Houston Methodists Virtual Urgent Care is available 24/7 and eVisits can be scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The appointment is $20, but other costs may vary depending on your insurance status. Anyone with cold, flu or coronavirus symptoms should use the MyMethodist app first. houstonmethodist.org/virtual-urgent-care/

RediClinic@Home: Try telehealth options with a live, board-certified clinician at RediClinic.com. Patients should have ID and a form of payment such as insurance, debit or credit cards. Hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. RediClinic.com

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINES

Houston Area Womens Center: Call 713-528-2121.

Katy Christian Ministries: Its Crisis Center helps victims of domestic abuse and sexual abuse. Call 281-391-HELP (4357) for domestic violence emergencies (281-391-4504 for non-emergencies); or 281-693-RAPE (7273) for sexual abuse emergencies (281-391-5262 for non-emergencies.)

Bay Area Turning Point: Victims of domestic or sexual violence should call 281-286-2525 for help or free counseling.

The Montrose Center: Call the LGBT Switchboard Houston at 713-529-3211 for 24-hour help.

Family Violence Center: Call 281-885-4673 or 888-750-4673.

RESTAURANT WORKER RELIEF William Chris Vineyards: This Texas Hill Country winery has launched a Wanderer Series Relief Project to benefit the Southern Smoke Foundation. Purchase a bottle of its new red wine blend for $20 and all proceeds go to Southern Smoke, a nonprofit spearheaded by Houston chef Chris Shepherd, to help restaurant workers in need. Purchase it at H-E-B, Kroger, Whole Foods, Twin Liquors and williamchriswines.com. Messina Hof: This Texas-based winery created its Bottle of Thanks program to allow customers to purchase wine and send it to medical workers. Purchase any of their 50-plus wines at messinahof.com and they can be sent to a specific person or to a local hospital the winery partners with. Messina Hof covers the cost of shipping.

Bartender Emergency Assistance Program: To apply or donate to the USBG National Charity Foundation effort go to usbgfoundation.org/beap<extra_leading>

Fisherman: This program helps restaurants with free website services and help setting up takeout or delivery services. You can also donate to the cause at gofisherman.com.<extra_leading>

One Fair Wage: This website provides cash assistance for restaurant workers through the Emergency Coronavirus Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund. You can apply for help or donate to the cause at ofwemergencyfund.org.<extra_leading>

Restaurant Workers Community Foundation: This group offers a list of places that restaurant workers can turn to for financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Write to covidhelp@restaurantworkerscf.org or go to restaurantworkerscf.org.

Kiva: Crowd-funded, interest-free loans of up to $25,000. For information on the programs below, go to houstontx.gov/obo/<extra_leading>

Facebook Small Business Grants Program: $100 million to be distributed. Sign up for updates at facebook.com/

business/boost/grants.

FINANCIAL HELP

Renters protection: People living in rental housing financed by government-backed loans are protected from eviction during the pandemic. Landlords cannot begin eviction proceedings or charge penalties on unpaid rent until Aug. 23. To find out if your rental housing is included, go to knowyouroptions.com or myhome.freddiemac.com.

Episcopal Health Foundation: The foundation is awarding grants of up to $100,000 to groups working on COVID-19 response and is creating an emergency loan fund with two-year, no-interest loans up to $1 million for grant recipients. The money is earmarked for groups working with groups disproportionately impacted by the disease. The first round of funding will be given in May. Episcopalhealth.org<extra_leading>

United Way of Greater Houston: Dial 211 for the 24/7 United Way helpline that will connect people in need with food, child care, transportation and other resources.

Katy Christian Ministries: Its Social Services program provides financial help with rent/mortgage, utilities, gas cards and prescriptions. For help call 281-391-9623 or go to 5504 First St., Katy, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Go to ktcm.org/social-services/ for information on what you need to bring with you.

West Houston Area Ministries: Offers financial aid for rent, mortgage and utilities for residents in 77042, 77057, 77063, 77077 and 77082 ZIP codes. Call 713-780-2727, ext. 200, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Wednesday. You must provide picture ID, proof of income, copy of lease or mortgage statement and proof of job loss or decrease in hours.

Unpaid wages: If you worked hours before the stay-home mandate and have not been paid, you can file a claim with the Texas Workforce Commission under the Texas Payday Law. File your claim online at twc.texas.gov, where youll find tutorials and information to help you through the process. You must submit your claim within 180 days of your missed pay date.

Unemployment compensation: The Texas Workforce Commission website has been swamped with unemployment claims since the coronavirus pandemic and stay-home mandates started in March. Apply online at twc.texas.gov, where youll find information and tutorials (late-night, early-morning hours are best). Call 800-939-6631 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for information.

Small business loans: The federal CARES Act provides $376 billion in relief. Options include paycheck protection, debt relief, express bridge loans of up to $25,000 and economic injury emergency loans of up to $10,000. Go to sba.gov for information.

Arts coalition: A coalition of Houston-area arts groups is offering financial help for people who work in the arts and have been economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. To donate to the fund go to charity.gofundme.com; to apply for grants of up to $1,000, go to houstonartsalliance.<DP>submittable.com.

SNAP Benefits: Texas Health and Human Services has received $168 million for emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits. SNAP recipients will see additional funds on their Lone Star Card by April 15 and again by May 15 for next months benefits. SNAP recipients do not need to take any action to receive the additional food support.

Safety alert: The U.S. Attorneys Office Southern District of Texas warns people of potential theft and scams related to COVID-19 economic payment checks. If anyone calls claiming to be from the IRS and in need of personal information, it is a scam. Hang up and do not give them any information. If you receive texts or emails offering ways to get your money faster, delete them. Some bogus checks are being distributed. Real checks will be in the mail in a few weeks. If you get one with an odd amount (especially one with cents) and it asks you to call to verify a check online, it is fraudulent. For information about fraud, go to justice.gov/coronavirus.

JOB HELP

West Houston Area Ministries: Helps people apply for unemployment benefits, write resumes and search for jobs. Call 713-780-27200 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday or go to whamministries.org.

Workforce Solutions: Check this statewide site for a list of active job openings at wrksolutions.com. For information call 888-469-5627.

LEGAL HELP

Small business help: Vinson & Elkins and the City of Houstons Office of Business Opportunity with several other local law firms are offering one hour of free legal advice to small businesses in Houston. Through phone consultations they will offer advice on loan and grant relief programs, taxes, commercial leases, contracts, employment, intellectual property and other pandemic-related general business issues. Small businesses, self-employed entrepreneurs and nonprofits are all eligible. First fill out a form at houstontx.gov/obo/free-legal-assstance.html and email it to obolegalservices@houstontx.gov.

Consejos Legales: The Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston, Hispanic Bar Association of Houston and Houston Bar Association will again hold Consejos Legales helping Spanish-speaking residents with general legal questions or COVID-19 inquiries, including unemployment and eviction from 6-8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Choose a time slot at HBA.org/LegalLine to register in advance. For information call 713-759-1133.

Houston Bar Association: The HBAs free LegalLine will answer legal questions  general or COVID-19 related  5-8 p.m. Wednesdays through May 27. Go to hba.org/legalline to sign up for a time slot or call 713-759-1133. Calls are limited to 20 minutes. For immigration questions, call 833-468-4664 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Writing wills: Houston Volunteer Lawyers have developed a free guide to help people create a handwritten, or holographic, will. After you write your will, store it in a safe place and let your appointed executor know where it is. Later, consult an attorney to confirm that it is complete. For the free guide and information on virtual legal clinics, visit makejusticehappen.org or call 713-228-0735.

Houston Volunteer Lawyers: Volunteer attorneys will give legal advice over the phone for those who submit an application and are eligible for its pro bono services. The advice interviews are 2-5 p.m. on Fridays through May 2020. Apply online at www.makejusticehappen.org/

MENTAL HEALTH

Free therapy: Mental health tele-therapy is available free for people in the restaurant industry through a collaboration between Southern Smoke, Mental Health America of Greater Housotn and the University of Houston Clinical Psychology program. To register go to southernsmoke.org/mental-health-services.

Katy Christian Ministries Crisis Center: Provides free help by phone, email and video chat only right now. Call 281-391-9623 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for help.

St. Lukes United Methodist Church: Its Nick Finnegan Counseling Center offers mental health services on a sliding scale and is now operating remotely. Call 713-402-5046 for an appointment.

Harris County Mental Health: This county agency offers services: dial 211 for mental health care services, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or call the Treatment Referral Helpline at 877-726-4727.

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD: The center is operating the 24/7 COVID-19 mental health support line launched by Texas Health and Human Services. For stress and anxiety related to COVID-19, call 833-986-1919.

Yes to Youth: The nonprofit is offering counseling services online. For an appointment, call 936-756-8682. For immediate help, call its 24-hour hotline at 888-756-8682.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 for English and 888-628-9454 for Spanish.

Center for Healing Arts and Sciences: Offering reduced-fee $50 solution-focused therapy sessions to first responders and healthcare professionals. 713-526-4444 or info@thecenterforhas.com.

This is My Brave: This national mental health performing arts nonprofit has more than 800 videos, including full performances, about living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, addiction and other mental health issues; youtube.com/user/thisismybrave.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE RECOVERY

Alcoholics Anonymous: Offers online support at aa-intergroup.org.

Cocaine Anonymous: Offers online support and services at ca-online.org.

Refuge Recovery: Offers online support at lifering.org.

In The Rooms - Online Recovery Meetings: Provides online support through live meetings and discussion groups at intherooms.com

Marijuana Anonymous: Offers virtual support at ma-online.org.

Narcotics Anonymous: Offers a variety of online and Skype meeting options at na.org.

Reddit Recovery: Provides a virtual hangout and support during recovery at reddit.com.

Self-Management and Recovery Training: Offers global community of mutual-support groups, forums including a chat room and message board at smartrecovery.org.

SoberCity: Offers an online support and recovery community at sobercity.com.

Sobergrid: Online platform for those who want to sober and stay sober at sobergrid.com.

Soberistas: Provides a women-only international online recovery community at soberistas.com.

Sober Recovery: Offers an online forum for those in recovery and their friends and family at soberrecovery.com.

We Connect Recovery: Provides daily online recovery groups for those with substance use and mental illness at <a href="https://
President Trump and the doctors on his coronavirus taskforce expressed concerns Tuesday that the African-American population was being hit disproportionately by the pandemic.

'This is real problem and it's showing up very strongly in our data on the African-American community and we're doing everything in our power to address this challenge,' Trump said during the daily taskforce briefing. 'It's a tremendous, it's terrible.'

Dr. Tony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx both explained that black Americans aren't contracting the virus at a higher percentage.

President Trump said at Tuesday's briefing that he was concerned that African-American are being impacted disproportionately by the coronavirus

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the coronavirus is 'shining a bright light' on the already existing health disparities found in the United States

'We don't want to give the impression that the African-American community is more susceptible to the virus,' Birx said at the briefing.

It's that the population has higher rates of underlying health conditions like diabetes, hypertention, asthma and obesity - which make fighting COVID-19 more difficult.

'Health disparities have always existed for the African-American community but here again with the crisis how it's shining a bright light on how unacceptable that is - because yet again, when you have a situation like the coronavirus they are suffering disproportionately,' Fauci said from behind the podium.

Fauci said there wasn't a lot medical professionals could do about the disparity amid the coronavirus outbreak, except for to ensure black patients get good care.

'It's very sad,' Fauci said. 'It's nothing we can do about it now instead of trying to give them the best possible care to avoid those complications.'

While Trump said he'd present better numbers publicly over the next 'two or three days.'

'I hadn't heard this - and then over the last few days this has come up more and more - I don't mean a little bit I mean by many times it's a real thing,' Trump said, previewing the disparity.

Dr. Deborah Birx made is clear at Tuesday's briefing that African-Americans weren't more susceptible to the virus - it's that the population as a whole has bigger rates of the underlying health conditions that make COVID-19 problematic

'But why is it that the African-American community is so much - is numerous times more? And we want to find the reason to it. We're trying to find out why it is that it's three and four times moreso for the black community as opposed to other people,' the president continued.

'And I don't like it,' Trump added.

For Fauci it recalled the early instances of HIV infections, which led to AIDS, showing up in the gay community.

'And as some of you know, the greater proportion of my professional career has been defined by HIV-AIDS,' he said.

'And if you go back then, during that period of time when there was extraordinary stigma particularly against the gay community and it was only when the world realized how the gay community responded to this outbreak with incredible courage and dignity and strength and activism, I think that really changed some of the stimga against the gay communithy, very much so,' he added.

Fauci added that once the pandemic is over the disparities that impacted minority communities would need to be addressed.
The Government has officially decided to approve a new feed-in-tariff mechanism to encourage development of solar power in Vietnam.

Under the new scheme signed by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, solar projects approved before November 23, 2019 and starting commercial operations between July 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 will enjoy the new tariffs.

Specifically, the Government has fixed the tariffs for rooftop solar at 1,943 VND (8.38 US cents), floating solar at 1,783 VND (7.69 US cents) and ground-mounted solar power projects at 1,644 VND (around US 7.09 cents) for each kWh.

The new tariff, which is 24 percent lower than the earlier scheme, will be applied for 20 years starting May 22.

For other subsequent projects, the feed-in-tariffs shall be determined through bidding mechanism.

The decision was promulgated nine months after the 9.35 percent rate expired on June 30 last year.

However, the purchase price of electricity from grid-connected solar power projects with planning and commercial operation dates before January 1, 2021 with the total cumulative capacity of not more than 2,000 MW in the southern province of Ninh Thuan  a solar power hotspot  will be entitled to a preferential price of 2,086 VND (9.35 US cents) per kWh.

Organisations and individuals producing rooftop solar power are allowed to sell a part or all electricity output to Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the countrys largest power company, or others who do not use EVNs power grid.

It means that power sellers and buyers can negotiate their prices and ways to use electricity directly from the solar system themselves.

This decision has been awaited by large-scale solar investors and households and businesses investing in rooftop solar power.

The approval of the new scheme comes after a new energy strategy was released by the Government in February, which aims to promote energy security and sustainable socio-economic development. It calls for a much larger share of clean energy in Vietnam.

As one of fastest growing countries in Asia, the countrys demand for energy is expected to reach about 130GW of electricity by 2030, more than double the current 54GW.

By the end of June, the country had a total of 82 solar power plants with a cumulative capacity of 4.46GW connected to the national grid./. VNA

Is it time for rooftop solar power? Industrial zones as well as supermarkets and large real estate developers have begun designing rooftop solar power systems for their new projects.
School closures across California have been hard on most students and parents, but the learning loss and lack of resources are worse for poor, Latino and African American families, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The survey of 1,200 parents across the state found that nearly 40% of low-income families lack internet access at home, compared to about 16% of households overall. And about half of low-income families lack devices at home to access distance learning.

The poll just confirms that the closures exacerbate school inequity, especially for the most vulnerable students, said Elisha Smith Arrilaga, executive director of the Education Trust-West, which conducted the poll. Long-term closures are going to impact student learning and performance, but especially for students who are already most marginalized.

Overall, nearly 90% of California parents are worried about their children falling behind academically during the coronavirus closures, which are expected to last through the rest of the school year. And 80% report higher stress because of the closures.

Nearly all parents, more than 9 out of 10 surveyed, said they would like to have regular access to their childs teacher, technical help setting up distance learning, paper packets of learning materials and access to counselors. Yet, the survey also found that less than half the schools offer those resources.

Tony Thurmond, Californias superintendent of public instruction, promised the state will listen to concerns raised by parents who participated in the poll.

We think this is important feedback, Thurmond said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. I think what the poll shows is all parents are feeling stress and need for support, but we have to be careful so students of color dont fall farther behind.

... This is a daunting challenge on a scale weve never seen. Lets face it: Teachers are being asked to do something theyve never done before.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Some school districts are planning Saturday academies and summer enrichment programs, Thurmond said. Those strategies could help address the long-term concerns parents expressed in the survey released Wednesday.

The other big finding is that parents also are beginning to worry about the future of academics for their children, Smith Arrilaga said. That reinforces the need to double down on plans for the summer and fall.

Jill Tucker and Ron Kroichick are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @ronkroichick
Landlords are rushing to throw out tenants who have lost their jobs and cannot pay their rent due to uncertainty over a government ban on evictions, a group representing renters in Victoria says.

Renters were relieved when Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a six-month moratorium on evictions due to the coronavirus crisis, but there is no ban in Victoria yet.

Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge said the lack of clarity was causing landlords to rush to protect their own interests out of fear, comparing it to the panic buying of toilet paper.

"[Landlords] think that they're going to be financially disadvantaged because their tenant won't pay the rent and so they're jumping in a panicked way," she said.
Children to parents suffering from mental illness have a higher risk of injuries than other children, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The risk is elevated up to 17 years of age and peaks during the first year of life. The findings highlight the need for parents with mental illness to receive extra support around child injury prevention measures as well as early treatment of mental morbidity among expecting parents.

Between 7-11 percent of all children in Sweden have at least one parent diagnosed with a mental illness, according to the researchers' estimates. Previous measures to safeguard children have focused mainly on preventing neglect and maltreatment and to a lesser degree on stopping accidents and injuries. However, according to the researchers it might be possible to reduce child injuries by helping parents with mental illness to adopt preventive safety measures in their homes and outside.

"Our results show there is a need for increased support to parents with mental illness, especially during the first year of life," says Alicia Nevriana, PhD student at the Department of Global Public Health and the study's corresponding author. "There are already recommendations for new parents to ensure their children's safety, but we think there is a need to update these recommendations also by taking into account parents' mental health."

Children in the ages 0-1 had a 30 percent higher risk of injuries if they had a parent with mental illness. The risk declined with age but remained somewhat higher (6 percent) for children in the ages 13-17. The researchers found that the risk of injuries was slightly higher for common parental mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and stress-related illnesses, compared to more serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The risk was also slightly higher for maternal compared to paternal mental illness.

Also, the risk was somewhat higher for more uncommon types of injuries caused by for example interpersonal violence compared to more common injuries caused by for example falls or traffic accidents. The researchers note, however, that violence-related injuries are rare also in families with mental illness.

The study, which was done in collaboration with researchers at the University of Manchester in the U.K., followed 1.5 million children residing in Sweden and born between 1996-2011, of whom more than 330,000 had at least one parent diagnosed with a mental illness during that period or five years earlier.

The study does not explain why children of parents with mental illness have a higher risk of injuries. Some plausible explanations may be that some parents with mental illness struggle to adequately supervise their children and to childproof their homes, according to the researchers.

"Mental illness is often associated with worse socioeconomic conditions, which might lead to the family living in a less safe in- and outdoor environment or cannot afford some security measures," Nevriana says. "We cannot entirely exclude that the higher risks in our study might be partly explained by the family's socioeconomic conditions, even though we tried to control for socioeconomic factors as best as we could. We have also not studied whether certain medications for mental illness, especially those with an impact on alertness and attention, could affect the children's risk of injury, and this should be studied in future research."

###

The study has been financed with the help of the European Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, the Stockholm region and the Swedish Research Council.

Publication: "Maternal and paternal mental illness and risk of injuries in children and adolescents: a nationwide register-based cohort study in Sweden," Alicia Nevriana, Matthias Pierce, Christina Dalman, Susanne Wicks, Marie Hasselberg, Holly Hope, Kathryn M Abel, Kyriaki Kosidou, BMJ, April 8, 2020, doi: 10.1136/bmj.m853
A kind stranger in a supermarket bought Parmesan for a sick mother who wasn't allowed to due to strict coronavirus buying restrictions.

Christine Grundy drove two hours from her home in Capeen Creek, in northern rural New South Wales, to Woolworths in the small town of Casino on Monday.

Once Ms Grundy - who has brain cancer - got to the checkout, she was told she'd have to forgo her cheese due to buying limits.

She then left the supermarket and was lining up at a nearby newsagent when the Good Samaritan caught up to her.

'Before I knew it, the lady - in her 60s - who was in the line behind me gave me the Parmesan cheese,' the tearful mother said in a video posted to social media.

'She said to me "here, you can't have spaghetti bolognese without Parmesan".

Christine Grundy, who has a brain tumour, drove two hours from her home in Capeen Creek, in northern rural New South Wales, to the grocery store on Monday

'When I got over the shock I asked if I could give her something for it but she just smiled, waved and rushed off with her trolley. It was lovely.

'The things that have been going on with how horrible everything is in grocery stores and people attacking other people and staff, it's just too much.

'But this one lady showed me that there is still decent people out there. That was a wonderful thing to do, and she didn't actually ask for anything in return.

Christine Grundy drove two hours from her home in Capeen Creek, in northern rural New South Wales, to Woolworths in the small town of Casino on Monday

'I think that everybody should take a lesson from that. And that lesson is maybe you need to settle down and take what you need and not think that you need everything.'

Ms Grundy told Daily Mail Australia that due to her brain tumour, getting to the shops regularly is an undertaking.

'Shopping for me is really hard. I go shopping maybe every fortnight,' she said.

'But now that the kids are home with this virus I go once every three weeks.'

Major supermarkets brought in buying restrictions last month after COVID-19 panic-buyers cleared shelves of necessities such as toilet paper, canned food and pasta sauce.

Coles and Woolworths both brought in a two-pack per customer limit on pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, flour and other essentials as a result.
India, with an annual gross domestic product of approximately Rs 210 lakh crore, will lose about 4% of its GDP during the 21-day lockdown period.

Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here

If, on an average, 8-9% of total goods and services are produced in a month, the lockdown period  with about two-thirds of production loss  could wipe out around Rs 8 lakh crore. And if the curbs are stretched for 10 weeks, the economy might collapse.

The states together could take a hit of Rs 2 lakh crore in the current financial year, while about 10 crore workers in the mining, construction, manufacturing and services sectors could be rendered jobless, according to an estimate by former economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg.

A back-of-the-envelope calculation, taking into account the contribution of different sectors of the economy and the extent of the lockdown, indicates that about 60-70% of the goods and services produced in the country or the GDP is getting lost. Roughly 8-9% of the GDP gets produced in a month on an average, said Garg, who until eight months ago worked at the helm in the finance ministry.

He said that while those workers rendered jobless might have lost about Rs 10,000 of wage each per month, the government may provide at least Rs 2,000 per worker to meet their most urgent needs. This will cost the government only about Rs 20,000 crore a month or about Rs 60,000 crore for three months.

Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

Supporting Gargs argument, former chief statistician Pronab Sen told DH that a two-week lockdown could probably lead to a loss of about Rs 6 lakh crore. This could be even more for states because most of them had enforced isolation norms even before the Centre announced the same.

He said that economic recovery will not be even after the lockdown is lifted. Immediately after the economic activities begin, there may be a V-shaped recovery, but soon it will get flat.

N R Bhanumurthy, a professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, said the loss to economy in these unusual times would be so huge that it was difficult to put a number to it on a pro rata basis.

Wholesale and retail trade, hotels, mining, construction sectors will be the worst hit. Agriculture, banking, finance and power sectors will not be as affected, he said.

Farm businesses, essential goods and services exempted from lockdown have suffered less disruption and economic loss. Additionally, e-commerce, except those which could not transition to work-from-home, and pharmaceutical businesses have also not suffered much. These businesses are expected to bounce back fully after the lockdown is lifted.

My worry is that sectors like construction, mining and small businesses dependent on migrant workers will face a supply crunch. The workers who have left cities will take time to come back. There will be a problem of wages, which might move northward, Bhanumurthy said, adding that migration has a completely different behaviour.

He said the economy could register the lowest growth that was experienced in the post-reform period since 1991. This will be despite strong monetary and fiscal stimulus measures introduced by the government.

Garg said if the lockdown continued for about 10 weeks, India's economy will be completely ruined. Hence, those with least risk should be allowed to function after April 14.

Throwing light on state finances, he said, The state governments revenues have suffered massively. The Centre should release the held-up amount of approximately Rs 30,000 crore of GST compensation. It should also release the instalment of Rs 56,000 crore of the states share in central taxes on due date April 15."
MILFORD  A nursing home where at least 44 people have tested positive for coronavirus has a below average rating on its most recent health inspections, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media review of federal health inspection reports.

The facilitys overall rating of two, out of a possible five, is based on two inspections conducted in 2018 and one completed as recently as October. The score is based, in part, on staffing levels and quality measures.

Golden Hill Rehab Pavilion, located on Bridgeport Avenue, is at the center of a state investigation after a 91-year-old mans cause of death was changed Tuesday when doctors concluded his death was likely coronavirus-related, not just respiratory failure as the nursing home had reported.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the facility said it was the first in the state to restrict visitation and to take staff temperatures before they could come inside.

Staff have been provided with new protective equipment daily, and staffing levels have been maintained at state levels, said Victoria Walker, a spokeswoman for Golden Hill.

Golden Hill has been more proactive than any other nursing home by testing all residents throughout this ordeal, although we are one of the 80 facilities with positive cases as of today, our number of positive cases do not represent the number of asymptomatic people, Walker said in the emailed statement Wednesday. Our Medical Director, Dr. Anuruddha Walaliyadda, MD, has been tremendous in supporting us on the frontlines of this epidemic.

Nursing homes certified by Medicare and Medicaid are inspected annually. The ratings are based on the three most recent inspections and complaints and inspection revisit information over the past three years.

In the most recent inspection, conducted in October 2019, the facility was cited for not ensuring it was free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.

It was not the first time the nursing home was cited for that particular deficiency.

In the 2019 report, the deficiency is described by inspectors as being the result of a resident leaving the facility in a wheelchair without staffs knowledge. The person, whose age and gender was not identified in the report, was escorted back by local police after being found just under a quarter-mile down the street from the facility.

The nursing home was also cited for leaving a medication cart unattended.

The previous year, in December 2018, the facility was told to provide and implement an infection prevention and control program after it failed to ensure that a water management plan was in place to prevent cases and outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease.

The disease can cause a serious type of pneumonia, according to the CDC, and is spread by bacteria that grows and spreads in freshwater, including faucets and shower heads.

In 2017, federal regulators also cited the nursing homes program that investigates, controls and keeps infection from spreading as a potential for minimal harm to residents.

The facilitys ratings for staffing have also been listed as below average, according to public data on Medicare.gov.

Walker, the Golden Hill spokeswoman, asked for the state to designate Golden Hill as a facility to treat nursing home residents who test positive for COVID-19. Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed designating some nursing homes for coronavirus cases and others for non-coronavirus patients.

Last week, the governors office said it would double the state medicaid payment rate for facilities only treating COVID-19 patients.

Av Harris, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said the agency is in contact with staff at Golden Hill HealthCare Center every day and we have verified staffing, as well as supplies of personal protective equipment.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is also investigating whether the death of a resident there was actually due to COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the medical examiners office said the cause of death for Jean Louis Auclair, a resident of Golden Hill who passed away on March 30, was altered from respiratory failure to acute respiratory infection, probable novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

Attempts to reach Auclairs family Wednesday were unsuccessful.

There is a current investigation in process regarding family notification of condition and COVID status, Harris confirmed.

Across Connecticut, 600 residents at 82 of the states 215 nursing homes have tested positive for COVID-19, according to testing data released by the governors office Tuesday. At least 171 nursing home residents have been hospitalized for the illness, and 81 have died.

Staff writer Bill Cummings contributed to this report.
Microsoft may have the next Windows 10 upgrade burning a hole in its pocket, but if it's smart, the Redmond, Wash. developer will keep that code to itself for now.

In fact, software developers could do all tech users a big favor by slapping a moratorium on all non-security, feature-filled updates and upgrades until further notice.

Call it "software distancing," but rather than make versions stand six feet apart force them to keep six months' separation.

Why hold Windows 10 2004? Because we're busy, in case you haven't noticed

Microsoft must be eager to dispatch Windows 10 2004, the year's spring feature upgrade: It's been working on the refresh for more than a year now. But really, what's the rush? After 13+ months of testing, testing and more testing, another half dozen isn't going to hurt.

In fact, there are several reasons why postponing the upgrade makes good sense.

IT and users have higher priorities right now

At the top of the list is the simple fact that everyone has more important things to do than process a feature upgrade to Windows 10.

That item may be short-lived  it will get scratched out at some point  but that's why timing must play a part in Microsoft's decision (and outsiders' appeals). Even for faster-acting companies, such as Microsoft itself, as well as Amazon and Google, it has been just one month since they told employees to head home and, if possible, work remotely.

Everyone is still settling in, especially those who have never worked at home or from the field for extended periods. Ditto for the IT staffs with little experience managing devices outside the office perimeter. Employees of all kinds, line workers and IT alike, are heads-down getting used to the situation, stressed out, if by nothing else (and there are many elses here), than by the newness of it all.

It won't be like this the entire time America (and elsewhere) are locked down. People and organizations will adapt. But right now? They're busy.

Bandwidth doesn't grow on trees

Microsoft has already begun prepping IT personnel n the nuts and bolts of updating large numbers of remote PCs. One of the items it has focused on has been potential chokepoints, notably the VPN (virtual private network) many firms mandate when outside-the-perimeter machines access corporate assets and information.

Because workers now located at home are likely connecting to the corporate network via VPN, updates and upgrades may get shoved through the latter, overwhelming the VPN's capacity. In several technical posts, including here and here, Microsoft has been showing admins how best to manage updates when VPNs are in place.

Ideally, Microsoft said, updates should not go through the VPN but directly to the Internet. "The Microsoft recommended approach is to configure the VPN client to only send traffic bound for corporate resources located on-premises via the VPN connection, allowing all other traffic to go directly to the Internet and to be routed accordingly," the company asserted. "This is how the VPN is configured internally at Microsoft."

Upgrades, of course, are significantly larger (measured in gigabytes) than the monthly updates on, say, Patch Tuesday  all the more reason why they would negatively impact the connections between remote clients and the company's on-premises infrastructure.

And it's all the more reason for Microsoft to back off on Windows 10 2004 until IT sorts out the VPN situation, or better yet, the bulk of the workforce returns to the office and its internal network.

In a more general sense, bandwidth is simply a precious commodity. Not everyone has a fat pipe for a home connection to the Internet, for instance. (Some may not have an Internet account at all, relying instead on their smartphone and a metered  and expensive  data plan from a mobile carrier.) What bandwidth is at hand is occupied with more important traffic.

"The last thing we need right now coming down our already-full pipes filled with Zoom and Team meetings is a feature release," contended Susan Bradley, a computer network and security consultant, the moderator of the PatchMangement.org mailing list and the contributor known as "The Patch Lady" to the AskWoody.com Windows tip site.

Help desk personnel are stretched thin

Everyone is busy adjusting to the new regimes, but the help desk is busier than most. Personnel have scrambled to get remote workers up and running, helping employees diagnose problems with systems and network configurations outside the corporate standard, forwarding cables and monitors to at homers. And while much of what the reps did  and continue to do  could and can be done remotely, there are parts of their jobs that required them to be at a specific somewhere, like when they needed to do an in-person examination of a system to uncover the root of a problem.

Those cubicle calls are now so much history, forcing the help desk to make adjustments.

Throw in a feature upgrade, even one that goes smoothly, and the calls might well overwhelm the help resources. And if the upgrade goes south? (As some of Windows 10's have.) No one even wants to think about that.

"We don't have the excess help desk capacity," argued Bradley. "We need to focus on security and not features at this time."

By holding back Windows 10 2004, Microsoft could put more in it

For an upgrade that has been in the works  and in public testing with Insider participants  for more than a year, Windows 10 2004 looks light on the new features and functionality.

It's not clear what within 2004  at least of what Microsoft has revealed  required the extra effort. In February 2019, when Microsoft departed from its established schedule and began beta testing the first upgrade of 2020 before starting to test the second for 2019, the firm said "some things we are working on in 20H1 require a longer lead time." (20H1 was Microsoft-ese for the first feature upgrade of 2020, or what later was numbered Windows 10 2004.)

Late last year, Microsoft severed the links between under-development features and future upgrades, saying that it would put the former into one of the latter "when they are ready."

Microsoft has been testing numerous features that didn't make it into 2004  which was locked down, feature-wise, in late 2019  and could put its money where its mouth is by using the additional time to add some to the upgrade.

Holding Windows 10 2004 would be a great excuse to scale back to one upgrade a year

Yet another reason 2004 should be postponed has nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic. But Microsoft could take advantage of circumstances to do what many users want from the company: a single upgrade annually.

Microsoft, in fact, showed its hand last year when it downgraded the second upgrade to little more than a repeat of the first, a minor upgrade that included so few new features it was dubbed a "service pack." During 2019, there was really just the one feature upgrade worthy of the name, even though Microsoft went through the distribution process twice.

Earlier changes by Redmond, including the lengthening of support for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education customers, then Microsoft's abdication of control of when upgrades occur, put most customers on a once-a-year cadence. Microsoft would be smart to simplify Windows 10's maintenance by reducing the number of upgrades issued to the number customers are typically installing.

Which is one per year.

If Microsoft were looking for an opportunity to downshift to one feature upgrade annually, this is it. Even those who still hewed to the Windows-as-a-service concept and saw value in multiple upgrades each year would likely accept the news that 2020 would offer just a single feature upgrade. (Microsoft, as it has done in the past, could couch the move as temporary but make it permanent after the crisis subsides.)

Giving the decision positive spin, a sacrifice for the greater good, should be a snap for Microsoft's PR, enough perhaps to make many forget that Microsoft set great stock in a faster release tempo and explained the multiple yearly upgrades as necessary to keep pace with technology's changes.

Microsoft should think of it as a win-win.

But, but...what about support and deadlines?

True, Microsoft would have to massage the schedule if it postpones the launch of Windows 10 2004, no matter the reason for the delay.

Fortunately, that's as easily done as making an announcement, like the one last month when Microsoft added six months of support to the I-didn't-know-you-could-still-run-that version, Windows 10 1709.

Windows 10 1903, which according to analytics company AdDuplex accounted for 51% of all Windows 10 versions as of March 25, would be one Microsoft would have to modify. Normally, Microsoft would begin to replace 1903 on PCs running Windows 10 Home or unmanaged systems running Windows 10 Pro, with 2004 around the end of July or start of August. (Windows 10 1903 is currently scheduled to end support Dec. 8.) A 2004 launch set for anything beyond late June or early July would make that difficult or impossible. Instead, Microsoft would likely extend 1903's end-of-support, maybe by the same six months as 1709. (That would make 1903's support run until June 8, 2021, a month later than 1909's retirement of May 11. 2021. In this scenario, both 1903 and 1909 would be upgraded to 2004 by Microsoft early next year.)

On the other hand, if Microsoft took advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to scale back to an annual cadence, it would need to do more.

First, it should rename the feature upgrade to a more accurate four-digit number, like 2009, if it waits until September or October. By Microsoft's rules, 2009 (nee 2004) would receive 30 months of support on Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education. Assuming an October launch, the version would exit support in April 2023. That would be a problem, seeing as how there wouldn't be an upgrade released in the spring of 2023.

If Microsoft issues one upgrade annually, it would make sense to extend support to 36 months. As the following figure shows, enterprises would have to be fairly agile to run an every-two-years upgrade tempo when support ends at 30 months. Stretch support an additional six months, however, and companies would be able to upgrade on a two-year cycle and still take 12 months to test, pilot and deploy each version.

IDG/Gregg Keizer If Microsoft shifts to a single Windows 10 upgrade each year, it should also extend support for Enterprise and Education customers to 36 months. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Microsoft could stay stingy on Home and Pro, retaining the 18-month support span for those SKUs (stock-selling units), forcibly upgrading devices as the previous version neared retirement. Those systems would continue to be upgraded approximately every 12 months.

Next, Microsoft should spell out the new tempo and any associated changes necessary to make the every-12-month rhythm workable.
With the Wilma Theater on the right and Merriam and Academy of Music on left, South Broad Street Saturday night was uncharacteristically quiet and sparse as the coronavirus pandemic kept the city's arts venues dark. Read more

The William Penn Foundation is leading a group of donors to throw a lifeline to Philadelphias arts and culture sector.

Citing factors like the sudden disappearance of ticket revenue and cancellation of spring fund-raisers at many arts groups, William Penn and others have contributed to a newly created emergency fund to the tune of $3.4 million.

The money will go to organizations experiencing financial difficulties during the coronavirus crisis as well as individual artists who have seen their livelihoods evaporate.

Our hope is that the fund will help address the most immediate needs, said Janet Haas, chair of William Penns board of directors. Its an important moment to do this. These organizations are making decisions every day about staffing and how to survive. Creating a fund fairly early on will help them meet their needs and to have more planning and flexibility.

So far, most of the donors to the effort, called COVID-19 Arts Aid PHL, are local: William Penn is giving $2.5 million, with additional contributions from the Barra, Connelly, Independence, Lenfest, Victory, and Wyncote foundations, as well as one Philadelphia couple who have asked to remain anonymous.

 READ MORE: William Penn Foundation fast-tracks $6.6 million for the arts, adds $5 million for pre-K, loosens grant restrictions

We did reach out to all the local funders, said Haas.

The New York-based Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has also kicked in money, and its presence is considered an important imprimatur. That matters because organizers hope the fund will attract more donors.

Among other major philanthropies with a Philadelphia presence is the Pew Charitable Trusts, founded in Philadelphia but now maintaining the majority of its operations in Washington, D.C.

The group, which is not a participant in the COVID-19 Arts Aid PHL fund, is still examining how its philanthropic muscle might be applied to the crisis.

Pew is currently assessing how best to support Philadelphia, our current grantees, and others impacted by the immediate and longer-term effects of COVID-19, wrote a Pew spokesperson in an emailed statement she attributed to Frazierita Klasen, the Pew vice president in charge of the foundations local work. We are committed to helping Philadelphia, our hometown, as we navigate through these unprecedented times.

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is managing the process of awarding grants from the fund, and Philadelphias Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and Philadelphia Cultural Fund are partners in the effort. The money is aimed at small and mid-sized organizations  those with budgets up to $15 million. In addition, individual artists can apply for micro-grants of $500.

Midsize groups were chosen, GPCA president Maud Lyon said, because in the face of a crisis, small organizations can cut back their product and hunker down and often get through, and the largest organizations are very visible and get a lot of press. But the midsize groups, which includes most of our museums and larger theater and dance companies, are in the midsize range.

Those companies tend to have a fixed cost structure and sometimes operate buildings, but they dont have ready access to the major donors and funders the very largest organizations do, she said.

Arts groups in general, she said, operate on a very thin margin in the best of times and in recent years have increasingly relied on earned revenue, so this is hitting everybody immediately and hard. The arts and culture nonprofits have been thrown into severe financial straits.

The point of the fund isnt to replace all the revenue arts groups and artists have lost, but rather to provide critical support to groups that need it most in the next one to three months. It wont make them whole but will protect many that we would be in danger of losing if they dont get some major support, Lyon said.

Some other new arts funds of note

Over the past few weeks, a number of emergency funds have come together aimed at providing relief to cultural organizations and artists in the region.

The Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia, a service and educational organization, started a crowdfunding campaign April 1, which has raised about $8,000. The Greater Philadelphia Museum Workers Fund, run by the council, is largely aimed at employees who have been laid off or furloughed from area institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund is designed to provide small grants for basic necessities, like groceries. As of Monday, 67 grants of $50 had been made.

215 Festival and Blue Stoop PHL, two literary organizations, are sponsoring the Philadelphia Writers Emergency Fund, another crowdsourced effort, this one aimed at assisting writers, independent booksellers, and workers at independent presses with small, but critical assistance. The fund, set up in March, has raised $10,000 and is aiming, now, at $15,000.

The Andy Warhol Foundation and Temple Contemporary are in the process of establishing a local fund for visual artists with $100,000 from Warhol. The foundation ordinarily works with partners in 16 cities, including Philadelphia, and has devoted $1.6 million to create funds in all. The Temple Contemporary COVID-19 emergency fund should be up within a week or so, according to Robert Blackson, founding director of Temple Contemporary.

The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a private organization, has established a pop-up grant program to help organizations remain visible. Grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 will help establish podcasts, Zoom meetings, and otherwise work to address problems of social distancing. The program, which the council funded with $20,000 so far, is scheduled to close at the end of April, but may continue, depending on need, said Laurie Zierer, PHC executive director.

Other COVID-19 resources and emergency funding efforts have been gathered together on the city office of arts and culture website at creativephl.org/opportunities.

No particular monetary goal has been set for the new COVID-19 Arts Aid PHL fund, which organizers hope will also attract donations from corporations and individuals. A similar effort supported with $3 million by William Penn to support vulnerable populations, the PHL COVID-19 Fund, has now raised $12 million from more than 2,000 donors, a Philadelphia Foundation spokesperson said.

 READ MORE: To avert enormous deficit, Philadelphia Orchestra musicians take 20% pay cut as special fund-raising begins

William Penn, the largest foundation focused solely on Philadelphia and the region, has doled out more than $10 million in special funding in response to the coronavirus crisis. Haas said the additional payouts were possible, in part, because the rise in the foundations investments in the past several years increased its grant-making budget by $5 million this year.

She also noted the substantial ongoing support the foundation had made to arts and culture, and said that arts groups in the region make up a whole ecosystem that makes Philadelphia stand out.

 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.

Art speaks to all of us, to our spirits, and really uplifts us and brings wonder, Haas said. It makes it possible for us to move beyond ourselves. In dark times, arts matter especially.
Nurses at a Detroit hospital were instructed to leave their emergency room as it grappled with a surge in Covid-19 patients during the weekend, after they reportedly protested unsafe conditions and staged a work stoppage".

Sal Hadwan, an emergency room nurse at Sinai-Grace Hospital and one of the staff members who participated in the protest, described Sunday night as the breaking point for he and his colleagues in a livestream video posted to Facebook.

We cannot safely take care of your loved ones out here with just six, seven nurses and multiple [ventilators] and multiple people on drips. Its not right, he said. We had two nurses the other day who had 26 patients with 10 [ventilators].

Medical workers at the hospital confirmed the demonstration took place to CNN, saying they were told to leave the facilities that night if they refused to work in the emergency room, after four hours of deliberations with hospital administrators.

Several staff members who stopped working and were protesting in the break room then reportedly left the hospital.

Jason Barczy, a communications manager for Sinai-Grace Hospital, said administrators were disappointed after the group of nurses staged a work stoppage in the hospital refusing to care for patients in a statement.

Mr Barcy told CNN patients continued to receive the care they needed as other dedicated nurses stepped in amid the protest.

We know this is a very challenging time for caregivers, he added. Our doctors and nurses continue to demonstrate their commitment and dedication to our patients."

Michigan has quickly become one of the unfolding epicentres throughout the United States of the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly 20,000 confirmed cases as of Wednesday and at least 845 deaths. Officials say the true figures in each state are likely far higher due to a lack of nationwide testing for Covid-19.

In Wayne county, where at least 3,569 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, officials reportedly ordered at least four portable refrigeration units to make additional space for the dead. A county spokesperson said the region has added enough storage capacity

The surge of patients has led many hospital systems to reach or near their capacity, as state officials implement stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the spread by reducing the rate of transmissions of the novel virus.

Michigan Nurses Association President Jamie Brown said there was only so much a medical worker could do before a tipping point is reached where the best thing any [resident nurse] can do for their patients, their families and their coworkers is to speak out rather than remain silent in a statement to CNN.

Until hospitals start taking the concerns of nurses seriously, Mr Brown added, it's only a matter of time before more actions like these occur. It is absolutely essential that hospitals start working with nurses and stop silencing our voices.
CASTRO VALLEY, CA  An outbreak of COVID-19 caused by the coronavirus has been reported at at East Bay Post-Acute Center in Castro Valley, according to multiple reports.

At least 12 staff members and nine patients have tested positive for the virus, forcing the hospitalization of one patient.



Shane McCormack, Administrator of East Bay Post-Acute Center, told CBS-SF that all of the infected staff members are experiencing mild symptoms and are isolating at home. However, one of the patients is hospitalized because of the virus, while the other eight are being kept at the care center away from other patients.

Don't miss updates about coronavirus precautions as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.



The East Bay Post-Acute Center is at 20259 Lake Chabot Rd., Castro Valley.





Alameda Coutny health officials also confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward, according to CBS-SF and the Mercury-News, but the number of infected and their conditions is not immediately available.



Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center is at 26660 Patrick Ave., Hayward.







Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures











This article originally appeared on the Castro Valley Patch
14 dogs and six electric guns were found in the back of a car after Binh Duong police stopped two men Tuesday morning.

Nguyen Van Ha, 33, and Nguyen Duy Khanh, 32, were caught at around 2 a.m. by police officers patrolling the streets around Phu An Ward, Ben Cat Town in the southern province of Binh Duong.

Two men are arrested in Binh Duong Province with 14 stolen dogs found in their car (pictured) April 7, 2020. Photo by VOV.

The officers saw that one of the duo was driving the car and the other using electric guns to shoot dogs on the street.

The police followed the car and stopped it, whereupon one of the thieves tried to flee into a rubber plantation nearby. He was caught, however. The police found 14 dogs and six electric guns in the back of the car. The two men are being investigated for "stealing property," a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail, local media reported.

Dog theft is not uncommon in Vietnam, where an estimated five million dogs are consumed a year, second only to China's 20 million. But it is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam. Only when the stolen animals are valued at more than VND2 million ($86) is it dealt with as a crime under current laws.

Many dogs that make it to the cooking pot are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs.
Ahead of the Easter weekend and in advance of the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases, doctors across Northern Ireland are urging the population to continue to observe guidelines around social distancing and essential journeys.

Dr Tom Black, chair of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland, said: We know that everyone is missing seeing and socialising with their families and friends during this time. And particularly at Easter when normally people would be able to visit family, take day trips together or enjoy an Easter Sunday lunch.

However, we must all continue to work together to stop the spread of coronavirus and make sure our health system is able to manage and treat patients who become very unwell. Thats why I am appealing to the public not to visit family unnecessarily or see friends for the next few weeks until we have passed the peak of the outbreak.

Dr Anne Carson, chair of the BMA NI consultants committee, added: Doctors right across Northern Ireland from the most junior doctor to the most experienced consultant will be working right over Easter to care for patients, not only those with COVID-19 but with other illnesses as well.

Every day I am hearing about health staff right across Northern Ireland who are working unbelievably hard and giving up time with their own families to make sure our hospitals and GP surgeries are staffed and ready to care for patients.

Please help us to help your families by staying at home. Celebrate with just those in your own household. If you are out for a walk or cycle, observe social distancing. If you or someone in your family show symptoms, isolate for 14 days.

This situation will not go on for ever, and we all look forward to the day when we can see our families again.
A father and son have survived a harrowing night stuck on a sandbank in a crocodile-infested river after their boat was disabled by one of the reptiles.

Mark Casey, his son Andrew, 14, and pub cook Diego Pianalto were left stranded after a trip along the Daly River, 144 km south-west of Darwin, on March 31.

The group were trapped on the river overnight, 40km from where they had began their journey, after a crocodile knocked their engine from their tinny and lunged at them as they tried to row to safety.

Mark Casey (left), his son Andrew, 14, and pub cook Diego Pianalto (right) were left stranded after a trip along the Daly River, 144 km south-west of Darwin, on March 31 after a crocodile repeatedly attacked their boat

The trio had began to use makeshift oars in a desperate attempt to paddle home when the crocodile appeared again.

Mr Casey said his son was paddling with his hand inside the boat when there was a bang on the side of the vessel and he jumped up yelling 'croc!'.

The crocodile leaped out of the water and tried to get into the boat, inches from the teenager, pushing the tinny out of the water and leaving teeth marks on the side.

Mr Pianalto told Daily Mail Australia he wasn't sure how big the crocodile was.

'We didn't see how big was the croc, we saw just the shadow,' he said.

Mr Casey and his son made makeshift oars using branches from trees along the river bank

'I think it was a really big one cause the boat jumped few centimetres [out of the water] and the signs of the teeth on the boat was deep enough.'

But the group were certain they would be found after informing Mr Pianalto's boss of their trip when they borrowed the pub's boat.

They took refuge on a sandbar and Mr Casey kept an eye out for the crocodile while his son and Mr Pianalto tried to get some sleep.

'I wasn't able to sleep all the night due to mosquitoes and some adrenaline but the sky was amazing that night,' he said.

They were stuck there between 10pm and 7.30am the next day with only a small sandwich each to fill their stomachs.

At one point they heard the police approaching them but, at less than half a kilometre away, the boat was forced to turn back as the tide was too low.

The trio had gone on a fishing trip on the Daly River when a crocodile knocked the engine off their boat

Mr Pianalto used the opportunity to take pictures along the sandbank, where they were stuck between 10pm and 7.30am the next day

Mr Pianalto said he was feeling terrified as it was his first time stuck in a situation like that.

'[Being stuck in] a river with crocodiles, especially at night, was bad as we didn't have any torches,' he said.

'But at the same time I felt safe with the locals, who of course understand the situation.

'Mark knew what to do in every situation, so I just trusted him and follow his instructions.'

The group eventually fell asleep before waking up covered in mosquito bites.

They managed to take the boat two kilometres down the river, where they were rescued by police.

No one in the group required medical attention.
Amid California's coronavirus lockdown, Emma Roberts stepped out of quarantine in a protective face mask, while visiting a medical center in Los Angeles.

While the American Horror Story star has not publicly spoke of experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, she dressed with an abundance of caution for her outing.

The 29-year-old actress kept her blonde tresses pulled back and wrapped a black and white scarf around her neck on Tuesday.

Careful: Amid California's coronavirus pandemic, Emma Roberts stepped out of quarantine in a protective face mask, while visiting a medical center in Los Angeles

The beauty accessorized her laid-back look, which included a cashmere sweater and charcoal slacks with a pair of lively leopard loafers. Keeping hydrated, she carried a tall Fiji water with her.

Emma seemed in good spirits as she encouraged others to pick up a good book earlier in the day.

'BOOK OF THE MONTH #writersandlovers by @lilybooks,' she captioned her latest recommendation with a series of photos on Instagram.

Essential errands only: While the American Horror Story star has not publicly spoke of experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, she dressed with an abundance of caution for her outing

The book worm, who is the co-founder of literary recommendations site Belletrist, posed on the ground in a fitting dress with the new novel from the bestselling author of Euphoria.

'So excited to read along with you guys and discuss!' she captioned the pictures.

Most recently Roberts played the role of Brooke Thompson in the latest in America Horror Story anthology series, dubbed 1984.

Book worm: Roberts is also the co-founder of literary recommendations site Belletrist

She also starred in the horror-thriller film The Hunt that had its September 2019 premiere date delayed due to the mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso.

It eventually made its theatrical release in March but that was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak which resulted in the widespread closing of movie theaters.

The release of her upcoming romantic comedy film The Holidate is also now in limbo due to the pandemic.
A decision on whether the State exams will go ahead is due in the coming days.

It's understood that the main priority of Education Minister Joe McHugh is that the Leaving Certificate should sit as normal, but the decision will ultimately rest on the advice of the National Public Health Emergency team.

The focus is on the main exam period from June 3 to 23.

Speaking at the morning health briefing, Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Taoiseach, Liz Canavan said the minister is encouraging students to continue to study as normal.

"Government is focused on holding both sets of state exams, the Junior and Leaving Certs," she said.

"The minister has also said that he would prefer to see students get at least two weeks class time in school before they have to sit any exams.

"We know that students and their families need clarity on this, and we know that you're feeling a lot of pressure.

"We're asking you to keep studying, and to keep focused, we are working on providing you with answers in relation to the exams, as soon as possible."

Contingency plans in the absence of normal exams are under consideration and all decisions will be based on the public health advice on what happens in relation to current restrictions.

The national public health emergency team are to meet at the end of this week, and the Minister hopes to provide clarity on both exams in the coming days.

Ms Canavan also highlighted that for the annual planning to arrange school transport for the upcoming year, the closing date for school transport applications is Friday, April 24.

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Joint solution combines cutting-edge application and data security to protect global healthcare, government and private-sector organizations during crucial time

Virsec, the industry leader in protecting critical applications during runtime, announced it has partnered with CyVolve, a next-generation provider of data security, to ensure constant encryption and AI-driven pervasive control of an organization's data across platforms. Through the partnership, the companies will provide advanced security solutions for major healthcare organizations and other industry leaders throughout Europe, the US and Middle East.

The joint solution will protect organizations from a wave of advanced cyberattacks that bypass conventional security, exploit application vulnerabilities, and compromise sensitive data. By combining cutting-edge application security from Virsec with pervasive data protection from CyVolve, the solution will provide comprehensive security for regulated industries managing sensitive and private data. The combined solution will be showcased initially at the CyVolve briefing center in Newcastle, UK and demonstrated for healthcare, government and private-sector organizations throughout the region.

"With today's global disruption spawning new cyberattacks, it's critical that organizations are vigilant to protect mission-critical applications and private data," said Helder F. Antunes, CEO at CyVolve. "We are pleased to partner with Virsec to deliver comprehensive protection for healthcare applications and data."

"Companies around the world need complete and seamless protection for critical applications and sensitive data," said Bobby Gupta, managing director for international business at Virsec. "Combining our best-in-class technologies will deliver compelling solutions for healthcare, major government and private organizations globally, and it couldn't come at a more critical time."

"Virsec's breakthrough runtime application protection is the perfect complement to CyVolve's centralized data control across disparate platforms and domains," said Ray DeMeo, senior vice president of public sector business at Virsec. "Together, we are well positioned to serve a clear cybersecurity need in the public sector."

About Virsec

Based in San Jose, California, Virsec was founded on the belief that a new model is required to counter today's advanced cyber threats. The company is led by industry veterans who have driven one of the world's top processor teams, and created innovative technology in network security, embedded systems and real-time memory protection. Virsec's team has broad leadership experience at multiple leading cybersecurity and technology companies, and a long list of high-growth startups. More information is available at www.virsec.com.

About CyVolve

Headquartered in Vienna, VA, CyVolve is a forward-thinking data security provider which bases its solutions in constantly evolving technology. The firm's data management operating system, known as CyOS, uses a blend of hierarchical encryption and deep AI analytics to provide persistent data security across varied platforms, domains, clouds, and disparate technologies from legacy systems to chip-level hardware and IoT. Fully compliant to HIPAA and GDPR regulations, CyVolve's CyOS system is used by healthcare firms, financial institutions, and government agencies across the globe.CyVolve empowers organizations to protect, share, and manage their valuable data with the confidence that they will remain in total control of that data at all times. More information is available at www.cyvolve.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005158/en/

Contacts:

Ryan Schin

rschin@matternow.com
[April 08, 2020] DIVERSITY in Ed Supports Teachers and Schools with Virtual Teacher Recruitment Fair on April 15, 2020

HOUSTON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DIVERSITY in Ed Magazine & Online Service will host their 5th annual Virtual Teacher Recruitment Fair for teachers from 11am-5pm CST. DIVERSITY in Ed also extends heartfelt support to the community of educators, administrators, students, and parents all affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. All staff will be working remotely during this time to observe and support "social distancing" and are available to school partners and job seekers during normal business hours. A tried-and-true approach to national teacher recruitment, DIVERSITY in Ed is proud to continue offering digital solutions to support educators and administrators in schools across the country who are looking to move forward with hiring during an uncertain time. Already, 85 school districts from 28 sates have registered, and additional schools may register online at https://diversityrecruitmentexpo.vfairs.com by the deadline of April 10th.



The event offers a unique opportunity for job-seeking teacher candidates of diverse and bilingual backgrounds to connect with hiring representatives real-time in a live virtual setting. The virtual career fair is an innovative and efficient platform that will create a great experience that will lead to more connections and ultimately more hires for those who attend. Admission is free to all job-seekers. In addition to its annual virtual job fair event, DIVERSITY in Ed features a year-round job board where candidates and schools can create profiles to connect. Says Trina Edwards, DIVERSITY in Ed Publisher, "Now more than ever, we are committed to advocating teachers, job seekers, and school administrators to find excellent candidates of diverse backgrounds who can rise to the occasion and support students during a challenging time. We need candidates to be proactive by registering and attending this free recruitment event."

For more information on DIVERSITY in Ed's Virtual Teacher Recruitment Fair, or to register to attend, please visit https://diversityrecruitmentexpo.vfairs.com or contact 281-265-2473. Contact: Trina Edwards

DIVERSITY in Ed

(281) 265-2473

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diversity-in-ed-supports-teachers-and-schools-with-virtual-teacher-recruitment-fair-on-april-15-2020-301037756.html SOURCE DIVERSITY in Ed

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T he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have praised NHS staff and other key workers for doing an "amazing job" as they met some of their children during a virtual school visit.

William and Kate carried out their first royal tour via video call, speaking to pupils and teachers from a primary school in Burnley to learn how they are coping during the coronavirus pandemic.

With Easter days away, some of the children wore bunny ears for the visit, the duchess was given a virtual posey and William was left stumped by an inquisitive youngster's question.

The couple "visited" Casterton Primary Academy, close to Burnley General Hospital, which has remained open to teach children of key workers and other vulnerable youngsters.

William and Kate speak to staff at the school as part of their first virtual royal visit / PA

Kate told the children and teachers: "To you and everyone who is in during this time, it must be such a relief for all the parents who are key workers to know that their children have the normality and structure and they've got a safe place for them to be.

"So really, really well done and for all of you, I know it's not easy circumstances, but it's fantastic."

A teacher replied: "Thank you so much. I think everyone is just pleased to be able to help."

William added: "Good northern volunteering spirit going on up there, very good of you!"

There was a lighter moment when one of the children asked the future king: "The first William was William the Conqueror. What do you want to be called?"

The duke laughed before bashfully swerving the question, saying: "I don't think I can answer that."

When the youngsters showed off their self-made bunny ears, William laughed, saying: "I like your bunny ears, they look like the real deal - that's a strong look!"

The couple spent an hour speaking to children - who held up pictures of their parents - including 10-year-old Harris, whose mother is still working as an NHS administrator for health visitors, and Lloyd, nine, whose mother is employed at a special needs school.

Kate began the introductions, saying: "What are your names? Very nice to meet you. I'm Catherine and this is William next to me," before asking them if they were holding up pictures of their "mummies and daddies".

Harris replied: "This is a picture of my mum and she works for the NHS as an admin for the health visitors and I'm really proud of her."

Kate and William visit UK 111 call centre staff amid coronavirus outbreak

Impressed with the artwork, the duke, 37, replied: "Well done you! Can you hold it up a bit to your left so we can see it - that's it, brilliant! Look at that, that's a great picture, well done."

Kate said: "Ah, great photo - well done, it's brilliant. I agree you should be very proud of her, they're doing an amazing job all the NHS workers, so well done you."

Another pupil said their father was a packer in a bakery, and the duke replied: "That's a very important job too, keeping everyone well fed."

During the virtual visit, 18 children were rotated in front of the camera in groups due to social distancing.

The school has also remained open as a hub for five local academies that are all part of the Pendle Education Trust.

Several children also showed The duke and duchess portraits of their key worker parents and explained why they were proud of them.

On the call William and Kate heard about the difficulties that schools, staff and children are facing, as well as the measures being taken to help pupils and their families, including food deliveries and mental health provision.

The couple also spoke with staff from mental health charity Place2Be, which has worked with schools in the Pendle Education Trust for 10 years, supporting the emotional wellbeing of children, parents and staff.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

The charity continues to support school communities across the UK at this challenging time, adapting its usual model of school-based support by providing phone check ins for young people and parents of younger children where pupils are not in school.
CSS and Forsway are partnering in Mauritania to deliver affordable broadband in West Africa.

Tapping CSS local expertise, Arabsats Xtend Africa managed service, and Forsways unique satellite broadband extension, the partners came together to provide emerging economies in Africa with access to affordable satellite internet services and opportunities aimed at help build a productive economy, business, education and access to health services and information.

CSS CEO and founder Houssein Cherif commented: We have been trialing the Xtend Africa managed service from Arabsat/Forsway during a first assessment phase. The results, boosting poorly performing mobile and VSAT links in an affordable and dynamic way, are very promising. Therefore, despite the uncertain times we live in, we committed to investing in additional equipment and expand our West African service offering. Now, more than ever, affordable broadband can make a difference in our local markets.

Tobias Forsell, CEO of Forsway, added: We have teamed up with Arabsat who, using our Xtend satellite extension platform and BADR-7, provide managed, pan-African broadband services to local and regional communications service providers like CSS. With people restricted in their mobility, affordable broadband is more critical than ever. With over 3 billion people lacking reliable internet access, Forsway is working hard to do our part in making connectivity accessible to all.
Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow speaks to reporters inside the Brady Press Briefing room at the White House in Washington on Feb. 13, 2020. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)

The Day After: What Does Post-CCP Virus US Economy Look Like?

How will President Trump and Congress put the economy back together again?

Commentary

Some experts predict the peak of the pandemic will hit later this month, and then therell be a steady decline in cases and deaths in the months thereafter. At some point later this year, hopefully, as many are predicting, the pandemic will be fully behind us.

But what will happen the day after the pandemic is officially over?

Thankfully, plans to open the economy are already in motion. According to economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, the target date is four-to-eight weeks from now.

That sounds like a reasonable estimate. As of March 23, 2020, for example, Gates Foundation founder Bill Gates figured we could get back to normal in about six to 10 weeks, if we do everything right. Even if both estimates are off by a few weeks, it would be fantastic.

But as far as the near future is concerned, it still looks like an economic disaster lies before us.

Is the U.S. Government the Answer?

And even though the Trump administrations first salvo of federal aid has been approved, a $2.4 trillion-dollar relief package, it has yet to materialize in the economy. Even the programs $350 billion paycheck protection program has yet to reach small business owners, the backbone of the U.S. economy.

The longer the delay, the greater the impact of the economic lockdown.

Although additional multi-trillion-dollar aid packages have been mentioned as well, and will likely be proposed by Congress later in the year, those, too, may not be in time to stem the tide of the recession- or even depression-level trends.

Will Economy Crash 30 PercentOr Rebound?

The delay in getting liquidity into the right areas of the economy is a big part of the challenge. Thats not to say that the massive money printing by the Federal Reserve is the way our economy is intended to operate, because its not. But thats where we are, and where we have been since at least 2008.

Pretending that thats not the case isnt acknowledging reality.

But again, the longer it takes to get the economy working again, the worse the economy will be going forward. The resultant recession or depression could last at least for the next year or so, but potentially much longer.

In fact, economist Stephen Moore said that we could be facing a potential Great Depression scenario if the economy is not up and running by the beginning of May. But hes not the only economist with dire forecasts for what may lie ahead of us.

Former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke said that the U.S. economy could shrink by 30 percent in the second quarter alone. Similarly, the current Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis president has predicted a 30 percent unemployment rate this year.

Thats a worse scenario than the Great Depression.

What Jobs Will Be Lost?

Over just the past two weeks or so, 10 million Americans have lost their jobs. Even if the pandemic ended today, many of those jobs wouldnt come back soon, if they came back at all. There are several reasons for this.

Employers who have either remained open or have just closed their doors have suffered significant financial losses. Theyre operating, or will if they re-open, with fewer workers. That will last for months if not a year or more. For the time being, the days of 3 percent unemployment are behind us.

Whats more, the post-pandemic economy will look different to how it did before. Remote working may become a fixture for many industries. Gig workers may become an even larger part of the economy, while housing-related jobs may see a plunge in employment.

Will the Housing Market Recover?

In the first two months of 2020, the housing market was healthy. But by the week ending March 28, the number of newly listed properties fell by 34 percent year-over-year. Sellers just arent listing houses, and buyers arent eager to tour them during this pandemic.

Not surprisingly, the number of mortgage applications has dropped off as well, by 24 percent year-over-year.

Consumer confidence and a healthy labor market are major drivers of the housing market. Unfortunately, neither are present, nor look to be, in the coming months. The 2020 housing market will likely get worse going forward.

Federal Aid for Homeowners

That said, the federal government has put protections in place, including a 90-day moratorium for loans issued under Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac programs. The aim is to prevent Americans from losing their homes to foreclosure the way they did in the financial crisis of 20082009.

But with so many Americans potentially out of work for months going forward, there will be a reckoning in the housing market. Mortgage protections cant last forever. Furthermore, high unemployment and lower incomes will likely persist much longer, since hiring in a recession is a slow process.

From that perspective, its difficult to see where the home buyers would be coming from to keep the market on an upward trend. Of course, as the number of buyers falls, demand falls, and so do prices. We dont know how big of a market price adjustment that may trigger.

Some Jobs Will Return Faster Than Others

With the economy likely in an official recession by the end of June, employee salaries, many of which have already been reduced, may be slow to return to their prior levels. Some jobs, like the gig economy, that includes ridesharing, deliveries, and other service-oriented jobs, may return quicker.

But it may be some time before higher-paying jobs return in pre-pandemic numbers. Middle management jobs may remain fewer, as corporations will likely be running on leaner budgets, at least at first. And, as noted above, the housing industry, including construction and finance, may remain below pre-pandemic levels.

On the upside, the repatriation of supply chains from China is a high priority for the Trump administration. The initial focus is on the medical supply and pharmaceutical industries, as well as other strategic industries, such as rare earth metals, may come next. Its estimated that up to 1.1 million jobs in the medical supply business alone will be created in the United States, adding $254 billion to the economy.

How quickly the U.S. economy recovers, whatever such a recovery may look like, may well depend on how quickly the repatriation efforts, as well as the relief programs, begin.

James Gorrie is a writer and speaker based in Southern California. He is the author of The China Crisis.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
[April 08, 2020] MSCI Will Postpone the Implementation Date of the MSCI Kuwait Indexes Reclassification

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of research-based indexes and analytics, announced today that it will postpone the implementation of the reclassification of the MSCI Kuwait Indexes to Emerging Markets until the November 2020 Semi-Annual Index Review (SAIR). While the Kuwaiti equity market remains functional the decision to postpone is related to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the ability of international institutional investors to fully perform all the preparation work required ahead of the implementation. MSCI would like to emphasize that the MSCI Kuwait Indexes continue to meet all the necessary criteria for a classification in Emerging Markets but temporary measures that have been introduced globally by different authorities, corporations and institutional investors which aim to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic may result in significant operational challenges around the required preparation to implement the index reclassification as part of the May 2020 SAIR. Market participants have recently highlighted that they were experiencing difficulties as a result of COVID-19 measures in the process of opening accounts required to trade Kuwaiti stocks. Hence, there is an increasing concern that these investors will not have their accounts open in time and will not be able to implement the reclassification during the May 2020 SAIR. Given these challenges and the ongoing uncertainty that has been created by the COVID-19 pandemic, MSCI decided to extend the lead time ahead of the implementation of the reclassification of the MSCI Kuwait Indexes from Frontier Markets to Emerging Markets. MSCI deems this postponement necessary to ensure a smooth reclassification implementation for both international institutional investors and local stakeholders. As a reminder, on January 31, 2020, MSCI announced the launch of the MSCI Provisional Kuwait Indexes and the details of the Special Treatment to the MSCI Kuwait Indexes. MSCI will also extend the calculation of the MSCI Provisional Kuwait Indexes and the application of the Special Treatment until the November 2020 SAIR. MSCI has updated the GIMI Methodology available at https://www.msci.com/index-methodology and the Q&A document available at https://www.msci.com/market-classification to reflect the postponement of the implementation of the MSCI Kuwait Indexes reclassification. About MSCI MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 45 years of expertise in research, data and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process. To learn more, please visit www.msci.com. This document and all of the information contained in it, including without limitation all text, data, graphs, charts (collectively, the "Information") is the property of MSCI Inc. or its subsidiaries (collectively, "MSCI"), or MSCI's licensors, direct or indirect suppliers or any third party involved in making or compiling any Information (collectively, with MSCI, the "Information Providers") and is provided for informational purposes only. The Information may not be modified, reverse-engineered, reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior writen permission from MSCI.



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Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has covered statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
COVID-19 has been a bit of a non-event so far at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls. With just 22 confirmed cases in all of Klamath County, Sky Lakes hasnt had more than two COVID-19 patients at a time.

The predicted public health crisis has instead morphed into a financial crisis for Sky Lakes and many of its peer hospitals in small-town Oregon. Between the ban on elective surgeries and the states stay home order, some rural hospitals revenue has plummeted 60%.

All the while were trying to retain a full staff to be ready for COVID-19, said Paul Stewart, Sky Lakes CEO. The result for us is a $5 million-a-month hit.

Oregon hospitals went to Gov. Kate Brown this week seeking $200 million in public assistance to see them through their financial squeeze.

While we are doing all we can to maintain the necessary workforce to serve our communities, hospitals cannot weather this storm without direct financial support, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems said in an April 6 letter to the Governor.

Lori Coyner, of the Oregon Health Authority, said many smaller hospitals were living near the edge even before COVID.

The hospitals I talked to say they can make it until June, Coyner said. It does involve having to make cuts. I talked to one hospital that eliminated its cafeteria. Some are laying off employees.

For its part, the governors office isnt saying much.

We are in the process of reviewing, but dont have any decisions to report today, Brown spokeswoman Liz Merah said Tuesday.

The hospitals may be fighting an uphill battle. The economys descent into sudden recession will cut deeply into tax revenue and reduce discretionary spending. Hospitals will have to join schools and other public services, and many other private industries, seeking assistance.

The state has already made some moves to help shore up the hospitals. Last month, Oregon directed the network of coordinated care organizations, which oversee Medicaid funding in Oregon, to move up payments of funds owed to hospitals from June to March.

In addition, the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Congress approved last month includes $100 billion for a hospital stabilization fund. Little is known at this point how the $100 billion will be allocated. It is equal to $106,000 for every hospital bed in the country.

Its hard to overstate the significance of Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls and in southern Oregon. It is the only full-service hospital within a 75-mile radius. It is the largest private employer in Klamath County, with more than 1,500 on the payroll.

It earned $16.6 million on total patient revenue of $626.6 million in 2018, according to the most recent data available.

When the call came, Sky Lakes fought to get prepared for the COVID-19 surge.

It agreed to eliminate elective surgery in order to devote more resources to virus.

It scrambled to find adequate personal protective equipment for its caregivers and remains short on key items like N-95 respirators.

It opened a testing site in one of its parking lots. It erected two military-style tents near its emergency room, doubling its capacity.

Sky Lakes even identified 250 support staffers who could be trained to support the frontline caregivers.

And now they waitand wait.

In the meantime, the hospital is largely empty. Outpatient volume is down 80% and inpatient volume has declined 60%, said Sky Lakes spokesman Tom Hottman.

Not only are the hip replacements and other elective surgeries gone, even the emergency department is abnormally quiet. The stay-home decree has led to fewer recreational injuries, said Becky Hultberg, president and CEO of the hospital trade association. And even those who do hurt themselves often choose to gut it out rather than risk a visit to the emergency room during a pandemic.

The abnormally quiet wards at Sky Lakes equates to losses of $5 million a month, Hottman said.

Elsewhere in Oregon, hospitals are cutting back. Sky Lakes has refrained from wholesale layoffs. But it is asking employees to take time off.

Hottman acknowledged that financial help at this point to hospitals may be hard to accept for others whose businesses and livelihoods were eliminated by executive fiat. On the other hand, he said, everyone needs a functioning hospital, particularly now.

All businesses are hemorrhaging, he said. But do you really want those that you depend on most to go down?

Jeff Manning

503-294-7606

971-263-5164

jmanning@oregonian.com
How fair is it to future generations to waste the nations resources?

Thats a question that came up recently as former President Teddy Roosevelts words spoken more than 100 years ago flew on the wind during a hike on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Students from an environmental literature class at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse quoted Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold and other authors while leading a walk on the refuges restored prairie.

Heres what Roosevelt said at the dedication of the John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie, Kansas, on Aug. 31, 1910: We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation.

The hike was part of the La Crosse areas annual celebration of Aldo Leopold, Wisconsins great ecologist. Leopolds first job was with the U.S. Forest Service, which was created by Roosevelt along with his astonishing record of protecting millions of acres of land, including the first national wildlife refuge, five national parks and the first 18 national monuments.

As I reflected on Roosevelts words while we hiked to the overlook of Lake Onalaska, I thought how much greater Roosevelts great legacy of protected land would have been if our nation would have harkened to his conclusion in that Osawatomie speech:

I recognize, he said, the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.

Rob them, we have, by virtually any measure as we learn almost daily the failure to protect the environmental interests of those who will follow us, leaving them with polluted waters, degraded farmlands, diminished water supplies, a legacy of forever chemical residue, toxic mine tailings and a shortened timeline for offsetting and stopping the carbon emissions that have brought on the global warming that threatens us.

One of the striking examples of this neglect is the same pattern of political behavior that has been exposed by the federal governments politically twisted response to COVID-19. That is the dismissal of warnings from scientists, a failure to act timely on their advice.

Years ago, scientists warned us to prepare for just such a virus pandemic as COVID-19. We didnt. Instead, when the evidence of the outbreak began to appear, our leaders, including our president, downplayed the risk and were slow to respond.

Now comes the report of another warning that is being neglected  the repeated assessments by the Defense Department that climate change impacts need to be addressed in defense planning.

A recent article in Forbes magazine says that seven defense installations responsible for almost the entirety of the nations nuclear arsenal will be increasingly threatened by extreme weather events linked to climate change.

The author, Matt Korda, a research associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, had cited the flooding at Offutt Air Force Base last year as an example of a risk that was known, but not acted on.

According to a 2019 Pentagon report, all of these facilities are currently affected by some combination of flooding, drought, desertification and wildfires, and the devastation will only increase in the years to come, Korda wrote. Yet Pentagon budgets do not include a response to the warnings, he added.

The neglect of science and policy advice across a broad spectrum of government  whether public health, international diplomacy or the environment  amounts to wasting the education, experience and dedication of public servants who serve the need for informed decision-making in a democracy.

To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, what will happen when our valued public servants and scientists are gone, driven from our public decision-making by the demeaning and neglect of their advice and functions? We need them and the role they play in our decision-making.

To lose their expertise is waste of a national resource just as surely as draining an aquifer or polluting a river.

Dave Skoloda is a longtime journalist who resides in La Crosse.

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Businesses have been urged to find at least 6.5billion for the development of tests, treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus.

The Wellcome Trust health charity wants to raise the cash by the end of April to fund 'the world's best exit strategy' to protect jobs and save lives.

It comes after a study by Bloomberg Economics found the pandemic could cost businesses 2.2trillion in output  as much as the entire UK's GDP  if it is prolonged.

The Wellcome Trust health charity wants to raise 6.5bn by the end of this month and use it to fund research into ways to fight the pandemic

Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: 'We need a way out as fast as possible.

Drugs, vaccines and rapid diagnostics are the only way we have of saving lives, bringing this to an end and preventing it reappearing.

'This is the only exit strategy. We want business leaders to give a small proportion of the money they are dedicating to coping with this crisis.'

Without proper funding of research and development, the virus could plague the world for 'months, if not years,' he added.

The 6.5billion is the amount needed to meet a gap in funding efforts to combat the pandemic, according to the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.
Every citizen should understand what the specific risks might be to their individual communities, said Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.

One of the most basic precautions is to make sure you can move when you need to. If your gas gauge is in the red, you wont be going far. Try to make sure your vehicle has at least half a tank of fuel at all times. And, familiarize yourself with the evacuation routes around your community. Theyre typically available on state emergency services websites, like this one for Florida.

Understand the Lastest News on Climate Change Card 1 of 3 Global temperatures. 2021 was Earths fifth hottest year on record, European scientists announced. The finding fits a clear warming trend: The seven hottest years on record have been the past seven. U.S. emissions bounce back. After a record 10 percent decline in 2020, Americas greenhouse gas emissions rose 6.2 percent in 2021 as the economy began recovering from the pandemic. The uptick underscored the challenges President Biden faces to fulfill his climate agenda. Sounding the alarm. A report on the state of the Arctic highlights troubling and consistent trends in the region that are linked to global warming. Researchers are also growing increasingly concerned about Antarctica, where ice shelves are melting and wilder winds are altering crucial currents.





Next, make sure you can quickly grab the things youll need, like important documents and medication. Crucial papers include identification, insurance information and the deed to your home. If you take medication, maintain your supply.

Studies have shown that when you have a wildfire you definitely get an increase in asthma, pneumonia, COPD exacerbations, acute bronchitis, said Dr. Mary Prunicki, the director of air pollution and health research at Stanford Universitys center for allergy and asthma research. That makes it especially important to keep enough medication on hand if you have a condition like asthma.

Its also a good idea to have basic emergency supplies in your car if you live in a danger zone. They should include water, nonperishable food and a flashlight. The American Red Cross has more detailed guidelines on its website. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends stocking your kit with enough food and water for three days.

If you have pets, youll need food and water for them, too.

There are also home maintenance precautions you can take, depending on the risks in your area. If you live in a wildfire zone, clear the area within 30 feet of your house of brush and debris that could ignite and accelerate a fire. If youre in a hurricane zone, now is a good time to unclog your rain gutters.

No matter where you live, for homes that have gas, you should know where the valves are and how to shut them off.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he didn't know anything about long lines of voters in Wisconsin primary, complained Democrats only wanted to cancel the election after he endorsed a Republican candidate and then touted an unproven conspiracy theory about mail-in voting.

'I don't know anything about their lines,' the president said of Wisconsin, where voters were forced to choose between their health and casting their ballot. Because limited numbers of polling places were open, most voters stood in line for hours and the recommended social distancing was hard to enforce.

He said the long lines and concern about keeping six feet apart - guidelines from his administration - was Governor Tony Evers problem.

'You have a Democrat in Wisconsin as governor. Ask him. That's his problem. He should be doing it. Again, some governors fail. I won't let them fail because when they fail, I'll help. That's run by Democrats right now. It's run by Democrats,' Trump said. He won Wisconsin in the 2016 election.

President Donald Trump said the long voting lines in Wisconsin were the Democratic governor's problem

People check in to vote at a polling place in Wisconsin and attempt to stay within social distancing guidelines

Democrats tried to extend mail-in voting and even postpone the primary election but were blocked by Republicans in court on two occasions.

The president, meanwhile, complained 'all hell broke loose' after he endorsed Judge Daniel Kelly.

'Wisconsin, get out and vote NOW for Justice Daniel Kelly. Protect your 2nd Amendment!,' he tweeted Tuesday morning.

'Ask how come it was okay to do this until I endorsed a candidate,' Trump said. 'As soon as I endorsed him, these lines are formed and I hear the lines are through the roof. Hopefully they are going to vote for the right candidate.'

He also pushed an unproven theory that mail-in ballots, which Democrats had advocated for so people could stay home yes still vote, could be tampered with.

'Mail ballots cheat. People cheat. Mail ballots are very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters. They collect them. They are fraudulent in many cases. You've got to vote. They should have voter I.D.,' the president said.

Trump himself voted by mail in the 2020 Republican primary in Florida.

He said he did it 'because I'm allowed to.'

The conservative Heritage Foundation found only eight cases of voter fraud in Wisconsin in the past five years. The most recent case was in 2017.

In it, Troy Schiller pleaded guilty to voting twice in the 2016 primary election, once in his hometown of Dexter, and once in nearby Pittsville, because he 'got wrapped up in too much talk radio.'

Wisconsin voters braved a chaotic  and potentially life-threatening  march to the polls Tuesday after a bitter partisan clash resulted in in-person voting as scheduled with no extension of absentee voting despite the pandemic.

'Welcome to the S*** Show!' wrote the state's lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling to allow more time for voters to send in absentee ballots.

State voters faced long lines up at polling places, spaced with several feet between them seeking to avoid transmission of the coronavirus, amid warnings from Democrats and some election officials that voting should be delayed.

Voting in 2020: Neither voter nor election official was taking any risks at the Riverside University High School in Milwaukee

No uncertain message: Donald Trump put aside urging people to stay at home with this tweet

People vote at Riverside High School for Wisconsin's primary election Tuesday April 7, 2020, in Milwaukee. Republicans blocked the Democratic governor's effort to delay the election and extend absentee voting

Stay safe: Poll workers were given protective gear to deal with voters

Start the day: City of Oconomowoc poll worker Abbie Carpenter sanitized a voting booth inside the former Kmart building before voters arrived

Social distance: In Hudson, Wisconsin, voters were careful to stay six feet apart - with poll workers putting traffic cones as indicators

High price for democracy: People stood in line to vote in Milwaukee after an election the governor had tried to stop

Curbside voting: In Sun Prairie, officials organized curbside voting to let people stay in their cars to minimize contact

Inside the polls: At a polling place in Sun Prairie, voters and workers were separated by Plexiglas

Thanks to heroes: Poll workers got a thank-you in Milwaukee

Should be safe: The shortage of masks prompted this response in Milwaukee

Many wore face masks as they waited to cast their ballots in a state that has featured bitter partisan divisions. Thousands of poll workers, many of them elderly, dropped out citing concern for their own safety. National Guard members helped fill the breech.

The election took place even though Wisconsin, like most U.S. states, has imposed a stay-at-home order on its residents. In Milwaukee, there were just five polling stations  down from 180.

More than a dozen other states have postponed their elections in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed Americans' daily lives and plunged the economy into an apparent recession.

Election volunteer Nancy Gavney verifies voter and witness signatures on absentee ballots as they are counted at the City Hall during the presidential primary election held amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S. April 7, 2020. The political fight foreshadows a clash over absentee voting in November

A man checks in to cast his ballot in at a Democratic presidential primary election at the Kenosha Bible Church gym in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020

Robert Forrestal, left, wears a full face chemical shield to protect against the spread of coronavirus, as he votes Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at the Janesville Mall in Janesville, Wis.

'Good morning and welcome to the S*** Show!' wrote state Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes

Former Vice President Joe Biden is calling for expanded absentee voting amid the pandemic

In deciding separate lawsuits brought by Republicans, the state Supreme Court blocked Democratic Governor Tony Evers' order to delay the election until June and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge's decision extending absentee voting, instead ruling ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday to be counted.

'Now voters will be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote, an untenable choice that responsible public officials tried to avoid,' said Satya Rhodes-Conway, the Democratic mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.

More than 2,400 people in Wisconsin were infected as of Monday, according to a local CBS affiliate.

The angry clash over voting procedures foreshadowed certain drama in November. President Donald Trump had already attacked mail-in voting as insecure, even many states already allow it. 'I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting,' Trump said at the White House days ago.

His expected rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, has said there may need to be increases in mail-in voting.

'I think it's time we start thinking about how we're going to hold elections . . . Is it going to mostly be by mail, which is not the preferred route for everyone? How are we going to do that? How are we going to make it available to everybody?' he told ABC's 'This Week' Sunday.

More than half of Wisconsin's municipalities reported shortages of poll workers, prompting the Midwestern state to call up 2,400 National Guard troops to assist.

The legal maneuvering overshadowed the Democratic presidential primary in Wisconsin, the first nominating contest held since March 17 in the race to pick a challenger to Trump for the Nov. 3 election. The outbreak has pushed front-runner Joe Biden and rival Bernie Sanders off the campaign trail.

Former Vice President Biden has built a nearly insurmountable lead over Senator Sanders in the delegates who will pick the nominee at the national convention this summer. The convention, scheduled to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been postponed to August from July by the pandemic.

After a late-night meeting on Monday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission said no results of Tuesday's voting would be released until April 13, the deadline for absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday to be received.

In Milwaukee, the health commissioner in Wisconsin's biggest city, Jeanette Kowalik, asked voters to wear masks, avoid reusing pens and stand at least six feet apart.

"I'm sorry, I wish I had the authority to protect us from this," she wrote on Twitter.
L orry driver Maurice Robinson has admitted the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated trailer in Essex.

The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

Robinson, who is known as Mo, was arrested shortly after the bodies were discovered in the back of his lorry on an industrial estate in Grays last year.

The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were found by emergency services shortly after the lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium in the early hours of October 23.

Among the men, women and children were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

Maurice Robinson pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter

Robinson, of Craigavon, County Armagh, and four others appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link.

During the hearing, he admitted 39 counts of manslaughter on or before October 24 last year. He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property.

He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

British Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Langdon Hills in Essex, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1, 2018 and October 24, 2019.

39 Bodies found in a container at Waterglade Industrial Park, Grays 1 /46 39 Bodies found in a container at Waterglade Industrial Park, Grays Police activity at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry container on the industrial estate. PA Thirty-nine bodies, including one of a teenager, have been found in a lorry container in Essex. The bodies were found in a lorry on the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays Sky News A forensic officer inside the cab of a lorry at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex PA Police and forensic officers investigate a lorry in which 39 bodies were discovered in the trailer Getty Images A Police forensic investigation team at the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry Jeremy Selwyn Flowers are pictured by a road sign on Eastern Avenue at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays AFP via Getty Images Police forensics officers at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry on the industrial estate PA Police activity at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, after 39 bodies were found inside a lorry container on the industrial estat PA Police and forensic officers investigate a lorry in which 39 bodies were discovered in the trailer Getty Images A Police forensic investigation team are parked near the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry Getty Images The container lorry where 39 people were found dead inside leaves Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex PA People gather to watch as a lorry, in which 39 bodies were discovered in the trailer, is driven from the site to a secure location where further forensic investigation can take place Getty Images Police officers drive away a lorry in which 39 dead bodies were discovered sparking a murder investigation at Waterglade Industrial Park in Gray AFP via Getty Images Police officers drive away a lorry, with black plastic visible at the rear, in which 39 dead bodies were discovered sparking a murder investigation at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, AFP via Getty Images The container lorry where 39 people were found dead inside leaves Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex PA A lorry in which 39 bodies were discovered in the trailer is driven from the site to a secure location where further forensic investigation can take place Getty Images The container lorry where 39 people were found dead inside leaves Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex PA The container lorry where 39 people were found dead inside leaves Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, PA Police forensics officers at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex PA Police and forensic officers inspect the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry Getty Images PA Police stand near the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry in Thurrock, England Getty Images An aerial view as police forensic officers attend the scene after a truck, seen at centre, was found to contain a large number of dead bodies, in Thurrock AP Jeremy Selwyn An aerial view as police forensic officers attend the scene after a truck was found to contain a large number of dead bodies, in Thurock AP Police stand near the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry in Thurrock, England Getty Images Sky News Police stand near the site where 39 bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry in Thurrock, England. The lorry was discovered early Wednesday morning in Waterglade Industrial Park on Eastern Avenue in the town of Grays. Authorities said they believed the lorry originated in Bulgaria and entered the country at Holyhead on October 19. The suspected driver was arrested in connection with the investigation Getty Images Sky News Sky News Sky News Sky News Sky News Sky News Sky News

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Tilbury, Essex, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Darkley in Co Armagh, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration

Valentin Calota, 37, from Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Kennedy and Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faces.

The other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks from October 5.
RegisteredNursing.org, a nursing advocacy organization, has ranked Chattanooga State Community Colleges RN Program as one of Tennessees best registered nursing programs. Of 44 Tennessee schools analyzed in 2020, Chattanooga State ranked #5, making the top five for a second year in a row.



The organization states that there are 15 Tennessee community colleges and vocational schools that offer associate degrees in nursing. Once the student graduates, he or she is eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam, which must be passed to become licensed by the state. At Chattanooga State, statistics for the first-time pass rate increased to 97 percent in 2018, from 96.5 percent in 2017.



Nursing programs were assessed on several factors which represent how well a program supports students towards licensure and beyond. We analyzed past and present first time NCLEX-RN pass rates  weighted by year, according to Sally Worthington of RegisteredNursing.org.



Chattanooga State is well known for its outstanding Registered Nursing program and the high quality of its graduates.



During this global pandemic, Dr. Martina Harris, assistant dean of Nursing & Allied Health and Registered Nursing Program director, reflects on this record of nursing education success with gratitude: I am extremely thankful for Chattanooga States nursing graduates and the quality nursing faculty who make this success possible year after year, shared Dr. Harris. To every nurse, nursing student, and nurse educator who is serving on the front lines of this pandemic, we thank you. You make us so proud of our profession.



Dr. Harris is currently serving on the COVID-19 Joint Task Force to help coordinate the city and countys response to the COVID-19 outbreak.



Applications for the Registered Nursing day class program in fall 2020 are now being accepted. For more information click here. The night program begins its new cohort class in fall 2021.
Doctors who prescribe an anti-malarial drug being trumpeted as a potential COVID-19 treatment face a $13,000 fine.

New prescription rules, brought into effect in Queensland on Tuesday, mean clinicians are banned from prescribing the drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a COVID-19 treatment.

Some early studies suggest hydroxychloroquine is effective in preventing COVID-19. Credit:AP/Ben Margot

Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial now used to treat autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

There is no solid evidence it is effective against COVID-19, but federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said there had been some promising research so far.
(Bloomberg) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc. was accused by a shareholder of hiding flaws in its video-conferencing app, part of a growing backlash against security loopholes that were laid bare after an explosion in worldwide usage.

In a complaint filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court, the company and its top officers were accused of concealing the truth about shortcomings in the apps software encryption, including its alleged vulnerability to hackers, as well as the unauthorized disclosure of personal information to third parties including Facebook Inc.

Investor Michael Drieu, who filed the suit as a class action, claims a series of public revelations about the apps deficiencies starting last year have dented Zooms stock price -- though the shares are still up 67% this year as investors bet that the teleconferencing company would be one of the rare winners from the coronavirus pandemic.

Read More: Zoom Grapples With Security Flaws That Sour Users on App

From Elon Musks SpaceX and Tesla Inc. to New York Citys Department of Education, agencies around the world have begun to ban usage of an app thats risen during the coronavirus lockdown as a home for everything from virtual cocktail hours to cabinet meetings and classroom learning. On Tuesday, Taiwan barred all official use of Zoom, becoming one of the first governments to do so.

Zoom Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan has apologized for the lapses, acknowledging in a blog post last week the company had fallen short of expectations over privacy and security. Cybersecurity researchers warn that hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in the software to eavesdrop on meetings or commandeer machines to access secure files. Weak encryption technology has given rise to the phenomenon of Zoombombing, where uninvited trolls gain access to a video conference to harass the other participants. Recordings of meetings have also shown up on public internet servers.

The company also routed data through servers in China and used developers there, Citizen Lab said in a report last week. Any official data routed through China poses a major risk for Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. Taiwans government rejects Chinas assertion, viewing the island as a sovereign nation.

Story continues

The rapid uptake of teleconference platforms such as Zoom, without proper vetting, potentially puts trade secrets, state secrets, and human rights defenders at risk, researchers at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab wrote.

Read more: Taiwan Bans Official Use of Zoom Over Cybersecurity Concerns

The company said it had mistakenly sent traffic through Chinese data centers as it was dealing with a massive increase in demand. It said it has stopped using that capacity as backup for non-Chinese clients.

Zoom is working on adding end-to-end encryption but thats still months away, Yuan has said. Many of the problems stem from the fact that the app was geared toward enterprise clients with their own IT security teams, instead of the broad consumer app its become. The number of daily meeting participants across Zooms paid and free services has gone from around 10 million at the end of last year to 200 million now, the company said. Most of those people are using its free service.

(Updates with Taiwans ban from the fourth paragraph)

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YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on April 8, as of 08:20, the roads are mainly passable in Armenia.

The ministry told Armenpress that the roads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari will remain closed for unknown time.

Vardenyats Pass is closed for trailer trucks.

Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass.

The Georgian side informs that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open only for trucks.

Drivers are urged to use snow tires.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Chattanooga State Community College offers various institutional scholarships to support newly admitted and continuing students. Although the typical application deadline is March 1, several scholarships remain available.



Students, who are interested in applying, must first complete the 2020-2021 ChattState Scholarship Application and students may follow a tutorial guide at How to Complete a ChattState Scholarship Application.



Scholarships are still available for students within the following majors:



 Business: Accounting, Hospitality Management, Media Technology concentration

 Humanities and Fine Arts: Art Studio, Music, Professional Acting

 Engineering and Information Technologies: Civil Engineering, Information Systems, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Nondestructive Testing Technology, Radiation Protection concentration

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President Rouhani doubles down on IMF to approve $5bn loan, accusing the organisation of discrimination against Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pressed on Wednesday for a $5bn emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund to fight the Middle Easts worst coronavirus outbreak, saying it would be guilty of discrimination if it withholds the money.

Rouhani also said some businesses will remain closed until further notice after authorities announced last week they will begin to ease a shutdown order from April 11.

Irans central bank wrote last month to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to request the $5bn from its Rapid Financing Initiative, an emergency programme that aids countries faced with sudden shocks such as natural disasters.

It was Tehrans first request for IMF aid since Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution.

I urge international organisations to fulfil their duties  We are a member of the IMF, Rouhani said at a televised cabinet meeting. There should be no discrimination in giving loans.

US role?

In a tweet on Sunday, the secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, accused the United States of blocking Tehrans IMF loan request.





Iran has banned intercity travel and shut non-essential businesses to fight an outbreak that, according to official figures, has killed 3,993 people and infected 64,586.

Mohammad Marandi, professor of American Studies at Tehran University, told Al Jazeera over the phone from Tehran that he agreed with Rouhanis insinuation that the loan refusal so far was discrimination against Iran.

Iran is a dues-paying member of the IMF and has not had a loan in decades, Marandi said.

He said the US and other Western nations have harmed the Iranian people during this critical time when the pandemic is ravaging the world.

As a country that has paid its dues and without any debt to the IMF, Iran is entitled to a loan to fight the coronavirus pandemic at the time when the US has weaponised the virus against Iran.

Iranian authorities have said some businesses whose operations do not create a big risk of spreading the virus will be allowed to reopen from Saturday. They have not given a detailed explanation of which businesses fall into that category.

But high-risk businesses will remain closed until further notice, Rouhani said. We should continue fighting the disease while our economic activities continue as much as possible.

An IMF official said the fund is in dialogue with Iran, with talks aimed at understanding its needs and what is required for the loan request to be processed.

Faltering economy

Professor Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, told Al-Jazeera that Irans economy was faltering because of punishing US sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

Rouhani is trying to rally European support to offset the American pressure in order to get the loan, and if he is not successful there will be dire consequences such as pushing Iran further toward radicalising its policies, said Zweiri.

The coronavirus outbreak has further damaged Irans economy, already battered by US sanctions reimposed in 2018 when Washington exited an agreement to lift them in return for curbs to Irans nuclear programme.

Tehran has blamed the United States and its maximum-pressure policy for restricting Irans ability to respond effectively to the virus.

The US sanctions on Iran are economic and medical terrorism  They are in violation of international medical conventions, Rouhani said.

US officials have said the sanctions do not target medicine for Iran and Washington has offered to help Tehran face the outbreak. Iran has dismissed the offer as ridiculous.
The head of the World Health Organization warned President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stop politicizing the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags.'

'At the end of the day, the people belong to all political parties. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people, please do not politicize this virus,' WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said in a virtual press briefing.

'If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it.'

He made an appeal for global unit and said all leaders of all political parties should focus on saving their people.

'Unity is the only option to defeat this virus,' he said.

'Without unity, we assure you even any country that may have a better system will be in trouble and more crisis. That's our message. Unity at the national level,' he said. 'No need to use COVID to score political points. No need. You have many other ways to prove yourselves.'

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu warned President Donald Trump to stop politicizing the coronavirus crisis 'if you don't want many more body bags'

President Trump attacked the World Health Organization on Tuesday, calling it too 'China centric' and suggesting that it was hiding information about the coronavirus from the rest of the world

'The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy,' Tedros said. 'They should come together to fight it and the rest of G-20 should come together to fight it, and the rest of the world should come together and fight it.

'We will have many body bags in front of us if we don't behave,' he noted. 'When there are cracks at [the] national level and global level, that is when the virus succeeds.

The organization has become the latest target of President Trump in his blame game as he points the finger for the devastating effects of the coronavirus - an economic down turn and over 12,000 American deaths - at everyone but his administration. Also feeling Trump's fury has been China, the states, governors and the Democrats.

The president has called it 'China-centric' and complained they 'missed the call' when it came to the coronavirus.

Tedros is an Ethiopian microbiologist and internationally recognized malaria researcher, who is the the first non-physician and first African to head the health organization, a role he has held since 2017.

He previously served as Ethiopia's minister of health and minister of foreign affairs.

Tedros, who is black, said he doesn't 'care about personal attacks' against himself, addressing the death threats and insults he's experienced amid the global pandemic, which has seen 1.4 million cases worldwide with more than 82,000 deaths in 209 countries across the world.

'I can tell you personal attacks that have been going on for more than two, three months. Abuses, or racist comments, giving me names, Black or Negro. I'm proud of being Black, proud of being Negro,' he said. 'I don't care to be honest ... even death threats. I don't give a damn.'

Dr. Deborah Birx said the World Health Organization delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic'

Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refused to get involved in the White House war with the WHO

On Tuesday President Trump launched a full-scale attack against the agency when he was with holding the millions of dollars the United States' contributed to it before reversing himself to say there should be an investigation of the group's response to the pandemic.

Dr. Deborah Birx joined the criticism, saying the group delayed labeling the coronavirus outbreak a 'global pandemic.'

Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the administration, appeared to implicate the agency's ties to China - which is rapidly become a conservative talking point - saying the WHO can only respond to information it receives.

'You know, the WHO can only react to the data it's given. And when you go back and look at the timeline, it wasn't until I think almost the middle of January that China reported that there was human-to-human transmission,' she said on CBS' 'This Morning.'

'We have to really investigate reporting and how the reports were received there. I think it did delay the ability to declare this a global pandemic, an emergency. We can do all of that when we get through this as a global community to really understand how to do this better the next time,' she noted.

Birx clarified Trump's remarks when she did a series of interviews Wednesday morning after the White House endured a chaotic day: a shake up in press office, a key watchdog removed by the president, and Trump's contentious press briefing.

'When the president said he was holding funds, he didn't say he was restricting and keeping funds permanently away. But said instead said let's investigate what happened. Let's see what happened in our reporting. We've done that before with previous outbreaks and previous issues that have occurred at WHO,' Birx said on ABC's 'Good Morning America.'

But Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refused to get involved in the White House war with the WHO.

'I can't get involved in that kind of discussion,' he said Wednesday morning on Fox News Channel's 'America's Newsroom.' 'I just need to focus on what my job is, to see what we can do in this country and globally to put an end to this. The interaction between the WHO is -- is something that I really prefer not to get involved with.'

At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Trump accused the WHO of mishandling the coronavirus outbreak and said: 'We're going to put a hold on money.'

When asked by reporters whether it was wise to slash funding to the WHO during a time of emergency, the president quickly backtracked and said he was only looking into a possible suspension of funds.

But he doubled down on his criticism of the group.

'They called it wrong, they called it wrong, they missed the call,' Trump said.

'They should have known and they probably did know,' he added, suggesting the group was withholding information about the coronavirus.

Trump's main beef with the United Nations health group is that leadership there said it wasn't necessary to ban travelers coming in from China as the coronavirus started spreading beyond Wuhan, where it originated.

The president has bragged that his early ban of some travelers from China kept it from being a greater threat to the U.S.

Trump has followed the lead of prominent conservatives in complaining that the WHO has been too friendly to China during the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier on Tuesday, the president attacked the WHO for being 'China centric'.

World Health Organization criticized for its response to the coronavirus crisis The World Health Organization has been criticized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic. As concern about the crisis developing in Wuhan grew, the WHO followed the Chinese government's line by stating there was 'no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission'. The United Nations agency then took another week to correct that statement. The WHO has also been criticized for not standing up to the disinformation coming from Beijing, which has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and misreporting its true death toll figures. WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has been slammed for his praise of the way China has responded to the pandemic. Dr Tedros has at times called out other countries for their handling of the crisis. In particular he lamented the 'level of stigma we are observing' in reference to the language used by President Trump to describe it as the 'China virus'. On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak. But on February 3, WHO said such bans on travel and trade were not needed. As the contagion began to spread outside of Wuhan where it originated, the WHO reassured the world that the virus was a regional problem. Most countries have since adopted the same stringent 'stay at home' rules and others have imposed lockdowns restricting citizens' movements. In late January, when the virus had already spread to several countries, a WHO emergency committee debated whether to declare COVID-19 a 'public health emergency of international concern'. However Dr Tedros declined amid Beijing's objections and instead traveled to China, before finally making the declaration a week later on January 30. At the time he said: 'The Chinese government is to be congratulated for the extraordinary measures it has taken. 'I left in absolutely no doubt about China's commitment to transparency.' Also in late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control. Advertisement

He wrote on Twitter: 'The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look.'

The World Health Organization has been criticized for not pushing China to clarify its response and question its numbers on the disease. There is skepticism about the numbers Beijing is reporting.

Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, defended the group.

He said: 'We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding.'

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also rejected Trump's criticism of the WHO and backed director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for his 'tremendous work'.

'For the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] it is clear that WHO, under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, has done tremendous work on COVID in supporting countries with millions of pieces of equipment being shipped out, on helping countries with training, on providing global guidelines. WHO is showing the strength of the international health system', he told reporters.

Dujarric added the WHO recently did 'tremendous work' in putting its staff on the frontlines to successfully fight Ebola, an infectious and often fatal disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on Jan. 30, which was 43 days before President Trump declared a national emergency in the United States.

The group is part of the United Nations and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with 150 offices around the world.

The agency is funded in two ways - through assessed contributions and voluntary contributions.

The assessed contributions, which are like dues to the organization, are calculated by looking at a country's wealth and population.

In its February budget proposal, the Trump administration called for slashing the U.S. contribution to the WHO in half from the previous fiscal year - from $122.6 million to $57.9 million.

While the U.S. pays the most in assessed contributions, that full pot of money has only accounted for less than 25 per cent of WHO's haul over the past few years.

However, Americans NGOs and charity organizations, along with taxpayer dollars, do make up the biggest chunk of the WHO's funding.

Trump said near the start of his virus briefing Tuesday: 'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it.

'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.'

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said, changing the point he was trying to make mid-sentence.

Later in the briefing Trump threatened to cut off the WHO's supply of money from the United States.

Trump added: 'We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it. And we're going to see.

'It's a great thing when it works but when they call every shot wrong that's not good. They are always on the side of China.'

Later when the president was asked if it was a smart move to cut off funds to the major global health organization during a worldwide pandemic he backed away from his previous threat.

'I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'm going to look at it,' Trump pledged.

The president was later asked why he thought the WHO was 'China centric'.

Trump responded: 'I don't know, they seem to come down on the side of China.'

'Don't close your borders to China, don't do this, they don't report what's really going on, they didn't see it and yet they were there. They didn't see what was going on in Wuhan...they must have seen it, but they didn't report it,' he said.

Healthcare workers transfer the body of a deceased person for transport at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn

World Health Organisation (WHO) European director Hans Kluge defended the agency after Trump threatened to cut funding. He is pictured (above) during a joint press conference on the Danish handling of coronavirus last month

Trump suggested he might cut the US's funding that goes toward WHO, calling the United Nations agency 'very China centric'

A tweet from the WHO in January pushing out the disinformation fed to it by Beijing about the virus, which it was reticent to declare a pandemic

On January 31, the Trump administration announced travel restrictions on people coming from China due to the outbreak.

But WHO said such bans were not needed, noting that 'travel bans to affected areas or denial of entry to passengers coming from affected areas are usually not effective in preventing the importation' of coronavirus cases, but may instead 'have a significant economic and social impact.'

And the group noted that 'restricting the movement of people and goods during public health emergencies is ineffective in most situations and may divert resources from other interventions.'

'Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on,' Trump tweeted Tuesday.

'Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?' the president asked.

WHO is also still not recommending that every person wears a mask, while the Centers of Disease Control made the voluntary recommendation last week.

Trump was following the lead of American conservatives including Florida Sen. Rick Scott who placed blame on WHO for 'helping Communist China cover up a global pandemic.'

Other GOP lawmakers have floated a theory that WHO is under China's spell.

Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus should resign because 'he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.'

As did Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican.

'They need to come clean and another piece of this is, the WHO has to stop covering for them,' she said of China. 'I think Dr. Tedros needs to step down,' McSally said on Fox Business Network.

'We need to take some actions to address this issue. It's just irresponsible, it's unconscionable what they have done here while we have people dying across the globe,' McSally added.

Scott, the Florida senator, said the Senate Homeland Security Committee needed to launch an investigation into WHO's handling of the virus.

In late January, Tedros complimented China's President Xi Jinping for the country's handling of the virus, as the Chinese leader centralized the response after local officials in Wuhan couldn't keep the outbreak under control.

But Xi also controlled the flow of information, with reports coming out of China that the country had been trying to silence whistleblowers.

At the same time, Democratic governors, lawmakers and pundits have condemned Trump's response in combatting the virus, suggesting he did too little, too late.

How the man running World Health Organisation trashed by Trump as China-centric is a career politician who worked for a Communist junta and became WHO's first NON-doctor Director-General 'following intense lobbying from Beijing'

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a little-known figure before the coronavirus pandemic, has risen to prominence as Director-General of the World Health Organisation which is spearheading global responses to the virus.

Dr Tedros - who has never practised as a medical doctor - is a career politician who was born in what is now Eritrea, began work under the Communist Derg junta, came to study in the UK, then rose to the top of Ethiopia's government first as Health Minister and then Foreign Minister before being elected to lead the WHO in 2017.

He is now facing heavy criticism over his handling of the pandemic, especially for praise he heaped on China's communist party for its response - hailing the regime's 'commitment to transparency' and saying the speed with which it detected the virus was 'beyond words'.

That has led to allegations - mostly recently made by Donald Trump - that the WHO is 'China-centric', a position that the US President has promised to 'look into'.

Trump has threatened to suspend US funding to the WHO until an investigation has been carried out, while suggesting that they withheld information on the virus.

Indeed, it is not the first time that Dr Tedros has been accused of cosying up to China. Shortly after his election victory in 2017, it was alleged that Chinese diplomats had been heavily involved in lobbying for him.

UN records also show that Chinese contributions to both Ethiopia's aid budget and the WHO have substantially increased during times when he was in top leadership positions.

The WHO and its Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus (left, pictured meeting with Xi Jinping in January) has faced accusations that the organisation is 'China-centric' and has been too quick to praise the regime's coronavirus response

Dr Tedros (left) became the first African head of the WHO and the first non-medical doctor to hold the role when he was elected in 2017, amid allegations of heavy lobbying by China (pictured, Dr Tedros in Beijing shortly after his election)

Shortly after his election to the WHO, a report in The Times said: 'Chinese diplomats had campaigned hard for the Ethiopian, using Beijings financial clout and opaque aid budget to build support for him among developing countries.'

Dr Tedros - who is married and has five children - was born in 1965 in Asmara, which was part of Ethiopia at the time but is now in Eritrea.

As a child he saw his younger brother die to an infection, which he believes was measles, which he later said spurred his determination to work on health and health policy.

He graduated from university in Ethiopia in 1986 with a degree in biology and went to work as a health official in the regime of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, while the country was ruled by the Derg military junta.

According to the BBC, Dr Tedros then joined the hard-left TPLF - which started life as a Communist party and played a major role in overthrowing Mariam in 1991. It later became part of the EPRDF, a coalition of left-wing parties that ruled Ethiopia until last year.

Around the same time as Mariam's ouster, Dr Tedros left Ethiopia and came to the UK where he studied at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, graduating with Masters of Science in Immunology of Infectious Diseases in 1992.

He then went on to study at the University of Nottingham, where he received a PhD in community health in 2000.

After this, he returned to Ethiopia where he joined the health ministry and rose through the ranks from regional health minister all the way to national Minister for Heath - a position he took up in 2005.

During his tenure, which lasted until 2012, he was widely praised for opening thousands of health centres, employing tens of thousands of medics, bringing down rates of HIV/AIDS, measles and malaria, as well as bringing information technology and the internet into the heath system.

Before ascending to the top ranks of the WHO, Dr Tedros studied in the UK and served Ethiopia's ruling left-wing coalition as health minister and then as foreign minister (pictured in the role in 2015)

Dr Tedros was the first WHO head elected by member states, winning the ballot by a reported 133 votes to 50, with the near-unanimous backing of African states

In November 2012 he was promoted to Foreign Minister, and was widely hailed for helping to negotiate a boost in UN funding for Ethiopia, including as part of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

Indeed, UN funding records show that around this time the country received millions in additional funding - including from China, which had previously given little or nothing to support the country.

In 2015 and 2016 China gave some $16million to Ethiopia in spending commitments and cash contributions, largely in support of food or refugee programmes.

In 2011, just before Dr Tedros took up the role, and in 2017, just after he left, China handed over another $44million in commitments and contributions.

Its total contributions outside of this period, dating back to the year 2000, were just $345,000.

In 2017, Dr Tedros left the Ethiopian government and entered the running for Director-General of the WHO as the tenure of Dr Margaret Chan, a Canadian-Chinese physician, was coming to an end.

The election was the first to take place under a system of polling all UN member states as part of a secret ballot. Previously, leaders were chosen by a closed-door vote of an executive committee.

Eventually the field was boiled down to two candidates - Dr Tedros and Briton Dr David Nabarro, a life-long physician who had helped lead UN responses to previous outbreaks including bird flu, the cholera outbreak in Haiti, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Dr Tedros won the ballot by a reported 133 votes to 50, becoming the first African leader of the WHO and the first non-medic to hold the role. His victory came in part thanks to 50 out of 54 African states voting for him.

However, he quickly mired himself in controversy by recommending African dictator Robert Mugabe as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador, amid allegations he trying to repay favours granted during the election.

Dr Tedros quickly embroiled himself in controversy at the WHO by trying to appoint African dictator Robert Mugabe (pictured at a conference together in 2017, the year of the appointment) but eventually bowed to pressure and dropped it

There were reports that the move was also intended to reward China, a long-time supporter of Mugabe, for using its influence to have him elected.

The Times added: 'China has praised the authoritarian development model of Ethiopias regime, which rules under emergency powers and has put down pro-democracy protests.'

During the 2017 election itself, several groups within Ethiopia opposed Dr Tedros's appointment due to his links with the TPLF and allegations that they stifled journalists and repressed minorities.

Dr Tedros was also accused of covering up three separate cholera outbreaks in 2006, 2008 and 2011 by mis-reporting it as 'watery diarrhea', allegations he dismissed as a 'smear campaign' by his British rival.

Following his election to the WHO, Dr Tedros vowed to reform the organisation by placing an emphasis on universal healthcare at its centre while also increasing funding.

Further UN funding records show that, during his tenure, assessed contributions to the WHO by China have also risen significantly - from roughly $23million in 2016 to $38million in 2019.

China has also committed to a further $57million in funding in 2020, though has yet to pay the balance.

Meanwhile funding from other major world economies - including the US, Russia, Japan and Germany - has remained largely flat or even fallen over the same period.

Assessed contributions make up only around a quarter of the WHO's budget, the rest of which comes from donations.

Dr Tedros (pictured with his family) was widely praised during his tenure as Ethiopia's health minister for helping to lower rates of measles, malaria, and HIV/AIDS as well as building thousands of health centres and hiring thousands of medics

MailOnline has contacted the WHO for comment, but had not heard back at the time of publication. This site also reached out to the University of London and University of Nottingham to check biographical infomation on Dr Tedros, but had also not received a response.

Recent criticism of the WHO and Dr Tedros specifically stems from its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular its perceived closeness to authorities in Beijing.

Dr Tedros visited Beijing himself back in January and spoke with President Xi about the country's response, returning to give a speech that praised the regime's transparency, the speed of its response, and credited it with saving lives both at home and overseas.

That is despite the fact that medics from Taiwan - which are not represented at the WHO since China claims it as part of its country - claimed to have raised concerns about the response as far back as December 2019.

Medics told the Financial Times that they had anecdotal evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus, something China was denying at the time and a key factor in turning the disease into a global pandemic.

They claim this was reported to the WHO on December 31, but not shared with other countries. China itself did not report human-to-human transmission until almost a month later - January 20 - by which time the disease had began spreading throughout the country and across the world.

A petition calling for Dr Tedros's resignation which began in Taiwan has now topped 750,000 signatures.

The WHO Director is known for his hands-on approach, often personally visiting countries affected by disease outbreaks - including the Democratic Republic of Congo which was hit by Ebola in 2018 (pictured)

China has also faced allegations it attempted to silence medics - including the now-deceased Dr Li Wenliang - who first reported on the disease, and covered up early cases.

At his Tuesday evening coronavirus briefing, Donald Trump took aim at the WHO, saying the US would consider suspending funding to the organisation until an investigation is carried out.

'They called it wrong, they missed the call,' he said, adding: 'They should have known and they probably did know,' suggesting the WHO was withholding information about the coronavirus.

'The WHO, that's the World Health Organization, receives vast amounts of money from the United States and we pay for a majority, the biggest portion of their money, and they actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it,' Trump said near the top of the briefing.

'And they were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things.

'And they had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they seemed to be very China centric,' he said.

Today Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, defended the organization.

He said: 'We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding.'

He also said his administration would look into whether the US would withdraw its $513m funding.

Coronavirus has now infected at least 1.4million worldwide and killed more than 80,000 - though these figures are widely believed to be under-estimates.
Cuttack District Collector Bhabani Shankar Chaini, leading the fight against COVID-19 from the front, set a new benchmark of exemplary public service, as he decided not to take leave even after the death of his 98-year-old father.

Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here

The Cuttack Collectors father Damodar Chaini (98), also a former administrator died on Tuesday while his son was busy in making arrangements to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the millennium city and the rest of the district.

State government COVID-19 spokesman Subroto Bagchi hailed the Cuttack Collector and said that Chaini preferred public service even during the family tragedy.

The Cuttack District Collector has set a high benchmark of probity during the crisis period in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the state, Bagchi said.

Quoting Chaini, Bagchi said: "My father used to say that incomplete work is no work." His father's words were the driving force for Chaini to keep himself engaged in work to complete the task, the COVID-19 spokesman said.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

"Deepest condolences to @CuttackDM who lost his father this morning. In an act of exemplary public service, Sri Bhabani Chayani continues to work without a single day leave during huge personal tragedy. #Odisha salutes his inspirational leadership @narendramodi#OdishaFightsCorona, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in his twitter post.
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The global therapeutic drug monitoring market is expected to reach over USD 3.37 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Recent technological advancements in the Point-of-Care (PoC) devices hold considerable transformative promises for the personalized predictive and preventive medicine. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) forms a foundational part to the devising of personalized treatment plans for patients; and the advent of PoC diagnostic devices that yield quantitative measurements of the drug concentration plays a pivotal role in supporting the development of the precision medicine field in the healthcare sector. However, the broad application of the PoC devices for patient monitoring is still lagging behind.The presence of this untapped opportunity is one of the high impact rendering drivers for the market growth.

The employment of continuous therapeutic drug and metabolite monitoring in the early phase of the medication regimen, administered post-organ transplantation, forms a major application in the areas of critical care medicine and organ transplantation, which is expected to propel the growth of the therapeutic drug monitoring market over the forecast period. In addition, the imposing burden of diseases, such as epilepsy and cancer, the rising government initiatives, and the presence of high-unmet needs are some of the crucial determinants expected to further favor the emergence of this market.

Further key findings from the study suggest :

The consumables segment covered over 65% of the market share in 2015 as a consequence of the extensive requirement of the consumables in the research laboratories and due to the repeat purchase of the kits and reagents.

The immunoassay segment held the largest market share in 2015. The presence of several commercially available immunoassays combined with their associated benefits including the cost effectiveness and easy-to-handle nature of the products are the key drivers for the growth of this segment.

The proteomics category is expected to be the fastest growing technology segment due to the advent of various proteomic technologies, such as isotope-coded affinity tags, next generation sequencing, and protein microarray platforms that enable rapid mining of the proteome.

The hospital is the largest end-use segment with a share of over 60% in 2015. In larger hospitals, various underlying technologies are employed to perform immunoassays; these comprise chemiluminescence, nephelometry, colorimetry, and fluorescence, which are available for the testing of a wide-ranging drug panel.

The drug monitoring for the immunosuppressants is one of the fastest growing application segments owing to the introduction of novel TDM point-of-care testing devices for the evaluation of the concentration of administered immunosuppressants and the complementary metabolites, in order to achieve a prominent therapeutic effect while preventing drug toxicity events in patients that have undergone transplantations.

In 2015, North America was the highest revenue generating region with revenue generated over USD 900 million. The rising number of R&D activities coupled with the high awareness about personalized therapy is the major determining factor for the large share captured by the North America region.

Few of the leading market players are Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Beckman Coulter, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., bioMerieux, Inc ., and Alere, Inc. The persistent R&D efforts are being undertaken along with numerous other strategic endeavors being adopted by the market players with the objective of enhancing the present drug monitoring practices and to develop novel technologies.

Grand View Research has segmented the therapeutic drug monitoring market on the basis of product, technology, application, end-use, and region:

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Market, Product Outlook, by Revenue (USD Million, 2013 - 2024)

Consumables

Equipment

Others

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Market, Technology Outlook, by Revenue (USD Million, 2013 - 2024)

Immunoassays

Proteomic technologies

Others

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Market Drug, Class Outlook, by Revenue (USD Million, 2013 - 2024)

Anti-epileptics

Antibiotics

Immunosuppressants

Psychoactive drugs

Antiarrhythmic drugs

Others

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Market, End-use Outlook, by Revenue (USD Million, 2013 - 2024)

Hospital labs

Private labs

Others

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Market, Regional Outlook, by Revenue (USD Million, 2013 - 2024)

North America US Canada

europe UK germany

Asia Pacific japan china

Latin America brazil

MEA South Africa



Access full research report on global therapeutic drug monitoring market: www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/therapeutic-drug-monitoring-market
The Delhi Minorities Commission has issued notices to the police commissioner seeking action against an alleged attempt to boycott Muslims in the national capital's Shastri Nagar area and a purported attack on a youth from the community in Bawana, the panel said on Wednesday.

The DMC has sought a report from the commissioner within a week on the two matters.

While the notice in connection with the Shastri Nagar matter was issued on Tuesday, the one for the Bawana incident was issued on Monday.

"The Delhi Minorities Commission in its notice attached a video from Shastri Nagar in Delhi which was shot on April 5. A group of people are seen holding a meeting on the street. They are planning to stop Muslims from entering their colony and asking people in other colonies to do the same," DMC Chairperson Zafarul Islam Khan said.

In the second notice, the commission said a youth, Mahboob, who had attended a Tablighi Jamaat conference in Bhopal, was beaten and "seriously" injured in Bawana's Harewali village.

It asked the police commissioner to take appropriate action and ensure visible police presence. It also called for sending out a strong message that any disturbance of law and order will not be tolerated.

Thousands of people who attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month have tested positive for coronavirus, causing the number of infections in the country to rise rapidly.

Many state governments have said that Tablighi Jamaat members constitute a major chunk of their total COVID-19 cases.

On Sunday, the Union health ministry had said that the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India is at present 4.1 days but if the cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation had not come, it would have been 7.4 days.

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 5,194 and the death toll climbed to 149 on Wednesday, according to the ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Torres is a 40-year Law Enforcement Veteran

LAFAYETTE, LA / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2020 / RedHawk Holdings Corp. (OTC PINK:SNDD) ("RedHawk" or the "Company"), a diversified holding company primarily engaged in sales and distribution of medical devices, announced today that it has named Sheriff Beauregard "Bud" Torres III ("Sheriff Torres"), a 40-year veteran of law enforcement, to lead the Company's First Responder marketing efforts.

Sheriff Torres is expected to join the Company's marketing team on July 1, 2020, upon the conclusion of his term as the Sheriff of Louisiana's Pointe Coupee Parish. Sheriff Torres has been the elected Sheriff of Pointe Coupee Parish since 2008 and has been responsible for supervising 100 law enforcement employees and managing a $12 million annual budget. During his tenure, he accrued a $19 million budget surplus while increasing the number of deputies and improving salaries and benefits. Prior to being elected the Sheriff of Pointe Coupee Parish, Sheriff Torres worked for 25 years with the Louisiana State Police including a ten-year assignment with the FBI Task Force for organized crime and narcotics enforcement. When Sheriff Torres retired from the Louisiana State Police, he was the Group Supervisor for the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Narcotics Field Office. He is currently a member of the National Sheriff's Association, the Louisiana Sheriff's Association, the Louisiana State Trooper Association and a member of the board of directors for the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, the Louisiana Police Officer Standards and Training and the Greater Baton Rouge Capital District Law Enforcement Training Council.

Commenting on the appointment of Sheriff Torres, G. Darcy Klug, RedHawk's Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are truly excited to have Sheriff Torres join our marketing team. His vast experience and extensive list of associates throughout the law enforcement community will afford us a tremendous opportunity to introduce our medical devices to the many law enforcement agencies across the country."

About RedHawk Holdings Corp.

RedHawk Holdings Corp., formerly Independence Energy Corp., is a diversified holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the sales and distribution of medical devices, sales of branded generic pharmaceutical drugs, commercial real estate investment and leasing, sales of point of entry full-body security systems, and specialized financial services. Through its medical products business unit, the Company sells the Sharps and Needle Destruction Device (SANDD), WoundClot Surgical - Advanced Bleeding Control, and the Carotid Artery Digital Non-Contact Thermometer. Through our United Kingdom-based subsidiary, we manufacture and market branded generic pharmaceuticals. RedHawk Energy holds the exclusive U.S. manufacturing and distribution rights for the Centri Controlled Entry System, a unique, closed cabinet, nominal dose transmission full-body x-ray scanner. For more information, please visit: http://www.redhawkholdingscorp.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be," "potential" and any similar expressions are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties, including risks and uncertainties related to economic conditions and changes in market conditions. In evaluating forward-looking statements, you should consider the various factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements including those listed in the "Risk Factors" section of our latest 10-K report. Further, the Company may make changes to its business plans that could or will affect its results. Investors are cautioned that the Company will undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

G. Darcy Klug, Chairman, CEO and CFO

(337) 269-5933

darcy.klug@redhawkholdingscorp.com

Investor Relations:

Stephanie Prince, Managing Director

PCG Advisory

(646) 762-4518

sprince@pcgadvisory.com

Media Contact:

Valerie Allen

Valerie Allen Public Relations

(310) 382-7800

valerie@valerieallenpr.com

SOURCE: RedHawk Holdings Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584362/Sheriff-Bud-Torres-III-To-Lead-RedHawks-First-Responder-Marketing-Unit
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on April 8 issued a statement expressing its deep concern over a China coast guard ships hitting and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the East Sea.

The headquarters of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (Photo: CNN)

The statement said the Philippines own similar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost by it.

The DFA said it always values the maintenance of peace and stability in the East Sea and notes that such incidents undermine the potential of a genuinely deep and trusting regional relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. Given the positive momentum on the discussions on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), it is crucial to avoid such incidents and address that differences in a manner that enhances dialogue and mutual trust.

There is never a good time to indulge in provocations, the DFA said, adding that the continued strengthening of regional relations is especially critical in light of the ASEAN-China joint commitment to collectively tackle the ongoing crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as declared in the Statement of the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), issued on February 20, 2020.

The DFA recalled Vietnams humanitarian act of directly saving the lives of Filipino fishermen, stressing that it created much trust. We have not stopped and will not stop thanking Vietnam. It is with that in mind that we issue this statement of solidarity.

The Vietnamese vessel, number QNg 90617 TS, with eight fishermen on board, was fishing near Phu Lam island of Hoang Sa (Paracel archipelago on April 2 when a China coast guard ship hit and sank it.

While answering to reporters queries about the incident, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on April 3 that Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in accordance with international law.

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, she said./.VNA

China demanded to compensate Vietnamese fishermen 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.
CHAIRMAN of the main opposition party, Freeman Mbowe, has called for an independent national task force involving both private and public stakeholders to review the social and economic impact of the novel coronavirus in the country.

Mbowe who was contributing to the passed budget and expenditure for the office of the Prime Minister, proposed to the government to rethink its priorities during the current global health crisis.

Mr Mbowe, who had just joined his fellow MPs after staying in self-isolation, was angered by people who were making fun of the deadly virus. One of his family members was confirmed to have contracted the novel Coronavirus.

Coronavirus is real. It cannot be stopped by the countrys territories, he said, adding that the virus needs to be given the attention it deserves and that this is not the work of the government alone but the whole public.

The politician and legislator for Hai constituency believes that some people, knowingly or unknowingly, make fun of the disease, claiming that the novel virus was a matter of public concern and must involve all public and private stakeholders to deliberate on the best ways to safeguard the nation.

According to the politician, the virus was unstoppable, but most people do not notice because they had not been affected.

My expectation was that this years budget debate could be a bit different...we need to see the government tabling a statement on how it was prepared to respond to the impacts resulting from the coronavirus, he said.

At least 99 per cent of tour operators have suspended business, and dozens of hotels have closed while foreign tourists have cancelled their reservations to next December, Mr Mbowe said.

Mr Mbowe who went into self-isolation at his home in Dodoma after his son tested positive, said more businesses are being shut down, which is likely to affect foreign direct investments FDIs for over a year. He said it is obvious the imports too will go down, affecting the countrys plan to generate revenues.

There is every indication that government revenue collection will fall by at least 40 per cent, and this calls for mitigation, he said.

He proposed to the government to suspend some of its mega projects and direct its energy in projects that could sustain the country from the pandemic.

He also suggested that the state should learn and adopt some best practices from neighboring Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda which have also been hit by the virus.
According to Wilkin, who has more than 20 years of experience in political risk analysis and consulting, working for political and economic research firms in the US and UK, one of the reasons why the novel coronavirus is hitting the global economy so hard is that the shock has come just after a period of extremely loose money globally, where anyone could get credit no matter how bad of a credit risk they were.

That applies to companies and also to countries, [and it means that] were coming into this really unexpected economic shock with a big debt overhang, Wilkin commented. The main countries that are probably going to be hit are the usual suspects. Theyre going to be in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Central Asia  the top 10 countries already in debt distress at the moment [will suffer] more.

In terms of big economies, its countries that are dependent upon tourism as well as those that rely upon demand from countries like the US, China and Europe, who will feel the biggest economic hit from the coronavirus, according to Wilkin.

A lot of these countries have young populations, so [while] their healthcare systems will certainly be in trouble, the actual impact [of the virus] on these populations will be a lot lower, Wilkin commented. But what well see is this feed-through impact, where countries that are especially dependent on sectors like tourism, or on demand from countries like China, the EU and the US, will all down at the same time.

I think Thailand, Egypt, Vietnam (to an extent), Malaysia [], and sandwiched in the middle of the EU and China (and relying on both of them for demand), you have Turkey, Russia and Kazakhstan  those countries will be at a lot of risk from the economic pressure caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Turkey benefits a little bit from the oil price being down because its a major oil importer, but countries like Russia and Kazakhstan will really [feel the impact].

Wilkins comments mirrored IMF chief Georgievas announcement on Friday. According to an Associated Press report, she said lower income countries are really feeling the hit from the COVID-19 crisis, with 81 nations seeking emergency financing from the organization. Kyrgyzstan will be the first country to receive a coronavirus-related IMF support package, reportedly worth $120.9 million.
A 59-year-old businessman from



Mumbai has been placed under quarantine by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after receiving information about his trip to Delhi last month, an official said on Wednesday.

The businessman, along with his family members, had travelled to the national capitl on March 12 to attend a wedding. He returned to Mumbai on March 18, the official said.

After coming to know about the travel history of the man, the police and BMC officials visited his residence in suburban Kurla on April 6 and took him to a quarantine facility.

Mumbai added 116 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the overall tally to 642.

Meanwhile, the businessman told PTI on Wednesday that he had not attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which later emerged as a major hotspot for coronavirus spread, held at the Nizamuddin Markaz during his Delhi visit.

"I was shocked when I first got a call from the police and the BMC too. I didn't understand why they had contacted me, despite being informed that I had not attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin," the businessman said.

He claimed that the authorities didn't screen him but rather he footed the bill for his coronavirus test, the results of which came out negative.

The businessman further claimed that he had provided all the necessary documents, including tickets and invitation to the wedding he had attended, to the authorities.

Meanwhile, medical officer from L Ward Dr Jitendra Jadhav said, "We received information about the man's travel history from the Mumbai Police, who informed us about his trip to Delhi, and as a precautionary measure, we have quarantined him."



All necessary guidelines were being followed in the case, the official said, adding that the man will remain under observation for a few more days, as coronavirus symptoms are not visible immediately.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Russian military has sent a team of medics and special equipment to Armenia to help it detect and prevent coronavirus cases among Armenian and Russian military personnel serving in the country.

Two Russian military transport planes delivered the assistance to Yerevan on Tuesday night. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, it includes Russian army specialists in virology and epidemics, a coronavirus testing lab and a sample collection system for COVID-19 tests.

In a statement, the ministry said the assistance was provided in line with an agreement reached by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and his Armenian counterpart Davit Tonoyan. It will substantially enhance the effectiveness of anti-epidemic measures taken at the Armenian army units and the Russian military base in Armenia, added the statement.

Its a mobile team equipped with an epidemiological laboratory and it will be working together with our sanitary epidemiological service, Tigran Avetisian, a high-ranking Armenian army medic, told the Defense Ministrys Zinuzh TV program.

Avetisian spoke as the equipment was unloaded from the Russian planes at a Yerevan airport. He said the mobile lab will be able to process up to 100 coronavirus tests a day with secretion samples to be collected at all military bases in the country.

In Avetisians words, Russian brigades of army medics dispatched to Italy and Serbia earlier are using the same equipment.

The Armenian military has so far confirmed six coronavirus cases within its ranks. It said that the infected and hospitalized soldiers served in a noncombat army unit.

The Russian base in Armenia has reported no such cases among its 5,000 or so troops.

Russia and Armenia have close military ties cemented by bilateral agreements and their membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
The recent release of government data in the form of the The National Preparedness Survey on Covid 19 by the Department of Administrative Reform and Public Grievance revealed some horrifying statistics. Two statistics stand out: there are not enough ICU beds and ventilators.

This is worrying because the current trends show massive per day jump in the number of infections and the percentage of infected requiring ICU admissions is currently stated to be 5 % of the total infected. In such a context, it becomes important to understand how and in what manner will the scarce hospital resource, particularly ventilators, which will be required by around 2.3 % of the infected population, be divided in case our medical infrastructure is overrun.

The division of scarce hospital resources amongst multiple individuals requiring the same is encompassed by the principle of triage. Formulated during the Napoleonic wars in Europe and Africa, the principle of Triage therein was to ensure that primacy is given to soldiers who were able to fight.

Triage in the present sense is nothing more than a protocol to decide how scarce and life-saving medical equipment is to be used in the hypothetical eventuality of the health infrastructure being overrun. The idea and principle behind the use of medical triage is a result of simple mathematics: Say in a hypothetical case if there are 10 critical patients who require a ventilator at the same time, and there is, in fact, a singular ventilator, who gets it?

A perusal of the news feeds originating from Italy and other COVID hotspots encapture heartbreaking and disturbing instances where doctors have had to make these difficult decisions.

A doctor works in an intensive care unit expanded to handle COVID-19 patients at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, in Bergamo, Italy on March 21, 2020. (Fabio Bucciarelli/The New York Times).

A doctor works in an intensive care unit expanded to handle COVID-19 patients at Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, in Bergamo, Italy on March 21, 2020. Fabio Bucciarelli/The New York Times Marco Resta, Deputy Head of Policlinico San Donatos Intensive Care Unit, told Euractiv in an interview, Every time a bed comes free, two anaesthesiologists consult with a specialist in resuscitation and an internal medicine physician to decide who will occupy it. Age and pre-existing medical conditions are important factors. So is having a family. Even if there is no chance, he says, you have to look a patient in the face and say, All is well. And this lie destroys you.

Story continues

And there are plenty of heart-breaking reports of how older patients are giving up ventilators. In Italy, a 72-year old Italian priest gave up his ventilator so that the same may be used to save the life of a younger patient, while in Belgium, 92-year-old Suzanne Hoylaerts refused to take a ventilator, asking instead that the same be used for a younger patient.

The United States which now has the maximum cases of the disease too has woken up to the reality of the strong possibility of ventilator rationing. It bears mentioning that the United States has made progress in evolving guidelines to cover triage in medical disasters.

The New York State updated its ventilator guidelines in 2015, to respond to an overwhelming of the hospital infrastructure in times of an influenza outbreak. The said guidelines consist of four parts namely the Adult Guidelines, Pediatric Guidelines, Neonatal Guidelines and legal considerations while implementing the guidelines.

These detail the constitutional and fundamental challenges that the concept of triage would face. It notes the fundamental right to life as enjoyed by every American Citizen and tries to harmonize the same with the concept of rationing and even denial of life-saving treatment to some in the case of a crisis.

The states of Michigan and Minnesota have likewise made so-called 'worst-case' scenario arrangements with regards to availability and rationing of ventilators.

In India, the response to the Covid-19 disaster has been founded on the legal infrastructure of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. It was under this Act that the 21 days lockdown was announced and it is under this that the National Disaster Management Authority chaired by the Honble Prime Minister has taken charge of the situation.

The National Disaster Management Guidelines (Hospital safety) deals with the issue of how hospitals are to act in the times of a National Disaster.

However, the chapter of Triage therein namely chapter 4.9 contains a singular page of instruction and utilizes the principle of the sickest is seen first. The guidelines far from discussing the issue of overwhelmed hospital infrastructure fail to even consider the possibility. There is nothing in the guidelines with regards to the mode of procedure to be adopted in deciding, who amongst the many hypothetical individuals who require a ventilator during a crisis is to be given one.

There is no modus of guiding hospital authorities and attending physicians about how limited life-saving equipment is to be rationed out.

It is pertinent to understand the significance of this lacuna: As mentioned at the start, if in a hypothetical situation out of 10 individuals who are equally critical, a hospital is forced to choose only a single one on account of a shortage of life-saving equipment, then by virtue of that choice the remaining 9 could die.

The absence of a clear and predetermined strategy with regards to rationing of scarce life-saving equipment will not only cause confusion and less than optimal utilization of an already scarce resource but also runs contrary to the most cherished of Fundamental Rights enshrined in the constitution: Art. 21 the Right to Life.

The constitution Notes No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law. The absence of detailed procedures and guidelines regarding life-saving triage runs contrary to the fundamental requirement of denying Art. 21, the right to life, procedure established by law.

The need for a procedure, which in this case would be comprehensive triage guidelines, thus becomes a fundamental requirement. It is this procedure which will -- in the hypothetical but scenario of India following the United States in infection numbers-- form the bedrock upon which the entire ventilator policy will be based.

The importance of the phrase procedure established by law was first clarified in the landmark judgment of the Honble Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India wherein the court deliberated on how the fundamental right under Art. 21 could only be curtailed on the basis of clear, cogent and valid legislation. The rationale of the same was simple: a procedure established by law will first give legislative backing to the actions to be committed, second the fact that a procedure exists will show that the State while exercising its executive power has given adequate thought to the situation and has devised the best possible mode of addressing the problem. Finally, it ensures that the populace is aware of the eventuality that may befall an individual interacting with the procedure established in question.

In the present case, the lack of proper guidelines/procedures to ration and use ventilators ensures that none of these conditions are met. If hospitals start rationing ventilators, it will be on the basis of a bare-bones policy. More importantly, many in the general public will have no means of understanding how these life and death decisions are being made.

In the absence of clear guidelines, the arithmetic reality of the situation will force hospitals and health service providers to innovate at the local level, while making these life and death decisions. The decisions themselves will be untested, non-uniform and eventually a great insult to the spirit of the Indian Constitution.

Abhimanyu Tewari is a Supreme Court lawyer.
1. Jackie Chan Film - Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)

2. Jackie Chan Film - Drunken Master (1978)

3. Jackie Chan Film - Project A (1983)

4. Jackie Chan Film - Wheels on Meals (1984)

5. Jackie Chan Film - Police Story (1985)

6. Jackie Chan Film - Armour of God (1986)

7. Jackie Chan Film - Twin Dragons (1992)

8. Jackie Chan Film - Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

9. Jackie Chan Film - The Tuxedo (2002)

Jackie Chan is often said to be the global face of Eastern cinema. Hes known for doing his own stunts and has said to have broken every bone in his body doing so. His movies combine a mix of martial arts and comedy and needless to say are hugely entertaining. Presenting a list of Jackie Chan Films of his thatll surely help you beat the boredom in this lockdown periodDirected by Yuen Woo-ping, the, Hwang Jang Lee and Yuen Siu Tien. Chien Fu (Jackie Chan), an orphan adopted by a kung fu school is treated as a walking punching-bag by the masters and the students. He befriends an old beggar (Yuen Siu Tien) by offering him a meal and a place to stay. Unknown to Chien, the old beggar is actually one of the last surviving masters of the Snake-style and is hiding from the masters of the Eagle Claw clan, who are viciously killing off Snake-style masters. He begs the master to teach him. At first, he doesnt relent but later starts teaching him. Chien soon gets better and this catches the attention of Eagle clan masters. They follow him but thankfully his master has disappeared. Chien develops his own style while watching a cat fighting a snake and that helps him tremendously in the final showdown with the main Eagle master.Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, the film starred Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It is an early example of the comedic kung fu genre popularised by Jackie Chan. The film's protagonist Wong Fei-hung is a traditional Chinese folk hero. His teacher, Beggar So, is another character from Chinese folklore. Wong is a mischievous lad and his father wants him to learn martial arts under Beggar So, who is supposed to be very strict. When hes humiliated by Yim Tit-sam, he seeks out So and begins his strict training regime. So teaches him all his secrets and he masters them all except the feminine style. A rival gives a contract to Yim Tit-Sam to kill Wongs father and Wong and Beggar So reach in time to save him. Wong is initially able to match Yim Tit-Sam but later takes a beating. His master asks him to combine all the seven styles and develop his own version of the feminine style. He does so and wins the fight.Directed by Jackie Chan, the film has Jackie, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao as the main stars. Set in the 19th century in old Hong Kong, it tells of a joint operation between the Hong Kong regular police and Marine Police to get rid of the pirates once and for all. After the pirates blow up their ship, the MPs have to train to become regular policemen. Hong Tin-tsu (Yuen Biao), the police chiefs nephew at first berates Dragon (Chan) but they later become friends. Another character Fei (Sammo Hung), who has underworld connections, informs that the pirates are buying guns and they can follow the trail to their hideout. He thwarts the plans of the pirates and is almost killed after falling from a clock tower. He convinces the higher-ups of regrouping the Marine Police once more and in a joint operation with the police, they go on a mission against the pirates, nailing them at their own den.The film was shot in Barcelona, Spain and was directed by Sammo Hung. It starred Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez and Jose Sancho. Thomas (Chan) and David (Biao) are cousins who run a fast food van in Barcelona. They both have the hots for Sylvia (Lola Forner), who turns out to be a multi-millionaire heiress. Moby (Hung) is a bumbling detective who is tracking her. When she is kidnapped, Thomas, David and Moby team up to save her. Alone, they are no match for the kidnappers but they combine their fighting styles to win the day.Written and directed by Jackie Chan, its the first of the Police Story films featuring Chan as a Hong Kong police detective named Kevin Chan Ka-Kui. In 2016, Police Story was voted the fourth-best action film of all time in Time Out's poll of film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors. Jackie Chan reportedly considers it as his best action film. After a failed sting operation, officer Chan is asked to guard a girl who has agreed to bear witness against a major crime lord. However, the girl runs away and the case gets thrown out of the court. The criminal kills a policeman and frames all charges on Chan. Hes now on the run from the police as well as the bad guys. To clear his name, he now has to steal data from the gangsters office set in a mall. The witness agrees to do it for him but the crime lord gets to know of it, and Chan has to virtually defeat a whole army all by himself to save the girl and get the data.Written and directed by Jackie Chan, the film has Alan Tam, Lola Forner and Rosamund Kwan as Jackies co-stars. Chan came the closest he has ever been to death at the time while filming a stunt. When he leapt onto a tree from a ledge, the branch he grabbed snapped, sending him plummeting down. He cracked his skull and now is famously said to have a hole in his head because of the injury. In order to save his friend Alans girlfriend from being killed by religious fanatics, Jackie makes a deal with a multi-millionaire who has three pieces of the legendary Armour of God that hell complete the set for him after rescuing the girl. The tycoons daughter too accompanies them on the mission. He raids the secret monastery, rescues his friends not once but twice but is captured by female assassins. He defeats them by discovering their weakness. Running away, he blows the castle, along with the armour, and has to base jump off a cliff onto a balloon in order to save himself.Directed by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, the film starsas twin brothers separated at birth. A Hong Kong couple (Sylvia Chang and James Wong) get delivered with twin boys. While they are in the hospital, a dangerous gang leader named Crazy Kung (Kirk Wong) takes one of the twins as a hostage and the two boys get separated in the mayhem. Ma Yau, is taken to America by his parents and becomes while the other is raised by a woman named Tsui (Mabel Cheung), and becomes a martial artist named Bok Min. 26 years later, their paths cross when Ma Yau comes to Hong Kong for a concert. They share a unique ability in the sense that one is able to mimic the abilities of the other. Hence, Ma Yau is able to save Bok Mins friend from gangsters while Bok Min is able to successfully conduct an orchestra. They also finally take revenge on Crazy Kung as well. The film ends on their wedding day -- but the misadventures arent yet over as their fiancees, as well as guests, cant tell them apart.The film introduced Jackie Chan to the American mainstream audience. Directed by Stanley Tong, it starred Jackie Chan, Anita Mui and Francoise Yip. Ma Hon Keung (Jackie Chan), comes to the Bronx to attend his uncles wedding. His uncle wants to sell his store as it is beset by too many robberies. He helps the new buyer Elaine (Anita Mui), set up the store and even chases off some local gangsters initially but the frequency keeps on increasing. Meanwhile, another criminal hides diamonds in his disabled neighbours wheelchair. Now, its not one but two gangs which are after him. He takes out one by defeating them in a martial arts battle and takes the help of the police to go after the other. In the end, after many death-defying adventures, he runs over the crime boss with a hovercraft.Directed by Kevin Donovan, the film starred and Jackie Chan along with Jennifer Love Hewitt. It is a spy film spoof in which a special tuxedo grants its wearer superhuman abilities. James "Jimmy" Tong (Jackie Chan) is a taxi driver notorious for his speed. He becomes the personal driver to Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs), who is a secret government spy. When an attack sends Devlin into a coma, Tong is compelled to finish off his most recent mission in order to get justice for his boss. He must stop a megalomaniac from taking over the world water supply. Hes joined in the mission by Delilah "Del" Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who is a genius scientist but completely new to fieldwork. Jimmy, who is masquerading as Devlin, hopes the suits powers would hide his flaws. After a series of hilarious misadventures, he overcomes the villain by using his own bio-weapon against him and ends up being an agent in Devlins organisation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 09:01:19|Editor: ZD

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ISLAMABAD, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces have killed seven terrorists in two tribal districts in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said late Tuesday night.

A Pakistani army statement said that "security forces conducted two separate intelligence-based operations during the last 24 hours on confirmed information of terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan and Mohmand districts."

The statement from the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations said seven terrorists were killed during these operations.

Giving details about the operations, the statement said security forces carried out an operation in village Idel Khel of North Waziristan on credible intelligence information of the presence of terrorists.

Four terrorists were killed while trying to escape the security forces' cordon, the statement said, adding that a cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered.

In the other operation which is on a terrorist hideout in Mohmand district, three terrorists were killed, according to the statement.

The statement said improvised explosive devices, night vision equipment and extremist literature were recovered.

Pakistani militants established hideouts in the country's tribal areas but the military has cleared most of the areas in major operations.
The government may set up a fund with a corpus of about 50,000 crore to 75,000 crore to revive industries, particularly labour-intensive small and medium units, as part of an economic stimulus package currently under consideration to revive growth in the post-covid-19 era, two officials aware of the plan said.

The corpus, which is yet to be finalised, is expected to be partly funded by a cess proposed to be levied on certain commodities such as fuels, and partly from budgetary support, the officials said, requesting anonymity.

The purpose of the fund is to provide low-cost money to industrial units, particularly micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs), for their immediate working capital requirements so that they can expeditiously complete pending orders and receive payments. This will ensure synchronised movement of the wheels of the economy, one of the officials said.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

The second official said the fund can also be accessed by other stressed industrial sectors and exporters. Nuances are being worked out. However, it (the creation of a fund) is one of the several proposals under consideration. A comprehensive stimulus package is on the drawing board. It is a work in progress and will be announced at an appropriate time, he said.

Economic growth had already been slowing and several key sectors were in stress even before the onset of the coronavirus disease, which is expected to take a heavy toll. The federal budget presented in Parliament on February 1 had forecast an economic growth of 5% in the year to March 2020, the slowest pace in 11 years.

Analysts and economists say it could miss that number by a bit. There is also 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.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

The minority view, however, is that it could actually contract. Nomura Global Market Research expects the economy to grow by 0.5% for the calendar year 2020.

According to the officials cited above, the governments priorities are containment of the spread of the disease, ensuring food and basic amenities for the poor, and restarting the engine of the economy.

While the first two are immediate priorities, the third can wait for some time. However, protecting livelihoods is equally important and an economic stimulus package is a certainty. It is expected to be announced after a decision on the lockdown is taken, the first official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a countrywide lockdown for 21 days starting March 25, until April 14. The government has indicated that the lockdown will not be lifted in its entirety, and several states have asked for its extension.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

The right time to announce fiscal stimulus is after the lockdown is eased and the covid-19 curve starts flattening in next two-three weeks, said Ram Singh, a professor at the Delhi School of Economics.

Currently, the government should focus on two things(putting) cash in the hands of the poor and supply of food to them. But soon inventories of food and medicines will be exhausted, hence there should be a calibrated reopening of certain essential sectors, such as the pharmaceutical industry and food processing sector, he said.

Let the curve flatten out, which would be the time to give fiscal stimulus to sectors such as construction and MSMEs, and also big industries, Singh added.

Officials said the government is readying a comprehensive economic stimulus package in consultation with stakeholders, such as state governments, economists and industry associations.

A spokesperson at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) said the association had asked the government to create a 2 lakh crore Bharat Self-Sufficiency Fund to spur a post-covid-19 revival of the economy.

Also read: Dont be alarmed by rise in hot-spot cases in Delhi, say experts

According to Ficci, the fund should be utilised to promote scientific research and innovation for building a stronger and resilient nation and to create self-sufficient industry clusters with fully developed value chains within the country for products where India has high import dependence.

All stakeholders in the economy are unanimous that an economic stimulus package ranging from 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5% is essential, the officials said.

While the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is expecting a package of at least 2-3% of GDP at around 4.5 lakh crore, Ficci and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry have estimated the economic revival package at around 5% of GDP.

Their proposals are in addition to the 1.7 lakh crore welfare package announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman under the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKBY) on March 26.

DK Srivastava, chief policy advisor at EY India, said a major stimulus package is needed as soon as the economic lockdown ends and normal economic activities resume.

At that time demand will have to be supported through fiscal measures and these measures would supplement the already announced substantial monetary measures, he said.

On March 24, Sitharaman relaxed several compliance provisions related to banks and income tax.

On March 26, she announced a 1.7 lakh crore package to support weaker sections of society worst hit by the lockdown. This was followed by the Reserve Bank of India, on March 27, infusing 3.74 lakh crore worth of liquidity into the system and sharply cutting the policy rate by 75 basis points.

One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.

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According to a press release from a European Space Agency, a new hole has started to form in the ozone layer over the Arctic since the last month. In the past, the ozone layer around the North Pole was depleted several times, but this time, extreme weather and atmospheric conditions contribute to a much greater depletion than normal. Although ESAs researchers expect it to end later this month, it is a still distressing environmental health update for the earth.

As far as reports are to be believed, the reason behind the Arctic ozone hole getting bigger than normal is atypically cold temperatures in the stratosphere. Such a situation helped in trapping polar vortex(a whirlpool of icy wind), which came up as a reason for depleting the ozone layer more than usual.

Besides this, the European Space Agency releases further indicated that the greater depletion than normal in the ozone layer, which has resulted in an unusually large hole, is comparatively smaller than the more well-known hole over Antarctica.

Diego Loyola, from the German Aerospace Center, talked about the concern and in one of the statements said, This years ozone hole across the Arctic is not larger than 1 million sq km. This is small compared to the Antarctic hole with a normal life of about 3-4 months that can reach 20-25 million sq km.

Recently, a study reported that the ozone layer over Antarctica has recovered so much, its, in fact, stopped several worrying modifications in the Southern Hemispheres ambience.  The climate bands that bring our cold snaps have been tightening in the direction of the south pole, whichs why southern Australia has actually experienced reducing rainfall over the last thirty years or so, claims Ian Rae, organic drug store from the College of Melbourne that was not involved in the research study.

In 2015, the Antarctic ozone hole struck its smallest yearly optimal on record since 1982, but the issue isnt addressed, as well as this record may have something to do with uncommonly light temperature levels in that layer of the environment.

What can be expected in the coming years remains unclear. But one thing is clear that the greater than normal ozone hole has in part been caused by severe climatic conditions. It will be too early to conclude that if climate change remains unchecked and persists, will the Arctic ozone depletions get worse. Yet we know that ozone depletion will lead to severe weather conditions around the world, which will have far-reaching consequences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement on March 24 to put India under a nationwide lockdown was followed by a notification that contained a list of essential services that would be allowed to operate. One notable exception from this list was legal services.

Nonetheless, the events of the first two weeks under lockdown have made it clear that the courts are an indispensable public service, a vital check and balance on State excesses, especially in a country where executive action is characterised by opacity and a lack of access.

Regardless of the omission, the Supreme Court (SC) and various high courts (with the enthusiastic assistance and cooperation of their respective bars) have improvised and adapted admirably. Video conferences and e-filings have demonstrated that there is an easier (and more efficient) way to do things. Despite being hamstrung by omission from the March 24 list, the courts are attempting to ensure that matters of extreme urgency are heard and addressed. They have demonstrated that the value of the courts, especially in times of crisis, cannot be a matter of debate. There are three illustrations from the period under lockdown that support this proposition.

First, the watchmen argument. That, without the fear of review or supervision, certain members of the police force may fall prey to dictatorial tendencies. Images of policemen zealously using lathis or visiting medieval humiliations on violators who have stepped out for legitimate purposes of buying medicines or groceries, have been disturbing. Some states, like Punjab, sought to take immediate corrective action when these incidents were brought to the notice of the states leadership, but others offered no apology or explanation. Violence has no place in a civilised society and the boundaries of State power or the interpretation of how elastic the ambit of section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is, cannot be left to the varying consciences of the political leadership in different states.

Second, the courts are the last refuge for the voiceless. In the first week of the lockdown, the SC on its motion passed a far-sighted order, directing the release of undertrials in custody for non-heinous offences. Another example is that of the Delhi High Court directing (two days after the announcement) the free treatment of an 18-month-old child with a rare illness. Ensuring justice when constitutional and statutory rights are especially vulnerable is a principal function of the judiciary.

Third, the review of arbitrariness in State action. In a country as large as India, policy conception often collides with implementation. There is a real temptation on the part of certain officials to choose convenience over constitutional safeguards. This concern is also what preoccupies a large part of the fields of constitutional and administrative law. The lockdown was a measure supported by all political parties, but as issues of migrant and unorganised sector workers grew in size, different states responded with measures that ranged from humane  waiving transport costs and rents and providing food  to the draconian  spraying migrant workers and excessive use of force. The SC passed detailed directions last week (before declining to intervene further in another later petition) to address these concerns, but imagine if it hadnt. The power to make policy does not exempt the government from ensuring that it satisfies the rigours of Article 14 of the Constitution; that State action must demonstrate the application of mind that it must be free from malice, and above all, must not be arbitrary.

There is an oft-cited caution attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Those who sacrifice individual liberty to secure a temporary safety, deserve neither. In a country of over a billion individuals battling an unprecedented epidemic, this might be a tad harsh, but it contains a relevant warning that will have a bearing on the nation that emerges from this crisis. It is not just the State that will be judged by its handling of the crisis, but also the courts whose legacy will be defined by how, even in a crisis, they ensured that the Constitution reigned supreme.

On a separate, but related note, it must also be observed that the rapid Covid-19 response measures introduced by the SC and followed by other high courts have demonstrated that technology renders several of the old formalities obsolete. The SC has also come up with detailed guidelines for this to continue when normal hearings resume. Filing remotely through an online portal addresses excessive paper usage, while helping reduce overcrowding. It is also faster. The proceedings using video conferencing demonstrate the efficiency with which an argument can be concluded. True, this lacks the majesty, the pageantry and the thrill that comes with the prestige of arguing in historic courtrooms.

But it is a swifter route to justice.

Muhammad Khan is the additional advocate general (for Chhattisgarh) in the Supreme Court,Aishwarya Mohapatra is an advocate

The views expressed are personal
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Running an air purifier at home can be a good idea anytime, to help filter out indoor allergens and pollutants like fumes from cooking and cleaning products. And that's especially true now, when so many people are stuck indoors 24/7 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But you may also be wondering if an air purifier can prevent COVID-19 by capturing virus particles that could be traveling in the air.

We spoke with air quality and virology experts, and asked CR's own experts to weigh in. The consensus is that while air purifiers probably don't offer much protection in most circumstances, they may be worthwhile in a few specific ones.

If someone in your household is sick with COVID-19, running an air purifier in their quarantine room may help protect other family members or caregivers. The same goes for healthcare workers who are self-quarantining when they come home.

Our understanding of how the coronavirus spreads is evolving, but the current thinking is that it travels via droplets expelled from the body through coughing, talking, and breathing. While most of these droplets fall to the ground quickly, some research suggests smaller particles may remain in the air for longer.

But even if you live with a healthcare worker or someone sick with COVID-19, before you run out to buy an air purifier, our experts say that simply opening up the windows in your home to let in fresh air will help dilute indoor contaminantsincluding virus particles.

If airing out the room isnt an option, you could try using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier.

We dont yet have direct evidence that filtration works to reduce transmission of the novel coronavirus, says Jeffrey Siegel, an indoor air quality expert and professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto who has researched portable air purifiers with various airborne particles.

Story continues

But we can infer from what we know for similar viruses, like SARS," he says, that there is reason to think air purifiers might help in some situations.

In 2003, during the SARS outbreak, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority recommended hospitals use portable air purifiers with HEPA filters to help reduce transmission to healthcare workers if isolation wards were not available. In the U.S., the CDC also recommended the use of HEPA purifiers to help reduce viral concentrations of the SARS virus in the air when properly ventilated hospital rooms werent available.

Recent research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and under review at BMC Infectious Diseases suggests that air filtration can reduce the risk of transmission of measles and influenza.

In theory, if an air purifier removes viruses from the air, it reduces concentrations in the room and thus reduces the potential for exposure, says Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer and professor at Virginia Tech who specializes in airborne disease transmission, air quality, and nanotechnology. So there is a mechanistic reason to think that air purifiers could help reduce transmission.

Read on to find out how air purifiers can capture the coronavirus, how to use an air purifier to help limit the spread of COVID-19 at home, and details on the air purifiers from CRs tests that may work best in this very specific scenario.

How an Air Purifier Could Capture the Coronavirus

HEPA filters are very effective. They are certified to capture 99.97 percent of particles that are precisely 0.3 micron in diameter. And they are even better at capturing particles that are either larger or smaller than that, Marr says, including viruses.

The novel coronavirus itself is 0.125 microns, but Marr says the droplets it travels inwhen people cough, talk, or breatheinitially are larger, around 1 micron. That's a size easily captured by HEPA filters.

James Dickerson, CRs chief science officer echoes the consensus that air purifiers could help in some situations, but with a caveat: HEPA filters are very efficient at catching coronavirus-size particles, but the particles must first physically travel to the filter, he says.

That means an air purifier has to be capable of consistently drawing in enough air to reduce the amount of virus particles in the air. The faster an air purifier can cycle air through the filter, the better its chances of catching virus particles. You can see how fast an air purifier cleans the surrounding air by looking for its CADR (clean air delivery rate) number on the packaging.

CADR reflects, in cubic feet per minute, the volume of clean air that an air purifier produces at its highest speed setting. At lower speeds, the rate a machine is able to clean air decreases. The packaging should have three CADR ratings, one for smoke, dust, and pollen, which represent small, medium, or large particles, respectively. For example, a purifier with a CADR of 250 for smoke reduces smoke particle levels to the same concentration that would be achieved by adding 250 cubic feet of clean air each minute. (Smoke particles are similar in size to the smallest virus droplets while larger droplets are closer to the pollen size range.)

Based on CR's lab tests of air purifiers, we recommend looking for a model with a CADR over 240, which can perform roughly five air exchanges per hour in its suggested room size. In our tests, these air purifiers perform well for quickly removing particles of all sizes from the air. All the models we highlight below have a CADR over 240.

One practical matter to consider, however, is that you may not want to run an air purifier on its highest speed setting (in order to achieve the highest CADR). Air purifiers can be quite loud, especially at higher speeds, and that can disturb the sick persons sleep. Here at CR we measure air purifiers noise levels in decibels and rate that trait. The models we highlight perform well removing particles even at lower, quieter speeds.

Even the most efficient air purifiers cant prevent some droplets from landing on surfaces, where they can live for hours or even days according to early research at the National Institutes of Health. So to help prevent the spread of the virus in your house, you should clean your home and wash your hands frequently, too.

How to Use an Air Purifier When a Family Member Is Sick

If you believe you or someone in your household might have COVID-19, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for essential steps to take, which include how to monitor symptoms, when to seek medical help, and the proper way to isolate someone who's sick.

To use a HEPA purifier at home to help prevent transmission of the virus to other family members, Siegel suggests placing the unit three feet from the person who is sick with COVID-19. We know that close contact is a main transmission route so I would rather people have an air purifier on low speed near the patient rather than farther away on super high speed, he says.

Run it 24 hours a day on the highest setting that wont disturb the sick persons sleep. In addition, keep the air purifier separated from anything that can obstruct airflow, such as curtains or furniture, and keep the door to the room closed. When used correctly, the filter can potentially intercept floating virus particles before they reach a caregiver in the same room, says Siegel.

Take extra precautions when handling the air purifier and changing the HEPA filter. According to early studies, the coronavirus can live on plastic and steel, both materials air purifiers are commonly made of, for up to three days. And, Siegel says, "We dont know yet how long the coronavirus can survive on filters."

Dont touch the air purifier while its in use, and when its time to change the filter, put on gloves and a surgical mask if you have one, take the air purifier outside, and clean and disinfectant the exterior. Then remove the filter and dispose of it in a sealed bag. If your air purifier has a fabric prefilter, wash it.

One note about advertisements you may be seeing about using air purifiers against the coronavirus: Be wary if you see products that claim they can outright prevent COVID-19 or destroy the coronavirus.

Some air purifiers claim to kill viruses using UV light or some kind of photocatalysis technology, says John Galeotafiore, a director of testing at CR. We suggest consumers take these claims with a grain of salt because there isn't enough concrete evidence yet that proves they work in these settings.

HEPA Purifiers From CRs Tests

Consumer Reports does not test air purifiers for virus removal, but we do perform our tests using similarly sized airborne particles as small as 0.1 micron and up to 1 micron (a range that includes dust mite allergens, cat allergens, smog, smoke, and atmospheric dust). All of CRs top-rated models have no problems trapping particles in this spectrum.

Because air purifiers typically have several speed settings, we test for dust and smoke removal both at the highest speed and at a lower speed, and we do the same for noise. Here are seven air purifiers that have high CADRs and earn an Excellent or Very Good in our particle reduction tests while being quietso they should help capture viruses without disturbing a sick persons rest.

For more information on these and other air purifiers we test, including the recommended room size for the machines below, see our air purifier buying guide and ratings. These models are listed in alphabetical order.

The Alen BreatheSmart Classic is an air purifier made for large rooms, but this sleek model can clean the air quietly and even more quickly when used in a small room, like a bedroom. It scores an Excellent rating in our particle reduction test at high speed and a Very Good rating on its lower speed. Both speeds earn Good ratings for noise, meaning you should be able to carry on a conversation in the room.

This Blueair Blue Pure 211+ scores Excellent ratings in both our high-speed and low-speed particle reduction testsone of only two models to do so (the other one is the Blueair below). This air purifier is relatively quiet on its lower setting, garnering a Good for noise, but is a little loud on its highest speed setting.

While Blueair Classic 605s cleaning ability is more than most people need in a bedroom, its the best and fastest air purifier we test, garnering Excellent ratings in both our high-speed and low-speed particle reduction tests. Its the only model we test that earns a Very Good noise rating on its low speed while still getting superb cleaning results (at its highest speed, this model is quite noisy, though).

In our particle-reduction tests, the Honeywell HPA300s air purifier scores Excellent and Very Good ratings at its highest speed and lower speed, respectively. For noise, its rated Good at any speed.

In our tests, the SPT AC-2102 air purifiers high-speed setting earns an Excellent rating for removing particles from the air, but its pretty noisy, garnering a Fair rating in that test. You can use it on a lower, quieter speed setting, though, which still earns a Very Good rating for particle removal.

At high speed, this Winix 5300-2 scores an Excellent in our particle reduction test and earns a Very Good rating for noise, the only model to do so at its high-speed setting. Its also the least expensive model on this list. We recommend operating it only at high speed because this Winix doesnt perform particularly well for removing particles at low speed.

Similar to the Winix 5300-2 above, we only recommend running this FresHome WACP450 on its highest speed setting, which earns an Excellent rating in our particle reduction test while scoring a Good for noise (still fairly quiet). Its efficiency for removing particles drops notably on its lower speed settings.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify the particle sizes that HEPA filters can capture.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom (L) shakes hands with Chinese regime leader Xi jinping before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2020. (Naohiko Hatta/AFP via Getty Images)

WHO Refuses to Name Doctors Who Blocked Early Vote on Virus Travel Bans: Report

The World Health Organization (WHO) has refused to release the names of doctors who thwarted an early bid to declare the CCP virus a global health emergency at the start of the year, Sky News Australia reported.

A previous investigation by Sky found that a group of WHO doctors had debated over whether or not to declare the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus a global emergency in late January, but those medical professionals who wanted to implement strict travel restrictions were outvoted.

Instead, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has continually praised China for its efforts to stop the spread of the virus. During a Jan. 28 meeting with President Xi Jinping, Tedros said the organization appreciated the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak, especially the commitment from top leadership, and the transparency they have demonstrated, including sharing data and genetic sequence of the virus, before praising Chinas speed in identifying the virus.

Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization (Center L) attends a meeting with Chinese regime leader Xi jinping (Center R) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2020.(Kyodo News/Naohiko Hatta/Pool)

Instead of declaring a global emergency, the organization recommended that countries not ban travel to China or place any trade restrictions on the country. This was at a time when 12,167 cases of CCP virus had been confirmed and 170 deaths had been attributed to the disease.

Sky News said it asked the WHO to provide details of which doctors voted to block the emergency declaration from being declared in January but the organization declined to release those details, citing privacy concerns. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told the outlet that it was important to note that what happened between two meetings was the evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China.

The WHO also maintained that the emergency declaration was blocked on Jan. 30 because it did not yet have evidence of human-to-human transmission, despite knowing that more than 12,000 people had been infected through human-to-human contact.

The Chinese communist regime has repeatedly faced accusations of lying about how many cases and deaths they have related to CCP virus and has reportedly detained those who tried to warn of danger, including doctors, thus allowing for the disease to spread throughout the world and create a global pandemic which has economically devastated nations.

In late March, Dr. Bruce Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist who led a joint WHO-China mission looking into the spread of the virus in China, hung up on a reporter during a phone call in which he was questioned over whether the WHO would consider Taiwans membership, given their swift response to the outbreak.

Taiwan, just 80 miles away from China, was one of the earliest countries to be hit by the CCP virus but it also has one of the lowest infection rates, with 379 cases of the illness and 5 deaths as of April 8. The island is also barred from membership in the WHO under pressure from China, which views it as part of its territorydespite the fact that the self-ruled island has its own democratically-elected government, currency, and military.

The island has accused the WHO of ignoring its questions at the start of the outbreak, and said it was not given information about the virus, including whether there was human-to-human transmission. It also said it had tried to alert the WHO to the virus last year, which at that time was known only as a mysterious pneumonia, but was dismissed.

Aylwards awkward response to questioning during the March phone call was largely seen as further evidence that the WHO is heavily influenced by China.

President Donald Trump in a Twitter post on Tuesday said that the WHO really blew it, and that the organization, despite being funded largely by the United States, was very China-centric, and said he will be investigating the matter further.

Trump later announced the United States plans to place a hold on funding for the WHO after branding them too China-centric and criticizing the organization for opposing his early decision to place a ban on travel from China aimed at preventing the spread of the CCP virus.

Were going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. Were going to put a very powerful hold on it. And were going to see, Trump said before claiming that the WHO may have known about the threat from the CCP virus but failed to inform the world on time.

They called it wrong. They missed the call. They could have called it months earlier. They would have known. They should have known. And they probably did know. So well be looking into that very carefully, the president said.

The WHO didnt immediately respond to a request for a response to Trump.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday that current modeling suggests Nebraska will not experience its coronavirus peak until the last week of April or perhaps early in May and that he'd "certainly encourage" Nebraskans to consider wearing masks to help slow the spread.

Meanwhile, the state continues to order personal protective equipment, such as gowns and masks, for health care workers, and ventilators that might be needed in hospitals.

Echoing a common problem experienced by other states that are now engaged in a highly competitive marketplace, Ricketts said "we've had frustrations" that included "shipments we thought we had purchased disappeared."

Many governors have complained that they are being outbid by other states and even by the federal government in their quest for needed medical and protective gear.

Although Nebraska so far has not been as greatly affected by the virus as other states, Ricketts said "we want to err on the side of caution (and) make sure we have the capacity to meet our needs."

It is "premature for us to determine whether we can send supplies to others" as a few states have done, Ricketts said. "We're still trying to acquire more supplies."

Ricketts said the state recently purchased 500,000 gloves and 95,000 hospital masks from Werner Enterprises, using state funds appropriated by the Legislature during its recent emergency three-day session.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nebraska had recorded 478 cases of COVID-19, resulting in 11 deaths. A Hall County woman in her 60s who had been hospitalized marked the hard-hit county's second death, and the Douglas County Health Department on Tuesday reported its fifth coronavirus-related death, a woman in her 90s with underlying health issues.

Hall County reports 69 confirmed cases, compared with 34 in Lancaster County, where five times more people reside.

The concerns in Hall County prompted state and local officials to set up testing for 75 health care workers in Grand Island on Tuesday. More tests are planned Wednesday.

The Grand Island Independent reported that Case New Holland was suspending production out of concern for the safety of the companys workers.

In a wide-ranging news briefing, Ricketts turned the spotlight on the need for the public to help provide protection for children by being alert to any evidence of abuse and neglect during this period when they no longer are able to go to school.

"Teachers play an important role in identifying child abuse," he noted.

"All Nebraskans can help in watching over our kids," he said.

Stephanie Beasley, director of the state division of children and family services, said any concerns should be conveyed to her office.

Beasley also announced that the state is loosening its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recertification process for now to concentrate on new applications for assistance.

There's been a 35% increase in SNAP applications because of job losses during the current coronavirus pandemic, she said.

Ricketts said the state is working to expand testing for the coronavirus beyond the 650 to 700 tests that are conducted daily now.

"Nebraskans have been following the rules regarding social distancing," he said. "But we need to do more; we can do better."

Ricketts has imposed a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people and urged individuals to maintain 6 feet of physical separation. Those restrictions are in effect statewide.

The governor encouraged Nebraskans to mark this coming Easter Sunday "in your own way" at home.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon
Pandemic staple: Report links top tuna company to forced labor, illegal fishing

by Monica Evans

April 08,2020 | Source: Mongabay

As people around the globe stock their pantries for long stretches at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of tinned tuna are going through the roof. In the U.S., consumption has increased 142% compared to the same time last year.



But a new report released last month by environmental NGO Greenpeace highlights concerns about the ethical and legal credentials of many top tuna brands. The report is based on interviews with migrant fishers on three vessels operating in the Atlantic Ocean that are flagged or linked with Taiwan, including two longliners and a carrier that transports crew and fish to and from longliners. It suggests that forced labor and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continue to occur within major tuna supply chains, despite efforts by companies and governments to stamp them out.



One of the vessels that interviewees accused of these practices supplies tuna to the Taiwan-based Fong Chun Formosa Fishery Company (FCF), one of the worlds largest tuna traders and the new owner of major U.S. canned-tuna brand Bumble Bee. Another of the accused vessels supplies tuna to a refrigerated cargo ship that FCF works with.



The fishers allegations included deception, physical violence, wage deductions, debt bondage, passport confiscation, and excessive working hours. For example, several fishers reported working 18-hour days, on average, and as many as 34 hours straight: We only got to sleep for five hours if and when we caught some fish, said one interviewee. If we didnt catch anything, wed just have to keep working. Crew were also transferred illegally between vessels.



The fishers also provided evidence that the vessels took part in unlawful fishing practices, such as shark finning and transferring shark fins between vessels.



Reports of human rights abuses and IUU fishing have plagued the tuna industry in recent years, and several investigations have identified the practices of Taiwanese distant-water longliner vessels as particularly problematic. In 2015, the European Commission (the executive arm of the European Union) gave Taiwan a yellow card for insufficient cooperation in combatting IUU fishing, warning the country that if it did not improve, it would not be able to export products from its vessels to the EU. Recently, the Taiwanese government has implemented new controls to prevent IUU fishing and reformed its fisheries legal framework in an effort to improve its products traceability. In June 2019, the European Commission lifted Taiwans yellow card in acknowledgment of these efforts.



FCF did not respond to Mongabays requests for comment. The company has also made considerable effort to improve its track record in recent years, including releasing a new corporate social responsibility policy and participating in two Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), which are multi-stakeholder efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of particular fisheries.



But Greenpeace East Asia campaigner Pearl Chen told Mongabay in an email that FCFs efforts are insufficient and out of step with national and international standards. For example, she said the companys policy fails to specify a guaranteed amount of rest time for crew, which is not compatible with either Taiwans domestic regulations or the International Labour Organizations Work in Fishing convention. Chen also pointed out that the FIPs that FCF participates in cover only a fifth of the longliners the company sources from, so its environmental commitments dont apply to most of its supply.



In response to a 2018 report from Greenpeace that also linked FCF to human rights abuses on longliner vessels, a company statement said, we are  disappointed that they are implicating FCF in old incidents and cases that have since been in all instances addressed in coordination with the Taiwanese Fisheries Department.



But the cases the new report cites are from 2019, Greenpeace senior oceans adviser Andy Shen told Mongabay. These are fresh cases, he said. Thats why we wanted to let the public know  and let FCF know that we know  that this is still occurring, and its occurring because there are systemic issues with the Taiwanese industry.

 2020 Copyright Conservation news

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
A federal judge in San Francisco wrote Tuesday that it is now clear that Lyft drivers should be employees under Californias new gig-work law, but said they couldnt win their claims in his court because their lawsuit was flawed.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria denied the drivers quest for an emergency injunction reclassifying them as employees, struck down their attempt to be a class action and granted Lyfts motion to compel the individual claims to arbitration. But he left open a way for the case to continue, by seeking to be considered a matter of public interest.

Drivers for Uber and Lyft sued last month, asking to be reclassified as employees immediately so they could receive sick leave during the coronavirus pandemic. Both cases were spearheaded by Shannon Liss-Riordan, a Boston attorney who has filed numerous cases against gig companies, seeking employee status for their workers, starting years before AB5, Californias gig-work law, took effect in January.

The new law makes it much harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors, which is how Lyft, Uber and many other on-demand companies classify their workforces.

Although the judge decried her lawsuit as riddled with defects and filed hurriedly in an attempt to capitalize on the current coronavirus pandemic, Liss-Riordan said she was pleased.

A court has now stated definitively that Lyft and by implication other gig companies are misclassifying their drivers and violating California law, she said.

Lyft said in a statement that it appreciated the judges recognition that becoming employees could jeopardize drivers eligibility for emergency benefits under federal stimulus packages.

While we disagree with the judges comments regarding the merits of the underlying issue as to whether drivers on the Lyft platform are properly classified as independent contractors, we appreciate the judges recognition of the fatal flaws in the plaintiffs case for an emergency injunction, it said.

Indeed, Chhabria was scathing about Lyfts position.

Rather than comply with a clear legal obligation, companies like Lyft are thumbing their noses at the California legislature, not to mention the public officials who have primary responsibility for enforcing AB5, he wrote. Lyfts argument that drivers perform work not within its usual course of business is frivolous, he wrote.

Most Lyft drivers agree to mandatory arbitration for disputes when they start working. The case sought to sidestep this by claiming that the drivers status needed public injunctive relief because the issues of compliance with AB5 and of sick pay during the pandemic were of public interest. The judge remanded that question to state court.

Chhabria wrote that the cases argument seeking immediate reclassification so drivers could get sick pay was not compelling. California sick pay is only three days a year and most Lyft drivers, who work part-time, would not qualify for even that amount, he wrote. About 41% dont work enough to receive any sick pay if they were employees, and of those who qualify, most would get just four hours a year, the decision said.

In fact, the decision said, the Lyft drivers will receive more substantial benefits  sick pay, forgivable loans and unemployment  under federal coronavirus aid packages by remaining independent contractors.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

On the same day as the decision, San Francisco and San Jose approved emergency paid sick-leave ordinances for workers within city limits. They apply to gig companies such as Uber and Lyft, as well as those with more than 500 employees. Oakland is expected to follow suit.

The judge chastised the lawsuits tone-deafness, noting that a plaintiff insists that he will give rides even if hes sick unless hes an employee  even though he says he makes only a few dollars a week because business has fallen so sharply.

In the Uber case, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen last week ordered both sides to work together on a way to improve Ubers sick-pay policy.

Both Uber and Lyft now offer two weeks pay to drivers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or required to quarantine by a medical professional, but the lawsuits state that those requirements are onerous because testing is difficult to arrange.

Lyft and Uber, along with DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart, are pursuing a $110 million ballot initiative, asking California voters in November to exempt them from AB5. The measure seeks to classify their drivers and couriers as independent contractors who would be entitled to some pay guarantees and some benefits.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Multnomah County officials are considering amending the countys eviction moratorium to eliminate the deadline that requires coronavirus-impacted renters to notify their landlords by the first day of the month if they would be unable to pay rent and instead allow it to be done as soon as reasonably possible.

The change would mirror the wording in Gov. Kate Browns executive order announced last week that temporarily barred landlords statewide from ending residential and commercial rental agreements or evicting tenants who couldnt pay rent. That order is in effect until the end of June but could be extended.

County Chair Deborah Kafoury said her office is working with county attorneys to amend the local moratorium. It may come before the county board of commissioners for a vote next week.

Weve heard from folks in the community that some people couldnt even get in touch with their landlords or their property managers, Kafoury said. So it makes sense for us to make this change to be in concert with the governors order.

As we hear from community members and renters about whats working and not working, we may very well change additional pieces, she said.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS

Multnomah County and Portland have a joint eviction moratorium, which was first announced March 17. It says tenants have to notify their landlords on or before the day rent is due that they wont be able to pay due to budget impacts related to the coronavirus outbreak.

The order applies to people whose circumstances include losing their jobs, facing unexpected child care expenses due to school closures or paying health care expenses related to the virus. The county moratorium also requires renters to submit proof to their landlord or property manager such as a letter from an employer, doctor and other sources that cites COVID-19 as an explanation for hardship.

The order calls for rent and other associated fees to accrue until they are paid in full and gives tenants up to six months from the end of state of emergency declarations to pay. Late fees arent allowed.

Multnomah Countys State of Emergency is scheduled to end Friday and Portlands the day before. Both likely will be extended.

According to the county rule, landlords who dont comply with the order could be sued by the tenant and could be liable to pay the tenant up to three times their monthly rent as well as their legal fees and other damages.

Brown announced a statewide eviction moratorium March 22 that prevents law enforcement officers from acting on any order or notice to evict residential tenants from their homes for not paying rent. The order was to be in effect for 90 days and is currently slated to end in June, but that could be extended.

She issued another order last Wednesday that included a commercial eviction moratorium as well as additional guidelines designed to strengthen protections for residential tenants.

The latest statewide order doesnt require residential tenants to prove theyre not paying rent because theyre impacted by COVID-19. Commercial tenants have to provide documentation or other evidence within 30 days of unpaid rent being due, that they cant pay due to coronavirus-related impacts.

However, both commercial and residential tenants are required to tell their landlord as soon as reasonably possible, that they cant pay rent and to make partial rent payments to the extent the tenant is financially able to do so.

Violating the state order could lead to being charged with a Class C misdemeanor and a conviction could mean up to 30 days in jail, a fine up to $1,250 or both under Oregon law.

Kafoury said she expects there to be many, many legal challenges at the end of the public health crisis regarding the eviction moratoriums.

But I will be reminding the community that we are all in this together and hopefully people will understand how their actions can have negative impacts on others, she said.

The potential county moratorium change comes as some Portland-area tenants, landlords and property managers remain uncertain when theyll be able to pay rent or when theyll receive rental income.

Portland city officials have come out in favor of state and federal authorities implementing a rent and mortgage forgiveness program. At least one statewide group representing landlords and property owners have opposed the demand, instead calling for expanded rent assistance vouchers.

Kafoury said the county is working with Portland, state and federal officials on potential rent assistance aid but the scope of the program is still being worked out and how much money is available through the federal coronavirus relief bill known as the CARES Act, would influence the scale.

Martha Calhoon, a spokesperson for the Portland Housing Bureau, said the agency is working to compile information on how many residents deferred rent in April. She said the bureau is aiming to provide more information next week.

Calhoon also said the bureau plans to release more information to the public about its emergency household stabilization fund, a program designed to give up to $500 to around 2,000 Portland households, by the end of this week.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
Patrick and John Collison, brothers and billionaire Irish tech entrepreneurs have pledged to fund researchers working on Covid-19 studies.

The co-founders of Stripe, a financial payments technology company, are part of the research funding trust fastgrants.org.

Fast Grants for COVID-19: https://t.co/vEd27V4oE1.  Patrick Collison (@patrickc) April 7, 2020

In a statement, the trust said: "Science funding mechanisms are too slow in normal times and may be much too slow during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Fast Grants are an effort to correct this. If you are a scientist at an academic institution currently working on a COVID-19 related project and in need of funding, we invite you to apply for a Fast Grant."

Funds available range from $10,000 to $500,000 and applications are decided upon within 48 hours according to fastgrants.org.

The research funding is administrated by Emergent Ventures, a fellowship and grant program from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

In a tweet, Patrick Collison said: "Science can move very quickly when properly enabled. Im happy to play a small role in supporting it."

Yesterday, a team of Irish scientists averted another potential Covid-19 crisis by developing a key test chemical whose supplies were running low.

Working remotely, the team devised, manufactured and validated their own formula for the so-called lysis buffer, and now have a process in place to scale-up production for enough chemical to facilitate thousands of tests daily on swabs in labs around the country.
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Linkedin Fabiana Batista and Isis Almeida (Bloomberg)  Wed, April 8, 2020 16:58 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a2d1e 2 Business coffee-export,coffee-roastery,coffee-plantation,coffee-culture,seaport,exports,Brazil Free

The worlds biggest roasters of coffee beans are looking to bring forward orders from top exporting nation Brazil as a hedge against coronavirus-related port disruptions.

Nestle SA, Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. are among buyers requesting to have some of the coffee beans they contracted shipped earlier, people with direct knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. For instance, June shipments would be sent in April and those for July in May, the people said.

While Brazilian ports are running normally, disruptions in places such as India and tight availability of containers in Uganda are prompting buyers to secure supplies quickly in case interruptions spread. Demand for accelerated coffee deliveries is widespread, with Spain and Italy the exceptions given ports there are already operating below capacity, one of the people said.

Demand has been strong, Nelson Salvaterra, a broker in Rio de Janeiro-based Coffee New Selection, said in a telephone interview. Ive never sold so much coffee in March.

The type of delays that buyers fear are already on display in Uganda, where a container shortage and public transport ban are affecting shipping staff and delaying cargoes.

In India, the nations coffee board is still issuing export permits for April, but exporters willing to sell are few and far between as shipments for March are still delayed at the port, Volcafe, the coffee unit of commodities trader ED&F Man, said in a report Friday.

In other coffee-producing countries like Colombia and Costa Rica ports have been operating normally while a smaller-than-expected harvest in Honduras has made suppliers there tight, Salvaterra said.

While JDE has asked to advance some shipments, the company is mostly picking up additional supplies needed in the spot market, the people said. The company said that since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Europe, it has experienced a significant increase in demand forecasts from its retail customers. To accommodate this increased volume we are actively sourcing the required ingredients.

Keurig didnt respond immediately to requests for comment. Nestle said the supply of coffee beans remains within the deadlines agreed with the partners, and there is no change that impacts the supply in this regard.

Hangover coming?

The push for early shipments comes just weeks after some of the worlds top coffee traders warned of potential disruptions. Volcafe told clients that logistical holdups were expected to become more widespread throughout major producing countries and Sucafina SA encouraged clients to place orders as soon as possible to ensure they get beans on time.

For top coffee producer Brazil, the requests from roasters signal an increase in shipments through April.

Brazils green coffee exports in March probably were higher than the 2.4 million bags shipped in February, Carlos Alberto Fernandes Santana, director at Empresa Interagricola SA, a unit of Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. He expects a similarly unusual increase in April.

Coffee sales have also increased as consumers stockpile in their homes.

The question is now what happens from May, which is when the coronavirus impact on real coffee demand may be clearer, he said. What we have seen is demand being brought forward rather than an increase. We may see some hangover for the coffee market between May and June.
Pakistan on Wednesday boycotted a video conference of trade officials from the SAARC countries, saying such meetings could only be effective if spearheaded by the group's secretariat instead of India.

The conference was convened to discuss the impact of coronavirus in the region and how the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) forum could come up with a common strategy.

In the virtual conference, the trade officials broadly agreed to identify new ways to "sustain and expand" the intra-regional trade to offset the huge economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deliberations took place as a follow up to an India-initiated video conference of SAARC leaders on March 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested in the conference that the member nations of the bloc should come together to jointly fight the pandemic.

Shortly after the conference, Pakistan's Foreign Office in a statement said, "Activities such as today's Trade Officials' Video-Conference could only be effective if spearheaded by the SAARC Secretariat. Since the SAARC Secretariat was not part of today's Video-Conference, Pakistan chose not to participate."



In order for the SAARC process to move forward, the SAARC Secretariat must be enabled to play its due role in any event or activity being organised under its auspices, the statement said.

"The role of the secretariat assumes further salience in emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and its wider social and economic fallout," the Foreign Office said.

The statement said as, in the case of other regional and international organisations, the SAARC secretariat also provides the requisite convening platform, institutional framework and support structure for essential coordination and follow-up.

Being a founding member, Pakistan believed that SAARC provides an important platform for regional cooperation, the Foreign Office said, adding that at a time when the region was facing unprecedented challenges, all the available institutional frameworks must be optimally utilised.

The SAARC is a grouping comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

All the SAARC member nations are reeling under adverse social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement said, "In order for the countries to deal with the situation, it was stressed that new ways and means be jointly identified to sustain and expand the intra-regional trade until the normal trade channels are fully restored."



It said the imperative need to maintain essential trade within the SAARC region was viewed as an important thrust area for favourable consideration.

The MEA said the impact of COVID-19 on regional trade and possible measures to mitigate it was seen as a new focus area for discussion in the larger framework of trade facilitation in the SAARC region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hal Willner had symptoms consistent with those caused by the coronavirus, but he had not been diagnosed with the virus

Los Angeles: Hal Willner, a music producer, and longtime Saturday Night Live music supervisor, has died. He was 64.

Blake Zidell, a representative for Willner, said the producer died Tuesday. Zidell said Willner had symptoms consistent with those caused by the coronavirus, but he had not been diagnosed with the virus.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

Check out the announcement

Film and TV music producer Hal Willner, who worked many years on #SaturdayNightLive, has died at age 64 apparently due to coronavirus complications, according to multiple reports https://t.co/sM76mmjy3i  The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 7, 2020

Willner had selected music for skits on Saturday Night Live since 1980. He produced albums for Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed and Marianne Faithfull, who is currently being treated for the coronavirus in a London hospital.

Willner is also known for curating a host of tribute albums starting off with Amarcord Nino Rota in 1981. Hes had tribute projects dedicated to Thelonious Monk and music for Disney films. He recruited a variety of music artists for tribute projects including Sting, Keith Richards and Ringo Starr.

Willner produced a live tribute concert in New York for Tim Buckley in 1991. The concert helped launch the career of Buckley's son, Jeff, who performed at the event.
The government is likely to extend the ongoing lockdown beyond April 14 to combat the coronavirus spread, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Chowdhury said his party put forth some suggestions with regard to the crisis in the farming sector.

According to him, the Congress has suggested that farmers might be exempted from the 21-day lockdown for harvesting of Rabi crops. The party has also demanded that all taxes on fertilisers be withdrawn, he said.

"It is likely that the government may extend the lockdown," Chowdhury told PTI after the meeting.

The Congress leader said the party had suggested that those enrolled under the rural job scheme MGNREGA be given priority while carrying out harvesting of the standing crop.

The leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, along with party colleague and Opposition Leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, attended the meeting with the prime minister via video-conferencing.

Modi interacted with floor leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament to discuss the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government's efforts to contain the fast-spreading virus in the country.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 149 and the number of cases climbed to 5,194 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mustapha Dandaura, has confirmed the arrest of the pilot and co-pilot of Caverton Helicopters, who allegedly ferried unknown passengers into the State.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Dandaura made this known on Tuesday at the States Police Headquarters when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State visited him.

According to him, the command arrested the pilots, who allegedly violated the regulations regarding the restriction order, to curb the spread of Novel COVID-19.

He said: Recall that when this coronavirus issues started, there was ban of local flight from coming into the State.

Since that time we have been monitoring the activities of these private airlines.

We received an intelligence report that an aircraft has landed at the Air Force base and that it was carrying some passengers.

To our surprise this morning, this aircraft landed without any signal or permission from the authorities.

We dont know their mission here.

Maybe they are coming here to sabotage the activities of the state and the security agencies that are putting efforts on ground to ensure that Rivers State enjoys peaceful atmosphere throughout this pandemic period.

We have apprehended the Pilot and the Co-pilot.

That is why we alerted the Executive Governor of the state who had given an order that on no account should any aircraft land on Rivers State without clearance.

We dont know the people they brought, whether they are positive or negative of Coronavirus, where are they heading to and where they came from.

The CP commended Wike for his commitment to the protection of the lives of people of Rivers.

The Executive Order signed by the state governor on March 19 suspended flights to the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa; Nigerian Air Force Base; and Bonny Airstrip, beginning from March 26.

The Executive Order signed by Governor Wike is titled: Executive Order RVSG  01 2020 Pursuant to Sections 2, 4 And 8 of Quarantine ACT, CAP. Q2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Regulation 11 of the Quarantine (CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) And Other Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 2020.

Responding, Wike expressed his willingness to set aside his immunity to testify against persons who violate the states border closure regulations aimed at preventing the spread of Coronavirus.

Wike said that the protection of Rivers State people was an important assignment that must be executed with the seriousness it deserved.

He said: I am willing to drop my immunity as a governor as far as this case is concerned.

I am ready to be a prosecution witness.

He charged the police to prosecute the matter to its logical conclusion to serve as deterrent to those interested in violating the regulations of the state regarding the fight against Coronavirus.

He said: I want to say this is a serious matter to us and police should handle it seriously.

That is why I am here at the state command.

Nobody says that you cant go to any state but now we are in a war situation.

This COVID-19 is even worse than a conventional war.

We want to know those people you brought in, so that we have to trace them to know their identity and status.

Luckily, we have seen the Pilot and the Co-pilot.

They will assist the police in identifying them.

Wike reiterated that although the state government had no power to close airports, it has the right to check those coming into the state in order to ascertain their status.

I have always said that we need the support of everybody.

Nobody knows the status of those coming into Port Harcourt.

Nobody knows whether they are positive or negative

I have said before that I dont have right to close the airport.

But I have the right of saying dont enter my state because we want to know your status.

Wike wondered why Carveton Helicopters decided to cut corners when the State Government outlined the procedure for flying expatriates from Lagos State into Rivers State.

He also said the company had written to intimate his administration on bringing people, which he forwarded to Commissioner of Police to perform security checks and the health officials to perform their duties before allowing them.

Wike, who said his administration was duty-bound to protect the people of Rivers State from Coronavirus, confirmed the second case of the disease in the state.

He said the person is a 62-year-old, who recently returned from the United Kingdom and entered the State through Lagos.

Wike also confirmed that the index case of the state had been discharged from the treatment/isolation centre in Eleme.

According to him: The positive index case of the virus we had, by the grace of God, has been discharged.

What we have now is another case of a 62 years old person who came in from the UK and landed in Lagos and then moved to Port Harcourt.
Rep. Joo Ho-young of the main opposition United Future Party, left, shakes hands with Rep. Kim Boo-kyum of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, at the National Assembly in Seoul in this 2017 June photo. The two are competing with each other for the Assembly seat in the Suseong-A constituency in Daegu in the April 15 general election. Yonhap



This is the fifth in a series on battleground districts for the April 15 general election.  ED.



By Kim Rahn



Daegu is considered home turf for many conservative politicians. Of the 12 districts there, Suseong-A has been considered the "heart of politics in Daegu," with many bigwigs having run in the district, and their victories serving as a stepping stone for their political career in the Daegu and Gyeongsang region and beyond.



While candidates from conservative parties had won in Suseong-A, there was a surprising result in the last 2016 general election as Kim Boo-kyum from the liberal, then-opposition, Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) won by gaining 62.3 percent of the votes, signaling a change in the region.



This year, Kim is making another bid for the same district, while Rep. Joo Ho-young of the main opposition, conservative United Future Party (UFP), who has represented the neighboring district of Suseong-B, is challenging Kim after his party gave him the mission to beat Kim. Both candidates are seeking a fifth term.



Kim, a former pro-democracy student activist during the 1970s and 1980s, won his first National Assembly seat in 2000 under the then-opposition conservative party in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province. He then moved to the liberal bloc and had another two terms there.



He made a bid for a seat in Daegu for the 2012 general election but lost, and for Daegu mayor post in 2014, which he also lost. He then clinched victory in the 2016 general election in Suseong-A, and served as the interior and safety minister for the Moon Jae-in administration from July 2017 to April 2019.





Kim Boo-kyum, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Daegu's Suseong-A district, gives a speech during a street campaign in the city, April 2. Korea Times



Joo was a judge at the Daegu District Court before becoming a politician. He has taken the Suseong-B seat for four straight elections since 2004, three times under the main conservative party's ticket and the last time as an independent. He has held various senior roles within the conservative party.



Because Daegu has been hit hardest by COVID-19 spread here, both the candidates have held up the pandemic as a key issue in their campaigns.



"People will know who fought for Daegu and who secured a state budget (for recovery) when the city was in hardship due to the coronavirus crisis," Kim said in an interview.



Joo, on the other hand, says the government's planned financial aid for Daegu is far from enough. "The government's COVID-19 response was a total failure. While the crisis is getting settled due to Daegu citizens' mature sense of citizenship and medical staff's devoted volunteer work, the government is praising itself as if it settled the crisis. That is shameless," he said in an interview.





Joo Ho-young, the main opposition United Future Party candidate for the Suseong-A District, speaks during a campaign event in Daegu, April 3. Korea Times
The Oppo Reno3 Pro 5G has arrived in Eastern Europe after its initial launch in China - the phone just showed up on Oppos Polish site. Note that we put the 5G in its name to separate it from the Reno3 Pro that launched in India.

Indeed, 5G should have been one of the major differentiating factors, but the official specifications make absolutely no mention of 5G connectivity, only LTE and older technologies are listed.

Which is all the same, since local carriers in Poland started only rolling out 5G test networks earlier this year and there really isnt a 5G service ready for consumers. Still, it's not clear if you will get a 5G connection if you visit a country with active next-gen networks.

The phone is on pre-order from several retailers in Poland, priced at PLN 2,600 (570), and a plan to start shipping on April 20.

Note that if you grab one now, you'll get a free pair of Enco Free TWS earbuds. You can find links to all the store and carrier deals here.

Oppo officially told us that the Snapdragon variant will be available in Europe while the Helio-powered version will be sold in India and Southeast Asia.

Whether or not its limited to 4G, the new Snapdragon 765G chipset offers improved performance over the Helio P95 of the other model bearing the Reno3 Pro name. You also get more RAM, 12GB vs. 8GB, and twice the storage by default (256GB).

Another upgrade is the new AMOLED panel that supports 90Hz refresh rate. The battery capacity (4,025mAh) and charging speed (30W wired only) are the same between both models.

The cameras are different, but here the 4G model has the advantage with a larger 64MP main sensor and a 44MP selfie cam compared to 48MP rear and 32MP front cameras on the 5G phone. Also note that its a single punch hole.

Source (in Polish)
Technavio has been monitoring the low-voltage MOSFET market and it is poised to grow by USD 892.58 mn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 4% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005297/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Low-voltage MOSFET 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 accelerate during the forecast period. Infineon Technologies, ON Semiconductor, Renesas Electronics, STMicroelectronics, and TOSHIBA are some of the major market participants. Although the increased investments in data centers will offer immense growth opportunities, complexity of technological transitions will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Increased investments in data centers has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, complexity of technological transitions might hamper market growth.

Low-voltage MOSFET Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Low-voltage MOSFET Market is segmented as below:

Type 41-150 V MOSFET 0-40 V MOSFET

Geographic Landscape APAC EMEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30724

Low-voltage MOSFET 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 low-voltage MOSFET market report covers the following areas:

Low-voltage MOSFET Market Size

Low-voltage MOSFET Market Trends

Low-voltage MOSFET Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies growing investment in smart city projects as one of the prime reasons driving the low-voltage MOSFET market growth during the next few years.

Low-voltage MOSFET Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the low-voltage MOSFET market, including some of the vendors such as Infineon Technologies, ON Semiconductor, Renesas Electronics, STMicroelectronics, and TOSHIBA. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the low-voltage MOSFET market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Low-voltage MOSFET Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist low-voltage MOSFET market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the low-voltage MOSFET market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the low-voltage MOSFET market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of low-voltage MOSFET market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TYPE

Market segmentation by type

Comparison by type

41-150 V MOSFET Market size and forecast 2018-2023

0-40 V MOSFET Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by type

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America 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

Growing investment in smart city projects

Increasing investment in solar energy

Increasing focus on high-speed network connectivity

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Infineon Technologies

ON Semiconductor

Renesas Electronics

STMicroelectronics

TOSHIBA

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviation

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

About Us

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Even as Bridgeport, Connecticuts largest city, moved to institute an 8 p.m. curfew Wednesday night aimed at further reducing the coronavirus spread, other municipalities from Greenwich to New Haven to Middletown were not preparing to follow.

And if they were to, any such limitations on peoples ability to be out, and on businesses to remain open after a specified time, would not be legally enforceable without state approval.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganims initial messaging on the well-intentioned but controversial curfew was muddled when he outlined the measure during Facebook addresses Monday and Tuesday. He offered some confusing statements about: Who would be affected before settling on everyone, including all businesses; when the curfew would begin  at one point suggesting Tuesday; and whether his health and police departments would crack down on violators.

In terms of the last question, Gov. Ned Lamonts March 20 executive order  one of several he has issued to similarly reduce public interaction during the pandemic  made it clear that no municipal chief executive officer or designee may ... issue any shelter-in-place order or order prohibiting travel without written permission from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

A spokesman for that agency said Wednesday that Bridgeport had not requested authorization for an enforceable curfew.

David McGuire, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Connecticut, on Wednesday said, It is absolutely the case when an emergency has been declared, like it has in Connecticut, that onerous restrictions like this (a curfew) must be authorized by the governor.

Lamonts executive orders have included measures such as ordering nonessential workers to stay home, limiting restaurants to providing take-out/delivery meals, and capping gatherings at five people. Lamont so far has not embraced a statewide curfew.

And we do not believe weve reached that place, McGuire said.

McGuire, who has clashed with Bridgeport leaders before over public safety matters, said he was also troubled with any suggestion from Ganim that the police would be involved in implementing the curfew, which McGuire feared could lead to unlawful intimidation.

Ganim, when discussing his curfew Wednesday, emphasized it was voluntary.

Its a recommended curfew that will save lives, he said. Help us with it.

Some Bridgeport businesses have pushed back against Ganims effort, arguing many customers do not have time to purchase a meal until later at night, such as health care and emergency response personnel. A local pharmacy also raised a concern.

Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who runs a soul food restaurant, said Wednesday that she is doing everything possible to ensure her customers and staff stay healthy. But, Martinez said, Im not going to close at 8 p.m.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, whose city has been a virus hotspot, has implemented several measures aimed at reducing crowding and public interaction, but on Wednesday raised questions about the practicality of a local curfew.

We cannot pick and choose which essential stores would stay open and which would have to close, Rilling said. And, he said, since supermarkets and other stores statewide are trying to limit their capacity  a move that was spurred by Norwalk  the lines of customers waiting outside could potentially get longer because of a curfew.

That would reduce the likelihood of people physical distancing and increase the risk of spreading coronavirus, Rilling said.

Similarly in Stamford, which currently has the highest number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in the state, Mayor David Martin said that a too-early curfew could impact anyone picking up food from restaurants and traveling home from work if they are essential employees.

I dont see the need, Martin said, adding: To me they (curfews) make more sense when you have civil insurrection or something like a hurricane and you have to stop people from getting into areas they should not be in.

Several other mayors in Hearst Connecticut Medias coverage area, which includes New Haven and parts of Middlesex and Litchfield counties, also said curfews were not imminent in their municipalities.

Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said he had discussed the concept but ultimately concluded it would not be enforceable under state law. Middlesex County has yet to experience the surge in virus cases Fairfield and New Haven counties have.

The most important thing were trying to do is reiterate the guidance weve been sharing over the past few weeks that, at any time of day, you are not leaving your home unless its a really pressing, urgent need, Florsheim said.

During the next two weeks, when coronavirus cases are expected to spike throughout Connecticut, Florsheim said he will be looking to the governor when making decisions that affect the city.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker also said Wednesday that a curfew is not needed for his city but he would continue to monitor the situation as the weather gets warmer.

We have found that in general people are cooperating with the orders and recommendations to do social distancing and not convene in groups, Elicker said. And after 8 p.m. the streets are much quieter.

Even without curfews in place, cities and towns have been utilizing police or other staffers to break up groups of individuals in public given Lamonts 5-person limit.

Weve found that people have cooperated with the request, Elicker said.

Further south, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo closed town parks and beaches and authorized police officers ticket violators for trespassing.

People are rising to the occasion, Camillo said. There are a few that dont listen and a few that complain about rights being taken away but they are, in my opinion, in the extreme minority.

Between Lamonts orders and local closures of public properties, Connecticut residents have fewer and fewer reasons to go out.

I would rather shut down things as we see them than impose a curfew, said Martin.

The mayors of Danbury and Torrington, Mark Boughton and Elinor Carbone, respectively, also had no plans to follow Ganim.

We are fortunate enough to be a bit more rural than the larger cities and dont experience the same type of late evening activity, Carbone said.

Danbury residents have been very cooperative, Boughton said. Were very thankful for that.

Staff members Randall Beach, Cassandra Day, Emily Olson, Ken Borsuk, Angela Carella, Justin Papp, Julia Perkins contributed to this report
An electrical engineer who suffered brain-damage when part of his bicycle snapped during a road race is suing the bike's manufacturer from more than 1million in compensation.

Father-of-three Donald O'Driscoll, 55, was catapulted over his handlebars after the front forks of his bike, which connect the wheel to the bike's chassis, 'fractured in half'.

Mr O'Driscoll, from Cardiff, was 56 miles into amateur bike race, the Wales Velothon, in June 2015, when he flew off his Bianchi Via Nirone 7.

He was in hospital for 18 days and says the crash resulted in a 'subtle closed brain injury' and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Dad-of-three Donald O'Driscoll, 55, (pictured) was catapulted over the handlebars of his bike after the front forks 'fractured in half' while he was taking part in an amateur road race

Mr O'Driscoll, from Cardiff, was 56 miles into amateur bike race, the Wales Velothon, in June 2015, when he flew off his Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (pictured above)

He is now suing the bike's makers F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A, commonly known as Bianchi, who are the world's oldest bicycle manufacturing company, for the effects of the accident.

The story behind Bianchi: The world's oldest bicycle manufacturer still in existence Bianchi was founded in Italy in 1885 and is the world's oldest bicycle manufacturing company still in existence. It was founded in Nirone, Milan, by its namesake, Edoardo Bianchi, who, at the time, was a 21-year-old medical instrument maker. The company is credited with pioneering the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic rubber tires. Previously, bikes had often had much larger front wheels compared to the back wheels. In 1955 the company teamed up with Fiat and Pirrelli to create car manufacturer Autobianchi, which was eventually sold to Fiat in 1969. Bianchi famously made bikes for the cyclist Fausto Coppi, who became the first ever rider to win the Tour de France and Giro dItalia in the same year, in 1949. Source: Bianchi Advertisement

London's High Court heard that Mr O'Driscoll, who works on nuclear power sites for EDF energy, was riding at around 20mph when both parts of his front forks snapped, sending him flying into a ditch.

He hit a wooden post and was knocked out, suffering a traumatic blunt head injury, fractured shoulder, cracked ribs and damage to his lung, he says.

He is seeking compensation under the Consumer Protection Act for 'injuries caused by a defective bicycle.'

Adam Korn, for Mr O'Driscoll, told Judge Nicholas Bard that the engineer thinks he lay injured in the ditch for 'a very long time' after the accident until another cyclist taking part in the race summoned help.

Following the crash, Mr O'Driscoll return to part-time work in October 2015.

However he continues to suffer from the effects of his head injury and from 'chronic pain,' his lawyers say.

Mr O'Driscoll, who works for EDF Energy, had bought the racing bike through his company's cycle to work scheme, they told the court.

The bike 'fell below the level of safety he expected of the product' because the front left and right forks 'spontaneously fractured in half,' his lawyers said in court documents.

Mr O'Driscoll was described as 'something of a fair weather cyclist' by his barrister, who said that despite him having owned the bike for a year before the crash, he had not used it at all between November 2014 and March 2015, keeping it stored in his garage.

London's High Court heard that Mr O'Driscoll was riding at around 20mph when both parts of his front forks snapped, sending him flying into a ditch as he took part in the Wales Velothon (pictured)

After the accident, which took place during the Wales Velothon (pictured), Mr O'Driscoll was plagued by anxiety and depression, a court heard

He says he had his bike serviced in November 2014, and then again two weeks before the race, when he had a limited 'bronze' service in which the tyres were changed.

'It had been serviced regularly by reputable bicycle mechanics, there was no misuse of the product or damage to it before the accident,' said his barrister in court documents.

After the accident, Mr O'Driscoll, was also plagued by anxiety and depression, Mr Korn told the court, adding that his injuries have also affected his sight, hearing and balance.

Mr O'Driscoll's lawyers said that liability for the accident is not disputed by Italian bike builders Bianchi, who were set up in 1885, and supply bikes to elite cyclists including grand tour winners.

However the company is challenging the amount of compensation Mr O'Driscoll is claiming.

Defence barrister, Christian Du Cann, pointed out to the judge that Mr O'Driscoll 'has gone back to his pre-accident work, although working part time' but nevertheless is asking for damages 'worth somewhere north of 1m.'

Judge Bard, who was giving pre-trial directions in the case, did not fix a date for the trial to begin.




There are as many as 10 million low-income, childless adults in the United States who are eligible for the federal governments stimulus payment program, but are at risk of missing out on the money, according to tax experts.

Thats because they arent required to file tax returns, making it harder for the IRS to verify their incomeor even to know who they are or where to find them.

These folks are very disconnected from the tax system. Its going to be very hard to get their payments out, said Elaine Maag, a research associate in the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

People who have filed returns and others in government programs like Social Security will automatically receive the stimulus payments, which are worth up to $1,200 per person.

Maag estimates there about 10 million people who may not be in the IRS system because they dont earn enough money and see little incentive to claim tax credits. By law, people dont have to file if they earn less than $12,200. Those without children arent eligible for the child tax credit and are usually due relatively small amounts under the Earned Income Tax Credit.

But this group includes many needy Americans, including some disabled people. It also includes anyone in the prison system. Some of them will be students who rely on student loans to support themselves, Maag said.

Pandemic Shutdowns Have Limited Access to Tax Filing Help

Those people can still file a tax return to qualify for the new stimulus, but that may be challenging for those who havent filed in yearsand who may not have access to in-person tax preparation services shuttered by local orders or even to the Internet with many libraries also closed.

And while the stimulus legislation ensures that the stimulus payment wont be offset by any back taxes owed, some may fear that if they do file, it will be more likely that the IRS audits them in the future.

This group is going to have to file, so it is key for the government to make it easy for them to do so and then to have very strong outreach to get the word out, said Chuck Marr, senior director of federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Even then, recent research by the California Policy Lab showed that aggressive outreach didnt do much to get more people to file a return even when they qualify for benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.

There may be little more the IRS can do to reach these 10 million people. Treasury has said it will be creating a web portal for those whose information is not on file to register payment detailsbut it remains unclear how that would work or when it may go live.

Other Groups Also Left Out

The agency only changed its guidance regarding Social Security recipients after a bipartisan push. Now, even beneficiaries who have not filed a 2019 or 2018 return wont have to do anything to get the stimulus money. In those cases, the IRS will use information on file with the Social Security Administration and people will receive the payment the way they normally receive their Social Security benefitseither through direct deposit or check.

Other groups are still left out. Young people who are older than 17, and are still claimed as dependents by their parents, wont receive a paymentand their parents wont get the extra $500 due per child. Adult dependents, including some disabled or elderly people who may live with their children, may not qualify either. Undocumented immigrants who dont have Social Security numbers are also ineligible.

Some lawmakers have begun urging several government agencies to share information so that disabled people who receive Supplemental Security Income or low-income veterans who receive certain pensions and disability payments wont have to also file a return to get the stimulus money. That would help out more than 3 million people, according to Marr.

The Social Security Administration says it is working closely with Treasury to address questions regarding the Supplemental Security Income recipients. A Treasury spokeswoman told CNN Tuesday that the agency is looking into it.

In 2008, when the government issued similar stimulus payments, those who earned less than $3,000 did not qualify at all. The government later expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which can more easily reach low-income families who are signed up for the program, to close that gap in assistance.

The recent CARES act didnt expand SNAP benefits or eligibility, but lawmakers are considering yet another stimulus bill to help the economy amid the pandemic. Talks are in early stages and its unclear when that might pass.

Some taxpayers just arent eligible for the stimulus payments at all. Individuals making more than $99,000 wont receive anything, while married couples are phased out at $198,000unless they have children.

The-CNN-Wire

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SRAL - The Finnish Amateur Radio League

In the world-wide amateur radio community, social distancing is not an issue. The ham radio network operates by radio waves with signals flying high and wide, across all borders near and far.

Amateur radio operators are well-known as communicators during the happy days, but also during times of crisis. Even if physically locked down, the world is wide open for them. They are encouraged to communicate, keeping their channels clear and their minds and skills sharp for global messaging if needed.

While they now extend the physical distance between friends, at the same time they grow closer in their social distance - their minds and hearts.

The Finnish Amateur Radio League (SRAL) with the support of the Finnish Communication Agency (TRAFICOM) are working together to increase awareness and promote the normal orders of each society during this unfortunate period. To do so, the three-million strong amateur radio community is encouraged to stay in touch and keep up their global network.

With that charter and mission in mind the SRAL invites all amateurs to join forces. Keep up the radio activity and the global social network!

TIME PERIOD from Thursday, April 08,2020 16.00 UTC thru July 08,2020, 2359 UTC

Contacts are encouraged to STAYHOME stations as well as to all friends around the world, but also for the purpose of the below-mentioned GMA (DXCC) Award:

MESSAGING WINDOW

While contacts are permitted on all amateur radio bands (CW, SSB and FT8/4) the core activity is targeted to the windows of 14250-14270 and 14050-14060 KHz and 3740-3760 and 3530-3540 KHz. The SRAL stations are typically active on that window from 12 UTC and 16 UTC onwards respectively.

RADIO MESSAGE ITSELF

Temporary QSH (Stay Happy & Healthy) which may change during the period.

MESSENGER STATION NETWORK

SRAL is launching ten (10) different stations from OH0 thru OH9 who sign with STAYHOME suffixes, such as OH5STAYHOME. The other stations from other countries signing STAYHOME are qualified to this program. Such stations include 9K9STAYHOME or TC1STAYHOME with the RAST (Thailand) E2STAYHOME station expected to join the network soon.

For coordination purposes please kindly inform your new STAYHOME country to stayhome@sral.fi accordingly.

GMA - GLOBAL MESSENGER AWARD

This award honors contacts to 100 or more different countries (DXCC), during this time period, which should include at least five (5) messenger (STAY HOME) stations.

SHA - STAYHOME AWARD

There will also be an award for contacting a minimum of five (5) OH*STAYHOME- prefixes with a maximum number of other stations in other countries signing the STAYHOME -suffix. In Finland all numbers/regions 0 thru 9 will be activated. The highest number contacted, and all with up to three (3) less than the achieved maximum will be awarded.

MESSENGER STATION NETWORK

SRAL launches ten (10) different stations from OH0 thru OH9 who sign with STAYHOME suffixes, such as OH5 STAYHOME. The other stations from other countries signing STAYHOME are qualified to this program. Such as 9KSTAYHOME or VESTAYHOME etc.

Some special activities for specific durations within this overall time period will be announced separately through international amateur radio press.

StayHome-hotline: stayhome@sral.fi

QSL manager: Miika, OH2BAD

Awards: Martti, OH2BH (details TBA)

Supporting network: OH1NX, OH2BAD, OH2BH, OH2KI, OH2KM, OH4UI

OHs are a serious bunch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqGRnlXplx0
Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaking at a news conference as Vice President Mike Pence listens, identified Philadelphia as a possible coronavirus hotspot. Read more

Citing numbers suggesting the growth in Philadelphias COVID-19 cases may be slowing, city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley pushed back Wednesday on an assertion by the White Houses coronavirus response director that the city could become a virus hot spot.

I dont know what numbers shes looking at, Farley said in a midday news conference, referring to a television interview hours earlier with Dr. Deborah Birx. I doubt shes looking at numbers as updated as we are. So Im glad that shes concerned about Philadelphia. We have been hit hard so far, but at the moment, things are better.

The 505 new cases reported Wednesday is a smaller daily tally than the city has seen in recent days, Farley said. The city now has 4,777 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The city announced 13 new deaths Wednesday and a total of 78 deaths connected to the coronavirus.

Im not saying its turning around, Im not even saying its plateauing, but the growth is slowing, Farley said.

Yet later Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Tom Wolf appeared to embrace Birxs concerns about Philadelphia, as a way to get more protective gear for medical workers and first responders.

While its not good news that Philadelphia and the southeastern part of the state is seen as a hot spot, it is going to be helpful in getting more resources," Wolf said.

During an appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Birx said the White House Coronavirus Task Force has been looking for trends. "We are concerned about the metro area of Washington and Baltimore, and were concerned right now about the Philadelphia area, she said.

Birx didnt offer any specifics about Philadelphia, and the White House did not respond to multiple requests for clarification.

Wolf said he learned in a phone call from Vice President Mike Pence that "the federal government is actually bumping Pennsylvania up in terms of priority for getting this scarce personal protective equipment.

Asked by reporters to reconcile the apparent discrepancy in outlooks, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said, I think both are true."

Stabilizing," Levine said, means the curve has flattened somewhat. Its not going up in this exponential way, but [cases] have been increasing.

In a White House briefing Wednesday night, Pence named Philadelphia as a place of concern and mentioned his conversation with Wolf.

As we begin to see early trend lines in Philadelphia, I assured him we would continue to flow resources and support to that community, said Pence.

He also urged the citys residents to practice social distancing.

Farley said he thought federal authorities may be using models relying on older data for their projections. City officials based their conclusions on the trends in new cases reported each day.

Farley warned that it is far too soon to ease social distancing measures, much less resume normal activities.

Its important to say that we cant assume that slower growth will continue, he said. This virus may find new populations, and we may see more rises and falls before we see a sustained fall.

A model from the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said to be a frequent White House resource, anticipated Pennsylvanias peak demand for hospital resources arriving on Monday. On that day, the model predicted, patients would need 2,180 hospital beds and 418 intensive care beds.

The state should be able to manage that demand, according to the model, which predicts deaths in Pennsylvania to peak Tuesday, though the margin of error is huge.

Michael T. LeVasseur, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health, said public health officials and policymakers should be cautious with models.

All models are wrong; some are useful, LeVasseur said, quoting the late British statistician George E.P. Box. All of these models that they are doing are based on giant assumptions. And we still dont know where we are in Philadelphia. New York has a much better idea, but in Philadelphia, I certainly dont have an idea where we are.

Projections depend on so many variables, such as social distancing, that they can be unreliable. This isnt the same thing as forecasting a hurricane or a snowstorm," LeVasseur said.

Judging from hospitalization numbers reported by the city and state health departments, the picture doesnt look terribly bad, and it looks like its improving.

So I dont know where this idea that Philadelphia is going to be a `hot spot is coming from, he said.

State health officials said Wednesday that they were prepared for more COVID-19 patients.

At this time, our hospital ICU beds have approximately 41% availability, and ventilator availability is over 70%, said Nate Wardle, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Area hospitals had the luxury of being spared a surge of cases early and have been able to learn from hard-hit New York City, Seattle, and New Orleans, said John J. Lynch III, CEO and president of Main Line Health System.

For the last three weeks, weve had a dedicated group of folks who are spending most of their time on surge planning," he said. "Do we have the beds to put people in? Do we have the ventilators?

Health-care workers in the region, however, are feeling the strain at their hospitals.

The numbers are increasing of these patients over the last week or so for sure, Megan Stobart-Gallagher, an emergency department doctor at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said Monday.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Temple University Hospital is treating the largest number of cases locally, according to data shared by the areas hospitals.

Weve been fine up until maybe three days ago, with the increase to the ICU, and that will continue to happen, said Francine Frezghi, president of the Temple University Hospital Nurses Association, a local of the nurses union PASNAP. You need more ICU nurses than youve ever had.

William C. Pace, an infectious diseases doctor on staff at several area hospitals, including the Jeanes Campus of Temple in Northeast Philadelphia, described similar scenes.

Every day, we get more and more, Pace said Sunday. I was the busiest at Jeanes initially because there was a bunch of people in the Montgomery County area.

Staff writers Rob Tornoe, Ellie Rushing, and Erin McCarthy contributed to this article.
Empty middle seat, no duty-free shopping to be new normal till WHO all-clear.

From planes flying at almost half the capacity to no duty-free shopping at airports, aviation in the post-lockdown period is going to be tough.

Indian airlines and airports will have to comply with strict social distancing norms until the corona virus pandemic is over, according to a set of protocol that the regulator is framing.

Airlines will have to follow the guidelines till the World Health Organization gives an all clear signal.

Estimates suggest that the aviation industry may have to grapple with the stringent rules for several months after the services resume.

The government is likely to remove the ban in phases for both domestic and international flights in order to prevent crowding at airports.

The Standard Operating Procedure, being formulated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will make it mandatory for airlines to keep all middle seats and last three rows empty to minimise contact.

This means for a 186-seater Airbus A320 jet, that the countrys largest airline IndiGo flies, only 106 seats can be sold.

While keeping the middle seat empty is important to ensure social distancing inside the aircraft, the last three rows will have to be kept empty in order to isolate a passenger if he or she develops symptoms mid-air, said a government official.

Airlines will also be asked to minimise on-board services in order to prevent close contact between cabin crew and passengers.

Pre-packaged dry foods will be kept in passenger seats prior to boarding while airlines may encourage flyers to carry their own food.

In order to prevent crowding across airports, the regulator is mulling drastic measures including ban of duty-free sales.

Other measures will include boarding of only three rows at a time to prevent queue near boarding gate or aerobridge.

Airports will have to ensure a two-metre distancing during check-in and security check.

Its easy to maintain social distancing in open spaces.

"But in confined spaces like aircraft, its important to take some measures to allow a degree of separation, the official said.

Indian airports will also be asked to make thermal checking of passengers compulsory and limit customer touchpoints.

Thermal screening of all passengers will be there for some time until the virus is declared controlled. Airports will be asked to take suitable steps, a health ministry official said.

Industry executives argued that such stringent measures will make it unviable for the airlines to operate and may logically push up fares significantly.

However, with low demand for travel, any drastic increase may be a challenge.

According to aviation consultancy firm CAPA, Indias aviation industry is expected to post losses of $3-3.6 billion in the June quarter because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Falling demand would leave Indian carriers with 200-250 surplus planes over the next 6-12 months, it said.

Its better to keep the aircraft grounded than operate with 80 seats less. Airlines didnt make money with aircraft 90 per cent full, said an airline official.

If I was flying 180 seats between Delhi to Mumbai charging a minimum fare of Rs 5,000, reduction of 80 seats will mean that the minimum fare should be Rs 10,000. In such times, who will pay that to fly, the official asked.

Photograph: David Stanway/Reuters
Homeless people sleep in cubicles at a temporary shelter in Kuala Lumpur during a government-imposed restriction on movement to control the COVID-19 pandemic, April 7, 2020.

Malaysias government announced Wednesday that it had started handing out more than 24 million face masks nationwide to help contain the coronavirus, as health authorities confirmed that COVID-19 infections had surged past 4,000.

Confirmed coronavirus infections have been reported in 212 countries and territories since China detected its first cases in December. As of Thursday, officials in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have confirmed a cumulative total of 13,314 cases, with 517 deaths for the four Southeast Asian neighbors.



A total of 24.6 million face masks are in the process of being distributed to the State Disaster Management Committee for distribution to the districts, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement, underscoring a change in the global stance on the wearing of masks and face coverings as the latest step to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The process of distributing four face masks per household has started in Peninsular Malaysia and would begin in Malaysian Borneo on Friday, Ismail said, adding that special air force flights would speed up shipments.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced his governments initiative to distribute face masks on March 23, after health officials warned of a tsunami of infections if people did not follow restrictions on movement.

I want to say, we will distribute it freely to all Malaysians in need, Muhyiddin told a news conference at the time. It is a government contribution.

Malaysia, the worlds largest maker of medical gloves, has no shortage of protective equipment for its health workers, Noor Hisham Abdullah, the director-general of health, said during a news briefing on Wednesday. The country has imposed a lockdown until April 14 to contain the pandemic.

Noor warned in a Facebook post last month that Malaysia was facing a slim chance of breaking the chain of infections.

Failure is not an option here, he said. If not, we may face a third wave of this virus, which would be greater than a tsunami, if we maintain a so what attitude.



With 4,119 confirmed infections and 65 deaths as of Wednesday, Malaysia remained the country with the third-highest caseload in Asia, behind China and South Korea. The Philippines reported 106 new cases, taking its tally of cases to 3,870 with 182 deaths.

Tighter restrictions in Indonesia

Next-door neighbor Indonesia has ordered its citizens to wear face masks when they leave their homes.

The country has only identified 2,956 coronavirus infections with 240 fatalities, despite recent comments from Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan that some of 283 dead people who were buried in the capital in March alone could have been victims of the virus.

Baswedan told reporters on Wednesday that tighter restrictions would be imposed in the Indonesian capital starting on Friday, including a ban on gatherings of more than five people and the closure of places of worships.

If there are more than five people in a gathering, they will be prosecuted, he said.

Almost 1.5 million people have been infected by the coronavirus across the world and more than 87,400 have died, according to the latest data compiled by disease experts at Johns Hopkins University.

Health authorities across Southeast Asia have linked hundreds of suspected infections to gatherings organized by the India-headquartered Tablighi Jamaat missionary movement at a mosque outside of Kuala Lumpur in late February and early March, and at a religious gathering in New Delhi last month.

Koreeyoh Samae (right) helps Rokeeyoh Abu check if money from government aid was transferred to her bank account, in Yala, Thailand, April 8, 2020. [BenarNews]

In Bangkok, Thai health authorities reported 111 new infections on Wednesday, bringing the countrys total coronavirus cases to 2,369. Officials also reported three new deaths  a Russian, an Indian and an American  bringing the nations accumulated toll to 30.

As part of financial packages to help cushion the pandemics economic impact, Thai officials said Wednesday that 280,000 people who were not enrolled in the nations social security program had received their first monthly subsidy of 5,000 baht ($153).

The subsidies will be distributed for three months and are aimed at helping about three million self-employed Thais. In late March, the government asked Thai citizens to sign up online for the package, which would allow recipients to apply for an additional 10,000 baht ($305) in loans. But 24 million people signed up within the first few days, officials said.

Korn Chatikavanij, a former finance minister, told BenarNews that the economic benefit should be expanded to cover 24 million people.

There are about five million people who are in the social security system and seven million people who are outside the social security system. There are also 12 million farmers, and how about those company employees whose salaries were either reduced or were stopped? They should have been compensated too, he said.

Meanwhile in Bangladesh, where the government has faced criticism for its slow testing of suspected infections, authorities on Wednesday sealed off the industrial city of Narayanganj and more than 50 neighborhoods in nearby Dhaka, the capital, to contain the pandemic.

Bangladeshi health authorities reported 54 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the South Asian nations confirmed COVID-19 infections to 218, with 20 fatalities so far.

After Dhaka, Narayanganj is the hotspot of coronavirus infections in Bangladesh, Mohammad Salim Reza, the additional deputy commissioner of Narayanganj, told BenarNews, referring to the city about two million people.

We have sealed off city corporation areas and adjacent sub-districts, he said. No people will be allowed to enter or leave. The army, police and other law enforcement agencies have been patrolling the areas under lockdown.

He said health authorities had confirmed 37 COVID-19 infections, including six deaths, in Narayanganj.

Mariyam Ahmad in Pattani, Thailand, and Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Rwandan police peacekeepers in their different UN missions, on Tuesday, joined the rest of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda to mark the 26th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Every April 7, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda across the globe, join to pay tribute to over one million innocent lives massacred in just one hundred in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Commemoration activities were held in South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR) and Abyei where Rwandan Police peacekeepers are deployed.

The separate events to remember, were held in consideration of the measures aimed at fighting and preventing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) such as avoiding big gatherings and observing social distancing.

A moment of silence was held and flags brought at half-mast in honour of the innocent lives massacred 26 years ago.

The peacekeepers followed Kwibuka proceedings and message by His Excellency Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda, on the national broadcaster--Rwanda Television.

In his message on Kwibuka 26, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said that the "systematic killing... unspeakable crimes pierced the conscience of the world."

"We remember the victims. Today, we recommit to protecting civilians and preventing Genocide from occurring ever again," Guterres said.

He noted that it is the collective responsibility to guarantee the human rights and dignity of every person and uphold the rule of law.

"In memory of the victims of genocide, we will counter hatred in all its manifestation. We are inspired by the compassion of the courageous survivors of these atrocities and those who did what they could to prevent them," the UN Chief said.

He commended all Rwandan peacekeepers deployed to UN peacekeeping missions around the world noting that "your service, born from sacrifice, gives hope to us all."

Rwanda maintains over 1000 Police peacekeepers in different UN missions across the globe.

Commemoration activities will be followed on television and radio stations and other social platforms, from homes to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

Tags:Kwibuka 26
Three employees of Lancaster County are in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus last week, county officials said.

County protocol mandates the employees work area be disinfected, and that they stay away from work for at least 14 days after their diagnoses. A Lancaster County spokesman said thorough inquiries were completed to determine anyone with whom the three employees had come into contact.

These employees work areas were also disinfected after the test results came back, the spokesman said. Cleanings were completed to minimize environmental risk, including at the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, Behavioral Health and Development Services, as well as the county prison.

With the exception of 24-hour facilities, like the prison and 911 center, the spokesman said most of the countys approximately 2,000 employees have been working from home.
Waives Monthly Charges and Opens Free Access to Industry Members, Supporting the Air Charter Industry Amid Slowdown



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The service also opens a month of free access to air charter industry participants.

FlightList PRO, the full-charter-market platform, includes all 16,402 aircraft and 3,622 operators worldwide, all 7,058 aircraft and 1,679 operators in the U.S., and is the only source for all 511 floating fleet jet charter aircraft from 48 operators, the fastest growing segment in jet charter.

In demand right now for COVID-19 supply and medical transport, FlightList PRO includes a searchable database of 2,070 certified cargo and air ambulance aircraft.

Current subscribers of FlightList PRO are among the industrys most experienced; 80% have arranged charter more than 10 years, and 26% more than 20 years.

FlightList PRO sent the following letter to all subscribers on Monday:

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A founding goal of FlightList PRO was to support the air charter industry; brokers, operators and users. One way to do that is by providing a 100%-of-market, productive resource at a minimal cost.



During these unprecedented times, with the passenger air charter industry down a reportedly 60% and more, we know many are struggling. To help, we are waiving your next monthly charge.



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About FlightList PRO. Supporting the Air Charter Industry.

Leading air charter brokers, operators and travel professionals take advantage of free and low cost full-market support from FlightList PRO to grow their service level, their business and their bottom line. Founded in 2014, the full functioned platform includes aircraft and operator multi-search capabilities, all safety ratings by operator, floating fleet search and quote requests. Request a free month of access here. Subscriptions are $99/month-to-month for 3 users. Charter broker accreditation, jet charter listings, and a public Charter Broker Directory are available. More about FlightList PRO here.

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Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Wednesday the state is no longer seeing an exponential growth of coronavirus cases.

But they both urged caution about relaxing efforts to stem the spread of the virus.

While cases continue to rise, Wolf said the state is no longer seeing an exponential growth in the number of cases. Still, Wolf urged Pennsylvania residents to stay home as much as possible.

We do not have this virus under control, Wolf said. Now is not the time to get complacent.

Wolf and Levine provided an update on the states efforts to combat the coronavirus in a news conference this afternoon.

Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that the death toll from the virus has topped 300. At least 310 people have died due to the coronavirus, according to state figures.

You can watch online here.

More than 16,000 people in Pennsylvania have been diagnosed with the virus, including 1,680 new cases reported today. At least 23 people have died in the Harrisburg area.

While cases continue to grow, Levine said the rate of growth has flattened somewhat.

We have seen a subtle flattening of the curve, Levine said.

The number of cases is no longer doubling every couple of days so thats really good news, Levine said. Echoing the governor, Levine said residents should continue social distancing.

It is essential that we continue to practice this social, physical isolation, Levine said.

She still expects a surge of new cases and, unfortunately new deaths. But if the state can continue to flatten the curve, hospitals wont be overwhelmed, she said.

Moving supplies to hospitals

The governor said today he has signed an order that will transfer necessary medical supplies such as personal protective equipment between hospitals.

Wolf said the order will help ensure that resources can be moved to hospitals who need them, particularly in rural areas where some hospitals may have less equipment and supplies. The Wolf administration said it aims to assure a fair distribution of N95 face masks, ventilators, respirators and other needed supplies.

Wolf said supplies and equipment can be deployed to the areas that need them the most.

This will prevent sick Pennsylvanians from having to choose which hospital to go for fear of a lack of supplies, Wolf said.

Data on race

The state health department has not provided data on the racial breakdown of those who have been infected. Levine said the department is not consistently getting that information from hospitals.

We are working on some novel ways to get that data, Levine said.

Other areas have noted a large percentage of those who have contracted the virus are African Americans. Levine said the state health department has been concerned about the disparity in health outcomes among minority groups before the emergence of the virus.

Those same disparities are even more apparent now that we have a global pandemic, Levine said.

Nursing homes

Levine said 831 cases involve patients in 157 long-term care or personal care facilities, including nursing homes. Some nursing homes in western Pennsylvania have had dozens of cases.

We are working with all of the long-term care facilities, Levine said.

The health department has contracted with another company on infection control. State officials are working to protect vulnerable residents in nursing homes, Levine said.

Stemming the spread

Wolf has taken aggressive steps to stem the spread of the coronavirus. He has issued a statewide stay-at-home order in effect until April 30. He also closed schools indefinitely.

The governor has also ordered the closure of businesses that arent life sustaining. Some businesses and trade groups have argued the order is too broad and has shuttered companies that provide essential services. Some companies contend they should be allowed to reopen as long as they enact procedures to ensure safety.

Wolf and Levine have said that its critical to get as many people as possible to stay home to prevent a surge of new patients that could overwhelm hospitals.

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Small businesses show large appetite for federal payroll loans to keep workforce intact during coronavirus closures
Andrea Evans, a first-grade teacher at Mitchell Elementary, left, gives a no contact hug while talking with parent Danielle Johnson on April 3, 2020. Evans asked Johnson to give the hug to her 5-year-old son, Silas, who is a student at the school, because she is not able to. Parents stopped by the school to talk with staff, and pick up laptops and books. Read more

A pandemic forced Francis Scott Key Elementary to lock its doors in mid-March. But principal Pauline Cheung is keenly aware of the role played by Key and many other schools that serve the regions most vulnerable children.

Our schools are not closed. The buildings are, said Cheung. I feel that we have to be open more than ever.

Schools that have outsize roles in their students lives are doing their best to serve as safety nets, not just places where children learn reading and math.

Educators  especially those in the Philadelphia School District, where more than three-quarters of pupils are considered economically disadvantaged  are still finding ways to feed hungry families, connecting parents to resources for unemployment benefits, internet access, and tech support.

Mostly, theyre reminding families that theyre not alone even during the COVID-19 outbreak, which closed hundreds of schools in Philadelphia and beyond on March 13.

 READ MORE: I would call this emergency remote learning: How schools are adjusting during the coronavirus shutdown

That would explain why it felt like a family reunion  minus the hugging  inside the Mitchell Elementary library last week, as families lined up on the blacktop at 55th Street and Kingsessing Avenue to pick up loaner Chromebooks in anticipation of their childrens having remote lessons, set to begin in the School District later this month.

The needs at Mitchell, a K-8 with nearly 500 students, are enormous. All of its families live below the poverty line; some are homeless. Principal Stephanie Andrewlevich estimates that more than 100 families have been receiving some sort of food pantry assistance, much of it through Mitchells partnership with the nonprofit Delaware Valley Fairness Project. She and others have also solicited donations and dipped into their own pockets to do things like purchase diapers for struggling families.

Even before the Mitchell library doors swung open at 10 a.m., parents were lined up outside, six feet apart. The computers are crucial, staff and parents said, but the connections are also important.

Our families are getting a sense of relief, a sense of joy, and were getting that too, just by seeing them. said Andrewlevich. Plus, this makes everything a little bit more fair, because every kid deserves to have technology at home.

Mitchell families, who were asked not to bring their children to the Chromebook distribution so strict social distancing would be possible, walked in a few at a time to collect not just the computers, but also armfuls of other donated materials, including novels, coloring books, and crayons for younger students.

Andrea Evans, a Mitchell first-grade teacher, gave air hugs to the parents who stopped at the table where she handed out instructions on how to get online. Evans said she felt relieved that she could remind families that she was still available as a resource.

 READ MORE: As coronavirus closes schools, wealthier districts send laptops home with students. What about poorer districts?

In this neighborhood, we dont know if our kids needs are always being met when we cant see them, and that just kills us, Evans said.

Annette Williams has six children who attend Mitchell  kids in eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, and second grades, plus a kindergartner. Williams picked up her kids computers on Friday as well as books to keep them busy.

If you cant remember the password, feel free to give me a call or a text, teacher Shaw MacQueen told her. Tell them I said hello. Tell them I miss them.

After three weeks with no school, it was good to see her childrens teachers and principal, Williams said.

Im so happy with this school, she said. Everyone here just loves the kids, and they treat them like their own.

Teacher Jason Bui had been texting students prior to the Chromebook distribution, but he was excited that handing out laptops would mean he could give students a sense of normalcy, giving lessons and playing chess with students in real time by sharing his screen in a Zoom meeting.

Kids are definitely missing routine, said Bui, who teaches a chess class and runs the schools chess team. I hear a lot of, Im bored. Theres nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Even before the pandemic, many Mitchell families experienced food insecurity, and the economic downturn is hitting hard, said Andrewlevich, the principal. On the days when shes been in the building organizing resources, a steady stream of people have stopped her to ask for food or other assistance.

 READ MORE: Where to get free meals at Philly schools, other sites

We want them to know, Weve got you, and well be back when all of this is done, said Andrewlevich.

Sometimes, its not about resources but about moral support, said Tamiah Francis, 18, a senior at South Philadelphia High School who often checks in with trusted school staff.

I really havent been motivated. Its the same thing every day, said Francis. You lose track of the days; its really depressing being in the house all the time.

To cope, Francis keeps in touch with the staff at Southern, whose teachers, community school coordinator, and other employees have been sending a steady stream of texts, calls, and e-mails to their 600 students, answering questions and providing support.

At Key, a K-6 school in South Philadelphia with about 500 students living below the poverty line, more than half the pupils are English language learners; the families speak dozens of languages.

As the pandemic hit Philadelphia in earnest, Cheung began compiling a list of families who would go hungry without access to free food. It started with a dozen and is up to 100.

People reached out and said they had lost their job, they had two weeks of food left, and so I thought, What can I do to help? I reached out to my staff, to community members, churches, anyone I knew who could help, said Cheung.

Staffers are keeping in touch with every family in the school, passing along resources about tenants rights, unemployment benefits, and accessing the internet. They are working on video tutorials, helping to troubleshoot technology problems, and even shopping for groceries.

Weve got to mobilize our own resources for our families, Cheung said. Weve got to have backup plans.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.
The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, Robin Vos, has been criticised for telling voters the Wisconsin primary was incredibly safe  while wearing full personal protective equipment.

Mr Vos was a driving force behind the in-person primary election going ahead after he and fellow Republicans stopped Democrat attempts to delay the election or provide voters with mail-in options.

Wearing a mask, gloves and full-length protective gown, Mr Vos told voters in a video published on Tuesday that he was volunteering with his wife during the primary.

"They gave us the PPE, it is mandatory for us to wear. So we are hear today making sure that we do everything safely," he said.

"Everybody here is safe. They have very minimal exposure. Actually there's less exposure here than you would get if you went to the grocery store. If you went to Walmart or if you did any of the many things that we have to do to live in the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin primary Show all 13 1 /13 Wisconsin primary Wisconsin primary Steve Merriweather waits to vote inside Riverside University High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Aaron Lipski, the assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, stands in a tyvec suit as he monitors health an safety at a polling station inside Hamilton High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters practise social distancing in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Rachel Messenger wears a sign reading 'Thank you for risking your life to vote' outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters in masks wait to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A line of voters outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters filling out their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary People wearing protective masks wait to vote in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A City of Milwaukee Election Commission worker takes a break during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary City of Milwaukee Election Commission workers process absentee ballots during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary Voters waiting to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA Wisconsin primary A line of people wait in their cars for their turn to vote at Riverside High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA

"You are incredibly safe to go out. So I think that's why people have to use their own best judgement. They have to make sure that if they're compromised in any way or worried about the safety of their family that they do it really smartly."

The video of Mr Vos went viral on Twitter, with users like writer @ParkerMolloy joking that PPE is the kind of thing she always wears when it's incredibly safe to go out.

"Also, come on, man, if you need to be dressed like you're heading in to perform heart surgery in order to hang out at a polling place, you should have postponed the election," he wrote.

The Wisconsin primary went ahead after the state's conservative-dominated supreme court voted along party lines to overturn the Democratic governor's bid to delay it amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier on Monday, governor Tony Evers had said he was planning to postpone the primary until 9 June to protect voters from the risk of spreading Covid-19, overriding the objections of Republican politicians in the state. He had previously opposed moving the primary himself.

The supreme court voted 4-2 that he did not have the legal right to postpone the vote on his own authority.
Staff from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust testing health service workers for Covid 19 at the Balmoral MoT Centre in south Belfast. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 8th April 2020

The coronavirus death toll is likely to be 20% to 30% higher than the official tally, a leading doctor has claimed.

Dr Tom Black, chairman of the local arm of the British Medical Association, issued the warning yesterday after a further five Covid-related deaths brought the local death toll to 78.

The number of people here who have tested positive for the infection increased by 84 over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total of local confirmed cases to 1,339.

A total of 9,564 people in Northern Ireland have now been tested for Covid-19.

Across the UK, meanwhile, 938 more people died in hospitals - the biggest loss recorded in a single day so far.

The UK-wide death toll now stands at 7,097.

The number of Covid-related deaths in the Republic rose by 25, bringing the total to 235.

The latest figures show that England had a further 828 deaths, with Scotland recording 77 within the past 24 hours and Wales suffering 33.

The location of a further two deaths was not accounted for.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots and Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey, who yesterday gave the daily Stormont Covid-19 update, expressed their sympathies to the five local families who recently lost relatives to the virus.

Mr Poots said the daily recording of Covid-19 deaths was reminiscent of the dark days of the Troubles.

Mrs Hargey said there would be no relaxation of the lockdown measures next week, when a UK-wide review is scheduled to take place.

"What we don't want is to lift (the restrictions) too early and then see a sharp rise again. That is a concern, obviously, so these restrictions will be in place for the foreseeable future," Mrs Hargey explained.

The Sinn Fein MLA spoke as Dr Black told this newspaper the official Covid-19 death toll was probably 20% to 30% lower than the true figure.

The Public Health Agency has confirmed that it only records deaths where the patient has tested positive for coronavirus within the past 28 days.

"By definition, therefore, deaths where tests were not taken will not be included," a spokesman explained in a statement.

"This reporting process allows a real-time daily update of trends in Covid-19 deaths within each trust area.

"In this pandemic, public health professionals, policy-makers and the public value an up-to-date daily record of the number of deaths associated with Covid-19."

Dr Black said the daily figures would remain a guide until wider testing measures were introduced.

"The failure to record Covid-19 deaths in the community is because we don't have enough tests. Obviously, we don't use tests to maintain statistics. We use tests to maintain health care," he explained.

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"I think it's reasonable that the Covid-19 testing should be as it at the moment for those in-patients in hospital and to get healthcare workers back to work."

He stressed that in the long term wider testing would be beneficial because it would enable health authorities to conduct contact tracing and isolate those who are infected.

"Overall, we aren't recording all Covid deaths at the moment and the difference is probably between 20 and 30%," Dr Black explained.

"I think the statisticians will be able to work this out retrospectively, but to be frank we have a lot of people dying from Covid infections and we're probably under-recording (deaths) slightly."
The Center for Disease Control has said that the number of coronavirus fatalities will be 'much lower' than the White House's apocalyptic forecast of 240,000 dead.

CDC Director Robert Redfield predicted that the number of Americans that will die from the killer virus could be well underneath the shock numbers announced by President Trump last week if Americans keep following social distancing guidelines.

The president issued the grave prediction last Tuesday that there will be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the US if the nation continues on its current path.

The number of deaths has now topped 12,000 and experts have warned of dark days ahead, with the crisis not expected to peak until April 16.

CDC Director Robert Redfield said that the US death toll could be 'much lower' than dire forecasts made by the Trump administration if Americans keep following social distancing guidelines

But CDC boss Redfield gave a more positive outlook Monday, saying that if people continue to follow social distancing guidelines then the deaths will be far lower than the dire forecasts.

'If we just social distance, we will see this virus and this outbreak basically decline, decline, decline. And I think that's what you're seeing,' Redfield said in a radio interview with KVOI.

'I think you're going to see the numbers are, in fact, going to be much less than what would have been predicted by the models.'

Redfield said the 'staggering' figures of 240,000 - which would see more Americans dying from the pandemic than in the Vietnam War - were based on the assumption that only about half of Americans 'would pay attention to the recommendations' around social distancing.

'What we're seeing is a large majority of the American public are taking the social distancing recommendations to heart,' he said.

'And I think that's the direct consequence of why you're seeing the numbers are going to be much, much, much, much lower.'

Redfield added that the projected figures are a way to beta test how resources and intervention strategies might flatten the curve.

The White House issued the grave prediction last Tuesday that there will be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the US if the nation continues on its current path

The shocking chart released by the White House. It shows that a staggering 1.5-2.2 million will die if social distancing guidelines are completely ignored

The White House made the shock prediction Tuesday that there will be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the US if the nation continues on its trajectory and current social distancing guidelines are maintained.

More shocking still, his administration warned that a staggering 1.5-2.2 million will die if social distancing guidelines are completely ignored.

Trump said the estimates were based on data 'that has been, I think, brilliantly put together.'

This White House image charts the predicted number of deaths per day from the virus

This White House slide shows the cases per day from the virus across the different states

But several experts have since cast doubt on the numbers.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Tuesday he thinks the number of deaths will be lower.

'I really do believe that we will come in under those projections as long as we can continue to do our part for 30 days,' he told Good Morning America.

More than 12,000 Americans have died from coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon

Last week, it emerged that some of the president's own top advisors were also left baffled by the figures.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US's top medical expert on the pandemic and a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, cast doubt on the figures during a task force meeting this week, three anonymous White House officials told The Washington Post.

'I've looked at all the models. I've spent a lot of time on the models. They don't tell you anything,' Fauci said, according to the sources.

The estimated peak day of the US outbreak is expected to occur in 10 days on April 16 with a projected 3,130 deaths that day, according to forecasters at the University of Washington's School of Medicine

Peak resource use for hospitals is predicted to occur on April 15 - the day before the peak death toll - where an estimated 25,000 ventilators, 140,000 beds and 29,000 ICU beds will be needed. The data shows the pandemic could be over quicker than initially thought and level out as early as June

While the data still shows a predicted 81,000 deaths from COVID-19 over the next four months, the estimate range has lowered. It was initially thought the range could be as high as 162,000 deaths but it is now predicted to be as high as 136,000 fatalities

'You can't really rely upon models.'

The White House has kept quiet over the numbers, even as far as refusing to explain how they were calculated or providing the underlying data behind the shock statistics.

Deborah Birx, coordinator of the coronavirus task force, said the figures were based on five or six modelers, including from Imperial College in Britain and Harvard, Columbia and Northeastern universities.

But medical experts whose models were used to arrive at the estimates have now spoken out, raising questions over where the figures have come from.

Columbia University epidemiologist Jeffrey Shaman said his own work on coronavirus cited by the White House could not be used to predict as far ahead as the total death toll.

'We don't have a sense of what's going on in the here and now, and we don't know what people will do in the future,' he told the Post.

'We don't know if the virus is seasonal.'

Shaman said he believes the death toll could be less than the forecast: 'I think we can come in under 100,000 deaths. I do. The jury is not yet in on this.'

More than 12,000 Americans have now died from coronavirus as the pandemic continues to spread across the 50 states, the real-time tally from John Hopkins reveals.

The death toll has skyrocketed by roughly 1,799 in the last 24 hours, taking the number of fatalities to 12,876.

Social distancing: Voters line up outside a fire station to vote in Wisconsin's primary in Hudson while maintaining social distancing rules

Holidaymakers in Miami Beach, Florida, crowded on beaches ignoring social distancing rules on March 18

People bike on a crowded bike path on Venice Beach, California, on March 21

Figures show the number of fatalities has increased drastically by more than 8,000 in the first week of April compared to the entire month of March when 4,000 deaths were recorded.

The harrowing figures come as health officials warned this week would be one of the hardest for Americans given the death toll is expected to continue to rise in such stark numbers.

Data has predicted the peak of the pandemic is still yet to hit on April 16 where 3,310 deaths are expected to occur in 24 hours, according to forecasters at the University of Washington's School of Medicine.

This peak is sooner than first predicted and means the pandemic could be over quicker than initially thought and level out as early as June.

Peak resource use for hospitals is predicted to occur on April 15 - the day before the peak death toll - where an estimated 25,000 ventilators, 140,000 beds and 29,000 ICU beds will be needed.

President Trump warned Americans Saturday to prepare for this week to be one of the 'toughest' weeks the country could face during the pandemic.

'This will probably be the toughest week - between this week and next week,' Trump said during his daily White House briefing.

'There will be a lot of death, unfortunately.

The Surgeon General agreed Sunday that the worst is about to come, saying this week will be the 'hardest and saddest' for most Americans and that it will be 'our Pearl Harbor moment and our 9/11 moment.'

The number of infections also continues to rise, with 398,283 confirmed cases across the country.
2 Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced that his country will not cancel Victory Day celebrations because of the coronavirus pandemic. He will not be attending the event in Minsk, however, because he plans to be in Moscow to mark Russia's May 9 Victory Day parade instead.
[April 08, 2020]

Smart Mining Market to Garner $24.04 Bn, Globally, by 2027 at 13.0% CAGR, Says Allied Market Research

Improved effort toward safety & health of mineworkers, increase penetration of advanced technologies, and surge in demand for automation in mining equipment have boosted the growth of the global smart mining market

PORTLAND, Oregon, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Smart Mining Market by Type (Underground Mining and Surface Mining) and Category (Automated Equipment and Component): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027". According to the report, the global smart mining industry was pegged at $9.25 billion in 2019, and is projected to garner $24.04 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 13.0% from 2020 to 2027.

Chief growing factors of the market

Improved effort toward safety & health of mineworkers, increase penetration of advanced technologies, and surge in demand for automation in mining equipment have boosted the growth of the global smart mining market. However, dearth of skilled labor and mining graduates hampers the market. On the contrary, increase in application of environmental laws concerning the mining industry and initiatives offered by government and mining companies are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future.

Surface mining segment dominated the market

By type, the surface mining segment held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the global smart mining market. Moreover, the segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period. This is due to the implementation of automation systems such as autonomous haulage system in open-pit mines that aims to provide cost reduction advantages to the mining operations.

Download Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1596

The automated equipment segment held the lion's share

The automated equipment segment dominated the market in 2019, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global smart mining market. This is due to the fact that the adoption of automated equipment has improved the productivities of the mining operations, as well as reduced the operational costs. However, the component segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 14.0% during the study period, owing to owing to the ease of implementation.

Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, held the largest share

The global smart mining market across Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, held the largest share in 2019, contributing to more than one-third of the market. This is due to the large-scale mining operations in these countries. However, the market across LAMEA is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 14.2% during the forecast period. Africa and Latin America regions have abundant mineral resources, which are mined on an extensive scale. The large-scale mining activities attract mining companies to introduce new technologies for the extraction of minerals at lower investment costs. This attributes to increase in market growth in the region







Inquire for Purchase Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1596

Major market players

ABB Ltd.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Hitachi Ltd.

Hexagon AB

Robert Bosch GmbH

Komatsu Ltd.

Sandvik AG

Rockwell Automation Inc.

Trimble Inc.

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On Monday the ten Formula 1 teams held a meeting, headed by FIA boss Jean Todt. It was decided to keep the closed garages closed even longer, but not everyone agreed.

F1 comes together

On Monday, several topics were reportedly discussed. For example, Christian Horner indicated that it might be an idea to even postpone the new rules, which have already been postponed to 2022, to 2023. However, this has not been approved by the rest of the teams, so the new rules are expected for 2022.

A second point was the budget cap. It was previously decided that the budget cap introduced for 2021 would remain in place, but the original amount of $175 million will also be reduced. Whereas the small teams are aiming for $100 million and the large teams for $150 million, a middle ground will probably be found. However, that decision has not yet been made.

Ferrari is working against

The third item on the agenda was the closed factories. Currently all teams are in the mandatory break, with all factories locked. It became clear on Monday that this period has been extended by two weeks. However, RACER reports that not everyone was equally happy with this. Ferrari wouldn't want to close any longer, because they already had to close earlier than the competition, due to the situation at home.

Nevertheless, the decision was made and the teams had to keep their doors closed even longer. With the postponed Grand Prix of Canada also the ninth race of the Formula 1 calendar has disappeared, so it remains to be seen when and how F1 will finally start again.

Read more Does Formula 1 need to race without an audience?
(Newser)  "Less driving means fewer accidents," says Allstate CEO Tom Wilson, whose company is giving refunds to millions of American drivers with nowhere to go. Allstate says it is giving $600 million back to customers after a steep drop in car accidents amid coronavirus prevention lockdowns, the BBC reports. The company, the fourth-largest American auto insurance firm, says customers in quarantine will get full refunds while other customers will get 15% of their monthly premium in April and May back. American Family Insurance says it is giving customers $50 back per covered vehicle, which adds up to around $200 million.

story continues below

"Given an unprecedented decline in driving, customers will receive a shelter-in-place payback of more than $600 million over the next two months," Wilson said in a statement. The CEO said that with driving down by between 35% and 50% in most states, there was no internal debate at the firm over whether customers should get money back, Bloomberg reports. A Progressive Corp. spokesman says the company is also looking into refunds. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
MySA.com is compiling the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its affects in the San Antonio area.

Coronavirus cases: The number of COVID-19 cases in Bexar County jumped double-digits again Wednesday to 554, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the daily city/county briefing. Deaths remain at 20. More than 80 of those confirmed with COVID-19 are in the hospital now.

Three hospital workers in S.A. test positive: Three employees at Kindred Hospital-San Antonio Central have tested positive for COVID-19 , according to the hospital. But Kyle Sinclair, the hospital's CEO, said Wednesday that none of the patients at the small hospital have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, he said.

Its unclear how the employees contracted the disease.

Eight Bexar County Law Enforcement Officials have COVID-19: Two additional law enforcement employees in Bexar County tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total to eight. One  a facilities maintenance employee at the Bexar County Sheriffs Office  prompted a temporary shutdown of some Bexar County Detention facilities on Wednesday afternoon.

San Antonio lays off almost 300 workers: The city of San Antonio furloughed 270 municipal employees across several departments Wednesday. All employees work in several departments funded by tax revenue through hotel room bookings, which have plummeted as the citys travel and tourism industry dried up in recent weeks.

Fourth SAPD officer tests positive: A fourth San Antonio police officer has tested positive for COVID-19, the city of San Antonio confirmed Wednesday. The officer is a sergeant, who has been with the department for 24 years. It is unknown how the sergeant contracted the coronavirus, but he has been placed on administrative leave and is recovering at home, city officials said.

S.A. H-E-B employee tests positive: An employee at an H-E-B on the far West Side tested positive for COVID-19, the company said in a statement Wednesday. This is the second employee in San Antonio to test positive for the virus. The second employee to test positive works at the H-E-B near the intersection of Grissom and Tezel roads and was last there on April 5. The company said the store has since been deep cleaned and sanitized multiple times.

Deaths at S.A. nursing home: Two more residents of the Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center who contracted the coronavirus have died, city officials said Wednesday, raising the fatalities there to 10. One of the residents was a woman in her 70s who had been receiving hospice care at the facility after a hospitalization. The other was a woman in her 80s who died at the nursing home.

USAA returning $520M to members: San Antonios USAA on Wednesday became the latest insurer to announce it will return some money to auto-insurance customers who are driving less as they hunker down during the coronavirus pandemic. USAA members will receive a 20 percent credit on two months of premiums in the coming weeks, the company said.

Positive case at S.A. facility: A resident at a North Side assisted living facility has tested positive for COVID-19, according to San Antonio officials. Bruce Davidson, communications director for Mayor Ron Nirenberg, confirmed the case at Franklin Park TPC Parkway on Wednesday.

S.A. professor working on coronavirus treatment: Doug Frantz is co-founder of the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery. Partnerships among UTSA, UT Health, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the Southwest Research Institute are helping scientists tackle the virus on multiple fronts, and youre going to see a lot more of this coming out locally in San Antonio, he said.

Plasma donations in S.A.: A San Antonio mans donation of plasma after recovering from the coronavirus has kickstarted local efforts to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients with a therapy that has been used for other diseases without treatment or cure.

S.A.'s homeless: San Antonio soon will provide hotel rooms for up to 400 homeless people at high risk of contracting COVID-19 and will create overflow shelters for 200 more people as the city continues its efforts to slow the spread of the disease.

Workforce Solutions Alamo closes centers: Amid a historic flood of jobless claims, Workforce Solutions Alamo announced Tuesday it would shutter all of its 16 career centers to help mitigate spread of the coronavirus. The closures are effective Thursday.

Total Coronavirus count: Confirmed COVID-19 cases shot up, with a total of 503 San Antonio area residents testing positive for the virus, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at Tuesdays briefing. Of those, 150 patients were infected by community transmission, while 179 cases were attributed to close contact, such as catching the virus from a family member. On Tuesday, 88 were hospitalized. Of those patients, 51 remained in intensive care, while 40 were on ventilators.

S.A. Food Bank asking for help: Fearing its warehouse could be empty within three weeks from the strain of feeding tens of thousands more than it usually does because of the pandemic-fueled recession, the San Antonio Food Bank is seeking $12 million worth of help from the state. Its the first time in its 40-year history the nonprofit has petitioned the state for aid.

COVID-19 Tracker: Interactive maps track coronavirus cases in San Antonio, Texas counties and the U.S.

CURBSIDE: An updated list of San Antonio restaurants offering takeout and delivery

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:
BOQ chief executive says maintaining social distancing policies until there is a vaccine would be "a long time for businesses to be in hibernation." Credit:Peter Braig

However, he cautioned that some businesses, such as pubs, may find it more difficult to recover from the economic slump and a longer period of restrictions would only make things tougher.

BoQ has received 10,000 requests for assistance from its 168,000 small and medium businesses as a result of the crisis so far, it said at its results on Wednesday, with Mr Frazis expecting a "V-shaped" economic recovery from the crisis.

Bank of Queensland chief executive George Frazis has warned against keeping Australian businesses in "hibernation" until a vaccine for the coronavirus is available, saying more firms could be put under pressure under a prolonged shutdown as he advocated further testing of the virus.

I think the longer we leave it the more difficult it gets, not just for business customers but also just for the sanity of our personal customers, Mr Frazis told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

My sense is that we do need to get to a position where we think through thoughtfully, when do we start releasing some of the constraints, and when do we start enabling more businesses to get to some form of normality in terms of their operations?

For us to come out of this quicker in a safe and healthy way, we just need to be doing even more testing," he said.

"That is a long time for businesses to be in hibernation, and I would say that if you go down that path, really you are talking about more businesses not making it through," he said.

Mr Frazis' comments came as BoQ became the first local bank to defer making a decision on its first-half dividend, after the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) intervened on Tuesday, urging banks to conserve capital to support the economy.
Swiss brokerage UBS Securities on Wednesday said it expects an over 14 per cent jump in the equity markets in the current fiscal in the base case scenario, despitethe heavy sell-offs that have dominated in therecent past due to the COVIND-19 pandemic.

It can be noted that the Indian equity markets have corrected by nearly 25 per cent in the last two months, ever since the onset of the pandemic in China and as it grew to other countries of the world.

The brokerage said it expects the NSE's 50-share benchmark Nifty to be at 10,000 points by March 2021 in the base case scenario, 11,500 points in the upside scenario and go down to 6,000 points if the downside risks play out.

As a base case, the brokerage has assumed that the disruptions caused by the pandemic will last only till June, while in the upside scenario, the difficulties will get over by May and may prolong till September in the downside risks scenario, its analystGautamChhaochharia told reporters over a call.

At present, there is a near-unanimity about the lockdown getting extended beyond April 14 at least in the parts which are affected by the spread of the virus. Even after the lockdown gets lifted, there are concerns whether normal economic activity will resume, due to which they feel the disruptions will last longer.

Chhaochharia said the lockdowns will have an impact on the earnings growths for companies and warned that an extension in the lockdown will have a non-linear, disproportionate impact as activity stalls that much longer and takes more time to revive.

He, however, said that as a base case, the brokerage sees a 2 per cent rise in earnings and added that markets will go by previous experiences like the global financial crisis to find its levels.

The brokerage also feels that the pullout by foriegn investors is at par with the weightage given to India in the composite indices and also with the pullout at the global levels.

Chhaochharia saidthe brokerage is advising clients to study the balance sheet strengths and a demand impact on a business before investing.

Consumer staples, oil and gas companies and the stronger players in the banking and finance universe which have seen a correction in prices would be the best bets in this market, he said.

When asked about the sectors one should stay away from, he pointed to metals, mining and industrials and also flagged risks from mid-caps like hospitality and tourism.

In banking, the small finance banks and microlenders who depend on physical visits to borrowers for repayments and also new loans will be impacted because of the lockdown, he said, adding that the others will be tested on the willingnessto lend which was found wanting in the run-up to the crisis as well.

He said telecom is also another sector which will be least impacted by the goings-on, but was quick to add that the Supreme Court judgement on AGR dues may force consolidation which may result in the emergence of a stronger entity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One Day at a Time Boundaries Season 4 Episode 3 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Courtesy of PopTV/2020 POP MEDIA GROUP LLC. All rights reserved.

If there was ever a time when we needed a One Day at a Time episode like Boundaries, its now.

Whether its because youre still crying over tonights exquisite Schitts Creek finale, or because real life has become increasingly more terrifying (or both), this superb ODAAT episode should help quell your nerves for at least half an hour. Boundaries is like an all-you-can-eat buffet of sitcom greatness  theres something for everybody. In the mood for a healthy debate over self-gratification? Weve got opinions from a religious, old-school abuela, a sexually liberated divorcee and her equally sex-positive teenage daughter, and an all-female veterans support group. Looking for some superior under-an-afghan-blanket acting? Marcel Ruiz has got you covered. Feeling theres just not enough Outlander in your life? Then, boy, are you in for one helluva crossover treat. Thirsting for a surprise romantic denouement? Oh, yeah, Boundaries delivers that last one in spades.

This is one of those rare episodes where the major theme  this time its, Penelope learns that boundaries dont really work in a close-knit family like hers, especially if youre going to be a hypocrite about it  is secondary to the brilliant rapid-fire comedy, and Im totally okay with that. Every joke is a gem (even when they include Lydia calling masturbation dirty and sinful), which makes recapping Boundaries, written by Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz, that much more challenging, because I want to talk about every single one.

There is no beating around the bush (sorry! Had to!) in this episode. Well, at least not in the cold open, when Penelope shares in her support group that Alex accidentally caught her having a date with herself. Before I go any further: Can Justina Machado be nominated for an Emmy already? Her facial subtleties are a joy to watch, so much so that she doesnt even need to verbalize what happened. Her expression says it all.

While Penelope narrates every humiliating detail of the incident, we cut back and forth between the group and Casa Alvarez. One Friday night, Lydia, Alex and Elena left the apartment to go to the movies (I faintly remember that used to be a thing back in the olden days of 2019), while Penelope opted for some alone time with red wine and Jamie Fraser. Pam (Mackenzie Phillips) acts as a surrogate for any ODAAT fans who arent familiar with the epic time-traveling series, but if Im being honest, you may want to get on the Outlander bandwagon now, only to get the full Boundaries experience. Take it from Ramona (Judy Reyes): Its quality television, Pam. Culture yourself.

Penelope was in her bedroom enjoying the Skye Boat Song, and, most likely, a shirtless Sam Heughan, when Alex came back looking for his phone. After calling it from the landline, he heard a distinctive buzz, so he headed toward the sound. Except the buzzing wasnt coming from an iPhone. I havent seen terror in a mans eyes like that since Afghanistan, a mortified Penelope tells the group.

Next comes the big talk, and I am here to say your family discussion about this subject will never, ever be as entertaining as the Alvarezes. Penelope, against the advice of everyone in her therapy group, tries having a heart-to-heart with her still understandably very, very embarrassed son about the normalcy of masturbation. But who wants to watch that when its so much funnier to see a livid Lydia burst through her curtains to offer an invective against self-pleasure? Rita Moreno, never one to disappoint, is a Lydias-greatest-hits machine here, tossing out insults (masturbation is a dirty, sinful habit  for sad, ugly people), double standards (men can do it, but not women), and ignorance (No one in our family has ever done that!). Though Elena does put her abuelita in her place by listing several mental and physical benefits of self-love, as well as bluntly asking, Are you saying you never opened the curtains?, its not enough to keep Lydia from insisting to Alex, who is begging for some boundaries at this point, that shame is character-building. You should be proud of your shame!

Finding out that Penelope is spending her free time making love to a robot  no, sorry, personal massager  is too much for Lydia to handle. So, she does what any concerned Cuban-American mother would do: Catfishes Adam Rodriguez and interviews him to be her daughters new suitor. Underhanded, sure, but like Lydias cohort Schneider explains, it couldve been so much worse if he hadnt gotten involved: A Lonely Catholic Nurse Seeks Big, Strong Man to Fill the Hole in Her Life Tinder profile is way preferable to a Free Stuff Craigslist posting, amirite?

Once Penelope gets wind of her mothers latest scheme, more fights ensue about boundaries, with Alex calling Penelope on her hypocrisy well before Schneider does. But it does take her in-house landlord/therapist (Dammit, Schneider! = Youre right, Privileged White Boy) to help Pen see that she cant demand space from her mother if shes not going to let there be any privacy between her and her son.

See, sometimes zero boundaries can be a good thing  as long as Penelope puts a lock on her bedroom door going forward, that is. Because as Lydia hints at in the final scene, she would do anything for Penelopes happiness. Like, say, bump into the perfect guy for her daughter at the grocery store and invite him over without permission.

Let this be a lesson to Penelope that an oversharing, meddling mother is a loving mother, and regardless of her backwards views on masturbation, Lydias got our best interests at heart. Thats right, I said our. That perfect guy from the grocery store? Its a home-from-Indonesia Max, who is more than primed to update Penelopes 18th-century chiseled-man fantasies into a 21st-century reality.

As for restarting his BFF-dom with a certain wealthy hipster? Eh, thats a bit lower on Maxs priority list. But dont tell Schneider that. Let the poor guy think those really were high-fives from Penelope for now.

Thank you, One Day at a Time, from the bottom of our exhausted, saddened hearts, for giving us yet another unexpected happy ending in the span of one hour tonight. Theyre few and far between these days, and they do not go unnoticed.

This Is the Rest!

 Special thanks to my Puerto Rican husband for helping me translate Old Hispanic Lady for this episode.

 I love Elena for trying, but we have a better chance of witnessing an actual hookup between her grandmother and Dr. Berkowitz before we see Lydia talking about the female orgasm.

 Listen, Angus from ScottishHotties.com, throwing on a kilt does not make you Jamie Fraser. Smoldering is a learned skill.

 Schneider walking into Casa Alvarez with AA batteries for Penelope. Hehehehehehehe.
Captain Brett Crozier, former commanding officer of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, December 19, 2019. /Reuters

Editor's note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language opinion column "The Real Point."

Hundreds of sailors on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt cheered for Captain Brett Crozier on April 3 as the latter disembarked the ship after being sacked by the Navy for his leaked warning letter about a coronavirus outbreak on the carrier.

In his letter to the Navy leadership, Captain Crozier pleaded for resources to allow isolation of his entire crew as an increasing number of sailors on board were infected with COVID-19 and the situation was quickly deteriorating. But the Navy decided to release Crozier from duty because he showed what they called "poor judgment" in the middle of a crisis.

Why did Washington punish someone who tried to save the lives of his crew?

Crozier was removed for revealing the military's incapability in dealing with the outbreak. Since the outbreak, the U.S. government has been criticized for its incompetence in virus prevention and control.

Crozier's letter to the Navy leadership was leaked to the media before being publicized, exposing the infection situation of the aircraft carrier docked in Guam and the military's sluggish response to the spread of the virus. Replacing the captain became the Navy's only face-saving option.

The Navy needs to find a scapegoat for the deteriorating situation on the ship. When speaking to the press, acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said Captain Crozier's action "unnecessarily raised alarms with the families of our Sailors and Marines with no plan to address those concerns." It is quite obvious that the Navy was trying to cast blame onto Captain Crozier, labeling him as someone who failed to solve the problem.

The punishment also serves as a warning to others. The aircraft carrier is deployed in the Western Pacific Region as frontier deterrence. The Navy said Crozier's move "raised concerns about the operational capabilities and operational security of the ship that could have emboldened our adversaries to seek advantage."

How the Navy handled the incident revealed that it shared a similar mindset with the U.S. government in handling the pandemic. They are incompetent in preventing and controlling the spread of the virus, spending more time and energy on covering up the truth. What happened to Captain Crozier reminds people of what Dr. Helen Chu had gone through.

In January, Dr. Chu issued an early warning of the virus outbreak in the United States. When she submitted test results to the regulatory body in February, she and her team were told to stop testing for the coronavirus entirely. After the media reported what Dr. Chu had encountered, the authorities tried to blame others.

Emphasis on self-interest rather than people's lives has blurred the focus of the U.S. government's counter pandemic efforts. The bureaucracy in the country's decision-making system, including the military, is the main culprit in delaying the country's response to the pandemic.
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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders pauses as he speaks during a rally, Saturday, March 9, 2019, at the Iowa state fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Matthew Putney/AP

Sen. Bernie Sanders has had more influence on US politics than almost any other failed presidential candidate in the country's history.

Sanders has set the tone for the future of the Democratic party with his push for Medicare for All, tuition-free college, and the Green New Deal, among other proposals.

The senator from Vermont dropped out on Wednesday, making former Vice President Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

"Senator Sanders and his supporters have changed the dialogue in America," Biden said in a statement. "He doesn't get enough credit for being a voice that forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror and ask if we've done enough."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 race on Wednesday.

The senator from Vermont has now ran two failed presidential campaigns, but in doing so has drastically shifted the Democratic party's platform and had an unparalleled influence on the national political discourse.

When Sanders hopped in the 2016 race roughly half a decade ago, he was broadly dismissed as a longshot candidate with ideas far too radical to be palatable to the average American. He proved the doubters wrong, giving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a run for her money while winning stunning victories in New Hampshire and Michigan, among other states.

The self-declared democratic socialist has been saying the same things for decades, which is a large part of what made him so attractive to disenchanted young voters who grew up through the War on Terror and Great Recession.

Sanders failed to win the nomination in 2016, but the Democratic party adopted the most progressive platform in its history that year. In the time since, Sanders has continued to have an overwhelming influence on the party's politics, moving it further and further to the left.

Story continues

Though he has once again failed to win the nomination in 2020, and former Vice President Joe Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sanders' message of "health care is a human right" has perhaps never been more relevant than at the moment he stepped aside  amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Highlighting the influence of his policy proposals in a livestream that marked the end of his campaign on Wednesday, Sanders said, "It was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. Today they are mainstream ideas, and many of them are already being implemented."

His push for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and tuition-free college, among other policies aimed at eradicating inequality, has set the tone for the future of the party. This is evident via young leaders such as Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who volunteered on Sanders' campaign in 2016 before going on to win a shocking victory in the 2018 midterms.

Ocasio-Cortez is the new face of the Democratic party, and young progressives like her will continue to push for an agenda first popularized by Sanders (who is technically not a Democrat).

Sanders has also set a new standard in the way campaigns raise money, rejecting high-dollar fundraisers while building a massive grassroots movement via small-dollar donations.

As Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts put it in a tweet on Wednesday, the Vermont senator's "fight for progressive ideas moved the conversation and charted a path for candidates and activists that will change the course of our country and party."

Echoing these sentiments in a lengthy statement on Sanders' decision to drop out, Biden on Wednesday said: "Senator Sanders and his supporters have changed the dialogue in America. Issues which had been given little attention  or had little hope of ever passing  are now at the center of the political debate. Income inequality, universal health care, climate change, free college, relieving students from the crushing debt of student loans. These are just a few of the issues Bernie and his supporters have given life to."

Biden added: "I want to commend Bernie for being a powerful voice for a fairer and more just America...He doesn't get enough credit for being a voice that forces us all to take a hard look in the mirror and ask if we've done enough."

The former vice president said that though Sanders' campaign has been suspended its "impact on this election and on elections to come is far from over."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Heavily armed gardai were involved in an arrest operation yesterday morning which led to five males being charged with alleged offences linked to a feud in Longford.

Members of the Armed Support Unit were involved in the arrest of three suspects at two locations at the Old Dublin Road in Longford shortly before 7am yesterday.

The trio, who included one juvenile male, were brought to Longford garda station along with another man and another juvenile male who were arrested at a different location in the midlands town.

All five then appeared before Judge Seamus Hughes at Longford District Court and were sent forward on the charges to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

Two 17-year-old males, who cannot be named, were each granted bail on the charges with strict conditions including providing an independent cash surety of 3,000 each.

The other three men, who are all members of the same extended family, were remanded in custody to Castlerea Prison and are due to appear before Longford District Court next Tuesday.

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Each of the five defendants faced a single charge of violent disorder during an alleged incident at the Texaco service station on the Dublin Road in Longford which occurred at 5pm on June 2 last.

Willie Hannafin (32), of Knockashaw, Dublin Road, Longford; Thomas Hannafin (40), of Dublin Road, Longford, and Denis Hannafin (39), of Curry, Athlone Road, Longford, were all remanded in custody.

No bail application was heard for the three men.

Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by Garda John Hanley, of Longford station, who outlined the State's case against the five Longford males who each made no reply after being charged with a single count of violent disorder.

Gda Hanley alleged that the injured party in the case - Ronan Stokes - was assaulted by three males and that one of the males could be seen on CCTV "slitting his back".

He alleged that two of the men punched the injured party, while a fourth accused swung an axe that did not make contact with Mr Stokes.

He said that a fifth male drove the others to and from the scene at the Texaco service station.

Answering questions from Judge Hughes, the garda said that the incident started when one of the charged males emerged from a vehicle when the alleged victim was in the shop.

Gda Hanley said that Mr Stokes escaped the scene and an axe that was allegedly swung at him but did not make contact in the incident has not been recovered.

The victim made a complaint and gardai had obtained "very good CCTV", he said.

After hearing the evidence, Judge Hughes refused District Court jurisdiction in relation to all five defendants.

"This appears to be a trickle of a feud - these are very serious matters.

"It could even have been an incident of attempted murder," Judge Hughes said.

The two juvenile defendants were granted bail on strict conditions.
Mexico's Senate recently passed a controversial federal law to promote and protect native corn or, as locals call it, maize, preventing "intellectual plundering" of indigenous communities.

In a recent article, Morena party Senator Ana Lilia Rivera, one of the bill's sponsors, said that one of the objectives of the law was "... the debt that [Mexico] still has with indigenous communities since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] in 1994."

Corn cultivation is one of the most significant contributions of Mexicans in the world, which dates back 10,000 years ago, according to an article by Latin Post.

The bill seeks to preserve and promote native Mexican corn varieties amidst the competition from modern hybrids and genetically modified corn.

READ: Real Heroes 2.0: Latino Farmworkers Sustain Food in the U.S., but Are They Protected Against COVID-19?

Mexico will label all corn produced and sold in the country to indicate how it was produced. What sets "Native corn" apart from others is that they are grown solely using traditional agricultural methods. Meanwhile, "Hybrid corn" applies to those produced using more modern farming techniques, which have raised some doubts related to nutritional value.

On the other hand, "Genetically modified corn" refers to those varieties that have been developed with resistance to certain kinds of infestations and extreme climate conditions such as drought.

Over 60 varieties of corn developed with traditional and indigenous agricultural methods are considered by the law as part of Mexico's national heritage, making its conservation a human right on par with nutrition, health, and culture.

The passing of the law came before the implementation of the USMCA, the new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which will replace NAFTA. NAFTA allowed large quantities of cheaper, foreign corn, principally from the U.S., into Mexico. Today, Mexico produces only a fraction of the corn it consumes.

Both genetically modified corn and modern hybrid varieties are seen as a concern because of the possibility that foreign companies would patent seed varieties that were already developed under traditional Mexican agriculture.

For Victor Manuel Chima of the Fray Francisco de Vitoria Human Rights Center, such a possibility "... a kind of intellectual plundering of [indigenous] communities."

ALSO READ: Climate Change Affects Mexico's Cradle of Corn

Senator Rivera stressed that because of this new law, "... never, ever, will anyone be able to patent or create economic or commercial rights [that would take precedence] over the human right to corn."

The law also seeks to address another concern, which is the contamination of native varieties by crossing-breeding them with foreign, genetically modified corn. The bill also establishes an agency called Consejo Nacional del Maiz (National Corn Council, or Conam) that will document and establish regions where native corn varieties are propagated, and from this information, create policies to ensure the sustainability of the production.

The Consejo Nacional Agropecuario (National Agriculture Council) previously objected to the proposal, claiming it will prohibit the cultivation of naturally bred hybrids within Mexico along with genetically modified corn. Meanwhile, others point out that the consumption of genetically modified corn has not been proven to be harmful to human health.

Chima also asserted that despite the new law, native corn is still in danger because the communities that grow these varieties "have been marginalized for many years."

"With this law, we look to replace the importation of tonnes of corn from the United States with the development of public policies to guarantee production, not only for consumption but also to guarantee that this corn is nutritious and of quality," he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New Yorkers who die at home are not being tested for COVID-19, even if they had flu- or coronavirus-like symptoms at the time of death, which is likely leading to a massive underreporting of COVID-19 fatalities.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he believes many of the citywide at-home deaths are COVID-19-related, however, the city Health Department said it does not test the deceased for the disease.

Every person with a lab confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses is counted in the number of fatalities, Department of Health spokesman Michael Lanza told Gothamist.

While undiagnosed cases that result in at-home deaths are connected to a public health pandemic not all suspected COVID-19 deaths are brought in for examination by OCME, nor do we provide testing in most of these natural at-home deaths, he said.

A city Department of Health spokeswoman told the Advance Every person with a lab confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis is counted in the number of fatalities, whether they passed away at home or in a hospital. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the NYC Health Department are working together to include into their reports deaths that may be linked to COVID but not lab confirmed that occur at home.

A spokeswoman for the medical examiners office told Gothamist that an additional 200 people are dying at home each day, in addition to the 20 to 25 people that died at home each day before the pandemic.

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As of Tuesday, there have been 3,202 COVID-19 deaths  an increase of 29.37% overnight. The 731 New Yorker deaths is the single largest day of death since the outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

De Blasio said testing the deceased to see if they are COVID-19 positive is harder to do with all the resources stretched so thin.

The first thing we are focused on is saving the next life, de Blasio said, according to the Daily News.

The News reported the mayor said he wouldnt go into further detail about what the city plans to do if the death surge continues and the medical examiners office wont say how much space it has for the bodies of COVID-19 victims.

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Face masks do not stop people from catching coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in light of recent studies suggesting the opposite.

The United Nations health body was forced to review new evidence from Hong Kong claiming mass-issuing masks may have helped contain the pandemic.

But the WHO maintains the public should not wear them outside because there is still no proof they prevent infection, it says.

In updated guidance published on Monday, the health body said masks were only useful for healthcare workers and patients who test positive.

The advice is in stark contrast to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which urges all Americans to wear them.

The CDC has even went one step further and advised people use makeshift masks out of scarves when travelling on public transport or in supermarkets.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock still insists 'well' Britons do not need to wear masks because evidence on them being useless had been 'very clear from the start'.

Scientists are split on the effectiveness of masks, with some claiming they could prevent asymptotic patients from spreading the disease before they know they're ill.

Others say surgical face masks - the most popular kind - are too thin, loose-fitting and porous, which make it easy for the tiny viral particles to pass through.

The UK Government has long held the view that the cheap paper masks offer little protection against catching COVID-19. A passenger on the London Underground wears one last month

Other have resorted to crafting masks out of household items. A man is seen using a nappy as a makeshift face mask in Brooklyn, New York City

South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong have issued millions of masks to their people and managed to prevent full-scale outbreaks, despite being in such close proximity to China. Critics say masks don't work because China still suffered more than 80,000 cases

The WHO acknowledged the virus can be transmitted by people who do not have symptoms, but said it must still spread via droplets which can pass through the masks' big filters, or on contaminated surfaces.

According to its new advice, people with symptoms should wear a face mask, self-isolate and call for an ambulance.

Only those caring for someone in close proximity should wear a mask, the WHO says.

It comes after British scientists said elderly and vulnerable people should wear face masks because it could protect them from catching the deadly bug,

A review of the scientific literature by the University of East Anglia found the masks have a 'small protective effect' that could shield them from contracting the virus in crowded places.

The researchers advise vulnerable people wear one on public transport, at the supermarket or in hospitals.

But they say the evidence is not strong enough to recommend widespread use of masks in the general population.

South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong have issued millions of masks to the public and, thanks to strict public health measures, managed to prevent large outbreaks, despite being in such close proximity to China.

George Gao, director-general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this week said the 'big mistake' in the US and Europe was that 'people aren't wearing masks'.

The president urged Americans not to wear medical-grade masks and instead could make masks from fabric at home

How to make your own coronavirus face mask: Online DIY tutorials detail method for vacuum cleaner bag or T-shirt to create protection that leading scientists say is effective against bug

THE TRUTH ABOUT FACE MASKS: WHAT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN Research on how well various types of masks and face coverings varies but, recently, and in light of the pandemic of COVID-19, experts are increasingly leaning toward the notion that something is better than nothing. A University of Oxford study published on March 30 concluded that surgical masks are just as effective at preventing respiratory infections as N95 masks for doctors, nurses and other health care workers. It's too early for their to be reliable data on how well they prevent infection with COVID-19, but the study found the thinner, cheaper masks do work in flu outbreaks. The difference between surgical or face masks and N95 masks lies in the size of particles that can - and more importantly, can't - get though the materials. N95 respirators are made of thick, tightly woven and molded material that fits tightly over the face and can stop 95 percent of all airborne particles, while surgical masks are thinner, fit more loosely, and more porous. This makes surgical masks much more comfortable to breathe and work in, but less effective at stopping small particles from entering your mouth and nose. Droplets of saliva and mucous from coughs and sneezes are very small, and viral particles themselves are particularly tiny - in fact, they're about 20-times smaller than bacteria. For this reason, a JAMA study published this month still contended that people without symptoms should not wear surgical masks, because there is not proof the gear will protect them from infection - although they may keep people who are coughing and sneezing from infecting others. But the Oxford analysis of past studies- which has not yet been peer reviewed - found that surgical masks were worth wearing and didn't provide statistically less protection than N95 for health care workers around flu patients. However, any face mask is only as good as other health and hygiene practices. Experts universally agree that there's simply no replacement for thorough, frequent hand-washing for preventing disease transmission. Some think the masks may also help to 'train' people not to touch their faces, while others argue that the unfamiliar garment will just make people do it more, actually raising infection risks. If the CDC does instruct Americans to wear masks, it could create a second issue: Hospitals already face shortages of masks and other PPE. Advertisement

He told Science magazine: 'This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role  you've got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth.

'Many people have asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others.'

It comes after elderly and vulnerable people should wear face masks in public to prevent them from catching coronavirus, British scientists say.

The coronavirus is thought only to spread through close contact with others - defined as being within 6'6" (2m) of someone.

But a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston found that infected patients can create a cloud of virus particles around them with coughs and sneezes.

This can stretch out up to 27ft (8m) and could carry enough of the virus to infect someone, the researchers said.

Droplets from people's lungs could also linger in the air and be blown about, they added.

The study - from one of the US's most prestigious universities and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - was done in lab conditions rather than the real world.

But it could change the way health authorities look at protective equipment like masks, which are currently being stockpiled for health workers.

In France, for example, the government banned wholesalers from selling masks to the public so it could save them for medical staff.

Although scientists say the vast majority of masks do not have fine enough filters to stop viruses getting through, there is a growing school of thought that they could be useful.

Even if they don't stop viruses in their tracks they could redirect air flow which might be carrying them into people's mouths or noses.

A smaller initial dose of the virus has been linked to less severe symptoms in some coronavirus patients.

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist from the University of Reading, said the mass-issuing of masks 'should now be considered' in the UK.

Warning that the crisis is spiralling rapidly, he told MailOnline: 'Anything that reduces the rate of transmission will bring it under control sooner.'

Professor Jones told MailOnline: 'For me it's very simple, the epidemic is currently running [rampant] and anything that reduces the rate of transmission will bring it under control sooner.

'On the basis that correct mask use would do no harm and potentially some good it should be considered.'

Not all masks are created equal: Single-use masks and surgical masks have larger pores which the coronavirus can easily slip through. A more expensive N95 mask is the gold standard for healthcare workers fighting infectious diseases

Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor of infection and immunity at the University of Leeds, said masks prevent people with no symptoms spreading the disease by catching tiny droplets they exhale.

He added: 'They are also useful for people that are themselves symptomatic in stopping coughs and sneezes.

'They also reduce the propensity for people to touch their faces, which happens many more times a day than we all realise and is a major source of infection without proper hand hygiene.'

How to make your own coronavirus face mask: Online DIY tutorials detail method for vacuum cleaner bag or T-shirt to create protection that leading scientists say is effective against bug

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has led to a shortage of protective face masks, leading to a deluge of online tutorials ion how to make your own using a t-shirt or pillowcase.

Homemade masks offer significantly less protection than the N95 medical masks, which are made of a thick, tightly woven material that fits over the face and can stop 95 per cent of all airborne particles.

Public Health England still does not recommend Britons wear face masks, unless in a medical setting.

But there are good reasons to think DIY masks could be effective in tackling the pandemic, as they have been widely used in Hong Kong,Mongolia and South Korea -countries that largely have the disease under control.

The World Health Organisation also currently does not recommend that people without the illness wear face masks, but it could be about to reverse its decision due to evidence from Hong Kong that they may be effective in fighting the virus.

And in a further sign that attitudes about masks are changing, LA's mayor, Eric Garcetti, yesterday told all four million of the city's residents that they must wear face masks at all times to slow the spread of the deadly pandemic.

MailOnline has investigated how you can make your own face mask using everyday household items such as a t-shirt, kitchen towel or vacuum bags.

How to make a face mask from a t-shirt

A YouTube tutorial by Runa Ray shows how to make a face mask without any need for sewing, using just a plain t-shirt.

First of all you need scissors, pencil and a ruler, and a t-shirt you don't mind being used to make a face mask.

Cut out a 16' by 4' rectangle from the middle of the t-shirt, then fold it in half, and measure four inches on either side.

Then mark the t-shirt with an even number of tassels on each side and use scissors to cut them.

Turn the t-shirt inside out and separate the corner tassels, but tie the remaining ones in-between.

Then with the remaining t-shirt material cut some ear straps using the hem of the shirt.

Attach the straps to the remaining outer tassels and you have yourself a face mask, with no sewing involved, and using an old t-shirt.

A slightly more complicated method has been perfected by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh also managed to design a face mask that could be used if 'commercial masks' are not available during a virus outbreak.

A woman wearing a mask walks past a closed shop window display during the pandemic lockdown in Manchester

They used a regular cotton t-shirt, which was boiled for 10 minutes and then air-dried to sterilise the material, but also to shrink it.

The researchers used a marker and ruler to measure out what they wanted to cut and then formed the mask using an outer layer and then eight inner layers covering the nose and mouth.

The mask does not require any sewing, and instead involves it being tied multiple time around the face.

How to make a face mask from vacuum cleaner bags

By following the simple steps in the graphic, you can create your own face mask from a T-Shirt or vacuum cleaner bag,

Even UK politicians have got in on the act, with Gillian Martin, who is MSP for Aberdeenshire East, describing how she made a face mask from vacuum cleaner bags and elastic.

She told the Daily Record: 'I live in a small village and have been here for over 20 years. I don't want to worry or offend people when I go out.

'I started researching what other countries have been doing and came across a chart with the best materials to use to make a mask out of just about anything.'

'Just below medical material was a hoover bag. I have loads of them lying around and found Hepa-Flow bag that just goes on your Henry hoover'.

The chart the MSP is referring to from a University of Cambridge study which shows the materials that work the best against virus sized particles.

The top three are a surgical mask, vacuum cleaner bag and tea towel.

She added: 'I cut it up the bag and secured it with elastic. I live with my family of three who have all been self-isolating so I made one for each of us'.

Gillian Martin posted about her mask that she made from a vacuum cleaning bag

'I made it because I'm nervous of people coming up to me when I'm out walking the dog. I don't want to have to run away from them.'

Another popular YouTube method shows how to fold up a scarf, using hair ties at either end, to make a simple and easy no-sew mask. The same method can be used with a handkerchief and doesn't involve any sewing.

How to make a face mask from kitchen towel

For this you need two layers of kitchen towel and one of tissue.

You cut it in half, and then use masking tape on each end to ensure the mask is stiff.

Then you punch holes through either end of the mask and thread elastic bands through the holes.

Some Japanese women have even been posting instructions about how to make a face mask from a bra.

The method is simple and involves cutting off one cup with scissors and then sewing the bra straps on, so they can be attached to your face.

Do masks have to be complex to be effective?

The idea that masks do not have to be complex to be effective does have some support from recently published studies.

A University of Oxford study published this week concluded that surgical masks are just as effective at preventing respiratory infections as N95 masks for doctors, nurses and other health care workers.

It's too early for there to be reliable data on how well they prevent infection with COVID-19, but the study found the thinner, cheaper masks do work in flu outbreaks.

Two elderly women wearing protective face masks walk in Westminster on Wednesday

The difference between surgical or face masks and N95 masks lies in the size of particles that can - and more importantly, can't - get though the materials.

N95 respirators are made of thick, tightly woven and molded material that fits tightly over the face and can stop 95 percent of all airborne particles, while surgical masks are thinner, fit more loosely, and more porous.

This makes surgical masks much more comfortable to breathe and work in, but less effective at stopping small particles from entering your mouth and nose.

Droplets of saliva and mucous from coughs and sneezes are very small, and viral particles themselves are particularly tiny - in fact, they're about 20-times smaller than bacteria.
The S&P 500 has made a major comeback.

After hitting the lows of the sell-off on March 23, the benchmark index has rocketed 21% higher.

A handful of its stocks have led the charge  MGM, Capri, Coty, Nvidia and Halliburton have all soared off their March lows.

"When you look at these names I think that it makes sense they're rolling off the lows. If you're a long-term investor, I think it makes sense to get into them here," Danielle Shay, director of options at Simpler Trading, told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Tuesday.

Only one has the best chance of outperforming from a trading perspective, though, she adds.

"I love the relative strength that we've seen with Nvidia. The chipmakers are incredibly strong, and it has an upcoming earnings report, and I think it's going to continue trading higher into that report," said Shay.

Nvidia is set to report earnings on May 7. Analysts surveyed by FactSet anticipate 90% earnings growth in its first quarter.

Todd Gordon, managing director of Ascent Wealth Partners, agrees with Shay, noting that Nvidia has both fundamental and technical tailwinds.

"It's a leader in AI, data centers, all sorts, self-driving cars, cloud, gaming. It's just unbelievable. From a technical point of view, [it's] another stock that here in the weekly is holding the 50- and 200-week moving average. So, really good relative strength," Gordon said during the same segment.

Gordon says the stock is now bumping up against a $300 target. On the daily chart, it is also holding above its 50- and 200-day moving average, he notes.

"There's a big open interest at the $300 call strike next month in the May options, so watch that should this market stabilize," Gordon added.

Nvidia shares hit a low of $180.68 on March 18. Since then, they have risen 43%.

Disclaimer
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has called for a fiscal support package equivalent to 2-3% of gross domestic product (GDP), or around Rs 4-4.5 lakh crore for industry in addition to the Rs 1.7 lakh crore the government has earmarked to ease economic distress caused to the poor by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The industry grouping asked the government not to expend its firepower all at once given the likelihood that the crisis will not go away anytime soon.

CII, which also addressed ways to restart the economy after the national lockdown imposed to check the spread of the pandemic ends, urged the government to set up an empowered group of ministers to plan, review and address implementation challenges. Inter-departmental task forces led by the chief secretaries should be formed at the state level too for the same job, it said in recommendations submitted to the government.

Since we are not going to see the end of the crisis soon, the government should not spend all its firepower at once. The coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest disruption to the world economy ever since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, CII director-general Chandrajit Banerjee said.

While India entered the 2008 crisis coming off years of strong growth, the story is different this time around, with the economy going through a slowdown pre Covid. It is our considered judgement that the impact is severely adverse and the best estimates of GDP growth for the current fiscal would be no more than about 2% with a downward bias, Banerjee said.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Banejree said the government should extend additional support to people at the bottom of the pyramid thorough cash transfers. Support to industry could come through the banking system, he said.

The Covid-19 outbreak and the three-week nationwide lockdown enforced to promote social distancing and prevent its spread is expected to take a heavy toll on Asias third-largest economy, which had already been in the midst of a slowdown when the pandemic hit. In the annual budget presented on February 1, the government estimated that economic growth in the year to March 2020 would slow to 5%, the slowest pace in 11 years, from 6.8% the previous year

The economic crisis will affect the lowest strata and the informal sector in the economic pyramid disproportionately, the CII said in its report to the government. The industry grouping asked the government to provide cash transfer amounting to Rs 2 lakh crore to Jan Dhan account holders.

Considering the size of the population and very little social security for the unorganised sector, the impetus required will be much larger than 2% of GDP, said Sandeep Shah, partner, NA Shah Associates LLP,. Countries like the UK are talking about +10% of GDP impetus. The impetus will have to be in areas of making goods and services cheaper in the hands of consumers by substantially reducing the GST {Goods and Services Tax}, excise duty on petroleum/ electricity. The state governments will also have to chip in by reducing the stamp duty and fees for real estate.

The impetus cannot be incremental but something which will allow all round economic activities. Any lopsided growth will accentuate the problem of unemployment, he added.

Click here for the latest updates from the coronavirus outbreak

To address the immediate economic distress in the wake of the lockdown, and ensure food and cash reaches the marginalised segments of society, the government announced Rs 1.7 lakh crore package last month,under a new scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKBY).

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a series of measures, which focused on additional food transfers at no cost, additional cash for vulnerable segments, concessions on government schemes aimed at helping households reduce their expenditure, and support those in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic. The primary beneficiaries of these measures include those below the poverty line, farmers, women, elderly citizens, the physically challenged, and workers in both the unorganised and organised sectors.

The CII has undertaken a contact programme with over 8,000 member-companies, directly and indirectly, to assess the issues faced by them and the overall economic impact of the pandemic and the consequent shutdown that started on March 25.

Our estimates are that the economy would need a credit expansion of 14-15 %. Additionally, support through banks would allow the government a leverage of 5-6 times, mitigating the fiscal impact, Banerjee said.

The support should include working capital enhancement and support for payment of wages to all industry and special reconstruction terms loans for micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs) and stressed sectors.

The CII has also asked the government to ensure safeguard measures for the migrant workforce to return to work. For the re-start to be organized, safe and sustainable, various issues related to health and safety, logistics, migrant workers and coordination between various agencies of the government also need to be addressed, it said.

To get the migrant workers, who have left the cities and gone back to their homes in the countryside, back to their places of work, the government should undertake an aggressive messaging campaign on the preparedness of the official machinery and industry for the restart, the CII said. It should facilitate their return through issue of e-passes and by arranging special transport.

It has also recommended a Covid-19 insurance scheme for migrant workers for three months, saying a part of the cost for it could be borne by the government and part by industry.

For addressing supply hurdles, the CII said that the government needs to facilitate the seamless movement of goods and services across the country and key interventions need to be taken. Seamless transportation of goods and material across the country is a prerequisite for a smooth restart, it said. This is also harvest time and the logistics sector has a key role in transporting farm produce across India.

Drivers and other workers engaged in the sector should be issued e-passes by local authorities, those with e-passes should be allowed to travel to their place of work. Special transport could be arranged from clusters from where large number of workers come, to clusters where they come to work, with all the safety protocols in place. Dhabas on highways should be allowed to open, so that the required basic amenities are available to the truck drivers en route, it said.

Hindustan Times reported that nearly 600,000 truck drivers transporting supplies had been stranded en route since the first week of the lockdown.

Separately, in a recommendation letter to finance minister Sitharaman on Wednesday, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), too, recommended a 16-point agenda and a stimulus package of at least $200-$300 billion to support the economy.

Keeping up with most economies of the world to institute stimulus measures with 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Indian economy would need a transfusion of over $200 billion with an ability to go up to $300 billion, over the next 12-18 months. Out of the corpus, $50-100 billion cash needs to be infused in the system over the next three months, to arrest the loss of jobs and compensate for loss of income, Deepak Sood, ASSOCHAM secretary-general, said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 18:12:32|Editor: huaxia

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Members of a medical team assisting the Myanmar government's efforts in fight against COVID-19 pose for a photo before departure at the Kunming Changshui International Airport in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 8, 2020. The Chinese government has sent a team of medical experts to Myanmar to help the country cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian announced Wednesday. The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consists of 12 experts selected by the health commission of Yunnan Province. The team left for Myanmar earlier in the day, Zhao said. (Photo by Chen Xinbo/Xinhua)

BEIJING/KUNMING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has sent a team of medical experts to Myanmar to help the country cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian announced Wednesday.

The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consists of 12 experts selected by the health commission of Yunnan Province. The team left for Myanmar earlier in the day, Zhao said.

The experts specializing in respiratory disease, infectious disease, intensive care, testing and traditional Chinese medicine are from two hospitals in Yunnan and the Yunnan provincial center for disease control and prevention, according to the province.

The medical team left Kunming, capital of Yunnan, with medical supplies donated by the province, including nucleic acid testing kits, 8,500 N95 masks, 60,000 disposable masks and 5,500 protective suits.

They will share their experience and provide suggestions to their counterparts in Myanmar on COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, treatment and medical staff training.
MIAMI, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackson Health Foundation announced today that the Jose Milton Family and United Property Management ("UPM") will donate 300 apartment units to be used, free of charge, by healthcare professionals at Jackson Health System as they continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The staff at Jackson Health System continues to put their lives on the line every day to keep our community safe," said Cecil Milton, president of Jose Milton & Associates. "We are offering staff apartments where they can live and keep their families safe by practicing social distancing as they continue to fight against this disease. COVID-19 is an unprecedented threat to our community, and we are fortunate to have such a talented, dedicated, and compassionate healthcare team at Jackson leading the fight."

The donated apartments are fully furnished and include free utilities. The apartments will be available under a 30-day lease, with weekly extensions as required, and amounts to an overall donation of over $2.2 million.

"I think it's a wonderful resource for any employee at Jackson," said Carla Calonge, a nurse in the emergency department at Jackson Memorial Hospital whose daughter Deniz Azucena Aguero, is a senior ER technician in the pediatric emergency department at Holtz Children's Hospital. "This allows my daughter and me to continue serving the Public Health Trust and being able to go home with the peace of mind that we are not exposing our loved ones to a potentially deadly disease. We are beyond grateful to the Jose Milton Family and Jackson for giving us this peace of mind."

City of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell worked alongside Jackson Health Foundation, the Jose Milton Family, and Jackson Health System to bring this effort to fruition. Commissioner Russell was approached by the Jose Milton Family about finding a way to help first responders using their stock of furnished apartments. After a nurse at Jackson lost her life to the coronavirus, he called Jackson Health System President and CEO Carlos A. Migoya to offer healthcare workers a place to stay while working on the frontlines, instead of worrying about spreading the virus to their families. Russell had earlier put together a free meals program for 2,500 nurses and doctors at Jackson Health System with Uber Eats.

"Our first responders are the heroes of this crisis. Offering the comfort of food and a safe place to stay while this battle is being fought is the least we can do to support them as they keep us safe," said Miami Commissioner Ken Russell. "I will continue putting those in need together with those who generously want to help."

The temporary apartment units will be available at three of UPM's developments in cooperation with their short-term rentals partners - Miami Bay Waterfront Residences and Mare Azure Short-Term Rentals, Brickell West Apartments and Love Pop Realty/Outpost Miami, and Intracoastal Yacht Club and Hosteeva Short-Term Rentals.

"The Milton family and United Property Management are the epitome of community corporate leaders," said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. "They leaped into action immediately, and it's making a real difference for our nurses, doctors, and other frontline caregivers."

To learn about ways you can help Jackson Health System continue the fight against COVID-19 (Coronavirus), visit www.SupportJHF.org/WeAreJacksonHealth or call (305) 585-GIVE (4483).

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jackson Health Foundation

Tasha Cunningham

[email protected]

Phone: 305-335-8466

Jackson Health System

Jennifer M. Piedra

[email protected]

Phone: 786-525-9078

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Annual Meeting to be held in virtual only format

HONOLULU, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Hawaiian, Inc. (FHB) (First Hawaiian or the Company) announced today a change in the location of the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Annual Meeting). In light of public health concerns regarding the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the Annual Meeting will be held solely by remote communication, in a virtual only format. There will be no in-person stockholder attendance. The previously announced date and time of the meeting (April 22, 2020 at 8:00 a.m., local time in Honolulu) will not change. Stockholders may attend the Annual Meeting by visiting https://web.lumiagm.com/224987645 and entering the 11-digit voter control number found on their Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, on their proxy card or on the instructions that accompanied their proxy materials, along with the passcode of fh2020 (case sensitive). Additional details regarding attending and participating in the Annual Meeting can be found at http://proxy.fhb.com.



About First Hawaiian, Inc.

First Hawaiian, Inc. (FHB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Its principal subsidiary, First Hawaiian Bank, founded in 1858 under the name Bishop & Company, is Hawaiis oldest and largest financial institution with branch locations throughout Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking services to consumer and commercial customers including deposit products, loans, wealth management, insurance, trust, retirement planning, credit card and merchant processing services. Customers may also access their accounts through ATMs, online and mobile banking channels. For more information about First Hawaiian, Inc., visit the Companys website, www.fhb.com .
OTTAWA - Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to form a common front ahead of talks aimed at ending the global oil-price wars.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Tuesday February 4, 2020 in Ottawa. Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to generate a common front ahead of talks by the world's biggest economies aimed at ending the global oil price wars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Canada's energy minister will speak to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts Thursday in a bid to form a common front ahead of talks aimed at ending the global oil-price wars.

But Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland refused Wednesday to say whether Canada would consider slapping import duties on oil from Saudi Arabia or Russia if they don't agree to curb production to respond to the drastic drop in demand for oil.

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening such tariffs from his end and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said last week he "would like to pursue concepts like an import tariff on foreign oil that's been dumped into the North American market during the crash in demand."

Kenney also wants a continental energy policy to help North America fight what he says are predatory pricing practices of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.

"Ive begun that discussion with American officials," Kenney told the Alberta legislature April 1.

Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is set to talk with the energy secretaries in Washington and Mexico City by phone Thursday, a day before G20 energy ministers are to hold virtual talks about oil prices.

Freeland said working with the U.S. is a critical part of Canada's energy plans, because the fossil-fuel sectors in both countries are so intertwined. Freeland however would not support or disavow the idea of tariffs, even as she said "the actions by Russia and Saudi Arabia have had unfortunate consequences on the global oil market."

"I chose my words carefully," Freeland said, when a reporter noted she didn't answer the question about tariffs the first time.

"We are very focused on this issue. It's an important issue for Canada and the world."

While the United States was the origin of almost three-quarters of Canada's oil imports in 2019, Statistics Canada trade data shows Saudi Arabia was No. 2, supplying 15 per cent of imports and Russia was third with three per cent. Canadian refineries brought in more than 37 million barrels of oil from Saudi Arabia, valued at more than $3 billion, and 6.5 million barrels from Russia, with a total value of almost $555 million.

Canada's political relationship with each country is fraught with tension even on good days.

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World oil prices plummeted in recent weeks, as COVID-19 grounded airplanes, moored cruise ships, closed manufacturing plants and led billions of people to work from home. But instead of agreeing to curb production, Saudi Arabia and Russia increased their supplies. The ensuing glut of oil pushed prices lower than they have been in almost two decades.

In Canada, where Western Canadian Select oil always trades for less than most other oil products, the price of a barrel of oil dipped lower than the price of an expensive latte or beer last week. It's trading for about US$8 a barrel this week.

"The current situation is a real problem for Canada and we are working to find ways to resolve it," said Freeland.

Canada's oil and gas sectors together contribute about seven per cent of Canada's economic activity, with more than 800,000 jobs. Alberta's provincial budget for the year assumed the price of oil would be several times what it is now.

Saudi and Russian envoys were to have talked Monday about the situation, but that didn't happen. The talks, being held remotely because of COVID-19, were rescheduled for Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 11:07:51|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai reported five newly confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from overseas Tuesday, the local health authority said Wednesday.

The municipal health commission said a total of 204 imported cases had been reported in Shanghai by the end of Tuesday, while 16 suspected imported cases are under quarantine for further confirmation.

The new imported cases were all Chinese citizens, including two back from Russia, two from Britain and one from Japan. They were quarantined and tested positive for the virus upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

A total of 52 people in close contact with the confirmed patients on flights have been screened and put under quarantine.

On Tuesday, 17 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital in Shanghai after recovery, including one severely ill patient who was cured after treatment by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

Shanghai saw no new indigenous COVID-19 infections on Tuesday. It reported one new death from the disease on Tuesday. In total, the municipality has reported 339 locally-transmitted confirmed cases.
The trial of a former NASA astronaut charged in a car crash that killed two girls in 2016 is now scheduled to begin in June.

Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Allen May issued an order Monday setting James Halsells reckless murder trial for June 8. In-person courthouse proceedings are shut down statewide because of the new coronavirus, but May entered a written order without a hearing.

Halsell had been set to go on trial in May before the pandemic hit.

Halsell, of Huntsville, was arrested after a car crash killed two sisters, 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler, nearly four years ago near Tuscaloosa. The girls' father, who was driving a car that was struck by one driven by Halsell, and a woman were injured.

Authorities contend Halsell, 63, was under the influence of alcohol. The defense blames the wreck on sleeping medication.

Halsell, who is free on bond, flew five shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2006 with more than 1,200 hours in space.
By Ofeliya Afandiyeva

Azerbaijan has allocated $8.7 million to build six new modular hospitals with 200 beds each for the treatment of coronavirus patients, the presidential website reported on April 7.

President Ilham Aliyev signed a relevant decree on April 7.

The funds will be earmarked within the state capital investment provided for in the 2020 state budget. Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to solve the issues arising from this order.

Another clinic to treat coronavirus patients was opened in Baku on March 28. President Aliyev described the clinic as the countrys number one hospital.

It should be noted that on March 19, President Aliyev announced the creation of the Fund to Support Fight Against Coronavirus.

Initially, the government allocated $11.7 million to the fund and the president and the first lady donated their annual salaries to the fund. As of April 8, the fund had collected about $65.1 million. Donations have been made by 2,692 legal entities and 8,223 individuals.

Earlier, on March 3, President Ilham Aliyev announced that he allocated ($5.8m) for fight against the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The former lead investigator on the William Tyrrell case has been convicted and fined $10,000 for illegally recording four conversations during the investigation into the toddler's disappearance.

William, 3, vanished from his foster-grandmother's home at Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast in September 2014.

Gary Jubelin speaks outside court on Wednesday. Credit:AAP

Gary Jubelin, 57, a former detective chief inspector, recorded four conversations with a person of interest, Paul Savage, without the 75-year-old's knowledge between November 2017 and December 2018.

Three of the conversations were at Mr Savage's Kendall home, while a fourth was recorded when Jubelin put his phone on loudspeaker at police headquarters in Sydney and told another officer to record.
The Higgs government's decision to centralize COVID-19 decision-making was taken after it took 23 health-care officials to agree to warn staff they could "rapidly exhaust" N95 masks and other personal protective equipment.

Last month, officials were alarmed that there was "excessive use" of masks for patients "who did not meet criteria for this level of PPE" in several hospital emergency departments, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.

The memo, dated March 31, tells all health-care facilities to return to existing infection control guidelines "effective immediately."

But according to Premier Blaine Higgs, it took two weeks for the memo to get the required signoff from 23 different health officials before it could be sent out.

The episode is the one cited by Higgs on Monday when he announced the creation of what the health minister called a military-style "command and control" task force to centralize and speed decision-making.

"Not long ago we signed off, through the Department of Health and through the different health structures and authorities around the province  on a personal protective equipment protocol," Higgs said.

"It took two weeks to sign off on 23 signatures. ... If we are going to fight a virus effectively and decisively, we can't be in a system where it takes 23 people to sign off each time that we make a decision," he said.

The premier's spokesperson Nicolle Carlin confirmed Tuesday that the March 31 memo is the one Higgs was talking about.

It is signed by 13 senior officials from the Horizon health authority and six from the Vitalite health authority.

The other signatures are from chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell, provincial medical director Dr. Tushar Pishe, New Brunswick Medical Society president Dr. Chris Goodyear, and Medavie Health Services NB CEO Richard Losier.

Ed Hunter/CBC

On Monday Health Minister Ted Flemming said large organizations "by their nature" can't move quickly and called the existing decision-making process "top-heavy."

Story continues

But he said that structure can't keep up with the "relentless surge" of COVID-19. "This virus does not respect the organizational charts of any organization," he said.

The new task force is made up of just four people and under New Brunswick's emergency declaration, it has the legal power to make decisions for regional health authorities, nursing and special care homes and ambulance and extramural services.

Asked Monday what prompted the creation of the task force, Higgs said the province's response was evolving "as time goes on" and as it learned best practices, including how to avoid "a lot of unnecessary discussion, a lot of unnecessary procedures."

Liberalizing use of PPE beyond our current guidelines will only serve to provide a false sense of security and rapidly exhaust a finite supply. - March 31 memo to all health-care facilities

In the March 31 memo, officials say it has "just come to our attention" that there was excessive use of the masks, and other contact-droplet precautions, for patients who didn't meet the criteria for that level of personal protective equipment (PPE).

It says the existing infection prevention and control guidelines at the two regional health authorities for managing COVID-19 patients complied with federal guidelines.

"Liberalizing use of PPE beyond our current guidelines will only serve to provide a false sense of security and rapidly exhaust a finite supply," the memo says.

It adds that N95 masks "do not provide superior protection" against COVID-19 except during medical procedures that trigger aerosol spray from patients.

The memo says the extra precautions shouldn't be used in hospitals for patients with no symptoms of respiratory infections, unless Public Health has directed those precautions for specific patients.

New guidelines

Dr. Gordon Dow, a task force member and infectious disease specialist with Horizon, said Monday the "top concern" for medical staff was whether there will be enough PPE in the coming weeks.

He said one role of the task force is to send a clear message to health-care workers about the supply of PPEs and "what is the best PPE to be used in various circumstances."

A new memo issued Monday endorsed by three unions representing health-care workers clarifies the use of PPEs by health-care workers.

The new guidelines say droplet-contact precautions, including the use of face shields or goggles, gowns, surgical masks and gloves, "must be used by health care workers for all interactions with suspected, presumed or confirmed COVID-19 patients."

N95 masks "must be used" in any room where aerosol-generating procedures "are being performed, are frequent or probable, or with any intubated patients," it says.

The new memo was agreed to by the province, the two health authorities, Medavie Health Services NB, as well as the New Brunswick Nurses Union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the New Brunswick Union.

A shipment of 295,000 U.S.-made N95 masks for New Brunswick was on hold in recent days after President Donald Trump tried to order manufacturer 3M to withhold exports to Canada and Latin America.

Late Monday there were reports that 3M had reached a deal with the Trump administration to allow exports to go ahead, but it wasn't immediately clear if that meant the masks bound for New Brunswick would reach the province soon.

Flemming said Monday the province has enough PPE for 12 to 14 weeks "in normal times" but in a pandemic "you go through them a little quicker, what is called the burn rate, and we need to balance that so we don't use them up."
As the coronavirus continues to spread across New Jersey, Hudson Countys hospitals are turning to refrigerated trucks to store dead bodies as their morgues fill up.

The countys Office of Emergency Management has purchased two trailers, such as those used for transportation with 18-wheeler trucks, for $3,000 each. One of those trailers is stationed at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, and the other at Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus.

The two county trailers augment the trailers already deployed at Christ Hospital, Hoboken University Medical Center, and Bayonne Medical Center.

The trucks are intended to help hospitals alleviate any pressures they may find on their in-house morgues, said county spokesman Jim Kennelly.

Theres a lot of people not being buried, said Kennelly, noting that the increase in bodies was not only due to COVID-19 victims but other deceased people whose funerals had been postponed or canceled due to social distancing measures.

Theres been this backlog of deaths that have yet to reach burial for this range of reasons, he said.

A spokesman for CarePoint, which comprises Christ, Hoboken University Medical Center, and Bayonne Medical Center, said the hospitals morgues are too small to handle a large increase in corpses. The capacity of the trucks is unclear; a CarePoint spokesman said only that some had room for 20 beds but others varied in size.

Hudson County is the third hardest-hit county in New Jersey, with a total of 4,949 cases and 103 deaths as of Tuesday. In his daily press conference, Gov. Murphy announced a total of 44,416 cases and 1,232 deaths, with 232 new deaths, the largest single day increase since the start of the outbreak.

As experts warned that the peak of the infection was likely still weeks away, state officials announced Tuesday they had ordered 20 refrigerated trucks to serve as temporary morgues.

But Hudsons fleet of trucks, which were purchased independent of state agencies and are already in use, seem to show that the county couldnt wait.

The nature of Hudson County is such that you have to think a little bit ahead, Kennelly said, noting that the countys density made it especially susceptible to contagious illnesses.

We are the most urbanized, the densest populated county in the state and one of the densest and most urbanized counties in the U.S., he said. Making choices like this makes sense.
Shoppers urged to support UK fishermen as export markets dry up

April 07,2020 | Source: Press Association

Shoppers should try UK-caught produce as fishermen struggle with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, a seafood industry expert has said.



With the export markets to Europe and China ruined, restaurants and chippies closed, hospitality shut down and many supermarkets not staffing their fish counters, skippers have decided to keep their vessels tied up.



But some are still going out to fish, and more of what they catch is available online or being sold door-to-door.



Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermens Organisations, said: This is a good time for consumers to try different fish where they can get access to them.



Some of the more exotic species are not going abroad or into the restaurant trade, so theres no reason why prices should not be low.



Theres Dover sole, crab, lobster, scallops that could be available.



He said there had been rapid growth in fishermen starting up doorstep sales.



But he said: I dont think this will substitute the main supply chains, it wont be anything of that magnitude.



Seafish, which supports the British seafood industry, has provided online advice about selling directly to consumers.



Director Hazel Curtis said: We export around 80% of the fish and shellfish caught around the UK, so some fishing boat owners are adapting and finding ways to sell their catch directly to fishmongers or to the general public.



Groups of fishermen around the UK are setting up websites so they can sell locally landed fish straight to local fishmongers or to households and were seeing an increase in the use of fish vans which makes it easier for people to buy seafood too.



Wed love people to support our coastal communities and eat more of the delicious seafood we catch.



The Scottish and Northern Ireland governments have announced packages of support for their shellfish boats and Mr Deas expected help will be announced for their English counterparts in the coming week.



Much of the high-quality shellfish caught in the UK is exported to France, Italy and China, all badly affected by the pandemic.



The huge changes in the market mean many skippers could not cover their costs if they went to sea, leaving many vessels tied up.



He said the centuries-old way crews were paid, by sharing the value of the catch, meant it was tricky to work out a fair scheme for the Government to support them, as it will with other self-employed people.



In the meantime, fishermen like Rex Harrison, who works from Filey, North Yorkshire, will stay ashore.



The 66-year-old, who has been fishing as long as he can remember, usually catches sea trout, crab and lobster, with the fish going to high-end London restaurants.



He said: At the moment we are shut down.



There are always jobs to do and at the moment we have been making new gear.



These are usually the jobs we do in bad weather.



At the moment we have no-one we can send our fish to.

 A Gannett Company. Newsquest Media Group Ltd

Theme(s): Others.
SHED been preparing to start her adult life, on her own for the first time, with plans to get a job and enroll in post-secondary school.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SHED been preparing to start her adult life, on her own for the first time, with plans to get a job and enroll in post-secondary school.

She was already nervous about leaving the child-welfare system, where she spent most of her life, and had received an extension of care after she turned 18.

Now, shell age out of Manitobas Child and Family Services system during a pandemic, and doubts shell be able to find a job to support herself after she turns 21 later this month.

"Its hard right now, especially, just to go and try and get a job," said the 20-year-old Winnipeg woman, whom the Free Press is not naming because of her status as a youth in CFS care.

"It feels like were just jumping into the deep end after that, after having these supports here, and then them not fully setting you up. Theyre just kind of like, OK, youre aging out."

While the federal government and other provinces, including B.C., Ontario and Saskatchewan, have promised no youth in their child-welfare systems will stop receiving care and supports during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Manitoba hasnt made such a commitment.

The provincial government has been asked repeatedly whether it will issue a moratorium on youth aging out of care. During a news conference last week, Families Minister Heather Stefanson said the department was in the process of figuring out how to work with youth set to age out of the system.

She said Manitoba is "ahead of other jurisdictions already" with its current practice of granting extensions of care up to age 21 to select youth who need extra support. As for stopping all youth from aging out of care, Stefanson told reporters to stay tuned for a forthcoming announcement.

"This is very much on my radar," she said April 2.

The Metis Child and Family Services Authority decided not to wait. On April 1, it issued a directive ordering its agencies not to allow youth to age out of care for the next three months. The decision will affect about 24 young people who will be turning either 18 or 21 before the end of June.

"This is about doing the right thing for our young people," said authority chief executive officer Billie Schibler.

She said she understands the province is concerned about ensuring it has the authority to prevent youth from aging out of the system under existing legislation.

"The issue is, when people are in a crisis  when a province is in a crisis, when the world is in a crisis  sometimes you just gotta do what is logically the right thing to do and figure it out later. And we as service providers, we have to do that, and beg forgiveness after, I suppose," Schibler said.

She said the Metis CFS agencies have been directed to continue paying for room and board and expenses to allow young adults in their care to remain in foster homes or placements. Theyll review that decision after three months, and work with youth who want to be on their own to make sure they have appropriate support.

"We wouldnt do that to our own children. So why would we do that to children that we are responsible for? Thats what it came down to," Schibler said.

The lack of consistency among different CFS agencies response to the pandemic is part of the problem, said Cora Morgan, First Nations family advocate for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. Its unfair some youth will be allowed to continue receiving support while others may be on their own, she said.

"I cant understand why our provincial government wouldnt want to do something to prevent more people becoming homeless during this time, and alleviate pressures on these organizations who are rushing to service people who are on the streets," Morgan said.

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.

As she approaches her 21st birthday, the Winnipeg woman plans to stay with family, so shes not worried about becoming homeless, but she is stressed about not being able to contribute to rent payments.

"I think its just a day-by-day thing, because no one really knows when this is going to be over," she said. "I dont feel at ease a lot of the time, because its like a question mark."

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
China reports no new coronavirus fatalities for first time as US deaths surge

WORLD: China today (Apr 7) reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January, the National Health Commission said.

ChinesedeathCoronavirusCOVID-19

By AFP

Tuesday 7 April 2020, 10:21AM

China today (Apr 7) reported no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January. Photo: AFP

Cases in mainland China have been dwindling since March, but the country faces a second wave of infections brought in from overseas, with health officials reporting nearly 1,000 imported cases in total.

Chinas health authorities reported 32 new cases nationwide, all of which were imported.

There were also 30 new asymptomatic infections, health officials said, bringing the national total to 1,033. Around a quarter of the current total of asymptomatic cases were also imported from overseas.

Last week, China began disclosing the number of asymptomatic cases for the first time, after growing public concerns over the potential of silent carriers to spread the disease.

Fears have also been growing over a potential resurgence in the epicentre of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year.

After a number of asymptomatic cases were confirmed in the central Chinese city, local authorities revoked the epidemic-free status of 45 residential compounds yesterday.

To date, 81,740 people have been infected and 3,331 have been killed by the deadly virus in China, with the vast majority in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.

Meanwhile, the global death toll from the pandemic is close to 75,000 as the virus ravages numerous countries in Europe and the US. The number of infections globally stands close to 1.35 million.

The US recorded 1,150 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, Johns Hopkins University said late yesterday, pushing the countrys toll further above the 10,000 mark reached earlier in the day.

According to Johns Hopkins running tally, there are more than 367,000 cases of new coronavirus in the United States  including in excess of 30,000 new cases in 24 hours  with total deaths at 10,876.

The US has by far the most number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. The number of deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic has for the past several days increased by at least 1,000 per day and is gradually approaching the number of deaths in Italy (16,523) and Spain (13,005).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  On April 2 the Purdue University Board of Trustees approved naming of the Ag Alumni Seed Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility to recognize Ag Alumni Seeds partnership with the College of Agriculture in expanding the breadth of plant research.

Ag Alumni Seed, a seed technology company specializing in hybrid popcorn, will fund a second growth chamber that will more than double the facilitys plant holding capacity. The 7,300-square-foot phenotyping facility  open since February 2018  complements Purdues field-based phenotyping capabilities by allowing a rapid, non-destructive alternative to exploring plant traits under precise environmental control.

The original design included a 256-plant chamber with space allocated for a second chamber. More space means researchers can increase the scope of their experiments and run experiments simultaneously that require different environmental conditions.

The current chamber controls light, temperature, humidity and monitors CO 2 levels. The new growth chamber will come with CO 2 enhancements, expanding these capabilities. The feature will allow researchers to change CO 2 levels as they take a more realistic and comprehensive look at potential climate change impacts.

The increased capacity and CO 2 capabilities will provide opportunities for Purdue faculty, students and staff to conduct leading, relevant research that will improve sustainable plant production which is critical to meeting global food and fiber demands, said Bernie Engel, associate dean of agricultural research and graduate education.

Construction is expected to start in July. The increase in capacity comes at a critical time given faculty interest in phenotyping experiments. The facility has hosted 48 experiments across 14 different plant species since its opening and spots are already filling up for 2021.

Ag Alumni Seeds continued support comes after a $900,000 gift in 2018 to fund the purchase of a sophisticated computed tomography (CT) root scanner for the facility.

Ag Alumni Seed is a longstanding research partner with the College of Agriculture and has been instrumental in helping us advance the facilitys technology and propel our leadership in phenotyping, said Karen Plaut, Purdues Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.

Located in Romney, Indiana, the international seed company makes investments in research programs with commercial potential, which lately have been in phenotyping.

We couldnt pass up a chance to contribute to this world-class facility, said Jay Hulbert, president and CEO of Ag Alumni Seed. The credit goes to Ag Alumni Seeds current and past team whose dedication and hard work, along with the steadfast support of our customers, gave us the ability to fund this project.

Specialty crops like popcorn are sometimes too small to take advantage of the latest technologies in phenotyping to develop new varieties. Hulbert looks to work with Purdue to leverage technology and add value to the popcorn industry.

The Ag Alumni Seed Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility is a core component of the Institute for Plant Sciences, part of Purdue Moves, announced in 2013 to broaden Purdues global impact and enhance educational opportunities for its students. The synergy of this facility and the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center, field phenotyping facility, creates a unique data pipeline and opportunities to improve existing phenotyping systems and develop new technologies.

Writer: Erin Robinson, erobin@purdue.edu

Sources: Bernie Engel, engelb@purdue.edu

Yang Yang, yang1527@purdue.edu

Jay Hulbert, hulbert@agalumniseed.com

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
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Hundreds of desperate Floridians have been filmed lining up and risking COVID-19 exposure to get paper unemployment applications.

Footage obtained by Local10 shows people dangerously close to each other outside the John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah as the state tries to fix online filing problems.

'I have a printer, but I dont have the cartridge', one woman said Tuesday.

Another, Jessica Tellez, said she waited in line for three hours. She told the network: 'My dad is old. He cant come out. Everybody out here is risking their lives to get these applications.'

There are more than 15,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, 309 people have died as of Wednesday afternoon.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that their heavily criticized unemployment system should now be able to handle the crush of applicants it is receiving as workers lose their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak.

He said the computer system's capacity has been increased to handle 120,000 simultaneous connections, about double the peak usage in recent weeks, and by Tuesday 750 additional state employees will be trained to handle and process phone calls.

But footage from Tuesday in Hialeah shows as one police officer is surrounded by those in desperate need for the forms.

Shocking footage shows hundreds of desperate Floridians ignoring social distancing and lining up dangerously close to each other to get paper unemployment applications

Footage obtained by Local10 shows people dangerously close to each other outside the John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah as the state tries to fix online filing problems

Miguel Diaz, who works for the City of Hialeah, hands out unemployment applications to people in their vehicles in front of the John F. Kennedy Library on Wednesday

Private call centers are also being contracted to provide additional service. Last week, 3.8 million calls were made to the department, 50 per cent more than all of last year.

More than 520,000 Floridians have applied for unemployment since March 15, compared to 326,000 in all of last year.

'We are in a position where people have lost their jobs, they are looking for relief and they were having a lot of difficulty,' DeSantis said.

'People were on this site and it was timing out. People would go hours and hours upon end and it was totally unacceptable', he added, 'You have a single mother who no longer has a job, who has to worry about how the rent is going to be paid, how food is going to be put on the table. We want this system to be accessible.'

But despite assurances that help was on its way, some confirmed they still weren't getting it.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that their heavily criticized unemployment system should now be able to handle the crush of applicants it is receiving as workers lose their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak

Footage from Tuesday in Hialeah shows as one police officer is surrounded by those in desperate need for the forms

An aerial view from a drone shows vehicles lining up to receive unemployment applications being given out by City of Hialeah employees in front of the John F. Kennedy Library

Eddie Rodriguez (R) and other City of Hialeah employees hand out unemployment applications to people in their vehicles in front of the John F. Kennedy Library

The city is distributing the printed unemployment forms to residents as people continue to have issues with access to the state of Floridas unemployment website in the midst of widespread layoffs due to businesses closing during the coronavirus pandemic

'Nothing is fixed, but they can now put you on hold,' said Jay Mendez in a text message he typed while on holding Monday afternoon  for nearly four hours, and counting.

He was laid off from his Miami accounting firm three weeks ago.

The Department of Economic Opportunity said it is working to expand online capacity with additional servers, even as it began accepting paper applications to accommodate more claims while getting staffing help from other state agencies.

Frustrations among Floridians like Victoria Restaino, 74, had been growing with each passing day.

'It was like a full-time job trying to get through,' said Restaino, who was furloughed three weeks ago from her part-time job at Regal Theaters in Miami Beach. With a limited income and mounting bills, she's been desperate for help.

Now, she awaits a check  but it was unclear Monday how quickly those checks would be put in the mail once the backlog of claims begins getting cleared.

And it was still unclear if the state's newly jobless can claim for retroactive payments.
Elephants used in patrol duty in the Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand will no longer be fed sugarcane bought from local markets in a bid to stop a possible transmission of coronavirus to animals, forest department officials said Wednesday.

The decision was taken after a tiger in the Bronx zoo in New York tested positive for coronavirus.

The elephants would be fed forest produce like bamboo, tree barks and leaves.

Dr Dushyant Sharma, a senior veterinary doctor at Corbett Tiger Reserve said, There are 16 patrol elephants in the park. Five elephants are in Kalagarh, three in Jhirna, two in Bijrani, four in Dhikala and two in Haldupadav range. These elephants are generally fed sugarcane purchased from the local market.

Follow coronavirus latest updates here.

Dr Sharma said Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has given instructions to keep vigil on elephants in the park, especially the Kalagarh shelter camp of Corbett.

According to CZA instructions elephants will not be fed sugarcane purchased from the market. If sugarcane comes from the market then the risk of spreading coronavirus remains in these elephants. Restrictions have been imposed on mahouts also on coming out of the park, he said.

Dr Sharma said Now these elephants will be given only leaves, bark of trees and jiggery so that they dont come into contact with food touched by a lot of people in crowded markets.

But it is not only elephants that will be denied their favourite food.

There are also four sniffer dogs in Corbett National Park and are used by the forest staff to patrol Corbett border with Uttar Pradesh. They are also fed meat purchased from the Ramnagar market.

Now they will not be fed meat purchased from the market, but dog food. Forest personnel have also been instructed to keep dogs away from dirty water and food lying on ground during patrolling at UP border, said Dr Sharma.

Corbett is one of the favourite destinations in the country for big cat lovers as it affords good sighting of tigers. It has around 260 tigers according to the last estimate. The park has a rich biodiversity including around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species, 33 species of reptiles, seven species of amphibians and so on. The park extends over 1288 sq km spread over three districts of Uttarakhand - Pauri Garhwal, Nainital and Almora.
Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication.

The Galvin family of Colorado Springs, Colorado, had many secrets, but the biggest one became increasingly hard to hide as the 12 children of Mimi and Don, a former Air Force officer who headed a regional development agency, grew up. Six of the couples 10 sons, born between 1945 and 1960, developed schizophrenia, experiencing delusions and hallucinations. As Robert Kolker writes in Hidden Valley Road, his history of the Galvins and the disease that shaped their lives, Certainly no researcher had ever encountered six [schizophrenic] brothers in one familyfull-blooded siblings with the same parents in common, the same genetic line.

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While this mysterious disorder does run in families, the way it is inherited has long baffled scientists; it doesnt appear to be passed directly from parent to child. Long after schizophrenia shattered the Galvins facade of an ordinary, fun-loving, Catholic clan, doctors seeking to discover more about the illness learned of the familys extraordinary history and collected their genetic material. The Galvins contributions led to significant breakthroughs in understanding which brain functions schizophrenia affects.

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What scientists regarded as remarkable, the youngest of the Galvin siblings, Lindsay and Margaret, found frightening. Their older brothers were intensely rivalrous, sometimes violent, and often treated them like toys, or worse. As the brothers pinged between the state mental hospital and the family home, where their mother devoted herself to caring for them, the girls felt neglected and endangered. Yet as adults, the two women maintained their connections to their troubled clan, with Lindsay returning to nurse their ailing mother and help her brothers negotiate the institutional bureaucracies that presided over their lives.

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The author of Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, a celebrated book about a series of unsolved murders in Long Island, Kolker has plenty of experience telling the stories of traumatized families. Lost Girls, the basis of a Netflix film of the same title starring Amy Ryan and Gabriel Byrne, explored the lives of five victims, all sex workers, and their families, as well as the often inept and negligent efforts of the police to find out who killed them.

I started this book with two questions, Kolker told me of Hidden Valley Road in a recent phone interview from his home in Brooklyn: How could all of this happen to one family? And how on earth did that family stay together? This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Laura Miller: How did you find out about the Galvins?

Robert Kolker: My friend and former editor at New York magazine, Jon Gluck, went to high school with Lindsay. One day in 2015 or 2016, Lindsay came through town and met up with Jon. She told him that she and her sister wanted their familys story told but had decided they didnt want to write a memoir themselves. They were ready for an independent journalist to take this wherever it was going to take them. Jon thought about me because hed edited my magazine article about the Long Island case and understood that I wrote about people in crisis and vulnerable sources.

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Stigma was a huge problem for this family. They moved to a small town, but they thought of themselves as cultural sophisticates, intelligent and liberal. Yet it was so hard for them to address what was happening to their sons. One reason was the since-debunked psychoanalytic belief in the schizophrenogenic mother, a personality type that supposedly caused the illness in her children.

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Mimi said that both she and her husband were deeply ashamed and felt they couldnt open up about what was going on to anyone, not the people who lived next door, not even their closest friends. She didnt use terms like schizophrenogenic mother, but she did say that they were made to feel that they were at fault. To her, that may have been the primary thing. But a deeper factor was that their life felt like a house of cards. If her husbands prestigious job was in jeopardy because he was talking about having a volatile, mentally ill son at home, that would mean no income to support the other children, and there were a lot of children. And what about that stigma keeping any of them from having any sort of future? I think they were worried about the whole family going down the tubes.

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Blameor responsibilitycan be a big issue in family histories. Well, at least it is in my family! When you write such a detailed account of so many interlocking relationships, you can get tangled up in the issue of whos responsible. The people involved often have strong and conflicting ideas about that. How do you approach that if youre writing an account thats basically sympathetic to everyone?

Part of it is to try to understand everyones rationale. That way, at the very least, youre giving everyone a chance to be heard, even if you end up refereeing certain points and deciding certain things had to be the case that other people dont believe were the case. But I completely get how one persons version of a family can be different from their siblings version. I have two siblings and Im sure our stories about our family are partially self-serving and partially distorted. The only way to move forward when youre telling a story about a family with 12 children is to decide thats going to be a feature, not a bug.

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The science part of it was unfamiliar to me. The family part of it, Id had a little experience because of the five families I wrote about in Lost Girls. In a couple of those families, the narratives were so conflicting between the various family members that I finally realized that I had to acknowledge the ambiguities, otherwise Id be giving up my job as a writer.

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I really love writing about families, and this was a chance to do a multigenerational saga. It made me think of East of Eden or The Corrections. What a chance to write about someone in the second generation doing something and you know it has echoes in the previous generation because youve written about the mother too.

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I notice that you just cited two comparisons that are fictional. What a lot of people want from a nonfiction writer is someone to adjudicate or make a case for what the definitive truth is. That was a challenge with Lost Girls, because no one knows who the killer is. You couldnt solve that mystery, and readers expect true crime books to do that.

Im comfortable with that. My role isnt to be an investigative reporter but to be an explanatory reporter, to get everybodys memories and rationales and points of view. What Ive learned is that readers are more invested that way. They get it. They understand whats known and not known.

As with Lost Girls, once again you have a story where there isnt a definitive answer: Despite what researchers have learned from the Galvins DNA, we still dont really know what causes schizophrenia or even, really, what it is. In such cases, is finding a central character or characters the key to deciding if you have a book or not?

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I think it is. Im not primarily an ideas writer. And Im not primarily a stylist or a pundit. And while Ive done investigative reporting, I dont think Im the worlds greatest investigative reporter. I connect with a story by writing about the people. Telling the peoples stories helps me arrive at the ideas I want to get across and it motivates me to research the science and the background. It makes me a better investigator to walk in the footsteps of the people in the book.

With Lost Girls, hopefully readers come away thinking that police work is not like SVU. It just isnt. Things get screwed up all the time. Theres incompetence, and theres corruption, but theres also just life and chaos and murderers who get away with it. Thats just the way the world is. And you come away from it perhaps a little wiser.

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In the same way, we tend to think of medical progress as this nonstop forward march. In fact, its more complex and weird than that. It goes in many directions. Theres tunnel vision and groupthink, and theres politics and sexism and any number of things that hinder progress. To me thats a satisfying story to write because it feels more real.

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One flabbergasting stalemate you write about has to do with Dr. Lynn DeLisi, who collected a significant dataset about families with multiple cases of schizophrenia. She gathered that data while working for a pharmaceutical company that then got bought by Pfizer, and they were not interested in continuing her project. But they actually owned all that data, so it couldnt really be used for many years. It was in mothballs.

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That was because there isnt a lot of interest in developing drugs for schizophrenia. It seems so hopeless and the victims of the disease cant advocate for themselves and its so expensive and risky to test. You cant test it on a rat because rats dont get schizophrenia. You have to test it on people. That makes it much harder to get off the ground.

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And yet, its a surprisingly common and devastating condition. The fact that there isnt much initiative to find better drugs to treat it is shocking.

I was at a conference last fall and one of the big epidemiologists who measures schizophrenia around the world said, Everyone asks why, if we can put a man on the moon, we cant cure this disease, but the problem is that curing this disease is actually harder than putting a man on the moon. So thats part of the problem too. And finally, theres that stigma, which still exists.

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There havent been huge recent breakthroughs in understanding or treating schizophrenia, but could you summarize where we are now?

We know that the medications being used right now, like Thorazine, might be decent in managing the symptoms of the illness, but its nothing like a cure. In fact, theres evidence that the patients who take them have the same chance of relapsing or experiencing psychosis as patients who spend their lives not taking the medications, which was surprising to me.

One of your sources makes a great analogy to the history of the medical professions understanding of fever. Fever was once regarded as an illness in itself, whereas now we understand that its a symptom of many illnesses. You can take medication that will control a fever, but it will not treat the actual disease causing it. The same is true of drugs like Thorazine and schizophrenia; they affect only the symptoms.

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Although schizophrenia is not really a disease, but a collection of symptoms that have been bundled together under one name in the DSM, and human biology did not evolve to fit the DSM. Its true that those symptoms might mean something entirely different from what we think they mean, and generations from now, well see that theyre really pointing to something else.

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Just speaking practically now, we know that early intervention can work wonders. Instead of waiting until the person turns 25 and has had four psychotic breaks, getting to that teenager when theyre starting to hear voices, getting past that stigma, can be very helpful and can keep that person from descending into acute mental illness. Thats really encouraging.

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Meanwhile, the prospect of pinpointing the genetic sources seems to have gone bust.

The genetic part of it has been really disappointing. We really thought 20 years ago that as soon as the human genome was sequenced we were going to knock out any number of complicated diseases. We thought wed just look at the genes of someone who has a disease, see where the problem genes are, fix those genes and be done in time for dinner. That didnt happen for any number of diseases, including schizophrenia, where they found one gene and then another and then another and now they have over 100. Each of those irregularities theyve found only add a small probability that youll get the illness.

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Its understood that this is a developmental disorder. Its not like something happens to you in adolescence and you become mentally ill. Its something youre vulnerable to developing from the time youre in utero. Theres something genetic that sets you up to be vulnerable, but at the same time theres something in the environment that triggers it. Thats led to theories about everything from pot use to cat litter: Everyones looking for the trigger.

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You also write about the promise of prenatal choline supplements.

Robert Freedman of the University of Colorado, who first met the Galvin family in the 1980s, is the one behind the research into choline thats continuing now. Kids who first got it when they were in utero are 4 or 5 years old now. Things look good for them, but we wont know anything for a long time. The FDA in 2015 recommended that pregnant women take choline supplements for better brain health, although I dont think its made it into the multisupplement prenatal tablets yet, but perhaps it will. Meanwhile, Freedman is trying to spread the word on his own, but there isnt anything conclusive yet. Choline hits a brain receptor thats involved with nicotine. This has some relationship to the stereotype of people with schizophrenia being chain smokers. Smoking tends to calm them down and help them focus. In utero you dont need a cigarette or even actual nicotine to strengthen that area of the brain. You can instead take something very safe: choline. The challenge in this book was not to oversell these advances as cures, though.

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A powerful element of this book is that it does justice to the devastation that schizophrenia causes in the family members who arent ill themselves. The sick brothers are suffering, and their parents are suffering in trying to help them, but as a result the well siblings feel neglected by their parents and often abused by the sick ones.

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If youre the well sibling in a family where there are troubled siblings, you feel like you cant admit to any problems. First of all, your problems wont be appreciatedor at least in this family they werent. The mother would say, You think youve got problems? They felt neglect and abandonment and that the sick children had the parents favor. The siblings of people with schizophrenia often worry that if they show the slightest abnormality, they might get sent to the mental hospital. In the Galvin family, everyone was wondering who it would hit next, so the last thing you want to be is the person with any kind of problem.

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This is the second book in which youve done an amazing job of writing at length about very sensitive personal experiences. How do you approach interviewing someone about this kind of painful, intimate family material?

When it comes to talking about the most difficult parts of someones life, its possibleand I would say, quite likelythat the person has been rehearsing in their mind the very things theyd say in an interview situation for a long, long time. So its important not to walk in firing a million questions. Let them say the things that are on their mind in any order they want to say them. Make sure that they know theyre being heard and listened to, even if only some of that winds up being something you act on. Its important to hear where theyre coming from before you do anything else. Another tip is to assemble a chronology. The better questions come up once you understand the chronology.

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Can you give me an example?

Everybody said that Peter had his first psychotic break at school at age 14, sometime after the huge calamity of the family, which was the suicide of a brother who at the same time killed his girlfriend. Everybody also said that Don, the father, had a stroke around the same time too. But only in talking to people and getting the chronology down did I learn that Peter was actually watching when his father had the stroke and that three weeks after that is when he had that first psychotic break. That made sense in a way the family itself had not considered.

Have you had sources object to what youve written about them?

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Certainly, and quite often its because I appear to be giving more weight to other perspectives. There was a mother in Lost Girls who told the story of how her daughter got torn from her control in one way, and then four or five other people in the family told it a different way. So I had to referee that in writing. She came away OK with the book as a whole but upset that her family got to say all those things about her in a book.

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What was the most surprising thing for you about the Galvins story?

I started the book with two questions: How could all of this happen to one family and how on earth did that family stay together? Why didnt Lindsay or Margaret get out of town and never come back? I dont think Ive ever talked to someone whod been the victim of brutal abuse and had mental illness be so terrifying to them as a child, someone whod sat and watched while their parents made several errors so that they ended up being neglected for the sake of others, and then found a way through it to reevaluate those parents years later, to even forgive aspects of it. That bowled me over. I was really stunned, and Ive been working the crime beat for a while, so not a lot stuns me.
Storyful

Supporters of world No.1 Novak Djokovic gathered outside a courthouse in Melbourne on January 10 as the player appealed against his deportation from Australia in the hope of staying to play in the Australian Open.According to court filings, Djokovics lawyers say he was granted a visa on November 18. An exemption certificate was issued by Tennis Australias chief medical officer on December 30, they said.The hearing on Monday was due to start at the Federal Circuit and Family Court at 10am but was delayed multiple times due to technical issues. According to local reports, Judge Anthony Kelly said a professor and an eminently qualified physician have produced and provided to the applicant a medical exemption.Further to that, that medical exemption and the basis on which it was given was separately given by a further independent expert specialist panel, established by the Victorian state government. And that document was in the hands of the delegate.And the point Im somewhat agitated about is, was what more could this man have done? Judge Kelly asked.Footage by Slobodan Bendjo shows fans waving Serbian flags and dancing outside the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne. Credit: Slobodan Bendjo via Storyful
A group known as Civil Society Coalition Against COVID-19 (CISCAC) has asked 35 senators who recently attended a three-day international training programme in London to go for Coronavirus test.

The group made the demand in a statement addressed by its Convener, Dr Nwambu Gabriel, in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the group, the 35 Senators were members of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, that attended the training organised by the Skills and Career Support Centre, London, between March 13 and March 15.

These 35 Senators, even with the possibility of being infected with the dreaded COVID-19, found their way into the Senate chambers and continued plenary, thereby exposing other Senators to chances of contacting the global pandemic, the group said.

Read Also: Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey To Donate $1Billion To Fight Coronavirus

We demand that the 35 Senators who travelled to London be made to check their COVID-19 status and such test should be made public within five days.

We might be compelled to mention the names of these Senators at the expiration of the above mentioned time limit, it said.

The group commended the government of Lagos State for the enlightenment of residents on the areas where persons who have tested positive for the virus are treated, it expressed concern that the FCT administration was yet to do same.

This information essentially is to guide the residents subject to their vulnerability to this virus, the group said.

It also underscored the need for the Federal Government to integrate members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the management of monies donated for measures against COVID-19.

According to them, this is important for effective accountability and transparency of the found, NAN reports.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Residential floorings are cost-effective and environment-friendly. Therefore, their demand is rising. Vinyl flooring can be used anywhere and is preferred in the nonresidential segment due to easy to fix and easy maintenance. Market Research Future (MRFR) has published a research report about the global vinyl flooring market that forecasts growth for this market between 2016 and 2022.

Analyzing the market structure, this report offers insights about factors affecting the market growth. Weighing the market size and foretelling the revenue, this reports covers and observes the competitive developments of market players that include joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, research and developments (R&D), and strategic alliances.

The primary factors supporting the global vinyl flooring market growth are increasing disposable income and purchasing power of consumers and cost-effectiveness. Other factors supporting the market growth include environment-friendly nature of vinyl floorings, increased construction & building activities, and increasing consumer attention towards aesthetic value in construction.

The global vinyl flooring market has been segmented on the basis of application, product, and lastly, region. The application-based segmentation segments this market into the residential application and non-residential application. Residential applications are houses in which people live in. Non-residential applications are business establishments. Based on the product, the market has been segmented into carpets, luxury vinyl tiles, printed vinyl, vinyl sheet, and other.

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2055

The regional segmentation of the global vinyl flooring market segments the market into the global market into regional markets known as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the rest of the world (RoW).

Currently, Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest regional market. The reason for the market growth in the Asia Pacific region is the changing lifestyle & preference of the people and growth in the construction industry. Population growth in this region also offers a huge potential for new housing demand and infrastructure development which is leading the market of vinyl flooring. The strongest economies in this region that can be potential markets are China, India, and Japan.

In North America, the market can grow due to established building & construction industry, demand for eco-friendly houses, and lastly, government regulations & initiatives to encourage eco-friendly housing. The country-specific markets generating the maximum market revenue are USA and Canada.

In Europe, the market is growing due to reasons same as North America. The most important country-specific markets in this region are France, Germany, and the UK, followed by the remaining countries of Europe.

The RoW segment covers countries of the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The MEA market is small due to poor countries, lack of awareness, lack of education, and lack of technological advancement.

Key Players

The key players in the global vinyl flooring market include Armstrong Flooring Inc. (USA), Gerflor Group (France), Interface Inc. (USA), Mannington Mills Inc. (USA), Mohawk Industries (USA), Polyflor Ltd. (UK), Shaw Industries Group Inc. (USA), Tarkett Group (France), and TOLI Floor Corporation (Japan).
Like all industries, the fashion industry too has been hugely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. While everything's on a standstill as the coronavirus toll progresses across the world, we hope to resume normalcy as soon as we can. A world post-coronavirus is definitely still going to have a much greater demand for masks and sanitisers.

This means that a trend that had already surfaced in 2019 of wearing masks is going to explode in the post-coronavirus world. Meanwhile, we already have high-fashion labels with mask offerings that make these masks a lot more expensive than the regular N-95 masks. And amidst the pandemic labels such as Gucci, Chanel, and Prada have begun production of face masks to help those affected that will be donated to hospitals.

But the face mask definitely is also a fashion accessory that celebrities have used in the past. Shout out to Billie Ellish's Grammy look.

 Reuters

She wore a head-to-toe Gucci outfit.



 Viral Bhayani

And Anil Kapoor's recent film promotion look wherein he wore a mask worth Rs 10k.



While it's going to be rather tough to catch hold of these masks at present, here is a list of masks that have come out in the recent past in the pre-coronavirus world with a price range that's definitely an eyebrow-raiser.

1. Off-White

 ssense

For Malang's success party, Anil Kapoor stepped out in a well-protected flashy red mask. The mask retails for Rs 9,300 approximately.



2.Supreme Masks

 ssense

Finding these online at present is going to be tough, but these marks are priced at Rs 5959 when converted to INR.



3. Bape

 ssense

A Bathing Ape or Bape is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo in Ura-Harajuku. Their masks are priced at Rs.13,976



4. Nike x MMW Face Mask

 ssense

Nike x MMW face mask is priced at Rs. 16,242



5. Gucci Knitted Balaclava Mask

 ssense

While Billie Ellish's Grammy mask is not available on their site, their only available mask is the knitted balaclava mask now for Rs. 23,417.


NEW YORK - Even as coronavirus deaths mount across Europe and New York, the U.S. and other countries are starting to contemplate an exit strategy and thinking about a staggered and carefully calibrated easing of restrictions designed to curb the scourge.

To end the confinement, were not going to go from black to white; were going to go from black to gray, top French epidemiologist Jean-Francois Delfraissy said in a radio interview.

Deaths, hospitalizations and new infections are levelling off in places like Italy and Spain, and even New York has seen encouraging signs amid the gloom. At the same time, politicians and health officials warn that the crisis is far from over and a catastrophic second wave could hit if countries let down their guard too soon.

We are flattening the curve because we are rigorous about social distancing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. But its not a time to be complacent. Its not a time to do anything different than weve been doing.

In a sharp reminder of the danger, New York state on Wednesday recorded its highest one-day increase in deaths, 779, for an overall death toll of almost 6,300.

The bad news is actually terrible, Cuomo lamented. Still, the governor said that hospitalizations are decreasing and that many of those now dying fell ill in the outbreaks earlier stages.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was issuing new guidelines for some workers who have been within 6 feet of someone with a confirmed or suspected infection to go back on the job if they have no symptoms. The guidelines apply to employees in critical fields such as health care and food supply and require they take their temperature beforehand, wear face masks at all times and practice social distancing.

In other developments:

 Stocks shot 3.4% higher on Wall Street amid the encouraging signs about the outbreaks trajectory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 780 points.

 U.S. researchers opened another safety test of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, this one using a skin-deep shot instead of the usual deeper jab. A different vaccine candidate began safety testing in people last month in Seattle.

 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care but was improving and sitting up in bed, authorities said.

 Saudi Arabian officials announced that the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen will begin a cease-fire starting Thursday. They said the two-week truce was in response to U.N. calls to halt hostilities around the world amid the epidemic.

In China, the lockdown of Wuhan, the industrial city of 11 million where the global pandemic began, was lifted after 76 days, allowing people to come and go. The country on Thursday announced two additional deaths in Wuhan but no new cases there.

Wuhan residents will have to use a smartphone app showing that they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus. Schools remain closed, people are still checked for fever when they enter buildings and masks are strongly encouraged.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States top infectious-diseases expert, said the Trump administration has been working on plans to eventually reopen the country amid evidence that social distancing is working to stop the viruss spread.

But he said its not time to scale back such measures: Keep your foot on the accelerator because this is what is going to get us through this, he said at Wednesdays White House briefing.

Vice-President Mike Pence warned that Philadelphia was emerging as a potential hot spot, saying that he spoke to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and that Pittsburgh was also being monitored for a possible rise in cases.

The U.S. is also seeing hot spots in such places as Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Chicago, Detroit and Colorado. The New York metropolitan area, which includes northern New Jersey, Long Island and lower Connecticut, accounts for about half of all virus deaths in the U.S.

Pence said he would speak to leaders in African-American communities who are concerned about disproportionate impacts from the virus. Fauci acknowledged that historic disparities in health care have put African-Americans at risk for diseases that make them more vulnerable in the outbreak, adding that makes it even more imperative for communities of colour to practice social distancing.

In Europe, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte is expected to announce in the coming days how long the countrys lockdown will remain in place amid expectations that some restrictions could be eased. Discussions are focused first on opening more of the countrys industries.

Proposals being floated in Italy include the issuing of immunity certificates, which would require antibody blood tests, and allowing younger workers to return first, as they are less vulnerable to the virus.

Italy, the hardest-hit country, recorded its biggest one-day jump yet in people counted as recovered and had its smallest one-day increase in deaths in more than a month. Nearly 18,000 have died there.

In Spain, which has tallied more than 14,000 dead, Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero said Spaniards will progressively regain their normal life from April 26 onwards but warned that the de-escalation of the lockdown will be very orderly to avoid a return to the contagion.

The government has been tight-lipped about what measures could be in place once the confinement is relaxed, stressing that they will be dictated by experts

Without giving specifics, French authorities have likewise begun to speak openly of planning the end of the countrys confinement period, which is set to expire April 15 but will be extended, according to the presidents office. The virus has claimed more than 10,000 lives in France.

Earlier this week, Austria and the Czech Republic jumped out ahead of other European countries and announced plans to relax some restrictions.

Starting Thursday, Czech stores selling construction materials, hobby supplies and bicycles will be allowed to reopen. Only grocery stores, pharmacies and garden stores are up and running. The reopened businesses will have to offer customers disinfectant and disposable gloves and enforce social distancing.

Austria will begin reopening small shops, hardware stores and garden centres on Tuesday, and shopping malls and hair salons could follow two weeks later. People will have to wear face masks.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said authorities will watch carefully and will pull the emergency brake if the virus makes a comeback.

British government officials, beset with a rising death toll of more than 7,000, said there is little chance the nationwide lockdown there will be eased when its current period ends next week.

The desire to get back to normal is driven in part by the damage to world economies.

The Bank of France said the French economy has entered recession, with an estimated 6% drop in the first quarter compared with the previous three months, while Germany, Europes economic powerhouse, is also facing a deep recession. Expert said its economy will shrink 4.2% this year.

Japan, the worlds third-largest economy, could contract by a record 25% this quarter, the highest since gross domestic product began to be tracked in 1955.

Worldwide, 1.5 million people have been confirmed infected and around 90,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are almost certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different rules for counting the dead and concealment by some governments.

For most, the virus causes mild to moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. But for some older adults and the infirm, it can cause pneumonia and death. Over 300,000 people have recovered.

___

Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed.

___

Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 02:01:34|Editor: xuxin

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Photo taken on April 7, 2020 shows an uncommonly empty city centre in Manchester, Britain. As of Tuesday morning, the number of confirmed cases in Britain hit 55,242, up 3,634 in the past 24 hours. With 726 deaths, the death toll of those hospitalized in the country reached 6,159 as of Monday afternoon, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua )

LONDON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for COVID-19 reached 6,159 as of Monday afternoon, a daily increase of 786, the Department of Health and Social Care said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 55,242, up 3,634 in the past 24 hours, said the department.

Chairing Tuesday's Downing Street daily press briefing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, also First Secretary of State, told reporters that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked him to deputize for him for "as long as is necessary".

Earlier in the day, a Downing Street spokesman said Johnson, who was moved into intensive care on Monday night, is "stable" in hospital and has not been diagnosed with pneumonia.

The cabinet have a "clear direction" from Johnson, and is "focused with total unity and resolve" and will have "made the progress he would expect and the country would expect", said the foreign secretary.

Raab said he is confident the prime minister will pull through as "he's a fighter".

Co-charing the press conference with Raab, Government Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said Britain has not seen a "big upswing in growth" in terms of hospital admissions and the "substantial" reduction in social contact should see a "substantial" reduction in new confirmed cases.

"There has not been an accelerated take-off. It's possible we are seeing the start of a change that will lead to numbers flattening off," he said, urging the public to stick to the social distancing measures until a more definitive trend emerges.

Johnson was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London with "persistent symptoms" on Sunday night, 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Downing Street spokesman said Johnson has been receiving standard oxygen treatment but has not required any other help with his breathing.

Meanwhile, Britain's Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove confirmed Tuesday that he is self-isolating at home after a member of his family started to display mild symptoms of novel coronavirus.

Revealing his situation on Twitter, Gove said: "I have not displayed any symptoms and am continuing to work as normal."
Even on Wednesday, with the pandemic raging, Trump sought in unsubtle ways to stoke divisions on the Democratic side, suggesting that the party establishment had thwarted Sanders and speculating that some liberals, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, might not support Biden in the general election, though she has repeatedly said she would do so. It was plain from Trumps comments that he is counting on Democrats to be as divided as they were in 2016, when Sanders battled Hillary Clinton for the nomination.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a meeting with the floor leaders of political parties represented in the Parliament to discuss several key issues related to the spread of coronavirus even as the country entered the 15th day of the nationwide lockdown announced to contain the viral infection.

The meeting was held through video conference and it included members of parties with four or more members in the Parliament. It came in the backdrop of varying opinions on the crucial question of extending the lockdown beyond April 14 and on fiscal measures taken by the Central government to meet the exigencies arising from the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

The meeting is said to have started at 11 am this morning, a day after a parliamentary committee slashed the constituency allowance and office allowance of Members of Parliament in addition to deductions made in their salaries and the diversion of the MP area development fund (MPLADS) for a period of two years. Several opposition leaders including those from the Congress party had criticised the decision to suspend the MPLADS funds while welcoming the move to slash the salaries of the public representatives as part of the pruning of government expenses due to huge economical challenges presented by the outbreak.

Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, who is among the fiercest critique of the current dispensation, has cited the ballooning unemployment rate after the implementation of lockdown-- which took away livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of daily wage workers employed in the unorganised sector-- to demand that government announced additional cash-aid for the poor to mitigate the impact of the lockdown. He, however, praised the government for broad-based consultations with political parties including those in the opposition.

The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which tracks unemployment data on a weekly basis, estimates that unemployment has risen from 8.4% in the week ended March 22 to 23% .

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19

The Centre has held several rounds of discussions with the chief ministers of Indian states and also with other leaders of prominent political parties in a bid to mount a coordinated action plan against the outbreak. The Prime Minister has often stressed the need for a united response if the country was to emerge victorious from this unprecedented crisis.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Trinamool Congress Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shiv Senas Sanjay Raut, Biju Janta Dals Pinaki Misra, Nationalist Congress Partys Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Partys Ram Gopal Yadav, Shiromani Akali Dals Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bahujan Samaj Party s SC Mishra, YSR Congres Partys Vijay Sai Reddy & Mithun Reddy, Janta Dal Uniteds Rajeev Ranjan Singh were among the prominent leaders who attended the video conference on Wednesday.

Click Here for Latest Reports on Coronavirus

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on Hanuman Jayanti and said the life of the Hindu god also known as the Pawanputra was a symbol of devotion and strength which inspires all to face every crisis and overcome it.

Heartfelt greetings on the auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, he tweeted.

The life of Pawanputra is a symbol of devotion, strength, dedication and discipline, inspires us to face every crisis and overcome it, he said.
Despite a ceasefire being agreed by all parties, both sides have been sending large military reinforcements to Idleb, raising speculation about a possible offensive reports Al-Masdar.

Syrian and Turkish armed forces have been sending reinforcements to Idleb on a daily basis, despite an ongoing ceasefire among all warring parties in the region.

On Tuesday, the two armies continued their large-scale buildup, with the Syrian army sending troops to the eastern and southern countrysides of Idleb, while the Turkish military sent reinforcements to the Jisr al-Shughour District of the governorate.

According to the latest reports from Idleb, the Turkish military has already constructed several new observation posts in the governorate since the Moscow Agreement was established on Mar. 5, 2020.

Some reports have even claimed that the Turkish Army now has more than 50 observation posts, which greatly exceeds the original 12 that were established under the Sept. 17, 2018, Sochi Agreement.

At the same time, the Syrian Arab Army is also building up their forces in Idleb Governorate, as sources from the military claim an offensive is expected to start soon.

The sources pointed out that militant forces south of the M4 highway (Aleppo-Lattakia) have refused to withdraw from the area, which is a violation of the Moscow Agreement.

They added that they are awaiting the Russian militarys consultations with their Turkish counterparts before launching any new offensive.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Technavio has been monitoring the culinary tourism market and it is poised to grow by USD 82.02 bn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 9% 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/20200408005340/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Culinary Tourism 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. Abercrombie Kent, Classic Journeys, G Adventures, ITC Travel Group, and TU ELITE are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Increase in integrative culinary and cultural events has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Culinary Tourism Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Culinary tourism market is segmented as below:

Type Domestic International

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe North America MEA South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30752

Culinary Tourism 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 culinary tourism market report covers the following areas:

Culinary Tourism Market Size

Culinary Tourism Market Trends

Culinary Tourism Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies growing popularity of sustainable and organic culinary tourism as one of the prime reasons driving the culinary tourism market growth during the next few years.

Culinary Tourism Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the culinary tourism market, including some of the vendors such as Abercrombie Kent, Classic Journeys, G Adventures, ITC Travel Group, and TU ELITE. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Culinary Tourism Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Culinary Tourism Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist culinary tourism market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the culinary tourism market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the culinary tourism market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of culinary tourism market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TYPE

Market segmentation by type

Comparison by type

Domestic Market size and forecast 2018-2023

International Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by type

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC 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: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Other prominent drivers

Market challenges

Other prominent challenges

Impact of drivers and challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Growing popularity of sustainable and organic culinary tourism

Increasing dependence on digital media

Focus on data harnessing for personalized guest experience

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Abercrombie Kent

Classic Journeys

G Adventures

ITC Travel Group

TU ELITE

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005340/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/
A new TV special is shedding light on the gruesome murder of a pregnant Maryland school teacher who was shot dead and buried in a shallow grave.

Laura Wallen's remains were discovered in rural Damascas in September 2017, days after boyfriend Tyler Tessier pleaded with the public for her safe return.

But the latest installment of HLN's Sex and Murder reveals how Tessier confessed to killing his pregnant partner, by including previously unseen interrogation materials and jail audio.

'It's like a TV drama you wish you could shut off,' writer Steve Helling states in the bombshell episode, which aired Monday night.

Wallen, who was 13 weeks pregnant with her first child, was last seen by family members on September 1, 2017.

Eleven days later, Tessier appeared alongside those devastated family members at a press conferences, where he urged the public to help find his missing partner.

'Laura, if you are listening, it doesn't matter what's happened, it doesn't matter what type of trouble, there's nothing we can't fix together,' Tessier sobbed.

'There are so many people, so many people that miss you, so many people who were out, who haven't slept. We haven't eaten. We are just looking or praying that you are safe.'

However, just two days later, police arrested Tessier and charged him with first-degree murder after Wallen's remains were discovered in a rural field.

A new HLN special is shedding light on the gruesome death of pregnant Maryland school teacher Laura Wallen (left) . Boyfriend Tyler Tessier (right) was charged with her murder

While Wallen was missing, Tessier had taken part in an emotional press conference with her parents and even held her devastated mother's hands (pictured)

Shortly before she was killed, Wallen had discovered that Tessier was engaged to another woman while he was in a relationship with her.

On August 28, a week before her death, Wallen sent a text message to the other woman asking if they could meet up to get an explanation.

'It's important that some things are cleared up and I would imagine that if you were in my position, you'd want some answers as well,' the message read.

'By no means is this an attempt at confrontation, just looking for an explanation, woman to woman.'

On September 2, Wallen and Tessier went to a grocery store together near her home. She then went willingly with him to a rural property.

She sent a picture of the farm to her sister in a text message, writing: 'Tyler has me on an adventure in the country. Not sure why but it's for something. Waiting in a field.'

Her body was later discovered in the same field that was in the picture.

Montgomery County prosecutors said Tessier repeatedly changed his story about what happened to his pregnant girlfriend.

The latest installment of HLN's Sex and Murder reveals how Tessier confessed to shooting his pregnant partner, by including previously unseen interrogation materials and jail audio

Montgomery County prosecutors said Tessier repeatedly changed his story about what happened to Wallen, even claiming they were kidnapped by African-American men

First, he claimed they had an argument at her home on September 4 which ended in her 'hysterically crying'.

Tessier later claimed the couple had been kidnapped by African-American men who forced them to drive to a paddock where Wallen was then shot.

TIMELINE OF LAURA WALLEN'S DEATH AND DISAPPEARANCE August 28, 2017: Laura texted the other woman Tessier was engaged to asking to meet up September 1, 2017: Last sighting by family September 2, 2017: Last sighting of Wallen alive at Safeway buying goods with Tessier She later texts her family saying she is 'on adventure' with him and that he has her 'waiting in a field' September 4, 2017: Wallen's sister receives text messages from her phone saying Tessier is not the baby's father Her sister reports her missing September 5, 2017: Wallen fails to show up for class. Tessier is taken in for questioning September 7, 2017: Employees at apartment complex call police to say they have found her driver's license in dumpster September 11, 2017: Tessier takes part in an emotional press conference with his girlfriend's parents September 13, 2017: Tessier is charged with murder after police find Wallen's body in the field she texted a picture of to her sister September 6, 2018: Tessier is found dead in his jail cell of apparent suicide the day his trial is set to begin Advertisement

Tessier eventually admitted to getting into a fight with Wallen and claims she struck her head on a wooden post on the porch after charging at him with scissors.

Prosecutors said that Tessier believed Wallen had died and buried her in a shallow grave in a field.

He told investigators that he then became concerned she was not dead and that he had buried her alive, so he shot her once in the back of the head so she wouldn't suffer.

Wallen's autopsy results showed that she suffered one gunshot shot wound to the back of her head.

He also confessed to police that he drove her car and disposed of her license plate and cell phone.

The car was found in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Columbus. The front registration plate had been removed and it was backed into a space.

Staff at the complex also found her driver's license in a dumpster there. Her cell phone was tossed in alongside it.

In addition to murder, Tessier was charged with obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, and making false statements.

Tessier only received one murder charge due to Maryland law, which states the child must be viable outside of the womb.

Prosecutors wanted Tessier to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

However, he was found dead around on September 6, 2018 - just hours before opening statements in his trial were scheduled to start.

Tessier hung himself inside his jail cell at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Rockville, Maryland.

'We were robbed this morning of the opportunity to allow the public to know the true nature and details of this crime,' prosecutors said while announcing Tessier's death.

HLN's Sex and Murder airs Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT.
The African Development Bank Group on Wednesday announced the creation of the COVID-19 Response Facility to assist regional member countries in fighting the pandemic.

The Facility is the latest measure taken by the Bank to respond to the pandemic and will be the institutions primary channel for its efforts to address the crisis. It provides up to $10 billion to governments and the private sector.

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, said the package took into account the fiscal challenges that many African countries are facing.

Africa is facing enormous fiscal challenges to respond to the coronavirus pandemic effectively, Mr Adesina said, commending the Board of Directors for its unwavering support.

The African Development Bank Group is deploying its full weight of emergency response support to assist Africa at this critical time. We must protect lives. This Facility will help African countries to fast-track their efforts to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The Facility entails $5.5 billion for sovereign operations in African Development Bank countries, and $3.1 billion for sovereign and regional operations for countries under the African Development Fund, the Bank Groups concessional arm that caters to fragile countries. An additional $1.35 billion will be devoted to private sector operations.

Commenting on the Facility, Acting Senior Vice-President Swazi Tshabalala said: The setting up of the Facility required a collective effort and courage by all our staff, Board of Directors and our shareholders.

Two weeks ago, the Bank launched a $3 billion Fight COVID-19 Social Bond, the worlds largest US dollar-denominated social bond ever on the international capital market. Last week, the Board of Directors also approved a $2 million grant for the World Health Organization for its efforts on the continent.

These are extraordinary times, and we must take bold and decisive actions to save and protect millions of lives in Africa. We are in a race to save lives. No country will be left behind, Mr Adesina said.
U.S. intelligence officials who focus on medical developments around the world got information on a spreading outbreak in Wuhan, China in November that they used to brief White House and other officials around the government, it was revealed Wednesday.

Intelligence officials memorialized what they learned and presented it to the Defense Intelligence Agency and the joint staff of the Pentagon, as well as the White House, ABC News reported.

Those warnings anticipated the coronavirus outbreak that has tanked the global economy and killed 12,000 Americans and counting. It was not immediately clear from the report, based on anonymous sourcing, who in the White House had access to the information and precisely when.

Chinese residents wear masks while waiting at a bus station near the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, was linked to cases of a new strain of Coronavirus identified as the cause of the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, 20 January 2020. Defense intelligence officials got warned about a growing outbreak in November, according to a new report

As the information was refined and verified, it was only included in the President's Daily Brief, a key intelligence document, in early January  days after China informed global health officials of the new coronavirus outbreak.

However sources 'described repeated briefings through December for policy-makers and decision-makers across the federal government as well as the National Security Council at the White House,' according to the report.

The briefings of an issue the military needed to be aware of went back as far as late November, according to the report.

The National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), part of the nation's sprawling military intelligence service, with offices in Ft. Detrick, Maryland, produced the report.

Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital where patients infected with a new strain of Coronavirus identified as the cause of the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak are treated in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, 20 January 2020

An aerial view of the construction site of a field hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. The Trump administration announced the Army Corps of Engineers would start standing up temporary hospitals in March

Pictures uploaded to social media on January 25, 2020 by the Central Hospital of Wuhan show medical staff attending to patients, in Wuhan, China, a site U.S. intelligence identified as the site of a contagion

President Trump has come under fire for his repeated assurances that the coronavirus would go away. He said Tuesday he needs to be a 'cheerleader' for the country

It wasn't the only warning of the growing threat as the coronavirus outbreak spread and ultimately became a pandemic.

President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro issued his first grim warning in a memo dated January 29 - just days after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the US.

At the time, Trump was publicly downplaying the risk that the novel coronavirus posed to Americans - though weeks later he would assert that no one could have predicted the devastation seen today.

Navarro penned a second memo about a month later on February 23, in which he warned that as many as two million Americans could die from the virus as it tightened its grip on the nation.

The memos were obtained by the New York Times and Axios on Monday, as the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide surpassed 368,200 with at least 11,000 deaths.

Navarro warned as many as 2 million Americans might die with trillions in economic impacts if action wasn't taken.

'The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil,' Navarro wrote.

'This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans.'
When the coronavirus pandemic started to take hold in the United States and people across the country started staying and working home, consumer groups called for car insurance companies to reduce or return insurance premiums to drivers because people are driving less.

Its starting to happen with Allstate.

In a press release, Allstate said customers would receive what its calling Shelter-In Place Paybacks, promising up to $600 million returned over the next two months.

This is fair because less driving means fewer accidents, said Tom Wilson, the companys chair, president and chief executive officer.

The statement said most customers will receive 15% of their monthly premiums in both April and May through a credit to their bank account, credit card or Allstate account.

Allstate is one of the largest auto insurers in New Jersey. It had about 12 percent of the states policies as of last August, trailing only Geico and New Jersey Manufacturers, according to a survey by ValuePenguin.

The Division of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) said Allstate had 641,242 total insured vehicles in the state as of June 30, 2019, including companies listed under Allstate, Encompass, and Esurance.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

American Family Insurance, which operates in 19 states but not New Jersey, said it will return about $200 million to drivers, also because theyre driving less during the coronavirus crisis, the companys chief operating officer said.

It said it will make a payment of $50 for each car covered by a policy.

The call for a return of premiums came two weeks ago from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Center for Economic Justice (CEJ).

Allstate and American Family deserve praise for their industry leadership on this vital first step, said J. Robert Hunter, CFAs director of insurance.

While its too early to tell if the amounts promised are enough to reflect the big drop in auto accidents, the actions by American Family and Allstate are the right thing to do to help policyholders beleaguered by COVID-19 restrictions and job loss.

The groups are calling on other insurers to provide similar relief to policyholders.

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.

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Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
A young Australian has risen to TikTok fame by mimicking Prime Minister Scott Morrison's bizarre moments during his coronavirus press conferences.

Brooklyn Taylor, from Perth, saw her social media popularity soar after copying the prime minister's verbal exchange with ABC reporter Andrew Probyn during a press conference on March 22.

Ms Taylor filmed herself standing in front of the television dramatically repeating Mr Morrison's remarks - a video which has been viewed more than 1.5million times.

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Young Perth administrator Brooklyn Taylor has risen to TikTok fame by mimicking the prime minister's bizarre comments and exchanges during his coronavirus press conferences

Mr Morrison told Mr Probyn he 'did not run the press conference' after he asked two questions, before telling him to 'keep it civil' as he moved on to another reporter.

'I was genuinely shocked at the prime minister's behaviour,' Ms Taylor told Daily Mail Australia.

'Naturally when I think of an authority figure I picture them being extremely put together so to see someone absolutely lose the plot over someone asking two questions... I was floored.'

Ms Taylor was in her fifth day of social distancing when the press conference aired and 'any sense of sanity left the building'.

She filmed the first video mouthing the words but then was unable to get the thought of Mr Morrison admonishing the reporter out of her head so she filmed another, which went viral.

'I posted it and put my phone away and didn't think too much about it. The whole process took literally one minute because I knew all the words,' the now-TikTok star said.

Ms Taylor has filmed herself standing in front of the television dramatically repeating the prime minister's remarks

The video quickly inspired others to mimic the prime minister with a series of spin-off videos where people do interpretive dances to Mr Morrison's comments.

Ms Taylor herself has amassed millions more views on TikTok impersonating the prime minister's other COVID-19 comments and exchanges.

SCOTT MORRISON GETS FED UP WITH ANDREW PROBYN's CORONAVIRUS QUESTIONS 'Andrew, I'm sorry, you've had several questions. 'Andrew, I'm sorry, Andrew. 'I know, but you don't run the press conference, OK? 'So I'm going to go to other questions of members of the ... of the group. 'Katharine hasn't had a question. 'I'm happy to return to you but let's just keep it civil. Katharine?' Advertisement

More recently, she impersonated his failed attempts to pronounce the word 'barre' as he explained the fitness classes would have to close as part of the government's social distancing measures.

The 21-year-old even turned her hand to mimicking Western Australian premier Mark McGowan when he struggled to contain himself at being told someone in New South Wales had been fined under social distancing measures for eating a kebab.

Ms Taylor has only used the app since December under the handle @sooklyn and previously averaged 3,000 views per video.

Now, more than 100,000 people watch her clips which last up to a minute.

Her follower count grew by more than 50,000 in a week - something she described as 'a lot to handle'.

'I have always replied to all comments on my post but i do find it quite difficult to do that now because there are so many more,' she said.

'It [the new-found fame] has provided me with a small window into the life of an influencer and how inundated they must feel.'

Ms Taylor said she finds her social media fame from impersonating the prime minister 'a lot to handle' and struggles to reply to everyone who comments on her posts

Ms Taylor said she never expected the video to blow up and only uploaded it to make her colleagues laugh during a stressful time.

'The response I got was incredible. I feel as though politics is such a taboo discussion and it's not often something that we can laugh about,' she said.

'Knowing I had made one person laugh was all I wanted but to see millions of views was wild.

'I have always wanted to make people laugh ever since I was young; I am that annoying person in meetings that is constantly joking or trying to find a way to change things up.'

Ms Taylor has made the videos while working from home. She said she is taking directions from the government seriously and only ventures out of her home to grocery shop

Above all, she said she hoped her TikTok account could give people a reprieve from the tough times Australians and people around the world are facing during the coronavirus pandemic.

'I am posting content people will feel positive about after they finish watching,' she said.

'I want my account to be a safe funny place away from the doom that is the year 2020.'

Ms Taylor said she is taking directions from the government seriously and has been working from home in her job as an administrator for three weeks.

She only ventures out of her home once to go grocery shopping, in line with government rules.
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While millions of Americans are being told to stay home, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers are showing up to work every day to battle an invisible enemythe deadly COVID-19 virus. With hospitals, doctors offices, and nursing homes facing personal protective equipment shortages, for health care providers, it is a daily choice between their own health and that of their patients. In fact, many health care workers have already died.

So, how is America going to take care of health care providers that are taking care of the nation?

The most recent $2 trillion-dollar stimulus package provides relief for many Americans who are out of work and corporations that are losing business. However, doctors and health care workers on the frontlines of this pandemic were noticeably left out. And its likely that the next piece of legislation will do the same. As lawmakers convene in Washington, D.C., it is imperative that they come up with a comprehensive plan to support doctors and health care workers during this pandemic. Many are advocating for hazard pay, which is undoubtedly warranted. However, a comprehensive plan would take it a step further and grant student loan forgiveness for doctors and health care workers.

Medical practices and health care centers have not been immune to pay cuts or financial losses during this crisis. There are petitions demanding fair compensation circulating online that have garnered thousands of physician and health care provider signatures. The hashtags #LoanForgiveness and #HazardPay are now trending on social media with several lawmakers expressing their support. As lawmakers discuss the next stimulus package, doctors and health care workers are wondering where we fit into the governments economic response.

Many doctors particularly early-career physicians carry crushing student loan debt. For many of my colleagues and me, the inevitability of high student loan debt weighed heavily against the prospect of being able to do what we love to care for the sick. This debt is not limited to a handful of doctors. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 75% percent of doctors graduated from medical school with student loan debt in 2018. The median medical school debt for doctors that same year was $200,000. Add to that accumulating interest, and over the course of a doctors career, this translates to an average loan repayment of $365,000 to $440,000. To add insult to injury, once doctors start their careers, many do not receive tax credits on the thousands of dollars in student loan payments.

There are loan forgiveness programs designed to encourage eligible individuals to work in under-served and under-resourced areas. Take, for example, the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program. Under this federal program, teachers who agree to work at qualifying low-income schools are eligible for up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness. Other loan forgiveness programswhich have recently been threatened by proposed budget cutsfunnel much-needed personnel such as doctors, lawyers, and public service workers to under-resourced areas and encourage ongoing service in these high-need regions of the country. The COVID-19 health care landscape is just thatunder-resourced and high-need.

To be sure, opponents may argue that during this pandemic, it is a doctors duty to care for patients. And in fact, most of us willingly showing up because we care about our communities, and this is what we have been trained to do. But, lets take heed to the rising discontentment. As cardiologist Dr. Sandeep Jauhar reminded us, history had seen doctors refuse to treat patients when their health and the health of their families were at risk. For example, during the Ebola pandemic and early HIV/AIDS pandemic. Today, this could take the form of walkouts or doctors refusing to care for COVID-19 positive patients. This would be catastrophic.

With the CDC predicting an ongoing incline in the rise of cases over the next few weeks, it is crucial that policymakers include student loan forgiveness as part of the support for doctors and health care workers in the next iteration of COVID-19 legislation. It is both a fair and proven way to incentivize work in high-need environments. The U.S. is already facing a physician shortagewith projections estimating a shortage of 122,000 doctors by 2032. How America treats its doctors during this unprecedented time will have far-reaching implications many years down the road. Our government must be on the right side of history here and now. Because if frontline medical providers are not cared for during this pandemic, who will take care of America once its over?

Alani Gregory is an internal medicine physician and can be reached on Twitter @AGregoryMD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
- Doctors who became positive for COVID-19 and are on their way to recovery expressed their desire to go back to their duties and serve

- They are just waiting to receive their negative test results so that they could return to work

- Most of them got infected with the deadly virus when they were taking care of COVID-19 patients

- The doctors also recounted the symptoms that they experienced before they were confirmed positive

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The desire to serve others is clearly in the hearts of the doctors who tested positive for COVID-19 but who are now on their way to recovery.

As per the video on GMA's 24 Oras, the two doctors expressed their desire to return to work and to once more be in the front lines.

According to the doctors, they are merely waiting for the negative test results so that they could be of service again.

One doctor, Dr. Jose Antonio Bautista, a cardiologist from St. Luke's Medical Center, Bonifacio Global City, was infected while taking care of COVID-19 patients.

He initially tested negative, but his second test turned positive, which according to reports may have been because of technical error or a lack of "viral load."

Dr. Bautista experienced fever, muscle pain, and chills.

Another doctor, a surgical resident from the University of Sto. Tomas Hospital reiterated how he initially felt cough and fever and emphasized how he witnessed the difficulties that other frontliners experienced, considering that they too have their own families who worry about them.

Here is the full interview of the two valiant doctors:

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In a previous report by KAMI, doctors have died after being infected by COVID-19. They are among the frontliners who attend to the patients rushing to hospitals amid pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. At present, the Philippines is under a state of calamity while the entire Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine.

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- with reporting from Aoife Moore

A number of Fine Gael ministers do not believe a government can be formed and that a second general election will be needed.

The ministers believe an agreement can be reached with Fianna Fail but that no other party will step up and enter government, forcing the country to vote again.

The ministers were speaking as it emerged that the joint policy paper from the two parties will now not be agreed until tomorrow as a scheduled meeting has been delayed by 24 hours.

The document will now not be presented to the Green Party, Labour, the Social Democrats, and the Regional Independent Group until Friday.

This is because of Finance Minister Paschal Donohoes inconclusive 16-hour conference call with eurozone finance ministers today aimed at addressing the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, several Fine Gael ministers have expressed concern that all the progress made with Fianna Fail will come to nothing.

I just dont see any of the other parties stepping up. If youre the Labour Party, given what happened to them in 2016, would you sign up for another suicide mission? No, of course not. The Greens, as far as I could see it, never wanted to go in, and who knows about the Social Democrats, one minister said.

The ministers fear that many people do not realise that because of the Covid-19 crisis, the new government will need to take very drastic and tough decisions and you cant do that with a minority government or if you are reliant on independents.

People are talking about 80 seats, for what we have to do, we would need 90-plus and I just cant see that coming to pass. We are in 2011 territory in terms of the decisions we have to take. You simply cant do that with a majority of two or three, a minister said.

A growing sense of disillusionment has begun to ramp up in some quarters of Fianna Fail as TDs find themselves learning about the policy framework from the media.

We dont know whats going on, were taking the biggest step in the history of the party and the State, and we dont know whats going on with Micheal Martin and the party hierarchy and thats truly shocking.

Weve had no input, weve never seen it, and its never discussed with us, its well to try and entice smaller parties, but they have to entice their own first, one TD said.

Meanwhile, a grassroots group of Fianna Fail members has written to the partys TDs encouraging them to form a national emergency government, or face the partys end entirely.

The group, Cosmhuintir Fianna Fail, who are understood to have hundreds of members, say they are made up of loyal and hardworking members of the party.

The letter, sent via email to elected TDs, says it is a cry from the heart of Fianna Fail for the rehabilitation and reform of the party which will only be served, in the long term, by committing to a National Emergency Government to bring us through the sad events of our time, the letter reads.

TDs are hearing about a growing distrust within the party of leader Micheal Martin.

What were hearing more now than we ever heard before is that they would like to see a different leader. The impression is that Micheal is doing this in his own interest, not in the interest of Fianna Fail.
TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday to give the sanctions-hit country a $5 billion emergency loan to combat its novel coronavirus outbreak.



The Islamic republic is battling one of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks which it says has killed more than 3,800 people and infected more than 62,500.



There has been speculation abroad that the real number of deaths and infections could be higher. Iran has said it needs the funds to continue fighting the virus.



But its arch enemy the United States, which effectively holds a veto at the IMF, is reportedly set to block the loan, arguing Iran will use the funds for military purposes.



"I urge all international organisations to fulfil their duties," Rouhani said during a cabinet meeting.



"We are a member of the IMF... if there's going to be any discrimination between Iran and others in giving loans, neither we nor world opinion will tolerate it." Iran announced on March 12 that it had requested the loan.



The country has not received assistance from the IMF since a "standby credit" issued between 1960 and 1962, according to IMF figures.



According to the IMF's website, a Rapid Financial Instrument "is available to all member countries facing an urgent balance of payments need".



"If they do not act on their duties in this difficult situation, the world will judge them in a different way," Rouhani said.



'Maximum pressure'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a recent interview that Iran would use any economic relief to pursue nuclear weapons and back Shiite militias in Iraq that the administration blames for a wave of attacks on bases used by US troops.



"You see the way... the regime is treating their people in this time of enormous crisis. You see the way that they continue to spend money," Pompeo told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.



US President Donald Trump's administration has waged a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran since it withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018.



It has since imposed wave after wave of crippling sanctions that target key sectors of Iran's economy such as oil sales and banking.



Iran has repeatedly called on the Trump administration to reverse its sanctions policy, which has been opposed even by US allies, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.



Medicines and medical equipment are technically exempt from the US sanctions but purchases are frequently blocked by the unwillingness of banks to process purchases for fear of incurring large penalties in the United States.



"It will go down in history that the White House, which was engaged in economic terrorism so far, is now a terrorist in health issues, too," Rouhani said.



European nations have delivered medical goods to Iran in the first transaction under the Instex financing mechanism set up to get round US sanctions.



But it is more than a year since Britain, France and Germany announced the creation of Instex and Iran has questioned European governments' commitment to seeing it through in defiance of the Trump administration.
On the open plains of Wyoming, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, something strange began happening last month. Coronavirus itself had barely touched this sparsely populated American state. But the impact of Covid-19 could already be seen.

As thousands of aircraft were grounded and billions of citizens ordered to stay home, global demand for oil, the key lubricant of world commerce, had crashed so far and so fast that producers in Wyoming were willing to pay someone 19 cents a barrel to take it off their hands. It was worse than worthless, it had become a burden.

A thousand miles northwest, in Alberta, Canada, home to perhaps the worlds single largest deposit of hydrocarbons, a similar story was playing out.

By Mid-March, if you so desired, you could have purchased one of Canadas estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of oil, for just $5. In other words, 159 litres of the worlds most vital commodity would set you back less than a pint of beer.

A month later, what may have seemed like mere trivia from obscure corners of the global oil market has rippled across the US, as the price of America's key benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, plunged as low as minus $40 on Monday - the first time ever it had been below zero.

As supply outstripped demand and storage space filled up at the fastest pace on record, no one wanted to be on the hook for taking delivery of any oil in May. There would be nowhere to put it and no one to buy it off you.

Negative prices were to some extent a technical blip caused by the way oil is traded on futures contracts, but experts think the phenomenon is likely to recur next month as the world economy continues to shrink.

How the situation develops over the coming months could have lasting impacts on what will soon return to being the most important battle facing humanity  the climate crisis.

US and Canadian oil production, which is relatively high-cost compared to other nations', such as Saudi Arabia, looks set to be decimated by the catastrophic slump in oil prices and some experts think it will have a hard time bouncing back. Thousands of jobs will go and many oil wells will cease production. This in turn, the argument goes, will aid the shift towards a lower carbon world.

There are other aspects to the crisis that could be good for the climate; potential changes in our behaviour could stick with us, meaning people work from home more often, travel less and shop locally, for example. Companies that currently fly supplies from all around the world or rely on migrant labour may conclude that building things closer to home is less risky.

While these may sound like the rosy predictions of green campaigners seeking a silver lining, they are in fact those of Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs. The Wall Street investment bank is not known for environmental utopianism, its analysis is hewn from mountains of data and cold, hard facts.

Currie and his team believe that plummeting demand caused by the current crisis could, paradoxically, lead to a massive spike in oil prices next year when the economy comes out of hibernation. They predict that the oil industry wont be able to keep up, leaving a gap for renewables such as wind and solar to fill.

In an eye-catching report, Currie said coronavirus would permanently alter the energy industry and its geopolitics, restrict demand as economic activity normalises and shift the debate around climate change.

A key reason for this is that the energy source to which the industrialised world has been addicted for more than a century has some major physical constraints. It cant simply be turned off and on like a tap, Currie tells The Independent.

Its going to require a lot of money to be spent to fix the industry Jeff Currie, Goldman Sachs

Oil wells are very different from other industrial processes. Theyre organic deposits that require pressure to extract them. When you shut them down you typically do damage to the well, says Currie.

No one has ever attempted to turn off the oil supply so quickly as in the last few weeks. Global demand has cratered by as much as 30 per cent, or 30 million barrels a day, far in excess of anything seen in any previous downturn. Meanwhile, Russia and Saudi Arabia have kept production levels high as they engage in a battle for market share.

Because oil, and energy more broadly, must be contained within infrastructure like pipelines tankers and refineries, you cant run a surplus indefinitely, says Currie. You cant just pour the oil outside of the well, it has to go into the system.

Key parts of that system are already full, which means that many producers, particularly those based inland that are reliant on pipelines rather than ships to transport their oil, will have no choice but to shut down, or shut in, in industry parlance.

Shutting in and then opening up again can be prohibitively expensive, which is why producers in Alberta, Wyoming and beyond are willing to sell oil at a loss rather than halt production altogether.

Oil is often described as being found in reservoirs or pools, giving the misleading impression that it sits in cavernous holes underground which simply have to be located and tapped. Its easy to imagine sticking something akin to a huge straw in the ground and sucking out the oil.

In truth oil deposits are often found saturated in tiny holes of porous rocks. Pressure must be applied constantly to force the oil out of the well. This is easy at the start when pressure can be naturally high, resulting in the kind of gusher often depicted by Hollywood.

But, as a well matures, it becomes increasingly tricky  and therefore expensive  to apply the required pressure and extract oil. Starting up the process again, or drilling new wells, adds further cost.

Its going to require a lot of money to be spent to fix the industry, says Currie.

A gusher in Texas in 1901 (Getty) (GETTY IMAGES)

That money is no longer forthcoming in the quantities that many oil companies have grown used to, meaning only the largest and most efficient companies are likely to survive.

If the world is addicted to oil, the oil industry itself is addicted to cash, requiring huge injections of capital to fund exploration and production. But appetite for investing in fossil fuels, particularly in uncertain times, is drying up. With tens of billions of dollars likely to be wiped out as the majority of small, heavily indebted, US oil producers go to the wall, that appetite is likely to reduce even further.

Capital markets are more cagey about handing money to oil producers after years of below-par returns. Meanwhile, banks are beginning to cut back financing for oil and gas, and large funds, including Norways $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, have reduced their investment in the sector. The Bank of England is also looking into climate stress testing that could force lenders to get rid of assets at risk as the world shifts to net zero carbon.

At the same time, renewables are rapidly becoming a more attractive investment. A wind farm requires a lot less capital than an oil field, and while the returns are less spectacular they are more solid and reliable.

Paul Flood, portfolio manager at Newton Investment Management, says companies that produce renewable energy are unique in that they remain stable even through turbulent economic times. That makes them an ideal place for governments to focus what will likely be huge stimulus programmes in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. It fits very nicely. Youre killing two birds with one stone by providing new sources of renewable energy to decarbonise power, and also providing pension funds with stable revenues.

I think if governments are going to do fiscal spending theyre going to have more credibility directing it towards renewables and climate change initiatives than towards oil and gas.

Despite this apparently gloomy outlook for fossil fuels, not everyone is convinced Covid-19 will be a good thing for the climate. Legal & General Investment Management invests more than 1 trillion of other peoples money, mostly for the very long term.

Nick Stansbury, LGIMs head of commodity research, believes the current slump in oil prices must be seen on balance as bad for the environment. From a climate perspective, this is really disappointing, he says, its not what we wanted to happen. We did not want oil prices to crash, just as we were beginning to see real momentum behind clean technology and its competitiveness. This has set that back in a very disappointing way.

As consumers, we react pretty quickly to cheaper oil. LGIMs research shows that after the last significant oil price fall back in 2014-15, Americans started buying less efficient cars within a month. Those decisions have implications for emissions for many years until people trade in their SUVs again.

However, Stansbury says American drivers have already gone pretty much all-in on gas guzzlers, so the current low prices may not cause them to trade up and get even more inefficient vehicles.

There is a broader and more important point to all this: if oil stays around $20 a barrel  the current cost of Brent Crude  that clearly underestimates the actual environmental cost of combusting fossil fuels, says Stansbury. He doesnt see the kind of drastic shortfall in oil supplies that Jeff Currie at Goldman is predicting and believes American producers can shut down and then ramp up supply again when needed.

There is a higher probability of oil shortages in the next decade as a consequence of this but I think its far from certain that thats what we will get. US onshore producers already know about huge reserves of oil, its just a case of having access to capital so they can go and drill it.

What about those much-heralded changes to our behaviour after the pandemic? Martijn Rats, oil strategist at giant US bank Morgan Stanley, also foresees a long-term shift away from fossil fuels.

He highlights three driving forces of this change. First, the current low oil price gives governments a chance to unwind $300bn of subsidies handed out to the fossil fuel industry each year. Second, economic stimulus programmes required to resuscitate activity after the crisis will likely be used to boost investment in clean energy. And, third, we may work from home more and take less flights.

This does not bode well for oil demand in the long term, especially relative to previous long-term expectations, Rats wrote in a recent note to clients.

A wind farm requires a lot less capital than an oil field, and while the returns are less spectacular they are more solid and reliable (Getty/iStock)

A report by the AA predicts Covid-19 will cause a permanent reduction in travel in the UK because weve quickly adapted to use remote working technology and realised its quite effective. The AA even said that a planned 27bn investment in Britains roads might not be needed, and perhaps some of the money might be better aimed at improving our broadband internet speeds.

Reports of the death of commuting may be greatly exaggerated however, at least for the time being. Nick Stansbury at LGIM thinks its too early to tell whether there will be a behavioural shift significant enough to have a real impact on emissions.

Anecdotally, and from my own experience, I know that [working from home] works a lot better than anybody expected it was going to. Its more viable in the long term to do my job 100 per cent from home. Before this I would never have imagined I could do that.

Will a lot of us end up working from home a bit more often, gaining a few more hours in our days? We probably will.

But thats about as much as we can say. Any emissions prevented by fewer journeys to work are likely to be swamped by surging demand for air travel in emerging markets, he says.

Jeff Currie at Goldman Sachs believes that higher oil prices after the crisis will hold back demand for flights and make people commute less often.

However, given that the world has experienced only a few weeks of coronavirus lockdown conditions, he is sceptical about predictions that the experience will drive long-term changes to our behaviour.

Wait and see, he says. We have no idea.
The warnings by doctors over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) continue to be dire. The Trump administrations initial decision to stop the export of N95 masks to Canada threatened the most important choke point in our countrys PPE supply chain.

This act of almost-betrayal by our closest ally had the potential to jeopardize the lives of thousands of front-line medical staff across the country. Its hard to fathom that our countries generational friendship and co-operation would be so callously disregarded. This, perhaps, should come as no shock, as President Trumps contempt for political rivals has seen him threaten to even withhold aid from his own governors.

Despite the laudable efforts through diplomatic backchannels to secure 3M shipments, were still not out of the woods. Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford ominously announced that he expects the provinces supply of PPE to run out in a week and timelines are still unclear given the recent developments. These shortages are a daily, devastating reality to the health care workers at the tip of the COVID-19 spear, and who have already been rationing protective gear for weeks.

What this really amounts to is a work environment whose safety the government has plainly said it cannot guarantee. The risk to our front-line workers and their loved ones cannot be overstated. Imagine asking a member of our Armed Forces to go to war without the appropriate armour. Our leaders should not be in the business of promoting kamikaze missions.

Which is why, at a time when our governments have failed to procure PPE for the workers theyre supposed to have the backs of, they need to now fiercely protect these same health care voices.

In many places, the exact opposite is happening. A physician in Seattle was recently fired for speaking out against a lack of PPE at his institution. Meanwhile, New York Universitys Langone Health system has threatened to terminate staff if they speak with the media about shortages.

For those who would dismiss this as an American problem, across Canada, there have been anecdotal conversations amongst physicians who have felt threatened by hospital administrations. The spectre of losing ones clinical privileges looms large and serves as a muzzle against the doctors who should be seen as warriors in this fight.

Elected officials who want to do us a solid should enact emergency legislation that would make it illegal for hospitals to attempt to silence the staff risking their lives for their communities. This should be enshrined in law so that ministers or administrators, many of whom have never spent time caring for a patient, wouldnt dare intimidate the front-line warriors caring for sick and vulnerable patients.

Health-care workers will continue to selflessly put themselves in harms way because they see it as a calling and a privilege. What we demand now of our governments is the same level of commitment, courage and skill to protect our health-care heroes; from both invisible enemies and tyranny.
British foreign minister Dominic Raab is designated to take over leadership of the country if Prime Minister Boris Johnson, currently ill in hospital with persistent symptoms of the coronavirus, is unable to fulfil his role

London: British foreign minister Dominic Raab is designated to take over leadership of the country if Prime Minister Boris Johnson, currently ill in hospital with persistent symptoms of the coronavirus, is unable to fulfil his role.

Johnson is still leading the government, according to his ministers, but Raab stood in for him at Mondays meeting of the COVID-19 response committee.

- Raab, 46, ran against Johnson to become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister in 2019. During that campaign he criticised Johnsons bluff and bluster over Britains exit from the European Union.

Raab was eliminated midway through the contest and then endorsed Johnson.

- He was appointed as foreign minister in Johnsons first cabinet after the prime minister took office in July 2019. Raab is a hardline eurosceptic, who has long campaigned for Britain to leave the EU.

- The son of a Czech-born Jewish refugee who fled the Nazis in 1938, Raab was brought up in the southern English region of Buckinghamshire and studied law at Oxford University before becoming a lawyer working on project finance, international litigation and competition law.

- Before entering parliament in 2010, Raab also worked for Britains diplomatic service, including a posting in The Hague working on bringing war criminals to justice. He also advised the government on the Arab-Israeli conflict and counter-terrorism.

- A karate black belt, he served briefly as Brexit minister under then-prime minister Theresa May, before quitting in protest at her proposed deal to leave the EU.

- While Brexit minister, he was derided for saying that he hadnt fully realised how reliant Britain was on the Dover-Calais ferry crossing for trade. The route is one of Britains busiest and most important links with continental Europe.
Turkeys long-marginalized Roma population is marking April 8, International Romani Day, with emergency appeals for help as they grapple with the fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic saying they are among the hardest hit.

In a bitterly worded declaration, 48 Roma associations said they continued to face deep discrimination and that their peoples biggest battle currently was not so much against COVID-19 as with the starvation likely to ensue from loss of work and state neglect.

The Roma are unable to avail themselves equally of their most basic rights. When they try to do so they face discrimination and serious obstacles, the statement read.

The groups charged that predominantly Roma neighborhoods were not being disinfected by municipal authorities on the grounds that Roma carry the virus anyway. The statement did not identify the neighborhoods by name.

The Roma groups listed 14 demands for the duration of the pandemic, including regular cash injections and free food and hygiene supplies to the most needy.

The World Health Organization wrote on Twitter today, We are alarmed that Turkey has seen a dramatic increase in virus spread over the last week. 60% of cases were reported from Istanbul.

As of April 7, the official death toll in Turkey attributed to COVID-19 was 725, with 34,109 others testing positive for the disease. Turkey is the eighth worst affected country in the world in terms of the number of active cases.

More than 1.4 million cases have been reported globally. As of today, the total number of deaths from the pandemic stood close to 83,000.

The Turkish government plans to increase testing capacity, with the number of daily tests expected to exceed 30,000, said Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. He added that curfew measures for people aged under 20 and above 65 had helped contain infections.

But Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu took aim at the measure today, saying, You are effectively telling 64% of the population, you are free, he said. Imamoglu has been campaigning for a total lockdown for the city that is home to more than 16 million people.

Imamoglu did not forget Istanbuls Roma, wishing them a happy International Romani Day on Twitter. The coronavirus pandemic has severely hit hundreds of thousands of Roma citizens who earn their livelihoods from precarious work. We will get through these hard days together, as one, he pledged.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who touts himself as a champion of the poor, made no mention of the Roma today. It remains unclear whether they will benefit from additional relief measures announced yesterday by Turkey's Finance Minister Berat Albayrak.

Albayrak said the government will offer further cash injections to citizens during the coronavirus crisis, including salary support for employees forced into furlough.

He said the government would also provide direct financial support for a further 2.3 million low income families. Turkey provided cash aid of 1,000 lira ($147.5) to about 2.1 million families last week, said Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services Zehra Zumrut Selcuk.

Their exact numbers remain unknown, but up to two million Roma are believed to live in Turkey. Many typically eke out a living from gathering recyclable garbage, flower vending, shining shoes and playing musical instruments at weddings  activities that have been suspended by a slew of restrictions introduced by authorities in a bid to contain the pandemic.

Video footage of police officers writing up a traffic ticket for a pair of female Roma scrap collectors who had been wheeling a large cart on the edge of a highway in the eastern province of Elazig drew angry reactions on social media today. Their appeals for clemency fell on deaf ears.

Our people have been left to the mercy of state institutions and municipalities, said Roma activist Emin Karamese in a video posted by the Civil Society Development Center, a Turkish non-profit. Their situation is disastrous.

Veteran civil society activist and advocate for Roma rights Hacer Foggo told Al-Monitor, When we tell Roma stay at home, most are confined to one room and left penniless because they have no social safety net or savings.

She asked, Is social distancing possible in the tiny spaces they inhabit? Can their children access home schooling without any internet connection? I fear most for babies because their mothers cannot afford to buy food for them. I speak to dozens of such mothers every day.
India has recorded 5,274 cases of the novel coronavirus and 149 deaths, according to the health ministry's latest update.

Of these, 4,714 are active cases while 410 have been cured or discharged.

The data was updated at 5 pm on April 8 on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website.

Follow LIVE updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here

With 1,018 cases of COVID-19, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu (690) and Delhi (576).

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

Many state governments have asked the Centre to extend the nationwide lockdown, which is currently scheduled to end on April 14, news agency ANI reported.

A Group of Ministers on April 7 suggested that schools and colleges should be closed for four more weeks, according to an NDTV report. The report said this would mean the Centre might ease the lockdown in a staggered manner.

S. No. Name of State / UT Total Confirmed cases (Including 66 foreign Nationals) Cured/Discharged/ Migrated Death 1 Andhra Pradesh 305 5 4 2 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 10 0 0 3 Arunachal Pradesh 1 0 0 4 Assam 27 0 0 5 Bihar 38 0 1 6 Chandigarh 18 7 0 7 Chhattisgarh 10 9 0 8 Delhi 576 21 9 9 Goa 7 0 0 10 Gujarat 165 25 13 11 Haryana 147 28 3 12 Himachal Pradesh 18 2 1 13 Jammu and Kashmir 116 4 2 14 Jharkhand 4 0 0 15 Karnataka 175 25 4 16 Kerala 336 70 2 17 Ladakh 14 10 0 18 Madhya Pradesh 229 0 13 19 Maharashtra 1018 79 64 20 Manipur 2 0 0 21 Mizoram 1 0 0 22 Odisha 42 2 1 23 Puducherry 5 1 0 24 Punjab 91 4 7 25 Rajasthan 328 21 3 26 Tamil Nadu 690 19 7 27 Telangana 427 35 7 28 Tripura 1 0 0 29 Uttarakhand 31 5 0 30 Uttar Pradesh 343 26 3 31 West Bengal 99 13 5 Total number of confirmed cases in India 5274* 411 149 *States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation

Globally, 1.4 million cases have been reported and over 82,000 deaths, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University.

Follow our full coverage here
(Photo : Beth Tate on Unsplash) Black Americans Have Higher Coronavirus Risk

As the Coronavirus pandemic worsens, it has become clear that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes it affects all races. However, because of several structural issues in society such as less access to healthcare, the existence of medical conditions, and their living high-density areas, Black Americans, according to a recent report, are more likely to contract the virus.

Why are Black Americans more likely to contract the Coronavirus?

According to a report on CNN, Black Americans are more likely to be infected by the coronavirus. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams also said in an interview with CBS early this week that Black Americans are more susceptible to the coronavirus.

This racial distinction is evidently seen in data showing the number of deaths caused by the virus in Black American Communities located in Louisiana, Illinois, New Jersey, and Michigan. Dr. Adams and Dr. Patrice Harris, the President of the American Medical Association, suggested that the federal government should start tracking the coronavirus by demographic groups.

"We have early evidence that we need to pay particular attention to race and ethnicity," said Dr. Harris.

According to a statement of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, on Monday, April 6, 70% of 512 coronavirus deaths were African American patients. This demographic comprises 32% of Louisiana's population.

The report of CNN also stated that 72 of the coronavirus deaths in Chicago are of Black American patients who only make up 30% of the city.

"This new data offers a deeply concerning glimpse into the spread of COVID-19 and is a stark reminder of the deep-seated issues which have long created disparate health impacts in communities across Chicago," said Chicago's Mayor, Lori Lightfoot.

Why are the reasons Black Americans more likely to contract COVID-19?

A family physician and epidemiologist, Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones, said that Black Americans people have a higher risk of being infected, as well as dying from the Coronavirus because of a combination of several structural factors.

According to CNN, Black Americans are more likely to be infected because of their existing chronic diseases. The Michigan State Representative, Tyrone Carter said that people's living environment, such as the quality of their drinking water or the cleanliness of their communities and homes are closely related to these health issues.

African Americans' health insurance coverage are also lower compared to their white counterparts. This can affect the type of care they receive if they, indeed, become sick. A report of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured in 2015 explained that it is important for all to have access to health care to receive proper medical attention during this pandemic.

Cities with a higher density are also more likely to be affected by the Coronavirus. According to a Pew Research analysis, Black Americans are mostly living in dense urban communities. According to the report of Van Jones on CNN, these Black Americans are more likely to live in crowded areas because of their lower incomes.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
[April 08, 2020] Matt Hylant Named President of Hylant Ann Arbor

Hylant, one of the largest privately held insurance brokers in the U.S., announces the promotion of Matthew M. Hylant to president of its Ann Arbor office. As president, Matt will be responsible for the day-to-day operations along with setting the vision for strategic growth and initiatives for the Ann Arbor office. "We're excited to see Matt return to Ann Arbor to lead the Ann Arbor office," said Patrick McDaniel, Partnership Leader and President of Hylant's Detroit office. "Matt is a proven leader and has been successful in every position of his career thus far. We look forward to his leadership in the areas of client retention, new business development and talent recruitment." Prior to this role, Matt served as client executive and team leader in Employee Beneits for Hylant's Grand Rapids office for the past six years. During his time there, he built a significant client base along with earning recognition as a member of Hylant's prestigious Diamond Club.



"Ann Arbor is a fantastic community and one I grew to love during my time at the University of Michigan. The opportunity to serve our team, this community and our clients in a leadership role is an opportunity of a lifetime. As a fourth-generation member of the family business, I strive to see our traditions and culture continue into the future as we evolve to meet the changing needs of today's world," said Matt Hylant. Matt is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in economics and history. He joined Epic Systems Corporation, located in Madison, WI, after college as a project manager for large hospital systems throughout the U.S. before joining Hylant in 2014. He is very active in his community in both professional and non-profit organizations. Matt and his wife Emily have an infant daughter Natalie.

Matt Hylant replaces Linda Koos who resigned to pursue another opportunity within the industry. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005063/en/

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Photo taken on April 6 shows high-speed trains in Wuhan getting into position for the resumption of transportation. (Photo/Hubei Daily)

Wuhan, the capital city of central Chinas Hubei province most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, is making a variety of preparations as it prepares to lift outbound travel curbs from April 8, Hubei Daily reported.

Starting from March 25, over 1,000 railway maintenance workers in Wuhan returned to their positions and began rechecking the 230 high-speed trains.

The Wuhan high-speed railway base will disinfect and ventilate the workplace on a daily basis, take the temperatures of employees and report the places they have been to and people they have had contact with to reduce the risks of virus transmission amid the resumption of work.

Railway workers are also required to disinfect the trains thoroughly, and clean and replace the trains air filters together with the epidemic prevention department.

Meanwhile, the railway police will check the electronic health codes of passengers and ensure that they leave Wuhan in an orderly and safe manner.
In Aaru Sara Kathalu, Raavi Sastry, who was then a practising lawyer himself, portrays the relationship between the lives of the poor people who were forced to turn to crime, and the apathy and indifference of the system, which was at the disposal of the powerful and rich

In this series, The Telugu Archive founder Sai Priya Kodidala traces Telugu socio-political history through literature and art. Read more from the series here.

***

It is all dark in the courtroom. The tablecloth on the desk in front is covered in darkness; when ink spills on it, it is indistinguishable, like poison mixed with poison. Darkness, just as ugly and cruel as the lawyers black coats. Stripes of darkness line the red caps of the police. Darkness fills the empty arrack pots strewn all across the courtroom. The eyes of the accused are filled with the darkness of their ignorance.

Raavi Sastry (Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastry), a practising lawyer during the Prohibition era in Andhra Pradesh, portrayed the judicial system as he saw it  a system stacked up against the poor and the working class. This portrayal is a major theme in Aaru Sara Kathalu (Six Liquor Stories) published in the daily Visalandhra in 1961. Sastry's stories in it were centered on the illegal liquor mafia and trade during this era, and the pitfalls of the judiciary.

Prohibition was introduced in the Madras Presidency (including the Telugu-speaking areas of present-day Andhra Pradesh) before Independence. It continued in these regions till 1969 in many forms and structures.

Raavi Sastry found the ways of the State and its polity, through its courts, police and offices, to be anti-poor and critiqued them in his literary work. The police represented the State and its methods of justice. The judicial system was overburdened, and the writer's stories lay bare the many schemes and tricks of unscrupulous people in the system, including the police and the lawyers. He also portrays the relationship between the lives of the poor people who turned to crime and the apathy and indifference of the system, which was at the disposal of the powerful and rich.

Aaru Sara Kathalu features each and every character who played a part in the ecosystem of illicit distillation and trade of liquor. In a rather democratic fashion, a panchayati agreement is drawn up to divide the illegal liquor business geographically between two rival groups in the first story, 'Paapi' (Sinner). A parallel system  the sara system  is in place, which prospered with peace and harmony among its many players. Ministers and the police act as intermediates between these rival groups and regulate their rampant businesses. Smaller businessmen manage the flow of liquor on the ground, and if ever they get caught, there is always a pool of young men ready to go to jail or act as fake witnesses, for a price. Sara flowed in the town with absolutely no restriction  through motor tubes, in cars, on bicycles, on boats, carried by the shoulders of men and hiding in the sari pallus of women. Glasses into which it was poured at shops were quickly drained. If needed, it could even be carefully delivered to homes. The shares of profit from the trade reached designated pockets like clockwork in this efficiently designed system.

In this universe, lawyers worked in the legal framework left behind by the British. Murti, a junior lawyer fresh out of law school, is at the receiving end of a rather cynical lecture from a senior lawyer about the botched-up court system in 'Maaya' (Illusion). The senior praises the laws introduced by the British to create a fool-proof system to suppress any kind of dissent: This is the justice system established by the British. It is the same in their country. It is the same in ours. This is the lesson the Englishman taught us. The work goes to the daily wagers and the profits go to the owners. If anyone questions or fights our system, we have the strength of the police, courts and jails on our side. The British rule wouldn't have been possible if not for these.

Fighting against this system are working class people like Muthyalamma, whose husband is an addict, and who took to the already established illegal liquor trade for sustenance. She reaches out to Murti to get bail in a fake case filed against her. Tired of paying the police and lawyers, she games the system to ultimately win the case, much to the shock of the young lawyer. In what is perhaps one of most powerful monologues in Telugu literature, Muthyalamma dissects the societal conditions, the role of money and power, and the flaws of the judicial system:

Pleader babu, listen to me! Not you, not him, I will not believe anyone who claims to be good. There is nothing in this world other than money and business. Animals, voiceless commodities have values and ethics, but not us. Neither uneducated me, nor educated you. I sell sara for money, you sell all your knowledge. The police sells justice. The hospitals sell medicines and beds. Gods blessings are sold for a coconut. During elections, pleader babu, we are all sold. Sale! Sale! Sale! There is nothing in the world other than this.

In such a corrupt society, the State feels the need to let people know, from time to time, that it is still in control; that crime will continue to be regulated, even if it is not solved or the true culprits aren't found. The police raids businesses when they receive tip-offs and resolve issues at the ground level for a small fee.

Aaru Sara Kathalu describes the contempt with which those who are most vulnerable in a predatory system  the voiceless  are dealt, often being sentenced to prison time. In most cases, the owners of the illicit liquor businesses account for fines and prison sentences as added operational costs.

Cases pile up on the desks of overburdened district magistrates. Offering any understanding or sympathy to those stuck in this trade is seemingly impossible, even for the kindest of magistrates. When they must preside over hundreds of prohibition cases each month, they resort to delivering justice in a swift manner: sentencing all the accused to a month or two in jail. The guilt of sentencing innocent, uneducated people who aren't aware of their rights to prison catches up with a few. 'Moksham' (Salvation) portrays the inner turmoil of a district magistrate, who ponders over the injustice meted out in the name of justice; over jails filled beyond capacity; fake witnesses and the rigged nature of the system. The absurdity of the situation combined with his helplessness and guilt lead him to madness, and he is taken to a government mental asylum.

Government Mental Hospital! Oh Ive forgotten! The poor government has gone mad, hasn't it? Lets go and see!

At the core of Aaru Saara Kathalu are a few pertinent questions staring us in the face: What happens when poverty turns into a crime? Who creates these criminals? What is the role of the State with respect to crime  to mitigate, regulate or facilitate? Who is visible to the State and who isnt? How is the State perceived by those who are protected the least by it? The relevance of these questions remains even today.
Over the last month, we witnessed major leaps by the Indian judicial system to operationalise an online only format of functioning. The speed of action has been impressive and is demonstrative of the fact that our courts are well equipped to act fast and decisively. In a landmark order on Monday, the Supreme Court acknowledged that courts, in the discharge of their duty to respond to the call for social distancing, will ...

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 23:25:13|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian foreign minister on Wednesday welcomed a recent proposal by Russian president to lift global sanctions and create green trade corridors as the world grapples with COVID-19 pandemic, Tasnim news agency reported.

"In order to contain the situation of the coronavirus, different countries have closed their geographical borders, but opened them to provide assistance," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

"Iran welcomes the Russian idea of creating a green corridor instead of an economic war and sanctions," Zarif said, denouncing U.S. sanctions against Iran despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

The remarks made by Zarif came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a common plan to support the global economy.

Speaking via a G20 virtual meeting last month, Putin urged the creation of "green corridors" to transport essential goods and technologies without sanctions as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
HRW Urges War Crimes Charges For Jailed IS-Linked Group's Head

By RFE/RL April 07, 2020

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is urging the Afghan government to bring war crimes charges against the captured leader of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

In a statement late on April 6, HRW said Afghanistan must afford a fair trial in accordance with international human rights standards for Aslam Farooqi, who was arrested two days earlier in Kandahar Province.

Farooqi, whose real name is Abdullah Orakzai, became the ISKP leader in July 2019. The group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks across Afghanistan that have killed scores of civilians.

HRW said Farooqi's capture is an opportunity for the authorities in Afghanistan to show that they are capable of securing fair justice for victims of war crimes and other atrocities.

Afghanistan has "a poor record in bringing individuals implicated in human rights abuses and war crimes to justice," HRW said.

Farooqi's arrest is "an opportunity for the Afghan authorities to show that they are capable of securing fair justice for victims of war crimes and other atrocities," added Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at the New York-based human rights watchdog.

Ensuring that victims of ISKP attacks can testify at the trial is "key" in ensuring that "justice is not only done, but seen to be done by those most affected by Farooqi's crimes," Gossman said.

From 2016 to 2018, ISKP militants targeted dozens of Shi'ite mosques and other facilities in Kabul and other Afghan cities, killing and injuring thousands of civilians.

The group claimed responsibility for a March 25 assault on a Sikh temple in Kabul that left at least 25 worshipers dead.

Afghanistan is holding thousands of suspects behind bars under "overly broad terrorism laws" but has not charged any with war crimes or crimes against humanity, which are included in the country's 2017 Penal Code, according to HRW.

The group said that trials of terrorism suspects "are held in secret and often rely on confessions coerced under torture," and the authorities have made "no efforts to solicit victims' participation" in the trials.

"Afghanistan owes it to the victims to carry out a credible prosecution and fair trial of Aslam Farooqi and others accused of serious crimes," Gossman said. "The pursuit of justice is essential if Afghanistan is to bring an end to such violence."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/hrw-urges- war-crimes-charges-for-jailed-is- linked-group-s-head/30537787.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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In the last few days, we have a small country like Moldova which was saying, Oh, because Ukraine and Russia are taking measures, we should do it, even if actually we dont need it. This imitation, this domino effect is something we always have to worry about, he said.
China to strengthen prevention of imported COVID-19 infections through land border

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:28, April 07, 2020

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities Monday stressed measures to further prevent imported COVID-19 infections through land border.

The demand was made at a meeting of the leading group of China's COVID-19 epidemic response, which was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Noting the rapid spread of the pandemic overseas and the rising risk of imported cases through land border, the meeting urged local authorities to hold the defense line of communities, ports and borders.

China will support the border regions to step up their lab test and medical treatment capabilities while toughening port management, quarantine inspections and traffic controls in border areas.

Stricter epidemic control measures will be imposed in economic cooperation centers and trade markets along the border. Efforts will be made to ensure smooth international freight transport on the premise of safety.

The country should integrate emergency response with normal prevention and control practices in work resumption, restoring the production order in accordance with local conditions and risk levels, the meeting noted.

Low-risk regions should optimize epidemic control measures and cancel measures adopted in earlier stage which were not in line with resuming production and living order now, while ensuring necessary epidemic control supplies and emergency response capability, the meeting said.

It called on the enterprises to implement protective protocols for employees and make reasonable arrangement for people flow to avoid unnecessary gatherings and group activities.

To guard against an epidemic rebound, Monday's meeting also urged timely report and response to situations concerning confirmed, suspected and asymptomatic cases as well as the transparent release of information.

Work should be strengthened on asymptomatic patients' medical management, epidemiological survey, quarantine and treatment, the meeting said.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting.

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A statutory investigation will be carried out into a charity that provides older peoples housing facilities in Dublin, the charities regulator has said.

The decision comes following a concern in relation to the use of the charitable assets of the charity, Cabhru Housing Association Services (CHAS).

The Charities Regulatory Authority said it has appointed inspectors to carry out the statutory investigation into CHAS, which has provided independent living for elderly people in Dublin.

In a statement, the charities regulator said it was important to note that the opening of a statutory investigation is not in itself a finding of any wrongdoing.

In early January 2020, the charities regulator received a concern in relation to the use of the charitable assets of the charity.

The authority said it engaged with the charity over a number of months.

On foot of its inquiries, the Charities Regulator has determined that a statutory investigation into Cabhru Housing Association Services is warranted, Charities Regulator chief executive Helen Martin said.

The Charities Regulator has appointed inspectors to investigate the affairs of the charity and to prepare a report on their investigation and findings.

In August 2014, Dublin City Council was given plans for a proposed re-development of its Berkeley Street facility.

Representatives for CHAS lodged a planning application to demolish the building and re-build with an additional 14 units, increasing it from 21 to 35 units.

Full planning permission was granted in July 2019.

The elderly residents were moved out of the building to prepare for the demolition, however, it emerged that the rooms were then being rented out to students.

The CHAS chief executive Michael McGovern resigned.

Mannix Flynn, a city councillor who raised some of the concerns, has called for a full independent inquiry into the matter.

He said that the residents were moved out and have not returned, and that many are cocooning because of the Covid-19 regulations.

Mr Flynn also claimed that the building does not warrant being demolished, and that plans are under way to refurbish it.
The Czech Republic is past the worst of the coronavirus and has managed to stop an uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 disease, the health minister said on Wednesday.

"We can get ready for a gradual controlled return to normal life," Minister Adam Vojtech told reporters.

"We are certainly past the worst. At the same time, we have succeeded in protecting hospitals and intensive care units which still have reserves."



Czech officials reported 195 new cases on Tuesday, down from a peak of 375 on March 27.

At the same time, Tuesday saw a record-high 7,434 tests compared with just over 5,000 tests on March 27.

"Recent data show a break in the trend," said Ladislav Dusek, head of the Czech Institute of Health Information and Statistics.

"This is a clear signal that... the uncontrolled spread of the disease has stopped."



Dusek told reporters that on Tuesday the total number of confirmed cases made up 5.1 percent of total tests carried out, following a steady decline from 6.7 percent in late March.

"The daily number of new patients in hospitals remains roughly the same," Dusek said, adding that some 13-15 percent of those testing positive required hospital care.

To stem the spread of the virus, the government closed borders, most shops, all pubs, cinemas and theatres in mid-March.

At the time, each Czech was capable of infecting 2.64 people but that number has dropped to roughly 1.00 thanks to the measures, said Dusek.

Officials also ordered people to wear face masks when outside and limited most public gatherings to two people.

On Monday, however, they began to ease some of the measures, opening some shops and relaxing the face mask requirement for sports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Norma Alicia Perez, 58, the fun-loving matriarch who protected her house with fierce love, was called by our Lord Jesus Christ into eternal life on Monday, April 6, 2020. She was born, lived, and passed in Laredo, Texas. It was here that she met her equally playful husband, Tony, and together they began a life rooted in laughter and true partnership.

She deeply loved all her survivors and wished Gods blessings upon them every day: husband, Antonio Tony Perez Jr.; children, Jacquelyn Jackie (Matthew Solosabal) Perez, Jessica (Roel Luna) Perez, Antonio Tony Perez III, David Paul Perez; sisters, Sandra (Velma) Sanchez, Cynthia Romo Hernandez; sister-in-law, Delia Lozano; father, Ramon R. Romo.

Six grandchildren presented a second lifetime for our mother, who showered those kids with too much sugar, thoughtfully crafted holiday baskets and gifts, trips to the movies, rides in the van she bought just for them, and basically anything else their parents said no to. Melo, Petey, Alyssa, Zoe, Sabie, and Leah, you were so blessed to have her.

She is joining her mother, Alicia E. Romo, and grandmother, Angelica G. Montemayor, in the presence of the one Heavenly Father; to whom she devoted everything. Her days, like her mother and grandmother before her, were filled with beautiful prayers of love for her family and everyone in her life.

For 20 years, Norma worked as a Systems Analyst for Mercy Hospital. On those extra long days, Tony and her kids would park outside the building to look up at her 6th floor work window to get a glance or maybe a wave from mom. There she built many lifetime friendships often reminisced on. She later worked as a Systems Analyst for United ISD; spending 16 years with an organization that showed compassion during her illness. She was particularly fond of JJ Nunez, whom her family will always love for his continuous friendship.

One of the highlights of our home was the lighthearted rivalry of having both Nixon and Martin alums as parents. The pictures of Noma in her Golden Spurs uniform are breathtaking. She shared stories of travel and friendship from that time in history. Forever Green and Gold!

The family would like to share words that cannot be adequately expressed to Dr. Arturo Garza-Gongora. Sir, thank you for taking care of our mother, who for 30 years trusted completely and considered you a friend. Thank you for moving mountains to get our mother home to us for her final days. We spent them holding, kissing, and loving her as prescribed.

Please visit https://sites.google.com/view/normaperezdigitalguestbook/home to sign our family guest book. Visitation will be open to friends on Wednesday, April 8th from 3-6:30 p.m. at her home church, Lighthouse Assembly of God at 8731 Belize Blvd. In accordance with city ordinance, only 10 people will be admitted in the building at a time. Please feel free to wait in your vehicle for a turn. Burial services will be held Thursday, April 9th at the City Cemetery and is open to immediate family only. Pallbearers are Antonio Perez III, Romel Salinas III, Peter Mosqueda III, Matthew Solosabal, Roel Luna, and Velma Sanchez.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you hold your own family close. It is too often the case that the illusion of time betrays your heart.
An animation created by a former NASA planetary scientist demonstrated the development of a supermoon, seen from across the globe in early April.

Dr James ODonoghue shared a CGI animation using NASA imagery to show the supermoon reaching its largest, brightest position over several days.

The moon orbits Earth on an oval-shaped axis that brings it closer to and farther from Earth as it goes around, NASA explained. A supermoon is formed when the moon is at its closest proximity to Earth, making it slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon. Credit: Dr James ODonoghue via Storyful
New York, April 8 : The socialist contender for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders, has dropped out of the race paving the way for former Vice President Joe Biden to become the party's unchallenged candidate to take on President Donald Trump in November.

By conceding to Biden on Tuesday, Sanders will allow him and the party to focus on Trump instead of spending resources on infighting by party candidates.

"I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward," Sanders said in his live-streamed announcement.

Biden said he realised "how hard a decision this was for him to make, adding: "Bernie has put his heart and soul into not only running for president, but for the causes and issues he has been dedicated to his whole life." "I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour," Sanders said finally recognising the changed the environment in a nation ravaged by Covid-19.

Sanders and Biden have not been able to hold rallies or even have house-to-house campaigns.

The party convention scheduled for July to officially make the nomination was was in question because of the pandemic.

Biden has suggested holding it virtually because of the socially distancing rules that may in force for months.

"We're going to have to do a convention, may have to do a virtual convention," he told a television interviewer on Sunday.

Sanders dropping out of the race would make this easier removing one of the possible challenges.

Although he was seeking the Democratic Party nomination, Sanders was officially an Independent member of the Senate and not a party member. The rules allowed him to run in the party election for the presidential nomination.

Intra-party elections - either by secret ballot known as primaries, or open, in-person balloting known as caucuses - have been held in only 28 of the 50 states.

Of the remaining states, 15 have postponed the party elections because of the Covid-19 pandemic and 12 will have postal ballots.

Although Sanders announced that although he is suspending his campaign, he said would continue to stay on the party ballot so that he can have delegates at the party convention "to exert significant influence over the party platform".

"While this campaign is coming to an end, our movement is not," Sanders said, referring to his socialist cause like higher minimum wages, universal healthcare and free college education.

Acknowledging Sanders's ideological appeal, Biden said: "Bernie has done something rare in politics. He hasn't just run a political campaign; he's created a movement." Biden, who advocates a centrist agenda, is against some Sanders's proposals like nationalised health care.

The selection of the party candidate is by an indirect process with the primaries and caucuses electing delegates pledging to support one of the candidates to the party convention where the party nomination will be officially made.

With 3,979 elected delegates, a candidate will need 1,991 delegates to win the nomination and Biden leads the delegates count with 1,217 to Sanders's 914.

Sanders has only won in eight states, while Biden, who had a slow start and was almost written after losing in the first three states, staged a powerful comeback, winning in 19 states.

Biden has an array of endorsement from Democratic leaders, and he is leading with a large margin among African-Americans, an important segment of the party, to whom Sanders could not appeal.

While the race started last year with 20 credible candidates qualifying for the first party debate, candidates started dropping out seeing no prospects for themselves leaving only Biden and Sanders till today.

Among the candidates dropping out were Senator Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican-African descent, and Tulsi Gabbard, who is Hindu by faith.

Despite being out of the running at the request of several Democratic leaders who want to present a united front against Trump, Sanders has a large, vociferous support base dominated by young people.

Reaching out to them, Biden said he realised "how hard it is for the millions of his supporters - especially younger voters - who have been inspired and energised and brought into politics by the progressive agenda he has championed." (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)
Where is the president in Blade Runner?

Beneath the 1982 neo-noirs trappings of genetically engineered human automatons is a story about corporate power over and indifference to life, alienation in the face of wealthy indifference to the plight of workers. Replace the Tyrell Corporation with Amazon and reframe the replicants as essential services, and suddenly you have a world of workers terrified that their jobs are inherently a death sentencemoving straight from fiction to reality.

But while Blade Runners once-distant future of November 2019 feels resonant in so many waysvast corporate power, persistent surveillance, life in a time of constant crisisit misses the actual 2019s most salient feature: an inescapable, painful awareness of politics and of the presence or deliberate absence of government in daily life.

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Government, as experienced for much of the 20th century, is largely absent from the lives of characters in cyberpunk stories. Police are a durable feature, but government services and functions beyond the security state are absent.

Yet for all the aggressive visibility of politics in our daily lives, were not that far off from the powerlessness of a cyberpunk future. Cyberpunk speaks to the present because the conditions that inspired cyberpunk remain largely unchanged.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the world, it collides with governments in the West that have spent decades deliberately shedding power, capability, and responsibility, reducing themselves to little more than vestigial organs that coordinate public-private partnerships of civic responsibility. This hollowing of the state began in earnest in the 1980s, and the science fiction of that timethe earliest texts of cyberpunkimagines what happens when that process is complete. Cyberpunk is a genre of vast corporate power and acute personal deprivation. The technologies at the center of it are all means of control, control bought by the wealthy or broken by criminals. Where recourse is available, in whatever small way, its through direct action.

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There is more than a little of the Tyrell Corporations prudent life expectancy design in how Amazon responds to worker protest over a lack of personal protective equipment.

In William Gibsons Neuromancer, characters interact with the government either through past military service or in the law literally made manifest in code. Real power is reserved for entrenched wealth. For Bruce Sterlings Islands in the Net, politics is visible but is driven by corporations either bending states to their will or actively routing around governance. These dystopias are the logical culmination of a political project designed to fundamentally limit what government can do for people and expand what it can do for the wealthy.

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Back in the 1980s, before movies and video games reduced the genre to a mass of unimaginative violence and body modification tropes, cyberpunk was the literary movement that was busy projecting our fears about rampant capitalism, media oversaturation, and emerging computer networks into fictional futures, writes Infinite Detail author and journalist Tim Maughan.

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The 2020s are, in a real, tangible sense, the conclusion of The Long 1980s. Writing in the 1980s, foundational cyberpunk authors were watching as leaders on both sides of the Atlantic pursued a set of political reforms collectively known as neoliberalism. Prioritizing competition in the market above all else, these reforms were fundamentally a political project, aimed at shrinking the public sphere and undoing many of the commitments to social welfare that had been made in the wake of the chaos, upheaval, and deprivation of the first half of the 20th century. The neoliberal turn was a project of unmaking the state for individuals and communities and remaking it for capital.

Cyberpunk conjured a world at this end state of neoliberal reorganization. Islands in the Net features drone warfare launched against data havens at the behest of corporations. In Blade Runner, the profit considerations of multinational companies determine worker personhood. There is more than a little of the Tyrell Corporations prudent life expectancy design in how Amazon responds to worker protest over a lack of personal protective equipment. Today, cyberpunks anticipated neoliberal end state is nothing more fanciful than life as we know it.

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What is remarkable is not that writers anticipated how the neoliberal turn would go, but that 40 years and several international economic crises later, politicians still respond to these crises with solutions that prioritize markets over people. In the United States, greatly decreasing state capacity has been an ongoing bipartisan project since 1981. Even the Affordable Care Act, itself the flagship bill of the furthest-left administration in the United States in a half-century, is fundamentally built around the market first, with the government obliging humans into participating in that market. It is easy to see health care markets warping into what we see in cyberpunk. The genre is rich with augmented bodies and artificial limbs, available at a steep pricea privilege available to the ultrawealthy or for a tremendous debt that obliges the recipient to a benefactor. It is the promise of the best medical care known to historyand the least affordable means to get it.

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Hospitals across the United States are in bidding wars with wealthy enclaves, black market profiteers, and one another for a finite supply of protective equipment. At every point where the supply chain is open to market incentives, companies built to prioritize profit exploit the absence of state control, bogarting lab test contracts and protective mask production lines.

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Cyberpunk portrays a world dominated by an insulated wealthy elite, catered to by exclusive services offering premium versions of what governments once offered the public. In 2019s Alita: Battle Angel, itself a schlocky adaptation of 1990s cyberjunky manga Gunnm, the upper class literally lives in a floating city, where they receive monthly shipments of exceptional organs harvested from the underclass below. Its modern organ transplant disparities blasted to hyperbolic proportions.

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That disparity, extended to all aspects of life, is the end stage of a deliberate political process. Historian Nils Gilman describes this policy program as a plutocratic insurgency, where the wealthy seek to carve out de facto zones of autonomy for themselves by crippling the states ability to constrain their freedom of (economic) action. The wealthy do this within elected office and outside it, spending some small portion of their fortunes to ensure politicians meet crises with tax cuts instead of rent freezes.

As the wealthy expand the space where they can act with impunity, they are aided from below by entrepreneurs of crime. In the void where a government once offered protection, financial support, and access to medicine instead thrives an alliance of the rich who believe themselves above the law and their accomplices willing to flout the law.

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What might it mean, say, to experience a pandemic knowing that many of the needed medical supplies are getting bought up for personal use by the ultrarich, or captured by the black market and auctioned off to the desperate? And, more importantly, what happens next, when companies are free to take over functions that in a previous era would have been taken care of by the government? Amazons logistics empire now gets headlines comparing it to the Red Cross, even as warehouse workers protest over lack of personal protective equipment. While the state of Texas waited until March 31 to issue a stay-at-home order in the face of the pandemic, San Antoniobased H-E-B activated its own Emergency Operations Center on March 4. By contrast, the Pentagon is still waiting for direction on where to send its 2,000 ventilators.

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It is not hard to imagine that after the pandemic, the mishandling of federal resources will be used as a reason to surrender even more state capacity to private companies, which will leave the government even worse equipped to handle whatever crisis comes next. A significant strategy of the plutocratic insurgency, as enabled by the neoliberal turn, is to leave the government ill-equipped for a shared crisis.

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Rationing once-public goods by wealth is a choice societies make, no matter how much market essentialists portray it as natural. It is the same logic that deems people ordering goods at home worthy of protection while denying protections to the workers preparing those deliveries. It is a short hop, skip, and jump from Amazon branding the whole of its workforce essential services to imagining a future, as envisioned by cartoonist Matt Lubchansky, where Service Guarantees Free Shipping.

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One of cyberpunks most durable spinoffs is steampunk, which transposes the technological ingenuity and exploration from the imagined near future to an alternate past, from the 21st to the late 19th century. Steam engines and fantastical contraptions aside, it is telling that the conventions of cyberpunk work seamlessly in the Gilded Age. The 2020s are hardly the first era of unaccountable corporate power, of deprivation and dehumanization in the name of markets and technological progress.

Escaping a Gilded Age takes more than just clever protagonists who can outwit the cruelties and exploitations of the wealthy few. As insurmountable as the power of robber barons once seemed, cataclysm and political action brought the Gilded Age to a resounding end. The inoculations against another Gilded Age are found far less in the works of cyberpunk and far more in the Works Progress Administration. Escaping a Gilded Age takes an active, collective politics, one that refuses to let governments hide behind algorithms or abdication of responsibility to the market.

Without that politics, were not just living in the prologue to a cyberpunk future. Were living in the first chapter of a cybourgeoisie reality.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
RACINE COUNTY  As COVID-19 becomes more prevalent in the State of Wisconsin and across the country, the Racine community is working to mitigate the impacts of the outbreak, including helping the homeless population.

Racine County has asked the Hospitality Center for help in compiling a list of volunteers who can assist at a possible temporary public shelter with shower facilities, such as a high school, for those who are homeless and awaiting test results.

Volunteers from the low-risk population are particularly being sought. Volunteers will be provided with the personal protective equipment, necessary training and support from medical professionals.

If interested in being placed on the list of volunteers the county can call upon if needed, email pamela@hospitality-center.org.

Donations sought

The Hospitality Center aims to provide hospitality without agenda to those in need or underserved in Racine  the homeless, near homeless and mentally ill, according to its mission statement.

In an attempt to balance public health concerns and the needs of guests amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hospitality Center, 614 Main St., has closed its day activity space.

Instead, the center is still serving pastries and coffee in a to-go format from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and lunch to go from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Hospitality Center is seeking donations of to go lunch items, such as bottled water, pudding cups, fruit cups and granola bars. For more information, go online to hospitality-center.org.

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About 17,000 Victorian businesses have had their payroll tax contributions refunded for the first three quarters of this financial year to help them get through the slowdown after losing customers, Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed.

"That's a really significant amount of cash ... It's cash that's really important for them to make it through to the other side," Mr Andrews said.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Jobs Minister Martin Pakula address the media. Credit:Justin McManus

Under another component of the government's business support packages, $10,000 survival grants will be paid out to 5000 businesses by close of business today.

Separately, 50,000 Victorians have applied for the 'Working for Victoria Fund' and so far 1300 people who have lost their jobs have been put into work for the government, at Foodbank or call centres, for example.
On what originally would have been the final day of his statewide stay-at-home order, the governor reiterated later Tuesday said that the best way to slow the spread of the virus is for people to continue remaining at home as much as possible through April 30, and perhaps beyond.
Heres a recap of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic for Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that there were 779 new coronavirus deaths since Tuesday  the most in a single day. New York State now has more reported coronavirus cases than any country.

The United States remained the epicenter of the pandemic, with over 430,000 cases. More than 14,000 people have died, and multiple cities are reporting that the virus is disproportionally killing black Americans.

Over 1.4 million people worldwide have now tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 89,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

For the latest live updates, click here.

Read more coronavirus coverage from Yahoo News:
Highlights Samsung and Xiaomi could be working on a phone with 192MP camera

The phone is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 765G SoC

More information on the phone will be made available next month

We were recently treated to reports of Xiaomi working on a smartphone with a massive 144-megapixel lens, however, it appears the company could be looking to do one better in the coming days.

As per a new report by leakster Digital Chat Station, a Chinese phone maker -- possibly Xiaomi in partnership with Samsung -- is working on a Snapdragon 765G based smartphone that could have a 192-megapixel primary camera sensor.

While the leakster doesn't reveal any other information about the phone, he does mention that more information will be available next month, while also letting his followers know, "it won't be the phone you expect."

The news comes only a few days after it had emerged that Samsung is already working on a 144-megapixel lens which could first be used on a Xiaomi smartphone -- much like the partnership between the two for the 108-megapixel lens created by Samsung.

As such, it won't come as a surprise if Samsung again is at the forefront of this revolutionary technology, with Xiaomi standing by its side, ready to adopt the 192-megapixel lens on one of its smartphones. However, with no clear indication given, it cannot be said that other Android OEMs will not get this lens, with Vivo and Oppo also likely to benefit from this massive 192-megapixel lens.

But what is most interesting to note is that the lens will not find a place on a phone with flagship internals. Rather, it is said to come with a Snapdragon 765G chip phone, making it abundantly clear that this will be a premium mid-range phone.

Currently, a number of companies have Snapdragon 756 chipset phones in the work, as such, it would be quite interesting to see which of them eventually end up getting this massive camera lens. For now, we can only wait for more information, with more on the matter expected to be revealed next month.


Two persons were arrested for



allegedly spitting on policemen, after they were intercepted for stepping out during the COVID-19 lockdown in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Monday when Jujair Hussain Javadwala (35) and Moiz Ali Javadwala (30), who were travelling on a motorcycle, were intercepted by policemen deployed at Chhavni area, Sanyogitaganj police station in- charge Rajiv Tripathi told PTI.

The duo, who violated the curfew, spat on the police personnel and fled the scene, he said, adding that the accused were subsequently arrested and sent to judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected by the local court.

The accused were booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC, the official said.

Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Prdesh, has so far reported 173 COVID-19 cases with 16 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
What was supposed to be a banner year for marijuana legalization is becoming a bust.

Advocates are pushing ballot referendums in nearly a dozen states, from Idaho to New Jersey. Governors and state lawmakers who failed to pass legalization last year  most notably in New York  vowed that 2020 would be different. But social distancing has put ballot drives on pause and state lawmakers are overwhelmed with addressing the crisis at hand.

People are scared. They dont want to touch a pen or paper, said Melissa Fults, executive director of Arkansans for Cannabis Reform. All we can do is sit and wait.

So even with marijuana sales spiking, the coronavirus pandemic is crippling marijuana legalization efforts on the state level  and campaigns on all kinds of other issues, too.

The coronavirus has impacted every signature drive on every issue across the country, said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of legalization advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project.

Even New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who declared that marijuana legalization would be a top priority earlier this year, abandoned the initiative when his state emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Too much [to deal with], too little time, Cuomo said when asked about marijuana legalization during a recent press briefing.

A few states are poised to vote on marijuana referendums: New Jersey voters will decide whether to allow recreational marijuana sales in November, and Mississippians are expected to face two competing medical marijuana referendums.

But some ballot campaigns have abandoned this years plans and are eyeing 2022, and advocates are unsure what will happen to legalization bills with dozens of legislative sessions suspended or postponed.

Even anti-legalization advocates are not cheering these developments.

Obviously this isnt the reason we would want legalization measures to be set back, said Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Lives are on the line.

Story continues

Grassroots campaigns undone

Nearly a dozen marijuana legalization ballot campaigns were angling for a spot on the 2020 ballot until coronavirus-related orders made it nearly impossible for canvassers to collect signatures.

"[Circulating petitions] contributes to the public health problem," said Schweich. "Theres no playbook on how to do a signature drive during a pandemic."

Of all the legalization ballot campaigns still collecting signatures, Smart and Safe Arizona is perhaps the best positioned to succeed. It filed early and collected more than 300,000 signatures to date, well beyond the 238,000 verified signatures it needs by July 2 to qualify.

Ballot campaigns typically submit more than the required number of signatures since a good portion generally cant be verified by government officials.

Marijuana is in very good shape even with the lockdown order. Wed like to collect more, said Stacy Pearson, a spokesperson for the campaign.

For other campaigns facing July deadlines, including Arkansas and Nebraska, advocates hope to get back out in the field in May.

[We] had already started hiring canvassers when this whole coronavirus thing happened, said Tommy Garrett, a former Republican state senator in Nebraska who now serves as chairman of ADOPT, a statewide coalition that aims to reduce state property taxes and legalize medical marijuana.

If the campaign is able to restart its signature collecting efforts by early May, well have 60 days to get this done, Garrett said. Its not an impossibility.

Some campaigns are exploring other solutions to the signature-gathering problem.

The Arizona campaign recently joined three other ballot initiatives in filing a petition to the Arizona Supreme Court to allow them to use e-signatures. Advocates are looking into whether they can email people to find out if they are willing to sign a petition if it were dropped off outside their front door so they could use their own pens to sign it. The person could then leave the signed petition outside their door to be collected.

Arkansans for Cannabis Reform plans to work with two other campaigns on separate issues to help each other. The idea is to have canvassers for each campaign carry the petitions for all three signature drives. Theyre discussing ways to safely collect signatures, such as having people drive up to canvassers to sign a petition while remaining in their cars.

Were just going to have to get really creative, Fults said.

Meanwhile, other recreational legalization campaigns are all but dead, including those in Missouri and Oklahoma. Medical marijuana legalization campaigns in Idaho and North Dakota have both expressed plans to focus their efforts on making the 2022 ballot instead.

Hopes dashed in state legislatures  for now

"Coronavirus is taking up all the oxygen in the room," said Andrew Freedman, senior vice president at the public affairs firm Forbes Tate Partners. "People are just going to go home when all the essential business is passed."

States with marijuana bills including Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut all shifted their priorities as coronavirus cases surged.

Cuomo was once coordinating legalization efforts in the entire Northeast region and encouraging state lawmakers to include marijuana legalization in New York's budget.

But even marijuana's most vocal supporters in the legislature put the issue aside as the state rushed to pass a budget in the epicenter of the outbreak. The bills chief sponsors, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Sen. Liz Krueger, both Democrats, doubted its chances during budget negotiations.

In times of crisis, everyone realizes what they actually need to get done and what they dont, Krueger said. I think a huge number of things will fall off the table both because of time and money reasons.

Some advocates are hoping the crisis bodes well for legalization efforts in the long run, as states face revenue decimated by the crisis.

"[Cannabis businesses] are taxed heavily, said Richard Acosta, CEO of Subversive Real Estate Acquisition REIT, a cannabis-focused real estate investment operation. The economic slowdown makes cannabis legalization at the state and federal level more attractive.

Oklahoma Republican state Rep. Scott Fetgatter recently said he plans to introduce legislation to establish a taxed, regulated recreational marijuana market, arguing it could bring in $100 million per year in revenue and help with a budget crunch expected because of the health crisis.

But until the worst is over, lawmakers likely will be consumed with more urgent matters. Legislative leaders in Connecticut, who had been discussing marijuana legalization matters with Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont, are now working with the governor on a coronavirus stimulus package. The session has been postponed until at least April 13.

A medical marijuana legalization bill was chugging along in Kentuckys legislature with a 65-30 vote in the Republican-dominated House.

Now, the bill is languishing in the Senate Judiciary Committee as the legislature swerved to deal with the state budget amid the coronavirus crisis.

Even ardent legalization advocates like Jim Higdon, who owns Kentucky-based CBD company Cornbread Hemp, doesnt think now is the time to debate medical marijuana legalization. His father Jimmy Higdon is a state senator, and Higdon said he is worried that the legislature is still in session.

I just want him home.

Paul Demko, Bill Mahoney, Shannon Young and Marie J. French contributed to this report.
The first US senator who tested positive for coronavirus has made a full recovery.

Republican Senator Rand Paul is volunteering with coronavirus patients at a local hospital after announcing on Tuesday that he had testing negative for Covid-19.

The 57-year-old, who tested positive on 22 March, faced criticism after it was reported he went swimming in the Senate gym and had lunch with lawmakers while awaiting his test results.

In a Twitter post, the Kentucky politician revealed he has left his self-quarantine to volunteer at TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green.

"I appreciate all the best wishes I have received. I have been retested and I am negative," he said.

"I have started volunteering at a local hospital to assist those in my community who are in need of medical help, including Coronavirus patients. Together we will overcome this!"

While Mr Paul's infection was asymptomatic, he was tested in March out of an "abundance of caution" due to his extensive travel and event.

Following his positive test, Mr Paul  a medical doctor before going into politics  was criticised by colleagues for refusing to isolate himself while awaiting the results.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, said on Twitter that while she has "never commented about a fellow Senator's choices/actions," Mr Paul's actions were "absolutely irresponsible."

"You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results," Ms Sinema said in the post. "It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus."

Mr Paul's positive diagnosis came days after his father -- former senator and presidential candidate Ron Paul -- suggested that the crisis was a hoax.

Ron Paul wrote on his website: "People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus 'pandemic' could be a big hoax, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profit -- financially or politically -- from the ensuing panic."

He referred to Dr Anthony Fauci, the health expert that has become the face of the administration's efforts to cope with the virus, as a "fearmonger."
Open source

Since the beginning of the day, pro-Kremlin armed gangs violated casefire three times, using the weapons prohibited by Minsk agreements. Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported that on April 8.

The enemy used 82 mm mortars to shell the positions of Ukrainian troops near Pavlopol. In the vicinities of Mariinka, militants used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.

In Novooleksandrivka, hostile fighters fired 120 mm mortars.

None of the Ukrainian military were killed or wounded in combat.

The agreements on the disengagement of forces at three new areas of Donbas are still not reached as ND reported citing Ukraines representative on security issues at Trilateral Contact Group, deputy commander of Joint Operation Forces Bohdan Bondar. At the session of the subgroup, which took place in the regime of the video conference, Bondar accused the Russian side of the absence of progress at the talks.

There is particular progress but it is blocked by the Russian side to disrupt the fulfillment of the decision of the previous Normandy Format summit on December 9 and prevent the prospect of the new meeting of the format leaders", he said. "We say that we are ready to consider the position of Russia but the compromise is not reached yet.
DENVER, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gearo, a curated outdoor gear marketplace and software platform, launched their COVID-19 Outdoor Retailer Relief Program. Gearo's software platform, Gearo Automator, will be free for outdoor retailers for the next six months. Gearo Automator empowers outdoor retailers to manage their rentals online with booking capabilities. It also has the functionality to manage e-commerce businesses as well as services.

Gearo logo Gearo Automator

Gearo Automator was built with the Gearo network of retailers to enhance their customers' booking experience. With the current COVID-19 circumstances taking its toll on the outdoor industry, Gearo has rolled out a relief program to support retailers during this time with curbside pickup and delivery automation.

"Our goal since day one has been to increase our retailer's revenue. Now more than ever that goal is our focus and we all need to put efforts forward to re-strengthen our community during these times," said Founder and CEO, Justine Barone. "Retailers are trying to determine how to adjust their business models to adhere to social distancing; we are making our tools more accessible with our relief program to help them through that process."

Learn more about Gearo's Relief Program for Retailers here, or reach out to Dana Lenhoff at [email protected] or (837) 917-2153 with any questions.

gearoautomator.com

SOURCE Gearo
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not to succumb to US pressure and fulfill its obligations to other countries, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, Mehr reported.

We have not asked for anything from the IMF in the past 50 years, and we have met all our obligations; should the Fund not fulfill its responsibilities in these hard times, the world will interpret it differently, Rouhani said in a cabinet session on Wednesday.

Speaking about the unilateral approaches of the United States, which prevented the struggle of many countries against the outbreak of coronavirus, he noted: We have not asked for anything from the IMF in the past 50 years, and we have met all our obligations; should the Fund not fulfill its responsibilities in these hard times, the world will interpret it differently.

According to him, Washington violated the resolution of the World Health Organization of 2005, which provides for the cooperation of all countries during pandemics, and this shame will always remain with the US government.

The president noted that Iranian medical sector is doing everything possible to meet the containment requirements of COVID-19, noting that Iran will become self-sufficient in coronavirus test kits in the near future.

In early March, the Central Bank of Iran asked the IMF to provide emergency funding of $ 5 billion to combat the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of patients in the country continues to grow.

However, the United States refused to lift sanctions against Iran and even toughened it several times in recent weeks, which makes it virtually impossible for Iran to access vital medicines and medical equipment needed to fight the pandemic.
Governments and employers need to do more to protect jobs, wages and living standards amid the Covid-19 pandemic according to a new survey published by the International Trade Union Confederation

The results back up the findings of IFJ affiliates that while a number of countries have introduced wage or job protection measures they are often inadequate and too often leave behind hundreds of thousands of freelance journalists and media workers.

The impact of Covid-19 on jobs and employment has increased as more countries are responding to the pandemic with national lockdown measures including the closure of schools and non-essential business. Europe (75%) has the largest number of countries in lockdown followed by the Americas (71%). Asia-Pacific has the least with 61% of countries.

IFJ affiliates have reported widespread layoffs, wage cuts and some media closures. Advertising revenues have slumped and social distancing and quarantine regulations mean many media are unable to operate. Freelance journalists have been badly hit with tens of thousands having all work cancelled.

IFJ unions, working with sister unions, have been at the forefront of demanding government support for both media and workers pay and conditions. The ITUC survey reveals the views of unions on steps taken so far.

The vast majority of governments (72%) are providing wage protection and income support but there are big regional differences. 57% of countries surveyed in Africa and 35% surveyed in the Americas are not providing wage protection and income support for workers. Nearly half of the countries providing this level of support are in Europe/Pan European region.15 of the seventeen G20 countries surveyed are providing income support or wage protection. 29 OECD countries are providing income support or wage protection.

In the countries which are providing wage protection and income support, 59% of countries say they are enough to cover essential costs including food, electricity and housing. 41% say they are not enough to cover essential costs  this is most strongly felt in the Asia-Pacific (64%) region followed by the Americas (45%).

The social contract is being re-written in many countries as governments, employers and unions work together to manage the social and economic impact of Covid-19. Governments are responding to the needs of workers well in 64% of countries. This view is held in all regions apart from the Americas where governments are responding badly in 65% of countries.

Employers are leaving workers behind. Respondents from 56% of countries think that employers are meeting the needs of workers badly. Employers in the Americas and Asia-Pacific are worse at responding to the needs of workers than other regions according to the survey.

To find out about wage or job protection measures in your country contact your national journalists union (link to members page)
Delhis health minister Satyendar Jain spoke to Sweta Goswami about enhanced tests, new testing methods, the PPE challenge, hospital infrastructure, and community transmission, among other issues. Edited excerpts:

The Delhi government has ordered 100,000 rapid test kits to detect more Covid-19 cases and take containment measures accordingly. What is the plan for conducting these tests?

Till date, 9,035 tests have been conducted in Delhi. The 1 lakh (100,000) rapid antibody test kits will be used in three ways. First is the area around the Nizamuddin Markaz, second will be in and around north-east Delhis Nand Nagri area. The third will be on our health workers, who are the front-line workers in our fight against coronavirus.

After the 18 fresh positive cases that emerged among health workers, we have decided that random rapid tests will be conducted on them. We have nearly 3,000 medical staff on Covid-19 duty.

What about labs? Will they be able to take the load?

We are trying a new thing -- pool testing. It is currently being done in Germany. We will begin trial runs on this in a week. Two hospitals -- Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality hospital -- have been asked to start the trial.

Once this starts, Delhis testing capacity will go up by about eight times with the same manpower, the number of kits and other resources. These confirmatory tests will then be run parallel to the rapid tests (non-confirmatory) for detection at a massive scale.

Under pool testing, people are divided into teams of about 15. If a team tests negative, that is good. If the result is positive, they are divided into groups of three, for another round of tests.

At present, we have the ILBS lab under us which is processing 250-300 tests daily. Apart from pool testing, we are working on increasing the normal testing at this institute to 500-600 a day.

Do you have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) kits now?

Stocking up on PPEs is one of our top priorities now as we have to keep the virus from spreading among our health workers. But the truth is that at present, we have stocks for only about five days. The Centre is giving us 27,000 kits, but that will not be enough.

We need minimum 50,000 PPE kits as buffer stock at any given point of time, in addition to the kits that are being used on a daily basis. Right now, we hardly have 5,000 kits as a buffer. If an incident like Nizamuddin Markaz recurs, our five-day stock would last only for about three days.

On our own, we have ordered more than 1.2 lakh (120,000) kits by now, but the problem is there are only 3-4 vendors who have been able to meet government standards and their daily delivery is merely 500-1,000 kits per company per day.

Can you explain the governments plan to tackle a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases, if such a scenario arises?

Our action plan is based on projections of daily active cases. At present, the number of active cases and the rate of growth are slightly lower than our projection, which we feel is because of the lockdown. But, we have a road map ready to treat 30,000 active cases in the city.

At present, we have 2,500 beds ready in three of our hospitals. Then 500 beds are available in Central government hospitals such as Safdarjung and AIIMS. Then we have beds in Max Hospital, Saket, Sir Gangaram Hospital and Apollo Hospital.

Our existing quarantine capacity is also eight times the present occupancy.

Do you have enough ventilators?

At present, we have nearly 300 Covid-19 dedicated ventilators sourced from Delhi government and private hospitals. The number goes up to around 400 if we add the ventilators in central government hospitals.

We have asked for 300 more ventilators from the central government; hope they agree to it.

However, let me point out that at present there are only eight Covid-19 patients in Delhi who are on the ventilator. Even the number of cases in ICUs is as low as 35 in the city.

Has community transmission begun in Delhi or at least in some parts of the city?

No. I am saying this because we have analysed this by creating a heat map of Covid-19 cases in Delhi. No area other than the Nizamuddin Markaz has so far thrown up an exploding number of positive cases to conclude that community transmission has begun.

Those in Markaz were living in confined premises, so the virus spread rapidly among them. If we see the data, of the total 550 positive cases in Delhi, only 219 are non-Markaz cases, that too over a period of about a month.

In the Markaz case, apart from the first information report, which the police has registered, hasnt the Delhi government found any lapses of its own officials?

I know there could have been some lapses, but this is not the time for that. This is a crisis. If we order an inquiry against the officials who are key to a district, who will do the work?

So, let us keep the inquiry for a time when we are free from coronavirus. But action will be taken.

How is contact tracing is being done in the area and other places?

We formed 11 core teams for aggressive contact tracing - one in each district. Each team has a minimum 60 people from different agencies such as medical staff, police, district administration and so on.

Out of the 550-odd cases, there are about 49 cases in which we are still tracing contact history.

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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 on Dec. 6, 2019. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Crunch Time for Oil As OPEC+ Could Make 3-Month Production Cuts

Trump hints at tariffs amid conflicting signals from oil producers

Oil prices rallied on Monday before dipping again as analysts continued to speculate on whether the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations can reach agreement this week on cutting output. Oil prices had risen sharply last week after President Donald Trump said that he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut production by between 10 and 15 million barrels per day.

Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & 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!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020

According to Reuters, however, Brent crude had fallen again by 12 cents to $32.93 a barrel by 1:13 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost 35 cents to trade at $25.73 a barrel.

The OPEC+ group (which includes Russia) plans to hold a video conference on Thursday to discuss cutting output to stem falling crude prices. The meeting was to have been held on Monday but had to be postponed after Russia and Saudi Arabia traded accusations over who was to blame for the breakdown in talks between the oil giants in early March. Russian news agency Tass signaled Tuesday that three-month production cutsfrom May to the end of Julymay be possible, quoting an unnamed high-ranking source within the OPEC organization.

However, it remains to be seen whether OPEC+ will agree to production cuts, as American oil producers restated their opposition this week to production quotas for U.S. oil. The OPEC+ cartel, which includes Russia, had been keeping production low in recent years even as U.S. producers had exploited fracking technologies and the Trump administrations energy independence policies to make the United States the worlds leading oil producer and a net exporter of oil and gas products.

The Blame Game

According to a Bloomberg report, Russian President Vladimir Putin implied that last week that the last breakdown in talks had been due to Saudi Arabias wish to harm the U.S. shale oil industry. Speaking on recent low oil prices and the flood of crude oil coming into the market, Putin said: This was apparently linked to efforts by our partners from Saudi Arabia to eliminate competitors who produce so-called shale oil. To do that, the price needs to be below $40 a barrel. And they succeeded in that. But we dont need that, we never set such a goal.

Saudi Arabias Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was quick to contradict what he called the distortion of facts, claiming that Putins statement to the media had been fully devoid of truth and that Russia was the one that refused the agreement.

According to the minister, The Kingdom is also seeking to reach more production cuts and achieve balance in the oil market, which is in the interest of shale oil producers, contrary to what was issued by Russia and its desire to keep prices low to affect shale oil.

New on the API Blog: API President and CEO Mike Sommers talks more about the global #oil demand downturn and why US companies shouldn't be asked to make additional production cuts: https://t.co/3nfQgiwxDI pic.twitter.com/ICF6GHavZI  American Petroleum Institute (@APIenergy) April 6, 2020

United States Policy Significant

According to a Reuters report, energy ministers in several OPEC member states will be reluctant to cut production unless the United States participates with output cuts of its own. However, the U.S. Department of Energy pointed out on Tuesday that American oil production is already falling without government intervention in the market.

After a meeting between Trump, administration officials, and American oil and natural gas company executives on April 3, American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers thanked Trump for his support of the industry and the thousands of jobs associated with it. However, he also cautioned against taking steps that could damage an industry already struggling due to the effects of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, on the U.S. economy.

We are encouraged by the presidents strong diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and Russia, and we are optimistic further progress will be made in the days ahead, said Sommers. No one wins in a price war, and the Saudis and the Russians arent benefiting from their decisions. We also urged the administration to avoid U.S. policies that could do more harm than good for American producers.

The API cautioned against U.S. government intervention in the oil market in the form of tariffs or production quotas. According to the organization, Production cuts and tariffs will only do more harm to American producers and create long-term negative consequences for American consumers.

On the API Blog: Developing situation with #OPEC+ underscores the need for strong U.S. #oil diplomacy in the current demand downturn: https://t.co/9Sgz5xUrvR pic.twitter.com/9M33iAERue  American Petroleum Institute (@APIenergy) April 6, 2020

According to Reuters, however, Trump said on Sunday that he is ready to place very substantial tariffs on imported oil if prices remain low. However, he also said he does not expect to have to do so, as neither Russia nor Saudi Arabia benefit from the current price war.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that the state is taking substantive steps to limit the brunt of the coronavirus, even as the number of new cases continues to rise, particularly in the Houston region.

The governor told reporters that the rate of new cases has slowed since the outbreak began last month, from a doubling time of about two days to six. In a pandemic, the rate of new cases slows as they reach a peak, though the total numbers continue to grow.

These numbers are lower than they would be if it were not for the distancing practices people are employing now, Abbott said.

FOR THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas

The increases are especially bad in and around Houston, where more than 400 new COVID-19 cases were announced Monday. More than 9,000 Texans have tested positive for the virus so far, with nearly 1,500 now hospitalized, according to state health figures.

Abbott said he spoke with local and federal officials, and had sent 125,000 masks to Houston overnight.

The governor continued to reject criticism about the states lag in testing compared to others such as New York and Washington, which were hit hard earlier. He has said federal authorities prioritized testing supplies to those states, though even states without surges were testing more people in the beginning, per capita.

Testing is helpful, but testing is not a solution, Abbott said.

TEXAS TRIES UNPROVEN DRUG: Texas nursing home doctor explains using hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients

Texas has tested 96,000 people; New York has tested 365,000, California 157,000 and Florida 144,000. Abbott said Walgreens will begin offering drive-thru testing, with some locations able to handle up to 3,000 quick-response tests per day.

Abbott also announced partnerships with a Toyota manufacturer in San Antonio that will make face shields, and a mask manufacturer near Dallas that will use help from the Texas National Guard to produce 2 million masks for the state per week. Former state Rep. John Zerwas, who is helping lead a task force to find supplies, said the state is now looking at a very comfortable capacity.

Its not a stopping point at all, he said. But along this journey its good progress.
Chloe W. Aaron, a television executive who, as senior vice president for programming of the Public Broadcasting Service, promoted such broadcasts as live performances of the Metropolitan Opera from New York, "American Playhouse" and documentaries about the Vietnam War, died Feb. 29 at her home in Washington, D.C. She was 81.

The cause was cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said her husband, David Aaron.

For five years beginning in 1976, Aaron directed programming for PBS. She introduced a satellite system for program distribution to PBS member stations, implemented a schedule in which national programs would be broadcast at the same time by member stations around the country, and expanded broadcasts such as the "MacNeil/Lehrer Report" (now called the "PBS NewsHour") and the "Nova" science series.

In announcing her appointment, PBS said Aaron was the highest-ranking woman in television. She had previously been the founding director of the Public Media Program for the National Endowment for the Arts.

In that role, which she assumed in 1970, she helped coordinate programs to benefit minority artists and independent filmmakers. Two films supported by her grants, "The Bolero" and "Harlan County USA," won Academy Awards.

Aaron also launched a program to preserve classic films and historically important television programs at the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Chloe Wellingham was born Oct. 9, 1938, in Santa Monica, California. Her father was an interior designer and her mother a real estate broker. She graduated from Los Angeles' Occidental College in 1961 and received a master's degree in American studies from George Washington University in 1962.

That year she married David L. Aaron, a Foreign Service officer who later served as a national security adviser in the administration of President Jimmy Carter and as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development during the presidency of Bill Clinton.

Aaron did freelance writing in Washington before joining the National Endowment for the Arts.

During the 1980s, she was an independent consultant and producer of films, including an animated film of Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" that won an Emmy Award in 1984.

In 1989 and 1990, she was vice president at WNYC-TV in New York. While there, she made headlines by refusing to broadcast a documentary about the Palestinian intifada called "Days of Rage: The Young Palestinians," declaring that it was "propaganda" and did not represent a fair balance between Palestinian and Israeli viewpoints.

While living in Europe in the 1990s, when her husband was ambassador to the OECD, she produced an economic news and interview show for Italian television.

In addition to her husband, of Washington, survivors include a son, Tim Aaron of Los Angeles.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a meeting with all Delhi MPs on the issue of coronavirus via video conference on Wednesday.

The chief minister will discuss the measures with the Members of Parliament (MPs) to deal with COVID-19 in the national capital, an official said.

"The CM will meet Delhi MPs at 12 noon on the issue of coronavirus," he said.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Tuesday rose to 576, with 51 fresh cases and two deaths being reported in a day, according to the Delhi Health Department.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
So far, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to all continents except Antarctica. Faced with such an unprecedented scale, from London to New York, from Tokyo to Singapore, from Beijing to Paris, men and women around the world are thinking profoundly and discuss extensively: will humans beat the global pandemic? How can we draw on experience and learn lessons from the outbreak?

This series has interviews with people who have participated in or keenly observed China's fight against COVID-19, including doctors, volunteers and scientists who have committed to protecting people from the virus, for example, a Wuhan citizen who has self-quarantined at home for months and an indefatigable entrepreneur who has managed in transporting medical supplies globally. Prominent political scholar, economic scholar, and artist are also included. Although they have different experiences with the outbreak, they all seek to answer the questions addressed in the beginning, from the story about China's battle against COVID-19.

EP1: The New Enemy of Mankind

EP2: Action Speaks Louder than Words

EP3: This Is Wuhan

EP4: United We Stand

EP5: After the Epidemic Outbreak




With an increasing number of Covid-19 cases in France, city parents have requested the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to help them in bringing back their children to India.

A parent who requested anonymity said that his daughter, along with 20 students from the EDHEC business school, need to be evacuated. I had booked a ticket for my daughter in March, but it got cancelled owing to the lockdown. Air India will start with the bookings only after April-end. How will the students survive there for another month, especially when the cases in France are increasing?

He also added that the students are facing some trouble getting provisions. The Indian High Commission had already asked the stranded students and Indians to register in this regard, but there has been no development after that, the parent said. The EDHEC business school, on its website, has also asked all its international students to return home to their families and continue studies remotely.

Another parent that HT spoke to, who also requested anonymity, said, We have been making requests to all authorities via social media to help the students come back since there have been flights from India to take French nationals back to their country, he said.

Recently, 112 French nationals in Kerala were flown out on a special Air India flight to France owing to the lockdown. As on Wednesday, France has 78,167 positive cases with the death toll crossing 10,000.

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UNESCO has stated further deterioration of the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

On 6 April 2020, the 10th Information Meeting on the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea in UNESCOs fields of competence took place. Due to the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held online through interactive participation of representatives of the Member States, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

The relevant reports of Organizations institutional partners  Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and Amnesty International  were distributed among the Member States on behalf of UNESCO Assistant Director-General Mr. Matoko.

The reports stated further deterioration of the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea in UNESCOs fields of competence, citing specific facts of ongoing violations of human rights, oppression of national minorities, abuses of freedom of the press, the safety of journalists, protection of cultural heritage, obstacles to access to mother-tongue education.

A joint statement of 33 UNESCO Member States aimed to support Ukraine's position on Crimea was circulated during the online Information Meeting. The statement called upon the UNESCO Secretariat to pursue the first phase of direct monitoring of the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea in UNESCOs fields of competence. That would pave the way to the second phase of the monitoring directly in the territory of the temporarily occupied peninsula. The statement also emphasized the need to monitor the situation in Crimea in accordance with UNGA Resolution 68/262 of 27 March 2014 Territorial Integrity of Ukraine, the statement reads.

As noted, the results of the Information Meeting confirmed that the issue of the temporarily occupied Crimea remained among UNESCO's priorities and testified to the increasing support of Ukraine in the context of consideration by the UNESCO Executive Board of the decision Follow-up of the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine), scheduled for October 2020.

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Viet Nams tra fish exports to some major markets like the US and China are gradually increasing though the fisheries industry is still struggling to cope with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), exports in the first half of March to the US increased by 18.8 per cent year-on-year.

Exports to China were worth nearly US$13 million, $1 million up month-on-month.

Some businesses believe that exports to China would increase sharply in the coming months.

But exports to some other major markets like the EU, ASEAN, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Australia decreased from the same period last year.

Shipments to ASEAN member countries fell by 25.2 per cent, to the EU by 47.3 per cent, and to Mexico by 57.5 per cent.

The pandemic is greatly affecting the EU where a lockdown to contain it is making goods transport and forwarding difficult.

But the high demand for seafood, including tra, in the market means exports would recover, VASEP forecast.

But it said in April exports would continue to decrease due to the cargo transport problems.  VNS
Equity market ended Wednesday's volatile session in the negative territory as coronavirus (Covid-19) cases continued to rise in India and the government gave the hint that the nationwide lockdown may get extended. Weak global cues, too, dented the sentiment.

The S&P BSE Sensex shed 173 points or 0.58 per cent to 29,894 levels with TCS (down around 4 per cent) being the biggest loser, followed by Titan, ICICI Bank, and SBI. Drug major Sun Pharma (up nearly 5 per cent), on the other hand, was the top gainer on the index.

On the NSE, benchmark index Nifty ended at 8,749, down 43 points or 0.49 per cent.

Broader market, however, outperformed the benchmark indices. The S&P BSE MidCap gained around 2 per cent to 10,976 levels and the S&P BSE SmallCap index rallied 1.86 per cent to 9,980.

On the sectoral indices, Nifty Realty index slipped the most - over 1 per cent to 180.50 levels. Nifty Metal and Nifty IT indices were next on the list. Nifty Bank shed 0.6 per cent to 18,946.45-mark.

In the forex market, rupee ended at a record low of 76.34 against the US dollar.

Buzzing stocks

Shares of Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila) surged 17 per cent to Rs 367 on the BSE in the intra-day trade. The company today said that it has initiated an accelerated research programme with multiple teams in India and Europe developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV (COVID-19) based on two approaches. The stock ended at Rs 350, up 12 per cent.



Shares of Balrampur Chini Mills (BCML) were locked at the 5 per cent upper circuit for the nine straight day, at Rs 126.40, on the NSE after the credit rating agency Icra re-affirmed the credit ratings for both long-term and short-term. The outlook on the long term rating remained stable.

Among auto stocks, Ashok Leyland jumped 10 per cent to Rs 43.80 apiece on the BSE while Maruti gained over 3 per cent to Rs 4,697 even as the company informed that it had lowered production by 32.05 per cent in March.



Global Markets

World stocks turned negative on Wednesday as the coronavirus death toll mounted and euro zone finance minister failed to agree a rescue package to help economies recover from the impact of the outbreak. The pan-European STOXX 600 index dipped 0.7per cent. Londons FTSE 100 fell 0.9 per cent, as the countrys coronavirus death toll crossed 6,100. Germanys DAX shed 0.8 per cent after rallying more than 8 per cent in the past two days, as the number of confirmed cases rose for a second straight day.

In commodity markets, oil steadied near $32 a barrel, supported by hopes that a meeting between OPEC members and allied producers on Thursday will trigger output cuts to shore up prices that have collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams and the director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are both voicing optimism that the United States' coronavirus death toll can end up lower than the projection previously shared by the White House.

CDC director Robert Redfield in a Monday interview with KVOI Radio said the "large majority of the American public" is following social distancing guidelines, and he therefore anticipates "the numbers are going to be much, much, much, much lower than would have been predicted by the models," per Politico. The White House recently shared a forecast suggesting the U.S. coronavirus death toll could be between 100,000 and 240,000.

In a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, the surgeon general was asked about Redfield's comments and whether it's his expectation that the country's death toll will come in below the White House projection.

"That's absolutely my expectation, and I feel a lot more optimistic because I'm seeing mitigation work," Adams said.

"I really do believe that we will come in under those protections as long as we can continue to do our part for 30 days," Adams continued, referring to the federal social distancing guidelines that were recently extended until the end of April.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force's response coordinator, previously said the United States could be facing up to 200,000 coronavirus deaths even in a scenario where Americans do everything "almost perfectly."

The total number of coronavirus deaths in the United States has passed 11,000, and on Tuesday, New York reported its deadliest day so far. But New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) did say the hardest-hit state is "reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations." He previously suggested New York could be seeing a "flattening of the curve" but stressed, "we have to continue the social distancing."

More stories from theweek.com

Dr. Anthony Fauci cautiously predicts kids will return to school next fall, 'but it's going to be different'

Sanders' exit could bring Obama into the 2020 fold

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Like our closure of the lakefront two weeks ago, this is not punitive. Its protective, Lightfoot said. Nonetheless, as with our lakefront closure, we are putting this curfew in place because too many individuals and businesses have been violating the stay-at-home order  an order which was put in place to keep us safe from this pandemic and to save lives.
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Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 17:12 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0a3de8 1 Business digital-company,Perppu,digital-tax,value-added-tax,income-tax,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,Netflix,zoom,Spotify Free

The governments move to roll out the legal basis for imposing taxes on digital companies operating in Indonesia might just be the beginning of its struggle going forward, with concerns surfacing over perceived unfair practices and the enforcement of the regulation.

Government Regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) No. 1/2020 issued last week serves as the legal basis for the government to tax foreign companies with a significant economic presence that provide digital services and intangible goods from outside the country.

The significant economic presence will be determined through the companies gross circulated product, sales and/or active users in Indonesia, the regulation reads.

Read also: Indonesia taxes tech companies through new regulation

Tax office spokesperson Hestu Yoga Saksama said the Finance Ministry was now drafting a regulation to implement the Perppus provisions. The regulation will allow the government to instruct the digital companies, such as streaming giant Netflix and Swedish music streaming platform Spotify, to collect, pay and report charged value added tax (VAT).

We have started communicating with some of their [digital companies] representatives in Indonesia. We hope that it [tax collection] will start taking effect in several months, he told The Jakarta Post recently, citing the examples of similar practices conducted in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

In Singapore, starting from Jan. 1, customers subscribing to overseas digital services have to pay a 7 percent goods and services tax after the Goods and Services Tax Act was passed in November 2018.

Indonesia has yet to gain significant state revenue from mushrooming digital companies offering and selling services in the country to date. One of the main reasons is that many of the digital companies operate from abroad, with no legal entity in Indonesia.

The home screen for the Netflix Inc. original movie Two Popes pictured in this undated photo. (Bloomberg/Gabby Jones)

Under the Perppu, the government is able to declare digital companies with a significant economic presence as permanent establishments, obliging them to comply with domestic tax regulations.

Yoga confirmed the high state earning potential from the digital tax, which is expected to increase in the future. He, however, declined to give specific details with regard to potential income.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said recently that the government decided to tax the digital companies because their sales soared during the pandemic.

They will be the governments tax base, especially such as today when we use Zoom or Netflix. The companies are not present in Indonesia so they cant be taxed. But their economic activities are huge, Sri Mulyani told a teleconferenced briefing.

Netflix recorded US$20 billion of revenue globally in 2019, up by 31 percent from the previous year, of which more than $1 billion came from the Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, Spotify clocked up $1.85 billion in 2019 globally, up by 24 percent from the previous year.

Data website Statista has estimated Indonesian Netflix subscribers to number around 481,000 in 2019, a figure that has not been confirmed by Netflix. Statista also estimates the number of music streaming users in Indonesia to be 26.7 million, a 3.3 percent increase from the previous year.

Ultimately, its for governments to decide the rules on tax - and in every country in which we operate, Netflix respects those rules, Netflix has said previously. Taxation is an important and much-debated issue in Indonesia - and we've had conversations over the last few months with the tax authorities.

Read also: Indonesia accelerates tax reforms, cuts corporate income tax in COVID-19 playbook

However, the upcoming digital tax has been met with caution by both digital service users and experts. Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) expert Andry Satrio Nugroho voiced concerns about a level playing field in the digital business landscape after the tax was imposed.

The government needs to establish a similar level playing field and convince business players that the government as a regulator will not use a regulation to hinder specific parties from competing, he said, citing state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesias (Telkom) decision to block Netflix services on its internet network.

Telkom has contended that Netflix does not yet fully comply with Indonesian regulations regarding media content.

If the government plans to impose the tax on OTT [over the top companies], the government needs to also grow trust in the digital sector that discriminatory practices will not be not used by the regulator or state enterprises, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Indonesia ICT Institute executive director Heru Sutadi highlighted the concern over sanctions in the case of noncompliance by OTT companies in the future. Its not very easy to enforce the rules if the OTT headquarters are elsewhere, he said.

Read also: State revenue to contract 10% as businesses suffer, tax incentives take effect: Sri Mulyani

Based on the Perppu, the sanction for tax regulation noncompliance could be a block on access to the digital service, after a warning. The Finance Ministry has pledged to work with the Communications and Information Ministry and Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in supervising the data exchange and employing sanctions.

Heru also questioned the governments coordination among ministries on enforcing the digital tax sanction, especially with the recent $1 million partnership between Netflix and the Education and Culture Ministry.

The strategy of foreign OTTs in Indonesia is always like that. If there is an institution that presses them, they will go to another institution to collaborate, he said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Facing the possibility of an overwhelmed health care system due to coronavirus, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday his team selected six sites around the state to serve as alternative hospital facilities.

As cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus increase and the state moves into the peak of the outbreak, DeWine said identifying the facilities for hospital expansion was key. The six sites in Ohios six largest metropolitan area could be used to help ease the burden of regular hospital campuses.

Patients who are mildly ill will be housed at the temporary hospitals while more severe cases will still go to regular hospital campuses.

Those sites have been picked out as additional sites, as places where we can expand and put beds and see more patients, DeWine said at his Monday press briefing on coronavirus.

In Northeast Ohio, Case Western Reserve Universitys Health Education Campus will serve as the temporary hospital setup.

The Health Education Campus is made up of two buildings  the dental clinic and the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion  consisting of 609,000 additional square-feet of space. The Samson Pavilion on Euclid Avenue opened in 2019 as a joint venture between CWRU and the Cleveland Clinic.

Work started last week to move 1,000 hospital beds and run oxygen lines throughout the main building.

Other temporary medical facilities around the state are the Seagate Convention Center in Toledo, the Covelli Convention Center in Youngstown, the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the Dayton Convention Center.

The assessment of other sites is going to continue as we look for additional space should that be needed, DeWine said.

Read more cleveland.com politics coverage:

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine considering releasing more nonviolent offenders as 10 state prisoners test positive for coronavirus

Ohio Health director says better racial data needed in COVID-19 cases

When will coronavirus peak in Ohio? Leaders offer differing predictions

Mapping Ohios 4,450 coronavirus cases, increase slows
The Supreme Court Advocates on-Record Association (SCAORA) has decided to give a one-time monetary assistance to its member lawyers, who are facing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawyers' body said that its financial assistance scheme is being launched for only advocates on-record, who will have to first furnish a declaration of their income, no COVID-19 related assistance from any other bar body and that they are in dire need of financial need.

It said that the identity of the advocates on-record seeking benefit under the scheme will be kept confidential as far as possible.

On April 3, another lawyers' body -- the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) -- had decided to give loans up to Rs 25,000 to its member lawyers facing difficulties due to coronavirus pandemic.

The bar body launched the 'SCBA COVID-19 HELPLINE Scheme' to aid and support those members "who in the present difficult time may need financial assistance to tie over the difficulties", SCBA Secretary Ashok Arora had said.

Under the scheme, a maximum assistance of Rs 25,000 will be provided to lawyers as loan to be repaid without any interest in two years' time, the SCBA had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday (April 7, 2020) directed the state governments to invoke the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to ensure supplies of essential commodities to people during the ongoing lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

The Centre has also warned that the offences committed under the Essential Commodities Act are criminal acts and may result in imprisonment of 7 years or fine or both.

According to the sources, the Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to states to ensure the availability of essential goods by invoking the Essential Commodities Act 1955. In his letter, Bhalla also urged the state governments to take steps to prevent hoarding/black marketing and ensure essential items are available at fair prices to the public.

Ensure availability of essential commodities during the lockdown as hoarding, black marketing can't be ruled out, the Home Secretary stated in his letter to states.

(MHA letter courtesy: ANI )

The development comes a day after the Home Minister issued directions to the authorities to take quick and stern action against people indulging in hoarding and black marketing of goods.

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the authorities to take appropriate steps in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding and black marketing of commodities during the 21-day lockdown in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The directives were issued after a detailed review of essential commodities and implementation of the lockdown by Shah, Joint Secretary in the Ministry Punya Salila Srivastava said.

Addressing a press conference, she said the Home Minister has issued directions to the authorities to take quick and stern action against people indulging in hoarding and black marketing of goods.

The official said the government is closely monitoring the movement of pharmaceuticals along with other essential items. "The status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory," Srivastava said.

She said the aircraft flying under the Lifeline Udan of Civil Aviation Ministry has transported 200 tonnes cargo and Railways has loaded 8,897 rakes and 4.57 lakh wagons loaded with essential items till Monday.

"State governments are taking proactive steps to control the COVID-19 pandemic. On one hand, they are stopping public movement and on the other hand, they are also increasing screening of contacts," she said.

Giving details of the measures taken by the government to successfully implement the lockdown, she said next week a lot of festivals are coming up and many community leaders have appealed to people to help the government in strictly implementing the lockdown during the festive season.

On Wednesday - the 15th day of nationwide lockdown, the number of people infected with the virus in the country has gone up to 5,194, according to the Union Ministry of Health. As many as 149 people have lost their lives due to the virus in India. Global cases of COVID-19 are about to reach 1.5 million with death toll crossing 80,000. Wuhan, the city which was the epicenter of the pandemic, is seeing life staggering back towards normalcy as Hubei slowly lifted its 6-week lockdown.
New Delhi, April 8 : Industry body PHD Chamber has asked the Centre to provide Rs 11 lakh crore stimulus package to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry President D.K. Aggarwal has recommended the Centre to institute a fiscal stimulus of at least 5 per cent of the country's GDP which comes around Rs 11 lakh crore.

"The government has already provided a stimulus of Rs 2 lakh crore, therefore, our expectation is for the remaining Rs 9 lakh crore in terms of various relief measures and benefits to India's trade and industry," Aggarwal said, as per a statement.

"A significant stimulus in the tune of 5 per cent of GDP would help the economy to grow at around 5 per cent in the current financial year 2020-21." Furthermore, the industry body recommended to the government to increase consumption expenditure in the economy and compromise with the fiscal deficit "even if it slips by 2 to 3 percentage points in the current financial year 2020-21".

"Businesses are facing hardship as inventories are piled up and working capital has been blocked, at this juncture, an automatic increase of 25 per cent in working capital without any procedure and application will reduce the stress; the increased WC should be allowed to be converted into a term-loan with a provision of 3 years repayment period," Aggarwal said.

"Such reform measures would go a long way to help trade and industry to operate in this extremely difficult time." In its short term suggestions, PHD Chamber has suggested an immediate reduction in the lending rate by all the banks to percolate the full effect of recent 75 basis points cut in repo rate by the RBI.

"Also, we suggest to defer the EMIs of the term-loans for 6 months, special interest subvention @ 3 per cent p.a. in loans to MSMEs and other badly affected industries, abolish all fixed charges of all the utilities and defer utilities bills by 3 months," he said.

In the long-term suggestions, the industry body requested for a reduction of income tax of the proprietorship and LLPs firms to the level of 25 per cent for old and 15 per cent for new companies; reducing the customs duties on basic raw materials by at least 5 percentage points; and reducing the cost of capital with a further reduction of 100 basis points cut in the repo rate.

"We suggest rationalisation of GST rate structure by merging the 18 per cent tax slab with 12 per cent tax slab, and further recapitalization of the Public Sector Banks," said Aggarwal.

"Increase in government consumption expenditure and capacity building by the business firms would be crucial at this juncture to rejuvenate the economy to its potential growth trajectory of 7-8 per cent in the next few years."
The Australian High Court has overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for child sexual abuse.

The former treasurer to the Vatican has been freed following the ruling on Tuesday.

The court said that the "evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof" and that the appellate court had failed to consider whether there "remained a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place".

The cardinal, 78, was the most senior Catholic figure to have been jailed for abuse when a 2018 jury found against him in a case involving two boys in Melbourne in the 1990s.

He has repeatedly denied the allegations since being charged by police in 2017.

In a statement, Cardinal Pell said the "injustice" of his conviction "has been remedied" by the High Court's verdict.

"I hold no ill will towards my accuser," he said in a statement.

"I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough.

"However my trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church; nor a referendum on how Church authorities in Australia dealt with the crime of paedophilia in the Church."

Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said in a statement that the acquittal would be "welcomed by many" but be "devastating" for others.

"Today's outcome will be welcomed by many, including those who have believed in the Cardinal's innocence throughout this lengthy process," he said.

"We also recognise that the High Court's decision will be devastating for others. Many have suffered greatly through the process, which has now reached its conclusion.

"The result today does not change the Church's unwavering commitment to child safety and to a just and compassionate response to survivors and victims of child sexual abuse.

"The safety of children remains supremely important not only for the bishops, but for the entire Catholic community. Any person with allegations of sexual abuse by Church personnel should go to the police."

Reposted with permission from Christian Today
The skies over London looked empty last night as only a handful of planes took off and landed at the city's major airports amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Data from airline tracking site Flight Radar 24 revealed a significant reduction in the number of aircraft flying over the capital last night compared to April 7 last year.

The most recent flights, recorded at 8.48pm, were largely cargo planes from the likes of UPS and FedEx, with only a scattering of passenger planes seen landing at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

Other flights appear to be on the ground at the typically busy airports, with clusters seen at Heathrow and Gatwick.

Data from airline tracking site Flight Radar 24 revealed a significant reduction in the number of aircraft flying over the capital last night (pictured) compared to Tuesday, April 9 last year

The number of flights arriving and departing in the same airspace a year ago appeared to be more than double the amount recorded by Flight Radar last night.

London Heathrow, which handles more than 475,624 flight movements annually, has reported a 75 per cent reduction in the number of passenger flights operating from the airport.

It also saw a 409 per cent increase in cargo-only air traffic compared to the average number seen before the pandemic.

More than 40 per cent of the UK's pharmaceutical products such as medicines, vaccines and respirators, are imported through the airport, which is the UK's busiest.

The number of flights seen arriving and departing in the same airspace a year ago (pictured) appeared to be more than double the amount recorded by Flight Radar last night

Pictured circled: Cargo planes over London at around 8.50pm last night, compared to passenger planes. Clusters of planes are seen on the ground at Heathrow near Slough and Gatwick near Crawley

Heathrow closed one of its runways on Monday as air traffic continued to fall amid the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 6,159 people amid 55,000 cases in the UK.

The airport has two runways and will alternate which one they keep open on a weekly basis, a spokesman said.

The airport added: 'Although we are seeing significantly fewer flights at the moment, Heathrow will remain open so that we can continue to play a crucial role in helping to secure vital medical goods and food for the nation during this unprecedented epidemic.'

Heathrow has also closed Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, which are normally home to Oneworld and the SkyTeam alliance, with Virgin Atlantic and Emirates also operating from Terminal 3.

Pictured: Flight Radar 24 data displaying aircraft arriving and departing London airports on January 7

Pictured: Aircraft seen in airspace over London at 8.48pm on October 7, six months ago

Terminals 2 and 5 will remain open as the airport continues to operate a reduced service.

Gatwick Airport, near Crawley in West Sussex, has also closed its North Terminal with all flights now operating out of its South Terminal.

Airlines including easyJet and Ryanair have moved to ground their entire fleet in recent weeks, while bigger carriers such as BA and Virgin Atlantic have cut schedules by up to 90 per cent.

It comes after British Airways struck a deal with its unions to suspend more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff in one of the airline industry's most dramatic moves yet to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Pictured: Flights seen over Europe at around 9pm last night as recorded by Flight Radar 24

The airspace seen on the nearest Tuesday - April 9 - a year earlier shows a significantly higher number of flights at the same time

The empty forecourt outside Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport, which now has only one operational runway

Heathrow closed one of its runways on Monday as air traffic continued to fall amid the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 6,159 people amid 55,000 cases in the UK (Pictured: Terminal 3 on Monday)

With global travel in turmoil as the virus takes hold around the world, BA's owner, IAG, said it would also cut capacity by 90 per cent in April and May, and scrap its dividend in a desperate bid to survive the worst crisis in its history.

With BA having already agreed a 50 per cent pay cut for its pilots, the deal focuses on cabin and ground crew, engineers and office staff.

Union chiefs have also announced that BA will furlough a large majority of its workforce on 80 per cent pay.

The airline will introduce its own modified version of the government's job retention scheme, according to the Unite union.

Unlike the government scheme, there will be no cap on earnings, union chiefs said.

Workers will be able to divert their pension contributions into their pay for a short period of time and there will be no unpaid temporary lay offs or redundancies, said Unite, adding that a redundancy process that had already begun has been halted.

A British Airways plane takes off from the northern runway at Heathrow Airport on Monday
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Crystal Lake Mining Corporation (TSXV: CLM) (OTC Pink: SIOCF) (FSE: SOG) ("Crystal Lake" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. David Cross as Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Terence Ortslan as an Independent Director to the Board.

Cole Evans, Crystal Lake Mining's CEO commented, "I am happy to welcome both David and Terence as valued members to the Crystal Lake Mining team. Both of these gentlemen are highly qualified professionals in each of their respective disciplines. Their addition, along with the recently appointed Director David Watkins and Corporate Secretary Natasha Chapman, bolster the Company's corporate backbone as we prepare to advance our flagship 551 km2 Newmont Lake Project in the heart of BC's Golden Triangle."

David Cross Appointed Chief Financial Officer

David "Dave" Cross is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified General Accountant and Partner at Cross Davis & Company. Mr. Cross has spent 23 years as an accounting professional with a passion and focus for the mining and energy industries. Prior to co-founding Cross Davis & Company in 2010, Dave spent 5 years at Davidson & Company LLP Chartered Accountants as a Manager, as well as roles on the Technical Accounting Committee, and IFRS Interpretations Committee.

Terence Ortslan Appointed to the Board of Directors

Terence S. Ortslan is a mining consultant and an independent director in the industry. He has been associated with numerous companies and served on their board of directors and various committees. He is a graduate mining engineer from McGill University. He pursued his MBA studies and his adjunct professorship at the same institution. After working at various mining operations, he has joined the financial sector and advised various financial institutions for over forty years for their investment strategies, criteria and opportunities within the mining sector. Terence will serve as an Independent Director of Crystal Lake.

He is a member of the Society of Mining Engineers, Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, Mineral Resource Analysts Group, National Association of Business Economics and Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum. He recently was awarded the CIM Robert Elver Mineral Economics Award for his significant contribution to the field of mineral economics in Canada.

Resignation

Furthermore, the Company is announcing the resignation of Mr. Brian Moore from Crystal Lake Mining's Board of Directors and as CFO effective April 1st, 2020. The Company would like to thank Mr. Moore for his tenure and wishes him success in his future endeavors.

About Crystal Lake Mining

Crystal Lake Mining is a junior Canadian mining exploration company focused on exploration and development of it's 551 km2 Newmont Lake Property in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Newmont Lake Project, which is one of the largest land packages in the broader Eskay Creek region of Northwest British Columbia's Golden Triangle.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

CRYSTAL LAKE MINING CORP.

"Cole Evans"

Chief Executive Officer



Email: info@crystallakemining.com

www.crystallakemining.com

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations

Sean Kingsley - Director of Communications

Tel: +1 (604) 440-8474

Email: info@crystallakemining.com

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release may contain certain "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54269
Some U.S. fast-food workers are finally getting face masks and emergency sick days to help get them through the coronavirus outbreak. Now the challenge for labor activists is to capitalize on the moment to win permanent improvements in pay and benefits.

The rank and file wouldn't normally be in position to make demands in a job market that's suddenly teeming with millions of newly unemployed people. But with restaurant drive-thru and pickup services continuing through the pandemic, restaurant workers braving the front lines have won the moral high ground to ask for more protection from their employers. And, in many cases, they've gotten it - a rare victory for employees in an industry known for its resistance to organized labor.

With public sympathy on the workers' side, groups such as Fight for $15 argue that now is the time to seek lasting change. But it'll be tough. Sales at restaurants and franchises have dropped precipitously, with no recovery in sight. Even before COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, swept across the U.S., restaurant workers were having a tough time getting traction on better pay and benefits because companies argued they were in a dogfight for customers and couldn't afford them.

In response to recent employee pleas, McDonald's said last week that it will shift its policy to allow employees to wear masks and is working to supply them. The chain is now offering paid sick leave, though only to workers at the 5% of restaurants owned by the corporation. Some workers at franchised locations could receive emergency paid leave under provisions designed for small businesses in the federal coronavirus response act.

Restaurant Brands International, owner of chains Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, said it was sending out 15,000 thermometers to its restaurants to check workers' temperatures upon arrival for shifts. The company did not respond to a request for information about its mask policy or paid sick days.

Chipotle Mexican Grill said it has also changed its policy to allow employees to wear masks and is looking to purchase them. It had previously said it will provide two weeks' paid medical leave for those with the virus and will allow sick workers to stay home without pay if they feel it's unsafe to come to work.

Domino's Pizza is making franchisees purchase non-medical-grade masks and gloves for restaurant staffs. The protective gear will begin arriving in restaurants this week, and thermometers also are being sent to all stores.

These safety steps followed ones taken by some groceries, which have installed plexiglass shields to protect cashiers, and big-box stores, which have provided masks and added wage increases.

- - -

But permanent raises and health benefits are going to be harder to come by for most U.S. restaurant workers.

More than 3 million of them have already lost their jobs, according to the National Restaurant Association. Now, with so many potential hires available, managers trying to keep their businesses alive are unlikely to spend money to meet employee demands.

"The Titanic is sinking and crew grievances aren't at the top of the list of things that they're trying to work through at the moment," said Aaron Allen of Aaron Allen & Associates Global Restaurant Consultants. While worker danger may be higher than ever, the pandemic has altered the dynamics. "When you go to a massive amount of unemployment, it shifts from buyers' market to sellers' market," he said.

"Unfortunately I think we're taking a step back here," said Rob Hunziker of Advanced Restaurant Sales, a restaurant brokerage, agreeing that restaurant employees are unlikely to see permanent higher wages or other benefits now.

This has not stopped Fight for $15 from pushing for safer workplaces. It has led recent strikes at McDonald's restaurants throughout the U.S. protesting working conditions, lost hours and pay cuts.

The most recent strike, over the weekend in Los Angeles, followed a McDonald's employee testing positive for COVID-19. Before McDonald's changed its policy, some of the chain's workers said they weren't allowed to wear masks or gloves on the job. The weekend's protest included demands for protective equipment, as well as a paid two-week quarantine period.

McDonald's has not commented directly on the Fight for $15 demands, but it provided a statement from the owner-operator of the affected Los Angeles location. The restaurant has been closed for sanitizing, and the sick employee and those in contact with that employee are being paid during a 14-day quarantine.

- - -

A few months ago, Taco Bell was trying to lure in new managers with six-figure paychecks - which the company says is still on track. But these types of incentives, which appeared to herald a new era for restaurant workers amid low unemployment, will likely disappear.

While some chain restaurants are now paying little more per hour as so-called hazard pay, the increases are temporary. Chipotle, for example, is raising hourly pay 10% from March 16 through April 12.

And public health concerns have led some restaurants to provide sick workers with emergency paid leave. But these aren't permanent measures.

The labor organization effort faces long odds, since the restaurant industry has had low rates of unionization, says Brishen Rogers, a labor expert at Temple University's Beasley School of Law.

But Fight for $15 is still pushing, arguing that the outbreak has made health benefits even more vital. "We've always been fighting for health care, paid sick leave and protection on the job for all workers," said Jamilah Allen, a worker at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Durham, North Carolina, and a leader of the group, "and right now we need it more than anything else."
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Congress has passed three coronavirus packages aimed at providing immediate relief to families, workers, hospitals and small businesses, but with more than 12,000 dead and 10 million out of work, the scale of this tragedy demands we do much more  much faster.

Communities across the country are entering a critical stage. Illnesses are mounting and our health system is stretched to the brink. Early data shows people of color are infected and dying at disproportionately high rates. Unemployment is approaching Depression-era levels. No clear end is in sight for social distancing. The next round of policymaking must squarely address these hard realities  not with a few new nibbles, but with the kind of broad, direct action needed to save lives and save our economy.

Containing the health crisis must be our first priority. I have outlined immediate steps to accomplish a federal surge in testing capacity. In addition to using the powers under the recently invoked Defense Production Act, we must act now to have the government manufacture or contract for the manufacture of critical supplies when markets fail to do so  to produce tests, personal protective equipment, drugs in shortage and any future vaccines and treatments that our scientists develop  not in the thousands, but in the tens of millions. This will ensure swift production and build a stopgap against shortfalls moving forward. We must also use public programs to provide health care free for all who dont otherwise have it.

As workers lose their jobs, small businesses close and household incomes plummet, we must extend economic relief beyond cash payments to families and individuals. This includes suspending consumer debt collection, enacting a universal national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, stopping water and utility shut-offs, providing as much broad student loan debt cancellation as possible and finding money to keep child care providers afloat. With older Americans and those with underlying health conditions among the most vulnerable, we must also increase monthly Social Security and disability benefits.
Facebook has launched a new app for couples to privately message each other.

The app, called Tuned, also allows couples to share music and create a digital scrapbook as well as exchanging messages and voice notes.

Built by the New Product Experimentation (NPE) team at Facebook, the app is free to download and is available on the Apple App Store.

The app is built around a feed shared between a couple, from which they can also connect Spotify accounts to share music, and share custom stickers and reactions as well as notes, cards and other scrapbook-style communications.

Facebook said the app has been designed to offer a private space where couples can be themselves.

For now, the app is only available to users in the United States and Canada.

Facebook has not commented further, although, according to reports in the US, the app can be used without a Facebook profile.

However, users appear to then be subject to Facebooks privacy policy, meaning some of their data could be collected and used for targeted advertising.

The NPE team, launched last year, is a branch of Facebook which is tasked with developing new types of experiences for people and to try different ideas by creating small, focused apps in order to see whether people find certain features useful or engaging.

The company has said it could use what it learns from such apps as a way of informing Facebook strategy in the future.
The Supreme Court asked the central government on Wednesday to ensure that testing facility for Covid-19 is made available free of cost to all citizens.

At present, private laboratories are allowed to charge people to test for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), though the same is capped at Rs 4500.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat asked the government to explore the feasibility of a mechanism to reimburse private labs for coronavirus tests so that citizens dont have to pay for it.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

Dont allow private labs to charge high amount for tests. Create mechanism for reimbursement (of private labs) from government, Justice Bhushan suggested.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, told the court that he will take instructions in this regard.

Private labs have been roped in India to conduct tests for Covid-19 since government facilities are not sufficient in the face of increasing case counts. According to the Union health ministry website, India reported 5194 cases and 149 fatalities as of Wednesday afternoon.

Also read: Covid-19 cases in India breach 5000-mark, death toll at 149

The petitioner, advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, submitted that government hospitals are packed to capacity and it has become difficult for the common man to get himself/herself tested in the government labs.

With no alternative in sight, they are forced to pay money to get the tests done at private labs, the petitioner said, adding that saddling ordinary citizens with such financial burden effectively deprives them of their accessibility to medical facilities and is violative of right to life guaranteed under article 21 of the Constitution.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage
Beth El Temple Rabbi Eric Cytryn and his wife Amy are celebrating Seder alone this year.

Usually, the couple welcomes between 12 and 15 friends and family members to the communal Passover meal.

The Jewish holiday is centered around retelling the Biblical story of Jewish people being freed from slavery in Egypt. Every family observes the holiday with their own customs, storytelling and food.

But this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, members of the Jewish community are modifying how they observe the holiday, which starts at sunset April 8 and runs for eight days.

Usually its a time when families and friends gather together. And because of the pandemic, people are kind of staying by themselves, Amy Crytryn said.

Congregations including Beth El in Harrisburg have canceled community Seders and are hosting virtual services. Jewish leaders advise against members traveling and encourage everyone to abide by guidance set by their local government and health departments.

READ MORE:

Above all we have to watch out for each others health, and we need to save as many lives as we can and make sure as few people as possible are exposed, Rabbi Cytryn said.

That means some Seders have shifted online to platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp. In some cases, meals will be less festive, as some rules about food have bended.

In preparation for the holiday, Jewish people remove leavened foods or chametz by eating it or donating it to those in need. Obviously, this year social distancing has made it hard to donate.

As a result many Jews this year are turning to the custom of keeping food but selling the rights to a non-Jewish person for the duration of the holiday.

Online platform Chabad.org, which allows them to make such transactions, has noticed a spike in sales this year, likely due to shelter-in-place orders and social distancing. It saw 250,000 sales, compared to about 90,000 in 2019, according to the New York Times.

Jennifer Ross, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, said as people limit their shopping due to stay-in-place orders, they have less leftover chametz than prior years. In some cases, she said people have had more time to prepare since theyve been restricted to their homes.

But those who are working, particularly families with children, Ross guessed have probably found this more challenging as they focus efforts on educating and entertaining their children.

Rules have also relaxed when it comes to shopping for the Seder, one of the most widely observed Jewish holiday customs in the United States. The Seder plate is placed in the middle of the table as participants read from the Haggadah, the traditional text used for the Passover meal.

Ingredients are widely available in grocery stores, but Cytryn advises members of his synagogue to take precautions when shopping or at least take advantage of grocery pickup and delivery services.

Its pretty easy to get matzah, but some of the other specialty things might be harder to purchase. But we are telling people do the best they can, he said.

The Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis, suggests alternatives for the traditional Seder plate including substituting hot peppers, fresh ginger, mustard greens, raw lemon for horseradish or roasted beet and rice for shankbone and egg.

People are doing the best they can, Cytryn said, adding people understand they need to adapt during these unprecedented times.
In an embarrassing incident, one of Pakistan's premium news media outlets, Dawn News television ran fake news, claiming British PM Boris Johnson to be dead. The world leader, infected with COVID-19, a day ago was moved to the intensive care unit.

Attributing the report to 'BBC world service', Pakistan's news channel broke the story. However, only to released that the 'breaking news' was picked up from a sham BBC news media Twitter account. The news flash in Urdu read, "UK PM Boris passed away."

Dawn News television runs false news of British PM's death, attributes it to BBC World Service. pic.twitter.com/NYXCqMbnoo  Naila Inayat   (@nailainayat) April 7, 2020

READ| Pakistan PM Imran Khan tests positive for Coronavirus?

The fake BBC twitter handle Dawn News picked its breaking news from: pic.twitter.com/clYpVknoU2  Naila Inayat   (@nailainayat) April 7, 2020

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit of a London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened Monday, just a day after he was admitted for what were said to be routine tests. 10 days after he was diagnosed, the British PM was admitted to the hospital on late Sunday. Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital, his office said in a statement.

Pak PM tests positive?

Days prior to the blunder by a Pakistan channel, a fake news report had emerged on March 28 about Pakistan's premier Imran Khan. Days after Boris Johnson tested positive, a London-based news media outlet claimed that Imran Khan has been infected by Coronavirus.

Subsequently, PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan denied the claim and asked the news organisation to correct the report. The Pakistani politician said, "News regarding PM Imran Khan tested positive for COVID-19 is NOT true. Please refrain from spreading fake news." Two doctors have died after contracting the new virus in Pakistan, which has recorded 4,004 cases and 54 deaths. Many of the cases have been traced to pilgrims returning from neighboring Iran. Pakistani authorities have imposed a countrywide lockdown until April 14.

READ| Ivanka Trump sends message for Boris Johnson as Covid-stricken UK PM is shifted to ICU

READ| Trump tells media to stop false news; says 'get this over with, then go back to fake news'
The City of Laredo and Webb County have confirmed six additional cases of COVID-19 in Laredo in their daily media briefing. The six added cases bring the total number of cases to 141.

READ MORE: Laredo order to cover nose and mouth about to get stricter

According to the city, a 4-month-old child has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The child was infected through a parent, who had also tested positive. According to Health Department Director Dr. Hector Gonzalez, the parent had tested positive earlier and is near the completion of their quarantine period.

The doctor also mentioned an 80-year-old patient who tested positive, but is currently in stable condition.

Further information was not available due to the city's policy of not releasing identifying information on coronavirus patients.

During the city's update, the health department also confirmed 809 people have been tested. Over half, or 421 tests, have returned negative. 247 tests are pending.

READ MORE: Ten added COVID-19 cases confirmed in Laredo, 135 total

Twenty-two patients have passed their quarantine period, and are considered recovered by the City of Laredo. Six deaths attributed to coronavirus-related complications have been reported in Laredo.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated the child was three months old. The city health department clarified that the child actually was four months old in an update.
Texas can continue its restrictions on abortion during the coronavirus pandemic, a divided federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, in a decision likely to make its way to the Supreme Court.

A panel of the US Court of Appeals granted what it acknowledged was extraordinary relief in keeping in place an executive order issued on 22 March. A federal district judge said the order denied women their constitutional right to abortion.

Supreme Court precedent instructs that all constitutional rights may be reasonably restricted to combat a public health emergency, wrote judge Kyle Duncan, who was nominated to the court by Donald Trump. Abortion would be different only if the Supreme Court had specifically exempted abortion rights from its general rule. It has never done so.

Mr Duncan was joined by judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, nominated to the court by George W Bush. Judge James Dennis, a Bill Clinton nominee, issued what he called an emphatic dissent to his colleagues on what is generally acknowledged as the country's most conservative appeals court.

The majority concludes that allowing women in Texas access to time-sensitive reproductive healthcare, a right supported by almost 50 years of Supreme Court precedent, was a 'patently erroneous' result that must be remedied, Mr Dennis wrote.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Unfortunately, this is a recurring phenomenon in this circuit in which a result follows not because of the law or facts, but because of the subject matter of this case.

Texas is one of a number of states where governors have tried to ban or restrict abortion during the coronavirus pandemic, classifying it among the nonessential medical procedures that must be curtailed to preserve medical resources such as personal protection equipment.

Judges have temporarily lifted those restrictions in Alabama, Ohio and Oklahoma, just as a district judge in Texas did. But the appeals court temporarily stopped his order, and Tuesday's ruling called it wrong and unsupported by the law.

The bottom line is this: when faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some 'real or substantial relation' to the public health crisis and are not 'beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law', Mr Duncan wrote, quoting precedent.

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said in a statement that the order signed by Republican governor Greg Abbott ensures that hospital beds remain available for coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hard-working medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis.

Abortion providers, some of whom had earlier in the day threatened to go the Supreme Court if the appeals court panel did not act, said they were considering their options.

This is unconscionable, Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. Patients are already being forced to put their lives in harm's way during a pandemic, and now will be forced to continue doing so to get the health care they need. Abortion is essential, it's time-sensitive, and it cannot wait for a pandemic to pass.

Said Nancy Northup, president of the Centre for Reproductive Rights: This is not the last word - we will take every legal action necessary to fight this abuse of emergency powers. Texas has been trying to end abortion for decades and they are exploiting this pandemic to achieve that goal.

In his ruling, Mr Duncan said he did not agree. Additional review of the executive order is necessary, he said, but on this record, we see no evidence that GA-09 was meant to exploit the pandemic to ban abortion or was crafted to delay the procedure past deadlines set in Texas law.

The Washington Post
Boris Johnson did not see a doctor between his diagnosis with coronavirus and his admission to hospital more than a week later, it emerged today, raising questions over whether the Prime Minister received sufficient medical care.

He had spent the week in isolation at his flat in 11 Downing St.

It was only when his condition deteriorated that he chose to speak with his GP.

He took part in a Zoom video call with his doctor, who advised he should go to hospital.

As well as concerns over whether Mr Johnson should have received closer medical attention during his time in isolation, questions have been raised over whether officials within Downing Street were stringent enough in abiding by the social distancing rules they had told the nation to follow.

It has led to suggestions that mis-steps were made in ensuring the Prime Minister and his top team remained healthy so they can lead the country out of lockdown and beyond.

Mr Johnson was today 'stable' after a second night in intensive care and is sitting up, with his fever said to have dipped as he remains under constant observation at St Thomas' in central London.

At today's government press conference, Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured), said Boris Johnson was receiving excellent care at St Thomas' hospital, but would not be drawn on any mis-steps in his treatment before he was hospitalised.

However, there are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.

Today, at the government's daily press conference, MailOnline asked Chancellor Rishi Sunak about Mr Johnson's care in Downing Street and officials' social distancing prior to his isolation.

But the Chancellor instead focused on the care he has received in hospital.

He said: 'I think the Prime Minister has received excellent care and advice every step of the process.

'At the end of the day, we're all trying our absolute best, none of us are superhuman and impervious to getting sick during this process and that's what makes this whole thing so awful for all of us. But as I've observed and seen, the advice, the care has been excellent, not just beforehand but especially now at St Thomas'.'

Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS England medical director, added: 'I'm absolutely confident the Prime Minister has and is receiving excellent medical care.

Like Boris Johnson, Winston Churchill had periods of serious ill health during his premiership, including recurrent bouts of pneumonia during the war, several of them serious

'I'm not his physician, he will have been advised by his own doctors, but I do know colleagues at St Thomas' Hospital, in fact a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to visit St Thomas' Hospital, visit some of the critical care consultants, and I can't tell you how impressed I was.'

But they declined to discuss the medical care Mr Johnson had received before he entered hospital.

Mr Johnson's health has been thrust into stark relief this week, as the nation continues to reel from him being admitted to intensive care. Coronavirus has been described as this generation's 'war'. But just like in the Second World War the Government seemed initially to be ill-prepared for the fight.

Like Boris Johnson, Winston Churchill had periods of serious ill health during his premiership, including recurrent bouts of pneumonia during the war, several of them serious.

And like the PM he was an energetic risk-taker - he watched the Blitz from the rooftops of London - who did not like listening to doctors very much.

But while Churchill had his own personal physician who travelled with him on his many journeys during the conflict - and even had six medics flown from Egypt to Tunisia when he became ill in North Africa in 1943 - Mr Johnson and his team appear to have taken a far more relaxed view until serious measures like hospitalisation had to be taken.

Boris doesn't get his own Downing St doctor - and didn't ask to see one for a week

Like all recent PMs, Mr Johnson does not have an in-house doctor. There is however, a doctor for the Commons. Instead he relies on his own GP.

This is a similar set up to that of his predecessors, including Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, who were all treated by the NHS. All were aware of the likelihood of accusations of elitism or being out of touch with the public if they received 'special treatment'.

Mr Johnson saw a doctor on March 27, when, on the advice of Prof Chris Whitty, he was tested for coronavirus, a test which turned out to be positive.

Churchill's wartime battles with his health - and his doctors Revered as a war hero and famous for his garrulous character and bustling, often champagne-fuelled energy, Winston Churchill none-the-less struggled with his health behind the scenes. He suffered a mild heart attack while at the White House in Washington in 1941, just a year after taking over as prime minister. But more seriously the heavy cigar smoker had several serious attacks of pneumonia. But as the leader of a world power during a mammoth conflict, he had top medical treatment on tap. Andrew Roberts, a biographer of the former leader, told the BBC this morning that Churchill had 'absolutely first class care, just like Boris has at St Thomas's, including a personal physician who 'flew around with him everywhere'. 'The worst moment came in November 1943 when he was in Tunis, where they had to fly six doctors in from Cairo, including the famous Brigadier (Robert) Pulvertaft (of the Royal Army Medical Corp) and an x-ray machine as well. They very much feared for his life over about four or five days.' Like Mr Johnson, Churchill was a 'fighter', he added, but a lucky one. He was able to be treated with antibiotics which had only been put into production a few months previously. 'He also took no notice of doctors either,' Mr Roberts added. 'When he was convalescing we heard from his nurse Doris Miles about his fluid intake. He was actually convalescing from this incredibly serious disease, pneumonia, and it includes 10 oz of champagne, 2oz of brandy, 8oz of whisky and soda.' Churchill's health remained suspect after the war. In 1949, while opposition leader, he suffered a stroke on holiday, which affected his health to the extent that the King gently suggested he resign as PM in 1951 in favour of Anthony Eden. He suffered a second one during an official dinner at No 10 while in office in 1953, leaving him paralysed on one side. His aides and family conspired to keep news of his illness out of the press, at a time when the Cold War was very chilly and there were fears he may not survive. Eden's own illness meant that Churchill did not quit until 1955. He suffered a third stroke the following year and died in 1965. Advertisement

But, extraordinarily for the man leading the country in a time of crisis, after being diagnosed with coronavirus he then does not appear to have had a face-to-face meeting with a doctor until he entered St Thomas' hospital over a week later.

It seems he was was not physically monitored while in isolation and only consulted his GP by video link when his condition deteriorated after a week or so.

Mr Johnson is said to view illness as a weakness and after his diagnosis indicated publicly that he intended to work though what were at the time said to be 'minor symptoms.

Why was he left to his own devices?

Unlike in the US, there is no person nominated to monitor the health of the PM and ensure he can carry out his duties.

Tory MPs are calling for a review of the premier's medical arrangements, saying the lack of protection has been 'exposed' by the latest crisis.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, but the potential issues caused by Mr Johnson's absence have been underlined as the crucial review of lockdown measures was postponed.

The UK leader has starkly different arrangements for their health support than in the US, where the president has a dedicated medical team and emergency facilities constantly on standby.

Conservative PM Marcus Fysh told MailOnline the situation was partly an historical anomaly due to the different political systems.

'We've got a constitutional monarchy so the monarch is the head of state and has all of that. In America the President is head of state, so that is probably why it has come through in this way. But it is worth considering whether there should in future be special measures for health within the No10 operation.

'I had the privilege of visiting the White House a couple of years ago... all his food is cooked by the US Navy.

'He has got a special water system that is protected and separate from the rest of the public system. It is very well organised.

'They are prepared for every eventuality there in a way I guess has been exposed that we need to think about a bit more.'

'It is worth keeping these things under review because we need to protect our decision makers.'

How US presidents are given special medical care

Many in America were stunned to discover that Boris Johnson was being treated in an NHS hospital, and was simply a patient like any other - albeit with increased security.

Donald Trump, as US president, receives significantly closer attention from medics. The White House has its own medical unit, a division of the military, which is staffed by several military physicians and nurses.

They have the responsibility of advising, medically speaking, on the ability of the president to discharge his duties. They provide free healthcare to the president, vice president, their families and visiting dignitaries.

In an effort to curtail the spread of coronavirus, staff from the White House Medical Unit have been taking the temperature of journalists and other visitors to the White House

The goal is to make sure the president is never more than 20 minutes away from a hospital with Level 1 Trauma Center.

If this is not possible, the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) ensures a military helicopter is nearby, kept in instant readiness to evacuate the president to an appropriate hospital.

The unit has around 24 staff and includes emergency medical and trauma facilities at the White House, described as an urgent care centre with a crash cart.

In addition to direct care duties, the WHMU is responsible for all medical contingency planning for the White House and its key personnel.

Air Force One is also effectively a flying hospital, complete with intensive care equipment that allows the president to travel with two medical teams so one is on duty while the other recuperates.

A lack of social distancing - and the meeting rooms packed with coughing colleagues

One area of concern is the slow take-up of social distancing measures within Downing Street.

Boris Johnson announced a clampdown on mass gatherings on March 16 and the following day flanked Chancellor Rishi Sunak to announce social-distancing measures that included keeping two metres apart from people.

But No 10 was slow to adopt these measures. Downing Street insiders told the Times today of meetings of dozens of people, including the Prime Minister present, where people were openly coughing and sitting close to each other.

'Patient Zero': Cobra Cluster get infected after meeting scientist the day after mass gatherings were banned

On March 17 top Imperial College epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson is understood to have visited Downing Street to brief top officials.

Professor Neil Ferguson is believed to have visited Downing Street the day before self-isolating with suspected coronavirus

The following day he confirmed via Twitter that he was self-isolating at home with coronavirus symptoms.

Although it is impossible to confirm, this will fuel suggestions that he could be the 'patient zero' who brought the illness into Downing Street.

Cobra met on March 18, bringing the Prime Minister in to close contact with Matt Hancock, who confirmed he had coronavirus on March 27, the same day as the PM.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, who was also forced to self-isolated with symptoms, was also present.

Press conferences fronted by the prime minister and other ministers between March 17 (top), when social distancing guidance was issued by the PM, and March 24 (bottom), when the press conferences finally began to adhere to that guidance

Top Adviser Dominic Cummings, who remains absent from Downing Street after self-isolating, is also likely to have been present.

Others said to have been self-isolating include Lee Cain, Mr Johnson's director of communications, and Andrew Parsons, his personal photographer, both of whom have close access to the PM.

And yet they continued to ignore distancing rules. Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak stood close together at public news conferences for days afterwards.

It was not until March 24 that the trio of podiums were spaced out further to adhere to the Government's own rules.

The same day Mr Johnson chaired his Cabinet semi-remotely, with many ministers dialling in. But he was joined in No 10 by Matt Hancock and Prof Whitty, who would both later fall ill.

Boris working on through the illness

The Prime Minister was clearly struggling during his battle with coronavirus, evident in video messages he made last week

Despite many reports of people suffering from the virus - even if not hospitalised - not being able to raise themselves from their sickbed, the PM kept working.

Thus he shut himself away in a suite of rooms in 11 Downing Street, where he lives, and continued to chair meetings via videolink and work on official business.

Covid-19 patients who rush back to work could find themselves so exhausted they need to take further time off, a respiratory consultant said today.

Dr Jon Bennett, respiratory consultant at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and chairman of the British Thoracic Society, said it can take several weeks to recover from coronavirus even after the major symptoms disappear.

The medic, who has treated around 60 to 70 patients with Covid-19, said that many factors affect recovery, including a patient's age, underlying health conditions and the severity of their illness.

He continued to show his support for the NHS, clapping on the steps of No 10 on Thursday, but his usual upbeat persona looked more forced.

Dr Bennett is himself still recovering from coronavirus, after suffering sleepless nights with muscle pain, a headache and mild cough.

He said many patients needing oxygen for Covid-19 had evidence of pneumonia, which can have long-lasting effects.

"With pneumonia, the bug comes, the body fights off the virus and (that) may last a few days, but the lungs get filled up with shall we say bruising and it can take several weeks for the lungs to sort that out.

"For some people, the symptoms can take several weeks to settle.

"People suffer fatigue and lethargy and it can take six weeks to recover from it.'

Finally, Boris consults a doctor (but only via Zoom)

During his week in self-isolation, Mr Johnson continued to weet to the public and came to the door to join the weekly clapping for the NHS, perhaps keen to show that he was able to bear the symptoms and carry on while following the rules to self-isolate.

Boris Johnson remains in St Thomas's Hospital in central London, where he is said to be responding well to treatment

But by the end of his planned week of quarantine there were signs it was not going to plan. Last Thursday it was revealed by Downing Street that he still had a high temperature.

Because of this he would not be breaking his self-isolation as planned on Friday.

However, at this stage his symptoms were still described as 'minor' and he continued to work.

It may be that he wanted to follow the same path as was being advised to the public. He was leading by example, self-isolating for seven days, waiting for his symptoms to go away and avoiding infecting others.

His pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds went to live at the couple's home in south London, although she too would later self-quarantine with

It was not until a marked deterioration on Sunday, after ministers were shocked at his appearance in a Zoom conference, that he had a video conference with his GP who advised him to go to St Thomas' Hospital, across the river from Parliament.
In country hosting most refugees in Africa, support for refugee-led groups and local leaders is key amid COVID-19 fight.

Jambiel Mani Jambiel, a 44-year-old South Sudanese living in Ugandas Kiryandongo refugee settlement, is worried about the new coronavirus spreading in close quarters where physical distancing is nearly impossible.

Mostly, however, he is afraid that refugees might lack access to food and water. Hunger looms as perhaps an even larger threat than the coronavirus pandemic.

Some people are very anxious and are worrying about the potential outbreak of the pandemic in this settlement, said Jambiel, who, as the chairperson of the settlement, has been at the front lines of coronavirus prevention efforts.

But most importantly, they are more concerned about recent cuts to their food rations. With people staying indoors, they cannot supplement their rations with food from outside the settlement as they would usually try to do, he added.

I am afraid refugees will starve.

Food aid cuts, movement restrictions

Home to 1.4 million refugees, primarily from neighbouring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa.

With 52 coronavirus cases detected across the country thus far, there is growing alarm over the virus taking hold among Ugandas large refugee population  with devastating consequences.

I fear a high death toll if the virus reaches the settlements, said Julius Kasozi, public health officer with the United Nationss refugee agency (UNHCR) in Uganda.

Two recent developments have added new challenges to daily life in the settlements, increasing, among others, the likelihood of widespread hunger.

Due to insufficient funds for its programmes in East and Central Africa, the World Food Programme has announced a 30-percent reduction to the food rations it distributes to refugees, effective April 1.

On March 30, meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni implemented a stay-at-home order as part of a series of drastic measures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The directive also applies to refugee settlements, preventing individuals from venturing outside to engage in petty trade or collect firewood for cooking.

Concerns surrounding the order have led the Network of South Sudan Civil Society Organisations in Uganda (NoSSCOU) to request special exceptions be made in the settlements for individuals to be able to move around and retrieve needed food rations.

According to NoSSCOU, the government has not responded to this request yet.

I CAN South Sudan personnel addressing a crowd during a Peace Concert in Bidi Bidi camp [Malish James/Al Jazeera]

Frequent hand-washing with water and soap is one of the most basic protections against the coronavirus, but access to water in the settlements is an additional problem: not only is water limited, but the long lines that typically form at the restricted number of available water points could make these potentially dangerous breeding grounds for the virus.

Stephen Wandu Bimo, a 32-year-old South Sudanese refugee and Executive Director of I CAN South Sudan, a community-based group offering South Sudanese cultural programmes to youth in Ugandan settlements, echoes these worries.

From his vantage point in Bidi Bidi, the largest refugee settlement in Africa, the need for items such as soap, hand sanitisers and detergent is significant  but for many, the demand has not yet been met.

We have had meetings with UNHCR and Oxfam, who want to incorporate our perspectives into their response plans, and we are grateful for that. We have asked for testing facilities and hygiene items. But for now, I think we are left to ourselves, said Bimo, indicating that, for many on the ground, prevention mechanisms are being rolled out too slowly and sparsely.

Alongside other refugee-led civil society organisations, I CAN South Sudan has been advocating for these supplies among government and international actors.

Each settlement is at a different stage in its preparation process for COVID-19.

Some settlements have already distributed soap, some are in the process of doing so, others will distribute soon, Kasozi said.

Previously, each refugee was entitled to 250g of soap per month, but we have doubled this, he added.

According to Kasozi, 32 isolation facilities are already in place in multiple settlements, a legacy of Ugandas response to the Ebola epidemic still ongoing in the DRC. The spread of Ebola was largely prevented in Uganda after it first travelled across the border in June 2019. The UNHCR anticipates isolating potential COVID-19 cases in these facilities.

While our isolation facilities were prepared for Ebola, we now need to equip them to suit the needs of COVID-19 patients. This will include ensuring there are enough ventilators, beds and medicine, Kasozi said.

He fears inadequate funding will prevent the UN and other actors from responding appropriately to the scale of a potential outbreak.

Facing domestic emergencies caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there are growing concerns that the international community will increasingly divert their attention and material resources away from international crises.

UNHCR Uganda has requested additional funding from the agencys headquarters in Geneva to handle this potential outbreak, but the request has not been approved yet.

Our biggest concern right now is that, while we are responding to the situation, our response needs to be augmented. We have requested financial support, but our requests have not yet been met, he said.

Signs posted in Palorinya refugee settlement [Deborah Leter/Al Jazeera]

Uganda confirmed its first coronavirus case on March 21, and since then the situation has been evolving at a rapid pace. The country has since closed its doors to new asylum seekers and refugees for a period of 30 days, and shut down all border transit and reception centres.

On March 25, the government and the UN issued a joint statement on COVID-19 prevention measures to be taken among the refugee population, which include providing hand sanitiser and other protecting equipment to staff at the front lines, setting up hand-washing facilities and establishing isolation centres.

These tasks are assigned to UNHCR and intended to be executed in collaboration with local leaders, who are still waiting to see when these measures will be implemented on a large scale across Ugandas 13 settlements.

Local leadership and refugee-led organisations will play an increasingly important role in the event of a coronavirus outbreak, said Elizabeth Deng, a regional rights and crisis adviser with Oxfam.

Deng is concerned that an outbreak would make the work of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the settlements increasingly challenging, interfering with their service delivery efforts.

There will be some exemptions to the ban on movement made for humanitarian efforts, but even with these exemptions, we are likely to see a lower presence of INGOs in the settlements, she said.

She anticipates that, while international actors will continue to provide vital support, including around matters of sanitation and hygiene, local leaders and refugee-led organisations will increasingly need to play a leadership role in managing the spread of the virus.

A community centre often used by refugee-led organisations [Deborah Leter/Al Jazeera]

UNHCR and its partners have mobilised 2,800 refugee volunteer health workers to carry out household visits, during which they raise awareness of the virus, share information on preventive behaviour and attempt to identify any potential coronavirus cases.

This awareness-raising work is seen as vital to curbing the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus  its symptoms and transmission  which has been circulating across Ugandan settlements, including through social media.

Beyond household visits, awareness-raising can also happen through community leaders on the radio, or through vehicles circulating with loudspeakers, highlights Deng, whose responsibilities at Oxfam include partnering with and funding multiple refugee-led groups.

Yet, the questions that remain to be answered is how much support will refugee-led groups and local leaders truly receive in their efforts to prevent and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus across Ugandas refugee population  and in what timeframe?

The delay in getting supplies is causing anxiety among refugees and puts them at greater risk. I believe the anxiety might even cause increasing trauma among refugee populations, said Bimo, from I CAN South Sudan.

We have stopped all our programmes and have turned our focus to coronavirus prevention. We are trying to figure out how to best help our communities.
Eurojust has taken action in various cases of online fraud and computer hacking by criminal organisations abusing the current COVID 19-crisis. At the request of, for instance, Germany, France and the Czech Republic, cross-border investigations are actively supported, regarding fake sales of protective face masks and hand gels. In the Czech Republic, criminals have even hacked the computer system of a hospital, forcing its temporary closure. Eurojust, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, is assisting national authorities in the follow-up of this case.

The Agency has furthermore stepped up its support to judicial authorities to execute the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) in times of corona. A full mapping out of practical implications for prosecutors in the Member States has taken place, in close cooperation with the European Judicial Network (EJN).

Whilst ensuring full business continuity over the last weeks, various cases have been opened at Eurojust to assist and pursue investigations into online fraud by criminals pretending to sell protective face masks and gels. In Germany, for instance, the authorities uncovered a large-scale fraud with an offer of ten million face masks for a price of EUR 15 million, for which one German state had shown an interest. Alleged suppliers in Asia were supposed to deliver the masks to a German sales company, via other European distributors, to be finally handed over in The Netherlands.

The perpetrators tricked the German sales company into paying an advance of EUR 2.4 million to accounts in other European countries. On the day of the planned delivery in The Netherlands, it became clear that the German sales company had become the victim of fraud. The German desk at Eurojust provided active support to the investigations, ensuring judicial cooperation with three countries. Two suspects have been arrested in The Netherlands and over EUR 2 million have been frozen in assets.

In France, a company in Dijon became the victim of swindling by unknown perpetrators using a Hungarian enterprise, supposedly selling protection masks and hydro-alcoholic hand gel. The French company ordered protection supplies for an amount of EUR 132.500, which were never delivered, whilst the money had immediately been transferred to Hungary.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Dijon issued a European freezing order to recover the money and requested Eurojust to facilitate its urgent execution. Via a rapid and close collaboration between the French and Hungarian National Desks, the total amount was successfully frozen on the Hungarian bank account. Further investigations are ongoing in this case.

In Brno in the Czech Republic, most of the computer system of a hospital was recently hacked by a criminal organisation, which had encrypted the communications. This forced the temporary shutdown of the entire hospital in spite of the ongoing corona emergency, as hospital staff was unable to get adequate information on patients. Via Eurojust, European Investigation Orders and requests for Mutual Legal Assistance have been issued to France and Switzerland to follow up investigations.

Practical implications in times of the corona crisis

Eurojust continues to be fully operational. It will follow up all requests for judicial cooperation and support investigations in these and other corona-related cases. Between 13 and 31 March, 202 new cases have been opened and eight coordination meetings have taken place. The Agency has as well stepped up efforts to support judicial authorities, ensuring criminals cannot hide behind national borders. In the past weeks, Eurojust has worked closely together with the EJN and Member States to map out the practical implications for judicial cooperation in the current situation, notably for the EAW.

The first results were presented in an informal meeting of EU Ministers of Justice on 6 April, who welcomed the initiative and asked the Agency and EJN to continue monitoring the situation. An EAW crisis group will be set up by the European Commission, in which Eurojust, EJN and the General Secretariat of the Council will participate.

Prosecutors and investigative judges have turned extensively to their National Desks at Eurojust and EJN contact points to process urgent requests related to the EAW in this special situation. Casework studies have revealed a number of recurring issues related to the execution of the arrest warrant.

In order to have all relevant information at hand, Eurojust and the EJN have swiftly compiled an inventory of key judicial measures taken at national level to respond to the global health crisis. The inventory covers measures by all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway and will be continuously updated as the crisis response further develops.

Photo  Shutterstock
A father-of-four struck down with coronavirus has been released from hospital after spending 17 days on a ventilator.

Mike DeWan, 43, was not expected to survive COVID-19, before he made a remarkable recovery after being treated with the the antiviral drug remdesivir at Penn Presbyterian in Philadelphia.

'I think I'm still processing everything, but I'll tell you, it's great to be home,' DeWan told CBS 3 Monday.

DeWan contracted coronavirus in mid-March after going out for a birthday dinner with his wife, Kelly, and their four daughters, as well as his parents and in-laws.

All ten of them eventually came down with COVID-19 - but DeWan was the most severely affected.

Father-of-four Mike DeWan has been released from hospital after he was struck down with coronavirus and spent 17 days on a ventilator. He is pictured with his wife and daughters

After struggling to breathe, he was admitted to Penn Presbyterian, where doctors were stunned by the damage done to his lungs. He is pictured in hospital

After struggling to breathe, he was admitted to Penn Presbyterian, where doctors were stunned by the damage done to his lungs.

DeWan told CBS 3: 'The lung doctor came in and said, 'This X-ray looks bad'. I said, 'Bad? I'm 43 years old, I don't smoke, I don't do nothing.' And he said, 'This will get worse before it gets better.'

DeWan was put onto a ventilator, and his family feared the worst.

'I tried to shield the girls as much as I could,' wife Kelly told the news network, adding that there were times she thought her husband would not make it.

Only 20% of patients who are put onto ventilators survive. One of DeWan's treating doctors, William Short, told CBS 3: 'There was not much to offer him at that time'.

DeWan (pictured with wife Kelly) made a miraculous recovery after he was treated with the antiviral drug remdesivir

However, Short sought to treat DeWan the antiviral drug remdesivir. As the drug has not yet been clinically tested int the US, Short had to seek compassionate use.

After a 10-day cycle on the antiviral, DeWan's condition drastically improved.

'I walked past his room and he was sitting him in a chair. I had to take a double, I walked back and I saw him actually sitting. I waved at him, I'm waving, showing him that I was happy. He just kept looking, giving me a thumbs up. He had no idea who I was,' Short stated.

DeWan came off the ventilator and, on the weekend, was allowed to leave Penn Presbyterian.

Staff clapped and cheered as DeWan exited the hospital and returned home to his wife and four young daughters.

While there is anecdotal evidence that remdisivir has helped COVID-19 patients to recover, Short says he is not positive it was the antiviral alone that prompted DeWan's recovery.

Remdesivir was originally developed to treat Ebola, but is now being trialed on patients in numerous countries to see whether it is effective in the fight against coronavirus.

The first clinical trial in the US commenced this week.
Loss of taste, smell early symptom of infection

THAILAND: The Royal College of Otolaryngologists-Head and Neck Surgeons of Thailand has urged doctors to pay special attention to signs of anosmia, also known as smell blindness, which affects many COVID-19 patients at the onset of the symptoms.

CoronavirusCOVID-19health

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 8 April 2020, 10:47AM

A medical official is collecting a sample from a taxi driver for a COVID-19 test in Samut Prakan province last week. Photo: Somchai Poomlard

Two-thirds of the patients infected with the new coronavirus experience this specific condition, Prof Dr Saowarot Phattharaphakdi, chairwoman of the royal college, said in an announcement regarding COVID-19 yesterday (Apr 7).

More and more studies have found a link between COVID-19 infections and incidents of anosmia, she said.

Anosmia was found to be more common in patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19, she said, adding that the prevalence rate of anosmia in this group is as high as 30%.

Under the circumstances, the royal college is urging medical specialists to be cognisant of anosmia as it can present a credible indication of COVID-19 infection in the patients they treat, Dr Saowarot said.

The royal college is also recommending testing all patients who develop sudden isolated anosmia, she said.

The royal college also warned against administering oral steroids for treating anosmia in potential COVID-19 infected patients, she said.

The first known COVID-19 infected patient who also experienced anosmia in Thailand was a person in Sakhon Nakhon who had returned from Phuket where she worked, said Prof Dr Saowarot.

Also, a 22-year-old woman in Prachin Buri who was recorded as the provinces fifth COVID-19 case previously shared her ordeal on social media, saying she also temporarily lost her sense of smell.

She said she had dined out on March 21 with friends and two days later was surprised to find herself unable to smell anything or taste food.

She had assumed that she had allergy until March 26 when she learned from one of her friends who she had dined out with that he had the virus and from whom she believes she had become infected.
Four Vietnamese entrepreneurs have been named in the list of the worlds richest people in 2020 by Forbes magazine.

The four Vietnamese billionaires

They are Chairman of private conglomerate Vingroup Pham Nhat Vuong, ranked 286th; CEO of budget carrier Vietjet Air Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, 1,001st; Chairman of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) Tran Ba Duong, 1,415th; and Chairman of Techcombank Ho Hung Anh, 1,990th.

Fish sauce magnet Nguyen Dang Quang, who entered the Forbes billionaire list last year for the first time, did not appear this time.

Centi-billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos maintains the top spot in this years ranking, for the third consecutive year, despite his net worth hitting 113 billion USD, down 8 billion USD from last year.

This is the 34th year Forbes magazine has compiled its list of the world's billionaires. This year's list sees a total of 2,095 billionaires with a combined wealth of 8 trillion USD, down from 8.7 trillion USD in 2019.



In addition, three Vietnamese businesspeople have been also honoured in the magazines annual 30 Under 30 Asia list.

They are among six entrepreneurs receiving support from the Ministry of Science and Technology via a start-up support scheme called Project 844 till 2025.

The Vietnamese honourees include Nghiem Xuan Huy, co-founder and CEO of Finhay, one of the top 10 potential start-ups in the national start-ups and innovation competition Techfest 2017.

The second is Han Ngoc Tuan Linh, co-founder and CEO of Vietnam Silicon Valley Capital, a 7-million-USD accelerator that invests in world-class early-stage start-ups in Vietnam.

The last honouree is Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, founder of the medical technology start-up Medlink Asia, which connects producers, distributors and consumers together in the eco-system of pharmaceuticals sector.

Three Vietnamese honoured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list Three Vietnamese entrepreneurs have been honoured in the US prestigious magazine Forbes annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, said the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on April 7.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed highly unusual guidance from its website informing doctors on how to prescribe the anti-malaria drugs recommended by President Donald Trump to treat coronavirus.

The medications, chloroquine and its analog hydroxychlorquine, are also used to threat arthritis and the autoimmune disorder lupus.

Initially, the CDC webpage had read: 'Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown, some US clinicians have reported anecdotally.'

Now the website no longer includes that information. Instead, its first sentence says: 'There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19.'

The CDC's website originally referenced anecdotal reports that two anti-malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, may help relieve symptoms in coronavirus patients (file image)

It was after President Donald Trump personally pressed federal regulatory and health officials to make the malaria drugs more widely available. Pictured: President Trump speaks about the coronavirus at the White House, April 6

Now the CDC states 'there are no drugs or other therapeutics' approved by the FDA to prevent or treat the virus. Pictured: Healthcare workers load a person into an ambulance outside Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York, April 5

In a statement, the CDC told Reuters it had crafted the original guidance for doctors at the request of a coronavirus task force, which urged prompt action.

But the news outlet states it was actually after President Trump personally pressed federal regulatory and health officials to make the malaria drugs more widely available to treat the novel coronavirus.

At the time, the drugs in question had been untested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Medical specialists they were surprised by that language.

'Why would CDC be publishing anecdotes?' asked Dr Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. 'That doesn't make sense. This is very unusual.'

Doctors and other health experts had further criticized the guidance as suggesting that doctors might prescribe the medications when it isn't established whether or not they are effective or harmful.

The updated, and shortened, guidance adds that 'Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials' for use on coronavirus patients.

The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about the removal of the original guidance.

In a statement, it had originally told Reuters it had crafted the guidance for doctors at the request of a coronavirus task force, which urged prompt action.

President Trump was among the first to wax lyrical about the possible benefits of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients last month.

'This would be a gift from heaven, this would be a gift from God if it works,' he said. 'We are going to pray to God that it does work.'

He then repeated the claims on Twitter.

'HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains - Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents),' he wrote on March DATE.

The study Trump refers to comes from Marseille, France, in which 30 patients were treated with hydroxychloroquine for 10 days combined with azithromycin, an antibiotic.

Although very small, the study 'showed a significant reduction of the viral carriage' after the six days and 'much lower average carrying duration' compared to patients who received other treatments

Some anecdotal evidence has also come out of China that hydroxychloroquine helps patients recover from the virus sooner.

But Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is far more skeptical.

'The data are really just, at best, suggestive,' he said on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

'There have been cases that show there may be an effect, and there are others to show there's no effect. So I think, in terms of science, I don't think we can definitively say it works.'

In the US, there are more than 422,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 14,000 deaths.
The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC) and the National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore announced today that they have joined the global fight against COVID-19 by expanding the 2020 APAC HPC-AI competition to address education and applied learning towards accelerating bioscience research and discovery.

As part of the updated competition, student teams are now tasked to research, find and choose an HPC or AI application that can potentially be used as part of the global fight against COVID-19. Teams must demonstrate testing and benchmarking of the application, as well as explain how this application can best be accelerated. In addition, teams will also be required to focus on tuning and accelerating NAMD, a molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. The NAMD application is being used at various supercomputing sites to run massive simulations of COVID-19 to aid researchers design new drugs and vaccines to combat the virus.

The APAC HPC-AI competitionpromotes the latest HPC and AI technologies to the universities and research centers and trains the students with the latest HPC and AI technologies to help bridge the gap between universities/research institutes and industries. The competition also trains the undergraduate and graduate students to practice on the newest HPC and AI platforms, and provides the key ingredients and industry tools to optimize the production applications. Open for registration until May 17, the 3rd Annual 2020 APAC HPC-AI competition expects to host multiple teams from across the APAC region.

"While not ignoring commercial and scientific applications, it has become importantly clear that we must put further emphasis on tuning and optimizing applications in the medical and bioscience field. By expanding the competition's charter to address applications specifically used for groundbreaking COVID-19 simulations, the HPC-AI Advisory Council and NSCC are taking the action to educate and train the next generation of HPC scientists and programmers that may aid the world in viral outbreaks or pandemics in the future," said Gilad Shainer, Chairman of the HPC-AI Advisory Council.

"Computer models of viruses and viral protein structures, especially for high resolution analysis, is very computationally intensive. Molecular docking experiments in silico, to screen for potentially effective drugs that block viral functions, and molecular-modeling applications, such as GROMACS and NAMD, must be optimized and benchmarked for simulations to run as efficiently as possible. By training our young aspiring programmers using real-world scenarios such as COVID-19, we can better prepare them to provide solutions to future global issues from pandemics to climate change. More than that, we hope that this will give our youth a better appreciation for the significant role that HPC and AI can play, and how they can use the skills learned in this competition to contribute more meaningfully to society," said Professor Tan Tin Wee, Chief Executive, National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore.

Co-organized by the HPC-AI Advisory Council and NSCC, the competition is sponsored by Mellanox, NVIDIA, AMD and WekaIO with additional support from the Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network (SingAREN).

For more information on the 3rd APAC HPC-AI competition and to register teams, please visit the HPC-AI Advisory Council website at http://hpcadvisorycouncil.com/events/2020/APAC-AI-HPC/

About HPC-AI Advisory Council

Founded in 2008, The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC) is a for community benefit organization with over 400 members committed to bridge the gap between high-performance computing and artificial intelligence use and its potential, bringing the beneficial capabilities of HPC and AI to new users for better research, education, innovation and product manufacturing, and brings users the expertise needed to operate HPC and AI systems, provide application designers with the tools needed to enable parallel computing, and to strengthen the qualification and integration of HPC and AI system products. For more information, please visit: www.hpcadvisorycouncil.com.

About National Supercomputing Centre Singapore

The National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore was established in 2015 and manages Singapore's first national petascale facility with available high performance computing (HPC) resources. As a National Research Infrastructure we support the HPC research needs of the public and private sectors, including research institutes, institutes of higher learning, government agencies and companies. With the support of its stakeholders, including Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), and funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), NSCC catalyses national research and development initiatives, attracts industrial research collaborations and enhances Singapore's research capabilities. For more information, please visit https://www.nscc.sg/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005096/en/

Contacts:

Brian Sparks

brian@hpcadvisorycouncil.com

+1-408-495-0898


Kilroy Was Here  this iconic doodle with its accompanying phrase became popular graffiti the world over during WWII. While its true origins remain a mystery, and are likely an amalgam of many different caricatures which emerged in various countries in the early 20th century, its final form is often attributed to an American shipyard inspector named James J. Kilroy. Whomever created it though, the humorous artwork quickly gained traction and turned up in all sorts of unusual places. Pete Mecca continues the story for us here

Every American service member, folks on the home front, and even our enemies knew the guy. He sported an enormous elongated nose, a smooth bald head, a pair of dotty beady eyes, and three to four fingers on each hand dangling over the imaginary line of an imaginary wall. There is no disputing its rib-tickling nature, despite the unfortunate and somewhat ugly visage of the inquisitive little fellow poking his nose over the wall. Kilroy is forever memorialized as one of the iconic symbols of World War II. Kilroy appeared in all theaters of operation and never failed to encourage soldiers or provide them with an immediate chuckle. Sailors, soldiers, flyboys, and marines grew fond of Kilroy and anticipated his appearance in the most unlikely of places. Hed pop up on an ammo box, a large rock, the turret of a Sherman tank, on the fuselage of a B-17 bomber or on the wing of a P-38 Lightning. He hid in the ruins of buildings, emerged on a castle wall, decorated the hull of a ship; Kilroy was everywhere, and, Kilroy was here!

Whether its apocryphal or not, legend holds that three of the most powerful men in the world shared the same latrine at the Potsdam Conference in 1945. Apparently, there was an executive privy at the conference, built exclusively for the private use of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Englands Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Unions dictator, Joseph Stalin. The story has it that Stalin was the first who needed to go. As he emerged from the outhouse, looking slightly baffled, Stalin apparently asked his aide-de-camp, Who is Kilroy? Someone had secretly decorated the latrine with the famous graffiti before any of the three men paid a visit!

Kilroy was everywhere! Specially trained Marine recon units and Navy frogmen sneaked onto Japanese-held islands in the Pacific to gather pre-invasion intelligence. On one island a Navy underwater demolition team reportedly discovered Japanese painting over a Kilroy logo on a large rock. The question everybody then asked was, If only Japanese inhabit the island, how did Kilroy get there?

So, with all of this universal fame and recognition, who in the heck was Kilroy? The creator of Kilroy is recognized as James Kilroy of Halifax, Massachusetts. Kilroy was a rivet inspector at the Fore River shipyard in Quincy during the war. He had the responsibility of overseeing the completion of rivets on the massive ships under construction in the yard. Since the riveters were paid by number of rivets they completed, Kilroy would inspect their quality and count them, check-marking a completed block in chalk to prevent double-counts by any unscrupulous workers.

Nice try as soon as James Kilroy was off duty, riveters would erase his chalk marks so the next duty-checker on shift would unsuspectingly count the same rivets a second time  effectively doubling the riveters pay. Questioned by his boss about top-heavy riveter wages, Kilroy made an investigation and determined the cause. His answer was simple  he continued to mark the rivets in the same way, but added KILROY WAS HERE in large letters next to the chalk marks. Later on, he also added the now-celebrated sketch of a bald-headed, beady-eyed man with a hefty proboscis and the apparent DNA of a bleached-out Smurf peering over an imaginary fence.

With the war at full gallop, ships were departing the Fore River shipyard so fast that there was no time to paint over Kilroys artwork. His inspection gimmick was seen by thousands upon thousands of soldiers as they boarded these ships for foreign fields. As a result, these odd little caricatures spread like wildfire  KILROY WAS HERE! soon appeared on every corner of the earth.

The imaginary Kilroy now became an imaginary hero to the G.I.s. He joined them wherever they went  welcoming the Greatest Generation in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, Europe, the Pacific islands and beyond. Kilroy was a part of our home, part of why we fought  part of the American spirit.

Kilroys image was often displayed boldly  but also hidden in strange places, as if the prize in a newly-grownup game of hide and seek. As with many myths, Kilroys legend lives on. He is rumored to be on the Statue of Liberty, the underside of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, atop Mount Everest, and even scribbled in the dust on the moon. Perhaps the most profound recognition of Kilroy comes with the pair of hard-to-find depictions on certain walls of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Indeed WWII veterans often search for their imaginary buddy when they visit their Memorial. Its only natural considering how Kilroy stood by them wherever they fought, wherever they bled and wherever their human buddies fell.

Kilroy is a veteran too, a member of the Greatest Generation, and now, after completion of the WWII Memorial, he is finally home. Indeed  KILROY IS HERE!

Pete Mecca is a Vietnam veteran. For story consideration visit his website at VETERANSARTICLE.COM and click on contact us.
It was only a few weeks ago that Albertas independence movement  Wexit  was full of vim and vigour.

New members signed up by the thousands after the October federal election which delivered a minority government for Justin Trudeaus Liberals while completely shutting them out in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In early November 700 people packed a dance hall in Edmonton to vent their fury against the federal government which they blamed for all the provinces economic troubles.

We will not allow ourselves to be divided. Were going to make Alberta great again, and that is when we cut ourselves off from the leech that is Eastern Canada, said Wexit founder Peter Downing, sporting a blue Make Alberta Great Again ball cap.

But while at the time the thought of running away from home may have been emotionally satisfying for Wexiteers it may not seem like such a good idea in the face of a pandemic.

Who knows how much money will eventually pour into Alberta over the next few months, given Trudeaus plans for significant wage subsidies, income guarantees, Employment Insurance, and government-backed loans designed to buoy people and businesses hit hard by the shutdown of the economy?

But one thing is for sure: an Alberta government would never have been able to mount that kind of disaster relief.

And given that the price of western Canadas particular brand of oil (Western Canada Select which is heavy on bitumen content) is under $5 a barrel thanks to the Russians and the Saudis flooding the market, how would this Alberta government raise revenue? By hiking taxes?

And what if the newly independent state of Alberta was not part of the Canadian health care system? Would doctors actually want to practice in Alberta? Wouldnt a lot of them leave for other provinces? They are already embittered given that the UCP government has been waging war with them even as they strain to deal with COVID-19.

Would independent Alberta be able to acquire desperately needed medical masks and equipment without the added weight of a much more powerful level of government?

Would 3M be inclined to listen to Alberta if it ran out of much-needed masks?

And if Indigenous and remote communities in the northern part of the province needed the help of the military to establish field hospitals who would Alberta call on?

For some rabid Wexiteers the pandemic has only strengthened their conviction that the federal government is out to deliberately destroy Alberta.

As in this ridiculous Tweet posted by Downing, a former RCMP officer and Wexits head honcho, right after schools and child care centres were closed in Alberta: If Alberta shuts down schools and daycares, just about every parent has to stay home from work to care for their kids.... SHUTTING DOWN our Economy. Just like the Feds want. The Climate change scare failed. Dont fall for the new scare.

Downing is a fan of Donald Trumps approach to the pandemic, which makes no sense at all given that the death rate in the U.S is four times per capita than what it is in Canada.

The Wexit spokesman is even advising people to get a prescription for hydroxychloroquine, the medication that Trump keeps promoting as a cure for COVID-19 even though there is no evidence of its effectiveness against the virus but there are clearly serious side effects.

That kind of promotion via social media may have been one of the reasons why Albertas Chief Medical Officer, Deena Hinshaw, last week made a point of warning doctors and pharmacists not to prescribe it as a treatment for COVID-19.

Theres no question that the vast majority of Albertans are more than a little worried about the future given the combination of the pandemic and the crash in oil prices.

Premier Kenney has warned it will be as severe as the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Alberta is going to need plenty of grit, innovative thinking, and wise action if the province is to gain a foothold and start pulling itself up from the abyss.

Exploiting the fear and insecurity that abounds with fanatical ideas about Alberta going it alone, as Downing and his gang are doing, is the last thing we need.

GS Gillian Steward is a Calgary-based writer and freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: is a Calgary-based writer and freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @GillianSteward

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered flags around the state to fly at half-mast in honor of those who have died from COVID-19 after recording the state's deadliest 24 hours which claimed 779 lives.

Cuomo, speaking at his daily briefing in Albany on Wednesday, said there was a 'mix' of emotions that came with the fact New York has flattened the curve of new infections and new hospitalizations while the death toll keeps ticking up.

It will continue to rise, he said, as more people who entered the hospital 10 days ago or two weeks ago and who needed ventilators, fail to recover.

The total death toll across the state now sits at 6,268 - more than double the number of people who died in 9/11.

The total number of infections is 149,316 - an increase of 10,480 from the number Cuomo gave yesterday morning. It marks a larger increase than in previous days, when there were fewer than 9,000 new cases.

Cuomo said, however, that the rate of hospitalizations is down and continues to decrease which shows social distancing is working.

He however said the state was 'by no means out of the woods', and that now was the time to be 'more vigilant'.

'What we have done and what we are doing is actually working and it's making a difference. We took dramatic actions in this state. It is working,' he said.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaking on Wednesday where he announced the state's highest single day death increase of 779

However the governor said it was difficult to 'square' the progress with the fact that so many people had died.

'The bad news isn't just bad. It's terrible actually. The death toll, it's been going steadily up and it reached a new height.

'The number of deaths will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away. The longer you are on a ventilator, the less likely you will come off.

'Dr. Fauci spoke to me about this lagging indicator between hospitalizations and deaths... hospitalizations start to drop and deaths increase. People in there pass away. That's what we're seeing.

'I understand the science of it, the facts and the logic. But it is still incredibly difficult to deal with. Every number is a face.

'That's been painfully obvious to me every day. But we have lost people, many of them, front line workers, healthcare workers, many of them people doing the essential functions that we all needed for society to go on.

'They were putting themselves at risk and knew they were. Many of them vulnerable people who this vicious predator of a virus targeted from day one,' he said.

He went on to say that the tragedy was on a larger scale than 9/11 and one he had trouble comprehending.

'I went through 9/11 and thought that in my lifetime, I would never have to see anything like that again. I remember the number of funerals, I remember the grief after 9/11.

'That this should literally eclipse that in terms of the number of dead in this state? It's almost unimaginable to me.

Cuomo also paid tribute to some of the front line workers who have died battling the virus. 'Every number is a face,' he said

Hospital employees remove a body from the Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY, on Wednesday April 8

Hospitals and morgues are working round the clock to stay on top of the bodycount. There have been 4,000 in New York City alone

'How do you square those two things? We're making progress [but] we lost more people than ever before on a single day,' he said.

Cuomo added that he was particularly troubled by the fact there were higher rates of infection and deaths among African American and Latino communities.

He has ordered research to be carried out immediately to determine why that is, and said he is also conducting more testing among those communities.

Thank you to all New Yorkers for all they have done. We still have more to do. We are by no means out of the woods

'Why are more African Americans and Latinos affected? The numbers in New York are not as bad as the disparities we see in other places across the country but there are still disparities.

'Why? There's something to it.

'It always seems the poorest people pay the highest price. Why is that? Whatever the situation is - a natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina...the people standing on those rooftops were not rich, white people. Why?

'Let's do the work, the research and let's learn from this now,' he said.

Cuomo is urging extreme caution to anyone who interprets the data in a way to suggest New York has beaten the virus or is on a path to returning to work or 'normal'.

'This can still turn any way from Sunday. Thank you to all New Yorkers for all they have done. We still have more to do. We are by no means out of the woods and do not misread what you're seeing in that data and in those charts.

'That is a pure product of our actions and behavior. If we behave differently, you will see those numbers change.

'If anything, we have to get more diligent, not less diligent. That's New York tough. Tough is more than just tough, tough is smart and disciplined and loving.

Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg on Wednesday, the morning before Passover, gathering for The Burning of the Chametz. Cuomo has asked them to stay home for their own safety

'The toughest guys are tough enough to love,' he said.

'I am more worried about people thinking cases are coming down it's now safer - it's not. I'm more afraid of the curve changing that people read something into it that's not there. If you reduce compliance on social distancing, you'll see those numbers go up.

'Be careful of counting our chickens before they hatch. We are in the midst of this,' he said.

He resisted giving a warning to people flouting social distancing rules, including members of the Jewish community, who will celebrate Passover over the next two days.

It has sparked concern among leaders, particularly for the Orthodox communities who have not obeyed social distancing laws and continue to gather despite being warned they could face fines.

Cuomo said on Wednesday: 'Our brothers and sisters in the Jewish community, we wish them all a happy Passover.

'The Jewish community has had a long and difficult year besides any of this... the number of anti-semitic incidents, the violence... we wish them all well on Passover.

'The message of Passover, I know, helps me today. Passover says we remember the past, we learn from the past, we remember the lessons of the past. Teach a new generation those lessons, but there's also a message of hope.

'Next year in Jerusalem, next year the promised land, next year will be better.

'This has been a difficult month. We'll learn a lot, move forward and be better for it,' he said.

Cuomo went on to say society would not return to 'normal' and that we may never live in a world without COVID-19.

'I don't think we return to normal, yesterday, where we were. If we're smart, we achieve a new normal.

'We have to learn. We have to learn what it means - global pandemic. How small the world has actually gotten. Someone sneezes in Asia today, you catch a cold tomorrow.

'Understanding the phenomenon and having a new appreciation for it. How our public health system has to be prepared and the scale to which we need a public health system.

'Look at the way we're scrambling to make this work. We have to learn from that,' he said.
IF you ask about Khamis Mkubwa Khatib of Mzingani, Mkoani Pemba, almost everyone there will tell you that he is a charming long hair, beard man, a famous farmer, making life out of growing and selling cassava, vegetables and banana.

Mr Khatib, 40, born in Pemba, started the farming business without agricultural production know-how, a situation that led him to produce low yields. But he continued to struggle with expectations of becoming a big farmer.

The young farmer gives cassava, the second staple food in Zanzibar after rice, top priority out of the trio-crops in term of commercial agriculture. After a number of repeatedly farming with a help of agricultural advice or expertise, the young farmers started to record success.

The farmers dream became true faster following the establishment of Agricultural Services Support Programme and Agricultural Sector Development Programme-Livestock (ASSP and ASDP-L).

Khatib joined Farmer Field School (FFS) formed at his homestead, Mzingani, after ASSP and ASDPL program started there, the duo 15 years programs incepted the Schools, with only one aim of obtaining technologies, he has for a long time been hankering to increase production and ultimately reduce poverty.

The farmer opted for agriculture after completing ordinary level of secondary education in 1999 at Karume secondary School, Unguja. His decision to embrace the business paid dividend after closely following advices from extension officers through FFS.

He said that he started new farming technology in 2009 at his farm estimated one acre and set-aside a small portion as demonstration plot using accustomed farming system aimed at showing the difference in growth pattern between improved production and traditional methods.

Mr Khatib says that his intention to establish a demonstration plot nearby Mkoani, Chake Chake road was established to attract people and 15 farmers have already adopt the technology.

He says that one harvested cassava stand of Mwari variety through the use of improved farming is capable of producing eight to ten cassava roots and weighs between 4kg to 5kg compared to hardly four cassava roots weighing one kg by accustomed agriculture.

Additionally, he described that one harvested stand sells between 4,000/- to 5,000/-. A similar number of harvested stand in the case of old farming system could fetch not more than 500/-.

Many people told me that I would apply improved technology to the entire area so that I could harvest more but, I said no, because I want others to see the difference that will directly enable them to adopt upon seeing the change from me, said Khamis.

Secrets behind increased production were application of fertilizers, space planting and timely weeding, he says. The variety of cassavas he grows is mwari, sepide and Kizimbani.

Zanzibar has been cultivating cassava on a total of 30,000 acres, but in mid 1980s many smallholders farmers were disappointed amid the outbreak of diseases which wiped- out local cassava varieties to extent that production was declining yearly.

The diseases are Cassava Brown streak and Cassava Mosaic Disease. Assisted by duo programmes, ASSP and ASDP-L, in transforming agriculture, Khatib has it that the use of improved agriculture on his farm has increased production both cash-income and also build respect and dignities in his household.

He said he earned 800,000/-for the first time in eight months. He, however, reiterates that the big cry still haunts many smallholders farmers in Zanzibar including himself, is scarcity of land.

Actually the area 0.5 acre is not enough for the time being because I want to expand agriculture I, always aim at high in terms of production, so at least I need two acres of cassava, says the farmer.

The Minister for agriculture, Natural Resources, Livestock, and fisheries Mr Mmanga Mjengo Mjawir is encouraging more farmers to grow cassava because the demand in the world market has been increasing.
Raphael blockbuster closed after just three days due to the Coronavirus emergency.

When will Rome reopen the Raphael exhibition and will it be extended beyond its scheduled end date of 3 June?

Impossible to tell, due to the Covid-19 crisis, but these are the million-dollar questions in Italy's culture world right now.

"The wish is that the doors can be reopened as soon as possible and that from that Renaissance spirit that made Raphael's art unparalleled, energy can be drawn for a restart of Italy and Europe".

This hope was expressed by none other than the president of Italy himself, Sergio Mattarella, on 6 April, the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael.

The exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale closed just three days after opening on 5 March, due to the Coronavirus.

The 6,000 lucky people who gained entry to the world's greatest Raphael show admired the masterpieces on display while maintaining as much distance as possible from other visitors.

So when will it reopen?

"The hope is that this will happen as soon as possible but it is premature to start with requests for an extension to the lenders" - Mario De Simoni, president of Ales which organised the event, told La Repubblica newspaper - "However, we experienced a feeling of solidarity on the part of all national and international institutions towards the Scuderie del Quirinale."

Several years in the planning, the Raphael exhibition is a one-in-a-lifetime event and there were no plans for it to travel anywhere after Rome.

Also in Rome's favour is the fact that the precious drawings were returned to storage in the dark, after just three days, and the lack of international air travel.As pointed out by La Repubblica, museums all over the world know that an exhibition of this magnitude cannot last just three days.

That is the hope anyway.

Image: Raffaello. Ritratto di Baldassare Castiglione. Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione 1513. olio su tela / oil on canvas. Parigi, musee du Louvre, departement des Peintures  Musee du Louvre, Dist. RMN  Grand Palais / Angele Dequier.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 01:11:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to continue support for African countries in their battle against the COVID-19 epidemic and help Africa improve its capacity of disease prevention and control, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Xi recalled that after the epidemic broke out in China, the South African government and various sections of the South African society conveyed via multiple means their sympathies with and support for China.

"Comradeship plus brotherhood" marks the special friendship between the two countries and the two ruling parties, Xi said.

China firmly supports South Africa's endeavor in COVID-19 fight, Xi said, adding his country will continue to offer help within its capacity to South Africa in line with the latter's needs, share its experience in epidemic prevention and control, and strengthen cooperation in health care, Xi said.

Xi expressed confidence that under the leadership of Ramaphosa, the South African government will achieve positive outcomes from its anti-epidemic measures.

"We encourage Chinese nationals in South Africa to proactively support South Africa's anti-epidemic action and hope that the South African government attaches great importance to and protect their safety, health and legitimate rights and interests," Xi said.

China is willing to enhance political mutual trust with South Africa, understand and support each other on issues concerning the other side's core interests and major concerns, promote bilateral cooperation for more progress, and strengthen cooperation within such frameworks as the BRICS and the G20, Xi said.

Xi stressed that China and South Africa are good brothers who share weal and woe.

The Chinese side has been following the epidemic situation in Africa and provided batches of anti-epidemic assistance for the African Union and all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China, Xi said.

Experts from both sides have held video conferences for several times, and many Chinese enterprises, local and non-governmental organizations have also provided anti-epidemic supplies, Xi added.

Xi said that China stands ready to continue support for African countries, accelerate the building of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention, enhance China-Africa cooperation on public health and disease prevention and control, and help Africa improve its capacity in this regard.

Xi called for the international community to uphold the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, strengthen solidarity, coordination and cooperation, and resolutely contain the spread of the epidemic, so as to protect people's safety and health.

China is willing to work with South Africa to implement the outcomes of the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit on COVID-19, promote international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control, and safeguard public health in Africa and around the world.

For his part, Ramaphosa said China has contained the epidemic through decisive and strong measures, which sets an example for other countries and provides valuable reference.

He said he appreciates China's support for South Africa and Africa over the years, especially the precious assistance provided at current difficult time for their fight against COVID-19, which is very important to them and boosts their confidence in beating the epidemic.

Ramaphosa said he stands ready to work with Xi to implement the consensus of the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit and promote global solidarity and cooperation.

South Africa will continue to support China on issues concerning China's core interests, and steadfastly promote the development of relations between South Africa and China as well as relations between Africa and China, he added.
Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmar Citizens Give Up Power Subsidy to Aid COVID-19 Fight

A fire service staffer disinfects an alley in Yangon to curb the spread of the coronavirus. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

YANGONA government initiative to encourage people to stay at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak by helping them pay their power bills has prompted a heartening response from the Myanmar public. To show their appreciation, many people are choosing to donate the amount they would have saved on electricity to the government to help fund its fight against the virus.

As of Wednesday, Myanmar had 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases with three deaths.

On Monday, the government of the ruling National League for Democracy, led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, announced it would provide every household in the country with 150 units of free electricity for domestic use until the end of April. The move is designed to encourage people to stay at home.

In other words, you can expect a reduction of 11,500 kyats (about US$8) in your electricity bill this month.

Less than 24 hours after the announcement, the bank accounts of the COVID-19 National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were bombarded with transactions as Myanmar people individually transferred that amount into the four accounts set up to accept donations for the fight against the disease.

Many posted screenshots of their money transfers on Facebook, while challenging their friends to follow suit.

While its impossible to trace the exact number of people who made the contribution, the responses to one Irrawaddy reporters Facebook page alone showed that nearly 200 people had joined the activity in the past 24 hours.

The flood of individual donations from Myanmar people prompted the countrys de facto leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to voice her appreciation.

I really thank you for your support in this time of need, she told members of the public during a videoconference with officials on Wednesday.

That shows our peoples benevolence. Its an act of unity. We have to use this to overcome the COVID-19 challenge, she said.

The governments electricity subsidy scheme was one of several moves that have touched people across the country. On Monday, a government announcement that it will provide basic food to the poor in the country for 10 days during a nationwide stay home campaign due to come into effect late this week was widely applauded. The Myanmar public has never experienced such a people-centered approach beforeor at least not for the past four decades. It also serves to demonstrate that in Myanmar, when you care about people, they will respond heartily to you in the same way.

How marvelous! one Facebook user wrote, posting screenshots of his money transfers.

He continued by questioning whether anyone would turn down such an opportunity.

They [the government] neither need to ask for it at gunpoint nor brandish a sword. No law needed. Thats what the government and people are doing in unison, said he, referring to peoples voluntary money transfers to support the government in its fight against the virus.

The Irrawaddys reporter San Yamin Aung contributed to this report.

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The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has donated food and medical supplies to the Lagos State government. The donation, according to the LCCI, was part of its support to the state government in mitigating the challenges of the COVID- 19 pandemic and alleviating the economic hardship of the less-privilege in the state.

The supplies, which included bags of rice, cartons of noodles and cartons of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, were received on behalf of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, by the Deputy Chief of Staff , Mr. Gboyega Soyanwo and the State's Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde.

The President of the LCCI, Mrs. Toki Mabogunje said: "In view of the global outbreak of COVID-19 and the present challenging social, economic and public health realities, it has become imperative for us at LCCI as a socially responsible organisation to support the efforts of the government in helping to cushion the effects of the pandemic on Lagos residents."

Mabogunje, stressed that it was no longer news that the pandemic has disrupted, and is still disrupting, business and economic activities across all sectors of the economy. "We commend the combined efforts of the federal and the state governments as well as their ministries and agencies, notably, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health for being the front liners in the war against the pandemic."

She also emphasised that, "the business community will continue to support the governments at all levels to subdue the ravaging pandemic.'"
WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases

'Your leadership helping Humanity': Donald Trump thanks Modi for supplying Hydroxychloroquine to US

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Washington, April 9: US President Donald Trump on Friday thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision to lift ban on exports of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) - an anti-malarial drug being experimentally used in many countries for treating Covid-19 - to the US.

Taking to Twwitter, Trump wrote,''Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister @NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!."

Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister @NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020

Trump and Modi spoke over the phone last week. During the call, Trump requested Modi to lift the hold on the American order of hydroxychloroquine, of which India is the major producer.

Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

Anticipating that it will work, given initial positive results, Trump has bought more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine for potential treatment of COVID-19 patients.

"I bought millions of doses (of hydroxychloroquine). More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it (hydroxychloroquine) comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was Great. He was really good," Trump told Sean Hannity of the Fox News on Monday night.

"You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India," Trump said responding to a question on the usage of hydroxychloroquine.

India on Tuesday allowed the export of hydroxychloroquine to the US, which has emerged as the global hotspot of COVID-19.

By Tuesday night, nearly four lakh Americans tested positive for the novel coronavirus and the fatalities was more than 12,850. During the interview, Trump described hydroxychloroquine as a powerful malaria drug. The drug is being tested on hundreds of coronavirus patients in New York.

"But there are a lot of good things coming from that," Trump said. "Lot of people are looking at it and saying, you know I don't hear bad stories, I hear good stories. And I don't hear anything where it is causing death," said the US President.

Hydroxychloroquine, an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria, is seen as a viable therapeutic solution by President Trump to coronavirus.

Last week Trump said he has sought help from Prime Minister Modi to allow the sale of hydroxychloroquine tablets ordered by the US to treat the growing number of coronavirus patients in his country, hours after India banned the export of the anti-malarial drug.

India has received similar requests from several other countries including its immediate neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal. India has said that it is reviewing its export ban order. Notably, India's decision to ban the exports of hydroxychloroquine is driven by its desire to take stock of the domestic requirements and ensure that the country has enough of the drug.

"I would be surprised if he would, you know, because India does very well with the United States," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Monday.

Trump and Modi enjoy a personal friendship as reflected in the president joining the prime minister at the "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston last September. This February, Trump made a rare India-specific solo trip to Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

India on Monday agreed to lift the ban on export of hydroxychloroquine to the US. Three Gujarat-based companies would export these tablets to the US, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday.

India manufactures 70 per cent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine, according to Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary-general Sudarshan Jain. The country has a production capacity of 40 tonnes of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) every month, implying 20 crore tablets of 200 mg each. And since the drug is also used to auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, manufacturers have good production capacities that can also be ramped up.
Pakistan on Wednesday said that it did not participate in India-led South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) trade officials discussion as SAARC Secretariat was not part of today's video conference on coronavirus.

Trade officials of the SAARC countries except for Pakistan held a video conference, deliberating on creating a larger framework of trade facilitation to offset the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the region.

During the meeting, it was stressed that new ways and means be jointly identified to sustain and expand the intra-regional trade until the normal trade channels are fully restored.

"Activities such as today's Trade Officials' Video-Conference could only be effective if spearheaded by the SAARC Secretariat. Since the SAARC Secretariat was not part of today's Video-Conference, Pakistan chose not to participate. In order for the SAARC process to move forward, the SAARC Secretariat must be enabled to play its due role in any event or activity being organized under SAARC auspices," said Pakistan Foreign Ministry in a statement.

On March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the video conference with participants from the SAARC nations.

PM Modi had proposed the creation of an emergency fund for the SAARC nations to combat the coronavirus pandemic and pitched India's initial offer of USD 10 million for this fund.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 08, 2020] Leadership Transition at IFCO Group

MUNICH, April 8, 2020 /CNW/ -- The Advisory Committee of IFCO Group announced today that as part of a long-planned succession process, Wolfgang Orgeldinger will retire as CEO of IFCO Group and Michael Pooley has been appointed as new CEO of IFCO Group. Mr. Pooley will take over the responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer effective 1st July 2020. Having joined in 2000, Wolfgang Orgeldinger has successfully shaped IFCO over the last 20 years, first as COO and since 2013 as CEO. He will remain committed and continue to support IFCO Group as he transitions to the Advisory Committee. This transition has been planned well ahead of time in close cooperation between Wolfgang Orgeldinger and the Advisory Committee and is designed to ensure a smooth transition and handover over the next several weeks. Michael Pooley is a strategic thinker who has led large scale successful growth and change programs in Brambles and Exova Group. He comes with very relevant experience in our industry within pooling and retail whilst having worked over 25 years in business management, sales and operations. Michael is well-known for his digital knowledge with a focus on track & trace and big data analytics. He graduated in 1990 from the University of Bath with a B. Eng. (Hons) Mechanical Engineering and earned an MBA at the Henley Management College. Stephan Forschle commented on behalf of the Advisory Committee: "We would like to thank Wolfgang for his outstanding commitment and contribution to IFCO's success and for his reat support over the last 12 months following the ownership transition. Wolfgang has led the development of IFCO over the last 20 years into the leading global Reusable Plastic Crates (RPC) solution provider. We are very grateful that he will continue to support IFCO and our customers as a member of the advisory committee going forward." Mr. Forschle continued: "In close collaboration with Wolfgang, we have identified Michael through an extensive search process. We are confident that Michael will successfully continue IFCO's strategy and foster the company's profitable growth with innovative products, digital solutions and best-in-class services with an obsession to meet and exceed our customers' expectations. Michael knows IFCO and a number of our customers very well from his time at Brambles. He combines operational, technical and digital skills with commercial thinking and has a strong go-to-market drive."



Wolfgang Orgeldinger added: "Since I have joined IFCO in December 2000, we have grown the company from a small niche player generating c. 200m revenues to a global leader in the RPC pooling industry with revenues of more than 1.0bn. The IFCO team has successfully entered new markets, steadily grown our client base, built-out our product and service offering, and improved our operations. This has led to strong, consistent growth even throughout challenging economic cycles. Within the last year, we have successfully managed the ownership transition and with knowing the IFCO Group is in good hands, it is the right moment for me to retire as CEO. I am excited to further support the company in my new role as a board member and am looking forward to seeing Michael Pooley and the whole team shaping the next chapter in IFCO's long-lasting success story." - Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) -

Additional information IFCO is the leading global provider of reusable packaging solutions for fresh foods, serving customers in 50+ countries. IFCO operates a pool of over 314 million Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) globally, which are used for over 1.7 billion shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, bread, and other items from suppliers to grocery retailers every year. IFCO RPCs ensure a better fresh food supply chain by protecting freshness and quality and lowering costs, food waste and environmental impact compared to single-use packaging. More: www.ifco.com . Contact

IFCO:

Daniela Carbone

VP - Global Marketing

+49 89 99 38 87 51

[email protected]

https://www.ifco.com/ SOURCE IFCO Systems

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The UAE Cabinet, chaired by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, adopted a resolution to grant paid leave to select categories of Federal Government employees.

The move comes as part of a series of precautionary measures and procedures taken by the UAE Government to put Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The resolution stipulates that married employees of the Federal Government may take fully paid leave to take care of their children below the age of 16, reported state news agency Wam.

The age condition shall not apply to people of determination, as well as in cases where a spouse is subject to self-isolation or quarantine that requires no contact with family members, upon a decision from the Ministry of Health and Prevention, it stated.

The resolution also applies to employees whose spouses work in vital health-related occupations, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and other technical jobs that require exposure to infected people, as well as employees of quarantine centres, throughout the emergency period witnessed by the country, it added.

Pursuant to the resolution, the relevant ministry or federal authority may ask employees in essential technical occupations to work remotely instead of taking leave.

The resolution was issued in line with the UAE governments keenness to support employees and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment, as well as to protect the health and safety of employees and their families, during the current crisis that requires greater efforts, additional working hours, and in some cases, exposure to infected people.
GREENWICH  The town of Greenwich will require all grocery store and restaurant employees to wear masks or face-coverings along with gloves to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

First Selectman Fred Camillo made the announcement Wednesday afternoon, using powers he has under the state of emergency he declared last month. Camillo said the order goes into effect immediately. He said it doesnt necessarily require a mask, just something like a scarf or bandana that ensures that a workers face is covered.

This is important for people who are near food supplies to make sure they dont accidentally pass something onto that, Camillo said.

The order covers grocery stores and any business where food is handled. Camillo said he has not yet received any feedback on the order, which was announced late Wednesday afternoon.

If you dont have masks, you can wear a cloth or handkerchief, which I am telling people to do now to not tax our supplies at this early stage, Camillo said. And I have already seen people in establishments with masks. I have to believe they have some already. We can certainly work with people going forward.

Camillo said town Director of Health Caroline Baisley had already reached out to local businesses and said there will be more communication to make sure everyone is aware of the order.

There will also be enforcement, Camillo said.

We want businesses to thrive so we would be there to help if they need it, he said.

The call for people nationwide to wear masks to stop the spread of the virus increased in the past week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the practice. Camillo said he had heard concerns from town residents and decided to move ahead with the order after confirming with the towns legal department that he has the power as long as the directive does not conflict with an order from Gov. Ned Lamont or President Donald Trump.

If anyone in the public sees someone not wearing a mask in any of those establishments, please let us know and we will contact them, Camillo said.

The town has put in place restrictions to close town parks and beaches, with violators potentially facing trespassing citations. Camillo said there will be consequences if the new restriction is not followed at local businesses.

We are requiring them to do that, Camillo said. My preference would be for them to do it and be done with it. I guess if you tell somebody to do something and they dont do it then the hammer has to come down and youd have to have some kind of punishment or fine for not following the order.

But certainly we have made it a practice to warn people if they are in violation of an executive order or an emergency declaration and if they follow it, thats the end of it. Were not looking to punish people or make their lives harder than they are right now, he said.

According to the towns Department of Health, 234 Greenwich residents have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, up from the 217 reported on Tuesday. Greenwich Hospital reports that as of noon on Wednesday there were 111 people hospitalized there from all over the region diagnosed with coronavirus.

The hospital said that 136 people who were diagnosed have been discharged to continue their recovery at home.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Boris Johnsons condition is improving  and he may even have been able to speak to his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister remains in intensive care with coronavirus but is sitting up and engaging positively with his doctors and nurses, said Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

No10 added that he continues to make steady progress and is able to contact those he needs to.

This suggests Mr Johnson has been able to speak to Miss Symonds, although Downing Street has not confirmed this. The birth of the 32-year-olds first child is only weeks away and she is also isolating after experiencing virus symptoms.

Boris Johnsons condition is improving  and he may even have been able to speak to his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds (right), though Downing Street have not confirmed this

Despite the positive news for the PM, a leading doctor warned it could be months before he was back to full health. Mr Johnson was taken to St Thomas Hospital in London on Sunday  more than ten days after testing positive for the virus.

He was moved to intensive care on Monday and given oxygen treatment. No10 said he had not required a ventilator and had not been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Despite initially working from his hospital bedside, he has since passed over responsibility to Dominic Raab, the First Secretary of State, who will deputise.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said Mr Johnson was receiving excellent care. The latest from the hospital is the Prime Minister remains in intensive care where his condition is improving, he said.

Images show the Prime Minister's changing appearance as his coronavirus battle progressed

Mr Johnson's fever is said to have dipped in a positive sign as he remains under constant observation at St Thomas' hospital (pictured) in central London

I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.

He added: The Prime Minister is not only my colleague and my boss but also my friend, and my thoughts are with him and his family. The news about the PM reminds us how indiscriminate this disease is.

Nearly everyone will know someone who has been affected  friends, family, neighbours, colleagues. This is a terrible virus that respects no boundaries of status or geography or vocation.

The PMs official spokesman said he remained clinically stable and was responding to treatment.

He added that Mr Johnson was in good spirits. Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: So good that the PM is sitting up and his condition is improving. He will fight through!

Downing Street confirmed Mr Johnson was not working while in intensive care  and thanked the public for their support. Well-wishers across the country clapped for the PM on Tuesday night, while many sent fond messages.

The spokesman added: We are hugely grateful for the messages of support that the Prime Minister has received.

'I think the public response to coronavirus throughout has been fantastic and that has been best exemplified by the applause theyve been giving to NHS staff every week.

On Wednesday a Downing Street member of staff was seen holding up a drawing of a rainbow in the window of No10 with the message: We are in this together. Hundreds of British schools have been encouraging pupils to put up rainbow paintings in their windows at home to spread hope.

A woman sticks a poster of a rainbow, being used as a symbol of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the words 'we are in this together' into a window at 10 Downing Street today

The heartfelt words carry a message of unity, as the country faces up to its battle against the rapidly spreading virus which has drastically altered daily life

Asked if anyone had been in contact with Mr Johnson since he was moved to intensive care, the spokesman said: The PM is not working, hes in intensive care, he has the ability to contact those that he needs to, hes following the advice of his doctors at all times.

Downing Street would not comment on reports that Mr Johnsons persistently high temperature had fallen. It also refused to say whether his treatment is being overseen by Dr Richard Leach, Britains leading lung doctor, as has been reported.

It came as experts said Mr Johnson may not be able to return to full-time work at No10 for months.

Professor Anthony Gordon, an intensive care consultant at Imperial College London, said: When you are seriously ill it does take time to recover. Its not an all-or-nothing thing... but it can take many weeks to get back to normal full health, or even months, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

Asked whether Mr Johnson should have had a personal doctor on call as happens in the US, Mr Sunak said: I think the Prime Minister has received excellent care and advice every step of the process.

Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said he was utterly confident the PM was receiving excellent treatment. He said St Thomas was world renowned for its critical care.
Top-Content-Providers-for-Mobile-Learning

CommLab India, the leading provider of rapid eLearning solutions, has been recognized for its contribution to mobile learning development in eLearning Industrys list of top mobile learning content development providers for 2020  an acknowledgement of the companys global contribution to mobile learning development.

CommLab India has been working with Fortune 500 companies since 20 years, helping them meet the demands of their rapidly changing training needs. The organization has designed and developed more than 5050 hours of mobile learning content for a diverse range of industries. They have converted huge volumes of legacy courses to mobile-compatible learning and delivered m-learning, accessible on a variety of mobile devices, to 3000 learners.

According to reliable reports, there are more mobile devices than humans on our planet today. With more and more learners wanting to access learning on their mobile devices at their precise moment-of-need, organizations are rapidly making the shift to mobile learning.

eLearning Industry ranks mobile learning content providers based on the companys:

Economic growth potential

Social responsibility

Customer retention, reviews, and employee turnover

Innovation in the learning industry

Quality of content developed

Expertise in providing learning solutions

CommLab India Emerges a Winner among Mobile Learning Content Providers for 2020

Theres a popular misconception that designing for mobile learning is simply fitting eLearning courses in the mobile screen. Thats not true. For mobile learning to be effective, it needs to be designed right.

CommLab India takes the help of robust instructional design strategies such as gamification, storytelling, and scenario-based learning to provide tailored m-learning solutions with:

Performance-based learning objectives aligned with training needs

The right authoring tool for each eLearning development requirement

A mobile-first design that can be scaled for devices with bigger screen size

CommLab India sees that going forward, mobile learning will become absolutely essential for organizations looking to provide just-in-time training that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on any mobile device.

The company offers mobile learning solutions on key training topics such as compliance, product and sales, workplace safety, food safety, and more. With a pool of expert in-house instructional designers, project managers, and authoring tool experts, the company is in an enviable position of offering quick and efficient courses, ready to be accessed on-the-go.

About CommLab Indias achievement, Dr. Ayesha Habeeb Omer, COO and Co-founder said, We consider it an honor to be included in eLearning Industrys list of top mobile content providers for 2020. We thank our talented employees for their accomplishment in crafting effective mobile learning journeys. Were excited about this recognition and looking forward to focusing our energies on creating memorable learning experiences for corporate employees.

About CommLab India:

CommLab India, with more than two decades experience in the learning industry serving 100 International customers in 30+ countries, is one of the most sought-after global leaders for rapid eLearning solutions. It has been ranked Number 1 in Rapid eLearning for 2020 and was declared the 2019 Silver Award winner among the top eLearning content providers by eLearning Industry.

With its formidable authoring tool expertise and experience in corporate training and instructional design, CommLab India offers rapid eLearning solutions with any authoring tool for:

Converting of ILT material into instructionally sound, engaging, and visually appealing eLearning curriculums and other digital learning formats

Converting legacy courses (from Flash or any other authoring tool) to HTML5, even when source files are not available

Translating English eLearning course into 35 international languages  both text and audio
Oyo can keep job cuts at bay through a combination of lowered work weeks, pay cuts, temporary leave of absence until business recovers and other such measures, he added.

New Delhi: Hospitality firm Oyo on Wednesday said it has started placing its few employees on furloughs or temporary leaves in the US and other select markets on account of slump in the hospitality industry due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said that India remains unaffected till the lockdown period.

In a video message and letter to employees and all other stakeholders, Oyo founder & group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said the company will be placing a certain number of employees on furloughs or temporary leaves.

He also said that keeping its promise to the Indian government, Oyo is committed to zero actions that impact employment status and salaries of ten thousand plus employees on payrolls and tens of thousands of Oyo managed assets staff during this period of a 21-day countrywide lockdown.

The company also emphasised, that it is not considering any layoffs at this point of time anywhere despite the significant economic pressures.

"At this point in time, Oyo is not doing any job cuts despite the economic pressures. Based on the advice of hundreds of Oyopreneurs I have been in touch with, the key priority is that we do everything possible to minimise job losses," Agarwal said in the message to the employees.

Oyo can keep job cuts at bay through a combination of lowered work weeks, pay cuts, temporary leave of absence until business recovers and other such measures, he added.

"We have, therefore, decided that a certain number of Oyopreneurs across the world will go on a temporary leave of absence or furloughs for a minimum period of 60 to 90 days. This will ensure that these jobs are safe while we reduce costs and streamline business operations," Agarwal said.

All healthcare benefits will continue during this period, he added.

"I would also like to reiterate that given the Government advisories in India, we remain committed to ensuring that all employees in India get salary and benefits during the ongoing lockdown scheduled until April 14, 2020," Agarwal said.

"None of these actions is easy, but we have to collectively take the company through this highly uncertain environment and come out winners. I am committed to work hard and see us through these testing times," he added.

Agarwal emphasised that the economic impact brought by coronavirus is dramatic and has impacted every industry and said he can not imagine any other industry that is worse affected than travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

Large hotel chains are laying off people, smaller ones are running out of cash. Guests not walking through the doors means that revenues are disappearing. Oyo is not immune to this, he added.

"Oyo has been a leading brand in the hospitality industry, hence the revenue impact of the crisis is significant - about 50-60 percent revenue drop now, which has worsened from the 10-15 percent since the last time we spoke. For our peer hotel chains in the industry, the revenue drop impact is as high as upwards of 75 percent," Agarwal said.

Oyo has worked hard to minimise the financial impact by reducing controllable costs across the board when it saw the disease spread to multiple countries around the world, he added.

"We began stopping all non-essential travel over a month back and then went on to put it on complete hold to ensure the safety of all Oyoprenuers. This was followed by reducing all kinds of other controllable expenses, including future investments, M&As and so on," Agarwal said.

The CEO also said he had decided to forego 100 percent salary for the rest of the year until we see through the crisis, and the leadership team has taken 25 percent- 50 percent pay cuts.

On the positive side, Agarwal said: "... OYO China has started showing signs of recovery as we have seen a consistent and consecutive 5 percent occupancy rise in the last five weeks. I am hoping that Oyo China will set a good example of recovery for all our markets".
A senior figure in the WHO has said that its funding should not be cut during the pandemic, after Donald Trump threatened to stop paying his country's contribution to the organisation.

Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, said: "We are now in an acute phase of the pandemic - now is not the time to cut back on funding."

Dr Kluge made the comment in relation to a threat issued by the US president on Tuesday.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Trump accused the WHO of mishandling the coronavirus.

He said: "We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO."

When pressed by reporters, he quickly backtracked by saying he was only looking into a possible suspension of funds.

Earlier the same day, the president posted a message attacking the organisation on Twitter: "The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look."

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN, rejected Mr Trump's criticism and instead praised the WHO for "showing the strength of the international health system". 

Dr Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO director-general, also defended the health agency by saying its work with Beijing was important in forming an understanding of the outbreak.

He said: "It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this."

"This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically," he added.

In 2019, the US gave the WHO more than $400 million, almost double the amount of any other country.

Additional reporting from Reuters
Manitoba's family court system is striving to maintain a sense of status quo amid the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking a balance between safety and access to justice.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba's family court system is striving to maintain a sense of status quo amid the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking a balance between safety and access to justice.

In order to limit in-person appearances, provincial courts have been holding hearings over teleconference and video calls, judges have agreed to sit during their summer vacation months, and those without urgent court needs are being asked to hold off until the pandemic dies down.

In the weeks since physical-distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders kicked in, Robynne Kazina, chairwoman of the family section of the Manitoba Bar Association, noted dozens of cases have appeared before Canadas courts, as families look for legal guidance wading through the complexities of child custody, separations and financial stress.

"Families are struggling, and you add the extra layer of being a separated family and struggling and trying to co-parent," she said in an interview Tuesday.

Kazina said high-stress global situations add pressure to the home life, too, leading to an increase in conflict, domestic violence, financial disputes, and other urgent family concerns.

However, as need for the courts increases, access  at least in person  is being limited in order to keep lawyers, judges and all other parties at little risk of contracting the novel coronavirus as possible.

Manitobas Court of Queens Bench, which handles family law, has opted to temporarily suspend non-urgent matters until late May, according to an April 2 release from its chief justice, and could push hearings back even further as the courts reassess the situation on a regular basis.

"What's important for people to realize is the court's not closed  there's a pause in some areas, but we're transitioning back, to the extent we can, to some degree of normalcy where we can," Chief Justice Glenn Joyal said in an interview Monday.

"Parties, unfortunately, do have to understand that it's not completely business as usual, so there will have to be choices and lines drawn, but we're trying to do everything we can to normalize things as soon as possible."

For now, court hearings are limited to those considered urgent or essential  meaning hearings that would intervene in cases of imminent harm  and those urgent cases are being heard via teleconference or video calls.

Manitobas judges, who typically take holiday time in July and August, are already planning to forego vacations and sit through the summer months in order to prevent backlogs and unjust delays for parties looking to have their cases heard, Joyal said.

While the limited access to courts can present a challenge for families looking to navigate their concerns through the legal system, family lawyers have stepped up to ensure clients are still getting as much advice, support and advocacy as possible.

Kazina noted her practice has included adapting to make sure clients are able to consult their lawyers in private spaces, asking if they are alone and not being recorded before starting a call.

"We're trying our best to try to help clients manage," family lawyer Dean Kropp said in a recent interview.

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"I get what I would call the COVID calls, probably a couple every day. Parents are trying to say, 'What do we do? Should we send the kids, should we not send the kids, how do we manage that?'"

Overwhelmingly, as seen in cases throughout Ontario and B.C., judges are asking families to honour court orders  including shared custody  as they stood before the onset of the pandemic.

"The courts are really trying to say: if you have a status quo and you have two parents who are both healthy and caring appropriately about their children, that the kids should go back and forth and continue to go back and forth as they normally would," Kropp said.

"What's really important for kids, particularly in a time where we have lots of fear and lots of concern, is that they get to see their parents, and they get the love and support of both of their parents."

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will allocate $220 million to banks of Uzbekistan to finance small businesses, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.

The issue was discussed on April 7, during a videoconference with participation of Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti.

The parties discussed measures to counter the spread of coronavirus infection and mitigate the impact of the global pandemic on socio-economic processes in Uzbekistan.

Chakrabarti confirmed that the EBRD is ready to support Uzbekistan in this extremely difficult time by mobilizing funding to combat the spread of the virus, supporting entrepreneurs and measures to increase employment, as well as ensuring sustainable functioning of the economy.

Four Uzbek commercial banks, as a first stage of assistance, will be provided with credit lines to finance small and medium-sized business projects in total amount of $220 million trade finance line through the EBRD's solidarity package (totaling $1 billion).

At the same time, the EBRD looks to provide $100 million to support the capital of regional utility companies, which have faced a decline in the receipt of utility payments from the population and businesses.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
Pakistan on Wednesday skipped a video conference of senior trade officials of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), which discussed ways to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on regional trade.

The virtual meeting of the trade officials was a follow-up to a video conference of leaders of the eight Saarc states that was convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 15. At that time, Pakistan was the only country not to be represented by its head of government.

The external affairs ministry said in a statement that all Saarc countries, except Pakistan, participated in Wednesdays video conference discussed the impact of travel restrictions and the larger Covid-19 situation on intra-regional trade.

All the countries present during the video conference contributed to discussions on a wide-ranging trade-related agenda in the spirit of shared interest and a problem-solving approach. They recognised that the pandemic is likely to have a considerable adverse impact on trade in the Saarc region.

The trade officials stressed that new ways should be identified to sustain and expand intra-regional trade until normal trade channels are restored. The imperative need to maintain essential trade within the Saarc region was viewed as an important thrust area for favourable consideration, the statement said.

Specific issues addressed during the conference included facilitation of trade through pragmatic solutions such as provisional clearance of imports at preferential duty with suitable conditions, provisional acceptance of digitally signed certificates of origin, acceptance of scanned copies of documents for clearing imports by customs and release of payments by banks, and resolving issues related to exports and imports at land customs stations.

The impact of health issues such as Covid-19 on regional trade and measures to mitigate it emerged as a new focus area for discussion within the larger framework of trade facilitation under Saarc, and the need to enhance the quantum of intra-Saarc trade was highlighted, the statement said.

The seven states that joined the conference proposed to remain in touch through a designated focal point in each country, and the Indian side offered to coordinate this exercise, the statement said.

This will also enable further interaction on ideas and proposed actions for the early restoration of normal trade in the region after movement restrictions related to Covid-19 are lifted.

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has vowed not to wait for funds from the federal government of Nigeria before proceeding to provide relief materials for people of the state during the period of lockdown.

Speaking in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Wike said making the right sacrifice to promote the welfare of the people of the state remains paramount.

We are not waiting for the Federal Government to assist us. We are making the right sacrifices to promote the welfare of our people.

Read Also: Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey To Donate $1Billion To Fight Coronavirus

It is the duty of this committee to ensure that this policy succeeds. We must not fold our hands at this time.

Our goal is to ensure that no agricultural product like yam, garri, plantain, palm oil and fish leaves our State during this period.
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's infill induced polarization (IP) lines at the Northeast IP Target now includes a 1,500m metre long drill-ready target area in the SW portion of a 3km corridor of chargeability anomalies, with both known local geology and Induced Polarization response interpreted to be favourable for new Vezza-type gold discoveries. The past producing Vezza mine, located 12 km to the east of Maple Gold's Douay Project, produced approximately 0.4M ounces at ~6 g/t Au (life-of-mine). In addition to Vezza, the much larger Casa Berardi deposit (6.2M ounces past production plus reserves and resources), occurs in the same litho-tectonic context as Vezza. Casa Berardi is located approximately 40km west of the Douay property, with current (proven and probable) reserve grades of 5.3 g/t Au for underground and 2.3 g/t Au in-pit.1 Summary highlights for this new discovery drill target include:

Single short historical drill-hole (1994), completed just off western edge of the new IP anomaly, intersected Vezza-style alteration and mineralisation (silica-sericite-pyrite altered sediments with disseminated pyrite) and anomalous background gold(20-120ppb Au) from 62.4m to end-of-hole at 153m, with interval gold grades increasing downhole.

The Company's infill IP survey defined highest chargeability over >400m distance (for context Vezza deposit extended for about 400m along strike), starting near surface and open to depth (Figs. 1 and 2).

Maple Gold will focus on vectoring toward the higher grade portion of the hydrothermal system in this area, believed to be to the northeast, associated with an increased chargeability response.

The IP anomalies forming the eastern half of the above-mentioned 3km corridor appear to be open to the north; the IP grid will be extended in that direction before initial drilling occurs in this area.

Note: Mineralisation hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company's Douay Property.

Maple Gold's VP, Exploration, Fred Speidel, commented: "Our 2020 drilling campaign included a series of drill-holes within the known deposit area where we believe we can define more near surface higher-grade material, but we are also very excited about the prospect of making new greenfield discoveries across our greater property and the Northeast IP Target represents an excellent opportunity for us to do so." Coming soon: Educational Investor Update - Targeting New Gold Discoveries with Fred Speidel. Click the following link to receive investor updates directly to your inbox: https://bit.ly/2x35K6V





Figure 1: Chargeability slice at 150m depth; the response (measured in mV/V) is interpreted to reflect the presence of (electrically chargeable) disseminated pyrite associated with gold mineralisation. Note position of historical hole at SW edge of anomaly, and position of section 1800E shown in Fig 2, which serves to confirm the presence of a gold-bearing system in this area, but which only tested the near-surface and SW edge of it.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/54255_mgm-fig1.png

Drill-testing this new Northeast IP discovery target is a priority for the Company; the timing for drilling this discovery target will be dictated by both market conditions and by any ongoing work restrictions related to COVID-19. The position of the main proposed drill site as shown in Fig. 1 and 2 (currently one of several being permitted) reflects the Company's interpretation of where the vectors towards higher grade gold mineralisation may be pointing, starting from the historical hole that established the presence of a broad but low-grade gold-bearing hydrothermal system. The Company is using the trend indicated by the chargeability anomaly as a proxy for pyrite content, and the interpreted increase in pyrite content to the NE as a proxy for a vector towards higher grade gold mineralisation.





Figure 2: 2D inversion for IP (chargeability) section 1800E; note near-surface anomalous response and both broadening and strengthening of anomaly at depth; bottom of section is 460m depth. Trace of Fig. 2 plan view is also shown. Note that Vezza deposit gold mineralisation extends to at least 750m depth.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/54255_mgm-fig2.png

Maple Gold's pipeline of new discovery targets for both gold and VMS style mineralisation continues to grow. In addition to the drill-ready Northeast IP Target, the Company has several greenfield gold targets generated from 2018 top-of-bedrock drilling at the western edge of the Douay property and a series of base metal targets throughout the central portion of the property. The Company will complete additional IP lines over these target areas in the future to firm up new drill targets.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Click the following link to review the Company's QA-QC standards and protocols: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement.

About Maple Gold

Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world's premier mining jurisdictions. The Company's ~355 km Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.

ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD.

"Matthew Hornor"

B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO

For Further Information Please Contact:



Mr. Joness Lang

Executive Vice-President

Cell: 778.686.6836

Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as "anticipate", "will", "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.'s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.



1 Dec 31, 2018: 43-101 report, titled Technical Report for the Casa Berardi Mine, Northwestern Quebec, Canada, 297p.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54255
By PTI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Describing the COVID-19 pandemic as an "unprecedented" public health crisis in recent history, a Kerala government-appointed task force has pitched for a "phased" and "calibrated" lifting of the national lockdown, saying "time is not yet ripe" for its full withdrawal from April 14.

Continuing restriction of large scale movement of people across international and state boundaries was critical and easing it should not be considered unless and until the situation was under control in every state, it suggested.

"The Expert Committee assessed that the time is not yet ripe for full withdrawal of the lockdown on April 14th, 2020. The committee recommends a withdrawal strategy that should be gradual, phased and calibrated to ensure that the caseload is always kept below the (surge) capacity of the healthcare system to deal with it," the panel said in its report.

However, the panel said it also felt that prolonged and stringent lockdown would lead to economic hardship, famine and law and order problems, which could undermine both the lockdown and the health management objectives.

The 17-member taskforce, headed by former chief secretary K M Abraham and comprising eminent personalities, including renowned film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, submitted its report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the 21-day lockdown to check the spread of the coronavirus.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 LIVE

When asked about the strategy the government was likely to adopt after the lockdown period, Vijayan told reporters on Tuesday the state would be able to chart its future course of action only after knowing the Centre's decision on the 21-day lockdown, imposed to check the spread of the deadly virus.

The task force report was for the Centre's perusal and not for the state government, the Chief Minister said adding it had been sent to the Prime Minister.

A total of 336 people in the state had been infected by the coronavirus, of which 263 are active cases.

Over 1.40 lakh are under observation and 752 people in various hospitals.

Kerala, which reported the country's first three coronavirus cases and successfully treated them, has seven COVID-19 hotspot districts -- Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.

Replying to a question, Vijayan said it was a nationwide 21-day lockdown and the state government was following the directions of the Centre.

"The centre had declared a 21-day-long lockdown till April 14. Let the centre take a decision whether to continue or not with the lockdown...We will take a suitable decision accordingly," he added.

The phased withdrawal would be sustainable only if there was a steady recovery and decline in the number of cases leading to initial flattening of the infection curve and then gradual tapering of the curve to zero infection cases, according to the 39-page report.

The government should advise people of the state that in the event of a resurgence, they should be ready and willing to undergo the rigors of a complete lockdown once again, it said.

It suggested that the unit for operationalising a phased withdrawal approach should be a district as it had defined boundaries and an executive magistrate who had the authority to effectively enforce the measures of the phased lockdown.

While the lockdown may be relaxed, the effort to ramp up production and procurement of test kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment for healthcare personnel and masks should not be relaxed, the experts opined.

There should be a national effort for this purpose and all available capacity, including adapted capacity in other industries, should be used, it said.

"Central government should release funds for this and create a mechanism to distribute them on a need basis to avoid state governments trying to outbid one another or creating supply-side disruptions", it said.

As different states are expected to pass through the peak infection at different timings, it will be useful and important to establish a national coordination mechanism so that they could support one another with experience, expertise, equipment and finances, the report suggested.

It mooted three-phased criterias for the relaxation of lockdown in affected districts.

In Phase 1, no person shall travel outside the house without wearing face masks and no gathering of more than five persons for any purpose should be permitted.

No religious congregations to be permitted and all places of worship shall remain closed and attendance at marriages and funerals should be restricted to 10 persons.

Cordoning off the entire panchayat or wards and enforcing complete restriction of travel outside were recommended in infection hotspot areas.

Deploying of the additional police force in the hotspot boundary is necessary to ensure the strict enforcement of the lockdown and essential commodities and food from community kitchen are delivered through the Voluntary Task Force, the report said.
Lebanon Community Schools closed the doors in mid-March after Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order shutting down all public schools in the state until April 28.

Classrooms, empty. The cafeteria, a ghost town.

But something still walks the halls at Lebanon High School, its footsteps echoing off the halls: heartbreak.

A specific type of disappointment for students who have worked 12 years, toiling away at learning the alphabet and colors before moving onto addition, subtraction, biology and algebra only to have the last weeks, usually filled with pomp and circumstance, slip through their fingers.

"We're heartbroken for them," said college and career coordinator Wendy Eilers.

Brown's executive order currently extends only to April 28, but on Monday, Washington closed its schools for the remainder of the year, joining at least two other states.

"Our hearts break for them at the possibility of not having all the things at the end of the year they worked hard for," Eilers said.

So, she sent an email.

She had seen the efforts at districts around the mid-valley and across the country of teachers leading social distancing parades to cheer up students and others taking to social media to try and lift spirits. Why not Lebanon?

"We were in a Zoom meeting with the bulk of the staff," said first-year principal Craig Swanson about Eilers' pitch to reach out to seniors on Facebook. "I get choked up thinking about staff's response."

More than 50 photos show teachers and administrators holding signs of encouragement for the class of 2020.

"Challenges only make us stronger."

"We're in this together! I'm here for you!"

"This may not be the ending you wanted, but let it become the beginning of the life you have dreamed."

All these were among the signs paired with familiar faces on the school's Facebook page.

"It was really to celebrate the kids," Swanson said.

Further guidance on graduation ceremonies and requirements are expected from the Oregon Department of Education shortly. The department has told districts that there is a "strong possibility" students may not return this year, but the current executive order from the governor would have to be extended for that to become a reality.

"We're really feeling for the kiddos," Swanson said. "They're maybe losing out on the last portion of their senior year."
President Donald Trump has threatened to put a "very powerful" hold on US' funding to the World Health Organization, accusing the UN agency of being "very China centric" and criticising it for having "missed the call" in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump slammed the global health agency for its early guidance aimed at countering the international spread of the coronavirus.

"We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we're going to see. It's a great thing if it works. But when they call every shot wrong, that's no good," Trump told reporters at his daily White House conference on Tuesday.

The Geneva-headquartered World Health Organization (WHO), receives vast amounts of money from the United States.

"We pay for a majority or the biggest portion of their money. They actually criticized and disagreed with my travel ban at the time I did it. They were wrong. They've been wrong about a lot of things. They had a lot of information early and they didn't want to - they're very - they seem to be very China centric," Trump said.

The president said his administration was going to look into the US funding to the WHO.

"We give a majority of the money that they get, and it's much more than the USD 58 million. USD 58 million is a small portion of what they've got over the years. Sometimes they get much more than that. Sometimes it's for programs that they're doing, and-it's much bigger numbers. If the programmes are good, that's great as far as we're concerned," he said.

"But we want to look into it, WHO, because they called it wrong. They (WHO) called it wrong. They missed the call. They could've called it months earlier. They would have known and they should have known and they probably did know. So, we'll be looking into that very carefully, and we're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Senator Jim Risch, chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response.

"The WHO has failed not only the American people, it has failed the world with its flagrant mishandling of the response to COVID-19," said Risch.

WHO Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' apparent unwillingness to hold the Chinese Communist Party to even the minimum standard of global health and transparency hindered the world's ability to blunt the spread of this pandemic, he said.

"It is completely unacceptable that the world's global health organization has become a political puppet of the Chinese government," he alleged, adding that "an independent investigation into the WHO's handling of the COVID-19 response is imperative."



The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO.

"Our valuable tax payer dollars should go towards investments to prevent the spread of disease, not to aid and abet cover-ups that cost lives and isolate portions of the world's population on political grounds, as has been the case with Taiwan," Senator Risch said.

A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers announced Tuesday to introduce a resolution to defund the WHO until Ghebreyesus resigns and an international commission investigates the organisation's role in covering up the Chinese Communist Party's failed COVID-19 response.

"The WHO helped the Chinese Communist Party hide the threat of COVID-19 from the world and now more than 10,000 Americans are dead, a number that is expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks," Congressman Guy Reschenthaler alleged.

"The United States is the largest contributor to WHO. It is not right that Americans' hard-earned tax dollars are being used to propagate China's lies and hide information that could have saved lives. This bill will hold the WHO accountable for their negligence and deceit," he asserted.

The United States' intelligence community has reported that the Chinese government hid the threat of COVID-19 and, as a result, made it difficult for the rest of the world to respond early, appropriately and aggressively, said Congressman Fred Keller.

"For reasons beyond understanding, the WHO acted as a silent partner in this effort instead of protecting the lives of millions across the world, including hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not go to a global organization more concerned with not offending the Chinese government than providing accurate information and protecting innocent lives," Keller said.

Senator Marco Rubio accused the Chinese Communist Party of using WHO "to mislead the world."



"The organisation's leadership is either complicit or dangerously incompetent. I will work with the Trump Administration to ensure that WHO is independent and has not been compromised by the CCP before we continue our current funding, he added.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are over 1.43 million confirmed coronavirus cases across the world and over 82,000 people have died due to the disease. The US has nearly 400,000 infections, the highest in the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An ambulance worker sprays disinfectant inside an ambulance outside The Brooklyn Hospital Center during the CCP virus outbreak in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 31, 2020. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

Senators Call For Protective Gear For Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMTs

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have called on President Donald Trump to ensure that first responders have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to do their jobs without being left unprotected when facing the CCP virus.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) led a group of his colleagues on the Law Enforcement Caucus and Fire Services Caucus in writing a letter to the president on Monday to address the risks that a shortage of PPE poses for first responders and the community at-large if emergency personnel are not able to do their jobs due to infection.

The letter to Trump is requesting a federally coordinated effort to support first responders.

A shortage of PPE could lead to first responders unnecessarily being exposed to COVID-19 and could hamper the ability of emergency personnel to serve on the front lines during this public health crisis, Moran said in a statement.

[We] urge you to continue exploring every possible avenue to increase the supply of PPE to put more of this critical equipment into the hands of those who need it most, including first responders, the senators wrote.

The group of senators echoed a call for authorizing the production of key PPE under the defense production act.

Specifically, this requires utilizing your authorities under the Defense Production Act to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity by incentivizing private firms to produce PPE, including respirators, gloves, gowns, and eye protection, and to allocate some of these resources to first responders.

The senators concluded, Without aggressive federal action, we risk leaving first responders across the country without the tools and equipment they need to keep both themselves and our communities safe during this crisis.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, was among the signatories of the letter.

The other lawmakers who signed the letter were Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that PPE for all CCP virus frontline workers in contact with infected patients include surgical masks (if respirators are not available), eye protection, and gloves.

In addition to the letter, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ranking Member of the Senate Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee, introduced legislation to protect U.S. workers on the frontlines of the unfolding pandemic.

Baldwins COVID19 Workers First Protection Act (S.3584) aims to protect first responders, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians by requiring certain employers to develop and implement a comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan to protect health care workers and other employees at elevated risk from exposure to COVID-19.

Wisconsin health care workers and first responders are on the frontlines of this pandemic and we need to protect them from exposure to coronavirus, Baldwin said in a statement.

While folks are working to support our communities during this public health emergency, we must do everything we can to protect these brave men and women while theyre doing their essential jobs. My legislation will direct the Secretary of Labor to take action and protect our workers now. Were all in this together, so we need to protect one another as we work to get through this public health crisis and save lives.
PM Lee delivering a video message for the World Health Organization on 8 April, 2020. (PHOTO: @leehsienloong/Twitter)

SINGAPORE  Countries must co-operate closely and learn from one another amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday (8 April), as he gave assurances that Singapore will do its part in the fight against a common enemy.

This is the only way humanity can bring this pandemic under control. The battle is far from won, but it can be won, if we fight together, said Lee. Singapore will do our part.

He was speaking in a two-minute-long video message recorded for the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific regional office. The office was holding a second virtual meeting  titled "Stand in Solidarity to Combat Covid-19" of health ministers in the region.

In a caption shared along with the video posted on Facebook, Lee said he was invited to share about Singapores efforts to fight COVID-19, an unprecedented global crisis.

Singapore has taken COVID-19 very seriously since the start. We have done our best to detect cases and isolate them, and to trace their contacts and quarantine them, to stop further transmission, he added.

Authorities here have also encouraged people to keep safe distances apart and wash their hands, said Lee, adding that people are also now encouraged to wear masks when they go out.

But this is a very difficult fight, he noted. Despite all our efforts, our case numbers continue to rise. So we have just implemented a circuit breaker  substantially tighter safe distancing measures.

The circuit breaker measures, which were rolled out on Tuesday and is expected to last through early-May, saw a country-wide closure of all non-essential workplaces, schools and childcare centres.

Employers have also been tasked to allow their employees to work from home wherever possible and for everyone to stay home, said Lee.

These measures are painful but essential, he stressed, adding that the next few weeks would be crucial for the city-states fight against the virus.

Many other countries have done the same. Each country has different circumstances, social norms, and resources. But we are all fighting the same enemy  COVID-19, said Lee.

Story continues

He also took the opportunity to express his appreciation for the leadership and expertise of the WHO, under director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus and Western Pacific regional director Takeshi Kasai.

We depend on the WHO to mobilise and co-ordinate an effective global response, including by convening todays meeting, said Lee.

I wish everyone strength and wisdom as we deliberate and forge a way forward to good health and a new normal.

In separate posts on Facebook, Senior Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min, who was Singapores representative for the virtual meeting, called Singapores circuit breaker measures a decisive, preemptive move to maintain control and preserve healthcare capacity.

He also noted that population density and hubs of human activities make urban areas, such as Singapore, especially vulnerable to infectious disease threats.

Being an urban city, Singapore is especially vulnerable to infectious disease threats. We learned from our experiences during the (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) SARS and H1N1 outbreaks, and invested resources in pandemic preparedness over the years, said Lam.

He also warned that the COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last one with world-wide devastating consequences.

The pandemic is yet another painful reminder that it is never too early to invest in robust pandemic preparedness and response, Lam added.

As such, to combat the coronavirus and future outbreaks, member states must be willing to invest early in those areas, he said.

As member states continue to fight the battle within their countries and in their own unique way, we must also co-operate with one another, in order to accelerate the path towards winning the battle together, said Lam.

Singapore currently has 1,481 cases of the virus, of which 377 have fully recovered and six have died.

To date, there are over 1.4 million COVID-19 cases globally. Over 83,000 have died from the virus, with Italy and Spain accounting for close to 40 per cent of the total.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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By Trend

The Georgian Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is hosting Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) in the territorial waters of Georgia in the port of Poti, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

As reported, within the visit, SNMG2 will conduct combined maritime exercise training with the Georgian Coast Guard vessels.

The visit is being held in full compliance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization and Georgias National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

The aim of the maritime exercise is to enhance interoperability between the Georgian and Allies forces.

The combined exercises will only include ship maneuvers without crew interactions in order to prevent possible spread of the coronavirus. All public and cultural events within the visit have been cancelled.

SNMG2 will remain in Poti port until April 10.

Meanwhile, the NATO vessels visited Georgian ports twice in 2019, in April and October.

Relations between NATO and Georgia date back to 1992 when Georgia joined the North-Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). The latter was replaced by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in 1997 as a forum for discussions between NATO and partners.

In 1994, Georgia joined the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program and since 1996, the country has been actively participating in training and exercises within program.

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A coronavirus outbreak at Neuse Correctional Institution, in Eastern North Carolina, has contributed to a doubling of confirmed cases in North Carolinas prisons over the past few days.

Statewide, 20 inmates have now tested positive for COVID-19, state prison officials said Wednesday. Thirteen of those inmates were housed at Neuse.

Four of the other infected inmates are at Caledonia Correctional Institution, two are at Johnston Correctional Institution and one is at Pasquotank Correctional Institution. Those three prisons are also in Eastern North Carolina.

All of the diagnosed prisoners are in isolation and are being treated in accordance with CDC and state Heath Department guidelines, Bull said.

Bull said he had no further details on the infected inmates.

Located in Goldsboro, Neuse houses about 770 minimum and medium custody inmates.

Inmates there have recently been issued face masks and extra soap, according to Destiny Akers, an Alamance County resident whose father is housed at the prison. Inmates have begun eating their meals in their housing units rather than the cafeteria, she said.

The inmates whove tested positive have been quarantined. And prison officials have begun taking the temperatures of every inmate in the prison, Akers said.

They do seem to me  now that they have positive cases  a little more on top of infection control, she said.

Akers said her 56-year-old father, Scott Davenport, previously had cause for concern. He suffers from a lung disease, high blood pressure and other ailments. Last week, Davenport saw inmates from another pod, where one of the infected inmates had lived, enter his housing area, his daughter said.

Hes got 18 months (before hes released), Akers said. Were just afraid he wont make it back home.

How many staffers infected? State wont say.





As of last week, five staff members who worked at Central Prison in Raleigh, Johnston Correctional, Eastern Correctional Institution and Maury Correctional Institution had tested positive.

Story continues

Bull said prison officials will no longer release statistics on the number of staff members who report testing positive for COVID-19.

Self-reported numbers may not present a complete, true and accurate picture of potential staffing impacts, Bull wrote in an email to The Charlotte Observer.

Staff members who report a fever or signs of respiratory illness are told to stay home or go home and are advised to consult with a doctor, Bull said. He said prison officials are taking appropriate measures in cases where they receive reports that staff members test positive.

As the number of inmates diagnosed rises, a coalition of civil rights groups has filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to immediately release vulnerable inmates.

The suit, filed by the ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina and others, argues that Gov. Roy Cooper and the state Department of Public Safety have a legal duty to take action before a large-scale outbreak results in deaths inside the prisons and in surrounding communities.

State prison officials have been scrambling to secure supplies that slow the spread of the virus, the Observer reported.

Inside state prison manufacturing plants, inmates are now making face masks, gowns, disinfectant and hand sanitizer. Prison officials say all inmates and staff members will receive a face mask once enough are manufactured.

Prisons and jails are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases, experts say, because inmates live so closely together.

Various groups, including public health professionals and a coalition that includes the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, have asked officials to reduce prison and jail populations as cases continue to rise across the state.

Hoping to prevent the coronavirus from spreading more widely, North Carolina prison officials say they will not accept any more offenders from county jails for the next 14 days.

State officials say they have stopped the transfer of most inmates from prison to prison during the next two weeks.

In mid-March, state officials temporarily banned all visits to the prisons in hopes of preventing an outbreak.

On March 24, state prison officials also suspended the work release program  an effort to limit inmates potential exposure to the coronavirus.

Prison officials say they have begun taking the temperatures of every employee who enters a prison each day. Anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees is denied entry, officials say.

Staffers are also asked a series of screening questions before they enter the prisons. Officials say they deny entry to any employee who has symptoms of respiratory illness or who has been exposed in the past 14 days to anyone who is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19.
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Ive come to depend on the University of St Andrewss time-honored graduation ritual to give sense and order to my academic year. The wearing of gowns, recitation of Latin, and tapping of heads with an ancient cap, these have no intrinsic value. But each year, the principal of the university begins by explaining their meaning, and, infused with renewed significance, the ceremony transforms graduands into graduates.

Graduation is canceled this year due to the pandemic, so alternative means must mark the occasion. Physical presence is important but has never been requiredplenty graduate in absentia and receive their diplomas on the authority of the principals words.

What happens, though, when ritual requires physical presence?

Christians are poignantly confronting this question during Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, we traditionally gather to recount the Last Supper and re-enact it by sharing Communion. But during a pandemic, absence alters the ritual.

The Passover

Jesus Last Supper with his disciples was a Jewish Passovera meal always commemorated in person. Passover was a pilgrimage festival, meaning that Jews traveled from all over to Jerusalem to celebrate.

The original Passover was Gods opening act of redemption (Ex. 12). Israelites smeared sacrificial lambs blood on their doorposts to be spared from judgment and ate hurried meals from the roasted meat with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Then God led his liberated people out of Egypt through the wilderness to worship at Mount Sinai. At first, they worshipped remotely. God descended onto the mountain in a terrible thundercloud, and Moses constructed a crowd-control barrier to keep people from deadly judgment (Ex. 19:10-15). But God lifted the barrier with a covenant: Moses read out Gods commands and dashed sacrificial blood on the altar and on the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you (Ex. 24:8).

The sacrifice worked because God infused the ritual with meaning and power. According to Leviticus, blood symbolizes the force of life (Lev. 17:11). Thus, blood and the fatty portions of sacrificial animals ritually applied to the altar as God prescribed achieved atonement (see Leviticus 4). At Sinai, blood applied to the people bound them to God in covenant relationship. Through this ritual, blood was like a powerful detergent to remove the stain of impurity and sin, and God transformed unclean people into his holy own. Consequently, the dark thundercloud gave way to a clear blue sky: Israels leaders saw God and worshiped with a shared meal of sacrificial food at the foot of the divine throne (Ex. 24:10-11).

The food and drink flanking Israels founding moment marked Gods mercy and presence among his people. They were to keep the Passover perpetually as an embodied and communal ritual because the meal recalled the sacrifice that secured their life and liberation. Children asked its meaning, and parents retold the old, old story of Gods redemption (Ex. 12:2528).

Israel was required to celebrate the Passover at the temple on the 14th day of the first month (Deut. 16:17). But God graciously allowed a makeup day in the second month to include those left out due to geographical distance, ritual impurity, or poor planning (Num. 9:913; 2 Chron. 30:13, 1520). Keeping the Passover was crucial, so unnatural circumstances inspired new ways for people to be physically present.

Nevertheless, Israels Passover celebrations were patchy at best. The people forgot Gods redemption; sought emancipation; and ultimately, irrevocably, broke the Sinai covenant. God abandoned the temple and exiled Israel from the land. By the time of Jesus, the people had returned, but God had not. So, John the Baptist called Israel back to the wilderness, to reenact their founding Red Sea moment in preparation for a new covenant.

Article continues below

At his last Passover, Jesus sealed the new covenant with his own sacrificial blood. He presided over the table with his disciples and retold the old, old story, but with a new twist. Holding the bread and the drink, he recited Exodus 24:8 to make sense of his pending death: this is my body  this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many (Mark 14:22, 24). Matthew includes for the forgiveness of sins (26:28) and Luke this is the new covenant in my blood (22:20). Jesus himself became the sacrifice on whom his disciples feasted, the shared meal a physical mediation of Gods new redemption (John 6:5354). His explanation of the Passover ritual infused his actions with new meaning and the power to transform sinners into a community of saints.

Yet this Last Supper is ultimately realized in another meal. Jesus anticipated a great banquet where he will eat and drink with his followers anewafter his death and resurrectionin Gods presence (Matt. 26:29). Food and drink flank this new founding moment to join the whole of Jesus atoning workhis life, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. Paul captures the anticipation to mark our celebrations: whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26, emphasis added).

Communion During Social Distancing

When we cannot be physically present with each other, technology can mediate to connect us virtually as one body for Communion. Author Deanna A. Thompson writes,

 [C]ommuning together virtually with our faith communities can affirm the reality that our bodies are engaged in worship even when were participating from our living room, that were still connected to the other bodies gathered virtually for worship even when we can only see photos of them online, and that Christ comes to us in the gifts of bread and wine even when our pastors Words of Institution are mediated by a screen.

Virtual Communion, while not ideal, may be permissible in an unnatural time. Alternatively, this unnatural time may provide an opportunity corporately to fast from Communion in anticipation of a makeup day. Like the first Passover, Jesus Last Supper was borne out of darkness, chaos, and uncertainty. So in our fasting, we might reflect, pray and lament for those who struggle and endure loss.

In any adaptation, we should stoke our appetites by hungering and thirsting for the real thing, like Jesus did.

And when we are all together again, we can throw a party.

Dr. Elizabeth Shively is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Director of Teaching, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. She serves as a theology advisor for Christianity Today.
Executive Director at Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko has said that he is preparing for additional lawsuits against Gazprom for $17.3 billion.

He wrote this on his Facebook page.

"I do not like the idea of commenting on rumors about anyone's intentions, but if someone had to comment, it would be better if I did not in this situation. But, for my part, I can say that arbitration against Russia over assets in Crimea is not the main area of my responsibility at Naftogaz. Speaking of the updated lawsuit we filed this year, I was only responsible for the economic component, that is, for the amount of compensation. My main responsibility as the executive director is relations with Gazprom. Last December, on behalf of Naftogaz, I signed with them a transit contract with a guaranteed income of $7.2 billion," Vitrenko wrote.

According to the executive director, he continues to work on the contract not being broken and Gazprom not being exempted from the payment of $7.2 billion, even if it does not supply gas for transit. Gazprom's commitments are envisaged by the 'pump or pay' principle that was enshrined in a new contract.

"In addition, my team clearly formulated and presented additional 'questions' to Gazprom for the total amount of $17.3 billion and submitted them for approval to the Naftogaz supervisory board. If they are approved, there is also a lot of work ahead," Vitrenko added.

Media reports said on April 7 that Naftogaz was looking for someone to replace Vitrenko. The company is allegedly actively seeking a specialist who could deal with a lawsuit against Russia in The Hague tribunal regarding the expropriation of assets of PJSC Chornomornaftogaz.

On October 17, 2016, Naftogaz and six of its subsidiaries initiated arbitration proceedings against Russia, demanding the reimbursement of damages. According to the Ukrainian company, the issue concerns the assets of Naftogaz, PJSC Chornomornaftogaz, PJSC Ukrtransgaz, PJSC Ukrgasvydobuvannya, PJSC Ukrtransnafta, Gaz Ukrainy, and Likvo LLC.

In August 2017, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague started considering Naftogaz's arbitration application against Russia for compensation for assets lost as a result of the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Oral hearings on jurisdiction and responsibility took place at the Peace Palace in The Hague in May 2018.

In March 2019, Naftogaz received a positive opinion in The Hague on a lawsuit against Russia. The tribunal acknowledged its jurisdiction in the case of lost assets.

op
The city police launched a COVID-19 volunteers scheme in central Delhi on Wednesday as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus by ensuring that people follow the ongoing 21-day lockdown and practise social distancing, officials said.

Ten healthy volunteers, including women, have been selected from 15 Central district police stations, who will be engaged in community policing, they added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Bhatia said the volunteers have been entrusted with various responsibilities.

"At food distribution centres, chemist shops, general stores and schools, where ration is being distributed, they will spread awareness about the importance of social distancing and also ensure that it is followed when people stand in queues," he said.

Besides, the volunteers will also act as informers, the officer added.

They will keep a tab on any kind of violation, including flouting of lockdown rules, hoarding or overcharging of essential items, he said.

If such violations come to the notice of the police, action will be taken, the DCP added.

The volunteers have also been tasked with spreading awareness among people about the health ministry's coronavirus-tracking app, Arogya Setu. They will request people to download the mobile application in order to stay updated about the health risks posed by the deadly virus.

The app, launched by the Union health ministry on April 2, helps users ascertain whether they are at a risk of being infected with coronavirus. It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre, which functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The volunteers will serve as the "eyes and ears" of the Delhi Police in its fight against COVID-19, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India needs to test at least one million people before any reasonable conclusion could be drawn about the extent of COVID-19 spread in the country and reduce the risk of an economic and social meltdown, a new study has suggested.

Research by scientists attached with ACALM (Algorithm for Comorbidities, Associations, Length of stay and Mortality) Study Unit, UK, has made the recommendation after studying the pattern in the top 50 countries with the most number of COVID-19 cases, in relation to the number of tests performed. In India, a little over one lakh tests have been conducted so far with many as repeat tests as COVID-19 patients need to be tested several times before they can be declared as discharged.

Dr Rahul Potluri, the founder of the study unit and big data researcher, said: The crisis can be dealt with only if the government is armed with information that what percentage of the population is infected. We are suggesting ten lakh people in India to be tested.

The study projected three models on how COVID-19 might pan out. One, according to each countrys current testing rate per case per death, the second, adjusted for the countries that have performed at least 1,00,000 tests and the third, adjusting for South Korea, which has largely managed to contain the number of cases and deaths.

Different COVID-19 case and death rates have been reported globally and prediction models have been undertaken based on these figures. However, the basis for any case is a diagnostic test and you cannot have projected prediction models without a common denominator  which is the number of tests performed, said Dr Potluri.

The projections for the number of deaths vary significantly according to each model but Dr Potluri said, We found that countries with the highest testing rates have the lowest death rates. It is only by continued testing on a large scale that we will know if the increasing number of patients who are seriously unwell are the tip of the iceberg or not.

According to Dr Potluri, rolling out large-scale testing would help understand the extent of the spread. This would not only help plan healthcare services, identify hotspots and step up isolation and quarantine measures but also enable protecting the vulnerable group while bringing immune people back to work.
China's anti-virus measures effective in curbing imported cases: official

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:53, April 07, 2020

BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China's measures to curb potential import of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases via international flights have proven effective, an aviation official said Monday.

As of April 5, a total of 112 Beijing-bound international flights were adjusted, with about 25,700 passengers arriving through designated first points of entry, Han Guangzu, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) told a news conference.

The country decided in late March to redirect all international flights to airports in 12 other designated Chinese cities, as part of efforts to cut down the virus risk for its capital.

Redirecting and adjusting international flights helped the country contain imported cases, boost customs clearance efficiency and provide better services for travelers, Han said.

Measures were also taken to protect the health of Chinese living or studying abroad, with 11 interim flights arranged between March 4 and April 3, bringing 1,827 Chinese citizens home from Iran, Italy and the United Kingdom, according to Han.

While keeping a close eye on the conditions of the outbreak abroad, the CAAC will continue to optimize its prevention and control measures and guide airlines and airports to adopt differentiated approaches accordingly, Han added.

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Authorities alleged that the participants, members of the Almighty Popes street gang, had killed the girls while trying to attack members of the rival Ridgeway Lords with one of a pair of guns stolen in a burglary earlier in the day. Morfin has acknowledged that the assailants had been at his home before the shooting and a stolen gun was fired there before the attack. Testimony also indicated that Morfin helped scratch serial numbers off of the guns.
Taliban Breaks Off 'Fruitless' Talks With Afghan Government On Prisoner Exchange

By RFE/RL April 07, 2020

The Taliban has broken off talks with the Afghan government on a prisoner exchange, a main step in peace talks being brokered by the United States.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar, tweeted on April 7 that a technical team would not participate in "fruitless meetings."

Shaheen blamed the administration of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for delaying the prisoner release "under one pretext or another."

Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council in Kabul, called on the Taliban not to "sabotage the process by making excuses."

The two sides had been holding talks in Kabul since last week to try to finalize the prisoner swap originally set to happen by March 10.

Afghan government officials have said the Taliban was demanding the release of senior commanders involved in some of the most violent attacks in recent years.

The suspension of the talks could lead to an escalation of violence, which in turn could threaten the plan to withdraw U.S. troops under a pact signed by the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 29.

Ghani's adviser Waheed Omar said Kabul considers the release of the prisoners to be part of wider negotiations.

The government would not agree to release Taliban prisoners "until the Taliban take a step forward," Omar told reporters.

Afghan government officials have said the Taliban were demanding the release of senior commanders involved in some of the most violent attacks in recent years.

The Doha deal calls for the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year conflict.

The Taliban has vowed to release some 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding.

The U.S.-led international forces are to withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, but peace hinges on talks between the Afghan government and the militants.

On April 5, the Taliban claimed they had reduced their attacks compared with last year and warned that continued violations of the terms of the Doha deal by the United States and the Afghan government would create "an atmosphere of mistrust" that would "damage the agreements" and "increase the level of fighting."

A U.S. military spokesman rejected the militants' accusations as "baseless."

The peace talks have also been jeopardized by political infighting in Afghanistan, between Ghani and his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah.

Last week, after Ghani announced his 21-member team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, Abdullah rejected it as not inclusive enough.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. administration hoped that Ghani and Abdullah would work out their differences.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-break-off- fruitless-talks-with-afghan-government-on -prisoner-exchange/30537453.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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San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/08/2020 -- An investigation on behalf of current long-term investors in shares of SCANA Corporation (NYSE: SCG) concerning potential breaches of fiduciary duties was announced.



Investors who are current long term investors in SCANA Corporation (NYSE: SCG) shares, have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554.



The investigation by a law firm for current long term investors in NYSE: SCG stocks follows a lawsuit filed against SCANA Corporation over alleged securities laws violations. The investigation on behalf of current long term investors in NYSE: SCG stocks, concerns whether certain directors are liable in connection with the allegations made in that lawsuit.



According to the complaint the plaintiff alleges on behalf of purchasers of SCANA Corporation (NYSE: SCG) common shares, that the defendants violated Federal Securities Laws. More specifically, the plaintiff claims that Deloitte, LLP violated Section 10b of the Securities Exchange Act including SEC rule 10b-5 regarding SCANA financial condition and/or concealing material adverse omissions from investors about the true status of its investment in the VC Summer Nuclear Construction Project in Fairfield County, South Carolina.



Those who purchased shares of SCANA Corporation (NYSE: SCG) have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation.



Contact:

Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

Michael Daniels

3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423

92108 San Diego

Phone: +1-(858)-779-1554

Fax: +1-(858)-605-5739

mail@shareholdersfoundation.com



About Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio monitoring and settlement claim filing service, , which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is in contact with a large number of shareholders and offers help, support, and assistance for every shareholder. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Referenced cases, investigation, and/or settlements are not filed/reached and/or related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon.
The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday shifted chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Sudhir Dehariya, preceded by the transfer of two IAS officers to the health department, as Bhopal has become another Covid-19 hot spot in a span of five days.

An IAS officer of the 1989 batch and additional chief secretary (ACS) Mohd Suleiman will now head the department of health, while 2006-batch IAS officer Sudam Khade has been brought in as director of the department.

Earlier, a principal secretary who was heading the department and a director in the department both tested positive for Covid-19, along with more than 40 other officials and employees in the departments directorate over the past five days.

The directorate is considered the disease hot spot in Bhopal now.

Besides this rejig, the state government also invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on Wednesday to prohibit government employees from refusing to work.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday, There will be complete lockdown in 14 districts. Its the responsibility of the district administration to ensure the supply of essential commodities. The police will lodge an FIR on those who conceal their illness.

As per the health departments bulletin on Wednesday evening the number of Covid-19 positive cases went up to 341, with 51 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Indore tops the list of 13 districts having Covid-19 positive cases with 173 cases followed by Bhopal with 94 cases. Twenty-four have died in the state of the deadly virus so far.

Madhya Pradesh health services commissioner Faiz Ahmad Kidwai on Wednesday said, As many as 4,056 samples have been tested so far, out of which 3,442 samples have shown negative results. Our testing capacity has increased. Now we are testing as many as 700 samples every day.

A poster boy of health department till Tuesday and appreciated by his commitment by none else than chief minister of the state besides hundreds others on social media chief medical and health officer (CMHO) at Bhopal Dr Sudhir Dehariya was shifted from Bhopal to neighbouring district Sehore on Wednesday, as per an administrative order.

Shifted from Bhopal and brought back on the same post within a day earlier on March 26 Dr Dehariya became a poster boy for thousands of doctors across the country amid their fight against coronavirus, after a photo went viral on social media.

Dr Dehariya who is an orthopedic surgeon reached his residence on March 30 for a few minutes to see his family after a gap of five days. However, to avoid any possibility of his family being affected by coronavirus he maintained a distance from the family members, sat outside the gate and have a cup of tea before returning to his office again.

Dr Dehariyas neighbour snapped a photo and he posted it on social media which went viral to draw a lot of appreciation for the doctors commitment and dedication.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha have criticised the government over invoking of ESMA and demanded that the government should withdraw it in the interest of the state.

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While the White House tells states to seek their own medical supplies following requests for aid from a national stockpile, officials in several states have accused the federal government of confiscating shipments that they've ordered, forcing them to compete with other states for critically needed equipment in the face of the coronavirus pandemic

Officials in Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas have said that Donald Trump's administration has blocked or re-routed shipments to their states, without explanation, while the president and Jared Kushner criticised officials for their lack of preparedness.

On 4 April, Colorado Governor Jared Polis told CNN that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has "swept up" the state's order for 500 ventilators.

He said the state has been made to compete against "any other state, every other country [and] now we're even competing against the federal government," which has been accused of winning bids for equipment orders against the states.

The governor said: "We've been asking what we're going to get from FEMA, we'd love a timeline, and numbers."

An order of 35,000 N95 masks to Somerset County, New Jersey has also been diverted by the federal government, county official Shanel Robinson told the Franklin Reporter and Advocate.

Political consultant Jared Leopold, former communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, told The New York Times that "it would be like high school cafeteria drama if it weren't life or death".

He said the president is "basically playing political games around life-or-death issues and leaving states to fend for themselves, which is unheard of for a president to show zero federal leadership" during the crisis.

On Monday, Vice President Mike Pence told governors that the federal government's "air bridge" distribution plan is using FEMA as a "control tower at the airport" to create a singular distribution network. According to a recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times, Mr Pence said that the administration has "the visibility on medical supplies that are moving into this country and are available to vendors" across the US.

The disarray follows statements from the White House that the national stockpile isn't intended for the states.

In his first coronavirus briefing appearance, the president's son-in-law and adviser told reporters that "the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile" and is "not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."

By definition, the 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," according to the US government's website about the stockpile.

But the website was edited some time after Mr Kushner's statements to more closely match his claims.

The edits did not, however, change the US code on which the website's original language was based.
TDT | Manama

The Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energies Studies (DERASAT) issued yesterday a report highlighting the economic fallout of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Titled COVID-19 Implications: Economic Perspective, the report is co-authored by Dr Omar Al Obaidly and Ghada Abdulla, who highlighted the stimulus packages launched by governments to mitigate the crisis fallout.

The report sheds light on business repercussions and focuses on the impact of economic and financial developments and monetary policies. The authors expect the global economy to be badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of the rate of growth and the standards of living, in addition to the sustainable effects impacting the global trading system.

The report analyses stimulus packages launched by governments to support national economies, mitigate the negative economic pitfalls, and stress the need for special measures in times of major crises.
US astronaut Christopher Cassidy, who is set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) with the next mission, said on Wednesday that he was sure the coronavirus pandemic would not get to the orbital outpost

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) US astronaut Christopher Cassidy, who is set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) with the next mission, said on Wednesday that he was sure the coronavirus pandemic would not get to the orbital outpost.

"We are actually very confident that we are arriving in good health. We have been taken by great care of our medical team here in Star city in Kazakhstan," Cassidy said at a video press conference organized by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency together with Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, when asked if he was sure that the coronavirus would not reach the ISS.

The astronaut added that he and other mission members maintained a very strict quarantine for about a month, and they all felt great.

The Russian Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket is to be launched from the Baikonur spaceport on Thursday. Apart from Cassidy, the crew includes Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The expedition will last 196 days.
At first glance, the question posed by a Canadian medical ethicist might seem thoughtful:

If two coronavirus patients are having serious trouble breathing  and one is a 12-year-old child and the other a 74-year-old doctor  who should get the hospitals only available ventilator?

But on further thought, this question  asked on a recent CTV news program  seems not just horrifying but also almost  crazy.

By that I mean, how on earth has it come to the point where were worried there wont be enough life-saving ventilators  when manufacturers have been producing these machines for decades without difficulty!

Of course, ventilators are suddenly in short supply due to the pandemic and ensuring an adequate supply for Canadian needs seems like an almost impossible feat.

In fact, it pales in comparison with the amazing production feats performed by Canadian industry during the Second World War  feats that were still capable of today, if our leaders would overcome their reluctance to take charge of needed industrial production.

In 1940, when British forces had to make an emergency evacuation by sea from Dunkirk, they left behind virtually the entire British fleet of military vehicles. Almost defenceless, Britain turned to Canada to help it replace the 75,000 military vehicles it had abandoned in France.

Canada immediately stepped up to the plate  and then some.

In a highly co-ordinated effort, Ottawa created  almost from scratch  a vast industrial base that produced 800,000 military transport vehicles and 50,000 tanks, not to mention tons of other military supplies throughout the war.

This enormous industrial mobilization, overseen by wartime government production czar C.D. Howe, was enabled through legislation that gave Ottawa wide-ranging powers to compel manufacturers to produce war material.

Also central to Canadas massive mobilization was the creation of 28 Crown corporations, with a workforce of 229,000, dedicated to manufacturing war products, according to University of Torontos Sandford Borins.

Borins notes that many of these Crown corporations were impressive. Victory Aircraft, for instance, proved highly effective at manufacturing complex, British-designed planes and provided the foundation for the postwar creation of the supersonic, state-of-the-art jet known as the Avro Arrow.

Another wartime Crown corporation, Research Enterprises, teamed up with the National Research Council of Canada to design and produce technologically advanced radar equipment, periscopes, rangefinders and radio sets.

After the war, however, Ottawa was quick to transfer all production capacity back to the private sector. It shut down or privatized all 28 wartime Crown corporations, no matter how promising.

In recent decades, Canada has increasingly bought into an ideology that celebrates the marketplace and denigrates government. Indeed, weve become so locked into this pro-market mindset that, even in the face of todays deadly pandemic, Ottawa seems paralyzed to take charge in order to ensure adequate supplies of vital materials.

Of course, many companies have signalled a willingness to produce materials for the pandemic. But, without a powerful government agency overseeing production and distribution, weve been left scrambling to buy scarce equipment in a chaotic private marketplace, bidding against U.S. states and governments all over the world.

If the Trudeau government seems unable to break out of its subservience to the marketplace, some in the labour movement are showing more vision.

A group of laid-off autoworkers has called on the government to immediately order General Motors Canada to begin producing needed medical equipment at its largely idle plant in Oshawa  just as GM in the U.S. is starting to make ventilators at an Ohio plant.

The Canadian workers argue this could be the first step toward establishing a Crown corporation that could use the massive Oshawa complex to produce essential medical equipment, as well as products needed for the conversion to green energy.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown no interest in the idea. Instead, hes left us to the mercy of the marketplace, anxiously hoping well be able to buy enough ventilators, even as we find ourselves debating who might have to be thrown overboard  a 12-year-old child or a 74-year-old doctor.

The correct answer is, of course, neither! Instead, Ottawa should bloody well get to work to ensure that desperately needed, life-saving materials are manufactured right here in Canada now.

Linda McQuaig is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @LindaMcQuaig . This column was based on research from her new book The Sport & Prey of Capitalists.

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By Kim Sun-ae





The spread of COVID-19 will end someday. However, infectious diseases similar to this virus could spread around the world again anytime, unless we address the root cause of such diseases.



Scientists say that the fundamental cause is an increase in contact between humans and wild animals due to our destruction of nature including forests.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 75 percent of new infectious diseases around the world originate in non-human animals. That is, conserving wild animals' natural habitats is important for humans' health too. We must consider the health of animals including humans and the importance of preserving nature together from a wider perspective.



Publisher of Green Review Kim Jong-cheol predicted that novel viruses such as COVID-19 would appear more frequently in the future. The reason is that "wild animals that lost their habitats due to environmental destruction and climate change are highly likely to approach human society, and in the process, viruses will enter human bodies more frequently through contact between people and wild animals."



We have avoided taking responsibility for the destruction of nature and climate change. One high school student who is a climate activist was talking about the climate crisis with her friend. Her friend said, "I don't care about climate change because the earth won't be ruined while we are alive. Maybe it'll be ruined while the next generation is alive, though."



This disinterest in the climate issue must be an attitude that we have passed down to the younger generation. From where, if not from us, might they have learned such an attitude? Many of us have thought that environmental damage and climate change are not "my problems" but "other people's." But we need to change this mindset now. The coronavirus clearly shows that we can be healthy only by valuing the health of animals and the conservation of nature.



It is urgent to reflect on our past harmful actions and make necessary changes. For example, we can protect the environment by eating less meat. The livestock industry needs vast areas of land including pasture, slaughterhouses and land for feed cultivation.



According to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, "Expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation, especially in Latin America. Seventy percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feed crops cover a large part of the remainder."



Each of our daily actions affects the health of the whole earth and of ourselves. When we choose what we eat, we can help preserve the environment or contribute to destroying it. Our small everyday actions matter.





Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) wrote a book of illustrated essays, "Old Potato, New Potato."


Ezra Miller (L) and Grant Gustin both recently appeared as their respective The Flash characters in

Ezra Miller (L) and Grant Gustin both recently appeared as their respective

The Flash characters in "Crisis On Infinite Earths".



8 Apr - Sometimes celebrities make mistakes that fans will just let slide but unfortunately for "The Flash" star Ezra Miller, fans won't be so quick to forget his recent controversy.



Netizens are now rallying online to get Miller replaced by Grant Gustin in the upcoming silver screen solo vehicle for the speedy superhero, as reported by the Cosmic Book News.



Gustin is no stranger to the character since he has been starring as the eponymous superhero in CW's TV series "The Flash" for six seasons. The show was renewed for a seventh season earlier this year but production is currently on hold due to the global spread of COVID-19.



The 30-year-old has been mostly active on the small screen and was last seen starring on the big screen in 2017's "Krystal".



Both Miller and Gustin have appeared together as their respective The Flash characters in "Crisis On Infinite Earths", the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover event. The episode featuring the duo was aired last December.



The reason why fans now want Gustin as 'movie Flash' too, instead of Miller, is due to the latter's controversial viral video that surfaced recently.



In the video that was filmed in an Iceland bar, Miller could be seen getting in an altercation with a woman and the allegedly drunk actor reportedly choked her as he threw her to the ground.



:



A screenshot from the video as shared by TMZ.



John Francis Daley, who was formerly attached to direct Miller's The Flash movie, added fuel to the controversy when he referred to it with a short but savage tweet: "creative differences".



Previously, Daley was reported to have left the project due to "creative differences". His tweet seemingly implies that Miller is the problem here.



Latest update reveals that Warner Bros. is investigating the incident now and is reportedly thinking of cancelling the movie altogether.



It'll be a big blow for the 27-year-old actor if he does get replaced or if the movie gets cancelled.



Ever since debuting as Barry Allen a.k.a. The Flash in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (albeit in a cameo role), and later reprising the role for a cameo in 2016's "Suicide Squad" and as one of the leads in 2017's "Justice League", he has been working on getting the "The Flash" movie off the ground for the past few years.



Getting fired from the movie might also affect his other big screen roles. At the moment, he is set to reprise his Credence Barebone character in the upcoming third instalment of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".



(Photo source: Cosmic Book News)
The Calcutta High Court on



Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration and the central government to maintain essential supplies and medicines to the Union Territory, as well as to protect the health of people in view of the lockdown to rein in the spread of COVID-19.

A division bench presided by Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan, after perusing reports filed by the chief secretary of the UT, monitoring sub-committee of the Nicobar group of islands, tehsildar of Little Andaman and the letter petitioner, said it was "more than satisfied" that its earlier directions to ensure supply of essential goods to the inhabitants have been carried out.

The bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, acknowledged the efforts undertaken by the medical and paramedical staff in arresting further spread of the virus, noting that there has been no increase in the number of patients suffering from COVID-19 in the islands.

A total of 10 persons have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the court was informed on April 1.

The high court also lauded the police administration for maintaining strict vigil and adherence to social distancing norms.

"We hope and trust that by the time we assemble next for the purpose of considering this application, all the concerns expressed by the letter petitioner would stand duly addressed by the civil administration as well as by all concerned," the bench said in its order, after hearing all the parties through video conference.

A letter by lawyer D C Kabir with regard to the prevailing situation in the UT amid the COVID-19 outbreak, was taken up as a writ petition by the court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A total of 1,036 Indian nationals were evacuated in five batches to India post-testing for Coronavirus in Iran, a Defence spokesperson said on Tuesday. Three batches were brought to Jaisalmer and two to Jodhpur.

"Upon arrival, they were quarantined for 14 days as per ICMR protocol at the Army Wellness Facilities at Jaisalmer and Jodhpur which were created by vacating living barracks of the troops," said Sombit Ghosh, PRO Defence, Rajasthan.

Efforts underway to ensure their earliest return home

On completion of the quarantine period, the evacuees were tested for the first time in India at AlIMS, Jodhpur, wherein out of the 236 evacuees of the first batch, 15 asymptomatic persons tested positive from March 28 onwards. The statement said that the complete second batch of 53 students tested negative on March 29, and efforts are underway to ensure their earliest return home.

In the third batch of 195 evacuees, only two persons have tested positive so far. In the case of Jodhpur facility, proactive testing by the Army in the initial days itself led to the identification of 19 positive cases out of the total 552 evacuees, who have been isolated at AIIMS and MDM hospitals Jodhpur, while the rest are undergoing quarantine at the Army facility.

READ | 90-yr-old ex-Army officer donates 2 months pension to PM CARES; showers praises for PM

"As a consequence of the Army's diligent and systematic efforts, the asymptomatic evacuees who tested positive have been prevented from becoming vehicles of contamination to other parts of the nation," the statement added. As per ICMR directive, the quarantine period of batch one and three have been extended by another 14 days and even smaller clusters of 25-50 people have been made to further reduce the chances of community spread and ensure their early return home.

READ | Amid COVID-19 spread, Indian Army to take over screening duties at Narela quarantine camp

The total number of positive cases reached 4,789 on Tuesday, the 14th day of lockdown. According to the latest update of the Health Ministry, there are 4,312 active cases, 352 persons have been cured or discharged (one migrated) and 124 have died.

READ | Read this valorous tale as Indian Army Jawans foil Pak terrorists in Keran even amid Covid

READ |Keran ops: Army thwarts Pak infiltration bid in Kashmir; 5 terrorists killed

(With ANI inputs)
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday approved a 30 per cent cut in salaries of ministers and state legislators in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The reduction will be applicable for a year.

The money will go into the COVID Care Fund set up by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for strengthening medical facilities to deal with the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said.

The minister said this way, all 503 legislators, including 56 ministers, will contribute around Rs 17.50 crore for the cause.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rachael Ray is doing her part to help feed families during the coronavirus outbreak, donating $4 million through her two charities.

The 51-year-old celebrity chef and talk show host announced the donation through The Rachel Ray Foundation website on Tuesday, and through her show's Instagram.

The donations will be made through The Rachel Ray Foundation and The Yum-O! Organization, with $2 million from each charity 'directed to help fund critically needed food programs and support services for two-legged and four-legged family members alike.'

Rachael gives back: Rachael Ray is doing her part to help feed families during the coronavirus outbreak, donating $4 million through her two charities

Insta: The 51-year-old celebrity chef and talk show host announced the donation through The Rachel Ray Foundation website on Tuesday, and through her show's Instagram

Half of the donations are going to organizations such as Feeding America, Share Our Strength, World Central Kitchen, The National Restaurant Association, City Harvest, Hunger Free America, Wholesome Wave and ReThink Food.

The second wave of donations are going to animal organizations such as the North Shore Animal League, Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive, Big Dog Ranch, San Antonio Pets Alive and Lost Our Home Rescue.

Ray will also donate funds between $25,000 and $50,000 to 'regional and local organizations' distributed by Best Friends Animal Society, according to RachelRayShow.com.

Half: Half of the donations are going to organizations such as Feeding America, Share Our Strength, World Central Kitchen, The National Restaurant Association, City Harvest, Hunger Free America, Wholesome Wave and ReThink Food

'My overall goal with these donations is to support American families affected during the Covid-19 crisis with assistance for two-legged and four-legged family members," Ray said in a statement.

"We felt it was important to help offset the decline in donations organizations have experienced, from a combination of the cancellation of fundraising events and reduced private donations,' she added.

Ray has long donated a portion of her products' sales to various charities, adding, 'We have been at this for a decade, and I never wanted to ask people to donate to the philanthropies I personally care about.'

Goals: 'My overall goal with these donations is to support American families affected during the Covid-19 crisis with assistance for two-legged and four-legged family members," Ray said in a statement

'So we have always directed portions of the proceeds from the sale of many of our products  from pet food to pots and pans  to charitable giving,' she added.

The Rachel Ray Foundation is a private foundation, 'fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish whose goal is to simply support causes that are helping animals in need.'

The Yum-o! Organization is a public foundation created in 2006 dedicated to teaching families about cooking, feeding hungry children and funding opportunities for kids pursuing careers in restaurants and food service.

Foundation: The Rachel Ray Foundation is a private foundation, 'fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish whose goal is to simply support causes that are helping animals in need'

Ray first became a public figure thanks to her 30 Minute Meals show, which ran on the Food Network from 2001 to 2012.

She has authored over 20 cookbooks and has won Daytime Emmy Awards for 30 Minute Meals and her talk show The Rachael Ray Show.
A police officer wearing a facemask offers directions to a motorist as people in a row of cars await Covid-19 testing near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on April 7, 2020, as Los Angeles County officials say the number of coronavirus cases has reached 6,910 with a death toll of 169. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP)

Louisville Doctor Charged With Strangulation After Fighting Teens Over Social Distancing

A doctor in Louisville, Kentucky, was arrested on strangulation charges over a brawl with teens who were not following social distancing measures.

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) said it was alerted Monday to a video showing teens being berated by a man who shoved them and then put his hands around a girls neck, authorities told WLKY.

The incident is believed to have occurred Friday evening.

The man was identified as John Rademaker, a local physician. The police department said he was arrested Tuesday and was charged with three counts of harassment with physical contact and strangulation, according to the station.

Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way. We ask people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns, LMPD said in a statement, reported WAVE.

Baptist Health officials told WLKY that Rademaker is with an anesthesia group and was placed on administrative leave.

SIAC, a division of One Anesthesia PLLC is aware of the incident that occurred in Norton Commons with one of its physicians, who was not on official call or due to report to the hospital in any official capacity. With that said, the partners of SIAC, a division of One Anesthesia PLLC have decided to place the physician that appeared in the video on administrative leave as of April 5th pending further investigation. Our well wishes extend to all parties involved and we will continue to monitor this situation as new information develops, said Baptist Health.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:29:16|Editor: zyl

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Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming attends an online donation ceremony in London, Britain, on April 8, 2020. To help Britain fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) on Wednesday donated 1.862 million items of medical supplies including 20 ventilators to The Lord Mayor's Appeal (LMA), the official charity of City of London. Donated by CCCUK member Bank of China, the supplies, including 20 ventilators, 722,000 units of medical masks, 100,000 N95 masks, 19,000 sets of medical protective clothing, 19,000 sets of goggles and 1 million pairs of medical latex gloves, are being distributed primarily to the NHS (National Health Service). (Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom/Handout via Xinhua)

LONDON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- To help Britain fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) on Wednesday donated 1.862 million items of medical supplies including 20 ventilators to The Lord Mayor's Appeal (LMA), the official charity of City of London.

Donated by CCCUK member Bank of China, the supplies, including 20 ventilators, 722,000 units of medical masks, 100,000 N95 masks, 19,000 sets of medical protective clothing, 19,000 sets of goggles and 1 million pairs of medical latex gloves, are being distributed primarily to the NHS (National Health Service).

"On behalf of the City of London and the many beneficiaries of these generous donations, I would like to thank our friends in China for their support and kindness. This type of international collaboration is a glimpse of light in an otherwise dark time," said Lord Mayor of City of London Alderman William Russell.

Wednesday's donation is the CCCUK's first batch of medical supplies to the British government. Under the assistance of the British embassy in China, approximately 4,000 boxes of medical supplies weighing 65 tons have arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport and are ready to be delivered to London in the coming days, said the CCCUK in a press statement.

"The donation will be a strong proof of UK-China friendship and cooperation and a reflection of the spirit of 'UK and China, United We Stand', a significant moment that capture the start of CCCUK's support to the UK in the fight against the epidemic," said the LMA on its website.

In mid March, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered a national speech urging the business community to provide ventilators to help the NHS.

In response, the CCCUK issued the "UK-China United We Stand--UK COVID-19 Outbreak Donation Campaign", calling upon its members to donate ventilators and other key medical supplies to help Britain fight the novel coronavirus. In just two weeks, the initiative was met with donation intents of 44 ventilators from CCCUK member companies.

"This donation, once again, shows the global vision of Chinese businesses who are willing to live up to their social responsibilities. It demonstrates true friendship between China and the UK in times of hardships. It displays the spirit of cooperation which underpins our joint response to the epidemic," said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming, hailing it as a vivid illustration of the China-Britain "Golden Era".

Fang Wenjian, chairman of CCCUK and general manager of Bank of China London Branch, said the organization have not forgotten the support China has received from the British people when the epidemic was at its worst.

"Now, as we confront this difficult time in the UK, our members will consolidate forces, fulfil our social responsibilities, raise even more medical supplies for the NHS and help as much people as we can," he said.

Showing his appreciation to the CCCUK, Trade Commissioner for China Richard Burn said the donation is a symbol of friendship between Britain and China and a reflection of good relations between the two countries.

This charitable act by CCCUK will hugely support the NHS medical staff, and will further strengthen Britain's confidence in overcoming the virus, he said.

Established in 2001, the CCCUK aims to represent China invested business in Britain, protect their interests, and promote the bilateral development of trade and investment between China and Britain, while building close relations with British companies, trade promotion organizations, chambers of commerce and business associations.
China says it has sold nearly four billion masks abroad

China says it has sold nearly four billion masks abroad

Beijing

China has sold nearly four billion masks to foreign countries since March, officials said yesterday, as they tried to stem widespread fears over the quality of medical exports.

Despite Chinese cases dwindling, Beijing has encouraged factories to increase production of medical supplies as the pandemic kills over 60,000 globally and parts of the world face a protective equipment shortage.

China has exported 3.86 billion masks, 37.5 million pieces of protective clothing, 16,000 ventilators and 2.84 million COVID-19 testing kits since March 1, customs official Jin Hai said, with orders to more than 50 countries.

She added the countrys medical supply exports were valued at 10.2 billion yuan ($1.4 billion). However numerous nations -- including the Netherlands, the Philippines, Croatia, Turkey and Spain -- have complained about substandard or faulty medical products shipped from China.

Last week, the Dutch government recalled 600,000 masks out of a Chinese shipment of 1.3 million that did not meet quality standards. China said the manufacturer stated clearly that (the masks) are non-surgical.

Spain also rejected thousands of rapid test kits sent by an unauthorised Chinese company after it found that they were unreliable last week. Chinese officials hit back on Sunday at media reports over defective medical supplies, saying that they did not reflect the full facts.

In reality, there are various factors, such as China having different standards and different usage habits to other countries. Even improper use can lead to doubts over quality, said Jiang Fan, an official with the Ministry of Commerce.

The comments echoed remarks from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who over the past week has repeatedly urged Western media not to politicise or hype up the issue.

Earlier this week, Beijing tightened regulations for exported coronavirus medical equipment, requiring products to fulfil both domestic licensing standards and that of their destination countries.

China has also increased its production capacity of COVID-19 testing kits to over 4 million a day, said Zhang Qi, an official with the National Medical Products Administration.
The chief mufti of Aligarh has asked Muslims not to visit graveyards and mosques on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat in view of the country-wide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In a video shared on social media, Mufti Khalid Hamid said that visiting the graves of departed loved ones is a traditional practice among followers of Islam.

However,in view of the pandemic this practiceof offering prayers in mosques for the departed souls "should notbe followedin the present circumstances".

The mufti said, "Everybody has to perform these rituals at home and under no circumstances should anyone carry the erroneous impression that such rituals aremandated to be carried out onlyin graveyards and mosques".

Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of forgiveness, will be observed on April 8-9 this year. Members of the Muslim community visit graveyards and offer prayers in memory of their loved ones.

The chief mufti has also strictly warned against the practice of burstingfire crackers on the occasion.

"There is no need to celebrate the occasion by putting up decorative lights as this a tradition which has crept in among followers of Islam recently," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board had on Tuesday decided to close down all graveyards in view of the lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 24 imposed a 21-day nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A lorry driver has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in the back of a refrigerated truck.

The bodies of the Vietnamese nationals were discovered by emergency services at an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, shortly after the lorry arrived on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium in the early hours of October 23 last year.

Among the men, women and children were 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

Five men charged following an investigation by Essex Police appeared for a virtual hearing at the Old Bailey before Mr Justice Sweeney.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the truck driver also admitted 39 counts of manslaughter on or before October 24 last year.

He denied a further charge of transferring criminal property.

Robinson appeared at court via video link alongside four other co-defendants.

British Romanian Gheorghe Nica, 43, of Mimosa Close in Langdon Hills, denied 39 counts of manslaughter.

He also denied one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration between May 1 2018 and October 24 2019.

Romanian national Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, of Hobart Road in Tilbury, denied a charge of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Christopher Kennedy, 23, of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, has previously denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

Valentin Calota, 37, of Cossington Road in Birmingham, was not asked to enter a plea to the charge of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Kennedy and Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faced.

The other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks from October 5.

The hearing was conducted virtually with most lawyers and court reporters attending by Skype.

992863/readmore]
On 15 April 2020

The Board of Punjab & Sind Bank will meet on 15 April 2020 to consider and approve -

a. Raising of Equity Capital through QIP upto an amount of Rs.750 crore in one or more tranches within a period of 12 months.

b. Raising of Equity Capital by way of Preferential Issue upto an amount of Rs. 750 crore in one or more tranches.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Miami lawyer filed suit against Costa Cruises on Tuesday afternoon, alleging that the operator was negligent for allowing the Costa Luminosa to sail after a passenger on a previous trip showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus - and for continuing on its next voyage after more showed symptoms.

Tuesday's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, is just the latest litigation targeting the beleaguered cruise industry, which has had coronavirus outbreaks on dozens of ships around the world. And experts expect it won't be the last.

"It doesn't surprise me that some people are, no pun intended, testing the waters to see if these cases are viable," said Michael Karcher, a maritime lawyer who teaches admiralty law at the University of Miami School of Law. "Most passenger tickets have a one-year statute of limitations by contract. There may be some waiting to see what happens."

Costa Luminosa left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 5 after a trip during which a man had to be removed on Feb. 29 because of heart problems, the cruise line said. He eventually tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and later died.

On the voyage that departed March 5, a woman from Italy and her husband left the ship in Puerto Rico on March 8 because she was suffering from breathing issues, according to the operator; both later tested positive for the virus.

"When that happened, on that day in Puerto Rico, the cruise should have ended or they should have gone back to Fort Lauderdale and gotten everyone home," said maritime attorney Michael Winkleman. "Instead of doing that, they dragged all these folks across the Atlantic."

At that point, he said, the Italian ship was "a coronavirus time bomb."

Luminosa was not allowed to stop at its next scheduled port, Antigua, before crossing the ocean. The lawsuit said if passengers had known about the risk, they would have fled the ship in Puerto Rico.

"Instead, passengers were trapped on the vessel, and at an actual and significantly increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus, while it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for seven days," the complaint says.

Passengers were not isolated in their rooms until March 15, the day after the ship learned that the couple who disembarked in Puerto Rico had tested positive, according to the cruise line. The lawsuit said the company discovered that the man who disembarked on Feb. 29 was positive for the virus after the ship left Puerto Rico.

"It was a certainty that it was going to spread like wildfire," Winkleman said. Hundreds of passengers eventually disembarked in France, where, authorities said, 36 people tested positive and 75 either showed symptoms or came into contact with those who were infected, according to Reuters.

Costa Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. based in Italy, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Carnival is also the parent company of Princess Cruises, which by March 5 was dealing with what turned out to be its second coronavirus outbreak on a ship - a history the complaint points out.

The lawsuit faces several challenges: Costa's ticket contract says passengers must file claims in Genoa, Italy, but Winkleman is challenging that provision, as well as one that seeks to limit the ability of passengers to file a class-action suit.

Attorneys are asking the court to certify the suit as a class action, which it says includes an estimated 2,000-plus passengers who sailed on Costa Luminosa voyages starting Feb. 24 and March 5. Winkleman said the firm has been contacted by roughly 100 so far.

Paul Turner, 50, a golf instructor and tournament coordinator in northern Wisconsin, is the representative party for the rest of the plaintiffs in the case. He just finished his 14-day self-quarantine at home after leaving the ship on the night of March 19.

Turner said workers on Luminosa told him it was extremely clean and no one was sick when he boarded; he only heard from other passengers after a couple of days that someone had been sick and dropped off during a previous sailing. And, he said, he received no information about sick passengers being left in Puerto Rico, either. It was a blow when the captain said no one could leave in Antigua on March 9, he said.

"I could see the island from my window," said Turner, who took the cruise with his girlfriend. "At that point, now I knew I wanted off the ship. And they weren't stopping there."

Once he was finally on his way home after getting off the ship in Marseille, France, Turner decided to contact an attorney. He said he passed around an airsickness bag "very discreetly" to collect names and contact information for fellow shipmates.

"No matter what happens, something needs to get fixed," he said. "Whether it's the way these corporate operations get handled or whether it's some oversight of them or help with the seniors."

Winkleman said his firm is in the process of filing similar actions involving other coronavirus outbreaks on cruise ships. Last month, a man and a woman who were quarantined aboard the Grand Princess in California filed suit against Princess Cruises over its handling of an outbreak. Last week, attorneys in Australia said they are considering a class-action suit against Princess Cruises and local authorities over another ship with coronavirus cases, the Ruby Princess, according to Australian media.

"It's become apparent that the cruise industry as a whole grossly mismanaged the coronavirus outbreak, and it's clear that there will be a significant amount of litigation on the horizon related to it," Winkleman said.
The Ministry carries out mathematical modeling of further developments on a daily basis.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine hopes the country will not face a sharp peak in coronavirus incidence as such, but to this end, Ukrainians must comply with quarantine restrictions, says Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko.

"We don't want this to happen in Ukraine, and therefore we appeal to all Ukrainians to adhere to quarantine measures, and then we won't have any 'peak'," said Liashko, according to Hromadske.

At the same time, the official says the Ministry of Health conducts daily mathematical modeling of the developments regarding the spread pace.

Read alsoUkraine's PM Shmyhal: Quarantine likely to be extended until early May

"We look at this disease every day, because one way or another our quarantine measures do work, first of all, those on self-isolation and social distancing. This yields real results," the official believes.

If quarantine restrictions are observed, Liahsko says, any forecast indicators could be reduced by 75%.

"And that's good enough for our [health care] system," he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the latest coronavirus update for Ukraine said 1,668 cases have been confirmed, including 52 deaths and 35 recoveries.
Five residents at a Newton assisted living facility have died from the coronavirus, and dozens more have tested positive for COVID-19, according to officials.

The Falls at Cordingly Dam said Tuesday that in addition to the residents who died, 36 other residents and 10 employees were diagnosed with the viral respiratory infection.

One of the patients who died had been in hospice care, the Boston Globe reported.

As we continue to adhere to the latest guidance from the public health authorities, we have established an operational center outside the community to provide additional support," a spokesperson for the facility said in a statement. We are actively looking to secure expanded testing options within our community.

In a statement released Monday, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller confirmed an unspecified number of residents at the Falls at Cordingly Dam had died and noted a substantial number of additional positive cases among residents and staff.

We are so very saddened to learn that Newton residents within the Falls at Cordingly Dam community have passed away from COVID-19, her statement said. As positive cases have been, and are likely to continue to be, identified at the Falls, we have been and will continue to work with and offer support to them, a valued member of our Newton community.

The news about the Falls at Cordingly Dam comes as nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the state face an elevated threat due to the coronavirus. Older individuals and people with underlying health issues are most at risk of developing severe, potentially lethal symptoms from the disease.

Twenty-two elderly veterans at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke have died, with 18 testing positive for the virus. An additional 65 of the state-run nursing homes roughly 200 residents were also infected, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

At the Soldiers Home in Chelsea, at least three residents died from COVID-19-related illness, officials said.

As of Tuesday, 15,202 cases of the respiratory infection have been reported statewide, and 356 deaths due to the disease have been confirmed.

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A pedestrian walks in a mostly empty Center City at 7 a.m. on March 24, after Mayor Jim Kenney issued a stay-at-home order. Read more

The closing of offices amid the coronavirus pandemic may bring a bit of relief to some of the thousands of workers who live outside of Philadelphia but commute to jobs in the city: A break from the citys highest-in-the-nation wage tax.

Philadelphia-area residents who are now working from their dining-room tables or home offices are likely eligible to stop paying the tax or apply for refunds later. As long as companies are requiring employees to work from home, they are exempt from the 3.4481% nonresident tax. (People who live in the city, no matter where they work, must always pay the 3.8712% resident wage tax.)

How do I know if I am eligible to stop paying the wage tax?

If you live outside the city and have been working from home because your company closed its Philadelphia offices under orders from Mayor Jim Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf, you do not have to keep paying the city wage tax.

 READ MORE: Phillys wage tax is the highest in the nation. Heres everything you need to know about it.

Employers can stop withholding the tax from the paychecks of non-Philadelphia residents who are now required to work remotely, city spokesperson Mike Dunn said.

Workers who are still required to report to work at essential jobs in the city must continue paying the tax as usual.

What if my employer does not stop withdrawing the tax from my paycheck?

If an employer does not change the tax withholding on your paycheck, or begins doing so after youve already been working from home for a few weeks, you can apply for a refund from the city for days worked outside the city.

Refund requests can be submitted to the Philadelphia Department of Revenue after the end of a tax year, or in 2021 for days worked outside the city during the current crisis.

Refund applications require an employers signature verifying time worked outside of the city.

How much money will this save me?

Workers will essentially receive a 3.4481% increase in take-home pay during the time they are working from home. People who live in municipalities with their own earned income taxes may have to begin paying those levies, which are usually 1% or less, which would still result in a net savings compared with the higher city rate.

The total savings depends how long offices remain closed. For a worker who lives in a town without any earned income tax, has a taxable income of $60,000 per year, and is required to work from home for eight weeks, for example, the savings would total about $318.

 READ MORE: How much does it cost  or save  workers to commute across state lines?

Will this hurt the city financially?

Relief from the wage tax may be good news to suburban residents, but it will add to the already damaging impact of the pandemic on the citys finances.

The wage tax, which raised $1.7 billion in revenue for the city in the last fiscal year, accounts for more than one-third of the citys annual general fund revenue.

About 40% of wage tax revenue is paid by nonresidents, according to the citys financial data. And more than 240,000 residents commute to Philadelphia from surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data completed last year by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

My sense is that that would be a fairly sizable exemption and have fairly sizable impacts on the nonresident wage tax, said Robert Inman, a finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

But its difficult to predict exactly how much it will cost the city, Inman said. Some nonresidents are continuing to commute to Philadelphia for jobs at hospitals, grocery stores, and other essential businesses. And for those working from home, not all employers will stop withholding the tax and not all workers will take the time to apply for refunds next year.

The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority predicted that the city will lose between $310 million and $400 million in revenue between April and June; executive director Harvey Rice said he was not sure if that estimate accounted for the loss of nonresident wage taxes.

Does this apply if I keep working from home after the pandemic ends?

After experiencing remote work for a few months, companies may change their work-from-home policies, adding flexibility.

But that doesnt necessarily mean you can stop paying the tax forever. Theres a key word to the exemption permitted by the pandemic: required. The exemption from the wage tax only applies if a Philadelphia-based employee is required to work outside the city.

 READ MORE: Philly offices may never be the same again as the coronavirus pandemic boosts technology disruption

Workers have always been eligible for wage tax refunds for days on which they are required to travel to other cities for business, for example. And Eagles players who live outside the city dont pay the wage tax when theyre at away games.

So if your company decides remote work was so effective during the coronavirus pandemic that it is closing its offices forever, non-Philadelphia employees can stop paying the tax. But if your company simply decides to offer an option of working from home one or two days a week, you have to keep paying the tax on the entirety of your income.
Harrisburg author Dave DeKok was surprised to see photos of truckloads of dirt being dumped on one of Pennsylvanias quirkiest landmarks.

This week, Graffiti Highway, an abandoned stretch of Route 61 in Centralia, Columbia County, is disappearing for good as the owners cover it over.

You considered Graffiti Highway to be this wild and wacky art project, DeKok said. It was an amazing thing to look at it, especially after a light rainstorm the colors just popped.

The author of Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire, said through the years people visited the landmark from all over, some armed with spray paint to add their own mark.

Now, as Pagnotti Enterprises, the Luzerne County-based company that took title to the land several years ago, has moved in with several dump trucks and graders to cover over the highway with dirt and other fill, DeKok said theres little reason for anyone to visit the area.

If it does make people stop going there, that would make certain people happy. But its not going to bring Centralia back, he said.

On Monday, Tom Hynoski, Centralias borough secretary, told PennLive the area had become overrun with ATVs on weekends. He also noted problems with out-of-towners who came to use the area as their personal campground, and then at times pulled additional stunts like partying in a nearby cemetery and defacing graves there.

And the last month here, with all of the people out of work because of the coronavirus, it got totally out of control. Everybodys been requesting that something get done, Hynoski said.

DeKok, who has devoted more than four decades to researching and writing about Centralia, offers historical tours of the town, known for its underground mine fires. The former Patriot-News reporter has also consulted with reporters and television and film production companies from around the world.

Today only a handful of buildings, including houses, a municipal building and Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, remain in Centralia. The town had a population of over 2,000 residents at one time until the fire -- started in the 1960s -- forced the towns residents to evacuate decades later. By 2017 only five people lived in the area.

In the 1990s, the road buckled and cracked open and was closed permanently. It subsequently received the nickname Graffiti Highway" for the messages and art.

For the most part, DeKok noted people visited out of curiosity.

It was just a lot of people coming together. It was a lot of fun and it wasnt hurting anyone, he said.

The only danger was the possibility of accidentally getting run over by an off-road vehicle or tripping and falling, he said. As far as reckless behavior, DeKok recalls a few events, including a time someone set fire to tires at the site.

Pagnotti Enterprises said it will plant grass and trees along the .74 mile stretch of highway.

Its possible off-roaders will return and rip up the grass and trees, DeKok said while visitors who havent heard the highway is covered will still make the trek to Centralia.

Centralia died many years ago. This is just more dirt on the grave, he added.
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution promises equality under the law and that everyone must be dealt with equally. Our Constitution provides protection to religions, classes and categories in education, reservation, the criminal law is agnostic in the matter of determining guilt. If you break the law, the penal code and other statutes treat all persons equally, though sentences awarded may vary.

The recent controversy in Delhi regarding the Tablighi Jamaat continuing to house thousands of people in its premises or a few hundred found at Gurdwara Majnu ka Tila, despite the impending threat of Covid-19 and the closedown of religious institutions, are issues of public safety, health and consequential criminal sanctions.

Even after the curfew (under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code) and directions under the Disaster Management Act were in place, the continued presence of large numbers at such religious places has posed a health hazard not only to those present, but to each individual who came in touch with these potential carriers of the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen. As per reports over 21,200 people have been placed under quarantine on this account alone, and the human cost that these follies will bring are yet to be discovered in the weeks and months ahead.

What this tragedy exposes is the Indian states unstated inability to act with speed and effectively against religious communities and institutions, even where there is a blatant breach of law. A thought process, which instead of enforcing the law, effectively looks at the collateral issues and possible repercussions of action against those who profess or propagate religion is the weak spot of the Indian state in its application of law.

Whether it is the Tablighi Jamaat gathering or the Majnu Ka Tilla Gurdwara crowd, (both in Delhi), such gathering of persons for religious functions was clearly in breach of the law and FIRs have been registered. But the investigation is only a reactive, and not preventive approach to the breach of the law which will take its course if a chargesheet is eventually filed with prosecution.

What is a matter of further anguish is that while the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and of Section 144 Cr.PC were in force, its breach, punishable also under penal provisions for the spread of disease under Sections 269, 270 and 271 (Indian Penal Code) is being questioned in some quarters.

Others err no less while portraying it as a communal issue, which it neither was nor is. Such angularities have to be discarded because our purpose must only be to ensure that every resource, legal or otherwise, be applied effectively to contain this dreaded disease. To term this health and public safety issue as a communal issue, or alternatively castigate a community, is a breach of the law and may invite criminal action.

The pan-India effort to enforce our laws while dealing with Covid-19 is an issue of health, enforcement of criminal law, public safety and order. Whether preventive action is sought to be taken by state authorities or prosecution launched, we, as Indians and as members of the human race occupying this planet must realize, that it is time for us to act as one world and one people, and in India as one nation. It is time to step beyond our differences and focus on the larger good  that the protection of 130 crore people in India is ensured by effective and equal enforcement of the law.

There are brave men and women in the field - doctors, paramedics, government employees, police officers all of whom are risking their lives, and those of their families, to ensure that we tide over this crisis with minimal loss of human lives. Doctors who treat their patients do not examine or consider the caste, creed or religion while saving lives. Nor do police and government officers enforcing the lockdown.

And while the law must be equally applied irrespective of caste, creed and religion, those who question the application of the law or alternatively seek to focus on this exclusively health and safety issue on communal lines are, in fact, obstructing the national cause.

(Sidharth Luthra is former Additional Solicitor General of India, and Ketaki Goswami is a lawyer)
All the funnier: a death wish. On Thats the Way the World Goes Round, the radiator fails while Prine is having a bath; freezing and in despair, he hopes for death to deliver him from the tub where he sits, naked as the eyes of a clown. Just as suddenly, sunlight breaks through the window and corrects the temperature  oops, cancel that death! And cue the chorus: Thats the way that the world goes round: youre up one day, the next youre down, its a half an inch of water and you think youre gonna drown.
A judge has certified as a class action a suit pending against the Trump administration that seeks to bar him from requiring immigrants to prove they can get or pay for health insurance before theyre granted visas.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon of Portland on Tuesday opened the suit to two classes of plaintiffs: U.S citizens who have or will petition to sponsor an immigrant visa for family members, and foreign nationals who have applied for visas.

The class certifications apply to those who are unable to demonstrate to a consular officer that either they will be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entry to the United States or able to pay for "reasonably foreseeable'' medical costs.

Class-action suits typically are allowed to avoid a glut of separate suits filed by many people bringing the same allegations or to address a widespread alleged harm.

The government has argued that the plaintiffs dont have standing to challenge the restrictions because federal authorities havent yet enforced President Donald Trumps proclamation against any immigrant. Government lawyers also contend that individual visa applicants dont share specific financial or medical circumstances and so they cant band together to sue.

But Simon swept away those arguments, writing in his ruling that the government acknowledges "the Proclamation will apply to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of immigrants.

He also found that the plaintiffs share a basic claim.

"Plaintiffs are not challenging specific visa determinations. Plaintiffs are challenging the legality of the implementation and enforcement of a broadly applicable change to how immigration visas are to be processed and whether the President violated the Constitution in issuing the Proclamation,'' Simon wrote.

The proclamation says immigrants applying for U.S. visas cant enter the country unless they can show theyll be covered by health insurance within 30 days or show they have the financial resources to pay for their reasonably foreseeable medical costs.

A day before it was set to take effect on Nov. 3, Simon issued a temporary restraining order and then on Nov. 26 granted a nationwide injunction, barring it from going into practice.

Simon found Trumps proclamation inconsistent with the Immigration and Nationalization Act of 1965. He ruled it was issued without any properly delegated authority and little, if any, justification for linking uncompensated health care costs to legal immigrants.

The initial plaintiffs include U.S. citizens in Oregon, California, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois who have petitioned the government to sponsor a noncitizen relative for an immigrant visa, as well as foreign nationals applying for immigrant visas and the Latino Network, a nonprofit organization in Multnomah County that supports Latino residents by connecting them with housing, financial and social support services.

The plaintiffs submitted expert opinions that Proclamation 9945 would affect 60% to 65% of otherwise eligible legal immigrants.

The government has challenged the nationwide injunction.

In January, both sides argued before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals panel didnt say when it would rule but indicated that it would expedite its review of the governments motion.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

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The family of a Walmart Inc. employee in Illinois who died after contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, has filed a lawsuit accusing the retail giant of failing to adequately screen and protect workers.

The lawsuit filed in Illinois state court on Monday by the estate of Wando Evans says the Walmart store south of Chicago was not properly cleaned and employees were not given masks, gloves, antibacterial wipes or other protective equipment.

Evans died on March 25, and another employee at the same store died four days later from complications due to COVID-19, according to the complaint.

Allegations Against Walmart The allegations against Walmart (as well as against JM2-Evergreen, the owner and manager of the shopping mall where the store is) include: Failed to promote and enforced social distancing

Failed to provide protective equipment such as masks and gloves

Failed to warn Evans and other employees that various individuals at the store may have been infected

Ignored employees who said they were experiencing symptoms of COVID-19

Failed to follow OSHA and CDC guidelines

Failed to periodically inspect the store for condition and cleanliness to minimize risks to employees and others

Failed to provide employees with antibacterial soaps, wipes or other recommended cleaning agents

Failed to develop policies for prompt identification and isolation of sick people

Failed to implement engineering controls including air filters, and physical barriers such as plastic sneeze guards

Failed to halt store operations after learning various employees were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

Failed to train employees in proper risk mitigation procedures

Hired employees via remote means without personally evaluating their health status Walmart Response to the Lawsuit We are heartbroken at the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store and we are mourning along with their families. While neither associate had been at the store in more than a week, we took action to reinforce our cleaning and sanitizing measures, which include a deep-cleaning of key areas. Within the last week, the store passed a third-party safety and environmental compliance assessment as well as a health department inspection. As an extra precaution, we brought in an outside company to further clean and sanitize all high-touch surfaces in the store, which included the decontamination of front entrances, carts, registers and bathrooms, as well as food areas including produce and meat Additionally, we have taken steps across the country to protect our associates and customers, including additional cleaning measures, installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time. Well continue to take steps, such as screening associates, conducting temperature checks, and providing masks and gloves for associates that want to use them. We take this issue seriously and will respond with the court once we have been served with the complaint.

Arkansas-based Walmart said it had conducted a deep-cleaning of key areas in the Illinois store, which has passed a health department inspection and a separate third-party review over the last week, according to a statement provided by a spokesman.

We have taken steps across the country to protect our associates and customers, including additional cleaning measures, installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time, the company said.

The lawsuit filed by Evans estate accuses Walmart of negligence and wrongful death in violation of Illinois law.

Federal Guidelines

According to the complaint, Walmart did not follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Labor for maintaining safe workplaces, such as implementing social distancing.

Walmart also hired new workers in an expedited process without properly screening them for symptoms of COVID-19, Evans estate says.

Tony Kalogerakos, a lawyer for the estate, said in a statement the lawsuit was the first wrongful death case filed in Illinois on behalf of a person who has died from COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control has designated Walmart stores as high-volume retailers, making them responsible for taking additional precautions to protect employees and customers from the spread of COVID-19, he said.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York)

Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 Illinois
World Health Organization rejects US presidents critique saying now not the time to cut back on funding.

US President Donald Trump threatened to freeze American funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), saying it missed the call on the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed more than 82,000 people around the world.

Trump said on Tuesday the WHO was very China-centric in its approach, suggesting the UN agency had gone along with Beijings efforts months ago to minimise the severity of the outbreak.

The WHO really blew it, Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump declared he would cut off funding from the United States for the organisation, before backtracking and saying he would strongly consider such a move.

The United States is the top donor to the Geneva-based body. US contributions to WHO in 2019 exceeded $400m, almost double the second-largest member-state contribution.

China, in contrast, contributed $44m.

Now is not the time

World Health Organization officials on Wednesday denied it was China-centric and said the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding.





We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding, Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a virtual briefing in response to a question about Trumps remarks.

Dr Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to the WHO director general, also defended the UN agencys relationship with China, saying its work with Beijing authorities was important to understand the outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China.

It was absolutely critical in the early part of this outbreak to have full access to everything possible, to get on the ground and work with the Chinese to understand this, he told reporters. This is what we did with every other hard hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically.

Deceptive and slow

Trumps conservatives allies have also increasingly criticised the WHO, accusing the organisation of relying on faulty data from China about the pandemic.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, vowed there would not be any funding for the WHO in the next Senate appropriations bill.

Im in charge of the appropriations subcommittee. Im not going to support funding the WHO under its current leadership. Theyve been deceptive, theyve been slow, and theyve been Chinese apologists, Graham said in an interview with Fox News.

Last week, Republican Senator Marco Rubio called for the resignation of WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying he allowed Beijing to use the WHO to mislead the global community.





UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric rejected the criticism of the UN agency.

For the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] it is clear that WHO, under the leadership of Dr Tedros, has done tremendous work on COVID in supporting countries with millions of pieces of equipment being shipped out, on helping countries with training, on providing global guidelines. WHO is showing the strength of the international health system, he told reporters.

Dujarric added the WHO also recently did tremendous work in putting its staff on the frontlines to successfully fight Ebola, an infectious and often fatal disease, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Voiced scepticism

The WHO has praised China for its transparency on the virus, even though there has been some reason to believe that more people died of the disease, also known as COVID-19, than the countrys official tally.

They should have known and they probably did know, Trump said of WHO officials.

Health experts have suggested the weekly death totals will reach a new high in the United States this week. More than 12,000 people have died from the virus in the US so far with about 370,000 confirmed infections.

Nearly 800 people died on Tuesday in New York state, the epicentre of the US crisis.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has voiced scepticism towards many international organisations and has repeatedly heaped scorn on the WHO.

200407192446802

In its most recent budget proposal in February, the Trump administration called for slashing the US contribution to the agency to $57.9m, from an estimated $122.6m.

Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, said the last thing the US and the WHO need right now is this sort of a fight.

It is a distraction from the need to focus on defeating this pandemic, he told Al Jazeera.

No virus has a nationality and it is down to how the countries have handled the threat. The core information that was needed to understand this risk was available by the end of January  and it was available through the WHO. That information still is very accurate in terms of transmissibility and lethality of this disease, so that really should have been all for any country to take it seriously, Konyndyk said.

In general, I think the WHO has been further ahead of the curve and understanding the risk of the virus than Trumps own administration has, so I dont think WHO is to be blamed for the USs sluggish response.

The WHOs current guidance does not advocate closing borders or restricting travel, although many nations, including the United States, have taken such steps.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a public health emergency on January 30, nearly a month before Trump tweeted: The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA, and a full 43 days before he declared a national emergency in the US.

Health experts have suggested the weekly death toll will reach a new high in the US this week. Almost 13,000 people have died from the virus in the country as of Wednesday.

Trump also played down the release of January memos from a senior adviser warning of a possible coronavirus pandemic, saying he had not seen them at the time.

Moussa FakiMahamat, chairperson of the African Union, expressed dismay at the US presidents WHO criticism.

Surprised to learn of a campaign by the US government against the WHOs global leadership, he tweeted.
The award allows two early-career Indigenous journalists to explore issues of interest while being hosted by CBC News for one month at its Indigenous Centre in Winnipeg (http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous).

"During this unprecedented time of social distancing and isolation, the power of radio connects us now more than ever," says Tanya Talaga, selection jury member and an award-winning journalist, author, speaker and filmmaker. "We see this every day with the exploding growth and importance of podcasts.

"With this in mind, Sean and Karl are the perfect choice for the CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowships. Their One Dish, One Mic has brought Indigenous storytelling to the Niagara and Six Nations territory, and they should be given the resources and room to learn and grow."

Vanderklis is a Mississauga of the Curve Lake First Nation who lives in St. Catharines, while Dockstader is a Haudenosaunee member of the Oneida, Bear Clan living in Niagara Falls. Both have worked as social service providers before launching their podcast aimed at building understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across southern Ontario.

Seeking to help facilitate the reconciliation process, they are looking to the fellowship experience to hone their journalism skills and broaden their understanding of issues affecting indigenous people.

"Without any formal reporting training, Sean and Karl are doing a wonderful job providing entertaining and enlightening Indigenous content to their local community," says Duncan McCue, jury co-chair and host of CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup. "The mentorship opportunity at CBC Indigenous will help them refine their journalism talents and further encourage their broadcast storytelling."



The story or series resulting from the fellowship experiences will be considered for publication or broadcast by CBC News. CJF provides each fellow a $3,000 stipend, all associated travel and accommodation costs, a per diem for meals and other reasonable expenses.

The awards will be presented at the CJF Awards (#CJFawards) on October 30 in Toronto at The Ritz-Carlton. Tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities are available.

Jury

Co-chair - Duncan McCue, host, Cross Country Checkup, CBC Radio

Co-chair - Bob Lewis, honorary governor, The Canadian Journalism Foundation

Norma Dunning, writer, scholar, researcher

Karyn Pugliese, assistant professor of journalism at Ryerson University and 2020 Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellow

Tanya Talaga, journalist, author, speaker, filmmaker

Thank you to RBC and CJF honorary governor Isabel Bassett, former chair and CEO of TVO, for their generous support of these fellowships.

About The Canadian Journalism Foundation

Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious awards and fellowships program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation

For further information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cjf-fjc.ca


These are police officers still reporting for work, remember, trying to protect themselves and their families during a highly contagious global pandemic. While its foolhardy to expect criminals who shoot into crowds to care about police officer safety or overrun intensive care units, it seems especially galling for violence to pick up during an international health emergency. Yet here we are.
A Texas nursing home has tested President Donald Trump's experimental coronavirus treatment by injecting patients with hydroxychlorquine.

Medical director Dr Robin Armstrong - who is also a Republican National Committee member and GOP activist - used the anti-malaria drug to treat patients at The Resort at Texas City.

A total of 83 residents and employees at the facility have tested positive for coronavirus, which has killed 12,876 and infected more than 398,000 in the US.

Resident Peggy Smith, 87, died at the nursing home after testing positive for the bug.

Medical director of The Resort at Texas City nursing home Dr Robin Armstrong - who is also a Republican National Committee member and GOP activist - used the anti-malaria drug to treat patients

To get the drug, Dr Armstrong (pictured) called Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick - the Texas chairman of Trump's presidential campaign in 2016

Dr Armstrong (pictured) soon had enough doses to begin treating 27 infected residents but said it is too soon to tell whether the treatment will work

President Trump has repeatedly advocated for hydroxychloroquine to be used as a Covid-19 treatment even though many medical officials have urged a more cautious approach.

To get the drug, Dr Armstrong called Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick - the Texas chairman of Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Dr Armstrong soon had enough doses to begin treating 27 infected residents but said it is too soon to tell whether the treatment will work.

His sweeping use of the drug illustrates how Trump's championing of the medication is having an impact on doctors across the US, even as scientists warn that more testing is needed before it is proven safe and effective.

President Trump has repeatedly advocated for hydroxychloroquine to be used as a Covid-19 treatment even though many medical officials have urged a more cautious approach

A total of 83 residents and employees at the facility (pictured) have tested positive for coronavirus, which has killed 12,876 and infected more than 398,000 in the US

Dr Armstrong's (right) sweeping use of the drug illustrates how Trump's championing of the medication is having an impact on doctors across the US, even as scientists warn that more testing is needed before it is proven safe and effective

Dr Armstrong said: 'I probably would not have been able to get the medication had he not been talking about it so much.'

Hydroxychloroquine is officially approved for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, not coronavirus.

But as Trump holds out promise for the drug in the face of a mounting death toll, he has often stated, 'What have you got to lose?'

Dr Armstrong, who emerged from the nursing home Tuesday donned in full protective gear and a face shield, said he knew it was a 'ticking time bomb' once the virus started spreading through the facility in Texas City, a refinery town outside Houston

Now in Texas, political connections and Trump allies are helping push the drug into the hands of more physicians.

Republican Bryan Hughes, a Texas state senator, said he is helping organize a pipeline of hydroxychloroquine donations to other states through their GOP leaders.

Senator Hughes said he has spent recent weeks helping Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia receive or expect shipments from Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a maker of the drug based in New Jersey.

Hydroxychloroquine is officially approved for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, not coronavirus

Last month, the company announced it had donated one million tablets to Texas.

The company previously said it donated two million tablets to New York,

In Detroit, Henry Ford Health System announced it would lead a 3,000-person US study to determine the effectiveness of the drug against COVID-19.

Small, preliminary studies have suggested the drug might help prevent the new coronavirus from entering cells and possibly help patients clear the virus sooner. But those have shown mixed results.

More than 80 people in all tested positive at the nursing home, and Dr Armstrong said about 30 infected residents were not good candidates for the treatment

Dr Armstrong, who emerged from the nursing home Tuesday donned in full protective gear and a face shield, said he knew it was a 'ticking time bomb' once the virus started spreading through the facility in Texas City, a refinery town outside Houston.

At that point, Dr Armstrong said, the goal quickly became preventing older patients from getting so sick they would require a hospital transport.

'We thought maybe we should try treating these folks while they're in the nursing facility, while we're watching them,' Dr Armstrong said.

Dr Armstrong (pictured), who said he has used the drug before on COVID-19 patients at a hospital, said that in searching for the medication for the nursing home he called Lieutenant Governor Patrick

Dr Armstrong, who said he has used the drug before on COVID-19 patients at a hospital, said that in searching for the medication for the nursing home he called Lieutenant Governor Patrick.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick is a firebrand conservative who drew national attention last month for saying people over the age of 70 would be able to 'take care of ourselves' in the pandemic and that the US needed to reopen for business.

In a statement, Lieutenant Governor Patrick said Dr Armstrong called him on Friday and that after putting him in touch with Senator Hughes, the drugs were on their way the next morning.

Both Dr Armstrong and Senator Hughes said they had not discussed the drug with the Trump administration.

The drug can cause potentially dangerous side effects, including life-threatening irregular heart rhythms

As nursing home residents began receiving their first dose of the treatment Saturday, Dr Armstrong said he sat for a previously scheduled interview with the Trump campaign for a series called 'American Heroes.'

Dr Armstrong said the interview was conducted by Kayleigh McEnany - who was named the new White House press secretary Tuesday - but said he wasn't invited on to discuss the drug.

Research studies are beginning to test if the drugs truly help COVID-19 patients, and the Food and Drug Administration has allowed the drugs into the national stockpile as an option for doctors to consider for patients who cannot get into one of the studies.

The drug can cause potentially dangerous side effects, including life-threatening irregular heart rhythms. Those risks are even higher in patients taking other medications that affect the heart.

More than 80 people in all tested positive at the nursing home, and Dr Armstrong said about 30 infected residents were not good candidates for the treatment.

He endorsed the need for more rigorous clinical trials, but defended Trump's embrace.

He said: 'Obviously, I'm not getting my medical practice ideas from politicians.

'What it's done is allowed for more access to the medication.'

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
A businessman in Cross River has donated N25 million to the Cross River State Government to aid the state in its fight against the novel coronavirus.

Asuquo Ekpenyong, the founder and chairman of Davandy Group of Nigeria, announced the donation on Monday at the Government House, Calabar, where he met with the Cross River state governor, Ben Ayade.

Mr Ekpenyong said out of the N25 million, N10 million would be given to the Cross River State Taskforce Response Team on COVID-19, while N15 million would be used to procure food and medical supplies, including 5,000 hand sanitisers and 75,000 face masks for residents across the state.

It is mandatory in Cross River State for residents to wear face masks whenever they are in public space.

Mr Ekpenyong praised Mr Ayade for his timely intervention in stopping vehicles from entering Cross River in the outbreak of the coronavirus. He also praised the governor for giving out food to the vulnerable people in the state to cushion the effect of the stay-at-home order.

Governor Ayade thanked Mr Ekpenyong for his steadfastness and kind gesture to the state and appealed for support from other people and organisations in the state.

The Commissioner for Health in the state, Betta Edu, who is the head of the state taskforce on COVID-19, thanked Mr Ekpenyong for the donation and promised that the fund would be properly utilised to check the spread of the virus and for the reposition of the health care system in the state even after the pandemic.

Other officials present at the brief event were the Commissioner for Finance in the state, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr, who is the secretary of the COVID-19 taskforce, and the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Janet Ekpenyong.

Cross Rivers state has no confirmed case of the coronavirus.
Controversy swirls around whether hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin ("H&A") should be used to treat people who have the Wuhan virus. Setting aside for now all the qualifications that for good reason are used whenever discussing the question (qualifications like "after consultation between the patient and the doctor" and "administered according to a well established protocol"), the core issue is whether or not to use a treatment that has shown positive results for some and has not shown obviously negative results for any.

Given the standard medical diktat that the first obligation of a health care worker is to do no harm, there is a case to be made that H&A treatment should be withheld until properly designed clinical trials have established to a high level of certainty that the treatment has a significantly more positive effect on patient health than it does negative. There are, however, two good reasons to challenge this well established approach in our current circumstance.

The first reason is that the current circumstances are abnormal. Virtually everybody understands this, so there is no need to discuss it in detail. Suffice it to say that the widespread suspension of people's rights to move about freely has already established the unusual nature of the world in a pandemic. If things are bad enough to justify keeping people homebound, they are bad enough to bend the rules regarding use of medicine.

The second reason  less often discussed  is that the right to live our lives as we wish ought to be sufficient justification for overruling the historically well established medical directive that the caregiver should do no harm. As positive and humane as that medical directive has been over the ages, it has also accrued power and authority into the hands of the professional caregiver. In fact, it is only in modern times that the doctor and the patient have worked together to make a treatment choice. In earlier days, folk medicine and home-grown cures were employed to treat commonly occurring ailments, whereas resort to a specialist was confined to those maladies that only the specialist knew anything about.

But it is a new world now. The computer age has opened the door to medical understanding for anybody willing to do a little online surfing. In all likelihood, this growing accessibility to medical knowledge greatly increased the modern regard for joint decisions between patient and doctor, an arrangement that has to some degree eroded the traditional authority of the medical specialist (witch doctor, neurosurgeon, whatever).

To this day, most people who need medical treatment for something that is not life-threatening continue to bow to the authority of a doctor  a sensible choice since the doctor usually is much better informed about the condition and its treatments than is the lay person. But when a person is confronted with the prospect of a terminal illness, there is suddenly great incentive to find out as much as possible about the disease and treatments. That incentive is in fact even greater for the patient than it is for the doctor. People are still free to concede to the judgment of the doctor, but no longer should they be obliged to do so.

Ironically, the phenomenon that may have done the most to establish this new mindset is the question of who should decide whether or not an abortion should be committed. To honor the importance of transparency, I must admit that I am opposed to abortion because a fetus is a person yet to be born  but clearly, the thinking of those who argue for a woman's "right to choose" expects that the judgment of the patient will trump that of the doctor.

So now returning to the question of H&A treatment for the Wuhan virus, there seems to be no compelling argument for denying a virus-sufferer access to it. If a woman can choose to have an abortion, surely a patient dying from the Wuhan virus can choose to have the H&A treatment.

Turning now to the question of anecdotal versus clinical trial evidence that H&A treatment helps patients and has no serious side-effects, there is no question but that clinical trial evidence (which we don't yet have) would be superior. At the same time, it is important to recognize that anecdotal evidence also is evidence  and at present, it is the best evidence we have.

A nasty problem exists here: the word "anecdotal" carries a negative connotation. It implies that people recovering from the Wuhan virus with unexpected frequency after having received H&A treatment is mere perception and is, therefore, not science. This is wrong. Anecdotal evidence is not hearsay evidence; it is evidence from direct observation. Anecdotal evidence compiled by somebody with an agenda other than saving lives might be readily dismissed, but doctors who are in the business of treating Wuhan virus patients are motivated to find what works best.

The French doctor Didier Raoult has conducted a small-scale experiment using the H&A treatment, the results of which suggest that it is effective. Without doubt, the study was not controlled to the degree generally expected when trying to establish the efficacy of a new drug, but this was inevitable, since Dr. Raoult's primary concern was for his patients rather than research. Does this mean that his study is flawed? Yes, but all studies are. Does it mean that his study is so flawed that it should be ignored entirely? No, not unless someone presents a reasonably strong case as to why his work should be dismissed.

After all, even the studies performed by professional researchers trying to establish the efficacy of some new medicine are inevitably flawed. They are flawed because they have to rely on sampling procedures and inferential statistical tests. Any honest scientist will readily admit that selecting a perfectly representative sample from a population is impossible because there is no way of knowing what attributes, and how many of them, must be perfectly represented in the sample taken from the larger population.

Historical evidence indicates that the more intensely controlled a study and the larger the number of cases it uses, the more reliable it is likely to be. This is not a rejection of smaller, less well controlled studies.

To give an example, President Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an expedition to the west coast so as to find out what conditions exist in the vast territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Relative to the task at hand, this was a small and poorly controlled study of the newly purchased land. It discovered that west of the Mississippi, there existed a great and relatively dry plain extending to a zone of high mountains that had to be surmounted before reaching the biotic abundance of a Pacific coastal zone. What a pity it would have been if President Jefferson and the rest of the country rejected the findings of Lewis and Clark because their investigation was insufficiently thorough, their sample size too small, their method of measuring things not as refined as was being done back in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Jan Jekielek Senior Editor Follow

Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, "American Thought Leaders." Jans career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as website chief editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film "Finding Manny."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will lead the world in providing foreign assistance to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, even as some allies have expressed concerns over Washington's tactics to acquire equipment for its own needs and its failure to ease sanctions during the pandemic.

Pompeo's comments also come a day after President Donald Trump said he may cut funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) for what he called its slow response to the coronavirus outbreak. WHO, a specialized United Nations agency, coordinates responses to health emergencies.

"There is no country in the world that will provide as much aid and assistance through multiple forms as the United States of America will," Pompeo said on a call with European media on April 8.

"The full range of American capabilities and leadership will be on display as the world moves out of the crisis."

The United States has been hit hard by COVID-19, with registered cases skyrocketing in a matter of weeks past 400,000, more than double any country in Europe.

The spike -- combined with what critics say was a slow response by the Trump administration -- has resulted in a shortage of ventilators and personal protective equipment at U.S. hospitals. That has forced the administration to scour the Earth for additional supplies, sometimes putting it in competition with allies.

Berlin on April 4 accused Washington of diverting 200,000 face masks bound for Germany from Thailand to the United States.

Berlin Secretary of Interior Andreas Geisel called it an "act of modern piracy."

Washington denied knowing anything about it.

Meanwhile, China and Russia have stepped in to deliver needed equipment to Europe and the United States, scoring propaganda victories much publicized both at home and abroad, analysts say.

Trump on April 7 called WHO very "China-centric" and said he would look "very carefully" at U.S. funding for the organization. The United States is the largest contributor to WHO, while many U.S. organizations and individuals also contribute.

Pompeo declined to comment on whether Washington would contribute to the $30 million fund the WHO and the UN are seeking to set up to help Ukraine deal with the coronavirus, though he said the United States supported International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending for the country.

Nonetheless, shortly before the April 8 call, Pompeo's office announced the United States would contribute another $225 million in global assistance to battle the virus on top of nearly $275 million already announced.

Pompeo's office said the United States was coordinating with other countries to determine where the assistance is most needed. He also said the United States would step up support for Europe, especially Italy, which has registered the most deaths to date, with more than 17,000.

"We will continue to provide assistance and we will announce more direct assistance to Italy. I think that will be very significant and other countries wont be able to match that," he said.

He also said U.S. nongovernmental organizations, religious organizations, and private businesses were contributing to efforts around the world. His office put the figure at more than $1.5 billion.

Hiding The Truth

Pompeo said authoritarian regimes were hindering the fight against coronavirus by not sharing accurate information about the number of people infected and how cases are developing.

China claims to have just under 83,000 cases of COVID-19 -- a number that has barely moved over the past month -- and just 3,200 deaths, even as unconfirmed reports emerge that as many as 40,000 people may have died in Wuhan alone, the Chinese city where the virus originated.

Some doctors in Russia say the government is also suppressing the actual number of cases. Russia had a spike in pneumonia cases earlier this year, raising suspicion that the number of cases of COVID-19 is actually much greater. Patients with severe cases of COVID-19 develop pneumonia-like symptoms.

"It is the autocracies that lack the transparency and openness that have generated many of the challenges that we are facing in this crisis and it is the democratic ideas of the free press and open innovation and transparency -- those underpinnings that the United States and West and Europe share -- which will lead the world back," he said.

China did not initially let U.S. health experts into the country in the early phase of the outbreak. It also stifled local media and launched a propaganda campaign aimed at protecting the Communist Party from anger over its mishandling of COVID-19, Western media reported. China later expelled leading U.S. media.

Russia earlier this month passed a law that criminalizes the dissemination of knowingly false information about coronavirus, raising concerns the authorities will also use the law to target people exposing government cover ups.

Pompeo said government disinformation "puts people's lives at risk -- not only the lives of their own citizens but lives of citizens all across the world."

Sanctions Relief

Some countries and organizations have called for the United States to temporarily lift sanctions on nations to help them fight the spread of the coronavirus.

Pompeo dismissed the idea, saying U.S. sanctions do not block humanitarian aid and medical equipment from reaching sanctioned countries.

The United States has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran and Venezuela as well as a host of sanctions against Russia that have hurt its growth.

Pompeo expressed concern that Iranian leaders will use the lifting of sanctions to help themselves rather than their citizens.

"They are out searching for cash. And that cash if delivered to Iran, it wont likely go to benefit the Iranian people, if history is any indicator," he said.

"It will instead go to corrupt officials who have a long history of diverting these funds that are allocated for humanitarian goods into their own pockets and into that of their terrorist proxies."

However, some critics say that banks and businesses are hesitant to transact in such goods with Iran because U.S. sanctions require extensive compliance and due diligence procedures.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the the coronavirus outbreak ravaging the nation 'must be quickly forgotten'  other than by those who lose a friend or family member.

The president made the exhortation online, on a day when US deaths due to the virus crept toward 13,000  and the number of U.S. infections topped 400,000.

Trump has referred to the disease as a 'scourge' and as the 'invisible enemy'  even as he repeatedly talks about the need to reopen the country to allow the economy to function.

'Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten,' Trump said.

President Trump said the coronavirus outbreak must be 'quickly forgotten.' He made an exception for those how have lost a family member or friend

'Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!' he added.

Trump on Tuesday defended his weeks worth of reassuring statements that coronavirus was being contained even as it spread around the country.

'The cases really didnt build up for a while, but you have to understand, Im a cheerleader for this country,' Trump said. 'I dont want to create havoc and shock and everything else. But ultimately, when I was saying that, Im also closing it down. I obviously was concerned about it,' he said.

President Trump said the country would reopen 'sooner rather than later'

A woman grieving for a lost loved one outside of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. 06 April 2020

A woman wears a mask as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic as she crosses the intersection of Kingston Ave. and Union St. in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in New York. The Jewish holiday of Passover begins Wednesday, April 8

New York Demoratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made comments Wednesday that said the nation should not return to 'normal.'

'It's about learning from what we've experienced,' Cuomo said in his daily briefing, amid some signs the nation's worst outbreak may be leveling off.

'I don't think we return to normal. I don't think we return to yesterday where we were. I think if we're smart we achieve a new normal the way we are understanding the new normal when it comes to the economy ... when it comes to the environment .. in terms of health and public health,' he said.
WASHINGTONThe race to be the Democratic presidential nominee in this Novembers election came down to a question of Bernie versus Not Bernie  that much was clear by the time the first primary was held. Eventually, Not Bernie won.

I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour, Bernie Sanders said in a video message to his supporters Wednesday, bowing to the coronavirus crisis, the imperative to defeat Donald Trump in November, and the simple, crushing delegate math. I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful, the senator from Vermont said. And so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign.

Former vice-president Joe Biden, the early front-runner who seemed on the verge of defeat in February before becoming the consensus choice of his partys centrist liberal mainstream, is now the presumptive nominee. Sanders offered his congratulations, calling Biden a very decent man whose campaign he would support.

Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who preferred to identify as an Independent senator, never joined the Democratic Party. In two runs for the presidential nomination, he crusaded against its establishment. While it now appears certain he will never become its nominee, he dominated a debate within the party, and reshaped it to a large extent in the image of the movement he led.

As he noted Wednesday, the partys mainstream has almost wholly adopted planks of his platform that were once considered fringe or radical: some form of universal health care, a higher minimum wage, fighting climate change though green energy, easing the burden of student loan debt. Those ideas defined his campaign, and while polls show voters never warmed to the socialist label, the proposals are now popular.

Like the NDP in Canadas Parliament, Sanders has been the conscience of the Democratic Party, urging it to view questions of health and economic struggle as rights issues rather than as tax and budget debates. Like Tommy Douglas, the NDPs first leader, he transformed his countrys politics without ever ascending to its highest office.

And he intends to continue exerting that influence. While Sanders dropped out of the race, he said his name will remain on primary ballots so he can continue to accumulate delegates and shape the partys election platform.

Sanders spoke Wednesday, as he has for some time, about winning ideological and generational battles. He never managed to transform his support among younger voters into high turnout by them, but their preference for him does indicate the partys future.

He also revolutionized campaign fundraising, claiming two million individual donors who made more than 10 million contributions. And his campaign rallies were something to behold: large, raucous, filled with laughter and music and cheering. For a time, they served as the Democrats optimistic antidote to rallies held by Trump in arenas filled with chants about building walls and locking up political opponents.

Ultimately, it was the spectre of another Trump term that did in Sanderss campaign. As much as Democrats told pollsters that health care was their top priority, they said defeating Trump was more important than any policy issue. Even Sanders acknowledged that the same was true for him.

And they concluded that Biden, for all of the lack of genuine enthusiasm he generates, was the best candidate to take on Trump. His long resume of electoral successes, including serving as vice-president to the still-popular Barack Obama; his widespread and often goofy likability; even (maybe especially) his soft, nostalgic rhetoric about uniting rather than fighting  those things looked less like weakness to a lot of voters than like stability. I heard versions of that from Black voters in South Carolina, who turned out to support Biden after he campaigned hard there, and I heard versions of it from white voters in Virginia, where Biden won handily without ever campaigning. They liked Sanderss message, but they wanted a more moderate messenger.

Thats a choice  to choose the blandest option because they think thats a way to win  that has backfired on Democrats before. Those wary of choosing the ideological candidate always point to George McGoverns historic loss in 1972. But counter-examples of inevitable bland centrist picks failed in the cases of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Michael Dukakis.

In any event, party members were already choosing ideological moderation in the form of Biden before the coronavirus pandemic overshadowed the contest. Soon after it became clear that Sanders was the front-runner  with his victories or near-victories in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada  the party coalesced with astonishing speed behind Biden. The other candidates dropped out, with all but Elizabeth Warren rallying to Biden. When Sanders led the race, he was receiving the support of just under 30 per cent of voters in a crowded race. This week, as he dropped out, a YouGov poll showed him with the support of about 30 per cent of voters in a two-candidate contest.

His support didnt change much. It was always Sanders versus everyone else. Once everyone else got together, it was effectively over. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that while his ideas have taken over the Democratic Party, Biden will take them into the election.

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I crossed Boris Johnson in the foyer of the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.

He stopped me and asked in his plummy drawl: "Do you know where I can get the papers? I mean 'real' papers?" I mustered my most withering look "'Real' - Boris?" I asked.

The future UK prime minister went into his well-known bumbling utterances which I took to be diffuse attempts at apology. I interrupted by directing him to the nearest newsagents out on Baggot Street where he would surely get some "foreign papers".

For once I can be definite about the date. It was January 1990 and both Boris Johnson - the quaintly titled "common market correspondent" for the London 'Daily Telegraph' - and this writer were among a group of Brussels-based journalists flown to Dublin at the expense of the hard-pressed Irish taxpayer. It was the start of Charlie Haughey's six-month stint as "president of Europe" so no expense was spared.

Boris had arrived in the EU capital in March of 1989 and he was based there until 1994. This writer arrived in Brussels in June 1989 and stayed far longer - but that's a story for another time.

The exchange at the Shelbourne was typical of his propensity to drop clangers. He has never travelled well beyond the privileged confines of his upper-class privileged world. Being a foreign correspondent in Brussels was just his second "real job". By his own admission he lost the first job, as a leader writer on 'The Times' of London, after "dropping a clanger" so bad he was sacked. I was soon to learn he had redeeming features and one of these was self-deprecation and an ability to tell a story against himself. He told me about his sacking on a train journey from Brussels to Luxembourg.

He was also something of a slob who ate sporadically and badly, heavily reliant on takeaway food, and his clothes often looked like he had slept in them - sometimes because he had.

If anybody told me then, or over any of the succeeding four years in which he reported from Brussels, that he was a future British prime minister, I would have summoned those men in the white coats. Yes, Boris was even more of a Tory fogey then than he is now.

In many ways, the ensuing decades have allowed him to advance easily from "young to old fogeydom". But he was always hard to miss with his unmistakable mop of blond hair and bumbling air.

But his ambition to succeed in journalism and soon afterwards politics was no act. Most journalists compete for stories. The keen rivalry between Boris and his British colleagues was compounded by his enthusiastic taste for strange Eurosceptic tales in line with his paper's anti-EU stance.

Once Boris got his journalistic legs under him, he became something of a legend with a passing acquaintance with the truth.

While EU officials argued his reports were at least taken out of context, there was never much more about it, until the next time.

Brussels has loomed large in much of Boris's life. His father, Stanley, joined the European Commission when the UK joined in 1973. That brought the family to the EU capital and saw Boris attend the European school.

Little of that matters now as Boris Johnson lies desperately ill with coronavirus in hospital in London. He is a strange man but also strangely likeable.
EUR/GBP Exchange Rate Falls as EU Solidarity Challenged by Covid-19

The Euro to Pound (EUR/GBP) exchange rate fell by -0.5% today, with the pairing currently trading around 0.878.

The Euro (EUR) struggled today after the Eurozone failed to agree on a 540 billion coronavirus rescue plan amid a north-south divide between the 19 finance ministers.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to expose divides in Europe, with Italy and Spain accusing northern nations  such as Germany and the Netherlands  of not pulling their weight.

The European Trade Union Confederation urged European countries to redouble their efforts, with General Secretary Luca Visentini commenting:

I strongly urge finance ministers to reach an agreement. With more than 15 million workers who have already lost their jobs in Europe, working people cannot wait while the Eurogroup wrangles.

Meanwhile, Euro investors are becoming increasingly concerned over Germanys economy, which is expected to head for a deep recession. The nations leading economics predict a -9.8% fall in the second quarter  its largest decline since 1970.

Timo Wollmershauser, the Head of Forecasts at IFO, commented:

The recession is leaving very clear marks on the labor market and the government budget. At its peak, the unemployment rate will jump to 5.9% this year, and the ranks of short-time workers will swell to 2.5 million year over year.

GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Rises as Boris Johnson Responds to Treatment

The Pound (GBP) rose against the Euro (EUR) edged higher after it was announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was responding to treatment in intensive care, buoying hopes that the PM could return to normal duties in the near-term.

Some analysts are becoming concerned that a vacuum could be formed at the heart of the British Government, however, with Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, deputising as the PM recovers.

However, Jeremy Hunt, the former Health Secretary, said that it could be a month before the UKs nationwide lockdown could even be considered.

Mr. Hunt told BBC Radio 4s World at One programme:

You hit the peak, perhaps the beginning of next week  then you have 2-3 weeks before you start to see the numbers decisively turning.

As the UK continues to battle with its rising coronavirus cases, however, we could see the GBP/EUR exchange rate shed some of its gains as the nations economic outlook continues to darken.

Looking Ahead: Could Sterling Rise on Boris Johnsons Recovery?

Euro (EUR) traders will be awaiting tomorrows release of the European Central Banks Monetary Policy Meeting Account. If Europes central bank is downbeat about the blocs economy going forward, we could see the EUR/GBP exchange rate sink deeper.

The Pound (GBP) will continue to be driven by the status of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons health in the coming days. If the PM shows any signs of improvement, and the Governments functioning returns to a semblance of normality, we could see Sterling rise against many of its peers.
When news broke last Friday that the U.S. Small Business Administration was throwing a financial lifeline to devastated small businesses across the country in the form of a $349 million emergency loan program, the Midland Business Alliance (MBA) quickly sprung into action.

Thats a huge sum of money, but the level of economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is so severe, it may not be enough. Time is of the essence because MBA leaders know there would be a mad rush for loan dollars.

Led by CEO & President Tony Stamas, the MBA team, already immersed in poring through state grant applications to help struggling local businesses, began focusing efforts on informing Midlands small business community of the availability of the Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program. It provides forgivable loans up to $10 million to small businesses that have taken the brunt of the shutdown of the American economy.

Weve been incredibly busy, Stamas said. Were helping a lot of people sort through a most challenging time.

The rollout of the massive coronavirus relief program has sparked tremendous interest from Midland businesses, according to Stamas.

Its hard to find a business thats not been affected by this crisis, he said. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) helps profits and non-profits. It reaches across the business spectrum to help keep people on the payroll.

The MBA has been urging affected businesses to work with their local banks to quickly move on applying for the PPP loans. The money is going quickly.

We have local lending institutions that have worked with the SBA, Stamas said. Work with your local bank or credit union and have your business information ready when you do.

The loans are 100% percent backed by SBA and are being provided to small businesses without collateral requirements, personal guarantees, SBA fees, or credit elsewhere tests.

These loans will bring immediate economic relief and eight weeks of financial certainty to millions of small businesses and their employees, SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza said in a statement.

President Donald Trump has announced he will immediately seek more funding from Congress if the loan program runs out of money. During a press briefing early Monday evening, Trump lashed back at critics who complained that the rollout of the massive PPP program was chaotic and confusing. Trump acknowledged there were a few glitches, but claimed the program overall is going well. He praised Bank of America, one of the countrys largest banks, and many community banks throughout the country for doing a great job of extending small business emergency loans.

Stamas said the MBA is working with businesses throughout Midland County to help guide them to resources that are available.

We have reached out to nearly 1,000 businesses, he said. I know Midland is an entrepreneurial town, but I have learned of some businesses in this community that I didnt know existed. Theres a lot of ingenuity among our self-employed.

Stamas said hes hearing from many businesses that seek clearer guidelines on what they can and cannot do during the state shutdown.

A lot of questions are being raised about how to navigate the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order. What are the terms and conditions? Whats allowable and whats not. Theres a lot of information out there and it can get confusing.

Thats why the MBA prides itself on being a repository of legitimate information the Midland business community can trust.

Were trying to keep pertinent information on our website but at the same time we dont want to overwhelm people, he said. Theres so much information out there it can be challenging. Our Facebook posts generate a tremendous amount of attention.

Stamas and company also are helping Midland businesses with getting a piece of Michigan Economic Development Corporations $10 million grant program. Midland Countys portion of this small business relief program is $80,000 with grants of $2,500 to $5,000 available to eligible companies.

We should start to see some funds trickle in for our business community this week, he said. Were making sure we connect folks with the right agencies. Many industry-specific companies have trade associations that are doing a great job during this crisis as well.

MBA said LaLondes Market is a prime example of a Midland business that has changed how its operating to keep its doors open.

Businesses that can, such as LaLondes, are adjusting operationally to remain open, Stamas noted. In some instances, that just isnt possible.

Stamas readily admits that the uncertain times pose challenges to his organization as well.

This is all unprecedented, he said. Sometimes we have more questions than answers. What we do know is that Midland and its business community is resilient. We encourage people to contact us. We can help them navigate through this.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant



Soren on Wednesday said the state has stepped up social security during the lockdown period, but it lags a bit in healthcare facilities and resources.

Addressing doctors of private hospitals at the state secretariat, he said the resources of the state government may be less, but willpower is tremendous.

"You all have a bigger role in the fight against coronavirus. Your suggestions will have a big impact in this battle," Soren told them.

He said the state government has strengthened social security during this period.

"But we lag behind a bit in healthcare facilities and resources. Together we have to decide how to get better results in the limited resources," an official release quoted Soren as telling the doctors.

The doctors informed the chief minister that prices of medicines have increased and the government required to give attention to it, Soren said a team would be set up to curb the sale of medicines in the black market.

"Inform us regularly so that the government can take a stringent decision on (people selling medicines in) black market," Soren told the doctors.

The CM had on Monday urged Governor Droupadi Murmu to request the Centre to provide more support of medical equipment.

As part of social security the government has opened 'khichdi centre' in addition to the 'daal bhat yojana', police community kitchens and other ration facilities to the needy people during the lockdown period. The government has also announced to give ration for two months in advance and giving dry food materials.

The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to approach the Centre for providing it with more COVID-19 testing kits as the present strength of the equipment is not sufficient.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Under its effective leader, firebrand ultra-nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraq is theoretically committed to not allowing itself to become overly dependent on any one country. That was the rallying call of al-Sadrs Sairoon (Marching Forward) power bloc during the last general election in Iraq in May 2018 that saw him and his grouping win the most seats of any party. For a while, this theory seemed to be in effect, with Iraq playing off Chinese and Russian interests against those of the U.S. All the time, though, in practice, Iran continued to dodge and weave around any and all sanctions aimed at preventing it from continuing to wield the deciding power in its neighbour through the leverage of its military, militias, and pro-Iran politicians in Baghdad. The surest sign yet that the U.S. has had enough of this situation came in the shape of the latest waiver granted just over a week ago by the U.S. to Iraq to continue to import Iranian electricity and natural gas  just 30 days, its shortest waiver ever, by a long way.

At the same press conference that Morgan Ortagus, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, announced the new short waiver, she also pointedly announced new sanctions against 20 Iran- and Iraq-based entities that were cited as funnelling money to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) elite Quds Force. This Force functions in large part as Irans chief foreign intelligence operation, as well as its most zealous military unit  more akin to Russias GRU than the U.K.s SIS  having been built up and led by General Qassem Soleimani until his assassination by the U.S. on 3 January. According to Ortagus  and absolutely correct - these 20 entities (there are more than that but this is a start) are exploiting Iraqs dependence on Iran as an electricity and gas source by smuggling Iranian petroleum through the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr (true, and other sites) and money laundering through Iraqi front companies (also true), among other sanctions-busting activities. Prior to this 30-day only waiver being granted, the U.S. had originally granted an initial 45-day waiver to Iraq after the U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iranian energy exports in November 2018.

This was followed by another five waivers - two 90-day waivers in a row followed by two 120-day waivers in a row in June and October, and then a 45-day waiver in February before the U.S. specifically asked that Iraq show signs that it was reducing its imports of Iranian gas and power to meet its electricity demand. Clearly these were not forthcoming and, according to sources in Washington close to the Presidential Administration spoken to by OilPrice.com last week, unless Iraq does show the U.S. some compelling evidence to this effect, this will be the last waiver for Iraq to import Iranian energy. Weve been down this road before with Pakistan  [with] the government pretending to help in our fight against AQ [Al-Qaeda] but at the same time the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] offering all the help it could to [Osama] bin Laden and were not playing that game again, the source underlined. Related: Saudi Arabia Sends Wave Of Supertankers To U.S. Ahead Of Oil Meeting

The parallels between Iraq and Pakistan from the U.S. perspective go beyond just money, as U.S. President Donald Trump made clear recently. At the beginning of January, after Iranian surface-to-surface missiles hit two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops, Trump said that he would impose sanctions directly on Iraq if the U.S. military was forced out of the country by further such incidents. Earlier last month, though, 30 107-mm Russian-made Katyusha rockets were fired at the U.S. allied Camp Taji military base north of Baghdad, killing three service members, two of them Americans and one British, according to U.S. and Iraq military officials. This attack was in the same style as the rocket attacks on 4 January on the U.S.s Balad Air Base near Baghdad and on the Green Zone, both reportedly Iran-sponsored retaliation for the Soleimani killing, and as the multiple rocket attack of 3 December 2019 on the U.S. Ayn al-Asad airbase in Iraq that was a key factor in the U.S. deciding to neutralise the al-Quds leader.

Although these have been the most high-profile attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq to date, and only the 4 January attack was cited as a direct act of retaliation for Soleimanis killing by Iran, there have in fact been at least 15 further attacks on U.S. military and neo-military personnel (and those of its allies) in Iraq by Iran proxies this year alone, according to U.S. military sources. Given the distaste of President Trump for becoming involved in endless wars in the Middle East, the U.S. response to this ongoing provocation from Iran via Iraq is almost certainly not going to be of the military variety in either in Iran or Iraq but rather of the financial type favoured by Trump, in the specific form of sanctions against Iraq.

The timing for these is currently ideal for two key reasons. First, it would mean more oil taken off the already high-supply, low-demand market, as Iraq would simply not be able to pay its developers. Second, it would come at a time when Iraqs finances are already ravaged not just by the ongoing oil price war but also by endemic corruption in its oil sector, as even its own ministers have admitted during rare occasions of candour. In the case of the former, only last week saw Iraqs economic parliamentary committee recommend that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in OPECs second-largest oil producer are paid with crude oil instead of cash and that they lower unnecessary costs due to the oil price crash. The committee also proposed delaying payments of foreign debt, including reparations to Kuwait, cutting the salaries of various public sector employees by 60 per cent, and lowering investment spending and non-essential current spending. In the northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, matters are also not helped by the fact that around US$1 billion of its own cash from oil exports is stuck in the Lebanese bank, BankMed, because it is frozen whilst oil trading firm, IMMS, sues the regional government for the return of the sum.

Premium: How To Find A Bargain In A Distressed Energy Sector

On the second issue, Iraqs current financial situation looks like it may well become as bad as the situation it faced just five years ago when the Baghdad government itself estimated that dues to the IOCs of US$18 billon would accrue over the course of the year, adding to the US$9 billion in outstanding arrears from 2014. Given that the average remuneration fee per barrel of non-heavy oil produced over an initial threshold level, as delineated in the Long-Term Service Contracts (LTSCs) awarded in the first and second rounds of bidding to international oil companies (IOCs), ranges between US$1.15 (Lukoil, West Qurna 2) and US$5.50 (GazpromNeft, Badra), the question that inexorably bubbles up was how the figure owed to the IOCs could be so high?

One of the reasons is that as the Iraqi government was in so much debt at the time the contracts were awarded in 2009 the IOCs in many cases were asked to make large upfront payments as part of their bid, which would be repaid at a later date. These were broadly understood by the IOCs to be once the initial production thresholds were reached but there were no regular payment schedules incorporated into many of these contracts by the Iraqi authorities. Instead, they were regarded as being repayable on an ad hoc basis, as and when it could afford to pay them. Also related to the contracts  which are still in place for many of the fields offered in 2009 - was an infrastructure support payment on a per barrel basis of output. This vague category of payments related and still do not just to general field maintenance as it is generally understood in standard oil contracts but also to the development costs and security of the fields. All of these were billed separately from the remuneration per barrel fee, all were liable for payment by the Iraqi government, and all were highly opaque in their terms of reference. In practical terms, the scale of these payments was often at least as great as the headline per barrel remuneration fee itself and much of these payments went on administration of these elements connected to the fields. According to the Oil Minister at the time, Adil Abdul Mahdi, Iraq lost US$14,448,146,000 from the beginning of 2011 up to the end of 2014 as cash compensation payments relating to these fields development.

In this precise context, Iraq as a whole ranked 162 out of 180 countries in 2019 by the independent international non-governmental organisation, Transparency International (TI), in its Corruption Perceptions Index. TI describes Iraq as demonstrating: Massive embezzlement, procurement scams, money laundering, oil smuggling and widespread bureaucratic bribery that have led the country to the bottom of international corruption rankings, fuelled political violence and hampered effective state building and service delivery. Although acknowledging that the countrys anti-corruption initiatives and framework have expanded since 2005, TI adds that they still fail to provide a strong and comprehensive integrity system. Political interference in anti-corruption bodies and politicisation of corruption issues, weak civil society, insecurity, lack of resources and incomplete legal provisions severely limit the governments capacity to efficiently curb soaring corruption, concludes the agency.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A pregnant woman has escaped with minor injuries after her car was stolen from the car park of a Lockyer Valley store with her three-year-old son inside.

The theft came just hours before a similar incident in which a car containing a five-year-old boy was allegedly stolen from an address in Mackay.

In the Lockyer Valley theft, the woman was injured as she tried to open the driver-side door as the thief drove off from the Glenore Grove Store, west of Brisbane, about 6am on Tuesday.

Police are now searching for the man, who stopped a short distance down Brightview Road to let the unharmed boy out of the car, before continuing east.
Lele Group of Companies, importers of Lele products and other range of products have donated money and various items to the Ghana Covid-19 Trust Fund in support of the nations fight against the coronavirus.



The CEO of Lele Group, Hussein Jabir, presented the donations at the Jubilee House on Tuesday April 7, 2020. In his remarks Mr. Jabir stated that as a Ghanaian, he and his company are concerned about the threat that Covid-19 poses to the country and its people.



He further said that his company is committed to Ghanas fight against the coronavirus hence the donation.



Mr. Hussein Jabir presented a cheque for GH100,000 and assorted goods valued at GH30,000 to the Covid-19 Fund.



The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare received the donations. She expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Covid-19 Fund and the nation for the gesture, sighting the Lele Group as an example worth emulating.



She mentioned that the philanthropy of the Lele Group and other donors to the Fund serve as a motivation to those fighting in the frontlines and to the nation as a whole.





She urged all Ghanaians to do what they could within their means, to help kick the virus out of our jurisdiction.



This is one of several donations that the Lele Group has made towards the fight against Covid-19. The first donation was made to the Tema General Hospital, the Tema Regional Police Command and the Eastern Naval Command amounting to about GH30,000.



The company plans to do further donations to three local government authorities  Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, Tema Metropolitan Assembly and the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly.











Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Jail authorities in the capital have told the High Powered Committee that prisoners, staff and others working in prisons are taking necessary precautions and are adhering to social distancing.

At a meeting held through video conferencing, Sandeep Goel, Director General (Prisons) Delhi, informed the High Powered Committee headed by its chairperson Justice Hima Kohli, Judge, Delhi Delhi High Court and Executive Chairperson, Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) that the bathing area, kitchen area and jail telephone area are being cleaned and sanitised on regular basis, read a statement.

He further informed that inmates are being apprised about the necessary precautions - Do's and Don'ts through 'public address system' installed in jails.

DG (Prisons) informed that the measures like isolation wards, quarantine of new prisoners as well as a preliminary examination of the prisoners for COVID-19 are being regularly followed as per the resolution adopted at the last meeting.

Goel further informed the committee that on an average, 25-30 new inmates are being sent to jail these days. DG (Prisons) stated that a separate ward in Jail Number 2 at Tihar and in Jail Number 13 at Mandoli have been carved out for the new male inmates above 21 years of age.

He said that all such new inmates shall be kept only in these two wards of Jail Number 2 and 13 at Tihar and Mandoli, respectively. Whereas, for new women inmates, separate isolation wards have been created in Jail Number 6 while mew male inmates between the age of 18 to 21 years would be kept at Jail number 5, Tihar jail.

This is done in order to make sure that the new inmates do not intermingle with those already inside, the statement added.

Goel further informed that in terms of the resolutions adopted in the previous meeting, out of the in-house manufacturing of soap cakes, liquid soaps, phenyl, masks, and sanitisers, adequate number of these materials have been sent to JJBs/ Observation Homes, as per the requirement received from them, besides the same being put to use in all the jails.

DG (Prisons) has assured that the jail administration shall continue following these precautions and resolutions, so as to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the jail premises.

The statement said that the committee is satisfied with the steps being taken by DG (Prisons) and directed him to continue doing the same.

As per DG (Prisons), the number of such convicts eligible for "Emergency Parole" was about 1,500. However, as per the report submitted, only 650 convicts have been released so far.The Chairperson of the committee has cautioned DG (Prisons) and Principal Secretary (Home) that any delay in the release of the eligible convicts on "Emergency Parole" so as to complete the exercise of decongestion of jail, will make the entire effort futile.

DG (Prisons), as well as Principal Secretary (Home), assured that they shall expedite the process of grant of "Emergency parole" to the eligible convicts.

The committee was further informed that "interim bail" has already been granted in approximately 823 cases and it is expected that in a day or two, 100 more under trial prisoners would be granted "interim bail" on the basis of applications filed/pending for consideration, before the concerned courts.

The committee has been apprised that on the basis of criteria adopted vide meeting dated March 28, the Jail population has come down from 17,552 as on March 25 to 16,179 as on April 7. On complete implementation of the other relaxation criteria, it would further come down to about 15,500.

It was also informed that on the basis of criterion adopted for release of UTPs /Remand Prisoners on "interim bail", the same would further come down to 14,500 in a week's time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8)  The Department of Social Welfare and Development targeted on Wednesday the complete distribution of COVID-19 emergency subsidies before weekend.

Speaking to CNN Philippines Balitaan, Speaking to CNN Philippines Pinky Webb, DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao gave the projection but also admitted there are some hitches in the distribution of the emergency subsidies.

We are also looking some operational issues such as manpower, compliment, and distribution strategies, said Dumlao.

Despite these issues, Dumlao added the department is still committed in providing assistance to the intended beneficiaries.

We will be providing the assistance to our constituents or to our target beneficiaries in the most efficient and effective manner, she assured.

Among the key provisions of the Bayanihan to Heal as One law, which gave Duterte special powers, is the provision of a 5,000 to 8,000 monthly allowance for two months to indigent families.

The DSWD allotted 200 billion emergency fund for the cash aid and started to distribute the subsidies to qualified families last April 3.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told CNN Philippines News Night that a second rollout of cash aid for some four million more families who are not included in the DSWDs initial list will happen soon.

Yung hindi nabibigyan ay iko-consolidate ng ating LGUs (local government units) at isa-submit ulit at makakatanggap din sila, Ano said. Madaling makita at mahanap yung wala sa listahan na yan because mostly are actually in Metro Manila and in Calabarzon area.

[Translation: Those who have not yet been given aid will be consolidated in a list by the LGUs which they will submit and they will also receive aid  They would be easy to spot those who are not in the DSWDs list because most are in Metro Manila and Calabarzon.]

But some Metro Manila mayors raised doubts on the DSWDs initial target.

When asked if the target is doable, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said shes not in any position to say "considering that there is no money to distribute."

Binay said she has been waiting for the funds to be transferred the past few days following the submission of requirements to the DSWD.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian added the DSWD has yet to answer the Metro Manila mayors concerns over the correct number of beneficiaries in their areas.

Like Makati, he says the funds for the emergency subsidy is not yet with Valenzuela.

We keep on querying and their answers remain the same, that theyre still threshing out or harmonizing, Gatchalian told CNN Philippines over the phone.

Dumlao told CNN Philippines that their agency has not yet received the resolution made by Metro Manila mayors regarding the reinstatement of the original number of target beneficiaries for the cash aid.

The department will carefully review all the issues and recommendations they raised in the resolution, she guaranteed.

Dumlao also bared that more than 16 billion worth of emergency subsidies have been given to target beneficiaries.

Most of the beneficiaries belong to the agencys Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in the National Capital Region.

Dumlao assured those who are not members of the program are next in line in the distribution of the emergency subsidy, as identified by their respective local government units.

We did not stop. We will guarantee that the needed assistance will be delivered to the most affected families, she sai.
A Chinese softshell turtle was



rescued by a few youths from Naharlagun and was handed over to the Biological Park in Itanagar for rehabilitation.

The reptile was rescued from a stream in Pachin Colony on Tuesday.

Biological Park curator Raya Flago thanked the youths for rescuing the reptile belonging to a vulnerable species and requested them to continue the noble work of saving the rich fauna of the state.

Biological Park veterinary officer Sorang Tadap said the turtle was found to be visibly healthy.

The Chinese softshell turtle belongs to the softshell family Trionychidae, which includes the American softshell turtle, Cantors giant softshell turtle and Florida softshell turtle, among many others.

The species prefer to spend most of their lives in water and are adapted to absorb oxygen through their skin and the lining of the throat when fully submerged.

These turtles are agile swimmers and good hunters and they would bite and scratch if touched.

The Chinese softshell turtle prefers to eat while in water. They are carnivores and eat insects, worms and crustaceans.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HARRISBURG  As officials consider releasing some inmates to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania prisons, county prosecutors are telling lawmakers that passing legislation to address that would avoid leaving those decisions to the governor alone.

The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association considers a temporary, legislative solution to be reasonable, considering the health threat from the pandemic, said Lindsay Vaughan, the group's executive director.

Vaughan was responding to a letter sent Monday by Corrections Secretary John Wetzel to state lawmakers about the prospect for legislation that would lay out which state inmates might qualify for early release.

Wetzel told the Associated Press on Tuesday that under the administration's proposal, about 1,500 prisoners would qualify for potential release, but not all will end up getting out after they are fully evaluated. They would all need to have a place to live, for one thing.

He said he still hopes lawmakers will act but if not, he will recommend that Gov, Tom Wolf, a Democrat, act on his existing authority.

My letter said Friday. Im not walking away from that, certainly, Wetzel said.

House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, told reporters in a phone conference late Tuesday that he expected legislative work to continue on the prisoner release issue, with his chamber on 12-hour callback.

The secretary expressed his desire to do it legislatively, and I personally think thats the best way to do things, Cutler said.

He said an approach to go it alone, which he compared to the states closed business waiver process, will most likely verify concerns that many of our members have.

The states population of roughly 45,000 inmates has fallen by more than 600 since the start of March, due partly to the agencys pandemic-driven efforts to get all those eligible for parole out the door.

He said the number of new inmates coming into the state system from county courts has fallen to about 150 a week, and the Corrections Department expects that stream to continue to diminish, as courts have shut down much of their operations.

Eleven Corrections employees at scattered sites and four inmates at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix outside Philadelphia have COVID-19. The prison system has been on inmate quarantine since March 29, with inmates being fed in their cells and all movement being controlled to achieve social distancing.

Wetzel said lawmakers should pass the administrations proposal to release inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses who are within nine months of scheduled release, or within 12 months for those considered at heightened risk from the coronavirus.

The virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe illness or death.

The administrations proposal would send most of those released to home confinement, although some could end up in halfway houses, Wetzel said. Judges or prosecutors would get about five days to veto any release, and the program would expire in two months.

The proposal that Wetzel was objecting to was more limited. Drafted by House Republicans, it would have capped at 450 the number of state prison releases. After a lengthy, private caucus on Monday, House Republican spokesman Mike Straub indicated their debate on the issue had stopped and prisoner release language was not in bills that were moving in that chamber Tuesday.

We diligently worked to create an appropriate process for releasing nonviolent offenders who a judge would rule are not considered a threat to their communities, Straub said in a statement. However, we have no confidence that any process would properly protect the public and victims interest and will not be considering any legislation relating to the release of inmates from state correctional facilities at this time.

Vaughan's letter said the association worked with Wetzel on draft legislation but was not involved in any internal legislative discussions.

We believe any legislative solution should be thoughtful, focused on nonviolent inmates, provide supervision, and include the input of the local district attorney and the sentencing judge, Vaughan said.
[April 08, 2020] Managed Services Market Worth $329.1 Billion by 2025 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets

CHICAGO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Managed Services Market by Service Type (Managed Security, Managed Network, Managed Data Center and IT Infrastructure, and Managed Communication and Collaboration), Vertical, Organization Size, Deployment Type and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Managed Services Market is expected to grow from USD 223.0 billion in 2020 to USD 329.1 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.1 % during the forecast period. Factors that drive the market growth of the Managed Services Market are lack of IT skilled professionals, and cost reduction and lower IT budgets to force enterprises to leverage managed services. Browse in-depth TOC on "Managed Services Market" 113  Tables

40  Figures

190  Pages Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1141 Managed data center and IT infrastructure services segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period Enterprises are adopting digital technologies, such as cloud computing, mobility, IoT, big data, and predictive analytics, at a high rate across the world. These disruptive technologies are driving the digital revolution by breaking the barriers between the physical and digital worlds. These advancements are empowering almost all the verticals, including IT, healthcare, retail, banking, manufacturing, and education, in terms of improved performance, faster time to market, and increased customer experience. However, managing an IT environment is a major concern for CIOs. Most of the IT enterprises are dedicating most of their time in the cycles of a plan, build, run, and maintain IT with untrained IT employees. Large enterprises segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period The adoption of managed services in large enterprises is said to be higher as compared to SMEs. Large enterprises might have the necessary resources, but face issues when it comes to the deployment type, due to the variety of solutions and applications available. Managed services can help companies of all size reduce the overhead and boost productivity. Large enterprises can benefit from improved reliability and efficiency, enhanced security compliance, and increased capacity for projects.



On-premises segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period Managed services on-premises allow enterprises to hand over the complete system management to experts, ensuring maximum performance and availability of the existing data center investments. A managed service, physically installed onsite in a company's infrastructure, is termed as on-premises managed services. Several enterprises that have traditional legacy tools are better suited to traditional on-premises-based services.

North America to account for the largest market size during the forecast period North America is estimated to dominate global managed services. The US and Canada are expected to be the major revenue contributors in the North American Managed Services Market. The adoption of managed services offers benefits, such as improved reliability and efficiency, enhanced security compliance, and increased capacity. The developed economies in North America have been witnessing more adoption of managed services as compared to other countries across the globe. Speak to Analyst:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=1141 Market Players The Managed Services Market comprises major providers, such as IBM (US), Cisco (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Accenture (Ireland), Atos (France), DXC Technology (US), AT&T (US), Ericsson (Sweden), Cognizant US), HCL (India), TCS (India), Infosys (India), Dimension Data (South Africa), NTT (Japan), GTT Communications (US), Happiest Minds Technologies (India), Rackspace (US), Huawei (China), Nokia (Finland), and CenturyLink (US). The study includes the in-depth competitive analysis of these key players in the Managed Services Market with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies. Browse Adjacent Markets: Software and Services Market Research Reports & Consulting Browse Related Reports: Managed Network Services Market by Organization Size, End-Use Vertical, Service (Managed Internet Access and Network Provisioning, VPN, Data Storage, Network Monitoring, Network Security, and Hosted IP Telephony), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/managed-network-services-market-901.html Cloud Managed Services Market by Service Type (Managed Infrastructure, Managed Network, Managed Security, Managed Data Center, and Managed Mobility Services), Deployment Type, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-managed-service-market-195317068.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact:

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To show support, people are asked to share pictures and videos using the American Sign Language sign for "hug" on social media. They should tag the health system on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter and use the hashtag #hugsforhealthcare. Submissions will also be accepted via email at [email protected] .

"CaroMont Health has been overwhelmed by requests from people who want to help in some way," said Kimberly Sain, Director of Public Affairs. "This situation is so different than other situations where people can volunteer in person, so we wanted to create a meaningful way for them to be involved given the circumstances. These pictures and videos are providing such a lift for our employees, and we hope it spreads to our colleagues across the country."

About CaroMont Health:

CaroMont Health is a not-for-profit health system headquartered in Gastonia, NC. Committed to providing compassionate, exceptional and highly reliable care within five counties and two states, the system's 435-bed CaroMont Regional Medical Center was named among IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals in 2018 and has earned more Grade A ratings for Patient Safety by the Leapfrog Group than any other hospital in the region. With a focus on putting patients first, CaroMont Health has been a trusted healthcare partner since 1946.

For additional information, visit: www.caromonthealth.org.

SOURCE CaroMont Health

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Worldwide efforts are being made to come up with cheap iterations of ventilators to meet the rising demand for the medical equipment due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. A new team in Afghanistan is a bit different from the rest though, consisting of only five teenage girls in a one of a kind school talent search program.

An all-female robotics team named Afghan Dreamers has come up with a ventilator that operates using the motor of a Toyota Corolla.

The team has been put together under a trail-blazing programme in the Afghani city of Herat started by a serial tech entrepreneur Roya Mahboob. One of Afghanistans first female chief executives at 23, Mahboob treats the programme as a passion project, meant to help young women in Afghanistan build digital literacy.

(Image: Roya Mahboob/ The National)

The team of teenage girls decided to take the task of designing the cheap ventilators as the number of COVID-19 cases rose to an all time high in Afghanistan, compelling the governor of Herat to put out a public plea for more ventilators.



Five Dreamers with captain Somaya Faruqi, Dyana Wahbzadeh, Folernace Poya, Ellaham Mansori and Nahid Rahimi, all aged between 14 and 17, were guided by Mahboob over the project.

As for the ventilators produced, the team is currently working with two prototypes wherein one is a gear-based system based on a design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The other uses parts from a Toyota Corolla.

Pertaining to the first one, the team has been able to design a mechanical system to operate the widely available Ambu bag in hospitals. While it can be operated by hand to pump air into a patients lungs, a mechanic version designed by the team would do the same for about USD 200. The team is now gaining international recognition and help for making the concept a practicality.

(Image: Roya Mahboob/ The National)

The other ventilator essentially works in the same way, using a Toyotas battery and costs just USD 300 to make, as per a report by The National.



An imposing challenge for the team was to use locally sourced materials for the ventilators. Also, with many cities in Afghanistan being shut down one by one due to the ongoing pandemic, it became increasingly difficult for the girls to spend time on the project as a team.

The team, however, managed to keep working on their designs, coming up with the fine-tuned ventilators and working with doctors to test them.

Post completion, the ventilators will be used as assistive add ons to professional ones. "The idea of these machines is that we use them for emergency cases, when there are no professional ventilators, says Mahboob. She further adds, If we don't have access to anything professional we can use these ones."

Stories of such heroic are being common day by day as people the world over contribute in some or the other way to fight the Coronavirus. A Bengaluru 3D printing company, for instance, is now making face masks for health officials on the frontlines. Similarly, a team of ex-Apple engineers have come up with a novel way to use regular surgeon masks more effectively using a DIY technique involving only three rubber bands.
The Madhya Pradesh government has invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) in the state with immediate effect to combat COVID-19, Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan said on Wednesday.

"In a bid to manage the COVID-19 outbreak in a better way and in the interest of the citizens, the government has implemented the Essential Services Management Act, called ESMA, with the immediate effect in Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan tweeted.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the total number of cases in Madhya Pradesh has increased to 229 including 13 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Washington

A top White House adviser warned Trump administration officials in late January that the coronavirus crisis could cost the United States trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans at risk of illness or death.

The warning, written in a memo by Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump's trade adviser, is the highest-level alert known to have circulated inside the West Wing as the administration was taking its first substantive steps to confront a crisis that had already consumed China's leadership.

"The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on U.S. soil," Navarro's memo said. "This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans."

Dated Jan. 29, it came during a period when Trump was playing down the risks to the U.S., and he would later go on to say that no one could have predicted such a devastating outcome.

Navarro said in the memo that the administration faced a choice about how aggressive to be in containing an outbreak, saying the human and economic costs would be relatively low if it turned out to be a problem along the lines of a seasonal flu. But he went on to emphasize that the "risk of a worst-case pandemic scenario should not be overlooked" given the information coming from China.

A second memo that Navarro wrote, dated Feb. 23, warned of an "increasing probability of a full-blown COVID-19 pandemic that could infect as many as 100 million Americans, with a loss of life of as many as 1.2 million souls."

At that time, Trump was still downplaying the threat of the virus. The administration was considering asking Congress for more money to address the situation, and the second memo, which circulated in the West Wing and was obtained by the Times, urged an immediate supplemental appropriation from Congress of at least $3 billion.

"This is NOT a time for penny-pinching or horse trading on the Hill," Navarro wrote in the second memo, which was unsigned but which officials attributed to him. It was unclear whether Trump saw the second memo, whose contents were first reported by Axios.

The second memo seemed aimed at members of the White House task force established by Trump to manage the crisis, and reflected deep divisions within the administration about how to proceed.

"Any member of the Task Force who wants to be cautious about appropriating funds for a crisis that could inflict trillions of dollars in economic damage and take millions of lives has come to the wrong administration," the memo said.

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

Among other things, the memo called for an increase funding for the government to purchase personal protective equipment for health care workers, estimating they would need "at least a billion face masks" over a four- to six-month period.

The administration ended up asking for $2.5 billion. Congress then approved $8 billion.

Navarro is now the administration's point person for supply chain issues for medical and other equipment needed to deal with the virus.

The January memo written by Navarro was dated the same day that Trump named a White House task force to deal with the threat.

Questions about Trump's handling of the crisis, especially in its early days when he suggested it was being used by Democrats to undercut his re-election prospects, are likely to define his presidency.

The memo was sent from Navarro to the National Security Council and then distributed to several officials across the administration, people familiar with the events said. It reached a number of top officials as well as aides to Mick Mulvaney, then the acting chief of staff, they said, but it was unclear whether Trump saw it.
Facing the need for specialized chips for AI and new applications, internet giants, mobile phone providers and automakers are pouring billions into their own integrated circuits
(Alliance News) - Charities struggling during the coronavirus pandemic will be given a GBP750 million bailout to keep them afloat, the Chancellor has announced.

Rishi Sunak said charities, including those supporting domestic abuse victims and hospices, will receive cash grants to ensure they can meet increased demand as a result of the virus.

Some GBP360 million direct from government departments will go to charities providing key services, while smaller charities will benefit from GBP370 million, including through a grant to the National Lottery Community Fund.

The government has also pledged to match the public's donations to the National Emergencies Trust, guaranteeing a minimum of GBP20 million.

It will match fund whatever the public decides to donate to the BBC's Big Night In charity appeal on April 23.

Sunak said: "Our charities are playing a crucial role in the national fight against coronavirus, supporting those who are most in need.

"It's right we do everything we can to help the sector during this difficult time, which is why we have announced this unprecedented GBP750 million package of extra funding.

"This will ensure our key charities can continue to deliver the services that millions of people up and down the country rely on."

Tens of thousands of charities are expected to benefit, including hospices, St John's Ambulance to help it support the NHS, vulnerable children and victims services and Citizen's Advice, to increase the number of staff providing advice.

Announcing the funds for frontline charities at a Downing Street press conference, Sunak said: "For them, shutting up shop at this moment would be to contravene their very purpose, their entire reason to exist.

"Those charities have never been more needed than they are now, and they've never faced such a sudden fall in their funding."

He added: "At this time, when many are hurting and tired and confined, we need the gentleness of charities in our lives. It gives us hope, it makes us stronger and it reminds us we depend on each other."

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said he was "delighted" that up to GBP200 million will go towards hospices.

He said: "The entire charity sector has stepped up as part of our national effort to tackle coronavirus a from helping our NHS heroes to ensuring the most vulnerable among us are cared for properly.

"Hospices have suffered a huge challenge to their funding due to the outbreak of coronavirus, but at the same time continued to play a vital role in delivering compassionate, quality end-of-life care for many people."

By Jemma Crew, PA Social Affairs Correspondent

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Patients are brought into Wyckoff Heights Medical Center by staff wearing personal protective gear due to COVID-19 concerns, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Source: AP/TASR)

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What most people dont grasp is that the thing that seems absolutely unimaginable today can become the new normal a few months later, American historian Marci Shore said in our interview one year ago.

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When I thought of this and other things she told me back then, I realised that in the middle of a pandemic, every day is full of possibilities for the things that were unimaginable just yesterday. So, I reached out to Marci Shore once again to continue the conversation, this time between a historian in home isolation in the US, and a journalist in home isolation in Slovakia.

Read in this interview:

The Slovak Spectator (TSS): How have you been these past days? How does home isolation influence your work?

Marci Shore (MS): Academics in the humanities are very privileged: I can read and write at home. On the other hand, my children are also here, trying to do what they would do at school, which means its not really possible to do anything that demands sustained concentration. Im constantly being interrupted: Im trying to help my nine-year-old son with his math assignments (who knew that so many new methods of doing long division had been invented since I was in school?) and make sure my seven-year-old daughter is able to log in to her Google Classroom class meeting and take them both outside for exercise breaks. . .

Marci Shore is an Assistant Professor of History at Yale University, where she teaches European cultural and intellectual history. She is the prize-winning author of books The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe (2013), Caviar and Ashes: A Warsaw Generations Life and Death in Marxism, 1918-1968 (2006) and The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution (2017).

TSS: Indeed, home schooling of young kids is a much-discussed topic now. But how is your interaction with your university students?

MS: Teaching remotely is much harder than doing other kinds of work at home. The classroom is my space: I feel at home there. (Interestingly, that has been true for me in classrooms in all different cities and countriesthere must be some element that's universal about a classroom.) I like to think I can feel the mood in the room, respond intuitively in real time, gently steer the conversation. I lose whatever magic I have on Zoom. That said, every single one of the students in my first-year seminarnow scattered from Miami, New York, and Seattle to Hong Kong and New Delhidid the reading and appeared remotely for class this week. I was surprised and very moved.

Ive been very concerned about my students. Yale operates as a social engineering experiment: the university seeks out young people from all over the world, from radically disparate backgrounds, and then brings them to a campus where they live together in a highly controlled environment, in conditions created to smooth out the inequalities among them and optimise their academic performance. Now all of those students have suddenly been scattered and thrown back into their very unequal circumstances. Some are in situations where parents have lost their jobs and the students need to find a way to earn money immediately, or they need to take care of younger siblings who are now at home, or their grandparents have fallen ill and need to be cared for. It seems cruel and perverse to add to those difficulties by making academic demands upon them. Other students are in homes where everything is taken care of for them, but theyre isolated from their friends and suddenly feel lost and depressed, and precisely at this moment want to throw themselves into something intellectually intense.

Marci Shore (Source: Courtesy of M.Shore)

TSS: The situation we are in has most often been described as unprecedented. Is there any way we can learn from, or find consolation in, history? Which historical events do you think of these days the most?

MS: Nothing is ever exactly the same as anything else, but that doesnt mean there are not insights we can gain through understanding things that happened in the past. I can give you a few examples:

Last year two excellent books came out about Chernobyl: one by the historian Serhii Plokhy and one by the journalist Adam Higginbotham. And it is impossible not to notice parallels: an unprecedented biological disaster takes place; the immediate reaction of the powers-that-be is to downplay the severity and think first and foremost of public relations; the voices of the scientists who actually grasp what is going on are obfuscated by those with self-interest in preserving political power; eventually the truth gets out, but in the meantime a critical window of time has been lost, and that loss of time will mean the loss of lives.
Due to the coronavirus public health crisis, the deadline to pay property taxes has been extended for residents in both San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

The new deadline for residents in those counties is now May 4, 2020, according to both San Mateo County Treasurer Sandie Arnott and San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros.
The desire of Mr and Mrs Tran Thanh Van is to not only build a room, but create a scientists community which could create connections that we still cannot even imagine, said Dr Tran Thanh Son, director of ICISE.

Teacher Van is the word used by Son when talking about Van, who is internationally famous for his excellent achievements in science. Son is chair of Meet Vietnam, a rendezvous for the worlds eminent scientists, and director of ICISE (International Center of Interdisciplinary Science Education).

Dr Tran Thanh Son (left) and Prof Tran Thanh Van





Van the professor currently lives in France. He asked Son to take the post of deputy director of the center with the wish to cooperate with him to implement his end-of-life project  introducing images of Vietnam to the world and help Vietnams science reach the elite scientific community.



Many years ago, after graduating from the biology faculty of Hue University of Education, he became a lecturer at the Quang Binh Pedagogical Junior College. The job gave him the opportunity to meet Van when the professor and his wife built Dong Hoi SOS Village.

In 2018, Prof Jerome Friendman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990, came to Vietnam to attend a conference. He met with Vietnamese students who had won prizes at international competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, information technology and astronomy.

Later, he got a scholarship from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the French INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) to study in France where he obtained t'a masters degree and doctorate.



He studied for a masters degree at Paris-Sud University, where Van worked. His residence was just two train stations away from Vans home. The acquaintance became closer when he participated in a campaign to sell Christmas cards and souvenirs related to Vietnam to raise funds for Aide a l'Enfance du Vietnam, where Prof Le Kim Ngoc, Van's wife, was the president.



Hearing that Van did not have a secretary and had difficulties using the Vietnamese language, Son volunteered to assist Van.



Every year, in the summer, since 2008, as a volunteer translator, he has followed French professors to Vietnam to train high school teachers in methods of teaching science.



In 2013, after successfully defending his doctoral dissertation, he came to Vietnam to become a part-time deputy director at ICISE.



Many conferences have been organized at the center, which creates favorable conditions for young Vietnamese to do scientific research.



Meet Vietnam and ICISE organize conferences to introduce new research trends in the world.



In 2018, Prof Jerome Friendman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990, came to Vietnam to attend a conference. He met with Vietnamese students who had won prizes at international competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, information technology and astronomy.

Ngoc Mai

The talents of Vietnam's two female mathematics professors Vietnams mathematics community has only two female professors  Hoang Xuan Sinh and Le Thi Thanh Nhan.
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Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary by releasing a touching new portrait of themselves together at Birkhall, holding Camilla's beloved pet dogs.

The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles were reunited on Monday after the 72-year-old duchess came out of a 14-day self-isolation on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire.

The royal couple faced a worrying time after the prince fell ill with coronavirus, but heir to the throne Charles, 71, has recovered after having mild symptoms.

The photo taken on Wednesday morning - the day before their anniversary - shows the smiling prince and duchess seated side by side in the front porch of their Scottish country retreat, with Jack Russell terriers Bluebell and Beth.

The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles shared this sweet photo from Birkhall with dogs Bluebell and Beth to mark their 15th wedding anniversary tomorrow (April 9)

It is the first time the couple, who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, have been pictured together since it was announced Charles had caught the Covid-19 illness.

Camilla, dressed in blue denim jeans, an open-necked pink shirt, pale blue jumper and navy suede boots, is holding Bluebell on her lap, while the prince, in an open-necked blue shirt, navy jacket, olive green trousers and fawn suede loafers, has an alert-looking Beth in his arms.

Both dogs were rescued by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, of which Camilla is royal patron.

The duchess has written of Beth and Bluebell in the past: 'They are family, friends and ever-faithful companions and, just like anyone else with a passion for dogs, I can't imagine life without them.'

The prince has a plaster on the end of one of his middle fingers, but Clarence House declined to comment as to why.

Earlier this week Clarence House shared this photo of the Duchess of Cornwall on the phone at Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, after she came out of isolation

Last week the couple were pictured clapping for our NHS heroes in separate rooms of their Birkhall residence. A video was shared to the Clarence House Instagram page

The photograph was taken by a member of staff. The couple, like the Queen who is staying at Windsor Castle, are operating with a reduced household.

The prince spent seven days isolating after being diagnosed on March 25, and finished just over a week ago.

Camilla, who tested negative for the Covid-19 disease, isolated for a fortnight in keeping with advice.

Any private celebrations for their decade-and-a-half-long marriage - their crystal anniversary - on Thursday will be low key as the pair socially distance from friends and family like the rest of the country.

Camilla has paid tribute to the thousands of people who have registered as NHS volunteers, even phoning 85-year-old Doris Winfield from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, who has been self-isolating, for a chat.

The prince and the duchess - formerly Camilla Parker Bowles - wed in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall on April 9 2005, after a relationship spanning more than 30 years

What a difference a year makes! Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoy a mojito as they visit a paladar called Habanera, a privately owned restaurant in Havana, Cuba, on March 27, 2019

Duchess of Cornwall laughing with the Prince of Wales during a game of bowls while visiting to Bromham in Wiltshire in 2007

Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall standing and taking in the scene on the Beach of North Seymour Island in the Galapagos Islands in 2009

The prince, who opened the NHS Nightingale hospital in London by video link on Friday, has spoken of the 'strange, frustrating and often distressing' experience of being without friends and relatives while suffering from coronavirus.

The prince and the duchess - formerly Camilla Parker Bowles - wed in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall on April 9 2005, after a relationship spanning more than 30 years.

The ceremony was followed by a blessing in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The couple spent their honeymoon at their beloved hideaway Birkhall, which is nestled in a picturesque glen on the Queen's private estate.

At first, former royal mistress-turned-HRH Camilla took tentative steps as she adjusted to royal life.

Their recent photo featured Camilla's beloved dogs - also pictured in this snap of Charles of Camilla, dated June 2015, at the inaugural Dumfries House Dog Show in Ayrshire

In the 1990s, she was dubbed a marriage wrecker and the 'other woman' and held responsible for the breakdown of Charles's relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales.

Now 15 years on, Camilla, one of the most senior female members of the royal family, has carved out her own charitable role, and appeared alongside the prince and the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament.

She focuses on raising awareness of osteoporosis, promoting literacy, and supporting survivors of sexual assaults and domestic abuse.

The grinning Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall pictured opening a new play park in Ballater in April 2005

Described as witty, warm, down to earth and fun, she is adored by Charles, her children Tom and Laura, and her five grandchildren who call her by the nickname GaGa.

The prince - the father of the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex - is the nation's longest serving heir to the throne.

Sensitive and with a strong social conscience, he is known for his charity work and environmental campaigning.

He also admits - in his own words - to being an 'inveterate interferer and meddler' for his outspoken views on many different matters and causes.
Global airlines warned that 25 million jobs across the world could be at risk from the coronavirus travel downturn and the industry's representative body said airline finances were so fragile they could not afford to refund customers.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has held a series of weekly news conferences, issuing increasingly desperate messages about the state of airline industry, and urging governments to help carriers.

The aviation industry is at a virtual standstill, putting millions of jobs at risk. Credit:Getty Images

In its latest warning, IATA whose members include the likes of Lufthansa and British Airways parent IAG said global air travel slumped by 70 per cent at the beginning of the second quarter, and its Director General Alexandre De Juniac said airlines could not afford to issue refunds. He said customers should accept vouchers.

"The key element for us is to avoid running out of cash so refunding the cancelled ticket for us is almost unbearable financially speaking," De Juniac told reporters.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday lauded the people battling the coronavirus pandemic and saluted them for their selfless service.

"India stands united in its fight against COVID-19 under the leadership of PM @narendramodi. In this valiant battle for the future of humanity, Corona Warriors are at the forefront. I salute them for their selfless services. Join! #ThankYouCoronaWarriors," Shah tweeted.

The Union Home Minister also shared a message in which he said: "The corona warriors' undiluted courage, selflessness, determination and focus have ensured that India remains on track in these difficult times."

"Placing themselves at great risk, as doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, police personnel, essential supplies workers, bank staff and government employees, they have ensured that people remain safe. India shall be safe and emerge victorious in this fight against COVID-19 because of the corona warriors' selfless toil and sacrifice," he added.

India's tally of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 5,194, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday. 4,643 are active cases while 401 have been cured or discharged and one has migrated. The death toll stands at 149.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The 18 percent fall in volumes last year and a crippled demand outlook for at least two quarters is casting a shadow on Maruti Suzukis parent companys newest factory that is coming up in Gujarat.

Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent company of Maruti Suzuki, Indias largest carmaker, has plans for the inauguration of Rs 3,800 crore Plant C in Gujarat in July, as per a shareholder disclosure in February.

Unlike the factories in Haryana that were set up by Maruti Suzuki, the plants in Gujarat are owned directly by Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). Production from Gujarat is handed over to Maruti Suzuki for sales. A fraction of the production, comprising the Baleno is provided to Toyota Kirloskar Motors, under a supply agreement.

Apart from regular fossil fuel-powered models, the Suzuki-Toyota partnership will also result in many electric and hybrid vehicles. Suzuki will develop electric vehicles for supply to Toyota and there will be a mutual supply of hybrid vehicles.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, said, That plant (Plant C, Gujarat) will be ready. How much production will happen that will depend on the demand. It takes one-and-a-half years to erect the plant, that cannot be stopped and work will be completed.

Plant C has the capacity to produce 250,000 units a year taking the total output from Gujarat to 750,000 units a year from the three plants. Along with the plants in Haryana (Manesar with a capacity of 800,000 and Gurgaon 700,000 units), SMCs India-wide installed capacity will stand at 2.25 million units a year after Plant C comes on stream.

During FY20 a total of over 1.57 million units were produced by Maruti Suzuki and Suzuki Motor Corporation from all the plants. This represents a plant capacity utilisation of 78 percent, much lower than around 93 percent recorded in FY19. If the new plant starts production Suzuki will have excess capacity in India.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a severe toll on vehicle production and sales in India. While production dropped by double digits in March compared to February, the drop in sales was more than 50 percent compared to March of last year.

Factors like Bharat Stage VI (BS6) price hike, expected tightening in lending by banks to the sector and weakness in economic activity, will stifle demand for at least the first half of the current financial year, say experts.

The disruption caused by COVID-19 has already forced two companies to realign launch plans. Groupe PSA brand Citroen has postponed its debut in India to Q1 of 2021 from September this year while Isuzu has pushed back the launch of BS6 models to Q2 2020-21 from Q1, as per official communication from both the companies.

Maruti Suzuki is believed to have closed FY20 with a share of more than 50 percent in the domestic market. Parent company SMC intends to maintain the market share of 50 percent at least till 2030 when the total size of Indias car market was earlier expected to grow to 10 million units from around 2.77 million units clocked in FY20.
The Australian government on Wednesday said it is in talks with national carriers Qantas and Virgin Australia to bring back its citizens stranded overseas, including from India.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said it is exploring ways to allow Australians in India to return home including on commercial charter flights, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The department is also advising a group wanting to organise a private charter out of India, the report said.

Recently, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the government had worked with two major airlines, Qantas and Virgin Australia, to establish the network of flights to bring Australians home from other parts of the world by establishing four key international hubs -- London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Auckland.

Payne said Australians overseas should not hesitate if they have an opportunity to take commercial flights home.

Many Australians will be able to get to one of these four destinations. They can do so knowing there will be an Australian airline to get them home, Payne said.

We recognise that, in some cases, this will not be possible. We will continue to work closely with airlines and our overseas consular assistance network in these situations.

Where there are no commercial options available, the government will consider supporting, on a case-by-case basis, non-scheduled services to other overseas destinations.

We are continuing our constructive discussions with Qantas and Virgin on flights to less accessible destinations, including South America and the Pacific.

The death toll in Australia from COVID-19 on Wednesday reached 50 and positive cases crossed 6,000.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that around 313,000 tests for coronavirus have been conducted across the country. Around 294 were hospitalised while 92 in intensive care and 36 were on respirators.

A 62-year-old woman died at Royal Adelaide Hospital while Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also announced that another person had died on Tuesday.

There are now 6,015 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia, with 2,734 in New South Wales, 1,212 in Victoria, 943 in Queensland, 420 in South Australia, 481 in Western Australia, 98 in Tasmania, 99 in the Australian Capital Territory and 28 in the Northern Territory. Morrison said that rate of new case growth has slowed from more than 20 per cent to around 2 per cent a day. He said while this was very encouraging, Australia still has a long way to go. Through the actions we have taken to date, we have bought Australia valuable time to chart a way out over the next six months, the prime minister said. But there are no guarantees, and it could well take far longer. Our country will look different on the other side, but Australians will always be Australians,'' he said.

Australians were also strongly urged to stay home during the Easter weekend in a bid to restrict the spread of the virus.

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned abandoning social distancing rules over the long weekend would undo everything done to curtail the crisis. The virus doesn't take a holiday, Hunt said.

Meanwhile, the federal government's $(Aus)130 billion JobKeeper programme saw a massive surge in registrations with over 7,30,000 businesses applying for the scheme.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said around six million payments, totalling $(Aus)4.5 billion, had been made out of stimulus packages already put in place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nearly 6 in 10 South Koreans are in favor of emergency relief funds over the coronavirus outbreak being paid to the entire nation, instead of just the bottom 70 percent income group as proposed by the government, a poll showed Wednesday. Yonhap



Nearly 6 in 10 South Koreans are in favor of emergency relief funds over the coronavirus outbreak being paid to the entire nation, instead of just the bottom 70 percent income group as proposed by the government, a poll showed Wednesday.



According to a survey of 500 adults nationwide, conducted by pollster Realmeter on Tuesday, 58.2 percent agreed to expanding the recipients of disaster relief funds to all households. In particular, 32.7 percent of the total said they are very much in favor of the universal payment of the emergency aid.



On the contrary, 36.6 percent said they are opposed to expanding the scope of recipients beyond the bottom 70 percent income bracket.



The remaining 5.2 percent refused to answer or said they did not have an opinion. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.



The government recently announced a plan to pay 1 million won (US$812) to four-person households in the bottom 70 percent income bracket in May following the April 15 parliamentary elections.



But political parties are calling for universal payment of the relief funds.



Last Sunday, Hwang Kyo-ahn, the chief of the main opposition United Future Party, proposed granting disaster relief funds of 500,000 won each to the entire population of 51.5 million people. The following day, the ruling Democratic Party proposed paying 1 million won to all households.



Realmeter said support for universal payment of relief funds was expressed among all regions, age groups and political supporters. "Citizens in Seoul, in particular, are evenly divided over the issue, while more than half of those in their 20s voiced opposition to the expansion of beneficiaries," the pollster said. (Yonhap)


No press, no family: Space crew set for launch during pandemic for six-month mission

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Almaty, Apr 08: A three-man space crew finished preparations on Wednesday for a mission to the International Space Station, which is going ahead despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Russia's Roscosmos space agency and NASA's Chris Cassidy will blast off from Kazakhstan for a six-month mission at 08:05 GMT Thursday. But with journalists and relatives unable to travel to Baikonur due to restrictions related to COVID-19, the traditional farewell press conference broadcast by Roscosmos had a more distant and sombre feel.

What does your child think about the coronavirus lockdown: Send us their thoughts

"Instead of talking only to some cameras we would be talking to some people right now," said Cassidy, who is readying for his third stint in space. Cassidy, 50, admitted that the crew was "affected" by their families not being able to be in Baikonur for their blastoff to the ISS. "But we understand that the whole world is also impacted by the same crisis."

Quarantine and isolation from the rest of the world are not new habits for astronauts. The glass barrier that separates them from media and loved ones during regular pre-launch events is specifically meant to protect them from potential infection. This time, however, their isolation has been "even more thorough", said Ivanishin, after the crew opted out of visits to sites in Moscow during their training an hour outside the city.

Thursday's launch will be the first time a manned mission uses a Soyuz-2.1a booster to reach orbit, after Roscosmos stopped using the Soyuz-FG rocket last year. The newer boosters have been used in unmanned launches since 2004.

Space tourism offer: SpaceX to send 4 tourists on 5-day flight in Crew Dragon capsule by 2022

The upgraded rocket relies on a digital flight control system rather than the analogue equipment used in prior Soyuz models. Ivanishin said the new system would be more independent and require less manual input from the crew in the event of emergencies. "The system has become better, but it is early to say whether it will be easier to control," Ivanishin said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 17:45 [IST]
A Special Note to My Neighbors,

Weve been through a lot together over the years, our Advance family and yours. It matters not if youre newcomer or native.

Staten Island news has been our thing since 1886.

Weve seen raging brush fires level East and South Shore neighborhoods back in the 50s and 60s, while flood waters from the bay submerged those same neighborhoods after they recovered.

Weve battled to close the worlds largest landfill in the 80s and 90s  and did it in 2001.

Weve weathered blackouts and blizzards.

We fought a liquefied natural gas plant on our West Shore in the 70s and in 73 mourned 40 lives lost in an LNG plant explosion.

We lived in a city teetering on bankruptcy. And survived a city gripped by crime at the same time.

Weve mourned lives lost too many times. The year: 2001. The count: 275. Staten Island neighbors all, who perished at the World Trade Center. The year: 2012. We chronicled lives of families who lost everything to Hurricane Sandy, including 24 of those lives, while we raised millions of dollars  from you, our neighbors -- to help first the 9/11 families, and then the Sandy families.

Weve suffered with our neighbors ravaged by drugs in the 2010s. Weve brought you their stories, when they wanted them told. Weve fought for stricter state regulations of prescription drugs, and won.

Yes, weve been through a lot. But nothing like this. Nothing like hiding from a killer whose advantage over us is that its invisible, and without cure. A virus that takes lives indiscriminately  more than 800 of our neighbors dead as of this writing. And more than 12,000 sickened. Those numbers grow not by the day. But by the hour.

A killer that is taking even more: Jobs. Businesses. Income. A killer that is bringing Staten Island, New York, America to its financial knees.

Your Advance family is here for you. Every day. Around the clock. Searching out what you need to know, bringing it directly to you so you never have to leave your home to get it. Online and in print.

But I come to you today, as I never have before, to ask for your help.

Reporters and editors of SILive and the Staten Island Advance are working around the clock, their own health at peril, to keep you informed about the progression of the virus in our neighborhoods.

They bring you stories of how we, as Staten Islanders, are soldiering on. Theyve lobbied the Health Department for more Staten-Island-centric data, and got it. They highlight restaurants struggling to survive, offering curbside pickup, with a side of disinfectant and toilet tissue for those in need. They profile first responders who have left their families  to protect their families. They tell the human stories of those we have lost like no one else is doing. They detail the struggles of our two major hospital systems, which now resemble war zones. And the innovative ways in which our fellow citizens are using technology to preserve the milestones of life that matter  birthday parties, weddings, even funerals.

Businesses are closing all around us. We cannot. We will not. Because you need us.

But we are not unaffected by a collapsing economy and our lifeblood  advertising  in this extraordinary time. Its no longer news that news organizations have been challenged financially for years. But this pandemic has hurt our advertising revenue dramatically.

So many of you have called and sent emails voicing your support and your thanks. For that, we are deeply appreciative.

But we need your help. As you know, Advance print subscribers have helped with the cost of our news gathering for over a century. We thank them every day for their support.

Heres how you can help our online digital work.

Beginning today, we offer digital subscriptions to SILive for a modest amount -- $10 a month. Subscribing is completely voluntary for now. We understand that many of you may be out of work, and the last thing we want at this critical time is to deny you access to news that could help save your life.

But if you can afford it, we would appreciate it enormously if you would contribute to the cause of supporting professionally reported, independent, local journalism that reflects and celebrates the strength, resiliency and diversity of our community by buying a SILive digital subscription.

Your money stays right on Staten Island, and your subscription to SILive directly supports the work of our newsroom. The stories we publish on our website, our email newsletters we deliver to your inbox, our text-messaging services, our mobile apps  and the salaries of our reporters and editors who are dedicated to keeping Staten Island informed.

Eventually, we may require all our readers to buy subscriptions for unlimited digital access. For now, though, if you value our coronavirus coverage  and all the other local news and information we provide 24 hours a day, 365 days a year  please support us by purchasing a subscription.

Local news you can trust is more important now than ever. Thank you for trusting us to deliver the news you depend on.

We are Staten Islanders. We are neighbors.

Brian
RACINE  The Racine Unified School District plans to apply to the state Department of Public Instruction for a waiver of the required number of hours of school its students must attend this year, Board President Brian OConnell said Monday night.

All Unified schools shut their doors March 16 due to the COVID-19 public health crisis and all schools across the state have been closed since March 18. Before applying, the district must hold a public hearing and the School Board will have to approve the application.

The School Board took care of business Monday evening with relatively few hitches during its first meeting that allowed board members and the public to attend remotely.

Members of the public could call in to listen to the meeting, and for about 10 minutes at the start of the meeting the callers could not hear what was going on. During that time, the board discussed a policy that it ultimately approved. The policy allows board members to attend meetings remotely for the duration of the public health crisis.

The only substantive change made during discussion was a decision to post videos of the meetings on the Boarddocs website, instead of on YouTube. Boarddocs is the site where the district posts its agendas and related documents.

The policy stipulates that the portion of each board meeting reserved for public comment will be suspended until the health crisis is over.

Board members and the public can still attend meetings in person at the boards regular location, the Racine Unifieds administrative service campus, 3109 Mount Pleasant St., although the capacity of the room is affected by social distancing measures.

Coronavirus response

The school district has been working to help other local entities with their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Superintendent Eric Gallien.

The district has gathered items from its buildings  such as masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes  to provide to first responders.

In addition, the district has donated items from its high school health sciences career pathway to first responders and Ascension All Saints. These items include things such as protective gowns, goggles, gloves and shoe covers.

Despite what some may have heard, Gallien said, these items were not confiscated from staff, and the district plans to replace most of the materials, if students return to school this year.

Gallien added that in the event that its needed, Horlick High school may serve as an overflow site for COVID-19 hospital patients.

Were seen as a major partner in this work, Gallien said.

Grading

Teachers and department chairs at the high school level are working to determine the standards students should have attained in the second semester of this school year, and to scale those back to the most important. Students will be required to demonstrate mastery in those areas, but a group of staffers is still working out how to determine grades. Gallien said the district might just average out the grades from this years quarters.

The district does not know how many of its students are using the online enrichment tools they were directed to through the Unified website when buildings closed. In addition, Unified does not have accurate data on how many of its students have access to Wi-Fi at home.

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As surfers and bubble butts made international news last week, Bondi became a meme. Local media quickly cottoned on, and now were seeing the same story reported on every stretch of sand with a Backpackers and Bottle-O.

The next victim? Manly. The most famous beach in Sydney after Bondi.

Manly was shut down on Sunday morning, after a North East swell, classic Autumn offshores and a rising thermometer attracted stupid numbers of surfers, swimmers and tan seekers the previous afternoon.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Marine Raynard (@thefrenchieescapes) on Apr 6, 2020 at 8:17pm PDT

Everyone from The Daily Mail to The Telegraph got in on the clicks: Rich Pricks Prioritize THEIR Fitness Over YOUR Health (loosely paraphrased) they claimed, while forgetting Manly residents, like everyone else in Australia, were just trying to get a bit of exercise.

Yes, a few chose to linger in groups, but these were few and far between. The reason the beach was closed was the sheer number of people using it  a problem residents argue is caused by people driving in.

Though in the scheme of things (we could be in total lockdown like Italy or Spain), its nothing to whinge about, and while its lazy to broadly dismiss the media (which media?), locals were understandably irritated that drive-ins and digital shrills had ruined their chances of going for a dip.

As Internewscast reported, Residents of Sydneys northern beaches have slammed police and the local council for closing Manly Beach after thousands flocked to the sand in spite of strict social distancing policies.

I find it ridiculous, one resident wrote on the Northern Beaches Council Facebook Page. I work 40+ hours a week from my home, live 50 yards from Manly beach and surf for my physical and mental well-being, and train on the grass by the beach.

Another said he was worried the decision would affect his son, who used surfing to clear his head, while studying for the HSC: Thanks Northern Beaches Council. I thought you lot were at least using some common sense and acknowledging surfing as a form of exercise.

Now I am truly worried about his mental well-being.

What both miss is that the beach closure was probably the best thing that could have happened to locals, as it sends a message to non-residents its not worth coming, making for a sparser mid-week (the beach re-opened on Monday). And with the Easter long weekend coming up it was an especially smart call  one day of heavy-handedness could save the council a week of disobedience.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephanie Aurelia (@aureliastephanie) on Mar 22, 2020 at 8:30pm PDT

This brings us back to media manipulation. As we mentioned, we have no problem with the councils decision to shut the beach. Just because a line cant be drawn perfectly doesnt mean you shouldnt draw one at all. And we happily submit to this jackboot in other aspects of our lives (speed limits, etc).

What we do have a problem with, is media turning Australians against each other at a time we need to pull together  something we discussed last week with a clinical psychologist, who explained the mindset of living in Bondi (he concluded even though theyre stereotyped as arrogant, its the suburbs fame, not the residents, necessarily, who are to blame for the crowds).

Its much the same in Manly, with local photographer Sprout Daily taking to Instagram on Sunday to reveal an optic trick used by Australian media to make beachgoers look closer than they really are: Id say it was pretty mellow at Manly yesterday. I guess it depends where you look.

Find some space to yourself out there to stretch swim, surf, etc, theres plenty of it. Just make sure your space is not too close to mine, ok?

NOTE: No incriminating zoom lenses were used in these photographs.

Heard any better shade thrown over the weekend? Well wait. Anyway, the post split opinion, with one commenter writing: Still too many people out in Manly. Stay home to save lives. The more people go out the longer this will linger.

Most followers agreed with Sprout Daily though. Too many sensationalised articles making non beach communities jealous and upset, one wrote, while another said: That beat up yesterday! Those photos looked remarkably similar to some from a few weeks ago.

Beach walks most mornings reveal locals exercising, soaking up sun and sea air and keeping their distance.

Further comments included, Fake news yesterday at Manly and, Its the media, and people who drive over on the weekend who are the problem.

The Telegraph had a telephoto lens squashing everyone close together yesterday, another remarked.

With the long weekend imminent, we anticipate the saga will continue.

Read Next
Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday held a video conference with the officers to review the steps for facilitating farming activities during the lockdown, said Agriculture Ministry.

He called for strict compliance of exemptions given to agriculture and allied sectors and directed setting up of control rooms.

"The Minister said efforts should be made so that farmers can sell produce near their farmlands, besides ensuring that farm produce is transported without hindrance within state and inter-state," said Agriculture Ministry in a statement.

Exemption had been granted to movement of trucks carrying farm produce.

Earlier on Saturday, Tomar had said that farmers will not face problems during the lockdown with relaxation given to them by the government.

"Government has given relaxations, farmers will not have to face problems during lockdown. Shops of agriculture machinery and equipment and garage for trucks will remain open at highways," he said in a tweet on Saturday.

An official release said that the Union Government has granted a slew of exemptions and relaxations for agriculture and allied sectors with respect to the 21-day lockdown to ensure that the farmers do not suffer from any adverse fallout.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Head of the Military Medical Department Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien suggested holding a joint drill on COVID-19 prevention and control between ASEAN countries military medicine forces

when chairing a teleconference between members of the ACMM Board of Directors on April 7.

Vietnamese officers participate in the teleconference (Source: qdnd.vn)

In his opening remarks, Kien, who is head of the ACMM (ASEAN Centre of Military Medicine) Board of Directors, said that by April 7, ASEAN member states had recorded over 14,000 cases, prompting the need for their medical and militiary medicine forces to exert more efforts to contain the spread of the disease.

Kien asked the ACMM Board of Directors to continue discussing mechanisms for coordination in disease prevention and control between regional military medicine forces, including the organisation of a joint drill.

He also suggested inviting ASEAN partner countries to take part in the drill.

ACMM members agreed with the Vietnamese officers proposal.

After a consensus between ASEAN military medicine forces is reached, the Vietnamese Military Medical Department will report to the Defence Minister, who will then discuss with his counterparts in ASEAN countries about the scenario, form and scale of the drill./.VNA

US-Philippines joint drill to take place in May as scheduled A joint military exercise between the Philippines and the US will push through as scheduled, despite the formers decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on March 4.
UK suffers from inefficient testing kits

Home-testing kits ordered by the government would have enabled Brits to go back to work and ease lockdown.

Britain received a blow to its hopes of mass-testing the population as local media revealed on Wednesday that millions of self-testing kits ordered by the government do not work.

The government had ordered 17.5 million home-testing kits, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying at the time that they were a game changer.

HALF OF THE TESTS FAIL TO DETECT THE VIRUS

But local media quoted scientists saying that these tests could fail to detect up to half of all coronavirus cases.

The antibody self-testing kits rely on analysing just a prick of blood from a finger, and were to be able to provide results in around 15-20 minutes. They were to be available in pharmacies such as Boots, and online retailers such as Amazon.

The kits were central to British plans to ease the lockdown, as they would be able to show who already had the illness, recovered, and therefore has potential immunity.

The test was planned to be rolled out to frontline key workers, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and police officers, so that they could return to work. None of the tests will now go on the market.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC: We're getting the test results through every day. I was looking at some last night. But we still don't have any that are good enough.
These were among reports received by the Calvert County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call 410-535-2800 or 301-855-1194 or use the Submit a Tip feature on our new mobile app. Crime Solvers line at 410-535-2880 or the state police Prince Frederick Barrack at 410-535-1400.
Malvern, Pennsylvania (USA), April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While the federal emergency medical station at the shuttered Philadelphia-metros Glen Mills School has yet to receive its first patients during the COVID-19 crisis, those working and recuperating at the site will have an essential service to assist in care. High-speed network access is available thanks to Malvern-based (Pennsylvania) Rajant Corporation and State Senator Tom Killion (PA).

Robust data service is critical to providing timely and effective care, said Tim Boyce, Director of Emergency Services for Delaware County, which has responsibility for coordinating the build-out of the 85,000 square foot facility. Rajants contribution of their Kinetic Mesh solution and its installation ensures the nurses, doctors, and techs who will be treating patients will be able to use the technology to which theyve become accustomed to deliver care.

According to Rajant CEO Robert Schena, Deployed at the Glen Mills School is a six BreadCrumb node network, which ties into the in-house Internet and boosts connection for 911 dispatch. The networking needs of these pop-up healthcare facilities require speed and flexibility. Rajant maximizes that flexibility and allows for the growth of critical medical applications as required. We are honored to work with such great servants to our community.

Schena valued the donation of equipment and labor at $40,000. He credited Senator Tom Killion with coordinating and expediting the donation and installation.

Senator Killion is a friend and well-acquainted with our company, said Schena. When we approached him, he immediately understood the need for private wireless networking at Glen Mills and made the calls that cut through the red tape we would have encountered if we had cold-called those in charge of setting up the site.

Said Killion, Rajant is a great corporate citizen, and I knew they would be eager to assist the agencies responsible. COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health emergency, but working together and supporting each other  as Rajant has done here  we will get through this.

In Delaware County and across the globe, Rajant with its global distribution and integration partners have made immediately available this private wireless network for mobile field hospitals, pop-up health treatment shelters, COVID-19 testing facilities, and Small Business Administration (SBA) temporary loan centers (US-only).

Rajants Emergency Response Rapid Deployment Kit can be deployed in as little as 30-60 minutes, and provides backhaul and IoT connections as well as Wi-Fi access for triage care teams. Additionally, Rajant is the only wireless network manufacturer with a certification from the U.S. government for its highest level of encryption to protect mission-critical data, video, and voice communications.

The Glen Mills School will serve as a medical and dental facility with space dedicated for a transport airfield. Staffing professionals will be sourced from participating health care systems and supported by volunteers from across the region.

This facility will service Philadelphia-metro area patients who have not tested positive for COVID-19 but are being treated for low-acuity conditions at regional hospitals if that location is full treating COVID-19 patients.

Through the collaboration of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, National Guard, and the Delaware County Department of Emergency Services, the greater community has this alternative overflow facility to mitigate risk and protect those who are healthy, thus providing them with vital medical attention

####

About Rajant Corporation

Rajant Corporation is the exclusive provider of private wireless networks powered by the patented Kinetic Mesh network, BreadCrumb wireless nodes, and InstaMesh networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajants Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 55 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, agriculture, security, and more. Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania with additional facilities and offices in Arizona, Kentucky, and Alabama. For more information, visit Rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has been facing troubles with a backlog of uncleared import shipments. The problem has reached such a level that airport authorities have told importers to "expedite the clearance of import cargo and support the airport operator to render smooth operations."

This problem persists, even though MIAL had insisted that cargo and airport personnel are doing their best to ensure that essential and coronavirus-related commodities are delivered urgently.

Around 4,500 MT of cargo is lying at the airport, India Today TV quoted an MIAL official as saying. Stringent regulations and transport constraints have adversely affected the cargo stakeholders, the official further said.

"MIAL has kept the cargo terminal open 24X7 and has taken requisite approvals from police authorities and provided vehicles for road transport of staff. Despite these strong measures, the airport is left with huge cargo backlog and congestion as the import clearances are happening at a very slow pace. The freight forwarders and customs brokers are reporting in very less numbers," the MIAL official said.

Another source said, "The cargo imports aren't getting cleared for quite some time. And this situation isn't what we would expect at the airport." Around 4 to 5 freighters are operational, exporting around 200 tonnes of cargo and bringing in about 250 tons of imports daily.

The Chatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International Airport issued a circular on the clearance of air cargo. It said, "This is to bring to the notice of all Customs Brokers/ Importers that they should not wait for the location number to be mapped in the system against the shipment, instead of after the flight arrival they should approach with completed documentation to Air cargo Complex counter for physical delivery of import shipments. Due to less clearance and huge storage of import cargo, it will not be possible to assign location to all landed shipments, hence, please don't wait for location /binning updation in the system, kindly process for delivery at the earliest."

Freighter flights are allowed even as all other domestic and international operations have been put on a hold due to a nationwide lockdown till April 14.

Sources said that initially the exports were less as manufacturing was at an all-time low and there was a restriction on all non-essential items. But the scenario soon started changing for pharmaceuticals and perishables.

Sources also said that the huge volume is due to the imports of non-essential commodities like engineering goods and electronics that have come in since the very start.

A MIAL official said, "There is regular sanitisation and disinfecting of the cargo facility. The concept of social distancing is explained to the staff during daily briefings. Besides taking care of all medical emergencies MIAL also takes care of basic safety measures like providing masks and gloves."

Also Read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 20 COVID-19 hotspots sealed in Delhi

Also Read: Coronavirus: Govt to immediately release pending income tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh
A Winnipeg man in his 60s has become the third Manitoban to succumb to the coronavirus. As with the two previous deaths, the man was in intensive care in hospital when he died.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man in his 60s has become the third Manitoban to succumb to the coronavirus. As with the two previous deaths, the man was in intensive care in hospital when he died.

No further information was given about the man, other than that he had underlying medical conditions.

On Tuesday, health officials also announced an outbreak of respiratory illness in a medicine unit at Health Sciences Centre, but provided few details.

"Eight staff and three patients with symptoms have been tested to determine the cause of their illness. A test for COVID-19 was also included," said Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer with Shared Health. The results are not yet known.

The province could not immediately say how many of the eight staff were doctors or nurses. "It's a mix," Siragusa told reporters.

Nor could officials say whether the health-care workers had been tending to coronavirus patients.

All staff who are awaiting their test results have been sent home to self-isolate for 14 days, Siragusa said. "None of the staff who have been identified were working while they were symptomatic," she added.

The three symptomatic patients remain in hospital and have been isolated, she said.

Spokespeople with the Manitoba Nurses Union and the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals said they were unaware of the outbreak until they tuned in to the province's daily briefing on Tuesday.

By end of day, the MNU was still trying to track down how many of its members may have been involved or which area of the hospital was affected. The MAHCP also had not been able to determine whether its members were involved.

Public health officials announced 13 additional cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of lab-confirmed and probable positive cases in the province to 217. Manitoba reported its first case on March 12.

Twelve people are currently hospitalized, with six in intensive care. Twenty-one individuals are deemed to have recovered from the virus.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer, warned that Manitobans will be dealing with the virus for some time. He said he couldn't say when the disease will peak in the province.

"We are early in the outbreak," he said. "We're going to see many, many more cases here in Manitoba."

Manitoba is mid-pack among Canadian provinces in the number of tests for the coronavirus per 100,000 people, at 1,037. It has one of the lowest infection rates, at 15.75 reported cases per 100,000 in population.

Roussin said so far most hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Manitoba  particularly those in intensive care  have been older with underlying health issues, "including respiratory and cardiac conditions."

Public health officials are starting to collect and categorize information on hospitalized patients to develop a clearer picture of those who are most affected by the virus.

"We're trying to get a detailed assessment (of) the average length of stay, type of underlying conditions and an age breakdown," Roussin said.

The first Manitoban to die was Margaret Sader, a woman in her 60s who worked at Sinclair Dental in Winnipeg. Her death was announced on March 27.

Last Friday, it was learned that Wade Kidd, 54, who worked as a custodian at Windsor Park Collegiate, had died of the virus.

The government announced Tuesday that assessment clinics for COVID-19 patients are being established. The sites will offer care  by appointment only after a referral by a doctor or by Health Links  for anyone who has tested positive for the virus or has respiratory illness symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The locations will also contain separate spaces for coronavirus testing.

The first testing and assessment clinic in Winnipeg will open Wednesday at the St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool and Fitness Centre. When that site opens, Access Winnipeg West will once again focus on primary care and community health services and no longer serve as a designated community testing site for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Siragusa said a new online mental health therapy program announced by the province at the end of March to help Manitobans cope with anxiety caused by the pandemic is about to be launched.

She said Tuesday that about 700 Manitobans had pre-registered for the program, which offers one-on-one counselling to those age 16 and over. Those who signed up are being notified and the service "will be available more broadly next week," she added.

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
Friends have paid tribute to a wildlife ranger who was fatally mauled by a shark off the Great Barrier Reef.

Zachary Robba, 23, had been enjoying working at his 'dream job' on the southern Barrier Reef with a group of rangers when he was attacked on Monday afternoon.

His friends told 7News: 'There will never be another guy like him. We were so lucky to call him our best mate.'

The experienced swimmer died in hospital on Monday night a few hours after he was bitten off North West Island, 75km northeast of Gladstone in Queensland.

He suffered severe injuries to leg, hand and elbow during the attack.

Zachary Robba (pictured), 23, had been enjoying working at his 'dream job' on the southern Barrier Reef with a group of rangers when he was attacked on Monday afternoon

His friends said: 'There will never be another guy like him. We were so lucky to call him our best mate.'

Police said Mr Robba and other rangers decided to go for a swim off the back of their boat, after spending the day doing maintenance work on the island.

His colleagues were ahead of him and had already reached the vessel when the sharked struck.

'They would have witnessed the attack,' Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Anderson told reporters on Tuesday.

'There were four people swimming off the back of a boat, cooling down after a day's work.'

It's not clear what kind of shark was involved.

A family friend told Daily Mail Australia that Zachary was 'dedicated' to his work and described his mate as a 'down-to-earth legend'.

'Zac was someone who was loved by all, a dedicated parks and wildlife officer who embraced everything that came at him,' he said.

'Zac was an easy going, down-to-earth legend of a bloke.

'Every time we saw him he brought laughter and a sense of mateship to a crowd. He has left a legacy in everybodys hearts who knew him. May he rest in peace.'

His former school, Iona College in, also paid tribute to Mr Robba, saying he had been loving his 'dream job and embracing all that it entailed.'

The experienced swimmer died in hospital on Monday night a few hours after he was bitten off North West Island, 75km northeast of Gladstone in Queensland. He suffered severe injuries to leg, hand and elbow during the attack

Monday's attack was the third at North West Island in just over three months.

In January, a nine-year-old girl was attacked by a shark, suffering a bite wound to the back of her leg, and puncture wounds to her foot.

A lemon shark was suspected of that attack.

In late December a shovelnose shark bit a man in shallow waters at North West Island.

He suffered minor injuries to his right hand and leg.

There have also been a series of other shark attacks on the Great Barrier Reef over the past 18 months.
White House officials worry that the COVID-19 outbreak is disproportionately hitting African Americans harder than other groups and are working with state and local officials to begin tracking how the coronavirus impacts different ethnicities.

Dr. Anthnony Fauci, who sits on President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force, said the COVID-19 outbreak is "shining a bright light" on how "unacceptable" the health disparities between blacks and whites are. "Yet again, when you have a situation like the coronavirus, they are suffering disproportionately," Fauci said of minorities.

"It's not that they are getting infected more often. It's that when they do get infected, their underlying medical conditions ... wind them up in the ICU," he said at a White House press conference Tuesday.

Public health officials have known that conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma disproportionately affect African Americans, Fauci said. "Unfortunately, when you look at the predisposing conditions that lead to a bad outcome with coronavirus, the things that get people into ICUs that require intubation that often lead to death, they are just those very comorbidities."

Dr. Deborah Birx , coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said officials are working with black communities to improve messaging on the risks of the virus.

"We don't want to give the impression that the African American community is more susceptible to the virus. We don't have any data that suggests that. What our data suggests is they are more susceptible to more difficult and severe disease and poorer outcomes," she said.

The comments echoed those made by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier in the day.

During a press briefing, De Blasio said people of color and people in lower-income communities, which historically have had more health problems, are getting hit disproportionately harder by the coronavirus. The city hasn't released race data for the outbreak, but de Blasio said the city plans to do so later this week, although he warned that the data wasn't preliminary.

"The extent of that disparity we're still fully trying to understand. And the data we'll give you will help us understand, but it will not be the final word, because ... it is preliminary and imperfect in the middle of a crisis," he said. "The ethnicity data in a crisis atmosphere where health care is being provided rapidly to everyone that can be reached, that's been less of a focus."

Correction: This story was revised to correct a word in a quotation by Fauci. He said "intubation."
Vikram Koppikar

In the popular motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock famously states, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Today, as we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, a similar sense seems to prevail when making choices about matters relating to data privacy.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused the deaths of more than 82,000 globally, and has resulted in a global lockdown of sorts. Given the manner in which the virus spreads, there has been widespread panic in distancing oneself from those affected with the disease. From reports of violence against Indian medical professionals treating patients, to a reported increase in weapon sales in the United States, public sentiment, it appears, is bent on discovering those infected or in contact with the virus to keep themselves away from such populace.

As medical/health-related information is covered globally under privacy laws, there is an unprecedented demand to do away with privacy of those affected by the disease, or in Spocks words, the needs of the many outweighing those of the few.

From Googles hosting of a website collating information about affected persons in the US, to creation of the Arogya Setu App, which informs users about their proximity to affected persons on the basis of general data collected, mass collection of health-related data has become the new norm.

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

Section 3(36) of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 classifies health data as sensitive personal information, and imposes restrictions on the cross border flow in regards to such data. These restrictions are waived in event of a medical emergency which affects the health of the data subject or other individuals as detailed under Section 12(d) of the Bill. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 allows the government to take steps necessary to curtail the spread of disease (which may arguably infringe upon a persons privacy).

In the absence of privacy legislation, and perhaps armed with powers from the above mentioned Act, the Karnataka government recently published a database of persons affected with the disease, which, in turn, led to reports of threats being made against persons declared affected. The Delhi government too handed over a list of patients in quarantine to the Delhi Police to ensure that they abided by such quarantine rules.

What hope lies to protect privacy in these testing times?

The landmark 2017 judgment of KS Puttaswamy, where privacy was upheld as a fundamental right, requires a threefold test to ensure that any act by the State does not violate such a right. First, the action must be sanctioned by law (legality). Second, the action must be necessary for a legitimate aim (need). Third, the action (interference in privacy) must be proportionate to the need for such action (proportionality).

J Sikri, in the Aadhaar judgment, built upon the proportionality test decided in Puttaswamy and provided further sub-provisions in deciding it. It was observed that the interference must have a legitimate goal (legitimacy stage); that it must constitute a suitable mean of achieving the goal (suitability stage); that there must not be any less restrictive but equally effective alternative (necessity stage), and; that the measure must not have a disproportionate impact on the right holder (balancing stage).

Lets examine the governments actions in collating and making public the medical records of COVID-19 patients against these four sub provisions. While it may be argued that the test of legitimacy has been fulfilled in preventing further casualties, it could be argued that alternative options such as anonymising patient details could have been followed in the necessity stage, as the resultant deprivation of privacy certainly failed the balancing stage.

With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abatement, is India poised to enter into a surveillance state? Previously there was mention of an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) system to be put in place by the National Criminal Record Bureau (NCRB), which would source data from various streams, including Aadhaar records, passport details and the like, to be able to track down an individual. While this system was envisioned to track down criminals, is it too farfetched to envision its usage in tracking affected persons?

Furthermore, in the absence of a privacy legislation, it is shuddering to envision a scenario where the AFRS-derived data, complete with facial features, is leaked. While Spock may have been correct in upholding the needs of the many, ensuring that the rights of the one is not illegally violated remains critical as well.
A Texas teenager who police said announced on social media she would intentionally spread the coronavirus has been arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat.

18-year-old Lorraine Maradiaga. (Carrollton Texas Police Department / via Facebook)

Police in Carrollton, near Dallas, arrested Lorraine Maradiaga, 18, late Tuesday morning after arranging her surrender to the city jail.

"Maradiaga has stated that she is COVID-19 negative, and we currently have no proof that Maradiaga has tested positive," Carrollton police said in a statement.

She was arraigned Tuesday and her bond was set at $20,000. As a condition of her bond, she must quarantine for 21 days upon date of release from custody as a precaution, police said.

Maradiaga claimed in a series of Snapchat videos to have tested positive for and to be "willfully spreading" COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus, according to police.

It is unclear when the videos were recorded. Jolene DeVito, a Carrollton police spokeswoman, said people started sharing them with police on Saturday.

One of the videos showed Maradiaga at a store, DeVito said.

"I'm here at Walmart about to infest every motherf------, because if I'm going down, all you motherf------ are going down," she said in the video, according to DeVito.

It is unclear if Maradiaga has an attorney.
Australian motorists have been warned to avoid the roads this weekend as the nation faces an unprecedented Easter shutdown to try and break the coronavirus pandemic.

Police have vowed to exercise zero tolerance for those heading to popular holiday spots, with jumping in the car only legal for trips to the local supermarket, chemist, work or a funeral depending on where you live.

The crackdown will come on top of the usual double-demerit period for Easter, which starts at midnight Thursday in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia.

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Australian motorists have been warned to avoid the roads this weekend as the nation faces an unprecedented Easter shutdown to try and break the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured is a road block at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast which divides Queensland from New South Wales

Police in every state have vowed to exercise zero tolerance for those heading to popular holiday spots, with jumping in the car only legal for trips to the local supermarket, chemist and work. Pictured is the beach closed at Coolangatta, Queensland's most southern coastal strip

Many Australians are set to suffer from a lonely Easter with fines being applied in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus contagion, with the national COVID-19 death toll now at 50.

Where double demerit points will apply Only New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have double demerit points for long weekends like Easter. Advertisement

Having too many people over for a party, meeting too many friends in public, failing to observe 1.5m social distancing rules outside or travelling for non-essential reasons are also grounds for stringent fines.

With the borders of Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory closed off, those on holiday won't even have a chance to travel interstate this long weekend.

States and territories now have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to those caught violating public health orders, with most of the nation except South Australia and the Northern Territory restricting outdoor and public gatherings to just two people.

States and territories now have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to anyone caught violating public health orders

Anyone who breaks COVID-19 measures in New South Wales is liable for a $1,000 fine, with the same penalty also applying in Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Coronavirus rules around Australia Public gatherings are restricted to two people who don't live together in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory South Australia and the Northern Territory allow 10 people to congregate who aren't living at the same address NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania are fining residents who leave their home for non-essential purposes. The ACT, South Australia, Western Australia and the NT aren't taking that approach for now Advertisement

In Queensland it's $1,334.50, in Victoria it's $1,652 and in the Northern Territory, $1,099.

New South Wales

Under the coronavirus crackdown, residents of NSW are only allowed to travel for work, education or to buy food or medicine.

They can exercise outside but face severe penalties for relaxing on the beach or at a park bench even if they are obeying social distancing rules.

Someone who fails to comply with a police direction risks being jailed for six months and copping a maximum fine of $11,000.

Mick Fuller, the Police Commissioner in Australia's biggest state, is vowing to stop Sydneysiders in particular from venturing to the usual holiday hot spots this Easter.

Mick Fuller (pictured), the Police Commissioner in Australia's biggest state, is vowing to stop Sydneysiders in particular from venturing to the usual holiday hot spots

Motorists brave enough to leave home this Easter face double demerit points for speeding on top of tough penalties for breaching coronavirus rules. Australians are strongly urged to avoid travelling to regional areas for their traditional Easter break, as partial lockdowns remain in place for COVID-19. Pictured is a warning sign in Sydney on March 31, 2020

Caravan parks, which are usually full this time of the year, will be patrolled to ensure only long-term residents and not tourists are staying there.

'Over the next couple of days, New South Wales Police will be out on our roads, making sure that people adhere to the orders around the Easter holidays,' Mr Fuller told reporters today.

'We will be going through caravan parks early, issuing warnings to people who may think that they can get around these laws.'

That means police will be in force up and down the Pacific Highway, where thousands of cars usually leave Sydney bound for beaches - from the Central Coast to Byron Bay on the Far North Coast, and everywhere in between from Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour.

Drivers caught speeding from midnight tomorrow until Easter Monday have a greater chance of losing their licence.

Going 20km/h or more over the limit normally incurs four demerit points.

Many Australians are set to suffer from a lonely Easter with fines being applied in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus contagion, with the national COVID-19 death toll now at 50 with popular spots like Surfers Paradise (pictured on April 8, 2020) closed off

With the borders of Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory closed off, those on holiday won't even have the chance to travel. Pictured are Queensland Police at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast intercepting cars driving into the state from Tweed Heads in New South Wales

Drivers caught speeding from tomorrow until Easter Monday have a greater chance of losing their licence. Going 20km/h or more over the limit normally incurs four demerit points. But during the next five days, this offence will be worth eight demerit points

But during the next five days, this offence will be worth eight demerit points.

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

Being caught more than once, by a speed camera, on a long-distance drive would be enough for someone to lose their licence for three months.

NSW motorists are taken off the road if they incur 13 demerit points or more over a three-year time frame.

Double demerits also apply for drink driving, failing to wear a seat belt, not wearing a motorcycle helmet and using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

Drivers caught holding their phone will be hit with a $344 fine as well as up to 10 demerits.

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, the home of Canberra public servants, is enforcing $8,000 maximum fines for those who invite more than two people to their home who don't live there.

The nation's capital has the same double demerits regime as NSW. All speed, seat belt and mobile phone offences will incur double demerit points, while all other traffic infringements will incur one extra demerit point. Pictured is Parliament House in Canberra deserted outside on March 26, 2020

Like NSW, the ACT is also issuing $1,000 on-the-spot fines for meeting in public with more than one other person who isn't from their household.

The ACT, however, isn't fining people who leave their house or apartment for non-essential purposes.

When it comes to long weekend road rules, the nation's capital has the same double demerits regime as NSW.

All speed, seat belt and mobile phone offences will incur double demerit points, while all other traffic infringements will incur one extra demerit point.

Canberra motorists lose their licence once they incur 12 demerit points.

P-plate drivers will lose their licence for three months if they receive four or more demerit points.

Western Australia is far stricter than NSW and the ACT. Pictured is a sign at Scarborough Beach in Perth

Many Australians are set to suffer from a lonely Easter with fines being applied in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus contagion

Western Australia

Western Australia isn't fining people for leaving their house for a non-essential purpose but is strict when it comes to enforcing double demerit points during a long weekend.

Offences include drink or drug driving, speeding, running a red light, failing to wear a seat belt or child restraint and using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

Motorists who cover up their number plates to evade speed cameras will also be punished.

If a driver accumulates 12 to 15 points, they will lose their licence for three months.

Those who rack up 16 to 19 demerit points are banned from the road for four months.

A five-month ban kicks in once someone gets 20 or more points.

Like the other states, the West Australian government is imposing $1,000 on-the-spot fines for individuals and $5,000 fines for businesses who disobey these coronavirus restrictions, which have seen the shutdown of pubs, clubs, cinemas and dine-in restaurants.

Queensland doesn't have double demerit points for busy holiday periods like Easter. Instead, the Sunshine State has an alternative system for repeat offenders who break the law twice in a year. Pictured are signs at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast declaring the beach closed

Queensland

The state best known for the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef is cracking down on residents who have failed to properly self-quarantine for 14 days after visiting overseas.

Under the Public Health Act 2005, individuals face fines of up to $13,345.

Residents in a house are allowed to invite two guests.

Queenslanders are also allowed out to attend a wedding or funeral, exercise, see a doctor, attend court, study or visit a terminally-ill relative.

Normally crowded beaches along the Gold Coast are closed off, including Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, which borders the NSW coastal town of Tweed Heads.

When it comes to road rules, Queensland doesn't have double demerit points for busy holiday periods like Easter.

Instead, it has an alternative system for repeat offenders who break the law twice in a year.

Having too many people over for a party, meeting too many friends in public, failing to observe 1.5m social distancing rules outside or travelling for non-essential reasons are also grounds for stringent fines in a bid to keep flattening the coronavirus curve

Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews had a message for those hoping for the shutdown of society to be over in a week or a month

Drivers incur double demerit points for repeatedly failing to wear a seat belt, talking on a mobile phone while and driving 20km/h or more over the limit.

The first offence incurs four demerit points but doing it again within 12 months will see them slapped with eight demerit points.

Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania don't have double demerits for long weekends

Motorists in Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania don't have double demerit points for long weekends.

Nonetheless, there are in some form of coronavirus lockdown along with the rest of Australia.

Victoria's Labor Premier Daniel Andrews had a message for those hoping for the shutdown of society to be over in a week or a month.

'I can't say that,' he told reporters on Wednesday.

Police in his state yesterday withdrew a $1,652 fine imposed on 17-year-old learner driver Hunter Reynolds, 17, (pictured) who was receiving driving lessons from her mother Sharee

Police in his state yesterday withdrew a $1,652 fine imposed on 17-year-old learner driver Hunter Reynolds, 17, who was receiving driving lessons from her mother Sharee.

When it comes to having company, South Australia and the Northern Territory are a little more lenient, allowing gatherings of 10 people providing social distancing rules are observed.

Residents who leave the house for non-essential purposes are also spared fines.

Criticism of the travel restrictions

Australian National University Medical School Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist, has suggested allowing people to go for a leisurely drive, provided they didn't go to crowded places and mingle.

'When we've got low risk, it may actually not be unreasonable that people can do that providing they keep their social distancing where they go,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'If people are going stir crazy at home and they go for a drive, does that matter?

'Go to a place where there's not many people and go for a walk for ten minutes, how's that going to be a risk to everybody in society?'

Dr Collignon feared unreasonable and 'heavy-handed' COVID-19 measures now, beyond the enforcement of social distancing, could end up being disobeyed more frequently as the public lost faith in the government and the police.

'As time goes on, particularly younger people who die from this as well - they just do it less frequently - their livelihood is going down the gurgler, they'll say, "This isn't going to affect me',' he said.

'We need to avoid that at all costs. We have to actually do things that the vast majority of people believe are reasonable and sustainable for six months.'
Once on the verge of starvation following the countrywide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, a differently abled man here is now serving food to thousands of deprived families.

Like many, life came to a standstill for Tej Bahadur Yadav (36) when the Centre announced the lockdown in the country.

Yadav, who runs an e-rickshaw, was affected by polio.

"Whatever saving I had was spent within four to five days, and my family was on the verge of starvation when the lockdown was announced. It was difficult for me to feed my wife, who is also differently abled, and two children - a four-year-old daughter and six-year-old son," he told PTI.

On March 27, Yadav had gone to collect food for his family at a community kitcken in Gomti Nagar Extension, where locals and government officials were distributing food for the needy.

While others left after taking the food, Yadav stayed there and offered his services.

Recalling the day, Gomti Nagar Extension Mahasamiti, Secretary, Uma Shankar Dubey said, "Looking at him standing on one leg, I thought he wanted more food packets, but he offered to work to provide food to the deprived people.

At that time, I did not think of any work for him, but when he insisted, I asked him what he could do. He said he runs e-rickshaw and can help in distributing food, the official said.

And most importantly, he insisted that he will not take anything for his services, and that he wanted to do something for the society at this crucial time," Dubey said.

Since, then it has become the daily routine of Yadav to reach the community kitchen at 10 am, recharge his e-rickshaw and take food packets to the needy.

"I had no money, I cannot walk, but I can ride e-rickshaw and I offered what I can do the best. At a time, I carry 500 food packets and take them to wherever there is a need. I distribute over 1,500 food packets till evening. It gives me immense satisfaction that I can do something for the society," he said.

Yadav has received widespread appreciation after people came to know about his story.

About his family, the Barabanki resident said his father worked as a guard in Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and had died in 2017. He said his brother took away all the insurance money and other resources due to which he decided to run e-rickshaw to feed his family.

Dubey said Yadav is punctual and performs every task with vigour.

"He is an inspiration to the society. After the lockdown ends, we will discuss his case with the authorities and try to get him disability pension or other relief, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ali'jah Larrue and Khari Sanford are both charged with two counts of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide. (Dane County Sheriff's Office)

Wisconsin Doctor, Husband Shot in Brutal Execution, Officials Say

A Wisconsin doctor and her husband were shot and killed in March by their daughters boyfriend, said a criminal complaint on Tuesday.

Khari Sanford and Alijah Larrue, both 18, are charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the slayings of Dr. Beth Potter and Robin Carre, according to Channel3000 and other local news outlets, citing a criminal complaint.

Potter and Carre were found dead at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum on March 31. A woman who lives nearby reported gunshots at around 11 p.m. on the night before, according to a complaint.

This was a brutal execution, Dane County Assistant District Attorney William Brown said, reported the Wisconsin State Journal.

Sanford, identified as the boyfriend, was charged with two counts of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, while Larrue was charged as an accomplice, and hes facing two counts of party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, the complaint said.

Its an intense investigation of a serious crime, police spokesman Marc Lovicott told the paper. There are lots of pieces to the puzzle. Using information from the community, we were able to put these two in custodyand we do believe these are the two primary suspects.

The complaint said that Potter had a medical condition that put her at risk during the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic. She was concerned her daughter wasnt following social distancing guidelines, Channel3000 reported.

Investigators believe Sanford and Larrue had planned to rob Carre and Potter after learning from their daughter that they were wealthy, reported The Associated Press.
Second Marella cruise ship passenger dies from virus complications

Merida, Yucatan  Another person of British nationality has died in Yucatan due to coronavirus complications. The second British death is that of a 46-year-old man who was one of three removed from aboard the docked Marella Explorer 2 cruise ship, said the Yucatan Health Secretariat (SSY).

La Secretaria de Salud de Yucatan (SSY) head Dr. Jorge Eduardo Mondoza Mezquita reported there are more than 750 suspected cases in the state. The SSY says as of April 7, they have 75 positive cases and four deaths, two of which, have been foreigners.

A humanitarian request from the British government to the government of Mexico allows the ship, which originally arrived with 49 passengers, to remain docked in Progreso, Yucatan. All but three of the cruise ship passengers were flown back to the UK.

It is the second coronavirus-related death from the three ship passengers who tested positive from aboard the Marella Explorer 2. The first death was that of a 71-year-old British cruise ship passenger, who, along with his wife, tested positive for the virus. The man died several days after being admitted to hospital, however, his wife suffered only minor symptoms and remains isolated.
Ohio liquor stores and abortion facilities are open for business. Small businesses are shuttered. Real estate owners are not receiving rent on their investments and will soon face foreclosures. Ohio has been crushed with layoffs. Religious leaders, looking to our governor, have shuttered all worship services.

Ohio's elected leaders need to quickly ease the public lockdown. The data provided by the Ohio Department of Health as of April 6, 2020 tell a clear story.

I affirm that this virus is not a joke, particularly for the individuals and families who have been hit with it. Also, four weeks ago, state officials did not know how serious this might become and were fearful of a terrible outcome. Yet the numbers now demand that less fear and more prudence is needed.

There have been 119 coronavirus-related deaths in Ohio. There have been 9,678 deaths nationwide with 67% of these coming from the very largest cities in only five states. Ohio's death rate is 1.2% of the national total.

On March 12, Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, and Governor Mike DeWine told Ohioans that there were already 100,000 of us infected with the virus. The next day, Amy clarified that this number was her "guesstimate." She was relying on a projection from a Harvard professor of epidemiology who himself guesstimated that between 20% and 60% of Americans will have the virus. Using the most pessimistic number of 60%, Dr. Acton worked the math backward into Ohio's population base to arrive at her 100,000 infected number.

As of April 6, the confirmed cases in Ohio are not 100,000, but 4,043. Two statistics should guide lockdown decisions. The first is the number of confirmed cases reported per one million population. The second, and more important, is the number of confirmed hospitalizations per million people in Ohio. Simply put, how many people are getting sick, and how many use up hospital beds?

Based on an Ohio population of approximately 11,688,000, if Amy Acton's guesstimate of 100,000 infected were correct, that would equate to 8,555 cases per million. Yet the actual number is 346 per million, only 4% of her guesstimate. That difference amounts to much more than a rounding error. The coronavirus infection rate is concerning, but it's not the end of civilization. To give perspective, let's compare today's 346 per million rate to the total of general infectious diseases reported in Ohio in 2018. That number was 11,186, or a rate of 1,045 per million. Compared to all of last year, the Ohio coronavirus as of today is indeed a high number per million of infectious diseases. It's about 33% of last year's total, and this is only April.

Yes, people in Ohio are getting infected. Does infection mean automatic admission to the hospital? Hardly, and numbers don't have to be guesstimated. Of the 4,043 confirmed Ohio cases, only 27% (1,104) have required hospitalization. So what percentage of Ohio's population have gotten the virus and required hospital admission? Less than 1/100 of 1%. Yes, but what if we haven't peaked? Even if the hospitalization rate triples in two weeks, the percentage would be less than 3/100 of 1%. For this, the lockdown has pushed 468,414 Ohioans on to welfare, slammed shut our small businesses and closed our churches for the highest Holy Week of the year.

Amy Acton guessed wrong. The guess has damaged many lives. Reason and prudence require an immediate adjustment to Ohio's lockdown.

Jeffrey C Barefoot, J.D., CPA, CFP is the founder and president of a wealth management firm located in Ohio.
By Catherine Sas, Q.C.

Special to The Post

While the Canadian border is closed to many, Canadas Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced travel restriction exemptions for Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) recently on March 26, 2020. The measures are intended to reduce, where possible, the negative impact of coronavirus on Canadas economy.

Persons who have been issued work permits are exempted from the border restrictions and will be permitted to enter Canada subject to following the latest public health and safety guidelines. With new measures being introduced or revised almost daily, it is challenging to keep up with the pace. Here is a summary of what employers need to know about bringing workers to Canada.

TFWs are still welcome to come to Canada. However, in accordance with an Emergency Order enacted on March 25, 2020, most TFWs will be required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

Federal exemptions to the self-isolation requirements have been introduced for those workers deemed essential to maintain the health and welfare of Canadians by Canadas Public Health Officer (CPHO) including those who:

* make necessary medical deliveries;

* work in the trade and transportation sector to move goods and people;

* cross the border regularly to go to work in Canada, including in the

healthcare sector or critical infrastructure workers; and

* cross the border to provide or receive essential services, including

emergency responders and personnel providing essential services to

Canadians related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This federal exemption from the need to self-isolate after cross border travel only applies to workers deemed essential pursuant to federal legislation. Workers deemed essential by provincial or territorial governments are still subject to the need for a 14 day period of self-isolation upon arriving in Canada.

Employers are responsible for facilitating the self-isolation of their employees as well as employee compliance with all other public health safety measures. Employers can not authorize an employee to work during the 14 day self isolation period, even if requested by the TFW, nor can an employer ask a worker to perform other duties such as building repairs or administrative tasks.

Employers are also required to pay TFWs a minimum of 30 hours per week during the self-isolation period in accordance with the terms of the offer of employment.

Those employers who are required to provide accommodation for their TFWs must ensure that it meets minimum requirements to allow for social distancing and for the separation of workers who must self isolate from those workers who are not in self-isolation.

On April 1, 2020 Canadas Minister of Health, The Honourable Patty Hajdu and Minister of Employment, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, wrote an open letter to employers advising them of their vital role and responsibilities in continuing to bring and support TFWs to Canada.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/notices...

It is commendable that the Government of Canada continues to recognize the significance to the Canadian economy that TFWs contribute and that they are both permitting their entry to Canada as well as continuing to process both Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and work permit applications for new applicants notwithstanding the challenges of COVID 19.

The statutory provisions and policy guidelines facing both employers and TFWs will continue to change frequently so stay tuned for further updates.

For further information about special COVID measures for employers and TFWs please refer to these links:

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/employer-compliance/covid-faq.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/employmentsocialdevelopment/corporate/notices/coronavirus.html

Catherine Sas, Q.C. has over 25 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected].
Belgium expressed very cautious optimism on Wednesday as the number of people admitted to hospital because of the coronavirus fell for the first time.

At briefing, Belgian Crisis Center spokesperson Emmanuel Andre said 487 were admitted to hospital with virus symptoms in the last 24 hours, while 524 people were released.

He said the spread of the coronavirus in the country of around 11.5 million people appears to be reaching "a peak or a plateau" and is hopeful that the trend would be confirmed in coming days.

Andre said while the drop in hospital admissions is "an encouraging sign", he warned that now is not the time to ease any restrictions.

More than 5,600 people remain in hospital for treatment.

At least 2,240 people have died, including 205 on Tuesday.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Mumbai, April 8 : The number of COVID-19 positive cases shot up by 60 since Tuesday night, taking the total number of infectees from 1,018 to 1,078, as the number of death cases stood at 64, officials said here on Wednesday.

The highest increase was notched in Mumbai with 44 new cases, increasing the total tally from 642 to 686, besides 40 deaths.

Pune followed with nine new cases on Wednesday, raising its tally from 137 to 146 and eight deaths so far.

Nagpur recorded four new cases followed by Ahmednagar, Akola and Buldhana with one each.

Among the new cases till Tuesday, 23 infectees were those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month. They are: eight from Latur, six from Buldhana and four from Pune, two from Ahmednagar and one each in Hingoli, Jalgaon and Washim.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra recorded the highest single day new cases - 150 - with the death toll shooting to 64.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
ROSEBURG, Ore.The American Red Cross is struggling to keep blood drives up and running now that schools and most businesses are closed due to coronavirus concerns.

Staff at the American Red Cross in Roseburg said they rely on schools and businesses to host blood drives at their buildings.

They said its the easiest way to get donors because most of them will be the students or employees. About 20% of blood donations come from schools or university blood drives.

When we host at a school, its a two-day event, said Valerie Gordon, the account manager at the American Red Cross. Were inside and we have our bus outside and we collect 100 units in those two days.

Gordon said theyve canceled at least 20 blood drives in Douglas County since March.

We cant manufacture blood in a manufacturing facility, said Gordon. We are the ones who generate it.

However, Gordon said theyve been able to reschedule a few blood drives at different locations.

There have been more than 400 blood drives canceled across Oregon and Washington due to coronavirus concerns. Thats a loss of about 11,000 donations, Gordon said.
Photo credit: Tom Hill

From Esquire

John Prine has plans for the afterlife. Im gonna get a cocktail: vodka and ginger ale, the folk icon sang, playfully and plainly, over a kazoo and a barroom piano late on his 2018 LP, Tree of Forgiveness. Yeah, Im gonna smoke a cigarette thats nine miles long. Prine, who died Tuesday at the age of 73, never intended for the set to serve as his last missive, though it certainly fits as an undeniable final note; a testament to everything he did so well in song. Im gonna kiss that pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl, he adds on the cut, all heart and humor. Cause this old man is going to town.

The curious drink, called a Handsome Johnny, is certainly flowing somewhere now.

When Prine, American musics most unassuming giant, was hospitalized near the end of March, suffering from complications due to COVID-19, it was hard not to believe that hed pull through. After all, the artist, who counts Bob Dylan among his superfans, had already survived so much: throat cancer, the surgery for which removed a large portion of his neck and some of his vocal power, and lung cancer, which took a portion of his left lungnot to mention several drug-fueled decades.

Over the last week, Ive tried pinpointing when exactly I came to his music, but the thing about John Prine is that he was always there. His 18 studio albums, the first of which released back in 1971, weave irreplaceable threads through the last five decades of American music. A great champion of female talent, he's been one-half of maddeningly good duets with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Iris DeMent, Trisha Yearwood, and Lucinda Williams. The list goes on, of course, spanning generations and genres.

Photo credit: Rich Fury - Getty Images

He popped up, constantly, in the tales of others. Musicians he collaborated with who recalled Prine sending them a Christmas treehis favorite decorationas thanks. Greats, like Johnny Cash, who placed him on his own personal Mount Rushmore of music. Kris Kristofferson, who saw him perform in Chicago and then invited him to perform together in New York. Bob Dylan, who had memorized the words to his debut album before it ever came out.

Story continues

He was even present where he was, well, not actually present. In the liner notes for Iris DeMents debut, Infamous Angel, he wrote about shedding a tear into his pork chops as he listened to her sing: DeMent starts singing about Mamas Opry, and being the sentimental follow I am, I got a lump in my throat and a tear fell from my eyes to the hot oil. Well, the oil popped out and burnt my arms as if the pork chops were trying to say, Shut up, or Ill really give you something to cry about.

How lucky we were.

The songwriter grew up in blue collar Maywood, Illinois and wrote many of his early tunes, like Donald and Lydia and Your Flag Decal Wont Get You Into Heaven Anymore, while on the job as a mailman. But despite his suburban surroundings, his emotional roots burrowed in a small town in Kentucky known as Paradise, where his father was raised. One time I went to school and they asked us all to find out where our roots were, Prine recalled to Rolling Stone in 2017. Its goin around the class, and the kids were going, Im Swedish-German or Im English-Irish. They got to me and I said, Pure Kentuckian.

Childhood visits to the Bluegrass State became the basis for his 1971 cut Paradise, housed on his self-titled debut. The country staple has been covered by the likes of John Denver, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, and John Fogerty on its trip through American music. And while it was inspired by coddled together memories of returning to the land where his parents were raised, it was in his inability to ever really visit the place from their stories that transforms the tale of nostalgic longing into an expansive meditation on environmentalism and progress.

Well, Im sorry son, his father tells him of the long-since ravaged mining town, but youre too late in asking/Mister Peabodys coal train hauled it away.

In 1966, Prine was drafted into the Army, though he wasnt sent to Vietnam. While he was stationed in West Germany rather than the frontlines, the experience inspired his best known and most devastating song: Sam Stone. About a tormented soldier who seeks solace from what hes seen in morphine, Ive made it through the plainspoken ballad so few times without a sheen to my eyes. I certainly wont anytime soon.

Prines magic, which we see in Stone and Paradise, but also hundreds of others, like Jesus the Missing Years, Space Monkey, or Sour Grapes, which he wrote at the age of 14, was his ability to fashion his lyrics out of details most never noticed. Theyd refract through his pen, his wit, his penchant for surrealism and by the time they made it to your ears, things so tiny, so easy to ignore, were suddenly obvious. It would be incorrect, unfair even, to call Prine an optimist. But his knack for humor can change the way you see the world for the better. I hope you let it.

Bonne Raitt, who made took Prines Angel From Montgomery to a new class of fame, probably said it best: The combination of being that tender and that wise and that astute mixed with his homespun sense of humorit was probably the closest thing for those of us that didnt get the blessing of seeing Mark Twain in person. (John Mellencamp, speaking onstage when Prine was awarded the PEN New Englands Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award in 2018, is a close second. Who writes songs like that? he wondered. God and John Prine.)

Photo credit: Denise Sofranko - Getty Images

As tributes from bold-faced names like Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, Stephen King, and Stephen Colbert flood the internet, its hard to believe that Prine spent the majority of his career as an under-realized gem. But he did. Somehow, even if you came to him in 2018 when he released his final, perfect album, something I truly hope you listen to today, it was still possible to feel like you were tapping into a new underground scene. (Tree of Forgiveness debuted in the Top 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200 charts, a career-high for the artist.) His contributions to American music are innumerable, though they are best heard in the generation of artists he so happily mentored and collaborated with, like Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, and Tyler Childers.

He is survived by his wife, Fiona Whelan, and their sons Jody Whelan, Tommy, and Jack. I will survive, as I have now for many years, with his remarkable catalog.

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Nicole Kidman has expressed her gratitude to healthcare workers as they continue to play a huge role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

In a clip posted to Instagram on Tuesday, the actress, 52, thanked nurses and medical professionals for their 'bravery' in support of wellness brand Swisse.

The screen star revealed she'd 'hang out at the hospital' during her childhood due to her mother Janelle's role as a nursing instructor, and stressed the importance of 'recognising' teams across the world for their hard work amid the global crisis.

'I thank you': Nicole Kidman has expressed her gratitude to healthcare workers as they continue to play a huge role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic

Sporting her naturally curly tresses, the Aquaman actress said: 'I just want to say thank you on behalf of myself and Swisse to all of the nurses and the midwives and the healthcare workers.

'I am the daughter of a nurse. Ive seen a nurse in action my whole life. I used to hang out at the hospital then I was a little girl.'

Similar to her mother, Nicole's father, Antony, also worked in science as a biochemist, clinical psychologist and author.

The award-winning thespian added: 'So to now be able to say thank you to all of you for your bravery, and your selflessness and what you are doing, particularly during this time is so important.

Impassioned: In a clip posted to Instagram on Tuesday, the actress, 52, thanked nurses and medical professionals for their 'bravery' in support of wellness brand Swisse

Close: The screen star revealed she'd 'hang out at the hospital' during her childhood due to her mother Janelle's role as a nursing instructor (pictured together with her dad Antony in 2003)

Sweet: Sporting her naturally curly tresses, the Aquaman actress said: 'I just want to say thank you to all of the nurses and the midwives and the healthcare workers'

Impressive: Similar to her mother, Nicole's dad also worked in science as a biochemist, clinical psychologist and author

'We recognise you and we love you. Thank you'.

The media personality captioned her post: 'We would like to say thank you to the countless healthcare professionals and nurses for their bravery and their selflessness #Swisse #ThankYou #WorldHealthDay'.

Nicole and her musician husband Keith Urban are currently in lockdown with their family in their Nashville home as COVID-19 grips the United States.

As of Wednesday, the virus has claimed 12,857 lives in the country, while there has been 400,546 confirmed cases.

Isolation: Nicole and her musician husband Keith Urban are currently in lockdown with their family in Nashville as COVID-19 grips the US (pictured at home last week)

Last month, The Sunday Telegraph reported that Nicole and Keith, 52, were 'relocating back to Australia' to be closer to her mother.

The couple have already enrolled daughters Sunday Rose, 11, and Faith Margaret, nine in a Southern Highlands girls' school ahead of their upcoming move from America.

According to the publication, Nicole 'wants to be closer to her ailing mum' Janelle, 80, who has a cardiac condition that 'first raised alarm bells' two years ago.
No more Bollywood stars, Narendra Modi to be the next brand ambassador of Incredible India campaign

Fake: Tourism Ministry has not ordered closure of all hotels till October 15 2020

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: There is a message in circulation claiming that hotels and restaurants will remain closed until October 15 2020.

A circular that is being attributed to the Ministry of Tourism says hotels, restaurants and resorts all over India will remain closed until October 15 2020 due to coronavirus disease spread all over the world. And most important North Indian hotels, resorts, restaurants will ceased (sic) till the date. If the rules are flouted then a case will be registered, the circular also read.

This circular is bogus and the Tourism Ministry has issued no such order. During the meeting of the Group of Ministers, it was suggested that the lockdown should be exited in a staggered manner. The advise of the states and health experts are being sought before lifting the restrictions.

Fake News Buster

Among the many suggestions that have been given, some experts have advised that schools, colleges and religious places should be shut until May 15. The lockdown should remain at least in the hotspots, it has also bee suggested.

However there has been no decision taken on any of these suggestions. An announcement to this effect is expected closer towards April 14.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 11:09 [IST]
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A suspected shoplifter faces felony charges after he claimed to have coronavirus, which caused a pharmacy to shut down for the remainder of the day, according to police.

Johnny Garcia Jr., 36, is charged with inducing panic, a fifth-degree felony. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $25,000 bond.

The incident happened about 7 p.m. Thursday at the Walgreens pharmacy on Clark Avenue near West 34th Street.

Garcia stole Monster energy drinks from the pharmacy and was detained by store employees until police arrived, according to court records.

Garcia told Cleveland police officers that he tested positive for coronavirus while at the Cuyahoga County Jail three days before the incident, according to court records. The county jail did not have a positive coronavirus test until April 3, and all six inmates had been in the jail since at least February.

Garcias statement, however, caused the Walgreens to shut down two hours before they were set to close, according to court records.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Man charged in deadly random shooting of 81-year-old man at Cleveland gas station

Man fatally shot outside his Akron-area home

Man killed 81-year-old man at random at Cleveland gas station, police say

81-year-old man shot to death at Cleveland gas station
[April 08, 2020]

Congruity360 Receives $75K Training Grant, Strengthens Local Workforce

NORWELL, Mass., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Congruity360, a leading data management provider, was awarded $74,971 in grant funding via the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Workforce Training Fund Program. Headquartered in Norwell, MA with a second data center location in Fall River, MA, Congruity360 currently employs upwards of 70 Massachusetts residents.

In accepting this grant, Congruity360 commits to dedicated skill trainings for at least 45 employees. The company's workforce is comprised of a variety of business professionals, along with teams of highly trained technical engineers and software developers. At least 15 additional jobs will be created by 2021, most of them falling within the engineering and development teams.

"By investing in Congruity360, we're investing in the people of the South Shore," State Sen. Patrick O'Connor/span>, R-Weymouth, said. "Upskilling the local workforce helps Massachusetts businesses grow, become more efficient and build a stronger economy."







"We started this business on the South Shore fifteen years ago and remain committed as ever to creating jobs in the Commonwealth," said Sean Brady, Congruity360 Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner. "Although our operation extends worldwide, the majority of our workforce works and lives in Massachusetts. We're proud to be not only employing members of our community, but also supporting their professional growth."

About Congruity360

Congruity360 is a single-source data governance provider bringing order to data chaos. Our solutions keep enterprise data secure, healthy, and agile, exposing reliable data sets that empower businesses to make intelligent decisions. With a focus on cost savings, simplicity, and efficiency, Congruity360 introduces simple workflows, reduced storage footprints, and maximum productivity to every engagement.

Erin Grant

[email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/congruity360-receives-75k-training-grant-strengthens-local-workforce-301037130.html

SOURCE Congruity360
ANN ARBOR, MI -- A section of the old Mighty Good Coffee space on Main Street now houses an architecture firm.

Ann Arbor-based Ply+ took over the former seating area of the cafe at 219 N Main St. in Ann Arbor to fit nine employees working on projects ranging from restaurants to churches, and now, components of protective face shields. The firm is partnering with the University of Michigans Taubman College and Operation Face Shield to support Michigan Medicine health care workers during the coronavirus outbreak, founder Craig Borum said.

We are all healthy and working from home, except I have been going into the office for very brief periods, to monitor the 3D printer, which is steadily producing headbands for PPE face shields, Borum said in an email, adding the staff is working remotely due to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-home order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Former Mighty Good Coffee space for lease in downtown Ann Arbor

Family issues led owners to shutter Mighty Good Coffee

Employees are monitoring production remotely through a computer, then Borum picks up completed headbands and prepares the next batch. The firm is producing 12 headbands a day with the 3D printer.

The pandemic caused architects to pause four projects that were already under construction, but the team is still able to work on preliminary designs for others.

We feel lucky we havent had to reduce our staff or hours, Borum said in an email.

The firm, which has been in the area since 1999, moved into the Main Street space for more visibility. Ply+ architects have worked on renovations for Chow, Miss Kim, Zola Bistro, mid-century modern homes, connecting the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit with the neighborhood and St. Mary Mercys chapel in Livonia.

One of the major components Ply+ aims to develop for the future is dealing with energy efficiency and sustainability, said Jen Maigret, principal at Ply+, who also serves as an associate professor of architecture at Taubman College.

Youll see aesthetic changes that comes out of that work as well, just in terms of more care given into the way we orient or shape buildings or the ratio of glass to walls. I think youre gonna see some shifts there, probably a little bit less complete glass buildings, Maigret said. Theres just a lot of changes in terms of how we relate to infrastructure...

Some of that may be sort of the behind the scenes work. I hope it means were headed in a direction where we can be careful about designing smaller, well-considered spaces rather than growth for growths sake, just to sort of maintain the things we love about urban spaces and density but also work towards a more sustainable approach to the way that we build the constructed environment. I think thats going to happen relatively quickly.

The firm aims to seek public-minded work," Maigret added.

The kind of work that youre doing leads to more work of a similar type," Maigret said. Weve been fortunate to have quite a range of different projects. Thats been exciting for us because we love to learn from a project.

Aside from the Main Street location, Mighty Good Coffee ran cafes on South University, Jefferson Market and Arbor Hills before shutting the shops down last year. The company continues to run a roasting operation for wholesale supply out of the Main Street location.

Couple opens breakfast and lunch spot in former Mighty Good Coffee space

Ann Arbor transit system to board just 15 riders, mark buses to promote social distancing

Ann Arbor approves $436K for State Street improvement project
[April 08, 2020] 5G Communication Industry Insights, 2017-2020: CR/SDR, Small Cells, mmWave Radio, MIMO, and VLC

DUBLIN, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Roads to 5G Communications: Technologies, Applications and Markets Assessment" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The goal of this report is to address several current technologies (as well as their markets, applications, and other characteristics) that, according to the ITU classifications, are transitioning to the 5G communications era.



Though based on the industry insiders statistics, in 2019 market share of 4G networks was not more than 7%-12% on the global scale, the industry is already (2018-2020) supporting commercial 5G introduction in several market regions and applications.



This new radio access generation will be built on the existing infrastructure, which will be modernized and expanded with new technologies.



The 5G wireless communication system will be a converged system with multiple radio access technologies integrated together. It will be able to support a wide range of applications and services to comprehensively satisfy the requirements of the information society by the year 2020 and beyond. From the technology perspective, 5G will be the continuous enhancement and evolution of the present radio access technologies, and also the development of novel radio access technologies to meet the increasing demand for the future. 5G can be characterized as data, connectivity and user experience.



There are two main views on 5G that exist today, which are frequently mixed together to form the basis of the 5G definition:

View 1 - The hyper-connected vision: In this view, 5G is seen as a blend of existing technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and others) that can deliver greater coverage and availability, higher network density in terms of cells and devices, and the ability to provide the connectivity that enables machine-to-machine (M2M) services and the Internet of Things (IoT).

View 2 - Next-generation radio access technology: This perspective outlines 5G in generational' terms, setting specific targets that new radio interfaces must meet in terms of data rates (faster than 1Gbps downlink) and latency (less than 1ms delay).

The first view is connected with a gradual transition of 3G/4G (and other) technologies to the 5G era with appropriate enhancements and extensions. Some of such technologies are the subject of this report analysis.



In particular, the following technologies, their markets, industries, and applications are addressed in connection with their transition to 5G (they are being bundled under the title of 5G despite the fact that they are already being brought to market by vendors and deployed by operators):



CR/SDR - Cognitive Radio/Software Defined Radio Though the concept of CR/SDR is well known and the industry supports these techniques for a number of years, the 5G era will bring new requirements to network characteristics that can be easy to fulfill with CR/SDR.

The 5G Network of Networks needs further development of the CR/SDR concept responding to particulars of 5G and using the existing base of smart radios. Small Cells It is expected that small cells will prevail in the 5G infrastructure due to advanced features that satisfy 5G requirements. mmWave Radio mmWave Radio will play an important role in the 5G RANs, allowing us to explore the vast amount of free spectrum. MIMO Complex smart antenna systems such as MMIMO expected to be used extensively. Visible Light Communication VLC open several important applications, which were difficult to utilize in other spectrum windows. The report also addresses general requirements to 5G networking and surveys current 5G standardization activities. It also contains the author's survey of recently approved patents related to VLC and MIMO technologies.



The report intends for a wide audience of technical and managerial staff involved in the development of advanced wireless communications. Key Topics Covered









1.2 Planning Wireless Technologies: Generations

1.3 Goal

1.4 Structure

1.5 Research Methodology

1.6 Target Audience



2. Efforts

2.1 Organizations

2.2 5G Timetable and Major Tasks (3GPP-ITU)

2.2.1 3GPP Leadership

2.2.2 Requirements

2.2.3 3GPP Structure

2.2.4 5G RAN Development

2.2.4.1 Operation above 6 GHz

2.2.4.2 Coordination between RAN and SA

2.2.4.3 Acceleration

2.2.4.4 Leaders

2.3 5G Activity Survey

2.3.1 EU

2.3.1.1 METIS 2020

2.3.1.2 5G PPP

2.3.1.2.1 5G Norma

2.3.1.2.2 5G Tango

2.3.1.2.3 Phase 2

2.3.2 Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance

2.3.2.1 NGMN and 5GAA

2.3.2.2 5G White Papers

2.3.3 5G Americas

2.3.4 GSMA

2.3.5 ITU

2.3.6 Major 5G Documents





3. Current Developments: 5G Technologies

3.1 Characteristics

3.2 Promising Directions

3.2.1 Requirements

3.2.2 Common Views

3.2.2.1 Spectrum

3.2.3 Future - Starts Today

3.3 Issues

3.4 Use Cases

3.4.1 General -Characteristics

3.4.2 Mobile Broadband

3.4.3 Automotive

3.4.4 Smart Society



4. Software-Defined and Cognitive Radio -5G

4.1 Spectrum Utilization

4.2 Common Goal

4.3 Needs

4.4 Role

4.5 Purpose

4.6 Definition (WIF, FCC, ITU)

4.6.1 CR Types

4.6.2 CR Process

4.7 Versatility

4.8 Organizations and Regulations

4.8.1 Wireless Innovation Forum Position

4.8.1.1 SDR Classifications

4.8.1.2 CR Features

4.8.2 FCC

4.8.2.1 Equipment Type

4.8.2.2 Process

4.8.2.3 Clarifications

4.8.2.4 Application Guide

4.8.3 Object Management Group

4.8.4 ETSI

4.9 Decisions

4.10 CR/SDR Abilities

4.11 Elements

4.12 Commercial Use Cases

4.13 SDR in Military

4.13.1 SCA

4.14 CR/SDR: Applications Benefits

4.15 Impact

4.16 Differences

4.17 Market

4.17.1 Landscape

4.17.2 Trends

4.17.3 Cost

4.17.4 Different Perspective

4.17.5 Drivers

4.17.6 Market Forecast

4.17.6.1 Model Assumptions

4.17.6.2 Estimate

4.18 Industry Aeronix (SDR Components)

AirNet Communications (SDR Base Stations)

Carlson Wireless (Platform)

Cisco (Radio)

CRT (CR SW)

DataSoft (SDR Design, SW)

Etherstack (Software)

Green Hills (Software)

L3Harris (SDR)

Huawei (Platform)

NI (mmWave CR/SDR)

Nokia (Base Station)

Nutaq

Rockwell Collins (Radios)

SELEX ES (A Leonardo Company)

Thales (Radio)

TI (Chips)

Wind River (Software)

ZTE (Platforms) 4.19 5G: Needs CR/SDR



5. MIMO and 5G Communications

5.1 History

5.2 Concept: MIMO in Wireless Communications

5.2.1 Major Techniques

5.3 Types of MIMO

5.4 5G - MIMO Specifics

5.4.1 MMIMO Definition

5.4.2 MMIMO Properties

5.5 MIMO Benefits

5.6 Industry Blue Danube

Beecube (NI Company)

Nutaq

ZTE 6. mmWAVE Wi-Fi

6.1 Goal

6.2 General

6.3 60 GHz Band Spectrum Specifics

6.3.1 Frequencies Allocation

6.3.1.1 FCC 60 GHz Band Extension

6.3.2 Oxygen Absorption

6.4 Antenna

6.5 Radiation Limiting at 60 GHz

6.6 Combined Effect

6.7 Progress in Chip Technology

6.7.1 Challenges and Efforts

6.7.2 Modulation

6.7.3 Specifics

6.7.3.1 Indoor Behavior

6.8 Summary

6.9 Prospectus: 60 GHz Wi-Fi

6.9.1 Benefits and Issues

6.9.2 WiGig Alliance

6.9.2.1 Use Cases

6.9.2.2 Union

6.9.3 IEEE 802.11ad - 60 GHz Wi-Fi

6.9.3.1 5G and 802.11ad

6.9.3.1.1 5G Spectrum Extension

6.9.3.2 Status

6.9.3.3 Coexistence

6.9.3.4 Scope

6.9.3.5 Channelization

6.9.3.6 PHY

6.9.3.7 MAC

6.9.3.8 Specification Features

6.9.3.9 Summary

6.9.3.10 Extended 60 GHz Band

6.10 Industry Blu Wireless

Intel

Nitero (acquired by AMD in 2017)

Qualcomm

Peraso

Samsung

Tensorcom

TP-Link 6.11 Market Considerations

6.11.1 Market Drivers

6.11.2 Usage Models

6.11.3 Market Estimate

6.12 IEEE P802.11ay

6.12.1 Purpose and Time Frame

6.12.2 Scope

6.12.2.1 Channelization

6.12.2.2 PHY Specifics

6.12.3 Industry Blu Wireless

Qualcomm 7. Visible Light Communication - 5G Technology

7.1 General

7.1.1 Drivers

7.1.2 Industry Activity

7.1.2.1 UC-Light Center

7.1.2.2 Europe

7.2 VLC Standards Development

7.2.1 IEEE 802.15.7-2018 Standard

7.2.1.1 Considerations

7.2.1.2 Project

7.2.1.2.1 Coexistence

7.2.1.2.2 Essence

7.2.1.2.3 Base

7.2.1.2.4 Use Cases

7.2.1.2.5 Physical Layer

7.2.1.2.5.1 General

7.2.1.2.5.2 Responsibilities

7.2.1.2.5.3 Types

7.2.1.2.5.4 Error Protection

7.2.1.2.5.5 Rates

7.2.1.2.5.6 Frequency Plan

7.2.1.2.5.7 PHY Services

7.2.1.2.5.8. Regulations

7.2.1.2.6 MAC Layer

7.2.1.2.6.1 Responsibilities

7.2.1.2.6.2 Functionalities

7.2.1.2.6.3 Channel Access

7.2.1.2.7 Security

7.2.2 IEEE 802.15.13 Standard

3.2.3 IEEE 802.11bb Standard

7.2.4 VLCA

7.2.4.1 General

7.2.5 Jeita

7.2.6 Li-Fi Consortium

7.2.6.1 Optical Mobility Technology

7.2.6.2 Li-Fi Network

7.2.7 ITU G.9991

7.3 VLC Channel Specifics

7.3.1 General

7.3.2 Communications Channel Structure

7.3.3 Transmitter

7.3.4 Receiver

7.3.4.1 Image Sensors

7.3.4.2 LED as Receiver

7.3.5 Major Characteristics

7.3.5.1 General

7.3.5.2 Modulation

7.3.5.3 VLC Channel: Characteristics Summary

7.3.5.4 Emerging Areas

7.3.5.5 Limiting Factors

7.3.6 Major Challenges

7.4 Companies and Organizations Casio

Firefly

Fraunhofer IPMS

LVX

LightBee

Nakagawa Laboratories

NEC

Oledcomm

Outstanding Technology

PureVLC-PureLi-Fi

Qualcomm

Supreme Architecture 7.5 Market

7.6 5G View

7.6.1 Attocell

7.6.2 Cell Structures

7.7 Major Applications

7.7.1 Intelligent Transportation Systems

7.7.1.1 Abilities

7.7.1.2 Major Areas

7.7.2 Optical Wireless LAN

7.7.3 Healthcare

7.7.4 Localization

7.7.5 City-Wide Wireless Network

7.7.6 Underwater Communications

7.7.7 Summary



8. 5G and Small Cells Development

8.1 Rational

8.2 Nomenclature

8.2.1 Group

8.3 Background

8.4 Applications

8.4.1 Indoor Use Cases

8.4.2 Outdoor Use Cases

8.4.3 Public Safety Communications

8.4.4 Summary

8.5 Benefits and Issues

8.6 Small Cell Market

8.6.1 Market Geography

8.6.2 Estimate

8.7 Standardization

8.7.1 Organizations

8.7.1.1 Small Cell Forum

8.7.1.2 3GPP

8.7.1.2.1 First Standard

8.7.1.2.2 Interfaces - 3GPP

8.7.1.2.3 3GPP Rel.12 and SCs

8.7.1.3 Other

8.8 Small Cell Industry Airspan

AirHop Communications

Alpha Networks

Argela

Broadcom (acquired by Avago in 2015)

Cavium

Cisco

CommScope

Contela

Ericsson

Fujitsu

Huawei

ip.access

Intel

Gilat

Juni

NEC

Nokia

Qualcomm

Radisys

Samsung

Spider Cloud (Corning)

Tektelic

TI

Xilinx

ZTE 9. Conclusions



Attachments

Attachment I: Patents Survey: LTE-MIMO (2017-2020)

Attachment II: VLC-Related Patents Survey (2017-2020)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s0jsfs Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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A face mask, by definition, is used to cover the nose and mouth, but there's more than a face under the mask.

Illustrative image.  Photo: VOV

As the COVID-19 pandemic surges globally, a huge amount of information is being pumped out daily, much of it confusing and/or controversial. Amid this has been heated debate about the use of face masks. In some instances, this uncertainty has resulted in disturbing incidents. A few weeks ago, an Asian-American student in Bolsa Grande High School, California was racially discriminated against, seemingly as she was wearing a mask.

Different health guidelines

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends healthy people not wear a face mask to protect against the coronavirus.

According to Dr Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunisation and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), the use of face masks is not routinely recommended for the public to prevent respiratory illness, and certainly not at this time.

The masks may give the wearer a false sense of security against the coronavirus, which may lead to them neglecting fundamental hygiene measures and masks can also be a source of infection and transmission when not used correctly, medical experts have said.

These practitioners fear that hoarding facemasks could lead to a shortage for health care providers.

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams posted on his Twitter: Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS! If healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!.

He has since walked back the comments.

Doctors are on the frontline of this fight against COVID-19, yet many do not have enough protective equipment. Their battle against the coronavirus is fraught with danger, which also means the whole community is in peril.

The CDC has legitimate reasons for their concerns and recommendations. However, in many Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Vietnam, the wearing of masks in public is now mandatory. According to many infection prevention experts, there are milder cases without clear symptoms but are highly infectious and there is evidence of asymptomatic transmission.

Ivan Bui, an epidemiologist, explained that wearing a mask can help to reduce the risk of being exposed to potentially infective respiratory droplets, and can limit the spread of certain respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.

Bui stressed that wearing a mask should go together with hand hygiene and other infection and prevention control measures.

A study conducted by a group of researchers of Public Health England (HPA) compared different types of masks in protecting people during an influenza pandemic. Their findings suggest that both masks help prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals and would be better than no protection.

By March 29, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys Coronavirus Resource Center, the US surpassed China for the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, recording some 124,000 cases. The figure has since passed 300,000 with more than 8,000 deaths.

The number of new cases in the US has been rising rapidly while those reported in China and South Korea began to slow down about three weeks after the first 100 cases were reported.

Chinese health officials believe wearing masks is one of the easiest and cheapest means of fighting the outbreak.

Speaking to Science magazine, George Gao, Director-General of the Chinese CDC said: The big mistake in the US and Europe, in my opinion, is that people arent wearing masks.

Different cultures

Long before COVID-19 appeared in Asia, the wearing of a face mask has been accepted and practiced. People wear masks for all sorts of reasons: limiting the risks of infection, of pollution, protecting from the sun, and keeping their face warm. The hazardous air pollution in many Asian cities may well explain the habit of wearing masks to protect the wearer from dirty air.

Face masks have also become fashionable, with vividly coloured and decorated options across the continent. Facemasks of varying quality can be easily found in many countries, rather than solely in hospitals.

The uses of face masks seem to be unfamiliar to many non-Asian people and for many Americans, a face mask is only for medical purposes, and anyone (apart from medical practitioners) wearing a mask must be sick.

The face mask has also been associated with the SARS outbreak in 2003 in the minds of some.

Dr Wynn Tran, a physician in California, said in an interview: If you wear a mask here, you make an announcement to the public that I have COVID-19, so Asians should be mindful of wearing masks. Fear of the unknown creates anxiety and the face mask has become a symbol of this growing fear.

Recommendations on face masks vary across countries, but one certainty is that whether to mask, or not to mask, is becoming an important question. VNS

Trang Pham*

* Trang Pham is studying master degree majoring in digital media strategy at Communication/Journalism Faculty, Georgia State University

Six new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Vietnam, total number amounts to 239 Two new COVID-19 infection cases, including one relating to Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, were confirmed by the Ministry of Health on April 4 morning, raising the total number of patients nationwide to 239.
More musical stars came together to perform special online numbers.

Firstly, there was a special rendition of "You've Got A Friend" from casts of Beautiful  A Carole King Musical across the globe. The number aims to raise money for The Actors Fund, which you can donate to here.





The second saw a cavalcade of West End names and TV stars including Brian Conley, Jenna Russell and more sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" to raise money for Acting for Others.

Our souls are warmed!
The next Great North American Solar Eclipse is coming.

Four years from now, on Monday, April 8, 2024, a total eclipse of the sun will sweep across our continent. The dark shadow cone of the moon  known as the umbra  will trace out a path like a black crayon across parts of 15 states. An estimated 130 million people will either be positioned inside or within less than a day's drive of the zone of the total eclipse. Almost all of North America, as well as Central America and a sliver of northwestern South America will see a partial eclipse.

The path of totality will begin in the Pacific Ocean at a point 7 degrees south of the equator at longitude 158 degrees and 44 minutes west.. The moon's dark umbral shadow  from where the glorious spectacle of a total solar eclipse can be viewed  will then move northeast across the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Durango and Coahuila, then cross over the Rio Grande River into the Lone Star State of Texas. The American portion of the totality track, averaging 114 miles (184 kilometers) in width, will stretch from southwest Texas to northern Maine.

Video: Total Solar Eclipse in April 2024 - See the path of totality

Related: Total solar eclipse 2024: Here's what you need to know

As the moon blocks the sun from view during the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, the sun's wispy corona came into view. (Image credit: ESO/P. Horalek/Solar Wind Sherpas project)

While passing through Ohio, upstate New York and northern New England, the dark lunar shadow will also interact with the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

After that, totality will be observable from parts of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland. In all, the umbra will touch the Earth for 3 hours and 14 minutes.

Here is a closer look at how the totality track will sweep across Mexico, United States and Canada.

A visibility map for the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. (Image credit: Fred Espenak/NASA)

Mexico

The moon's umbra first meets land at the Pacific coast of Sinaloa, approximately 400 miles (640 km) northwest of Guadalajara. The city of Mazatlan (population: 438,000) will see the sun go dark at 18:07 UT with totality lasting 4 minutes 17 seconds.

The most favorable land area for observing is in the state of Durango, 5 miles (9 km) north-northwest of the city of Nazas (population: 3,600), where the centerline duration is 4 minutes 28 seconds with the sun at mid-eclipse (1:17 p.m. local time; 1817 GMT) 70 degrees above the horizon. Nowhere else will the eclipsed sun appear higher, or totality last longer. These factors will almost certainly attract many amateur and professional astronomers as well as tour operators to Mexico, where the prospects for good weather are very encouraging. Indeed, Nazas is already being dubbed as "Eclipse City," and its close proximity to the point of greatest eclipse is mentioned on its Wikipedia page.

United States

A total solar eclipse will be visible on April 8, 2024, over Mexico, the United States and Canada. (Image credit: Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com)

For the second time in less than 7 years, a total eclipse of the sun will sweep across the contiguous (48) United States. But compared to the "Great American Total Eclipse" of Aug. 21, 2017, the 2024 eclipse is far superior in that the path of totality is roughly 40% wider and the duration of totality along the centerline of the eclipse path lasts anywhere from 42 to 107 seconds longer than the maximum duration of the 2017 eclipse!

The first sizable U.S. population center that will greet the total eclipse will be Elm Creek in Maverick County, Texas (population: 2,500), which will see the sun go dark at 1:27 p.m. CDT (18:27 UT). Totality will last 4 minutes 25 seconds, with the sun standing 69 degrees high in the southern sky.

One impressive fact about the American portion of the eclipse track are the number of metropolitan areas with populations of over one million people that are in the eclipse path. These include Dallas-Fort Worth (6.8 million; most populous anywhere within the path), Austin (2.2 million), Cleveland (2.1 million), Indianapolis (2 million), Buffalo (1.1 million) and Rochester (1 million). And there are three additional metro areas of over 2 million people whose northwest portions straddle the southern edge of the totality path: San Antonio (2.5 million), Cincinnati and Columbus (each with 2.1 million).

And here's something that will make fans of Max Klinger (of M*A*S*H TV fame) happy: Toledo, Ohio will experience 1 minute 50 seconds of total eclipse beginning at 3:12 p.m. EDT (19:12 UT).

Cities just outside of the totality path where the moon will cover a significant percentage of the sun's disk in an exceedingly large partial eclipse include: Pittsburgh (97.4%), Memphis (97.8%), St. Louis (99.1%), Louisville (99.2%) and Detroit (99.4%). In the most extreme case, totality is no more than a few hours' drive away.

The shadow will exit the U.S. at Aroostook County in Maine, where in between the communities of Monticello and Littleton, totality arrives at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1932 GMT) and will last a very respectable 3 minutes 22 seconds with the sun 35 degrees high in the western sky.

Defying the law of averages

Interestingly, for a specific geographic location on the Earth's surface, a total eclipse of the sun occurs (on average) once every 375 years. However, the paths of the 2017 and 2024 eclipses crisscross in America's heartland. Both eclipse paths overlap over a region encompassing parts of three states: Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. The zone of overlapping totality measures almost 9,000 square miles (23,000 square km), or roughly the size of New Jersey.

For both eclipses, their respective centerlines cross near the eastern shore of Cedar Lake in Jackson County, Illinois. Technically, the closest town to this exact spot is Makanda, Illinois (population: 600). The nearest city of any size is Carbondale, Illinois (population: 26,000) located about three miles to the northeast. In fact, both Makanda and Carbondale are touting themselves as the place where the two centerlines cross, with Carbondale and its Southern Illinois University partner adopting the tagline "Eclipse Crossroads of America."

An even more amazing coincidence will take place about 10 miles north of the Texas community of Utopia (population: 230), at latitude 29 degrees and 46 minutes north, longitude 99 degrees and 30 minutes west. The centerline of the 2024 eclipse path passes through here, but on Oct. 14, 2023, the centerline of an annular solar eclipse will cross here as well. An annular eclipse differs from a total one in that the moon is too far away to cover the sun completely; at maximum eclipse a thin ring of sunlight shines all around the dark silhouette of the moon. So those living in this part of central Texas will be able to witness a spectacular "ring" eclipse, followed less than six months later by the even more spectacular sight of a total eclipse!

Canada

As the moon's umbra is sliding across parts of northern Ohio, a southeast sliver of the lower peninsula of Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, the northern half of the umbra will be moving across southeast Ontario. Point Pelee, the southernmost tip of Canada, witnesses 2 minutes 55 seconds of totality beginning at 3:13 p.m. EDT (1913 GMT).

The 5.9 million people who reside in the Greater Toronto Metro area will see the sun narrowed down to a mere spot of light as all but one-tenth of a percent of its disk will be covered at 3:20 p.m. EDT (1920 GMT). But across Lake Ontario, 35 miles (55 km) to the southwest, the city of Hamilton (population: 763,000) will be rewarded with 1 minute 43 seconds of daytime darkness at 3:18 p.m. EDT (1918 GMT).

The shadow then moves into Quebec province; at 3:26 p.m. EDT (1926 GMT) its northern edge will cut the metropolitan area of Montreal (population: 4.1 million) virtually in half. South of a line running from Vandreuil-Dorion to Boucherville will see a total eclipse, while north of that line will see a partial eclipse. Farther to the northeast, Quebec City sees a very large (98.7%) partial eclipse at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT).

The total eclipse then visits the maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and clips the northernmost end of Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia. The shadow finally bids North America a fond adieu as it slips off the Bonavista Peninsula on the Island of Newfoundland and out into the open waters of the Atlantic at 4:16 p.m. NDT (1946 GMT).

Eight minutes later, the umbra will slide off the Earth at local sunset, approximately 1,250 miles (2,000 km) west of France, putting an end to our Great North American Solar Eclipse.

Mark your calendars!

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook
Our electronics expertise combined with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows us to break down traditional communication barriers, providing organizations with a single source of truth to deliver truly differentiated experiences for their customers.

EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, announced it has entered into a partnership with Dassault Systemes that is committed to driving disruptive business transformation for electronic product development. This partnership will work towards the joint mission of connecting teams across a common data model for unified product development and collaboration.

Our main goal has always been to provide our customers with the right tools, processes, and systems to address their business needs, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA Design Automation. Our electronics expertise combined with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows us to break down traditional communication barriers, providing organizations with a single source of truth to deliver truly differentiated experiences for their customers.

As product development becomes more complex and intertwined, Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform addresses the unique business challenges that arise within the high-tech industry. Traditionally, each phase has been treated as silos of energy, which leads to inefficiencies, multiple revisions, and often missed market opportunities. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides businesses with insight into all phases of the design cycle, naturally connecting the organization in one digital environment.

EMA will be providing sales and support for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Product teams now have a way to pull together and leverage information from across the organization in context. This unified approach provides stakeholders with the ability to design, simulate, analyze, and verify a true digital twin long before anything is produced; eliminating the need for multiple design iterations prior to production.

For more information about EMA and its partnership with Dassault Systemes, go to go.ema-eda.com/Dassault or call 585.334.6001.

About EMA Design Automation, Inc.

EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD and Dassault products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value-added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information.

# # #

EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, Ultra Librarian, and the EMA and Ultra Librarian logos

are registered trademarks, and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc.

Cadence, Allegro, and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners.


Maingear, a boutique PC maker, has shifted to making ventilators. On Thursday, the company announced the Maingear LIV, which the company will make and sell to hospitals and other healthcare providers.

The idea for the emergency pulmonary ventilator was sparked by Rahul Sood, Maingears chairman, according to a video published by Maingear and its CEO, Wallace Santos. In it, Santos shows off the prototype ventilator, designed in conjunction with a board of advisors made up of medical personnel.

Maingear is based in New Jersey, a state which has been hard-hit by the coronavirus. Neighboring New York state has more than 140,000 confirmed cases, as of Thursday, and New Jersey has over 44,000.

Within days of assembling our team, we had our first prototype ventilator ready to go, Santos said in a statement. Besides the lack of medical supplies and equipment, we think there will be a shortage of medical professionals who can operate these devices, especially in field hospitals, so we also made it incredibly simple to use. Now we need help getting the word out to the appropriate people.

The LIV looks like a PC, small and squat, and Santos said that that was deliberate to make sure it was simple and easy to use. The LIV contains multiple sensors and redundant power supplies, and can be operated by a tablet interface. (Perhaps more importantly, Santos went on to say that the LIV doesnt require it to be run using the tablet, probably a good thing in an overcrowded, overstressed hospital environment.)

Maingear and state and local officials are in discussions to place LIV ventilators where they are needed most, the company said. However, the company hasnt estimated how many LIV ventilators could be produced at a time, and it hasnt said when those could be up and running. It has not been FDA-approved, either, though it hopes for quick certification. The company did say, however, that its re-tooling much of its production space for mass assembly of the LIV.
UWs Microbial Ecology Collaborative Startup Launchpad Announces Winners

Three innovative startups were recently named winners of the Microbial Ecology Collaborative Startup Launchpad (MECSL), which paves a new path for Wyoming entrepreneurs focused on microbial ecology and data science.

The launchpad, a statewide entrepreneurship platform, is sponsored by the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) and Wyomings Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), both at the University of Wyoming. The launchpad provides $25,000 in seed capital funded by the National Science Foundation and Wyoming EPSCoR.

The pitches were a reaffirming display of innovation, determination and opportunity in Wyoming, says David Bohling, director of the WTBC.

In recognition of the significant potential of the startups, all three companies received capital awards of varying amounts.

The winners are:

-- AsimicA, located in Laramie and founded by Nikolai Mushnikov and Grant Bowman, seeks to improve biomolecule production efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry using microbial stem cell technology. For more information, go to www.asimica.com.

-- Livestock Wx, located in Casper and founded by Chad McNutt, provides timely and authoritative weather information for beef, pork, poultry and sheep producers with a focus on impacts to livestock health and well-being. For more information, go to www.livestockwx.com.

-- Theraneutrics, located in Laramie and founded by Christoph Geisler, is an innovative biomedical startup that works to solve gout through engineered probiotics. For more information, go to www.theraneutrics.com.

In a first for the collaboration, contenders pitched their ideas to a virtual audience and judges March 26. Among the judges were experts from the Wyoming Business Council, UW College of Business, UW Technology Transfer and Research Products Center and Wyoming EPSCoR who deliberated at length to determine the winners.

As an initiative of Wyoming EPSCoRs five-year Micro Project, the MECSL focuses on commercializing project-related research and development activities statewide. It serves as a new outlet for entrepreneurs to propel their ideas forward, receive capital and prepare for follow-on funding.

The MECSL will offer another round of startup funds next fall. Information about this and other entrepreneurship opportunities administered by the WTBC can be found at www.uwyo.edu/wtbc.
BJP MLA from Honnali constituency, MP Renukacharya, said that the government should not ignore those who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and are escaping detection, and it is not wrong if the person is shot.

"Anyone who attended Tablighi meet, is not coming out for medical checkups and is escaping detection. The government should not ignore them. Even if he is shot, it is not wrong. Otherwise, the virus will spread throughout the entire country. In China it started with one person," Renukacharya said on Tuesday.

"We are suffering because someone is not coming for check-up. I request them to come voluntarily to the doctors and District Magistrates. Not all minorities are terrorists and not all of them are anti-nationals," he added.

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction for the government to impose a complete ban on all activities of the Tablighi Jamaat with immediate effect.

Over 1,000 coronavirus cases in India are linked to Tablighi Jamaat gathering. Hundreds of people who are related to Tablighi Jamaat have been quarantined.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[April 08, 2020] Healthcare Consulting Groups Introduce iROfficeMD, an Integrated, Remote Physician Cloud-based Solution

NORTHPORT, N.Y., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TechLeaders Consulting, LLC today announced the availability of iROfficeMD  a comprehensive solution for physicians allowing practices to use their available existing providers and office staff efficiently from home office or remote settings. The solution is the combined work of TechLeaders Consulting LLC, Globus Eight, HCLS Consulting and PracticePro  the nations Top-Ten Healthcare Consulting Companies accelerating independent practices.

In a COVID-19 environment, where hospitals are flooded and independent physicians offices are empty, a group of leading New York-based Healthcare consulting firms have created a service that allows providers to support the National Healthcare imperatives by protecting staff, maintaining continuity of care and keeping in touch with patients while reducing 911 calls, hospitalizations and emergency room load. The iROfficeMD solution provides: Optimized Scheduling  Works with limited to no front staff

Visual Telemedicine  Provider is quarantined and offers safe encounters

Maximized Reimbursements  During the Covid-19 crisis Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our practice had to become a fully remote office environment and TechLeaders Consulting came o us with the iROfficeMD solution, seamlessly allowed our practice to provide remote patient care. We were virtually seeing patients and keeping our practice operating in just a few days without changing our current systems, said Jay Youngerman MD, Long Island ENT Associates.



The iROfficeMD solution leverages the practices/providers existing systems and extends them into their staffs homes offices. It enables patients to continue connecting to the practice and schedule appointments via voice, video, text, email or fax supporting our national imperative of social distancing in addition to allowing practices to have a common access point to view remote requests from patients, schedule a Telemed visit and receive phone calls. We believe this solution is vital to the maintenance of a small to medium-size health care providers practice to adjust to the remote working environment, said Marni Ehrlich, CEO, TechLeaders Consulting LLC.

Patient anxiety; health issues can be resolved in the safety of their home using visual visit with a doctor, noted Ankur Bansal, CEO, HCLS Consulting LLC. This in-turn reduces visits to Urgent Care or Emergency Room therefore reducing the stress on the system. We believe independent practices can survive this pandemic storm and use this time to re-orient using appropriate CPT codes maintain their staff, Said Kevin, CEO, PracticePro. To learn more about or to request a consultation for iROfficeMD, visit the website at www.iROfficeMD.com or call 786-310-6773. ABOUT THE GROUP

TechLeaders Consulting, LLC is a top-ten healthcare consulting company and leading implementation agent for HIT for the New York State eHealth Collaborative.

Globus Eight is an IT Services company that providers 24X7 Support for Healthcare Providers

HCLS is a leading practice transformation and telemedicine consulting firm

PracticePro is a leading Medical Revenue Growth and Enhancement firm. Contact info:

Marni Ehrlich CEO

TechLeaders Consulting, LLC

631-757-6363 (office)

[email protected]



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The city of Wuhan has awakened from its lockdown as Chinese authorities ended coronavirus restrictions of more than two months. The city of 11 million people, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, had been effectively sealed off in a move symbolic of Beijing's strict and aggressive management of the crisis.

Cases of Covid-19 infection in Wuhan surpassed 50,000 and more than 2,500 people died, according to official figures cited by Reuters. Wuhan represented 80 percent of all coronavirus deaths in China.

As of 8 April, more than 1.4 million people have been infected around the world and deaths number 82,000, striking a blow to the global economy as governments impose lockdowns to restrict the spread of coronavirus.

China's measures to contain Covid-19 exacted a heavy economic and social toll, according to a piece by Reuters journalists Brenda Goh and Ryan Woo from Wuhan. Residents expressed uncertainty over the continued risk of infection as well as relief that the lockdown had come to an end.

Travellers at Wuhan's Tianhe airport donned full protective suits, long raincoats or face shields as flights restarted. Flights to international destinations and the capital Beijing have not yet resumed.

People were officially allowed to enter the city on 28 March, however some restrictions remain in place with residents urged not to leave the city or province unless absolutely essential.

Coronavirus 'not yet conquered'

Hubei province vice governor Cao Guangjin told journalists that people needed to remain calm, but not relax, because the authorities have yet to claim final victory.

Shopping malls reopened on 30 March and long queues have formed at grocery stores as requirements to remain one metre apart are still in force. Other Wuhan residents have enjoyed the warmer weather and resumed sporting activity such as badminton and dancing.

Only three new cases have been confirmed in Wuhan in the past three weeks, said Reuters. However, there are concerns about new cases in northern border cities.

Restrictions in Suifenhe city in Heilongjiang province were announced on Wednesday with a Covid-19 lockdown similar to the measures endured by Wuhan.

Cases jumped in Heilongjiang province by 25, presumably driven by infected travellers crossing the Russian border, according to Reuters.

Suifenhe residents are under orders to stay indoors with essential purchases to be made once every three days by one person per family, according to state television.
The president and the speaker haven't spoken in months, while the president is openly taunting the Senate's top Democrat about a potential primary challenge more than two years away. The top Republicans have direct channels to the president but don't share the same big-spending appetite as the leader of their party.

The core five leaders in Washington - President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. - and their interactions with one another have come under scrutiny amid the coronavirus outbreak, as the pandemic continues to swamp the nation, killing thousands of Americans and plunging the U.S. economy into crisis.

Yet for all the public signs of discord, communications and coordination between congressional leaders and the Trump administration have hummed along, compensating for the dysfunctional relationship - or the outright lack of one - between Trump himself and the top two Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Since the massive $2 trillion rescue package was signed into law March 27, Schumer has spoken on the phone with Trump about a half-dozen times, but also directly with Vice President Mike Pence and with newly minted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows several times, according to an official familiar with the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them. And already this week, Pelosi has spoken to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin multiple times to discuss the rocky implementation of the stimulus bill and what Washington will need to do in the next phase of coronavirus legislation.

"I think that we all have a common purpose here and that's getting through the virus and restoring the American economy," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said Tuesday.

Neal added, "I think that what I have found fascinating about this in the last few weeks is that nobody comes to the conversation saying, 'I'm a libertarian.' Nobody comes to the conversation saying, 'I'm a socialist.' They come to the conversation saying, 'We got to get this done. This is desperate.' "

Neal participated in a nearly hour-long call with Pelosi, Mnuchin, and Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., on Monday afternoon. During it, the Democrats and Mnuchin discussed efforts to implement the massive rescue bill, including issues with a new $349 billion fund that offers taxpayer-backed loans for small businesses, as well as legislative fixes to the package and future economic mitigation efforts, according to officials familiar with the call, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely.

Mnuchin, Neal said, was "very mindful" of the Democrats' perspective.

The communications between the administration and Congress will continue to increase this week, when Pence - who heads the White House coronavirus task force - will lead four separate conference calls with House Democrats, House Republicans, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans.

Others participating on the calls, which a Pence spokeswoman said was meant to offer an update on the administration's coronavirus efforts and to field questions from lawmakers, will include Deborah Birx, the task force's coordinator; Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-diseases official; and Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, who is overseeing the supply chain efforts.

Congressional officials have largely likened the recent public rancor between Trump and the top Democratic leaders to the dynamic that played out in the final days of negotiations of the economic rescue package last month, when senators delivered theatrical and sharply partisan speeches in the chamber while senior negotiators continued to hammer out the massive bill in private.

Schumer, whose flip phone is a ubiquitous presence next to his ear as he traipses the Capitol, has been similarly chatty with administration officials after lawmakers left Washington until at least April 20.

In addition to the calls with Trump, Pence and Meadows, the Senate minority leader has arranged conversations with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to ensure the additional funding for unemployment insurance programs is quickly disbursed. He has also spoken with Mnuchin and other Democratic senators to ensure that airline workers won't be laid off as they receive federal aid, according to an official with knowledge of the conversations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the deliberations.

The minority leader has repeatedly pressed Trump to appoint a military czar to oversee all distribution efforts of critical supplies during the pandemic. That request, along with Schumer's demand for Trump to fully invoke the powers of a Korean War-era law to compel production of needed materials, prompted an unusually caustic letter from Trump to Schumer late last week.

In it, Trump accused Schumer of insufficiently preparing the president's former home state for the coronavirus crisis and added: "I've known you for many years, but I never knew how bad a senator you are for the state of New York, until I became president."

Schumer has declined to engage, telling CNN that the president's comments "don't faze me."

Both Pelosi and Trump have dismissed the significance of their lack of direct discussions with one another. Their last substantive conversation was in mid-October during a White House meeting on the spiraling crisis in Syria, when a photo released by the administration captured a standing Pelosi with her pointer finger outstretched toward Trump, seated on the other side of the table in the Cabinet Room.

Last week, Pelosi said discussions between a speaker and a president are "usually done on an as-needed basis."

"If it were important for the American people, I'd talk to her," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "But other than that, I can have other people talking to her."

Nonetheless, that evaporated relationship is a stark contrast to the last time that Pelosi held the speaker's gavel with a Republican in the White House amid a crisis that put the nation's economy in peril.

John Lawrence, the former longtime chief of staff to Pelosi, recalled the frequent communications between Pelosi, her staff and aides at the White House during the George W. Bush administration - relations that were pivotal during the 2008 financial meltdown.

Before the crisis, Lawrence said, congressional leaders would jointly meet with Bush at the White House roughly every month, and he would meet nearly every week with senior White House staff. The absence of direct communication between Pelosi and Trump now, Lawrence said, is "problematic."

"That stuff doesn't bother her, I don't think, but it really deprives the Congress and the country of that level of collaborative interaction that is really important," Lawrence said. "When you get into crisis, you need two things: You need trust, and the ability to move swiftly. And it's really hard to move swiftly when you don't have that level of trust."

Meanwhile, McConnell and McCarthy, the two senior Republicans in Congress, have maintained close communication with the White House, with McCarthy making an appearance there last week alongside Trump before the president spoke with reporters on the latest coronavirus efforts.

As he introduced him on Friday, Trump warmly called McCarthy, with whom he had just met, the "future speaker of the House."

"I would like to thank you," McCarthy responded to Trump. "On the basis of California, Gov. [Gavin] Newsom says the work that you're doing together has been - you're working very closely - has been effective in California as well."

Along with the administration, McConnell and McCarthy coordinated a plan announced Tuesday to try to inject more money as soon as this week into the new small business coronavirus program that is already overwhelmed with demand. Democrats didn't reject the plan outright, although a spokesman for Schumer said Republicans had not discussed the effort with key Democratic senators.

Yet Trump, rarely mindful about federal spending, has also repeatedly called for new infrastructure projects to revive the economy - a request that hasn't been shared publicly by top congressional Republicans just yet.
By Peter Nurse

Investing.com - The U.S. dollar is back in demand Wednesday, as investors sought safe havens amid disappointing news surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and the economic damage in Europe becomes apparent.

At 3 AM ET (0700 GMT), the U.S. Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, stood at 100.345, up 0.4%, while EUR/USD fell 0.3% to 1.0857 and GBP/USD dropped 0.3% to 1.2300. USD/JPY climbed 0.1% to 108.81.

The U.S. recorded its highest single-day increase in virus deaths on Tuesday, with some 1,800 deaths. Governor Andrew Cuomo said that deaths in New York state also rose.

This came as a disappointment as the state had previously seen two days of slowing infection rates and fewer deaths.

Risk aversion and the U.S. dollar are going hand in hand, Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank, told CNBC.

Improvement has been based on less-bad statistics coming out of various parts of the world...but our view is that markets are going to remain choppy - we cant expect an uninterrupted flow of singularly good or singularly bad news, he added.

The euro is weakening as Eurozone finance ministers struggle to reach an agreement on how to assist ailing member states hit by the coronavirus.

The sticking point appears to be the issuance of common debt instruments to finance the coronavirus-related spending, commonly known as coronabonds, which France, Italy and Spain in particular are pushing for, while Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland are against.

However, the need for aid is becoming more apparent with every passing day.

The Bank of France estimated Wednesday that the countrys economy contracted 6% in the first quarter due to the lockdown measures put in place to combat the coronavirus outbreak. That would be the biggest contraction on a quarterly basis since World War II.

And these measures dont look like ending anytime soon, with the Italian press reporting that Italy may not reopen schools before September.

Story continues

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K-State team funded by $1.3 million NIH grant to combat hypertension

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

MANHATTAN  The underlying cause in up to 12% of people with hypertension or high blood pressure can be traced to primary aldosteronism, or PA, a disorder characterized by the unregulated production of the hormone aldosterone due to benign tumors in the adrenal gland.

A team of researchers, led by Kansas State University associate professor Punit Prakash, has been funded with more than $1.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand preliminary studies that indicate mild heating of benign adrenal tumors can disrupt their unregulated aldosterone production. Through the U.S-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, project partners in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will receive additional funding from related agencies in their countries.



"We will develop, optimize and evaluate an approach for definitive treatment of PA, employing minimally invasive microwave devices delivered under image guidance to selectively heat benign adrenal tumors," said Prakash, who holds the Paul L. Spainhour Professorship in Electrical Engineering and is a Michelle Munson-Serban Simu Keystone research scholar in the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.



"Successful completion of this project," he said, "will lead to the development of a minimally invasive approach for definitive treatment of hypertensive patients with benign aldosterone-producing adenomas in one or both adrenal glands."



Co-investigators at K-State include faculty members Stefan Bossmann, university distinguished professor of chemistry; Warren Beard and David Biller, professors of clinical sciences; Charan Ganta, clinical associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology; and Matthew Basel, clinical assistant professor of anatomy and physiology. The Republic of Ireland project partners at National University of Ireland Galway are M. Conall Dennedy, site lead, and Martin O'Halloran. At Ulster University in Northern Ireland, project partners are Liam McDaid, site lead, and Jim Harkin and Bryan Gardiner.



The NIH project, with program sponsor the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be funded over four years through the Bioengineering Research Grants program.



The project, titled "Treating primary aldosteronism-induced hypertension via microwave thermal therapy," is well-aligned with the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering's health research thrust as well as the internationalization theme of K-State 2025.






By Trend

More than 121 people died from the coronavirus (COVID 19) over the past day in Iran, said Kiyanush Jahanpur, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing Ministry.

According to Jahanpur, as many as 1,997 people have infected with the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

Jahanpur added that the condition of 3,956 people is critical.

So far, more than 220,000 tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 64,500 people have been infected, 3,993 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 29,800 have reportedly recovered from the disease.

The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.

The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8

Trend:

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy has disclosed the mechanisms for rendering financial support to the entrepreneurs affected as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19), Trend reports referring to the ministry.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Action Plan on April 4, 2020 to implement the item 10.2 of the Azerbaijani presidents order # 1950 dated March 19, 2020" On a number of measures to reduce the negative impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and sharp fluctuations as a result of coronavirus in the global energy market and stock market, on the economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, macroeconomic stability, issues of employment in the country and business entities".

The Ministry of Economy must implement the measures which have been divided into three stages. At the initial stage, it is planned to pay a certain part of salaries to employees involved in the spheres affected as a result of the pandemic, render financial support to individual (micro) entrepreneurs and give tax incentives to protect the economic activity.

In this regard, the Ministry of Economy informs taxpayers that the state financial support worth 215 million manat ($126.5 million) is planned to be rendered to 300,000 entrepreneurs to pay a certain part of salaries to the hired employees (who have an employment contract) working in the sectors affected as a result of the pandemic.

A certain part of the salary and the corresponding social insurance contributions that must be paid to the employees within a short period will be transferred to the bank accounts of employers as part of this mechanism in the internet tax administration (www.e-taxes.gov.az ), based on the applications submitted through the existing electronic accounts.

According to the ministry, notifications about the financial support program in connection with the pandemic will be sent to all registered taxpayers personal electronic accounts, as well as via SMS.

Taxpayers must fill out an electronic application form in the appropriate section of the internet tax administration in their personal accounts in "financial support program in connection with a pandemic" subsection in "remuneration appeal" section.

The registry data (taxpayer name, VOEN, bank accounts, number of employees upon employment contracts as of March 1 and the date of appeal) will be automatically indicated in the application form.

Taxpayers must online indicate additional information about the spheres of activity affected as a result of the pandemic, business entities (facilities), the number of employees in the affected sphere and the payroll fund.

In case of verification of this data, a notification is sent to a taxpayer. The payments will be carried out in two stages in April and May.

It is allowed to transfer the financial support funds allocated by the bank only for paying salaries. Taxpayers cannot use these funds for any other purposes and this issue will be strictly controlled.

The information on the taxpayers who will be able to get funds will be available on the website of the Ministry of Economy, and the media.

Within this mechanism, the Azerbaijani government will render financial support in the amount of 80 million manat ($47 million) to 300,000 individual entrepreneurs involved in the spheres affected as a result of the pandemic.

This financial assistance will cover the taxpayers who paid taxes, mandatory state social insurance contributions and unemployment insurance contributions in 2019.

To ensure financial support as soon as possible, individual entrepreneurs submit an application through the electronic systems available in the internet tax administration (www.e-taxes.gov.az ) while the funds allocated from the state budget are transferred to the bank accounts of these individual entrepreneurs.

If the amount of payment of an individual (micro) entrepreneur to the state budget in 2019 is less than 250 manat ($147), the financial support in the amount of 250 manat ($147) will be rendered.

All taxpayers should regularly monitor the information updates in electronic cabinets through www.e-taxes.gov.az.
The 8th of April marks the day when the Chinese state authorities formally and completely lifted the lockdown measures it had implemented in Wuhan, almost three months ago. Even though a large section of the residents of Wuhan is still sceptical about a number of things, people in China are largely optimistic.



 Reuters

Wuhan falls in the Hubei province of China. The province had the highest number of confirmed cases, at over 67,000 people, as well as the highest number of coronavirus related deaths in China. This had led to some severely strict lockdown and quarantine measures imposed by the Chinese government & military in the city of Wuhan. Although officially, the city had started lifting lockdown measures over a week ago, all of such measures were completely lifted on the 8th.



 Wuhan Tourism; Wuhans cityscape at night, before the pandemic

All outbound travel in China, which was prohibited earlier, has now been lifted. The city of Wuhan, in a very limited sense, is now on the long road to normalcy. As per a report published in The New York Times, several neighbourhoods in Wuhan are strictly monitoring and regulating the coming and going of people.



 Reuters

Wuhan is considered to be the perfect case study by many economists and socio-political experts. The manner in which the city of Wuhan has handled the pandemic has been largely replicated worldwide. For example, back in January, when China has imposed strict lockdown measures in the city to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, people considered this step to be a little out of proportion, and too harsh. However, soon enough, most countries around the world had to follow suit.



 Reuters

Wuhan is largely an industrial city, and an economic hub, with a large population of labourers and plant workers. As a province, Hubei sees a lot of migrant labourers, moving in and out of her borders. With the lockdown in place, there surely was an economic calamity. Jobs were lost, several smaller businesses had to be shut, and needless to say, livelihoods were lost. It will be interesting to see how quickly (if at all) things go back to the way they were. This is something that India, in particular, will be interested in, given how similar we are in terms of economic activities.



 Reuters

The residents are understandably and rightfully sceptical of the situation. Not only has the official death toll and the number of active cases been woefully underreported, the sudden spike in urns that the citys morgues and crematoriums have ordered, paint a ghastly picture. Furthermore, the citys health officials have been given no clear instructions on how to deal with reinfections. Do not be surprised if people take the state governments claim that there have been no new coronavirus related deaths in the country in the last three days, with a pinch of salt.



 France 24; Crematoriums & Morgues in Wuhan have placed an exorbitantly high number of orders of urns

With all that being said, there is still hope for the people of China, as well as the rest of the world. For example, several Chinese provinces have reported that local tourism has started to increase, albeit slowly. Furthermore, the Chinese wet markets that are considered one of the birthing places of the current strain of the COVID virus is being seriously looked at as a health hazard.



 Reuters; Several city councils in China are contemplating banning wet markets

Still, amid the reinfection scare that most Asian countries are facing, the residents of Wuhan are yet again teaching the world an important lesson - even though things seem to be going back to normal, now is not the time to get complacent.


The representative of Suhum in Parliament, Hon Frederick Opare-Ansah launched COVID-19 support project to help combat the the novel disease under his county.

At the event which was held at the Suhum Lorry station, the Member of Parliament donated items worth Two hundred thousand Ghana cedis to his constituents to aid the pandemic fight. He donated 20 Poly tanks, 150 Veronica buckets, 100 gallons of liquid soaps, 100 Hand sanitizers, 100 knapsack sprayers, 5 motorise sprayers, 10 boxes of PPE's, 20 boxes of tissue papers, Kia truck, Tricycle and a van.

Further, he commissioned 80 trained volunteers to facilitate the COVID-19 project with education and sensitization across the constituency.

Hon Frederick Opare-Ansah used this opportunity to reecho the president's directive by washing our hands thoroughly with soap under running water, avoid hand shaking, we must observe social distancing,we should use tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, etc.

One may asked what will be use of the spraying machine?. The spraying machine will be used to disinfect market places and stores every weekends, some will be use to also disinfect every car in the various station before and after loading, all cars entering our various stations will be disinfected. Opare-Ansah advised us on the of hand sanitizer which he demonstrated to the gathering to show that it's a good conductor of fire, we shouldn't go near fire when we are applying it.

Retiring on his speech, he said that we must all adhere to precautionary measures and stop politicizing the pandemic because the novel disease doesn't respect any political colours, we are all at risk. He further added that we should stop profiteering-the over pricing of commodities on our markets and rather support one another in this hard times.

The health director of the municipality mounted the podium and gave education on public health about the disease and took his time to demonstrate to the gathering how to wash our hands and apply the hand sanitizers. He said we must follow the measures being given to combat this disease.

The security agencies weren't left out, Suhum Commander Joseph Owusu on the other hand gave a gist briefing on how prepared they are during this abnormal time to seek the safety of Suhum, he said all entry points to Suhum they have created a barrier to check commuters. He pleaded with the people of Suhum to hint them when the need arises especially when they see any suspected person in their arrears.

Chairman of the occasion, Osabarima Ayeh Kofi I, thanked the president of the Land for a swift measures to combat the COVID 19. He said last weekend through the local government and the president representative in Suhum Hon Mrs Margaret Darko Darkwa all markets, stores, lorry stations were disinfected.He extended his thank to all Suhum citizenry for adhering to all the preventive measures being laid out. He also expressed appreciation and commended the MP, Hon Frederick Opare-Ansah for such a project and call upon all citizens in and out of Suhum to emulate the legislator to help build and combat this disease in Suhum and Ghana as well.

Issued By

Augustine Odei

Director of Communications NPP, Suhum
Gettyimagesbank



By Anna J. Park



Tied to the ongoing global pandemic, healthcare-related funds are outperforming in Korea, while mutual funds based on other sectors have all posted losses in the past month.



According to finance information portal FnGuide, the 26 healthcare funds currently available here logged an average return of 5.75 percent during the past week. The weekly average return of the funds focusing on the healthcare industry was the highest among FnGuide's comprehensive 43 categories of mutual funds.



The total assets under management (AUM) by healthcare funds stands at about 690 billion won ($564 million).



Out of the 26 healthcare-related funds, Mirae Asset's Mirae Asset Pension Korea Healthcare and Mirae Asset Korea Healthcare, topped the list of the weekly returns, as they recorded 10.06 percent and 10.04 percent, respectively, over the week.



The healthcare funds were also the only category that posted a positive return of 2.23 percent in March, while all other 42 categories of mutual funds logged losses during the month.



In particular, funds investing in natural resources and raw materials recorded the worst performance during the period, as they posted losses of 39 percent and 36.8 percent, respectively.



Market watchers say the outperforming of the healthcare sector is likely to continue, as people's general interest in health has increased with the global spread of the pandemic.



"Of course, specific stocks related directly to the development of vaccines or chemical reagents to test for COVID-19 are getting much attention and expectations from investors. However, the public's overall interest in healthcare issues has increased drastically recently," Oh Gwang-young, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities, told The Korea Times.



"The current crisis will provide a chance for the public to take good care of their health. Also firms related to pandemic issues are likely to show strength."



However, the analyst emphasized that the current bullish trend of some healthcare stocks is still considered limited, and it will take time for other themed funds to log positive returns amid the volatile global market.


Around 17,000 Australians are planning to go on strike this month and stop paying rent to landlords after many were left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic.

A 'COVID-19 Rent Strike Pledge' campaign has circulated online, demanding a rent and mortgage amnesty from landlords and real estate agents with 17,092 people signing up so far.

Those planning to strike demand a total freeze on rent payments, and that nobody is evicted, fined or put into debt until the pandemic is over.

Landlords are essentially unable to stop the strikers after they were banned from evicting tenants under a six month moratorium imposed by Scott Morrison to help struggling Australians.

Thousands of Australians are planning to stop paying rent payments this month as they demand amnesty from the government during the coronavirus pandemic (man walks past Stop the Rent sign in Newton, Sydney)

The prime minister also suggested landlords sit down with their tenants and discuss their financial situations moving forward.

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison said a rental waiver and deferral would be introduced for commercial tenants but nothing was put in place for residential tenants.

Many Australians have since been forced to ask their landlords to reduce rent as they struggle to keep afloat during the crisis - but many have been denied.

Following this, Rent and Mortgage Strike Australia who is running the campaign issued a letter to the prime minister and state premiers with a long list of concerns.

'We fear that vulnerable people will be forced onto the streets. We fear that people will accrue exorbitant debts and fines. We fear that workers will expose their communities to risk by showing up to unsafe workplaces solely out of fear of missing out on payments,' the letter read.

Scott Morrison recently announced a moratorium on evictions for Australians who were suffering financially during the pandemic

'We welcome the proposed moratorium on evictions, but it does not address the majority of our concerns. Already people in touch with our campaign report evictions proceeding for reasons other than non-payment of rent.

'Landlords are simply selling up or finding other reasons to get people out of houses where they think people may struggle to pay rent.

'You have instructed renters to negotiate with landlords. We find this suggestion laughable.

'We implore you to enact a universal amnesty on all rents and mortgages, including a halt on interest and fees, to ensure that no-one is left behind in this crisis.'

Another note sent by 24 renters to landlords in the Yarra City Council in Melbourne said: 'We believe that housing is a right. During this crisis, all landlords and agents should work hard to support people's basic needs.'

Following the moratorium on evictions, property managers said some tenants are now refusing to pay rent despite being financially able.

Up to 100 real estate agents across NSW and Victoria are being targeted by the group but some say they are being 'abused' by desperate tenants.

Stafford Property Advisory director Kirk Stafford said the unclear directions from the government was causing a divide.

Tenants say they fear people they will be evicted or end up in debt after many lost their job during the closure of businesses during the pandemic

'We're being abused by people who are in desperate situations because we don't have solutions to their problems and we're frustrated that government seems paralysed by what is fast becoming a rental crisis as well,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Leo Patterson Ross, Tenants Union of NSW senior policy officer, said the government's suggestion for landlords and tenants to negotiate it themselves wasn't working.

'When people feel unsupported by government, they look to some solution and really rent strikes are risky,' he said.

'We'd much rather see the government step in and give better guidance. We've seen that negotiating is not working. Landlords and agents don't know how to do it and aren't coming to the table.'
Bernie Sanders was born in 1941 in Brooklyn, New York.

His father was a Jewish, Polish immigrant and Sanders became interested in politics at a young age after many of his relatives in German-occupied Poland were murdered by Nazi Germany in the Holocaust.

Sanders attended Brooklyn College before transferring to the University of Chicago. In Chicago, he was active in the civil rights movement and attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I have a dream' speech.

The future presidential candidate protested against segregation for on-campus housing and in Chicago's public schools. He also was active in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era.

Sanders got married to his college girlfriend Deborah in Baltimore in 1964 and the couple, based in New York, began spending summers in Vermont. The marriage only lasted two years.

By 1968, Sanders had bought property in the remote town of Stannard, Vermont and had his only biological child, son Levi, with girlfriend Susan Campbell Mott.

In those early years, Sanders worked a number of odd jobs in both New York and Vermont.

He first ran for office as part of the Liberty Union Party, which grew out from the anti-war movement. He ran for Vermont governor twice and U.S. senator for the state twice throughout the 1970s, and never saw success.

In 1981 at age 39, he ran for mayor of Burlington, Vermont, against the city's incumbent Democrat, and ousted him by just 10 votes. Sanders described himself as a 'socialist.'

During his tenure he hosted a local cable access television show 'Bernie Speakers with the Community' and recorded a folk album with 30 Vermont musicians called 'We Shall Overcome' in 1987.

In 1988, he married his second wife Jane Sanders, who he remains married to today and was a fixture on the campaign trail in both 2016 and 2020.

Sanders left office in Burlington in 1989 and ran twice for the House of Representatives, winning a seat successfully as an independent in 1990. He was the first socialist elected to the House in decades.

In 1991, he co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group that continues to have influence on Capitol Hill today.

In the early 2000s, he voted against the Iraq War and the Patriot Act.

Sanders ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and got the backing of party leaders including Sen. Chuck Schumer, now the Democrats' minority leader, and Sen. Harry Reid, who became majority leader in 2007.

Sanders won 65.4 per cent of the vote over Republican Richard Tarrant, who received 32.3 per cent. He's won re-election two times earning 71 per cent of the vote in 2012 and 67 per cent of the vote in 2018.

In April 2015, after Sen. Elizabeth Warren declined to mount a progressive challenge to Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination, Sanders announced he would seek the White House.

At first considered a longshot, Sanders surprised the political world by essentially tying Clinton in the Iowa caucuses and winning the New Hampshire primary, before she beat him easily in South Carolina.

Overall, Sanders won primaries in 23 states, which amounted to 46 per cent of the pledged convention delegates.

Sanders positioned himself as a candidate unspoiled by corporate donations and who took more liberal positions including support for Medicare-for-all.

His positions remained the same when he campaigned for the White House a second time against Joe Biden, the former vice president, in 2019 and 2020.

South Carolina again proved problematic for Sanders and allowed Biden to regain his footing after losing the first three contests.

Sanders announced on April 8, 2020 that he was leaving the race, as he hadn't been able to actively campaign in weeks due to the coronavirus crisis.

Had he won, he would have been the nation's first Jewish president.
A Portuguese priest has decided to take up the role of a DJ to help the faithful ward off the isolation blues during the coronavirus pandemic. Parish priest Guilherme Peixoto organises Livestream events on Facebook where he plays some of his favourite tunes every Friday and Sunday night.

As Portugal is under lockdown to combat the virus, Peixoto has been busy organising online masses, musical nights, and sharing awareness videos on Facebook. While Peixoto is probably the only priest using Facebook to organise DJ events, several other members of the clergy have turned to social media platforms to organise mass and stay connected with the faithful.

Read: Philippines Priests Deliver Blessings From The Back Of Trucks During Palm Sunday

Live-stream mass

Recently, an Italian priest decided to live-stream a mass but had the internet in splits after he accidentally kept the filters on during Facebook Live. According to local media reports, the priest is from the Parish of Saints Peter and Benedict of Polla, in the province of Salerno.

As soon as the priest started the Facebook Live, the priest was seen with the filters of a futuristic illuminated helmet, a fedora and sunglasses during the ceremony. People participating in the virtual mass broke into laughter and the video has gone viral on the internet since then.

In Italy today, a priest decided to live-stream a mass due to COVID-19. Unfortunately he activated the video filters by mistake. pic.twitter.com/zu2qwAlCyT  Gavin Shoebridge (@KiwiEV) March 24, 2020

Read: Italian Priest Leaves Filters On During Live Broadcast Of Mass, Netizens In Splits

Portugal has reported a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases with over 13,000 confirmed infections and 380 people in the European nation have succumbed to the pandemic. Portugal has been taking drastic measures to avert the crisis including the provision for full citizenship rights to migrants and asylum seekers temporarily to let them avail the countrys healthcare.

The recent move has also unequivocally guarantee the rights of all the foreign citizens with applications pending with immigration. The Portuguese Council of Ministers had said that the migrants and asylum seekers are now in a situation of regular permanence in National Territory until June 30.

Read: US Priest Starts 'drive-through Confessions' As Churches Close Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

Read: Pope Francis Urges Catholic Priests To Meet And Help Coronavirus Patients
Its possible wild cats might be more susceptible to COVID-19 than domestic cats, as other viruses can hit wild cats hard, but not affect domestic cats as much, according to the University of Illinois. But its not yet known what differences there might be in the effect of COVID-10 on house cats and wild cats.
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Linkedin Michelle Conlin and Rich McKay (Reuters) New York/Atlanta, United States  Wed, April 8, 2020 07:15 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd064c01 2 World American,US,church,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-quarantine,pandemic,infection,infectious-diseases,religious-gathering Free

Her house sits on a tidy, peaceful suburban street outside Cincinnati. For the past few weeks, she has been doing everything right: sheltering at home and working out of her makeshift office to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

The Ohio megachurch down the road, Solid Rock, has charted a different course. Despite warnings from local and state officials, Solid Rock had been holding its 1,000-strong gatherings in person, and plans keep the church open on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in Christian churches.

"I think they should obey the laws of the land, like the way the Bible tells us to," said Sandra, who lives a few miles from the site and asked not be identified by last name. Reuters was able independently to corroborate her address and identity.

The local mayor and health officials have asked the church to close, so far to no avail.

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 we are open and continuing to practice and sustain our faith."

Millions of American Christians will observe Palm Sunday at home this weekend, as the vast majority of US churches have moved services online to comply with stay-at-home rules.

But, like Solid Rock, pockets of churches from Florida to Texas and across to California are keeping their doors open and inviting worshipers to attend services this weekend.

"We're defying the rules because the commandment of God is to spread the Gospel," Louisiana pastor Tony Spell said in an interview with Reuters.

Spell, 42, who plans to hold three services at his 1,000-member Life Tabernacle megachurch in a Baton Rouge suburb on Palm Sunday, has defied state orders against assembling in large groups and has already been hit with six misdemeanors.

"The church is the last force resisting the Antichrist, let us assemble regardless of what anyone says," he said.

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

"Satan's trying to keep us apart, he's trying to keep us from worshipping together. But we're not going to let him win," Kelly Burton, pastor at Lone Star Baptist Church in Greers Ferry, Arkansas, 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.

Coronavirus vs communion

Gatherings organized by at least two churches - one in France, another in South Korea - have been linked to the spread of the virus.

In California, Sacramento County officials said on 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 is one of them. He is the former mayor of Thousand Oaks, in the Los Angeles area, but also 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."

About 644 km 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."

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, who is also president of the National Center for Law & Policy, a legal advocacy group based in San Diego. "Think about it, you're crammed into [store] aisles inches apart from other shoppers. Here we're sitting six feet apart."
TORRINGTON  The city has hired attorney Jaime M. LaMere as its personnel director, starting April 14, to replace former director Mark Dumas.

Dumas, who also was the citys labor relations director, faced complaints in January from Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. The union claimed Dumas behaved in bad faith by delaying implementation of collective bargaining agreements, refusing to settle grievances and forcing the union to file Municipal Prohibited Practice (MPP) complaints against the city on behalf of Local 2212, according to a statement in January.

The union represents city employees and the Torrington Police Department.

LaMere previously worked for Torrington as corporation counsel from January 2016 through August 2018. That position now is held by Victor Muschell.

Mayor Elinor Carbone pointed to an increase in COVID-related legislation on family leave and paid time-off changes, workers compensation, employee sick time and union meetings, which made the need to fill the personnel director and labor relations position imperative.

At a time when Human Resources Departments across the nation are being tasked with the need to interpret and implement the protections and relief offered under the Families First Cornovirus Response Act (FFCRA), we feel the urgent need to fill the vacancy in our HR Department, Carbone said in a statement. Filling this position with an attorney that is conversant with the functions of our city departments and provides a familiar face to so many of our employees is an added benefit to building confidence in this department.

Carbone also thanked her deputy personnel director for doing the job on her own during the search.

For the past three months, Deputy Personnel Director, Kelley Pleil, has done an excellent job taking on the additional responsibilities as interim personnel director while maintaining all of her assigned responsibilities and obligations, Carbone said. We have been fortunate to have someone with her strengths in this position.
07.04.2020 LISTEN

The National Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Joshua Hamidu Akamba has rubbished media reports which captured him saying paying water bills for three months is not relief.

President Akufo-Addo announced during the weekend that his government is waving water bills for the entire citizenry for the next 3 months.

However, Joshua Hamidu Akamba has been quoted to have reacted to that news on Power F.M by saying: Paying water bills for three months is not relief. Whilst we have Ghanaians students dying in WUHAN, you are wasting money on Kumasi people's water bills because that's your political stronghold.

In a statement from the NDC National Organizer, it indicated that the news item wreaks of malice and should be treated as a false report crafted by sycophants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The public is hereby informed that the information is malicious, fake, false and mischievously crafted by some sycophants of the ruling New patriotic party, calculated not just to score cheap political points, but also, to drag my good name and the name of my political party (National Democratic Congress) into contempt and ridicule, Joshua Akamba said in his statement.

Having set the record straight, he appeals to President Akufo-Addo to as a matter of urgency absorb the electricity bills and at least reduce the prices of LPG gas.

Read the full statement below:

Read his full statement below

Attention all media houses

For immediate Release

Monday, April 6, 2020

HATRED FOR NDC AND JOSHUA HAMIDU AKAMBA WILL CONTINUE TO FAIL LIKE FIXED DATES FOR NEW VOTER ID CARD REGISTRATION BY EC

Good day ladies and gentlemen.

Please my attention has been drawn to a statement going viral on the internet titled "Paying water bills for three months is not relief. Whilst we have Ghanaians students dying in WUHAN, you are wasting money on Kumasi people's water bills because that's your political stronghold" - Joshua Akamba, National Organizer of NDC.

Source: Power F.M, Accra

The above statement for reasons best known to the writer made reference to me as the author.

The public is hereby informed that the information is malicious, fake, false and mischievously crafted by some sycophants of the ruling New patriotic party, calculated not just to score cheap political points, but also, to drag my good name and the name of my political party (National Democratic Congress) into contempt and ridicule.

To set the Records straight,

1 For About 2 months now, I have not granted even interviews on power fm.

2. The particular virus which the Government of Nana Addo failed to fight knows no political colour and these are some of the reasons why the Great NDC, Our Flagbearer and the next president of Ghana is all over Ghana Sharing PPE'S to all hospitals and our hardworking Frontline fighters.

The public is hereby advised by this release to ignore and treat any such cowards, malicious and politically motivated statements and publications with the contempt it deserves.

I, therefore, request and appeal to the president of the Republic to as a matter of urgency to absorb the Electricity bills and at least reduce prices of LBG gas too because the Majority of Ghanaians in the lockdown areas will be using more of them than the eater.

#StayAtHome

#StopTheSpread

SIGNED

Hon. Joshua Hamidu Akamba,

NDC National Organizer
Africas Dancehall King, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr., has thrown down the gauntlet, declaring his support for President Akufo-Addo to be given another four years to rule Ghana.



The Dancehall artiste who goes by the stage name Shatta Wale stated in an interview on 4stye TV stated that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo has done marvelously well and for that reason deserves the plaudits he is receiving all over the world.



Shatta Wale noted that so marvellous that he can really go down like care about his peoplethinking about giving them free this, free that. He came with this free education thing and must people never understood that but it is working.



A period like this that he can come out and be supporting us like this- I dont see any African President doing this apart from him. So I believe we need to clap for him every morning when we wake up. The way people go to church and clap, they need to be clapping for the President like that because he has done so marvelously well.



To all other political parties aiming to contest the 2020 general elections, Shatta Wale advised that I believe we should call all other political parties and they must come into an agreement to give him (Akufo-Addo) another four years.

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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At today's settlement talks, parties also discussed issues of humanitarian demining.

Parties to the Donbas settlement negotiations within the framework of the Trilateral Contact Group on Wednesday, April 8, reached a principled agreement on the mutual release of held persons, according to the press service of the Ukrainian President's Office.

The next stage of prisoner swap will take place before Easter, the statement says.

"During the TCG meeting via video link, principled agreements were reached regarding the lists for the mutual release of held persons, as well as the dates  no later than Easter," the President's Office says.

Read also"War crime": Ukraine's official comments on military draft in occupied Crimea amid coronavirus spread

At today's settlement talks, parties also discussed issues of humanitarian demining.

The parties shall provide the OSCE with a list of demining sites and ensure security at all such sites.

"During the videoconference, the parties to the TCG continued negotiations regarding the determination of the next zones for the disengagement of forces and means in Donbas," the statement says.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) voiced his support for Joe Biden as a presidential candidate.

He will be a great president, Lewis said of Biden in a conference call with reporters on Monday, according to CNN. He will lead our country to a better place. He would inspire another generation to stand up, to speak up, and to speak out, to be brave, and to be bold.

Lewis also suggested Biden choose an African American woman as his running mate. Biden announced on several occasions that he wanted to pick a woman as his potential vice president, but not necessarily one of color.

It would be good to have a woman of color. It would be good to have a woman, Lewis said. It would be good to have a woman look like the rest of Americasmart, gifted, a fighter, a warrior. And we have plenty of able women, some of black, white, Latino, Asian American, Native American. I think the time has long past of making the White House look like the whole of America.

Bidens endorsement by Lewis came a good month before the Democratic primary is set to be held in Georgia on May 19, Lewis home state. The primary was initially planned on March 24, but postponed due to the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Currently, the state Democrats are considering organizing an all-mail election.

Lewis, who is 80 years of age, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreas cancer last year but is nonetheless determined to go on the campaign trail to endorse his friend.

Lewis was a leading civil rights activist in the 1960s.

I saw people that were beaten, arrested and jailed. On March 2, 1965, more than 600 of us were beaten, left bloody, some of us left unconscious. Lewis said, according to The Hill.

Lewis was referring to Bloody Sunday, March 3, 1965, when he and some 600 other black voting-rights activists upon trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama were bashed by Georgia police officers. Lewis, then 25, fractured his skull as a result.
Acting Secretary of Navy Modly Apologises to Fired Captain Crozier After Calling Him 'Stupid'

Sputnik News

01:06 GMT 07.04.2020(updated 01:48 GMT 07.04.2020)

Earlier, Modly, in a 15-minute commentary to the ship's crew on Sunday, blasted recently-fired US Navy Captain Brett Crozier, saying that the latter was either "too naive or too stupid" to be in command. The captain was fired after a letter he penned begging for help in combating the COVID-19 outbreak on the warship was leaked to the media.

Acting Secretary of Navy Thomas Modly has apologized for his comments toward the recently fired captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Brett Crozier. The Trump appointee stated that he was apologizing "directly to Captain Crozier, his family and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt" for "any pain" resulting from his remarks.

"I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship", Modly suggested in his statement.

Congressmen Ted Lieu and Ruben Gallego wrote a letter to US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper suggesting that Modly himself should be fired for dismissing the captain in a fit of anger instead of "dealing with the vessel in a mature manner expected of civilian military leaders during national crisis".

Earlier, Modly publicly lambasted Crozier in front of the crew for the letter the latter wrote to Navy leaders, in which the captain asked for help in finding adequate quarters to quarantine most of his 4,000-member crew before they could get tested for the coronavirus. Modly called Crozier "either naive or stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this".

 Sputnik

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DECATUR  Zollie L. Thomas denied stealing a pickup truck and contractor-grade tools from a Decatur business as his defense attorney questioned the combined value of more than $29,000 placed on the stolen vehicle and burgled gear.

Thomas, 62, appeared Wednesday in Macon County Circuit Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of burglary, one count of theft and a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle. Judge Thomas Little, after hearing the police evidence against Thomas, found probable cause to hold him over for trial and set a pretrial hearing for June 3.

Thomas remains held in the Macon County Jail with bail set at $52,500, which means he must post $5,250 to be released.

Giving evidence earlier, Decatur police Detective Chad Reed said the premises of All Service Contractors at 2024 E. Damon Ave. was broken into the night of March 1. The pickup truck, valued at $11,200, and some 30 items of construction equipment and tools, priced at $17,875, were stolen.

Questioned by Macon County States Attorney Jay Scott, Reed confirmed the burglary was captured on video surveillance. Were you able to identify the defendant, Zollie Thomas, as one of the people that committed the burglary? asked Scott.

Yes, replied Reed. He said Thomas was located and arrested March 13.

Defense attorney Michelle Sanders asked Reed about the value of the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado truck and where the valuation came from. Was that the value list submitted by the owner of the vehicle? she asked. Yes, replied Reed.

Sanders also wondered about how the value of the used tools and equipment was obtained. ...Was that calculated on the replacement value for the tools or their actual used value? she asked. Reed told her he wasnt sure.

The case was placed on the trial list of Judge Thomas Griffith.

Mug shots from the Herald & Review

Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid

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04/07/2020

By Edwin L. Aguirre

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a two-year, $1.4 million grant to Mechanical Engineering Asst. Prof. Murat Inalpolat to develop and test a new, sound-based sensor system for monitoring the structural health and integrity of wind turbine blades.





Our proposed monitoring system is low-cost, reliable and robust and it can be installed on both new and existing wind turbines, says Inalpolat. There is no other technology in todays market that can monitor the condition and safety of turbine blades while they are operating.





Commercial wind turbine blades, which are made of fiberglass composite, can measure 200 feet or more in length and weigh many tons.





Because of continually varying operating conditions, all blades will experience splits, cracks or holes along their edges. These are currently not detectable except by visual inspection or after a blade has failed, notes Inalpolat.





His system will use low-cost, low-maintenance wireless microphones mounted inside the blades structural cavity to passively monitor blade damage, while wireless speakers inside the cavity, along with a nearby external microphone, will be used for active monitoring.





Photo by NREL As worldwide demand for clean, sustainable energy increases, the need to monitor turbine blades for structural integrity and damage is becoming even more crucial. Blade damage will manifest itself in changes to the cavitys frequency response functions and to the drop in sound level across the composite structure. Its a fundamentally simple but effective idea, says Inalpolat. Blade damage will manifest itself in changes to the cavitys frequency response functions and to the drop in sound level across the composite structure. Its a fundamentally simple but effective idea, says Inalpolat.





Overall, Inalpolat has received about $2.5 million in funding for his acoustic research. In addition to the $1.4 million from the DOE, he was awarded about $1.1 million by the National Science Foundation, the universitys WindSTAR Center , the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and internal grants.





Worldwide, wind capacity is growing. According to a recent report from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 2019 was the second biggest year for wind power, with installations of 60.4 gigawatts of new capacity worldwide and year-on-year growth of 19 percent. In the U.S., there are nearly 60,000 wind turbines, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Globally, there are more than 341,000, according to GWEC.





Clean, Renewable Energy





Assisting Inalpolat on the project are Ph.D. students Jaclyn Solimine 17 and Caleb Traylor.





Photo by NREL Commercial wind turbine blades, which are made of fiberglass composite, can measure 200 feet or more in length and weigh many tons. Note the size of the utility worker rappelling down the side of the blade. Our research will help determine in real time if and when blade damage occurs, says Solimine, a former Co-op Scholar who earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. Our research will help determine in real time if and when blade damage occurs, says Solimine, a former Co-op Scholar who earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering.





If we catch the damage in time, we can prevent it from progressing into a catastrophic failure of the blade and can then schedule repair or maintenance at an appropriate time, she says.





Solimine and Traylor are collecting and analyzing preliminary acoustic data.





We take the sound measurements we collect from actual, full-size wind turbine blades being tested at the state Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown and find out which features or characteristics of the sound will be most useful in detecting damage, Solimine explains. I have also been developing machine learning algorithms to train the computer to automatically detect anomalies in the data.





This research has the potential to greatly increase the profitability of wind energy, which will help to ease our transition to renewable energy and create a considerable number of jobs in the wind energy sector.
The Blekinge-class submarine is next generation of submarines developed by Kockums for the Swedish Navy, also known as the A26 type. Two units are to equip the Swedish navy under the names of HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skane. The aft-section of one of them been put in place.

The Blekinge-class submarine is next generation of submarines developed by Kockums for the Swedish Navy, also known as the A26 type. Two units are to equip the Swedish navy under the names of HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skane. The aft-section of one of them has been put in place.

The A-26 is one of the most advanced and forward-looking non-nuclear submarine designs in the world. The baseline version is optimized for littoral combat (Illustration source: Saab)



First planned at the beginning of the 1990s, the project was called "U-bat 2000" and was intended to be ready by the late 1990s or early 2000. With the end of the Cold War the naval threat from the Soviet Union disappeared and the new submarine class was deemed unnecessary. The project lay dormant for years until the mid-2000s when the need for a replacement for the Sodermanland class became apparent. Originally, the Scandinavian countries had intended to collaborate on the Viking class, but Denmark's withdrawal from submarine operations meant that Kockums proceeded on their own.

On 18 March 2015, the project was restarted after the Swedish government placed a formal order for two A26 submarines for a maximum total cost of SEK 8.2 bn (approximately US$840 Million). A Letter of Intent (LOI) had earlier been signed by Saab and FMV (The Swedish Defence Material Administration) in June 2014 regarding the Swedish Armed Forces underwater capability for the period 2015-2024. Saab has since acquired Kockums. The order in question for the two A26 submarines has been placed with what is now "Saab Kockums." These are to be delivered no later than 2022.

Saab's new A26 submarines use advanced technology to make them effectively invisible  by balancing the complete range of signatures. This makes them impossible to detect, classify and localize. Sweden has a long history of designing silent submarines. The A26 features large, resiliently mounted platforms, using extensive flexible mountings and baffles to minimize structural borne and transient noise, as well as absorb shocks. To further reduce sound, the space between the frames is filled with acoustic damping materials. This approach is used in a unique combination with many other features and methods such as sound-isolated AIP Stirling and diesel engine modules; flexible hoses and compensators; specifying maximum flow speed in air ducts and pipes; minimum bending radius on pipes; and the special design of the hull, fin and casing.
A million years ago, we were worried about who was going to win the Iowa Caucuses, and then Super Tuesday, and then when Bernie Sanders was finally going to pack it in.

Now, despite what the most die-hard political operatives might believe, we really dont give a flying fig. What we care about now is that our families, friends and other loved ones come through this dark time safely, whole and with as little damage to their bodies and their psyches as possible.

At least, thats what we tell ourselves. But then travel over to social media or the traditional Jurassic media, and its quite a revelation. Politics are still very much involved in how we navigate this new landscape, a different planet in the same galaxy.

Actually, to be more accurate, we live on two separate planets. There is the one where the atmosphere is filled with pestilence, and the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are called Trump, Pence, Falwell and Fox. And there is the one where the only thing that matters is the economy tanking, people are making too much of this flu on steroids and its all a leftist plot to turn America into Sweden (without all the pickled herring and sexy blondes.)

To be fair, there is a third planet, but its caught in the interplanetary crossfire between the other two, with their extreme populations that want to annihilate the enemy. I happen to live on that middle planet, and it gives me a bit of perspective on clear nights when the stars are out.

The people who absolutely hate Donald Trump are using this tragic health crisis to make sure that he does not win a second term in November (assuming we still have elections then.) They are people like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, who rail against the GOP every day and pretend that conservatives want people to die from lack of water, food and face masks.

They are not alone in blaming the administration for putting out false information, and pointing the finger at the White House for the rising body count. Certain media outlets, mostly televised but also in print, are accusing the president of telling people to buy pool-cleaner chemicals and ingest them as a preventative measure against COVID-19. When some poor fool actually did do that, his death was placed at the presidents doorstep by both innuendo (NBC News) and direct accusation (many of the people on Twitter important enough to have blue-check, verified accounts.)

I suppose I shouldnt be surprised that weve come to this, since Ive seen the hysteria whipped up in opponents of this president, even among lawyers I know who youd think were intelligent enough not to let their insanity be seen in professional circles. But that is so Pollyanna of me.

On the other hand, there are other sorts of crazy out there, comprised of those who think that this pandemic is no big deal. Worse, I have seen some of them spouting about how George Soros orchestrated this, how its all a hoax to tank the economy and how we should just go out about our business. This, too, is a particular madness caused by the exact opposite of what has infected the Left: a desire to defend and protect this president at all costs, against all criticism.

To use an unavoidable pun, a plague on both their houses.

This middle planet that I inhabit with a large and comforting number of Americans does not care about scoring political points just now. I frankly have no interest in thinking about who will be the non-Hillary of 2020. Im not even particularly interested in the woman that Joe Biden has promised to pick for his vice presidential candidate. I am not interested in the fact that the Olympics were canceled, that mommies are doing Corona Blogs from their bedrooms and that some news agencies are actually using this crisis to get subscribers.

I am interested in making sure sick people get better, and healthy people stay that way. Thats it. The team that President Trump has gathered together, with the magnificent Doctors Tony Fauci and Deborah Birx, gives me comfort that the right people are at the helm, even if they dont always have a tight grip on the wheel. I am troubled when the president says things that contradict his scientific advisers, but equally troubled by the shenanigans of Democrats who want to use a rescue bill for the economy to pad it with lots of precious pork. Both political sides have performed horribly in this mess.

Thats why I disregard the noise from both sides, but which seems to be coming most loudly and stridently from the side trying to get rid of this president in the Fall. The time will come to deal with that honestly, and politically.

Just not now, in the midst of a life-and-death struggle.

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times. She can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
Changes in top management positions are expected to continue in the forthcoming time in the lead-up to banks' annual general shareholders' meetings

The latest personnel change in the banking sector is that of MBBanks former deputy CEO Le Hai moving on to take the position of acting CEO at ABBank from early this month, replacing Pham Duy Hieu who resigned due to personal reasons.

ABBank said that it will conduct the necessary procedures to request approval from the central bank (SBV) before Le Hai officially takes the CEO title.

Le Hai, born in 1976, holds a doctorate degree on finance and banking with 22 years of experience in the financial and banking sector.

Hai used to hold top professional and management positions at MBBank, such as director at MB Viet Tri branch, director of MB Dien Bien Phu branch, acting director of the SMEs section, and deputy general director.

ABBanks Board of Management has decided that Pham Duy Hieu will continue handling assigned tasks at the banks HR Committee, focusing on training work and spurring the bank's digital bank project.

Financial analysts forecast that the banking sector would face a tough year in 2020 due to the implications of COVID-19.

Ho Chi Minh City-based commercial lender HDBank has just released decisions on new personnel at the Board of Management. Accordingly, Nguyen Huu Dang took on the position of deputy chairman of the Board of Management, and Pham Quoc Thanh became the CEO.

Nguyen Huu Dang, born in 1970, used to work for the SBV's Dong Thap branch and VietinBank before joining the HDBank team.

Dang held the CEO position at HDBank since 2010 and made significant contributions to the banks spectacular growth in recent years.

Taking on the CEO position from Dang, Pham Quoc Thanh, also born in 1970, holds two bachelor degrees on finance-banking and foreign languages. Thanh used to work at several major banks before being given the position of deputy general director at HDBank in 2013.

Earlier, privately-held VietBank announced the resignation of CEO Nguyen Thanh Nhung due to personal desires.

To ensure the continuity of business activities, the banks Board of Management has appointed Le Huy Dung as deputy general director as CEO.

Dung used to be the general director of DaiA Bank. The bank was previously merged into HDBank.

On March 5, the Board of Management at Eximbank appointed Nguyen Quang Thong to the position of deputy chairman of the Board and La Quang Trung to the chief accountant position.

Meanwhile at Sacombank, Pham Quoc Huynh was no longer the banks deputy general director since mid-March, and holds no management position at the bank.

There have also been changes in the top management positions at state-owned BIDV when in early March the bank had four new deputy general directors simultaneously.

A bit earlier, Vietcombank unveiled its appointment of a top executive at Vietcombank's head office in Laos.

Earlier this year, LienVietPostBank approved the dismissal of Nguyen Dinh Thanh from the position of chairman of the banks Board of Management. On the same day, the bank leaders appointed Huynh Ngoc Huy to the positions third term lasting from 2018 to 2023.

At Techcombank, the Board of Management has decided to let go CEO Nguyen Le Quoc Anh on his request from September 1, 2020.

Anh said that he wanted to live close to his family and proposed the Board of Management to not extend his employment contract that will end on September 1 afer completing his five-year term at the helm.

Forecasts point to the fact that the banking sectors top management positions will continue to be volatile until banks convene their annual general shareholders' meetings (AGMs).

Eximbank said that they were planning to add a member to the Board of Management at the extraordinary AGM slated to be held on March 5, but the meeting fact did not take place due to COVID-19.

SCB also said they would have new members in the Board of Management in the upcoming AGM.

Financial analysts forecast that the banking sector would face a tough year in 2020 due to the implications of COVID-19.

Viet Dragon Securities JSC (DVSC) has just released a report about the impacts of COVID-19 on banks growth.

Accordingly, DVSC delivered an assessment that the banking sectors credit expansion may be slashed by 2-3 per cent compared to 2019. Banks, therefore, would revise their profit targets by 10-20 per cent to the south, and changes in top management positions would be likely.
When Ricky James called his mother from Mid-State Correctional Facility last Wednesday, she said she could hear him coughing, and he complained of having night sweats and the chills.

The 36-year-old told his mother that he thought he had COVID-19, and that he was not getting proper medical care or a test to find out if he had the virus, she said. He told her inmates were being treated by the prison staff, as if they dont care if we die, his mother said.

Two days later, on April 3, James died inside the prison, his family told NJ Advance Media.

It broke my heart in so many pieces," said Gwendolyn Daniels, his mother. "That broke my heart. Even though he did a crime, he was doing his time. And everyone in that facility is doing their time and they deserve the right to live just like anyone else.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections (DOC) confirmed James death and said in a statement that there is no indication that Mr. James reported COVID-19 related symptoms.

Its important to note that individuals fall ill for a variety of reasons and not all illness are tied to COVID-19, Liz Velez, the departments spokesperson, said in the statement.

On their website, the agency says no employees or inmates at the Burlington County prison have tested positive for COVID-19, though it is unclear how many  if any  have been tested for the disease. So far, DOC has said five inmates and 67 employees at their prisons have tested positive for coronavirus. The agency has not announced any deaths relating to the disease that has killed more than 1,200 New Jersey residents.

The DOC directed questions regarding James cause of death to the county medical examiner, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

James father, Eddie James, said he spoke to an investigator at the prison Tuesday, who said Ricky James heart was three times the size of a normal heart and had scarring consistent with previous heart attacks. Health experts have said individuals with heart disease are one of the groups most at-risk to coronavirus, which can be fatal.

The investigator told Eddie James that his son had not been tested for COVID-19, the father said.

The DOC said inmates who are showing signs and symptoms of flu or COVID-19 are tested as recommended by the states Department of Health. The agency said there was no indication that Mr. James reported COVID-19 related symptoms.

The parents said their son had voiced concerns about his health days before his death. In a message to his mother, before he called her, on April 1, he said he was a little under the weather with a cold, chill and all.

Both his parents suspect he had COVID-19, they said.

At around 12:15 a.m. Friday, James awoke and sat up in his bed because he couldnt catch his breath, according to inmates who contacted the family, Daniels said. He died shortly thereafter, she said she was told.

Daniels said she found out about her sons death from other inmates hours after it occurred. The prison never called her, she said, and when she called the facility to try and get more information, Daniels said she was put on hold for 30 minutes and received no information other than her son had died.

People on the outside need to do something for the people on the inside," she said. "They cant help my son now, but maybe they can help someone elses son.

James, who grew up in Passaic but graduated high school in California before moving back to New Jersey, was serving a five-year sentence after accepting a plea deal in 2016 on a charge of second-degree human trafficking.

Eddie James, who lives in California, said he and his son had an estranged relationship, but they began emailing each other through the prisons messaging service recently.

This is heartbreaking," the elder James said. "We were just starting to talk and we were just starting to bond.

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Lying on a hospital bed 3,000 miles from home, Toyling Maa tried not to think about it.

She was mustering strength to survive this coronavirus pandemic, even if her husband of 42 years did not. The South San Francisco man died in a Miami hospital on Saturday, days after being diagnosed with COVID-19 while on the trip of a lifetime with his wife and friends: a cruise in South America. The day he died, he waited six hours to be evacuated by ambulance from the ships sick bay, where medical workers helped him breathe by manually pumping a handheld ventilator for four hours, his wife told The Chronicle.

Wilson Maa died alone after the ambulance took him away, leaving his wife, also sick with a fever and cough, behind in the ships sick bay. Hours later, she learned in a phone call with her daughter that her husband had passed away. He was 71. On Sunday, an ambulance came for her.

Toyling Maa, 64, first spoke to The Chronicle on Thursday about how she, her husband and hundreds of other passengers of the Coral Princess were stranded at sea, hoping the ship could dock in Florida so that sick passengers could get needed medical help. During the video call her husband could be heard moaning in the background.

On Monday, she spoke again in a video call with The Chronicle from her room inside Miamis Jackson Memorial Hospital. A large air conditioning pipe stuck out of the wall, and little red-brown splotches formed a trail across the grimy floor. To Toyling, they looked like bloodstains.

She pressed her head against the hospital pillow, searching for words to describe a four-decade love story.

Then she shook her head. Im trying not to think about it, she said. Im trying to get myself better.

It started as a dream vacation. Toyling and her husband saved up for years to tour Machu Picchu in Peru in February and then take the Coral Princess cruise ship around South America, stopping at the Amalia Glacier and braving the choppy waters of Cape Horn.

But after the trip ended, the nightmare began. The couple was supposed to disembark in Argentina on March 19 and fly home. But when the ship arrived in Buenos Aires, passengers learned the pandemic  just a distant news story when they departed  had shut down the airport and closed the countrys borders. The couple opted to stay aboard the Coral Princess, which was headed to Florida. At the time, no one on board was sick.

But by the time the ship docked in Miami on Saturday, several passengers had tested positive for COVID-19, including Wilson Maa. Others showed symptoms, his wife among them.

It would take hours before the sick passengers were taken to hospitals. One of the couples two daughters, Julie Maa of New York, called several hospitals in the Miami area to find out whether they had available intensive care beds. She called ambulance providers to find out why no one had come to pick up her father. Desperately, she took to social media, tweeting at anyone who might listen  radio stations and newspapers in Miami, the Coral Princess cruise line, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Toyling Maa

The Chronicle left messages Saturday for the Florida governors office, the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami and Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County, which operates the seaport. None responded.

On Saturday at 8 p.m., after six hours of waiting, an ambulance took Wilson Maa to Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami, Toyling Maa said.

My daughters were calling and calling the hospital to find out about his status, Toyling Maa said on Monday. Then at 1 a.m. the doctor called my daughter Julie to say that he had passed away.

Meanwhile, Toyling Maa, who had a fever and a cough, waited to be evacuated from the ships sick bay. Hours ticked by, and three ambulances came and went. The fourth took Toyling Maa to Jackson Memorial. As she spoke to The Chronicle, she lay shivering in a hospital gown while Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? buzzed from a television set.

People shuffled in and out, bringing Tylenol and cough syrup, dressed head to toe in protective gear. They dont want to stay very long, Toyling said, coughing. The hospital tested her for the coronavirus on Sunday, and she was still awaiting the results.

Its very strange, she said. I havent really seen a doctor.

Wilson Maa grew up in San Francisco and studied engineering at California Polytechnic State University. He and Toyling met in the late 1970s after she graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and moved to California. The couple raised two daughters, Nancy and Julie, in the San Mateo area.

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.

They kept a tight-knit group of friends from Wilsons college who would often travel together, heading to Lake Tahoe for Christmas breaks or renting a boat to go salmon fishing in the summer.

The husbands were all engineers, so their personalities were pretty similar, said Toylings sister, Toykane Chew. And the wives got along pretty well.

As the friends headed into retirement, their connection grew stronger and their vacations got more elaborate. They took the South American cruise together  five couples in all  and photographs show them standing on the grand staircase of the ships atrium, or seated companionably at a dinner table. Toyling wore an orange sleeveless dress and smiled as she leaned against her husband, who had on a blue shirt and tie.

Julie Maa is determined to support her mother, even though Toyling Maa is in quarantine and the two cant be in the same room. Julie asked the hospital to bring her mother a journal, so that Toyling could write down her thoughts without having to fixate on them.

She doesnt know what the world is like anymore, Julie said. She left before shelter in place.

In a news update on its website, the Coral Princess said Monday that 545 passengers disembarked on Sunday and 139 departed Monday, leaving 274 on board.

At home in New York, Julie sighed wearily.

Theres just a lot of paperwork, she said. And then theres funeral stuff. And how do you even do a funeral in a pandemic? The world just doesnt seem right.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
Tensions continue to mount between Qantas and Perth Airport following a decision by the airline to defer aeronautical payments and stop paying rent on unused leased areas in Australian airports.

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On Wednesday Qantas revealed it would stop making the payments in order to protect the business from revenue losses that could exceed $11 billion for the whole industry for the year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown said airport revenue was up for a $100 million hit this year and expressed disappointment at Qantas decision.

Everyone in the aviation industry is trying to work together to find a way through this challenge, protect as many jobs as possible and remain viable until we all can reach recovery, he said.

It was hoped that Qantas would play a leadership role in this combined effort and there is widespread disappointment that this has not happened.

A Qantas spokesman said everyone connected to aviation had to bear the brunt of demand for air travel evaporating.

Most of our employees have been stood down, our executives and board directors are working for no pay and shareholder dividends have been postponed and share buyback has been cancelled, he said.

We are also asking our suppliers to support us during these unprecedented times.

While the fundamentals of our business mean that we are well placed to weather the storm created by coronavirus, we must continue to manage our cash flows to ensure we can resume normal operations when demand for air travel returns.

Airlines have been hardest hit by government travel restrictions and our suppliers, including airports, have been very understanding of the acute difficulties that all airlines are facing.

Qantas and Perth Airports relationship was already on tenterhooks with the two organisations locked in a legal battle over claims the airline underpaid aeronautical fees by $11.3 million in 2018.

Aeronautical fees include terminal usage and aircraft parking charges.

Qantas said it would defer aeronautical payments for February and March and would discuss repayment plans once the pandemic eases.
Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday that he was suspending his presidential campaign.

He made the announcement on an all-staff conference call and then informed the press. He livestreamed a message to supporters shortly before noon.

'The future of this country is with our ideas,' Sanders said then.

He explained that he would stay on the ballot in the states that have yet to hold primaries in order to accumulate delegates so progressives like him would have some sway at this summer's Democratic National Convention.

Sanders said that Joe Biden 'would be the nominee.' And that after the convention they would take on President Trump together.

Bernie Sanders addressed supporters via livestream on Wednesday and said he was suspending his presidential campaign. 'I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,' he said 'But the path toward victory is virtually impossible'

Bernie Sanders (right) said he knew that Joe Biden (left) would be the Democratic nominee, but he told supporters he would stay on the ballot in order to collect delegates so that progressive could have more sway at the Democratic National Convention

The race had been over for the Vermont senator since he lost Michigan to Biden in mid-March.

'I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,' Sanders said Wednesday. He pointed out that he was about 300 delegates behind the former vice president. 'The path toward victory is virtually impossible.'

'I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful,' Sanders continued. 'So today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign.'

Sanders called it a 'very difficult and painful decision.'

And he said he knew some of his most fervent supporters would not support him throwing in the towel.

'I know there may be some in our movement who may not agree with this decision,' Sanders said.

But the coronavirus pandemic, he added, played into his decision - as he needed to do 'an enormous amount of work' as part of his day job, that of a U.S. senator.

'As friends, Jill and I want to say to Bernie and Jane, we know how hard this is. You have put the interest of the nation - and the need to defeat Donald Trump - above all else,' Biden said in a statement sent out by his campaign. 'And for that Jill and I are grateful.'

'But we also want you to know: I'll be reaching out to you. You will be heard by me. As you say: Not me, us,' the former vice president continued. 'And to your supporters I make the same commitment: I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of what it is we have to get done in this country.'

Biden said he hoped Sanders' supporters, which represent the younger part of the party, would support him.

'You are more than welcome. You're needed,' Biden said.

Of course the Trump campaign immediately went for Sanders' supporters too.

'With Bernie Sanders suspending his campaign, it's all but official that the Democrat establishment got the candidate they wanted in Joe Biden, as well as the candidate President Trump will destroy in November,' Campaign Manager Brad Parscale said in a statement.

'President Trump is still disrupting Washington, D.C., while Biden represents the old, tired way,' Parscale added, blasting Biden for 'continuing to coddle the communist regime in China.'

Trump's campaign also welcomed disaffected Sanders supporters to give the current president a look.

'Democrat elites shoved Bernie Sanders to the side for a second time, leaving many of his supporters looking for a new home,' Parscale said.

Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, saw his fortunes rise and then fall over the course of the Democratic primaries, which kicked off in early February.

Sanders had a strong performance in the first three races.

In Iowa, he tied Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, though the bigger story out of the Hawkeye State was an app malfunction that led to widespread reporting delays of the caucus results.

Sanders, Buttigieg and the rest of the 2020 contenders had moved on to New Hampshire by the time the results were finally reported.

In the Granite State, Sanders again benefitted from his next-door-neighbor status, winning the state, but only by 1.3 points over Buttigieg. Sen. Amy Klobuchar came in third.

It was in Nevada where Sanders cemented his frontrunner status.

He received 46.8 per cent of the vote in the caucus state, showing strength with Democratic Latino voters.

But Joe Biden finished in the top two for the first time - telling his supporters this was enough momentum for him to stay in the race.

South Carolina changed everything for both Biden and Sanders.

In the Palmetto State, Biden won with the help of the important endorsement of Rep. Jim Clyburn, Congress' most powerful black lawmaker. And Biden beat Sanders by a commanding 28.5 points.

From there, Biden had all the momentum in the race - quickly snapping up endorsements from Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke, who had dropped out of the race previously.

On Super Tuesday, which took place three days later, Biden snapped up 11 of the 14 states that voted.

Sanders' biggest prize, California, wasn't called until the narrative was already set: Biden was again the frontrunner.

Republicans insisted that in-person voting in Wisconsin go on despite fears that the gathering could expose voters to the coronavirus. Many voters were picking between Democrats Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders

The former vice president continued to collect endorsements, including from Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire ex-New York City mayor who was also competing for moderate Democrats support.

A week later, when Michigan voted as part of Super Tuesday II, Sanders lost his last, best chance of eating into Biden's delegate lead.

Neither Biden nor Sanders have been able to actively campaign since the Super Tuesday races due to the coronavirus crisis, in which social distancing measures were slowly put in place all over the United States.

Sanders was first to utilize livestream campaigning - holding coronavirus-themed events, usually with a musical guest also performing, which was typical for his campaign.

Biden was slower to adapt, but now has a television and livestream set up in his recreation room at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

On Tuesday, Wisconsin Republicans made voters in that state vote amid the pandemic - with droves waiting in long lines to make their pick between Biden and Sanders.

In 2016, Sanders stayed in the race until the convention though endorsed Hillary Clinton on July 12, two weeks before Democrats gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to give the former secretary of state the nomination.
SACRAMENTO  California has secured a deal to import about 200 million masks a month, following weeks of shortages in personal protective equipment for medical workers treating coronavirus patients.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the supply would more than cover Californias expected need, potentially allowing the state to send masks to other places with shortages.

As a nation-state with the capacity to write a check for hundreds of millions  no, billions  of dollars, were in a position to do something bold and big that could be a catalyst to increase supply, Newsom said at a news briefing Wednesday.

The deal, which Newsom first announced Tuesday night on MSNBCs The Rachel Maddow Show, includes 150 million N95 respirator masks and 50 million surgical masks per month.

By comparison, the state has distributed more than 41 million N95 masks during the coronavirus pandemic, including from an expired emergency stockpile of 21 million respirators. Health care workers have complained that they are being forced to ration and reuse protective equipment.

Weve been competing against other states, against other nations, against our own federal government, Newsom told Maddow. Were not waiting around any longer, and were no longer interested in the progress that we were seeing in the past.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governors Office of Emergency Services, said Wednesday that experience responding to wildfires and other disasters had prepared the state to build a more sustainable pipeline of resources.

The masks will come from a mix of nonprofit organizations, including Direct Relief, Americares and the California Endowment; contracts with large vendors including Bear Mountain Development Co. and McKesson; and a partnership with BYD North America, the Los Angeles-based arm of a Chinese automaker that has built electric buses for the state.

California is also set to begin using a technology, developed by the defense manufacturer Battelle, that will enable hospitals to sterilize and reuse N95 masks more than 20 times. Ghilarducci said that within the next week, a state-run center will have the ability to clean as many as 80,000 masks a day.

He said California collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on setting up the supply of masks and was not concerned about the agency commandeering its equipment, as other states have recently accused FEMA of doing.

It is a one-team, one-fight effort, and we all are on the same page as we continue to move forward, Ghilarducci said.

California will pay $990 million for the supply of masks, according to a letter sent by state finance officials to legislative budget leaders. It has paid the first half of that with $188 million from an emergency aid package approved by legislators before they adjourned for an extended recess last month and $307 million from a state disaster response fund.

Newsom did not say how long the contract was for, but suggested that California would receive the masks for several months.

On Tuesday, Newsom said stay-at-home measures were not only bending but also stretching the curve of infections, meaning that state public health officials anticipate the spread of the virus will not peak until the end of May. His administration has been preparing to set up 50,000 additional hospital beds, bring in tens of thousands of retired medical workers and students to treat patients, and acquire 10,000 more ventilators by the end of April.

The state also lent 500 ventilators this week to other states hit hard by the pandemic. Newsom said California could get the ventilators back if the need in its hospitals became pressing.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Its been 10 years since Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon kicked off The Trip franchise, and with the fourth and final film The Trip to Greece, theyve grown older and fonder, even as they still cant always stand one another.

You can be exhausting, Coogan says to Brydon in the first trailer for The Trip to Greece that dropped Wednesday. Good god, you should meet you!

While the serialized version of The Trip to Greece already aired in the U.K., American audiences are eagerly awaiting the film edit, which IFC Films will release on digital and VOD on May 22. This first look shows Coogan and Brydon making light of their age even as they continue to try to travel around Europe like fashionable young tastemakers.

Also Read: 'The Trip to Greece' Director Michael Winterbottom Says Why Latest Series 'Felt Final'

I look better as I get older. Lots of women say that, Coogan says in the trailer. Thats what Im saying. You look better older. You were unpalatable as a young man, Brydon jokes back in response. We later see Coogan attempt to dive into the ocean to impress some young women.

The Trip to Greece is more of the same weve come to expect from Michael Winterbottoms films: impressions, singing in the car, glorious European sightseeing and exquisite food. But this time around theyre retracing the steps of the Greek hero Odysseus, who took 10 years to get back to Ithaca, exactly the time Coogan, Brydon and Winterbottom have been doing this film franchise.

On the way, they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, myth, history, democracy and the meaning of life. And in this film, youll see them visit the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the unique island of Hydra, the Caves of Diros, Nestors Palace, Niokastro Fortress in Pylos and Ancient Stagira, as well as a lot of shooting in restaurants and hotels in Athens, Hydra, Lesvos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Kavala and at the Peloponnese.

Watch the first trailer for The Trip to Greece above.

Read original story The Trip to Greece Trailer: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon Put Up With Each Other for 1 Last Ride (Video) At TheWrap
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reportedly condemned the heavy shelling at a Libyan hospital in Tripoli for the second consecutive day by eastern forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar. According to reports, the UN chief also condemned the continued attack on medical professionals, hospitals and other related facilities at a time when they are critical in combating the coronavirus crisis.

Health authorities of UN-recognised Libyan government reported the second day of heavy bombardment on Al Khadra General Hospital, Tripolis largest hospital, where over 300 patients were being treated. Tripoli Health Ministry official said that the power system failed when missiles hit part of the maternity unit, forcing the hospital to evacuate a group of patients.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General, said in a statement that Guterres reminded all parties that the attack on medical personal and hospital facilities may constitute war crimes since they are protected under international humanitarian law. The UN chief reiterated his call for a global ceasefire and a humanitarian pause in Libya for enabling the authorities to concentrate on the ongoing public health crisis.

Read: Eastern Libyan Forces Attack Tripoli Hospital For Second Day

Libya has been facing a political and humanitarian crisis after the self-styled Libyan National Army, headed by Khalifa Haftar, launched a battle against UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. Several foreign players have been involved in the Libyan conflict and ceasefire calls have been made in the recent past but failed to broker a peace deal.

Read: EU Launches New Naval Mission To Police Libya Arms Embargo

No cessation in hostilities

Last month, the UN chief had received a positive response from the warring parties and hoped that the positive response to the calls for a humanitarian pause to stop the fighting will be translated into an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities. Guterres had called on the parties to accept the draft ceasefire agreement emanating from the 5+5 Joint Military Commission talks facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva in February.

Given the already dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary-General calls on the parties to join forces to address the threat and to ensure unhindered access of humanitarian aid throughout the country, said Stephane Dujarric,

Read: UN Chief Antonio Guterres Lauds Nurses, Midwives On World Health Day 2020

Read: UN Chief Says 'horrifying Global Surge In Domestic Violence' Amid COVID-19 Lockdown
Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - April 8, 2020) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM); (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group" "PTM" or the "Company") reports the Company's financial results for the six months ended February 29, 2020 and provides a summary of recent events and outlook.

An implementation budget and work program are now underway advancing the Company's palladium dominant Waterberg project, located on the North Limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa (the "Waterberg Project"). The budget and program are 100% funded by Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. ("Implats") and are managed by Waterberg JV Resources (Pty) Limited ("Waterberg JV Co.") representing the joint venture owners, being Platinum Group, Implats, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ("JOGMEC"), Hanwa Co. Ltd. and Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd. ("Mnombo"). The Waterberg Project is advancing while abiding by government health restrictions.

For details of the condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the six months ended February 29, 2020 (the "Financial Statements") and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the six months ended February 29, 2020, please see the Company's filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or on EDGAR (www.sec.gov). Shareholders are encouraged to visit the Company's website at www.platinumgroupmetals.net. Shareholders may receive a hard copy of the complete Financial Statements from the Company free of charge upon request.

All amounts herein are reported in United States dollars unless otherwise specified. The Company holds cash in Canadian dollars, United States dollars and South African Rand. Changes in exchange rates may create variances in the cash holdings or results reported.

Recent Events

On March 31, 2020 the termination date of Implats' Purchase and Development Option (the "Purchase and Development Option") was amended, by formal agreement, from the original date of April 17, 2020 to 90 calendar days following receipt of an executed Mining Right for the Waterberg Project. In consideration, Implats is funding 100% of a new implementation budget and work program (the "Work Program"). The Work Program, to cost approximately Rand 55 million, is aimed at increasing confidence in specific areas of the Waterberg DFS while awaiting the grant of a Mining Right and Environmental Authorization. Under the Purchase and Development Option Implats may elect to increase its stake in Waterberg JV Co. from 15% to 50.01% by purchasing an additional 12.195% equity interest from JOGMEC for $34.8 million and earning a further 22.815% interest by making a firm commitment to an expenditure of $130.0 million in development work. Implats made a strategic investment of $30.0 million in November 2017 to purchase a 15% stake in the project.

On December 19, 2019 the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 3,225,807 common shares at price of $1.24 each for gross proceeds of $4.0 million. Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited ("HCI"), an existing major shareholder of the Company, subscribed for 1,612,931 common shares through Deepkloof Limited ("Deepkloof"), a wholly owned subsidiary of HCI, increasing HCI's effective ownership percentage in the Company to approximately 31.67%.

On September 24, 2019 the Company published the results of an independent Definitive Feasibility Study for the Waterberg Project (the "Waterberg DFS"). Later, on December 5, 2019, the shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. formally approved the Waterberg DFS. The Waterberg DFS concludes that the Waterberg Project will be one of the largest and potentially lowest cash cost underground PGM mines globally. The associated technical report entitled "Independent Technical Report, Waterberg Project Definitive Feasibility Study and Mineral Resource Update, Bushveld Complex, South Africa" dated October 4, 2019 was filed on SEDAR on October 7, 2019. Key findings of the Waterberg DFS include:

The Waterberg DFS projects a fully mechanised, shallow, decline access palladium, platinum, gold and rhodium (" 4E ") mine at an annual steady state production rate of 420,000 4E ounces and a 45 year mine life on current reserves. Peak project funding is estimated at $617 million.





") mine at an annual steady state production rate of 420,000 4E ounces and a 45 year mine life on current reserves. Peak project funding is estimated at $617 million. After-tax Net Present Value (" NPV ") of $982 million, at an 8% real discount rate, using spot metal prices as at September 4, 2019 (Incl. $1,546 Pd/oz) (" Spot Prices ").





") of $982 million, at an 8% real discount rate, using spot metal prices as at September 4, 2019 (Incl. $1,546 Pd/oz) (" "). After-tax NPV of $333 million, at an 8% real discount rate, using three-year trailing average metal prices up until September 4, 2019 (Incl. $1,055 Pd/oz) (" Three Year Trailing Prices ").





"). After-tax Internal Rate of Return (" IRR ") of 20.7% at Spot Prices and 13.3% at Three Year Trailing Prices.





") of 20.7% at Spot Prices and 13.3% at Three Year Trailing Prices. On site life of mine average cash cost (inclusive of by-product credits and smelter discounts) for the spot price scenario equates to $640 per 4E ounce.





Updated measured and indicated mineral resources 1 of 242.4 million tonnes at 3.38g/t 4E for 26.4 million 4E ounces (using 2.5 g/t 4E cut-off) and the deposit remains open on strike to the north and below a depth cut-off of 1,250-meters.





of 242.4 million tonnes at 3.38g/t 4E for 26.4 million 4E ounces (using 2.5 g/t 4E cut-off) and the deposit remains open on strike to the north and below a depth cut-off of 1,250-meters. Proven and probable mineral reserves2 of 187.5 million tonnes at 3.24 g/t 4E for 19.5 million 4E ounces (using 2.5 g/t 4E cut-off), a significant increase from the Waterberg Project's 2016 Pre-Feasibility Study.

On August 21, 2019 the Company closed a public offering of securities on a bought deal basis in the United States of 8,326,957 common shares of the Company at a price of $1.25 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $10.41 million.

On August 21, 2019 the Company also completed or executed, as the case may be:

A new credit agreement with Sprott Private Resource Lending II (Collector), LP (" Sprott ") for a $20.0 million senior secured credit facility (the " 2019 Sprott Facility ") maturing August 21, 2021, bearing interest at 11.00% per annum and which may be extended for a further year at the option of the Company.





") for a $20.0 million senior secured credit facility (the " ") maturing August 21, 2021, bearing interest at 11.00% per annum and which may be extended for a further year at the option of the Company. A subscription by Deepkloof, on a private placement basis, for 6,940,000 common shares of the Company (" Common Shares ") at a price of $1.32 per share for aggregate gross proceeds $9,160,800.





") at a price of $1.32 per share for aggregate gross proceeds $9,160,800. A subscription by Liberty Metals & Mining, LLC (" LMM "), on a private placement basis, for 7,575,758 Common Shares at a price of $1.32 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $10.0 million; and





"), on a private placement basis, for 7,575,758 Common Shares at a price of $1.32 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $10.0 million; and A payout agreement with respect to the full settlement of a $43.0 million secured loan facility due to LMM.

On July 12, 2019, Platinum Group, together with an affiliate of Anglo American Platinum Limited ('Anglo'), launched a new venture through a jointly owned company, Lion Battery Technologies Inc. ('Lion') to accelerate the development of next generation battery technology using platinum and palladium.

Results For The Six Months Ended February 29, 2020

The Company has taken significant steps to cut costs and reduce debt during the last year. During the six months ended February 29, 2020, the Company realized a net loss of $2.55 million (February 28, 2019 - net loss of $9.46 million). General and administrative expenses during the period were $1.91 million (February 28, 2019 - $2.91 million). Losses on foreign exchange were $0.36 million (February 29, 2019 - $0.56 million), primarily due to variance in the US Dollar to Canadian Dollar exchange rate. Stock based compensation expense, a non-cash item, totalled $0.74 million (February 28, 2019 - $0.16 million). Interest costs of $2.71 million were lower in the current period (February 28, 2019 - $4.98 million) due to lower debt levels. A gain on fair value of financial instruments of $3.06 million was recognized in the current period (February 28, 2019 - $2.43 million loss) due predominantly to a decrease in the value of unexercised US$1.70 common share purchase warrants that expired on November 22, 2019. Basic and diluted loss per share for the six months ended February 29, 2020 totalled $0.04 as compared to a loss of $0.32 per share for the six months ended February 28, 2019.

Accounts receivable at February 29, 2020 totalled $0.40 million (February 28, 2019 - $0.51 million) while accounts payable and accrued liabilities amounted to $0.94 million (February 28, 2019 - $4.02 million). Accounts receivable were comprised of mainly of amounts receivable for value added taxes repayable to the Company in South Africa. Accounts payable consisted primarily of engineering and professional fees and regular trade payables.

Total expenditures on the Waterberg Project, before partner reimbursements, for the six months ended February 29, 2020 were approximately $1.70 million (February 28, 2019 - $5.13 million). At period end, $37.41 million in accumulated net costs had been capitalized to the Waterberg Project. Total expenditures on the property since inception to February 29, 2020 are approximately $72 million.

For more information on mineral properties, see Note 3 of the Financial Statements.

Outlook

The Company's key business objective is to advance the palladium dominant Waterberg Project to a development and construction decision. The Company achieved several of these key objectives during the past twelve months. The positive results of the recent Waterberg DFS provide a solid value assessment for the Waterberg Project in 2020. Engineering is proceeding on the Waterberg Project as planned.

The execution of the amended Purchase and Development Option on March 31, 2020 was a positive milestone as Implats approved 100% funding of a Rand 55 million Work Program for the Waterberg Project. Over the next few months, the Work Program will focus on project optimization, risk mitigation and housing considerations. The Work Program is currently being carried out remotely in compliance with South African stay at home orders aimed at halting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Company will continue working towards its next major milestone of obtaining the Mining Right for the Waterberg Project. The expected grant of a Mining Right may be delayed from previous guidance as a result of the current South African stay at home order and possible future restrictions. Contact with government and regulatory agencies has continued to date.

Concentrate offtake negotiations with Implats are currently in process, along with other offtake possibilities being considered, subject to Implats' right to match. The current spot metal basket price per 4E ounce for the Waterberg Project is approximately 18% above the spot 4E metal basket price in the Waterberg DFS.

The long term market outlook for strong palladium demand and the potential for continued palladium supply deficits indicates a bright future for the Waterberg Project. In the near term, the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures taken by governments have created uncertainty and adverse impacts.

The Company's battery technology initiative through Lion with Anglo represents an exciting opportunity in the high-profile lithium battery research and innovation field. Recent work in the lab on Lion's innovations has been very promising and in line with our technical objectives. The investment in Lion creates a potential vertical integration with a broader industrial market development strategy to bring new technologies to market which use palladium and platinum.

The Company will follow government health directives in the months ahead. The health and safety of employees is a priority. The company plans to drive ahead with its core business objectives while reducing costs where possible in this period of market uncertainty.

As well as the discussions within this press release, the reader is encouraged to also see the Company's disclosure made under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2019 annual Form 20-F, which was also filed as the Company's AIF in Canada.

Qualified Person

R. Michael Jones, P.Eng., the Company's President, Chief Executive Officer and a shareholder of the Company, is a non-independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is responsible for preparing the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. He has verified the data by reviewing the detailed information of the geological and engineering staff and independent qualified person reports as well as visiting the Waterberg Project site regularly.

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and Waterberg Project

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a large, low cost, bulk underground palladium and platinum deposit located in South Africa. The Waterberg Project was discovered by Platinum Group and is being jointly developed with Implats, JOGMEC, Mnombo and Hanwa Co. Ltd.

The Company is also invested with Anglo in a promising battery technology that uses platinum and palladium through a private battery technology company, Lion.

Platinum Group has implemented a work from home policy for both the South Africa and Canadian offices, inline with government directives. The Company is continuing with operations utilizing the Company's pre-existing remote, secure IT connectivity and video conferencing in order to continue working effectively.

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam

CFO, Corporate Secretary and Director

For further information contact:

R. Michael Jones, President

or Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

www.platinumgroupmetals.net

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and related measures taken by government create uncertainty and have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on many aspects of the Company's business, including employee health, workforce productivity and availability, travel restrictions, contractor availability, supply availability, the Company's ability to maintain its controls and procedures regarding financial and disclosure matters and the availability of insurance and the costs thereof, some of which, individually or when aggregated with other impacts, may be material to the Company.

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the amendment to the Purchase and Development Option and other agreements as discussed herein, potential exercise by Implats of the Purchase and Development Option, financing and mine development at the Waterberg Project and grant of the mine right application. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including possible adverse impacts due the global outbreak of COVID-19 (as described above), the Company's inability to generate sufficient cash flow or raise sufficient additional capital to make payment on its indebtedness, and to comply with the terms of such indebtedness; additional financing requirements; the 2019 Sprott Facility is, and any new indebtedness may be, secured and the Company has pledged its shares of Platinum Group Metals (RSA) Proprietary Limited ("PTM RSA"), and PTM RSA has pledged its shares of Waterberg JV Co. to Sprott, under the 2019 Sprott Facility, which potentially could result in the loss of the Company's interest in PTM RSA and the Waterberg Project in the event of a default under the 2019 Sprott Facility or any new secured indebtedness; the Company's history of losses and negative cash flow; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's properties may not be brought into a state of commercial production; uncertainty of estimated production, development plans and cost estimates for the Waterberg Project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs, between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries and between estimated and actual production; fluctuations in the relative values of the U.S. Dollar, the Rand and the Canadian Dollar; volatility in metals prices; Implats may not exercise the Purchase and Development Option; the Company may become subject to the U.S. Investment Company Act; the failure of the Company or the other shareholders to fund their pro rata share of funding obligations for the Waterberg Project; any disputes or disagreements with the other shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. or Mnombo; the ability of the Company to retain its key management employees and skilled and experienced personnel; conflicts of interest; litigation or other administrative proceedings brought against the Company; actual or alleged breaches of governance processes or instances of fraud, bribery or corruption; exploration, development and mining risks and the inherently dangerous nature of the mining industry, and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks and other risks and uncertainties; property and mineral title risks including defective title to mineral claims or property; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and South Africa; equipment shortages and the ability of the Company to acquire necessary access rights and infrastructure for its mineral properties; environmental regulations and the ability to obtain and maintain necessary permits, including environmental authorizations and water use licences; extreme competition in the mineral exploration industry; delays in obtaining, or a failure to obtain, permits necessary for current or future operations or failures to comply with the terms of such permits; risks of doing business in South Africa, including but not limited to, labour, economic and political instability and potential changes to and failures to comply with legislation; the Company's common shares may be delisted from the NYSE American or the Toronto Stock Exchange if it cannot maintain compliance with the applicable listing requirements; and other risk factors described in the Company's most recent Form 20-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively. Proposed changes in the mineral law in South Africa if implemented as proposed would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and potential interest in projects. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Estimates of mineralization and other technical information included herein have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The definitions of proven and probable reserves used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the mineralization can be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the "reserve" determination is made. As a result, the reserves reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and historically have not been permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC Industry Guide 7. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. In particular, "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under NI 43-101; however, SEC Industry Guide 7 normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC Industry Guide 7 standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of SEC Industry Guide 7.

1 Measured 58.5 million tonnes at 3.42 g/t 4E and Indicated 183.9 million tonnes at 3.37 g/t 4E

2 Proven 48.3 million tonnes at 3.28 g/t 4E and Probable 139.2 million tonnes at 3.22 g/t 4E

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54271
The new case of coronavirus was confirmed for a military of Kyiv garrison

Open source

One more case of coronavirus infection spotted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Totally, five cases registered as the Medical Forces reported on Facebook.

In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, five cases of the infection with the acute respiratory disease Covid-19 caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 were registered, one of them is lethal. 118 people are in isolation, the message said.

The new case of coronavirus was confirmed for a military of Kyiv garrison. The military stays in the self-isolation after the contact with infected person since April 3.

Currently, the state of health of the military is satisfactory. He is treated at home under the control of the medical forces. The persons who contacted this military are in self-isolation, the message noted.

As we reported, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration learned about the first fatal case of Covid-19 in the occupied Donbas.

During the past 24 hours, the number of people with Covid-19 in Ukraine increased by 206 cases. Totally, 1,668 cases of infection spotted in Ukraine. 52 lethal cases spotted, while 35 patients recovered
Bernardo Wills Architects

Halstead

Matthew Halstead joined Spokane-based Bernardo Wills Architects as a BIM/CAD technician. Halstead is providing drafting, design and construction support for Vivacity Care Center, a primary-care medical clinic in Spokane Valley, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories' SEL Event Center in Pullman. He has 15 years of drafting and design experience, previously as technical design manager for an importer of European window systems in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bernardo Wills provides architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and master planning.




A Labour MP has said politicians should stop calling Boris Johnson a 'fighter' while he remains in intensive care. (PA)

A Labour MP has called for politicians to stop saying Boris Johnson is a fighter in the midst of his coronavirus ordeal.

Chris Bryant, the MP for Rhondda, said the word is deeply offensive to those who die from the disease as it implies they are to blame.

Johnson remained in intensive care at St Thomas Hospital in Westminster on Wednesday.

He was admitted to the unit on Monday, and a number of high-profile politicians subsequently hailed him a fighter as they wished him well.

Labour MP Chris Bryant (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

Urging politicians not to use the word, Bryant said he was speaking from his own personal experience as a cancer survivor.

In an impassioned plea, he wrote on Twitter:

Please can all politicians stop talking about the PM having a lot of fight in him. I wish him well. But as one who has had cancer I can tell you this suggestion that disease respects those with fight is deeply offensive. It implies that those who lose are somehow to blame.  Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) April 8, 2020

His plea was soon repeated by Sky News presenter Mark Austin, who shared a message from a frontline A&E doctor:

Message received from emergency doc friend Will the media and others please stop using terms like battling and struggling . It is unfair on sick patients who have no say in the matter. And its ok to be scared  . Just passing on .  Mark Austin (@markaustintv) April 8, 2020

At Tuesdays coronavirus press conference in Downing Street, Dominic Raab  effectively the acting prime minister while Johnson is being treated  said: Im confident he will pull through, because if there is one thing that I know about this prime minister is he is a fighter and he will be back leading us through this crisis in short order.

Business secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: I have known Boris for 20 years  he is a fighter and will beat this virus.

Story continues

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area

6 charts and maps that explain how COVID-19 is spreading

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: The Boris Johnson I know is a fighter and his strong sense of duty drives him.

Former Tory chair Brandon Lewis said: Hes a fighter and I know is in excellent hands.

On Wednesday, Downing Street said Johnson is responding to treatment as he remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Coronavirus 100 days on: What do we know?

The PMs official spokesman said: The prime minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment.

He continues to be cared for in the intensive care unit at St Thomas Hospital. Hes in good spirits.

Johnson is continuing to receive standard oxygen treatment and is breathing without any other assistance.

When asked about the specifics of his condition and treatment, the spokesman said: The information in the update we have provided was given to us by St Thomas Hospital and it contains all the information that the PMs medical team consider to be clinically relevant.

He confirmed Johnson is not working while in intensive care and thanked the public for messages of support.

Police officers stand guard outside St Thomas' Hospital on Wednesday. (Isabel Infantes/AFP via Getty Images)

Asked if anyone has been in contact with Johnson, the spokesman said: The PM is not working, hes in intensive care, he has the ability to contact those that he needs to, hes following the advice of his doctors at all times.

We are hugely grateful for the messages of support that the prime minister has received.

I think the public response to coronavirus throughout has been fantastic and that has been best exemplified by the applause theyve been giving to NHS staff every week.

Coronavirus: what happened today
A 42-year-old man tested positive for the coronavirus - after going to hospital with testicular pain, doctors have revealed.

He reported no cough or shortness of breath - the tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19 - but did have a fever which vanished after two days.

His doctor urged him to seek emergency help because of the 'stabbing' pain in his testicles, stomach, chest and back which had lasted a week.

Medics revealed his testicles were 'normal' - and an X-ray of his chest came back as clear.

But he was diagnosed with pneumonia shortly after when a CT scan showed damage in his lungs that the X-ray had not shown.

Two days later the unidentified man, from Massachusetts, tested positive for the life-threatening coronavirus.

His physician had failed to tell ER doctors that he had been tested for the killer virus after attending a conference in Boston linked to several cases.

It meant the man was treated by doctors not wearing PPE and sat in a waiting room with other patients for two hours before being treated.

Doctors at Harvard Medical school did not say the testicular pain was a symptom - but warned of the 'atypical presentation' of COVID-19.

The case report follows concerns from scientists in China, who in February claimed the virus could attack the male reproductive organs.

The virus binds to cells which are found in abundance in the testes, and could lead to 'tissue damage', the team speculated.

However, other experts have since stressed that men do not need to have concerns about their testicles amid the pandemic until robust research is conducted.

Doctors suspect a link between the coronavirus and testicular pain, after an American man tested positive for the killer infection after having a 'stabbing' sensation in his testes

An X-ray of the man's chest (pictured) didn't find anything abnormal. It was only when the man had a CT scan of his abdomen that specialists stumbled across something wrong in the base of his lungs (which was not included in the report)

Two medics at Harvard Medical School described the 'atypical' case of coronavirus in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

They wrote: 'We present this case as a lesson learned from the front lines and to bring awareness of atypical COVID-19 cases as they continue to present.'

The man had been treated for constipation by his family doctor before being told to go to A&E.

He had suffered eight days of a 'constant stabbing pain' in the abdominal, back and testicular area. It had also reached his chest.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS? Once someone has caught the COVID-19 virus it may take between two and 14 days, or even longer, for them to show any symptoms  but they may still be contagious during this time. If and when they do become ill, typical signs include a runny nose, a cough, sore throat and a fever (high temperature). The vast majority of patients will recover from these without any issues, and many will need no medical help at all. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Figures are showing that young children do not seem to be particularly badly affected by the virus, which they say is peculiar considering their susceptibility to flu, but it is not clear why. Advertisement

Although he had a two-day fever earlier on, he didn't have a cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath - the tell-tale symptoms of the new coronavirus.

Lead author Dr Jesi Kim said a physical examination found nothing abnormal other than some tenderness in the stomach.

It was only when the man had a CT scan of his abdomen that specialists stumbled across something wrong in the base of his lungs.

His lungs had damage consistent with pneumonia, which can occur as a severe complication of COVID-19.

The next day, the man and his medical team were notified that laboratory tests for COVID-19 had come back positive.

He had been to the biotech conference two weeks, between February 26 and 27, that was known to be at the root of a coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts.

The meeting of executives within the company Biogen led to several other clusters in US states and a couple of cases in Europe.

Dr Richard Viney, a consultant urological surgeon in Birmingham, said he hadn't come across any COVID-19 patients who complained of testicle problems.

How symptoms of the coronavirus compare between children and adults, according to an analysis of US cases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

He told MailOnline: 'There are certain viruses that can affect the testicles, such as mumps.

WHY DO SCIENTISTS SUSPECT A LINK BETWEEN THE CORONAVIRUS AND TESTICULAR DAMAGE? Urologists at Suzhou Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University theorised that the coronavirus could cause testicular damage. In a paper published on MedRxiv.org  a platform for papers that have not been peer-reviewed by other scientists to flag false claims - the team said their interest in COVID-19 was roused when it came to light that the coronavirus enters cells by binding to ACE2 receptors. 'Several researches have indicated that some patients have abnormal renal function or even kidney damage in addition to injury in respiratory system, and the related mechanism is unknown,' the team said. 'This arouses our interest in whether coronavirus infection will affect the urinary and male reproductive systems.' The team analysed 'online datasets' and found ACE2 expression in different human organs. The results indicate that ACE2 highly expressed in the mans tested, and can be concentrated in several cells which are directly related to the male reproductive abilities, including the germ cells, supporting cells and Leydig cells. 'Therefore, virus might directly bind to such ACE2 positive cells and damage the kidney and testicular tissue of patients,' they wrote. They warned that doctors should pay close attention to possible damage in the testicles of coronavirus patients, especially if they are of reproductive age. The warning was echoed by another team of scientists at Tongji Hospital, affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology, is one of the hospitals designated by the government to treat coronavirus patients since an outbreak started in Wuhan in January. Although the coronavirus mainly targets one's lungs and immune system, the infection could result in 'impairment of immune homeostasis in the testes', which could cause orchitis  an inflammation of the testicles. This in turn could reduce a mans sperm count and possibly lead to infertility, according to the team who also noted the ACE2 theory. They added that during the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, medics observed serious immune system damage in the testicles of some male patients. The hospital report was widely shared on social media despite being pulled from provincial governments website just hours after being uploaded. Advertisement

'Only time will tell if COVID-19 also affects the testicles but it isnt a symptom many of the patients Ive dealt with have complained about. For most of them, their testicles are the least of their worries.'

As of yet, no study has proved that the virus will damage a man's reproductive organs, reduce fertility or sexual potency.

But scientists say it is theoretically possible, based on how the virus enters cells - through a receptor called ACE2.

Dr Viney said: 'The testicle is known to express the ACE2 receptor that the virus uses to access cells so this could explain why the testicles might be a target for COVID-19.'

Urologists at Suzhou Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University made claims that the novel coronavirus could 'damage testicular tissue' by directly binding to ACE2-positive cells within the testes.

ACE2 is known to be present in the lungs, but the teams study also found high expression in parts of the testes and kidneys.

The study was published on MedRxiv.org  a platform for papers that have not been peer-reviewed by other scientists to flag false claims.

Another report in early March made the warning that coronavirus could threaten male fertility. It went viral on Chinese social media, but was subsequently withdrawn from the Chinese government's website just hours after being uploaded.

Dr Viney suggested it was pulled because it's too early to make assumptions on how the coronavirus may affect fertility.

He said: 'Looking at fertility in the acute phase of the condition is of little value. It will be interesting to see if we find lasting impact on fertility after recovery over three to six months.

'If there are issues here it would suggest Covid does have a taste for the testicle.'

Dr Rod Mitchell, an endocrinologist at The University of Edinburgh's MRC Centre for Reproductive Health emphasised that any research linking the coronavirus with testicular health has been hypothetical.

He said: Currently, associations between COVID19 and effects in the testicle or on male fertility are purely theoretical.

'Certain viruses are well known to be associated with testicular damage and infertility, and mumps is a good example of this. Mumps can cause pain, inflammation and swelling of the testicles, sometimes with redness of the overlying skin.

'The case report does not describe any such inflammation or swelling of the testicles in this patient with COVID-19.'

The virus could have appeared coincidentally at the same time that the patient had a bacterial infection causing pain in the testes.

The Harvard team did not offer any explanation as to why the man had suffered any testicular pain.

They were predominantly concerned that the man had been in contact with so many people before he even knew he had COVID-19.

For example, he had sat in waiting room at A&E for two hours, around other patients, before being seen.

Dr Kim questioned why it had not been properly communicated between doctors that the man was a suspected COVID-19 case.

'Communication could have protected dozens of patients and health care workers,' she wrote.

'Unfortunately, given the date of presentation, atypical features and lack of communication we were not able to piece the findings to the patient's symptoms at that time.'

It's understood a large portion of COVID-19 cases have mild symptoms, and that some don't have any at all, nicknamed 'silent carriers'.

But it's unclear how many infected people don't have respiratory symptoms, but other complaints such as stomach pain.

On first appearances, doctors would not suspect coronavirus, which can be dangerous for the spread of disease.

In conclusion, Dr Kim said she wanted to shed light on how COVID-19 patients may have completely atypical symptoms.
Medical staff lined a hallway of East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika on Tuesday, cheering who the hospital described as the first patient healthy enough to be removed from a ventilator, discharged from the intensive care unit and moved to a regular room.

Tony Thornton, 48, waved to the celebrating staff as he was pushed down the hallway in a wheelchair  a rare uplifting moment for the facility and the area of the state that has been ravaged by the coronavirus.

First Intubated COVID-19 Patient Moves Out of ICU | East Alabama Medical Center A celebration took place at EAMC today. Thats when 48-year-old Tony Thornton became the first COVID-19 patient at EAMC to recover well enough to be removed from ventilation and moved from the ICU to a regular medical room. Thornton, who lives in Auburn, was admitted to EAMC on March 20 and intubated (put on a ventilator). He was extubated (removed from his ventilator) on Sunday (April 5), and when he was wheeled out of the ICU today, EAMC employees were there to cheer him on. Late this afternoon, he said I am still weak, but feeling pretty good. I talked to my wife for the first time and that was wonderful. His advice for the public? People need to follow the guidelines. This is a big deal. In addition to Mr. Thornton being able to move out of ICU, 29 other hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been discharged home from EAMC. Posted by East Alabama Medical Center on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

The hospital said 6 patients died in less than 48 hours after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Altogether, seven patients have died at neighboring Chambers County, which is part of the hospital service area, along with two in Opelika's Lee County.

Related: Coronavirus shrunk his Alabama congregation to 10. Then six got sick.

To date, Chambers County has seen the most coronavirus deaths confirmed by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The county also has another suspected death related to COVID-19 that is still under investigation by the ADPH. And in Lee County, three other deaths are under investigation.

Thornton lives in Auburn and was admitted to EAMC on March 20 and placed on a ventilator, the hospital said. He was removed from the ventilator on Sunday.

I am still weak, but feeling pretty good," Thornton said in a hospital statement. "I talked to my wife for the first time and that was wonderful.

As for his advice to the public, Thornton said in the hospital statement, People need to follow the guidelines. This is a big deal.

The hospital said 29 other COVID-19 inpatients have been discharged home.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Conexon, the nation's leader in assisting electric cooperatives to deploy broadband networks, has been selected by Mississippi-based Monroe County Electric Power Association (EPA) to deliver comprehensive broadband management services including network design and engineering, construction management, and customer support for the association's fiber-to-the-home network.

Monroe County EPA will begin construction on the network by 4Q 2020, with the first customers expected to be connected by early 2021. The four-year build-out will span 1,500 miles of fiber, serve 100% of the power association's 10,800 members and is anticipated to cost in the range of $29 million.

"Monroe County EPA board of director member Tom Crook once told me about his grandfather's role in establishing Monroe County EPA, which was the first REA (now RUS) electric co-op in the country," Conexon Partner Jonathan Chambers said. "There's a wonderful continuity with the board's decision to build a fiber-optic network. Monroe County EPA has sustained the community with electricity for over eighty years. It will now bring that same commitment to service and provide both electricity and broadband to the community for the next 80 years.

"I appreciate the trust Barry and the board have placed in Conexon. We take that trust seriously and look forward to a great success."

Monroe County EPA has formed a broadband subsidiary M-Pulse Fiber, through which members will have access to a state-of-the-art network that will deliver symmetrical gigabit internet capabilities  among the fastest and robust in the nation. The all-fiber network will also enable enhancements and smart grid capabilities to the electrical infrastructure such as improved power outage response times, better load balancing, and more efficient electricity delivery.

"We are excited about the opportunity of bringing world-class broadband services to our membership," Barry Rowland, Monroe County EPA General Manager said. "It's important for us to offer the best service possible for our members and that's a goal Conexon shares. From the first meeting, we immediately felt comfortable with the depth of their experience and expertise and ability to help us successfully deliver this."

"We congratulate Monroe County EPA for taking this bold step to deliver a fiber network with world-class broadband to its members," Conexon Partner Randy Klindt added. "It's very gratifying for us to team with co-ops like this one to pave the way for community and economic growth, education advantages and all of the other benefits that reliable broadband brings."

About Conexon

Conexon works with Rural Electric Cooperatives to bring fiber to the home in rural communities. The company is comprised of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. Conexon offers its electric cooperative clients end-to-end broadband deployment and operations support, from a project's conception all the way through to its long-term sustainability. It works with clients to analyze economic feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage construction, provide operational support, optimize business performance and determine optimal partnerships. To date, Conexon has assisted more than 160 electric cooperatives, 37 of which are deploying fiber networks, with nearly 100,000 connected fiber-to-the-home subscribers across the U.S., and has secured more than $200 million in federal and state grants for its clients.

SOURCE Conexon
What did the Burrard Inlet look like in the past, compared to how it is now?

What did the Burrard Inlet look like in the past, compared to how it is now? What were the fishing, food source, and maritime resources there and how did this habitat change over time? UBC researchers sought to answer those questions, in a clear and interactive way.

In collaboration with Tsleil-Waututh Nation and West Coast Environmental Law, graduate student researchers in the Ocean Leaders Program at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and University of British Columbia brought together research on factors of change in Burrard Inlet. Blending this information into an interactive "Story Map" webpage, they illustrate how factors such as infrastructure, fishing, climate, and maritime activities have impacted Burrard Inlet over the past 200 years, while also highlighting some exciting conservation and restoration projects.

Burrard Inlet has been home to Tsleil-Waututh Nation (The People of the Inlet) for thousands of years, long before European settlers came in the 1700s. The Nation "hunted, fished, and harvested abundant food in and around Burrard Inlet, including crabs, clams, mussels, oysters, fish, duck, deer, bear, elk, pheasant, berries, and other food and medicinal plants," said Tsleil-Waututh Nation employee, Spencer Taft. Even today, the inlet is an important source of food, livelihood, and recreation for all the communities that live along its shores.

However, "the Inlet has experienced a lot of change over the past several hundred years, and this has impacted food production and put many of the plants and animals at risk", said Fanny Couture, a PhD student, and one the Ocean Leaders Program research members who developed the website.

"The Inlet is an important place for recreation and food for all of the communities around Metro Vancouver, but it is often unsafe to swim in and eat food from the waters", said Meaghan Efford, a PhD student and another member of the Ocean Leaders Program research team. "Much of the habitat has, over the years, been lost to industrial and commercial activity. Protecting the Inlet from further damage would be beneficial to everyone along its coastline."

###

The StoryMap, and additional learning resources, can be found at http://www.changeinburrardinlet.ca.

The StoryMap project was conducted through a partnership between UBC's Training our Future Ocean Leaders Program and West Coast Environmental Law. "Ocean Leaders" is a professional development program for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council. West Coast Environmental Law commissioned but is not financing the project. The graduate student authors are Fanny Couture, Meaghan Efford, Roshni Mangar, and Matias Oddo.
CHICAGO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the mounting fear and isolation felt by Illinois residents 60+, who are at increased risk for serious illness from the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-17) and Peoria City/County Health Department Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer for Heartland Health Services Dr. Gregg Stoner will speak live with thousands of older adults from the 17th Illinois Congressional District in a telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, 4/8 at 6 p.m.

The telephone town hall will offer participants a chance to hear directly from the Congresswoman and local health official about the importance of social distancing, measures to protect residents in nursing homes, assisted living, and senior housing, and other pressing concerns for older adults across the state.

"During this critical time, we must do everything in our power to ensure Illinoisans have access to the resources and information they need to protect their physical and financial health," Congresswoman Bustos said. "I thank AARP for this opportunity to help address the concerns of their members and Dr. Stoner for offering his medical expertise as we navigate this public health crisis."

Participants in the Town Hall will also be able to share their experiences and ask questions during the hour-long conversation, developed to address growing concerns about health, wellness and service offerings.

The Town Hall will be available to 20,257 AARP members across 17th Illinois Congressional District as well as members of the general public through a Facebook and Twitter Livestream. Data shows that members of the older population, specifically people that are age 60 or older are more vulnerable to COVID-19, which causes a respiratory illness that can lead to serious cases of pneumonia.

"Each day, we hear from older adults across the state who have questions about how this crisis is going to impact their health, their financial security, and the safety of their loved ones and caregivers," said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo. "AARP is grateful that Congresswoman Bustos and Dr. Gregg Stoner recognize the uneasiness that comes from these uncertain times, and their willingness to speak directly with our members about resources available."

In addition to working to ensure that older adults, their families and those caring for them have the most accurate and up-to-date information to protect themselves from COVID-19 and prevent the spread to others, AARP Illinois has also been working with state leaders on other concerns related to the outbreak, including:

The need for robust support and resources provided to states and local communities, including health care professionals and first responders, who are on the front lines of this effort.

The potential for fraud as scammers prey on older adults during this time  using headlines as opportunities to steal money or sensitive personal information.

Social isolation and the risks associated with leaving vulnerable older adults without access to food and regular human contact during this time.

Worries about financial security during uncertain economic times with markets reacting (or overreacting) to coronavirus news of the day.

The Town Hall will be monitored live by AARP screeners, who will patch through callers with questions covering a variety of concerns from all across Illinois.

AARP Illinois members in Illinois who opt to receive telephone Town Hall calls as part of their membership will receive a phone call shortly before the start of the April 8 event. Those who wish to join the tele-town hall through Facebook and Twitter can do so from the AARP and Congresswoman's pages.

Last week (4/1) a similar Telephone Town Hall with Illinois Governor Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Chief, Dr. Ezike brought in more than 5,000 phone participants and another 15,000 who listened through the Facebook livestream.

You can find AARP's coronavirus resources at www.aarp.org/coronavirus.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, 1.7 million members in Illinois and 250,000 in Chicago, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

Related Links

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A Dublin-based company has claimed before the High Court that the HSE has failed to honour a contract for the provision of 350 ventilators to treat those who contract the Covid-19 virus.

Narooma Ltd, which provides services to the pharmaceutical and life-science industries, claims that last month it entered into an agreement to source and sell intensive care unit medical ventilators, for a sum of just over 7.4m, to the HSE.

However, the company claims the HSE has not paid it the money, with the result that it cannot provide the HSE with the ventilators.

The company says that while the alleged failure to fulfil the contract is damaging to its business and reputation, it also says that the performance of the contract affects the "health of the nation".

"Swift shipping and delivery of the ventilators is critically urgent," it says.

It said the ventilators were due to be shipped from Asia to Ireland in three tranches between April 20 and May 15.

As a result of the alleged breach, Narooma has sued the HSE. It seeks various orders including one compelling the HSE to transfer the sums due to Narooma under a contract it claims the parties entered into on March 27.

It also seeks orders restraining the HSE from taking any steps to avoid its obligations under the contract, as well as an order preventing the defendant from purchasing similar types of ventilators until the sums allegedly due under the contract have been paid to Narooma.

Yesterday Mr Justice Michael Quinn granted Narooma's lawyers, on an ex-parte basis, permission to serve short notice of its proceedings on the HSE.
Boris Johnson is 'stable and responding to treatment' after his second night in intensive care, it was revealed today.

Downing Street delivered slightly more positive news about the PM's condition amid claims his fever has finally dropped.

Mr Johnson's official spokesman said he continues to receive 'standard oxygen treatment' and is 'breathing without any other assistance' - making clear he is not on a ventilator.

'The Prime Minister remains clinically stable and is responding to treatment,' the spokesman said.

'He continues to be cared for in the intensive care unit at St Thomas's Hospital. He's in good spirits.

No10 confirmed that the PM has not been doing any work, although they said he has been in contact with aides.

There are fears that even the best outcome from his coronavirus struggle will see him out of action for weeks, with experts warning he could need a 'phased return' to work.

There are also questions about the PM's care while he was in isolation, amid suggestions he was not physically monitored and only consulted a doctor by video link.

There are claims that social distancing rules were being flouted in Downing Street as the crisis developed, with meetings in cramped rooms and people coughing freely. Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson was among the first frequent visitor to become infected.

Tory MPs are calling for a review of the premier's medical arrangements, saying the lack of protection has been 'exposed' by the latest crisis.

The UK leader has starkly different health support than in the US, where the president has a dedicated medical team and emergency facilities constantly on standby.

Paramedics were at work at the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCel centre in London today

Boris Johnson's fever is said to have dipped in a positive sign as he remains under constant observation at St Thomas' hospital (pictured today) in central London

A cleaning van in Downing Street today as the PM remains in hospital nearby

Images show the Prime Minister's changing appearance as his battle with coronavirus continued from (top row left to right) March 27 and 28 and (bottom row left to right) April 1 and 2

Churchill had personal doctor who travelled with him in WW2 Winston Churchill had a personal doctor who travelled with him during the Second World war as he struggled with health issues behind the scenes. The PM suffered a mild heart attack while at the White House in Washington in 1941, just a year after taking over in No10, and contracted pneumonia two years later. In 1949, while opposition leader, he suffered a stroke on holiday, which affected his health to the extent that the King gently suggested he resign as PM in 1951 in favour of Anthony Eden. Churchill suffered a second one during an official dinner at No 10 while in office in 1953, leaving him paralysed on one side. His aides and family conspired to keep news of his illness out of the press, at a time when the Cold War was very chilly and there were fears he may not survive. Eden's own illness meant that Churchill did not quit until 1955. He suffered a third stroke the following year and died in 1965. Advertisement

Conservative PM Marcus Fysh told MailOnline the situation was party an historical anomaly due to the different political systems.

'We've got a constitutional monarchy so the monarch is the head of states and has all of that. In America the President is head of state, so that is probably why it has come through in this way. But it is worth considering whether there should in future be special measures for health within the No10 operation.

'I had the privilege of visiting the White House a couple of years ago... all his food is cooked by the US Navy.

'He has got a special water system that is protected and separate from the rest of the public system. It is very well organised.

'They are prepared for every eventuality there in a way I guess has been exposed that we need to think about a bit more.'

'It is worth keeping these things under review because we need to protect our decision makers.'

Mr Fysh said he believed the PM would 'bounce back' and was now 'in very good hands' at St Thomas'. These are teams that are at the top of their game,' he said.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, but the potential issues caused by Mr Johnson's absence have been underlined as the crucial review of lockdown measures was postponed.

Health minister Edward Argar confirmed this morning that consideration of whether the draconian measures should still apply was being postponed. Pressed on when the review will happen, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'When the scientific advice is such that we appear to have gone over the peak and it is safe to do so.'

Meanwhile, there are tight limits on Mr Raab's control of government, as he cannot hire or fire ministers and will not have audiences with the Queen, although No10 insists the UK's military response and nuclear deterrent have not been compromised.

Downing Street is expected to give a formal update on the premier's condition later, after saying last night the he is 'stable'.

Patients who rush back to work risk relapse, warn experts Coronavirus patients who rush back to work could find themselves so exhausted they need to take further time off, a respiratory consultant has said. Dr Jon Bennett, respiratory consultant at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and chairman of the British Thoracic Society, said it can take several weeks to recover from coronavirus even after the major symptoms disappear. The medic, who has treated around 60 to 70 patients with Covid-19, told the PA news agency that many factors affect recovery, including a patient's age, underlying health conditions and the severity of their illness. Dr Bennett is himself still recovering from coronavirus, after suffering sleepless nights with muscle pain, a headache and mild cough. He said many patients needing oxygen for Covid-19 had evidence of pneumonia, which can have long-lasting effects. 'With pneumonia, the bug comes, the body fights off the virus and (that) may last a few days, but the lungs get filled up with shall we say bruising and it can take several weeks for the lungs to sort that out. 'For some people, the symptoms can take several weeks to settle. 'People suffer fatigue and lethargy and it can take six weeks to recover from it. 'For some that have been to critical care, it can take longer and they may have permanent damage to their lungs.' Duncan Young, professor of intensive care medicine at the University of Oxford, said UK evidence suggests the commonest stay on an intensive care unit (ICU) for patients who survive Covid-19 is four days, but a quarter stay for eight or more days. 'In general the time in hospital depends on what co-morbidities a patient has, what the acute illness is that required ICU treatment, and the duration and intensity of ICU treatment.' Advertisement

According to the Times, his 'persistent' temperature has finally dropped while he has been in hospital.

At the daily Downing Street press briefing last night, Mr Raab said he is 'confident' the PM will pull through after a worsening of his coronavirus symptoms.

Mr Raab stressed that they could not consider easing the lockdown restrictions until it was clear the peak of the epidemic had passed and it could be 'responsibly done'.

Downing Street confirmed the review would take place after the three-week mark originally committed to.

But the emergency legislation laid before Parliament three days after the PM's announcement states that a review must take place every 21 days, with the first deadline being April 16.

The news came despite cautious optimism from chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance that the fight against Covid-19 'could be moving in the right direction'.

Sir Patrick said there were signs that the rates of new infections and new hospital admissions for Covid-19 were 'flattening off'.

But he added it would be another 'week or so' before they could be sure, indicating lockdown measures would not be eased before then.

President Donald Trump claimed overnight that the UK was 'desperate' for ventilators and had called the US with an urgent plea for 200 to treat the sickest patients.

'We're going to work it out, we've got to work it out,' he said. 'They've been great partners. They wanted 200, they need them desperately.'

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, finally admitted yesterday that the UK needed to learn from the example of Germany where the number of deaths appeared to be growing more slowly.

'We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus and there's a lot to learn from that and we've been trying to learn the lessons from that,' he said.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured in Whitehall today) has been 'deputised' to fill in for the PM, and chaired the government's daily coronavirus meeting this morning

Chris Whitty and Matt Hancock were in Downing Street for the daily crisis meeting today

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson was among the first frequent visitors to Downing Street to become infected

Updating the nation on the PM's condition, Mr Raab said he remained stable and had not required a ventilator but had received 'standard oxygen treatment' while breathing without assistance.

'I'm confident he'll pull through because if there's one thing I know about this Prime Minister, he's a fighter and he'll be back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order,' he said.

He said that ministers would not 'blink or flinch' from following the instructions Mr Johnson had set out before he was admitted to hospital.

But he appeared reluctant to say whether he would be prepared to take a decision to break with the PM's strategy while he was still in hospital if he believed a change of direction was necessary.

'He's asked me to deputise for him for as long as is necessary, but the normal Cabinet collective responsibility and principles that inform that will apply,' he said.

The latest official figures from the Department of Health showed that 6,159 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday - an increase of 786 on the previous day.

However, Sir Patrick said there were signs the number of new cases 'could be moving in the right direction'.

'It's possible that we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit. We won't know that for sure for a week or so,' he said.
BRUSSELS, April 8 (Reuters) - The chairman of euro zone finance ministers Mario Centeno said on Wednesday he was suspending talks on half a trillion euro package to support the economy against the coronavirus epidemic until Thursday, to bridge divisions over its elements.

"We came close to a deal but we are not there yet," Centeno said on Twitter after 16 hours of talks with numerous breaks, resumptions and bilateral discussions brought no breakthrough.

"I suspended the Eurogroup and continue tomorrow, Thursday," he said.

Officials said the deadlock was caused by a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over conditions attached to euro zone credit for governments to fight the coronavirus epidemic. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski)
All Is Not Well in the Gold Paper Markets

London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) officials have loudly proclaimed there are plenty of gold bars in LBMA and COMEX vaults to meet surging demand from buyers.

Unfortunately for them, confidence is particularly fragile these days and cracks are starting to appear.

Which is why anxious officials there issued not one, but two memos last week in an attempt to reassure traders.

Its interesting the LBMA, along with the COMEX, felt a need to put out back to back statements. If inventories are plentiful, both exchanges should be busy delivering gold, on time and without delay. The best way to build confidence is simply to meet buyers expectations.

The trouble is these expectations are not being met, and officials blaming disruptions related to COVID-19. There are, for example, not enough 100-ounce gold bars in the U.S. to cover demand from those standing for delivery on COMEX futures contracts.

The reason offered is that the Swiss refiners who normally convert 400-ounce bars stored in London to 100-ounce bars needed in the U.S. are temporarily closed. There has also been difficulty in arranging air transport of the gold.

This sounds plausible, but it does not explain a more fundamental problem. Bullion banks sold way more paper 100-ounce bars than they can actually deliver. While there may be lots of physical gold in London, there isnt enough deliverable gold in U.S. based COMEX vaults to meet delivery demands.

U.S. investors standing for delivery on a contract shouldnt have to rely on inventory stored in London vaults.

Yet that is exactly what they will have to do. The COMEX changed the terms of their gold futures contract. Now bullion banks can meet delivery requirements with 400 oz bars in an LBMA vault stored overseas.

U.S. buyers might not like getting a partial interest in a 400 oz bar vaulted in London instead of a 100-ounce bar they can take actual possession of here in this country. That is tough luck for them and great news for bullion bankers on the verge of default.

Perhaps the joint statement issued by LBMA and COMEX officials on April 1st was an April Fools joke. They claimed a near record 8,326 tonnes of gold are stockpiled in LBMA vaults  the equivalent of 666,045 400-ounce bars.

However, they published an inventory number from 3 months ago instead of the current stocks... suspicious to say the least. They also didnt explain that a large majority of the stored gold is not available for delivery at this time. The vast majority of that gold belongs to the Bank of England, other central banks, and ETFs.

Metals analyst Ronan Manly estimates the actual amount of gold available for delivery is less than 500 tonnes  at least at the current gold price.

Craig Hemke, of TF Metals Report, points out just what a paltry amount that is. The CME/COMEX posted a total of 290,847 Exchanges for Physical. That's a total of over 29MM ounces of gold or NINE HUNDRED METRIC TONNES!!!

In other words, the LBMA vaults may only have about half of what is needed to cover COMEX Exchanges for Physical in London, let alone what is needed by the LBMA directly. Keep in mind, these numbers are just from the first three weeks in March.

It is starting to look like a lot of speculators who hold paper gold and hope to redeem that for actual bars could be disappointed.

By Clint Siegner

MoneyMetals.com

Clint Siegner is a Director at Money Metals Exchange, perhaps the nation's fastest-growing dealer of low-premium precious metals coins, rounds, and bars. Siegner, a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon, puts his experience in business management along with his passion for personal liberty, limited government, and honest money into the development of Money Metals' brand and reach. This includes writing extensively on the bullion markets and their intersection with policy and world affairs.

 2020 Clint Siegner - 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 General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has agreed with a section of the public who think the items donated from China should be well scrutinized.



If you may recall, the Chinese government donated tens of thousands of medical supplies, test kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to some 18 African countries including Ghana to help combat the dreadful coronavirus.



Prior to this, Chinese tech billionaire and co-founder of the Alibaba Group, Jack Ma donated similar items to Ghana and other African countries.



However, a section of the public doubts the genuineness of the items and has urged government to examine it well before use.



Speaking to this in a one-on-one interview on Neat FM's 'Me Man Nti' programme, John Boadu said he agrees those items should be checked.



"We should check all of them; we will collect them but we will also make sure its suitable to be used. Fighting coronavirus has political social and diplomatic implications and we need to strategize and be careful in our measures. As we collect those gifts we must make sure that they meet the standard," he averred.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Tuesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/4/2020 (643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Customers wear face masks as they line up to enter a supermarket keeping social distancing following the government's measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday a complete lockdown over the upcoming Passover holiday to control the country's coronavirus outbreak, but offered citizens some hope by saying he expects to lift widespread restrictions after the week-long festival. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Tuesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

___________

CUSTOMERS FIRST: The pandemic is sapping trillions from the economy and the ramifications for businesses, from banks to restaurants, is severe. Some companies have also recognized their customers are suffering and extended a hand.

 Allstate is sending shelter-in-place paybacks to customers, with most getting checks for 15% of their monthly premium in April and May. Auto and home owners customers with financial difficulties can delay two consecutive premium payments. Some will be allowed to pay what they can afford. The insurer is sending out $600 million to customers, according to a regulatory filing.

 JPMorgan Chase has done away with minimum payment requirements on credit cards and it's waiving late fees. The bank will not report payment deferrals, such as late payments, to credit bureaus for up-to-date clients.

JOBS FALLOUT: Few industries have been spared from mass layoffs, particularly manufacturers and restaurants devastated by social distancing.

 BJs Restaurants is laying off about 16,000 workers.

 Nissan is furloughing about 10,000 workers as it extends a production suspension until at least April 27.

 Honda will stop paying its roughly 14,400 production workers in Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina as it extends a production shutdown through May 1. Workers are getting health insurance and other benefits.

 Thousands of Spirit AeroSystems employees are being furloughed for three weeks without pay. Most managers and hourly employees at Spirit, Wichitas largest employer, will be placed on unpaid leave Wednesday. Spirit has been hammered by problems at Boeing and its troubled 737 Max aircraft.

 T.J. Maxx's parent says it will be furloughing the majority of its hourly workers in its stores and distribution centres in the U.S. and Canada after Sunday. The company also operates such chains as Marshalls and HomeGoods. As of Feb. 1, TJX Cos. has a global workforce of 286,000, mostly in the U.S. Thats more than double Macys workforce.

DORSEY'S FUND: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is setting aside $1 billion in stock to establish a philanthropic venture focused initially on global relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic. Dorsey, who is also CEO of the financial-payments startup Square, will bequeath the new venture shares from his Square holdings.

Dorsey announced the new venture, called Start Small, in a series of tweets, and said the contribution amounts to 28% of his fortune. The organization will disclose all transfers, sales and grants on a public Google Doc spreadsheet.

Start Small wont be limited to COVID-19 work. Once we have disarmed this pandemic, he wrote, the organization will shift its focus to girls health and research into universal basic income, the idea that governments should guarantee a minimum income for all citizens.

AIRLINES: A steep decline in travel has pushed airlines to cancel flights, run fewer planes and seek government aid. Some additional hurdles they have to contend with are rules governing the sector.

 The Transportation Department gave smaller airlines a slight break in rules covering minimum service they must provide to get federal aid. The rules published Tuesday will let airlines drop flights to some airports if they serve one nearby. The department set more restrictive rules for the biggest four U.S. carriers  Delta, American, United and Southwest  to maintain flights.

 United Airlines is cutting more flights in San Francisco and Los Angeles for at least three weeks because of falling demand for travel. Uniteds president said last week the airline is losing $100 million a day.

UNCONFIRMED: Misinformation and sketchy facts about the virus, and potential cures, are also spreading fast. Of course, social media has become the conduit in many cases.

 WhatsApp tightened restrictions on message forwarding to cut down on coronavirus-related misinformation. The Facebook company on Tuesday said users getting a frequently forwarded message  one already shared by five or more people  will only be able to send it to one chat group at a time.

WhatsApp said in a blog post that weve recently seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation.

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.

TESTING: There has been a lot of criticism over the failure in the U.S. to secure widespread testing for the coronavirus. The volume remains far from what medical experts believe would provide a clear picture of the spread of the virus. But there are minor advances.

 Walgreens is expanding COVID-19 drive-thru testing to 15 sites in seven states, up from just one last month. New locations are in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas, regions experiencing escalating rates of COVID-19. Walgreens expects to be able to test 3,000 people per day, beginning later this week.

OIL PATCH: Crude prices have fallen almost 60% in the past three months and economists believe demand will be severely clipped by the virus and a global economy that was already slowing.

 Exxon Mobil slashed capital spending for 2020 by 30%, a once unthinkable retreat for one of the world's biggest energy producers. The company said Tuesday that investments of $23 billion are anticipated in 2020, down from $33 billion.

MARKETS: Markets have roiled for weeks because so much about the virus is unknown.

 A big rally on Wall Street vanished Tuesday. The S&P 500 ended 0.2% lower, retreating from a 3.5% earlier in the day. The gains faded as the price of U.S. crude oil abruptly went from a gain to a loss of more than 9%.
People who dont sew could try a folded origami mask, created by Jiangmei Wu, assistant professor of interior design at Indiana University. Wu, who is known for her breathtaking folded artwork, said she began designing a folded mask out of a medical and building material called Tyvek, as well as vacuum bags, after her brother in Hong Kong, where mask wearing is common, suggested it. The pattern is free online, as is a video demonstrating the folding process. In tests at Missouri University and University of Virginia, scientists found that vacuum bags removed between 60% and 87% of particles. But some brands of vacuum bags may contain fiberglass or are harder to breathe through than other materials, and shouldnt be used. Wu used a bag by EnviroCare Technologies, which has said it does not use fiberglass in its paper and synthetic cloth bags.
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A 1.6billion nuclear-powered submarine dubbed the 'most capable ever built' for the Royal Navy has been pictured setting sail for the first time.

HMS Audacious, one of seven Astute-class attack subs being built by BAE Systems, departed Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, on Tuesday for its maiden journey.

The ultra-advanced warship, said to 'set a new standard in weapons load and stealth', is armed with spearfish heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Around 39,000 state-of-the-art anti-acoustic tiles make the colossal 320ft, 7,400 tonne sub move through the water without making any more noise than a baby dolphin.

HMS Audacious, described as the 'most capable' submarine ever built for the Royal Navy set off for its first outing on Tuesday

The submarine uses around 39,000 state-of-the-art anti-acoustic tiles to ensure it makes no more noise than a baby dolphin

The 1.6billion nuclear-powered ship is armed with both spearfish heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles for attack

A short voyage from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, where the submarine was built by BAE Systems saw HMS Audacious return to the surface soon after at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, which is the home of the UK's Submarine Service

The state-of-the-art submarine weighs 7,400 tonnes, the equivalent of 65 blue whales, is longer than 10 double-decker buses and can hold enough food on board to remain at sea with a crew of 98 people for three months

HMS AUDACIOUS' STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY KEEPING QUIET HMS Audacious has been built to include 39,000 state-of-the-art anti-acoustic tiles. The rubber tiles work by breaking up sound waves that bounce against the hull - the metal on the exterior of the submarine - to dramatically reduce noise levels. WEAPONS The design includes spearfish heavy torpedoes and 38 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the submarine's arsenal. REACTORS HMS Audacious includes nuclear reactors that boast a 25-year lifespan. It allows the crew to create air and water, reducing the need to return to the surface. SONAR SYSTEMS State-of-the-art sonar systems on board allows HMS Audacious to detect other ships from 3,000 nautical miles away - that's the distance between New York and the English Channel. CAMERAS Two masts carry low-light and thermal imaging cameras to provide a 360-degree image to the submarine captain three seconds after being activated. Advertisement

On board nuclear reactors with a 25 year life create air and water, meaning the warship can circumnavigate the globe without needing to resurface.

The sonar system on Astute-class subs enable them to detect ships from 3,000 nautical miles away, which is the distance between the English Channel and New York

Images taken on April 7 show HMS Audacious, the fourth completed Astute-class attack sub, leaving Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, where it was built by BAE.

Its inaugural voyage was a short journey to Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, which is the home of the UK's Submarine Service.

Cliff Robson, Managing Director of BAE Systems Submarines, said: 'This is an incredibly difficult time for employees, their families and the community.

'But, as is often the case in times of great adversity, it has been truly humbling to see everyone come together to support the Government's critical defence programmes and help deliver HMS Audacious.'

Ian Booth, Chief Executive of the Submarine Delivery Agency, said: 'The departure of HMS Audacious from Barrow is a key milestone in the Astute-class programme.

'The delivery of our incredibly complex submarine programmes depends on the extremely skilled submarine workforce and close collaboration with our industrial partners across the supply chain to deliver a first class product for the Royal Navy.

The submarine departed from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, as it glided quietly through water due to its special technology

HMS Audacious is one of Astute-class submarines and becomes the fourth in service, with the final three still in construction

The short trip to the UK's Submarine Service in Clyde was hailed as a success given the difficult times the country is facing as it remains in lockdown to help tackle the escalating coronavirus pandemic that has swept right across the globe

'I am extremely grateful to everyone involved in the significant efforts to meet this milestone and the key roles they have played in the shadow of these unprecedented circumstances to get HMS Audacious to sea.'

The boat's departure comes days after the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, thanked the defence industry for its efforts to continue to deliver critical and nationally important defence operations and programmes during the difficult and unprecedented times the country is facing.

The first three Astute-class submarines, HMS Astute, HMS Ambush and HMS Artful are in service, while the final three Astute-class are at various stages of construction at Barrow.

Audacious was officially named during a ceremony at BAE Systems' Submarines site in Cumbria, back in December 2017.

Lady Jones, Audacious' sponsor and wife of Admiral Sir Phillip Jones, the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, chose the name.
Police officers arrested man and carried out searches in the Strathroy Park area of Ardoyne in north Belfast . April 7th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police officers arrested man and carried out searches in the Strathroy Park area of Ardoyne in north Belfast . April 7th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police officers arrested man and carried out searches in the Strathroy Park area of Ardoyne in north Belfast . April 7th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police investigating the murder of Robbie Lawlor in Belfast at the weekend have released a 36-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

The male was detained on Tuesday night and released on Thursday morning.

Mr Lawlor was shot dead at a house in Etna Drive, in north Belfast, on Saturday April 4.

He had previously been linked with the murder of teenager Keane Mulready Woods in Co Louth in January.
Texas can ban most abortions during coronavirus shutdown: appeals court panel

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An appeals court has lifted a temporary block on an executive order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that bans most abortions during a statewide shutdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, allowing it to take effect pending later legal action.

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled 2-1 on Tuesday in favor of the ban on most abortion procedures, overturning a lower court decision that temporarily blocked the order.

Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan authored the majority opinion, arguing that the escalating spread of COVID-19 as well as the states critical interest in protecting the public health should have been considered by the lower court.

Faced with exponential growth of COVID-19 cases, states have closed schools, sealed off nursing homes, banned social gatherings, quarantined travelers, prohibited churches from holding public worship services, and locked down entire cities, wrote Duncan.

These measures would be constitutionally intolerable in ordinary times, but are recognized as appropriate and even necessary responses to the present crisis.

Circuit Judge James L. Dennis dissented from the opinion, arguing that delaying the abortion procedure could easily amount to a total denial of that constitutional right.

If currently scheduled abortions are postponed, many women will miss the small window of opportunity they have to access a legal abortion, wrote Dennis.

A woman has only a small window of opportunity to exercise her constitutional right to choose, and therefore Petitioners action in further narrowing that window will present a burden in many cases.

Last month, pro-choice groups, including Planned Parenthood, sued Texas over an executive that deemed most abortions non-essential procedures and thus banned them as part of an overall response to the spread of COVID-19.

U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel issued a temporary restraining order against Texas ban, arguing that it caused irreparable harm to those seeking an abortion.

Regarding a woman's right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion, the Supreme Court has spoken clearly, ruled Yeakel last month.

There can be no outright ban on such a procedure. This court will not speculate on whether the Supreme Court included a silent except-in-a-national-emergency clause in its previous writings on the issue.

Yeakels block on the order was originally slated to be in effect until April 13, when a court hearing via phone was scheduled for the litigation.

Soon after his order was released, however, the Fifth Circuit panel issued a temporary stay on the block pending further legal consideration.

Governor Abbotts order ensures that hospital beds remain available for Coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis, stated Texas Attorney General Paxton last week.

Texans must continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, and we must support the health professionals on the frontlines of this battle.
Following the acquisition, Yum China will establish a Chinese Dining Business Unit comprising three core Chinese dining brands, Little Sheep, East Dawning, and Huang Ji Huang. The Company aims to gain a stronger foothold and enhanced know-how in the Chinese dining space, which represents a significant share of the dining market in China. With Yum China's scale and system capabilities, and Huang Ji Huang's track record and capabilities of product R&D, franchisee management, and Chinese dining know-how, the acquisition is expected to create synergies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding our future business plans and anticipated synergies from the acquisition. We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and by the use of forward-looking words such as "expect," "expectation," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "could," "intend," "belief," "plan," "estimate," "target," "predict," "likely," "will," "should," "forecast," "outlook," "look forward to" or similar terminology. These statements are based on current estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances, but there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates or assumptions will be achieved, the integration of Huang Ji Huang may require significant time, attention and resources, and the expected synergies from the acquisition may not be realized. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. You should consult our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the information set forth under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations " in our Annual Report on Form 10-K) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results.

About Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Yum China Holdings, Inc. is a licensee of Yum! Brands in mainland China. It has exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, China's leading quick-service restaurant brand, Pizza Hut, the leading casual dining restaurant brand in China, and Taco Bell, a California-based restaurant chain serving innovative Mexican-inspired food. Yum China also owns the Little Sheep, COFFii & JOY and East Dawning concepts outright. The Company had 9,200 restaurants in over 1,300 cities at the end of December 2019. Yum China ranked # 362 on the Fortune 500 list for 2019. In 2020, Yum China was named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and was certified as a Top Employer 2020 in China by the Top Employers Institute, both for the second consecutive year. For more information, please visit http://ir.yumchina.com.

Investor Relations Contact:

Tel: +86 21 2407 7556

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Tel: +86 21 2407 7510

[email protected]

SOURCE Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://ir.yumchina.com


President Trump on March 27 signed into law the $2 trillion stimulus package designed to save millions of jobs and bail out companies devastated by the coronavirus. But when the dust settled, one hard-hit sector of the travel industry was left on the sidelines: the major cruise lines.

Even politicians who demanded that the industry clean up its environmental record as a condition for receiving taxpayer funds were a little stunned by the news.

I have to admit I was surprised, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said in an interview, given the presidents support for the cruise industry.

So why were the major cruise lines left out? These are the three primary reasons.

Theyre foreign corporations

In the weeks before the bills passage both Democrats and Republicans expressed reservations about bailing out the major cruise lines because they are not American corporations and are largely exempt from paying income taxes.
The Association of Conscientious Public Sector Contractors is asking President Akufo-Addo to with a matter of expediency, pay off the remaining arrears of their contractors amid the coronavirus pandemic.



They are therefore appealing directly to President Akufo-Addo to consider as a matter.



Some of our members have unpaid claims at GETFUND dating back two years. Payment will enable us pay our staff, our suppliers and even pay our statutory obligations, a statement from the Chairman of the Association of Conscientious Public Sector Contractors, Bernard Azumah said.



In the statement, they acknowledged that the menace of COVID-19 has brought hardship the world over and governments are putting measures in place to mitigate the impact on their citizenry.



But there is a need for them to receive their arrears to also contribute their quota to fight against the pandemic.



He said that will help their members give a helping hand to the needy and vulnerable in their communities during this coronavirus crisis moment.



We observe with much admiration, the difficult, yet necessary effort yourself and your administration are making at minimizing the impact on the Ghanaian lives and economy, a part of the statement mentioned.



According to them indeed lives are at stake and the Presidents leadership on this matter must be commended.



We believe with our collective effort, Ghana will emerge stronger on the other side."





Read below their full statement



OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFFO ADDO-

ASSOCIATION OF CONSCIENTIOUS PUBLIC SECTOR CONTRACTORS





The menace of COVID-19 has brought hardship the world over and governments are putting measures in place to mitigate the impact on their citizenry. We observe with much admiration, the difficult, yet necessary effort yourself and your administration are making at minimizing the impact on the Ghanaian lives and economy. To quote your now worldwide acclaimed quotation "We know how to bring back the economy, what we don't know is how to bring back lives".



Indeed lives are at stake and your leadership on this matter must be commended. We believe with our collective effort, Ghana will emerge stronger on the other side.



Mr. President, we are greatly elated about the stimulus funds set aside to support small businesses. We are appealing directly to you to consider as a matter of expediency, paying off the remaining arrears of contractors. Some of our members have unpaid claims at GETFUND dating back two years. Payment will enable us pay our staff, our suppliers and even pay our statutory obligations. Apart from the multiplier and stimulative effect of such action, it will also help our members give a helping hand to the needy and vulnerable in our communities. It is no secret that contractors, like other businessmen, are called upon by members of our communities to support the unfortunate ones all the time. These times have made such requests much more frequent and urgent.



Please consider coming to our aid. It will alleviate our harrowing plight and afford us the opportunity to also play our part.



We are counting on your fatherly providence.



May God bless you and May God bless our homeland Ghana.



Signed:



Bernard Azumah



(Chairman)





The following could be contacted for interviews or clarifications:



-1) Mr Richard Nyarko: 0205123444 or 0508457710



-2) Mr. Frank Agbeve: 0249862669 or 0208160424



-3) Steve Aidam: 0244326171 or 0504301856



-4) Bernard Azumah: 0244615244















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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New research from Adelphi University has revealed the first forensically-assessed archeological discovery of remains of a group of domineering mounted archer-lancers and their kin of the Eastern Roman Empire from the turbulent ProtoByzantine period, which spanned the fourth to seventh centuries.

Ten skeletal remains -- four women and six men likely of high social standing -- were discovered in the Paliokastro site on Thasos island in Greece. Their bones illuminated their physical activities, traumas, and even a complex form of brain surgery.

"The burial place and architecture of the funerary monumental church and the construction of the graves is spectacular," said lead researcher and anthropologist Anagnostis Agelarakis, PhD, who added that it indicates the high social standing of the individuals buried there.

The advanced preservation of their remains and the impressive location and architecture of the funerary monumental church where they were buried exhibit their high status in the region.

According to the skeleto-anatomic features of the individuals, both men and women lived physically demanding lives. The very serious trauma cases sustained by both males and females had been treated surgically or orthopedically by a very experienced physician/surgeon with great training in trauma care. We believe it to have been a military physician." Anagnostis Agelarakis, professor of anthropology in Adelphi's Department of History

As for the brain surgery, Agelarakis suggests that "even despite a grim prognosis, an extensive effort was given to this surgery for this male. So, it's likely that he was a very important individual to the population at Paliokastro."

Agelarakis and his colleagues were able to derive medical and surgical data, as well as paleopathological data, on this "extraordinary head and neck surgery and the great efforts of the surgeon." It was determined that the likely cause for the surgical intervention was infection and that archer died shortly after or during surgery.

"The surgical operation is the most complex I have ever seen in my 40 years of working with anthropological materials," Agelarakis said. "It is unbelievable that it was carried out, with most complicated preparations for the intervention, and then the surgical operation itself which took place, of course, in a pre-antibiotic era."

The results are described in a new book, "Eastern Roman Mounted Archers and Extraordinary Medico-Surgical Interventions at Paliokastro in Thasos Island during the ProtoByzantine Period: The Historical and Medical History Records and the Archaeo-Anthropological Evidence," by Archaeopress, Access Archaeology.
Donald Trump accused some who cast ballots in US elections by mail of "cheating," even though he intends to do so in Florida as part of the Sunshine State's primary.

The president made clear he opposes states moving to all-absentee ballot elections amid the coronavirus epidemic, telling reporters Tuesday night he fears that would lead to widespread voter fraud. He defended his request for an absentee ballot because "I'm here in the White House."

Previous chiefs executive also have cast ballots from afar  but few, if any, claimed voting-by-mail automatically triggers "cheating."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's condition is improving in the hospital, where he's been in the critical care unit for two nights, as a record number of daily deaths from Coronavirus were reported in the U.K..

"The latest from the hospital is that the prime minister remains in intensive care where his condition is improving," Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said in a televised press conference on Wednesday. "He's been sitting up and engaging positively with the clinical team."

Johnson was taken into St Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday and moved to the critical care unit on Monday after struggling to shake off virus symptoms, including a cough and a fever. He has been receiving standard treatment with oxygen and has not needed a ventilator, the premier's spokesman James Slack earlier told reporters in London.

The national picture, however, is bleaker, with a record 938 people dying of the virus in the 24 hours to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, bringing the U.K. toll to 7,097, the Department for Health said. Johnson put the country into lock down on March 23 and an extension is now likely when the restrictions are due for review on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.

There's not enough evidence yet to justify relaxing the restrictions, though discussions are ongoing and no formal decision has yet been taken, according to the officials, who asked not to be named because the plans are private.

While Johnson is "in good spirits," he is not working, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is now in charge of the government in all areas. "He has the ability to contact those that he needs to," Slack said. "He is following the advice of his doctors at all times."

Scientists predict the U.K. will be headed into the peak of the outbreak over the next week, at a time when the country is without its leader. The government is already battling criticism of its handling of the crisis, with hospitals short of protective equipment and testing rates lagging behind other countries.

With signs of the pandemic turning the corner in Spain and Italy, Europe's hardest-hit countries, Britain is moving into its most critical phase, with deaths still rising.

On Tuesday, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said there were signs for optimism in the numbers for new infections, which were stable. There would need more data, though, before the authorities could make any decision to end a lock down that's crippling the economy.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested it may be another month before the government can lift restrictions.

Briefing reporters on Wednesday, Slack said a decision is likely to be announced on whether to extend or ease the lock down next week.

"We need to keep delivering a very clear message to the public that while this is difficult they need to stick with it," Slack said. "We are at a critical time in our fight against coronavirus. They need to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives."
India witnessed a moonlit night on Tuesday as the Supermoon charmed everyone staying in isolation amid coronavirus outbreak. A host of Bollywood celebrities basked in the moonlight and shared breathtaking pictures of one of the biggest and brightest moons of the year on social media.

Vicky Kaushal shared a mesmerising picture of the Mumbai skyline as the big moon shone over the skyscrapers. He captioned it, View tonight. #supermoon. However, his brother Sunny Kaushal, who never leaves an opportunity to engage in banter with his brother, commented on it, Wow! Ek Chand ne doosre Chand ki photo kheechi hai.

Ananya Panday, too, shared a picture of the moon and wrote, In my defence, the moon was full and I was left unsupervised.

Parineeti Chopra and Ananya Panday share pictures of the Supermoon.

Parineeti Chopra also shared a similar picture in her Instagram stories. Posting a photo of the night sky and the moon, she captioned it, Whattawow.

Kritika Kamra shared a late night picture of the moon as the clouds started taking over. She wrote, Dont forget to look at the moon tonight! Phone camera can never do justice..sigh #SuperMoon #SuperPinkMoon.

Also read: Ayushmann Khurrana surprises fan on her birthday, serenades her with song. Watch video

There are a number of variations of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, but for many, this full moon corresponds with the Hanuman Jayanti festival celebrating the birth of Lord Hanuman.

Earlier, the Bollywood stars had shared glimpses from their balconies as they lit oil lamps in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis 9pm 9 minute call amid the 21-day lockdown. All from Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan to Taapsee Pannu had lit candles or oil lamps to show their solidarity with the PM Modi.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Actor Varun Dhawan has announced that he will be providing meals to the needy and the health workers fighting against the coronavirus pandemic. He made the announcement with a special post on Instagram on Tuesday.

With each passing day of being locked down at home, my heart goes out to all those who have no home in this time of crisis. And so this week Eve committed to provide meals for the poor who are without homes or jobs. I also have deep admiration for all those who are risking their lives by working on the frontlines. I have committed to provide meals to doctors and medical staff at hospitals, he wrote in his note. All meals are provided through the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust. Its a small step. But during a crisis like this, we have to make every step count. I will continue to do what best I can, he added.

This is a long battle and we have to fight it together. Finding solutions is the only way forward @ratantata #tatatrust, he captioned the post. Varuns fans applauded his decision. So proud of you, wrote one. Thats nice of you, wrote another.

Varun had earlier pledged to contribute Rs 30 lakh to PM-Cares Fund to help the battle against Covid-19. I pledge to contribute 30 lakhs to the PM CARE fund. We will overcome this. Desh hai toh hum hain, he wrote in a tweet.

Also read: When Robert Downey Jrs Iron Man co-star Terrence Howard blamed him for Marvel ouster

Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, singer Guru Randhawa, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, rapper Badshah, Maniesh Paul, Kriti Sanon and others have also donated for the cause. Salman Khan decided to donate to support 25000 daily wage workers of the film industry who are left with no source of income owing to the complete lockdown.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Los Angeles, California  As calls grow for the release of inmates in prisons across the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic, lawyers and advocates are pressing for the broad release of young people held in juvenile detention facilities, as well.

As many young people that can go home right now, should go home, said Zoe Rawson, a member of the Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, which is part of a California coalition demanding the immediate release of detained youth.

Many said they are concerned that these facilities are not prepared to safeguard the thousands of incarcerated young people, and measures taken inside the facilities put the young peoples mental health at risk.

In Los Angeles (LA) County, home to the largest probation department in the nation, advocates say that although some social distancing measures have been implemented, they worry detained young people continue to share communal meals, watch movies together and sleep in dense quarters.

LA County probation authorities on March 26 formally instructed facilities to screen all visitors for symptoms, implement deep cleaning, isolate any juveniles who present symptoms and other measures to try to keep the coronavirus from spreading. The county suspended family visitation and classes and arts programmes earlier last month.

Two probation employees at Barry J Nidorf Juvenile Hall in LA have tested positive for the coronavirus and 40 young detainees have been placed in quarantine. There are 192 youths at the juvenile hall.

That news added to worries that the virus, known to be devastating in enclosed spaces like nursing homes, will spread rapidly in juvenile facilities.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an order to temporarily halt adding youths to state-run juvenile detention facilities, known as halls and camps.

Public defenders, the district attorneys office, and the Probation Department, which runs the juvenile detention centres, are reviewing every young persons case to see if there is an immediate opportunity for release through individual court hearings. The overall population in LA County juvenile detention centres has been reduced by about 30 percent in the last three weeks, according to LA County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia.

But public defenders said they are calling for the broader release of youths. Right now, we are observing very limited if any onsite services in our juvenile camps. Youth are bored, isolated from family, and living in communal spaces without access to adequate protective equipment, and in some cases, without frequent access to soap and water. This is a crucial concern for us, as were sure it is for the families of these youth, Garcia told Al Jazeera in an email.

A California coalition of more than four dozen organisations has demanded that youths detained on misdemeanour and low-level felony arrests and bench warrants be immediately released. As of Monday, there were 401 youths detained in halls and 252 in camps across LA County.

Nationwide demands

The demands have been echoed nationwide, with youth advocates in 33 states calling on governors and juvenile justice administrators to release all young people who have coronavirus symptoms or have chronic illnesses in addition to halting new admissions to protect youths from the spread of the virus.

A New York City-based law firm filed a lawsuit against the citys child welfare chief for the immediate release of young people held, arguing that their detention constitutes deliberate indifference to the risk of serious medical harm.

At least three juveniles in Louisiana state custody and one teenager in the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center in Houston, Texas, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to local media.

Back in Los Angeles County, probation officials told Al Jazeera that as of Monday, there were currently no youths in LA County Probation custody suspected of having the COVID-19 virus. Those currently in quarantine may have been exposed to the virus, but are not presenting symptoms, officials said.

They said they have developed plans to minimise the risks related to the spread of the coronavirus. Public health signage has been posted outside each facility and inside the living units, restrooms, kitchen and staff sleeping quarters and instructed facilities to conduct additional deep-cleaning efforts in high-traffic, high-volume areas, including healthcare facilities.

The county has also implemented changes to operations in juvenile facilities in order to screen and test people entering the facilities, including staff.

Hilda Solis, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said the county is hoping to reduce crowding in juvenile facilities and it is seeking to increase access to social distancing and increased hygiene practices. Without a vaccine, physical distancing is our most effective tool in containing the spread of COVID-19, Solis told Al Jazeera in a statement.

County public health officials who have visited the detention centres told Al Jazeera that facilities have the capacity to socially distance the youth and isolate them upon becoming symptomatic.

But Kim Cullen, a primary care physician in Colorado who helped pen an open letter to governors and probation officials by concerned doctors, said social distancing in juvenile facilities is nearly impossible.

If the ability to put in place the Center for Disease Controls guidelines is not obtainable in a carceral setting then it is not an appropriate setting for someone to be in, and there needs to be another plan, she told Al Jazeera.

Grave threat to mental health

Additionally, advocates are worried about what effects social distancing and visitation cancellations will have on the mental health of the incarcerated young people.

When Los Angeles defence lawyer Jerod Gunsberg spoke to a young man in a juvenile facility two weeks ago, the young man told him that he has just learned about the scope of the pandemic thanks to a phone call with his mother a few days prior.

He didnt understand that everything on the outside was locked down, Gunsberg said.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has acknowledged that the pandemic poses a threat to mental health, especially to children and teenagers. It has provided parents and caregivers strategies to help young people cope with stress, encouraging them to give children regular opportunities to express their feelings. Children should receive appropriate alternative care if they are separated from families and the CDC has said they should be given twice-daily scheduled phone or video calls.

Juvenile facilities throughout the country have cancelled family visits, prompting advocates to ask probation officials to grant youths unlimited phone calls and video conferencing.

We can only imagine that as we see the crisis unfolds every day and seek information, the anxiety of not really knowing or feeling this uncertainty is only amplified inside, said Patricia Soung, youth justice policy director and a senior staff attorney at the Childrens Defense Fund.

In a brief submitted by lawyers in Pennsylvania and California seeking the release of incarcerated youths, Craig Haney, a professor of psychology and expert in incarceration and mental health, said juvenile facilities are ill-equipped to handle the crisis.

Most lack the capacity to provide more than minimal emergency mental health or medical care. Yet, the demand for such services in this crisis will grow, stretching already scarce treatment resources even further, said Haney. The continued detention and confinement of children during the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a grave threat to their physical and mental health.

There is also a growing fear that institutions might revert to the use of solitary confinement in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus considering limited options to implement social distancing.

Using something like solitary to reduce the spread of a disease is incredibly harmful. Solitary confinement can lead to suicidality, death in youth and others, said Cullen.
But she is trying to retain as much of the holiday routine as possible  still dressing their two children in the special outfits she bought months ago, cooking a ham, maybe streaming a church service. The family plans to have an Easter egg hunt on their roof. Shes asked her mother for some recipes, and they have an order in at Dinkels Bakery, which offers a decorating kit for a lamb cake. She plans to suggest a family video catch-up after the meal.
PARIS, April 8 (Reuters) - France's flagship military aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle is on its way back to port after some staff on board showed signs of COVID-19 symptoms, said the French armed forces ministry on Wednesday.

The ministry said around 40 staff were under strict medical observation at present. (Reporting by Nicolas Delame and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
A group of cross-party peers have called for a "virtual Parliament" to be established so the Government can be scrutinised during coronavirus outbreak.

They urged Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Evans to prioritise implementing video-conferencing technology so oral questions and statements can be made.

If successful, the 210-strong group also said they want the use of digital technology to be extended to include legislation and voting.

Parliament was suspended until April 21 amid the Covid-19 crisis as members in the Palace of Westminster try to abide by social distancing measures to slow the spread.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

The peers, including Conservative former minister Lord Bourne, Labour's Lord Dubs and Liberal Democrat Lady Benjamin, called for "new ways of working" to be introduced.

In a letter, they called on Baroness Evans to move forward with a "virtual Parliament as swiftly as possible".

Lib Dem Lord German, who was key in organising the call, said: "In the months ahead the British public will face challenges like never before and they will expect us to show leadership and fulfil our role as Parliamentarians.

"We are clear that Parliament must lead by example, not only in taking steps to slow the spread of the virus, but in fulfilling its duties during this difficult time. A virtual Parliament is crucial in ensuring that happens."

Lord Speaker Lord Fowler wrote to peers warning that the challenges could go a "long way beyond" April 21 and said authorities are working "incredibly hard" to allow members to participate from home.
Luxembourg  7 April 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced that at the 2020 Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the AGM) on 7 April 2020, all resolutions were approved by the general meeting.

In accordance with the Grand Ducal regulation of 20th March 2020, the AGM took place without any physical presence. The minutes of the AGM which detail the resolutions passed and the result of the votes cast in relation to each resolution are attached hereto. The minutes can also be found on the Companys website www.subsea7.com .

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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.

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Contact for investment community enquiries:

Katherine Tonks

Investor Relations Director

Tel +44 20 8210 5568

Katherine.Tonks@subsea7.com

www.subsea7.com

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
Thomas Barrack, Executive Chairman and CEO, Colony Capital, participates in a panel discussion during the annual Milken Institute Global Conference at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.

One of President Donald Trump's closest allies hired a top lobbying firm to advise on challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Colony Capital, a real estate investment firm run by Tom Barrack, recently hired lobbyists from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to focus on "issues related to COVID-19 relief packages," according to a lobbying disclosure report first reviewed by CNBC.

The form lists Colony Capital as the client and that the effective date of the firm registering to lobby for Barrack's business was on March 20, just days before Trump signed the $2 trillion stimulus package. The lobbying form was officially signed on Tuesday and records indicate that Barrack's company has never hired lobbyists.

Barrack, who has been a longtime friend of the president, published a Medium post on March 22 warning the administration and Congress that commercial mortgage market is in free fall in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has damaged the U.S. economy.

Barrack hired the lobbyists from Brownstein to act as advisors for guidance on, not just the points he made in the post from two weeks ago, but counsel for when he speaks publicly and writes future papers on how the federal government should handle what he has publicly deemed a liquidity crisis that was brought on by the coronavirus, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. This person declined to be named as these decisions were made in private.

"The key point is there needs to be a broader understanding that this is a liquidity crisis and not yet a credit crisis and further damage to the system could be avoided if this is better understood," this person told CNBC.

Those listed on the form as lobbyists for Barrack and his company have extensive knowledge of government regulations.

Barrack said in his post that high-performing mortgage loans were in the process of a "meltdown" and they were on the "brink of collapse" due to the impact of the virus. Barrack's company is known as a real estate investment trust and would be involved with these types of loans.

Barrack made what he called "suggestions" to the Trump administration, Congress and other government entities for how to solve this problem. One way, Barrack said at the time, was to "encourage Congress to provide an amount up to $500 billion to the Secretary of the Treasury to support programs or facilities for the purpose of providing liquidity to the financial system" he wrote. The Colony Capital CEO said in an interview Monday that he wasn't too optimistic about his chances of seeing aid being given to the commercial mortgage market if there is another round of economic stimulus.

"We're fighting politics," he told Bloomberg News. "In an election year, nobody wants to be viewed as bailing out over-leveraged industries -- even if that's not what is happening."

The lobbyists helping Barrack have extensive experience in the regulatory field.

Marc Lampkin, a partner at Brownstein, was once an advisor to Republican former House Speaker John Boehner, while Travis Norton previously served as staff director of the Senate Banking Committee, tax counsel to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and the general counsel of the House Financial Services Committee. The group of lobbyists assisting Colony Capital also includes Norman Brownstein, a founding member of the firm, who has worked closely with House Ways and Means Committee members, Senate Finance Committee members and those on the Joint Committee on Taxation.

A representative for Colony and all the advisors listed on the registration form did not return a request for comment.
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 18:50 642 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0aa43a 1 Business bank-indonesia,ADB,AIIB,loan,World-Bank,COVID-19,coronavirus Free

Indonesia will receive around US$7 billion in loans from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance the country's fights against COVID-19.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo said on Tuesday that the funds would be used to finance the countrys widening budget deficit of 5.07 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to prevent a greater health crisis and economic meltdown from the COVID-19 outbreak. He, however, did not unveil the details of the planned loan.

The AIIB, ADB and the World Bank planned on around $7 billion [in loans] during an investor teleconference. We will maximize it, Perry told House of Representatives Commission XI overseeing financial affairs. The Finance Ministry has also said that it will maximize the governments budget.

Read also: Government debt issuance to triple to $62b as Indonesia fights COVID-19

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has announced additional state spending worth Rp 405.1 trillion to finance Indonesias battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic. The new allocation will be used specifically for health care, the social welfare safety net and business-recovery programs.

In funding the extra budget, the government has resorted to debt issuances, international institution loans and state budget reallocation.
With classes suspended due to COVID-19 outbreak, all the departments of Manipur University have started online teaching, but students residing in remote areas of the state are facing problems due to poor net connectivity while attending the classes, officials said.

Manipur University Registrar Prof WC Singh in an order on April 2 had asked students and teachers to download and install Zoom app or Zoom Cloud Meeting in their laptops or smartphones for online classes.

Students were told to provide their email ids to their respective departments.

Prof Basanta Sharma, Head of Physics department told PTI that teaching a science subject online is different from teaching an arts subject as you need to draw up diagrams and explain scientific theories by using mathematical formulas and calculations.

He also said the time slot given is 40 minutes but it often has to be extended to one hour due to technical issues particularly due to disruption in live streaming and sound.

Many students said that poor net connectivity, particularly in rural and hill areas, is a hindrance in the interaction process. Prof O Mukherjee, Head of Chemistry department, said: In chemistry and physics, online teaching cannot reach up to the level of satisfaction as in humanities subject as these two particular subjects require explanation based on mathematical calculations, drawing symbols, molecular structure, formulas. Asistant Prof Sonia Wahengbam of Mass Communication and Journalism department, welcomed the online teaching system and said: it provides engagement to both teachers and students during this lockdown period. Wahengbam said a practical problem faced by students is limited data pack.

Most of the students run out of data, as online classes consume a lot of data, a second year student said.
The Cross Unveiled: an illuminating read that exposes the evilness of Satan whose only mission is to destroy us and our humanity within. The Cross Unveiled is the creation of published author Diane Y. Clay, a watchman and a prayer warrior who prays for America and the world. She is a native of Los Angeles, California and was raised in the San Fernando Valley. Her family attended Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ under Bishop Benjamin J. Crouch.

Clay shares, For those who are not Christians, this comes to you so that you also can take comfort in the knowledge that the forces of the enemy of our souls are under the complete control of God and can only act in ways He allows. Jesus came to set the captives free and to give up himself as a ransom for our sinsto give us hope that in knowing him all things are possible.

Just as in the days of Daniel, God, who saved the three Hebrew boys from burning in a fiery furnace, sent his Son to rescue them. Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son again but this time as a ransom to rescue a dying world. He was nailed to a cross and with His shed blood, all people are saved from their sins and spending eternity in a burning hell.

At that time, the Babylonian king built a statue of himself; and he sent out a decree that everyone should bow down before it. When passing, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused because, even though they were in exile from Israel, they knew what God had told them that bowing down to false gods was a sin.

Daniel 3:2129 (NIV) says,

So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The kings command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, Werent there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?

They replied, Certainly, your Majesty.

He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowed around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted him and defied the kings command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Diane Y. Clays new book is a profound manuscript that carries a message and a warning for the nation, and calls for everyone to return to the Most High God.

This book is written to aid people in discovering Gods immense love and His widely opened arms ready to welcome one in His embrace.

View a synopsis of The Cross Unveiled on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Cross Unveiled at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Cross Unveiled, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
COLUMBUS, OhioNew Ohio Senate legislation would give Attorney General Dave Yost the power to order limits on how much customers can buy of various in-demand items, such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, during the coronavirus crisis.

Senate Bill 301, which has the support of Senate President Larry Obhof and was written with Yosts input, would also ban price-gouging by retailers. Since the beginning of March, Yosts office has received more than 400 complaints of businesses -- both online and in-person -- grossly inflating prices as the coronavirus crisis ramped up, according to a release.

If found guilty by a court, violators could be fined up to $25,000 and be forced to reimburse customers. If a judge issues an injunction ordering a supplier to limit prices or per-customer sales, the supplier must obey that order or pay up to $15,000 for each day that it flouts the order.

Three-fourths of the money paid would go to the states consumer protection enforcement fund, and the remaining one-fourth would be given to the county where the infraction took place.

"During unprecedented times like the current COVID-19 pandemic, Ohioans must be protected from immoral individuals or companies that seek to profit off of fear," said Sen. Nathan Manning, a North Ridgeville Republican who is co-sponsoring the bill, in a statement.

The transaction limits and price-gouging measures could be imposed only as long as the governor declares a state of emergency in Ohio, as Gov. Mike DeWine did on March 9 in response to the viral threat. Suppliers could also avoid penalties if they show that their price increases are due to reasonable but unforeseen circumstances, such as if theres an increase in cost through their supply chain.

Under the bill, only the attorney generals office could take legal action against alleged offenders -- individuals could not sue on their own.

Yost said last month that officials from major retailers such as Walmart and Target pledged to freeze prices until the coronavirus pandemic subsides. The attorney general, a Columbus Republican, also asked retailers to voluntarily set limits on how much each shopper can buy of various in-demand items.

A marketplace has rules to protect both buyer and seller," Yost said in a statement Wednesday. "When predators try to turn it into a knife fight with no rules, its time to take the knives away. There is a difference between a free market and a free-for-all.

Right now, 35 states have some form of anti-price-gouging measures in place. Ohio is not one of them, though state law does ban other types of unconscionable consumer sales acts or practices.

Read more Ohio coronavirus coverage:

Coingate convict Tom Noe among Ohio inmates Gov. Mike DeWine wants to release early amid coronavirus fears

Gov. Mike DeWine recommends releasing 167 more Ohio prison inmates due to coronavirus crisis

Ohio restaurants now able to sell take-out liquor, cocktails Gov. Mike DeWine says

Ohio lawmakers eye rainy day fund as state budget reels from coronavirus crisis

Ohios tax revenue hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, new numbers show
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Frankfurt, Germany  Wed, April 8, 2020 15:43 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd09c6fb 2 Business German,economic-growth,coronavirus,economic-impact,COVID-19,pandemic Free

The German economy, Europe's biggest, is expected to shrink by nearly 10 percent in the second quarter as the coronavirus paralyzes the country, six leading research institutes warned Wednesday.

"The corona pandemic will trigger a serious recession in Germany," the think tanks including Ifo, DIW and RWI said in their annual spring report.

Gross domestic product likely contracted by 1.9 percent in the first three months of 2020, and is set to shrink by a whopping 9.8 percent in the second quarter as companies feel the pain from widespread shutdowns.

The second-quarter plunge is twice as big as any seen during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and marks the steepest fall since the institutes' records began in 1970, the report noted.

Over the full year, Germany's economy is predicted to contract by 4.2 percent.

Their forecast is in line with German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier's recent assessment that the economy would contract by around five percent in 2020.

Germany's "Wise Men" council of economic experts last week issued a similar forecast, predicting a drop in GDP of between 2.8 and 5.4 percent this year.

Like countries around the world, the German government has taken drastic steps to stem the spread of the virus, keeping millions of people at home, closing schools and shops and shutting down factories.

Berlin has also unveiled an eye-watering 1.1 trillion euro rescue package to cushion the blow for companies and employees, even suspending a constitutional balanced-budget rule to ramp up its response.

The package includes state guarantees for loans to businesses, easier access to benefits for workers placed on reduced hours, and direct support for the hardest-hit firms.

But even with the unprecedented measures, the six institutes warned that the recession "would leave its mark" on the job market.

Germany has long enjoyed record-low unemployment of around five percent, and German workers with their relatively high wages have for years been a key driver of the country's growth via domestic consumption.

Unemployment could climb to 5.9 percent report this year, the institutes said.

The number of workers on shorter hours meanwhile is expected to hit 2.4 million, as giants like Lufthansa, Volkswagen, BMW and Puma join a slew of companies taking up a government scheme that tops up the pay of affected employees.

Looking ahead, the institutes said Germany with its bulging state coffers was "well positioned" to cope with the economic slump and should bounce back in "the medium term".

For 2021, the institutes expert Germany to notch up growth of 5.8 percent.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Santa Fe city councilors on Wednesday will consider partnering with Santa Fe Public Schools to make Wi-Fi available to citizens across the city.

The agreement would use city funds to set up Wi-Fi hot spots at 11 proposed locations around Santa Fe, giving the public internet access already available at these sites.

The proposed agreement comes as all public schools in New Mexico have closed their campuses and shifted to online learning amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Now, the district is trying to ensure students can access online learning materials while in-person classes are canceled.

Were trying to make sure all our kids have internet from areas as close as possible to where they live, said Tom Ryan, the districts chief information officer.

Access to internet varies across Santa Fe, a disparity reflected in a recent survey conducted by the districts principals, with many schools on the south side of the city having the least amount of access.

At Nava Elementary, for example, 14% of families have no access to internet at home. Salazar, Sweeney and Kearney elementaries also had high rates of those lacking internet access.

And for Capital High School, which serves parts of the citys south side, 6.4% of families have no internet access. By comparison, just 1.6% of families with students attending Santa Fe High dont have access to the internet.

Sean Moody, who is overseeing the project for the city, said they have taken this geographic gap into consideration, with most proposed hot spot locations being on the south side of town.

Wheres the most bang for your buck? Its on the south side, he said.

Moody said he is currently drafting contracts for the project, which he expects will not exceed $90,000. The money is being funded from a previous bond issue.

If approved, initial hot spots will be installed within the next week, Moody said. After that, the city will spend the next several weeks upgrading internet quality at each site to improve speed and connectivity.

The district will manage devices at its school sites after installation, Ryan said.

Moody said that, while some areas have a greater need, internet should be made available to all parts of the city.

Everybody in the community understands how important that is, he said.
Only five states send ballots to all voters to be returned through the mail. Roughly one-third of states require a formal excuse to procure an absentee ballot that can be sent in remotely, including the swing state of New Hampshire, which has yet to designate the pandemic as a legitimate reason to get a mail ballot. Other states crucial to the presidential contest, like Wisconsin and North Carolina, require a witness to sign an application for a mail ballot  a requirement that can be difficult to meet for voters in quarantine.
[April 08, 2020] Kin + Carta Appoints Mark Ardito as New VP of Cloud Modernization

CHICAGO, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kin + Carta (KTC), the global digital transformation consultancy, announced the appointment of former Walgreens Boot Alliance Global VP of Cloud and HCSC VP of Digital & Cloud-Native Development Mark Ardito as its new Vice President of Cloud Modernization. Effective immediately, he will oversee the company's cloud-native consulting strategy as well as the firm's global modernization network. Ardito is a seasoned technologist who brings to the role over nine years of experience leading digital transformations and cloud-native initiatives within large organizations. "We are thrilled to welcome Mark to Kin + Carta," said Kelly Manthey, Group Chief Executive for Kin + Carta Americas. "By adding Mark to the team, we can now collectively bring more practical cloud transformation expertise to our clients. Mark's enterprise experience combined with his pulse on the emerging cloud market and his track record in getting ROI from cloud investments allows our clients to make decisions with confidence." At HCSC, Ardito led the firm's US digital transformation and push for application modernization, while at Walgreen's Boot Alliance, he wasGlobal Vice President of Cloud Computing across the US, Europe, and the firm's Asia footprint, focusing on strategy, applications, and infrastructure.



"For the longest time, the mantra for most organizations was 'just get to the cloud,'" said Mark Ardito, VP of Cloud Modernization at Kin + Carta. "Today that journey needs to be purposeful. Kin + Carta gives me an amazing opportunity: I get to help customers modernize and start to leverage cloud-native technologies to help equip them to drive business value." Modernization has been one of the fastest-growing divisions of Kin + Carta as clients continue to invest heavily in rewriting mission-critical applications using the latest technologies and methodologies. In late 2019, the firm introduced its latest methodology, FleXP, a balanced and blended approach to programming allowing organizations to achieve both the technical excellence and speed-to-release of Extreme Programming (XP) with the planning and predictability of Scrum.

As a leading digital consultancy, Kin + Carta has been recognized by technology partners, including Pivotal's Agile Partner of the Year and Google Premier Partner in 2019, and is a Microsoft Silver Partner. About Kin + Carta Kin + Carta exists to make the world work better. A global consulting firm built for the 2020s, Kin + Carta helps make the journey to becoming a digital business as profitable, tangible and sustainable as possible. By building digital twins to replace existing analog processes, designing and launching new digital products and services, and unlocking future innovation through modernization initiatives, Kin + Carta seamlessly integrates the strategic consulting, software engineering and marketing technology needed to help businesses Make It Happen. Headquartered out of Chicago and London, our clients have access to a global ecosystem of 1,600 strategists, engineers and creatives across four continents. For more information visit www.kinandcarta.com CONTACT: Julia Ansaldi

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kin--carta-appoints-mark-ardito-as-new-vp-of-cloud-modernization-301037559.html SOURCE Kin + Carta

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Video gamers, a bikie house gathering and an inner-city dinner party that ended up costing guests more than $11,000 are among the recent recipients of fines for breaking Victoria's coronavirus lockdown rules.

Amid complaints from people who believe they were punished by grey areas of the law this week, police issued 114 fines in the 24 hours to 11pm on Tuesday.

Three friends each received a $1652 fine - a total penalty of almost $5000 - for playing video games in a lounge room. Credit:Akio Kon

Victoria has now issued a total of 491 fines  at least three times more than NSW.

Those hit with a $1652 fine for gathering unnecessarily include "three mates who were playing video games in a lounge room and did not live together", four people "found walking the streets seeking drugs" and a group of friends who were "hanging out in a park", police said.
A plane carrying cargo directly from Wuhan, the original epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, touched down in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night after it landed at about 9.30pm.

One man in a hazmat suit was pictured carrying away a small box, while another crew member told Daily Mail Australia the crew was delivering a 'huge supply of face masks'.

The crew members headed from the tarmac to the Rydges Hotel at the International Airport.

Airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night

Airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night

A direct flight from Wuhan is arriving in Australia today, only 24 hours since the Chinese government opened its borders after a national lockdown

A government spokeswoman said the aircraft was carrying about 90 tonnes of essential medical supplies, including respirators and protective equipment.

The plane travelled nine hours non-stop from the Chinese city, which is only now easing lockdown restrictions which began on January 23 to rid the region of the deadly respiratory infection.

Since the outbreak began at least 3,300 people have died in China and 81,802 have been infected. At least 2,571 of the nation's reported deaths were in Wuhan.

Globally, there are now 1.4million known cases.

The cargo plane is operated by Chinese carrier Suparna 'Yangtze River' which is part of the Hainan Airlines Group (HNA).

The Boeing 747 was due to land at 8.32pm but was delayed. The plane is carrying freight rather than passengers but does have some crew on board.

Most freight planes carry anywhere between two and four pilots during a long-haul flight.

Crew will be entitled to a hotel stay for the duration of their stopover in Australia, though will be expected to self isolate during that period.

'International crew are permitted to transit through Australia but must remain in the port or airport, or self-isolate in accommodation for the duration of their transit,' a Department of Home Affairs spokesman said.

A Cargo plane direct from Wuhan China has landed at Sydney international airport stocked with cargo

The Boeing 747 is operated by Suparna 'Yangtze River'', part of the Hainan Airlines Group (HNA) which has ties to the Chinese communist party

A Sydney Airport spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that cargo handlers would follow strict disease control protocols.

'Cargo handlers operating out of the airport are following the strictest hygiene and infection control protocols in line with advice from health authorities,' they said.

Aviation expert with Strategic Aviation Solutions, Neil Hansford, guessed the plane could be arriving with the purpose of delivering personal protective equipment or to return to China with Australian exports.

Once the plane lands, it will dock at a freight terminal at Sydney Airport.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton introduced changes to the Customs Act on April 1 to ban the export of 'essential goods' in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hainan Airlines and the Australian Border Force for more information.

A crew member told Daily Mail Australia they were supplying protective face masks for the coronavirus outbreak, though these claims have not been confirmed

One man dressed in protective gear and another two in hi-vis workwear were spotted near the plane's entrance

The Chinese government lifted its two month lockdown of Wuhan on Wednesday, reopening its borders after 76 days.

Train road and rail connections have reopened however residents need to have clearance via a smart phone application to be allowed to leave.

Each user's health status is stored within the mobile phone app, which can be accessed by scanning a QR code.

While restrictions are still in place, 200 flights with 10,000 passengers are scheduled to depart Wuhan on Wednesday.

China reported zero deaths related to coronavirus on Tuesday, and only two new infections in the past fortnight.



Relieved residents leave Wuhan on Wednesday morning after restrictions were lifted

A security guard conducts security screening at Wuhan's Hankou Railway station
We find ourselves in an extraordinary period where our inalienable rights and liberties have been temporarily curtailed. In particular, of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the latter two have been curtailed with an aim to preserve the life of more citizens.

We can and should question and debate the boundaries of these restrictions and be unhampered to advocate against any portion of them that we believe are unnecessary. This is especially true when decisions are made by executive authority rather than by our elected deliberative bodies. I saw written somewhere online words to the effect of extraordinary restrictions should come with extraordinarily clear justification. Whether you agree with that proposition (I do), more generally citizens of all stripes have a right to express their opinions. I have noted before that Tennessees founding principles take some of the strongest stances towards liberty rather than obedience, consent rather than dictation, and trust of the individual.

Others in our community and nation have voiced their concerns over how to balance the lives of those at high risk with the lives, rights, and futures of all citizens. I consider that discussion very worthwhile, and at no point should that debate be unwelcome. When we consider the balance of present and future lives, I implore us to also remember the citizens of the past. To secure our liberties and build our country, so many of the past sacrificed greatly, in dangerous jobs, deferred dreams, and of course giving their lives in battle. In light of their sacrifice, I argue that we have a moral duty to question, debate, and dissent. I advise those of you in the thick of this debate to consider if your words and actions honor the purpose of the sacrifices of those who came before us. Only you can decide the answer, but please be sure to ask yourself the question.

Finally, a word to our executive officials and those advising them: no one envies your job right now in these uncertain times. Nonetheless, you cannot afford to forget that you do not speak to us, you speak for us.

David Kelman
What a gradual reopening looks like

Americans are understandably anxious to get back to normal as soon as possible. But any reopening in the foreseeable future may not look the way we imagine.

Instead of a swift return to our pre-coronavirus lives, were more likely to see a gradual easing of some restrictions while many others remain in place. It may be less about putting the pandemic behind us and more about learning to live with it, perhaps for a long time.

That is whats happening in several countries that are farther down the road than the U.S.

A few European nations that were quick to enact strict policies are cautiously relaxing them now: Austria will let some shops reopen next week, and Denmark is reopening day care centers and primary schools on April 15. Both said they would clamp down again if they spotted any signs of a second wave of infections.

In a symbolically important move, China lifted the lockdown of Wuhan on Tuesday. The city of 11 million people had been shut down and sealed off for 10 weeks.

Shops have reopened, but many have set up counters by the street so customers can make purchases while remaining outside. Residents can now leave the city, but only after the authorities review their travel and medical histories. Buses and subway trains are running again, but officials are still telling everyone to stay home as much as possible, and schools remain closed.

Life is creeping back in Wuhan, according to our colleagues Raymond Zhong and Vivian Wang, but the trauma from the epidemic could linger for decades, and true normalcy is nowhere in sight.
President Donald Trump has lambasted governors who he views as insufficiently appreciative. He has denigrated - and even dismissed - inspectors general who dared to criticize him or his administration. And he has excoriated reporters who posed questions he did not like.

The coronavirus pandemic has crystallized several long-standing undercurrents of the president's governing ethos: a refusal to accept criticism, a seemingly insatiable need for praise - and an abiding mistrust of independent entities and individuals.

Those characteristics have had a pervasive effect on the administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, from Trump's suggestions that he might withhold aid from struggling state governments based on whether he is displeased with a governor to his repeated refusal to take responsibility for shortcomings in the laggard federal response.

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said that he's never worked with a politician who enjoys criticism, but what's unusual about Trump "is that he's willing to counterprogram. He's willing to go on the offense on a continuous basis."

"He's saying the quiet part out loud," Feehery said.

Trump's daily coronavirus news conferences - as much public health forums as presidential showcases - offer a vivid case study.

On Monday, for instance, Trump was asked about a new report by Christi Grimm, the top official in the Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Inspector General, which found hospitals faced significant testing and medical supplies shortages.

The president first demanded the inspector general's name and when she was appointed. He hinted that perhaps "politics" entered into her findings - though the Office of Inspector General is an independent entity specifically designed to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse in government, with minimal partisanship.

Informed that Grimm was appointed to her current role in January but is a career bureaucrat who previously served in the Obama administration, Trump lashed out at ABC News's Jonathan Karl, who had pressed him on the report's damning findings.

"You are a third-rate reporter and what you just said is a disgrace, OK?" Trump said, adding, "You will never make it."

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said the president expects nearly everyone around him to do his personal bidding, a view both "childish" and "dangerous."

"Trump demands affirmation and does not tolerate oversight from the media, Congress, even inspectors general who he appointed," Axelrod said. "He wants to impose his version of events and discredit and disable any arbiters of fact who might disrupt his self-aggrandizing story line. That has been his instinct in business and politics, and we see it on full display in this crisis."

Throughout his term, Trump has frequently singled out other organizations and individuals whose goal is to be objective - from intelligence and federal law enforcement officials to public health experts and judges.

His relationship with the Justice Department's top law enforcement official is one example. He faulted his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for not sufficiently protecting him against special counsel Robert Mueller III's Russia investigation, publicly tormenting him for months before finally firing him.

The media has also been an enduring target of Trump's ire. At nearly every coronavirus news conference in recent days, the president has clashed with reporters - at times seemingly intentionally - dubbing the press "fake news" and criticizing the tone and content of their questions.

Especially amid the deadly pandemic, Trump has upbraided reporters, not just for tough questions but for failing to flatter and publicly praise him.

During his Saturday news conference, for instance, Trump began his remarks by explaining that every decision his administration makes is intended "to save lives."

"It's therefore critical that certain media outlets stop spreading false rumors and creating fear and even panic with the public," he continued.

Without naming specific publications, Trump took umbrage with the cascade of stories that have documented his administration's mishandling of crucial aspects of the coronavirus response.

"It's so bad for - for our country, so bad for the world," Trump concluded. "You ought to put it together for a little while, get this over with, and then go back to your fake news."

During the same news conference, he dismissed a question about when people should expect to receive their checks from the recently passed $2 trillion stimulus as being posed "in such a negative way" and described another as "always a nasty one from CNN."

The day before, during Friday's news conference, Trump also got into a testy back-and-forth when asked about comments in which his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, declared that the Strategic National Stockpile was for the federal government and not the states.

Trump called the question "a gotcha" before telling the reporter, "You ought to be ashamed."

"Don't make it sound bad. Don't make it sound bad," the president continued, before concluding: "You just asked your question in a very nasty tone."

And on Monday, when sparring over the inspector general report, Trump demanded accolades from the White House press corps. "We have a brand-new testing system that we developed very quickly and that is your results and you should say, 'Congratulations, great job,' instead of being so horrid in the way you ask a question," he said.

The president has also feuded with many of the nation's governors, who are on the front lines of the battle against the virus. Last month, during a Fox News interview, he described the relationship as "a two-way street."

"They have to treat us well, also," Trump said. "They can't say, 'Oh, gee, we should get this, we should get that.' "

He has also repeatedly articulated his desire for the governors to be more publicly thankful toward him. "All I want them to do - very simple - I want them to be appreciative," Trump said during a news conference at the end of March.

Many of Trump's purported conversations with governors have played out in a sort of stop-action retelling during the daily press briefings. The governors are "happy" - or not - depending on who he has spoken with or who has been on television.

In Trump's telling, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is "complaining all the time" on Sunday, but by Monday he is "a very happy man."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, is another object of special presidential attention - his news conferences and statements a matter of almost daily, up-or-down commentary by Trump.

"Now, they may see you and say, 'Oh, we're not happy,' but they're very happy on the phone," Trump said Monday about governors, before turning to Vice President Mike Pence for backup.

"Mike Pence is a straight shooter, and he had a great phone conversation to them, with all of the governors," Trump continued. "And they're very happy. Every one of them. Were there any negatives?"

"No, sir," Pence replied.

In addition to Grimm, the health department's principal deputy inspector general, Trump has recently attacked several other watchdogs. Late Friday, he announced his intention to fire Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general he appointed in 2018. Atkinson had deemed as "credible" a whistleblower complaint involving a phone call Trump had with the Ukrainian president, which ultimately led to Trump's impeachment.

The president on Tuesday also removed acting Pentagon watchdog Glenn Fine, the chairman of the federal panel Congress created to oversee his administration's management of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package.

Trump's action Tuesday fits a pattern of hostility to the kind of impartial oversight an inspector general is supposed to apply.

On Monday, Trump snapped at a reporter who had barely gotten out a question about Grimm's findings about testing supplies before Trump cut her off.

"Did I hear the word 'inspector general?' " he demanded. "Really? It is wrong and they will talk to you about it. It is wrong."

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a New York University professor who studies authoritarian rulers, said Trump's daily news conferences have become "propaganda occasions."

A leader like Trump, she said, "sees any questioning as a challenge, as a threat to his power."

"It's a very crude mentality of either you're with me or you're against me," she said.
Medical staff including nurses and



paramedical employees at a municipal hospital staff in Mumbai staged a protest on Wednesday against the 'poor quality' of personal protection equipment (PPE) given to them.

Employees of the K B Bhabha Municipal General Hospital in suburban Bandra gathered outside the hospital and staged a protest, after a woman undergoing treatment there died due to COVID-19 infection, an employee said.

The hospital staffers are demanding that they be quarantined as there is a serious risk of spread of COVID-19 in the facility.

Two private hospitals in Mumbai have been sealed after some medical staff members there tested coronavirus positive.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TSX ticker symbol; BKX

OTCQX ticker symbol; BNKPF

CAMARILLO, CA, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "BNK") (TSX: BKX) announces that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary BNK Petroleum (US) Inc. ("BNK US") has received its bank borrowing base redetermination on its revolving line of credit ("credit facility") from BOK Financial ("BOKF"), which has lowered the borrowing base to $23.5 million.

Concurrent with the redetermination, BNK made a $3 million principal payment on its line of credit, reducing the outstanding amount to $23.5 million, and has agreed to make future principal payments to further reduce the borrowing base to $21.0 million by November 2020.

Wolf Regener, President and CEO commented. "At an assumed oil price range of $22/bbl to $35/bbl, we expect adjusted funds flow of between $5.7 million and $6.5 million in 2020 due to our strong hedge position and low decline rates on our existing production. The Company's cash on hand, which totaled $3.1 million at December 31, 2019, and its 2020 adjusted funds flow, are expected to fund all of these principal payments to the bank. In addition, BNK has approximately 37 percent of its forecasted oil production hedged at $52.66/bbl for 2021."

All figures are in U.S. dollars.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally, the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQB under the stock symbol BNKPF.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Adjusted funds flow is not a measure recognized under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP. The Company's non-GAAP measures, including adjusted funds flow, are described and reconciled to the GAAP measures in the Company's management's discussion and analysis which is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Adjusted funds flow is calculated as cash from operating activities excluding changes in non-cash operating working capital and interest expense. The Company considers this a key measure as it demonstrates its ability to generate funds from operations necessary for future growth excluding the impact from short-term fluctuations in the collection of accounts receivable and the payment of accounts payable and financing costs.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding estimated adjusted funds flow, payments under the credit facility and the Company's plans and objectives. Forward-looking information is based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of data by the Company's technical team at the date the data is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including that that indications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the necessary labor and equipment will be obtained, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the offset operator's operations will proceed as expected by management, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business, its ability to advance its business strategy and the industry as a whole. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered, that equipment failures, permitting delays labor or contract disputes or shortages of equipment or labor are encountered, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks, including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions), the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, that the offset operator's operations have unexpected adverse effects on the Company's operations, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve, and the other risks and uncertainties applicable to exploration and development activities and the Company's business as set forth in the Company's management discussion and analysis and its annual information form, both of which are available for viewing under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com, any of which could result in delays, cessation in planned work or loss of one or more concessions and have an adverse effect on the Company and its financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

The estimate of adjusted funds flow in this news release is provided for the purpose of assisting the reader in evaluating the Company's ability to repay the required amounts under the credit facility disclosed in this news release. The Company cautions readers that the information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

SOURCE BNK Petroleum Inc.

Related Links

www.bnkpetroleum.com


Jimmy Fallon said that his mind is blown by the eloquence of Biden. I imagine most of the public can come up with terms to describe Bidens utterances other than eloquence. Absolute confusion comes to mind.

It does not matter if Biden does an interview with Chuck Todd on Meet the Press, The Today Show, The View, NBC, ABC. CBS, WP, USA Today, MSNBC, AP or Fallon, Meyers, Colbert or Kimmel, the questions will always be the same. It will be some derivative of tell us how Trump is screwing up and remind us how great, honest and scandal free the Obama/Biden years were.

The playbook for decades has been the same. The only thing that matters to most talking heads is whether the politician has a D or an R behind their name.

In 2008, Obama wasnt vetted at all while McCain and Palin were under constant attack.

In 2012, the media didnt care what Obama did his first four years. They spent their time attacking Romney, including spreading the Harry Reid lie that he didnt pay income taxes for years.

In 2016, most of the media didnt care about all the kickbacks Hillary took, how many laws she broke, nor how many women Bill and Hillary physically and mentally abused for decades. They spent all their time attacking Trump, but they would have attacked whoever had the R behind their name.

If the media cared about the truth and informing the public, instead of putting a Democrat back in the White House, they would ask logical questions.

Here is a sample of questions that Biden should be asked but wont be:

Did WHO say in mid-January that the virus wouldnt transfer human to human? If the experts didnt know, why do people say Trump should have?

Why did you call Trump's banning of travel from China racist and an overreaction and now say he reacted too late? Should Americans trust you as President when you called the travel ban that saved lives an overreaction?

Why do you continually lie that Trump called the virus a hoax?

How many people have died because you and Obama never replenished the medical supplies and equipment inventories that were depleted during the Swine flu pandemic?

Was there a daily death and case count, a daily press briefing and wall to wall trashing of the Obama Administration for their slow reaction to the swine flu?

Were you or Obama ever asked about having blood on your hands because you didnt declare a national emergency for months after the swine flu pandemic showed up?

How many people would die from the virus and many other diseases if you and other Democrats got their way to outlaw oil products and there were no more planes, trains, trucks and ships to move drugs, supplies and medical equipment around the globe and the U.S?

Why did Obama, you and others continually lie to the public about Obamacare that they could keep their plan, keep their doctor, that premiums would be reduced, and the budget deficit would go down?

Why did the Obama Administration implement bonuses to hospitals, through Medicare, if they didnt readmit patients? Why do Democrats mislead the public that government-run health care has no limits as to what they pay?

How many people died prematurely in the U.S. since life expectancy went down four straight years after Obamacare was in place?

Should people trust the party that didnt keep their word on Obamacare, and trust politicians and bureaucrats around the world who cant handle a seasonal virus, to control temperatures, sea levels and storm activity forever if we just hand over trillions of our hard-earned dollars?

Should people trust the party who would deny health care to unwanted newborn children to oversee health care for the rest of us?

Democrats say they are the party of truth and science, so what is the scientific date that human life begins?

Was it OK for Obama to implement DACA when Congress wouldnt pass it?

Did the Obama Administration separate kids from parents at the border and keep them in enclosures (cages)?

Should a President be called a racist and xenophobe for enforcing immigration laws Congress passed? Is the purpose to gin up racial hate and division against Trump?

Why do you continue to lie about what Trump said at Charlottesville? Is it to intentionally deceive minorities to keep their votes and gin up racial hate against Trump?

Why did Obama/Biden policies give the U.S. economy the slowest economic recovery in seventy years?

Which policies are you proposing, or did you and Obama implement, to help the private sector vs. pushing for a more powerful government?

How do higher taxes help give opportunities to people, especially minorities and the poor, to move up the economic ladder?

Isnt it better that we have a president who has focused on moving manufacturing back to the U.S since he took office, especially in light of the virus, instead of someone like Obama, who said manufacturing was gone for good and it would take magic to bring the jobs back?

Should Lois Lerner and others at the IRS have been prosecuted for violating the free speech rights of ordinary citizens who opposed Obama policies and obstructed justice by destroying computers and hiding documents? Or were they above the law?

How many people died in Ukraine because Obama/Biden were so busy appeasing Putin that they wouldn't provide defensive weapons?

Should people who committed perjury, like Holder, Clapper, Brennan, Rice and Comey, be prosecuted or are they above the law?

Should people at the FBI who committed fraud before the FISA Court to take out Trump, like Comey and McCabe, be prosecuted or are they above the law?

Should the FBI ever use documents provided by a political party to justify spying on their opponent?

Should Hillary and others, including Obama, be prosecuted for trafficking classified documents on a non-secure personal computer or are they above the law?

Should powerful politicians like Hillary and you use powerful government positions to enrich themselves and their families? Isnt that pure abuse of power that should be investigated and/or prosecuted?

Why do you continue blatantly lie that the Obama/Biden years were scandal-free when there were continuous major scandals throughout your eight years? A huge scandal was that the corrupt justice department, Democrats in Congress and the complicit media didnt give a damn.

There are thousands of more questions that should be asked but wont be because most supposed journalists are just campaigning for Democrats and want them in power. They gladly hide the truth from the public.

Can anyone look at Biden today or throughout his career and see anything to indicate he could manage a crisis like the virus?

Does anyone look at Biden today and believe he could handle a ten minute or two-hour press conference every day as Trump does? I read that Bidens advisors try to keep his public speaking appearances to very short periods and we all can see why.
 Flash

When Rose Xu and Liang Zhao launched an initiative to support U.S. hospitals three weeks ago, they didn't expect a newly built 20-person team would be able to help 12 local hospitals, with some 112,000 surgical masks, over 3,000 N95 masks, and beyond.





On Monday, the first batch of supplies, some 24,000 surgical masks produced in Shanghai, were delivered to Holy Cross Hospital and Suburban Hospital in Maryland, offering a timely support for doctors and nurses facing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) as COVID-19 swept across the country.





On Tuesday, the group sent masks and other PPE to Kaiser Permanente and another hospital in Maryland. They'll continue to deliver more supplies to hospitals in Montgomery County, Howard County, Frederick County, Baltimore City, and Washington D.C.





"Thank you for your amazing generosity! You support is heartwarming and deeply appreciated and needed," a hospital staff sent the message to the team Monday night. In a follow-up thank-you email Tuesday, she said, "we thought you would like to know that we used a portion of your donation today!"





Raising 20,000 USD in half a day





The grassroots initiative, called Chinese Americans Supporting Hospitals, or CASH, was started in mid-March, following co-founder Xu's visit to a local hospital, where she found that outpatient doctors didn't wear masks because they didn't have any.





"Many friends who are doctors were also loudly calling for help, saying that their hospitals and clinics are in dire need of masks and other PPE," Xu told Xinhua. "Then I figured, we shouldn't just talk the talk, but gotta walk the walk."





Xu and Zhao, who live in Montgomery County, Maryland, didn't expect the initiative launched by the two would quickly draw support from a large number of people. "We selected several who were eager to help and seemed dependable as team members, and it turns out we have a good eye for talent," Zhao teased.





Angela Men, who is in charge of contacting hospitals, told Xinhua that the overall reaction from health care professionals are "gratitude and anxiety," as there is an apparent scarcity of PPE in local hospitals.





Through WeChat, a widely used Chinese messaging app, CASH team members constantly communicate updates and exchange ideas everyday. "For the past three weeks, our key members had to work, and spent extra hours for voluntary work, we almost stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. everyday," Xu said.





When China was heavily hit by the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, Xu joined local branch of Zhejiang University Alumni Association to donate urgently needed medical supplies to Hubei and Zhejiang provinces. "We (overseas Chinese) are really playing the full game, after donating to China we donate to America," she laughed.





Zhao told Xinhua they originally planed to help one or two hospitals with a batch of masks, and never imagined a grassroots initiative would receive such overwhelming support. "We were just trying to help," he said. "It's like the house is on fire and everyone goes to put it out."





A fundraiser organized by Zhao and others on the GoFundMe platform was able to meet the goal of 20,000 U.S. dollars within just half a day after it was launched on March 18. As of Tuesday, they have raised more than 105,000 dollars, contributed by nearly 1,000 donors, most of who come from the local Chinese community.





Strenuous efforts, trivial tasks





Weeks of working day and night taught the team one thing: making a donation is not a piece of cake. From raising money to selecting products, from contacting hospitals to transporting and distributing supplies, each step involves complex and trivial work.





"Our medical supplies go directly to the hospitals, so we had a very strict screening process, trying to select FDA approved and reasonably priced products," Xu said, referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.





The global scramble for masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to a flood of inferior products, but has also pushed up prices, making it difficult for the team to find suitable suppliers.





"Some manufacturers and distributors do not meet the standards, and some qualified products are priced too high," said Xu, who works in the medical science field. "Meanwhile, the FDA and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are constantly changing guidance, adding to the challenge of the team."





"When the price of masks is very high, the team never bid against others," said Zhao, who has a background in pharmaceutical science. "Because we know that no matter who gets the masks, they would wind up in the hands of health care workers."





After reviewing scores of options, the team made the final decision to purchase 112,500 surgical masks from a Shanghai factory, which were shipped to Maryland last week. They also managed to procure over 3,000 N95 masks, some 1,000 protective gowns, and over 300 reusable face shields, and intend to buy more.





"We've been through a lot," Xu said. "The ducks in hand have flown twice or three times," she said, using a Chinese proverb which means having what is deemed a sure thing comes to nothing.





Despite strenuous efforts, CASH team members have experienced some precious moments, with tremendous support from across the Pacific Ocean. "Many friends in China were asking us, they were so warm-hearted," Xu said. "My classmates said 'we will help you ship supplies if you need.' Friends back home are so eager to help," she said.





"When I see the doctors, I feel like they are my brothers and sisters," Zhao told Xinhua, after delivering supplies Monday afternoon. "With giving, understanding and love, the gap between people is just paper-thin."





A united Chinese community





The CASH team is just one of the many support groups among the Chinese community in the Greater Washington D.C. area, which comprises D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In a WeChat group of roughly 270 people, many donation teams and individuals exchange information frequently every day to help each other.





The group announcement listed the contact person of each team, donation platforms, as well as the hospitals that have been contacted. At the end of the notice it read: "Most of the group members are old comrades who donated to Wuhan, we work together, play the second half together!"





Xi Su, who lives in Vienna, Virginia, is the organizer of another aid group, which boasts over 30 volunteers and donates masks to doctors and nurses directly, in what he called a "targeted donation." The group mostly helps health care professionals in Virginia and D.C., and also some in Maryland and the worst-hit New York.





"We are trying to protect as many as possible," Su told Xinhua. The group already purchased 12,000 surgical masks from China's eastern Shandong Province and over 400 industrial N95 masks from Guangdong Province, most of which were delivered to local health care workers in the past week.





"Just trying to help doctors and nurses last for one week, and hopefully the supply shortages in hospitals would be eased," Su said. He estimated that over 200 local health care workers received donation from his group.





Su noted many Chinese doctors have been actively seeking mask donations for their colleagues. "Chinese doctors are the absolute backbone of the health care community in the outbreak. They protected their colleagues," he said.





Just on Monday, Su received 80 N95 masks from a volunteer in Beijing, and he immediately sent out some to those asking for help. He said he received tremendous support from Chinese and American families and friends.





"High school classmates in Shanghai, college classmates in Shenzhen, business partners in Nanjing, Ningbo, Chengdu and Shenzhen, sisters, brother-in-laws, and nieces in Hefei all helped me purchase masks," he said.





Some of the doctors who received donations offered to bring home-made bread, candy, and even fresh fish. "While maintaining social distance increases the physical distance between people, it reduces the psychological distance between people," he said.





Though largely Chinese, the aid group also includes some Indians, Ukrainians, Iranians and Turks. "We are fighting a people's war, not just with Chinese, but with other ethnic groups," he added.




Bernie Sanders acknowledged reality on Wednesday and announced that he will no longer be actively campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. While many Sanders supporters were taken aback by the news, the writing has been on the wall for their candidate since Joe Bidens sudden establishment-aided surge coincided with a pandemic that precluded the possibility of fairly contesting the rest of the primaries on the schedule or even of holding televised debates between candidates standing in the same room.

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From the perspective of the Democratic left, there are many things about this event to rue. The website on which Sanders streamed his announcement happened to highlight one that should make other voters engage in self-examination as wellnamely, the tagline highlighted above: Paid for by Bernie 2020 (not the billionaires).

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The magnitude of Sanders accomplishment as a politician over the last five yearshe went from being a fringe radical who polled in the single digits to the second most powerful person in the Democratic Partyis incredible; that he did it without engaging at all with the corporate/high-earner fundraising apparatus that 99.99 percent of all other candidates of both parties make peace with is, literally, a singular achievement in history. (Even Elizabeth Warren got help from a rich supporters super PAC.) Sanders campaign was, truly, funded by regular people: As one oft-cited analysis found, the professions found most disproportionately often among his donors included bartender, vet assistant, butcher, and fast food worker. (One of Pete Buttigiegs was funeral director.) One of the groups whose members contributed the most to him in total was the U.S. Postal Service. Even as Biden passed him in 2020, he continued to be the preferred candidate of lower-income voters.

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But it wasnt enough, and its not a coincidence that the candidate who defeated him told donors at New York Citys Carlyle Hotel last June that nothing would fundamentally change about their positions in society if he were elected, or that the winner held his first campaign fundraiser with a Comcast executive whose job duties include lobbying against laws that would make it easier for Comcast employees to organize into a union. Over and over, voters heard from business leaderseven the ones who typically support Democratsthat Sanders plans would, e.g., bankrupt the health-care system and be a disaster for our country and that they would rather vote for Trump than the senator from Vermont. The message was underlined by similar and in some cases even more alarmist financial-community response to the candidacy of Sanders significantly less socialist rival Elizabeth Warren.

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For a whileas the traditional donor class wavered among its doubts about Bidens age and energy, its tentative interest in Pete Buttigiegs Potemkin youth movement, and its fantasies that Michael Bloomberg might prevail through sheer technocratic will and spending powerSanders even seized control of something like the traditional front-runners role: grabbing key victories in the early states, building a delegate lead, accumulating what the campaign press had to regard as momentum and credibility. But he was only winning with a plurality, and as the other options fell away, majorities began forming around Biden.

The result was Sanders losing repeatedly in primaries in which a crucial subset of voters who liked his proposals chose Biden because of his presumably superior electability. Now, if Biden goes on to beat Trump, the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Partyand its views on taxation, social welfare spending, antitrust law, lobbying restrictions, securities regulation, and the likewill be well represented in the governing administration. In four or more years, Sanders successorsthe AOCs and Marie Newmans and, depending on how things go, perhaps the Elizabeth Warrens againmight ride the significant momentum he has created to do things differently. But for now, money still talks.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday accorded sanction for establishment of two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) in partnership with Tata Technologies that would strengthen industry-academia partnership and bring qualitative improvements in technical

The decision was taken by the Union Territory's Administrative Council headed by Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu here.

The centre in Kashmir division would be established at Government Polytechnic in Baramulla and the location for the CIIIT in Jammu division shall be finalised soon, an official spokesman said.

The move is aimed at providing skill training to students of engineering colleges, polytechnic colleges and ITIs besides unemployed engineering degree/diploma holders and engineering graduates who are employed but in need for career enhancement to upgrade to latest technological skills.

This project will be an industry-led consortium as a joint venture between Government of J&K and Tata Technologies to facilitate innovation and skill development of students, industry professionals for skill development and creating entrepreneurships, he said.

Through this project, the spokesman said Tata Technologies have proposed to introduce 18 courses and many other subsidiary courses with an annual intake capacity of 2,880 students and professionals receiving training and skill development.

Meanwhile, the Administrative Council also accorded sanction to the transfer of 'Shamilat' (Kahcharai) land measuring 40 kanals (two hectares) situated in Drugmulla village in Kupwara district of north Kashmir to the School Department for establishing Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kupwara.

The council also accorded sanction to the transfer of 40 kanals of land to the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction for setting up transit accommodation for Kashmiri migrant government employees under the Prime Minister's package in Deegam village in Shopian district of south Kashmir, the spokesman further said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Area healthcare workers plan to rally Thursday outside various Lehigh Valley hospitals and nursing facilities, demanding better protection from COVID-19 as the amount of patients being treated for the deadly disease continues to spike.

The protest is set to begin at 3 p.m. at places in Easton, Allentown, Bangor, Monroe County and Berks County. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 300 Pennsylvanians have died from COVID-19 as the novel coronavirus claimed 70 more lives in the last day, including 20 in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties.

Workers plan to be stationed at Easton Hospital, 250 S. 21st St, Easton; Slate Belt Health & Rehab, 701 Slate Belt Blvd., Bangor; Phoebe Home, 1925 W. Turner St., Allentown; and Cedarbrook Nursing Home, 350 S. Cedarbrook Road, Allentown. Additionally, workers are scheduled to protest at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County and Spruce Manor in Reading, Berks County.

Protestors plan to stand six feet apart and rally as part of the #GetMePPE National Day of Action. They will be demanding masks, gowns and protective gear amid a shortage of medical supplies at some hospitals. Workers also will urge the federal government to get on board the effort.

The healthcare workers leading the #GetMePPE National Day of Action are members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the states largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and healthcare workers. They say frontline caregivers are at the epicenter of fighting the novel coronavirus in the nations hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities, and client homes and continue to put their lives at risk without the protection they need.

The group also is calling on U.S. President Donald Trumps administration to drive a coordinated, transparent national response -- using the full power of the Defense Production Act -- to immediately, and for the duration of the crisis, procure, produce and provide equipment to all healthcare workers. They are also calling for healthcare coverage, paid sick time and paid leave for all frontline workers nationally.

Monroe County last month was named a coronavirus hot zone with more than half of admissions to the St. Lukes University Health Networks Monroe campus being treated for COVID-19. Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs also has said the network is seeing a similar percentage of admitted patients being treated for COVID-19 at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono location.

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.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email her. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
CARLSBAD, N.M  Ranchers in a southeastern New Mexico community are claiming victory in a legal battle with a potash company over water rights connected to the Pecos River.

A state district judge ruled last week to call on the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer to show cause for issuing the company seven preliminary authorizations to shift its water rights from use for potash refining to sales to the oil and gas industry, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports.

Eddy County District Judge Ray Romero said authorizations, which were issued without hearings or public participation, should be canceled as illegal permits.

Ken Dugan, attorney for the Carlsbad Irrigation District, said this meant the Office of the State Engineer must stop Intrepid Potash from pumping water from the Pecos River. We are ecstatic he (Romero) upheld his ruling and did the right thing, Dugan said.

Intrepid Senior Vice President Robert Baldridge declined to comment.

The Denver-based Intrepid Potash recently claimed ownership of about 35,000 acre feet of water rights along the Pecos, with 19,000 identified for consumption.

Ranchers in a rural area south of Carlsbad said that move could completely drain the Pecos.

In response to the Intrepid Potashs claims, the Carlsbad Irrigation District filed litigation intended to block Intrepids ownership of the water and seven preliminary authorizations granted by the Office of the State Engineer to change the point of diversion and manner of use of the water.

Potash is an ore extracted and used in a variety of household products, including makeup and fertilizer.

Carlsbad was the site of the first North American discovery of potash, and it remained a staple of the local economy in the years since.
Hosts Gibbs Dube and Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Zimbabwe Service discuss the ongoing challenges Zimbabweans around the world are facing due to Covid 19. Many have tested positive for the virus, and while some have recovered from its symptoms, some are struggling to recover. Others have died.
MANZINI - Two nurses from Mbabane Clinic have been charged for allegedly refusing to attend to a patient who was suspected to have contracted COVID-19.

The two nurses have been charged with misconduct and their disciplinary hearing is scheduled to begin tomorrow. This is contained in the notification of disciplinary hearing letter which The Clinic Group wrote to the nurses last Saturday.



The Clinic Group charged the medical practitioners under Section 5.1 of its disciplinary code. It said that on March 29, 2020, the nurses allegedly refused to care for the patient, who was assigned to them in ward three, without a legitimate reason.



Under Section 3.5 of The Clinic Group Disciplinary Code, your refusal to look after the patient in ward three on March 29, 2020, led to the publication of a press article by one of the local print media on April 2, 2020, which put The Clinic into disrepute, reads part of the letter.



Enquiry



On that regard, The Clinic Group advised the medical practitioners that their date of the enquiry would be tomorrow.

In the letter, the nurses were also advised that they had a right to prepare their case and that was the reason why they were given their notice for disciplinary hearing at least 48 hours before the enquiry date.



Furthermore, they were advised that they had a right to be accompanied and represented by a colleague of their choice or by a member of the workers council or staff association who was not on suspension from work for the hearing or any subsequent appeal.



The nurses were also told that they had a right to call a witness to testify on their behalf and have an interpreter. They were also advised that they had a right to appeal against the penalty provided and this could be done within seven working days of the hearing. In the letter, The Clinic Group added that if they did not attend the hearing and could not give a reasonable ground for failing to be present, the disciplinary proceedings would be held in their absence.



Meanwhile, Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) President Bheki Mamba said they were aware of the developments. He said as a union, they viewed the actions of The Clinic Group as offside because the nurses did not have personal protective equipment (PPE). He also claimed that they were not trained about the virus at that time. That was the main reason why they failed to attend to the patient. Otherwise they were willing to do their job, the president said.



On that note, he said what The Clinic Group was doing would tarnish its image as people would look at it as an organisation that wants it workers to work even if they were not protected.



On that regard, the president said they were going to write a letter of complaint to the International Council of Nurses in Geneva so that it engages the office of the director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the matter. He said they would take this action because WHO made it clear that health workers, including nurses, should be given PPE to protect themselves from the virus. He added that it was shocking that there were institutions which were charging nurses for demanding PPE.



Verify



Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, said she was still in Cabinet and was unable to call Mbabane Clinic to verify the developments. However, she said the ministry was aware that matters pertaining to members of staff of a non-government institution were employer-employee business.



In earlier statement, the minister had on clarified that the suspected COVID-19 patient who died last Monday at the Mbabane Clinic had been cleared of possibilities of the virus. Nkosi had said the 33-year old woman had presented with underlying conditions and was very ill before she even arrived at the clinic. Nkosi said the patient, who unfortunately passed away, was tested by the doctors for COVID-19 as her case was critical and the test results came back negative.



According to Nkosi, doctors had actually attended to the patient and did not dump her, but she was then supposed to be taken care of by a nurse who was responsible to do that but she was afraid and a nursing sister came along and helped take the patient to isolation. I recognise and acknowledge the fact that some health workers will be afraid and as we work with people and as they get more protected, this will help them to become more confident, said the minister.

The minister said the patient had been to the hospital before and presented with symptoms that were very similar to those of COVID-19, including chest problems, which were very serious at the time. She said the patient had been undergoing treatment since October last year. Nkosi expressed condolences to the family, particularly because her death came in the middle of the COVID-19 confusion, adding that they could have been worried by the situation but the patient tested negative.



She said the patient did not fit the case definition as she had not been exposed to people who had travelled to high-risk countries and became ill. However, she said her symptoms were very similar to those of COVID-19 and the clinic was right to take precautions. She said the ministry had been working with the clinic since February and nurses there were trained and have isolation spaces.
A portable hand washing station is made available to homeless residents of San Francisco, United States on March 18,2020.

Neal Waters/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

San Francisco is setting up public toilets and handwashing stations to help protect its homeless residents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The stations will be rolled out in 15 locations with high concentrations of vulnerable populations, suc as the Tenderloin neighborhood.

The measure is one of the many taken by the city to address how the disease is affecting its homeless community.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

San Francisco is rolling out public toilets and handwashing stations in a bid to protect its most vulnerable residents living on the streets amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a press release posted by the Office of Mayor London Breed on Tuesday, the toilets and stations will be set up in parts of the city with high concentrations of unhoused people and other vulnerable populations. The locations include the Tenderloin, SoMa, Bayview, Castro, and Mission districts.

"These safe and clean public bathrooms and hand-washing stations will be available for anybody to use, and we are placing them in areas where we know our unhoused residents and other vulnerable populations gather," Breed said in the press release. "These facilities provide another crucial component in San Francisco's response to the COVID-19 public health emergency."

They will be open 24 hours a day, will have toilet paper, soap, and paper towels stocked, and will be staffed by attendants from the nonprofit Urban Alchemy thanks to a grant issued by the city. The organization already works in keeping toilets part of the Pit Stop public restroom program staffed.

The first five stations will roll out on Wednesday with the rest rolling out by next week.

The measure is one of many that the city of San Francisco has taken to address the impact of the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, on the homeless community.

In early March, the city rolled out a first wave of handwashing stations to help encourage personal hygiene for the general public, as well as those living on the streets.

Story continues

Most recently, the city announced it was focusing more heavily on hundreds of unoccupied hotel rooms as a means to temporarily house homeless residents, as well as first responders and healthcare workers. The city's travel and tourism industries have been slammed amid the coronavirus pandemic, rendering hotel rooms empty throughout San Francisco.

The city's Moscone convention center is being used to shelter homeless residents who are exiting self-isolation and have tested negative for the disease. It was initially slated to house up to 400 people, but after backlash over the camp-like living conditions planned for the facilities, the city scaled back how the venue would be utilized.

The plan to house homeless residents in hotels does not include those living on the streets, only those in existing shelters. Some officials argue that the thousands of empty hotel rooms in the city should be used to house the entire homeless population in the city regardless of the need for self-isolation.

But Mayor London Breed said despite the pandemic, there are limits to how officials can house people.

"We are not going to be able to solve our homeless problem in San Francisco with this crisis," Breed said Friday.

The first confirmed case within a San Francisco homeless shelter was announced on Thursday. And two more homeless people housed at San Francisco's largest shelter were confirmed to be infected with the virus on Monday.

There are currently 622 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the city, with nine reported deaths. The city is gearing up for an expected surge in cases in the coming weeks, but some experts are saying that early measures taken to enforce social distancing in March are paying off and "flattening the curve," or quelling the spread of the virus as much as possible so the healthcare system can adequately treat patients.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The daughter and grandson of a former Kazakhstan president won a British court ruling Wednesday over plans to seize three multimillion-pound London properties from the family.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) had obtained unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) against the luxury properties, said to be worth a total of around GBP 80 million (USD 96.5 million, 89.6 million euros), last May.

UWOs, brought into force in January 2018 under so-called "McMafia laws" -- named after a BBC organised crime drama -- allows the NCA to seize assets if they believe the owner is a "politically exposed person" and unable to explain the source of their wealth.

The NCA said the properties' purchases were funded by Rakhat Aliyev, a former senior member of the Kazakh government who died in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial on two charges of murder.

However, in a High Court judgement, given remotely, judge Beverley Lang overturned all three UWOs, ruling that "the NCA's assumption" that Rakhat Aliyev was the source of the funds to purchase the three properties was "unreliable".

The ultimate beneficial owners of the three properties -- Rakhat Aliyev's ex-wife, Dariga Nazarbayeva, the current chairwoman of the senate in Kazakhstan and daughter of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, and her son, Nurali Aliyev -- had applied to the High Court to discharge the UWOs.

The judge added that there was "cogent evidence" that Dr Nazarbayeva and Nurali Aliyev had founded the companies that owned the properties and provided the funds to purchase them.

Following the ruling Nurali Aliyev said the NCA had carried out a "flawed investigation".

"The NCA deliberately ignored the relevant information I voluntarily provided and pursued a groundless and vicious legal action, including making shocking slurs against me, my family and my country," Aliyev said in a statement.

"Today we have been vindicated and as a family we now respectfully ask for privacy." The properties were located across London.

One was in north London, in The Bishops Avenue, a wealthy street often referred to as "Billionaires' Row", and another in nearby Highgate.

The third was an apartment in Chelsea, south-west London, which campaign group Transparency International says is worth GBP 31 million.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Last November, Tucker Carlson invited Justin Haskins, the editorial director of the Heartland Institute, to discuss climate change on his popular talk show. The Heartland Institute is a climate-denial think tank, and given Fox Newss penchant for climate misinformation, the appearance of one of its representatives on the channel was hardly surprising. According to a report by Public Citizen, a watchdog group, The millions of Americans who tune into Fox News are regularly bombarded with messages intended to undermine climate science, cast climate advocates as hysterical and frame climate policy as dangerous and un-American.

The episode offered something different from Foxs usual slant, however. Haskinss rhetoric departed from climate denialism, pure and simple, in favor of blaming immigrants for causing environmental damagean ideology known as the greening of hate. Supposing that climate change really is human-caused, Haskins mused, then why let in all those immigrants from countries like Mexico and Guatemala, where CO 2 emissions per person are way lower than in the US? Carlson jumped in: Isnt crowding your country the fastest way to despoil it, to pollute it, to make it a place you wouldnt want to live?

Both men were repeating lines of argument routinely deployed by the Tanton network, a collection of more than a dozen anti-immigration groups founded or funded by John Tanton, a wealthy ophthalmologist from Michigan. Tanton, who died last summer, believed that the root cause of environmental destruction is overpopulation by the wrong sorts of people. To protect both nature and the nation, one must preserve white supremacy by keeping immigrants out.

Tanton was a shrewd political operator who, in the seventies, was a leader of the Sierra Club and the Zero Population Growth organization. He was a clever fundraiser, too; over the years he secured generous financial backing from Cordelia Scaife May, an heiress to the Mellon family fortune. With her support, he set up multiple anti-immigration organizations, including the influential Federation for American Immigration Reform, Numbers USA, and Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

Tanton lured mainstream environmentalists into the nativist camp by exploiting the publics fears of overpopulation and environmental doom. He was successful at first, but in the nineties the Tanton networks attempts to take over the Sierra Club ran up against resistance from a coalition of progressive activists. (Full disclosure: I was part of that coalition.)

The network remained largely off the radar of liberal media outlets until the election of President Donald Trump. A number of top Trump advisers and appointeesStephen Miller, Kellyanne Conway, and Jeff Sessions, to name a fewhave close ties to the Tanton network. So far, the anti-immigrant messages emanating from the White House and right-wing media have leaned on economic and security narratives rather than Tantons environmental arguments. But the Carlson-Haskins exchange from November offers a preview of how the political calculus could change.

Outright climate denial is falling, even among Republicans. A recent Pew Research Center poll of Americans views on climate and energy found that 67 percent of the public thinks that the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change. Predictably, 90 percent of Democrats believe this, as opposed to 65 percent of moderate to liberal Republicans and 24 percent of conservative Republicans. But Republicans are also split along generational and gender lines. More than half of millennial and Gen Z Republicans want more government action, compared to less than a third of boomers and those older. And Republican women are significantly more likely to favor climate action than Republican men. As the direct impacts of climate change become ever more apparent in severe heat waves, storms, wildfires, droughts, and coastal flooding, climate denial is likely to become an increasingly hard sell.

The European right is facing similar challenges, and some parties are adapting their positions on climate change. Last spring, the youth wing of Alternative for Germany, the countrys largest ultra-right party, called on its leadership to reexamine climate skepticism after the party received a poor showing in the European Parliament elections compared to the Greens. In Austria, a new coalition government has formed between the conservative Peoples Party and the progressive Greens. The Peoples Party has pledged to crack down on Muslims and immigrants; it has also committed to the Greens goal to make Austria carbon-neutral by 2040.

If political necessity forces the US Republican Party in this same direction, the Tanton network stands ready to help. Its main think tank, the CIS, served as an important source of immigration-

related disinformation for the 2016 Trump campaign. CIS has also carefully cultivated access to the liberal press by cloaking its agenda in the neutral language of research studies and statistics. A study by Define American and the MIT Center for Civic Media found that from 2014 to 2018, more than 90 percent of references to CIS in the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today were made without contextual information as to the nature of the group or its ties to the Trump administration. In January, the New York Times ran an anti-immigration op-ed written by a member of CIS who identified himself, in the headline, as a liberal. It was likely an attempt to spin the organizations image away from a less favorable label: being named a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Blaming immigrants for causing environmental damage is an ideology known as

the greening of hate.

How the conservative media treats climate change matters deeply. The views of moderate Republicans who favor bipartisan action on climate change, whether through taxing carbon, investing in alternative energies, or improving infrastructure, warrant far more space than theyre getting in right-wing outlets like Fox and Breitbart as well as in conservative newspapers like the Wall Street Journal.

At the same time, liberal media need to play a much stronger role in educating the public about the key issues and debates that will emerge when the federal government finally gets serious about establishing a national climate policy. Years of climate denial have left the public largely illiterate about the brass tacks of an effective and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

Its of equal and vital importance that liberal media expose the influence of the Tanton network. To guarantee close and continuous scrutiny of the network, why not assign reporters to a Tanton beat? Only a few days after the Times published the CIS op-ed, a Tanton network litigator wrote on the organizations website that immigration-caused population growth drives carbon emissions, pollution, and destruction of open space in the US. We must correct this narrative rather than giving disinformation a platform.

The environmental stakes are high. The stakes are also high for the safety and security of immigrants. The white-supremacist shooters who went on killing sprees last year in El Paso, Texas, and Christchurch, New Zealand, rationalized their deadly violence against immigrants in part on environmental grounds. The environment is getting worse by the year, the El Paso shooter lamented in his manifesto. Most of yall are just too stubborn to change your lifestyle. So the next logical step is to decrease the number of people in America using resources. The Christchurch shooter wrote that he was an ecofascist concerned about the threats of climate change, overpopulation, and immigration: They are the same issue, the environment is being destroyed by over population, we Europeans are one of the groups that are not over populating the world. The invaders are the ones over populating the world. Kill the invaders, kill the overpopulation and by doing so save the environment.

As outright climate denial diminishes among conservatives, we can expect the Tanton network to renew its focus on the environment to push anti-immigrant policiescloaking the wolf in sheeps clothing. Now is the time to prevent a serious resurgence of the greening of hate.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Betsy Hartmann is professor emerita of development studies at Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and author of The America Syndrome: Apocalypse, War, and Our Call to Greatness (2017).
Some stocks are best avoided. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Anyone who held China Primary Energy Holdings Limited (HKG:8117) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 80% in that time. And some of the more recent buyers are probably worried, too, with the stock falling 48% in the last year. Furthermore, it's down 33% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. But this could be related to the weak market, which is down 15% in the same period.

While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

Check out our latest analysis for China Primary Energy Holdings

China Primary Energy Holdings isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over half a decade China Primary Energy Holdings reduced its trailing twelve month revenue by 4.3% for each year. That's not what investors generally want to see. If a business loses money, you want it to grow, so no surprises that the share price has dropped 28% each year in that time. We're generally averse to companies with declining revenues, but we're not alone in that. Fear of becoming a 'bagholder' may be keeping people away from this stock.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

SEHK:8117 Income Statement April 8th 2020

Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that China Primary Energy Holdings shareholders are down 48% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 18%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 28% 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. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with China Primary Energy Holdings (including 1 which is can't be ignored) .

Story continues

Of course China Primary Energy Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

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.
Recently, a video of Italian violinist Aldo Cicchini playing the famous Chinese music Butterfly Lovers on his balcony received attention on Chinese social media. The video was shot and uploaded by his Chinese neighbor.

Aldo Cicchini is a violinist of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra. After the Italian government encouraged people to go into self-isolation, Aldo played violin on his balcony in Milan every evening, attracting the attention of many neighbors.

He opened a Weibo account to thank Chinese netizens for their support. Many netizens uploaded videos of them playing a virtual joint ensemble with him.

Music has no boundaries. We hope the epidemic in Italy will end soon.

(Produced by Yan Yiqiao; video source: Pear Video)
Lax security controls at U.S. military hospitals and clinics threaten lives and leave facilities vulnerable to criminal activities such as theft, damage and terrorism, according to a new investigation by the Department of Defense Inspector General.

In an audit released Thursday of security measures at eight military medical treatment facilities, DoD IG investigators found that the facilities' security controls had alarming weaknesses that allowed personnel and volunteers to access medical centers at all hours or to enter restricted areas without authorization.

For example, at two of the examined MTFs, unauthorized personnel, including volunteers, could enter facilities through rear doors at any time, giving them access to equipment, pharmaceuticals and patient information.

At six facilities, unauthorized personnel had access to restricted areas like pharmacies. The IG determined that, in at least one instance, three unauthorized personnel used a badge to access the narcotics vault.

Related: Military Patients Will 'Absolutely, Positively See Better Care After Merger, DHA Head Says

At five of the eight facilities, fuel storage tanks and hospital generators weren't secured properly, increasing "the risk of damage, sabotage or acts of terrorism, potentially resulting in failure of medical equipment and loss of life," according to the DoD IG report.

Based on their findings, investigators said they believe similar flaws may be found at 450 DoD medical facilities under Defense Health Agency management.

"The restricted areas where medical equipment and pharmaceuticals were stored were vulnerable to unauthorized access, and the MTFs were vulnerable to incidents of violence, sabotage, or terrorism," wrote Theresa S. Hull, assistant inspector general for audit, acquisition, contracting and sustainment. "Based on our findings at the MTFs we visited and the lack of minimum physical security standards, we concluded that these weaknesses may also exist at other DoD MTFs."

The facilities were redacted in the report.

A DoD IG spokeswoman said inspectors did not name the facilities because they did not want to disclose the security weaknesses at the MTFs we reviewed.

There were several reasons, one is because of the For Official Use Only that we used from [the] GAO report  we did not want to disclose the names of the MTFs, DoD IG spokeswoman Dwrena Allen said.

IG officials said they launched the investigation following a 2019 Government Accountability Office probe that reported inconsistencies in personnel access control at U.S. military installations and changes to hospital management at Army, Navy and Air Force facilities during the past two years.

Under military health system reforms that began in 2016, the Defense Health Agency has started taking over the administration of all military hospitals and clinics. The facilities were to begin adhering to DHA policies, including security, beginning Oct. 1, 2018.

But according to the report, the DHA lacks a uniform set of standards regarding physical access to facilities and security monitoring requirements.

Part of the reason the DHA has not established specific physical security requirements for the facilities is because it "recently assumed operational control of most DoD MTFs on October 25, 2019, and has not updated all policies and guidance," IG officials wrote.

A number of high-profile incidents have demonstrated flaws in security systems at military hospitals. In 2015, Army veteran Jerry Serrato fatally shot Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist Dr. Timothy Fjordbak at a VA clinic at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center campus at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The same year, a Marine who was brought to the emergency room at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, grabbed an officer's weapon and fired it. While no one was injured during the incident, the subsequent investigation showed that lapses in security contributed to the event.

The report noted there were 647 armed robberies of controlled substances at non-military pharmacies across the U.S. in 2018, and the rate of workplace violence incidents is, on average, four times greater for health care workers than in private industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The DoD IG recommended that the DHA issue uniform guidance to MTFs to ensure that unauthorized staff do not have blanket access to facilities, determine whether clinics have a baseline level of protection, restrict access through certain doors and assess generator and fuel storage security.

In response, Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, the DHA director, said he agreed with the recommendations. According to Place, the agency will take corrective action, to include creating interim policies for access systems, entry doors, security guards and video and alarm monitoring systems.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at patriciankime@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Read More: Military Services Wanted Major Health Care Personnel Cuts, DHA Director Says
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Wednesday that small businesses throughout the U.S. should not worry about their odds of receiving relief funding from the federal government.

Asked by CNBC's Jim Cramer about the White House's work with the Small Business Administration, Mnuchin said he's confident Congress will approve additional funding on top of the original $350 billion already being distributed.

"Jim, we're raising over $2 trillion for our COVID relief. We're raising it all across the curve and we have tremendous demand for U.S. Treasurys," Mnuchin said. "Everybody wants to buy U.S. Treasurys: It's the safe haven."

"I want to assure all small businesses out there: We will not run out of money. The president has asked us to go back to Congress. We hope they pass this tomorrow or Friday," he added. "And we want to assure everybody if you don't get a loan this week, you'll get a loan next week or the following week. The money will be there."

Congress passed $350 billion in small business funding last month for the Paycheck Protection Program as part of an unprecedented $2 trillion package to try to ease the economic pullback caused by the novel coronavirus and efforts to stanch its spread.

But some small business owners worry about being left out of the pot as big banks, equipped with the scope and staff to push the government's funds out the door, focus on their existing customers. Some, like San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, said Sunday that it likely reached its $10 billion limit based on the applications it had received at the time.

The small business measures approved by Congress and President Donald Trump aim to help companies keep employees on the payroll and manage other expenses during the outbreak. Firms with fewer than 500 employees can use the money to cover salary, wages and benefits, with a maximum loan of $10 million.

The funding is available through Small Business Administration-approved lenders and loan payments will be deferred for six months with the possibility of forgiveness on at least part of what they borrow.

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed reporting.
>>> Twenty-seven patients with COVID-19 discharged from hospital

>>> International media praise Vietnam's success in COVID-19 fight



>>> Support packages for enterprises and workers need to be deployed soon

On Tuesday afternoon (April 7), Tran Thanh Man, President of the VFF Central Committee received a donation worth VND7 billion from Samsung Vietnam.

Man praised the meaningful support from Korean businesses along with the Party and State of Vietnam in pushing back the epidemic. He also acknowledged the efforts from Samsung Vietnam in taking effective measures to respond to the call from the VFF in preventing and fighting COVID-19.

* On the same day, Man presented VND150 billion sourced from the funding campaign to the Ministry of Health for purchasing medical equipment and supplies to fight against COVID-19. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long received the financial allocation from the VFF president.

Man said that in the three weeks since the campaign launching, the total value of cash and goods sent to the VFF had reached over VND770 billion, while the amount donated by message via the National Humanitarian Portal was VND129 billion.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (R) presents VND150 billion donated from donors to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, serving the ministry work in COVID fight, Hanoi, April 7, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Nguyen Minh)



* The Health Ministry on April 7 received medical supplies for SARS-CoV-2 testing worth US$1 million from real estate group CapitaLand. The supplies include chemicals and the Vietnam-made LightPower iVASARS-CoV-2 1stRT-rPCR PLUS KIT (VA.A02-055G) test kits.

* On April 7, the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (TKV) presented VND1 billion to support Hanoi in preventing and fighting COVID-19. By this time, TKV has provided VND11.5 billion to the VFF and localities for epidemic prevention and control.

* The same day, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Lam Dong Province received a Realtime PCR system to serve testing for SARS-CoV-2, donated by Hung Phat Company Limited (in Da Lat City, Lam Dong) worth nearly VND1 billion and 200 test kits (worth about VND300 million).

* The VFF Committee of Vinh Phuc Province has said that after nearly two months of mobilising support since the disease outbreak in Vinh Phuc, the province has received the support of nearly 50 organisations, businesses and individuals worth more than VND10 billion.

* On April 7, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Military Technology Academy (under the Ministry of Defence) agreed to unanimously propose the Ministry of Health to consider allowing a new robot developed by the academy to be used in medical isolation facilities, with the ability to transport drugs, food and garbage, as well as capable of monitoring and exchanging with patients by remote control. The Vibot-1a robot was developed as a project for its test run at Bac Thang Long Hospital in Hanoi from March 23.

A representatives from the Military Technology Academy (L) introduces the Vibot-1a robot to doctors of Bac Thang Long Hospital. (Photo: NDO/An Ha)



* On Tuesday morning, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Defence said that the army had deployed 142 venues to receive and quarantine people returning from foreign countries hit by the epidemic, with 66,138 people having been isolated thus far, of which 54,465 have since been released.

* On Tuesday afternoon, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung authorised Me Linh District People's Committee to issue a decision to blockade Ha Loi hamlet in Me Linh commune, where the 243rd COVID-19 infected person resides. Hanoi also assigned Me Linh authorities to conduct all communications and ensure necessities for more than 457 households with over 1,800 people during the blockade.

* On Tuesday, over 650 citizens finished their medical quarantine at concentrated isolation camps in the provinces of Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Nghe An.

Citizens granted quarantine completion certificates in Tien Giang Province on April 7, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Anh Tuan)

* National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has launched a programme offering free travel for health workers engaged in epidemic prevention and control work and the transport of medical equipment on its domestic routes, it said on April 7. From April 9 until April 30, the airline will present free air tickets to doctors, nurses and health experts who are sent on missions related to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

* The Health Ministry confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 in early morning April 8, taking the total number to 251.

Of the two new patients, both Vietnamese, one had close contact with patient 243 and is now hospitalised at the second branch of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, three patients are scheduled to be given the all-clear on April 8.

Up until now, a total of 122 people with COVID-19 have been declared as recovered.

Dong Thap Provincial leaders congratulate four COVID-19 patients on their discharge after 16 days of treatment at Sa Dec General Hospital, April 7, 2020. They are among an additional 27 COVID-19 patients announced as recovered from the disease on that day. (Photo: NDO/Huu Nghia)



Vietnam currently has three COVID-19 cases in critical condition, including patient No. 161, 88, with underlying diseases and cerebral haemorrhage, and patient No. 91, a foreign pilot for Vietnam Airlines who needs support from an ECMO machine.

On Tuesday afternoon, leading medical experts gathered at an online meeting to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of those severe patients. The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control is determined to mobilise all modern equipment and the best medicine for hospitals to treat such patients, with saving their lives being the top priority.
Australian scientists are working on world-first testing that would predict how seriously coronavirus will affect patients once they fall ill.

Monash University associate professor Menno van Zelm and his team are re-adapting technology they used to test patients for influenza and allergies.

The technology will help test who has immunity to coronavirus, who remains infectious, and who is at risk of developing a severe form of the disease.

The test will look for differences in the blood of patients with mild disease to those with a severe infection, in the hopes of predicting what action is required early on.

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Monash University associate professor Menno van Zelm (pictured) and his team are re-adapting technology they used to test patients for influenza and allergies

Cell samples will arrive in Melbourne in early April from patients who are infected and have recovered from coronavirus from Australia, Italy, China and New York.

'Our research looks into the immunity that is made by a person in response to coronavirus,' Dr van Zelm told ABC.

'We can determine how good the immune response is and whether a person is at risk for developing severe symptoms.'

The team will be looking at 'memory B lymphocytes' which are the cells of the immune system that make antibodies to fight pathogens such as viruses.

B lymphocytes form memory cells to remember the same pathogen for the body to produce antibodies in future infections, the university explained.

The cells form after vaccination and perform quicker when they encounter a pathogen which helps prevent the disease.

This and other tests like it will provide us with a more nuanced approach to managing the disease,' Dr van Zelm said.

Dr van Zelm (middle) and his team at Monash University will test the severity of coronavirus symptoms in infected and recovered patients

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

He hopes the tests will be distributed to hospitals to help with the possibility of increased cases in the next few weeks or months.

'So it is very important to identify patients early and to stratify based on will they need early intervention or can they be supported with [other] means.

'The timeline of the next one to two months are critical.'

Australia has reported a total of 5,997 positive cases of COVID-19 with 2,547 recoveries. A total of 49 people have so far died from the killer virus.

COVID-19 infections continue to drop across the country after state and federal governments shut borders, closed businesses and enforced tough social distancing and self-isolation restrictions.

Australians are urged to remain indoors over Easter and adhere to the strict measures to continue to slow the spread of the virus.
Every week, Vogue will be spotlighting the medical workers, teachers, and Good Samaritans who are giving back to those in need during the coronavirus crisis.

When Detroit-native Anthony Curis and his wife, JJ, first opened the Library Street Collective art gallery seven years ago, they had a clear intention: to engage the art world with their own local communities. Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, theyre doubling down on their original mission and looking to their own creative platform for hope and inspiration.

About a week ago, they launched We All Rise, an arts initiative to feed students both literally and figuratively. Their program provides students throughout the Detroit Public School system with a packed lunch and an original sketchbook and coloring pencils. Now, the sketchbook is available online for everyonein both physical and digital formatswith all proceeds from the physical format benefiting Detroit Public Schools food programs through the assistance of Forgotten Harvest and proceeds from the digital format benefitting Living Arts Detroit.

We All Rise includes original drawings by a number of well-known artists, including Virgil Abloh, Nina Chanel Abney, KAWS, and Nick Cave. Each page aims to spark imagination and creativity while providing hope to the community. Its an honor to lend an artistic idea that results in bettering peoples lives, Off-White designer Abloh says. That is the essential point of my practice within art and design.

Curis spoke to Vogue about how he and his wife created a local project with a global outreach.

Photo: Courtesy of We All Rise

What is the situation right now in Detroitboth across the city and on the arts front?

In terms of whats happening in the city of Detroit and Michigan as a whole, the city has been one of the hardest hit with the COVID-19 pandemic for a number of different reasons. So thats really sad and unfortunate. In terms of the art scene in the city of Detroitits always been a very resilient group of artists, creators, and creatives that are used to dealing with challenging situations. So theres full confidence in the citys creatives to really be able to step up and rebound from whats happening.

Story continues

Why did you initially organize this project and how did it come to be?

It started probably about a month and a half ago when we started seeing where things were going internationally, but also locally. A lot of school programs were starting to be postponed or delayed. We have some friends who are within the Detroit Public Schools organization and it was a conversation we realized pretty quickly where their school lunch programs were not only in dire straits, but were most likely going to be canceled. We tried to think of ways that we could not only help with that, but also, hopefully provide a source of inspiration and creativity for students.

Detroit Public Schools have been in the process of trying to climb out of decades of problems, and unfortunately, a lot of their creative arts programs were canceled several years ago. So for us, it was a two-part project where, not only does it provide basic needs for students who really depend on the lunch programs for potentially their only meal, but also inspires and creates opportunities for them to have some fun and color in alongside these artworks at a time like this.

How did you approach this project with the artists?

When we first decided on the idea of the sketchbook, we kind of put together a list of roughly 30 artists that we thought would be a really compelling group, a diverse group of Detroit based artists, national artists, and international artists. We just started reaching out one by one; some of the artists that are in the sketchbook weve had relationships with for years, some are newer relationships. One of the most fulfilling things was seeing the response from every single artist we reached out tothe positive response and the desire to really impact people, especially in our community in Detroit. I cant say that enough. These are some artists that weve never really communicated with and to get a response within an hour of them saying, Absolutely, please let me know what you need. That says a lot.

Do you have plans to expand We All Rise?

As soon as we announced the project, we were inundated with emails and inquiries: How do we get one of these books? Id love one for my kids and I want to support the initiative and Id love to support public schools. It was overwhelming! I started having conversations with all the different artists that are involved in the project and we landed on this idea of scaling the project to global opportunities, and by participating, [people] were impacting a couple of Detroit-based nonprofits in a really positive way.

We first set it up where we would offer the physical sketchbooks for $12 and 100% of proceeds go to the food distribution programs for Detroit Public Schools (DPS), facilitated through our partner Forgotten Harvest.

And then we realized there are people all over the world that are in needthere are financial needs, but also similar needs to the students of wanting to keep people inspired and creatively interested. We decided to offer the e-book with a suggested donation and 100% of the proceeds go to a nonprofit called Living Arts Detroit. Theyre an incredible organization in the city and they employ, I think, the highest number of artists and art teachers in the state, as well as organizing tons of amazing programs and after school programs. The minimum suggested donation was $5, but someone could donate $20 if they wanted toand were seeing that too. We also took into account different financial situations, so we thought it would be appropriate to make it a suggested donation so people could still download the e-book for free. That way anyone and everyone can participate and there are varying levels of impact, which is great.

Its incredible that everyone was so willing to participate in this movement. What has the general response to this project been like?

The original project with DPS is meal packages; we have served over 2,000 to date. And then in terms of a larger audience, at this point, since our launch five days ago, weve already raised over $25,000 for nonprofits and thats growing. The beauty of this project is the more it gets out there, the more people that have eyes on it, [and] there are more opportunities to continue to raise proceeds and awareness for the art, the organizations, and the situation at hand.

What role do you feel art is playing during this crisis?

I think for a lot of people [they need] to be inspired. The arts can be a catalyst for inspiration and a way to keep people engaged and interestedthats at least from our studios standpoint, and how we see our potential role in this right now. In a larger sense, I think the nice thing about it is that everybody has stepped into their own little niche in their own way to bring out some positive ideas. The fact that this comes in so many different forms I think is a great thing.

Do you have a personal favorite entry in the coloring book?

Its such a broad, diverse group of artists. I have a six-year-old son and he has asked me the same question, and its difficult for me to respond. So maybe Ill use his response: Hes super excited about the Nina Chanel Abney piece in the book. Nina is a good friend and an artist whom weve worked with for quite some time, and through those encounters hes been able to get to know her and her work. So hes really drawn to that one.

Originally Appeared on Vogue
Googles G Suite now has six million paid customers, up from 5 million in February last year and the company's video calling service Meet is witnessing 25 times more traction since January.

According to a CNBC report, quoting Google executive Javier Soltero, the paying customers for Google's G Suite bundle of productivity software are coming from businesses, schools and governments. Google G Suite faces competition from Microsoft's Office 365 set of Cloud-based services.

"The business of G Suite is growing at an incredibly healthy and, frankly for me, surprising rate," Soltero, vice president and general manager of G Suite at Google, was quoted as saying. Google Meet is different from the Hangouts, which is available to all with a Google account.

In a separate blog post, Google said it has announced free access to advanced Meet capabilities to G Suite and G Suite for Education customers. It includes room for up to 250 participants per call, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain, and the ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive.

"Lots of people are working from home now for the first time. This means that networks are strained with more people accessing their email and internet from home, as well as taking part in video conferences," said Google. The tech giant said there is now a hosted repository of related public datasets available to explore and analyze for free from the Google Cloud Console. These include the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, Global Health Data from the World Bank, and more.
Harris Countys juvenile detention center has been following guidance from the CDC and local health authorities in dealing with COVID-19, a spokesperson said Wednesday after a lawsuit alleging near solitary confinement was filed.

Legal action filed this week by the public defenders office alleged that teenagers have been confined to their rooms 23 hours per day at Harris Countys juvenile detention center. The facility says that youth are allowed out for 1 hours a day and that it plans to increase that time.

The office is seeking an immediate remedy for what it characterized as near complete solitary confinement or the release of 17 boys on its caseload, between the ages of 14 and 17, and said their constitutional rights are being violated by cruel and unusual conditions imposed to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cases are spread out before all three juvenile court judges. The district attorneys office has yet to respond to the claims. No hearings have been set, according to John Jordan, an assistant district attorney in the juvenile division. An official at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department said the agency is aware of the allegations and could not comment on pending litigation.

Kendall Mayfield of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department said that groups of up to three kids are allowed out of their cells for 1 hours a day and that the facility plans to increase the time to three hours and then up it to six hours a day as of Friday for the 135 youth in custody there. The legal filings claimed all of the detainees were allowed only a half hour a day out of their cells to shower and make a phone call in the presence of a facility employee.

POSITIVE TEST AT JUVENILE FACILTY: Teen at county juvenile detention contracts COVID-19

Two children have contracted COVID-19 while at the facility, according to officials, and the center has followed public health precautions to avoid a contagion, including guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Houston and Harris County health departments. Children in the units with the two who tested positive were quarantined for 14 days. Three are under observation, Mayfield wrote in an email response, seven detention center workers have tested positive for COVID-19, one is awaiting results and 28 are self-quarantined.

Mayfield said that there is no doubt that following health officials guidance has curtailed the spread of the disease at the JDC.

Of the boys and girls being held at the downtown facility, about 115 children being represented by outside counsel. Most of the juveniles are awaiting adjudication so have not been convicted or sentenced. Lawyers for some of the others have indicated they may also pursue legal intervention.

When theyre with a guard, I assume maintaining social distance, Halpert said. Theyre eating meals in their cells.

The public defender said subjecting children to so many hours of isolation violates the 8th Amendments protection against cruel and unusual punishment and their 14th Amendment rights to equal protection and due process.

Were arguing the constitution violation trumps everything else, Halpert said. The remedy?

First and foremost, release our kids. If not, the facility must come up with another remedy, he said.

Mayfield said that staffing is an issue, and also limited supplies of protective equipment.

Halpert said he has asked for an expedited hearing. He anticipates his offices 17 separate motions will be consolidated with motions from other childrens attorneys and heard as a single matter.

The Texas Administrative Code requires that not less than one officer be assigned to every eight children and that an officer views each child at least every 15 minutes.

The state law allows them confidential contact with attorneys through telephone, uncensored letters and personal visits. They also have the right to receive visitors and communicate and correspond under the limitations of security and control. Visits had already been canceled because of the coronavirus epidemic.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com
Technavio has been monitoring the clean coal technologies market and it is poised to grow by 189.17 GW during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005388/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Clean Coal Technologies Market 2019-2023 (Photo: 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. Babcock and Wilcox, GENERAL ELECTRIC, MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRY, and Shanghai Electric are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Rising need for clean energy has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Clean Coal Technologies Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Clean coal technologies market is segmented as below:

Technology CHP Supercritical Ultra-super Critical Others

Geographic Landscape The Americas APAC EMEA



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30732

Clean Coal Technologies 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 clean coal technologies market report covers the following areas:

Clean Coal Technologies Market Size

Clean Coal Technologies Market Trends

Clean Coal Technologies Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies increasing popularity of hybrid power projects as one of the prime reasons driving the clean coal technologies market growth during the next few years.

Clean Coal Technologies Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the clean coal technologies market, including some of the vendors such as Babcock and Wilcox, GENERAL ELECTRIC, MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRY, and Shanghai Electric. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the clean coal technologies market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Clean Coal Technologies Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist clean coal technologies market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the clean coal technologies market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the clean coal technologies market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of clean coal technologies market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

Preface

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 TECHNOLOGY

Market segmentation by technology

Comparison by technology

CHP Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Supercritical Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Ultra-supercritical Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by technology

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Increasing popularity of hybrid power projects

Development of efficient ash handling systems

Rise in collaborations

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Babcock Wilcox

GENERAL ELECTRIC

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES

Shanghai Electric

Siemen

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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Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: With the spread of coronavirus ebbing in Gautam Buddh Nagar with not a single positive case surfacing in last 60 hours, the district administration has constituted 300 surveillance and containment teams to visit all spots from where COVID-19 cases were reported so that the tempo of curbing the spread could be maintained.

According to officials, there have been 12 major clusters in the district where initial containment activities were carried out. From Tuesday, the teams have started visiting all these clusters.

Each team comprises of a health worker, a policeman and a revenue department worker. It will cover all areas within a 3-km radius of each cluster. The team is mandated to visit each house in particular clusters to spread awareness.

They will sensitise the residents about precautions required to avoid the infection, techniques to sanitize the house and hand-washing techniques.

Officials will also be collecting information about people who have a travel history to foreign countries over the past one or two months.

ALSO READ | COVID-19: 200 from Noida locality quarantined, DM says 'cluster containment' exercise

All officials involved in surveillance have been informed about the procedure. The data will help us in keeping a tab on peoples health. This drive is called coronavirus awareness programme, Dr Sunil Dohre, additional chief medical officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar, said.

By Monday night, the health department had notified 1,851 travellers, put 1,225 persons under surveillance, and collected samples of 1,030 persons. A total of 58 positive cases have been confirmed, while 678 samples have come negative.

The district administration has also started a call centre to address issues related to the lockdown.

No fresh COVID-19 case, two more cured

No fresh COVID-19 case was detected in Noida and Greater Noida for the third day in a row, even as two more coronavirus patients were cured and discharged from the hospital, officials said on Tuesday.

Of the total 58 cases, only 50 cases are active. Notably, of the total positive cases in the district, not a single persons have emerged with Tablighi Jamat connection and the majority of the cases (30) were tracked to a single private firm Cease Fire-manufacturing fire extinguishers.
Given the whole of Treasury is trading at $10.64 and has a market capitalisation of $7.6 billion, the rationalisation is compelling.

Just how many carats is Penfolds? It produces only 10 per cent of the groups volume but more than half of group profit. And, according to Bank of Americas relatively bullish analysis, it is worth between $10 billion and $14 billion - or $14 to $18 per share.

This diamond in the rough is to be demerged from the remainder of the business - a proposal that investors have been hoping for since Treasurys January announcement it was undertaking a strategic review.

Its been a while coming but at last Treasury Wine Estates investors will get the opportunity to invest directly in the good stuff - Penfolds.

The positive response from investors was reflected in Treasury's share price which spiked about 7 per cent on Wednesday morning. While the share price retraced its gains as the afternoon progressed, this was likely a reflection of the companys reminder of the extent its earnings were being challenged by COVID-19.

So, as demergers go, this one was a no-brainer. But the timing of the announcement raised eyebrows with analysts quizzing Treasury chief executive Michael Clarke on why it seemed to be released hurriedly and contain very little detail. (Analysts had been expecting the update from Treasury in May).

Clarke "dead-batted" such suggestions but the questions from analysts contained an inference that potential suitors may have been running the numbers over TWE and that it may have become an opportunistic target for a private equity player.

It makes sense. A string of problems and three profit warnings this calendar year - one which predated COVID-19 - and the abandonment of previous forecasts has pushed the share price down about 40 per cent.

As a major supplier to the Chinese market, Treasury was one of the first companies to become impacted by the pandemic and while China has relaxed most of its lockdown rules, consumers have not resumed their previous behavioural patterns. "It should be noted that while consumers are getting back to work, socialising and consumption levels remain at subdued levels," TWE said at Wednesdays update to investors.
A small-town Illinois mayor on Sunday sent police officers to break up a social gathering that was being held in violation of the governors coronavirus stay-at-home order, only to find his own wife among the revelers.

Alton Mayor Brant Walker on Monday issued a statement on Facebook apologizing to the community and saying that he has instructed the towns police chief to treat his wife, Shannon, as he would any citizen violating the Stay At Home order and to ensure that she received no special treatment.

I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton for any embarrassment this incident may cause our City, the mayor added in his post.



The incident began unfolding at about 1am on Sunday, when police contacted Mayor Walker to inform him that they were in the process of breaking up a party at Hirams Tavern in downtown Alton. They said it had continued operating on the weekends in violation of Governor JB Pritzkers March 20 executive order prohibiting all social gatherings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 12,266 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 52 in Madison County where Alton  a town of 26,000 on the Mississippi River  is located, and 308 deaths statewide.

Police officers busted the illegal party and cited everyone in attendance  including the first lady of Alton  for reckless conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by up to nearly a year jail. They are due in court at a later date.

My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement, Mayor Walker stated. She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the Stay At Home order during this incident.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 10:03PM

Apple Maps made a few changes to promote essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic better. The categories on the app now prominently feature grocery stores, nearby restaurants that are open and offer delivery options, pharmacies, and hospitals. The less practical categories have been relegated to the bottom of the list. Previously, Apple Maps prioritized Restaurants, Fast Food, Gas Stations, and Cafes.

Google Maps made a similar change earlier but with a few more tweaks. Google Maps adds a COVID-19 warning message when looking for medical facilities. The warning tells people to call their doctor first before visiting medical locations if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Google also makes it clear if businesses are temporarily closed because of the pandemic. These features aren't available on Apple's navigation app.

Source: 9to5Mac
India would be unlocked in a staggered manner: Here is what the govt is planning

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 08: The exit plan post the lockdown is being discussed and the Union Government is likely to take a call on the matter by April 10.

All the recommendations that the government has got so far say that the lockdown should be lifted in a phased manner. The lockdown ends on April 15 and during a meeting chaired by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, it was suggested that educational institutions remain shut until May 15. Further restrictions on all types of religious activity be imposed, it was further suggested.

Centre inclined towards prolonging lockdown restrictions

During the meeting of the Prime Minister with the chief ministers, one of the key concern that was raised was with regard to the harvesting of the wheat crop. The CMs said that some relaxation must be given in this regard.

Currently the Centre is studying the suggestions given by the states and health experts apart from examining data. The government says that the lockdown has helped a great deal and the cases are now staggered. However the surge is being attributed to the pre-lockdown period.

Sources tell OneIndia that the lockdown would be exited in a staggered manner. Tough restrictions would have to remain in place especially in the hotspots. While, it is a good idea to restrict religious activity and keep schools and colleges closed, a decision would also be taken on whether or not to re-open malls. Even in the case of cinema houses, a decision would need to be taken. Many are not in favour of opening, malls, hotels and cinema halls immediately as it would lead to crowding.

It would be extremely difficult to impose social distancing in these places. The law enforcement agencies are already tired and we would not like to add to their burden, the source also said.

The Government is inclined towards prolonging most of the restrictions. These would include social distancing also. The source also said that there is unlikely to be a lift on train, metro and flight services. The possibility of inter-state movement is also remote, the officer cited above added.

Fake News Buster

While the lockdown may continue in several places, essential economic activity cannot be held back for too long. The officer also said that shutting down the economy for too long will make its recovery difficult. However it is also important to ensure that there is no stage-III of the infection.

The challenge now is to ensure that there is an uninterrupted supply of essential goods, especially food, medical items and medicines.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 12:00 [IST]
A second defendant pleads not guilty to the counts of manslaughter.

Maurice Robinson, a truck driver from Northern Ireland, has pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter related to the deaths of Vietnamese people found in a shipping container in southeast England last year.

The victims, 31 men and boys and eight women, were discovered in October in a container at the back of a truck driven by Robinson to an industrial estate in Grays in Essex, about 20 miles (32 km) east of central London. The trailer had earlier arrived on a cargo ferry from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

The eldest of the deceased was aged 44. Two were aged just 15. Most were from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects, environmental disasters and the promise of financial reward fuel migration.

Robinson, 25, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in November to charges of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring cash that he knew or suspected came from criminal conduct.

191023111425761

At Wednesdays hearing at the Old Bailey, Londons Central Criminal Court, a second man who was also charged with 39 counts of manslaughter, British-Romanian dual national Gheorghe Nica, pleaded not guilty, the BBC reported.

Several others have been arrested and charged in both Vietnam and the United Kingdom, and other legal proceedings are ongoing.

Autopsies concluded that the provisional cause of death of the 39 Vietnamese people was a combination of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, and hyperthermia, or overheating, in an enclosed space.
Google released Android 10, the next version of Android back in September last year and OEMs are gradually rolling out the update. Android 10 has several new features including enhanced Privacy Controls, Smart Reply, Dark Theme, Gesture Navigation, and more. Xiaomi has been rolling out MIUI 11 based on Android 10 to its lineup of smartphones and now with the latest beta update in China, it is finally bringing the Android 10 gesture control feature.

The gesture control feature in MIUI 11 allows for easier navigation through apps, multitasking, and more. Users can go to the Home Screen by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, Quickly Switch Between Apps by swiping left or right, Open Recents Menu by swiping up from the bottom and pause, and Go Back to the previous screen by swiping left or right from the edge of the screen.

In order to enable this feature, open SettingsDisplay, and scroll down to find Full Screen Display option. Click that option and toggle Full Screen to enable gestures.

However, it is to be noted that the gesture control feature is available on MIUI China Beta ROM on selected Xiaomi/Redmi devices for now. Xiaomi says that it is still under testing, and users might face lag issues. Once the testing is complete, it will be available on Global ROM soon.

Source
China has lifted an 11-week lockdown in the city of Wuhan, celebrating the occasion with a light show over the Yangtze River.

The closure of Wuhan, the in Hubei Province where coronavirus was first identified late last year, started on 23 January and lasted 76 days.

According to official figures, Wuhan has had more than 50,000 coronavirus cases and more than 2,500 deaths as a result of the disease, roughly 80 per cent of all deaths in the country.

On Wednesday, people in the city of 11 million people were allowed to travel, provided they have a smartphone application confirming good health and showing they had not been in close contact with anyone who has contracted the virus.

It is expected that more than 50,000 people will leave the city by plane and train on Wednesday - either to go home or to jobs outside Wuhan.

Once the travel restrictions stopped at midnight on Wednesday, traffic quickly began to leave the city.

Recommended How China stopped coronavirus

Yan Xiangsheng, a district police chief, said that almost 1,000 vehicles went through a busy highway toll on the outskirts of the city between midnight and 7 am.

Back in the city, Tong Zhengkun, a Wuhan resident, watched the light display from a bridge, saying: I havent been outside for more than 70 days. Being indoors for so long drove me crazy.

His apartment complex was shut after other residents tested positive for Covid-19 and food was dropped off at his door by neighbourhood workers.

On the same day that the lockdown in Wuhan ended, a city in northern China restricted the movement of its citizens.
Matt Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  National Guard trucks are a common sight at Stamford Hospital these days, and more help is arriving as the health facility  in the city with the most coronavirus cases in the state  fights to stem the spread of the illness through the region.

Gov. Ned Lamont has announced the U.S. Army Reserve Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force is joining the Connecticut National Guard to provide support at the hospital, which has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases, leading to one to two deaths a day at the facility.
Four out of five workers worldwide have had their jobs affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the 3.3bn-strong global workforce, 81 per cent have had their workplace fully or partly closed, says United Nations agency International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The outbreak is expected to eliminate 6.7 per cent of working hours worldwide during the second quarter of 2020, equivalent to around 195m full-time workers losing their jobs.

Of the 3.3bn-strong global workforce, 81 per cent have had their workplace fully or partly closed, says United Nations agency International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Staff in the retail, manufacturing and accommodation and food sectors are hit worst. The Americas and Europe have the highest number of staff in these sectors.

ILO director-general Guy Ryder said: 'Workers and businesses are facing catastrophe, in developed and developing economies.

'We have to move fast, decisively, and together. The right, urgent measures could make the difference between survival and collapse.'

A swift recovery in the second half of 2020 and measures to boost demand for labour could lessen the lasting impact, the ILO said.
OROVILLE, Calif. - The Oroville City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to ban the distribution of needles within their city limits.

The vote was 7-0 in moving forward with what they called "Ordinance 1842."

The ban will go in effect in 30 days.

Everyone who wished to comment during the meeting all agreed with the ban as well.

Mayor Chuck Reynolds suggested to the city administrator to move forward with writing a letter to the State Department of Public Health over concerns of needle distribution programs in other cities.

Reynolds commented during the meeting that cities should mark the syringes with a type of serial number to identify which city those needles came from.
Crews were pictured unloading boxes filled with face masks from the plane once it landed in Sydney

The flight departed the day strict restrictions were lifted in Wuhan, where the outbreak began in December

The Boeing 747 freighter jet is operated by Suparna - part of the Chinese owned Hainan Airlines

Airline crew checked into the Rydges Hotel at the International Airport without meeting police or military

A direct flight has arrived in Sydney from the original Chinese coronavirus epicentre, Wuhan

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Six crew from a flight which arrived in Sydney from the original coronavirus epicentre in China quietly slipped into a four-star hotel overnight.

A cargo plane from Wuhan arrived at Sydney International Airport about 9.30pm on Wednesday, carrying 90 tonnes of face masks and medical supplies.

Following their arrival, the men made their way from the tarmac directly to the Rydges Hotel at the airport.

The crew were left to their own devices to check in, despite police and military personnel monitoring other hotels housing returned travellers, who are required to complete a mandatory two-week quarantine.

They will be expected to self-isolate until they return to China.

A freight plane which arrived in Sydney on Wednesday night from Shanghai via Wuhan brought 90 tonnes of face masks and medical supplies

A truckload of face masks and medical supplies is taken away after the haul arrived in Sydney overnight

When asked what the situation was currently like in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei province widely accepted as the original epicentre of the deadly respiratory virus, one of the crew members said it was business as usual.

'It is normal,' he said, before telling Daily Mail Australia he and his crew had brought face masks to help in the local fight against COVID-19.

Since the outbreak began at least 3,300 people have died in China and 81,802 have been infected. At least 2,571 of the nation's reported deaths were in Wuhan.

Globally, there are now 1.4million known cases.

The crew seemed shocked to learn they were the first arrivals from Wuhan since January 23.

Boxes of face masks are among the 90 tonnes of medical supplies which arrived via freight plane in Sydney on Wednesday

The medical supplies were being dispatched from the freight terminal at Sydney Airport on Thursday morning

Airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night

Airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night

One member of the crew said while it was true they did arrive from the city, they originally came from Shanghai.

'We just did a stop in Wuhan,' the man said.

Earlier on Sunday, airline employees and cargo handlers dressed in protective gear began unpacking the plane in the dead of night.

One man in a hazmat suit was pictured carrying away a small box, while another photo showed pallets stacked full of packaged goods beside the plane.

The medical supplies were brought in via a freight carrier Suparana airlines

Boxes upon boxes sat on the tarmac at Sydney airport on Thursday morning ready to be shipped off

They walked from the tarmac to their hotel, mostly while practicing safe social distancing in pairs

The crew members were not met by any police or military personnel as they checked in to their accommodation

The crew members were not met by any police or military personnel as they checked in to their accommodation

The crew members arrived at the accommodation wearing face masks and gloves. Members of staff told Daily Mail Australia they were importing face masks

A government spokeswoman said the aircraft was carrying about 90 tonnes of essential medical supplies, including respirators and protective equipment.

The plane travelled nine hours non-stop from the Chinese city, which is only now easing lockdown restrictions which began on January 23 to rid the region of the deadly respiratory infection.

The 12-year-old cargo plane is operated by Chinese carrier Suparna 'Yangtze River' which is part of the Hainan Airlines Group (HNA). The airline has been transporting medical supplies between Europe and the US over the last few weeks.

The Boeing 747 freight plane was due to land at 8.32pm but was delayed. Most freight planes carry anywhere between two and four pilots during a long-haul flight.

Crew are entitled to a hotel stay for the duration of their stopover in Australia, though will be expected to self-isolate during that period.

A direct flight from Wuhan is arriving in Australia today, only 24 hours since the Chinese government opened its borders after a national lockdown

'International crew are permitted to transit through Australia but must remain in the port or airport, or self-isolate in accommodation for the duration of their transit,' a Department of Home Affairs spokesman said.

A Sydney Airport spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that cargo handlers would follow strict disease control protocols.

'Cargo handlers operating out of the airport are following the strictest hygiene and infection control protocols in line with advice from health authorities,' he said.

It is not yet clear if the plane will be transporting any goods back to China.

A spokesman for the Australian Border Force confirmed authorities were aware of the flight.

'International crew are permitted to transit through Australia, but must remain in the port or airport, or self-isolate in accommodation for the duration of their transit,' the spokesman said.

'Quarantine and isolation arrangements in each state are the responsibility for each state and territory government.'

But the government agency Austrade said they had 'no involvement' in the flight.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton introduced changes to the Customs Act on April 1 to ban the export of 'essential goods' in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hainan Airlines for more information.

Pictured: Cargo crew milling at the base of the plane after it landed in Sydney on Wednesday night

A Cargo plane direct from Wuhan China has landed at Sydney international airport stocked with cargo

Pictured: The crew leaving the airport grounds after touching down in Sydney. They will be expected to self isolate until they make the trip home to China

The crew will be expected to self isolate in their hotel rooms until it is time to return to China

Pictured: The flight crew who arrived in Sydney from Wuhan on Wednesday night moments as they arrived at the Rydges Hotel at the Sydney International Airport

The group had no issues checking in after arriving in Sydney at about 9.30pm before unloading the plane's cargo

China is seeking to rebuild its image in the wake of the crisis, and has already sent vital medical supplies to its trade adversary, the US.

The Chinese government lifted its two month lockdown of Wuhan on Wednesday, reopening its borders after 76 days.

Train road and rail connections have reopened however residents need to have clearance via a smart phone application to be allowed to leave.

Each user's health status is stored within the mobile phone app, which can be accessed by scanning a QR code.

While restrictions are still in place, 200 flights carrying 10,000 passengers were scheduled to depart Wuhan on Wednesday.

China reported zero deaths related to coronavirus on Tuesday.
The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on



Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure unhindered movement of trucks transporting essentials to the state Nadu and also take steps to immediately release Rs.9,000 crore grant to combat COVID-19 while pledging its support to the measures taken by the Centre.

These demands were put forth during Modi's video conference with political leaders, AIADMK Rajya Sabha member A Navaneethakrishnan, who represented the party in the interaction, told reporters here.

"As Tamil Nadu is dependent on the northern States for groceries, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami wanted me to convey to the PM to ensure those trucks were not stopped at the borders and facilitate unhindered movement," he said.

He had also requested the PM to grant Rs.9,000 crore to Tamil Nadu, as sought by Palaniswami, to combat the COVID-19 disease and deal with its aftermath.

In a recent letter to the Prime Minister, Palaniswami had said this should be in addition to the other forms of financial transfers to the states envisaged in the Union Budget and could be financed through borrowing from the Reserve Bank of India.

Expressing satisfaction over the steps taken by both the state and central governments, Navaneethakrishnan said the AIADMK would support all the initiatives of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre in fighting the spread of the virus.

Asked if the 21-day lockdown which commenced on March 24, would be extended, he replied "It is a decision which ought to be taken by the Chief Minister."



During the video conference, the members were given a detailed presentation on the health, economic and long-term measures initiated by the center to overcome the pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A soldier wears a makeshift face covering at a checkpoint in this handout image from April 6, 2020. (Department of Defense)

Army to Issue Camouflage Masks, Gives Warning on Coverings Fashioned From Uniform

For now, like other Americans, soldiers are fashioning makeshift face coverings from T-shirts and scarves to blunt the spread of COVID-19 as they adapt to new military policy.

But soldiers wanting to complement their combat uniform with a camouflage face covering have a problem: they cannot cut up and adapt the material from their combat clothes because it is treated with special chemicals.

The Army now says it now plans to issue official face coverings more in keeping with the professional look of the service that meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on face coverings.

We are going to get you the masks, said the services top enlisted soldier, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston. In the near term, we will get you something either black or camouflage to put on.

Grinston was talking in a Facebook live Town Hall session, together with the military and civilian heads of the Army.

Army Chief of Staff James McConville said that he expected the non-surgical masks within a week.

McConville emphasized that they did not want soldiers using camouflage uniforms.

A parachute rigger with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Group Support Battalion, sews surgical masks for medical patients at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., on March 31, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by SGT Joe Parrish)

Our uniforms are treated with chemicals for various reasons, so we do not want people using these uniforms and putting them close to their face, said McConville.

Officials emphasized that masks would be non-surgical, with all surgical standard masks needing to be put aside for medical use.

Unit leaders can decide on the color of masks, according to Army officials.

Grinston said that homemade masks should look as professional as possible. Youve got either a  black neck gaiter, brown, some kind of scarfthats fine, he said. Use common sense. I dont want to see any skull and crossbones on your facemaybe a brown or something that looks somewhat professional.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon ordered that all military personnel must wear makeshift face coverings, per CDC public guidelines, if they need to work closer to each other than 6 feet of social distancing.

Effective immediately, to the extent practical, all individuals on DoD [Department of Defense] property, installations, and facilities will wear cloth face coverings when they cannot maintain 6 feet of social distance in public areas or work centers, states the official memo (pdf), which was made public April 6.

The new guidelines apply to all military personnel, civilian employees, family members, contractors, and all other people on DoD property. They dont apply to the homes of service members or their families that are located on military installations.

Soldiers are authorized to wear the neck gaiter and other cloth items, such as bandanas and scarves, as face coverings, according to the guidance.

The CDC on April 4 recommended that all Americans should start to wear cloth face coverings in public settings. The face coverings aim to block the wearer from unwittingly spreading the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly referred to as novel coronavirus.

Each department will provide further detailed guidance for its service members, the Pentagon said.

As an interim measure, all individuals are encouraged to fashion face coverings from household items or common materials, such as clean T-shirts or other clean cloths that can cover the nose and mouth area.

The Department of Defense says it wont issue personal protective equipment such as N95 respirators or surgical masks as these will be reserved for the appropriate personnel.
08.04.2020 LISTEN

In the run-up to the 2016 elections, it was said that "Ghana we have money!" All we need to unlock the money is a competent government anchored on prudent management economic team led by a competent Vice President who in this case will be Bawumia.

He (Bawumia) at the time, blamed seriously, our poverty, poor performance of the cedi, and borrowing style on the basis of incompetence-led JM government.

Today, fast forward into 2020, which is elections year, we have still not witnessed the results of a competent government led by Nana Addo and his brilliant Vice President. I ask Bawumia humbly and harmlessly, "where have you kept your prudence and competence that you touted could help unlock the money and change the destiny of this nation called Ghana?"

"Is it wickedness, or you were just peddling lies or you are also incompetent or all?" Today, Ghana is under lockdown, and you fail to provide us the basic necessities for live such as free electricity, free hot meals, free credit and internet service for us to reach out to love ones and friends for support in the midst of this damning circumstances.

Only you can do is water! At the countryside, how many people buy water? Water is only a commercial commodity in the principal cities, if only you care to know. And we are all Ghanaians who are either under lockdown, quarantined or in self-isolation for the sake of combating the spread of the virus. We need common facilities that would benefit the majority of Ghanaians!

I wish to end here by calling on the government of Nana Akufo Addo to call on the cabinet to do a thorough review of the interventions arrived at before his last press conference. We find those mitigations woefully inadequate and expect the president to come out with more comprehensive socially centered intervention policies that would inure to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Carefree backpackers at a Bondi unit block continue to defy COVID-19 rules by holding house parties, their neighbours have claimed, just days after they were filmed drinking in their backyard until the early hours.

The video of more than a dozen partygoers crammed into a yard at the base of a block of flats at the eastern Sydney suburb last week outraged Australians, most who are abiding by strict social distancing orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many unit blocks across the city, the two neighbouring buildings are separated by only a few metres, meaning sound travels easily.

That is made worse by the fact the six units in the party block are home to a total of 48 tenants - all on working or tourist visas - who are in Australia to socialise and travel the country.

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 last Tuesday night

But despite signs urging them to keep quiet on every floor, the backpackers continue to have little regard for their neighbours, leading a spiteful confrontation on Wednesday.

In footage taken just before 3pm, residents were heard yelling at the backpackers, asking them to turn down their music.

One neighbour, who has lived near the Ocean Street flats for more than a decade, told Daily Mail Australia the parties have continued after last week's alarming footage emerged.

But she said she was particularly disappointed that even during a global pandemic, the rowdy bunch wouldn't be more considerate.

'The photos that were shared last week, that was of a calm party, but it's gotten a lot of attention because everyone is trying to do the right thing at the minute,' she said.

'I've lived here for about 11 years now and over the past 18 months it's just gotten way worse.'

Pictured: The backyard of a unit currently housing a group of backpackers in Bondi

Residents in the unit block have been criticised for partying and ignoring social distancing policies

'I yelled out at them today because they were blasting music, but it doesn't do much at all most of the time, they'll be back partying in a few days.'

The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, said she calls police at least once a week, but could be making complaints more frequently.

'It's worse at the minute because people are working from home and I know one girl said she was in a work meeting and was asked: "What's all that noise?"'

The majority of backpackers in the party block come from South America, Europe or the United Kingdom on short term visas.

Often working part-time or casual jobs, they cram up to three people into a room in a bid to save on rent.

Jamie, a resident of the party block, argues that the group are being vilified unnecessarily.

She believes the response from their neighbours and the media attention is unfair and has been blown completely 'out of proportion.'

Previous footage showed more than a dozen people crammed into one of the relatively small backyards despite limits restricting how many guests people can have over

Pictured: The front of the building block housing backpackers in Sydney's east

'I think that (last week's party) was blown out of proportion. What you'll actually find is these places are really big and hold eight people each, so it seems like there's a lot of people partying but they're all residents,' she said.

'It's not like there were people coming from all over Bondi, it was just a mix of people in the apartments.

'There are signs up about noise but that's from New Year's Eve. I mean there can be a lot of noise, but I think it's not as bad as it's made out to be.'

Just last week, neighbours were left reeling when they caught a group of at least 14 men and women crammed into the backyard of one of the apartments.

The group appeared alarmed when they realised they were being filmed, and several partygoers quickly alerted the others in Spanish that they were being watched.

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.'

Residents of the block of units where Tuesday night's party took place have been repeatedly warned about noise coming from their apartments. However the social distancing rules were only being ignored in the one flat

Neighbours said residents of the Ocean Street premises and their visitors were mainly Spanish, French and British.

Spain has 141,942 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 14,045 fatalities, France has 109,069 cases and 10,328 deaths, while the UK's equivalent figures are 55,242 and 6,159.

In the video at least 14 people are sitting and standing around - some drinking Corona beers - until one of them spots a camera being used to film over their fence.

'Hello! You cannot take pictures,' a woman clutching a beer bottle yells out as she laughs.

Another woman then alerts the rest of the crowd saying in Spanish: 'Somebody's taking pictures, look.'

A third woman in the backyard covers her face while someone else in the background says 'Que pasa?' ('What's happening?') and several revellers inside the apartment get off a couch.

The group is ignoring all social distancing rules while one of them mans the barbecue

NSW Police statement about the Bondi party About 9.15pm police were alerted to a social gathering at a block of units at Ocean Street, Bondi. Police attended and spoke with a man at the premises who told them a group had earlier met in the backyard for drinks. The group had since dispersed. Officers reinforced social distancing rules with the man and he was given a warning to comply with the government's current advise regarding gatherings. Source: NSW Police Force Advertisement

A man then walks from the loungeroom out into the backyard and puts his hand over the camera's lens, saying 'None of us are sick, it's all fine'.

Real estate advertisements suggest about seven residents are paying $250 a week to live in the three-bedroom fully-furnished apartment.

A New South Wales police spokeswoman said officers were alerted to a 'social gathering' at the apartment block about 9.15pm.

'Police attended and spoke with a man at the premises who told them a group had earlier met in the backyard for drinks,' the spokeswoman said. 'The group had since dispersed.

'Officers reinforced social distancing rules with the man and he was given a warning to comply with the government's current advise regarding gatherings.'

The neighbour who took the video lived nearby with his partner and wished to remain anonymous.

'On Friday night they had a big party but last night there was proper music and people walking in and out of the apartment block,' he said.

There were 6,024 confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia and 50 deaths as of Wednesday night

Bondi has been a coronavirus hotspot where police have had to force backpackers and others off the sand. Bondi Beach is pictured as it was being closed on March 21

Several of the partygoers realise they are being filmed and alert all the others as one of their number approaches the back fence

'Other residents were looking from the street and wondering what was going on and I'd had enough of the noise.

'So I walked behind the red brick building and decided to take a video of them.

'The funniest part was that the guys were super apologetic and admitted they were throwing a house party for a girlfriend who was leaving the country tomorrow. But the girls went crazy.

'The noise has been a big issue on the street for a long time. Look I like a party and they're here for a limited time and just want to have fun... but it's selfish.'

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said he had been living in the building behind the party flat for a week and already noticed raucous behaviour.

'They are usually really loud in their rooms... there can be four or five of them shouting at each one,' he said.

'I remember it being very loud last night for sure, it spilled into the backyard. I know a lot of people in the building think it's a problem.'

The incident was just one of a string of blatant breaches of COVID-19 social distancing rules observed among young people in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

A man who has walked out from the loungeroom puts his hand over the camera's lens, saying 'None of us are sick, it's all fine'

A garbage bins sits outside the party flat in Ocean Street at Bondi (left) and a lane which leads down to where the party was held (right)

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

Bondi locals getting tested for coronavirus at the suburb's free pop up clinic have vented their anger at backpackers throwing parties.

Residents lined up at the eight testing centres set up by nurses at St Vincent's Hospital inside Bondi Pavilion last Wednesday to get tested for COVID-19 after authorities declared the trendy seaside suburb a hotspot for the virus.

One woman who lives with one housemate and wanted to stay anonymous said that backpackers should just return to their own countries.

'I've seem them out and about not caring, plenty of them flouting the rules,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Paul Dias, the owner of Beach Fit in Bondi, decided to get tested as a precautionary measure.

'Some people just don't care,' he said. 'Backpackers, it's not their country but they just want to keep on partying. It's just unfair.

'They are still partying at night, on rooftops, and there are like 60 people. They think they might not get it but everyone can get it. Young people are dying from it.'

Ocean swimmer Peter Howard, 81, believed the pop up clinic was a good idea, and while backpackers were good people, 'they do live like sardines'.



St Vincents' pop up clinic in Bondi specifically for testing high-risk sections of the Bondi community

The images in the Bondi apartment were taken less than 24 hours after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard signed the Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order 2020.

Individuals now face on-the-spot fines of $1,000 and maximum penalties of $11,000 or six months in jail if they are outside unless they are going to work and can't work remotely by computer, are attending school, are buying medical supplies or are shopping for groceries or food.

It's legal to exercise at the park but apparently not to linger in a public place.

Australians are only allowed to gather outside in groups of two.

There are exceptions if people live together or are moving.

The situation is so bad at Bondi the state government and St Vincent's Hospital are this afternoon setting up a pop-up COVID-19 clinic at the beachside Pavilion (grass area nearby pictured on March 31, 2020)

Tough new coronavirus restrictions explained Only two people should gather in public spaces and 'other areas of gathering: Households - no matter how large - can still go outside together, but individual people can only meet with one other person. The two-person limit doesn't apply to workplaces, schools or households. Moratorium on evictions from rental properties for the next six months: Scott Morrison said State and Territories will be moving to ban landlords from evicting tenants who are struggling to pay rent. Mr Morrison urged landlords to work with their tenants and banks on immediate solutions. Playgrounds, skate parks, and outdoor gyms will be closed from Monday: Boot camps will be reduced to one-on-one outdoor personal training sessions. Australians urged to only shop for the essentials and nothing more: Mr Morrison reminded people it isn't a time for browsing or catching up with friends. 'When you are going out for shopping, you should be going for just stuff you need and do it and get home,' he said. People aged over 70 or having chronic illnesses are discouraged from leaving their homes: Mr Morrison said elderly people should only go outside for doctor's appointments or medical reasons. He said vulnerable groups who need help with shopping should access 'support through their community or others'. WHAT CAN I LEAVE MY HOUSE FOR? Buying essential supplies: Scott Morrison said shopping should be done solo and not turned into impromptu gatherings. Going to work, if unable to work from home: Australians who have the ability to work from home are strongly advised to do so. Those who can't must follow social distancing measures when at their place of work. Exercise: People working out should still follow the two-person limit. All boot camps of 10 people or less have effectively been banned. To attend personal medical appointments, or for compassionate reasons: Elderly people in particular should only go outside for doctor's appointments or medical reasons. CAN I VISIT FAMILY MEMBERS? Yes, however social distancing measures should still be adhered to. A family split across two houses can meet in private, allowing people to visit their partner, siblings or parents. People who live alone can only invite one friend over, while households of two people or more can't have any visitors. WHAT ABOUT HOUSEHOLDS WITH MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE? Households - no matter how large - can still go outside together, but individual people can only meet with one other person. If four people live together in a house, all four of them can take their dog for a walk. The two-person limit doesn't apply to workplaces, schools or households. CAN OLDER PEOPLE GO OUT IN PUBLIC? Elderly people are allowed to go outside for the same reasons as young people, but Scott Morrison has urged those over the age of 70 to self-isolate unless going to a medical appointment. 'This does not mean they cannot go outside,' Mr Morrison said on Sunday. 'They can go outside and be accompanied by a support person for the purposes of getting fresh air and recreation, but should limit contact with others as much as possible.' CAN I GO TO A WEDDING OR A FUNERAL? Last week's rules pertaining to weddings and funerals haven't changed. Funerals are still limited to 10 people and weddings to five - including the officiator and the bride and groom. WHEN DO THE NEW MEASURES COME INTO EFFECT? The two-person rule will begin on Monday, while playgrounds, outdoor gyms and skate parks will be closed at midday. Advertisement

'Make your way home': Prime Minister Scott Morrison orders tourists to get out of the country amid the coronavirus pandemic

All tourists and foreign students who are unable to support themselves financially during the coronavirus pandemic have been told to go home by Scott Morrison.

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.

But now ministers are focused on helping to keep Australians afloat, pledging $130 billion for a JobKeepers package for workers, many of whom faced losing their jobs.

His call comes to foreign nationals who are unable to support themselves financially during the pandemic - saying they are not 'being held here' and should leave.

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

Young sunseekers at St Kilda beach (pictured) on March 27, despite strict social distancing rules to stop the spread of COVID-19. Police have broken up several backpacker parties

Shocking pictures this week showed large groups of backpackers flagrantly disregarding strict social distancing rules, designed to stop the virus spreading.

'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.'

Backpackers (pictured) are seen leaving Bondi and heading to Sydney airport on Friday after Mr Morrison's announcement

Scott Morrison (pictured on Friday) said tourists, such as backpackers and those on student visas, who are unable to support themselves should 'make their way home'

Backpackers in Bondi (pictured) are seen packing up and heading to the airport on Friday shortly after Mr Morrison encouraged travellers to 'make their way home'

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.

Travellers leaving Australia are seen presenting their flight documents to airport security in Sydney on Monday (pictured)

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.

'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.'
Indian scientists are scrambling to develop a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, with the Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), joining a frantic global race.

The IIL has partnered with Australias Griffith University to develop the vaccine through an approach that looks promising to both institutions, according to the organisation.

This is a significant cross-continental collaboration, the chairman of the NDDB and the IIL Dilip Rath told HT.

Scientists from IIL and Griffith University will jointly develop a live attenuated SARS  CoV-2 vaccine or Covid-19 vaccine using the latest codon de-optimization technology.

A live-attenuated vaccine is one where the target virus is considerably weakened but still alive, just enough to trigger immunity but cause no harm. Codon de-optimization technology is a popular method of developing vaccines that allows manipulation of the constituents of a viruss genetic code called codons, according to the US Centers of Disease Control.

IIL is a major player in the human vaccine market in the country, supplying human pediatric and rabies vaccines. IIL is also a major supplier of pediatric vaccines to the countrys state-run universal immunization programme.

In India, vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech is working on developing an intra-nasal drop vaccine against SARS  CoV-2 in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and vaccine firm FluGen. The Pune-based Serum Institute is also working on a coronavirus vaccine.

Public institutions and private firms in the US, China and Europe are already conducting early trials of a vaccine. Development of a Covid-19 vaccine has become a matter of national pride. Its conceptually not a very difficult thing to achieve but takes time, said Dr Ashok Kayal, a former professor of neurology at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

According to Rath, the IIL is looking at a new codon de-optimization technology because scientists from both India and Australia see it to be promising for developing a vaccine for prophylactic, active, single dose immunization against coronavirus in humans, with an enhanced safety profile. The vaccine is expected to provide long-lasting protection, he said.

In an email response, Professor Suresh Mahalingam of Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Australia said: As this vaccine will be a live attenuated vaccine, it is expected to be highly effective by providing very strong cellular and antibody immune responses against the virus.

A live-attenuated vaccine has a proven track record for economical large-scale manufacturing and well-known regulatory approval pathway, Mahalingam said.

Most medical scientists agree that the coronavirus crisis will come to an end either with a costly so-called herd immunity or with a vaccine. Herd immunity occurs when a population develops collective immunity against a disease by simply battling it but this stage comes after the disease strikes about 80% of the population and potentially causing thousands of deaths.

New technology in genomics and greater international coordination have resulted in speedier discovery of vaccines. Yet, it remains a long-drawn out process because vaccines undergo rigorous testing in animals and humans.

After completing the research, the vaccine strain will be transferred to IIL and the vaccine maker will work with Indias drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, to conduct clinical trials.

The IIL is already working with Griffith University for development of a Zika virus vaccine, which is currently at pre-clinical toxicology testing stage. The codon de-optimization technology has been successfully employed to reduce the virulence of several RNA viruses including Enterovirus C (Poliovirus), HIV type 1 and Zika virus.

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Latin Resources Limited (ASX:LRS) shareholders are doubtless heartened to see the share price bounce 33% in just one week. But the last three years have seen a terrible decline. Indeed, the share price is down a whopping 99% in the last three years. So it's about time shareholders saw some gains. Of course the real question is whether the business can sustain a turnaround.

We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

Check out our latest analysis for Latin Resources

Latin Resources didn't have any revenue in the last year, so it's fair to say it doesn't yet have a proven product (or at least not one people are paying for). This state of affairs suggests that venture capitalists won't provide funds on attractive terms. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. It seems likely some shareholders believe that Latin Resources will find or develop a valuable new mine before too long.

We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. You should be aware that the company needed to issue more shares recently so that it could raise enough money to continue pursuing its business plan. While some such companies do very well over the long term, others become hyped up by promoters before eventually falling back down to earth, and going bankrupt (or being recapitalized). It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Latin Resources investors might realise.

Latin Resources had liabilities exceeding cash when it last reported, according to our data. That made it extremely high risk, in our view. But since the share price has dived -77% per year, over 3 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak, even though the cash reserves look a little better with the capital raising. The image below shows how Latin Resources's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image.

Story continues

ASX:LRS Historical Debt April 7th 2020

Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Latin Resources shareholders are down 88% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 12%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 53% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 6 warning signs for Latin Resources (of which 3 make us uncomfortable!) you should know about.

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 AU exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Press Release

April 8, 2020 Sotto presses for improve distribution of govt aids SENATE President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday pressed for improvements in the distribution of government aids amid growing survival concerns among families extremely affected by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) put in place to mitigate the health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Sotto said government assistance can cover a wider base if it is provided with proper information on the total number of households and families in the country, sources of income, vulnerabilities and other pertinent data. The Senate chief said the following offices can coordinate and pool together their data bases: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and local government units (LGUs). "Government assistance should cover ALL those who are affected by the lockdown. Government should strive to help everyone whose sources of income and livelihood have been crippled by the pandemic. Even the middle-income needs help. Nawalan din naman sila ng pagkakitaan, nabawasan din ang kanilang source of income," Sotto said. Sotto said government can expand the coverage of its relief assistance and include formal and middle-income workers, whose incomes have also been affected by the work stoppage order under the ECQ. He noted reports that salary adjustments have been adopted by medium and small-medium enterprise (MSMEs) to stretch their financial resources while the Luzon region remains under lockdown. "I totally agree that we should help the poor deal with the current situation. But we should also provide assistance to the other sectors of our society. They, too, are also experiencing difficulties because of the work stoppage in all industries. Government should also extend a helping hand to them," Sotto said. Also, Sotto urged government leaders to coordinate with private businesses which have been donating food and other essential assistance amid the COVID-19 health crisis. Sotto raised concerns of a possible duplication in the distribution of cash and food packs being given by the government and private donors, noting that all assistances are given to the less advantaged, leaving the middle-income and formal sector workers looking at empty boxes. He cited reports that packages of food essentials have been distributed by private investors and business executives to low-income families and members of the vulnerable sectors, who are also the recipient of government cash subsidies. "All workers and families who are experiencing difficulties because of the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic are equally entitled to public and private assistance. There should be no social discrimination at this time because everyone, each Filipino, need help," Sotto stressed.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Ellie Silverman with a sign asking people lined up at a drive-through testing site last month to call or text if they wanted to talk for a story. The Inquirer is one of several news organizations that will receive funding for its ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic through the Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund. Read more

A collaborative group of supporters of journalism announced on Wednesday a $2.52 million fund to benefit Philadelphia-area media organizations as they cover the coronavirus pandemic.

The Inquirer is among the initial recipients of the Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund, which was created by the Independence Public Media Foundation (IPMF), the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund. A broad array of local media outlets will benefit, fund organizers said.

This is by far the largest local news and information effort of its kind [related to the pandemic] yet announced in a major American city, said Jim Friedlich, CEO and executive director of the Lenfest Institute. It is gratifying that so many Philadelphia news organizations and funders have partnered for the greater good. Its been said that it takes a village. In this case, it takes a city.

Molly de Aguiar, president of IPMF, added that her group was "helping to launch the Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund first and foremost to support the most vulnerable people in our communities, who are disproportionately harmed by a lack of reliable and relevant information. We are also investing in the fund to support the publics evolving information needs, as well as their right to have a say in recovery-related decisions and the regions future.

Of the funds total of $2.52 million, $750,000 is dedicated to grants that will be awarded via an application process. The funds first grants, totaling $1.77 million, will support the following organizations:

Resolve Philly ($1 million), which leads a collaborative of 24 Philadelphia-area news organizations. It will serve as the backbone for a coordinated citywide crisis-response plan that provides news and information access, and is powered by its partners and other local organizations and institutions. Partners will collaborate to gather, produce, and disseminate localized, urgent, and up-to-date reporting and public-health information, which will be translated and published in Spanish and additional languages, based on an assessment of community needs.

From this grant, Resolve will also help distribute funding to key partners through public service advertising, sponsored content, and other means.

We are grateful that our team was asked to leverage our collective might and humbled by the opportunity to invest in the health, agency, and power of Philadelphians through this grant, said Cassie Haynes, co-executive director of Resolve Philly.

One of the biggest benefits to Resolve," Haynes said, "is definitely the opportunity to demonstrate the impact of collaborative solutions journalism, on a scale much larger than most organizations of our size have access to  and at such a critical moment for the health and well-being of our neighbors, particularly those who are most vulnerable to the physical, social, and economic impact of COVID-19. The response effort is mighty; the recovery effort will need to be mightier. Unfettered access to urgent, rapidly changing news and information must be central to the strategy.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

WHYY ($350,000) will launch the News and Information Community Exchange, a partnership of community news organizations and civic leaders to enable two-way information sharing and continual engagement with underserved communities in Philadelphia.

It is great the funders have come together recognizing the urgency of how important it is not to just support news organizations, but also community organizations, said Sandra Clark, WHYYs vice president of news and civic dialogue. All of us know this work cant be done alone, so collaboration both with other news organizations, but also with community groups and residents, matters a lot.

The Inquirer ($250,000), which is owned by the Lenfest Institute, will create the Inquirer Community News Service, supporting several initiatives including: El Inquirer, original Spanish-language journalism; Curious Philly, The Inquirers community Q&A platform; and From the Front Lines, coverage of workers and communities dealing with COVID-19. The Knight-Lenfest Fund announced in September 2019 a grant of $3 million to support new-product development at The Inquirer.

Theres never been a greater need for collaborative journalism of this kind, said Stan Wischnowski, The Inquirers executive editor and senior vice president. Working together will allow us all to serve those most vulnerable with vital news and information during this health emergency.

WURD Radio ($170,000) is the only African American-owned and -operated talk radio station in Pennsylvania and one of only a few remaining in the country. The station will launch Lively-HOOD, including radio, digital, and event programming focused on employment opportunities, access to career assistance, and economic recovery.

Before the coronavirus, we were poised to be in a growth mode, said Sara Lomax-Reese, president and CEO of WURD. The coronavirus has changed everything, and it makes that grant that much more crucially valuable to our survival and our ability to continue to serve the community we have zeroed in on for the last 18 years.

The $1.75 million in grants is for 2020, with the exception of the WHYY grant, which will be for two years.

The Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund will soon announce a separate call for proposals for a total of $750,000 in added support. Funded initially by IPMF ($500,000) and the Knight-Lenfest Fund ($250,000), these resources will be made available by application to Philadelphia-area organizations that provide trusted and timely information. More information is available at lenfestinstitute.org/covid19fund.

We have worked for the past several years in Philadelphia to build a collaborative local-news ecosystem, and never before has this collaboration been more vital, Friedlich said. COVID-19 is not only a 24/7 news story but an information crisis for diverse communities in need. The virus knows no borders, and neither should we.

If you wish to join as a partner to the Philadelphia COVID-19 Community Information Fund, go to lenfestinstitute.org/covid19support.
Its often said that most of what the academic elites call philosophy is nothing but some underutilized minds worrying themselves about questions that common-sense folk find obvious. The saying came to mind as I listened recently to some of these folks straining to fit their various theories to the Age of Trump. More precisely, they were double-helixing themselves trying to explain why the amoral, relativist, truth-denying theories theyve championed for so long are actually good reasons for hating the supposedly amoral, relativist, truth-defying current President.

Listening to this theorizing crystallized (at least for this initially reluctant Trump supporter) why President Trump is indispensable.

One of the philosophical exchanges concerned the allegedly inscrutable problem of the self, of explaining how we can say a human being remains the same person over time even though ones physical cells are all lost and replaced many times throughout life. Yes, this actually can pose a conundrum, if you reject out of hand the existence of all supernatural entities including the soul and God, as the elites generally do.

This problem of the self raises moral issues. If you dont know when a persons selfhood begins or ends, how can you judge whether that person is moral or immoral? Sure, they say, Hitler slaughtered six million or so human beings, but wasnt he also an animal lover who practiced vegetarianism and was kind to his pets?

I kid you not, nor do I exaggerate. The great minds of our age fret over this. How, they ask, could the genocidal fiend and the lover of little critters be one and the same person? And if they are not just one person, how do we determine which of them is which, and which one we should judge or repudiate? And, more generally, dont most criminals have at least some decent traits? So how can we justly pass judgment upon or punish any of them?

The elites find themselves in a quandary. They dismiss the notion that each human soul is a unique and continuing moral and spiritual battleground, because they reject the spirit and recognize no morality other than the arbitrary rules that they, themselves, hand down. Consequently, theyre perplexed by questions that for most people in Flyover County, USA are just straightforward common sense.

Not that such difficulties stop them from self-assuredly holding forth when they want to. For example, one thing they know for absolute damn sure is that Donald J. Trump is morally unfit for leadership, having cheated on his wives and made some obnoxious comments about touching women.

Which leads to the question: Why? Why all the revulsion and resistance to this one president? Are his sexual indiscretions so much worse than Clintons or Kennedys? Are his policy positions so much more at odds with the academic left than those of George W. Bush  who, though surely reviled during his administration, never encountered a complete, unanimous, and openly declared mobilization against his very legitimacy from every major institution across the country?

Why does the academic left find Trump so extraordinarily offensive and threatening?

Another of those recent philosophical discussions answers that question. It carried the title Philosophers versus Post-Truth and opened with a straight-up attack (by Harvard professor Homi Bhabha) on the allegedly truth-indifferent character of the present administration and its allies.

For anyone whos been on a university campus the last few decades, the title itself is ironic, if not ridiculous. Wasnt it the philosophers themselves who brought us post-truth, who mocked the simpletons of Middle America and their naive idea that the world is full of facts, and that statements about those facts are either true or false? Yes, it was. For decades they proclaimed there is no such thing as truth  only perceptions and opinions, all shaped and distorted by experience, individual context, and cultural forces.

Such was the received wisdom among sophisticates during the Clinton years, when accounts of events could be declared, by ostensibly serious people, no longer operative. It persisted when the Obama administration told us that the Benghazi tragedy was not a planned terrorist act but a spontaneous popular uprising in response to an anti-Islam movie. Historical events are fluid and complicated, we were told, and, as it turns out, the truth is not actually out there. Truth is nowhere, they said, because there is no such thing, so truth-challenged politicians are no big deal.

But that was then. Now, one of the panelists on Philosophers versus Post-Truth quotes Rudy Giuliani channeling Pilates what is truth? to a hostile journalist and sees in Mr. Giulianis words a despicable assault on the underpinnings of all that this panelist holds dear.

Some would say the zeal to tweak Trump and his supporters can be chalked up to partisanship. But it is more than that. The philosophers versus post-truth werent just taking political sides, they were arguing against relativism in a way not heard, except in conservative circles, for many years.

So, again, the question: Why now? Why is academic philosophy suddenly fascinated by facts and lamenting the loss of truth? What is it about the Trump Era that prompts this change? The answer is Trumps assault on the new globalism, and the realization that a renewed confidence in truth may be useful to defend the globalist cause.

Regardless of how Clinton, Bush, and Obama may have differed on particular policies, none of them, and no American president at least since Ronald Reagan, has opposed the worldwide advance of bureaucratic centralism. Nor have they resisted very much the subordination of American mores and interests to the self-interested secular elites of the interconnected global bureaucracy. Trump has taken the fight to that vast sprawling blob, threatening its pecuniary and political interests, including the interests of the bureaucracys members and friends in the academic establishments.

The world has changed since the days when truth-minimalization was philosophys fad. Back then, the left still perceived its main enemy to be the western tradition. Extolling the cultural variability of viewpoints was therefore ideologically useful. When widely accepted truths were antithetical to the left, it made sense for the left to attack the very concept of truth.

No longer. Today, the received truths are those emanating from the left and its institutions. The globalist lefts messages and priorities control the popular imagination at least as much as the logocentric western tradition influenced the culture in the mid-twentieth century. Today, the rebels and resisters are largely on the right  from the America First folks to the Brexiteers and their continental counterparts. Thus, whereas leftist philosophy 60 years ago celebrated the disparate wisdom of many cultures, it now derides all dissent from the dominant leftist message as tribalism and as an ignorant and irresponsible assault on the truth.

In short, relativism is for rebels, so it is of little use to todays institutionalized left.

All this emerged in the Philosophers versus Post-Truth discussion. Regardless of the participants technical differences concerning the status of truth in the abstract, they shared a unanimous zeal to restore epistemological order. Public discourse, they all agreed, must proceed according to observation, rationality, and enlightenment principles or interpretational best practices. In short, they were bringing back logos with a vengeance, because appeals to observation, reason, and best practices only make sense if there are objective facts to observe, binding rules of logic to guide our reasoning, and an objective standard for deciding which practices are best.

Above all else, the panelists agreed that their secularist, centralizing norms must be defended against the tribalist boogeymen, among whom the most decadent and dangerous is Donald J. Trump.

That is why Trump is indispensable. He stands with all the local tribes against the great and growing collective.

None of this is to say that Trump or conservatives should take up relativism or be excused for spreading falsehoods, notwithstanding Winston Churchills dictum about guarding the truth with a squadron of lies. The subtleties are for another day.

But it is surely a signal event, equally amusing and important, when the institutions that proudly brought us the post truth world now rue their own achievement. And that is the truth.

Image credit: Pickpik
Dairy farms have been forced to dump thousands of litres of milk as the redirection of the product from the hospitality sector to the retail market takes its toll.

The UK liquid milk market is equally split between the proportion of milk which goes into the retail sector and the proportion which goes into food service.

The first two weeks of March saw retail demand for milk increase by 15-20% whilst the food service sector saw a 70% drop as consumers stayed away from cafes and restaurants due to the coronavirus.

But this increased demand in retail is not sufficient to offset the decreased demand from the food service sector, NFU Cymru recently warned.

And because of workplace restrictions in dairy processors due to the Covid-19 crisis, many are experiencing staff shortages and production issues causing delays in farm collections.

A spokesman for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) said it is a 'huge concern' seeing farmers dumping milk.

"Rest assured the industry is working hard to try and come up with a workable solution to prevent this."

Wiltshire dairy farmer Robert Mallett was told to dump milk on Sunday 5 April. He said: "No collection due 'to staff shortages, slower production'. What a waste of all the effort that goes into producing quality food."

Ordered to dump milk tonight. No collection due "to staff shortages, slower production" What a waste of all the effort that goes into producing quality food. #teamdairy pic.twitter.com/gOdWuFf2FD  Robert Mallett (@NorthleazeFarm) April 5, 2020

In a new update on Monday, Mr Mallett said that he had to dump a further 17,000 litres down the drain.

"The girls aren't bothered, we will do everything to keep them happy and healthy," he said.

Elsewhere, Winterdale Cheese, a small Kent dairy farm, said that because their milk was not collected on Sunday it has now ended up down the drain.

"Rough times for artisan cheesemakers trying to sell our cheese, but now the devastation continues - our milk was not collected today and sadly ends up down the drain," the farm said.

Responding to the farm's situation, local MP Tom Tugendhat said the treatment of farmers during the crisis has been 'appalling'.

He is now petitioning Defra to urgently support dairy farmers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The treatment of our farmers is appalling. Ive written to @DefraGovUK to get help for this important industry. https://t.co/z6ulIQLbzI  Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) April 6, 2020

It comes as the UKs largest independent processing dairy, Freshways, announced a significant drop in its milk price.

The dairy processor, which supplies hotels, airlines and the food industry, recently slashed their milk price by 2p per litre.

Farmers who supply Medina Dairy will also see a two pence per litre reduction in the processor's standard litre price starting from 1 May.
Workers drill at an open cast coal field at Dhanbad district in Jharkhand

By Sudarshan Varadhan

CHENNAI (Reuters) - India's coal ministry wants electricity generators to keep buying coal, despite a steep fall in power demand due to a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Over three-fourths of the electricity generated in India is coal-fired.

Anil Kumar Jain, the secretary of India's Ministry of Coal, last week wrote to Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, the top bureaucrat in the power ministry, to ensure power generators do not cut back intakes of coal from state-run Coal India Ltd.

"I request the Ministry of Power to prevail upon central gencos, NTPC Ltd and its JVs, state gencos and independent power producers not to restrict intake of coal from Coal India and Singreni Collieries," Jain said in the April 3 letter, which was seen by Reuters.

A Ministry of Power spokesman did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Electricity consumption slumped 21.3% in the first two weeks of the lockdown ended April 7, compared with the first three weeks of March, according to government data.

Utilities' stocks at mines and miners' inventories have hit record highs due to low demand, pushing many power plants to avoid buying more coal, Coal India officials say.

"This is understandable but worrisome," Jain wrote.

A similar approach led to a shortage of coal in the 2017/18 year after companies restricted buying from Coal India the year before, citing sufficient availability, he said, adding power companies should prioritize lifting coal.

"Worst congestion of routes can be expected once railways start attaching priorities to the movement of people and other essential goods, once the lockdown is lifted," Jain said.

Power plants buying coal now is crucial for Coal India, as the state-run company's production and supply capabilities are at their peak.

The world's largest coal miner posted a drop in output for the first time in over two decades during the year ended March 2020.

India has directed the central electricity regulator to provide three months to distribution companies (DISCOMs) to make payments to power producers, a move that could provide relief to DISCOMs but affect the finances of generating companies which are already reeling due to burgeoning overdues.

Coal India has extended the time limit to pay for coal by two weeks to April 21 to ease financial strains on its customers.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Two members of the Tabhligi Jamaat - whose headquarters in Delhi emerged as one of the biggest Covid-19 source in the country - were on Tuesday booked in Roorkee and Haridwar under attempt to murder charges. The stringent action was taken by the Uttarakhad Police after 24-hour ultimatum given to the Jamaatis to present themselves before the administration for medical examination ended.

Uttarakhands director general of police (DGP), Anil Kumar Raturi, had released a video message on Sunday evening asking all the Jamaatis to come out of hiding by Monday evening and present themselves before administration for required medical examination and quarantine for checking the spread of Covid-19 virus. He had warned the Jamaatis would be booked under attempt to murder or murder charges in case anybody gets infected from the deadly virus due to their negligence or dies after getting the infection.

After the deadline ended on April 6 evening, we found two Jamaatis - one each in Roorkee and Haridwar - hiding. They were then tracked down on the basis of their call details record and nabbed before being booked for attempt to murder under Section 307 of the IPC, said Ashok Kumar, director general (law & order), Uttarakhand Police.

After being nabbed, they have been now put in institutional quarantine for required medical examination, Kumar added.

He also said that 180 Jamaatis presented themselves before administration before the 24-hour deadline ended.

Of these 180 Jamaatis, maximum 151 were from Haridwar, followed by 12 from Nainital, nine from Dehradun and seven from Pauri Garhwal districts. All of them have been quarantined and are being examined for possible Covid-19 infection by the health department officials, said Kumar.

He further said, Police are keeping an eye on about 300 Jamaatis from Uttarakhand who are in other states to ensure that they dont enter here discreetly and get into hiding. As warned, anyone found doing so will be booked under attempt to murder.

Uttarakhand Police have so far identified 708 members of various Jamaats or congregations - 383 were residents of the state who had gone to other states and 325 from other states had come to Uttarakhand to attend congregations after March 1.

Kumar informed that the police had also booked four people in Laksar, Haridwar for giving shelter to Jamaatis in their home despite the warning given.

Earlier we had booked 41 Jamaatis for trying to enter the state discreetly through jungles along the railway tracks. We have also booked 44 people for spreading rumours on Covid-19 on social media in the state, said Kumar.

Of the 31 Covid-19 positive patients in Uttarakhand, 24 are Jamaatis. Following the significant number of positive cases among Jamaatis, the administration has put restrictions on peoples movement in certain areas of the state, where they are living.

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The government has projected a significant loss in revenue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking Tuesday, Treasury CS Ukur Yatani said though they had projected a 6% GDP growth, the projection has been reviewed downwards and will likely drop to less than 3%.

As a result of the recent mitigative measures that were put in place, the government has projected a loss of Sh172 billion in revenue. Yatani said the government will be losing Sh60 billion per month for the next three months.

For us to be able to manage the situation, we shall reallocate funds from the sub development projects to allow us to have a financial flow to deal with the pandemic, he said.

It is evident that revenues are going to shrink. Countries are now revising their growth projections downwards and Kenya is not an exception.

Speaking when he received a Sh2 billion cheque from the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, Yatani said the amount under the Coronaviris Emergency Respond Fund will go a long in supporting the most vulnerable in the society.

We have been receiving outrageous proposals from the committees put in place and looking at the figures, they are far beyond our imagination, he said.

Yatani noted that the reduction of the Value Added Tax should provide relief to the citizens as prices for essential commodities are expected to drop.

He called on the business community across the country to have compassion and ease the burden on citizens.

We understand the pandemic is really hitting hard on the ordinary citizens, as the government explores the best ways to prevent its citizens from the economic shocks, those in the business sector should also try and have some understanding of the situation, he said.

Yatani added that disbursement of funds to the counties will continue.

So far all the counties that have requested for the funds we are in the process of ensuring that the money is released to them in good time, he said.
Answer whatever he says with as few words as possible, excuse yourself, and then go back to your headphones and your workout. A few repetitions should be enough to convince him that you are not available for chitchat. If not, you can always smile, apologize and say that now is not a good time to talk, as you only have a limited time and you promised yourself that you would do this workout.
Gov. Kate Brown has asked for information from state and local corrections officials regarding the possible early release of inmates to limit coronavirus spread in Oregon prisons, according to an email circulating among Washington County community corrections officials.

The email said Brown is seeking numbers of inmates in a variety of circumstances, from medically vulnerable to those approaching the end of their sentences.

The governor wants the information by April 13, according to the email sent to colleagues by Washington County community corrections Director Steve Berger.

Specifically, she wants to determine whether early release would be a safe and effective way to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading through our institutions yet done in a safe way as to not overburden counties from a supervision/shelter/healthcare standpoint, he wrote in the email, which was obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Berger wrote that the governor requested the numbers of inmates in a range of scenarios: those with an approved residence post release; all inmates, regardless of their conviction, who are within eight weeks of release; non-Measure 11 medically vulnerable inmates; non-Measure 11 inmates over age 60; non-Measure 11 inmates who have served half their sentence and are within six months of release and non-Measure 11 inmates who have served half of their sentence and who are within six to 12 months of release.

State and local corrections officials, who oversee inmates transitions into the community, are to begin meeting Wednesday to discuss early release options, determine the authority to release inmates early and identify how many would be released, he wrote.

Browns office issued a statement late Tuesday, saying the governor asked the Department of Corrections what steps it could take to ensure public safety and further reduce the spread of COVID-19."

Colette Peters, director of the states prison system, said Browns primary focus is the health and wellbeing of all Oregonians, no matter where they live, and this includes prisons.

Peters said the governor asked state corrections officials to provide her with information related to early release of those in our care and custody.

It is unclear how many inmates would fall under the categories the governor is considering for early release. The state Department of Corrections said last week that it has identified 817 inmates it considers the systems most medically vulnerable. But those prisoners likely are serving time for a wide range of offenses, including Measure 11 crimes and therefore would not be among those the governor is apparently considering for early release.

In a statement, the Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors said it appreciates the governors leadership on this issue.

We are ready to work with our partners to identify necessary community resources while continuing to address the public safety concerns that this process carries with it, the statement said.

The Oregon District Attorneys Association blasted the idea of releasing offenders early, saying in a statement that we must strike a balance between public health, public safety and justice.

The organization said it has "significant public safety concerns about convicted criminals, many of whom are violent, being released prior to the completion of their sentences. Such actions undermine truth in sentencing and discount the safety and security of victims who trusted in a sentence handed down by the court.

We strongly oppose mass release of prison inmates and call upon the Governor and the Department of Corrections to meet their duty to keep our communities safe, the group said.

The development comes as Brown has faced rising pressure from advocacy organizations to address the threat the virus poses to inmates and corrections staff.

Bobbin Singh, executive director of the nonprofit Oregon Justice Resource Center, is among those who have advocated for early release. He said he was pleased that Brown is considering early release but said the focus should be whether a person is vulnerable to the virus not the crime they committed.

He said decisions around early release are complex and must balance public safety and community health.

But, he added, many Measure 11 offenders have done a lot of time and are vulnerable and can be safely released."

Social distancing poses a challenge in prisons and jails, where people live in close quarters and, studies show, the population in general tends to be sicker. Oregon is also home to an aging prison population; the prison system houses among the highest percentages of prisoners ages 55 and older in the country, according to a 2018 study by Pew Charitable Trusts.

On Monday, Brown, Peters and other top prisons officials were named in a class action lawsuit over the alleged failure to protect inmates from the pandemic. The federal suit doesnt seek money, but asks prison administrators to provide adequate medical care, access to cleaning supplies and testing for those who may have been exposed.

The plaintiffs also want a judge to order prisons to allow six feet between prisoners and to release inmates if prisons are too full to comply with social distancing guidelines.

The Department of Corrections announced that its first employee had tested positive on April 1. The employee works at the Oregon State Penitentiary. An inmate at Santiam Correctional Institution was reported to have tested positive the following day.

The plaintiffs range in ages from 35 to 76, and all have pre-existing health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to coronavirus, including chronic respiratory issues or chronic kidney disease, according to the lawsuit.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Canada is investing $2.14 million to counter misinformation online about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Department of Canadian Heritage said in a statement.

"Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing $3 million in several organizations through the Digital Citizen Initiative's Digital Citizen Contribution Program," the statement released on Tuesday said. "This funding will help combat false and misleading COVID-19 information as well as the racism and stigmatization that are often the result."

The largest chunk of money - $485,000 - will go to Digital Public Square, a project housed at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs.

Other sums of money will go to East Asian advocacy groups - the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and the Asian Environmental Association - and media organizations, including the Professional Federation of Journalists from Quebec.

The Canadian government has taken steps to soften the blow for Canadian media outlets as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to bite into media revenue, including waiving licensing fees for the broadcasters, a move that will allow the major broadcasters to retain more than $21 million in cash.

In February, the Heritage Minister made headlines after telling a Canadian outlet that his ministry would pursue licensing for media outlets operating in Canada, later backtracking on his earlier comments, saying that news agencies would be exempt from the media licensing requirement.

In September, the Trudeau government announced a $450 million media bailout.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stephen Luby, an professor of infectious disease at Stanford University, said he does not think coronavirus transmission by way of reusable grocery bags is a high risk that we should particularly prioritize. But he said it is possible that someone infected with the virus could shed it on a reusable bag and transmit it to the store clerk who fills it with groceries.
Warning: Youll have to read, ahem, subtitles if you dont speak Korean. Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

In honor of Parasites Hulu debut, we are republishing this piece that originally ran in February. Mother, The Host, and Barking Dogs Never Bite are also available to stream on Hulu now.

Oh, so you learned how to read and watched Parasite? Congratulations! As the newly Oscar-minted director Bong Joon Ho said onstage at the Golden Globes: Once youve overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films. To that end, we know you might be curious about some of the other Korean-language works from Bong Joon Ho that havent received the global attention of his mixed-language releases like Snowpiercer (2013), his revolutionary uprising set in a speeding train, or Okja (2017), his descent into the bowels of factory farming via an adorable, genetically engineered superpig. And while both films boast Bongs biggest budgets, his best work still might be the movies set domestically in South Korea, like Memories of Murder and Mother, where you would have to read, ahem, subtitles if you dont speak Korean. So foreign-language fluency aside, weve put together a little guide to some of the deeper cuts in Bong Joon Hos oeuvre that display his breadth and evolution as one of the modern heirs to Hitchcock.

Incoherence (1994)

Incoherence is Bongs thesis film made during his time at the Korean Academy of Film Art, and features a four-part story (told in episodes) of various public figures in the intellectual class of Korean society (like professors and public prosecutors) who criticize the younger generation for malfeasance, laziness, and sexual immorality all while doing these acts in private. In person, Bong said that hes partially proud of the film for its structure and some camera movements, many of which can be seen in episode two, as he tracks the editor-in-chief of the Chosun Ilbo (a famously conservative national paper), who steals milk from other peoples houses. The film contains many of Bongs obsessions: a satirical stab at the wealthy, long tracking shots, and the trope of fake news.

Most of it is available on YouTube.

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

While the Korean title more straightforwardly references its original inspiration, The Dog of Flanders, the film itself is entirely original and Bong Joon Hos first feature film that he both wrote and directed. As such, while there are familiar thematic concerns  a circle of malfeasance, the hypocrisy of the Korean elite  its very much still an early project, in which hes working out his style. The protagonist is an ornery, unemployed academic (Lee Sung-jae) who becomes fixated on a barking dog in his apartment complex, and goes to extreme lengths to silence it. Meanwhile Bae Doona (Sense8; The Host) plays the one trying to save the animals. Theres a memorable visual in the film where a roll of toilet paper unfurls onto the street  a handy metaphor for tracing a through line from Barking Dogs to Parasite.

Barking Dogs Never Bite is currently streaming on Hulu and Tubi.

Memories of Murder (2003)

At a retrospective screening of Memories of Murder in New York last month, Bong acknowledged that there were spiritual similarities between his crime drama and the 2007 movie Zodiac  but, he pointed out, as much as hes a fan of David Fincher, his film came first. Memories of Murder is, like Zodiac, about a search for a serial killer that becomes more about the mental states of the men in charge of the investigation as it stretches on and resources are taxed. Theyre a pair of detectives  one a blustery local played by Bongs muse Song Kang-ho, the other an aloof but more experienced investigator from Seoul  who clash at first, then become close. But their odd-couple partnership doesnt make them any better equipped to proceed or the answers more forthcoming. Memories of Murder plays, in some ways, like an anti-procedural, as much about fumbled information and lost opportunities as about who may be responsible for the gruesome happenings. It begins as a story of a crime and becomes, imperceptibly, one about a tragedy enveloping not just the murderers victims but the men who find themselves splintering under the pressure to catch him.

Memories of Murder is streaming on Popcornflix right now, and Neon, the company that released Parasite, recently picked up the film for a Blu-ray and theatrical release.

Influenza (2004)

This short film from 2004 is both a fascinating technical exercise as well as the bleakest distillation of Bong Joon Hos worldview of the unrelenting brutality of life under capitalism. He shot the film as part of a digital-shorts grant through the Jeonju International Film Festival, and made it to look as though it were cobbled together from found footage taken from CCTV cameras rigged around Seoul. Its through this surveillance footage that he begins to tell a narrative of a businessman who loses his job and gradually turns to violent crime over the years. Theres no dialogue, and the shots are often fixed at odd angles (except for one scene that rather horrifyingly uses an oscillating security camera in a parking lot)  all of which only manages to heighten the darkness of the physical comedy. Influenza is probably Bongs work that most directly speaks to the absolute devastation wrought by the IMF crisis of 1997 on modern Korean society.

Its available to rent or buy on Grasshopper Film.

The Host (2006)

In South Korea, this 2006 phenom about a mutant that crawls out of the Han River to terrorize Seoul still holds the record as Bongs highest-grossing hit. Given the director, though, you should know better than to expect any of the standard creature-feature beats. The monster in The Host is an ungainly creation born from the illegal dumping of chemicals on an American Army base. Years later, in a sequence thats equal parts frightening and funny, it emerges to gallop alongside the riverbank, gobbling up and regurgitating random leisure seekers unlucky enough to get in its way. While it makes off with children and leaves destruction in its wake, its never as scary as the partnership between the Korean government and the U.S. military that lurches into motion to deal with it, instantly becoming a morass of misinformation and trampled rights. As is always the case in Bongs work, its the lumbering systems that are most likely to crush individuals underfoot  especially if theyre as powerless as the ragtag family at the films heart. The clan of oddballs and down-and-outs has more than a little in common with the Kim family in Parasite, including Song as a hapless patriarch.

The Host is streaming for free on Hulu and Tubi.

Mother (2009)

The opening and closing scenes of Bongs masterful 2009 film are, swear to God, among the greatest bookends in movie history. They both involve the unnamed protagonist, a small-town widow played by the incredible Kim Hye-ja, dancing. The first, which takes place in a grassy clearing while the credits appear onscreen, is a sequence of deadpan absurdism. The second occurs on a bus in the golden sunlight of a late afternoon, and is utterly devastating. What unfolds in between these points is a thriller about a woman whose life is turned upside down when the son she dotes on and lives for, a teenager with an intellectual disability played by Won Bin, is accused of murder. When she first starts trying to clear his name, Mother comes across as a blackly and unpredictably funny story of an unlikely amateur detective in over her head. But the film soon reveals depths much murkier than youd ever initially expect, delving into what it means to love someone so much that theres no price you wouldnt pay to protect them, no matter the cost to yourself.

Mother is available to steam on Hulu and rent on all the usual platforms.

Dont have Hulu yet? You can sign up here. (If you subscribe to a service through our links, Vulture may earn an affiliate commission.)
This is the heartwarming moment firefighters and hospital staff paid tribute to medical staff who were killed in a plane crash in the Philippines. Dr. Nicandro Bautista and nurse Conrado Tomeldan died when the Lionair jet exploded into flames at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila on March 29. The jet was on a medical evacuation mission to Japan when it suffered a catastrophic fault killing all eight onboard. Firefighters, hospital staff and paramedics later paid tribute to their two colleagues and the six other non-medial staff who died in the incident. Footage shows fire crews spraying hoses into the air during a drive by memorial on the EDSA road in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, on April 2. Onlooker Daves Enciso said: "Let us keep his wonderful memory as a great treasure in our hearts and honour his memory throughout our lives. ''We should remember everything they taught us and strive to be better people according to their desire. We ask the Lord to give them eternal rest. Fly high Conrado Tomeldan and Dr Nicko Bautista.'' Those killed in the crash were the pilot, Capt. Mario Medina Jr., co-pilots Ren Edward Ungson and Melvin de Castro, Dr. Cenover Nicandro Bautista II, pilot trainee Edmark Jael, nurse Conrado Tomeldan Jr., Canadian patient John Richard Hurst and his assistant Marilyn Vergara de Jesus, who holds a U.S. passport. Fire crews extinguished the blaze after one hour. Investigators are now working to find the cause of the crash. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in a statement that the aircraft "reportedly encountered a technical problem'' before takeoff.
Australias coveted AAA credit rating came under a cloud on Wednesday as the countrys parliament returned to pass an emergency 130 billion Australian dollars ($80bn) stimulus package to help cushion the blow to the economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

Australias government has so far pledged 320 billion Australian dollars ($197bn) in fiscal support as the coronavirus pandemic shuts companies and leaves many unemployed.

The COVID-19 outbreak has dealt Australia a severe economic and fiscal shock, rating agency S&P said as it lowered the outlook on the countrys AAA sovereign debt rating to negative from stable, raising the likelihood of a future downgrade.

We expect the Australian economy to plunge into recession for the first time in almost 30 years, causing a substantial deterioration of the governments fiscal headroom at the AAA rating level.

A triple-A credit rating is given to only a select group of countries with the strongest finances in the world. The rating means a country can easily meet its financial commitments and have the lowest risk of default.

S&Ps decision came as a pared-back version of Australias parliament votes on the governments third tranche of fiscal measures on Wednesday. Fewer-than-normal legislators were present for the one-day sitting to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.

In his address to parliament, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said legislators were acting to protect Australias sovereignty.

When Australian lives and livelihoods are threatened, when they are under attack, our nations sovereignty is put at risk, and we must respond, he added.

The support measures come as economists predict the worst recession in Australias history, with the unemployment rate almost doubling to near 10 percent. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday predicted a very large economic contraction in the current quarter.

Restrictions on people movement and gatherings to curb the spread of infection have forced many businesses in the hospitality, retail, transport and education sectors to shut. Businesses that remain open face falling sales and increasing operational restrictions.

Australian police said they will ensure social distancing and travel restrictions are enforced during the upcoming long Easter weekend as the national death toll from the coronavirus reached 50.

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned abandoning social distancing rules and stay-at-home advice over the long weekend would undo the success Australia has had in fighting the virus.

The virus doesnt take a holiday, he told the Ten Network.

The total number of cases across Australia is creeping towards 6,000, although the pace of new infections has slowed dramatically in the past week.

The early success in controlling the spread of the virus has fanned speculation some of the mobility restrictions could be eased from the beginning of May.

The New South Wales (NSW) state premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a televised briefing in Sydney that there could be a chance if the health experts deem it appropriate.

However, she warned lifting restrictions could lead to a second wave of infections. NSW is the countrys worst-affected state accounting for almost half the total infections.

Every time you relax a restriction, more people will get sick. More people will die. And its a horrible situation to be in, but theyre the choices and we need to be up-front about that.
KALAMAZOO, MI  Plea agreements for the owners of a large farm in Decatur have been officially withdrawn, and the couple is heading to trial for charges in an alleged fraud case.

Melissa and Michael Stamp, former owners of Stamp Farms in Decatur, Michigan, face trials following separate withdrawals of a pair of plea agreements made with the U.S. Attorneys Office in April 2019.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney accepted a motion last week from the government to withdraw from a plea deal that had been made with Melissa Stamp, one week after her husband officially withdrew from his plea agreement on March 24.

Both Melissa and Michael Stamp had been scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan on Jan. 22 for their role in what the U.S Attorneys Office and Maloney have called a multi-million dollar fraud case.

The case, according to the indictment, involved the couple allegedly filing for bankruptcy after fraudulently borrowing $68 million from Wells Fargo by falsely claiming the amount of land the company farmed, value of farming assets and more.

Michael Stamps agreement made with the U.S. Attorneys Office in April 2019 included a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

After looking at sentencing guidelines for the crimes Michael Stamp pleaded guilty to  conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit crop insurance fraud  Maloney ruled Jan. 22 that the agreement between the two parties presented an inaccurate interpretation of how sentencing guidelines should be applied."

The judge concluded that Stamp should instead be sentenced to between 12.5 and 15 years in prison.

As Maloneys interpretations of the sentencing guidelines grossly exceeded the initial agreement, the judge granted Michael Stamp the opportunity to work out a new agreement with the U.S. Attorneys Office or withdraw his guilty plea.

Melissa Stamp, who had pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony  admitting to being aware of her husbands fraud, not reporting it to authorities and helping hide money from creditors the couple was in debt to  had her sentencing placed on hold at that time as well.

Melissa Stamp  who had previously been sentenced to 20 months in prison for a 2015 bankruptcy fraud case  soon after filed a motion for her plea to still be accepted.

At a March 4 hearing, Maloney said he would take her motion under advisement pending further events as Michael Stamp had not officially withdrawn his plea and there was an oral agreement between the parties that the couples cases were tied together on a contingency.

Following Michael Stamps withdrawal of his guilty plea on March 24, the court denied Melissa Stamps motion to enforce her plea agreement.

The parties agree that Melissa Stamps plea agreement contains an additional oral clause that made Melissas plea offer contingent upon Michael Stamp pleading guilty, according to the motion denial.

Given that Michael Stamp has formally withdrawn his guilty plea, the additional clause in Melissas plea agreement has not been satisfied (and) the government may withdraw from Melissas plea agreement if it wishes.

The government, which had attempted to withdraw from the agreement at Melissa Stamps March 4 hearing, filed a motion the following day to withdraw. That motion was accepted by the court March 30.

A status conference involving both Melissa and Michael Stamp has been set for June 8.

Also on MLive:

Former owner of large Southwest Michigan farm to stand trial; wife files motion to have plea accepted

Stamp Farms owners may be headed for trial after judge rejects plea agreement

Former owners of large Southwest Michigan farm plead in multi-million dollar fraud

Stamp Farms saga: How a prominent business was crippled by bankruptcy, crime

Stamp Farms co-owner Melissa Stamp sentenced to 20 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud

Stamp Farms owner, 2 others indicted in bankruptcy fraud scheme
The public broadcaster and the Department of Basic Education have launched a Covid-19 learner support initiative in an effort to limit the impact of the lockdown on the school calendar.

tookapic via Pixabay

The public broadcaster and the Department of Basic Education have launched a COVID-19 learner support initiative in an effort to limit the impact of the lockdown on the school calendar.The multimedia learner support initiative, the SABC and the DBE said in a joint statement, is part of the broader efforts to prevent the total loss of the school year, since the lockdown was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.Schools have been closed since 18 March 2020. The lockdown is expected to be lifted at midnight on 16 April.The educational programme is scheduled to start on Thursday, 9 April and will broadcast across three SABC TV channels and 13 radio stations, with online support."The series will provide curriculum support lessons to learners in Grades 10, 11 and 12 and Early Childhood Development (ECD). Some of the subjects covered include Maths, Physical Sciences, English First Additional Language, Life Sciences and Accounting. A variety of African languages are also covered under the ECD basket," read the statement.The SABC and the DBE said the initiative is also launched in anticipation of the mid-year exams, which were scheduled for June 2020."The campaign will be providing learners with relevant support material they need in order for them to walk into those exam rooms knowing they have received the support and information they need to tackle the exams with confidence."Learners are encouraged to check their local listings for the exact slots for radio," read the statement.The SABC and the National Department of Basic Education created the campaign to be the daily source of information and the central shared hub for learner support."We invite learners to take full advantage of these resources, as we believe they will assist them a great deal during this lockdown period to catch up with their school work and better prepare for the upcoming exams in the year," said SABC chief operating officer, Ian Plaatjes.This multimedia initiative is supported by an online YouTube channel."If we learn by repetition, learners will have ample opportunity to watch the content as many times as they want," Plaatjes said.The DBE welcomed the commitments and support from the public broadcaster to support educational programming during this time of the lockdown."Our learners need all the support they can get in order to continue learning at home, as schools are closed because of the pandemic. We should all do our best to minimise the impact of the disruptions caused by the crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mathanzima Mweli, the director-general of the Department of Basic Education.
Photo credit: Claridge's

From Town & Country

Tourism is one of many industries that have been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines and cruises stand to lose hundreds of billions in revenue. Tourist hotspots from Rome to Paris to Sydney remain deserted, most now overtaken by pigeons. And hotels around the world have had to close their doors, not only endangering profits, but also the livelihoods of all the employees that make them run smoothly.

In spite of all this, several luxury hotels have chosen to use their resources to join the fight against COVID-19 in any way they can, whether it's offering empty rooms to healthcare workers, fundraising for local organizations, providing food for their communities, or making sure their employees are taken care of no matter what. Here are the hospitality brands that have stepped up to the join the effort. The list will be updated as new announcements are made.

CLARIDGE'S, LONDON

Photo credit: Claridge's

Arguably London's toniest hotel, Claridge's has been the choice refuge of Hollywood stars and royalty since the 19th century. As COVID-19 puts strains on the UK's National Health Service, the hotel will invite NHS workers of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington to stay at the property. In addition to free boarding, doctors and nurses will also be provided with free breakfast and dinner.

LE SIRENUSE, POSITANO

Photo credit: Roberto Salomone

Four Amalfi Coast properties, including Le Sirenuse, Hotel Santa Caterina, Il San Pietro di Positano, and Palazzo Avino are pledging support to a vaccine research fundraiser called "Together for a COVID-19 Vaccine." Each hotel will offer ten e-vouchers worth 5,000 which will cover stays, various perks, and a dinner at Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890. The hotels hope to raise 200,000 through this effort.

AIRBNB

Photo credit: Airbnb

Airbnb has launched a program that will offer free or subsidized housing for frontline COVID-19 responders. The company has partnered with UK's National Health Service, Spain's Barcelona Official Doctors Association, France's Ministry of Housing, and California's Sutter Health to facilitate bookings for medical professionals. To date, hosts in 160 countries have opened up more than 100,000 homes for pandemic responders (those interested in joining and opening up their homes can do so here). Airbnb has announced that it will waive fees for the first 100,000 stays booked through this program.

Story continues

BELMOND CHARLESTON PLACE

Photo credit: Courtesy of Charleston Tourism

In 2009, Mickey Bakst, general manager of the award-winning Charleston Grill restaurant in the Belmond property, launched Charleston Chefs Feed the Need to provide meals to the city's neediest. This week, the organization will join the COVID-19 fight by partnering with local farmers and fishermen to put together donated grocery bags for out-of-work hospitality and food & beverage workers.

ROSEWOOD CORDEVALLE, SAN MARTIN, CALIFORNIA

Photo credit: Rosewood CordeValle

The Northern California property is taking care of its employees during the hotel's closure by preparing care packages tailored to each individual's needs. They include basics such as eggs, milk, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. The hotel is also providing food to local restaurants to assist with their to-go business, along with delivering food to law enforcement and elderly communities.

RANCHO VALENCIA, RANCHO SANTA FE

Photo credit: Courtesy Mr. and Mrs Smith

The Southern California resort is making sure its employees are taken care of while the property is closed. In addition to paying their salaries, the hotel has distributed all perishable foods on site to hourly employees and is providing tele-medical services. With San Diego nonprofit ProduceGood, Rancho Valencia is also organizing a canned food drive for employees and their families.

UXUA CASA HOTEL, BRAZIL

Photo credit: Cristian Lourenco / EyeEm - Getty Images

The chef of the Trancoso hotel is preparing healthy meals (fish with a grain salad, prawns with quinoa) to distribute to all of the town's residents.

FOUR SEASONS NEW YORK

Photo credit: Peter Malinowski

Two weeks ago, Four Seasons New York owner Ty Warner decided to open his 368-room hotel, free of charge, to the doctors and nurses working overtime at the city's hospitals, many of whichMt. Sinai, Weill Cornell, New York Presbyterian, NYU Langone, and Bellevueare located near the hotel's East 57th Street, Billionaires' Row location. Many of those working in New York City have to travel long distances to and from their homes after putting in 18-hour days, he said in a statement. They need a place close to work where they can rest and regenerate."

OCEAN HOUSE, RHODE ISLAND

Photo credit: Ocean House Management

The management company behind the stately Rhode Island hotel has been delivering free lunch to local children who have been unable to attend school for weeks. Food made by the hotel's celebrated culinary team are distributed three times a week from a food truck (called Off the Menu) at Westerly Skating Rink.

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Dozens of childcare centres are on the brink of closure due to an "unintended consequence" of federal government changes designed to prop up the sector, which would lead to hundreds of staff being out of work and families left without care.

Two non-profit organisations that run 60 childcare centres as part of their diverse operations say their sites are at imminent risk of having to close because their structure puts them out of reach of the $130 billion JobKeeper package, designed to keep millions of workers afloat.

Four-year-old Patrick Levine, pictured with his mother Allie, attends Hartnett House in Brunswick. Ms Levine says it would be "absolutely horrible" for her family if the centre closes.

Federal Parliament on Wednesday passed the JobKeeper package, which will involve payments flowing to businesses and not-for-profits that suffer substantial losses in the coronavirus crisis.

For the childcare sector, payments are designed to offset revenue shortfalls caused by the government slashing Commonwealth subsidies and suspending family gap payments, as part of its effort to secure free childcare for families.
New Delhi, April 8 : Digital security provider Avast on Wednesday released an Android version of its secure browser to extend its platform support beyond Windows and Mac on desktop to mobile devices.

Avast Secure Browser for Android was developed following Avast's 2019 acquisition of Tenta, a private browser backed by Blockchain pioneers ConsenSys, and has been built from the ground up by privacy and cybersecurity engineers focused on total encryption.

"Our goal is to be the first all-in-one browser to secure our users' privacy along with a frictionless secure browsing experience. Adding support for mobile is another milestone in our journey towards this long-term goal," Scott Curtiss, Vice President and General Manager of Avast Secure Browser said in a statement.

The introduction of a multi-platform browser is part of the company's ongoing focus to converge security and privacy services to enable a safer, more private and faster browsing experience across devices and operating systems.

Later this year, the mobile version of Avast Secure Browser will be made available on iOS, said the company.

Avast Secure Browser is currently compatible with Windows 10, 8 and 7, Android and MacOS and is available for download.
The Ireland of today is completely unrecognisable from the country we all inhabited just a few short weeks ago.

Scores of people have died, hundreds are in hospital, millions are confined to their homes and the numbers dependent on income support have surged to 844,000 - quadrupling in just three weeks.

While most of us are trying to acclimatise to this dystopia, many of our politicians are cocooning in a time warp - Ireland pre-coronavirus. Attempts to coax them back to reality have, thus far, been unsuccessful.

It is extraordinary that in a time of such national peril, when so many lives and livelihoods hang in the balance, that political parties have not revised their antiquated red lines. The world is imploding around us, but they are refusing to relinquish the tattered remnants of their election manifestos from their fists.

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The political calculus employed by the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, to determine whether they should enter government, remains the same as it ever was.

The pre-eminent consideration is whether there will be any perceived benefit for their respective political parties. The best interest of the country, and its people, comes a distant second.

We hope, when we elect our TDs, that their true mettle will emerge in times of crisis. That they will lead by example, even if it involves some sacrifice. Regrettably, many of the current crop of TDs are notable only for being invertebrates.

Frankly, it has been nauseating to witness. The rush to the opposition benches has been such that, if social distancing measures were not in place, there would likely have been deaths from the stampede.

Meanwhile, our healthcare workers get up every morning and go to work to care for the sick and dying, not knowing if they will have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure they themselves, or their families, don't contract the disease. Contrast this with the behaviour of political parties that have ruled out coalition with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail before those parties have even had an opportunity to put their final offer to them. They will not even hear them out.

TDs who were elected at the start of February have been happy to remain on the sidelines while TDs who lost their seats, but remain in Cabinet, put in 18-hour days. The dereliction of duty is truly shameful.

It has now been more than two months since we held a general election and the only thing everyone can agree on is we need a government.

This is a government that is going to have to last for at least two years. Why? Because it's very unlikely we will be in a position to safely hold another election until a vaccine exists for this cursed virus.

Scientists tell us that if everything moves swiftly, and there are zero set-backs, the shortest timeframe to develop a vaccine is 18 months. It will then take even more time to manufacture it at scale and inoculate everyone on the planet.

In short, this is a government that will have to last. It is not tenable, as the Green Party has suggested, that the caretaker government remains in place for the duration of this crisis. For a start, we have no idea how long it will last and, as soon as it is over, the government will be firefighting for our economic survival.

Even if that were not the case, why would any self-respecting political party propose that a caretaker government, which contains unelected ministers and has lost the ability to legislate, remains in place for an indefinite amount of time to manage the biggest crisis in the history of the State? It is among the most specious, contemptible and craven suggestions that any political party has thus far advocated.

Those suggesting a national unity government, until the threat of coronavirus recedes, have also clearly thought very little about the practicalities that would be entailed. A new Taoiseach would have to be elected and new ministers appointed.

How long would it take to do all that? How would a multitude of parties and Independent TDs reach agreement about their respective roles? How would ministers be empowered to take fast and autonomous decisions if every step they took necessitated a mass brain-storming session in advance to achieve something resembling consensus?

A national unity government would also leave us without a strong opposition to hold the government to account, an anathema for any functioning democracy in which checks and balances are an essential component.

This is also why it is important that one of the three big parties - Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail or Fine Gael - remains outside government. We need critical mass on the opposition benches, as well as a functioning government.

That leaves us with two options - a minority government, propped up by a confidence and supply arrangement, or a strong coalition government. Labour leader Alan Kelly, speaking on RTE's 'Morning Ireland' yesterday, was adamant the latter option is what the country desperately needs. He just doesn't want any part of it.

"The way in which Ireland is going to come out of this is [by] embracing a lot of things the Labour party stood for over the last number of years," he mused. So, Labour has all of the policy answers to the problems posed by this virus, it just doesn't want to enter government and enact any of them. Got it.

In reality, Labour has the most to gain from entering office. It has always claimed it was unfairly monstered after its last spell in coalition because it was compelled to implement austerity measures that had been mandated by the troika.

Today, there is no troika breathing down our necks, the Labour Party has the power to negotiate so that its policies are reflected in any programme for government and it can therefore ensure the recovery is as fair and as equitable as possible. But, rather than restore its reputation, it's running away - to the opposition benches, where it will be devoured by Sinn Fein.

If the Labour leader had any imagination or ambition, he would approach the Social Democrats and explore whether those parties could join forces and present a combined show of strength when Fine Gael and Fianna Fail come calling. Instead, he seems determined to commit hari-kari. The length and extent of this crisis will depend on the decisions that are imminently taken by any incoming government. Political parties that claim to embody the national interest should be clamouring to take part and influence the decision-making process.

Instead, what we have seen is medics walking into the trenches and opposition TDs heading for the hills.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: In a video address to doctors, PG students, and medicos in Karnataka on World Health Day, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar stressed on the need to rethink public health safety to be able to handle life threatening epidemics like Corona in the future. We cannot foresee how things will turn out but empathy and patience will see us through these tough times, he said.

Absence of a vaccine is making this fight against COVID-19 tougher. There are serious concerns on safety of front line health workers, care givers and doctors who are working round the clock, fighting the deadly battle. It is all the more difficult as we have only one doctor for 1,500 people in India. Many doctors in our country have also tested positive for coronavirus, Sudhakar said.

He said that this year we are celebrating the role of nurses and midwives who are keeping the world healthy. Only 19 per cent of those infected are above 60 years but they form 63 % of the fatality rate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa have taken strict measures in this regard and we need to win this fight at any cost.

He said that initiatives taken by the government have helped curtail the spread of the virus. The state has come down from the second or third place, to the ninth or tenth place. I thank doctors, nurses, ASHA workers, pourakarmikas, and police. We have procured ventilators, PPE, ICU beds for this war on COVID-19, he added.

COVID dashboard to show real-time data

Bengaluru: Karnataka has come forward to bring in real time data of COVID-19 cases on one platform, on: COVID19DashBoard.karnataka.gov.in. The dashboard will have all coronavirus related information, including positive cases, patients under quarantine, those who have had primary or secondary contact, hospitals and labs. It will give information on district, taluk, city, and ward wise information to urban areas, while gram panchayat or village wise information to rural areas. The dashboard will have live data and information from multiple sources.
DUBLIN, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Paper Packaging Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global paper packaging market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 4% during 2020-2025.



This report provides a deep insight into the global paper packaging market covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, recent trends, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, value chain analysis, etc.



The growing retail and e-commerce industries, along with the growing demand for environment-friendly packaging products, currently represent as the key factors driving the growth of the market. With the rapid increase in the number of online shopping platforms, the requirement for secondary and tertiary paper packaging products has escalated significantly.



Furthermore, increasing consciousness among consumers regarding sustainable packaging and the implementation of favourable government policies are providing a boost to the market growth. Governments of various developed and emerging nations are promoting the usage of paper-based products as an alternative to plastic for minimizing pollution and toxin levels in the environment.



Additionally, the rapidly growing food and beverages industry across the globe is acting as another growth-inducing factor. Food manufacturing organizations are adopting food-grade paper packaging products to retain the nutrient content and maintain the quality of the food contents. Other factors, including various product innovations to enhance the efficiency of the product and to produce visually appealing variants are projected to drive the market in the upcoming years.



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Amcor, DS Smith, Evergreen Group, Holmen, Hood Packaging Corporation, Huhtamki, International Paper Company, Kapstone LLC, Mayr-Melnhof, Mondi Group, Pratt Industries, WestRock Inc., etc.



Key Questions Answered

How has the global paper packaging market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the grade?

What is the breakup of the market based on the packaging level?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-use industry?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global paper packaging market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Paper Packaging Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Product Type

6.1 Corrugated Boxes

6.2 Folding Boxes and Cases

6.3 Liquid Paperboard Cartons

6.4 Paper Bags and Sacks

6.5 Others



7 Market Breakup by Grade

7.1 Solid Bleached

7.2 Coated Recycled

7.3 Uncoated Recycled

7.4 Others



8 Market Breakup by Packaging Level

8.1 Primary Packaging

8.2 Secondary Packaging

8.3 Tertiary Packaging



9 Market Breakup by End-Use Industry

9.1 Food

9.2 Beverage

9.3 Personal Care and Home Care

9.4 Healthcare

9.5 Others



10 Market Breakup by Region

10.1 North America

10.2 Europe

10.3 Asia Pacific

10.4 Latin America

10.5 Middle East and Africa



11 SWOT Analysis

11.1 Overview

11.2 Strengths

11.3 Weaknesses

11.4 Opportunities

11.5 Threats



12 Value Chain Analysis

12.1 Overview

12.2 Paper Mills

12.3 Paper Packaging Products Manufacturers

12.4 Distributors/Retailers

12.5 End-Use Industries

12.6 Waste Management Companies



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis

13.1 Overview

13.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers

13.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

13.4 Degree of Competition

13.5 Threat of New Entrants

13.6 Threat of Substitutes



14 Price Indicators



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 Amcor

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.1.3 Financials

15.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.2 DS Smith

15.3.3 Evergreen Group

15.3.4 Holmen

15.3.5 Hood Packaging Corporation

15.3.6 Huhtamki

15.3.7 International Paper Company

15.3.8 Kapstone LLC

15.3.9 Mayr-Melnhof

15.3.10 Mondi Group

15.3.11 Pratt Industries

15.3.12 WestRock Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/epm9zr

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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It all started with a hand-painted post box.

Jamila's four-year-old son painting his kids-only post box.

Along with kids all over the country, coronavirus means my four-year-old, who doesn't have siblings, cant hang out with his buddies anymore. Weve made the decision to pull him out of kinder. Ballet, footy and swimming are cancelled.

In an effort to keep things somewhat interesting, I rallied our neighbourhood friends to set up a kids-only post box system. Our children could hand-deliver letters, drawings, favourite rocks, flowers and baked goods to one another, in lieu of actual socialisation.

We could, of course, have used an old laundry basket or shoe box. That would have done the job just as well. I was, however, desperate for activities that were vaguely more educational than watching another episode of Power Rangers. I also had a clear picture in my head of the crafty, makes-things-out-of-nothing mum I could potentially become during isolation.
The Chinese government slowly restores the economy to show the world it can rise again. China is also dealing with the new coronavirus phase which is suppression. After the massive lockdown and the severe effects the virus had on mainland China, it will be back to business sooner than other countries.

At a glance, here is what is happening in China that is connected to their reporting of COVID-19 cases. Lately, it seems that they have suppressed the contagion.

Early days of the outbreak are gone

Triumphantly, Beijing crowed that mainland China is not seeing the numbers it had before, local transmission is rare now. From the droves of patients waiting for treatment or dying from infection, this time there are only few. The National Health Commission is pleased with just 5 new domestic cases in China, while new cases are higher from abroad.

Mainland China is not the center anymore with cases, almost driven to zero. Though many foreign critics are doubting the tally of Chinese cases and death since it is so low compared to overflowing numbers before. One reason for the low numbers is that some cases cannot be detected.

China waking up from a coma

Everything is almost back to normal, but some restrictions are in place as a precaution for a resurgent viral outbreak. Call it an uneasy calm that can be broken, by an upsurge of cases unless they can be whittled down by any means.

Kylie Ainslie, a research associate at the MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London, added that a second wave can happen anytime and that is definite.

She added," However, we haven't seen that occurring yet., Though it does not mean it has not.

Also read: Chinese Scientists Deny That Coronavirus Originates from Wuhan

Ainslie and fellow say that China just lockdown and one of the biggest to date, they are keeping a watchful eye on the resident population, just like a big brother.

China is starting to restart its industries by relaxing restrictions that need to get a head start to regain its losses from the economic slumber. Some places of higher risk are still under lockdown like Wuhan.

Schools are still closed due to the fear of infection or another wave of the coronavirus. To avoid both, these places will remain shut.

Where reported cases of the COVID-16 has gone down to zero, it is alleged that Europeans are spreading the virus and it was never in China in the first place.

Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, added that purported imported cases will be easy to check.

Tools of suppression

Now that COVID-19 has been contained, several measures exist to keep the COVID-19 from abroad to resurge again.

Since most foreigners are suspected carriers based on Chinese investigation, they are put in 14-day quarantine and are monitored, added Cowling. This is a way to make sure all foreigner would not infect Chinese.

Another one is social distancing that is in place to keep the virus from infecting more people.

Case management means tracing cases and potential positives and intercept them before it results into transmission and infection.

Engaging in more testing to know who are infected or not is crucial to determine how many are exactly infected without suppressing the numbers.

What next?

All these methods are for keeping everything at zero resurgences, if China can hack this new phase of coronavirus that will rely heavily on suppression to restore everything to normal.

Related article: Coronavirus Effects: How it Harms Human Body Organs

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has expressed concern over United Kingdom accepting China's ventilators, saying that the aid from Beijing will eventually lead to the country's involvement in 5G network in the UK.

Farage's remarks came days after the UK government confirmed that 300 ventilators have arrived in the country from China to be used for COVID-19 patients.

"Sure we want ventilators from everywhere...but the price is having China still in our 5G network when we accept donations from the country", Leading Britain's Conversation (LBC) quoted Farage as saying.

He believed that our dealings with China would "damage relations with our allies" and lead to the UK distancing itself from the US and Europe.

He further said that China is not the UK's friend.

"We are much too dependant on China," Nigel warned. He cited rights abuses by China, such as reeducation camps, to make the point that the UK cannot be associated too closely with the country.

Ventilators are the most important tool in helping those affected by a coronavirus. Britain which is witnessing the continuous surge to coronavirus has admitted that it does not have enough ventilators. The UK has reported 55,242 coronavirus cases and 6159 death from the deadly virus.

Farage is not the only one to express these concerns, many experts also are of the same view.

David Shullman, Senior Advisor to International Republican Institute, wrote in 'War on the Rocks' that Chinese leaders are all to translate their manipulation of the global narrative and provision of medical equipment to countries hit hard by COVID-19 to their concrete benefit like integrate Huawei equipment in their 5G infrastructure.

"Deliveries of ventilators, masks and virus test kits -- many of which might not work properly -- may come packaged with pressure on countries that have been reluctant to adopt China's terms or integrate Huawei equipment in their 5G infrastructure," Shullman wrote.

Countries around the are concerned that China's ruling Communist Party could pressure Huawei into installing backdoors into its products that would allow it to spy on traffic that's passing through its networks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 19:38:15|Editor: xuxin

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VIENTIANE, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Lao National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has amended its roles and duties to more effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committee President Somdy Duangdy presided over a meeting here on Wednesday to inform the committee members of their amended scopes of work so that they would be able to best perform their duties in line with the task force mission and objectives.

Lao authorities believed that this change would help Laos to limit the number of new infection cases as well as to address the risks of negative impacts on the Lao economy, social order, and the lives and livelihoods of the Lao people.

Under the amended role and duty of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the committee now has a secretariat team, which is in charge of medical disclosure of COVID-19 related information.

The secretariat also provides administrative and coordinating support as well as recommendations on how to best deal with the COVID-19 outbreak for the committee to consider and approve.

In addition, the committee has an external relations team, which is in charge of mobilizing funds to facilitate the return of foreigner to their own countries.

A communication and anti-fake news team has also been established under the amended scope of the work of the committee.

The committee budget and logistics teams have been put in charge of the arrangement of venues to quarantine COVID-19 infected patients, as well as traffic management, and quarantine and self-isolation administration.

A team in charge of facilitating the import and export of goods has also been added to the committee.

Also, there are teams charged with the administration of returned students and Lao laborers.

Another team providing essential back-up to the committee is the comprehensive support team, which is under the command of armed forces with the duty to assist, support and facilitate the implementation of the work of the committee.
Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has slammed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for questioning the decisions of President Nana Akufo-Addo in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.



Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo' programme, Kwamena Duncan alluded to NDC criticisms targeted at the President particularly when he decided not to evacuate Ghanaian nationals in China.



According to him, the high record of COVID-19 cases in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Italy and others who went for their citizens from the virus-prone zones is a testimony to the fact that President Akufo-Addo acted in the interest of Ghanaians by providing safety for those at home and ensuring measures are taken to safeguard citizens in the diaspora, particularly in China.



He also lambasted the NDC for purporting that the President and his government were insensitive and didnt care about the wellbeing of the citizenry.



He noted that all the decisions taken by the President have proven to be judicious and well-planned to contain the virus infection in the country.



The President has been vindicated. This is a leader who will look hard and take the best of decisions that will serve the interest of the people," he stated, adding that "he is focused on resolving this matter and that by his words, this one too shall pass".



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Amaravati, April 8 : Andhra Pradesh reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday morning. This follows overnight tests conducted on samples between 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, said the state nodal officer.

With the addition of 15 positive cases, the state's COVID-19 tally has reached 329.

Three of the fresh cases reported on Wednesday morning, are from Nellore district and another three cases have been reported from the Krishna district. Chittooru district has reported two cases.

Even as the COVID-19 tally is steadily inching upwards, the AP government has been intensifying measures to contain the spread of the infection.

At a review meeting on Tuesday, the state government decided to go for further surveys of the households.

The state's tally spiked following the return of hundreds of people from a Tablighi Jamaat congregation held between March 15-17 in Delhi.

Last week, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had appealed against linking the spread of COVID-19 in the state to any community.
Viewers who watched a new documentary about the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp last night have praised it for showing how 'easy we've got it' during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Return to Belsen, which aired at 9pm on ITV, marks 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp, which resulted in a reported 70,000 deaths.

Fronted by Jonathan Dimbleby, the programme showed the broadcasting veteran retracing his war correspondent father Richard's footsteps at the German site, alongside the daughter of a survivor, who was left in tears following her first visit.

Elsewhere, a former solider who helped liberate Belsen in 1945, revealed how the horrors he witnessed - including crowds of 'skeletons with flesh on them' - still 'haunts him'.

The emotional documentary - which included harrowing archive footage and interviews with both survivors and liberators - was applauded by viewers for giving perspective to the current coronavirus crisis.

One person wrote: 'If you think quarantine is difficult, watch Return to Belsen and then realise we've got it easy being asked to stay home in comfort.'

Viewers who watched a new documentary about the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp last night have praised it for showing how 'easy we've got it' during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured: Daughter of a survivor Liora Danieli, who visited the German site for the first time in the documentary

Ian Forsyth (pictured), 96, from Scotland, was just 21-years-old when he arrived at the gates of the German Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as part of the 11th Armoured Division in 1945

The emotional documentary - which included harrowing archive footage and interviews with both survivors and liberators - was applauded by viewers (pictured) for giving perspective to the current coronavirus crisis

Ian Forsyth, 96, from Scotland, was just 21-years-old when he arrived at the gates of the German Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as part of the 11th Armoured Division in 1945.

He recalled during the documentary: 'I was 21 when we liberated Belsen and that changed my life completely. We saw these high barbed wire fence with these turrets spaced along and a crowd of - how can I describe it? - skeletons with flesh on them.

'It haunts me, I can't get rid of it... how an earth can mankind sink to this low?' the veteran added.

Yet there was only so much the soldiers could do to help - other than to disinfect the survivors, and offer them water - because the scale of malnutrition was such that giving them food might kill them.

But Ian admitted: 'We gazed at them and they looked at us. And we couldn't resist throwing something over. And that of course was the worst thing that we could have done.

Reaction: Viewers watching the emotional documentary praised it for giving perspective to the coronavirus lockdown

'We didn't know it at the time, but I regret it now. Because I know that anything that we threw over the person who eat it would die.'

With tears in his eyes, Ian added: '[Belsen] haunts me because I don't want my sons and grandsons and great-grandsons to go through that terrible time that we had to go through.

'I would do anything to prevent that. I can wake up in the middle of the night and think about it, I can't get rid of it.'

Jonathan also interviews the daughter of a survivor Liora Danieli, who joined him on his visit to the German site, which is now a cemetery after the camp was burnt to the ground by British liberators.

Like many other survivors of Belsen, Liora's mother found her way to Israel - a newly-established nation, which preferred to look forward than back.

Until now, Liora (pictured) has deliberately stayed away from Belsen, but the urge to see the place which has loomed so heavily over her family became too strong

But, Liora confessed, this meant that survivors weren't encouraged to talk about their past or even admit to having been put in a concentration camp.

One survivor added that locals in Israel would suggest the harrowing stories were too awful to be anything but 'fantasy'.

He explained how the residents thoughts 'these youngsters are telling unbelievable stories, so we never talked about it'.

'I grew up in Israel in the '60s. It was a big shame to be a survivor, or a child of a survivor, especially from concentration camps,' Liora added.

'I used to ask my mother when I was very young, "Why aren't you talking?" She said, "If I talk I won't be able to keep on living, the memories will kill me''.'

Until now, Liora has deliberately stayed away from Belsen, but the urge to see the place which has loomed so heavily over her family became too strong.

Fronted by Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured), the programme showed the broadcasting veteran retracing his war correspondent father Richard's footsteps at the German site

It is a testing moment when she first visits and she is soon captured breaking down into tears as she sees the memorials.

Offering her first impressions, she said: 'Depressing. The day my mother was liberated, she finished her first fight to live.

'She realised she is alone, no family at all. It takes a lifetime to get over these experiences of the camps.'

Belsen historian Rainer Schulze explained that the site started life as a prisoner of war camp in 1940, with the first to enter being French and Belgian.

Then in 1941 it became a Soviet prisoner of war camp, and they died under the most gruesome circumstances. Belsen was already full when, from December 1944, a further 85,000 victims began to arrive.

Jonathan, whose father was the first broadcaster allowed into Bergen-Belsen after it was liberated, explained that most died because they were neglected and starved, and caught diseases, unlike at other concentration camps.

Social media users admitted that the archive footage was 'making them sick' but said the documentary should be watched by all

However, some people suggested the documentary wasn't 'cheery' enough to show during the current pandemic

He said: 'At Belsen they didn't line people up... Shoot them and throw them into pits, they didn't exterminate them in gas chambers as they did in Auschwitz. At Belsen they were killed by the inhumanity and barbarism of the Nazis.'

Viewers watching the emotional documentary praised it for giving perspective to the coronavirus lockdown.

One person wrote: 'Anyone feeling low, isolated, disgruntled at the current situation? Watch ITV's Return to Belsen and be thankful for every breathe, every sip of drink and mouthful of food.'

Another said: 'Struggling with isolation in your comfy home with all the mod cons? Watch Return to Belsen on ITV and your life will instantly become easier! My god!'

A third added: 'Complaining about having to stay home? Put ITV on now, that will give you that reality check you need.'

However, some people suggested the documentary wasn't 'cheery' enough to show during the current pandemic.

One wrote: 'If things weren't already miserable enough for everybody, ITV is screening a programme about millions of innocent people that were slaughtered by the Nazis. Couldn't they find something a bit more jolly to cheer us up?'

Return To Belsen is available to view via the ITV Hub
The Queen delivered an impassioned speech to the UK in support of the battle against coronavirus over the weekend.

And Sheridan Smith has joked the monarch took style inspiration from her following their meeting at a reception held in honour of Prince Edward back in February 2015.

Sharing a throwback snap from the event on Instagram on Tuesday, the pregnant actress, 38, looked sensational as she sported a green cocktail dress in a similar shade to the 93-year-old's outfit for her televised address to the nation.

'I knew she liked my green dress!' Sheridan Smith has joked the Queen took style inspiration from her following their meeting at a reception back in February 2015

The Gavin & Stacey star praised the royal's speech while injecting a hint of humour to her post as she wrote: 'I knew she liked my green dress.. amazing speech from her majesty the other night. We will meet again .'

More than 23.3million people watched the Queen's 'inspirational' and 'galvanising' appearance, where she echoed Dame Vera Lynn's words: 'We will meet again'.

On Wednesday, the media personality, who is expecting her first child with fiance Jamie Horn in May, shared a heartwarming flashback snap of herself singing alongside her parents, Marylin and late Colin, as a child.

'Found this old picture of me singing with my folks, made me smile', the TV and stage star wrote.

Popular colour: The monarch, 93, delivered an impassioned speech to the UK in support of the battle against coronavirus over the weekend, wearing an elegant turquoise outfit

'Made me smile': On Wednesday, the media personality shared a heartwarming flashback snap of herself singing alongside her parents, Marylin and late Colin, as a child

Sheridan's father sadly passed away aged 80 in December 2016, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year.

Last month, the screen star excitedly shared the first 3D image of her little boy as she excitedly awaits his birth.

The Cilla actress revealed the sweet photo on her social media account, where she told fans it while be her last 'for a while' amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Baby joy: The TV and stage star is expecting her first child with fiance Jamie Horn in May

The incredible image shows the tot's features clearly, with Sheridan joking that he already has 'chubby chops'.

Captioning her picture, she penned: 'Ive just been told that I wont see this little face for a while now because of lockdown, so thought Id share his beautiful chubby chops with you guys to cheer me up. 

'So grateful we got to @tummy_2_mummy & @donna.grant.75033 for these pics a few weeks ago, I can look at them everyday now till hes born. hope everyone is doing ok during this crazy time Xx.'
JERUSALEM  Each year, Patricia Sheetrit and her family gather with in-laws for the first night of Passover, bringing together some 20 people for the holidays main event, the festive meal known as the Seder.

But like most Israelis, Sheetrit and her husband will be stuck at home this year  holding a bare-bones Seder for two.

Everyone is sad and alone, and everyone is worried about one another, Sheetrit said.

As a modern pandemic afflicts the globe, Israeli Jews are being forced to scale back or cancel beloved traditions and rituals marking Passover, the holiday celebrating Israelites freedom from Egyptian bondage and referencing biblical plagues.

Communal preparations have been canceled. Police are enforcing stay-at-home orders and a general lockdown through Friday morning. Families are turning to videoconferencing in hopes of capturing a small slice of the holiday spirit.

Theres a lot of families, a lot of seniors, a lot of singles who will be having Seder alone, and thats very challenging because this is really the family holiday, said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, president of Ohr Torah Stone, a network of 27 modern Orthodox institutions.

The week-long festival starts Wednesday night with the Seder, a large meal that retells the Exodus story. A highlight of the joyous dinner is the chanting of the 10 plagues  the biblical afflictions that pushed the Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves.

Ordinarily, most Israeli Jews  religious and secular alike  spend the Seder with extended family in an experience akin to Thanksgiving. It also is customary to invite strangers such as lone travelers or students.

But this year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a general lockdown on Wednesday night, telling Israeli Jews that every family will sit down for Seder night on its own. Police plan to set up checkpoints in neighborhoods and on major highways to enforce travel restrictions.

Israel has over 9,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, and at least 71 deaths.

Jews make up about 80% of Israels population. The pandemic is also disrupting other faiths celebrations this month, including the Christian holiday of Easter and the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Despite growing anxiety over spiking unemployment, and political paralysis after three inconclusive elections in the past year, Israeli Jews are still trying to salvage some holiday spirit.

Jewish tradition prohibits the consumption of leavened goods and instead requires eating matzo, a crisp, unleavened flatbread. The week leading up to Passover is marked by frenetic cleaning and preparations.

In the run-up to the holiday, many religious neighborhoods around the country set up gigantic cauldrons of boiling water for dunking kitchenware to make them suitable for use on Passover. On the morning before the holiday commences, its traditional to burn leftover bread outdoors.

This year, the Health Ministry has banned both communal activities as a precaution, though a small group of people in one neighborhood was seen illicitly cleansing plates on Tuesday. On Wednesday, residents in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem defied the orders and burned their leavened bread in a dumpster.

City Hall set up containers for residents to dump their remaining baked products. The containers were collected, and the city was holding a massive bonfire Wednesday to destroy them.

Synagogues also have been closed and holiday prayers are to be held individually at home due to a ban on public gatherings.

All the different things that happened both before and on Pesach, this year suddenly are not happening, or happening in very different ways than they always did, said Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg, a Jerusalem-based ultra-Orthodox rabbi, referring to Passover by its Hebrew name.

Israels ultra-Orthodox population, which initially resisted safety precautions, has been hit especially hard by the outbreak, with an estimated 50% of the countrys cases. One ultra-Orthodox city, Bnei Brak, has been placed under a closure.

Ginzberg said he and most other ultra-Orthodox families are strictly observing social distancing rules. This year everyones essentially staying home, nuclear family only, and no guests, which is also something unique, he said.

The effect on Israels collective psyche after weeks of a climbing death toll and stringent social distancing will come to a fore at the time of the Seder, said Yoram Yovell, a Hebrew University psychiatrist.

Even in the most difficult times in Jewish history, Jews managed to celebrate with their extended families, Yovell said. The disruption of a key family event like Passover will be very demoralizing and very anxiety provoking, he said, adding that Muslim communities may experience a similar trauma when Ramadan arrives.

To raise spirits, several Israeli towns are calling on residents to sing songs from the Hagaddah, the text read at the Seder, from apartment balconies. Yovell suggested leaving the front door open so that people can hear their neighbors and the neighbors can hear them.

That is a way of  while still complying with the social distancing regulations  getting a sense of togetherness, Yovell said.

For many, Zoom videoconferencing will be the centerpiece of their Seder table this year. A group of Sephardic, or Middle Eastern, rabbis even issued a ruling permitting the elderly, sick and quarantined to use video chat during the holiday meal, despite an Orthodox prohibition on using electronics on holidays.

Sheetrit, who has three grown children and a young granddaughter, said her extended family intends to hold a digital Seder over Zoom  to feel somewhat together during this loneliness.
By Giselda Vagnoni

ROME (Reuters) - Many Italian companies and academics are pressing the government to reopen factories to prevent an economic catastrophe, as the world watches how the first Western country to impose a lockdown can extricate itself from the unprecedented measures.

The same debate is being held around the globe: how long and stringently can bans to combat the coronavirus pandemic be held in place before irreversible damage is wrought, with businesses sunk and swathes of the population jobless?

Italy faces among the most pressing dilemmas, not only because its lockdown has been in place longer than most nations and it has the world's highest death toll, but because the novel coronavirus has hit hardest in the northern industrial heartlands that generate a third of its economic output.

"How can I pay wages if I do not make money? How can I keep American clients if I am not in the position to respect any contracts?" said Giulia Svegliado, CEO of Celenit, a producer of industrial insulating panels with 50 employees in the northern town of Padua.

About 150 Italian academics have published a letter in Italian financial daily Il Sole-24 Ore, owned by the Italian business lobby Confindustria, urging the government to unblock the economy.

"The social and economic consequences would risk producing irreversible damage, probably more serious than those caused by the virus itself," the letter said.

More than two weeks after the government ordered a shutdown of non-essential factories, Italian businesses are calling for the ban to be quickly lifted to avoid jobs being lost.

Rome imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 9 when the new virus, which emerged in China, had already killed more than 460 people. Two weeks later, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that non-essential businesses, including car, clothing and furniture production, would have to close until April 3.

The death toll has risen relentlessly and now stands at more than 16,500. The government extended the restrictions last week until April 13 and is widely expected to extend them again, for another three weeks.

However the smallest daily rise in COVID-19 deaths for nearly two weeks on Saturday, and the first fall in the number of patients in intensive care, have fed hopes that the epidemic might have reached a peak in Italy and focused attention on the next phase in the crisis.

Story continues

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

Most businesses appreciate the need for lockdowns to safeguard public health. After all, if bans are lifted before the spread of the virus is curbed, people may not have confidence to leave their homes and engage in commerce.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged countries not to lift restrictions prematurely.

"One of the most important parts is not to let go of the measures too early in order not to have a fall back again," said spokesman Christian Lindmeier. "It's similar to being sick yourself if you get out of bed too early and get running too early you risk falling back and having complications."

What worries many in Italy, and elsewhere, is the apparent lack of authoritative plans on how to safely lift measures, as governments wrestle with an unforeseen, invisible and unfamiliar foe and scientific guidance evolves on a weekly basis.

Companies in the euro zone's third-largest economy are pushing for the government to come up with a strategy for a gradual exit from the lockdown.

"I expect government to set strict rules on security and then give us the possibility to go back to work," said Stefano Ruaro, founder of Sertech Elettronica, a producer of electro-mechanical, electronic and software components in Vicenza.

So far, officials have said that work restrictions would probably be lifted on a sector-by-sector rather than geographical basis. Social distancing, wider use of personal protection devices such as face masks and strengthened local health systems have also been spoken about.

Testing and "contact tracing" would be extended, including with the use of smartphone apps and other forms of digital technology, following the South Korean playbook.

'INCALCULABLE DAMAGE'

Vicenza and Padua are part of Veneto, one of the worst affected regions of Italy along with Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. The high density of factories and strong economic ties with China have been put forward as possible reasons behind the epidemic there.

"We say this very loudly to the authorities: 'Hurry up'," said Cesare Mastroianni, vice president of Absolute, a luxury yachts producer of Piacenza, Emilia Romagna. "The shutdown has already done incalculable damage."

Trade unions have threatened to strike unless the government keeps non-core activities down. Protect health over wealth, they say - and while many companies are pushing the government for a plan to reopen factories, they won't risk their staff.

"I am full of orders but I cannot reopen as long as there is a risk that employees may get sick. I will reopen when the responsible bodies decide that it can be done," said Gaetano Bergami, founder of BMC, a producer of air filters for the motorcycle and automotive industries with 100 employees.

With Italy's gross domestic product expected to fall by 6% this year according to Confindustria's forecast, public debt spiking towards 150% of GDP and thousands of people asking for state-backed income support schemes, pressure is growing on Conte to come up with a detailed blueprint for recovery.

"We can't wait for everything to pass. If we stay closed people will starve," former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, leader of the centrist ruling party Italia Viva, told bishops' newspaper LAvvenire.

ANTIBODY TESTS

Authorities in northern Italy have begun testing health workers for antibodies that may help identify individuals with immunity to the coronavirus. The aim would be to allow authorities to issue "licences" for individuals with proven immunity to the virus to return to work.

Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy's Higher Health Council, said a reliable antibody test to find out who had already contracted the coronavirus, and likely have developed immunity, would give a better picture of the extent of Italy's epidemic.

However, it would probably then take another month before the health authorities are able to roll out recommendations on a plan for nationwide testing, Locatelli said.

Some industrialists said they would be happy to spend their own money to test employees if that would help speed up a gradual reopening of their activities.

Roberta Mantovani, chairwoman of Mantovanibenne, a producer of excavator buckets in Mirandola, in the Emilia Romagna region, said that she was in favour of employers ensuring staff were checked out.

She is not alone.

"I would be glad to foot the bill," said Celenit CEO Svegliado. "Rather than contracting coronavirus in the workplace the real risk is to be pushed out of the market."

(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by John Chalmers and Pravin Char)
A group of young people have hit with more than $6,000 in fines after they were caught having a noisy party at a hotel.

Staff at the Rhythm on Beach apart-hotel in Maroochydore, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, reported the gathering to police on Tuesday night.

The five revellers were visited by police who issued each of them with a $1,334.50 fine for breaching social distancing rules.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll told reporters the locals opted to book the room and have a party

A group of young people have hit with more than $6,000 in fines after they were caught having a noisy party at a hotel

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll told reporters the locals booked out a room to have a party.

'Thankfully the management of that hotel contacted police, and all five people have been issued with an infringement notice,' she said.

Video footage of police crashing the party has been released, showing the youths sitting in the living room area of the apartment.

'Can you bring all those people into the main area, we need to have a conversation,' a police officer can be heard saying.

'You need to understand from this that it's taken really seriously and breaches are taken seriously now. There was a period where there were cautions being handed out... that period is now gone.'

'Gatherings like this are just not permitted at all. Life has changed a little bit for everybody.'

The five youths were visited by police who issued each of them with a $1,334.50 fine for breaching social distancing rules

Staff at the Rhythm on Beach apart-hotel in Maroochydore, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, reported the gathering to police on Tuesday night

Video footage of police crashing the party has been released, showing the youths sitting in the living room area of the apartment

Commissioner Carroll is pleading with Queenslanders to comply with the rules.

Acting Superintendent Jason Overland said each person was 'wilfully, recklessly and selfishly' ignoring social distancing rules.

'These young people claim to have no knowledge of the pandemic or the directions to maintain social distancing,' Superintendent Overland said.

He is urging Queenslanders to use the group as a warning that police are willing to fine those who blatantly break the rules.

'Can you bring all those people into the main area, we need to have a conversation,' a police officer can be heard saying

Queensland Police issued more than $77,000 worth of fines over the weekend when hundreds of people gathered at a car rally in Rochedale.

The rates of new diagnoses have dropped in the state in recent days, but there's a risk they could go up again if people ignore rules to stay at home and keep their distance from others over the long weekend.

Queensland has recorded an additional nine cases of the virus overnight, bringing the state's total to 943.

Most cases are patients who have travelled overseas, or have had direct contact with a confirmed case who had travelled overseas.
British and American passengers on a coronavirus-ravaged Antarctica cruise liner have been told to wait until they test negative for the virus before being repatriated while Australians prepare to be flown home today.

About 128 of 217 people on board the Greg Mortimer, which was stranded off the coast of Uruguay on its way to the Antarctic, have tested positive for the deadly virus.

Six of those, three Australians, two Filipinos and a Briton, have been taken off for treatment in the capital Montevideo.

Foreign Minister Ernesto Talvi said on Twitter that an agreement had been reached through 'intense conversations and very close cooperation with the Australian government.'

As for the European and American passengers on the Greg Mortimer, they must 'wait until they test negative' before organising their repatriation via Sao Paulo, Brazil, the ship's owner said.

There are five Britons on board, the British embassy in Montevideo told AFP.

Aerial view of Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer off the port of Montevideo yesterday. British and American passengers are being asked to wait on the ship until they test negative for the coronavirus while repatriation flights have been arranged for Australian citizens for today

In this picture from last week, medical workers help a passenger of an Australian cruise ship to disembark at Montevideo's port

This video grab shows a sick 75-year-old Australian passenger from the Greg Mortimer cruise liner who was suffering from pneumonia being transferred into an ambulance and whisked off to Montevideo's British Hospital last week after another passenger rescued from the stranded ship tested positive for COVID-19

'We are working relentlessly to find a way to bring them safely back to the UK,' said spokeswoman Veronica Psetizki.

The cruise ship's owner, Aurore Expeditions, has 'contracted a medical plane... to repatriate the Australian and New Zealander passengers,' Uruguay's foreign ministry said, adding that the plane had been given permission to arrive on Thursday.

Around 100 Australians are aboard, and negotiations were underway to allow the New Zealanders to fly with them, Aurore said.

It said that of those still on the ship, no-one was suffering from a fever.

The Airbus A340 plane contracted to fly the Aussies and Kiwis home 'is configured with medical facilities aboard... to look after the health and security of everyone,' said Aurore.

Aerial view of Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer off the port of Montevideo yesterday

In this handout picture released by Uruguay's Navy, medical workers help to transfer passenger of an Australian cruise ship at Montevideo's port on Sunday night

An image from last month shows Uruguay's Health Minister Daniel Salinas (left) and Foreign Minister Ernesto Talvi greeting each other with an elbow bump as Defence Minister Javier Garcia (right) looks on while they wait for the arrival of group of Uruguayans who were stranded in Peru due to the coronavirus.

The plane will carry passengers who test both positive and negative for the virus.

It is due to arrive from Portugal and then fly on to Melbourne, after which all passengers will be required to spend two weeks in quarantine.

'Everybody wants to go home. It's not a nightmare but it's not the ideal situation,' Charley Nadin, 67, an Australian anaesthetist, told AFP by WhatsApp.

'There are a lot of people on board who've never been through any difficulties and this is pretty frightening for a lot of people.'

He and fellow Australian Maurice Clifford, 71, an orthopaedic surgeon, boarded the vessel in Ushuaia, in the far south of Argentina on March 14th.

They were due to travel to Antarctica, South Georgia and Elephant Island for the holiday of a lifetime.

But on 21 March with border closings and lockdowns in South America and Australia, the exploration was called off.

Some of those on the ship are keeping their spirits up despite the large numbers of passengers, mostly elderly people, to have fallen ill.

The plight of the Greg Mortimer is the latest affecting the global cruise industry, which has seen vessels refused entry to ports and others locked down after new-coronavirus cases were confirmed onboard during the pandemic.

The ship- named after an Australian mountaineer who scaled Mount Everest - set sail for the Falkland Islands but was denied entry there as authorities did not have the facilities to cope with COVID-19 cases.

The liner headed on to the only port along the Atlantic coast of South America still open, Montevideo.

Aerial view of Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer off the port of Montevideo yesterday

Although the ship has been anchored in the Rio de la Plata about 15 miles off the port for the last week, health authorities from Montevideo have been aboard to help passengers.

Uruguay's Health Minister Daniel Salinas told AFP on Tuesday that the six being treated in private clinics in Montevideo were in a stable condition.

Two were in intensive care.

According to a doctor who boarded the ship, Sebastian Yancev, the high infection rate was due to mistakes made in isolation measures, including leaving people who had tested negative with those who were positive.

Yancev said Ushuaia was the likely source of the contagion.

Despite their ordeal, both Nadin and Clifford said they would like to come back, not just to finish their expedition but also to visit Montevideo.

'The health authorities in Montevideo have been incredibly good and there is nothing but praise from all of us... their humanity and care for all of us here has been extraordinary,' said Nadin.

'There's an irony there that we've been down there very carefully protecting the environment in Antarctica so we don't leave any bacteria or bugs down there and in the meantime we're spreading this disease amongst ourselves,' said Clifford.
The health department also is working with 911 Communications because dispatchers wanted to know where suspected cases are in case first responders have to be dispatched to those residences, Stamp said, and a sheriffs department analyst is going to go through the health departments data on COVID-19 to see if health officials are overlooking anything.
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Navy Vice Admiral William Merz, commander of the US 7th Fleet, has answered questions from the crew and embarked staff of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during a visit to the ship on Tuesday when the crew were also tested for high temperatures.

Merz arrived in Guam to asses and support the ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts and took questions for 90 minutes in a bunker after Captain Brett Crozier was relieved from his duties by Acting Secretary Thomas Modly.

As of Tuesday, 230 crew members had tested positive for coronavirus, according to Navy officials. There are more than 5,000 sailors on board.

Crozier was fired because a letter he wrote criticizing the Navy's response to an outbreak on the ship was leaked.

Modly flouted social distancing rules and flew 8,000 miles to the ship just to berate the captain via loud speaker, labeling him 'stupid' for penning a note that could get out to the public. Modly ultimately resigned after scrutiny of how he put lives at risk by flying there, among other questionable actions.

Navy Vice Adm. William Merz, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers a speech to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) on Tuesday

A crew member gets their temperature checked. Sailors remain in quarantine in their assigned lodging for at least 14 days, in accordance with DoD directive and the Governor's executive order

They stopped for a scheduled resupply and crew rest in Guam during their scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific

After fired captain Crozier had begged in the letter for permission to stop sailing, Theodore Roosevelt was docked in Guam Tuesday for a scheduled port visit to resupply and to allow crew to rest during their deployment to the Indo-Pacific.

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) who have tested negative for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic are at local hotels in an effort to implement social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 and NMCB-5 coordinated transportation of sailors from Naval Base Guam to government of Guam and military-approved commercial lodging.

Sailors remain in quarantine in their assigned lodging for at least 14 days, in accordance with DoD directive and the Governor's executive order.

It's believed Vice Admiral William Merz will stay with the crew a few days.

Acting Undersecretary of the Army, James McPherson, has been tapped by Pentagon officials to succeed Modly until permanent replacement found.

Modly's resignation came amid mounting criticism of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the craft carriers, including criticism from several Democratic lawmakers such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said Modly should resign or be removed from office.

Washington Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Navy, agreed.

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) who have tested negative for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic are at local hotels in an effort to implement social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19

Merz answered questions during a visit to the ship on Tuesday. He is expected to stay there for a few days

Merz arrived in Guam to assess and support the ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts for the crew of Theodore Roosevelt

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. William Merz, left, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, answers questions from the crew and boosts morale

A letter had complained that conditions on the aircraft carrier did not allow sailors and crew to properly socially distance

Several lawmakers were furious when Modly relieved Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after a letter the captain wrote berating the Navy for its handling of a coronavirus outbreak on the ship went public.

In a scathing memo to Navy officials, Crozier pleaded to be able to take the Roosevelt to dock to try and contain the growing outbreak of coronavirus on the ship.

'We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,' Crozier wrote in the four-page missive.

In early March, the USS Theodore Roosevelt made a stop in Vietnam. As it headed back out to sea, crew members began falling ill to the coronavirus with the highly contagious disease spreading rapidly throughout the ship.

The numbers rose from from three initially to more than 150 sailors affected.

As of Tuesday, 230 crew members of the Roosevelt had tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Navy officials. There are more than 5,000 sailors on board.

In his memo, Crozier complained about the limitations of the coronavirus test, saying seven who tested negative displayed symptoms of infection one to three days later.

He also pointed out the ship's close quarters made it unable to comply with the recommended social distancing guidelines.

He wrote that bunk space, shared meals and bathroom spaces are 'most conducive' to spreading the disease.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly (right) fired Captain Brett E. Crozier (left) for writing a critical letter. After a backlash, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned

Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) move meals, ready to eat (MREs) for Sailors who have tested negative for COVID-19

Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 and NMCB-5 coordinate transportation of sailors

The sailors and crew members who have not been infected are seen (left) leaving and heading to their transfers on Tuesday

'With the exceptions of a handful of senior officer staterooms, none of the berthing onboard a warship is appropriate for quarantine or isolation,' he noted.

After the memo went viral, Crozier was relieved of command.

In a 15-minute speech, blasted over the ship's PA system, Modly went on a tirade against Crozier, calling him 'naive' and 'stupid' for writing something that ended up being leaked to the media.

Modly defended his decision, saying he had his chief of staff reach out to Crozier directly after he learned of the outbreak on the ship.

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

'That message and all the contents of that message was perfectly fine for him to send to people in his chain of command in a confidential way so they could get acting on it. He, in fact, could have given it to me, either my chief of staff, or to me, as I asked him to do when I first reached out to him on the ship when we first found out that there were COVID cases here,' he told the Roosevelt sailors in his speech

Trump said Crozier shouldn't have sent the memo. He added, however, that the captain had a great career prior to the incident and shouldn't have that destroyed for 'having a bad day.'

'He shouldn't be writing letters like that. But it happens. Sometimes I'll write a letter that I'll say I wish I didn't send it. Not too often but it happens,' Trump said.

Many sailors on the Roosevelt praised Crozier for his actions and for being a leader when the sailors needed him.

'He had legitimate concerns about his sailors, asked for help in a respectful and honorable way, and then they relieved him of duty' one Roosevelt sailor told The Wall Street Journal.

'Seriously, that's crazy. If anything the guy deserves a promotion. That's the type of leadership they lack, but the type they need,' another said.

The acting Navy secretary defended his decision in an interview with The Washington Post, where he explained he fired Crozier because he thought that was what President Trump would want.

'I didn't want to get into a decision where the president would feel that he had to intervene because the Navy couldn't be decisive,' Modly said: 'If I were president, and I saw a commanding officer of a ship exercising such poor judgment, I would be asking why the leadership of the Navy wasn't taking action itself.'

He said he did not speak to anyone in the White House before he made his decision.

But Modly also recounted how his predecessor, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, 'lost his job because the Navy Department got crossways with the president' in the case of former Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher.

'I didn't want that to happen again,' Modly said.
DANVILLE (BCN)

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District has reached a $665,000 settlement with a former student body president who was disciplined for participating in a James Bond parody video on the eve of a school election, the students' lawyers announced today.

Nathaniel Yu, now 20, and the district reached the settlement in February. On Tuesday, the two sides filed a joint request asking U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney of San Francisco to dismiss the civil rights lawsuit Yu filed in 2017.

The settlement also provides that the district will post an apology on its website by April 14.

Yu was 17 and a junior at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville when he ran for the office of Associated Student Body president. Three days before the election began, he and four friends created a parody video that featured Yu as a James Bond-type hero who rescues a person from being forced by members of an extremist group to participate in a video game competition.

The video was posted on a student editor's personal YouTube webpage on Feb. 6, the day before voting began, but was taken down after 12 hours and 30 views, according to the settlement document.

School officials then told Yu the video might violate a rule against inappropriate campaign material, according to the document. The school disqualified him from the election, although he received the most votes.

Three months later, the district reversed the decision and reinstated Yu as student body president for his senior year.

The incident became subject to false rumors that the video disparaged and discriminated against Muslim Americans, according to the settlement. The document states, however, that the district "never perceived the contents of the parody as rising to the level of 'hate speech,' harassment or discrimination against anyone."

The district's public apology to Yu expresses "our acknowledgment and apologies for the negative effects, disruption and emotional distress that you and your family endured as a result of the reaction by district employees and community members to the James Bond parody video created in February 2017."

It says, "We further believe that the video did not bully, harass, discriminate against, or threaten anyone."

The letter also thanks Yu for his perseverance and his service as student body president.

Yu said in a statement, "As a child of immigrants, I am constantly reminded that we cannot take our civil rights for granted. We must continue our fight to preserve these rights at all costs."

Yu is now a student at the University of San Francisco, according to April Arias, a spokeswoman for his attorneys.

The settlement provides that both sides will pay their own lawyers' fees. When asked about legal fees, Yu family attorney James McFall stated, "While the amount of the settlement is a matter of public record, what the family plans to do with the money is something they choose to keep private."

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.
Three people have been arrested in the slaying of Mark Wayne Motley Jr., a northeast Alabama man whose body was found in a shallow grave on Monday afternoon.

Dale McKee, 33, Aprille Smith, 26, and Dylan Smith, 28, were booked into the Marshall County jail without bail set on charges of murder, records show.

They are charged in the slaying of Motley, a 35-year-old from Crossville, a town in neighboring DeKalb County.

From left, Dale McKee, Aprille Smith and Dylan Smith were booked into the Marshall County jail without bail set on charges of murder on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

Motley was killed by blunt force trauma and dumped in a shallow grave in the Asbury community of Marshall County on Monday afternoon, said Steve Guthrie, a sheriffs office spokesman. Deputies found Motleys partially buried body around 3:30 p.m. after getting a call from a witness.

Guthrie declined to comment on a suspected motive but said Motley and the suspects were acquaintances.

The investigation is continuing. The suspects were still being interviewed Tuesday afternoon.

If convicted of murder, they could face up to life in prison.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Minister of Health B Sriramulu flagged off 100 Ola and Uber cabs on Tuesday to be used for non-COVID medical emergencies.An order from the Health and Family Welfare Department noted that citizens were finding it tough to go the hospital due to lack of transport. Hence, app-based cabs can be booked for non-COVID medical emergencies such as dialysis, chemotherapy, organ transplant and radiation therapy.

The charges will be minimum without any additional service or extra charges. The cabs will only ferry people from their houses to hospital and back and report the details to the government.Each vehicle will have a display in front and back as Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Medical Emergency Service Vehicle Non-COVID in red.

The vehicle can be booked by calling dedicated numbers 9154153917, 9154153918, 9154153919 or by logging into Uber app under Uber Essential and Ola app under Ola Emergency. The health department has issued instructions to be strictly followed.

dos and donts

Windows to be kept open. AC not to be switched on

The driver and patient attender must wear mask

One manager level staff to be assigned to each zone to monitor vehicles. Contact numer to be shared with health department
Taliban quit talks with Afghan government on prisoner swap

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 7:33 AM

The Taliban militant group in Afghanistan has quit talks with the government on a prisoner swap, claiming that Kabul is delaying the exchange.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's office in Qatar, took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that a technical Taliban team would not participate in what he described as "fruitless meetings."

Shaheen said the release of the Taliban prisoners was being "delayed under one pretext or another."

The prisoner exchange is part of an agreement reached between the US and the militant group in February that envisages a complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. The Afghan government was not a party to the negotiations or the deal, but it has agreed to free the Taliban prisoners.

A spokesman for the Kabul government said it would maintain work on the prisoner plan.

"We ask the Taliban to not sabotage the process by making excuses now," Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the National Security Council in Kabul, said.

Under the agreement involving the US, the Afghan government is required to ultimately release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and the militant group to free 1,000 government captives.

Afghan officials said last week that they would release 100 Taliban prisoners who were sick or over the age of 50, and the militant group was expected to free 20 members of the Afghan security forces in return.

But, according to Afghan government officials, the Taliban are demanding the release of top commanders involved in some of the most violent attacks in recent years.

On Sunday, the Taliban said the deal with the US was nearing a breaking point because Washington and the Afghan government were violating its terms. The militants said Kabul was delaying the release of the prisoners promised under the deal by making excuses.

Last week, the Afghan government held face-to-face talks about the prisoner exchange with the Taliban for the first time.

The militants had days earlier refused to sit down with the Afghan government's negotiating team.

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(Kitco News) - Roxgold Inc.s (TSX: ROXG) preliminary first-quarter production at the Yaramoko mine complex in Burkina Faso leaves the company on pace to meet its 2020 production guidance, the company said Wednesday.

Yaramoko produced 32,380 ounces of gold at an average grade of 8.7 grams per metric ton during the January-March period, Roxgold said. The company reported quarterly plant throughput of 1,383 tons per day, exceeding nameplate capacity.

The company reaffirmed its annual gold production guidance of between 120,000 and 130,000 ounces, assuming that existing operating conditions are maintained. Mine production has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in temporary mine closures in other parts of the world, Roxgold said.

Yaramoko continues to operate well with a strong quarter to start the year with tonnage and grades ahead of expectations, said John Dorward, president and chief executive officer.

He said the company is confident that it can effectively navigate and respond to the rapidly evolving pandemic.

The Yaramoko operation has bolstered its safeguards and risk-mitigation efforts to limit the impacts of the virus, while the company has strengthened its liquidity position in order to minimize the exposure to operating and financial risks in the market, he said.

The company put its liquidity position at approximately $50 million at the end of the first quarter, saying it drew down the remaining $15 million of a revolving credit facility to maximize cash reserves and reduce liquidity risk amid uncertain financial market conditions.

In addition to operating the Yaramoko complex, Roxgold is advancing the development and exploration of the Seguela gold project located in Cote dIvoire.
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'Graffiti Highway' - Pennsylvania's oddest tourist attraction is the latest casualty in the coronavirus pandemic. The .74- mile long abandoned stretch of Route 61 that runs through the ghost town of Centralia has been a local landmark since 1993 when tag artists saw a blank canvas on the forgotten length of cracked asphalt.

Now the colorful highway will be closed permanently and covered in dirt as a direct result from the spike in visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic that has swept through the nation, closing schools, businesses and forcing people to work from home.

'It's ridiculous,' Centralia's fire chief and emergency management director, Tom Hynoski told the Daily Item. 'Oh my God, its crazy. They're supposed to be staying home due to the COVID-19 but they're coming from New York and New Jersey to be here.'

A dump truck unloads a pile of dirt onto 'Graffiti Highway' outside the ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania in an effort to curb the spike in people visiting the local landmark during the coronavirus pandemic

'Graffiti Highway' is a .74- mile long abandoned stretch of Route 61 that was closed in 1993 after it had been damaged beyond repair and deemed 'extremely dangerous' from an underground coal mine fire that has been burning since 1962

The old section of Route 61 was purchased from Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation in 2018 by Pagnotti Enterprises. Despite being on private property with no trespassing allowed, illegal visitors have come out in droves to visit the local landmark's smoldering, cracked painted asphalt amid the corona virus pandemic. 'They got sick of the complaints and the liability,' said Tom Hynoski, Centralia's fire chief and emergency management director to the Daily Item

The colorful strip of road was purchased from Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation by Pagnotti Enterprises in 2018. The owners were recently left with no recourse but to cover the spontaneous public art piece as it posed a significant health threat and potential spreading-ground for the deadly virus.

Pennsylvania State Route 61 was permanently closed in 1993 after it was irrevocably damaged from an underground coal mine fire that has been burning in the nearby town of Centralia since 1962. The fire which underlies roughly 400-acres ravaged the once thriving middle class town with 1,500 residents and as of 2017, only five residents remain.

The subterranean blaze has been impossible to contain as it continues to be fueled by the abundant supply of natural coal in Columbia County. By 1992, the government condemned the entire Columbia County town claimed all the real-estate through eminent domain.

High school student Emily Hessling of Easton, Pennsylvania spray paints her name on the abandoned portion of Route 61, commonly known as the 'Graffiti Highway.' The state highway was closed in 1993 and re-routed to bypass the town of Centralia after damages from the 1962 coal mine fire made it unsafe to travel

Smoke rises from a large crack in Pennsylvania Highway 61, caused by the underground coal fire which has been burning for almost 60 years. The fire began when the city of Centralia attempted to control burn the local landfill which was in the location of an old, defunct mining pit. But the controlled landfill burn was not fully extinguished and it crept through an unsealed opening in the pit which allowed the fire to enter the labyrinth of abandoned coal mines beneath Centralia

Large, rowdy crowds have been gathering at the hot spot in recent weeks. 'I think a few weeks ago, there was a fire there, people just starting fires,' said Vincent Guarna, president of the Fox Coal Company that was hired by Pagnotti Enterprises to cover the road

State troopers have been monitoring the Graffiti Highway more intensely by have struggled to keep up with the large swaths of visitors. Authorities chased away nearly 100 people on Monday alone

The fire began on May 27, 1962 when the city of Centralia was conducting their yearly controlled-burn of the local landfill before Memorial Day weekend. The garbage landfill was located in an out-of-commission coal mining pit. The controlled fire was not properly extinguished and flames crept through an unsealed opening in the pit which allowed the fire to enter and rapidly spread through the labyrinth of abandoned coal mines beneath Centralia

Grafitti Highway has long been a popular stop for tourists visiting the Keystone State. David Witchey, the chief clerk of Columbia County told the Daily Item that he gets more calls from all across the country about the painted highway than he does for official attractions in the area.

Ever since Pennsylvania and its surrounding states have issued stay at home orders for residents amid the COVID-19 crisis on, the roadway attraction has seen an even greater influx of people.

Dirt is being brought from a mining operation roughly three miles away in Wilburton, Pennsylvania with the hope to plant trees in the future. The idea is to eliminate the temptation that Graffiti Highway brings for potential vandalism and looky-loos trespassing on private property

A dump truck drives up the former Route 61, also known as Graffiti Highway after dropping off a load of fill on Monday, April 6, 2020. The road is being covered over with dirt following complaints about large numbers of people congregating at the outdoor site amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown

A resident from nearby the Graffiti Highway laments the permanent closure of the local attraction

Centralia Pennsylvania is a virtual ghost town that has been wiped from most maps. It has been deemed uninhabitable due to a widespread mine fire that has burned for almost 60 years, exposing the residents to deadly gases

Large, rowdy crowds have been gathering at the hot spot in recent weeks. Some have brought their dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles to race down the abandoned stretch of pavement. Tailgating party people, wielding spray cans have left piles of liter and assorted damage.

'I think a few weeks ago, there was a fire there, people just starting fires,' said Vincent Guarna, president of the Fox Coal Company that was hired by Pagnotti Enterprises to cover the road. 'They're doing a lot of damage to the community there, and it's time that ends right now,' he told WNEP-TV.

State troopers have been monitoring the Graffiti Highway more intensely by have struggled to keep up with the large swaths of visitors. Authorities chased away nearly 100 people on Monday alone, said Tom Hynoski. The owners got fed up and felt that the site posed a serious problem.

'They got sick of the complaints and the liability,' said Hynoski. 'People steal stuff, they spray paint in the cemetery, its about time something gets done.'

A before and after picture taken in 1983 (left) and 2000 (right) shows the drastic changes done to Centralia's main street, Locust Avenue that was reclaimed by the government through imminent domain after an underground coal fire has been raging throughout the town since an accident in 1962
With all the chaos caused by COVID-19 and mine closures, the CEO of Sandstorm Gold, Nolan Watson, said he is thankful he runs a streaming business.

Kitco spoke to Watson on Monday.

While Watson noted that mines have been switching to care and maintenance, there are still significant costs. Many employees can't be laid off. Watson said mining companies often don't run with a lot of working capital, and many have debt.

"Those working capital balances across the board are starting to go low or negative for many mining companies. Most mining companies have tripped their debt covenants, although the banks are being patient with them so far, because they understand COVID-19 is a game-changer," said Watson.

"I'm just glad I'm not a CEO of an operating mining company right now, because it is never a good place to be to in while you have debt covenants and have a mine shut down."

Who Is Closed, and Who Is Open?

Last month Sandstorm (TSE:SSL) withdrew its guidance in the face of COVID-19 uncertainty. Watson said his company was one of the first to do so.

Sandstorm had some good news. Its asset in Argentina, Cerro Moro mine, was turned back on yesterday. The mine is run by Yamana Gold.

Regarding which countries are allowing mines to operate, Nolan says it's random.

"There is no real theme. It's almost politician by politician and what they feel like--which is political risk at its finest. [Some] are turning off and some are turning on, and you don't know which countries are which," said Watson.

When the world gets past COVID-19 and mines can start up, Watson worries about base metal miners. When the mines can finally turn on, base metal prices will likely be depressed. Year to date copper has fallen nearly 20% to just over $2.20 lb.

Tough Market for Juniors

Watson can't imagine many retail investors will be taking a flyer on a junior anytime soon. With the steep market fall due to COVID-19, high net worth investors are going to be worried about the rest of their portfolio.

"It's actually quite surprising how many high net worth individuals are getting margin calls right now, because they've been been a little too aggressive in their financial planning and investing," said Nolan.

Where juniors end up is all a matter of timing.

"If you're a well-financed exploration company, then you've got enough cash to make it one or two years. You're in a great place, because by the time this runs its course, you'll be able to raise money again. But if a company needs to raise money now or in the next two months, I think those companies are in a lot of trouble. I think those CEOs should be proactively trying to merge companies or just hunker down and stop all expenses."

Precious Metals Heading Higher

Precious metal is looking better, said Watson, who believes that all the quantitative easing is going to devalue the currency and drive people towards precious metals. Watson said he is highly confident that gold will be over $2,000 ounce three years from now.
Tema-based steel manufacturer, B5 Plus, has reached out to the poor in the Chipoli, Kpone, Ningo, Pram Pram, Larpleku and Dwahanya area with donations of food parcels to 700 hundred families.



According to the Chairman of B5 Plus, Mukesh Thakwani, the company is well aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on millions of people around the globe and that Ghana has not been spared.



"We realise that the poor are under the most vulnerable who have suddenly and without asking for it been placed in a precarious position where survival has become traumatic, he said.



B5 Plus hope that these contributions will help those needy families to lessen the stress of the pandemic," Thakwani said.



B5 Plus has in time past supported the above communities in diverse ways including free health screening and scholarships for brilliant and needed children in those areas.



The company has also offered employment opportunities for youth within those communities and continues to engage them with aid.



B5 Plus Company is Ghanas topmost steel firm which places high premium on excellent customer care.



The Company has been supportive of the Ghanaian Government One District One Factory Initiative, building an $80 million steel factory in that regard.





Mr Thakwani also said that B5 Plus is actively involved in CSR activities through the B5 Plus Care FOUNDATION.



"B5 Plus also plans to extend the free foodstuff donations to other families besides for the 700 who have already been helped. We are also in the process of receiving medical protection kits which we would like to donate to the health workers and hospital. Together and we will win the fight against COVID-19 and Ghana will emerge as the winner," Thakwani said.



B5 Plus is also giving free oxygen up to the 30th of April to government hospitals.

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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Traditional authorities in Ghana have been urged to be at the forefront in the enforcement of the various protocols and guidelines set out by WHO and government in a bid to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.

Yaw Dabie Appiah-Mensah, a former NPP Regional Organizer for the erstwhile Brong Ahafo region in an exclusive interview observed that considering the honour and respect usually accorded "our chiefs and queens, it would be extremely helpful for them to step in and ensure that citizens strictly adhere to all the safety protocols and guidelines meant to curtail the further spread of COVID-19 in the country."

Mr. Appiah-Mensah was sharing his thoughts with the Daily Statesman about how to ensure that residents in the lockdown areas remain at home and avoid any confrontation with the security agents.

"Imagine seeing the Asantehene, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II or the Okyehene, Amoatia Ofori-Panyin or the Ya-Na as well as the rest of the respected traditional leaders out there and telling their subjects to remain indoors for their own safety, I don't think anyone would think of coming out", he contended.

He added, "I think looking at how we revere, honour and seriously take what our chiefs tell us, people are likely to comply with the directives on COVID-19 and adhere to the safety protocols if our chiefs actively get involved."

Mr. Appiah-Mensah called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to give President Akufo-Addo their maximum support in this critical moment.

"We shouldn't leave the President alone in this critical moment but should rally behind him to fight this pandemic so that in the end, we shall all give glory to God and celebrate the victory together", Mr. Appiah-Mensah emphasised.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-09 02:30:47|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- British lorry driver Maurice Robinson on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants who were found dead in a refrigerated container last year.

Robinson, 25, from Craigavon in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London, known as the Old Bailey.

At the same hearing, co-defendant Gheorghe Nica denied 39 counts of manslaughter. Both men appeared via video-link at the hearing.

Bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer at an industrial estate in Essex on Oct. 23 last year. The trailer arrived in Britain on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Essex police said ealier this year that the cause of death is a combination of hypoxia and hyperthermia. The victims included 10 teenagers, two of them 15-year-old boys.

According to the BBC, the other defendants face a trial at the Old Bailey lasting up to eight weeks. It is scheduled to begin on Oct. 5.
In addition, 3,800 people, including about 1,500 foreigners, left Ukraine in the past day.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says 4,800 Ukrainians returned to their home country over the past day.

In addition, 3,800 people, including about 1,500 foreigners, left Ukraine in the past day.

Read alsoSome 6,400 Ukrainians return home in past day

In total, the border guards have handled 9,600 crossing operations for entry into and exit from Ukraine on April 7, 2020.

"Over the past day, border guards together with members of the coronavirus task force conducted temperature screening and a medical condition survey of over 5,800 persons. Following additional medical checkups, no symptoms of COVID-19 were detected," the report says.

According to the border guards, seven citizens who violated the quarantine rules were identified at border crossing points in the past day. Four violations were recorded at the Korczowa-Krakovets checkpoint. Some of the violators were self-isolating for one day only.

"Police were informed about the violations," it said.
Delaney is charged with damaging or destroying equipment belonging to O2

An alleged arsonist has become the first person in Northern Ireland to be charged with breaking new coronavirus lockdown rules.

Daniel Delaney appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, April 8, accused of flouting the restrictions on movement during the Covid-19 emergency.

The 18-year-old, of Elimgrove Street in the north of the city, was arrested in connection with a suspected arson attack in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

He is charged with damaging or destroying by fire telecommunications equipment belonging to O2 in the Oldpark Road area.

Delaney faces a further count of contravening the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restricitions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.

The sweeping new powers were agreed by the Stormont Executive in a bid to combat the spread of the virus.

The regulations prohibit members of the public from leaving home without a reasonable excuse, such as: shopping for basic necessities; one form of daily exercise; providing care to the vulnerable; or travelling to work if absolutely necessary.

Anyone found guilty of breaching the rules could be fined.

Appearing via video-link due to the lockdown, Delaney confirmed that he understood the charges against him.

No further details about the alleged offences were disclosed during the brief court hearing.

A defence solicitor confirmed: "There is no bail application as there is no suitable address at this stage."

District Judge George Conner remanded Delaney in custody, to appear again in four weeks time.
Kan. governor limits size of church services to 10 or less ahead of Easter

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Ahead of Easter Sunday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly extended a statewide ban on gatherings of 10 or more people, including at religious services and funerals.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Kelly said it was a difficult decision to include worship services and funerals, which had previously been exempted. Kelly made the announcement on Tuesday, noting that the new extended ban would take effect on Wednesday at 12:01 p.m. local time.

As Holy Week gets underway  and with Kansas rapidly approaching its projected peak infection rate in the coming weeks  the risk for a spike in COVID-19 cases through church gatherings is especially dangerous, she stated.

Ive said repeatedly during this crisis that we will adjust to circumstances as they develop to make sure we do everything we can to protect Kansans.

Kelly also stated that she encouraged all faith leaders to embrace alternative forms of worship that do not involve in-person congregation.

Churches are livestreaming services and bringing their parishioners together over Facebook Live for Bible Study. They also are looking for alternative ways to observe their rituals, continued the governor.

As state governments have issued orders for people to avoid mass gatherings and other events, some have taken to providing exemptions for houses of worship.

For example, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order banning gatherings of more than 50 people included an exemption for "a place of religious worship."

Whitmer told Fox News Sunday host John Roberts in an interview last month that she believed the government did not have the right to order churches to close over the pandemic.

Well, you know, the separation of church and state and the Republican legislature asked me to clarify that, Whitmer said at the time.

That's an area that we don't have the ability to directly enforce and control. We are encouraging people, though, do not congregate.

Whitmers decision was denounced by the liberal Washington, D.C.,-based group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Americans United President Rachel Laser blasted the exemption in a letter to the governor as being dangerous and unconstitutional.

The exemption invites houses of worship to violate the stay-at-home directive, putting the public health at risk, wrote Laser.

Attendance at these gatherings is dangerous not just for the individuals who attend, but for all of us. COVID-19 spreads exponentially, so it is critical that we flatten the curve by maintaining social distance.
It's too easy to miss brilliant streaming shows, movies and documentaries. Here are the ones to hit play on or skip.

Leavenworth

Stan*

There are no winners at the end of this mostly compelling but inconclusive documentary series. Not even former US Army lieutenant Clint Lorance, who spent six years in military prison for the murders of two unarmed Afghan men before Donald Trump pardoned him last November.

Homecoming for returned soldier US lieutenant Clint Lorance in documentary Leavenworth.

At issue are the events of July 2, 2012, when a soldier under Lorance's command shot and killed the two men as they approached their patrol in a volatile area of Kandahar province. Though the soldier who pulled the trigger was not charged, Lorance would be tried by court martial for issuing the order and sentenced to 20 years' prison on two counts of second-degree murder. "I was the Army's scapegoat," Lorance tells the camera while still confined in the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He portrays himself as having been unfairly convicted in order to shield the Army from Afghan political pressure about civilian casualties. But some of those who were under Lorance's command that day, and who testify against him at length here, maintain that it was plain murder.
TDT | Manama

A Gulf national was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined BD5,000 by the First High Criminal Court for attempting to smuggle more than 46kg of hashish into Bahrain through King Fahad Causeway.

The man was also blacklisted by the court from re-entering the Kingdom after completing his sentence. Court files showed that the man was caught while entering Bahrain through the Causeway on August 26 last year.

It was also shown that the investigations of the Anti-Narcotics Department in the Interior Ministry indicated that the defendant was attempting to smuggle a large quantity of drugs on the aforementioned date.

The man was stopped for intensive inspection by the officers of the Customs Affairs on the Causeway, after they were alerted by the Anti-Narcotics Department. In the inspection, the officers detected five pieces of hashish that weighed 46.6kg.

According to the officers testimonies, the pieces were professionally stashed in coffee packets and covered with hot sauce to deceive police dogs. Additionally, the officers stated that the pieces were hidden in the box allocated for the air filter of the engine under the vehicles hood.

The defendant was immediately arrested and referred to the Anti-Narcotics police. Furthermore, a blood and urine test showed traces of methamphetamine.

After completing his legal procedures, the man was referred by the Department to the Public Prosecution, which interrogated him and charged him of smuggling drugs with the intent of selling, as well as drug abuse.
TDT | Manama

The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) announced launching a campaign to reward customers who are carrying out their banking transactions through NBBs digital platforms. The campaign, which kicks off today and set to run until April 2020, will reward NBBs digital banking customers by giving out two iPhone 11 Pro Max per month for two lucky winners.

One lucky customer will receive the Grand Prize of a MacBook Pro at the end of the campaign. To be eligible for the monthly draw, customers should log onto NBBs E-banking channels, conduct local (Fawri and Fawri+) transfers, perform international transfers or bill payments, pay NBB credit card bills online, or top-up prepaid cards through mobile banking App or E-banking Portal.

Commenting on the campaign, Subah A.Latif Al-Zayani, Chief Executive - Retail Banking at NBB said, At a time when practising social distancing has become a necessity, we would like to encourage our customers to bank online from the convenience and safety of their homes.

Eligibility criteria also call for bill payments above BHD 10, whereas for Fawri and Fawri + it is BHD 50, and BD 100 for international remittance. There is no minimum transaction amount for pre-paid card payment or credit card payments.
Theres no better motivator to start Marie Kondo-ing your home than learning that Marie Kondo will be visiting your home. Though of course, in the age of the coronavirus, visiting means connecting over Zoom for 30 minutes.

The ostensible object of our visit is for me to ask Kondo questions about her new book, Joy at Work, and to get feedback on tidying my workspace  a 500-square-foot apartment that I share with my boyfriend, Chad. But in truth, Im already pretty proficient at tidying. Before I took a job at this magazine, I freelanced from home for two years, which gave me near infinite opportunities to obsess over every surface and crevice of our abode. These days, while I have my procrastination hotspots  a jumbled shelf of pots and pans, a drawer of Chads derelict possessions, a stack of unfiled tax documents, a box of beauty products under the bed  Im still pretty tidy.

My real fantasy is that Kondo (accompanied, as she generally is for interviews with English-speaking press, by interpreter Marie Iida) would spark our quarantine with some much-needed life-changing magic. Co-working and co-existing indefinitely in a tiny apartment is a bit like navigating an otherwise pleasant minefield. Chad and I are allies, but small inanimate enemies lie in wait: coffee grounds on the counter, beard trimmings in the sink, a hanger on the floor, a crumpled tissue by the bed, putty earplugs mindlessly impaled on a favorite pencil. The inevitable explosions have an existential ring to them. But why, why??!

So all I really want is for Marie to come over and gush: Youre doing a beautiful job in pandemic life! Youre cute and your home is clean and youre going to be fine! Were all going to be fine!! Ahead of the interview, I shamelessly stage-manage. I dust, windowsills, vacuum, mop and pick out a fuzzy turtleneck for Chad (who, without my prodding, has even trimmed his beard). I want Marie to have some conspicuous yet inoffensive targets for critique, so I plant a pile of papers under the desk, leave out a few trinkets, and add a cord or two to a nest of electronics.

Related: Exclusive: Marie Kondo's Advice for People, Like Steve Jobs, Who ...

At the appointed time, Marie arrives. A copy of Joy at Work hovers on a shelf over her right shoulder, and she looks fresh and minimal in a white crew neck sweater. I say that her press tour is probably going a little differently than planned. Yes, this is certainly new for me, she replies. Im at home right now, and my children are playing in the other room. Im home the entire day, so I make three meals for them and in between. I think she says something about work and a dog and health, but some feedback fuzzes up the connection.

Joy at Work is Kondos fifth book, co-written with Scott Sonenshein, an organizational psychologist. While Kondo says that the act of tidying physical and digital workspaces is important, she emphasizes, For me, the goal was to create a book that allows you to think about how you want to work in the first place, and what your ideal is when it comes to your career. I think this book really gives people an opportunity to listen to their hearts.

My heart is open as we set off on our tour of my quarantine. I show her my strategically placed messes: the desk with its baubles, the stack of papers and cords, and, just a few feet away, the kitchen island that doubles as a standing desk. We note the printers home behind the TV. Then I take her into the bedroom, where Chad is perched on the side of the bed with his laptop on a barstool.

Heres where I keep my coffee mug! he says, pointing to the sill of our cell-like bedroom window. Later, reviewing his cameo, Chad says I should have introduced him as the hulking hairy animal in the dim back room. But Kondo is not deterred. She tucks a shiny, dark lock of hair behind her ear and leans toward her computer to get a closer look. I notice some other knickknacks Chad has placed on the sill alongside his mug, unbeknownst to me: a picture of us at a wedding and a small, creepy wooden doll of unknown origin. Oookay! I say, swinging the computer around. I shut the bedroom door on an enthusiastic Bye, Marie!

Back at my desk, we recount her observations from our visit. I'm so happy that you shared your specific work area with me, she says. From what I see, it's not as if you have too many things, or too much clutter in your home or, or anything like that.

My quarantined heart sings!

It will just take a few tricks of storing to make it a lot better, she continues, hitting her stride. Around your desk, the first things I saw were a few small accessories. Just having a little tray, like the one I showed you just now  or any small boxes that you like  can really clear space on your desk. The electric cords I saw underneath your desk  if you don't need to keep them all connected to a power source, it might be helpful to designate a spot to store some of them. As for that pile of documents I saw below your desk, it's amazing how much difference it makes to store them vertically in a file folder. It really allows you to always keep track of what you have and how much you have.

My pre-production planning is paying off.

In regards to the bedroom, she says, I think it's very important to demarcate when you're using the bed for work and when you're using it to relax and sleep on. So disconnect the cords when you're done at the end of the day and put all of them in a box at the foot of your bed or anywhere you'd like, but just make sure that you're clearly shifting gears. Anything that allows you to move from work mode to relaxation mode is very important.

Related: Organization Guru Marie Kondo's Netflix Show Transforms People's ...

Throughout our conversation, Kondos voice rises and falls with the same warm, expressive timbre thats endeared her to millions of fans. But I am struck most when I watch her in the somewhat awkward interludes of translation. While she waits and listens, her expression is immaculately attentive. She smiles just enough to make you comfortable, but not enough to be ingratiating. Shes perfected the art of inhabiting in-between space  of inserting herself and then staying present in the waiting.

It occurs to me that much of the work she does with families and individuals on her show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, involves teaching and then stepping back and waiting for her pupils to master the method themselves. She trusts them to have revelations on their own. Her expertise, it seems, is in knowing when to give up control and in helping others take control of their lives by giving up control, too. In letting go of their excess stuff, she helps them leave behind the narratives theyve told themselves about who they are  about their time and habits and material possessions.

I think about my own flailing bids for control. In periods of my life when the onslaught of fear and anxiety about the unknown has been especially relentless, I have used tidying as a salve. But too often, Ive decluttered to distract, or procrastinate. Or Ive cleaned and micromanaged to grasp at affirmation for my efforts  from Chad, or even from Marie Kondo. I forget that the point of all this tidying is to clear time and space for our future selves to be better. To be more creative, more kind, more grateful, more relaxed, more productive, more present.

Its hard to find a spark of joy when the bad news comes in tidal waves. So I ask Kondo if she has any words of wisdom for the millions of people who have lost jobs or loved ones. Or are waiting to lose jobs and loved ones.

I completely understand, she says. She bows her head and closes her eyes for just a second, like a passing meditation. I know this is a time where a lot of people have anxiety about the future and what's ahead for us, but I do feel that now is precisely the moment to reflect on how precious the things are that we already possess.

Its a statement that, while seemingly obvious, sums up the crux of Kondos entire self-care philosophy. My method is founded on the idea of choosing what sparks joy for you from among the things that you already own, she continues. "So this time allows you to reflect on how much you already have  from your home itself to the clothes that you wear to the things that inspire you. So the question of what sparks joy for you right now allows you to shift your perspective a little bit and foster gratitude for why you do what you do and the people and things that you do have in your life. Even the odd hanger on the floor.

Related: Want to Do a 'Marie Kondo' on Your Messy Social Media Accounts ...

Related:

This $30 Cushion Is a Major Ergonomic Upgrade to Your Work-From-Home Office

If You're Working From Home, This Marshall Wireless Smart Speaker Can Help Keep You Sane

6 Essential Actions for Thriving in Close Quarters



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[April 08, 2020] Cummins Foundation Issues Grants to Community Partners Addressing Urgent Childcare, Nutrition and Remote Learning Needs Caused by COVID-19 Crisis

The Cummins Foundation is issuing emergency grants to non-profits addressing the needs of families and children impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The grants are targeted in cities in which the company is a critical employer with a significant role in the prosperity of the community. "When schools closed, working parents had few childcare options, learning environments were disrupted and students suddenly lacked access to nutritious meals and critical technologies to learn from home," said Mary Chandler, CEO of the Cummins Foundation and Cummins Vice President of Community Relations and Corporate Responsibility. "The impact on families in our communities has been swift and devastating. Our community partners are fulfilling vital needs." The Cummins Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that operates separately from the company, is focusing its emergency COVID-19 funding on childcare, nutrition, basic needs, and remote learning assistance in communities around the world where the company has significant presence.



Communities in which the company operates, including Columbus, Indianapolis and Seymour in Indiana (U.S.), Rocky Mount, North Carolina (U.S.) and Jamestown, New York (U.S.), and Daventry, U.K., have applied the grant funding to address the immediate effects of the growing crisis. "Many people in our community are struggling right now with essential needs, like food, rent, medicine, cleaning supplies and hygiene items," said Mark Stewart, president of the United Way of Bartholomew County. "The generosity of Cummins has been absolutely critical to getting help to those who need it most. Cummins' support has enabled us to help 203 people with rent assistance, food and other urgent needs."

The Cummins Foundation is also one of the funding partners of a remote e-learning fund in Indianapolis, the primary childcare partnership in Rocky Mount, human services organizations in Seymour and food assistance programs in Daventry, UK, where the company is helping with packed lunches and hot meals for kids, among others. As the Foundation continues to learn the most critical community needs from its global partners administering direct services in Cummins communities, additional grants will be awarded. About the Cummins Foundation Founded in 1954, the Cummins Foundation is one of the earliest corporate foundations. As the company's charitable giving organization, the Foundation provides grants in Cummins' communities. The Cummins Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization that operates independently of Cummins Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200408005481/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:20:43|Editor: huaxia

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Passengers of the G4802 high-speed train wait to exit the Beijing West Railway Station under guidance in Beijing, capital of China, April 8, 2020. G4802, the first high-speed train departing from Wuhan since the city resumed outbound travel, arrived at Beijing West Railway Station on Wednesday. Wuhan, the megacity in central China, lifted outbound travel restrictions from Wednesday after almost 11 weeks of lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of 866 people stranded in virus-hit Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has arrived in Beijing by a train Wednesday after Wuhan lifted its outbound travel restrictions on the same day.

Beijing residents who were stranded in Wuhan are required to apply for a return through a mini-program on instant messaging app WeChat. Statistics showed that more than 11,000 people asked for a return to the national capital, said Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, at a press conference Wednesday.

Starting Wednesday, around 1,000 stranded people are expected to return to Beijing from Wuhan each day via train or car. They should undergo nucleic acid testing (NAT) in Wuhan within seven days before departure, Chen said.

The transport of the people will be carried out in a well-organized and spot-to-spot way, and all returned personnel will be brought under closed-loop management, with a two-week mandatory quarantine, either at home or at a designated venue. Another round of NAT is required after the quarantine, Chen noted.

More than 61,000 people who work or live in Beijing have returned from Hubei Province since March 25.
The Afghan government released 100 Taliban prisoners late on Wednesday, as a first step in a peace process with the insurgent group.

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence, as part of our efforts for peace," said Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, which has been negotiating with the Taliban.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bikini Empire (BE), a Canadian luxury swimwear line, today announced the unveiling of its Spring-Summer 2020 eco-friendly, sustainable bikini fashion line. Uniquely styled to accentuate a variety of body types, BE has launched an iconic collection of flattering retro silhouettes inspired by the powerful James Bond "Deserted Island" women of the 1970s.

Deserted Island James Bond Women Wearing Bikini Empire's Spring/Summer 2020 Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Bikini Fashion Line. Swimwear Modeling Ethically Manufactured Using Recycled Products Responsibly Produced in Bali, Indonesia. Bikini Empires's Luxury Swimwear Line Represents Desert Island Swimwear for the Fashion Obsessed.

Bikini Empire, inspired in 2014 by the Canadian duo, entrepreneurs Monica and Kelsey Rush, recently completed a week-long photo and video shoot of "desert island swimwear for the fashion obsessed" in the Dominican Republic. All of BE's swimwear is ethically manufactured using primarily recycled products and responsibly produced in Bali, Indonesia. The 2020 BE swimwear line is sexy, functional, high-fashion, and sweatshop free.

"Our mission is simple: create attractive swimwear that not only looks beautiful but has the added value of promoting a sustainable and ethical message," said Monica and Kelsey. "We wanted to go beyond aesthetics and spread the message: if you wear Bikini Empire swimwear, you are supporting improvement of the environment and ethical business practices. Our goal for Bikini Empire is to be the ultimate desert island bikini; comfortable, sexy and original."

Bikini Empire began with Kelsey's inspiration to create the best bikini she could - one that is not only cute and functional, but also ethically made, stylistic and a "fresh take on classic swimwear." The initial idea has blossomed into a business and full-time jobs for both Kelsey and her twin sister, Monica. Collectively, they work on every aspect of the business together and Bikini Empire is a true collaboration of their creative talents.

Bikini Empire is recognized as a cult-classic and considered a trend-setter in women's luxury swimwear focusing on environmentally friendly and sustainable product development. Bikini Empire moved its production facility to Bali, Indonesia, to meet its commitment to ethical and eco-friendly manufacturing facilities.

For more information about Bikini Empire's latest line of luxury swimwear on its website and social media visit:

Bikini Empire

The Deserted Collection Lookbook

Shop the Deserted Collection

Sustainability and COVID 19 Support

In the Media

Instagram

Twitter

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Media Contact and Key Influencer Contact:

Dan Springer

Communications Director

[email protected]

Tel. 858-790-9551 (US)

SOURCE Bikini Empire
Employees work on a production line inside a Dongfeng Honda factory after lockdown measures in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and China's epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, were further eased, on April 8, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Honda Back to Work in Chinas Wuhan With Temperature Checks and Masks

WUHAN, ChinaTemperature checkpoints and posters telling workers to keep more than a meter apart at Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co.s reopened plant in the Chinese city of Wuhan show how the coronavirus has created a new normal on the factory floor.

The plant, a Honda joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group was shut in late January when authorities ordered a lockdown in Wuhan in a bid to snuff out the coronavirus, which emerged there late last year.

It reopened on March 11 to resume operations in stages and is now back to pre-virus production levels, Li Shiquan, assistant director of the joint ventures No. 2 final assembly plant, told reporters on Wednesday.

Returning workers were asked to report where they had been since the epidemic started and temperature checkpoints were set up, Li said.

About 98 percent of its 12,000 workers were now back and were putting in over-time to make up for lost production, he said.

The joint venture produced 800,000 cars last year.

We have many customers who are waiting for cars so this week we have arranged for each worker to work 1.5 hours more, he said, adding that a typical shift was eight hours.

Employees work on a production line inside a Dongfeng Honda factory after lockdown measures in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and Chinas epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, were further eased, on April 8, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

A sign hanging from the ceiling in the factory said the goal was 1,237 cars that day, 17 percent higher than the 1,060 it usually produced.

Plants at Hondas Guangzhou-based joint venture with GAC are also running extra shifts, GACs chairman Zeng Qinghong told analysts on its earnings call last week.

The central industrial hub of Wuhan started allowing people to leave the city on Wednesday in what is seen as a turning point for Chinas fight against the coronavirus.

Rubber Gloves, QR Codes

As some of Chinas factories begin to reopen, other countries such as Italy and United States are trying to curb the spread of the virus by asking workplaces to shut and the public to stay home.

Honda has suspended operations in the United States and Canada, its biggest manufacturing hub, until May 1. It has also stopped output at plants in countries ranging from Britain to Thailand, and has announced intermittent stoppages at some of its Japanese plants.

The Wuhan plant reopened after the government approved its plan to curb infection risks, Li said. The plants smoking and rest areas have been shut to stop people from gathering while meetings have to be held on video links.

Employees work on a production line inside a Dongfeng Honda factory after lockdown measures in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and Chinas epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, were further eased, on April 8, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Workers needing a rest from the assembly line are encouraged to sit on red stools spaced out on the factory floor, Li said.

Reuters reporters on a visit to the factory saw workers dressed in white overalls, rubber gloves, and masks. Posters told them to keep a meter apart at all times, though that was not always adhered to.

Pasted on pillars were QR codes, which workers use their mobile phones to scan in order to fill inonce a dayforms asking about any coughing or contacts with unwell people.

Li said no coronavirus cases had been found since the plant resumed operations.

The plants more than 500 suppliers in Wuhan had also been allowed to resume operations on March 11, Li said, adding that Dongfeng Honda had provided them with some help but he did not go into details.

By Brenda Goh
Noel Celis/Getty

HONG KONGTrains are leaving Wuhan for the first time since January 23, carrying 55,000 people out of the city in one day. Long-haul buses are moving passengers across provinces. Planes are taking off at the airport again. Roadblocks on outbound highways have been removed, and cars have been streaming through since midnight. The lockdown of the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemicafter doctors who flagged the unusual virus were gagged by authoritieswas lifted at midnight local time on Wednesday.

U.S. Eyes Second Coronavirus Outbreak in China

Its difficult to look back at the lockdown without feeling like it was an 11-week internment. More than 3,300 people reportedly have died in China due to COVID-19, including nearly 2,600 in the city of Wuhan alone. (The official tallies are deemed by medical professionals in China and abroad to be much lower than the actual count.) Intensive care units were, of course, where the most recorded deaths occurred; the mortality rate in Wuhans ICUs was between 25 and 30 percent, according to Dr. Peng Zhiyong, who led two ICU teams in the city and maintained the lowest rates of fatalities and hospital transmissions at the facilities where he worked.

Now, after dailyhourly, constantchecks on the epidemic curve, there is an uneasy mixture of relief and apprehension as life in Wuhan crawls back to a normal pace and Hubei province reconnects with the rest of the country.

There are lessons here for the hard-hit United States, where to date almost four times as many people have died as in China, judging by official numbers. But, sadly, those lessons are limited. Other countries may benefit more from what has been learned in Wuhan.

In the United States, the Trump administration apparently expects 50 states to compete with each other, and with the federal government, for vital resources. In China, the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party poured everything it could into Wuhan and Hubei after the very strict province-wide lockdown. It flew in medical workers from all over the country, military assistance, construction workers to build hospitals, and others to enforce the quarantines while enhancing survival rates.

Story continues

For two and a half months, Hubeis 60 million peopleroughly the population of Italyhave been confined to their homes. To venture out in public for crucial supply runs, they had to pass through checkpoints manned by private security guards, neighborhood-level Chinese Communist Party custodians, or police officers.

The populations material needs were taken care of, but there was a constant air of uncertainty about what might happen next. Might there be a surge in infection numbers and deaths the next day? Could ones neighbor, parent, friend fall ill and fail to find medical assistance at the packed hospitals? What if the pandemic does not end?

Today, the physical signs of those weeks of worry remain present. Barbed wire still runs along the tops of walls surrounding some residential complexes, installed to prevent people from leaping over the barriers to cure their cabin fever. Many older buildingsthose with only two or three floorsare still boarded up.

So far, it hasnt been a smooth transition for Wuhan. There were plenty of dead car batteries. Social distancing was difficult to achieve on public transportation. Frequent temperature checks and pauses to disinfect slowed down movement across the cityalthough few were in a rush to begin with.

Even at the beginning of the week, Wuhan and the rest of Hubei were coming back to life slowly. Some restaurants lit their stove fires againpatrons couldnt always dine in, but they placed orders and waited patiently for their takeout, standing five or six feet apart from each other. Sounds and smells of human activity were returning. You could spot people strolling along the quiet waterfrontjust a handful, but enough to give the impression that things could go back to normal, that maybe not all of spring was lost.

Now, across mainland China, its common enough to see people wearing latex gloves and plastic goggles when they are outside of their homes. Masks are mandatory in public areas, meant to limit significantly the virus spread in case you are a carrier. This curtails the footprint of the coronavirusa particularly important act because medical professionals believe that many people who carry the virus are asymptomatic, meaning they may not even realize that they can cause severe illness in others.

When much of China was still under lockdown, people spoke of revenge spending, a term that harks back to the spike in consumption after the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, now appropriated to outline the urge to splurge after shops reopen when the COVID pandemic subsides. But while businesses in Wuhan, Hubei, and the rest of the country have spun up operations again, consumers have been cautious about their expenditures. Many have drained significant chunks of their savings, and the likelihood of a second wave of infections hitting later this year has people worrying that they will have to hunker down again, this time with even tighter purse strings.

China Hijacked This American Moms Tweets for Coronavirus Propaganda

In the first three months of this year, nearly half a million businesses in China went belly up. More are expected to declare bankruptcy in the coming weeks. Companies that ship goods to other countries are being hit hard as foreign clients seek delays in shipments or are canceling orders altogether.

Firms involved in mass-scale surveillance, however, are more active than ever. Throughout China, smartphone-based tracking measures are now used to indicate a persons health status and location history. Whip out your phone and call up your assigned QR codeif its green, then you can access public transportation, as well as facilities like shopping malls, restaurants, and parks. The same tools are used to determine whether a person can travel throughout the country. The exception is the capital, Beijing, where all arrivals must commit to 14 days of quarantine.

This isnt a policy that is unique to China. Around the world, at least 24 countries are tracking their citizens locations using applications that went online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and at least 14 nations have rolled out apps for contact tracing or as part of quarantine protocols, according to information compiled by Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, and more than 100 other organizations.

Yet even with a digital dragnet over the country, our lack of understanding of the coronavirus and COVID-19 brings about intense uneasiness. It is still unclear how common asymptomatic transmission is, but classified Chinese documents seen by reporters of Hong Kongs South China Morning Post suggest that up to one-third of people who test positive could be carrying the virus without showing any symptoms.

People I spoke to in Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou were all anxious about how every human bodyincluding their ownhas the potential to become a walking bio-bomb that could kill a friend or loved one. Its a distressing thought that is compounded when a nation is being steered by its central government to return to the tempo from three months ago.

The weekend was a reminder that the pandemic has left indelible imprints on Chinaand the rest of the world. Last Saturday was a day of mourning for those who died in China due to COVID-19. At 10:00 a.m., people stopped what they were doing to observe three minutes of silence. Sirens wailed. Drivers sounded their vehicles horns. Flags flew at half-mast. In every city, town, and village, tears fell. Chinese Communist Party leaders, including President Xi Jinping, gathered at Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the CCP and central government in the capital, where a banner reading deeply mourn for martyrs and compatriots now hangs. The party has claimed every casualty as one of its own.

Yet none of this implies that China is on the other side of this viral calamity. Last week, Zeng Guang, the chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the country has not reached the end [of the pandemic], but is merely entering a new phase. The main worry, for now, is that asymptomatic carriers will infect others as people travel across the country to get back to work, ultimately negating the months-long containment efforts that have placed life on hold for many millions of people.

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AUSTIN, Texas  A 72-year-old is first Texas state inmate reported to be a possible COVID-19 fatality during the new coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of overstepping his constitutional authority when he issued an order prohibiting bond for some criminal suspects during the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, the number of residents at a San Antonio nursing home who have died of the virus rose to 10, and officials said a majority of the people who have been killed by the coronavirus in Houston have been African Americans.

INMATE DEATH

Telford Unit inmate Bartolo Infante, 72, died Tuesday, according to a Wednesday statement from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Infante suffered from numerous preexisting medical conditions and was hospitalized under isolation in Texarkana, Texas, for viral pneumonia after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the TDCJ statement said.

An autopsy was ordered to determine if COVID-19 was a factor in Infantes death. Four Telford Unit employees have tested positive for the illness and are under self-quarantine, while seven offenders have been confirmed to be infected, according to the statement.

The Telford Unit is under medical restriction, and the number of Texas state prisons locked down after inmates or staff tested positive for COVID-19 rose from two to 15, the TDCJ said. Wednesday alone, 15 new employee/contractor tests and 19 positive offender tests were reported, bringing to 56 the number of TDCJ staff, employees and contractors and 47 inmates to test positive for COVID 19.

More than 12,000 inmates are currently under lockdown statewide.

A 49-year-old state corrections officer died Monday after testing positive for COVID-19 while hospitalized for a heart condition.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Tuesday that it was investigating whether the disease contributed to Kelvin Wilchers death. No one else at the Estelle Unit prison in Huntsville where he worked has tested positive, the agency said.

There have been more than 9,300 cases of COVID-19 in Texas and 177 deaths, up from 154 on Tuesday.

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.

BOND RESTRICTIONS

Abbotts March 29 order, which prohibits bond for anyone arrested on charges involving physical violence or who have past convictions for violent offenses, came as state officials worked to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in jails.

The lawsuit says the order unlawfully tries to remove discretion from judges about who can get bond. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and others filed the lawsuit in state district court in Travis County on behalf of Harris County misdemeanor magistrate judges, criminal defense organizations and the NAACP Texas.

The lawsuit says since social distancing is nearly impossible in jails, stakeholders have been working to reduce jail populations in ways consistent with both state law and the safety of the community.

The Texas Attorney Generals Office didnt immediately comment.

DEATHS MOUNT AT NURSING HOME

Ten residents at the Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in San Antonio have died after a coronavirus outbreak infected most of the people living there, officials said Wednesday.

That means more than half of 20 reported coronavirus-related deaths in the city are linked to the nursing home. The most recent victims were two women, one in her 70s and the other in her 80s, city officials said in a statement.

At least 67 of 84 residents at the facility tested positive for COVID-19, and several staff members were infected as well. The virus has swept through other Texas nursing homes, including one in Texas City, where a doctor is treating nearly 30 people with an anti-malaria drug that has been heavily promoted by President Donald Trump but is unproven to be effective against COVID-19.

HOUSTON AFRICAN AMERICANS AT RISK

Of 11 deaths in Houston blamed on COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, seven were African-American, Dr. David Persse, the citys public health authority, told the City Council Wednesday.

While African Americans make up about 23% of Houstons population, they made up nearly 64% of those killed by the virus so far.

City officials didnt have a racial breakdown of the more than 1,200 people infected.

The rate of deaths among African Americans in Houston is similar to other U.S. cities, including Chicago, and states that are reporting a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths in African American communities.
: As many as 48 people, including 42



returnees from the Delhi Tablighi Jamaat meet, tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu on Wedensday, taking the total number of cases to 738, a senior government official said.

Health Secretary Beela Rajesh also announced the death of a 45-year old man, who succumbed to COVID-19 in Vellore on Tuesday. He had come into contact with a coronvirus positive patient, she told reporters here.

Of the 48 new cases, a total of 42, including a Malaysian National, were same source contact, she said.

Rajesh said the government's objective was to ensure that the spread of the virus does not enter the third stage and the health department personnel were working in that direction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid mounting concerns over the shortage of personal protective equipment for front-line workers fighting the spread of COVID-19, an Ontario resident has designed what he says could be a partial solution  a UV light machine designed to sterilize N95 masks for reuse.

Farkas Baranyai of Wellington has teamed up with a couple of local craftspeople to assemble two models of the machine, sending one to a local health-care unit and another to a small hospital.

Large hospitals may have their own sterilization systems, but our local health units are in dire need of protective equipment and how to take care of it, said Baranyai.

Baranyai, an elevator technician, said he happened to read a New York Times article about how researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre were using UV rays to sterilize the masks.

Im a problem solver, so I thought: Ive assembled UV units before. If they can do that there, I can build a machine like that here, he said.

Health-care workers across Canada face a shortage of PPE, and Premier Doug Ford said Ontario could run out of the crucial N95 masks in a week. A shipment of millions of N95s was temporarily halted at the U.S. border this week as the country threatened to ban exports, increasing pressure. Local manufacturers and university researchers have started producing masks.

While research is inconclusive on whether the N95 masks (which keep out airborne particles) can be properly disinfected and safely reused  and which disinfectant methods work  Baranyai says his UV light machine could help for now.

He and two partners assembled the machine in 11 days, from concept to completion. He describes it as a stainless steel box with a hinged lid holding two UVC lights. The interior has a four-square-foot shelf that can hold about 20 masks at a time. Foil tape helps reflect rays from the bottom and sides during sterilization.

A fundraising effort he launched raised over $800, which helped him buy some materials.

Baranyai, who called he project a gesture for his community, feared hospitals would turn him down since health authorities have not officially approved. He noted its hard to even find the proper channels during a crisis.

The two health-care centres that received these UV light machines have yet to start using them, pending proper guidelines.

Joshua Colby, an ER physician at Prince Edward Family Health Team, which received one of the two machines, said the use of UV light machines to sanitize masks is a nascent field with much uncertainty.

He mentioned research underway at the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario on the machines efficacy on N95 masks. UV light has been used for years in vent-hoods in academic centres where bacterial, viral and cell cultures were used and a sterile setting was needed. Theres some evidence that too much UV light can damage the mask, so a balance has to be found, Colby said.

I would say that if we run out of N95 masks, the UV light hood would be a good option to sterilize used masks, although this is based on tenuous research for which there are few guidelines, he said. I would certainly prefer to use a UV-light-sterilized N95 over a cloth mask if I were going in to see someone with COVID-19.

An official from the Lennox & Addington County General Hospital in Napanee, where the second machine was sent, said theyll rely on guidance from Ontrarios health ministry before using it.

The ministry says the evidence on repurposing masks is new and evolving. Its working on options to ensure availability of PPE for health providers, including the repurposing or resterilization of N95s.

In a memo to stakeholders this week, deputy health minister Helen Angus said the Public Health Agency of Canada has asked for used PPE to be saved for potential reuse.

Ontario Health is asking hospitals to store used PPE securely and is distributing a survey to understand hospital capacity for reprocessing, based on promising technologies to safely reuse PPE, she wrote.

Ronald Hofmann, professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto, said the Nebraska researchers have put out some protocols on using UV to disinfect N95 masks. The International UV Association also believes using UV can sterilize N95 masks.

Hofmann said UV can work in theory but its effectiveness depends on the details. The research community is scrambling right now to figure these things out, he said.

If a hospital runs out of new N95 masks, their choices are to wear nothing, reuse their masks without any treatment, or use some treatment that in theory can do a good job disinfecting them, he said.

We think that UV, along with heat treatment, and along with hydrogen peroxide vapour, are three good methods that show a lot of promise, Hofmann said. But the devil is in the details.
A 64-year-old father-of-two has died of coronavirus, leaving behind the Down's Syndrome adult son he cared for full time.

Daughter Elaine Nuttall paid tribute to 'amazing dad' Frank Nuttall, who died aged 64 on Sunday evening of Covid-19.

The 38-year-old, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, says that her family is 'broken' after the death.

Frank Nuttall (left, with son Andrew and right, with daughter Elaine) died at Royal Bolton Hospital on Sunday evening

She told of her pain as her family is not even able to grieve together amid the UK lockdown.

'We are devastated, heartbroken, struggling  we just can't believe it, ' she said. 'My dad had diabetes but he was not unwell he was healthy, he loved walking and would walk for miles every day.'

Ms Nuttall said their lives will never be the same again and spoke of how Mr Nuttall was a rock to 36-year-old son Andrew, who has Down's Syndrome.

Pictured: The heart that Bolton Royal Hospital nurses gave to Frank while he was on the ventilator

Andrew has yet to learn of his father's death because he is cut off from Elaine and Mr Nuttall's wife, Lesley, who are having to self-isolate after going to see Frank before he died.

The precaution has also cut off Elaine from her two children - Kyle, 14, and Chloe, 13.

She is devastated that she can't even comfort her children and wider family and says that she's been reduced to crying at the window as she looks over at her auntie's home across the road.

Frank was put on a ventilator on Monday last week after initially being taken to Royal Bolton Hospital on Friday March 28.

His loved ones weren't allowed to see him but Elaine and her mother managed a quick phone call before he received breathing assistance.

Visiting her father before his condition escalated, Elaine had sign a form to say that she understood she was risking her health and that she had to wear personal protective equipment.

And she was full of praise for the 'amazing' nurses who told her that they were treating Frank as though he was their father.

'When he died they cried with us,' she said. 'We have received a message of condolence from one of the nurses.'

Elaine urged people to stay inside and keep themselves safe as the UK's death toll is now at 6,159.
Three People Charged under Civil Contingency Regulations

32 year old French National Edouard Grimaz was arrested yesterday on suspicion of theft of monies and goods from Amars bakery situated at Convent Place.

The RGP said this was a result of the defendant being identified from CCTV footage. He was observed by officers at Sir Herbert Miles Road and was also found to be in breach of Civil Contingency regulations after numerous lawful requests for him to reside at the Garrison Gym temporary shelter. Mr Grimaz had continually refused to comply after several interventions by Police over the weekend. As a result, he was further arrested for Obstructing Police in breach of the regulations. He was later charged with the offences of Theft and Obstructing Police. The total value of the property stolen is approximately 15.00.

In a separate incident yesterday evening, following a report of a noise complaint from within a residence at Lime Kiln Steps, Officers attended and found 42 year old Ian McIntosh and 37 year old Lizanne Golt under the influence of alcohol, neither resided at the address. Due to the current Coronavirus Civil Contingency Regulations they were not permitted to be there. Both were informed that they were required to return to their own residences but were non compliant and refused. They were arrested for Obstructing Police and later charged with the offence. These arrests were made after they had previously been warned that they were in breach of the regulations.

All three defendants were due to appear in Magistrates Court today.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa

The Federal Government has said Nigerians abroad, who wished to be evacuated amid the pandemic, must be COVID-19 free, The PUNCH has learnt.

This was contained in the COVID-19 Application Form for Nigerians who want to return home on the website of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.

Citizens intending to be repatriated are required to complete the form, The PUNCH reports.

One of the conditions for evacuation expressly stated in the form is that Nigerian nationals willing to join the evacuation flights planned by the Federal Government must be tested for coronavirus and certified negative.



You MUST get tested for the Virus in your country of residence and be issued an Authorised Health Clearance Certificate attesting that you are COVID-19 free. This Certificate MUST be presented and authenticated by officials at the Airport in your country of departure before you are allowed to board the Aircraft, part of the requirements read.

Another requirement was that the cost of travel would be paid by the potential evacuees and upon landing, they would be placed on a 14-day compulsory quarantine at a location approved by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Confirming this development, NIDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the coronavirus test requirement is based on the NCDC protocol and must be adhered to.

Dabiri-Erewa made this known via Twitter while addressing concerns from some Nigerians abroad.

Dear Madam, we have been instructed to go for a COVID-19 test before we can be considered for evacuation from the United States. This is both sad and shocking to us considering that we are visitors in the US with no access to any health and social care benefits, a user, Adeolu Anthony Olagunju, had informed the NIDCOM chairman.

Responding, Dabiri-Erewa said, Beyond NIDCOM power. It is an NCDC protocol based on very cogent reasons, I am sure. We will continue to engage with them. If anything changes, our embassy will inform you. Scary times but the Lord will heal the world as we do look forward to welcoming you home soon.



The PUNCH had reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced its plans to evacuate Nigerians stranded abroad amid the pandemic despite airport closure.

See Tweet Below;
Anusha Ravi By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was at the centre of a twitter battle of hashtags -- against and in support of him -- on Tuesday. A day after he warned of severe action against any attempt to vilify Muslims over the COVID-19 outbreak, scores of Twitter users expressed anger and disappointment against BS Yediyurappa, accusing him of appeasing minorities. The hashtag #WeLostHopeBSY was used by twitterati expressing anger. Even as it trended, another bunch of twitter users poured in their support to the Karnataka Chief Minister with a counter hashtag #WeStandWithBSY.

Interestingly, most twitter users who were baiting Yediyurappa have claimed, in their twitter profiles, to be staunch supporters of the BJP and RSS or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a role reversal, twitter users who have been critical of the BJP, RSS and Yediyurappa, in particular, were tweeting in support of the Chief Ministers comments.

The #WeLostHopeBSY campaign, that started as early as 1.20am Tuesday, garnered dozens of tweets by largely BJP supporters, demanding a change of chief minister in Karnataka. Many of these tweets were addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

We repent Voting You Stop Appeasement politics #Welosthopebsy Please Change karnataka CM @PMOIndia @blsanthosh @narendramodi @AmitShah @BJP4Karnataka @BJP4India (sic) said one tweet. Won election and became CM asking for votes from Hindus and now threatening Hindus shame on you @BSYBJP please change CM of Karnataka @AmitShah #WeLostHopeBSY, said another.

Never thought you will stoop to such low to appease them #welosthopeBSY @PMOIndia @narendramodi @mepratap @blsanthosh @mla_sudhakar @sriramulubjp @BJP4India @BJP4Karnataka, said a tweet from another user, who identified himself as an RSS swayamsevak on his twitter bio.

By 10am, a counter-campaign in support of BS Yediyurappa had begun. Any efforts to malign the BSY image by the hate factory of #BJP will have to pay huge price in the coming days. #WeStandWithBSY#@BSYBJP Go ahead sir. People will bless you for protecting the voiceless. (sic) said one tweet. Dear @BJP4Karnataka, take on Yediyurappa at your own peril. Hope the 2013 assembly election results are still fresh in your minds #WeStandWithBSY, said another Twitter user.
Bernie Finn, State MP for Western Metropolitan Region of Melbourne and Liberal Party member, in his office in Melbourne, Australia on 8 July 2019. (Grace Yu/The Epoch Times)

State MP Urges Australians to Take a Principled Stand Against the Chinese Regime

Victorian MP, Bernie Finn has called on Australians to take a firm and principled stand against the Chinese regime once normality [has] returned.

Speaking with The Epoch Times on Friday, April 3, Finn, a Liberal Party member and Victorian Legislative Council member, said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is directly responsible for Australians who have died from the CCP virus. He added that justice must be sought for those who have lost their livelihoods, businesses, homes and families.

This is a disaster of international proportionsthe worst that we have seen probably in 100 years, Finn said. The fact of the matter is that Australians here have died because of what the CCP has done.

Australia, like many countries, has been placed under lockdown since confirmed cases of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, began to rise from mid-March. Measures such as social distancing and shutting down of non-essential services have in effect disrupted the economy, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

As of April 7, Australia has 5908 confirmed cases and 45 related deaths.

With over 1 million cases reported globally, Australias chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy believes the actual number to be five or ten times higher due to some countries not having the capacity to test.

When asked by a reporter on April 3 about the number of reported CCP virus cases coming out of China, Murphy said: the only numbers I have total faith in are the Australian numbers, frankly, because we have the highest testing rate in the world.

Additionally, the CCP has attempted to deflect criticism surrounding CCP virus numbers through its disinformation campaign saying that the U.S. Army was responsible for the virus.

I mean it just falls in line with the CCPs reputation for telling lies, Finn said. It is an exceedingly dishonest, and disreputable government, one that we cant believe on anything now it would seem.

  no number of lies that they tell should divert us from getting justice for people who are affected by what the CCP has done.

A Dangerous Organisation

Finn explained why Australia and the free world should not become friends with the CCP given its history of tyranny and suppression, and added that countries such as Australia, UK and the United States should hold the Chinese regime to account over the CCP virus.

The CCP is a dangerous organisation, a dangerous group of people, they are dishonest, a dreadfully dishonest group of people.

They do not have the interest of the people of China at heart, much less the interest [of] the people of Australia, or anywhere else, he said.

Bernie Finn, State MP for Western Metropolitan Region of Melbourne and Liberal Party member, on Skype in Melbourne, Australia on April 3, 2020. (Epoch Times)

Finn added that the worlds people had seen the true nature of the CCP through this pandemic.

If this virus has created any good at all, its brought knowledge to people that [the CCP] that China has is thoroughly evil, is totally evil. And I use that word advisably.

When asked about the Victorian Labor governments Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agreement, which was signed by Labor Premier Daniel Andrews on Oct. 23, 2019, Finn said: we dont actually know whats hes signed up to. He wont tell us. The Chinese wont tell us.

We should walk away from people who do not have our best interests at heart, who are not our friends, and who will quite frankly screw us over with every opportunity.

China is a huge threat to each and every one of us.

In reference to the CCP virus, Finn said:   whichever way you look at it, whether it was a deliberate act or whether it was an act of criminal negligence, this is the result of the CCPthey are directly responsible for this, whichever way you look at it.

Finn said he looks forward to seeing the CCP fall.

Wouldnt it be wonderful that out of this dreadful incident through the world, the Wuhan virus, out of their dreadful, dreadful attack on the world, wouldnt it be wonderful if the Chinese government fell.

Wouldnt it be wonderful if the CCP crumbled, and China as a result of that was able to have a free government, a democratic government, theyre able to join with their friends, the neighbours, their cousins, in Taiwan and enjoy freedom.

Epoch Times reporter Beatrice Lee contributed to this report.
Life is changing before our eyes. With COVID-19s rapid spread, weve witnessed institutions we took for granted being put to the test in ways we couldnt imagine months ago.

As a nurse with advanced training in public health as well as being an attorney, I know one of the important steps we need to take during this time is social distancing to allow health care workers to combat this virus. The more we do now, the sooner life can get back to normal. While key to slowing the spread, this practice has caused millions to lose their jobs  including approximately tens of thousands of Montanans filing for unemployment.

The federal government passed a relief package to provide some benefits to workers. However, it shouldnt take a crisis for us to realize were not doing enough to support Americas workers. Even in good economic times, nearly half the U.S. lives without a savings account and are one paycheck away from financial ruin.

We need a comprehensive improvement of our work environment to protect working Montanans. Average Montana salaries are thousands of dollars behind the average national salary. According to the Equal Pay Task Force, women in Montana are paid 73% of what men earn. Equal work but not equal pay. This hits families especially hard  hurting the ability to buy a home, pay for child care, and save for retirement. Inadequate child care is available for working families to care for their youngest while parents work. Too many Montanans live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to provide for their families. They have inadequate savings and little or no paid family medical leave.

Although we want to get back to normal, this is our time to decide what parts we want back and what changes we demand. As your attorney general, Ill support:

 Equal pay for equal work

 Paid family medical leave

 Adequate child care

 Affordable and comprehensive health care

 Living wages that allow people to save

 Fair taxation where everyone pays their fair share

 Strong worker protections to stop unsafe and unfair work conditions, harassment and discrimination

I grew up in a union household in Frenchtown. These are issues close to me and my family. I know how hard families work to just put food on the table. As the first working mom to give birth during the Montana legislative session, I was able to shed light on some of the difficulty families face trying to balance work and family life.

Working with Montana lawmakers from across the state, over the past eight years weve improved working Montanans lives, reforming the law to provide such things as access to health care, workers compensation for firefighters presumptive diseases, increased apprenticeships and worker training programs, and strengthened wage and unemployment laws.

But more needs to be done. Studies show the stronger our economic safety net is, the stronger our economy will be. The more financial security one has, the more they can participate in the economy, and the faster it grows. Not only is an anti-worker agenda heartless, it doesnt make sense  financial or otherwise.

The millions working paycheck to paycheck dont need a pandemic to be told our laws dont favor workers over big corporations. They feel it every day  and were seeing right now how not putting workers first has left hardworking families struggling.

Montana is best when we come together and put differences aside to focus on strengthening our communities. Moving forward, the changes to protect those most affected by this pandemic shouldnt be one-time fixes  they should be institutionalized reforms. As your attorney general, I will work every day to make that a reality.

Rep. Kimberly Dudik, D-Missoula, is running for Montana attorney general. She is a registered nurse, has a master of public health degree, and is a former assistant attorney general and deputy county attorney.
If actors could be defined by Pantone colour swatches, Sofia Helin would belong firmly in the cool blues category. Over four seasons as the socially unconventional detective Saga Noren in the cult Nordic drama The Bridge, she became the living embodiment of Scandi noir and its moody monochromatic hues.

Which makes it somewhat incongruous to find the iconically Swedish actress amid the radioactive-red dust and dazzling sun of Broome. Hot property in the post-Saga era, Helin has been offered enough meaty role offers to make the average forty-something actress weep with envy, including playing Norways Crown Princess Marta in the recently wrapped series Atlantic Crossing. But in a neat globe-spanning bookend for fans of The Bridge, the project that has lured her to the Top End is the tropical outback gothic noir Mystery Road.

I love the fact I got a script that said, Woman, aged 30 to 60 years, says Sofia Helin. Credit:David Dare Parker

The pithy description from producer David Jowsey sums up the critical and popular acclaim afforded the 2018 debut of a drama so embedded in northern Australia you can almost taste the grit. Led by Aaron Pedersen as lone wolf cop Jay Swan, it scooped a haul of gongs at the AACTAs. Perhaps more wonderfully for a drama with a largely Indigenous cast, crew and thematic preoccupations, it also won the publicly voted award of most popular drama at the 2019 Logies.

Season two sees Helin playing a Swedish archaeologist digging, literally and metaphorically, into the Kimberleys Indigenous lore. As Professor Sandra Elmquist, whose search for Indigenous cultural artefacts unearths a deep moral quandary, Helin has swapped the urban detectives leather pants and Porsche for an Akubra, workboots and cargos. Its Saga Noren gone Indiana Jones, and Helin is loving every minute of it.
"KSrelief is acting in compliance with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to stand by countries affected by this pandemic," Dr Al Rabeeah said, in a statement following the signing.

Participants in the emergency meeting also discussed ways to provide necessary medical support to many other countries affected by the outbreak of the pandemic. This support will be provided in full coordination with United Nations agencies and other organizations for the good of all humanity.

The Kingdom's support for the fight against COVID-19 is the latest in a series of gestures embodying the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to providing impartial, comprehensive humanitarian assistance to all in need globally.

Saudi Arabia had previously pledged USD 10 million to the World Health Organization in response to its urgent appeal for help in serving countries with fragile health systems. The Kingdom has also funded a series of other programs to provide medical equipment and other aid to areas in need of rapid intervention to fight the early spread of COVID-19.

KSrelief's ad hoc committee is currently studying additional ways in which the Kingdom can help to address the provision of much-needed global medical support where it is most urgently needed.

SOURCE King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre
The coronavirus is a biological phenomenon. But if COVID-19 has become a global pandemic that now threatens a catastrophic loss of life, it is because of the criminal indifference of capitalist elites around the world.

They ignored frequent warnings from scientists and even their own organizations, like the World Economic Forum, about the looming threat of a global pandemic, then failed to respond in a timely manner when the coronavirus was identified as a threat at the beginning of 2020.

This is true of Canada's ruling elite, no less than that of Italy, Spain, or the US. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments in Canada took no steps to prepare for this foreseeable and foreseen catastrophe, while subjecting public healthcare to the death of a thousand cuts.

In the face of a dramatic surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths throughout the country, with over 17,875 cases and more than 300 deaths registered by late yesterday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu was forced to acknowledge this fact. At a press conference last Wednesday, Hajdu said that the countrys hospitals are likely to run short of medical supplies, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), during the pandemic. We likely did not have enough. I think federal governments for decades have been underfunding things like public-health preparedness, she said.

Hajdus comments are both a devastating admission of the Trudeau governments failure to mount an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an indictment of the policies pursued by the Liberals going back decades. Between 1995 and 1998, the Liberal government of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin implemented the largest social spending cuts in Canadian history, ravaging the healthcare system. Since Justin Trudeau came to power in 2015, his Liberal government, following the example of its Conservative predecessor under Stephen Harper, imposed real-terms health spending cuts on the provinces.

The Trudeau government and Hajdus ministry wasted the first two months after the coronavirus outbreak was identified in China. Like the Trump administration, the Liberal governments preoccupation was minimizing any impact on big business.

As late as February, fully one month after the first warnings were made by the World Health Organization, Hajdu and other government officials were downplaying the seriousness of the threat. On February 3, for example, Hajdu declared in the House of Commons, Here in Canada we have very different processes in place than in the United States. For example, we do not need to call a public health emergency here because we already have the structures, the systems and the authorities to spend appropriate dollars necessary to respond, treat and maintain our public health systems. On February 20, Hajdu tweeted that the threat from COVID-19 remains low.

Only on March 10, as cases were surging across North America, did the federal Liberal government even write the provinces to ascertain their inventory of critical medical supplies and any possible shortages.

When the Liberal government finally roused itself to action, it made available a pathetic $25 million to combat the global pandemic. As the situation rapidly deteriorated, it increased this piddling sum to $1 billion, and finally last week it raised it to $3 billion. The bulk of the governments emergency healthcare funding, fully $2 billion, is being pumped into a made in Canada manufacturing initiative that has seen over 2,000 for-profit companies seek to secure their pound of flesh by agreeing to produce masks and other urgently required medical equipment. As yet, no timeline has been provided on when such products will be ready.

As a result of what Hajdu concedes is decades of underfunding, hospitals are now running out of critical equipment, placing patients, medical staff, and the public at grave risk.

Doctors, nurses, care workers, and other healthcare professionals are being forced to work in terrible conditions, with little and even no protection against the deadly virus. In Ontario, a directive states that PPE will only be provided when a COVID-19 case has been confirmed, exposing caregivers and patients to a high risk of infection since people can be infectious but asymptomatic.

Testifying at a virtual meeting of the House of Commons health committee yesterday, Canadian Medical Association President Sandy Buchman said the dark reality is that the shortages of N95 masks, respirators, face shields, gloves and gowns are even more serious than first thought. Healthcare workers, he said, are scared. They are anxious. They feel betrayed. They dont know what supplies are available.

Doctors are also warning of an imminent shortage of vital drugs such as salbutamol, also known by its brand name Ventolin, which is used to sedate COVID-19 patients when they are intubated.

The confusion over how many ventilators are even available illustrates the shambolic state of Canadas healthcare system. Until mid-March, there was no official figure. Then, the government discovered a 2015 study asserting that there were less than 5,000 ventilators, or about 14.9 for every 100,000 people, across the country

Subsequent research by CBC and Radio Canada brought to light that when emergency stocks and recent purchases were counted, there were in fact 7,752 ventilators nationwide, but 80 percent of these are being currently occupied for other treatments. Until yesterday, when Trudeau announced that the government is working with Canadian manufacturers to make another 30,000 ventilators, less than 500 more were on order.

Another major concern is the shortage of hospital beds. Whereas in 1976 Canada had 6.9 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants, including 4.9 acute care beds, this figure had plunged to just 2.5 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, and 1.96 acute care beds, by 2018. This is well below the OECD average, and even less than in the US, Italy, or the UK.

The crisis situation is being exacerbated by national divisions. Over the weekend, the Trump administration ordered Minnesota-based 3M to cease exporting N95 masks and respirators currently manufactured in the United States to Canada and Latin America. According to one report from Ontario, where some hospitals are set to run out of PPE in a matter of days and medical staff are being ordered to reuse masks, a shipment of three million N95 masks was blocked at the US border. After bitter talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a mere 500,000 masks were approved for export.

Late Monday, 3M announced it had reached a deal with the White House to restart exports to Canada and Latin America. However, it remains unclear when the purchases can be fulfilled and whether they will come too late.

The squabbles between Canadian and US officials point to a more fundamental global problem: the subordination of every aspect of the ruling elites response to the healthcare crisis to capitalist private profit and their struggles for geopolitical advantage. The declarations by politicians of the need for a made in Canada, America First, or made in Germany solutions are always bound up with the handing of multibillion-dollar sums to private corporations, who in turn commit to producing a mere fraction of the PPE, ventilators, and other medical equipment that are so urgently needed.

The Canadian ruling class has responded to the crisis by giving hundreds of billions of dollars to the financial oligarchy, while placing millions of workers who have lost their job due to the coronavirus crisis on rations. A Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives study suggests that 850,000 workers will not even qualify for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit put in place by the Liberals, which was set at the totally inadequate sum of $2,000 per month for four months.

Behind the governments hypocritical statements that no one will be left behind, Trudeau and his Liberals are callously indifferent to the loss of human lives. Health Minister Hajdu summed this up, declaring in a Canadian Press interview that pursuing a policy of herd immunity would not necessarily be a bad thing.

Having 70 percent of people get COVID is not the end of the world, claimed Hajdu. It is, though, if it all happens at once, and thats what were trying to prevent.

Currently, Canadas COVID-19 death rate stands at about 1.5 percent of those who have tested positive, but the examples of Italy and Spain demonstrate that the fatality rate rises sharply when hospitals are overwhelmed. As Hajdu herself declared, The death rate is intimately connected to your capacity to provide hospitalization and care for those who are most sick.

Hajdu and the rest of the Liberal government know full well that Canadas healthcare system lacks surge capacity and, consequently, is already on the verge of collapse. Therefore, to suggest that herd immunity would not be the end of the world means to accept a vast increase in fatalities. Considering 70 percent of the Canadian population represents about 26 million individuals, and even allowing for the conservative estimate that the fatality rate remains around one percent, the Honorable Patty Hajdu is claiming that the deaths of 260,000 individuals, most of them older workers who no longer produce surplus value through labour, is not the end of the world.

For the Canadian ruling elite, the coronavirus crisis serves as a pretext to turn politics to the right and implement long-planned antidemocratic measures. Hajdus remarks underscore that significant layers, including within the liberal wing of the elite, are adopting the social Darwinist outlook of the far right. The ruling class is embracing such reactionary ideas because it is champing at the bit to get the economy up and running again so that workers, like the slaves of ancient Egypt, can be forced to risk their lives to boost the wealth of the superrich.
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 additional 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: a $20,000 bonus, competitive salary, low cost medical insurance and education benefits. For additional information contact your local recruiter; call 1-860-982-2842; visit nationalguard.com/ct or follow @ctarmyguard.

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.

Gaylord Gauntlet set for June 27

WALLINGFORD  The Seventh Annual Gaylord Gauntlet 5K is scheduled for June 27.

Held on the 400-acre campus of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford, the Gauntlet offers a blend of wooded trail and open field running with 24 natural and man-made obstacles along the way to test an athletes strength and endurance. Upper body strength will be featured in some obstacles including a rock wall climb and vine swings.

The race will feature 20 waves of runners and is appropriate for those aged 12 and older. Runner check-in begins at 7 a.m. with the initial wave launching at 8:00 a.m. and the final wave launching at 2:00 p.m. The Gauntlet will be held rain or shine.

Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories and all participants will have a timing chip in their bib. Costumes are highly encouraged! A festival area will feature a live DJ and food and beverage trucks. A complimentary kids obstacle course will be open for children aged 5 - 11 who are accompanied by an adult.

The cost of registration at www.gaylordgauntlet.org is $75 through April 30 and increases to $85 from May 1-June 21. The day-of-race registration fee is $90.

KC101 holding virtual food drive

iHeartMedia, New Havens KC101FM has joined with Connecticut Food Bank to offer a virtual food drive to support the food banks response to increased need for food due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the month of April, donations can be made online at www.ctfoodbank.org/KC101FoodDrive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused increased demand for food as people lose work and school children in low income households go without free meals during the day. Connecticut Food Bank is working to source more food and increased its deliveries to help its network of community-based food assistance programs keep up with the need.

The KC101 Connecticut Food Bank Virtual Food Drive provides an opportunity for people to have the feeling of a community fundraiser. We cant gather a crowd like our annual Stuff-A-Bus Food Drive, but we hope that people will feel the same community spirit and get creative by building teams for the virtual drive to see who can generate the most support, said Vanessa Wojtusiak, Vice President of Marketing for iHeartMedia Connecticut. We will keep you updated on-air and will be sure to highlight the leaders each day we can create some of that energy we all love at Stuff-A-Bus.

Visit ctfoodbank.org/KC101FoodDrive to sign up, form a team, invite friends, and compete with others to support your community.

Volunteer drivers needed

The American Cancer Society is in need of more volunteer drivers to support the Road To Recovery program, which provides cancer patients with free rides to treatment.

This year, an estimated 20,300 Connecticut residents will be diagnosed with cancer, and for some getting to treatments can be their biggest roadblock. All drivers must have a current, valid drivers license, a good driving record, access to a safe and reliable vehicle a regular desktop, laptop, or tablet computer access and proof of car insurance.

To learn more about volunteering for the Road To Recovery program, visit www.cancer.org/drive or call us at 1-800-227-2345.\
12:44pm: Levine says the three minor league pitchers coming to Chicago for DeRosa are Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub. The move feels like a salary dump  of a player whose production was worth $19.4MM this year.

A note from Bruce Miles: the Cubs ownership situation will have to be settled before the Cubs are able to complete a Peavy trade. Levine says the same in his post.

12:25pm: Levine and Buster Olney are saying its a done deal  DeRosa to the Tribe for three minor league pitchers. The Cubs have trimmed roughly $9MM from the 2009 payroll with their recent moves. Coming in: $3.5MM for Luis Vizcaino (plus another million sent in salary relief) and $2.2MM for Aaron Miles. Going out: $5.5MM for DeRosa and $9.875MM for Jason Marquis.

11:27am: According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio, the Indians are getting close to a deal for Mark DeRosa that would send two or three young pitchers to the Cubs. At least, that statement was attributed to him in the stations recent SportsCenter update. Levine recently scooped the Cubs signing of Aaron Miles.

In his blog, Levine suggests a DeRosa match with Cleveland but does not say a deal is close. Levine considers the Cubs Milton Bradley signing "a done deal" and says theyve back in the mix for Jake Peavy. Jon Heyman says Bradley seeks a three-year deal.
There are increasing signs of disagreement between Prime Minister Imran Khan and the establishment in Pakistan.

Populous Pakistan has not yet made the grim headlines spawned by the global coronavirus pandemic, despite reporting its first infections on February 26.

Sadly, in the weeks to come, it will. The number of infections is projected to spiral into the millions. And as the death toll mounts, the blame for the governments failure to learn from the mass outbreaks in neighbouring China and Iran will fall squarely on the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose reluctance to act decisively may cost him dearly.

Initially, its response to the brewing crisis was lackadaisical. Responding to criticism in his first televised speech on March 17, Khan said his government had been monitoring the pandemic since January, but did not begin emergency consultations until the first cluster of infections was identified on March 12.

Notably, this discovery by the opposition-controlled Sindh provincial government exposed the failure of the federal authorities to properly screen and quarantine thousands of pilgrims returning from Iran.

Had Sindhs Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah not taken the initiative to start testing returnees upon learning of the first infections in the provincial capital Karachi, the metropolis of 18 million souls would have become another Wuhan, and health authorities in other provinces would not have been alerted to the infectiousness of the pilgrims.

However, when Khan addressed the subject, he was absurdly fatalistic. The spread of the coronavirus was inevitable, he said, but there was no need to panic because for the majority, the disease would feel like mild flu. He ruled out a nationwide shutdown to contain the virus, saying Pakistans poor were dependent on daily incomes and would starve.

This deprived the country of a clear sense of direction. The federal government and provincial authorities  even those ruled by Khans PTI party  each reacted differently. Sindh moved steadily towards a shutdown, while others enacted piecemeal measures like school closures and shortened shopping hours. There was no nationwide effort to urgently equip hospitals and front-line healthcare providers. There was not even a clear, mass messaging campaign launched by the authorities.

Pakistans powerful military was left with no option but to make its presence publicly felt. On March 23, Pakistans national day, chief spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar announced troops would be deployed across the country in response to calls for assistance from the provincial authorities.

This was a clear signal that the establishment was losing patience with Khans refusal to provide responsible leadership when the country most needed it. At a press conference on March 24, several TV anchors humiliated the prime minister.

Instead of accepting the counsel of the military, which helped usher his government into power in August 2018, Khan responded to criticism with obstinacy.

Addressing a video conference of parliamentary party leaders called by the opposition on March 25, Khan opposed moves by the Sindh government to enforce a province-wide shutdown, thereby stymying any matching measures in the other provinces, where his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and their allies hold power.

The resultant leadership vacuum was exploited by populist clerics, whose refusal to cancel congregational prayers last Friday and other religious gatherings planted viral time bombs which began to detonate across the country, setting Pakistan on the path to a massive outbreak.

Again, Khan took to the airwaves on March 31, amid expectations that he would finally grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the prime minister insisted that Pakistans youthful demographic would save it from the fate of other infected countries, and questioned the effectiveness of a lockdown.

The military had had enough. Another video conference of federal and provincial leaders was held on April 1 with army chief of staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa attending in combat fatigues, rather than usual dress uniform. In the official video of the event, he silently frowned at the federal cabinet.

Afterwards, Planning Minister Asad Umar, rather than Khan, announced that the varying restrictions on public movement introduced by the federal and provincial authorities in the second half of March would be extended until April 14, and the military announced that Lieutenant General Hamood Khan will be in charge of its command and control apparatus would oversee the states response to the pandemic.

The ramifications of the all-powerful militarys intervention could be dire for Khans administration, once Pakistan has overcome the pandemic. Tired of the governments poor governance, in particular its mishandling of the economy, the military reportedly reached out to opposition party leaders last autumn. An increasingly public conversation among opposition politicians on how to go about removing Khan has ensued, fuelled by the subsequent release from jail of ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on medical grounds.

Since then, the Pakistani news media has been rife with speculation about the longevity of Khans administration. Until the coronavirus spread from Iran, eminent analysts generally felt that Bajwa was prepared to give Khan time to improve his governments performance.

That view has shifted markedly since the military was forced by Khans ineptitude to take control of Pakistans emergency response to the pandemic. Veteran Urdu language columnist Suhail Warraich, one of a handful of analysts renowned for accurately predicting the demise of governments, on Monday wrote that Khan has until June to get his administrations act together and mend fences with the opposition, failing which, violent political change may follow.

That message should be viewed as a warning that the military is in no mood to shoulder the blame for Khans shortcomings. With Pakistans very future at stake, the trajectory of the pandemic and his political career may well prove inseparable.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Islamabad: At this time, the outbreak of Corona is increasing all over the world, continuously affecting the lives of people. Today many lakh people have been infected due to the virus. There have been thousands of deaths due to this virus. There is no cure for fighting this virus. It is also being told not to know how long we will be able to get rid of this disease. Pakistan has reported 577 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. After this, the number of corona epidemic patients in the country has increased to 4,005 by Tuesday. A senior official has warned that the situation can go out of hands.

Condition of Italy critical due to corona virus, 17,127 dead so far

According to the Ministry of National Health Service, the highest number of cases of coronavirus have been reported in Pakistan's Punjab province and Sindh. Punjab has recorded the highest number of 2,004 cases, followed by 986 in Sindh, 500 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 211 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 202 in Balochistan, 83 in Islamabad and 19 in POK. It is being said that 54 people have died due to the epidemic, while 429 people have been cured. So far 39,183 people have been tested in the country.

Nepal PM KP Sharma's big statement, says, 'next two weeks important'

The coronavirus test of 50 prisoners has been done in the most affected Punjab province. Inspector General of Prisons Shahid Baig told PTI that 20 cases have been reported from Camp Jail Lahore and the remaining other jails. Baig told that due to a Pakistani citizen, the virus spread in the jail who was arrested for drug trafficking in Italy last month and handed over to Pakistan.

Security rules will be tightened in South Korea, everyone will have to follow
It's early April 1864, more than four months after the Tribune declared Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory at Chattanooga, Tenn., a Rebel Waterloo, and the Civil War is far from over. Confederate forces have proved resilient. Instead of retreating "all the way to Atlanta," the Rebs kept fighting in Tennessee. And Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's successful raid north into Kentucky in March showed that the South still had plenty of fight left in it.
By Gina Lee

Investing.com  Oil prices swung up in Asia on Wednesday morning as they rebounded from sharp losses during the previous session.

The past two sessions took the black liquid on a rollercoaster ride as International Brent Oil futures rose 1.95% to $32.49 from its slump of almost 10% in the last session by 10:13 PM ET (3:13 AM GMT). U.S. Crude Oil WTI futures clawed back its loss of 3.57% as it jumped 5.12% to $24.84.

Prices dropped overnight as the American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated a huge build of 11.9 million barrels in the U.S. crude oil inventory for the week ending April 3. Investors still worried about an oversupply against plummeting demand as they compared the estimate to analyst forecasts of a 9.3-million-barrel build prepared by Investing.com.

They will have to wait and see for the results of OPEC+s online on Thursday to discuss and attempt to resolve the ongoing price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

But some are already worried that the meeting will not be enough.

With 28 million bpd of oversupply in the oil market in April and 21 million bpd in May, the global coordinated production cuts that are really needed may be too large for the producers to accept; perhaps twice as large as the numbers being discussed, Rystad Energys Bjornar Tonhaugen told CNBC.

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MERRILLVILLE  The Lake County Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health in partnership with the Indiana National Guard will offer free drive-thru coronavirus testing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week at Merrillville High School.

Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box announced the location for targeted COVID-19 testing Tuesday morning in her daily press briefing with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.

The clinic will be reserved for health care workers, long-term care workers, first responders and essential workers who are symptomatic of COVID-19, Box said.

Those seeking a test are asked to provide a driver's license or other state-issued ID card and documentation of their place of employment, according to a joint ISDH and Lake County Health Department news release.

The ISDH is working to organize similar efforts in Clark and Vanderburgh counties in southern Indiana later this week. Additional dates may be added in the future, according to the news release.
Anyone who deliberately transmits coronavirus to someone else could face life in prison, officials have warned.

Health Minister Greg Hunt made the announcement during the parliamentary sitting on Wednesday after revealing there had been some very troubling cases of people who have either assaulted or threatened healthcare workers.

Under advice from the Attorney-General's Department, Mr Hunt said people could face the maximum sentence of life in prison if their deliberate infections led to someone dying.

Police officers wearing face masks guard the rear entrance of the Urban Newtown hotel where quarantined Australian travellers. Source: James D. Morgan/Getty Images

"The deliberate transmission of COVID-19 is an offence under the general criminal laws that apply in every state and territory," he said.

In addition, those same state and territory criminal laws also make it an offence to cause someone else to fear that they are having transmitted to them the virus, for example by coughing on them. Interestingly, two people have been charged in the ACT for precisely this type of behaviour."

Mr Hunt said the government was stepping up protection for healthcare professionals.

These are our heroes, he said.

People being charged every day

Over the weekend, a man was arrested for allegedly spitting in the face of a police officer while claiming to be infected with coronavirus.

Police said the 37-year-old Nowra man punched a senior constable in the face and then spat at the injured officer during a struggle about 8.30am on Saturday.

The man, who faces charges including assaulting and intimidating police, was refused bail and is due to appear in Nowra Local Court on Sunday.

A 33-year-old Perth man has been charged after he allegedly told police he had the coronavirus while being arrested over serious family violence.

Minister for Health Greg Hunt at a press conference on Wednesday. Source: AAP

Police say the Redcliffe man made the claim on March 11, but admitted he had lied the following day, which was confirmed when his test results came back negative.

The man is in custody, charged with creating a false belief and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances, and has been summonsed to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on April 23.

Story continues

In Tasmania, a 29-year-old man is facing charges after allegedly telling police he had the coronavirus during a traffic stop in Launceston last week.

People wait outside the Tanunda War Memorial Hospital, a dedicated COVID-19 testing clinic to deal with the expected uptick in cases in the Barossa Valley. Source: AAP/David Mariuz

He is accused of failing to comply with a public health direction by being away from his residence without a valid reason.

He was also charged with breaching a family violence order, evading police, driving recklessly and without a licence, and resisting arrest by claiming he had the virus.

Sydney's Central Local Court was told last Tuesday an accused man could not appear as "he's claiming he has the coronavirus and is trying to spit on the staff", while NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says people are being charged for spitting and coughing on others "every day".

with AAP

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So, on the morning of March 13, the congressman called their doctor and explained how much work he had done that week: On Monday, he flew from Miami to Orlando to meet transportation industry officials, then off to Washington for a busy week. He met with about 50 people in his office, including constituents and members of the Spanish parliament. One evening, he walked across the street for a Library of Congress gala celebrating the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Lithuania, attended by a contingent from that nation.
INDIANAPOLIS, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will announce its first-quarter 2020 financial results on Thursday, April 23, 2020. Lilly will also conduct a conference call on that day with the investment community and media to further detail the company's financial performance.

The conference call will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Investors, media and the general public can access a live webcast of the conference call through a link that will be posted on Lilly's website at https://investor.lilly.com/webcasts-and-presentations. A replay will also be available on the website following the conference call.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com. F-LLY

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Related Links

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Canberra, April 8 : Australia's Finance Minister Mathias Cormann on Wednesday warned that the nation's medical stockpile has been "somewhat exposed" to international shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cormann called for the government to reconsider its approach to stockpiling medical supplies in order to be better prepare for future crises, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Some of the personal protective equipment, when there is global competition and strong global demand for access to these products, then obviously we were somewhat exposed," he said.

"(Health Minister) Greg Hunt did an outstanding job with his team in securing masks and other protective equipment but it was a challenge." Health authorities earlier in April urged regular Australians not to wear face masks, citing concerns about the short supply of masks in the health care system.

Cormann was speaking ahead of Parliament re-convening for a single day on Wednesday to vote on legislation for the government's 130 billion Australian dollar (79.7 billion U.S. dollar) wage subsidy scheme.

Addressing Parliament before debate on the legislation began, Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised Australians for successfully slowing the rate of COVID-19 infection but said that the nation still has a long way to go in fighting the virus.

"Through the actions we have taken to date, we have bought valuable time, to chart a way out over the next six months. But there are no guarantees, and it could well take far longer," he said.
Leading global technology brand OPPO has announced that it would license its worldwide 3G and 4G standard-essential patents to the IoT and automotive markets through leading patent licensing platform Avanci.

The company that has been at the forefront of innovation in the smartphone market is diversifying its portfolio to include frontier technologies such as IoT, 5G and Augmented reality (AR), to provide more immersive and personalized technological experiences to users worldwide.

OPPO has been strengthening its R&D capabilities and innovations to support the companys aim of providing cutting-edge smart devices and services for the era of intelligent connectivity. In line with this endeavour, as of February 29, OPPO has obtained more than 43,000 worldwide patents with over 16,000 patents granted globally.

Adler Feng, Senior Director of Intellectual Property at OPPO, said: OPPO is committed to the development of industry-leading technology innovations. We are licensing OPPOs essential patent portfolio to the industry based on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. We are pleased to offer our 3G and 4G communications standard-essential patents for licensing through Avanci to IoT and automotive manufacturers.

Avanci is a patent licensing platform that provides a licence to the vast majority of 3G and 4G cellular standard-essential patents for the Internet of Things products and connected vehicles.

Kasim Alfalahi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Avanci, said: We are delighted to welcome OPPO, a smartphone industry leader to the Avanci platform. Avanci enables companies such as OPPO to earn a reasonable return on their R&D investments, through an efficient marketplace that balances the interests of patent owners and licensees around the world, and enables continued innovation.

OPPO will soon be launching a variety of new and distinctive IoT products, including wireless headphones that create a personalized audio experience and function as an essential entrance to the world of smart voice services.

We understand the demands of tech-savvy consumers in the Middle East and are looking forward to bringing world-class IoT devices and exquisite audio products to the region, added Ethan Xue, President of OPPO Middle East and Africa. - TradeArabia News Service
A new limited series from Netflix about a Hasidic Jewish community debuted last month. Unorthodox is the story of Esther, or Esty, Shapiro, a young woman who flees her family and her community to discover her freedom. The plot of the Netflix show is loosely derived from a memoir by writer Deborah Feldman, also named Unorthodox. The Israeli actress Shira Haas plays Estyand in our opinion, masterfully. In a recent interview, Haas described what it was like portray the harrowing, intense, and beautifully poignant story in Unorthodox.

[Spoiler alert: a few spoilers for Unorthodox below].

Who is Shira Haas, the star of the new Netflix miniseries Unorthodox?

Amit Rahav and Shira Haas as Yanky and Esty in Unorthodox | Anika Molnar/Netflix

Haas recently spoke with IndieWire about her time filming Unorthodox. If youre unfamiliar with the actressfirst of all, get familiar. But they also named some of Haass recent projects you can check out, aside from Unorthodox. IndieWire reported of Haas:

After landing her breakout role in the Natalie Portman-directed A Tale of Love and Darkness, she appeared opposite Jessica Chastain in Niki Caros The Zookeepers Wife, as well is in Shtisel, which was a small hit internationally.

Haas also discussed how she prepared herself for the role. First of all, the Israeli actress had to learn the specific dialect of Yiddish spoken in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But Esty, the main character in Unorthodox, also goes through some emotionally ravaging experiences.

It did require me to do a lot of research, Haas revealed. The Unorthodox star read Feldmans memoir a few times. She also told IndieWire she studied interviews and lectures, as well as the rituals, of the Hasidic Jewish community, which are very different.

Haas on acting during the emotional episodes of the series

IndieWire also asked Haas about what it was like to shoot some of the more difficult to watch scenes. Episodes which feature Esty and her husband Yanky struggling with intimacy are particularly tough. As IndieWire points out, theyre difficult simply because of the incredible emotional burden Haas is able to convey. Haas argued seeing those moments was essential to the Unorthodox story as a whole.

Shira Haas visits People TV on March 4, 2020 | Jason Mendez/Getty Images

This is a story about a woman trying to find herself, and part of the series is also finding yourself as a woman, so it was very important to see these intimacy scenes, the actress said. Haas also recalled that the Unorthodox team did a great job of making those touchier scenes feel as comfortable as possible:

It was a major part of her journey and it was always treated like that, very gently with such a sensitivity. We talked so much before about why we need this and how to do it, and it was really important to show, not just to show physical views or pain, but also to show her emotional journey. Shes given up so much, and shes even in a way given up part of her own body, so it is crucial and it was treated very, very gently.

Unorthodox star on how the costumes helped her acting, too

Another way Haas managed to get through those dark moments in Unorthodox? The actor playing Yanky, Estys husband, is a longtime friend of Haass: Amit Rahav. Haas explained that this was incredibly helpful for the energy on set. The actress remembered:

Amit Rahav and Shira Haas in Unorthodox | Anika Molnar/Netflix

It really felt like a mishpocha, as you say in Yiddish, kind of like a family in a way. We had our humor during every hard scene  We had such a good relationship, and it was nice to know that I can really trust him to feel very, very free, so it was nice to have a friend.

Haas also mentioned her characters clothing as something that helped her access the emotion needed for the role. She told IndieWire: I remember somebody putting the costumes on me and I almost felt immediately like Esty.

Getting to dive into character via costume connected Haas to Esty in a new way.

It was a very long day of trying everything, and I remember I was really emotional, the Unorthodox lead said. For Esty, her costume is also an emotional journey shes going through.
A truck driver accused in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.

Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, entered the plea at Central London Criminal Court. Robinson appeared in court via video link alongside four co-defendants.

The bodies of the 39 people were found in the container at the back of the truck on Oct. 23. Police investigating the case found the 31 male and eight female victims were all from Vietnam and ranged in age from 15 to 44, including 10 teenagers.

Maurice Robinson (via Facebook)

Police said they died of a combination of a lack of oxygen and overheating in an enclosed space. The victims came from impoverished villages in Vietnam and are believed to have paid people smugglers to take them on risky journey to better lives abroad.

The truck discovered in the town of Grays, east of London, had arrived in England on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Robinson, appeared at court via video link, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property. He denied a charge of transferring criminal property.

Another eight people have been charged in connection with the case.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones QC said a human trafficking conspiracy charge was being dropped in relation to Robinson.

He asked for three weeks to decide whether to proceed with a trial against Robinson on the outstanding charge he faced.
T he travel and hospitality industries have been two of the hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, with the World Travel & Tourism Council warning that 75 million jobs are at immediate risk.

From the hotel owner whose thoughtful touches transform your stay to the friendly concierge who tips you off about that great local restaurant, it's the people behind the places that make travel so enriching and joyous.

In our new series, we'll be meeting the owners, general managers and founders of some of the world's greatest hotels to get to know them a bit better. And, perhaps more importantly, we'll be grilling them for their top travel tips. From where to find pristine private beaches to knowing how to blag a table at the world's best restaurants, who could be more in-the-know?

First up, London's iconic The Goring. A royal favourite, it's the only hotel to have a Royal Warrant and has a long history of serving the Monarchy. The Queen Mother famously loved the hotel's Eggs Drumkilbo dish (it's still served today), the hotel's chefs made Prince Charles' christening cake, the Duchess of Cambridge chose to stay the night before the royal wedding, and it's where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stopped for lunch on their last visit to the UK as senior royals.

Opened 110 years ago in 1910 by O R Goring, today it's run by fourth generation CEO Jeremy Goring. Here, we chat to Mr Goring about his post-lockdown travel plans...

Royal stamp of approval: The Goring is the only hotel to have the Royal Warrant / The Goring

How long have you worked at The Goring?

10 years, with every year revealing a different challenge, especially now.

Why the hospitality industry?

I realised early on that there are great hotels everywhere in the world so hospitality is in more than one sense a passport to anywhere you want to go. Also, all the agonising over the most pathetic details - on one level we are so aware of the total irrelevance of what we do, yet on the other we sometimes accidentally create magic in peoples lives.

Kate Middleton arriving at the Goring Hotel the night before her wedding / Murray Sanders

Other than the Goring, what's the best hotel in the world?

Coral Reef Club Barbados. I can wear any shirt I like and there will always be somebody with a sillier one! But Coral Reef Club is the real thing; a rare case of not trying to be anything that you are not.

Favourite little-known, secret hotel in the world:

The 20 a night Chantilly in Cauterets. Although it fell into a river in the Pyrenees two years ago. Perhaps one day theyll rebuild it.

What makes a hotel truly special?

John Andrews, Head of Concierge at the Goring Hotel. And other people like him, who stop at nothing to make the guest experience something special.

Jeremy Goring found the best meal of his life in Sweden / Jeremy Goring

The most heartwarming thing a guest has ever said to you?

Right now we are receiving an outpouring of support from our beloved Goring guests while we are temporarily shut. Its helping us all get through what has been the most awful three weeks for everybody.

The best part of your job?

Small things such as trying to get the bread right, or finding a kitchen porter drunk in a freezer. Strategic thinking is overrated!

Maddest request youve ever had from a guest?

Presumably some embarrassing things that happened while I was a room service waiter...

Tell us about a time you cried happy tears in your hotel:

When chef Paul Gayler called me over to the room service department for an emergency, which ended up with the pair of us, and three Turkish waiters bolting a huge glass each of Chateau dYquem 1921.

A guest had drank a tiny drop and sent the rest back on his trolley, resulting in the greatest wine experience of my life.

Best view in the world?

The Goring kitchens in full cry during dinner service. I cannot wait for the day when I can see that view again.

Best meal youve ever eaten?

Very difficult. We are all so spoilt that I make myself sick answering this. But I could say Faviken in northern Sweden. I spent ten years trying to get in and despite all the expectation it was the most unforgettable culinary adventure ever, and the most immense privilege.

Your favourite city?

London and its beautiful ugliness.

Goring is planning on a return to Nihi Sumba island in Indonesia / TAnia AraAjo

Next on your travel wishlist?

I am desperate to get back to Nihi Sumba (formerly Nihiwatu) in Indonesia one day.

Most beautiful beach in the world?

Probably any of the nine palm draped Bacardi advert beaches at Caneel Bay, which I had the privilege of helping to open back in the day. Hotelier Kenyon Price and myself used to get on the company boat with our important looking briefcases and once out around the point, take our shorts out of them and take a little break!

Most treasured childhood holiday memory?

I used to think Cornwall was a separate country to England, so going to England technically was a holiday.

Your ultimate bucketlist destination:

A stilt village homestay in the Banda Islands in Indonesia would do it, watching squid float past... One day!

Best place for a staycation?

The Outer Hebrides would fit the bill with crystal clear seas and plenty of whiskey.

Finish this sentence: Travel makes me feel...
Connecticut had its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic with 71 fatalities Monday into Tuesday, bringing the total to 277.

More than 1,300 have been hospitalized, including another net 87 increase since Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced in his daily afternoon update in the State Capitol. An additional 875 people have been diagnosed with the infection, for a total of 7,781, according to the state Department of Health.

The governor said that social distancing could be credited with slowing the initial surge somewhat, while cases continue to rise in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Weve averaged about 90 or so over the last five days, Lamont said. Five days is five days, and the week before that there were about 102 hospitalizations. At least we can say weve been flattening out. That gives our hospitals more capacity. It gives them more time to make sure that we have people and ventilators and ICU rooms for you. It means the peak may have been somewhat mitigated.

The governor stressed the importance to continue social distancing. Shortly before 7 p.m., he issued another executive order to enforce tougher guidelines for keeping workplaces safe and disinfected. He said that those who are still on the job should take their lunch in their cars and workers should stay home if their temperatures are over 100.4 degrees.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development immediately issued new work rules for businesses and non-profits to continue operations, including enhanced cleanliness and the cessation of carpooling.

You should know that as an employee and you should know that as a boss, Lamont said. He praised New Britain-based Stanley Black & Decker, with 30,000 employees around the world, limiting COVID-19 infections to under s half dozen.

Were going to be strict about it, Lamont said. He said that while tens of thousands continue to work in defense and defense-related industries, more likely has to be done to keep employees from getting too close to each other.

With another 400 ventilators coming into the state since last week, on top of the 1,000 already here, Lamont said that while the state is scouring the globe for equipment to treat the infection surge, he believes that hospital capacity may be adequate. He said that every other governor in the nation has the same problems obtaining equipment, from ventilators to the coveted N95 face masks.

Planning for school closures

The grim fatality report came as the Lamont administration, led by Education Commissioner Miguel A. Cardona, continued negotiating with state school superintendents to decide on a strategy to keep students at home and away from the buildings where the coronavirus can spread.

Were still in discussions with local superintendents and reopening isnt likely, said Max Reiss, the governors communications director. Talks could include details over high school graduations, the continuance of the school year through the summer and the learning-at-home experience, particularly for children without access to the Internet.

Peter Yazbak, public information officer for the state Department of Education, said Tuesday that the scope of the pandemic is continuously assessed by his agency, the governor and the state Department of Public Health. Cardona is in at least weekly contact with school superintendents on issues including class cancellations, graduation requirements and other implications of the pandemic, Yazbak said.

For instance, were in the process of reaching alignment with our Connecticut colleges and higher ed partners to ensure our high school students arent being negatively impacted, Yazbak said, including requirements of the NCAA on student athletes and the state university system on waivers of college placement assessments.

Since this is a public health crisis which the governor has said may potentially last longer than thought, any decision made by the governor would be made in consultation with DPH, consistent with federal guidance, and done so while keeping the health and safety of students, staff and families top of mind, Yazbak said.

Union contract requirements are also part of the long-term plan.

Donald E. Williams Jr., executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, said the unions relationship with administrators has been collaborative and constructive.

Initially things were chaotic because school districts were trying to go from in-class to distance learning without any lead time, Williams said. Administrators and teachers have made great strides. Everyone knows that online learning and learning from written materials in packets is not a substitute for in-class and in-person learning. We have to deal with it and accept it, and provide enrichment and alternative opportunities to students in partnership with parents.

Weekly conference calls to clarify certain issues also help the dialogue, Williams said. One of the biggest obstacles is the many children, especially in the cities, who have Internet and technology issues.

Williams looks at the potential April 20 reopening date with an eye toward what state and federal health officials determine. If we close for the rest of the year, teachers have been preparing for that circumstance, he said.

In other developments on Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in his morning news briefing in Albany, said that he has been discussing the future return-to-work protocol with Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

When we go back, we go back together, Cuomo said to reporters. I think if we go back with people who have tested that they are negative, or people who have tested that they have the anti-bodies, which means they had the virus and theyre immune from the virus, or we go back with younger people going first, still protecting, isolating the vulnerable, but if its waves, I think those are the waves.

Lamont agreed, stressing that he and the other governors have had good conversations. We have a tri-state workforce, Lamont said. Our people do go back and forth to some degree. Not right now with the stay-at-home order.

Plasma and blood tests would possibly allow state officials to see who builds up an immunity to the coronavirus. These are folks that we can maybe get back to work sooner, he said.
It took Rina Hansen, Ph.D., 11 long years to persuade the owner of Rhanders, a Danish heritage glove company founded in 1811, to sell the business to her. I just made it my life mission to revive the brand, document its history, and innovate on the craftsmanship skills, explains the brainy Dane from self-isolation in the countryside.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhanders

As agile as she is persistent, Hansen came into the company with the idea of making protective travel gloves that were easy to wear and more environmentally friendly than single-use rubber gloves. Shed had this idea on the back burner since living in London; to her, riding the tube was quite a bacterial shock. Her grandmother came to the rescue with this advice, Why dont you wear travel gloves? They protect your hands, and keep you from touching your face or picking your nose! Within a year of her acquiring Rhanders, the brand introduced both leather and washable cotton gloves with an antibacterial treatment that is eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, andaccording to company literatureprevents up to 99.99% of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. The new styles are made through a collaboration with Byron Dixons Micro-Fresh.

Photo: Courtesy of Rhanders

Photo: Courtesy of Rhanders

All of this innovation was done in a pre-pandemic world, but has urgent applications now that the company has donated its new products to Save the Children helpers, schools, and to caretakers and therapists at nursing homes. (Though they are antibacterial, the gloves are not medical-grade.) While Rhanderss ateliers in Hungary and India are under lockdown, its Danish factory is still producing these handmade gloves that, unbelievably, sell for less than $100. We decided not to put a premium price on the gloves, Hansen says, as they are something that really should go out there to serve the world and do good.

Copenhagen Tourist Attractions Photo: Ole Jensen / Getty Images

Before making brilliant antibacterial gloves, Randers has long served as purveyors to Her Royal Highness Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary, as well as the entire Danish royal family. It also provides equipment to the military, including the well-known Queens Guard, who now wear the antibacterial gloves. The FBI came calling when they needed gloves for fast roping out of helicopters, though long before all this, Marie Antoinette favored Rhanders gloves for their fragrant leather.

Story continues

Photo: Courtesy of Rhanders

In the 18th century, Hansen relates, manure was used for tanning, and the material stank. Rhanders, however, used the calamus flower to do its tanning at the time, brought to Denmark by French monks, instead. Originally its a medicinal plant from India with a lovely citrusy-mixed-with-cinnamon kind of smell, says Hansen. Its said to give balance, calm your chakra, and also to help you speak words of truth. This added value complements Hansens belief that heritage firms have soul and preserve culture and craftsmanship.

Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com

Style matters too. Long gloves, like the super-chic long styles Rhanders made for Mark Kenly Domino Tans fall collection were already trending pre-pandemic. Hansen says that editorial interest hadnt yet trickled down to sales, but she had interesting things to say about the important role of accessories in fashion. Shes noticed a progression from It bags to shoes and jewelry to the hands. Why? This is just my personal guess, Hansen says, but we are becoming aware that hands are important. Being hands-on is sort of the opposite of being digital. Hands are becoming a symbol of caring, and of love, and of doing good. Thats an idea that deserves a round of applause.

Originally Appeared on Vogue
The body of an 8-year-old grandson of former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend of Maryland, who went missing with his mother in a canoe last week, was recovered in the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday, two days after his mothers body was found, the authorities said.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police said that the body of the grandson, Gideon McKean, was found 2,000 feet from where the body of his mother, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, was recovered on Monday.

Gideons body was found in 25 feet of water, over two miles south of his grandmothers home in Shady Side, Md., about 30 minutes south of Annapolis, the police said.

The two disappeared Thursday afternoon after Ms. McKean and Gideon set off in a canoe from that property to recover a ball and drifted into the bay, according to the family and the police.
A panel of Indian government ministers advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to partially lift the lockdown imposed on March 25 to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Areas with large clusters of COVID-19 cases will remain closed, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. The panel, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, recommended cities can open markets on alternate days after the three week period ends. States can allow harvesting of crops across the country, they added.

Modis administration faces the tough choice of lifting the lockdown to sustain livelihood of millions who have little to eat, or keep the restrictions in place to check the spread of the pandemic. The unemployment rate in the nation may have climbed to more than 20 per cent because of the restrictions, according to a survey by the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt.

Trains and local mass rapid transportation services will remain suspended, while gatherings at religious centres wont be allowed, the people said. The prime minister will take the final decision on lifting restrictions, they said.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence declined to comment. The virus has infected 5,356 people in the South Asian nation, while 160 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Educational institutions will remain closed while big grain markets may be allowed to begin limited operations, the people said.

The government has been in detailed talks with independent health experts and state governments on when and how the country should exit its massive close down. Some states like Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhatisgarh and Uttar Pradesh have said they favour an extension beyond April 14.

Modi on Wednesday will also be consulting with leaders of other political parties via video conference.

Read more about:
DIRECTIONS are to be sought from the DPP in the case of a Limerick man who has been charged in connection with a spate of burglaries across Limerick over the past two months.

Jonathan McCarthy, 31, of no fixed abode was brought before Limerick District Court after he was charged with ten separate offences following his arrest at the weekend.

Each of the charges relate to incidents which are alleged to have occurred at locations in the city on dates between February 16 and April 6.

Detective Garda Dean Landers told Judge Marian OLeary the defendant made no reply when he was formally charged shortly before 8.30pm on Monday.

The judge was told gardai will be objecting to any bail application but solicitor Sarah Ryan said her client was not seeking bail and was consenting to being remanded in custody.

Sergeant Michelle Leahy said a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and that some time will be needed to complete it.

Mr McCarthy, who was remanded in custody, is accused of breaking into a number of commercial premises including a hotel, a pub and a fast food restaurant.

He is also accused of breaking into a school and with damaging two cars which were parked at the Crescent shopping centre in Dooradoyle.

It is alleged that several hundred euro in cash and a number of other items were taken from some the premises.
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

From Town & Country

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve last year, the Massachusetts state police were dispatched to the home of a longtime professor at Mount Holyoke College. When the on-duty trooper arrived at the home in Leverett, not far from the college, he found a horrific scene: the professor alive but severely wounded, covered in her own blood. As details of the night began to leak out in the weeks that followed, students returned to campus, but without the feeling of lightness and possibility that normally accompanies a new semester at one of Americas prettiest and most prestigious schools.



Instead, there was an almost palpable feeling that something was not right here, and perhaps hasnt been for some time. Because there was a single fact about the incident that was now widely known: The person charged with committing the violence was another one of their beloved professors.

By March, Rie Hachiyanagi, 48, had been sitting in a cell at the Franklin County House of Correction for months, having been denied bail in late February. The professors arrest rocketed into news headlines just after the new year, and her former students took to Facebook to proclaim their disbelief. I cant imagine her doing something like this! one wrote. Maybe she just snapped, another hypothesized.

Photo credit: Phil Schermeister/Corbis/VCG

But as one current student told me, Even if you spend 30 hours a week with a professor, do you really know who they are? Many residents of South Hadley, like Mount Holyokes alumnae, seemed more confused than outraged. They are well educated, well informed, one resident told WWLP, the local NBC News affiliate. I guess you dont always expect that.

Mount Holyoke quickly distanced itself from Hachiyanagi, emphasizing that the attack occurred during winter recess and off campus, and that the alleged perpetrator has been placed on administrative leave and is banned from campus. The college produced no representatives to speak about Hachiyanagi. There seemed to be a hope that if no one uttered her name she would vanish that much soonera ghastly figment of the past.

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But when a college is the beating heart of a small town and a landmark of American higher education, its image and the actions of its faculty become one and the same. Duty and purpose and responsibility get blurred in a way that, in this strange and harrowing instance, generates more questions than answers. Is it possible that Mount Holyoke has been employing its own Talented Mrs. Ripley all these years, or perhaps that the dark side of Rie Hachiyanagi merely caught fire on that fateful night, and dissipated just as quickly?

You wont see many clues hiding between the lines of Hachiyanagis resume at Mount Holyoke, where she chaired the Art Studio department and has been employed since 2004. But anger and resentment and personal confusion can fester beneath the surface of even the most successful public intellectual, a gaseous menace slowly expanding like a balloon ready to pop.

If that is indeed what happened here, the balloon popping left E., one of the colleges most prestigious professors, lying in a pool of her own blood, her face and skull cratered by a fireplace poker, and Hachiyanagi charged with the crime of trying to kill her. (E. declined to comment and asked that her identity not be revealed.)

You should have known

A spell of unseasonably warm weather overtook the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts on December 23, 2019. Mount Holyokes student body had gone home for the holidays, and the world seemed calm and inviting, like a gift received early, the surprise of holiday cheer tied tightly in a ribbon.

To hear Rie Hachiyanagi tell it, she awoke that day in a state of despair. Her live-in boyfriend, Heath Atchley, who has a Ph.D. in religion and was also once affiliated with Mount Holyoke, had left the state to visit family, and their relationship was nearing the end after a long, slow decline. (Atchley declined to comment.) She needed something, she later told police investigators, that made her feel alive.

She went to Enterprise Rental Car in nearby Northampton and rented a Toyota Rav4. It rode higher off the ground than her own car, as if floating above the earth. Sometime before noon she bought a poinsettia for E., who was allegedly awaiting the confirmation of a possible cancer diagnosis, and gave her the plant at her home in Leverett, a small town dotted with farms 30 minutes north of the Mount Holyoke campus. It was a quick visitHachiyanagi stayed on the porchand then she was off again, first to a restaurant in Whately, on the outskirts of Amherst, and then back to Enterprise to return the Rav4.

Photo credit: Alexander Spatari - Getty Images

At 4 p.m. she bumped into E. on campus; she later told investigators that they made plans to meet that night at E.s home. Hachiyanagi went back to her own house in South Hadley, then set out again, this time to a martial arts studio in Amherst, where Atchley was the manager and head instructor. She didnt go inside, she said, but rather stayed in the parking lot, alone. She missed him.

Hachiyanagi told investigators that she made her way to E.s house just before midnight. When she opened the door, she said, she found E. lying on the floor, barely breathing, with gruesome injuries to her head and face. At 12:12 a.m. on Christmas Eve, she called 911 and explained that her fellow professor had been assaulted by an unknown assailant. The state police were sent to the house, and when Sergeant Stephen Burgess entered it, he found Hachiyanagi holding E., both of them covered in blood.

When E. arrived at Baystate Medical Centerher eyes swollen shut, bones broken in her face and her skull laceratedshe told police detectives a very different story. Hachiyanagi did deliver a poinsettia to E. in the morning, but E. found it strange, because she had never before invited Hachiyanagi to her home. They saw each other again that afternoon on the Mount Holyoke campus and made idle chitchat. They parted with the understanding that they would speak again after the holidays.

Photo credit: Paul Franz

According to the police report, E. told investigators that she arrived at her house in Leverett at 8 p.m. Shortly afterward, something caught her eye: a shadow moving on her deck. Whos there? she called. Hachiyanagi emerged from the darkness.

Hachiyanagi exclaimed that she missed E. and wanted to talk with her about her feelings. E. opened the sliding door and encouraged her colleague to come inside. Right away, within a foot of the doorway, E. said, she felt something hard hit the back of her head. She fell to the floor next to her wood stove, and Hachiyanagi kept beating her, blow after devastating blow. E. fought back. She had lost her glasses during the struggle, but she saw what Hachiyanagi was hitting her with: rocks, garden clippers, a fireplace poker, even her bare fists.

The fight produced a chaotic scene. The floor became littered with books and magazines, and spattered blood reached all the way to the porch, staining the snow dark red. E. thought she was going to die.

Why are you doing this? E. recalled asking.

Ive loved you for so many years! Hachiyanagi allegedly replied. You should have known!

E. told Hachiyanagi, in an effort to appear sympathetic, that she loved her too. Hachiyanagi calmed down for a moment, but then reared back and struck E. again with the poker. She told E. that if she let her go she would surely tell someone and Hachiyanagi would go to jail. If I go to jail, Hachiyanagi allegedly said, Ill kill myself.

E. said she kept playing along, telling Hachiyanagi she wouldnt tell anyone, and persuaded her to call 911. Placating her attacker saved her life. When the police and paramedics arrived, E. was terrified that if she told the truth Hachiyanagi would burst into a violent rage or even try to burn down her house, so she kept her mouth shut until she arrived at the hospital.

Photo credit: Hearst Owned

After E. was taken away in an ambulance, state police investigators, who were still under the impression that they were dealing with a home invasion, kept Hachiyanagi on site to conduct an interview. She was being very cooperative, said Leveretts chief of police, Scott Minckler, who was also on the scene. Minckler was looking out not only for E. but for the other residents of Leverett. If he needed to go out and find whoever did this, he wanted to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Little did we know at the time that the suspect was still upstairs in the residence speaking with investigators, he said. You cant put things past people. This incident appears to be some sort of crime of passion. I dont think anybody ever saw it coming.

In the early morning hours, after receiving E.s statement at the hospital, the police went to Hachiyanagis house and placed her under arrest. In her coat pocket they found E.s keys, cell phone, and glasses. When questioned about the violence that had apparently emerged from her unrequited love for E., Hachiyanagi said that she had blacked out; she remembered only leaving the martial arts studios parking lot and then finding her friend in a pool of blood, but nothing in between.

It was a bizarre element in an already strange case: Asserting that, as a result of injuries she had sustained in a near-fatal car accident she had been inan incident she had already explored in one of her most personal art installationsHachiyanagi claimed not to remember anything about the hours she allegedly spent trying to kill the woman she loved.

Urges, necessities, and mortality

Rie Hachiyanagi was born in Sapporo, Japan, and came to the United States as an exchange student, attending high school in rural Kansas. Thrown into American culture with little experience speaking English, she immersed herself in art and the opportunity for expression it afforded her. After receiving her BFA from the University of Iowa and her MFA from UC Santa Barbara, she embarked on a teaching career; inspired by the artforms of her native country, she specialized in papermaking and installation.

She taught at Alfred University in western New York and in 2004 landed a professorship at Mount Holyoke, where she received rapturous praise from her students. Last year she celebrated her 15th anniversary at the college. She was passionate, and she expected a lot from her students. I always felt this weird joy if I could make her laugh, said one former student. I really knew her, but I didnt really know her, you know? She was an incredibly private person.

The prestige of Mount Holyoke dates back to the colleges founding in 1837 as an all-female religious seminary, a place where women could get as rigorous an education as men, where the academic standards were on par with such institutions as Harvard and Yale. Mount Holyoke became one of the Seven Sisters, a nickname coined in 1915 for a consortium of womens colleges in the Northeast that includes Vassar and Smith.

Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images

Mount Holyoke, with its 1,000-acre campus and reputation for academic excellence, had by then already produced notable graduates including Emily Dickinson, and would over the years count Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Wendy Wasserstein and current secretary of transportation Elaine Chao as alumnae. Illustrious faculty include former secretary of state Cyrus Vance and Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress.

Hachiyanagi continued to make art during her tenure at Mount Holyoke, and much of it has an autobiographical foundation, a window into herself that coincides eerily, given the crimes with which she has been charged, with the overarching subject of her work: the absurd conflicts among urges, necessities, and mortality.

Theres Dis(Connect), an installation of hanging paper that, she writes, contrasts the contemporary pressure to constantly stay in touch with one another and the internal desperation that makes us disconnected. And theres Ritual for RED, in which Hachiyanagi wrapped pieces of shredded clothes she was wearing during the near-fatal automobile accident within small pieces of red paper, folded them into hundreds of traditional Japanese medicine packages, and displayed them in front of a bright light, producing a wall of color ranging from crimson to cranberry, maroon to mahogany.

The installation, she wrote, was a reenactment of memories lost from that car accidentin hindsight an ominous piece of art that would become part of her defense against the charge of trying to murder a fellow professor.



I love you, therefore Im going to kill you

The first glimmer that something had gone horribly wrong at Mount Holyoke came in a January 3 e-mail from college president Sonya Stephens to the 2,200-person student body, mere hours before the story was in the local news. Hachiyanagi was not named, and the crime was categorized as an altercation that had left one professor hospitalized.

My group chat was blowing up, one student told me. Who could this be? What is happening? The administrations lack of transparency felt similar to an earlier controversy that took place in 2018, when a tenured professor was publicly accused of sexual assaults dating back to the 1980s by three alumnae and the college refused to release his name. It feels pretty similar, the student said, and while there isnt a threat to students this time, theres a lot of tension and silence.

Photo credit: Universal History Archive - Getty Images

The students would soon know the extent of what had happened. The charges against Hachiyanagiincluding three counts of armed assault to murder a person, three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, armed assault in a dwelling, and mayhemhit the local news that afternoon, rocking the town of South Hadley and the Mount Holyoke community.

I was in disbelief, a former student told me. Trying to find the why beneath all this is going to take a while. I dont know if anyone really knew the real Rie. She never really had friends around, or showed her humanity beyond her artwork and beyond being a professor. I feel that theres a trope in her work around the idea of staying quiet or being silenced. Its shocking that that release came out in such a violent way.

Hachiyanagi has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Northwestern District Attorneys office and the Massachusetts state police both declined to comment, but the case has been moving forward in the courts, and, according to one law enforcement officer, some Mount Holyoke faculty members have been interviewed as part of the investigation.

On February 19, Hachiyanagi, wearing a brown knit sweater, looking forlorn with her hands cuffed behind her back, appeared in Franklin County Superior Court for a hearing to assess how dangerous she was. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas argued that she should be held without bail, stating that she was responsible for the brutal and cunning attack against E.

He also took issue with her initial defense that she did not remember anything about the night of the attack. Is it really believable that the defendant was in this fugue state? Thomas asked.

Photo credit: Hearst Owned

Hachiyanagis defense attorney, Thomas Kokonowski, argued that she should be released on bail, and he disputed the prosecutions theory of Hachiyanagis guilt. The motive that the commonwealth is putting forth is that my client, out of the blue, shows up and says to the alleged victim, I love you, therefore Im going to kill you, Kokonowski told the court that February day, adding that theres a lot that doesnt make sense from the very beginning.



Kokonowski also brought in a character witness, Lee Bowie, retired dean of Mount Holyoke, who said that he had overseen Hachiyanagis promotions at the college and had once taken her to a Boston Red Sox game; Bowie did admit, however, that he had not seen Hachiyanagi in about two years. Ultimately, Judge Mark D. Mason decided to hold Hachiyanagi without bail, and she will await trial from the county jail. Her next court date, a pretrial conference, is scheduled for April 22.

Photo credit: Hearst Owned

Meanwhile, the crime and the mystery surrounding it have become a dark crevice in the facade of Mount Holyokes rarefied, ivy-cloaked history. As soon as you walk inside those gates, its like a force field to the outside world, one student told me. But within all that brick and mortar and prestige that we have, theres a beautiful and amazing school filled with secrets.



This story appears in the May 2020 issue of Town & Country.



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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 8, 2020 14:38 643 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd0962b0 1 Business Tanoto-Foundation,COVID-19,protective-gears,face-mask,donation,BNPB Free

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About Aytu BioScience, Inc.

Aytu BioScience, Inc. is a commercial-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing novel products that address significant patient needs. The Company currently markets a portfolio of prescription products addressing large primary care and pediatric markets. The primary care portfolio includes (i) Natesto, the only FDA-approved nasal formulation of testosterone for men with hypogonadism (low testosterone, or "Low T"), (ii) ZolpiMist, the only FDA-approved oral spray prescription sleep aid, and (iii) Tuzistra XR, the only FDA-approved 12-hour codeine-based antitussive syrup. The pediatric portfolio includes (i) AcipHex Sprinkle, a granule formulation of rabeprazole sodium, a commonly prescribed proton pump inhibitor; (ii) Cefaclor, a second-generation cephalosporin antibiotic suspension; (iii) Karbinal ER, an extended-release carbinoxamine (antihistamine) suspension indicated to treat numerous allergic conditions; and (iv) Poly-Vi-Flor and Tri-Vi-Flor, two complementary prescription fluoride-based supplement product lines containing combinations of fluoride and vitamins in various for infants and children with fluoride deficiency. Aytu recently acquired exclusive U.S. distribution rights to the COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test. This coronavirus test is a solid phase immunochromatographic assay used in the rapid, qualitative and differential detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in human whole blood, serum or plasma. This point-of-care test has been validated in a 126 patient clinical trial in China and has received CE marking.

Aytu recently acquired Innovus Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company commercializing, licensing and developing safe and effective consumer healthcare products designed to improve men's and women's health and vitality. Innovus commercializes over thirty-five consumer health products competing in large healthcare categories including diabetes, men's health, sexual wellness and respiratory health. The Innovus product portfolio is commercialized through direct-to-consumer marketing channels utilizing the Company's proprietary Beyond Human marketing and sales platform.

Aytu's strategy is to continue building its portfolio of revenue-generating products, leveraging its focused commercial team and expertise to build leading brands within large therapeutic markets. For more information visit aytubio.com and visit innovuspharma.com to learn about the Company's consumer healthcare products.

About SUDA Pharmaceuticals Ltd

SUDA Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:SUD) is a drug delivery company focused on oro-mucosal administration, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. The Company is developing low-risk oral sprays using its OroMist technology to reformulate existing pharmaceuticals. The many potential benefits of administering drugs through the oral mucosa (i.e.: cheeks, tongue, gums and palate) include ease of use, lower dosage, reduced side effects and faster response time. SUDA's product pipeline includes ZolpiMist, a first-in-class oral spray of zolpidem for insomnia. ZolpiMist is marketed by Aytu BioScience, Inc. in the USA and SUDA has rights to the product outside of the US and Canada. Other products in development include oral sprays for the treatment of: migraine headache; chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; erectile dysfunction; pulmonary hypertension; epileptic seizures and pre-procedural anxiety and cancer.

For more information, visit www.sudapharma.com

About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC)

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, which was founded in 1678, has its headquarters in Doshomachi, Osaka, Japan, which is the birthplace of Japan's pharmaceutical industry. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea (MTPK) is based in Seoul with the parent company MTPC. The Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma corporate philosophy is to "contribute to the healthier lives of people around the world through the creation of pharmaceuticals." This philosophy expresses how they have returned to the basics of the discovery of pharmaceuticals and puts the fundamental purpose into words. In line with this philosophy, they strive to be a global research-driven pharmaceutical company that is trusted by society. Going forward, in accordance with the Group's shared values that "everything we do is for the patients," we will work to fulfil our social mission as a life sciences company by creating pharmaceuticals that are useful to people around the world and delivering those pharmaceuticals to patients

For more information, visit https://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/e/

About ZolpiMist

ZolpiMist is a first-in-class, FDA-approved, cherry-flavoured, fast-acting oral spray of zolpidem tartrate (marketed under the brand name of Ambien in the United States), a non-benzodiazepine prescribed for the treatment of insomnia. It provides a convenient and easy-to-use alternative route of administration, by delivering a therapeutic dose with one or two actuations of the spray into the oral cavity. The pivotal studies demonstrated bioequivalence of ZolpiMist 5mg and 10mg doses with the respective Ambien tablets. ZolpiMist advantages include patient convenience, and ease of use as it is administered without the need of water, unlike conventional tablets. Also, it can benefit patients experiencing difficulties in swallowing and/or suffering with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders that restrict the absorption of drugs via the GI mucosa.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this presentation, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally written in the future tense and/or are preceded by words such as ''may,'' ''will,'' ''should,'' ''forecast,'' ''could,'' ''expect,'' ''suggest,'' ''believe,'' ''estimate,'' ''continue,'' ''anticipate,'' ''intend,'' ''plan,'' or similar words, or the negatives of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. These statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: market and other conditions associated with prospective commercialization of ZolpiMist in South Korea, the regulatory and commercial risks associated with introducing the COVID-19 Rapid Test, our ability to enforce the exclusivity provisions of the distribution agreement, the reliability of serological testing in detecting COVID-19, shipping delays and their impact on our ability to introduce the COVID-19 Rapid Test, the ability of the COVID-19 Rapid Test to accurately and reliably test for COVID-19, the manufacturer of the COVID-19 Rapid Test's ability to manufacture such testing kits on a high volume scale, manufacturing problems or delays related to the COVID-19 Rapid Test, our ability to satisfy any labelling conditions or other FDA or other regulatory conditions to sell the COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit, the demand or lack thereof for the COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit, our ability to obtain additional COVID-19 Rapid Tests to meet demand, our ability to secure additional tests if the manufacture of the COVID-19 Rapid Tests is unable to meet demand, the effects of the business combination of Aytu and the Commercial Portfolio and the recently completed merger ("Merger") with Innovus Pharmaceuticals, including the combined company's future financial condition, results of operations, strategy and plans, the ability of the combined company to realize anticipated synergies in the timeframe expected or at all, changes in capital markets and the ability of the combined company to finance operations in the manner expected, the diversion of management time on Merger-related issues and integration of the Commercial Portfolio, the ultimate timing, outcome and results of integrating the operations the Commercial Portfolio and Innovus with Aytu's existing operations, risks relating to gaining market acceptance of our products, obtaining or maintaining reimbursement by third-party payors for our prescription products, the potential future commercialization of our product candidates, the anticipated start dates, durations and completion dates, as well as the potential future results, of our ongoing and future clinical trials, the anticipated designs of our future clinical trials, anticipated future regulatory submissions and events, our anticipated future cash position and future events under our current and potential future collaboration. We also refer you to the risks described in ''Risk Factors'' in Part I, Item 1A of the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the other reports and documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Contact for Media and Investors:

James Carbonara

Hayden IR

(646) 755-7412

james@haydenir.com

SOURCE: Aytu BioScience, Inc.





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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Completing the 2020 Census.

Its an important issue for New Mexico, and Cathryn McGill doesnt want it to get lost in the shuffle amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Mexico has so much riding on achieving a 2020 complete count that we cant afford to lose a single household, said McGill, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Complete Count Committee chairwoman. Over the next 60 days, we will roll out a number of innovative strategies to ensure that our state has done everything possible to educate and motivate people about the importance of this initiative. We are excited to be working with our beloved New Mexico artists to help us spread the word far and wide.

One of those is the Tiny Census Concerts series, which McGill created.

Modeled after National Public Radios Tiny Desk Concerts, the series will feature New Mexican musicians performing two or three songs. Between the performances, there will be short informational talks from city and county leaders about the census. KNME-TVs Gene Grant will host the series.

It starts at noon Wednesday on the ICountNM Facebook page. The series will run at noon Wednesdays through May 6.

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The lineup includes Chris Dracup and Hillary Smith, Joy Harjo, Lara Manzanares, Larry Mitchell, Rosalind Sanders Jones and Jackie Zamora.

McGill said all of the artists are trusted messengers and influencers who will heavily promote the concert series on social media and within their expansive networks.

The series will hire and deploy about 35 more New Mexico artists to round out the rest of the concert series.

Weve had to develop new audiences from the standpoint of the census, McGill said. We have had to figure out how to bring new people to this conversation. The artists that weve chosen have huge social media footprints and they inspire all the time.

McGill cites Zamoras work with the census over the years, and Manzanares has a song called Census Song.

Heres an opportunity for us to put together these two needs, McGill said. Were able to put these displaced artists to work and we keep the momentum up for the census. Its important that we stress that the census matters. New Mexico cant afford to lose any more funding or any more representation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:05:48|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Tanzania on Wednesday donated the first batch of medical supplies to Tanzania to help enhance the capacity of the east African nation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The embassy in partnership with two Chinese companies of Hunan Dongfang Jinxi International Corporation Limited and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation donated 100,000 face masks, 1,000 protective clothing, and 150 forehead thermometers.

The medical supplies were handed over to the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu, by the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Wang Ke, in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Speaking before the donation, Wang said China and Tanzania have been good friends who stood together through thick and thin.

After COVID-19 broke out in China, the Chinese government and people were suffering from the grave pain and fighting resolutely against the virus and our brotherly friends of Tanzania stood in solidarity with us, said Wang.

When the epidemic situation in Wuhan was severe, China took good care of the 500 Tanzanian students as if they were the sons and daughters of the Chinese people, she said.

"Up to now, none of them has contracted the virus," said the Chinese envoy.

In her response, Mwalimu thanked the Chinese embassy and the two Chinese firms, saying the donation will help the government's efforts in fighting the spread of the viral disease.

Mwalimu said the medical supplies will be distributed to medical personnel that are at the forefront of fighting spread of the disease and to airports and bus stations across the country.

"Our first priority is to protect the medical personnel from being infected with COVID-19," she said, adding that the medical supplies by the Chinese embassy showed that the friendship between China and Tanzania was everlasting.

Mwalimu also thanked China for protecting Tanzanian students in Wuhan from being infected with the disease.

Tanzania currently has 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with one death and five recovered cases.
All animals in the Delhi zoo are healthy and their behaviour is being monitored round-the-clock amid the COVID-19 outbreak, an official said on Wednesday.

The Central Zoo Authority, a statutory body of the Environment Ministry, had on Monday put all zoos across the country on "highest" alert after a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in the US tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

At the Delhi zoo, "behaviour of animals is being monitored round-the-clock and all animals have been found healthy", its director Suneesh Buxy said.

Veterinary doctors and sanitation workers have been using personal protective equipment. Employees dealing with animals, suppliers and drivers are being screened for COVID-19 symptoms such as fever and dry cough at the gates, he said.

Masks, gloves and head covers are being provided to the staff, Buxy added.

"Sanitiser and liquid soap have been kept at the gates. Every vehicle entering the zoo is being sprayed with potassium permanganate solution," the zoo director said.

Interface between animals and humans has been minimized and healthy died is being provided to the inmates.

The 188-acre Delhi zoo has around 1,100 animals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
THOUSANDS of cross-border workers will not be able to claim the 350 pandemic unemployment payment because they live in Northern Ireland, Business Minister Heather Humphreys has admitted.

Ms Humphreys, a Fine Gael TD for Cavan-Monaghan, said she had lobbied Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty on the issue in recent weeks.

However, she was told that Department of Social Protection officials have been unable to find a way to pay workers who have been laid-off from a job in the Republic - but who live in the North.

Border TDs have said they have been inundated with queries from frontier workers who are unable to access the 350 per week PUP benefit despite in many instances paying taxes on their income into the Irish exchequer for many years.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the UK has now left the European Union. Basic unemployment payments in Northern Ireland can range from 57.90 (65.40) to 73.10 (82.57) a week.

Read More

Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Labour TDs based in the border region have all called for the Government to re-examine the issue.

But speaking on Wednesday, Ms Humphreys, who is based in the border region, said the Department had not been able to find a way to deal with the matter.

They are actually deemed as frontier workers and under the legislation that currently exists if you're laid off south of the border, and you're living in the North, you have to claim your social welfare payment in the country in which you live. That is the situation currently, she said.

I asked Social Protection to look at it, and they did look at it, they examined it carefully, I raised it with Minister Regina Doherty as well, and they havent been able to find a way in which they can pay workers who live in Northern Ireland and work south of the border.

She said people resident in Monaghan or other border counties in the Republic and working in Northern Ireland will get the full benefit of the Covid payments here, regardless of what's available in Northern Ireland.
A potentially crucial Democratic primary election has been overshadowed by accusations of voter suppression and even murder, as residents of Wisconsin were forced to decide between forgoing their chance to vote or risk being exposed to coronavirus.

After the states conservative top court refused a call from Democrats to suspend the vote or else make available postal voting for everybody, thousands lined up outside overcrowded polling stations.

They were voting not only for their pick between Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders to take on Donald Trump, but a raft of local contests.

Democrats had said the decision by the court, which was supported by Republicans, would have the impact of lowering voter turnout, a point made by senator Cory Booker, who tweeted: Milwaukee is home to the largest African-American community in Wisconsin. Dont tell me that forcing people to choose between their health and their right to vote today is anything but an appalling act of voter suppression.

His words were retweeted by Susan Rice, who served as Barack Obamas national security adviser, and who added her own words to those of Mr Booker  Actually, murder.

Wisconsin primary Show all 13 1 /13 Wisconsin primary Wisconsin primary Steve Merriweather waits to vote inside Riverside University High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Aaron Lipski, the assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, stands in a tyvec suit as he monitors health an safety at a polling station inside Hamilton High School during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters practise social distancing in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters wait to cast their ballots at a polling station in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Rachel Messenger wears a sign reading 'Thank you for risking your life to vote' outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters in masks wait to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A line of voters outside Riverside University High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary Voters filling out their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary People wearing protective masks wait to vote in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary REUTERS Wisconsin primary A City of Milwaukee Election Commission worker takes a break during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary City of Milwaukee Election Commission workers process absentee ballots during the Wisconsin primary AP Wisconsin primary Voters waiting to cast their ballots in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA Wisconsin primary A line of people wait in their cars for their turn to vote at Riverside High School in Milwaukee during the Wisconsin primary EPA

The process appeared all the more strange given a separate federal court ruling that deemed results not be made public until April 13. That was part of a move by district judge William Conley, who granted a request from the Wisconsin Elections Commission to extend absentee voting amid concerns about both voters and election officials being exposed to the virus.

Wisconsin, and in particular Milwaukee, has emerged as a new hotspot for the virus, with at least 92 deaths and more than 2,500 infections. Reports have shown a disproportionate number of those people are African Americans.

Mr Sanders, 78, was among those calling for the election to be postponed.

Its outrageous that the Republican legislative leaders and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court in Wisconsin are willing to risk the health and safety of many thousands of Wisconsin voters tomorrow for their own political gain, he said. Lets be clear: holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous

His rival, Mr Biden, 77, did not make any such demand. Theres a lot of things that can be done; thats for the Wisconsin courts and folks to decide, he said.

As it is, the contest may be Mr Sanderss last hand in his bid to become the Democratic nominee. Going into the election, his delegate count stood at 914, compared to 1,217 for Mr Biden.

 Coronavirus in numbers

Wisconsin has 90 delegates, but it unclear how many Mr Sanders will bag. A poll published this week by Marquette University Law School, gave the former vice president a lead of as many as 28 points over the Vermont senator.

The state, where Mr Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, is among the most crucial battlegrounds as the two parties prepare for November.

Mr Trump squeezed by Ms Clinton to secure the state and its 10 electoral points by just 22,000 votes four years ago. It was one of three states, the others being Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, he won against the odds to take the White House.

On Tuesday, the significance of the contest was not lost on those taking part.

Pregnant and infected with the coronavirus, 34-year-old Hannah Gleeson was still waiting for the absentee ballot that she requested last week.

It seems really unfair and undemocratic and unconstitutional, obviously, said Ms Gleeson, who works at an assisted-living centre in Milwaukee. It seems really absurd. And I think its voter suppression at its finest.

The race pitted the Democratic and Republican parties against each other over central questions about how elections should be managed in a crisis. Democrats complained that the state was risking the health of its citizens by not postponing the election. Republicans insisted that the election should go on as scheduled  including voting for a pivotal state Supreme Court seat.

After several hours of voting, there were signs that the Wisconsin test was not going well.

In Milwaukee, the states largest city operated just five of its 180 traditional polling places, having been forced to scale back after hundreds of poll workers stepped down because of health risks. The resulting logjam forced voters to wait together in lines spanning several blocks in some cases. Many did not have facial coverings.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, wore a mask, gloves and other protective gear as he sought to assure voters it was incredibly safe to vote in person.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
The Army's chief of staff joked Tuesday that the service would consider issuing scissors to soldiers, but there are no current plans to follow the other military branches in relaxing grooming standards -- especially haircut regs -- during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Gen. James McConville joined Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston for a Facebook Live event Tuesday to answer questions from the force.

Some services have relaxed grooming standards since many barber shops have closed and social distancing policies have made it difficult for troops to have their hair cut professionally.

Grinston said that, as long as soldiers follow the grooming standards, which are laid out in AR 670-1 "Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms," they will be fine.

Related: Air Force Gives Commanders the OK to Relax Grooming Standards

Some male soldiers like to keep their hair "extra close and high and tight," but there is no need for that right now, he said.

"The standard is neatly groomed for males, [so] when the hair is combed, it doesn't fall into the eyebrows; it's not on the ears," Grinston said.

The regulation also states that the "length and bulk of the hair may not be excessive or present a ragged, unkempt, or extreme appearance."

Following the Army hair standard during the COVID-19 outbreak may be a little trickier for female soldiers, since the regulation covers three different hair lengths: short, medium and long, with different guidelines for each length.

"Female hairstyles may not be eccentric or faddish and will present a conservative, professional appearance," it states.

"There may be some flexibility" for women, Grinston said, but there is "no need to change what those standards are."

McConville said that soldiers just need to meet the standard.

"If there is a problem with meeting the standard -- the idea that your hair is over your ears or your hair is over your eye -- we can have that discussion and probably issue a pair of scissors to the people that have that issue," he said with a smile.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Read More: Navy Eases Up on Grooming Standards to Limit Virus Exposure
Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, ending a controversy involving sailors contracting the coronavirus aboard an aircraft carrier in a harbor in Guam.

Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, was dismissed from duty by Modly on Thursday for alerting Navy officials about the spreading COVID-19 coronavirus and calling for the quick evacuation of sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

In a letter to his superiors, Crozier called for the removal of more than 4,000 sailors after 150 of them had tested positive for the virus.

Senior Navy officials argued Crozier should have directed his concerns via a formal chain of command instead of sending them to more than two dozen people in a message that was leaked to the media, according to news reports.

During a visit to the aircraft carrier, Modly told sailors Crozier was "too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this," according to news reports.

Representatives Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, earlier Tuesday asked Esper in a letter to immediately dismiss Modly for his criticism of Crozier.

In their letter, Huffman and Thompson said Modly "Recklessly attacked the character of Captain Brett Crozier in his remarks to the entire crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Monday April 6.

"His decision to dismiss Captain Crozier before the completion of a thorough and transparent investigation followed by his remarks that Captain Crozier was 'either too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer' show an alarming lack of judgment and leadership by the head of the Department of Navy," Huffman and Thompson wrote.

Esper said he is appointing Army Under Secretary Jim McPherson as Acting Secretary of the Navy, and an investigation regarding the USS Theodore Roosevelt is presently underway.

"Any further action regarding the former commanding officer Captain Brett Crozier will wait until that investigation is completed," Esper said in his letter accepting Modly's resignation.

"We must now put the needs of the Navy, including the crew of the Teddy Roosevelt, first and we must all move forward together," Esper said.

Crozier recently tested positive for the coronavirus, according to news reports.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Photo credit: SPC Joshua Syberg

From Popular Mechanics

A 2017 NORTHCOM report correctly anticipated many aspects of the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic.

The report predicted the pandemic could seriously affect American society for up to two years and incapacitate up to 40 percent of the workforce.

The report also warned that terrorists and other groups could take advantage of the confusion to stage attacks.

A 2017 report created by U.S. Northern Command warned that a future pandemic could have grave consequences for the military and the entire nation. The report warned that a novel respiratory disease could spread worldwide, seriously affecting American society and the economy for up to two years. The report also predicts global instability resulting in dramatic social disruptions, terrorism, and state aggression.



Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images

The document, known as Branch Plan 3650, was first revealed by The Nation and uploaded online. It was meant to provide planning guidance to NORTHCOM personnel responding to an operationally significant infectious disease outbreak. It outlines different types of outbreaks, from terrorism to the kind of biological spillover from Chinese wet markets that authorities believe created COVID-19. Outlining the threat, Branch Plan 3650 inadvertently predicts with uncanny precision the problem Chinese authorities faced in the early days of the epidemic in Wuhan:

Unlike chemical and radiological hazards, biological incidents may take months to develop, and with certain causative bacteria and viruses may continue to spread from person-to-person. Also, there are limited detection/warning capabilities for biologicals which means that an outbreak/attack can go unrecognized and continue to spread before a clinical diagnosis is made. This will be exacerbated if there are limited or no assays by which to identify the organism and if the symptoms mimic naturally occurring endemic outbreaks (e.g., seasonal flu.)

As of April 7th, 2020, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center counts 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide since the start of the outbreak, with cases in the U.S. now at 400,000. The site reports 82,145 deaths globally, with 12,722 deaths recorded in the U.S. alone.

Story continues

Photo credit: BRYAN R. SMITH - Getty Images

The report covers two major missions NORTHCOM should prepare for: responding to a pandemic domestically, including supporting civilian authorities, and protecting NORTHCOM forces that carry out the commands traditional missions such as homeland defense and assisting allies. The report says NORTHCOMs greatest vulnerability is its people, for whom the outbreak could cause absenteeism, with sick personnel adding to the burden of what it believes will be a stressed health care system.

The report makes plenty of correct calls, identifying the most likely and significant threat as a novel respiratory disease, particularly a novel respiratory disease. The report says the key to fighting it is in countering its ability to spread from the point of emergence. It goes on to recommend several solutions, including, flu shots, washing hands frequently, cough etiquette, and social distancing.

Photo credit: Maddie Meyer - Getty Images

NORTHCOM paints what is at times a dire picture. The recovery from a biological incident may span months or even years based on the nature of the biological and its ability to transmit. It warns that a disease could impact the commands operating environmentthat is, the entire nation itselffor up to 24 months. The report doesnt delve into estimates of mortality rates and dangers to the economy, but it does warn that a disease of operational significance may create an environmental and global disaster (pandemic) with the potential of incapacitating 40% of the overall workforce.

Photo credit: Woohae Cho - Getty Images

Now that the U.S. is actually in the grips of a pandemic, the report has one final warning. The (Defense Intelligence Agency) assesses that a pandemic...will give rise to political, social, and economic instabilities that could, in turn, lead to opportunistic aggression, increased terrorist activity, and dramatic social change, especially when combined with morbidity and mortality.

Examples could include aggression by North Korea against the U.S., Russian moves against Ukraine, a new terrorism campaign by ISIS or Al Qaeda, or other events.

Under normal circumstances Branch Plan 3650 would seem like a dry contingency planning document outlining an event that seems unlikely at best. Today, as the U.S. grapples with the unfolding tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic it seems incredibly prescient. While the plan doesnt offer a way forward, it does give some comfort in chaotic times that someone, somewhere out there nailed the prediction.

The rest is up to us.

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Jon Andersons summer tour will come to Massachusetts.

The progressive rocker will play the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury on July 8.

Tickets for the show are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.

The show is part of Andersons 1000 Hands (Chapter One) tour supporting the album of the same name. Anderson is the co-founder of the pioneering progressive rock band Yes.

Shop for concert tickets here: StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster.
Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in the USA, Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey on Tuesday (April 7) pledged $1 billion of his stake in Square Inc to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. It is to be noted that Square Inc is a payments processor co-founded by Dorsey and he is currently the CEO of this firm.

In a series of tweets, the Twitter CEO said that he will donate about 28% of his wealth to his charity fund, Start Small LLC which would focus its attention to universal basic income and health and education of girls after defeating the coronavirus pandemic.

Im moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girls health and education, and UBI. It will operate transparently, all flows tracked here: https://t.co/hVkUczDQmz  jack (@jack) April 7, 2020

Notably, Dorsey has never spoken about the details of his charity activities but now he has revealed that all donations to and from the fund would now be visible to the public at all times through a public document.

According to Forbes, Dorsey's net worth is around USD 3.3 billion. Dorsey said that he decided to pledge his stake in Square and not Twitter because he owns a major stake in Square. The Twitter boss revealed that the sale of the pledged shares will take place in a phased manner.

The United States is facing a huge crisis as it reported a record daily figure of 1,939 deaths bringing up the total toll of COVID-19 positive deaths to 12,907, which is fast closing on tolls in the other worst-hit countries such as Italy and Spain.

As on Wednesday, the US has more cases than any other country, with over 399,081 people diagnosed with COVID-19, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

With 5,489 deaths, New York reported the largest single-day jump on Tuesday. New York City remains the hotspot with 731 deaths new deaths on Tuesday.
Before the coronavirus hit, Maya J. Myers worked 20 hours per week packing groceries for Amazon delivery to pay tuition and help provide groceries for her family.

Myers, 21, a second-year allied health major at Community College of Philadelphia, lives in Torresdale with her mom and two high school-age sisters, who are all immunocompromised. Although Myers is considered an essential worker, she has stopped picking up hours for fear of carrying the virus home and infecting her family.

My mom already lives paycheck to paycheck, said Myers. Without that second income, its becoming a problem. I have bills to pay.

But while millions of Americans affected by the coronavirus will receive a check of up to $1,200 from the government starting this week, Myers will not. Like most of the 12.5 million other college students in the United States, Myers is claimed as a dependent, making her ineligible for the aid.

The government really doesnt understand the struggles of a college student, she said. Even during this time when we are going through something major, we are forgotten.

The $2.2 trillion stimulus bill would give adults making less than $75,000 per year $1,200 each, and children $500 each. At higher incomes, the checks get smaller, and eventually phase out entirely.

Critics say the bill excludes a significant number of groups, including immigrants, people who do not file tax returns, and adults claimed as dependents. Parents will also not receive $500 for any children older than 16.

This means that most college students will not receive any money, even though many have lost their jobs, and have rent and tuition fees to pay.

What this really does is it says to the students, The government doesnt even see you. Youre not really here," said Sara Goldrick-Rab, an education-policy professor at Temple University who runs StudentReliefFund.org, which has raised nearly $100,000 for needy students during the pandemic.

The government should be doing a lot right now to tell people, We really value your education and we want to make sure the pandemic will not destroy your education,'" she said.

The $2 trillion CARES Act directs about $14.25 billion to colleges and universities. The schools are required to give about half of the funds they receive as emergency financial-aid grants to students for expenses related to coronavirus disruptions. The federal government has also suspended student loan payments and interest through September.

But Goldrick-Rab said most universities have little to no systems in place to efficiently disburse aid to students who need that money now."

Due Quach, founder of the Collective Success Network, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that supports first-generation, low-income students, said students are desperate for financial assistance. When students who lived on campus were forced to move, many lost their on-campus meal plans and now cannot afford to buy groceries or cleaning supplies. Others dont have working laptops to finish their courses remotely, Quach said.

The students are frantic, said Quach. There is massive financial shock across the board."

At the beginning of March, Vivian Tran, a junior at Drexel University, signed a six-month lease with American Campus Communities, Drexel-affiliated apartments, with an April 1 start date. Two weeks later, the coronavirus prompted universities to transition their classes online, vacate student housing, and close campuses. Tran had not even moved into the building yet, but ACC wouldnt let her out of her lease.

The company still expects her to pay her rent, she said, but she cant afford to after her mom lost her job at a nail salon.

A lot of students were depending on this [aid], said Tran, 21, who is living with her family in Cherry Hill. I was going to use it to pay off my rent.

By Ellie Rushing, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
Dentons, a global law firm with a major presence in the UAE, said it had played a major advisory role in helping Saudi-based Acwa Power and its consortium of sponsors reach the financial close on the 500-MW Ibri II photovoltaic (PV) solar independent power project (IPP) in Oman.

On completion, the $400-million facility will become the largest utility-scale solar park in Oman.

The consortium includes Kuwaits Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and Alternative Energy Projects Company (AEPC).

The power project, financed on a 70/30 debt to equity ratio, has already received $275 million in senior debt funding from a group of six lenders.

The lending consortium includes the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Bank Muscat, Riyad Bank, Siemens Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Warba Bank.

The Dentons Finance team was led by partner Udayan Mukherjee, with assistance from counsel Michelle Teng, senior associate Carina Onzer, associate Annabel Vince and trainee Asila Al Hinai.

Dentons' Oman office also advised on the local law aspects, led by partners Sadaf Buchanan and Andrew Figgins, with assistance from counsel Justine Harding and paralegal Safa Al Bulushi.

On the strategic role, Mukherjee said: "We are delighted to have been able to assist the sponsors to close this transaction, particularly given the challenges in the current environment."

"This is a landmark project as it is the largest renewables project in Oman and will be the first renewables IPP for AIIB in the region, with a consortium of international and regional banks also participating," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:49:32|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's partners on Wednesday donated medical supplies, technological gadgets and cash amounting to 6.226 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 2.7 million U.S. dollars) to assist the country in combating and containing the Covid-19 pandemic.

The medical supplies, technological gadgets and cash money were received by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa in the capital Dodoma, said a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.

Speaking shortly after he had received the donations, Majaliwa appealed to Tanzanians to work together and double efforts toward bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Majaliwa made the appeal as Tanzania recorded 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one death and five recovered cases, since the first outbreak of the viral disease was reported in the country on March 16.

The statement mentioned the contributors as China's Huawei that donated facilities for video conferencing, and Twiga Minerals Corporation, a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation and the Tanzanian government, that donated 1.7 million dollars.

According to the statement, other donors were Tanzanian businessman Rostam Aziz who contributed 1 billion shillings, Taifa Gas Company gave 100 million shillings and Puma Energy that supplied 50,000 liters of fuel.

The statement mentioned other donors as civil society organizations that contributed a total of 79 million shillings.

Majaliwa, on behalf of President John Magufuli, thanked the donors for their timely contribution that will play a major role in fighting the viral disease.
(CNN) -- Amazon said it may begin firing employees who "intentionally violate" the company's social distancing guidelines, despite complaints from workers who say the demands of their job make it impossible to comply with the policy.

The announcement marks the latest step by the e-commerce giant to keep its operation functioning amid a crush of demand for essential supplies. More than a dozen Amazon facilities in the United States have been hit by the coronavirus, leading to concerns about Amazon's ability to protect its front-line workers who are among the most vulnerable.

Amazon said those who deliberately violate social distancing guidelines will receive up to two warnings before, in some cases, being fired. The company's guidelines call for a distance between individuals of six feet.

"We've had some instances of employees intentionally violating our clear guidelines on social distancing at our sites, which endangers both the individual and their colleagues," said Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty in a statement to CNN. "On the second documented offense, termination may occur." The company did not provide examples of the intentional violations.

Last week, Amazon fired a worker from its Staten Island, New York facility. The employee, Christian Smalls, had "received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines" and was fired after attending a worker protest at the facility despite being under a 14-day quarantine, according to spokesperson Kristen Kish.

(Smalls has told CNN that the protest, which he helped organize, was intended to persuade Amazon to close the facility for deep cleaning. He said he feels he was unfairly targeted by the company for retribution.)

Amazon told CNN it has taken other steps to allow for social distancing, such as moving chairs and tables and staggering shifts and workstations. The company also said in a recent blog post that it has expanded daily temperature-checks at some facilities and stepped up its cleaning regimen.

But Mario Crippen, an employee at an Amazon facility in Romulus, Mich., told CNN that much of what workers do on the job cannot be done while social distancing.

"In the packing department, there are no walls, so people are really shoulder-to-shoulder," he said in a phone interview with CNN last week. "And then, in the dock ... sometimes there are two people inside the truck, and they can't get away from each other. The computers they need to run the dock are right next to each other. The way stuff works, you've got to be close to get things done and get packages out."

Meanwhile, a worker at Amazon's Staten Island facility said the company sent a text message to employees this week that read: "We recommend everyone wears a facemask of some kind covering their nose and mouth from arrival through departure of your shift." The company has signage in the facility about picking up facemasks and how to properly use them, which features identical language, according to the worker.

In response, the employee  who asked not to be named for fear of retribution  expressed a disconnect over the various policies.

"An employee will be written up if they don't observe social distancing, but facemask usage is only recommended?" the employee said in a message to CNN.

Amazon declined to respond to multiple questions from CNN asking the company to explain its termination policy in light of the required working conditions described by Crippen and others.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Amazon says it may fire workers who violate social distancing guidelines"
Jacquelyn Schneider is a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a non-resident fellow at the Naval War College.

On April 2, Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, was fired after a memo he wrote requesting support for his COVID-19 stricken crew made its way to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The memo ignited a veritable brouhaha for the Navy and highlighted issues that have been simmering for both the service and the Defense Department -- from civilian-military relations in the Trump administration to Navy leadership and accountability.

And while these issues have received significant attention, the exchange between Crozier and then-Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly spotlighted an under-discussed tension for the service and the DoD. Modly resigned amid backlash on Tuesday.

In his memo, Crozier said, "We are not at war." He argued that, "In combat, we are willing to take certain risks that are not acceptable in peacetime," but that the risk of losing sailors' lives to the virus in peacetime would be tragic and unnecessary.

Modly retorted that "neither are we truly at peace," suggesting that, in the era of great power competition, even the perception of losses to operational readiness would have immediate strategic implications.

This repartee may have been about one aircraft carrier, but it is emblematic of larger tensions that the Navy and the DoD must resolve as they navigate the future post-COVID-19. For too long, the DoD has used the strategic objectives of deterrence and influence to justify "presence" missions and capabilities. But short-term presence comes at the sacrifice of long-term fleet and DoD health. COVID-19 will force immediate and long-term choices about this sacrifice. How can we think about this trade-off?

First, what are presence missions? All of the services conduct presence missions in some form, whether they are B-2 Spirit shows of force over the Korean peninsula, freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, forward deployment of ground and air forces at temporary bases all over the world, or port calls in allied and friendly nations.

Presence missions prioritize influence and deterrence over combat readiness and are meant to deter states from closing trade routes (like the Persian Gulf or the Straits of Malacca), to uphold international agreements on global waters (perhaps most notably the South China Sea), or to shore up credibility with allies. They demonstrate U.S. capability and willingness to deploy weapons and warriors all over the world -- and in a short period of time -- as a visible reminder of American military power.

These kinds of missions are a core part of the Navy's strategy. The Theodore Roosevelt, for example, was on a mission "providing maritime security and maintaining freedom of the seas in accordance with international law and customs." It was underway as "the centrepiece of deterrence, providing our national command authority with flexible deterrent options and a visible forward presence."

Further, the 2015 Navy strategy articulates a "focus on providing presence around the world in order to ensure stability, build on our relationships with allies and partners, prevent wars, and provide our Nation's leaders with options in times of crisis."

Part of why these presence missions (especially by carrier strike groups) have become such an important part of the U.S. military strategy, especially in Asia, was the link between a 1996 carrier group transit of the Taiwan Straits and the subsequent cooling of the U.S.-China Taiwan crisis. But the Taiwan case is a rare example, whose long-term effects on catalyzing Chinese military modernization are under debate.

The problem with these missions is not in their purported purpose (to deter, influence and create credibility with allies), but instead in whether you can tell if they are successful. How do you prove that any country is not doing something because we have X aircraft carriers at sea?

And, in fact, China continues to build outposts throughout the South China Sea and harass neighbors in contested waters, despite U.S. presence missions in the area. Would Chinese behavior be worse if the U.S. had fewer naval vessels conducting presence missions in the area? It is extremely hard to say. As all deterrence or influence campaign planners (or scholars) would attest, building measures of effectiveness for these types of missions is notoriously difficult.

In social science, we call these kinds of theories that are very difficult to prove or disprove non-falsifiable. This is a scientific taboo -- one that sets alarm bells off that a research study's conclusions may be either invalid or biased. But social science taboos like falsifiability wouldn't matter if there was no trade-off between presence missions and other operational requirements.

The problem is that these (hard-to-measure-the-success-of) presence missions come at a cost to the long-term readiness and health of the DoD fighting force (something that seems essential to winning long-term great power competition).

A fleet always ready at sea sacrifices long-term sustainment requirements: maintenance, sailor morale and even some training. Overworked, overtired and Band-Aided sailors and ships lead to accidents. Similarly, air forces focused on alert or show-of-force missions lose readiness on other more tactically difficult mission sets, like basic fighting maneuvers or suppression of enemy air defenses. Further, ground forces on short-term deployments to allied nations expend valuable logistical support and training time.

The Navy is not alone building strategies on deterrence, influence or presence that offer no timelines or real ways of measuring strategic effectiveness. CYBERCOM's "persistent engagement" and even the double-decade fight in Afghanistan lack measurement and require seemingly endless resources.

Prior to this pandemic, the DoD was already struggling with whether the pace of day-to-day presence missions were eroding the U.S. military's ability to respond to long-term Chinese threats to build regional influence. The 2018 National Defense Strategy, for example, grapples with balancing the needs of alliance credibility and competition with readiness requirements across the forces.

Enter COVID-19.

The current health crisis will be a wake-up call for the DoD, which has not had to justify how the cost of these missions translates to national security. "Deterrence" has hidden far too much budget bloat and lack of strategic priorities, while influence and competition have become bywords for new authorities, task forces and resources. Deterrence, influence and alliance credibility are all important for U.S. strategy, but for too long we have let the value of these missions overshadow the tough assessments required about when and how they can be more successful.

As the strain on the economy and public health grows, DoD budgets will shrink. In the inevitable balance between butter and guns, it's going to be time for more butter, so the DoD better justify those guns.

-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 21:49:01|Editor: huaxia

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The novel coronavirus is a thief that climbs through the window of your home, infects your family, and steals them away because they don't survive.



by Xinhua writer Miao Xiaojuan

NEW YORK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Just 11 weeks after the country's first case was confirmed and less than six weeks from its first death, nearly 400,000 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the United States and its death toll has topped 12,900.

The world's largest economy has seen the pandemic sweep across its territory, sending shock waves to the financial markets, and most Americans are under stay-at-home orders to slow down the spread of the virus.

U.S. federal, state and local authorities have warned that this week will be the worst yet for the nation, with President Donald Trump predicting "a lot of death, unfortunately," and Surgeon General Jerome Adams calling it "the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans' lives, quite frankly."

The silver lining, however, is that help either has arrived, or is on the way.

Chinese factories are operating in full swing to fulfill the U.S. orders, China's provincial and municipal governments are rushing to help their sister states and cities, and China's business sector is offering huge donations.

The grassroots efforts from many ordinary Chinese Americans, though trivial compared to deep pockets, have also contributed to solving desperate medical supply shortages in their communities.

Photo taken in Los Angeles County on March 26, 2020 shows donations from the Chinese-American community in Palos Verdes, Southern California, the United States. (Photo by Maggie Wang/Xinhua)

VIRUS "STEALS LOVED ONES"

Globally, COVID-19 cases have passed 1.43 million, including more than 82,000 deaths, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.

In New York state, the current U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, the number of infections has exceeded 140,000, including nearly 5,500 deaths. In New York City alone, the death toll has surpassed 4,000.

"I have seen ambulances bring people who are ill, vomiting with surgical masks on, and they are vomiting into the mask. They are being rushed into an emergency room out of an ambulance," Monica Guy, a New York-based freelancer, told Xinhua in an interview via video call.

Guy even gave this virus a personality -- a thief who steals loved ones. "It's a thief that climbs through the window of your home, infects your family, and steals them away because they don't survive," she said.

Medical workers carry a patient into an ambulance in New York, the United States, April 6, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that 731 more people died of the coronavirus on Monday, marking the biggest single-day increase in fatalities in the state.

In a FaceTime interview with Xinhua, Mike Lanotte, executive director and CEO of the New York State Funeral Directors Association, said "we have seen a huge spike in the number of deaths occurring especially in New York City."

"I have never seen in my entire life anything like this. I have spoken to funeral directors who said to me, I have been doing this for more than 40 years and I have never seen anything like this in my life," Lanotte said, adding there is a dire need for funeral directors to get personal protective equipment (PPE) so that they can continue to do their jobs safely.

"In the past two months, every week has been worse than the one that came before," read an editorial published Tuesday by The Los Angeles Times. "The safest bet is that this week will be the worst, followed by an unknown number of even worse weeks."

The U.S. Navy Ship (USNS) Comfort sails toward Pier 90 in New York, the United States, on March 30, 2020. (Jie Fischer/NAPA/Handout via Xinhua)





"ABSOLUTELY YES TO HELPING PEOPLE"

China on Wednesday ended its 76-day lockdown of Wuhan, the city where the virus was first reported.

Ever since the outbreak, Chinese Americans have found life much harder than before as they often had to deal with fear, discrimination and business closures. Many of them still focused on procuring medical supplies, to the best of their capacity, for those in need.

Harry Wang, a 30-year-old Chinese American working in Silicon Valley, together with his Wuhan Alumni Association of Northern California, has raised about half a million U.S. dollars to help Chinese and American hospitals fight COVID-19.

"We do not just care about the Chinese or Chinese Americans. When other Americans need us, we cannot say no. We say yes, absolutely yes to helping them," he said.

Wang swiftly gathered a team of Chinese Americans in late January and worked closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Direct Relief and MAP International, delivering more than 10 tons of rescue supplies mainly to China's Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital.

Members of Philadelphia Chinese Community Organization United and Fujian Association of Philadelphia pose for a photo with medical workers after delivering donated medical supplies to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, the United States, on March 30, 2020. (Xinhua)

When the virus began spreading on the West Coast of the United States, Wang, leading the team, raised as much as they could within weeks, and worked with the same NGOs to help California hospitals purchase medical supplies.

"At first when we tried to persuade the NGOs to help Wuhan, we convinced them that helping Wuhan is helping China, and helping China is helping the United States, and helping the United States is helping the world," Wang said. "Now it's time to help the United States, and our NGO partners continue to trust us."

In New York City, Lei Chen is a restaurant owner who comes from northeast China's Liaoning province and immigrated to the United States in 2005. After noticing many police officers and doctors in his neighborhood did not have PPE, he managed to get them 20,000 surgical masks, 100 protective suits, 300 bottles of hand sanitizer, 1,000 N95 respirators and two boxes of goggles.

"The other day I was driving past a local police station, and I stopped to give them the only two bottles of hand sanitizer I have in the car. They need those more than I do," he said.

A Chinese American woman from Palos Verdes, Southern California, delivers donations to a local police station in Los Angeles County, the United States, on April 4, 2020. (Photo by Geoff Brown/Xinhua)

TIME FOR SOLIDARITY, COLLABORATION

What many Chinese Americans have been doing since the outbreaks in both countries again shows how the Chinese people are contributing to the local community and also contributing to a good U.S.-China relationship, said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Huang, also director of the Center for Global Health Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, suggested that the two countries keep working together at national levels and through corporations.

Back in mid-March, hours after Trump declared a national emergency to free up 50 billion dollars in federal resources to combat the virus, Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma offered to donate 1 million masks and 500,000 test kits to the United States.

Medical area of the temporary hospital is seen at Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, the United States, March 30, 2020. (Guang Yu/Handout via Xinhua)

Cuomo on March 26 announced a list of initial donations from major corporations, philanthropic organizations and celebrities to New York, revealing that the Chinese telecom company Huawei had donated 10,000 N95 masks, 20,000 isolation gowns, 50,000 medical goggles and 10,000 gloves.

On March 29, a planeload of medical supplies arrived in New York from Shanghai, the first in a series of flights over the next few weeks organized by the White House to help fight the virus; and just over the weekend, a total of 1,000 much-needed ventilators also arrived in New York, a donation from several Chinese foundations.

Even after the pandemic is over, Huang said, China and the United States could, for example, build a global health security fund to prepare for the next outbreak, or to support capacity-building in other countries.

"They could also collaborate with each other in the joint development of medical countermeasures, price management, disease surveillance and response. There are a lot of areas for the two to work with each other," he said.

(Video reporters: Li Guangzheng, Miao Xiaojuan; Video editor: Peng Ying)


Waldo Dwyer and Brian Dwyer in the documentary "Waldo on Weed." (Double Windsor Films)

Though legalized in several U.S. states for medicinal and recreational consumption, marijuana remains highly polemic, even more so when implemented to treat children. A heartfelt account infused with vast informative virtues, Tommy Avallones documentary Waldo on Weed elaborates on the subject though one familys hard-earned epiphany.

In 2014, young father Brian Dwyer underwent a transmutation from Philadelphias Pizza Brain guy to Dadvocate when an eye cancer diagnosis condemned he and his wife Danielle's firstborn, Waldo, to the hazardous side effects of chemotherapy. Anecdotal findings inspire Brian to embark on a cross-country trip risking jail time to obtain a potentially life-saving substance: cannabis oil.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania didnt decriminalize weed for medical use until 2016. But I would go to jail for Waldo, Dwyer assuredly says in the film.

Footage from Dwyers video journal documenting the boys doctor visits, his health evolution and the clans eventual move out west for easier access to the alternative treatment, provides a beneficial immediacy to their ordeal thats then contextualized via interviews with those involved. Researchers, growers and detractors (namely a group known as CALM) also weigh in for valuable perspective.

The stigma associated with the still-widely vilified plant disrupted relationships and personally affected Brian, a desperate parent convinced of the treatment's effectiveness after his child displayed positive results. And while fellow cannabis converts and devotees are the films focus, Avallone  also the accomplished editor  succeeds at not proselytizing but rather humanizing the issue.

Theres no definitive verdict on pots attributes here, but Waldo on Weed offers reasonable hope with discerning caveats.
Two new supports have been launched today for people with heart conditions to cope through the Covid-19 emergency.

The Irish Heart Foundation has set up a helpline that will be manned by nurses, while also a closed Facebook group for people to get advice has been launched.

People with heart issues are being advised to cocoon for the next couple of months as the spread of coronavirus continues.

Lucinda McInerney, from the Irish Heart Foundation, said it is a very difficult time.

Ms McInerney said: "You're worried about contracting covid, but also you're worried about maintaining the good health that you have at the moment.

"So we are trying to help patients self-manage as best as possible so that we keep well.

"I myself am a heart patient as well, so I understand the difficulty when you are at home and you are thrown out of your normal routine."

Ms McInerney also outlined the many issues facing people with heart problems.

She said: "The biggest difficulty is being lonely. It is worry that if they get sick, will they be okay? which I think is what all of us, I don't think there is any of us that aren't worried about that, so it's just about how will they keep well.

"What will they do to keep themselves motivated at home to keep themselves well?"

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AMHERST  Two students have been the targets of coronavirus-related anti-Asian bias, according to Amherst College president Biddy Martin.

Martin said in a letter posted on the college website Tuesday that the students endured verbal assaults in the town of Amherst. Some students have heard racist banter in the dorms, she said.

Amherst and other local colleges closed their campuses and switched to online classes last month due to the growing threat of the pandemic. But some students remain on campus due to travel bans in their home countries and other factors.

Martins letter outlines the history of anti-Asian racism and scapegoating the U.S. and said incidents of it are on the rise today at COVID-19 spreads.

The current outbreak traffics in age-old prejudices about Asian cultures and habits as a way of blaming China and, by extension, Asian and Asian-American individuals and communities for a pandemic, the origins of which scientists do not yet know, she wrote.

She added, In the attacks on Asian and Asian-American individuals and communities, we are seeing the worst of what happens when fear and bigotry combine. It is crucial that each one of us intervene and stop the spread of misinformation and discrimination.

Martins letter urges members of the community to contact campus or local police if they are the targets of racial harassment or assault. Bias incidents should also be reported to dean of students, dean or faculty or human resources, she said.

The college Counseling Center is organizing a support group for Asian and Asian-American students, Martin said.
Silicon Valley tycoon John Chambers has predicted a sobering outcome of the coronavirus pandemic which could lead to a health and economic crisis in the US.

In an interview with MarketWatch, the self-described realistic optimist, warned that the economic downturn in the US could last for another nine months and recovery will only begin in early 2021.

He expects a health and economic crisis in the country which could take three to five quarters to run its course.

Chamber, who was the CEO of Cisco Systems for 20 years until 2015, sees the pandemic as a three-axis disrupter for the US economy.

He said the healthcare system, and global supply chain, with the travel and airline industries, will be the hardest hit but, his sunny side sees the crisis as an opening for innovative and bold companies.

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 many, it will be like a second chance to do an IPO. Its time to reinvent or be left behind. And remember, great tech companies have emerged during an economic crisis, the tech executive-turned-venture capitalist said.

In the interview, Chambers cited 2005 bird flu pandemic as the reason which led Cisco to develop TelePresence, one of the first videoconferencing products for remote meetings in 2006.

The pandemic will force many companies to use this moment to make the transition to digital, said Chamber who had predicted that up to 40 percent the Fortune 500 and 70 percent of startups would not see the turn of the decade unless they make the digital transition.
One Clay County Commissioner Can Spend Millions Without Public Input One Clay County commissioner has the authority to approve spending decisions on a controversial $20 million new county annex without public discussion. On Monday, the Clay County commission, on a two to one vote, gave that power to Commissioner Gene Owen.

Earnest write-up of this spending concern in the Northland is worthwhile even if it omits the widely known fact that this entire hot mess is mostly a proxy war betwixt twopolitical consultants fighting for Northland Supremacy . . . Read more:
House Democrats are demanding answers from the Trump administration on Jared Kushner's role in controlling the supply chain of life-saving medical supplies and equipment.

The Democratic heads of the House Homeland Security panel and the Oversight committee wrote to the head of FEMA, asking for information as lawmakers 'seek to understand the role of Jared Kushner in managing FEMAs operational efforts to obtain and distribute PPE and medical supplies and equipment.

Reps. Bennie Thompson and Carolyn Maloney requested 'all communications between any FEMA employee and Jared Kushner regarding the acquisition, distribution of, or federally directed sale of any form of PPE or of medical supplies and equipment to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of COVID-1' by April 15.

In the three-page letter to FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor, the lawmakers outlined their concerns with the role Kushner - President Donald Trump's son-in-law who serves as a senior adviser in the White House - plays in determining which states get what supplies. The lawmakers also cited their concern about Kushner's comment last week that the medical supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile are meant for the federal government and not the states.

House Democrats are demanding answers from the Trump administration on Jared Kushner's role in controlling the supply chain of medical supplies

Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Oversight Committee, and Bennie Thompson, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote FEMA asking for information about Jared Kushner's role in the coronavirus crisis

President Trump has defended the work of his son-in-law

Kushner formed a 'shadow' coronavirus task force composed of private sector officials to bolster the government's response to the outbreak, which has infected more than 398,000 people and caused more than 12,000 deaths.

Thompson and Maloney also are seeking information on contact between FEMA employees and private sector businesses.

The lawmakers also expressed an interest in Kushner's involvement in "Project Airbridge," which is the new program where the federal government lines up and pays for flights to bring medical equipment into the U.S. from overseas for private companies. Kushner has bragged about using flights to bring in overseas medical supplies, pointing out it gets them to the United States faster than the traditional method of using ships.

States have complained about the lack of supplies from FEMA - including ventilators and personal protective equipment - as they battle the deadly disease.

Thompson, the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Maloney, the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, also asked FEMA to provide information on how ventilators are distributed.

They asked for 'the policies, protocols, and processes in place to guide the distribution of any remaining ventilators in the Strategic National Stockpile as well as new ventilators acquired by FEMA or distributors.'

Their request came as President Trump tweeted that Colorado would get 100 ventilators at the request of Republican Senator Cory Gardner, who is struggling in his re-election campaign.

Gardner is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot in November. Trump was scheduled to host a campaign rally for him in March that was canceled when social distancing guidelines went into place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

'Will be immediately sending 100 Ventilators to Colorado at the request of Senator Gardner!,' Trump wrote on Twitter.

Kushner sparked questions about how medical supplies are distributed when he said last week that New York got a supply of surgical masks after President Trump received a call about the situation from a friend.

In a rare appearance in the White House briefing room last Thursday, Kushner talked about getting surgical masks to New York, saying he was made aware of the problem by the president, who got a call from a friend of his in the state to complain about the lack of protective gear.

'Got a call from the president, he told me he was hearing from friends of his in New York that the New York public hospital system was running low on critical supplies,' Kushner said.

He described making a series of calls to officials and said the result was the administration would 'send a month of supply.'

'We'll be doing similar things with all the different public hospitals that are in the hot spot zones,' he said.

President Trump tweeted that Colorado would get 100 ventilators at the request of Republican Senator Cory Gardner, who is struggling in his re-election campaign

Senator Cory Gardner is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot in November

He then proceeded to lecture governors - many of whom have been begging the federal government for medical equipment as they struggle to respond to the pandemic amid dwindling supplies - on how to be 'good managers.'

'You have to take inventory in your state, and you have to be able to prove that theres a real need,' he said of the requests for they were getting for ventilators, marks and other protective gear for workers on the front line, who are at high risk of contracting the contagious disease.

He said that governors should know 'the number of how many ventilators they have in their state because that's the first thing a good manager will do.'

'What a lot of the voters are seeing now is that when you would like somebody to be a mayor or governor or president, you're trying to think about who will be a competent manager during the time of crisis. This is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others,' he added.

The White House senior adviser also caused a controversy when he said states should not look to the Strategic Nationals Stockpile for medical supplies.

Amid states bidding against each other for medical supplies and officials begging the federal government for help in procuring much-needed items, Kushner said they should not look to the reserve for help.

'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,' he said.

President Trump defended his son-in-law's remarks and went off on the reporter who asked about them.

When he says our, he is talking about our country, Trump said on Friday during his daily White House press briefing. 'He is talking about the federal government. It is such a basic, simple question. And you try to make it sound so bad.'

Trump went on to lecture her about her question.

'You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You know it, you ought to be ashamed. It's such a simple question. He said our. That means for the country. Our means for the states because they are part of the country. Don't make it sound bad,' the president said.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Houston area is continuing a steady climb, not close to crisis levels but unnerving enough that experts still arent sure when the areas grand experiment in social distancing will start showing up in daily counts.

After a week in which COVID-19 hospitalization numbers more than doubled in Harris County, epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists said it likely will be another week to 10 days before they know if the stay-at-home orders and closures are reducing the rate at which the coronavirus is spreading and keeping health care facilities from being overwhelmed.

Even though weve been social distancing for three weeks, its too early to know when well be on the downward slope, said Catherine Troisi, a professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health. The numbers were seeing now reflect people who were exposed to the virus up to four weeks ago.

Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Childrens Hospital, said the social distancing has paid off in terms of keeping hospital volumes under control so far but added that the pay-off in terms of ending the pandemic is unclear. He said that we need to continue stay-at-home orders until the end of the month, then reassess whether to extend them longer.

Hotez and others said that aggressive social distancing is more important now than ever, given modelers are projecting that the number of COVID-19 cases in the Houston area should peak in the next few weeks. They said people venturing out during the peak period will put themselves at high risk of contracting the virus.

Houston Chronicle

The peak period looms as Harris County Tuesday reported 235 COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 88 a week ago. In addition, during the same time period, such hospitalizations jumped from 10 to 28 in Montgomery County; and from 31 to 43 in Fort Bend.

But such numbers reflect a small percentage of hospital capacity. The greater Houston area has roughly 14,000 beds, with roughly 3,300 currently available for use, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which oversees a 25-county area response to emergency situations. Darrell Pile, its executive director, estimated the overall hospital occupancy rate in the area is about 65 percent, based on his own informal surveying.

My polling confirms our data that indicates the crisis is currently being solidly managed, said Pile.

For instance, there are 884 ventilators currently available in a nine-county area centered in Houston, he said.

But projecting the so-called flattening of the curve, remains elusive. An updated modeling study, conducted by the UTHealth School of Public Health, now says the number of cases in the region will peak April 23, according to Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson Minter, the director of Health and Human Services for Fort Bend County. Minter gave the new date at a meeting of the countys Commissioners Court Tuesday following a briefing by the lead researcher.

The study, released on March 24, originally said the virus spread in the Houston area would peak April 7 and burn out by mid-May if stay-at-home orders are continued until May 12. It was not clear Tuesday when the study projects the virus will burn out now.

Eric Boerwinkle, the lead researcher, could not be reached for comment Tuesday and UTHealth officials had no update on the study. Boerwinkle, who did not make the original modeling publicly available, has briefed top local government officials on the work.

Another modeling study, conducted by the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, now projects that the Texas peak use of hospital resources for COVID-19 will be April 19, some two weeks earlier than it previously projected. The study, reportedly relied on by the Trump administration, foresees no bed shortage in the state, including in intensive care.

Thats why you shouldnt place too much weight on any one model, said Dr. James McDeavitt, Baylors dean of clinical affairs. They depend on assumptions plugged in and can show everything from Houston being able to handle the surge to a New York City-like situation.

McDeavitt noted the wild cards that go into modeling  the number of people admitted to a hospital, the percentage that need intensive care, how long it takes to get patients off ventilators, how long they need to recover in a regular bed once they move out of intensive care. Those are the assumptions that drive models, he noted.

McDeavitt said he doesnt think the number of cases will come down in the Houston area until the end of the month.

High percentages in the ICUs and lengthy stays there  a Memorial Hermann doctor said last week such patients are spending an average of nine days on ventilators, double the time non-COVID-19 patients typically spend  have been hallmarks of COVID-19.

Both are evident at the areas hospital systems with the most COVID-19 patients, Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann. Methodist is treating 158 such patients, including 73 in intensive care, up from 111 and 47 a week ago. And Memorial Hermann is treating 140 such patients, including 60 in intensive care, up from 107 and 49 last week.

Around the state, there are 1,252 people with confirmed COVID-19 in hospitals, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Department. The agency only began providing that data this week.

The number has struck many as too low. In SETRACs 25-county region centered in Houston, Pile reports there are 1,206 patients hospitalized, though that includes those with not just confirmed COVID-19 but also suspected cases. The regions numbers have increased slightly in the past week, said Pile.

Elsewhere in the Texas Medical Center, Harris Health has 14 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including three in the ICU. It also has 28 suspected cases hospitalized, including six in the ICU.

CHI St. Lukes and HCA Houston Healthcare would not disclose their COVID-19 censuses.

Texas Childrens currently has no COVID patients.

Troisi said current hospitalization numbers reflect exposure up to four weeks ago because of the virus 2-to-14 day incubation, the tendency for the illness to seem mild in the initial days and testing results that can take from a few to as much as 10 days once the patient is able to get it.

Heres my analogy for whats going on now, said McDeavitt. We are under attack by a much larger force (COVID-19) that could overrun our defenses. We have retreated to our castle, moat full, drawbridge up, hunkered down awaiting reinforcements (a vaccine, effective treatments, herd immunity).

todd.ackerman@chron.com
Public service announcements on Egyptian TV pay tribute to Egypt's so-called White Army of nurses and doctors, hailing them as heroes. But the medical personnel on the front lines in Egypt's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic are speaking out against negligence in public hospitals and how the health system is ill-prepared to deal with the coronavirus. They lament the lack of testing and say a shortage in medical supplies and protective gear is endangering their lives and their families' lives.

On social media, some health practitioners have accused hospital administrators and the authorities of covering up the extent of the outbreak to prevent public panic.

Cairo University announced the closure April 4 of its National Cancer Institute (NCI), the country's main cancer hospital, after 15 members of the hospital's medical staff tested positive for the coronavirus. In a live telephone interview on the Saudi-owned satellite channel MBC Masr, NCI Director Hatem Abul Qassem told TV presenter Amr Adib that a week earlier a nurse had tested positive for the coronavirus and that he had infected several of his colleagues. The nurse, who works in another private hospital, may have also infected patients there, he suggested. Abul Qassem said that all 40 members of the NCI medical staff  including those who had not shown any symptoms of the coronavirus  had been tested and 15 of them (12 nurses and three doctors) tested positive for the coronavirus.

"They have since been isolated and the hospital has been sterilized," he said. "Only the outpatient clinic remains open."

But a video published by Mohamed Salah Gaber, a nurse at the NCI, on his Facebook page the same day belies those claims. The video, which has circulated widely on social media, shows the hospital's staff protesting in the hospital's hallway, demanding that they be tested. "You don't care about us, but we fear for our lives and our families," shouts one nurse. Abul Qassem tells them he has requested 500 testing kits from the Health Ministry and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, in a statement published on the NCI nursing staff Facebook page, they called Abul Qassem's statements "mere lies."

"The NCI staff have not been tested for COVID-19, nor was the hospital closed on April 3," the April 5 statement read. "Those infected received no support from NCI's management. After suspecting they had contracted the coronavirus disease, they quarantined themselves." The NCI nurses blamed NCI management for the spread of coronavirus infections among the center's medical staff.

"Had they heeded our calls to close the hospital for a few days and have it sterilized after a patient in the emergency ward was suspected of being infected with coronavirus, this would not have happened. We were told that if we are unhappy with the status quo, we should quit," they said.

Nurse Sayed Mahmoud rebutted the accusation that he was the source of the infections at the hospital. He said the infections were the result of "negligence" on behalf of hospital management.

"The NCI management turned down doctors' requests to have the sick patient tested despite the fact that she had all the symptoms of coronavirus," Mahmoud, now quarantined in the May 15 public hospital, said in a telephone interview broadcast on al-Haddath satellite channel April 4.

"We were extremely worried because of the lack of protective measures against coronavirus at the hospital," he said. "We only have surgical masks and gloves, which aren't enough to protect us against the virus. Some of the doctors bought N95 masks that they paid for from their own pockets."

Responding to the nurses' complaints, Cairo University launched an investigation into the incident. "Anyone found guilty of negligent conduct will be punished," said Cairo University spokesman Mahmoud Alam El Din.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gave directives April 5 to the Ministry of Health to have all medical staff and patients at the NCI tested immediately, a decision hailed by the NCI doctors and nurses as a "victory."

"At last, our voices have been heard! Those are the right measures to take," Maggie Mousa, an anesthesiologist at NCI, tweeted in response to Sisi's directive. She told Al-Monitor over the phone, though, that she had not been tested.

Mousa, who is self-isolating at home, had previously criticized the Egyptian health care system.

"I am not proud to be part of a [health] system that has failed to protect its health practitioners," she tweeted April 3. "The NCI has helped the virus spread among doctors, exposing us, our patients and their families to the risk of illness. This is the result of poor management, arrogance and negligence."

Dr. Ibrahim al-Zayat, a member of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, welcomed Sisi's decision, saying it was "better late than never." He said that a total of 27 doctors and nurses from NCI were now quarantined at al-Agouza Hospital after 10 more NCI staff members had contracted the coronavirus.

Cairo University, however, put the NCI coronavirus toll at 19, but that was before any tests had been conducted. Zayat added that plans were underway to form a "specialized crisis management committee" made up of physicians and health experts "to protect health practitioners and ensure they are not exposed to unnecessary risk, as has happened in the recent NCI crisis."

The nurses' outcry over the NCI infections came as Egypt witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases, which by April 5 surpassed the "danger limit" of 1,000 cases set by the Health Ministry to enforce stricter restrictions. The government imposed a partial nighttime curfew, closed schools and universities, and banned public gatherings, including communal prayers at mosques and churches.

The ministry earlier warned that if the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country exceeded 1,000, it would have to implement a total lockdown. By April 7, Egypt had reported 1,450 confirmed cases, including 94 fatalities, with the curve continuing its upward trend. But authorities have not followed through on enforcing a lockdown.

Egypt sent two military aircraft loaded with medical supplies to Italy on April 4  a move that drew criticism on social media. The presidential office said the supplies, which included protective gear and disinfectants, were delivered by Health Minister Hala Zayed "in the spirit of solidarity."

One Egyptian Facebook user shared a video of the Italian foreign minister greeting Zayed at the airport and lamented, "I have not seen other health ministers fly to give medical supplies to other countries, especially when those are badly needed in their own countries. They are all busy trying to stock up on medical supplies, ventilators and protective gear for their own people. This comes at a time when Egypt's doctors are in bad need of protective gear, in addition to the ongoing NCI crisis."

Decades of underinvestment in Egypt's health sector have left many public hospitals dependent on donations for medical supplies and equipment. But the donations are not forthcoming.

This past week, prominent businessman Hussein Sabbour sparked controversy after calling on Egyptians to return to work immediately. "It is better [for the country] to forsake some lives than for Egypt to go bankrupt," he told Youm7 news portal. "If we stop working, the economy will go into recession. We are a weak country and have reached our limits."

Asked if he would donate money to help the government cope with the crisis, the manager of one of Egypt's leading real estate developers said he would not, as "paying my employees is a priority."

But Zayat stressed, "We are all in the same boat together."

"Now is the time for selfless acts. We must help each other through this crisis or else the consequences will be dire," he said.
By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish women seeking an abortion have been told they must take an 8-hour ferry to England despite the lockdown, as the regional government resists pressure to offer abortions locally and the coronavirus pandemic stops flights. Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland last year after the British parliament bypassed opposition from socially conservative Christian politicians in Belfast to bring the region into line with the rest of the United Kingdom, where abortion has been legal for decades. But the regional health ministry missed an April 1 deadline to begin providing abortion just as the coronavirus pandemic complicated the government's recommended back-up option of travelling to England for the procedure

By Amanda Ferguson

BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish women seeking an abortion have been told they must take an 8-hour ferry to England despite the lockdown, as the regional government resists pressure to offer abortions locally and the coronavirus pandemic stops flights.

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland last year after the British parliament bypassed opposition from socially conservative Christian politicians in Belfast to bring the region into line with the rest of the United Kingdom, where abortion has been legal for decades.

But the regional health ministry missed an April 1 deadline to begin providing abortion just as the coronavirus pandemic complicated the government's recommended back-up option of travelling to England for the procedure.

"We are in a worse position than we have ever been in," said abortion rights activist Emma Campbell, co-chair of the Alliance for Choice group, which has seen a five-fold increase in calls for help since the travel restrictions were introduced. "Access is worse than it has been for over 50 years."

One 39-year-old education worker from County Down who is seven weeks pregnant and seeking an abortion said she had been told by her local doctor that no provision had been set up to provide abortions in Northern Ireland.

"I was told I would have to take a ferry, take the pill in the clinic in the morning, then take the other pill and then get the ferry home," she told Reuters.

"What is happening to women in Northern Ireland is inhumane," she said. "Having to sneak out to get to Liverpool is not what should be happening in 2020."

The only British clinics currently available for women from Northern Ireland seeking publicly funded abortions are in Manchester and Liverpool, but no direct flights are available due to the coronavirus lock-down, activists say.

A spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which operates the government's booking system for Northern Ireland women requiring abortions, said that due to flight cancellations the ferry was currently the only viable route.

"Some in the Northern Ireland Executive are clearly attempting to delay the widespread establishment of services, by refusing to commission services for example ..." spokeswoman Katherine O'Brien said.

Amnesty International described the situations as "unfair, dangerous and needlessly putting women and girls at risk" and said it was worried it would lead to women attempting unsafe abortions.

POLITICAL BATTLE

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster, who like Health Minister Robin Swann describes herself as "pro-life", on Monday told a press conference she was against "abortion on demand."

"It's a retrograde step for our society," she said.

Foster's Democratic Unionist Party on Monday voted against a proposal to allow doctors to prescribe the abortion pill via telephone consultations - a measure that has been introduced across the rest of the United Kingdom in the wake of coronavirus lockdown while Swann's Ulster Unionist Party abstained, a source close to the Northern Ireland executive told Reuters.

The leader of the non-sectarian Alliance Party Stephen Farry wrote a letter to Swann saying women in Northern Ireland had been left in an "untenable situation."

The department of health said it was "considering this urgently" but said it would be an issue for the Northern Ireland executive to decide.

EMERGENCY MEASURES

Alliance for Choice says it has been forced to return to its practice from before abortion was decriminalised and work with other groups to try to source abortion pills from the internet and get a doctor in the Netherlands to assess women and prescribe the pills even though it is not legal to prescribe abortion pills for home use in Northern Ireland.

However, even this is dependent on supply of pills which have been severely limited by coronavirus, Campbell said.

Activists say that in addition to a surge in calls seeking help, they have seen a number of examples of women self-harming and at least one attempting suicide.

Another pregnant woman, a 29 year old beauty industry worker from Belfast, said she had asked a local charity to send her pills but she had no idea if or when they would arrive.

"At this time nothing is certain and it's very scary that it's completely out of my hands," she said.

(Writing by Conor Humphries and Amanda Ferguson; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 12:19:03|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition featuring the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic opened Wednesday in Shanghai.

More than 800 works are on display at the China Art Museum, including photos, paintings and sculptures. The exhibits were selected from more than 13,000 works, according to the organizer.

Besides the works, a giant "mask" consisting of more than 600 metal masks has drawn much attention. "Masks signify safety and protection, and I hope the huge mask will bring strength and hope to the people," said creator Ding She.

The exhibition will last until May 8.
Wando Evans died on March 25. His family has now sued Walmart

The family of a Walmart employee in Illinois who died after contracting coronavirus has filed a lawsuit accusing the retail giant of failing to adequately screen and protect workers.

The estate of Wando Evans filed the suit in Illinois on Monday, saying the Walmart store south of Chicago was not properly cleaned and employees were not given masks, gloves, antibacterial wipes or other protective equipment.

Evans, 51 died on March 25, and another employee at the same store died four days later from complications due to coronavirus, according to the complaint. The outbreak has now infected more than 400,000 nationwide and killed at least 14,000.

Arkansas-based Walmart said it had conducted 'a deep-cleaning of key areas' in the Illinois store, which has passed a health department inspection and a separate third-party review over the last week, according to a statement provided by a spokesman.

Evans and one other employee at this Walmart in Evergreen Park, Illinois died in late March

'We have taken steps across the country to protect our associates and customers, including additional cleaning measures, installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time,' the company said.

The lawsuit filed by Evans' estate accuses Walmart of negligence and wrongful death in violation of Illinois law.

According to the complaint, Walmart did not follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Labor for maintaining safe workplaces, such as implementing social distancing.

Walmart also hired new workers in an expedited process without properly screening them for symptoms of COVID-19, Evans' estate says.

Tony Kalogerakos, a lawyer for the estate, said in a statement the lawsuit was the first wrongful death case filed in Illinois on behalf of a person who has died from COVID-19.

'The Centers for Disease Control has designated Walmart stores as 'high-volume retailers,' making them responsible for taking additional precautions to protect employees and customers from the spread of COVID-19,' he said.

Grocery store death told rises to at least six as workers nationwide demand hazard pay and better protection

At least six grocery store employees have died across the country after showing up to their essential jobs in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. They are:

An employee at a FoodMaxx in San Jose died in late March

Walmart employee Wando Evans, 51, died on March 25 in Evergreen Park, Illinois

Phillip Thomas, 48, died on March 29 after working at same Illinois Walmart

Leilani Jordan, 27, died on April 1 after working at Giant in Largo, Maryland

Vitalina Williams, 59, died on April 5 after working at Market Basket in Salem, MA

A Trader Joe's employee in Scarsdale, New York died on April 6

The high risk and low pay has inspired protests around the country from irate workers demanding better conditions.

Leilani Jordan, 27, (right) died on April 1 after working at Giant in Largo, Maryland and Phillip Thomas, 48, (right) died on March 29 after working at an Illinois Walmart

On Tuesday, workers at Stop & Shop , Whole Foods , and Trader Joe's in Boston united to protest against working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Vitalina Williams, 59, died on April 5 after working at Market Basket in Salem, MA

The grocery store employees joined forces with customers to demand 'adequate protections', NBC Boston reports. The group met in a Whole Foods parking lot where they stood apart to protest.

One worker at Shaw's grocery story, Lisa Wilson, told the network: 'I think grocery stores like to look like they're doing things...but as far as actually enforcing it...that's not really happening.'

Around 30 protester met on Tuesday morning after several of their colleagues from across the state tested positive for the virus.

Other frontline workers have also gone on strike as a result of working conditions, including those as Amazon facilities, with owner Jeff Bezos being accused of 'valuing profit over safety'.

The online retail giant is tracking its warehouse staff and will fire them for failing to socially distance themselves from their co-workers.

Employee Tonya Ramsay, right, holds a sign outside the Amazon DTW1 fulfillment center in Romulus, Michigan on Wednesday, April 1

Workers at facilities across the United States are said to have received letters from their employer explaining they could be sacked after just one warning.

A number of Amazon employees have walked out in recent days over conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. One worker told CNBC it is understood cameras would be used to watch and review staff for any potential violations.

One Amazon worker in Easton, Pennsylvania told The Guardian owner Jeff Bezos 'clearly values profits above employee safety or health'.

Amazon says they have deployed an additional 450,000 canisters of disinfectant wipes, 50,000 hand sanitizers and 20,000 wall mounted sanitizer refill containers to sites in addition to other cleaning materials that were on-hand.

Workers at Amazon's fulfillment center in Staten Island, N.Y., protest work conditions in the company's warehouse, Monday in New York

Those delivering the food are also worried for their safety. The Truckers Independent Drivers Association wrote to Donald Trump asking for their health to be protected.

Todd Spencer, president and CEO of Kansas based organization, said: 'Right now professional drivers are busting their butts to care for the nation.

'Their hard work and personal sacrifice should not include their health or even their lives if at all possible or preventable.'
The pandemic is accelerating a shift towards remote working and we can provide positive support to all those impacted by the rapid, recent changes.

Search Remotely has launched a new remote jobs platform, helping individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to find employment that allows them to work from anywhere. The Sydney-based platform setup by co-founders Christian Carella and Sammy Mehr connects remote job seekers with employers hiring remotely, through an extensive worldwide network. People can gain new employment, without leaving their homes or breaking social distancing regulations.

Search Remotely was due to launch later this year. However, the launch was brought forward to respond to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic in order to support the individuals and families impacted from changes that have affected the global jobs market.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a surge of job losses and committed a large proportion of the global workforce to work remotely. Health regulations make it very challenging for the recently unemployed to gain new employment through traditional channels.

Search Remotely enables people to find jobs beyond their traditional circles and geographic location. The platform specialises in jobs that can be done from anywhere. Most of these jobs do not require a fixed base so employees can work from where they are in lockdown.

Founder Christian Carella commented: The pandemic is accelerating a shift towards remote working and we can provide positive support to all those impacted by the rapid, recent changes. Thanks to remote work, people are not limited by jobs in their local area. They can search and apply to jobs with businesses headquartered on any continent.

Search Remotely is available to use for job seekers, who can filter remote jobs based on category and region. Some jobs are specifically open to individuals based in a particular country or region, whereas others are work from anywhere. The platform lists full-time, part-time and temporary jobs. Employers can create a basic job posting on the platform for USD 39.

Almost all businesses that are still hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic can only hire remote employees. During this period of uncertainty, businesses are forced to operate on a remote working model, including any new employees. Search Remotely can help businesses make the jump from traditional hiring to remote-first hiring adds Christian. This also leverages their opportunity to access a wider talent pool and future-proof their operation for a post COVID-19 world.

About Search Remotely https://searchremotely.com/

Search Remotely is an online platform that connects remote workers with employers who are hiring remotely, through an extensive network of remote job offerings. It is a platform helping individuals and teams to work from anywhere. The platform also offers a variety of online courses to help train individuals with the skills necessary to be a remote employee. In addition, the platform helps remote workers source coworking spaces and sells remote work productivity tools.
I do not think that I need to reinforce that I am a foodie. It is a part of my fabric as much as my flesh and blood. All the people who have known me for some time have a fair idea that my definition of love and romance is also centred around a freshly baked pizza with cheese dripping down the bread. Interestingly, when you change countries like I did the first concern is food. Before even settling somewhere I consider it important to research about the food at that place.

Since the world is a global village now, Pakistan and Indias food scene also has many new additions. Hence, when we talk about our favourite foods these do not only include the typically desi foods but also the fusion versions of the world cuisine. It is a well-known fact that none of our fusion versions is even close to the authentic cuisines but that is how it is. A desi might get the shock of his/her life when visiting Naples because the pizza served there is not at all like the thick crust and cheddar cheese version that we get in many parts of the world.

After desi cuisine, one of the most popular culinary traditions in Pakistan and India come from China. The migrants from the Hakka region came to Calcutta and started food business giving birth to the desi Chinese food. They adapted it according to the local taste palate and hence became immensely popular throughout the region. Going to a Chinese restaurant became the favourite activity for most of the desi families. Hence, the cuisine that became the second favourite ( and in some cases even first) was desi Chinese.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Qrp8kB6DV/

When I changed countries, I got to know that the version we had been cherishing all our lives was not even Chinese. In fact, had a Chinese known about a Chicken Manchurian sizzling on a hot plate he would have scratched his head for a bit. The original pizza was not what I had been ordering for most of the late-night cravings. I had to come to terms with the fact that what I had been programmed to appreciate as the foreign cuisine was very much our own.

Hence, you might find desi food in many parts of the world but finding desi Chinese and Italian food is the real quest. It is like searching in the dark with no candle in hand. I miss Chicken Manchurian and Egg Fried Rice as much as Nihari and Takatak. While I might find Nihari if I am lucky enough, finding desi Chinese food will always remain the lions task. For those of you who live in Pakistan and India, I just want to let you know that I am very jealous.
09:30 PM IST

Bihar announces 15% salary cut for legislators

In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic sweeping across the country, Bihar cabinet on Wednesday announced a pay cut of 15% for all ministers and legislators.

In doing so, Bihar joined states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to announce a salary cut for legislators.

The cabinet has decided a 15% cut in basic salary of the legislators for one year. The money saved will be deposited in Corona Eradication Fund created for the purpose, said Deepak Prasad, principal secretary, cabinet secretariat.
The Dublin-listed Ormonde Mining, which earlier this year sold its 30pc stake in the Barruecopardo joint venture in Spain to Oaktree Capital Management, made a loss of 11.3m last year.

This compares to a loss of 1.65m in 2018, according to annual results from the group.

Loss from continuing operations totalled 900,000, while losses from discontinued operations were 10.4m.

Following the disposal of its stake in the Barruecopardo joint venture, the company said management have been focussed on assessing opportunities available in the resource sector.

The company said that over sixty opportunities have been assessed over the last two months, with a number of these being considered for advancement.

While the coronavirus is impacting activities, the management of Ormonde believe opportunities will remain available over the short to medium term.

And our strong cash balance will attract an increased number of new opportunities over the coming period, Ormonde said.

The company continues to retain some exploration and development assets in Spain.
TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Health announced last night the death of a 70-year-old Bahraini national, who was a registered active case of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The deceased male was suffering from underlying and chronic health problems, the Health Ministry said.

He was placed in isolation and received extensive 24-hour treatment from a specialised medical team. His passing marked the fifth death related to the coronavirus in Bahrain. The Health Ministry expressed its heartfelt condolences to the individuals family at this difficult time.

The Ministry highlighted that, excluding three cases, all other 341 active COVID-19 cases remain stable, and all patients continue to receive treatment following guidelines provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The total tested in the Kingdom has reached 50,320.
Oh, my God. It's happening! Everybody stay calm. Everybody stay calm!

Netflix set Friday, May 29, as the release date for its new "Space Force" workplace comedy and released new photos from the show on Twitter and Facebook.

(Netflix)

Almost as soon as President Donald Trump announced the formation of the real-life Space Force, Netflix declared that Steve Carrell and Greg Daniels, the duo who brought us "The Office," would be creating a show about it.

The streaming service has been teasing the show since tweeting a production photo in October.

"The Office" has become Netflix's most-watched show, but it will soon leave the platform for NBCUniversal's own planned streaming service. It only makes sense for Netflix to create a new show to (hopefully) replace it. We're all just lucky it's about the creation of the sixth branch of the military.

(Netflix)

"Space Force" will star Carrell as Space Force Gen. Mark R. Naird, John Malkovich as Science Adviser Dr. Adrian Mallory and Ben Schwartz as media consultant F. Tony Scarapiducci. The photos released by Netflix on Wednesday also reveal "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow and "Veep" alum Dan Bakkedahl.

It's not clear whether the black-on-black Air Force-based uniform worn by Carrell in the photos has been considered for the actual Space Force uniform. In his official photo, real-life Space Force commander Gen. John Raymond wears plain ol' Air Force blues.

(Netflix)

The show is about an accomplished pilot and Air Force officer who always wanted to be in command of the entire service. Instead, the four-star Naird gets command of the newly created Space Force.

He and his wife Maggie (Kudrow) move their family to a base in Colorado, where he is tasked by the White House to get American boots on the moon to achieve "total space dominance."

Joining Carrell, Malkovich, Schwartz and Kudrow are Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com.

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Replying to a question from ScienceInsider about impeached US President Donald Trump's anti-World Heath Organization comments, the WHO's Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus replied, "Please quarantine politicizing COVID."

"We will have many body bags in front of us if we don't behave," Dr. Tedros added.

From Jon Cohen's story for ScienceInsider:

Tedros also indirectly addressed Trump's criticisms of China's early handling of the pandemic and claims that WHO is too accommodating to the Chinese government. "The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy," he said, urging politicians not to exploit global political differences. "It's like playing with fire," he said. "When there are cracks at national level and global level that's when the virus succeeds. For God's sake, we have lost more than 60,000 citizens of the world."

WHO will be reviewing its strengths and weaknesses in its pandemic response, Tedros added. He stressed there were many unknowns when the outbreak surfacedand that many unknowns remain. "We shouldn't waste time pointing fingers," he said. "Unity is the only option to defeat this virus. If you don't believe in unity and don't do unity, please prepare for the worst to come."

Tedros's remarks come 1 day after Trump, speaking at a White House Coronavirus Taskforce press conference, threatened to cut funding to WHO. "We're going to put a very powerful hold on it," Trump said. When later questioned by a journalist, Trump backpedaled and insisted that he didn't say this. "I said we're going to look at it, we're going to investigate it," he said.
Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Attorney Robert B. Weiss has joined the firms Troy office as Of Counsel.

Im excited to be joining Dickinson Wright and their nationally-recognized automotive and insolvency/restructuring practices, says Robert. Over my career, Ive enjoyed a great working relationship with many of my colleagues at Dickinson Wright and look forward to working with them and our clients, especially in the automotive industry, to navigate the evolving economic circumstances in the months ahead.

I have worked side-by-side with Bob for over 20 years and have always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Bob is truly one of the most respected attorneys in the automotive and restructuring space, says James Plemmons, Deputy CEO of Lateral Partner Recruitment. We are very fortunate that Bob decided to continue his illustrious career with Dickinson Wright as he is a great addition to our team and will provide tremendous support to our practice and clients.

Robert Weiss over thirty years experience advising automotive OEMs and their suppliers as outside counsel and, most recently, as General Counsel of Joyson Safety Systems, a multinational Tier 1 supplier, gives him dual perspective and a breadth of experience in all aspects of automotive supply chain representation. He has advised his clients on a wide range of complex and, at times, unique legal matters. Mr. Weiss is one of the pioneers in the development and refinement of supply chain protection in the automotive, manufacturing and related industries, and in collaboration with his colleagues, helped establish the protocol and refine processes used in dealing with critical, single-source suppliers in the "just in time inventory" context, which has since become the industry standard.

Mr. Weiss previously headed the commercial, restructuring, and bankruptcy practice of a large Midwestern law firm. He has represented manufacturers in complex commercial transactions, the structuring and negotiating of complex commercial supply contracts, sensitive internal investigations, and commercial litigation. As the practice lead, Mr. Weiss oversaw and actively represented clients in the events leading up to the 2009 financial crisis and was the lead lawyer of one of three law firms retained to represent General Motors Corporation in its Chapter 11 case.

Mr. Weiss has also overseen and has extensive experience with multiple restructurings of companies through pre-packaged arrangements, out-of-court restructurings, and Chapter 11 proceedings. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and has been recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers. Mr. Weiss received his B.A. from Yeshiva University and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

About Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dickinson Wright PLLC is a general practice business law firm with more than 475 attorneys among more than 40 practice areas and 16 industry groups. Headquartered in Detroit and founded in 1878, the firm has 18 offices, including six in Michigan (Detroit, Troy, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw) and 11 other domestic offices in Austin and El Paso, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; and Washington, D.C. The firms Canadian office is located in Toronto.

Dickinson Wright offers our clients a distinctive combination of superb client service, exceptional quality, value for fees, industry expertise and business acumen. As one of the few law firms with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, Dickinson Wright has built state-of-the-art, independently-verified risk management controls and security processes for our commercial transactions. Dickinson Wright lawyers are known for delivering commercially-oriented advice on sophisticated transactions and have a remarkable record of wins in high-stakes litigation. Dickinson Wright lawyers are regularly cited for their expertise and experience by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other leading independent law firm evaluating organizations.


Japan unveiled a record 108.2trn yen (912bn) stimulus package to shield the economy from the coronavirus outbreak as prime minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency.

The package's size, with a headline figure equivalent to 20pc of annual economic output, highlights the magnitude of the damage policymakers are bracing for. Japan's economy faces its biggest crisis since the end of World War Two, Mr Abe said.

He earlier declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures, empowering local authorities to urge people to stay at home in major cities that generate about half of Japan's economic output.

Japan is ramping up its response to the outbreak amid mounting calls for more aggressive measures to contain the deadly virus and its economic consequences.

Bloomberg
North Korea expert Kim Dal-sul played the role of the late former North Korea leader Kim Jong-il during a rehearsal at Cheong Wa Dae for the first-ever inter-Korean summit in June 2000.

By Do Je-hae



Kim Dal-sul, a former official with the Ministry of Unification and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), the predecessor of the National Intelligence Service, died April 7. He was 90.



One of the nation's key experts on North Korea, he served through several administrations, starting in 1971 under then-President Park Chung-hee through to former President Kim Dae-jung. He was involved in arranging more than 100 inter-Korean talks.



He played a crucial role in the preparations for the 2000 inter-Korean summit between then-President Kim Dae-jung and the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the father of the incumbent Kim Jong-un.



Former President Kim rehearsed for the first inter-Korean summit with Kim Dal-sul who acted as a stand-in for Kim Jong-il during the mock talks held on June 6, 2000 at Cheong Wa Dae ahead of the real talks on June 13.



As a recognized author of many theses on the history of inter-Korean talks, Kim was able to play the role based on his lifelong research into the leadership of the North Korean regime.



"I start the day by reading the Rodong Simun. I follow North Korean media and think and behave as a North Korean. After leading this kind of lifestyle for more than 30 years, I sometimes feel like I am Kim Jong-il," he said in a 2007 media interview.



During the rehearsal, former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun played the role of Kim Yong-sun, who was North Korea's director of South Korean intelligence at the time. Jeong said later that the mock talks were very helpful in preparing for the summit.





This 2000 file photo shows South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sharing friendly greetings after Kim's arrival at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, June 13, 2000, for the historic inter-Korean summit. Korea Times file
CHICOPEE - Chicopee police have charged a 22-year-old Holyoke man with robbing the same Shell service station on West Street three times since the middle of March, police said.

Paul Sapp Jr. of Waldo Street, Holyoke, is charged with unarmed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a class A and class B drug, armed robbery while masked and armed robbery while masked and with a firearm.

Police spokesman, officer Mike Wilk said Sapp was identified as the suspect in an unarmed robbery Monday at the Shell station at 95 West St. He was spotted in Chicopee and taken into custody on Tuesday.

Police were able to determine he was also a suspect in armed robberies at the state on March 15 and April 2.

He is being held at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow without bail pending his arraignment in Chicopee District Court.